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Chapter Seven: Plans, Stratagems And Schemes

They found the three Centauri hunched over some of the Titans' computers, with what seemed to be a holographic screen hovering above the keyboards projected from small egg-shaped devices-Centauri translators.

"Greetings, Lady Raven, Komand'r. I trust matters went well?"

"Yeah, yeah, we're friends now, and I'll help her, happy?" Blackfire countered. "What?" she asked, seeing Raven's expression.

"Good," the Lord Caretaker said. "We haven't much time to waste." He brought up a map of the city. Certain parts of the city were highlighted in red. "Our research, based on all relevant information regarding your enemies, has shown these areas to be our adversaries' most likely hiding spots."

"Sheer genius, Lord Caretaker," Blackfire began. "Just one slight problem-that's over half the damn city! What was that you said about time and essence?"

"Blackfire," Raven warned.

"What? I'm supposed to make friends with you," she said, then her voice hardening, "not them," she snapped, turning to the Lord Caretaker, her obedience collar obvious to all.

"As you should be," the Lord Caretaker said mysteriously, before adding, "Returning to the subject, I am well aware of the size of our search area. However, this does not pose a problem, as there may be an alternative."

He turned to Raven. "Lady Raven, we had taken the liberty to research this 'magic' humans seem to be obsessed about. You utilize it, do you not?" Raven nodded. "I ask you because one of the aspects of magic may be of use to us, namely, dowsing."

Raven's eyes widened, images of her walking around the city with a Y-shaped stick flashing in her mind. "Dowsing?"

"Or divining, whatever you will. I propose that you focus your magical powers on these areas to try find your friends. According to the data we have we have gathered, the strong emotional connection you share with your friends will make this considerably easier."

Raven considered the Lord Caretaker's suggestion. It did make a lot of sense; in fact, it was how she and Starfire had managed to keep up with their friends the last time the Puppet King caused trouble.

Starfire...Raven was struck with an idea.

"Lord Caretaker, I can find my friends, if I have Blackfire's help."

"My help? How?" Blackfire asked.

"Well, first, I need you to take off her collar." Raven said.

For the first time, the Lord Caretaker sounded unsure as he replied, "Lady Raven, you are taking quite a risk-"

"I know what I'm getting into, but I may also be able to use Blackfire's feelings toward her sister to help me."

"My Lord," Officer Cron said, "forgive me for interrupting, but personally, I do not trust Blackfire to be...civil without the collar."

"Neither do I, Officer. Lady Raven, are you sure that you need Komand'r's assistance in this matter?"

"Yes," Raven said.

"...Very well. We can of course, trust you to do the right thing," he added pointedly.

Raven nodded. "If I may ask another favor, Lord Caretaker?"

"Yes?" he replied, a bit testily.

"After you remove the collar, I'll need you to leave the room. Your mental noise could be distracting."

After another pause, the Lord Caretaker nodded his assent and moved to remove Blackfire's collar.

Kai and Cron tensed as the Lord Caretaker's mechanical hands released the encoded catch on Blackfire's collar.

"Oh, that feels good," Blackfire sighed, as she felt the familiar stirrings of power course through her. Suddenly her eyes started glowing. "Do you trust me to do the right thing, Centauri?" she purred.

"You only endanger yourself, Komand'r," the Lord Caretaker said as he stood eye to eye with Blackfire, Kai and Cron immediately at the ready.

Raven was about to say something when Blackfire blinked, and the glow in her eyes disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared. "You should have seen the look on your faces!" she laughed.

"Are you sure you still desire Komand'r without her collar?" the Lord Caretaker asked Raven, over Blackfire's subsiding laughter.

"I'm sure, as I'm sure about your leaving," Raven reminded gently.

"Of course." With that, the Lord Caretaker stepped out of the room, followed by two very wary Officers.

After the Centauri left, closing the doors behind them, Blackfire turned to Raven. "Truth?" she asked.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh come on Raven, you may be good enough to fool a simple Centauri, but you're dealing with the best criminal in the Galaxy. I know lying when I see it, and I saw it when you told the Lord Caretaker you needed my help."

"Well, I don't really need your help, but it would certainly be easier with it," Raven admitted.

"And the collar? I h-dislike my sister just as much with or without the collar. So...?"

"My friends have been captured by some of the worst criminals I know, and I am going to need all the help I can get if I want them back." She looked Blackfire in the eye. "You included. I need to be able to trust you."

"So what? What does that have to do with taking off the collar me now?"

"Because I want you to trust me. That's how it works, Blackfire. I trust my friends because they trust me-sometimes you have to give before you can take." Raven sighed. "I know how this sounds, but-"

"Hey, no big deal. You give something, you get something, I understand."

"No, it's more than that, but...I can't explain it," Raven finished lamely.

"Whatever. Look, I get it, Raven."

No she didn't, Raven thought, but that could wait. "All right," she said, sitting cross-legged on the floor.

"So," Blackfire began, "When you got those Centauri out of the room earlier...?"

"The things we're talking about, I'd prefer that no one else listens. Now, Blackfire?" she said, motioning Blackfire to follow her.

When she had sat down beside her, Raven took Blackfire's hands in her own. "Raven, before we start this..."

"Yes?"

"You said you trust your friends because they trust you."

"Yes?"

"I...I trust you. There, I said it."

For a moment, a smile ghosted across Raven's face. "Thank you, Blackfire. Now," she said, "I need you to think of your sister. Let all your feelings about her flow through you."

Raven chose Starfire as her focus because of all the other Titans, she was sure that she would be the easiest to find, after taking Blackfire's emotions into consideration. However, Raven was unprepared for the intensity of Blackfire's feelings toward her sister.

Struggling to keep the rage, the thoughts that now flowed through her as well under control, Raven concentrated on Starfire, all the while chanting-

Azerath Metrion Xinthos (Starfire, where are you?)

Azerath Metrion Xinthos (Come out sis, show yourself!)

Azerath Metrion Xinthos (Starfire?)

Azerath Metrion Xinthos (Stop hiding!)

Raven felt as if she was flying at an impossible speed through the city. Images of buildings, people, vehicles, all flashed past her before she felt herself stop before what seemed to be an abandoned subway tunnel, above which the modern subway had been built.

Raven plunged into the darkness.

(scene change)

Jinx woke from her sleep with a start. For a moment, she saw-no felt something fly past her. Something that...both burned and chilled her soul, for lack of a better metaphor. She saw Mammoth walk by her bed, half a whole chicken in his hands, the other half being in his mouth. "Mammoth?" she asked.

"Mm-hmm?" he replied, still chewing.

"Did you see anyone come by here?"

Mammoth swallowed. "Nope urp, didn't see anybody. Why?"

Jinx shook her head. "I just thought...never mind. Must have been a dream, or something."

"Probably a nightmare." Mammoth snorted. Seeing the look Jinx gave him, he quickly added, "If that Puppet King creeps you out as much as he creeps me out, I won't blame you."

"Whatever," Jinx replied, and went back to sleep.

(scene change)

The Puppet King however, wasn't asleep. Even if he was, the feeling of being watched would have certainly woken him up. In his previous life, such a thing would have hardly registered with him, but now that he had been infused with magical power, the sensation was almost oppressive.

Strange, though. It felt as if a great wave of love and hate coiled around each other was coursing within the abandoned tunnels. The Puppet King followed it, went closer to where he sensed it flowed.

There! There it was! No, wait, don't-

The Puppet King cursed as he felt the sensation disappear as soon as it had come, leaving him no time to track it.

Wait-

The Puppet King looked down the corridor where the current headed, the corridor that lead to the Titans' chamber.

"It's about time, Raven, just about time," the Puppet King said.

(scene change)

Raven awoke with a gasp and fell back.

"Raven?" Blackfire asked, reaching out to steady Raven. She had no idea what had happened. Raven started repeating her mantra, and a few seconds later, this happens.

"Call," Raven gasped out, "call the Centauri. I know where my friends are."

(scene change)

"Are you sure about this?" the Lord Caretaker asked.

"Yes. Very sure." Raven replied.

The Lord Caretaker pressed a few more buttons on the holographic display, bringing up a 3-dimensional map of the abandoned subways.

"I think that's where I felt Starfire's presence," Raven said, pointing to what the maps seemed to indicate were solid rock. "I remember going down this passage and turning left here."

"It is not impossible that they have made their own excavations," the Lord Caretaker mused. "Now the question remains: how do we plan our assault-"

"Excuse me? Assault?" Blackfire asked incredulously, an eyebrow raised. "That's the best the Centauri can do? No wonder it was so easy to escape you."

The other two Officers rose up angrily, but the Lord Caretaker held up his claw arm and warded them off. "What do you propose, Komand'r?" he said condescendingly. Had Blackfire not been so agitated, she thought much later, she might have also noticed the slight note of expectation in his voice as well.

As it were, the plan that unfolded in her mind demanded all attention. "Well, Lord Caretaker," she said sweetly, "firstly, I wouldn't dream of altering your plans for a frontal assault! It's just that, I'm not like you soldier boys, I'm just a common criminal," she added sadly.

"Get to the point," Officer Kai growled.

"Simply put, you guys do whatever you do on a frontal assault, while me and Raven go rescue the Titans, how about that?"

"If you think you can leave us with all the risk-"

"No," the Lord Caretaker said. "Her plan is surprisingly feasible, considering the circumstances."

"My Lord, forgive me for questioning your wisdom, but..."

"When you became Officers, you knew the risks that you would have to take. And considering Komand'r's expertise in, shall we say, infiltration, we would not have to fight very long-merely long enough to distract the enemy from the rescue."

"But we would have to trust Komand'r to do her job, and if I may be plain, that is a risk I am unwilling to take."

"I'll watch her." Raven said.

"I think we'd far more than you to keep Komand'r in line," Officer Cron said.

"But we don't have such resources," the Lord Caretaker said. "As it is, Raven is all we have now." He turned to Raven. "I hope you prove worthy of such trust."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Raven was surprised that those words didn't come out of her mouth.

"I'm simply hoping Raven would be up to the task of keeping you under control, Komand'r."

"Keep me under control, Lord Caretaker?" Blackfire whispered, eyes narrowing into slits.

"Enough!" Raven said. She looked directly at the Lord Caretaker. "Lord Caretaker, make your plans. I and Blackfire will assist you later. For now I need to speak to her in private."

"Of course, Lady Raven."

As soon as Raven and Blackfire were out of earshot, Officer Cron spoke to the Lord Caretaker. "Forgive my impertinence Lord, but seems we're leaving them alone with each other much too often."

"Why are you so worried, Cron? Don't you trust the Lady Raven?"

"I don't know her well enough to do so, but I do know she has been deceived by Komand'r before, and as I said before, her I do not trust."

"I agree, Lord," Kai said, "It seems unwise to leave such a vital part of our plan to Blackfire. Besides, my Lord, you have far more important duties on Centauri than to assist a group of Human children-"

"No, Kai, I don't," the Lord Caretaker said, menace quietly audible. "These 'children', Officers, are like us. They have chosen to dedicate their lives to combat whatever darkness the Universe chooses to place in front of them. That alone makes us honor-bound to help them. Cron," he continued, turning to the Officer, "all will become clear in time, but for now, all I will say is that Blackfire has the potential to become either our greatest friend with Raven's help or our worst enemy without it. I do not intend to make a mistake in this regard. Understood?"

The two Officers, now thoroughly disciplined, accepted.

"Now," he said, turning to the map, "as you can see..."

"Let me guess, Raven. You'd like me to control my emotions, 'cause they're probably so destructive your Centauri friends might be offended gasp!" Blackfire said, placing both palms on her cheeks. "Can't have that, can we, Raven?"

"That's not what it's about, Blackfire."

"And I guess you're about to tell me what it is about then."

"Blackfire, you of all people should know what the Centauri could do to you if they wanted to."

"I'm a thief, Raven, not a murderer. Under Centauri law, I cannot be executed, just imprisoned. And there's no prison, Centauri or otherwise, that can hold Blackfire."

"And then you run."

"Hey, it's worked before."

For a moment Raven was silent. "If that is the way you feel, so be it. I see you lied when you said you were tired of running."

This time, it was Blackfire's turn to be silent. "I am, Raven. I don't want to run, but I will if I have to."

"And do you have to?"

Blackfire looked surprised for a moment, and then sighed. "No, I guess not."

"No you don't," Raven confirmed. Grasping Blackfire's hands, she looked her straight in the eye and said, "I am your friend, Blackfire, and I will protect you, but only if you protect yourself."

"Does that mean I have to be nice to the Centauri?" Blackfire said, smiling wanly.

"If you have to."

"And I guess I have to."

"Yes."

"Really?"

Now Raven was smiling. "Really." Yes, she was definitely spending too much time with Beast Boy and Cyborg.

Speaking of whom... "So, Blackfire?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll help, and if I get angry, I'll remember to save it for my ex-friends. Hells, if you want me to, I'll give the Centauri my biggest smile-how's this?" she teased, giving Raven the most grotesquely wide smile she had seen.

"Maybe not so much." Raven said, as they walked back to the Centauri. It was going to be dawn in a few hours, and they had a job to do.