Chapter 7

Cyborg stuffed the last of the suitcases into the back of the T-ship.

"Geez, Star, did you pack for two days or two weeks?" he grumbled.

"I apologize for my abundance of luggage, but earthly girls require many tools of beauty." Starfire blushed and gave her signature innocent smile. He was starting to doubt how naïve she really was.

"Remind me to cancel her subscription to Seventeen magazine," Raven remarked wryly.

Cyborg grunted in agreement, climbing into his pod of the T-ship. "'Sides, we probably won't even have time to sleep, forget primping."

"One must always be prepared," Starfire replied over the intercom cheerfully, completely undeterred.

Cyborg shook his head and pressed the glowing blue button on the side of his controls, causing the T-ship's engine to roar to life. No matter how many times he had heard that sound, he still smiled when his other, larger baby came alive.

"Alright, Titans," Robin's confident voice sounded over the intercom. "Are we ready for takeoff?"

"Engine's definitely a go!" Cyborg grinned, eyeing a small stats screen to confirm that she was indeed running smoothly.

"Our navigational systems are ready!"

"Defenses are online."

"Computers are up and running. We are currently connected to the Titan's database," Beast Boy said smoothly. "I also have a two liter of Mountain Dew and a bag of Chips Ahoy that are ready for—"

"Thanks, Beast Boy," Robin said flatly, cutting him off. Cyborg bit back laughter. "All systems are up and we're ready for takeoff in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1—"

"Blastoff!" Cyborg and Beast Boy yelled in unison, a tradition between the two. Cyborg watched the Tower shrink away as the ship rose into the sky from the rooftop launchpad.

"All right, Spiky, where we headed?" Cyborg asked into his headset.

"We lost him about 150 miles north of Jump City, so we'll land there and spread out."

"Seriously?" Beast Boy complained. "This isn't going to be any fun if we have to search all alone!"

"More importantly," Raven added, a note of irritation in her voice, "we can't take him on by ourselves. We could loose him waiting for the rest of the team to join us."

"Don't worry, you'll be in pairs. He was heading north and I doubt he'll completely change direction, so I'll head up the coast, Cyborg and Star will move east, and you and Beast Boy will will check out the northeast."

Cyborg didn't have any complaints; Starfire (with the exception of Starfire's luggage) made an easy traveling companion. He looked at Beast Boy and Raven. Beast Boy looked a little timid, but he had signed up to be Raven's new BFF.

Raven, on the other hand...

"Robin, do I have to spend the next forty eight hours with him?" she asked, pointing a thumb in Beast Boy's direction. "Why don't I go with Cyborg instead?"

Cyborg stiffened. Oh, no, he thought, keep me out of this one!

"You two will be fine. With any luck we'll find Plasmus sometime today so we can get home," Robin said dismissively. "Besides, you two seemed awfully friendly the other morning." He gave Raven a pointed look, to which she pursed her lips and turned back around without a word.

Uh, did I miss something? Cyborg thought, looking between the three of them. He couldn't help but feel bad for his friend when he noticed Beast Boy's dejected look.

Star's voice interrupted them. "Our systems indicate that our target has almost been reached!"

"Great! Titans, get ready to take her down." Robin ordered.

The ship landed in the small clearing where they had fought Plasmus the night before. Cyborg eyed the tree line where Plasmus had disappeared into the forest. They had lost track of him after that.

"Alright," Robin began as they all hopped down to the ground. It was still torn up in places from the previous day's battle. "This is where Plasmus was last seen. I wan't you to fan out like we talked about and search for Plasmus. Most of the area is rural, so there haven't been any reported sightings, but stop every once in awhile to check with locals and see if they have any information. We'll check in every hour on the hour and share any news."

"And if we find him?" Raven asked.

"Call the rest of us immediately. If you think you can take him down on your own, go for it. We'll meet you as soon as we can."

Robin turned and made his way back to the ship. He powered it on, detaching his portion from the rest of the ship and hovering in the air.

"I'll talk to you guys in an hour. Titans, move out!" Robin's voice sounded over their communicators.

Cyborg turned to look at the rest of the team. Raven and BB were already climbing into their pods.

"Guess that leaves us," Cyborg said, smiling at Starfire. She returned it heartily with a giggle. He was glad to be paired with her; she was amiable company.

Cyborg looked up at BB and Rae, who were currently bickering back and fourth over their headsets. They were turned towards each other with narrowed eyes and frustrated expressions. Raven finally turned and detached from the main ship as Beast Boy yelled after her. He muttered, presumably to himself, and tapped on this control panel, rising to follow her. Though Cyborg couldn't hear a word they said, the intent was clear.

He was really glad he was paired with Starfire.