Reveal the Darkness Within

by Shirley Ann Burton

When Angela Jacobs is kidnapped by a scientist who has dangerous intentions for her magical powers, will she have to resort to something dangerous to survive, especially since she is all alone with none of her friends close by?

2. The Hunt Is On

Reveal the DARKNESS Within
Part 2: The Hunt Is On

Important note:
When you see type looking like this: ¿Cómo está usted? (How are you, sir?), this means there is Spanish involved. The English translation is in parentheses. I hope this clarifies any confusion this could bring. If not, please e-mail me.

Ace, Cosmo, and Zina were on their way to Sensa-News Studios in the hope they could plea for the safe return of their friend Angela Jacobs, who had been abducted from the DNA Club/Mall area less than an hour earlier.
The Magician wondered whether calling his girlfriend Mona Malone would be important. Mona thinks of Angie as a sister also, since they can have woman-to-woman talk with each other. It's never been easy for Mona to talk with anyone, especially with her father. Yes, it's for the best that I do tell her what's happened.
He activated the vidphone in the Magic Racer to contact Mona.
At her home on the coast, Mona heard her telephone ringing. She quickly answered it. "Hello?"
"Mona…it's Ace."
She heard the despondent voice of her lifelong friend and true love. "Ace, is something wrong?"
"Um, I don't know how to say this to you, Mona, but…it's Angie."
"What? What's happened to her?"
"She…she's been kidnapped."
"Kidnapped!? By whom? If my father's behind this, I'll—"
"No, Mona. Your father's not responsible for this. The only clues we have are an eyewitness account and the videodisk from the mall security system. We're heading over to Sensa-News now to make a plea and show the disk to the public. It's possible someone may know who the kidnappers are."
After taking a few deep breaths to get herself calmed down, Mona added, "I'm heading there, too. I'll meet you there ASAP."
She then replaced the receiver on its stand and quickly rushed to her convertible. Leaving in a hurry for the studios, Mona became very worried. Angie, wherever you are, I hope you're all right. We're all praying for your safety.
In a matter of minutes, everyone arrived at the studio, with Kendra Rayler in waiting. "My boss just got a telephone call from Captain Friedrichs. Is it true? Has Angela Jacobs been…"
"Yes," answered Ace. "She's been kidnapped. Now it's up to us to make a plea and show this videodisk to everyone. Perhaps this will help us try to locate her."
"Agreed, Mr. Cooper. I like that young lady, too, but as a reporter, I have to remain as objective and unbiased as possible. The best thing to do is interrupt regular programming now."
The stage director then asked for the videodisk, which he would cue up when it was the right time.
Quickly, everyone watching television in Electro City had their programming cut short. "We interrupt this program for a special report," said the voice.
The screen then cut straight to Rayler herself. "We have just received word from ECPD that female magician Angela Jacobs…was abducted from the DNA Club/Mall almost two hours ago. I am now speaking with Police Lieutenant Derek Vega. Lieutenant, are there any known details about this kidnapping?"
"At the moment, we only have an eyewitness account from an eight-year-old boy, whose identity will remain confidential, and a videodisk from the mall's security system. Bob Raven has already made a copy of that disk."
"Yes, and we have that copy here at the studios. If someone will cue it up, please, we'll show you exactly what did happen at the mall."
Soon, the footage appeared on the millions of TV screens in the city and around the country.
Rayler then said, "Lieutenant, can you explain what's happening here?"
"Yes, two men are walking out of the ladies' room on the west side of the mall, with one of them holding the victim over his shoulder. We couldn't identify the two men or the victim at that time, but a police officer brought in a boy, about eight, who said he could tell who the victim was just by her facial features."
"And the victim was…"
"Angela Jacobs."
Rayler then faced the camera once more. "Folks, we're showing you this disk here because perhaps someone in the country knows about the two kidnappers or where Jacobs may be." She then faced the lieutenant again. "Is there any other information that may be of help?"
"Yes, we learned the vehicle they used is a black sedan with the California license plate 075PMD. The kidnappers crashed through a water barrier we had set up, but it slowed them down just enough to get info on the vehicle."
"Good, thank you, Lieutenant." Looking into the camera, she stated, "Now, four of Jacobs's closest friends are here: Ace Cooper, Cosmo, Mona Malone, and Victor Raven. We're currently trying to make contact with her best friend Ashley Brighton in Mason City, Iowa, and we should have that connection in about three-to-four minutes. In the meantime, I'll be talking with the four here in the studio."
She started with Victor first. "Now, Victor, you're the son of Bob Raven, the owner of the DNA, and a very close friend of Jacobs's, right?"
"Yes, I am on both questions."
"Please tell us about her from your perspective."
"Well…Angie is a fun-loving person who cares a lot about life itself. She's always the type of person willing to protect anyone from getting hurt. She has such a warm and friendly personality, and her being a protégé to Ace Cooper won't go to her head. She may be a celebrity, but she'll almost never act like one. That's what I truly admire about her."
Rayler started detecting he was more than just a close friend. I could…no. I think this young man is her boyfriend, but right now finding Jacobs is more important than the personal life. I'm not about to become another Paparazzo. "Thank you, Victor."
She then changed her focus to Mona. "Miss Malone, what is Jacobs like to you?"
"Someone who cares about others no matter where they come from or what their relatives tend to be like. Angie to me is like the eye of the hurricane. Growing up with a mother and a father is something almost none of us understand, but she does. She lived with two wonderful parents who cared for her and nurtured her into a beautiful young woman. She has so much heart and spirit, and just her smile can create magic."
"I can understand your concern for her safety right now."
"Yes, I just want the kidnappers to bring her home safely. She's a special person to all of us, and I don't want her to get hurt."
"I understand, Miss Malone. Thank you. Cosmo, you and Mr. Cooper have known Jacobs for nearly three years now. How has she made a difference to you?"
The young man sighed and then answered, "She's given me a better sense of the word 'family.' Angie cooks some of the coolest dishes I've ever tasted. Just earlier today she created a dish called ginger shrimp scaloppini. When we were asked to try it, we noticed it was just a bit too hot, but our input does help her with making the dishes better."
"Now, Jacobs is a magician, but does she actually apply that at home?"
Ace then took up the answering. "Only when we practice for a performance," he said. "When it comes to cooking or doing chores, she will never practice magic. The way she was raised, she feels more rewarded doing things with her own two hands than with magic. The only time she applies magic in cooking is for a recipe trick, and that practice takes weeks to master mainly because she isn't used to doing that."
"Mr. Cooper, she is supposed to be performing with you in the next two weeks. How will this affect the preparation process?"
"Well, it really shouldn't affect things physically, but emotionally is a different story. We all care about her that much, and we want her to come home safely."
"I understand. I believe we…have the satellite hook-up now, and we can speak to Ashley Brighton in Mason City, Iowa. Miss Brighton, can you hear me?"
On the screen, the first-grade teacher stood outside of Learnier Elementary School. She was about to leave work for the day when she heard the news about her best friend. "Yes, I can hear you."
"You've known Angie since when?"
"Since we met in the first grade. We've been very close for about 18 years now."
"When you learned what had happened to Angie, what was your reaction?"
"Basically shock, anger, and pain. I mean, I know of no one who would do such a thing to a person who has always helped others when they needed it." No one except my own mother, that is, but now's not the time to reveal this on national television. Ashley had only told the members of the local town council about her mother Carlita being the master criminal known as Faceless and feared telling Rayler would possibly compromise her own position, though unintentionally.
"Yes, as we showed in the clearing up of the exposé wrongfully done on Jacobs. Do your students know about this situation?"
"If they're watching this right now, they do know, then. Parents, if you are watching this with your children, please take the time to calmly discuss the situation because ignoring the problem will only invoke fear into the kids."
"That is some good advice, Miss Brighton. Parents, please reassure your kids that what has happened to Miss Jacobs will not happen to them if they are careful enough. What happened to the female magician was in broad daylight in a public mall, and it isn't the first time something this…heinous has happened. Miss Brighton, will you be okay?"
"Only if Angie's found safe and brought back to her friends. All I can really do now is wait and pray."
"Just like the rest of us. Miss Brighton, we appreciate you coming on here on such short notice…if it were only under more pleasant circumstances."
"In situations like these, I think it's important for the media to become an ally to help in the search for her and those who did kidnap her. You're doing a good job over there, and this will certainly be of help."
"Thank you, Miss Brighton, for joining us."
"I'm glad I could help."
As soon as the screen returned to Rayler, she said, "We're going to show the video one more time." As the video was being played again, she added, "Folks, please, if you have seen Angela Jacobs, the two kidnappers, or the black sedan with California license plate 075PMD, please notify local authorities in your area. They will then contact the ECPD here and the FBI, who is also assisting in the search for the missing female magician. Stay tuned to Sensa-News for the latest developments in this possibly dangerous situation."
As the screens faded to white, the following information was seen with a photo of Angie:
Name: Angela Connie Jacobs
Age: 25
Height: 5ft., 4in. Weight: 122 lbs.
Eyes: Green Hair: Light Brown
Residence: Electro City, California
Occupation: Magician
Last seen: DNA Club/Mall
Last clothing: Short-sleeve green t-shirt, white khaki slacks, and white sneakers
"This has been a Sensa-News Special Report," said the voice-over. "We now return you to your regular programming."
After the director finished the session, Rayler looked at all of them with concern. "Will all of you be okay right now?"
Mona answered, "All we can really do right now is wait…and pray…she'll be all right somehow."

The kidnappers were driving the black sedan through the desert, already having gone well over 350 miles in just 2 ½ hours. They were celebrating their successful job.
"Man, this is gonna be a major league pay day!" yelled the driver happily.
The passenger agreed. "Oh, yeah! The boss is gonna be thrilled, and we'll get all that money!"
He then turned on the radio to find a good classic station.
That music was suddenly interrupted by the news. "This just in out of Electro City, California. Female magician Angela Jacobs was abducted in broad daylight from the DNA Club/Mall by two men. They apparently wore gas masks to avoid taking in what they used on her. Police was able to find no trace of the gas used, but they did identify the car. Authorities are looking for a black sedan with the California license plate 075PMD. Anyone who sees this car should—"
The driver quickly turned off the radio and yelled at his partner. "You idiot! Now everybody's looking for us and this little girl here!"
"It's not my fault!" snapped the passenger. "How'd they find out about us anyway?"
"That water barrier, you blockhead! We crashed through it, but it slowed us long enough for the police to get the info on the car! Now we've got to switch cars before the cops get all over us!"
"How? There isn't a place to go for at least another hundred miles."
"We'll just have to hotwire a car from somewhere. There's got to be a place we can find a vehicle. Keep your eyes peeled for a gas station or something where we can find more than one car. If we don't change cars soon, we'll get caught, and the boss won't like this."
The passenger looked for at least 20 miles but then saw a sign. "Hey, gas station, two miles away."
"Good, now let's hope we've got a new car to use."
Less than a minute later, they arrived at the gas station and noticed an ancient truck, one which appeared not to have been used for a number of years. Just as they thought their luck would run out, someone else from the east came along to stop at the gas station.
"We'll wait until he goes inside. When he does, grab the girl and get ready to move into that car."
The gentleman from the east filled his car up and went inside the service station to pay the attendant.
The kidnappers then grabbed Angie from their black sedan and quickly moved over to the new car. As the passenger lay Angie in the back seat of this car, the driver quickly got the door open and hotwired it to start.
As the engine started, he yelled, "We got it! Let's go now!"
His partner quickly jumped into the front seat as he got the vehicle under way.
The car owner and the gas station attendant both ran out of the building to see the car disappear over the horizon in a hurry.
"I don't believe it!" yelled the car owner. "Those jerks stole my car!"
The gas station attendant then looked at the vehicle. "Hmm, California plate, 075PMD."
"So what? That's my car they stole!"
"Um, young'un, have you been listening to the news?"
"I've been too busy listening to my mini-discs. Why?"
"It's got to do with that girl magician who was kidnapped earlier today. This is the car."
"Girl magician?" He thought for a moment and finally realized how important this car was. "Of course, Angela Jacobs, the female magician!"
"Right, young'un. Now, go inside and contact the sheriff's office. I'll stay at the car."
"Okay, I'm on it."
About 20 minutes later, at least four units from the local sheriff's office arrived at the gas station.
One of the deputies questioned the car owner and the gas station attendant. "Okay, this is the car, all right, and you say the same people stole your car?"
"Yes, sir."
"Please describe your vehicle."
"It's a dark-green sportscar with Kansas plate 7T33RX2. Will that help?"
"Yes, sir. That definitely helps. We'll need to impound this car and get the FBI out here. The kidnappers must have left fingerprints on it, so I'm glad neither of you touched the car."
"We understand," said the attendant. "This car will definitely provide some clues for ya."
"We appreciate your help, gentlemen."
In a matter of minutes, the call got out to both the FBI and Lieutenant Vega at police headquarters in Electro City.
"Wow, got a break in less than three hours," said Vega excitedly. He grabbed his car keys. "Miss LeSage, hold the fort here. I've got to get to the Magic Express and give Ace this news."
Vega arrived at the Express a short time later to tell Ace what had happened. "We got our first big break in the case. The kidnappers found out about the search for the black sedan and abandoned it at a local gas station about 28 miles east of Seligman, Arizona."
"What about Angie?"
"No sign of her."
"Vega, it's not good enough! Angie needs to be found and soon!"
"Calm down, Ace. Let me tell something else. The car did have valuable fingerprints on it, and the FBI is already examining the prints to see if we can identify the kidnappers. In the process, though, they ended up stealing a different car to cover their tracks. Dan's already got the information on the newly stolen car and has already put out an all-points bulletin on it. Hopefully those fingerprints will help us learn who the kidnappers are, but we won't know that until at least tomorrow morning."
"It's not that I'm worried about…it's Angie's emotional state. If she isn't found quickly, her buried darkness could explode out of her and cause serious damage, even injury to others."
Vega kept his head about Angie's personal danger. "I know how you feel right now, but you mustn't let this eat you alive. It's not your fault for what happened. You're doing the best you can to help her; that's all anyone can ask of one person."
"Still, I should've been watching her more closely."
Mona then came into the Express. "I just had a talk with Father. He said he doesn't know anybody who would be daring enough to try a broad-daylight kidnapping."
Ace just turned and walked away from his friends. "Just leave me alone right now."
He then walked into Angie's room. The door closing behind him, he saw the photo of her and her parents on the dresser drawer. He took the image and looked closely at it, like he could see them in front of his eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispered sadly. "I couldn't protect your daughter. I let you both down."
In his mind, he heard the soft voice of Angie's mother Nancy. No, Ace. You haven't failed us. You may be a powerful magician, but you can only do so much.
But still, Ace thought back, your daughter's emotional situation is worsening. It was my responsibility to keep an eye on her.
Robert, Angie's father, then spoke to him. Ace, don't blame yourself for what happened to Angie. You're doing all you can. You can't be everywhere, though. No one could have seen this coming, not even us. Besides, you do now have a lead as to where she's been so far. Don't lose hope.
Robert is right, Ace, added Nancy, for when you lose hope, that is when all is lost. You and your friends are very concerned for her safety and her buried darker feelings, like we are. You must have faith and hope.
Ace slowly nodded at her parents' truth. "Yes, I can't give up hope. There must be a way for me to find her somehow." He placed the photo back on the drawer and sat on her bed.
There, he recalled the first night Angie had arrived in Electro City. "She just wanted a place to stay after Jack took her apartment away. It's hard to believe it's been about three years now since she became a mainstay here in the Express. Her powers grow stronger all the time…it's just the darkness she's ignoring. If she doesn't accept that darker self, she'll suffer disastrous consequences." He then realized about her powers. "Wait…if I can somehow push our psychic bond to the absolute limit, perhaps I can locate her. I don't care if she's out of our range; I won't sit by and do nothing while Angie's suffering out there somewhere."
He then stood up, closed his eyes, and extended his arms to the sides. Beginning to glow brightly in his violet aura, Ace calmly chanted, "Magic Force within me, please help me locate my kindred sister's heart. I know she is in grave danger right now."
Breathing deeply, the Magician felt himself trying to see past the complete darkness in his mind. As he started breathing harder, he started concentrating harder and even gritted his teeth. I must…push harder…go farther…than ever before. I will keep going…all the way to the limit! Come on Angie, please, help me find you. "I…have to keep going…no matter what."
Vega had given Mona the latest information about Angie's kidnapping and left the Express to return to police headquarters.
Cosmo had come to the living room with a cup of chamomile tea for Mona. "Here, thought you'd want this."
"Thanks, Cosmo."
"Say, where's Ace at?"
"He went into Angie's room alone. I think he's upset at himself for not being able to prevent her kidnapping."
"Aw, it's not his fault. We know that."
"Maybe, but he's been in that room for the last 10 minutes now. I'm gonna check on him."
She stepped up from the couch and walked towards Angie's room when she heard Ace screaming in pain. "Oh, my God!" she whispered in concern. "Angel, open the door, quick!"
As soon as the computer obeyed the command, Mona came in and saw Ace on the floor while his aura faded. "Ace!" She ran up to him and held his hand. "Ace, are you okay?"
Slowly regaining consciousness, he noticed his girlfriend. "Mona…I, um—"
"Just what were you trying to do!? Kill yourself or something?"
"I was…trying to find Angie…by pushing our bond…to the limit. I guess…it didn't work."
As Mona helped him back to his feet, she simply said, "Ace, I know you're very worried about her. We all are right now…but harming yourself to find her will be of no help to anyone. She would never want you hurting yourself trying to locate her telepathically. Your bond with her does have its limits, and it wouldn't surprise me if the kidnappers have taken her beyond that limit now. There's basically nothing we can do now except wait, hope, and pray."
He turned away for just a moment to gather his thoughts. "I know you're right." Facing her again, he said, "Mona, can I ask you something, and would you be honest with me, please?"
"Of course, Ace. What is it?"
"Do you sometimes get…jealous of Angie and me because we do share this bond with each other?"
"At times, yes. On the other hand, I have also come to the understanding that you and Angie each possess a special power, one to which you both are bonded to each other. Ace, you know I love her like she were a sister. In a way, I'm glad you finally brought this matter up."
"You've been waiting for me to ask this? Why?"
"Because…you are the one who has been there for me all these years. I can understand why you were concerned I would become jealous or something. I have to admit, there are times I wish I could read your mind." She then held his hand for comfort. "Ace, I'll tell you something. When Angie entered our lives, she became a source of inner strength for all of us. We all have had either a fractured family life or none at all. Like I said at the studios today, she came from a normal home with parents who raised her with all their love. What she has done for others is always out of the kindness of her heart.
"What worries me now is the fact she's completely ignoring her own darkness. We all have had to deal with our own darker feelings, yet Angie seems frightened to even think about it."
"She's very frightened to think about it," Ace noted seriously. "She's so scared of that happening she believes in her heart we won't be her friends anymore if that darkness comes to be…and we see it."
"But…we're always here for her when she needs us and vice versa. Why won't she say anything about her own anger and pain?"
"She's afraid to…there are times I can sense she thinks she doesn't deserve to have any friends."
"Angie not deserving of friends? That's baloney!"
"To us, you're right. To Angie, though, it's a different story. She found herself thrusted into the public spotlight, which I believe has made her very nervous to be around us. Even after three years, she can still find the celebrity status overwhelming."
Mona just smiled. "For someone like Angie, going from being unknown anywhere to being well-known by many can make anyone nervous. Still, she knows we'll be there for her. I just hope she hasn't forgotten about that."
"Yeah…um, Mona, I'm sorry I made you upset when I—"
"Apology accepted, Magician. You were only trying to find her, but you shouldn't hurt yourself in the process."
The pair hugged each other very tightly, both of them silently praying for Angie's safe return.

As for the kidnappers themselves, the sun had already set for the day, and they were both growing very tired.
"Man, we need to get some sleep," said the driver.
The passenger stated, "But…what about Jacobs here? We can't just leave her in the car."
"Yeah, that's true. We need to find a place to stop for the night. Nothing fancy, just somewhere. What time you got?"
"Almost 10:00 on my watch. It's 11:00 here, though."
"Oh, yeah, time zones. Forgot about that." The driver looked around for the nearest place to spend the night. "Hey, there's something. It looks a bit run down…who cares? As long as it's a place to stop for the night. When we get in, we need to contact the boss about our present situation."
"Cell phone or regular phone?"
"Probably regular phone. The way this motel is, I don't think they track phone calls all too well. Let's turn in for the night here."
They soon stopped at the run-down motel and came in with Angie on the passenger's shoulder.
The driver noticed the motel owner. "Excuse me, um, sir?"
The owner, an Hispanic gentleman with a mustache and beard awakened and said, "¿Sí?" ("Yes?")
"Do…you…speak English?"
"No, no hablo inglés." ("No, I don't speak English.")
The driver then took out a wad of money. "We'd like to stay here for the night."
The motel owner's eyes widened as he noticed about $250. "Sí, sí. (Yes, yes.) You…can." He tried so hard to speak English, yet it was very broken.
"Mucho…I mean, muchas gracias (thank you)."
"De nada." ("You're welcome.")
The two gentlemen took their captive into the rented room and gently lay her on the bed.
"She looks so quiet," said the passenger.
"Yeah, she does. Doesn't matter, though. We need to get through to the boss. I'll call him."

Back in his secret laboratory, the mystery man heard his telephone ring. "Hello?"
"Boss, it's me."
"Oh. Where are both of you and Miss Jacobs right now?"
"In a run-down hotel about 20 miles east of Flagstaff, Arizona. We had to stop here for the night."
"Guess all the excitement did wear you both down. How is Miss Jacobs?"
"Sleeping like a baby right now. She's still out from that gas."
"Well, that's nice and all, but I discovered you were both noticed on the security cameras in the DNA Club/Mall, and now everyone's on the lookout for the black sedan!"
"Not anymore. We commandeered another vehicle and abandoned the other at a gas station."
"You fool! They've already impounded that car and they may get the fingerprints to identify both of you soon enough! Tomorrow morning, leave at 5:00 in the morning and get to Phoenix. There's the high speed train that should get you to Amarillo, Texas, in less than a day. I've already set up your train tickets to Amarillo, and then plane tickets to get from there to here non-stop. Now, let's see if you guys can do this without getting into any more trouble."
The driver of the car hesitated slightly. "Okay, boss. We'll leave for Phoenix in the morning…and we'll get her there, no problem."
"There better not be…for your sake," said the mystery man as he placed the receiver back on its hold.
The driver hung up the telephone at his end and looked at his partner nervously. "We won't be sleeping for long. We have to leave at 5 a.m. tomorrow for Phoenix. The boss already has train tickets waiting for us."
"Ooh, sounds like he wasn't too pleased with us."
"No, he wasn't. Never mind that, let's get some sleep. That gas should keep her out for the rest of the night."
"Shouldn't one of us keep an eye on her, though?"
"Nah, why worry? She won't wake up."
The two gentlemen slept soundly in the chairs, despite the chairs being in such horrendous shape.
An hour into their sleep, Angie was finally beginning to overcome the effects of that gas and slowly awakened after being out for a number of hours. Looking around, though, she realized she was nowhere near the DNA Mall. What is this place? she thought in confusion. It's definitely not Electro City, but where am I? She then closed her eyes and attempted to contact Ace telepathically. Ace…Ace…it's me, Angie. Can you hear me? Please answer.
She shook her head in discovering she was too far away to make the contact. No good. I must be out of range. I need to find a way to get through to Ace. Question is how?
As she sat up, she noticed the two gentlemen sleeping in the chairs. They must be the ones who kidnapped me. Let's see here…shoot, there's no light. I can't tell anything in the dark. This appears to be some kind of motel. The owner's office shouldn't be too far away from here.
She quietly got herself out of the bed and placed the two pillows in a position to make them think it was her still in the bed.
Next, she tried concentrating to use her magic to phase through the door, but her mind was still affected by the gas. Won't work. Guess I'll just have to open the door the old-fashioned way…and hope it isn't squeaky. She slowly opened the door, which only let out a small creak, not loud enough to awaken the kidnappers.
After closing the door gently, she ran around to find the owner's office. "It's got to be here somewhere," she whispered. She then saw the sign "Main Office" and dashed for the door.
Knocking on it as gently as possible, she tried to get the owner's attention. "Hello? Hello? I need some help, please."
She started knocking harder, which finally got the owner to come to the door. "¿Qué pasa?" ("What is happening?") he said groggily as he opened the door.
"Oh," said the female magician, realizing the language barrier. "¿Usted no habla inglés?" ("Sir, you don't speak English?")
"Oh, no, no hablo inglés. ¿Usted habla español?" ("Oh, no, I don't speak English. Do you speak Spanish?")
"Sí, bastante bien." ("Yes, pretty well.") Angie then asked the question that could possibly mean the difference between life and death. "¿Usted tiene un telefono?" ("Sir, do you have a telephone?")
The owner nodded. "Sí, tengo un telefono. ¿Está necesito?" ("Yes, I have a telephone. Do you need it?")
"Sí. Mis amigas no son donde estoy. Dos hombres me sequestran. Me llamo Angela Jacobs." ("Yes. My friends don't know where I am. Two men have kidnapped me. My name is Angela Jacobs.")
"Ah, puede usar el telefono." ("Ah, you can use the telephone.")
"Muchas gracias, Señor." ("Thank you very much, sir.")
He let her inside the office so she could use the telephone to call her friends back home. Quickly dialing up the number, she frantically said, "Come on, Ace, answer, please."

Back at the Magic Express, Mona had stayed with Ace, Cosmo, and Zina in the hopes they would get some kind of ransom demand call from the kidnappers and just to know if Angie was all right.
Ace grew more anxious with every passing second. "The longer we wait, the worse things could be getting for her."
Just then, the phone finally rang. "That must be it," said Cosmo. "The kidnappers are finally telling us what they want in exchange for Angie."
Ace slowly picked up the telephone. "This is Ace Cooper."
"Ace, it's me!"
His eyes widened at the familiarity of the woman's voice on the other end. "Angie!"
Mona and Cosmo reacted quickly and ran up to him.
"Is she okay?" asked Cosmo with high anxiety.
Mona added, "Where is she?"
Ace put his hand over the speaker part of the phone. "Guys, hold it. She may not have a lot of time." He then returned his attention to the phone. "Angie, are you all right?"
"For now, yeah, I'm okay."
Ace then signaled for Cosmo to go to the computer room and get a possible trace on her telephone call. "Angie, listen to me. Do you have any idea who the kidnappers are?"
"No. I don't remember anything since being gassed in the DNA Mall. I just woke up a few minutes ago. I could see them, but it's too dark for faces or hair. What should I do now?"
"Well, do you have any idea where you are right now?"
"No, but maybe I can ask the owner." She turned to him and asked, "Con permiso, por favor, Señor. ¿Dónde estoy?" ("Excuse me, please, sir. Where am I?")
"Está en Angell, Arizona, con dos 'Ls'." ("You are in Angell, Arizona, with two 'Ls'.")
She smiled and nodded at the gentleman, then returning to the phone. "I'm in a place called Angell, Arizona."
"Hmm, don't know where that is," said Ace. "Guess the kidnappers didn't get as far as they wanted. They probably don't know you've escaped."
"Ace, what do you want me to do? Stay here?"
"Yes. Whatever you do, don't leave from the owner's office."
"I'll stay. Please, just come and get me. I don't want to stay here for too long."
The Magician did not need to sense anything with the fear in her voice. "It's going to be okay, Angie, I promise. I'll notify Vega and we'll come pick you up as soon as possible."
"Thanks, Ace. I won't leave from this office until—" Her voice was suddenly muffled as someone put a napkin over her mouth, the napkin filled with a substance that would knock her out cold again. She soon fell to the ground and lost consciousness once more.
Ace started becoming frantic. "Angie…Angie! Angie, are you there!?"
One of the kidnappers grabbed the phone and ripped the line from the wall, creating an instant disconnection.
The other, who had knocked out the owner with a nightstick, yelled at his partner. "Dummy! I told you one of us should have kept an eye on her. I'll inject her with another tranquilizer so she won't wake up for at least 14 hours."
"Now we have to move. If she got through to that Magician, he has a system that could easily track us down."
"We're not supposed to leave until 5:00, though."
"We'll get caught by 5:00 if we don't get a move on! Grab her and let's get to the car!"
The partner took Angie and pulled her over his shoulder.
They soon got to the car and immediately took off for Phoenix, Arizona.

Ace slowly hung up the phone on his end. "The kidnappers got to Angie again."
"Oh, no," said a very worried Mona. "They must've found out she was trying to get away."
Just then, Cosmo entered the room. "Dude, I got a trace on Angie's call."
"Good work, Cosmo. She said she was calling from Angell, Arizona. Let's get to the computer room. Mona, tell Vega we just got a call from Angie and explain the rest of the situation."
Ace and Cosmo reached the computer room and quickly got Angel to work.
"Angel," said Ace, "can you tell us the location of Angell, Arizona?"
She soon put up a map of California, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico on the screen. "Angell, Arizona, is located approximately 22 miles east of Flagstaff, Arizona. The call came from a local motel in that area."
"Good work, Angel. Now, could you possibly calculate where the kidnappers may be going next?"
"Unfortunately, no. The only two reference points so far are Seligman, Arizona, and Angell, Arizona. I need at least four points to come up with a calculation."
"Just like Multi-Flames when we had the rash of arson-related fires a few years ago."
"So, what should we do now?"
"Mona tells Vega, who in turn tells his friend Dan Simons in the FBI, who then puts out a bulletin about where Angie's been. They already have the new info on the stolen vehicle."
A short time later, Vega returned to the Magic Express. "Angie was brave enough to at least tell us where she is, which helps a lot. Dan is dispatching FBI agents out to Angell, Arizona, particularly to that motel. I'm heading out there immediately."
"Not without me, Vega," said Ace determinedly. "I'm going with you."
"Ace, I don't know…"
"Vega, I'm the only one who can help her with her emotional state. I have to go with you in this case." Ace's voice almost broke. "Please, Vega. Let me come, for her sake."
The lieutenant understood Ace's feelings in this situation, since Vega himself cared about Angie like a daughter he never had. "Okay, Ace, okay. You can come with me, but don't mess up the evidence or anything. Deal?"
"Deal." He then turned to Cosmo and Mona. "Both of you, stay here and keep an eye on things. If we get any breaks in the case, we'll let you know. This way, we can add more reference points and possibly calculate where the kidnappers are trying to take Angie." He also bowed down to Zina. "Sorry, girl. You can't go with me on this trip. It'll be long and possibly dangerous for you."
Zina discontentedly growled about his decision but understood it was for the best.
Ace finally stood up and said, "Vega, let's move."
Knowing only the Magic Racer was fast enough to handle the road, Ace and Vega both left in the turbo car to make their trip to Angell, Arizona, and find some clues to Angie's whereabouts…and possibly where she could be going.