DC: The Brave and the Bawdy

JSA: Legacy

Pat Dugan, Courtney Whitmore, Jesse Chambers, Henry King Jr., Yolanda Montez, Jack Knight, and Libby Lawrence all looked blankly back at Beth Chapel, who stood staring at them all with a wide, expectant smile.

"What do you say?" she asked eagerly.

The JSA, all standing or sitting around their large table at the center of the meeting room, exchanged nervous glances. Beth had just snuck into the hidden Hall of Justice by following some of the others and insisted on being welcomed as a member. This took everyone off guard and no one was sure how to respond.

"We're not really, um, accepting new members," offered Pat.

"Aw!" frowned Beth, "But what about him?"

Everyone followed her gaze to Henry, who rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"You let him in!" she pointed out, "And he's a huge jerk!"

"Beth, it's not like that," assured Courtney, "Henry's not joining the team for fun. He needs the JSA for protection and his powers will prove an asset in our struggle against the ISA."

"I can prove an asset too!" insisted Beth.

"Beth, you don't have any powers," sighed Courtney.

"Neither do you!" retorted Beth, "You get your powers from that belt, don't you?"

"Beth, that's different."

"I'm really good at learning," continued Beth, "Show me any superhero invention and I bet I could use it. Oh, I'll show you!"

"Beth!"

Beth had rushed for one of the hallways, in which a door was visibly labeled "equipment." Courtney and Pat nervously followed after her. The two walked in ready to pull any powerful weapon out of the young woman's hands, but Pat was relieved to see her holding the one thing in the room that he was confident was harmless.

"What are these?" asked Beth, holding up a pair of thick brown goggles.

"Those would be Dr. Midnite's goggles," said Pat, "I wouldn't bother. He never explained how they worked to anyone."

"They seem to function," noted Beth, pulling the goggles over her face as the lenses lit up green, "Cool! Just like Warp Trek!"

"Right," nodded Pat, "but the original Dr. Midnite was something of an eccentric genius. No one could figure out how to operate his tech. Unfortunately he didn't leave behind an instruction manual or anything."

"Oh!" realized Beth, "You mean Charles McNider?"

"I- Wha- How did-?" stammered Pat.

"Says right here," said Beth, pointing at the goggles, "These things are really amazing. It's like having an entire wiki article in your brain whenever you want it. I have Charles's full life story right here."

"Wait a minute," said Pat, shaking his head, "those things are working for you?"

"Yeah," said Beth, "It's not that hard. They respond to eye movement."

"...how!?" exclaimed Pat, "None of us ever got it to work like that!"

"Really?" responded Beth, "It's pretty straightforward. Like I said, it's pretty much right out of Warp Trek."

"Okay, I'll bite," sighed Courtney, "What's Warp Trek?"

"It's an old sci-fi show," explained Pat, "Charles was a huge fan. I... never really saw the appeal."

"It was way ahead of its time," added Beth, "It only ran for one season, but true fans can appreciate the forward-thinking use of special effects and cerebral storytelling!"