Chapter 07: trust's worth.
'it's been a month since she came to my life….. she told me so much about you, yet you still manage to elude me…..'
Richard has been putting the extra hours into finding Death-Stroke since the last time he resurfaced. It was a predictable pattern with him ever since the team had formed. That sort of behavior would usually come at a personal cost such as losing sense of time, alienating his very own friends and team, his health would deteriorate if it would mean catching Death-Stroke. However that is no longer the case, ever since his mental breakdown, he found a good enough excuse to slow down and reexamine his past mistakes and grow from them, lately he even found time to add a few touches to his new identity as a hero.
As Richard sat in his room and contemplated on what to try next in locating his nemesis, he began to feel his stomach growling.
'no reason a hero shouldn't go for a hero sandwich while he keeps thinking'
With that said he quickly exited his room and headed towards the kitchen, a few minutes has passed and when he got there, he bumped into Tara, carrying three sandwiches with at least five layers of toppings each.
"good to see you Ricky… you guys ran out of cheese, sliced meat bread and orange juice….."
Richard bemused but what he saw, only gave her a look that said 'no shit' before replying back. "good to know we're on first name's bases….. now about the food…. this is a good time to make a run to the store and refill the fridge….. and to make it more fun…. take Beast boy as well…. he needs every opportunity to go out for walks the poor thing….."
Not amused by what Richard had said just shot back sarcastically.
"great let me get my whip….."
At this point Richard has already reached the phone to order take out, while lamenting on the following.
'whip?….. I didn't know Beast boy was into that kind of a relationship….'
As soon as Richard had finished that particular thought, he heard Tara drag Beast boy around the tower while Beast boy would whine and complain in a comical manner. To Tara however it didn't matter one bit she still dragged him across the tower and after a short while he heard them both leaving the tower.
' apparently not…..'
A few minutes have passed since Tara and Beast boy had left the tower and made it to the supermarket, the air around them was uncomfortably quiet while Tara decided to load half of the supermarket's stock on the shopping cart, regardless if the particular item made Beast boy ill to his stomach, whether it was due to his life style choices or otherwise, so in a desperate attempt he tried to break the ice between them and make himself heard in the process.
"Tara… don't you think we've bought food for an entire regiment?….. besides who's going to pay for all of it…..?"
In a nonchalant and quite frankly a rude and apathetic manner she simply answered.
"you."
"me….." but before Beast boy could utter another word, Tara raised her voice and got up in his face. "yes, you….. you got a problem with that?…. I mean correct me if I;m wrong but, I had to drag you all across the tower just to motivate you to make an effort for once instead of being a lazy sloth, I had to carry us using my powers since someone didn't have enough energy to pitch in and use his own, I have to push the grocery cart as well, and now god forbid I have to pay as well…..?"
At this moment Beast boy tried to apologetically reply. "I'm sorry but I usually pay out of the team's savings when I'm shopping, besides even if I could freely pay out of my own pocket, there's no way I could pay for all of what you took…." Beast boy now referring to the stack of groceries piling up in the cart, which made Tara pinch her nose in frustration before literally going off on another tirade while returning some of the items she took back to place.
"what you are is a sorry excuse of a boy… stay the hell away from my sight…. unless you can't even do that right….."
Beast boy could only keep quiet at this point while lamenting. 'god….. are you ever gonna tell me what I did wrong in my life….. or are you gonna make my life more miserable just for shits and giggles….?'
Of course no one bothered to answer back, to no one's surprise really, so he opted to follow a testy and volatile Tara towards the cash register, once they got there both of them saw that quite a long line of customers has formed between the two and the cash register. A few good minutes have passed by and eventually Beast Boy's and Tara's turn has come up, however once Beast boy started unloading the groceries Tara remembered she forgot something and made sure to make a big scene out of it
"listen….. I just remembered I forgot to buy something….. can you hold the line for a few seconds just until I come back…..?"
But before Beast boy and the cashier for that matter could utter a word in response she darted out of there leaving him to awkwardly shuffle his feet around before saying to no one in particular.
"i don't know her very well…."
A few seconds turned into a few minutes and Tara took her sweet time getting back, making the cashier impatient, the other customers pissed and mad as all hell and Beast boy nervous as all hell being shown by him sweating profusely. Eventually Tara returned to the line walking casually without a care in the world, while Beast boy uttered a hoarse thank you to any god known to man, however right when Beast boy was about to reach for his wallet to pay, his communicator went off, answering it quickly and nervously he saw Starfire's face on screen, relaying the following message
"Titans come in, if you receive this message, the following criminals are wreaking havoc on the city….. Plasmus, Phobia and Gizmo…. now Titans Together….."
As the message ended Beast boy was about to take off before Tara stopped him, addressing him in a calm and almost sweet kind of way.
"you take care of the groceries… besides you and me both know that the ability to turn into animals pales in comparison to manipulating the earth all around you…. so naturally I would fare better than you…" but before Beast boy could throw his two cents she already made it towards the exit.
As Terra made it out of the supermarket she began floating on the concrete like a surfer on a wave, and thankfully enough for her she didn't need to ask the other Titans for directions since the devastation caused by the villains made it easier for her to pinpoint the general vicinity of their current whereabouts.
Downtown Jump City, a little while later.
As Terra made it into the battlefield, she noticed the following, Starfire was combating a humanoid monster made of what apparently is toxic waste and sludge with the ability to shape shift as he pleases, as for Wonder Girl and Cyborg they were struggling with what appeared to be a high school boy trying to shoot them down with gadgets, guns and rockets, all stored away in a mechanical back pack, while Kid Flash and Raven were trying to distract and take down a creepy woman draped in a form fitting body suit mainly consisting different shades of green and black, however what was peculiar about this fight was that the villainess wasn't engaging in a physical fight but she did desperately tried to make eye contact with her intended victims.
'she must be using mind control…. better find Ricky to clear all that up….. if he's even here….'
Immediately Terra tried to find Richard, which to her surprise it he wasn't hard to find, he wore civilian clothes for the most part except for one crucial detail, a navy blue domino mask shaped like a bird over his eyes, and in this moment she witnessed him escorting innocent bystanders out of harms way, a pointless exercise in her mind but for the moment she reminded herself she's supposed to be acting like a Titan, so without hesitation she approached Richard to help with the evacuation.
"where do you need me…. what should I call you again…..?"
Richard/Night-wing took notice of her presence and without being concerned with tact simply replied with.
"you see those buildings all around you?… well in the rate the battle is going, they won't stand for much longer….. your job is to make sure no debris fall on innocent people trying to escape the battlefield….. think you're up for it?"
Without a second glance Terra gave him a cocky look that says 'watch me' and within the reach of her arms she concentrated long and hard for a few moments until a nearby building on the verge of collapse has miraculously was being held upright so that trapped bystanders could hobble and wobble outside to safety.
"are you gonna gawk at me all day…. or are you gonna do your job….."
A truly impressed and stunned Richard got out of his momentary funk and continued to provide aid to the surrounding areas after hearing the stress in the voice of the new recruit, both before anything else could happen, he witnessed a few stray missiles, undoubtedly coming from Gizmo's gadgets heading towards the building Terra was stabilizing. As the missiles hit, they took a big chunk of the building causing debris to fall towards the young female hero and due to her strain she found herself unable to move, Richard/Night-Wing tried desperately to rush to her aide, however before he could move any further he witnessed a flash of green run towards the blonde, sweeping her off her feet and away from the potential incident, that green flash was none other than Beast boy in the form of a green ostrich, now slowing down considerably so that Terra could dismount from the bird, giving him the go to turn back to his boyish form.
Shaken up a bit, Terra had no other options but to utter the following words quietly.
"thanks… and sorry Beast boy….."
Beast boy however did not look pleased at all, in fact he looked morose and sullen, so with no words uttered from him he reached out gently and latched his hands on her shoulders, simply stating.
"i don't want your thank you's or need you to apologize… I just need to know one thing… why do you treat me like crap…..?"
In a genuine display of emotion,Terra letting go of her agendas or Death-Stroke's meticulous and complicated planning, she replied the following with her shoulders drooping.
"honestly I don't know….. I guess I'm one hell of a complicated girl…."
Beast boy at this stage had no problem accepting that answer, so with a small and Ernest smile he gestured her to join him back into the fight and wrap up this fiasco for the day.
As both Terra and Beast boy emerged on the battle field they both split up to assist the Titans the best they could with Beast boy without a second thought went to help Starfire with Plasmus and Terra went after Gizmo and if she was efficient enough, after phobia next.
Seeing how Gizmo was now resorting to use his machine guns and mandibles like extensions to impale Cyborg and Drill Wonder Girl full of holes, Terra knew that a close quarters match would be out of the questions, however she knew that prolonged long range fighting would leave her vulnerable again so with quick thinking, she conjured up a platform of rock to levitate on and a few extra rocks to use as projectiles, now waiting for the exact moment to strike, she saw the chance to charge. Charging head on she launched the rocks at the pint sized super villain, effectively destroying every gadget he could conjure himself, only for it to be destroyed a few seconds later creating a few dust clouds, using it as an advantage Terra in a quick flash flew right in delivering a strong punch to Gizmo's jaw sending him flying a few feet across the battlefield before losing consciousness, leaving Cyborg and Wonder Girl both impressed and a little worried, Cyborg was the first to speak up.
"not to say I like the fool all too much but damn….. can you knock him any harder?….. I don't think he's dead yet….." Cyborg made that statement with sarcasm and irony, to which Terra only gave him a look that conveyed .
'really…..?'
But before the conversation could continue further Terra felt suddenly weak at her knees and her head starting to throb something fierce, it only lasted a second but that second turned to be fatal because when Terra managed to get a hold of herself, she was now facing hordes of soldiers from the royal palace of Markovia approaching her way, she at first tried to escape but found that her legs were , getting a little nervous she reached her arms to manipulate the earth around her but to her horror she found her arms to be amputated, in reality however she was now sitting where she stood, enslaved to her own fears while the villainess Phobia came to approach her.
"don't bother to resist…. you're trapped within your worst fears…. so due wait patiently, you're about to be join your friends as well…."
Phobia feeling confident over her enemies was about to choose who her next victim should be but before she could even blink she felt being rushed by Kid Flash, obviously threatened by the display done on Terra, while Raven tried to trap the villainess with her own powers, just in case phobia was thinking on retreating. However by this point Kid Flash's prolonged fight was starting to wear him down so reluctantly she withdrew the trap she made to allow Kid Flash to get out and instead she drew around them a force field to block them from the villainess mind.
Meanwhile in the fight against Plasmus, Starfire by this point has already made a makeshift arena out of debris to try and keep the monster at bay, however that wasn't nearly enough so she opted to bombard him with star bolts from both her hands and eyes, while Beast boy at ground level tried to distract Plasmus for as long as he could just enough for Starfire to get a clear shot at him. Proving to be powerful, the star bolts effectively only slowed him down, yet the monster remained standing, however at that moment something clicked in Starfire's brain and before long concentrated most of her power into a blast that initially went over the monstrosity's head but in fact the shot was by design was supposed to be a miss cause the heat and radiation from that shot began to make the villain dry up, making the once mud like body of his feel like heated clay. Beast boy picking up on what's happening shouted at Starfire.
"hey….. throw me at the big zit….. quickly before he thaws out…."
With that said Starfire swooped down and threw Beast boy, now in the form of a rolled up armadillo, at Plasmus, waiting for the right moment before impact Beast boy transformed into a rhino at the very last second, the force causing the mucus like giant to shatter into a million pieces. Right before all the pieces fell to the ground, beast boy noticed a nude young man at the epicenter of what was once Plasmus so without thinking Beast boy turned human once again and sucker punched the young man across the jaw effectively knocking him unconscious before Starfire herself swooped in to carry the young man to police custody, which left Beast boy still flying across the battle field, catching a glimpse of Phobia and an unresponsive Terra.
'oh fuck… not good, not good… now relax Gar and think dammit… think'
At that moment it occurred to him, and making him feel like a dumb-ass, that he could transform into a bird or a creature of flight, so by sheer instinct he transformed into a falcon.
Flying over the battlefield as a falcon pushing about 50 MPH , Beast boy spotted the ensuing battle between Phobia, Kid Flash and Raven, originally he ventured to help both of his friends, however at that precise moment he caught a glimpse of the now immobile Terra, sensing fear for her and from her he dived at double the speed to see if there was anything he could do to help, once landing on the ground he turned human again and rushed to Terra's side.
"save it….. I'm fine….. get the bitch that did this to me to begin with…." Terra said, exhausted with concentration, trying to keep her fears in check. Beast boy was about to ask if she was absolutely sure but all he got in return was a stern expression that said 'I'm serious…. now hurry up will you'
With that being said, Beast boy took off yet again when he noticed that Starfire was providing him a distraction while she was engaging Phobia head on with support of her own by Night-wing, while Cyborg and Wonder Girl made sure the fight zone was clear of any innocent stragglers getting caught in the aftermath of what shaped to be so far as one ugly battle.
Transforming into a bangle tiger Beast boy made his way quickly towards the villainess back, hoping a good tackle plus a few scratches will render her distracted enough so that the other Titans could take her down easily, however as soon as he was about to get close enough to strike at her she caught a glimpse of him, effectively dodging so his pounce will work against him but not before leaving him a nasty surprise, she manipulated his brain as such that he would be forced to relieve his own worst memory, falling down the waterfall that killed his parents over and over again. Luckily for him though he landed close enough to the other Titans so they could provide cover for each other while Raven tried to do her best and treat his mental 'wounds'
'god…. I know I haven't talked to you a lot over the years but…. if you're listening….. we'll need a miracle on a biblical scale' Raven prayed silently while tending to her friend and teammate.
At that very moment though, as if that prayer was being answered, Terra wobbly got back to her feet, now seemingly in control of her own powers, tried to summon those very abilities to hopefully catch Phobia off guard by trying to manipulate the debris around her.
Quickly and silently Terra manipulated the debris and rocks around her right arm to form a makeshift javelin and in one fell swoop she conjured a flat surface to float on underneath her feet, using the distraction her 'teammates' created she rushed Phobia as fast as her abilities would allow it and rammed the javelin right between Phobia's shoulder blades causing a massive gash resulting in tremendous blood loss, sending the villainess into shock, releasing her hold on Beast boy, the teen managed to get up but after witnessing the sight of phobia in a pool of her own blood, whimpering from the pain he quickly caught on to the shock every other Titan that was around at the time.
After a few moments of uncomfortable silence Raven recovered from her shock first, quickly making her way to stabilize the shocked villainess while Wonder Girl, Starfire Beast boy and Cyborg did their best to clear a path for the emergency response team that tried to make it to the crime scene, Richard/Night-wing on the other hand chose to address the elephant in the room, forgoing any sense of tact in the process.
"for your sake I seriously hope it was a gross miscalculation on your part…." Terra not batting an eyelash, simply replied stoical and quietly, almost to the point of muttering.
"actually it was a well calculated move….. unless you can consider killing her in self defense an option…."
Richard at this point felt himself getting enraged by the minute by the new recruit's 'attitude' so instead of lashing out he took a moment to breathe and then replied back now with a slightly raised tone.
"are you kidding me…..?, who do you think you are, deciding to be judge, jury or executioner….. take a look at Phobia…" he gestured to the fallen woman but a few feet away from them both.
"look don't think I don't understand how it feels like to be alone, but it's no excuse to throw caution into the wind and disregard the consequences of your actions….. we're both human over here, so there is no difference….. the same applies to the way you handled Gizmo as well."
At this point Tara/Terra held her head higher than before, replying with absolute somberness.
"there is one difference between us… I had no one to educate me…. or at least act like a worthy role model to follow….."
Richard hated to admit it, but she made a small point with what she said, well at least about the part about how damaging is not having someone to educate or guide you in a tough spot, so instead he sought out Starfire and letting her know that he would escort Phobia to the hospital before being shipped to prison, that is if she pulls through alive while the rest of the Titans headed back to the tower.
Titans tower, outside Terra's Room, a little while later.
When the titans got back to the tower, not a single one of them were in a triumphant mood, the very least not Beast boy who tried to act like the last few events didn't bother him one bit, but they have, he hoped that Tara would come find and confine in him and maybe make it easy for them to stomach those events, on the contrary Tara headed straight to her room, the second they reached the Titan's living room, Beast boy wanted to give chase but restrained himself for at least an hour before wondering off in her general direction.
Now he was facing her door, unsure of what to do, what to say, heck, if there was anything that could be said, so instead he tried knocking. he got no answer, so he waited for a bit and tried again, adjusting his ears to feel if there was any movement made on the other side, however he couldn't hear anything specific outside of a small grunt.
'must be sleeping…. good idea….'
With that he turned into a green house cat, made a few circles in place, before dropping gracefully on the floor, shutting his eyes for a little nap. A little while later Raven came across the green cat while trying to find a secluded place to read, however she was about to step on his tail before she stopped herself, looking around a bit she noticed where he fell asleep at which made her utter quietly.
"seriously….. why do you bother with her so much….?"
Raven, out of a small concern for the cat, had picked him up into her arms and decided to find for him a more safer spot for him to take a nap before someone really clumsy on the team steps on his tail or trampling him in general, Beast boy having felt her presence and her actions didn't mind that much so in a show of gratitude he nestled in her arms a little, purring in the process, making Raven blush a little in the process, muttering to herself.
"because it's you…."
Raven at first thought of taking Beast boy someplace warm and secluded for him to continue his nap, she thought at first about her room but it was difficult for her to open up to her friend that much to allow just him that privilege, besides the suggestive idea behind that was too much to dwell on it right now, especially if you count today's unfortunate events, so she thought of the next best thing which was the tower's roof.
Once both teens got to the roof, Raven situated Beast boy gently next to her while she opted to sit Indian style and continue her reading, while he continued sleeping and purring loudly with delight.
It's been roughly an hour after both Teens made themselves comfortable on the roof and while Raven quietly read her book, Beast boy decided to wake up and revert back to his human self, and while he was well rested, he still looked a bit nervous and on edge, trying to figure out something.
"hey Rae….. I mean Raven… thanks for the favor and all, but I have something to do….. so thanks for everything….. enjoy the book….."
But before he could take a few more steps Raven raised a force field with her powers, making him smack his head comically, now nursing his forehead a bit, Raven replied back.
"you're not doing anything without talking to me… now first of all who is she to you….. and why do you want to go out of your way to stick your nose in her business….?"
Beast boy knowing all too well that when Raven meant something, she meant it, so with no other choice available to him he sat back down.
"that's funny I thought I told you guys already….. didn't I…..?" Raven gave him a nod saying no, so he decided to get into a little more detail.
"a few years ago, I stumbled my way joining into another super hero team by the name of Doom Patrol, a group that took the most bizzare cases in regards to meta human and super villains sightings… long story summarized, the Doom Patrol took on an assignment in eastern Europe where a meta was causing a bit of a scene, turns out that it was a little girl named Tara being hunted by her own people across the continent….. so back to your questions…. being the only kid in a group of adults was fun and extremely lonely, so Tara was my first friend at my age… so I bother because I don't want to lose this friendship….. not to mention she reminds me of what I could've become if I wasn't that lucky to find friends and family….."
Raven after hearing that felt she wasn't given much options but to let Beast boy go, however she did make one stipulation.
"I'm letting you go… however promise me something…"
Beast boy only gave a small nod for her to continue, giving her his full attention.
"don't be too pushy….. and yes you have a tendency for that….."
Beast boy only gave a timid yet endearing smile while replying the following.
"have I ever let you down…?"
Raven gave him an intense stare in return that said 'frequently' so Beast boy in return sheepishly chuckled before turning around and heading back to the tower, leaving Raven in privacy with her book, a few minutes has past before Raven felt Beast boy coming back and saying.
"thanks for listening… it means a lot to me…."
Titan's guest room, with Terra.
Since Terra/Tara returned back to her room in the tower, she laid there in bed most of the afternoon trying to calm herself, trying to think and reflect on her actions, tossing and turning in the process.
'Jesus Christ I fucked up really badly….. not only didn't I earn the Titan's trust….. I actually lost it… now how do I recover and salvage it… Sanctimonious bastards….. now what would Death-stroke would do…..?'. she tried to think hard for a few minutes before it suddenly hit her like a bolt out of the blue.
'yes convince them that all I need is time for myself to get my shit together….. they're already a bunch of saps… on the bright side that dumb fuck Beast boy believes me… hell he'll believe anything with a pair of tits and a vagina.'
With a plan in motion she got up and started pacing in her room trying to think of exactly what to say and how to say it, a few moments has passed and by then she already roughly figured it out, now she returned to her bed, now truly resting from the day's events.
As evening descended on Titan's tower every Titan around the kitchen was helping out with dinner preparations like Cyborg and Beast boy setting up the plates and silverware on the table, Kid Flash on cooking duty for the team since self proclaimed best buddies Cyborg and Beast boy couldn't be trusted to handle cooking without starting world war III and Richard was incharge to make sure everyone was right on time and to make sure that Beast boy and Cyborg won't start world war III regardless. At this point however he found himself unable to focus since the incident with Terra never left his mind. Speaking of the devil Terra/Tara walks out into the kitchen with streets clothes now facing directly in front of Richard's face.
"listen… about today, I won't say I'm sorry because that doesn't erase what I've done or helps anybody in the long run… so I decided to leave the Titans for a while….."
At this point everyone stopped what they were doing, giving her their complete attention and a sign to continue.
"it's not indefinite….. it's just for a little while, so I can get a better grip on my powers and temper anyway…."
Richard not really knowing how to approach this situation, settled on giving her an understanding look that said. 'it was never my intention to make you leave, so no hard feelings' Tara only responded with.
"don't worry about it….. it's for the best anyway…"
In his mind Richard for some reason began to feel a little suspicious but instead of showing it he offered a hand shake that said 'happy trails' which in return Tara accepted, a moment afterwards she shook hands with Cyborg and Kid Flash and when Beast boy approached her she surprised him and everyone else by giving him a small chaste kiss on the lips leaving Beast boy and everyone else in the room stunned, after that all eyes went on a stunned Beast boy with looks of curiosity, amusement and disbelief, to which Beast boy, now taking a moment to try and process what happened, to no success whatsoever, simply asked the following.
"what….?"
And an awkward silence ensued after that question was asked leaving Beast boy even more confused than before, if that was even possible.
As Terra walked out of Titan's tower she considered if she should get a cab to her flat, however she knew from experience that the cabbies in this city will likely act like complete bastards and try to overprice the fare, so she chose an easier and cheaper way to get around town, using her powers to levitate over the city.
Back at Terra's flat, around midnight.
Terra entered into her apartment not caring if she wakes up anyone in this hour, dropping the belongings she came with from Titan's tower, making herself more comfortable she strips her boots, pants and shirt until she's completely naked and with her feet she shuts the door to her apartment. Heading towards her phone to see if anyone left any messages, she walks by her living room to notice that it's slightly organized.
"tell me you weren't this careless with the Titans as much as you are around with me…"
Terra having no mood for Death-Stroke's cryptic methods just snapped at him.
"go fuck yourself you asshole… I'm handling things as I see them fit for the moment… speaking of moment... and fucking….."
Before she finished her sentence, Death-Stroke cut in immediately.
"cut the crap… you know very well that you're not my type… now what do you want….."
Terra took a moment to compose herself, feeling pissed off that she wouldn't take a taste of his cock, she straightened herself out before replying back.
"it's taking too long to win them over… I need to bring them results….. I need to capture you….."
Death-Stroke from the shadows of the apartment he was hiding in studied his partner's shifty and psychotic little face before choosing to leave with the following message.
"you better not disappoint then."
As Death-Stroke disappeared into the night without giving Terra any idea on what he was about to do, she decided on getting a goodnight sleep instead of wracking her brain on how to actually locate him or tracking his movements.
The very next morning Richard dressed in a new outfit that indicated his new persona as Night-wing, covered by civilian clothing, was making his way to Jump's general hospital to check up on the villainess Phobia driving an 1975 MG Midget for extra anonymity
As he drove along on the way to the hospital, he rang Donna up asking her to meet him up there for mental support and backup, he wasn't what you call insecure or even paranoid, he just shared his mentor's tendency for covering all the details and being as pragmatic as possible leaving little to no room for chance or coincidence.
Jump City general hospital, a few moments later.
As Richard was pulling towards the parking lot of the hospital, he slipped quickly the new domino mask over his eyes after spotting where Donna Troy was waiting for him, as he got out of his 1975 MG Midget he chose to speak first.
"thanks…." Donna was puzzled for a bit about his gratitude so she just opted to ask.
"for what…..?"
"for not making me beg you to come…"
Donna was making now a mock expression of insult before asking with a sarcastic edge.
"really….. is that how you see me….. for shame Dick Grayson….. for shame….."
Picking up on the humor in that retort Richard/Night-wing simply shot back the following dry remark.
"can you say my name a little louder the next time?… I don't think they heard you all the way back in Cuba.
As of right now both teens began to laugh with each other as they made their way to the hospital's reception desk.
Richard and Donna reached the hospital reception and they were greeted immediately by D.A Adrian Chase, who in turn filled them in that Phobia survived her ordeal and now was recuperating for about two weeks before she would be shipped out to prison, with that Richard and Donna made arrangements with Chase to provide extra security for the prison transport.
A middle class apartment, Jump City residential areas.
Slade Wilson/Death-stroke was sitting in a modestly furnished flat in front of a television set trying to find news broadcasts regarding to his targets The Teen Titans in an attempt to figure out what they were up to, he would have kept a close eye and ear on them via surveillance but due to Terra's impulsive nature and knack for improvisation it made that prospect unlikely at this point, thankfully enough The Titans always managed to get themselves on the news to some capacity, he quickly managed to piece together where the Titans would most likely be, so he got up, grabbed his phone and punched in a number.
"wintergreen, prepare my gear until I arrive… we've got a recon mission to conduct….."
Wintergreen from the other line just responded the following.
"very well sir… now about our young recruit… what shall we do with her…..?"
"we tell her nothing….. if we play it just right….. she may get the redemption she deserves and we can continue the mission on schedule….."
With that Death-Stroke gave a formal farewell and hung up the phone, now getting ready to head out to his base of operations/sanctuary, which was his mansion, located north to the city, in the meantime he couldn't help but having this next thought.
'Tara….. I hope to god you're not trying to screw me over… no matter how good you are or how talented… if you fuck with me….. nobody will ever find your body when I'm done with you…'
With that said Death-Stroke reached the garage and entered a black Lamborghini Miura, starting it and heading due north.
Two weeks went by quickly and Tara couldn't give a damn about Death-Stroke or the Titans, she mostly spent her time with lazying about in her flat, tearing up the nightclubs scene, ending mostly with one night stands with both men and women, hell why discriminate? The sexes are equal, and on occasion a half heartened patrol of the city looking for Death-Stroke or training whenever Beast boy tried to contact her by text or phone call.
At this point in time Terra was flying above Jump's highway using a patch of ground to make herself stable, when she spotted Slade Wilson on the side of the road in one of his many sports cars preparing a high powered sniper rifle, before getting back inside, heading up in her opposite direction continuing driving down the road.
'where are you going you old bastard….'
Quickly she changed direction and started to tail him, following him up all the way down to a side street, seeing him in the process ditching the car and walking up to the middle of the road with his rifle in tow and waiting for someone or something to happen. Deciding to tear her gaze from him for a few minutes she tried to figure out what he was up to, she scanned ahead for a few minutes before catching a glimpse of what was supposed to be a convoy comprised of a tactical van a half dozen police cars and an ambulance. Terra took all that information in while doing her best to find an hiding spot as to not get detected by Death-Stroke again, leading her to one conclusion.
'oh fuck… that Phobia bitch must be getting transferred from the hospital straigh to jail… which means those sanctimonious Titan's must be guarding her right now…. what an idiot and he calls me reckless…..?'
In the meantime Death-Stroke waited for the convoy to get a little bit closer as he was now preparing to fire the rifle trying to choose a target, either a driver in one of the police cruisers or the driver in the tactical van, making sure in the progress he has both regular bullets and armor piercing one's.
Meanwhile all Terra could think about was.
'should I stop him now… or should I stop him after he tries to start massacring the idiots in the those wheeled tin cans….. Eh let's just wait this one out….'
Meanwhile with the convoy and the Teen Titans, inside the ambulance.
Night-wing and Beast boy were escorting the first response team making sure nothing happens to the now heavily sedated Phobia, with the former leader now riding shotgun while Beast boy provided extra security for the patient. Well at least that how he repeated it in his head in an attempt to alleviate the sense the claustrophobia and motion sickness he felt at that moment, however it did not help so he tapped lightly so Night-wing would pay him a little attention.
"hey bird man… can I get out and stretch my legs for a bit…. not feeling too good in here….."
Night-wing having heard this comment from beast boy since he still was Robin sighed a little before replying the following.
"got something better for ya….. stretch your wings and fly up ahead….. scout the area for traffic jams….. oh and it's Night-wing by the way…" by the time Night-wing finished his sentence he noticed a green falcon flying next to his window.
'and he didn't stick around….. oh well…'
Beast boy in the meantime flew ahead of the convoy keeping his eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary and at first he didn't see anything, that is untill he noticed Terra hiding in a side alley, he wanted to swoop in for a quick hello but he noticed Terra pointing at something so he averted his gaze only to be shocked by what he saw, so in mid flight he transformed into a parakeet, flying back to the convoy as fast as his wings could now take him.
Flying as close as he can to Night-wings window seat without hitting incoming traffic the green parakeet started repeating the same phrase over and over again.
'danger ahead… danger ahead….. danger ahead…' while squaking in between every few sentences, Night-wing to his credit quickly understood and simply asked back.
"what danger…..?"
'Death-stroke….. Death-stroke…. Death-stroke…."
Exactly at that moment Death-Stroke took one shot with an armor piercing bullet at the driver of the tactical van right between the eyes, making the van swerve out of control and on the brink of crashing, but before anything else could happen he witnessed Kid flash phasing through the truck saving as many officers as possible before the van tipped to the sides creating a makeshift blockade, making the best of the opportunity Death-Stroke shot a few more rounds in the van causing it catch fire and explode which sent quite a few motorist and padestrians into a panicked riot.
With the Titans.
Night-wing thanks to Beast boy's warning managed to minimize the accident that happened, however the Titans were not out of danger yet.
"Starfire, raven, Wonder Girl, Cyborg….. we need backup ASAP… how far are you…..?"
"a few minutes away…" Raven responded back with a calm tone, yet it held a little edge. "think you can hang tight until we arrive…..?"
Night-wing just responded with the following.
"believe me I don't have a real choice in the matter…"
With that Night-wing ended the conversation and tried to locate the other Titans, he witnessed Kid Flash preoccupying himself with both saving police men trapped near the fire trying to use his speed to put up the fires, while beast boy tried his hand at best at crowd control.
"Beast boy, backup is coming soon….. protect the ambulance… if Phobia escapes on us or die on our watch we're fucked…."
Beast boy did not respond back, he only gave a quick nod saying silently 'I got it' while escorting the last group of civilians he rescued from the accident, in the meantime Night-wing made his way over to Death-Stroke, Death-Stroke only slightly smiled when he saw who's coming towards him.
'it's about time'
When both Night-wing and Death=Stroke came face to face with each other, both took a moment to size each other up, both waiting patiently until Death-Stroke broke his silence.
"well I'm slightly impressed….. the Robin I knew would've tried to lunge at my throat by now….."
Night-wing with a laid back tone, but a posture ready and alert simply replied with.
" two things, one, Robin passed away a few months ago, second, the Death-Stroke I know would've lectured me by now that the art of the conversation is lost on some people…"
Death-Stroke only gave a slight nod saying silently 'what's true is true' before taking his first move throwing a series of rapid punches towards Night-wing's face which in turn the young hero barely blocked until he managed to find a small opening to propel himself off the ground and give Death-stroke a kick in the face which he took head on throwing Night-wing off of him, however the hero managed to land safely before producing two escrima sticks and in turn Death-Stroke produced a Bowie knife from his right boot in return before the two enemies clashed with each other yet again.
Meanwhile Terra observed carefully on the battlefield and inspected where she should emerge, and at this point it became clear to her where to start, with the fire.
With Kid Flash in the middle of the fire.
"i don't know if anyone's listening or not but I think I'll lay off the barbecue for a little while….. actually thank goodness no one did listen…. that joke was damn awful….."
At this rate Kid Flash could only increase the whirlwinds he created with his arms for so long until he would end up completely spent, which is what was about to happen for the next few minutes until he heard someone say.
"winds only intensifies the fire… you should try dirt or sand genius….."
Before he could retort, Terra came riding in followed by what could only be described as a massive wave of sand and dirt, which helped significantly in putting most of the fire out.
Kid Flash just stood there dumbfounded, well at least to Terra when in reality he was desperately fishing up for clever one liners/ sarcastic jabs of his own to the whole genius situation having got stuck on at least two really good ones like.
'hey it's the fifth wheel nobody asked for' or ' are you off on good behavior or are you off your meds?'
But before he could speak again he saw that most of the fires were put out and that the rest of the Titans arrived just in the nick of time, with Starfire and Wonder Girl heading to assist Night-wing in battle, a battle that in the meantime developed into a stalemate, Terra for once after a while, has offered to provide Beast boy to guard Phobia while Raven, Cyborg and soon after Kid Flash as well remained in the epicentre of the incident to provide medical care.
With Beast boy near the ambulance.
Beast boy kept guard of the ambulance and it's occupants like a hawk but still his mind couldn't help but worry about his friends risking their lives on the battle front, before his mind could race any further in swooped Terra near by him.
"no time for hello's Beast boy, Kid Flash sent me, said that Night-wing needs one last push to defeat Death-Stroke once and for all….."
Needing her to say no more, Beast boy gave her a quick bear hug before rushing out on the front line, almost shouting the following.
"Terra watch over Phobia… make sure nothing happens to her or the medics guarding her…."
Terra gave him a quick nod in confirmation, waiting for him to completely vanish from her sight, before abandoning her post and finding a place to hide. Waiting for either Death-Stroke to be too distracted to notice her or for him to wear himself out defeating a few of the Titans before she would heroicley swoop in to save the day and earn the Titan's complete trust once and for all.
'simple enough…. don't screw this up old girl…'
Terra continued to psych herself up as she continued waiting while Death-Stroke in the meantime was keeping himself busy dodging Night-wing's punches, kicks and various projectiles while Starfire constantly tried to blind him with her star bolts or evaded capture by Wonder Girl, in the meantime Beast boy tried a sneaky approach by transforming into a Spinifex Hopping mouse, gingerly hopping his way across the battle ground before changing yet again into a kangaroo, only this time he transformed mid jump trying to surprise Death-Stroke with a kangaroo's kick packing an extra wallop, however that didn't go quite as planned, Beast boy did manage to surprise his enemy but he missed his trajectory which gave Death-Stroke time to recover and by doing so exposing himself to a counter attack, in return Death-Stroke grabbed him by the ankle as Beast boy turned human once more and with a little effort threw the young hero towards a side of a building, causing Beast boy to break his back, right leg and pop his left shoulder as a result of the collision.
Witnessing what has happened before them, all three Titans now fighting Death-Stroke got a kick in their steps causing Starfire to barrage her enemy with star bolts to further confuse him while Wonder Girl tackled the mercenary head on with a punch to the gut while Night-wing delivering a finishing blow to the face effectively sending him a few feet away rendering him unconscious.
Turning their attention to their fallen comrade, they witnessed that Raven without uttering a single word was already trying to heal him to the best of her abilities or at the very least trying to alleviate the pain as much as possible with a grim expression on her face.
"you're a damn fool….. do you have a death wish…..?"
Beast boy couldn't talk from the pain he was experiencing, however he did manage to say silently with the expression on his face 'I'm sorry' while small stream of tears rolled down his face.
In the meantime Death-Stroke regained consciousness and slowly but surely he reached for his assault rifle until he felt the weight of a boot coming down on his hand. He didn't need to know who it belonged to.
"stay put… if you know what's good for you….."
Death-Stroke at this moment was experiencing a variety of different emotions, none of them were satisfaction, however he chose to maintain a neutral facade to lure Terra/Tara into a sense of confidence so that she would foolishly let her guard down enough for him to escape, that however was fools hope since he trained her to avoid such mistake, so instead he chose to play to a weakness he knew she had no control over, her sense of pride.
"my my…. how the mighty Tara Markov has gone soft… from a strong survivalist into a naive idiot… an idiot with a code of conduct masked as a moral high ground….."
Terra/Tara tried to ignore the taunts of the older man in the pricey Halloween costume however deep inside she reminded herself that her act isn't over yet, so she decided instead of crushing him under rock and debris to play fire with fire.
"funny coming from you….. a prideful fool who boasts that he doesn't resort to cheap tactics… yet again, you're just an old man who lets his grief over his dysfunctional family guide his every action… "
Death-Stroke said nothing, instead he shot venom filled daggers at Terra with his eyes saying silently.
'tread lightly… you spill my secrets… and I'll spill yours…..'
At this point in time Terra released her foot's grip from his hand but not before jamming his high powered rifle with debris, rendering it useless for him, now it was time for her to put the finishing touches to her act, crouching towards him when none of the Titans where looking.
"follow my lead I've got an idea that could make us both look good…"
Death-Strokes responded silently back to his accomplice.
"like you left me any choice…."
Terra could only feel smug right now when she turned to Night-wing, telling him the following.
"I'm heading back to guard the ambulance…. I can trust you to take care of him…?"
Night-wing gave Terra a funny look honestly not knowing how to respond to that comment but by the time he got himself back into a focused mindset,Terra has already took off back to her post guarding the ambulance.
When Terra returned to the ambulance she notified the drivers that the emergency and threat was neutralized and with that she started manipulating the earth around her to clear the debris and 'accidentally' ripping through the breaks and fuel lines of the ambulance itself. Hanging back she let the ambulance drivers try and start the vehicle yet again causing more fuel to leak out from the ruptured lines, now acting quickly and discretely she manipulated a couple of small stones to create a small spark, slowly catching fire.
Terra moved towards the other Titans in a small attempt not to become an obvious suspect in the crime that is about to be committed and seeing Kid Flash and Cyborg heading her way made her think the next thought.
'a better opportunity than this just can't be.'
Before anything else could happen, an explosion erupted behind Terra startling her for a second, with a quick reflex she raised a shield of stone surrounding her, Cyborg and Kid Flash protecting them from most of the ensuing debris, leaving her to wonder only the following.
'shit….. I did it either too early, or it went off too fast'
Having heard and felt some of it Death-Stroke used the opportunity to produce a smoke grenade, using its effect to confuse the Titans even more so than they already were to make a strategical retreat, the only ones who weren't confused were Night-wing, who bitterly had to let Death-Stroke escape so he could focus on saving his friends and possible survivors, and Raven, who just so happened to wonder to herself something.
'was it a freak accident?… or a deliberate act?… for the moment there's no evidence to back that up…. is it me or all those freak accidents happen whenever Terra involves herself with our lives…. on that note can I or we really trust her…..'
Dispelling her thoughts and musings she returned to healing Beast boy at the moment who still needed a lot more medical care than expected.
At the site of the explosion Terra panted hard as the sudden output of energy made her muscles sore and tense, yet she made an herculean effort to address the Titans she has saved.
"anyone alive over here?"
Kid Flash true to his abilities was the first and quickest to response, followed by a silence acknowledgement from Cyborg.
"well since we're both still raw instead of well done or charbroiled…..then yeah…. you did a great job kid….."
With a small smile Terra now allowed herself to release her tense muscles, making her collapse on the spot, however before she could hit the ground Kid Flash swooped in to carry her and gently let her rest away from the searing heat, while Cyborg rallied Night-wing, Wonder Girl and Starfire to contain the fire as much as possible so the coroners that would inevitably arrive would have at least something to work on.
In the meantime Kid Flash quickly reached Raven, asking her the following.
"not to tear you away from your husband over here… but can you give a quick diagnostic to Terra doc…..?"
Sighing in defeat, knowing that the running joke she shared with Beast boy won't fade away anytime soon, turned around for a quick second, using her emphatic abilities she concentrated for a bit on Terra.
"she's tired and dehydrated… all she needs physically is a lot of water and a lot of rest…"
Kid Flash nodded and was about to ask another question but Raven beat him to the punch.
"if you're gonna ask if she needs her head examined…. leave it to an actual paid professional… the only thing I know for sure is that it's above my pay grade."
Kid Flash nodded intently while thinking to himself.
'superheroes don't get payed anyway…..'
After the Titans helped the EMT and police forces clear the damage, rescuing trapped civilians and treating their own, Night-wing has volunteered to try and pick up the trail after Death-Stroke once more, citing that the day isn't over until he was sure the sworn enemy of the Titans wasn't planning giving an anchor performance anytime soon, while the rest took a few moments to collect themselves mentally.
Terra amid all the confusion and chaos that happened, was seemingly taking a rest when in actuality she was getting a good read on everyone, trying to asses her work in a low key manner.
'Night-wing, former leader of the Titans, formerly known as Robin…. a pragmatist to the end… note to self… make sure my actions… Wonder Girl, not much is known about her… I have to make sure to learn more about her before I make a mistake that could ruin my mission….. on that note I can approach her and bond with her over the fact that I have a shaky history with my past… Starfire, a literal foreigner… no mystery about how I can make her trust me… Kid Flash… keep my tongue sharp and my responses even faster… Cyborg, the big brother of the group… play up my naivete….. Raven… keep her the closest, while keeping myself closed off around her… and Beast boy…. ha, already eating out of the palm of my hand…'
On the way back to the tower, Beast boy was squirming in discomfort in the back seat, next to Raven while Terra from the front seat stole a few quick glances at him, Cyborg at the wheel of the T car started a conversation with her.
"worried about tough guy over there?…. you don't have to greengo is tough as they come….."
Playing the innocent card, Terra spoke up focusing on him.
"i don't know if he's tough enough to make it to med bay with injuries as acute as that….. please let me carry him over there with my powers….. please I already feel useless as it is, not helping catch Death-Stroke before he escaped….."
Cyborg's only response was.
"since I owe you from before…. I'll give you this little favor….. just make sure to be gentle…"
Terra without even blinking or reacting to that comment waited for Cyborg to pull over before gently removing Beast boy from the car and laying him on a small platform she made out of nearby rocks and flew away with him back to the tower, once there she carried him inside before meeting up with Starfire and Kid Flash, who in return offered to examine her health as well, Terra however politely refused before she bid everyone farewell, again they offered her the guest room in the tower but she cited that she didn't feel ready enough to return into a group dynamic, opting to leave a number and forwarding contact before returning to her flat.
Once she returned to her flat, Terra ,with great difficulty, started to strip her costume completely and make herself a decadent but well deserved snack, well at least in her eyes, spending a few days just lazying about in her home.
In the meantime Beast boy was spending a few days also trying to rest in the Titan's tower medical wing, however due to an immense pain he was feeling he didn't get the chance to rest, much so a chance to drift in and out of consciousness.
Titan's tower, medical wing, a few days later.
Beast boy was currently in the middle of his lunch, a strawberry and melon flavored jellos, which was proving to be torture for him cause even when the food was moist and soft, eating it still caused him some jolts of pain, in the meantime Raven was coming in for a visit.
"how are you feeling Beast boy… healing nicely I suppose?"
Beast boy now in a state of complete relaxed and pain free state of mind replied the following.
"well considering that this plate of jello can hold itself together better than I can… I feel peachy…. and Raven, not to be rude but you're not a person to make small talk….. so let's talk shop…. what's on your mind?….."
Raven a little taken aback by how sharp Beast boy was being, retained her stoic mannerism while replying.
"it's nothing really… just some thoughts that are driving me restless….. but they can wait after you get better….."
Beast boy tried answering back but he found himself in a great discomfort so he tried re-positioning himself on his bed before he started a second time.
"honestly, I think I know what and who you're trying to talk about…. and if it wasn't for her, I guess I'll still do what I did, cause that's who I am…..".
"so you agree with me…..?" Raven asked curiously,relieved on the inside that she didn't have to spell it out in an awkward manner.
"I'm not sure just yet… but I do think that I should keep a closer eye on her…."
"maybe even two….." Raven added sarcastically, resisting to roll her eyes at the thought that she just made a typical Beast boy joke.
"you know me too well Rae…"
"Raven" was the only response he got from the empath before she disappeared from the room using a portal, only to comeback a few seconds later with a radio set in hands, leaving Beast boy to quirk an eyebrow in the process.
"i brought you a radio, so you won't moan and complain how boring it is in here….."
Before Beast boy could continue this conversation Raven disappeared yet again via a portal, leaving Beast boy yet again a little startled and a little perplexed at this turn of events.
'note to self… remember to ask Raven if she's stealing tricks from Batman's playbook'
With that Beast boy shook off the confusion and started messing around with the radio hoping from station to station until he found a favorite single of his playing back, that song is A long long way to go by Sting and Phil Collins respectively, he didn't care that the song had a somber tone to it, for him it was a reminder to keep on trying and moving forward.
Unbeknownst to him Raven was on the other side of the room, allowing herself to smile for a bit before going on about her day with a determined look on her face.