The Deepest Secret
By: Shirley Ann Burton

You Know What This Is!
The Magician, and all other related material, are copyrighted by Gaumont Multimédia. If you've read every story I've written, I don't need to explain the rule about using any original characters in future stories. The important note is…this story tags up just after Reveal the Darkness Within, so if you haven't read it yet, please do so before getting to this one.

Part 1

It was a clear night filled with many stars shining brightly over Electro City, California.
Within the confines of the Magic Express, Ace Cooper sat alone in the living room as he pondered the strange events of the past few days.
Just days earlier his friend Angela Jacobs, a training magician who also had the power of the Magic Force within her own heart, had been abducted in broad daylight. The timing could not have been worse because she struggled desperately to hold back her buried darker feelings. While a prisoner of prominent scientist Dr. Gregory Collins, those feelings finally surfaced, forcing her to release her suppressed anger and rage. Her out-of-control fury almost caused his death with an extremely intense tornado.
Taking the long cross-country journey to find Angie, Ace and Lt. Derek Vega went to Washington, DC, in hopes of being able to help her with her fragile emotional state.
Angie became frightened at the fact Ace had seen her welled up feelings escalate and then explode, so she forced her way past Ace and the others just to get away from everyone.
With some help from shifter guardian Gwydion Bright Owl and his panther Zina, the Magician was able to locate Angie and intercept her at the Lincoln Memorial.
There, he helped her realize she would not lose any of her friends because her darker self surfaced.
As for Angie herself, she started to understand darkness did not always create hatred, and in order to completely love, she had to acknowledge her shadow. When she finally did so, she realized herself she did not need to hide any moments of anger or being upset.
The two magicians also learned another important secret about themselves: Angie was able to help Ace escape from the water torture chamber in his first attempt to break the water immersion world record. The mysterious part of this incident was she had watched him perform on television as a senior at Iowa State University…while he performed 1500 miles away in Electro City!
She sat on her bed in her room, shaking her head in confusion. "I never knew I had…that much power inside me," she said slowly, still trying to make sense of the strange situation that occurred nearly five years earlier.
The door opened with Ace standing just outside. "It's the truth, Angie. You have a lot of power. It's the emotional control we need to work on."
She looked at him with a slightly confused look on her face. "Ace…I know you've been through a rough road yourself in your life, but how is it you can maintain such control of your powers? I mean, it couldn't have happened overnight."
The Magician walked in and sat next to her on the bed. "You're right, Angie. It took a long time to figure out just what I had and what I could do." He then put his arm around her shoulder. "Angie, I think it's time I let you in on a very special secret…one so closely guarded only four others know about it."
"Let me guess, the four others are Vega, Mona, Cosmo, and Zina."
"How'd you know? Read my mind?"
"Nope. I've been here long enough. Common sense."
Ace chuckled lightly. "Three years and definitely observant."
Angie gave him a serious look. "Ace, please tell me. How can I keep my powers under control when I do get emotional? I mean, if I don't get angry, I bury my shadow all over again. If I get too angry, I could lose control again. I mean, in the past, my power would come to light, and it knew I wanted to help someone. It just came to me. How?"
"In order to use your own power, you had to basically surrender yourself to it, which allowed you to help your father, that group of kids, Ashley, and me."
"What exactly do you mean by 'surrendering myself'?"
"Sometimes to get what you really want, you have to let go."
"Let go?"
"Yes, of whatever holds you back from being able discover yourself, your destiny. A friend told me about letting go a long time ago."
"How did you finally understand what you had, Ace?"
"It wasn't very easy, I can tell you. In a way, I'm a lot like you…not always open as to how I'm feeling. It started about two months after my confrontation with Jack Malone, the one where—"
"He became what he is now," Angie completed. "Ace, if you don't want to talk about it, it's okay."
"No. I need to tell you what I went through, so maybe I can help you deal with your emotions. I was feeling so unsure of myself because of this little tuft of white hair and the Magic Force. Not knowing what I was really capable of doing, I decided to leave Electro City for a while, hoping to find myself…"

**18 Years Earlier**

The young man had never felt so lost in his life. The last few months had been nothing short of nightmarish for 17-year-old Ace Cooper. First, he ran to the history museum and saved Detective Derek Vega from a terrifying explosion with a power he had suppressed for a number of years. Then, after learning Jack Malone lied to him about the fate of his friend Gus Moreland, Ace turned on his boss and had a frightening battle above a huge fire. Jack fell into the flames and just barely survived, but he was permanently scarred, disfigured, and debilitated. To make matters worse, Ace's girlfriend Mona, who just happened to be Jack Malone's daughter, was very upset with him for what he did to her father, hence she broke up with him and never wanted to see him again.
Ace walked alone through the streets of Electro City. "I can't stay here," he said to himself. "I could hurt someone…or worse, if I stick around in this place. I need to get away."
He made his way to the docks along the piers of the Grand Canal, hoping for a chance to find a boat that would leave Electro City.
His hopes for finding a way out nearly faded when someone on a barge yelled, "Hey, kid, you lookin' for work?"
Ace looked up and saw the gentleman, a 50-something man with graying hair and brown eyes. He was dressed up to be the captain. "Yes, sir," the young man said loudly. "I could use a job." One that gets me away from Electro City before I harm someone else.
"Well, I need another hand to keep these cars clean as we ship 'em to India. You interested?"
"How long is the trip?"
"About six weeks."
Ace smiled and quickly said, "Permission to come aboard, sir."
"Permission granted, lad. Come aboard."
The young man ran up the boarding plank and straight to him. "Whatever you need me to do, I'll do it."
The captain whistled in delight. "My goodness, lad, you're anxious to get started, aren't ya?"
"Yes, I am." Anything just to leave here.
"I'll give you a tour of the ship and the job you'll have. I hope you won't change your mind after I show you around."
"I don't think I will, sir."
A little further down the stern of the ship, at least ten men were looking at their captain with hidden disgust. They were not very thrilled to get someone so young into their crew.
One noticed Ace's little tuft of white hair. "What's he think he is, a punk rocker from the 20th Century?"
Another wickedly said, "If he thinks he'll become a favorite around here, we'll show him who's boss."
"We'll make sure he doesn't last a week out in the ocean. He'll be cryin' back to his mama when we're done with him."
As the tour continued, the captain asked, "You ever been out to sea, lad?"
"No, sir, I haven't. I guess I'm a real landlubber."
"Hmm, you may experience a little seasickness for the first week or two. Once you get adjusted, you'll do fine."
"I appreciate this opportunity, Captain…"
"Name's Captain Balken. What's your name, lad?"
"Ace…Ace Cooper."
"Welcome to sea life, Ace."
"Thank you, sir."
"Oh, by the way, I should warn you…my crew can be very unnerving, considering I've got someone very young in the ranks. Try the best you can to ignore them. I wish I could get rid of them, but they're all I've got as an effective crew."
"I understand, Captain. I'll do my best to steer clear of them."
Captain Balken smiled at the young man and could see the determination in Ace's eyes. "Now, I'll show you the cars you'll have to keep an eye on. They're down in the cargo hold."
When the two entered the cargo area, Ace was amazed. "Wow…these cars are going to India?"
"Yeah. Ever since we started trading with India 20 years ago, we've been able to export cars over there for a change. Your job will be to keep them as steady and as clean as possible. Think you're up to it?"
Ace nodded happily. "I think so, Captain. When do we leave?"
"We leave first thing in the morning. Now, how about I show you to the cabin?"
The rest of the crew had followed the pair from a safe distance as they tried to listen in on their conversation.
One of those crew members, though, had second thoughts about mistreating the newest crew member. He seems like a loner…like me. This member was in his mid-20s, with blonde hair and hazel eyes. He had been part of the crew for about four years, but he never felt comfortable about taking part in the crew's hazing initiation whenever a new person joined. I hope I can be friends with him, so he won't feel alone.
"Here's your cabin, Ace," the captain pointed out. "You'll be sleeping here at night, but be ready to work hard while you're out on the open sea, okay?"
"Understood, Captain. I'll be ready."
"Very well. It's getting dark, anyhow, so you may as well stay here and sleep off tonight."
"I appreciate it, sir." Ace went to his cot, which actually felt more comfortable than the bed he used in the orphanage. Lying on top of it, he said, "Good night, Captain, and thanks for this chance."
"Sleep well, lad. Your strength's gonna be needed when we start the journey."
Ace quickly fell asleep and thought about nothing for a little while.

In the middle of the night, two of the crew members burst into Ace's room and grabbed him.
"Hey!" he yelled. "What are you doing to me?"
The eldest crew member, a man of about 35 years of age with dark brown hair and blue eyes, said, "What we always do to newbies in our crew…the initiation. If you can get past it, you'll be officially a member of the crew."
Ace had fear in his eyes as he tried desperately to break free of the two men's tight grip on his arms. "Let me go…let me go! I need to be ready to work tomorrow!"
"Listen, pal, you want to stay on this crew, you're going through our initiation!"
The two dragged Ace into a small room where the rest of the crew had waited with anticipation of their brutal initiation.
Soon, they started beating on him with nightsticks to make him feel a lot of physical pain.
They had no idea they were also affecting him mentally and emotionally. No, he thought. I can't be beaten up like this…not now. I need to gather some strength against these guys. This initiation's gonna kill me!
Starting to lose control of himself again, he felt his suppressed power attempting to come to the surface. Mysteriously, the one light in the room exploded, causing the whole room to go dark.
Ace managed with all his might to pull himself free from the two men and quickly made a run for the door. He slammed into the door, forcing it open to give him the freedom to try to reach the captain.
The other crew members quickly ran after him to force him back into the hazing initiation.
The young man thought he would not be able to survive the initiation while he continued fleeing for his life.
"Quick, over here!" yelled a different voice.
Ace ran without hesitation into the broom closet and stayed hidden until the other crew members passed by.
"Thanks, friend," Ace said in relief. "You saved my life."
"I've seen all these horrible initiations…I can't stand them anymore. Hurting someone just to make a person prove himself worthy of being on the crew?"
"Have you ever told the captain about it?"
"No, I'm too scared. I'm afraid they'll retaliate on me."
"Oh, I see…still, I'm grateful to you for helping me. I'm Ace."
"Nice to meet ya, Ace. I'm Floorer. If you need a friend in this bunch, I'll stand up for ya."
"Is there anything I can do to pay you back for helping me?"
Floorer shook his head. "Nah, no need. I don't want you to feel alone around here. I'm a kinda loner myself."
"Really?" Ace questioned curiously. "How come?"
"I'm not as belligerent as the rest of the crew. I like getting to know a newbie, unlike the others. I've been on this crew for almost five years now, and I'm usually the one getting beaten up because they still think I'm a newbie."
"I'm sorry. Perhaps we can stick up for each other, look out for one another."
"Yeah, that'd be good. Okay, we promise to look out for each other through this voyage, and try our best to outwit the others."
"The captain did warn me about the crew, but I didn't expect them to do something this heinous."
"They do it to all newbies," Floorer noted seriously. "It's always behind the captain's back. You're the first one to escape from their clutches."
"I am?"
"Yeah. Before you came, no newbie was ever able to get away from the initiation. I'm glad you did it."
"So," started Ace, "when we go to breakfast tomorrow morning, they'll act like nothing ever happened?"
"Right. They're great at acting innocent. Let me look through and find out if they're gone." He creaked the door open and noticed the empty hallway. "The coast is clear. Let's get back to the cabins as fast as we can."
Ace and Floorer quickly took off from the closet and ran back to their quarters, which fortunately was next to each other as well.
"Whew, made it," said Ace.
"Sure did. I'll see ya at breakfast tomorrow morning."
"You got it, Floorer, and thanks again."
The pair went to sleep without any further problems from the crew.

The next morning, Ace and Floorer sat by themselves at breakfast while the other crew members stared at them both angrily.
"What's wrong with them?" Ace whispered.
"They're not happy they didn't get the initiation done last night, so they'll keep dogging us for the whole trip."
Just then, the captain joined the twosome. "Morning, gentlemen. How was the sleep last night?"
Ace wanted to tell the truth, but he feared his new friend would get hurt. "It was very sound, sir. I can't wait to get started on my duties today."
"Ah, I love someone eager to work. As soon as you're done with breakfast, you can get started on taking care of those cars."
"Yes, sir."
The other crew members sitting by themselves were embittered by Ace's suddenly good standing with the captain.
"I don't know how he did it," said the eldest one, "but he's gonna pay for getting out of our initiation."
An hour after the morning meal was completed, Ace immediately went to his duties to keep the exporting cars clean. "Okay, let's see…the wax, squeegee, water, yeah, that's it. Time to get to work."
The young man quickly grasped his job and had no trouble keeping the cars as shiny and clean as possible.
Meanwhile, Floorer worked at his special job on the barge, maintaining the engines. Not a simple job, since the ship and its crew would eventually be at the mercy of nature's fury. "Whew, it's a good thing I fixed the slight oil leak at engine four. Last thing we need is something to go wrong."
Capt. Balken then walked in. "Just to let you know, Floorer, there's a big storm about two days away. Do your best to maintain the highest quality in these engines."
"Don't worry, sir, I won't let you down." He then turned and whispered, "I don't want to let you down."
"What did you say, lad?"
"Oh, um, nothing, sir. I, um, just thought out loud."
Balken noticed the mate's pale face. "Are you okay, Floorer?"
"I'm…fine, sir."
"I'm not sure. You look scared about something. Want to talk about it?"
Floorer considered the option but soon noticed two of his crewmates looking his way. "Um, no…it's okay, Captain. I'll be all right."
"Okay, just making sure, that's all." He then walked away from the engine room.
The two crew members then came up to Floorer.
"You're lucky, pal," said one of them wickedly, "'cause if you told the captain about our initiation, you'd be sorry."
"Yeah, and we know it was you who helped that newbie get away."
Floorer's eyes widened in fear. "You don't know it was me. Someone else may have done it."
"Don't give me that," said the other crewman, who grabbed Floorer by the shirt. "You're the only one of us who hates how we do the initiation of newbies, and we know you're waiting for the chance to tell the captain on us!"
"Hey, lemme go! I've got engines to maintain, remember!? If I don't, we'll be at the mercy of the storm in a couple of days!"
The crewman abruptly let go of Floorer. "There is a storm coming in two days?"
"Ask the captain. He just told me that."
"Well…okay, we'll let you off the hook this time. After all, you are the engine man of this crew. But I'm warning you, don't you dare tell Balken about the initiation, got it?"
"I won't. My lips are sealed on this matter."
"Good. Because we'll get that newbie initiated whether he likes that or not." He then walked away in sarcastic laughter.
Floorer had a serious dilemma on his hands. If I don't tell the captain, Ace will get hurt or even killed. Then, I could risk getting myself hurt if I become the stool pigeon. I just don't know what to do.
Balken then went to check on Ace in the storage area. "My heavens, you're doing a fantastic job, young man."
Ace looked at the captain and smiled. "Thank you, sir. I've got a pretty good understanding of my task."
"You certainly do. You even know how to wax the vehicles off. Why don't you and Floorer join me at my table for lunch?"
"You're asking me, sir? Why?"
"I like hard workers who like their work."
If you only knew what I had done back in Electro City, Ace thought sadly, you wouldn't see it that way.
The young man agreed to the lunch meeting, and he was basically spared the initiation treatment for the next couple of weeks…

As the trip continued, inexplicable things started happening all over the ship. Wherever Ace had passed, something strange would occur.
When he would overhear some crew members planning on getting him through the painful initiation, he became so angered his eyes actually started glowing in violet.
Something weird took place when his temper would grow short…such as light bulbs exploding, ropes to sandbags untying unexpectedly, welding torches suddenly blowing flame, and buckles to the cars would nearly come unfastened.
Ace would quickly fix the buckles before one of the cars would come loose. "What is going on here?"
"That's what I'd like to know," said the captain, standing just behind him.
The young man suddenly faced him in fear. "Captain Balken, I, um, I mean…"
"It's okay, lad. I'm not angry with you, but since you got on, strange things have happened. Are you cursed or something?"
"Maybe…I am. I don't know anymore." Ace then turned away in shame.
"Ace, listen to me. If you need to talk to someone, I'm an open person. You don't have to face things alone."
"Really?"
"Yes, lad. I'm not a mean person. You can talk to me if you need to, anytime."
"Thanks, sir. I'd better get back to my duties here."
"Sure, lad. I'll see you at dinner time."
As the captain made his way to his quarters, he noticed a small piece of paper on his cabin door. "What's this?" He then took the sheet and unfolded it.
On the piece of paper was a note:

Captain Balken,
There's something you need to know. Something has been going on in the middle of the night…something behind your back. You may want to check around midnight. I can't reveal myself for fear of retaliation by the others. I hope you understand. Just trust me, please, for Ace's sake.

Balken was very puzzled by this strange note. "Check around midnight? I wonder why."
Little did he know he would be in for the biggest surprise of his life this night.

At about midnight, Balken awakened by the words in the note and soon overheard two crew members making their move towards Ace's cabin. He put on his robe and followed them from a safe distance. "Whoever wrote the letter was right on target about this," he whispered. "Now to see what happens."
The pair burst into Ace's cabin again and quickly grabbed him. "Let's go, punk," said one of them sinfully. "You're gonna get the initiation one way or another!"
The captain was shocked. "I don't believe it…what are they doing to him?"
"Let go of me!" Ace yelled loudly. "You can't do this to me!"
"Oh, no, kid? Think again…you'll get it this time!"
They made their way towards the small room again, but they failed to notice the captain following them.
When they got to the room, they closed and locked the door.
"You're finally getting what you deserved, brat!" yelled the eldest member. "Get him, guys!"
Again, they started beating Ace senselessly with the nightsticks again.
However, something within Ace himself wanted to protect him from harm, and mysteriously enough, a small shield formed around him.
As the crew members tried to hurt him, they discovered they could not penetrate the shield.
"What blasted curse is this!?" the eldest crewman screamed. "This boy has a blight upon him!"
The crew kept trying to break through the shield, but they exhausted themselves in the process.
When the barrier disappeared, Ace passed out and lay unconscious on the floor.
Balken had heard enough and burst through the door. "So, this is what you've been doing to all the new members of my crew! I wondered why the new crewmen wouldn't last a week here…it's because of you scallywagged scoundrels! I've got a good mind to lock you all up!"
The crew found themselves surprised by the appearance of Balken, his face extremely angered.
"So, Captain," said the eldest, "you've found out our little secret, huh?"
"Yes, I have…and I can't believe you would stoop so low. How dare you try to harm this young man just to prove himself! He had already proven himself to me by his eagerness to work on this ship."
"Who told you about this?"
"I don't know, and at this point I don't give a damn about who did tell me. Now get out of my way!"
They let him through to reach the young man, out cold from the fear of the strange power within himself.
However, as Balken picked Ace up into his arms, the eldest crewman hit him from behind with the nightstick!
Both Balken and Ace fell to the ground again, with Ace slowly starting to come around.
"Wha…what happened?" Ace asked groggily. When his vision came around to being clear again, he saw Balken out cold. "Captain! Captain, are you all right!? Please answer me!"
One of the other relentless crew members grabbed Ace by the shirt. "He won't hear you, punk! He's out like a string o' Christmas lights!"
"You told him about this, didn't you!?" yelled the eldest.
"No…I didn't. You've got to believe me!"
"You're the only one who could have, unless…hey, where's Floorer?"
Floorer told the captain, Ace thought in surprise. He was willing to risk his own life to protect me, so he went ahead and told Captain Balken. Thank you, my friend. I owe you my life.
"Find Floorer and get him in here! He'll pay for ruining everything!"
Ace's temper started to get the better of him again. "No! You won't harm anyone else!" His eyes began to glow in violet again, which forced the ruthless eldest member to drop him to the ground.
"What blight has cursed this one? He's a freak of nature!"
Ace kneeled next to Balken. "Captain…please wake up, please be okay."
Slowly coming around, the captain looked around. "Where am I? Ace?"
"Thank heavens. I was scared."
"You all right, lad?"
"I think so, but I think this crew's about to turn on us."
"The mutiny they've waited for…c'mon, we have to get out of here, now."
Both Balken and Ace dashed out of the small room as fast as they could and basically started running for their lives as they were being pursued by the other 30 or so members of the ruthless crew.
"Let's hide in the storage hold," Ace quickly suggested. "All those cars could come to our advantage."
"Good idea, young man, it'll be safe there."
The two quickly ran into the cargo hold area of the ship, where they could hide between the cars.
The pair hid behind two four-door sedans and figured they would be safe.
"Oh, no," said Ace. "Floorer…I forgot about Floorer."
"What do you mean?"
"He wanted to tell you the truth about the hazing, but he was afraid the others would attack him, so—"
"Of course! Floorer wrote that note and left it at my cabin. He made himself anonymous, until the rest realized he wasn't in the room. He's in more danger now than before."
"Where is he?"
"I told him to stand by in the engine room in case the seas got rough."
"I don't know if I can help him or not."
Balken put his hand on Ace's shoulder. "Go help him, Ace. I'll be all right here."
"You sure?"
"Yes, now go. Hurry."
Ace slowly opened the door to see if the rest of the crew had gone. "Looks like it's clear. I'd better find Floorer before he gets hurt."
Running towards the engine room, he heard a lot of commotion. "I'm too late!"
He burst into the room and saw the crew going after the engine man. "No, stop!"
The rest of the crew looked up at the young man. "So, you, the captain, and Floorer here were working together. Should've known you had something against us."
"No," said Ace angrily. "You had something against us. Balken was right about you…you're ruthless and heartless!"
"Why you miserable excuse! Let's get him and Floorer!"
Ace saw Floorer trying desperately to run for his life. "Quick, come up here!"
Pushing his way through the mob, Floorer made it up the stairs and joined Ace. "What's going on?"
"They know it was you who told Captain Balken, and he's hiding in the cargo hold. We've got to get in there; it's our only hope."
The two friends made it into the cargo hold and joined Balken in hiding.
"You okay, Floorer?" asked the captain in concern.
"Yeah, thanks to Ace. He saved my life."
"Mine, too."
"No," said Ace, "you both saved mine. Floorer, why did you risk your life for me?"
"Because I had had enough of this senseless violence at new crew members. Someone had to say something, even if it meant risking my own safety."
Ace felt very appreciative of his new friends. "You have no idea how much that means to me."
Just then, a buckle on one of the cars suddenly snapped, and the car started moving forward towards the captain!
Floorer yelled, "Captain, watch out!"
As for Ace, he was basically reliving a nightmare from a couple of months earlier, when his friend Derek Vega was nearly killed in a bomb explosion. He could not watch another caring person be killed. "NO!" he screamed as he stood up and put his arms forward, his eyes glowing in violet again.
Unbeknownst to anyone in the room at the time, a strange spirit had appeared on top of the car…the animal spirit of a stunning black jaguar clawing away at the hood, as though it were trying to stop the car from hitting Balken.
The captain braced himself for the killing blow from the car…until he took another look and realized the car had stopped. "How is this possible?" He then looked at a brightly glowing Ace. "My goodness…you aren't cursed, you're blessed!"
The power was becoming very strained on the young man. "Get…out of…the way…I can't…hold it…much longer!"
Balken scrambled to his feet just in time and ran out of the way of the car.
Ace could no longer hold his power over the car. He finally passed out as it moved forward and crashed into the wall, totaling the vehicle.
Both Balken and Floorer came up to Ace to check if he was all right.
"I can't believe it," said the captain. "My eldest crewman said he was cursed, but I know he's been blessed with something special."
Floorer suggested, "Let's get him back to his cabin. He looks very pale and definitely needs to rest."
Floorer and Balken carried Ace back to his quarters, where he awakened about 20 minutes later.
"Wha-what happened?" said an exhausted Ace. "Where am I?"
"Back in your cabin," Balken stated. "Are you all right?"
"I…think so. Wait…did you see me—"
"Yes, I did, Ace. You've got something special inside you."
"No, I don't," he quickly responded. "The crew's right, this is nothing more than a curse."
"Why would you say that?"
Ace began to cry. "This is the reason why I wanted to get away from Electro City…I thought I could escape this by going somewhere else, but it'll never work. I'll never be able to flee this nightmare."
Balken patted Ace's shoulder calmly. "Why don't you tell me what happened to you that made you decide to leave your home."
For the next couple of hours, Ace told his story to Balken and Floorer, who listened intently to every detail.
Upon completion of the tale, Balken said, "You can't run away from destiny. Who knows? This may be what you were meant to do."
"No…I can't," said Ace sadly. "I'm afraid I'll hurt or even kill someone with this thing."
"You don't know that," Floorer added. "You just gotta take control of your life."
"How can I? I can't even control myself, let alone whatever I have inside of me."
"Don't worry about it, friend. You'll be able to find yourself somehow. Think you'll be all right for the remainder of the trip?"
"I'll try. What about the rest of the crew?"
Floorer chuckled, "After what you did tonight, I don't think the others will give you anymore trouble."
"I agree," said Balken. "So we lost one car. We usually lose an average of five cars in the trip. If we can go two more weeks without losing a car, we'll have a personal best. Besides, I think the rest of the crew's gonna fear you, but in this case it's for the best. Finally, when we reach port, I'll make sure they're all fired immediately, and then maybe I can get a better crew."
Ace felt a huge relief sweep over him. "I'm grateful to you, Captain, for giving me a chance."
"You deserve a chance, my friend. I always believe people can get another chance, when opportunity comes."
For the remainder of the voyage, there were no other problems at all.
The barge arrived in India, with only the one car being lost in the trip.
As for Ace himself, he decided to leave Captain Balken. "I wish I didn't have to go, but I still don't feel comfortable yet."
"I understand, Ace. You still need to find yourself. I'll never forget you, Ace Cooper. You were meant for something special, and I hope you'll find it."
"Thank you, Captain Balken. I'll never forget the chance you gave me."
"Same for me," added Floorer. "I'm now in charge of hiring an all-new crew, and I am now first mate of the barge."
"That's great. I won't forget you, either, for sticking up for me."
"As far as I can see, all three of us stuck up for each other. Good luck on your journey, Ace."
"Thanks, Floorer. Good luck on your new job." With that final comment, Ace left the ship and started walking around the Bombay area.
"I hope I can find myself," the young man said quietly.


**Present Day**



"Wow," said Angie, finding this story more intriguing at every turn. "You had to rescue the captain the same way you saved Vega?"
"That's right. Captain Balken and Floorer went out of their way to keep me safe, so I wanted to make sure they were safe, too."
"What about the Magic Force, though? How did you figure out just what it was?"
"Well, that part of the journey would take me high up into the Tibetan mountain range, where I could finally receive some help about understanding the power I had within me…"