Teen Titans season 6, episode 4
For better or Worse
So close, thought Cyborg. He nearly cracked Slade's location. It had been three days. He rarely slept; he rarely ate. He needed to find their foe's base. When they had fought Icicicle, Cyborg did a radar scan of him and discovered some ash on his feet. The ash was analyzed in the data computer. So far, it analyzed at least six different locations in Jump City. The locations included S.T.A.R labs, two empty factories, the pier, the sewer they fought Icicle at, and Slade's old hideout. Cyborg frowned at the last location. He remembered that godforsaken place. Five years ago, Slade used that location while testing Nightwing when he was Robin to become his apprentice. Slade had put microchips inside Cyborg, Beast Boy, Starfire, and Raven to blackmail Robin into becoming his ward. The chips would have weakened the Titans to death. The plan would've worked had Cyborg not discovered the devices and helped his friend thwart Slade. The place hadn't been used for years. As far as Cyborg could tell, that was the best guess for where he could be. He grinned happily.
"Uh, Cyborg?" he heard behind him.
He turned and saw Beast Boy standing in the room, hands rubbing together squeamishly with a nervous expression.
"Something wrong?" asked Cyborg, concerned.
Beast Boy stepped forward a little bit, shaking slightly.
"I kind of have a confession to make," he said.
Cyborg sat up from his chair with a puzzled look on his face. Beast Boy seemed to be hesitating.
"You gonna say anything?" Cyborg asked. "I'm trying to find the words," contorted Beast Boy.
Cyborg placed his hand on his friend's shoulder.
"Hey, you can tell me," he assured.
Beast Boy took a deep breath.
"I kind of knew Slade had returned three years ago!" he finally exclaimed.
Cyborg stood up and took a step back, looking shocked.
"What?" he asked.
Beast Boy could tell Cyborg wasn't exactly taking this well. He wasn't even expecting it either. But at this point, he had to do this.
"3 years ago, he showed himself to me after we beat Brain and the OG brotherhood. You guys were out fighting that snow robot. Slade taunted me. Showed me something. Broke me, kind of. And that's it." he finished lamely.
There had been silence between the 2 in the room for nearly a minute. Finally, Cyborg spoke.
"Why didn't you tell us this before, dude? We could've handled this problem a while back. Not now when things have just snowballed." he asked calmly.
Beast Boy was honestly surprised at how calmly Cyborg took this. But he could tell he was still in some hot water with his friend's trust. So, he decided to tell the hardest truth about his secret keeping. "Because it hurt too much." was all he could muster.
Cyborg frowned at his response.
"What hurt too much? Telling us?" he demanded.
Beast Boy tilted his head and closed his eyes. A teardrop fell.
"Terra's alive," he confessed.
Cyborg's expression changed from anger to surprise.
"Terra? You mean the Terra that betrayed us, redeemed herself, and sacrificed herself to kill Slade?" he asked. Beast Boy nodded. Cyborg folded his arms. "How is she alive, and what does this have to do with Slade?". Beast Boy opened his eyes.
"When you guys went after that robot, he showed me to a high school. Terra was there. She seemed happy but also lost. I tried to talk to her. But she changed, dude. She didn't want to see me or us again. Things changed that day, dude. Slade mocked me and scarred me. It just hurt me emotionally to talk about it."
Cyborg raised an eyebrow. Something didn't seem right.
"Wait! The last time we saw her, she turned into a statue. How do we know-"
"Because he showed me!" growled Beast Boy, now looking very agitated.
" The body was gone! Nothing there! It's her!" he started to breathe heavily.
"Calm down, bro!" advised Cyborg. "Something doesn't feel right. What high school did you see her at?"
Beast Boy pressed his finger to his chin and looked up, trying to remember.
"I think it was called Murakami High," he replied.
Cyborg's human eye widened.
"Uh, dude. There's no Murakami High in Jump City." Cyborg informed him.
Beast Boy placed his hands to his side.
"Yeah, there is. I saw it. Right in front of me."
Cyborg didn't look convinced. Beast Boy sighed, annoyed.
"Fine. Come with me."
After an hour, the two arrived at the location Beast Boy described. Cyborg was still skeptical about the claim but was willing to look at it nonetheless. Beast Boy led him down an alleyway to where the event happened. Eventually, they made it.
" And there it is!" said Beast Boy.
But when he looked at the place, his expression was left dumbfounded. Right, where there should've been an active high school was an abandoned building with cracked windows and graffiti art sprayed all over it. He didn't understand. He couldn't. Cyborg stepped forward.
"Uh, dude? This place hasn't been lived in for years, by the looks of it. Are you sure you found the right place?"
Beast Boy turned around with a confused look on his face.
"Yeah, this should've been the place!" he exclaimed.
Cyborg walked closer and pressed his finger towards his robot eye. Beast Boy observed him. He didn't know precisely what Cyborg was doing, but he knew it was important. The robotic man lowered his hand and turned to Beast Boy.
" I analyzed the place. Concrete, glass, dirt. This place has aged by about 30 years." Beast Boy raised his eyebrow.
"So?" he asked.
Cyborg sighed.
"So, this place hasn't been open for at least 30 years, dude!" he contorted.
Beast Boy's gaze returned to the building. How? he thought. How is this happening? I saw her right here! Something was wrong here. He looked back at Cyborg.
"If you don't believe me, I'll show you! Back in the cave! Her Body's gone!"
The climb up took a lot of work for Cyborg. Never before had he had that much strain put on his cybernetics or his own body. On the other hand, it was much easier for Beast Boy. The changeling had transformed into a gorilla to muster the strength and speed necessary to climb the steep mountain slope. It had been five years since they had been to this volcanic structure. Cyborg could remember the struggle like it was 2 hours ago. The heat from the lava. The shakes from the tremors. The victorious feeling the team had when they had defeated their enemy. The tragedy when their former traitor turned friend had been turned to stone upon sacrificing her life for the ones she loved. He shook his head, trying to ignore those memories, and continued climbing. He eventually reached the top, with sweat drops pouring down his non-robotic parts. Beast Boy led him to the entrance of the lair. The place had been decayed by nature by this point. Several guard rails and platforms were either rusted or charred to a point. Various sections of black rocks covered the floors and walls from the cooled lava flow. Cyborg folded his arms and turned to Beast Boy.
"You sure the statue ain't here?"
he asked. Beast Boy didn't need to say anything. He pointed to an upper level, and Cyborg saw the truth in his friend's claim. In the area where there should've been a 14-year-old girl covered from head to toe with stone, there was nothing more than blank, sightless air.
Beast Boy looked up at Cyborg, frowning.
"Now you know what I'm saying?!" he uttered.
Cyborg stroked his chin. He turned around and walked up an old set of stairs leading to that level. Beast Boy followed in earnest. When they got up there, Cyborg knelt, tapped his forehead on the robotic hardware, and stared at the ground briefly. Beast Boy sneered, impatient and perplexed.
"What are you doing?" he asked after a minute.
Cyborg stood back up and lowered his head towards Beast Boy.
"I was analyzing the ground for footprints. Luckily, there isn't much wind since there aren't many openings in this cave, thanks to the lava flow covering the holes. Terra's footprints from when we last saw her are aged and withered, but look here."
He pointed at the ground. 2 more pairs of footprints were near or crossed in the older prints.
"The ones on the left match the width and length of Terra's boots. And if you look even closer…" he pointed at her prints.
They seem to have four copies in the ground, and the tracks stopped. Beast Boy looked nervous.
" ...they end here. And they haven't been here for that long. My scanners say they are about three years old. And that's not all. Look at the tracks in front of hers!"
Beast Boy looked in front of the endpath for Terra's footprints and saw a massive set of footprints in the ground a few meters before it. They had various rippled outlines in them, and the center was a huge "S" imprint. Unlike the smaller ones, these prints seem to have continued moving toward their intended exit.
" Gone?" asked Nightwing.
"How is it gone?!".
Cyborg and Beast Boy had just returned home and told Nightwing of their discovery. Everyone was surrounding them in the commons to listen to the info.
"Slade stole it! Or she escaped. I think. Look, I saw her, dude! At that school!" Nightwing turned his head to Cyborg.
"Can you confirm, Cyborg?" he asked. Cyborg nodded.
"The stone Terra was missing. I saw her prints in the cave. I also found Slade's prints close by. Regarding the supposed memory loss and her new school being real or fake, it is not something I can confirm nor deny."
Beast Boy frowned at Cyborg. He shrugged in reply. Nightwing approached Beast Boy and knelt in front of him.
"Why didn't you tell us about seeing Slade back then? We could've been prepared. Looking for him."
Beast Boy bowed his head. A tear streamed from his eye. It was not easy for him to devise a logical reason for this.
"It was too hard. I wasn't sure it was him. He just sent a robot. It could've been just a trick. Like when he made you think he was alive with that weird stuff on the mask. Remember?"
Nightwing remembered all too well. Slade had been dead at that time, burned to ashes by a flow of lava. But he had a backup plan. Slade had laced his helmet with a chemical that made Nightwing back when he was Robin, hallucinate his foe, and nearly killed himself in the process of fighting a shadow. Could this be another shadow Slade had concocted to mess with Beast Boy? During that time, the Titans had been distracted by a giant white monster that had turned out to have been a robot. It self-destructed when they caught up with it. Beast Boy had yet to be around. When the team caught up with him, Beast Boy looked happy but forced happiness. Now, it was clear why it looked forced. Nightwing stood up.
"I believe you," he said.
Beast Boy looked up, hopefully.
"You do?" he asked.
He didn't expect his leader to take it seriously at first due to his goofy nature. "Why wouldn't I? All the evidence seems to be there."
Beast Boy jumped and clapped his hands happily.
"Great, let's go find Slade and see what he did to her!".
He proceeded to walk towards the exit until he realized something. No one was following him. Beast Boy turned and saw everyone just standing and watching him.
"Hello? Are we going or not?" he demanded impatiently.
Nightwing and Starfire looked at each other, looking a little uncomfortable. Finally, Nightwing sighed.
"Look, it isn't that we don't believe you, Beast Boy…" he began.
"But considering we just took a brutal beating from Slade recently, and I nearly became an ice pop, I don't think just going out now is the best idea. We need to know at least what we are dealing with here." Beast Boy's frown turned to shock. Then back to frown in an instant. Nightwing knew what he said wasn't going to be easy for him. Nothing seemed to be easy these days. Beast Boy marched over towards his leader, immensely angered at the response.
"Dude, we just found out our friend, someone who gave their life up for us, is still around and possibly in the hands of our enemies, and you just want to wait?!" he contorted.
The room was nearly silent. Only Cyborg and Nightwing had been that angry in the past, but Beast Boy's made the former's anger and rage look mild by comparison. But he wasn't done yet.
"Slade manipulated her, caused her death, and possibly forced her to not be with us anymore. Like you when he put those things in our blood! We owe it to her!"
Breathing heavily, his eyes turned to Kid Flash and Starfire. They could tell Beast Boy was looking for their opinions. Starfire breathed through her teeth and approached up towards Beast Boy gently.
"Beast Boy, we know how much Terra means to you. She meant a lot to us, too. But we can't just conclude that all is what they seem. This could've been a fake Terra or an illusion he used on you. If we assume that she's alive and go in like the ancient Tamaranian barbarians without any sense, we could be in for a trap."
Beast Boy sneered at her reasoning. He knew she meant well with her speech, but it wasn't enough for him. For her. His gaze zipped towards Kid Flash.
"What about you?" he asked gruffly.
Kid Flash rolled his eyes and leaned against the wall.
"Kid, you don't know if she's alive or not. I never knew her, but I'm sure if she is, I doubt anything too bad would happen." Beast Boy looked at him disappointingly.
"Ok, maybe that was the wrong choice of words.." Kid Flash said, correcting himself.
"... but there isn't much evidence for this besides a couple of prints. I say we take this slowly." he finished.
Beast Boy turned to Wonder Girl and Raven for their opinions. Wonder Girl went first.
" As much as I would like to go out into the blue and find your friend, Gar…"
She had pretty much been the only person to call any of the Titans by their true names. This nearly made Beast Boy smile with hope. That was until he saw the sad look in her eye.
"...but I don't want to endanger her or our lives if she lives. With Slade's powers and brotherhood, waiting might be better."
He then turned to Raven.
"I think the plan to take this slowly may be the best right now," she said dryly.
He finally turned to Cyborg.
"You saw what I saw, man," he sputtered desperately.
But Cyborg just folded his arms.
"What do you want me to say, dude?" he replied.
Beast Boy stood in silence. His fists were clenched, and his face was in a defeated sneer. He started towards his room before stopping.
"If it was Starfire, would you go ?" he asked bitterly.
Nightwing didn't know what to say about this. Unfortunately, it didn't matter as Beast Boy continued towards his room and slammed the door hard. The room fell silent. Nightwing turned to Starfire worryingly.
"It..is for the best," he said, almost in a fearful manner.
In reality, he wasn't sure if he had made the right call, but he didn't want to see anyone hurt for the time being.
Beast Boy checked his digital clock. It was seven. He had stayed in his room since his search for Terra was turned down by Nightwing. The bitterness had yet to leave his system. Terra had been their friend. A traitor, yes, but their friend nonetheless. How can they disregard his claim? He didn't understand it. He couldn't. In his heart, Beast Boy knew what he must do. Getting out of bed, he fetched his costume from the closet. Since the beginning of his career, Beast Boy had worn a purple and black jumpsuit. But recently, he decided to trade up to a red and white jumpsuit. He liked the colors on it. He approached the window, determined to find his friend and save her from Slade's clutches. He had about one foot out the window when a voice startled him.
"Ahem," it said.
Beast Boy nearly fell off his balance due to the unexpected utterance. He turned to see Cyborg standing by the open door, arms folded, with an annoyed frown.
"Where do you think you're going?" he asked callously.
Beast Boy balanced himself back up and continued his climb out the window.
"What does it look like, dude?" he responded, irritated.
"I'm going to find the truth about Terra. Whether you guys like it or not, I'm doing this."
Cyborg grabbed his arm before he could jump down.
"No, you're not!" he stated.
Beast Boy was squirming aggressively in Cyborg's grip to get out.
"Yes, I am, dude! Let me go!".
Cyborg lifted him, pinned the boy's arms to his side, and pulled him close. "I mean.." he began.
"...you're not going without me."
He grinned sneakily, confusing Beast Boy.
"What?" he asked as Cyborg dropped him.
Cyborg lifted his head, gazed still at Beast Boy, and explained his behavior.
"Look, I just figured out where Slade might be heading, and I'm not going to let an opportunity like this go. Plus, if you want to get in, you might need some help from the guy who knows how tech and machinery work."
Beast Boy stepped back, amazed at his friend's rebelliousness. Yeah, Cyborg had rebelled against Nightwing in the past, but not with a stake this big. But Beast Boy could deal with it. He returned to the window and walked towards it before Cyborg pulled him back.
"I've got a better idea, man!" he said.
The cold air blew onto Beast Boy's face like ice. He now knew how Nightwing felt when frozen by Icicle. Unsure of the reason they needed to be on the roof, Beast Boy turned to Cyborg.
"Ok, why are we on the roof? How will this help us?".
Cyborg grinned.
"Well, for one thing, they can't hear our footprints on our way out, plus you can fly, so that can be useful, man!" he explained.
Beast Boy nodded. Ready to go, he bent down, preparing to change, until Cyborg grabbed his arm lightly this time.
"Before we go, I want to list some ground rules," he informed his friend.
Beast Boy stood back up and watched him closely, listening to the rules.
"1. Until we confront Slade, stay close to me. 2. Keep quiet, and don't draw any attention to yourself. And 3… you listening?" he asked urgently.
Beast Boy smiled in a way a child would smile if he were awarded candy for good behavior. He nodded. Cyborg knelt before Beast Boy and placed both hands on the former's shoulders.
"If I say let it go and get out with your life, you let it go and get out with your life. Understand?"
Beast Boy's smile faded, his head turned sideways, and he looked toward the ground, his expression unsure. Cyborg snapped his fingers a few times, and it seemed to snap Beast Boy out of his train of thought and regain his attention.
"I said, do you understand?"
he repeated.
Beast Boy nodded this time, looking somewhat depressed at the prospect.
"Alright," said Cyborg.
He stood up and allowed Beast Boy to turn into a pterodactyl and carry him to their target.
It was 8:20 by the time they arrived. Earlier than they assumed, they'd make it, but no matter. Beast Boy placed Cyborg gently on the rocky ground as they descended. After returning to normal, the two gazed at the aging factory building where their foe had taken residence so many years before. The place was now chipped and brittle beyond belief. The two heroes were surprised that a person like Slade still wanted to use this waste bucket as a fortress. Beast Boy smiled confidently. "Ok, let's head in," he remarked.
But once again, Cyborg pulled him back. As Beast Boy frowned at him, Cyborg pointed upwards, and Beast Boy could see his reason. In at least three areas of the building, security cameras were moving on every bit of land for at least 50 miles. This is going to take a lot of work, thought Beast Boy.
"So, what are we going to do?" he asked Cyborg.
Instead of verbally answering, Cyborg knelt on the ground and flipped out his wrist controls. After pressing some buttons, the controls flashed. Cyborg lifted his head and saw the cameras go slack. Delighted at the talent, Beast Boy fist-bumped with Cyborg before they entered the fortress.
Entering the lair was more accessible now that the cameras were out. After getting through a window, it was a piece of cake. Beast Boy and Cyborg trailed the halls cautiously. To prevent any noise from being made, Beast Boy had turned himself into a mouse. The plan was working well because he made no sound. It had been years since they had been there, but it would be worth it in the long run. They were close to Slade's private quarters when a sound like a puff of air emerged. Cyborg leaned back onto the wall near the corner. Beast Boy crawled up his arm and onto his shoulder. Peering around the corner, Cyborg noticed Brother Blood exiting after a meeting with Slade. Making haste, Cyborg slowly slid along the wall towards the door, but his efforts were in vain as Blood turned and noticed the teenage hero's valiant attempt. Just as Blood opened his mouth to alert Slade, Cyborg charged him, knocking Beast Boy off his shoulder. As Cyborg covered Blood's mouth as hard as he could, he noticed Beast Boy crawling towards the open door. Cyborg aimed his arm cannon and blasted the door controls to prevent Blood from getting in, just in case. The door slammed shut.
Beast Boy transformed back into his human self and examined the room. It had looked like how it did all those years ago. The gears were turning, and the control screen that displayed the Titan's bloodstreams was intact. Right in the middle of the room was a tall, menacing figure with its hands behind its back. Beast Boy approached the figure slowly. When he got near, he heard the calm, frightening voice emerge.
"Welcome back, Beast Boy." greeted Slade.
He turned towards the child, his exposed eye peering at him.
"It's been a while since we last met."
Beast Boy wanted to rage, but he decided to remain relaxed. He needed the info, and freaking out wasn't going to help.
"I went back to the school, Slade! It's been closed for years! Terra was never there! Where is she?" he demanded.
Slade raised his eyebrow in a confused fashion. Then his eye went wide with realization.
"Oh yes. Your friend. The one who was happy not to know you anymore. If you wanted to find her, all you had to do was ask."
He got out a trigger and pressed the red button on top. Suddenly, a panel slid up on the right side of the room, to which Beast Boy turned his head. Smoke came out for a few seconds before evaporating. In the spot was the shape of a girl, similar in height to Beast Boy. The figure walked out. It was decked in a white outfit with blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes. It was Terra. Beast Boy's eyes widened upon seeing her after three years. He started to approach her until a tall figure jumped behind her. Out of the blue, Slade grabbed Terra by the hair. "Wait! Stop!" shouted Beast Boy, but his words fell on deaf ears as Slade yanked the head right off.
Beast Boy nearly screamed in terror, but something unnatural prevented him from doing so. Where there should've been neck veins was instead a tangle of wires and sparks. Slade slammed the head on the ground, making a loud CLANK noise as it made impact. Beast Boy gazed up from it, confused.
"So...it wasn't real?" he asked nervously.
In response, Slade pressed his trigger again, and more panels opened, revealing all the friends that were with Terra at the abandoned building.
"The truth stands before you, Beast Boy," he replied.
Walking before the monitor, Slade looked upon Beast Boy with his exposed eye gleaming with contempt.
"You see, while you and your friends were out fighting Brain's team of lackeys, I returned to where I was defeated. There, I discovered something."
Beast Boy stood in eagerness and hesitation, with his heart racing anxiously.
"The truth of the matter is that your beloved Terra wasn't dead, far from it, in fact. She was very much alive. She merely placed herself in a granite cocoon to shield herself from the oncoming lava. Unfortunately for her, she didn't have full control of her powers; thus, she was trapped for the next two years. That is...until I came along and found her broken free from her prison."
He stood silently after the notion. Beast Boy's temper was flaring by this point. He needed to know.
"What did you do to her?!" he shouted.
Slade approached him and bent his masked head towards Beast Boy.
"I annihilated her," he responded dryly.
The words hit Beast Boy like a baseball bat to a ball. No, he thought. He's lying. But Slade wasn't finished. His monologue continued.
"After I had heard of your recent defeat of Brain and his useless pawns, I decided that since you were the victor, you earned my preview. The best way to defeat your prey is through the heart. So, I made these robots and sent a monster to distract your friends and expose you to destiny".
Beast Boy was only half listening, his mind more on the fact that Slade had confirmed he murdered Terra. He tilted his head up, a frown on his face.
"You lie!" he yelled angrily.
Slade only mildly chuckled. Digging into his pocket, Slade pulled out a pair of dark brown gloves with holes outlined by burn marks. Beast Boy's eyes widened. They were Terra's! Slade tossed them on the ground towards his adversary in a callous fashion. Beast Boy knelt before the gloves and picked them up. Tears formed in his eyes, the heartache getting to him. It wasn't possible. It couldn't be possible.
"Why?!" he bawled out.
"Why did you do it?!"
The pain was absorbing him. The man who stood before him just left Beast Boy with nothing but pain and agony at this point.
"We never did nothing to you!"
Slade just watched.
"It's over," he said.
"We both know it. We knew it back then; we know it right now."
Beast Boy continued to weep until he felt a hand grab him by the chin and tilt his head toward the masked menace.
"What?" he asked sarcastically.
"Did you believe you and her could be together? That you could be the hero? Things change, kid. For better or worse." Letting go, he stood back, slowly but quickly, to look intense. Beast Boy tried to keep his tears back, but it was not going well. His gaze returned to Slade. "You are nothing. Nothing more than a green, little fool! No one would want to be with a green, little fool!"
Cyborg was unprepared to fight his foe again but still soldiered against Blood. His strength was just as powerful as it had been since the last time they had encountered each other. Luckily, Cyborg had upgraded too. Getting the upper hand, he lifted the terrorist from his feet and knocked him out cold. Heading toward the path Beast Boy entered, Cyborg grabbed the bottom of the door and lifted it open before entering. Running into the room, Cyborg stopped dead in his tracks upon seeing what was before him: his friend kneeling on the ground crying loudly, Slade looking down on him menacingly, a robot version of Terra's head on the floor, still sparking from multiple loose wires and Terra's charred gloves in Beast Boy's hands.
Hands shaking with anger, Beast Boy looked towards Slade, a shine of hatred in his eyes. The tears stopped, but the fury had just begun. Beast Boy turned into a rhino and charged toward the man before him. The monster. The despicable individual who had admitted to murdering his friend. He desired to end this threat. His target in line, the green rhino, ignored everything around and in him. He ignored the sense. The logic. Even tranquility. None of that mattered now. When he got nearer, his target leaped out of the way via the agility of a young man being performed by one much older. His head unfocused, Beast Boy only noticed that his prey had escaped when his head collided with the control monitor before him. If it weren't for his physical adaptation of the rhino, he probably would've had a head concussion. After lifting his head out of the wreckage and shaking it off, Beast Boy looked to his right, seeing Slade land on his feet almost gracefully. Beast Boy prepared to make another charge when a familiar voice caught his attention.
"Stop!" it bellowed.
Beast Boy turned and saw Cyborg race toward him, his expression alarmed. The robotic hero stopped before his green-skinned friend and attempted to force him back from charging at the insane man before them.
"It isn't worth it!" he tried to say, but Beast Boy was too busy attempting to break through Cyborg's hold on him, so he refused to listen.
Changing tactics, he transformed into a giant gorilla, jumped free of Cyborg's grasp, and landed in front of Slade. Beast Boy growled and threw his big fist in Slade's direction. Slade grabbed the massive fist with both hands, surprising Beast Boy. What was more surprising, however, was that he was doing an excellent job of resisting the fist's attempted to force on him. Freeing one of his hands, Slade shot a fireball from his palm, hitting Beast Boy square in the face. Beast Boy flew across the room and landed on the floor heavily, nearly shaking the building. Cyborg, noticing his friend's attack, ran to assist him. While that occurred, Slade ran to the doorway, but not before flipping out a trigger. He slowly edged his thumb toward the top of the button and forced it downward. As if a bomb went off, a tremendous explosive noise erupted from nowhere, creating a giant shake, hard enough to cause the building to crumble. Cyborg and Beast Boy looked up and saw Slade run through the door. Beast Boy lifted himself from the ground and charged towards the door. "Dude, wait!" pleaded Cyborg as he followed him out.
The building was collapsing around them. He knew it wasn't safe anymore.
Slade knew something like this would happen. Thus, the explosives he rigged could now have a purpose. He charged through the falling debris when he came across the unconscious body of Brother Blood. Slade lifted him and slapped his face. Blood awakened with shock and surprise to who was holding him up.
"Where did Cyborg go?" he asked.
"Doesn't matter," replied Slade.
"The building's collapsing! Let's get to the pod."
Helping him to his feet, the two charged down the halls toward the pod.
Beast Boy broke through the wall in blind fury. Peering down the way, he saw his foe with Blood, fleeing towards unknown regions. He chased the two, dodging multiple falling pieces of rubble. Soon, he caught up with them. Slade and Blood started to enter a doorway, its interior containing a cockpit, meaning the pair were using an escape pod to flee. Beast Boy leaped towards them only to be stopped by a falling piece of cinder crashing in front of him. He screamed in anger. His prey was now safe from the demise Beast Boy had planned for him. Determined, Beast Boy grabbed a hold of the cinder and tried to lift it. It was cumbersome, yet Beast Boy attempted to remove the object in vain. A pair of mechanical hands then pulled him away.
"Dude, let it go!" ordered Cyborg.
"You promised you would listen if I told you so!"
Beast Boy looked at Slade and looked back at Cyborg.
Sighing, he reverted to his human form and ran with Cyborg. Looking back, he saw the door close, and a sound like an engine ignited, meaning the bad guys fled. Cyborg whipped out his arm cannon and blasted a hole in the wall, allowing the two to jump down to the ground. After they landed, the two friends turned to the building and watched as it buckled. Beast Boy was undeterred by it, though. Suddenly, he embraced Cyborg, resting his head on Cyborg's chest, and wept loudly. Cyborg returned the embrace.
"I know, man. I'm sorry."
Nightwing was peacefully asleep with his wife when they awoke suddenly by a surprised shout. The two charged into the living area to find Kid Flash, wearing PJs, maskless, holding Starfire's pet larva, Silkie. "Starfire, your pet got into my room again," he grunted, tired.
Concerned, Starfire ran up and gently retrieved Silky from Kid Flash's arms.
Opening its mouth, Silky stook out its tongue, showing bits of food crumbs on it. "Aww '' coddled Starfire.
"She liked your little cookie and cream snack food you eat all the time!".
Kid Flash folded his arms, unamused.
"You mean my Oreos?" he asked.
Having heard the noise, Raven and Wonder Girl entered the living area, tired but shocked by the scream.
"Ok, what was so important that it had to wake up my beauty sleep?" asked Raven sarcastically.
Shaking his head, Kid Flash held out his hand. Starfire looked at it, confused.
"I'm kind of owed for my snack, '' he informed her.
Starfire looked at Silky, then back at Kid Flash.
"Ok, all I need is my Tamaranian laxative, and I'm sure we can get the Oreo out-" Nightwing stopped her from finishing her sentence by gesturing the "time to shut up" motion and explained what he meant.
"I think he means to pay for a new bag. I'll cover it," he informed Starfire before giving Kid Flash a dollar.
The elevator door opened suddenly, and standing in it were a grief-stricken Beast Boy and a hardened Cyborg. It took a moment for Nightwing to figure out why they were at the elevator rather than in bed, but he understood now.
"Did you guys go out after Slade?" he asked sternly.
Beast Boy didn't respond and slowly walked toward the couch.
"I told you not to go! But you didn't seem to listen!" exclaimed Nightwing.
Cyborg approached him and grabbed him by the arm.
"This isn't the time, man." he contorted towards the agitated Nightwing.
"What do you mean it's not the.." he began, but as if his question was answered immediately, Cyborg pulled out a pair of gray leather gloves with burn marks on them.
Nightwing's expression of anger turned to shock and horror. Starfire gasped. Raven clenched her teeth with dread. Kid Flash and Wonder Girl had confused reactions, though. Terra had been before their time, so they wouldn't be in the know. Regretful of his berating, Nightwing sat beside Beast Boy on the couch and attempted to comfort him.
"Ok, I'm sorry I nearly lashed at you there, buddy." he apologized.
Beast Boy tilted his head towards him.
"No, you were right. I shouldn't have gone. Not only did I hear that that poor kid got burned, but I let Slade get away!" he continued to sulk his face in the nearest pillow, leaving Nightwing with pity towards his friend.
"I should've told you," he moaned.
Nightwing lifted Beast Boy from the pillow and positioned him eye to-eye with him.
"Look, I don't care about Slade right now! I don't care if he got away! I care about you! It's not your fault any of this happened. I should've looked for Slade a long time ago. Since after Trigon. If I had done that…" but Beast Boy held out his hand as in "stop" and started trudging towards the turbolift.
Nightwing attempted to follow, but Starfire and Cyborg grabbed his shoulders.
"I think he needs some time alone," Cyborg advised.
Nightwing looked on with shame.
The rock was cold. Didn't matter to Beast Boy, though. The world had just frozen to kingdom come. It was painful. It had been 16 minutes, just sitting at that old rocky side with the lightower. He hadn't been there since Terra's first death. But at this point, this was the only place where he felt comfortable grieving. He had sat there, weeping hard. It was like having the one thing he always wanted given to him, to have it crushed. He was about to tear up again before hearing a familiar but kind voice behind him. "Hey, man," it said. Turning, he saw Cyborg and Raven standing by the edge with sympathetic smiles. "Wanna talk?" asked Cyborg. Beast Boy grunted in reply. Cyborg turned to Raven, shrugging. The two sat down by either side of him.
"Hey, I'm sorry about what happened to Terra tonight," said Raven. "I mean, I know kind of how it feels to lose someone close to you." "Same," Cyborg added. Beast Boy stood up with a surly expression as if they touched a nerve. "No, you don't!" he shouted. " You think you know how it feels because your moms died?! Guess what happened to my parents! They got rid of me in the woods! Because I looked like a green monster! If it hadn't been for Mento and Elastigirl, the wolves would've eaten me up!"
Sitting back down, he took several deep breaths. Cyborg put his hand on his shoulder. "It's ok, man. We understand your feelings here, actually. "You do?!" he questioned. Raven then approached him. "Listen, we can't bring Terra back, but what we can do right now is be there for you, our friend.." "..And defeat Slade, so her death won't be in vain." finished Cyborg. Beast Boy looked up at them. "Promise?" he asked. Raven smiled. "Promise." Beast Boy held out his arms, and the 2 embraced him.
Nearly 2 hours had passed since Slade and Blood had escaped from their old headquarters in their escape pod. The device was on autopilot, allowing Slade to attend to other matters. While working on his next plan, Blood came into the study on the pod to report to him.
"Did you send the message out to the others?" asked Slade.
"Yes, Slade," replied Blood.
"They should arrive before the week is out."
Slade stood up from his chair.
"Good," he said.
But that wasn't all. Blood was curious. "About the girl…" he began.
"...did you really kill her?"
Slade chuckled softly to himself. Without warning, he pulled out another trigger, pressed it, and another panel slid open on the wall. Sitting there was a podium containing an orange jewel. Slade and Blood approached it eagerly.
"When she agreed to work under me, there were vows to follow," explained Slade. "They were broken when she killed me in the lava flow. During my service with Trigon, I learned how to imprison foes in little trinkets like this. When she emerged from her stone cocoon, I placed her in this jewel to make her suffer the pain of loneliness and isolation. And I promised that for her betrayal, I'd annihilate her friends. And make her watch. Afterward, she'll have my permission to join them in the next life."
The End