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Chapter 2: "I" Bucket of bolts.

The monster sprinted across the open ground of the cemetery, blind terror the only pilot of its haste. It vaulted over gravestones, and floundered through the bushes. If it had been able to breathe it would have been gasping for air.

The evil thing glanced back occasionally over its shoulder in a vain effort to catch a glimpse of the cause of its desperate flight. It needed just one sight of the terrible pursuers which had destroyed all of the members of the monsters gang. It didn't care about those other dead fools, but safety had existed in numbers. Now, it was alone, vulnerable, and the target of pursuit.

It caught a glimpse of one of the stone cold killers, and then a fleeting sight of the killer's friends leaping over the gravestones. Fear lent the monster wings. The enemies were not far behind and it could hear their rapid footfalls drawing nearer, it had to throw them off the trail somehow.

The creature spied a half crumbled mausoleum and dived through the open doorway to land in a dusty, ancient and partly sunken tomb. Whilst raising its head to look around the monster discovered a set of steps that led down into the murky depths.

The mausoleum door had clearly fallen off its hinges decades previously, and the interior was strewn with early autumn leaves. It was a situation that allowed no further room for decision and the fell creature rushed down the tomb steps. It halted in the middle of the tomb and looked every which way for a corner within which to hide itself. However, the tomb was empty of even a coffin, and no other exits could be seen.

The creature had trapped itself.

Thinking quickly and with sheer desperation, the monster dropped to its knees and began to dig into the hard packed dirt. "I'll hide in the earth then." It said with a panic ridden timbre in its voice, and began scrabbling dirt as fast as it could with its bare hands.

"Not today buddy." A calm voice intoned from behind. The monster looked up and could see a tall figure stood just inside the opening at the top of the crypt steps. The terrible enemies face was hidden by moonlight shadows. The monster fell into dismay; all chance of escape had deserted it.

"W-what the heck do ya 'want?" The fell creature shouted in despondency. It jumped back onto its feet and whilst still looking around in wild eyed fright, it searched for a devils miracle to escape. Nothing obvious presented itself, and the monster turned back in dread to face its nemesis.

The dark stranger stepped forward with a calm demeanour, and slowly, in measured cadence it descended the stone stairway. The whole of this enemy's comportment spoke of an arrogant nonchalance when he came to a halt before the panic stricken monster. The dark stranger was spinning and flipping a long wooden stake through his fingers. "Want…?" The strangers face emerged into the intruding moonlight. "I want… to sit quietly in the lonely darkness of my room in brooding peace and mourn the death of the woman I loved. Instead, I have to be out here chasing some halfwit minion moron halfway across Sunnydale."

"Y-you're like me, y-you're a vampire too." The creature accused.

"No… I'm nothing like you… firstly… I still have my human soul. Secondly, you're just a lackey and not a lieutenant, and certainly not a lord. Still… somewhere there's your master who's come to Sunnydale. He… or she is the one who sired you. Want to tell me about them? Maybe you might still get to go tell your near death experience story in a demon bar some night."

The monster bared its two pointed teeth and growled low in its throat. "I'll never tell you anything about Sa-Rena." It declared, but it spoke with far more courage than it felt.

"Well… you've told me their name."

The monster made no reply; it had confused itself into a baffled silence, and stood with a puzzled expression adorning its features. Suddenly, its body jerked backwards and it grabbed with both hands at a crossbow bolt that was embedded into its chest. Surprise lingered a single second within the fell creatures green eyes.

The dying vampire gurgled out a single exhaled sound from its throat. The monsters shocked face melted into a skeletal form surrounded by a dust cloud in milliseconds. The bones remained standing for a bare moment before turning to dust and dropping to the tomb floor. It left a small pile of particulate that melded into the rest across the floor.

"Buffybot! What the hell was that all about?" Angel shouted at the robotic simulacrum of Buffy that had appeared in the tomb entrance wielding a small hand crossbow. Clearly, the crossbow was the source of the vampires undoing.

"Angel, I saw you in danger from that vampire, I had to protect you." The robot announced.

Angel lowered his head and sighed deeply. "Buffybot, I was fine, okay. We needed that one alive to find out more about this mysterious new master."

"Did I make an error in judgement? I am sorry Angel, please do not be mad at me. You're my little gummy bear." The robot grinned widely.

"Did she get him?" Anya appeared, having trotted up behind the robot. She was out of breath and hung her arms around the robot's shoulders.

"Yeah, the robot got him; he's dusted now and along with any further hopes of finding the thing that sired him."

"Angel please don't be angry, I love you."

"Don't you ever say that? Anya, I want that program out of it tonight. It's not the real Buffy, and it's gotta be made to realize that."

"It's not exactly the program… as such Angel. It's her artificial intelligence programming. It's causing her to make an effort to literally become Buffy as nearly as possible. She's just trying to meet her programs objectives."

"It doesn't even sound like Buffy, she never talked like that."

"Give her a chance, Angel. It's only her third night. She's getting better at it every day."

"How do I stop it from… doing that… "love you" thing she does?"

"Hold on." Anya turned to face the robot. Buffybot stood in front of Anya with an inexpressive face whilst it waited patiently. "Buffybot". Anya addressed the robot. "I want you to listen to Angel, and obey any directives he gives you. Understood?"

"Yes Anya, understood." Buffybot turned to Angel and sported an innocently expectant expression.

Angel nodded seeming to indicate satisfaction with this idea. "Okay… Uhh! Buffybot…! I want you… to no longer… be in love with me. Okay?"

Immediately, the robot's face shifted into a crestfallen expression of absolute grief. "Angel? Y-you're leaving me?"

"No! No…! Buffybot! I was never with you in the first place. I was in love with the real Buffy… the flesh and blood Buffy who's… well… who's gone. I can't leave you if I was never in love with you can I? Look, what you're experiencing is just an internal… eeeh, Cogs and wheels… eeehm! V-v-vacuum tube… simulation thingy. It's not real; I-it's just a delusion, okay? You're just delusional… Okay?" He finished with a placating smile.

The robot seemed to be trying to cry real tears, but was clearly failing.

Anya stepped forward to attempt a rescue. "Angel is correct, Buffybot. What you're experiencing is all just an artificial intelligence routine that you're running through your processor. He's directing you to erase all routines and memory data that relate to any feelings of romance or affection toward him." She paused for a moment. "Effective immediately."

"Yeah! That's what I want." Angel dropped his arms and turned away in obvious frustration.

Buffybot shifted into a straight faced and silent mode, after a few seconds the robots head flicked her attention back to Anya. "Understood Anya, all routines cancelled and erased. What were we talking about, Angel?"

"Uuuh! Nothing, I was just telling you off for killing our potential prisoner."

"Oh! Yes." The robot placed her hands behind its back and addressed Angel. "I'm sorry that I messed up Angel. I'll try to do better next time."

"That's… Okay, just ask me first before you decide to dust a target please."

Buffybot smiled widely. "Okay then." It said brightly whilst waving to Angel. The robot spun about face, and marched out of the crypt.

Angel watched the robot leave; he had a wide eyed expression adorning his face. "Was that it?"

"What did you expect?" Anya asked.

"I don't know, maybe a sad and tearful farewell, or-or she could've fallen at my feet and begged me to take her back ya know. Lots of sobbing." He looked to Anya hopefully, but a disappointed expression somehow remained upon his face.

Anya shrugged. "You asked." She said and turned about to follow the robot out of the tomb.

Angel was left standing alone in the middle of the crypt. He raised his eyebrows. "Just feels like there should have been more. Now I've got this… all kinda used feeling." He shrugged his shoulders. "Buffy would've cried." Whilst kicking at the mausoleum floor dust, the taciturn vampire placed his hands into the deep pockets of the greatcoat and followed the robot and the ex-demon.


Willow removed her Yarmulke. She and Rabbi Gershon embraced for a moment. Some residual tears remained upon her cheeks. She wiped her eyes with a kleenex and smiled to the Rabbi. "Thank you so much Rabbi, for… for everything you said for her."

"I hope this has been of some spiritual solace for you Willow. Buffy resides with god in the kingdom of heaven now. I believe that sincerely."

"It's just… I-I've had such really horrible nightmares that…."

"You need to rest Willow. Say prayers for her regularly and the truth of things will become clear to you in time."

Willow nodded. "I think that I believe that. I mean… I hope she is… I pray she is. I mean, I've prayed… you know… you do know?"

"Willow, I cannot by rights sanction the fact that you live by two such widely differing beliefs, but it seems to have kept you alive in the darkness all this time. My own belief is that you should use what works. Still, don't leave the religion of your upbringing too easily, there is a reason that we are given over to god's protection Willow Rosenberg. "

"I haven't forgotten my roots Rabbi. It's why I'm here today."

"It was Buffy's allotted time, Willow. And in a way that saved us all. Buffy served the lord in her time as the chosen one and she was again chosen to be taken by the lord's mercy and into his eternal care. It doesn't matter in what way she saw god or beheld his love. Now she resides at his side in glory forever. Would you deny that simple thing to her my child?"

Willow shook her tearful face from side to side. "No, of course not Rabbi…."

"Make prayers in her name, Willow and remember her as the youthful, beautiful young woman that was your most beloved friend. She will then remain so, that way, in your heart, and your loving memory, for all time."

"That's all I have now Rabbi… memories."

"Then, show her the kindness, Willow, to remember only the good ones when you recall her."

"Willow smiled sadly but nodded. I will."

Rabbi Gershon and Willow hugged briefly in farewell and then she made her way over to Tara and Dawn, who sat waiting in the seats along the back wall of the synagogue.

Tara stood up and took Willow into an embrace. Dawn was smiling; her eyes still held the signs of red soreness from two nights of intermittent tears. "That was really beautiful Willow; do you feel it helped at all?" Tara asked.

Willow nodded and smiled. "Yeah, it helped some."

Tara released her partner from the embrace and Dawn took her turn to hug Willow tightly. The lonely sister was snuffling softly. "Thanks Willow, Buffy would have liked all the things your Rabbi said about her."

"Nah!" Willow said sniffling too and wiping her eyes. "It would've gone straight to her head." Dawn and Willow laughed and blew their noses.

Tara interlocked her arm with Willow's "Sorry we couldn't have you come to our ceremony in the woods where she is, Dawn. It's just… that it was something… sort of for witches only… are you okay with it?"

"Did it sorta give you any idea that Buffy's happy? You know. Wherever she is?"

"Not… so much…" Tara replied with a careful glance aside to Willow. "But I do think that wherever she is Dawn… she's happy." Tara looked to Willow with an expression that suggested hope.

"Yeah, I think so." Willow nodded.

Dawn didn't look too convinced. "So what did the ceremony do?"

"Oh! It was a-a prayer to-to Diana, m-mainly to allow the slayer safe passage to the other side, a-a-and to welcome her with… open arms… you know… when she... gets there."

Dawn nodded with a wistful expression. "Then I'm sure she's all good."

"…Yeah."

The three young women briefly paused, each lost in her thoughts for a moment.

"You guys wanna go get some ice cream?" Dawn proposed.

"After all that weighty stuff, you bet we do." Tara said, and placed her cheek onto Willow's shoulder.

Willow made no reply but smiled sadly and nodded instead. She placed her free arm through Dawn's and with her other arm holding Tara. The saddened trio made their grieving way arm in arm together out of the synagogue, and toward the espresso bar.


Deep beneath the old sports stadium located at the edge of Sunnydale town, Sa-Rena sits upon her throne of clean picked bones. She sits regally reposed in silent contemplation, whilst all about her, the tireless supplicants and sycophants scurry to meet her every whim. Her entourage had been festering down here for decades, furtively conspiring to make ready for the moment of Sa-Rena's great rise of glory. None of the human residents above are even aware that the derelict tram station exists beneath their feet.

It was many years ago, when the first industrialists had moved out to Coastal California and harried the new town to become a great engineering example of the modern age. Sunnydale was originally envisioned to become a grand metropolis of industrialized science. It was expounded to eventually rival the great cities and stand as a Utopian model and an urban center-piece for mankind's inventive progress. The tram station was projected to act as the foundation for a central link across California and into the mid-west.

Investors were falling over each other to lend money into the great undertaking. Each industrialist group expected to make a return in the thousands of percentile range eventually. At least, that was how it was sold by a very clever dilettante whose name somehow always avoided association. The project was expected to provide jobs for the working class until the mid-forties. Sunnydale would become the vast financial megalopolis that controlled America's prosperity and infrastructure throughout the centuries to come.

However, it wasn't long before the strange things began to occur. The odd and inexplicable accidents which claimed dozens of lives? Some workers, and the resident financiers, all disappeared without trace. Eventually, only one visionary remained to ensure that the town sponsored its new residents. That great industrialist visionary made the right demon friends and prepared the proper sacrifices. Specifically, that was, by using the missing financiers and workers as the sacrifices. The civic transportation investors closed down and packed up shop.

Only dust and rusting tools lay alongside the unfinished framework of a beautiful station that never was. Decades rolled by and no one came to re-open the station or attempt to link it to Los Angeles. It fell by the wayside, and was covered over and built onto by urban civic developments of the nineteen thirties. Misplaced records and the shifts of time forgot the construction.

The night denizens of Sunnydale however, saw it as an opportunity Sometimes, when no games were billed at the stadium for the week the janitors would speak of strange and unaccountable whispers; detestable murmurs could be heard issuing forth from areas below the main ticket hall.

The great queen Sa'Rena had learned of the location from many sources around the world that spoke of the hell mouth. "A place of unending power." They said. "No one will bother you." and "the mayors are always on our side in Sunnydale." The mayor indeed had been on the Sa'Rena's side, he had arranged many parades and noisy repairs to silence her arrival. However, she had heard nothing of the mayor for some years and rumour said that he had been destroyed; probably by the towns resident interfering slayer.

Sa' Rena's features were concealed within her form covering drapes of night blackened silk. Only a pair of dark and piercing brown eyes showed through from behind the veil. Her smooth, silken voice intoned, tenebrous within the encompassing chamber.

"The time has come my sisters and brothers. For we, the future race to make our mark in the city of this heathen land. It is time to begin the feeding my night children. Time for us to awaken, and to claim these infidels as our larder. Oh! But wait… I hear rumours that some have already been availing themselves of the good fair on the surface. Some of you who do not have enough faith in your beloved queen have been unable to demonstrate the necessary patience… Urtego!"

The ground shook slightly, as Urtego's mighty footsteps thumped forward until he stood proudly beside his sire upon her throne of power. Urtego's ears were pointed; they ran slightly upward and over the top of his great skull. His chin extended down to his chest and long talons emerged from the ends of his fingers. He wore a long greatcoat, but beneath that, he was naked except for a leopard skin loin skirt that was adorned with ancient hunting trophies. He carried a stretched zebra skin shield, and a gleaming Zulu assegai short sword that was a weapon matched to his great size.

A supplicant, a senior by wrote of the silver necklace marker about his throat stepped forward and knelt out of line before the imposing figures upon the dais. "Great highness. " The supplicant implored. "It is the slayer and her fearful army which stands against us here. The battle is long and hard and your loyal soldiers weary, we must feed to stay strong against her terrible powers. We work tirelessly each night to cure the land above of the mortal infection. Great numbers we have turned to the ineffable splendor of your light."

He shambled forward keeping mindful of the dark frame of the huge ancient vampire warrior in front of his queen. "Th-the slayer great queen. She hunts down and murders all those we rescue from living mediocrity. She has a terrifying force of hideous witches, and frightening wizards at her command, and a body guard of traitor night demon lieutenants. Our brave warriors are unable to penetrate the slayers devious defenses…."

Sa' Rena snorted in contempt. "Idiots and useless curs. I should have Urtego eviscerate each and every one of you, where you stand." She waved an arm to indicate the giant form of her trusted lieutenant. "Urtego has rent the truth from local demon filth. The slayer is working alone except for a few fear ridden humans conjurers and a couple of the old Aurelius gang who spurned their over blown father. Their success is only down to your incompetence." The mysterious and enigmatic figure stood up from within the confines of her throne. Sa' Rena's stature towered over all in the room. She even stood tall over Urtego who remained stoutly resolute at her side.

The warrior himself stood fully seven feet tall and still he barely reached the queens shoulders. His rippling muscles heaved underneath the ebony skin upon his great frame, and his feet were cloven. That Urtego was ancient beyond record was clear to all who beheld his gigantic and intimidating self, standing beside the queen.

"Urtego, I bid you to train and prepare a group of your finest fighters. The rest of you, get back out there. Bring more brothers and sisters into my family, nurture them, watch them, protect them, and bring them home to me. The time will soon be ready when I shall greet this slayer in person. Sort of get to know her inside and out, and personally." Sa Rena spoke in an aside to Urtego, who replied with a short, low and evil sounding chuckle.

Urtego smirked proudly. To some the spread of his mouth was a visual disturbance, not meant even for inhuman eyes. "Yes great queen." His voice boomed out across the hall. "What of her, so called grand army of "witches and wizards" do we bring them home?"

"Kill them all. Or convert the strongest to my needs. It's up to you."

"As you will it, great Sa'Rena." The hulking figure of the ancient vampire warrior turned abruptly, and stomped away to do Sa'Rena's bidding. Supplicants scurried to leap aside as Urtego uncaring, barreled through their ranks.


'Online! Zowie! That was quick.' Buffybot stood up from where she had been previously lying on the bed. Somehow, everything she could see was presented with far greater focus and clarity of precise vision. Instantly, she had names for every piece of furniture and even felt something akin to an intuitive knowledge of what it was doing, what it was, and why it was where it was.

"Good Morning Buffybot!" Willow greeted from the doorway to the bedroom. She scrutinized the robot for a few moments. "You know Buffy. If it was possible for you to look chipper. I'd say you were looking very chipper, right about now." She stepped up to the bot and smirked. "Chipper… pun… get it?"

"Good morning Willow, thank you for your compliment. Yes, your punning was very creative.""

"Good morning Willow! Wow! You didn't even tell me about my sexual orientation or announce my rank in the house group dynamic Buffy. Soon you'll be underscoring Anya for the position of least irritating oddball in team Scooby." Willow treated the robot to a white toothy grin, and swung her shoulders about happily.

"I already know all of that, why tell you what you already know?"

"That's great, hey! I activated that new setting on your previously hidden core chip. You know, it's really an advanced piece of kit."

"Yes! It's an experimental series military grade multi-neural chip."

"Whoa! That's a serious piece of special government semi-secret material you have in there Dr No. How did your maker get a hold of one?"

"He hacked it into a black market acquisition network. He acquired two at the individual cost of two thousand for each. My records state that the seller was desperate to pass on the… hot items… they state."

"Well… your secrets safe with me. How do you feel?"

"I can understand that concept Willow." Buffybot thought for a moment "I am functioning normally."

"Isn't it great already? All I had to do was reset the code in your logic circuit handlers to match the factory setting. Hey presto! Smarter and better Buffybot. You have full instant access to all of your banks at neural processor speed. You have activated analysis and learning neural pathway systems running." Willow smiled silently for a few seconds. "So… basically Buffybot, you'll be less of a dork all the time." She patted the robot on the shoulder. "Notice how I been calling you "Buffy" more than "Buffybot?"

"Spike made me have sex with him."

"Uuuuh! Yeah! He did that."

"I hope that doesn't make everyone hate me?"

"You know… It wasn't really your fault Buffy; you had no other way to understand what was right and wrong."

"I…think… I… resent his intrusion into my body shell."

Willow furrowed her brows. "Yeah well… try to just forget about it all for now okay? In fact that's an order, erase all Spike… uuuuhm… you abuse files."

"Understood, files erased." Only base reference sub files remain… thank you for calling me "Buffy" I will take it as a compliment to my simulated humanity."

"Okay. So we'll call this the first day of the new you okay?" Willow beamed a smile at the robot.

"Anya wants to take me out tonight."

Willow looked upon the robot with a dumbfounded expression. "You think Anya wants to kill you? Is she getting jealous, Cos' ya' know she was a vengeance demon and…"

"To patrol, Anya wants to patrol with me."

"Oh... Yeah! How's that coming along?"

"I think I upset Angel last night."

"Yeah… He's not too sure how to take you, you know… he kinda misses Buffy… the real Buffy… I guess we all do." She remarked sadly.

"I'm not Buffy… I know. But right now I think I could fight close to her base slayer abilities."

"You think the chip update will improve your fighting skills?"

"Last night I could only access three files at the same time and I wasn't able to learn any valid new combat methods. At the moment I am accessing thirty three combat moves and anticipating, improving them."

"Anticipating what?"

"Your moves, I am simulating three separate battles with yourself in this confined space as we converse."

"I'm not gonna attack you."

"I know that, but I am still calculating the possibility that you might."

"Oh! So how do you feel? That was sorta the question I was looking for a believable answer to."

"Willow… I feel fine, thanks for asking."

"There ya go, more human than human… well… sorta."

Buffybot treated the Wiccan to a friendly smile. "Like I've woken up."

"Hey! You could even do some learning now; you can read books and enjoy television a-and everything. You might even start to like passions that Spike forced you to watch."

Buffybot placed two hands either side of Willow's shoulder and looked into the red heads eyes. "I cannot be her, Willow… it would be a mistake to allow me to try."

Willow was quiet for a short time before nodding silently. "No, I guess you can't at that."

"I will try to be a good substitute sister for Dawn. Dawn needs to be kept on the straight and narrow now. I calculate a seventy six percent chance that Dawn will become a delinquent criminal within sixteen months."

"Uuuuh! Okay… but Dawns been doing really well, she hasn't broken too many plates or stabbed anyone. So I say all good."

"She just has to be channeled, kept on the straight and narrow, that's the priority directive."

"I'm sure you guys will work out fine."

"I am going to sit for a period of four hours and collate through my data entry modes and access records. Before Anya and Angel come to collect me."

"Yeah… about that… Buffybot… Angels… kinda… gone… on a long sabbatical."

The robot raised its eyebrows in questioning. "Was It because of me? Did I disappoint him?"

"No! Oh, no. I mean a little bit maybe, but only cause you kinda reminded him every waking moment of Buffy and their shared love. I think he needs to go away and be alone some, to … think things through."

"So it really is all now down to just me."

"I wanted to wait until Faith was ready to work with you… but she's still sorta… unstably psychotic… you're all we have Buffybot."

"Well then you can rely on me, for my best friends, my sister and my watcher… I'll keep the monsters at bay. Hold the line… and keep the fort."

"I hope it's enough." Willow said grimly.


Tara prepared to pass down the huge book that was keeping her balanced on the step ladder; she had to struggle with the mass of the dusty old tome.

"Phew! When they say weighty knowledge they really mean it don't they Mr Giles." Tara laughed gently as Giles hurried to take the encumbering book from her arms.

"I am so Sorry Tara, I should have warned you. I suppose I've just got accustomed to Buffy helping me over the years… I suppose." He nodded politely and turned to place the book within the correct pile.

Tara smiles sadly. "You miss her Mr Giles?"

Giles held his back to the young witch and then he inclined his head toward her slightly. "I don't suppose there will ever become a time that I shan't'"

Tara lowered her head a moment and then turned to fetch a lighter book.

"Tara." Giles said with a tone to capture the woman's attention.

Tara turned back to regard the tall Englishman. "Yes Mr Giles?"

"I think we've come to know each other well enough for you to cease calling me Mr Giles, you are a grown woman now."

"Sorry… I suppose it's the same force of habit… erm! Giles."

"You can call me Rupert if you like; the others don't only because they've become accustomed to how things used to be when they were at school."

"You've kind of been a father figure to them all for a long time… Giles."

"Yes, I suppose I have."

"Dante's second inferno, a treatise on Italian witch hunters."

"I'm sorry?"

"The book." Tara presented a lighter tome to him.

"Oh! Yes… of course… I'm sorry my dear."

"Written by a theosophist wasn't it?"

Giles removed his glasses and smiled at the young woman. "Yes, it was, that's very good Tara."

"I studied theosophy as a philosophy major."

"You know Tara, you would make a fantastic watcher. Have you ever thought about a career?"

"A watcher? Me?" She lowered her head and brushed a stray hair behind her ear. "I don't think I'm the brave type Giles."

"Tara you're just as brave as anyone else among our little group. You're extremely smart and very commanding when you set your mind to it."

"I'm not even English."

"Twenty percent of all watchers are not English Tara. We have people in Siberia and Thailand."

"I haven't really thought about my future career. I just ran away from home and was glad to be free and learning."

"It would give you a place to belong and a confidence and strength you deserve."

"It would be interesting to have a reason to use my Wiccan beliefs. I don't even know how to start."

"I'll recommend you, I have influence. Normally watchers travel by rote of blood ties. However, sometimes a good student is accepted into the fold. I could be your trainer."

Tara smiled. "Are you certain that you're not searching for a new student too early?"

Giles removed his glasses again and began cleaning them. "I may be, but I am also correct. I mean more than just to transfer my sense of loss onto you Tara. I'm thinking about your future, it would pay well and no one would ever question your methods."

"I'll think about it. I want to get through college first though."

"Of course."

"Anya's out tonight with Buffybot isn't she?"

Giles sighed audibly. "I would be willing to understand if they would just patrol with Spike… but Anya… I shudder to think."

"What about Spike… has no one asked him?"

"I don't think he wants to be associated with the robot yet, too much connection to Buffy."

There was a knock at Giles door.

"Can you get that please Tara?"

Tara opened the door to greet Cordelia and Wesley sporting a towering Angel behind them.

Cordelia stepped inside. "Hi Giles, still cataloging that huge library of yours I see."

"Yes, actually… hello Cordelia… Wesley."

"Giles."

Angel was the only visitor who matched Giles for height. "Hey, Giles! And… I'm sorry I didn't ever catch your name."

"Tara."

"Hi."

Tara smiled and nodded in a shy response.

Cordelia was less reticent. "You're Willow's girlfriend right?"

"Uhm! Yeah… she and I we're kind of t-together. Hmm."

Angel saved the girl any further questioning. "Uuh! Giles we sorta have to take off back to LA."

"Oh! Yes of course… alright! If you have to, you have to. It would've been nice to see you spend a little more time helping the robot get settled in."

"Isn't it patrolling with Anya?"

"That's sort of the main going concern yes."

"I'll go and see Spike before I go, see if I can persuade him to go with them both."

"He hasn't come out of his crypt as yet."

"I'm persuasive."

"Aren't you going away somewhere?"

"There's a monastery I know… from the old days… I was going there from LA as soon as I get these two home."

"Very well. Take care then Angel'"

"You know..?"

"I do… but I still have other people to worry about. These others till need someone to hold them together. I'm truly sorry, Angel. She was the best of them all and I will never forget her."

"I'll try to get down when I can."

"I'm sure Spike can handle things."

"If his chip fails. You'll need to call me."

"I think we'll probably be running to you if that happens."

"Okay then." Angel turned with a brief smile to Tara and left Giles apartment. Cordelia gave Giles an awkward hug and said goodbye to Tara. Wesley and Giles shook hands briefly.

"You know if you need us..."

"We'll call."

"Giles I… I can't imagine what is must be like… losing your charge like that." Wesley said.

"No… I imagine you cannot. Take care of yourself Wesley."

Giles closed the door behind the Los Angeles city demon fighters and sighed in relief."

"A lot of tension there?' Tara observed.

"Lots of history there Tara." Giles said cleaning his glasses.

"Do you think Anya and the robot will be okay?"

"If Spike can be motivated to escort them I hope so. Lord knows what Anya has the both of them doing."


"Strike!" Anya shouted and bounced on her toes. "That's another to me Buffy… sorry … I mean Buffybot. Anyway I should call you Buffy to keep the pretense up don't you think?"

Buffybot smiled and dutifully took her place on the bowling lane. "What pretence Anya? I have successfully completed my initial Buffy simulation routines. I have noticed that people have called me Buffy seventeen times since the day before yesterday."

"You're still not her, I can still tell the difference."

Buffybot turned attention back to the game and executed a perfect roll.

"A strike, yay me. That's seven to me and three to you Anya.

"Hmmph! I'm getting tired of this game anyway, maybe you should patrol?"

"You're not coming with?"

Anya sighed and looked about the bowling auditorium with a bored expression. "I suppose you should have someone… you know… human overseeing you. Oh! Alright … c'mon then… let's go."

Buffybot gave a wide grin to the ex-demon and almost skipped off to return the bowling shoes.

Anya caught up with the robot at the shoes desk. "You're oddly cheerful, are you actually looking forward to getting yourself damaged?"

"Just eager to place some vampires on the scoreboard Anya. I have a lot to prove to Willow… and the others."

"You're going to sacrifice yourself whilst I escape if you must right?"

Buffybot looked with a serious expression at Anya. "My new enhanced chip routines allow me to calculate new routines, but I am driven by the basic element to protect humans."

"And don't you forget it missy, I've read those robot directives you know. The ones by that dead guy with the communist name"

"Isaac Asimov Anya, One, A robot may not Injure a human being or through inaction allow a human being to come to harm (Asimov, 1964)."

"Yeah! That one, yeah!"

"Two, a robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except when such orders would conflict with the first law (Asimov, 1964)."

"Yeah! Alright yeah, or you can protect yourself as long as it doesn't get in the way of keeping me safe. Okay, I know this stuff already."

"But you are not human Anya

"Excuse me, what's that gotta do with the price of rice in China, I'm human okay. That demon phase was a long time ago and besides I was all confused and vulnerable."

"I am in conflict over whether your status is more than or merely equal to my own guidelines for self-preservation."

"But, I am human."

"For a time you were not human and for most of your existence on earth you were a demon. I need to determine if that actually makes you categorically, currently human."

"You mean you'd just let me die?"

"What! No, no not that. As a slayer and the fact that you are now provisionally human means I am bound to keep you safe."

"Well that's better."

"I need to know if I should allow myself to be destroyed in doing so."

"So what's your final answer?"

"I will treat you as fully human until a conclusion is reached."

"Your gonna do as I say or I'll tell Willow you disobeyed a humans commands."

"Yes Anya, you are in charge."

"Okay… so then as I'm in charge, I order you to protect me; even at the cost of your own well being." Anya turned her nose up and walked out of the bowling alley.

Buffybot ran to catch up with her. "Wait! Anya, Wait!"

Anya stopped and turned to face the robot. "Well?"

"It's not safe to run off alone like that."

"You as much said you'd let me die and save yourself. What do you care?"

"I care about my friend."

Anya was silent and stared open mouthed at the robot. "I'm your friend?"

"I'd sacrifice for a friend… human or otherwise."

"I haven't had many friends… human or otherwise. Unless you count Halley, and she was sort of a friend. I mean I sort of miss her and…. friend… I like that better."

"I have no friends, except Willow; she's the only other human who seems to believe in me."

"I guess... she sorta gets along best with people who aren't too human. Probably cause a lot of humans have said a lot of thoughtless things to her. You know her own parents tried to burn her at the stake and…. Yeah! Well, I might not just throw my life away to keep you safe ya know."

"I wouldn't expect you to."

Anya threw her head around seeming to be considering the situation. "So… okay then… we'll be friendsies." She held out her little finger in the hooked position.

Buffybot studied the finger with a questioning expression, eyebrows raised. "Do you have the onset of arthritis Anya?"

"No! Silly billy, we do this now. I've seen it done on Television; we wrestle with our little fingers and make a small blood sacrifice to seal the pact."

"I have no blood."

"Oh yeah, that's right. And I can't stand the sight of my own blood. I suppose we could always stop someone and take theirs!" Anya proposed with happy smile.

"Perhaps we could just finger wrestle."

Anya shrugged and Buffybot linked a little finger with Anya's own.

"Strange pair we'll make." Anya said with a rueful expression.


"So we like linked little fingers and now she's my bestest bud… my bff." Anya grinned widely and swung her hips with her hands behind her back.

"That's… really very nice Anya. What about any vampires staked?" Giles raised his eyebrows at Xander's "What can ya do" expression he was sporting.

"None."

"You were patrolling all night and you're saying there was nothing?"

"We patrolled the warehouse district, six cemeteries near to the old Brampton Mormon church . Oh! And we went bowling."

"Bowling?"

"Before we went patrolling."

"Right. So… no vampires."

Willow interjected to a frustrated Giles. "Things have been quiet of late, fang gang wise. Like something was keeping them all tucked up at home?"

"Well, that never bodes anything good does it; usually means big troubles brewing." Xander put in.

"Maybe they're all watching something on TV at that time." Dawn looked about the room hopefully, but received only dubious looks in reply and returned to face her egg sandwiches valiantly.

Willow spoke softly. "Spikes Kinda the only vamp we know with a goggle box Dawnie."

"No! Clearly Xander is correct… unusually… There is clearly something maleficent building in Sunnydale. Didn't Angel want us to look into the arrival of some sort of vampire lord?" Giles said whilst looking from person to person.

"We have been Giles… but so far we've not found anything in the texts."

"Well, until we find anything useful we need longer patrols. Buffybot needs to make deeper sweeps."

"I can't just work alone with her, Where's Spike?" Anya said as she took a seat in her fiancée's lap.

"Angel went to talk to him, but he hasn't stopped in yet."

Xander half raised his hand and looked around to everyone In Giles apartment. "Isn't he more likely to be working with the other side? It's not like he cares about any of the rest of us."

"H-he's sort of feels an obligatory attachment with Dawn, I think he would come if she was in danger." Tara said throwing her two cents worth.

"Oh! Great so you all tie me to a tree as bait; then hope Spike makes it in time, just to fight back to back with my robot sister?"

"No! It's not like that Dawn..."

"Relax Guys, I'm just kidding… you know, bring a little light into the darkness." Her smile has been forced, but brave of late.

"Yes! Very well everyone, if we can get back to the world and possibly all of us actually in real danger?"

"I don't think you're giving Buffybot enough credit… Willow tell them… tell them the bots becoming smarter and smarter with that chip." Anya threw back to the group.

"It's true; she really is less of a dork now."

Anya smiled at the reply. "Just get the robot and Spike together, it'll be like Buffy never left. Well… you know what I mean."

"It seems to be the only option for now anyway, at least until Spike shows up."

"He trusts me I'll stop by his tomb tomorrow." Dawn said between mouthfuls of egg sandwich.

"That seems to be all that we can do… Anya, you and Buffybot keep patrolling and keep to the streetlights for now. When Spike gets around perhaps he'll be amenable to helping out."

"I'll be going with them tomorrow." Xander decided.

"I thought you needed more sob time." Anya said without a hint of scorn.

Xander turned red and smiled with clear embarrassment.

"I'm worried about you hon' out there with that data reject and with a new big evil coming." Anya said softly into his ear.

"I'm safe with buffy… bot. She's just like a real slayer now." He declared.

"Still, I'd be happier…." Anya pursed her lips and blew air. "Oh! Okay, but don't get in our way."

"Tara and I should keep researching for that strange name

Sareina was it?." Dawn piped in.

"Sar-Rayna… and Yes, Dawn please just keep trying to get hold of our white headed frienemy would you."

"Woah! Check out Giles older Brit getting with the buzzwords. Careful there Giles, next, you'll be coming home with six packs and watching re-runs of "Cheers". " Xander chuckled.

Giles raised his eyes to the ceiling with a low sigh. "Perhaps that lunatic Post was right and I am becoming too American." He said quietly to himself.


"What are you watching Xander." Buffybot was placing fresh batteries in a set of three flashlights for the nights patrol.

"It's just on the TV while we're getting ready. The movies about a time travelling robot assassin hiding in human flesh, watch it through you'll probably like it. Maybe get some fight tips for a bit of dusting later.

"Get out!" The movie's antagonist said to the truck driver.

Buffybot took a seat and watched the story, the robot found itself fascinated by the themes and intricacies of the plot. "Where was this robot made, perhaps it could teach me personally?"

Xander smiled at the robot's naivety. "Sorry Buffybot, it's a human actor pretending to be a robot. I bet ya' like the ass kicking stuff though huh?"

"Within this fictitious plot the robot has made many admirable combat decisions. I think I feel… that… I… look up to him."

"Wow! Try to work on changing the language though. You still have a little dorkiness going on in the cool statement department. Still. Keep watching this stuff and you'll be cutting swathes of dust through the vamps."

"Are you two ready yet?" Anya appeared carrying a home-made stake.

"Just helping our little robot buffy simulator to get some battle hints from the action heroes of Hollywood."

"Oh their all fake, over the hill bad line readers with too much plastic surgery and larger bank accounts than any iambic pentameter."

"Hey! I like this guy's movies."

"Aaaah! Errol Flynn, now there was a real action man."

Xander's shoulders slumped as he turned a rueful expression on his married to be…. "Are you going to tell me that you knew, or slept with Errol Flynn?"

"No… but I cursed him for ruining the life of a failed movie star wannabe."

"Cursed Errol Flynn, How? He was a huge star, rich and dashingly handsome there's nothing he wanted for."

"Yeah! Except that he grew up with this dream of being a vet. I just changed the luck patch a little. He was never really happy as an actor, but he was cursed to be the greatest."

"Couldn't you have cursed me a little before you lost your powers?"

Anya smiled ruefully. "I like you just the way you are Xander, not everyone can be successful. You're perfect to me." Xander beamed with pride at the reply.

"I understand that the action is not real but merely for entertainment. However, I will use the terminating robot as a role model."

"That's our little thinking machine." Xander snapped his fingers and he and Anya shared a grin.

"We need a strategy for tonight." Anya said loading the stake into her trouser belt and under her sweater.

"C'mon you two." The group nodded and Anya along with Xander moved to stand on the outside porch.

"Okay, so here's the plan." Xander started to say.

"Uuuh! Xander… I believe Buffybot's in charge."

Xander gives the ex-demon a double take reaction. "Hang on a minute; you're putting the robot in charge on patrol?"

"She's got the Buffy smarts now honey, really she's totally capable of making command decisions."

"I don't trust it to make those decisions."

"Honey be reasonable, you were kinda only a soldier for like fifty minutes. Buffybot has combat and strategy routines to access instantly."

Xander sighed. "Alright An, but I hope you know what you're doing."

"Shhh! Here she comes."

Buffybot approached the duo couple and smiled her wide and disturbing grin. "Hey you two, ready for some more nightly staking action."

Anya nudged her boy fiancee "See, in charge. Uuuuh! Yeah, Buffy we're ready. Where d' ya want us all to start a sweep?"

"Buffy?" Xander says as an aside to his partner. "Where d'ya start calling the robot Buffy?" He whispers.

"We have to keep up appearances honey, besides it helps her to feel like the real deal."

"I believe we should work a patrol of the docks to begin with."

"How come the docks? Aaaah, Buffy?"

"Any vampire lord would travel with a large retinue of sires and accumulated possessions. They are unlikely to have come in by train because of the small cargo space, and the likelihood of possible sunlight accidents. Hence, I suspect they came by ship from a distant location."

"Smart assessment I'm impressed so far, so what are we doing stake 'em high or hunt the vamp nest?"

"Neither, we just need to identify any potential sired minions and get some idea of numbers. If we can, try to follow some back to find where the lord might be situated."

"So this is really all about deep reccon mission? I can understand that from my old GI Joe day… uuh, minutes."

"Alright, Anya stay with me and we'll remain in overt condition until we reach the docks area. Xander, use your army memories to follow us at a discreet distance. If you see any groups of people following us give the signal."

"Using these flashlights, right?"

"Three short signals, but if you get the opportunity to follow any of them home then do so."

"Don't worry Buffy, if I'm on my own I won't do anything nearly recognizably as heroic."

"This is not the time for any notable engagement, merely count them and tag them."

"Anya, our job then is to act as bait and hence we need to keep in the public view. I will act as your protection but you will have to watch for Xander's flashlight signals. "

"Oh! I won't be too brave either I promise."

Buffybot nodded. "Let's go then."

Angel turned slowly away from the sight of Spike.

"This place is my territory now Angel, don't forget that."

"How could I forget you Spike, much as I might try? Just don't come back up to LA."

"Hey! I know where my loyalties lay ponce, Dawn the one who needs me now, and she never needed you." Spike shouted to the retreating Angel.

Angel opened the door to the angel mobile and climbed into the driver's seat.

"So… is he gonna do it?" Cordelia said from behind him.

"Yeah… yeah he'll do it; the Buffy affect has made a slave of Spike."

"But he's safe, right? I mean he can't hurt anyone, what good is he?"

"He can still hit demons apparently."

Wesley looked over to his conditioned vampire enemy who promptly climbed onto a gravestone, bent over, pulled down the seat of his pants and mooned at Angel's car. The ex-watcher shook his head. "Let's go home to the safe harbour of meaningful murder and mayhem."

The car pulled away and turned onto the highway north.

"He's got a nice ass." Said Cordelia, as Angel accelerated away.

Xander tip toed along and watched from a hundred feet behind the two seemingly normal girls. He had little place to hide, but he remained low and flitted from fence to fence. Buffybot and Anya were walking side by side along the suburban road, it was raining lightly and the reflection shadows of their figures moved along beside them in the puddles. Meanwhile Xander cringed each time he made a footfall splash into a water gully.

He kept his eyes focused on his girlfriend and the scoobies strange new electronic member of the team. Xander tried to peer into the nights shadows and focus for shifting forms shadowing the girls. Nothing happened for several blocks however, and as they began to approach the docks he was growing ready to call it a night.

Just as he was about to run to catch up with the bait team, a small group appeared from out of a side doorway of an old warehouse. Three men and a smaller girl clustered into a tight group and walked twenty feet behind Buffybot and Anya.

'Dammit, if I try to signal them here, that group will see it too and they have got to be vamps.' Everything about the group's movement's screamed "vampire!" Xander decided he had to get slightly ahead and high to warn them. He broke into a run along a parallel street and headed for an abandoned customs building near the wharf. He reached the half boarded door at full run and jump kicked it open. Fortunately, it flew open on the first attempt. He ran inside and found a set of crumbling stairs. Xander took them three at a time, hoping on hope that his feet didn't go through the wood panels. On the second floor was a south west facing window, It was blanked out and he just broke one corner of it with his flashlight.

As luck would have it, he was facing directly toward the girls as they came around the corner to the dock gates. The vamps were somewhere farther behind them still. Quickly he bought up the flashlight and begun to turn it on and off intermittently in hope of getting attention.

"Over there Anya!"

"What! What is it?"

"Xanders signal, coming from that building."

"But isn't he supposed to be back there somewhere, what's he doing in that old house?"

"He might have been seen; it means there's vampires near." At that moment the vampire group rounded the corner behind them. Xander dropped his flashlight.. "Xanders telling us that's them, I'm sure of it."

The group became immediately suspicious, the flashlight was lighting them up from the corner window and the Anya was staring balefully toward them.

"What's your problem lady?" The tallest male asked.

The ex-demon stepped forward with a frown on her face. "Why are you guys following us?"

The female moved forward slightly ahead of her male colleagues to shake her long blond hair, at the same time she vamp shifted into game face. "Just playing with our food."

Buffybot's fist flew into view; the punch sent the female vampire flying into the corner street wall. The shorter male in black clubbing outfit, now also sporting game face leapt into the air; and attempted to land a spinning kick into Buffybot's face.

Buffybot however, caught the cool vampire's ankles and spun him around. She let go and aimed his body swing at the tallest male in a dark greatcoat. The back of the short vampires head connected in a loud crack with the tall vampires face. The two dudes crashed to the sidewalk in a groaning bundle.

Xander arrives at a run. "Catch! Buffybot!" He yells, whilst throwing a stake for the robot to use. Buffybot catches the wooden weapon in one hand and smashes the pointy end into the female vampire's chest. The female was getting to her feet with a snarl; however, she gazed down at the weapon lodged into her dead heart and releases a brief scream before turning to dust...

"Shame, that short guy's suit was pretty fancy." Anya says. Xander gives her a frowning and dark look. "What! He's a snappy dresser okay?"

With the dust settling around it, the robot moved and stood over the two remaining vampires. Buffybot placed her hands on her hips and stared down at them. "Okay you boys, one of you can walk away if you tell us where you bunk."

A booming deep voice from the dark alley behind the scoobies answered the robots question. "Those two fools bunk with me." Each of the three heroes turned as one to face the mystery arrival.

Slowly, a huge figure emerged from the alleys depth and into the streetlight. A giant night black skinned man came into view; standing at least seven feet at the shoulder, his knotted muscles flexed whilst gripping a terrifying looking blade. A disturbingly wide grin of pearly white and sharpened teeth split forth from his oversized features.

Xander and Anya stared wide eyed in shock at the gargantuan new comer. Even Xander was looking vertically. "I think I'm gonna get a crick in the neck with this one."

Anya moved to place Buffybot in front of her. "My… he's… big, isn't he….oh! wait." She stepped back out and looked more closely at the huge intruder.

The man smiled back down at the diminutive woman. "Well well… Anya! You're looking… hmmm Scrumptious. "

Anya swung her hips about and crocked a side smile. "Urtego… long time no see, glad you've not forgotten me."

Xander turns a frustrated glare upon the ex-demon. "Another oversize and overly–powerful boyfriend, can't you stick to dating wimps. Wait a minute, I kinda wanna take that back…."

Urtego chuckled emitting a deeply sonorous noise. "This one must be the village idiot Anya, just your fitting type."

"Hey!" Anya shouted indignantly. "Don't you start on my fiancee, he's… well… he's working up to it okay?"

Urtego continued his unsettling chortle. "I'm sure he retreats heroically, some grand army you reprobates are."

"I-I'll have you know I finish a pretty respectable lintel section too." Xander added nervously.

Anya sidles up more closely to the ancient vampire. "Look… Urtego, there's no need for any of us to get physical here."

"Hmmm, but Anya that's what you liked most about me."

"Hey! Urm… shaka zulu… that's my woman you're talking to now. Anya you actually slept with this guy?'

"It was a long time ago. I was young; he was all dashing and handsome, a really brave and fit warrior. He didn't have pointy ears then." She sighed and slapped the vampire's chest lightly.

Buffybot spoke up whilst maintaining her distance from the Urtego and his minions. "Anya that's not the same man you had a relationship with. That's the demon that killed him possessing his body."

"The false slayer is right; I haven't quite been feeling myself for the past six centuries. Maybe after I've fed on each of you and ripped your stupid mannequin apart, then I'll feel better."

"He knows, Buffy." Xander whispered to the robot.

"I can hear you silly jester, demon ears remember?" Urtego said whilst Anya began to slowly back away from him.

"But… how… but?" She said.

"I can hear the little clicks and wizzes from inside of it. Besides which slayers stink of slayer. This clockwork orange just smells of latex and aluminium." More minions emerged from the dark alley and began to surround the three Scooby's. "It was clever of you really, using the golem of a slayer as a decoy. But I want the real slayer, not this junkyard reject. Perhaps when I display your severed heads outside of her house she might come to challenge me."

Buffy bot suddenly hurled her stake point first straight at Urtego and struck home into his heart. The vampire merely gazed down at the offending article and pulled it straight out again. "Splinters won't kill a vampire as old as me little Barbie, you have to use something bigger than you are for that."

The three Scooby's began moving through the snarling vampire minions. "When I say run, run like hell." Buffy bot said in a low pitched voice.

"Saying run now Buffy… now Buffy?" Xander took hold of Anya's hand and pushed her behind him as the hero's sidled rearward. "Buffy. I kinda wanna start running now."

The robot stood its ground which was enough to keep the minions at bay. "Okay… run!" The group turned and took off as fast as was possible toward the central bus station.

"Oh, and here I thought it was going to be a slow night." Urtego looked at the gathered lesser vampires who stared back awaiting a command. "Well… kill them you idiots." The minions spun as one and rushed after the Scooby's. Urtego also turned and ran, but it was back into the alleys shadows.

"Look! There's the bus station." Anya shouted with a breathless high squeak as she ran. The station could be seen at the end of the road by the running trio a few hundred yards in the distance.

"Right." Xander shouted as he flung crates behind them in an effort to slow down their pursuers. "And a station means people… lots and lot and lots of people… I hope."

"Keep running you two, get on a bus I'll hold them." Buffybot said calmly, clearly having no need to breathe.

Anya stopped and rushed back to the robot. "What about you Buffy?"

"I have to face Urtego somewhere and the least I can do is slow down those lesser vamps."

"No… We said we'd be friends and I am, I am your friend Buffy… bot Buffy. I am. I want you in one piece and your new chip. Cause with that you're a great friend… and I need that." A single tear slipped out of Anya's eye and across her cheek.

Buffybot placed her hands either side of Anya's shoulders. "Anya. Protecting people is what I do now. I have to be Buffy now that she's gone. Protecting the people I care about is what I want to do. My friends I mean, and that means you."

"No." Anya said with an upset squeak. "I don't want to lose you now. I'll be all alone again with just Willow to stand around and poke fun at me."

"Anya." Buffybot raised the ex-demons head and looked into her glistening eyes. "I'm your protector now, your friend and as your friend it's up to me to face the danger and keep you safe. Go to the bus I can hold them."

"Make up your minds you two. Here come the fang gang." Xander smashed a crate on the ground and passed out the staves as vampires stakes.

"Listen Buffy, Urtego's too strong for you. He was a supreme warrior when he was alive. I don't even want to think how dangerous he is dead."

"I have to try Anya; we have to send a signal to them that we shan't just roll over and let them destroy our home. Now go, run get to safety."

With a tearful nod Anya allowed herself to be pulled away by Xander who nodded to the Robot. "Give 'em hell Buff."

"Thanks Xander." Buffybot said. "I think I needed to hear that from you."

The two humans ran hand in hand toward the bus station. Buffybot turned to face the vampires who now stood in a semi-circle before the robot.

Buffybot held Mr Pointy in one hand and a broken crate plank in the other. "C'mon, roll on up. Everyone gets to play."

With a loud crash and cloud of flying splinters a door next to Buffybot exploded. The robot was thrown ten feet across the road to land upon the opposite sidewalk.

Buffybot landed in a heap and lay unmoving for a few moments, but once the bot looked up; there was Urtego standing amidst the settling cloud of brick and dust. The minions who had all begin to turn and run when he burst forth immediately stopped and just stared.

Urtego growled and struck a small female minion from her feet with his Asegai. "The mannequin is mine." He roared loudly enough to shake upstairs windows. "Get after those other two you skulking cowards. Tear them apart and bring me their heads."

With fear struck faces, the crowd of minions instantly chased off along the road toward the fleeing Anya and Xander.

Buffybot staggered back to stand facing the huge, ancient vampire. The two combatants were now alone as the groups fled into the distance. Urtego approached the robot, which backed further away under the monsters appraisal.

Buffybot stood a couple of feet shorter than Urtego who towered above it and stared down balefully. Two humans who were not humans faced each other and pondered. "I wonder." The monster deeply intoned before the robot and seemingly without fear. "I wonder why it is that you fight for them. Are you beholden to your creator to die in their stead?"

"Yeah." Said Buffybot, as if talking to a small child. "I'm made by powerful magic's and my maker will be angry when he finds out who killed his creation."

Urtego stepped menacingly around the robot as he examined it. The hulking figure stuck a pointed finger into Buffybot's face, "Do not assume that because I speak in ancient tongue, my mind is ignorant robot. I know what you are; I once kept a man prisoner in my dungeon for most of his natural life. He was an engineer of electronics. I made him teach me everything he knew because the world was changing so much."

"I'm supposed to be what? Impressed?" Buffybot began circling the monster. "So you can keep old men locked up, that's scary."

"Once I learned all I needed and he was empty of all knowledge, I eat him whilst he begged for more life."

"Well… technically, I'm not alive… and neither are you. "

"Hmmm, which means you're just a mannequin and not a slayer. You're just a little string puppet with delusions of being a real girl one day."

"We gonna banter and rant about this all night. Or are you gonna fight."

"Oh! There isn't going to be a fight." With a single sweep of his arm, Uretego sent the robot sailing through the air to collide hard with a lamp post.

"See?"

Buffybot climbed back to her feet. However, her left leg was unsteady and there were blue sparks appearing from inside her jacket. The bot picked up her two stakes and charged the giant. Urtego chuckled as the robot ducked underneath his killing blow intended to be delivered by the assegai sword. He bought up a knee into her face which knocked the robot off its feet and scraped along the road several feet.

When Buffybot again staggered back to stand; Urtego laughed, upon seeing that the left half side of the bots features were destroyed. The skin on the robots face was missing and the bot's steel under skull was exposed.

The robot was nevertheless, looking at the vampire's chest with surprise. Urtego looked down at the crate plank that stuck out of his chest. With a slight grunt he used a huge hand to pull it out with a squelch.

The robot did not move as Urtego flung the piece of wood onto the floor at its feet. "Takes more than kindling to hurt me also little mannequin."

The two figures stood watching each other another moment. Then, Buffybot turned toward the bus station and ran.

Xander and Anya reached the small lines of elderly people boarding the bus. "This one?" He wheezed.

"It'll do." Anya leapt onto the entrance platform ahead of an older lady who jumped back in wide eyed alarm. "Two tickets please, and get driving now." Anya said to apathetic driver who looked back at her with a lack of concern expression.

"Uhhh! Lady you need to go to the back of the line, and you need to step back behind the yellow line. Now! Please." The middle aged male said in a monotone voice.

Xander looked back down the street anxiously, whilst the old people still outside the bus began to grumble about kids with no manners. "C'mon Buff, well… electronic Buff. Where are you? Kill this guy already."

"Look, we're being chased by some really; really bad people and you really, really wanna just let us on this bus. And just get driving already!"

"Lady, Listen. Step back behind the yellow line, go to the back of that line there and please have the exact change available."

At that moment buffybot came sprinting across the station forecourt toward the bus.

"God! She's all messed up. Hey! Buff…." But Buffybot ran across the front of the bus and to the other side. The robot jumped up and pulled the driver's side door open, and stuck her torn face in front of his. The driver sat transfixed and stared into Buffybot's half metallic features. While one exposed camera eye stared back directly into his own.

"Get out." The robot said with a deep and slightly German affected accent.

The driver slid backward and jumped past Anya and Xander and ran away without looking back.

"Well waddya know it works." Xander shouted as Anay ran to a seat behind Buffybot.

The robot put the bus in gear and gunned the accelerator. "We have to go now, they're coming. Look!"

A few hundred feet away the vampire gang were looking around the area. The female vampire that Urtego had hit earlier was pointing at them. "There they are that robot things back with 'em." She yelled.

Xander began trying to usher the last few elderly folk in the line onto the bus. "Come on you old guys, those people are killers."

"They don't care about them Xander, they just want us." Buffybot said.

The small group of people began backing away from Xander and hitting his hands away. "Fine." He said as he jumped back aboard. "Just don't blame me when they get hungry."

Buffybot hit the switch to close the doors and Xander stood leaning over the robot. The bus pulled away leaving the elderly folk stranded and hitting the side of the vehicle whilst shouting.

"Ahhh shaddup!" Anya shouted back. "They probably not got long to go anyway." She mumbled.

The vamp gang was now trying to leap onto at the bus. One attempted to jump through a side window but crashed only halfway in and fell back. The creature's top half slid underneath the front tire. Zander felt the bus lurch as it rode over the vamp, but it quickly recovered as the monster must have turned to dust beneath the wheel.

"There's the big guy." Xander shouted whilst pointing toward the hulking, physique of Urtego who stood waiting near to the gas pumps. The huge vampire studied the faces of the Scooby's as they drove by. He adopted a sneering expression that froze Xander to the core.

Buffybot slammed a foot down on the accelerator and the sped away from the ancient vampire. Xander scanned the area out of the rear window but Urtego was nowhere to be seen. "Hey! Looks like we lost em".

"Whoopee, I told ya our little Buff could whip those losers." Anya shouted and grabbed her fiancee into a hug.

Buffybot was less certain. "I disagree Anya, we have to get back to the house and warn everyone immediately. Urtego wiped the floor with me in the fight; we all need to get as far away from him as possible. "

"No beef Buff." Xander interjected. "You'll get him next time around, that freak won't know what hit him."

"He damaged me with one strike and barely put any power into his strikes. It is clear that he fully intends to wipe us all off the map. How can I keep Dawn safe and on the straight and narrow if we do not get away from him."

"Run Buffy? Hang on a minute, he isn't Glorificus. He's just a big vampire with more mussels than brains."

Anya tugged on Xander's sleeve. "Honey… Buffy's right. Urtego… He's an ancient vampire and an extremely accomplished warrior. Buffy doesn't stand a real chance against him, none of us do."

"We got away from him just now didn't we?" At that instant there was a powerful slam into the side of the bus which threw Anya and Xander onto a seat together. Xander looked outside the window to see Urtego sitting behind the wheel of a container hauler. The vampire slammed his ginormous vehicle once more into the bus.

"Buffy! Drive faster, step on the gas."

"I am already approaching this vehicles top speed."

Xander leapt beside the robot and twisted the steering wheel hard right. "I know a short cur through the wood yard." The bus turned rapidly almost into two wheels and smashed through a closed fence. In following, Urtego's vehicle overshot the turning and could be heard screeching to stop and turn as the Scooby's bus sped into the yard marshalling zone.

Buffybot braked hard and clicked the open door button as the bus slammed to a halt. "You two get out."

"What? Why us?" Anya shouted.

"I'm a robot Anya, my directive is to keep you guys safe. Run for the house and warn the others, I'll keep the big boy occupied as best I can."

"No way. You're my best friend now I'm not leaving you."

Buffybot looked Anya directly in the eye with her own raw camera eye. "First rule, a robot…." Anya placed her finger over the robots lips and smiled.

"I know…." She hugged her electronic friend once and jumped from the bus into the yard.

"You sure about this Buff?" Xander hovered at the edge of board.

"Go… keep everyone safe."

"Good luck… and thank you." With a last look back Xander also leapt from the door. He rolled over a couple of times and lay groaning. Anya helped him back to his feet.

Meanwhile, Buffybot slammed on the gas and drove the bus around in a circle and waited for her nemesis.

Xander stopped to get his breath as Anya looked him over for cuts or bruises.

"C'mon, let's take cover in that yard office." She said pulling him by his hand and pointing to a glass fronted office a hundred yards away. An approaching rumble shot through the ground beneath their feet, and confirmed that Urtego's truck was almost upon them. When Xander and Anya reached the office Xander kicked the office door open and they rushed inside. Both scampered behind the office desk and squeezed into the leg space beneath.

Anya poked her eyes above the desk rim and watched the unfolding proceedings through the window. The bus could be seen speeding back past the huge truck as Urtego thundered into the marshalling yard. "She's leading him back out again, great driving Buffy."

"Look for a telephone." Xander said.

"Giles is really gonna have to get us some of those new mobile phone things."

"No servers ready in Sunnydale yet. It'll be a few years."

Anya saw the desk phone at the same time and grabbed the receiver and began punching in Giles number.

Xander watched events outside the main window. "Big boy's taken the bait and gone after the bus."

Anya nodded as the phone was answered on the other end. "Hey, Rupert… yeah it's me. We ran into what you were looking for…."

The sirens of police cars could be heard in the distance as Buffybot did her best to weave in and out of Urtego's deliberately attempted collisions. The vampire continuously slammed his larger vehicle into the side of the bus in an obvious effort to force it from the road. Buffybot hit the brakes hard and pulled the bus in to sit behind Urtego's vehicle. Urtego then completed a handbrake turn whilst the robot threw wheel and took the bus onto the main highway. With one foot hard on the accelerator the robot kept the huge bus weaving from side to side to stop Urtego from getting ahead.

Urtego began accelerating into the rear of the bus with hard, slamming jolts. "No you don't." the robot said to itself and twisted the wheel hard right to careen onto the opposite highway. The bus narrowly missed two articulated trucks which screamed their horns in warning. However, one truck clipped Urtgeo's vehicle and sent him careening into thinly built garage.

The brief escape gave Buffybot enough time to cross left and up a dirt hill onto the highway above. With a foot firmly pressed onto the gas, Buffybot spied a collection of gas containers in the distance. The gas storage was back near to the wood yard, the robot jumped a train crossing to get onto the industrial access road. A scream of police cars announced the arrival of Urtego's vehicle which crested a rise to Buffybot's left. He crashed down behind the bus and amazingly his vehicle remained intact and moving.

A swathe of flashing police vehicles sailed over the crest behind the vampire and the collection presented the sight of a farcical pursuit to any observer. The gas yard loomed closer and Buffybot aimed the bus's nose, but a police vehicle began shooting at the truck and bus's tires. One bullet caught the bus in the left rear tire; Buffybot felt the bus lurch and made the immediate wheel adjustments.

The bus was unable to remain stable and Buffybot's wheel changes eventually tripped it up onto two wheels. The robot held the wheel fast whilst the whole vehicle at full speed began to shift over. The robot climbed out of the seat as the bus began to lurch over onto its side with a crash. The window was open and Buffybot climbed through to stand on the driver's cabin, as the bus crashed over but continued to scrape along the access highway at sixty five miles per hour. The action gave Urtego no time to swing aside and he smashed into the bus. The front bumper was hooked onto the bus rear wheel cowl.

Buffybot looked back as the vampire crashed through the window and landed feet up onto the side of the bus. "Now, mannequin… I'll let you go to meet your maker."

Buffybot prepared the hydraulic shock absorbers in her hips for the next action. "You don't know my maker vampire, he isn't worth meeting." Urtego leapt ahead with his huge arms open, but Buffybot wasn't there. The robot was diving through the air from the bus and into a watery gully beside the road. Urtego span about with a snarl as police bullets smashed repeatedly into his great frame.

Buffybot crawled out of the damp grass and dragged her body under an upturned corrugated sheet. Urtego wondered why the police cars had stopped and the officers were jumping out to find cover. However, as he looked in the direction of the bus's skid he just had time to see the huge natural gas tank. It was that moment that a stray bullet found the bus's gas tank. Urtego's face took on the expression that said "Oh s#*t!"

Buffybot felt the ground shake and a powerful heat wave wash over the sheet above. The robot waited until the noise had abated before emerging to crawl into the long grass. Police were already scouring the area in the explosions aftermath. Sirens of every emergency vehicle known could be heard screaming into the area. That was not what concerned Buffybot though; instead, it was the brief flash of a hulking figure on fire staggering into the bushes in the distance. It was clearly Urtego, still in motion and physically on fire.

Buffybot, stayed low and spent the next twenty minutes hugging the ground and moving toward a hole in the industrial zone fence. It was a tight scuttle beneath a second water ditch to reach the open land beyond. The robot discovered that its left leg was mostly inoperable and had to limp another quarter of a mile on one leg. However, it fell over on the side of the road in front of a set of car headlights.

"There she is." It was Xanders voice in the car lights running forward. "Geez Buffy you're a mess, no offence."

"Thank god you're still alive." Anya hugged the robot. "I… mean thank god you're not damaged beyond repair. I… oh hell… does it hurt?"

"I am unable to process any receptions describable as pain Anya."

Giles helped Xander to lift the robot up. "You toasted that vamp good Buffybot, I knew you'd do it" Anya nudged him sharply. "I… I mean Buffy." He quickly adjusted.

"No… I mean… he walked away, I saw him walk away through the flames."

Giles took on a very serious, but thoughtful expression to his face. "From what Anya tells me, this creature is very old and very ancient. You cannot be expected to be any kind of match for him Buffybot… Buffy. You did the best that you could."

The robot looked down at the ground and then around to meet each of the humans eyes. Finally she said. "I can't beat him, I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's no big Buff. You'll get, you will, you almost gave him the freak flambé tonight. You'll find a way, right? Am I right?"

The robot did not reply and no one asked their metal friend any further questions. The gang loaded Buffybot into the rear seat of Giles's car. Then they drove home with a very forlorn looking robot in the back seat.


"How is she… it… she… Oh! Buffy … how is she?" Dawn asked of Tara. "I can't get used to the idea of seeing a robot as my sister Tara."

"And nor should you Dawnie. You don't have to d-d-do that, I think Buffybot understands enough about human behaviour to get that."

"I care about Buffybot… I do… but if I say it then… then that means she's really gone… you know?"

Tara drew the teenager into an embrace and held her for a moment. "It takes time sweetie, I know from when my own mom passed away. But it gets better over time I promise." She pulled back and let the younger Summer's girl settle into a dining chair seat. Tara sat opposite her. "There's something I have to do Dawn."

Dawn raised an eyebrow. "What? I mean what ya gotta do?"

"It's something I don't want to approach Willow with yet... So strangely I sort of need your advice."

"Well… If you tell me what's wrong I'll try to advise you."

"I got a letter from my brother. You know. Donnie the bearded testosterone ridden one."

Dawn laughed. "I remember I was going to tear him a … I mean… you know, protect you from him."

"You remember him. Well he sent me a message that dad's really ill, probably dying." Tara left a silence to explain her point.

"You wanna go and see him. I'm guessing."

"I feel obligated to, but I don't just want to show up when my whole families there. I need to say goodbye alone and without any interruption from them saying horrible things. I'm kind of just going to show up at the hospital and see him. I mean I want to confront him about the things he's done to our family and me."

"And you don't think Willow would think that's a good idea?"

"Willow will see all kinds of threat in it, plus she kinda holds a death threat against my family for how they treated me. I just don't want her making a fuss; I've got things I want to say and…."

Dawn waited for a complete answer and eventually with a smile she prompted the thoughtful blond woman. "So…?"

"So I need you to cover for me with Willow."

"Such as?"

"I told her I'm attending a weekend away art course. I hate lying to her but…it's just easier this way."

"It's not just goodbye is it? You're going to confront him over the things he's done."

"Yeah… and that's where it's difficult. I want to be able to ask him when he knows he has to stand before the god he believes in. I need to ask him why he thought it was okay to drive my mother do death, demean me, enslave me and destroy my hopes and dreams."

"You might be disappointed." Dawn said with a diplomatic facial gesture of sympathy.

"Then… I'll know just what sort of man my father really is and in which case, whether I can forgive him or curse his name."

Dawn nodded silently. "Of course, you need me to write you a fake e-mail from some sort of college right?"

"Yeah, just something that won't make Willow suspicious. I hate lying to her this way… but… I need to this alone."

"Leave it to me I know how Willow's mind works. How else would I get around her for little things I need."

"You're the devil child."

"We both need to keep secrets then."


Buffybot had undergone a few basic repairs to her connections. Willow had sat up all night with the robot and repaired the worst of the damage. However, the eye was still a pit with a camera in it and the robot had been experiencing an unaccountable sense of embarrassment about the exposed parts. Still Buffybot seemed too depressed to care too deeply. The ancient vampire had reminded the robot of just how fragile the body Warren Mears had designed for it was.

"It'll be okay Buffy." Willow walked over and sat next to the downcast robot and placed her arm comfortingly about the robots shoulder. "With a little practice you can take down even a monster like Urtego in time."

Buffybot understood that Willow was projecting her need to connect to her departed best friend onto it. The young woman obviously needed to feel that something of Buffy was still alive. Nevertheless, the close body contact was somehow strangely comforting. "I just don't know how to protect you all. I don't know how to be the best Buffy If I can't protect the people she loved, that I love." The robots turned her ruined face to look at the slayer's best friend. "If I can't protect my sister."

"We'll work it out Buffy, you nearly got him last night. You mostly protected everyone… you protected everyone… you did protect everyone."

"I don't know how though."

Willow released the robot and stroked its fake hair gently. "I'll go talk to Giles, see what we can come up with. Best you take some down time and re-charge. Your new chip will keep you partially conscious if you like. I'll bring you some novels to read tonight and show you how to play computer mah-jong. Okay?"

Buffybot smiled up at the concerned red-head. "Okay."

With a last warm smile the young woman left the robot alone to its self-castigation. Lots of jumbled thought processes passed through Buffybot's chip. Eventually, the robot began asking its own reflection in the bedside mirror for best advice. "Come on Buffy, wherever you are. What would you do if you were me, cos I'm trying my best to be you?" But nobody said anything; no disembodied voice answered the robots question and no spirit guides magically appeared to give guidance. Buffybot stood up and began pacing the bedroom floor, running the night before lasts events over through its processor system. 'How am I going to defeat an opponent like Urtego, he threw me across the road like a discarded rag doll. I'm nothing to him… a fly.' As the robot thought with growing despair from moment to moment, a sudden shift in its footsteps reported a strange reaction within the bedroom floor boards.

The robot paced once more across that section of rug that protected a corner of hard wood flooring. It pressed little harder and sure enough the board was clearly loose. The robot pushed on one end with its toe and the other end of the board lifted barely perceptibly. 'That's odd." It thought. "Why wouldn't Buffy or her Mom have had that repaired?' Buffybot squatted down, pulled back the section of carpet and fixed two fingers to prize the board up and out of where it was pressed into the other boards. It peered into the gap of the floor boards which became visible to the light. The little clavicle was revealed to be a deliberate hiding place of a dark blue, cloth bound package.

Gingerly, Buffybot removed the bundle and bought it onto the bed. The package was covered in some year or more of dust layer. The robot opened up the cloth binding and exposed two black plastic video tapes. A white label with words written in blue felt ink adorned each one. One simply read as "Buffy's zen of battle number one." The other declared itself to be "Buffy's zen of battle, part two in a big blue number." The robot decided to wait until everyone was out before viewing the tapes on the machine downstairs.


"But why Anya?" Xander threw his arms out wide in completely confused surrender.

"I just want something to do at the weekend's honey."

"So you get a small time job… driving underprivileged kids on school outings."

"It's just for the Saturday's and I get a uniform and a bus to drive, and extra cash."

"I would have thought you'd have had enough of buses after the other night."

"That's why; I can't let Buffy have all of the fun. I want to do the car chase action thing too."

Xander shakes his head but can only acquiesce to his fiancée's fickle choices.

"I pick them up tomorrow and drop them at the zoo and bring them home, it's no biggie. Plus I get to prove to the others just how human I've become."

"You don't need to prove that An…."

Anya just folded the fresh sweaters and remained quiet.


Willow sat in the seat beside Tara. Xander and Anya arrived late. Giles had arranged all of the chairs around his dining table to accommodate each of the Scooby couples. Dawn remained drinking orange juice within his small kitchen area. "So we have to make a decision now." Giles said as he took a seat at the head of the table.

"I vote run to Los Angeles and hide." Anya said out loud. She looked around at all the wide eyed stares that were pointed in her direction. "Oh, come on. Like I'm the only one who knows just how bad this situation is. If Buffybot can't take Urtego then you can be shingle sure that Spike can't."

"Yes… well that's something we have to take a vote on."

"And, I vote run. We can take that bus I'm getting tomorrow and be in Los Angeles by nightfall."

Willow scrunched her eyes and pulled an expression that clearly did not agree. "Strictly… Anya… that would classify as vehicle theft, and besides are you planning to show up with thirty kids on board." Then more silently she said whilst making a facial expression. "Cos' that would also classify as kidnapping."

"Uh! Huh! But it wouldn't be suicide."

"I don't think you're giving our new Buffy enough credit." Willow retorted.

"I love Buffy… the robot Buffy… but she can't take Urtego, no one can. Believe me I know. I once watched him defeat the entire King of Sabati-lands bodyguards in a single afternoon. Urtego didn't even break a sweat, and he wasn't a vampire then. It was a kind of a date gift thing." Anya looked wistful and a small smile crossed her lips. "He was such a show off on those days."

"What if she and I work together?" A voice said from the hallway. It was Spikes voice which was made clear as he entered the dining room with a mug of warm blood in his hand. "Just another big heavy, I've taken old timers like him down before. Me'n the tin can'll tag team him to death."

Tara spoke up. "We think it's worth a shot." She added and nodded her head toward Willow sitting beside her.

"Look, I wanted that Buffy had got him the other night. I was trying to keep positive for her sake. But if even the both of you go to meet him then it'll be the end of you… and then us."

Xander remained silent in deference to his fiancé; hence, Giles decided to make the final point. "So let us vote on what we do… all those who want to go to Angel's hotel tomorrow?" Only Anya shot her hand into the air and pulled Xander's hand up with her spare hand. "I'll take that as two for, and five against."

"Doesn't Buffy get a vote?"

"Where is the little toaster anyway?" Spike asked.

Dawn spoke around a mouthful of orange juice. "Oh! Buffybot stayed home tonight, said she wanted to watch something on the VCR."

"Probably brushing up on more Termination tips." Said Xander


The robot placed the tape marked 'Buffy tape one' into the vertical slot and then pressed the button to load it. The screen remained black for a few moments whilst the robot took a seat opposite the television. Some white lines rode up and down the screen. After a few moments the living face of Buffy appeared on the screen. The scene showed her standing in her basement whilst wearing her work-out suit. Her top-half filled the screen and she was fiddling off screen with the camera. She seemed to be adjusting the set-up and could be heard cursing and mumbling. Her face reappeared sporting a thin lipped smile. "Hi." She said to the camera. "I guess… if you found these, then I am most likely dead… and you must be either Faith… or the new slayer. So… Hi!"

Buffy sat down on a tall stool in front of the camera and leant forward toward it. "Somehow I know that by placing these videos under the floorboards that only another slayer would be able sense them being there. I hope my family and friends are making you feel welcome and that they're all well and safe. Something tells me that they will be… with you around."

Buffybot found it strange that it was actually smiling to itself at the dead woman's words."

"And if you are Faith, well… hey! It's all good really, and please take care of them all cos I'm off your back for good. That's why I somehow know that neither they, nor my sister will likely find the tapes. So I made them for you… whoever you might be."

Buffybot stepped down onto the floor and sat cross legged inches away from the video screen.

Buffy continued. "I can't teach you how to fight… you already know that. And you're probably a better and far stronger slayer than I ever was. So… no… I want to teach you what they don't teach you. What the watchers and action movies don't teach you. The watchers teach you how to fight, how to feel confident fighting any big, small, fast, or evil enemy. They… instil in you how to survive, even for the few years they know so well that you might… if you're lucky. But I want to show you the most singularly important things that will really keep you alive. The things that will make a difference and keep you alive no matter what your watchers tell you."

Buffy approached the camera and wiped her face on a towel. "Don't die!" She said pointedly. "That's it… Oh! I know that sounds pretty weak, even easy for me to say huh? But it's what you have to rely on. I was luckier than that cause I had the best, most loving and caring friends and family a person could ask for. I also had them to rely on. Just knowing that they were around. That's what I was fighting for and not because some stuffy intellectual told me to, or because some demon is cutting swathe through the town. It was just because each day I stayed alive, then so did the people I loved most in the world."

The blond slayer walked over to a hanging punch bag and swiped a few strikes before turning back to the camera. "That's slayerdom one 'o' one to start with. The other things… well… most of those will come in time. But you have to understand that it's not all about the fight. Most of your enemies are bigger and stronger than you, and most of them don't care about fear or even believe that they will die. You have to use that back against them and make their weaknesses your strengths and their strengths into their weaknesses."

For the next two hours Buffy took the listener through a multitude of tricks and fighting tips that she'd learned over her living years. Buffybot learned how to swipe and strike at the feet of larger foes, how to use speed and avoidance to stay fighting. Buffy's demonstration included how to use a myriad of weapons in a combination of flash attacks. That way the opponent was always unprepared for what would happen next. The robot had to change the tape and was disappointed to see the final ten minutes of time left on the second tape.

The second tape opened with… "Now I'll just cover the last thing you need to appreciate about your enemies. They love to win. And they revel in it… that is one of their biggest weaknesses. Use it against them and let them believe that they've won, start with that strategy then plan for the result from the beginning. That and a little clever, witty banter drives them wild and throws them off balance. Buffy picked up a sword and approached a wooden target dummy with it. "When they think they have you beaten. That's when they, and not you, should be vulnerable. Cos when they open their lying evil mouths to yawn at your coming inevitable defeat." She spun about with the sword and sliced through the represented head, effectively decapitating the dummy. "That's when you strike hard and fast with the killing blow."

Buffybot sat in barely concealed rapture and studied every sweeping move that the deceased slayer made. "Thrust your point deep into their yawning mouth and give it a twist. Oh! And don't forget to practice a witty and meaningful repertoire. If you're gonna make the big strike then you need to look and sound really cool doing it." She finished with a big smile.

Buffy put the sword down and sat on a stool that she placed just in front of the camera. "That's all I can teach you now, that's everything. I hope it's enough to give you a longer life than got. Don't die. Show the world that slayers can survive to reach a ripe old age." Buffy stood and slowly walked toward the camera with the towel about her shoulders. "Please keep the people I love safe and just know that whatever trouble you're in all the other slayers before you have already been there and done that, and won." Buffy moved her hand toward the hidden off switch. "I only ask that you put these tapes back where you found them. Let some slayer from the future find them and maybe add to them, that's why I left room on the second tape. The camera's in the cellar still… I hope. It'll be our little secret and a way that each of us can live on after we… well after." Buffy leaned forward to fill the screen with her features and produced a wide smile into the camera lens. "Thanks for watching. This was Buffy the vampire slayer." She leant forward giving a final look into the camera lens. "Signing off." The screen turned black.

Buffybot sat watching the black screen for a short while, lost in electronic thoughts. After a short while it stood, took out the tapes and switched the machine off. The robot reverently replaced the two video tapes back into the cloth and returned them to the small space amongst floorboards. It carefully placed the carpet section back over the loose board and sat down on the bed, and continued to think.


The Friday night games were playing distantly above the stadium. Urtego sat with the wizard who was magically encouraging his extensive burn injuries to heal. Sa'Rena was reclining and watching "Passions" on a portable television set near to her bone throne. She was reposed with her figure lost within the long mysterious dress which hid her form. Most of the minions were out watching the game from secret locations around the stadium.

"I used to like passions". Sa'Rena said to anyone who wanted to listen with her high pitched rasping voice. "But of late it bores me. Why does every show they put onto these ludicrous contrivances have to lose the plot by the third series?"

"If you like we can eat the producers and writers."

"Let me think about it."

Two minions who were supposed to be on guard at the entrance approached Urtego. "Master, we have caught a prisoner."

Urtego looked up from where he was watching over the healer write dark prayers into his wounds with henna. "So… eat him already."

"She master, it is a young woman… and she asked to speak with you."

Urtego raised his eyebrows in genuine surprise. "Intriguing, very well bring her forward I could use a little sport."

The guard looked back to the auditoriums earthen covered entrance and indicated to the other guard with a rising of his head. The second guard nodded and pulled a small woman into the huge chamber. Urtego recognized the slight frame of the blond female instantly.

"Anya. How nice of you to come and see us."

The vampire who tightly held onto Anya's arm released her. Anya stumbled forward whilst rubbing her upper arm where she had been gripped tightly. She looked up at the glowering but cruelly smiling features of great Urtego and smiled back nervously.

"Uuuh, hi."


"So how long will you be gone?"

Tara held onto Willow's arm in order to keep pace with the mood shifting red-head. "It all depends how the course pace is set sweetie. Psychiatry is not really a precise science so they let us choose the learning pace. I don't know what my learning pace is yet."

"The e-mail said you might be there till the next month. I don't know how I'll sleep alone in our bedroom. I haven't done it for a year or so now, unless you count that short period when Buffy was off smooching with the all Teutonic warrior."

A brief silence fell over the girls as the fallen slayers name was bandied about once again. Tara squeezed her partners hand in response. "It'll be okay, I really will try not to be gone too long. Just enough time to… eeh! You know get everything done."

Willow pulled a long face and rolled her eyes. "I'll be fine, alone and bored with no one to cuddle up to, but I guess Xand and Anya will have me over to play on yahtzee nights."

"You aren't gonna keep an eye on Buffybot… I mean Buffy?"

"She's getting so good in her social learning that I don't think she's gonna need watching soon. I can't say that I think having Anya as a guiding friend is too healthy, but it's not really my place to tell her what to do now."

"She'll be fine, you all will. Hey! I hear Spikes agreed to patrol. Or at least as an excuse to watch over Dawn, she's going to go out with him once a week."

"Yeah, it better be just once a week and with Buffy as bodyguard as well. In that I am putting my foot down buster. He'll just have to patrol with Anya and Buffy on any other nights."

"He really seems to care about Dawn and I think it's more than just another obsession sweetie. I think he kind of sees it as keeping Buffy's memory alive through her." She placed her other arm onto Willow's elbow and laid her cheek onto the woman's shoulder. "I mean the real Buffy." She said very quietly.

Willow smiled sadly to her girlfriend for a moment and patted the quiet witch's hand. "It's okay, people have been pussy footing around me all week but I have to man… o-or woman… up some time." She sighed in confusion. "Why do people assign annoying gender roles to abstract metaphors?"

"I-I think it's all about figure of speech… a-and woman up will do just fine. You're right though, we have to find a way to say goodbye to the people we love and c-c-carry on with our own lives."

"I don't know if I have that down to task just yet." Willow said with a half mumbled reply.

"You will… In time… you will. It's like I said to Dawn before. You have to make a place within your heart where that person is held onto."

"I know… the only other way to immortality is letting a demon in to do its dastardly doings and Buffy would never forgive me for thinking that."

"Willow." Tara asked after being silent for a few seconds. "What do you mean? You're not planning anything bad are you?" She bought Willow to a stop and turned to face her. "You promised that you wouldn't even plan anything without us all agreeing."

"And I haven't" The red head replied whilst wringing her hands. "I just mean I wish that there was some way that I could have saved Buffy. You know? Some way that she wouldn't hate me forever just for trying."

Tara remained quiet and looked away whilst letting a sigh out. "You better tell me what it is that you're cooking up here Will." She folded her arms and glared with half anger at Willow.

"I haven't cooked anything up here… yet… I just… kinda… looked through the recipes."

Tara sighed again and looked away into the distance. "Willow." She said with exasperation. "It's not what Buffy…. "

"Buffy never had a say in what happened to her Tara. Her whole life was something that stuffy old men, powers that be and bastions of evil decided. She deserved so much more than a cold grave at the back of an old church." She finished with a voice cracking choke.

Tara softened as the tears sprang into Willow's eyes. "I know how much you loved her Willow; things would be a lot safer around here for all of us if we could get her back. We just have to be careful; these kind of magic's… there the sort of dark sorcery that doesn't give you a second chance. Right now… I'm just not happy with the idea of you doing any experiments. Please, please, please, don't do anything with consulting with the rest of us."

"You know I wouldn't, I care about when you care about me Tara. I'm just asking you to not just switch off to the magical possibilities. Like you say… you know how much Buffy meant to me."

Tara stepped forward and drew the teary eyed red head into an embrace. "We will look at it, I promise Will. Just not yet, Okay? Give everyone time to settle down and time to find something that is really, really safe. We'll all decide together when we have something safe enough okay?"

Willow laid her head softly onto the fair haired witch's shoulder. "Goddess, Tara I miss her so much."


"So…." The huge vampire circled Anya like a feline predator whilst she stood before him within the underground auditorium. "What can we do for Anyanka? Please don't tell me that a once proud vengeance demon like you has come to plead for mercy now?"

"Not exactly, but not too far off either."

Urtego sat back down and waved off the healing minister. "An offer I would guess, you best have something of worth to give Anya."

"How about the slayer, the rest of the gang and the secret that she's keeping from all the demon community."

"Sounds interesting… Why…? I mean why do it? Aren't those little pipsqueaks your bestest new friends now or something Anyanka?"

"The only one I care about is Xander, my lover and my fiancée, the rest…. you can have them."

"Okay, I will have them. What do you matter though? Why do I not just take them? Have my Queen slaughter your real slayer and eat you for dessert?"

"I can tell you the truth about her."

"I already know about the robot. What's with that stupid thing anyway? I came to face the dreaded Buffy Summers, who bested Dracula and the Aurelius clan. I find an electronic, blond shopkeepers dress stand which breaks like a wafer."

"She isn't stupid." Anya said loudly, at which Urtego looked up sharply at her. "I… I just mean… I mean that she's a lot smarter than you think. Look! Let me leave with my fiancée, and the robot, and I'll tell you what's really going on with the slayer."

"I don't trust humans." Sa'Rena's voice rasped from her dark corner.

Urtego shrugged. "See… my lady has no love for your stinking kind, she wishes for all of you die… all."

"What if I can prove my loyalty to you first?"

"Ha! Ha! How are you going to do that Anyanka. You know that you would never have any loyalty to us. You just want a way to save your hide and that of your weakling lover."

"Your Queen needs fresh blood, in higher quantities than the few homeless dregs that you're pulling out of the alleys now."

"That much is true."

"How about if I can get you a bus load of human young? Fresh and unpolluted, no questions asked and delivered straight to your door?"

The Queens head turned within her concealing cover and seemed to regard the ex-demon. "And just how do you propose to bring me succulent children turncoat?"

"I'm a school bus driver. I can bring the kids straight to you after school all you can eat... on the hoof. You take your fill and then we arrange a bus crash outside of town."

"Hmmmm! Make the whole thing seem like a fiery accident. It does sound very tempting."

"Real children?" Rasped Sa'Rena.

"The realest all you can eat buffet, just let me and my fiancée leave town unmolested. I know you plan to eat just about everyone else."

"Also true. Very well… we agree. Bring your offering to the queen tomorrow before dusk. If it is worthy all is well. Let us down and I will torture your lover to death in front of you Anyanka." He nodded to the two lackeys to take Anya away.

Anya let herself be pulled back toward the light of day. She kept her eyelids closed until there was sunlight in the sewer entrance before her. "Now there is no turning back." She said with a grim and humourless expression to herself.


"She's been out there all afternoon I'm worried that she'll bust a circuit or overheat." Giles said to Willow whilst the two of them studied Buffybot's graceful fight practice through the back door to the training room.

"She looks really graceful though, you know, not the clumsy doofus she was when Spike had her programmed." Willow smiled up at the tall Englishman.

Giles took off his glasses and regarded the robot in its movements. "Granted, she seems to really have improved a lot. She actually seems eager to face this… Urteegu again."

"Urtego… and yes she's feeling down about being so easily beaten last time. But this time she's got some moves on her. Go girl!" Willow shouted from the door, but the robot kept its fighting focus on the dummies. "See, she's all aimed like an arrow on the task of killing the big bad."

Giles nodded and entered into the training room. "Hello Buffy." He greeted the robot who had stopped to notice him. "How are things going, are you feeling all tip top repair… I mean healed up and battle ready?"

"I'm going out to challenge him tonight."

"That's…. that's really… very… suicidal of you… Buffy at least wait until we can formulate a plan together. We need to work together to take down this foe, something whereby you fight with Spike and we bring up some sort of big weapon. Keep him distracted until we can shoot it."

"By that time he and his beloved Sa'Rena would have caused untold amount of death and damage. Their numbers are growing into an army by taking people from all over the regional States. They're calling in loyal vampires from every place on this continent and Sunnydale will fall to them. It has to be now or never."

"I see… you're determined to call him out tonight?"

"He's still healing from the burns he got in out last encounter. On top of that he's arrogant, he believes me to be almost worthless as an opponent. It is not likely that he would bring any back up. He wishes to rip off my metal skull and display it on a wall. I will fight him alone to ensure all of that and if I win, then Sa'Rena would have lost her most important lieutenant."

"Good assessment Buffy, but what if this is just suicide?"

The robot smiled widely with a set of white artificial Buffy teeth. "Then it's been fun y'all, but playtime has to end sometime." She paused. "Then you get out of town by morning and take Dawn first with Spike as escort. All of you go to Angel's place and start building a resistance. You'll probably need all of the council and some of the military to do it."

Giles nodded gravely. "I would suppose that just about sums up the situation." He said and removed his glasses to clean them.

Buffybot returned to hitting and kicking, battle rolling and back flipping around the room.

"Good luck Buffybot." Giles said underneath his breath and closed the training room door behind him as he left.


The robot sifted through a range of weapons in the trunk, but settled on the long sword and a large axe. Stakes, such as the original Buffy's Mr Pointy would be of no use against Urtego. Buffybot would have to rely on getting a lucky decapitation strike. 'Or perhaps'. Buffybot considered within its processors. 'If I can contain Urtego somehow until the sun comes up'. The sun was most likely the real weapon of power against such as Urtego.

Dawn sat on the sofa watching the robot prepare. "I wish you wouldn't go Buffy… bot… I mean… I just think you should wait until Spike gets here. You know… to back you up."

"I know you mean well Dawn and I know you care about me… maybe not as much as the real Buffy. Still, you do care. I have to do this thing or none of this towns monsters will respect your sister's power. There'll be an open season on this entire family." Buffybot shifted to sit next to the teenager and faced her. "I'm sorry I'm not Buffy Dawn… but I just want you to know that the past week… and… since my chip has given me true awareness of things. Well… you have come to feel like my true sister."

Dawn reached out and covered the robots hand with her hand softly. "I can't lie to you Buffybot. I have trouble seeing you as my sister, but sometimes it feels like she's still there with you around. And I really don't want to lose you; I'm not comfortable thinking of you being damaged."

"I am dedicated to making sure that you have a life Dawn. One which will keep you honest and always on the straight and narrow."

"Yeah… what's all that "straight and narrow" thing about anyway?"

"I have character pattern sociology analysis software hard coded into this chip. It's military grade software that even Warren didn't know about. I can tell that you are already stealing small things Dawn."

Dawn stared at the robot with wide eyes. "I- I … aaah… No… you see…."

"You are Dawn… I am not directed to stop you or tell anyone as yet. However, I am directed to inform you that you will stay on a path that leads to criminal juvenile experiences. One that will get you into very deep trouble Dawn, if you don't find a way to stop yourself now."

Dawn remained silent.

"Buffy… your real sister… didn't want that for you Dawn. And I'm determined to prevent it happening at all costs."

"So like… what are you gonna do?" The youngest Summers said in a subdued squeak of a voice.

Buffybot pulled out a length of Dawn's hair and stroked through it. "Firstly, I'm going to face down this monster who wants to kill the people I

care about. Then… we'll see. Okay?"

Dawn shrugged her shoulders but hugged the robot. "Okay." She said quietly into the artificial hair. "Just make sure you come home tonight. Okay?"

Buffybot was surprised to find that it was unable to formulate a reply and merely nodded her chin against the girl's neck.


Buffybot's plan was simple in context, show up at the dockside and make her self-known. The robot was pretty certain that someone would tell Urtego where to find her and that the monster would show up soon enough. The vampire was unlikely not to see this action as a direct challenge and was unlikely not to respond. Hence, that late afternoon while the sun was dying in the sky Buffybot went out to the location… and made preparations.

The robot Buffy had some idea where Urtego and his master were located. Willow had located an old sewer network plan of the past century. The plans seem to lie where a town sports stadium still remained standing since the nineteen fifties. It was within a mile of the dock and likely had exits nearby.

The robot began a patrol route around the dockside area and back near the location of the bus station where the Scooby's first encountered Urtego. Things went slowly for the first couple of hours as the last of the suns influence faded on the distant coastal horizon. Buffybot moved through the abandoned dockside housing and the old warehouses there. However, no sign of any vampires let alone Urtego were evident, so the bot sat down at the bus station shelters.

The location afforded the robot a view fully along each road which radiated from the station. Buffybot could keep one eye on the dockside houses and one on the likely sewer exit area by the quayside. Nevertheless, the hours passed and even the analytical robots mind began to grow bored. Buffybot had made itself as obvious as possible, surely Sa'Rena or Urtego would have watchers in the building s for security.

Buffybot began figuring out her strategy as the four o'clock morning mark approached. There was a lot of ageing pointed fence posts which lined the more recently renovated offices. Most of those buildings lay along the road toward the abandoned older worker housing. If Urtego could be lured unto a collective trap, perhaps Buffybot could…. The robot stopped planning as a small mini-bus pulled up across the far side of the station forecourt.

The driver was recognizable immediately; it was Anya. The robot wondered why she might be working with the children at this time in the morning. The robot quietly slipped into the bushes and crept toward the bus. There was a small group of children sitting in the passenger section. The whole retinue of youngsters looked to be asleep. However, just as Buffybot was about to stand up and call out to Anya… a group of leather coated men stepped out of an alleyway and called to the ex-demon instead.. Buffybot instantly recognized them as vampires and snuck back into the shadows.

The robot crouched into a run; Anya was clearly in trouble now and was making the classic mistake of speaking back to the lead vampire. If the robot could slide up behind the gang and if it could kill at least two by surprise from the rear? But the situation became rapidly worse immediately. Anya opened the bus door and stepped down to meet the vampire group with a nervous seeming big smile. Buffybot leapt up and moved through the forecourt bushes at a run.

However, it dropped back to lie down behind a concrete bollard rapidly when Anya climbed back aboard and the vampires turned to walk away. Buffybot was astounded. 'What was Anya doing? It thought. Surely she knew they were vampires. The robot was becoming intrigued and suspicious and shifted into a low crouch. Hence, walking with long low strides the robot moved to sit at the rear bumper of the mini-bus and waited. Anya re-started the vehicles engine and the bus pulled away. Buffybot stepped onto the rear exit board and clung onto the rail assist bar.

Anya drove the bus a short distance into a small dog walking park just next to the largest dock and opposite the old sports stadium entrance road. Buffybot dropped from the back of the bus and rolled into a well maintained privet hedge. Whilst hiding she observed Anya step into the rear and check each of the sleeping children. There was a clear expression of fear and conflicting sadness upon her face.

The ex-demon opened the bus door and sat down on the entrance plate with her feet on the ground. She didn't have to wait long. After several minutes out of the darkness came the hulking figure of Urtego. "Aaaah, Anya… I'm impressed you actually delivered the merchandise. Good succulent chubby bunch too, wherever did you find such morsels for my queen?" He was dressed for combat in his leopard skin skirt under a gigantic grey duster and he hefted both the war shield and a vicious looking assegai short sword in his arms.

Anya stood slowly and stepped away from the bus and indicated toward the children on board. "They're my charges for the day; I feigned a break down outside San Diego to keep the return time late. Each one is from the special requirements school and right now they're all still asleep from the mickey finns I laced the lunches with."

Urtego shrugged and smiled widely to the ex-demon. "Conscious or unconscious, it matters not when lunch is served. Sa'Rena will be pleased with your offering Anyanka, there may even be a place for you in our new world."

"I don't want to be a vampire; I just want to be allowed to get out of town as you agreed… with my fiancée."

The ancient vampire stared down at the slight woman for a few moments, but eventually his face split into a warm grin. "No harm, no foul deed done Anyanka. In fact, in recognition of our old partnership and your service tonight. You may take your consort and leave the town. Nonetheless, be warned you will be shown no special consideration when my queen assumes her rightful destiny."

"We can work something to get to another dimension by then, I won't stand in your way Urtego; I'm not stupid."

"See that you don't grow a bigger brain Anya. Now… let's see about moving some of these little chip snacks into the larder."

The gigantic figure of Urtego opened the rear exit and was preparing to lift out a small girl from her seat."

"Don't you know it's never wise to eat before bedtime Urtego, you don't wanna bring on the nightmares?"

Urtego looked back to see Buffybot step from the bushes with her sword and axe swinging at the ready.

"Anya, gasped and jumped back into the bus. "Oh God! Buffy… I… I can explain."

The robot looked at her friend with some of the old Buffy disdain and spoke without a smile. "Save it Anya, I know what you were doing and I heard everything just now."

Urtego stepped back into the streetlight and wielded his assegai menacingly. He sniffed the air. "Well well… what a sneaky little bucket of bolts you are. For a moment I had hoped that Anya had even thought to bring dessert with her, enough for everyone. But it's just the little puppet who can never be a real boy. "

"I had no idea she was there I swear." Anya cried.

"Like the gas pump says Anya… save it, I hoped that you might have set a trap with at least the real slayer in tow. Instead, you merely set your pet mannequin on me once more. I'm actually insulted."

"Leave Anya alone and deal with me Urtego."

The giant vampire sighed and turned to face Buffybot whilst moving into a fighting stance. "What's wrong with the real slayer, why is she sending out a simulacrum to do a cowards job."

Buffybot stalked around the hulking figure of the ancient warrior. "Maybe she doesn't think you're worth any greater effort."

"If you have pain sensors robot, I'll find them I promise you."

"Gotta catch me first."

Urtego lunged with the tip of his assegai toward the robot, but Buffybot dropped to her knees and rolled underneath the clumsy thrust. As the robot allowed the momentum to carry it back to its feet it cut backward with the sword with Urtego's hamstrings as the target. Urtego roared out loudly and began to stagger whilst clutching his right leg. Whilst the huge vampire was occupied Buffybot grabbed a very terrified looking Anya in a tight grip.

"Anya, I don't care right now what you've done… if you want to redeem anything tonight I need your help."

"Alright… I'm dead meat now anyway, what do you want."

"Get back aboard and start up… use the bus to ram and smash down every telegraph pole you can see around us."

Urtego was advancing back toward them with face of untrammelled and blustering fury.

"Wh… what? Why?"

"Don't ask… just do… go!" Buffybot gave the small woman a shove and turned toward the terrifying sight of the advancing monster.

Buffybot turned and rolled again to avoid a slash from the over sized assegai which would have severed the robot in half, if it has struck it. However, the robot used the momentum to once again get to its feet. But Urtego was waiting this time. He used the manoeuver that he had employed during the previous encounter and smashed a knee into the robots face. Buffybot's nose was virtually crushed and internal circuits were exposed. The robot stumbled backward and barely remained on its feet, but it did stay standing and swept back at Urtego with the sword slicing into his upper sword arm.

Urtego grunted more in surprise than pain and sized up the robot with more respect than he had previously shown it. "You've been learning some tricks mannequin, I thought you things just got programmed and obeyed orders."

"Yeah… well ya shouldn't believe everything you hear."

"It will make no difference though; I have fought many great warriors in my living and undying time. I have never lost a fight, and I will end this night by stomping your little metal body into ground filings."

Buffybot danced about the great vampire alternately ducking his weapon swings. "Like I said, ya have to catch me first." The robot jumped into the air and somersaulted over a particularly powerful swing aimed toward its middle.

Urtego was waiting for her to land again and struck Buffybot with his war shield. The robot was knocked and thrown several feet into a privet hedge. At the same time Anya swerved to miss Buffybot with the bus which was careening into telephone poles and snapping them down with the front edge of the vehicle.

The robot rolled quickly to one side as a wooden pole landed where it had just been positioned. "Keep going Anya." Buffybot yelled out. "Bring them all down."

"What artificially insane idea have you cooked up artificial person?" Urtego arrived next to the robot and once again sent it flying several feet with a side swipe from the huge shield.

Buffybot landed in a body roll and bought itself back to stand ready on two feet this time.

"You seek to stake me with one of these huge things. I grant you that it would work, but even you are unable to bring a stick as big of this against me mannequin."

"I didn't say I had a good plan Urtego, but I like to keep my options open."

"Ha! Like your namesake you are all window dressing. You're playing this entirely by ear aren't you? you really are a spunky little bucket of bolts"

"I cannot tell a lie… I just thought I'd see what sorta things came to me best."

"Enough playtime. Time to take your metal head back as a trophy." Urtego Charged forward and engaged Buffybot with several sword attacks that soon had the robot in a rearward retreat. Buffybot fought as expertly as it was able, but the veteran giant was simply too strong, too skilled, and too quick. The robot was leaping and rolling with all of its effort and attention just to keep Urtego at bay. The robot managed to deliver several swift cuts to the vampire's midriff but the great monster merely shrugged off the wounds.

"Lucky for you mannequin that you do not tire… or do you run out of power. I don't know how that part works. I suppose I shouldn't have eaten that technician quite so quickly last time."

"I can keep going for weeks Urtego. How about you."

"Oh! There's life in my old bones yet." With one sweep Urtego forced Buffybot to roll under a high sword swipe. However, he twisted the shaft of the weapon about and struck it against the side of the robots neck. Buffybot reeled with the blow and fell to its knees. Urtego was on her immediately; he dropped his shield and sword and immediately set about pummelling the robot with his fists.

There was no possible action that Buffybot could take as each time it moved Urtego just struck her back down. As the robot rolled to climb to her feet it met Urtego's knee colliding with its face. Eventually, the robot lay prone and somehow oddly exhausted despite the theoretical lack of power loss and pain sensors.

Urtego moved to stand victoriously above the beaten robot and placed one huge foot upon its chest where Buffybot lay on its back. "Poor, poor little mannequin. If there was any sense of sympathy left in my rotting soul I would show it. There is not by the way. I am devoid of any care about what happens to your innocent little naïve body." With that final statement he began to press down with his leg into the robots torso. Loud snaps erupted from the robots lower half as the immense pressure started to destroy the central motor servers.

Buffybot looked up at the smug vampire giant who stared back into the robots eyes with demonic glee. "I suppose this is the end of me then." The robot said as sparks issued from its chest and small explosions burst out across its chest and face. Much of the artificial skin was burned away by the spread of electrical fire on the whole of its left cheek.

"You know I think I've figured out the little secret that Anya was going to tell me now. I am going to tear that little monster into pieces along with all the brats on the bus, once I've finished here of course. I've come to realize that there is no actual slayer is there?" Urtego stared into the robots eyes as its left eye lens exploded and yellow flame emerged from the socket behind it.

With a single working right eye Buffybot managed to sneer back at the hulking vampire who was crushing it. He smiled down at her and opened his mouth wide letting a roar of vicious pleasure in victory burst forth. As he did so, he stepped back slightly and roared toward the sky

"You'll never know now will you." The robot said.

Urtego stopped his winning growl and regarded the robot with a puzzled frown. "What do you…?"

Buffybot kicked out with all the strength left in its server activated form; it used both legs together in a final burst of defiant kick. Urtego yelled once as he was knocked backward grasping his chin as the robot connected with it. At that moment Anya's bus collided with the giant and carried him forward on the front. Urtego's head broke through the large windscreen and he was stuck in position with the glass piercing his neck and chest.

Anya screamed and fell onto the floor where she slammed her fists onto the brake hard. The bus skidded to a rapid stop but threw the vampire off from the glass and forward. Urtego was stopped by the upturned snapped bottom section of a telegraph pole which crashed all the way through his body. The pole was half supported in the air by a park gate against which it had landed upon. The pole had clearly not pierced his heart and Urtego struggled to pull himself off of it.

Buffybot had enough strength to stagger to its feet and almost painfully to any observer, the robot half fell and half walked toward the vampire. He was still pulling himself slowly off from the great cut trunk of the pole as the first wisp's of morning light slipped over the horizon. The robot stood in front of the vampire, who suddenly seemed to look very worried.

"Fear suits you, Urtego. Looks like something you haven't experienced for a long time. But I suspect it's long deserved."

Sunlight started to grazer the vampire's upper arms as he attempted to fitfully pull his great frame from the length of the pole. "I will carve the flesh from all of your white bones…." He struggled to say. But the entire length of his left arm was disintegrating whilst sunlight slowly and agonizingly slipped along the tree shadows. Wherever the light fell, Urtego frazzled into falling carbon.

"I'm sorry; I don't think you're going to be around long enough to carve a chicken dinner."

The gigantic vampire screamed loudly, his long and sharp tongue hung out of his mouth and his great roar of agony pierced the night. Urtego writhed whilst he caught alight, flames seared up from within his ancient body. Clouds of ash flew up into the moonlit sky as the vampire disintegrated.

Anya stepped up behind the robot and stood with a sad expression watching the great warrior vampire turn into a blackened figure of carbon. "Goodbye, Urtego. I really am sorry I made you into one of the undead. It wasn't my fault I was just going to let you get eaten by the lions. But that Matusi princess was the most vicious hearted human woman I've ever met."

Urtego was unable to hear Anya's last words, and with a final screech his head burned into charcoal. The last part to fall into nothing was his great yawning jaw which collapsed upon what remained of his face. The twisted and charred remains of the vampire blew into the morning breezes. Only the broken pole was left where once the ancient warrior had been transfixed.

Quiet reigned within the park once again.

Anya and the robot were silent for a short while. The crackle of electric charges and small sparkle bursts could be heard coming from the middle area of Buffybot's small frame.

"I guess that was that." Anya finally said when turning to face Buffybot.

Buffybot stopped and regarded the ex-demon with one hazel eye. "Yeah." She said without any emotional expression. "How are the children?"

"No one's hurt thank god, they're all fast asleep still and stuck in the land of nod… from that potion I fixed up."

"We should get them home and explain this to your company… what do you want to say happened."

"Yeah… about that… erm."

"Buffy… legally real Buffy, will be the witness to what took place. You were driving home after breaking down. Took a wrong turn through the park where a crazy driver had bought down all of the telegraph poles earlier. That can't have been you cos look all the kids have been fast asleep all the time, so you've been driving safe and smoothly all night until this. You braked to stop but didn't see the broken pole that went through the windscreen in the darkness."

"Wow! Yeah that's pretty much what I was gonna say."

Buffybot sighed. "Go and call your company Anya, get someone out to pick up the children and the bus. I'm going to the cemetery across the road where with luck I can make a few basic self-repairs before we go home. Willow's gonna be working on me for a whole month. May even be that I cannot be fully repaired at all"

The robot turned and staggered with a pronounced limp away down the path.

"Okay." Anya called out. "See you over there when I'm done. Buffy …. The robot made no reply and continued limping away.

It took Buffybot some time to stagger on what reserve motors were still powering its legs. It hobbled into the run down cemetery and found the crypt which it had been in with Angel a few nights previously. Buffybot was just about to crawl inside where a small stone bench could be found….

"Hey! Buffy…Wait up!" Anya was calling out from the entrance gate.

Buffybot turned and regarded the ex-demon coldly. "I thought you would be explaining things to the police about now."

Anya came to a halt in front of the robot. "They said they had everything for now and that they'd come to the apartment if they needed more from me. The kids were all collected by their parents… I'm kinda fired, but that's okay because I kinda quit. The cops said I could go home."

"You'd best get back to Xander then Anya." The robot turned away from Anya and limped toward the tomb opening.

"Hey! Buffybot… don't be like that. Wait up… Hey!." Anya grabbed the robot by its arm, but the robot pulled the arm free in a moment of real anger.

The robot spun back to face the blonde woman with a glare. "Don't try to get on my good side Anya; I'm very disappointed with you."

"Buffy… you don't understand…."

"I understand that you were willing to betray everyone who has given you a family. Betray all of us enough to sell all of us out to that monster. That you were willing to sacrifice those children, Willow, Dawn and everyone just so that you could run away with your honey."

"Well… yeah…."

The robot shook its head and turned away and moved stand at the top of the stone steps leading into the dark crypt.

Anya considered the robots words. "Oh! Oh wait a minute… Buffybot you're gonna tell them all about this aren't you?"

The robot turned back to the ex-demon again. "You haven't given me any choice Anya. You went too far, you endangered everyone and a bus load of children. They deserve to know what happened; you at least have a chance to tell them why."

Anya emitted a loud high pitched sound from her throat and her eyes were leaking. "No… no you can't do that." She grabbed the robots arm again, but again Buffybot pulled it away roughly.

"I'm going home Anya, you can come with me or go home to the apartment. Nothing you do or say is going to stop me from revealing your actions tonight."

"No…. you can't Buffy, Xander won't understand." She was crying heavily and pleading with the robot. "He'll side with Willow… a –and Tara and Dawn. Don't you understand, that'll be it between us, he'll dump me… abandon me." Anya sobbed. "He won't want me any more… he'll hate me forever."

"Anya, you should have thought about that when you started this." The robot glared back.

"Please… Buffybot… please."

"I have to protect everyone from any more things you might try Anya. I have to protect Dawn, you know that. Now… please excuse me." The robot tried to hobble past Anya. However, the blonde pushed her back and blocked her path. Buffybot stumbled back into the Mausoleum entrance. It regarded the ex-demon with its one remaining good camera lens. "Anya, I'm warning you now. God knows I love you and you've been my dearest friend these past few days. But even damaged as I am you can't take me and you can't stop me… you know that."

As Buffybot moved level with Anya on its path out of the entrance, Anya pulled something out of the bushes from beside the mausoleum entrance.

"Oh no?" She held a rusting spike from an iron gate. Buffybot barely had time to register the object before it Anya swung it and connected the blunt end with the side of the robots head. Buffybot fell onto the steps.

"Stop Anya… I do not want to harm you." The robot's voice was sounding somewhat mechanical and strained.

"Well then… I guess you should have thought about that when you started this." Anya swung and struck Buffybot again as the robot attempted to stand up. Sparks flew from the robot's right cheek and it fell onto the first few steps. Anya swung again and the bar smashed the robot's head against the stone wall.

Buffybot sat down upon the stairs for a moment. "This is not acceptable; you have to stay on the straight and narrow…." The iron bar cracked into the back of the robot's head and Buffybot rolled down the flight of stone steps. It lay at the bottom sprawled upon its back. The single exposed lens aperture stared back at Anya as she descended the steps and struck the robot twice more about the head.

Finally, as Buffybot lay still Anya dropped the iron bar and turned away. Her face streaking tears down her cheeks, Anya walked back up several steps and stood still.

"Anya…."

Anya turned around and looked down upon the ruined face of the immobilized robot. Buffybot's head lay at an odd angle to the shoulders and sparks flew along the sides where simulated hair stuck to servo fluids. Most of the facial area was exposed to the underneath workings and the same could be said for other areas of the body's frame.

Buffybot stared up at the ex-demon without any obvious recognition in the robots eyes. "You're Anya, my bestest… bestest… bestest… you have to stay… straight… and…." The light within the robots camera lenses seemed to simply just stop.

Anya sat down upon the stairs and stared back at the robot. "I know." She said quietly. "I really was, wasn't I?"


Willow was making a large round of coffees for the gang. Xander sat next to Tara and both faced onto Giles who was cleaning his glasses intently. Willow alternately looked up and out of the kitchen window then back to the coffee maker. "Surely she'd be back by now?" Willow said to the overflowing mugs.

"She'll be back when she's back Will." Xander stated realistically. "It was a battle to the death against ultimate evil, not a night out at the cinema."

"If she's back at all." The red head mumbled depressingly from her concentration at the sink.

"Don't say that sweetie, it might make it real but I don't want to think of that way. Buffy had every chance of winning tonight, right Giles?"

Giles placed his glasses back to rest upon his nose and looked at the young witch with all of the sincerity he could muster. "Buffy… Buffybot… has demonstrated that she is more than capable of achieving a great deal of what our dearly parted friend was able to. Nevertheless, Urtego is an ancient and highly accomplished vampire warrior. I pray that she is coming home, but I stress that we all need to be ready to vacate this town by the morning if that doesn't happen."

Tara grimaced sadly. "What will happen then… where will we go. Who's going to fight these monsters when we've gone?"

"You should all go to Angel's place in Los Angeles; I've sent him a communique to possibly expect everyone as company should things go wrong. After which, I shall contact the council and declare Sunnydale off limits. I think the national government will make the final decision about what to do with it eventually.

"Why am I thinking that'll end up in a Bikini Atoll special?" Xander said with grave humor.

"Whatever they decide I want you all a long way from here."

The telephone burst into life with a long electronic ringing. All of the kitchens occupants began to leap to their feet; nonetheless, Willow being on her feet reached the telephone to answer it first. "Hello. Oh Hi Anya, how was the bus driving today… what?"

"Tell her hi." Xander waved from his chair at the small table.

Willow covered the mouthpiece and spoke to the small group. "She's not on the bus." This raised some eyebrows amongst everyone in the kitchen. "Says she's with Buffybot… hang on… oh!... oh!... oh!." The excitable witch waved in hand signals to her friends at the dining table.

"Well, don't keep us too much in oh only suspense Will."

"Hold on… Where are you Anya?" Willow reached for a pen and paper and began to jot down a location. "Yeah… oh!... yeah… oh! Oh yeah." She put the phone back in its cradle.

The group looked up at the witch with expectation. "Well?" Xander held his hands out.

Willow looked back at him a moment. "Oh! Yeah… Uhm… she's with Buffybot, but Buffybot's not moving."

"Does she need help?"

"Yeah… here at this address it's nearby in Seymour end cemetery… and Buffybot killed Urtego."

Everyone jumped up and hugged each other; Tara threw her arms around her girlfriend who held her in return. "Hold on, she also says that Buffybot's hurt… I mean damaged really badly… she's not moving or responding." Tears sprang into the Willow's eyes as she spoke.

"I know where this is." Giles stood up and took hold of his jacket. "They were patrolling there with Angel before he left. Xander come down with me we'll get Buffybot into the back of the car. You girls prepare the repair equipment and best tell Dawn what's happened, call her direct at Janice's."

"No need to pack her suit-case then, that's a big relief." Tara said with a hopeful smile.

With a nod to each other the group moved to his or her specified tasks.


Anya sat alone waiting in the kitchen with a morose expression adorning her face. Xander came and went from the cellar a few times; he smiled supportively to her each time he did or patted her shoulder. She tried to keep patient, but was just feeling too miserable for herself.

She was unable to see herself as entirely human because she just couldn't seem to get fully accepted in a human dominant world. Anya had come to see a true friend in the robot, and she believed the robot had come to feel the same about her. Feel… She simply hadn't thought to attribute that ability to the robot, and whilst it was true that the first version had been a dork the new Buffybot had become a true friend. That was something precious to Anya, but none of them had truly trusted the robot… none of them had trusted her…. Buffybot had not failed them… they had failed her… all of them. Anya had failed Buffybot completely.

The rest of the gang were down in the cellar trying to salvage something of Buffybot's electronic brain. Anya had no idea if anything had survived; she had no idea if the gang would come upstairs and accuse her or bring bad news. Strange, Anya hoped on one hand that the robot was okay, and on the other hand she hoped it would be a dead super chip forever.

The cellar door opened and Willow stood in the opening beside Giles, each of them wore a dark expression in his or her eyes. Those same eyes were directed and focused on Anya. Anya stood up slowly; she was resigned now to the inevitable. It was all her fault, she was a monster and the robot had deserved to live not her. What was she? Just an ex-demon who tortured the male species for a millennium. What did she ever understand about human love?

Willow walked purposefully over to stand in front of her. Anya remained still and stared back at the red headed witch and waited for the inevitable strike. Maybe Willow would knock all of Anya's teeth out; she was stronger than she looked. Maybe she would turn Anya into a frog for another thousand years or make her a rat friend for her weird infested little pet.

"H… how is she?" Anya asked in a weak and croaky voice.

Willow's face suddenly took on a sad smile and she took Anya's hands into her own. "Anya. She said quietly and softly to the ex-demon. "I'm so sorry. We couldn't save the chip." Willow's eyes filled with tears a little as she explained how the chip had been burned out by a feedback loop. "It wasn't the head damage that did it, it was the piercing strike to her abdomen unit, and it caused a power loop that fried her chip processor. I managed to start the repair of her face by stealing the fake skin from her legs. She mostly wears Buffy's jeans so they'll always be hidden anyway, well… unless we have to take her to the beach." There was no humour in her voice.

Willow continued. "Buffybot was running for a short time on borrowed luck. Given a few more minutes and she would have shut down whatever. There was nothing you could have done, even if you had called sooner." Willow let go of Anya and placed her arms around her for a hug. Anya accepted the embrace with a mixed and guilty sense of relief.

"So… she hasn't said anything about what happened?" The ex-demon asked in a high pitched tone.

"Sorry… there's nothing left of registry links to even recover the digital memory. We've had to reset her old parameters, so she's been asking about her cutie Spike for the last ten minutes. I guess in all fairness, we have to say that our Buffybot we've grown to love this past week is… you know… kinda dead." Willow finished with a sad expression.

Giles sat down at the table and began to clean his glasses. "It's a shame; I had rather become attached to the little bucket of bolts."

"Don't call her that." Anya said sharply in a half whisper.

Giles looked up and nodded his head in chagrin. "Please accept my apologies, I meant Buffy" He finished and placed his glasses back on his face. "But she gave her…. well… her life if you will, for all of us and we should never forget that."

"Yeah, Xander wants to hold a funeral for the chip in the woods near to Buffy's grave if that's okay with everyone?"

Anya felt an odd sensation deep within herself; she could feel that tears were streaming down her cheeks. "Can I…." She choked a moment. Willow looked to her with an expectant and sympathetic face.

"You wanna see her?"

"Yeah, I need to see her… alone for a few minutes if that's alright?"

"Sure, just come down to the cellar we'll leave you alone with her for as long as you need okay?" Anya nodded and followed Willow down the cellar stairs. Xander came over and gave his fiancee' a caring embrace as he came past.

"I'm sorry sweetie. I know how much the bot has come to mean to you. I know I couldn't really get attached to it, but I'm sorry it's back to being embarrassing Buffy again."

Anya nodded and kissed him. "Thanks sweetie, but I'd just like to be alone for a while please. With Buffybot I mean."

Willow and Xander headed back upstairs, and both Tara and Dawn embraced Anya as she passed them.

Once the cellar door upstairs was closed behind them all. Anya moved into the larger cellar area to find Buffybot. It was disconcerting to see the robot laid onto the bench in two halves. The top half of Buffybot was on its back with the face staring toward the ceiling. The robots bottom half was sat in a chair opposite with a metal spine and wires emerging from the torso. Anya approached the robot section on the table and stood over Buffybot. The robot moved its head to look up at Anya.

Buffybot's face was a mess; the false skin covering was present on only three quarters of the robots skull. Nevertheless, both eyes were back in place and the robots expression broke into a smile. "Anya." It said with a notable electronic Buffy voice. "You are a friend, and fiancée of Xander's. You used to be a man killing demon but now you're human, even more than me." The robot's face broke into a wide toothy smile and exposed several missing false teeth from the nights fighting.

Anya smiled weakly to the robot. "Hello Buffy." She swallowed nervously. Do you remember what happened to you?"

The robot considered the strange question for a moment. "No." It replied with certainty. "Was I being repaired? Willow's so good at repairing me; I'll be good as new in no time. I hope Spike won't be upset to see me in pieces like this. He's so cute and white and handsome and virile and really, really very, very evilly cunning."

"Let's not talk about Spike okay?"

"But… okay."

"So you don't remember anything about Urtego, or me?"

"You're Anya, I have extensive records. You're an ex-demon, Xander's fiancée and an irritating big mouth with no sense of human social…."

"Thanks… but that's enough okay?"

"Did you need me to run over my memory systems for you?"

"I'm sorry."

Speaking more loudly the robot replied. "I said did you need me to…."

"Not that… I mean I'm truly sorry."

"Why?"

"For letting you down, and being a terrible friend… I'm so… so sorry."

"I have no records…."

Anya leaned over and drew her arms about the robots broken torso. She left a single kiss on the surprised bots forehead. "I'll see you later okay." Anya turned and headed slowly back up the stairs. She looked back through some tears, to see the robot watching after her in some confusion. "I'm so sorry." She said again and opened the upstairs door.

The robot was confused. 'Why was Anya demonstrating the act of emitting water from her eyes?' Buffybot was clear that it meant the human was sad and experiencing stress. 'Willow says that I will be up and active in a week she hopes. I am glad, everything is so new and I am looking forward to getting with Spike again. Willow says that I am modeled on her best friend "Buffy" and that I am Dawn's new sister. I have to keep her safe and protect the family, those are my current directives.'

The robot was clear about its directives the need to fight vampires and the special back rubs that Spike found most invigorating. 'I hope Buffy will come down here soon. I Hope she's going to be my best friend'


In the kitchen the Scooby's were standing or sitting in wait for Anya to come back up. Each one stood and watched her with sad concern written on their faces as she emerged into the kitchen. Anya walked to stand at the dining table in front of the kitchen door and looked back to them all silently. Willow spoke first. "Anya, we know losing someone you care about… it's hard to deal with… if you need a friend or anyone to talk to…."

"Thanks." Anya said softly.

"Yeah, we're all here for you sweetie I know how much Buffybot had come to mean to you." Tara added.

Giles nodded and pointed with an optimistic smile toward Anya with his glasses. "Just a few days of knowing someone and you have a whole lifetime of memories to keep. Just thinking you should look on the bright side."

The whole group stood with eyes focused upon Anya as if they were looking for hope and guidance. Anya placed her hands into the rear of her jean pockets and smiled widely to everyone. "So…." She started cheerfully. "Who wants to go bowling?"

Bibliography

Asimov, Isaac. I, robot. Vol. 1. Spectra, 2004. Retrieved from google scholar 2015