The Conclusion: Final Decisions
"This is getting ridiculous," Faceless snapped
to no one in particular. "We should be facing both Coopers and their teams,
not hiding in some hideaway waiting for this to blow over!"
Nobody said anything. Even the two Black Jacks
themselves agreed that hiding was not what they should do, but circumstances
did not permit them to take any action at the moment. Jacobs may have already
called the cops and set them on their tails.
The master thief turned on the older crime-lords.
"Well, don't you have anything to say?" she demanded.
"Would you please shut up?" Black Jack Two
growled in frustration. "We can't do anything right now except wait until
this blows over!"
"And then we'll go back to our old routine
of fighting Cooper and his team again," Sonny Boy groused.
"Just shut up!"
All of the criminals glowered at each other
before breaking hostile eye contacts and trying to find something to do
to pass the time.
***
"Angel, you're sure this is the place?" Ace
asked the AI once again.
The Magic Racer and the Magic Bike were hidden
behind some almost dried out bushes. The plants did not provide much cover,
but they would have to do.
"Yes, Ace," Angel's pleasant, feminine voice
replied. "The signal is originating from the inside of that building."
The group scrutinized the exterior of the
building. Years of neglect had left the paint peeling. Creeping plants
had hooked into every nook and cranny of the wall and dragged themselves
up for sunlight.
"I think we'll have the advantage here," Jas
whispered. "They do not have the traps they had at the Croesus while we
have our powers." She grinned. "Now these are odds I like."
Angie gave a slight exhalation that was a
laugh. "Jas, you live on danger."
"I live on excitement," the younger girl corrected.
"Now how about we go in?"
"Good idea," Cosmo Two seconded. "Time is
running out for us."
And as six humans and two panthers left their
position to enter the building, Jas felt a sudden flash of pain at her
decision she had made earlier, before composing herself quickly, hoping
that no one saw the pain in her.
***
Faceless had broken the legs from an old bench
and now gazed at her made-shift weapon. It was an elbow-length piece of
wood that was joined by another shorter one at an end at a right angle.
She twirled the tonfa around, feeling calmed by the weight of the wood
in her experienced hands.
Both Sonny Boys, Spades and Diamonds were
rummaging the relatively old refrigerator for anything they could eat.
Apparently, Black Jack had not stocked up on food as well as he should
have. Sonny Boy straightened up from his position to glare at the older
crime-lord. "There ain't any food here!" He whined.
"Yeah," his counterpart seconded. "An' you
call this a hideout?"
"Shut up, twips!" Black Jack snapped. "You
think I expected this stupid alignment? You think I expected to run from
Cooper and his team? You think--?"
"Shut up, idiots!" Faceless suddenly snarled.
She thought she heard noises outside. "Something or someone is out there."
"How can they know about this place?" Black
Jack demanded, unconvinced. "No one knows about this place
except me."
"Die yourself if you want," the female thief
retorted. "I'm betting Cooper and his team found us. Both teams."
"Whatever." The two Sonny Boys shrugged and
returned to their quest for food.
"Faceless," Black Jack Two began, "You're
not overstressed, are you?"
"No! Idio--!" She was cut off as the door
imploded and the glass windows on three sides shattered inwards. "Cooper!"
"That's right, Faceless," Ace affirmed redundantly.
"We're back for you. And this time, you're going down. All
of you."
"In your dreams!" She lunged at the Magician
but was unexpectedly intercepted by Jas, whose punch connected with her
jaw.
Jas stood there, grinning. "I was looking
forward to this rematch. But there's someone else who would love to do
you the honor more than me." Without any indication, she moved and once
again struck out at the criminal before she could react, and connected
with a combination of punches and kicks before Faceless rolled out of the
way.
The thief regained her footing and prepared
to face off with the young martial artist, when someone in gray entered
her view. She looked up and saw Jacobs, smiling and unafraid. "So you're
back, little girl?"
"Little girl?" Angie echoed with some amusement.
"I'm afraid I'm much more able than that, Faceless."
"You talk too much!" Faceless growled and
snapped her leg out in a high kick aimed at Angie's face.
The female Magician moved out of the way just
in time took the opportunity to lash out at Faceless. Her palm heel strike
connected, and Faceless staggered backwards in surprise. Jacobs had never
been fast enough in hitting her, from what she had deduced from their previous
fight. What had she done to gain that sort of speed?
"Your power!" she hissed in contempt. "You
used your power."
"Yes, I did." Angie sounded as if she was
making conversation with a friend. "I want to show you I have ridded myself
of guilt—guilt from falling for your trap, guilt for hurting my friends,
and guilt from my parents' death. It's all over now. No more."
She let her power center around her soul,
allowing it to radiate out in every direction within a few meters of her.
When she opened her eyes, blue light filled them instead of her white and
pupils. "I will show you."
***
Jas flipped away after she had given Faceless
some hard hits, moving to take on both Diamonds and Sonny Boys. All of
them held revolvers, which were aimed at her. They surrounded her in a
circle.
"C'mon boys, you wouldn't be too chicken to
take me on one to one, would you?" She incited. "I'm only a girl."
"All right!" Diamond Two threw his gun down.
"You asked for it, Lee!" He advanced on her.
Jas let him approach, and saw the slight twitch
of his eyes that hinted he was going to attack, and easily dodged his clumsy
uppercut. Diamond spun, and went for her again, this time putting together
a combination of back fists, straight punches and roundhouse kicks.
The teen deftly avoided them all, letting
Diamond Two tire himself out, and when he started to pant, counter-attacked.
The crook never knew what hit him. His unconscious body hit the floor as
Jas rose to her full height, challenging the rest of her attackers. "Now
who's next?"
***
Ace and Ace Two faced off against the biggest
members of the bunch—Spade and Spade Two. The four were all evenly matched,
considering two had the brawns and two had powers.
"Aw…c'mon," Ace Two enticed. "We're both much
smaller than you guys. Give us your best shot."
"Your best," Ace agreed.
The two Spades looked at each other, than
charged the Magicians. Both Aces grabbed their hands as they neared, and
using their own momentum, flipped them over—a move Jas had taught them.
"Ace," The Magician told his counterpart,
"You have to tell Jas to teach us more."
"Gladly," he answered, "Once we finish this
and have enough time, that is."
"Ahhh!!!" The bigger-sized criminals
once again ran towards the smaller men, intending to knock them against
the wall.
As they approached, the two Magicians moved
slightly to the side and let the criminals hit them against a shoulder.
Their bodies turned slightly, and using the momentum once again and turning
their own force back against them, both men swung out with the hand opposite
to the shoulder that was hit and connected with both Spades' necks.
The criminals' eyes widened a little as their
major arteries were struck, temporarily cutting off the blood supply to
their brains and rendering them unconscious.
Ace and Ace Two stared at each other in amazement.
"Wow!"
***
The two Vegas were having a face-off with Sonny
Boys and their men. The two seasoned cops knew that the odds were against
them, but were cool about it.
"Come on, Surge," Vega Two coaxed. "Just give
yourself up. Save us the trouble of having to fight you, and save you the
trouble from running away from us."
"Shut up, Vega!" Both Sonny Boys snapped nervously.
Vega and his counterpart smiled. They had
gotten the younger crime-lords worked up, and they had the psychological
advantage over them. "He's right, y'know," Vega said.
"Shut up!"
***
Both Zinas were chasing the two Black Jacks
around, both of whom were desperately trying to get away from the panthers,
turning their hover-chairs' powers to full and flying around the large
hall in desperation. "Get them away from us!"
Cosmo and his counterpart had to laugh. "They
look like IDFOs," the former kidded.
"IDFOs?" Cosmo Two repeated in confusion.
"Identified Desperately Flying Objects," Cosmo
supplied, and they both bent over with laughter, before becoming serious
once again.
***
Faceless looked into the eyes of the female
magician as mean as they could be. "Come on, Jacobs," she said sounding
innocent. "You don't want to hurt me. I'm your best friend's
mother."
Angie shook her head. "Oh, no, you're
not. If you really were Carlita Brighton, you wouldn't be
wearing that miserable excuse of a costume by now." Her tone becoming
angrier, she added, "You used me and my emotions to lure all of
us into that fear-gas trap of yours!"
The master thief groaned in anger. "So,
you figured it out, huh, Jacobs?" The metallic claws coming out from
her knuckles, she started thrusting towards Angie. "It's too bad
you won't live long enough to comprehend your lesson!"
Remaining calm, Angie focused on her power
within. "There's just one problem, Faceless. My magical powers
have increased, which means you may have a harder time stopping
me." She then enveloped herself in her cape and completely vanished.
Faceless tried to use the claws but found
nothing around her except smoke. "Where'd she go?" she asked in shock.
"She's got to be here somewhere!"
"I am here somewhere," Angie said, seemingly
from everywhere around the thief. "You just have to take the time
to find me, that's all."
"Come out, Jacobs!" screamed Faceless.
"Or are you too chicken to fight me?"
Angie seemed to appear a few feet in front
of her. "I'm right here, silly. Come and get me."
Just as Faceless supposedly slashed Angie
with her claws, Angie completely vanished. "A hologram!?"
"You just now noticed that? I'm surprised
at you. You're supposed to be the best thief in the world!"
"I'll kill you, you stupid little
magician! I'll do whatever it takes to get rid of you once and for
all!"
She then felt someone tapping her shoulder.
Quickly turning, Faceless gasped, "Jacobs?"
"Got it on the first try!" Angie screamed
just as she threw a right-hook punch into the master thief herself, forcing
her to fall backwards.
Angie then started to create a ball of blue
light. My magic comes from the power of love inside my heart.
All the guilt I carried caused my powers to go out of control in both cases
because I was afraid to let go of those feelings. No more, though.
I will take control of my increased powers and use them to my
advantage.
As the ball grew larger in size, she stared
at the thief in intense concentration. "I am in control
now, Faceless!" She then threw the large ball of light at the master
thief, who soon found herself encased within the ball.
"NO! I will not be defeated
by a little girl!" Faceless tried desperately to claw her way out
of the ball but to no avail.
With a simple hand gesture, Angie made the
ball move up to the ceiling. "You're officially out of this game!"
Ace was happy to see his kindred sister taking
control of herself. Good work, Angie.
Thanks, kindred brother. Looks like
the rest of you could use some help, though.
Just as Angie started running towards her
friends, Black Jack Two slammed into her with his hover-chair!
The force of the slam caused her to fly through
the window, shattering its glass.
Jas gasped in horror. "Angie, NO!"
Jas put her arms out to concentrate on her birthmark. Get her,
Eagle, please. Save my friend.
The eagle came to life quickly and swooped
out the window. It quickly caught up with the young magician and
grabbed her shoulders with its claws.
Angie felt a little winded but was otherwise
unhurt. When she noticed the claws, she knew right away what happened.
Thanks, Jas. You saved my life.
No problem, Angie, Jas thought back.
So what do you say I get the rematch I want?
It'll be a pleasure, Jas.
Under a mental command from the younger woman,
Angie was brought back into the hall. She saw Faceless still trapped within
her blue bubble of energy. The thief was angrily punching the solid wall
encasing her. Angie grinned. "So you want to come out? I'll let you out!"
She directed the ball to within a few feet
above the floor, then let the energy disappear, dumping Faceless unceremoniously
out. She was up in an instant, though. "You'll die for this, Jacobs!"
"Well…" Angie drawled, shrugging, "I would
love to stay and fight, but Jas's looking forward to the rematch. I can't
disappoint her, and I do want to keep her from bugging me," she kidded.
"Hey!" Jas protested, moving to face Faceless.
"Let's start."
***
Cosmo and Cosmo Two were joined up by their
mentors. "So, you finished setting it up yet?" Ace asked.
"Yeah," Cosmo Two affirmed. "I'll turn it
on now." He did, and the space a few feet away from them shimmered and
rippled as it was torn apart.
"Great! Now we just have to herd them into
the portal…" Ace Two could see that it was not going to be that easy. "What
do you propose we do?"
"Getting Black Jack, Sonny Boy, Spade and
Diamond in are not that difficult," the Magician mused. "It's Faceless
that is going to be tricky."
"I think Jas can handle that," Cosmo Two grinned
as he glanced towards his friend…
***
"You're getting slow in your old age, Faceless,"
Jas taunted as she avoided the 360 degrees kick that the criminal attempted.
"Not good, y'know."
"Shut up, idiot!" Faceless twitched the muscles
on her fists that once again made the metal claws she had slid out. "I'll
slice you into pieces."
Jas flipped out of the way, her feet once
again catching Faceless in the chin. "Hey, don't you ever learn?" She took
the chance that the thief was dazed to execute a fast series of punches
to her mid-section and her face. "Guess you don't."
Faceless staggered backward, shaking her head to clear it. She then
produced the pair of tonfa she had, and proceeded to attack the
teen with it.
Jas was much faster though, and her nunchakus
intercepted the two batons of wood. As Faceless raised both batons for
a strike, Jas swung her weapon straight at them, disintegrating them and
sending splinters flying. "Slow!" She performed a front kick and continued
with another complex combination of attacks.
Finally, Faceless had no energy left to fight.
She stood there, slightly hunched, blood trickling from the corners of
her mouth. "I'll get you for this, Lee," were the last words she spoke
before crumpling to the floor.
"And Jas Lee wins!" Jas announced triumphantly,
with a certain degree of mischief.
***
"Get them away from ussss!!!" All the criminals
screamed as both Zinas turned their attention on all of them.
Ace Two laughed, then stopped as a thought
struck him. "How are we going to differentiate who is who?"
"I've got an idea!" Ace yelled out, "Hey,
Jack, Mona is having dinner with me tonight!"
One Black Jack glared at Ace. "You idiot!
She's in Romania! I'm glad about it!"
"Zina, get the other into the portal!" Cosmo
Two ordered. The panther did as he said. One down, four to go, excluding
Faceless.
Black Jack Two was herded into the portal,
where he entered under Zina's insistent 'prodding.' As Ace was about to
find out who were supposed to go as well, a pair of Spade and Diamond split
from the group and dashed after the Black Jack who had disappeared. "Hey,
Boss! Wait for us!"
"Cowards," Cosmo chuckled, shaking his head
in amusement.
Both Aces then glared at the younger crime-lords.
"Well, Sonny Boy…you ready to head home or should we send you off?"
Both Sonny Boys glanced at each other, then
with a evil glare shot their way, one crossed the hall and vanished into
the portal; his men following him.
Jas joined her friends, dragging the unconscious
form of Faceless behind her. "How about her? We can't let her go just like
that."
"That is definitely right," Vega agreed. "After
taking the stupid trouble to come chase their butts, we ought to get what
we came here to do."
"All right. Cosmo, locate the ECPD and open
a portal to a cell," Ace Two said. "She won't be able to see the world
outside for a very long time."
"Got it, dude." The teen gestured for Jas
to push the thief in.
After she did so, he closed the portal.
That done, the teams turned their attention
to the remaining criminals.
Ace spoke to Angie. Would it be okay if
we let them off? I don't want to hurt Jack.
I think they should have learned their
lesson, Ace. They won't mess with us for some time, but would surely start
again. But…we'll take care of that when it comes.
"We're letting all of you go," Ace declared,
making his voice cold. "This is the only time we're being generous. No
more. Now scram!"
All the criminals nearly fell over each other
trying to dash out of the building. They were gone in less than a minute.
The two Magician teams looked at one another and smiled. "Let's go home,"
Angie declared with relief and happiness.
***
It was already 9:45 p.m. Angie and Jas were
taking a stroll along the Grand Canal, where the Magic Express had parked
for the night. Jas was carrying Surge's dimensional device in her arms.
Both women were aiming to get some information for the professor.
Jas set the device down along the bank and
knelt down to activate it. Cosmo and Cosmo Two had re-fixed the device
to be able to record information on the portal. She then stepped back to
let the device do its work.
Silence reigned between them before Angie
finally broke it. "Jas, I want to thank you."
"For what, Angie?"
"For being such a great friend and for showing
me that all my guilt was uncalled for," Angie said. "For teaching me karate
and how to believe in myself."
"I didn't do that much," Jas answered. "It
was all your own efforts. I'm proud of you, Angie."
They gazed at each other, and hugged tightly,
knowing that that was the last time they would ever see each other. In
the short time they had worked together, their friendship had blossomed.
They had become more than friends. They were almost sisters.
"I'm glad I met you, Angie," Jas whispered.
"I'll miss you."
"And I you, Jas."
As their hearts bonded, both glowed in light
blue auras. Angie, for a brief moment, felt the freedom and power of the
eagle, and the grace of flight. Jas experienced how the Magic Force could
be used to find someone's destiny if accepted and used for good.
Both women pulled apart, knowing that each
had given the other something precious that she would never forget. They
smiled. Their friendship was stronger and more lasting than even the distance
and barrier of different dimensions could ever break.
They knew that one day, maybe a few or many
years down the road, and maybe after numerous lifetimes, they would certainly
meet again…
***
Angie and Jas entered the Magic Express with
smiles on their faces. Angie cooked one last quick meal for her new friends.
As Jas was talking to Ace and Cosmo, she called their counterparts to the
kitchen, where she they could have some privacy.
"Anything the matter, Angie?" Cosmo Two asked.
"Yes. A big problem." She stared pointedly
at them. "Because of my mistake that caused me to take in the fear gas,
Jas blames herself for it, even though it's not her fault. She cannot forgive
herself. The guilt she carries is huge. I can't talk to her about it, or
she will blame herself even more.
"She intends on leaving as soon as all of
you get back to your world. She thinks she cannot face you for almost getting
all of you killed. Stop her from leaving. Talk to her. Do everything you
can to make her stay. It's not her fault, and she shouldn't go on thinking
it was. Please, I don't want her to be hurt. Promise me this, Ace, Cosmo."
Ace Two asked, "How do you know that, Angie?"
"I…sort of have a telepathic connection with
her," she answered. "Promise me."
"All right," both males concurred.
"Thank you."
***
It was already 11:30pm. Both teams were once
again at the bank of the Grand Canal, along with Mona. They were all shaking
hands and bidding each other goodbye. It would not be soon that they would
see each other again.
Jas rubbed Zina's head, crouching down to
face the panther. "Thanks, girl. I'll miss you." Zina gave a rumble of
agreement. The teen then stood up and looked at each of her friends in
turn. "I just want to say it has been a great honor knowing you guys, even
though we may not meet again."
Angie stepped forward. "Jas, won't you stay
here with us?"
Jas looked at the female magician who had
became a good friend, at her own set of Ace, Cosmo, Vega, Mona, and Zina,
and back at Angie. There was a certain sadness that was evident in her
eyes. "Angie, I'd love to, but my path lies with them." She indicated her
own set of friends. "They are part of my life, my destiny. I'm sorry."
Yeah,
sorry for the fact that my life with them is going to end soon, Jas
lamented, forgetting that Angie could hear her thoughts.
"It's all right," Angie assured. "Just promise
me you'll be happy." Please, Jas, take my hint. Don't leave your friends
who care for you, she pleaded silently, careful not to project her
thoughts.
Jas nodded, unaware that Angie saw through
her lie. "I will, Angie. Thanks." She glanced at her watch. "It's 11:45
already. Two more minutes to go. Bro, please start up the portal."
Cosmo did it. "I'll miss ya, Jas. And all
of you guys."
"As will we, Cosmo," Ace Two said. "As will
we."
"Let us go, then," Vega Two grumbled. "And
you, stay out of trouble," he told his counterpart.
"Same goes for you," Vega retorted, causing
them all to laugh.
Finally, the portal appeared, glowing a soft
green. Vega was through first, followed by Zina, Mona, Ace, Cosmo, and
finally, Jas, who was only partly through before she dropped something
without knowing.
"Jas, you--!" Angie saw that it was too late
as the portal sealed, leaving the space intact once again. She bent down
to pick the object up. It was the pair of nunchakus Jas had made, but the
wood sanded and glossed a beautiful dark brown. The words, 'For my friend,
Angie,' were carved onto it. She stared at the space where Jas had vanished.
"Thank you, Jas."
Ace and Cosmo finally guided her back to the
Magic Express, Angie getting the feeling that true friendship and love
transcended all things, no matter whether it was easy or hard to
break through. "May you find the happiness and peace you deserve,
Jas."
***In Jas's World***
All of them stepped out of the portal into
the Magic Express; their Magic Express. "Ah, it feels great to be
back," Vega proclaimed, instantly heading to the kitchen to get some food.
"Mona, I'll take you home," Ace offered as
he saw how tired his lover was.
The singer smiled. "It's all right, Ace. My
car is just outside. You must be tired, too. I can get home by myself."
She shot a discreet glance at Jas, whose situation Ace had told her about.
"And I think you have lots of things to do."
The Magician gave a relieved smile. "Thanks,
Mona. I'll see you this weekend."
Mona pecked Ace on the cheek. "I'll see you,
too. Good night, everyone."
That prompted answers of, "Good night, Mona!"
from the rest.
Vega came out of the kitchen quickly, holding
a can of squash. "I better go, too. I'm dead tired. Mona, I'll escort you
home." He knew how worried Ace was for Mona.
"Thanks, Vega." Ace escorted them out, and
returned to the living hall to see only Cosmo and Zina left. "Where's Jas?"
"She left for her room, dude." Cosmo looked
at his mentor, worried. "You think we should talk to her now?"
"Most definitely."
***
Jas had retreated to her room as soon as she
could, found a knapsack, and started stuffing some clothes and personal
possessions into it. She knew that Ace and Cosmo would come to find her
soon, and she didn't want that. Zipping the bag up, she reached her fingers
down and caught the edges of a panel, pulling it up.
She had her own trapdoor in case she needed
to get out of the Magic Express. And now, she needed to. She dropped a
few feet down and pulled the panel back into place, crawling for the exit
and leaving her present life, maybe forever…
***
"Jas," Ace called out, "Are you in there?"
There was no answer. "Jas? Angel, is Jas in her room?"
The familiar ball of bluish-violet ball of
light appeared. "No, Ace. I cannot sense her in her room, nor in the Magic
Express's premises."
Ace stared at Cosmo in horror. "Jas is gone?
How did she get out?"
"I think she had a trapdoor, dude," Cosmo
started slowly, "Just like you know I have."
Ace started running for the exit; Cosmo and
Zina following. Once they were outside, Ace turned to the panther. "Zina,
find Jas."
She sniffed the air, and seemed to pick up
on a scent, and went off in a direction. Ace and Cosmo followed, desperately
wishing that they were not too late in finding Jas…
***
She strolled along the Grand Canal, which was
about half a mile from where the Magic Express was situated. The wind was
cold that night, and it played with her hair, tossing them about. Jas sighed,
seeing her friends' faces in her mind, feeling as if all that she was doing
was a dream.
How she longed to be back in the warm confines
of the sleek train she had come to call home! How she longed to be back
in the company of friends so close she considered them family! But it was
all over. That life was over as soon as she made the mistake that almost
cost them their life. She would never forgive herself for that.
"Suck it up, Lee," she snapped to herself.
"You did something, you pay for it. So quit thinkin' about them!"
As she said those to herself, she felt tears
start to form. "Stop crying!" That made her feelings of guilt and sadness
worse. She stopped, and sat down along the bank, letting her legs dangle
over the edge.
The moon played on the waters, creating thousands
of shimmering little stars on the still surface. She stared at those to
pass the time and let herself calm down. Once she regained her composure,
then will she leave.
***
Zina led them along the path to the Grand Canal,
or rather, her nose did. Ace and Cosmo followed at a trot, eyes scanning
the area for their friend.
Then Cosmo spotted her. She was sitting at
the edge of the bank, as if she was going to jump into the waters. He got
Ace's attention, and they both started running to her…
***
Jas felt her eyes drying, and she carefully
locked away her emotions. She was about to rise from her position when
her trained ears picked up footsteps running towards her. Her head snapped
up, and to her horror, she saw Ace, Cosmo and Zina.
"Oh man!" She got up, grabbing her bag at
the same time, and dashed away wildly, trying to get away. Anyplace was
better than here with her friends.
Friends. "You almost killed them and you still
call them your friends," Jas muttered to herself as she sprinted. "Aren't
you proud, Lee?"
"Jas! Please stop!" She heard the voice of
Ace yell to her.
She could not heed his words. She would
not heed his words. Not after what she had done. "Get away!" Without
even a glance backward, she urged herself on faster.
"Jas!"
She heard a rumble and before she could take
another step, the familiar form of Zina landed on her and hit her to the
ground. She tucked herself into a ball and rolled as she had learned, but
before she could get up, two massive paws pinned her to the ground, and
she found herself staring into the golden eyes of the panther.
"Zina, get off me," she ordered.
The panther rumbled a, "No."
Jas tilted her head a little and saw Ace and
Cosmo almost to them, and she relaxed her whole body, finding the space
to wriggle out from under Zina's paws. She had barely taken five steps
when a black sheet zoomed past her and snapped back to wrap around her
form.
Unable to stop her momentum, Jas fell. She
twisted, using her right shoulder to cushion the impact. She tried to once
again wriggle free but was unable. This was the Magic Force she was
dealing with, and normal tricks were not going to help counter it.
So it was with a growing sense of fear mixed
with desperation to get away and acceptance from her friends that she watched
them reach her. Ace lifted her up instantly and called his cloak back to
him, where it settled at its rightful place on his shoulders.
"Jas." He made his voice calm, soothing. She
did not need more hysteria at the moment. "Please come back. We don't blame
you for that incident." They knew full well which incident it was.
"No." She shook her head, hair wet with perspiration.
"No. Go away."
"Sis, please come back with us," Cosmo entreated.
"Look, it isn't your fault. That whole thing was nobody's fault."
"It was mine, Cosmo," Jas whispered in a small
voice, not raising her eyes to meet theirs. "I was careless. I made a mistake,
and I'm going to pay for the consequences."
"Jas." Ace's voice was firm. "You can't leave.
If you do, who's going to lighten up the mood in the Express? Who's going
to teach us karate?" Right now, he would do anything to make her see the
light. He was quickly racking his brain for anything. Then he hit upon
one solution, and maybe the only solution.
"—go away. I can't forgive myself, and I don't
ask for yours. So go away."
"Jas, look. We'll forgive you, if you
forgive yourself." It was something Jas herself had said to him long ago,
when he had accidentally shot her, and when he could not release the guilt
of shooting her. "Don't turn your back on your own words. Don't turn your
back to us."
She stiffened, as if the words had hit her
hard. "I—I'm sorry. Ace." She lowered her head and her hand reached up
to cover her eyes, which were flowing with tears. "I'm sorry." Her shoulders
shook with the sobs she was trying to hold in, without much success.
Ace enveloped her form with his, pulling her
to him. "It's not your fault, Jas," he whispered soothingly. "Nothing was
ever yours. All of us make mistakes. We only have to learn from them."
Jas slipped her arms around her friend's waist,
hugging him. "I'm sorry for running, Ace. I couldn't face you and Cosmo."
"Sis, nothing you ever do will make
us turn our backs on you," Cosmo said. "Nothing."
Jas disengaged herself and offered her friends
a small smile. "Thanks, bro."
"Let's go home." With Jas between them and
her arms around their waists, they returned to the life they knew; an emotional
battle of love and friendship won, together.
***In Angie's World***
Angie walked into her room still holding the
nunchakus
Jas had left for her. She then closed her eyes and could see the
image of her new friend running away from Ace and Cosmo. "Jas, don't
leave them," she said silently. "They're your friends." She
then saw Jas opening to them. "Thank goodness."
However, she felt sad because Jas had given
her something to remember their friendship while she did not. "It's
not fair," she said. She then saw the beanie butterfly on her drawer.
Using the last of her increased powers, Angie
commanded the butterfly to float to her. Encasing the beanie in a
light blue ball, she calmly said, "Be with Jas, my friend. You belong
with her now. I want her to have you as a memento of our friendship,
now and forever."
Her eyes glowing in blue once more, she made
the ball and the butterfly completely disappear.
***In Jas's World***
Jas and the others were just about to step
into the Express when they suddenly noticed a ball of blue light explode
behind them.
"What is that?" Ace asked curiously.
The ball came to rest in Jas's hands.
As the ball disappeared, a large beanie butterfly fell into her hands,
along with a note:
Jas,
This
butterfly is to symbolize just how special the friendship we shared really
was. We were able to learn so much about each other and about ourselves.
Although we now live complete worlds apart, you'll always be my friend,
in spirit and in heart. I knew you had threatened to leave Ace and the
others in your world when you would get back, but I sensed you had decided
to stay. You love and you are loved. As I have learned not
to deal with my pain alone, you shouldn't deal with yours by yourself,
either. Open your heart to them. Let them know how you feel
deep inside. I'll never forget you, Jas Lee. You'll always
be a friend in my heart.
Your friend forever,
Angie
Jas held the butterfly close to her heart.
"And you'll be a friend in mine, Angela Jacobs." She then looked
at her own family. "Let's get inside and get some sleep, guys.
I'm bushed."
They finally entered their home and called
it a night.
***In Angie's World***
Angie started to shed tears at the thought
of losing her friend.
Ace came into her room and immediately held
her in a warm hug. "It's okay, Angie. I know how you feel.
I'll miss Jas, too. You and she are almost exactly the same in terms
of having a heart and using your powers out of love." He then
noticed something missing from the drawer. "Where's that beanie butterfly
you bought last year at the Party Carnival?"
"Jas has it now," Angie answered. "She
gave me her nunchakus, so I sent the butterfly to her world with
what I have left of my increased powers. I still feel a strong connection
to Jas, even though we're now worlds apart." Breaking into sobs,
she said, "I miss her, Ace, a lot."
"We all do, Angie. Now, you get some
sleep. We've got to return the device to Professor Surge before he
gets really upset at us."
Angie remembered. "Oh, I promised him
I would get him that information, so we'll do that first thing in the morning."
She then went to sleep and had the best sleep in her life, no worries,
no guilt, no problems.
***
The next morning, Ace, Cosmo, and Angie all
went to the Surge Consortium.
Holding the device in her hands, she knocked
on the door. "Professor? Professor Surge?"
The professor came to the door and opened
it. "Angie, hello. What brings you here this early in the day?"
"A promise. I promised you that I would
get information about the dimensional rift to you when you allowed me to
borrow this device. Well, the information is stored on the device,
and I think you'll find this really interesting."
Prof. Surge calmly took the device from the
female magician's hands. "Miss Jacobs, I want to thank you for doing
this. The information you were able to obtain will be a tremendous
help for understanding the existence of other worlds which mirror ours.
I…also want to apologize for the way I had treated you and your friend
when you both thought I was in trou—by the way, where is she, the one with
the blond hair who was with you a couple of nights ago?"
Angie took a second to think about an answer.
She finally looked at him and replied, "My new friend Jas…had to go home."
The professor smiled at her. "I understand.
Say, is that dinner still on for Wednesday night?"
"For the chicken cacciatore? You bet.
I'll see you there, Professor, and thanks again for letting me use that
device."
As she left with her friends, Professor Surge
looked at the device and smiled. "Well, baby, you're going to be
the key to helping me unlock one of the greatest mysteries of the universe."
As they came out of the Surge building, Angie
looked at her friends and smiled with joy. "Come on, fellas.
We've got to practice for Thursday night's performance."
They all entered the Magic Racer, Ace smiling.
Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs, I know how proud of your daughter you are.
She still has pain in her heart, but she no longer has the guilt she carried
for so long in her life. This experience has also helped me to let
go of my own guilt, and I owe that to both Angie and Jas. They will
be friends forever, and no dimensional barrier can ever break that.
He then started up the car, and it dashed
away from the Consortium, the sun shining so brightly on Electro City once
more.
THE END! (Or is it really?)
This story has proven one very
important thing: The powers of love and friendship will always be the greatest
powers anyone could ever possess. Both Angie and Jas understood more
about each other but more importantly about themselves. They both
had unnecessary guilt within themselves and special people they had lost.
With the help of their friends, though, they made it through the hardest
times together.