Safe For Work Sample: Mary Batson -- aka Mary Marvel!

(Art by Cameron Stewart, Colors by Nathan Fairbairn)

The following is from The Luthor Agenda, the second spinoff of Ovyah Discovered, which is itself a long story. It involves a Djinn and sex and lots of stuff.

This scene, however, is completely safe for work, despite the phrase "hide the Cosmic Staff," and it stars Mary Batson, aka the World's Mightiest Mortal Mary Marvel!

(Oddly enough? Mary Batson/Mary Marvel is in the public domain, but her name is trademarked, so... you know. Be aware. DC has more money for lawyers than you do. Also? Note the explicit '19 years old' infodrop.)

-----

"Okay, I just don't get why you'd want to do this now. You know?" Billy shrugged. At nineteen he was still kind of a beanpole, though he worked out and had a runner's build -- not to mention an unruly mop of hair. He still tended to red shirts and turtlenecks, but with his bit of scruff he looked more like Shaggy from Scooby Doo than anything else.

A fact which always made his twin sister Mary giggle. "Billy... we've talked about this for a while. I decided I... wanted to do this now. It feels right."

"It feels right? I thought you were going to start Fawcett University with Freddie and me in a couple months. You'll be delaying all that... what, at least a year?" He looked sidelong at his sister. Mary was about five-eight to his five-ten. She had filled out over time, though she was slender rather than voluptuous or a hardbody, with a white tank top on under a flannel shirt over jeans and her slightly curly brown hair back in a headband. Courtney Whitmore once described Mary as 'ridiculously adorable' to Billy where Mary could overhear, and it took about a week for Mary to stop blushing.

"It's a year's deferment. That's all. And that's kinda the point, big brother." 'Big brother' was a bit of an in-joke between Mary and Billy Batson. They'd been raised separately for a number of years -- Mary going by Mary Bromfield with her adoptive family at the time. She'd gone back to her birth name of Batson after finding her twin, with the blessing of her wealthy adoptive parents, Nick and Nora Bromfield -- though they remained close. It was an in-joke because once they found each other and actually found Mary's proper birth certificate, it turned out that Mary was born first, and technically was nine minutes older.

On the other hand, a lot of the time Billy was a lot bigger than Mary, so...

"What do you mean, that's kinda the point?"

"I mean... I grew up on the Bromfield estate, kind of cut off from the world. Then I found you and Freddie, and we were always together, fighting crime and punching and having adventures and... not really... living in the world. Which I had really hammered home when I was with the Super Buddies."

"I... did kind of try to warn you," Billy said.

"You did. But I was glad for the experience nonetheless. Even if Max turned out..."

"...yeah," Billy said. Billy had been a member of the Justice League International, once upon a time. Mary had been a member of the Super Buddies, born of the JLI's membership. In both cases, Max Lord had been their benefactor. Later, Billy had gone on to the Justice League proper and had a few issues with them -- wrecking Lexor City fighting Superman, for example -- while Mary had gone back to Fawcett. "So what, then?"

"So... I've told you before. I haven't experienced the world. I haven't experienced life. And that's a problem, Billy. I... don't think it's safe to be in our line of work and be too innocent."

Billy snorted. "Seriously? You... know our reputation, right? And what about me and Freddie? We're in the same boat--"

"No, you're not. Billy, you literally grew up homeless. You lived on the street and slept in the subway and... people mistook idealism and kindness for innocence and ignorance, but they're not. You know the world we live in, and you choose to be your best self. I... I'm really jealous of you. It's one reason I still kind of defer to you when we're suited up."

"Yeah, but--"

"And Freddie... if anything, he had it harder than you. And had to learn a lot of things. And... okay, I've seen a lot of stuff. And I won't claim I'm as lily white as Guy always joked."

"...maybe don't say 'lily white?' It's... kinda coded, these days."

Mary blinked. "Seeeeeee?" she asked, grinning.

"Shut up." He grinned too.

"But... anyway. I had a very comfortable -- almost luxurious life, with kind, loving parents and teachers who came to the estate to teach me. And I'm... I'm aware of how blessed I am. And I'm not ashamed of any of it, but I also know there's a whole side to life I haven't seen yet." She shrugged. "I'm nineteen. Maybe before I go to college with my twin brother and best friend twenty miles from the mansion my parents live in? I want to be someplace where I have to get a job, and an apartment, and pay my own phone bill and get to work on time." She paused. "And when trouble hits? Not have my big brother there to bail me out. I mean... we literally have the same powers at the same level -- they've all grown and developed and..."

"Mary... you're right."

"I know I'm right, and you just have to ac...cept... that... you just did, didn't you?"

Billy laughed. "Of course I did, Little Sis. Look. I know what you're saying. Like you said, we've been saying it for a long time. And we're not kids any more. And I completely get wanting to have the chance to be responsible. I'm gonna worry because I'm gonna worry, but--"

"I know. I want you to worry. I mean, I'd say some smartypants thing about being invulnerable, but I've been gagged before I could get all the syllables out about twelve too many times to say it with a straight face. But that's part of growing up, too. Maybe I'll end up hooked on the drugs and turning tricks or dead in an alley. I know it's hard to be a woman alone out there. But--"

"...Mary? You say 'smartypants' instead of 'smartass.' Maybe you'll die in an alley, but I sincerely doubt you'll end up hooked on 'the drugs' the with that attitude. And maybe don't go to alleys alone in the first place, if you can help it?"

"So, what... barefoot and pregnant? Or is that--"

"Oh, no. That could happen. You've got no sense or taste in men."

"Billy! That's not true!" She made a face. "And besides. You're no better."

"What? I dated Cissie Sommerly for how long, again?"

"Did you ever make it to second base? Mmmmmmm?"

Billy sputtered. "No. I did not. Make it to second base. With my middle and early high school girlfriend. Who was the niece of my boss at the radio station." He paused. "Now, Courtney..."

"Wait, wh-- did you--" Mary blushed, giggling behind her hand. "Did you p-play... hide the... hide the cosmic staff with Stargirl?"

Billy started snickering, which turned into laughing. "Hide the cosmi-- I'm DM'ing her that. And... what we did and didn't do I will not say. But we were both over eighteen and no one got any pictures and if anything did happen she left her mask on and I wore like three condoms and a little tiny version of the S.T.R.I.P.E. armor."

Mary's own giggles turned into howls of laughter, her face turning deep red like it did when she really got laughing hard. "Oh my gosh,Billy! How was it! Was she cute!? Was it great?" Her voice dropped. "Does she stuff? She stuffs, right? No one has that much boob in a sport bra under a second sport bra made of bulletproof material."

Billy tried to catch his breath, he was laughing so hard. They half hugged as they settled into giggles.

"See, that's the thing," Billy said. "I'm gonna miss you so much. I spent so long not knowing you existed, then not knowing where you were..."

"I know," Mary said. "But that was... jeez. That was half our lives ago, Billy. And... and we're the Marvel Family. We've seen... we've seen what happens when a Marvel gets too isolated. I... still feel pretty guilty about Adam."

"...yeah. Me too."

"It's just Seattle. I've got a line on a place. In a nice neighborhood. And I already went for an interview at a coffee place and they already said yes, so I have a job."

"You already got a job? At a coffee place?"

"Well yeah. I mean, it's Seattle. There's, like, two coffee places for every resident." She kind of shrugged. "And... they don't have a super hero right now. And they could use one."

Billy nodded. "Yeah." He chuckled. "You saved that for last because you knew it'd be the slam-dunk, right? Because we're all about that duty to our fellow man?"

"Yeah. I did, because we are." She paused. "How'd you guess."

"Well... you keep mentioning how you lived at the Bromfield Estate and never saw the other side of life and since you were thirteen years old you've worked three nights a week at soup kitchens."

"Well, yeah, but... I mean, I got into that habit with my folks. They'd change and we'd head down, and they'd be bantering back and forth like they always do. Dad always told people he worked in a real estate office, which is true if you count owning half of the financial district. Mom always came up with ridiculous cover stories and kept changing them up, with this slightly clueless Hippy Earth Mother vibe to her. I remember she used to tell one of the cooks that her pottery studio was going to take off because she pressed grass on the sides of the pot so that the impressions would stay, for instance..."

"You really love them," Billy said, quietly. "That's awesome."

"They've always been there for me, Big Brother. Just like you, after we found each other."

"And I always will be. And so will Cap. And you'll always be there for me. You're my hero, Mary Marvel."

Mary flushed, smiling. "And... Freddie's my hero, Captain Marvel, but you're a close second."

"Close second my eye--"

There was the sudden sound of a reverberating boom.

Billy blinked. "That wasn't thunder -- so it wasn't Freddie."

"Concussive," Mary said. "Cannon shot or a transformer exploding."

They locked eyes, standing up three feet apart from each other. They glanced both ways. They'd been in Billy's back yard -- it was a small beater house he and Freddie were renting for college. It had been he, Freddie and Mary until today, when she told Billy she'd made her decision. Freddie she'd told that morning. It had involved quite a bit more. Including a bit of second base, not that she'd tell that to Billy.

They glanced back at each other, nodding. They were clear.

"Shazam!" they shouted in unison -- long practice having refined their timing.

There was a sudden sky-splitting thunderbolt, forking at the very last second before the ground. To anyone watching, the flash was blinding and the whole thing was over in the blink of an eye. To the Batson twins, the lightning hit and encircled them both, its power surging around them and causing them both to expand, the lightning and its divine force flowing into their bodies. Mary felt her mind expand as the Wisdom of Solomon and the Courage of Achilles enhanced it. The Power of Zeus and the Strength of Heracles flowed into her muscles, even as her perceptions shifted with the Speed of Mercury. Finally, her body itself finished expanding, having taken on the full Stamina of Atlas. Next to her, Billy was undergoing the same amazing transformation.

And then Billy was gone, and in his place was an idealize man -- his face not unlike Billy's though perhaps a bit more square jawed, his hair shorter, his shoulders much, much broader with the aforementioned Stamina of Atlas. He had become idealized, at least in one form of 'ideal' -- the muscular stalwart hero in the red coat and white half-cape with the golden lightning bolt and the frankly too tight tights on his legs, tucked into pirate boots. The World's Mightiest Mortal. No matter what joking Mary did, he was the greatest hero she'd ever known, and she'd met both Batman and Superman.

He was Captain Marvel. She used to call him 'the one and only' Captain Marvel until one day Billy blushed and told her to stop that, muttering something about a 'Carol' or a 'Marv' or both -- she wasn't really sure. He had some adventures on his own he never really talked about. But whatever was up with that, he was the epitome of everything a hero should be.

And everything Mary herself wanted to be.

Not that she had much to go. Like her brother, she was taller and broader -- idealized as well, which in her case meant a larger bust and hips, and serious muscle definition to go with them. Her face was a bit sharper, her brown hair straighter, her own uniform a loose tunic blouse-dress in white with the same lightning bolt insignia, the same pirate boots, and the same half-cape. She was beautiful and she knew it, so she tried really hard to not lead people on. It wasn't fair. And she'd never think she was in the same league, but both Billy and Freddie would say she was the World's Mightiest Mortal. Billy offered her the 'Captain' title, but it didn't feel right to her.

So she went with what did. She was Mary Marvel -- and despite her face looking very similar and her name literally being 'Mary Marvel,' it was literally impossible for anyone to figure out she and Mary Batson were the same. It was the same with Freddie or Billy. It was one of the many divine gifts that came with the lightning bolt and the responsibility to use their power for the right things and the right causes.

The Marvels flew seven blocks, before they saw the small group of armored men on what looked like sky cycles, circling a truck and shooting at it with some kind of kinetic blaster. One shot had hit a power transformer a couple blocks before. That was the boom that caught their attention.

Mary narrowed her eyes. The Wisdom of Solomon meant she knew exactly what angles to fly, exactly what speed to go, exactly how much force to use to fly between two of the cycles and push them out of the air, spinning in flight with the pilots in her hands and landing just hard enough to knock the wind out of them. A blur of the Speed of Mercury and a fast crushing of weapons with the Strength of Heracles and they weren't going to be trouble.

Captain Marvel had flown to intercept one of the shots, letting it harmlessly disperse on his chest. He then darted forward, a crackling sound building as he hit the cycle, shorting it out and tearing it apart all at once. That was the Power of Zeus, and there was a lot it could do. Maybe it wasn't heat vision but Mary was firmly convinced not everyone needed heat vision.

Mary darted forward, too fast for the crooks to see her as she reached up, tearing the undersides of two more cycles out, then darting up to grab those pilots while she spun-kicked one of the collapsing cycles into a third near the ground. It crashed into a mailbox. The crook was fine -- she'd lined that shot up based on his speed and the durability of his gear. But it meant she could drop these other two off.

And then they were done. Captain Marvel grabbed one of the fallen light poles the cyclers had hit, while the truck had stopped. Mary stayed with the driver until the police arrived, while Cap wrapped the pole around the crooks so they couldn't get away.

"Okay -- the ambulance is here, too," Mary said cheerfully. "You let them check you out!"

"I will! Thanks, Ms. Marvel!"

"Call me Mary!" Billy had gotten weird about that name too. Something about the multiverse. Not the point right now. Mary flew up and over to where Captain Marvel was talking to the police officers.

"I think you've got this well in hand," she said to Captain Marvel.

"I think so, too," Cap said, his easy smile making a warm feeling go down Mary's back. He looked at the police officer. "Can you give me a couple of minutes. I need to talk to my partner for a couple of moments."

"Sure, Cap," the officer said. "Good to see you, Mary!"

"You too!" she shouted, grinning. She followed Captain Marvel off to the side. "What's up?"

"Mary Batson mentioned she had a line on a place. Is it ready to move into?" Captain Marvel was still smiling, though he looked a bit sad.

Mary nodded. "It is. She's got a room in a boarding house. I checked them out... and they do check out. Mary Batson will be safe there."

"I figured you had. And she has a job? Does it start tomorrow?"

"...yes."

"Well then." He smiled a bit. "You should probably give her a hand with her things and fly her over there. I think we owe her that much. Don't you?"

Mary Marvel paused, a lump in her throat. "Yeah," she said. "Just like that. Should she wait for Billy too--"

"Billy... Billy knows she knows everything she needs to. Most especially his phone number." Captain Marvel paused. "Mary... it seems like someone should keep an eye on Mary for a bit, don't you think? And... I've got it on good authority Seattle doesn't currently have a super hero?"

Mary took a deep breath. "That's my understanding."

"Could you do that for me, then? For all of us? For her? And for you?"

Mary nodded. "I can. I... absolutely can."

"Good." Captain Marvel looked at her. "It'll be hard without you. But we'll do our best. And remember... it's potentially less than three minutes to Seattle from Fawcett if you have the Speed of Mercury. If you need anything, let us know."

"I will," she said, seriously.

"And... it works both ways. And if we need you... we'll let you know too. All right? Even if it's just to ask Mary to come back and eat part of one of Freddie's terrible stews."

Mary Marvel giggled. They hugged, briefly... but tightly enough that coal could have become diamonds between them.

Captain Marvel stepped back. "I'd wish you luck... but I know you. You don't need luck. So I'll wish you well. And I love you... 'Little Sis.'"

Mary blinked back tears. They essentially never used the nicknames in their Marvel forms. The magic protected their identities but there was such a thing as tempting fate. But...

"I love you too, 'Big Bro.'" She smiled, broadly, then leapt into the air. Captain Marvel watched her go, then turned and walked over to where the police were still waiting. He still had a job to do, after all.

Mary Marvel blurred with the Speed of Mercury, moving too fast to be seen, grabbing up the boxes she'd packed with the shipping labels and flying them to the receiving dock she'd prepaid for them. She then grabbed her overnight bag with a couple of days clothes, looked around the house for a moment, then soared into the sky. Mary Batson had already said goodbye to Freddie, after all, and she and her folks had a tearful goodbye before that. So it was all said and done.

Mary shot over the landscape, her power giving her speed that only a few people could begin to match. She curved towards Seattle... flew over the Olympic mountains, then changed course suddenly, speeding up even more.