The two women called out for help and struggled as hard as they could but their bonds refused to budge. Their gags kept them silent and, in their vain struggles, they paused to look around. The warehouse full of counterfeit paintings, the chair Holly was tied to, Bian hogtied on the floor... and, most importantly, the big, red oil drums rigged to explode in a horrid fire surrounding them.

The timer ticked down from behind Holly, with less than ten minutes to go. The pair of them, sweating, and taking in heavy breaths, eyed each other for a few moments. Their eyes wide, mouths sealed shut with tape, it was all they could do to look at each other. Both with the same question on their minds.

How are we going to get out of this one?

...

A few hours earlier...

Meryn watched them enter, from high above, after following them for a while. Two young women, one dressed up in a white, short sleeved blouse, red tie, black pencil skirt and matching boots, legs covered in dark nylons, brown hair tied back in a ponytail, seemed to be leading the pair of snoops inside.

The other had dark hair, also in a ponytail, with white sunglasses resting atop her head, tall socks, sturdy running shoes, denim short shorts, a cutoff grey tank top and a blue jacket with a red and white stripe running the length of the sleeves and shoulders.

The Maiden, as Meryn would currently be called, given her current, skintight attire of the cutoff, high necked shirt, long gloves, tight shorts and flat shoes, all yellow, matching the eye mask over her golden eyes, contrasting her shoulder length red hair. A black belt with myriad gadgets lined her waist and her golden eyes watched the two women enter the old warehouse.

They had been following a lead, as Meryn understood it, about some counterfeit paintings someone had been selling. She just didn’t know who. The two snoops seemed to know. So Meryn followed them, in hopes of finding out who the person was, and to watch over them.

While watching, Meryn spotted a third woman, in the shadows, a worried look on her face. She had come alone, it seemed, and The Maiden decided to head down to see her. With a few athletic bounds, and a shot of her grapple hook gun, Meryn was at street level, just behind the black haired woman.

She had a white headband in her hair, wore a tight, cut off ti shirt, black in colour, a denim jacket, tight blue pants and red running shoes. Her brown eyes looked over the building and she spoke softly to herself.

“I wish she hadn’t followed this...” she said. “That mobster scares me...”

Mobster? Meryn thought. She crept up slowly behind the woman and stood up tall when she was just behind her.

“Excuse me?” Meryn said.

The woman nearly jumped out of her skin, whirling around, and backing away slightly... but stopped when she got a look at Meryn.

“Oh holy crap... I know you!” she said.

“You... you do?” Meryn asked.

“Well, not literally, but I know who you are!” She ran forward excitedly and grabbed Meryn’s hand, shaking it. “It’s so amazing to finally meet you!”

“Right...” Meryn said, furrowing her brow. “So back to the matter of what you might be doing here?”

“Oh right! Sorry, I just... I kinda think you’re awesome so I got distracted! Sorry, Meryn!”

Meryn’s golden eyes widened a bit. “You... where did you hear that name?”

“Oh! Uh... I pick things up here and there. Don’t worry, secret’s safe and all that. You can trust me.”

Meryn nodded. “I don’t know why... but I believe you. Now, again, I have to ask...”

“Right! So, well, my girlfriend and her friend came down here trying to find theses counterfeit paintings, you see?”

“I knew that much.”

“Well, using the fake paintings, they steal real ones and replace them with fakes, then sell the real ones to whoever wants to buy them. It’s one of their main sources of funding.”

“They?”

“The uh.. Trentons I think? Leader’s name is Kara?”

Meryn grunted slightly in affirmation. “So the rumours are true... Trenton remnants are gathering strength again. They’re back with Kara at the head...”

“Yes! Exactly! Well, my girlfriend Holly, her friend Bian, and me, we’ve all been trying to put a stop to them somehow. All we needed was proof of their counterfeit paintings.”

“And you found it?”

“In here, yeah,” the woman said. “Oh, I’m Emma by the way.”

“Good to meet you,” Meryn said. “Seems you already know me though.”

“Yeah...” Emma said, blushing slightly, and rubbing the back of her neck.

“So why’d you get left behind?” Meryn asked.

“She and Bian rushed in as soon as they got the lead. I think she was trying to protect me by not telling me, and not waiting... so she doesn’t know I’m here.”

“I see. Well, I can be of help,” Meryn said. “Nobody wants to stop the Trenton gang more than me.”

“Here’s the thing, though. We know how Kara is and how she feels about you... I’m afraid that, if she sees you, she might try something drastic and put Holly in danger.”

“Trenton’s here?”

“That’s what all our sources say,” Emma said. “But that is a problem.”

“I still have to help... tell you what. I’ll keep watch from above. Anything goes wrong, I’m coming in for all three of you.”

Emma smiled. “That’s so cool! Knowing you’re there, watching our backs... okay then!”

Meryn nodded toward the warehouse. “They’ve been in there a while. I’ll be on standby. Go on in and see how they’re faring. Oh and...” Meryn reached to her belt and handed Emma a small earpiece.

“Should blend in. If you’re caught, they won’t notice it. I’ll have a direct line to you.”

Emma took the device and affixed it to her ear. Meryn spoke into her glove. “Can you hear me?”

“You’re coming through! That’s so cool!”

“All right. Be careful in there. If Trenton is here, that’s bad news for all three of you. But, if it’ll keep you all safe, I’ll stay out of sight until I’m needed.”

“Thanks, Meryn!”

“Think nothing of it,” Meryn said, grappling her way to a nearby rooftop once again. Emma watched her go then, when the butterflies in her stomach finally settled, she headed for the old warehouse.

...

The present

The two struggled against their bonds still, the ropes refusing to let go. Holly thought back to how they were caught. Probably was a bad idea to split up she thought. Should have stuck together.

At both women’s insistence, however, Bian and Holly split up to look around and try to find the room with the paintings in it. They hadn’t quite accounted for any of Kara’s goons being around but they grabbed Bian first, Kara doing the deed of tightly hogtying her, before another one nabbed Holly. They were both knocked out, carefully, and woke up together, no one else around, bound and gagged in the room with all the paintings.

Bian lay on her stomach, wrists tied behind her, elbows tied tight, a tight chest harness, with rope wrapping up her upper arms, keeping them together and pinned to her back. Ankles bound, rope above and below her knees, a final rope attaching her ankles to her upper back. Cloth was stuffed in her mouth, and duct tape wrapped very tight around her mouth.

She looked up at Holly, brown eyes wide. Holly’s own blue-eyed stare was just as wide, her ankles tied, as well as her thighs, rope wrapping her waist and keeping her bound wrists trapped and pinned down behind the chair. Her ankles were tied to her wrists, pulled back slightly underneath the chair, another harness of rope wrapping around her torso and arms. She was gagged the same way as her snooping partner.

All around them, they could see the paintings. The counterfeit works that would soon replace myriad paintings in museums the world over. But, more deeply concerning, where the red barrels of gasoline all around them. And something rigged up to each one of them, a timer, with an explosive, each counting down simultaneously.

Twenty minutes. Twenty minutes until... Holly paused her thoughts, suddenly consumed with the thought of a raging inferno. This made her struggle hard against the ropes.

“Hlllmmpp. Hllmmppp mmmph!” Holly called out, utterly muffled by her gag.

Bian, on the floor, echoed her call. “Hhhhlllmmmpp!”

She pushed down the fear. Holly’s blue eyes raged with the same fire she imagined was about to surround them in only minutes. She growled and bucked, writhing and trying to kick her bound legs. She pulled hard on her wrists, the ropes digging into her skin. She flexed and screamed all her rage into the cloth and tape gagging her, thrashing around wildly, breaking out into a sweat.

Bian, for her part, had stopped struggling, captivated by the struggles of her determined friend. Holly was no closer to freedom but she refused to give in. Heavy breathing, and one final scream of anger, forced her to rest, sweat beginning to soak through her clothing.

If only there wasn’t a literal fire bomb right next to me... this would actually be relaxing. And... Holly blushed as she interrupted her thoughts. No time to enjoy this. There’s a fucking fire coming!

Her thoughts, and struggles, were interrupted by another muffled voice being led into the room.

“Mmmpphh!”

Holly’s eyes went wide and, suddenly, her vision just about went white with anger. In came Kara Trenton, in her maroon pinstripe suit, baring a switchblade, with Emma... her girlfriend, wrists and arms tied, a similar gag of duct tape around her mouth, shoved forward...

“Mmmpphh!” Emma said.

“On the ground,” Kara said. “Now.”

The business-like mobster forced Emma to the floor and quickly tied her legs at the ankles and knees, pulling a handkerchief from her jacket, and tying that over Emma’s mouth and nose. “Enough noise.”

She stood up tall and reached into her pocket. A gold coin appeared in her hand and she glared at the three snoops.

“Ignis purgat curiosis oculis,” she said, tossing the coin to the floor.

“Mmm mmmpphh!” Emma protested as Kara left the room, the three women struggling within. She stepped outside, out the back, but a sudden force knocked her back, someone strong pinning her to the wall.

“Cut the Latin,” Meryn said.

“The Maiden...” Kara said, a dangerous look in her eyes. She flicked her switchblade and pushed it forward, into what would have been Meryn’s abdomen... but her attacker had backed off, much quicker than she thought, grabbing hold of Kara’s wrist, twisting once. The mobster cried out in pain and released her grip on the knife as Meryn pinned her to the wall again, this time lifting her up.

“One chance to call off the explosives,” Meryn said.

“You’re not taking another hit from me...” Kara said. “Never again...”

“This is a hit, is it?”

Kara glared again, still unafraid of even the imposing Meryn.

“Lured them in. I knew they were onto us. And that you’d come calling...”

Meryn felt something pressed against the back of her head and a subtle click told her what it was.

“Put me down... I don’t want your brain splattered all over my face,” Kara said.

Meryn slowly let Kara down and stood up straight.

“Hand behind your back. Now,” the gunman ordered. Meryn hesitated for a moment.

“I said now!” he ordered again, more forcefully.

The swiftest movement of her head startled the gunman, as well as a sudden elbow to his stomach. Meryn whirled around and brought her knee up, also to his already pained stomach, making him double over. As he did, fed several punches to his lowered head until her sprawled out on the pavement, bloody and unconscious. The sound attracted more goons with guns and Kara managed to pick up her knife.

Now surrounded, Meryn stopped in her tracks once again. “Give it up,” Kara said. “You won’t win here.”

Meryn grit her teeth. “We’ll see about that.”

...

Five minutes. That was all the time they had until the barrels exploded. Now the fear threatened to eat away at Holly as her tight ropes remained in place and she couldn’t free herself no matter which way she twisted.

Her screams of anger, masking the fear, muffled by her gag. She cast worried eyes to her girlfriend on the floor, struggling in her own bondage, unable to escape.

Bian, hogtied beside Emma, did her best to try and squirm toward her fellow captive but neither had managed to reach the other’s knots. Emma did her best to ignore the timer and keep fighting. Bian did too.

Holly’s eyes drifted between the counting timer and her girlfriend, bound and gagged on the floor, howling all her rage and fear into her gag. The ropes bit harder the more she struggled, little shots of pain on her bare arms. The gag, cruelly tight, pulled against her face as she shifted and writhed about. The seconds kept ticking away. Seconds until the fire would come...

Holly eyed the timer again, and her girlfriend, still refusing to give in, growling into her gag again and struggling for all she was worth. The ropes held tight, still digging in, but she wouldn’t let that stop her. In better circumstances, she may have found this all rather.... attractive, in its way. But with the impending mortal doom, and her girlfriend in the line of fire, there was no choice but to escape. She knew one thing, however. They were running out of time.

...

The goons wouldn’t fall and Meryn knew she didn’t have much time. The three women were still trapped in there. She could hear Emma in her ear, shouting encouragement, calling out, hints of fear in her voice. Deep within, her own fire burned. The heart of a dragon, as her father had called it.

Despite the beating she had taken, a few bruises on her body, some scrapes, a cut on her shoulder from Kara’s knife, undoubtedly some broken bones... she stood tall, even still. Fists clenched, muscles tense, blocking another punch from an exhausted goon. She punched him several times in the stomach, stepping back and throwing a kick there for good measure. Both sweating, she grabbed his head and forced it downward, bringing her knee up even faster, the two colliding and sending him to the pavement.

Another came at her and she stepped aside, slamming his head into the wall, repeatedly, until he collapsed beside the first.

Two remained. One more goon and Kara herself. Both exhausted, battered, and standing either side of Meryn.

“Give... it... up!” Kara said, brandishing her knife yet again.

She swiped at Meryn but, this time, Meryn was ready. Remembering the cut in her shoulder, she grabbed Kara’s arm with both hands. The other goon came at her. She swung Kara around with all her strength, throwing the mobster into her goon, sending both tumbling to the ground in a heavy collision. Both tried to get up but Meryn reached them first. The goon, his energy gone, saw a fist before blacking out. That just left Kara Trenton herself.

Still with knife in hand, she tried to lunge again. Meryn, once again, caught her arms in both hands. With a violent twist, and once strong push, against the elbow, they both heard a snap and Kara, ever stoic, gave nothing more than a loud grunt as her arm fell limp. The last thing she saw before the world went black was a swift fist from Meryn, laying her flat on the ground with her goons.

Meryn wiped blood from her corner of her lip and headed inside the warehouse. She could hear their muffled voices, one louder than the others, anger and fear in it. She followed them to the room with the paintings. A quick glance at the timers on the barrels... and there was less than a minute left.

“Shit...” she said, rushing first to the barrels. She checked them over... and noticed they were wired simply. Seemed Kara didn’t have much time...

She worked quickly, jumping from barrel to barrel, cutting wires, letting the timers blink out and go blank, and the explosives become harmless. The last one blinked out, giving her a scare, as it blinked down to 3 seconds... but it went out just as it ticked down to ‘2’ and the threat passed when, several silent seconds later, no fire engulfed the building. Wiping sweat and blood from her brow, Meryn set to work freeing the captives.

The gag came free from Emma first. “Holy crap, Meryn, are you okay?”

“Focus on you right now,” Meryn said. “You’ve had quite a scare.”

“We should maybe get you to a hospital or-”

“Never mind,” Meryn said gently. “Let’s just get you out of here.”

...

With all three cut free outside, the place swarming with police, Meryn being tended by a paramedic, the three approached her, covered in blankets.

“Hey... thanks,” Holly said. “That was... well that was amazing, what you did.”

“It’s nothing,” Meryn said, cracking a slight smile. “Glad you’re all safe.”

“You’re such a badass,” Emma said with a smile. “Really, you’re awesome.”

“Could say the same of you three. Going through something like that, still standing... there’s a lot of strength in that.”

“Yeah...” Bian said. “If you say so...”

“I do,” Meryn said. “Now, if you don’t... mind...” Meryn winced as the paramedic started working on her ribs. “I think I need to lay down...”

“Of course,” Holly said. “Thanks again.”

“Yes! Thank you!” Emma said.

“Thank you,” Bian added.

“Always,” Meryn said.

The paramedic helped her lay down and the three women stepped away, prepared to answer questions from the many authority figures buzzing about the place. Emma and Holly looked at each other, finally allowing themselves a kiss after everything they’d been through that day.

Despite her fear and rage back in the warehouse, it had practically all melted away. That was the magic of Emma.