I stared at my computer screen with a scowl as I scrolled down the page. In honor of this season finale marking the end of Terra and Slade's tyranny, I'm making sure I enter these next two episodes prepared. Slade said he knew everything about Terra; it's about time that I had that knowledge myself.
And let me tell you, the Terra in this TV show is a lot less crazy than her comic book counterpart. Nevertheless, she was still dangerous. I knew those elements of insanity were still inside her, and I didn't want Slade to have any chance of unleashing that.
It was an understatement to say that I was scared about this season finale; I'm terrified. Possibly to the point of being sick, maybe. After all, Terra would try and kill all of the Titans in the first part. Of course, they survive and they fight back in the second part... but that was in the original show. The finale of season one and the reasons behind the events were different because I entered the show. Slade knew about me and my knowledge. He changed the plot of the episode a few days ago. Could he possibly change the season finale's outcome? Would it be... as he had intended?
A shudder crawled down my spine, and I swiveled my chair around and away from my computer.
"Ciela! Are you there?" Beast Boy's fists pounded rhythmically against my door. "We're all going out to eat. You up for it?"
I climbed out of my bed and grabbed my belt. I clipped it on and examined my energy pistols. I turned off the safety and watched the red technology light up as my fingers brushed across the trigger, ensuring they would be ready to fire in case I needed them.
"Sure." I said. I opened the door and greeted Beast Boy and his wide smile. This finale would take its toll on him the most; after all, the girl he liked would attempt to murder him.
"I've been coming up with some great jokes that I want to tell the others. Wanna hear a sneak preview?" Beast Boy said as we walked down the hall.
"Um..." I chuckled and patted Beast Boy's shoulder. "I'd rather be amused along with everyone else."
Squished in the back seat between Starfire and Beast Boy, we drove through the streets of Jump City. Beast Boy told his jokes, but I only laughed because of how terribly bad they were.
"Okay, okay, okay. How about this one..." Beast Boy said. "How does a train eat? It goes 'chew, chew'!"
"Ugh..." Robin and Cyborg groaned from the front of the car.
"Unless you want me to push you in front of a train, I suggest you stop making these horrible jokes." Raven mumbled as she stared out the window.
"Oh, come on! That was my best joke!" Beast Boy said.
"Then I suggest you don't take up comedy."
Cyborg snickered from the driver's seat. I looked forward and watched the light turn from red to green. A chill ran down my spine as the car moved forward.
"Stop!" I cried, gripping the back of Cyborg's seat. Cyborg slammed his foot against the brake pedal. The tires screeched from the abrupt lack of motion. We all lurched forward. Being clipped into the same seatbelt as Starfire restricted my movement, and it dug into my stomach, painfully forcing some air out of my lungs.
A boulder the size of a minivan flew out from the adjacent street, tumbling over the spot where the T-Car would've been. The Titans drew a collective gasp as their eyes followed the rock until it rolled to a stop.
"Oh, no..." Beast Boy whispered, his green skin paling. We piled out of the car and turned to the source. "Terra?"
Dressed in silver armor, a Slade symbol on her chestplate, and a nasty smile curled on her lips, Terra watched all of us.
"Hey, guys." she said. "Miss me?"
She thrust her arms at us as her hands glowed yellow. The small fragments of rock that broke off of the large boulder lifted into the air and zoomed towards us like arrows. We fled from the T-Car. The small rocks rammed into the vehicle, leaving deep gashes and dents in the surface, shattering the cars, and slashing holes into the tires. As I ran from the T-Car, one of the rocks zipped in front of me, narrowly missing my stomach.
"Hey, watch it!" I called, pulling out my energy pistols. "You almost hit me!"
"I know... What a shame." Terra said. "Next time, I'll make sure I don't miss!"
She pounded her fists into the ground, and a deep fissure traveled towards us. The ground split and opened wide.
"Titans, go!" Robin cried before a pillar of rock shot up from the ground, hit him, and sent him flying into the air.
The Titans rushed towards Terra. Terra threw a rock at them, nailing Starfire. Cyborg summoned his cannon ray and shot at the rock Terra flew around on. A portion of it cracked off, and Terra scurried onto the bigger piece. She threw the smaller piece, hitting Cyborg and sending him tumbling across the asphalt. Beast Boy flew over to Terra as a crow, transformed into himself, and hopped onto the rock. Terra threw a punch at him; he dodged it.
"Stop it, Terra! Why are you doing this?!" he cried.
"Consider this the coping stage of our breakup." Terra said. She thrust her fist at Beast Boy again, hitting him in the cheek. Beast Boy fell off the rock. Starfire caught him before he landed.
Terra backflipped off her floating rock, freeing it from her control and allowing it to crash to the ground, and approached Robin, who lay groaning on the ground. More rocks floated near Terra, and she lifted them into the air and they hovered over Robin. Raven used her astral magic to lift up a rock and hold it above Terra.
"Don't even think about it." Raven growled.
Terra snorted. "That's cute."
Terra thrust her hand up and freed the rock from Raven's magic. She hurled the rock at Raven, hitting her and sending her flying. With this opening, Robin climbed to his feet and shoved his foot into Terra's cheek. She cried out and stumbled back. Cyborg charged at her and threw a punch, but she jumped back and pounded her fist into the ground. A wall of dirt rose into the air and isolated herself from Robin and Cyborg. I brought my energy pistols together and transformed them into my bazooka. I positioned it on my shoulder and pulled the trigger. The laser launched into the rock wall, penetrating it and the one across from it, and they crumpled to the ground. The force of the flying pebbles knocked Terra off her feet, and she fell to the ground.
Starfire tried to approach her, her compassion getting the best of her. I grabbed her arm and shook my head, knowing she would walk straight into a trap and get a face full of dirt. Terra climbed back to her feet and thrust out her hands. Her blond hair flew around her as the ground cracked underneath her and created fissures that went in multiple different directions. Hot, yellow energy burst from the fissures, and creatures made from rock and metal emerged from the ground and roared.
"When did she learn to do that?" Raven said.
"She didn't." I said, separating my bazooka back into double pistols. "Slade did. No matter the training, Terra is still an amateur with her powers. Her new outfit allows Slade to control her whenever he wants to... and whether she wants the help or not."
Terra brought her arms back and, with a grunt, slammed her hands into the ground. The fissures traveled over to us and the road crumbled beneath our feet. We kept our balance as the ground rumbled. The monsters Terra summoned sunk into the ground and reappeared behind us. Cyborg summoned his cannon ray, but one of the monsters knocked its arm into him and sent him flying into a nearby building. The second launched gallons of dirty water that knocked Raven and Starfire to the ground. Beast Boy pursued one monster and Robin the other. Robin clung to the back of the monster, but it reached back, grabbed him, and threw him over its shoulder. It drew its arm back, but Cyborg football tackled it and slammed it to the ground. However, the monster dissolved before Cyborg could do any damage. The ground around him rumbled.
"Let's go!" I cried, pulling Cyborg to his feet and dragging him away from the columns of dirt rising from the ground, which belonged to the monster.
"Titans, fall back!" Robin called. He threw discs at Terra that exploded and emitted a harsh, bright light that blinded her. The monsters collapsed into piles of dirt and the commotion stopped abruptly. The Titans looked to Robin, confused, but his word was final. He threw some smoke bombs to the ground and cloaked us in the haze.
I approached Beast Boy, who remained in his place as he watched Terra through the smoke, and grabbed his arm. Without a word, I guided him away.
I leaned against the wall with my arms crossed as I watched the others. The only sound in the entrance hall was the plinking of small pebbles that Cyborg extracted from his arm and dropped into a small Petri dish.
"Despite knowing the cruel things she has done, I could not bear the thought of harming Terra..." Starfire said from the staircase.
"I wish I could when I had the chance." Raven mumbled.
"How could we hurt her? Terra was our friend... She was a Titan..." Beast Boy said.
"No, she wasn't. She was never any of those things. We only thought she was a friend, but she was actually a twisted pawn in Slade's game." I said. "And a Teen Titan? Please! Robin only told her 'not now' because he didn't want to hurt your feelings. Terra was never going to be a Teen Titan. Once an evil villain, always an evil villain."
"Don't say that! You don't know what you're talking about! Sure, Terra has made some mistakes, but she's not evil! We can't give up on her!"
My eyes widened, and I stood up straight. "I don't know what I'm talking about? Do you even know how messed up Terra actually is? It's only natural that she joined the dark side! Her little 'mistakes' were deliberate! She lied to you, deceived you, and there was nothing you could do to make her change her ways! She deserves everything that's going to happen to her when this is all over!"
"Beast Boy," Robin approached the green teenager, "she's working for Slade."
"And you know who else worked for Slade?" Beast Boy turned to him. "We didn't give up on you, so why can't we do the same for Terra?"
"This is completely different! Robin didn't want to work for Slade; he was forced to do it to protect you guys! Terra is doing this without a single smidgen of good cause." I said. I turned to Robin. "She doesn't get any more chances. Do you know what will happen if you allow her any more windows of opportunity to get close to us?"
I drew out an energy pistol and aimed over Robin's shoulder. He flinched as I pulled the trigger and the laser whizzed past his ear. It hit a painting hanging on the wall of the Titans, taken long before I entered, and burned a hole into Robin's chest. I shoved my pistol back into its holster and turned to Beast Boy with a scowl.
"The Terra you thought you knew is gone, and in her place is a monster that needs to be stopped."
The room turned red as sirens screeched in our ears. We glanced at each other; we knew who the trouble was.
"Let's go." Robin said. Beast Boy, Raven, and Cyborg headed for the door. Once they left, Robin turned to me. "Please don't freak out... but I don't want you coming with us."
I folded my arms. "Why?"
"Slade is literally behind Terra's actions. That means he knows how to toy with you if he has the chance. I don't think you can handle facing her."
"...Fine."
"Thank you. Starfire will hide you someplace where, if she tries to pursue you, Terra can't find you."
Starfire rested a hand on my shoulder, acknowledging her presence beside me, and we walked together out the front door. Starfire picked me up bridal-style and lifted us into the air. I watched the running waters below. The sun had set, leaving a purple tint in the horizon.
"You are troubled, are you not?" Starfire said.
"Of course I am. I've always known about the storm brewing behind Terra's big, blue eyes... but I never thought I'd witness it for myself." I said.
"Inform me on something, Ciela. Are we victorious in this upcoming battle?"
"Well... not at first."
"Do we survive Terra's brewing storm? Does a rainbow greet us once it passes?"
I shuddered. "Yes. Of course you do- you're the Teen Titans!"
Starfire smiled. "Then there need not be any worry."
I folded my arms and turned away. We reached the canyon in the outskirts of town- the place where we met Terra for the first time.
"You will be safe here." Starfire said. "Once this is over, we will return for you."
I nodded. "Please, be careful."
Starfire smiled and nodded. She picked up her feet and flew away.
As the night crept closer, the temperature inside this canyon dropped. I leaned my back against the rock wall and rubbed my arms. I couldn't stop shivering, and the cold was only one of the reasons.
By now, Terra would finish up fighting Robin, the last standing Teen Titan. That is... other than me.
I tried to force my body to stop quaking. There's no doubt Terra would come looking after me. How could Slade leave out his favorite Titan? Those two only thought they killed my friends, but there's no way they would really get rid of the main stars of the show.
But... what about me?
"Isn't this nice?" a voice said. A cold flash of dread swept through my body, and I no longer shivered. I looked up, just in time to see a large boulder falling towards me. I gasped and sprinted out of the way. The boulder smashed into the ground. Pieces of rock tore off from it and hit my legs. I turned around and watched Terra descend from the cliffside and hop off her floating rock. "This place brings back many memories."
"Sure... None of them pleasant, unfortunately." I said. "Let me guess- I'm the last thing in your way before you and Slade can conquer the city."
"Of course. You always know how to weasel your way around this show, don't you? Slade told me all about you."
"Why am I not surprised? You were always my least favorite character."
"But this isn't a part of the original episode, is it? Which means you have no clue what's going to happen. This all ends here."
"You're wrong! This ends when you and Slade are stopped. My friends will see to that!"
"Your friends are dead!" The last word reverberated off the canyon walls. "You're all alone... just like you ought to be. After all... who would want to deal with someone as typically useless as Fattela?"
I growled and drew my pistols. Terra's eyes and hands glowed yellow and she thrust her arms out. The same boulder she tried to squish me with lifted into the air and zoomed towards me. I brought my energy pistols together to create my bazooka. I pulled the trigger, launching a thick, red laser into the boulder. It exploded into fragments of stone. Terra picked up the small pieces and flung them at me. I ran, avoiding the razor-sharp rocks as they pierced the side of the cliff. I heard the ground cracking, and I looked behind me to see Terra chasing after me on top of a large rock. I recreated my pistols and shot at Terra as she gained speed and rode alongside me. She waved her hand in front of her, breaking off pieces of the large stone she rode on to make new targets for my lasers to hit. She jumped off the rock and lunged at me.
Terra collided with me, knocking us both to the ground. My energy pistols slipped out of my hands and hit the ground beside us. I tried to reach for one, but Terra batted it aside with her foot. She sat up, straddling my waist, and drew her fist back. I moved my head away, and she smashed her hand into the ground. She hissed and gripped her hand. I grabbed a fistful of her blond hair and gave it a hard yank. Terra cried out as her body was forced to follow. I shoved her off and scrambled to my feet. I managed to grab one of my pistols. I raced for the other, but a boulder beat me to it and crushed it. I skidded to a stop, placing my hand on the boulder to bring myself to a stop. I holstered my single pistol and turned around.
Terra threw a punch at me. I brought my arms up to block my face. Repeatedly, she punched my arms. I winced as her metal knuckles bruised my skin. At her final punch, I ducked out of the way, and she punched the boulder. Channeling my inner football star, I put all my weight towards shoving my shoulder into Terra's stomach. A breathless "OOF" escaped from her mouth, and Terra stumbled back, creating a few feet of distance between us. We both watched each other and panted.
"Not bad, Fattela. I didn't know you were so good at fighting." Terra said, straightening her posture.
"I wish I could say the same thing for you. Is it really you doing all this or your puppetmaster?" I said.
"I came here of my own free will, thank you very much! Slade has no control over me."
I couldn't help but laugh at that ridiculous statement. Terra scowled.
"Slade has done more for me than any of you Titans could ever dream of achieving!" she said.
"And why do you think that is, Terra? Why did you turn your back on the Teen Titans, despite their constant love, support, and friendship, and go with Slade instead?" I said. I straightened. "It's embedded into your soul. There's this little thing called 'the past'... and yours looks pretty gruesome."
"Wha... You don't know what you're talking about!"
"Oh, really? Slade's not the only one who truly knows about you, Terra... Or would you prefer I called you Princess?"
Terra's eyes widened. She clenched her fists as they glowed yellow.
"You've left nothing but destruction in your wake because of your powers. All you're good at is running away from your problems like a coward. Evil beckons to you, and you no longer lack any sort of conscious when it comes to carrying out wicked deeds. You may have the face of an angel, but your heart is as stone-hard as the earth you 'control'."
"Shut up! You don't know anything about me!"
"I don't?! That's why you didn't become a Teen Titan. That's why they were right to never trust you. You're an indecisive, bratty little child, and you and Slade deserve the fiery pit that awaits you when this is all over!"
"SHUT UP!" Terra screamed and thrust out her hand. I wasn't quick enough to draw my gun.
A sickening thump filled my ears. Pain overwhelmed my body, and I gasped as I stumbled back into the rock wall. I looked down. I saw the end of a stalagmite; the other half was embedded into my stomach. My skin and shirt grew damp. The darkness of the night masked the sight, but not the penny smell. I dropped to my knees as I tried to supply air into my lungs, but the pain made it so difficult. Dots danced in my vision. There was a dead roar in my ears, but I could manage to hear and see Terra approaching me. My energy was depleting quickly.
Terra gripped my cheeks with her hand and lifted my chin up, forcing me to look at her. The black dots mixed together and began to sweep over my vision. The area faded around me, leaving me with a lasting look at Terra's smug smirk.
"You see?" she said. "I told you I wouldn't miss the next time."
She let go, and I teetered over and landed on my side. I couldn't move or speak; I had no energy to do so. I was so tired. Sleep caressed my muscles, and I melted into a pile of numbness. Darkness consumed my vision, and I closed my eyes.
