Welcome to the first chapter of the sequel to "Titans Rising". This story will take longer to update, since I'm doing "The Suffering" at the same time, and I don't multitask that well. But I will probably edit this story a lot, since now I have to go back to my last story to catch up.

Anyway, onto the story. Enjoy "The Hunt".

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Terra sat on her rock as she and Beast Boy flew towards a city that sat in-between her home in Jump City and Gotham called Warren City, which was where she had began her travels. She shivered slightly, the cool night air chilling her through her outfit as she sped along, trying to keep up with the changeling that soared as an eagle ahead of her.

The Titans had found a way to unhook the suit from her, hacking into it and manually pulling out the electric pulsators that controlled her nerve pulses and ultimately, herself. But it had come with a cost. Without the suit, she no longer had the ones that helped her keep her powers in check, so now she was back to square one. Her training under Slade had improved her abilities more than the Titans could have in the same amount of time, but the suit was her crutch, and now it was gone. It felt like a new weight off her shoulders that had replaced an old one, the old one being to keep herself in check. No longer could she lift rocks bordering on hills, no more could she build sculptures without lifting a finger. But it had been worth it.

To her, it had all been worth it and more.

Because it had separated her from the thing that Slade had wanted her to be. A mere puppet, nothing more than a high-ranking lackey.

After the suit had been removed from her, she had been given her old Titans uniform to change into, and putting it on had brought back the memories. The battles, the life at the tower, the carnival.

The house of mirrors.

She remembered that above all else. The way Beast Boy had fought, the passion with which he had attacked Slade with scaring her into running away. But that was the past. Right now, she had a mission to accomplish. It was the first step towards redemption.

She remembered the difficulty of regaining the city's trust, and even more so, their respect. The first few times she had appeared, angry mobs would attempt to run her down, both physically and mentally. The names that some citizens had shouted in anger had torn her to shreds. One incident in particular stuck out like a sore thumb, the pinnacle of the people's need for revenge.

Terra remembered it like it had happened yesterday.

()()()

The Titans were lounging about, with the team relaxing from a hard days work. Without warning, Robin's communicator had gone off, and flipping it open had revealed information on a riot in downtown. Closing it and replacing it in his belt, he turned to his comrades.

"Guys, there's a riot downtown."

The others groaned, and Robin tried to pacify his annoyed teammates as they expressed their reluctance to help after working nearly non-stop to get everything back in order.

"I know, I don't want to go either, but we have to. Um, Terra... could I speak to you for a minute?"

"Sure." She said curiously, wondering what he wanted with her. "Is something wrong?"

"It's about the riot... uh, guys, could I speak to her in private?"

The others knew by the tone of his voice what had made him need to speak to Terra alone. Beast Boy clenched his fist, and Raven put a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"They'll get over it. Don't let those ignorant fools get to you. They need time, like you did."

"Yeah, I know."

They exited, leaving the newest member and the leader alone in the living room. Robin sat on the table in front of the couch. He gestured for Terra to sit, and looked her in the eye as he relayed his concerns about the uprising in the city.

"Terra, I don't think you should go."

"Why not?"

"Well..." he sighed, and looked at her with pity in his eyes and tone.

"I can't soften the blow any, but look at this."

He handed her his communicator, and Terra opened it to reveal a picture of the rioters. They had all manner of makeshift weapons, from trashcan lid shields to pipes serving as clubs. But her gaze fell upon the signs that some wielded, the writing slapping her in the face as she read them with a mixture of sadness and fury.

DEATH TO TRAITORS One sign read, and another showed a scribble of her being shot in the head with a gun. Others had similar sayings on them, but there was one that a man held who stood in front of the others, seeming to be inciting more anger from the protesters that were gathered in the streets. Terra looked at this picture, and she gripped the device tightly, her hand quivering in rage and confusion. Why would they keep doing this? Why not let the past fade away like a nightmare from a child's mind? Robin broke the tense silence in the room, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder as he spoke with concern for his fellow teammate.

"Terra, it would be stating the obvious to say that this is about you."

He continued to speak, and Terra hung her head down as she listened to his words.

"And I know it's not fair. God knows this isn't fair. But it's happening, and from what I can tell it won't stop soon. But we'll figure out a way. Now Terra, do you think you can go or not?"

She didn't hesitate, but tears welled up in her eyes as she gave her answer.

"Yes."

"Alright. But I want you to leave if things get out of hand, okay?"

"Alright."

Robin nodded his head. "Then let's go."

The two left the room and went to the elevator where the other teens were waiting. Robin walked into the elevator without a word, and the Titans followed his example, not a word being said between them as they all went to the bottom floor of Titans Tower to the waiting T-Car below. Piling in without a word, they all headed towards the riot, Cyborg stopping before they came into view should things get rough. If their means of transportation was destroyed, then they might not get away in time should the rioters decide to rush them.

The got out and walked towards the mob that wanted to see Terra be punished for her destruction of the city.

The head honcho of the massive group spoke for them all, talking not with the air of a stuck up leader, but with that of someone who has had a great injustice done to them. He had long brown hair tied back into a ponytail, and had a goatee that was the same color. He was wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans with a gray jacket on. He ranted at the blonde haired girl with a passion, tears in his eyes as he yelled in rage at the girl that had taken over the city for Slade.

"So the traitor shows up. Stand down, Titans. We don't want to hurt you for what she's done. We want justice!"

The crowd shouted in agreement, ready to charge at the drop of the hat.

"And the traitor must face it this day!"

A loud uproar followed this, and Terra backed towards the car, and Beast Boy put an arm around her. She got close to him, and the leader of the throng saw it.

"You dare seek refuge in them? After what you've done? You make me nauseous. All those innocent lives destroyed in the name of conquest. Men, women, children, did you care? Did you?!"

He spat on the ground, emphasizing his hatred for the blonde as he continued to speak.

"You don't deserve to be a Titan. In fact, you don't deserve to be called a criminal! You degrade the word itself. Come on, face the maelstrom you have brought on your own head."

The crowd again shouted their conformity to the man's words, but ceased all sound as Cyborg grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt. The mechanical teen threw him into the midst of the rioters, and shouted so that all present could hear him speak.

"Y'all want Terra to leave the Titans?"

The crowd regained their voices and shouted confirmation of his statement.

"Then I'm going with her. See you idiots later. Hope you can live with yourselves after this."

Robin spoke up next.

"If Terra goes, I follow. I think I speak for all of the Titans when I say its either six of us or none at all. What'll it be?"

The crowd was silent.

"I thought so. I don't want to see any of you holding those signs again, or we will leave this city. And I give you my word that we won't come back."

With that, he turned his back on them and walked towards the T-Car.

"Come on, let's get out of here." He said to the Titans, and they all followed silently, walking with the air of rage around them as they almost stomped back to their way to the car. Cyborg saw that Terra was walking alone, and a single can hit her in the back of the head. She looked behind her, and the crowd was again fired up, since they couldn't get her kicked off the team, they had settled for making her suffer by throwing things her way, things like used soda cans, beer bottles, and just about anything that came to hand. Cyborg saw an incoming glass bottle, and grabbed the missile before it could hit the blonde, throwing it back towards the crowd so that it landed on top of the front rows' heads. He nudged Beast Boy and indicated the things that were being thrown. The green changeling nodded, and slowly urged Terra to the front, where the others closed like a protective barrier between her and the vengeful citizens of Jump City.

()()()

As soon as they arrived back at Titans Tower, Terra found a note tied to a knife that had been rammed into the ground in front of the Tower. Opening it, she read what some brave protestor had put on the scrap of paper.

Why do you insist on plaguing the Titans, traitor? You tried to kill them, you tried to kill us, and you expect for us all to just forget about the lives you took? This knife will have a noble purpose by planting itself in your treacherous heart. I would pray that God have mercy on you, but I think you are beyond that. So instead I shall pray for the Titans, and that they may be saved from the demon that you are. I hope that you get what you deserve in Hades, God forgive me for saying it. May the Titans purge themselves of your poison.

Terra clenched her hands into fists around the paper, and Raven put a hand on the enraged girl's shoulder.

"Terra, let me see it."

The blonde handed her the paper, and the others gathered around to read the note that someone had left on their doorstep. Robin finished reading the hate mail first, and turned back towards the city, his teeth gritting against each other as he fought to control his rage. How dare they do this to her, how dare they...

Starfire went over and stood beside Robin, speaking to him softly so that only he could hear.

"They do not understand that she is not the monster they make her out to be. They will learn. Someday, they will learn. Do not let their insults reach you, Robin. They have also filled my heart with fury. But we must fight back the need for retaliation, and hold our heads high and let them wallow in their ignorance and hatred."

"You're right. But I don't know if Terra will have a head to hold high if she stays in the city. There has got to be a way for her to prove to them that she is on our side. But how?"

"That will come in due time. But let us help our friend through this. She needs us more now than she ever has needed someone before in her life."

She doesn't need us, she needs Beast Boy. He is the one who stopped her... you know."

"Her other side."

Yeah. If anyone can help her, it will be him. He's got some connection with her that we can't even begin to comprehend, let alone fill in. We should give them their space. She will come to us when she's ready."

"I only hope that he will be able to aid her during this time."

"It's not in our hands, Star. It's in Beast Boy's. But even he might not be able to get her through this. All we can do is hope. Come on, let's go inside. We need to be there when she's ready."

The two Titans entered the tower, where they headed to the living room. Cyborg and Raven were sitting on the couch opposite of each other, discussing what had happened in downtown that afternoon. They looked up as the doors hissed open, and Robin and Starfire walked into the dark atmosphere of the room. Robin sat down on the couch, and Starfire sat next to him, her eyes looking to the other members that were present in the room. Robin broke the silence.

"Terra?"

"In her room with BB. We decided to give them their space. This is really eating at her, man. I've never seen her so upset."

"This must be worse than all the other times. Not only are the people against her, the morbid irony of it is that she did it so that they would like her. As far as I can tell, that's why she went over to Slade's side. For control over her powers."

Robin inquired the sorceress. "You've only inferred? Why haven't you read her mind?"

"Robin, even I know when to pry and when not to, as shocking as it may seem to you. If Terra wants us to know why she left us for Slade, then she'll tell us herself. I'm not going to invade her privacy over idle curiosity."

Starfire spoke up next. "I agree with Raven. We have no right to be in her business, as you say on this planet. She will tell us when the time is right. But we must not force it upon her."

Robin voiced his agreement with the alien girl. "I'm with y'all. I was just wondering why you hadn't yet. If memory serves, you weren't that eager to let her on the team. And you thought that she was a traitor in the first place, or at least claimed that you did."

"True, but her life is none of my business. Although if I had, we could've stopped her from destroying the city."

Cyborg finally added his view of the situation. "But hen she would be in jail, and BB would probably be sulking. It pains me to say it, but the first few days after Terra left just weren't the same without his usual wise-cracks. It's just not normal for the little guy to be like that. He's the upbeat one, and seeing him depressed like that just took the cheer outta me."

Starfire added onto the mechanical teen's statement. "Yes, it was... strange not hearing him joke around all the time."

Robin interjected. "I know what you mean, but we can reminisce about that later. Right now, Terra's going through things that not even therapy could help. But we're going to have to be better than therapists. She needs a good dose of companionship, but not now."

Raven agreed with the Boy Wonder. "He's right. But as of now, all she needs is Beast Boy."

"I hope he can help her." The robotic hero replied glumly, reflecting the present mood of the Tower.

Starfire lightened the mood a little bit with her words. "I have faith in our friend. He will help her, I am sure of it."

Robin looked at the girl sadly. "I hope you're right. For Terra's sake."

At that moment, Beast Boy was trying to calm down a righteously infuriated Terra, who was sitting on her bed, fists clenched so tight that a mouse would have suffocated had she been holding one.

"Why do they insist on tormenting me?"

"As much as I hate to admit it, they do have a good reason to be mad at you. After all, you did take over the city and caused several civilian casualties in the process. But they've overlooked one fact. You repented. Heck, you even helped bring the city back to their control. But they overlook this. I wouldn't doubt that the ringleader lost family to your invasion. He's just upset over his loss, and you happen to be his outlet for his anger and grief."

"I couldn't say no, he would have killed me."

"They don't know that. Look at it from their point of view. They're living happily in the city, and suddenly all they knew was torn from them by you. So they automatically assume it's your fault. They don't know it was Slade pulling the strings."

"But why this? I try to help, I try..." She was near tears now, clutching a pillow tightly to her chest as she sat in a fetal position on the bed.

I know you do, but they want retribution, not repentance. They'll get over it."

"You really think so?"

"Terra..."

He sighed, putting a hand on his forehead to rest himself as he thought of how to word his next statement.

"Terra, they need time. Judging by what happened back there, they need a lot of time. But there is something in them that has to forgive you. I don't know what, but it's there. It just needs time to come out."

Hopefully I won't have my head served on a silver platter to the mayor by then." She said bitterly, and Beast Boy sat next to her.

"They can protest, they can threaten, but they can't do. I don't think that it will escalate so far as an assassination attempt."

Terra wanted to believe the green changeling, but she noticed that he was much more alert than she had ever seen.

After checking the room, he turned his attention back to Terra.

"Look, we'll figure out something."

"Like what?"

Beast Boy stared at the ground between his feet, his voice as intense as a hunter who's being stalked by a tiger.

"I don't know, Terra. I just don't know."

The Titans all sat in silence, waiting for what they didn't know, but waiting for something. But that would happen several days later, when Slade revealed his well being to them.

()()()

But that was the main reason she had volunteered to go with him on this long-range mission. Maybe leaving the city for a few days would give the populace the time and the space to forgive her. It was unlikely, but at least she could escape the throngs of people that wanted her head on a stake. Whether figuratively or literally remained to be determined.

She looked at the eagle that flew next to her, and she noted the grace with which Beast Boy flew. It was as though he really was an eagle, not only in body but also in heart and soul. The way he glided and flapped his wings looked to her like instinctive smoothness, his movements' fluid as he swooped this way and that, seeming to enjoy the freedom that he got in the air.

Beast Boy himself was noticing her discomfort, and was looking for a way to stop the chill from reaching her. Seeing none, he noted that they were over a large lake that fed into the ocean, almost a peninsula of water that was as fresh as a creek but so clean you could see the bottom in twenty feet of water. Of course the water was boiled to remove harmful pathogens, but the beauty of it in the night was stunning, especially with the moonlight bouncing off the surface to mingle with the reflection of the stars as they water lay almost undisturbed, only a small ripple here and there breaking the vast plain of liquid like gently rolling hills in a pasture. But Beast Boy set all this aside as he noted one important fact.

The air around it was kept extremely cool by the condensation of the lake, and this allowed spray from the nearby ocean to linger, making it freezing to the girl who lacked any fur or feathers to drive away the liquid that made almost a mist in the night, the tiny droplets clinging to her skin like barnacles, holding in the cold that annoyed her body. Beast Boy knew that in order to make her warmer, she would need to be protected from the film of water. And knowing his animals, he thought of an ingenious solution.

The rock Terra had picked was a fairly decent sized one, large enough that two people could spread out without some part of their body hanging off the edge. The boulder would be a great platform for a curled up large animal...

Beast Boy swooped to the girl that was huddled up into a fetal position, and became a small bear. He curled around Terra, the fur keeping the spray off of her for the most part. Terra would have fallen asleep, had she not been 200 feet over a veritable sea of freezing water. She popped her fingers and settled to scratching his neck, which brought out a friendly growl from the large creature.

They zoomed off into the night, heading towards the thug infested streets of Warren City, where something beyond comprehension was observing them at that very moment.

()()()

Slade sat in the chair in his backup base, where he had created a plan b if his original one had failed. He had invested heavily in biotech research, but not in the field of medicine.

He had invested in bioweaponry.

The masked man had used his various contacts and some of his gigantic pool of money and resources to create a creature that he was sure would destroy the Titans.

At least, until he told it to stop.

When he had received his new weapon, it had been most unruly, constantly breaking out and wreaking havoc among the androids that were then dispatched to bring it under control. Slade had recently installed a chip in its head, its function much like some of the technology in Terra's old suit. It made the creature more docile, up until he commanded it to attack. Then, the device shut down, and the monster would attack anything in its path until Slade gave the command to be still, on which the chip activated and brought it back into an obedient state. When set loose, regardless of its appearance and lack of tactics, it had a certain bestial grace that only someone of Slade's mindset could really appreciate, or even notice. Its moves, while far from refined, had a certain smoothness to it that made it almost like a dancer when it fought. Slade looked at the creature, which patrolled a cage that he had set up close by should any intruders show up. He had yet to test the abomination on a human, since its stealth tactics left something to be desired, and it would ruin his plan if the public knew of the thing that resided underneath the city.

The thing was about as tall as a man, but since it was always hunched over, it was in actuality a few inches over six feet. It was a skin color like someone with a light tan on the upper part of its body, but its legs had the tan color along with blue on the outside part of its left leg and yellow on the inside of both, leaving the tan to run down its right leg, and blue veins stuck out all over this portion like some form of sinister road map. It looked as though it stood on its toes, with an extremely long foot that never touched the ground that was to balance the weight of the beast. Its right hand instead of five fingers was a shortened thumb and two long fingers with claws that could gut a man with a single swipe with them. Its left hand had been completely removed, and in its place a razor sharp sword had been put on the stump. The blade was natural, but had all the properties of steel. There was skin over the eyes, a request of Slade so that it wouldn't rely on the easiest sense to fool too much. As an added plus, it meant that its sense of smell and feeling had been made extremely acute, so that it could use its smell to track a target, then use the vibrations that are transmitted through the air to fight as though it really could see. It could also feel the electrical impulses in the air from the use of energy in a human body or robot. It had humongous muscles, but was still unhindered by the added mass; it seemed to actually move faster than if it had less. A glitch in production had also given it two things that Slade admired. An attitude, which allowed it to taunt its victims, and a sense of loyalty. Since Slade had provided for it, the monstrosity listened to him, Slade often times having its meals of meat cooked so that it could taste delicacies from time to time. The monster didn't seem to care whether it was cooked or raw, but Slade did it nonetheless, even adding spices to it that gave the meat a new flavor that the creature seemed to enjoy. All in all, it was a killing machine, able to tear through almost anything and everything in its path.

Slade was proud of the marvel of science. The beast was almost flawless, its only weakness being the inability to swim, but since its quarry usually was on land, this didn't bother the masked man too much. After all, it was made for speed and agility on the ground, not for the water. He looked at his creation which prowled around the cage in what seemed to be a patrolling maneuver, making sure its territory was secure. Slade also knew of its ability to strike the ground so hard that it made a shockwave, throwing some objects away from it with the force of the pound. This meant that anything up to the size of a small bear would be knocked off its feet, while a large bear would be stopped dead in its tracks, unable to move while trying to regain its balance. This creation was the pinnacle of modern science, and Slade knew exactly how to use it.

The man grinned as he watched the monitor that showed Terra and Beast Boy sailing towards the city, content to be with each other as they flew along, oblivious to the creature that now lurked underneath Warren City.

"Come one, come all." The masked man said, and he smiled in malicious glee underneath the sheet of metal that made up his mask. "All are welcome, but little Terra is the guest of honor. I must see how much her progress has come. Wouldn't you agree, old friend?"

Wintergreen stood in the shadows, looking at the monster with a mixture of sympathy and disgust. He turned from the creature that had settled to sniffing around its enclosure. The man spoke with the air of formality, yet with the undertone of casualness.

"So Terra escapes your grasp. But this? If I do say so myself sir, this seems over the edge. That... thing to destroy one little girl?"

"One girl who is now a Titan and, shall we say, falling for our little changeling."

"So you intend to use this to your advantage, I take it?"

"I wouldn't put it so blandly, but in a sense, yes."

"But what does that abomination have to do with what's going on between the two? Why even mess with them, sir? You're out of their jurisdiction. They have no reason to fight back anymore."

"But I must, you see. I have this all planned out. So far, it has been flawless. The Titans have been separated. Now my bioweapon shall kill the two. The others, enraged by this act, will come here for revenge. And that is where it all comes together."

"But sir, let us muse that somehow the two escape from the creature. What shall you do then? If it fails, you will have to send it to them, make short work of it on their turf."

"Actually, that is also part of the scheme. I intend to have my creation let them escape. When they return and give word of its existence, they will be forced to remain alert, keeping watch all night. And when they are fatigued, we shall strike."

"But the security systems..."

"I have it all planned out. You see, Terra did much more while she was on our side than even she knows. I installed hidden cameras on her, and as she came into contact with the Titans during her stay, they latched onto them. I was surprised by how many were on Beast Boy. But the greatest of knowledge came from the mechanical one, Cyborg. You see, during her time with them the two somehow came into contact with each others hands. I was surprised by how fast she did it. I had just switched on the recorders when I see the inside of Cyborg's hand. And this is where I gained all the information on the tower I would ever need to know."

"How is that, sir?"

"The activation of the Towers security is by connecting Cyborg's system with that of the towers. The exchange of information is processed between the two by his hand, which happens to be where my camera was."

The masked man grinned under the mask. "Really, after that it was all cakewalk. I simply set the camera onto the exchange point, activated the relay device, and I can now control their security from here. I've kept them secure so that they wouldn't inspect the system and find my probe. But as an added bonus, their security is connected to the mainframe, so a simple modification to the camera from here was all that was needed to be able to deactivate not only the security, but everything in the Tower as well. Which is where our new friend comes into play."

"You mean that beast?"

"Precisely. All he has to do is enter the Tower and destroy them as they slumber. And should they wake up and fight back, all the more fun for him. Actually, I think our guests are arriving in the city as we speak."

"Quite a gem sir, but do you think its inhumane to use that on them? Really, wouldn't your androids do it much more quickly and painlessly?"

"Yes, they would, wouldn't they? But I think it's time my creation be put to use. And really, I made him to finish it quickly. A swipe here, a chop there, and the Titans are finished. And even then, I would need to send hundreds upon hundreds of them to wipre out the Titans. Four held off two hundred, think of how many six could do."

"But what if you should lose control over it? What if it develops a will of its own?"

"Then we will have unleashed the worst thing that man has ever created into the world. And nothing will be able to stop it, if what those genetic engineers say is true."

"Then let us pray that is not the case."

"Yes, but I don't even think God Himself will be able to stop it if it escapes."

"Then maybe praying for forgiveness is the only option. Well, I shall retire for the night. Good night sir."

"Good night, my friend."

Wintergreen went to his quarters, leaving Slade staring at the two Titans who where touching down at the docks of Warren City.

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For those of you who didn't know, the riot was a flashback. I don't like those "End Flashback" tags. It distracts from the story. To me the ()()() and {}{}{} tags I use are good since you can't read them, but can skip them over and continue on with the story, plus be able to divide the different sections with minimum break in the flow of the story.

'Til next chapter, this is Hoodman, signing off.