Part 1 Young Justice in the Old West

“Oh no, you show up out of the blue unannounced,” Cissie stared at Cassie as she opened the door to the room she shared with Traya. “That must mean you’re going to drag me away again on another superhero adventure.”

“Calm down Cissie, you remember the last time when we were sitting down watching a movie about time travel at the clubhouse, when suddenly the supercycle burst through the wall and took us back in time.”

“How could I forget?”’

“Well I thought I’d make it up to you by bringing a movie over here to watch. No chance of superhero interruptions.”

“You can play it on my computer,” Traya took the disk and slipped in the drive.

The movie started to play on the computer screen, Cissie stepped back horrified. “I can’t believe this! How could you! You bring over the sequel, where they go back in time to the old west.”

“Come off it Ciss, stop being so dramatic, just because it happened before doesn’t mean the supercycle is going to phase through the wall and take us back to the old west.”

Just then the supercycle phased through the wall. The gang assembled onboard included most of the members of Young Justice. Robin was struggling with the controls furiously.

In the next instant everything shimmered around them and the scenery completely changed.

They were in the middle of desert terrain. Short cactus dotted the landscape.

Cissie stomped her feet. “Damn it, I knew this would happen, I’m in a western and I hate westerns,” Cissie, Cass and Traya stood outside the supercycle.

“Sorry Cissie, the supercycle wouldn’t respond to my directions shortly after we dropped Cass off at your place.” Robin fiddled with the controls on the cycle.

“Where the heck are we?” Kon looked around.

“The old west.” Cissie looked off in the distance.

Cass raised her arms in protest. “How do you figure that? Just because of the movie…”

“There’s a runaway stagecoach approaching us.”

“Yeah sure Clint.”

“Wait I see something too.” Robin got off the cycle.

Off in distance they could see a runaway stagecoach. It approached them throwing clouds of dust into the air behind it.

“Well I’ll be,” said Kon as the wagon approached. “So what do we do at this stage, coach?” he asked Robin.

“I think Cissie’s right, we’ve gone back in time for some reason, and that reason may be approaching us now.”

The stagecoach was yards away from them, no one was at the horses reins.

Anita held up her open hand. “Whoa,” she commanded. The horses, that seemed to be running flat out, stopped.

The stagecoach was filled with bullet holes.

“Holy stagecoach Bat- er Robin.” Kon smirked.

“It sure is holey,” Robin pointed at the bullet holes. “It must have been ambushed,” he approached the stagecoach.

He went around to the back of the stagecoach and opened the door. Inside were what seemed to be 4 dead men. One wore a tattered green poncho without identifying marks. The rest wore U.S. army uniforms, all seemed of fairly high rank from their stripes. One on the men had Lt. Blueberry stamped on his lapel; underneath him someone could be heard moaning. Robin quickly pushed the body of Lt. Blueberry out of the way,

“Tim?” said the half dead soldier, who looked a full dead ringer for Dick Grayson, Lt. Grayson was even stamped upon his lapel.

“Nightwing?” he bent down to the man. He sighed; it wasn’t Dick, yet he certainly looked a lot like him.

The man tried to raise his head. “Timothy my brother? But you ran away to join the circus years ago.”

Robin bent down to him. He reached for his utility belt, and then he pressed small a yellow water canteen to the soldier’s lips. “Now just hold on.”

The man used the little strength he had and reached into his jacket pocket, and pulled out a yellowed paper. “Here my brother. Gold.” Then he slumped his head back and died. Robin drew back in horror. He quickly composed himself however, looked one last time at Lieutenant Grayson, and turned to leave.

Robin came out of the stagecoach, and spoke to the group. “Well I might have a clue to why we’re here.”

“So tell us then why are we here?” Cissie retorted, “As opposed to, I don’t know, in my room with Traya doing non superhero, non time travel, normal everyday things. But noooo”

“I don’t know exactly why we’re here yet, but this might help us find out.” He held up the paper Lt. Grayson had given him. “It’s a map of some sort it looks like.”

Anita approached one of the horses. “They’ve been running for hours, they’re in really bad shape we’ve got to get some water and food for them quick.”

“Hey look, I found some food for the horses.” Impulse shouted from the top of the stagecoach. He tossed down, a sack to Anita.

Robin walked over to the supercycle and reached inside one of the glove compartments, he removed several large bottles of water and tossed them toward Anita. “We can’t let the horses die, they’ll be our only means of transport here. The supercycle is far too conspicuous to risk using. Now if only we could find something to wear beside our costumes so that we don’t stand out in this era.”

“Hey you guys,” said Impulse from the top of the stagecoach, he was wearing a green poncho, “I just found a box of these really cool ponchos.” He held up near identical ones.
“Perfect. They must belong to the man with no name tag.” Robin smiled.

“You mean we’re all supposed to wear green ponchos” Cass looked at him questioningly.

“Actually, it’s fitting I guess, since we’re the “good” guys.”

The Young Justice gang rode upon the horses they had unhitched from the stagecoach, Traya rode on a horse with Cissie. She stared out overjoyed at her surroundings. “This is the best thing ever! I can’t believe it the old west. This is my favorite historical time period.”

“Yes I know,” said Cissie disparagingly, you’ve already told me all about Jimmy Jones and his band of outlaws, The Hole in One Gang.”

“That’s Jesse James not Jimmy Jones, wrong outlaw. Heck wrong century and country, and his gang wasn’t The Hole in the Wall Gang, that was Butch Cassidy’s group. Jesse James rode with the Long Riders and they included his cousin Cole Younger-“

“Whoa. That’s cool,” said Impulse interested. “Hey you dumb horse, what are you stopping for?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah - save it for Miss Krabapple.” Cissie waved her off.

Cassie looked around at the lush green area they rode through, “Strange how the landscape changes so quickly. One minute we’re in the desert, a few miles later we’re in a place that looks more like Italy.”

“Hey yeah! I think I see the famous Italian spaghetti trees off in the distance,” said Kon.

“Whoa. Where?” Bart looked in the distance enthusiastically. “C’mon you dumb horse let’s move, now’s no time to rest. I’ve never had fresh picked spaghetti before.”

“Really? You don’t know what you’re missing. Well, besides a few brain cells.” Kon replied.

“There it is up ahead, the town of Fiddler’s Gulch.” Robin pointed at the old western town in the distance. “That’s our fist stop to pick up supplies, from there it looks like it’s going to be about half a days ride to our destination. Our real problem is cash, we don’t have any, not currency that will pass anyway.”

“Yeah I guess they don’t take credit cards.” Anita smiled.

“Those earring are gold aren’t they Anita.” Robin’s eyes narrowed.

“My grand mere gave me these earrings,”

“Not yet she hasn’t.” Robin pointed out.

“Would you rather we steal what we need?” Kon prodded.

“Whoa, wait a second guys. What the hell is wrong with this stupid horse? If I may put in my five cents worth.”

“The phase is two cents worth, Bart.” Secret corrected.

“But I have a nickel” Bart held up a large sized coin.

“A nickel?” they said together.

“Riiight. At least that’s what it says on it.” He tossed it to Robin. “I picked off the deck of the stagecoach.”

“Hmm…” Robin stared at the five-cent piece. “Actually we might not have to steal, we could get away with other vices such as gambling and cheating“

Kon clapped him on the shoulder. “That’s what I like about you Rob, not only do you excel as leader in combat situations, but you set an outstanding moral example to us all. You could become president.”

“Impulse you come with me, the rest of you guys wait here.” Robin and Bart headed off.


Bart and Robin walked into the saloon. None seemed to notice them enter. The patrons were fixed instead on a high stakes card game that was going on at one of the small tables by the window. Outside one could see the hitching post where most of the patrons had tied their horses.

“Well Baron, let’s see your cards,” said one of the two men seated at the card table. He was wearing a yellow shirt and a black vest, with a red kerchief and a white hat. A hand rolled cigarette was dangling on the edge of his lips.

“Ha, I figured your luck wouldn’t hold.” He held out his cards, a strait flush, the ten the high card. The short, stout, well-tailored Baron leaned back and twirled his long moustache.

The man in the yellow shirt laid out his cards. He had a strait flush jack high. He coolly blew smoke from his lungs.

“I don’t understand every hand you’ve played you’ve won. As if you’ve known what’s in my hand.”

“Baron do you think that my horse outside is giving me directions and helping me cheat.”

The Baron looked at the white appaloosa with the golden mane, behind him. “No I’m not saying that at all. It’s just that you sure are lucky Luke.“

One of the gambling patrons at another table threw his cards down in disgust. “God dammit, I’m bust.”

“Don’t worry.” A well dressed gentlemen approached the table. “Anything of value you’d like to put up against on a loan.”
“Who are you, if I may ask man?” The gambler looked up at him skeptically.

“Me, why I’m the loan arranger, and I’ll get you a loan pronto.”

One of the patrons pointed to the appaloosa outside the window. “Jolly Jumper, that’s the name of the horse with the golden shaggy mane.”

Impulse looked up from the card table to the horse outside the window, mistakenly catching only part of what was said, “That’s horse’s name is Shane huh? Guess it’s better then going through the desert on a horse with no name.”

“Boy you sure are lucky fellas,” said one of the people at the card table with Bart and Robin.

“What do you mean; with us being superheros or that we went back in time?” Bart winced in pain as he was kicked in the shin.

“What’s that you said, we didn’t bring our sombreros, because we lost track of time.”

“Uh, si. That makes a lot more sense.” Impulse rolled his eyes at Robin.

“You fellas sure are weird too, not as bad as them chinamen. Them chinamen been the ruin of this here town.”

“How do you figure that?”

“We were a nice prosperous community, there was a big silver mine hereabouts, no gold though, every new river ever been found, out near these parts got lots of gold but fer this area, mighty strange. Anyways like I said all was going good with the silver mine and all, then all of a sudden a bunch of chinamen show up, the next thing you know, everything done gone to hell. All the miners have left; my hardware store hasn’t sold but too hammers in the last month.”

“And this is the fault of the Chinese?” Robin raised an eyebrow.

“Yup, for a while, they were my only costumers. But the Baron over there,” He pointed over at the table, where the Baron and Luke were playing cards. “He owns most of the property in the town, he said that it was cuz of all the chinamen coming in, that wuz driving everybody off. But the Baron got us a solution.”

Robin looked over the bar; it was then he first noticed a sign that read, No Dogs or Chinese Allowed. He frowned, “What, is he going to exterminate them?”

“Exetem..what?”

“Clyde, you idiot, it means is he going to dig them up after they’re dead. “ Clyde’s friend explained.

“Huh? Heck no, he’s just hired a bunch of men to kill em all. Why would he dig em up afterwards?”

“Kill em all?”

“Yup, a bounty of 100 dollars a head.”

“That’s murder.”

“Yeah I kinda felt that way at first too. But the Baron he got me to thinking. He said them folks wasn’t really like folks at all. That they wuz more like dogs then anything. Now I like dogs, but I ain’t about to let a dog move into my neighbor’s house, and I’ll put it down if it gets rabid.”

Robin frowned, “This Baron sounds very prejudice.”

“Yes, that’s him. Baron Biggit Von Prey Geedus.”


“Well we got all the supplies we need.” Robin approached the group waiting at the campfire.

“Did you get any firearms?” Traya asked.

Cissie was incredulous, “Why in the world would he purchase firearms Traya? Just because this is the old west doesn’t mean that we should be sporting pistols. Besides you know that’s not our thing anyway.”

“Yes I picked up six shooters, no bullets, for all of us.” Robin pulled them from bulging burlap sack.

“What? I thought we all agreed that we didn’t like guns. Why in the world would you buy us guns?”

“Traya?” Robin looked toward her.

“Cissie, this is the Wild West, wild means lawless for the most part. Every man is their own cop and cops carry guns don’t they? If we meet up with bandits or desperadoes and they see we’re not armed, they might try and make a move on us. In the ensuing fight somebody’s superpower gets used. In an era where there are no superhero’s as such. Making us recognizable and more likely to affect the space time continuum.” Traya nodded at Robin who raised an eyebrow and smiled.

“Think of them as part of your undercover costume.” Robin handed out the pistols and gun belts.

“Whom would we run into? We haven’t seen anybody yet. In fact we haven’t encountered anything but barren wilderness. It’s hard to believe America was ever like this. So unspoiled so peaceful.” Cassie picked at a flower.

“This area will be swarming with bandits and desperadoes really soon. They’re going to spoil the peaceful landscape with genocidal bloodshed.”

“Yeah it’s a shame about what happened to the Indians.” Cissie sighed.

“I’m not talking about the Indians. Apparently a bunch of Chinese miners have settled in the area. They are camped down by the one on the mountain runoffs, nearby were our map tells us to go. The town’s bigwig has hired a bunch of gunmen and assassins to kill all of them.”

Cass was taken aback. “You’re kidding right? How could this have ever have happened in America?”

“It doesn’t sound too uncommon. There was widespread prejudice against the Chinese. Many who had come over to work building the railways that linked the two coasts.” Traya said sadly.

“Thanks a lot history girl.” Cass said.

“Hmm… History girl, no one has that name yet do they?” Traya said enthusiastically.

Impulse hastily strapped on his gun belt and began practicing his draw. “I’m faster then the fastest draw in the west.”

“Yeah and who would that be?” Secret asked.

Everybody looked to Traya. Traya simply shrugged her shoulders.

Impulse answered. “Don’t you guys watch westerns? Quick Draw McGraw of course.”

Cissie rolled her eyes. “Bart that’s a cartoon. They’re not real, they’re drawings. They’re not like, um…well…”

“Takes a while to do one of those cartoons. I wonder if they’re quickly drawn.”

“Said Quick Draw.” Cissie looked on at Impulse practicing his quick draw.


The group was hidden in some shrubbery. Robin looked out through a pair of binoculars. He spied a bunch of Chinese miners panning the water down by the riverbed. “Ok, we don’t know how they’re going to react to us, they might think we’ve come to kill them, so we want to be really careful…”

Ignoring Robin Impulse jumped out, and waded into the stream, approaching the guys panning in the water. “Hi guys.”

The Chinese jumped back startled.

“I’ll kill him.” Robin looked out from his hiding place.

“What’s the matter guys?” Impulse outstretched his arms, in a welcoming gesture. The expressions of the Chinese men began to soften.

“Well maybe I won’t have to kill him after all.”

One of the Chinese pointed to Bart’s gun. Impulse looked toward it. “Yeah pretty neat huh?” He drew his pistol with blinding speed on the Chinese miners who again jumped back in shock. “Quick Draw McGraw, fastest draw in the old west.”

“Nope kill him.”

The miners quickly and without warning, launched a Kung Fu attack on Impulse. Bart moved backwards rabidly, avoiding them easily. “Hey guys you don’t understand. I’m a friend, kimosabe. Friend, kimosabe,” he said, waving his gun squarely in their direction.

Robin stepped from where he was hidden. He yelled out, “We mean you no harm.” first in Mandarin, then in Cantonese.

The Chinese stopped their assault on Impulse and began rabidly reply to Robin, who couldn’t make out a word they were saying. The learning of certain phrases in every language one could think of was simply part of his training with Batman, part of his philosophy of being prepared for all contingencies. He repeated the phase again in both languages, and followed it with something that would be viewed in any language as a friendly gesture. A smile.


The gang followed the Chinese as they led them down a trail. “According to the map this valley in where the X is.” He held up the map pointing to the x in the middle of where the word valley was written in large letters. “Whatever we’re looking for must be very close to here.”

A man approached them from the mining camp they were walking toward. A man behind him spoke something in Chinese.

“Chan asks if you’ve come to kill us.”

“You’ve got it all wrong mister. We’re the good guys, see our ponchos.” Bart displayed his poncho proudly. “We’re here to help you.”

“I guess you’ve heard that there are a lot of assassins headed this way soon.” Anita said.

Cass bowed slightly. “You speak quite good English, um… Mr.-”

“It is Sub Ti Til, most English call me Sub.” The Chinese man bowed in return.

“You have a slight British accent Sub, you studied at an English school back in China?” Robin ventured.

“Very astute, I learned it at the British military academy.”

“Your friends sure have some pretty good martial moves of their own.” Anita pointed at the two men who had led them into the camp.

“Yes we all have studied the martial arts. Alas it isn’t much use against pistols and rifles. This is something that I also learned at the academy.”

“We have a member that’s studied the martial arts as well, and he goes up against guys with guns all the time.” Cass pointed to Robin who had taken out his map and started examining it. “There he is- “ She put her finger under her nose and sneezed. “Ha- choo… by da spruce tree,” she said, her nose slightly stuffy.

Sub Ti Til translated for the group, “With them they have a master of Kung Fu,” he pointed to Robin. “His name is Bruce Lee.”

The men bowed toward Robin, Robin looked up from his map and smiled and bowed back.

“Bruce Lee fights and wins against armed men.”

One of the men spoke, Sub translated. “Master Bruce Lee, how do we defeat the men with guns with our bare hands?”

“For crying out loud I said spruce tree, not Bruce Lee.”

“No, no Cass, that’s ok, I kinda like it.”

Another of the men spoke, Sub translated. “Teach us how to defeat the armed men. Master Bruce.”

“Hmm… on second thought.” He reached under his poncho and withdrew a batarang. “As for disarming the armed bandits” He tossed it, knocking the pan out of the hands of one of the miners.

Robin looked on as the men practiced their tosses. They threw boomerangs that had been carved by Bart.

Superboy shook his head. “I dunno about this Rob, putting tons of people at risk to catch a bullet, just because you don’t want us using our powers and risk screwing up the space time continuum.”

“That’s no small reason Kon. Compared to the risk of screwing up the continuum the risk to a few miners is nothing, logically speaking. They’re not in much risk of taking a bullet anyway, really. Firearms in the old west were notoriously unreliable and inaccurate. Oh and incidentally, my plan calls for you to use your power, yours too Bart and it won’t mess up the continuum. Not the way I have it planned.”

Robin walked over to the riverbank. “Hmm…” he took a small pan nearby left by one of the miners practicing their tosses. He dipped the pan in the water, then swirled the sand and water in the pan. There are some minor silver deposits left but this stream seams pretty well tapped out. I guess this is the real reason most of the miners left. They certainly aren’t going to get wealthy off of this.”

Sub approached behind him “Yes, but it is all we have. No one will register a staked claim from a Chinese, unless no white man wishes the land.”

“So your left with hand me downs. Just a flash in the pan. “


“Wow!” said Traya talking to Sub. Anita looked on. “You were with the crew that laid the last yards of railway track. That is so exciting.”

“I would have thought so too, but on that day when the last spike was laid and the place was packed with newspaper men and photographers, we were told to stay away, not to show our faces. When I first escaped to this country, I had such dreams. Who has not heard of America, the great land of freedom? Where one’s position in life, did not depend on the family to which one was born into, but on ones own merits. Those days of idealism now seem so far away. Now I see why a great ocean separates our two continents, we are indeed worlds apart. What is it like in your native land? Do men behave this way everywhere?”

Anita answered, “Actually, I come from a place where oceans and even language, no longer have the ability to keep people apart. Where ideas flow through the ether at the speed of light. Where there is no need for anyone to misunderstand each other if they are willing to listen.”

“Actually, I was kinda thinking it was like history.” Traya interjected.

“History?”

“Yeah I thought history was gonna suck. Be really boring, you know, all dates and memorization and stuff, so I decided that I hated history and I didn’t want to take in school or anything. Then one day I starting reading a book that I didn’t know was a history book.”

‘I see,” Sub’s eyes were puzzled.

“So anyway it turns out that history isn’t boring at all. Once I found that out, hating it became pretty tough.”

“You both speak with a wisdom beyond your years. I will meditate upon what you have said.”

End of part 1
“Kung Fu Cowboys”