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Tommy skated past Casey, who flailed his arms to keep from falling down. "I told you, I'm not used to this," Casey complained. "Just because you grew up playing hockey doesn't mean everyone else can skate. Take it easy." Tommy laughed, gliding back toward his unsteady friend. They were on the frozen pond a few miles from the school, and Casey was out of his element. "You've only got a week before you're supposed to take Cindy Boswell ice skating at the Christmas party," Tommy said. "Do you want her to see you fall on your face?" "I still don't see why Kid Champion can't take her skating," Casey said. "He looks just like me, and I can put my regular clothes on over the uniform. I'll bet he can skate too. Just watch -- Elysium!" Casey spoke the magic word that transformed him into his mystically powered alter ego. He was no longer wearing skates, but he floated a few inches above the ice, levitating himself with Elysian magic. Effortlessly he executed a triple axel. "See?" "Casey, change back right now!" Tommy barked. "These powers are for fighting the forces of evil, not impressing girls. And you shouldn't be changing in public - what if someone saw you?" Rolling his eyes, Kid Champion said the magic word and changed back into Casey, who promptly fell on his backside. "Take it easy, Tommy," Casey grumbled, brushing off the seat of his pants. "No one's around. Come on, I'll be good. Let's finish the lesson. If I don't get better fast, Cindy will think I'm a complete loser." But Casey was wrong - someone was around. A two-bit criminal named Ace Monroe was in the forest behind the pond, retrieving some loot he had hidden in a hollow tree. He saw Casey's transformation, then quickly ducked behind a tree. Ace couldn't believe what he had just seen. That scrawny punk was Kid Champion, the hero who was in the papers every other week. Ace's mind raced. With muscle like that, he could run every racket in town. All he had to do was make Kid Champion an offer he couldn't refuse. Ace went back to this car, opened the hood, and waited for Tommy and Casey to finish skating. When they walked by, Ace called out in a friendly voice. " Could you fellas give me a hand? I'm hopeless when it comes to cars." Casey grinned and said they would be glad to help. He stuck his head under the hood and took a look. "That's funny," he said. "I don't see anything wrong." When Casey looked up, he saw Ace holding Tommy, one hand over his mouth and the other holding a gun. "Don't say a word - especially not a magic word," Ace said. "I can shoot your buddy before you finish changing into the super guy." Casey was speechless. This was his fault - using the magic word in broad daylight. Tommy grabbed at Ace's arm, trying to get loose, but Ace was much stronger. Ace grabbed the heavy wool scarf that hung around Tommy's neck and gagged him with it, knotting the scarf behind his head. He dragged Tommy over to the trunk and pulled out some cables. Pushing Tommy to the ground, Ace secured his hands and feet with cables, leaving him to squirm on the cold ground. "Staying quiet? Good boy," Ace said to Casey. "Here's what's going to happen. I'm going to take your little friend there for a ride. When I've got him stashed away somewhere safe, I'm going to a club called Batson's on 45th Street. You're going to meet me there in an hour -- alone. If you -- or Kid Champion -- try to follow us, this kid has had it. Understand?" Casey nodded. "Good," Ace said. He lifted Tommy up and dumped him into the trunk. "One hour, kid," Ace said, slamming the lid down. As the car ratted over back roads, Tommy tried desperately to work his gag off, but it was tied too tightly. He could not find anything sharp or jagged in the trunk that might be useful -- only old newspapers and lottery tickets. Soon the car came to a stop. Ace opened the trunk and dragged Tommy out. They were at an old farmhouse, somewhere outside town. "This place belongs to an associate of mine," Ace said. "He lets me conduct business here every now and then." Behind his gag, Tommy grumbled as he was hauled into the ramshackle house. "Don't get mad, you're just a means to an end, my friend," Ace said. "As long as I have you, the hero does what I say. And if he doesn't -- you're history." Ace went outside and came back with a large block of ice, which he set down in the middle of the room. "I figured I should have a little insurance policy." Ace untied Tommy's feet and pulled off his boots and socks. Then he forced Tommy to stand barefoot on the block of ice. Ace took some rope and fashioned a hangman's noose, which he put around Tommy's neck. Then he threw the other end of the rope over a rafter and tied it to the door. Tommy tried to remain as still as possible. The ice was slippery and one false move would be fatal. "Your body heat will slowly cause the ice to melt, but you should be ok for a few hours," Ace said. "I just want your friend to know I ain't messing around. He's going to make me a very rich man." Ace took out his cell phone and snapped a picture of Tommy -- perched precariously on the ice with a noose round his neck and a thick gag in his mouth. All Tommy could do was try to keep his balance. An hour later, Casey met Ace at the smoky club. Ace showed Casey the picture, and Casey knew he had no choice but to follow the crook's orders. It was the only way to keep Tommy safe. "For starters," Ace said. "You and I are going to knock over that big Christmas party at the country club. Lots of rich creeps there." Casey shook his head. "That party's for charity - only a scumbag would steal from a charity. Can't you think of some other way to get money?" Ace grabbed Casey and slammed him against the wall, covering his mouth. "Get this straight, kid, you don't give the orders," he shouted. "I give the orders," He pulled out a handkerchief and gagged Casey tightly. "You don't talk unless I tell you to talk. You don't use your powers unless it's for me. The life that you knew is over - you work for me now." He twisted Casey's arms behind him. "I think you need a little attitude adjustment before we pull our next job." He dragged Casey into the alley, where his car was parked. Taking a pair of handcuffs out of car, Ace cuffed Casey to the chain-link fence. Casey was not wearing a hat or coat, and the freezing wind felt like knives on his skin. Still not satisfied, Ace went back in to the bar and came back with a pitcher of water. Casey shook his head and tried to say no as Ace poured the water over his head. He shuddered violently as the icy water dripped down his face and chest, soaking his clothes. Almost immediately the water in his hair began to freeze. "You stay there a while and think about whether you're going to mouth off to me again." Ace enjoyed being cruel for its own sake, but he was also trying to serve a more important purpose. Kid Champion might be strong, but deep down Casey was just a kid. Given time, Ace knew he could break him, and then he would have a super-powered henchman. Nothing could stop him. And this skinny kid -- tied, gagged and shivering in the cold -- was the key. After what seemed like an eternity, Ace took the sopping wet Casey down from the fence. He immediately cuffed Casey's hands behind him and threw him into the car. They soon pulled up in front of the country club. "It's showtime, hero," Ace said. "You're about to make it a very Merry Christmas for me. Or maybe you'd like to spend some more time tied up out in the cold -- without your clothes this time?" Back at the farmhouse, Tommy was running out of time. The ice was melting faster than he expected, and he was not sure how much longer he could keep standing. His legs were quivering, and it took every ounce of concentration to keep himself upright. Every time he heard the slightest noise outside he yelled into his gag, but no one responded. He was hoarse from the effort. The wool scarf had left his mouth as dry as sand, and his arms ached from being tied in the same position. He could only think of one way out of this. It was dangerous, but he had run out of options. If he waited any longer, he would be too weak to attempt it. Tensing his neck muscles, Tommy lifted his knees to his chest. For a split second the rope tightened around his neck, making it impossible to breathe. As quickly as he could, Tommy brought his arms under his legs so that they were in front of him. Then he planted his feet on the ice again, steadying himself and relieving the pressure on his neck. With his hands still tied, he reached up to pull the gag from his mouth. It took a few minutes to work it loose, and then a few minutes for his voice to recover from the dehydration. Then, softly, he spoke his magic word. "Elysium-" Ace pulled Casey into a sitting position. "I'm going to take that gag off so you can do your quick change, but no funny stuff," he said. "Your pal's life depends on it." Casey nodded. He was exhausted. Ace removed the gag, and pulled Casey out of the car. Casey said his magic word, and immediately the pain and weariness left his body. At the same time, the doubt and fear left his mind. Ace might be able to terrorize Casey, but Kid Champion was not afraid of him. "Let's get one thing straight," Kid Champion said. "I'm doing this to save Tommy. As soon as he's safe, it's over." "Then I'd say it's over now," said a voice behind the car. Hovering in the frosty air, the Champion smiled at them. "You look like you've fallen in with a bad crowd." Kid Champion flew into the air and hugged his friend. "You're OK," he said. "You had me worried there." Below them, Ace Monroe was trying to slink away as quietly as he could. "You're not going anywhere," Kid Champion said, swooping down and yanking his former captor into the air. "Except maybe to jail." "You might want want to think about that," Ace said. "If I go to prison, I'm telling every guy there who Kid Champion really is. You kids wouldn't last a day with all the low-lifes coming after you." The Champion paused for a minute, considering what Ace had said. "You really shouldn't threaten people like that," the Champion replied. "Especially when they have the power to wipe your memory." "Wipe my memory?" Ace asked. Before he could say anything else, the Champion held up his hand and released a flash of green light. The next thing Ace knew, he was back in the woods behind the frozen pond, looking for the hollow tree where he had hidden his loot. For some reason the money was no longer there. Off in the distance, two boys were skating. Every now and then they would look over at him and laugh for no apparent reason.
The End
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