10535/Lights! Camera! Marvel!

Lights! Camera! Marvel!
Date of Scene:	24 December 2019
Location:	New York Offices of Cat's Eye Cosmetics
Synopsis:	Mary Marvel (expensively) saves the day!
Cast of Characters:	Mary Marvel, Cheetah

---

Mary Marvel has posed:
Mary sighed and stepped out of the way of the assistant as they walked out of the area. So many pretty people.
Normally, she would be home, thinking about setting up a MONDO snowball fight during Christmas vacation, but instead, she was providing moral support to Mindy, her friend from Physics class. "Oh, I feel so NERVOUS! Can you come with me to this commercial thing? I could use the moral support! I'll be your BEST friend and give you a shout-out to all my Facebook friends!"
Ergh. Mindy was, technically, a friend, and she had seemed so nervous...so, Mary had said yes. Now, with Mindy dressed up in a red-and-white cat outfit, complete with faux fur and a tail, Mary was beginning to think she'd been had.
Maybe it was the one, count it, ONE, picture Mindy posted to FB, which had been of herself in the costume. LIVING THE GLAMOROUS CAT LIFE! THANK YOU TO ALL THE LITTLE PEOPLE MAKING IT POSSIBLE! #GREATNESS #CATSEYE

Yyyyyyyeah, she'd been had.
Mary sighed and walked over to the table where all the food was. At least the spread was nice.

Cheetah has posed:
William Gold had earned a solid reputation as a journeyman director. That spot with the CGI'd Frank Sinatra singing "New York, New York" for the NYC board of tourism? William Gold. Remember that viral video with the singing lobster for that famous seafood chain? William Gold. Recall that Clio award-winning advert in which the Battle of Trafalgar was re-enacted using genuine Idaho potatoes? Pure Gold. Bill wasn't one to crack under pressure. But he had never worked for Barbara-Ann Minerva.

Minerva, the much-feared founder of Cat's Eye, rarely attended commercial shoots - even when they were done in-house, as this one was. Sadly, the infamy of that suit (presently being worn by Mindy) had drawn out the Queen-B. And...yes, Mindy's costume looks almost as absurd in person as it did in pre-vis. Mr. Gold attempts to look busy going over some storyboards with an on-set assistant but he can sense Minerva's eyes drilling into him from where she scowls just beyond the catering table and the to'ing and fro'ing of the film crew.

Mary Marvel has posed:
Mary picked up a paper plate and served herself some food. A dinner roll, a few slices of ham, some sliced cheese, and presto, a ham-and-cheese sandwich. She pondered, then thought, what the heck, and made another for Mindy.
She looked over at the scowling woman. Yeah, she doesn't look happy. What is worse, she looks vaguely important, so her being unhappy means other people are going to be unhappy too.
Mary tried to be friendly, though. Standing near her and saying nothing was awkward.
"Uhm...hi. It looks like this commercial can get a lot of attention?" the teenage girl with the average looks said helpfully to Minerva.
Yeah, a lot of attention. The new CATS movie just came out, and comparisons were going to be made.

Cheetah has posed:
Minerva continued scowling. She was wearing a uber-stylish 'power suit' with her arms firmly folded across her chest. Mary's attempt at friendliness dimly registers as the buzzing of a gnat. In Switzerland. At the bottom of a well. Minerva's steely glare never wavers from Gold who, presently, is taking Mindy through the steps of a successful 'cavort.' No, no, Mindy! More hopping! Less like a bunny and more like a cat. Finally, Minerva can tolerate no more and mutters, "This is ridiculous!" It's time to nip this in the bud. She starts to stalk toward Gold (and Mindy) but before she can take a step all heck breaks loose.

There is a brilliant flash of light. For a moment, one might be tempted to think that one of the stage lights had merely blown out. One could probably maintain this delusion right up until the tear gas starts wafting in. "Cat's Eye tests on animals!" A shouting female figure wades through the caustic, man-made fog. She is wearing a gas mask and an unfortunate amount of camouflage. She also appears to be brandishing a pistol. Several similarly clad figures begin appearing behind her. "Death to the exploitation of late- stage capitalism! Death to Cat's Eye!" They're a cheery bunch, to be sure.

Mary Marvel has posed:
Mary freezes. Hooo boy, this will not end well. Looks like it's time for Mary Batson to step out and Mary MARVEL to make her debut.
Mary puts down the plate and looked around. Someplace hidden, someplace loud...
A couple of guys burst out of the sound booth and run for the stairs.
Mary grins, then coughs. Tear gas...she had to do it now, or she was going to join the rest of the people on the floor, coughing and crying.
Mary ducked into the sound booth, shutting the door.

No one heard what she said next, but the indoor thunderclap echoed throughout the entire floor. The sound booth was hors de transformation, sadly. Oops.

Cheetah has posed:
The self-styled leader of this rag-tag group of revolutionaries (let's call her 'Marx' and her group the 'Marxettes') certainly had no idea anything was amiss. Quite the contrary! Everything was going swimmingly! It was shockingly easy to get a mole into the Cat's Eye security team; as it happens the company makes a habit paying its security guards terribly. You get what you pay for. The subsequent steps leading to this moment of triumph can probably be guessed at.

Minerva gets a throat full of tear gas right off the hop. She was mid-bellow when the stuff was deployed and is now suffering the consequences. Strangely, Barbara-Ann appears to be more sensitive to the gas than the people around her and is already on her knees clawing at her face. Perhaps she has a sensitive nose?

The whole place is pandemonium now with crew members running hither and dale, choking all the way. Marx shouts, "We strike a blow for animal liberation!" She pauses in her course to kick a boom operator who had fallen to the floor.

Mary Marvel has posed:
A female shape appears through the smoke, then a sudden gust of air blows through the studio, the gas getting cleared rather quickly.
No, it's not Supergirl. But the heroic brunette striding forward is certainly a close second. She gazes upon the Marxettes, then says, "You are CERTAINLY going about it all wrong! And right now..." She points to Mindy, who is blubbering in a corner. "...SHE is the only animal here, and she's a girl in a costume!" She looks thoughtful. "Well, *I* am a girl in a costume, but...anyway, just give up, okay?"

Cheetah has posed:
With the 'fog' lifted many of the remaining crew members are able to scurry to relative safety -- though still choking and coughing. Minerva peers through bloodshot eyes. Thank heaven it's Power Gi---wait. Who is this now? Minerva squints through Mary's monologue, nonplussed. So...is Power Girl coming or..? An aide rushes in to help the boss to safety. He will later be fired for wrinkling her blouse.

Behind the protective lenses of her gas mask, Marx starts. THIS was not part of the plan. Her pistol is still pointing skyward, "What are you even..?" Her eyes flit quickly over to Mindy (still blubbering) and then back to Mary. Marx's three goons don't hesitate -- they've been to henchman school. They rush at Mary. None of them have firearms but they do brandish baseball bats. Oddly they don't seem too eager to use them.

Mary Marvel has posed:
Mary sighed. "Really?"
As the first one arrives, Mary makes it real easy for him - she simply plucks the metal bat from his hands by grabbing it mid-swing. She looks at him, then bends the bat almost double before dropping it to the floor. She looks to the others. "Now. You can all attack me like this guy, get your weapons takes away, and maybe get punched before you see reason. How about you all just drop the weapons and lie down right now?" She smiles warmly. "Much shorter. We can skip a few steps."

Cheetah has posed:
The remaining goons halt mid-step. They peer at Mary and then 'round to Marx, who is standing behind them. Marx's pistol is still pointing skyward. "We're not the bad guys here!" Marx protests. "These people", here she makes a wide gesture to indicate the Cat's Eye facility, "are torturing helpless creatures! And for what, better mascara?" One gets the impression that the Student Union building of nearby Empire University has heard many a similar call to action.

Off to the side a livid Barbara-Ann Minerva, who has been given a paper bag to breath in, decides to direct traffic. To Mary, "What are you doing you idiot? Punch something!" She hacks a wet cough into the bag. Not far from Minerva a lone camera operator clings doggedly to his lens. Next to him William Gold, Clio award-winning director, does some directing of his own and whispers "Keep it tight, keep it tight." Has he been filming this whole time? Maybe they can salvage the commercial in Post. In her corner, Mindy continues to sob.

Mary Marvel has posed:
Mary Marvel looks at her. "You realize what will happen, right? You hurt someone...or worse...and NO ONE is going to want to follow you except the LOSERS who just want to destroy stuff! And when they arrest you...and they will, they're going to think you're a NUT." She starts walking towards Marx. "You want to open people's eyes? You're better off finding the truth and making sure it goes on FACEBOOK...not Mugshots.com."
She stops in front of Marx. "Give me the gun. Don't make me take it. Give yourselves up, don't hurt anyone else. With all this noise, MAYBE you'll get your 15 minutes of fame. Do you want to spend it as a misguided yet earnest protector of animals...or the Gun-Toting Kook of the Week?"

Cheetah has posed:
Marx stares at Mary. The gun is still pointing harmlessly at the heavens. Slowly at first, and then all of sudden as though some invisible thread has been cut, Marx lowers the pistol and holds it out to Mary. On closer examination it is clear the weapon is a starting gun of the sort used to fire blanks at track meets.

Barbara-Ann Minerva's weak, raspy voice can be heard rattling around the confines of the paper bag, "...she's /right/ there. Punch he--*hack*cough*hack*" An aide reaches over with a tissue to dab Minerva's eyes dry but is swatted away. Seeing that the jig is up, the Marxettes lay down their bats.

William Gold whispers to his director of photography, "And...cut!" Months from now, when this commercial debuts, Gold will be hailed as a genius and Minerva's company will be gilded as an edgy risk-taker willing to bank-roll the most avant-garde art. Life is funny.

Mary Marvel has posed:
Mary smiles, then says, "The police are downstairs. Walk to the elevator, go to the ground floor, walk out with your hands in the air, and give yourself up. The police will allow you to make statements, and I am sure the press will want to know more. But if you try something stupid...I'll find out. And then I'll just have to catch you and make you look REALLY silly."

As the foursome walks quietly to the elevators, Mary Marvel turns to Minerva and smiles. "No punching needed, ma'am."

Cheetah has posed:
Minerva, pale, haggard looking, breathing into a paper bag, and with the whole of the crew awkwardly gathered behind her stares at Mary. "Well. That's just $##7721@ great." It's funny how a paper bag can muffle certain words and not others.

A loud spark of errant electricity causes Minerva and the crew to turn (in unison) toward the sound booth. Or what used to be a sound booth. What the--?? When did that happen?!?!

Mary Marvel has posed:
Ouch. Yeah. Well, she can write it off or something, right?
She looks over at Mindy, who is wearing the costume, but the facial makeup is running and the tear gas makes her look a little blotchy. "Miss? Your friend had to go home, but she wanted me to make sure you were okay."
She spotted Mindy's phone, then picked it up and snapped a picture of the bedraggled cat. "I'll just send this to her." She scrolled through until she found...

WAIT, She has Mary listed as "Pushover"??
"Whoops...I tried sending it to her and posted it to your Facebook instead. I'm sure she'll see you're okay."