Anyone wondering what CortanaBot looks like, check out Scott Fischer's artwork on page-113 of the Halo Graphic Novel. Like that, but with normal human skin-tones and no lines across the skin (that we know of...)

Zeppo 6: Deus Ex Machina
Part 4: Temptation

Xander rested his head against the counter, trying to block out the argument that was still raging in the back room. Giles had thankfully closed the store early, so no one outside the Scooby's would get involved.

Buffy was still screaming at Cortana, going on at length about how irresponsible she'd been in enlisting Warren into her plan. Cortana's counter argument that there was no one else who could have helped her made little or no headway, until Faith had blurted out the fact that Cortana had only a few years before she went Rampant.

It had taken Xander almost an hour to go through the complicated subject from one end to the other; starting at Cortana's creation and finishing with a rundown of AI's that had gone Rampant in the past and what damage they had done. This set Buffy off again: she yelled at all three of them for not telling her that there was such a danger lying ahead from the very beginning.

Buffy hadn't even noticed when Xander had left the room, walking past Dawn, Willow and Tara, who were all too confused to get involved.

The phone rang again, and Xander absentmindedly lifted it to his ear, "The Magic Box: how can I help you?"

"Please stand by for the President of the United States of America." A voice answered on the other end.

"Holy shit!" Xander shot upright instantly, banging his knees against the counter.

"Mr Harris?" President Bartlet's voice came over as Xander was trying hard not to scream in pain, "Is this a bad time?"

"No sir; just a little surprised. If you don't mind me asking, how did you get this number?"

"Normally I'd say either the FBI or the IRS, but I am, as you know, an old friend of Rupert Giles."

"Oh. Yeah: forgotten about that."

"Now we have that out of the way, I believe that Miss Lehane and Miss Summers have been contacted by Senator Kinsey?"

"That's one way of putting it: Buffy's ready to force-feed him is own legs."

"As interesting as that would be to watch, I feel it would be best I handle things from this end. I just wanted to assure you that the situation is under control, and the Senator is in no way a threat to your operation."

"That's good to hear, sir."

"Is Ripper there?"

"Yes, sir."

"Can I talk to him?"

"I'll just get him for you." Xander gently put the phone down and walked to the doorway leading to the backroom, "Giles; phone."

"Who is it?" The Watcher asked, distracted by the continuing argument between Buffy and Cortana.

"It's the President."

"Of what?"

"The United States."

"Of what?"

"Of America."

"Which America?"

"North... America"

"Oh?" Giles walked past the astonished Spartan and picked up the phone, "Jed? It's good to hear from you..."

"Is that really the President of the United States of America?" Dawn asked as the door closed behind the Watcher, cutting off the rest of the conversation.

"Yeah." Xander nodded.

"The President phoned here, personally?" Willow looked shocked.

"Well, he probably had a member of his staff dial the number for him." Faith smirked, "Being the President and all."

"Enough!" Buffy shook her head, "I've got to get back out on patrol: I was trying to track down Glory when Kinsey called me."

"I'll go with you." Faith grabbed her jacket and a selection of weapons, "I need some air."

"Xander, can you make sure Dawn gets home?" The blond Slayer asked, "She has homework, and you know how distracted she can get."

"No problem Buff." Xander nodded.

"I might a well go with you as well." Cortana grabbed her jacket, "Giles is going to be on the phone for who knows how long, and I doubt that Buffy wants me on patrol." She glared back at the Slayer, who was giving her a dirty look, "So it looks like my evening's free."

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Thor looked at the sensor readout again, a very worried expression crossing his brow, something that was very hard for an Asgard to do. If the reading were correct, then there was something big and powerful in Sunnydale, and that could only be bad news.

He sat in contemplation for a moment: the Asgard had, long ago, come to terms with the duel nature of the universe. They had embraced both sides, allowing them to progress further than any race that accepted only one side. True advancement could only come from embracing all the universe had to teach.

Muttering something under his breath, he started to power up his ships main weapons array as he set the transporter to locate Colonel O'Neill's life signs: he was going to need some human advice on this one...

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"Um, I suppose you should take the guest room for now." Xander looked a little ill at ease: standing in the middle of the mansions lounge with Cortana, her new and unmistakable female body standing very close to his own. "I don't know if you need to sleep or anything, but it's somewhere to keep your cloths and stuff until we get something more permanent sorted out."

"You need to relax before you sprain something." The AI laughed, amused by his discomfort, "Anyone would think that you're not used to being alone with me."

"Before was, kind of different." Xander took a step back, forgetting the couch was there, and landed heavily on it: only it's reinforced frame save it from collapsing under his weight.

"Are you trying to sagest that there might be something more between us?" Cortana asked as innocently as she could, "That there might be more than friendship to our relationship?"

"I'm just saying that maybe we need keep our friendship forefront in our minds." Xander squirmed, looking for a way out, "I wouldn't want to do anything that might endanger that."

"And what could possibly do that?" Cortana asked as she leaned forward, supporting her weight by placing her hands on Xander's almost shaking knees, "After all, you're the closest thing I have to..."

Xander reacted instinctively: pushing away with both of his feet, he lunched himself over the back of the couch, tipping it over as he went into a backwards roll. Leaping to his feet, he got into a crouching position, before running through the nearest door, grabbing his jacket as he yanked the front door open with enough force to rip it off its hinges.

Cortana watched him disappear into the night with a smug smile on her face: her feelings for Xander were too clear to try and keep secret, so she had decided to not even bother. She was a military AI be design and training, so going on the offensive was in her nature. Faith was an enemy to overcome, one way or another; the sooner the battle lines were drawn, the better.

"And so it begins..." She smiled to herself.

To Be Continued...