Tyrese melted into the shadows as a lone figure made its way into the alley.  Despite his enormous size, he was well practiced at making himself inconspicuous, all but disappearing into the shadows, lying in wait like some great predator as the figure walked down the alley.

He burst from the shadows, leading with his heavy fists in a haymaker that would crush bone.

The figure moved like lightning, ducking out of the way, and Tyrese bent backwards as the figure pointed.  His eyes widened as he saw no gun in the hand, but behind him the wall exploded in a shower of bricks.

He threw his fists out, the figure dodging the first blow, but catching the left hook in the ribs.  A powerful force threw Tyrese’s hand to the side after it made contact, but the damage was done, and the figure crashed against the wall.

Tyrese didn’t hear Anna yell to stop, but luckily for him his opponent did, and Israel stopped himself from blowing open Tyrese’s skull.

Tyrese followed the man’s eyes, seeing Anna frantically scrambling down the fire escape, her lips moving, waving her arms.

Izzy clutched his side, warily stepping away from the huge man who’d bruised his ribs.  

Anna slid down the fire escape, pausing at the bottom, holding up a finger to tell everyone to hold on as she caught her breath.  Both men’s eyes flicked from each other to her, standing defensively.

“Izzy, this is Tyrese,” she managed between labored breaths.  She signed to Tyrese, “This is Israel Leblanc, Barrage of the LC.”

Izzy watched her sign, putting two and two together.  “Immune to your power.  Smart,” he said.  He turned back to Tyrese, sizing him up.  “He knows how to throw a punch, too,” he said.

Tyrese in turn watched him, reading his lips.  He was familiar with Barrage on a cursory level.  He’d been beating up thugs, many of whom were armed with guns, for the past few weeks, but in the presence of the Legend, he felt a twinge of unease.  One look at the obliterated wall was enough to tell him that the Legend had him vastly outclassed.  “He’s a friend?” he signed back at Anna, not taking his eyes off the Legend.

He watched in her peripheral vision as Anna signed back that they could trust him.  There was a pregnant pause, the unspoken agreement that if the Legend wasn’t here to help them, there wasn’t a damned thing either of them could do about it.

“Izzy, what’s going on?”

“We need to talk,” he responded.

It took one look at his face to know that he bore bad news.



Jeremy Cordoni meandered about his home in a kind of fog.  He wasn’t sure why he’d invited the strange woman into his house, and at that point it had seemed too late to stop everyone else who’d come along since, taking over his house.  He was smart enough to know that he was now involved in something way bigger than him, and he had no control in what was going on.  The sight of two nearly naked women being dragged in through his front door was enough to snap him out of his trance, enough to at least question what was going on.

“Just stay out of the way and don’t worry about it,” the woman in the black dress had told him, and he put it out of his head, going about his regular activities.  He was somewhat of a recluse, using his modest fortune to build his lavish house off the grid.  If it was still bothering him, he might have put together that his house’s remote location was likely the reason his personal space had been invaded, but as it was, he simply retired to his study to read, unmindful of the hustle and bustle of people moving throughout his house and the occasional muffled scream.  He wasn’t worried about it.



“No,” Anna said.  “No, no no.”

“Anna,” Izzy started.

“No,” she repeated.

“Anna,” he said, more firmly.

Tyrese watched from the door to the kitchen.  He’d brought them back to his apartment, and while he was only picking up pieces of the conversation from reading their lips, he got the general gist.  The same woman who’d captured Anna and stolen her power now had her sister.

“Izzy, she can’t.”

“I stopped by Macy’s place, and her girlfriend’s, before I came here.  I wanted to make sure, before I told you.”

“No,” she repeatedly stubbornly, as if by pure force of denial she could undo what had happened.

“The Sea Witch is waiting for your call,” he said.

She had been pacing back and forth, but she stopped, her fists slowly clenching and unclenching.  “Gimme your phone.”

“You need to compose yourself first.”

“I said give me the phone!” she growled, her voice low.

“I will, just take a minute and-”

She hit him.  There was no planning or thought thrown into it, the punch slamming ineffectually into his chest.

Tyrese took a step forward into the room, but Izzy shook his head, standing there as Anna hit him again and again.

“Give me your phone.  Give me your goddam phone!  Give.  Phone.”

It didn’t take long for her to wear herself out, railing against him.  She fell into his arms, and he caught her, holding her while she started to sob.  “She has Macy.  I can’t let Macy go through that.”

“I know,” he said.  “She’s desperate, and it means she’s losing your power again.  She’s going to want to trade, you for Macy, and every instinct I have says to stop you from doing it, but I can’t do that.”

“Izzy, I can’t let Macy go through what I went through.  Ursula’s a monster.”

“We’ll get her back.  We’ll do whatever it takes.”

She stood back up straight, wiping the tears from her eyes.  “Let me call her.”

Izzy stared into her green eyes, bloodshot, but focused, for the first time since she’d been rescued.  He nodded, handing her the phone.  “It’s the last number in the history.”

She nodded, taking the phone and dialing.  She focused on controlling her breathing while the phone rang.

“Hello.”  Anna shuddered at the familiar voice.  “Is this Ariel?”

“My name is Anna,” she responded through gritted teeth.

“And once it was Siren, but I took that from you too.”

“Where is Macy?”

“I took her and her girlfriend to the most charming little place in the woods.”

Anna’s eyes widened.  “You have Ellen too?”

“Ellen, that’s her name.  They were so cute together; it seemed a shame to separate them.  They’re having a great time, but so much fun can be exhausting, I’m sure they’re ready to go home.”

“What do you want?”

Ursula laughed, and Anna’s knuckles turned white as she squeezed the phone pressed to her ear.  “Do you even have to ask?  I want your voice.  It’s rather, useful.  But don’t worry, I won’t need it much longer, and this will be the last time I need to borrow it.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.  I won’t even hold onto you for safekeeping this time, though I’m a little upset you weren’t happy with the hospitality you were treated to last time.”

Anna took a deep breath.  She was trying to get under her skin, and she was succeeding.  “I let you steal my voice again, and you let Macy and Ellen go?”

“Yes.”

“Unharmed.”

“Why of course.”

“And how do I know you’ll keep your word?”

There was a long pause on the other end of the line.  “You don’t,” Ursula said at last.  Anna could hear the cruel smile in her voice.  “But you do know that if you don’t take me up on this offer, I’m capable of things you can’t even imagine.”

“Let me talk to Macy.”

There was another pause, and then, “No.”

She wanted to beg.  To plead, but she knew it was useless.  “Where?”

“I’ll text you the address.  Oh, and the cowboy isn’t invited.  Wouldn’t want him doing something heroic and reckless and complicating what should be a simple transaction.”

Anna flicked her eyes up at Izzy.  He gave her a nod.  “Just me.  I let you steal my voice, and then I leave with Macy and Ellen.”

“See you soon, Ariel,” Ursula replied, hanging up.

It buzzed in her hand a moment later, and she looked at the screen.  There was a text message with an address.  It buzzed again a second later, a picture appearing on screen.

Anna let the phone drop from her hand as her arms feel limply to her sides.  She turned deathly pale as the blood drained from her face, and she felt faint.

“Are you alright?” Izzy asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

She shut her eyes, taking slow, deep breaths.  When she opened her eyes again, she nodded.  “I want you there with me.  Saving Macy and Ellen is my first priority, but if you get the opportunity, kill that bitch.”

Izzy picked up the phone, looking at the picture.  Tyrese stepped in and looked over his shoulder.  The picture showed Macy and Ellen.  Both girls were stark naked, their pale skin broken up by the tight ropes digging into their skin.  They were both hanging from their bound wrists.  Their eyes were wide over the thick black cleave gags parting their lips, looks of sheer terror on their faces.

“I will.”

Tyrese signed to Anna that he was coming too.

“Are you sure?” she signed back.

He nodded.

Izzy looked back and forth between them.  Tyrese looked down at him, and Izzy nodded knowingly.  “Does he know how to use a gun?”  He made a gun gesture to Tyrese, who nodded.  “Good.”

Anna nodded, her face set.  “Let’s go.”