Chapter Ten

Terra was quaking with fear at this appearance of a ghost from her past. As much as Beast Boy's appearance pained her, this one was far worse, more horrifying than anything!

"W-what do you want?" she asked.

"Come now, don't play dumb with me. I know all about you, Terra." He chuckled. "Even the color of your underwear!"

Embarrassed as she had never been before, she quickly pulled her pants up and fastened them.

"What do you want, you sick pervert!"

"Now don't try the same crap on me as you did with Beast Boy. And yes, I know about that!"

"You know nothing! You don't even know who I am!"

"Terra, who else but you would know how to find this place? Who else but you would know how to use the computer systems, or activate one of my robot clones? Hmm?"

The geomancer hung her head in shame. "I don't need this in my life, Slade!" she yelled.

"Of course you do! You are more than what you have become! You are my apprentice!"

"Not any more! I don't even know how to use my powers."

"Please, I know you know how to use them. You just have to remember, that's all."

"Drop dead, I'm never using them again!"

"You will, in the right situation."

"Like what?"

Slade laughed. He then approached her.

"What are you doing?" she asked, backing toward the wall. She tried to kick at him, but he blocked her moves.

He then grabbed her head with both hand and was literally face to face with her!

"I hate loosing, Terra! You know that! I told you so when you trained under me! So, you will become my apprentice again! And you will use your powers!"

"Never!" she yelled.

Slade began to squeeze her head! Terra gritted her teeth in defiance as he did so, struggling to get free. He also pinned her legs against the wall, making it impossible for her to kick him!

Slade then threw Terra on her bed. She rubbed her head where Slade gripped her, but then he grabbed her wrists and rammed her into her dresser!

Slade stood over her, triumphantly. He grabbed her left thigh with one hand and right arm with the other, and tossed her clear across the room!

Terra could now taste blood in her mouth as Slade moved in on her.

"Well, Terra?" he asked her, sardonically.

"This all you got?" she said in defiance.

Slade shook his head. "Well, Terra, you forced me to take drastic measures."

"Like what? Drop me off a building?"

"Not a bad idea, but I had something better in mind."

"Like what?"

He pulled out a large knife from his belt.

Terra snickered. "Oh, you're going to kill me? Go ahead! Loose your apprentice, you fuck!"

Slade laughed. "It's not for you. It's for your friends. The ones at school."

Terra gasped. "What!"

"I did this once before with Robin. Threaten the lives of your target's friends. They'll respond quickly. Do you think so?"

"You don't have it in you! You won't go with it!"

"Oh no? Then just wait until you go to school again on Monday, and you see one of your friend's bloody bodies hanging upside down, with her throat cut. That'd be a sight to see, huh?"

A flash of anger passed through Terra's mind.

"On the other hand," Slade began. "I could always get your friends to be my apprentices. That'd be nice, wouldn't it? If you won't join me, then they will!"

"NEVER!"

Terra's eyes flashed with light, her hair flaying and her hands glowing. The ground shook as chucks of rock shot through the place and ran into Slade.

The villain's armor absorbed most of the strikes, but he still was knocked over. He managed to stand up and ran for cover.

"Come back here, mother fucker!" Terra yelled as she ran after him.

She was stopped by an explosion which emitted a quantity of smoke. Under the cover of the smoke, Slade escaped.

Terra searched her "home" for Slade, but turned up nothing. After her search, she noticed the taste of dried blood on her mouth and realized one thing. 'I need the Titans.'

It was a decision she hoped she never would have to make.

With that, she created a platform of rock to stand on and flew to Titans Tower.

In the open, Slade caught his breath. He knew he succeeded in his goal that night. He looked above and saw a boulder with a girl on it.

"That's right, Terra." he said aloud. "Run. Run to your former friends. Let them greet you with hate. Then we'll see what happens!"