Dimensional Dementia
Part 5: Aftereffects
A lone car sped crazily down the streets, quiet
and empty for the night. In it were two men, who could have been mistaken
for twins.
"So what did you drag me to help Ace for?"
Vega demanded, keeping an eye on the road and directing his attention to
the person with him.
Vega Two ran a hand through his graying hair,
and repeated in detail what Mona had told him. When he finished, he leaned
back against his seat. "Could you go faster? They're in trouble, y'know!"
"Yeah, yeah," Vega groused, but stepped hard
on the accelerator, for beneath his tough exterior was a man that was full
of love for a family that was his life…
***
"Angie, please, wake up." Ace's voice was a
choked whisper as he pleaded in vain with the female magician's lifeless
form.
Cosmo and Zina gently pulled him away from
Angie's unconscious body, and Ace Two took his place at Angie's side. "Angie,
if you can hear me, wake up. You're worrying everybody." There was no response.
He sighed and slipped his hands under Angie's
body, lifting her and carrying her in his arms. "Let's go back to the Express
and see how we can help Angie."
"Ace." Ace Two turned to see his counterpart
facing him, blue eyes sparkling with unshed tears. "I'll carry her."
He nodded and carefully handed Angie to Ace.
They were about to leave the office when two
familiar and similar figures burst into the room, panting. "Ace!"
"Vega." Ace could not figure out who was who
and so addressed the both of them. "Angie…she…she's not responding."
"Where's Malone and Surge?" Vega Two demanded
while his counterpart went to Ace. "I'll get them for this." Even though
he did not know Angie, she was, after all, in a sense, a young woman he
treated like his daughter. And his heart was breaking at seeing himself
so worried.
"I'll get them." Jas's voice was quiet and
calm, but they could feel her emotions bubbling beneath the surface. "I'll
get them and make them pay for what they did to Angie." She looked at Ace
in the eyes. "I promise."
***
Jas leaned against the Magic Racer, arms crossed
over her chest and eyes raised to the star-filled soft deep blue sky. The
contours of the car poked into her back, seemingly as a painful reminder
of the worst that had happened. She felt tears threatening to form, and
struggled to hold them back.
But as her feelings reached their peak, they
burst out of her, causing uncontrollable sobs. She felt her throat constrict
and gasped for air. "Dad." Her eyes gazed at a phantom only she could see.
"Dad, I failed them. I failed you. I failed myself. And I failed Angie."
She slid down to sit on the sidewalk, hugging
her knees to her. "If only I've been more careful and didn't trigger the
fear gas, Angie would not have to save me and let her guard down. Then
Faceless would not have taken her by surprise and caused her to be in the
state she's in now. It's all my fault.
"You're right, Dad," she said, recalling 'his'
words when she breathed in the fear gas herself. "I'm not worthy to be
your daughter. I'm not worthy to learn karate." She took out the nunchakus
and stared at them, feeling as if touching them was an insult to the code
of martial arts her father had held. "I failed."
"No, Jas," a deep, masculine voice she was
used to spoke up. "It is not your fault. This isn't anybody's fault
but Black Jack's and Sonny Boy's."
She did not need to look to know it was Ace.
"Go away, Ace. If I hadn't been so careless, Angie would not have had to
face her worst fears. Now she's gone and we need to bring her back."
"Jas." Ace slipped a gloved finger under her
chin and forced her to look up at him. "This is no time to indulge in guilt.
We need to get your Black Jack, Sonny Boy, Faceless and all of you back
to your world before the rift closes. There is only one day left."
She nodded, wiping away her tears and slipping
the nunchakus back into its place in a small pouch hanging from
her belt. "You're right, Ace. We'll need to get back and make plans on
how to get them back." And after that, I'll retire from karate and the
lives of Ace, Vega, Cosmo, Zina and Angel for good, she added silently
to herself.
***
"Where do you think they will be hiding at?"
Vega asked the question which none had the answer.
"It's something we have to figure out, Vega,"
Cosmo Two pointed out redundantly.
Jas sat at a distance from the group, half
thinking about Angie who had been placed in the medi-lab, and half thinking
of ways to find the criminals. She was distracted by two purrs by her.
"Zina." She caressed both panthers' heads, feeling their soft, velvety
fur under her palms. She forced a smile for them. "This is probably the
last time I'll ever see you again," she whispered.
"Jas? What do you think?" Ace Two looked at
her for suggestions.
She sighed and stood up. Her plans would come
later. She racked her brain for something they could use to find the criminals.
"Wait," she said slowly, musing. "Black Jack's hover-chair is connected
to the Croesus's main computer, right?"
Cosmo slapped his palms against his thighs.
"Yes! That means we can hack into the computer like we did the last time
for the blueprints and track the signal to Black Jack's hover-chair! You're
a genius, Jas!"
She only nodded and turned away; her sadness
seeping to the surface before she quickly pulled them back. She did not
feel much like a genius at the moment.
***
"You think they can find us here, Malone?"
the whiny voice of Sonny Boy Two inquired.
"Of course not, Surge!" Black Jack snapped.
"Even Mona does not know about this place."
All of them were in a building at the outskirts
of Electro City, which had been bought by the crime-lord a long time ago,
back when Ace Cooper was still in his gang.
"We got 'em good," Faceless gloated. "Especially
Jacobs. The fear on her face and the anger on Cooper's were priceless!"
"Yeah," Diamond agreed. "They've crossed us
too many times."
"So what do we do now?" Black Jack Two glanced
around. "Do we just hide here forever?" He snarled. "I have my own world
to get back to!" Besides, if I stay here, I cannot share. I'll kill
that idiotic counterpart of mine and take over, he thought. If I
stay here.
"I've got provisions stocked up. Enough to
last all of us for a week. We'll see what to do till then," Black Jack
decided. "Now everybody, let's retire for the night."
***
"Guys, we've got it!" Both Cosmos exclaimed
in excitement. "Angel, grid map of Electro City and the desert, please."
"Right away, Cosmo." The AI showed a hologram
of the city. Only a small red dot marred the hologram of black and green.
"We found the signal coming from there," Cosmo
explained. "It was almost undetectable, but this far from the city, it
was slightly interfering with signals from TVs and radios."
"Black Jack must have some hidden building
there," Ace Two concluded.
"So we go and bust 'em up," Vega Two put in.
"And we're out of here."
"What about Angie?" Ace asked softly. "Who
will stay with her?"
"I will," Mona volunteered. She had been silent
for the whole time they were talking. "Rest assured that I'll look after
Angie, and defend her life with mine if need be."
The Magician nodded tiredly. He trusted Mona,
even though she was not his Mona. "Thanks. I really appreciate it."
"His sentiment is mirrored," Cosmo added.
"We've got less than 24 hours to do it," Jas
snapped, "So let's get on with it. I'm going to make them wish they had
never messed with us."
***
Jas prepared herself quickly and took the time
to think. She seemed not to be able to erase her guilt. With a sigh, she
sat down and meditated. That did not go too well. She sank partly into
her mind before scenes of the fight distracted her.
She tried again, and this time, she felt almost
at peace with herself and a slightly strange presence in her soul before
her own decision of quitting karate and leaving the team broke her concentration.
"I'm no good!" She punched the floor in guilt
and anger, wincing at the pain from the energy that had rebounded back
through her arm. "Angie, you have to get yourself back soon. I'll get them
for this."
She got to her feet, blue-gray eyes hard.
"Black, Jack, Sonny Boy, Faceless, you will thoroughly regret being alive."
***
In another part of the train known as the Magic
Express, a heavy sandbag swung wildly under the influence of punches on
it. Ace gave the bag everything he got. Angie, he thought. Forgive
me. I've failed you.
"Damn you, Black Jack!" He snarled and hit
the sandbag so hard it swung straight up, before being stopped by yet another
series of kicks.
Through his worried mind ran flashbacks about
the young woman who shared the power of the Magic Force with him.
He remembered when she first arrived in Electro City more than two years
earlier and was given a place to stay by him when she lost her apartment.
"She said she would never be a freeloader," he whispered, "and she would
treat us as real friends. She's held her word on both counts."
He then remembered the handshake, one which
triggered everything for both Ace and Angie. "When we shook hands,
it was then I knew Angie was more than just a gifted person of mind and
heart. The times I could sense her and the times our powers came
together, it was as though she had reached out to me, telling me I wasn't
alone with this magic. It just took me to help her understand what
she had was a gift, not a curse. She has so much warmth, compassion,
courage, and spirit. Now…now I may have lost my kindred sister forever."
As Ace put his face down in shame, he started
to hear a whispered voice in his mind. Help her find the light.
Help her find the light. Help her find the light.
He looked around the room. "Who—who
said that?"
I am your conscience, Ace.
"How can I have a conscience at this
point? I've lived a regretful past myself, but my kindred sister
shouldn't have to suffer through all this…hell. What in the world
can I do for her now?"
You can help Angie. Just help her
find the light within herself. Remember, you and she are bonded in
mind but more importantly in heart. Let her know you care and that
she is loved. Her soul is trapped in darkness, and she feels alone.
She carries much guilt within her heart, which has led her to this situation.
You can help her by letting her know she is not alone.
There is another who can assist.
"Who can help me with this?"
Jas Lee. She feels connected to Angie
as well. She cares about her like a sister, and has given her the
encouragement when Angie felt at fault for the things that were happening
here. Let Jas lend a hand to get Angie out of the darkness.
"I think I understand," he whispered.
He put his head back up and immediately went to Angie's room, where Jas
had been practicing with all her own might.
Jas noticed Ace at the door as it opened.
"Ace, what's going on? Has Angie's condition changed?"
"No, but I think I know what I—I mean, we—can
do to get her back."
"What do you mean by 'we'?"
"I just heard a voice, my conscience, saying
we need to help her find the light. You know I have a psychic bond
with Angie, but you have one with her, too."
Jas realized Ace was right. "Of course,
she made mental contact with me twice. That means I should be able
to get through to her the same way."
Jas and Ace then took off for the medi-lab,
where they found Mona sound asleep in the chair.
"Poor Mona," Jas said, "she's just tired after
all this mayhem." She then turned her attention to Angie. "So,
what should we do?"
"We take her hands and try to get through
to her by thought and feeling. Maybe we can help her to help herself."
"Whatever we can do to get her back."
Ace kneeled and took Angie's right hand while
Jas did the same with the female magician's left hand.
Closing their eyes, they both started to say
calmly, "Find the light, Angie. Find the light."
Mona suddenly awakened to notice both Ace
and Jas holding her hands. What are they doing? she thought
curiously. Maybe they've figured out a way to get Angie back.
I won't disturb them. Go for it, my friends. Help Angie return
from the darkness.
Ace concentrated with feeling on Angie.
I
am here, kindred sister. I will help you reach the light. You
will not have to fight alone.
Jas then heard the voice of her deceased father,
Jason Brend. Jas, I can tell you want to help your friend.
Yes, Dad. I do want to help her to
find the light within her heart. I just don't know what else to do
for her right now.
Continue to keep hope for her. I
will try to help her from within herself.
Thanks, Dad. Please try to get through
to her.
I will, and by the way, you are
worthy of being my daughter and worthy of being a martial artist.
However, you need to forge your own path, not worry about whether
you're following mine. Not all those aspiring to be martial artists
do so in the same way. Follow your own heart and your own dreams.
Don't listen to hallucinations caused by that fear gas. Don't leave
your friends or your dreams behind. Your friends care about you,
and your dreams are yours, not mine or anyone else's.
Jas felt relief in her soul. I won't
forget this, Dad. Now I know I can help Angie return from the darkness.
As for Angie herself, her physical condition
remained unchanged.
Within her soul, however, she awakened
in an abyss of a dark and cold wasteland.
"It's so gloomy, and I'm freezing," she
said. She got out of her curled position and noticed nothing but
darkness all around her. "What have I done?" she asked herself sadly.
As she was about to shed tears, she noticed
a small light high in the sky. "Why is there light in all this darkness?"
She tried desperately to reach that light but found it was too far out
of reach.
In her heart she felt shame and guilt.
"How could I have been so blind? I was so convinced I had the power
to save Mrs. Brighton. Why couldn't I tell that was not her?
Then, to make matters worse, I attacked the people I truly love!"
As she began to sink further into the darkness, she said, "If I am to die,
I will die alone, with the shame of what I have done to my friends."
Suddenly, a voice from a distance away
yelled, "No, Angie! Nancy and I will never allow you to do
this to yourself!"
Angie already recognized her father's voice.
"You don't understand, Dad. I let everyone down. I
brought
everyone into this trap. I should be the one to blame.
I should be the one to perish alone."
"Angela Connie Jacobs," her mother stated
sternly, "listen to yourself right now! You're making yourself guilty
of this situation, and it's not your fault!"
The daughter suddenly snapped, "Yes,
it is! It's my fault for everything that's happened to the people
I love. I should die alone!"
Nancy came up to her and slapped her across
the face. "Stop it!"
Angie was shocked while she placed her
left hand over the slapped area.
"I'm sorry I had to do that," Nancy stated
sadly, "but this was the only way to knock some sense into you."
Angie then put her face down. "No,
Mom. You don't have to apologize. You had to do it. There
wasn't any other choice."
"Which is exactly the point." Nancy
kneeled down to her daughter and held her shoulders. "Angie, even
though you are around friends who care about you, you still carry many
bottled feelings within your heart. Many of those feelings are of
guilt and shame you placed upon yourself. You never told us this,
but we knew. All those times in school when you would be picked on
and beaten up, instead of trying to seek vengeance against them in any
way, you turned all the blame on yourself. Why did you do that?"
"I felt I caused them to pick on me.
I wanted to learn, which made me an outsider to everyone else."
"And you think that made you guilty?
Angie, you were always a gifted person who cared for others. However,
these bottled feelings of guilt and the fear gas you succumbed to earlier
are causing you to think and feel irrationally."
"I agree with your mother, Miss Jacobs,"
said a male voice Angie had never heard before.
"Who's there?" Angie asked in slight fear.
The image of an elderly gentleman appeared
and started to approach her. "Relax, Miss Jacobs. My name is
Jason…Jason Brend."
Angie found herself completely surprised.
"You…you're Jas's father? How is it you're here?"
"Through Jas herself. She and your friend
Ace are trying to help you to reach the light up there. You are surrounded
by people who truly love you."
"How can anyone love me after what I've
done to them, leading them into the trap and then attacking them?"
Jason kneeled down to her. "Angie,
you were overcome by the effects of the fear gas those villains used on
you. You only attacked them because you thought they were the demons
of guilt and shame which exist within your own heart."
His words were beginning to get through
to the female magician. "Is it possible…my bottled feelings of guilt
have been the cause of all my nightmares?"
"I would say it was more probable than possible.
Your feelings of guilt you have kept trapped within your heart have given
you nightmares about your friends and family hating you because of everything
that has happened to them."
"Jason's right," Robert agreed. "Remember,
we never blamed you for the accident which killed us. You blamed
yourself, though, and even though we told you not to feel guilty about
that, you're still carrying some of that guilt."
"Faceless took advantage of your emotional
well-being," Jason continued, "because you wanted to believe it was your
best friend's mother you tried to rescue. Even though she did trick
you, you did what you knew in your heart to be right. No one around
you is blaming you for this. In fact, both Ace and Jas have been
wanting to condemn themselves for what happened to you."
"Oh, no," said Angie. "They didn't
do anything wrong. The villains did this to all of us."
"That's right, sweetie," stated Robert.
"You have been the one who has helped both teams stay together because
of your warmth and kindness. However, you need to stop feeling guilty
about the things that go wrong. Let me ask you this: If you
couldn't save my life the way you did when you were seven years old, with
your magic, would you feel guilty?"
"Yes, I would."
"Angie, you shouldn't. You are destined
to be a magician, but you can't do everything. Ace is letting you
develop your magical powers with time, patience, love, and support.
You like to take your time in developing your abilities, and you enjoy
being around your friends. However, as long as you keep these feelings
of guilt inside you, you'll be forever haunted."
"What can I do to end this nightmare cycle?"
Angie asked curiously.
Nancy simply answered, "Go deep into your
heart and soul and confront the demons of guilt and shame. Say to
yourself, 'I am not guilty.' If you believe in your heart
you're not guilty, you can finally put those monsters out of your life.
In addition, feel the love of not only myself, Robert, and Jason, but also
Ace, Jas, Mona, Vega, Ashley, Rita, and everyone else you have grown to
care about. You don't have to be afraid of whatever happens.
We believe in you."
Jason added, "I, too, believe in you, Angie.
Right now, it's you who needs to believe in yourself."
"I understand," Angie stated with a light
smile. "Thanks, Mom and Dad. You, too, Mr. Brend. I owe
you one."
"No, Angie. No debt is ever owed
when help is given out of love and friendship. Now, let your heart
guide your power!"
As the three adults disappeared, Angie
felt herself going deeper into the darkness but without any fear.
When she came to the deepest part of her soul she saw monsters all around
her, monsters which represented the guilt and shame she had placed upon
herself.
"So many monsters," she said to herself.
The demons seemed to lay in wait, hoping
for the chance to pounce on her and make her feel guilty about every tragedy
which occurred in her life.
The young woman closed her eyes and whispered,
"I am not guilty. I am not guilty. I am not guilty."
She then started to feel the love of her
family and friends. "I am surrounded by love, not hate. I am
not guilty. I am not guilty."
Her magic began to come back to life in
her heart as she felt the power of love growing stronger within her.
In a matter of moments she started screaming, "I am not guilty! I
am not guilty! It wasn't my fault for Mom and Dad's accident!
I am not to blame for what happened to Aunt Rita! I didn't do anything
wrong about this situation, either! I AM NOT GUILTY OF ANYTHING!!"
Her body began to radiate in her light-blue
aura as she opened her eyes and stared the ogres right in the eyes.
She felt her powers becoming stronger than ever before. She then
put her arms out to the sides and with compassion yelled, "Let my heart
guide my power!"
Her body becoming brighter, she gave a
mean stare to the fiends of guilt and shame. "Demons of self-hatred,
you will leave me alone now and forever! Demons…begone from my
heart!"
As the light exploded from within her heart,
the monsters soon disintegrated into nothingness, and the darkness was
soon replaced by light surrounding her.
"The light was all around me to begin with,"
Angie realized. "I just had myself enveloped by darkness."
She then remembered about Ace and Jas. "Hang on, friends. I'm
coming home." She then floated into the sky and headed back to the
world she knew.
There, Ace and Jas still held Angie's hands
when they both suddenly felt the grip tighten.
Ace gasped, "Angie? Angie, are you…?"
The young magician's eyes slowly began to
open. She started to blink her eyes in wonder. She then turned
to her right and noticed Ace. "Hello, kindred brother," she said
calmly. Angie then noticed her friend to her left. "Hi, Jas."
Jas gasped with a little excitement.
"Angie!"
She sat up slowly and then noticed Mona.
"Wait a minute. Aren't you supposed to be vacationing in Romania
right now?"
Mona Two said, "No, Angie. I'm the other
Mona, remember?"
"Whoops," said a rather embarrassed Angie.
"I forgot about you being from the other world. Sorry."
"That's okay, Angie. Considering where
you've been, I'm just glad to see you awake again."
"That goes triple-fold for me," said a very
relieved Ace as he hugged the female magician tightly. "I thought
we had lost you forever."
"So did I," added Jas. "You've been
the one person who's been getting all of us through this dimensional mess,
and we're just glad to see you back." Then, Jas put her face down.
"Angie, we…we had to attack you. Your powers spiraled out of control
and—"
"I know, Jas. That fear gas caused all
my emotions to go out of control, which resulted in me trying to harm you.
You and the two Aces had to do something to neutralize my powers, so you
had to resort to the psychic attack. I don't blame any of you for
it."
Meanwhile, the two Cosmos were trying to work
out the kinks in Prof. Surge's machine when Angel appeared to both of them.
"I have good news, boys. Angie is awake and alert."
Both Cosmos shouted, "Awesome!" They
quickly rushed over to the medi-lab, along with the two Vegas and Ace Two.
All were happy to see Angie sitting up and
hugging Ace.
The female magician saw the smiles of all
her friends' faces. "Everyone, I want to thank you all for being
here for me. I know I'm surrounded by love, but I had no love for
myself. I was just…afraid you would all hate me for leading you into
that trap."
Ace Two came up to her and said, "Angie, we
would never hate you for what happened. Even though you were
tricked by Faceless, you wanted to do what you knew was right. Any
of us would have done the same thing."
"I guess my self-guilt went far beyond the
deaths of my parents. It included Aunt Rita's bad relationship with
Craig Rutherford, interfering with all of you, and this trap. I should
have understood from the beginning that none of the tragic situations were
my fault at all. I had to go deep into my heart and soul to find
that out for myself."
"I'm glad you did learn that," said Ace.
"Jas and I were both feeling guilty about what happened to you."
"I know. Jas's dad told me."
Jas found herself surprised. "So he
did
help you from within."
"Yes, Mr. Brend was a big help for me.
Your father is proud of you, Jas."
"I know that. Just before we tried to
help you find the light, Dad was telling me I was worthy
of being his daughter and a martial artist. I just had to understand
I need to make my own path to be a martial artist, not try so hard to copy
him."
Angie had a big smile on her face. "I'm
just so relieved I have my friends—no, family—here with me. I understand
I am not alone and never will be." She then realized something else.
"How much time do we have left?"
"Less than 24 hours to go," Cosmo Two answered.
"We've almost got the bugs out of that device you got from Professor Surge."
"Okay, where are the villains now?"
Jas stated, "We located the villains in a
remote building about two hours outside Electro City. If we're going
to get them, and ourselves, back into our world, we're going to have to
do so as fast as we can. Time is running out."
"Then I've got some training and meditating
to do," Angie stated as she tried to quickly get off the special bed but
found her legs weakened.
Ace was concerned for her health. "Angie,
your strength isn't one hundred percent yet. Maybe you should stay
here and—"
"No way, Ace. I'm a part of the team.
If we're going to stop those villains, we'll do it together…as a team."
Ace could not argue with his younger counterpart's
words. "You're right. As a team we have a much better chance
of stopping them altogether."
Angie then stated, "Ace, let's get to the
practice room. You and I have to be at our best, especially if we
need to combine our powers."
"It's been awhile since we have brought our
powers together, but we're more than likely going to need to do that if
we have two sets of the same villains to deal with."
Angie then turned to Mona. "Um, Mona,
I don't want to be a downer or anything, but I think it may be best for
you to stay here. I don't want your life getting into any danger
and getting stuck between Ace and your father."
"I understand, Angie. Just—"
"Don't worry, Mona. No harm will come
to your father, I promise you. When it's all over, I'll contact you
by your wrist-comm. You then go to the location of the main rift,
which is five miles west of here along the Grand Canal." She then
turned to the two Cosmos. "Let us know when you have that device
completely perfected, since we're going to need it."
"Okay," said Cosmo, "but we don't wanna work
on it for too long. Every second is gonna count now."
"Agreed. As long as those villains and
all of you are here—no offense to any of you from the other world—the worlds
will remain out of balance. If we don't get all of you back in time,
it could cause a lot of chaos."
Jas concurred with Angie. "We must get
the worlds back in natural balance again." However, something started
to bother Jas in her own heart. I don't know if I want to go back
to my world, or stay here in this one. Angie's a wonderful friend,
period. I feel so connected to her, since we have so much in common.
It's so hard to decide.
In a matter of minutes, Angie and Ace were
hard at work practicing their special moves. Angie was able to do
a successful roundhouse kick on the sandbag.
Ace was happily surprised. "Nice kick,
Angie. You're really getting the hang of it."
"I have Jas to thank for that." As she
continued practicing, she thought, Whatever happens, I want to face
Faceless. I'll show her I am in control of my emotions now.
Ace could easily sense her thoughts.
I
don't blame you, Angie. Show her that love is the most powerful magic
in the universe, more powerful than the fear gas used on you.
Angie's confidence in her heart surged as
she smiled at her kindred brother. "I've never felt so strong about
myself. Why is this happening to me?"
"Because you finally let go of all the guilt
you carried for so long. A little guilt isn't bad, but when you let
guilt control almost every aspect of your life, you'll have problems."
"I understand that completely now. Let's
keep practicing!" Angie then threw some hard right jabs at the sandbag.
Everyone continued conditioning until they
all received an announcement from Angel. "Cosmo and Cosmo have finished
working on the dimensional rift device."
The group went to Cosmo's workshop as the
pair explained what they had done.
"What we did was to ensure the use of the
device for a maximum of 30 minutes," started Cosmo Two. "Now, it
took us a couple of hours to do this, which leaves us just 16 hours to
find the villains of our world, capture them, and bring them and us back.
We only have until 11:47 p.m. to get every one of us and them back.
If we don't do it in time, we'll all be trapped in your world…"
"Basically forever," Cosmo completed.
Angie understood the circumstances of the
situation. "Okay, we know the clock is running against us now, so
we have absolutely no time to lose." She then turned to the two Aces.
"Gentlemen, I think we're going to need the Magic Force…starting right
now."
Both Aces easily agreed with her.
All three went into wild spins and glowed
in vibrant light: the two Ace Coopers in bright violet and Angie in light
blue. In perfect unison they all screamed, "Magic Force, reveal
the power within!"
In a matter of seconds, all three individuals
emerged in their special crimefighting costumes of gray. The two
Magicians pounded their right chests while Angie placed her left hand in
front of the right side of her upper body. All three had the same
red-face insignia appear on their costumes immediately. The only difference
among the threesome was Angie wearing a short skirt and red tights as opposed
to the all gray bodysuit the two Magicians wore.
"Now that we're ready," said Ace Two, "let's
get those…those—"
"Creeps!" Angie yelled confidently.
"They're gonna be sorry they messed with us!"
Just as the two teams were about to leave
for the hidden lair, Ace Two looked at his love. "Mona, please stay
here. It'll be too dangerous for you."
"I understand." With a quick kiss to
the cheek, she added, "Just be careful. I'll meet you at the main
rift along the Grand Canal as soon as I get word from Angie."
Both Magician teams took off in at least four
different vehicles: the Magic Racer, the Magic Bike, Vega's car, and Cosmo's
turbocycle.
The two groups were determined to put an end
to the reign of terror the horde of criminals had caused.
As the vehicles disappeared into the horizon,
Mona softly whispered, "Good luck…all of you. Do your best, and don't
give up."