The Secret Life of Billy Captain Marvel Batson

Disappearing Cities

--- Ten years ago ---

Eek! Eek!

A tiny mouse was caught in Uncle Eben's mouse trap, reaching for a tiny morsel of cheese.

Little Billy Batson knew how that felt. Since his parents had died and left him in Uncle Eben's care, all he had to eat each day after all his chores were done was one slice of bread. Asking for more earned him a beating.

Gently, he released the mouse and gave it that tiny portion of cheese, earning him yet another beating, before getting thrown out of his late parents' house.

It was his seventh birthday.

On hindsight, it was worth it. The best birthday present he could ask for was to save a life.

That tiny mouse was Silvia's great great great (he'd lost track of how many greats) grandmother. He had many generations of mice friends since.

--- Today ---

"The entire city of Fairfield is vanishing before our very eyes!" Billy Batson announced the breaking news even as the live feed showed the horrifying event.

Mary's adopted family, the Bromfields, live there!

His broadcast ended.

The door flung open. Mary, her face ghostly white, eyes red and moist, pounced on him with a crushing hug.

Courtney and Freddy were not far behind.

"They're gone. I was talking to Daddy on the phone when it happened. The line went dead," she sobbed.

"We'll find them," Billy rubbed his sister's back to comfort her.

"We searched the entire site where Fairfield used to be. There's nothing but a barren wasteland," Freddy explained. "We couldn't find any clues."

"Sounds like a job for the Mouse Detectives," concluded Billy.

-------

'Ho Ly Mo Lee, meet the Marvels and Stargirl,"  grinned Joey as he, Sylvia and their four newest pups walked into Billy's room.

"Holy Moley!" Billy stared at the four tiny pups dressed in shrunken versions of old armour he made for Sylvia and Joey.

The original Mouse Detectives were wearing the latest versions of armour he developed with tasers and projectable force fields.

Knowing Sylvia, he flatly refused to add potentially lethal weapons to the upgrades.

"Sylvia and I are retiring. This is going to be our last case," Joey announced. "Ho Ly Mo Lee will take over from us as the new mouse detectives."

"They are prodigies. They've cracked cases that stumped Scotland Yard," Sylvia grinned, her chest puffed up with pride. "They got Joey's brilliance."

"Please to meet you," grinned Billy as he shook their tiny paws. "I'll develop new armour specially for each of you going forward."

Ho Ly Mo Lee squeaked their approval in unison.

"Let's go to the crime site. We'll find out what really happened," frowned Joey.