Okay folks, here's the scoop. I've decided to expand this fic into a series...although the chapter after this won't have much to do with Geo-Force. Consider this my own Season of Teen Titans. It is set after the episode "Titans East" (which isn't out yet). I've also corrected a few typos in the fic.
Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. I also don't own some of the things you'd think I own…please see the bottom for more details.
(Begin fic)
When something wrong happens, who should be blamed?
Consider Raven.
Who should be blamed for her problems? The first answer would perhaps be "Trigon." But he was just the father. Arella could share equal blame. Or perhaps we can blame Arella's abusive parents, or the foul being that sired Trigon in the first place.
We can blame fate, life, even Raven herself, and we would still, in some way, be wrong.
Best then to blame no-one at all.
No-one at all…
Jump City, California.
One of the few places where crazed magicians, 10-year old geniuses, and green pterodactyls were considered to be "normal."
The latter was diving to the ground, having just saved a family from a burning building.
Burning, however, is not the correct word. Incinerating seems more like it.
What caused the inferno? Best not to think about that. Best to save lives first and ask questions later.
As Beast Boy deposited the family, our other super-hero friends were busy saving the others.
Running out of the burning building was a half-metal man and a boy in costume, a.k.a. Robin and Cyborg. Holding as much people as they could carry, they put them on the ground a few feet before racing into the burning building again.
It was almost like the shuttle run…except lives were in the balance. Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly, neither of them had burn marks.
A similar event was going on in the higher parts of the building, where a redhead known as Starfire and a cloaked figure known as Raven were darting in windows, coming out with survivors, placing them safely on the ground, and going back in again. Raven used her shadow telekinesis, Starfire just grabbed them.
Basically, it was a typical textbook rescue mission for the Titans.
Then things took a little turn for the worse.
The green pterodactyl set down on the ground as the rescued victims jumped off him, none the worse for wear.
The shapeshifter, still in animal form looked up…and its eyes grew wide.
"AHHHHHHHHH!"
Someone was falling.
A little boy of about ten.
The smoke must have blinded him, must have made him mistake a window for a door.
Waterfalls.
Beast Boy didn't think this.
His mind just focuses on that poor boy, a victim of fate.
Falling.
He spread his wings, about to "leap" into the air, hoping to catch the boy before he fell…
'Wait a minute…shouldn't he be falling faster?'
Indeed, the kid's descent was slowing down, not stopping, but slowing. The kid was still scared, but when his impending doom suddenly slowed to a crawl, the kid felt better.
Out of the corner of his eye, the Beast Boy, still a pterodactyl, saw the figure.
Yellow and red, it grabbed the boy while still in the air and brought him down.
All this happened in a matter of minutes…perhaps seconds. It is hard to say in these life or death situations.
Somewhere, the other four Titans were saying that all the people were saved, that there was no-one in danger.
But the green pterodactyl was off to find out who was that kid's savior.
Yellow and red.
A crowd was gathered at a respectable distance from the savior and the saved. Beast Boy landed nearby and took human form.
The man, for that's what he seemed to be, was patting the boy on the head, telling him it would be okay.
Like a father.
'No…like a brother.'
"It's dangerous. You have to go, okay?"
The voice sounded American, but had a trace of a foreign accent somewhere. Later, Beast Boy would find out it was European.
As the boy scampered off, the rescuer rose and stared straight at the green changeling.
The man was a superhero, no doubts about it…he was older than Beast Boy, but still young, probably around sixteen or seventeen. He wore a tight yellow costume, with red around the midsection, gloves and boots also the same color. The gloves extended beyond the hand, and onto the wrist. His hair was short, but wavy, a lighter red than his costume, and covering his ears. He had a belt on, also yellow, but different enough from his costume to stand out. On his chest, a black circle, the letters GF inside it.
And the eyes…
He wore a white face mask, similar to Robin's, except the eyes were visible.
Blue eyes…so familiar.
Beast Boy walked up to him, extending a hand.
"Hey, thanks for helping!"
The newcomer took it…Beast Boy was suddenly aware of his feet not touching the ground.
The "rescuer" swung him into a punch.
WHAM!
Beast Boy was sent flying into a wall.
T-T-T-T-T-T
It was a textbook rescue operation. Why do these things always go wrong?
There's no-one to blame but fate…
The Titans had just finished saving all the people in the burning building. They saw the figure that saved the kid. They saw Beast Boy flying up to him.
They saw Beast Boy get slammed.
Starfire, being the semi-naïve alien she is, was the first to speak, flying in the air, hands glowing with energy, eyes glowing green.
"Who are you, and why did you hurt my friend?"
The assailant turned to her, and spoke.
"My name is Geo-Force, and I hurt your friend because he hurts others."
He spoke almost without emotion…almost. One could hear some of the sadness in voice…and the anger.
His eyes glowing yellow, he put out his hands, palms out, toward Starfire.
Immediately, she felt a weight on her shoulders. She struggled from a moment, then, was violently thrust to the ground, the assailant's hands, glowing yellow, following her as she fell.
Cyborg was next. He raced toward the attacker, sonic cannon at the ready.
Geo-Force turned, his eyes glowing yellow again as he put his hands out, glowing with yellow energy…
SSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
Cyborg's human eye widened as the air in front of the attacker shimmered. Suddenly, he felt an intense wave of heat wash over him.
"Gahh…" Cyborg kneeled down as steam poured out of him. His sonic canon crackled with electricity as the heat disrupted its circuitry.
The metahuman looked at the smoking half-robot, making sure he was down.
From behind him, Raven fired a bolt of black energy…
And he rocketed up in the air. Turning around, he stared at the dark girl.
A nearby empty bus glowed with a black aura. Raven "picked" it up…
For Raven it was as if the bus suddenly grew heavier. She put her hands over her head at the sudden mental strain.
"Aghh…."
The assailant's arms were again glowing out in front of him, this time directed toward the bus. It was still covered in a black aura, but was slowly lowering to the ground.
Quick as a flash, he directed his hands to Raven.
SSSSSSSSS!
Before she could recover, the line of shimmering heat was on her.
"Ack!" Her cloaked smoked as she fell to the ground.
The attacker landed again, and looked straight at the last Titan standing.
Robin charged, staff swinging at the assailant.
It was stopped in mid-swing by the latter's arm.
His eyes, normal now, stared into Robin's mask.
Robin was a bit shocked. 'He should have at least got a sprain from that.'
He swung his staff some more. The attacker blocked every blow.
Robin paused. "What do you have against us?"
The attacker's eyes lowered in rage. Instead of responding, he threw a punch.
WHAM! Robin was sent sprawling.
'Feels like I was hit by a rock…'
The assailant walked forward, hair blowing in the wind.
"What do I have against you?" he rhetorically asked, his voice full of quiet hatred. "What do you have against everyone?"
Robin's eyes widened.
The costumed warrior continued. "I know you're not really heroes. Oh sure, you save lives," he said those words with extra venom in his voice, "but you only do it to suit your goals. You say you help the people, but you only help yourselves."
The warrior walked forward until he was over Robin's fallen form, still looking up in shock.
"I know the truth about you, about your team. You are no better than the villains you claim to fight. You use others for you own ends…" and at this a tear fell from his eye, "and if they get wise you throw them away…"
His voice now could more accurately betray the sadness and anger that he felt.
"Do you understand the pain you cause to those people?" he asked, almost pleadingly. "Do you understand the pain you cause to those close to them?"
"Dude, I don't get you."
It was Beast Boy, suddenly walking up. "Hurting other people? That's really not our style."
The boy rounded on him. "Stop your lies, imp," his voice now full of only hate. "I know what you really are. I know what you really do. You lie, you hurt, you have no remorse. So drop the act already!"
"We have no act to 'drop'." It was Starfire, who flew in behind the boy, near Robin, who finished getting up. Her eyes seemed to show sadness. "We truly try to be good people. But if we have hurt you, in any way…then we are greatly sorry."
The warrior raised his head back and laughed. "Hurt me? Hurt me? What about the other people you hurt, the people you used? What about the lives crushed under your feet? Admit it. You know what I'm talking about."
"Star" Robin muttered. "He doesn't seem to be listening to reason…"
Suddenly Robin was knocked backward into a wall by what can only be called a rocket punch.
The assailant, firing bursts of heat from his feet, flew, fist first into Robin.
"REASON?" he shouted. Another tear came from under the mask. "REASON? YOU HAVE NO REASON!"
He raised his fist, which was suddenly encased with black energy.
He turned to look at Raven.
"Control your emotions," she droned. "I don't know what has caused such hatred, but it is poisoning your mind."
"MIND YOURSELF, WITCH!" He suddenly rocketed toward her, breaking Raven's mental grip, causing her to kneel on the ground.
He was deflected in his assault by a charging metal man.
The attacker was violently thrown against another wall, breaking it to pieces and shaking the building.
Cyborg took a few steps back as the attacker lifted himself up.
'Guy's got more than heat…'
Out of the corner of Geo-Force's eye, he saw something.
The building, when it shook, released some debris…and it was headed toward…
"Tina!"
There was a little girl…short blond hair, blue eyes, away from the crowd…right where the rocks would fall.
Geo-Force suddenly ran over and raised his hands to the air.
His eyes glowed yellow as the rock suddenly slowed to a crawl.
The girl, her eyes which looked at Geo-Force, now looked at that rock that was falling on her…very slowly.
She sidestepped out of the way. The rock fell down and hit the ground, raising up a little pile of dust.
He turned toward the girl, eyes normal blue, kneeled down, and grabbed her shoulders. "Why are you still here? It's dangerous!"
The girl looked up and responded "Why are you fighting the Teen Titans?"
The boy's eyes, which showed concern, now took on a stony appearance. "They're villains at heart. They pretend to save other people…when they really hurt them…" The boy's voice turned to a whisper. "They hurt someone close to me."
The girl looked at him, pleadingly. "Even if they did, they don't mean it. Sometimes they make mistakes…but they try to make it right in the end."
"You don't understand…"
"I do! They saved me…I was so scared…but they went out of their way to save me." The little girl smiled. "And they told me not to be scared, the monster was gone…" She then gave a brief glance toward Raven.
"Tina!"
The boy that ran up was only a few years older, and also blue-eyed. He wore a backwards yellow baseball cap, covering his hair, but you could see the red in it.
"Big brother!" The girl ran to embrace him.
"You shouldn't do that Tina!"
"But I had to!"
"Your brother's right." Geo-Force stood up and looked at the sibling, his face still one of stone. "You have to go, it's dangerous."
But they just stared.
Suddenly, Geo-Force looked around, and still saw a crowd of people, just staring at the costumed warrior.
They were caught in indecision. He was obviously concerned about other people…but he called the Titans villains.
The people couldn't place him. The warrior was not on the lines of black and white.
Geo-Force didn't know that. All he knew was that they were caught in the line of fire. "ALL OF YOU!" he shouted. "GET OUT OF HERE!"
But they just stared.
"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?" His voice was almost frantic in its intensity.
He turned to look toward the Titans.
They were staring with the same shock as the onlookers. All of them speechless.
The attacker's eyes narrowed. "We'll finish later…someplace where's there's less people…"
With that, his eyes glowed, and he rocketed into the air.
The Titans were so frazzled by this turn of events, they didn't bother to pursue…
Titans Tower: Living Room.
SNAP SNAP SNAP
"Okay…Geo-Force. His supposed to be a super-hero in Europe but he's recently popped up in America. He has improved strength and resistance, can increase or decrease the force of gravity, (which explains what happened to you Starfire) and can fire blasts of heat from his hands and feet. He probably flies by using the latter two powers…"
SNAP SNAP SNAP
The Titans were in the living room. Sitting by the main computer/TV screen, Robin was busy tapping stuff into his keyboard.
On the monitor were various newspaper articles, showcasing the Titans latest…rival.
One article caught the Titans' attention. It was a cover story from a British newspaper. Under it, there was a picture of Geo-Force chasing after an old man, a cane in one hand, a scepter in another.
The headline? GEO-FORCE SAVES QUEEN'S SCEPTER FROM MAD MOD.
"I knew the British didn't like him." Cyborg muttered.
No-one replied…but no-one said the comment was out of place.
Anything was better than thinking about the bizarre enemy they face.
'Okay…he fights us, with no provocation whatsoever, like any villain, but he saved those kids…whose side is he on?'
SNAP SNAP SNAP
The papers were just flabbergasting the Titans more. Starfire put it best.
"If he is a superhero, then why does he call us the enemy?"
To that, Raven had a response. "Good and evil is based on perception. I felt his emotions. He genuinely believes we are hurting innocent people, and until he realizes that were not, he's just going to keep being our enemy."
"The question is…" mused Robin. "Why does he think we're the bad guys?"
SNAP SNAP SNAP
"Beast Boy, will you stop doing that?" Cyborg said exasperatedly.
The shapeshifter was off to the side, snapping his fingers continuously.
"Dude…" he muttered. "There's something familiar about that Geo-Force guy..."
"Perhaps you have met him?" Starfire said, eyes filled with hope.
"No, it's not that…but there's something I can't put my finger on."
Beast Boy snapped his fingers again, trying to work out the puzzle his brain was giving to him.
"It's probably nothing…"
"What is familiar about him Beast Boy?" Raven interrupted Cyborg.
The green sprite turned to Raven. "I'm not sure…"
"Concentrate."
"Well…"
Beast Boy sighed….
"It was his eyes….they were blue…but they changed…"
Beast Boy then put his hand under his chin.
"…into yellow…his hands glowed yellow too..."
Cyborg sighed. "Well, we're not going to solve anything by just sitting here."
"Yes," agreed Starfire. "Perhaps we should work on a way to make the 'Geo-Force' our friend."
"Friend…" Beast Boy muttered…
And then it hit him…all of it…
T-T-T-T-T-T
"You were the best friend I ever had."
"I hurt your friend because he hurts others."
Blue eyes….
Blue eyes that turned pure yellow.
"Earth, walked, red…"
The hands glowed too…
Geo
Gaia
Earth
Terra
Terra
T-T-T-T-T-T
"TERRA!"
Beast Boy suddenly shouted the name, eyes opened in shock.
The other Titans looked at him, flabbergasted.
"Don't you get it?" Beast Boy said, still reeling a bit from his sudden insight. "They have earth-based power…and their eyes are blue unless they use their powers! Then their eyes and hands turned yellow! They even sound alike!"
"Beast Boy…" It was Cyborg. "I think…"
"Wait a minute. Beast Boy may be on to something."
Robin was at his keyboard typing. Scanning the monitor.
"Of course…Markovia!"
"Pardon?"
"Markovia. It's a country in Europe near Belgium, France, and Luxembourg."
As Robin spoke, various pieces of data scrolled across the monitor.
"The country was said to be founded by a mysterious warrior who was of and commanded the Earth, and that he founded the Markovian royal bloodline."
Robin typed some more on this keyboard.
"At first, this myth may seem just that, a myth…except for the fact that the current Prince and Princess were born with uncontrollable powers."
The Titans were all looking at Robin, with bated breath.
"The children were Brion Markov and his half-sister, Tara…and if I can just pull this off…got it!"
Suddenly, a picture appeared on the huge monitor of two young, well dressed children, both with blue eyes.
The first child was a boy of about twelve, with a stone-like countenance. His messy red hair covered his ears. Even though the photo was at least six years old, even though the boy in the photo wasn't wearing a mask; it was still obvious that the child was Geo-Force.
The other child, whose smile did not reach her sad eyes, was a younger Terra.
T-T-T-T-T-T
"It all fits…the uncontrollable powers."
"Tara, Terra. The names are alike."
"It says that the children were sent to the famed Markovian scientist, Dr. Helga Jace, who researched metahuman powers. She worked with the children in an attempt to control their gifts."
Beast Boy was in "the room", the objects curled around his dog form.
"There was an accident…and then Tara disappeared. Not long after Brion disappeared too, although he has been spotted in Markovia occasionally. My guess is that he visits."
"Let me guess, Geo-Force appeared when Brion left."
"That's about the size of it."
She had a brother. She never told him…but then…he never told her about his family…about snakes and waterfalls.
"So the Geo-Force is Terra's...what is a half-sibling?"
"It means the children shared only one biological parent. In their case, it was the same father. The mothers both passed away sometime after their children were born."
"Passed away?"
"It means they died, Starfire."
Beast Boy left before he could hear the rest. It was so glaringly obvious.
Terra ran from her home, fearing her powers. And her older brother, who had control, tried to find her,
And when he saw what happened to her, he blamed the Titans.
The bitter irony is that it was true. In some ways, the Titans were to blame.
Even as a dog, he still cried, cursing the anaconda, cursing the waterfall.
Cursing the green monkey.
T-T-T-T-T-T
Raven waited outside "the room" sitting down on the floor.
She saw Beast Boy leave.
Recently, those two had gotten closer. Not in any romantic way, but in a "big sister, little brother" way.
She could feel his pain.
"Wat'cha doin', Raven?"
"Hello Cyborg."
The metal man walked over to the psychic sorceress as she got up.
"Is Beast Boy okay?"
"He's been in there, locked in his room for the past hour or so."
"Sounds like someone I know."
Raven glared at Cyborg a bit as he knocked on the door. "Hey BB, open up!"
"GRRRRRRRR." The growl came from inside.
Raven smirked. "Sounds like someone I know."
"Very funny." Cyborg muttered as he pushed open the door with his bare hands.
They walked into the former room of the former "Sixth Titan." Beast Boy was laying on the bed in dog form, curled around a sliver heart and butterfly.
He quickly turned into his normal form. "Go away."
"Beast Boy…"
"I said GO AWAY!"
Raven looked up at Cyborg.
"Maybe we should…"
But Cyborg knew what to do. "Beast Boy, we miss her too…"
He looked up, the tear lines on his face glistening. "Not as much as I have…"
Cyborg sat down next to him on the bed. Raven followed suit.
"I cared about her…I felt we had something special." Beast Boy mused to himself.
"Geo-Force thinks we hurt her…and I know I did…"
"You lied to me!"
"I never should have let her run away that time. I should have gone after her. "
Raven sighed.
"Beast Boy…I should have guessed she had uncontrollable powers. I could have helped her…"
"Help her? You couldn't even help yourself!"
Raven ignored the voice in the back of her mind, as always.
"What's done is done," said Cyborg. "Monday-morning quarterbacking never solves anything."
"Agreed," said Raven. "We have to find a way to convince Geo-Force that it wasn't us who…" Raven stopped in mid-sentence.
An idea was forming in her mind.
Beast Boy thought that she just couldn't finish the horrible sentence. "Has Robin figured out what's caused…all this?"
Cyborg's face was impassive. "He says he has his theories."
Beast Boy only nodded.
Cyborg's face then turned into a smile. "We'll find a way BB. We'll find a way to help both Geo-Force and Terra…"
"Cyborg…Raven…thank you."
To her surprise, Raven took Beast Boy's hand in hers. Cyborg followed suit.
They sat that way for a few minutes.
T-T-T-T-T-T
"I knew I'd find you here…"
The three looked up, seeing Robin and Starfire at the door.
"Geo-Force has given us a message," murmured the latter. The other's noticed she had omitted the "the."
"He says to meet him at the desert."
Desert near Jump City
"Happy birthday Tara!" He presented the hairclip.
"Brion…it's beautiful…"
Brion smiled. "You're the butterfly Tara. I guess that makes me the moth."
Brion "Geo-Force" Markov, Prince of Markovia (although the latter was not something he was particularly fond of showing off) waited in the desert, near the cave.
The cave where his sister lived.
Not half-sister, just sister. As far as Brion/Geo-Force was concerned, they were full siblings.
He never knew his mother well. He never knew his step-mother well, although he was never conscious of disliking her. His father was a nice man, and he cared about them, but he was always busy. Still, Geo-Force noted that whenever he and Tara were with Dad, there were less "accidents."
The closest thing they had to a mother was Dr. Jace. She never feared their powers, gave them encouragement, and told them that they weren't mutants, they were just "special."
But most of all, Tara and Brion had each other.
But when the accident came…
"Why didn't I go after you Tara? Why?"
He did run after her, did try to find her…but she eluded him each time.
"I should have been there Tara!"
And then he learned the truth…she had fallen into the hands of the Teen Titans.
He hands clenched into fists. They only pretended to be superheroes, when in reality they were selfish and uncaring.
They made Tara believe she was welcome, made her believe she was loved.
But it was a lie. They only cared for her power…and when she realized what was going on…
"They threw you away…"
The Titans would pay. They would pay.
The Imp most of all…
The plan was already set up. Every detail was meticulously checked.
Though the Titans had more numbers, he was confident that he…they…would win.
"Tara…my sister, the butterfly...for you, I will bring the Teen Titans to justice…"
He saw them off in the distance. His face turned into stone.
But his heart still wept.
T-T-T-T-T-T
The Titans leaped, flew, and ran over in the dusk to the large cave where the costumed warrior stood.
Landing on the ground, they faced each other for a few moments, the black mouth of the cave serving as a background for Geo-Forces form.
Finally he spoke. "So…have you finally figured it out?" His voice was as hard as a rock.
Beast Boy muttered. "Geo-Force…your sister Terra…"
"TARA!" The rock quickly cracked. "HER NAME IS TARA! DON'T USE THAT CURSED NAME YOU GAVE HER!"
"Geo-Force…" This was Starfire. "Brion, we never wanted to hurt her…"
"Lies." His voice hardened again, but there was still venom.
"Look," sighed Robin. "Just hear us out okay? Whatever you think we did to Ter…Tara…it's not true. You have to listen to us. It's not true."
"Shereally was our friend." Murmured Cyborg.
"If you look into your heart, you know we speak the truth." Raven spoke with only a touch of remorse in her voice.
Geo-Force opened his mouth to reply, and one was given…except Geo-Force didn't say it.
"Don't listen to their hypocrisy Geo-Force. That's how they fooled Tara."
Robin suddenly felt an immense wave of cold.
"Starfire…did you..?"
"I heard it Robin." Her voice quaked with fear.
The speaker stepped out of the shadows of the cave.
His body was covered in black, with silver circlets, around his lower and upper legs, and his lower arms near his hands.
His hands had silver gloves, and more decorated plates of armor were on his upper arms and shoulders.
From his shoulder to the metallic belt he wore, there was a silver strap that made him look like a hunter. Around his neck was another circle of silver.
And the mask.
On the bottom were four holes. One half was colored fully black. The other was gold.
And most frightening of all, the one eye from the gold side. Only that eye.
"Hello Robin. Did you get my present?"
As one the Titans spat the name out.
"Slade."
T-T-T-T-T-T
"Well Titans, it seems as though you haven't forgotten me."
Slade stood, his eye staring out at the Titans. He was just as Robin last saw him.
His one eye turned to Robin. "I trust you knew I was still alive?"
Robin glared. "I should have guessed it was you behind this."
Beast Boy turned to Geo-Force, shouting frantically. "Geo-Force, you can't listen to this guy! He's the one who…"
"Told me the truth about you, and what you did to Tara." Geo-Force's eyes narrowed, in a similar way to Slade's eye. "Slade has been trying to help other people…to save them from your tyranny…and you portray him as the villain!"
"He IS the villain!" Beast Boy was pleading.
"It's like I said Geo-Force," Slade purred in his malevolent voice. "The Teen Titans try to turn everything upside down. They make the heroes villains and the villains heroes. But you and I know the truth, Geo-Force. You and I know what they did to Tara."
"Yes Slade…" muttered Geo-Force, his voice stone. "I know."
Beast Boy had a pained look on his face. 'Why did it have to be Slade?'
If it was anything else, there might have been a chance…
But this was Slade, and if you fell into his web of lies, there was usually no getting out.
'I'm starting to wish it was Brother Blood,' thought Cyborg.
Starfire's eyes burned a fierce green, her mind full of every Tamaranian synonym for "villain" or "demon".
Raven was struggling to keep her anger in check, even as the mad feminine laughter grew louder in her mind.
And Robin didn't need to see under Slade's mask to know that he was smiling maliciously.
"So Slade…is Geo-Force your new apprentice?"
"Oh nonsense Robin. He's my assistant in bringing you to justice, nothing more…speaking of which, Geo-Force? Will you do the honors?"
Geo-Force mouth opened in an ugly grimace. "I thought you'd never ask...GRAHHHHHH!"
Thrusting his arms forward, his eyes and hands glowing with a yellow light, he aimed for the ground right under the Titans.
Suddenly, they collapsed under the stream of gravity.
But Geo-Force was not entirely aiming for them.
The very desert under the Titans feet was hallowed out, leaving a vast cavern.
And with nothing under it, the ground broke.
The Titans couldn't escape, because they were still under the effects of the gravity.
Even before they fell into the cavern below, Geo-Force flew over, grabbed Raven and Beast Boy, and threw them against a wall, well away from the hole.
Slade jumped down and pushed a button in his wrist compartment. Suddenly a shimmering white field covered the hole…
And group of metal doors rose up, separating the Titans…
T-T-T-T-T-T
Robin picked himself up and shook his head.
A quick view of the premises showed he was underground.
Some light filtered through the hole in the ceiling, but there was a white shimmering aura around it. 'A force field.'
A quick look around him showed Starfire and Cyborg getting up.
There was no sign of Raven, Beast Boy, or Geo-Force.
But Slade was standing right there, in front of a wall of metal.
"Now it's time to bring you Titans to justice."
"Drop the act, Slade."
Slade chuckled. "Of course. It's not like any of them can hear us. Personally, I was starting to gag on his 'heroism'."
Starfire roared."You lied to him Slade, you lied to him, just like Terra, you…you…gem'al tiah Citadel!"Her voice quivered with rage and sadness.
"Well can you blame me if gullibility runs in the family? You know, Terra still serves me, even now…"
Cyborg then decided to fire his newly repaired sonic cannon, while charging.
With his superhuman reflexes, Slade dodged both the blue-white blast and the charging metal man. As Cyborg passed, Slade threw a punch.
WHAP! Cyborg was thrown against the metal wall.
"If I hear correctly Cyborg, you have your own enemy now."
"Not something I'm proud of." Cyborg muttered.
SHINGSHINGSHING
Flying low to the ground, Starfire unloaded her Starbolts and eyebeams at Slade. Again he dodged, this time grabbing Starfire by the leg.
"Ah!"
"Starfire!"
"You know Robin, I realized that I can hurt you most of all by hurting this girl."
Moving at inhuman speed he slammed her into the ground once, twice, and tossed her next to Cyborg in a hammer spin.
The ground gave up dust from both slams.
Robin wasted no time in getting his staff out. Leaping with a swing, he was blocked by Slade's quick parry with his own staff.
As their weapons collided, Slade spoke. "You know Robin, that image of me you saw was wrong. You have gotten better." Slade then lashed out with a kick that sent Robin sprawling.
"Of course, you're still not good enough."
Robin got up. "You watched that whole thing, didn't you?"
"Well not the whole thing. I couldn't just spy in your tower…but I did see how you threatened your friends…you haven't changed much at all, have you Robin?"
Robin leaped up again, staff swinging.
More thrusts, more parries. Suddenly, their staffs collided, their faces held out over them. "You know Robin," grunted Slade, "you're the one responsible for this."
Robin immediately pulled back. "Just what are you talking about, Slade?"
"You haven't figured it out? Perhaps I spoke too soon about you getting better."
Slade rested his staff on his shoulder. "You see Robin, I knew you would figure out Terra's secret. And I knew she would run right into my arms. If you hadn't opened your mouth about her "controlling her powers" she never would have betrayed your team, and I never would have sent her half-brother after you."
Robin's mouth gritted in fury. Yes…he knew it was his simple comment on Terra controlling her powers that made her run away. But… "How do you know, Slade?"
"Oh, she told me pretty much everything while she was under my care…but Robin," Slade moved forward, eye narrowing. "If you just stayed as my apprentice, I wouldn't have had to get a replacement. I wouldn't have had Terra betray you. I wouldn't have you chasing after ghosts only you could see. And we certainly wouldn't be fighting right now…although you'd still be fighting your friends. But by now, I know you would have given in."
Slade then proceeded to front flip over a hate filled Robin, as the burst of Starbolts and Sonics hit the ground where he was.
Cyborg, arm cannon raised, spoke for the other Titans. "Slade, just shut up."
Behind the metal wall
Raven and Beast Boy got up from the ground.
Unlike the other section, there was no hole in the wall. However, there were some lights strung on ceiling.
Beast Boy suddenly and sadly remembered that time in the diamond mind as he and Raven looked at their opponent.
Geo-Force's eyes looked more like Slade's than ever, with their narrowness. Raven could sense his emotions: anger, sadness, and most of all, a burning shame.
He spoke, his voice full of hatred. "I separated you from your 'friends' because I wanted to fight you two myself. You all hurt Tara, but you two hurt her the most.
A pit of fear lodged itself in Beast Boy's stomach.
"You, witch," he pointed to Raven "pretended to have the same problems she had, pretended to have uncontrollable powers. You pretended to be her friend, her companion in suffering, when you could control your powers all along."
Ignoring the laughter in her head, Raven responded, her voice barely a whisper "But I do have…"
"And you." He interrupted Raven and pointed to Beast Boy. "Slade told me about what you did. You hurt her the most. You pretended to care…" a tear slid down Geo-Force's cheek. "You pretended to love her."
Beast Boy finally snapped. "I DID LOVE HER!"
Geo-Force was bowled over by a giant T-Rex.
T-T-T-T-T-T
Raven watched the battle.
Or should she say, she felt the battle.
Geo-Force and Beast Boy were fighting with all the powers at their disposal, the former firing heat and changing gravity, the other shifting forms as fast as he could.
Neither seemed to be winning.
Raven could feel the emotions of her friends in the room near them.
She could only feel their hate for Slade.
She could only feel the rage dwelling in the hearts of Beast Boy and Geo-Force, who were fighting…no, killing each other over the same woman they loved.
The thought came to her unbidden. "Hatred shall rule!"
The hatred would destroy them, destroy them all…except Slade, who would emerge victorious.
She couldn't participate in the battle. She didn't want to hurt Beast Boy…and she couldn't reach into his mind.
'His mind!'
The idea she was thinking of before burst into her head. She had to contact the others!
But could she contact three people? She had to try.
Even as the battle raged on, she pressed herself against the wall, and entered in meditation position.
She spoke the words "Azarath Metrion Zinthos…"
'Mother, help me.'
T-T-T-T-T-T
Cyborg was thrown against the wall. Again.
'We need Raven and Beast Boy here!'
Slade was like a maniac, dodging their attacks and hitting them with his own.
Suddenly, Cyborg saw it. On the floor, a large shadow of a bird.
Unseen by anyone except him, it split into three and entered the fallen bodies of Robin and Starfire.
And himself.
T-T-T-T-T-T
"Cyborg…"
"Raven! Are you okay?"
"Sorry…it's hard to maintain the connection."
"Raven! Where are you? Where is Beast Boy? You have to help us!"
"Don't worry Starfire…I have an idea…"
"So do I. Titans, break down that metal wall. Don't let Slade know you're doing it. Just direct your attacks against it."
"I hear ya loud and clear Robin."
T-T-T-T-T-T
The connection broke. Raven immediately turned to the metal wall, ignoring the battle between the brother and boyfriend.
'Terra…if you're here, help me out.'
Black energy from her hands burst out against the wall as her eyes glowed white.
T-T-T-T-T-T
Robin fired explosive disks.
Cyborg shot his sonic cannon.
Starfire threw her Starbolts.
Slade dodged them effortlessly. "You've all gotten sloppy, it seems. You still haven't hit me."
Robin looked at Slade…and then looked at the wall behind him. "Who said we were trying to hit you, Slade?"
Suddenly a blast of black energy shot out from the metal wall, creating a man-sized hole. The energy dissipated and a swish of a cloak was heard.
Geo-Force and Beast Boy paused in their combat.
Robin tumbled through the opening, pulled out something from his utility belt, and yelled. "Listen to this Geo-Force!"
In his hand, he held a miniature tape recorder.
Slade's eye grew with shock, and then narrowed as his voice played from the recorder.
"Drop the act, Slade."
"Of course. It's not like any of them can hear us. Personally, I was starting to gag on his 'heroism'."
"You lied to him Slade, you lied to him, just like you did to Terra, you…you…gem'al tiah Citadel!"
"Well can you blame me if gullibility runs in the family? You know, Terra still serves me, even now…"
Geo-Forces eyes widened in shock as Beast Boy, who was in the form of a bear, turned back to normal.
Suddenly, their hands were grabbed by blue-cloaked Raven, her eyes glowing white.
"Geo-Force…see what we have seen. Know what really happened to your sister."
And Raven promptly showed Geo-Force her and Beast Boy's memories.
T-T-T-T-T-T
"The Earth is my home!"
"Tastes like ice cream mixed with sushi!"
"So you can't fully control your powers." "Promise you won't tell anyone."
"You said I could do it, and I did!"
"You lied to me!"
"So which team am I on?"
"Why can't you trust me?"
"Sorry we got off to such a rocky start." "Actually, I think that went pretty well."
"Do you trust me?" "More than anyone I know."
"Beast Boy, you're my definition of fun!"
"If I told you something really horrible, would you still be my friend?"
"Hello Terra. Remember me?"
"She is not your friend. She is my apprentice."
"You could never give her what she needed."
"Slade was right. You have no friends."
"Hey guys? Miss me?"
"You were always so easy to fool."
"I trusted you! We trusted you! And you treated us like dirt."
"Terra?" "Destroy me…"
"Excuse my apprentice. As always, she can't control herself."
"It's not too late…you can choose."
"Terra's power triggered a volcano!" "It's big enough to take out the entire city, and way too big for us to stop."
"You were the best friend I ever had."
The images flew in Geo-Forces mind. Terra running from the scorpion, her time in the tower, Beast Boy saving her from the sandstorm, her sudden return. The "date".
Then Slade's face in the Ferris car. Terra's admission that she betrayed the Titans.
Her battle with her former friends.
Slade taking full control.
Her defiance of him...and her final sacrifice.
And the statue…
TERRA
A TEEN TITAN
A TRUE FRIEND
And Geo-Force realized that Slade was lying all along.
The Titans were her friends.
It was Slade that used her. It was Slade that corrupted her. It was Slade that threw her away.
And the anger finally was too much to bear.
T-T-T-T-T-T
"SLADE!"
His eyes glowed with energy, his face contorted with rage as the ground around him cracked and steamed.
He had control yes, and it wouldn't hurt anyone, but his power was now fueled with true fury…at the man who twisted his sister to his malevolent ends.
The man in question stepped out of the hole. His eye seemed not to care about the display of Geo-Force's anger.
"YOU LIED TO ME! YOU LIED TO HER!"
"I never lied. You asked to know what happened to your sister, andI told you. Your sister asked for control, and I gave it to her. And you are just as ungrateful as she was for my generosity."
"GAHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Geo-Force rocketed toward Slade. He dodged the charge…but this time Geo-Force turned around and lashed out with a kick.
WHAM CRACK CLUNK
Slade burst through a weakened, but intact portion of the metal wall and fell into another room.
Geo-Force rushed after him, fists flying.
Slade blocked the attacks, with difficulty, each blow as hard as a rock.
Suddenly Geo-Force grabbed Slade's mask. His hand and eyes glowed.
"AUGH!" Steam rose up from his hand as Slade twisted himself from Geo-Force's grip. His hands were covering his now burning mask and eye.
"You'll pay for that you little…"
WHAM!
This time it was the fist of a green gorilla that sent Slade sprawling.
Beast Boy turned back to normal and glanced at Geo-Force.
Geo-Force glanced back.
In that glance, everything was understood and resolved. They were now united in a single purpose.
Kill Slade.
Beast Boy turned into a rhino as he charged at the masked mastermind, even as he got up.
Slade tried to dodge…
But Geo-Force had increased his gravity.
WHAM!
Slade was pinned against a wall of stone. Beast Boy got out of the way as Geo-Force grabbed him and threw him to the other side of the room.
Slade got up again to only face the powers of an earthen warrior and a green shapeshifter.
The Titans were speechless. Even Robin was paralyzed by the shocking display before him.
Unbidden, came the thought: 'It should be me beating him up.'
Beast Boy now, a T-Rex, grabbed Slade in his jaws and swung him around like a rag doll.
He threw him to the ground. It made a sizable crater, as Geo-Force, hands and eyes glowing yellow, increased gravity once again.
Slade pulled himself out and saw the faces of the boyfriend and the brother, looking at him with no pity, only pure hate.
Only with blame.
'They're going to kill me…'
Slade's eye widened as he felt an emotion he rarely felt.
Fear for his life.
"Slade." The voices spoke as one. "You are the most despicable creature to have ever walked the earth. You can never understand the pain you've caused us, the pain you've caused her. For all the crimes you've done, we can never give you your full punishment."
Geo-Forced picked him up as Beast Boy turned into a growling velociraptor.
"But we can certainly try, can't we?" asked Geo-Force menacingly. The raptor growled in agreement.
He was about to feed Slade to the dinosaur when black energy pulled the raptors mouth shut and made him drop his captive. They turned around to look at Raven, eyes glowing white.
"You can't do this."
"He hurt her. He deserves worse."
"He does…but is that what she would have wanted, for you to be as cold as he is?"
The two stopped struggling.
The black energy dissipated as Beast Boy turned back into normal.
"She wouldn't," he murmured.
"Pity."
While they were distracted, Slade had pulled out an object from his wrist compartment. A huge blast of white light issued from it.
Everyone collapsed to the ground, blinded…except for Slade.
As Robin heard the force field dissipate, as he heard Slade leap out of the cavern, he heard his sinister voice.
"Until next time Robin…"
Geo-Force was down on the ground, his rage replaced with despair.
"Tara…"
It was bright afternoon in Markovia. The setting sun turned the sky orange.
The setting was a desert of rocks. In the distance was a woman with a white lab coat and glasses.
She was a safe distance away, in case there were problems. The children insisted on it.
Looking through white binoculars, Dr. Helga Jace spoke through her walkie-talkie. "Are you ready?" Her European accent was heavy in her voice.
Several yards away to the west, a young Brion Markov spoke. "Yes we are."
He was dressed in a yellow shirt and sweatpants. Around his hands and feet were red gloves and boots, which extended up the arms and legs.
His voice also had a European accent. It would be later when he would exercise his natural talent for mimicking various dialects of English almost perfectly.
Tara would do it even better.
Dr. Jace gave them to Geo-Force to not burn things by touching them. The gloves were designed only to emit heat when the user willed it.
Brion didn't need them anymore. He had ceased to burn people by touching them and leave marks on the floors. He had ceased to spontaneously create a field of low or high gravity around him without consciously doing it. In short, he could control his powers, and he wore the gloves as a sign of respect.
Plus it was Tara's favorite color.
Little Tara Markov was standing in front of a mountain, dressed in the same clothes she would wear when she would meet the Titans for the first time, in a similar place, far in the future.
In her hair she wore the butterfly clip Brion gave her for her birthday. Around her eyes were her protective goggles.
Unlike Brion, she still had trouble. She still caused earthquakes, avalanches, rockslides.
But she had her brother. She had hope that things would be better. After all, he learned to control her powers…so could she.
That day would remove that hope forever.
"Okay Tara, you can do it."
Tara only gave a smile…still, it didn't reach her sad eyes.
Her hands and eyes glowing with yellow energy, she focused on moving the mountain upwards.
In the future, Brion would call this moment "The Accident."
Tara screamed as she flew into the air. All around her, rocks flew in a messed up, disorganized pattern.
The mountain wasn't moved, it was demolished.
Back east, Dr. Jace watched the chaos. "Brion, stop her!"
Brion ran forward…and the rock hit him.
Tara turned and saw her brother heading straight between a rock and the edge of a cliff...the rock and the hard place.
"BRION!"
The rock stopped before it could squish Brion against the cliff edge.
It all stopped…there was silence…
No, there was the sound of Tara's tears.
"No…Brion…I killed him."
She didn't see that he was saved.
"I KILLED HIM!"
She shrieked as the Earth moved under her, as she floated on a platform of rock.
Crying, pleading for forgiveness, cursing her existence, she flew away to the west.
Brion slowly got up and saw her, as a speck on the horizon.
"TARA! I'M STILL OKAY TARA!"
But his only answer was the wind.
Titans Tower
"You okay?"
Beast Boy's voice broke Geo-Force out of his reverie.
He was sitting on the rock beach around Titans Tower. The day was in morning.
"Yeah…look Beast Boy…back there I was so…thank you forforgiving me."
"It's what she would have wanted. If she came back, right now, we would have forgiven her."
"I know."
Beast Boy then took a seating position, ironically in the same place he sat that time before, with Terra.
"I was looking for her. I've been looking for her since she ran away. I ran around Europe trying to find her…then I looked in America…then I met him…"
He turned to look at Beast Boy.
"She was so scared of herself...when it happened…The Accident…she ran away…she thought I was dead."
Beast Boy nodded solemnly. "I saw it."
"You did?"
"When Raven showed you our memories, I got one of yours."
"It's my fault. I should have run after her, I shouldn't…"
"Have let her go." Beast Boy finished. "No, the blame is mine. I let her run away twice."
There was silence as they looked down in the water.
"I can't believe I believed Slade. To think the very person who…used her made me fight the people she called her friends…the people she loved."
He looked at Beast Boy again. "You did love her, didn't you?"
Beast Boy gave a smile. Geo-Force was familiar with it, it was Tara's smile. "I did…I felt we had so many things in common…she made me feel like I was actually needed. We were about to kiss before…well, you saw."
"I did."
"Like I said, I let her run away twice."
"But she ran from me first."
"But I drove her to Slade." That was Robin, who came out of the tower and sat down by them.
"Robin, no." Beast Boy was pleading. "It's not your fault."
"I think it is…it's just another mistake…if I knew it was a secret…"
"Monday-morning quarterbacking solves nothing."
"Agreed."
Those voices were Raven and Cyborg, respectively, who joined the group on the beach.
Raven looked at Geo-Force. "The first time she came, I could feel…not that something was wrong with her, but that she was frightened. The second time…I felt guilt, and..."
"Deception." Cyborg finished.
Raven sighed. "Terra and I were so alike we could have been sisters…my powers…"
"I saw..." murmured Geo-Force.
"Yes…of course…"
"Tara…a spy…" Geo-Force was musing to himself.
"I hate Slade." That was Beast Boy.
"We all do." This was Starfire who flew down. "Terra…Tara was not the only one whom Slade has harmed."
Robin looked up to the sky. "I was the first one Slade picked." Geo-Force turned to him. "He tried to make me like him, tried to make me evil…I was forced to be his apprentice…for my friends."
Geo-Force stared quizzically.
"Slade put these nanoprobes in everyone except Robin. With one push of a button, we'd be dead."
Geo-Force nodded.
"Look…guys…I'm sorry for what I did to you…I was so blind with rage that…"
"You are forgiven. Indeed, you have been forgiven, friend Geo-Force. We would have done the same thing, were we…'wearing your shoes'?"
"In your shoes."
"Yes. I thank you."
There was silence for a few moments.
"She always liked to skip stones…" Geo-Force grabbed a rock in his hands.
The other Titans followed suit.
They threw the rocks over the lakes. Starfire's and Cyborg's bounced twice. Raven and Robin managed to get five skips.
Geo-Force's and Beast Boy's rocks skipped together almost to the other side.
Beast Boy looked at Geo-Force. "Would you like to see her?"
Terra's Tomb.
The cavern was dark and cold.
It was like a tomb…and indeed that's what it was.
In the center was the statue of a girl, hair flowing out behind her, arms to her sides.
The statue wasn't life-like. It was life.
The mark of a girl's sacrifice.
Beast Boy moved up. "Terra…It's me, Beast Boy…I've brought someone who wants to see you…badly."
He stepped aside to allow Geo-Force to walk up.
He took off his mask. "Tara…Tara, it's me, Brion."
He moved forward.
"Tara…it's been so long...I'm still alive Tara…I've always been alive." The tears fell down his face as he knelt to the ground.
"Oh Tara, I forgive you…I forgive you…but forgive me…forgive me for not being there for you. I should have been a better brother, I should have run after you…I should have hugged you like I always did and told you it would be all right."
He sobbed and looked up.
"You've become a beautiful woman Tara…and you've made such good friends…I shouldn't have let you end up this way…I met him Tara…I met Slade…he told me the Teen Titans killed you…he trapped me in sadness and hatred…Tara…I'm so sorry."
"They helped me out…Raven and Beast Boy…you have such good friends Tara…they helped me…Beast Boy still has the hairclip I gave you…"
He rose up off the floor and embraced the cold statue.
"I was so wrong Tara…you were still a caterpillar…and now you're a cocoon….I'll get you out Tara…I'll tell Dr. Jace…you remember her, right? She knew more about us than we did…if anyone can help…it's her."
Geo-Force sobbed again in his gentle embrace of the statue of his sister. "Tara…when you come out…you'll be a butterfly for real…you'll fly Tara…you'll fly…we're all waiting Tara…all of us…Tara…I love you sister…"
And Beast Boy then went up to the statue, placing a new addition to the plaque at its base.
TERRA
A TEEN TITAN
A TRUE FRIEND
And now it had a new line.
A TRUE SISTER
-Geo-Force
(Fade to black…)
Postscripts:
Special thanks to Blackshield 'cause she beta read this.
Geo-Force is in fact not an OC, but a character from the comic books. He is Terra's half-brother in the comics, although he was never a Teen Titan but a member of the first Outsiders, led by Batman. The second incarnation of The Outsiders is led by Nightwing (a.k.a. the original Robin), although Geo-Force is not a member.
He and Terra weren't originally relatives, but when the designers found they both had Earth wielding characters on the two teams, they interwove their back stories.
Dr. Helga Jace is another character for the comic book. In it, she originally studied two super-powered kids named Baran and Selinda Flinders, who latter became Mammoth and Shimmer.
A very special thanks to Titans Tower (dot) com for providing all the comic book info, and inspiring this fic in the first place.
The back story given to Terra and Geo-Force in this fic is an adaptation from the comics. It was a simple matter of twisting the back story to fit the character. Go to the above site a mentioned if you want to find the original back story that I adapted.
This fic was not meant to be a slap at the various "Titan siblings" fics, but the people who make them up obviously have no idea about the characters…dumb Mary Suers.
Then again, Geo-Force might have a bit of me in him…I also have a talented little sister, and sometimes I worry about her…when she's not driving me up the wall.
By the way…
Disclaimer: I don't own Geo-Force, but I own my interpretation of his character and appearance (the latter of which is confused in my mind with Kid Flash's appearance). Don't use this interpretation without my permission. However, anyone else can use this character.
Please read, review, and show this fic to everyone who writes something about "Terra's long lost sister."