Midnight Spectre 2.0: You you... you what!?!

BLINK

Registered Member 552: I said I fixed the plane. Come on and take a look at 'er.

Everyone else aboard SpandexMonkeyMan’s MLU stares at the two heroes.

Registered Member 552: Okay, now I know I felt that!

SpandexMonkeyMan [looking them both up and down suspiciously]: What? What did you feel?

Registered Member 552: I could have sworn I felt… a shift. It was like one second I was here, the next I was talking to Midnight, Wednesday, and CJ back in the basement—

Midnight Spectre 2.0: Then we were here again.

Registered Member 552: Exactly!

SpandexMonkeyMan [walking quickly to a console screen]: Oh no. It’s already begun.

Hybrid: Now that you mention it, I felt a little something too.

SpandexMonkeyMan presses a few buttons and nods to himself.

Cowgirl Jack: What do you know, Spandex?

SpandexMonkeyMan: This is what got my attention, and the reason I brought you all along.

Registered Member 552: Someone’s messing with time.

SpandexMonkeyMan: That’s half correct. Time—no, all of reality is slowly coming apart, but it's not being pulled apart by some conscious presence.

Ace: What’re you saying?

SpandexMonkeyMan: Okay, I’ll do my best to explain. When the Criminal Society of Fiction left their worlds of fiction and entered reality there were… repercussions.

Transneapolitan: What kind of repercussions?

SpandexMonkeyMan: The bad kind. They aren’t supposed to be here, and their presence here is tearing a hole in reality itself.

Midnight Spectre 2.0: Registered Member and I both have heightened senses. That must be why we're remembering things.

Cowgirl Jack: Then we have to get to the CSF and tell them. There’s no reason to take over a world that won’t even exist if they stay here, right?

SpandexMonkeyMan: Well, if we put them back, the hole should mend itself. But the hole shouldn’t be this focused. From what I see here, it’s only affecting you guys, and three others who aren’t here.

Fused: So you saying the CSF created a rip in reality when they came here, but for some reason the hole is only screwin’ with us?

Ace: But who are the other three.

SpandexMonkeyMan: One is at the Crime Society’s secret base. Most likely, that’s your friend. The other two, however, I don’t—

BLINK

RM552: What did you call me!?!

Britannica: No, no. U-N-U-T. The United Nations Ubber Taskforce. That’s how my Brother survived. He works for UNUT. We weren’t the only ones to survive the destruction of the DCMB you know. UNUT were also able to establish a link between the DCMB and RKMB and saved many of their operatives as well.

Midnight Spectre: How did he know you had survived?

La Machine: [nodding sagely] The government knows everything, man…

Britannica: Actually that’s thanks to La Machine here.

La Machine: Wha! They can’t prove anything!

Britannica: No. Thanks to La Machine’s successful merchandising of his superhero sportswear range, the JLR were mentioned on some cable channel program called “Superheroes Tonight”. Apparently my Brother was watching and discovered I was alive too.

BLINK

Midnight Spectre 2.0: It’s La Machine and Britannica. They’re being affected too.

Registered Member 552: Yeah, I saw that too. Seems we’re starting to remember more and more, but this whole thing is still jarring. It’s hard to recognize what’s real and—

BLINK



BLINK

Registered Member 552: Well, now, that was just weird.

Transneapolitan: But why just us?

Ace: It’s magic!

JLR:

Ace: If there’s one thing I know, it’s magic. [He turns to Chessmaster, who is still in a magic-induced haze.] Malfoy is using Chessmaster’s ability to move his teammates around against us.

Cowgirl Jack: That doesn’t make sense.

Ace: Trust me, if being a magician’s assistant taught me anything, it’s that magic can make anything make sense.

SpandexMonkeyMan: You said the CSF put a spell on your friend and his chessboard. I wouldn’t put it past them to use his powers to bounce you around somehow.

Cowgirl Jack: Didn’t you say he was probably dreaming about the future, Wednesday?

Wednesday: Yeah. I figured he--

Registered Member 552: If Chessmaster’s mind is bouncing around time somehow, then maybe Malfoy’s hex is causing us to move around with his pieces.

Transneapolitan: Wait a second, how the heck are you people figuring this all out? We went from not knowing crap to knowing everything in under five minutes!

Fused: Well, it makes sense when you think of it.

Wednesday: Well, I would’ve never thought of it.

Fused: And it explains a lot. Ace and I were getting the crap beat outta us by the T-X, then all of a sudden we were back with you and the rest of the JLR.

Wednesday: So all these time jumps would explain the lapses in continuity we’ve been seeing lately?

SpandexMonkeyMan: According to my readings, yes.

Wednesday: Good, now STOP BLAMING ME!

SpandexMonkeyMan: It seems to be happening in waves. You’re going through a wave of jumps caused by the reality rift, and Malfoy’s magic is taking advantage of that.

Registered Member 552: How long will this wave last?

SpandexMonkeyMan: No telling. I can’t tell how large the wave is, or when the next one will come.

Fused: So what do we do now? I’m an engineer, not a magician.

Midnight Spectre 2.0: I go in there. I go in his head, and get Chessmaster out.

Transneapolitan: What do you mean?

Midnight Spectre 2.0: Ever since Britannica, DBP, and I linked up to defeat Dark Wednesday, I’ve exhibited minute telepathic powers of my own. Whatever that poison did, it fully awakened that power in me. I can mind link with Chessmaster, and bring him out.

Wednesday: You gonna use your female attraction abilities while you're at it ?

Midnight Spectre 2.0: Don't talk to me... ever.

Transneapolitan: Seems you people are all hell-bent on confusing me.

SpandexMonkeyMan: As hell-bent as Wednesday is on calling me “Spandex Monkey Boy” .

Cowgirl Jack: But what do we do till this wave passes us? We can’t keep bouncing around time, we’ve got a teammate to save. But none of us have the power to—

POP

JLR:

He appeared outta nowhere. He looks perfectly normal, perfectly human, except for the fact that HE APPEARED OUTTA NOWHERE!

The Time Trust: Umm… hi? Got your note. I’m here to help ?

To be continued…