Welcome, everyone, to the first chapter with any noticeable change from the original! I hope that you enjoy this chapter.


Henry was knocked flat before he could register Raven's movement. He caught a disc of black energy square in the chest, and flew back ten feet before he hit the ground. He let out an oomf!, and struggled to get up. He watched Raven slowly walk over to him. Damn,he thought,didn't expect that from her.She was almost taunting in her stride, but she stopped when Henry stood up. Henry's left hand glowed and crackled with electricity, and he shot out a bolt towards Raven. She created a shield to block the strike, and continued to step forward. Henry stopped his lightning strike, seeing as it was a waste of energy.

Meanwhile, Raven was watching Henry, trying to figure out what he would do next. He looked unsure of himself, to no surprise. Apparently, his powers were as new to him as they were to her, and that wasn't good. She didn't know all of what he was capable of, compared to her teammates. After years of fighting side-by-side with them, she had a pretty good idea of how to combat them. Henry, however, was new. He wasn't even a part of the team. Raven had no idea of what else he could do, or even his fighting style. She had seen him in action three times—once with Mumbo, once with those green things, and once with Beast Boy. From what she had seen, Raven could tell that Henry liked to draw in his opponents, then hit them with his power. Therefore, this was as close as she was getting to him. She watched as he put his foot back, and held his arms out with clenched fists. Raven struggled to remember where she had seen him do that before, but then it hit her.

"VEN GARR NOS!" shouted Henry. Now, he couldn't actually cause the effects of the shout by shouting, but with his powers, he willed a LOT of energy into the air around him, forcing high winds towards Raven. The mini-cyclone smashed into Raven, knocking her about and causing her hair to blind her. Henry used this moment of distraction to run towards the empath. Raven suddenly felt a huge shock run through her, and she barely focused enough to open a portal underneath of herself.

Henry watched as Raven disappeared into the darkness beneath her. He turned around, searching for where she could have teleported to. Sadly, however, he didn't look up. If he had, he would have seen the black disc of energy Raven was standing on drop onto him. The disc slammed Henry onto the ground, and the weight of Raven, although not much, crushed the boy between a cold energy and the hard ground. Henry struggled, but he couldn't move much. Luckily, he had landed facing up towards the disc, and he placed his hands on the bottom in an effort to push it off of him. Then he realized something: this was ENERGY. He could do something with this! He focused on his hands, and slowly drew the disc into himself through his hands. It felt very strange, like there were a million tiny holes in his hands, and a cold needle was being shoved into each every single one of them. It didn't hurt, but it felt very odd.

Raven noticed the disc shrinking, and it took only a moment for her to realize what was happening. She jumped off and flew a short distance away, turning to look at Henry. He stood up, but he looked different—as if he was cold. He was, of course. The combined effects of the disc pressing against him and the cold feeling he got from absorbing it had left him shivering. His arms felt heavy, but he knew he had to act fast. He willed more energy into his arms, hoping to warm them up. It did, and started to run towards Raven, who was still floating. He ran and jumped towards her, using the technique he had used several times now. Forcing strength into his legs, he jumped up to Raven's level and let out a yell as he shot another blast of lightning towards her. She blocked it again, and this time it bounced back into him. Unprepared for this, Henry let out a scream of pain as he fell, focusing enough to absorb all the energy from hitting the ground. He stood up again, only to hear Raven grunt with effort as she was surrounded with a black light. He panicked, and began charging electricity around him. The energy began to cackle, and all at once the two released their energy in two synchronized bursts. The electricity and dark energy collided, and the resulting shockwave sent both flying backwards. When the dust settled, a smell of ozone filled the air. Raven staggered as she stood, looking for Henry. At last she saw his form, unmoving on the ground.

WINNER: RAVEN! CONGRATULATIONS, THIS IS YOUR FIFTH STRAIGHT VICTORY!The voice spoke, and confetti fell from the ceiling as the light barriers turned off. Raven ran over to Henry, who was moaning.

"Henry!" Raven called, "are you alright?" The empathy kneeled near the boy, feeling around for any broken bones. Luckily, there were none. Otherwise she would have sensed his pain.

"Yeah," moaned the dimensionally-displaced teen after a moment. "My head hurts something awful, though." The two heard the sound of feet on the ground, and Cyborg and Beast Boy came running over.

"Dude, that was awesome!" Beast Boy exclaimed with a grin on his face.

"You didn't do too bad, Henry," Cyborg commented, bending down and extending a hand towards Henry. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just a little bruised," Henry confirmed, taking the cyborg's offered limb. With Cyborg's help, he stood up on his own feet. Just then, the elevator opened, and Robin and Starfire burst out in an attack position. Robin held his bo staff, and Starfire floated with her hands glowing green.

"What's the trouble?" asked Robin, looking around.

"There's no trouble," Raven assured. "We were just training using the tourney program. Henry and myself had used our powers, and when they collided, it exploded."

"So that's what it was," Robin said cautiously, collapsing and putting away his staff. Starfire landed, and her starbolts disappeared.

"Glorious!" she said happily. "Nobody is in danger. We shall celebrate by consuming the meal I have prepared!" Despite the 'ehhs' and troubled looks from Henry and the other Titans, Starfire did not seem to notice everyone else's apparent dislike of the idea. A half hour later, Starfire forced her friends into the dining area. The meal ended up much more mild than Starfire's native dishes usually were, and Henry was surprised. The Titans had always shown some form of disgust when eating it, but Henry found the blue-green glob of whatever it was to be rather appetizing.

After lunch, Henry found himself being whooped again and again by Cyborg in Twisted Wheels 2. It was almost comical—Henry's embarrassment was becoming worse and worse from each consecutive defeat. After the seventh, Henry stood up from the Titans' U-shaped couch, and set the controller down. He took a quick look around. Robin and Starfire were engaged in some conversation about Earth culture, and Raven had her nose in a book. Henry took a look at Cyborg, who was seated next to him.

"I think I'm done for a while. So much losing in row makes a guy need a break," Henry said, deflated. "But I have to ask—where is the bathroom?" Cyborg stood up.

"Take the elevator to our bedroom floor. It's in between my room and Starfire's room, across from Te—er, the empty room." The two locked eyes for a second, and Henry could detect a trace of sadness in the cyborg's real eye. The moment passed, and Henry thanked Cyborg. He walked away silently, listening as Cyborg yelled at Robin to join him in his game, and stepped into the elevator. Some catchy song was playing (something about bad blood?)[1], but Henry wasn't paying attention. He was focused on the massive pressure in his bowels. He could have played with Cyborg ten more times, but it appeared that although Henry like the alien princess' food, it did not like him. The moment the elevator doors opened, it was a mad dash to the bathroom. Out of respect to Henry, the exact noises that emanated from the bathroom will remain undisclosed, but imagination is heavily encouraged when trying to think of them. The time spent in the bathroom will also be undisclosed, but it lasted long enough that, had anyone seen him gone it, they would have knocked on the door and asked if Henry had fallen in. Thankfully, only one person was nearby, but they were too busy notice that Henry had even walked by.

After—ahem—relieving himself and taking the necessary hygienic procedures, Henry stepped out of the bathroom. He and Starfire were going to have a serious conversation about what was in that meal. As Henry began to walk away, he thought that he heard something, and the dimensionally-dislocated teen stopped to listen. The voice seemed to be coming from the empty room across from the bathroom. Henry slowly walked over to the door, and noticed that it was ever so slightly ajar. Looking at the door, Henry could see a stripe of pain in the upper middle section of it with what looked like indents. The teen ran his hand along them, trying to figure out what it was. It appeared as though someone had tried to cover up something...

Letters. That's what the indents were. And they weren't just any letters. Specifically, they were an A, an E, two R's, and a T. Henry lowed his hand, and in that moment, something hit him. He wasn't in a cartoon. He was in a world just like his own—where there were people who loved and lost, who laughed and cried, who lived and died. The Titans, despite their powers, were no different. This was Terra's room, he thought sadly. But who was in it? Putting his ear to the tiny sliver of space, Henry realized that it was Beast Boy.

"…and he's really nice, too. We don't know how he got here, but it looks like he'll be here a while, and… he reminds me of you a little." Who was he talking to? "But I don't know if he's gonna join the team since we've known him for, like, a day, but Robin and Cyborg say he doesn't legally exist anywhere. He could go anywhere, do anything… just like you." Beast Boy let out a frustrated sigh. "Ugh! This would be so much better if you were here! But you're not, and there's nothing that anyone can do about it. It's not fair!" The last sentence was almost a yell, and Beast Boy dropped to his knees. Henry dared to peek into the room, and watched as the green teen drag his hands down across his eyes. His voice began to quiver a little.

"I miss you, Terra." Henry watched silently as the changeling stood up and placed a small picture frame on the desk. Beast Boy turned towards the door, but stopped when he saw Henry opening the door. "Oh, hey Henry," he said, his voice lacking his normal cheerful demeanor.

"Beast Boy, I… I heard some of what you were saying. I know it's too late to matter, but for what it's worth… I'm sorry." The two looked at each other, not needing to verbally recognize what he meant.

"S'okay. It's been a year and a half, but I'll never forget her." At this point, Henry looked at the picture frame. It showed a laughing Terra, with a few strands of hair covering part of her face. Beast Boy was seated next to her, and he was making a goofy face by sticking out his tongue and pulling the sides of his mouth with his fingers. Henry realized that they must have taken it at the abandoned carnival, and felt a pang of sadness. After a moment of silence, Beast Boy spoke again. "Well, it hasn't been that long." Henry looked back to the Titan in front of him, confused.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked, knowing that he should know what.

"Last week, I ran into someone who looked just like her. She talked just like Terra, she acted just like Terra… she even laughed like Terra! But she said…" Beat Boy stopped for a moment, and took a breath. "She said that she didn't know who Terra was. But do you know what the worst part about it was, Henry? Her name was Tara, and that is just too close to be a coincidence. On top of that, Terra's statue—her body turned to stone—is missing from where it was." Beast Boy was panting, but his breaths began to slow. "Sorry about that… I just… needed to vent about it to someone."

"I know. To be fair, I think it's her, too," Henry offered. It was Beast Boy's turn to be confused.

"How could you possibly know?"

"It was an episode. In the show, I-I mean," Henry explained. At this, Beast Boy perked up, his ears twitching.

"Hey, if we were a cartoon, then you must know what's next! What happens next, huh? Do I see her again? Was it Terra?" asked the teen, his eyes wide. Henry shook his head. "I'm sorry, but it was the last episode…" Henry said sadly.

"Of the season?"

"Of the show." Beast Boy's face dropped again, but Henry put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You'll be alright, BB. Perhaps it what's best for her." The two shared another silent moment before the changeling spoke.

"I see…" was all Beast Boy could say.

"I'm sorry, Beast Boy, I really am."

"It's not your problem anyway…." Then his expression changed. "Whattaya say we go do something fun? We can't spend all day feeling sorry for me." Henry cocked his head at the abrupt change in emotion.

"Sure thing… grass stain," Henry replied with a grin. As the two left the room, Beast Boy turned back and silently looked at the picture one last time, then shut the door.

"So, uhm, it'd be great if you didn't mention this to anyone else," Beast Boy said as the two walked back to the elevator.

"Not a problem. So, what are we doing?" asked Henry.

"I'm showing you around town!" And show Henry around he did. After getting approval from Robin—"I suppose if he's going to live in this city, he'd better know his way around it."—the two teens spent the next several hours walking (and occasionally flying) around Jump City. Henry had a blast—the place reminded him a little of Boston, where he and his family had visited several times during summer vacations, and also of San Francisco, where his uncle lived[2]. Henry had been forced to fly out there for his uncle's wedding, and ended up spending a lot of time admiring the city's many sights. Around three o'clock, Henry and Beast Boy were walking past a building with hordes of people leaving it.

"…aaand this is Murakami High School," Beast Boy explained. Henry took a quick glance at Beat Boy, and noticed that he was looking away from the school. Why would Beast Boy be so nervous around a school? Then it hit him. This was Terra's school. Henry stopped walking, gears beginning to turn in his brain.

"Hey, uh, it's good that we're here. I need to go inside and talk to the principal," Henry said quickly. Beast Boy looked at him, eyebrows arched. "Well, Robin and I talked earlier, and it's possible that I might start going to school. I have no training, and I don't know if I'm cut out for superhero life." Henry crossed his fingers, hoping that the lie was believable. Beast Boy considered what Henry had told him.

"Alright, dude. Need me to go in with you?" asked the green teen.

"No, no, that's okay," Henry said hurriedly. "I'll be fine. Just, uh, wait for me out here."

"Whatever, dude. I'll be on this bench waiting for you." As Beast Boy turned and walked towards a conveniently-located bench, Henry let out a sigh of relief, and began walking against the relentless torrent of students. Finally making it inside, Henry stopped moving, and looked around. Now, if I was Terra, where would I be? wondered Henry. He noticed a few groups of students still lingering in the halls. Without any better options, he approached one of them.

"Um, excuse me. I'm looking for Ter—er, Tara Markov. Do you happen to know her?" All three of the students in the group shook their heads. He thanked the students for their help, and went off to find someone who might have known her. For thirty minutes, he searched, but to no avail. Henry eventually began any teachers he saw, but none of them knew where she could be. After another ten minutes, Henry gave up. Maybe I'll find her tomorrow, he thought to himself. He spied a water fountain, and decided that a drink would be nice. As he stooped to drink, he noticed someone step out of the nearby girls' bathroom, talking on a cell phone.

"…Yes, Mr. Freeman, I'll be home as soon as I can. Yes, I missed the bus. I was talking to a teacher. Okay. Yes sir. Goodbye." Hearing her speak almost gave Henry a heart attack. It was her! Henry gasped and accidently inhaled some of the water. He stood up, coughing. The blonde, finished with her conversation on the phone, turned around to face him. "Excuse me, are you alright?" she asked, looking concerned. Henry nodded, still coughing. She turned to go, but Henry called out for her.

"Wait! I need—cough—to talk—cough—to you." She stopped.

"Uh… sure, but I gotta leave real soon," the blonde replied. Henry stopped coughing, and cleared his throat.

"Sorry 'bout that. Ah, look, uh… Your name is Tara Markov, right?" Henry asked. She nodded. "Great. Listen, uh, my name's Henry. Henry Stevenson," he said, extending a hand. 'Tara' took it and shook.

"So, Henry Stevenson, what do you need from me?"

"Just Henry, if you will. Look, do you happen to know a 'Beast Boy' of Teen Titans fame?" 'Tara' rolled her eyes and began to walk away. "Hey! Hey, wait a sec! I know who you really are!" The girl turned around to face him.

"And just who do you think I am, huh?" she asked, her voice rising. Henry paused a moment. He knew that if he said "Terra," she'd just turn and walk away. Think, you idiot. What else do you know about her? Henry thought hard, looking straight into her blue eyes. "Exactly. Leave me alone, creep."

"I'm sorry, Your Highness," Henry said. Her eyes grew wide. "Excuse me, I should say Your Royal Highness. That is how one addresses a princess, correct?[3]" Henry smiled and bowed, but the girl looked at him in horror. She began to slowly back away from him.

"I don't know how you know that, but if you're one of my father's men I swear that—" she began, but Henry held up a hand.

"Relax, I don't know your father. Honestly, I'm not." The blonde had stopped backing away, but still had a look of distrust on her face. "Listen, tomorrow's Saturday, right? Meet me at the park tomorrow afternoon, by the statue near the pond. 12:30. Beast Boy won't be there, I promise."

"Why should I trust you?" The girl asked.

"I know who you really are, right? I haven't told anyone that, and it will remain that way. Look, when we're done talking, wait for me to be out of sight before you go. You'll see why you can trust me." She looked at Henry, trying to figure him out.

"I don't know what game you're playing at, but you seem like you're telling the truth. I don't trust you, but I'll meet you." It was an uneasy agreement, but Henry smiled.

"Glad to hear it. I'll see you tomorrow… Terra," Henry said, and began to walk towards the exit. The girl, wordless, followed him, and watched as Henry walked towards a bench. To her surprise, she saw the green-skinned Titan stand and talk to him. She watched as he transformed into a large green pterosaur, grabbed Henry by the shoulders, and flew away. She stood for a moment longer, until Henry and Beast Boy were out of sight, then began her own journey home. Whoever this Henry was, he seemed… different, out of place. There was something off about him, and she was going to find out what!


The rest of the day remained uneventful, other than a brief argument over dinner. In the end, a compromise was reached, and Cyborg went out in the T-Car to pick up Chinese. Food delivery to the Tower was unavailable, as it was located in the middle of Dockett Bay, but Cyborg had managed to turn a land vehicle into a temporary sea vehicle, and was quite proud of it. When it was time for bed, Henry opted for the couch again, and fell quickly into a deep sleep.

Robin, however, was still up. His efforts to find any information on the mysterious villain from earlier that day were completely fruitless. It troubled him that this guy—this slimy freak—comes from out of nowhere, taunts them, and then disappears like it was nothing. However, Robin knew that obsessing over it would do nothing (something that he had learned from his experiences with… him), and that getting a proper night's rest was important. Shutting down the computer, he walked quietly through the Ops room where Henry was asleep. Robin stood and watched Henry for a moment. He looked so normal, and yet… wasn't. Some strange quality, some intangible thing, surrounded him, and that bothered Robin. He'd have to look into that later, but for now, Robin was going to look into crawling into his bed. As he rode the elevator, Robin thought of something. If he ends up staying with us… where is he going to sleep? There was always Terra's room, but it seemed disrespectful to her memory. As he walked towards his own room, he noticed that Raven's door was open. He walked over to it, and knocked twice on the entrance. A few moments later, the empath walked over to him.

"Something on your mind?" she asked.

"Nothing in particular, I'm just… concerned," the leader of the Titans admitted.

"Henry?"

"Yeah. Is it just me, or is something off about him? I don't know what it is, but…" Robin trailed off, knowing Raven understood.

"I feel it too. He doesn't seem to be harboring anything that we need to be concerned about. However, I did notice that he was unusually excited when he got back with Beast Boy." Raven sighed. She had meditation to do—Robin knew that. He must have suspected something more than what he was letting on.

"Listen, we need to find out more about him. I've spoken with Cyborg, and he's going to keep a tab on things. However, he can get distracted sometimes, so I'll need you to help him." Robin looked at Raven—her hood was up, and he couldn't quite make out her facial expression in the darkness, if she was even making one.

"What do you mean by 'help?'"

"Just… when you talk to him, try to find out anything you can."

"So, you want me to be a spy," Raven noted.

"No!" Robin said, denying the claim. "Just… if you can get close to him, let me know anything." Raven raised an eyebrow, not that Robin could see it. "Don't be fake about it, either. He appears to have substantial knowledge about us, our past, and our personalities, so I get the feeling he'll know something's up if you get too friendly."

"Robin, you know I don't 'do' friendly," Raven argued, but Robin held up a hand.

"Don't give me that crap, Raven. You can be a likeable person, you just need to be open about it." White mask met violet eyes, but Raven conceded.

"…Fine, Robin. In exchange, I get a decrease in patrol time. Deal?"

"Deal. Goodnight, Raven," Robin replied after a moment of thought, and walked away. Raven shrugged her shoulders under her robe, and shut her door.

She did need to sleep, after all.


IN AN UNKNOW LOCATION IN JUMP CITY…

"Sir, we've got them," said a nameless underling.

"Good," replied the villain. "Bring them forth." Moments later, a bound Gizmo, Control Freak, and Adonis were thrown in front of him. Adonis had been difficult, but had eventually been subdued.

"Hey, no-good snot-lickers! Lemme go!" complained Gizmo.

"I'm missing the Clash of the Planetsmarathon!" whined Control Freak.

"Zzzzzz," snored Adonis. He had to be knocked out. People in mechanical suits were hard to transport awake.

"SHUT UP!" roared the villain who was not of their universe. "I have need of your talents. You will help me, and I will reward you."

"Oh yeah, crud-picker? And what if we don't?" asked Gizmo, still struggling without his backpack. The villain clapped twice. An underling came out.

"Yes, sir?" he asked, before a glob of goo covered his face. He screamed, struggling to get it off of him. The goo began covering his body, and eventually the body underneath stopped struggling. The man-shaped goo stood up and walked away.

"THAT is what will happen." Control Freak and Gizmo looked at each other, and gulped.

"We'd love to help!" they replied in unison.

"Good. In that case, BRING IN THE CRYSTALS!" called out the villain. Another servant came out carrying three glowing red crystals. "Give one to our… guests, here." Control Freak and Gizmo took one, and one was placed on Adonis' sleeping form. "My friends, you will remember this day for a long time. For this is the day you entered the service of your Master Gemlon!" the villain laughed. The two minor villains laughed along nervously.

"Let us begin," Gemlon stated, and began talking. Control Freak and Gizmos' eyes grew wide at what their new leader told them…


[1] This is a reference to Taylor Swift's Bad Blood, a song that I have not yet listened to in its entirety, nor do I plan to.

[2] This is a reference to the fact that the original show's animators based the architecture and design of Jump City on a mix of Boston and San Francisco. If you already knew that, awesome!

[3] It was never discussed in the show, but Terra really is a princess. "Princess Tara Markov of Markovia" is officially her name. Look it up if you don't believe me, but I hope you do.


And now, I'm going to introduce a little section where I respond to reviews! *applause*

Linkonpark100: sorry, but I'm not that kind of a writer. There won't be gore, as I don't find it appropriate for what I have in mind for the story.

Raven 105 (guest): If you have an account, PM me and we'll talk about this further privately… for now, you'll just have to wait and see what happens! Spoiler alert: Slade will not be a character in this story, unless he's in a flashback. Sorry.

Thanks so much everyone! 5 follows, 5 favorites, 4 reviews… and over 150 views on the story! I'm so happy that I broke the 100 view count so soon! It's great to see that people are actually reading this! That said, I LOVE feedback, and so if you have any questions, comments, concerns, suggestions, or anything at all to say, review or PM me. I am rather good at replying to PM's (or noticing a review), and will generally reply within a day. I DO love reviews, though, and anything relevant to the story is helpful. I can't get better if I don't know what needs to change, so tell me. Just, don't be rude about it.

Thanks for all your support (especially Heartless demon wolf and Theboblinator), and remember that I hope you—yes, you personally—have a fan-freaking-tastic day!

Cortexin