Enter Billy, Mary, and the Power of SHAZAM!

"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 **** 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 -- maybe don't go to alleys alone in the first place, if you can help it? But I sincerely doubt you'll end up hooked on 'the ****' the way things are going."

"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 from thirteen years old on you've worked three nights a week at soup kitchens."

"Well, yeah, but... I mean, I got into the 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 **** 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 **** 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. There was no chance anyone was following her, but the Wisdom of Solomon said 'Better Safe than Sorry.'

It took just a few turns and shifts to safely approach Metropolis. She looked around for Superman -- his eyes could track her -- but she didn't see him. Which, of course, was no surprise.

Absent Superman? Landing in the bay of the Lexcorp tower and getting to the Project workshop was simple. She landed with a smile. "Hi everyone!" she said, waving.

Ovyah waved back with a small smile. Zatanna was currently charged up, so she was able to struggle a bit and glare at Mary. Mary didn't take offense. She was doing what was right. Mary knew that. Mary would have done the same thing.

In fact... right next to Zatanna, Mary Marvel was doing the same thing. Just as nude as Zatanna, the World's Mightiest Mortal struggled in the bonds. They held without strain, despite the Power of Zeus and the Strength of Heracles. But then? Djinn trumped pantheons. Mary did blush a bit, seeing Mary Marvel's nude body -- though she had to admit, seeing it from the outside? She looked good. Really good. It was sometimes weird to realize that.

Lex turned to look at Mary. "How did it go?" he asked.

"Fine. They're sad to see me go, but... it was time, and they knew it. They'd been talking about it for a while anyway." She looked at the bound and nude Mary Marvel. "That... actually made it a lot easier. Thank you. And... you should know. They love you so much, and they're going to miss you. And they offered to come if you called. Which... I'm sorry you won't get the chance. They're still the best."

The other Mary Marvel's rage was palpable, and she strained to try and get out. She said nothing -- she had a orichalcum choker on around her throat the same as Zatanna, preventing her voice from working, even as the fetters prevented any of her powers from letting her escape. The djinn's power really was amazing.

"Touching," Lex said, dryly.

"Be nice," Mary said to him, frowning. "This is really hard on her. You don't have to make it worse."

"...and I'm officially sick of this. You're done here."

"Yes sir." Mary stood slightly straighter. "Shazam!"

How the magic lightning could strike this deep in the Lexcorp tower was one of the mysteries of the ages. Regardless of how, however, it could. Mary Batson was standing there as the smoke cleared... though by the time it finished, it was Ovyah instead, back in her minidress. The other Ovyah was nowhere to be seen.

Lex chuckled, and turned back to Mary Marvel. "My dear, I admit. It's tempting to play mindgames with you. To tell you your brother, your boyfriend, and your parents were all fooled by an imposter. But... I know your magical wisdom tells you the truth. There was no way for them to know."

"She wasn't an imposter," Ovyah chimed in. "That's--"

"Not now," Lex snapped. He smiled again, looking her up and down. "It's interesting. I know you're nineteen. But here you look... twenty-seven? Twenty-eight? It's remarkable. I appreciate that I get to appreciate your beauty... not just now, but forever. But let's get on with things, shall we?"

Zatanna struggled a bit, her own anger just as clear. Lex ignored her. He was focusing on the World's Mightiest Mortal. In one sense, this was also a dry run for the damnable Kryptonians. While Superman was being dealt with, there was also Supergirl, Power Girl, and others of similar power levels. Seeing how trivially Ovyah was able to contain Mary Marvel went a long way to proving her claims. "So," he said. "Within the next couple of days, we should have all the gear ready. When we do, Zatanna and her spells will form the framework and the infrastructure for Project: Simulacra... but we will need more. Much more. More oversight in particular. And more power. But... thankfully... with the Wisdom of Solomon and the Power of Zeus available... we should have more than enough to do what we need to do. Simulacra will be formed. My daughters will enter it, and come out perfectly prepared for the world and for their duties." He smiled a bit more. "And you should be happy, Mary. After all. Your daughter... our daughter... will be one of the first to go through the process. And if you do well... mm. I want to make this something appropriate. A good reward for not fighting." He smiled a bit more. "Oh, I know. I'll give our daughter Zachary Zatara. Think of it. Your daughter, the next full blooded and empowered mage on Zatanna's level. That seems appropriate, don't you think."

Lex saw both women angrily struggling now. Some days his work was so rewarding.

"Well. This is all lovely but we do need to call it a day. And of course, we need to make sure you don't pull some extra-wise trick out of your hat. I suppose we could just turn you back into Mary Batson, but... I don't like that. We're still testing the system. It needs to work under load." He glanced at Zatanna. "Ah well. We have one method."

Zatanna turned pale. She began to thrash, nodding her head to the side, wide-eyed.

Lex chuckled. "Amazing," he said. He looked at Mary. "She's bound hand and foot, can't speak, and still managed to convey 'not her, take me' with head gestures. She really is very talented."

He knew Mary Marvel didn't know what to expect. He had kind of hoped to see fear in her eyes. But then, the Courage of Achilles did factor into her powers, didn't it? That would prove to be interesting both for Project: Simulacra and for Lex himself.

He took out a keyfob. "I also get to try this out. I've been very interest in the Internet of Things. And it's such a bore to tromp back and forth to the control console, isn't it?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zatanna thrashing more. In front of him, Mary Marvel set her jaw, her eyes burning into his.

Lex paused. "Of course... Zatanna's a hedonist. And very experienced and somewhat jaded. I honestly think she's started looking forward to these little sessions. Tell me, Mary... just how... untouched... are you?" He paused, then chuckled. "Oh, sorry. That's right. You can't tell me anything. Well. That's all right. I'll assume for the sake of argument that if you've ever actually had an orgasm, it was as Mary Batson and no one else was involved. But more likely? You never have. So... consider this my gift to you."

Lex pushed a button on the fob. There was a thrum as Zatanna's orichalcum choker came to life, and then her voice echoed through the room, triggering the mage's power. "Mia taht ot htgnerts lacigam reh lla htiw mih gnisufni dna edam ydaerla s'eh snoitaraperp eht gnileuf dna, ecneuqes suounitnoc ni, enigami reve dluoc levraM yraM smsagro esnetni tsom eht gnireggirt, reh fo tuo ti elkcus ot rohtuL xeL wolla neht dna, ydob eritne reh hguorht hsur citore na gnisuac, tnorferof eht ot laitnetop dna rewop enivid s'levraM yraM fo ecnuo yreve gnirb."

There was a sudden rush in the room -- like a sudden pressure drop in an airplane -- and a moment later Mary Marvel's body almost exploded into golden electricity, playing over her form and causing her eyes to roll back as she began to shudder and writhe. Despite herself she was arching, presenting her breasts which didn't enlarge, per se, but the electricity seemed to focus on them...

Lex leaned down... caught a nipple between his lips, and began to suckle.

Mary Marvel's writhing became epic, the Stamina of Atlas almost turning against her as she had what was probably her first ever orgasm -- and that turned up vastly more powerfully than even she would feel. Lex didn't quite moan as the rush of electrical energy -- divine energy -- flooded into his body. He felt his cells crackling... it was like he could feel every one individually... like he was in fact swelling up into a God himself! He didn't let himself react -- he was Lex Luthor, after all -- but even more than the intensely erotic act of suckling Zatanna's power out of her didn't compare to this literally heavenly rush.

And through it all, he had a sense of this woman feeling an absolute ecstacy for the first time in her life, pushed far beyond what any mortal beyond the World's Mightiest could endure, and feeling the shimmering bright purity of her soul shudder in the process. Would this corrupt her? Lex had no opinion. 'Purity' was overrated.

More... and more... and more...

And then he stood up, the power adjusting and shifting. He glanced over at Zatanna. She wasn't weakened right now, but she had still slumped down, tears on her face. Tears for being the instrument of what just happened to Mary Marvel. Tears for not protecting her.

Lex felt a rush of contempt. One thing he'd known in that moment? Mary Marvel didn't need Zatanna to protect her. She wasn't a child. Which wasn't to say she was happy about this.

The power seemed to settle in his cells. He felt it begin to comingle and continue his prepared processes alongside Zatanna's magic. "Excellent," he said.

Mary was slumped. Her head came up to look at him, as Zatanna's had when she first underwent this.

Her eyes were unchanged. Interesting. Her power had been drained -- including the Courage of Achilles. It was still there, perhaps, but only in nascent form. And yet, she showed no more fear now than she had before.

"A successful test all around," he said, glancing back at Ovyah. "Though it's not quite done."

Zatanna's head snapped up and she stared at Luthor incredulously.

"Oh, don't be surprised, Zatanna. After all, we have to undergo specific work with Ovyah's powers to recharge the magic I drain out of you. Mary Marvel... shouldn't have that problem. We just need to verify that."

He slipped his finger over to another button on the keyfob. He pushed it.

Mary Marvel's own orichalcum choker began to thrum and tingle, and her voice echoed around them all. "Shazam!"

The lightning hit its mark, as it always did. And in the place of Mary Marvel hung Mary Batson -- suddenly not drained but also not protected. She looked around, wide eyed, still unable to talk because of the choker, and suddenly being shocked as her sundress rippled off her in shreds of fabric. The Wish that bound her maximized her allure, after all, so Mary Batson was going to be naked. Hints of makeup. Perfectly clean and shorn as needed.

He looked her up and down. Nineteen, as they said -- but Mary Batson looked it. Not really a girl any more... she had the full blush of womanhood, as the poets might say, but so much thinner and... more mundane than her divine-powered alter ego. She was wriggling, trying to pull her hands out of the bonds -- she might have thought that her smaller hands would slip out. Sadly, the wish had taken precautions against that.

He noticed she seemed no more scared or less brave than before. Excellent. He toyed with the idea of breeding a child out of Mary Batson the same way he would Mary Marvel... but she really was beneath him, wasn't she?

Lex pushed the button again.

"Shazam!"

Another bolt of lighting struck, and in its wake, the might of Mary Marvel had returned. Her uniform had as well... but it too was torn away almost instantly.

Mary tried yet again to pull free. Persistent, wasn't she?

Persistent... and strong. As Lex had suspected, by using the word twice, the Mary Marvel who reappeared was completely refreshed in power. Excellent.

"There. You see? Everything works. Ovyah? It's really amazing, isn't it?"

"Of course, Mister Luthor," she said. Her bored tone of voice expressed a certain disagreement.

"Philistine. I believe we're done here." He paused. "Oh, silly me. Of course we aren't. Zatanna's empowered. We need to correct that. And before we do that--"

Zatanna's eyes grew even wider, and she shook her head again, even as Lex pushed that first button once more. "Mia taht ot htgnerts lacigam reh lla htiw mih gnisufni dna edam ydaerla s'eh snoitaraperp eht gnileuf dna, ecneuqes suounitnoc ni, enigami reve dluoc levraM yraM smsagro esnetni tsom eht gnireggirt, reh fo tuo ti elkcus ot rohtuL xeL wolla neht dna, ydob eritne reh hguorht hsur citore na gnisuac, tnorferof eht ot laitnetop dna rewop enivid s'levraM yraM fo ecnuo yreve gnirb."

Mary Marvel's body exploded into erotic passion and thunderous electricity again, and Lex bent down to suckle a second full course of her divine power out of her. The second time didn't blunt the impact on either of them. Mary's reactions were just as intense as before, her body writhing and her mind unused to these feelings...

It took a few moments longer to acclimate to the energy in his body, but Lex managed. He took a deep breath. Mary was slumped back down. Drained and useless, until they used the word to call down the lightning again. A perfectly renewable, perfectly controllable energy source.

"Have a good evening, Mary," Lex said. "Excuse me. I've got to put Zatanna down for the night." He walked over to the brunette mage.

Ovyah stepped over to where Mary was hanging. She heard the rush of power and thrumming wrongness of Lex suckling the mage's potentia out of her, but paid it no mind.

"Captain Marvel called you 'Little Sis,'" she murmured. "In his empowered form. He loves you very much. Billy joked. Freddie cried. Your parents are so proud of you they practically couldn't quip."

Mary Marvel's head snapped up, staring at Ovyah.

"Mary Marvel did nothing to hurt them. Neither did Mary Batson. Nothing but not go where she said she was going, and she had ****. That is the way of it. They love you very much. You should know that. And they do not have any reason to come looking for you, so do not expect them to come. The wish is very powerful, after all. But... that also means it will be somewhat longer before Mister Luthor goes for them."

Mary Marvel kept staring. Angry. But also curious.

"Take it for what it is worth," Ovyah said. She looked over. Lex was finished parasitically leeching off of Zatanna. "Excuse me." She walked over to join him.

Mary turned her head to watch her go... then slowly let it fall forward. Zatanna had already looked ****, and it didn't take long for Mary to follow her.