Chapter 2
If I owned Teen Titans I'd die a happy girl. But I don't …..it belongs to DC.
Someday, someday DC…
Chapter 2: Plans
"And what in God's name makes you think I will do this for you, Mr. Wilson?"
A beautiful, dark haired woman is locked in a chrome and steel room. The oh-so familiar hiss of the notorious Death Stroke, known to the Titans as Slade, echoes in reply.
"Because, woman, if you don't, your precious little girl will be no more."
"Well, then I guess I'm gonna have to do this for you, although it will get you nowhere," the woman says in a lethargic voice. "What, exactly, is it that you want me to do, Sir?"
"I want you to free this girl from her amnesia," he says, pointing to a young, blonde woman lying in a deep slumber.
"Why?" asks the woman in a childish tone.
"Because, Esmeralda, I have plans I want to try out." Slade replies.
"Whatever," she says mockingly, rolling her slightly crazed green eyes. "I suggest you stand back, Sladey-kins." Her hands begin to glow an eerie emerald green.
"Dear child," she says in a singsong voice as the girl glows with the same brilliant green. "Do not be afraid. Become who you once were and embrace it. Your future is your past, and you will change no more."
The blonde beauty, with wide blue eyes and a model's face begins to stir. Her name, Tara Markov, was uncomfortably close to that misunderstood geomancer and former Titan. The haze of her drug-induced sleep fades, as she is given something she had wished would never return.
She awakes, half-dazed, half-terrified. "Slade!" she cries now, struggling against her restraints. "It can't be-I-you-no, no, anything but you! No!"
"Calm down, Terra," Slade purrs. "I'm not here to hurt you. On the contrary, dear child, I want to help you."
"I'm never going to trust you again, Slade! Just go away! I want nothing to do with you!"
"I would just love to stick around," interrupts Esmeralda in quite a sarcastic tone. "But I have way better things to do. Now, give me my daughter."
"Yes, yes, go, I never took her anyway. It was just a lure. I believe she's sleeping peacefully in her room." Slade replies impatiently.
"Sneaky bastard… I like that," Esmeralda says as she teleports away.
"Yes, anyhow. Terra, I just want to help you," Slade says calmly.
"You liar! All you ever did was hurt me, hurt my friends, hurt my Beast Boy! I won't let you hurt them again!" poor Terra screams.
"I'm hardly the one who hurt them, my dear. You're the one who betrayed and then ignored your precious friends."
"I-I did it to protect them! To keep them safe from you!"
"How noble. Well, you've gotten your wish, child. They are all happy and oblivious to your existence. Especially the one you cared for the most."
"…Beast Boy's happy? With- Without me?"
"Hmm, you still love the little Changeling don't you? Too bad he's found another."
"What are you saying?"
"He has eyes for another girl. I'd even say that he's fallen in love."
"He, he has?" she whispered, pain evident in her voice.
"Yes, my dear, he has. That's what I want to help you with, Terra. Getting him back."
"Why should I trust you Slade?"
"So distrusting, Terra. I brought you back and I haven't killed you yet, have I? And as it happens, I know exactly how to get your little green man away from the resident blackbird. "
"Blackbi-Raven? He's in love with that…that witch?"
"Now, now, you know he doesn't really love her; she's just a replacement for you. Though she'll be a problem, when you try to reclaim what is rightfully yours."
"But if she's there… how will I ever get Beast Boy back?"
"Oh. But that's so simple, my dear. Just get rid of her."
"I don't know… How do I know if that's-"
"Do you want your love or not?"
"Of course I do!"
"Then Raven will have to leave the picture. Do you understand?"
"Yes. I…I understand."
"Then listen closely…"
(0.0)
"Oooff!" Raven gasps as she hits the ground beneath her.
"Rae, you okay?" Cyborg asks as he helps the fallen girl up.
"I'm fine, nothing serious," she replies.
"Hahaha, whoops. I guess I don't know my own strength," gloats Control Freak from his perch on top of the video store. He winks at Raven, "I'll try to be gentler next time, hot stuff."
" Azarath Metrion Zinthos ," chants Raven, annoyed at the idiot villain. Control freak goes flying into a box of video games, and then the geek faints.
"Oops, sorry. Guess I didn't know my own strength, not so hot stuff."
"Glorious Raven, you defeated Control Freak," chimes Starfire.
"Aww yeah, now we can go have some pizza at that new pizza place," yells the always hungry Cyborg.
"Yes, that sound magnificent, let us go, with an extra slice for Raven," Starfire says happily.
"Yeah why not," Nightwing says.
"As long as I get my own pizza," Beast Boy interrupts, "Tofu sausage and soy cheese."
"I think I'll just head back to the tower, guys," Raven says in her quiet monotone.
"Aw, come on Rae, live a little," Beast Boy whines.
"You know I'm not the biggest pizza-" Suddenly, a beam of light hits her square in the chest, launching her back twenty feet.
"Raven!" cries Beast Boy.
"It is I, the infamous Dr. Light, here for the utter destruction of the Titans!" the villain crows.
"Titans, attack" yells Nightwing.
It is a tough battle. Raven is out cold and injured from the sneak attack, so the team is short the one member that could take down him down just by glaring. Obviously, Dr. Light uses this to his advantage, immediately sending light beams straight at Starfire, who's out cold before she even hits the floor . Cyborg tries his sonic blast to no avail, and then he is encased in a light bubble. The formerly incompetent bad guy is on a roll, knocking Nightwing unconscious after a severe blow to the head with an energy attack. Beast Boy turns into a python and tries to coil around him, but Dr. Light easily blinds him.
"Hahaha, Titans, you are no match for me!"
Raven slowly awakes from her healing coma. Still slightly bleeding, she notices all of her friends on the ground.
"Light, you idiot!"
"Huh? Oh, I see you've awakened, but you are still no match for the great Dr. Light" the slow-witted villain gloats.
"Light, don't you ever learn? Azarath Metr-"
Raven is cut short when a boulder encased in a yellow aura flies into the scene, sending Dr. Light into dreamland.
"Uggghhhh," is all the normally verbose villain can manage.
A few seconds later the rest of the team wakes up.
"Hmmm, hey, good job Rae," comments Nightwing as he stands up.
"That wasn't me," she replies.
"Then, who was it?" asks Beast Boy .
The answer comes striding out of the debris of the battle, short blonde hair waving in the slight breeze, hands glowing yellow.
"It was me," Terra announces proudly.
"Terra!" the Titans yell at the surprise of their former teammate standing right in front of them. Raven feels a sudden surge of jealousy as she sees Beast Boy gape at the girl. But, oddly enough, she wasn't the only jealous one at this reunion. She could feel it radiating off someone else.
"Terra? Is that really you?" whispers Beast Boy, as old feelings start to return.
"The one and only, now how about we go get some pizza and talk about our current predicament," Terra asks, staring at most of the team. Glaring at one in particular.
"What are you talking about, Terra? You think knocking out one villain makes you a part of the team again? Why should we trust you?" Cyborg glares at her, his protective instincts kicking in.
"I know, I know, but I swear, I'm here for you guys now," she explains, hoping that they will accept her again.
"You've betrayed us before, Terra. How are we supposed to trust you?" Nightwing's suspicious gaze is locked on her, and she can feel the guilt of that past mistake, even as the terms of the new deal she has made echo in her mind.
"That was just one mistake. I was young, and gullible. It won't happen again," she lies smoothly, and wonders what that says about her.
"But how can we-"
"She's saved us before too, Nightwing. Don't forget about that." Beast Boy interrupts quietly, his gaze on Terra, though he continues to glance at Raven out of the corner of his eye. The indecision in his eyes steels Terra's resolve, and she straightens, determined to win.
"Nightwing, I understand if you don't trust me just yet, just please give me another chance. That's why I said we should go eat. Pizza always helps, right?" Terra jokes weakly, hoping the humor will help dissolve the already weakening wall. It always was easy to guess the team's mood. Guess there weren't as many changes as Slade had told her.
"Friend Nightwing, perhaps… perhaps we should listen to her." Starfire speaks up, her expressive eyes showing that she was willing to trust again. Good. Terra would need an ally in the interrogation that was sure to happen.
"I guess we could at least listen you," says Cyborg warily. He would be much harder to win over. But Terra lives for challenges, right? And, honestly, she misses them. She wants them to like her again. To accept her.
Beast Boy hasn't said anything since his quiet defense of her, but the look on his face is obvious enough to the leader of the team. His natural distrust nags at him, but Starfire's pleading looks and BB's silent longing are enough to give her a shot.
"Fine, Terra. We'll hear what you have to say, but don't expect anything," Nightwing says, still distrustful. He shares a look with Cyborg, and they both watch Terra like hawks as she enters the T-car.
But, perhaps they are watching a little too closely, as no one notices a still injured Raven sitting on the ground as they drive away.
"That's okay," she says quietly to herself. "They know I can take care of myself."
She stands slowly, the wound in her side adding to the silent pain in her chest.
"It'll be easy to fly to the, gah, the Tower," she moans, holding onto her abdomen, and slowly makes her way home.
….)^-^)
Here it is the second chapter and please review. If someone could help me with this website it would be quite helpful. So constructive criticism allowed, flames won't be taken lightly :D
The Cretan: thanks you for your review and trust me it will go somewhere … well at least I hope it will.