Chapter Eleven
The Titans were in the lounge, recovering from the movie Raven just showed them.
"Now that was creepy!" Beast Boy said.
"Yeah," began Cyborg. "I don't know if I'll ever trust a fog again!"
Raven smiled in satisfaction of accomplishing her goal.
"Good movie, Raven." Robin said. "Scary, but not too scary!"
"I agree." Starfire added. "Although, I may have the nightmares tonight!"
"Wait until tomorrow." the mystic said. "I'll give you all a real treat! And I bet it'll beat out Wicked Scary!"
"Hey, no way!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "Nothing can be scarier than that! It even freaked you out!"
Raven scoffed. "I've learned to better handle my fear since then. I don't find it too creepy anymore. In fact, it's a bit campy."
"Campy!" Beast Boy was stunned. "You're talking about a classic in horror! How can you call it campy!"
"We'll see tomorrow." Raven said in delight.
Just then, a klaxon alarm sounded! Cyborg recognized the alert.
"Intruder on the island!" he exclaimed.
"There is not a fog out there, is there?" Starfire said nervously.
"No, Star." Robin said. "Come on, put you fear aside and let's see who this is!"
Robin led the Titans to the elevator. They rode it to the ground level, and ran to the foyer. The Titans then flanked either side of the door, with Cyborg at the control.
"Ready?" he whispered. His teammates nodded.
Cyborg pressed the button that opened the door. What the Titans saw surprised them.
"Terra?" Beast Boy asked a mixture of shock and annoyance.
The geomancer stood outside for a moment, blinking at the bright interior lights.
"Sorry I came at this time." she said.
Beast Boy scoffed. "You got a lot of guts..." He was interrupted by Raven, who placed a hand on his shoulder. She then walked up to Terra and extended a hand.
Terra was confused, but moved to accept Raven's handshake anyway. Instead, however, Raven quickly slapped Terra hard with her other arm! The geomancer fell to the ground, stunned. Robin and Starfire moved to hold Raven back, while Cyborg rushed to Terra and held her back. Beast Boy just stood where he was, almost grinning.
"Why did you do that?" Terra yelled.
"You deserve it for the shit you've pulled lately!" Raven exclaimed. "Sending one of Slade's robots after Beast Boy to get him to leave you alone is a pretty rotten trick, especially after what happened with you!"
"I'm not here to apologize for what I did!" she said. "I'm here because I need your help!"
Raven and Beast Boy nearly laughed.
"What's wrong?" the changeling asked. "School work getting you down?"
"Shut up, Beast Boy." Robin said. "I also want to know what's going on."
"Thanks." Terra replied as she walked inside. Cyborg closed the door.
Turning to face them, the Titans saw Terra's face clearly. She was bruised, with dried blood on her upper lip, which apparently came from her nose. She also had a fresh scar on her lower lip.
"Girl, what happened to you?" Cyborg asked.
"You want to know?" she replied sardonically.
"Yes, please tell us!" Starfire insisted.
Terra sighed. "Okay, I'll tell you all what happened to me. Slade happened to me!"
Robin felt bile rising in his stomach. "Slade!"
"Yes, him." Terra replied. She then proceeded to describe the events that took place with her encounter with the villain. Afterwards, the Titans were speechless.
"So, he's threatening to kill your friends at school unless you become his apprentice?" Cyborg finally said.
"That's my impression." Terra replied.
Beast Boy shook his head. "You know, if you came to us first after you came back to life, you wouldn't be having this problem, now would you?"
"Not now, Beast Boy!" Raven told him. "Okay, after we help you, what do you think will happen next? Slade doesn't give up."
"I'm aware of that." Terra replied. "Which is why, I want to end this fight right here with him!"
Robin was stunned. "Wait a minute! Are you talking about killing Slade?"
Terra nodded. "And I want to take the last shot at him."
"Terra, killing is wrong!" Starfire said. "We should merely send Slade to prison! He will not bother you or your friends at school there!"
"No deal, Star." the geomancer said. "He's got connections, some tricks up his sleeves. He'll get out somehow. Nope, no longer. He dies."
"Look, Terra." Raven said. "This isn't even revenge you're talking about. He hasn't killed yet. So, you don't need to start."
Terra glared at her. "Come on, Raven! Of all people, you should know he has to pay for his crimes!"
"But not with his life!" Beast Boy yelled. "Better to let him rot in jail!"
Terra gritted her teeth in anger. "No, damn you!"
"Terra, listen to us!" Cyborg pleaded.
"NOOOO!" Terra raised a fist and hit the wall. Her powers flared and a stone fist from the ground did the same! The Titans glared at her in shock.
She panted and dissolved the fist. She stared back at the Titans.
"Look," she began. "We've made too many compromises already with Slade. He steals our freedom, makes us his apprentice and threatens our lives! And yet, we fall back. He brings about the end of the worlds, selling out his own species to a demon, and we still fall back! No more! I'm drawing the line here! I'll make him pay for what he's done to us! To you! And to me!"
Terra's face was one of madness. If was as if a switch were turned off in her, letting out her rage.
"Come on, Terra." Robin said. "We'll talk about it tomorrow."
She nodded, her expression unchanged. She followed the Titans to the elevator.