Blue Valley.
"I actually like the old radio station here," Pat Dugan said, adjusting the car's volume with a faint smile. "The DJ has good taste, and those old songs have character."
Pat Dugan, once known as Stripesy, the sidekick to the original Starman and a member of the Justice Society of America, had long retired from heroics.
After the team's fall decades ago, he devoted himself to his family—trying to be a husband, a father, and a man who'd left the mask behind.
His biggest challenge now? His stepdaughter, Courtney Whitmore, who refused to stay out of trouble.
Courtney had recently discovered and reactivated Starman's Cosmic Staff, and since that moment, she'd been obsessed with continuing his legacy—rebuilding the Justice Society and fighting evil in her small Kansas town.
"Pat," Courtney said with a dramatic sigh, "your taste is ancient. That radio station only plays, like, ten songs on loop until they fossilize."
Pat chuckled. "You want something modern? That's what public radio's for. You can listen to that outside of Lincoln City."
He turned up the dial a little more, just to tease her. "Anyway, dinner's at six-thirty. I'm thinking salmon or tilapia."
Courtney wrinkled her nose. "How about fish sticks? You can't even taste the fish in those."
Pat clicked his tongue, giving her a helpless look. "You're impossible, kid."
Courtney grinned. "We've got bigger missions than dinner anyway," she whispered, leaning close once she saw her mom and brother upstairs. "We need to find the villains from the Injustice Society."
Pat froze. "Courtney… the Justice Society was destroyed by them. I watched it happen. Those people are dangerous—lethal. If we go after them, we could end up the same way."
"But we're not dead yet, are we?" she countered, her eyes burning with determination. "For the first time since we moved here, I actually feel like I'm doing something right. I know who I am now. I'm Starman's successor. I'm Stargirl."
Pat sighed, rubbing his forehead. "If you're going to do this—and I can't believe I'm saying this—you need to be cautious. Plan things out. These villains aren't some street thugs. They destroyed heroes far stronger than you."
Courtney straightened up proudly. "I already have a plan! Step one: find them. Step two: scare them. Step three: beat them up."
Pat blinked, staring at her like she'd lost it. "Courtney, superheroes are still people. Ordinary people. Right now, I just need you to go to school and be a normal teenage girl."
"That's boring!" she groaned.
"But it's safe," Pat replied, giving her a look that ended the discussion.
---
Blue Valley High.
As Courtney walked into the crowded hallway, she spotted a familiar face at a locker—Jessica, another recent transfer student.
"Hey, Jessica!" Courtney said cheerfully, eager to see someone familiar. "You disappeared fast yesterday. I was gonna wait so we could walk home together. Did you join any clubs? Maybe cheerleading? You've definitely got the look for it."
Jessica shut her locker with a quiet sigh. "What about you? Why not join them yourself?"
"I was into gymnastics," Courtney replied. "But Blue Valley High canceled their gymnastics team this year. If I'd transferred a little earlier, maybe I could've joined… though then I might not have met you, so maybe it worked out!"
Jessica's lips twitched into a small, reluctant smirk before she shook her head. "You're really trying to make friends, huh? But you and I—we're not the same."
"Maybe," Courtney said with a shrug, undeterred. "But it's only your second day here. Still plenty of time to change your mind."
Courtney leaned closer, curiosity sparking. "Oh, right—you mentioned you met a really powerful guy back in Smallville. What was he like?"
Jessica hesitated. "You don't want to mess with people like that," she said softly. "You think Stargirl's powers are impressive? Try fighting someone who moves faster than your eyes can follow. One of them could fly....no gadgets, no wings, just… raw power. If those guys were villains, they could take over the country in a week."
Courtney's mind raced. Blue Valley and Smallville were both in Kansas—too close to Metropolis, the old battleground of countless heroes and villains.
Could these "powerful guys" be part of the Injustice Society?
Jessica suddenly frowned. "Wait a second… Stargirl fights like a gymnast, and you just said you were into gymnastics. You're not—" she narrowed her eyes, "—Stargirl, are you?"
Courtney's heart skipped a beat. "Uh—what? No, of course not—"
Jessica waved her hand dismissively. "Whatever. Doesn't matter to me."
She closed her locker and started walking away.
But then she stopped dead in her tracks.
Her whole body froze, her hands trembling slightly as fear flashed across her face.
Courtney noticed the change immediately and followed her gaze down the hall.
A tall, composed figure was walking toward them, his expression unreadable, his presence commanding.
Adrian.
Each step echoed in the hall like a drumbeat—measured, steady, powerful.
Jessica's pulse quickened. Her breath caught in her throat.
Why was he here?
Had he come to silence her?
Courtney looked between them in confusion as Adrian's footsteps grew louder, the sound reverberating through the hall, ea
ch beat syncing with the racing of Jessica's heart.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
____
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