It had been a long time since Meryn felt this good about... well, anything. Ever since that night of pool where they both found themselves kidnapped... twice... she hadn’t wanted to spend time with anyone else but Saira.

Despite the ordeal, it seemed Saira was quite fond of playing tie up games with Meryn and watching her do escape training. So she often entertained her that way. But this time, they decided on something else. It was Meryn’s idea, actually. She had a perfect spot all picked out in the vast oceanside park of Weston. Near the centre, a hill rose up above the trees and the light of the moon shone upon it every night. Not only that but it had a perfect view of the ocean and the beautiful sunsets across the endless horizon. So Meryn chose there to set up a blanket on the ground and a bottle of strong whiskey.

At first, Meryn assumed a classy, smaller girl like Saira had a taste for wine. But they had taken to trying to go shot for shot with each other and often downed cheap whiskey. This went on night after night one week until they both got sick of waking up hungover and decided to that a little less often.

So for all the tie up games, whiskey shot battles, pool matches and even poker games... Meryn and Saira had been seeing each other for all of three months. Though she worried that she had heard nothing of Silver or her super powered cronies in that time, Meryn knew that wouldn’t last. So, until she found something tangible... she finally decided to make the most of it. By spending it with Saira.

The caramel-skinned beauty leaned her head on Meryn’s shoulder as the sky above began to darken. She had been spending her time taking swigs from the bottle of whiskey, passing it back to Meryn, and pointing at clouds, trying to decide what they looked like.

“A... a train?”

“That’s not a train,” Meryn said. “It just looks like a white... puffy... thing.”

“No no. You can see the smoke stack. And the smoke coming out of it.”

“Steam,” Meryn corrected. “If there’s smoke coming out of a train, it’s on fire.”

“Whatever! You know what I mean!” Saira said, playfully punching Meryn’s arm. “And anyway, that’s actually vapour you’re seeing when steam contacts the air. Steam itself is invisible.”

Meryn rolled her eyes. “Always there to one-up me, Ms. Engineer...”

“Mechanic,” Saira said. “That’s what I went to school for.”

“Ah, whatever. Some kind of machine working type, anyway.”

Saira just giggled and leaned in closer to Meryn. She pointed to another cloud.

"Check that one out! It looks like… a catalytic converter!"

"Okay I don't even know what that is, car genius. And it doesn't look like anything. It's just another puffy white thing."

"Well how do you if you don't know what one looks like?"

Meryn simply chuckled and took Saira by the hand, watching the clouds go by.

"You're just Captain Buzzkill aren't you?" Saira said playfully. "You need imagination when you look at clouds, you know?"

"Or some kind of hallucinogenic."

"Meryn… it's fun!"

"If you say so…"

They both went silent for a moment as the sun dipped further into the horizon. The sky was beginning to a gorgeous mix of yellow, red, and orange.

"Red sky at night," Saira said. "Sailor's delight."

"And ours," Meryn added.

Meryn wondered then if Saira was thinking what she was thinking. They had spent all this time together, yes, and had grown to care deeply for one another. But neither of them told each other exactly how they felt.

Meryn always had trouble with things like that. She had grown too used to burying her feelings. She just wondered if Saira was feeling the same way.

In truth, Saira wanted to tell her every day. But she could see Meryn struggling with herself and decided not to pressure her by just blurting it all out at once. She trusted that Meryn would find the words. And hoped day by day that Meryn was building the courage to finally start letting herself feel things.

For the moment, however, just the silence, the cool breeze, and the beautiful sunset were all the two needed. Meryn fought against herself and allowed her arm to wrap around Saira’s waist. In turn, Saira pressed in closer to Saira and Meryn felt her heartbeat quicken.

They both turned to look at each other, meeting each other’s gaze.

“You know,” Meryn said. “I think this is the whiskey talking but... you’re really pretty.”

Saira smiled. “Really? What other nice things does the whiskey say about me?”

“Um... you’re probably the most fun person I’ve ever known. And the sweetest. The most patient-”

“Meryn.”

Saira sat up and planted a soft kiss on Meryn’s cheek. “You’re too cute when you’re nervous.”

Meryn blushed a bit. “I... I don’t really like to think of myself as... cute. Bad for my, um... my image. You know?”

“Tough girls can be cute. I’m looking at one,” Saira said, smiling sweetly.

“Well... I think the jury’s still out on that one.”

“Not just cute,” Saira said. “Gorgeous. The best, most unique eyes I’ve ever seen... I can’t believe you’re real.”

“Stop that...” Meryn said, rubbing her neck and feeling her face get hot.

“Meryn... it’s true. You’re just... you’re the best.”

“That’s not true.”

“It is.”

“No,” Meryn said. “Because you’re the best. I can’t be, by definition.”

Saira giggled again. “Ah, Meryn... I love your attempted jokes.”

“What do you mean attempted?” Meryn said, pretending to be indignant.

They shared a laugh together, though Meryn’s was partially stifled as it always was. They looked at each other again and Meryn felt the urge to finally say the words...

Saira waited, wondering if this was the time...

When Meryn suddenly pulled back and lost her nerve, taking another swig from the bottle of whiskey, passing it to Saira again.

“Sorry...” she said, grimacing and watching the sunset again.

“Meryn... it’s okay. But can I just ask... what happened?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean. Why do you fight your feelings like that? What happened to cause that?”

Saira passed the bottle back to Meryn and she downed a big swig before passing it back again. “Too much...”

“Well... if you ever want to talk about it-”

“I’ll be fine,” Meryn said, cutting her off. She didn’t want to saddle a sweet girl like Saira with the burdens of her past. “I’m sorry. I’ll let it happen eventually.”

“You don’t have to be sorry. I understand...”

“God... you’re too nice to me.”

“Meryn, you deserve that. All the good you do... for everyone. You’re a hero, you know? The real deal...”

In that moment, Meryn’s golden eyes flashed with worry and anger and Saira leaned back again. “Did... did I say something wrong?”

Meryn sighed. “No I just... I didn’t know that you, well.... had me figured out.”

“I’ve always kind of suspected. And the way that one big, blonde woman talked to you, and that PI, and your friends... Plus you look a like. That mask doesn’t do much to hide it.”

Meryn chuckled. “I suppose not. And I’ve gotten away without it being secret before. I don’t know why I’ve chosen to hide it this time. Guess I just got used to doing it that way back in Esterlin.”

“Back in... where?”

“That... I don’t think I could explain that. It’s just... it’s another place.”

“Okay... You do have one hell of a past. So... how long have you been doing the whole beat up bad guys thing?”

“A while. On my own since my mom... well, nevermind about that. Probably since my teens, then.”

“Jeez, when you were a kid?”

“Yeah...”

“How did you come up with the name?”

“Something I earned back home. When I started making a name for myself. ‘Gold-Eyed Maiden’ they used to call me. So I just... stuck with it.”

“Huh. That’s pretty cool.”

“Nothing cool about it. It gets rough.”

“I can only imagine. But I’m glad you’ve been there to save me. Twice.”

“Once,” Meryn corrected. “Don’t forget we were both kidnapped last time. Damn that woman’s lucky shot.”

“I distracted you...”

“Nah, I just wasn’t focussed enough. Not your fault.”

Saira shook her head and sighed. “Quick to accept fault but deflects praise... I’ll fix you yet!”

“Oh yeah?” Meryn said. “How are you going to do that?”

Saira climbed over toward her and sat down in Meryn’s lap. “Give me some rope and tape and I’ll show you...”

“Oh, stop that. You just like seeing me tied up.”

“Who doesn’t?”

“Saira... I know you’re not paying attention when I show you how to escape every time you ask. But you know what? I don’t care. I just love seeing that happy look in your eyes.”

“So that’s why you let me tie you up so much!”

“We should switch that around more often,” Meryn said. “Maybe see what you’ve learned.”

“Maybe... I think I’d like that.”

Saira leaned forward and let Meryn come to her as their lips connected. A long, sweet, gentle kiss accompanied the setting of the sun as the sky above fell into full darkness. When they pulled back they both flashed wide smiles.

“Thank you...” Meryn said.

“No, thank you!’ Saira echoed. “Hey, now that it’s night... how about we break out the wine coolers?”

“Saira... I hate those.”

“I know! But I could use one. I’ll be right back!”

“Please do,” Meryn said. “I’ll be here.”

“I know you will,” Saira said, smiling sweetly yet again.

Meryn couldn’t keep her eyes off of Saira as she disappeared down the hill back to her car. She rested her arms on her knees and leaned forward, staring at the moon hanging high in the sky.

I’ve got to tell her she thought to herself. Stop fighting it! You know you love her, Meryn! Just tell her!

Meryn’s internal scolding was interrupted by a frightened shriek from Saira’s car.

“Saira?” Meryn asked. “What’s the matter?”

She didn’t get a response. Meryn was on her feet in a blink. “Saira! Are you okay!?”

Saira still didn't answer. Meryn started running down the hill after her. Her car came into view first and there was no sign of her.

"Saira… where are you?"

"Mmmphh!"

The muffled voice answered from somewhere behind Meryn. When she turned around, she clenched her fists and every muscle in her body tensed.

A woman Meryn knew too well stood behind Saira, holding onto her arm. Saira herself had been quickly wrapped up in layers of duct tape, trapping her arms at her sides and her hands behind her back. More of the tape was heavily wrapped around her mouth.

"Mmrmmyn!"

"Getting complacent…. Maiden," the woman behind her said.

Though the eye mask around her pale eyes hid her identity somewhat, there was no mistaking the knee high boots, pleated battle skirt, cape and sleeveless shirt… the knee high boots, all silver in colour and accented in black and white…

"Silver.. What do you want?"

"Want? You know what I want. This damn city in ruins for what they did to me."

"What does that have to do with an innocent girl?"

"Plenty when she's a weakness for someone standing in my way."

Meryn would have rushed her already but she had two reasons for staying back. One, Silver had already taught her that a physical fight was pointless. Silver's superhuman strength was more than proof of that.

The second reason… was the woman standing beside her. She seemed vaguely familiar to Meryn and that's when a name popped into her head… Freya Erika. Notorious jewel thief and, more importantly, one of the people transformed within the commandeered lab.

She wore a shimmering tiara on her head laced with emeralds, diamonds and rubies. Her outfit was.. eccentric to say the least.

A one piece, skintight bodysuit, bright green in colour, with gems adorning her body in just about every imaginable place.

Her silver belt was studded with diamonds and sapphires. She had fingerless gloves, also green, with rubies around each knuckle.

Her shoulders were adorned with heavy pads with huge emeralds embedded in the centre of each one. She also wore elbow pads with sapphires and knee pads with rubies. Her heeled boots, also green, had myriad jewels encrusted around the trim at her ankles and around the eyelets for the laces. More belts with more jewels crossed her chest diagonally in both directions.

Her long, auburn hair and ivory skin, along with well set cheekbones high on her face and a slender look to her jaw made her rather beautiful to Meryn. Though she could hardly find anyone attractive if they were holding her girlfriend hostage. Girlfriend… that was the first time she realized it. Of course she was… Saira was her girlfriend and she loved her…

"You've noticed my associate I see," Silver said. "Yes she's responsible for holding onto my valuables. And other people's. Which is what she'll be doing for you."

"I'm not letting you take her."

Silver pushed Saira into the strange woman's grasp and stepped in front of them both.

"Go. I'll hold this one off."

The woman said nothing, dragging poor Saira along to a waiting van. Meryn made to go after her.

"Get back here!"

She was stopped dead as though hitting a wall when Silver's hand came in contact with her shoulder.

"Step off… This is the part where you listen."

"Listen to this…" Meryn said, reacting on instinct and slamming her fist straight into Silver's jaw.

The woman stepped back, a bit surprised at Meryn's reaction, but was otherwise unaffected.

"So… That's how you want to play this? Fine…"

With barely an effort, Silver threw a soft punch to Meryn's collarbone and sent her flying backward, sprawled out on the parking lot pavement on her back.

"She stays with us until you give yourself up to me. Don't test me again, Maiden. Give yourself up, stop what you're doing, and she will not be harmed."

Meryn stumbled to her feet again. "Do you really expect me to go for that?"

"I expect it'll give you something to think about while you figure out where we're hiding her. Go on then. Do your thing."

Silver turned and left for the van, getting in as Meryn gave chase. The van took off and Meryn dove for it in desperation, missing completely and falling to the road. She pushed herself up and watched it leave, fire in her eyes.

She got up and headed for Saira's car, speeding off to the Agency headquarters and her gear. No way was she giving herself up. No way…

…

The goons patrolled the parking lot, bored out of their minds, seemingly waiting for something. Two large men walked back and forth in the parking lot, while four large women in black suits waited in the shadows. Another large woman hid herself away in a black van, listening in to their communications. She glared forward at a screen in front of her, monitoring the security feed of the lot. Waiting...

The two goons passed each other and stopped to meet in the middle. “What the hell are we even doing here?” the first one asked.

The second man sighed. “Did you forget again? Seriously?”

“Hey! I didn’t forget! I just wanted you to, um... remind me.”

The second man shook his head again. “The boss says we’re here to grab The Maiden and bring her to the drop-off. Says she’s coming here, though we have been waiting a while...”

“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking? Are you sure this is what Silver wanted?”

“She wouldn’t have sent Farrah and us down here if she thought different,” the second said.

A pair of golden eyes watched from the top of one of the surrounding trees. She hung from a cable clipped to her waist and held high grade, night vision binoculars to her eyes and counted the number of goons lying in wait for her. The four women were all separate, hidden by their black cloths. They’d have to be the first taken out but it was easily done if she kept out of sight. The other two might take a more direct approach. As for the one in the van... Meryn had a plan in mind for her.

“So... we just grab her then?”

“I guess when she shows up... yeah,” the second man said.

“Um... does the boss know it’s The Maiden she’s talking about?”

“I’m sure she knows.”

“Well she made it sound easy. I don’t know if Silver is thinking straight.”

“Whatever. Quit your worrying and just keep an eye out.”

The two men separated and began patrolling again. Meryn lowered her binoculars and slowly made her way down the tree. The first woman she had her eyes on was only about twenty feet in front of her, with her back to Meryn, and facing the parking lot. Checking her belt for her zip ties and tape, Meryn went to work.

The first woman had someone keeping an eye on her. Though they watched the parking lot for signs of The Maiden, they each had eyes on each other in case The Maiden tried anything. Meryn knew this as well and prepared a smoke bomb in her left hand. As she crept up on the woman from behind, she rolled the smoke bomb forward until it was in front of the woman. It went off with a loud pop and the woman was now concealed behind a smoke screen.

“Smoke! We got smoke!” One woman said into her earpiece. “She’s here!”

The woman behind the smokescreen was suddenly grabbed from behind, a hand clamped over her mouth and away into the thick brush behind her. She couldn’t fight the strength of her captor, who had her on the ground, hogtied in plastic zip ties, and tape gagged before she could do anything.

Struggling away on the ground and muffled by her gag, the others started searching the trees for her. Meryn fired her grapple gun at a tree and was lifted off the ground in a flash, leaving the bound and gagged woman hidden in a bush.

The men in the parking lot were on edge, Meryn saw that much. But the three women remaining were still alone, in the dark, and searching on the ground.

One of them passed below the tree Meryn was gripping on to. She lowered herself with the grapple gun, attaching it to her belt and stopping it just above the ground, hanging there. Just as the woman passed underneath, she shrieked as she was suddenly yanked upward when someone grabbed her around the waist.

The other two searching the trees looked in that direction and started heading that way.

Meryn quickly zip tied the woman’s wrists and ankles, leaving her hanging from the tree upside down before gagging her with tape. She zipped off to another tree with her grapple gun while the remaining two headed for the bound and struggling woman hanging from the tree.

“Oh crap...” one of them said. “How did she do this so fast?”

“Gmmt mmgh dmmnnn!!” the bound and gagged woman shrieked, struggling furiously.

“Settle down, jeez...” the other woman said. “Now, how in the hell...”

They were both so transfixed that neither of them heard Meryn land softly on the ground behind them... and grab the one standing back and watching. She couldn’t cry out for help with the sturdy hand silencing her, the zip ties held her wrists and ankles and she was hogtied quickly as well before her mouth was sealed with tape before she could make any real sound.

With just one left, Meryn decided to take a much more direct approach this time.

“Mmmppphh!” the bound woman squealed, trying to nod toward Meryn approaching from the darkness.

“Yeah yeah keep your damn shirt on...” the woman trying to cut her down said. “This cable of whatever is damn hard to-mmph!”

A hand clamped over her mouth and pulled her back, dragging her to the ground. But Meryn had no more zip ties. She instead, with her anger still boiling, slammed the woman’s face into the ground three times until she was knocked unconscious. Though she wasn’t dead, she would certainly be hurt when she woke up... though Meryn hardly cared at that point.

The two goons in the parking lot stopped patrolling and looked to the trees behind them. “You hear anything?” the first asked.

“Nothing...” the second said. “You think the girls found her?”

“They would have said something...”

“Yeah... This isn’t looking good...”

Boldly stepping through the trees, walking with a wide, bracing stance, fists clenched, golden eyes blazing... The Maiden stopped roughly ten feet in front of both men and stared them down.

“You’re right...” the first man said. “This really isn’t looking good.”

“One chance to tell me where your boss went,” Meryn said. “Before I hurt you.”

“We can’t do that,” the first man said.

“The hard way it is then...”

She ran at the first man and he flinched on instinct, shielding his face with his arms.... but nothing hit him.

The second man was moving to get in behind Meryn but was caught by surprise when she turned around and came at him, a heavy fist connecting with his lower jaw and sending him sprawling to the pavement. Then she spun, as the first man moved to attack, and landed two quick punches to either side of his head before moving forward and grabbing his arm. She spun again and used all her momentum and strength as she slung his arm over her shoulder and flipped him over her head, slamming him down on the pavement below. With his partner reeling still, unable to stand from his daze, she kept hold of his arm and stepped on the man’s throat. He choked and gasped as she loomed over him and twisted his arm.

“I let you breathe and you tell me where your goddamn boss went. You understand?”

He just nodded once, gasping from breath when she let the pressure off his throat. “She didn’t tell us where, I swear to you, rea—agghh!!”

“Don’t lie to me,” she said, twisting his arm further and stepping on his throat again. “Tell me!”

She let the pressure off his throat again and the man winced in pain. “I don’t know... but Farrah does! In the van!”

“Farrah...” Meryn said quietly, her eyes narrowing. Rain started to fall around them as Meryn glared down at him. “Tell your boss something for me.”

“What!?”

“Tell her... that if anything happens to that girl she has... she’s as good as dead. You understand!?”

“Yeah! Whatever you want! Just... don’t hurt me!”

“Shut up...” Meryn let go of his arm and stepped away from him, bending down and punching him in the forehead to knock him unconscious.

She walked on toward the van and heard the second man get up. Meryn let him think she didn’t hear him and waited until he was just a few steps behind her...

Whirling around, she grabbed hold of the crowbar he had been concealing and tried to hit her with, wrenching it from his hands and laying him low with a shoulder to the chest... before cracking him once with the crowbar in the face. This knocked him out cold and opened a gash on his forehead.

With all of her opponents on the outside unconscious, tied up, or bleeding... Meryn finally turned her focus upon the van.

“Farrah!” she shouted, trying the back doors to find them locked. She pounded her fist on the steel. “Farrah! Open this damn door now! I know you’re in there!”

Though she never felt truly scared of Meryn, Farrah had never heard such a snarl to her tone before. Meryn liked to keep her cool and this burst of sudden and terrifying rage... it was unsettling. So Farrah didn’t know how to respond.

Remaining silent, and feeling a wave of fear course through her body, Farrah wheeled the chair she was sitting in to the back of the van and picked up a crowbar of her own to defend herself as Meryn continued banging on the doors.

“Damn it! Open these damn doors, Farrah!”

Meryn slammed one end of the crowbar into the doors and pried with all her strength... only to bend the steel slightly and have the crowbar come loose. She jammed it in to the gap again, finding the latch and pried at it again with all her might... and this time the door popped open.

The two met eyes as Meryn jumped into the back of the van, the whole vehicle shaking under her weight... Farrah brandished the crowbar in both hands, cowering at the back of the van. She had no idea what had come over her but this time Meryn’s rage was... just about the worst thing she could imagine.

“H-hey there, Goldie...” Farrah said. “Listen, um... how about we drop the pretense here and just cut to the chase, hmm?”

Meryn said nothing and charged at her grabbing the crowbar in her hands and pulling it out of her hands. She threw down the one she was holding and took Farrah by the throat, pushing her up against the wall of the van.

“I’ve had just about enough of your games...” Meryn said. “You know what I want.”

“Hey...” Farrah coughed and gasped for breath. “Let... up... I can’t...”

“Silver! Now!” Meryn spat, practically snarling when she spoke.

“At... at the...”

“At the what!?” Meryn asked, loosening her grip on Farrah’s throat a bit.

“At the old steel mill... Inside... the loading bay...”

“Is that where they’re holding Saira?”

“It was... the drop-off. I think so...”

“You think!?” Meryn squeezed her throat tighter.

“Meryn... please...”

“Where the hell are they keeping her!?”

“All I... ghhk... know is the... steel... mill...”

Meryn let her down, gasping for breath again. “You’re telling the truth?”

Farrah clutched at her throat and dropped to her knees. “Of course I am...” she said, her voice hoarse.

“If you’re not... Farrah... there will be no place to hide,” Meryn said through gritted teeth. She picked up Farrah by the hair and wrapped her hand around the larger woman’s throat again. “So help me if you’re playing more fucking games with me-”

“I’m not! I... I swear!”

“We’ll soon find out. This time, if you’re lying to me... I’ll put you in the damn ground...”

Meryn pushed hard and Farrah hit her head on the side of the van, even harder, crumpling to the floor. In a daze, gasping for breath, Meryn left her in the van, slamming the back door behind her and taking off into the night.

...

The old steel mill. It was always the abandoned steel mill. It was where Mr. Sun had taken Celia. It was where Meryn had faced down Trent White and rescued that redheaded PI. It was where Silver had stashed that hockey player she saved... and now it was where Freya Erika, now known as The Jeweller, was holding Saira.

Of course Silver wasn’t here. Despite her super strength and all of her talk, Silver liked to take things to the background and have people do the dirty work for her. It was all part of her plan, of course. To take down the city that ruined her life.

But perhaps her absence was a good thing for Meryn. She had yet to win a physical battle with the woman of super charged strength. And though she didn’t know what The Jeweller was capable of... she would find out.

From what Meryn had observed, from her vantage point atop a multi-story abandoned warehouse, The Jeweller had two main attributes: the ability to turn invisible and augmented eyesight that meant she could see perfectly in the dark. She learned that upon seeing her walk easily between the scattered, old pallets outside the loading bay in the pitch dark. Putting away her night vision binoculars again, Meryn rappelled down the building and landed softly on the ground. Based on what she had seen, she decided there was nothing else for it. If Saira was in this building... she would beat every last one of these people to a bloody pulp until she could get her safely out.

Inside, Saira was heavily taped to a chair. Her ankles were taped to each chair leg and her knees were taped together. Her arms were plastered to the back of the chair and her wrists were held behind it. The tape remained wrapped around her mouth, silencing her. She struggled and writhing, squirming this way and that... thrashing against the tape... but she could not free herself no matter how hard she tried.

And they had just... left her there. Silver had disappeared. Even that woman, The Jeweller she had been called, had disappeared. Though Saira didn’t know that she was still in the room, waiting...

Several of Silver’s hired thugs in black suits milled about the old loading bay but stopped dead when the old bay door started to wind its way open, the gears of the old mechanism squeaking and grinding... and The Maiden was standing at the bottom of the ramp, waiting.

“I’m here...” Meryn took in a breath. She hoped she sounded convincing. “I’m here to give myself up to Silver.”

Saira squealed into her gag when she heard Meryn’s voice. “Nmmm! Dmmmt!!”

Convincing enough for Saira... Meryn thought. Let’s see how this plays out.

“She’s bluffing...” a woman’s voice said from... somewhere. “Grab her. Now.”

The goons did as they were told... only to be taken by surprise as Meryn slammed a smoke bomb down on the ground, blinding and choking them before they could reach her. She grappled to the ceiling, landing behind them and saw Saira, taped up and alone, in the centre of the wide room. She was only about thirty feet away...

But Meryn didn’t rush in. She knew The Jeweller was somewhere, waiting. But she didn’t show herself. Instead the goons came at her, still coughing and sputtering, but ready to fight.

The first to reach her took a heavy kick to the knee, shouting in pain before a fist silenced her cry and sent her crumbling to the floor. Two more got to her. Meryn jumped between them, landing a solid kick to one’s head before spinning around and punching the other in the side of the head, taking them both down. She was surrounded in seconds... but her rage was unbeatable.

Untouchable in the fight, the goons had nothing. None of them had brought guns, on The Jeweller’s orders, so all they had were items to hand... and Meryn disarmed them like child’s play. Though they all were certainly worse for wear as the fists came flying and the concrete floor jumped up to meet their faces as Meryn brought them to the ground.

In minutes, the goons lay around her, writhing in pain, and Meryn finally looked to Saira. The pretty caramel-skinned woman looked concerned as she met the eyes of The Maiden... She had never seen such wrath in her look before. It seemed Meryn was letting her emotions do the work for her this time. Though her anger boiled beneath the surface, she managed to channel it. It made her hit harder. She didn’t feel it when she got hit, could get up again and again... but Saira knew it. Meryn had hurt people to find her. Perhaps not in the lethal sense but it was clear, from the blood streaming from some of the goons’ faces... that Meryn would do whatever it took to save Saira. And that worried her...

Meryn stayed where she was. She hadn’t yet seen The Jeweller but she knew the woman was watching.

“All right, come out then,” Meryn said. “Enough games.”

“You’re just as smart as Silver said you were. She knew you wouldn’t give yourself up,” the woman’s voice said to her.

Meryn kept her ears open, not saying a word. She listened carefully and could just about make out the sound of footsteps moving around somewhere behind her.

“She knows you well. Even when it’s a trap, you show up anyway. And you bluff so well. But really...”

The footsteps fell silent but Meryn was ready to jump. The Jeweller had to be behind her...

But a tall woman appeared behind Saira and bent down, holding a knife to her throat. Saira’s eyes went wide and she squealed into her gag again. “I’m surprised you would endanger this pretty girl’s life like that.”

“Put that weapon down,” Meryn said. She hadn’t been expecting this. The Jeweller had tricked her, somehow.

“I don’t want you stepping any closer. There’s a set of handcuffs behind you. Slap them on your own wrists, behind your back, and I’ll drop the knife.”

Meryn took a moment to think. She thought about everything she had on her belt... and hadn’t used it all yet. The small, yellow ball on her right hip, disguised as a smoke bomb... was actually a throwing weapon. Like a throwing star except with the properties of a boomerang. If she just concentrated her aim...

“And if I don’t?”

“I’m feeling generous. You have twenty seconds. If those cuffs aren’t on you, well... you want to see her bleed?”

“You wouldn’t...”

“I would.”

Meryn’s eyes narrowed. “You do that and it’ll be the last thing you ever do...”

The Jeweller smiled. “Scary one, you are. Fifteen seconds.”

Meryn bent down and picked up the handcuffs on the floor. At the same time, out of sight of The Jeweller, she plucked the sphere from her belt. At the press of a button, it turned into a small, bladed boomerang. She hid it behind her back and clicked the shackles open on the handcuffs, placing both hands behind her back.

“Ten seconds. Make sure they’re tight...”

Meryn closed one shackle around her left wrist... tensing her right arm with the boomerang in her hand. She kept her eyes on The Jeweller’s forehead.

“Five seconds. Do it fast.”

“I will...” Her blinding speed made it impossible for The Jeweller to react. And the boomerang moved faster than she could, and hit her square in the forehead, splitting her tiara and knocking it to the floor. It took her down, backwards, and the knife skittered harmlessly away as she fell.

Meryn charged toward her but she disappeared again and her this time her footsteps were moving away from Meryn. The Jeweller was wounded, stricken at the loss of her precious tiara... but well enough to get up and run. Though Meryn thought about giving chase... Saira became the priority.

Meryn rushed to her girlfriend’s side and cut the tape free from her body, peeling the gag from her mouth and tossing it all to the floor. With The Jeweller getting away... Meryn let her run and just threw her arms around Saira’s shoulders.

“I’m so sorry...” she said.

“Meryn you... it’s fine...”

“No it’s not. This is my fault...” Meryn pulled back for a moment, fighting off the tears threatening to form. She met Saira’s eyes and finally found the courage to say the words. “I love you...”

“Oh God, Meryn... I love you, too!” Saira pressed her lips against Meryn’s and the two of them kissed long and softly. Finally, pulling back again, Meryn reached up stroked Saira’s face with her gloved hand.

“This isn’t your fault,” Saira said.

“Yes it is. They came after me. They wanted to hurt me.”

“But they didn’t. Okay? I’m okay. You saved me. Again...”

“Of course I did. I always will, you hear me?”

“Well... I don’t plan on it happening again,” Saira said.

“No. Of course not. But I’ll be there. Like I was here. Always. Okay?”

“Yeah... okay. I’d love that.”

“Good. Good... I’m sorry I didn’t say that sooner.”

“Say what sooner?”

“That I love you. Because I do. You know I do, right?”

“Of course,” Saira said, stroking Meryn’s face with her thumb in return.

“I should have said it sooner.”

“It doesn’t matter. I’m just happy you did. I think we should go home.”

“Yeah. It’s been a tough night. I’m so sorry...”

“Stop that. It’s not your fault.”

Meryn scooped up Saira in her strong arms, supporting her legs with one arm while Saira wrapped her arms around the back of Meryn’s neck.

“I can walk, you know...” Saira said.

“I just... I want to do this, okay? Let me have this...” Meryn said.

“Okay. But I want a kiss in return. Deal?”

“Deal.” Meryn and Saira pressed their lips together again as Meryn left the steel mill behind with Saira in her arms. Though The Jeweller got away, and Silver proved she was willing to do harm to people Meryn cared about, that only hardened her resolve. She would protect Saira with every fibre of her being. That much she knew. Because, for once in her life, Meryn’s heart was open to someone. And she wouldn’t let anything get in the way of that. Not this time...