“We really have to stop meeting like this, Maiden,” Silver said, unable to hide the smile in her voice. She cupped her captive’s chin in her hand gently and peered into the golden eyes of the bound and gagged superheroine before her.

It had worked almost too perfectly. Drawing her out proved almost too easy. And the execution of her plan... without interference... Silver was suspicious but now that she had The Maiden... she decided none of that mattered. Any future problems would be dealt with. For now, The Maiden was helpless and in her clutches. She smiled at the thought and pressed her face closer to Meryn’s.

“You’re going to prove a point to me tonight,” Silver said. “A point I’ve tried to make to you before.”

Meryn struggled hard, grunting into her gag, but there was nothing she could do. A leather panel was tightly strapped over her mouth, holding in soft padding that utterly silenced her. Heavy leather straps wrapped around her legs at the ankles, calves and thighs. More straps framed her chest and kept her arms tied to her sides. Heavy, hinged handcuffs locked her wrists behind her back and tight, leather mittens kept Meryn’s hands balled into fists and completely trapped.

She was still dressed as The Maiden in her sleeveless, cropped tight shirt, tight shorts, flat shoes and eye mask all coloured yellow. Her bobbed, red hair swayed as she fought her tight restraints but Meryn hardly stood a chance against the tight restraints the super soldier had put on her.

Silver paced back and forth, occasionally glaring at Meryn from behind her silver coloured eye mask with her pale eyes, brushing aside the bangs of her tied back, green hair. Her silver outfit, a sleeveless shirt, pleated skirt and knee high boots, put her in stark contrast to the golden eyed heroine she held captive.

“This city is broken,” Silver said. “And once your friends are rounded up, no one is coming for you. Not. A single. Soul.” Silver knelt down to where her captive sat propped against the wall of a heavily padded cell within the lab she had taken over.

“I’m going to prove it to you. This city needs to be killed off, Maiden. It’s a disease. You’ve seen it yourself.”

“Mmmmnnnppphh....” Meryn said, unable to properly respond from behind her gag.

“I am merely trying to help it along to its inevitable conclusion. It’s a shame you don’t see that. But you will. Exhibit A.... how we caught you. You never suspected that kid you helped out of here was actually in on it, did you? That sob story he gave you...”

Meryn narrowed her eyes. “Mmmrrgghh...”

“Oh yes, Maiden. That kid doesn’t even have a mother. Not anymore. Died in the hospital years ago. Because he couldn’t afford to pay for her care. The city decided that, without money, she wasn’t worth saving. He knows how broken this city is. And yet he told you we… threatened her? And used that to make him help us? You are a sap, Maiden.”

“MMMMMPPHHH!!”

“We never did that. He came to me. Practically bent the knee to me like I was a Queen or something. He uses that sob story on everyone. Doesn’t hurt that he looks like a doe-eyed little student afraid of his own shadow. And you fell for it. When he came to you. Said we’d found him. Brought you right to us. Alone. Guess you weren’t expecting trouble on your usual intel gathering, were you?”

Meryn shuffled in her restraints and slumped further to the floor, glaring into Silver’s eyes.

“It’s amazing what you’ll do when you think you’re helping. And how thick it makes you. Didn’t even smell this obvious trap. And never saw through that kid and his crybaby act. But he’s just one example. He’s a symptom of the disease. And there is no cure.”

She tried struggling again but the straps held Meryn firmly as she listened to Silver’s words. They almost started to make sense but… she couldn’t believe that. All the reasons she was listing were reasons to fix the city. Not destroy it…

“What I am. What we are...” Silver said. “We’re just the cleanup crew. They made us. Now they’ll feel our pain. Just watch.”

Silver pressed a button on the wall of Meryn’s cell and a screen came down from the ceiling, angled down toward Meryn so she could get a clear view. It jumped to life and displayed a view of the city. And her friends gathered together outside in an alleyway somewhere.

“My eyes are everywhere, Maiden,” Silver said. “And I’ll let you see what this city is going to do to your friends. How the disease will take them, too. Then maybe you’ll finally see what I see.”

Silver turned and slammed the cell door shut, leaving Meryn to watch her friends discuss… her. And how they were going to save her.

…

“The lab,” Jonas was saying. “That has to be where she’s holding Meryn.” The black eye mask he wore did little to conceal his tired, grey eyes. His black, armoured outfit made him look every part of The Maiden’s self-proclaimed sidekick, The Seeker. His long cape fluttered in the wind as the short, caramel skinned woman stared at him, her eyes on the verge of tears.

“Then we need to go and get her,” Saira said. “That’s the only solution I can see. It’s what she would do for any one of us. It’s what she has done...”

“I would agree, ordinarily,” a man in a tight, yellow body suit and black cloak said. His long, red hair and shining, golden eyes matched that of his daughter. Drake Dane, only known in the city as The Cloaked Man, stood with his arms folded. Saira felt her heart drop at how similar his mannerisms were to Meryn. The pit in her stomach only grew when she thought of her girlfriend, being held by that crazy super soldier…

Drake continued speaking. “But I have seen this Silver in action before. The place will be heavily guarded. And she has more than enough muscle, even without her to contend with, to deal with the four of us like we’re nothing. As much as I want to simply barge in and save her… we have to take a more careful approach this time.”

The detective beside him pulled a cigarette from her long, black coat and flipped open her lighter. She took in a deep breath as the tip glowed orange and let smoke envelope her head as she exhaled. Her dark hair, striking pale eyes, and black attire gave her a much more ominous appearance than she perhaps intended.

“So… you sure you’re her dad then?” Mac asked, taking a long drag of her cigarette. “Because it seems to me the pair of you love to charge headlong into dangerous situations.”

“Like I said. Ordinarily… that’s true. But, after what happened with those twin doctors I am… remiss to try such a thing again.”

“Don’t blame you. That was tough on all of us. Except you,” Mac said, nodding to Saira. “Glad you weren’t there, actually. It got a bit messy.”

“That’s what I heard… and that’s what made Meryn act so recklessly! She still blames herself for those two deaths and has been trying to make up for it ever since! That’s probably how that kid lured her in….”

Jonas held a flash drive in his hand, containing a recorded message of that young student he thought they had saved from the lab. He left them the video message, with Silver in the background standing over Meryn completely tied up. He felt his temper rise and… crushed it in his hand.

“Are you… all right?” Drake asked. Jonas looked up and found it uncanny how much he saw Meryn’s eyes in the wizened, golden eyes of her father.

“I’m going to find that kid,” he said. “With every damn resource I have.”

“And then what?” Mac asked. “We already know where she is. What’s the point of going after the kid?”

“He ran their automated defences. Some kind of computer whiz kid. He’ll tell me how to shut them down. It’ll make our approach a lot easier if we can get in undetected.”

“I feel I should accompany you,” Drake said. “I may be able to track him down on my own. I’ve been tracking people my whole life. I know what to look for.”

“Fine,” Jonas said. “Mac, you think you can keep Saira safe?”

“Wait...” Saira said. “Do you expect me to just sit around and worry!?”

“I want at least one of us to be safe. I’m sure Meryn wants that, too.”

“But it’s my job to protect her!” Saira said. “You can’t just make me sit on the damn sidelines! I have to be able to do something!”

Jonas let out a long breath. “All right… You met Lanala, right?”

“The pretty pink-haired lady? Yeah, why?”

“She’s still in town. I talked to her and Artema just a couple days ago. If you can track her down, we’ll have the biggest advantage we could possibly have.”

“They don’t just… live where Meryn does?” Saira asked.

“Not right now. They’ve been trying to enjoy their semi-retirement. I don’t blame them, quite frankly. So they’re under the radar.”

Jonas handed her his backup phone. “She’s in my contacts on that phone. If you can track down where that number is, you’ll find her.”

“Why not just call her?” Saira asked.

“She’s disconnected her phone. So has Artema. They really only keep in contact to touch base before they disappear again. The lives we led before… it was a big stress on them. So they’re doing whatever it takes to take it easy. So right now, the number’s location is our only way of getting in contact with them.”

“Well I can help with that,” Mac said. “I’ve got access to all kinds of restricted information she wouldn’t normally be privy to.”

“We have our jobs then,” Jonas said. “Let’s get moving.”

…

The young man was feeling a little on edge about the message he had just received but it appeared to come from some top secret government official. Silver normally contacted him via such channels, having infiltrated just about every level of the Weston government. But the tone was… odd. Much more terse than Silver normally was. Whenever Silver contacted him, she would usually give vague details about what would be discussed. But this one just gave three instructions.

“Steel Mill. Midnight. Alone.”

He wondered if something had gone wrong with The Maiden and it was a potential emergency meeting. Whatever the case, he was on his guard and brushed his hand against the pistol he had tucked into the back of his pants and under his shirt.

He only tensed up further at the stillness in the air, the lack of stars in the sky, and the eerie quiet that surrounded him. He stopped in front of the old maintenance shed and pulled his gun, checking the ammunition before clicking it back in place.

When he looked up, a figure in a dark cloak was standing in front of him and he shrank back, raising his gun.

“Stay back! I’ll… I’ll blow a hole through your damn skull, I swear it!”

The man didn’t move, instead lowering his hood, his golden eyes meeting the eyes of the young man. “You will do nothing of the sort. I cannot believe the capacity is in you to kill.”

“Don’t go making assumptions, pal,” he said, pulling back the hammer on his pistol. “What do you want?”

“Information,” another man’s voice, tired and gravelly, said from behind him. The younger man whirled around and pointed the gun at another dark figure. Though he was no wearing a cloak, he recognized who it was.

“The Seeker...” he said. “What the hell are you doing here!?”

“The message,” Jonas said, stepping forward. The young man twitched and fired a bullet past his head and Jonas stopped in his tracks

“Don’t come any closer! Neither of you come any closer!” He stepped back and kept his eyes on both men, swivelling back and forth with his gun. “Just tell me what you want and what happened to Silver!”

“Silver isn’t coming,” Jonas said. “She has no idea you’re even here.”

“W-what?”

“I sent the message. He tracked you down,” Jonas said, nodding toward Drake. “And you’re going to tell us how to disable the security in Silver’s lab.”

“I’d never do that! No way in hell! I’m in control here! So here’s what happens. You two leave me alone and I don’t shoot your asses down! How’s that!?”

Jonas just shrugged. “Sounds fair. Just one problem. Did you see where he went?” Jonas said, pointing across to where Drake had been standing.

The young man turned and… Drake was gone.

“Oh crap… But don’t you move!” He whirled around and had the gun trained on Jonas. “You take even one step and you’re dead!”

“You sure you want to do that? He could be anywhere...” Jonas said.

“Stop it! If he comes near me I’ll-ahhh!” He felt someone grab his arm but he was able to shake loose and fire off a shot… hitting Drake in the shoulder.

The pain made him collapse but it gave Jonas time to rush him and push him, hard, into the metal wall of the shed, wrench the gun from his grasp, and pin him against the wall by the throat.

“You all right, Drake?” he asked.

Drake sat up, checking the wound. “It went clean through,” he said. “But I’m losing blood. Not enough to kill me, though.”

“Good news then,” Jonas said, pressing harder on the young man’s throat and choking him.

“Jonas...” Drake said, standing up and grimacing. “Be careful now...”

Jonas ignored him and pressed himself closer to the young man. “Think you’re tough, buddy? Playing games, manipulating people… all for what? A crazy woman with a vendetta?”

“Jonas, I understand your anger, but we need him to tell us-”

Jonas slammed him into the wall again, lifting him up higher. “I swear to God, if any of you bastards hurt my friend, I will choke the goddamn life out of you! You hear me!?”

“Jonas! Put him down! We need to know what he knows!”

He caught himself breathing hard and stepped back, dropping the kid and letting him slump to the ground and catch his breath. Jonas got in his face again. “The security. Tell us how to disable it. Now!”

“H-hey, man it’s not that, aggghh!” Jonas wrapped his hand around the kid’s throat again and was choking him once again.

“You have no idea what you’ve done, do you!?” Jonas growled. “The woman you manipulated, made her think you were in trouble… she’s a damn hero! Probably the greatest one I’ve known! You put her into the hands of that mad super soldier! You did this! You’ve condemned an entire city for your own selfish desire! Do you have any idea what kind of monster that makes you!?”

“Jonas! You’re hurting him! Stop!”

“Monsters like you… men like you, that think they have a right to control everything… you’re the problem! You would rather see the world burn than share it with others. You would see everything turned to dust if you cannot rule it! Well I won’t let you do that, you hear me!?”

“Jonas!” Drake, even with his injured shoulder, picked up Jonas and pushed him aside, holding him against the wall while the young man regained his breath. “We need him right now. Don’t lose focus.”

“Drake… how are you not angry?”

“Of course I’m angry. But this… we don’t solve problems this way. And our problem right now is getting to Meryn. Doing what you’re doing… that will accomplish nothing toward that.”

“Right… but he needs to answer to us.”

“And he will. That’s what we came here for.”

Drake knelt down next to him, wincing at the pain in his shoulder. “Now… I will ask you. How do we disable the lab’s security?”

The young man coughed and cleared his throat, still trying to catch his breath. “Fine… I’ll tell you. But you’re going to need to take notes.”

“And don’t lie to us,” Jonas said. “Because if you do… I will find you.”

“O-okay,” the young man said. “J-just listen… here’s what you need to do...”

…

Saira sat across from Mac, doing her best to stave off boredom. Because boredom led her to think about Meryn and thinking about Meryn made her blubbering mess. And she felt that would make her useless in helping save her. So Saira refused to be useless.

Though she was technically breaking the rules, accessing the police database like this, Mac wasn’t about to let Weston’s best protector just wallow in misery as a captive of Silver. So she skirted around the rules and sought out the number Jonas had given them.

Mac didn’t know this woman. Whoever this Lanala was, however, Jonas insisted that she be trusted. And if she truly was on The Maiden’s side, and as useful as Jonas said she was, then there was no reason to go against him.

Though she was having a hard time tracking the location down. The number was listed in the database but, in searching for it, found its location to be labelled as ‘classified.’

“Never mentioned that little detail...” Mac muttered to herself.

“What? What detail?” Saira asked.

“It’s a classified number,” Mac said. “Usually reserved for the higher ups. The mayor’s private number is classified, for example. And the police chief. And...”

“And who?”

“The director of the Weston Agency. A position left vacant for awhile, as I’ve heard it.”

“So... wait. Are you saying they were in that agency?”

“The name is familiar... here’s her file. ‘Agent Spark...’ Yep. She was an agent all right. In her own small detachment led by an Agent ‘Hunter.’ Hmmm...”

Mac pulled up another file. “And this is the other lady he mentioned. Artema...”

“Oh! I met her! She’s this big, tough lady with purple hair. They were both friends with Meryn.”

“They were?” Mac said, raising an eyebrow. She clicked open another file and smiled to herself. “Well, now that I know who The Maiden is I guess it’s no surprise. Agent ‘Gold...’

“Who’s that?”

“That is your lovely girlfriend, Saira,” Mac said.

“Really? She never told me about that. But there are some things about her past she doesn’t like talking about.”

“”I’m sure she would have.... hey.”

“What?”

“This number...” She pointed at the screen. “It’s the same as the one Jonas gave us.”

“So... this is Meryn’s old number?”

“Probably some private contact number when they went deep undercover. But that means her safehouse should be listed... here. That has to be it.”

“And if it isn’t?”

Mac stood up and grabbed her coat and hat from the rack behind her. “Then it isn’t and we try again. But this is the only lead we’ve got.”

“It’s better than nothing. But why would they be staying in Meryn’s old safehouse?”

“Because, if I know your girlfriend, she never used it. Ever since I met her, she’s never been one for hiding. Hates it, in fact.”

“So then she let her friends stay there to go under the radar...”

“Exactly. Come on. We need to get to that safehouse.”

“Okay. I’m coming.”

As the two of them left the police station, they didn’t see the dark car with tinted windows across the street. The driver was watching them and tapped her ear once.

“They’re moving,” the large, muscular blonde woman said.

Silver’s voice answered. “Keep your distance. Make sure they don’t see you follow. But don’t let them reach that woman. She’s trouble for all of us.”

“Tell me about it...” the blonde woman said.

“Just make sure you cut them off before they can get there. And don’t get caught again, Farrah.”

Farrah growled under her breath. “Don’t remind me...”

“Just get moving and stop them from reaching Lanala. Understand?”

“Yeah, I got it. They won’t make it.”

“They’d better not. Don’t contact me again until you’ve got them.”

“No problem, boss.”

Farrah tapped her ear again and shook her head. “Pushy bitch...”

She watched Mac and Saira get into the unmarked cruiser and kept her eyes on them as they pulled away. When they were nearly out of sight, Farrah started the engine and slowly followed after them. In her mind, she could only hope Meryn saw her in that moment, about to ambush her only allies. The thought put a smile on her face as she sped up to keep Mac’s car in sight, keeping back far enough for them to be oblivious to her presence. She just hoped the others were playing their part...

...

Based on the young man’s instructions, Jonas had gone back to his apartment to begin his work remotely. Drake, on the other hand, insisted on being on the ground and found his way to the rooftops near the lab.

“Are you sure it’s a good idea that you’re not here?” Drake asked, holding one hand to his ear.

“I can access my equipment from here and better break into their security systems. I would be there but this is the best way I can help her.”

“Very well. Guide me in, then,” Drake said.

Jonas began by turning on his array of monitors around the room on his L-shaped desk, wheeling back and forth on his chair. He had since removed his mask but he remained dressed in his armoured attire.

The monitors jumped to life and he eyed them quickly, seeing various feeds from the cameras. He tapped one corner of the screen to make it zoom in on the rooftop.

“First off, choose a different spot. The cameras have already picked you up.”

“Have they raised the alarm?” Drake asked.

“Not yet. With the kid gone, there’s no one manning the security right now. But that won’t last long. Get out of sight before they raise the alarm.”

“Consider it done.”

He watched Drake duck down from view, still in the camera’s eye, before he disappeared. He didn’t hear from Drake for about a minute until a voice spoke in his ear.

“How’s that?”

Jonas checked the rest of the cameras and couldn’t find him anywhere. “Nothing’s picking you up. Can you still see the lab?”

“Clear as day.”

“Good,” Jonas said. “On the ground there should be one of Silver’s goons doing a perimeter sweep of the building. There’s a blind spot in the cameras on the southwest corner. Can you see it?”

“Where, exactly?”

“The camera can only see part of the wall. The corner is just out of it’s reach. My map of the area indicates a short alley between the building concealing the bunker and one of its unguarded warehouses. Where they store their decoy textile shipments.”

“Textiles? Really?” Drake asked.

“Guess Silver is fond of area rugs. At any rate, do you see what I’m talking about?”

“The warehouse. The concrete building to the west of it?”

“That’s the one. You see it?”

“I do. How big is our window?”

Jonas checked over his maps and drew where the camera’s cone of vision saw. “About five feet,” he said. “There’s another camera near the north of the building that can see the rest of the alley.”

“Not much to work with,” Drake said.

“It’ll have to do. You’ll have to jump him when he’s there. I’ll let you know when he disappears from the cameras.”

“I’m not close enough. I may have to land on top of the warehouse.”

Jonas checked his cameras. “Stay low. You’ll be spotted if you stand out.”

“I have been doing this longer than you have been alive,” Drake said. “I know how to stay hidden.”

“I trust you. You are Meryn’s dad, after all...”

Drake sighed. “That I am. I’ll contact you once I reach the warehouse roof.”

“Good luck.”

Drake went silent for a short while again. It took him slightly longer to get into position but Jonas heard his voice all the same, watching him duck down and disappear from the camera’s view on his monitor.

“I made it,” Drake said.

“All right. He’ll be passing under you soon. Get ready,” Jonas said.

Drake managed to just about peek over the edge of the roof and Jonas watched the cameras carefully. The security guard finally disappeared from view and Jonas practically jumped when he spoke.

“Go!”

Drake landed just behind him, on his feet, and grabbed him. A small dart-like needle shot out of his wrist from under his glove and fired into the man’s neck. In seconds, he was unconscious and taken to the ground. Drake set him down gently and spoke into his earpiece again.

“How’s that?”

“I can’t see him. So he’s out of sight,” Jonas said. “Now you’re going to need to be on camera for this one so you have to move fast. But once it’s done, we won’t have to worry about them.”

“Won’t that cut you off?” Drake asked.

“I have my own feed. You’ll just be cutting them off from seeing you.”

“All right. Where do I start?”

Jonas pored over his blueprints and eyed the cameras. “You’re already in the alley. Head north and there should be a breaker box. Do you see it?”

Drake walked forward a few steps and Jonas caught sight of him heading in the right direction. He stopped in front of the metal box on the side of the building, prying it open.

“That’s it,” Jonas said. “There’s a code to enter into the keypad in the middle. You see that?”

“Keypad... got it,” Drake said. “You have the code?”

Jonas sighed. “I hope so. Unless the kid was lying to us...”

“You had him pretty scared,” Drake said. “I doubt it.”

Jonas ignored this remark and read the code the young man had written down for them. “All right. Seven-Four-Seven-Nine-One-Five.” Drake did as Jonas said and a new instruction flashed up on the screen.

“It says ‘Disable System’ now,” Drake said.

“Press one and then zero to confirm.”

Once again doing as instructed, Drake pressed the two buttons and the cameras all went dark for a moment before they flashed back to life on Jonas’ screen.

“Did it work?” Drake asked.

“Seems like it. I saw them flash. But I can still see you. My feed is fine.”

“All right, what next?”

“There should be a ladder on the opposite side-”

“Agggh!”

“Drake! What is it?”

“A dart... Some kind of countermeasure. Got me in the neck...”

“Damn it...” Jonas stood up and eyed the camera feeds and saw Drake stumbling. “Damn kid set us up! I’m coming to get you.”

“No! Stay where you are!” Drake said. He found his way to the blind spot and collapsed to the ground.

“Drake, where are you!? I can’t see-”

“I’m... okay...” Drake said, his voice fading.

“I’m getting you out of there. Hang on!”

“They’re... coming...”

Jonas turned back tot he cameras and several more security personnel were filing out of the rear of the building toward the alleyway. “Damn it... Drake. I’m coming after you.”

“Too... late...”

“Not for me it isn’t. I’ll get you both out of there. I promise. No matter what it takes.”

Drake’s comms went dead and Jonas pounded the desk as he saw security drag him away into the building, unconscious. He felt his hands shaking, his head spinning... his anger threatened to overwhelm him.

“I’m going to kill that kid...” Jonas said to himself. He put his mask back on and filed out of the room in a rush, slamming the door behind him.

...

Farrah laughed at the squirming captives in front of her. It had almost been too easy. Mac hadn’t seen them coming and by the time either woman noticed her, it was too late.

She had managed to cut them off just as they reached the block with Meryn’s safehouse on it and easily overpower them both with her superior strength quickly before either of them could react. Now she had them both taped up, tightly gagged, and stowed in the backseat of her car.

“I do hope Goldie is watching this. Because I just got word from the old boss herself. Goldie’s dad is in our hands. Looks like it’s up to your one beardy boy to stop us. And you and I both know he doesn’t stand much chance against all of us.”

“Mmmmppphh!!” Saira fumed, struggling harder against the tape.

“Mmmpphh... hmmmpphh....” Mac sighed, trying to get herself free but having no luck.

“Honestly, I don’t know how any of you ever succeeded at anything. You made this way too easy.”

Saira turned to Mac, still struggling, but stopped when she noticed a peculiar look in the detective’s eyes. Her entire face looked odd, in fact. Was she... smiling?

Farrah, in her haste, hadn’t checked them over beforehand. So Mac still had both her gun and the phone Jonas had given her. She tapped away on it while Farrah turned her back and called in to Silver to report a successful mission. After a few moments, Mac had finally made the call she was trying to make and set the phone down behind her.

She reached into her other coat pocket and pulled out a pocket knife, flipping it open and beginning to saw away at the tape binding her wrists. It didn’t take her long to cut through it and free her hands. She pulled them free gently and quickly got to work sawing the tape away around her arms, making sure to only cut through on her back.

Saira watched all of this, amazed, but was worried Farrah would turn around at any second. She seemed preoccupied with talking to Silver for the moment but if that call ended...

Mac easily freed her arms and then slowly reached around, careful not to break too much of the tape, and pulled her gun from her holster.

“Hmmph!” Saira said.

Mac didn’t make a sound, just holding a finger up to her gagged lips before she got a comfortable grip on her gun and hid it behind her back, holding her wrists closely together. Saira realized then what Mac was doing.

Farrah finally turned around and walked back to her car, leaning down to the open window of the backseat and smiling at her captives.

“Silver wants to see you,” Farrah said.

Mac tried to suppress the smile behind her gag as she heard the soft sound of someone on the other end of the phone answering the call. She had no way of knowing if the person would answer but, if they did, then, as far as Mac thought, two birds one stone...

“And good news. Looks like you’ll get to see Goldie again tonight after all. I know you two have been desperate to get to her.”

“Mmmmrrghh! Mmmpphh!” Saira said, struggling again in her bonds.

“Mmmph,” Mac grunted. “Hmm hmmph mmph...”

“Can’t understand ya there, gumshoe...” Farrah said. “Might have to speak up when we get there if you want people to know what you’re saying.”

Farrah chuckled as she walked around the driver’s side and climbed in. She had time to start the engine and put it in gear but held onto the break when she felt the barrel of a gun pressed against her head.

“Park it...” a cold voice said to her.

“What... how...”

“I said park it.” The woman’s voice was quite hoarse as though her throat had been dry.

“Impossible...”

“Put it in park, dumbass. Now.”

Farrah glanced up at the mirror and saw Mac, with the tape that had been gagging her pulled away and hanging down her neck. Some of the tape still clung to her arms and framed her chest but it had been broken away behind her back.

Not wanting to test the detective, Farrah locked the car back into park and raised her hands.

“Let’s not do anything stupid now...” she said.

“Speaking of stupid, you ever think to check pockets, you moron?”

“Check... oh. Damn it...”

“Shut off the engine,” Mac demanded.

Farrah did as she was told.

Mac finished cutting her legs free of the tape, still pressing the gun against Farrah’s head.

“Out.”

Farrah opened the door and got out of the car slowly. But then she sped up and tried to make a run for it but stopped dead in her tracks, ducking low as a bullet screamed past her head.

“No running or the next one goes into the back of your skull,” Mac said, slamming the door she had just climbed out of. “Now, on your knees. Hands behind your head.”

Farrah complied as Mac approached her and quickly grabbed her wrists.

“Didn’t even take my cuffs, you idiot...” Mac said, clapping one shackle closed around Farrah’s left wrist, pulling it behind her back. She made short work of Farrah’s right wrist, firmly cuffing them together, before she pulled the larger woman to her feet with a firm grip on her right arm.

“Back to the car. You get the special seat.”

Farrah said nothing as she was marched back to Mac’s car and stowed in the backseat. “Watch your head,” Mac said. Farrah winced when her forehead slammed into the edge of the roof. She glared back at Mac, who smiled at her. “I said watch it. I did warn you...”

With Farrah in the back of the car, Mac slammed it closed and locked her in the unmarked cruiser before returning to Farrah’s car to help free Saira. As she got to work, she saw someone approaching from a nearby house.

The woman was dressed all in black and had a slightly pink hue to her hair.

“I got a strange call...” she said. “I heard some muffled voices. Seems it was coming from over here...”

“You’re Lanala, I presume?” Mac asked, finally getting Saira free of the tape. She pulled Meryn’s girlfriend from the car and helped her stand up. Lanala recognized her immediately.

“I am...” Lanala said. “You need my help?”

“Jonas always said you were smart,” Mac said. “Because that’s exactly what we’re here for.”

Lanala took one look in Saira’s sad, desperate eyes and knew right away what had happened.

“Where is she?”

“An old lab. Used to be owned by Aurora Moreno. They’re holding her there.”

“I know the place,” Lanala said. “But what about her?” Lanala pointed to Mac’s car where the handcuffed Farrah waited.

“I’ll deal with her. Got a nice cell all warmed up for her,” Mac said. “You should take Saira and go after The Maiden.”

“Just be careful,” Lanala said. “That one’s trouble.”

“Believe me, I know,” Mac said. “You should go. You’re our best hope of getting her back.”

Lanala nodded and took Saira’s hand. “Come with me,” she said. “I’m going to do something a bit frightening. But we’ll be closer to Meryn. Okay?”

“Whatever it takes...” Saira said.

“All right. Hold on to me.”

Lanala closed her eyes and, in seconds, both she and Saira just disappeared. Mac nodded to herself and walked back to her car, pulling away with her prisoner in tow.

...

“You set us up!” Jonas’ could feel himself beginning to lose control. He didn’t know how many times he had hit the young man but he wasn’t exactly keeping count.

The young man tried to shield his cut and bruised face as Jonas repeatedly hit him. But he didn’t seem worried. In fact, when he had the chance, he would smile and Jonas would hit him again. That didn’t stop him.

Jonas had dragged him up to a rooftop, hoping to scare some proper information out of him, but the young man just taunted him.

“How does it feel? To be the only one left?”

He was answered by another swift punch in the mouth. In his anger, Jonas held the young man over the edge of the roof. He still said nothing but his threat was clear and the young man smiled again.

“Do it,” he said. “Go on. Cross that line.”

Jonas didn’t know that there was a surveillance camera, under Silver’s control, trained on him. Meryn watched him from inside her cell, glaring up at the screen and struggling with her bonds.

“Dmmnnttt!!” she tried to scream into her gag, in a vain attempt to try and get his attention. She knew he couldn’t hear her but her gagged cries were more of an attempt to just will him to reconsider what he was doing.

Meryn shook her wrists in the handcuffs binding them together and wriggled and thrashed with her entire body against the tight leather straps until she exhausted herself, drenched in sweat, and helpless to watch the scene unfold before her...

He looked into the young man’s eyes, without a shred of remorse in them for all he’d done... and Jonas felt his grip loosen. He still had the young man by the scruff of the neck but, dangling him over the edge, he was inches from dropping him to his death...

“Hold it!”

He recognized the voice and realized she had her gun trained on him. The young man looked confused and that gave Jonas pause. Though he remained silent and still considered his options.

“Stop what you’re doing,” Mac said, approaching him slowly. “I won’t let you do this.”

“Mac...” Jonas said in an almost dreamlike state.

“Set him down on the roof. Now.”

In her cell, Meryn had stopped struggling. She was relieved at Mac’s appearance, at first, but Jonas still seemed to be refusing to move. Come on, Mac. You can do it. Talk some sense into him... she thought to herself.

On the roof, Jonas watched the profound confusion fill the young man’s eyes when he saw the detective. Taking in a deep breath, Jonas tightened his grip and stepped back, setting the man down on his feet. He pulled him close and glared into his eyes.

“Get out of here. And consider yourself lucky...”

The young man said nothing and ran for the stairs, still perplexed at how Mac wasn’t being held prisoner alongside The Maiden. When he was gone, Mac lowered her gun.

“What were you thinking?” Mac asked.

“I wasn’t,” Jonas said. “I just lost it...”

“At any rate, thanks for listening to sense. I know you weren’t expecting to see me.”

“He told me that. Said I was the only one left.” Jonas finally turned to face her. “Did you find Lanala?”

“She’s with Saira. They’re getting Meryn out as we speak.”

“And Drake, I hope,” Jonas said. “That kid... he set us up. They got Drake.”

“Crap...” Mac said. “Best move out then. See what we can do to help.”

They started walking but Mac stopped Jonas for a moment. “I’m going to forget about what I saw here tonight. Don’t let that happen again, you hear me?”

Jonas nodded and turned away from her again. “Yeah. I hear you...”

...

Lanala had little trouble sealing the two guards, both women stripped to their underwear, bound and gagged inside a small storage closet. The light blue shirts, tight pants and running shoes weren’t what she would consider her usual attire, nor did Saira, but it would have to do for the time being.

“I hope this is enough to fool them...” Saira said. “But they likely know each other’s faces.”

“Well then hopefully we won’t run into anyone and all they’ll see are a pair of uniforms strolling on down to the holding cells. Did you see where they’re holding Meryn?” Lanala asked.

“The lowest block. It’s just one cell. On the very lowest level of the facility.”

Lanala snapped her fingers and the elevator at the end of the hallway opened its doors. At the same time, the cameras came back on and they hadn’t spotted anything in the last fifteen minutes due to ‘unforeseen circumstances.’ That was what Lanala had written in the maintenance file at least, helping to cover their tracks.

“Let’s go,” Lanala said. They both kept their heads low as the walked to the elevator. When they got in, they noticed a keyhole along with the buttons. Turning it with the proper key would have been the only way to get to the lowest level.

“Damn it,” Saira said. “We need a key.”

The lock turned on its own and the doors slowly closed, an automated voice jumping to life. “Bottom floor. High security wing.”

“Um... did you do that?” Saira asked.

“I can do a lot these days,” Lanala said.

“Then why not just take us to her cell?”

“Because you’re with me and I don’t want to endanger you and get security bearing down on us. I’d prefer to get this done quickly and quietly. Hopefully without anyone getting hurt.”

“Right. That makes sense.”

The two women went silent as the elevator descended further and further. Finally, it came to a stop and opened out into a dimly lit hallway with a heavy door at the end of it. Lanala stepped out first, keeping her head low, and waved her hand in front of her in a subtle motion.

When the heavy door of her cell clicked, Meryn looked up at it and glared. She expected Silver would be coming back to taunt her again but this time... something completely unexpected happened.

Lanala’s smiling, orange eyes peered back at her and from behind her...

“Smmrmm!” Meryn exclaimed, half elated and half terrified at her being there.

With another snap of her fingers, Lanala made the restraints fall away and Meryn collapsed to the floor, resting her muscles. Saira rushed over to her.

“Hey... you okay?”

“I’m fine... But my father is in here somewhere...” she said, her voice feeling raspy and hoarse.

“Oh no...” Saira said. “Then we should find him.”

“I’ll find him. You need to get home and be safe.”

“No way,” Saira said. “I’m here now. I came all this way to get you. I’m not turning back now.”

“Not a very wise decision, girly,” a voice sneered at them from the doorway. Silver stood there, arms folded, a wry smirk on her face. “You think I’m just going to let you leave?”

Lanala stood in front of them and clenched her fists. “I’ll deal with her. You go and find your father,” Lanala said.

“Good luck with that,” Silver said.

With a grimace, Lanala placed both her hands out in front of her and Silver was thrown back, pinned to the wall.

“Aaaghh! What the... hell... are you!?”

“Go! I can’t hold her for very long!”

Saira grabbed Meryn’s hand and pulled her to her feet, rushing to the elevator. They jumped inside and rode it up to the next prisoner block. There weren’t many cells to check but, of course, it was still a risk. Meryn did what she could to catch her breath.

“My belt will be with the confiscated items,” she said. “Should be the first room we encounter after the checkpoint.”

“Okay. We’ll get it. And we’ll find him. All right?”

“Right,” Meryn said with a weak smile.

As they travelled onward, Lanala could no longer hold onto the superhuman strength of Silver and she pried herself off the wall, rolling her shoulders and tensing all of her muscles. “I’ve been waiting to get another crack at you, witch.”

“I’m honoured, I’m sure,” Lanala said.

She held her hands in front of her as the two women prepared to face each other down.

...

Retrieving the belt had been easy enough with Saira’s stolen keycard at her belt.

Now fully equipped, Meryn stormed her way through the prisoner block, keeping Saira behind her and taking down guards at every turn.

No longer concerned with stealth, Meryn took down the guards barring her way and searched cell after cell for her father.

But, to her dismay, Drake wasn't in any of them. A voice sounded over the intercom then and both of them stopped dead.

"He's not here," Silver said. "None of your friends are. The pink-haired witch is on her way out as we speak. I beat her too, Meryn. Just like I'm going to beat you…"

Before she could say anything, the corridors began to fill with gas, the vapour pouring out of the vents above.

"Tell you what, Maiden. I'm going to give you a sporting chance. Once you and your girl there are out, you'll see what I mean. I'll make you wish you had given yourself up to me…"

Both Meryn and Saira started coughing, holding their breath, anything to keep the knockout gas from taking effect. But they were both already feeling faint. They reached out to each other, holding each other's hands as they collapsed onto the floor. Their eyes met.

"I'll… find you… I swear it," Saira said.

"We'll find each other. Always," Meryn said.

And that was the last thing either of them heard before their worlds both went black…

…

A familiar voice, tired and grizzled, tried to wake her from sleep.

"Meryn… Are you all right? Please… I need to know…"

Another voice. "Meryn, can you hear us?" A woman this time. She recognized it too.

"Her eyes moved… I think she's waking up."

Meryn's eyes shot open as memories came flooding back to her. She sat bolt upright and looked around her.

"Saira!"

A hand fell upon her shoulder. She looked up into the tired, grey eyes.

"She's… not here, Meryn," Jonas said.

"Where then?"

"I'll explain. But I have something for you. Something you'll need."

"For what?"

"It'll even the odds. It's a secret Agency prototype. And… it'll help you take down Silver."

Story Theme Song: Buffalo Jones- Into the Coals