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Brave New World: Stargirl

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"What is this thing?" Courtney asked as she held the staff in awe, not at all fazed by it's blinding light.

"Something that doesn't belong to you." Pat said.

"And why exactly does whatever this thing is belong to you and why is my daughter holding it. You promised us answers Pat, so start talking." Barbara said and Pat took a deep breath.

"Okay, okay. That staff is called the Cosmic Staff and it's not supposed to work for anyone other than Starman, which means that shouldn't be working anymore, especially not for Courtney." Pat said.

"What are you talking about?" Courtney asked.

"Wait, Starman, as in the JSA, from the 90s?" Barbara asked and Pat nodded.

"The JSA, like the group of superheroes who gave up right before I was born?" Courtney asked.

"That's not what happened." Pat snapped, shocking them both, since they'd never heard him react like that.

"Sorry, but that's a touchy subject for me." Pat said.

"What do you mean that's not what happened? The Justice Society of America disappeared literally the same day Courtney was born." Barbara said.

"I know, but it's not because they quit and it's also why I never seemed particularly happy about Courtney's birthday, since that day is also the anniversary of downfall of the JSA." Pat said.

"What happened?" Courtney asked.

"Starman and the Justice Society, they all died on that day, trying to save the world from their mortal enemy, the Injustice Society of America." Pat said.

"How do you know all this?" Barbara asked.

"Because I was there." Pat said.

"You were a member of the Justice Society of America. No offense Pat, but you don't really seem like a superhero." Courtney said skeptically and the staff bobbed, almost as if in agreement.

"Not exactly. I was Starman's sidekick, Stripesy." Pat said.

"Why didn't you tell me any of this before we got married?" Barbara asked.

"Because I was trying to protect you from the same fate that everyone else who knew about the JSA suffered, which was their deaths. Starman's entire family was killed and so was our contact in the FBI among others. I was really hoping that this life was behind me." Pat said.

"Then why keep all this stuff around, since I'm guessing it's not mementos from your glory days." Courtney said.

"No, it's because all this stuff was too dangerous to risk leaving some place for it to fall into the wrong hands, especially that staff, but it was also because before he died, Starman asked me to do something for him. To find someone else to carry on the JSA's torch. I promised him I would, but that all changed when I met you Barb. You were the reason I decided to finally stop chasing down the Injustice Society and settle down here in Blue Valley, a place so far off the radar I didn't think that they'd give it a second thought and allow us to live in peace, without worrying about them coming for us." Pat said.

"This staff is what's been causing my dreams isn't it." Courtney said.

"I'm afraid so Courtney. It did the same for Sylvester before he claimed it. What were your dreams?" Pat asked.

"Sometimes they're visions of the JSA in various battles that I'm guessing was the staff showing their greatest hits and one of the members, Starman I'm guessing, he always said the same thing. That it was my turn now and that I needed to find the staff and carry on the legacy. But more recently, I've been having dreams of a new team, with myself leading them, wearing a suit similar to Starman's and holding this staff and in the dream, they called me Stargirl." Courtney said.

"Did you see anyone else in those dreams wearing anything like this?" Pat asked as he pulled out a photo of the JSA and Courtney took a look at it.

"Yeah, a few of them. In my dreams, there was a girl wearing that same black cat suit, a boy wearing the same hourglass and green and yellow costume, another girl wearing those goggles and the suit with them and those two people dressed like hawks. But there are still two people from my dream that I don't see in here." Courtney said.

"Pat, what are you doing?" Barbara asked.

"I never believed it when Sylvester told me that the staff could show it's users a brief glimpse of the future, but I think that it was showing Courtney the next generation of the JSA." Pat said.

"Who's Sylvester?" Courtney asked.

"Starman's real name was Sylvester Pemberton." Pat said, neither he, nor Courtney noticing the brief look on Barb's face.

"Pat, she's 15 years old, she doesn't even know how to drive a car yet. There's no way that Courtney is going to become a superhero." Barbara said, for some reason trying to keep them from noticing the thoughts going through her head.

"You think I can't handle it?" Courtney asked.

"You're still a child Courtney. There are plenty of superheroes in the world already. Grown up ones. It doesn't need a teenager to save it." Barbara said.

"Mom, the staff wouldn't be calling out to me if that were true. I think that it chose now to pick me because the world needs Stargirl. It needs me." Courtney said.

"The world needs you to be an ordinary teenager. Not a crime fighting superhero." Barbara said.

"I still don't know why the staff would pick a 15 year old girl. It didn't show up to Sylvester until he was already full grown." Pat said.

"Maybe it's because the staff could sense a connection between me and him." Courtney said.

"What do you mean Courtney?" Barbara asked.

"What if the reason the staff picked me is because I'm Starman's daughter?" Courtney asked.

"Courtney, I can tell you right now that you are not Sylvester's daughter, since he died the same night you were born and from what Barbara tells me, your father was there in the delivery room the day you were born." Pat said regrettably.

"Courtney, I wish that your father had been a superhero, since that would excuse his absences from your life, but he's not. He was a deadbeat drunk who abandoned us." Barbara said.

"I don't care. The staff picked me for a reason and I'm not going to let either of you take it away from me." Courtney said.

"Look Barb, I don't like it either, but we both know Courtney well enough to know that when she sets her mind to something, she doesn't let anything deter her, something she gets from you, and I know that staff and it has a mind of its own. I'm not saying let's let her start her own team, but at least let me teach her how to use the staff so that way she doesn't end up hurting herself or anyone else with it. I promise I'll keep her safe." Pat said and Courtney looked at her mom beggingly.

"Only because I'm outvoted, but no costumes and if I hear anything about you using that staff outside of these training sessions, it goes away. And also Pat, you're sleeping on the couch tonight." Barbara said as she headed upstairs.

"Yeah, I figured." Pat said.

"Sorry about this Pat, but you should've told her the truth a while ago." Courtney said.

"I know. But Courtney, Mike has no idea about any of this and in exchange for teaching you how to use the staff, you have to promise me that you won't tell him." Pat said.

"Deal. But Pat, you recognized the people I mentioned from my dream, who were they?" Courtney asked.

"I'll show you." Pat said as he picked up the picture again.

"The guy in the cat suit is Ted Grant, aka Wildcat. His suit was cutting edge for it's time since it gave him all the abilities of a cat. Enhanced speed and agility, reflexes, sharp claws and he always landed on his feet. The guy with the hourglass is Rex Tyler. He was a scientist who invented that hourglass to give him enhanced strength for one hour a day and the reason for that was because he didn't want to get addicted to that power. The guy with goggles with Dr. Charles McNider, a blind doctor who invented those goggles to help him see again and became Dr. Mid-nite. The people dressed like birds are Carter Hall and Kendra Saunders, aka Hawkman and Hawkgirl. They're the only members of the JSA that I know are still out there somewhere." Pat said.

"What do you mean?" Courtney asked.

"In addition to having hawk wings and other abilities, every time they die, they reincarnate into a new life where they eventually recover their memories and powers. They may not look like it, but they've actually been live since the time of Ancient Egypt." Pat said.

"But wouldn't they still be kids right now?" Courtney asked.

"Yeah they would and it's highly unlikely that either of them have emerged yet." Pat said.

"Pat, in my dream, they were fully grown, but I was still the age I am now." Courtney said.

"A riddle for another day Courtney. What else did you see?" Pat asked.

"Just two other players. A guy with a red beard holding a sword and then this giant robot." Courtney said.

"I think I know where to find one of them. I'll show you at my shop tomorrow, because it's getting late. I'm guessing that you'll find the others as time progresses. I just wish that I could figure out why the staff picked you." Pat said as he headed back upstairs.

"I don't know why, but I'm glad it did." Courtney said as she placed the staff back in it's crate as it's glow died down and she headed back upstairs to try and get some sleep and for the first time in months, she slept peacefully.