Hellos fans and friends a like, today is my birthday 10/19. Normally I would be the one receiving gifts, cakes and etc, but today I thought I'd give you a present. A new chapter! (Come on, what else can I give?). I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it.

Chapter 5

Double Take

"Is that everything?"

Cyborg looked over the jumble of duffel bags that lay askew across the floor and unzipped pockets at random. He nodded at each one he inspected, closing them when he was through.

"Yep that's everything," Cyborg turned to the boy wonder and wined. "Why do we have to drive?"

"Because I said so that's why."

Cyborg grumbled to himself as he began the difficult of fitting the Titans' luggage into the trunk of the T-car, most of which was Starfire's. "They had better have a good reason for driving all the way down there."

Slade's Lair…

Mindcheat, Slade's redhead apprentice, dragged her feet along the corridor. Her head was hung low; she was very disturbed by the recent turn of events. The first wheels of Slade's plan had been set in motion. And somehow Mindcheat knew she didn't want to know where it would lead them.

She was already at a loss for how the coming days would turn out; everything didn't seem to make sense. Revealing Terran's identity, stealing a computer that they had no idea what was contained inside, bringing Terran back from his long tour in Steel City a month ago. Nothing made sense.

She absentmindedly turned a corner and headed down another hallway in the almost endless maze of corridors. What are you planning? She thought to herself. She stopped walking and leaned against the wall, biting her lip. And where do I fit into all of this?

Mindcheat stopped staring at her feet and looked to see where she had wondered. At first she didn't recognize the particular passage but after a few glances she remembered. This hallway was Slade's personal section of the base. All of his possessions and private experiments were done here. But Mindcheat had visited these rooms before, with or without Slade's permission, but that's not what kept her from leaving. At the end of the hallway, almost invisible from sight, was a lone door. Mindcheat knew better than to guess that it was Slade's bedroom, she knew for a fact it was the second door on the right, so this was something new.

She moved closer, making sure to glance behind her incase Slade decided to show up unexpectedly, and came within a few feet of the door. Mindcheat moved her hand towards the panel when a hand sprung from the darkness. Mindcheat jumped as Terran materialized from the shadow covering the door and stared her down. Already she could see something about him had changed, something in his eyes was different. They seemed to promote a sense of power, of purpose. Whatever it was, he did not have it a few days ago. The earth mover released her hand but remained still as a rock. Mindcheat attempted to bypass him but Terran pushed her away from the door.

"Watch it," Mindcheat snarled. She tried again but Terran still refused her passage. "Get out of my way!" Mindcheat shouted and threw a punch.

Terran caught her fist and began to crush it in his hand. Mindcheat punched his forearm with her other fist but it seemed to do no good. She let out a small cry of pain as she fell to her knees.

"Pathetic…" Terran sneered. Mindcheat looked up at him in surprise; she had never heard him speak before. He let go of her fist, now bearing marks where he had grinded his fingers into it, and her hand fell loosely to the ground. Mindcheat grabbed her hand and held it close to her trying to squelch the pain.

Terran rudely stepped over her and headed down the hallway she had just come from. The enigmatic room behind the redhead faded from her mind, she wasn't going to let this stand.

"You…you little…" Mindcheat leapt to her feet and charged at Terran. "HOW DARE YOU!"

She gained on Terran until she was almost literally on top of him. She was about to bring her foot down onto his head when Terran spun around. He slammed the palm of his hand into her gut, instantly knocking the wind out of her. Terran grabbed her by the face when a voice echoed down the hall. Both Terran and Mindcheat turned their gaze down the hall to see a tall, muscular man.

"That is quite enough," said Slade, his words directed more to Terran than anyone.

Terran stood where he was. Slade stared him down menacingly.

"Put her down…" Slade commanded. "Now."

Mindcheat fell from Terran's grasp and instinctively rubbed her jaw where she had been grabbed. Though Mindcheat stood a few inches taller than Terran, his poise made him far more intimidating, not that Mindcheat was afraid with him or was willing to admit. Without a word Terran moved down the hallway and disappeared from sight, leaving Slade and Mindcheat alone.

Slade moved closer to Mindcheat, stopping only when he was within a foot of her. "How's your jaw?"

"Could be better," Mindcheat replied spitefully. "No thanks to that little prick."

Slade rubbed his chin with his right hand as he gazed down the hallway Terran had exited. "Yes…he has been acting most…" Slade tapped his chin, thinking of the proper choice of words. "Unexpected…"

"You're telling me."

"He's far more obedient than I thought he was going to be."

Mindcheat did a double take and looked upon Slade with astonishment. "Obedient? He was far better when he was a mindless drone." Mindcheat began rubbing her hand again and her thoughts turned back to the door, the reason for all her troubles.

"So what was he doing by that door anyway?"

Slade returned his gaze to Mindcheat and put his arm on her sturdy shoulder. He led her back down the hall until they exited the wing. "That need not concern you my dear…"

How many times do I need to tell you to stop calling me that Mindcheat thought, annoyed at his constant reference to her as 'dear'.

"…But know this." Slade stepped to the side, forcing Mindcheat to become backed up against the wall. "You are never to go in that room under any circumstances…ever."

Mindcheat stared at Slade. "Why? Terran can be near it so why can't I?"

Slade turned his head to the side and smiled menacingly "To keep you out of course."

"Why do you want that room kept so secret?"

Slade bent closer until Mindcheat found it impossible to look anywhere but at him. "Mindcheat, you have proven yourself a most promising apprentice." Slade backed away and proceeded towards his private office. "Don't prove me wrong."

Slade backed away from her and began his trek back into the bowls of the base. Before he was out of earshot Mindcheat called: "Where's Terran going, I heard you talking about shipping him out again."

Slade disappeared from sight, ignoring her question and Mindcheat was left alone in the empty corridor. So…there's something behind that door that you don't want me to see… Mindcheat thought to herself, as she took slow steps back to her room. A wicked smile spread across her face as she looked back down the corridor that lead back to the secret room. All the more reason for me to see for myself.

The T-Car

Several Days Later…

Cyborg relaxed his shoulders as he cruised the T-car down the major highway leading to Steel City. Several days before the Titans had received word from the Titans East to come to their City immediately. When they had asked why, the Titans East merely stated that it was urgent that they get there as quickly as they could.

Cyborg's winter clothing lay inside his duffel bag that was now crammed into the trunk of the car along with everyone else's. He wasn't going to be caught in Steel City without some way to keep him warm and he advised everyone else to as well. Last time he felt as though he would freeze over at any second from the constant cold weather.

"Robin…" said Cyborg as he made a right at the turnoff. "Remind me again why we couldn't take the new T-ship?"

"Because we haven't added a sixth seat yet remember," replied Robin. "You were to busy fixing the T-car and expanding it for more passengers instead of refitting the Vertigo."

"Well I painted it didn't I?"

"Cyborg we're almost there. Now's not the time to complain."

"But Terra, Starfire or Raven could have flown behind us and we'd have been there in half the time."

"Cyborg that would have been rude to have them fly behind us."

"Starfire wouldn't mind."

"Cyborg!"

"Fine maybe not Starfire but definitely Terra; Raven would kill us if we had her fly behind"

"No Cyborg."

"Ok, ok fine, bad idea."

A bright light shown through the rear mirror and Cyborg held up his hand to block it out.

Great, some idiot's got their bright on Cyborg thought angrily. He adjusted his mirror so he could get a clearer view of the rear of the car. He saw the heads of Beast Boy and Terra at the bottom of his mirror and he shifted it down for a better look. It was impossible to tell whether it was Terra resting on Beast Boy or the other way around. Her hair mixed with his making them look connected at the head as the two snored away in the back of the car. Cyborg rolled his eyes and returned his attention to the road and passed a sign showing they were two miles away from Steel City.

"Hey, we're almost there. Should I wake everyone?"

Robin shook his head. "No, let them sleep. We've been driving for days."

Cyborg took the turnoff and the T-car decelerated as it entered the outskirts of Steel City. Like Cyborg's last visit, the city was dark and gloomy. The smog from the industrial factories cast a dark cloud over the city making it nightfall every waking hour. Needless to say it did nothing to improve the moods of the populace. Though the Titans East had done a magnificent job helping to rebuild the city, there was still visible damage from their encounter with Terran several months prior.

"Seems like everywhere we go, Terran has left his mark." said a voice from behind.

Cyborg and Robin swung around to see Raven rubbing her eyes. She had woken up a few minutes earlier and was now taking in the sites. Not that there was much to take in.

Cyborg nodded and returned to the task of driving. "Tell me about it."

Cyborg took a right turn and soon they were cruising along the coastline. The T-car hit the water and the wheels rotated so that they now acted as propellers, speeding the car across the water. It wasn't long before the Steel City Titans Tower came into view, standing tall against the cliff.

"Hey, they're farther along with repairs than we are!" Cyborg stated in surprise.

Robin took a closer look and sure enough his robotic companion was right. The Tower here looked very far along in its repairs, unlike the Tower in Jump City that still had entire floors left to rebuild. The Tower in Steel City looked more mechanical whereas the one in Jump City was more windows than anything. Armor plating had been added to the exterior that Cyborg guessed was to reinforce it in case of a mudslide, a wise caution considering what happened last time.

"You're right, wonder how they did it." Robin said and sat back in his chair.

"Maybe it's just the outside and the inside's a wreck."

"Doubt it, the Titans East are capable of handling themselves, maybe they've had more time."

Cyborg and Robin continued to discuss how the Titans East fixed their Tower so quickly, but Raven paid little attention, her thoughts were somewhere else. She felt something inside the Tower, something she had not felt in a long time. It felt familiar yet different at the same time. She tossed the feeling aside and braced herself as the T-car hit the ramp to the garage.

"Ok y'all, we're here." Cyborg announced as he shifted the car into park.

No one budged.

"I said: WE'RE HERE!" Cyborg slammed his metal hand against the steering wheel and the Titans were blasted with a wave of sound from the horn.

Everyone who hadn't been awake moments prior bolted up right, and nearly smacked their heads on the seat in front of them. Everyone began making a fuss at once, wondering, as Beast Boy put it: "What the heck was that for?" while Cyborg smiled to himself in the front seat. He released his grip on the horn and stepped out of the car.

"Don't know what you guys are talkin' about." he chuckled. Cyborg got out of the T-car and opened the truck and began tossing the bags to their owner.

Beast Boy exited the car with Terra following in suit. He pressed his hands against his back making irritating popping sounds as he back straightened, and rested against the T-car.

"I wanna buy a new butt." the changeling complained as he massaged his sore buttocks. "Why couldn't we have at least stopped at a hotel once?"

"Because we wanted to make it here as soon as possible, and we did." Cyborg replied irritably. "Besides, I doubt you had the money to spend one hour at a hotel."

"Well that doesn't mean we couldn't have gotten out to stretch at least once in awhile."

Cyborg tossed Beast Boy's duffel bag to him, nearly knocking him over in the process. Cyborg then slung his bag across his shoulder and closed the trunk. Everyone was tired and irritable; staying in a car for 120 hours was no easy task and had taken a toll on everyone's mood, even Raven had become more irritable than usual.

The Titans entered the garage at the base of the Tower. It was littered with power tools, girders, and other appliances for repairing the Tower. Cyborg looked up into the rafters and saw the roof had yet to be repaired and exposed a bare superstructure.

Cyborg turned to the scrawny caped crusader and smiled. "Told you they just fixed the outside."

Robin was about to reply when the double doors at the far end of the garage swung open. A young woman with dark skin in a set of tights that resembled a bumblebee stepped into the room and announced in a cheerful voice. "Finally, you're here, and quite an entrance, I didn't know it was customary to blast one's horn after a long trip."

"Hey Bumblebee" said Cyborg as he stepped forward to greet his old friend.

"Hey yourself Sparky, We were beginning to think you weren't coming."

Cyborg glowered at Robin. "Well we would have been here sooner if we took a faster means of travel."

"Get over it Cyborg."

Instead of continuing the argument he and Robin had had to many times to count in the car, Cyborg dropped the subject and followed Bumblebee into the waiting elevator down the hall. Everyone else groaned as they followed them, carrying their overstuffed bags until they reached the elevator. The ride up the elevator to took several minutes because it kept stopping and starting at random intervals but finally they reached the top. Cyborg secretly took pride that the Titans East still didn't fully understand how to put together a Tower.

Bumblebee led them into the common room where Mas and Menos were waiting anxiously for them. The Titans entered the common room and were suddenly surrounded by a white and red blur.

"SENOR CYBORG, SENOR ROBIN, SENOR BEASTBOY, SENORITAS STARFIRE Y RAVEN, BUENOS TARDES!"

"Uh, does any here know Spanish?" Terra asked as she desperately tried to follow the two speedy twins' movements, only to become extremely disoriented. She collapsed against Beast Boy from her dizziness and was startled as Mas and Menos came to an abrupt halt in front of her.

Mas stepped away from his brother, smoothed his hair back and cleared his voice. "Senorita…" he stopped. He rotated his hand in a circular pattern as if deep in thought. He looked up to Terra and blushed. "Se llama?"

Terra cocked an eyebrow and recalled what little she knew of the Spanish language. Finally she realized that they had never met and guessed he wanted to know her name. "Terra." she said sweetly.

Mas looked as though he would melt into a puddle as she said her name and grabbed her hand and knelt down before her. "Senorita Terra, es muy divina-"

Beast Boy, knowing more Spanish than the rest of his team, knew Mas was out of line. "HEY, back off!" Beast Boy interjected. He tore Terra's hand from him and Mas squealed. Mas had a shocked look on his face and began shaking his fist at Beast Boy while shouting at him with such ferocity not even Menos knew what he was saying.

Terra looked between the two boys with great confusion. Again she felt out of the loop. "What did he say?"

"He won't be sayin' much if he doesn't control his mouth!"

Mas retreated to the safety of his brother and stuck his tongue out at Beast Boy.

"You little…"

Beast Boy charged at Mas but got a mouthful of carpet as Mas dragged Menos with him and disappeared from sight. They reappeared on top Beast Boy and Mas performer a small dance routine before disappearing again, with his brother unwillingly following.

"MAS, COOL IT!" Bumblebee demanded, but Mas continued to move around the room at lightning speed.

Beast Boy got up off the floor and dusted himself off before he was not off his feet again by Mas. Finally the changeling had had enough and lunged out at Mas as he slowed down to normal speed and grabbed him by the neck.

Menos then kicked Beast Boy in the shin for strangling his brother and Beast Boy yelped in pain. Beast Boy then grabbed Menos and lifted them up into the air. "Listen, you," he looked at Menos. "Stop kicking me, and you," He turned to Mas, the start of all the trouble. "Back off, she's my girlfriend, and quit dancing on me!"

The Hispanic twins looked at each other with a smile and Mas whispered. "Es poyo loco."

"I heard that!"

"Alright that is enough!" Bumblebee removed Mas and Menos from Beast Boy's grip and they took cover behind her. "Now sit down!" Bumblebee pointed towards a table with metal chairs forming a circular pattern around it.

"THEY STARTED IT!" He glared at the two speedsters and growled as he took his seat. "I had better not have been dragged across the country for this."

"Well you're in luck, you weren't, we actually had something else to show you guys."

"A new battle plan?" asked Robin as he took a seat.

"No."

"New ways to kick-the-butt?" asked Starfire, taking the seat to the left of Robin

"That's the same as the last question."

"A way to put Mas and Menos on a leash?" asked Beast Boy, eyeing the twins from the corner of his eye. They made a face at him but Bumblebee slapped them.

"No, and would you guys knock it off."

His gaze kept wandering between the small, rectangular machine sitting on the far end of the room. His heart filled with joy. "YOU GUYS FIXED MY CHILI MACHINE THAT WAS SO NICE OF YOU!" Cyborg shouted with great enthusiasm. Bumblebee gave him a stern look and Cyborg's spirits dampened. "Didn't you?"

"Heck no!"

"Darn it."

Bumblebee groaned and sat down at her seat. "Would you guys stop guessing, you're never going to get it."

"Alright, alright tell us." Robin said before his teammates could continue.

At that moment Aqualad and Speedy walked in and had large grins on their faces. They say the other Titans and a look of fear struck them. "Did we miss it?"

Bumblebee cocked an eyebrow and shrugged. This caused their grins to return and they raced to the kitchen and pulled out several cups and bottles of root beer.

"Here…" Aqualad said as he passed out to each one of the original Titans.

"…On the house" Speedy finished as he began pouring root beer into each one of the glasses. Once everyone had a full glass, Speedy and Aqualad sat down in their seats and nodded to Bumblebee.

"Thanks, I think," she said, rather annoyed by the interruption and that they hadn't poured her any. "Now that we're done I'm sure you all will be very excited," Bumblebee turned to Terra and smiled. "Especially you."

Before Terra could ask what she meant by that the door to the common room slid open and a teenage boy with blonde hair walked in. He wasn't the tallest boy in the world but he was the same size as Terra and Beast Boy but had a much stronger build. Terra nearly gagged when he walked in.

"Hey Bumblebee, you wanted to see…" his voice trailed off and the common room became eerily silent.

Slade's Lair…

"I still don't see it."

"I wouldn't expect you to."

Mindcheat leaned against Slade's chair in his office, a notion he found quite disrespectful but decided to let it slide. Slade was playing several video recording for his apprentice to study, so far she wasn't seeing the whole picture.

"It doesn't make sense Slade, why go to all the trouble of hiding him only to make himself known."

"Like I said before, it will all make sense in time."

Mindcheat nodded and continued to study the recording. For several minutes it continued to cycle through past recordings of Terran's encounters with the Titans only to snap back to the present where he was once again fighting them.

"Slade I've been thinking." she said after a long period of silence

"Oh really."

"Yeah, if Terran left only a few days ago, how did he beat the Titans to Steel City?"

"He flew."

"But that still doesn't account for…" A light bulb snapped on inside the psyches' head. So looked unto her master and smiled. "You never intended him to beat them there, did you?"

Her teacher rose from his chair and hit a button, pausing the recording off. Terran's image was now frozen on screen, stuttering in-between to separate frames. "Quite the contrary, he did beat them there."

"Well then, what's he supposed to?"

Slade smiled beneath his iron mask. "Exactly what he has been doing..." Slade stepped around Mindcheat and exited the room. "…making himself known."