"I don't know.."
CHAPTER FOURTEEN:
"I don't know.."
Red eyes glowed from within the dimly lit room. A cage bound the creature that owned these startling eyes to the will of it’s master with no sign of freedom in sight, however this poor soul hadn't known 'freedom' in a very, very long time..
The creature, sizing up to be at least 7 feet tall with long arms that draped down to just below the knees, kept it’s silent vigilance on the figure resting just beside the cage with his hand reaching inside the bars. The creature was just barely able to hold their company's hand with it’s abnormally long finger.
This figure was the newest apprentice to their master, Slade. The creature, who couldn’t remember it’s name, couldn't recall a time that Slade wasn't cruel to it or the apprentice. On the opposite end, every memory it had of the apprentice was kind. He had never tried to hurt the creature and if something did happen, the man would desperately try to fix it.
The creature didn't know what to make of the apprentice. It didn't have many emotions, and it couldn't recall anything about itself. All it knew was that it did not like Slade and, if given the chance, it would kill him not only for hurting it, but the kind apprentice as well. The creature wasn't sure what to call the emotion it was experiencing for the apprentice.
It wasn't an emotion it had learned yet and it couldn't talk so asking the kind apprentice was out of the question.
"Mmph…"
The man resting outside the cage stirred from his sleep causing the creature to snap it’s attention to him. When he opened his honeycomb eyes he smiled at the creature, tightening his grip around it’s finger.
"Hey." He whispered. The creature tilted it’s head, curiously.
The creature often wondered why this human was involved with it. He had taken care of it for it’s entire life; which hadn't been for very long. He wondered why the human felt the need to take care of it, or why he was even there to begin with, but never dwelled on it for very long.
The man slowly sat upon his side, his full-face mask shielded the kind face that creature was used to. It distressed it, but it was impossible to say so considering it was mute. But the apprentice somehow knew what it wanted so he grasped it's hand tighter.
"I'm sorry, love. I can't remove the mask. Slade would be furious." His gentle voice was enough to soothe the lonely creature.
It tried to move forward against the bars so it could be closer to the apprentice dressed head to toe in battle gear made by his own hands, but the chains around it's unusually slim waist kept it in place. The creature continued to struggle until the apprentice hushed it.
"Don't be too loud!" He warned, "You know the rules as well as I do, we aren't supposed to be seen together." He huffed into the cloth of his mask, causing his orange goggles to fog slightly. "I should get back before he notices I'm gone." Shuffling to stand, he released the creature’s long finger and straightened his jacket.
Creature watched with a heavier glint in their eyes. It never liked when the apprentice left. They hated being alone in the dark. They did not require sleep, or food, or drink, all it did was await orders and small moments like this where it and the apprentice could spend time together. It wanted very much to go back to how things used to be with just them and the apprentice, but the growing fear in it’s large heart was that things would never be normal again.
"I'll be back soon." A grave air shook the man's voice as he turned on his heels, "We have work to do.."
…
Meanwhile, sitting on the purple-clad, circle-shaped bed in Starfire's bedroom, Tara timidly eyed the raven haired beauty sitting on a plush, pillow seat beside the bed flipping through a book. Tara was sitting with her legs crossed and her hands laced over the other reservedly. Starfire’s thin hands were at work braiding her long, blonde locks diligently and none of them had said much since arriving.
"What?" Raven asked nonchalantly as she turned a page, not bothering to look up from it. She could sense Tara’s intense gaze every so often and it was distracting.
Tara felt her cheeks flush, curtly averting her eyes, "Uh! Nothing.."
"So, are you going to tell him?" Raven continued, leaving both Star and Tara curious by her vagueness.
"Tell who what?" The blonde replied, quirking a brow.
"Tell Beast Boy that you love him."
Starfire just about yanked Tara’s hair right from her scalp as she excitedly gasped, "You love him?? I always assumed you did but- oh! My apologies." She giggled sheepishly, then released the strong grip of a thousand men on Tara’s hair, "So are you telling him then?”
After recovering from that ordeal, Tara shrugged, "I don't know."
"Well, you better figure it out soon." Raven butted, "I'm sure he'll say yes. He's just waiting for you to say something.
"..That's the issue." Glumly, Tara huffed.
"What do you mean? "Starfire worriedly continued to braid, slowly.
"Well.. He's always been there for me. He loves me.. He even told me so. It's just that I don't think I deserve it. After everything I did.. How can I?"
Raven slapped her book on her thighs, "I think you're using that old excuse as a crutch. You're scared of what may happen if you actually tried."
Tara puffed hair from her face knowing full well that Raven was right. "It's not just that. Have we all forgotten that Slade is still coming after me and you haven't found anything leading us to him yet?"
"That is going to take time. Slade has been very tricky."
"He's cunning and knows how to get one step ahead, but you're safe here."
That was always what she heard. 'You're safe here'. Sure, but for how long? Tara had this awful feeling in her stomach, like a premonition. She felt like something was stirring, ready to burst. She knew these feelings were invalid, but she couldn’t shake the notion that something terrible was about to happen. Tara lightly held her stomach, a worried outline on her brows.
"By the way, " Raven began, snapping Tara from her destructive thoughts, "Do you still hate being called 'Terra'?"
"Huh? Oh, uhm, not really. I guess I'm just used to my civilian name now." Tara replied. She hadn't given it much thought, but she had been calling Beast Boy by ‘Gar’. Maybe she should let him call her by ‘Terra’ too. "When I didn't want to be called ‘Terra’ I was denying my past. I was scared of becoming that again, but I'm alright now. I know who I am. I don't mind between the two. Call me what you want."
The other girls smiled at each other. They were happy to have things practically back to how they used to be. It had been a long and hard ride, but everything was okay now…
Raven slowly closed her book, creating a satisfying noise. “Well, I’m going to do my meditation,” she announced.
“Would you like for me to accompany you?” Starfire wistfully smiled.
Raven tensed up, noticing once again that Tara was watching her. She pursed her lips and then smiled flatly, “I think I .. need to have some time alone.” she said.
Tara parted her lips pensively and watched the witch of darkness travel out of the room. She stood up suddenly, “I’ll be right back, Star.” she quickly proclaimed, rushing out the door to catch up with Raven. “Rea!” she called. It halted her in her tracks.
“Yes?” She remained still with her back turned.
“..I.. I don’t know how I can help.. But if there's something I should do, or say, or .. something .. I want you to tell me. I don’t want us to drift apart.”
Raven turned slightly to look over her shoulder at the girl she had loved for a long time. She only smiled, “You’re already doing it.” she replied. With a fluid motion, she kissed Tara on her cheek. “Don’t worry too much.”
Tara felt her cheeks hotten under the way Raven’s violet eyes deeply searched hers. Unable to realize it at first, Raven had slipped something into her hand. It was slightly jagged but soft on its many surfaces. When Tara did look at it, she found it was a pure white crystal.
“Oh!” she exclaimed.
“This is for you. To keep with you when you need it most.”
“Raven..”
“You know, I actually have had that crystal since the day you officially became a Titan. It’s always sort of reminded me of you.”
“Where did you get it?” she asked, looking at the beautiful gem.
“The caverns under the tower’s island. There are probably thousands of them down there. I use them for meditations. They aren't very effective, but work wonders when infused with magic.”
Tara protectively clutched the crystal to her chest, smiling gratefully, “Thank you, Rea.”
“My pleasure.” she slightly bowed her head and resumed her trek to her forbidden room.
Tara watched her go, all the while clutching the crystal that was just as dear to her as her mysterious friend.
“..I really used to wear this?” Tara looked herself over in the mirror later on that same day.
When she first arrived at the tower, she had seen these clothes in the, more so, barren closet when she tried looking for an escape. Now she was willingly trying on a fragment of the past.
Her old Titan uniform was a black, long-sleeved belly top with a high-rise neck and yellow 'T' stamped on her chest. She also had golden short-shorts with brown brogan boots. She picked up the matching belt with many pouches and brown gloves as well but decided not to wear them.
When she had come down to the living room the following hour after gathering the nerve, she had ultimately wished that she had filmed the Titan’s faces. The only one that seemed unphased was Raven as she seemed to hold in a laugh behind her hood.
But Tara didn’t mind. In fact, she sorta liked this outfit, although she needed to seriously remodel it later on.
…
It was a warm, sunny day. The wind was fairly average and the birds seemed even more spry than usual while three Titans convened on the semicircle couch.
"This is so stupid." Tara mouths between chomps. She stuffed a handful of chips in her mouth as she and Beast Boy and Cyborg all gathered on the sofa to watch this cheesy romance movie they all knew would be terrible but couldn't help themselves.
"Right? I mean, the dude needs to get his brain checked, who makes a decision like that?" Cyborg sighed.
"Can't really blame him though, the girl isn't much better." Making a hand gesture commonly used to signal someone was crazy, the green Titan leaned in against Tara who giggled onto her palm.
The screen faded to black and the commercials began to play. They all huffed in relief.
"Man, I don't think I can take this anymore." Cyborg whimpered, standing in defeat. He tossed the remote at BB who caught it after a bit of fumbling.
He panicky stood up as well. "You're leaving?"
"Yeah, I've got to upgrade the tower sensors. You know, for the lady's sake." He motioned toward the blonde who tried to smile.
"Y-Yeah, but-!"
Cyborg slyly smirked as he continued to the door without looking back. Beast Boy felt the awkwardness pulsating in the room. "Aww, man.." He squealed silently.
It wasn’t like he didn’t want to hang out with Tara. It was quite the opposite actually. It was like torture not hanging out with her more often, but he was beside himself with worry about his ever-growing feelings for her, and after his talk with Cyborg he wasn’t sure what to do about it anymore. He was just trying his best to forget. But how could he? Every time he laid eyes on Tara, his feelings would overflow. It pained him.
"Gar." Tara called, a slight apprehensive tone plagued her speech.
He swiftly twirled to face her with a nervous grin, "Yeah?"
"Uhm.. So, you know, if it bothers you, I don't need to call you 'Gar'. I know the others don't so if it makes you uncomfortable--"
"No! I like that you call me that! I-I mean it doesn't bother me."
"Oh, good." She softly drew circles in the cushions with her finger, "You know.. It wouldn't bother me if you called me 'Terra'." Beast Boy's ears twitched, "You know, if you want to."
"It won't bother you?" He softly replied, stepping to sit on the couch.
"No, not anymore."
Beast Boy's eyes shimmered gently. " I'm glad. Although, I like both of your names. I might flip back and forth if that’s okay."
"Hehehe, that's okay with me." She replied, a slyness in her tone.
Beast Boy leaned in, a hint of a smirk on the corners of his lips, "Oh, yeah?"
"Yep." Tara reached up and booped his nose.
He pushed her hand away, softly gripping her fingers. He felt a sting of electricity jolt through his arm. Tara felt it too. It was getting harder and harder to hold her feelings back. Slowly, both of them felt their cheeks turning a different color.
Beast Boy swallowed dryly and timidly glanced at Tara who was keeping her eyes focused on their hands as he slid his fingers through hers.
'I need to tell her ..' He kept repeating, but he couldn't find the courage.
"Garfield.." She flusteredly uttered.
"Hmm?" He replied.
'I know he'd say yes.'
'Oh, Raven.. I know how much it means to you for us to be happy.' Tara breathed shakily . 'Maybe .. I should tell him how I feel.. For your sake..'
"I.. Want to be stronger. I need to be stronger." She held his hand firmly, unable to bring herself to look him in the eye. "It's not because I want to be a Titan again or anything like that. It's so that.. I can stand beside you.. And .." She paused as suddenly she realized Beast Boy was once again invading her bubble. She could smell his cologne which reminded her of lavender. "And.." She felt her voice growing weaker but her heart was beating strong.
"Yeah?" He urged her to continue, even though the low tenner in his voice caused Terra's mind to go blank for a moment.
"And.. It's because.. I want to be better.. For you.." With a fluid motion that Tara barely registered, the changeling's gloved hand was resting upon her cheek, gently cupping her skin like she was the most precious thing in the world. He gently brushed her locks of sunshine behind her ear.
He warmly smiled, affection littered in his voice, "Your cheeks are red again.." He was teasing her, she knew that, yet it still sent butterflies in her stomach.
"I might have come down with something. I might not ever recover." Was her breathy reply. "Not that I'd ever want to."
"Me too." Closer and closer still, this moment reminded Tara of that time before when she thought he would kiss her but hugged her instead, only this time she believed it would be different.
"Terra.."
The girl felt her breath hitch. A sudden flurry of images bombarded her and panic seeped through her eyes. These were all memories she remembered now, but this feeling of panic overcame her. Beast Boy softly gripped her shoulders, "It’s okay." He said. "I'm here."
He knew that look. His first instinct was to remind her he was there for her, and it always helped it seemed. Tara gripped his hands. "I.. I'm sorry." She pulled away fearfully and stood up. "I can't.. Not yet.."
Meanwhile…
"Are the soldiers ready?" The cold voice echoed on the underground fortress as the owner tightly gripped his fists behind his back.
The man obediently standing just behind him faintly nodded, "Awaiting your command, sir."
He lightly nodded in finality. "..You have your orders."
"Sir." The apprentice bowed his body lowly to the master, then quickly turned to leave, stopping only when Slade spoke again.
"Oh, and one more thing." Keeping his back facing the villain, the apprentice gripped his fists as he continued, "Do not fail me, or you know what will happen, dear doctor."
Bottling his anger, the apprentice bit down on his lip until he tasted copper. He straightened his shoulders forcefully, "...Don't worry, I will do whatever it takes to save her." His boots resumed their echo against the steel floor, more forceful than before, "...Even if it kills me."...
Back at the tower, Beast Boy didn't understand at first what Tara meant. It then clicked that she was talking about the potential kiss they almost shared. His face melted in understanding, and he parted his lips to say something.
"Tara, I--"
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Out of nowhere, the circular buckle on Beast Boy's belt, along with the entire room, began to pulsate a blinding, red light. The sirens in the tower could have awoken the dead as Tara scrambled to cover her ears with a startled yelp. As programmed, the massive computer screen lit up showing the current crisis at foot.
"The creature has been spotted!" Beast Boy announced. His usually carefree demeanor was gone as he now wore a serious look folding the center of his black brows.
The rest of the Titans quickly filled the living room space with Robin at the lead. He swiftly typed at the large keyboard and found the location of the reported sighting. "Downtown!" He relayed to the others. With a curt turn, his cape fluttered behind him as he said, "Titans, go!"
Cyborg, Raven, and Starfire nodded firmly. They all fled one after the other past Beast Boy and Tara as the alarms finally settled and the lights ceased. Robin remained behind sternly looking at the beast boy. "You know the drill."
"I'll call you if there's an issue." The changeling nodded, making a gesture like a phone with his fingers.
Robin nodded as well, bolting out the door to follow his comrades to potential danger. Now left alone, Beast Boy and Tara stood there in a daze. Tara squeezed her fist over her chest, worried. That same feeling came rushing back as she felt concerned for what was to come. All she could do was hope they would all come home safe.
"The four of them are on the move." Hidden across the bay, the apprentice relayed the intel to his boss, awaiting the go-ahead. "They’re heading for the location now."
'Wait for my signal.' Was the vague and somewhat infuriating reply.
Frustratedly, the apprentice silenced his headpiece and crossed his arms. The leaves within the bushes rustled around him as he shuffled. He heaved a stiff sigh, wanting this to be over already. But things were just getting started.
Now arriving in the lightly populated area the sighting had been, the small group of Titans began their search.
"I do not see anything out of the ordinary," Starfire yelled from above before landing back on the pavement.
"And I don't sense the creature with my magic," Raven added.
The air tensed as Robin rubbed his chin, deep in thought. Could it have been a false report? Or perhaps the creature already vanished with its unusual powers?
"What do we do, leader?" Cyborg interrupted the silence as he stepped beside Robin.
"..We should patrol the area, just in case. I don't want another incident like at the school. Everyone needs to be on high alert." The loyal followers nodded firmly at their orders.
"Where should we--AH!'' Before Starfire could finish her sentence, a red burst of light struck her from behind. The impact sent the princess flying into the side of an office building.
" Starfire!" Robin screamed before she pulled herself from the slight impression.
"I am undamaged.." She coughed out.
They all turned to face their opponent only to find that they were surrounded. Hundreds of Slade’s robot henchmen were pouring into the city block from all sides. People that were just going about their day all screamed in fear, fleeing the scene as soon as they could.
The robot that had shot Starfire held the signature laser gun that most of them had been known to carry. Robin gritted his teeth with a sharp exhale. He retrieved his bo staff weapon and twirled it in his fingers. The Titans all formed a makeshift half-circle facing all the robots they had yet to defeat.
“Titans, go!” With a battle cry, Robin charged in first followed by his comrades into a perilous fight.
‘They’ve engaged the foot bots. It’s time for your part, apprentice.’
The man slightly jumped at the sudden voice in his ear, but the feeling of dread soon tuned that out. He firmly shut his eyes, breathing a long sigh to calm his nerves. “Understood.” The communication ended as he turned to his own army of foot soldiers ready for the attack. Making a signal with his hand, they all vanished to carry out their orders.
“Stop doing that.” Beast Boy pouted as Tara once again paced around the couch.
“I can’t. Something doesn't feel right.” she hurriedly replied. She had her hand on her cheek with her elbow propped on the other arm across her waist. The look of distress pulled at her features.
“They’ll be fine,” he reassured for the hundredth time in the past five minutes. “They’re superheroes, after all.”
“Maybe you should go, they might need you--”
“You need me.” he interrupted the irrational comment, standing. He nimbly came to stand in front of her, grasping hold of her shoulders. “You’re not skilled enough to defend yourself yet. I can not and will not leave you to fight on your own.”
“I’m not the one in danger right now, your friends-- our friends, might be!”
“And they can take care of themselves. My job is to protect you.”
“I don’t need protection!”
Beast Boy sternly frowned before he turned to let his back face her. At first, Tara felt guilty thinking she had somehow hurt his feelings but was then forced against the ground suddenly. The kind Beast Boy was now looking at her ferociously, pinning her down on the red carpet. The couch shrouded them in dim light from the window on the other side, sharply highlighting the terrifying glint in his eyes. With his fangs bared he began to speak harshly.
“If you don’t need protection, then defeat me!”
The sudden command left Tara speechless. “Wh-What??”
“Save yourself! If you think you can protect yourself then punch me! Kick me! Knock me down and save yourself!”
Tara began to tremble, her eyes shaking with her mouth agape. She tried to struggle against his grasp, but Beast Boy didn't seem to even be phased by it. Her heart was beating fiercely in her chest. Flash images of a man she had never seen before strobed in and out of her vision replacing Beast Boy’s face momentarily. He was wearing the same expression as he was, pinning her down with ferocity. He adored strange clothes and strawberry blonde hair trickling over his eyes. He looked injured, with a black eye highlighting his piercing blue iris’. She cried out, struggling with all her might.
“If you can’t take me on, how do you expect to fight Slade, or his creature?!” up until the part about Slade, she could hear this other man talking, but the rest of his sentence faded into Beast Boy’s anguished voice. This other man’s voice sounded familiar somehow...
Tara froze, tears springing to the corners of her eyes. Beast Boy was right. She couldn’t hope to stand up to Slade with how pathetic she was now, but that wasn’t the point. She knew she was weak. She just wanted to protect him and the people she had come to care about more than anything. As far as Tara was concerned, her life meant nothing when compared to them and she would do anything it took to save them.
Beast Boy relented, turning his head away and releasing her hands. As soon as he did he felt a fierce punch across his jaw, forcing his body to fall onto the floor from the shock. He found himself pinned down, his throat forcefully pressed by the girl's arm with her other arm in the air forming a fist.
At first Beast Boy widened his eyes. He saw it. That was the same look of blood lust in her eyes as she had way back when. “I am weak! You don’t have to remind me!” she screamed. He blinked, “But I will protect you with everything I have!! ”
“Tara..” he breathed. She trembled, releasing his throat as tears brimmed down her cheek and onto his, running down his skin, and onto the carpet. With a swift motion, he embraced her. “You have to understand…” he nuzzled her cheek, “I won’t let you fight alone ever again. I love you too much to let you. As you said, I will protect you with everything I have.”
“Garfield.” grasping at his uniform, she sniffled, blinking her tears back.
“I’ll call them, and see if they need me. Would that help?” he pulled away, gently wiping her tears from her cheeks with his usual smile now present on his face. Tara leaned into his touch, nodding faintly. “Okay, just give me a sec.” letting her sit on his lap, he reached into his belt and pulled out his communicator.
“Beast Boy to Robin,” he spoke into the communicator, “How are things going?”
There wasn’t a quick reply. After several seconds, Beast Boy tried again, more apprehensive, “Beast Boy to Robin. Do you need my help?” Once again there was silence.
“..What is happening?” Tara worriedly asked.
Beast Boy tapped through the screen on his small device and made a sour face, “The signal isn’t reaching the others..”
“What does that mean?”
“..It means someone is jamming our signal.” he and Tara quickly stood to their feet just in time to hear a massive explosion come from the front entrance to the tower which shook the entire island.
The duo cried out, as Beast Boy shielded Tara from any falling ceiling debris. He turned to the door and with his supreme hearing, could make out hundreds of feet running in unison toward them. He growled, gripping Tara by the wrist, and pulled her with him up the stairs.
“We’re under attack!”
….
“ERUGH!” grunting with strain, Cyborg threw the three robot soldiers clinging onto his back and sent them flying in another direction. “They just keep coming!” he belted, punching another group.
“They might be too numerous to defeat!” Starfire added, throwing several star-bolts at the soldiers causing them to short circuit, but no matter how many she defeated, more seemed to take their place.
“Don’t give up!” Robin relayed as he stabbed the head of his opponent, electricity spewing out of it’s wound like blood. “We have to subdue them!”
“Isn’t it rather convenient that we seem to be unable to contact Beast Boy or Tara while under a surprise attack from Slade’s robots?” Raven sarcastically growled as she sliced through a chunk of these robots with her magic blades.
“We need to get back to the tower!” Robin gritted his teeth. “And fast!”
…
“Beast Boy!” Tara huffed as he dragged her through the zig-zag hall ways
He sharply turned the next corner until reaching a room Tara had never seen before in a part of the tower she didn’t recognize. Beast Boy shoved her inside and then stepped in himself. When the door shut the lights turned themselves on and he stood by the door, listening intently.
“Beast Boy-!”
“Shush!” he covered her lips with his hand, cutting her off. With a whisper, he resumed talking. “We’re in the safe room. This is where Raven stayed during the battle with Trigon to keep her safe. It’s virtually indestructible. You are to stay here while I handle the intruders.”
“Absolutely not! Stay with me here if it’s so safe!” stomping her foot, Tara vigorously protested.
“I have to keep them from finding you. This is the safest place in the tower, but if they somehow break the security codes and unlock the door, then it’s game over for you. I need to go out there and get rid of them before that happens.”
“..But-!” Tara was interrupted by a swift embrace. She felt him shaking ever so slightly. He was holding her so tightly as he cupped his hand behind her head, stroking her hair and taking in her scent as if this were the final time.
“Stay here.. Stay safe.. Stay alive..” his voice cracked. “I can’t lose you.”
“..But I can’t lose you either..” Tara’s fingertips trembled as she grasped hold of his jumpsuit.
“Don’t worry about me. Everything will be okay. I promise.” he held on a moment longer, then pulled away to look into her shaking eyes full of different emotions.
His eyes were heavy as well as he leaned in and kissed her forehead. For a moment, Tara couldn’t feel her body. The only sense of feeling came from his lips caressing her skin. As suddenly as it started, Beast Boy pulled away from her.
Tara had never felt as cold as she did when she wasn't in his tight embrace. She breathed uneasily as she watched Garfield turn his back and approach the door. When it opened, she could hear the faint sounds of ransacking and other damaging noises from outside somewhere. Beast Boy turned around one final time to lock the safe room door. They stared into each other's eyes and while she knew he was trying to be hopeful, but all she could see was dread.
“I’ll be right back. Don't leave this spot.” that was the last thing he said before the door slid to a close, blocking him from her view.
After a moment, Tara fell to her knees as the fear overpowered her system. She stared in shock at the closed door for what seemed like an eternity. She couldn’t hear anything outside anymore. She was locked in a cold, empty room with strange symbols written in chalk that had begun to fade away with age. She timidly touched her forehead, still burning from Beast Boy’s kiss.
“...” her hands gradually balled into fists as a wave of intense anger started to pierce her heart. What the hell made him think she would just sit here and wait to be rescued? What the hell made the Titans think she was worth all this trouble? And what the hell was she still moping around for?! She growled and stood up, slightly hunched over. She had very little to work with. There was no escape from the tower’s destruction, so she might as well go all out.
With a scowl, Tara flipped her hands at her sides, her palms illuminating that signature color of yellow as she built up her power. A burst of energy left her body as she flung her hand in the direction of the door.
The concrete surrounding it blasted into dust and into the adjacent wall. The girl slowly made her way to the standing, metal door and blew out from her lips. The small amount of force caused the door to creak and fall down on the floor with a startling bang.
Tara grinned, “I’ve always wanted to do something like that..” she remarked to herself.
Emerging from the hole made from the blast with her eyes still aglow, she glanced around, seeing no one yet. Maybe she couldn’t fight very well, but she knew how to be destructive at least. As she started her trek to find Beast Boy, the changeling himself was already knee-deep in the enemy’s territory.
Transformed into a rhinoceros, he rammed into dozens of infiltrators with his horn instantly annihilating them. Yet more still came to overwhelm him, pouring in from all sides. The shapeshifter groaned in his animal form as the soldiers leaped onto his body trying to dogpile him.
Just as it seemed he was about to be completely covered, his body expanded into an elephant. The floor collapsed under all the extra weight sending Beast Boy and the villains down to the first-floor gym. Beast Boy was unharmed as he shook his massive head and belted out a roar from his trunk. The robots that were not smashed to bits shot at him, but the young hero shrunk, now transformed into a tiger. It leaped from soldier to soldier, tearing each one of them to pieces of tin with his sharp fangs. The electrical parts that were severed buzzed like a hornet’s nest as now he was surrounded by the remains of fifty soldiers.
Beast Boy’s body forced him back to being a human as he heavily panted from morphing so many times. However, the battle was far from over as from behind he was struck with some kind of weapon. He fell forward, spun around to face his opponent only to be struck again, this time across his jaw. Saliva mixed with blood spewed from his mouth before he fell on his hands and knees.
Standing over him with a threateningly empty look in his eyes was the apprentice that had been secretly spying on the Titans. He stared emotionlessly at Beast Boy as he struggled to regain his footing. Before he could fully stand, the villain punted the hero’s stomach with his steel-toed boot then twirled to kick him back down with the same shoe mid air.
Beast Boy wheezed; the air was completely knocked out of him. He barely had time to register the pain before the apprentice grabbed his collar and pulled him up off the ground, then flung him into a wall already cracked from the earlier fight. Beast Boy went through the wall, creating a cloud of dust and debris in his wake.
“....” the apprentice grimaced, gripping his weapon. His orders were to capture Beast Boy and Tara alive. Beast Boy could be used as leverage in place of her parents. However, he wouldn’t come out unscathed.
Meanwhile, Tara was making her way through the body-littered hall, when suddenly she was spotted by two rogue robots. They locked their lifeless eyes onto her and charged without further delay.
At first, Tara froze but just as they were almost on top of her, she shielded herself with the wall to the left of her. The concrete was then pushed to mow down the two robots, but one of them was able to avoid the attack. It was so fast, faster than what Tara could keep up with. It struck her from behind.
The young heroine cried out with pain, falling onto her stomach. She covered her head, allowing her powers to protect her as the debris shot at the robot taking it’s head clean off. Tara turned to peak at the robot’s body standing there with electricity sparking from it's neck. It finally fell back, collapsing on the other bodies.
“Whoo! Terra, you rock,” she exclaimed with a fist in the air, then quickly hunched over as the pain of the ordeal seeped in. She whimpered, forcing herself to persevere. “Hold on, Gar..” she began to tread lightly over the many bodies, “I’m coming!”
“Argh!!” Beast Boy growled against the concrete, spitting out blood and dust as he stood to his feet. “You’re not a robot, are you?” he turned to face his opponent with a fierce scowl.
The other stood there silently, grasping his kusarigama chain tightly, rattling the metal. “I assure you, I’m quite human.” he remarked apathetically, strangly announcing his words. Spinning the tennis-sized metal ball at the end of the chain nonchalantly as he gripped the sickle with the other there was a moment of heated eye contact.
Beast Boy looked the man over, taking in as much detail as he could, though it was difficult as his left eye was swollen from a punch he had received from a robot earlier. His eyes did manage to land and focus on a symbol etched on the right side of his uniform.
He lowered his brow, exercising his fingers. “The mark of Slade..” he pointed, “You’re his apprentice?! Who are you?! Show your face if you actually intend to fight me!”
“..Trust me, Beast Boy, it won’t be much of a fight, and seeing who I am won’t bring you comfort… Besides..” Beast Boy blinked uneasily as he watched the man helplessly chuckle, “You probably wouldn’t remember me anyway.”
Beast Boy didn’t consider himself the smartest member on the team, but he had the nagging suspicion he had somehow met this person before.. Regardless he swallowed dryly as the distasteful stench of copper made it difficult to think straight. Thankfully, the pain was somewhat dulled by the adrenaline coursing through his veins.
“Please, just surrender now. I don’t want to do this.”
“Well, that’s too bad! You shoulda thought of that before you threatened the girl I love!” as his body morphed his speech deepened into a monstrous gurgle as he transformed into a strange beast that the apprentice had never seen. A monster that he would consider to be a werewolf.
He slashed his mighty claws, letting out a grotesque screech along with the swing. The apprentice easily dodged and avoided all the attacks which only infuriated the beast. The apprentice removed a small object from his belt, no bigger than an egg, and flicked it to the ground. When the object collided with the floor, a purple explosion erupted and filled the air with violet smoke. The beast covered his face, scratching at his eyes and nose as the putrid stench overwhelmed his senses.
“I warned you!” the beast heard the young man say somewhere in the room.
He jerked around, unable to sniff him out or see him before he was attacked from behind. With the chain wrapped around his neck, Beast Boy was helpless as the apprentice tightened his grip and pulled the chain, choking him. Straddling his furry backside, the apprentice struggled and pulled at the chain while Beast Boy rammed his body against the walls, choking and wheezing along the way. Eventually, he was unable to carry on as his body forced him back to be human. With the changling on the floor, he cried out, struggling to pull the chain off his neck.
The apprentice leaned over the slowly dying Titan with remorse in his eyes. “I warned you..” his voice shook and it caused the beast boy to squint his eyes open.
“Wh..o … ar..are.. Y..you..?!” he strained, reaching his hand to rip off the full face covering only to be slapped away, and another more intense pain racked his body.
The apprentice had stabbed the lower abdomen of Beast Boy with the sickle. Unable to scream due to the lack of oxygen or strength, he widely opened his mouth as tears leaked from his green eyes. A warm liquid poured from his gut. He felt more and more lightheaded as now the chain had been released from his bruising neck. Small marks were starting to reveal themselves over his skin as he lay there feeling more and more numb and unable to move at all.
“Don’t be afraid.” he faintly heard the apprentice say. “You won’t die. I don’t want to kill anyone. Especially not Tara.”
Beast Boy quirked his brow, struggling to turn his head to look at the apprentice standing just beside him. ‘How does he know Tara by that name ?’
“She’s going to be very helpful to me..” Beast Boy heard the smooth sound of cloth over the weapon, cleansing it of the blood. He dunked it into another, clear liquid that he retrieved from his belt pouch. “A small concoction I made. You’ll be paralyzed for a little while. The wound in your abdomen won't be fatal, but it might leave a scar.”
“...” with his eyes staring daggers at the tall man beside him, Beast Boy sneered at the way he was talking to him.
It sounded like..
An image came to his mind at that moment. A person he remembered for their kindness and quirky mannerisms. A person he never considered a threat whatsoever. Could he be?.. No, it couldn't.. Right?
…
The pain still lingered as Tara trudged on, encountering more and more foot bots ready to take her in. She was able to just barely fend them off, however, she couldn't come out unscathed. By the time she had reached the hole Beast Boy had fallen from, she was covered in scrapes, bruises, and cuts. Breathing shallowly, Tara peered into the hole only to have the floor she was standing on collaps under her weight. She screamed until the harsh landing silenced her momentarily.
The apprentice jerked at the sound, pulling his weapon defensively only to see Tara coughing profusely and dusting herself off. A surge of panic infused Beast Boy as he saw her. Thousands of thoughts rushed his already darkening mind at once. What was she doing here? Wasn’t she in the safe room? The door was locked, he was sure of it. Did a Slade bot find her while he was away? What had she been doing? Why didn’t she run? Why was she here?
As Tara stood she laid eyes upon the apprentice standing over the limp, battered Titan. Tara cried out in alarm seeing him that way. Those feelings melted into something more primal as the air began to pulsate an ominous wave, swirling around Tara. She breathed unsteadily locking eyes on the perpetrator that harmed the man she loved. With the air picking up speed and her body flickering in and out of a yellow aura, the apprentice couldn’t help but be in awe by Tara’s raw, unadulterated power. With a scream of wrath, Tara lifted her hands, and vigorously shot them in his direction. Unable to save himself in time, the apprentice was forced through a wall, then another, then another as she sent a boulder pushing him as far as she could.
“Ter..ra..” Beast Boy groaned, his eyes slightly rolling back into his head.
Without delay, she rushed to his side holding him in her arms. She cried, “Gar! Garfield! Beast Boy!! ” she heard him struggling. Hollow breaths wheezed their way in and out of his clenched fangs. “We’re getting out of here!” she proclaimed, trying to lift the taller boy up, only falling to her knees.
“You.. need.. To go…” she heard him faintly, it only infuriated her.
“Not a chance! I’m not leaving you behind!”
“You have to! They’re after you!”
“I don't care! I won't abandon you!”
“Why?!”
Tara couldn't help but remember that time under the stars where they sat together overlooking the city as she bawled her eyes out, terrified and alone. She had screamed at him like that too, demanding an answer to the same question when she couldn’t understand his kindness to her. She could only smile at his anguished, twisted face stained with blood and tears.
“Because I love you.” the look that filtered through his eyes was almost too beautiful. She stared at him a moment longer then turned away. Summoning some larger, flat slabs of shattered concrete, Tara laid him down on it. “Now try not to move. We are getting the hell out of here, together.”
While reluctant, Beast Boy nodded stiffly. He had to admit, he would've been toast if she hadn't come to save him, and after all he had said about needing to protect her, too.. He felt like an idiot. He tried to smile, but it didn't look right. "I-I'm sorry.. F-for before.." Tara softly pushed her fingertips against his lips.
"Don't. It's okay. I know you only wanted to keep me safe." She gently stroked his hair and it seemed to soothe him. "Just rest for now. I can take it from here." That determined sparkle in her eyes filled the broken shapeshifter with happiness. She had really come a long way from that girl he stumbled upon at Mericomi Highschool. He was proud, very proud.
Tara peaks around the battered corner of the once exquisite gym to survey the area. None of the Slade bots seemed to be in the vicinity, so she summoned the slab Beast Boy resided on to her side and pulled it along like it was on an invisible leash.
Quite as a mouse, Tara pulled him along and he did his best to keep quiet even though he felt like he was burning alive from the pain now that his adrenaline had subsided. Tara found herself in the robot body-ridden hall with the medical closet just beyond the next fork.
She almost walked into a trap as two soldiers rushed by her blind spot. She fumbled to hide in the corner waiting till the footfalls faded. She shakily sighed and once again peaked. She saw no one so she risked it, busting her tail to get to the closet. She pulled the limp Beast Boy into the room and locked the door. The light automatically illuminated the space as she caught her breath.
Tara could feel her body trembling but she continued to ignore the terror building up as she frantically searched for gauze and disinfectants. Once those were acquired, she came to her friend's side and wiped the sweat from his brow with a cloth.
"This will sting.." She gently said.
He gripped her hand with a brave smirk. "Not as much as it does seeing you hurt. You should fix yourself up first."
"Shut it. I'm doing this." She tightly squeezed his hand and began to spray down his cuts. His jumpsuit made it difficult to bandage as she went along his slender body.
Tara was more worried about the wound in his side, but by now it looked like the bleeding had stopped. It was a clean-cut by a skilled hand. It looked as if the person that wounded him knew what they were doing. None of his vitals were pierced and that shocked Tara considering they were up against the bad guys. Wouldn't they want to kill Beast Boy? She cleaned it as best she could while all the while enduring the painful yelps of her helpless companion. It killed her seeing him like this.
"There, I'm finished. But we should head for the hospital once we escape." She took a water bottle and some strong pain pills. Her shaking hand rattled the medicine inside as she carefully laid two in her palm. "Can you sit up?"
"Y-Yeah.." He tried forcing himself up but his muscles were still unwilling to move due to whatever he was drugged by. She helped him to rest on her knee and waited for him to part his lips. She slipped the pills inside and helped him gulp down the water. Once he swallowed they both sighed.
"We're .. In a pretty bad spot.." He breathly said.
"Yeah, but once I get outside, then I can really kick some ass. My powers are limited in the tower." She laid him back down on the slab of concrete and once again stroked his hair.
His heavy eyes made contact with hers. Her touch was soothing and perhaps it was the pain pills taking effect, but he was feeling much better with her there. She gave him a calming smile and turned to the door. With her powers, the stone lifted to hovor just behind her as she pushed the door open a tad, looking out. Two soldiers were just beyond, waiting and watching with their backs turned to the door.
Tara thought out her options and breathed calmly. With a fluid flicking of her free wrist, her powers lifted a small rock in the distance and tossed it. The noise alerted the soldiers and the right one left to check it out. Once he was far enough away, Tara creped out from the door and stabbed the remaining bot with earth shooting out from the floor. The robot twitched and then fell dead. The other robot turned instantly upon the noise, but it was too late for him as Tara forced a slab from the roof above him to collapse, crushing it to dust.
Terra continued forward, encountering more and more robots and continuing to defeat them one after the other using stealth to her advantage.
Meanwhile, the apprentice, knocked unconscious from the earlier attack, began to stir as something shook him from beyond.
"Brother!"
A little girl's voice teased his mind, echoing in the vast sea of darkness.
"Brother!!"
He heard it again. Suddenly seeing a light somewhere with someone standing in the middle, shading their tiny body. He tried to run to the voice, but it felt like running through molasses no matter how fast he went.
'Hold on! I'm coming!'. He yelled, desperately reaching out, but just as he almost touched her his eyes shot open.
"Uh!?" Jerking up he frantically darted around. "What the?-" his eyes finally landed on the large, white creature sitting next to him. He softened. "Hey, love." He said. He felt the wounds Tara inflicted start to afflict him and he toppled over with a hiss.
The creature fidgeted worriedly and picked up the apprentice with its long, skinny arms.
"I'm okay, I'm okay." He reassured softly, caressing it's strange face. "But we need to complete the mission.."
"I can see the exit!" Tara beamed, turning to the wounded hero. "We're going to make it!"
As they ventured outside, Tara began to run with Beast Boy to escape the island, but just as she jumped on the concrete to fly away to safety she was struck with a red laser from behind shooting her out of mid-air.
With a scream, Tara landed harshly on the dirt floor along with Garfield. The slab of concrete just barely missed them as it was also destroyed by the blast. Small pieces of it littered their body's. Although the pain was tremendous, Tara struggled to pull herself up on her arms. She noticed Beast Boy laying on his back and scrambled to his side, only to have her ankles grabbed and pulled back.
"AHH!" She flipped her body, flailing her arms and legs to escape her pursuer. It was another robot that lifted her upside down by the ankle. After a moment of panicing, Tara swished her left arm taking the earth in the ground with it. The sliver of rock traveled to pierce the robot in its chest forcing it to release her. She fell to the ground with an 'oof !' Then scrambled to her feet.
Once at Beast Boy’s side, she looked around. A sinking feeling made her heart nearly stop as they were surrounded by no more than a hundred of these soldiers. Tara's face fell as cold sweat dripped down her neck. Could she fight them all?
"It's no use, Tara!" This voice forced her eyes to turn.
She saw the man that was responsible for Beast Boy’s more serious injuries. He was slightly beaten as parts of his navy jumpsuit were ripped and he was holding his stomach as if in pain. She noticed he had stunning red hair, much like Starfire’s but a bit darker spewing out from the tear in his full head mask. The creature was standing right behind him obediently.
"Don't come any closer or I'll kill you!" Tara didn't know if she were capable of such an act, but if it concerned Beast Boy’s life, she might.
"Kill me? That doesn't sound like you at all." He took a step.
"Don't move!!" Throwing her hands up, a burst of aura swished her hair and her eyes adorned a bright gold.
The apprentice halted mid-way to take another step. "Come quietly and you won't be harmed."
"I'm already hurt thanks to you! And so is Beast Boy! I won't let you take either one of us!"
"There's no use in resisting." Another step caused Tara to snarl, her hands glowing brighter. "I promise, you won't be harmed. Slade won't kill you."
"It doesn't matter what he wants to do with me!" Tara yelled hotly, "All that matters is that he's a villain hell-bent on destruction, so I'll pass on that shitty invitation, thanks!"
"Please," the apprentice reached into his belt, pulling his chain-sickle from his leg strap, "I don't want to hurt you."
"Too late!" With a furious scream, Tara forces the earth to tremble and crack under the feet of her attacker.
Almost knocked off his balance, he leaped into the air and pelted his chain at Tara. She was able to counter it by punching a piece of the cracked earth at the weighted ball sending it in a different direction. When the man landed he lowered his body, bolting from mid-sized boulders that followed closely on his trail. It kept him distracted long enough for her to try and come up with a plan.
Terra quickly realized how immensely the odds were stacked against her though. With the Titans elsewhere and Beast Boy down for the count, she knew she wouldn't make it out without some sacrifices.
What was she willing to do? What was she willing to risk?
‘ I know you’ll do great things ..’
Yeah, right. She was pathetic and unworthy to even be considered among the Titans. How could she do anything great? Whoever had said that to her all that time ago must have been out of their mind.
She passes a glance over her shoulder, looking over her pained friend. Resolve built inside her as she turned back to see the apprentice running up with his spinning chain cutting the air like helicopter blades. She stood motionless, fearless, knowing what had to be done.
She breathed in, stomped her foot in the dirt, and slowly rose her hands to her waist building her power. A gust of dust began to swirl around her slender figure, then she jolted her hand above her head and the dust became a tornado, pushing put a boundary of debris, blinding the two heroes from sight like a smokescreen.
The apprentice was momentarily subdued, unable to penetrate the tornado.
Tara came to Beast Boy’s side and softly caressed his cheek. He barely cracked his eyes open as the consciousness was fading from them. "I'm sorry.. In the end.. I wasn't strong enough to protect you very effectively.."
His throat ached too much to speak, however, it didn't stop him from trying. Broken syllables were all he could muster.
"I hate to ask, after you've already done so much.." She rested her forehead against his, a defeated smile tainted her lips, "But after you save me again, will you go out with me?"
Beast Boy’s eyes shook with grief as small beads of silver fled from his burning eyes. He shakily reached to touch her cheek but just barely grazed it as his arm lost all its feeling. Tara was able to snatch it and place it against her face, tears of her own springing in the corner of her eyes.
"T..er..ra.." His broken voice faded into oblivion as his eyes rolled back and he fell into the grasp of the darkness.
Unable to hold it, Tara sobbed into his limp palm. She was terrified. The future was so uncertain. She was almost convinced this was the last time she would see her beloved Garfield ever again. So, she took in all she could of him for their last moment.
Forcing herself to pull away, she gently rested him on the ground and stood beside him with clenched fists. She had to protect him. No matter what, Slade wouldn’t get his grimy clutches on either one of them. That's when it occurred to her.
Her very last moment-- or what she thought was her very last, suddenly rushed back to her. The moment she petrified herself while saving the city. Could she .. Possibly do it again?
No, not without lava and she wouldn't be able to muster enough power to create a volcano at this point, plus Beast Boy would be hurt for sure.
So what could she use? What was strong enough to subdue Slade, but also be harmless to Gar?
'Where did you get it?”
"Uh!"
“The caverns under the tower’s island. There are probably thousands of them down there. I use them for meditations. They aren't very effective, but work wonders when infused with magic.”
A memory from just a few days before gave her an idea.
"You can't hide in there forever!!" She heard from beyond the whales of the wind.
Tara smirked, "Watch me!" With a wave of her hand, the whirlwind ceased, and in its place stood Tara looking quite pleased. This confused the villain standing several feet away, disheveled.
With several motions of her hands, something from below stirred forcing the earth to rattle. Tara could feel the crystals with her geoforce. This was her chance. Her eyes flickered brighter than the sun as she was engulfed head to toe in light. She lifted into the air angelically as shards of crystals burst from the earth encasing Beast Boy and herself. Beast Boy was dragged underground, free from any harm, surrounded in an impenetrable fortress of crystalline. Above, Tara's body was nearly consumed.
'Don't forget… Don't forget… Don't forget.. !' Repeated in her soon dying thoughts. It became harder to focus, to think, to breathe, to feel any part of her body. She pictured her friend's faces, her parent's faces, but most importantly.. 'Beast Boy.. Don't forget me..'
And then there was nothing but empty darkness left in the wake of tremendous power.
When the red-haired apprentice uncovered his eyes he was almost brought to his knees. Tara was fully encased in pure white crystals with her eyes frozen in that bold color of yellow. Just like that, they were back at square one.
"No.." He uttered breathly. "NO!! ” bolting to the crystal casing, he punched at it desperately first with one hand, then two, screaming in a bloody panic. "No! No! No! No!" He repeated more broken than the last. Finally, he weakly fell to his knees with his fists still on the slab. "I was so close.." A tear fell from his eye. "So close.."
Curious, the creature came to kneel beside the saddened apprentice. It couldn't understand why he was so stricken with grief. He turned to the creature and put up a brave face behind his mask.
"Don't worry about me, love..." he heavily inhaled to calm his rage and relaxed his head. “Now we have a bigger problem..” he reached up to touch the communication device in his ear, slightly damaged in the fight. “Master.. I.. I’ve failed.'' The frailty in his voice made him clench his fist over his lap. “Tara.. she.. She encased herself in these crystals, I-I don’t know how she managed but--”
'Is she unharmed?’ interrupted the manachily calm voice on the other end.
The man softly nodded to himself, "Yes.."
‘Then don’t worry, my apprentice. Bring her to me as is. She won’t be trapped much longer.’
“..Understood, sir.” uneasily, he lowered his hand and placed it on the surface of the glowing crystal. “I’ll bring her. Over and out.”
….
“Is that.. The last of them?” Starfire’s hands trembled as the overuse of her star-bolts had blistered her fingers. She was even too woozy to fly as she came to Robin's side.
Robin himself didn’t look right as rain either. His breath sounded hollow and his muscles were throbbing, even his gelled-to-perfection hair was falling in his face. “I think so,” he answered the princess, placing his weapons back in their respective compartments.
“Clean up will have to wait.” Cyborg spoke up, fiddling on his arm where the tower's sensors sent him the feedback. “The tower’s defenses and communications are back online.”
A grave air polluted the atmosphere as Raven said, “Are they alive?”
Cyborg was deathly silent as he slowly proclaimed, “..I don’t know.."