The Amazing Spider-Man of Young Justice (Season 1)

The Stranger

Reed, M'gann, Dick, and Artemis stood in a heated argument, their voices echoing in the eerie stillness of the dimension.

"You should've shut the machine down when Peter and Ben told you to!" Dick yelled, his face flushed with frustration.

"Now look where we are!"  Artemis added, her eyes flashing with anger.

M'gann, though usually calm, was visibly upset. "You knew it was unstable, and yet you still went ahead. Why, Reed?"

Reed's face was a mask of guilt and determination. "I was so close to a breakthrough. I thought I could stabilize it in time. I didn't anticipate this," he gestured around at the alien landscape.

"Well, now we're stuck here, thanks to your 'breakthrough'." Dick retorted.

Reed took a deep breath, trying to calm the situation. "Listen, I understand you're angry, but we need to focus. Our priority is finding the others and getting out of here safely."

Before anyone could respond, M'gann pointed to a column of smoke rising in the distance. "Look, there's smoke. That could be a sign of life."

"Agreed," Reed said. "Let's head there. We need to stay together and find out who or what is there. It might be our only chance."

They moved cautiously through the dense, alien forest, the bioluminescent flora casting strange shadows around them. 

As they approached the source of the smoke, they saw a cloaked figure standing outside a small, makeshift hut with planks of wood on it's back. The figure's presence was foreboding, and they hesitated for a moment before stepping closer.

The cloaked figure turned to face them. Underneath the hood, his face was partially obscured. But from what they could see, it was insectoid in appearance, with a sickly green hue. It had a pair of large, multifaceted eyes and it's mouth was lined with sharp, mandible-like appendages. 

"Hmm. Fascinating. I see you are not from this place," he said, his voice a rasping whisper. The group shared confused glances with each other. "You need shelter. Come inside."

Reed and the others exchanged wary glances but followed the figure into the hut. Inside, it was surprisingly well-furnished, with makeshift seats and a small table.

"Sit," the cloaked man commanded. They did as he asked.

"You're awfully welcoming. Who are you?" Artemis asked, her eyes narrowing as she studied him.

"This place, what is it?" M'gann added, looking around the strange interior of the hut.

"This is the Negative Zone." the man explained, his voice even and controlled. "A dimension most likely very different from your own."

"And who are you?" M'gann pressed.

"I am..." he hesitated, "The ruler of this place," he replied, evading the direct question. "For now, that is all you need to know."

Dick frowned. "If you're the ruler, why are you out here in the forest and not in that kingdom out there?"

The cloaked man sighed, a sound filled with weariness. "I have been here for months, trying to get a good connection to send out a distress signal to your dimension. It seems I succeeded."

Reed's eyes widened. "You sent the signal?"

"Indeed," the man confirmed. "But now that you are here, I must warn you. This dimension is hostile to those not born of it. Your molecules are not adapted, and soon, you will begin to—"

He was cut off as, suddenly, the group fell to the ground in agony. The pain was immediate and intense, as if their very bodies were rejecting the environment around them. Their forms flickered and distorted.

Reed felt his limbs stretch and contract unnaturally, his elastic body unable to stabilize. M'gann's telepathic senses were overwhelmed, her vision blurring and doubling. Dick and Artemis felt their muscles spasm uncontrollably, their strength waning.

The cloaked man watched with a mix of curiosity and concern. "It begins. Your molecules are destabilizing. We must act quickly if you are to survive this place."

The group struggled, their bodies writhing in pain as they desperately tried to hold onto their consciousness, the cloaked man's ominous words echoing in their minds, "Why's this happening?" M'gann questioned.

"Your dimension is vastly different from ours. Without the proper equipment and device to alter your molecules just enough to travel here, then you'll soon die." The man explained as he sat down.

Reed pulled his limbs back, "You say device. Is it possible to leave this place?" he asked.

"Yes. There is. In my kingdom."

"Then let's go!" Artemis said angrily.

"It is not that simply, little girl." the man said, "Your molecules are already adjusting to the new dimension. You go back right now, you will continue to experience this problem. It is why I never tried to cross over to yours yet and why I sent out the distress call."

"So... are we stuck here?" M'gann asked.

"No. I said there is a device that can be made. Unfortunately I have not had the required intelligence to create it. We have a general idea though."

Reed smirked, "Well I am your man." he said.

Dick spun his head towards Reed, "Could you give us a moment, your highness?" he asked.

The man nodded, "Of course. I shall retrieve some wood for the fire." and he let the hut.

Artemis jumped and looked outside the window to see if the man left far enough and she turned to them, "Please tell me I'm not the only one getting weird vibes from this guy?" she asked.

Dick nodded, "Yep." he agreed. "It's too coincidental."

"Excuse me?" Reed questioned.

Dick sighed, "We are sent to an unknown dimension and the first person we come across just happens to be the leader of this place and has a solution to us getting out."

"I coordinated the portal to send us close to the where the distress call was coming from."

Artemis stepped in, "And he just so happens to have a device that could get us out of here AND you're the perfect person to fix it?"

"Point is, Reed." M'gann said, "We don't know a thing about this place. We don't know a thing about him. We need to be cautious."

"Did I say we must trust him?" Reed replied. "No. I agree that something is not right about this thing, but he also is our only way of escaping this place. It is our only opportunity to escape."

The group didn't like it, but he was right.

"What about Conner? And Peter? And everyone else?" M'gann asked.

"I doubt I'll be able to build the device quickly so that should give you guys enough time to find them." Reed explained, "Now are we going ahead with this plan or not?"

The stranger stepped back inside the hut with more wood to throw into the black fireplace, "So... are we ready to leave?" it asked them.

The group glanced at each other then looked back at him, "Yes."

It threw the wood into the fire, "Good. We must get moving then."

"Why so soon?" Dick asked.

"Probably 'cause we're basically dying." Artemis replied.

"No." The Stranger said as he took a small box from the shield and stored it into his cloak, "That doesn't matter once you consider who else is here."

"Who?" M'gann asked.

And the stranger turned to them , "The ruler of this Negative Zone. The first living being... Annihilus."