2008 - Mary

Mary Griffin sighs as she finishes the last of her paperwork. She never had to do this level of paper back when she was in the League with all the old guys. Back then Dad just did all the work.

She misses those days, back when she became her Dad’s sidekick when she was sixteen. The joy she experienced when she got her own copy of the latest Sentinel armour at the time on her sixteenth birthday.

Best day of her life and possible the one that defined her for the rest of life. The other possible day that defined her life would have been when she became a superhero when none of the other Leaguer kids did. Or perhaps that day was the one when she help found the Albion Protectors.

Mary can’t help, but wonder how things had turned out if it had been her generation that formed the new League of Heroes rather than that of her daughter and nephew.

She was the only one that battled crime alongside League Heroes while the others did other things with their lives.

But plenty of them joined the Albion Protectors in later years, she thinks bitterly, Davin, Henry and Anne were happy to join the Protectors a decade after their formation.

And she didn’t even get any official authority when she joined the Albion Protectors. Britannia, a completely inexperienced, underage teenager, was made team leader.

As good a leader as Britannia has become over two decades, back then, little Liz didn’t have any idea of how to lead a team, skating by on her powers when it came to proper action. It was Mary that became de-facto leader back then with her six years of experience and later became the de-facto second-in-command once Britannia was able to stand on her own feet as leader.

Looking back on it, they probably just wanted to mould the inexperienced Britannia to be their loyal, obedient servant to do things as they wanted them to be done. Too bad for them that Mary was the one that Britannia went to for help.

At least the League of Heroes has always been there for her with the old Leaguers advising her as she struggled to keep the newly formed Albion Protectors afloat to the new Leaguers supporting her as folks try to weaken her position within the Albion Defenders.

Is some official respect and authority over things too much to ask for? Because Mary has never gotten any. Oh she has tons and tons of unofficial respects, authority and responsibility, but the government has never really trusted her.

Mary is certain it is because they don’t feel she is entirely trustworthy. Which, to be fair, they do have a point. Given the choice between the government and the League of Heroes, Mary will go for the later in pretty much every conceivable scenario she can think of.

At least if it gets too much she can always just leave the Defenders and go back to the League. She has always been half-Leaguer and half-Defender, one of her biggest assets and troubles.

"Hey Mary,” says a voice from the doorway, “Ready to go yet?”

“Sure thing Freya,” replies Mary as she looks at the girl in the doorway.

Freya Griffin is special, one of the country’s three Class 5 superhumans. As of such, she is kept secret and hidden from the rest of the world. For both her own safety and that of others.

Since her mother died in childbirth, the government has been responsible and specifically MI9 ever since her powers came to light.

That was a decade ago, when Freya was four and Mary has been the one primarily responsible for looking after the girl. Mary considers Freya her daughter while Helen considers Freya her little sister.

But Freya doesn’t consider herself part of the Griffin family. Even though she has taken on the family name as her own.

Due to Freya’s existence being a high level secret, they can’t exactly just go out somewhere for some mother-daughter time, but they can hang out together in the tower. Play games or perhaps watch a movie.

“You know Freya,” says Mary as she walks to girl, “I could always take you to the base if you wanted me to. It would be good for you to meet new people. Plus the place is much cooler than here.”

“Won’t we get in trouble?” inquires Freya, “I’m not supposed to leave the building without permission.”

“You’ll have my permission,” Mary tells her, “And honestly, I can’t think of any good reason not to.”

“I would like to,” says Freya as they head down the corridor, “I do keep hearing about that place from pretty much everybody. And I would really like to meet the Sentinel. And Narszara. She seems so cool. I mean, she can turn into a dragon. It isn’t that awesome!”

“I guess it is,” replies Mary with a smile, “Any idea on what you want to do tonight?”

“I want to watch The New Patriots III: Revenge of the Consortium movie,” answers Freya, “Rose and Linda got it for me.”

“Did they now,” says Mary, “I’ll remember to thank them for that.”

The fourteen year old grins up at her and Mary grins back down at her adopted daughter.

Sure Mary might not get any official rewards for her actions, but she was never in the business for that. Between doing good, her family and support of the League of Heroes give her, life is good for Mary Angeline Griffin aka the Warden.