It rained the next morning. A crash of lightning woke Beast Boy up. Terra wasn't in the bed. In fact, she wasn't in the room. Beast Boy left the room, and headed to the living room, where everyone else was awake.
"Has anyone seen Terra?" Beast Boy asked. Everyone shook their heads.
"If she's not with you, then.... damnit, that bitch went back to Slade." Raven growled angrily, "I knew we couldn't trust her, but no one ever listens to me."
"I don't understand. After everything we've done for her in the past few days, she wouldn't just.... go back, would she?" Beast Boy sighed.
"It seems that's exactly what she's done." Robin smirked.
"Listen to yourselves!" Starfire interjected, "Terra is not here one morning, and all of a sudden you're jumping to conclusions. Like you said, Beast Boy, we have to learn to trust her."
"I'm going to go look for her." Beast Boy said, and he left the room.
Beast Boy found Terra on the front steps of the tower. At first, he only saw the back of her robe, which was now torn, and stained bright red. She was wet from the rain. "Terra?" He inquired, slowly moving towards her. She sighed.
"That's me."
"What are you doing out here?"
"Beast Boy," Terra said while turning around. Beast Boy noticed that she had a large gash on her cheek. "I need some help."
"Well, if you need to explain something, you should probably do it inside. You're all wet." Beast Boy replied. Terra smiled. Beast Boy helped her up and they headed back inside.
Terra sat down at the kitchen table. Everyone else gathered around, but Beast Boy prevented them from getting too close. Terra coughed, sighed, and then started.
"I felt sorry for everyone, for having to put up with me, and constant attacks by Slade. I thought that if I left - if I ran away - he would leave you guys alone. I went to the cave where you rescued me from. I saw Slade there,-"
"You saw Slade? You saw Slade?! You traitor! You bitch!" Raven shouted angrily, and punched Terra in the face, sending her crashing to the floor. Cyborg and Robin struggled to restrain her. "I knew we couldn't trust you! You made us all look like fools! You-"
"Damn it, Raven, shut the fuck up!" Beast Boy yelled, a look of anger on his face. Raven stopped fighting. Everyone looked at Beast Boy. "You just punched out Terra, and you didn't even let her finish her damn sentence! What the hell kind of friend are you?" Beast Boy leaned down to help Terra back into her seat. Blood trickled out of the corner of her mouth. "Go ahead, Terra, finish up."
"I saw Slade there, and he saw me. I tried to get away. He stopped me. He beat me up. He cut me a lot. He finished, and didn't take me. I needed to find a place where I knew I was safe, so I came back." She explained.
"Wait, Terra. If you're cut so much, then why don't you have any more?" Starfire asked.
"I do, Star, I do. But they're in places that I would feel pretty nervous about showing without wearing any clothes." Terra blushed.
"How convinient. We got you some clothes as a get well present." Beast Boy said enthusiastically. "I'll be right back!" He ran off to his room.
"So, where exactly are these injuries?" Robin asked suspiciously.
"Arms, legs, and my torso's pretty banged up." Terra replied. "He practically tore skin off my back. I have a deep cut around my stomach - I'd say maybe about six inches end to end."
Beast Boy returned with a box. Terra opened it excitedly, and pulled out a black midriff top, a pair of khaki shorts, and a belt.
"Wow. Thanks so much, everyone. I'm going to go try it on right now!" Terra pushed out her seat and headed for the washroom.
"So, did she say anything?" Beast Boy asked when Terra was out of view.
"She did give a list of injuries that are consistant with the blood stains on her robe." Cyborg mentioned.
"Beast Boy, I'm sorry for what I did." Raven said. "I don't know what came over me." Beast Boy looked at her.
"It's alright, but I think you should apologize to Terra, too."
"I will as soon as she comes back out here."
"Now, is there anyone else who is suspicious about anything?" Beast Boy asked.
"How do we know that the entire thing wasn't a work, and that she just cut herself?" Robin asked.
"Typical." Beast Boy replied. "She seemed pretty shook up when I went out there. It's like she wasn't expecting anything to happen."
Terra returned, wearing her new clothes. Beast Boy smiled.
"You look great." He said.
"Terra, look," Raven started. Terra turned to face her. "I'm sorry for punching you. Sometimes I just get so worked up over something I don't know when to stop." Terra nodded, and smiled.
"I forgive you. Friends?" Terra extended her hand.
"Friends." Raven replied, taking Terra's hand and shaking it.
"Alright, then. Now that everyone's happy, let's get a look at those injuries." Cyborg said. He had already noticed the laceration on Terra's chest, so that was legitimate enough.
"Sure." Terra smiled, and sat down on a couch.
Cyborg found all of Terra's injuries to be legitimate. He bandaged her torso, and the gash on her face. There was also a stab wound on her inner thigh that she hadn't mentioned, so he bandaged that, too. When he was finished, her helped her up.
"Thanks." she said, gently moving her limbs as not to break anything. It had stopped raining, and the sun was now just beginning to break through the clouds. Terra looked out the window. "It's a great day to be alive!" She exclaimed, to no one in particular.
"Hey, Terra, would you come here for a minute?" Beast Boy yelled. Terra slowly walked over. "We're ordering dinner. Is pizza alright?" He asked. Terra smiled.
"Sure."
Terra felt sorry for Beast Boy; she let him have his bed back that night, despite his attempts to sway her into sleeping in the bed again. He wouldn't let her sleep on the floor, for he was afraid that the events of the night before might repeat themselves. After some convincing, he allowed Terra to sleep on the couch.
"Now, if you need anything, anything at all, just call and I'll be here in a second. Alright?" Beast Boy asked Terra. Terra nodded. Beast Boy left, and soon Terra was asleep.
The alarm sounded.
"Somebody broke through security!" Cyborg exclaimed as he ran into the living room, followed by the other titans. They stopped when they saw who had broken into the tower: Slade. He loomed over Terra menacingly, while Terra, however, wasn't moving at all. Her eyes were closed, yet her face was pale, and her arms, which were covered in blood, limply hung over the side of the couch.
"Slade." Robin growled.
"Oh, hello, titans." Slade began, "I'm so sorry to disturb you at this late hour, but I do believe that you have something that belongs to me."
"Terra does not belong to you." Starfire replied, hands curled into fists.
"I do not believe that is up to you to decide, girl." Slade retorted. "It's up to my hundreds of probes, who, as we speak, have infested my dear apprentice's body and will soon control her completely."
"You really are a sick bastard." Raven commented.
"Enough talk. It's time for action!" Beast Boy yelled, jumping at Slade. Slade stepped out of the way, only to walk into offense from Robin. The three remaining titans circled Slade.
"I've underestimated you yet again. Just know, that the girl will be mine. You won't know where I'll come from, and you won't know when I'll come. But she will be mine. She'll be mine!" Slade cackled, then dissapeared into a cloud of smoke.
"Why does he keep doing that?" Cyborg asked.
Meanwhile, Beast Boy had gotten down on his knees to check on Terra. Her blood was still warm, though her skin was freezing.
It had seemed that her heartbeat had somehow slowed; her pulse was almost nonexistant. Her breaths were short and sporadic. Beast Boy shook her shoulder. Terra opened her eyes and screamed. She tried to crawl away, but she had nowhere to go.
"It's so c-cold." She said, her teeth chattering. "I'm g-going... to f-freeze."
"Cyborg?" Beast Boy asked.
"Well, it seems that the probes are somehow tweaking Terra's nerves in order to make her super sensitive to the cold. Even if it only is sixteen degrees celcius. They could also have theoretically cooled her blood, or changed her brain in some way." Cyborg replied. Terra, meanwhile, had wrapped her blankets around herself. It stung a bit, but she was no stranger to pain. "We need to somehow flush the probes out. Destroying them would leave Terra a mess. I believe that the best way to deal with this would be a chemical injection into the bloodstream."
"Would that be safe?" Starfire asked.
"It's probably the safest method." Cyborg replied. "Alright, people, I need a syringe, some bandages, and some water. I'll go get the chemicals. BB, I need you to get Terra in your room. Carry her if you need to. Just get her there." After some resistance, Beast Boy was able to convince Terra to let him carry her. He scooped her up in his arms and headed back to his room.
"Wow, Terra, you've gotten heavier." Beast Boy said as he entered his room, Terra in his arms.
"Maybe you've just gotten weaker." Terra retorted sarcastically.
"I'm going to forgive you for saying that. I know you're not in control." Beast Boy sighed.
"How do you know whether I am or I'm not?" Terra replied, and then she kicked Beast Boy in the head. He fell over, while she started running away.
"Guys, stop her! Slade's controlling her!" Beast Boy shouted after her.
Down the hall, Cyborg grabbed her from behind.
"I'm sorry I have to do this, Terra." He said, and he covered her nose and mouth with his hand, blocking all air from getting in. Terra wasn't able to put up a struggle and was soon unconcious. Beast Boy caught up and carried Terra back to his room. Cyborg followed with a case of chemicals.
Darkness. Voices. A rhythmic beeping sound. Terra felt too weak to open her eyes. She felt something cold on her face, dripping down her cheeks. Was it water? No, sweat. After a struggle, she moved her arm up a bit.
"Look. She's waking up." A familiar voice said.
"Terra?" Another familiar voice. "Terra, if you can hear me, I need you to give me a sign."
"What's going on?" Terra asked, her voice dull.
"Ask her if she can open her eyes." The possessor of the first voice said.
"Terra, can you open your eyes?" The second voice asked.
"No. Too weak." She responded. Something soft touched her face, wiping away perspiration. Something else touched her face. Were they fingers? Terra wasn't sure. She felt her eyelids being pried open. A bright light shone into her eyes. Terra couldn't tell who was doing it; the figure was only a dark sillhouette. They closed her eyelids.
"What percentage are we at?" The second voice asked.
"Ninety-eight percent and rising." The first voice replied. "Virtually nothing left in the spinal area." Terra felt something pulled off her temple. Plugs? Most likely. She immediately felt better. She waited until her strength returned, and she opened her eyes. She studied her surroundings. It was dark outside, and a cool breeze came through the window. She was in a bed. The two voices belonged to Cyborg and Beast Boy. Her back felt stiff, as if she had been sleeping for days. She heard a beep.
"Alright, we're done. Terra, you might want to close your eyes. This might be a little of a shock to you." Cyborg said. Beast Boy began to rip back the covers. Terra shut her eyes, but then was curious and opened them a little. She saw that they were pulling long, clear plastic tubes out of her skin.
"Terra, this may sting a little." Beast Boy warned her, as he went around to her head and pulled one out of her back. After they finished, Cyborg picked up all the tubes and the chemicals and exited the room. "Terra, it's four o' clock. You should better get some rest." Beast Boy said, running his gloved hand down her face. "It's been quite a night." Beast Boy left the room, and Terra slowly drifted off to sleep.
"Terra, time to get up." A moan. "Terra, I'm not kidding." Terra's eyes were pried open. "It's four P.M."
"What? Already?" Terra asked. Beast Boy sighed, then smiled.
"You've been asleep for twelve hours. Not that I blame you. If something like that happened to me, I'd be pretty drained myself." He chuckled. "You have a doctor's appointment in about an hour. Here." Beast Boy extended his hand to Terra. She grabbed it and he pulled her up.
"I'm a little stiff...." Terra said, as she pulled back the blankets. She grabbed her left leg and moved it so that it dangled over the bed. She did the same for the other and got up.
"That's weird. She shouldn't be. But what Cyborg said, that the chemicals may not be completely flushed from her body... That it might cause some major damage if it's left in there too long..." Beast Boy thought. Should he tell Terra? He thought it would be best if he didn't. He smiled. "Towels are in the closet." He said to her, and he left the room.
Beast Boy's first thought was to go mention this to Cyborg. He found him in the garage, working on his car. Beast Boy explained the situation, and Cyborg nodded thoughtfully.
"I thought something like this would happen. We need to get the rest of those chemicals out quick. Where's Terra?" Cyborg asked.
"She's in the shower, I think." Beast Boy replied.
"Get her as soon as she's ready. Bring her down here. I want to take a look at her before we leave." Cyborg said.
"Alright." Beast Boy headed back upstairs. "I hope Terra is alright. With what happened to her last time, I could hardly live with myself... but now, this is infinately worse. She's actually risking death here. Well, I just can't let that happen. I can't lose her again. After everything that's happened these past few days, after all that we've been through, I can't just let this thing destroy her." He thought, as he came to his bedroom door. He knocked.
"Come in!" He opened the door. Terra sat on his bed, drying her hair. She was already dressed.
"Uh, Terra? Cyborg needs to talk to you."
"Sure." Terra stood up and walked to the door. Beast Boy and herself walked down the hall. As they were walking, Terra was thinking to herself. "Gee, I hope this isn't something bad. So far in my short time here, I've made life a living hell for everyone else. I probably deserve what's coming to me, although I hope it's not something like an illness." She looked over at Beast Boy. "Poor Beast Boy. I've drug him through the dirt, and still, he stands by me. He's paid for mistake after mistake I've made. He's defended me and made sure I've been alright. I've broken his heart, and yet he still gives me another chance." Terra found tears welling up in her eyes. She stopped and turned to face Beast Boy. Beast Boy stopped and turned to face her.
"Terra, you're crying..." Beast Boy observed.
"I know." Terra began. "Beast Boy, you're the first person who has truly cared for me. In fact, I..... I...." Terra looked at her feet. "I love you."
"I know. You want to go out on a date tomorrow?" Beast Boy asked. Terra looked at him again.
"Sure." She smiled and nodded, tears streaming down her face. She hugged Beast Boy.
"Come on. Cyborg's waiting." They started walking again.
"Alright, let's see what we have here." Cyborg said. He poked a small needle into Terra's knee, and it filled with blood. Terra was sitting on a wooden bench; Beast Boy next to her.
"What exactly is this for, again?" Terra asked.
"It's just a blood test to make sure that all the chemicals from last night are filtered out." Beast Boy replied. "Don't worry about it; I'm sure you're fine." He smiled and squeezed Terra's hand.
"Alright, scan's done." Cyborg began. "There's just a trace amount in the legs, specifically in the kneecaps. It might irritate a few nerves, but that's it. It'll work itself out in a few days or so."
"That's a relief." Beast Boy said. Terra sighed. "We have somewhere to go now. Where's everyone else?"
"Star and Raven are in her room, and Robin went out to do something. Get in the car; Terra, you can have the front seat if you want it." Cyborg replied.
Terra went through the door to the office, while Beast Boy and Cyborg sat down. The drive had been completely uneventful. Five minutes passed, and nothing happened. Beast Boy and Cyborg heard a male voice coming from the other side of the door.
"This genetic makeup is.... unbelievable!" It had said. A loud crash ensued, and the room rocked. "No. What are you doing!? No, don't touch the patient! She's just a child, what would you want with her!?" A scream, a crash, and a loud thud. Beast Boy nodded his head towards the door. Cyborg nodded, then counted with his fingers three.... two.... one.... Beast Boy drove his shoulder into the door, knocking it open. There was a hole in the wall. The doctor was lying on the floor, and there was glass scattered everywhere. Terra was laying on a metal table, unconcious, wearing an oxygen mask, with a cord running out of the bottom of her top, and an electrode stuck to her neck. In the midst of all of this was Cinderblock.
"Has anyone seen Terra?" Beast Boy asked. Everyone shook their heads.
"If she's not with you, then.... damnit, that bitch went back to Slade." Raven growled angrily, "I knew we couldn't trust her, but no one ever listens to me."
"I don't understand. After everything we've done for her in the past few days, she wouldn't just.... go back, would she?" Beast Boy sighed.
"It seems that's exactly what she's done." Robin smirked.
"Listen to yourselves!" Starfire interjected, "Terra is not here one morning, and all of a sudden you're jumping to conclusions. Like you said, Beast Boy, we have to learn to trust her."
"I'm going to go look for her." Beast Boy said, and he left the room.
Beast Boy found Terra on the front steps of the tower. At first, he only saw the back of her robe, which was now torn, and stained bright red. She was wet from the rain. "Terra?" He inquired, slowly moving towards her. She sighed.
"That's me."
"What are you doing out here?"
"Beast Boy," Terra said while turning around. Beast Boy noticed that she had a large gash on her cheek. "I need some help."
"Well, if you need to explain something, you should probably do it inside. You're all wet." Beast Boy replied. Terra smiled. Beast Boy helped her up and they headed back inside.
Terra sat down at the kitchen table. Everyone else gathered around, but Beast Boy prevented them from getting too close. Terra coughed, sighed, and then started.
"I felt sorry for everyone, for having to put up with me, and constant attacks by Slade. I thought that if I left - if I ran away - he would leave you guys alone. I went to the cave where you rescued me from. I saw Slade there,-"
"You saw Slade? You saw Slade?! You traitor! You bitch!" Raven shouted angrily, and punched Terra in the face, sending her crashing to the floor. Cyborg and Robin struggled to restrain her. "I knew we couldn't trust you! You made us all look like fools! You-"
"Damn it, Raven, shut the fuck up!" Beast Boy yelled, a look of anger on his face. Raven stopped fighting. Everyone looked at Beast Boy. "You just punched out Terra, and you didn't even let her finish her damn sentence! What the hell kind of friend are you?" Beast Boy leaned down to help Terra back into her seat. Blood trickled out of the corner of her mouth. "Go ahead, Terra, finish up."
"I saw Slade there, and he saw me. I tried to get away. He stopped me. He beat me up. He cut me a lot. He finished, and didn't take me. I needed to find a place where I knew I was safe, so I came back." She explained.
"Wait, Terra. If you're cut so much, then why don't you have any more?" Starfire asked.
"I do, Star, I do. But they're in places that I would feel pretty nervous about showing without wearing any clothes." Terra blushed.
"How convinient. We got you some clothes as a get well present." Beast Boy said enthusiastically. "I'll be right back!" He ran off to his room.
"So, where exactly are these injuries?" Robin asked suspiciously.
"Arms, legs, and my torso's pretty banged up." Terra replied. "He practically tore skin off my back. I have a deep cut around my stomach - I'd say maybe about six inches end to end."
Beast Boy returned with a box. Terra opened it excitedly, and pulled out a black midriff top, a pair of khaki shorts, and a belt.
"Wow. Thanks so much, everyone. I'm going to go try it on right now!" Terra pushed out her seat and headed for the washroom.
"So, did she say anything?" Beast Boy asked when Terra was out of view.
"She did give a list of injuries that are consistant with the blood stains on her robe." Cyborg mentioned.
"Beast Boy, I'm sorry for what I did." Raven said. "I don't know what came over me." Beast Boy looked at her.
"It's alright, but I think you should apologize to Terra, too."
"I will as soon as she comes back out here."
"Now, is there anyone else who is suspicious about anything?" Beast Boy asked.
"How do we know that the entire thing wasn't a work, and that she just cut herself?" Robin asked.
"Typical." Beast Boy replied. "She seemed pretty shook up when I went out there. It's like she wasn't expecting anything to happen."
Terra returned, wearing her new clothes. Beast Boy smiled.
"You look great." He said.
"Terra, look," Raven started. Terra turned to face her. "I'm sorry for punching you. Sometimes I just get so worked up over something I don't know when to stop." Terra nodded, and smiled.
"I forgive you. Friends?" Terra extended her hand.
"Friends." Raven replied, taking Terra's hand and shaking it.
"Alright, then. Now that everyone's happy, let's get a look at those injuries." Cyborg said. He had already noticed the laceration on Terra's chest, so that was legitimate enough.
"Sure." Terra smiled, and sat down on a couch.
Cyborg found all of Terra's injuries to be legitimate. He bandaged her torso, and the gash on her face. There was also a stab wound on her inner thigh that she hadn't mentioned, so he bandaged that, too. When he was finished, her helped her up.
"Thanks." she said, gently moving her limbs as not to break anything. It had stopped raining, and the sun was now just beginning to break through the clouds. Terra looked out the window. "It's a great day to be alive!" She exclaimed, to no one in particular.
"Hey, Terra, would you come here for a minute?" Beast Boy yelled. Terra slowly walked over. "We're ordering dinner. Is pizza alright?" He asked. Terra smiled.
"Sure."
Terra felt sorry for Beast Boy; she let him have his bed back that night, despite his attempts to sway her into sleeping in the bed again. He wouldn't let her sleep on the floor, for he was afraid that the events of the night before might repeat themselves. After some convincing, he allowed Terra to sleep on the couch.
"Now, if you need anything, anything at all, just call and I'll be here in a second. Alright?" Beast Boy asked Terra. Terra nodded. Beast Boy left, and soon Terra was asleep.
The alarm sounded.
"Somebody broke through security!" Cyborg exclaimed as he ran into the living room, followed by the other titans. They stopped when they saw who had broken into the tower: Slade. He loomed over Terra menacingly, while Terra, however, wasn't moving at all. Her eyes were closed, yet her face was pale, and her arms, which were covered in blood, limply hung over the side of the couch.
"Slade." Robin growled.
"Oh, hello, titans." Slade began, "I'm so sorry to disturb you at this late hour, but I do believe that you have something that belongs to me."
"Terra does not belong to you." Starfire replied, hands curled into fists.
"I do not believe that is up to you to decide, girl." Slade retorted. "It's up to my hundreds of probes, who, as we speak, have infested my dear apprentice's body and will soon control her completely."
"You really are a sick bastard." Raven commented.
"Enough talk. It's time for action!" Beast Boy yelled, jumping at Slade. Slade stepped out of the way, only to walk into offense from Robin. The three remaining titans circled Slade.
"I've underestimated you yet again. Just know, that the girl will be mine. You won't know where I'll come from, and you won't know when I'll come. But she will be mine. She'll be mine!" Slade cackled, then dissapeared into a cloud of smoke.
"Why does he keep doing that?" Cyborg asked.
Meanwhile, Beast Boy had gotten down on his knees to check on Terra. Her blood was still warm, though her skin was freezing.
It had seemed that her heartbeat had somehow slowed; her pulse was almost nonexistant. Her breaths were short and sporadic. Beast Boy shook her shoulder. Terra opened her eyes and screamed. She tried to crawl away, but she had nowhere to go.
"It's so c-cold." She said, her teeth chattering. "I'm g-going... to f-freeze."
"Cyborg?" Beast Boy asked.
"Well, it seems that the probes are somehow tweaking Terra's nerves in order to make her super sensitive to the cold. Even if it only is sixteen degrees celcius. They could also have theoretically cooled her blood, or changed her brain in some way." Cyborg replied. Terra, meanwhile, had wrapped her blankets around herself. It stung a bit, but she was no stranger to pain. "We need to somehow flush the probes out. Destroying them would leave Terra a mess. I believe that the best way to deal with this would be a chemical injection into the bloodstream."
"Would that be safe?" Starfire asked.
"It's probably the safest method." Cyborg replied. "Alright, people, I need a syringe, some bandages, and some water. I'll go get the chemicals. BB, I need you to get Terra in your room. Carry her if you need to. Just get her there." After some resistance, Beast Boy was able to convince Terra to let him carry her. He scooped her up in his arms and headed back to his room.
"Wow, Terra, you've gotten heavier." Beast Boy said as he entered his room, Terra in his arms.
"Maybe you've just gotten weaker." Terra retorted sarcastically.
"I'm going to forgive you for saying that. I know you're not in control." Beast Boy sighed.
"How do you know whether I am or I'm not?" Terra replied, and then she kicked Beast Boy in the head. He fell over, while she started running away.
"Guys, stop her! Slade's controlling her!" Beast Boy shouted after her.
Down the hall, Cyborg grabbed her from behind.
"I'm sorry I have to do this, Terra." He said, and he covered her nose and mouth with his hand, blocking all air from getting in. Terra wasn't able to put up a struggle and was soon unconcious. Beast Boy caught up and carried Terra back to his room. Cyborg followed with a case of chemicals.
Darkness. Voices. A rhythmic beeping sound. Terra felt too weak to open her eyes. She felt something cold on her face, dripping down her cheeks. Was it water? No, sweat. After a struggle, she moved her arm up a bit.
"Look. She's waking up." A familiar voice said.
"Terra?" Another familiar voice. "Terra, if you can hear me, I need you to give me a sign."
"What's going on?" Terra asked, her voice dull.
"Ask her if she can open her eyes." The possessor of the first voice said.
"Terra, can you open your eyes?" The second voice asked.
"No. Too weak." She responded. Something soft touched her face, wiping away perspiration. Something else touched her face. Were they fingers? Terra wasn't sure. She felt her eyelids being pried open. A bright light shone into her eyes. Terra couldn't tell who was doing it; the figure was only a dark sillhouette. They closed her eyelids.
"What percentage are we at?" The second voice asked.
"Ninety-eight percent and rising." The first voice replied. "Virtually nothing left in the spinal area." Terra felt something pulled off her temple. Plugs? Most likely. She immediately felt better. She waited until her strength returned, and she opened her eyes. She studied her surroundings. It was dark outside, and a cool breeze came through the window. She was in a bed. The two voices belonged to Cyborg and Beast Boy. Her back felt stiff, as if she had been sleeping for days. She heard a beep.
"Alright, we're done. Terra, you might want to close your eyes. This might be a little of a shock to you." Cyborg said. Beast Boy began to rip back the covers. Terra shut her eyes, but then was curious and opened them a little. She saw that they were pulling long, clear plastic tubes out of her skin.
"Terra, this may sting a little." Beast Boy warned her, as he went around to her head and pulled one out of her back. After they finished, Cyborg picked up all the tubes and the chemicals and exited the room. "Terra, it's four o' clock. You should better get some rest." Beast Boy said, running his gloved hand down her face. "It's been quite a night." Beast Boy left the room, and Terra slowly drifted off to sleep.
"Terra, time to get up." A moan. "Terra, I'm not kidding." Terra's eyes were pried open. "It's four P.M."
"What? Already?" Terra asked. Beast Boy sighed, then smiled.
"You've been asleep for twelve hours. Not that I blame you. If something like that happened to me, I'd be pretty drained myself." He chuckled. "You have a doctor's appointment in about an hour. Here." Beast Boy extended his hand to Terra. She grabbed it and he pulled her up.
"I'm a little stiff...." Terra said, as she pulled back the blankets. She grabbed her left leg and moved it so that it dangled over the bed. She did the same for the other and got up.
"That's weird. She shouldn't be. But what Cyborg said, that the chemicals may not be completely flushed from her body... That it might cause some major damage if it's left in there too long..." Beast Boy thought. Should he tell Terra? He thought it would be best if he didn't. He smiled. "Towels are in the closet." He said to her, and he left the room.
Beast Boy's first thought was to go mention this to Cyborg. He found him in the garage, working on his car. Beast Boy explained the situation, and Cyborg nodded thoughtfully.
"I thought something like this would happen. We need to get the rest of those chemicals out quick. Where's Terra?" Cyborg asked.
"She's in the shower, I think." Beast Boy replied.
"Get her as soon as she's ready. Bring her down here. I want to take a look at her before we leave." Cyborg said.
"Alright." Beast Boy headed back upstairs. "I hope Terra is alright. With what happened to her last time, I could hardly live with myself... but now, this is infinately worse. She's actually risking death here. Well, I just can't let that happen. I can't lose her again. After everything that's happened these past few days, after all that we've been through, I can't just let this thing destroy her." He thought, as he came to his bedroom door. He knocked.
"Come in!" He opened the door. Terra sat on his bed, drying her hair. She was already dressed.
"Uh, Terra? Cyborg needs to talk to you."
"Sure." Terra stood up and walked to the door. Beast Boy and herself walked down the hall. As they were walking, Terra was thinking to herself. "Gee, I hope this isn't something bad. So far in my short time here, I've made life a living hell for everyone else. I probably deserve what's coming to me, although I hope it's not something like an illness." She looked over at Beast Boy. "Poor Beast Boy. I've drug him through the dirt, and still, he stands by me. He's paid for mistake after mistake I've made. He's defended me and made sure I've been alright. I've broken his heart, and yet he still gives me another chance." Terra found tears welling up in her eyes. She stopped and turned to face Beast Boy. Beast Boy stopped and turned to face her.
"Terra, you're crying..." Beast Boy observed.
"I know." Terra began. "Beast Boy, you're the first person who has truly cared for me. In fact, I..... I...." Terra looked at her feet. "I love you."
"I know. You want to go out on a date tomorrow?" Beast Boy asked. Terra looked at him again.
"Sure." She smiled and nodded, tears streaming down her face. She hugged Beast Boy.
"Come on. Cyborg's waiting." They started walking again.
"Alright, let's see what we have here." Cyborg said. He poked a small needle into Terra's knee, and it filled with blood. Terra was sitting on a wooden bench; Beast Boy next to her.
"What exactly is this for, again?" Terra asked.
"It's just a blood test to make sure that all the chemicals from last night are filtered out." Beast Boy replied. "Don't worry about it; I'm sure you're fine." He smiled and squeezed Terra's hand.
"Alright, scan's done." Cyborg began. "There's just a trace amount in the legs, specifically in the kneecaps. It might irritate a few nerves, but that's it. It'll work itself out in a few days or so."
"That's a relief." Beast Boy said. Terra sighed. "We have somewhere to go now. Where's everyone else?"
"Star and Raven are in her room, and Robin went out to do something. Get in the car; Terra, you can have the front seat if you want it." Cyborg replied.
Terra went through the door to the office, while Beast Boy and Cyborg sat down. The drive had been completely uneventful. Five minutes passed, and nothing happened. Beast Boy and Cyborg heard a male voice coming from the other side of the door.
"This genetic makeup is.... unbelievable!" It had said. A loud crash ensued, and the room rocked. "No. What are you doing!? No, don't touch the patient! She's just a child, what would you want with her!?" A scream, a crash, and a loud thud. Beast Boy nodded his head towards the door. Cyborg nodded, then counted with his fingers three.... two.... one.... Beast Boy drove his shoulder into the door, knocking it open. There was a hole in the wall. The doctor was lying on the floor, and there was glass scattered everywhere. Terra was laying on a metal table, unconcious, wearing an oxygen mask, with a cord running out of the bottom of her top, and an electrode stuck to her neck. In the midst of all of this was Cinderblock.