Titans: Elemental

Chapter 25: Terra

We see the sun gradually brightening upon a rocky landscape, with outcroppings on either side of a broad canyon. It is not long after sunrise. We see a gigantic scorpion racing towards a woman who runs as if trying to beat the devil in the hundred-yard dash. She is very thin, with spindly arms and legs, and roughly the same age as the Titans. Her clothing consists of denim shorts, a light gray long-sleeved shirt, and a dark gray crop top with black sleeves over this. Her hair is long, blond, and straight, and she wears thick brown leather gloves and hiking boots. A butterfly-shaped hair clip can now be seen over her right ear. This is the girl we've seen before.

This is Terra.

She is heading toward the shore of Jump City Bay. She turns to look over her shoulder as the scorpion's shadow falls over her, revealing large, light blue eyes that show her fear quite clearly. The scorpion has nearly closed the gap and works its mandibles in anticipation of a meal. As Terra charges ahead, the giant tail is lifted for a strike; it comes down inches from her and throws her off balance. She skids across the ground and rubs her head, finding that her hair clip has been knocked loose nearby. As she reaches for it, that enormous stinger punches into the dirt and again just misses her; she is off and running in an instant, the creature giving chase.

She swerves to avoid an outcropping, which is destroyed by the scorpion's claws, and vaults over a lower formation. She runs into a dead end not too distant. She stops at the wall of rock and turns towards the beast. She cowers as the scorpion prepares to lunge. However, it looks up quickly to the ledge on one side of the canyon. Dick leaps down onto it from above. The other Titans have joined him there; BB has become a wolf.

Dick exclaimed, "Titans! Go!"

But before any of them can move, a tremor shakes the ground. Terra's eyes are now glowing yellow and her mouth has assumed a smile as her hair blows all around her. The rock beneath the Titans' feet begins to crack and shift, and one end of a natural bridge across the canyon breaks loose and is lifted into the air. On the other side, we see that end pulling free as well. She raises her hands and groans with the effort as the slab goes higher and higher. Now her hands are glowing as well.

Jack sees this, and whispers, "she has powers like mine!"

Bryan whispered, "or at the very least, just the earth controlling you can do."

Finally, she brings them down, and the rock drops squarely on top of the scorpion to crush it flat. One final tail spasm and scream of pain, and the thing falls silent.

Terra placidly pushes the hair back from the right side of her face, where it has fallen forward due to the lost clip. Starfire looks down from her midair viewpoint confusedly.

Starfire said, "she was not in trouble."

Vic said, "she was leading it into a trap!"

Blackfire said, "smart."

Dick said, "question is…."

BB takes human form, "who is she?"

We see dark fissure in the side of the rock face behind them. Slade steps out and looks down at Terra. He has replaced the mask and armor that were damaged by the Titans some time ago.

Slade whispered, "don't get too attached, my young friends. I saw her first…."

Terra brushed the dust from her gloved hands. A quick gesture, and the patch of rock she stands on has broken loose and begins to carry her up to the ledge. She does a little spin before reaching the Titans, then jumps over to them as the rock falls away.

Terra asked, "what? Haven't you guys ever seen a superhero before?"

For a few seconds, all nine are at a loss for words.

Finally Dick steps forward and says, "I'm NightWing", he holds out his hand to shake, "we're the-"

Terra tapa her fists against it, "-The Titans! Rock on! It's cool to meet you guys. I'm Terra, and you're…. Cyborg, Raven, Starfire, Blackfire, Zivel, Ravager, Winter Soldier…. And…."

BB tried to say, "Boy Beast…. Uh, I mean, Bass Boot…. No!"

Terra said, "Beast Boy?"

He screams and turns into a turtle, tucking his head and legs into the shell and spinning around.

Terra laughed, "haha! Dude! He's hilarious!"

He stops spinning and asks as he likes his head out, "hilarious? Me? Really?"

Terra winks at him. In no time flat, he is back in human form and absolutely thunderstruck. He staggers giddily and then passes out.

Starfire flies over to her and says, "curiosity abounds. Please. Where do you come from; how did you get here; what is your favorite color; do you wish to be my friend?"

Blackfire muttered, "ever curious."

Terra said, "um…. Earth, walked, red, and…. Sure."

Starfire gasps and bear-hugs Terra as she says, "hello, new friend!"

Bones grind against one another.

Terra groaned, "how's it going?"

Starfire releases her crushing grip, and the new arrival drops back to the ledge, but her arms are a bit out of joint now.

BB asked as she straightened up, "so, what brings such a cool little chickie to our big, groovy city, huh?"

Rose said, "smooth…."

Terra said, "I go where the wind takes me, you know? I get to see new places, meet new people, stomp a few bad guys here and there."

BB said, "cool!"

Rose said, "double cool."

Bryan said, "awesome."

Starfire said, "fascinating!"

Blackfire said, "neat."

Vic said, "well, alright!"

Jack said, "it's neat to see someone else who can control the Earth."

Dick asked, "you mean, you don't have a home?"

Terra said, "the Earth is my home. I've been crashing in a cave on the other side of the hill."

Starfire said, "unacceptable! I cannot permit my new friend to slumber in a lonely cave of darkness."

Terra said, "I have a flashlight."

Starfire grabs her arm and hauls her past the others.

Starfire said, "you will stay with us."

Terra said, "really, I-I'm…."

Vic said, "come on, we got plenty of room."

Bryan said, "yeah. There's nine people on our team. We have enough room for one more!"

BB says, "yeah! And I can make you laugh some more. I'm hilarious, remember?"

Terra said, "heh, well, I guess I could stay one night."

Starfire cheered, "oh, glorious!"

Blackfire said, "that's great to hear!"

BB said, "yes!"

Vic exclaimed, "boo-yah!"

Jack said, "you gotta show me how you did that trick with the bridge!"

BB leads her toward the shore and the Tower, Vic and Jack bring up the rear, and Blackfire and Starfire fly happily above. Raven looks after the departing group, while Dick, Bryan and Rose kneel for a closer look at the battle site.

She turns to them and asks, "everything okay?"

Dick picks up some dirt and lets it fall as he says, "not sure."

Bryan asked, "you feel something off too?"

We see Slade, still at the mouth of that elevated fissure as he retreats slowly into the darkness.

Dick said, "something just doesn't feel right."

Rose said, "I've got the same feeling."

They stand up. The rest of the group heads home. After they have gone, the area where they were standing crumbles away in a great cloud of dust.

….

Terra looks around the living room, clearly impressed by what she sees, while the others are elsewhere in the place.

Terra said, "whoa! Nice digs! And check out the view!"

She flops onto the couch and puts her feet up on the coffee table.

Terra continued, "I can't believe you guys actually live here!"

BB pokes his head up and vaults onto the couch.

BB said, "Su casa es mi casa. So do you want the grand tour, or…."

Terra asked eagerly, "got any food?!"

….

Moments later, we see a huge mound of dirty dishes. The sound of gobbling is heard, Terra is at the end of the kitchen counter, stuffing her face at warp speed. How one person could put away enough food in one sitting to empty all those pans and plates is a mystery best left unexplained. All the Titans, save Starfire and Blackfire, watch the display of sheer gluttony with stunned shock.

Terra wolfs down some more food from the bowl in front of her, then tips the rest of the contents into her mouth. She throws the empty container aside and proceeds to gulp down an entire meatloaf in one instant. She swallows the last of her meal and lets off a thundering belch. Now Starfire descends into view next to her, carrying a plate of what could be some alien Jell-O mold.

Starfire asked, "might you now wish to partake of my homemade glorg?"

She holds up the food; embedded in the gelatinous mass are several gray, wriggling, worm-like things.

Dick, Jack, Bryan, Rose, BB, Vic and Raven all yelled, "NO!"

Too late; Terra has already seized the plate and put the entire contents behind her teeth. A quick swallow puts the food out of sight.

Terra said, "tastes like sushi mixed with ice cream. Got any more?"

Starfire said, "I shall go cultivate the fungus!"

She flies off, plate in hand, and Terra turns her attention to the other Titans.

Terra asked, "so, where's the tub?"

….

Vic, Bryan and BB peek in through the doorway of the bathroom and are absolutely floored by whatever is inside.

Vic said, "whoa. Mud bath…."

The shower curtain, bathtub, walls, floor, towels; all are liberally splattered with dirt and marked with the prints of grubby hands and feet. Terra has finished her bath and changed into a white robe and slippers. A towel is wrapped around her hair.

Terra said, "sorry. Guess I was due for a rinse."

Bryan said, "that might be an understatement."

Terra asked, "mind if I use your sink?"

….

Later, in the kitchen, Terra has unwrapped her hair and put on headphones for a Walkman that is going full tilt. The sink is filled with soapy water; she pulls out her crop top, freshly hand-washed, and hangs it on a nearby clothesline. The rest of her outfit is already drip-drying. When she steps aside to pin the garment up, the Titans can be seen looking in from the doorway.

Raven said, "well, she seems comfortable."

Rose said, "very much so."

BB said, "wonder how long it's been since she had a decent place to crash for the night."

Terra goes over to the couch and eases out of her slippers. Setting the Walkman on the cushions, she stretches expansively, yawns, and curls up. A moment later, she is snoring loudly and sprawled out to her full length, with one foot hanging over the edge. The Titans watch her with concern from across the room.

Dick said, "she needs more than a place to crash."

Starfire said, "she needs a home."

Blackfire said, "and a good one at that."

BB thinks for a moment before he suggests, "why not our home? She could stay here with us."

Starfire said, "yes!"

Raven said, "I don't know."

Jack said, "babe, come on. No-one should be on their own like that.

Vic said, "she would make a good addition to the team."

Dick said, "maybe. Let's ask her to train with us tomorrow."

One of Terra's eyes pops open suddenly.

Jack said, "good idea. We need to see what she can do."

Rose said, "a training session would be an effective way of doing so."

Now Terra's other eye opens as well, and her expression betrays the worry that has started to take hold of her.

….

Later that night. Inside the darkened living room, the door opens at the far end and a figure is silhouetted in the light from the other side. It's BB, carrying a small bundle as he enters. He keeps his voice down as he speaks.

BB said, "hey, Terra. I…. I thought you might want a blanket."

She is nowhere in sight, and her Walkman lies there abandoned.

BB said in confusion, "Terra?"

….

Outside of the tower, at the bay.

A stone skips across the water. At the shore, several others are lying near a backpack. One of these floats up, and we see a very dejected Terra sitting here. She has changed back into her usual outfit. A flash of her eyes sends the stone bouncing over the water.

As she levitates another one, BB takes a seat next to her and asks, "so I'm guessing the couch was too lumpy?"

She skips the stone. Surprised at what she has been able to do, he grabs one of his own and lets fly. It merely splashes in; she laughs and has another drop into his hand. This time he gets it right, and he laughs and flexes his muscles jokingly. She blows out a relieved little breath visibly; he responds with a loud raspberry. Now she sticks out her tongue and pulls down on her face to distort it out of shape; he changes his head into that of a gorilla and snarls loudly. She promptly stretches her face as if it were a rubber mask; startling BB back into human form, and both laugh heartily for a moment. They cut themselves off sharply and stare into each other's eyes for a second before turning away nervously and blushing.

Terra said, "I can't stay."

BB asked, "why not?"

Terra said, "places to go, people to see."

BB said, "come on. You know you want to stay. We've got free cable, indoor plumbing, and all the tofu you can eat."

He counts these three items off on his fingers as he names them.

Terra chuckled, "tofu? You sure know how to charm a girl. I-I guess I could hang out for one more day."

BB said, "awesome! We're gonna have so much fun! And I can't wait to see what your powers do when you really cut 'em loose."

His words ignite that same worry we saw earlier. Suddenly, her eyes blaze and her hair is blown straight up as light shines over her. BB is lifted into the air on the rock he was using for a seat, then gets dumped back to the shore when it pulls itself out from under him. It hits the water with a huge splash, leaving him soaked and spitting out mouthfuls of water.

Terra exclaimed, "sorry! I'm sorry, I'm so stupid! Don't tell! Please don't tell!"

BB said, "Terra, it's okay. You can't totally control your powers. So what?"

Terra exclaimed, "promise you won't tell anybody, ever!"

BB said, "sure."

Terra exclaimed, "swear it!"

BB said, "okay! Okay! I promise. But really, it's no big deal. If my friends knew, they'd still like you. Jack couldn't control his powers at first, from what he told us."

Terra muttered as she turned away, "you just don't understand..."

….

The next day….

We see Vic running at top speed. He is crossing a broad plain outside the Tower. Steel columns, each topped with a large fist, shoot up from the ground; he dodges one after another and jumps clear.

Dick presses a few buttons on a control panel.

In response, several laser cannons lock on target and begin to fire. Vic dashes, swerves, and jumps to avoid being hit; now Dick activates other controls on the panel. On a screen, an image comes up of a gateway with a large panel mounted in its top half. This descends like the blade of a guillotine.

Out on the plain, three such structures rise from the ground. Vic gets under the first two gates, but has to stop and catch the third before it can crush him. Straining mightily, he pushes it up on its track and is able to get clear before it crashes back down. Launchers rise from the tops of three rocks and fire a stream of disc-shaped projectiles. Vic has his sonic cannon ready and shoots down several while dodging the rest.

We see that the control panel has a timer display mounted in its front face. Dick, Rose, Bryan and Raven are behind it, while BB, Starfire, Blackfire, Jack, and Terra cheer Vic on. Terra has a pair of goggles hanging around her neck. He runs up, stops, and looks at the panel on his forearm; it shows a time of 2:17. He has been running an obstacle course.

Vic exclaimed, "boo-yah! New course record! Ha ha!"

Raven said, "well, yeah. You're the first one to do the course."

Now Vic steams a bit as Bryan says, "she's got you there Vic!"

Dick said, "okay, Terra! Ready to show us what you can do?"

She nods and steps out into the open as she says, "I just hope you're ready to see it."

BB walks over and says, "you can do it. 'Sides, it's just practice; it doesn't matter if you mess up. Not that you're gonna mess up, but I'm just saying that even if you really blow it, you…."

She moves slightly away, giving him the back of her head, and puts on the goggles. A quizzical look out of the corner of her eye brings him up short.

BB said, "shutting up now."

The timer on the front of the control panel starts to count down from 11.

Dick said, "countdown initiated! Good luck, Terra."

She takes a few steps away and adjusts her gloves.

BB exclaimed, "come on, Terra!"

Vic exclaimed, "you go, girl!"

Blackfire yelled, "tear it up!"

Starfire exclaimed, "onward to victory!"

Jack said, "show us what you're made of!"

All of them cheer some more.

Terra whispered, "don't lose control. Don't lose control..."

The timer reaches zero. She clenches her fists, which glow yellow, and braces for action. Laser cannons spring out of the rocks and open up on her; she raises the spot she is standing on as a large column of stone, and the blasts strike it repeatedly. It is finally blasted apart, but she rides down on a large fragment. An even bigger one crashes down on the cannons and breaks them to scrap while throwing up a wall of dust. She rides into this. She coughs a bit and then panics, yelling and waving her arms frantically, the steel fists punching up from the ground directly in her path.

A glancing blow almost knocks her from her flying perch, but she digs in her fingers and keeps aloft. She gives another yell as she flips onto one side to avoid the next fist, but it is no use; this one smashes the rock into gravel and sends her tumbling. Thinking quickly, she levitates several boulders and grabs hold of one big enough to carry her. A relieved little sigh gives way to more panic as she realizes she is heading for a crash landing; only a mighty effort to pull up the leading edge keeps her in the air. However, she grazes a rock formation in the process.

Dick, Bryan, Rose and Raven observe from their seats behind the control panel, and Dick presses a button to trigger the next challenge. The other Titans watch with admiration.

Vic exclaimed, "whoo-hoo!"

Starfire exclaimed, "glorious!"

Blackfire exclaimed, "this is incredible!"

Jack said, "you can say that again!"

BB exclaimed, "yeah! You da man, Terra…. Um, I mean, you're the…. Way to go!"

Jack said, "reeeeal smooth, dude."

"Da man", in question, is spinning along, barely in control of that boulder, and headed straight for the guillotine-like gates. At the last possible second, she brings up a snake of stone and causes it to punch through the upper panel of each gate. She jumps on to ride it across; it smashes the boulder to splinters.

Raven said, "we're gonna need a new obstacle course."

Bryan said, "remind us to put an order out for replacement equipment."

Dick moves over to Raven's end and works a few controls. Now Terra, flung free from the stone snake, drops screaming toward a large pit that is opening in the earth. She brings one rock toward herself, cannot get hold of it, and has better luck with a second, but only temporarily. Sliding to the edge, she scrabbles for a finger hold and is unable to get one before gravity drags her off. A couple of fist-sized stones fall after her; she and they drop down, after which she rises back into view, holding one in each hand. She drops them after clearing the pit and jumps onto a larger rock to sail onward.

As Dick works the controls and Raven, Rose and Bryan watch, the other Titans cheer and the disc launchers pop out from the rocks. Terra, caught by surprise, pulls up the leading edge of her stone to shield herself. A quick sweep of her hand sends rock fragments of all sizes hurtling toward the projectiles and launchers; all are quickly put out of commission, and she comes in for a landing. The stone breaks when it hits the ground, throwing her ahead to skid to a very unsteady stop on her feet. As the dust clears, we see Vic, Jack, Blackfire, BB, and Starfire staring wide-eyed at her, and she straightens up into the sort of pose every gymnast tries to nail while landing after a routine.

The Titans break into wild cheering and Terra lowers her goggles. BB, Blackfire and Starfire zip over to her.

BB exclaimed, "you rock!"

Starfire exclaimed, "magnificent success!"

Blackfire exclaimed, "that was amazing!"

Vic's timer shows 1:56; Terra has beaten him by over twenty seconds on her first try.

Raven said, "looks like we have a new course record."

Vic is caught off guard, then shrugs, "I musta softened it up for her."

Bryan said, "riiiiiight."

BB exclaimed, "you were incredible!"

Laughing, she sweeps him into a monster hug.

Terra said in joy, "I did it! You said I could do it, and you were right."

After she lets go, the little green joker staggers woozily backward before toppling to the ground.

Rose asked, "that's gonna happen a lot, isn't it?"

Dick said, "a little rough around the edges, but you've got some real talent there."

Terra asked, "you think?"

Jack said, "totally. I'm sure with a little more training, you could-"

Before he can finish, his communicator chimes in. He pulls it out and flips it open. Terra looks back at her cheering section. The emergency signal in Starfire and Blackfire's neck piece begins to flash, as does the one on BB's belt; he is back on his feet. Vic looks at his forearm panel as Raven floats down to join the group. The signal in her cloak's brooch is also flashing. Bryan's eye glows as Rose's belt does as well. Dick's own communicator glows as well.

Terra asked, "okay. Why is everybody blinking?"

….

Back in the main room, a picture of Slade is on the computer screen.

Dick said, "Slade. He's back."

Terra asked, "Slade?"

BB said, "bad guy. Way bad."

Bryan said, "the guy who made me a cyborg."

Rose said, "and the worst father ever."

Jack said, "and he nearly killed Batman at times."

A bit of typing causes the picture of Slade to shrink to a small box against a map of Jump City. An arrow points from it to a particular spot, which begins to flash.

Dick said, "got a fix on his location. Titans! Move out!"

As Terra watches, hopelessly puzzled, they vacate the premises, but BB stops short before he gets to the door. He looks back to the team's house guest, quite down in the mouth at the prospect of being left out.

BB said, "hey! You coming or what?"

She smiles broadly and runs out with him, arm in arm. The door closes behind them.

….

We see an underground mining excavation, with assorted earth-moving equipment parked among the cart tracks. Several men are at work, but a series of laser blasts throws them into chaos.

A miner yelled, "protect the diamonds!"

More blasts fling them across the space as two of Slade's commando robots jump into the area, and many more arrive and open fire while the other miners scatter.

Another miner exclaimed, "forget the rocks, they're taking over the entire mine!"

One of Dick's discs is flung into view, knocking the weapons from their hands. We see the Titans at the mine's entrance.

Dick growled, "tell your boss we'd like a word with him. Titans! Go!"

All nine charge; Terra comes up behind them, puts on her goggles, and takes to the air on a boulder.

Terra asked, "you boys ready to rock?"

Two robots jump on and grapple with her. At ground level, Dick engages one at close quarters and drives it back with a kick to the gut before jumping up toward the midair melee. The attackers are kicked to the ground, one at a time, and he jumps down after them. However, the sound of a weapon being primed stops him short, and he finds himself facing an entire squadron of reinforcements. Out comes his fighting staff, which he extends it to full length and begins to twirl. As they charge, he knocks them away one after another. Now he is lost at the bottom of a dogpile; one mighty effort throws all the robots clear and leaves him standing alone. One levels its weapon and is promptly plowed away by a boulder from Terra. Two others come up from behind; one is torn in half on a stone spike she raises while running off.

One robot has gained a high vantage point and is taking careful aim at Dick. Starfire and Blackfire fly past a load of steel girders held aloft by a crane; the shooter is perched among these. A second robot moves up to stop them, but they blow it away with two starbolts. The resulting explosion obscures the view but does not stop the shooter from pulling the trigger. Dick continues his fight with several others and is thrown clear when the shot hits them.

Starfire yelled, "Nightwing!"

She and her sister double back toward the load of steel girders, where two other robots have joined the shooter, and squeeze off more starbolts that send all three tumbling. They grab hold of them in midair and bear them struggling to the ground. Two more move in to lend a hand, but Vic seizes them and knocks their heads together. Breaking out his cannon, he runs into the fray.

Vic shouted, "hang on, girls!"

Now two other robots drop to ground level and charge in. A large drilling vehicle sits nearby; in short order, another has climbed into the driver's seat and fired it up. It starts toward Vic, who gets his cannon going at full throttle; he dispatches several aggressors, including enough of the ones holding Starfire and Blackfire to allow them to free themselves and fly up. A laser blast strikes the cannon and forces Vic to cease fire. As other shots flash past, he looks over at the shooters, then up at the overhead load of girders. A well-placed shot breaks the platform holding them up and dumps a few tons of steel on the opposition.

Vic's expression quickly changes to shock when he looks off to one side, toward the sound of the drill's engine. A cry of surprise escapes his lips

Vic yelled, "no!"

The tip starts to grind against the side of his head; he is slowly pushed back toward the wall of the excavation by the machine's momentum. Raven descends into view.

Raven chanted, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

She levitates a cart and sends it flying toward the driver robot, which catches it upside the head. From here, we see Jack and BB as they run over.

BB yelled, "Raven, look out!"

Several robots have gathered around her. One fires, but she shields herself from the shot and lifts off as several other blasts lance toward her. She dodges the fusillade, after which BB leaps into the free-fire zone, a transformation already in progress. The shooters suddenly find themselves in a large growing shadow, and BB, as a stegosaurus, lands among them to send the lot scattering. They concentrate their fire and begin to drive him back toward the entrance of a mine tunnel, where Terra is dropping a piece of the ceiling on a robot. She stops several falling rocks in midair and launches them at the robots to end their laser fire.

Jack starts launching balls of fire at the robots, melting them into shrapnel as he runs over to Raven.

Rose and Bryan are back to back as they fight off the robots.

The effort Terra is using is a genuine strain on her, judging from her groans and the flash of her eyes behind the goggles before she squeezes them shut. Like on the shore, light has flared up around her, but now it is blinding white.

Terra yelled, "can't control it!"

The goggles' lenses shatter and there is a great flash. When the view clears, more of the ceiling begins to fall in. BB whips his tail around to repel the opposition, then returns to human form. Rocks crash down all around him due to Terra's overload. He looks up, his face goes slack, and he lets off a scared little whimper as the shadow of a descending slab grows over him. The debris land on him!

Terra yelled, "Beast Boy!"

Dick's attention is drawn by her yell, as is that of the others. Starfire gasps in sheer terror.

Jack yelled, "Beast Boy! No!"

I'm pure rage, Jack sends a huge blast of lightning at some robots, blowing them to smithereens in seconds!

We see Terra and the smashed robots lying among the rocks in front of her. One of them starts to crawl out, its bottom half is gone, and others get to their feet and advance as well. Her ruined goggles now hanging around her neck, she gathers herself for a mighty effort; once again her eyes and fists glow yellow, white light surrounds her, and columns of stone descend from the ceiling to crush every robot. The last spasm of movement is from a sparking hand. When it stops, she runs off into the tunnel.

Dick dashes to the cave-in site and starts to clear away the rock. Starfire and Blackfire join in the effort as Vic fires his cannon across the area to ward off the enemy. Jack joins in by shooting beams of ice at the enemy. Bryan shoots at the robots as Rose joins Dick in moving the rubble. Raven arrives a moment before the pile rumbles and the largest slab is lifted away by BB, now in the form of a colossal Sasquatch. He throws it aside and rubs his head.

Dick asked, "you okay?"

BB nods and takes human form. Jack ran over with a relieved look.

BB asked, "where's Terra?"

Rose said, "we saw her go down a tunnel."

….

Farther down that tunnel, we see Terra. Winded and exhausted, she stumbles over to a wall and leans against it for support. After a moment to catch her breath, she slides down to the ground and looks at her hands.

Terra asked, "why can't I do this?"

Her eyes are squeezed shut. Echoing, running footsteps from nearby draw her attention. At the junction with another tunnel, where a figure dashes past.

Terra growled, "Slade!"

She goes after him as fast as her legs will carry her. After a few hundred yards, she skids to a stop and raises one hand to cave in the ceiling just ahead of him. Now she walks up, both hands glowing.

Terra growled, "looks like I've got you."

A huge leap gets him airborne and deposits him just behind her, and with a swift low kick he dumps her to the ground. Straightening up, he produces a sphere with his insignia on it.

Slade said, "actually, Terra…."

He throws it upward; it sticks to the ceiling and starts to beep as a red light flashes. She gets to her feet.

Slade said, "... I've got you."

The device explodes in a mighty blast that wipes out the entire view. When it clears, more rocks are falling from the ceiling behind him and Terra has been floored again by the shock wave. Slade walked away from this second cave-in. Emergency lights switch on at the bases of the tunnel walls, bathing the enclosed space in eerie yellow-green light. His approaching silhouette puts fresh fear into Terra, who scuttles backward a little bit and finds herself staring directly into that black-and-orange masked face.

Slade says, "now, Terra…. You walked right into a trap", he steps into view with his staff, "another mistake", he leans over her, "you of all people should know better", he blocks her in with the staff, "but at least you and I are finally getting a chance to talk."

He tries a jab, but she dodges easily and counters by launching a stone at him from the wall. It zips past him, a near miss.

Slade said, "hmm. I see we have much to talk about."

Terra growled, "mind if I talk with my hands?"

Fragments fly as she causes two large stone snakes to emerge, one from each wall. They hurtle toward Slade's position, but he dives to avoid being crushed between them. He ends up in a kneeling crouch at her feet.

Slade said, "good, Terra, but not good enough."

He swings the staff and follows up with a jab; she side steps both attacks and somersaults away. An overhead swing also misses its mark when she rolls out of range. Before she can move again, he brings the staff down to cut off her anticipated movement. Hands to head, she huddles on the ground under his next descending blow, and a chunk of rock surges up from the ground to send him staggering backward across the tunnel.

Terra, still behind this makeshift shield, peers cautiously around the edge and sees Slade approaching. She steps out and heaves the mass toward him; planting the end of his staff in the ground, he swings himself up along its length. The rock hits the staff and breaks it, but leaves him untouched. As it crashes into the wall, he regains his footing.

Slade said, "impressive, unless, of course, you were aiming for me."

He drops the piece of the staff he is still holding and advances slowly toward her. She backs up a bit and launches several medium-size stones from the tunnel wall at him. A mighty punch shatters the biggest of them, and as she sends out another volley, he moves in and knocks several out of the air. Now she slings a colossal boulder at him, but one blow smashes it and drives her back against the wall in the bargain. She collapses to the ground.

Terra growls, "back off", she stands up, "I'm with the Titans! They'll be coming to-"

Slade said, "you don't belong with the Titans."

Terra growled, "you don't know anything about me!"

He produces her missing hair clip in his hand-evidently he pocketed it, and her face goes slack when she sees it.

Slade said, "on the contrary, Terra. I know everything about you. I've been watching you for some time. I know why you're always running away. I know your secret, little girl."

Terra yelled, "no!"

She rushes at him, but he seizes her wrist and forces her back to the wall.

Slade said, "earthquakes. Avalanches. Mudslides. Everywhere you go, you try to do good", he releases his hold, "and everywhere you fail. So everyone turns against you. Even those you once called…. Family."

She has turned her face away, and without the clip, her hair has once again fallen forward to obscure its right half.

Slade said, "you lack control, Terra", he reaches into frame to replace the hair clip, "and when you lose control, you are more dangerous than anything I've ever seen. But it doesn't have to be this way. I can help you, child."

Terra asked, "you can?"

He bends over and picks up a small stone.

Slade said, "right now, you are…. Rough around the edges. You need more than obstacle courses to overcome your problem."

He squeezes the stone viciously, and it starts to crumble.

Slade said, "you need a teacher. A mentor. Come with me, Terra, and I can teach you to shine."

He opens his fist, revealing a diamond in his palm: it had been hidden at the center of the rock. She looks on, completely befuddled, then up at him, and finally backs away.

Terra said, "but…. My friends told me you're…."

Slade said, "you don't really believe they're your friends, do you, Terra?"

Terra said, "they took me in. Gave me a home."

Slade said, "and when they find out what's wrong with you, they'll reject you, like everyone else."

Terra tried to say, "Beast Boy-"

Slade said, "-Can't keep his mouth shut forever. He'll tell them."

This hits a nerve; she balls her fists angrily and warms them up.

Terra growled, "he promised."

The tunnel starts to shake.

Slade said, "he lied."

Torrents of dirt and stones go flying as she vents her rage.

Terra yelled, "shut up! Just shut up and leave me alone!"

Her eyes are tightly closed at this point; when she opens them, we see that they are glowing at full intensity. She gasps in shock and drops to her knees, hands on head.

Terra yelled, "don't lose control…. Don't lose control!"

Slade said, "now, Terra…. How can you lose something you never had?"

The debris is flying in circles around her as she voices a tormented scream.

….

Elsewhere in the tunnel, pieces of rock are shaken loose by the force of her outburst; in the main excavation, one last robot is knocked backward to smash against the side of a crane, accompanied by a yell from Dick. He looks up as the place trembles and stones fall from above. Raven flies over.

Raven said, "we need to get out of here."

Jack yelled, "and fast!"

Vic yelled, "Slade's trying to bring down the whole mine!"

Dick said, "I'm not sure he's the one doing this."

Rose asked, "then who is?"

Starfire said, "I cannot locate Terra or Beast Boy."

Blackfire asked, "then where are they?"

Dick mulls this over for a second.

….

A wall of collapsed rock parts to reveal Slade looking at the funnel cloud that has developed from Terra's breakdown. We see the hopelessly huddled girl, floating at its center.

Slade said, "no one else understands you, Terra. No one else can help you. I'll be waiting."

He leaves while BB, as a gopher, pops up from the ground at a distance and catches sight of the maelstrom. Diving back underground, he burrows toward it and under the edge of the funnel cloud. Inside, he emerges and returns to human form.

BB yelled, "Terra! Terra!"

He jumps toward her and is nearly swept away by the Force Ten gales. Only a one-handed grip on Terra's shoulder keeps him from saying hello to the ceiling at two hundred miles an hour. The grab shakes her out of the fit, and she fully realizes how much danger he is in. His free hand and one of hers inch slowly toward each other and take hold for dear life.

BB said, "it's okay, Terra. I'm here", she falls sobbing into his arms, "I'm here."

The whirlwind dissipates, leaving them to descend slowly to the ground.

Terra tried to ask, "you won't-"

BB said, "I'm not gonna tell anybody. I promise."

We see her weary, tear-streaked face as he reaches tenderly over to cradle her head.

….

Later at the Tower that evening. We see Terra inside at the door to the living room. She is slinging up her backpack.

Terra said, "well, guys, uh, it's been real. Seriously, thanks for everything, but I should-"

She turns to leave, but the door opens to reveal Vic blocking her exit.

Vic said, "don't even think about it."

She turns back and says, "okay. What's going on?"

Raven said, "well…."

Jack said, "... All of us got together and…."

Vic said, "... We talked it over, and…."

Starfire giggled, "... We wish for you to stay here, with us! Hehehe!"

Blackfire said, "it'd be nice to have you join."

Dick said, "we think you'd make a great addition to our team."

Rose said, "with your skills, no villain would stand a chance."

Bryan asked, "so, what do you say?"

BB asked, "want to be a Titan?"

Dick gives her a communicator.

Terra asked, "me? Really?"

Dick said, "of course, you'll need more training. I know you have trouble controlling your powers, and we can help."

The communicator drops between them and bounces away. Terra's expression shows the battle between disappointment and fury raging in her head. The fury gradually wins.

Terra asked in shock and anger, "you told him?!"

BB quickly said, "I didn't!"

Terra yelled, "you promised! You lied to me! You lied!"

She runs off. Terra continues her headlong dash away from the Titans.

BB runs after her, "Terra, no! Wait!"

….

We go back to the shore and stop at her hair clip lying on a rock, having fallen loose in her hasty departure. BB reaches into view and picks it up. He looks dejected at it and sits down.

BB muttered, "Terra…."

Dick walks up behind him.

Dick said, "I just figured it out. I didn't know it was a secret."

BB muttered, "she didn't even say goodbye."

He picks up a stone and throws, skipping it farther over the water than any of his or Terra's previous attempts. After it has finally submerged, BB slowly walks back to the Tower with Dick.

Dick said, "I'm sure she'll come back."

BB muttered, "yeah…. I hope so…."

….

We see Terra running as she did at the start of all of this. She has ditched her backpack.

Slade is observing this on a monitor.

Since destroying his own lair, he has established a new base of operations.

Slade said with malicious glee, "run all you like, because no matter where you go…. Every step brings you closer to me…."

….

Reviews:

Canadude2029: agreed, this episode is wild. Thanks.

SuperSentai199: Yeah, this episode always cracked me up as well.

….