Ok, here are standard disclaimers. I do not own, nor claim to own any rights to the Teen Titans, or any other borrowed characters. I also make no claims towards any original characters I invent for this story.
"Yes Bruce I understand … it's OK, whatever you can send us will help … yeah, we're keeping the T-Ship, but that's because it was paid for by STAR Labs … and I appreciate the offer to come back to the manor … what's that? … the whole team can come? … thanks Bruce, I'll try to keep it from coming to that … say hi to Alfred … and thanks again."
Robin hung up the phone. While going back to Gotham wasn't his first choice it was at least a safety net in case he couldn't find a new source of funding.
The Boy Wonder turned his attention back to his laptop as he worked on a new threadbare budget for the Titans. He picked up his mug of coffee and grimaced upon sipping it, as it had been cold for almost an hour now, its cold bitter taste was as unpleasant as the situation before him. It was midmorning and Starfire was cleaning up in the kitchen after the breakfast he had cooked for the two of them. She noticed as he shoved the cold beverage aside and poured him a fresh cup, which she brought to him at the table.
"Have you completed your calculations Robin?" She asked as she sat down next to him, still dressed in her nightgown. Robin had already changed into his signature traffic light costume after spending a chaste night with his girlfriend. The pleasant night they had spent together was now but a fleeting memory as the difficult present reasserted itself in his mind.
"I think we can run the team for $3 million a year. Bruce has an empty warehouse here in the business district. It won't be as fancy as the Tower but we should be able to convert it into a livable headquarters. The only thing is it'll cost about 1 million to gut it and remodel it, and that's just for the materials."
Starfire listened intently as he continued.
"I'll see if I can get any local businesses to sponsor us, Bruce said he could give $500,000 a year, more when the economy improves. I just hope I can raise the rest. Did you see the business section in the paper today? Five of the largest local companies here in town have filed to reorganize under bankruptcy protection, and there are three more are going out of business. Getting the rest of that money is going to be like pulling teeth. And even if we can get the money there are other issues…"
"Which issues are these Robin?"
"Well, for starters the warehouse would be nowhere as secure as the Tower. We can't even take the alarm systems with us, so Cyborg would be wiring the place on a shoe string. If this gang war gets worse we would be sitting ducks. And speaking of which, a lot of businesses will be afraid to support us out of fear of retaliation from the gangs."
Robin stopped his report as he noticed that Starfire looked extremely disturbed.
"Robin, why did this happen? Why are there now so many more criminals in Jump City? What has happened to our home?"
The sound of the fax machine warming up interrupted Robin's response. The Boy Wonder walked over to the device, waiting for it to print a hardcopy of the incoming facsimile. The fax began to make the telltale whirring sounds indicating that it had begun to print and a single sheet came out. Robin picked it up and read it, frowning once he was done. He handed the sheet to Starfire.
"You're right Star, something's happened to our city."
The princess read the fax and gasped.
It was dark in the room and Beast Boy was feeling happy and cozy snuggled in bed, which is the way he usually was every morning. The Tower was silent, the mission alarms had been turned off and other than having breakfast there was no compelling reason to get up. Still it was midmorning and even the changeling had had enough sleep and was slowly beginning to beginning to wake up.
He stretched lazily and yawned as he slowly became lucid. That was when he smelled that wonderful aroma of lavender and jasmine. That was when he fully became awake.
I'm not in my room.
The changeling opened his eyes and scanned his surroundings. At first it was blurry but he vision soon came into focus. The first thing he saw was the massive bookcase which was loaded with strange books and artifacts that defied description.
I'm in Raven's room.
The green Titan began to panic. He had no recollection of getting under the covers or spending the night with his new girlfriend.
I'm in Raven's bed. She's gonna kill me when she wakes up! How did this happen?
Beast Boy was facing away from the center of the bed. He slowly turned around and saw that Raven wasn't on the other side of the bed.
"Good morning Gar, did you sleep well?"
Beast Boy nearly leaped out of the bed, clearly startled by Raven's greeting. She was still in her pajamas and was levitating in the lotus position at the foot of the bed.
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to … I mean I wasn't trying to … I don't know how this happened."
Raven lowered herself back onto the bed's surface. Had Beast Boy not been so terrified he might have chuckled at her appearance: her pajamas were rumpled and she had a severe case of bed head.
"It's OK Gar; you fell asleep before the movie ended, so I tucked you in. Oh, and you were right, I liked it a lot. We'll have to watch some more Miyazaki movies."
Beast Boy let out a sigh of relief.
"So what do we do now Rae? I'm not used to being unemployed."
"Is that going to be your pet name for me? You can't seem to stop calling me that."
"At least it doesn't sound dorky like Gar or Garfield."
"That is your name … Gar." She replied with a sly smile.
"It still sucks … can I call you 'Rae-Rae'?"
"No, I forbid you to use that pet name. I hate it."
"Not even in private?"
"Not even in private. You can call me Rae, take it or leave it." She replied in her monotone.
The changeling smiled.
"I'll take it."
"Smart man." She replied as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him.
Beast Boy felt a bolt of lightning shoot up and down his spine. He quickly recovered and wrapped his arms around her; they continued to kiss, still chastely but with a little more passion than the night before until they were interrupted by the sound of Raven's communicator chiming.
The two ceased their polite make out session and Raven picked up her communicator which was resting on her nightstand. Flipping it open she saw Starfire's irrepressibly cheerful face.
"Greetings friend. Robin will be holding a team meeting in thirty minutes. He asked me to notify you so that you would have enough time to get ready."
Raven sighed. Fun time was over, and now they would have to face the grim reality.
"I'll be there Starfire. Thanks for letting me know."
"I welcome you." The princess replied. "And tell Beast Boy to not be late as well. Did you slumber well together?"
A look of shock was plastered on Raven's face.
"H-How did you know?" She stammered.
Starfire merely giggled before severing the link. The communicator screen now displayed the Titan's logo.
"So the cat's out of the bag?" He asked.
"I'm afraid so."
"So what? We didn't do anything wrong."
Raven cupped his face with her hand.
"You're right. And thanks for being a gentleman Gar. That was my first make out session and your hands didn't misbehave."
Beast Boy chuckled nervously.
"It was my first time too."
Raven giggled.
"So we're no longer 'make out virgins'?"
Beast Boy blushed.
"I guess not. I'd better go back to my room to get ready. I'll meet you in the common room."
She nodded.
"One more thing Gar."
"Yeah?"
"Public displays of affection. I think we should go … slow with that for now, OK?"
"Sure, I understand. You just let me know what you're comfortable with."
"OK" She replied, followed by a quick kiss.
He smiled at her before he ran out of the room. She then looked around her sanctum. Everything was in its place and nothing was broken. Definitely a good sign.
Raven got up from her bed and marched into her bathroom.
Raven was the last to arrive for the meeting. Beast Boy had prepared her a small breakfast, using what Cyborg called 'real ingredients and none of that tofu crap'. Raven thanked him and sat down. She had been expecting Robin and Cyborg to begin teasing her and Beast Boy over their now exposed secret, but nothing of the sort happened. Much to her surprise Robin looked grim as he pulled out a fax from his briefcase. Starfire's demeanor was subdued. This could only mean one thing: bad news. Robin cleared his throat.
"Beast Boy, do you remember the gang banger who shot Raven?"
"How could I forget him?" He replied morosely. "I'll never forget his face."
Robin bit his lower lip before pulling a photograph out of his briefcase.
"Is this the gunman?"
Beast Boy took the picture from Robin's hand and reviewed it carefully. The picture had been taken at the local morgue and there was no doubt in his mind that the kid in the photo was dead. After a minute he nodded and handed the picture to Raven who frowned as she looked at it.
"It's him alright. What happened to him?"
Robin stood up and began to pace around the room.
"The report says they found him this morning in the same alley where Raven was shot."
"Found him?" Raven asked.
"Dead." Robin clarified. "He was executed. A single gunshot to the back of his head."
Raven tossed the photo back onto the table.
"A gang style execution, here in Jump City?" She asked.
"I'm afraid so Raven. Now we'll never know who he worked for."
"And they're firing us?" Beast Boy asked incredulously.
Robin sat back down in his chair. He felt a shiver go down his spine. He was their leader and they were the city's protectors and guardians. And yet he had never felt so powerless. Rejected by the people he had sworn to protect he felt ineffective and for good reason. This was the first time in his career that he was unable to stop the criminals. One by one he looked his friends in the eyes.
Starfire: the eternal optimist and his number one fan. He could do no wrong her eyes and yet … he had.
Beast Boy: The Titan who shared his painful past, the loss of his parents. Nothing ever seemed to affect him, and yet now … he could see the distress in the green hero's eyes.
Cyborg: His second in command, who would follow him into hell if asked. Was it doubt he now saw in his human eye?
And then there was Raven: Dark and inscrutable. She could have been his twin sister. He had gotten to know her very well over the years and could read beyond her blank emotional façade. She too was disturbed by what was happening in their city and shared his anger towards the ingrates who had sent them packing.
Robin jerked his head, snapping himself back to the meeting.
"The mayor says he needs cops now, not superheroes."
"He's a fool." Raven hissed. "Can't he see that a supervillain has to be behind everything that's happening?"
Robin shook his head.
"No he's not a fool, he's a politician."
"Same difference." Beast Boy retorted.
"I don't disagree with you Beast Boy, but that doesn't change anything. We have to be out of the Tower in three months."
"So what are our choices?" Cyborg interjected.
Robin pulled a blueprint out and unrolled it on the table.
"We move into this warehouse …"
Beast Boy peered over Robin's shoulder and read the legend on the blueprint.
"Dude, it says here that it's in the Harbor district. That place is a dump. Even a loser like Control Freak has nicer digs than that!"
Robin stiffened but chose to ignore the changeling's outburst.
"Like I said, we move into this warehouse … after we remodel it. It belongs to Bruce Wayne and he will give the title to us plus $500,000 to start remodeling it. We'll need to raise another 500 thousand to compete the refurbishment …"
"Will we be safe there Robin?" Raven interrupted. "A warehouse right in the middle of town will be an easy target for gangs. I don't see how we could keep our location a secret. And it doesn't look very robust. At least here on Titans Island we have the bay surrounding us."
"Yes Raven, that has been taken into consideration. Anyway, once we move in we'll need an annual budget of 3 million dollars to operate."
"Dude, where are you going to get that kind of money from?
Robin stood up again.
"Cyborg and I are going to canvass the local business community asking for sponsorships."
"How the mighty have fallen." Raven muttered under her breath.
"I don't hear any ideas from you Raven!" Robin snapped at her.
The sorceress shuffled in her chair.
"I apologize Robin; I just don't like this situation we're in."
"Neither do I Raven." He paused as he prepared to make his pitch.
"Listen guys, it won't be a 'dump'. We're gonna spend 1 million remodeling the warehouse. Sure, it won't be as nice as the Tower, but it will be comfortable" He said as he looked at Beast Boy. "Also, this is no ordinary warehouse. Wayne enterprises stored some very secret stuff there at one time. It isn't a place where they kept tires or containers of junk imported from China." He said as he switched his view to Raven. "It's a pretty secure building."
"What will happen to us Robin if we cannot do the raising of the money? I would ask Galfore for assistance, but Tamaranian law forbids giving money to alien governments."
Robin frowned.
"If it comes down to that we'll look for other options. If all else fails we have an open invitation to move to Wayne Manor."
Raven crossed her arms.
"And then what? And we all become the Bat's sidekicks? No thanks!"
"I'm open to suggestions Raven." Robin said in his own monotone.
"We'll come up with some." She replied. "Come on Gar, let's go."
Cyborg raised his human eyebrow.
"Come on Gar, let's go?" He repeated. "Is there something going on that we don't know about?"
Raven whirled around and glared at Starfire.
"So I take it you haven't told them yet?"
The princess giggled while she shook her head.
"Told us what Raven?" Robin asked.
Raven studied Robin and Cyborg's faces carefully. Cyborg was beginning to smile while Robin looked completely befuddled. It was true; the Boy Blunder didn't have a clue when women were involved. The only reason Starfire was his girlfriend was because of her own undying devotion to a certain Richard Grayson.
"Gar is now my boyfriend. I don't want to hear any wisecracks, puerile comments or any other demeaning remarks from either of you. And you Starfire, will you please stop gushing! One would think that Gar was your boyfriend and not mine."
After having her say Raven grabbed Beast Boy's hand and literally dragged him out of the common room, the sliding doors swishing shut behind them. The young men turned to each other and began to laugh. Starfire was not amused.
"Why are you laughing? Are you laughing at our friends?"
Cyborg was the first to pull himself together.
"Come on Star! Raven and the Grass Stain? I've got $50 that says they won't last more than two weeks."
Starfire looked indignant.
"I will acquire that wager." She harrumphed. "And I expect to be paid promptly when I win."
She turned to Robin.
"What is your wager Robin?"
The Boy Blunder had learned to not go against his girlfriend in matters of the heart, but he was certain that if he accepted Cyborg's bet that he would be out 50 bucks in less than two weeks
"I'm not a betting man Star; so I'm going to sit this one out." He paused. "Still, the very idea of Raven and Beast Boy being a couple does raise some unusual … possibilities."
Cyborg guffawed.
"For starters, what would their kids look like?" The tin man asked.
Starfire glared at the mechanical man.
"Raven and Beast Boy will have beautiful offspring."
Robin gave Cyborg a subtle gesture to not push his luck as he stepped into the conversation.
"Of course they will Star."
The premature argument over Beast Boy and Raven's progeny was interrupted by a series of loud beeps on the mission console.
"I thought we shut that thing off." Cyborg said in an annoyed voice.
Robin was already seated in front of the console.
"We did, but we forgot to shut off the TV monitoring system." He clicked away on the keyboard. "Set the TV to channel 27."
Robin looked up from the console.
"It's Slade."
The three Titans braced themselves for what they were about to see. No doubt Slade would be making demands that the city surrender unconditionally to him. What came up was not what they were expecting.
The show was a local business journal, which lately had been doing its best to put a positive spin on the economic crisis, stooping as low as proclaiming that the 20% unemployment rate was 'better than expected'. Today however they had an interviewee on the show. The show's host, Alana Bluespan, had a guest in the studio and the three Titans' jaws hit the ground when they saw who it was.
"So tell us Mr. Wilson about the investments you're going to make in Jump City."
Slade was dressed in a sharp suit. Except for his face mask there was no sign of his signature armor. He sat with an executive air of authority as he gestured during his reply.
"It's quite simple Alana; I've formed a partnership with LuthorCorp to open a robot factory right here in Jump City. We're going to introduce a line of domestic robots that will free homeowners from the never ending chore of cleaning their households. And please call me Slade. Mr. Wilson is my father's name."
"That's fascinating Slade. Will these robots be based on the technologies that you created during your, how can I say this politely … your previous career?"
Slade chuckled, almost sounding amused.
"Absolutely Alana. The advanced artificial intelligence technologies that I invented during my more … unsavory days … will have an entirely new and benign application with this new generation of robots. And they will be affordably priced too. My partner and I have projected a worldwide market of 10 million robots per year within just five short years. Not only will unemployment be a thing of the past in Jump City, we expect to attract the cream of the crop from out of town."
The hostess was almost gushing at the news and was practically eating out of Slade's hand.
"That is stupendous news. Will you be moving to Jump City Slade, maybe to the posh La Gemma neighborhood?"
Slade chuckled again.
"I considered that Alana, but my privacy is very important to me, especially when you consider my … controversial past. There is no way I could have that kind of privacy in La Gemma, or in any neighborhood in Jump City for that matter."
Miss Bluespan almost pouted at Slade's news.
"I'm so sorry to hear that you won't be moving to Jump City Slade."
Slade chuckled again.
"Actually, a property that would definitely suit my needs has come onto the market. It would offer me the privacy I need plus it has an unparalleled view of the city. One could even say that it's the most desirable piece of property in the entire community."
Alana was now gushing.
"That's fantastic Slade, I'm sure that our business community is thrilled that you will be moving here and joining our community. Of course I don't expect you to tell us where this dynamite piece of property is located, being that you value your privacy."
Slade continued chuckling.
"Actually Alana, I'd be more than happy to tell about where I'll be living. It wasn't for sale unfortunately, believe me that I tried to convince the Mayor to have the city sell it to me, but he wouldn't budge. He insisted that I lease the property, which I did. I signed the contract this morning in his office."
Alana Bluespan smiled back at Slade.
"Well don't keep us in suspense Slade, what property did you lease from the city?"
Slade turned and stared straight into the studio's TV camera. The three Titan's felt a chill run down their collective spines as Slade appeared to be staring at each one of them.
"Why Titan's Tower of course. The monthly rent I'll be paying will be enough to keep all the schools open. There won't be any teacher layoffs or school closures. I made sure that was a contingency added to the lease contract."
"But what about the Titans Slade, where will they go?"
Slade leaned back, tapping his fingers together.
"It was most unfortunate that the city had to withdraw its funding for the Titans, they have been here for what, 5 years now? They are a most effective team, believe me, I should know."
Bluespan giggled at Slade's self denigrating remark.
"And I think the Titans should stay here in Jump City. So here is what I'm going to do: Robin, if you're out there listening to me, Lex Luthor and I will sponsor the Teen Titans to the tune of $10 million dollars a year. Now I know this is much less than the 85 million you used to get from the taxpayers, but given that these are tough times in Jump City I expect that you could easily run your team on an annual budget of $10 million. I'll be coming by the Tower to discuss this with you …"
The TV went dark as Robin shut it down, unable to tolerate listening to Slade for one more instant. Starfire saw that her beloved was red in the face, with a vein throbbing on his forehead. After over a minute had passed the Boy Wonder finally spoke.
"That son of a bitch. He's gonna run us out of town."
Starfire place a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Robin, I do not understand your statement. How can Slade chase us out of town?"
"Think about it Star, there's no way we can accept Slade's money. But if we reject it we'll come across as a bunch of spoiled prima donnas. There's no way we can raise money after that." Cyborg interjected.
Starfire understood the implications and dropped her head sadly.
"Does this mean we are nailed?" She asked.
"Screwed." Robin corrected her as he sighed. "Will one of you mind telling Raven and Beast Boy what happened? I'll be in my office."
Without saying another word Robin left the common room. Starfire and Cyborg locked eyes and nodded at each other. The princess then took off after Robin while Cyborg trudged off to Raven's room. The last thing he wanted to do was interrupt the make out session they were almost certainly enjoying with this bad news.
But it had to be done.
Beast Boy was resting on Raven's bed staring at the ceiling while the sorceress paced around her room, mumbling to herself. While the changeling was not an empath like his sweetheart his animal senses and instincts served him well. Behind the ever present blank expression on her face a sea of turmoil was raging. After pacing a few more times she stopped dead in her tracks.
"What do other superheroes do?" She asked her boyfriend.
He sat up in the bed and rubbed the back of his head.
"Well, a bunch of them are rich."
"OK, scratch those ones. We aren't rich."
"Some of them have secret identities, like Superman or the Flash. Heck, Kid Flash and Jinx live in an apartment in Central City."
Raven shook her head.
"There's too many of us to do that, and besides that other than Robin none of us has a secret identity."
The changeling continued to rub his head.
"I don't know Rae, most superheroes work solo and not in teams. I could ask Mento for some money …"
"I'd rather not bring them into this. Aren't they your adoptive parents? They're gonna freak when they find out that I'm your girlfri…"
Raven was interrupted by a loud metallic knock on the door.
"Come in Cyborg, we're decent and it's unlocked."
"We're decent?" Beast Boy whispered to her.
"Can't I mess with his mind?" She whispered back, causing the changeling to snicker.
The sliding door opened and Cyborg cautiously peered inside. Raven's room hadn't changed all that much over the years and still bore a striking resemblance to a cross between the Addams Family and Halloween. He still couldn't believe that the sorceress and the changeling were now a couple. The mental image of them kissing and making out was almost enough to traumatize the tin man.
"What is it Cyborg?" Raven droned.
He took a deep breath before answering.
"You'll never guess who's coming to dinner…"