"Wow" Terra commented, "this place hasn't changed one bit."
"No need to," Cyborg commented, "this place is the most technologically advanced building in the entire city, maybe more, all I know is I haven't had to upgrade that much."
"I see," she replied with a laugh, "glad to see you guys didn't change either."
They all smiled, knowing like them, Terra hadn't changed at all, merely frozen in time, now unthawed.
"Ok," she announced, sitting down on the couch in the central room, looking out across the bay, "before you start explaining everything that has happened in the past few years, could I maybe get something to eat, and a change of clothes?"
Terra tugged at her uniform, barely holding together upon her person, beat and battered, Slade's markings long worn away.
"About that, Terra," Cyborg stated, scanning her with his built in electronics upon his forearm, "as he said, that suit is fused with your nerves, it's a part of you."
Her eyes widened with fright remembering those words.
"There's gotta be some way to get it off," she pleaded, "if it can be put on, it can be taken off, please, Cyborg, there's gotta be some way."
"I'll try all I can, Terra," he replied, "but I can't guarantee anything, the way that thing's made, it is never to come off. Slade really did plan for you to belong to him for the rest of your life."
Terra knew Cyborg was true to his word, but also thought of the horror of being confined to the neural interface suit that represented all that she hated with every fiber of her being. She noticed Robin and Starfire came into the room, her arm in his, while he was carrying a large box of files, it also worn with time.
"What's that?" Terra questioned, trying to take her boots off, but to no avail, they were just like the rest of the suit, integrated with her nerves.
Robin sat the box down; its contents in full view now, file upon file, as well as many disks of information and footage.
"Consider this "story time" in a sense," Robin replied, trying to be light-hearted about it, knowing it was going to bring up memories, both good and bad.
"Believe me, Terra," B.B. announced, entering the room from the kitchen, handing her a plate containing a sandwich, knowing that she had to have been starving. "You have missed out on quite a bit in the past several years."
She gladly accepted it, taking a large bite out of it.
"Well," Terra replied with a mouthful of food, "let's get this show on the road, I can't wait to see what I have missed."
"Before we even get into detail on things, Terra," Robin started, Starfire still seated at his side, "we must warn you."
"Warn me of what, Robin?" she questioned, still eating her sandwich.
"We must show you every major event that has happened in your absence," he informed, solemnly, "all of them, whether they be good or bad."
Silence over took her, knowing Robin was as serious as he possibly could be, Terra paid full attention.
"Ok," she replied, "why are you telling me this?"
"Because," Robin continued, "it is imperative that you know what has taken place, as for some of these things, they were the toughest and most trying times for us, especially the most recent events."
"You mean Ra-" she answered, only to be interrupted.
"Raven's death," Beast Boy finished her sentence for her, "yes, I know you don't want to, I know all of us don't want to, but you must really know what happened."
"How about saving that for last, go in order, you know," Terra suggested, trying to avoid them bringing it up, knowing it still pained them so.
The silently agreed, knowing that it would be for the better. Robin sifted through the files, trying to find a certain one that documented any event that took place shortly after Terra's fossilization.
"Ah," he announced, "here it is."
He pulled out the specific file, opening, revealing typed documents, as well as several photographs.
"Not too long after you were...fossilized, or whatever you want to call that," Robin started, sifting through the pages, looking for something in particular, "we investigated the H.I.V.E. Academy, since some of our enemies seemed to be graduates from there, we wanted to see what was actually going on."
Terra nodded, picking up one of the photographs, containing a man that looked almost exactly like Cyborg, except he was all of flesh and blood.
"Who's this?" She questioned, eyeing it. Cyborg plucked it from her hand.
"That," he started, "was me, undercover."
"H-"
"I used a cloaking device disguised as rings," he informed before she could ask again, "and this picture here..." he added, pulling out another one, with his powers as "Stone" activated, "was my powers under the alias "Stone"."
"Ok, let me get this straight," Terra stated, "you're telling me that you managed to go undercover and infiltrate this H.I.V.E. place without a hitch?"
"Yes," Cyborg flatly replied, "anyway, I managed to meet their Headmaster, Brother Blood."
Robin quickly showed Terra a photo of Blood Cyborg managed to take while in disguise.
"He has "psycho" written all over him," Terra commented, knowing first hand from her experience with Slade.
Blood's overall physique was nothing spectacular, but it was he himself. His face bore that of a man whose cold stare was enough to freeze Hell over itself, those penetrating eyes of his is what made him such a feared figure just to the look.
"That he does," Robin commented, "it doesn't end there though. You see, Cyborg managed to get in and find out one of his little projects that he was working on, some kind of energy amplification device or something another, but, that's besides the point, the point is, Cyborg was caught, but instead of taking care of a problem, Blood offered Cyborg something he wanted, his own flesh and blood back. He almost turned, but what was it? Oh yeah, the machine part of his mind told him otherwise."
"Blood could fool the human," Cyborg added, "but not the machine, and for once, I was glad I am the way I am now, especially then."
"So he could have made you...normal," Terra deduced, "but you chose what you knew was right. Ok, I think I understand, but there's something bugging me about him, does he even have any powers or abilities of any kind?"
"He is able to control people, as he did his students, basically taking control of them without them knowing," Robin informed, "he also seems to be skilled as a martial artist as well."
Terra nodded, finding another photo of him, one of him not in his Headmaster robe, but of him in his one of combat, making him that much more intimidating to the look.
"After wrecking his Academy-" Cyborg began.
"Twice," chimed in both B.B. and Star, holding up two fingers each.
"After wrecking his Academy twice," he continued, irritated by their interruption, "he moved his operations to Steel City, over on the East Coast, away from us as far as he could go. Well, that didn't stop us."
"Don't forget about you leaving the team, Cy," Beast Boy stated shortly thereafter.
"Wait," Terra replied to his statement, surprised, "you left the team?"
Cyborg wasn't pleased by B.B. bringing that up, but readied himself to tell her anyway.
"Yeah," he began, "I had this thing about me, much like Robin did with Slade, I had to take Blood down, and I felt like Robin was holding me back. I moved to Steel City to work all the leads on Blood, as well as start the Titans East, I wanted to lead, I felt like I needed to be in charge, so I could become a man."
He fished out another picture from the file, containing the figures of Bumblebee, Aqualad, Speedy, and Mas Y Menos, none of which Terra had ever heard of, but staples of allies to the rest of the group.
"So these guys were your team?" She commented, studying each one.
"Yeah," Cyborg answered, "you'll get to meet them yourself pretty soon, but on with the story. Blood had also stole my blueprints, he stole me basically, how I am built, what I am made of, and what is inside of me, all of it. Blood used these blueprints to change himself, doing what I thought was unthinkable, unimaginable, and finally proves that the man truly was psychotic to his very soul."
Robin showed Terra the picture of Blood after he altered his own body, using Cyborg's schematics, and turning him into biomechanical monstrosity, looking like Cyborg, but red instead of blue, more sinister looking as well, a horned skull upon the front of his chest.
"That," Cyborg pointed out, "is what he is like now. We haven't heard much from him lately, I think he is planning something big since Slade's gone or is going to pick up where he left off, since they were working together. I think he's trying to run another Academy, but I don't know if he is that dense, since we've already destroyed the one he had within the city, underwater, and tried turning the Tower at Steel City into one, but we stopped him, both the Titans East, as well as these guys. That made me realize what I needed to, and I came back, but the Titans East remained a team, helping us out when we need it and likewise."
"Slade and this...Blood guy were working together?" Terra unbelievably asked, knowing what Slade was capable of and how he worked, not having a clue as to what Brother Blood was like to say the least.
"Yeah," Robin answered, "we'll get to that part here in a minute, there's a lot that happens between now and then.
"What's next in there, Robin?" Beast Boy questioned, "most of these have been quite a while back, I forget some of them."
"Just hold on a minute, I'm getting there," he replied, sifting through the poorly-organized files.
Robin held one up, but saw the title of it, and quickly put it back.
"No, wait a minute," Cyborg pointed out, "let's see that one."
"Come on, Cy," Robin replied, "it's nothing important."
"Robin," he said with a straight face, "everything in that box is of some significant importance."
"Alright, alright," he caved in, taking it out once more.
Robin slowly and reluctantly opened the file, same as the last, what appeared to be a typed report, as well as many photographs. He handed one to Terra, its image that of a male figure, but he wasn't of flesh and blood, but of what appeared to be paper, only his eyes were outlined with the ink of the text, those pages appeared to be ripped from the binding of a book.
"We had to snag that one from Raven's camera," Cyborg informed, "we never actually got to see "him" like that."
"Who is this guy?" Terra questioned, looking at the photo of the strange figure.
"This guy or whatever he is," Beast Boy began, as serious as could be, recalling the painful era in time, "was Malchior. Malchior was one of two characters locked away in one of Raven's really old books, the other was a wizard by the name of Rorek. Anyway, by merely switching the names with his dark magic, Malchior connived Raven he was the wizard, but in truth, was the dragon."
"This guy's a dragon?" Terra, once again, unbelievable asked, cocking any eyebrow.
"Yes," B.B. continued, "he took on the form of Rorek to trick and deceive Raven, releasing him from the book that bound him, allowing him to be free once more to terrorize all around him. It wasn't the fact of that that made it so bad, but the fact that Malchior...broke Raven's heart. She liked him, more that we will probably ever know, but she was more emotionally hurt than physically out of anything, it took many weeks, for what seemed like an eternity, before she truly recovered."
"That's really sad," Terra commented, showing that she cared for them, and Raven as well, hopefully able to mend the ties that she broke so long ago. "Nobody, especially Raven deserved something like that."
They all nodded, knowing it to be true, but refused to go into depth upon it, knowing it would only bring up the recent painful events that hurt them so.
"If you think that's bad," Cyborg informed, "just wait until we get to the point at which the world ended. That too, was something no living thing should have endured, but again, Raven was its target of choice."
"What!" Terra exclaimed, "The world ended! How!"
"Calm down," Robin flatly stated, sifting again, thumbing through them.
"Yes, friend Terra," Starfire finally stated, just listening, as if it were a story being told. "I assure you that everything is the fine, Robin will gladly inform you of what has happened in your inactivity"
"Right here," Robin announced, pulling what appeared to be one of the biggest files in the box out, many picture visible, acting as if they were place holders.
"For this," he informed, laying it out on the table in front of the couch, "you will have to watch several videos that we managed to get from surveillance cameras and by other means around the city and different times."
"Ok," she replied, still confused, "well, show me, maybe they will help me out as to what is going on."
"First," Cyborg began, "we need to tell you a little history about Raven, stuff we didn't even know about until it was almost too late."
Terra nodded, also curious to learn a little about Raven's past, the very person that was shrouded in secrecy and darkness most of her life, and forced to be that way.
"You know how Raven was, well…mysterious, right?" Robin began, "well, even though she was…different, most of the reasoning behind it all had to do with this information I'm about to tell you. You see, Raven's powers are controlled by her emotions, and she needed to keep them in check to prevent anything disastrous from happening to her, us, and everything around her. Her powers were given to her by her father, Trigon the Terrible."
Robin showed Terra a blurry snapshot of Trigon that Cyborg managed to take while the combated him in an attempt to save the world, and succeeded to do so.
"This guy looks like pure-"
"Evil," all of the Titans interrupted, surprising her, Robin continued with his explanation, "Trigon is just that, pure evil, he is the master of darkness."
"And this guy's Raven's father?" She questioned, disturbed by the thought.
"Yes, biologically," Cyborg informed, "but from what we could tell long before we fought him, she wasn't all too fond of him."
Terra nodded, setting the picture down, awaiting the explanation of what had taken place in her hibernation.
"Anyway," Cyborg began, "Around Raven's birthday, about 5, maybe 6 years ago now, it wasn't too long after the whole Blood ordeal, but she started acting…strange. She wanted the day to be over with as soon as possible. At first, we didn't know what was going on, but thanks to a certain green snoop," Cyborg motioned to Beast Boy, who only smirked, "he found out it was her birthday. Well, upon finding that information, that evening, we threw her a surprise party. In fact, the surprise was on us, Raven completely destroying what we had used for decorations, even the cake, telling us if we truly knew what this day meant to her, we wouldn't be celebrating it."
"Why?" Terra asked, confused, even though she knew Raven was different, but not seeing the reasoning behind her actions thus far in this part of life that she missed out on.
"Hold on," Cyborg replied with a smile, "I'm getting there."
She nodded once more, feeling slightly sorry for interrupting once more.
"Anyway," he continued once more, "We did happen to find out something that we didn't want to."
"Slade was alive once more," Robin said, suppressed rage within his voice.
Her face was full of shock and horror.
"How, I mean I k-"
"Yeah, I know," Robin interrupted, "this is where Trigon comes into play. Raven's fear on her birthday, and everyone before that she could remember, was The Prophecy, the destined act of Trigon using his own daughter, his own flesh and blood, as a portal to this realm from his, and rule the world as he saw fit. Anyway, Slade, basically a living skeleton, boring the Mark of Scathe. Scathe was another name Trigon went by. Well, before all of this could be accomplished, Trigon had someone to do his bidding to make things easier for him in the long run. Well, out of all the demented souls in the fiery depths of Hell, he chose Slade. In return for delivering The Portal for Trigon's use, he would grant Slade the only thing he desired, to live once more. Before Slade could even think about committing his assigned duty, he had to awaken The Portal, activating the markings that would allow for this to happen. Time passed, but we all prepared for what was to happen, knowing that eventually, Trigon was going to use Slade and begin his ascension to Earth to rule. Well, that day came of course, Raven tried to hide it for as long as she could, but it was all in futile, her markings becoming visible, alerting us of what was on the horizon. After fighting Slade, as well as an army of demons, or whatever they were, Raven finally succumbed and went with him. She knocked us out to prevent us from following or trying to stop Slade, but she also gave us a small amount of her power, having no idea as to what was to happen to her, all of it in safe measure. By the time we awoke and caught up with her, it was too late, she even used her powers to prevent us from interfering, knowing that this was her destiny, that she was allowed to come into this world for this reason only, to be used for her father's bidding. A blinding white light came forth from her person, making it to where we were unable to see what was going on at all. After it receded, the grand staircase, as well as the hand that acted as a pedestal, was completely gone."
Robin decided it was a good point in which to show Terra a few of the pictures, further describing some of the events Robin revealed to her. The first was of the chamber that acted as the grounds for the ritual to take place, beneath the library that Slade left standing after destroying many city blocks that was set to be demolished, but it was the pattern in which he did it was what frightened them. The next picture was from the sky, showing the library itself amongst the charred remains of other buildings, but the remains forming the Mark of Scathe around the library, taking up many city blocks as stated, a disturbing sight indeed. Yet again, Terra sifted through them, finding one of Slade, the Mark of Scathe upon his head glowing intently, along with his eye, a raging inferno of a fireball engulfed around his clenched fist.
"That's different," Terra commented, looking at it more intently.
"That was another one of Trigon's pluses that Slade liked in return for working for him," Cyborg informed, "those powers. He could conjure fire, as well as control Trigon's army of demons, not to mention he was invulnerable, I mean, you can't kill what was already dead."
Silence overtook them, knowing that is what Slade had said about himself, even all the way up until his fated end against Raven.
"So," Terra finally broke the silence, knowing something Cyborg had said struck a nerve about them, "is that all, or is there more?"
"There's more," Robin replied, thinking of a good spot to continue from. "Anyway, Trigon emerged and took control of the world, turning all of its inhabitants to stone, the sky hellfire red, and water turned to lava. Needless to say, it was indeed Hell on Earth when he took power. After managing to find one another in this strange world, yet Raven was still missing. Slade showed up, his powers gone, but still a skeleton, Trigon screwing him over on his deal to grant him life. He agreed to help us since he didn't like being double-crossed, I being the one to go with him to find Raven, the others to distract Trigon while we did. Slade and I fought together against Trigon's demons, successfully I might add, while Trigon had managed to pit Star, Cy, and B.B. against their own dark sides in a sense, the evil that festered within them. Slade and I parted ways, I went off to find Raven, he went to get back what he wanted, I don't know what happened while he was away from me, and I don't care, but anyway, I found Raven, yet she had been turned back into a little girl, no older than 10 at the most, if that, alone, and frightened. Meanwhile, the others fought a losing battle against themselves, struggling to just stay alive. I convinced Raven that I wasn't a threat and I was her friend, even getting her to remember who she was and what had happened. By the time I got to the surface, as well as escaping a few close calls, the others had basically traded each other, and beating each other since they couldn't beat themselves. Even though it seemed to be working, Trigon knew of our actions the entire time, knowing what we were trying to do, and found it all to be in vain. Even with all of us working together, even Slade fighting along side us, we were still no match for him, but Raven was. Raven found the will and courage to face him head on, using the power she stored within us, as well as her own emotions, and vanquished him, sending him back to where he came from. All in all, Raven was destined to destroy the world, yet, she refused to accept that destiny, and implemented her own, able to live with peace at mind finally."
"Wow," Terra replied in amazement at the conclusion of a story so extravagant, it had to be true, no one could lie about such a thing, "so Raven basically saved the world from complete and utter destruction, even though her only purpose to live was to commit that act?"
They nodded, truly paying respect to her as they had always held the utmost for her no matter what.
"That was probably the most important, as well as disturbing time and event that happened in your absence, Terra," Robin stated, "we actually had given up and lost all hope, but Raven, Raven was the most hopeful out of all of us, it was her that pulled us through, even defying something that was supposed to happen, proving that nothing is impossible."
Terra nodded, respecting Raven, also feeling guilty to a degree.
"I-I never really got to apologize to any of you," she began, her eyes misty, her soul full of guilt, studying the floor, "I know words seem hollow in a situation like this, especially after the atrocities I committed, everything I did to you, the city, all of it, I truly am sorry for it, there is no other way to put it, and I know nothing will ever be able to excuse what I did."
Beast Boy rested his hand on her shoulder gently, getting her attention.
"Terra," he began, "when you sacrificed yourself to save us and the city, I mean you even took Slade down for what should have been for good, and to me, I don't care what anyone else thinks, is enough, you proved your true loyalty by doing that. Yes, you made mistakes, but you reprimanded yourself for them."
"I speak for everyone here, Terra," Robin announced, "we forgave you long ago, you are our friend, and a Titan, nothing will ever change that. I agree with Beast Boy as well, you've made up for your acts against us, so now it's time for you to start with a fresh slate, clean of everything. Yes, you're our friend, but you are going to have to earn our trust back. I know it sounds like an ultimatum, but it's the truth, you know this as well."
"I don't blame you," she replied, agreeing, "I would find it difficult to do what you have done for me, especially after all the atrocities I committed against you, my friends."
Robin looked up at the clock, seeing it was late into the evening.
"Man, it's that late already?" he announced, getting everyone to look as well, "ok, well, how about a break from all this, and we'll finish up tomorrow, how's that sound?"
"That sound alright," Terra agreed once more, not wanting to present a conflict already.
"Then it's settled," Robin said with a smile, standing up, "I don't know about you guys, but I'm hungry."
"Yeah, no kiddin'" Cyborg added, holding his stomach, "hey, B, come with me, we'll go get something."
He motioned, getting his attention.
"Yeah, sure," Beast Boy commented, hopping down off of the couch behind Terra.
Cyborg turned just as Beast Boy caught up with him, as if he had remembered something taking something out from a small access hatch on his arm.
"Yo, Terra," he called, her blonde hair fluttering as she turned her head to face him, her vivid blue eyes meeting with his, "catch."
A metallic card with a black stripe on it went through the air, Terra gracefully accepting it into her hands.
"What's this?" She questioned, confused, eyeing the card in the palm of her hand.
"Why, the access card to your room," He answered with a smile, "we left it the same as you had left it, well, besides cleaning it anyway, other than that, nothin's been changed one bit."
Terra had a large grin upon her face, her near-perfect teeth gleaming. She quickly hopped up off of the couch, jogging down the hallway.
"She seems content now," Cyborg commented, looking at B.B. "come on, we're gonna pick up something to eat."
"Why you taking me along?" Beast Boy questioned as they walked down the hall, waiting for the doors to the elevator to open.
"I've got a few things to talk to you about," he gingerly replied.
"What kinda things?" B.B. asked once more, cocking an eyebrow.
"Well, a little hint," Cyborg admitted, the doors opening, them stepping through them, "these things have to do with Terra, and they are things you must give me feedback on."
"Ok," Beast Boy replied, still confused to a degree, "whatever you say."
He nodded as the door closed, the elevator continuing down to the sub-floor of the Tower, all the way to the garage area.
Meanwhile, the leader had found his way to the rough, standing erect, his arms folded across his chest. Robin looked across the bay, the nighttime sky littered with various stars of shapes and sizes, the moon nearly full, illuminating the Earth below it. The moon's brilliance radiance found its way to the water below, shimmering its reflection off of it. He appeared to be deep in thought. The access door to the roof quietly opened, but Robin knew someone had came up, and knew just who it was as well.
"Robin?" She questioned, concerned for his well-being.
"Yeah, Star?" He answered, his eyes still trained on the vast body of water that lay ahead of him.
"What is the matter? You seem…distraught, something troubles you, and I wish to know what it is," Starfire informed him of her feelings, stepping forward, even with Robin near the edge of the Tower's roof. The wind picked up, whipping her long, red hair about, gently picking up, and dying down from time to time.
"It's nothing," he replied, lying to cover up the dark truth he refused to speak out loud.
"It just isn't nothing, Robin," Starfire reasoned, wanting to know what was truly wrong with him, "I know you better than anyone else, you can tell me anything, and I will understand, please, Robin, I wish to know what is wrong."
"Even if I did tell you," he started, reluctant to worry her, "it would frighten you."
"I wish to share your feelings, Robin, and in order for me to do so, you must share them all, both the good and the bad. Please, Robin, it will help to get it off of your chest," she pleaded, looking into his masked eyes, yet the remained trained forward.
"Rav…Raven, it's about Raven," he started, grabbing her attention, "I, as well as the others, know that it wasn't only Slade that caused her death. Yes, he dealt the blows, but it was the events that led up to it that helped as well. Blood, he sold Slade the schematics that are based off of Cyborg that were implemented as his army. That being said, Chang was the one who built Slade's robotic army, as well as the very complex that played host that fateful day. Many of the H.I.V.E. students that we fought over those months were just a distraction, again, a joint plan formulated by Blood and Slade. I know it sounds far-fetched, but I know this to be the truth, there is too much evidence that supports it. Slade, Blood, and Chang were all working together, and whatever plans they had are still a possibility, maybe even simpler since Slade is out of the picture, and we are short one of our most powerful members."
"This is what troubles you, Robin?" Starfire answered to his explanation, concerned yet still, feeling as if he wasn't finished, or was still masking the truth, "or is there more?"
Robin shifted his weight from one leg to the other, slightly turning towards her, yet he continued looking across the water still, locking his vision upon the bridge, illuminated by the moon.
"I…have this feeling," he started once more, calm and cool as ever, "that Blood and Chang aren't going to stop, and there is only one thing left for me to do. They have Raven's blood on their hands as much as Slade does, but she managed to avenge that herself, while the other two murderers are walking free, still committing their acts of dishonesty and evil as if nothing had happened. The notion of this boils my blood, I will not stand for it. When I find either of them, I will kill them."
Starfire's eyes snapped open with surprise, shocked at what she heard come from his mouth, unable to believe he would say such a thing with so much feeling behind it, as if he meant it and would do it.
"You can't possibly mean that, Robin," she replied in a frightened voice, "they are villains, and they did have some part in friend Raven's untimely death, but ending their lives isn't going to bring her back."
He locked eyes with her, his face showed the emotion of being dead serious.
"You better hope to God that you and the others get to them before I do, because if you don't, I will, and there's nothing that is going to get in my way," Robin said in a low, almost threatening tone.
She turned away in fright, yet wanted to remained at his side, showing her true respect for him, knowing what he meant, but feared he would do what he said, knowing Robin was one true to his word. Her eyes snapped opened, meeting with his as she felt his hand pull her chin up.
"Listen," he said in a caring manner, only to have her to turn away from him, her back facing him.
"If you wish to go through with your described course of action, Robin, then who am I to stop you," she coldly replied, feeling regretful for saying such a thing, especially to the only person she had compassionate feelings for.
Robin felt a twinge of regret as well, not thinking before he spoke, Starfire being one to take everything extremely literal and to heart, no matter what it be. Before he could think of something to say, Starfire walked away, her nose almost as if it were in the air, no pleased with him one bit. He started to follow, but quickly retracted, knowing that it would only aggravate the situation further. The door that led down from the roof slammed shut behind her, as if it had resonated through his very nerves, paining him from within. Robin looked back across the water once more, the moon fully illuminating all by now, the evening gone, night had come.
"Maybe it wasn't the best idea in the world to tell her that," Robin thought, but truly knowing he was right, "man, I feel like an ass now, I really need to apologize somehow, but I'm not going to lie about what actions I am going to do, they had better apprehend them before I get to them.
"Why are you going so slow, Cy?" B.B. commented, taking notice that he was driving only 60 MPH as opposed to his usual 100-plus down the tunnel that led from the Tower to the city under the bay.
Cyborg heard him, but was thinking of something to say, or at least as how to start what he truly wanted to say to his friend.
"About Terra," he finally blurted out.
"What about her?" Beast Boy replied, knowing Cyborg wanted to talk to him about it, but he didn't know why he wanted to do it in the sanctity of his car.
"You still like her, don't you?" Cy managed, a little uneasy about the whole situation.
Beast Boy thought for a moment, thinking of what to say. If his answer was yes, it would betray his true feelings for Raven, but he wasn't heartless, so no wasn't an acceptable answer either.
"To a degree…yes," Beast Boy finally answered, "but it is nothing compared to what I shared with Raven."
"I know, I know," Cyborg quickly replied, not wanting to undermine him, "that's besides the point. The point is…you need to give me the honest to God truth."
"Truth to what?" B.B questioned, looking in Cy's direction, noticing he had his eyes glued to the road ahead of him, as well as the car slowing to a stop as it began exiting the tunnel onto surface streets.
"That you…" he started, trying to find the right words, "that you revived Terra to cover up the hole in your heart Raven left in her wake. I don't care if I make you angry, sad, whatever, you need to give me an honest answer, straight up."
He knew Cyborg was right on his assumption, knowing that he did in fact revive Terra to cover up the void in his soul that only Raven could fill, not by Terra, not by anyone else. B.B. knew that Terra would only mask his pain that he felt deep inside his vessel, but it was better than being alone and depressed for the remainder of his life, for all he knew could last far beyond what he could concieve.
"Yes, Cyborg, I did," he finally admitted, reluctant and also feeling guilty, "I just didn't want to be alone. She was the only one that would understand me, especially at a time like this. Besides, we all benifit from it, her abilities, as well as companionship are availiable once more."
"What about your feelings towards her?" Cyborg pressed, turning at a traffic light onto another surface street.
"What's that have to do with anything?" Beast Boy quickly replied, covering his true feelings up.
"Don't be dumb," Cyborg nonchalantly replied, "tell me, tell me about your feelings towards her, have they changed, remained the same, what?"
"Come on, Cy," he pleaded, "she's like...what? 13 still? It wouldn't work. I'll admit, part of me still likes her, but I can only request her friendship now, because it is...well, wrong for me to like her like that."
"If a serum can free her from a prison of rock," Cyborg reasoned, "then I'm pretty sure someone can come up with one that will accelerate her growth. You see, technically, Terra is just as old as you are, nearly and adult, but it is her physical body that had remained unchanged, so she just appears to be 13. I can understand you seeing it as being...ethicaly wrong and whatnot. I am going to work on something to do this, oh I don't know, maybe make something or some concoction that will make her body age and grow as it would in seven years in the time of only one."
Beast Boy's eyes snapped open with surprise.
"Are you serious?" He commented, "you can actually do that?"
"Why of course," Cyborg said with a smile, "It'll take some time and a little bit of research, but I'm sure I can do it, I mean, if Slade could create that, then I'm sure I can come up with something that will perform as needed."
He winced at the mere utterence of his name, hating to hear the name of the man that brought Raven's life to a crashing halt, as well as altering theirs for eternity.
"Do you really think he's...you know," Beast Boy finally managed, something within him, along the lines of an instinct, told him othewise.
"I saw it first hand, B," Cyborg reasoned, "there is no way he could come back from that. I know Terra offed him once before, but the only reason he came back is because he made a deal with Trigon, and I highly doubt he's willing to do it again. I bet them two are getting to know each other quite well now, since that's gonna be Slade's home for the next eternity."
B.B. knew he was right, but he still felt uneasy, as if out there, somewhere, Slade was alive, or still living to some degree, but he didn't know, nor could he explain it, he just felt it.
"Anyway," Cyborg began once more in his silence, "I know how you truly felt about Raven, and I knew how she truly felt about you. I ask you this, Garfield, please, just please, never forget about what you had with Raven. If you think about it, Terra will never be able to amount to the raw emotion that you shared with Raven, and she knows that as well. I know you don't want to be lonely, and I know you still like Terra, so I will respect your decision, because I'd probably do the same thing if I was in your shoes."
"I promise," B.B. replied with seriousness, "and you are right, Terra is nothing when compared to Raven, but she is all I have left now, and I don't want to be alone, I've already lost my parents and Raven, I don't want to lose her again."
Cyborg nodded, understanding what he was getting at, knowing what it was like to go through life being alone.
"So," Beast Boy spoke up, "where to?"
"Pick a place, I'll take ya there," Cyborg replied, continuing to drive the car through downtown Jump City.
An extensive array of equipment sat idle in a room. The room itself was rather large, the ceiling tall, its four walls stretching a good distance in their respective directions, all made of metal, gun metal gray in color, dull to the look, but cold to the touch. Much of the room was shrouded in darkness, all except for the various lights upon the equipment, either from items of importance, or merely lighting up a button for easier sight. Yet, this was overpowered by the main attraction of the lifeless room. The attraction was a large cyndrillical tube that ran all the way from the floor to the roof, made of thick, transparent glass, smooth to the touch. Inside of it was what was drew an observer's eye to it though. It appeared to be a figure, but not one that was complete. All that was intact was the chest, left arm, and half of the head, the rest was either missing or in grotesqe form, floating in the liquid that glowed dark orange from the heating lamps inside of the metallic casing at either end of the tube. The figure had on the tattered remains of a black outfit, armor that was beaten beyond function, and a disfigured mask, half black, half bronze, containing only one eye, one eye of solid white, lifeless. The machines were attatched to this tube, monitoring many things, and within it, the figure had many wires and tubes attatched to various regions, many seeming to keep the internal organs that remained alive, as well as feeding nutrients and oxygen to the lifeless form. An elderly man in a white jump suit with small machines for performing research attatched to it, as well as a pair of goggles, red in color, that never seemed to leave his aged face. He checked over the machinery, looking at every small detail, unoblivious as to what was going on around him. As he did this, another figure walked in from behind him, the airlock doors closing shut behind him as he entered, a red glow emitting from his left eye, a hood draped over his head. Noticably taller than the scientist, the hooded figure raised a metallic hand, lightly tapping him on the shoulder, frightening him.
"My God, Brother Blood," he replied, startled, holding his chest as if his heart were to burst, "I wish you would quit sneaking up on me like that, you know I scare easy."
Blood emitted a low growl of a laugh, making him even more uneasy.
"I know," Blood replied, "that's what makes it so entertaining. On to matters at hand though. Would you mind explaining to me how your contraption works here, Professor Chang?"
He set down his tools and turned around to face Blood, just as he remove his hood, his red-colored circuitry clashing with his pale skin.
"Why, I'd be delighted," Change managed, not wanting to anger Blood to say the least.
"Go ahead, I'm all ears," Blood added to his statement, clinking his metallic finger off of the armored half of his head, attempting to be an annoyance to Chang, knowing he was too fearful to even think of saying anything to him.
"Well, as you can see," he motioned, "I managed to recover what was left of him, and put his body on life support in a sense, keeping his body alive, even though brain activity has ceased to be. Those tubes feed his body with the needed nutrients and whatnot, the heated liquid he is immersed in will preserve his body until I reconstruct what was lost or damaged beyond healing, as well as invite his immune system to begin natrually healing while his body is still alive. These machines here allow me to monitor and adjust as I see fit, as well as using other programs to reconstruct him. I may not be able to make new flesh for him, but cybernetics is my leading field. I can play no god, only imitate."
"Let me get this straight," Blood reasoned, circling the tank, observing the lifeless figure inside of it, "you are saying you can revive him, even though he is dead? How so?"
"When a person dies," Chang began, knowing it was going to be difficult to explain in general, not that Blood wasn't intelligent, but the opposite, he mistakes things and takes the very literal, "their body and mind cease to function, and the decomposition process begins, recycling remains back into the earth. Well, what if I was able to salvage what was left before the decaying process began, his body still warm. A person's mind remembers everything that they have ever seen, heard, or learned, anything outside of the body that had made an impact upon that person leaves a memory within the human mind, burned and etched in it for all eternity. By merely giving that person's mind a jump-start in a sense, I can bring them back to life. Seeing how half of his mind is, well, missing, I will need to do very delicate reconstruction, and create something similar to what you and Cyborg have. The same will go for missing appendages, organs, and whatnot, using my reconstruction program, I will generate a 3D representation of what I need to make by hand, seeing how I don't have an assymbely line for such a thing, which would be impractical because every person is different."
"Wait, wait, wait," Blood stated, as if he was telling him to slow down, "you still didn't answer my question, I know the process now, but how are you going to bring him back to life, I mean, when someone dies, their soul or whatever you want to call it exits their body and moves on, does it not?"
"Religion is only a figment of the imagination of the creative," Chang quickly replied, "only science is true to its nature, and that, Brother Blood, is what I go by."
"I see," Blood reasoned with him, "so by merely keeping what remains of him in this state until he is reconstructed, you can bring him back from the dead?"
"Yes, just as simple as that," Chang added with a confident smile, "Slade will walk this plane once more."
"Don't you think he will be a little...displeased with you? I mean, you are bringing him back from the dead, maybe he wants to stay that way."
"Nonsense," Chang replied, "That's perposterous, besides, a man like him wouldn't be going anywhere he would be enjoying for enternity if you were to think about it, religious or not."
"That," Blood added, "I will agree with you on. If this is how you wish to spend the research money he granted you for your work, then so be it, but we will continue with our plans, will we not?"
"Of course," he answered, "besides, if any good does come out of this, I will be able to break the human genome by doing this, allowing me to find actual work as a scientist, seeing how my current endevoars aren't getting me anywhere."
"Give it time, patience is a virture," Blood cautioned, "things are going to begin going our way, trust me."
Chang nodded, picking up his tools again.
"Now if you will excuse me, Brother Blood," Chang politely informed, "I really need to get back to work, time is of an esscence at the moment."
"I understand," he replied, turning around, beginning to exit the room set up for Slade's resurrection, "I need to brief my top students on their final exam, the first phase of our plan."
Chang nodded once more, still engrossed in his work, seeing to it that he revived Slade.
"I really do hope he is...negotiable when he awakes, I fear his natural aggression and tempermental state of insanity will affect his logic when he is still dillusional, but all I can do is hope, or I could just have Blood and his students protect me until he gets it out of his system" Change thought, finishing the final hook-ups from the machine to the vat that contained Slade's lifeless form, drifting in the amber liquid as it sat, suspended.
After death consumed him, all that surrounded was darkness and the bitter cold. He still felt it, but he knew he was no longer amongst the living. Yet, it remained dark, but the freezing air dissapated, and gave way to an intense blast of heat. His eye opened slowly, his blurred vision going in and out of focus for a moment, then finally coming in as clear as ever. He noticed his body no longer bore wounds, and felt as great as ever, but his good feeling quickly went away as he surveyed the area around him. It was cavernous, many rock formations jutting into displeasing figures, even though they didn't seem to actually take on the shape of anything, they bothered him so. Not far from him, a river of lava was flowing just like one as if it were of water, rocks would fall into the lava, burst into flames, and quickly go out from the ungodly amount of heat emitted from it, enough to almost make him pass out. Everything seemed to take on the red glow from the lava, making the overall scene that much more disturbing.
"Where the hell am I?" He quitely questioned himself, looking around, startled to hear a low, throaty laugh echo off of the walls.
"Why," the dark and demented voice replied, "you are just that, in Hell."
No sooner than the voice finished, the owner of it appeared. His skin red, black markings upon it, many feet tall. His white hair laid upon his head, just over his four yellow eyes, two on either side, one above the other, eyes that would make any normal man turn away in fear. He squinted them as he smirked.
"What a small world we live in," the demonic beast questioned, "how long has it been, Slade? Six years?"
"Not long enough," Slade quickly snapped back, "and don't think I'm going to do anything for you in return for whatever I want, I remember what happened last time."
"I wasn't going to," the figure stated, "because your insignifigant life will remain as is right now, this is your home now, so get used to it, because you will be residing here for all of eternity."
"I'll find a way out," Slade replied, still not phased by the beast one bit, "besides, Trigon, if my memory serves me correctly, I was able to get what I wanted without your help, and defeated you."
"You don't get it, do you, mortal?" Trigon questioned, still staring intently at Slade, "your days have ended for good, you will no longer be admitted to the living realm ever again. This is my realm, you are nothing here, I am all powerful, all knowing, and all seeing, even if you do have some plan as to a course of action, I will already know of it before your feeble mind could concieve it."
Slade just narrowed his own stare at him, not caring who it was, he didn't like being told that he couldn't do something.
"We'll just have to let time run its course and find out," Slade replied, taking a few steps forward, "and even if I am dead, you cannot hurt me, or kill me for that manner."
"On the contrary, Slade," Trigon added, "here, yes, you may no longer be living, but your pain is still intact, and that's not the fun part. Even if you do die here, either by me or by your own hand, you will experience the pain of death once more, only to be resurrected once more, and able to feel it again. Consider it entertainment if you will, watching you struggle makes me very intent."
"So attacking you and commiting suicide is out of the picture, huh?" Slade sarcastically replied, "again, we will just see."
"I suppose we will, mortal," Trigon announced, "because for what I have in store for you, you will beg for it to stop, but it won't. You are in store for an eternity of pain and torture upon your demented soul. You belong to me now. Who knows, we might even get re-aquainted."
Slade just continued to stare, knowing no matter what he did, no matter where he went, no matter what he thought, Trigon would know of it before he even did, and would never have any kind of advatage that would grant him freedom, so only time would tell. The problem was he didn't know how long or how much time it was going to take.