Cyborg and Beast Boy finally returned to the Tower after spending what seemed like an eternity decided where to go. After several quickly changed decisions, the duo decided to go to the team's favorite pizza place and pick up something for everyone to go. Cyborg learned to never let him decide where to go again, even though he did it just for the sake of it, he saw it was all in good fun, as well as spending some time with his best friend. The elevator climbed to the top of the Tower as it always did, containing Cyborg and B.B., a stack of pizzas cradled in his arms.
"You remember what I said in the car?" Cyborg questioned, turning to him.
He nodded, still struggling to hold the food in his hands.
"Good, now keep it a secret, I don't want you tellin' anyone else, not even Terra, got it?" He continued with his questioning, making sure that Beast Boy understood what he was getting at.
"I got it, Cy," he managed, "do you mind helping me out here...I think I'm losing it."
"Man," he said with a chuckle, taking about half of the boxes from him, "you are far from help, you've already lost it."
"I haven't lost it enough to take you at some Gamestation," he snapped back with a smirk.
"After dinner, you're on," Cyborg gladly stated, accepting the challenge.
The elevator slowly came to a halt, the doors opening, revealing the hall that led to the central room. Upon reaching the doors to the room, they revealed everyday life for the Titans, yet it seemed a little empty since Raven was no longer present. Robin was on the couch, channel-surfing, yet his mind seemed to be elsewhere, as if he were deep in thought. Starfire was in the kitchen area, feeding Silkie. Her too, something seemed different about her, and she appeared to be keeping her distance from Robin, as of lately, would seem rather strange considering they had been near marriage and seeing each other for nearly year, their would-be anniversary would be next week, but it was still early to assume such things. Yet, Terra was nowhere to be found. They both thought it safe to assume that she was within the confines of her room, catching up on things.
"Food's here!" Beast Boy announced, setting his share of the food down on the table that served its purpose for their meals.
"Come and get it!" Cyborg added, setting his down as well.
Starfire drifted over, Silkie cradled in her arms, yet, her visage was lacking of her usual smile, but replaced by what appeared to be a forced grin. Robin turned the television off, lifting himself up off of the couch as he slowly made his way to the kitchen. Cyborg noticed both of their behaviors, and was for certain something was wrong.
"Where's Terra at?" Beast Boy questioned, setting plates out for his friends.
"She's still in her room," Robin answered, motioning down the hallway, "she's been in there the entire time you guys were gone."
Beast Boy saw that they were all seated and in no hurry to fetch her.
"Don't hurt yourselves," he sarcastically commented, "don't worry, I'll get her."
Robin just looked at Cyborg quizzingly, confused at B.B.'s surge of anger. Cyborg merely shrugged, just as confused as Robin was.
Beast Boy made his way down the hall to Terra's room, which happened to be next Starfire's room, across from Raven's. He slowed his pace as he walked past it, looking at the letters that bore her name. B.B. quickly turned away, tuning it out of his mind, continuing on his sought out destination to Terra's dwelling. Her room was the largest of them all, because its original purpose was to be used as a storage area for the Tower, but as a team decision, it was renovated into a room for her use as she graced the Teen Titans as a powerful ally. B.B.'s short trip down memory lane ended as he stood in front of the door, raising his hand to knock. His knuckles rapped gently on the metallic door three times, resonating as it echoed in the spacious hallway.
"Yeah?" Terra's feminine voice replied within, muffled by the door that separated them.
"Dinner's here," he informed, curious to what she was doing.
"Ok," she answered once more, "I'll be out in a minute."
"We'll be waiting for you," Beast Boy finished, starting to head back to the kitchen.
Upon returning to the kitchen, he found that they had already helped themselves to the pizza, Cyborg ready to take a bite out of one of his slices. B.B. stormed forward, firmly smacking his hand, causing him to drop it back on his plate.
"Ow, man!" he said, rubbing it. "What was that for?"
"You can have the decency to wait," he informed, taking his seat, "Terra may have just returned, but she's still part of the team, so show a little respect."
Cyborg started to say something in response, but it was quickly squelched, seeing how serious the green changeling was about the matter.
The sound of Terra's door opening down the hallway fell upon their ears, knowing she was coming, but more or less, she announced it herself.
"Lady and gentlemen," she said, still hidden from view, coming down the hall, "boys and girl, I present to you…"
Terra slid into view from the hallway.
"The one and only, Terra!"
All their faces bore surprise, not that Terra made herself present, but what she had done to her outfit. The metallic armor had been spray painted black, a yellow "T" with a circle around it in the center where the "S" insignia had been. She had fixed her hair into what it had once been, her butterfly clip in her hair once more. She strutted to the table as if she was a fashion model, plopping herself down it what used to be Raven's seat, kicking her feet up on the table.
"What did you do to yourself?" Cyborg questioned, pointing to her freshly-painted armor that was fused to her.
"I got to thinking," she started, bringing her feet off the table, "let's say hypothetically you can't get this junk off of me. I might as well make it bearable if it must be this way, so until the day I can get this stuff off, I'll have to make it as close to what I want to wear as a Titan."
"Kudos for the creativity," B.B. said with a thumbs up, "you want something to eat?"
"Are you kidding?" Terra quickly replied. "When am I not hungry?"
"Well, eat up then," Cyborg informed, "there's plenty here."
Terra took three slices of the pizza closest to her, placing them on her plate.
"Don't mind if I do," she said with a grin, picking up one of them, taking a large bite out of it.
While Beast Boy watched Terra, smiling, old memories flooding his vision, Cyborg paid even more attention to the situation going on between Robin and Starfire. Unlike how they usually acted around one another, and even sitting as far away from each other as they possibly could, not paying any attention to one another enough to tell the time of day. Robin just happened to be closer to Cyborg. He reacht out, tapping him on the shoulder gently, getting his attention.
"Yeah, Cy?" He asked, setting his slice of pizza down on his plate, even though he hadn't ate one bite yet.
He stood up, motioning for him to follow him. Confused, Robin reluctantly followed, pushing his chair in. Cyborg led him out of the room, into the hallway that led from the elevator to the central room. Cyborg leaned against the wall as Robin entered, the door closing behind them.
"What's going on, Cyborg? Why did you bring me out here?" Robin questioned, wishing to know the reasoning behind it.
"Alright," he began, looking up at the Boy Wonder, "tell me, what's going on."
"What do you mean?" Robin replied, avoiding Cyborg, knowing good and well what he was talking about.
Cyborg let out a small chuckle, running his hand over his smooth head.
"When are you guys gonna learn that you can't play dumb with me," he informed, "I know something's up between you and Star, and I want to know what it is, see if I can't help you out or not."
Robin studied the floor, ashamed, refusing to make eye-contact with Cyborg.
"Come on, Robin," he flatly stated, "I'm you're friend, I'm here to help, and that's all I want to do."
"I…I said…" Robin started, looking up at Cyborg finally, but he stopped mid-sentence, not wanting to repeat the words that made Starfire so angry with him.
Thinking that it actually might be something serious, Cyborg shifted his posture.
"You said what?" he pressed, wanting him to finish his statement.
"I said that I was going to make Chang and Blood pay for their alliance with Slade, because no matter which way you look at it, Cy, they have Raven's blood on their hands as much as Slade did, and I will not stand by and let them walk away knowing they took part in her death."
"Now why did you do that?" Cyborg replied, "you know Star takes everything to heart, a little too much sometimes, but, she is right in reasoning. Robin, I know you want to get them, take them down, whatever, believe me, I do too, but even if you do get your wish, it isn't going to bring Raven back."
"I know, I know," he solemnly replied, painful memories arising, "but-"
"But you think it would make you feel better, didn't you?" Cyborg interrupted.
He nodded as an answer, leaning against the wall as well, across form Cyborg.
"They'll get their due, man," he said in a promising tone, "believe me, they'll get what's coming to them, but an eye for an eye won't make the pain go away, nothing ever will."
"You're right," Robin answered, nodding as he did so, "we'll take em' down like we've done before, and I will see to it that they don't get out this time."
Cyborg smirked, patting Robin on the back as the started walking back to the door.
"Come on, food's getting cold," Cyborg commented.
They entered the room once more, finding that nothing had changed besides Terra helping herself to more, Starfire letting Silkie nibble on her slice. They took their seats once more in orderly fashion. Beast Boy changed his focus from Terra to their movement.
"What was that all about?" He questioned, not getting either of the girls' attention.
Cyborg ruffled his hair with his hand, messing up his locks that matched his green skin.
"Nothing for you to worry your little, peanut brain about," he replied with a laugh.
B.B. pushed his hand away, smoothing his hair out to its original, pristine condition.
"Don't mess with my hair, man," he warned, holding up a finger.
"What are you going to do about it?" Cyborg replied, challenging him, knowing it was all in good fun.
The changeling fished around in his pocket, finding what he was searching for. He raised his hand up, keeping it closed, concealing the object.
"What you got there?" The cybernetic male questioned, watching his closed hand rest on the table.
A devilish grin crept across his face.
"That better not be what I think it is," Cyborg warned, getting worried about what was truly in the confines of his palm.
Before Cyborg could react, Beast Boy tossed the object from his hand with the flick of his wrist, aimed for Cyborg's head. It connected, but instead of simply deflecting off, it stuck with a metallic cling to Cyborg's artificial half of his head. He began twitching uncontrollably, his electronics acting up as well.
"Funny how a simple magnetic field can disrupt the most sophisticated electronics, isn't it, Cy?" Beast Boy commented, stifling his laughter at his convulsions.
"Come on, Beast Boy," Robin announced, concerned for Cyborg, "you know that can't be good for him, take it off of him now."
"You…better," Cyborg managed in a malfunctioning electronic voice, gritting his teeth.
"Don't get your rivets in a wad," B.B. said, holding his hands up as he reacht up to the side of his head, easily peeling the magnet he swiped off the fridge only moments before, tossing it over his shoulder.
Without a word, Cyborg pushed Beast Boy on the shoulder, causing his chair to fall backwards away from the table, him going with it. He crashed to the floor, rolling backwards out of the chair.
"Funny how the laws of gravity have a way with one, don't they, Garfield?" Cyborg replied with the sound of sweet vengeance in his voice.
Terra had watched the incident play out, finding Cyborg's malfunctioning fit funny, as well as B.B.'s tumble, yet, her ears picked up on the awkward name.
"Garfield?" Terra uttered the name once more, as unknown to her as she heard it only a moment before.
"Oh?" Cyborg took notice to her confusion, "you didn't know? I thought he would have told you eventually."
"Told me what?" Her characteristic denseness playing with her mind.
Beast Boy shot up from his sprawled-out position, acting as if nothing had happened, and becoming embarrassed at the mere speaking of his name, especially to Terra, who hadn't heard it before.
"Garfield is Beast Boy's re-"
"My nickname!" B.B. interrupted, not wanting Terra to know unless he told her himself, glaring at Cyborg, yet retaining a fake smile.
Terra merely cocked an eyebrow at his statement.
"Your nickname is Garfield?" She deduced, "that's…strange, but whatever."
"Well," Robin said, stretching, "that was interesting, but it's about time to turn in for the night, you should too, Terra, you've got a big day ahead of you tomorrow, combat practice starts for you, as well as Cyborg's tests."
One by one, the young adults excused themselves from the table, but Beast Boy and Cyborg found their way to the Gamestation, as promised after dinner. Time passed late into the night, neither wanting to allow the other that one more win they kept achieving. 001, who had been helping Cyborg move equipment up from the storage area in the basement of the Tower, passed by, but stopped, watching the colorful display of graphics and gameplay on the large screen ahead of him.
"What is this?" He calmly questioned, yet, managing to startle the two engaged in play.
"This," Beast Boy answered, pausing the game, "is Gamestation, only the coolest gaming platform on the market.
"GS2 is coming out this year sometime," Cyborg interjected, "it will be even better."
"I see," 001 answered, pointing to what rested in the palms of his hands, "what is that strange-looking device?"
"It's a controller, it's what you use to play a game," Beast Boy explained, realizing he could seize on a prime opportunity for some target practice in their favorite FPS they were playing. "Hey Cyborg, let your robot buddy play a few rounds."
"He's not just my "buddy", he is a very important asset to the entire team," Cyborg blandly stated, "but yeah, sure, I want to see what he has, seeing how it doesn't take much to beat you."
"Yeah, we'll see," Beast Boy challenged, the robot sitting next to Cyborg on the couch, accepting the controller.
"How do you hold this infernal contraption?" 001 graciously questioned, confused by its shape.
"This is going to be way too easy," Beast Boy thought to himself, a devilish grin creeping across his face as he started the game.
Yet, only a few minutes in, he found himself up against an actual challenge, as if the machine had been playing this game as long as he had. The score gap widened throughout the match, 001 keeping a large, steady lead over B.B. the entire time, the game eventually ending with 001 the victor.
"Come on," he protested, "he cheated, that isn't fair."
"Get over yourself, B.B.," Cyborg answered, standing up, stretching, "besides, it's like 1 in the morning, we need to get some shut-eye with combat practice tomorrow."
"Not until he tells me how he did it," Beast Boy protested once more, staring at the machine, which only shifted its deep, blue eyes in B.B.'s direction.
"I merely picked up on the controls and used my superior processing power and reflexes to, how did Cyborg put it, "own" you." He lifelessly replied, holding up his fingers and placing the word "own" in quotations.
"Couldn't have said it better myself," Cyborg finished with a laugh, walking towards his room.
"I want a rematch," Beast Boy pressed, but the machine merely stood up, and started walking back to his recharging terminal within the confines of the lower levels of the Tower.
"You'll get one, someday," he nonchalantly replied as he walked away, voice trailing off as well.
Beast Boy turned the console off, as well as the television, checking to make sure he didn't leave any kind of mess or mistake for Robin to complain about in the morning, as he had done many times over in the past. He clapped his hands twice, every light in the central room dimming off, lower-watt ambience lights much like in a closed store coming on, still keeping much of the large room concealed in the dark shadows of the night. Beast Boy began making his way to his room, only to be stopped by something, like a feeling, then the feeling was shortly answered, as to finding the culprit behind it.
"Beast Boy," Terra's hushed voice whispered from the shadows of the girls' hallway.
He wheeled around out of surprise, seeing the reflection of the dim lights off of her vivid, blue eyes, piercing the darkness around them.
"Could you come here for a sec?" She requested, motioning her head down the hall.
"What do you need, Terra? It's like 1 in the morning," he replied, fatigue starting to set in, beginning with a yawn.
"Trust me, it won't take long, just come here," Terra pleaded.
Not wanting to be disrespectful to her, especially after becoming of flesh once more so soon, he followed.
Terra took hold of his hand, leading him down the hall, which turned into more of a pull.
"What's the rush Terra?" Beast Boy said, attempting to stay on his feet, preventing her from actually dragging him the rest of the way.
"It's a surprise," she replied with a smile, pushing the keypad next to her door, forcing it open with a automated whoosh.
Before he could even form a reply, Terra jerked him into her room, the door closing behind them. As he turned around just as she flicked the light switch on, revealing her room as she had left it before she was encased in stone. The stagnant stench of paint still lingered in the air from her creative streak she boldly exposed before. She brisked past him, motioning towards her bed.
"Come here, sit down," she said, patting a spot next to her.
Unsure, B.B. looked around, shrugging his shoulders, taking a seat next to Terra.
"Ok," he said, "why did you bring me in here?"
Terra held up a finger, telling him to hold on as she rummaged around in one of the drawers to her nightstand. She retrieved what she was looking for, revealing it. It was the same box that he had made for her, possessing the shape of a heart. Terra handed it to him, caressing his hands as she did so.
"You remembered this?" Beast Boy commented with a smile as he opened it, the reflective mirror on the inside of its lid returning his image to his eyes.
"Of course I did," she replied, "you made it for me and gave it to me, which is what provoked me to go on a date…I mean…out as friends," Terra added, trying to save herself from her words, but it was too late.
He thought for a moment, relinquishing in the past.
"Why?" Beast Boy boldly questioned. "Since your original mission was t-"
"Because I didn't expect to find such caring people as friends, especially you Beast Boy," Terra interrupted, not wanting to bring up the past, "it pained me so much to do what I did, and I regretted it. After I realized the error of my ways, I knew it was too late, I knew I could never return, but it was you, Beast Boy, it was you and the others that helped me break Slade's complete and utter control over me and my powers. I would have unwillingly made the greatest mistake of my life if I allowed Slade to use me to kill you."
Her eyes started to become mystified with tears, the still, deep blue of them beginning to come alive as they shimmered. Just as a tear fell down her pale cheek, Beast Boy gently wiped it away.
"As I have said in the past and always will say, Terra," he began, taking her hand, "a friend is a friend and always be one, no matter what. You will see what I am talking about tomorrow when we finish with Raven's undoing."
Terra's snapped to attention, hearing the mere utterance of the words.
"Tell me, Beast Boy," she pleaded, "tell me what happened to Raven."
He
was caught off guard by her request, unable to find words for a
response for several seconds.
"It's best if we all tell you,
Terra," B.B. reasoned, "it's really…difficult to discuss,
especially since it hap-"
"Please, Beast Boy," she continued, interrupting him, "I would only truly feel okay about the situation if you tell me yourself."
Beast Boy shifted his posture as he remained seated on the bed, reluctant to recall the most painful and disturbing change of events that remained freshly burned into his mind, forever etched into his very soul.
"From the very beginning?" He questioned, wanting to prolong the inevitable, but it was just that, and he knew it.
She gravely nodded, knowing that whatever Beast Boy was going to speak of, it was going to be out of all the possible seriousness he could muster.
"Little over a year ago," Beast Boy began, recollecting the events, "Raven was rummaging through her books and came across one that seemed to bring up many memories that she had, especially ones of her mother, who she hadn't visited since the whole Trigon incident, which has been about…4 years or so apart from that time and then, so to sum it all up, Raven was feeling homesick. Well, after telling us about what was troubling her and what she needed to do, she…"
He paused, clenching his free hand into a fist. Terra took notice, seeing it was becoming difficult, and she knew that there was much more to come.
"We should have never let her leave, I just felt something that told me that we shouldn't have let her leave. Raven left though, and she went deep into the forest to the north of the city to meditate so she could make the transition to her homeworld without a hitch. While she was there, she was ambushed by Slade-bots, a newer version than the ones you fought when you were here, but his creations nonetheless. Well, they took her hostage, taking her to that…that…bastard, Slade," he finished with an angered growl in his voice before pausing once more.
Terra could tell that it was affecting him just to recollect the events that led up to Raven's death, but the it was the only way she could truly understand and be heartfelt about what had transpired in her absence. Beast Boy finally regained control of himself, his composure slowly returning.
"For nearly a year, about 10 months, Raven was under Slade's control, he even trained her to be like him, and for a moment, I thought my worst nightmares had come true. I thought that I was going to lose another person I cared for, and I wasn't about to let that happen again."
"Didn't you know something was wrong?" Terra questioned, not able to make the connection clear in her mind.
"I felt like there was," Beast Boy replied, "but Robin said she had called him on his communicator and told him everything was fine and wasn't coming home for a long time. Slade had to have forced her to say that to get us off his back if we started searching for Raven if we felt as if something was amiss. Anyway, Slade's twisted logic managed to poison Raven's mind, managing to turn her against us and everything we stood for, merely by convincing her that we had forgotten about her and were better off without her, which was a complete lie and opposite of how we felt. Well, Slade's true intentions surfaced, having Raven steal various technologies around the city, but that wasn't all. Slade used all of these technologies to develop a serum-"
'The very same serum that revived me, isn't it?" Terra interrupted, the information he was delivering starting to set in.
He nodded, knowing what she was starting to feel.
"We fought her once before we knew it was her, and, well, she mopped the floor with us. Second time, we unmasked her, and…all hell broke loose. I didn't see Raven behind that mask, I found a monster, her mind was so brainwashed and warped, and she willingly continued her onslaught against us. Yet, for a moment before that, she was having second thoughts, but Slade pressured her into continuing with his plans. Raven nearly crippled Robin, deactivated Cyborg, and seriously injured me and Starfire, all of us having to go to the city hospital. We stayed there until we were healed enough to come back to the Tower. Robin was deadset against bringing Raven down, no matter what it took, but I did all I could to convince them otherwise. I managed to get Raven one more chance. Raven herself contacted me through astral projection."
Terra cocked an eyebrow of confusion.
"She sent her soul self out and it entered my mind," he explained, getting a nod of understanding from Terra as a response.
Beast Boy thought for a moment, trying to find a place to start from once more.
"Raven…" He started, still difficult to merely utter her name, "Raven wanted to rebel against Slade, but the entire time she was under him, he had leverage. The Tower, as well as various, highly-populated areas of the city had these emitters that contained Xenothium Gas, one of the most lethal nerve agents in existence. If she didn't obey his every whim, he would end thousands of lives, including ours, so she had no choice but to obey. Yet, her darker, evil side of her personality enjoyed the feelings that she felt when she was on the other side of the spectrum, making it that much more difficult to her to return."
"So Raven liked being a villain?" Terra asked in astonishment.
"No," Beast Boy assured, "a side of her personality did, you see, Raven's actions are controlled by her emotions, and if one grows too powerful, it takes over. That's why she needed to meditate regularly and not show any emotion she possibly could. Anyway, with the help of many of the Honorary Titans from all around the world, we went to rescue Raven. Even though Raven told me that it was going to be one of the most difficult things we had ever done as the Titans, I had no idea that Slade had an entire army of his new Slade-bots. We had close to 100 Titans, compared to his nearly 1,000-strong machines, but that didn't stop us. We all fought the hardest we had ever fought before determined to save Raven from this living Hell she was enduring. We managed to get to Slade while the other Titans continued to combat the machines. We tried our damnedest to take him down, we got hits in on him, mind you, but it was what he did next that started the chain of events. He pulled a gun, and he…he shot Robin. Robin took a bullet in the shoulder, and Slade moved in to finish him off for good, but Raven, who up until that point, had been "fighting" with me, which we were just acting so she the others wouldn't hurt her, took the insignia off of her armor and threw it like a ninja-star, hitting Slade right in the arm, causing him to drop the gun."
"So Raven turned against Slade finally?" She asked, as if she had been listing to the plot of a movie, a good one at that, but she knew it was reality, and it hurt all of them emotionally, the worst of it yet to come.
"Yes, realizing that her friends were the most important thing she had in her life, and she wasn't about to let Slade put an end to that. If it could be compared to anything, Raven got the most serious of reality checks right then and there, realizing she had made a grave mistake, even though it was forced upon her, she gladly accepted it after a while. She was ready to throw off the shackles of his rule over her, by any means."
Beast Boy's eyes began to water with tears, causing the emerald coloring of them to shimmer with brilliance.
"She told us to leave," he began once more, his voice beginning to break, as he knew what was coming next. "We reluctantly left her, joining in the fight with the Honorary Titans once more. I knew what she was doing, and she knew she had to do it, it was the only way. Raven faced Slade by herself, knowing that there could only be a victor, and that person would be the one to walk away. Even though I was busy with the others fighting the robots, I noticed from time to time the battle that was raging back and forth between them. Raven would deliver a devastating combination that I don't think any of us could have taken and gotten up from, but Slade continued, often matching what she had just inflicted. They seemed to be equal, the fight locked in a dead stalemate, so Raven drew her staff that was similar to Robin's, as did Slade. Once again, it was blow for blow."
A single tear strolled down his face, but he kept his composure.
"Raven drew her sword, as did Slade. Since she had became his apprentice, both of them started carrying them. Well, at one point, I thought…I thought Raven was going to win. All…all I remember is hearing her scream, then the roof started to collapse."
By now, tears from both of his eyes were visibly running down his face, his voice breaking. Terra continued to listen, but even her found it difficult.
"We…we all managed to get out before the place caved in, but…but Raven was still in there, and I wasn't about to abandon her. A small part of me still thought she was alive, and with each passing second, it seemed to grow smaller and smaller. I, along with some of the others, worked all day that day removing rubble, I continued all night. Early the next day…"
Beast Boy wiped away some of the droplets that were streaming down his cheeks, as they continued to flow, only getting larger and more numerous as he went deeper into the painful memory. Terra gently patted him on the back, attempting to console him.
"I…found the only things that remained of Raven. A tattered piece of her cape soaked in blood, the broach that held the cape upon her body, shattered, and…a…pool of…blood that belonged to…Raven."
By now, he was sobbing, Terra's eyes streaming with tears of sadness as well. He sniffled, trying to stop himself, or at least regain control.
"I just felt like there was something that I could have done to save her, I don't know why or how, but I felt as if I…failed her, I let her down, and she paid the price for it. No matter what is told to me, I still feel like I am to blame."
"Listen to me, Beast Boy," she managed, "it isn't your fault, there wasn't anything you or the others could have done. If anyone is to blame…it is me."
Surprised and shocked, Beast Boy looked up at her, seeing she was as serious as she possibly could be.
"How can you say that?" He questioned in disbelief. "You were trapped in stone when this happened."
"No, think about it, Beast Boy," Terra pressed, her emotions beginning to get the best of her, "none of this would have ever happened if Slade wasn't trying to revive me, Raven was used in a ploy to get me, that was Slade's true intentions, I know it was. If I hadn't betrayed you, if I hadn't willingly sided with him, if I didn't sacrifice myself, then Raven wouldn't have died, it's all my fault, I am the one to blame."
Beast Boy brought her close to him for a hug, her burying her face into his shoulder as her muffled sobs emitted from her person.
"No, Terra," he consoled, realizing his own logic as well, "it's not your fault at all, Raven did what she thought she had to do to ensure our safety. She sacrificed herself for us, probably more, and it wasn't in vain, she took Slade with her. That is the only positive thing that has came out of this whole ordeal was Slade's death. Terra, he ain't coming back."
"He's managed to do it before, so what makes you so certain?" She reasoned, still keeping the warmth of his body close to her.
"I don't know," Beast Boy honestly replied, "but he has severed ties with Trigon, so I don't think he is going to be willing to grant Slade life again. All I know is that those two are going to get to know each other quite well now that Slade is dwelling in the deepest, darkest recess of Hell now. I can't promise it, but I highly doubt it, you have nothing to worry about."
Terra pushed a lock of her long blonde hair out of her face, placing it behind her ear.
"That's one thing I've always enjoyed about you, Beast Boy," she commented, "you always manage to find that small ray of happiness no matter how bad things seem. Just you in general, you are just…great to be around. It's hard to explain, I hope you understand what I am getting at."
"Of course I do," Beast Boy answered, 'as you are to me, Terra. Back when you were on the team before, even though it was all a ploy, you listened to me, joked around with me, just plain had fun, unlike the others, who thought I was immature. I'll admit, I've grown up a lot, but that doesn't mean I still don't know how to have a good time."
Terra merely smiled as a response, him smiling back as well.
"That's always good to hear," Terra replied, looking into his eyes.
Beast Boy blinked, and just as he began to rise to make his way to his room, Terra forced him back down in a sense. Before he could react, she pressed her lips against his, engaging him in a kiss. B.B. was caught completely off guard, unable to respond in anyway. It lasted for a moment, Beast Boy gently pushing her away, breaking the sensual contact that she had upon him. He turned away slightly, embarrassed, but saying he didn't enjoy it at all would be a complete lie.
"What's the matter?" Terra naively questioned, unknown to Beast Boy and his true feelings for a certain dark empath.
"I'm sorry…I can't," he quickly replied, standing up.
She stood up as well, wanting to follow him.
"What's wrong?" She continued. "Why not?"
"It's…it's really difficult to explain, please, understand," Beast Boy managed, still shocked, as well as attempting from hurting Terra's feelings.
Terra thought for a moment as Beast Boy took a few steps away, feeling as if he needed the space to think clearly.
"It's Raven, isn't it?" Terra deduced, saddened. "You loved her. That's why you can't."
"That's not true," Beast Boy replied, lying, not wanting her to know of his true feelings he possessed for Raven, "you are physically 13 still, I'm 20, it's unethical. Not that I don't still retain feelings for you, Terra, but I feel as if I need to get to know you again as well."
"What do you mean "get to know me"?" She asked in vain, feeling slightly betrayed, "Beast Boy, I haven't changed at all since I was trapped in sto-"
"Well," Beast Boy interrupted, "I have, and please, understand and respect that. Trust me Terra, there is still the possibility between us, but right now, in cannot happen. Don't take it anyway other than good intentions, it will pay off, I promise you."
Terra ran up to him, wrapping her arms around him tightly, sobbing quietly. He accepted her embrace with a mere gentle pat on the back.
"Please Beast Boy," she begged, tears visible on her cheeks once more, "don't. I don't want to be alone ever again. You were all I had, and I wish to have it once more."
"Trust me," he replied, "you will never be alone again, I won't allow it."
Terra meekly smiled, reluctantly releasing him, allowing him to exit. The door briskly closed behind him, concealing all light from her room, letting the darkness engulf around him. He slowly started down the hallway, contemplating over what exactly had just happened. Just as he did, he looked up to his left, finding a door, metallic in nature, just like any other in the Tower, but this one was special. This one bore the name of Raven. He stopped, running his hand across the impressed letters.
"Raven," he quietly said to himself, "you are the one I truly love, no other can take your place, but I don't want to be lonely for the rest of my life. What is to take place soon, you must understand, as I know you are just that, understanding. I don't care what the others think or what we found, Raven, because in my heart, I truly know that you are alive, out there, somewhere. You will return, I know you will. Until then, I must do this, please, forgive me if it isn't what you wish."
Beast Boy finally broke contact with the door, as if he was truly speaking to Raven, making his way to his room to see if he could manage to get a few hours of sleep in before the beginning of the next day. He entered his room, finding it the way he had left it, yet, he had managed to actually clean it, so it appeared to be habitable now. He flopped down on his bed, looking up at the ceiling, then turning his head to look at the photo he kept on his nightstand for so long. Beast Boy picked up, caressing it, gazing upon the simple piece of film inside that captured a moment of the past. It was the very same of him and Raven he had kept, their complete opposite personalities easily seen in it, even though the photo was at least 5 years old, yet, he held on to it. He reluctantly opened the top drawer of his nightstand, placing the picture face-up in it, slowly closing it.
"I'm sorry, Raven," he thought to himself, turning off his lamp before turning over to attempt to get some much-needed rest.
The next day hoped to bring some new beginnings to the team, seeing how this would technically be Terra's first full day back as a Titan. After an excellent breakfast prepared by none other than Cyborg, the team made their way to the obstacle course on the island, but not before passing the grand statue of Raven erected on the highest point of the island as it stood watch over the city. As the group walked along, Terra took notice to it.
"You guys really miss her, don't you?" She announced, breaking the silence as they continued forward.
"There really isn't any words to describe how much we do, Terra," Robin replied, Starfire still not at his side like she usually was, but tailing behind Beast Boy and Terra, which he was unnoticeably attempting to avoid at the moment.
"I know she didn't like me," Terra solemnly stated, looking at her boot-clad feet as she continued to trudge forward, "I never got to apologize to her."
"Don't worry about it, Terra," Cyborg reassured, looking back at her, "I'm sure she wasn't still angry with you, as we have all agreed, we forgave you a long time ago, but, as Robin put it, you will have to earn our trust back, but that doesn't mean we aren't your friends."
"I know, I know," she answered, "but I just feel like there will never be anything I can do to make things right again. I guess I'll just have to roll with what life throws at me now, hopefully it will all be for the better so I can redeem myself. Anywho, what's on the agenda today, Robin?"
"Just some simple combat practice," he nonchalantly replied, "the usual obstacle course, target practice, and maybe some sparring, nothing drastic."
"Sounds like fun," Terra answered with a smile, always up for a challenge. "Hey, this wouldn't happen to be the same course that I aced, shattering Cyborg's record on, would it?" She added.
"The same," Cyborg grumbled, "but there have been a few additions."
Terra was more than eager to hit the course again, and see if she could beat her own record, which still stood, none of them able to break it ever since it was first set. Yet, Cyborg noticed there was something different about Beast Boy this morning, especially when he was around Terra. He had already attempted to mend the fence between Robin and Starfire, which he knew would eventually play out, Robin waiting for the right time to say what he needed to say.
The group neared the course, which was already set up and ready to go for the first person to run through it.
"Hey, Robin," Cyborg stated, "take the others up there for a second, you know how to run the course, I'll only be a minute."
"Yeah, no problem, Cy," he answered, motioning for the other to follow.
They did, but Cyborg stopped Beast Boy with his hand.
"Except for you," he informed, "you, come with me."
Beast Boy merely shrugged his shoulders, following Cyborg as he led him back around the way the came a little ways, enough to be out of sight from the others. He also noticed that Starfire was preparing to make her run through the course, so he was expecting to here many explosions as she tended to use her Starbolts quite often.
"So," Cyborg began, leaning up against the rock wall, as there was many small, jutting cliffs on the island, "care to tell me where you went before you went to bed?"
"Oh, come on, Cy-"
"Answer the question," he pressed, interrupting Beast Boy's complaisant voice.
"Terra called me to her room," B.B. answered, "nothing happened, ok?"
"Are you sure?" Cyborg continued, cocking his human eyebrow.
"Yeah, I'm sure," Beast Boy replied, annoyed with his badgering.
Cyborg let out a small chuckle, shifting his weight to one leg as he propped the other up on the wall behind him.
"You and Robin seem to share the same qualities, you know that?" Cyborg informed, "you both always seem to have something on your mind, yet, you deny it. Look, man, as I've said in the past, all I want to do is help, and the only way I can help is if you tell me what's going on."
Beast Boy shuffled his feet a little, kicking a couple of small rocks, attempting to avoid his cybernetic friend, but it was to no avail. He looked to see that it was Robin's turn at the course, Starfire finishing with a slightly better time than the last time she attempted.
"Terra…kissed me," he managed, "just out of the blue. After I got done telling her what happened to Raven, her even blaming herself for it. I was getting up to leave, and she forced me back down, and, well, kissed me. I don't know what to think of it Cy, I mean, I still have feelings for her, but I-"
"-also have feelings for Raven," he finished the changeling's sentence for him. "I knew this was eventually going to come about. I know it's tough man, but Raven's gone."
"You're wrong, Cy," he coldly replied, "Raven's still alive, I know she is, I can feel it."
"Alright, whatever you want to believe," Cyborg reluctantly agreed, not wanting to start an argument over something as painful as the matter at hand. "Anyway, what I am trying to get at is, do you like Terra?"
Cyborg took notice to the sounding buzzer as Robin's run ended, Terra up now, more than ready to go.
"Well, yeah, I do, but think about it, she's stil-"
"Still physically younger than us? Yeah, you're right about that, but, that is what all of these tests I'm going to do today after practice to see if I can't boost her growth hormones and physically age her body to catch up with the years."
"And you said you could do that?" Beast Boy questioned, raising an eyebrow at the idea.
"Well, of course I can, it's going to take some time of course, but it shouldn't be hard. As I said, if something can be man-made to revive her, then I'm sure I can concoct something that will do what I've described." Cyborg assured.
"That's great and all, Cy," Beast Boy replied, "but, even if you do that, its still going to be difficult. I mean, I don't know, it's just…hard to explain."
Cyborg rested his hand on the changeling's shoulder.
"I understand," he consoled, "but, the choice is yours, either way, it's up to you."
B.B. nodded with a smile.
"Come on, man," he motioned, "it's almost time for one us to be up. You want to go first?"
"Either way it doesn't matter," B.B. replied, "but remember, either way, I'll still whip you up and down that course."
"You have nothin' on me, grass stain," Cyborg fired back, pushing the changeling on the top of his head as he ran forward.
As luck would have it, at the conclusion of the obstacle course for ever team member, Terra was once again on top, shaving 2 seconds off her old record. Robin and Starfire weren't far behind, only separated by a half second. Last, but not least, Cyborg and B.B. tied with the exact same time. Target practice was another story though. Cyborg easily snagged the best score, hitting every target with precision. Robin second, only missing one, Starfire and Terra tying for third, missing 3 each, leaving Beast Boy last, missing 5. Not that it was bad, but training seemed to turn into more of a competitive thing than what its intended purpose was. After a quick lunch break, Robin led them out for their sparring practice, paring them off as follows: Robin vs. Beast Boy, Starfire vs. Terra, and Cyborg merely playing referee when needed. The results were to be expected, Robin easily defeating Beast Boy, well, more of a forfeit than anything. Yet, to their surprise, Terra demonstrated mastery of her powers, squelching Starfire's usual offensive style of attack. After congratulating one another on a great day of practice, the group of heroes made their way back into the Tower.
"Man," Beast Boy commented, holding his shoulder, "I though we was just sparring, Robin."
"I was," he replied with a smirk, "I can't help it if you are just a wuss."
"Kick 'em while their down, eh?" Beast Boy quipped.
"Only when they deserve it," Cyborg chuckled, gently pushing him.
"I must commend friend Terra on a well-executed victory over me," Starfire stated, turning to Terra, "she is most deserving, I did not see it coming."
"Yeah, Terra," Robin added, "you seem to know your stuff now. It isn't easy taking on Starfire, trust me."
'Yes," Starfire happily stated, "I am quite a formidable opponent, from what I understand."
"It's nothing, guys," Terra replied, "I only did what I am good at, and used my head too. Starfire is offensive when she attacks, so I merely turned it against her."
"A brilliant plan indeed," Starfire commented, "but be wary next time, friend Terra, I will be most prepared for it."
"You're on, Star," she joked, turning back to Cyborg as they entered the central room of the Tower. "Hey, Cy, weren't you supposed to run some kind of tests on me today or something?"
"Yeah," he replied, remembering "speaking of that. Guys, I'm gonna be in the medical bay with Terra, run some tests, ok?"
They all nodded, all but Terra making their way to the couch that sat in front of the large, plate-glass window that held a majestic view of the bay, bridge, and the city. The sunny weather outside of the average spring day making the experience that much more enjoyable.
"Come on, Terra," he motioned down the hallway, "follow me."
She obeyed, walking behind him as he led her to the medical bay in the Tower. It had the most sophisticated medical equipment in the city, possibly more, yet, the Titans rarely used it, and were glad that was how it was. The last known account of the medical bay being occupied by anyone was when Beast Boy had managed to get food poisoning on a trip to visit some of the Honorary Titans at least two years ago. Cyborg opened the door via control panel located next to the door, the lights flickering on, revealing 4 beds with many monitoring devices next to them, dark blue curtains suspended from the ceiling for privacy if it ever be needed. Much like many of the Tower's exterior rooms, there was a large plate-glass window, yet, it was darkened, tinted to prevent any invasion of privacy of its attendants. There was an examination table in the center of the room, a chair with a small tray of various devices next to it.
"Could you have a seat there, Terra?" Cyborg motioned to the table as he made his way to the chair that sat on the floor.
"Yeah, no problem," she replied, hopping up on the table, settling in. "Man, Cyborg, is there anyway to heat this thing up, its ice cold." Terra added, shivering.
"You'll be fine," he answered with a laugh, picking up one of the devices on the tray. "Before I start, I'm gonna let you know that this little device here will be able to see everything, ok?"
"Everything as in under my su-"
"Yes," Cyborg interrupted, "does this bother you?"
"No, not at all," she sheepishly replied, "since it's for my own good, and you are basically qualified to be a doctor, go ahead."
He nodded, flipping the screening device open that would show the image it would pick up upon activation. The device activated, emitting a low hum as it came to life, the screen fizzling into a picture, revealing the composition of the armor and suit.
"That's very interesting," he said to himself, bringing the scanner down her body.
"What? What's interesting?" Terra quickly questioned, eager to know what he had discovered.
"Slade was right, this suit is definitely fused with your nerves, but," he informed, remaining fixed on her chest and torso.
"But what!" Terra exclaimed, wanting to know if something was wrong or not.
"Take it easy," he reassured, looking up at her. "this suit is fused with your nervous system, but from the embedded circuitry within the armor between it and the undersuit, there is fail-safe of sorts. There is a slim possibility I could trip this fail-safe that will force the connections between your nerves and the suit to break free, but by the way it is designed, it would take one hell of a shock."
"Like, how much of a shock are we talking about?" Terra worryingly questioned as he deactivated the device, putting it back on to the tray.
"I don't know," Cyborg truthfully admitted, "by the way it looks to me, maybe about as much that is a single bolt of lightning, so the equivalence of 1,000,000 plus volts."
"Are you insane!" Terra exclaimed, "that's being struck by lightning, you know."
"Yes, Terra, I know," Cyborg replied, unphased, "but let me finish. It isn't the voltage that kills you, it's the amperage. It's hard to explain, but with a low-amperage jolt at that voltage, it should work."
"That's still going to hurt, isn't it?" Terra questioned, cocking an eyebrow at the plan, not like it one bit.
"I'm not going to lie about it," Cyborg reassured her, "yes, a little, well, maybe more than a little, but if you want that suit off, you'll do it."
"As soon as possible," Terra informed, "shock me, come on, I want this crap off, now."
"Alright, alright," he reasoned, "but first, I need to do some more tests, maybe see if I can't boost your growth."
Terra's full attention snapped to him as he said that.
"Are you saying you can make my just as old as you guys?" She managed out of excitement over the idea.
"Maybe," Cyborg truthfully answered, "if I can kick your body's natural growth pattern into overdrive, I don't know how yet or if it is even possible, but I may be able to physically age your body to catch up with the years. Technically, you're what? 19? 20 maybe? Yet, you are in the body of a 13 year old girl. I am going to try to change that."
"Yeah, don't remind me," she uttered under her breath, relinquishing what happened the night before between her and Beast Boy.
"What was that?" Cyborg questioned over his shoulder as he was rummaging through an old file cabinet that contained all the medical files for every Titan in the Tower, including Terra's.
"Nothing," she quickly replied, hiding it.
"If it's about what happened last night between you and Beast Boy, I already know," he informed as he continued to look through the files, acting as if it were nothing, getting a small gasp of surprise from her.
"He told you?" She asked, unbelievably.
"I asked him what was wrong this morning," Cyborg answered truthfully, "and he told me." Cyborg took out Terra's medical file, laying it on the tray. "Terra, I don't know if he told you or not, but he sorta had a thing for Raven. He didn't reveal it to her until it was almost too late, but, if he hadn't, none of us would probably be here now. Beast Boy's love for Raven saved all of us from certain death. Not that he didn't love you, Terra, but him and Raven seemed to share a common bond, they were pretty tight. It's been kinda rough for him since she died, it's like part of him died as well. I'll say this, B.B. still likes you, you just need to give him some time, that's all."
"I…I didn't know," Terra replied, feeling ashamed for her action the night before, "he told me he and Raven were nothing more than friends."
"He did that to protect you," Cyborg answered, "B.B. didn't want you to be hurt, so he tried to hide it. He did it for you, and I am sure that he would have told you eventually."
"I know," Terra admitted, feeling as if she did indeed know Beast Boy to do a thing of that nature for her own well-being.
"As I said, Terra," Cyborg reiterated, "just give it some time, he'll eventually come around. Right now though, he feels as if he would be betraying her if he did, and besides, you aren't exactly…well…old enough to be with him, but that will change as well, as soon as I figure out how."
"I understand, Cyborg," she admitted, feeling slightly better about the situation, "you know, that's what I always like about you. You always seemed to play the big brother around here, helping everyone out, putting everyone ahead of yourself, you know, that kind of thing."
"Thanks, I try," he answered, "no matter how grown up you get, you can still use the help from an older brother. Everyone here is like family to me, so I help out whenever I can, that goes for you to, you ever need help, just let me know."
"I will, Cy," Terra replied, "I'm glad that you guys are here for me now."
Cyborg merely nodded with a smile. He opened her file, which was relatively small compared to the others' files, seeing how she hadn't stayed long the last time she was an inhabitant of the Tower. He checked to make sure she wasn't allergic to anything or had any kind of condition that could prove life-threatening if he performed any kind of test, such as her being a hemophiliac or something, which proved to be false, Terra appeared to be it top physical condition for her physical body, not her age.
"I hope you aren't afraid of needles," Cyborg announced, taking out a syringe with a rather large needle.
Terra's eyes grew wide, not having a morbid fear, but like any normal person, disliked them.
"Do you really need one that big?" She questioned, gulping.
"Who's the doctor here?" Cyborg replied. "Now sit still, I need to get a blood sample to see the genetic make up of your blood, and use that information to make the serum to give you a..well…growth boost."
Just as Cyborg began advancing to begin to draw blood, she backed away, holding her hands up.
"Hold on a minute," she protested, "are sure this is idea of yours is going to be safe? I mean, if it isn't, then I don't think it is worth it."
"Trust me, Terra," Cyborg assured, "If I knew this procedure was going to endanger you, I wouldn't attempt it. Now, if you don't mind, I would like to continue."
She thought over it for a minute, then finally agreeing to the idea. She loosened up, resting her arm for Cyborg to draw the blood from. The needle smoothly penetrated her small patch of exposed skin where the wrapping on her arm had begun to unravel, the blood's capillary action taking affect as it moved up into the tube slowly, the thick, red liquid having a sort of glow to it from the remaining affects of the Xenothium serum that revived her.
"Ouch," Terra said, gritting her teeth, watching the blood pool into the tube.
"Almost done," Cyborg reassured, continuing to pull the plunger of the syringe slowly, blood coming with it.
The syringe was full of her blood, him stopping the movement of the plunger upon it. He removed it, blood still slowly seeping from the hole the needle created. Cyborg handed her a cotton ball to place upon it to stop the bleeding.
"So," she started, still holding the ball on the wound, "how long are these tests gonna take?"
"Don't know," he truthfully replied, placing the blood he just took into a marked vial, "depends on if we have any cal-"
Before Cyborg could finish his statement, the alarm system of the Tower blared, signaling they had received a call. Only a mere second later, Robin's image appeared on the computer screen next to them.
"What's going on, Robin?" Cyborg questioned, setting his medical tools down.
"There's trouble downtown," he quickly informed, "we need both of you, we've never seen these guys before."
"How many of them?" Terra quickly questioned as she hopped down, enjoying the feeling of being a hero again.
"Police reported 5, but we have no time to waste, let's go," Robin ordered, the screen fizzling out.
"You heard the man, Terra," Cyborg said, turning to her, wiping his hands off on a towel, "let's roll."
"Right behind you," she replied as they exited the bay, running down the hall.
Two figures walked down a hall of metallic nature, their footsteps crisply resonating upon the walls, echoing off of them.
"I am quite pleased with your work, Professor," Blood congratulated, "not only have you managed to retrofit your existing work upon my chassis, but you have also finished work upon my new H.I.V.E. Academy, no wonder Slade had such an interest in you for work."
"Nothing really," Chang replied, "I am a man of science, and that is just what this is, Brother Blood, science, nothing more, nothing less. I would like to remind you though that with you new "upgrades", I have managed to boost your power output two fold, as well as your strength and agility. You were unstoppable before, now you are invincible."
"I see," Brother Blood stated, "but on to matters at hand, my fellow colleague. How is your work upon your current "project" coming along?'
"I have managed to detect some weak brain activity from his remaining brain matter after running some tests in his suspended state, but nothing to gloat about. He is far from complete, but it will be a reality, only time stands between that goal and now. What of your students?"
"My students, you say?" Blood replied. "Well, I have given them their final exam, of which will keep a certain group of heroes off of our backs for quite some time."
"What exactly is their assignment, might I ask?" Chang pressed, intrigued by Blood's twisted ideas.
He stopped, Chang stopping as well. Blood slowly turned to him, a devilish smile on his face.
"Assassination, of course," He informed with a hiss of evil enjoyment, "starting with the Titans."
"What makes you so sure they can accomplish something many have tried and failed before?" Professor Chang intelligently questioned. "I mean, even some of your former students attempted the task and failed miserably."
"Now a worry," Brother Blood calmly stated, "I have faith in my students, if they cannot accomplish it, then no one can. I can safely say that my graduating students are quite possibly the most deadly yet. They are cold, ruthless, mercy means nothing to them. They obey me and me only. You've met them before, so you can lull over the truth of this statement."
"How deliciously dark," Chang added, knowing what they were capable of, "you, sir, are in most definitely the cruelest creature I have ever known."
"Why," Blood replied, beginning to walk forward once more, "thank you for the compliment."
They continued down the hall, passing several young "students" of the Academy, a school designed for the mere purpose of warping one's mind into a full-fledged villain.
"It's amazing how well things are going," Chang noted after a brief moment of silence just as they entered one of the various rooms within the confines of the Academy.
"Tread lightly, Professor," Brother Blood warned, "don't count your chickens before they hatch. Only until victory is obtained can we truly say things have went well."
"I suppose you are right," he admitted, "but thus far, that is, things have went quite well."
"That," Blood agreed, "I will have to say is correct, so let's just hope the future has a similar path laid out ahead of us."
"Only time will tell," Professor Chang added, passing by several of Blood's own robots, though similar to the ones he built for Slade, they retained more of Cyborg's technology than anything. Yet, he had edited them as well, changing them to match their owner as well. Brother Blood's students provided him with all the security he would ever need, so the robots were more along the lines of maintenance units if anything.
"Yet," Blood stated after a moment, "something is still bothering me over this idea of yours upon bringing our former colleague back from the other realm."
"What is it this time?" Chang asked, as if Blood was being bothersome about it.
"Well," he began, tapping his chin, "for starters, did you take into consideration of his natural behavior? I mean, the man is clearly insane, yet, he is able to control it and use it to his advantage. Don't you think that he will be…slightly unhappy that you were playing with his life?"
"I rest assure you, Brother Blood," Chang replied, taking out his PDA, checking data, "Slade will be of sound mind when he is revived, besides, he will be restrained and injected with enough muscle relaxants to stop an elephant, just to be on the safe side. In any case, he should thank me, I mean honestly, do you think he enjoys his current location? You and I both know that Slade Wilson dwells the deepest, darkest confines of Hell."
"Your logic makes perfect sense, Professor," Blood added, "yet, I have this feeling that Slade is going to be quite displeased with you, but if you know what you are doing, then so be it."
No sooner than he finished his statement, the doors opened to the very room that contained Slade within the confines of the preservation equipment, suspended in the orangey-glow of liquid, casting eerie light in all directions, illuminating the room without actual lighting.
"I truly wonder what he is experiencing at this moment," Blood commented, staring into the lifeless eye within the mask, which still bore the scars of battle.
"That," Chang answered, "is something not meant for the mortal mind."
"Why do you continue to resist me, mortal?" Trigon's demonic voice bellowed. "Why don't you lie down like many have before you. When are you going to learn that your vain attempts to resent me are nothing more than figments of your feeble mind that will never come true."
Slade, who was held by either arm by two of Trigon's minions, nothing more than living skeletons, blood-red in color. Their empty eye-sockets yet glowed with the same hellfire red around him.
"I bend for no one," Slade weakly managed, the only way he was standing was being supported by the skeletons, unable to stand on his own accord, attempting to hide the fact that he was in excruciating pain from whatever torture that Trigon had just administered.
Trigon let out a low growl of a chuckle.
"I don't plan on bending you, Slade," he replied in a lowered voice, "I am going to break your very soul. You shall pay for all the evils you have committed over your life. Seeing how my traditional methods of "entertainment" are beginning to bore me, we shall start a new game, doesn't that sound like fun?"
"Give me your worst," Slade snapped in a growling tone. "As I said, not you, nor anyone else, will break me."
"Your pathetic struggling continues to amuse me, mortal," Trigon chuckled, "as you wish, I will deliver what you have asked."
Trigon merely snapped his fingers as he appeared in front of Slade upon his throne of human bones, all remains of other tortured souls that dwelled in his realm. As image of green energy emerged in front of Slade, solidifying into something similar to the monitor of camera, as if his life was playing in front of him. Before Slade could form any kind of reply, a bright, white flash engulfed him, putting him into the blurred image he had just saw moments ago. His own vision came into focus. Slade was in this vision of sorts, but his binds to reality were quickly squelched when he looked up at a mirror that hung upon the wall of a lavish room, seeing nothing of a reflection.
"Why have you brought me here?" Slade called out, beginning to remember where he was at, seeing he was in one of the many rooms of his estate.
Before receiving an answer, a woman quickly walked into the room. She was young, attractive, her long, brunette hair flowing behind her as she walked past him, yet, she could not see him, as he was merely a spectator. She appeared distraught, as well as angered. Slade's eye widened with surprise upon finally registering who he was seeing.
"A-Adeline?" Slade stammered, "then that means-"
Before Slade could finish, a male entered the room. Young, tall, blonde, short hair, goatee to match. What he saw was the man married to Adeline, him, a younger him. Slade's emotions began to play upon him as they took over, knowing what was going to take place, and he was powerless to prevent.
"You sicken me, you know that, Slade?" She angrily stated. "The man I married gambling with his family's lives, for what, pride? Your profession?"
"Don't do this Addie-" Slade's voice emitted from the younger man he spotted, yet not laced with the cold hatred it had in present days.
She whirled around, her angry stare penetrating him.
"Don't tell me what to do and not to do," Adeline interrupted, "because of your…your…stupidity, our son is mute, never to speak another word again. I hope you are pleased with yourself."
"You know damn good and well I am not!" Slade exploded. "He is my son as much as yours, how do you think I feel about it?"
"For some reason, not as much as I do, Slade," she snapped, brushing past him. "Yet, that isn't the worst of it. You kill for a living. You are a professional assassin, and you call yourself a family man."
"Addie, please-" Slade tried to get a word in edgewise, only to be cut short once more.
"Enough is enough, Slade," she boldly stated, on the verge of tears, "I can never forgive you for what you've done and caused."
The young, brash Slade looked at his watch upon his wrist, squinting his vision.
"No, you fool," Slade attempted to warn himself to prevent what was to happen, but he found it to be hopeless.
"I've got another contract. We'll talk when I get back," Slade foolishly said to his wife, only to hear a sickening sound: the hammer of a gun being cocked back. He begun to turn around to face her.
"But it's okay for you to compromise our son's life?" She replied, tears in her eyes, her finger pulling tighter and tighter upon the trigger.
"Addie?" Slade questioned as he finally faced her.
"NO!" Slade yelled out at his former self, only to see the sickening result he was powerless against.
The gun fired, the bullet finding its way into Slade's eye, rather sacrificing it than to die, only thanks to his inhuman reflexes he possessed from the experiments that granted them. She dropped the gun out of fright as Slade's younger self lay upon the floor, screaming in pain, blood dripping from where his eye used to be.
"If you think this is the end, mortal," Trigon's voice bellowed at Slade, who still was painfully relinquishing in the memory, as if it was actually him that had taken the gunshot. "You are wrong, it is only the beginning. As with this moment in your twisted past, Slade, it is only the beginning."
Slade remained silent, clenching his fists tightly at the demon, his rage ready to explode, yet he was powerless in his realm.
"I've seen enough," Slade managed, "if we are done looking through the photo album of my life, take me back to your lair for some more torturing, it really sounds interesting right now."
"As I said, Slade," Trigon announced his reply, "you are going to…enjoy this, as I am going to. I always enjoy watching how the mortal squirms when he is powerless against what happens to him, yet it seems so real. Tell me, Slade, was it real?"
Slade remained silent, awaiting for Trigon's next action, as that was all he could do.
"If I ever am able to get my revenge for this," Slade thought to himself, even though he knew Trigon knew of all his thoughts, "I will make him pay in the worst way possible."