It took forty minutes for Giles and Miss. Calendar to reach the lab, this was more than enough time for the three teenagers to clear out the computer lab and start assembling one that resembled a more chemistry-based lab. Giles took a minute to take in the mad scientist lab look that was starting to evolve.
"Giles" Buffy called from where she stood as far away from what remained of Fitz which was laid out on the table that Willow had been placed on. "This is getting weird."
"I am pretty sure we have gone way past weird," Xander said from somewhere in the back of the room. Giles followed the sound of his voice while Ms. Calendar started looking around at all the computer equipment. As Giles turned the corner he became of a rather distinctive smell. There was a strong order of plants that reminded him of an apothecary he visited in London frequently, but there was a smell under it that he wished that he didn't recognize, human flesh being cooked.
"Willow, is there any chance the missing parts of that poor boy are in those vials?" Giles asked as he came closer to her only to give a double-take at the Giant horned robot that Xander was standing next to.
"Yes, Giles," Willow replied, "I didn't see any need for them to go to waste."
"Excuse me," Giles replied.
"My past incarnations may have been able to get away with puppets to act as their protectors and tools," Willow explained her voice gaining a slight accent "But that just won't cut it on the Hellmouth."
"I can see where you are coming from Willow," Giles replied, "But there are several reasons against this, not the least of which is the moral issue of using parts of your classmates to animate a killer robot." He said as he took off his glasses. "What you are doing could be the start of a slippery slope."
"Giles, I swear I will not start murdering my classmates," Willow replied, she continued to distill the formula.
A Day Later at the High School
Willow joined Buffy and Xander in sneaking into the auditorium to poke fun at Giles for getting stuck managing the yearly talent show. Only to stop in horror at listening to Cordelia's slaughtering of Whitney Houston's Greatest Love of All. As she settled next to Giles, she couldn't keep Toulan from commenting "The only hope she has of making a living off that voice is on her back."
"A little harsh but accurate," Giles agrees before he can stop himself.
"Sorry, he kind of slipped out," Willow said blushing vibrant red.
"The Toulan's have left you with quite a bit about theater knowledge, haven't they?" Giles asked. As they watched the tuba player practiced her number.
"Yes, why?" Willow asked.
"The school talent show." Buffy interjected, "However did you finagle such a primo assignment?"
"Our new Fuhrer—Mr. Snyder."
"I am pretty sure they're called principles now." Willow cut in.
"He thought it would behoove me to have more contacts with the students," Giles explained. "I did try to explain that my vocational choice of librarian was a deliberate attempt to minimize said contact, but he would have none of it." Giles finished wearily.
"Giles, into every generation, is born one who must run the annual talentless show," Buffy replied sarcastically. "You cannot escape your destiny."
"If you had any – a shred of decency, you would have participated or at least, um…helped," Giles replied.
"Nah! I think I'll take on your traditional role and watch." Buffy replied as she slid into a seat.
"And mock," Xander added from over his shoulder.
"And laugh." Willow smiled even as she took a clipboard from Giles, and started looking through it.
"Okay, I think maybe we better leave our Mr. Giles to this business he calls show," Buffy stated as she started to rise. Xander squeezed her shoulder and Willow waves them on still looking at the clipboard. Which was a good thing considering Snyder was waiting for them.
"Ohh! Principal Snyder." Buffy exclaimed.
"So, we think school events are stupid," Principal Snyder said, "And we think authority figures are to be made fun of?"
"No, no, we don't. Well, unless you do." Buffy backpedaled with a deer in the headlight look as she laughed nervously.
"And we think our afternoon classes are optional," Snyder added, Giles meanwhile had turned to look over at them, absently handing Willow a pen. "All three of you left campus yesterday." Cocking his head to include Willow in his line of sight.
"Well, yeah but we were fighting a demon—"Buffy started to explain only for Xander to knock into her shoulder.
"Fighting?" Snyder asked
"Not fighting," Buffy replied.
"We left to avoid fighting," Xander explained.
"Real antisocial types." Principal Snyder drawled "You need to integrate into this school, people." He continued as Buffy looked around, "I think I just found three eager new participants for the talent show." He stated smugly
"Ah, two." Giles cut in "Willow, will be assisting me."
"Where did you learn to run a show anyway?" Willow muttered as she continued making notes on his clipboard.
Meanwhile Buffy was gaining a panicking look "What?
"No." Xander added.
"I've been watching you three," Snyder continued (Giles now sitting forward with a smile on his face and his head cocked toward them almost smugly) "Always getting into one scrape or another." Snyder continued.
"Well, We're really, really sorry." Buffy stuttered before firming up her voice "But about the talent show. Please you can't make us." She stated desperately.
"My predecessor Mr. Flutie," Snyder replied talking over her, "May have gone in for all the touchy/feely relating nonsense, but he was eaten." Snyder continued regaining his smug tone "You're in my world now, and Sunnydale has touched and felt for the last time." He said as he walked through them.
"Can I just mention that detention is a time-honored form of punishment?" Xander appealed.
Snyder turned towards him "I know the two of you will come up with a wonderful act for the school to watch … and mock…and laugh…at." He replied before turning and heading towards the stage.
Xander held two fingers up into the air as he collapsed into a seat "NO! NO!" he protested.
Meanwhile Buffy seemed to weakly make her way to a seat next to Giles going "Ehh…Ehh…" just in time for the tuba player to finish.
"Thank you" Giles stated as the next performer came forward.
"Ew, dummy," Buffy said as she crinkled her nose.
"Duh-ow! Mime!" Xander exclaimed jumping in his seat.
"This wouldn't explain your aversion to my puppets would it?" Willow asked ignoring Xander as she moved behind Buffy "Besides that is a well-crafted and maintained specimen of its era."
"No, dummies have given me the wig, ever since I was little," Buffy replied uncomfortably casting a glance a Willow over her shoulder.
"What happened?" Willow asked.
"I saw a dummy it gave me the wig." Buffy replied before leaning back towards Willow "There really wasn't a story there."
"Hi, I'm Morgan." The teen said starting his act "And I'm Sid" the dummy continued with not only Morgan's lips moving but also his mouth. "Hey, Morgan." The dummy continued while Giles and the teens just stared at him deadpanned. "Would you like to tell some jokes?"
"Would I.?" Morgan said switching to his voice only to immediately switch to the dummy "As a matter of fact, it is. It's also a wood nose and a wood mouth" the audience began to look more and more depressed "Heh Heh Heh Heh!" Morgan seemed to realize he was dying so he launched the dummy into another joke "I didn't sleep at all last night..."
Only for Sid to seem and take over "All right. Time out." He said in a deep smoker's voice. "Let's stop this before someone gets hurt." Morgan baring a slightly shocked look. Sid turned towards him "Kid you are the worst even I can see your lips move." Getting some laughter from Buffy.
"Come on Sid your spoiling my act I worked on these jokes for weeks." Morgan pleaded.
"You call those jokes?" Sid replied as people started gathering around the stage. "My jockey shorts are made out of better material." Gaining more laughter from the growing audience "And they're edible." Sid continued his eyebrows going up and down.
"There you see, I'm sure you two can come up with something equally exciting," Giles assured.
"There is something familiar about that dummy." Willow thought watching as its face moved.
Later
'That is a truly awful magician.' Willow heard in her mind as she watched Marc try and practice backstage.
"I reach into the hat," Marc stated as he waved his hands "And out comes…Uh—" as he reaches into the top hat only to find nothing he immediately starts looking around for "Has anyone seen a Rabbit?"
She shook her head as she turned her attention back to Buffy and Xander who were attempting to practice themselves. Xander reached out to the audience with one arm raised:
"I can't do this." He remarked turning back towards Willow and Buffy.
"Xander, come on," Buffy replied as she lowered her script.
"I—I can't. I have my pride." He stammered back. "Okay, I don't have a lot of my pride, But I have enough so that I can't do this." He stated as he shook his script before walking off.
"A dramatic scene is the easiest way to get through the talent show." Willow explained as she followed Xander." Because it doesn't require any natural talent." She continued as she sat next to Xander on the stage steps.
"But we have talent. We can do stuff." Xander replied as Buffy Joined them "Buffy, UH- -"
"What am I going to do slay vampires on stage?" Buffy replied with a cocked head.
"Maybe in a funny way," Willow replied in an excited voice.
"Willow," Xander said as he turned to her. "You can do stuff. Uh…. The piano."
"You play?" Buffy asked.
"A little," Willow replied. "But it doesn't matter because I am helping Giles backstage remember."
"Oh, right." The other two moaned.
"Besides doing it in front of other people." Willow added shaking "Then, no, I don't play."
"What about your puppets they could perform and we could pretend to work them from behind the scenes?" Xander asked.
"Because Toulan got the preforming puppets, mine not so much," Willow replied shooting down his idea.
"Whatever happened to corporal punishment." Xander groused as he slumped back. Suddenly a wolf whistle cut through their conversation.
"MMM, Look at the goodies." Morgan's puppet Sid states causing them to turn towards them.
"Morgan, you're really getting good." Willow enthused as she got up and walked towards him. "Where did you come up with that voice?"
"It's kind of an imitation of my dad," Morgan explained shyly.
"Sounds real," Buffy added
"It is real," Sid replied "I'm the one with the talent here. The kid's dead weight." The puppet turned its attention to Willow, "How about you and I do a little rehearsing on our own, Honey?" He asked as she sat on the arm of the chair next to them.
"Uh, Hey." Xander protested.
"You know what they say: Once you go wood, nothing's as good." Sid continued ignoring Xander.
"Tempting," Willow replied, "but I like my men taller and less likely to give me splinters."
"Okay, you two we get the joke." Buffy chimed in. "Horny dummy. HAHA. It's very funny, but you might want to consider getting some new shtick." She continued "Unless you want your prop ending up as a Duraflame log." She stated threateningly.
Morgan and Sid went quiet and looked at each other warily.
"Alright enough fun and games." Willow states "We all need to get back to work. And I think that it would be best for Sid and Buffy to be on separate sides of the stage." She added looking at the two. "Morgan you still haven't given us any lighting and curtain cues for Mr. Giles and me to go over." She stated as she started to shoo Buffy and Xander further down the stages. "And you two start rehearsing or all you will be doing is goldfish impersonations."
Suddenly the air was shattered by a high pitch scream from the girl's locker room. Willow watched as Snyder and Giles headed towards it while the more seasoned Sunnydale students started edging away from the source.
Willow stood with Buffy and Xander down the hall from the locker room watching as the paramedics took a body away. Not long after Giles exited and headed towards them.
"Ahem, it was Emily." He informed them.
"Emily? Dancer Emily?" Willow asked one side of her feeling the loss of a fellow student that she knew, kind of. The other side was thinking that they had just lost one of their better acts and would need to rework the lineup.
"Oh, man. I hate this school." Xander sighed.
"It must have happened just after the dress rehearsal." Giles explained, "There was a cross-country meet at Melville. She never showed up for it."
"Vampire?" Buffy asked.
"Uh, I think not," Giles replied
"Giles share, what happened?" Buffy asked more insistently this time.
"Her heart was removed," Giles explained reluctantly.
"Yikes," Willow responded.
"Does that mean anything to you?" Buffy demanded. "Besides, 'OOH'?" she added with a shiver.
"There are various demons which feed off human hears, but, uh –" Giles stammered. Before looking back towards the crime scene.
"But demons have claws and teeth," Buffy stated as they watched them place a knife in an evidence bag.
"They got no use for a Big Ol' knife," Xander added.
"Not to mention that is a horribly inefficient way to remove a human heart," Willow added. "That knife is not got to cut through ribs." Everyone stared at her for a moment.
"Which more than likely makes our murderer—" Giles stuttered.
"Human," Buffy concluded for him.
"Did I mention that I hate this school?" Xander chimed in.
"So, Emily was killed by a regular human person?" Willow asked
"The evidence certainly points that way," Giles said as he started to guide his students away from the area.
"No, Wait," Buffy says as she trails behind them. "I'm not buying, you guys. I mean, remember the Hellmouth? Mystical activity is totally rife here. This to me, says demon."
"I'd like to think you're right." Giles said softly "A demon is a creature of evil, pure and very simple. A person driven to kill is, Um—it's more complex."
"Creep factor is also heightened." Willow added, "It could be anyone it could be me." Everyone looked at her "It's not, though."
"Demon or no, we have some investigating to do." Giles continued. "I suggest we start with your Talent show compatriots. One of them may have been the last to see her alive."
Later the next day
"Next time, we split up. Someone else is on Cordy detail." Xander complained as they entered the library. The whole group had spent the day interviewing the different talent show participants to see if any of them could shed a light on what had happened to Emily. "Five more minutes with her and we would have had another organ donor."
"I think I had a bit more luck," Willow replied. "Everyone I talked to seemed to point their fingers at the same person."
"Morgan?" Buffy asked.
"Morgan," Willow confirmed.
"We have a winner," Xander said as they stopped in front of Giles.
"I fear I was led to the same conclusion," Giles replied.
"Well, what do we do?" Xander asked "We don't slay him, right? We want to bring him to justice."
"We could set up a complex sting operation," Willow suggested excited, "Where we get him to confess."
"I should wear a wire," Xander replied just as excited.
"Whoa hey you guys," Buffy intervened "All we know is that Morgan is a Grade 'A' large weirdo. That doesn't lead directly to murder."
"The guy talks to his puppet," Xander replied.
"And for his puppet," Willow replied. "I don't even do that."
"Well, yeah but what about the whole it's-a-demon theory?" Buffy asked unsteadily.
"I'm looking into that, but my investigation is somewhat hampered," Giles said as he lifted a box full of programs and trophies. "By a life in the theater."
"Uh, priority check, Giles: talent show- - murder," Buffy stated as she followed him out of his office to the checkout counter with a disbelieving look on her face.
"Yeah. We can't do a talent show. It's unthinkable." Xander said quickly "I'm not able to think it."
"Principal Snyder is watching us all very closely," Giles explained. "Now if he chooses, he can make all our lives extremely difficult. A slayer cannot afford that." He stated. "We will find this murderer, but, in the meantime," He continued "The show must go on."
"This is so unfair," Buffy said giving him the stink eye.
"Buffy, you watch Morgan," Giles ordered with a flustered tone. "Check his locker, see if there's anything there."
"Like a heart?" Willow suggested softly.
"Or something," Giles replied.
"All right" Buffy grumbled.
"I'll pull up his locker number." Willow offered.
"Can I still wear a wire?" Xander asked.
Meanwhile across town
Angel looked up at the neatly normal looking house. There was nothing that would have stood out to him save for two things: the smell of contaminated decay and the human size burn in the front yard. "Oh, Andre what happened to you," Angel muttered, as he made his way to the front door. He saw the curtains seeming move on his own and wondered who or what was moving them.
The rumors he had heard talked about puppets he had never seen when traveling with the Toulan's. He just hoped there was enough left of the man he knew, "Andre," Angel called as he knocked on the door.
"Is that you, my ancient friend." A heavily accented voice called.
"Yes, it's me, Angel." The vampire replied as the door creaked open.
"My old friend, what brings you here at this hour?" Toulan asked. "Ah, but for your kind, this isn't all that late is it. I am sure you understand that I won't invite you in."
"All things considered I do," Angel replied. "What are you doing Toulan?"
"I have come to collect what is mine." He replied.
"You died," Angel replied. "And not in any way that you should have come back from."
"But I have, and since you are here, I take it that you have come to play the shining knight to the thief." Andre expounded.
"She is not a thief, she inherited everything legally," Angel replied. "Let this go, return to your grave, and let her carry on the legacy."
"That child," Toulan snapped. "She will never be worthy of my legacy, and the hubris that she possibly could be will see her torn asunder by the very puppets she sought to control."
"You're still a ham." Angel deadpanned. "I am sorry that it comes to this, Andre but I can't let you hurt her."
"Who said you had a choice?" Toulan said but before he could do anything else Angel jumped straight up onto the roof of the house and disappeared into the night.
The Next Day
"My lovely assistant steps into the box," Marc said as he shut the Egyptian styled box. He then turned the box around. "And behold." He said and opened it with a flourish revealing his assistant still in the box "You were supposed to leave."
'We need to replace him.' Willow thought from her place in the wings as she shook her head she turned as her attention was caught by Cordelia complaining to Giles.
"I don't understand why I have to follow Brett and his stupid band," Cordelia said as she followed after Giles.
"Because we have to clear the equipment before the finale," Giles replied in a tone of voice that suggested he had already said this before multiple times. "I told you."
"But the mood it'll be all wrong." Cordelia demanded, grabbing his arm and moving in front of him "My song is about dignity and human feelings and personal..." she described with wide eyes before trailing off and looking to the side "Hygiene or something," She came back assuming that same wide eye look "Anyway, it's sappy." She finished dropping the look "No one is going to be feeling sappy after all that Rock and Roll." Giles who had since rested his hands on his hips cocked his head at her with an expression of inpatients suddenly looked her straight on with a look of confusion. "Eh. What?" Cordelia scoffed at this new behavior.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Giles said slightly startled "Um, your hair, uh—" he explained as moved one finger side to side slightly pointed at her.
"There's something wrong with my hair?" Cordelia asked as she tucked it behind her ears. She started patting at it before exclaiming "Oh, my god." Before she turned and ran off.
"Xander was right. It worked like a charm." Giles mused with a smile once the self-obsessed cheerleader had runoff.
"When it comes to getting under Cordelia's skin he usually is," Willow replied as she made her way towards the stairs leading off the stage. Anything else she might say was cut off as Buffy entered the gymnasium.
"Hello," Giles greeted as he walked up the aisle. "You're looking a bit worse for, uh, oh-" Giles continued as Buffy walked past towards a seat in the row behind Xander who was seated in the center of the section where Giles and Willow had set up shop, Willow was moving to the same place a row down from him coming in from the opposite side. "What exactly are you the worst for?" Giles asked as he moved to follow Willow's lead and take back his seat in the lower row.
"Where's Morgan?" she asked distractedly.
"Uh, Right" Giles replied, "I haven't seen him." He answered as he moved to take a seat.
"Did he do something to you?" Xander asked as he turned to face Buffy.
"No, it was his" Buffy started before pausing "Sid, the dummy." She finished looking between the other three's faces. Giles paused in the act of sitting down before standing back up while Willow glided into hers. "Okay, everybody look at me like I'm in a Bunny Suit." Buffy laughed as she rolled her eyes before looking away "Cause that's how stupid I feel saying this." She added as she looked down not meeting anyone's eyes. Before squaring her shoulders and looking Giles straight in the eye "I think Sid was in my room last night."
"With Morgan?" Willow asked concerned.
"No," Buffy replied with a shake of her head "He was alone.. and alive" she added.
"Did you see him?" Xander asked.
"Well, I saw something." Buffy defended "It ran across my floor, under my bed, and then it attacked me." She explained.
"Attacked you?" Giles who until that point had been strangling the papers in his hand asked finally taking a seat. "How?"
"It was like it pounced on my face," Buffy replied
"Like a cat?" Xander suggested.
"Yes, exactly," Buffy replied sitting up excitedly. "But when I turned the lights on, it was already gone. I think it went out my window." She further explained.
"Like a cat," Xander repeated.
"Yeah," Buffy started to agree before she shook her head "It was Sid, the dummy."
"Or possibly the nightmare of somebody who had dummies on her mind." Giles offered as he raised his cup for a drink, he had been forced to abandon the once-hot cup of tea when he saw Cordelia coming.
"You did say they creeped you out," Willow said.
"Excuse me. Can I have a little support here, please?" Buffy asked slightly outraged, "I'm not just some crazy person. I'm the Slayer."
"The Dummy Slayer?" Xander replied. "There's nothing funny about that." He added at Buffy's glare.
"Well, on the side of the 'Morgan's crazy' theory there is" Willow trailed off as the teen went by them carrying his dummy's case "Well Morgan." She completed once he had moved toward the front of the gymnasium.
"I'd like to see Morgan without his better half for a few minutes. Bet he could tell me something." She replied as she watched him pull the dummy out of its case and set it on his lap
"Oh, uh i-if it's any consolation, I…. I may have found a possible demon culprit." Giles announced as he held up a book. "Th-there's a reference in here to a brotherhood of seven demons who take, uh, the form of young humans. Every seven years these demons need human organs, a-a-a brain, and a heart, to maintain their humanity. Otherwise they, they, they revert back to their original form, which is, uh, uh, slightly less appealing." He states as he hands the book open to a sketch of one of the demons.
"So, Morgan could still be the guy, only demon Morgan instead of crazy Morgan," Willow asked as she caught sight of the demon's natural form. Before looking up and watched Morgan fuss with Sid's shoes.
"It's said that these demons are, are, are preternaturally strong, and, and, and … Morgan is, is …Well, he seems to be getting weaker every day," Giles stated as they watched Morgan rub at his head with the heel of his hand. Buffy in particular takes a strong interest in his action.
Willow walked into the library with Buffy and Giles her arms full of costumes only to come to a stop, Xander was seated at the library table playing with Sid.
"Where did you get that?" Buffy asked.
"Oh, I, uh took it out of Mrs. Jackson's cupboard. I thought you said you wanted to be able to talk to Morgan alone, and, uh….. Sid's with me." Xander explained taking in how uncomfortable Buffy was with the dummy.
"Hi, Buffy! Hi, Willow! Would you like to hear some off-color jokes?" He asked in a goofy voice while manipulating the dummy trying to lighten the mood.
"I really don't think you should be doing that," Buffy said as she moved sidewise keeping the dummy in her line of sight.
"What? C'mon..." He said before he changed his voice again "I'm not real!"
"Xander quit it!" She demanded a touch of hysteria creeping into her voice. She turned and walked a few steps away only to turn back when she hears Xander pounding Sid's head into the table, with Willow looking at him in shock.
"He's… not … real!" He states as he picks Sid back up. "I think our demonstration proves that, uh, Sid" he went on as he knocks on Sid's head several times. "Is wood, now why don't you go and find Moran and prove he's …" Xander trailed off "Whatever he is?" Xander finished off.
"I imagine he's looking for his puppet," Giles added as he watched the byplay between the two. And out of the corner of his eye, he saw a look come over Willow's face that wouldn't have been there not that long ago.
"I'll go find Morgan." She said as she started to turn before stopping and looking Xander straight in the eye. "You watch the dummy."
"Bye-bye," Xander said in the voice he had been using for Sid throughout the conversation. "I'm completely inanimate."
Buffy gave him a look as she turned on her heel and headed for the door. Meanwhile, Willow started to stalk towards Xander who was working Sid's mouth again "Redrum! Redrum!" he said jokingly right up until Willow was suddenly looming in front of him.
"Xander, I understand just what you were doing just now. Trying to prove to Buffy that there is nothing to fear in regards to Sid here." She stated calmly, "If you ever treat any of my puppets the way that you have been treating that dummy, I will be more than happy to reintroduce you to Baby Boy." Stated in a voice that was just as calm but left the impression of accidents involving sharp items occurring in dark lonely places. Before cocking her head and her face taking on a more familiar and comforting look. "That actually wouldn't be a bad idea. "She mused." As she made her way over to the phone behind the counter.
"Let's hold off on that," Giles advised as he cleaned his glasses. "In the meantime Willow, we have some hunting of our own to do."
"Once again I'm banished to the demon section of the card catalog." Willow Sighed as she turned back towards them.
"Eh, I'll just stay here and keep him company," Xander stated as he moved over to one of the tables with the dummy, as Giles and Willow turned and headed up into the stacks.
"You concentrate on re-animation theory. I'll peck about in organ harvesting. Unless, of course, you prefer…." Giles offered awkwardly.
"Contrary to my newly found skills you can take the organs," Willow replied as she turned on her heel to head into the stacks. "Besides it'll be interesting to check out the competition." She turned to the right as she saw Xander set Sid in his own chair.
It was a bit later that Willow made her way over to Giles who was kneeling looking at some of the tomes on the lowest, "Look what I found in the section on toys and magic." She enthused as she knelt beside him holding up a book, "On rare occasions, inanimate objects of human quality, such as dolls and mannequins, already mystically possessed of consciousness, have acted upon their desire to become human by harvesting organs" She read.
"Emily's heart," Giles said.
"Morgan's dummy," Willow added. Giles just hummed along at her conclusion. They suddenly heard Xander yell.
The two of them run out of the stacks to see Xander standing on the table. "What is it?" Giles demands as he looks around the room.
"He's gone!" Xander cried as he pointed at the chair that the dummy had previously occupied. "Sid's gone!"
"Uhh! Watch the floor," Willow demanded as she made her way down from the stacks, watching her feet. "I am going to have Baby Boy bring over the others." She said as she scrambled to get behind the desk to the phone "I am refusing to be in this building without my own killer puppets."
"Dummies." Giles and Xander replied from their locations.
"He is, they're not," Willow replied before she started talking in a foreign language and a male voice into the receiver. Further creeping the other two out.
Giles, Willow, and Xander were gathered in the Giles' office, starring at Sid in wide-eye and open-mouthed amazement this seemed to be all they had done since Buffy and come back to the Library carrying Sid.
"This is what I do." Sid explained, "I hunt demons. Yeah, you wouldn't know it to look at me. Let's just say there was me, there was a really mean demon, there was a curse, and the next thing I know I'm not me anymore. I'm sitting on some guy's knee, with his hand up my shirt."
"And ever since then, you've been a living dummy?" Willow asked 'this is sounding very familiar'
"The kid here was right all along. I shoulda picked you to team up with. But I didn't because…"
"Because you thought *I* was the demon" Buffy stated flatly.
"Who can blame me for thinking? Look at you! You're strong, athletic, limber…" Sid explained his face taking a leering look "Nubile" before shaking his head vigorously. "I'm back! In any case, now that this demon got the heart and brain, he gets to keep the human form he's in for another seven years."
The tea kettle starts whistling. Giles got up to tend to it, just as a knocking was heard at the back of the library. "Ah, Willow I believe that would be for you."
"Alright Giles," Willow said as she got up and headed to the door only to stop and turn. "Sid, it would be appreciated if you were to wait until our return." She suddenly said in an accented male voice. "But it may be too much to think that you have finally learned to not jump your cue." Her voice changing to that of an older woman with an equally accented voice.
Sid's eyes opened wide and his jaw dropped. "Yeah," Xander said, "That still shocks us as well whenever it happens." With a deadpanned voice, Willow walked out of the room.
'Why did you do that?' Willow demanded in her mind, slowly an image of the Toulans appeared in her mind.
'Information is power.' Elsa explained.
'And if he had his way he would have kept going,' Andre continued 'If there is one thing that I remember from Sid, aside from being quite the leech, was the fact that he loved the sound of his own voice.'
'This way we have him talking about things that you already know' Elsa concluded.
Willow merely shook her head letting the shades fade back into her mind. By this time, she had reached the back door and opened it to reveal the giant robotic form of her latest 'puppet'. "Hello," She greeted as she reached out and took the antique doctor's bag. Go hide in the stacks, I will call if I need you." She turned and made her way back to Giles's office, the bag held firmly in her hand. Only paying half a mind to the noises and squirming that was coming from it.
Willow entered the office, meeting Sid assessing look. "Figured it out?" she asked.
"Not yet, you don't seem insane enough to be possessed by multiple spirits," Sid replied.
"You would be surprised by just how many there are," Willow replied as she made her way over to Giles's desk and set down the bag. She then turned her attention to the dummy, "So how did this happen?"
"There were these seven demons. I've killed six. If I can get the last one, the curse will be lifted and I'll be free. I'm sure it's someone in that stupid talent show."
"Yeah, but now that demon has what he wants. He'll be moving on." Buffy added.
"So, once we know who's missing from the show…" Sid trailed off.
"We'll know who our demon is!" Buffy concluded excitedly.
Giles got a vacant look as if he was trying to remember something. "The show!" he suddenly exclaimed.
"What?" Buffy asked
"It's gonna start! I'm supposed to be there!" he said excitedly as he jumped up. And started to head for the office door.
"Okay," Buffy said as she turned to Willow. "Um, start pulling everyone's addresses in the talent show. I-if they're not there, maybe we can catch them at home."
Meanwhile, Sid turned his head towards Giles who was one foot out of the office. "And you, get'em all on stage. Forma the power circle. Then we can see who's a no-show."
"Um, uh, the what?" Giles asked confused.
"The power Circle," Sid stated, giving him a slightly disbelieving tone while Willow buried her face in her hands. "You get everyone together. You get'em, you know. Revved up." He explained.
"Right," Giles replied still sounding confused.
"Maybe I should go with him," Willow said as she reached for the bag.
"No. we needed you to do the search so that we can move once we have a name." Buffy ordered."
"Alright." Willow conceded, "But take this," she ordered Giles as she picked up the old bag and handed it to him. "Just in case."
"Are you sure…" Giles asked warily.
"It will be fine." Willow soothed, "They know what to do, just set the bag somewhere out of the way open on its side. They will do the rest, but only if they see that a life in danger."
"Alright, power circle," Giles muttered, still in a panic as he left his office.
"How'd *he* ever get that gig?" Sid asked incredulously.
"He got conscripted," Buffy replied. "Come on let's go." She said as she picked up the dummy and followed Giles out. "Watch your hands this time." She ordered.
"Shall we?" Xander asked as he gave an exaggerated bow to Willow gesturing towards the door.
"We shall," Willow replied mimicking his bow with an equally over the top courtesy. With a shared laugh, the two-headed out of the office towards Willow's favored computer.
Willow had just finished printing off all of the talent show performers' addresses when Buffy stormed into the library staring at her hand. She made her way over to Willow.
"I'm never gonna stop washing my hands. I mean it just fell into my hands." Buffy breathed still slightly freaked out staring at her hands.
"So, the dummy tells us that he's a demon hunter. And we're, like, fine, la la la la." Xander said. "He takes off, and now there's a brain. Does anybody else feel like they've been Keyser Soze'd? I mean he isn't the only animated dummy we know about, and they have no trouble killing." Willow turned and glared at him. "Not yours, the zombies." Xander tried to soothe with only minor success.
"Sid's on the level, I'm sure of it. But why would the demon have rejected the brain? I-I mean, I thought Morgan was the smartest kid in school." Buffy cut in.
"He was, look at his grades: all A's. He was even taking college classes." Willow verified pulling up his records. "Wait a second." She drawled out, as she started taking a closer look at his records.
"What," Buffy asked.
"All these sick days," Willow explained.
"He was off for, like, half the year!" Xander exclaimed as he read over her shoulder.
"Check the school nurse's file," Buffy demanded.
"Look at this!" Willow explained as she started typing pulling up the necessary records, "'In case of emergency, contact Dr. Dale Leggett, California institute of Neurosurgery, Cancer Ward.'" Sher read off the screen.
"Brain Cancer?" Xander asked cautiously.
"That's why he had all the headaches." Willow breathed as a lot of Morgan's recent behavior started to make sense.
"This means that whatever's out there still needs a healthy, Intelligent brain."
"In other words, I'm safe!" Xander joked with a smile.
"This means that whatever's out there still needs a healthy, intelligent brain," Buffy said somberly just before both Xander and she looked at Willow. She looks back and forth between them.
"What?" She asked, starting to feel a little alarmed. "I mean, what could a demon possibly want from me?"
"What's the square root of 841?" Xander asked.
"29," Willow answered immediately with a confused look. Before light dawned. "Oh, yeah." She replied softly. "Baby Boy." She called out towards the stacks. Mechanical sounds started up as the demonic-looking robot started to make its way towards them.
"Now, don't worry, Willow." Buffy soothed as she kept her eye on the approaching form. "As long as you're with us there's absolutely no way that demon is gonna get what he wants," Buffy said.
They sat doing everything they could think of to handle the factor that a demon may come bursting in for Willow's brain. It didn't take long for Buffy to start pacing nervously. Xander and Willow stayed at the computer where she was pulling up everything she could find on the talent show participants. Looking for anything that could help narrow done the suspects to the most likely choice as to who was the demon. Xander was watching Baby Boy warily, trying to wrap his mind the fact that this robot not only obeyed Willow's commands but answered too Baby Boy of all things.
"This is ridiculous. We can't just sit here and wait for him to come to us." She snarled, "we have to figure out who we're dealing with." She said.
"I still vote, dummy," Xander said as he raised his hand.
"No, Okay, so we ruled out all the people in the talent show…" Buffy mused. As she started pacing.
"That's because they were all there. But that's before we found the brain," Willow said distractedly. "I am going back over all of their records to so if there is anything that could give us a hint towards its current identity."
"Right. So it probably *is* one of them. And, and Giles doesn't know!" Buffy said frantically. "He's with them all right now!"
"Uch!" Xander waved that away "Giles can handle himself. I mean, he *is* really…" He trailed off. "smart!" he finished looking at the other two as it dawned on him just what that meant.
Buffy spared him a moment to just stare as she took in what he had said. Before wheeling on her heel and slamming her way into the hallway and started running down the hall. "Giles!" She screamed. Xander and Willow followed her quickly as they tried to keep up with the Slayer's speed. Baby Boy trailing them, guarding the rear.
They arrived in time to see Marc raising a hatchet while Giles was strapped into some type of guillotine, the rope holding up the blade was nearly frayed through. Buffy lunged at him before he could finish his swing.
Her lunge tackled Marc off of his feet, which she followed up with a leg swept to keep him from getting back up. She stands up and falls into a fighting stance as Marc tries to get up again, she kicks out hitting his face, knocking him back down again. He growls as he starts getting back onto his feet, only this time they could see his face turning back into his demon form (well not Giles he had a limited view currently).
"Ewww!" Buffy said disgustedly. Marc took that moment to get back up on his feet and punch her, which he follows up with a slap that spun her around and knocks her to the floor.
Willow turned her attention away from the fight. She turned towards Giles just as the rope finally gave up and snapped, causing the blade to come falling towards Giles' head. She barely had time to wince before the rope was suddenly grabbed. She looked over to see Xander had snagged the rope and was starting to pull the blade up; before Baby Boy, formally known as Moloch, came up from behind and took it from him.
'If he ever knew what we were using his specially designed robot for' Willow thought as she rushed over to the opposite side of the guillotine "Where are the keys?" She asked.
"Marc's got it!" Giles yelled back.
"Willow!" Xander called as he kicked the hatchet towards her, as he moved over and started working at the straps securing the older mand to the deadly device, he had just started when Rascal climbed up next to him and started to use his sword to saw through the strips leaving Xander to work on the one Giles's chest. While it worked on the one at his feet.
Willow picked up the hatchet and started hacking at the lock. She had only taken a few swings when a burst of cold air blew between them freezing the entire locking mechanism. Willow looked down and at the silver-clad puppet who merely cocked its head before bringing her ax down as hard as she could shattering the frozen lock. She quickly set about freeing Giles' head. As soon as Giles was clear, Xander and Willow pulled him off the table.
The three of them turned to take in Buffy's fight with Marc, who had started to lose his human form as the fight went on. Buffy suddenly struck out with a kick that knocked Marc into the box Marc had tried to use in a disappearing act. She quickly closed the door on him. "How do you lock this thing?" Buffy demanded as she put her weight against the door. Before she could get an answer, Marc punched through the box and reached for her. She quickly backed away as he kicked and shoved his way out of the box. By now he was completely reverted to his demon form by the time he got out of the box.
The demon grabbed Buffy by the neck, lifting her off of her feet and slamming her into the wall. He kept doing this until Sid suddenly appears on his back with a knife, which he starts stabbing it with. "I found you!" the dummy growled as he continued to dig his knife into the creatures back forcing it to release Buffy.
"Don't suppose you have anything in your bag of tricks to help them out," Xander asked.
"No," Willow replied as she jumped back to avoid the fighters, "This time, it's up to Buffy and Sid unless you got a container of some sort on you."
Buffy suddenly caught the demon with a spinning kick that knocked the demon back onto the table that Giles had formally been lying on. "Let go." She yelled at Baby Boy, who with a motion from Willow, released the rope slicing the demons head to everyone's disgust.
"Uh…I must say, all of you… Your t-timing is impeccable." Giles stuttered, has he ran his hands over the top of his head as if to assure himself that it was still there. Then they all looked toward what remained of the demon.
"And now for the big finish," Sid states as he positioned himself over the demon's chest with his knife.
"What are you doing?" Buffy asked, afraid she may already know the answer.
"It's not enough. He'll come back. You have to get the heart. Then all of this'll be over." He explained.
"Let me." Buffy offered softly as she held out her hand for the knife.
"I got it," Sid replies, he then turned his head to look at her. "Thanks." He says just as softly as she offered. "Hey, red," he calls out.
"Yes, Sid," Willow answered as came up to them.
"One last request." He asked of her.
"Sure," Willow replied as she knelt so that she was looking up at the dummy.
"Let me rest, Puppet Master." He replied, looking down at her with an almost pleading tone.
"You figured it out," Willow said with a smile.
"Wasn't hard," he answered with a jerk of his head to the other puppets that had started to gather around them as if they knew something was about to happen.
"Finnish what you have started Sid," She replied, allowing Toulan to slip through. "We swear you will not rise again."
The dummy nodded as he turned back towards the demon. He raised his knife and plunged it into the demon's heart. He pulls back to do it again, but it turned out that the first time did it as the know lifeless dummy slumps over the demon with the knife still in his hands. Buffy looks at him sadly as she lets out a deep breath. Willow places a hand on her shoulder as the puppets all bowed their heads as though giving a moment of silence. Gils takes off his glasses as Buffy gently lifts Sid from the demon's chest and cradles him in her arms, "It's over," she sadly states as she turns to leave the stage just in time for the curtain rise to reveal a packed auditorium. There was a moment of silence as the Scooby gang stared out at the crowd as they stared back.
"I don't get it," Snyder commented from his seat in the front.