Time's Up

A month has passed since Terra was made a Teen Titan. Even though Jordan is very suspicious of the earth manipulating girl, the other Titans love her. Over this past month, the Titans have gone on many missions, protecting Jump City. Now, an old villain returns. In a power station on the edge of town, two guards sit at a table playing poker.

"Should we even be playing a game while on the clock? We have been fired from so many gigs in the past year," said a guard.

"Don't worry about us getting robbed. Who would want to rob a power station?" said the other guard.

"Someone who wants power," said a guard.

"You can't get power from a power station, idiot," said the other guard.

"What if they can manipulate electricity and need electricity to gain power?" said a guard.

"That's stupid. None of the villains can do that," said the other guard.

"But, what if they could?" asked a guard.

"Stop talking. You're going to work my nerves," said the other guard.

"I thought that there were no villains to worry about out here. How could I be working your nerves?" said a guard.

"Shut up and focus on losing once again," said the other guard.

"You wish," said a guard.

As one of the guards places a card on the table, the two guards hear a noise a few feet away. Before they can get up to investigate, the door behind them explodes and Slade Bots enter the facility.

"Not again. I told you that you should listen to me," said a guard.

"We have to stop them. Grab your gun. This will take a while," said the other guard.

The two guards grab their guns and try to shoot the Slade Bots, but are easily destroyed by the Slade Bots. The Slade Bots then walk to a wall and blow it up. They pull out a canister and walk towards another wall. One of the Slade Bots blows up the wall and the Slade Bots start to make their escape. Before they can escape, a Claw is thrown into one of the Slade Bot's heads.

"Goons, tell your boss that we have a message for him," said Jordan.

"Eat dirt," said Terra.

Terra uses her powers to throw multiple large rocks at the Slade Bots. The other Titans follow suit and start their offensive. Terra throws a rock towards Jordan and he hops on it, proceeding to rise it like a skateboard. He then dodges the energy blasts and he pulls out his katanas to slice up the Slade Bots in his path.

"Terra, catch!" exclaimed Raven.

"Ok!" exclaimed Terra.

Raven uses her magic to pick up a giant rock and throw it towards Terra. Terra then uses her powers to smash the Slade Bots with the giant rock.

"That thing was like a ton," said Terra.

"Two tons actually," said Raven.

"There's no time to compare weights. Look out," said Beast Boy.

Before the two girls can look out, they are hit in the back by energy blasts. Beast Boy gets a little angry and transforms into a gorilla to easily smash all of the Slade Bots around his two friends.

"You saved me," said Terra.

"Yeah, I did," said Beast Boy.

"Umm, Gar. Turn around," said Terra.

Beast Boy turns around and sees a Slade Bot aiming at him. Before he gets blasted, Cyborg destroys the bot with a blast from his sonic cannon.

"Pay attention before you end up an extinct species," said Cyborg.

"That bot wouldn't have killed me," said Beast Boy.

"You looked like a deer in the headlights when the bot was aiming at you," said Cyborg.

"Shut up," said Beast Boy.

"There's no need to argue now. We're almost done with these goons. Let's wrap this up," said Jordan.

"Yes, sir!" exclaimed Cyborg and Beast Boy.

As Beast Boy and Cyborg reenter the fight, Terra doesn't. She just looks at her teammates easily dealing with the rest of the bots.

"They're so cool," said Terra.

"You say that like you want to know them or something," said Slade.

"It's not that. They're just cool," said Terra.

"Not cool enough to be your friend, Terra. We move tonight. Say goodbye to your 'friends' while you still can. They will be destroyed before the year is over," said Slade.

"I know. I guess I'm just a sucker for nostalgia," said Terra.

"Will it affect your ability to do your mission?" asked Slade.

"No," said Terra.

"Good. I'll contact you later. Have a good last day as a Titan," said Slade.

"I will Slade. I will," said Terra.

Twelve hours pass. After a pizza dinner, Terra walks into her room and takes a seat on her couch. She opens her laptop and is about to call Slade until she hears a knock on her door. She walks up to it and opens it. Beast Boy nervously stands outside of it.

"Hi," said Beast Boy.

"Hi," said Terra.

"Umm, what are you doing?" asked Beast Boy.

"Hanging out in my room. Why are you here?" said Terra.

"I just wanted to give you something," said Beast Boy.

"What is this something?" asked Terra.

"This," said Beast Boy.

Beast Boy pulls a paper mache rock from behind his back and places it in front of Terra's face.

"What is it?" asked Terra.

"A gift inside a rock. Open it up," said Beast Boy.

Terra unwraps the wrapping paper and sees a heart-shaped object. She opens the large heart and sees a mirror inside.

"Why did you get me this?" asked Terra.

"I want to ask you on a date. What about tomorrow night?" said Beast Boy.

"Tomorrow? I'm sorry, but I can't. I have things to do," said Terra.

"But," said Beast Boy.

"I'm sorry," said Terra.

As Beast Boy tries to talk to Terra, the door quickly closes in front of him.

"Umm. Maybe some other time?" said Beast Boy.

"Maybe," said Terra.

Beast Boy's excited expression becomes a disappointed one as he walks away. He enters his room and looks at his mirror.

"How could you mess this up, you idiot? All you had to do was knock on the door, hand her the gift, and ask her out. It was so easy, but of course, dumb old Garfield can't do anything right. Now, she will never want to go out with me," said Beast Boy.

"Who said that?" asked Terra.

Beast Boy quickly turns around and sees Terra floating on a rock outside of his window.

"How long have you been there?" asked Beast Boy.

"Long enough. Wanna go out?" said Terra.

"I thought you had things to do," said Beast Boy.

"I can push some things back to hang out with a friend," said Terra.

"Why didn't you just knock on my door?" asked Beast Boy.

"Do you trust me?" asked Terra.

"Yeah," said Beast Boy.

"Then, hop on. We have a night on the town ahead of us," said Terra.

Terra sticks out her hand and Beast boy grabs it to hop on the piece of earth. Terra and Beast Boy zoom off a few seconds later as they start their night out on the town, but they were being watched. On the rooftop, Jordan removes his binoculars and stares at the two 'friends' as they fly towards the city.

"I don't know what you got planned, Terra, but I won't let it succeed. I refuse to let it happen. You won't win, Slade. You won't," said Jordan.

Three minutes pass. Beast Boy and Terra land on the lakefront. They observe the beauty of the lake and the skyscrapers around it.

"When you asked me out, I thought that we would just go to a fancy restaurant or something. Not enjoy the views," said Beast Boy.

"I guess sometimes you have to do simple things to enjoy the bigger ones," said Terra.

"Don't get too philosophical on me. I don't think that I would be smart enough to understand it," said Beast Boy.

"Relax. I'm not too smart either. Are you hungry?" said Terra.

"Always," said Beast Boy.

"Really? I didn't expect a vegetarian to be super hungry," said Terra.

"Tofu can only fill me up for some time," said Beast Boy.

"I know a good diner in the city. It won't disappoint," said Terra.

"You never disappoint, Terra," said Beast Boy.

Five minutes pass. Beast Boy and Terra enter the old school diner and take a seat at the bar. The old waitress hands them both menus and they both look through them.

"Umm. Is it possible that you guys have a veggie burger?" said Beast Boy.

"He's new here. Don't mind him, Pam. Just give us the regular," said Terra.

"Yes, ma'am," said Pam.

"So, what's the regular?" asked Beast Boy.

"Lemon Meringue Pie," said Terra.

"I love Lemon Meringue Pie. Did you know that?" said Beast Boy.

"No, but I guess it's cool to know that you have such good tastes in food," said Terra.

"So, it seems that you come here a lot. Why is that?" asked Beast Boy.

"I travel a lot, so I never get a chance to eat anything other than at diners like this," said Terra.

"So, where is the best place that you have ever traveled to?" asked Beast Boy.

"Titans Tower. I have been to many cool places, but Titans Tower is easily the coolest one," said Terra.

A minute of a conversation passes until Pam returns with two slices of Lemon Meringue Pie. Beast Boy takes a bite and his mind is blown.

"This is the best pie to ever be created," said Beast Boy.

"I'm glad you like it, but there are some better tasting pies than this," said Terra.

"What do you mean?" asked Beast Boy.

"There's a diner a couple hundred miles outside of Gotham that makes a mean cherry pie. I may be biased, but that diner may be better," said Terra.

"I doubt that," said Beast Boy.

"You just have to check it out for yourself," said Terra.

Terra takes a bit of her pie and looks in the mirror and sees Slade standing outside. She shrieks and quickly turns around and sees no one.

"Terra, what's wrong?" asked Beast Boy.

"It's nothing. We can eat on our way. It kind of stinks in here," said Terra.

"Alright," said Beast Boy.

Terra leaves some change on the counter and they walk out of the diner. They start to walk down the sidewalk as they are watched by the mercenary from a rooftop.

"Did I scare you, Terra? Maybe you'll stop wasting your time. He will never like you after what we do tonight," said Slade.

"To be honest with you. I never liked her in the first place. Even before she started working for you," said Jordan.

"Jordan, you figured out that Terra was a spy. I'm not surprised," said Slade.

"If you're going to send in a spy, give her better acting lessons. Maybe you will fool me in the future," said Jordan.

"Maybe I will. Maybe I won't. We will never know," said Slade.

"What is she planning to do with Beast Boy?" asked Jordan.

"Nothing malicious. She may like the green boy," said Slade.

"Impossible. Anyone who works with you voluntarily must be a psychopath like yourself," said Jordan.

"She isn't like me that much, but she will once we destroy your team and bring Jumpy City to its knees," said Slade.

"That won't happen. Terra may be powerful, but she can't stop us," said Jordan.

"I've been with her for the past four months. You have only spent a month with her. I know things about her that none of you will ever know," said Slade.

"I won't let you take over the city. You failed once and you will fail again," said Jordan.

"How will you beat me when the legendary Batman isn't here to carry you to victory," said Slade.

"I don't need him to beat you. I've gotten some help from an ally. I won't lose," said Jordan.

"Do you think that you can kill me? That's the only way that you can beat me," said Slade.

"Dead or alive. You're coming with me," said Jordan.

"So, this will be a deathmatch. We can't hold back if we want to survive," said Slade.

"I don't care how hard you try. I won't lose," said Jordan.

"That's what they all say," said Slade.

"I'm not like everyone else," said Jordan.

"I know," said Slade.

The two fighters stop talking and immediately charge at each other. Once they get close to each other, the beatdown begins. Slade and Jordan start to punch each other with their full strengths. Slade's superhuman strength helps him deal more damage to the boy. The boy's punches aren't weak and also deal damage to the mercenary, but not enough to knock him off of his game. Slade knees Jordan in the stomach and tries to kick him in the face, but Jordan dodges out of the way at the last second and grabs his leg. He then tries to throw Slade off the roof, but Slade holds onto the rooftop before he is sent falling to his "doom".

"You're trying to kill me? If I was a regular goon, I would be a dead man," said Slade.

"This is a deathmatch after all. You shouldn't be surprised," said Jordan.

"I'm not surprised. Just enticed. If you had stayed my heir, you would have become even deadlier than this," said Slade.

"Shut up and keep fighting," said Jordan.

"Who said that I was done fighting," said Slade.

The mercenary and the Titan charge at each other once again and Jordan tries to land the first hit. Jordan jumps into the air and tries to kick Slade in the face, but his big foot is grabbed and is slammed on the ground a couple times. Slade then tries to step on his face to crush his head, but Jordan dodges the man's foot and tries to kick him in the family jewels, but the kick doesn't do much.

"You acquire balls of steel after fighting for your country at such a young age. You will get them too if you survive this fight but at the looks of it. You will never get the chance," said Slade.

Slade grabs Jordan by the leg and throws him in the direction of a building. Before he hits the building, Jordan grabs his grappling hook and grapples to the next rooftop. Slade pulls out a Sladarang and cuts the line, but Jordan instantly grapples to the rooftop again. Slade runs back and runs forward to leap to the next building and meet his opponent. Jordan sees the man jumping to the building and throws an Explosive Claw at the mercenary, but he nearly tanks it and runs towards the young hero. Jordan tries to put his hands up to block the attack, but Slade is too fast and kicks him in the face like his head is a football. While in the air, Jordan pulls out two electric gadgets and throws them at Slade before he can react and he is electrocuted. Jordan takes advantage of the few seconds of free time and grapples to the edge of the rooftop, kicking Slade in the face on the way. He then grapples to the other edge of the rooftop and kicks Slade into the air. Jordan then grapples upward and slams his foot on Slade's stomach, forcing him to fall back onto the rooftop. Jordan then tries to slam his knee on Slade's neck, but his free time is over. Slade grabs Jordan's knee and slams him on the ground.

"Good. You took advantage of my weakness and started beating on me for a few seconds. So villainous," said Slade.

"Shut up," said Jordan.

"I am right though," said Slade.

"Shut up and let's finish this," said Jordan.

"Do you want to finish this fight? We had so many good times together," said Slade.

Jordan responds by flipping into the air and trying to stomp on Slade's head, but he easily rolls out of the way and kicks Jordan in the stomach, nearly sending him flying off the rooftop. It takes a few seconds for Jordan to regain his balance, but he doesn't have it for long when Slade spheres him off the rooftop and through the window of a warehouse behind them. Slade gets up and stands over the bloodied hero.

"I've been holding back for a while now, but I have things to do and I can't waste my time dealing with you. Playtime is over," said Slade.

"I was holding back too. This isn't over," said Jordan.

"It is. No matter how many times you get up, I will beat you back down. No matter how many times you wake up, I will knock you back out. No matter how many times you stand up, I will break you back down. You can't win. You don't have the skill or power to," said Slade.

"Let's test your flawed theory," said Jordan.

Jordan quickly gets up and tries to punch Slade, but Slade grabs his fist. With one twist, he nearly breaks Jordan's arm. He then punches Jordan in the face over and over and over. Even though there is nearly a fifty-year difference, there is no mercy. Every punch drains Jordan's life force. After a minute of brutal punches, Jordan rips his cowl off because it's so damaged, but it doesn't matter. He is still continuously beaten down. Jordan tries to kick Slade away, but Slade grabs his leg and slams him hard on the ground. He then kicks his knee in and nearly breaks his leg with a twist. Even with his body being beaten and broken, Jordan still tries to get up, but Slade has had enough. He puts all of his strength into his foot and curb stomps Jordan so hard that the ground beneath them cracks. Slade picks up Jordan by his head and looks at him.

"I'm sorry Jordan. I wish that we could have fought some more, but I have cities to conquer and heroes to destroy. Let's go meet your friend Beast Boy. He will be shocked to see you in such a sorry state, my friend," said Slade.

"Fuck you," said Jordan weakly.

"Sore loser," said Slade.

Forty minutes pass. On the other side of town, the two friends walk through a mysteriously empty amusement park. They enter the Hall of Mirrors and walk by the mirrors that contort their bodies into weird shapes.

"I'm loving this. The city is way better at night. The only times that I get out at night is when we fight villains," said Beast Boy.

"I'm glad that you love our night out. I needed this because I won't get to have fun like this for a long time," said Terra.

"What do you mean?" asked Beast Boy.

"I made bad choices that will lead me to do bad things," said Terra.

"What bad choices? What are you talking about?" asked Beast Boy.

"You'll know," said Terra.

"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Beast Boy.

"Let's just keep on walking. We don't have much time," said Terra.

"Why do we not have much time? What are you not telling me?" asked Beast Boy.

"What do you not understand, Garfield? She will never tell you anything because she isn't your friend. She's my apprentice. Here's your friend," said Slade.

Slade picks up Jordan's nearly unconscious body and throws it through a mirror. It lands right in front of Beast Boy.

"Jordan. What did you do to him?" said Beast Boy.

"He wanted a deathmatch and I made him regret his decision. That is what happened," said Slade.

"You said that Terra was your apprentice. You lie. She would never work for you," said Beast Boy.

"I found her. I trained her. I sent her to destroy your friends. Tonight, your team was supposed to be destroyed, but she took pity on you. I guess that she wanted to adopt you as a pet," said Slade.

"Liar!" exclaimed Beast Boy.

"Garfield, he's telling the truth," said Terra.

"Why?" asked Beast Boy.

"You couldn't give her what she needs," said Slade.

"Ahh!" exclaimed Beast Boy.

Beast transforms into a tiger and pounces on Slade, but he is easily thrown to the ground and shot by Slade's pistol.

"No! I won't let you hurt my friends," said Terra.

"Little girl, you don't have any friends," said Slade.

Slade hears a roar and turns his attention back to Beast Boy and is slashed across his chest and helmet by the green bear's claws. He is then grabbed by the green hero and they start to wrestle. Taking advantage of the wrestling match between the mercenary and the Titan, Terra runs away and ends up in a room of mirrors. She takes a look at herself in the mirror and is so ashamed that she falls to her knees.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," said Terra.

"Do you think a simple apology can excuse everything that you have done?" asked Jordan.

Terra looks up and sees the severely injured leader standing over her.

"I am very sorry," said Terra.

"We took you in. Trained you. Fed you. Gave you a home. Gave you a room. Gave you a family, something that you didn't have in such a long time and this is what you do to us. Just betray us like we're trash and throw us away for Slade, a psychopath who will only use you to complete missions for him. You're pathetic. I should have acted earlier. Maybe things would have changed," said Jordan.

"I didn't want this to happen. If I knew that this would have happened, I would have never done this," said Terra.

"You should have seen it coming. You make the dumb blonde stereotype truer every day," said Jordan.

"He's right. You are an idiot," said Beast Boy.

Terra turns her head and sees her green friend standing to her right.

"Beast Boy," said Terra.

"We told you how evil and messed up that he was, but you chose to work with him. There's no excuse that you can use to excuse your actions," said Beast Boy.

"Slade helped me. He saved me from me and he said that I owed him," said Terra.

"We could have helped you learn how to control your powers, but you chose not to take our help. Don't give me that crap," said Beast Boy.

"I liked being a Titan. I liked saving people and not being seen as a freak because I had powers. I'm sorry," said Terra.

"Was this all a game? A ploy to get us to trust you?" asked Beast Boy.

"No. I wanted to be your friend," said Terra.

"I doubt that," said Beast Boy.

"You said that we would be friends no matter what. Don't turn your back on me now," said Terra.

"You turned your back on us when you ran away from us for four months. You got my friends hurt and you used me. You're just like Slade. You have no friends," said Beast Boy.

Beast Boy walks away from Terra without even looking at her. He puts Jordan's arm around his neck and walks him out of the room of mirrors.

"It's time to go, my apprentice. We have things to do," said Slade.

"Yes, we do, master," said Terra sadly.