Since Xander and Cordelia weren't planning on going on their honeymoon until summer vacation, which was still two months away, they spent the weekend of their wedding at a hotel in L. A. before returning to Sunnydale. After class on Monday, Xander stopped over at the Summers' residence as usually one day a week he'd mow Joyce's lawn, but his usual day, Saturday, he'd gotten married, so he was doing it today. He'd nearly finished when the lawnmower hit something he hadn't seen before in Joyce's yard, a garden gnome. The mower cracked it. Once he had put the mower away, he brought it inside.
"Hey Joyce, I'm sorry, I ran into your new garden gnome and cracked it. I'll replace it if you want."
"I don't have a garden gnome, Xander. I think they're creepy little things."
Getting a bad feeling, Xander examined the gnome and saw a red light behind one of the eyes.
"Joyce, call the Gang, we've got a problem."
Once everyone was assembled, Xander showed them what he'd found, a miniature camera.
"Someone's been spying on us?" Buffy asked, incredulous.
"Apparently." Xander said. "Willow, can you hack into it and see where its signal is going?"
It didn't take Willow long and then they found something even more disturbing. More cameras. In each of their classrooms, outside Xander and Cordelia's apartment and the Magic Box, as well as Amy's, Faith's and Willow and Tara's apartments.
"Someone's been spying on all of us." Cordelia said grimly.
"Guys, I've traced them all to a house owned by Shannon Mears."
"Mears. The lead nerd that Johnathan was hanging out with, the ones who built the invisibility ray, wasn't his name Warren Mears?" Amy asked.
"Yeah and I vouched for Johnathan." Xander said. "I didn't think he'd get involved in anything bad, instead it looks like he got involved in something skeazy."
"Faith and I should go check out his place." Buffy suggested.
"Actually, it might be a better idea if I go, Buffy. Since I can camouflage myself and hide in the shadows."
"And who's to say they don't know that? Who knows how long they've been spying on us."
"True. But you two tend to be blunt instruments. Sometimes subtlety is needed and I've learned how to be, by sneaking up on vamps. But I'm going to do this as safely as possible. Amy, Tara, can you put a magical tracer on me, so you guys can keep track of me?"
"Yes, that shouldn't be hard." Amy agreed.
Once they had done so, Xander left. It was night. It was dark and he was apart of the shadows. He found the address and picked the lock on the back door, staying camouflaged the whole time. He found quite a bit. He gathered several things up and left as quietly as he'd come.
Once back at the Summers', he handed over what he'd found. Blueprints and computer disks. Willow went to work on the computer disks, while he poured over the blueprints. He was impressed with what he found.
"Besides the invisibility ray, he designed a freeze ray, that could hold someone in a kind of suspended animation. I didn't see any evidence that he'd built it, but the concept and design are still very interesting." He commented.
"I found out a few interesting things too." Willow said. "They're planning to rob a bunch of places, including the opening day amusement park outside of town. And according to these plans, Warren got his hands on a mystical artifact called the Orbs of Neslakhan. They make him as strong as a Slayer while he's got them."
"Amy, you remember that magical net you used to trap Spike back when he had that gem that made him invincible?" Xander asked.
"Yes. You want me to try to trap Warren with it?"
"Yes. He's the big threat. If we can contain him, the other two will be easy to deal with." Xander said.
"And we need to get those Orbs away from him. Something like telekinesis." Cordelia suggested.
"I can do that magically." Tara said. "I just need to see them to be able to get ahold of them."
"Okay, so we've got a plan. Amy traps him in a net, Tara grabs the Orbs when she sees them and then we turn them over to the cops, since they're human with no powers." Xander concluded.
It worked. Buffy and Faith distracted Warren by fighting with him, which gave Amy time to cast her net spell, Tara spotted the Orbs in a pouch on Warren's belt and magiced them away. They just didn't expect him to also have a jet pack under his jacket. He managed enough force to break free from the net and fly off.
"I'm torn between being supremely pissed and extremely impressed." Xander said, as they watched Warren fly away. "Johnathan, what the Hell were you thinking? I never would have thought you'd get involved in anything this stupid."
"It just got out of hand. It wasn't supposed to be like this. But you try saying no to him."
Johnathan and the other little nerd, who turned out to be Andrew Wells, Tucker Wells little brother, were arrested. Tucker, the very disturbed individual who trained and unleashed Hellhounds on the Senior Prom. Seems insanity and stupidity ran in the family.
The Gang was gathered at the Summers' again the next day discussing the elusive Warren Mears when gun shots suddenly rang out. A bright spot of red appeared on two people.
Joyce Summers and Cordelia Chase.