"We could," Willow said softly. "If I could find the server…" Rubbing at her face, she wouldn't meet Buffy's eyes. "I've been trying all night. The military computers don't have the information, and I'm running a check on the university servers right now. They're a long shot, Buffy. Not even the techno-idiots at UCS would miss Professor Walsh hijacking an entire system to play with Robo-Ethan; not to mention how old the equipment is here. The university is lucky it can run anything more complex than a couple TIs."
Buffy didn't know what a "TI" was. She didn't care. Willow managed to get her message across despite the computer mumbo jumbo: finding an answer wasn't going to be easy. Of course not. That would have been too…well, easy. "Where else can we look?" She didn't want to give up yet. Maybe there was a chance to salvage her idea. "What kind of computer would Walsh need?"
Finally looking up, Willow shrugged. "It's not the computer that's important. I can control Ethan from here once we make contact with the chip."
Buffy was tempted to bang her head on the table. Damn Willow and all the technical jargon. Keeping her voice calm and steady, she said, "I don't get it. You said you needed a 'server'. How can you use your laptop if you don't have that?" Some of her frustration leaked out at the end, and Buffy watched Willow flinch as her voice rose.
"Does it matter, B?" With her usual hack and slash logic, Faith interrupted. "Why don't we just get the info out of Walsh? Bet she can't take more'n a few smacks before she gives up the goods."
Tara's hand tightened around Buffy's, and a quick glance in her direction showed clear disgust and disagreement. Too bad. For once, a little casual violence hadn't sounded like a bad strategy. Reluctantly sticking to the moral high ground, Buffy shook her head. "We don't work that way, Faith." Even when it might save the world. "Let Will finish explaining about the computers, OK? Then we'll see what other options we've got."
The grip on Buffy's hand eased and even Giles appeared pleased with Buffy's choice. Perfect. She was turning into a mini-Watcher, complete with her own slow down and think motto. Barely stifling a groan, Buffy gestured with her free hand at Willow. "Whenever you're ready."
"Um… Do you really want me to tell you about servers?" Willow asked, clearly believing Buffy was kidding.
No. Buffy really just wanted Willow to do her magic with the computer without giving them all headaches. However, she'd vowed to take more responsibility in finding a solution, and that meant learning what it was that Willow actually did on her laptop. "Yep. Lay it out for me." Buffy even managed an encouraging smile.
The smile worked. Some of Willow's intensity lifted and she grinned back. "A laptop is for one person, Buffy. You or me." A hint of mischief lit her eyes. "Or Giles."
Faith's snort merged with Joyce's exaggerated cough. Covering her own laugh with a faked yawn, Buffy nodded. "Got it. One laptop. One person. Does that mean a server equals many people?"
"Yeah. A server's huge. Well, not in size. They can be really small. Unlike a laptop, servers run really complex operating systems and have networking capabilities." Hacker Willow was making a noticeable comeback. Her words flowed together and she showed no sign of breathing. "A computer is limited. It's just a computer. A server can actually link multiple computers and run bunches of programs, all at one time. The human brain would require all that and more. Thoughts, decisions, feelings. Hundreds of thousands of them a second. We're looking for something big, Buffy. I have to hack that server in order to have a chance at reprogramming Ethan's chip."
Long experience with this version of her friend spurred Buffy to interrupt before Willow rambled the rest of the night. "So, Walsh had to use this server thing because running Ethan takes more than one computer?" It took skill to unravel Willowbabble; thankfully, Buffy had had plenty of practice over the years. She knew she'd got the summary correct when Willow nodded. "If we find the super computer, you break in, take it over, and turn Ethan off."
"Exactly," Willow said; although, she appeared uncomfortable with Buffy's glib surety in her success.
Walsh stirred in her bonds. "You will never be able to find that server," Walsh snarled. "I left those notes on my computer because no one at that pathetic school had the brains to understand them. Do you really think I'd take a chance that anyone would discover my biggest accomplishment?"
For the first time, Buffy almost felt sorry for Walsh. Faith must have shared her sympathy. "Hate to break it to ya', Doc. You ain't got a clue what my Red can do. Find your server thing? No problem. Keep your robot from killin' us all? Got it covered."
Walsh didn't look impressed. "I've seen little of her talents in class."
It was too much. Buffy laughed. "You weren't watching. Not to mention you were teaching the wrong subject. Will's the best when it comes to things that have real answers or have anything to do with saving the world." Standing, she stretched and yawned, nearly giddy at the way Walsh slumped in her chair and scowled at her.
The euphoria faded when Willow said quietly. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, guys. But what if she's right? What if I can't find the server?"
Walsh's scowl showed a hint of a smirk, and Buffy jumped to her feet. Tara stood, too, blocking her view of the professor. "Move, Tara," she said, not bothering to keep her voice down. She was done letting Walsh mock their every move.
"No." Tara was adamant. She stayed in Buffy's personal space, blue eyes intent and unflinching. "Don't you understand? She's pushing your buttons, Buffy. She wants you distracted and angry."
"She's just like the Mayor, Buffy," Willow chimed in. "Only Walsh uses words and not poisoned arrows." The comparison shocked Buffy out of her plans for violence and revenge even before Willow continued. "I wonder if she's going after us for the same reasons, too. Are we on the right track, maybe? Getting a little too close for comfort?" She directed the final questions directly at Walsh.
If Willow hoped to get a reaction out of Walsh, she failed. Buffy ground her teeth at Walsh's unruffled and superior expression. "How do we help you find that server, Will?" She wasn't thrilled with the prospect of returning to the underground lab; still, Buffy vowed to do just that if necessary.
"There isn't much you can do, Buffy." Willow leaned back in her chair, head resting against Faith's abdomen. "I've got feelers out. There are only a few places in Sunnydale with systems capable of running the types of programs Walsh would need for this." She hesitated, and Buffy sensed more bad news on the way. "I have to be careful, though. Walsh may have planted boobytraps, viruses or embedded programs if the server is hacked. One wrong keystroke and I could destroy any chance we have of beating Ethan."
Buffy absorbed Willow's words like a blow. She hunched forward and grimaced, and Tara wondered again how Buffy, how the entire group, faced this type of situation over and over without breaking. She wanted to do something to help, and her first instinct was to wrap her arms around an obviously disheartened Buffy.
Instead, Tara sank back into her chair and stared at the pile of paperwork. Willow couldn't find the server. If the Goddess leant a hand, and that changed, Willow still might not be able to do anything for fear of unleashing the computer version of an apocalypse.
They were doomed.
"Red, we gotta find a way." Faith left her spot behind Willow and perched on the edge of the desk, leg brushing Willow's shoulder. "Think outside the box. So you can't find the server. How else can ya' get into Ethan's head?"
"Short of a frontal lobotomy, you mean?" Willow's grin lack humor of any kind. "I'm out of ideas, Faith. I am Answer Girl no more. In fact, I think I've got more questions than answers."
The room grew silent. Giles' chair squeaked when he shifted, and Joyce restlessly straightened a few books on the table next to her. "Perhaps we should consider another plan altogether," Giles finally offered. "Controlling Ethan carries poor odds. Tara, my dear, if we cannot defeat his magics outright, could we pool our resources to stun him long enough for Buffy and Faith to disable him physically?"
Pool what resources? "Y-you mean me and Wil-Willow?" Tara stuttered in disbelief. They'd tried that on campus – and failed miserably.
"Well, I do have some experience with the arcane." Giles peered at Tara over the rims of his glasses. "And, in my heyday, I daresay I had more ability than Ethan. Professor Walsh's computer chip could not enhance his talents that greatly."
"Yes, they could." Tara was so intent on conveying that thought her stutter was forgotten. "I don't care what the notes or Willow say, Ethan is too much for us. I felt him." And she wasn't doing it again unless there was a lot of evidence to show he'd lost his connection to the ley lines and nodes.
Unfortunately, her refusal to use magic didn't help Buffy. Slouching into a chair, Buffy ran both hands through her hair. "Magic is out. Computers are out. That leaves Slayer power." Her eyes, ringed with exhaustion and darkened by hopelessness, locked onto Faith. "Looks like we need to do more than watch the videos, Faith. How do you feel about setting a few traps of our own?"
"Aw, B. If I wasn't already with Red…" Faith's dimples invited everyone to share her mirth – until Willow smacked a hand into her leg and she grunted, smile disappearing. "Damn it, Red, I thought we talked about that. No rough stuff in public."
Willow turned tomato red as Buffy giggled. "Faith!"
The sharp admonition didn't faze Faith. With an outrageous wink, she hopped off the desk and kissed Willow as if they were alone in the room. When she broke away, Willow's flush had deepened. "Don't let G-man bully you into doin' some crazy magic trick. Stay with the computer," Faith ordered before following Buffy from the room.
They left a dazed Willow and a very unhappy Giles in their wake. Tara wanted to jump in before either of them recovered, but she didn't know what to say. She was out of her element. In her experience, computers were for typing research papers, and magic was simply a way to honor the Goddess and her Creations.
"Willow, can I ask a question?" Joyce hesitantly broke the momentary silence.
Spinning her chair to face Joyce, Willow visibly gathered the tattered remains of her composure. "Sure, Mrs. Summers. About what?"
Joyce tucked her hair behind an ear and waved at the laptops on the desk. "I don't understand something. You used that laptop," she said, pointing to the construction foreman's computer, "to steal the signal for the security videos. You didn't need a server for that. You only needed to locate the signal, right?"
Willow's faced scrunched up in confusion. "Yeah. The video feed's not exactly a big deal, though. Not like Ethan's chip."
"I understand that part, honey," Joyce said dryly. "No matter how many cameras that nasty little man put in this school, he was nowhere near as accomplished as the professor. What I'm wondering, Willow, is this: why do we really need the server?"
Tara wasn't ready for another lesson in the intricacies of computer, and Willow was very clearly about to give one.
Luckily, Joyce held up her hand to stop the lecture. "Please don't waste your breath repeating what you said earlier. I was here, and I paid attention. I think you are all missing a very simple solution to your problem."