bay.*
"actually, I kind of already have a place where we can go, but we could build a tower as a sort of front Make all the villains think we live there, but in actuality, we live somewhere else and to make it seem like we actually live there. We put some stuff there and whenever we come home from a mission, we go there and if we want to teleport back to the actual base." he says with a thanking face seeing that it would be a good idea to know that they are there and a safe way to get back and forth to their actual base.
*The Teen Titans look impressed by the strategic thinking. Beast Boy grins.* "Dude, you've totally thought this through! Secret base, decoy tower, it's genius!"
" yeah but we need money to build it."
*Raven crosses her arms, considering.* "Money won't be an issue. We can... acquire funds through various means." *She gives Max a meaningful look, implying less than legal methods if necessary.* "And Starfire could use her royal connections to help fund legitimate construction."
" Starfire Is a princess from another planet, so I don't think she has any connections on her do you? " He asked, she Shook her head no
*Cyborg scratches his chin thoughtfully.* "Well, I could probably get us some freelance tech work. Fixing stuff, building gadgets for paying clients."
*Beast Boy snaps his fingers.* "Hey! What about superhero stuff? Like, people pay for rescues and saving cities and all that, right?"
*Raven shakes her head.* "Heroes don't charge for saving people."
"I have a way of making money, but you guys might not like it but before we do anything else, how much more do you think we would need precisely to put a giant T shaped tower with at least 10 rooms a high-tech training area space and a teleportation machine
*The group falls silent, considering the ambitious design. Cyborg finally speaks up.* "For something like that... at least a few million dollars. Maybe more, depending on the tech and security systems we want."
"Well, I currently have 30 million in my bank account, but I know a way for us to get it really fast and it's kind of legal."
*The Titans stare at Max in disbelief.*
*Cyborg's jaw practically drops.* "Thirty million?! Bro, why didn't you lead with that?!"
*Beast Boy's eyes go wide.* "Dude, you're loaded!"
*Raven raises an eyebrow, genuinely intrigued.* "Thirty million... and you said 'kind of' legal?" *She folds her arms.*
"I fight in underground boxing rings. The money is easy and everyone who participates Is someone who wants to be there? It's how I manage to pay for my actual base in this suit."
*The Titans exchange glances, their expressions varying from shocked to impressed.* "Underworld boxing... that's actually pretty genius," Cyborg admits. "But also really dangerous." *Raven nods in agreement.* "How often do you fight? And what are the stakes?" *Starfire looks concerned.* "Max..."
"There are no steaks it's completely legit. We just win more money and we keep going until we're done or until you lose however, much money you have gets sent to the Winner of the match." he explained.
*Cyborg whistles.* "That explains your suit and the base. But 30 million just from boxing? You must be undefeated, man."
*Beast Boy eyes him with newfound respect.* "You been holding out on us."
*Raven narrows her eyes.* "If it's truly legal and consensual, then it's a viable option. We need that tower."
"OK, follow me. I'll take us to the base. Where we can discuss this further." He said, as they followed me to the base with Cyborg riding on beast boys back as he had transformed into a pterodactyl we eventually reached the base.
*The base is an impressive underground facility—clearly Max's personal design. High-tech consoles line the walls, training dummies and weapons racks fill one section, and a large central holographic display shows various city surveillance feeds. It's clean, organized, and clearly well-funded.*
*As they enter, Beast Boy shifts back to human form.* "Whoa..."
" so what do you think?" he said with a smirk as they entered, shutting the doors behind them
*Cyborg whistles, his mechanical eye scanning the facility.* "This is top-tier stuff, man. Better than anything I've worked with."
*Raven nods slowly.* "It's well designed. Secure location, good surveillance setup."
*Starfire floats through the air, her eyes wide with wonder as she takes in every detail.* "It is magnificent! So much space and technology!"
"Yeah, I tried my best now if we're going to continue this, I have a place for that." He said, opening a door that leads down to the lower floors once I got to the first floor they hopped into the elevator, going to the meeting Hall
"The elevator descends smoothly, passing through several secure levels before opening into a spacious meeting hall. Circular tables, holographic projectors, and a massive monitor dominate the room. The walls are lined with monitors showing various locations across Jump City.*
*Beast Boy leans against a console.* "Alright, so you were gonna explain how we get that tower fast? The kinda legal way?"
"We go to that boxing ring I was telling you about Raven and cyborg will be there as my manager's taking beds, placing them on me as each time I would win they would gain money too in the matches, I don't participate, and eventually, we would breach our designated amount.
*Raven's expression remains neutral, but she nods slowly.* "A sound strategy. We observe, place strategic bets, and accumulate funds efficiently."
*Cyborg grins, rubbing his metallic hands together.* "I can crunch the odds, calculate the best betting spreads. This could actually work."
*Beast Boy bounces on his heels.* "What about me? What do Starfire and I do?"
" You two wait outside the building in case something goes wrong."
*Beast Boy pouts slightly.* "Aw man, outside duty? Bo-ring."
*Starfire nods solemnly.* "I understand. We shall be the lookout and ensure no danger approaches!"
*Raven glances at Max.* "Smart. Having them outside covers our retreat if things go sideways."
*Cyborg cracks his knuckles.* "Alright then. When do we start?"
"We have to start tomorrow because of the alien attack. I'm sure that place is closed down tonight. Probably start up tomorrow at the latest."
*Cyborg nods in agreement.* "Makes sense. Gives us time to scout the location too."
*Raven folds her arms.* "And time to establish cover stories. We need to look the part of legitimate managers."
*Beast Boy stretches his arms.* "So what do we do tonight? Just chill here?"
*Starfire claps her hands together excitedly.**Starfire beams.* "Wonderful! I shall explore this magnificent base! There are so many intriguing rooms and gadgets to discover!" *She rushes off to explore the facility, her laughter echoing through the halls.*
"Someone, Should probably follow her to make sure she doesn't do anything crazy." he said sighing.
*Beast Boy salutes dramatically.* "I'm on it!" *He shifts into a green monkey and swings after Starfire, chattering playfully.*
*Cyborg chuckles and shakes his head.* "Good luck keeping up with her, BB."
*Raven smirks faintly.* "He'll have his hands full."
*Cyborg turns back to Max.*
""Cyborg, can you create fake identities for yourself and Raven to make yourself seem like legit managers for me."
"Of course," *Cyborg replies confidently.* "I'll create convincing backstories and even forge some ID cards. We'll look like seasoned boxing managers. No one will suspect a thing." *He pulls out a small device and starts typing away, his mechanical fingers moving with lightning speed.*
"OK, then, I'll go start dinner Raven, do you want to help?"
Raven looks up from the console where she'd been monitoring feeds. "I... suppose. Though I warn you, my cooking is adequate at best." *She follows Max toward the elevator going back to the top floor and went towards kitchen*
" It's OK I'm not the best cooker myself so how about we do something basic like cheeseburgers." He said, pulling out patties from the refrigerator
*Raven watches as Max gathers the ingredients, her purple eyes softening slightly.* "Cheeseburgers are acceptable." *She moves to the counter and starts pulling out buns.* "I'll handle the buns and lettuce. You manage the patties."
*As she works, she glances at Max.* "The underground ring... is there anyone there you need to worry about?"
"No, there's no one there that has a particular against me that I know of. I did make friends with one person, though her name is Electra she Is like cyborg but more human and she also can you use electricity In her fists." he says thinking about her.
*Raven pauses, a genuine flicker of interest in her eyes.* "She sounds formidable. And potentially useful."
*She continues assembling the lettuce and tomatoes.* "If she's trustworthy, having an ally with combat experience in that environment could serve us well. What makes you trust her?" *Her voice is casual, but there's an edge of curiosity beneath it.* "Fought together?"
"I fought her after which we did tag team match and slowly became friends and matter fact, she helped me set this entire place up."
*Raven stops what she's doing, looking genuinely surprised—a rare expression for her.* "She helped build this facility?"
*She resumes slicing tomatoes with precise movements.* "That's... significant. Building trust takes time, and you clearly have hers."
*The sizzle of patties hitting the pan fills the kitchen as Max cooks.*
"Will she be at the ring tomorrow?"
" she might be there she might not be." he said.
*Raven nods slowly, absorbing the information.* "Either way, good to know we might have a friendly face there."
*She finishes preparing the buns and moves to the stovetop, watching Max flip the patties. The sizzling fills the comfortable silence between them.*
"Electra... the electricity ability. Is it technological like Cyborg's systems, or something innate?"
"Yeah, she's cybernetically enhanced."
*Raven nods, seeming to find that explanation satisfactory.* "Cyborg could likely relate to her then, having similar enhancements himself." *She picks up a spatula, ready to help assemble the burgers once the patties are cooked.* "Any other unique traits or abilities you've noticed about her?"
"She's always flirty quick to anger, but a really good friend to have in your corner always having your back."
*Raven's lip curls slightly.* "Flirty and quick to anger. That sounds... exhausting."
*But her expression softens.* "Having someone who always has your back though—that's rare."
*She helps assemble the burgers as Max finishes cooking the patties, handing him plates.*
*The elevator dings and Starfire zooms in, eyes sparkling.*
"I knew you would come The minute you smelled food, but where is beast boy He should be right behind you."
*Starfire giggles, floating closer to the island.* "He is... occupied with something he found in one of the storage rooms!" *She sniffs the air appreciatively.* "Mmm, what are these they smell delicious." she asked.
" it's called a cheeseburger it's really good and what kind of thing did beast boy find?" he asked
*Starfire tilts her head, tapping a finger against her chin.* "I am... not entirely certain? It was a large box with many buttons and a screen. He became very excited and started pressing everything at once!"
*From somewhere deep in the facility, a loud CRASH echoes through the walls, followed by Beast Boy's muffled voice yelling:* "I'M OKAY!"
"Beast boy did you find a video game?that I stashed passed away?"
*Another crash reverberates through the facility, this time accompanied by Beast Boy's excited yell:* "NO, IT'S BETTER THAN THAT!" *Seconds later, he bounds into the kitchen in his human form, eyes wide with excitement.* "Guys, you have to see this!"
"Fine just let us finish the burgers real quick and don't worry I made a vegetarian burger for you."
*Beast Boy's expression softens as he spots his burger.* "Aw, thanks Max!" *He hops onto a stool, barely containing his excitement.* "But seriously, you guys are gonna flip when you see this!"
I put the last burger on a plate. I had made 30 burgers because I knew how much StarFire would eat. " OK then show us What you found?"
*Beast Boy grabs his burger with one hand and reaches into his pocket with the other, pulling out a small remote control.* "Okay, so I was exploring that storage room we haven't touched yet, right? And I found this random box in the corner, all dusty and stuff."
*He presses a button on the remote, and suddenly, a section of the wall slides open, revealing a hidden room filled with advanced-looking gaming equipment, VR headsets, and several large screens displaying various video game scenes.* "TA-DA! It's like a secret gaming lair or something!"
" yeah I completely forgot I installed that."
*Beast Boy's jaw drops.* "You FORGOT about THIS?!" *He rushes inside, running his hands over the controllers.* "Max, this is insane! This setup alone costs like... a fortune!"
*Starfire floats in behind him, eyes glowing with excitement.* "Oh! This looks like the gaming chambers on Tamaran! Max, this is wonderful!"
" you had these kinds of games on your planet." he said from his memory of our president they didn't have this, but he guessed if an alien race with sophisticate technology can't reverse the universe they can make a pretty good video game.
*Starfire nods enthusiastically.* "Yes! Gaming is very popular on Tamaran. We have holographic games, virtual reality simulations, and even physical games that involve light-based technology." *She picks up a controller curiously.* "This looks similar but different." *Beast Boy interrupts,* "Max!"
*He holds up a game case with a smug grin.* "You forgot to mention you had a copy of 'Galactic Gladiators 7: The Revenge of Zorgon'! This is the rarest game ever made! It's worth a million bucks easy!" *Cyborg walks in, having overheard the commotion.*
*Cyborg's eyes lock onto the game case, widening.* "Whoa whoa whoa—IS THAT GALACTIC GLADIATORS 7?!"
*He rushes over, snatching the case from Beast Boy to inspect it.* "This game was recalled after like two weeks because of some lawsuit! Only 500 copies exist!" *He looks at Max with new respect.*
" you could play the game if you want I'm going to bed but remember the mission tomorrow." he says, leaving the room
*Cyborg and Beast Boy exchange excited glances before shouting "YES!" in unison. Starfire floats behind Max, watching him leave with a thoughtful expression. Raven observes the scene silently, her burgers forgotten as she considers the dynamics of the group.* "He's... different,"
"Something wrong raven" He says stopping
*Raven looks up, caught slightly off-guard.* "No. Nothing's wrong."
*She glances toward the gaming room where Cyborg and Beast Boy are already arguing over which character to choose, Starfire cheering them on.*
*Her gaze returns to Max.*
"You built all of this. You're giving them a place to unwind, enjoy themselves. You barely know us, yet you're..."
" being nice"
*Raven pauses, choosing her words carefully.* "Being nice. Being trusting. Being... almost too good to be true." *Her purple eyes study Max intensely.* "Most people in your position would be exploiting us, using us. But you're just... letting us be ourselves."
"I want to earn your trust not for it. We're a team a family even you're not my subordinate."
*Raven's expression softens—ever so slightly—and she looks away, breaking their intense gaze.* "Family," *she repeats quietly, like the word is unfamiliar in her mouth.*
*From the gaming room, Beast Boy yells,* "MAX! COME PLAY WITH US!"
*She catches his wrist before he can walk away.* "Get some rest. Tomorrow's going to be..."
"Going to be what?"
"*Raven hesitates, her thumb unconsciously brushing against his pulse point.* "Important," *she finishes, releasing him.* "Goodnight, Max." *As he leaves, she watches him go, a rare hint of vulnerability in her usually stoic face.*