Titans Tomorrow: Nowhere

The Alibi

Jump City, California.
July 19th, 2016, daytime.
  The sun loomed over the city; radiant streams of light illuminated the window panes of the sprawling metropolis' most celebrated skyscrapers.
  It was a very bustling morning; vehicles and gasoline-powered machinery marched through the streets and their speakers blared #1 hit singles by the era's most adored pop artists. Californian mornings as Skeets described it.
  In the towering meadows of the mountain opposing the city's skyline, the leaves rustled and shuddered in the midst of a change in space-time. Suddenly, a quarter mile above the meadows, a spherical vessel materialized out of thin air and shone its lights through the darkened green oasis.   The wildlife such as squirrels and deer cowered in its wake and fled as the vessel slowly touched down, sizzling the soil underneath.
  "It seems as if the trip was a success, Skeets. Prepare holographic indigenous camouflage projection," Hunter commanded his robot companion as he released his harness.
  The Time-Sphere's windows folded upwards as Hunter took a moment to observe the undeniable beauty he has chosen to visit, leaning forward and taking in a deep breath of the fresh air.
  He stepped out of the vessel as Skeets accompanied him. His robot companion warns, "Captain Hunter, it is imperative that you don't interact with any mosquitoes. 21st century scientists purport that they are transporting a degenerative disease known as 'microcephaly'."
  "Sure, Skeets. Tell me something I don't know," Hunter replied sarcastically as he slowly sludged through the molten soil.
"You are stepping in a bear's feces."
  Hunter exclaimed 'EW!' loudly as he tore his left boot from the mound and walked with weariness to a nearby pine tree.  Skeets hovered nearby and jokes, "If we don't find the Titans in this decade, at least we've answered the age old question: does a bear crap in the woods?"
  Hunter panted and shaking his head in resentment, remarked, "You have too much of Booster in you."
  "I hope I don't catch anything."
  "Change humor settings to 20%."
  Suddenly, leaves crackled in the distance and heavy breathing emanated from the forest's inner darkness. Claws ripped against the bark of the many hundreds of trees as Hunter silently shushed Skeets.
The noise of leaves crackling grew exponentially louder as did the breathing.  Shaking, Hunter muttered to himself, "Oh no."
  Suddenly, a fearsome grizzly bear emerged from the shadows, its bloody fangs exposed, drooling. Blood blackened in between its teeth and its nails tapped at the Earth's surface.
  It let out a monstrous roar, that of an animal lusting for blood. In this case, Rip Hunter's.
  Hunter reached for his holster as the bear neared him, snarling. He let out a bead of sweat and heavy breaths, muttering curses to himself. Skeets advised, "Captain Hunter, to respond with violence would anger the bear further and could potentially harm the tim-"
  "I get that, Skeets, and I'm not gonna kill him", Hunter stated as he twisted a dial on his six shooter's grip.
  The bear let out a thunderous roar and it prepared to lunge at the Time Master Hunter, its eyes filled with murderous intent. Then suddenly, it lunged at him.
CLANK!
  In an instinctive motion, Skeets slid in front of Hunter as the bear's paw rained down swiftly and brutally, dragging its jet black claws through the robot's face. Sparks emanated and melted the bear's fur lightly as Hunter sheathed his blaster quickly and fires.
  The bear roared and whimpered as it fell on its side, incapacitated.
  Captain Hunter caught his breath and stated, "I had that, Skeets."
  Skeets turned to Hunter and inquired, "Captain Hunter, what was that?"
  Hunter re holstered the blaster after applying some dirt to its barrel to cool it down and replied, "The welcoming committee. Grizzly bears are extinct where we come from actually. The bear should be out for an hour at best but now we need to leave."
  "Stop right there", cried a thick male Southern accent accompanied by the sound of a shotgun cocking. A park ranger.
Skeets suddenly vanished into invisibility as Hunter rose his arms into the air, mumbling 'Great' under his breath. The ranger stepped forward, obviously not ready to deal with Hunter's crap.
  "What're you doing here? Who are you?"
  Hunter stammered before joking, "An alien. That bear is secretly an intergalactic demonic spirit named Galashu. I'm one of Xenon IV's most dec-"
  "Quiet, limey. Now, stop being a smartass and tell me, who are you and what are you doing trespassing in a national park?"
Hunter frustratingly turned his head and rested his hands at his waist, complaining,  "Limey? Now that's just unnecessary, sir, and I thought you and I could reach a compromise."
  "I'm not gonna ask anymore, who are you and wha-"
  BEEP!
  Accompanied by a blinding and sudden flash, the ranger appeared dazed and as he stumbles, ultimately collapsed. Hunter sighed and turned to the now visible Skeets, inquiring, "What was that?!"
  "A neutralizer. Also, a life saver", Skeets replied sarcastically.
  "You couldn't have used that on the bear?!"
  "The bear didn't have a shotgun, Captain Hunter. Besides, when the ranger awakens, he won't retain any memory of his encounter with us, preserving the timeline."
  Hunter nodded his head towards the nearest road and exclaimed, "We must not waste time, Skeets. We don't yet know if Savage's men have already arrived."
Unfortunately for him, they've made their first mark in the past.

Author's Note: A heartfelt thank you to readers and JackPokemon for voting on my first entry! Stay tuned!