Rocky Territory
By Letselina
Chapter Eight
Terra
Sobs echoed in the air as four friends attempted to comfort each other. Hidden behind a hood was Raven, fighting tears. Her fists were tightly clenched into small balls in her lap as she attempted to compose herself. Anger, and other mixed emotions, tore at her heart and mind, fighting to become free. She didn't let her mouth open, in the fear that she would burst into tears and cry.
Raven's opposite, Starfire, however, lacked the ability to hide her emotions. One reason might have been she didn't have an angry alter ego inside her, but the other was probably that she was always expressing her feelings. Tears fell from her emerald eyes like waterfalls, and strangled sobs escaped her throat. She buried her face in the chest of her leader, Robin, who had easily taken her in his arms.
The Boy Wonder was another who often had trouble expressing his feelings, and this time was no exception. Sitting against the wall, he held the Tamaranean princess in his arms, and gently stroked her fiery red hair with one of his gloved hands. He neither spoke nor cried, but simply stared at the girl in his arms. Shock was taking over his mind, and he too, was afraid to shed his own tears.
The final Titan stood in front of the glass, staring at a large pile of rocks in the middle of the room. No tears formed in human eye as he glared with anger at the boulders. Cyborg silently begged for his fallen friend to climb out of the mess with only a few bruises. He wanted to go back in time, and erase what had happened. Beastboy had been his friend, and now he was dead.
Dead.
The word echoed in the minds of the four remaining Titans as they attempted to regain their composure.
Terra killed him. Terra killed Beastboy.
They had been betrayed by the earthmover before, but she had turned good in the end. She had only been confused, hadn't she?
Now she was evil.
She killed him. She killed Beastboy.
Cyborg pounded his mechanical fists against the glass, letting out a loud cry as he finally collapsed to his knees.
'One down, four to go.'
They had all heard her.
'The backstabbing conniving little...' Raven closed her eyes again. She had to keep calm...
Starfire had finally fallen silent. She still rested against Robin's chest, but she didn't move. She didn't speak. Perhaps she had run out of tears, or just the strength to cry. Her lime green eyes stared blankly at the glass window.
"We have to get out of here," Robin said, many moments later. His voice caused all the Titans to look up at him.
None of the Titans responded in any way.
"Come on..." Robin stood, helping Starfire to stand as well. "We can't just sit here and... and wait to die!"
"He's right," Raven's hoarse voice spoke. "We have to escape." Slowly, the dark teen stood, still hidden beneath her hood.
"We can't let Beast..." Robin exhaled loudly from his nose, then continued again, "We can't let his death be in vain."
"Then we escape," Cyborg said quietly.
"For Beastboy," Starfire whispered, grasping the sides of her abdomen with her dainty hands. "Let us succeed." Tears still glittered in her eyes, but her determination shone brightly.
Robin smiled weakly, glad his friends were able to pull through. "Here's the plan..."
It was dark.
So... so dark...
Fear crept over his body. 'So this is death.' He wished to open his eyes, and see the bright lights. He wanted to make the pain end. He didn't want to be trapped in the dark.
"Beastboy..."
There was a voice... It so surreal... Almost ethereal. Perhaps someone was coming to fetch him. He didn't belong there, in the damp, cold earth. He could feel it rubbing against his skin, causing him to shiver.
Memories dissipated, and his thoughts slowed down. Why should he continue to wait? He just wanted to rest.
He had nothing to worry about. Only to reach his destination. That was his only cause...
"Beastboy."
It was firmer this time. Closer. Like someone attempting to wake him from a deep, deep sleep. There was no color to the voice, only a soft ring, like an angel, calling to him.
Maybe there was no voice. Maybe it was just his mind, wishing for someone beside him.
It was so dark.
"Beastboy!"
There was urgency now. And a faint amount of vibrance. The voice sounded more realistic everytime it spoke.
Then, a light.
It was dim at first, like the first star poking out of the darkening sky. It glimmered in the darkness, calling out his name.
"Beastboy!"
It was a female. A soft feminine voice, stretching out to him. The light grew, shining brighter and brighter with every passing moment.
"Beastboy! It's me! Wake up!"
He recognized the voice... but was unable to place a name. It was as if any happy memory of the glorious voice had been drained out of his being.
"Please... Beastboy... I need you..."
She was crying. The light shone, revealing a young girl's figure.
"Don't cry..." he opened his mouth to say. But instead of his voice escaping, the sour taste of wet earth fell onto his tongue.
"Come on... You're almost there..."
"Please stop crying... Terra..."
A tsunami of memories flooded his mind, and he gasped for air. Terra. Her voice echoed in his mind like an angelic harp, soothing him. Her name repeated over and over as the female figure stepped closer.
"Beastboy, take my hand..."
He moved his arm, seeing his clothed arm and gloved hand. Gently, he placed his hand in hers, and she squeezed it gently. "Terra..." he spoke, his voice scratchy.
The light was unbearably bright now, blinding him as he was pulled up.
The crisp air caused him to shudder as he sucked in a long breath. Slowly, he opened his evergreen eyes, seeing the light had faded.
Beastboy sat in the cell he had been placed in long before, looking around in disbelief. He remembered battling Gaia - and she had killed him. Hadn't she?
No...
That had all been in his mind. The pain he had dreamt about. It wasn't real. He was alive...
"Beastboy...?"
His head snapped around, the voice causing his heart to skip a few beats. His eyes widened, and his jaw fell. Not only was his cell open, but sitting on a plain hospital bed was a girl.
Terra.
And she was awake.
Jumping up, Beastboy grinned like a child riding his first trike. His mind screamed at him, 'TRAP!' but he refused to listen. Not even Gaia could look the way she did now.
This was the real Terra. A rainbow of bruises, cuts, and burns gave her the appearance of a tired soldier, but proved this was truly the one who had sat in stone for over a year. Golden locks of hair were mussed and snarled, but still framed her face perfectly.
Then there were her eyes. Crystal blue, up to the rim with tears. This was Terra.
It had to be.
"Terra!" Beastboy's voice cracked as tears poured from his eyes. With one powerful leap, he managed to stand beside her, and pull her in his arms. "I can't believe you're finally awake!"
"I'm glad to see you too," the blonde whispered weakly. "But you're hurting me more than Starfire does..."
Letting go with a chuckle, the changeling smiled. "Sorry... I'm just... so happy... You won't believe what's been going on."
Terra smiled, looking around, "Where are we?"
Like a bad dream, everything rushed back to Beastboy. "We've got to--"
He was interrupted by a large rock, slamming into his chest. It knocked the wind out of him, causing him to fall backwards. A large rock hand covered his mouth, and dragged him back into the cell.
'Terra!' he attempted to scream - but nothing came out.
Another blonde rushed into the room. Gaia. Her eyes were wide - and she almost looked flustered, as if she hadn't been prepared for Terra to be awake.
Terra looked at the other girl, frightened. "W-who are you?"
A genuine smile crept across Gaia's lips. "A friend," she said gently, taking Terra's arm. "Come on." With that, she led the former Titan out of the room, only looking back to give an evil smirk at the changeling as she shut the door.
The rock let go of Beastboy, and he took in a long, loud breath, refilling his lungs. Anger overcame him, and he feared the worst for Terra.
What was Slade's plan? Why had Terra finally woken up?
What was going to happen to him now?
Gaia led Terra through the warehouse, finally coming upon an exit. "Here we are," she said, the smile still plastered across her face. Pointing a finger toward the sunset, she said, "It's that way to Jump City. I'm sure someone can help you there."
"But Beastboy..." Terra shook her head, confusion reigning her body and mind.
Gaia let out a quiet sigh. "He's not the guy you thought you knew... Listen, I've heard so much about you Terra. I know how the Titans betrayed you... I revived you - because," smiling a little, she let a golden glow take over her hand, and a small stone, "I know you're like me. It's hard - having so much power."
"You're telling me..." Terra replied quietly. "But the Titans didn't--"
"They want to kill you Terra!" Gaia interrupted.
Taken back, the original earthmover backed away. "What... what are you talking about?"
"They tried to take you away! I don't know how - but they found out I had revived you - and they tried to steal you away. They wanted to kill you - and make sure you stayed dead." Gaia set down the stone with her power. "That's why I had to keep Beastboy in a cell. He was... so determined. You can't imagine the anger... the hatred he felt against you. I just want you to have a fair chance Terra."
Biting down on her lip, Terra shook her head. "I can't believe it... They really... want me dead?"
Gaia touched her shoulder sympathetically. "I'm sorry I can't help you anymore. Someone should be able to help you - maybe you can go somewhere else, like Gotham or..."
"I'll find my way... Thanks," Terra said quietly. She gave a thankful smile to Gaia, and turned in disbelief, heading toward the city.
Gaia watched the girl walk away, grinning like a maniac. 'Don't be too thankful.'
"One... Two... THREE!"
There was a loud bang, and then a simultaneous "Ouch" from four teenagers.
Robin rubbed his head painfully. They had gone through a long list of plans to escape already - all of which had failed. "Any more ideas?"
"Unless we try to assemble an army of gerbils or get a tank," Raven shook her head, thinking of what Beastboy would have said, "No."
"We can try barging through again, I guess," Cyborg said tiredly.
"Yes, perhaps we will have weakened the door the last time," Starfire said. Her body was tired, but her determination was strong.
Cyborg stood with his right shoulder to the door, "Everyone ready?"
Everyone lined up behind him, readying to slam all their weight and strength in hopes the door would budge.
"One..." Starfire started.
"Two..." Raven continued.
"THREE!" shouted all four Titans, letting out a battle cry as they slammed into the door.
Much to their surprise, the door flung open, falling off its hinges as the four Titans landed in a messy pile.
"Success!" cried the Tamaranean.
There was still a large pile of boulders near the center of the room. Each of the Titans fell silent as they neared it, a small sliver of hope remaining that their fallen comrade was still alive. "Should we try?" Cyborg asked, his voice low.
Before any of them could answer, a door on the other side of the cave-like room opened, and laser guns fired at them.
"Titans!" Robin yelled, assembling the team. They began to run for the opposite exit. Slade-bots began to pour our of the exit, chasing them to their destination.
They ran (and flew) through a maze of halls and rooms, each one spilling out more robots.
"They are gaining on us!" Starfire shouted.
"I think this is the exit!" replied Robin, judging by the light coming from the bottom of the door.
Bursting through the door, the remaining Titans reached the outside.
Before any robots could follow them, they slammed shut the door, feeling a slight bit of relief.
"We made it..." Robin said, exhausted.
"Finally," Cyborg agreed.
"Raven...?" the Tamaranean princess glanced at their dark friend.
Raven stared ahead at the sunset, a powerful look of anger on her face. "It's her," she said quietly, venom in her voice.
There, walking down the dusty path, was a familiar blonde. She had a limp in her step, and seemed to be muttering to herself.
It was Terra.
A/N: Woo-hoo! I've been waiting to write these next few chapters for a loooong time. Not much to say today - except reviews make me happy! Please review - and I'll update faster I promise! Especially since it's summer now Review on your way out - Letselina