Despite a lot of trouble with it, I finally managed to complete this chapter. The one thing that surprised me the most was how AU this story got almost from the start, but I managed to develop some ideas on how to get Angel to L.A. (eventually) and bring Faith in at a later date. On another note, I hope you will all like how Ted ended up :)
Chapter 4
After the big fight against Spike, the contract on Buffy had apparently been canceled as no more Tarakan assassins had come after her, and life returned to normal.
Buffy, Xander and Angel alternated their patrols, keeping the undead menace in Sunnydale in check while Willow was busy in the factory.
"It's really unfortunate that I can't get any workers in the factory, since there's only so much Xander and I can accomplish on our own." Willow complained as she and Buffy walked towards Buffy's house where Buffy had invited her over for dinner. Ever since Halloween, the trio wasn't hanging out as much, and Buffy had decided that she wasn't going to allow their new personalities to interfere with the good habits they had developed.
They were surprised when the two girls walked on Buffy's mother kissing a man they had never met before.
"How about an introduction, mom?" Buffy grinned.
"Oh, right. Buffy, this is Ted Buchanan. Ted, my daughter Buffy and her friend Willow." Joyce Summers managed to recover enough to handle the introductions.
"Nice to meet you." Buffy shook his hand. On the inside however she was thinking furiously what the hell it meant that the man was a complete void to her warp senses.
She went over anything she knew from both worlds, but all she had come up with was a demon she hadn't read about or the more unlikely reason was that the man was an anti-psyker. The latter was added more as an alternative, since the man didn't feel like one.
As dinner went underway, Ted and Willow began to discuss various computer related topics as Ted informed them he was a computer software salesman, while Buffy was grilling her mother on how the two met.
"I suspect foul play." Buffy whispered in Gothic to Willow in case whatever Ted was had above human hearing. Willow did not react, but understood the message.
After dinner, the two girls managed to follow Ted to his home, where Buffy wasted no time to confront him by pinning him to the wall and holding her sword at his neck.
"You have five seconds to tell me what you are and why are you going after my mother." Buffy snapped. Behind her, Willow was holding a repeating crossbow loaded with blessed bolts.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, young lady. Now put me down before I get angry." Ted seemed unconcerned by her threats and managed to push her away while getting nicked by Buffy's sword, only for Willow to shoot him.
The metal bolt buried deep inside the man, causing sparks to arc around it as Ted collapsed.
"A machine?" Willow gasped.
"Help me get him inside." Together, the two girls managed to pull Ted inside, and they found the man's house to be rather sparsely furnished.
"Let's see what our friend really is." Buffy took out one of her hidden daggers and began to cut Ted's face, revealing circuitry and metal underneath.
"By the Omnissiah." Willow exclaimed as she bent down to get a closer look.
"I never expected something this advanced to exist with the technology available. Whoever built this must have been truly blessed by the Machine God." Willow was almost gleeful at the prospect of examining Ted.
"You think you can unlock its secrets?" Buffy asked.
"I don't think I'll have any trouble accessing its storage drives. Still, something like this is of great use to me. If I can manage to modify and reprogram it, I can use this construct as a servitor. I may even be able to duplicate it." Willow's mind was already bursting with the possibilities.
"Alright. Go get Xander and we'll take it to the factory. I'd rather not leave you alone here in case it reactivates."
"Don't damage it anymore. Repairing it will take more time, and see if you can find any spare parts or schematics while you're here." Willow snapped off as she walked away.
Xander grumbled about being used as a pack mule to haul Ted to the factory, but the girls were also loaded with various parts and schematics they managed to dig out from Ted's house so his protests were more for fun. Once they had cleared the house, which resulted in the discovery of a hidden bunker and three female corpses inside it, Buffy had doctored the gas lines and ten minutes after their departure, the house burst in a raging inferno.
"This is pure genius at work. Some of the design techniques and components used are decades old. To create a construct capable of passing as human…" Willow was practically skipping with joy.
"Before it is used, we should consecrate it and purge its machine spirit from its commands. This is after all, not Imperial technology." Xander reminded them.
"But of course. You can begin with the rituals at your leisure. I will download the contents of its data drives for examination." Willow replied.
"How long before you can use it here?" Buffy asked. Like most Imperial soldiers, she knew how to use and maintain the devices of the Imperium, but to actually repair or construct them was knowledge that was exclusive to the Mechanicus.
"I will need to repair the damage we did tonight, replace some obsolete parts with more modern components. Once that is done, I can refit the design to a more useful form. Different ocular sensors, an extra pair of arms, structural reinforcement…" Willow began muttering to herself, trying to figure out the best way to convert Ted into a factory servitor.
"This should solve your worker troubles, huh?" Buffy grinned. Willow had complained about that matter on more than one occasion since she began working on their new production base.
"I'll have it operational by the end of the week, and have it begin working on constructing more servitors. Programming will be complicated, but doable." Willow replied.
"Well, now you won't have an excuse to make me haul all sorts of heavy equipment around." Xander grinned as he returned with the items he needed to induct Ted into the Emperor's service.
Ted proved to be a real blessing for Willow, as with the increase in workers for the factory, she could now work on more projects, and two weeks later, had over a dozen servitors working all over the plant. The additional workers allowed her to complete her projects a lot faster, and now, her first success stood before her.
"Tell me how it feels." Willow observed carefully as Xander was moving in a very crude version of Astartes armor.
Little more than ceramite plates with the more complex adamantium on the weak spots, it looked more suitable on an Ork than on a Space Marine, and the simple servos and pneumatics made it slow, but it was still armor. A tank of compressed air and a large chemical battery rested on Xander's back.
"It's crude as hell. The movements are slow, it has minimal strength enhancement, and don't let me get started on the weak spots." Xander protested.
"For the fifth time Xander, you won't get shot with bolters. Only special armor-piercing bullets could possibly get through the armor plates, and those are only used by the military. Now, take this. You've dropped enough hints as it is." Willow ignored his protests and handed him a gun with a hose leading to a small metal tank.
There was enough room on his back for the tank, and as the pilot light on the flamer ignited, a huge grin spread on Xander's face.
"What is the range?" He asked.
"Five meters, two meter spread. You have ten liters of promethium in the tank, mixed with blessed oils. It's good for ten minutes of continued fire." Willow replied.
"Not bad. I can't wait to try it." Xander's grin spread even further.
"You may just get that chance. I sensed a demon beneath the school. Why don't you go and test out your new toy." Buffy had walked in. So far, demonic activity in Sunnydale was at a record low, but some still stubbornly insisted to disturb the peace.
"With pleasure." Xander thundered away, still sporting his wide grin.
"So, how did it go?" Willow asked once he was back.
"Very satisfactory. It worked extremely well on the creature. It's not as good as even a basic flamer, but against the stuff we're facing, it's more than enough." Xander grinned.
"We'll be able to produce better equipment as I construct superior manufactory equipment. It will take a while, though." Willow commented.
"Looking forward to your birthday, Buffy?" Xander asked as they walked through the city. Patrols had gotten pretty dull, as between Buffy, Xander and Angel moving through the city, vampires had quickly learned that they were no longer the most dangerous thing in the city at night.
"It's nothing special. Just another day." Buffy shrugged.
"So you won't mind if Willow and I throw you a party, then?" Xander grinned. While he had grown more serious, his playful persona still emerged occasionally.
"If you insist. Who are you going to invite?" Buffy asked.
"The three of us, of course, Giles, your mom and Cordelia." Xander replied.
"Why Cordelia? We haven't spoken much recently." Buffy frowned.
"Exactly. Sure, she has some flaws, but she's helped us out in some sticky situations. We could use the party to catch up." Xander shrugged.
"Alright, then. I'll tell mom and we can have the party at my place." Buffy grinned as her senses picked up a couple of vampires.
"You boys want a dance?" The two vampires turned nervously and they saw Buffy grinning widely as Xander leveled his flamer at them.
"I've always loved you." One of them turned to the other just before the flames washed over them.
"Xander, is that you?" Mrs. Summers stared in surprise as Xander's massive form passed through the door of the house. With seven feet in height and absolutely massive figure, Xander drew looks of awe as he walked down the street.
"Yeah, Mrs. Summers. It's a long story." Xander greeted the woman.
"Go right in the living room. Mr. Giles got here just before you did." Mrs. Summers informed him and walked back into the kitchen.
"Happy birthday, Buffy." Xander handed her a small wrapped package as he walked in.
"Hey, Xander. I'd offer you a seat, but…" Buffy trailed off.
"No problem." Xander grinned and sat cross-legged at one end of the coffee table. With his height, he fit just about right.
"Hey Buffy. Thanks for the invite. Whoa." Cordelia walked in and managed to catch sight of Xander.
"Hey Cordy. Been a while." Xander grinned.
"Xander? Well this is a surprise." Cordelia grinned and sat down next to him.
"So, vampires keep you busy, Buffy?" Cordelia asked.
"Not as much recently. Things certainly got easier after Halloween." Buffy said with as much calm as she could manage.
"Hey guys, I hope you don't mind, but I brought a guest." Willow walked in with a boy. "This is Oz. Oz, Buffy, Cordelia and Xander. And of course Giles."
"Welcome. Help yourself." Buffy gestured to the snacks on the coffee table with a smile.
"Thanks. It's not much, but happy birthday." Oz handed her a package.
"Here's my gift. I hope you like it." Willow gave her a present as well.
"Damn, whatever you're on I want some." Oz stared at Xander with surprise.
"Sorry, I'm a bit unique." While technically, Xander could use his progenoid glands to create more Grey Knights, just having the implants and equipment was not enough. Having the right neophytes was just as important.
Slowly, the party picked up and the group spent the time discussing all sorts of topics about their life in Sunnydale.
"It's time to open the presents." Cordelia cut through the conversation after they had all sampled the cake.
Buffy opened the present from Oz first, pulling out a simple leather bracelet. "Nice. Simple, yet stylish." Buffy grinned.
Giles had given her a hundred dollar voucher for a clothing store in the mall, and that earned him a thank-you hug from his protégé.
Cordelia had given her a make-up set. "Maybe now you'll look halfway descent." Buffy had spent enough time around Cordelia to know that that was how she showed she cared, so she ignored the comment.
Xander's present was a necklace with the Aquila Imperialis in gold hanging from it.
"This is incredible, Xander. It must have cost a fortune." Buffy exclaimed. She could already sense the blessings upon it, and she felt her spirit uplift by having a holy symbol of the God-Emperor with her.
Willow's present was a rosary bracelet, but instead of a cross, it had the barred I of the Inquisition. Again, she could feel the consecrations layered upon it.
"Buffy, are you here?" The party had gone past sunset, but more than one person was surprised to see Angel arrive in the house.
"Is something wrong?" Buffy approached him.
"I was at the piers just now, and I picked this up from a pair of Spike's goons." Angel deposited a large wooden chest in the rough shape of an arm on the table.
When it was opened, they could see that a large blue arm resided within.
"That looks like it belongs to the Judge. He's a demon that is supposed to separate the righteous from the wicked, and burn the rightheous." Giles commented, so caught up in the moment that he forgot that there were people who didn't know about the supernatural present.
Buffy had told her mother about her position as the Slayer, and more recently, what had happened during Halloween, but Oz didn't know anything.
So, while Buffy, Angel, Xander and Giles converged to discuss a plan, Willow and Cordelia told him all about the less pleasant residents of Sunnydale. Willow also filled him in on the events of Halloween as well as her activities in the newly constructed Factory-Cathedral.
Eventually, the group agreed with Angel's suggestion that he take the arm away. Buffy and Xander tagged along as escorts, which was a good idea as they were attacked by a dozen vampires. Despite their numbers, they were no match for the trio, and Angel got on his train without any trouble, heading east.
The next few days passed with little excitement, as Spike could not awaken the Judge without the missing arm, so he was forced to abandon the plan, and after some contemplation, he took Drusilla and left town altogether.
As for the Scoobies, Angel's absence was filled by the induction of Oz into the Cult Mechanicus.
"Do we really need all these superstitious rituals?" Oz asked as Willow instructed him in the proper litanies and the use of sacred oils, incense and the like.
"It is not superstition, Oz. The rituals greatly improve the function and durability of the machines. You'd be surprised how many devices in the Imperium function only because of regular prayer. Maintenance alone can only repair so much, after all. Have faith in the Omnissiah and your hand will never stray in your work." Willow replied. Since he had no knowledge on what life was like in the Imperium, Oz found it a bit difficult to adapt to the dogmas that guided the Adeptus Mechanicus, but he was fortunate that Willow was not a strict adherent to the laws.
Their situation demanded a level of flexibility that was necessary in the modern day and age.
"Alright. Can you repeat the…" Oz collapsed mid word as the light of the full moon washed over him from one of the skylights of the factory.
"Are you alright?" Willow asked, only for Oz to raise his head and snarl at her.
"Hold him down. Do not let him stand up." Willow calmly ordered four servitors to pin him down and observed Oz's transformation with calm detachment.
"What are you doing with the fur ball?" Xander got back in the morning to find a snarling beast being held down by servitors while Willow was busy tinkering with one of the machines.
"Oh, that's Oz. It seems he's a werewolf." Willow just shrugged.
"You're alright with this?" Xander asked.
"Yeah, he'll most likely change back once the sun goes up. We'll figure something out when he's back to human form. Although this will complicate things if he ever tries to implant augmetics." Willow commented.
"You really are ticked about that, aren't you?" Xander commented, alluding to the frequent complaints from Willow about the fact that she did not retain the implants she had during Halloween.
"I would have been far more efficient at my work if I had them. That is all." Willow huffed.
"You're not convincing anyone. Well, I'll go and hit the sack. See you in a few hours." Xander grinned and turned towards his living area.