"Mom?" Daria repeated into the phone. "Mom? MOM!"
Jane grabbed the frame between the living room and the hall to catch herself after racing from the other end of the apartment. "You okay?"
"We got cut off," Daria told her, putting the phone back on its cradle. "There was a sizzling noise, then nothing."
"Try calling them back."
"Yeah, good idea." Picking up the phone again, Daria mumbled, "Should have thought of that myself."
"Hey," Jane wandered into the room, smirking, "I guess I learned something from all this time in collage."
"College," Daria corrected absently. Her look of worry deepened into a scowl. "No answer." She let it ring a few more times before shaking her head, "The machine should have picked up by now."
"Could it be a problem in the line?"
"I'd get a message that there was a problem or get a busy signal," Daria answered, standing. "Something's wrong."
"Your demon-sense kicking in?" Seeing the glare, Jane held up a hand and said, "Sorry, that was over the top."
Daria frowned, then grabbed the phone again. "Who you calling now?" Jane asked.
"Quinn. I want to know if she's heard from Dad lately."
"Why? What's up with your pop?"
"Jane," Daria stopped as she heard the phone pick up. "Quinn?" Rolling her eyes, she listened for a few seconds before grumbling, "I hate other people's answering machines. Ah," she held the receiver up to her lips. "Quinn, this is Daria. Have you talked to Dad this week? Let me know one way or the other, okay? I'm back in the apartment with Jane, so you have the number. Bye."
"So," Jane asked as Daria hung up the phone, "what now?"
"I'll give it an hour. Quinn told me once that she uses her cell phone to check the messages at her apartment between classes."
"You're really worried," Jane observed, her humor gone.
"Jane, I find out I'm half-demon just in time for said demon to turn me into some kind of damn weapon." She held out a hand in the direction of the back bedrooms. "Now I have my half-sister, who I've already tried to kill, living with us because we've both lost our powers. Given the fact that he's still out there," she held her hands out to her sides, "don't you think paranoia is a good idea?"
"When you put it that way, yeah." Jane was about to say more when the phone rang, startling them both.
"Uh, hello?" Daria asked.
"Hey kiddo," Jake Morgendorffer's voice reached her ear.
"Hi, Dad." Daria nodded toward Jane.
"Yeah, your Mom wanted me to call and tell you she was sorry about cutting you off like that. Seems she's had an upset tummy all day and she had to, uh, go do something."
Smirking, Daria said, "I understand. I'm glad you called. Look, I think we'll be able to come in a few days earlier than I thought. Um, did Mom mention that I'm bringing someone with me? Other than Jane, I mean."
"Oh, yeah. Hey, I'm looking forward to meeting your friend. Any idea when that'll be?"
"Hmm, about three days. I want to pick up a few things before we go." Daria relaxed as the familiarity of Jake's voice eased her worries.
"That's great! I'll tell your mother you'll be here then. Drive carefully, okay? And tell Jane and Raven I said hello."
"Um, okay." Daria closed her eyes tightly. "Tell Mom I hope she's okay. Bye."
"Bye."
"You okay?" Jane asked as Daria turned off the phone then dropped it onto the floor. "You look white as a sheet."
"He's got Dad," Daria whispered.
"Huh?"
"He's got Dad." Daria swallowed then looked at her friend. "Jane, he knew Raven's name. I never told Mom. How did he know it was Raven?"
"If I was an optimist," Raven said as she stepped into the room, "I'd say he recognized something from tv. But I'm not an optimist."
"You think Trigon has possessed your old man?" Jane looked from one half-demon to the other. "Why would he do that?"
"He's done it before," Daria pointed out. "He needed a place to retreat to when I threw him out of my mind."
"There may be another reason," Raven told her. "Since your mother had you, he tainted her soul with his essence. So, he might be drawing on that to give himself power."
"Are you saying that he's sucking power out of Mom?"
Jane took Daria's arm and urged her to sit. "You look like you're going to pass out."
"I feel like it," Daria admitted. Closing her eyes, she leaned forward to put her head between her knees. Hearing the beeping of someone dialing a phone, she looked up to see that Raven had retrieved it from the floor. "Calling in backup?"
"Or the calvary, depending on how you look at it," Raven replied.
"Dude," Beast Boy said as Robin strode into the room, "what's up?"
"Yeah," Cyborg chimed in, "you've got that look in your eye that says we're about to load up and head out for trouble."
"Get the T-Ship ready," Robin told Cyborg. "I just got off the phone with Raven. She and Daria think Trigon's possessed Daria's dad."
"So," Beast Boy scratched his head, "where are we going?"
"Oh," Starfire perked up, "Jane told me that she and Daria are from a dale filled with lawns."
Despite himself, Robin almost smirked. "Not exactly, Star. It's Lawndale."
"Sounds nice and boring," Cyborg commented.
"Not if Raven's old man is there," Beast Boy told him.
"No kidding," Cyborg agreed. Moving toward the door, he said, "The T-Ship will be ready in ten minutes."
"Then we launch in twelve," Robin told his team.
"Let me get this straight," Jane said as she pulled onto the interstate, "your collective father, a demon, has re-possessed Jake Morgendorffer." She had put on the outfit that had served her well through high school.
"Correct," Raven said from the back seat. She had on a pair of jeans over her leotard, with the cape folded neatly beside her.
"And you think he'd taken Daria's mom prisoner so he can suck energy from her tainted soul?"
"Something like that," Daria said with a nod. She was wearing her old high school outfit as well, although she had on her leotard under the jacket instead of a yellow T-shirt.
"So, instead of running away from this demon, we're going after him?" Jane glanced at her friend in the passenger seat before asking, "Doesn't that seem a little suicidal? After all, neither of you have your powers."
"Jake Morgendorffer is my Dad. If Trigon hurts him or my mother, I swear, powers or no, I'll tear him apart." The cold, calm way Daria spoke sent a chill down Jane's spine.
"Well, hopefully it won't come to that," Jane said, trying to sound calm.
"Well, we'll find out in a few hours," Raven observed, closing her eyes and placing her hands on her knees.
"Too bad I can't do that and drive," Jane observed.
"The way you drive you might as well," Daria commented.
"I don't see your butt over here."
"It's your car," Daria reminded her.
"Yeah," Jane smirked, "it is."
"So," Beast Boy asked as Lawndale appeared beneath them, "where do we land?"
"Good question," Cyborg replied. "I don't really see a place marked 'supersonic superhero jet landing area.'"
"Land in that parking lot," Robin directed, pointing. "It's next to the courthouse and -" His next words were cut off as a blast of crimson fire sent the T-Ship spinning.
"Hang on!" Cyborg yelled. "We're going down!"
Instead of the gentle landing Cyborg had intended, the ship plowed into the surface of a small field. As they climbed out, only Beast Boy took note of the goal posts on either end.
"Didn't see that one coming," Robin groused. Then, instinct and experience took over. "Everyone okay?"
"I'm fine," Cyborg snapped. "But it'll take weeks before the T-Ship is back up and running."
"I'm good," Beast Boy added. "Glad this football field was here to catch us."
"And I am undamaged as well," Starfire said. "Were you injured, Robin?"
"I'm fine, Star," Robin told her. Looking around, he ordered, "Let's find out where that blast came from."
"I will save you the effort, boy." Turning, they could see a figure coming out from around the bleachers on the home team's side of the field. Crimson energy radiated around him, giving the twisted smile on his face an even more evil appearance. His brown hair moved as if it were being blown upward by the wind. He wore a dark dray suit with a black tie. "Somehow I knew you would come. Somehow you and my wayward children would attempt to prevent my return."
"Jake Morgendorffer, I presume," Robin said as the Titans prepared themselves.
"Jake Morgendorffer is a tool for my use." The figure looked at a hand for a moment before looking from it to them. "I used him to prepare the way for my revenge, and now I will use him to exact that revenge."
"Gotta problem with that," Cyborg spoke up. "Raven and Daria have both turned against you."
"Daria's not sacrificing her sister to you. Today or ever," Robin added.
"You are not capable to understanding the level to which I am capable of controlling my daughters," the figure of Jake Morgendorffer said as he stepped onto the edge of the field. "They have both surprised me once, but now I possess the power to command their every thought." He laughed, then told them, "It is time to end this charade. You have hindered my plans once too often, and now you will die." Fire shot from his hands as he raised them.
"Titans, go!" Robin called as he dove aside to avoid the blasts of flame.
"Weird," Jane said as she gazed into the sky.
"What's weird?" Daria asked.
"Other than the fact we're both half-demons who've lost their powers and are now off to chase down our father?" Raven intoned from the back seat.
"Exactly."
"Well," Jane removed a hand from the steering wheel long enough to point into the sky, "I was just noticing what looks like red streaks in the sky off to the West."
"Okay," Daria admitted as she looked out of the window, "that is weird."
Raven stared out of the windshield at the odd streaks of red. The thin tendrils seems to glisten as if covered with glitter as they drifted toward the Southeast. "I haven't seen anything like that before," she told the other two.
"It sorta looks like someone dropped food coloring in a stream," Jane observed. "It just goes downstream."
"Only this isn't getting diluted as it goes," Daria pointed out. "In fact," she squinted as she looked ahead of them, "it looks like they're merging together."
A sick feeling hit Raven's stomach. "I think I know what that is," she told them.
"Well?" Jane asked as she glanced into the mirror.
"Trigon used a lot of power before he was stopped. He could be trying to draw it back to himself." Absently, she placed a hand on her cloak. "He's recovering his power."
"Is that possible?" Jane spoke up. "I mean, wasn't that energy used up or something?"
"Mystical energy doesn't always follow the same rules as normal energy," Raven explained. "And since everything he did was undone, a lot of that energy has probably been in a state of limbo."
"Just waiting to return to him," Daria finished. "Damn."
"Maybe I better go a little faster," Jane said to herself more than anyone else.
"Okay," Beast Boy said as he pulled himself painfully to his feet, "that could have gone better."
"At least we're not facing our evil selves this time," Cyborg told him.
"That," Trigon/Jake said as he smiled at them, "was for amusement. This," he raised a hand, "is for your doom."
Cyborg dove to the side as Beast Boy shape shifted into a bird and flew away. The blast ripped through the goal post and the plaque mounted on it, then into the school building across a small access road.
Starfire fired her optic blasts, knocking the demon back a few steps before he raised a hand to block the beams. As he did, Cyborg's sonic cannon struck, sending him flying off of his feet. The two combined their attacks, raising a cloud of smoke as Starfire switched from her optic blasts to her starbolts. After almost a minute, they stopped.
"Is that it?" Beast Boy asked as he shifted back to his original form and stood beside Cyborg.
"Has the Trigon been defeated?" Starfire asked as she landed on the team's largest members other side.
"Be ready for anything," Robin ordered as he crossed in front of her.
"How do you prepare for doomsday?" The Titans had barely heard the words before a wave of red energy roared from the smoke, sending them flying. The rip on the arm of his jacket showed that he had been cut, but other than that and his disturbed tie, the possessed form of Jake Morgendorffer looked none the worse for the pummeling he had received.
"This is getting really old!" Cyborg stated as he brought up his cannon again. This time, however, the beam did not reach its target before being stopped by a shield. Starfire struck it with several starbolts, only to see their effects negated as well.
"You see," Trigon's voice reached them, "my power grows by the instant. While you tire, I become stronger. First I will strike you down, then I will capture and sacrifice my wayward children. Then," he held up a hand and clenched it into a fist as he said, "I will, finally, take this pitiful little planet for my own."
"Dude," Beast Boy asked, "if it's so pitiful, why do you want it so bad?"
"Because, gnat, it is there."
"Oh."
"Not on my watch!" Turning, Trigon was too late to stop the steel-toed boot that slammed into his chin. Having slipped beneath his defenses, Robin kept up his physical attack, driving Trigon back. Using every attack he could muster, the Boy Wonder was certain he heard ribs crack and saw at least one tooth go flying. Finally, the body of Jake Morgendorffer fell.
"Holy cow!" Beast Boy stood with the rest of the team as they gazed down at the barely breathing body.
"Is he still in there?" Cyborg asked.
"I'm afraid without Raven we have no way to know," Robin told him. "But it looks like he's out cold."
"Then we won," Beast Boy said, unsure if the words fit. "Too bad about this poor dude, though."
"If Raven's sister was correct," Starfire said, "then this is the man she thinks of as the 'Dad.'"
"She's not going to like this when she sees him," Cyborg commented.
"Guys," Beast Boy said.
"Well," Robin said, looking at Cyborg, "I think she'll understand. We had to stop him."
"Guys," Beast Boy repeated.
"I guess," Cyborg agreed. "I mean, she is the one who called us."
"Guys!"
"What?" Robin and Cyborg responded as they turned to face their green teammate.
"I think he's awake."
There was a bright red flash, then darkness.
"Those things are coming down like a tornado," Jane observed as they pulled onto Glen Oaks Lane.
"Yeah," Daria agreed, "and pouring right into our house."
"This can't be good," Raven added.
As Jane pulled the car to a stop, the two sisters were out of the car and running toward the door. Raven crashed into Daria's back as she collided with the door.
"Forget to work the door knob?" Jane asked as she came running up.
"No," Daria replied as she dug into her pocket, "the door's locked." A few seconds later, the threesome charged into the room, then stopped.
"Oh my god," Jane whispered.
"Mom?" Daria asked.
"Mother?" Raven chimed in.
Helen and a woman Daria and Jane didn't recognize were floating in familiar-looking rings of fire in the center of the room. Both looked exhausted and unaware of their surroundings. The red energy from the sky was coming through the house until it reached between the two. Then, it divided itself in half and was absorbed by one or the other.
"But if they're absorbing the energy, where's it going?" Daria asked.
"He's getting it," Raven provided. "He's linked to them."
"That's your mother?" Jane asked Raven.
"Arella. That's Helen, then?"
"Yes." Daria frowned, then headed into the kitchen. A few moments later, she returned with a fire extinguisher. "Glad we got this," she said as she aimed it at her mother. After pulling the pin, she fired the foam at the ring holding Helen in place. For a moment the fire failed, allowing the woman to slip from her bonds and onto the ground before it flared up again. Jane moved to pull her away from them as Daria moved over and freed Arella.
"So," Jane wondered as Daria took her place by Helen's head, "I wonder what effect this will have on Trigon?"
Beast Boy blinked as he rolled over onto his stomach. Glancing around quickly, he realized he was the first one to wake up. For a change, he thought to himself. "Where's Trigon?" he asked in a whisper. Not seeing their adversary, he turned to his teammates.
As soon as they were all awake, Robin had Cyborg begin scanning for the demon and Starfire to fly recon.
"Wait, guys," Beast Boy held up a hand. "I think I might be able to do better."
"Oh?" Cyborg asked.
"Blood hound," Robin guessed with a grin.
"Watch my dust." A few seconds later, he was bounding along, following the scent that was a combination of cologne, brimstone, and sweat.
Just over a block later, they found him. The injuries from earlier had healed, but the aura around him had faded to almost nothing. "Lousy women," he was muttering in a normal voice, "can't even transmit power right. Stupid broads! Almost as useless as my old man!"
"Dude's got issues," Cyborg commented to Robin.
"And now he's got a few more." Robin smacked his fist into his other palm.
"Gah!" the figure cried out when the Titans surrounded him.
"Time's up, Trigon," Robin told him.
"Not yet, it isn't." He smiled at them. "I've been trying to absorb my power slowly through this body. But I think I've wasted enough time." The body began to glow once more, only to stall. The smile faded.
"Didn't work, did it?" Cyborg asked, smirking.
"Looks like the jig is up," Robin told him.
Glaring at Robin, Trigon said, "I have made one critical mistake. By using this body while absorbing my power I've become bonded to it once and for all. But," he held his hands over his head, "that also means that I no longer need those wenches to take back what is mine!"
"Titans," Robin said, realizing something was about to happen, "hit him with everything you've got!"
Opening her eyes brought pain, but also a fuzzy shape that looked like, "Daria?"
"I'm here, Mom."
"That thing," she waved a hand weakly, "it took over your father."
"I know all about it, Mom." Daria glanced over to where Raven's mother was coming to as well. "It's going to be okay."
"No." Helen shook her head before trying to explain, "He was using us to get his energy back. Daria, I'm so sorry."
"Sorry? About what?"
"It's my fault." A tear made its way from Helen's eye. "I wanted Jake to be more manly."
"You summoned Trigon?"
Helen nodded once. "I didn't think it would work. Willow and I did it as a lark. I didn't realize something was wrong with Jake until it was too late to stop. And then I found out a few weeks later I was pregnant. Oh, sweety," she brushed a hand over Daria's face, "I recognized his face when he broke the phone."
"He's possessed a man," Daria heard Arella say.
"Daria's father," Raven informed her.
"He was using us as a filter to keep from absorbing power so quickly it destroyed his host before he could sustain power on his own."
"Uh," Jane pointed, "speaking of power, that stuff is fading away." Turning, the others saw that the fire rings had vanished, and the red energy was draining back the way it had come.
"I don't think that's a good thing," Raven said to no one.
Jane ran to the door, then into the yard. A few seconds later she was back. "It's going toward the school."
"He must have started taking the energy in himself," Arella muttered.
Raven looked at the quickly fading energy. With a growl, she launched herself into the middle of it. There was a mild spark before she was thrown back.
"That wasn't too smart," Daria told her as she helped Raven to her feet.
"I got what I needed, though," Raven said.
"What, shock treatment?" Jane asked her.
"No," Raven held out a hand, revealing a slight reddish haze, "a bit of power."
"What are you planning on doing with that?" Daria asked.
"We need to find out what happened to our powers," Raven replied. "This will give us the energy to do it." Taking a deep breath, she looked at Jane. "Go ahead, we'll catch up."
Looking from one sister to the other, Jane nodded. "Okay, but you guys be careful. No getting lost in each other's heads this time."
"There you go," Daria said with a smirk, "ruining all my fun."
The first flash of energy looked like a crimson lightning bolt. As it struck the body of Jake Morgendorffer, the shock wave knocked the Titans backward.
"I'm getting tired of that," Beast Boy groused.
"Titans," Robin called out as he hurled explosive birdarangs at their foe, "hit him!"
Starfire and Cyborg unleashed their energy attacks as Beast Boy took to the air. When he saw that they had stopped firing, he changed to a rhino and fell onto the surprised demon. A second later, however, and the monster had hurled Beast Boy off of himself and into Robin's path.
Beast Boy reverted to normal, allowing Robin to leap over him without breaking stride. He then had to leap over a fireball that was sent his way as he hurled more explosives. Cyborg closed the distance and landed a punch to Trigon's jaw. The human head spun three times before turning to look at the teen and winking. As he opened his eye, however, two additional eyes also opened.
"I am more powerful now than when I bested you before," the demon boasted with his renewed voice.
"Great set of pipes," Beast Boy told him as he changed into an elephant and charged. Trigon grabbed Cyborg and threw him at his teammate. Beast Boy became a dog for a second, then, as Cyborg passed overhead, he changed back into an elephant.
Starfire blasted Trigon from behind with her optic blasts just before Beast Boy collided with him. The demon grunted and fell under Beast Boy's feet, then climbed back up in time to blast Starfire from the air.
I am about to hurt, Starfire thought in her native language as the ground rushed up at her. At the last moment, however, someone caught her. "Robin?" she muttered.
"Nope," Jane answered, setting the alien down. "Don't blame you for wanting it to be him, though. He's kinda cute."
"Friend Jane," Starfire sat up. "If you are here, where are Raven and Daria?"
"Trying to jump start themselves." Jane looked over to where Cyborg and Robin were trying to hit Trigon and Beast Boy was trying to hold him still by becoming a python. Jane winced as one of Robin's punches hit Beast Boy as Trigon moved. "That's gotta hurt," she commented.
"Thank you, friend Jane, but I must return to the battle." Starfire leaped into the air, leaving Jane alone.
"Into the battle. Yeah, I can do that," Jane said as she ran after the Titan.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos." the sisters were seated in the floor of Daria's old room. Below them, their mothers were resting, leaving them to their own actions. As they repeated the mantra, they could feel something going on.
I don't know anything about this part of our powers, Daria though as the tried to concentrate. Raven's going to have to take the lead, here.
I can hear your thoughts, she heard Raven's voice in her mind. If you want me to, I will take the lead. But you have to trust me completely.
This is dangerous, isn't it?
There is a chance we could become one mind for good.
As long as you don't tell Jane about how much I enjoyed kissing Tom, you've got a deal.
Raven gave a slight nod, despite knowing Daria wouldn't see it with her eyes closed. Then, she used the power she had taken earlier and used it to free her soul-self. The black shadow crossed over and merged with Daria's body.
We have become one, Raven/Daria thought. There is no 'we' only 'I.' Now, I can look at my souls without confusion. Two spinning lights appeared. Both were white, but each had specks of black and green mixed in.
"This isn't right," she said. "There should only be one color. This must be what has happened. When Raven was saved, pieces of both souls were exchanged." After a moment, the figure nodded and said, "They must be separated once more."
Moving between them, she concentrated and pulled both of the souls into herself. This goes here, she said, pulling a sliver free, and this goes there. As she continued, the thought arose; This is going to take time I don't have.
I must take drastic action. If, while my minds and souls are merged together in one place, I separate into my two selves, the souls should do the same. But it might also cause me pain and possibly kill me.
"I hate pain." The voice of one of her selves echoed from a memory.
"But it's the only chance," she argued. With a sigh, she looked inward and began to separate her two selves.
Trigon had Cyborg by the throat and was busy trying to break his neck when a boot slammed up between his legs. Dropping Cyborg, Trigon turned to see a familiar face frowning at him as Robin turned slightly green.
"Well, how are you, Jane-O?" Trigon asked her. "I see you've decided to leave my errant daughter and join in the fight."
"Dude," Beast Boy muttered to Cyborg, "he barely felt that."
"Oh, thought I'd come by and thank you for ruining our lives!" Jane brought her foot up again, only to have it grabbed. Trigon spun once with Jane, then tossed her over the buildings. When Starfire started to go after her, the demon blasted her into the side of a building, leaving an indentation large enough to keep her from falling out and onto the ground.
"Starfire!" Robin turned from where she was suspended to the demon responsible. With a growl, he threw more explosives at Trigon as he closed with the monster.
"You don't realize you're already beaten," Trigon said as he ignored the explosions. The sonic cannon blast was also ignored. "This world is mine. And there is no room for you on it."