At least Saira seemed to be enjoying herself. That was certainly what it sounded like to Meryn, though she couldn’t be entirely sure with the black cloth currently covering her eyes. And chained up as she was, attached to the chair, and tightly gagged, there was nothing she could do to see exactly what Saira was experiencing beside her.
Neither of them knew just where they had been transported after being kidnapped by Farrah but their ‘rescuer’ seemed intent on nothing more than having a bit of fun for the time being. Even if time was of the essence.
“Mmmmrrggh!” Meryn growled into her gag, mouth stuffed full with cloth, held in with a heavy wrapping of duct tape, and further silences by a red scarf over her mouth and nose.
With her hands cuffed behind the chair in a pair of sturdy, hinged handcuffs, wider cuffs for her biceps pulling them tightly together, chain wrapped around her arms and torso, waist, thighs, and more chain on each of her ankles attaching them to the chair legs, as well as a chain anchoring her cuffed wrists to the chair, she was going nowhere fast.
Dressed as she was in a plain, low cut yellow tank top, tight fitting jeans and light running shoes, Meryn wasn’t in her usual attire as The Maiden while stuck in a predicament like this. But the circumstances of that whole situation was something else entirely. Right now, her frustration was boiling over. When she got free and got her hands on Alicia West...
The blindfold was suddenly removed and light filtered into Meryn’s eyes. She blinked a few times, taking her chance to look Saira’s way, who looked back at her with smiling eyes. She, too, was tied to a chair and gagged with tape, with zip ties and duct tape used to hold her down, but for some reason she was having fun.
Then Meryn noticed Alicia standing over her with a... feather. She knew right away what had been happening. Apparently, Saira had been enjoying her tickling experience at Alicia’s hands but the newly minted PI had to put a stop to it when one of her underlings finally removed the blindfold from Meryn’s eyes.
“Calmed down yet?” the woman in the white suit with the bright pink hair asked.
“Mmmph...” Meryn said.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Alicia said. “Good thing, too. It’s not long until Dragunova’s title bout and we need to do something about Silver. Or else... well, I’m sure you figured that much out, Meryn.”
Meryn sighed and rolled her eyes. Of course I’ve figured it out. They told me the whole scheme Meryn thought to herself.
Farrah had explained it all to them, when they had been caught up in that bar fight trying to help defend Ivana Dragunova, the world women’s welterweight boxing champion. Silver planned not only to murder her opponent in the ring during the title bout but pose as Ivana and frame her for the murder.
“So, Meryn, how do we stop an angry super strong woman from committing murder? Any ideas?”
“Tmmk mm gmmg mmmfff...” Meryn said with a low growl to her voice.
“Sorry, what was that? I’m having trouble understanding.”
“Mmmm...” Saira said. “Mmm thmmk shmm smmd tmmk hmmr gmmg mmff.”
Saira was just as hard to understand with duct tape wrapped around her mouth. She giggled a bit when Meryn rolled her eyes again.
“Still didn’t catch that. Oh well. Luckily, I’ve called in backup. I even told her who I was and she agreed to come over right away. Probably because I used my real name. Not this Bridgette Baillon nonsense.”
Meryn growled into her gag again. What was she babbling about?
Meryn got her answer when the shackles on her cuffs suddenly popped open and she heard someone... snapping their fingers behind her.
“I’d thank you to release my friend if I hadn’t done it already... Alicia,” a familiar voice said.
“And I’m thinking we should have her swap places with Meryn. What do you think, Lanala?”
Meryn did her best to turn around to look. Her friend, dressed in her usual black, with the brown, caramel skin, orange eyes, and the updo of her wonderfully coloured hair that they could never decide what to call. It wasn’t pink. Strawberry? Fuscia? Whatever it was, Meryn was glad to see Lanala again.
And from the doorway of Alicia’s bedroom, a hulking, muscular amazonian woman with long, purple hair tied back in a ponytail, sharp green eyes, dressed in white, with perfect ivory skin, blocked the doorway and stood with her arms folded.
“I think that’s a fine plan, Artema. But it may have to wait. What’s this about a murder?” Lanala asked.
Meryn loved the sound of utter confidence in Lanala’s voice. Ever since everything that had happened in Esterlin, and the amazing power that she had gained, Lanala seemed to just get stronger. Smarter. And a lot more confident. She wasn’t cocky, like Elyn, but every word she spoke dripped with the knowledge that everything was in hand. And, with power like hers, it really was.
“Ah, ladies. Good to see you again. How’s your ‘retirement’ going?”
“It was fine until you called me,” Artema said. “And I’ve been dying to get a shot at you again, you slippery snake.”
Alicia blushed a little. “Oh, please, Agent Hunter. Compliments will get you everywhere.”
“Enough,” Lanala said. “Tell us about this Silver.”
“I don’t know much, Agent Spark,” Alicia said with a smirk. “The one who knows the most is your gorgeous, golden eyed friend.”
Lanala looked to Meryn, who was still firmly stuck in her chains despite having her hands free. With a snap of her fingers, all of the steel restraints came loose and fell to the floor. A muffled squeal caught her attention and the pretty, short haired girl tied to the chair beside Meryn looked to Lanala with pleading eyes.
“Here,” she said, with another snap of her fingers. The zip ties and duct tape came loose from her body and Saira stretched her muscles and stood up. “Thank you,” she said.
“Yeah... Thanks,” Meryn said. “It’s been a while, Lanala. But I’m glad you two are here.”
Artema crossed the room and placed a hand on Meryn’s shoulder, looking down into her eyes. “I’m surprised you didn’t wring Alicia’s neck, from the look in your eyes. You okay?”
“Been chained up for a fair while. But otherwise... can’t complain. So she called you?” Meryn asked, nodding toward Alicia in her new persona.
“I don’t know how she got hold of us. This woman is way more resourceful than I ever thought. But she seemed to think you were in trouble, too.”
Meryn sighed. “Well, she’s not really wrong. I’ve been having a few problems...”
“Well, this one was my fault, actually,” Saira said, stepping closer to the two of them.
Artema eyed her carefully and flashed her a warm smile. “I’m sure that’s not true. Who are you?”
“This is Saira,” Meryn said. “We’re, um... we’re good friends.”
“And how did you get tangled up in this, Saira?” Artema asked.
“I was with Meryn at a bar, playing pool. And we started playing against this famous boxer and then... well the rest is all a blur, really.”
Artema raised an eyebrow. “You were... out? With someone?”
“I um... yeah. I asked... well... I asked her out,” Meryn said, finishing the last sentence quickly.
Artema playfully punched her in the arm. “Good on you.”
“Artema, if you don’t mind... there’s a problem to solve.”
Artema nodded. “Right. This Silver Woman or whatever.”
“She just goes by Silver. Her real name is Sylvia Green. She was a soldier and, well, they did something to her and now she has crazy, superhuman strength.”
“Like, actually superhuman?” Artema asked.
Meryn looked her mentor over for a moment. She remembered a time when this hulking, muscular woman was what she thought of as superhuman. But even Artema had never punched a hole in a brick wall with her bare hands.
“Definitely,” Meryn said. “Artema she... she tossed me around like a child. And didn’t even break a sweat.”
“Sounds pretty tough then,” Artema said. She looked to her wife and Lanala finally decided to join them. Lanala had been lost in thought.
“What are you thinking?”
“She sounds dangerous. If Meryn is actually afraid of her-”
“Lanala, hang on, I never-”
“Meryn, it’s okay to be afraid. I heard it in your voice. But, like I was saying, if you’re afraid of her, I know she’s the real deal. So Artema... I don’t think you’ll be able to handle her. Hard as that is for me to say...”
“Lanala, you can’t be suggesting you’re doing this on your own...” Artema said.
“Maybe not exactly all on my own. Since my power is weak in a world like this. Not to mention she must have a stronger constitution than your average person... but my power should be enough to keep her off balance.”
“Should?” Alicia asked, joining the rest of them. “I never like the sound of ‘should.’
“Well, Alicia,” Lanala said. “You ‘should’ keep your nose out of it. Your job is done. For keeping Meryn and her pretty girlfriend-”
“Oh, she’s not... I mean, not that I wouldn’t... um.. we aren’t...”
Saira blushed and giggled at how flustered Meryn was at the mere mention of the word.
“Meryn, relax,” Lanala said. “Anyway, Alicia... While I take Meryn out to deal with this Silver... I think Artema and Saira should get to have some fun at your expense. It’s only fair.”
“Hmmm...” Saira said. “She has left me tied up twice now. How about you, ma’am?”
Artema smiled. “No need for the ‘ma’am’ stuff. Not anymore. Call me Artema. And anyway... it was just the once for me...”
Alicia smiled wide. “Glad to know I’ve touched so many lives in so many ways...”
“At any rate,” Lanala continued. “Meryn and I will handle Silver.”
“Well what am I going to do?”
“Keep her distracted. And busy. It already sounds like that won’t be problem. Will it?”
“Well, no. But she doesn’t know ‘me’ me. So... I think I need a change. If you know what I’m saying.”
Lanala nodded. “Right. Back to the HQ then?”
“That’s where all my stuff is.”
“Okay. So we do that, you get whatever you need, and then we find Silver.”
“And what are you going to do, exactly?” Meryn asked.
“Get inside her head. You think Elyn’s the only one with telepathy? Ever since Esterlin I can do all sorts of things with just a simple thought. Even here in Weston, with all it’s weak magic.”
Meryn sighed and let out a chuckle. “Damn... you could be one big help, Lanala. What do you think it would take to ask you to stay and help out for a bit?”
When Lanala smiled her usual, charming, sweet grin, Meryn admitted to herself that she sorely missed seeing it. Having Lanala or Mirelle around to brighten all their days was something she didn’t have much of anymore. Although Saira did bring that into her life, in an even more meaningful way...
“Meryn... asking for help? What universe are we in again?”
“Come on, Lanala. I’m serious.”
“Oh, I know. You’re always serious. Tell you what... Artema and I can stick around Weston for a bit. I’ll help when you need it. Jonas can keep me posted.”
Meryn rolled her eyes. “Oh. Yeah, about him... Has he told you yet?”
“Told me what?”
Meryn shook her head. “Seems we’ve both got some stuff creeping up on us from the past. And ask him about The Seeker. He’ll know what you mean.”
“The... oh. I think I get what you’re driving at. This all sounds pretty serious...”
“We’ll have to see. But... thanks. I really appreciate the help, Lanala.”
“Now I’ll just need some super identity or something. That’s become a thing in town, right?”
“I mean, you don’t really have to...”
“How about ‘Sorceress?” Lanala asked.
Saira spoke up then. “Pretty sure that’s already a thing.”
“Damn. Maybe Magnet... something. Magneto? Magneta? Storm?”
“All taken...” Saira said. “And copyrighted.
“Ah hell... Guess I’ll have to just stick to my boring old name then.”
“If you’re done, dear...” Artema said. “I think you and Meryn should get going. Alicia and I have some catching up to do...”
“Oh, Artema. You spoil me!” Alicia said.
Artema said nothing and pushed Alicia toward one of the chairs Meryn and Saira had been tied to. She and Saira sat her down and began discussing what they should do.
“Let’s get going, Meryn. When is this fight supposed to take place?”
Meryn glanced at a clock on the wall. “Damn. Less than an hour. We need to hurry.”
Lanala smirked. “Oh, no problem. Take my hand...”
“Uh... what?”
“Just... close your eyes. It might make you dizzy.”
“Huh?”
“Here we go!” Lanala snapped her fingers again and both she and Meryn disappeared, as though popping right out of existence. Meryn gasped as she forced her eyes shut.
In seconds, they were standing in her room inside the Weston Agency HQ. Lanala grinned from ear to ear.
“Holy crap, Lanala...” Meryn said.
“I’ve got my share of tricks these days. Now... get yourself ready. We don’t have much time.”
...
The trainer watched helplessly as the woman covered her own green hair with a wig cap before pulling on a long blonde wig, fixing it until it look natural with her bright blue colour contacts.
“Mmmmph!” she grunted, battling the strong duct tape used to bind her.
“Quiet,” Silver said, looking herself over. Though her face was a bit different, at a glance and even on television from a distance, she looked exactly like Ivana Dragunova. The only person who would know it wasn’t really her would be Roberta Ryerson. And the referee, of course, but he was just another hired goon in Silver’s employ. He wouldn’t blow the whistle on her.
The trainer was practically mummified in duct tape, lying on her stomach on a narrow bench in the middle of the dressing room. More of the tape was thoroughly wrapped around her mouth, holding in a fresh pair of socks Silver had stolen from Ivana’s equipment bag.
Silver looked herself over in the mirror, making certain the wig was properly placed, and took in the sight. She made for a convincing sight, minus the scar on the eyebrow Ivana had, wearing her black tank top and matching short trunks with silver trim.
The trainer could barely move but struggled anyway in a vain attempt to break herself free of the miles of tape Silver had used but she was totally helpless.
“Lmmt mm mmt mmph thmmph!” the trainer grunted.
The woman, named Sasha, glared into the mirror at her captor and struggled mightily, her dark hair swaying and brushing into her face. After everything that had happened with that damn PI Bridgette Baillon she was more than a little annoyed at being bound and gagged yet again. With Bridgette, it had been the only way to hire her to help Ivana. At least that time she managed to escape the twisted PI’s ropes and then would get to tie her up when the job was done... but she hadn’t expected to be ambushed by Silver herself.
“Can’t understand you,” Silver said.
But can you understand me? An echoing whisper sang within Silver’s mind and she whirled around at the sound of it, throwing a punch on instinct... and connecting with thin air.
“W-what? Who said that?”
“Hmmph?” Sasha furrowed her brow. Silver’s sudden paranoia could not have come from nowhere...
You did. With your thoughts. I am your conscience..
“Get out of my head. You don’t even speak in my voice... Do you think I’m stupid? I know what goes on in a weird place like Weston.”
Do you, Sylvia? Do you really?
Silver flew into an instant rage and punched the concrete wall, cracking it and shaking the room a little. “Don’t you dare use that name!”
“But what if I used it?”
Silver smirked and turned around, hearing the familiar voice. The Maiden stood before her, in her tight, cropped shirt, tight short shorts, flat shoes, long gloves, and eye mask, all in yellow. Her red bobbed hair and golden eyes helped make certain that there was no mistaking her.
“You and I already danced this dance, Maiden,” Silver said. “No need to do it again. Unless you need another lesson...”
Meryn stood tall, closing the dressing room door behind her. Sasha gasped into her gag at the sight of the infamous superheroine vigilante.
“Maybe you ought to teach me again, then,” Meryn said. “Or maybe we do this the other way around. You need help, Sylvia. I can help you.”
Silver growled under her breath, her eyes narrowed, and she tightly clenched her fists. “Not this again...”
“It was wrong what they did to you. You’re right about this city. It’s rotten. But so what? A few people messed it up... that’s no reason to destroy it. That’s every reason to fix it. To make things right.”
“That... that won’t give me my life back...”
“And neither will destroying everything, nor murdering innocent people.”
Silver chuckled. “Innocent? You don’t know a thing about that woman out there, do you? Roberta Ryerson is a monster. You know she was in the military. She led my goddamn platoon! She... she funded them! The ones who did this to me!”
“You can be better than them,” Meryn said. “You don’t have to be like them. They’ll face justice for what they’ve done.”
Silver chuckled, bemused. “Justice? You think you know what justice is because you put on a mask and beat people up? You really think you know justice because you’re ‘better’ than me?”
“I’ve been doing this a long time. I’ve seen a lot... I know what justice is by now. And it’s not what you’re doing.”
Silver tensed her muscles and made to launch herself at Meryn... only to stumble and nearly fall to the floor. She leaned against the wall to keep her balance, barely able to stand. The room began to spin for her and she could no longer focus her vision.
“What... what’s happening to...” Silver collapsed to her hands and knees, still feeling dizzy, now beginning to feel faint. Sleep now... the same whispering voice said in her head. Give in. It’s all over now...
“No.. I... won’t do... it....” Silver fell down face first onto the floor, finally falling unconscious. With a snap echoing around the room, Lanala appeared. Sasha jumped at the sudden appearance of another woman in the room.
When Lanala bent down to grab Silver’s arm, her head swam and she reached up to her throbbing forehead.
“Woah... that took a lot more out of me than I was expecting.”
“Well, it worked,” Meryn said, rushing to her side. “What are you going to do?”
“Alicia says Ivana is in the building but waiting for the right signal. I’m going to show her that Silver is unconscious. You help the trainer.”
“And then what?”
“Silver is going to wake up soon. I only have time to show Ivana that it’s safe and then get Silver out of here. I can’t tie her up or anything because I don’t have anything strong enough to hold her. I’m just taking her far away.”
“Well then how do we protect Ryerson?”
“Artema is going to take care of that. She still has connections, you know.”
“Did you... talk to her?” Meryn asked.
“I have that ability, yes,” Lanala said. “Now, let’s get going. Get the trainer out of that tape.”
Holding on to Silver’s arm, Lanala snapped her fingers and they both disappeared again. Meryn rushed to the trainer and started cutting her free, removing the gag first.
“Oh my God, thank you... what the hell is going on here?”
“Well all that is kinda hard to explain,” Meryn said, working the duct tape loose. “But Ivana can fill you in on what happened to her.”
“But she’s all right?”
“Yes, thanks to that... PI... you hired...” Meryn said, disdain in her voice.
“Ah yes...” Sasha said. “She’s... eccentric. But I still have unfinished business with her.”
“Oh you’ll get to see her again. A couple friends of mine will be dropping her off at your house later on tonight.”
Sasha smiled and sat up, stretching her muscles as the tape was finally removed from her body. “Good. I’ve got some frustrations to release...”
...
Artema set the chair down with it’s bound and gagged captive, squirming and giggling, in the centre of the darkened living room. They were expecting Sasha home at any moment after the fight had reached its conclusion.
“You know,” Saira said. “She does have a team on standby. They could just come in and free her at any time if she gives the signal.”
“While that’s true... she won’t,” Artema said. “I know her type. She’s having too much fun.”
Saira let out a long breath. “Yeah, I can see that...”
“Mmmhmmph!” Alicia giggled. She struggled a bit with the black ropes binding her body but, knowing Artema was the one who tied them, she wasn’t going to be escaping on her own. A big, strong woman like her had the strength to tie iron tight knots and put them well out of reach of Alicia’s nimble fingers.
The rope circled her arms and torso above and below her breasts, cinched into loops and tightened to hold her arms tight to her sides. Her wrists were crossed and tied behind the chair and further restrained by a rope that looped around her waist and the back of the chair. More rope held her legs above and below the knees and at the ankles. Her ankles, in turn., were anchored to each chair leg by more rope to completely immobilize the captive.
Using Alicia’s own duct tape, Artema stuffed her mouth full of cloths and then sealed them inside with a heavy wrapping of the tape. Although she was finding it to be a rather unsatisfying revenge for the time Alicia had left Artema and several of her agents bound and gagged in an office building. Because Alicia was having far too much fun. Thinking back, however, Artema did remember the strange vibrating belts that Alicia had used on her captives and how enjoyable they had made the experience in the hours leading up to Lanala rescuing them...
Artema gave her head a shake and stepped back. Alicia giggled louder.
“Rmmmmbmmrmmng smmthmmg?” Alicia said, tilting her head to the side.
Artema just shook her head. “Can’t understand you, West. Just sit tight and wait for your appointment to arrive.”
Alicia just giggled and resumed her struggling. Artema couldn’t tell if she was actually trying to escape or not but, either way, she was certainly enjoying herself.
“I still think we should blindfold her,” Saira said. “Or something. I don’t know. This doesn’t feel... satisfying. I know I certainly didn’t like being tied up this much.”
“It’s not for everyone,” Artema said. “I myself have always been partial to it.”
“Wait... you like to be tied up?”
“Ever since I was a kid, actually,” Artema said. “Though, at first, it was just a challenge to see how fast I could escape. I always enjoyed the challenge and got pretty good at that. Once I mastered that, I found it was a good way to meditate and relax. And then, well... I started to get even more out of it. With my wife.”
“Oh, that pretty pink-haired lady?” Saira asked.
“It’s not pink,” Artema said with a smile. “At least, Lanala would be annoyed by calling it that. She calls it-”
“Strawberry,” a voice said from the doorway behind them.
Artema turned around and her smile grew wider, her green eyes shone, and she bounded over to Lanala like an excited school girl. “That’s what I was going to say, my dear...”
“Oh, I know.”
“So how long have you been standing there?”
“Long enough to hear you talk about being tied up. Speaking of...” Lanala stepped forward and wrapped her hands around Artema’s shoulders, pressing her body against her wife’s. “We could use a bit of relaxation, I think.”
“Maybe. Where’s Meryn?”
“On her way. She had to make sure Ivana and Sasha were okay before she left.”
“So how was it? The fight, I mean?”
“Oh crap!” Saira said. “I missed that whole fight! Damn all these kidnappers. Speaking of which, what ever happened to that huge blonde woman?”
“Who... oh,” Artema said, the smile dropping from her face. “I’ll bet she knows. Alicia!”
Alicia stopped wriggling in her bonds and looked up at Artema. “Hmmph?”
“What did you do with Farrah?”
Alicia giggled and shrugged. “Hmmr gmms tmmk hmmr mmwmmm.”
Artema turned back to Lanala. “I have no idea what she just said.”
“I heard ‘goons’ and ‘away’ I think,” Saira said. “Her goons took her away?”
Alicia nodded.
“Damn. I was kinda hoping the cops found her and put her in jail.”
Alicia shrugged.
“Farrah usually escapes things like that,” Artema said. “She wouldn’t have if I was involved.”
“Well... at least she got some of what she deserved.” Saira looked to Alicia again. “You do know how to tie up girls pretty well, after all...”
Alicia giggled again and simply shrugged into her bonds.
“So how was the fight?” Saira asked, turning back to Lanala and Artema.
“Well, it didn’t last very long. Just a couple rounds and Ivana held on to her title. Pretty impressive, considering she was a kidnap victim only a few hours before that.”
“Well I’ll have to catch the replay...” Saira said. “Still, I’m not surprised. Dragunova has always been way quicker than Ryerson. And more technically skilled, lands more solid, upper body punches.”
The door opened then and Meryn stepped inside, dressed back in her tank top and jeans again, spotting Alicia first before anything else. “I see I’ve missed a few things...” she said.
“We just gave her a taste of her own medicine,” Saira said. “Though she likes it...”
“Can’t win ‘em all,” Meryn said.
Lanala and Artema smiled at each other and headed for the door. “It was good to see you again, Meryn,” Artema said.
“We’ll give you two a bit of time to yourselves,” Lanala said. “See you later?”
“Yeah,” Meryn said. “And thanks.”
“You just be careful out there. We’ll be around, if you need us.”
Meryn and Saira let the two of them leave before stepping outside on their own, leaving a bound and gagged Alicia to her ‘appointment’ with Sasha. They walked together for awhile, not saying anything, before Saira spoke up first.
“Hey, um... you okay?”
“Yeah,” Meryn said. “Still got a bit of a headache but I’ll be fine.”
“You know, in spite of the kidnapping and the other kidnapping... I had a nice time.”
“Come on, Saira. No need to save my feelings. I know that whole night was a disaster.”
“Well, you did promise time together. And here we are, two days later, still together. I’d call that a success.”
Meryn flashed Saira a sidelong glance. “Look me in the eye and say that was what you were expecting.”
“Well... no. But, I need to admit something to you. Getting tied up again wasn’t really all that fun but I actually sort of liked it knowing you were there. And, even though you were hurting a bit... you looked really good.”
Meryn gave her head a shake. “I think you’re just tired. Exhaustion’s making you delirious...”
“No I... I wouldn’t mind seeing that again, actually.”
“Well, don’t get used to it. I only ever do that stuff for training. It’s a good challenge but that’s it. When it happens for real... I don’t tend to enjoy myself, if you know what I mean.”
Saira chuckled. “Yeah, I got that. But maybe... I could help you with your training?”
“You don’t need to do that. I’ve gotten you into enough trouble as it is.”
“Wait... are you... Meryn, you can’t do that to yourself. You can’t just isolate yourself because you’re afraid of hurting people.”
Meryn went silent for a long time, still walking beside Saira, looking up at the stars above them. “You... you deserve better than that. I don’t... I don’t want to see you hurt, Saira.”
“What if that’s a risk I’m willing to take?”
“Saira...” Meryn stopped when she felt Saira grab onto her hand, pulling her closer.
“I mean it. Meryn, you’re awesome. And I know you think everything that happened was a disaster but I think it made us closer...” Saira pressed in closer to Meryn, not quite touching her. “You must feel the same.”
“I...” Meryn couldn’t find any words. They both wrapped their arms around each other in that moment and held each other close. “I um... I don’t... I mean, I’m not sure if-”
Saira gently shushed her. “It’s okay. Nice and slow. No rushing into things when you’re not ready. Okay?”
Meryn nodded. “Okay...”
“Let’s do this again sometime, okay?” Saira asked.
“What, get kidnapped?” Meryn asked.
Saira laughed. “No I mean, spend some time together. Maybe actually call it a date, yeah?”
“Okay... but where?” Meryn asked.
“Wherever you want.”
Thinking back on all she had learned about Saira, Meryn let herself smile. “How about the batting cages? I’m a switch hitter, you know...”
“Are you? You’ll have to show me,” Saira said.
“We’ll see who can hit more fastballs.”
Saira laughed again. “Everything is a game to you. How about we make it interesting this time?”
“A bet? I knew you were hustler.”
“Maybe... but lets say... the winner ties up the loser. Call it a... training exercise.”
“Saira... you and I both know that neither of us are really into that.”
“Maybe not in the same was as that Binder but... I think you liked the way I looked, too. It could be fun. And we could even turn that into a game. Fastest one to escape gets a hundred bucks.”
“And you want to put money on it? You’re in trouble there...”
Saira giggled. “Why? You some kind of escape artist? I didn’t see any of that in that warehouse...”
Meryn stifled a laugh. “Oh, now we’re getting personal? All right, smart mouth. How about tomorrow night? First the batting cages, then back to my place for some ‘training.’ How’s that?”
“Sounds like a date. I can’t wait...”
“And you know what? Neither can I...” Meryn said.
After a long pause, they both finally leaned forward and pressed their lips together. The kiss was gentle, a bit hesitant on Meryn’s part, and it didn’t last too long but they both smiled when they pulled back.
“I wouldn’t mind doing more of that, either,” Saira said, peering into Meryn’s golden eyes.
“Neither would I, Saira. Neither would I...” Meryn said.
Story Theme Song: Rush- Secret Touch