Part 3: Clearing the Perplexed Air
Michael
Raven, the shifter and younger brother of Victor, was sitting comfortably
in the living room. Watching television, he noticed a particularly
disturbing news story.
Sensa-News
reporter Kendra Rayler told the story. "This just in from Warden
Millsford at Quentin Valley Prison, located 40 miles north of Electro City.
The Ace Cooper imposter escaped from prison last night and has resumed
his quest to take the real Ace Cooper out of the picture. A couple
of years ago, the gentleman posing as Cooper tried to retire and take all
his money, but thanks to the real Cooper and the Magic Force, the imposter
was sentenced to prison on two counts of attempted murder and impersonating
a celebrity for extortion purposes."
"That's
just great," Michael said sarcastically. "That troublesome double's
come back to wreak havoc again. Electro City won't be safe for a
while with him on the loose."
"Anyway,
if you spot either Ace Cooper, please report to the authorities.
And, Police Chief Captain Friedrichs has said please consider both armed
and dangerous. Since he is unable to tell for the time being, he
is asking everyone just to be on guard." She then heard something
in her earpiece. "Wait, folks, we have another breaking story, this
one out of Lazaro City."
Being handed
a piece of paper, she read the story. "Apparently, the dangerous
magician Darlena Lowland escaped from Ashland Prison around that area.
Authorities say she may have made her way to Electro City to get revenge
on the Magician for rejecting her as an apprentice. She was the one
who planned for the Magic Express to go out of control and nearly crash
into the Party Carnival about two years ago. Sentenced to life in
prison on counts of attempted murder and attempted mass murder, Darlena
has to be drugged every couple of hours to prevent her from using her dangerous
magic."
Michael
shook his head in disbelief. "Incredible. Two people in two
prisons bust out just so they can get to Ace Cooper? What is this
world coming to anyway?"
Just then,
the shifter started picking up someone's fear. Closing his eyes,
he noticed right away who felt anxious. "It's Angie. I wonder
what's going on." Because the shifters could make telepathic contact
with Ace and Angie, he spoke to the female magician mind-to-mind. ^Angie,
what's the matter? You're nervous about something.^
In Victor's
car, she heard the voice of her younger brother. Michael, listen
to me. We're going to need help. Ace is very ill, and we can't
take him to Mona's house again. We need to take Ace to your family
home and let him rest there. He's been poisoned by the man who is
posing as Ace Cooper.
^I just
saw the story on the news. Bring him here, and we'll let him rest
in the living room. I'll call the doctor immediately for help.^
Thanks,
Michael. I owe you big time.
^No, you
don't. Consider this returning the favor for saving my life back
at the reservation not too long ago.^
I appreciate
that. We should be there in about 10 minutes.
^That's
about how long it'll take for the doctor to get here. We'll be waiting.^
In that
short time, everyone made it to the Raven home, located in the suburbs.
Angie levitated
Ace into the house and onto the living room couch, where the family doctor
examined the Magician very carefully.
After administering
a pain killing medication by injection, the doctor looked gravely at the
group. "Mr. Cooper's in very bad shape. It seems that twin
has poisoned him again, but this time the concoction is different.
We have to find out just what makes up this particular poison. Do
that and we have a much better chance of creating the needed antidote to
save him."
Angie then
looked at Mona. "Do you remember what Ace was poisoned with before?"
"Yes, it
was a combination of sulfating acid and oxygenated arsenic."
"The next
few hours will be extremely critical," the doctor stated seriously.
"If we don't get the exact composition of the poison, he may not make it
through the night."
That made
Angie gasp in horror. No…not my friend, please. She quietly
stepped away from the crowd and took solace on the balcony overlooking
the beautiful skyline.
Back in
the room, the doctor noted that Ace needed to be watched very carefully.
"Until we can figure out the poison, there's nothing more I can do.
I'm sorry."
Mona looked
at the doctor with sadness in her eyes. "I understand. There's
only so much you can do in these circumstances. We appreciate your
help."
As soon
as the doctor left the home, everyone soon turned their attention to Ace.
"What can
we do now?" asked a worried Mona.
Vega tried
to comfort Mona as best he could. "Just wait…and pray. It's
all we can do."
Michael
noticed that the female magician had vanished from the group but soon noticed
her on the balcony.
Angie's
eyes could see the skyline's beauty, but her heart was nowhere near focused
on the view. "Why? Why would someone hate him so much?"
I know
someone else who is also filled with anger and hatred, said a creepy
voice only Angie could hear. You hate the person who is
trying to kill your kindred brother and will do anything to get even with
the imposter.
"No," she
responded quickly. "I don't have hatred."
Don't
lie to me, Angela! You're keeping me buried away because you know
what will happen if I come to the surface! You'll lose everything…your
home…and your friends!
"No, stop
it!" She held her head in confusion. "Just leave me alone!"
Michael
felt the pain coming from her and quickly ran to her. "Angie, Angie!"
She quickly
fell to her knees and took deep breaths to calm herself back down.
"It's…it's okay. I'm all right now."
"You sure
you're okay?"
"Yes, I'm…fine."
She got to her feet once more and looked over the skyline.
"Angie,
listen," said a very worried Michael. "I know what's going on with
you."
"Mike,
I wouldn't be surprised if every shifter in Electro City knows about
my emotional battle right now."
Inside,
Mona and Victor talked carefully with Vega and Ms. LeSage.
Victor
made sure Ace rested comfortably on the couch. "Lieutenant, there's
something important I think I need to tell you about Angie."
"He's right,"
Mona said standing up. "We both know there's something…wrong with
Angie, but she won't show that to any of us, even Ace."
"What do
you mean exactly?"
Rubbing
his head, the older Raven brother stated, "Angie's having a serious inner
struggle with herself, one that started at the parole hearing in her hometown."
"According
to Ace," added Mona, "Angie has a…darker self emerging within her soul.
We've always seen her for the goodhearted individual she is. However,
she wants to use her kindness to bury away the anger she's hidden within
herself."
Ms. LeSage's
eyes widened in concern. "Anger? I've never seen her be that
angry."
"She may
have concealed her true anger for a long, long time, though.
Think about it. She was picked on in school because of her love of
studying. Then, her parents were killed in the road rage accident.
Recently she had to attend the parole hearing for the two drivers responsible.
Brad Fallon had absolutely no remorse for what he did while Harry Rogers
was regretful for what had happened. From what Ace told me, Angie
had a strange dream in which she actually tried to strangle Fallon…to death."
Vega became
very surprised. "What? Angie was actually trying to kill someone
in a dream?"
"Yes.
We know her anger is rapidly building, and it may not be too long before
she explodes."
"Just like
Ace years ago when he saved my life. He was so scared of what he
had."
On the
balcony, Michael continued his own conversation with Angie. "We're
all worried about you right now. You're burying so much inside yourself
and—"
Angie turned
and suddenly snapped, "You think I don't know that, Mike? You think
I'm completely oblivious to what's going on with me!? I do
know, and I don't need to be reminded of it!"
"Angie,
if you don't acknowledge that darkness within your soul, you're only going
to get worse!"
She put
her face down and leaned on the balcony.
Michael
continued in a calmer tone of voice. "You've got a lot on your mind
at the moment, the most important thing being Ace's survival against that
twin of his." He walked up and patted her on the shoulder.
"You and Ace are so close you could be a real brother and sister."
"Yeah…it's
almost like I was destined to find him or something. We learned something
really crazy a few months ago." She explained about their mysterious
communication for over 15 years.
Needless
to say that Michael was overwhelmed. "That's…awesome. You and
Ace basically talked to each other without ever meeting for that
long?"
"I guess
the bond between us was a lot stronger than we thought. Right now,
though, I just want to make sure Ace will…live. I could never forgive
myself if he dies." She then started to cry.
"Angie,
he'll get through this. He's a tough person. He made it before."
"Maybe,
but the poison this time is stronger, and we have no way of knowing just
what the ingredients are."
The shifter
then remembered something. "Say, where's Cosmo?"
"I don't
believe it," she said. "In all this confusion, we've forgotten about
him. I'd better contact him and let him know what's happened."
At the video
arcade within the DNA Club/Mall, Cosmo and Ulene were concentrating on
keeping up with their dance steps while playing the game Dance Dance
Revolution 27th Mix.
"Man, this
is so fun!" Cosmo said excitedly.
Ulene nodded
happily in agreement. "You said it, Cosmo. This game is definitely
the coolest. It's hard to believe it's been in existence since the
late 1990s."
Working
on one of DJ Mickus's very fast-paced songs, they found this to be rather
difficult. They managed to keep up with every step and finished with
grades of A and B, respectively.
They were
very tired at the end.
"Whew,"
Cosmo stated in exhaustion, "I'm beat."
"Yeah,
me, too, but this is sure a good way to get a physical workout."
"No kidding.
Who says you gotta pay oodles a month at a gym when you just need 50 electro-cents
and get a good workout right here."
"Cheaper,
and more effective, I always say."
"Yeah."
He then looked at his watch. "Oh, boy, time for me to get home.
Ace is expecting me to help him set up for that show next Thursday."
"No probs,
Cosmo. I mean, you've got your job to do as technician and apprentice
for the best magician in the world."
That comment
made the young man blush in embarrassment. "Aw, cut it out, Ulene."
"Never
mind. Get going."
Cosmo had
left the arcade when his wristcom started beeping. "Cosmo here."
"This is
Angie. Listen, Ace has become very sick. His double imposter
poisoned him again."
"What!?
The double broke out?"
"Yes, he
did. He injected Ace with a stronger poison than the first time.
If we don't get the ingredients of the poison, Ace could die before the
day is over."
"Over my
dead body is that gonna happen!" said the angered Cosmo. "Where's
Ace now?"
"He's here
at the Raven estate. The doctor's given him a painkiller, but we
don't have much time."
"If Ace
is there, then the double must have taken over the Magic Express again."
"Exactly.
I wouldn't recommend going back there right now."
"Okay.
I guess I should meet you over at Mike's?"
"Yeah,
and hurry. Ace is going to need all the help he can get."
"I'm coming.
Just tell him to hang in there."
"Right."
As soon
as the communication ended, Cosmo ran to his turbocycle and immediately
left for the Raven home.
On the balcony,
Angie looked at her shifter friend. "He's on the way here, but I
don't know how much good it will do."
"Having
friends around does help in certain situations, especially like this."
"I just
wish someone could help me with these demons of mine."
"Sorry,
Ang. That's one situation where not even magic can be of help.
You have to face those inner demons alone and on your own terms.
No one can do anything about that but you."
"I don't
know if I can, though. I'm…scared."
"Why?
Why are you afraid of this darker self?"
"Because…because
I'll lose everything, including my friends…all of them."
"How do
you know that?"
"I…don't.
I believe that will happen if I allow my darkness to surface."
"Angie,
you can't believe something like that. We all have darker feelings
within ourselves. Everyone on Earth has them. You do, too,
but you won't allow that to come out."
"Maybe…it's
better if I never let that happen."
"No, Angie.
You're putting yourself at greater risk when you don't acknowledge all
parts of yourself, especially the shadow of darkness that's starting to
take you over."
"That darkness
is not taking me over!" the female magician snapped. "I won't
allow it to happen!"
"The more
you deny it, the more it will conquer you. You're going to
have to face it sooner or later." And I pray it'll be sooner for
your sake…and ours.
Angie just
stood there, feeling more confused than ever. "What do you think
you are, my father?"
"No, Angela
Jacobs, I am not! I am a friend who is very concerned about your
emotional well-being!"
"Why are
you even talking to me, since you said nobody can do anything about
this darkness except myself?"
"Because
you're my friend! I'm worried about you, and Lord knows so is everyone
else who cares about you! I wish I could say some kind of joke, but
this is a deadly serious situation you're in right now. If you don't
accept that shadow-self, I'm almost scared to think of what could happen
to you. That cycle—um, no, never mind."
"What cycle?"
Angie questioned angrily. "What cycle are you talking about?
Tell me!"
"A dangerous
cycle. Marshall has her yearly cycle of going mad on her birthday.
You…if you go through this cycle yourself and not recognize that shadow,
the cycle won't end until you're…dead in body and in spirit."
Angie's
eyes widened in fear. "Wh-what?"
"That's
right. Angie, there are parts of yourself you're scared to love,
and as long as that's the case, your struggle will continue and worsen
within your soul."
The
raven speaks the truth, Angela, said the darker voice. As
long as you won't love me, your shadowed feelings of anger, I will not
rest until I make you recognize me. That time will come soon enough.
Never,
Angie thought back. I'll fight you to the end. You won't
take control of me.
Never
say "never," my dear. I will have to teach you the hard way about
who is truly in control.
"You will
not
take me over!" Angie shouted with her eyes glowing in light blue.
Michael
had to step back in fear. Her battles with her shadow are growing
worse already. The struggle will continue until it's either too late,
or she finally understands her darker feelings. "Angie, I hope
you won't—"
She looked
at him and realized what she was doing. She closed her eyes and took
deep breaths to calm herself. When she opened them again, the green
eyes had returned. "I'm sorry, Mike. Maybe I'm lying to myself
saying I'm in complete control right now."
"Angie,
this is a difficult emotional struggle for you to face. I wish there
were a simple solution, but the fact of the matter is that it's going to
be totally up to you. Nobody can help you except yourself."
"I know.
It's already starting to take its toll on me. Will I have to lose
all control completely to understand my situation?"
"I hope
not, my friend. I sure hope not."
Back inside
the living room, Ace tried to get up from the sofa. "Have to…stop
that imposter…before he does…irreparable damage."
Both Mona
and Vega made sure he did not do so.
"Sorry,
Ace, but you're way too sick to do anything right now. The more you
move, the greater your risk."
Angie,
sensing Ace's thoughts immediately, ran back into the room to calm him.
"No, kindred brother," she said softly. "That poison will spread
if you try to move now." Putting her hands into a circular motion,
she slowly induced a hypnotic sleep on her mentor. "Sleep now, Ace.
You must rest."
Ace soon
fell under the spell and went into a deep sleep. Thank…you…kindred…sister.
"That should
give the painkiller time to take more effect, but even then, it won't last
very long." She turned to the others. "What should we do now?"
Mona stood
up and said, "Top priority is to learn the composition of the poison the
double used. It's our only hope of getting the antidote."
"Yeah,
but with the double inside the Magic Express, there's no way any of us
could get there. I just hope Cosmo's on the way here."
Michael
then walked in. "Um, listen, I think there's something I didn't tell
you. Has anyone here heard of a girl named Darlena Lowland?"
That name
brought back memories to Mona, none of which were pleasant. "Darlena?
That rogue magician who almost killed us in the Magic Express two years
ago? How could I forget the demented actions she tried just so Ace
would take her in as an apprentice? Um, why do you ask?"
"I asked
that question because before you all got here, the news reported she broke
out of the prison near Lazaro City last night."
"She escaped
prison herself?"
"Yeah,
and she may have come to Electro City for revenge on Ace."
Vega started
becoming flustered. "I don't believe this…first Ace's imposter and
now the young rogue magician! What else could go wrong today?"
At the Magic
Express, the Ace imposter showed Darlena around "his" home. "So,
what do you think so far?"
"It's fantastic,"
she said in awe. "How could one magician be able to have all this?"
"The years
of hard work and dedication pay off."
Darlena,
though, was still very suspicious of Ace. "Cooper, what happened
to Angela Jacobs?"
"Angela
Jacobs? Oh, um, well, she…she decided to move on, try to do things
on her own. I think she'll be fine. She was a wonderful apprentice
for the year she was here."
"Wait a
minute, she's been here for more than three years, not one. What's
the matter with you?"
"Oh, um,
sorry. I'm nervous about the show coming next Wednesday, and I just want
to make sure I'm ready for it. Say, I wonder what's taking Cosmo
so long."
"He's probably
super-addicted to that dancing video game."
She passed
by a room and noticed a photo on the drawer. She entered the room
and took the photo. "Jacobs…and these must be her parents.
I thought he said she moved on already." Darlena then thought, What
the heck happened to Cooper? It seems like he has no idea what's
been going on. Maybe it's just me, but then again, it's been two
years, and things can certainly happen in that time.
The imposter
then found her. "What are you doing in here?" he asked sternly.
"You said
Jacobs left. Why did I find her photograph of her and her parents
here?"
"She…wanted
to leave it with us as a memento. Now, follow me, and I'll show you
the supercomputer."
"Cool."
"And this
is Angel," he said while giving her a tour of the computer room.
"I'm going to do some work in here for the time being." After rubbing
his nose he added, "Why don't you practice in the training room, and I'll
join you later on. Okay with you?"
"Yeah,
sure, Mr. Cooper," she answered with surprising calmness. "Thank
you very much."
She then
went to the training room and started working on her magic. Doing
basic spells, she had no trouble readjusting to her abilities. "It's
nice not to be drugged every couple of hours, and now I'm free to
use my magic again. I am a bit surprised he suddenly accepted me
under his wing, but it doesn't matter now. I'll finally get what
I deserve, working alongside the greatest magician in the world, like I
should have had two years ago."
In the
computer room, the imposter worked quickly to change Angel's systems again.
However, he had a little more trouble because Cosmo had placed a tamper-proof
firewall into the system. "Oh, no, I will have control." He
then typed even faster, using encryption to override the tamper-proof area.
"Perfect. Now to get things under my control again."
Just then,
Cosmo came by on his turbocycle. "It may be dangerous, but I'd better
be sure about this."
He made
the turn towards the garage, but the door failed to open, forcing Cosmo
to make a sudden right turn to avoid the garage door and have a bad accident.
"Whew, that was close. Looks like the double has control again.
I'd better move on to the Raven home before that double spots me."
In the
computer room, though, Angel's sensors detected the apprentice/hacker…as
an intruder!
"So, the
brat's back, huh?" said "Ace." "It's time to put him out of his misery
once and for all. Angel, activate weapons systems."
"As you
wish, Ace."
Outside,
Cosmo took one last trip around the Express when he heard a noise, which
turned out to be two lasers coming from the top and aimed at the young
man! "Oh, man!" He quickly accelerated his turbocycle to escape
the firepower of the lasers.
"You're
not getting away from me, pest!" said the imposter angrily. "I'll
finish you before you can go to your friends for help!"
Darlena
heard all the noise and ran to the computer room. "Hey, what's going
on?"
"We have
an intruder around the area. Don't worry, Angel will take care of
him."
"Great.
We don't need any extra company right now."
Cosmo was
able to dodge all the lasers and eventually made his way past the tunnel.
"Made it! Now to the Raven home and see if the real Ace is okay."
Inside,
the imposter and Darlena were both upset about the intruder's escape.
"I thought
this was supposed to be more sophisticated," said Darlena, obviously in
a bad mood.
"Ace" snapped
at her. "Don't you tell me how to run my own home, young lady!"
He grabbed her right arm and said, "If you want to stay here, then you
do exactly as I tell you, understand!?"
Darlena's
anger started to grow but decided it may be better not to try anything.
"Okay, okay. You're right. This is your home, and I am a guest
right now."
"I appreciate
you understanding that, my dear." He then sniffled again. "Now,
go back to the training room and continue with your practice."
"Yes, sir."
Darlena walked away with an angry look on her face. "Cooper's only
interested in the computer system and not doing magic right now.
What's up with him?"
At the
computer "Ace" knew that Darlena was a threat to him. "If that little
girl stays here too long, it could become a problem. I'll let her
stay for a couple of hours, but that's it. I'll make sure only I
have the fame and fortune. Darlena Lowland will be out of this place
soon enough."
In the Raven
home, Victor and Angie sat together in the dining room.
"Angie,
I know this is tough on you."
"I'm afraid
I'm going to cause our relationship to suffer because of what's happening
to me."
"It's not
your fault, Angie. Too many things are going on all at once, and
it's putting a lot of pressure on you right now. Your biggest concern
is Ace's life, mainly because you've known him a lot longer than me."
Angie faced
him sadly. "Vic, are you sure I'm the right girl for you? I
am a magician and a crimefighter. I also have my psychic bond with
Ace because of our Magic Force. And, there's the struggle I'm going
through myself."
Victor
looked straight into her eyes. "Angie, it's not your powers.
It's you. I love you because of who you are, not the powers you have.
I know you treat your closest friends like family. I understand,
Angie. After all, I am trying to open a horse-riding school, remember?"
"Yes, I
do remember. How many more hours till you can finally get that license?"
"I still
have about 35 hours to go. Helping Dad with security at the club
and mall while making sure Mike stays out of trouble can sure be a pain
at times, but it's part of life. We all have the obstacles we must
overcome. Right now, you've got at least three or four to deal with.
Ace's life is at stake; both the Ace imposter and Darlena Lowland both
break out of prison to get even with him; Cosmo's trying to get here safely;
and finally there's your emotional struggle. The best we can do is
deal with them one at a time. Tackling them all at once won't help
anyone."
"Yeah…I
know. I have to play them out when they come, not try to do them
altogether."
"Angie,
no matter what happens, you are the right girl for me."
The pair
gave each other a kiss once more, but Victor could feel sadness in her
kiss. Poor Angie. She's trying to take care of everyone,
but she can only do so much. In addition, there's the inner struggle
she's suffering through. The shadow side wants recognition that badly,
and it will stop at nothing to cause harm to her. I wish I could
help, but as Mona said, Angie must face this nightmare alone. Oh,
Angie, I do love you, and I always will, no matter what you go through.
In the
living room, Michael heard the intercom which connected to the gate.
"Yes?"
"It's Cosmo,"
said the young man, panting with each breath. "Let me in, quick."
"Right."
He then pressed a button to open the main gate to the home.
After parking
his turbocycle, he quickly entered through the front door.
Mona was
first to notice just how bruised and battered he looked. "Good Lord,
Cosmo! What happened to you?"
"I…was
attacked by the Magic Express defense systems."
Vega gravely
said, "That clinches it. The double has taken over the Magic Express
again, and I wouldn't be surprised if he's harboring another escapee."
"Darlena?"
"Exactly.
It's two times the danger at the same location."
Angie quickly
put her mind into intense thought. Let's see, both the imposter
and Darlena are at the Magic Express. However, what if—
Ms. LeSage
noticed Angie thinking hard. "What's on your mind, Angie?"
"I wonder.
The imposter got to him this morning and took over the Express again.
Now, Darlena may have found the Express and wanted to take out her revenge
on Ace, not knowing it wasn't really him."
"Wait,"
said Vega, "there's something else. The imposter is not allowed
to watch any television in prison. As a result, he wouldn't know
anything about you or Darlena."
"That would
become a pretty good advantage for us," Angie concluded. "If we can
somehow convince Darlena that Ace isn't really Ace at all, we may be able
to turn her to our side and be able to stop that imposter."
"And,"
added Mona, "we may be able to get the ingredients of the poison to create
the antidote in order to save Ace."
Cosmo nodded
in agreement. "Question is, how do we get to the Express now?
The imposter's reprogrammed the computer to where any of us could be considered
as intruders."
"Maybe,"
said a somber Angie, "but we've got to take some kind of chance.
Ace is in serious danger right now. Unless we take some action, he
won't make it."
Everyone
agreed with her statement.
Vega started
coming up with a suggestion. "May we should go full force with police."
"No, Vega,"
said Victor. "Do that and Friedrichs would be all over you in a hurry."
"Don't
worry," said Angie, "I think I have an idea." She then turned to
Cosmo. "You faced the imposter before. What was he like, psychologically
speaking?"
"A messed-up
nutcase. When I found out he wasn't Ace, he tried to finish me off.
Before he sealed the box I was stuck in, he mentioned that he wanted the
fame, the fortune, and the name 'Ace Cooper' all to himself. I still
remember when he almost sent me to a boarding school. Man, I was
ticked off."
"I would
be, too, if he did anything like that to me. Now, if this is the
case, the imposter is probably still wanting to take everything alone.
Sooner or later he'll want Darlena out of the Express, and he'll see to
it she doesn't get another chance to get in."
Mona agreed.
"Angie's right. I know both the imposter and Darlena. Oh, and
by the way, the imposter proposed to me again."
"Then,
where's the ring?"
"I gave
it to someone who really deserves it. He's planning his own proposal,
so I took out the most expensive step."
"Great.
All right, we need to plan this carefully and quickly. Ace is running
out of time. Here's what I propose we do: Victor and I take
his car and stop about four blocks from the tunnel that leads to the Express.
Angel has the ability to pick up vehicles approaching, but not people who
aren't in a vehicle."
"Yeah,"
concurred Cosmo. "I should know. I set it up that way."
"That's
fantastic. Now, what we need to do is get Ace into Vega's car and
let him rest there. When Victor and I leave, the rest of you leave
30 minutes afterward. If this works out correctly, by the end of
the day, we'll save Ace and have both fugitives in police custody."
Michael
was surprised in her confidence. Even in the face of danger, Angie's
able to focus on the current situation with Ace, the imposter, and Darlena.
I just wish she would recognize the shadow. It's just going to add
more fuel into this dangerous fire within her soul.
"Fortunately,
Ace is still asleep, so I'll levitate him into the back seat of your car,
Vega."
"Do what
you have to do, Angie."
After she
immediately placed the Magician in the back seat and made sure he was comfortable,
she turned to the others. "Okay, that part of the plan is set.
Now, let's hope the imposter will force Darlena out of the Express, giving
us the chance we need to sway her to help us."
Michael
then asked, "Angie, are you sure this is gonna work?"
"To tell
you the truth, Mike, no, I'm not sure. I'm not about to stand by
and do nothing, though. It's a chance that must be taken."
"I understand,
Angie. Just, both of you be careful, okay?"
"Don't
worry, Mike," said Victor. "I believe in Angie's plan. It's
a risk, but one that we have to try."
"Vega,"
said the female magician, "get ready to set your watch for 30 minutes from
now. Vic and I are going to the Magic Express. Wish us luck,
because we'll need it."
"Nah, you'll
do fine, Angie." If only her soul were that way right now.
Victor
and Angie entered his car and quickly took off for the Magic Express, with
Angie hoping her plan would work.
She did
have one thought bothering her, though. Hmm, it's all basically
hypothetical and guesswork. What if he decides not to make
Darlena leave? That could mess things up for sure. No, I mustn't
worry. I just have to trust my instincts.
A wise
move, Angela, said the dark voice within her. Your plan is
just hypothetical and very risky, but it's typical for you to risk your
life for others. All the while you're still in the fight of your
life…with me.
That
may be so, my shadow, but for now we have to put our differences aside.
Ace's life is at stake, and I refuse to let him down.
Perhaps
you're right. We both know how important Ace is, so yes, we will
have another truce. When Ace is safe, though, it ends immediately.
Do I make myself clear?
Yes,
it's clear. Now, let's concentrate on the plan.
Victor
and Angie both had looks of determination in their eyes, willing to do
something extremely dangerous to save the life of a close friend.
