July 19th, 2462.
East London, inside a hangar leased to the Linear Men.
A dark, dimly lit room encapsulates a bearded man dressed in sleek crimson red and emerald leather. He looms above a holographic display of events in the 21st century, ranging from the formation of the Justice League to the death of the Flash in a 'crisis.'
He speaks to nothingness with a thick British accent and continues his work.
"Skeets, take note."
With his vocal command, a golden ovoid device emerges from the shadows, levitating. It nears the man and speaks with a firm American accent, that of a male.
"Of course, Captain. Prepping Audio Log 59."
"It was four-hundred forty six years ago today that the Teen Titans were reunited after a ten year hiatus. The young adults, grounded in their respective paths of their own choosing, were chosen alongside a select few of vigilantes native to the era to defeat Vandal Savage before he gained the strength necessary to overpower world governments and conquer the planet."
"I'm assuming you desire to set the aforementioned events into motion."
"Yes, precisely, Skeets. Because that's exactly what my future counterpart will do. It's all gonna come full circle. Bootstrap paradox."
The man reaches above him and pulls down a lever, a bright radiance suddenly looming over the man and the room, well, suffice it to say, it wasn't a room. Lo and behold, silver beams arched over the man and surrounding him in a spherical vessel; the man rests his back against his sleek and robust hoverchair, exhaling.
"Tell me, Skeets. I've never been to the 21st century. What information do the Linear Men have on it?"
"An era considered by scholars to be the golden age of superheroes, for example, Superman, the Flash, Green Lantern, and many more. The century also reigned in the United States' first African-American president and introduced a graphic dancing move referred to as 'twerking.' I hear the latter is arousing."
"I'm not travelling to a different time period for arousal."
"Not you, Captain."
The man chuckles and affectionately caresses the robot's dome, remarking," I don't wanna lose myself in anything other than the objective, Skeets."
Skeets nears toward's the man and inquires, "Captain Hunter, your plan to arrive in the 21st century and recruit the Teen Titans to fight Vandal Savage...was it approved by the Linear Men?"
The man or as we shall now refer to him, Captain Hunter, gently clenches on his lower lip with his teeth and exhales. He explains, "No, unfortunately not, Skeets. They told me Savage's death was a fixed point in time and it would occur as long as I didn't intervene. Not me of this present moment, of course."
Hunter then proceeds to turn an amount of dials on the panel in front of him and manually plots a course for 2016 through a screen displaying star dates.
"I'm with you anytime, sir. Whether it's the last nanosecond before entropy or the moment of creation."
Hunter glances at the robot, smirking and then transitioning to a grin, remarking, "If the scholars ask who said that, it was me, Skeets."
Skeets emits an eerie human-like laugh and retorts, "I'll alert the media of Rip Hunter: The Man Who Saved The World!"
Hunter tightly grips the guiding sticks on the armrest of his chair and mutters albeit seriously, "More like a man out of time."
"I had thought the excruciating process of time travel would make you stop saying that."
"Blame Booster. Come now, back to business, Skeets. Plot a course for July 19th, 2016, Jump City. Retrieve the T-Communicator from my lab, please."
Skeets mutters 'Will do' as he floats towards Hunter's lab.
Hunter then proceeds to repurpose the knobs and gauges in his foreground, a monitor displaying July 19th, 2016 and numerous files being scrolled through furiously, i.e. Nightwing, Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy, Cyborg, etc.
"There may be no coming back."
Electricity ensnares the hide of the vessel.
"The fate of the world ends up entirely in my hands and those in the past."
Space begins to ripple and the bursts grow exponentially stronger.
"I may die. We all may die."
A radiant energy field encapsulates the vessel, shining its aura through the dimly lit inner sanctum of Hunter's locomotive.
"But remember that no matter the year, no matter the decade, wherever and whenever I'm alone."
The vessel begins to shudder as it begins gently levitating and bathing further in the energy field.
"I will always love you, Jonas."
The vessel dematerializes in a blinding light, air rushing to occupy the empty space left in the midst of its time jump.
****
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the aforementioned characters, even though I wish I did. All characters, locations, and names are properties of DC Comics, however, I would like to thank them for creating the world that inspired this story.
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Titans Tomorrow: Nowhere
FanfictionThe year is 2462. The immortal villain Vandal Savage is on the verge of defeat at the hands of the heroes of the 25th century and sends his most trusted lieutenants to 2016 to help his younger self amass symbols of power and reshape the Earth to his...