A Magician always has an Ace up his sleeve
                             by
                           Hawkeye
                              
                         Chapter One

     "Blasted!" yelled BlackJack as he hit his fist on his
desk.  "I'm getting sick of you two always messing up!" he
shouted at Diamond and Spade who stood silently in front of
him, heads down.
     "Come on, Boss," pleaded Diamond, "It's not our fault.
The Magician..."
     "The Magician!  And I'm getting sick of you always
giving me that excuse!"  Jack yelled.
     Suddenly he calmed.  "Wait a minute..."  He sat there
silently for a moment, thinking, before looking back at the
pair.  "I think you idiots just gave me an idea."
     The two crooks looked at each other, then at their
boss, while a large, sinister smile creeped across Jack's
ugly face.  When he didn't answer right away, Diamond got
impatient and spoke up. "Well, what is it boss?"  he asked.
     Jack snapped back to reality and replied with a
question of his own.  "Every time you two blundering fools
try to do something, it's the Magician that stops you, isn't
it?"
     Spade shrugged, "I guess so, boss."  Both him and
Diamond had no idea where he was going with this.
     "And he seems to be unbeatable, correct?" Jack asked
again, "like he has no weakness?"
     "Yeah," replied Space, "What about it?"  He was
beginning to feel hurt about his incompetence.
     "Oh, but he does have a weakness," corrected Jack, his
smile getting deeper as he said it.  "And that weakness has
a name."
     "Huh?"  Spade was lost.  "What do you mean?"
     "I get it, stupid," Diamond said to Spade, hitting him
on the arm.  "He means the red head kid.  Cosmo."
     "Right," said BlackJack, turning his hover chair to
face the windows.  "Cosmo."

                         Chapter Two

     "Cosmo, are you ready with that link yet?" asked Ace as
he was triple checking his sailing gear.
     "Almost.  I just have to replace this cuppling and
we'll be really to go!" Cosmo replied.
     Ace and Cosmo were just finishing the preparations for
Ace's latest trick; a sailing ship that would actually take
off from the water and fly!
     "Okay, dude," said Cosmo, who was sitting on his PWC,
or personal water craft, off to the starboard side of the
old-style sailing ship with its sails down.  "We're ready to
go!"  He gave Ace the thumbs up and turned on his headset.
Ace did the same.  From now on, they would talk via radio.
Cosmo was traveling along side Ace to help if anything went
wrong; there were a lot of large rocks in this part of
ElectroCity Bay.
     For this stunt, just like most of the other huge
displays Ace had done, the media was there.  In particular,
Duc Paparazzo.
     "This is Papzirotto, coming to you live from
ElectroCity Bay, where Ace Cooper, the famous Magician, is
about to do his latest trick for us."
     Duc and the camera crew were hovering above the Bay in
a news chopter, ready to catch every second of the event.
     "Ladies and gentlemen," he continued, "Ace Cooper is
calling for silence.  Let's hear what he has to say."
     "Okay, Cosmo," Ace said over the headset, "patch me
into the loud speaker system."
     "You got it, Bro."  He tapped away at the tiny portable
computer he had with him.  "All set, Ace."
     "First of all," Ace said, his voice echoing off the
high cliffs where thousands of people had gathered to watch,
"I want to thank everyone for coming out to see this magic
trick.  As always, your support is greatly appreciated."  As
Ace finished the normal openings, he concluded with, "And
now, let's see some magic!"  He gave the signal to Cosmo to
turn back to the closed loop system, and turned to the helm
of the ship.
     He had always loved sailing, and thought that it was
about time do a major show that involved it.
     "Okay, Cosmo, here we go!"  Without looking back, Ace
raised his hand, and in dazzling flashes of light, magically
raised the sails.  Right away they caught and filled with a
strong breeze that pushed the ship forward.
     Cosmo started after, but kept his distance off to the
side.
     They both knew exactly where the "take-off" point was;
when the ship would seem to fly up right out of the water.
It wasn't too much farther ahead.  All the ship had to do
was pick up a little more speed.
     "Okay, Ace," Cosmo said into his mike, "That big rock
is coming up between us.  Remember, when I go around it,
we'll only be cut off for a second, but by then, you should
be in the air."
     "Thank you, I remember," said Ace politely.
     "Oh," added Cosmo, "Good luck."  He started to turn his
PWC to the right, to avoid the huge rock sticking out of the
Bay.

                    * * * * * * * * * * *

     "Okay," said Diamond, "here he comes."
     "Uh," said Spade, his forehead wrinkling as he thought,
"What exactly do I do again?"
     Diamond moaned.  "We wait until he comes around the
corner there."  He pointed to the edge of the large rock.
"Then when his radio is out, you raise the net to stop him."
     "Right, right.  I remember now," said Spade.  "And when
we catch him in the net, we let the robot go."
     "Right.  Now shut up.  Here he comes."  The two stepped
as far back into the shadowy ledge at the side of the rock
as they could, and waited with a finger on the trigger that
would raise the net they had rigged up under water.
     Cosmo rounded the bend close to the rock; he wanted to
be clear of it as quickly as possible.
     He hardly saw it coming, and by the time he moved to
avoid it, it was too late.  He barely had time to hit the
brakes before he went crashing into the net, unconscious.
Diamond let go his own trigger, which sent the automatic,
pre-programmed dummy PWC off and out the other side of the
rock.  The two then hauled Cosmo and his craft into the
miniature sub that had been waiting for them under the
surface, and headed back to BlackJack's casino.

                    * * * * * * * * * * *

     The crowd was cheering and clapping.  Ace glanced over
his shoulder as he started to turn up and around.  He wanted
to make sure Cosmo was safe.  Once he saw his PWC clear the
edge of the boulder, he felt a wave of relief.
     "Looking good, Ace," said Cosmo over the radio.
     "Thanks Cosmo.  Just be careful of the rest of those
rocks.  The Bay's full of..."
     "Oh no!  I can't stop!  Cooper!" Cosmo yelled, but it
was too late.  Ace watched helplessly as the craft crashed
at top speed into another huge rock, exploding in a ball of
flame.
     "Cosmo!"

                        Chapter Three

     "I'm sorry Ace, but there doesn't seem to be anything
left after the explosion."  Vega and Ace were standing at
the edge of a police boat looking at the spot where the PWC
impacted on the rocks.
     Ace's last hopes vanished.  He had hoped that there
might have been a chance that Cosmo had survived, but
evidently, that had not been possible.
     "Thanks Vega.  I'm sorry, too."  Ace was still in a bit
of shock, and right now, he felt totally drained.  "If you
need me, I'll be in the Magic Express."  Without another
word, he turned and climbed into the smaller boat that was
docked with the police cruiser.  As Ace sat down, the driver
took off for the nearest dock.

                    * * * * * * * * * * *

     "Hey, wake up!"  Cosmo stirred slightly.  He recognized
that annoying, weaselly voice.
     "Diamond?" he managed to croak.
     "The one and only.  You took a nasty hit on the head.
I wasn't sure if you'd ever wake up."
     Cosmo's head was slowly clearing.  "What?" he said
dazedly.  "Oh, I remember."  He suddenly recalled just
barely seeing the net, and now he was here.  And where
exactly was here?
     "Now that you're awake, I'm going to get something to
eat."  He turned to leave.  "Oh," he said, looking back over
his shoulder, "I wouldn't try escaping, you'd just be
wasting your strength."  Diamond left, laughing to himself.
     A few minutes later, Cosmo realized that Diamond was
right.  He was tied to a chair, hands behind back, in the
middle of a featureless room.  "Man, Ace.  I hope you know
what's going on."

                    * * * * * * * * * * *

     Ace dropped heavily into a chair as soon as he got
home.  He placed his staff on the end table beside him and
told Angel that he didn't want to be bothered.  No calls.
No visitors.  Just silence.
     Cosmo gone?  No.  He didn't believe it.  But he had
seen the explosion with his own eyes.  His friend was gone,
and he had to accept that.
     It was two days before he came out of the Express.  He
had an announcement to make, so he called the media.  They
showed up, but didn't quite seem their annoying selves.
Even Paparazzo was more reserved then normal.
     "Ladies and gentlemen.  Ace Cooper has called the
attention of the media, and now we wait to hear his
comments."
     All cameras were trained on Ace, everyone was silent.
     "First of all," Ace began, "I want to thank all my
fans.  Without them, I could never have achieved what I
have."  He paused for a moment, then continued.  "In light
of this recent event, and after many hours of thinking, I
have decided to retire from magic.  I thank you for your
attention."
     No one said anything as Ace stepped away from the
microphones and back into the Magic Express.

                    * * * * * * * * * * *

     "Wakey, wakey."  Cosmo came sharply awake when someone
shook his shoulders.
     "Huh?" he said.
     "How very intelligent," replied Diamond sarcastically.
"The boss wants to show you something," he replied.
     The door behind him opened and in hovered BlackJack
with a TV monitor.
     "Listen Jack," said Cosmo, trying to wriggle his way
free, "You had better let me go, or else Ace will..."
     "Ace won't be doing anything," replied BlackJack
confidently.
     "What do you mean?" asked Cosmo.
     "Just shut up and watch," he replied as he turned on
the monitor.
     It was a news cast with Papzirotto reporting.
     "As everyone knows, the recent death of Ace Cooper's
assistant, Cosmo..."
     "What?!" said Cosmo, growing more and more confused as
he watched a replay of his "accident" while Duc narrated.
"Has left the famous magician in shock," continued the
broadcast.  "Now, we hear from Cooper himself."
     As the monitor played the announcement Ace had made,
Cosmo's hopes of being rescued faded.
     "He thinks I'm dead?"  he asked no one in particular,
staring at the floor.  Suddenly he shot a glaring look at
BlackJack. "And I bet you're the one behind it."
     "You're not as dumb as you look," he replied as he
turned to leave.  "And in case you were wondering, now that
there's no Magician, there's no one to stop me!" he said.
     "You won't get away with this, Jack!" Cosmo yelled at
his back.
     "Oh, but I already have.  I already have."

                        Chapter Four

     Ace didn't feel like doing anything.  He knew he had to
get over it, but that didn't make him feel any better.  He
felt that he, and he alone, was to blame for the loss of
Cosmo.  He kept replaying the accident over and over in his
mind.  `What could I have done differently?'  he kept asking
himself.  Planned it more carefully?  Not have had Cosmo
ride along?  But that got him no where.
     That night he suddenly came awake.  Cosmo had been
screaming at him just before the crash, had kept calling for
help, calling his name.
     Ace sat there for a moment, breathing hard, sweat
running down his forehead, when suddenly he realized
something.
     "Angel," he said, "lights."  His room lit up as he
climbed out of bed.  "Angel, do you have a copy of the
transmissions made during my last trick?"
     "Of course I do, Ace," the computer said.  "I always
record your events."
     "Good," he said, "I want you to play it back from the
time when Cosmo came out from around the rock until the
explosion."  He listened to it several times before he was
certain.
     "Gottcha," he said.

                    * * * * * * * * * * *

     "Good morning, Mona," said Diamond as he walked by
BlackJack's daughter with a tray of food and headed for the
elevator.
     "What's so good about it?" she snapped back.  Diamond
only chuckled to himself as he got into the lift and the
doors closed behind him.
     Mona had been very upset since yesterday, when Ace had
given his speech.  She was worried mostly because Ace hadn't
talked to her at all since the accident, and she didn't like
how he had locked himself up all this time.
     She was just on her way to the kitchen to find
something to snack on when one of the many casino employees
called her attention.
     "Excuse me, Miss Mona, but there is a vidcall for you,"
he said as he came up to her.
     "For me?" she asked.  "Who is it?"
     "He won't tell, but he said that it's urgent that you
speak with him."
     He led her to one of the back offices with a vidphone,
and shut the door as he left.  Mona sat down and turned on
the screen.
     "Hello?" she said to the dark monitor.  The camera on
the other end was not turned on.
     "Hi.  I need your help."  The screen then came to life,
filled with Ace's face.
     "Ace!" she exclaimed, "I've been so worried!  You
haven't phoned, and I..."
     "I'm all right now Mona, but I need your help."
     "All right," she said slowly, unsure.
     "Have you seen any suspicious behavior around the
casino lately?" he asked.
     "I don't thinks so, I...wait a minute," she said, "Now
that I think about it, Diamond and Spade have been acting
unusual the last couple of days.  Even more so than normal."
     "How so?"
     "Well," she thought about it, "they are hardly around
like they normally are, and I've only seen them getting food
from the kitchen.  Then they disappear again.  Why Ace,
what's going on?" she asked.
     "I'm not exactly sure, but I think I have an idea."  He
looked at his watch.  "Can you meet me at the back of the
casino in half an hour?  No attention?" he asked.
     "Sure.  Are you sure you're okay?" she said.
     "I'm sure," he replied and turned off his screen.  She
did the same, then got up and left.

                    * * * * * * * * * * *

     Half an hour later, Mona stood in the shadows at the
back of the casino.  She made sure that she was not followed
or watched, and waited.  She was beginning to think that Ace
was not going to show up, when she heard a voice behind her.
     "I wasn't sure if you were going to come."  She turned
around to see Ace.
     "I was just thinking the same thing."
     "We can't take too long here.  We need to get inside
and do this quickly," he said.
     "Do what, exactly?" Mona asked.
     "Rescue Cosmo."

                        Chapter Five

     "Are you sure about this?"  Mona asked, looking a
little distressed.
     "I need a diversion," he replied.
     "Okay, I hope you know what you're doing," she said as
she walked away from the large plant in a corner by the
elevator, and took her position.
     "So do I," said Ace quietly.
     It was only a few minutes before the lift door opened
and Spade stepped out with an empty tray.
     "Spade?" she said, "Thank goodness you showed up!"  She
almost fell on him.
     "I think I took a bad step.  My ankle may be twisted."
     "Oh no!" the big oaf said.  "Do you want me to call
BlackJack?"
     "No, no, don't call Daddy.  I just need to sit down.
Help me into the kitchen, will you?"
     "Of course!"  Spade practically picked her up and
carried her through the swinging kitchen doors.
                              
                    * * * * * * * * * * *

     "Where is that idiot?"  said Diamond impatiently.  He
was getting hungry and Spade wasn't back with their food
yet.  He stood there, grumpily staring at Cosmo who had just
finished eating.  He remembered the boss' orders very
clearly; `I want you to feed him first.  We want him alive,
for now.'
     "That's enough," said Diamond.  "I'm going to check on
him."  He walked around Cosmo and tied his hands back
together.  He left without another word, the lock for the
door clicking into place as he shut it behind him.
     Ace waited behind the broad leafed plant in a corner
across from the elevator.  Mona said that if Spade didn't
show up soon, Diamond should come looking for him.  His
attention became sharp when saw the floor numbers begin to
light up, starting with the basement.
     `So they have him on the lowest level,' Ace thought to
himself.  `This might be trickier then I thought.'
     The elevator finally opened and, as expected, out
stomped an angry Diamond who headed for the kitchen, pushing
his way through the swinging doors.
     Ace dashed toward the lift and made it in just before
the doors closed behind him.
     "Going down," he said to himself as he pushed the
button for the lowest floor.
     When the elevator stopped and the doors slid open, Ace
cautiously stepped out, looking before he did so.  No one
there.  Slowly he made his way down the hall, stopping when
he got the only door at the end.
     "Cosmo?" asked Ace as he put an ear to the door.
     "Ace?  Dude, is that you?" replied a stunned, but
relieved Cosmo.
     "Hold on, I'm going to get you out of there."  Ace
examined the door carefully and discovered that it was
locked.  It could only be opened with a passcard and code.
     He considered the fasted way to get Cosmo out, and
stepped back from the door.
     "Magic force, reveal the power within!"  He pulled his
cape up around him, spinning.  When he came to a stop, he
was the Magician.
     Raising his hands in a charismatic gesture, he made the
door disappear.  As he rushed in and noticed Cosmo tied to
the chair,  he gave a simply wave of a hand and the ropes
holding Cosmo dropped to the floor.
     "Man, I thought you'd never come," Cosmo said.
     "Sorry I took so long, but better late than never.
I'll explain later.  Come on," he continued, "let's get out
of here."
     In a matter of moments, they were back on the main
floor, looking out the elevator door to make sure the coast
was clear.
     "Let's go," said Ace as he waved Cosmo forward.  They
were almost at the back door when they were stopped.
     "Just a minute, Cooper."
     Ace and Cosmo swung around and came face to face with
the muzzle of a gun.  Diamond's gun to be exact.
     "I knew something fishy was going on.  Mona doesn't
just ask Spade for help everyday."
     Ace just smile, "Maybe that's a good thing."  He waved
his hand in front of the gun and it froze immediately.
     "Ahhh!" yelled Diamond, dropping the painfully cold
weapon, and clutching his hand.
     "And this is for all your hospitality," said Cosmo as
he knocked him out cold.

                         Chapter Six

     By the time Ace and Cosmo were back at the Express, Ace
had explained most of what had happened during the last few
days.
     "So you figured out that it hadn't been me when you
went over the recording," said Cosmo.
     "Right," replied Ace.  "I knew that you never just call
me Cooper, so when you had called for help on the recording,
I knew that it couldn't have been you.  Then I thought who
would be willing to pull such a stunt..."
     "And naturally you came up with BlackJack," finished
Cosmo.  "It's a good thing you caught that, or else I would
have been down there a very long time."
     "And I'd have been out of a job," said Ace with a
smile.
     Just then the phone rang, so Ace went to answer it.  It
was Mona.
     "Hi Mona," said Ace.  "Thanks for the help."
     "Anytime," she replied.  "Cosmo okay?" she asked.
     "Yeah, he's fine.  What did your father do when he
found out?"  Ace asked.
     "Oh, the usual.  Let's just say that Spade and Diamond
won't be trusted with anything important for a while.  Well,
gotta go.  Glad you're all right."  She smiled and hung up.
     Cosmo came up behind him.  "Do you think BlackJack will
get in trouble for this?" he asked.
     "Not with Clockwise as his shadow," replied Ace.  He
paused for a moment, then turned around, only to find
himself alone.
     "Right on!  Woohoo!  Now this is what I call a game!"
shouted Cosmo, already back to playing his virtual racer.
     Ace just smiled and went to lie down.  After all, if he
was going to plan his next big trick, he had better be
rested.