Chapter 24

…This Day…

Zack read the Sunnydale Sun Times that day. He had first examined the paper thoroughly, it did not seem as though it had been tampered with.

The front page displayed the date in black and white.

He read the first article:

"February 13, 1999

"CHASE Foundation Commits More Than $1 Million

"Los Angeles, CA – The Chase Foundation is committing more than $1-million to improve Internet governance, including several major initiatives designed to make the Internet's first international oversight body, more accountable to all users of the Internet, it was announced in a statement today by Noble Chase, President of the Chase Foundation.

"After a year of initial activities, the first elected Board of Directors of LACAE (Los Angeles Corporation for American Education) is now being selected; nine of the 15 Directors have already been elected by three supporting organizations representing technical and commercial interests. Users of the Internet at large will elect an additional six Directors, and Chase is helping to ensure that this election process is fair and credible.

"Chase's first initiative – a $200,000 grant directly to LACAE to initiate this process-will enable the organization to hire staff, conduct outreach (including easy-to-understand educational materials), create technical mechanisms for global voting, translate key documents into several major languages for the benefit of all potential LACAE members worldwide, and initiate the voting process.

"Mr. Chase also announced that he has enlisted the support of, and is providing funds for efforts by, Mayor Richard Wilkins III, the American Library Association and other organizations from around the world to help establish the election process, to reach out to Internet users, and to monitor the elections. These efforts are designed to encourage the greatest participation by the broadest geographic base of individuals and non-commercial users.

"Mr. Chase said, "Global institutions are beginning to oversee Internet activities. The decisions they make will determine whether the Internet achieves its potential as a powerful weapon for democratic values and aspirations. Management of the Internet by a private entity will not be stable or legitimate if that entity does not adequately include the public voice. So it is essential that LACAE – which is establishing rules that impact individuals and organizations alike – be accountable to all Internet users everywhere. Specifically, that means building a legitimate way for individuals to vote and create an authority they can trust. We are bringing in experts who can make this happen."

He stopped reading as he realized that the Mr. Chase in the foundation was, in fact, Max, actually Cordelia's father. He flipped through several pages and found an article on the local college.

"Sunnydale University had open enrollment for summer semester 2000. Enrollment would be from March 1 through March 22, 1999. A "Benefits Information Day" had been scheduled for Friday, February 13, 1999, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the Wilkins Memorial Conference Room. Representatives would be available to advise students and answer questions."

He flipped through and read more articles… Something about a war brewing, possibly in Iraq… 'is this about Desert Storm?' he wondered to himself.

"Weekly, sometimes daily, bombings of Iraqi targets within the northern no-fly zone are being carried out by U.S. and British bombers. More than 25 air strikes have take place thus far, and have continued regularly since January. The U.S. and Britain hope the constant barrage of air strikes will weaken Saddam Hussein's grip on Iraq."

He frowned as he turned to the obituaries. For such a small town, there was a LOT of people who turned up dead. 'What the hell?' he thought to himself. Most of the people reported as deceased in the paper were young people with very strange causes of death: "attacked by Gangs on PCP with barbecue forks" seemed to be the most common reason.

Zack lifted his head. He noticed, 'was he really going to think of her as someone else?' Cordelia where she sat at Xander's computer.

He moved from the breakfast bar to stand behind her and looked at what she was scrolling through.

The young woman was looking at a picture of a pendant or a necklace under the heading of Anyanka, patron of scorned women and vengeance demon. Under the subheading, Cordelia read aloud in a quiet voice, "Anyanka raised a demon to ruin her unfaithful lover. The demon did her bidding – but then cursed her and turned her into a sort of patron saint for scorned women. Apparently the cry of a wronged woman is like a siren's call to Anyanka."

"What is that?" Zack asked.

Startled, the brunette spun around and looked up at him, startled. She gasped and a hand flew to her mouth.

She rushed into her boyfriend's room to wake him.

"What?" the blond said as he followed her with his eyes.

…Revelations…

Careful to shake him on his uninjured side, Cordelia woke Xander.

Zack had followed her to the door and watched them curiously.

"Mole put aftershave lotion in your mouthwash again?" the young man mumbled sleepily.

"Shut up, Xander, I need you to wake up," she said as she pulled him to a seated position.

"What, Cor? Go get some beauty sleep, I'm sure the Prom Queen needs it," he said sleepily as he looked up at her, bleary eyed.

"Damnit, Xander, I'm trying to be serious."

"I'm trying to sleep, which is what Dr. Spock told me to do," he said as he tried to lay back down, but the brunette would not let him.

"In your computer, you have this file on demons and stuff…" she hedged.

"Tobin's Spirit Guide," he mumbled, "Yeah, what about it?"

"Ghostbusters?" the May Queen exclaimed.

The black haired young man smirked, "Affectionately name after the guide in the movie, yeah. What of it?"

"Is it really real stuff?" she asked as the young man ran a hand over his barcode.

"Yeah," he said tiredly as he yawned. "I'm working on a compilation for Giles, once I'm done I'm gonna transfer it over to the computer in his office. If he ever uses the damned thing, it will have every demon, ghost, vampire, etc. we've encountered and then some… he'll be able to cross reference things like… Flesh eating demons, Skin eating demons, Egg laying demons, the 31 flavors of Lycanthropes, Vampires, Ghosts, Cults that try to open the Hellmouth, etc.."

"Is this what you do in your spare time?" she questioned.

Xander nodded as he rose from the bed.

"You are such a geek," she said with a funny little smile on her face.

"Coward!" he said with a smirk.

"Moron!" a similar smirk appeared on her own face.

"I love you," he said in a whisper.

"I love you," she said in an equally low tone of voice.

They both shared a look before they burst into laughter before they kissed.

"You gonna help me with my shirt?" Xander asked as he grabbed one of his old, flowing button-up shirts, that he never wore anymore, so that it would not grate on his wound.

"Sure," she said as she moved in to help him.