Macy heard the order to stand down over a walkie-talkie.

“We are right on the scene at the bank robbery, where the order has been given to stand down.  It looks like maybe they’re about to release some hostages,” Carl said into the camera as he and James tried to keep up with Macy.

One of the cops finally noticed them, holding his hand up as they approached.  “Hey, you all need to get—”

A gunshot rang through the air.  Someone screamed.  The cops all turned towards the bank.

Macy ducked past the cop, sprinting around the bus.  She froze in her tracks.

“Noooooo!” she screamed as she saw the Siren on the ground.  Sergeant Sandusky stood over her, his gun in his hands.  

His training had taken over, and he’d put a round in her chest.  At such close range, he couldn’t have missed if he’d tried.  The impact had knocked her back a few feet before she’d fallen on her back, her eyes closed.

The bank doors opened, and the hostages ran free, panicked, running in all directions.  The stunned cops ran to greet them, while the robbers made a dash for the bus.  It was pure chaos.

Macy tried to get to Siren amidst the sea of people, hostages and cops running in all directions.  One of the bank robbers fired his gun into the air, everyone screaming and diving for cover.

Siren gasped as someone stepped on her hand, the pain bringing her around.  Sucking in air hurt, and it felt like her chest was on fire.  

Through the ringing in her ears she could hear people screaming and the sound of gunfire.  She reached for her chest, wincing as every movement sent screaming waves of agony radiating through her body.

She looked down, seeing a black smudge on her armor above her heart, the scales bent and mangled.  She’d been shot before, but never like this.  Grazing hits in her arms and legs, once in the shoulder, but even then she’d been wearing the kevlar vest.  She had known getting shot point blank would hurt, had expected it, but nothing had prepared her for this.

“Anna!”

She looked up as Macy knelt above her, cradling her head.

“Anna, are you alright?”

Siren tried to tell her to stop calling her Anna, but she still couldn’t breathe.

She looked down, seeing the last of the bank robbers getting on the bus.

“Stop,” she croaked, her voice barely audible.

Macy froze, the only one able to hear her.

Pain shot through her as she got her arms under her and pushed herself up into a sitting position.  She sucked in an agonizing breath of air.

“Stop,” she said again, louder.  The cops and hostages around her stopped and stood in place, looking around, confusion and terror in their eyes.

The bus’s engine roared to life.  Siren rolled to her side and pushed herself shakily to her feet, gritting her teeth through the fresh waves of pain.

“Stop!” she shouted.  Everyone in sight stood still, glancing around.  The bus started to move; the bank robbers inside hadn’t heard her.

Siren grabbed the gun out of the nearest cop’s hands, pushing past her way through the sea of people who could only watch her.  “Stop!” she shouted.  She fired the gun at the back window, the glass shattering.  “Stop the bus!”

The breaks squealed as the bus came to a sudden halt.

She threw her hands up in front of her face as more windows shattered, the bank robbers firing automatic weapons back at her.  She was in too much pain to dive for cover.

The shots all went wild anyway, bouncing harmlessly at her feet.  Some of the cops started firing back, resuming taking action amidst the confusion.  She uttered a small cry of surprise and fresh pain as a bullet clipped her elbow from behind.

“Everybody put your guns down!” she cried.  Behind her the cops all put their guns on the ground, and the bank robbers dropped their guns on the floor of the bus.

“Come out of the bus with your hands up.”

The robbers filled out of the bus, their hands raised.

“He should have shot you in the head.”  She immediately recognized the speaker as Clive.

“Hey, is everyone alright?” she called back over her shoulder, never taking her eyes off Clive.  

Sandusky jogged up to her.  “Zero casualties.”  He looked her over.  “I’m sorry I shot you.”

“It’s fine, I told you to.  But if you want to make it up to me, you can do me a favor.”

“What do you need?”

“Give that asshole your bulletproof vest,” she said, pointing her gun at Clive.

“What?” Clive said.

“You all shut up,” she ordered.

“Why?” Sandusky asked, but he was already unstrapping the vest.

“Because getting shot in the chest hurts like a bitch, and I’m too nice to make him rip his own dick off.”

He pulled off his vest, and then handed his own gun to Siren.  “I’m actually alright with that, just do me a favor and use my gun.  The paper work for this is going to be enough of a nightmare as it is, I don’t need one of my guys to have answer for why his gun was used to shoot an unarmed man.”

She nodded, taking the weapon as Sandusky tossed his bulletproof vest to Clive.

“Put that on,” Siren commanded.

He pulled the vest over his head, strapping it on, glaring at Siren.

She aimed the gun, her finger poised on the trigger.  She steadied her trembling hand with her left, taking slow, painful breaths.

“Ah, fuck,” she exhaled, switching on the safety and holding out the gun for Sandusky.

“I would have let you do it,” he said, taking it back.

“I appreciate that, but the moment’s gone.  They’re all yours.”

Sandusky waved for his guys.  “Cuff ‘em and read ‘em their rights.”  He turned back to Siren.  “Did you know you could take a bullet?”

“I didn’t expect it to hurt that much.  I was kind of hoping you’d shoot me in the arm or something.  I guess I should just be glad you didn’t shoot me in the face.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t even think about it.  I just acted.  I’m just glad I only shot you once.”

“Thanks for that.”

“No, thank you.  I don’t how this would have shaken out if you hadn’t shown up, but I do know that no one died today.  I owe you one, and this city owes you.”

“We were both just doing our jobs.”



“Get out of the shot,” James shouted at Macy.  Macy numbly moved out of the way as they filmed Siren walking away from the scene.  She wanted to run over to her adopted sister, but she knew that face.  Anna’s ‘leave me alone’ face.  

She hoped her sister had the good sense to see a doctor.  She could easily get herself treatment without being put in the records or drawing suspicion to herself, but she didn’t do it nearly often enough.

“This is Carl Ford with Channel 12 News on the scene where thanks to the local super heroine called Siren, all the bank robbers have been apprehended and none of the hostages were killed.”

Macy gave him a thumbs up as she walked back to the van.  It would play like gold for Siren’s reputation, but all she could think about was coming around that bus and seeing Anna lying on her back, her eyes closed.  



Anna winced as she tried to pull her chainmail shirt off.  She eyed the bottle of vodka on her kitchen table in the mirror.  No, she’d already had two shots, washing down the Vicodin she’d told a doctor to prescribe her.  

They weren’t kicking in near fast enough, and she sucked in her breath, gritting her teeth as she pulled the chain shirt over her head.

She didn’t think it was possible, but she looked even worse than she felt.  Her chest was an ugly mosaic of blacks and blues and purples.  She gingerly touched the edge of the massive bruise, sucking in air through her teeth as pain radiated through her.

She needed to see a doctor, she realized as she painfully reached behind her back and unclasped her bra.  Her left breast was bruised and tender, the bruise spreading over to the right as well.

Definitely needed a doctor.  

She stopped as she saw a shadow flit across her kitchen table in the mirror.  She watched intently, making sure her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her.  She reached for the medicine cabinet, opening it slightly angling it through her kitchen.

A figure rushed into her bathroom.  Anna just had time duck and dodge out of the way.  She grabbed her assailant, a woman in black combat gear, her blonde hair tied in a ponytail, and slammed her face first into the mirror.

“Who are you?” Anna asked, backing out of the bathroom, her hands up defensively.  As her attacker turned, she saw that her ears were plugged.  The woman’s forehead was bleeding, and she wiped the blood away with her sleeve, advancing slowly on Anna.

She could feel the effects of the alcohol and painkillers setting in as her heart raced, pumping them through her system faster, dulling her reflexes and slowing her down.

The woman came at her again, and Anna hooked her leg in one of her chairs, sliding it out between them.  She meant to kick the chair at her attacker, but her ankle got caught in the legs, and she stumbled, nearly falling backward.  The woman jumped up on the chair, poised to come down on Anna, and the red head ducked, rolling under the table.  

Her breasts bounced and swung painfully, unsupported by a bra.  The painkillers were betraying her reflexes but not coming close to numbing the pain.  She grimaced through the pain, groping along the surface of her table as she rolled out the other side.  The woman was running around the table, and Anna’s fingers found the edge of a plate just as her attacker rounded the corner.  She stood, hurling the plate like a Frisbee.  

The ceramic disk shattered as it smashed into the woman’s throat.  Anna tackled her, bringing her to the ground.  As the woman tried to get up, Anna got her into a headlock, yelping in pain as the intruder thrashed against her bruised chest.  Anna slammed her fist repeatedly into the side of her head, stunning her, before fumbling in her ear for the plug.  Her ear was sealed with some sort of putty, and it took Anna some time to work it loose.

“Who are you?  Tell me what you want from me,” she breathed into the woman’s ear as she freed it from the plug.

“The Sea Witch wants you,” the woman gasped.

Anna froze, her blood running cold.  She saw movement out of the corner of her eye, spinning to see a thick, black, oily tentacle descending upon her.  

She didn’t have time to react as it wrapped around her, enveloping her in its slimy embrace, pulling her off of the intruder.  A scream of pain ripped through the air as the tentacle constricted around her bruised chest, pinning her arms to her sides.  Her legs kicked uselessly as she was lifted off the floor.  Her scream was cut short as the tentacle wrapped around her mouth.

She couldn’t breath, the tentacles grip tightening, squeezing the air out of her lungs.  She couldn’t move, couldn’t fight, couldn’t breath.  

The tentacle slowly spun her around.  Her eyes followed the tentacle from where it wrapped around her waist into her living room, where its oily black form flowed from a clay vase sitting on the floor.   The rim of the vase was lit by faintly glowing runes.  Anna looked up from the vase, following the pale legs upward to the short black dress, the sharp face with blood red lips, and narrow, hazel eyes, her jet black hair.

“It’s time, my little Ariel,” Ursula said.  Anna managed one last muffled scream before she blacked out.