Sorry it's taken me forever to upload! I can't promise I'll go any faster with the next few chapters either. T-T I know you must think badly of me, but I'm trying. I don't own Teen Titans! Just Ms. Fantoccini, The Zoo Keeper, and Ronald.
"Welcome, empath! It's nice to see you!" the Zoo Keeper exclaimed as he stood up and waved Raven to an armchair beside him.
Raven looked at the chair he offered, but remained standing where she was.
"Why was I called here?"
There was a moment of silence as the old man considered her social insult, but he soon smiled and put it aside, choosing instead to stand and pour himself a glass of scotch from the side table, turning his back on his pet.
"You know, while you were on Earth I watched you and the changeling interact. I watched you both go about your lives; I learned things about you both. So you must understand when I tell you, I've planned for what you know," the Master turned with his drink in hand and gave a small smile to Raven.
The young empath took a step back, raising her arm in an unconscious defense.
The Zoo Keeper walked back to his chair explaining the situation as he made himself comfortable. "Observing you both I learned neither of you were stupid people, rather you're silent and he's put on a wonderful façade of stupidity, but neither of you is anywhere near unintelligent. So when I put you in that room I did so with the full knowledge and intention that you would find out what I wanted to happen. It's simply a step in the way things are going to work."
"What are you saying?" Raven snarled, her fists curled.
"My dear girl, have a seat and we'll discuss exactly what I'm saying. Please," he gestured with his hand at the empty seat once again.
The empath smoothed her face, reigning in her emotions, and stood up straight. She walked rigidly to the seat and rested lightly on the cushions edge, her hands folded neatly in her lap.
"What do you plan to do?"
The Zoo Keeper smiled pleasantly and took a sip of scotch, savoring the drink. He toyed with the small bottle of ointment the Spindress had brought with her, and now showed it to his empath.
"Do you know, that friend of yours has wonderful self control."
Raven simply stared at the old man, not giving anything away.
"But, you see, I've been doing this my whole life. I know exactly how to handle young boys with too much restraint."
The girl didn't move except to grip her hand together more tightly, but it was enough for the Zoo Keeper.
He continued, "I once had a rare species of alien called Courtlies. They were these tiny things, no bigger than your pinky finger, but my goodness did they love each other. But their love was what was wrong with them. You see, Courtlies can only mate once in their lives. Once the mother gets to a certain stage of pregnancy she dies, and the children eat their way out."
Raven felt her chest tighten at the thought. She concentrated on trying to keep her breathing steady as the Master continued.
"You see, this couple of Courtlies, they didn't want to mate, but rather stay together. Courtlies aren't very intelligent creatures. Not much smarter than dolphins, really, but they seemed self-aware enough to make it that far. I told them both it wasn't going to work that way, but they didn't believe me, and the male continued to defy my wishes, so one day, I invited the female to have tea with me, but I didn't tell the male what I was doing. The female and I, we sat and talked for a while as her young mate sweated, worrying that I was hurting his beloved. I didn't touch her of course, not until the tea was done. Then I took this," he gestured to the bottle in his hand. "And dabbed a bit under her eyes, telling her she had something there. You see, this salve makes your eyes tear up. Once her eyes started watering I led her back to her cage and let her back in, making sure the man saw she was crying."
Raven stared at the ointment in his hand, her face puzzled. "But what would that do?"
"That broke him."
"What?"
"You see, he had held himself back for so long, the poor boy was full of all sorts of emotions. Once I broke the dam with his hatred for me they all started filling him up. And you know, hate isn't that far from love. And love isn't that far from lust. It wasn't long after I met with the female that I had her offspring added to my lovely collection."
Raven felt her breath leave her. Standing up abruptly she tried to back away, scraping the chair across the floor.
The old man stood with her and motioned with his hand. Ronald came up behind the empath and put his hand on her shoulder. The empath grabbed his wrist and flip him. Stepping around his body she continued to back away until her back hit a wall. Going into a fighting stance, she watched the Master walk toward her, the Spindress who had been sitting in the corner now behind him.
The Spindress reached beneath her and began pulling silk into her arms.
"I'm sorry, Sweet, but it's the only way."
"Why is she helping him!" Cyborg yelled as he stood up, overturning the table.
"Cyborg!" Robin hissed, "Be quiet! This isn't a one-way feed! If you're too loud they might hear you!"
Cyborg just snarled at his leader and stalked to the door.
"I'm starting the jet and flying us to the coordinates the feed give us," the Titan growled as he walked out of the cramped room.
"Robin," Starfire whispered from her seat. "Listen, the Spindress is saying something."
Ms. Fantoccini was binding Raven's hands behind her back, taking her time as the Master went to help Ronald up.
"Listen closely," she whispered. "I've gotten ahold of your friends. They're coming to help now. They know what's going on and are rushing to save you. Just need to hang on a little longer, please. The belt they had you wear around your waist, and the black band around your cage. They keep you from using your powers. Find a way to break those and you're free, but make sure you have control of your emotions again; you're starting to slip. I can't help you anymore without them knowing, I'm sorry. Good luck."
This was all muttered to Raven in the quick minute and a half it took the Spindress to win her silk around the girl and bind her arms, spider silk twisting around her wrists to just below her elbows.
"There now, that's better," the zookeeper chirped walking over to his young captive. "Let's walk to your room and put on the cream there."
Raven was lead through the white halls and to an elevator again. They took it down an unknown level of floors before the doors finally dinged open again. More walking past more blank walls and Raven had no better idea how to stop what was happening than when she had first hear the plan.
The young titan knew her friend. He was friendly and chipper on the outside, not letting anyone see anything that might seriously bother him, but when he finally got angry, he didn't always have control of his actions. It was one of the side-effects of his powers, the only real time she had seen him close to the animals he morphed into. There had been baddies beaten a bit too hard, bones broken and flesh ripped after they had no obvious fight left in them. A few times in the past two or three years one of the other titans had had to pull the young shape-shifter off the victim before he regretted his actions, and he was always remorseful after the fact, but the didn't stop the terror that was coursing through his friend now.
They stopped at a blank wall and Raven felt her knees go weak, but she gave the Keeper her best death-glare as he grabbed her chin and rubbed the salve just under her eyes.
She waited a moment, her chest tight, as she felt a coolness seep into her skin, just above her cheekbones. Nothing seemed to be happening and the knot in her stomach started to unwind when she felt her eyes blink rapidly, then start to tear. Damn.
The Master just smiled at her and lifted his hand to the wall, but stopped as Ronald cleared his throat softly.
"Yes?" the old man asked, turning to his butler.
"Forgive me sir, but these two are trained fighters. They do now cry so easily. Perhaps you should leave a mark or two on the girl so the boy is more convinced."
The Master stopped and considered what his trusted adviser said and finally agreed with him.
"I won't go so far as to hit her, however. I'm afraid you'll have to do it. Just a slap across the cheek, perhaps. In front of the boy, so he can see us harm her."
Ronald nodded, stepping up beside the girl.
The Zookeeper waved his arm at the wall, creating an opening with a balcony, much like the first time they were dropped in here. The four stepped out and faced the inside of the cage as a ripple went though the whole room. Blue lights from every corner followed the disturbances and centered just outside the house where the group could see a young changeling looking their way.
Sending you all love!