Lost Memories

Robin loved being a superhero. He loved the thrill of catching the enemy, and the natural high of doing the right thing. His favorite villain? Slade. You could almost say he was passionate about catching the masked man, and felt at his peak whenever he was winning in battle.

But when Terra had conformed to Slade's ways and became his apprentice, fighting Slade no longer seemed to be a game. It was a hunt. He truly knew how evil Slade was, and could not let another be forced to match to his ways, even if that person did betray them.

So when Terra disappeared in a fit of screams, frightened and alone in her mind, Robin knew that Slade had come back for her. It didn't matter what he had thought before, and whether he believes his own words.

Slade is back from the dead, and now he's taken Terra again.

"Where'd she go!" Beast Boy asked frantically, flailing his arms around. "Who took her? What's going on? Is she going to be okay?"

"Slade," Robin said simply, narrowing his eyes. The other titans stared at him, unsure of how to react. "He jumped through the window and blinded us with smoke of some sort. Then he took Terra and ran."

"No!" Beast Boy hollered, stamping his foot. "No, no, no! You're wrong! Slade can't be back!"

"B, calm down." Cyborg placed his hand on the green changeling's shoulder. "I know it's hard to believe, but… It happened."

"Yes, and we will not let him get away with it!" Starfire clenched her fists.

"What if Terra had this arranged with Slade?" Raven spoke, suddenly catching everyone's glance. "Who knows what's been going on with her? Maybe this is what she wanted."

"She was screaming," Beast Boy said, rage penting up inside of him. "And every time he talked to her in… in her mind, she called for me." Raven looked at him in disbelief. "It's true, Rae. Just because you don't like her doesn't mean that every theory you throw out about her is true."

"Don't question me."

"Friends! Don't fight!" Starfire frowned slightly.

"Yeah, tensions are high and all, but this is getting us nowhere." Cyborg concurred. "We need a plan."

The team looked to Robin, who looked as if he were in deep thought. Finally he slapped his hands together and said, "All right, team, here's what we're gonna do…"

Terra looked around her surroundings cautiously, and for what seemed to be the millionth time. It seemed to hold some sort of intangible nostalgia… something she couldn't tap in to.

She felt in danger, yet so secure.

"Who are you?" Terra finally spoke.

The man wavered for a minute, then finally answered, "I am the answer to all of your pleas."

"What pleas? I was happy at titan's tower!"

"Were you?" Terra thought for a moment. She had friends there, was learning to control her powers again, and was slowly beginning to remember her past. And then, there was Beast Boy. He was so sweet…

"Yes, yes I was," She answered confidently. "Now take me back."

The man shook his head, chuckling slightly. "I don't think so, Terra."

Terra stood up, staring directly at him. "What do you want with me?"

He shrugged. "What can you remember of me, of us?"

"Nothing."

"That's a lie."

She felt her chest tighten. Did he really know, or was he playing mind games with her?

Mind games… "Slade!" She gasped. "You…!"

"I." He said simply, stepping closer to her. "Do you remember what we did together?" She shook her head. "We did great things, dear. We were powerful. Together, we were unstoppable."

Terra hesitated. Was he telling the truth? "R-really?"

"Oh yes." He grinned. "We were then, and we could be now."

She felt herself become sucked into his lies, wanting to hear more. Was this her real past? What sort of key did he hold?

"Now then, what do you say? How would you like to step onto the path of greatness once again?"

She felt her airwaves close, unable to speak, unable to think. She wanted to say no, but at the same time, she wanted to say yes.

He's evil, he's evil, he's evil. Don't listen to him. Just… get out of there!

Slade grinned. That's right, you have to fight for yourself, because the titans will never come to your rescue.

And that's when everything went black.