Chapter Three: Staging and
"Alright let me get this straight," Xander said as he looked across the room to where Willow and Giles were sitting facing him and Buffy, "Due to a woman who Willow knows dying she is now some form of an ultimate Puppeteer."
"A bit simplistic but correct." Giles replied. "The Puppet Masters have not been a large player in the supernatural community the only real contribute was before the World War 1 when Toulon assisted in destroying an ancient Egyptian demon cult by turning their own magic against them."
"Toulon also assisted the resistance in Germany during World War 2." Willow added.
"Was he the only Puppet Master or were there others?" Buffy asked.
"There have been two others, one of them a narcissistic homicidal psychic researcher, the second was his widow who really had no interest in anything to do with being Puppet Master." Willow replied.
"The wife is the one who sent you the stuff?" Xander asked.
"Yes," Willow replied as she reached down and pulled her bag up onto the table. "She sent me more than just some clothes and books." She then opened the bag allowing Rascal to climb out.
"What is that?" Buffy asked as she tensed up.
"This is Rascal," Willow replied, "He is one of the newest generation of puppets; he was not created by Toulon." She continued. "Instead he was commissioned using Toulon's designs."
"He looks like a musketeer." Xander said as he moved closer to the table to get a better look at the sword wielding puppet, the puppet bowed while making a deep laughing sound.
"It talks?" Buffy asked
"More like he vocalizes," Willow replied, "The puppets tend to communicate through body language more than sound."
"Puppets?" Buffy asked. "As in plural?"
"Yes, she sent two other puppets." Willow replied, "And there are at least five active puppets floating around."
"Where are they?" Xander asks. Only to watch as Willow, Giles, and Angel traded a series of telling looks between the three of them.
"More than likely they are under the control of the newly resurrected Andre Toulon." Giles replied.
"Toulon, the first Puppet Master," Xander clarified.
"Yes, he committed suicide in order to keep his secret and now he has been brought back for it." Angel stated.
"What do you mean?" Buffy asked.
"The puppets are animated with a special formulas, Megan was killed because she wouldn't collect the necessary ingredients." Willow replied. "The puppets needed Toulon to make more but nothing good comes from messing around with that type of animation."
"Just what type of ingredient are we talking about here?" Xander asked.
"Brain matter." Willow stated, "Either animal or human, the problem is that of the two human works best in order to create a puppet capable of independent problem-solving abilities."
"Wait," Xander said, "These are Zombie Puppets."
"Well simply put." Giles admitted.
"Have you ever thought of using vampires?" Xander asked.
"What?" Willow asked.
"All of the vampire victims we have in this town." Xander explained. "I know we don't find all of them before they rise but if we lobotomize the ones we do." He trailed off.
"We would have to bribe several coroners." Willow replied as she thought it over. "If we remove enough of the brain, the resulting minion probably wouldn't even be able to rise. "
"But you would run the risk of introducing the demonic force that would have caused the victim to rise in the first place." Giles interjected.
"Maybe if we got to them early enough," Willow mused as she consider what type of early warning systems she would have to create in order to achieve that.
"As creepy as this discussion is getting," Buffy interrupted. "Can we get back to the matter at hand?"
"Yes of course." Giles replied slightly embarrassed for getting carried away.
"What can we do about this Toulan person?" Buffy asked.
"Nothing, this is my problem." Willow replied.
"If you really think we are just going let you handle this on your own your nuts." Buffy replied. "What are our options here?"
"Not a lot, we don't even know if he has been reanimated yet." Willow said, "The first step is going to be waking up the other two puppets."
"Do you have them with you?" Giles asked. Willow held up a finger and went behind the check-out counter resurfacing with a large duffel bag.
"I am going to need a few things in order to empower them other than that they are ready to go."
"What do you need?" Buffy asked.
"Liquid nitrogen, plant food, and some seeds." Willow replied.
"Raid the store rooms?" Buffy suggested.
"After you." Willow replied as she grabbed her duffel and followed the slayer out of the library.
Meanwhile
The set of buildings were set off into the desert a short distance from Sunnydale, at first glance it looked like an abandoned hotel it wasn't until you got closer you realized that the rooms were farther apart then would normal and the doors were designed to roll up not open inwards. Angel made his way to the office, a bell chimed as he entered adding a bit of misplaced normalcy to the place.
The clerk manning the front desk looked human if you attributed the faint greenish tint his skin had to the lighting. Most of the rooms other occupants would never have been able to pass; odd skin tones and textures, multiple limbs, and horns were well represented. As he made his way to the desk he heard several hisses a few that were even understandable.
"Can I help you?" The clerk asked.
"I need to arrange the rental of a unit." Angel said.
"How will you be paying cash, credit, or gold we don't accept kittens." The clerk recited as he started pulling out forms.
"How would I go about arranging a trade?" Angel asked.
"What do you have to offer?" the clerk asked skeptically.
"My employer is offering to create an animated guard for the premises." Angel replied.
"Let me contact my supervisor." The clerk replied, before turning into the back office.
"Tell me betrayer," one of the demons behind him asked. "What if we don't want some slayer controlled corpse stumbling around our stuff?"
"My employer is not the slayer and nor does my employer deal with flesh." Angel replied mindful that those in the back office could probably hear every word. "What is being offered will be more akin to a living statue."
"Are we suddenly in an Indiana Jones movie?" one of the younger demons asked.
"Scoff if you will pup," a demon that looked like he was ten years past dead. "But at one time those type of guardians were common place." He continued "That human magician was the last one to really do that type of magic."
"The Puppet Master," Angel replied. "Andre Toulan, during World War 2 in Germany."
"You knew him?" the demon asked.
"I traveled with his wife and him until they settled down in Germany." Angel replied.
"Is it their descendent you protect?" the demon asked. Angel stared at the ancient demon for a few moments trying to decide how to best answer that without giving away Willow's identity.
"Yes, my employer is the current Puppet Master." Angel replied.
"If it is funds that the two of you are lacking my clan could be persuaded to order a commission provided that your employer can prove he knows what he is doing." The demon replied his demeanor changing from aloof elder to looking for a deal.
"We'll see my employer is going to be choosy when it comes to clients." Angel said. "The next step is to set up a PO Box for proposals."
"If you will please come back here." The receptionist beckoned from the back doorway.
"If you will excuse me." Angel said as he made his way over to her.
Next Morning- Saturday
Willow was once again going through the things she had received in this case all of the paperwork, she had already contacted her parents lawyer and made inquiries into not only securing her own but getting in touch with the lawyer in charge of the trust. Now it was just a matter of figuring out just what needed to be done to in order to get Bodega Bay Inn back on its feet. After her husband's death Megan had let the property go putting little effort into maintaining the hotel and its surrounding property. While there was some money in the trust she wasn't sure it was going to be enough. Along with the hotel the Gallagher's had their hands in a few other local Bodega Bay businesses. She wanted to get a basic grasp on it before she met with the lawyers next week. Unfortunately she had agreed to help scan the library into a data base that afternoon so she was trying to get though as much of it as she could. So when her phone rang she was slightly annoyed, thinking it was a friend of her parents or a telemarketer.
"Hello, Rosenburg residence." Willow greeted as she pulled an empty notebook towards her in case she needed to take a message.
"Willow, it's your mother."
"Hello mother, this is a surprise." Willow replied.
"I know we usually give you your space and let you explore your own free will but, it has come to your father and my attention that the family has come into an inheritance." Sheila explained.
"No, I will come into one on my majority." Willow replied becoming more annoyed that the only reason her mother would call her would be about this.
"Really Willow," Sheila was about to launch into a guilt inducing lecture about how irresponsible she was being, which prior to becoming Puppet Master would have left her in a puddle of self-loathing desperate to do anything to win her parents approval.
"The structure of the trust won't allow me to use any of the money for anything other than improving the involved businesses. And before you ask I cannot sell any of the assets until I am twenty one and receive that entire estate." Willow replied.
"I was led to believe that you received more than just the hotel."
"Some personal affects clothes and such." Willow replied.
"Well, "Sheila drawled. "Markwell will be sending you some papers to sign that will allow us to dig into all of this for you."
"Why?" Willow asked.
"You are too young to be dealing with all of this." Sheila explained.
"That is why I am getting a lawyer that specializes in this type of law in order to help me." Willow replied. "The fact that we are having this conversation shows that I can't trust Markwell to act in my best interest and as opposed to yours."
"Well really," Sheila gasped.
"Mother, before we continue this discussion I want you to take some time and consider just what your motives are right now. I want you to do that and get back to me in a couple days." Willow replied before saying goodbye and hanging up never giving her mother a chance to respond. Willow tilted her head back to rest on the back of the couch, only to pull her head back up when she heard a husky woman's laugh at floor level. She smiled as she watched the Ice Queen come around the table followed by the rest of her puppets. Rascal was escorting Nymph while the Queen led the way, Leroy followed along behind, only to almost bowl them over in his rush to get to her.
Willow laughed as the small dog scrabbled to try and join her on the couch. "Well guys I have either made a giant mistake or created an amazing opportunity for growth in my relationship with my parents." She mused for a couple seconds. "I should have Angel start looking for an apartment for us."
Half an hour latter Willow looked at her puppets than at a doctor style bag she had found in the basement. The bag was dried and beat up but it was still structurally sound. Not that the puppets believed her.
"Come on guys." Willow sighed, "I am going to be late either get in the bag or let me go." She demanded as she gestured to the door that had been sealed shut and barricaded by the puppets. "I can't fit you guys in my backpack, I will have Giles help me not only restore this bag but reinforce it." Willow explained with a forced calm. The puppets looked at each other before seemingly slump and started to undo their work on door before climbing into the bag.
Willow was only a few minutes late getting to the library so everything was already set up. She gave Ms. Calender an apologetic smile before handing Giles the Doctors bag.
"Here are the items we talked about, also if you have any ideas for restoring the bag?" Willow asked.
"Of course I will just place these in my office." Giles replied as he balanced the bag and a pile of books.
"Here Gman let me grab those." Xander said as he ducked in and snagged the books from the older man.
Willow smiled as she watched the by play between the two. "Sorry I am late Ms. Calender ," Willow said as she headed for the computers. "Where do you want me?"
"The third terminal you can man the hand scanner." Ms. Calender replied absently.
"Sure." Willow replied as she settled down in front of the computer. Within a couple of minutes she had fallen into a rhythm of scanning and achieving the different tomes, she welcomed the distraction of Giles and Ms. Calender debate about books over computers.
The afternoon went quickly aside from one instance of disturbing behavior from Fritz when he expressed his discuss for anyone not fully dedicated to the use of computers. Willow was able to quickly finish the work set before her and so she could go and catch up with Xander and Buffy but in her hurry, she missed the screen of her computer going black and the words "Where am I?" appearing across the screen.
Samuel Morrali was a third generation building inspector and had lived his entire life in Bodega Bay so when a lawyer started asking around for someone to evaluate Bodega Bay Inn and write up a report on what need to be done to bring it back up to code, he jumped at the chance. Bodega Bay Inn was and always has been the local haunted house. Even while it was built there were rumors that persisted throughout its lifetime. After the most recent deaths local opinion sided on the building being left to rot and crumble. Instead the new owner was looking to finish the renovations and bring the hotel up to date. He marveled as he made his way through the building taking everything in. There was obvious damage that had been caused by vandals as well as disuse. But if seemed that all of the damage was cosmetic and not structural so far, he wouldn't know for sure till he started getting into the crawl space and utility rooms.
He was on the second floor when he saw something, a shadow that was about shin height scurrying across the hall. Now Morrali had heard all of the stories so he had a sudden decision to make he could see what it was that he saw or he could leave. His decision was made for him when he noticed three other small shadows heading towards him as well as hearing creepy laughter. Needless to say he turned on his heel and headed for the stairs. He had just reached the head of the stairs when he felt a large hand grip his ankle and yank causing him to fall head first down the stairs.
He wasn't sure if he had lost complete consciousness when he felt something slash his face, he started to thrash trying to get away from whatever was attacking him. He got on his hands and knees and then his feet the whole time he felt things pulling, beating, and cutting at him. But he made it to his feet and scrambled through the door, fumbled down the steps and bolted for his van. Never giving any thought to the clipboard he left behind.
Blade and Jester watched from the window as the building inspectors drove away in his man both of them made noises and kisses expressing the disappointment in not being able to complete their kill. They knew that they are running low on materials and that every bit would count but before they could truly express that disgust and disappointment a man covered in bandages and an old-fashioned hat, coat, and goggles appeared behind them "It is all right to the ones." he said "there will always be another one. Besides our friend has left us something that is of greater importance." The shadowy figure held up Morrali's clipboard. "Instead of simple ingredients he has given us a lead on where that your former false master of yours has sent my things and tools to."
The other puppets had since gathered around him pinhead dragging his hands along the floor, torch looking around randomly causing his drills to spend, torches eyes starting to glow, and Leach woman resting her hand upon shadowy figures ankle. "It would appear my small friends that we are heading to Sunnydale, California. Apparently, there is a young lady named Willow Rosenberg that we have business with."