Revenge is a Wild Kind of Justice*
by Birgit Staebler
mac@robyn.rhein-neckar.de

All right, this is my very first story in this fandom and I took a few liberties with the past of Ace Cooper. Pretty little is revealed in the show and I've yet to see all the episodes. Add to that that I only get the show in German, then you might understand some mistakes -- I hope! I never heard the original voices, but the dubbing is pretty good, in my opinion. I also found out that we in Germany have already seen about five episodes that have yet to be shown in the US, so some information is out of them as well.
The whole idea about how Ace trained and who did it is pure fiction, though. Same goes for my interpretation of the Magic Force. I hope I'm not treading on anyone's toes, and if I do.... hope ya wearin' steel cap shoes! g>

English isn't my first language; it's German. I tried my best proof- and beta-reading this piece of work, but there are grammatical and sentence structure errors in here for sure. Just bear with me. I'm trying to improve all the time.

Thank you to Petra 'Sapphire' Berghofer for beta reading this piece as well!

* Title lifted ....errrr... borrowed from Benton Fraser's very lips in the episode 'Eclipse' g>

Now, enough of the babbling. Go on and read!

______________________________________________

He walked along a path of rocky shores and wind-swept cliffs, his hair blowing in the stiff breeze, the waves crashing in the distance as he approached the sea. The rocks were gray with sandy colored streaks here or there, the beach barely more than a gravel yard, and his feet crunched shells as he stepped over tiny pebbles and larger chunks of rock. The sky was a leaden gray, getting darker by the minute, the clouds rushing, driven by the wind, but there was no smell of rain. Just the salty sea.
Coming around a bend of the cliff he finally felt the winds coming in from the sea. The ocean churned with white crests and salty spray hit his unprotected face. He inhaled deeply, the smell familiar, recalling memories of times long ago. He had been here before, when he had been much younger, a boy of sixteen with wild dreams of his future, his past already more than enough filled with unpleasant encounters.
"You have come."
The voice let him turn. Seemingly out of nowhere a figure had appeared behind him. It was a tall, slender woman of undefined age, though the graying hair was an indication. She stood proud and erect, her hair held back by a simple, silver band. She wore no jewelry except for a pendant, and she was carrying a long, bronze staff that was about a head taller than she was. An orange gem glowed on top of it. The staff was solid metal but intricately carved with strange symbols and pictures.
"Why am I here?" he asked.
"You know why."
He shook his head. "You called me here before, I remember. Why?"
"Look deep inside you and you will know." The until now solid figure began to fade.
"Wait!" he called, stretching out one hand to hold her, but his fingers passed through the female figure as if she were nothing but a ghost.
Then she was gone.
He was alone, the sea thundering wave upon wave onto the shore, suddenly drowning out every other sound. It echoed in his body and mind, making him cringe.
A piercing scream cut through the thunder and suddenly the black sky was awash in blood red color. It seemed to drip from the clouds, to bathe everything in a surreal light.

He woke with a start, breathing hard, eyes unfocused. It took him a while to remember just who he was and where he was.
"Another dream," he whispered roughly.
There was no one there to hear him.
Outside the sky was dark with rain clouds and thunder echoed in the distance.

* * *

It was a dark and stormy night.
Cosmo grinned as he raced down the almost deserted highway, evading a few late night drivers who crept through the rainstorm at almost a snail's pace. The thought had simply flashed through his mind and it was very true in many ways. It was way past midnight and he should have been back at the Magic Express over three hours ago, but his date had proven to be ... interesting. Now he ignored several speed limits before Ace came back from his own date. The rain was pelting the windshield of the Magic Bike and Cosmo ducked lower, trying to get as little of the spray into his eyes as possible. The weather change had happened rather abruptly and he would have loved to stay overnight at Andy's place to wait out the storm, but well, tomorrow was the big rehearsal day and he had to be up early.
He grimaced.
That meant a maximum of five hours of sleep and working a 24-hour day before the big premiere in a few days. Ace had changed his show's program to integrate a few new and astounding tricks, as well as some show effects that Cosmo had recently developed together with Angel, their resident AI computer. It meant a hell lot of light effects, some amazing laser light creations and other goodies Cosmo was very proud of. He'd have to run the background of the show while Ace did his magical and sometimes impossible appearing tricks. As he knew Ace, he'd be up and chipper in the morning, even after maybe two hours of sleep. Cosmo sighed.
Cosmo was a red-haired teenager of seventeen, someone who had had a different life ahead of him before he had run into Ace Cooper. At the time he had been a small time hacker who had tried to rise in the ranks of the illegal computer thieves, those worming their way into foreign systems and purging them or stealing information. It had been his bad luck -- or maybe even fate -- that he had tried to break into Angel's systems to steal first of all the AI's basic programming and second maybe a few magic tricks. Ace had caught him, but instead of turning him over to the police and sending him off to jail, he had offered Cosmo a second chance. Wary and full of distrust, Cosmo had still agreed, with the thought that he could bail out of this any time, that he would make a run for it the moment Cooper turned his back on him. Now, three years later, he was still here. Ace was his best friend, almost a kind of big brother, and he, Cosmo, had an important and trusted job as his assistant behind the scenes. He couldn't imagine being anything but what he was now.
Suddenly a pair of flashing, red lights got his attention back to the rain-soaked highway. There was a road block not far down the way he was traveling. He slowed down the bike and crossed to the right lane because the left lane was closed due to repairs or whatever. As he drove slowly, well, as slow as Cosmo would ever go, he noticed another flashing barrier. He was led off the highway..... As far as he remembered the barrier hadn't been there yesterday, but then again, Electro City's construction sites moved all the time as they road and construction workers tried to keep everything in tip-top shape. With a mental shrug he turned off the highway - and was suddenly plunged into total darkness. There were no street lights on the exit ramp!
Cosmo cursed construction work and concentrated on what little light the Bike's headlight shed. As he arrived on the street running beneath the highway, Cosmo searched for a 'detour' sign. There was none. Damn. He decided to go left, mainly because the street led roughly into the direction he wanted to go.
What happened next was too fast for him to get a very clear image off. A flash of light from straight ahead blinded him and Cosmo braked instinctively. The Magic Bike bucked, then slid to one side. Something crashed into him from the right and toppled the Bike. Cosmo gave a yell of protest, gripping the steering handles, but another jolt sent him flying. He crashed onto the wet road, rolling over and over until he came up hard against something that jabbed uncomfortably into his back.
"Ow," he groaned, trying to get his bearings.
Cosmos cracked an eye open and closed it almost immediately again. The bright, blinding light was still there. Hands grabbed him and roughly pulled him to his feet.
"Hey, what....?" he started.
Something crashed down on his neck and Cosmo's world turned from blinding white into abysmal darkness within a few seconds. He was aware of someone dragging him along the wet street, he thought he heard voices, but then there was nothing anymore.

* * *

Ace Cooper, magician and one of the most well-known citizens of Electro City, sat in the middle of the living room inside the Magic Express. He was a tall, slender man of undefined age, his jet-black hair unnaturally marked by a white lock on his forehead and white streaks starting at his temples and meeting at the back of his head. Best guesses had it that he was in his early thirties.
Right now, his eyes were closed, he sat cross-legged on the floor, and his hands rested on his knees. Around him, three large globes floated, performing an intricate dance as if they were nothing but feathers caressed by the wind. It was early in the morning and Ace had had about five hours of sleep, interrupted by a recurring dream -- or was it a nightmare? -- he hadn't had since childhood. It was always the same theme with a slight variation as to how it ended. But still, the dream disturbed him. Why was he again and again dreaming of something he hadn't even thought of since he had been a boy? Why did the dreams change, become more urgent? Why had he seen death in the last one?
Ace sighed softly. After a while the globes were lowered to the floor and he opened his eyes. He stretched and fluently got off the floor. A black, large cat lifted its head, looking at him with yellow, intelligent eyes. The cat's name was Zina, a female panther and more than just an animal. She was a part of Ace's performance now and then, and she belonged to the magician's small family. She wasn't kept in a cage and guarded the Express fiercely when he was gone. Ace cast a quick look at the watch. It was close to eight and he'd have to throw Cosmo out of the bed soon so they could get the show rolling.
"Angel? Do me a favor and wake Cosmo," he addressed the AI that ran the Magic Express. "We have a schedule to keep today."
"I'm sorry, Ace," the smooth, female voice of the computer told him. "But Cosmo hasn't returned yet." A glittering shape like a multi-edged diamond appeared in the air in front of him. It was Angel's holographic presence.
"What?"
"He hasn't returned from last night's date," Angel repeated dutifully.
A frown marred Ace's forehead and he strode down the corridor to Cosmo's room. Not that he didn't trust in Angel to know whether or not his young friend and assistant was home, but he at least wanted to check personally.
Cosmo's room was empty... empty of Cosmo, that is. Otherwise the room was cluttered with all kinds of stuff, starting from old props from Ace's shows to comic books and computer stuff. Still, the bed, though unmade, had not been used. Cosmo had not been home last night. Ace's forehead creased into a frown once more and he went to the main computer room. It was a room without windows to the outside, a large screen dominating the wall opposite the entrance, a computer control console in front of it. Ace knew Cosmo had had a date planned for last night and that he had taken the Magic Bike. He tried calling his friend over the com units they both wore, but no such luck. He didn't even get static.
"Angel, can you locate the Bike?"
"Just one moment, Ace." There was a brief silence, then the screen lit up and a city map appeared. There was a blinking dot not far outside the city center. It was the location of the Bike.
"That's just down from Exit 17," the magician muttered thoughtfully. "What's he doing there?" His eyes followed the yellow line the highway wove through the suburbs into the city. "Cosmo said he wanted to take Andrea out for dinner at the Oak Tree Gardens."
"The Oak Tree Gardens is two miles south of Exit 17," Angel supplied helpfully and another dot lit up. "Andrea lives not far away from the Garden."
"Do we have her phone number?"
"Yes." A number appeared on the screen and Ace picked up the phone, dialing it.
A sleepy voice answered. "Yes?"
"Ms. MacIntosh? This is Ace Cooper."
"Oh, wow!" The voice sounded more alert now as Andrea MacIntosh pulled herself out of the depths of sleep. "What can I do for you?"
"You and Cosmo had a date last night."
"Cosmo? He left last night after dinner. Well, actually we went back to my place and talked a bit... He left around midnight, I think." Andrea suddenly sounded worried. "Is he in trouble? If he is, it was my fault that he stayed that late. He said he wanted to be back by eleven! I asked him to come back to my place for a bit of talking!"
Ace smiled slightly. "That's not the problem, Ms. MacIntosh. I was just wondering where he is."
"He didn't get home?"
"Apparently not."
"Oh. Well, he isn't here..... Do you think something happened to him?"
"I don't know. Thanks, Ms. MacIntosh." He hung up, even more worried than before.
"Angel, transfer the coordinates of the Bike to the car."
He was already out of the computer room and walking swiftly down to the garage area. Worry battled with his usual calm about whatever was thrown at him. Cosmo had left Andrea's place around midnight; he had not returned home; the Magic Bike was located somewhere on an exit ramp. What had happened?
He took the Magic Racer out of the Express and fired up the engines, driving as fast as he could to the location of the Bike.
Zina watched her master and friend go, rumbling once, then she returned to her usual sleeping place, curling up into a large, black ball of fur.

* * *

The Bike lay like a discarded toy next to a rather shredded looking 'detour' sign, which had been skillfully painted over with black to obscure the writing. Ace's face was a mask of barely contained worry as he inspected the Magic Bike, discovering several small dents and paint abrasions, as well as a bigger dent on one side. There was no sign of Cosmo..... No blood, no torn clothes, no nothing. On one side he was relived, on the other side his worry increased.
And then he discovered the note. It had been taped to the control screen of the bike. The paper was a bright green, the writing elaborate and by hand.

'You might have guessed it already, I have your young friend. Meet me at the address below to discuss the terms of his release. Come alone.'

No signature, just the address.
Ace's lips were a thin white line and his light blue eyes chips of ice. He walked stiffly back to the car.
"Angel, give me information about this address," he told the AI computer, voice level and without emotions.
"Of course, Ace."

* * *

Rocks tumbled from the cliff and buried a small sea cave, the waves crashing over the freshly fallen rocks in a frenzied rush. His hair was blown into his face with a force that took his breath away and made his eyes stream with tears.
"Hello?" he called.
His voice was lost in the howling wind.
He was alone.

Ace blinked, shaking his head. Again. The dream. This time like a vivid reflection of something out of his memories. And this time it had happened while he was awake. He had arrived at the address given to him -- and it had happened. Ace bit his lower lip and looked at the object in question.
Jason Manor had once belonged to a wealthy family, which had lost its fortune quicker than they had been able to compensate for it. They had to sell their home and land. The new owner was someone who liked to keep his name out of official documents and Ace had found no hint toward who he might be. The house was in a disgraceful state. The driveway was covered with dead leaves, vines and weed. The garden was a real jungle of gnarled, old trees, leafless bushes and undefinable plants with spikes and thorns. The house itself, a large stone building with an impressive front, had seen better days. Plaster fell from the walls and the roof was missing some chunks. The windows were barred with wooden planks, but on the ground level, the planks had been torn away. Maybe someone seeking shelter or trying to find something worth stealing, Ace thought as he got out of the Magic Racer, eyes traveling over the manor. Ivy was creeping up the walls, covering about two thirds of it.
It looked spooky, he decided. Not only the dead plants and trees in front of it led to that decision; it was the whole aura. A dark shadow lay over the house like a blanket. It was eerie, cold and completely devoid of life.
No, not totally devoid. Cosmo was in there somewhere and he would get him out. Ace's face was a determined mask. Whoever this guy was who had kidnapped his friend, he would pay.
"Angel, contact Vega if I'm not back in twenty-four hours," he told the computer over the wrist communicator. "Tell him everything."
"Understood. Be careful, Ace."
He smiled grimly and carefully approached the house. His feet disturbed the dead leaves and they swirled lazily away, the gentle breeze that was blowing around him letting the leaves drift. Some crunched under his boots, ground into a fine dusty substance. The dead, gnarled trees seemed to reach for him, filled with a dark desire to take him apart. Ace stopped just in front of the front stairs, feeling a cold shiver run down his spine. The power he had always felt within him ever since he had been a little boy flared. His magic was by no ways complete, nor was he perfect. It would take years, even decades, to hone his skills to the perfection he knew he could achieve. Sometimes he wondered if he even wanted to, then again he told himself that it was his duty. Ace Cooper had been born with abilities few others had, he could access a power flow people called 'magic' and he would never doubt what he had to do.
Changing into his profession as a magician had been the first step. Paying back society for what he had committed in crimes was the next. He was lucky for the chance Vega had given him so many years ago and he had never regretted his next steps. He was a crime fighter of sorts, though he never actively went out on patrol or involved himself in police cases. He handled whatever came his way and what involved him.
This had come his way.
This involved him on a personal level.
And it reeked of something dark and dangerous. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew he had to be extremely careful.
Ace studied the barred front door. The kidnapper would expect him to come in here, so he would do the opposite: search for alternate entrances. Rounding the mansion he discovered no other way in but the front door. The back door had been closed with bricks. Very solid bricks. Extending his search he came upon what looked like a sewer entrance. Ace smiled humorlessly. The old mansions in this area had an independent sewer disposal system, built by the company that had sold the expensive houses, complete with perfect service. No dependence on city services.
His way in.

* * *

"Come in, come in, the door is open. Don't be shy....."
Light reflected off a thin, chiseled face, enhancing the predatory grin on the man's lips. Thin, blond hair fell down to his shoulders, turned a bluish color by the monitor's light.
"We got rooms for everyone."

* * *

Police Lieutenant Derek Vega stopped in front of the large building that served as the arena for Ace Cooper's magic show. Some workers were putting up posters that a new show would start in a few days and the looks of the posters had been altered to be more flashy. He grinned. Ace's shows were always spectacular and he didn't really need those announcements to draw people in every night of his performance. The summer break had given his friend the chance to work on a new show and Vega was actually looking forward to taking a sneak preview. He parked the car and got out, nodding at the guard. They knew him, mainly because he was Ace Cooper's friend, but also because he worked for the Electro City PD. He crossed the wide foyer and then slipped in through the large doors into the arena.
Vega frowned. Everything was dark and quiet, except for several workers setting up props or changing light positions. He stopped one of them as he walked past with a collection of differently colored prisms.
"Where's Ace?"
"Mr. Cooper? I don't know. We expected him to come in today, but neither he nor Cosmo showed."
"Hm."
Vega let the man walk on, a frown on his face. It was unlike Ace not to run a new gig over and over again before the premiere opening. Maybe something had come up. He left the empty arena again and drove thoughtfully through the streets. He had wanted to pay Ace a friendly visit. There had been no other, urgent reason, but somehow Vega found himself driving toward the location of the Magic Express, which was parked several blocks away from the arena. That alone should have been a sign. Usually Ace kept his train close to the arena as long as he was working there.
With a sigh, Vega dialed Ace's number. He should call ahead. What he got was Angel, like some kind of answering machine.
"Ace is not here, Lieutenant Vega," the female AI answered smoothly.
"And Cosmo?"
"He isn't here either. I am sorry I can't help you any further. Do you want to leave a message?"
"Hm. No. Thanks, Angel."
He disconnected, the frown on his face deepening. Something didn't add up here. Ace was not working on the show and both he and Cosmo weren't home. Why was this bothering him? Maybe they were just... well.... doing whatever. Vega drove back to the precinct, but he couldn't get the nagging feeling out of his mind.

* * *

Ace crouched in the dank and grimy tunnel, studying his surroundings. Dim lights made it possible to discern that the tunnel was barely high enough to stand, that there was water about ankle deep in the middle indention of the tunnel floor, and that walls were covered by a muddy slime he wasn't looking forward to touching. The smell was a mixture of damp rot and brackish water. This place hadn't been emptied and cleaned for a long time; probably ever since the mansion had been sold. He carefully put the sewer grill back into place and crept forward, his cape dragging over the muddy water, getting soaked. His feet splashed slightly and he tried to be as silent as possible as he scouted the moldy, dim and very much garbage-ridden tunnel. Ace didn't see any security measures, no cameras, no infra red beams, but he had to be careful anyway. After crawling around the tunnel for another ten minutes he arrived in what looked like an intersection. The tunnel he had come out of branched off into two others, one very narrow, the other a bit wider. Both were dark and there was no telling what lay beyond. In the middle of the junction he had arrived was a larger water puddle and he carefully stepped through it.
Ace inspected the two tunnel entrances, using the flashlight in his staff, and then stood back, thinking. He had to make a decision and if he made the wrong one, he might end up somewhere else completely.
Silently he slipped into the wider tunnel, the darkness folding around him like a cloak.

* * *

"Welcome to my little game, Ace Cooper."
"You are sick!"
The blond man turned and sneered at his young captive. "What a crude word, but maybe even true." A dry chuckle followed. "Sick, demented, nuts, crazy.... You choose."
Cosmo had woken to find himself in a kind of high tech cell, cuffs around his ankles and wrists, the metal ropes welded to the wall. Something was looped around his neck as well. He grit his teeth and wrenched his arms out again, pulling with all his strength. The metal pieces on the bands tied to his arms unlocked themselves, stretching apart to reveal the thick, twining cords beneath them. The harder he pulled, the more resistance he met and the more they tightened around him -- and his neck! Cosmo gasped for air and slumped back. His arms were pulled back up as the cords contracted.
His head pounded and he wished he had an aspirin to take care of that. He could barely think straight and all he felt was anger and rage at his predicament. It had been a trap and he, Cosmo, had blundered right into it!
In front of him was a wall full of monitor screens, showing him different camera angles of what was a maze of tunnels and rooms. A man sat in a chair next to a control console, watching the screen like a TV program. One of them showed a narrow tunnel. And Ace Cooper. Cosmo felt his muscles tense.
"I say you are sick!" he repeated. "What is this?"
"Hm, maybe it's a test, maybe just a battle of skill. Maybe something personal." The man turned in his chair, giving Cosmo an evil smile. "Very personal."
He was a thin man, a bit on the pale side, with pale gray eyes and stringy, blond hair. He didn't look unwashed, just like he had yet to introduce his hair to a brush. His fingers moved spider-like over the keyboard and his attire was mostly purple and black. He was wearing no jewelry, not even a watch, except for a bracelet made of silver.
The younger man's eyes narrowed at him. "Personal?"
"Me and Ace, we go way back. Long way. I'm just getting us reacquainted. Sit back, Cosmo, enjoy the show."
Cosmo ground his teeth, his eyes involuntarily traveling to the screens. "Oh, my god!" he breathed as he discovered something that Ace hadn't - yet.
There was a bunch of small, droid-like robots literally buzzing down the tunnel. They looked like a kind of techno bees.
"Cute, aren't they?" the blond man asked. "My own little inventions. Very fast, very resistant, very.... deadly."
If looks could kill, Cosmo would have ended their latest problem just here and now.
On the screen, Ace Cooper turned and discovered that was not alone in the tunnels.

* * *

The phone rang. Five times. Ten times. No one picked up. Not even Angel answered the constant ringing and finally the caller hung up. Mona Malone stared at the phone, a slight frown creasing her delicate features. She was a slender woman with a shock of red hair which she had swept back out of her face into a pony tail. Right now she was wearing a rather casual outfit made out of jeans, a blouse and soft sneakers. When she was at home she rarely overdressed, though when she was performing or going out, another Mona surfaced. Right now she was trying to call Ace, or even Cosmo to leave a message, but no one was home. That not even Angel answered was strange. Ace was also not in the arena, as a short call prior to this one had confirmed, so where was he?
She frowned more.
Mona and Ace shared a relationship that as hard to define. They had been childhood sweethearts and she knew he had been heavily in love with her back then. She knew he had only joined Jack Malone's gang to be with her. But then her father's accident had happened and she had started to blame him for it. She wasn't even sure whether or not he was responsible, but it was easier to blame someone than to have nothing at all to blame. After fifteen years though..... everything had lost its defined shape. She and Ace were still friends and they were dating. He still loved her, she knew, and she felt something for him as well. She couldn't bring herself to confess to love as well, but there was more than friendship in this. Ace was every woman's dream in Electro City, she knew. Many had an eye on him. And who wouldn't? He was handsome, a striking personality, a mystery because of his profession, and a charming man. She felt an involuntary blush creep up her cheek. Yes, Ace Cooper was magical and though she fought against it, she always drifted into his charismatic aura.
Was it love?
Was it pure affection?
Was it just.... something?
Mona didn't know, but she liked to go out on dates with the magician and she enjoyed his company.
Her call had had the purpose to see if he had some free time to accompany her to the opening of a new restaurant. But he was nowhere to be found. Worry battled with resignation at the fact that Ace was sometimes not available, that he was busy with crime-fighting.
She leaned back against the soft chair and stared at the phone again, then her eyes drifted involuntarily to an old picture on her desk. It was from many years ago, showing her and Ace, grinning into the camera. Even back then he had featured the white streak of hair on his forehead. A later picture stuck to the frame, a non-press kit picture of Ace, his radiant smile and sparkling eyes laughing at her, the additional white in his hair making him look dashing and mysterious in one. She had never really asked where those new streaks had come from. When he had left, after the Malone gang had been arrested, he had still only had the white lock. Returning three years later, no longer a boy but a man, a magician, those white streaks had been there. Mona sometimes wished she knew what had happened to him in those three years. Then again, maybe ignorance was better.
She rose and walked over to the window overlooking Electro City. Mona Malone was torn between loving and hating a man she had known since childhood. She couldn't change it -- or could she?

* * *

Ace stood on a narrow metal catwalk, looking down at the sluggishly moving sewage about two feet below. It stank abominably, but he managed to breathe in as little if of the stink as humanly possible. He had left the narrow tunnel behind a minute ago and discovered that it ended in what could be almost called a hall. The room was five times as high as the tunnels, had a wide sewage river in the middle, narrow, slimy banks to both sides, and a rusty catwalk as a kind of bridge leading from one side to the other.
Suddenly there was a sound. It was a high-pitched buzzing, like an angry swarm of... bees? Very large bees.....
Ace was just fast enough to duck as several small objects rushed out of the opposite end of the tunnel and right at him. One of the objects ripped through his cape, leaving a jagged hole in it. His head whipped around and his eyed widened momentarily as he saw a swarm of maybe a dozen metallic insect-like drones turning a tight circle and rushing back toward him. The drones had been modeled after bees or wasps, whatever, and had little rotors for wings, beating madly, and guns instead of mouths. The buzz was deafening in the tight confines of the underground tunnel.
Cooper whipped his cloak out in front of him as the swarm attacked once and two of the insects were wrapped up right into it. He heard a high screech, then shook the cloak open -- and metal parts tumbled out.

*

"Very clever," the watcher at the screen muttered.
"Ace will beat your little machines!" Cosmo called almost triumphantly.
"Now will he? Let's up the stakes a bit....."
His fingers flashed over the console.

*

The remaining four bees spread out and attacked from different sides. Ace ducked, reach within his cloak and then threw his cards at them, the white, rectangular objects whizzing noiselessly toward the metal drones. One bee's wings were ripped of by the sharp cards, the other received several deep cuts, trailing a cloud of smoke all of a sudden. But there will still the other two coming from his now open side. Ace jumped off the catwalk and landed with a splash in the sewer water beneath. The two bees buzzed over him, then started to hover. Ace frowned, but he had no time to contemplate what might be their next move. There was a creaking, groaning sound and then a loud bang as the two exits to the chamber were suddenly sealed off. Almost simultaneously, four large holes in the ceiling opened.
"Oh-oh," he muttered to himself.
Cold water rushed out of the openings and crashed into the chamber, rapidly filling it. The bees stopped hovering and attacked once more.
Ace had a problem.

* * *

Vega sat at his desk, twirling a pen around in his fingers, staring off into space. Five hours had passed since he had tried to meet Ace in the arena and though he had had a few things to keep him busy throughout the day, the nagging feeling hadn't passed. Instead it had increased. But why? What was wrong here? Ace wasn't home, neither was Cosmo, but why should this be a reason to worry? Maybe they had gone to visit someone; maybe they were off to pick up supplies or props.....
Vega shook his head. No, no, no. His instincts screamed that something was definitely wrong and it was nothing simple. He trusted his instincts and as a cop he had to. They had never let him down before either. Those instincts had made a decision many years ago, one he had never ever regretted. He had trusted a young boy, had helped him as he had made sure that one of the most notorious crooks and leader of a small gang of thieves, Jack Malone, was out of business. Back then, a wary Ace Cooper, barely fifteen, had contacted a freshly promoted Detective Vega, had shakily told him about Malone, had asked him to help. Ace had been a trusting kid, Vega remembered. He had followed Malone because he had had a crush, well, and still had, on his daughter Mona. He had done everything just to be close to her. The interest had been mutual, but Ace's conscience had been unable to bear what criminal activities he had been involved in. He had asked for help and Vega had given it to him. Ace had been granted immunity for his crimes. He had developed into a talented young man and later into one of the greatest magicians alive. Vega felt proud of him, like a big brother, maybe even a father.
And now those very same instincts yelled at him that something had happened to his friend. Something where he needed Vega's help, even if he might never ask for it.
The lieutenant tossed the pen onto the desk and watched it slide over the cluttered top and bump into his coffee mug. How could he help if he didn't even know what was going on and where Ace was?
Answer: Angel.
Ace's computer had to know; she always knew where he was.
Vega grabbed his coat and waved at the desk sergeant that he would be out of his office for a while. He received a nod in return and then was out of the door.

* * *

The water fountained from the valves, billowing around him, rising past head level. Ace was treading water, paddling, as he was buoyed closer to the ceiling. The mass of water rushed up around him, icy cold and not exactly the cleanest of liquids. He was pushed inevitably toward the ceiling, his breathing space getting smaller and smaller. The killer bees were now squeezed into the same, tight space, and they were still trying to score some shots. He briefly reached into his cloak and then threw several cards at them. One was almost decapitated, the other bee moved out of the way but crashed into a few protruding bricks. It zinged to the left and hit the water, skipping twice and suddenly burst into flames.
Back to business.....
There was only one way out and Ace knew it was risky, but much better than dying. As his last resources of air vanished and he bumped against the rough, stone ceiling, he bent back his head to snatch the last bit of air, then held his breath and concentrated.
'Magic Force, reveal the power within!'
The thought was followed by an explosion of magical power and his outfit changed from his usual clothes to the gray costume of The Magician. He swam toward one of the water vents and pushed himself inside. He had a time limit of maybe five minutes, the longest time he could hold his breath. He had managed to hold it longer before, but it had been a very close call.
Ace dove into the long, dark tunnel, leaving the relatively bright chamber behind. His strong arms pulled him forward and his legs pushed up. Swallowing and reswallowing deoxygenated air, he rose into the darkness. But with each passing second, his body seemed to fade into terminal numbness. The water was liquid ice, biting into his unprotected skin, and even the costume suit couldn't protect him from it too long. The cape was getting heavier and heavier. Soon the only sensation was that of his lungs burning in his chest, his mind screaming for him to breathe. The logical part reminded him that all he could breathe was water, which would mean suffocation. The survivor in him refused to give up, ordered his body to keep moving.
Time passed.
Too much time.
Way too much time....
And then his head broke through the water and he gulped in breaths air, coughing wildly. His lips were tinged blue and he was totally breathless. Ace groped helplessly for something to hold onto and his hands touched what looked like metal rungs. Numb fingers curled around them and he hoisted himself up with what little strength still remained in him. He collapsed on the icy cold, metal floor that was all around him, shivering violently.
He had to get warm.
Waves of delirium swept over him and he fought to stay conscious.
Get warm.
Ace stared at the greenish-gray walls surrounding him. The room seemed to alternately expand and contract, distances were inconsistent, and the reality of his own physical existence seemed questionable. His hands twitched, numb fingers grasping for something invisible.
Get warm.....
The magical energy inside of him churned and he knew he had to... he could... he was able to....
Delirium threatened to blank out every rational thought and he moaned softly. Ace tried to concentrate and suddenly there was a spark of magic forming on his finger tips.
Warmth.
Something trickled through him, spreading warmth, pushing the hallucinations back. The delirium made way to an abominable feeling of utter cold, which soon turned into just feeling too cold to be comfortable and then warmth.
Ace Cooper closed his eyes, inhaling deeply, his lungs feeling like chips of ice. He was still warming, but the effects of the cold were receding only slowly. He trembled, letting the magic work. But the more he used of his powers, the more he depleted himself. On the other hand he felt as weak as a new-born and without magical help he wouldn't be able to moved for several hours. With a weak sigh he simply surrendered to the warmth, drifting....

*

"Yes!" Cosmo cheered softly.
On the screen Ace Cooper crawled out of the water vent into what looked like a gigantic holding tank. His friend's face, turned toward the apparently hidden camera, was chalky white, almost waxen, water running in little rivulets over his cheek bone. He was shivering visibly, his eyes half closed.
"Hm, good move, Ace," the blond man agreed. "But you are not yet out of this level!"
Cosmo bared his teeth like an angry animal. "What do you want?!"
No answer was forthcoming. Instead he punched a key and watched the screen. Cosmo couldn't do anything but the same. He was witness to three small doors sliding open in the tank. Something moved inside the openings, then Cosmo saw six large.... rats....
"No!" he protested as the vermin scurried toward Ace.

*

He floated.
He was in another world, another time, another place. He looked around, strangely enough not the least alarmed by this world. He felt safe and warm here, content. His eyes searched the wide horizon. He briefly wondered why he wasn't on the rocky shore, feeling the wind in his hair, the salty spray on his skin, but then the thought lost coherence and simply dissolved.
He walked through the strange place. It was dark here, but not too dark to see. The darkness was there, but not really there after all. Now and then blue lightning flashed in the distance and somehow he felt drawn to it. As he walked toward the distant storm he passed a smooth, reflecting surface and stopped, looking into the mirror. The face of an older woman with silvery hair looked back at him with eyes who seemed to know all and everything. He was surprised, but not startled.
"Anna!" he breathed.
The other figure just looked back at him, then finally inclined her head ever-so slightly. Then it disappeared.
"What... wait...!"
The world around him dissolved.

Ace was aware of something crawling over him. Small, clawed feet poking into his still clammy suit. A sharp pain from his left hand woke him all of a sudden and his eyes snapped open -- staring right into the beady, black eyes of an abnormally large rat. The animal approached and Ace sat up abruptly, his stiff muscles protesting the sudden move. He felt sharp claws scrabbling for a hold on his back and he whirled around, stumbling, to find that there about half a dozen rats with him in the metal water tank. Almost out of instinct he sent cards flying toward the rats and found he was confronting robots again. Two were destroyed immediately, one was suddenly missing a leg, and the others moved back.
Ace stumbled again, his knees wobbly and weak. This short burst of energy had weakened him further and he gasped. Damn! He needed time to recover, but he was granted none! Using his last reserves he sent the remaining rats sprawling, slamming into the walls and going up into smoking heaps of scrap metal. Ace was on his feet for a second longer, then collapsed with a groan of pain and exhaustion. His hands trembled and he felt totally depleted, but it wasn't over yet.
His eyes fixed on the ceiling of the holding tank. He thought he saw the outline of a trap door, but he couldn't be sure. He stared at it for a long time, exhaustion weighing him down like lead.
Cosmo....
He had to save him from this madman....
With another groan he finally pulled himself to his feet. He pushed himself to walk over to the metal rungs leading up one side of the wall and started climbing.

*

"He won't give up," the blond sighed. "Good for me. Much more entertainment."
"You call that entertainment!?" Cosmos snarled. "This is a sick game!"
"Just a matter of definition, young friend."
On the monitor, Ace had crawled out of the holding tank and lay panting next to the trap door. Finally he stumbled to his feet and proceeded down a corridor.

*

Ace had the eerie feeling of being watched, stalked, hunted..... There was nothing around him but the weird stone pillars and some larger chunks of stone, boulders out of a material he recalled having seen before, but his memories didn't quite help him out yet. This was familiar.... he had seen this before, but it had been some time ago. Another life. Another time.
Another life.....
It struck him like out of nowhere. He had been in a room like this in his past. It had been years ago, when he had still been a child, not yet adapt in the magic that lay dormant in him. His powers had leaked now and then, he had known he could do things others couldn't, that he could access some kind of energy called 'magic', but no one had shown him how to use that skill. He had been interested in learning magic tricks and while working for Jack Malone he had tried to find a magician as a teacher, but no one had taken him as a student or assistant.
Until the woman had come along. She had been a magician as well, though for a long time he had secretly seen her as a witch or sorceress, and she had offered to teach him her knowledge, to unleash the potential in him. He had accepted her offer and when she had shown him around her place, he had seen this room. The pillars had been carved with strange symbols. Those stones had been carried here from all over the world. Magical enhancers, Anna had called them. A point of focus. Now he was back in a room that looked like a copy of Anna's personal meditation room. Except..... the stones weren't real. Ace touched them. Wood, plastic... fakes.
"Welcome to Level 2!" a voice suddenly boomed through the room, startling him slightly. "Congratulations on mastering Level 1.
"Who are you?" he called, looking around for a camera or some other device watching him.
"Ah, now that would be telling, wouldn't it, Ace? You are the great magician! Find it out!"
"Where is Cosmo?" he demanded, anger worming its way into his voice.
"That you have to find out as well. Master all levels and you might find him, Ace. Fail one and... let's just say that you'll have only a short time to contemplate the prize of failure....."
"What is this? A game?" he called.
Laughter answered.
Ace felt the charge before he heard or saw it. The slight vibrations in the ground alerted him. He turned and ducked to the side a second before the creature would have had him. It flew past him, skidded to a stop and faced him, cold eyes seeming to study his every move. It was no living being, he discovered, though the skin looked very life-like. Still, the eyes were robotic, red and glowing. It had the overall look of a dinosaur, walking on its hind legs, having almost human-shaped hands and arms with three, long digits. It lunged at him with massive jaws. Vicious teeth snapped shut only a few inches away as Ace desperately pulled back. Again the creature went past him.
He stayed still, tense and ready to move if the thing should charge again. As it did, he spread out both hands, fingers stiff, a cloud of swirling bubbles forming around them, then zinging away, enveloping the robotic creature. It stopped like hit by a sledge hammer, screaming loudly and then falling over all of a sudden. Smoke curled up lazily from several areas where the bubbles had hit. Ace exhaled briefly. He walked over to the fallen creature and started to inspect it.
For the rest of his life, the thing that would stand out most in his mind was that he forgot to cover his rear for only a moment. Another robot charged, eerily silent. The only warning of its attack was a piercing shriek as it leapt at Ace. It hit him full on, slamming him face-down onto the ground so hard he momentarily saw only stars exploding in front of his eyes. He fought back, getting in a few hard kicks to the metal body. The creature hissed at him, a sibilant, snake-like sound, and snapped its jaws. With a triumphant cry it lowered its head toward Ace's throat to complete the kill.
Ace twisted around onto his back, barely managing to brace both hands against the creature's neck, locking his arms to hold it away. It wouldn't last long but for now it gave him a few extra seconds. He had to find a weakness in this thing and he had to get to his own weapons....
But Ace forgot one thing.
The talons.
A searing, tearing pain dragged along his leg as the robot used one of the massive talons on its feet to rip through the muscle tissue. The pain was intense and his hold faltered for a second, allowing the robot to bring its head even closer, now only a few inches from Ace's throat. Ace knew he had only one chance and that was to hit this thing with the same blast that had brought down its brother. He had no time to collect the energy in his hands and then throw it; he had to just do it. Concentrating briefly, which was hard enough, his hands glowed with the bubbly energy, then went straight into the robot. It screeched as its head was slammed back by an invisible force, then toppled to one side, sparking and twitching.
Ace tried to get up, but his body refused to obey. He forced air into his lungs, calming his desperate breathing. His head was pounding and his leg hurt like blazes. He rolled around and came up against a boulder, using it to lever himself into an almost standing position. His leg screamed in agony and he screwed his eyes shut, breathing harder.

*

Cosmo gave a scream of denial and frustrated rage as he watched the robotic creatures attack his best friend. Ace fought back, his face a pale, determined mask, sweat breaking out on his forehead as the creature tried to rip his throat out. The sounds of the vicious struggle filled the air around him. Then it was suddenly thrown back by the magical energies Ace had summoned, but whatever relief and victory Cosmo felt, it vanished when he saw Ace pull himself laboriously to his feet, favoring one leg. Blood stained the fabric of his pants and he had his eyes screwed shut, panting.
Cosmo hissed in anger and pulled at the cords again. They tightened and he gasped for air as he was strangled by the noose around his neck again.
The blond man 'tsked' and swiveled around in his chair again. "He's good, but no match. Sad."
"You are a madman!" Cosmo yelled.
"Ah, maybe. Maybe not." He chuckled. "Whatever I am, I will prove that I am superior!" He rose and walked over to Cosmo, just outside his reach. "I was always superior!" he hissed.
"Lunatic!" the young man snarled.
The blond chuckled, then turned and left the room. Cosmo gave a scream of rage and struggled once more with his bonds, but the tightening of the rope around his throat let him stop immediately once more. His eyes fixed and held the image of Ace limping across the pillar room, making a slow but steady progress toward the door.
"You can do it," he whispered. "You can do it, Ace!"

* * *

Ace limped slowly but steadily toward the exit. His leg was on fire and pulsed with every step, but he ignored the pain; he had to. He had to keep going. Suddenly there was a creaking noise, followed by a loud splintering. He stopped and looked around and his eyes went wide. A curse left his lips and he doubled his efforts to reach the door.
Behind him, the first pillars exploded into plastic and wood fragments as the ceiling squeezed them together, coming ever closer toward the ground.
And in front of him the exit became inevitably smaller as the ceiling lowered further and further. He panted painfully as he pushed himself to his leg's limits. With a yell of pain he jumped and slid through the narrowing door, hitting some obstacle just outside, though not hard enough to knock him out. Stars exploded in front of his eyes and for a moment there was nothing but the blood rushing in his ears. Gradually it was replaced by the loud cracking of splintering wood and plastic, shards of destroyed fakes exploding into the small corridor Ace lay in. He weakly shielded his eyes, wishing he could just lie here for a while. His leg hurt abominably and his limbs felt like lead weights attached to his body.
Finally the loud noises died down and he squinted over his arm. Where the room had been was just a dark wall now, the entrance barred by the lowered ceiling. Ace closed his eyes again, trying to steady his breathing.
"Congratulations, you passed level 2," the voice from before boomed. "Though not exactly with flying colors, Ace. I expected more of you. The Master's best and brightest pupil!"
The last was accompanied by a venomous tone.
"Who are you?" Ace demanded loudly, voice teeming with suppressed pain and anger.
"Someone from your past, great magician. Someone who should have become what you are now. Someone who never received the honors of being a student of the great Anna LeFrez because you were her favorite!"
Ace's brain dragged itself out of the swamp of white, agonizing pain and exhaustion. Memories surfaced and he felt his stomach clench.
"Calen...."
"Ah, your memories are returning, are they not, old friend?" More venom. "Good!"
"What is this all about, Calen? Why are you doing this?"
"Why? Do I have to have a reason?" Laughter echoed in the corridor. "Well, yes, actually I have a reason, my good Ace. It's simple and I think you understand the concept: revenge. Pure and simple, don't you think?"
"Revenge for what?" Ace managed to get himself into a sitting position, back against the wall.
"Hm, let me see. I think I have a list. Number one, right on top of it, is: Ace Cooper being goody-two-shoes Ace Cooper. Perfect pupil, perfect student, perfect, perfect, perfect! Preferred student even."
Ace shook his head, sadness in his eyes. "You were just as good....."
"Me? Oh, no!" The faceless voice struck on a theatrical note. "Me as good as little Ace? How could I ever achieve such mastery?" Mockery flowed into Calen's voice.
"You left, Calen. You simply left before your studies ever began!"
"Because I would never have passed any tests!" Calen screeched all of a sudden. "You were always besting me, always better, bigger than life, always Ace Cooper!"
He shook his head again, but he didn't get a chance to add anything.
"I will show the world just what a fake you are, Cooper! You are not the best! I honed my skills while you played your magic tricks! I am a master of my art!"
"Then face me in a duel! Stop playing with your machines and come out of your hiding place!" Ace challenged.
Calen laughed. "Do you really think me that stupid? No, you have to win this game first, then we'll see about a little dueling."
Ace briefly closed his eyes, his leg still throbbing. "Release Cosmo," he finally said. "He has nothing to do with this."
"Oh, but he has everything to do with this. He is the reason you came here, isn't he?"
Ace ground his teeth. "If anything happens to him, Calen...."
"Nothing will happen to your little friend. Don't worry about him so much. Start worrying about yourself!"
"I'll play your little game, but leave Cosmo out of it!"
"You are right, you will play my game, Cooper. My rules, my game. I am superior! I always was!" Calen's voice quieted down. "And you have now entered level 3....."

* * *

Vega felt like strangling Angel -- if she were a corporeal being. He had been arguing with the AI for more than fifteen minutes and he was getting nowhere. Angel was answering his demands and questions with the same phrases over and over again, and he had no clue how to circumvent what Ace had told her to do: deny Vega answers.
"Angel, Ace is in danger! I can feel it! Where the heck is he?"
"I'm not entitled to reveal this information," Angel repeated what she had said the last ten minutes, just phrasing it differently.
"Gah! I know that, but how about breaking this damn programming and telling me anyway?" he exploded. "Don't you care what happens with Ace?!"
"I care, Lieutenant, but I was instructed not to reveal the requested information until a period of twenty-four hours has passed."
Vega clenched his teeth. "Twenty-four hours... And since when is Ace gone?"
"Nine a.m."
He groaned. "I can't wait till tomorrow morning, Angel! He might be dead by that time, magician or not!"
The glowing prism swirled around him and Vega felt like hitting it with a baseball bat. The nagging feeling that something was wrong had increased big time. Ace had instructed Angel to keep information from him, to reveal this information in twenty-four hours only, and that meant Cooper was out on some rogue mission. Not that he didn't have complete faith in Ace to handle whatever as thrown at him, but some things were too big even for him to handle. Ace was only human, even if he was a magically talented human, and there was a limit. Vega's feelings told him quite firmly that this limit might have been reached. Ace was in trouble.
"I was instructed...."
"Yargh!" Vega felt like tearing out his air. "I know! You told me often enough already!"
Zina lifted her head and regarded him with her unreadable, yellow eyes. She had followed him into the computer room.
"Then you understand."
"No, Angel, I don't! I'm here to help Ace because he might be in terrible danger and all you can do is spout the same phrases! Don't you care?"
There was a brief silence. "I'm sorry, Lt. Vega," the AI replied. "I have my instructions and Ace's orders take priority over your request."
Vega muttered something uncomplimentary under his breath and left, almost wishing there were real doors he could slam shut instead of sliding doors. When he was outside he inhaled deeply, staring at the Magic Express with a dark expression on his face.
"Well, Lieutenant," he muttered. "Time to play police officer." Maybe someone had seen Ace's car or the bike or any of the two. Maybe he was overreacting, but he trusted his instincts too much to doubt them.
Ace was definitely in trouble.

* * *

Cosmo stared at the monitors, anger cooking inside of him, bubbling to the surface now and then in an outbreak of enraged struggling, which was always cut short by lack of air as the noose tightened. The bonds showed no tendency to weaken. Only Cosmo weakened. He growled under his breath and relaxed again. The ropes pulled up and he was in the same position as before.
Damn!
On one of the screens, Ace was limping along a dark corridor. Cosmo couldn't see his face very well, but what he saw made him wish he could strangle Calen. Ace was in pain, severely hurt and up against a machinery superior to him in many ways. Cosmo knew his friend had a lot of powers, that he had even more tricks up his sleeves, but what had been thrown at him was draining even Ace Cooper. He needed a rest period; none would be given to him. He had to recharge his dwindling magical powers, Cosmo knew. Ace had mentioned something like it only once and only briefly, but Cosmo remembered it. Ace wasn't superman; there was a limit. Being attacked my killer bees, almost drowning down in the tunnels and fighting robotic predators, and in the end barely evading being crushed to death had taken its toll.
He had to get out of here and help him!
Cosmo gritted his teeth and felt the noose tighten as his body tensed.
Tension.
Yes, that was it!
He felt a small cheer echo in his mind. Of course! Every time he struggled, the ropes tightened. The moment he gave up, he was released from the stranglehold. So, logically, if he relaxed further, he might be able to trick himself out of the bonds. Hopefully. Cosmo had picked up on a few of Ace's tricks concerning breaking a lock or getting out of bonds, but first he had to relax enough to use this knowledge. He had joked about the meditation exercises Ace frequently went through, but after a while he had come to understand the deeper meaning of them.
Okay...... stay calm.... relax..... ommmmmm.....
Cosmo felt ridiculous, but this might be the only thing getting him out of here. He closed his eyes, trying to find the center he needed to be calm, but all he found inside of him was anger, fear, desperation and the need to get out of here ASAP! He tensed involuntarily again and the ropes tightened.
Hopeless!
No, no, no! He couldn't give up! He might be Ace's only chance! He had to help him.
Okay, Cosmo. Calm down. Forget why you need to get out of here for a moment. Relax...

* * *

James Calen.
Ace had thought he would never hear this name again. Once upon a time he had thought of him as almost a friend; they had been fellow students of Anna LeFrez. Then Calen had left, angry and disappointed, maybe even jealous. The younger Ace had not understood it at the time. His teacher had told him that Calen had chosen not to finish his studies here, that he had decided never to return. The older Ace had come to understand that Calen had been truly jealous of Ace's very strong talents, though Calen had had his own magical powers. That both accessed different areas of the same power was of no importance. Ace had been stronger when it came to defense, Calen had been drawn to the technological side. His talents had been a bit like Cosmo's: machines and computers. He was a magician in his own rights, but he had been too focused on the attack through magic, never on the finer points.
As he limped along the corridor, warily awaiting whatever challenge Calen had planned next, Ace felt sadness well up in him. There had been such promise within the blond little kid.... and he had never wanted to hear of it. He had wanted to know how to use magic to rule.... and in the end it had been the reason why Anna had refused to teach him any longer. Ace had left barely a year later, his first grade of studies complete. He could have stayed, could have studied more intensely, but he had felt the need to repay society for his failings. Vega had helped him become what he was today and though he might have paid back for his childhood sins by now, he wouldn't stop. He had the powers to help and so he would whenever he was needed.
Ace tightened the strap he had torn off the cloak and clenched his teeth as it bit into the wound. It effectively stanched the flow of the blood, but it was also painful. He knew he had lost too much blood, but he couldn't stop now. He had to go on, no matter what, and he had to take Calen down. After a while he came upon a new room. Its door was wide open, like an invitation, and Ace knew that there was a new trap behind it. But it was the only way to get to Calen. He was being led through a dangerous and deadly maze and he had to master what was thrown at him.
Cautiously he stepped into the room. Almost immediately he felt the change from the temperature outside to the one in here. It was warmer. Behind him the door snapped shut. Ace whirled around, but the door was locked and there was no way back.
"Okay," he whispered. "Let's see what you have in store for me now, Calen."

* * *

Cosmo cursed again and again. Nothing he had tried was working and he was still trapped in the ropes. Whenever he tried to relax, the opposite happened: he tensed up and the ropes tightened. He had run through the relaxation exercises Ace had tried to teach him, but no such luck. He just couldn't relax or calm down!
"But I have to," he hissed through clenched teeth.
On the screen, Ace had entered a new room.
Cosmo closed his eyes, running through the same exercises again. Calm down, center, feel the world shift into nothingness. There is just you.
No sounds were around him. He was alone. Just him -- and the ropes.
I can do it.....
Cosmo didn't know how much time had passed, but suddenly the rope around his left wrist seemed to slip over his hand. It was like pulling through a soft, slack cuff and then he was home free. He felt like cheering. Yes! He had made it! And with one free hand he could get out of here! His eyes fell on the screen and he swallowed hard.
"Hold on, man!" he muttered as he tried to free himself of the noose. "I'm almost there to help you!"

*

Ace felt his breath going out, hot breath. He inhaled even warmer air back in. Lie still. That's what he had to do, he kept telling himself. He lay on his stomach, spread-eagled in the middle of the floor. A red light pulsed over him, a huge heat lamp that brought a dry wave of air each time it brightened. His blood literally boiled and his skin was dry enough to crack at the slightest movement. He had to keep still. Movement created heat. He breathed out slowly. He could feel his body overheating, his vision starting to swim, and his tongue was a swollen, cotton-like lump in his mouth. A drop of sweat ran off of his forehead and evaporated before his eyes. It was torture in here! The silent heat rose, making the metal floor start to burn his skin.
He had to get out.
He had to summon the strength to find an exit.
But his body was too weak to move any more. He had been drained from the icy water, from blood loss, from exhaustion.
Cosmo.....
His friend.
Ace forced his eyes open. The room was like a mirage around him.
One more time. Just one more time. Magic, use the magic.....
With an almost inhuman effort he got up, every move like in slow motion. He could try to break the lock of the door. He would be back in the corridor, but it would be cooler, he told himself. He would find another way, he had to find it, and he had to free Cosmo. Stumbling over the boiling hot floor he fell against the door. He stared at the lock like a hypnotized rabbit, his mind a molten sludge that moved at a snail's pace.
Concentrate.
Feel the magic.
There was a familiar tingling, then the door suddenly gave way and he tumbled out of the room, collapsing into a heap on the floor. Cool air wafted around him, mixing with the heat from the room.
Ace Cooper didn't feel any of it. He had given in to the pressure of unconsciousness.

*

"Yes!"
Cosmo pulled the last rope away from his ankle. He didn't even look back at the contraption that had held him for so long. He was at the computer control console in a flash, his eyes running over the differently colored buttons and keys.
"Okay, let's see....."
He had to shut this thing down to help Ace
'Unauthorized access', the screen told him.
"We'll see about that!" the boy muttered. "There is no unauthorized access for Cosmo the Great!"
After a minute of hacking he frowned. Okay, so this was maybe a it more complicated than he had thought.
After ten minutes his frown deepened. Way more complicated!
After fifteen minutes, Cosmo ground out a rather rude word.
"Damnit, what is it with this system! Angel is easier to hack into!"
"I am not Angel," a voice echoed around him.
Cosmo gave a yell of surprise. "Who.... what....?!"
A dark purplish prism appeared in front of him, like a bad copy of Angel, rotating slowly. Here and there a yellowish flash streaked across the prism's surface.
"What the heck is that? A bad joke?"
"My name is Demon," the computer told him emotionlessly. "I am the advanced artificial intelligence of Jason Manor."
Cosmo stared at it open-mouthed. Son of a..... Calen had installed his own AI into the system, which Cosmo had been fighting against for the last fifteen minutes, and it looked like a very bad copy of the AI running the Magic Express.
"Oh boy......" he breathed.
He had a problem.

* * *

Vega cruised the highways, keeping one ear peeled for any news coming from the police radio, his eyes scanning the cars passing him. No sign of Cosmo or Ace. He had paid a visit to all the usual places Ace could be found when he wasn't in the arena or the Magic Express, but no such luck. He had even scanned the Croesus Palace, in the wild hope that Ace might be up to something there, but no luck either. You could grow gray hair looking for the magician! Vega smiled grimly. Not him, though. He was already grayed. Sometimes he thought it was because of Ace Cooper and the early stunts the young man had pulled. Then again, it could also be genetics. His father and grandfather had had gray hair by the age of forty-five as well.
The radio crackled and he jerked out of his thoughts as his name and number were called.
"Vega here," he answered, picking up the mike.
"Lieutenant, this is officer Wayne. I found the motor bike you were looking for."
Vega felt a spark of hope. "Where?"
"Highway 12, exit 17. But, sir, there was no driver."
The spark flickered and died. "I'll check it out," Vega heard himself say. He floored the pedal and the cruiser shot off.

* * *

He felt something cold and hard against his face. His head was full of wool and pounded mercilessly. Ace felt nauseous, but fought it down, concentrating on opening his eyes first. It shouldn't be such a hard job, but apparently it was. Finally, he was able to crack open the left eye. It took a few moments for the linoleum to come into focus and for him to realize what it was. The floor. He groaned softly as recent events flooded back into his fuzzy memory.
The corridor was very dim and it took a few moments for Ace's eyes to adjust. He gathered his resolve and pulled himself up into a sitting position, at the same time pushing with his legs to lean back against the wall. The room twisted violently out of proportion and he gasped, almost losing control of the nausea. He closed his eyes and concentrated on breathing. Warmth still breezed over him, the heat from the room he had just fled out of.
"Welcome back, Ace!"
The voice sent shards of bright pain through his head and he suppressed a moan.
"And here I thought you had already given up."
He clenched his teeth.
"You failed Level 3, Ace!" the by now hated voice of James Calen echoed all around him.
"I didn't!" he rasped. "I survived your little trap!"
"But you went back out of the room. Sorry, Ace, no points!"
Ace leaned his head back against the wall. "I refuse to continue your game, Calen!"
"Then your little friend dies, Ace. Pure and simple."
"If you hurt Cosmo, I'll hunt you down!" he hissed. "You will never escape!"
Calen laughed madly. "You can't even best my little maze, Cooper, and you think you can best me?" More laughter.
Ace gritted his teeth and slowly, laboriously pushed himself up. His head pounded mercilessly and he felt nauseous, but he wouldn't give up. He would show Calen just what it meant to mess with The Magician.
"Bravo!" his opponent lauded. "That's the spirit, Magician!"
He ignored him

* * *

Cosmo cursed repeatedly, glad that Ace couldn't hear him. Demon was counteracting his every move and there was no way getting into the computer any deeper than the first level.
"Unauthorized access," Demon repeated again.
"I know, I know!" Cosmo yelled. "Damnit! I just want to have a look!"
"Request denied," the AI told him almost maliciously.
"Geez!" Cosmo slumped back into the chair, glaring at the computer screen. He wracked his brain as to what he could try next. He was slowly but surely coming to the end of his line. "Demon?"
"Yes?" the AI answered neutrally.
"Would you let me make a call?"
There was a brief silence, then, "Request denied. No phone calls allowed."
"I'm not talking about a phone call. I'd like to send an electronic message."
Another silence.
"Well?"
"I find no orders to counteract your request."
"Great!" Cosmo leaned forward and starting typing, setting up a small program he had once devised but had never used for anything. He then put the address where to send the program to on top and grinned. "There you go!"
Demon dutifully sent off the program. Calen had actually forgotten to tell his creation that no one was allowed to send off electronic mails! Stupid bastard! Cosmo grinned even more.
After five minutes there was a beep and he acknowledged an incoming mail, something else Demon had not been told to counteract.
"Hello, Angel!" he called. "Listen, we got a problem and I need your help."
"Of course, Cosmo," the AI said.
"I gave you access to another AI which is controlling this House of Horrors. We need to lure it away from the controls or make it surrender or whatever. Angel, you have to keep it busy somehow while I try and hack into the mainframe. Think you can do it?"
Angel's white prism glowed gently. "I will try, Cosmo."

* * *

James Calen felt like cackling madly. He grinned widely as he watched Ace Cooper stumble through his beautiful maze, close to the point where he would just collapse.
"Good!" he whispered.
Cooper was weakening. He wasn't done for yet, but he was too weak to actually fight Calen with his powers and win. Calen was no fool. He knew Ace was good. Better than him. Always had been. The magical forces ran strong in him and he knew how to use them. He was far from being a master in his field, but he had acquired too many skills for Calen to fight him in a fair duel. He had to deplete him first.
The blond man swiveled his chair and looked at a screen behind him, showing him the control room. Cosmo had freed himself, but now the boy was encountering Demon, the system's AI, and Demon would be a match for the little hacker. Calen wasn't worried about his prisoner freeing himself. There was no way the boy could get out of here.
He allowed himself a cackle and leaned back, steepling his fingers under his chin.
Soon Ace Cooper would be dead.

* * *

Angel and Demon were busy. Very busy! Cosmo only had a glimpse now and then as to what the AIs were up to, but it wasn't pretty. Angel was fighting the other intelligence quite viciously, keeping it as best as she could from Cosmo's access into the system and he was delving deeper and deeper into the virtual world of another AI. He knew Angel inside out, but Demon, though a likeness, was different. It was like entering hell.....
He fought protection programs and guard dogs and dragged himself deeper and deeper, level by level, into the core. On one of the monitors, Ace was staggering doggedly down a corridor, his face a pale, sweaty mask, his body covered by numerous injuries. Cosmo tried to ignore it all as best as was humanly possible, but now and then his eyes were inevitably drawn to the screen, praying that Ace would hold on.
And then he was inside.
It was the core unit. Yes!
Angel was holding off Demon, but she was losing ground. Only part of her was in the foreign system and she couldn't risk a full presence because if she was attacked and destroyed here, she would be dead in her own system as well. Cosmo's little program had opened a small crack and she was using it as best as was possible. She was doing a marvelous job considering this handicap.
Cosmo ignored the AIs and started to acquaint himself with everything around him. He had to shut down this House of Horrors and then lock down the commands. The moment Calen couldn't send Ace from one chamber of torture into the next, his friend had enough time to regenerate himself -- hopefully. Cosmo didn't know the exact limits of Ace's powers, but he guessed that he was reaching them now.
"Okay, let's see if this works," he muttered and punched in several commands.
There was a moment of tense silence, then, suddenly, Demon popped up.
"Unauthorized access," the AI announced.
"NO!"
Angel struggled to project her holographic self and Cosmo turned toward her.
"You have to keep him away from the commands, Angel, please! Ace will die if I can't shut down the machinery!"
"I am trying, Cosmo, but this is his territory. I can only keep him busy."
"Do it! I need some breathing space. Ten seconds, okay? Ten seconds and we are home free!"
"I will try."

* * *

Vega studied the Magic Bike with a dark expression on his face. Those dents and scrapes told him that it had had a close encounter with a) the highway and b) something heavy before that. There were no signs of debris from an accident or traces of injured persons. He walked around the bike and inspected everything closely. Nothing at all! It was frustrating.
"And no one saw it before?" he asked the officer who had called him.
Wayne shook his head. "There is a construction site up on the highway and the exit is usually closed off. The site was erected last night so there wouldn't be so much traffic. I only saw because I checked for drunks and such likes down here."
Vega nodded. "Okay, thanks."
"Want me to call a tow truck?"
"Might be the best solution. I'll sign in it later at the compound."
"Okay, Lieutenant."
Vega walked thoughtfully back to his car. 'Damnit, Ace, where are you?!'

* * *

Ace stumbled along the wall, going back the way he had come. His head ached, his leg throbbed dully, and his skin was itching from several sunburns, his costume torn and scorched in several places. Now and then the room spun out of proportion and he squeezed his eyes shut, willing himself to concentrate.
All he needed was a little rest.
He had to recharge.
But there was no time. Cosmo's life was in danger and all depended on how quickly he got to Calen.
He squinted down the corridor. There was suddenly a door leading to another room. Tiredly he decided that if he was given a new way to go, he'd take it. As he walked into the room he was briefly stunned. The room was rather narrow and long, almost like an aisle, but not that narrow. Brocaded walls were left and right of him and the whole room was filled with mirror, set up in a domino arrangement. The were all full-length mirrors, some of them free-standing frames, some of them hung up on the wall. At the end of the room was one gigantic mirror, gleaming softly. Ace felt the magic sucked into these mirrors, recognizing the way they had been placed. A mirror could be magical, but one alone wasn't powerful. Reflecting the power off another amplified it, and a room full of those mirror, each reflecting the magical energies another sent, all arranged in a way that guaranteed optimal energy harnessing, was almost too much.
He gasped briefly, staggering, his body reacting to the magic all around him. It was beautiful, but also nauseating in one, mainly because the energy in here was tainted.
"Welcome to my little sanctum, Magician!"
"Show yourself, damnit!" Ace burst out.
"Your wish is my command!"
Calen stepped through the gigantic mirror at the back, dressed in an elaborate costume of black and purple silk, his thin hair swept back out of his narrow face. He was grinning viciously as he studied the dark-haired man in front of him, covered in blood and grime, his costume torn, one leg stiff and the thigh bathed in blood.
"And you'll wish a lot of things soon as well...." he whispered nastily.

* * *

Vega was on his way to the Magic Express to try another round of arguing with Angel when the police band squealed abominably. He grimaced and reached out to turn down the volume and to also ask the officer manning dispatch at the Police Headquarters what the heck he was doing, when an all too familiar voice came over the ether.
"Hello? Vega? Can you hear me?"
"Cosmo?!" he exclaimed. "Where the heck are you?!"
"Listen, I don't have much time to explain. I don't know whether or not this connection holds, but we need your help!"
"Where are you?" Vega felt the nagging voice tell him it had been right all along.
"Jason Manor. I don't know the address, but it's called Jason Manor."
"I'll find it. Cosmo, what's going on? Where's Ace?"
"In big time trouble, Vega. Hurry up! We need back-up!"
The connection broke with another squeal and Vega was alone. He didn't hesitate a moment. He called dispatch and asked for the address of Jason Manor. He got it a minute later and called back-up as well. He had no idea what was going on, but he knew he would need it.

* * *

Cosmo had sent off the call for help within the twenty second time frame Angel had bought him, ten second more than he would have thought possible. Simultaneously he had launched the program again and this time, it had worked. He cheered loudly as, one by one, the machines inside the manor shut down, all except the basic few, like electricity and water.
"Made it! All right!"
The outbreak of cheering was dampened when he discovered that he had now no way of knowing how Ace was. The monitors were dark, the cameras having shut down with everything else.
"Angel?"
"Yes, Cosmo?"
"Can you give me an idea how to get out of this place?"
"I found a rough floor plan before Demon shut down." Angel projected the map and Cosmo studied it. Geez, this house was a lot bigger and more complicated in its structure than he would have thought.
"Thanks. You better get out of this system and close the door. Just in case."
"Understood. Good luck, Cosmo."
"I will need it," he muttered and went out of the room.

* * *

Vega stopped in front of Jason Manor, a dark frown on his forehead, taking in the desolate state of the house. Two police cruisers stopped close behind him and two officers got out of each.
"Be careful," he instructed them. "We are facing a kidnapper. The house is full of traps."
The officers nodded and they fanned out. Vega himself took the front door, backed up by one of his men. Somewhere inside were Ace and Cosmo, and he would find them! Tearing away the planks barring the front door, Vega gained entrance.
The inside of the house was even more impressive than the outside, though also in the same desolate state. A large staircase led from a huge entrance hall to the second floor. An old tapestry hung just opposite the entrance, its colors faded. There were doors leading further into the manor on the left and on the right side, some of them clinging to their hinges, others completely shut. A massive chandelier hovered above their heads, and as they looked up, they saw a kind of gallery running around the front hall.
The other officer whistled appreciatively. "Nice digs."
"And dangerous," Vega warned. "Keep your eyes open."
"Understood."

*

Half an hour later Vega bit back a frustrated snarl as he crossed through another room, only to end up in a dark, long corridor with no other doors than the one he had just walked out of. This house was a bloody maze! He had been blindly running around and by the short burst of radio conversation now and then, his men had the same problem. Two had made their way into the basement and were now crawling through water-logged and filthy tunnels, trying to find a way in. One had remarked on strange debris floating around, as well as open vents in the stone ceiling.
Following the corridor, Vega suddenly saw another door, one that blended with the dark corridor walls, and he tested whether or not it was open. It was. Gesturing at the officer, some guy named Masterson, who secured his back to stay alert, he peeked inside. His eyes widened as he discovered that this was apparently a control room. Everything was dark, except for a few controls burning softly, and it was empty. As Vega scanned the room his brows drew together as he came upon a strange contraption at the back of it. It looked like someone had been held here. Cuffs with long, metallic ropes attached to them dangled from the wall. He approached them and inspected the cuffs, but there was no telling whether or not someone had really been here. Masterson was meanwhile going over the controls, touching some.
"Lieutenant? Someone shut this system down, as it seems."
Vega walked back to the computer. "Then leave it that way. There is no one here and we need to find Ace and Cosmo."
Masterson nodded and they left again. Neither saw a small, red 'ready' light flicker and then burn steadily as the system rebooted.

* * *

Cosmo had been searching the house for either Ace or a way out for nearly two hours now. Every time he opened a door to peek inside a room he was careful not to step in before he was sure it wasn't a trap. Even with the machines turned off there might still be the old-fashioned kinds of traps, like guns hooked up to strings or trap doors. The next room he checked was a storage cabinet full of spiderwebs with all the spiders still inhabiting it, and some broken things on the floor. Like all the rooms even this cabinet had a richly ornamented door, sporting medieval scenes carved into old wood.
The second room in this area of the house was no different, though there were signs that something living had come through here. The dust on the floor was heavily disturbed and he could distinguish footprints. Furniture, covered by old sheets of dirty linen, stood in one corner. Spiders and cockroaches, accompanied by two rats, fled as he peeked under the covers. The heavy table and the cupboard would once have been an antiques' dealer's dream. Now they were nothing more than expensive firewood.
Sighing, Cosmo shook his head. Needle in a haystack! This house was a twisted maze of rooms and corridors and passageways! How was he supposed to accomplish either task?

* * *

Calen smiled widely as he faced him and Ace had the distinct feeling that he had another trick up his sleeve.
"You handled yourself more or less well, Ace," he sneered.
"End it, Calen," Ace said tiredly.
"End it? Oh, yes, I will. Don't be so impatient."
He stretched out one hand and a staff appeared inside his palm. It was a rather tall, ornate, bronze staff with a large, orange-colored stone on top. Ace's eyes widened.
"Ah, memory seems to serve you well." Calen grinned evilly.
"Where did you get that from?" he asked tonelessly.
"From Anna LeFrez, the great Magician. More precisely, I wrestled it from her dead hands!"
Ace's mind was suddenly a whirlpool of different emotions. Rage, disbelief, anger, pain and more rushed through him, blinding him to the real world. Memories of Anna surfaced, the tanned, smooth face with the kind, dark brown eyes who regarded Ace with amusement when the young man managed to finally work another bit of magic. She had always carried the staff, the sign of the Master, the symbol of her achievements, of her mastery of the Magic Force. Ace's own magic staff was a similar symbol, but he had a much lower status than Anna. He would have to train all his life to accomplish the control over the Magic Force Anna had demonstrated.
And now Calen had the staff.
Anna was dead.
Murdered.
The rage drowned out everything else.
"You killed her!" he hissed.
"If you want a simple answer: yes, I killed the old woman. Wasn't even all that hard. She never expected her former student to actually strike out with a mundane weapon like a knife to the chest."
Ace's body tingled with the energies all around him, the power flow in the room almost too tempting to resist. The mirrors enhanced the magical forces, bouncing it from one reflective surface to the next, and both Calen and Ace were soaking it up, their bodies only too recipient for it.
But neither had ever mastered this kind of energy, least of all Ace. He had never worked on attack magic, only on the defensive side. He could levitate, he could form magical energy in his hands, he could briefly influence matter, he sometimes used teleportation, and several forms of telekinesis belonged to his repertoire as well. And there were always the illusions, the very life-like ones. But he had never attacked someone with this amount of energy. His physical status was excellent, if you didn't count right now, and personal fitness was a big influence on the magical performance as well. Ace Cooper, magician and show star, worked with mundane tricks and light effects in eighty percent of all cases; The Magician relied on the Magic Force and his body's performance.
"Come on, Ace!" Calen called, voice taunting. "You want to attack me, don't you? Use your pathetic magical powers and attack!"
Ace snarled, his vision clouded by anger. More energy was soaked up and he felt his body and mind scream with the need to take this .... abomination, this killer, out. He slowly spread his hands, feeling power accumulate in them.
"Yes, that's it. Try your thing!" Calen raised the staff and its orange gem glowed.

* * *

Cosmo heard footsteps and crouched deeper into the narrow opening between two plastic stones. Someone was approaching and if he was right, it could only be Calen. If it was Ace, even better but the footsteps sounded too even to be those of a wounded man. Tensing, his body curling together like a tight spring, Cosmo readied himself. He'd take this bastard down and then get Ace out of here!
With a yell he jumped forward, colliding with a heavy body, and they went to the ground. An 'ouff' escaped both men and Cosmo briefly gasped for air. Then his eyes took in who he had just attacked.
"Vega?! Man, am I glad to see you!"
Vega grimaced. "You could have said hello then, Cosmo."
Cosmo scrambled to his feet and stretched out one hand, helping his friend up. "Sorry. I thought you were Calen." Vega dusted himself off. Cosmo looked around. "You came alone?"
"No. Three more officer are combing through some kind of underground tunnels. What happened here?"
The explanation tumbled out of Cosmo as the boy tried to bring Vega up to date. The older man's brows drew together to form a steep ''V' as he heard about Calen and his games. "Where is Ace?"
"Last thing I saw before the machine went down, he was going down one of those corridors. Vega, he is bad shape. Really bad shape."
He really didn't like to hear this. Cosmo looked very worried and this expression alone was enough to worry Vega even more. "Let's go. We need to find him."
Cosmo nodded eagerly and they were on their way.

* * *

Demon dragged himself out of Lock Mode and activated more and more systems. He logged himself into the surveillance cameras and secured access to all the little traps and trial areas. Scanning, he found his master walking toward where his opponent, Ace Cooper, currently was, and several intruders scattered around the house.
'Intruder alert activated. Silent mode. Activating defense mechanisms'.
The mansion went into full defensive state.

* * *

Cosmo followed Vega, the other police officer bringing up the rear, through the maze of corridors and strange looking rooms. Sometimes they had to backtrack because another corridor ended just in a dead-end room, and it was wearing them down. Suddenly Cosmo stopped, frowning. Masterson nearly bumped into him and stopped likewise.
"Vega?" Cosmo asked, voice ominous.
"What is it?"
"Uhm, see the camera?"
Vega raised his eyes and looked at the small camera keeping an eye on the corridor. "What about them?"
"They are moving," Cosmo answered slowly.
He looked at him.
"I shut down the computer. Totally. Completely. Nothing should be active."
The camera turned slowly, then stopping on the trio again. Vega smothered a curse.
"The computer is active again?"
Cosmo shrugged helplessly. "I have no idea. But if the whole system is active again...." He swallowed, remembering the things Ace had faced and was probably still facing. "We have to be damned careful."
"Understood." Vega nodded at Masterson. "You heard it. Keep your eyes and ears peeled. Any idea what we might be facing?" he asked Cosmo.
"Uhm, everything from rats to killer robots in all shapes and sizes."
"Bloody hell," he just muttered.

* * *

Ace reached inside of him, deeply, draining his reservoir of contained power. He knew he was doing something lethally dangerous, that he might not survive this, and if he by chance did, he might end up with fatal injuries. But it was the only chance. He looked Calen right in the eyes, no muscle twitching in his face. The energies traveled through his body, more and more culminating in his hands. A strange, blue light was encasing both wrists and traveled into his palms. He crossed his fists in front of his chest.
The room and its hundreds of mirrors began to quake, a strange rumbling shaking them. Calen looked around, a nervous expression in his eyes.
"You think you can scare me with that?" he asked shrilly, raising the staff. "How about that then?!"
A bright orange blast hurtled toward the weakened and injured Cooper, but suddenly the energy around his hands flared and the blast bounced harmlessly off it, dissipating into thin air.
"Impossible!" Calen gasped.
But it was possible and Ace felt the pull of the magical forces, the silent song of its power, the temptation to use it. His hands were like a million miles away, his mind connected to them but like through a haze, and he saw himself manipulating a power he had never before accessed in such an amount. And he had never even dared to dream of touching it either.
Calen fired blast after blast, but each was deflected. Suddenly the blond magician screamed and grasped the ornate staff with both hands, charging it with all he had in himself, pulling the energies around him into his body, through his body, and into the staff.
"Die!" he screamed.
Ace watched it all like in a dream. He felt the massive amount of Magic Force race through his body, scorching every single nerve, leaving a fiery trail of pain and exhilaration, then shooting out of his fingers. Strident discord shook the mirrored room. Amplified to an unbearable degree, the dissonance grew louder and louder, the magical energies bouncing invisibly but wildly between the mirrors, amplifying by the second. It was an unstoppable process. Nothing and no one could step in between now -- and survive.
His body felt like on fire, like a million volt racing through him, and though Ace had channeled electrical powers before, this was by far stronger than anything he had ever done in his show.
Suddenly the sound of magic was drowned by something else: the sound of shattering glass. The mirrors exploded into millions of fragments, hurtling through the room, striking at every target they could find. The slivered shards launched themselves at the ceiling, at the walls, at the floor, slashing and swooping and cycloning into a maelstrom of deadly projectiles. The magical field around Ace prevented him from getting cut and the same went for Calen, but everything else was reduced to ribbons.
"NO!" the blond man screamed and unleashed his own blast.
It struck Ace's shield, but instead of bouncing back it was like a drill, trying to get inside nevertheless, pushing forward. Calen laughed madly and channeled more and more into this beam. It sizzled over the shield, licking at the magic Ace poured out, but it didn't get through. The Magician's face was by now glistening with sweat, the strain of channeling this much energy showing. His hands hurt, his head was about to explode and his body had by now gone numb. Only the pain of this much Magic Force inside him came through.

* * *

Bloody hell indeed!
It was what echoed through Vega's mind over and over again, sometimes drowned out in the feeling of 'this is bad! Really, really bad!' repeating itself a well. He and Cosmo were cornered in one of the rooms in this house, fighting off a snarling, teeth-bearing, taloned robot monster who had already taken out Masterson. The police officer was lying motionlessly against the wall of the corridor, a deep gash on his forehead. Vega had no idea whether or not he was dead or alive. Shooting almost blindly at the creature he heard the shots bounce off the metal hide and he muttered a curse.
"Do you have any idea what the weak spot of those things is?" he asked Cosmo who was crouching behind him.
"No clue. Ace used magic."
Vega gave a dry bark of laughter. "No chance of us doing that, kid."
Cosmo grimaced, then ducked as the metal predator attacked once more. Vega ducked back and shot wildly at it, trying to hit its optics, the head, maybe a limb, but they were very resistant!
Suddenly something seemed to pass through the house, a kind of tremor. The light flickered and somewhere down the corridor, something exploded. Vega was stunned for a second and the robot used the opening. It jumped, colliding with its prey and Vega went down hard, the air driven out of his lungs by the incredible weight on his chest. Cosmo gave a yell of fright and protest, but it was just one of the many background noises. Vega saw the teeth of the large snout descend on him and he instinctively reached up, jamming the gun he still held in his hands into the wide mouth. Canines scraped over his gloved hands and one hooked into the material, tearing it. He clenched his teeth and pulled the trigger. The shot went right into the maw -- out the back of the creature's electronic brain. Sparks erupted from the area and the robot tethered, then suddenly collapsed forward. Vega had no chance. He tried to roll out from under it, but he was too slow. The machine tilted forward and then fell. It landed heavily on his legs and left arm.
"Cosmo!" he called through clenched teeth.
A red mop of hair appeared and Cosmo's slightly pale face greeted him. "Geez, what a stunt! You okay?"
"I would be better if you could get this thing off me!"
Cosmo grinned slightly, then inspected the robot, finally pushing it off with an effort. Vega groaned as his shoulder protested and he guessed he'd be bruised in the morning. That was, if they managed to survive all the other little traps in this House of Horrors. He got to his feet with Cosmo's help, leaning briefly onto the younger man's shoulder, then straightened, wincing.
"Let's check on Masterson."
The other officer was just unconscious, the head wound still bleeding a bit sluggishly, but there was no other visible injury. Which didn't mean he couldn't have sustained internal damage. "We can't leave him here," Vega muttered, glancing around in case another beast was trying to sneak up on them.
"You want to carry him around?"
"There is no other choice, Cosmo! I can't even call for back-up because the radio won't work." Ever since Demon had come back online, no calls could go out and they also couldn't reach the second team.
Just then Masterson groaned and his eyes fluttered open. "What hit me?" he muttered, eyes blurry.
"A killer robot," Cosmo told him with a humorless smile.
"Can you walk?" Vega wanted to know.
Masterson blinked, his fingers carefully palpating the cut on his forehead. He winced. "I ... think so," he finally said.
With Vega's help, the police officer came to a swaying stand. After a few more minutes they continued, with Vega at the front again, Masterson now in the middle and Cosmo bringing up the rear.
The trudged through the silent corridors, no attacks coming at them, nothing obstructing their progress. Suddenly another tremor went through the whole structure, much stronger than before. "What the....?"
Somewhere ahead them, light blazed through the cracks in the building, the walls and floors, stabbing into the dusty twilight around them like daggers. An explosion and a loud shattering noise followed. Vega ducked instinctively, pulling Cosmo down with him as the building creaked ominously. Plaster rained down on them like artificial snow and for a moment Vega was afraid the whole building would break down. Explosions could be heard all over the place as systems went up in smoke. A camera just above Masterson's head bought it as electrical currently fried it.
A scream of pain echoed through the corridor.
"Ace!" Cosmo screamed on top of his lungs.

* * *

Ace had only one more chance. One more second to decide. Otherwise the energy would consume him.
He closed his eyes, collecting what power he had left, then flung out his arms, hands pushing back an invisible foe, fingers spread out. His eyes snapped open, revealing two cold blue orbs or pure and raw power, and the magical field around him exploded forward. It devoured the beam from Calen's staff like a predator its prey, feasting upon the raw energy in it, growing stronger and finally too strong for the beam to resist it much longer. Like a mirror, the shield reflected the beam and it rushed back along the path it had come from. Calen screamed a scream of raw terror as the staff exploded in his hands, burning them in the process. The small fragments whirred through the maelstrom of glass shards and as if this had been the key, they dropped harmlessly to the ground.
But it wasn't over. Ace no longer had control over the field and he felt his emotions mix into the energy, felt his anger pour out in a raw and untamed form, felt his fear and pain mix into a rage that couldn't be contained any longer.
Calen had kidnapped Cosmo.
He had killed Anna.
He had tortured him almost to death.
All that peaked in one agonized scream, Ace's voice rebounding in the room as he flung the magical field forward. He had no more control over what was around him. It lashed out and hit Calen, flinging him back against the wall, enveloping him as he flew, sizzling over the other magician's body. Calen screamed as well, outrage, disbelief and pain in one.
Ace didn't see him slump to the ground.
He didn't see smoke curling up from the lifeless heap.
His eyes rolled back in his head and his knees gave way. His body, too weak to sustain a conscious thought, collapsed.

* * *

Lt. Derek Vega stormed into the room, gun drawn and ready, and looked around for either his friend or the enemy. He discovered both. The kidnapper was an unconscious heap not far away from the door, burns and cuts marring the once clean gray suit. Ace was....
"Ace!" he exclaimed in horror.
Ace Cooper lay sprawled on the ground, eyes closed, unmoving. His cloak was torn to pieces and nothing but a tattered piece of dark cloth next to him. His gray costume was torn as well, the holes showing wounds and abrasions and cuts Vega didn't want to ponder more deeply. His left leg was a mess, the thigh soaked in blood, a piece of cloak wrapped tightly around the wound. Both hands showed reddish burn marks, some more severe than the other.
"God, no," Vega whispered as he knelt next to him. "Ace, can you hear me?"
He carefully examined the bandaged wound and winced as he saw how deep it went, how much blood his friend had lost. Ace moaned slightly and his eyes fluttered weakly. His lips held a pale blue tinge Vega didn't like one bit. He slipped out of his coat and wrapped it around Ace.
"Cosmo," The Magician rasped. "Where....?"
"He's okay. The kid took out the control AI running this place and we stormed it."
Blurry, grayish blue eyes searched Vega's face and the police lieutenant tried to summon a real smile. It was hard when looking into the severely strained and totally exhausted face of his friend.
"Calen?"
That had to be the kidnapper. Vega looked at the still unconscious villain and shrugged. "Totally out of it. I'd love to know what happened, but we'll get you to a hospital first."
Ace stared at the ceiling, his face lined with the pain he felt, emotional and physical, and Vega knew there had been much more to this than he could see right now. He'd get to the bottom of it, but right now Ace needed medical help. He'd make sure that the media, especially Paparazzo, wouldn't get wind of this. Ace needed some calm and quiet. Vega studied the pale, drawn face of his friend, noting the increasing lines of stress and the disturbed expression in the light eyes. He looked around the room, for the very first time taking in the amount of destruction that had occurred here. The floor all around him was littered with glass shards, there were scorch marks and even molten stone..... In a circle around where he and Ace were was nothing. The floor was relatively clean. What the heck had happened here?! Looking at Ace again he bit his tongue not to blurt out the question.
Running footsteps alerted him to a new-arrival and he instinctively raised his gun. He exhaled as he discovered that it was Cosmo. The boy was just as pale as Ace, but still he looked a lot healthier.
"Ace!" he exclaimed. "No!"
Ace opened his eyes once more. He looked cruelly tired. "You are okay," he breathed.
"Yeah, I'm just fine." Cosmo sank to his knees. "Whatever you did, Ace, you took out Calen for good. What *did* you do?"
Vega raised one hand to stall this question, but Ace's sigh stopped him.
"Something I shouldn't have, Cosmo," was the soft, trembly answer.
Cosmo bit his lips.
Suddenly there was this ominous rumble again and Cosmo and Vega's heads snapped up. The building was starting to shake. Plaster rained from the ceiling and the walls showed pronounced cracks now.
"Magic Force .... running its .... course," Ace whispered roughly. "Out of... control." He struggled slightly to get up.
Vega's radio crackled and he picked it up. An almost panicked voice told him that the tiles on the roof had started cracking and sliding off. It was one of his officers.
"We have to get out of here!" he decided.
Cosmo was about to help hoist Ace up, but Vega shook his head. He was stronger than the boy. Carefully but quickly he pulled the severely injured magician up while Masterson tended to Calen, though none too gently. They all stumbled or half fell out of the mansion, which was now beginning to crack even further. A shower of plaster and dust rained on them as they hastened away from it as far as they could. A loud cracking let Cosmo stop and his jaw hung open as he saw part of the house sag at least three inches. Bright light danced around the whole structure, low rumbles and popping noises filling the approaching darkness of the evening. Then, suddenly, everything was silent.
Vega lowered Ace carefully to the ground while one of his officers called an ambulance and paramedics, as well as a team to secure the mansion. Calen was dumped as well, but he had yet to regain consciousness. Cosmo plopped down beside his friend, looking tired but determined, and studied Ace's still form. He looked truly worried. Vega wanted to reassure him, tell the boy that Ace was going to be all right, but it would be a lie. He had no idea. Ace looked bad, totally drained, and weak. Whatever had happened in there, Ace had given everything to win the game.
The ambulance arrived five minutes later and the paramedics started treating the magician who was by now slipping into unconsciousness again.
"Hold on, Ace," Cosmo whispered.
Vega silently wished the same. He busied himself with ordering the arriving police officers around and watched the ambulance depart with worried eyes.

* * *

The emergency room was positively crowded. There had been a train accident just outside Electro City. A drunk driver had forced his way and a train had had to perform an emergency stop, crashing into several abandoned cars, coming to a stop just a few feet away from a crowded intersection. Several people had been hurt, but most of the train's passengers were only shocked. The drunk driver had died at the scene of the accident. Vega nodded at several of his fellow officers as they passed where he was waiting for any new on Ace. The accident had been a kind of lucky coincidence. This way the arrival of one of Electro City's famous personalities in the ER, all torn and bleeding, had been covered by the other victims. New reporters were flocking around like birds of prey, but the nurses resolutely pushed them out of the ER.
Vega exhaled when the last reporter was finally banished. Calen was currently in surgery, a nurse had told him, and two officers were guarding the operating theater, keeping an eye on things. Cosmo had been treated for abrasions on the wrist and throat, as well as mild shock and dehydration, but he was fine. Currently he was pacing up and down in the waiting room, his face a pale mask of worry.
"He's going to be fine," Cosmo muttered and paced past Vega.
The police lieutenant watched the teenager and smiled slightly. Cosmo liked to pretend that nothing could really faze him, that he could always be on top of the world, but Ace had never been hurt as seriously as that before. Okay, he had been poisoned and shot and stabbed before, but it had been minor compared to what had occurred now. Vega knew he didn't know all of what had happened, but Cosmo had told him some things that disturbed him.
Finally, after two hours, a doctor entered, looking tired and worn. Looking at the full ER, Vega knew why.
"Lieutenant Vega?"
Vega nodded.
"My name is Dr. Conrad. I treated Mr. Cooper."
"How is he?" Cosmo blurted.
"Weak but stable. Mr. Cooper lost a lot blood through the deep wound in his thigh. We stitched it. He shows signs of sunburn, dehydration, severe exhaustion and shock. The abrasions and minor cuts he received aren't life threatening. I'm more worried about the level of exhaustion."
Vega nodded. "Can we see him?"
"Not right now. He's still in the ICU and we want to keep him here over night after we have transferred him to a normal room." The doctor smiled. "Don't worry about news reporters, Lieutenant. We are very adapt in keeping them out of our patients' hair. Mr. Cooper will have the same anonymity and quiet as a regular patient."
"Thanks."
Cosmos, still very pale, briefly closed his eyes, suddenly looking every bit as exhausted as Vega felt.
"What about the prisoner?"
"Mr. Calen? Well, his case is much more severe. My colleague is still treating him. As it looks he is under shock as well, received lacerations and bruises, but something must have hit him hard enough to scramble him inside." Conrad pointed at his forehead in demonstration. "He is disoriented, his lingual capabilities are close to non-existent, he can't seem to coordinate his movement and he fails to recall anything, even the most basic things."
Vega stared at him. "What caused it?"
"We can't be sure yet. Maybe a knock on the head, maybe something different. He is a total amnesiac. He forgot everything, from language to muscle coordination to his private memories."
"Could it be he is faking it?"
Conrad shook his head. "Not this completely."
"Thanks, doc."
Conrad walked out of the room again and Vega cast a questioning look at Cosmo. The red-head shrugged. "Don't ask me."
"We'll find out when Ace is awake," Vega sighed. "I need to get back to the precinct, then I want to take a hot shower and sleep. You should do the same."
"Go with you to the precinct?" Cosmo joked weakly.
Vega grimaced. "You know what I mean. Go home, kid. Ace needs to rest and we'll come back tomorrow to see how he is."
Cosmo sighed. "Okay." He didn't sound very enthusiastic, but he accepted that it was the only thing they could do right now.
The lieutenant dropped him off at the Magic Express and watched Cosmo tiredly walk into the train. When the doors had closed, he nodded and drove off.

Cosmo flopped tiredly down on the couch, his mind awhirl with what had happened, his body exhausted and crying for sleep. He felt his eyes drift shut and he didn't even try to fight it. He should go to his room and undress, maybe even take a shower, but he couldn't get himself to even move a muscle any more.
A minute later he was deep asleep. He didn't notice Zina slink into the room and curl up next to the couch, rumbling to herself.

* * *

Ace lay on the couch in the large living room area of the Magic Express, staring sightlessly at the TV screen that currently ran another latest news flash from SensaNews. Paparazzo was telling everyone about the latest news around the magician Ace Cooper and how he had survived the trials of a madman who had kidnapped him and Cosmo. Ace had heard it before and he wasn't really interested. It was a cover story for the truth. The volume had been turned off anyway and all he saw were rapidly changing pictures and Paparazzo's excited face now and then. He closed his eyes, sighing. His leg throbbed dully and he winced as a sharp pain suddenly lanced through his thigh. He hated to take the pain medication because it made him drowsy, but he might have to soon. Cosmo was at the arena, managing some stuff. He was glad his young friend was doing that. He was currently not in the best condition to tackle his new show. Cosmo had bounced back from what happened with ease, but he had not faced an old friend and.... Ace swallowed and closed his eyes. He leaned back his head, willing his mind to relax.
James Calen's face flashed across his inner eye, his eyes glowing madly, his fingers spewing twisted magical energy. He watched their fight from a third person's point of view, saw himself, injured and weak, fight an impossible battle against his opponent. He saw untamed magical energies explode from his fingers, spearing the energy coming from Calen, flinging it back at him with a force that was impossible to stop.
Calen went down.
Eyes wide with disbelief.
Blood running out of numerous wounds.
'How....?'
"Hello?"
The voice startled him and he winced as he sat up too suddenly. His eyes focused on a definitely female figure with red hair, dressed in a casual outfit.
"Mona!" he breathed.
The red-haired woman looked worriedly at him and Ace knew that he didn't actually look his normal, composed and self-assured self. He was pale, his face drawn, dark circles under his eyes, his cheek bruised and cut, his wrists and hands bandaged lightly. His left leg was elevated, a cane leaning against the couch. He should technically be in the hospital, but he had managed to convince the doctor that he would rest and take it easy at home as well. He had been at the Electro City hospital overnight for observation and to get his leg wound treated, but then he had left.
"Asking you how you feel is superfluous, I think," Mona said softly. "You look terrible, Ace."
He managed a weak smile. Mona approached, looking hesitant, as if every step might shatter him. "Vega told me a bit about what happened, but I think he left out most of the details." She stopped in front of him. "I see he forgot to mention a lot."
Ace shrugged half-heartedly. "What the public knows is enough."
"I'm not the public."
He met her clear blue eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry, Mona."
She sat down beside him, still not touching him. "Would you tell me if I asked?"
Ace hesitated, staring at his hands. Yes, would he? It was his past, a part he had never much told anyone about, mainly because most people didn't really want to know about the magic side, other than that it looked flashy and cool.
"Yes, I think I would," he finally answered.
Mona gave him an encouraging smile.
"The man who kidnapped Cosmo, James Calen, is someone out of my past. You wouldn't know him."
Mona kept her silence, noting the fine lines of stress appearing on Ace's face, how his eyes took on a distant look and how his voice, usually so full of life, was totally flat. He told her everything, what had happened in the mansion, who Calen was, the past, what had occurred then, and how it had all ended. She noticed the set shoulders, how tensions seemed to build up with ever passing minute, his face was devoid of any feelings. But his eyes.... they were doorways into his soul and his soul was tortured by what he had had to do.
"I killed him, Mona," he whispered, not looking at her.
Mona carefully touched the bandaged hand, afraid she might hurt him by any gesture. "Vega said he is alive. He is in the mental institute."
Ace gave a dry bark of laughter, bitter and full of resentment. "Alive? He is braindead, Mona! I killed him! He is a living corpse!"
Now she actually squeezed his hand, still careful of his injuries. "It was either him or you. I'm glad it was him, Ace." Her voice dropped slightly. "I wouldn't want to loose you."
He turned his head and she winced at the expression of hurt and vulnerability in his eyes.
"And you are not a killer," Mona added softly. "Calen tried to kill you and you defended yourself."
"It always happens," he choked, turning away again. "Every time."
Mona stared blankly at him, then understood and she fought down her initial reaction. He was talking about her father, how he had been severely injured when he had fought against Ace all those years ago. The old battle inside of her, the one tearing her from loving to hating to loving him, started once more.
"It's not the same," she heard herself say.
"In a way it is."
She shook her head. "Stop it, Ace. It happened and you had to do it to defend yourself." Mona briefly wondered whether she was talking about the past fifteen years ago or now. In a way both, but she didn't want to ponder it too deeply.
He looked at his bandaged hands. "What I did....."
"Was self-defense!" she insisted. Mona enclosed his hands in her smaller ones, forcing him to look at her. "Self-defense, Ace."
Their eyes met and Mona suddenly leaned forward, brushing her lips over his. Ace's eyes widened in pleasant surprise. She detached herself and smiled at his expression.
"You know, you still owe me a date," she whispered, smiling mischievously all of a sudden.
Ace raised an eyebrow, then looked at his bandaged hands. "I won't be able to go anywhere anytime soon. You'd have to carry me there and feed me."
Mona laughed. "Who said we are going anywhere? As for the feeding part..... I think I can manage that."
Ace blinked as he caught the look in her eyes. "O...kay.... I think."
"Is the great magician afraid?"
"Of you? No, never. Just in awe, Mona."
She traced his uninjured cheek bone. "Charmer."
He smiled again, this time a real smile, touching her hand with one hand and kissing her palm. "Thank you."
She raised a brow. "What for?"
"Everything."
She wordlessly studied his bruised, pale features, then kissed him lightly again. He answered the kiss carefully and she smiled.
"I'll order out for dinner," she whispered and walked over to the phone.
When she turned back to her 'dinner date', Ace had slipped deeper into the couch, half asleep. Mona smiled and walked back to him. She sat down, curling her legs under her, and just kept him company. Right now, that was enough.

When Cosmo returned three hours later he found cold, order-out dinner in the hallway of the Magic Express. He frowned and entered the living room, then stopped, eyes wide at the picture he was presented with. Ace still lay on the couch, one leg elevated, but now he was asleep. Next to him, one arm lightly wrapped around his chest, lay Mona, equally asleep.
Cosmo grinned widely and tiptoed out of the room.

* * *

"Someone nearly killed Ace Cooper and it wasn't one of us?"
The two men standing in the large room mutely shook their heads.
"Who was it then?"
"No one we know, boss. Some guy called Calen. He's a vegetable now," one of the two said.
The hulking but crippled figure in the wheelchair snarled angrily. "Well, he failed! But whatever he did, he got very close! Find out what he did and who sponsored him! Maybe I can use it later...."
The two men nodded and left the room.
Black Jack floated the chair over to the large panorama view window. His features were a twisted grimace. Ace Cooper wasn't dead, too bad, but that gave him a new chance to get rid of the blasted Magician himself another day.

* * *

He dreamed.
He was at the beach again, but this time there was no churning sky, no crashing waves, no rocky shore. The beach was sandy white, stretching out in front of him to almost infinity, touching the blue, clear sky at the horizon. Dunes rose not far away, a bit of dune grass growing on it.
She was with him again, a fading, ghost-like shape to his left. A smile was on her face and he smiled back, a bit sad.
"You did well."
Her voice seemed to echo all around him and then faded into nothingness.
"Thank you," he whispered.
He was alone, the sun gently caressing the open sea before him, dancing over bright waves, playfully and warm.
"And good-bye."