Shellshocked
Chapter 6 "Evil Within"
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Raven's eyes snapped open in fear, her heart and head pumping hard. Pain tickled at the back of her head as she slowly sat up and glanced at the clock, it was barely six in the morning. Outside her window she could hear a distant, yet clear and loud caw from what she was guessing a rooster. That rooster was obviously Beast Boy. Normally he would only wake up everyone at dawn as a rooster on top of the tower only when he woke up early enough. Raven rested her thumping head on her soft pillow and cursed. Of all days Beast Boy had to wake up the whole tower...
Despite her headache, she realized she was not at all sleepy. Slowly she noticed her head was not the only thing hurting, her stomach was as well. It wasn't a stomachache type of pain, it was a hunger pain. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't eaten dinner the previous night.
Raven yawned quietly and forced herself to sit up. Once on her feet she felt slightly dizzy and her headache increased the slightest bit more. It was unusual for her to have a headache, especially first thing in the morning. Well, she figured a small headache wouldn't be something a shower couldn't fix.
Thirty minutes later after Raven came out of the shower dressed and ready for the day, once she stepped outside her room door the smell of Cyborg's breakfast waffles suddenly made her mouth water.
"Morning Raven." Robin greeted once the goth titan stepped inside the kitchen.
She wasn't a person to formally greet others, but a simple nod with her head was enough for her.
"Glorious morning to you friend Raven." Starfire happily cried and waved with both of her hands in the air from where she sat, beside Robin and Beast Boy.
Raven sat in her chair, the farthest from everyone, and glanced towards the kitchen where she found Cyborg already working on a tall stack of waffles. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Beast Boy still giving her angry glares. Apparently he was stilling remembering what happened the night before. The other titans, however, seemed to not have remembered anything.
"Waffles are ready!" Cyborg shouted happily from the kitchen.
Raven mentally smiled and "lifted" the plate that held the tall stack of waffles and brought it to the table.
"Dig in y'all." Cyborg grinned as he sat down.
Immediately everyone, but Beast Boy, dug into stack and placed a few waffles on their plates before scarfing down. Robin ate normally, and neatly, but at a fast pace. Starfire, surprisingly from experiencing her manners at her home planet, was also eating neatly and politely but not at all fast. Cyborg and Raven could practically eat each waffle in two bites. Raven had never felt so hungry and no matter how many waffles she ate, the hunger still did not fade.
"Friend, why are you not joining us in the digging of food?" Starfire asked Beast Boy.
The green titan nodded his head and mumbled something about already eating before Cyborg started cooking. Why he bothered to sit at the table he didn't know, but Raven couldn't shake off the feeling of his eyes constantly on her, glaring.
Just when Raven was about to bite into a new waffle, a sudden sharp pain stabbed at the center of her head and made her wince and a soft grunt escaped her lips.
"Raven, you ok?" Robin asked, the outside corners of his mask turning downward and the inner corners turned upward.
Pain stabbed in her head again, tears formed from the corner of her eyes and rolled down her cheek.
"Dude." Beast Boy cried, his anger for the dark girl suddenly forgotten. "What's up?"
Raven shook her head and clutched it. She didn't know what was wrong nor what was causing this headache. Never had she felt anything so painful. In fact, it felt like if her brain was being stretched to its limits.
As quickly as the pain came, it faded. Raven opened her moist eyes and glanced at her friends, her face burning with embarrassment. Everyone's eyes were wide and hollow, their mouths in the shape of a small dot. Raven looked further down and saw that each of their drinking cups were in pieces on the kitchen table.
What's going on?
"Sorry." Raven muttered and quickly sat up to leave. She swiftly walked towards the door but she was blocked off by Robin, his face filled with extreme worry.
"What happened?" He asked.
"Migraine." The pale girl replied. "Happens once in a while."
"Oh." Robin breathed. He sounded relieved but his face still looked worried.
"Friend." Starfire interjected. "We possess the killers of pain if you require them."
"No." Raven muttered. "I just need to meditate."
Robing nodded and stepped aside. Raven passed him and felt her face grow hotter and her head slowly began to hurt again. She had better reach her room before the pain got out of hand again.
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"We have to what?" Terra asked Anger.
Both were standing on top of another pathway that led to an area that was, according to Anger, safe and private. Terra's face was frozen in shock and Anger smirked. It walked closer to Terra and outstretched its hand. First it was empty, then it's hand began to glow a dark black and a small ragged dagger formed. The black glow faded and Anger handed Terra the black dagger.
The blonde carefully took it, her eyebrow arched. "How did you do that?"
"Magic." Anger said simply. "You could do the same."
The black dagger in Terra's hands disappeared with a wave from Anger's pale hand. Terra lifted her eyes at the red cloaked emotion and noticed a slight glow of its four eyes.
"I could?" She asked. "How?"
"You can move and shape rocks anyway you can can't you?" Anger hissed, its temper was awfully short. "Then shape a rock into anything you wish, and maim each and every emotion, one by one."
"But...why?" Terra asked, her blue eyes scanning the four red eyes for another flash.
A wicked grin appeared on Anger's shadowy face. "Maiming an emotion will weaken them. Don't hold back, Terra." Its red eyes flashed once more. "Do not fear, emotions cannot be killed. But in their weakened state, I will be able to absorb them."
Terra nodded. "What happens to them once you've absorbed them?" Then she winced. "If you don't mind me asking."
Anger was not annoyed by her question. In fact, it was more than happy to reply. "Think of absorbing her emotions will...become influenced by me."
Its answer still did not satisfy Terra but she was against asking Anger anything more. Except, there was one more.
"Ok so if I help you 'influence' the other emotions, then how does that help me?"
"Raven will have no power against me, nor you for that matter. You will be able to control her body as if it was your own, ad there will be nothing she can do about it."
Terra half grinned. "Who do I take out first?"
It was Anger's turn to smile. "Happy. That emotion will be the weakest, and easiest to eliminate. I will be nearby, once Happy is taken care of, I'll handle the rest."
"What about Raven?" Terra asked worriedly. "Wouldn't she know what's going on?"
Anger shook its head. "She'll be weakened. She will not be able to sense anything wrong. After all, it is in her nature, she is half demon."
Terra rose an eyebrow. That was something new. She never expected Raven to be a demon, well officially half of one.
"Now." Anger announced while it turned its back to Terra. "It's time to initiate our plan."
"Consider it done." Terra whispered reassuringly. She still didn't know if she could trust Anger. But the temptation it was giving her was too much. The thought of having her own body, being with Beast Boy, just being alive was more than enough to make her do anything.
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"Azerath..." Raven cleared her mind and ignored the dull pain in her head.
"Metrion..." Her body was no longer in any pain, all she could feel was the emotions she kept bottled up.
"Zinthos." She forced her emotions away into her mind, but it would take some time to keep them at bay.
Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by the loud alarm that would go off every time an emergency occurred. Raven sighed in frustration, today just wasn't her day...
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Terra inhaled a large gulp of air, let it settle in her lungs, then expelled it out. Her hands were shaking and butterflies somersaulted in her stomach. She was standing just outside the entrance to Happy's territory.
When she was to betray the Teen Titans, she did feel bad about doing it at first. Especially hurting Beast Boy, but she did not feel nervous. Why now she would feel nervous, she did not know. She did have experience in this category.
Just get this over with. The sooner the better.
Terra kept her eyes shut for a moment and took a final deep breath. Then she stepped through the doorless entrance to Happy's territory, and she became engulfed in sunlight and her feet were surrounded by dozens of colorful flowers.
"Hello?" Terra asked as she scanned the area. She was expecting Happy to be playing among the flowers or climbing the trees, as she's come to know Happy does for most of her time.
The blonde walked around bit still searching for the pink robed emotion, but it was no where in sight. Great, what if Happy wasn't around? What if her absence ruined Anger's plan? Terra grew worried and scared at the same time when she felt something cold and wet enter her left ear.
She squealed and nearly jumped out of her shoes. Terra felt shivers down her back and the hairs at the back of her neck rose up. Then she heard laughter.
"Good one." A pinked robed Raven duplicate announced.
Terra then realized with Happy standing in front of her, then what was the cause of her ear being stabbed with a wet object, and whom was Happy motioning to? She was about to turn to find out who else was present but before she could even steal a glance at the intruder, the back of her pants were forcefully being pulled up and into areas she surely wished clothes would stay out of.
Terra held in a pained grunt and ackwardly stepped away from whomever was behind her. She stopped until her back met with a tree.
Happy was on all floors laughing and next to the pink emotion, was another, an orange robed emotion.
"Ha ha ha ha ha, now that was the king of all wedgies." Raven's Gross personality laughed and pointed at Terra. "You have to admit, that was good."
Terra growled under her breath while pulling her pants from the thigh area.
That's it, I don't care if there's two of them.
"Say guys." Terra smiled, a little too darkly. "Want to see something really funny?"
Happy and Gross glanced at each other and shrugged. They were willing to fall for a prank of Terra's, but they would get back twice as hard.
"Sure." They said in unison and walked towards Terra.
"What's up?" Happy asked, a wide smile still sprawled on her face.
Terra lifted both her hands at chest level, and as quickly as she could, formed two rigged daggers in each hand and quickly stabbed both emotions before either could blink.
"Wha–" Gross whispered but was immediately kicked in the face by Terra's boot.
The blonde titan lifted a nearby rock and kept it on top of the orange emotion while she took care of the pink one first.
"Not again." Happy cried, her eyes filled with a new emotion, anger.
"Got that right." Terra laughed and stabbed Happy again with her rock dagger. She was half expecting blood to pour out of the wound but there was nothing, but it did affect the emotion.
She rose her hand up and slashed at Happy's face but it tried to protect its face with its arms and ended up getting its arms slashed. Terra kicked at Happy's legs and sent it to the ground. Terra rose her dagger up once more and slammed it down, connecting it with Happy's torso.
Before Terra could remember another emotion was present, she was hit against the back with something solid and heavy. Terra rolled on the floor and turned to see Gross, clutching its torso, but holding up a tree surrounded in black aura. Gross swung the tree at Terra but narrowly missed.
Terra continued to roll out of Gross' attacks until she had a clear shot at the emotion. Eyes glowing yellow, she lifted the rock under Gross' feet, sending the emotion and the tree to the ground. Terra quickly scrambled to her feet, but not taking any chances, lifted another rock and sent both hurling down to Gross.
The emotion cried out in pain as it was repeatedly slammed into rock, its head and torso becoming the rocks personal beating bag.
"Enough!" Happy screamed. It, too, got on its feet and gained control of the rocks Terra was using, and threw them towards the blonde.
Terra couldn't move away in time and was shoved to the floor by both rocks. She covered her face with her arms, expecting for the rocks to continue to beat down onto her but she felt nothing. She opened her eyes and saw that Happy had turned its back to her. It was on the floor checking on Gross, which was out of the battle completely. The orange emotion was not moving, nor talking.
Seeing her chance, Terra used a rock to fly her as quickly as she could towards Happy with her rock dagger in hand, reached her arm around the emotions shoulders, and sliced the dagger across its neck. Then Terra sent a boulder, the size of her body, hurling towards Happy's back and pushed so much pressure onto it, the rock shattered upon contact with Happy's back.
Standing, panting, and hurting, Terra stared at the work she had done. This was something new. When she was working for Slade, she wasn't this harsh to the titans. Sure she slapped them around with a rock or two, but she didn't stab them, nor slice their throats. Nor did she repeatedly hit them with a rock the size of a car. She almost felt...well bad.
"Good work." Anger's deep and bitter voice rung in Terra's ear.
The blonde turned to her side and saw the red emotion grinning at her handiwork, eyes flashing a dangerous dark red.
"I couldn't have done it better myself." It said. "And two emotions at that."
Terra smiled weakly, she didn't know if she was going to stand around and smile or if she was going to be violently sick. If she were alive she would have been sick, but inside a persons mind, she couldn't. All she could do was stare.
Fighting the emotions was like fighting an actual person. It felt like killing an actual person. She was taken out of her self pity thoughts as she watched Anger's emotions. It placed a hand on each emotions head, directly on each of their chakra crystals, and Terra watched in awe. Happy's chakra glowed a bright pink for a brief, yet long, moment until it began to fade and darken. The glow was no longer pink, it turned black, then the glow stopped. Once the chakra stopped glowing, Happy's robes went from pink, to a dark, nearly red, pink. When Happy opened its eyes, Terra almost gasped, it now had four.
Anger laughed evilly and turned to face Gross. It also placed its hand on its forehead and the same process with Happy occurred with Gross. At the end, its chakra and robes also turned to from orange, to a darker shade, an almost brown color. Then it, too, grew another set of eyes.
"Well done." Anger nodded to Terra. "Now, for the others."
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Nightfall grew and silence finally emerged the Titans Tower. After the hero's returned after stopping another Hive "try out" attack, they all had dinner at a local pizza restaurant then returned home for their "movie night", it was Robin's turn to decide on the movie which turned out to be a very good action packed thriller that each titan enjoyed, even Raven.
Once the movie was over, each titan retired to their room for some shut eye. Raven delayed sleep for a few minutes for a quick meditation. Once she was done, she hung up her cloak and crawled under her covers. As she rested her head on her pillow, she stared out of the window that was to the left of her bed. She always did have the best view of the city at this hour. She preferred the night over day anytime, simply because the city's hidden beauty was displayed best at night. A yawn escaped and her eyelids grew heavy. Her breathing slowed and she was about to finally get some sleep when a terrible pain words could not describe stabbed at Raven's head.
Never had she felt a pain such as this, from all of her previous battles and wounds, both physically and mentally, all put together could not match this pain. It felt as if someone was trying to open her skull with a small razor blade. Raven couldn't suppress the screams anymore, the pain was too powerful.
Her jaw dropped and an agonized scream amplified throughout the entire tower, awakening every titan. Raven clutched her head tightly and curled up into a tight ball, She felt her whole body in shock from pain, she didn't know if it was her whole body hurting at all or if it was just her head.
She screamed again and rolled off the bed, her legs tangled in her sheets. Worried cries of her name came from the other side of her door but she could not hear them. All she could hear was her own pained screaming. Now her head felt as if her brain was being slowly burned from the inside out.
After one final scream, her whole surrounding became engulfed in a black aura and everything went out of control. Anything made out of glass shattered, her mirror and her window. Her books flew out of their shelves and slammed against the walls. Her door opened and closed rapidly until Cyborg held it open for the others to get in.
Robin, Starfire, Beast Boy, and Cyborg dodged everything they could and nearly collapsed with fear. The madness of every object in Raven's room was not what scared them, but the sight of their friend in inhuman pain on the floor, tears flowing out of her eyes, blood trickling out of her mouth, nose, and ears, was simply frightening.
