NOTE: This chapter is written from Terra's point of view.
Something was shaking me. I opened my eyes. Beast Boy stood above me, a panicked look on his face. I ripped off the oxygen mask that had somehow found its way onto my face, and I ripped the plug off my neck. I sat up, starting to pant as the adrenaline kicked in. I ripped the cord out from under my shirt, wincing slightly as the attached electrode came off my skin. I had noticed Cinderblock. Beast Boy was trying to explain what was happening, but I wasn't paying attention, for once. I didn't need anything to be explained. Cyborg was attempting to distract the colossal beast, but it wasn't very effective for long. Cinderblock swatted Cyborg away as if he were a fly. At this point decided that I had watched enough. My heart beat under my skin furiously, and my muscles tightened up. I jumped up on the table, and lunged at the monster, kicking off for momentum. I was pretty useless without my power; subconciously, I knew that, but I didn't care. He caught me in midair. He tightened his grip, in an attempt to crush my bones and kill me. Beast Boy and Cyborg were now back on the offensive, but Cinderblock proved too powerful for them alone. They needed the other titans. He sent them both through the wall opposite he came in. Now knowing that the only one I could rely on was myself, I reached out for something, anything, that I would be able to control and perhaps turn the tide in my favor. I found something; the ceiling. Cinderblock, however, probably deciding that he couldn't kill me by crushing me, threw me against a particularily sharp edge of the metal table, ripping open my bandages from a previous attack and creating a large gash across my stomach. Probably to his suprise, I stood up, even though now blood was gushing out of my wound, staining pretty much everything in my immediate vacinity. I screamed angrilly, a steady stream of blood now exploding out of my torso, and finally got control of the ceiling. Angrilly, I pulled it down, crushing Cinderblock completely. Unfortunately, I had also caught myself. My legs felt broken, and I was sure that I would bleed to death. I felt cold, and soon everything went dark.
I felt something. I felt alive. I felt warmth on my face. I felt myself start to slip back into a deep sleep, and I struggled to keep myself awake. I opened my eyes, suprisingly without pain. I decided not to move, remembering the intense pain that I had felt. Besides, my legs would surely be broken; they had been crushed by the ceiling. I heard the door open.
"Who's there?" I asked, desprately, for some reason a wave of pain rushing through by body.
"Terra, calm down." A familiar voice replied, softly. I heard someone enter the room; their feet shuffled across the carpet as they moved around the bed so that they could face me. It was Beast Boy, my friend.... no, not just my friend. My love. Per his instructions, I began to calm down, my heart slowing, the pain receeding.
"What happened?" I asked. "I brought down the ceiling. I stopped Cinderblock. I thought..... I died."
"You did." He replied. "Your heart stopped twice. I wasn't sure.... I wasn't sure that I wanted to keep living after I thought you died." He started to cry.
"Beast Boy, I want you to know something." I said, trying to comfort him. "I want you to know that as long as there is a single breath in my body, as long as you are alive, I will never let myself die. If it causes extreme pain, so be it. If I can't use my limbs again, that's fine. I just...." I began to cry. "I just want to be with you." I wrapped my arms around him, and we both cried. Then, Robin ran into the room.
"I think you both should see this. Terra, your legs arn't broken anymore. Can you walk?" He asked. I nodded my head slowly. Beast Boy helped me up and we followed Robin back to the living room. The television was on the news channel. I froze when I saw Slade sitting at the desk, addressing the public of Jump City.
"Now that we have all the plesantries out of the way, ladies and gentlemen, I have some business which I would like to alert each and every one of you to. There is a girl named Terra, currently residing in Titans Tower. I guarentee that the first person to bring her to me will gain five million dollars. If you have her, I will know. Again, the person who brings this girl to me will be five million dollars richer. That is all." Slade explained, then he got up and left the news desk. I didn't know what to think. Slade had, in the course of a few minutes, turned the entire city against me. I felt paralized with fear, and didn't even notice when my legs collapsed below me and I fell to the floor. My stomach felt warm; the pain started again. I thought of the irony of the events that had just transpired, as Beast Boy came over to attend to me.
"She's going to die!" He screamed, tears in his eyes once more. "She's going to die, and there's nothing I can do to stop it! I'm useless!"
"Snap out of... it." I managed to struggle through pursed lips. "I'll live long enough to.... take you up on... that date." He smiled, but it was a pained smile; a smile of someone who was about to lose the one they loved. My breathing slowed. I decided that if I were to live, I would live each day as my last; I had already wasted away too much. Too many memories were the wrong ones. I closed my eyes. The pain stopped. The last of the blood trickled out of my torso.
I stood back up on my legs, much to the suprise of everyone else in the room. Beast Boy was amazed, as evidenced by the look on his face; eyes wide, jaw agape. My knee locked up, though only for a moment. I brushed my hair out of my face, and my eyelids slowly opened.
"Terra.... you should be dead..." Starfire exclaimed, softly.
"I don't want to die.." I replied.
"Damn, Terra, you're practically indestructable!" Cyborg said, excitedly. I smiled. Subconciously, I felt extremely weak, but I would let mere pain ruin this moment. "But now we have a real problem."
"Cyborg's right. Slade put a bounty on your head." Raven replied. "Now everyone will be after you."
"I spit at them." I said. "If Slade thinks that a bounty is going to stop me from going outdoors, he has another thing coming. I can see exactly how much resistance I get tonight."
"You mean it?" Beast Boy asked, enthusiastically.
"Right." I replied. "It's a date."
My sanity was starting to break away from me. It seemed that I was unable to die. Was I indestructable, or was it sheerly willpower? My frail human body could only take so much; however, it seemed that my mind just wanted more. More pain, more suffering. These were the thoughts running through my mind as I got ready for my date. Fresh bandages had once again been applied over my old blood-soaked ones. I tried to calm myself down; I couldn't get excited or scared tonight. Even if people tried to capture me... But Beast Boy woudn't let that happen. Time and time again I've trusted him with my life, and he's always been there for me. Tonight would be a different challenge, though; how far I could go both physically and emotionally before I start to lose it; before I start to die. I decided to check with Cyborg to see if the titans had access to some sort of relaxant drug; something that could bridge the gap between death and life for me. I estimated that I had maybe about three quarts of blood left; I wasn't really doing all that well in that department. If I was doing to die, though, it wouldn't be tonight. Memories flashed through my mind of what I remembered: constant attacks by Slade, immense pain, defeating Cinderblock, systematically killing myself every time that I let my heartbeat increase. It would all be worth something if I could make it through tonight. I hadn't really been able to express my feelings for Beast Boy before; everytime I tried, there was always an interruption of sorts. There was a knock on the door.
"Who is it?" I asked.
"It's me. Got a minute?" I went over to open the door. It was Raven. We had never really seen eye-to-eye before, but I thought that she was beginning to warm up to me. At least, I liked to think that she was. "Terra, I'm not going to sugarcoat it. I know exactly what you've been thinking. I've been reading your thoughts." I blushed, clearly embarrassed. Had Raven telekenetically heard all my ranting about myself, my life, my health, and my sanity? "Listen, I just want you to know, that if you ever feel yourself start to slip, just come talk to me. I know what it's like to feel alone. I know what it's like to feel extreme stress and physical limitations. Hell, the rest of us probably wouldn't last half as long as you have so far if confronted with the same situations." I was stunned. Raven was reaching out to me, trying to end my ways of self destruction.
"Alright, then. Raven.... thanks." I replied, and smiled.
"By the way, there's some morphine in the bathroom." She said. She left the room. There was a sudden pain in my arm; like a random reminder that I was still injured. I tried to keep myself calm, but the pain just wouldn't go away. I began to feel drowsy; my heart began to beat irregularly. I fell forwards onto the bed. Death had come for me; my body was attempting to shut itself down. I was slowly slipping into death's cold embrace, when I heard a sound. It was more like a mumble that I, while dying, could not make out. I barely felt something sharp pierce my skin, injecting an unknown liquid into my arm. Something lifted me up and deposited me face-up on the bed. I was not aware what was happening; everything was running together. Something else pierced my skin; a long plastic cord of sorts. I decided to close my eyes and let death take its course; if nothing else, the titans would finally be rid of me, and wouldn't have to put up with any more of my trouble. A white gloved hand crossed my field of vision before I let go.
I awakened in a daze. The room was clear of people. There was something cold on my temple; further examination revealed it to be an ice pack. A crimson liquid dripped into my skin via an I.V. It seemed that once again, death had retreated. Upon looking out the window, I noticed that it was light outside. Was it the same day or a new day? I decided to get up and get something to drink. I took a few steps, noting that nothing had trouble moving. I turned around the corner, and I saw Cyborg sitting on the couch, his arm wrapped around Beast Boy, as if to comfort him. Beast Boy's face was buried in his hands.
"... Man, how could I have been so stupid!? The only person I loved I didn't even get to express my true feelings for! And now, she's dead, and nothing's going to bring her back!"
"Hi.." I softly said, warrenting Cyborg and Beast Boy to turn around.
"But.... how?!" Cyborg responded, obviously shocked. "You flatlined! We all thought that you were dead!"
"Terra?" Beast Boy asked softly, drying his eyes with his hands. He stood up, and moved around to the back of the couch where I was standing. He was beginning to cry again, but it didn't matter; so was I. He ran his hand down my cheek. "You're... alive.." He hugged me tightly. I was feeling better; there was no imminant pain. I heard footsteps and voices.
"... So, they said that a funeral would probably be pretty expensive, but nothing that we couldn't do. The casket is where they get you..." Robin, Raven and Starfire came up the stairs into the room. They all stopped once they saw me. "You're bullshitting me, arn't you?!" Robin exclaimed. "Why won't you die!"
"I didn't know that you wanted me dead." I replied.
"Terra... you know that's not what he meant." Beast Boy responded. I knew I couldn't get out of this one, so I decided to change the subject.
"So, you ready for our date?" I asked. A smile creeped across Beast Boy's face.
"Let's go! Guys, hold my calls." He replied.
"You never get any calls." Starfire responded.
"Spoilsport." He grabbed my arm and we ran through the door.
We had decided we were going to go see a movie; which one, though, we would think about when we got to the theatre. The walk there was strangly uneventful; people saw us, people passed us. The paranoia began to kick in; that they were merely luring me into a false sense of security; but I just ignored it. There would be plenty of time to be paranoid later. Besides, this was the night I would finally get to go out on a date with Beast Boy; a date devoid of interruptions and wrongdoings. We made it to the theatre without being attacked; I begin to hope that maybe people had forgotton about Slade's proclaimation earlier in the day. I let Beast Boy choose the movie, figuring that he would choose something scary. Instead, he chose a drama, and I was a bit suprised. After getting our snacks, we went into the movie.
The movie was alright, I thought, coming out of the theatre. It was now dark, and streetlights bathed the road, turning it orange.
"So, what did you think?" Beast Boy asked.
"It was alright." I replied. "Not something I would see by myself." I shivered. It was abnormally cold for a late spring evening.
"Are you alright?" Beast Boy asked, acting concerned. I guess his concern for me had never really left. He had been here for me when I needed him most. I nodded my head, putting my hands in my pockets. We had began to head back to the tower, and yet no one had attacked. I guessed the date could be considered a success. There was a moment of silence, and then there was a beeping sound. Beast Boy pulled out his communicator, while we continued to walk.
"Robin, Terra's with me. What is it?" Beast Boy said, talking into the microphone.
"We need you both to get back here, now." Robin replied, talking quickly. "Security has been breached." Beast Boy closed his communicator, and we both started to run back to the tower. When we were about twenty feet away, I saw what the problem was; Slade's minions had circled all around the tower and were pouring in the door. I quickly estimated there to be a hundred there, maybe more. I grabbed a nearby rock with my powers, and flung it at the massive army that was still left outside. It crushed some of them, but it had turned their attention to me and Beast Boy. He turned into a tiger, lunging towards the army on all fours. I ran towards the entrance to the tower, taking out the robots as I went. I flung rocks at them with all the strength I could muster; I was beginning to feel a little tired, and, what was worse, excited. I knew that I had to stop doing this, or the adrenaline would start and I would die. I was in a very bad situation, and either way I would lose. Then, I had an idea. I grabbed a switchblade out of my back pocket, pulled up my shirt sleeve, and cut a small gash in my arm. I began to feel better as the blood trickled out of my self-inflicted wound and onto the ground. I started to become less aware of my actions; I was feeling it again, the raw power surging through my veins, something I hadn't felt since my unfortunate betrayal... But now was not the time to dwell on the past. I had managed to clear a way to the entrance of the tower by now, smashing in the artificial organs of my opponents with a certain level of hate. I was feeling sadistic, but I subconciously knew that I wouldn't be able to face the other titans feeling like this. This power was overtaking me; I felt invincible. I ran inside the front entryway to the tower. Someone grabbed me from behind, and put their hand over my mouth, though I could still breathe. I began to calm down; the tension in my muscles eased up. The person let go, and I saw that it was Beast Boy, making his way quietly to the main floor. I followed behind him, creeping up the stairs silently. He pulled the door open. Smoke drifted around the room, bodies of androids on the floor. I begin to feel a bit lightheaded; whether it was from the smoke or something else, I didn't know. I stepped outside the room, gasping for fresh air. My throat was burning; I slumped up against a wall and fell to the floor. Knowing that this was clean air, I closed my eyes and fell asleep.
I woke up, wincing as my eyes reacted to the bright light above my face. I was lying on something cold and metallic; the room around me was dark and unfamiliar. Suprisingly, I found nothing attached to my skin. I began to feel alone and paranoid; perhaps someone had found me and handed me over to Slade? I pushed the thought from my head, labelling it as useless and depressing. I couldn't be depressed now; I had to get out of here and find the other titans. I heard a door slide open. I curled my hands into fists and slowly slid off the table. I crawled over to a dark corner of the room. I curled up and waited for my inevitable fate. I closed my eyes tightly; I didn't want to see the end of myself. I felt something pick me up. My body was numb with fear, and I dare not open my eyes in case I saw the wrong person. I was put down. I shuddered, turning over the possibilities of what this could be in my mind. Cool air blew into my face. I coughed. Now I had given myself away, but it didn't matter; now, since my promises had been fulfilled, I would embrace my fate. For that split second, I felt lonlier than I had my entire life. Something hit my stomach. I recoiled to the pain; the pain that would not seem to go away. Someone shook me hard.
"Terra... Terra, wake up." A distant voice seemed to say. I opened my eyes. Beast Boy was looming over me, a grin on his face. Was the entire thing merely a dream? A hallucionation? My head was throbbing.
"What... happened?" I asked, smiling weakly.
"You fell alseep in the hallway." He replied. "You were sleepling really calmly, so I thought I'd just pick you up and bring you here." Was this really the truth? What of the strange room? The pain? I curled up and shuddered, my mind racing with a hundred thoughts at once. Was this mere paranoia, or was there something deeper? Beast Boy, obviously sensing my plight, pulled a metal case out of his pocket. He opened it up and withdrew a needle, which he proceeded to carefully stick in my arm, a clear liquid draining out of it and going underneath my skin. I felt calmer, somehow; though my brain was still pounding, I began to feel better. My muscles relaxed from their tense state. My breathing slowed, and I began to feel eerily drowsy.
"Can't sleep... now. Must.... beat... Slade." I mumbled, rather incohenrantly. Beast Boy seemed to have understood, though.
"Don't worry, Terra. Slade's not here." He replied. He stroked my head, and I was soon asleep.
I felt a shock. This couldn't be happening. Another one. I yelped. I could feel my body being pushed to the limit; I soon would be dead. The same thing had happened before; had Slade captured me? The odd thing was that there was no pain; nothing like what I had felt before, just mild shocks at random intervals. As suddenly as it started, it stopped. I heard the sound of metal on metal, then footsteps, travelling away. A door opened. More footsteps, coming towards me. They stopped. The only noise that I heard was the sound of my own heavy breathing. I felt someone standing over me. I probably looked weak; helpless. I felt a nudge. I opened my eyes, and there was darkness.
"Who... Who's there?" I asked, afraid. The paranoia had returned, but then it was gone as quickly as it came. My head hurt. I was feeling dizzy.
"Terra, we've done something to you." A familiar voice replied. "We're not entirely sure exactly how accident-prone you are, and the constant feeling of paranoia sure doesn't help, so we've..."
"What have you done to me?!" I screamed, interrupting. I strangly began to calm down.
"We've taken control of your nervous system." Another voice replied. Someone turned on the light. Raven and Robin were in the room.
"What? Why?!" I replied, angrilly. I didn't feel different now; my rage was building.
"We need you to feel safe and normal." Raven said. "You're too unstable, both emotionally and physically."
"So, is this my life now? To be your puppet?" I shot back. I looked at my feet. Cyborg ran in the room.
"Guys, Slade's attacking the city. Let's go!"
Something was shaking me. I opened my eyes. Beast Boy stood above me, a panicked look on his face. I ripped off the oxygen mask that had somehow found its way onto my face, and I ripped the plug off my neck. I sat up, starting to pant as the adrenaline kicked in. I ripped the cord out from under my shirt, wincing slightly as the attached electrode came off my skin. I had noticed Cinderblock. Beast Boy was trying to explain what was happening, but I wasn't paying attention, for once. I didn't need anything to be explained. Cyborg was attempting to distract the colossal beast, but it wasn't very effective for long. Cinderblock swatted Cyborg away as if he were a fly. At this point decided that I had watched enough. My heart beat under my skin furiously, and my muscles tightened up. I jumped up on the table, and lunged at the monster, kicking off for momentum. I was pretty useless without my power; subconciously, I knew that, but I didn't care. He caught me in midair. He tightened his grip, in an attempt to crush my bones and kill me. Beast Boy and Cyborg were now back on the offensive, but Cinderblock proved too powerful for them alone. They needed the other titans. He sent them both through the wall opposite he came in. Now knowing that the only one I could rely on was myself, I reached out for something, anything, that I would be able to control and perhaps turn the tide in my favor. I found something; the ceiling. Cinderblock, however, probably deciding that he couldn't kill me by crushing me, threw me against a particularily sharp edge of the metal table, ripping open my bandages from a previous attack and creating a large gash across my stomach. Probably to his suprise, I stood up, even though now blood was gushing out of my wound, staining pretty much everything in my immediate vacinity. I screamed angrilly, a steady stream of blood now exploding out of my torso, and finally got control of the ceiling. Angrilly, I pulled it down, crushing Cinderblock completely. Unfortunately, I had also caught myself. My legs felt broken, and I was sure that I would bleed to death. I felt cold, and soon everything went dark.
I felt something. I felt alive. I felt warmth on my face. I felt myself start to slip back into a deep sleep, and I struggled to keep myself awake. I opened my eyes, suprisingly without pain. I decided not to move, remembering the intense pain that I had felt. Besides, my legs would surely be broken; they had been crushed by the ceiling. I heard the door open.
"Who's there?" I asked, desprately, for some reason a wave of pain rushing through by body.
"Terra, calm down." A familiar voice replied, softly. I heard someone enter the room; their feet shuffled across the carpet as they moved around the bed so that they could face me. It was Beast Boy, my friend.... no, not just my friend. My love. Per his instructions, I began to calm down, my heart slowing, the pain receeding.
"What happened?" I asked. "I brought down the ceiling. I stopped Cinderblock. I thought..... I died."
"You did." He replied. "Your heart stopped twice. I wasn't sure.... I wasn't sure that I wanted to keep living after I thought you died." He started to cry.
"Beast Boy, I want you to know something." I said, trying to comfort him. "I want you to know that as long as there is a single breath in my body, as long as you are alive, I will never let myself die. If it causes extreme pain, so be it. If I can't use my limbs again, that's fine. I just...." I began to cry. "I just want to be with you." I wrapped my arms around him, and we both cried. Then, Robin ran into the room.
"I think you both should see this. Terra, your legs arn't broken anymore. Can you walk?" He asked. I nodded my head slowly. Beast Boy helped me up and we followed Robin back to the living room. The television was on the news channel. I froze when I saw Slade sitting at the desk, addressing the public of Jump City.
"Now that we have all the plesantries out of the way, ladies and gentlemen, I have some business which I would like to alert each and every one of you to. There is a girl named Terra, currently residing in Titans Tower. I guarentee that the first person to bring her to me will gain five million dollars. If you have her, I will know. Again, the person who brings this girl to me will be five million dollars richer. That is all." Slade explained, then he got up and left the news desk. I didn't know what to think. Slade had, in the course of a few minutes, turned the entire city against me. I felt paralized with fear, and didn't even notice when my legs collapsed below me and I fell to the floor. My stomach felt warm; the pain started again. I thought of the irony of the events that had just transpired, as Beast Boy came over to attend to me.
"She's going to die!" He screamed, tears in his eyes once more. "She's going to die, and there's nothing I can do to stop it! I'm useless!"
"Snap out of... it." I managed to struggle through pursed lips. "I'll live long enough to.... take you up on... that date." He smiled, but it was a pained smile; a smile of someone who was about to lose the one they loved. My breathing slowed. I decided that if I were to live, I would live each day as my last; I had already wasted away too much. Too many memories were the wrong ones. I closed my eyes. The pain stopped. The last of the blood trickled out of my torso.
I stood back up on my legs, much to the suprise of everyone else in the room. Beast Boy was amazed, as evidenced by the look on his face; eyes wide, jaw agape. My knee locked up, though only for a moment. I brushed my hair out of my face, and my eyelids slowly opened.
"Terra.... you should be dead..." Starfire exclaimed, softly.
"I don't want to die.." I replied.
"Damn, Terra, you're practically indestructable!" Cyborg said, excitedly. I smiled. Subconciously, I felt extremely weak, but I would let mere pain ruin this moment. "But now we have a real problem."
"Cyborg's right. Slade put a bounty on your head." Raven replied. "Now everyone will be after you."
"I spit at them." I said. "If Slade thinks that a bounty is going to stop me from going outdoors, he has another thing coming. I can see exactly how much resistance I get tonight."
"You mean it?" Beast Boy asked, enthusiastically.
"Right." I replied. "It's a date."
My sanity was starting to break away from me. It seemed that I was unable to die. Was I indestructable, or was it sheerly willpower? My frail human body could only take so much; however, it seemed that my mind just wanted more. More pain, more suffering. These were the thoughts running through my mind as I got ready for my date. Fresh bandages had once again been applied over my old blood-soaked ones. I tried to calm myself down; I couldn't get excited or scared tonight. Even if people tried to capture me... But Beast Boy woudn't let that happen. Time and time again I've trusted him with my life, and he's always been there for me. Tonight would be a different challenge, though; how far I could go both physically and emotionally before I start to lose it; before I start to die. I decided to check with Cyborg to see if the titans had access to some sort of relaxant drug; something that could bridge the gap between death and life for me. I estimated that I had maybe about three quarts of blood left; I wasn't really doing all that well in that department. If I was doing to die, though, it wouldn't be tonight. Memories flashed through my mind of what I remembered: constant attacks by Slade, immense pain, defeating Cinderblock, systematically killing myself every time that I let my heartbeat increase. It would all be worth something if I could make it through tonight. I hadn't really been able to express my feelings for Beast Boy before; everytime I tried, there was always an interruption of sorts. There was a knock on the door.
"Who is it?" I asked.
"It's me. Got a minute?" I went over to open the door. It was Raven. We had never really seen eye-to-eye before, but I thought that she was beginning to warm up to me. At least, I liked to think that she was. "Terra, I'm not going to sugarcoat it. I know exactly what you've been thinking. I've been reading your thoughts." I blushed, clearly embarrassed. Had Raven telekenetically heard all my ranting about myself, my life, my health, and my sanity? "Listen, I just want you to know, that if you ever feel yourself start to slip, just come talk to me. I know what it's like to feel alone. I know what it's like to feel extreme stress and physical limitations. Hell, the rest of us probably wouldn't last half as long as you have so far if confronted with the same situations." I was stunned. Raven was reaching out to me, trying to end my ways of self destruction.
"Alright, then. Raven.... thanks." I replied, and smiled.
"By the way, there's some morphine in the bathroom." She said. She left the room. There was a sudden pain in my arm; like a random reminder that I was still injured. I tried to keep myself calm, but the pain just wouldn't go away. I began to feel drowsy; my heart began to beat irregularly. I fell forwards onto the bed. Death had come for me; my body was attempting to shut itself down. I was slowly slipping into death's cold embrace, when I heard a sound. It was more like a mumble that I, while dying, could not make out. I barely felt something sharp pierce my skin, injecting an unknown liquid into my arm. Something lifted me up and deposited me face-up on the bed. I was not aware what was happening; everything was running together. Something else pierced my skin; a long plastic cord of sorts. I decided to close my eyes and let death take its course; if nothing else, the titans would finally be rid of me, and wouldn't have to put up with any more of my trouble. A white gloved hand crossed my field of vision before I let go.
I awakened in a daze. The room was clear of people. There was something cold on my temple; further examination revealed it to be an ice pack. A crimson liquid dripped into my skin via an I.V. It seemed that once again, death had retreated. Upon looking out the window, I noticed that it was light outside. Was it the same day or a new day? I decided to get up and get something to drink. I took a few steps, noting that nothing had trouble moving. I turned around the corner, and I saw Cyborg sitting on the couch, his arm wrapped around Beast Boy, as if to comfort him. Beast Boy's face was buried in his hands.
"... Man, how could I have been so stupid!? The only person I loved I didn't even get to express my true feelings for! And now, she's dead, and nothing's going to bring her back!"
"Hi.." I softly said, warrenting Cyborg and Beast Boy to turn around.
"But.... how?!" Cyborg responded, obviously shocked. "You flatlined! We all thought that you were dead!"
"Terra?" Beast Boy asked softly, drying his eyes with his hands. He stood up, and moved around to the back of the couch where I was standing. He was beginning to cry again, but it didn't matter; so was I. He ran his hand down my cheek. "You're... alive.." He hugged me tightly. I was feeling better; there was no imminant pain. I heard footsteps and voices.
"... So, they said that a funeral would probably be pretty expensive, but nothing that we couldn't do. The casket is where they get you..." Robin, Raven and Starfire came up the stairs into the room. They all stopped once they saw me. "You're bullshitting me, arn't you?!" Robin exclaimed. "Why won't you die!"
"I didn't know that you wanted me dead." I replied.
"Terra... you know that's not what he meant." Beast Boy responded. I knew I couldn't get out of this one, so I decided to change the subject.
"So, you ready for our date?" I asked. A smile creeped across Beast Boy's face.
"Let's go! Guys, hold my calls." He replied.
"You never get any calls." Starfire responded.
"Spoilsport." He grabbed my arm and we ran through the door.
We had decided we were going to go see a movie; which one, though, we would think about when we got to the theatre. The walk there was strangly uneventful; people saw us, people passed us. The paranoia began to kick in; that they were merely luring me into a false sense of security; but I just ignored it. There would be plenty of time to be paranoid later. Besides, this was the night I would finally get to go out on a date with Beast Boy; a date devoid of interruptions and wrongdoings. We made it to the theatre without being attacked; I begin to hope that maybe people had forgotton about Slade's proclaimation earlier in the day. I let Beast Boy choose the movie, figuring that he would choose something scary. Instead, he chose a drama, and I was a bit suprised. After getting our snacks, we went into the movie.
The movie was alright, I thought, coming out of the theatre. It was now dark, and streetlights bathed the road, turning it orange.
"So, what did you think?" Beast Boy asked.
"It was alright." I replied. "Not something I would see by myself." I shivered. It was abnormally cold for a late spring evening.
"Are you alright?" Beast Boy asked, acting concerned. I guess his concern for me had never really left. He had been here for me when I needed him most. I nodded my head, putting my hands in my pockets. We had began to head back to the tower, and yet no one had attacked. I guessed the date could be considered a success. There was a moment of silence, and then there was a beeping sound. Beast Boy pulled out his communicator, while we continued to walk.
"Robin, Terra's with me. What is it?" Beast Boy said, talking into the microphone.
"We need you both to get back here, now." Robin replied, talking quickly. "Security has been breached." Beast Boy closed his communicator, and we both started to run back to the tower. When we were about twenty feet away, I saw what the problem was; Slade's minions had circled all around the tower and were pouring in the door. I quickly estimated there to be a hundred there, maybe more. I grabbed a nearby rock with my powers, and flung it at the massive army that was still left outside. It crushed some of them, but it had turned their attention to me and Beast Boy. He turned into a tiger, lunging towards the army on all fours. I ran towards the entrance to the tower, taking out the robots as I went. I flung rocks at them with all the strength I could muster; I was beginning to feel a little tired, and, what was worse, excited. I knew that I had to stop doing this, or the adrenaline would start and I would die. I was in a very bad situation, and either way I would lose. Then, I had an idea. I grabbed a switchblade out of my back pocket, pulled up my shirt sleeve, and cut a small gash in my arm. I began to feel better as the blood trickled out of my self-inflicted wound and onto the ground. I started to become less aware of my actions; I was feeling it again, the raw power surging through my veins, something I hadn't felt since my unfortunate betrayal... But now was not the time to dwell on the past. I had managed to clear a way to the entrance of the tower by now, smashing in the artificial organs of my opponents with a certain level of hate. I was feeling sadistic, but I subconciously knew that I wouldn't be able to face the other titans feeling like this. This power was overtaking me; I felt invincible. I ran inside the front entryway to the tower. Someone grabbed me from behind, and put their hand over my mouth, though I could still breathe. I began to calm down; the tension in my muscles eased up. The person let go, and I saw that it was Beast Boy, making his way quietly to the main floor. I followed behind him, creeping up the stairs silently. He pulled the door open. Smoke drifted around the room, bodies of androids on the floor. I begin to feel a bit lightheaded; whether it was from the smoke or something else, I didn't know. I stepped outside the room, gasping for fresh air. My throat was burning; I slumped up against a wall and fell to the floor. Knowing that this was clean air, I closed my eyes and fell asleep.
I woke up, wincing as my eyes reacted to the bright light above my face. I was lying on something cold and metallic; the room around me was dark and unfamiliar. Suprisingly, I found nothing attached to my skin. I began to feel alone and paranoid; perhaps someone had found me and handed me over to Slade? I pushed the thought from my head, labelling it as useless and depressing. I couldn't be depressed now; I had to get out of here and find the other titans. I heard a door slide open. I curled my hands into fists and slowly slid off the table. I crawled over to a dark corner of the room. I curled up and waited for my inevitable fate. I closed my eyes tightly; I didn't want to see the end of myself. I felt something pick me up. My body was numb with fear, and I dare not open my eyes in case I saw the wrong person. I was put down. I shuddered, turning over the possibilities of what this could be in my mind. Cool air blew into my face. I coughed. Now I had given myself away, but it didn't matter; now, since my promises had been fulfilled, I would embrace my fate. For that split second, I felt lonlier than I had my entire life. Something hit my stomach. I recoiled to the pain; the pain that would not seem to go away. Someone shook me hard.
"Terra... Terra, wake up." A distant voice seemed to say. I opened my eyes. Beast Boy was looming over me, a grin on his face. Was the entire thing merely a dream? A hallucionation? My head was throbbing.
"What... happened?" I asked, smiling weakly.
"You fell alseep in the hallway." He replied. "You were sleepling really calmly, so I thought I'd just pick you up and bring you here." Was this really the truth? What of the strange room? The pain? I curled up and shuddered, my mind racing with a hundred thoughts at once. Was this mere paranoia, or was there something deeper? Beast Boy, obviously sensing my plight, pulled a metal case out of his pocket. He opened it up and withdrew a needle, which he proceeded to carefully stick in my arm, a clear liquid draining out of it and going underneath my skin. I felt calmer, somehow; though my brain was still pounding, I began to feel better. My muscles relaxed from their tense state. My breathing slowed, and I began to feel eerily drowsy.
"Can't sleep... now. Must.... beat... Slade." I mumbled, rather incohenrantly. Beast Boy seemed to have understood, though.
"Don't worry, Terra. Slade's not here." He replied. He stroked my head, and I was soon asleep.
I felt a shock. This couldn't be happening. Another one. I yelped. I could feel my body being pushed to the limit; I soon would be dead. The same thing had happened before; had Slade captured me? The odd thing was that there was no pain; nothing like what I had felt before, just mild shocks at random intervals. As suddenly as it started, it stopped. I heard the sound of metal on metal, then footsteps, travelling away. A door opened. More footsteps, coming towards me. They stopped. The only noise that I heard was the sound of my own heavy breathing. I felt someone standing over me. I probably looked weak; helpless. I felt a nudge. I opened my eyes, and there was darkness.
"Who... Who's there?" I asked, afraid. The paranoia had returned, but then it was gone as quickly as it came. My head hurt. I was feeling dizzy.
"Terra, we've done something to you." A familiar voice replied. "We're not entirely sure exactly how accident-prone you are, and the constant feeling of paranoia sure doesn't help, so we've..."
"What have you done to me?!" I screamed, interrupting. I strangly began to calm down.
"We've taken control of your nervous system." Another voice replied. Someone turned on the light. Raven and Robin were in the room.
"What? Why?!" I replied, angrilly. I didn't feel different now; my rage was building.
"We need you to feel safe and normal." Raven said. "You're too unstable, both emotionally and physically."
"So, is this my life now? To be your puppet?" I shot back. I looked at my feet. Cyborg ran in the room.
"Guys, Slade's attacking the city. Let's go!"