Mary and the Hero Costume

Mary strode down Main Street, glowering at the crowds of people around her. Friends and townsfolk that would normally stop and wave or even pause for a friendly word hurried past when they glimpsed her face. Her normally smiling mouth was turned downward into a snarl, and her brows were furrowed as she strode along, barely noting the people as they hurried past with their purchases clutched under their arms.

It really wasn't her day, she thought as she bumped into an elderly lady holding her small shopping bag. She felt bad when she spied the cane the woman had been leaning on. A surge of guilt filled her, and she hurriedly picked up the cane and gave it back to the woman, babbling her apologies. The woman simply gave her a grandmotherly smile and told her it was all right.

"It'll be okay, dearie. I've had far worse getting out of bed in the morning." She said cheerfully.

What a nice old lady, Mary thought with relief. Happy that she hadn't hurt her, Mary continued walking, paying a little closer attention to what was going on around her.

Mary's thoughts turned sour as she once again ran through the confrontation this morning with Alice Krimbal. That woman was insufferable in the best of times, but lately it had been getting worse. This time she had been haranguing her for rescuing the stray skunk kit that had been hit by a car. As if the poor thing didn't need help! It wasn't its fault that it had been scared and had tried to spray them. Fortunately, the kit seemed to be responding well to food, and Dr. Kimbersal said the kit would be whole enough to turn over to a wild animal shelter in a day or two.

Still, Alice had gone off on why she wanted to save smelly skunk kits and wild chickadee fledglings that had fallen from their nests. To Alice, it was her responsibility to help those that needed it, whether they were human or not. Alice simply saw others as stepping stones. </em>Or peons to serve her. </em>

Mary felt her grimace deepen. It wasn't right that she could say such horrible things to her and get away with it. After all, she reasoned, I never did anything to her! Unless it was just plain meanness. Alice had picked on her since first grade. It didn't help that now she was at the top of the high school strata, with no wonder! She was gorgeous, with her flowing golden locks and deep blue eyes, and the great money and power that went with her name ensured that she was at the top of the charts. I'm probably at the bottom with the nerds and geeks. But that was OK. It just meant she had time to do things on her own because no one bothered her.

What made things worse, in her opinion, was that she had to go see her tonight! She was glad her dad had been given a special invite thanks to an emergency leak at their house. She hadn't heard much about it really, other than he had wound up replacing most of the piping in the house.

Mary sighed. The Krimbals had been more than generous with their thanks, and she was happy her father had been noticed (not to mention well-paid! She was going to get her first computer from his bonus). It just wasn't fair that people that nice had such a horrid person for a daughter.

A bright flash in a window pulled her back to the present. A shaggy werewolf costume growled menacingly on its stand in a small shop set between a butcher and a closed electronics store. She briefly entertained the foolish thought of wearing the costume and biting Alice, but pushed it away. It would be mean and petty, and she wasn't going to be like that.

Besides, she thought with a grin, the girl had plenty of fangs and claws to go around. No need to give her more!

Her mirth was short lived, and she entered the shop, barely noticing the sign proclaiming, "Welcome to the Enchanted Threads: Costumes so real, it's just like magic!".

Yeah, right! She thought to herself. What was with all the signs that claimed this or that product worked like magic? They seemed to think their stuff was all that, when really it didn't work at all.

Pushing the thought aside, she began poking around the store. Racks of costumes stood on the floor, while more shelves had costumes hanging off them on the walls. Still, there didn't seem to be any in sight that really tugged at her. There were plenty of princess, movie monsters, knights, even one that looked to be a centaur, complete with horse butt. But nothing for her.

Sighing regretfully, she turned to leave. Before she could take her second step, though, she was interrupted by a gentle voice behind her.

"Excuse me, can I help you miss?"

Mary jumped out of her skin. How the hell had he snuck up on her like that?! She could have sworn there had been no one there a second ago.

She gulped slightly and tried to calm her racing heart before turning around to address the man behind her. She turned around and froze, her tongue cleaving to the roof of her mouth. A great lion of a man stood a few paces away, next to a rack that held a barbarian costume. Mary couldn't help but picture him in one, swinging a great axe and roaring for another enemy. His face was strong, looking hewn from rock, but with an easy smile that lighted his face. A strong jaw, complete with thick grey beard made him look a bit like a dwarf, and his iron grey hair was short but thick.

This was a man that could easily break her in half like a twig if angered.  Mary gulped, and prayed he was not angry at her!

This was ridiculous, she told herself firmly. The man had simply asked her a question. He was a probably the owner or something.

"Yes, I think you can." She heard herself say faintly. Pausing a moment, she tried to make her next words sound firm. "I'm looking for a costume to wear for the Kimbal's party. Mine was eaten by mice, and I don't want to embarrass daddy in front of everyone."

Her cheeks flushed crimson as she realized how much she had told him. Now he thinks I'm a babbler. She hoped he didn't get the wrong impression, as she stood there fidgeting.

He looked sternly at her a moment, as if thinking, then the smile on his face broadened to a grin and he snapped his fingers, making her jump. "I know you!" he sounded pleased. "You're the girl you stopped those bullies at the park last week, and rescued a baby skunk, aren't you?"

Mary flushed at his praise and quickly looked down, trying not to show him how happy his words made her. She snorted to cover it up. "Those guys were picking on an eight year old girl. I had to stop them." She said a bit defensively. She hadn't meant to break that one kid's nose. She swore he just tripped while running away.

"Well, then I think I have just the costume for you. Hang on a minute, it's in the back."

He turned away and strode away past the racks of pirate costumes. She stared after him with a chaotic welter of emotions; pride, embarrassment, pleasure at being complimented. Why was it men could leave women with such a case of the fritters with just one compliment?

A few minutes later, Roland came striding back carrying a wrapped cloth bag, like the ones used for dry-cleaning dresses. He motioned her to follow with a small jerk of his head, and obediently she fell in behind him. He carried his burden to the counter where he laid it gently and unzipped the front.

Mary blinked at the costume that was revealed. It was a classic hero suit of white and blue. The body was white, with a blue symbol that looked suspiciously like a roaring tidal wave on the chest. Deep blue gloves, the color of the ocean, were for the arms and appeared to go up to her elbows. For her feet were sturdy boots of the same color, trimmed with what appeared to be silver. A classic rubber hero mask of an even darker shade of blue completed the ensemble.

Mary stared at the costume, unable to breath. It was exquisite. Her trembling hand brushed the soft velvet of the boot itself. A jolt of power surged through her. Imagined of course. A passing fancy of a girlish fantasy.

"How much?" she asked. Her stomach plummeted. Even if the costume was on sale, she doubted she could even afford one of the boots. It had to be….

"This costume has been here a long time." Roland said a trifle sadly it seemed. His hand brushed the shoulder of the costume with¬―what? Pain? Sadness? Longing? A combination of all three?―"It needs a good brushing and perhaps a wash. It's still in good shape considering how long I've had it. I'll give it to you for…mmmm….Fifty bucks."

"Sold!" Mary rushed out. No chance to let him change his mind now! If he wanted to sell such a wonderful costume at that price, no way she was going to let that opportunity slide! Dad would be proud of her, he always approved of finding the best profit from a deal, especially one where everyone went home happy.

Roland rang up the sale on his register and handed her receipt over to her. He pointed to a white crosshatch door set into a wall.

"Changing rooms are over there if you want to try it on. Remember this though. Once you try it on, it's yours. You can't return it." His face had turned serious and he looked at her with stern eyes. An implacable Viking facing a foe.

Mary gulped and nodded. Geez, she wondered what could have set him off. What he said struck her as odd though, as she walked towards the rooms. Why couldn't she return the costume if she tried it on? What if it didn't fit? Did that mean she was stuck with it? Fifty dollars was a great deal of money to her. Granted, she hadn't hesitated to buy it when he had offered it at that price, because it was so good, but still.

Mary pulled off her light plaid jacket and wool sweatshirt, and her T-shirt before stripping off her jeans. Shivering slightly in the cool, she wasted no time in pulling the one-piece body stocking on.

To her pleasant surprise, the stocking was surprisingly warm, like wearing a wetsuit that trapped the heat in. She flexed experimentally in it and was happy to realize there were no bags or tightness that would restrict movement. Sliding on the boots was like sliding on good silken stockings, she realized with delight. They were extremely comfortable to wear and were the perfect size. Eagerly, she pulled on the gloves and was delighted to realize that they were the right size and fit too. Now for the mask! She grinned like an idiot as she set it across her eyes. To her surprise, she felt the rubber mold there and stick to her face.

Now complete, she twirled slightly and looked at the full-length mirror in the dressing room. The reflection showed a young heroine, as if from some supers movie, standing there.

A feeling of mischief bubbled up in her, and she struck a pose. "In the name of justice, I will beat you!" she cried softly, giggling.

A burning pain gripped her midsection and she doubled over gasping. It spread through her entire body, like she had been dipped in hot oil. She dimly realized she was on the ground, screaming, but didn't care. She sobbed, asking for it to stop. Before it had truly begun, it was over. She twitched slightly at the echoes.

Collecting her wits, she shakily got to her knees. She was surprised at how easy it was. What the hell happened? She needed to find that manager, Roland, and get some straight answers from him even if she had to beat it out.

Angry, she reached out her hand and slammed into the door, determined to be dramatic and noticed immediately. What she did not expect was for the door to shatter like it was balsa wood. Splinters cascaded onto an empty floor, leaving her temporarily stunned.

Oh, my. Came a small voice in her head. Did I do that? She stared at the splinters on the empty floor. Wait a minute, empty?!

Mary glanced wildly around and froze. The entire room was vacant. Nothing remained of the racks of costumes, the counter, or the register. Everything was gone. What in the…?

Mary was about to tremble when she heard a scream. It sounded faint, as if it was far away, yet clear as a bell to her. Courage and determination welled up in her. She had to do something! Somebody needed help!

Without thought, as if thinking about it was too much trouble, she began to run. She raced out of the store, the shops and streets becoming blurs as she ran. Behind her she could hear startled screams and shouts as folks felt the hurricane wind of her passage. Streets zipped by, faster than she could read. How am I running this fast? She dimly asked, but pushed the question aside as unimportant.

Her ears strained to catch any more screams. Instead, almost as if she imagined it, she could hear muffled sobs coming from where the screams had been. IT sounded like they were coming from just ahead.

There! A narrow alley set in between a Chinese restaurant and a bank. That's where the sounds were coming from. Now that she was so close, she could clearly hear the muffled cries of the victim, the hoarse exhalations of her attacker, punctuated by occasional grunts. She darted into the mouth of the alley.

About halfway up, hidden behind a dumpster and in the shadows, were two figures. To her eyes they seemed clear as day. A young woman lay sprawled on the ground, trying desperately to claw off her much heavier attacker. He was occasionally smacking her hand away as he fumbled with the zipper of her jacket, rough tongue licking the side of her neck.

The sight filled her with fury. She had to stop this! "STOP!" She cried in her most commanding voice.

Startled, both people looked at her. His face surprised and a little incredulous, hers nearly much so but with eyes begging for help.

"What the fuck is this?!" The tough demanded incredulously. Gold glinted from a gap-toothed mouth behind a thin-lipped mouth that seemed perpetually set in a snarl.

Mary wasn't sure what to do next, but pressed her advantage. "She doesn't want you, and what you're doing is wrong. You have twelve seconds to get off her." She commanded, trying to drill him with her eyes.

To her disgust, the man through back his head and laughed. "Or what? What are you going to do to me, little girl." He mocked, a savage smile twisting his face. "Throw lightning at me?" He pulled a gun from his pocket. "After I'm finished with her, maybe I'll take a turn with you, to remind you to keep your nose out of other people's business."

The barrel of the gun looked very large to Mary, but the expected terror came and went from her as if it wasn't even there. "Last chance." She warned. She wondered where she found the courage.

The man got off the other woman with a snarl, backhanding her across the mouth and snapping her head to the side. The woman spat some blood and a couple of teeth. Her head had to be ringing from a blow like that.

Cold anger infused Mary. He had no right to hurt another like that! Defiantly she stared at him past the gun. She raised her hand, palm out, fingers curled slightly as if holding a ball. The tough stopped, surprised. No wonder, since her palm was glowing fit for a noon sun! The light was blue and strong, nearly dazzling in its brilliance. Power infused her, such power that she knew she had to use it up before it destroyed her. Concentrating, she could feel wetness in the air, it was as if she could feel all the water surrounding her. Gathering her strength, she focused on having it all there, right now. The light on her palm grew brighter; the tough shaded his eyes with his gun hand.

"What…what's happening?!" he cried.

"Retribution." Mary said coldly. She snapped her hand down, pointing right at the tough. Unbidden, words sprang to her mouth. "Tsunami blast!" she cried. A thick bar of water the size of a hydrant shot straight from her hand, absorbing and concentrating all the water in the air into an unstoppable fury. The tough didn't have time to cry out in shock before the water hit him in the chest, throwing him back. He flew over ten feet down the alley before crashing into a trash bin.

The energy faded from her, and Mary surveyed her work, satisfied. The tough was down, unconscious, and would most likely stay that way for some time. The woman was just starting to get up, looking at her wide-eyed and appearing to be considering running for her life. Blood trickled down her mouth, her neck was bleeding from what appeared to be bite wounds, and she caught the white remnants of a tooth on the ground from his backhand.

Now angry again, she grabbed the woman, ignoring her gasp of fear. Her palms glowed softly with power. "Healing waters." She whispered. More glowing water flowed around her glove and around the terrified woman. It ran up her skin and across her face, covering all but her eyes and nose. The woman spasmed, trying to fight free. Mary held onto her arms firmly. Her struggles seemed no stronger than a kitten's. A moment later the water receded, leaving the face unblemished, the blood washed clean.

The woman gasped, touching her face as Mary released her and began walking towards the unconscious tough.

"Th-thank you!" The woman called after her hesitantly.

Mary paused to look back. "You're welcome!"

She finished walking down to the unconscious man and glared down at him. Her first impulse was to wake him up again so she could pound some manners into his thick skull; while her second was to rip his balls off so he couldn't hurt another again.

Stifling these thoughts , she bent down to pick him up, intending to carry him to the police station.

"Excuse me." The woman was near her elbow now. Mary looked over while she held the thug in a fireman carry. The woman had a look of awe on her face. "Who are you?" she finally asked.

A dozen names and responses came to Mary, but she told her simply "I'm Oceania". Turning away, she spied a fire escape some twenty feet off the ground. Taking a running start, she gave a mighty leap and found herself landing lightly. Spinning, she jumped onto the next level on the fire escape next door, and repeated the process until she was on the roof, the woman below staring up at her with eyes bulging and mouth open. One final glance down was all she spared before she ran off, carrying her burden.

Police Officer Louis, always "Lou" to his friends, stretched as he got up to get another pot of coffee. This was the tenth day in a row he ended up on duty at the front desk, and today it really sucked. He had wanted to go to the Krimbal party at the mansion (all those high-brow college and high school girls! They were suckers for a police uniform!) but because he was still only a patrolman, he got stuck with minding the store.

He sighed to himself. It was a shame that none of the girls would ever get a chance to meet his greatness, none to worship his feet as if he were a god. He grinned at his own ego. If he couldn't go, well, it was okay to dream. He expected it would be a quiet night. After all, with everyone at the party, there was only one place for a disturbance, and the chief was already there!

A sudden noise behind him made him spin around. A bound sack was on the floor at his desk, but no one was in sight. What the hell? He wondered. He hadn't heard anyone come in. Getting a strange feeling, he walked over to one of the detective's desk, never taking his eyes off the bundle that was now starting to twitch. Reaching inside the drawer, he pulled out the service pistol and took it out of its holster.

Now armed, he approached the object cautiously. To his surprise, it turned out to be a man, bound tightly in the fetal position. The ropes looked really odd though, a dark blue. Maybe it was nylon. Or maybe not. It seemed to shift and change as he looked at it.

He looked the man over slowly as he kept his distance. Moving around in front, he saw the man's terrified eyes pleading with him, his mouth gagged with the same stuff as the rope. A note was pinned to his chest. Easing his hand out, he pulled it off and stepped back out of range to read it. It said:

THIS MAN ATTEMPTED TO RAPE A WOMAN IN AN ALLEY BETWEEN CHUNG'S RESTAURANT AND 7TH AVENUE BANK. HE IS A FILTHY ROTTEN PUNK THAT NEEDS TO BE JAILED AND ARRESTED.
SIGNED,
              OCEANIA

Now this was certainly odd. Lou rubbed his nose so that he could think. The note appeared to be genuine, and the man certainly looked capable. Lou looked a little more closely and saw blood on the collar of his shirt and hands.

Deciding that this was clearly above his paygrade, he reached for the phone on his desk. The chief was going to have a field day on this one. Staring at the note while the phone began ringing, he wondered who this Oceania is, how they had taken down the punk, and what they were doing out there now.

His eyes peered out the glass window into the fading light, finding no answers.