The Titans found themselves in a retreat from an ambush. They were frantically running for their lives as if a nuclear bomb had detonated near them and they were trying to escape the blast.
"Come on let's go!" Beastboy yelled standing on the other side of the doorway. He waived his arms in the direction of the exit as he waited for the others to pass him.
Cyborg and Starfire regrouped at the door together and ran out of the room. They looked back and waited for the others with Beastboy.
Robin and Raven were holding off the advancing horde of elementals. Robin swung his staff at the face of a creature made of steel. Its head snapped back as it stumbled backwards. Another made of sand threw a stretched arm with a fist at the end of it at Robin as he regained his stance. Raven built a black barrier and the fist landed against it exploding in a cloud of dust in every direction just before it reached Robin.
Robin saw his chance and retreat to his friends. He ran past Raven and as he did, she withdrew her shield and turned to follow on Robin's tail right behind him.
Robin ran past the others and started sprinting for the door signaling the Titans to follow.
"What about Terra?!" Cyborg asked as the others followed behind Robin.
"We need to get out of here and come back with help. There's way too many for us to fight," Robin said admitting defeat, "no one can save Terra if we go down too!"
The others were frustrated. They promised they wouldn't leave here without Terra but here they were running for their lives. The worst part was they knew they had no choice in the matter.
Beastboy was the most distraught of the Titans. He looked back down the hall seeing the hallway starting to fill with these... things. But something behind them caught his eye.
The dark shape of a hooded figure stood in the door way at the end of the hall past the staircase. It slowly turned and vanished into the shadows.
"Guys!" Beastboy screamed stopping and turning back to the hallway filled with creatures, "follow me!" He transformed into a triceratops and started charging head first through countless enemies.
The Titans spun around to see their friend rushing through this strange army of enemies. They looked at each other and agreed to follow Beastboy's lead and charged into battle behind him.
Starfire flew down the hallway shooting beams from her eyes at every creature that was about to pounce on Beastboy as he charged. Cyborg was helping her shooting his sonic cannon all around Beastboy keeping him clear of any that might attack him from behind.
As Beastboy passed the doorway to the factory more creatures came pouring out of the entrance and rushed towards the other Titans. Beastboy reached the end of the hall and disappeared into the doorway he saw the figure go into earlier.
He came to a metal staircase that zigged and zagged down into what looked like a cellar. Without hesitation he began running down the stairs.
Robin threw a fist full of circular explosives threw the air at the mass of enemies. They exploded on impact stopping the horde in their tracks in a cloud of smoke. However, it didn't last as more passed through the smoke continuing to advance towards them.
Raven raised her hands with dark orbs and a large square piece of the floor lifted from the ground surrounded in her dark energy. It was perfectly sized to fit the hallway and walled off all the creatures from advancing further down the hall. The creatures slammed against this new wall and Raven groaned as she struggled to hold it against them.
Cyborg and Starfire put their palms flat against the wall and began pushing with all their strength, helping Raven push them back. They also strained as they fought back the force of the army on the other side.
Robin saw they had been separated from their teammate and pulled out his communicator, slamming his back against the wall in between Cyborg and Starfire applying what little pressure he could to assist his friends.
"Beastboy! We've been seperated! Fall back! I repeat! FALL BACK! We can't lose you too!" Robin said desperately hoping to get through to him. But his communicator only responded with static.
Beastboy ran futher into the darkness. This person knew where Terra was. This person was responsible for everything. And he was determined to make them pay.
As he approached the end of the metal staircase he realized he wasn't being followed by the creatures and this worried him. He was starting to see that the whole point of the cloaked figure showing himself was to bait them into another trap. He didn't care though. He was going to keep his promise. He wasn't leaving here without Terra.
Beastboy slowed down in the pitch black of this basement. He could barely see a hand in front of his face let alone where he was stepping. Thoughts coursed through his mind of what he might encounter. He knew he was in a really bad position. Though there was a small glow at the end of the hall. It looked like the only room with a light on. Beastboy grit his teeth as his anger grew.
As he got closer to the room he could see it was a single light and it was illuminating Terra bound tightly to a metal armchair. But the light only lit up the area around Terra leaving the rest of the room in darkness. Beastboy's eyes went wide and he began running towards the door.
"Terra!" He yelled as he got closer and closer.
Terra looked up at the darkness where she could hear his familiar voice. She looked on in horror knowing he was walking right into a trap.
"Beastboy don't! It's a trap!" She screamed to the darkness.
But her words fell on deaf ears. He knew it was and he was going to face it and get her out there no matter what the cost.
Beastboy ran through the door into the dark room with a single light. He stood at the edge of the light where Terra could barely see him.
"Where is he?!" Beastboy said in a rage. He was hoping Terra knew and could help him face this foe.
Terra's eyes darted around the room but she still couldn't see past the circle of light that concealed the room around her in shadows. Their eyes met once more and fear started to set in as the room filled with with a horroifying voice from behind Terra. The cloaked figure slowly stepped into the light standing uncomfortably close to Terra once again.
"Now isn't this a familiar sight?" The voice said standing behind Terra. He towered over her like a monster. He still had his hood up but Beastboy knew exactly who this was.
His mind flashed back to the house of mirrors when he abandoned Terra after she tricked him. The same sight was right in front of him. An evil man stood behind Terra as if Terra was his and he could do anything he wanted with her. It was like reliving a nightmare Beastboy had tried to bury away deep inside himself.
"You're not gonna take her away from me again!" Beastboy shot at him with an intense amount of resentment, "let her go Slade!"
It dawned on Terra where she felt this disturbing feeling before. It was in her dream. Fighting a faceless enemy for reasons she didn't know. The faceless enemy remained faceless but here he stood. Right behind her. Her fear shot through the roof and she began breathing heavily. She dared not turn around to see this person again.
"My dear boy," said the cloaked figure, "I don't want her," He reached up to his hood and removed it revealing his face. The right half of his face was still concealed in darkness. But a bronze colored mask covering the left half was unmistakable. It really was Slade.
"Then why is she here?!" Beastboy demanded answers, "if you hurt her I swear-"
"Calm yourself Beastboy," Slade interrupted, "I haven't done a thing to the child."
Beastboy stood frozen for a second confused. What was the point of all this then? He thought.
"You look confused," Slade said mockingly, "I thought you and the Titans would know me better than that by now. Was all our bonding over the end of the world really so meaningless?" He said toying with Beastboy.
"If you're not after revenge on Terra then why did you take her?" Beastboy interrogated.
"Isn't it obvious?" Slade said darkly, "I'm after you," his one visible eye squint ever so slightly emphasizing that he intended to make Beastboy suffer.
Beastboy's eyes went wide and he was about to morph into a lion to strike at his long time arch enemy but before he could, a long rubberband-like arm stretched out locking a collar around his neck. The same one the police had on him earlier that night.
Beastboy's body froze stiff as volts of electricity pulsed through his body. It was twice as strong as he remembered. When it finally stopped he fell to his knees gasping for air.
Beastboy turned around to see Melissa walk out from the darkness as her arm retracted back to its original form. She had been lying in wait for Slade's signal.
Beastboy looked up at her even more confused. He had never seen this woman before. But Terra had. Once on the news at school. She stood in front of her mother at the podium leading a rally.
"I know you..." She said angrily, "you were working for him the whole time?! You tricked my mom into helping you?!" Terra winced in pain as her aching injuries flared up from her out burst.
"Oh, darling," Melissa's voice changed. She sounded like she had a Russian accent, "You vwere never on my list for vengeance," Melissa's body then morphed into a tall figure with short jet-black hair wearing a skimpy red uniform with leather black gloves and thigh high boots. It was Madam Rouge, "but for this green boy," she said lifting Beastboy's chin up towards her face, "I do not care who I must use or destroy. So long as I can see him suffer," she flicked her finger off his chin and Beastboy's head fell slightly like his head was lowered.
Terra's eyes widened as this change frightened her. She had no idea what was going on now.
Beastboy looked back up at Rouge in a greater panic. Between breaths he tried to speak, "How'd... We froze-"
"I set her free," Slade said explaining her presence, "I have kept a close eye on you and all your friends for quiet some time," Slade raised his hand from his cloak and in his hand he held a remote. He pressed a button and the room lit up from end to end with TV screens each depicting a different Titan and their recent battles, engagments, and everyday life routines.
Beastboy looked around from screen to screen seeing all the events of his recent life. Their fight in the north pole, joining with the Doom Patrol against the Brotherhood of Evil, Robin fighting Madam Rouge with Hotspot. Even the Titans battle agaisnt the Brain and its army of villains. But what frightened him most were the more recent ones. Videos of him talking to Terra at school. Of the Titans facing Mad Mod shortly after. Starfire and Robin at the prison dropping off Mad Mod. Then one screen displayed something that struck Beastboy hard... Him and Raven alone in the diner.
"After seeing her talents, I did some... recruiting," Slade said with a sinister tone.
"Why?" Beastboy managed to utter through the lingering pain from the last shock, "why Terra?"
"Oh come now," Slade said thinking it should be obvious at this point, "I've already told you before... You should know by now I only do anything when it best suits me," he walked around Terra and stood over Beastboy who was still on his knees. He glared down with an evil look only Slade could manage to express through his mask and kicked Beastboy like a football into the wall of screens shattering them behind him.
Beastboy landed on the floor with a thud. He knew this was bad. Without his abilities he knew he didn't stand a chance against both Slade and Madam Rouge.
"Stop!" Terra plead, "please stop!" She had tears in her eyes watching the little green shapeshifter get pulverized.
Slade picked up Beastboy by the chest of his shirt and held him close to his face and spoke with a low sinister voice, "Terra's betrayal may have been my demise but if it weren't for you, she never would have dared defy me!" He threw Beastboy into the center of the room at Terra's feet.
Terra looked down at Beastboy and her tears began to fall down her cheeks and she began to grow more angry. Without thinking she screamed at the two villains.
"THEN WHY ARE YOU HURTING HIM?! IF I WAS THE ONE WHO BETRAYED YOU AND I CAUSED YOUR DEMISE THEN WHY NOT TAKE YOUR VENGEANCE ON ME?!" She could feel the pain from her wounds growing but her anger was so strong she didn't even notice.
"Vengeance is only satisfying when the one youre taking vengeance on knows exactly why they are being punished," Slade answered quickly already knowing that question would be asked. He walked back over to Beastboy on the ground and stood over him in front of Terra, "I did want vengeance on you Terra, but when I arrived at the place you destroyed me there was no trace of you," he said with a dark tone, "all I found was a monument in your name so I could only assume you perished as well. But there was no burial. No remains. I almost gave up hope I'd ever taste the sweet satisfaction of watching you beg for your life," he paused and placed a boot on Beastboy's skull slowly applying pressure, "but then it dawned on me... It wasn't you who defeated me. It was this worthless, pathetic, little life form you cared so much about!" His voice grew intense with fury.
Beastboy let out a small cry of pain as he lay on the floor with his head getting slowly crushed.
"Besides," Slade continued looking back up at Terra, "I found you not long after I left the cave. I followed your every move. I studied you closely. At first I didn't think it was really you. But I realized you had no memory what-so-ever. It wouldn't be satisfying at all to crush you if you didn't know why you were being made to suffer," Slade removed his boot from Beastboy and picked him up once more, "however, I knew... If there was anyone who might jog your memory it was this one," Slade landed a fist into Beastboy's jaw sending him tumbling across the floor past Terra. As if not missing a beat he continued, "so I began my planning, I and brought someone along who proved to be quiet useful and she was more than willing to cooperate as we had a common goal," he looked at Terra's cast, "and I couldn't have asked for better results. My omnidroid lead Beastboy right to you and he didn't even hesitate to take the bait. But when you blew him off, I had to force him back into your life. I knew he wouldn't let anything happen to you. However, you ending up in the hospital was not my intentions but it played perfectly into my hand," he looked back at Rouge who had a very pleased look on her face. She smiled as if she were enjoying every moment in this basement, "with a little practice, Rouge pulled off the perfect act and lead the city into rebellion against the young heroes. With the Titans viewed as criminals and Beastboy alienated, all we had to do was wait. But you..." he turned back to Terra, "you had to go and take the blame for them," he grabbed Terra by the chin and got really close to her face, "your little stunt might have set back the rest of my plan," He gently threw her head back and walked past Terra towards Beastboy on the ground behind her, "it doesn't matter though. Thanks to my new friend we have all we need to take down you and the rest of your little friends."
Terra turned her head around trying to see what he was about to do the helpless Titan.
"More importantly... If I couldn't get my vengeance on the one who betrayed me," Slade put a boot under Beastboys shoulder and rolled him to his back. Beastboy laid there in pain unable to move. He looked up helplessly at the villain with bloodlust in his one visible eye, "then I will get my vengeance on the one who helped her..." he turned his head to make sure she was looking at her helpless hero, "while she watches."
Slade raised another hand from under his cloak and revealing another remote. This one was a small cylinder with a single button. When he pressed it Beastboy's entire body tensed up as every muscle in his body flexed in place. The collar around his neck sparked with blue bolts of electricity discharging in every direction, sending 100,000 volts down his spine. The second Terra saw this she unleashed a blood curdling scream.
"NOOOOOOOO!" Her voice could shatter glass but she started to realize something different about herself in that very moment.
Her eyes began to glow yellow.