The space-time continuum is a surprisingly fragile thing. In 1999, most men believe time to be the one-remaining impenetrable barrier. But by 2099, it looks like every two-bit thug with a pair of tights can time-travel. And the odds favor these temporal tough guys testing their mettle by trying to take on the superheroes of the late twentieth century, who knows why.

The end result of such encounters is usually that the anachronous anarchists wind up knocked into the middle of the next century by today's heroes. Which is how a Time-Cube wound up in the sub-basement of the Mansion of Justice; a Time-Cube that even now is being used to transport the Mansion's current residents, the Young Justice League Avengers - Next, one hundred years into the future. Their mission: return one of their members, Bouncing Ball, to his proper time and place in the year 2099, among the Legion of Galactic Guardians whom he saw wiped out by the arrival of Spider-Boy and Kang the Time-Conqueror.

The Red Vision, an android who was also being stored in the sub-basement, has been reactivated for this mission by Snapper Jones. Snapper has spent more time with the Judgment League Avengers than most of its full-time members and has more than a little experience in dealing with time travel. With his knowledge, Red Vision's scientific know-how, and the temporal abilities of fellow time-traveler Mercury, Jones hopes this will be a fairly simple assignment.

The young heroes materialize from their first collective experience outside the timestream. Sparrow immediately takes a head count, and panics when she sees that Mercury is not with them. "Pietro's gone," she reports, "Anyone got any theories?"

Spider-Boy lets go of Insect Queen's hand (he hadn't even realized he was holding it until that moment), and hazards a guess. "He's a time-traveler, isn't he? Maybe the cube sent him back to his own time."

Mary Jane Watson, Insect Queen, notices how quickly Spidey released his grip on her. "Dr. Palmer says temporal anomalies have a way of fixing themselves. Maybe the timestream is using this to erase him. Are you sure this is 2099?" {For what really happened to Mercury, check out Mercury #5!}

Chuck Baldwin, the hero known as Bouncing Ball, stands dumb-founded. "Not any 2099 I remember."

"It's not suppose to work that way," Snapper answers. He can tell that everyone is shaken by how badly things are going already. Just to be sure, he goes over the game plan again to help the team focus. "No matter how reality has changed since your last trip," he reminds Bouncing Ball, "Red Vision made sure that the cube would recalibrate on your personal history when we re-enter real-time."

"On the contrary," Red Vision refutes, "I have made no such assurances. My areas of expertise do not include traversing space-time, I only promise that we are traveling to the point in time Bouncing Ball departed from. Whether it is the same alternate future is beyond my ability to determine."

"Great!" Wonder Cat throws up her hands in frustration. "There goes our insurance premium. We should have never let the robot drive."

What they all see, but are too afraid to comment on, is the metallic landscape that spreads as far as any of them can see. Cloud disburses into the sky as vapor and re-assembles herself upon finding that the atmopshere is artificial. More in tune with nature than the rest, she finally vocalizes their fears. "This is not the Earth."

"Would have been nice if we'd brought one of the JLA's shuttles. Might make getting back to Earth a little easier." Arrowcaster shivers at the thought that they are stranded in time on a satellite somewhere in the cosmos.

Spider-Boy moves closer to Arrowcaster, as if his mere presence would make everything okay. "I've been in tighter spots than this. Be glad we didn't wind up in the Microverse! Or the Phantom-Negative Zone! Or..."

"Yes, bug-boy, we're all really impressed with your amazing adventures." Wonder Cat tells him sarcastically. "But using up all the oxygen talking about yourself ain't helping us now!"

"Children!" Red Vision calls out as he returns from scouting the area. Jones smacks himself for not noticing the android leave in the first place. His legs may not work, but that's no excuse for overlooking the obvious. "I have found something that will be of interest to you all. Some may find it disturbing."

Naturally this gets their attention, and they race off to find what would disturb a synthezoid. Sparrow falls back to walk with Snapper Jones, whose hover-chair cannot handle speeds faster than a light jog. "I think you know what we'll, like, find up there."

"Yeah, but don't say a word till we know for sure."

Bouncing Ball gets to it first. He can do nothing more that stare at the huge monolithic obelisk before him. Spider-Boy reads the inscription out loud. "Dedicated to the memory of of planet Earth, and her noble population, whose numbers totaled over six billion humans prior to her destruction in the Thanagarian Year of 28939 R. D. (1999 A.D. by the local calendar)."

Next Issue: The kids are trapped on a memorial to a dead world! Dare they return to 1999 and face what may be their final fate? And what about the Time Squ..

FZZZT!

"Status report!" booms a crackly voice over the radio receiver.

Universe Boy and Hour-Father quickly scout around. "We found your anomaly!" Universe Boy says into his transmitter. "Six teens, all from 1999. Do you think they're the reason we were drawn to this time?"

The Spirit of Vengeance bigins to answer, but is drowned out by the static. Hour-Father tells his teammate, "The Judgment Legion: Avengers are no longer part of this timeline. I believe the youths are responsible.

Snapper Jones wheels around at the sound of human voices, surprised to see more visitors to the Earth's tomb. "Who are you two, and what are you doing here?"

"We weren't suppose to show back up until the Judgment Legion Special #1, but it appears they got wiped out by your presence here. Aren't you suppose to be on Bouncing Ball's Earth? Not much action on this one." Hour-Father rambles on, oblivious to his listeners' confusion.

"You'll have to forgive Hour-Father," Universe Boy says, "the synthezoid contains the Chronoolo inside him, and has trouble differentiating between the third and fourth dimensions. I'm Universe Boy. We were investigating a chronal collapse that we traced back to your time, but wound up here. Now our ride home seems to have been erased."

"Sounds like we're in the same boat," Spider-Boy suggests. "We were trying to figure out a chronal collapse in 2099 when we side-stepped the real world and wound up here."

"I'm afraid this IS the mainstream reality. Thanks to a time traveler who calls itself Captain Albion the Earth is doomed a hundred years ago."

"Excuse me," Red Vision interrupts the conversation. "With Hour-Father's mastery of time and our Time Square, this would seem to be a non-issue."

"Your metallic friend is correct. Allow me to expand the Chronoulog and we shall navigate the.. 01000110 10101100 1101010 1110100 1010111 00001010 10010101 01110111"

The logic stream continues to flow from the android's speech, stopping with the physical manifestation of the code he just released.

"Free at last! Now and forever, Black Atom the Anti-Magus lives again!!"

To Be Continued!!

Crazy Ivan

Amalgamations
Young Justice League Avengers - Next [Young Justice / Avengers - Next] -- Created by Omegabeast
Spider-Boy [Superboy / Spider-Man]
Sparrow [Robin III / Jubilee]
Mercury [Impulse / Quicksilver]
Snapper Jones [Snapper Carr / Rick Jones]
Arrowcaster II [Arrowette II / Nightcaster] -- Created by Crazy Ivan
Wondercat [Wondergirl II / Shadowcat]
Bouncing Ball [Bouncing Boy / Speedball]
Insect Queen [Insect Queen / Mary Jane Watson]
Red Vision [Red Tornado / Vision]
Time Square [Time Shpere / Time Cube]

Judgment Legion Avengers [Justice Legion: A / Avengers] -- Created by Crazy Ivan
Hour-Father [Hourman / Father-Time] -- Created by Mikel Midnight
Spirit of Vengeance [Eclipso / Ghost Rider] -- Created by Crazy Ivan
Universe Boy III [Ultraboy / Captain Universe]
Chronoulog [Worlogog / Chronopolous] -- Created by Crazy Ivan

Captain Albion II [Rokara Soh / Captain Britain] -- Created by Jac Milnestein

Black Atom the Anti-Magus [Black Adam, Anti-Monitor / Magus] -- Created by Crazy Ivan

Disclaimer: All characters owned by Amalgam Comics, except as listed above. Amalgam Comics created by Marvel Comics & DC Comics. This is an unofficial work of fan fiction intended for entertainment purposes only.

Written by Crazy Ivan

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