Kneeling beside another artifact, Captain examined it closely. “And here we have…” he said, picking up a decapitated head. “The severed head of Demeter from her bust over there.” He pointed to the headless figure of the goddess, standing on a low pillar.

Meanwhile, back at the shipwreck, Princess Ruana (Roanne) continued her exploration. After some time, she stumbled upon a black chest hidden among the wreckage.

What could be inside? Ruana wondered.

Bending down, she unlocked the chest and was just about to open it when the entire box collapsed, revealing a skeleton inside.

“Oh my!” Ruana gasped, stepping back, her hand flying to her mouth in shock.

She turned, noticing a narrow alley that led to a small door caught between light and shadow. Gathering her courage, she slowly walked toward it. At the door, she hesitated before opening it and stepping inside. Her eyes widened in horror at the sight before her—an entire crew of skeletons, crammed into the small den.

Back in the cave, Captain McKinley and the woman, having left the chamber of artifacts behind, moved toward the cave’s exit.

I just realized something—this woman constantly smells like iron, Captain thought. And there are no mineral deposits here. I need to be sure.

Behind the woman’s back, Captain discreetly typed a command on the projected mini keyboard from his left space gauntlet. It read:

“MAurI&SE, jr.; analyze the woman in front of me discreetly and send the findings to me quietly.”

The artificial intelligence embedded in his armor immediately processed the request. Within seconds, the result appeared on the holographic screen of his gauntlet:

“Positive. Stains of blood detected on the woman.”

Blood? She reeks of it… yet there’s no visible blood on her, only dust and dirt. What could have happened? Captain’s mind raced.

As they stepped out into the open, the woman abruptly stopped and spoke. “We were once handmaidens of Persephone. We were beautiful, even if we were less than our muse,” she said, her voice laced with nostalgia. She looked straight at Captain as she continued.

“But that wretched Demeter!” she spat, her expression twisting in scorn. “Persephone’s mother blamed us when Hades took her daughter. She accused us of negligence… and cursed us.”

The woman’s shadow began to shift. Her arms elongated, transforming into wings, while her legs thickened, sprouting feathers. Her feet morphed into sharp talons as the curse revealed itself.

The transformed Siren lunged forward, wings spread wide, her sharp talons aimed directly at Captain McKinley (Benjamin). She clashed with his laser blades, which extended from his space gauntlets like glowing knife edges. Sparks flew as talon met blade in a flurry of strikes. With a shriek, the Siren disengaged and soared into the sky.

Captain McKinley braced himself, anticipating her aerial attack. From his gauntlets, he summoned a laser gun using nano-molecules, firing cyan beams at the Siren as she darted and weaved through the air.

“MAurI&SE, jr.,” the artificial intelligence within his space armor, activated an augmented reality (AR) interface on his helmet’s face shield. The interface tracked the Siren’s movements, analyzing her flight patterns as the captain continued his barrage. Finally, the AI detected an opening.

As the Siren swooped back, her guard momentarily down, Captain McKinley fired a decisive laser beam straight into her back. The shot hit its mark, fatally wounding her.

From a distance, the Siren’s body paled, her form unraveling until she shredded into pieces and dissipated into the air. Captain McKinley let out a sigh of relief—but before he could react, a second Siren struck from behind. Her talons pierced deep into his shoulders, and with a surge of pain, he lost consciousness.

The second Siren lifted Captain McKinley high above the shoreline, flying swiftly toward the sea. In one fluid motion, they plunged into the water together.

Princess Ruana (Roanne) witnessed the entire scene unfold, the sudden turn of events sending her racing toward the sea.

Beneath the waves, Princess Ruana (Roanne) transformed into her mermaid form, emerging from a swirl of seafoam. She was locked in pursuit of the second Siren, who had dragged Captain McKinley (Benjamin) deeper into the sea. As the chase intensified, a third Siren attempted to ambush Ruana from the side, but Ruana’s telepathic abilities sensed the winged woman’s presence. With a glow radiating from her hand in rippling shades of seafoam green and lavender, the mermaid summoned seaweeds from the ocean floor.

The seaweeds shot up and ensnared the third Siren, foiling her attack. The winged woman struggled violently, but the more she resisted, the tighter the seaweeds constricted around her. In her final moments, the Siren’s body paled, her wings and talons turning white before shredding into pieces and dissolving into the aquamarine depths. As the lifeless remains drifted away, the seaweeds loosened and collapsed back to the seafloor, a tangled mass.

Meanwhile, the second Siren released Captain McKinley, leaving him resting among the corals. His oxygen bar flashed red, signaling dangerously low levels, accompanied by warning beeps. Desperate to reach him, Ruana was cut off by the Siren, who chased her relentlessly through the water. Though swift in the sky, the Siren was equally fast beneath the waves, forcing Ruana into a high-stakes race.

Ruana’s eyes caught sight of debris from a shipwreck near the Sirens’ island. With a plan forming, she swam toward it at full speed, the second Siren closing in, fangs bared and teeth gleaming. At the last second, Ruana dove upward, leaving the Siren’s momentum to carry her directly into a jagged protruding pole. The impact was fatal, and a cloud of blood bloomed into the surrounding waters as the Siren was impaled.

With the three Sirens defeated, Princess Ruana (Roanne) swam back to Captain McKinley (Benjamin), who lay unconscious among the corals. The red-haired, green-tailed mermaid gently lifted the space ranger, bringing him to the surface of the aquamarine waters. Above, they faced the turbulent waves beneath a dark, stormy sky, where lightning cracked, thunder roared, and rain poured down in torrents. Violent gusts of wind swept across the horizon, making the scene even more perilous.

A colossal wave surged forward, pulling Ruana and Captain McKinley back beneath the depths. Helpless but determined, Ruana conjured a protective sphere of shimmering, dreamy periwinkle waters, glowing bright aquamarine around them both. The turbulent sea swirled around, obscuring everything, even the force field. Ruana held Captain close, bracing for the impact as light began to pierce through the darkened sky.

On the shore, the once-turbulent sea had given way to tranquil tides, and the tropical trees swayed peacefully. Princess Ruana lay beside the unconscious Captain. She gazed at his face, the thin barrier of his helmet’s tempered glass separating them. Gently, she retracted the face shield to reveal his face fully. With steady hands, she performed CPR, relief washing over her as Captain McKinley coughed up water and began to stir, though still disoriented.

The mermaid traced her fingers fondly along the space ranger’s face, her expression softening as she began to sing longingly:

“What would I do to see you smiling at me?

If we could stay all day in the sun?

Just you and me, and I could have

A place in your heart…”

As her song filled the air, villagers from the island began to arrive. Sensing their approach, Ruana swiftly crawled away, vanishing into the shadows. The locals, puzzled by the sight of the teenage boy in space armor, lifted Captain McKinley and carried him inland.

From behind a large rock, Ruana continued her song, her voice soft and distant:

“I don’t know when…” She peeked out from her hiding place.

“I don’t know how…” She slipped sideways behind the rock.

“But I know, something’s starting right now…”

The red-haired, green-tailed mermaid climbed atop the rock, her voice rising as the waves swelled behind her.

“Someday I’ll be in that—special place in your heart!”

Ruana’s song ended on a high note as she stood triumphantly on the rock, framed by the vast, rolling sea.

Lyrics adapted from “Part of Your World (Reprise)” (1989) by Jodi Benson from The Little Mermaid (An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack).

The three Sirens stood tall on the rocky peak, their long hair adorned with feathers swaying in the wind. Wings stretched where arms should have been, and their faces, though beautiful, hinted at something dark beneath the surface. When not angered, they concealed their fangs behind soft lips, giving no hint of the sharp teeth within. Their torsos and thighs remained human, slender and graceful, but their legs were stout and feathered, ending in sharp, three-pronged talons. Their plumage shimmered in shades of teal – a vibrant mix of blue and green, a perfect blend of woman and seabird.

Once, they had been handmaidens of Persephone, the daughter of Demeter and Zeus. That was before Hades abducted the maiden and made her Queen of the Underworld. Demeter’s wrath was swift and merciless – she cursed the handmaidens, transforming them into the hideous, monstrous Sirens. What could three lowly handmaidens do against the might of the Lord of the Underworld, or the vengeance of the powerful Goddess of Seasons and Harvest?

They were gifted, or perhaps cursed, with enchanting voices. Their songs lured ships to ruin, drawing sailors off course into the perilous waters surrounding the island. Those unfortunate enough to pass through the Sirens’ domain met a gruesome fate, their flesh torn apart until only bones remained. Perhaps the Sirens found some twisted solace in exacting their revenge on men, but they never turned their fury on the gods who had condemned them to this fate.

Now, they perched atop the island’s highest rock, gazing out over the endless sea. Their eyes, like their song, reached toward the sky, searching, ever watchful, for the next ship to stray too close to their deadly shores.

Sometime later, Captain McKinley (Benjamin) and Princess Ruana (Roanne) stood before the large screen, which displayed four panels. The first panel showed Bee Girl (Sophie) and Oppa Rockstar (James) saving a window cleaner from a deadly fall. The second panel showed Spartan (Michael) engaging with hijackers to free their hostages. The third panel captured Love Fey (Allison) and Cerulean Arlentis (Topher) responding to the malfunctioning LRT train.

The fourth and final panel showed a continuation of Love Fey and Cerulean’s partnership as they fought the fire in a tenement building. Ruana stared in disbelief, while Captain’s surprise quickly turned into a cold glare.

“Oh no, they’ve found out!” CleanBot exclaimed.

Captain turned sharply, catching ROBO3000 and CleanBot trying to leave. “Where do you think you’re going?” he demanded.

“I—I can explain,” ROBO3000 stammered.

“What’s there to explain? How you tricked me by fabricating those training recordings?” Captain cut him off, his voice sharp.

Unnoticed by those behind him, MAurI&SE, the spaceship’s artificial intelligence, quietly switched Peregrine from AUTO MODE to MANUAL MODE, the message flashing on the screen in large letters.

“ROBO3000, call my brothers, sister, and cousins. Let’s see if you can get this right,” Captain ordered coldly.

A few minutes later, Captain, with Ruana by his side, faced the others.

“I see you’re not wearing your gray shirts and matching sweatpants,” Captain began. “Were you training, or doing some crimefighting and disaster response behind my back?”

He turned to Sophie. “Sophie, I never imagined you’d be so bold. What happened to my obedient youngest sister?”

Bee Girl lowered her head in shame, her fingers fidgeting nervously.

“And Topher,” Captain’s gaze shifted to Cerulean, “I always saw you as a role model—someone who does what’s right.”

“I’m sorry, Captain,” Cerulean apologized, “but there are people who need us.”

“And you, Kuya James—” Captain looked toward Rockstar. “You’re older than me, the eldest here, yet you allowed the younger ones to put themselves in danger.”

“Chill, Bro,” Rockstar replied, trying to diffuse the tension. “Maybe we can talk this out and find a middle ground.”

Captain’s glare settled on Michael. “I believe you led this rebellion, Michael, stirring chaos against the order and authority here on Peregrine.”

“What?!” Spartan shot back. “You expect me to apologize for doing something while you act like a know-it-all, just because you’re in command?”

“Did you even bother asking what the others wanted, or letting them decide for themselves?” Spartan continued.

“I made the decision that’s best for everyone—to keep us safe and protect all of you,” Captain defended.

“Really?! By trapping us in this spaceship, making us wear dull clothes, and wasting our powers on pointless training while the real action happens out there?” Spartan retorted.

“Enough!” Captain’s voice hardened. “I won’t tolerate your insubordination, Michael.”

“Oh yeah?” Spartan stepped closer, his fiery gaze locked on Captain. “Think you can handle someone like me? Call the time and place, and I’ll fight you anywhere. Then we’ll see who should be calling the shots here.”

Captain McKinley and Spartan stood face-to-face, glares clashing—one icy and calm, the other blazing with fury.

“Enough! You’re brothers, you shouldn’t be fighting like this in front of everyone,” Uncle Ronald interrupted, breaking the tension.

“Tito! What are you doing here?! How did you get aboard?” Captain was stunned.

The big screen flickered, and MAurI&SE reappeared. “There’s a situation at a mall—widespread organized crime. I’m afraid your grandparents are caught in the middle.”

Everyone’s eyes widened in shock as the screen showed Grandpa Al and Grandma Emily among the hostages, captured by armed men inside the mall.