When Cyborg and Starfire returned with the alien pushing the tanker back into the port, the mayor was delighted. Of course, he was extremely disappointed to find out that the tanker was empty. The furious mayor then ordered the two remaining titans to see him at his office.
"You titans have a duty to protect the city, yet lately you have failed us time and time again." He snarled at the two. "What is happening? The people have been asking questions and I have no answers. If I lose my job I'm going to make sure that you lose yours as well." He snapped, slamming his fist on the table for emphasis. "Where is Robin, Raven and Beast Boy?" he demanded glaring at Cyborg.
"We have no idea where Robin is. We don't know if he's dead or if he's been captured. Beast Boy has been injured in the line of duty and Raven, well Raven has left." Replied Cyborg dreading the mayor's response.
"Left?" Shouted the mayor as he stood up. "What do you mean by left?"
"She went to find someone to teach her how to control her increasing powers." Cyborg replied knowing that talk about other planes of existence and Azar would only confuse the mayor.
"How irresponsible of her! Doesn't she know that she has a duty to protect the city? If her powers are so unstable she shouldn't even be a titan!"
"That's why she left!" retorted Cyborg very heatedly. The mayor had made a big mistake by criticizing Raven. "She was being responsible! She didn't want to accidentally destroy the city because of her growing powers! She'll come back when she has gained proper control over them!"
"As though she even had control over her powers in the first place!" snapped the mayor. Cyborg opened his mouth just as Starfire jumped in between the two.
"Please! Do not fight!" she cried pushing them apart. "Fighting only makes things worsen!" The two continued eyeballing each other until they finally calmed down.
"I'll make you a deal." The mayor said finally as he returned to his seat behind the large desk. "If you two can bring three oil tankers filled with oil back to the city in one week, I'll stall the public and allow you guys to keep your jobs as the city's heroes."
"If not?" asked Cyborg. He did not like where this was going.
"If you don't bring in the oil, I'll commission another set of heroes who are actually competent to protect the city. Do you hear me?" asked the mayor sternly.
"Yes, we do." Cyborg nodded. The mayor motioned for them to leave and they did so.
"What are we going to do now?" asked Starfire as they left the mayor's office.
"I don't know Star." Replied Cyborg. "I don't know." Their jobs were hanging in a balance and they had no idea what to do.
When they returned to the tower, Cyborg and Starfire immediately began trying to find ways to bring oil into the city. They knew that Slade had them outnumbered and outwitted, but they still had to try. For Robin, Raven and Beast Boy's sake, they had to keep the titans in commission. Cyborg did have one idea, but a week was too little time for him to actually carry it out. He wanted to build a submarine that acted like an oil tanker that could hopefully slip into the city underwater and undetected. Starfire's idea was to find a way to contact Raven. If Raven came back - even for a few minutes - she could create enough oil to last the city for years. The only challenge was actually contacting Raven.
When Cyborg realized that Starfire's idea could work, they immediately went about trying to find Raven. But because she was visiting another plane of existence, none of Cyborg's advanced technology could locate her. Remembering that Herald could open portals, they decided to contact him on his communicator after which he opened up a portal and stepped into the main room.
"Any requests?" he asked winking at them.
"Yes. Is there any way you can open a portal that leads to another plane of existence?" asked Starfire. Herald stared at her for several seconds.
"W-w-why would you want to go to another plane of existence?" he spluttered.
"Well, Raven went there and we kinda need to go there to tell her we need her help." Replied Cyborg hesitantly.
"Raven died?" asked Herald in horror.
"No! She's still very much alive!" cried Cyborg. "She went there to get help from someone who has died."
"I'm sorry, but that's a note I can't play." Said Herald shaking his head in regret. "My horn can only open portals to different dimensions, not portals to other planes of existence."
"Can you open portals within the same dimension?" asked Cyborg.
"My horn opens up multi-dimensional portals." Replied Herald stressing on the 'multi'.
"Okay." Cyborg was disappointed. He was hoping that Herald could help them transport the oil from one place to another with his portals. "Do you know of any way that we can enter the plane of existence that Raven is now at?"
"You could die." Replied Herald rolling his eyes. Seeing the look that Cyborg gave him, Herald continued more seriously. "No, you can't. Now that Trigon has been destroyed and Raven has become so powerful, she is the most powerful being in the whole universe. Even in my dimension she is respected. Only she alone can travel through planes of existence with her powers."
"If we can't go there, can we contact her?" asked Cyborg.
"I'm not a sorcerer!" snapped Herald. Cyborg suddenly had another idea. After saying goodbye to Herald, he immediately dashed to the main computer. Several seconds later, Jinx's face appeared on the big screen in the main room.
"Hey! What's up?" she asked as Kid Flash appeared beside her.
"Raven has travelled to another plane of existence and we need to contact her." Cyborg got right to the point. Jinx stared at him incredulously for a few seconds.
"Wow!" She exclaimed. "That's awesome!"
"Yeah, yeah. We need her on the team to help us fight Slade but we have no idea how to contact her. Can ya help us?" Jinx stared thoughtfully into space for a moment.
"Do you know how she travelled to this other plane of existence in the first place?" she asked.
"She said she was going to use her soul self to get there." Replied Cyborg.
"Did she use any spells?" Jinx pressed further.
"Just her usual incantation." Said Cyborg hopefully. Maybe Jinx could help them with a viable solution.
"Did she do anything to prepare before she left?"
"She made Robin train her at martial arts and worked out a lot." Jinx was silent for a few more minutes.
"I really have no idea how she got there." Jinx said finally. "It appears that she merely beefed up her physical strength and used her more powerful soul self to get there. She is the daughter of Trigon after all."
"So you heard about the new powers?" asked Cyborg.
"Everyone who makes use of dark magic knows about it." Jinx replied. "Trigon made his will very public among demons and other practitioners of dark magic so that they will listen to Raven." Cyborg nodded thoughtfully as things began to make sense. Perhaps knowledge of Raven's new powers was what caused Kyd Wykkyd to make a quick escape during their battle with the H.I.V.E. Five.
"So Trigon ruled that all demons and practitioners of dark magic would help Raven conquer the universe?" asked Cyborg as he tried to understand what was going on.
"Not really. Trigon gave Raven enough power to conquer whole dimensions pretty easily on her own. I think he made the will public just to frighten those who live in dimensions with spells that will keep him out but not Raven." She replied.
"Hey, if you guys need help with this Slade guy, we can help you." Kid Flash offered. "Where's Robin and Beast Boy?" He asked looking beyond Cyborg and Starfire. "Did I say something wrong?" he demanded when Starfire burst into tears and fled the main room.
"Robin is MIA and Beast Boy is injured." Replied Cyborg.
"Sounds like you guys could use some help." Kid Flash suggested.
"Yeah. We'd like to help you guys." Echoed Jinx. "Things can get a bit boring around here." She added eyeing Kid Flash who glared at her in response. Cyborg seriously considered their offer. They could certainly use the help, with Robin and Raven gone and Beast Boy injured.
"Would it be too much of a trouble?" he asked finally.
"Not at all! We'll be right there!" replied Kid Flash. Seconds later, the pair arrived at the tower.
With Kid Flash and Jinx to help them, Cyborg decided on a new course of action. Kid Flash would super speed them to oil tankers at other parts of the world and the four would ensure that the tankers and their cargo made it safely to Jump City.
At the harbor in another city, Cyborg, Starfire, Kid Flash and Jinx boarded an oil tanker headed for Jump City. As the tanker was being filled with oil, a lone Sladebot jumped in front of the four. Kid Flash immediately attacked followed by Jinx. Between the four of them, they easily took the Sladebot down. Cyborg ripped off its mask to reveal a screen.
"Cyborg, Starfire." Slade's face appeared on the screen. "If you want to ever see Robin alive, you will not solicit the help of anyone outside the titans."
"What are you talking about?" yelled Cyborg. "Kid Flash and Jinx are titans!"
"Honorary titans, that is." Slade replied calmly. The camera panned and they saw Robin bound to a table that looked very much like Cyborg's charging table. He was bruised and bleeding.
"Robin!" Starfire screamed and fainted. Fortunately, Kid Flash caught her as she fell.
"Jinx. Kid Flash. If you really want to help the titans, you will stay away from them." A beeping sound was heard after Slade spoke. Kid Flash grabbed the Sladebot and tossed away before it exploded.
"Robin!" cried Starfire as she came to. "What has he done to my Robin!" she screamed. Jinx and Kid Flash turned to Cyborg.
"We're not going to listen to him." Jinx insisted. "We'll keep helping you."
"No." Cyborg said firmly. "Star and I will do this on our own. Ya don't understand Slade. He is serious about killing Robin."
"But isn't it our duty as heroes to help other heroes?" asked Kid Flash.
"Slade is different." Replied Cyborg firmly. "He is bent on destroying us titans and he will obliterate anyone who gets in his way."
"We're not afraid." Said Jinx confidently.
"Listen you guys, we really appreciate ya trying to help us. But Slade is our nemesis, not yours. We'll have to take him down on our own. But you can help us by keeping law and order in the city."
Realizing that this was the titans' fight and not theirs, Jinx and Kid Flash agreed to watch over the city for the titans while they focused on Slade.
Cyborg and Starfire were once again on their own. With Jinx and Kid Flash taking care of the city, that freed them up to try to free Robin. Cyborg spent hours trying to trace Slade's headquarters while Starfire took care of Beast Boy. He was now conscious but was still too badly injured to be of any help on missions. Cyborg and Starfire hated having to leave him alone at the tower when they went out on missions, but they really did not have a choice.
"You really saw Robin?" asked Beast Boy as Starfire brought him a tray of tofu eggs. Unlike Cyborg, she was much more accommodating when it came to his dietary habits.
"Yes," she replied sadly. "Slade was being not nice to him."
"I really wish I could be of help to the team." Beast Boy said wistfully as he gazed at his casts.
"Don't worry. I'm sure you will be better soon." Starfire said optimistically.
"Sometimes, I think that if Raven came back all our problems would go away." Beast Boy confided in her. "She could heal me, use her powers to find Robin, create oil for the city, kick Slade's butt…" His voice trailed off.
"Beast Boy?" Asked Starfire wonderingly.
"Hm?" Beast Boy replied before taking a big bite of tofu.
"Do you like Raven the way Robin likes me?"
"What?" Beast Boy yelped as he hastily swallowed his food.
"You were talking about Raven in the same voice you used to do the praising of Terra with."
"Well, everything seems better when Raven is around." Beast Boy admitted. He was not about to tell Starfire that he was madly in love with Raven.
"That is true." Replied Starfire sadly. "We tried to contact her but we could not."
"I'm sure she will come back." Beast Boy said looking down at his food. "I'm sure she'll come to save us all." He added.
"Is there anything else I can do for you?" asked Starfire sweetly.
"No. Thanks Star." Beast Boy smiled gratefully.
"I will go help Cyborg now." She announced as she stood up. Beast Boy watched her leave before turning back to his food.
"Raven. If you can hear me now," he whispered to himself. "Just know that I love you. I'm crazy about you. If Slade kills us all before you return, just know that I love you and that there's nothing I won't do for you. I love you, Raven." With that, he leaned back on his pillow and closed his eyes, dreaming of the day that he would get to tell Raven what he had just said for real.