Titans Tower, Front Entrance
The doors opened with a smooth buzz.
"Finally!" announced Beast Boy, and he ran inside, yelling "Terra!"
The others followed Beast Boy with hungry stomachs and a need for rest and peace.
Beast Boy entered the meeting room. "Terra?" he said, looking around. The couch was still in front of the main door, everything was intact, but the blond was gone.
He turned into a gorilla and set the couch back in place, then ran into the halls, as the others came into the room. Cyborg smirked. "Hey Robin, wanna beat I can't beat you in a race?" Robin cracked his knuckles. "You're on, tin man."
Beast Boy was a cheetah, running in the hall, a strict prohibited action, to Terra's room. "Please let her be in there," he pleaded, and burst through the automatic doors.
He collided with the blond. They both fell to the ground with a thump and Beast Boy turned back into himself and rubbed his forehead. "Ow, Terra?" He opened an eye and saw Terra running down the hall. He jumped to his feet and followed her. "Terra!"
The Titans had just sat down, Cyborg and Robin racing in a video game, Raven reading quietly, and Starfire meditating. The room was quiet except for the sound effects from the video game.
Terra turned a corner and Beast Boy followed as best he could. Stopping to rest against a corner, he caught his breath and turned into a bird, following Terra.
Raven turned a page; Robin snuck ahead of Cyborg's car.
Terra was moving as fast as she could, but Beast Boy was right on her tail. She saw the doors to the meeting room straight ahead...
Robin laughed. Cyborg growled and fought to get in front of the spiky headed leader.
Beast Boy had no idea why Terra was running, but he was now positioned so he could grab her if needed...
The meeting room burst into activity. There were the pants of exhaustion and feet pattering against the floor, the flaps of wings from birds flying above...
"WHAT THE-" Robin yelled, pausing the game and turning around. Starfire opened her eyes and fell to the ground, losing her concentration. Raven looked over her book with a raised eyebrow.
Beast Boy transformed back into a human and grabbed Terra's arm as softly as he could. "Terra!" All the other Titans ran and levitated to the scene. Terra's face was red, and she panted, catching her breath. Beast Boy was panting as well, but not as hard.
"What the heck is going on here?" Robin yelled. Terra wrestled her arm out of Beast Boy's touch. "Don't touch me!" she said, and moved away but walked straight into Cyborg's metal chest. "Oww..." she said, holding her nose in pain. "Why were you running?" he asked seriously.
She clenched her fists. "It's none of your business!" she announced. "Just let me leave!" Robin's mask narrowed. "I thought you wanted to stay and be a Titan." Cyborg nodded. "I've changed my mind," she said, turning around and walking toward the exit. Beast Boy put his hand on her shoulder. "But why?" he asked her, voice full of hurt.
"How about our home? She could stay with us!"
"Bad guy. Way bad."
"When Slade makes his next move, we'll be ready."
Terra didn't turn around, but shrugged off his hand. "Please, let us help," Starfire said, flying over to her friend. "It would be quite fun if you were a new Titan again." Terra spun around. "Why can't you just respect my thoughts?" she yelled at the Titans.
Raven levitated over to her. "I can read your mind, Terra. You are full of doubt and worry. Why." Terra opened her mouth, angry expression on her face. "I can go deeper. See what this is about. Or you could tell us." Raven threatened, levitating in a sitting position. Terra sighed and glared at all of them, then hung her head. "It's for your guys' own protection," she muttered, noticing the nice pattern of the meeting room floor.
"I'm not a hero..."
"Yes you can! It's your power, not his! You can still do the right thing!"
"It's too late."
"Protection? From who? Or what?" Robin questioned, as Beast Boy lifted Terra's chin up. Terra was silent. Raven closed her eyes and a black line of energy shot from the chakra in her forehead to Terra's... Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos, she chanted in her head. "What the-?" Terra's blue eye, open wide with surprise, got closer and closer until Raven's whole vision was the pupil...
Raven opened her eyes. Beast Boy eating pie was right in front of her. To the left of that, Slade was aiming a kick. To the right, she saw herself yelling at Terra before her days as a Titan. Flying around, Raven looked for the most recent one.
She saw the lava flow in on Terra's last day as a Titan. Then two girls in a school uniform. Memories floated past as Raven flew closer to the top of Terra's head. Beast Boy and Terra stood in the halls, talking. Terra backed away from Beast Boy and ran away, into crowds of students.
Raven passed by feelings of guilt and unhappiness. Terra, sitting alone, wondering what to do. Terra, moving a rock and feeling great. The blue ocean water fly past while two skinny legs rode on a large mass of rock. Beast Boy's surprised and happy face.
Then, a chat box. A Gmail chat box. Raven stopped in front of the floating memory and saw feelings of surprise and fear. She saw two gloved hands typing repeatedly on a laptop while shaking with fear. Raven squinted and read the words as best she could. What she read made her feel like she was dipped in ice cold water.
"Ugh!" Raven fell to the floor, losing her concentration. Catching her breath, she sat up and spat out, "Slade!" Robin ran to her side and helped her up. "What about Slade?" Robin asked. Starfire and Cyborg stood with raised eyebrows, not knowing what was going on.
Raven and Terra's eyes met. Terra's eyes were full of fear and sadness, Raven noted. "S-s-she talked to S-s-slade." Raven said, voice quivering. "I didn't know he, uh, survived after Trigon." Terra felt the eyes of each Titan on her. Blushing, she looked down.
"My name is Terra, and I have done horrible things."
"Terra, stop! We're your friends!"
"I have sworn to serve a dark master. I have obeyed every command, and committed crimes in his name."
"So it was all a lie?"
"I have betrayed and attacked everyone who used to be my friend. One by one, I have destroyed the Teen Titans."
Robin continued questioning Raven. "What did he say to her?" As Raven explained what she saw, Terra's heart dropped into her stomach. She read my mind! Terra yelled in her head. "And then h-h-he said he was coming for us," Raven finished. She was paler than usual.
Robin clenched his fists. Cyborg and Starfire's faces had shock written in the lines. Raven looked as though she were going to faint at any moment. Terra looked up and her eyes met Beast Boy's.
His green orbs of eyes were full of worry and disbelief. Terra could almost see her own reflection in them, and she wasn't the prettiest girl in the world. Terra looked down again. She couldn't bear looking into those eyes.
"My name is Terra. I have done horrible things, and I have absolutely no regrets."
"Guys... I'm really..." But Robin had begun to order the Titans to jobs. "Alright, Titans, here's what we'll do. Raven, go make sure the containment chamber is still intact. Cyborg, enhance the security, tenfold..." Terra looked up again.
The room was empty except for herself, Beast Boy, and Robin. Robin looked at the two. "Beast Boy, keep Terra comfortable in there." With that, he ran out the front door to the hallway. Terra felt Beast Boy's hand grasp her own. "It's gonna be ok, Terra. I promise."
Terra felt anger lap at her sides.
"Ok, ok. But if my friends knew, they'd still like you."
"Yes, Terra. I promise. No matter what."
Terra took her hand out of his grasp and turned away from him. "I don't believe in your promises. I'll be fine on my own." she said, not facing him. Without looking, Terra could feel his sadness in the air. "But-" Terra ran out a separate door that led to the front entrance.
"Terra!" Beast Boy yelled, running after her. Serious deja vu, he thought. "Not again, not again..." he muttered, following Terra's blond hair of a cape. When he reached the door, Terra had run out the front entrance door. "Terra! Please!"
"You LIED to me! You LIED!"
"Slade was right. You don't have any friends."
"Things change, Beast Boy."
"It's never too late."
"You go. You're the Teen Titan. That's who YOU are. Not me."
He turned into a cheetah and ran to the doors. For a split second, Terra turned around and her eyes met his. Terra's gaze was as hard as stone. "Goodbye, Beast Boy." With those three words, the doors closed with a metallic clang, and left the green boy alone, separated. Full of sadness and disbelief. Prone to many questions by the Titans, who would run in seconds later. But most of all, vulnerable.