- Pat Dugan: Hey, Johnny, what are you doing down here?
- Johnny Thunder: Well, we finally get everybody back together to take on the ISA and... they bench me.
- Pat Dugan: Yeah, well, Starman asked me to stay behind, too, to get the Rocket Racer ready just... just in case.
- Johnny Thunder: Life on the bench. Doesn't feel good, does it, Stripesy?
- Pat Dugan: Speaking honestly, it can be a little rough on the old ego, but I trust whatever Sylvester thinks is best.
- Johnny Thunder: Spoken like a loyal sidekick.
- Pat Dugan: Hey, nothing wrong with being a sidekick.
- Johnny Thunder: Yeah, but, see, that's the thing. I-I'm not even that. I'm the JSA charity case. Heck, Pat, on paper, Thunderbolt is more powerful than Green Lantern, Flash, all of 'em combined, but in my hands, it's nothing but another mess for the JSA to clean up.
- Wildcat: They got Solomon Grundy.
- Pat Dugan: What? You need backup? You got 'em.
- Wildcat: Sorry, Pat. Just Johnny.
- Pat Dugan: But, Wildcat, I mean, you know, we're talking about the entire ISA now, right?
- Wildcat: Members only. Sylvester insisted.
- [seeing the look he shares with Johnny]
- Wildcat: Hey! You got a kid to look out for. There's nothing more important.
- Courtney Whitmore: I just love the smell of bacon in the morning, don't you? Smells like...
- [sniffing]
- Courtney Whitmore: Victory.
- Pat Dugan: Yeah, see, never count your winnings before you collect, okay, Court?
- Courtney Whitmore: The Shade has no idea who he's up against.
- Barbara Whitmore: First of all, he's obviously very dangerous. So I think you should definitely bring S.T.R.I.P.E.
- Courtney Whitmore: Mom, we need the element of surprise. S.T.R.I.P.E.'s as subtle as a tank.
- Barbara Whitmore: Doesn't he have, like, a silent mode?
- Pat Dugan: That's a good idea.
- Courtney Whitmore: Silent mode? Seriously?
- Barbara Whitmore: Or... I don't know, invisibility?
- Courtney Whitmore: Mom, you're embarrassing yourself. Let the professionals figure it out.
- Mike Dugan: What's going on?
- Thunderbolt: What's going on is that you, Mike Dugan, are now in control of me, the Thunderbolt!
- Mike Dugan: The Thunderbolt?
- Thunderbolt: As in Johnny Thunder and the Thunderbolt. Of the Justice Society of America! You're so lucky.
- Mike Dugan: [indicating the pink pen] This belonged to the JSA?
- Thunderbolt: Yep! You said the magic word, and now I'm back in action.
- Mike Dugan: Wait, so the magic words are "so cool"?
- Thunderbolt: Word, singular. It's pronounced "sowkewl" in my native land of Bahdnesia.
- Mike Dugan: Bahd-what?
- Thunderbolt: It's not on the map anymore. Thanks for bringing it up.
- Thunderbolt: Sowkewl meets "set free the all-powerful force upon the Earth of the magical and awe-inspiring Thunderbolt"! It's also a synonym for the sound on the chalkboard that drives everyone crazy, but I like that sound.
- Mike Dugan: So, if I free the genie...
- Thunderbolt: Your wish is my command.
- Mike Dugan: So, all the wishes I want?
- Thunderbolt: Yup!
- Mike Dugan: Start small. I'm thirsty. I wish I had some water.
- [Thunderbolt laughs as water drenches him]
- Mike Dugan: I meant in a glass.
- Thunderbolt: Rule number one: you gotta be specific. Oh, my gosh, you look so silly. I love it when people do that. Uh-oh.
- [he disappears into the pen as a woman with a baby stroller passes by]
- Thunderbolt: Human, 3:00.
- Mike Dugan: [conversationally] Morning. Nothing like a good sweat to start off the day, huh? Wish I was dry. Did you hear that?
- [he's magically dried off]
- Mike Dugan: Thanks.
- Thunderbolt: Well, you're welcome. You're learning. You're learning.
- Thunderbolt: It's never a good thing when other people see me. Reactions range from mild amusement to sheer panic. Sent one guy to the ER. Heart attack, yeah. He recovered, I think. I don't know. He was old. He probably didn't have much time anyway. This is fun. So, what else can I do for you?
- Mike Dugan: I'm thinking. Okay, I got it. I wish I was taller.
- [he begins to increase in height, but then realizes he's just standing on a park bench]
- Mike Dugan: What the hell?
- Thunderbolt: [laughing] What? You're taller. You gotta be...
- Mike Dugan: Specific. Yeah, okay. Uh, I wish my body was taller.
- Thunderbolt: Uh-uh, sorry. Can't wish for the same thing twice. And be happy about that in this case. Wishes about body transformation never go well.
- Mike Dugan: Another rule?
- Thunderbolt: Well, yeah, there are a few. Let me see if I can remember them. I mean, there are only... uh... can't wish for someone to die. Can't wish someone back from the dead. That's important. The last guy that tried...
- Mike Dugan: O-Okay, back to the point. So, you were a member of the JSA and so was...
- Thunderbolt: Johnny Thunder, my previous master. And you are my new one.
- Mike Dugan: Super sowkewl.
- Lutz Lone: Hey, Dugan.
- Mike Dugan: Devin, Lutz, Marky. It's a little early, don't you think? Uh, did you set your alarm just to bully me?
- Marky Malarky: To get paid, paperboy.
- Mike Dugan: Why do you need the money, a brain transplant?
- Lutz Lone: All right, that's gonna cost you extra, Dugan.
- Richard Swift: I hope I didn't scare you.
- Barbara Whitmore: Well, yeah, a little bit.
- Richard Swift: Please forgive me.
- Barbara Whitmore: What are you doing here, Mr. Swift?
- Richard Swift: Yes, well, uh, your colleague, um, Charlotte? She told me where you were, looking into William Zarick's collection, and I thought, well, why don't we have a little treasure hunt together? Won't that be thrilling?
- Barbara Whitmore: You're trespassing, Mr. Swift.
- Richard Swift: Perhaps. But sometimes breaking the rules can be fun.
- Barbara Whitmore: I was looking into the inventory just in case I heard from you.
- Richard Swift: Oh, well, and here I am.
- Barbara Whitmore: is there anything in particular you're looking for?
- Richard Swift: Well, I'll know it when I see it.
- [holding out her phone as she searches her handbag]
- Richard Swift: Is, uh, this what you're looking for? I believe you dropped it.
- Barbara Whitmore: [trying to turn it on] It's dead.
- Richard Swift: Oh, well, that's modern technology for you. It lets you down when you need it the most.
- Barbara Whitmore: [seeing him react and pick an object up] Find something?
- Richard Swift: [opening a box and finding it's empty] Um... uh, do you mind if I... if I keep this? It's... it's just an empty box.
- Barbara Whitmore: I don't really think I can let you. It's part of the Zarick inventory.
- Richard Swift: [closing it] Oh, dear. And there was I, thinking we were getting on so famously.
- Barbara Whitmore: I really must insist.
- [she gasps as the lights go out; running to the switch, she turns them back on sees he's gone]
- Beth Chapel: The Shade killed Doctor Mid-Nite? So that means... Doctor Mid-Nite's the only one of the JSA that we haven't gotten justice for. We need to.
- Courtney Whitmore: First things first, we need to find out where the Shade is hiding.
- Rick Tyler: All for that, but then what? You-You can't punch a shadow, Court.
- Courtney Whitmore: [lost for words] Pat?
- Pat Dugan: Yeah?
- Courtney Whitmore: How does one punch a shadow?
- Pat Dugan: Oh, well, yeah. I mean, as long as you're asking, I did see Starman incapacitate the Shade one time using the staff.
- Courtney Whitmore: Yes!
- Yolanda Montez: S-So... so, we knock out this shadowy freak. And then what, Mr. Dugan?
- Pat Dugan: I don't know yet. I don't know.
- Pat Dugan: Well, turns out the girl who cried wolf was, uh, right after all.
- Courtney Whitmore: Of course I was right. There's a wolf in Blue Valley. He's called the Shade, the last member of the Injustice Society.
- Pat Dugan: The Shade worked with the ISA in the past, but he quit a while back. I don't know what he's up to now, but he's going by the name Richard Swift. He's posing as an antiques dealer, and he's basically an antique himself. There's photographic evidence of him going back to the 1800s.
- Yolanda Montez: So he's, like, really old.
- Courtney Whitmore: Pat thinks he doesn't age. His powers...
- Pat Dugan: Are shadows. His powers are shadows. He can manipulate them and travel through darkness.
- Beth Chapel: So why is he in Blue Valley? To finish what the ISA started?
- Pat Dugan: I don't think so, Beth. He had a falling-out with them after he helped them defeat the JSA, but, uh... I know he's bad news. I watched him kill Doctor Mid-Nite.
- Courtney Whitmore: Pat, we've come to a decision.
- Pat Dugan: Hey, this is not a group discussion, okay?
- Courtney Whitmore: But Mike deserves to be in the JSA.
- Yolanda Montez: We voted.
- Mike Dugan: Just call me Mikey Thunder.
- Courtney Whitmore: Let me handle this. Also, that's terrible.
- Mike Dugan: So, in conclusion, show us the location of, quote, the Shade, unquote, not to be confused with a lamp or window shade, but the last known member of the Injustice Society of America, hiding somewhere in Blue Valley, Nebraska, 68060, USA.
- Beth Chapel: [as the pen crackles, a pink flame appears on a nearby map] Where is he?
- Pat Dugan: That's William Zarick's old house.
- Yolanda Montez: That's the Wizard, right?
- Pat Dugan: Yeah.
- Courtney Whitmore: Hey, you did it, Mike!
- Pat Dugan: Yeah, you did good.
- Mike Dugan: Thanks, Dad. Let's go.
- Pat Dugan: Whoa! Whoa! You're staying here.
- Mike Dugan: What?
- Pat Dugan: Yeah, that was the deal, remember? You agreed to it. And it's safer that way for everyone.
- Mike Dugan: No, no, no, no, no. Come on, man. You can't bench me now. I...
- Pat Dugan: I'm sorry, Mike, that's just the way it is.
- Courtney Whitmore: Mike, you really did help us.
- Pat Dugan: Hey, you guard the Pit Stop. That's an important job, right? There's some, uh, pizza bites, string cheese, and some of those juice boxes you like.
- Mike Dugan: [dejected] Mikey Thunder, riding the pine.
- Mike Dugan: Hey. So, did you guys have a vote yet? Am I in the JSA or do I have to go through some hazing first?
- Courtney Whitmore: There's no hazing.
- Mike Dugan: Oh. Great. So I'm in, right?
- Courtney Whitmore: It's not up to me.
- Mike Dugan: Yeah, it is. You're, like, the JSA's leader.
- Courtney Whitmore: But Pat's your dad. That's veto power I can't overrule.
- Mike Dugan: He told you no, too. Come on, Court, think about it. All the bad guys we'll be able to take down. All the people we'll be able to save. You and me together, brother and sister!
- Courtney Whitmore: Yeah, that sounds great, really, but...
- Mike Dugan: The Thunderbolt picked me. So I'm like you. I was meant to be a superhero. It's my destiny. Please, help me try?
- Pat Dugan: Still zipping around, I see.
- Thunderbolt: [inspecting the S.T.R.I.P.E. armor] I can't believe you built this! If Starman had seen it, I'm sure he would have promoted you from sidekick to, like, senior sidekick or, you, know, he would have been happy!
- Pat Dugan: Yeah, well, it's not a toy.
- Thunderbolt: So there's a new JSA now, huh?
- Pat Dugan: Yeah, but you know how dangerous this life can be, and even with power like yours, Johnny died.
- Thunderbolt: I remember his smile when he made that last wish and then... he was gone.
- Pat Dugan: Yeah, so what was his last wish?
- Thunderbolt: That I'd find a new friend.
- Pat Dugan: Mike? Why him?
- Thunderbolt: You know how it works. I-I can only pick someone like me to be partners with. Someone who feels completely and utterly alone.
- Pat Dugan: That's really how he feels?
- Thunderbolt: Right now? Yeah.
- Courtney Whitmore: [walking home from school with Yolanda] Don't worry, we're gonna figure this out. Things are looking up from here.
- [they watch as a stop sign falls from the sky and lands in the sidewalk]
- Courtney Whitmore: Mike?
- Mike Dugan: [they see he's holding the pink pen] Guess who's the newest member of the Justice Society of America? Me.
- Thunderbolt: [emerging from the pen] You mean us! Ta-da! Pleasure to meet you.
- [another stop sign lands on a car in the background, setting off its alarm]
- Thunderbolt: What's going on? Sorry about the sign. Tough crowd, right?
- Pat Dugan: I knew you took the other stuff from the JSA headquarters, but you didn't tell me you took the pen.
- Courtney Whitmore: I forgot about it!
- Pat Dugan: Okay, Court, I told you it was dangerous. Somebody could have been killed.
- Courtney Whitmore: Well, you should've told me everything about it in the first place. You know, been specific.
- Mike Dugan: You gotta be real specific with the wishing, let me tell you.
- Pat Dugan: No, Mike. No more wishes.
- Beth Chapel: But, Mr. Dugan is this genie really grants wishes, maybe he could fix the goggles?
- Rick Tyler: Or find the Shade?
- Yolanda Montez: And stop him.
- Pat Dugan: Trust me, he'd just cause more trouble.
- Mike Dugan: Me?
- Pat Dugan: No, not you, Mike, the Thunderbolt. He's not exactly a living monkey's paw, but he's close.
- Mike Dugan: [the pen crackles] I, uh... I think he can hear you. Also, what's this got to do with monkeys?
- Mike Dugan: [watching bullies from school steal cookies from a Girl Scout] Thunderbolt, I wish you'd make 'em stop.
- Thunderbolt: You got it!
- [a stop sign falls from the sky and lands in the middle of the street, blocking the bullies' way]
- Mike Dugan: That's great. Look at how freaked out they are.
- Lutz Lone: [more stop signs appear] What is this?
- Mike Dugan: O-Okay, that's... that's good. You can stop now.
- Thunderbolt: Well, I can't until they do.
- Pat Dugan: Okay, give me the pen.
- Mike Dugan: No.
- Pat Dugan: Now!
- Mike Dugan: You're saying I can't handle it.
- Pat Dugan: Nobody can. I'm sorry, all right, Mike? I really am. It's just that the Thunderbolt, he's too unpredictable.
- [as he takes it, it disappears and re-appears in Mike's hand, and Thunderbolt chortles]
- Pat Dugan: Give me that.
- [taking it]
- Pat Dugan: Thank you.
- [it re-appears in Mike's hand again]
- Pat Dugan: Hey!
- Mike Dugan: Ah! Gues he likes hanging with the boss.
- Pat Dugan: Call him out here right now. I wanna speak to the Thunderbolt alone.
- Courtney Whitmore: Yolanda, you okay? Headaches again?
- Yolanda Montez: Mm-hmm. How are we gonna stop the Shade once we find him?
- Courtney Whitmore: Pat's working on it.
- Yolanda Montez: I don't wanna be in another situation like Brainwave, Court. I can't do what I did again. I won't.
- Paul Deisinger: [interrupting] Courtney? Yolanda? Care to answer?
- Yolanda Montez: Um...
- Paul Deisinger: I assume you were conferring about the topic at hand. In 1521, why did the Aztec civilization suddenly disappear?
- Yolanda Montez: [flipping through her textbook] Uh...
- Courtney Whitmore: Well, this conquistador named Cortes, who sounds like a total jerk, conquered the Aztecs, so that was bad enough, right? But at the same time, the Europeans brought over this super plague. So between them both, the Aztecs didn't stand a chance. RIP Aztecs.
- Paul Deisinger: Correct, Courtney.
- Courtney Whitmore: [quietly to Yolanda] We'll come up with a plan that doesn't involve anything remotely like that. I promise.
- Yolanda Montez: How did you know all of that?
- Courtney Whitmore: Turns out, if you actually read the book, history's not that hard.
- Courtney Whitmore: Mike and the Thunderbolt could find the Shade for us.
- Rick Tyler: We don't have any leads on him, Pat.
- Beth Chapel: And the goggles haven't found him.
- Pat Dugan: The Thunderbolt, it's dangerous, Beth, okay?
- Courtney Whitmore: You didn't want me to use the Cosmic Staff for the same reason.
- Yolanda Montez: You didn't want any of us suiting up at first.
- Courtney Whitmore: But together, we stopped the ISA. A-And Mike helped. He stopped Icicle, if you remember.
- Pat Dugan: Yeah, I try to not think about it.
- Courtney Whitmore: We need to find the Shade, and Mike and the Thunderbolt are our best chance of doing that right now.
- Mike Dugan: She rests my case.
- Pat Dugan: Okay, you can help us *locate* the Shade. That's it. Deal?
- Mike Dugan: [offering a fist bump] My man.
- Pat Dugan: All right, knowing how these wishes can backfire, we gotta come up with one that's bulletproof, and I need all of your help.
- The Shade: [forced to take physical action against the JSA members] I'll say it for the last time. Stay out of my way!
- [he turns into a whisp of smoke and disappears]
- Barbara Whitmore: I was looking through Zarick's inventory logs, and the empty box Swift took, it contained a diamond.
- Pat Dugan: A diamond?
- Barbara Whitmore: Yeah. It said "costume jewelry" on it. Maybe a magic prop. It was black.
- Pat Dugan: It was no prop, Barb. That's the black diamond.
- Barbara Whitmore: What's the black diamond?
- Pat Dugan: It's something very, very bad.
- Wildcat: Hey, Mike. You okay?
- Mike Dugan: No. No, not really. I thought I could help you guys, but, you know, I blew it.
- Wildcat: Do you ever feel bad about what happened? You know, with Icicle and all?
- Mike Dugan: Yeah, about that. Truth is, I was hauling ass, you know? Look up, Icicle's in the middle of the road icing up, and bam! He was ice cubes before I even knew it.
- Wildcat: It was an accident?
- Mike Dugan: Well, yeah. Yeah, I guess it was. I'm no hero.
- Beth Chapel: [trying to get Chuck back online] It's still not working!
- Rick Tyler: It's okay. We'll get Chuck back.
- Beth Chapel: No. It's useless, Rick. I'm never getting Chuck back, and we lost Doctor Mid-Nite's killer. Everything's falling apart!
- Rick Tyler: What's going on? Beth?
- [she stands to leave]
- Rick Tyler: Hey, you can... you can talk to me. Pretend I'm Chuck.
- Beth Chapel: I think my parents might be getting a divorce.
- Rick Tyler: What? Did they say something?
- Beth Chapel: No. I found some papers.
- Rick Tyler: Okay. Well, papers are just papers. You should talk to them. I would talk to mine if I could.
- Barbara Whitmore: Okay, so let's go over this one more time. What's the plan?
- Pat Dugan: Nothing fancy, Barb. We go in, we locate the Shade. Rick and Yolanda, they restrain him until Courtney gets there with the Staff and renders him unconscious, just like Sylvester did.
- Barbara Whitmore: Okay. And then?
- Pat Dugan: Beth's located a suitable device to negate his powers until we can deliver him to the proper authorities.
- Barbara Whitmore: Who are the proper authorities? And what device?
- Pat Dugan: Tanning bed, actually. Your old one that's out in the garage.
- Barbara Whitmore: Are you serious?
- Pat Dugan: Yeah.
- Barbara Whitmore: What's Mike gonna do?
- Pat Dugan: Uh, he'll be down at the Pit Stop waiting for the play-by-play. It's gonna be fine. Don't worry about us. I'll call up and give you a little heads-up.
- Beth Chapel: Chuck, I can hear you. It's me! It's Beth!
- Chuck: You have to listen. Whoever you are, you need to know...
- Beth Chapel: What?
- Chuck: You're in danger. Eclipso...
- Beth Chapel: [the goggles power down] Chuck?
- Rick Tyler: What was it? What did Chuck say?
- Beth Chapel: He said we're in danger. He said Eclipso is here.
- [cut to the town's clock tower]
- The Shade: [opening the black diamond box] He's gonna kill those children.
- Pat Dugan: So, I'm just gonna ask you again, Shade, why are you here?
- Stargirl: We won't let you hurt our town.
- The Shade: And why ever would I do that?
- Wildcat: Because you were a member of the Injustice Society.
- The Shade: Our interests aligned for a moment, but birds of a feather we were not. Jordan Mahkent and his merry band were no friends of mine. Icicle was a lunatic. If there's one thing worse than a man who wants to rule the world, it's a man who wants to save it. Though seeing the way your generation's going, I expect you'll end humanity for good.
- Stargirl: Okay, just because you gave up and only looked out for yourself doesn't mean we're ever going to. We're never gonna stop fighting to protect the world from people like you.
- The Shade: Just to reassure you, I have no dark design on Blue Valley. Stay out of my way, and I'll be gone before you know it.
- Stargirl: Why are you here?
- The Shade: Young lady, I'm not being coy. It's just better that none of you know. Now, please, try the tea.
- Mike Dugan: I know I should've listened, but...
- Pat Dugan: You didn't!
- Courtney Whitmore: I didn't either in the beginning.
- Barbara Whitmore: Courtney.
- Courtney Whitmore: This is the beginning for Mike, Mom, with the Thunderbolt. Even if Mike hadn't shown up, the Shade was way ahead of us. You saw, Pat.
- Mike Dugan: No. No, I-I screwed up. Thought this pen was my ticket into the JSA, but now I kind of just wish it was in better hands.
- Courtney Whitmore: [the pen disappears] No!
- Mike Dugan: Thunderbolt?
- Barbara Whitmore: Is Mike okay?
- Pat Dugan: He's okay. Court's upstairs with him.
- Barbara Whitmore: Hmm.
- Pat Dugan: You know... the Thunderbolt told me that he chose Mike because Mike felt so alone.
- Barbara Whitmore: I mean, that's on all of us if it's true.
- Pat Dugan: Yeah, I mean, the kid, he just wants to be a part of the team, and I get it.
- Barbara Whitmore: He is, though, pen or no pen. I mean, we both are, even though we don't have costumes and code names.
- The Shade: Oh, my. Quite the assembly. I hope I have enough biscuits. Come, come. Do sit down. The tea is nicely steeped. It's perfect, in fact, if I say so myself.
- Pat Dugan: We're not here for teatime, Shade. What are you doing in Blue Valley?
- The Shade: Pat Dugan. It took me a moment to place the name in the diner.
- Pat Dugan: By the way, I knew that was a 1967 Jag, right? You know that?
- The Shade: Well, of course I do, Stripesy. Oh, I see. Same sidekick, different Star-Spangled Kid.
- Stargirl: Stargirl.
- The Shade: Oh, absolutely. Now, please sit. We could do it the other way, I suppose, all bother and perspiration, or we could try the more genteel approach.
- Dr. Mid-Nite: You murdered Doctor Mid-Nite. You don't deserve the genteel approach!
- The Shade: My dear young lady... and I mean this in the nicest possible way, you don't know what you're talking about. Now, sit. I implore you.
- Pat Dugan: All right, kids, let's go ahead and have a seat.
- The Shade: Wonderful.
- Pat Dugan: Thank you.
- Hourman: Try anything, and I'll see how many teacups I can shove down your throat.
- The Shade: Don't you teach these children any manners, Stripesy?
- Jenny Williams: Jakeem, Mom wants you to take out the trash.
- Jakeem Williams: But I got a high score.
- Jenny Williams: On your one-player game? Get some friends that aren't Pac-Man and Luigi.
- [their mother calls from elsewhere in the house]
- Jenny Williams: You know what Dad's gonna say; what everyone does: you're a loser!
- Jakeem Williams: [sighing] I am a loser.
- Thunderbolt: Yoo-hoo!
- Jakeem Williams: [the pink pen appears on his desk] What? Where did you come from?