Author's Note: And, finally, here's Chapter 6. Chapter 6 marks the end of 'The Call: Part 1' and leads, of course, directly into 'The Call: Part 2,' coming soon.

There are three parts to 'The Call' in all, each 5-6 chapters in length, creating a nice, easy-reading episodic tale.

If you've enjoyed 'The Call: Part 1,' then keep an eye out for 'The Call: Part 2.'

But before the next chapter can begin, the first has to end…

/

Chapter 6

'The Dead Waits Dreaming'

/

"My attitude was still one of absolute materialism, as I wish it still were."
-Francis Waylond Thurston, concerning the investigation into the 'Cthulhu Cult.'

/

Ten minutes later, both Raven and Star had calmed down enough to talk.

While they'd been waiting, Gar had taken in Raven's room. It seemed his earlier suspicions were confirmed; the room had been kept in near perfect condition.

But, of course, it would be. It was her own room after all.

The walls, lit by the dozens of flickering candles, were covered in aging book-shelves, groaning with the effort of holding so many volumes of knowledge. The room… looked exactly as it always had.

The group sat on the floor. Terra burrowed deeper into Gar's one armed embrace. Star sat a few feet away, her arms wrapped about her knees, still shaken by the vision that had been unlocked in her head. Raven stood from her seated position and moved to a shelf on the far side of the room.

"It has been written that unfathomable centuries ago, when the world and the human race were very young, it was ruled over by the Elder Gods. They were strange, alien beings that had come not only from the stars, but from another plane of existence. They ruled over mankind as benevolent deities. The same could not be said of their opposites; the Great Old Ones."

She ran a finger along the rows of spines on one of the shelves.

"The Great Old Ones first came to this world due to their jealousy of the Elder Gods. They enslaved great portions of mankind, built their own great cities, and began a long war for the right to rule the Earth."

She settled on the book she was looking for and pulled it out, walking back towards the group.

"When at last the war ended, the Great Old Ones- Yog Soggoth, Nyarlathotep, and Shug Shuggerath among them- were sealed away into an eternal slumber by the Elder Gods. Fearing that their continued presence on Earth would summon more threats to the fledgling species, they departed. They believed that the threat had been neutralized, but they underestimated the threat of the Great Old Ones."

She sat down on the floor and set the book down in the center. It was very old and covered in arcane symbols. She brushed a hand across the surface.

"These are the writings of Abdul Alhazred, the Mad Arab, better known as the Necronomicon."

"The Book of the Dead."

Raven looked at Gar in surprise.

He rubbed the back of his head and grinned shyly. "Uh… I saw it on 'the Evil Dead.'"

Raven rolled her eyes and opened the book to a carven image of a great island city. As the group stared, it began to hurt their eyes trying to take in the mountainous structure. It seemed to be made of impossible angles that lead to nowhere.

"That is the city that I saw." Star gasped.

"It's called R'lyeh, and it is the final resting place of the Great Old Ones." Raven continued. "Before they were locked away into an eternal sleep, the Great Old Ones set a fail-safe for their release; their High Priest, Cthulhu."

She turned the page and they all drew back in fear and revulsion. The monstrosity on the page was done in grisly perfection, as though it could literally step forward from the pages of the tome. It's shape called to mind a man, an octopus, and a dragon all at once. It's scaly skin was a dark, mottled green and it had two membranous wings that extended from the back. It's head was a bulbous protrusion with two yellow eyes; the pupils vertical slits of darkness. It's mouth was obscured by a mass of writhing tentacles.

"Is that…?" Terra started.

Raven nodded. "Cthulhu? Yes. He, too, was sealed in slumber, but one not as deep as the other Great Old Ones. In his dreams, he was conscious and able to communicate with the minds of humanity. Through them, He spread his influence into the collective consciousness' of large groups of people all over the world. They, in turn, would prepare the world for the re-awakening of the Great Old Ones."

"You're saying all of this in past tense, like it's already happened." Gar said.

Again, Raven nodded. "It did." She stood and pulled another book from the desk next to her bed. This one was embossed with the image of a Caucasian man with very deep eyes. "I didn't know why, but I was compelled to read this last night. At least I know now."

"What is it?" Terra asked. "He looks familiar."

"In 1928, Howard Phillips Lovecraft wrote a short story entitled 'The Call of Cthulhu.' It's held as a horror masterpiece today, and it was the first use of the Great Old Ones in popular culture. In the story, Lovecraft goes into great detail about Cthulhu, those that worship him, and R'lyeh. What no one realized is that Lovecraft wasn't writing fiction. He was writing fact." She began to flip through the pages. "In fact, Lovecraft himself received the Call and was compelled to write the story, thus spreading Cthulhu's influence subconsciously in the process."

"Wait. Now I remember. We studied this guy in Literature. How could you possibly know he received this 'Call' thing? Wouldn't he have told somebody?" Terra asked.

Raven looked at her gently. "He never admitted it in public. But he wrote a letter to a childhood friend explaining the entire story. He had to tell someone, but someone who he could trust. His friend reached a certain level of enlightenment and was given entrance into Azarath… my home. As was custom, all of his books and notes were stored in our archives, and that's how it was discovered. We studied that in Literature."

Terra got very quiet very fast.

Raven finished flipping pages and arrived at her destination, sitting back so the others could see. It was a simplified illustration of an old steam-ship heading towards the same city they'd seen in the Necronomicon.

"In the final segment of the story, a ship, the Emma, stumbles upon R'lyeh and opens Cthulhu's tomb. Cthulhu is released and all but two of the crew-members die. The last sane survivor drives the ship into Cthulhu's head, stunning him long enough for the ship to escape."

"What do you mean when you say 'last sane survivor?'" Star asked.

"It's said that any mere mortal that gazes upon Cthulhu in the flesh is driven insane by the sight. Only those with incredible will can hold onto reality."

Star was silent a moment. "What happens next?"

"The island sinks, and Cthulhu is pulled back into his tomb by the vacuum of the sea."

"The city sank?"

"The time for R'lyeh on the surface is very limited. Once the stars move on from their set position, it sinks until the stars, again, are right."

Gar looked dubious. "If Cthulhu is so powerful, why can't he just escape?"

"One of the Elder God's provisions. The tomb can only be opened from the outside."

"So… why did Terra and I receive this… Call?" Star asked.

Raven shrugged. "My guess is that you were both at significant emotional highs at the exact same instant. That, coupled with your powers, drew Cthulhu's eye. Perhaps he's trying something different this time around."

Terra looked at her. "But my powers are gone."

"It's just a guess." Raven said defensively.

Gar stood. "The question is what do we do next."

Star stood beside him, her eyes blazing. "We ignore it. If what Raven says is true, then Cthulhu is a passive threat. If we ignore it, nothing will happen. Blood will not be so quiet."

Raven regained her own footing. "Agreed. But we have to keep in mind that he may have something to do with this. You said yourself that it was all too co-incidental."

"Very astute observation, Raven. You would've made a fine student."

All four turned towards the door in shock at the sound of the smoothly evil voice. The tall figure of Brother Blood strolled into the room nonchalantly. His wounds were completely healed, and he had managed to stitch his red cloth robe back together. He smiled coldly at them.

"Your guess is quite close to the truth, actually. Emotional highs and all that. But you're missing one key detail." His eyes locked on Terra, still on the floor. "Which is why I've come for you."

Star and Gar moved at the same instant.

Star's energy literally blinded her with rage as she struck out at Roy's killer, wanting nothing more than to snap his neck in her bare hands.

Blood clapped his hands and side-stepped her easily. He aimed a lightning fast blow that sent her crashing into the far wall. Books piled atop her and loose pages fluttered in the air.

Gar had already shifted into an anaconda, and he quickly wrapped himself around Blood from head to toe. Hissing loudly, he squeezed as tightly as his body would allow.

Blood just laughed and concentrated.

Gar felt a strange tingle just before his body exploded with pain as electricity surged through him. His grip slackened and he fell to the floor, already shifting back to his normal form. He stared upwards in a daze, his body still in spasms from the shock.

As Blood stooped towards him, Star exploded from the pile of books with a Tameranian war cry. She shot at him like a bullet, her fist out before her, ready to knock his black heart from his body.

He clapped his hands and in the blink of an eye, Blood was behind her.

"How…?" That was all she got out before Blood touched her shoulder and sent the same wave of electricity through her. Senseless, she fell next to Gar.

The immediate threat neutralized, Blood turned back to Terra.

Raven stood over the powerless girl protectively. "So, you can steal powers."

Blood nodded. "A gift I thought wise to keep secret in case I ever needed a secret weapon. When I at last received the Call, I knew that the time was right."

Raven's eyes widened. "You received the Call?"

He nodded, his grin widening as he stepped over Gar and Star's convulsing bodies. "Indeed. My brotherhood worshipped the Great Old Ones for centuries. Unfortunately, I am the last."

Terra recoiled, feeling more helpless than ever. "What do you want me for?"

Blood spread his palms in an almost apologetic gesture. "I myself lack the… talents… to open my Master's tomb. That's where you come in."

Even in her fear, Terra allowed herself a smirk. "Well, I guess you're out of luck then. My powers are gone."

"Oh no, child. You see…"

He spoke no more as Raven's Shadow Guardian emerged from it's hiding place and closed it's enormous mouth over him. It swallowed loudly and belched.

"Huh. I wasn't sure that would actually work. Good job." Raven told Terra as she stood. As soon as Gar and Star had fallen, Raven had sent for her strongest Guardian and telepathically told Terra to keep Blood talking.

"Hey. I can follow orders when I feel like it. What now?"

"We get out of here." Raven didn't mention how odd it was that Terra, with no powers, was able to hide her mind from Blood.

Terra hefted Gar's arm onto her shoulders why Raven grabbed Star. A bubble of dark energy swarmed over them, and when it was clear they were back in the common room. Star and Gar stood on their own carefully.

"Someone get the license plate of that truck?" Gar asked, rubbing his aching head.

"What happened?" Star demanded. The adrenaline and her alien physiology allowed her to recover at a faster pace.

"It's as I feared. Blood stole Titans East's powers. He hit you both with Bee's electric sting, and he out-maneuvered you with Mas and Minos' speed."

"What do we do now?" Terra asked.

"We get moving. I'm not sure how long my Shadow Guardian can keep him occupied… But you've got some explaining to do. Blood seems pretty damn certain you've still got your powers."

"But I don't! At least, I don't think I do." She noted the look on Raven's face. "What? You don't believe me? You think I'm lying?"

It was Star who spoke. "To be fair, it would not be the first time."

Terra's retort was cut off by Gar. "Enough. Can we continue this little spat in a place not directly below that psycho?"

The ceiling caved in as if on cue with a horrible CRACK and debris began to shower the team. On instinct, Raven summoned a shield that blocked it from hitting them. When the shower of shrapnel ceased, her shield faded… just as three tendrils of red energy flashed out from the dust. The whips wrapped tightly around Gar, Star, and Raven and sent them crashing to the floor. They struggled with futility against their bonds.

Alone, Terra stared dumbstruck as Blood walked towards her looking no worse for the wear. Casually, he swiped the last piece of gore from the slaughtered Shadow Guardian to the floor.

He was still smiling.

She tried to back away, but he clapped his hands and suddenly he was behind her. She screamed and spun just as he grabbed her shoulders and lifted her clear off the ground.

"Don't fret, child. I understand that you don't know what's wrong with your powers. So I'll just take them from you. And as much as I love the taste of live prey, rest assured that, in your case, I won't let you feel a thing. Consider it a gift from Dread Cthulhu." His left hand left her shoulder and grasped her throat in a vise-like grip, cutting off a second scream along with her air supply. Still grinning, he began to squeeze.

Terra struggled as best she could, clawing at his face and opening a cut on his cheek. Still, her vision began to blur. 'This can't be happening.' She thought desperately. As much as she fought it, blackness began to take her. 'Gar, I'm so sorry…' She mentally whispered, praying that he might hear her final thought. Her vision became nothing…

…And then her lungs were on fire as the air came rushing back. His hands were gone and she hit the floor, coughing as her chest tried to refill. Someone had attacked Blood, knocked him away… It must have been Gar! She looked up, clutching at her bruised throat, doing her best to show a grateful smile… that faded into a look of abject horror.

She would rather face Blood, or even the Devil himself, than the man that stood before her. He glared down at her with a single, narrowed green eye. She swore she could feel it piercing her soul. He was in street clothes and his mask was off. He didn't seem to have aged a day since the last time she had seen him mask-less.

She tried to say his name, but it came out in a choked whisper. Whether it was choked by pain or fear, she did not know.

"…Slade."

/

Blood slammed into the wall, reeling from the kick that had broken three of his ribs instantly. His concentration failed and he watched as the bonds holding the three young heroes faded to nothingness.

They regained their feet and stared in shock at their rescuer.

Blood stood and turned to his attacker. "Well," he coughed, noting the blood that appeared. "May I at least have the honor of knowing your name before I end your life?"

Slade's gaze left Terra and found Blood. "Oh, I don't really think my name is necessary."

Blood forced a laugh. "No, I suppose not. I do suppose, however, I should commend you for that well executed sneak attack. Ah, well…" He clapped his hands together to activate Mas and Mino's power and charged at Slade at damn-near the speed of light. His grin faded as he found Slade's hand around his throat. "H…how… how did you…?" He forced out before the grip tightened, cutting off his air completely.

"If you must know, the name is Slade, and I've been dealing with super-powered teens for a lot longer than you have." With that, he grabbed Blood by his robe, hefted him over-head, and threw him out the hole in the wall. Impassively, Slade strolled to the hole and looked out as Blood hit the water. "Hmmm." He turned and looked at the disbelieving teen's faces. "What?"

Gar spoke first. "What are you doing here?" He knelt and helped Terra to her feet.

She was trembling, and her eyes had not yet left Slade. "You… I killed you." She forced out.

Slade offered a small smile. "Nice to see you, too." He turned his attention back to Gar. "I'll give you the long story later, but right now we have to hurry. He'll be back."

"Give us the short version, then." Raven spat.

Slade sighed. "So distrusting, Raven. You'd think I'd done something horrible to you in the past."

Raven bristled, her face darkening. True, she could no longer feel her animosity towards Terra, but this was the man who had tried to use her to end the world.

That was something she would never forget.

"You don't remember, but I helped the Titans defeat your father and rescue you." He watched her eyes widen slightly in shock. He took them all in. "The last time I saw any of you, we were allies. Considering what we're up against now, I see no reason to break that truce."

Raven, Star, and Gar glanced at each other, then back at Slade. One by one, they nodded uneasily.

"How touching. Bitter enemies united against a common threat."

They all turned back to the hole as Blood rose into view, held aloft by Bee's wings sprouting from his back. His left hand held his broken ribs and his life's blood dripped from his mouth from his internal injuries.

Slade reached to pull the short sword from the scabbard on his belt, but Blood attacked with a cry of rage. The two collided and, with Blood's forward momentum, crashed through the far wall into the kitchen and through the wall beyond.

Star lit up. "Let's go." She floated through the hole they'd made with Raven in hot pursuit.

Gar started, but stopped and turned back to Terra. "Stay here. We can handle this." Before Terra could reply, he kissed her cheek and was gone.

Her mind was racing, thoughts chasing each other in her head. Slade was alive? And he was on their side? What in God's name was going on?

Whatever it was, she wouldn't find out just sitting here.

Resolute, she started after them. She had to find a way to help them, powers or no powers.

She was not going to be a scared little girl anymore.

/

"Damn it." Slade grunted as he crumpled against the caved in refrigerator. He'd crashed into it after the initial impact and it had saved him from being crushed like a bug into the wall. He looked around for his blade, but it had been knocked clear by the impact.

He was getting too old for this kind of thing.

"Looking for this?" It was Blood, standing over him, his injured ribs cradled in one hand, Slade's short sword in the other. He coughed more blood onto the floor, but still managed a small triumphant smile. "A valiant effort, if misguided. My Master could use someone of your…talents."

"No thanks. I learned my lesson about helping all-powerful deities already."

"What are you, exactly? That impact would have killed any normal person, and I can't control your mind. Yet you aren't meta-human."

Slade concentrated on his injuries, willing them to heal. 'Keep him talking.' He thought to himself. "In Vietnam, I volunteered for a Top Secret program to create a new breed of super-soldier. The experiments gave me some new abilities. Chief among them is that I use ninety-percent brain capacity, compared to your forty-five percent." He purposely left out his minor healing factor.

Blood nodded. "So your mind is iron-clad. At least… to control."

Before Slade could react, the blade sank deep into his chest, missing his heart by an inch. He hissed in pain. The blade retracted and blood began to flow. Slade covered the wound, applying pressure.

"But you're a fool if you didn't think I could still read your thoughts. I know this won't kill you, but it will incapacitate you. Enjoy the show… Slade." Chuckling, Blood licked the blade clean and moved to the side of the hole to wait.

/

Raven and Star arrived first.

"Where is Blood?" Star demanded.

Slade couldn't answer. A lull in his concentration could mean certain death. Instead, he could only watch as Gar ran into the room… and Blood made his move.

/

Gar never saw it coming.

The blade sank into his back, barely missing his spinal chord. The pain hit him like a bullet as he felt the flesh tear and muscles give way. He uttered a strangled grunt at the initial impact. "Star…" he managed to gasp as the blade was pulled out with a sickening SLIP.

Blood's mouth covered the bleeding wound and he drew deeply, feeling the meta-human blood already healing his wounded ribs. As he drew in a second swallow, he saw the incoming star-bolt and leapt away.

Gar hit the floor with a lifeless thump.

As Blood squared off with Star and Raven, they all froze at the sound of an anguished scream.

"GAR!"

They all turned to see Terra standing just outside the room, her hands on either side of her head. Tears streamed down her face and she let out a second cry that seemed to shake the very foundations of Titans Tower.

All of them, good and evil, stared in silent wonder as a faint yellow light appeared in her eyes.

/

This was too much. She would not, could not, get Gar back and lose him again in the same day.

As her first scream stopped the fighting, she felt herself being drawn into her own mind. She seemed to be back in the House of Mirrors. Surrounding her were multitudes of her own reflection. There was her when she'd first met the Titans, her in her Apprentice uniform, and even an image of her in her nicest dress on the day of her fifth birthday party. One of the reflections surprised her by stepping out of the mirror. Standing before her now was a mirror image of herself, except this girl was in a school-girl's uniform and had a sad look on her face. Her hands were clasped behind her back.

"I guess it's time." T said softly.

"What are you talking about?" Terra demanded of her other personality.

"I was hoping that you'd come to your senses and decide to lead a normal life, so I did something bad. Funny, huh? I'm the good one, and I did something bad." T didn't seem to think it was too funny.

"What did you do?" Terra noticed the hands behind T's back. "What do you have back there?"

T smiled sadly. "This." She pulled her hands out to reveal a yellow glow.

Terra stared in disbelief. "Is that… Are those my powers?"

T nodded. "Our powers. I hid them."

Terra was incredulous. "Why?"

T glared at her. "You created me so you could live a normal life. Then, all of a sudden, Cyborg dies and you want to start living again?"

"Of course I did! They needed me! If you'd have let me out, the team might still be together."

"And what about your friends, Terra? Your family? The people that loved you? You'd leave all of them behind?"

Terra stared her down. "The Titans were my friends. They were my family. They loved me."

T had nothing to say to that.

Terra reached out.

T pulled back, "If you take these back, I'm history. There's no more hiding. You fully accept who you are. There is no going back after this! Do you understand that?!"

Terra looked into her Other's eyes for the last time. "Do you understand that? Do you want this? For Gar, will you do this? Because I'll leave it up to you."

T hadn't been expecting that. Now that the original dominant personality was back in control, she'd been able to experience everything Terra had. She looked at the ground in thought, remembering his tender touch as they'd made love, his protective arm around her always, the look of devotion in his eyes, the words of love he'd whispered into her ear… then returned Terra's determined gaze. She grasped Terra's hand suddenly, and the yellow light began to unite them. "For Gar?"

They were united, and Terra found herself alone. All at once the mirrors shattered and she was falling back to her body. Even still, she felt T's final solitary thought drift through her mind. For the first time ever, the two voices were united.

'For Gar…Hell yes.'

/

Titans Tower shook as Terra, one of the most powerful women on Earth, got her powers back.

Her eyes lit with a burning yellow from deep within. A medium-sized boulder exploded from the floor below Blood and rocketed him through the ceiling towards the roof. He was too surprised to yell out.

She stepped forward to Gar's crumpled body and placed a palm on his face. He was alive. She met Raven's gaze. "Take care of him 'til I get back, okay?"

Stunned, Raven nodded.

Terra pulled her gloves from her pocket and pulled them on, looking at Star. "Ready for a little pay-back?"

With a savage grin, Star nodded and powered up.

Just before she pulled on her goggles, she spared Slade a glance. "We're not done."

His injury now more under control, he smiled at her. "Whenever you're ready to settle, let me know. But for now make me proud… my apprentice." He added her former moniker at the end in a mocking tone.

She scowled at him and summoned a second boulder. This one she stood on, and she and Star flew through the holes left by Blood and his boulder. They lew past the various floors, dodging small pieces of debris, until they reached the roof and found Blood on his side, staring at them in momentary disbelief.

His blood mixed with Gar's as it dripped from his lips.

Terra smirked and extended her palm, retracted, and extended again in the universal sign for 'come on then.' "Let's see you choke me now."

If Blood was intimidated by the two powerful women before him, he didn't show it. In fact, his reaction was the opposite of what they were expecting.

He started to laugh.

He stood up, wiping the tears from his eyes. "Oh, that is just precious. As it is, I got myself a trump card in case something like this happened."

There was a blur at the roof's edge and something flew between the girls, imbedding itself in the concrete behind them. They turned in unison to gaze in shock at the object. It was very familiar to both of them.

It was a shiny, red, razor sharp throwing blade.

It was a bird-a-rang.

They turned back to face the young hero now standing beside Blood, his body twisted in a fighting pose, his eyes glowing red.

His uniform had changed over the years, it's once gaudy colors now much more subdued. It carried a very distinctive armor design, while some martial artist elements still remained.

"No… No, this isn't fair…" Star whispered painfully.

"Now, Robin. KILL… YOUR …FRIENDS!" Blood cried in triumph.

/

TO BE CONTINUED IN 'THE CALL: PART 2'

/

Author's Note: Oh cliff-hangers, how I love thee.

-I love Terra's inner psyche moment. Had a blast visualizing it.

-Robin's uniform is a sort of mix between his usual Titans garb and the 'Batman Forever' design. Just, y'know, not as sucky. Don't worry, though. Dick'll have a costume change in a bit. That is, if he survives…

-The last line is a direct call-back to a 1984 issue of 'Tales of the Teen Titans.' The cover had Brother Blood instructing Dick Grayson to lower the Titans into a vat of boiling blood and saying 'Now, Dick Grayson… KILL YOUR FRIENDS!' Fun Fact: Brother Blood died in that issue.

So yeah, there's that. So ends 'The Call: Part 1.' I hope you've enjoyed the first part of the ride, and I can only pray to Dread Cthulhu that you'll tag along for the rest.

And remember, until next time; A little review never hurt anybody.