`Chapter four

Disclaimer Buffy belongs to Mutant enemy and Puppetmaster to Full moon, Portions of dialogue were taken straight form season 1 episode 8 of I robot, you Jane. Closed caption is my friend.

Moloch stretched out his senses and could hardly believe what was now in his grasp. He started out small just poking into the local databases finding who would be susceptible to his influence and who wouldn't. Then there is the one that made this all possible Willow Rosenburg, a young woman who until recently would have fallen easily into his lap. But something has changed recently and she has become stronger and most likely one of the biggest challenges he has faced in quite a while. He had already started to lay out the ground work.

His purchase of the local robotic factory had started him on the path towards getting a new body, the chat groups he had started were getting him the following he needed, and he was laying the breadcrumbs to draw Willow to him. It wouldn't be long until he had rebuilt his cult, first would be those that sought some place to belong, then would come the curious, and of course there would be those that he would need to bribe. But they would fall under his thrall as easily as the others. Now he just had to be patient and wasn't it fortunate that he had the whole Web to play with.

"What exactly did they mean by a commission." Willow asked as Angel settled into the arm chair across from her.

"Just that, he has offered to help pay for your rental space in exchange for a guardian statue to protect his clan's grounds." Angel replied

"Do you know anything about his clan or him?" Willow asked.

"Peaceful for the most part, thought they tend to be very territorial." Angel replied. "Some of the newer leaders have started adapted to modern times, instead of just taking an area over and driving every being out they have started to use shell companies to buy up the area and set up private communities."

"So, Buffy is not likely to run into my creation?" Willow asked as she pulled Leroy up into her arms and then sat on the couch next to his chair. She stretched out on the sofa looking towards the picture window designs running through her head as to what she could build and what she would need.

"Not unless she decides to break in to that new gated community out in the dessert." Angel replied as he took in her far-off gaze. His fingers twitched for his sketch pad and pencil, the desire to capture not only that expression but the source of it made him almost twitchy. Which Willow noticed as she saw out of the corner of her eye as the tips of his fingers rubbed against each other. She was about to make a comment about if he had to go meet up with Buffy or something they could talk later. A voice in the back of her head whispered about how Angel use to while away the hours he hid from the sun drawing, and that one of his favorite subjects had been his wife Elsa. It took Willow a moment to identify the voice as belonging to Andre Toulon.

"If you want to sketch you can find some blank paper and some common pencils in my parents' office down the hall and to the left." Willow said as she gestured over the back of the couch.

"What?" Angel asked surprised.

"Your rubbing your fingers together. According to one of the voices in my head that is usually when you reach for a sketch paid." Willow replied with a small smile.

"If you are sure?" Angel asked.

"Go on, you can help me plan out my first true creation." Willow replied.

Angel levered himself out of his chair and headed for the designated room leaving Willow alone. Willow herself sat up from her own position and moved over to the window. As she looked out her mind was already constructing the future guardian statue. She would need to study the culture and mythology of that species to find a form that is both functional and meaningful to them. There was no point in building something that looks human for a demon clam. This add the complication of potentially needing to bring Giles in for the research. She wasn't sure what the Watchers feelings were going to be regarding this new situation.

"Would you mind shifting a little to the left and cocking your head towards me." Angel said from behind her. She turned to look at him to found that he had returned to his prior seat without her hearing him. He now balanced a clip board holding computer paper on his knee and was looking at her. She adjusted her position to what he requested.

"Like this?" she asked.

"Perfect." Angel replied. Willow giggled before she started telling him what she had been thinking about and if he had any idea on how to best approach Giles.

Willow woke up the next morning with a head full of cotton Angel and she had spent most of the night talking and planning. And now she found herself having to get to school with no were near enough sleep. She pulled herself out bed and over to her desk to check her computer lately she had been having a very intense and engaging online conversation with someone called Malcom, he said he lived nearby and was around her age. She wasn't sure how much of that was true but he was an interesting conversationalist and very good for her ego. And she had needed that lately since revealing her inheritance for lack of a better word the interactions she had had with the others seem to focus on what she now knew or could do and very little about herself.

The next morning at school she was nearly tackled by Buffy, she had apparently been trying to call her last night. Willow quickly decided to fudge the truth about her activates and tell her about her new online friend instead of admitting to spending most of the night with Angel.

"His name is Malcom and he is very nice." Willow replied to Buffy's spit fire questions, as she put away her books and grabbed what she needed for computer class.

"You are a thing of evil for not telling me this right away." Buffy accused with a smile as she walked along side Willow.

"Well, I wasn't sure there was anything to tell." Willow replied as Buffy pulled her to a stop. "But last night oh, we talked all night. It was amazing. It reminded me a bit of what I remember from the others' relationships." She explained before quickly adding. "He's so smart, Buffy, and he's romantic and we agree about everything."

"Oh," Buffy cooed before giving a little hoe and asking "What does he look like?"

"I don't know." Willow replied with a smile and a shrug before heading into the computer lab.

Unfortunately, Buffy followed her. Trying to rap her head around the fact that Willow was essentially dating someone she had never seen.

"I met him online." Willow explained.

"Online for what?" Buffy asked Willow just gestured to the computer. "Oh" Buffy said with a worried look.

Ms. Calendar came in with a "Good morning kids." Only to pause when she spotted Buffy next to Willow's station. "Buffy are you supposed to be somewhere?"

"No, I have a free." Buffy replied.

"Cool, but this is lab time so let's make it a nice short visit okay?"

"Sure" Buffy replied before turning her attention back to Willow. As her computer chimed that she had mail.

"It's him." Willow stated with glee, ignoring the muttering in the back of her mind complaining that she was acting like a silly school girl in fact not even taking the time to remind them that she was a school girl. "He's so sweet," she gushed really laying it on when she saw the "thinking of you" email. For not only Buffy's benefit but also to annoy the past puppet master's most of whom had been men.

"He's a sweetie," Buffy agreed visible becoming more and more uncomfortable.

"What should I write him back?" Willow asked

"Uh, Willow, I think it's really great that you have this cool pen pal, but don't you think you're kind of rushing all into this?" Buffy asked. "You know what I mean?"

"I am thinking of you to." Willow replied "No, that's incredibly stupid." She stressed

"Will, down girl let's focus here, ok?" Buffy said seriously drawing Willow's attention fully back to her. "What do you actually know about this guy?"

"Oh, see, I knew you'd react like this." Willow accused."

"Like what?" Buffy asked confused by her reaction. In fact, Willow was a little confused by it herself. "I just want to make sure you're careful, that's all." She explained neither of them noticing the computer's camera shifting in their direction.

In an empty administrative office, the computer suddenly came on and the student profiles were rapidly searched and Buffy's pulled up and sent to Fitz's computer the instructions "Watch her" appearing on the screen. Fitz nodded as he directed his gaze over to the two girls. Willow was explaining everything she knew about her pen pal to Buffy. Buffy immediately started asking about his appearance bring up the scenario that Malcom might have a hairy back I Willow may not find out about it until it's to late. Willow stammered out that he doesn't talk like someone who has one while at the same time resisting the urge to remind Buffy that she has memories of a time where your partner having all their teeth and limbs much less hair was considered a prime catch. Ignoring the conversation going on behind them between Ms. Calendar and Fritz about the amount of computer time Dave and he had racked up.

Willow's next run in over Malcom was with Xander. Who tried to talk her into going to the Bronze only for her to blow him off her mind already moving on to not only Malcom but the meeting she had with group of scavengers who had been recommended by Angel as a good source of supplies.

She would find out later that after leaving Buffy and Xander decided to discuss Willow's new relationship. Xander pointing out the fact that there really is no way to tell if Malcom is who he says he is. And that he was in no way jealous that Willow's attention was focused elsewhere. He quickly got Buffy just as if not more worried by creating the image of Willow being ax-murdered by a Circus Freak.

Only for her to come to her senses and call him on getting her so worried.

Willow forced herself through her morning preparations and off to school. She made it just in time for her fifth class not that she was very concerned about it. Buffy however looked over at her worriedly as the two of them got ready for gym class that she had a chance to confront Willow about her tardiness.
"Talk to Malcom last night?" Buffy asked as she pulled her hair back.

"Yeah." Willow replied with a smile. "What?" she asked as Buffy just stared at her.

"Nothing." Buffy replied as she turned back to her locker.

"You're having an expression." Willow replied.

"I'm not. But if I was, it'd be saying." Buffy replied turning back to her. "This just isn't like you."

"Of all the changes I have gone through me having a boyfriend is the one that concerns you the most." Willow accused.

"He's boyfriendly?" Buffy asked ignoring Willow's allusion to her new powers.

"I don't understand why you don't want me to have this." Willow stated as she sat down. "I mean, boys don't chase me around all the time. I thought you'd be happy for me."

"I just want to be sure. To meet him face-to-face…in daylight in a crowded place with some friends. You know, before you become all obsessive." Buffy explained.

"Malcolm and I really care about each other." Willow responded. "Big deal if I blow off a couple classes."

"I thought you said you overslept?" Buffy replied.

"Malcom said you wouldn't understand." Willow accused.

"Malcom was right." Buffy stated as she closed her locker.

Willow couldn't get her discussion with Buffy out of her head. She had played up Malcom's role in her fatigued state and made no mention of the fact that she had spent most of the evening with Angel bent over a sketch pad. As she sat at her computer she tried to pull her mind away from her personal life and back towards business. After going over the clans offer and their specific desires it had become obvious that she was not going to be making a simple puppet or altered mannequin this was going to be a bigger than life project. She had found a type of protector spirit that the clan believed in she could use as a template it was a cross between a wolf, a dragon, and a six-armed humanoid figure, the logistics of just making it much less allowing for movement would be a challenge. One that she relished taking on. As she got more use to her state she found herself becoming bored with what had been her everyday life. She wasn't finding anything really challenging save for this new project and her relationship with Malcom. The two of them seemed to be in an almost tug of war match over who was taking the lead in where the relationship was headed. Malcom was trying to push her in a more romantic direction while Willow wasn't really interested in him that way. To be honest he was starting to reminded her of one of the past Puppet Masters Gallagher, given the fact that he was a murdering rapist that wasn't a good thing.

As she continued to go through her messages a chat screen popped her eyes immediately went to it. It was from Malcom ….

As she walked the stares she looked over at the answering machine expecting to see a light blinking on the answering machine, it was dark. 'Well this could mean one of two things her parents were actually going to stick to the original schedule and come home without any additional lectures or conference. Or the more likely reason they were giving her the silent treatment.'

She was heading towards the kitchen when she heard the knock at the door, "Forget your key dad, or have you finally decided to use the front door Angel?" She called out jokingly as she opened the door. Looking back, she doesn't know what made her step out of her house she was grabbed from behind and rag placed over her moth. As she goes down, she hears a man's voice saying "Its time."

When she next came to she was in an advanced robotics lab, as she looked around she found herself surrounded by server towers and shadow figures moving around them. Soon her attention was drawn to a monitor that started glowing red

"Welcome my love." A synthesized voice said "I can't tell you how good it is to see you..." suddenly a clawed robotic had grabbed the top of the monitor "with my own tow eyes." He concluded as a large robotic form appeared from behind it. The thing that she could only assume was Malcom was huge and had two curled horns made of entwined cable on its head with red eyes and a grill were his mouth would be. He was painted in shades of black and grey, Willow noted abstractedly. She needed to get ahold of herself she was on her own with that she was pretty sure was a demonic robot. The puppet master of the past were all offering suggestion the main one coming from the ancient Egyptians that she seal the demon in some kind of container.

"Willow" he said in a more human sounding voice.

"Malcom" she whispered in reply that seemed to be some cue for Fitz and one of the scientists to drag her to her feet.

"This world is so new, so exciting. I can see all of it. Everything flows through me." He expanded as he made her way towards her. "I know the secrets of your kings." As he made a fist he continued. "But nothing compares to having form again. To be able to walk, to touch." He reached out and rested his hand on Fritz's head, he suddenly snapped the teens neck with a snap "To kill." As he released his grasp and let him fall to the floor. Just as suddenly Moloch angled his head "Here they come"

"I don't understand what do you want from me?" Willow said as she moved to put space between herself and not only Moloch but also the scientist minion that had been helping Fritz how her in place.

"I want to give you the world." He replied as he moved towards her backing her into a corner.

"Why?"

"You created me." Was the reply "I brought these humans together to build me a body, but you gave me life, took me out of the book that held me. I want to repay you." He said reaching both hands out to her.

"By lying to me?" Willow asked incredulously. "By pretending ot be a person?" she as she felt something boiling insider her "Pretending you loved me?"
"I do." Moloch replied erneastly "Don't you see? I can give you everything. I can control the world." Moloch explained as he tilted his head up and to the right "Right now, a man in Beijing is transferring money to a Swiss bank account for a contract on his mother's life." He explained as he turned his face back towards Willow "Good for him," he said with an approving nod.

Willow darted away from him away from the corno she had been being herded to. "Let me leave." She asked hopefully as she felt the past master start to come fully awake in her mind.

"But I love you." Moloch replied heading towards.

"Stop saying that, that's a joke. You don't love anything." She accused

"You are mine." Moloch replied.

"Realy that's the best you can do?" she replied only it was a condisending man's voice that spoke "You realy missed the mark on that one." Willow stared to move her posture straightening out and she seemed to stide as she made her way over to one of the work stations. " Even before the inheritance that wouldn't have worked," the voice continued "Maybe before the slayer came and the girl started to get some self esteem that line may have worked, but not now."

Moloch's head cocked as her regarding nothing in his research of her had suggested any form of split personality. Willow continued on only this time in an older accented voice. "Your first mistake was losing track of your patter. Mentioning Buffy without her ever telling you about her, second was killing that poor boy back there, 'to kill' " the voice quoted "That is not the proper way to court some one like Willow."

Molach who had been regarding her silently lowered his head before snapping it back up with an indirfernt "Pity" he reached out and grabed her shoulder drawing her to him. "I will miss you" he said almost regrettably. As he placed his other head on Willow's head similar to what he had done before snapping Fritz's neck. Willow release a scream that was made up of almost a dozen voices. Only for Molach to release her and scream while he thrashed side to side.

Suddenly the door burst open an Buffy came rushing in launching herself into a flying kick that slightly staggered the already off balance Moloch, but she pretty much just droped to the floor all momentuem lost. "Ow! Guy's made of metal." As she elbowed her way back up. Meanwhiel the scientist looking minon from before had grabbed Xander from behind and start struggling with him.

Buffy got to her feet pulling Willow to her as they watched Moloch groan and thrash declaring "No, I won't go back!" as he screamed Buffy and Willow dashed to the door Willow grabbing a small slim item off the workstation behind her. Moloch continued screaming as the girls ruch by xander who had just punched out the minion. He followed after them shaking his fist with a giant grin.

"Hey, I got to hit someone." He braged as he followed after them. The three ran down the corridor running through one door only to turn around after locking a set of double doors against some of Moloch minions," Let's go this way."

"Wait!" Buffy cried as she relized she could no longer her Moloch screaming. She held Willow back as Xander rushed down the hallway just clearing the portion of wall tha Moloch came crashing through. The Robots first act is to back hand Xander into a wall. Before turning his attention the girls.

Buffy pushed Willow behind her as she moved forward to block him only forget about his metal plated frame. He quickly through her into a wall as well. "I was omnipotent." He cried as he turned to face her "I was everything." He seethed "Now I'm trapped in this shell." He then started to reach down for Buffy who was just starting to regain her bearings on the floor.

"Malcom" Willow suddenly cried out he turned to find her. " Remember me? Your girlfriend?" she cried holding a hand plam out towards him "I think it's time we break up, but maybe we can still be friends." Before launching in to a chant that froze Moloch as it continued her voice seemed to multiple. Moloch started screaming again. Xander and Buffy watched as something was pulled out of the robet and into something Willow held in her other hand.

Buffy and Xander got back on their feet the three of them stood staring done at the fallen form of Moloch, after Willow's chant had ended the robot had crumpled to the ground.

"I was planning to have him punch the electric box." Buffy stated.

"That would have worked," Willow replied as she fiddled with the flash drive that now contained Moloch. "but this way at lease I have something new to work with."

"Won't that require a brain." Xander said

"Moloch killed Fitz not even half an hour ago the brains still good." Willow said in a slightly detached way "You two may want to go tould base with Giles, your not going to want to see this part."

"You need special tools for that right?" Buffy asked her voice going slightly high. "You can't just break open a sckull with your hands," she added gesturing nervousely before going still. "Well you can't and I could but I don't want to." She said with a scrunched up face.

"Don't worry I have memories of how to improvise." Willow replied as she moved back towards the whole in the wall.

Toulan barely paid any attention as he made his way past the Welcome to Sunnydale sign, he was more focused on keeping track of the new features that had been added since the last time he drove. As he made his way through the outskirts of the city he paid just as little attention to the changes there would be time for that once he had reclaimed what was his. He just wished that Elsa was there with him, she had always enjoyed travel and discovering new things. Before they became trapped in that ghetto and that Nazi killed her, what could have passes as a sad smile crossed his decaying face that Gestpo officer did not die easily or quickly.

He soon found himself in the more residintal area of the town as he drove through the streets looking for the house number listed on forms. It took him a while to find the usupers house but when he did he arrived just in to her enter and close her door. His hands tightened around the usuper was only a child. What right did she have thinking that she was allowed to weild a power that had taken him nearly a lifetime to perfect. Toulan pulled away he was going to be here awhile, it wasn't like he could just walk up and shout her it wouldn't be gentlemanly.

So, he made his way around the neighborhood looking for some place to set up in. An empty house or sole occupancy resident he was on his third trip when an elderly woman flagged him down. Now there were three things that struck him as odd about this situation one the woman seemed to be gardening at night, two in just the short amount of time he had been in the town he had seen three demons, at least five vampires not including Angel, and 3rd who flags a stranger in a car down in the middle of the night.

Clara plastered a smile on her face as she watched the car pulled aside near her house. She had seen it go by at least three times which to her meant tourist, aka easy meal no one looks for. She had been concerned she was going to have to dip into her bucket of do gooders to ensure she got something to eat. She had been 70 when she was turned back in the 1800 not due to some affectionate family member or some master looking for cannon fodder. Instead she had been turned by some spoiled entitled twit that decided that if he was going to live for eternity, he should have reliable staff and Clara had been serving his family since she was old enough to push a broom and her mother before her. The twit barely made it a decade before he was dusted. By that time Clara and already started to refine her helpless old lady act, she had been a traveling spinster, land lady and cleaning lady of a boarding house all positions that gave her easy access to prey. But as times changed and people started paying attention more, back in the old days you got world of some hermit that never leaves his house you could just move right in. Keep him/her alive for any account information and have a nice place to live before having to move. Now a day you find someone like that only to find out that they spend every waking moment online and the minute they go missing someone across the country calls the cops.

She got lucky here the house belongs to an old spinster with no close family and receiving not only social security checks but also a pension. That kept the house up without resorting to some more unsavory habits even when she was alive and the twit forgot to pay her, she never stole so much as a spoon. And now she was getting some home delivery and given how he was moving it would most likely have a kick to it to. As he drew closer to her, she suddenly got a strong whiff of rot and decay and started to seriously reconsider her dinner plans. "You look like your lost dearie."

"You could say that, madame." The man replied as he came up to her so that she could finally get a good look at him. Every inch was covered in clothing, bandages, he was even wearing dark googles. "I find myself looking for a domicile in the area."

"Some one I know?" she asked as she moved towards her the gate so that she could her hands on the stranger.

"I doubt it." He replied as he stayed were, he stood. "You seem to prefer not to go out hunting."

"I don't know what you mean" she replied freezing.

"One thing I have learned over the years is how to spot a vampire." He explained "And fortune smiles on me, you even have a home near that usurper."

Clara barely had time to snarl and flash her fangs when a large hand grabbed her ankle and twisted. She quickly found herself on the ground she looked back to find a toy sized figure with giant man-sized hands in black fingerless gloves and a dirty red sweater. His other most unusual feature was that his head was tiny compared to the rest of his body. As she pulled back her other foot to kick out at it, she felt something slash at the arm she was supporting herself with sending herself back to the ground. She turned her head to see another doll this one was white save for its trench coat, hat, and the blade and hook the he had in place of hands. But her attention was pulled quickly to her other side where a Nazi inspired puppet stood. It was stocky wearing a trench coat and its head looked like a pith helmet its eyes lit up as its arm came up the other dolls quickly moved a way from her and sought cover behind something. This was the last observation she made before flames shot out of the doll's arm engulfing her head.

Toulan quietly entered the garden and made his why to the hose the woman had been using on her bushes, he turned the stream onto the smoldering remains of the vampire. "Well my children this should do nicely."