Titans: Elemental

Chapter 35: Aftershock, Part 2

We see Terra emerging into light against a black background.

"My name is Terra, and I have done horrible things."

A towering image of Slade, wreathed in flames, fades into view behind her.

"I have sworn to serve a dark master" , he raises one hand, "I have obeyed his every command" , it curls to a fist, "and committed crimes in his name."

A lick of fire washes across the area. When it clears, the view has changed to a street in Jump City. Ranks of commando robots march along under the glow of sunset. More robots, secondary black-and-white ones, but with gray armor, are on the march. Both groups of robots are advancing in a single body through the misty street. Behind the marching androids, Terra rises into view on a piece of pavement and floats overhead.

"I have betrayed and attacked everyone who used to be my friend. One by one, I have destroyed the Titans."

Her hands glow threateningly. People stand frozen in terror.

"And with no one left to stop me…."

Rumbling, followed by geysers of mud and stone dust, we ses another ravaged block. Wrecked cars are strewn about in the fog.

"... I have brought an entire city to its knees."

Slade's robots continue their unstoppable march, emerging from the dusty haze.

As Terra is now standing before the flaming image of Slade, her mind wanders.

She sees her former friends all meeting their end….

Dick. Jack. Victor. Bryan. Raven. Blackfire. Starfire. Rose.

…. Beast Boy.

As Slade's image moves away, Terra gives an empty look.

"My name is Terra. I have done horrible things…. And…. And…. I have no regrets…."

….

We see a fog obscuring the sky that makes it impossible to tell what time of day it is. We see a group of pay phones, all off the hook, along the deserted street. A couple of cars sit abandoned by the parking meters as wisps of dust and fog drift past.

We then see a battalion of the secondary robots. They stride across the street, leaving commandos at attention on both sidewalks.

….

Slade is watching it and other angles on a wall of monitors in his stained-glass-windowed lair.

Overload, Cinderblock and Plasmus stand nearby.

Slade said, "a world without Titans. I was beginning to think I'd never see the day. But at long last, the city is ours, and victory is mine. And any other hero dare not oppose me while I'm in control."

….

We see Terra, riding her pavement platform slowly down, both arms tucked behind her back.

Slade said, "fine work, apprentice. You have made me very proud."

Terra said, "thanks. It was fun."

She says this with an empty voice, as if she no longer took pleasure in any of this.

Her mind drifts to memories from some time ago….

….

A sound of young laughter; the Titans bring her up short, and the blond bulldozer's image is one of her in the old black/yellow-orange outfit. The sky behind her is clear and blue now, and Beast Boy's hand reaches up to plant itself on her shoulder. She joins in the laughter.

All ten are around an outdoor table at the team's favorite pizza joint, with stacks of empty boxes everywhere. The tallest sits by Vic, whose arm is held aloft by Starfire, while Raven just sits and reads with Jack's arm around her shoulder. This was the day of a pizza-eating contest that Victor has just won handily. Beast Boy looks very ill, while Dick waves a white flag in surrender, and Rose has face-planted onto the table with Bryan rubbing her back.

….

Back to the present day.

The table stands unused in the mist. Terra eyes it for a long moment before speaking.

Terra said, "Sector Five is secure. Pretty quiet up here since all the people cleared out."

Slade said, "get used to it, my dear. This city is only the first of many."

She starts away.

Terra said, "I know."

Slade said, "with our growing power, we'll soon have the Justice League at our mercy!"

Terra forces a smile and says, "I'd like to see them try and stop us…."

She continues down the silent street. We look across the building facades, whose windows show her passing, stolid reflection, not a person in sight, and stop on a set of double doors.

….

Another flashback; the Amazing Mumbo kicks them open, sacks of cash in hand, and runs off laughing. He has just pulled a bank job. Dick, Bryan, Rose and Beast Boy run out after him. Before the mad magician can set foot on the opposite sidewalk, a huge stone fist shoots up, seizes him in an unbreakable grip, and hoists him up . After it has gone, the view clears to show Vic, Jack, Blackfire, Starfire, and Raven looking on as well, and amid a fluttering shower of loose bills, Terra steps into view to look up at her work.

Dick cheered, "yes!

Bryan exclaimed, "nice one!"

BB cheered, "go, Terra!"

Terra laughs in glee.

….

Terra floats past the bank and the commandos stationed on the sidewalk; she is now deep in thought over these past moments. She passes a tree….

….

Terra laughs and walks through the park with Beast Boy.

BB was saying, "and then Victor says…."

They pass another tree….

….

She continues her patrol, eyeing the troops, and stops amid a group of secondary robots. All are facing the Tower, standing alone and dark in the mist that covers Jump City Bay.

Terra said, "well, we did it. They're really gone."

Raven's telekinetic powers flash into view, in the form of a long ribbon that wraps itself around one robot and hauls it away. Terra has spoken too soon.

Terra said in confusion, "huh?"

Another robot steps forward and is promptly blindsided by a starbolt/sonic cannon combo. The explosion sends Terra sliding across the pavement; groaning in pain, she tries to lift her head.

Slade ordered, "apprentice, report! What's going on?"

Four robots are each taken out a different way.

One is engulfed in flames, one is frozen solid and smashed with a boulder, one is sent flying into the air and then sent right back down, smashing into pieces, and the last is electrocuted before being wrapped up in vines and crushed!

Terra said, "I don't-"

The Titans' silhouettes begin to emerge from the miasma; she scuttles backward a bit.

Terra yelled, "no! I destroyed you! You're all-"

Her nemeses stand motionless in the fog.

Slade yelled, "Terra! Attack! Now!"

She follows orders, smashing their position to rubble, but when the dust clears, all it reveals is a car that has been flipped upside down by the tremors. Panicking a bit, she backs up and looks left and right, that curtain of hair over her right eye swinging heavily with the motion. In the fog behind her, Beast Boy as a wolf races by; an instant later, two booted feet pass in front. Now Terra is rattled, but her attention is distracted and she does not notice that Victor was coming up fast to throw a punch. he catches her squarely in the back; his sonic cannon sends her down the street a bit, and as soon as she gets up, two starbolts hit her broadside. One purple, one green.

She sits up woozily, rubbing her head, and suddenly finds the shapes of Raven, Rose and Beast Boy, back in human form, advancing from the murk. A stone column rises to carry her out of range, but another of Starfire's shots blows it apart under her feet. The outline of Dick leaps high and hurls a handful of grenades down at her; she raises a rock sheet to stop their explosions from reaching her, only to be flattened by Vic's cannon shot.

Slade growled, "on your feet, Terra! Your suit's neural interface allows me to assist you in combat….", Terra stands, "... but I can only help if you get up and fight!"

Vic rushes at her now; with a fierce yell, she brings up many pavement chunks amid a broad vertical shaft of yellow light that surrounds her. Whatever she was planning is cut off when an enormous black hand reaches up from behind and seizes her. Raven's "soul-self" emerges entirely, carrying Terra high into the air. We see the apprentice's face, whose eyes register undiluted fear and then narrow as the yellow glow starts anew. A stone spike shoots up to knock her out of the apparition's grip, and she rises on a piece of it, but the silhouette of Beast Boy, once again a wolf, streaks across and plows her away.

Terra tumbles through the fog and lands to find that growling beast advancing toward her.

Terra exclaimed, "Beast Boy! Beast Boy! Stop! Aren't you even gonna talk to me?"

His snarls are the only answer she can get, and Vic starts to emerge off to one side.

Vic growled, "there's nothing left to say."

Blackfire asked, "what else can we say?"

Starfire hissed, "you attempted to annihilate us."

Raven growled, "did you think we wouldn't take it personally?"

Bryan asked, "after we tried to warn you?"

Rose hissed, "over and over again?"

Jack growled, "and you just threw it all right back at us?!"

Dick growled, "it's over, Terra."

Terra is ringed by the nine heroes in righteous fury, Beast Boy back in human form. After one last panicked look around, she makes up her mind and takes to the air, riding high above the rooftops to make her getaway. One by one, the Titans step out of the fog and look after her. Starfire is first to break the tense silence.

Starfire said, "she seems quite scared."

Raven said, "scared isn't the same as sorry."

Blackfire said, "she's gotta pay for everything she did to us."

Bryan said, "agreed. She needs to know the pain we felt when she betrayed us."

Dick said, "I don't care how she feels. Terra's a dangerous criminal, and she has to be stopped.

Beast Boy growled, "she will be", he clenches a fist, "I'm going to make sure of it."

Vic's forearm panel beeps; he checks it.

Vic said, "got a lock. She's heading east."

….

Another street. Terra runs to beat the band, and takes cover in an alley.

Slade asked, "where do you think you're going, young lady?"

Terra tried to say, "anywhere! I was getting thrashed, I had to get-"

….

We see Slade's fist, slamming down; he is in his lair.

Slade yelled, "no! I will not tolerate failure, apprentice. I will not permit you to run away! You will stay! You will fight! And you will win!"

….

Terra edges to the mouth of the alley and looks out. Nothing here, but a moment later, Vic rushes with a savage yell and rams a shoulder into her hard enough to drive her well down the block. She raises a couple of rocks and sends them at him, Rose and Raven; Vic smashes through one, while Raven levitates the other and throws it back full force, and Rose slices through hers with her staff. Ravens hits the ground just in front of Terra, shattering into several chunks and giving her a new platform to stand on. Vic's sonic cannon blast slices the air just next to her, as does blasts of laser fire from Bryan's gun; up she goes, only to meet Starfire and Blackfire assaulting her with starbolt, Dick's one super-strong right hook and Jack throwing huge balls of fire at her. The Tamaraneans instantly pulverize the stone into dust, dropping Terra back to the street.

She brings a new piece of roadbed loose and rides up on it, but Dick's grappling hook whistles into view to snare her. A hard yank on the line has her eating asphalt in no time, but she is soon upright again and shooting pieces of rubble at Dick to stop his charge. Next, two starboltz nail her in the back; here comes Starfire and Blackfire, blasting away and assaulting Terra back.

More fragments are lifted and fired into the air, but two mighty starbolts blow them all away and drop the traitor to her knees, with anger and hurt.

Vic's turn. A bionic punch at the ground makes her jump away, and his follow-up cannon burst sends her down again.

She tries to get up, only for Rose to drop kick her in the back and somersault away.

Terra is then hit with a laser blast from Bryan before she can even blink.

She looks up with a gasp as a large shadow falls on her from overhead; the source, a bus, crashes down right on top of her and explodes. Raven lands to inspect the smoking site; she moves this vehicle, but behind her, Terra emerges, intact, on a piece of asphalt and flies away, only to find Beast Boy charging as a pterodactyl and Jack on his own slab of Earth with electrified water engulfing his hand. A last-second dodge puts her past the ex-boyfriend and magic user, so that they have to double back and do some serious flying to catch up again.

Terra raises several columns at crazy angles to slow them down; BB crashes into one of them, but her platform is quickly hit with Jack's ball of water and lightning and she nearly loses her balance.

Having taken his teammate's place in the pursuit, Jack blazes away and scores a number of very near misses.

Terra yelled, "Slade! Help! I can't do this alone!"

….

Slade said, "dear child, you are never alone…."

….

Terra races past, Jack hot on her heels, but a section of the pavement ruptures, stretching from side to side, and the Titan stops short. As the others rush up, Beast Boy in human form, the trio of monsters appears amid an aura of crackling blue-white light. The nine stare bug-eyed, watching Plasmus, Overload, and Cinderblock rise slowly into the air. Currents of energy begin to eddy around the bodies, and then they begin to swirl together as if they were in a nightmare ice cream maker. Cinderblock's hand develops a coating of Plasmus sludge and becomes energized; his toes elongate, similar to those of the purple beast, and also light up; slime oozes over the chest and head, the latter of which is soon covered with those lurid green eyes.

The stares of horrified amazement continue. Now the aura that surrounded the three creatures has become a sparking ball, which soon disappears under a huge eruption of energy from beneath the street surface. All nine Titans avert their eyes from the blinding radiance; when it clears, one long-toed foot is set down, accompanied by a loud growl. Two legs, two arms, one body and head, but looking as if assembled from random parts of the three creatures. Topping it all is Plasmus' multi-eyed face. This conglomeration, Ternion, roars down at the Titans.

Vic said, "and I thought they were ugly before."

Bryan groaned, "I think I'm gonna hurl…."

Ternion charges.

Dick exclaimed, "Titans! Go!"

….

We see Slade's lair. He stands with his back to Terra as she runs in.

Terra exclaimed, "Slade! I made it! I'm alive. I can't believe they almost beat me."

He stands motionless for a second, then whips around and smashes a forearm into her face. She fetches up against the far wall and is soon covered by his approaching shadow. Raising her head, she utters a sharp gasp; he stands over her.

Slade growled, "that was nothing…. Compared to what I'm going to do to you..."

….

We see all of the Titans still frozen in place by the shock of the metamorphosis they have just observed. One of Ternion's huge, slimy, energized arms stretches toward the group; they dive in all directions to avoid the punch, and Dick hurls a handful of grenades into his face. They explode with great force, dropping him to his knees as Dick comes down in front of him. After a moment of rest, Ternion lashes several tentacles out from his shoulders. Their ends spark as they tangle him up; he is lifted high into the air, shocked with a few thousand volts, and thrown down near Raven.

Raven yelled, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

Her spell lifts a nearby parked car and slings it at the three-in-one menace. It crashes into his face with a terrific explosion, after which she lands by Dick and starts to help him up. Both stare at the blast aftermath; from which Ternion emerges, undamaged and roaring mad, after a moment.

Bryan starts shooting lasers at Tenrion, littering them with holes that slowly seal up!

Jack shoots a beam of ice at their arm, actually managing to freeze it solid and break it off before another one took it's place.

Here comes Starfire and Blackfire, screaming and swooping past the others with flames shooting from their eyes. Starfire homes in on the gut and punches a hole clear through it, then Blackfire puts an eye blast into the back of the head. The monstrosity turns to face them and stretches its arm out for a grab; he misses them, but bashes a hole in a building. Jack once again freezes the arms as Rose jumps up and shatters them to pieces before scattering as they regrow!

The movement leaves his back wide open for the cannon shot that flashes up. Vic and Bryan, firing at will, are quickly seized by two gooey appendages and hauled up. Back to Ternion; this is his tongue, split in two, and he swallows the bionic Titans only to spit them to the end of the block right away. Vic and Bryan sit up from the crater their impact has just put in the front of a building down there, but they have no time to get back into the fight. A new shadow falls over them; one of Slade's secondary robots is standing here.

Back to the main battle. Dick, Rose and Raven move in different directions to avoid Ternion's strikes. Raven circles around and hits him with a shot. She dodges a punch, then counters with a blast that pushes him up against a building; he gets up with a fresh roar and stomps up to face the three Titans again. Before he can attack, though, yells from the Starfire, Jack and Blackfire are heard and he tumbles onto his back. The sisters and Jack are standing just in front of his position, their raised arms showing the monster heave-ho they have just given him.

Laser blasts zip past the Titans, who look down the street and find a very large crew of commando robots moving in with guns blazing. Several jump down near the fallen beast; the sisters and Jack take a frightened step back toward the other three. Down the street, the robot that menaced Vic and Bryan is thrown against a building, then gets a fist driven into its chest. What the four-hundred-pound fighter yanks out is a piece of machinery that looks something like a human heart; its removal causes the robot to short out once and for good.

Bryan is atop another robot, his robotic fist lodged in their brain and forcing them to shoot at their fellow robots.

More laser shots flash by; down the street, Slade's troops are massing for a charge. Vic looks up the ripped-out device, which has started to beep, and a wicked grin steals over his face. As if throwing a long pass, he hurls it toward the enemies and is rewarded with a huge explosion that wipes them all out. The glare clears to show him ducking and covering; he then stands up and wipes his hands happily, but a secondary robot charges out of the fog at him. Pinned to the wall, he struggles fiercely to break loose, but a laser in the single eye warms up to blast him out of existence. Instead of getting blown away, however, he is saved when Beast Boy leans into view as a tyrannosaurus rex and clamps his jaws onto the android. It is shaken back and forth until it falls apart.

Vic is staring in complete disbelief at this display of undiluted ferocity, then to the dust cloud in front of him. Beast Boy emerges in human form and stomps over; he is probably angrier than he has ever been in his life. Bryan has jumped off of his robot as it falls over and goes over to the other two.

BB asked, "where's Terra?"

Vic asked, "what's the matter? A robot army and a giant Franken-thingie not enough for you?"

BB growled, "I don't care about them. I want Terra."

A commando leaps at him from behind; he wheels with a ferocious scream, becomes a giant gorilla, and smashes it apart with one punch. The subsequent roar makes Vic and Beyan stare wide-eyed again, and the green primate lopes off down the street in search of his quarry.

Bryan mutters, "she broke his heart…. And now we see the beast unleashed…."

….

Back to Slade's lair. He stands at a distance as Terra tumbles across the floor; she has taken another pounding. After a second, he steps toward her.

Slade growled, "you failed me, apprentice. I ordered you to eliminate the Titans. You did not. I commanded you to fight, and you ran."

She stands up, cloth under-wrappings in tatters.

Terra growled, "you can't treat me like this."

Slade growled, "can't I?"

He punches her again. She slams into the wall again and collapses.

Slade said, "who else would have you, my dear….", she pulls herself up, "you've done horrible things. Unforgivable things. Where else could you possibly go?"

She turns and hisses, "anywhere but here! I'm sick of fighting, and I'm sick of you! The others were right! I never should have trusted you!"

She tries to pull her breastplate off, but it will not budge.

Slade said, "you'll find that quite impossible. The suit's neural interface has integrated into your nervous system. into your skin. It's part of you….", she stares at it; back to him, "... and so am I, Terra."

She gasps and backs up.

Terra groaned, "no!"

Slade said, "you chose this life, apprentice. It's too late to change your mind now; far too late."

Terra said, "but it's not too late for me to walk out the door."

She starts to do just that, giving him her back, but he steps partly into view after her.

Slade said, "I'm afraid it is, my dear. You see….", he holds one finger over the other wrist, "... you no longer have any control in the matter."

He presses a hidden button. Terra stops in her tracks, then falls to her knees with an agonized groan as sparks spit from every part of her body. When Slade holds out one hand, palm up, she is pulled to her feet by the remote control he has just activated.

Slade said, "I've learned from my past apprentices. I gave Bryan no free will. I gave Nightwing too much. With you, you have had just enough free will to do my bidding…. Except if you disobey me…."

Eyes bugging out, teeth grinding together, jittering uncontrollably, Terra takes one labored step after another and ends up face to face with her master.

Slade said, "you promised to fight at my side forever."

On the end of this, the sparks stop and he touches her chin, lifting her face.

Slade said, "and that's a promise I intend to make you keep."

….

All the Titans, save Beast Boy, are surrounded by commando robots. More of them move in; the Titans back toward each other. Here they come from all directions, and we see that they have moved in to very close quarters indeed. The slow, steady advance continues for another unbearable second or two before Dick speaks.

Dick yelled, "Raven! Now!"

He produces a small globe, about the size of a baseball, and throws it straight up. It has six small protrusions, set at 90-degree angles like the faces of a cube. These extend outward on small tubes and glow very brightly before the whole thing goes up in a colossal flash, blowing robots and rubble in all directions. The view clears to show the Titans at ground zero, protected by a hemispherical shield Raven has put up. She lets it dissipate so they can look around. Ternion, the heart of the whole problem, is still on his feet and clumping toward them, but he is very woozy now after Dick's bomb blast. He looks up just as Raven throws a bus at him; it plows squarely into his mouth.

Behind her, Vic, Bryan, Jack, Blackfire and Starfire rush in. The bionic left fist is launched as a grappling hook and loops around the slimy/stony/electrical body. Pulling with every scrap of his strength, his circuits glowing brightly under the strain, he soon gets helping hands from Starfire and Blackfire. Jack forms arms of Earth to help, and Bryan shoots his own grappling hook. Ternion starts to topple forward, but gets himself straight with a mighty roar; the cable snaps, throwing all five Titans backward past Raven. They tumble against a pile of rubble and look skyward. Dick and Rose have made it to a rooftop and are watching the enemy very carefully; when the right moment presents itself, they both leap onto the glowing back with something in each hand.

These devices are shown to be discs, which they set in place. The press of two buttons at their centers extend clamps that dig into the sludge to hold the things fast, and they leap ahead to land in a pair of crouches. Just after they hit the ground, their discs emit high-intensity electric pulses that throw Ternion into a straight-backed, screaming seizure, and when it abates, he pitches forward smoking to the street. Only now do Rose and Dick stand up to inspect the fallen enemy; Raven moves up to follow suit.

Raven said, "we're gonna need a bigger jail."

The others join them; Vic has reattached his hand.

Starfire asked, "where is Beast Boy?"

Blackfire said, "he should be around here somewhere."

Dick pulls out his communicator and gives it a look.

Dick said, "five kilometers east, and eight hundred meters below the surface."

Rose said, "I think we all know where he's headed…."

….

We see Beast Boy, as a wolf, standing atop a high ledge in a cavern. He jumps down from one to the next, and reaches the floor for a run. We see a set of closed steel doors; he stops at this and wrinkles his nose angrily. Inside, the doors are smashed open by his charge as a wooly mammoth. A ceiling-mounted security camera swivels to point at him; he drops out of sight, and we then see him leap onto the housing as a rat and disconnect a wire to knock it out. Hopping down to the ground, he resumes human form and starts down the passage.

After several yards, the sound of Terra's distant sobbing makes itself heard and he finds himself at the entrance to Slade's lair. She is huddled on the floor; he runs to her, all his fierce zeal and bloodlust disappearing in a heartbeat.

BB asked, "Terra?"

Terra cried, "destroy me, quick!"

BB asked in confusion, "what?"

Terra cried out, "come on! Isn't that what you came for? Do it! Now!"

A flash, and Slade has again exerted his control over her body. She groans with the unendurable effort as his programming drags her upright and extends a hand at Beast Boy. A blast of her powers hurls him across the dim chamber; he crashes against the wall and drops semiconscious onto his face. We see Slade from beneath the arm Beast Boy has tried to prop himself up with.

Slade said, "forgive my apprentice. As usual, she can't seem to control herself."

Terra straightens up behind him. As Beast Boy looks up in complete shock, she staggers toward him, her visible eye filled with tears.

A tear spills down her cheek.

Slade said, "so from now on. I will be controlling her every move."

The suit crackles as she plods toward the Titan. After a long internal struggle, contrite mind versus unalterable command; her eyes blaze up as she levitates many tumbled stones. They fly at Beast Boy, who jumps clear and swoops away as a falcon; she merely pivots to direct her rock barrage after him. Approaching Slade as a huge wolf, he is smashed aside by a huge boulder. The mastermind just looks incuriously down at him.

Beast Boy is back in human form and groaning among the debris. Raising his head, he looks around the chamber; Terra emerges inexorably from the thick dust, and his fury starts to surface again.

BB asked, "what have you done to her?"

Slade said, "nothing she didn't want me to. Terra came to me seeking control, and that's precisely what I've given her. My control, her body."

Beast Boy glares at the two; Slade raises a hand, as does Terra.

Slade said, "I think you'll find I make far better use of her powers."

The stones around him rise into the air and slam toward Beast Boy, but he turns into a rat and jumps out of the way. As he scampers toward Terra and Slade, who raise their arms together, a large chunk of the floor rises under his feet and bears him toward the ceiling. Again, a last-second jump gets him out of harm's way; he becomes a rhinoceros as he falls. Terra drops out of sight, then rises behind him on a cylindrical piece. Most of it flicks away to leave a deadly sharp point at the bottom end, which she aims at the green changeling. Just before it embeds itself in the ground, he becomes a python, loosely coiled so that Terra's missile stabs the open space inside.

Beast Boy slithers away only to be seized by a hand that emerges from the ground.

Slade said, "that's my good, little girl. Doing what I tell her to. Much better than my own children."

The jilted Titan becomes a gorilla and breaks loose of the stony fist clamped around him. A growling lunge takes him across the space and brings Terra off her perch; she ends up with her shoulders pinned.

Terra cried, "you have to stop me, Beast Boy! Please! I don't want to fight anymore! I…. Sob …. I can't handle what I've done…."

He resumes human form.

BB exclaimed, "then don't let Slade control you anymore!"

Terra cried, "I have no choice."

BB yelled, "that's a lie! You've always had a choice! You chose to follow him! You chose to fight us! You chose to run away!"

She stares pleadingly up at him.

We see Slade, who backs up with a yell of pure rage.

Terra's eyes are glowing, same posture, an equally furious scream in her throat. Two thin columns shoot up and project her friend/enemy high across the lair; he tumbles down from the far wall. Beast Boy gets to his feet.

BB said, "it's all been your choice", he crosses to Terra, "you chose to work for Slade, chose to betray us, and now you've chosen to give him control! Slade isn't doing this, Terra! You are!"

Terra yelled, "no!"

She collapses the floor around her feet, leaving herself on a small perch and dropping him several yards, but he quickly becomes a falcon and flies back up. He lands in human form past the edge of the cave-in, but this area buckles and flings him back even farther; as he tumbles, he becomes a wolf and sets into a run. With a tortured yell, Terra brings down a fair part of the ceiling in an attempt to flatten the lupine Titan. A dense dust cloud hides him from view. Terra's eyes are squeezed shut in horror at what she may have done. A short bark makes her pop them open in surprise, and the haze clears to show him amid the rubble with one leg trapped.

Terra gasps sharply at the sight of him.

Slade said, "very good, my dear", he raises his left arm, "now shall we finish him off?"

Driven against her will, she takes faltering steps toward Beast Boy, who resumes human form and strains to get himself free of the rock fall. She reaches the spot and directs an anguished glance down at her former teammate and friend before her left arm comes up.

BB yelled, "Terra! No!"

Terra cried, "he's too powerful", her hand glows, "I can't stop him!"

BB said, "yes, you can! It's your power, not his! You can still control it! You can still do the right thing!"

Terra said, "it's too late."

The rock sheets around him rise and form into a pointed missile, just like the one she tried to impale him with earlier. It hovers above his prone form as she keeps that left hand motionless in front of her; the battle is still raging in her mind and heart. The implement of death point plunges into view, but stops just short of his face. He utters a small gasp at having been spared; her attention is drawn by the next word.

Dick yelled, "STOP!"

He swings down and flashes past Slade.

Slade yelled, "strike, apprentice! Now!"

Dick lands, followed by Vic with his cannon ready, and Bryan pointing his laser gun at the ready.

Dick yelled, "Terra! No!"

Blackfire and Starfire fly in; Raven's eyes glow from the shadows, and she steps forth with both hands set to blast.

Blackfire yelled, "don't you dare do it!"

Raven yelled, "it'll be the last thing you ever do!"

Jack's hand is ablaze as he lands with Rose by his side, her sword pointed forward.

Rose yelled, "don't do it!"

The standoff is now well and truly joined; Terra holding Beast Boy at the point of her lethal stone barb, while she herself faces down checked starbolts, cannon, laser gun, fire, sword, telekinesis, and explosive discs.

Slade yelled, "I gave you an order!"

Terra stares wide-eyed.

We see Starfire and Blackfire in midair, hands and eyes fully loaded.

Slade yelled, "DO IT!"

Starfire yelled, "please, Terra, no!"

Jack yelled, "don't do it Terra!"

Vic yelled, "don't do it! Don't do it!"

Dick yelled, "listen to us, Terra."

His voice and those of the other armed Titans call out a jumble of arguments, trying to talk her down. As they fall silent, Beast Boy's voice is heard.

BB said, "it's your life, Terra. Your choice. It's never too late to change."

Terra cried, "... I'm sorry, Beast Boy…. For everything I've done…."

He gives her one more doleful glance, and with a scream of supreme fury, she swings her hand across the lair. The projectile pivots to point in that direction, away from Beast Boy and all the other Titans, and rockets directly at Slade. He jumps away from his vantage point, but the shock wave throws him off balance and sends him much farther back. She starts after him before anyone else can, then opens up a fissure to swallow him up; he leaps clear and perches amid a jumble of steel girders at the ceiling.

This is only a temporary respite, though, as she floats up and breaks the beams' attachment points to send the mass of metal thundering down. Vic clears away the rocks pinning Beast Boy, with Jack using his powers to help do so. Slade gets to his feet and finds Terra descending behind him; her gritted teeth and pinpoint pupils show that she has had all of him she can stand.

Slade growled, "you ungrateful, little-"

A laser blast suddenly hits his chest, cracking his armor! He turns to see Bryan holding aloft his smoking laser gun with Rose right beside him. She threw a knife at Slade, grazing his mask!

Rose growled, "you and I have some unfinished business... Dad."

Slade growls before he hurls a grenade at Rose and Bryan's feet, forcing them to take cover.

Slade growls before, without finishing the thought, which surely would have ended with a very colorful obscenity, he charges at Terra.

She holds her ground and brings up an immense column as he approaches; it carries him upward a bit too fast for his own comfort, and the Titans look on from the far end of the lair. As loose rocks rain down everywhere, Slade is driven to his knees before Terra. She begins to pelt him with one chunk after another, pushing him to the edge of his perch and finally over it. As his scream fades away, she gasps for breath and lets her powers wind down.

She floats slowly down to the area Slade stood on. Smoke and dust stream up as she steps cautiously to its edge and looks in. With not a hint of warning, Slade leaps out of the depths to crash a killer punch into her face. The strike lays her out, but not for long; he steps up, clamps one steel-gloved hand onto her breastplate, and hoists her up. Her head is lolling bonelessly on her neck, but she soon comes to, hair blowing wildly and eyes blazing.

Terra growled, "you can't control me anymore!"

The light of her power burns around them. That terrible glow stands out as a brilliant sphere in the dim upper expanse. It intensifies greatly and starts to spread down the sides of the pillar, then blossoms into an infernal explosion that wipes out the area. When the view clears, we see the Titans looking on with complete shock. The dust before them clears to show Terra standing alone on a piece of floating rock, with Slade nowhere in sight. The column she raised has been obliterated.

She drops to her knees with a weary little groan. Now the entire underground complex begins to tremble as a jet of lava fountains up behind the Titans.

Dick exclaimed, "Terra's power! It triggered a volcano!"

Another eruption; Vic checks his forearm panel.

Vic exclaimed, "big enough to take out the whole city! And way too big to stop!"

Another one, which Raven blocks.

Raven exclaimed, "we have to get out of here!"

Dick signals retreat, and all but Beast Boy, Rose and Bryan follow.

The reason the other two don't leave?

They see Slade trying to pull himself up on a ledge! One of his arms is broken!

Rose and Bryan step forward.

Slade looks up at them

He yells, "help me! You're heroes, aren't you!? You don't kill!"

Bryan growled, "we won't kill you…."

Rose growled, "... but we don't have to save you."

The two of them run off, leaving Slade to lose his grip and fall off the ledge!

BB yelled, "Terra", she floats down to him amid the cataclysm, "come on! We gotta go!"

Terra said, "I have to stay."

The lava is now rising quickly, and more rocks are coming down.

BB exclaimed, "no!"

Terra said, "I'm the only one who can stop it."

BB cried, "please, Terra, you can't! It's too late!"

She brushes the hair from her face, giving him a clear view of both eyes for the first time since she left him in the funhouse to join Slade.

Terra said, "it's never too late."

His face softens as he realizes what this decision means; both for Jump City and for the flawed hero finally finding redemption, and Terra gives him one last hug. Terra's eyes are filled with tears.

Terra said, "you were the best friend I ever had…. I…. I love you…."

While more streams of molten rock spew forth around them, he backs carefully away from her.

BB said, "…. I love you too…."

BB comes forward and the two share a tear-filled kiss as the area around them shakes. Time stands still for but a fleeting moment.

They separate as their platform splits between them, and she sends his half away. He keeps his eyes fixed on her for as long as he possibly can; she stands on her perch, hands glowing at her sides and her body ramrod-straight. As soon as Beast Boy is within Jack and Vic's reach, he is pulled away and all nine Titans bug out.

We see Terra, her ruined clothing hanging in shreds from beneath the steel plates. Her expression shows that for her, at this moment, nothing exists in her world except for the task of keeping the volcano from blowing its top. Every part of her body begins to glow yellow as the sea of boiling rock rages all around her; with her head bowed and her eyes closed, that mane of blond hair rises of its own accord. A lava gusher breaks wider, and we see Slade's mask, lying abandoned and being engulfed by the red-hot torrent.

Terra stands in her motionless battle against the impending destruction; now a column of light shoots upward from her body. Finally, she brings her fists up from her sides and clenches her teeth soundlessly for the biggest effort of her life. She voices one final scream as the energy and lava surge everywhere and the view fades to white.

….

We see the remains of Slade's lair. It is now totally quiet and still, and the lava has receded. The light through the stained-glass windows has gone out, and in the distance a small figure can be seen on an outcropping.

It is Terra, arms still spread wide, legs braced, hair blowing, but she has been turned to stone.

...

BB said, "her name was Terra…."

….

We see Jump city. It is nighttime. The fog has cleared, and neither Ternion nor any of Slade's robots are present.

BB said, "she was gifted with tremendous power, and cursed with it as well."

A couple of fellows walk past the cars parked at the curb.

BB said, "she was a dangerous enemy…. And a good friend."

….

We see the Titans walking through the remains of Slade's lair. Starfire carries a bouquet of roses, while Bryan carries a picture of the entire team, Terra included.

BB said, "and she was one of the bravest people that I have ever known."

They reach the stone former Titan/villain, who has been moved to an easily accessible outcropping that serves as a natural pedestal. A rectangular recess has been carved into its front face. Starfire reaches into view and lays her flowers gently between them. Bryan then sets down the picture beside the flowers.

Starfire said, "I shall miss you, friend."

Blackfire said, "despite everything she did…. She made it right in the end."

Rose said, "she stopped my father…."

Raven said, "we'll be searching for a way to reverse the effect."

Bryan said, "you were right Beast Boy…. She deserved a second chance."

Beast Boy now holds something flat.

Dick said, "we'll bring her back."

Jack said, "we promise Beast Boy."

Vic said, "someday."

The one Titan who has yet to speak up here steps forward and sets his object at the edge of Terra's pedestal.

BB said, "I-I'll never forget you, Terra."

He bows his head and closes his eyes for a moment, then heads out with the others.

There, below the roses and picture, we now see his offering; a plaque, set into the recess, bearing these words.

Terra.

A Titan.

A true friend.

….

Reviews:

Bailey Radcliff: thanks for the kind words, hope you're doing well, but I'm not going to use those suggestions you made for Hope and Alan being friends since they were kids, since it makes no sense.

Canadude2029: thank you very much. Yeah, this is where things get intense.

pokemonking0924: indeed they did. And I'm glad you liked the changes I made.

SuperSentai199: yeah, it's a heartbreaking episode and I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

….

Thus, after longer than I'd like, we finally finish up the events of Aftershock.

We'll have a few original chapters next...