Robin yelled out as he came down, metal staff extended and slightly bent as he brought it down with all his strength. Cinderblock staggered back, dazed by the blow but far from defeated. He roared in anger but was drowned out by the sound of Starfire's blasts exploding against his indestructible skin. Cyborg kept up the Titan's offence, unloading his sonic cannon at Cinderblock's chest as he charged into the smoke but flew backwards with a yell as Cinderblock swiped and knocked him back. Beast Boy was forced to dodge in his eagle form as Cyborg flew past but flew straight into Cinderblock's closing fist. There was a squeak as Cinderblock tried to shatter Beast Boy's tortoise shell but unable to, hurled it like a baseball. Raven glided almost unperturbed by it as her eyes lit up white and her lips formed the words she had said a thousand times over. Azarath Metrion Zinthos! A wave of black energy struck out in the form of a tendril at Cinderblock's chest, wrapping him and immobilising his arms. Cinderblock looked up from his bindings as Cyclops landed with a massive right punch, there was a ringing as one of Robin's discs spun threw the air and burst open to wrap Cinderblock's ankles, Beast Boy finishing it up as a green triceratops stomped forward and hammered the stone Goliath with a swing of its massive head. Cinderblock toppled back slowly and with a massive bang and an eruption of dust as the ground split with fissures from the impact, he fell.

"We are victorious!" Starfire exclaimed as Cinderblock ceased to struggle.

"Try to keep him in jail this time" Robin muttered as the Jump City Authorities quickly moved in on the scene to apprehend the villain.

"Boo yah!" Cyborg chanted, his robotic arm reforming to become a hand once more. "The villain is down, the city is saved and my baby is for once not completely destroyed" he said, looking over to where the T-Car sat, its only flaw was the chrome sheen had been taken off by all the dust, nothing a wash wouldn't make short work of. "Only one thing left to do… PIZZA!"

"Are you coming Robin?" Raven asked as all but their leader turned back towards the car.

"Yeah" Robin said, still watching Cinderblock being taken away, the ever-present wrinkle in his brow as he wore his frown of thought, masked eyes narrowed. "Yeah."

An orange frisbee flew through the air of the park as a strange green dog chased it happily, a trail of slobber followed in the air behind its outstretched tongue. The wind caught the frisbee and lifted it up as the dog jumped and narrowly missed. In the midair, the dog suddenly shape-shifted into a green kangaroo, hit the ground and took an enormous jump, then changed into an elephant in the leap and reached out with its trunk to catch the frisbee, landing back on the ground again as the dog. It trotted back with pride, the frisbee clutched in its teeth as Cyborg took the frisbee from its mouth. "Okay, I'll give you a real challenge now" he told the dog, his arm pulling back, the lights on the panels brightening as he built up some power. "Fetch!" Cyborg yelled, his arm shooting around and the frisbee whizzing off. The dog changed into a green leopard and sprinted off with a growl. There was a scream as a family's picnic was disrupted by a charging overexcited leopard.

Raven opened one eye as the ground quaked minutely. "Could you go one day without being as loud as you possibly could?" She asked, her legs crossed as she floated three and a half feet off the ground, her meditations disturbed.

"They are partaking in the wondrous joy this day has to offer Raven!" Starfire exclaimed, her arms full of freshly picked flowers, a few in her hair. She gestured to the bunch in her hands. "Would you like to join me in the making of daisy chains?"

Raven's one open eye stared at her for a second before slamming closed. "No" she said flatly.

Robin was sitting on the ground, taking apart one of his various gadgets, checking every piece, panel and screw for the slightest imperfection. "What troubles you Robin?" Starfire asked.

Robin's eyes squinted as he clicked two pieces together, holding them up in the light to examine them. "We stopped Cinderblock. But that makes three attacks in as many weeks, and we have no idea what they're doing, what they're after or how they're connected. We only know they're all linked by one person."

"Slade" Cyborg said, his voice deepening with almost a hint of dread that crept into any of their voices when they said his name, save Raven who Slade tinged her voice with anger.

"I know he's gone" Robin said through gritted teeth, "but somehow it's like he's still there, lurking in the shadows, pulling the strings on some plan and we're always two steps behind as usual." His hand pulled into a tight fist. "I don't like being behind."

"Do not fear Robin" Starfire soothed, "we will find his plans like weeds and rip them out one by one, just like I have with these dandelions, though they are also incredibly gorgeous."

Robin pieced his gadget back together as Starfire sat down beside him, threading her dandelion and daisy stalks together. The sun shone, the birds sang and for a brief moment of happiness all was right with the world. As was often with the world of the Teen Titans though, it was never meant to last. Raven's eyes suddenly opened, her mouth parted open as she gasped. "What is it?" Robin asked, immediately alert.

"I sense someone" Raven said, still in her meditative state. "Someone like…"

"Slade?" Robin asked.

"Me" Raven replied, then an explosion ripped through the silence, making everyone jump to their feet. "Uh…" Beast Boy started, having changed back into his usual form, "what was that?"

A plume of smoke began to rise from just the other side of the park. "Trouble" Robin grunted. "Titans, go!"

The group rushed forward against the flow of screaming people fleeing the chaos. The burning car sat at the edge of the park, the hood of the car had a massive indent in it as if it had hit something indestructible, or something indestructible had hit it. "Look!" Beast Boy cried, pointing out with an outstretched finger at a figure who had been trying to escape attention. Robin's newly rebuilt bird-a-rang hammering into the tree trunk beside the figure served to tell him he had failed. The figure turned to the Titans, it was a boy, the same age as any of them. He had black hair that was longer than Robin's, it fell to cover his ears and touch the bottom of his neck, his eyes were hidden in the shade of his fringe. He was wearing a long black-sleeved shirt that covered all but his fingertips and a normal pair of pants, he looked just that; normal. Experience had taught the Titans that looks could be very deceiving though; none of them had dropped their guard.

"That's a bad way to react to a parking fine" Robin told him.

Raven was more interested in this new figure than she was usually with her missions, waiting for the boys to trade one-liners before erupting into a fight. He had been the one she had sensed, she knew it. She just didn't know why, and that was worrying her. "Does this guy have a name?" Beast Boy asked.

The stranger's face suddenly snapped into anger as he roared and charged straight at Beast Boy. Before any of them of could react, the stranger had leapt forward and swung with a kick that sent Beast Boy flying with a yell. "Titans, go!" Robin yelled, jumping with a spinning kick. The stranger dodged it and pushed at Robin's back, shoving the Boy Wonder away.

"We're gonna need something to put on your tombstone" Cyborg muttered as he moved in, his robotic hand transforming. "Until then, let's just put you on ice with the cryo-cannon!" He had barely finished his line before the figure had grabbed him by the end of the cannon and hurled him at Starfire, the energy ball she had hurled hitting him and the explosion throwing them both back.

"Dude, was this just all because I asked your name?" Beast Boy asked, rejoining the fray. "You don't have to tell us, it's cool! Cyborg makes up some great lines!" He then shifted into a grizzly bear as the figure moved at him but stopped as Raven pulled up a wall of dark energy out of the ground to come between them. He looked at her and his eyes widened as she threw a wave at him, his irises were the same violet as hers. He dived out of the way as she chased him with blasts. As much as she wanted to know who this stranger was, she wanted to protect her friends more. The stranger stepped in and out of both Raven and Starfire's attacks, jumping into the air and putting the alien between the three around to stop Raven from attacking momentarily. He pushed off her back and flipped through the air, landing lightly on the ground. "Stay away!" He yelled at them, or was it just to Raven, for it was her he was looking at. Beast Boy was not yet ready to take such advice just yet as a bull charged towards the attacker. The boy didn't even waver, drawing back a fist as the bull came closer before unleashing the punch. As he did, his sleeve fell back and Raven knew why she had sensed him. Glowing up his hand, his palm and the backs of his fingers were extensive designs, elaborate and gorgeous like henna, she had seen similar markings on her own arms when Trigon had attempted to bring her back to him before. Beast Boy's yell was audible as he flew through the air, Cyborg's catch the only thing saving him from worse injury. Both Starfire and Raven hesitated at the expression of both fear and anger in his eyes looking down at his hand before he turned to run, straight into Robin's staff, knocking him to the ground.

"Lights out" Robin said as he brought the tip down hard and hit him in the forehead, knocking him unconscious. The Titans paused for a moment as they caught their breath before Robin asked, "what do we do with him?"

"He was well-trained" Starfire said, looking down at him. "Yet I do not sense he wanted to hurt us."

"Speak for yourself" Beast Boy said, rubbing the back of his head.

"She's right" Raven said, "he was afraid of hurting us."

"That doesn't change the fact that he's a criminal" Robin said, keeping his staff steady.

"We better make a choice soon" Cyborg said, a hand to the cybernetic side of his head, "authorities are on the way and I don't think they're gonna be happy with us about two incidents in one day."

"Just leave him for them" Beast Boy insisted, "he's not exactly the most super criminal we've ever fought."

"He just punched a charging bull airborne thanks to a tattoo!" Cyborg exclaimed, "that doesn't seem super to you?"

"Terra was a criminal once" Starfire said quietly.

Robin's eyes narrowed as the noise of sirens became obvious in the wind. "We'll take him with us back to the tower, see what we can learn" he declared. "I doubt anyone will be too upset if we borrow him just for a while."