Chapter 16: I Robot, You Jane
May 4, 1997 – Sunday
Gateway High
"Oh," Buffy said. "Great. A book."
Willow looked over from her position in front of one of the scanners and smiled when she saw the disappointed expression on her friend's face. Buffy pulled an oversized, ancient-looking book from the crate she'd just pried open and idly traced the carving on its leather cover. Ms. Calendar, the new computer science teacher, had set up several computers and scanners throughout the library.
"I haven't gone through the new arrivals," Giles told Buffy. He gestured toward where Willow stood. "Put it in that pile –"
"Here, I got it." Dave, a shy, bookish kid with thick blond hair, took the book from Buffy and headed back towards his terminal. Next to him, a boy named Fritz worked diligently. Fritz was big and sturdily-built with short hair, the opposite of Dave. But like Willow, both were whizzes in the computer world.
"Thanks, Dave." Buffy grinned. "The Willow pile."
"After I've examined it," Giles said absently, "one of you can, uh... skim it in."
"Scan it, Rupert. Scan it," Ms. Calendar corrected. The door to the library closed behind her as she strode in.
"Of course," Giles said. His tone was filled with stiff British courtesy, with a touch of venom around the edges.
Ms. Calendar, however, was not put off. "I know our ways are strange to you," she said as she regarded Giles with patient amusement, "but soon you will join us in the 20th century... with three whole years to spare!"
"Ms. Calendar," Giles said archly, "I happen to believe that one can function in modern society without being a slave to the idiot box."
Ms. Calendar did an admirable job of holding her expression. "That's TV—the idiot box is the TV. This is the good box."
"Well," Giles said, undaunted. "I still prefer a good book."
As Buffy listened to the two of them she couldn't help giggling slightly at their banter.
"The printed page is obsolete," Fritz put in. His stance at his terminal was so relaxed that he might have been a part of the machine. "Information isn't bound up anymore, it's an entity. The only reality is virtual. If you're not jacked in, you're not alive." With that, he nodded to himself and flicked the off switch on his computer. A moment later the door to the library closed behind him.
They all stared after him, then Ms. Calender sighed. "Thank you, Fritz... for making us all sound like crazy people." She turned back to Giles. "Fritz comes on a little strong, but he has a point. You know for the last two years there was more E-mail sent than regular mail? More digitalized information went over phone lines than conversations."Giles nods, "That is a fact that I regard with genuine horror."
Giles folded his arms and his chin lifted. "That is a fact that I regard with genuine horror."
"I'll bet it is," Ms. Calendar replied. She faced Willow and the others. "All right, guys, let's wrap it up for the day."
Willow glanced at the stack of waiting books, then back at her terminal. She hated to leave stuff undone. "I've just got a few more to do," she told Ms. Calendar. "I'll hang around for a bit."
"Cool," the computer teacher said with a smile. "Thanks."
"Xander," Willow said before her friend could head after the others, "you want to stay and help me?"
Xander paused, but only for a moment. "Are you kidding?"
"Yes," Willow said gently. "It was a joke I made up."
Xander nodded in relief. "Willow, I love you, but bye."
"I'll see you tomorrow," Willow called. But she might as well have been talking to the wall.
"Buffy," Xander yelled, heading into the hall. "Wait up!"
"I have to stay and clean up," he said stiffly. "I'll be back in the Middle Ages."
Willow looked over to see Ms. Calendar, without so much as cracking a smile as she walked out, give her part comment to Giles:
"Did you ever leave?"
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
The hours flew past, as they always did when she worked on computer projects. Despite her intention to stay only a little while, it was already late night, but at least the book in front of her, the leather-covered one that Buffy had uncrated just before everyone left, was the last one.
Willow opened it to the first page, grateful to find that even though it was weighty, the pages were thick and not numerous. After naming the file Willow/Book12, she carefully drew the scanner down the first page, keeping her eyes on the screen to make sure the image didn't blur or distort. While she couldn't understand the strange characters and foreign words, the information seemed to be transferring cleanly and rapidly.
"Almost done," she thought in relief. "Then I can go home and get start on my other homework."
Turned slightly to the right and with her gaze focused on the screen, Willow never noticed the pages of the book as she completed and turned each one, never saw the way the ancient words and symbols appeared to slip off the heavy parchment as the scanner passed over them. When the last of the book's content entered the screen, Willow saved the file without looking back at the book, then glanced around the empty library one last time.
On the computer, the screen suddenly went blank. After a beat, three words appeared, one letter at a time, across the center:
Where am I?
Willow hit the off button automatically. Finished at last, she gathered up her books and headed out of the library.
May 6, 1997 – Tuesday
Willow sailed smilingly through the horde of students like it was nothing.
"Willow –Willow! Hey, wait up!" Buffy's voice cut through the din just as she caught up with her friend.
Hugging her books, Willow gave her a welcoming grin. "Buffy! I didn't even see you."
Buffy squinted at her. "Or hear me. What was up last night?" she asked as they started walking again. "I tried your line like a million times last night."
"Oh, I was ..." Willow hesitated. "I was talking," she finally finished.
Buffy made a gesture with her hand for Willow to continue. "Talking to ...?"
Instead of answering, Willow only smiled.
"Okay, that's it," Buffy said. She tagged after Willow clearly interested. "You have a secret and that is not allowed."
"Why not?"
"'Cause... there's a rule." Buffy's voice had taken on a petulant why-aren't-you-sharing-with-me? tone, and Willow just had to take pity.
"Well," she amended, "I sort of met someone."
"I knew it!" Buffy's face lit up with excitement." This is so important, your first boyfriend. When did you meet?"
"Sunday," Willow told her. "Right after we did the scanning project in the Library."
Buffy's smile grew wider and she switched directions so she could look at Willow full in the face while they walked, like a skater doing a backward stroll. Her questions tumbled out. "Does he go here? What's his name? Have you kissed him? What's he like?"
Willow's mouth turned up with amusement. "No, Malcolm, no, and very nice," she said answering everything in one shot.
Buffy flounced forward, but her excitement was still obvious. "You are a thing of evil for not telling me this right away!"
"Well," Willow admitted. "I wasn't sure there was anything to tell. But last night …" She hugged her books tighter. "Oh, we talked all night. It was amazing. He's so smart, Buffy, and he's romantic and we agree about everything."
"What's he look like?"
"I don't know," Willow answered cheerfully.
Buffy's mouth worked, but she seemed at a loss for words as she followed Willow from the hallway into the computer lab.
"You've been seeing a guy and you don't know what he looks like." She blinked. "Okay—it's a puzzle. No, wait. I'm good at these—does it involve a midget and a block of ice?"
"I met him online," Willow said patiently.
"Morning, kids." Willow and Buffy looked up as Ms. Calendar came into the lab. "Payson, are you supposed to be somewhere?"
"I have a free period," she replied.
"Cool. But this is lab time so let's make it a nice short visit, okay?"
Buffy nodded. "Oh sure."
Willow quickly ran through her log-on procedure as Buffy sat next to her. "I still can't get used to people calling you Payson," she said. "Though I think it's nice you decided to change your name to honor your mom's memory."
Buffy smiled. "Yeah so do I."
The instant Willow's computer made the connection to the internet, the computer flashed a message:
You have mail!
"It's him!" Willow said excitedly as she opened the message.
I'm thinking about you.
"He's so sweet." Willow said, charmed.
Beside her, Buffy seemed less than impressed. "Uh, yeah, he's a sweetie."
"What should I write back?" Willow asked. Her fingers were posed over the keyboard as she tried to think.
Buffy cleared her throat pointedly. "Willow, I think it's great that you've got a cool pen pal, but ... don't you think you're kind of rushing into all this. You know what I mean?"
"I'm thinking of you too," Willow blurted, talking as she typed. She almost hit the Enter key, then gasped. "No–that's incredibly stupid."
"Will," Buffy interrupted, "down girl. Let's focus here, okay. What do you really know about this guy?"
Willow sat back sullenly. "See, I knew you'd react like this."
"Like what?" Buffy demanded. "I just want to make sure you're careful."
"Buffy –"
"He could be different than you think."
"His name is Malcolm Black," Willow said with exaggerated care. "He's eighteen, he lives in Elmwood which is like eighty miles from here. And he likes me."
"Short, tall, skinny, fat..." Buffy looked at her expectantly.
"Why does everything have to be about looks?" Willow demanded, frustrated.
"Not everything," Buffy acknowledged. "But some stuff is. I mean, what if you guys get really, really intense and then you find out he... has a hairy back?"
Willow's eyes widened as she considered this, then her jaw set. "Well, no. He doesn't talk like the kind of person who has a hairy back. And anyway, that stuff doesn't matter if you really care about each other." She looked down at her hands. "Maybe I'm not his ideal either," she said softly.
"Hey," Buffy said. She put an understanding hand on Willow's arm. "I just want to make sure he's good enough for you, that's all. I think it's great that you met someone."
"Hey." Both Willow and Buffy jumped as Fritz appeared on the other side of the cubicle divider without warning. "Are you done?"
Buffy stared at him, her hazel eyes widening. "What?"
"I'm trying to work."
"Okay," Buffy said a little testily. "Sorry."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Fritz sank back onto his chair with enough noise to let the two girls know he was annoyed, then waited to see what, if anything, would happen. He still remembered being in here earlier, when it was only him and Dave working diligently at their computers in the quiet, with no one else to hear Dave's whispered words—
"Yes … I will. I promise."
—in response to the smooth but digitized voice coming from the computer's speakers. Only a moment ago, the workspace on his own screen had weiped to a dizzying slide show as the school's student files were accessed. After hardly more than a few seconds, Buffy Summers' face had pixelized in front of him. Then, as quickly as it had appeared, it blinked away and was replaced by words
Watch Her.
Fritz had, he hoped, thrown a brick into the direction of the conversation Buffy had been trying to carry on with Willow.
But what would happen when he wasn't around.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Buffy glanced at Willow, then over to where Ms. Calendar sat at her own terminal, thankfully not noticing their exchange. "Boy, Fritz is even more charming than usual."
Willow frowned a little. "I don't know what his problem is lately."
Buffy stood. They both knew it was time for her to make tracks before Ms. Calendar realized they were still hanging around. "He needs to get out more," Buffy said. "Or ever." She looked at the computer, then at Willow, as though she wanted to say something more. Instead, Willow felt Buffy touch her on the arm again, then her friend strode away.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
A good looking guy sat on the stone stairs leading down and into the courtyard, staring in disbelief at the screen on his laptop. "This isn't my report," he said as Willow passed him. He wasn't really talking to her, so she paid him no mind, never registering his next, amazed words. "'Nazi Germany was a model of well-ordered society?' I didn't write that!" He looked around, as though he could pinpoint the guilty party. "Who's been in my files?"
Xander buzzed up behind Willow and slipped his hands over her eyes. "Guess who?"
"Xander," she said without hesitation.
"Well, yeah. But keep guessing anyway."
"Uh … Xander," Willow said again.
He lowered his hands and skipped around to walk next to her. "I can't fool you. You see right through my petty charade." He looked at her expectantly. "We going to the Bronze tonight?"
Willow shook her head, hoping he would be offended. "Not me. I think I'm gonna call it an early night."
Xander arched an eyebrow. "Oh … Malcolm, right? Yeah, I heard. But you're going to be missing out." He did a little jig as he walked, putting on his best comedic face. "I'm planning to be witty. I'm gonna make fun of all the people who won't talk to me."
"That's nice," Willow said absently. "Have a good time." Lost in her own thoughts and with a smile on her face, she ambled away.
"She certainly looks perky," Buffy said. Xander jumped and Buffy grinned at her success in sneaking up behind him.
Recovering, Xander glanced at Willow's retreating figure. "Yeah, color in the cheeks, a bound in the step—I don't like it. It's not healthy." He sent a final, longing stare in Willow's direction, then turned back to Buffy. "So what about you? Bronze? No—you probably have to slay vampires, warlocks or some other lame endeavor like that. His face was full of exaggerated self-pity. "Everybody deserts me."
Buffy couldn't help but laughing. "Check out the jealous man."
Xander frowned. "What're you talking about?"
"You're jealous!"
"Of what?"
"Willow's got a thing," Buffy teased, "and Xander's left hanging."
"That's meaningless drivel," Xander said firmly as he walked next to her. "I'm not interested in Willow like that."
"Yeah," Buffy said. "But you got used to being the belle of the ball."
"No, it's just …" He hesitated. "This Malcolm guy—what's his deal? Tell me you're not slightly wigged."
"Slightly," she agreed. "I mean, just not knowing what he's really like."
"Or who he really is," Xander said quickly. "But I could also say I was an elderly Dutch woman, get me? Who's to say I'm not? If I'm in the elderly Dutch chat room—"
"I get your point." Buffy frowned as things suddenly clicked into place. "I get your point. This guy could be anybody. He could be weird, or crazy, or old or … he could be a circus freak—he's probably a circus freak!"
Xander's eyes were serious. "I mean, we read about that all the time. People meet on the net, they talk, they get together, have dinner, a show, horrible ax murder …"
Buffy's eyes widened as she contemplated this. "Willow, ax-murdered by a circus freak! Okay, okay—what do we do?"
They stare at each other, then Buffy gave herself a mental shake. "What are we doing?" She smacked her friend on the arm. "Xander, you get me started—we are totally overreacting!"
Xander gave her his crooked, one-of-a-kind grin. "Yeah," he said. "But isn't it fun?"
May 7, 1997 – Wednesday
"Oh boy," Willow thought, more than a little panicked. "I can't believe how late I am." She barreled up to her locker in the locker rom, nearly colliding with her Buffy as she shrugged into her gym clothes.
"Whoa," Buffy said, between Willow's banging her books inside the metal locker. "You're the late girl."
"I overslept," Willow said shortly.
"Till fifth period?" Buffy stared at her, then looked away. "Talking to Malcolm last night?"
"Yeah," When Buffy didn't respond, Willow glanced at her. "What."
"Nothing."
Willow searched frantically through her locker for the book she hoped to read while waiting her turn on the gym floor. She hadn't studied last night and she desperately needed to do some catch-up before last period. "You're having an expression."
"I'm not." Buffy hesitated. "But … if I was, it would be saying this just isn't like you."
Willow snatched up the biology book and slammed her locker shut. "Not like me to have a boyfriend?"
Buffy's eyes widened momentarily. "He's... boyfriendly?"
"I don't understand why you don't want me to have this." Willow tried to keep the frustration out of her voice, but she wasn't succeeding. "I mean, boys don't chase me around all the time—I thought you'd be happy for me."
Buffy took a step towards her. "I just want you to be sure. To meet him face to face, in daylight, in a crowded place, with some friends. You know, before you become all obsessive."
Willow scowled. "Malcolm and I really care about each other. Big deal if I blow off a couple classes."
"I thought you said you overslept."
Caught, Willow didn't know what to say. Then she folded her arms protectively around her book. "Malcolm said you wouldn't understand."
"Malcolm was right."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"Willow and Malcom," Buffy worried over the thought all through P.E. When the class was finally over, she changed back into her regular clothes and headed over to the computer lab. Poking her head through the door, she spied Dave typing enthusiastically at one of the consoles.
"Hi, Dave." she said when she reached him.
There was no response, and Buffy glanced from him to the screen. The words there were moving too fast for her to read and Dave's fingers were a blur on the keyboard. She tried again. "Hi there, Dave."
Still no response. Obviously this boy needed human contact. "Anybody home?" she asked amiably and touched him on the shoulder.
He jumped and twisted on his chair. When he saw her, his expression seemed to tense up even more as he folded his hands in his lap, then he relaxed. "Oh. What do you want?"
"I wanted to ask you something," Buffy said. "If you had a minute."
Dave blinked, as if he were trying to gather his thoughts. "What is it?"
"Well," Buffy snagged the chair from the next console. She pulled it over, then perched on the edge. "You're a computer geek—" She cleared her throat and covered her blunder. "Genius. I sort of have a technical problem. If I wanted to find out something about someone, if someone E-mailed me, could I trace the letter?"
Dave shrugged and pushed away the thick lock of hair that had fallen into his eyes. "Well," he told her, "you can pull up someone's profile based on their user name."
Buffy considered this. "But … they write the profile themselves, right? So they could say anything they want."
"Sure."
"Wow," she said. "I had knowledge." Dave smiled and Buffy thought he might not have been half bad if he'd just get away from being hard-wired into machines all the time. She thought for a moment. "Well, is there a way to find out exactly where a letter—an E-letter—came from? I mean the actual location of the computer?"
Dave looked thoughtful. "It's a challenge."
She felt obliged to explain. "'Cause you see, Willow's got this friend Malcolm," she said, "and to tell you the truth, I—"
"Leave Willow alone," Dave said. His voice was suddenly cold, his face white.
Buffy sat back. "What do you mean?"
"That's none of your business." Dave turned his back abruptly.
Buffy slowly stood and pushed the chair she'd borrowed back to its place. "Dave," she asked slowly, "are you … Malcolm?"
"Of course not."
"Dave, what's going on?"
"Nothing," he said harshly. He brought his fingers to the keyboard, but before he could started typing again Buffy snagged one of his hands in hers.
"Your hands," she said as she stared at his fingers. Every one of them was wrapped in Band-Aids.
"It's nothing," he said and yanked away from her. "I'm typing a lot."
"What's going on?" she demanded again.
"Look," he said. "I'll talk to you later. okay. I've got work to do." He turned again to his console and left her standing there, clearly dismissed.
She stared at his back for a second, then turned and stalked out of the lab. "So do I," she muttered to herself.
She never noticed Fritz watching them surreptitiously from the other side of the divider, nor did she catch the murderous expression on his face.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Buffy found Giles in the library and filled him in on what she knew so far. "I'm telling you, there's something going on," she finished. "It's not just Willow. Dave, Fritz—they're all wicked jumpy."
Giles didn't seem convinced. "Well, those boys aren't sparklingly normal as it is."
"Giles, trust me," Buffy said.
"I do." He paused. "But I don't really know how to advise you. Things involving the computer fill me with a childlike terror. Now if it were a nice Ogre or some such, I'd be more in my element." At her sour glance, he shrugged. "Well, I supposed you could 'tail' Dave, see if he's up to something."
Buffy looked at Giles in amazement. "Follow Dave? What, dark glasses and a trench coat? Please. We can work this out myself." She stopped for a second thinking. "Willow's been acting weird since we scanned those books. Fritz has been acting weird since birth. I don't know—I've got all the pieces but no puzzle. Or I've got puzzle pieces but some of them are missing. Or they're in the wrong place in the puzzle."
Her mouth turned down. "I hate metaphors. I'm gonna follow Dave."
Streets of San Francisco
"Thanks for doing this, Piper," Buffy said as they followed Dave in Piper's jeep.
"Willow is my friend also," Piper replied from behind the steering wheel. "If you think something is up with this Malcom guy then I am willing to help make sure Willow is safe." She looked at the old and sickly car in front of them that managed to catch every red light. Which meant they were easy to keep up. "My question is why are we following him?"
"When I mentioned Willow and Malcom he just seemed to get spooked," Buffy answered as she glanced over at Piper.
"Not really enough to go on," Piper said. "But worth checking out I guess."
Eventually Dave parked in a spot at the side of a large, blocky building surrounded by a high fence. Piper pulled the jeep to the side of the road just outside the driveway entrance.
Hanging on the gate was a sign that spelled out CRD in large letters. Beyond the fence a half dozen eerily silent workmen were using dollies and a forklift to haul boxes into the building. When Dave joined them, an expressionless man in a scientist-type coast greet him, then they went inside. The only one left on the dock was an equally blank-faced security guard. Buffy and Piper waited awhile, but no one came out and Buffy felt there were too many people around to actually follow Dave into the building.
"Let's go back," Buffy said with a resigned sigh.
Calax Research and Development
The security room inside CRD was small and gray-walled, like being in a dull, dim box. This bothered Fritz not at all.
Sitting at a computer console, his unblinking gaze was focused on the video image of Buffy Summers as she sat in the passanger seat of Piper's jeep.
"She's too close," he said. "What do I do?"
The image of Buffy stayed in place for a few seconds, then it blinked away to blackness. After a beat, two words appeared.
Kill Her.
Fritz read the command and a slow, nasty smile spread across his mouth.
"Party."
May 8, 1997 – Thursday
Gateway High
"Whatever Dave is into," Buffy told Giles, Aviva and Xander, "it's large."
Giles looked at Buffy and Piper with interest. "What was the name of the place?"
"CRD," Piper answered.
"We couldn't get close enough to see what it was –" Buffy added.
"Calax Research and Development," Xander cut in. "Computer research lab, third biggest employer in San Francisco." When he saw Piper, Aviva, Buffy and Giles gawking at him, he managed to look righteously offended. "What, I can't have information sometimes?"
"It's just somewhat … unprecedented." Giles said, flustered.
"Didn't they go out of business last year?" Piper asked after a moment of thought.
"They did," Xander answered.
"Looked pretty functional from where I stood." Buffy crossed her arms. "We don't have a clue what they were doing, though."
"And what do they need Dave for?" Aviva wondered.
"Something about computers, right?" Buffy suggested. "I mean he is off-the-charts-smart."
Giles shoved his hands into his pockets. "We still don't know a terrible lot. Whatever's going on there could be on the up and up."
Piper shook her head. "If CRD re-opened, it would have been on the news. It was a major company in San Francisco."
Buffy lifted her chin. "Besides, I can just tell something's wrong. My spider-sense is tingling."
"Your 'spider-sense'?" Giles asked, puzzled.
"Pop-culture reference." Piper said by way of explanation. "It's what Buffy calls her Slayer senses."
"Sorry," Buffy said apologetically.
Giles looked at each of them in turn. "Yes, well, I think we're at a standstill. Short of breaking into the place, I don't see—"
"Breaking in," Buffy said brightly. "This, then, is the plan."
"Buffy," Piper said and Buffy could tell just by the sound of her voice that she didn't like that plan. "You've technically already been in jail twice, we don't want to make it a third time."
Buffy let out a resigned sigh, she needed to convince Piper to see things her way. "Piper, Willow could be in trouble," she reminded her cousin.
Piper let out a resigned sigh. "Alright. But were going in there with the Power of Three Augmented."
Buffy nodded. "Tonight it is."
"A moment, please, of quiet reflection," Giles scolded. "I did not suggest that you illegally enter the –" He looked over Piper and Buffy's shoulders and suddenly his tone changed. "—data into the file and then the book will be listed by title as well as author."
Aviva, Piper, Buffy and Xander turned and found Ms. Calendar joining them. "Hi," she said.
"Hello," Giles said, standing ramrod straight.
The computer science teacher smiled at Giles, "I was gonna check your new database, make sure your cross reference table isn't glitching. Because I'm guessing you haven't gone near it."
Giles looked pained. "I'm still sorting through the chaos you left behind."
Ms. Calendar smiled thinly, then glanced at Buffy and Xander. "You here again? You kids really dig on the library, don't you?"
"They're literary," Aviva said spritely.
"To read is makes our speaking English good." Xander added.
Ms. Calendar turned at and looked at Piper. "You don't look like a student."
Piper smiled. "Because I'm not. I'm Piper Halliwell. One of Buffy's three legal guardians."
Ms. Calendar looked at Piper clearly confused. "Buffy?" she said as Buffy raised her hand. Then it dawned on her. She remembered the memo that had been passed around to all the teachers. "Oh you mean Payson." She looked at Buffy and smiled. "I forgot you changed your name."
"It's alright," Buffy said soothing. "At least your trying. Most of the teachers continue to want to call me Buffy even though my legal name was changed to Payson." She grabbed Aviva and Xander's arms. "Anyways we gotta go. Piper you want to drive us to that thing."
"Sure, Buffy," Piper agreed. "It was nice meeting you."
"And you Ms. Halliwell," Ms. Calendar said.
Piper led Buffy, Aviva and Xander out into the hallway. "'Our speaking English good?'" she demanded.
Xander had the good grace to look ashamed. "I panicked, okay?"
"We're actually not going with you are we?" Aviva asked.
"No," said Piper. "I don't think either of your parents would forgive me if you got caught breaking and entering. It's bad enough that I let Buffy tug at my heartstrings."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"Good," Willow thought. "I've got the place to myself for a change." She glanced around one more time just to make sure, then smiled as she read the words on the computer screen in front of her.
I've never felt this way about anyone before, Willow.
Her smile widened—she couldn't help it. "I know what you mean," she said, echoing the words aloud as she typed the return message to Malcom. "I feel like you know me better than anyone."
I do.
Willow took a deep breath. "Do you think we should ..." She hesitated, then went for it. "… meet?" She hit the Enter button before she could change her mind.
I think we should. Soon.
She swallowed and let her fingers type out the truth. "I'm nervous."
I'm not. Isn't that strange?
"That's what Buffy doesn't understand," Willow told Malcom in her reply. "How comfortable you can make me feel."
Buffy just makes trouble.
That's why she got kicked out of her old school.
Willow froze, unsettled. "How did she know that?" she typed.
It's on her permanent records.
She sat there, trying to digest this. "Buffy's permanent record? But how would Malcom know that unless he had access to the files? And why would he want to, anyway?" she wondered.
You must have mentioned it.
Willow stared at the words. Finally she typed the only thing she could think of to say. "I guess."
Let's not worry about her anymore.
She hesitated, and then decided things were just a little too freaky right now to continue. "I have to sign off," she typed decisively. "I'll talk to you later."
Don't.
But her mind was made up. "Bye." She sent it and turned off the screen before Malcom could try to dissuade her, then left the lab with a troubled look on her face.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"But, I checked the computer!" Buffy and Piper heard one of the school nurses tell a teacher as she walked past the two outside the building. "And there's nothing in his file about being allergic to penicillin."
Before they could think further about what they'd heard, someone touched Buffy's arm. Turning, they saw Dave waiting to talk to Buffy. "Payson."
He seemed even more nervous than usual about being around real humans, so Buffy felt compelled to be forgiving about his earlier weird-out. "Dave. How're you doing?"
"Okay." Despite his words, he wouldn't meet hers or Piper's eyes. Instead, he looked over Buffy's shoulder, at the sky, at the ground. Anywhere but at Buffy's or Piper's faces. "I'm … sorry about yesterday. I haven't been sleeping much."
"Don't sweat it," Buffy said with a glance at Piper.
He scuffed at the ground with one shoe. "Uh, Willow was looking for you, Payson."
Buffy brightened. "Oh, good, we need to talk to her. Do you know where she is?"
He shoved his hands deeper into his pockets. "She said she would be in the girl's locker room."
"Great," Buffy said again. Since Dave was clearly not quick enough to continue interacting with a non-wired female, she decided to let him off the hook. "Thanks," she added and headed away.
And in taking pity on him, Buffy completely missed the petrified look he gave her as she walked away.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Fritz waited calmly just inside the shows, listening to the sound of footsteps. Everything was ready; he need only turn on the water at the right time, then silently slip out of the locker room and let fate do what it would.
Party.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Piper and Buffy moved through the totally empty locker room until they came to the end of the row. No one was around, and certainly not Willow. They were about leave when they heard one of the showers start up, the sound of the water echoing off the walls.
"Willow?" Buffy called. "Will, you taking a shower?" She angled her head around the corner, but the tiled shower area was empty. "Guess not." She glanced behind her, but there was still no one there. "This," she muttered as she stepped into the rapidly spreading puddle of water to turn off the faucet, "is how droughts are started."
"Buffy—get out!"
Buffy spun to look at Piper at the entrance to the shower area. "What?" she said. She followed Piper's gaze and saw why her cousin had yelled at her. A cord dangled from a gutted light fixture high on the wall, the bare-ended wires lying on the floor—
Only a fraction of an inch away from the creeping puddle of water in which she now stood.
Instinct made her bolt for the exit to the locker room and one leap took her to the edge of the shower stall. Buffy jumped the rest of the way just as the water touched the wires, she felt the surge of electricity slam through her right before she hit the wooden bench, then rolled to the floor. She stayed there for a moment, stunned, feeling her nerves and skin tingle and trying to fathom what just happened.
Piper rushed and knelt down next to Buffy her eyes looking her cousin over, looking for any signs of injury from the electrical shock. "Are you okay?" she asked when she noticed Buffy's shoes were blackened and smoking.
"Yeah, I think so," Buffy said as she got her breath back.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
The shades were drawn and it was dim and cool in the computer lab, deserted in the late afternoon. A good thing, because Dave had no thought for anyone else as he rushed through the door and began pacing in front of his computer console. Without sitting down—there was no need-he began arguing with it as he strode back and forth like a trapped animal.
"I can't do it! I'm not gonna do it!""
From the small speaker attached to the side of the screen, a calm, metallic voice replied. The tone was deep and impersonal, and went along with the words appearing on the screen.
But you promised.
"Payson isn't a threat to you," Dave argued in response. "It's not worth it!"
The Project is almost complete.
You won't have to do it again.
Dave scrubbed at his face with his hands. "I can't."
I've shown you a New World, Dave.
Knowledge, Power … I can give you everything.
All I want is your love.
"No," Dave said with finality. "This isn't right. None of it is!"
I'm sorry, I've been a terrible person.
Confused, Dave stopped and peered at the computer screen. Had he won the argument? Was—
I'm a coward and I can't go on living like this.
Forgive me, Mom and Dad.
He stumbled backward, still focused on the dreadful words across the computer screen. What the—?
At least now I'll have some Peace.
Remember Me.
Dave took another step back, then felt the presence of someone standing behind him. Right before he heard the computer's final words, he whirled and saw Fritz waiting for him in the shadows with an awful, deadly smile across his face.
Love, Dave.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
For a change, the library felt like a sanctuary to Buffy, a place where she could go and feel safe. A place to recover.
"I'm gonna kill Dave," Xander said. He strode across the floor in front of Buffy, so upset he was practically waving his arms. He turned to Piper and Giles. "Is she going to be okay?"
Giles studied Buffy. "Thanks to Piper for seeing the wires, she was only grounded for a moment." He paused, then directed his next statement to Buffy. "Still, if you'd been anyone but the Slayer …"
"Tell me the truth," Buffy said earnestly. She looked at Piper. "How's my hair?"
"Do you really want me to answer that?" Piper asked.
"Probably not," answered Buffy. "I just … I don't understand what would make Dave do a thing like that."
Giles cleared his throat. "I think perhaps I do."
Xander stopped his nervous motion. "Care to share?"
"I have to agree with Xander," added Piper. "Out with it."
Giles pressed his lips together, then lifted an oversized book from one of the tables as he looked at Buffy and Xander. "Does this look familiar to either of you?"
Buffy squinted at it through bangs that seemed to have a life of their own. "Yeah, sure. It looks like a book."
Xander nodded. "I knew that one."
Piper shrugged. "Don't look at me I'm not here enough to know what supernatural books you do or don't have."
"I've never seen it before," added Aviva as Prue and Phoebe burst into the library. "Is it a new arrival?"
"Well," Giles told them, "this particular book was sent to me by an archeologist friend who found it in an old monastery."
"Are you all right?" Prue asked as she moved beside Buffy.
"Yeah, Prue," Buffy said hoping to placate her eldest cousin.
"Is she?" Phoebe asked looking at her older sister.
"It was just a minor shock, Phoebe," said Piper as she turned her attention back to Giles. "You were saying?"
"Right," Giles said. "There are certain books that are not meant to be read. Ever. They have things trapped within them."
"Things ..." Aviva echoed.
Giles looked at the floor, "Demons."
Aviva let out a sigh as she looked at Prue, Piper, Phoebe and Buffy. "So a repeat of Kali basically?"
"That's what it sounds like," Phoebe agreed.
Giles took a deep breath. "In the Dark Ages, demon's were sometimes trapped in certain volumes. The demon would remain in the book, harmless, unless the book was read aloud." He pointed to a carved image on the cover. "If I'm not mistaken this is Moloch, the corruptor. A very deadly and seductive demon. He draws people to him with promises of love, power, knowledge. Preys on impressionable minds."
"Like Dave's." Xander said.
Giles nodded. "Dave, and who knows how many others."
Aviva leaned forward. "And Moloch is in that book?"
In reply, Giles flipped it opened, showing them its black pages. "Not anymore."
Xander's jaw dropped. "You released Moloch!?"
"Way to go." Buffy groaned.
"I didn't read it," Giles said testily. "That awful Calendar woman found it and it was already blank."
Phoebe placed a hand on Buffy's shoulder. "So a powerful demon with horns is walking around San Francisco? And nobody's noticed?"
"If he's so big and strong," Xander demanded, "why bother with Dave? Why didn't he just attack Buffy himself? Or go after Prue, Piper and Phoebe?"
Buffy looked at her cousins with a sigh. "Xander does have a point. We're usually the first targets for demons."
Giles dropped the blank book on the table. "I don't know why he didn't go after them. And I don't know who could have read the book. It wasn't even in English."
"Where was it?" Buffy asked.
Giles gestured toward the table with the computer on it. "In a pile, with the other books that were ..." He paused and his eyes went suddenly wide. "Scanned."
Giles, Xander and Buffy stared at each other, and then they all turned toward the computer, sitting silent and apparently harmless a few feet away.
"What?" Piper asked noticing the looks on their faces.
"Willow scanned all the new books," Buffy told her cousins.
"And that released the demon," Aviva added.
"No," Prue said as they all looked at her. "If the book was scanned into the computer. Then he's not out here." She pointed at the computer. "He's in there."
Giles took a few steps toward the machine, and then stopped at what he must have thought was a safe distance. "The scanner read the book," he said slowly. "And brought Moloch out … as information to be absorbed."
Buffy nodded. "He's gone binary on us."
Xander held up a hand. "Okay, for those of us in our studio audience who are me, you guys are saying that Moloch is in this computer."
Buffy looked at him. "And in every computer connected to it by a modem."
"He's everywhere." Giles said, clearly appalled.
Dismay spread across Xander's face. "What do we do?"
Phoebe looked at Giles. "Put him back in the book?"
Giles seemed more than slightly lost. "Willow scanned him into her file. This may be a futile gesture, but I suggest we delete it."
"Solid," Buffy said. "She slid onto the chair in front of the computer, cracked her knucles, and turned on the computer.
"Don't get too close." Xander said nervously.
"Okay, so which file do you think it is?" Buffy wondered aloud. She regarded the icons on the program screen. "Willow," she decided. "That's probably it, right? I'll … just delete the whole thing."
Without waiting, she positioned the cursor over the Willow file icon and dragged it over to the Trash. Then she nearly jumped out of her seat as the computer's program screen abruptly flashed to black, then re-formed into a digitized image of Moloch the Corruptor himself. The image turned and grew until it filled every inch of the monitor, and suddenly a voice—hateful and loud—roared from the computer's tiny speakers.
Stay away from Willow!
It's none of your business.
And without Buffy touching it, the entire computer shut down.
For a long moment, none of them moved.
"'Stay away.'" Buffy paused. "That's just what Dave said when Buffy and I asked about Willow and ..." She looked at Giles and Xander. "Malcolm."
Xander's face went rigid. "What are you thinking?"
Buffy looked down and her gaze traveled to her mangled sneakers. "So that's what Malcolm looks like," she said quietly. "I'm wishing Willow's new boyfriend was just an axe-murdering circus freak."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Ten minutes later, and they still hadn't figured out any better way to deal.
"Okay," Buffy finally said in disgust. "So much for 'delete file'."
Giles expression had grown darker by the minute. "This is very bad."
Xander still seemed only slightly convinced there was a true problem. "Are we overreacting?" he asked. "This guy's in a computer, what can he do?"
Buffy shot Xander an I-don't-believe-you-don't-get-it look. "You mean besides convince a perfectly nice kid to try and kill me?" She shrugged in fake carelessness. "I don't know—mess up all the medical equipment in the world?"
"Randomize traffic signals..." Giles offered.
"Access launch codes for our nuclear missiles..." Aviva suggested.
"Destroy the world's economy..." added Giles.
Aviva looked at him. "I think I pretty much capped it with the nuclear missile thing."
Giles had to nod. "All right, yours was best."
Xander threw up his hands. "Okay, he's a threat. I'm on board with that now. But what do we do?"
Buffy tapped her fingers against the computer tabletop. "The first thing we do is find Willow," she decided. "She's probably talking to him right now. God, that creeps me out."
Prue smirked at Buffy. "Now you understand why I don't want you talking to someone you don't know on the internet," she told her cousin.
Buffy smiled as she wrapped an arm around Prue. "And I think you for that, Prue."
"What does he want with Willow?" Xander asks.
Xander scowled. "What does he want with Willow?"
"That is a good question," agreed Piper.
"Let's never find out." Buffy said. "Okay, I'm gonna check the computer lab."
"I'll come with you, Buffy," said Prue as she and followed her cousin toward the door. She glanced over her shoulder at her sisters, Aviva, Giles and Xander. "And you guys, call her home and anyplace you might think she could be."
With that, Buffy and Prue were out of the library and hurrying down the hall.
"Your frightened for Willow, aren't you?" Prue asked as she paced Buffy.
"You know me," Buffy said as she glanced at Prue with a sigh. "Us I can understand why he would come after us. But Willow… I can't figure it out."
"Don't worry, Buffy," Prue said as she wrapped an arm around her cousin. "We'll save her."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
The computer lab was a spacious, bright room under normal conditions. The dark room stretching in front of them now slowed their steps and made Buffy and Prue cautious.
"This is Willow's cubicle," Buffy said as they stopped in front of the computer Willow normally sat at.
"Which means she is likely not here," said Prue looking at the empty cubicle.
Suddenly an electrical hum of equipment filled the room, then all the monitors flickered to life at once. Then they just … sat there, as if they were staring at Buffy and Prue and waiting for something. Or someone.
"This isn't good," said Prue."
Suddenly the notion of going on to the door at the far end, past the line of silently watching computers, was too creepy for Buffy. She grabbed Prue's arm and pulled her cousin a couple of steps, then another one, and another one—
Something bumped into Buffy.
Buffy whirled, ready to fight. But instead of striking, one tight fist came up to her mouth and she bit her knuckle in distress. "Prue!"
Prue spun around and her eyes went wide at what they saw. Dave hung from a rope fixed to the ceiling, his corpse rocking from side to side, the rope creaking softly in the stillness.
"It's Dave, the boy who said Willow was in the locker room," Buffy said.
"This demon has a very big influence," Prue said as she reached out and stopped the sway of the body so she and Buffy could read the note taped to his chest.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Prue and Buffy got back to the library in time to see Xander hang up the telephone. "No answer," he told Giles, Piper, Aviva and Phoebe.
"Damn," the librarian said.
"Was it busy?" Piper asked knowing if Willow was online the phone would have been busy.
"Phone wasn't busy either, so she's not online." Then Xander realized Buffy and Prue were there. "She's not home."
Phoebe was the first to notice the look on her cousin's face. "What did you two find?" she asked Buffy and Prue.
Aviva's face suddenly drained of color. "Willow isn't –"
"Dave," Prue said. "He's dead."
"My God," Giles breathed.
Xander sat abruptly. "This is really real, huh."
Giles stepped forward. "How–?"
"Well, it looked like suicide." Buffy folded her arms.
"With a little help from my friends?" Xander added sarcastically.
Buffy nodded. "I'd guess Fritz. Or one of the zomboids from CRD."
Giles was looking more upset by the second. "Horrible."
Prue gestured at Buffy and Piper. "We're going to go to Willow's house," she said before turning to Aviva, Xander, Phoebe and Giles. "Aviva, Xander keep trying anyplace Willow might be. If you get ahold of her call us immediately. Phoebe, Rupert you two have the task of finding a way to get Moloch out of the net."
But Giles looked utterly bewildered. "I have records of the ceremonies but that's for dealing with a creature of flesh. This could be completely different—"
"Then get Ms. Calendar," Buffy said. "Maybe she can help you."
Giles mouth worked but for a moment nothing came out. "Even if she could," he finally managed, "how am I going to convince her there's a demon on the Internet?"
"Okay, fine," Buffy said a little too flippantly, "stay here and come up with a better plan." She led Prue and Piper toward the door. "Let's go."
Rosenberg Home
It'd been a long day, and the last of that conversation with Malcom was weighing heavily on Willow's thoughts. She'd stayed away from Buffy, Aviva and Xander, intentionally avoiding the library even though she preferred to study there above anywhere else. Now she was glad to be home and away from school and a friend who seemed to have endless questions about Malcom—the same questions she was now afraid she couldn't answer.
She let herself in and carefully shut the door behind her. "Mom?" she called. "Dad?"
No one home, and maybe that just as well, too. Willow climbed the stairs to her room, knowing she needed time to think things through and decide what, if anything, to do. She dropped her book bag on the bed and started to go through it, then jumped when her computer blipped and suddenly announced…
You have mail!
Was it Malcom? There was only one way to find out and a few keystrokes gave her the answer.
No more waiting. I need you to see me.
Malcom's words blinked at her on the screen, vaguely threatening. Willow stared at them, unsure of what to do. Then, in one decisive move, she turned off the computer monitor and went back to emptying her book bag.
You have mail!
She spun with a gasp and saw the monitor was on again—how had that happened? Freaked, she moved hesitantly toward the computer. What would he say now? How—
The doorbell rang.
"Saved by the bell," Willow thought. She glanced at the computer one more time, and then scurried down the stairs to see who was there. She already had a good idea, and when she pulled open the door, it was with a smile on her face. "Dad, did you forget your keys again?"
But there was no one there. Puzzled, Willow poked her head outside and glanced around—nothing. "A kid," she thought, "playing a prank or something." She turned to go inside, intent on drawing the door shut.
Something moved behind her, then a hand holding a chloroform-soaked rag clamped roughly over her mouth. She struggled but it was no use. Her attacker was big, the arm across her collarbone brawny and strong. She clawed at his hand, then sucked air involuntarily through the medicinal stink of the rag. Her consciousness began to fade immediately. The guy kidnapping her said something and in her mind, out of it or not, she recognized the voice as Fritz's.
No more waiting.
Willow slumped into oblivion as Fritz dragged her away.
Gateway High
"A spokesman for the Archbishop denied the error, blaming computer error for the apparent financial discrepancy. In Washington today, the FBI reported that all of its serial killer profiles had been mysteriously downloaded from its central computer—"
Giles ignored the voice from the radio in the background. It was already nightfall and he and Phoebe had gone through a dozen books until they'd found the correct references to what they needed. "Binding ritual," he murmured. "There we are."
"Hi," Jenny Calendar said from behind them. "I got your message. What's so urgent?"
Giles sat back. "Thank you for coming. We need your help. But before that, um, we need you to believe something that you may not want to." He took a deep breath wishing he could up time and just be past the awkward part. "Something," he began, "he gotten into the … uh, inside …" He looked at her wordlessly.
"There's a demon in the Internet," Phoebe blurted out.
Incredibly, Ms. Calendar neither laughed nor walked away. She said simply, "I know."
Phoebe's eyes narrowed. "You know."
"Hey, Giles, Phoebe," called Aviva as she and Xander ran out of the office. "Oh, hi, Ms. Calendar. Giles, Phoebe, we tried Willow's house again. The line is now busy."
"Which means Willow is likely online," Phoebe said as she pulled out her cell phone and dialed.
Rosenberg Home
"Thank you, Phoebe," said Prue as she ended the called. She turned her attention to Buffy and Piper. "Phoebe said Willow's phone is now busy."
Buffy nodded as they they clambered up the steps to the porch. The door swung open, unlocked, when she started to knock. "This isn't good," she said glancing at Prue and Piper.
"Agreed," said Prue and Piper as they followed Buffy into the house.
"Willow!" Buffy yelled. Without waiting, she, Prue and Piper hurried inside and up the stairs, beelining for Willow's room. "Willow?"
"Okay," Piper said when they realized the room was empty. "Any thoughts?"
Buffy's gaze stopped on the computer and the message that had come up, obviously from Malcom.
No more waiting. I need you to see me.
"See him how?" Buffy asked. "And where?"
Piper raised an eyebrow. "How about CRD?"
"The research place?" asked Prue.
"Yeah," Piper replied. "Buffy and I followed Dave there yesterday. Whatever Moloch is planning I bet it starts there."
They raced out of Willow's home to Piper's jeep.
Gateway High
Giles and Phoebe stood, their gaze never moving away from Jenny Calendar. Leaning against the wall Aviva and Xander stood watching the exchange between the three of them. "You know," Phoebe repeated. "How exactly is that?"
"Come on—there've been portents for days. Power surges, online shutdowns—you should see the bones I've been casting!" She moved back and forth across the floor, her hands fluttering with excitement. "I knew this would happen sooner or later! It's probably a mischief demon—you know, like Kelkor, or –"
"It's Moloch," Giles put in.
Ms. Calendar stopped and stared at him. "The Corruptor? Oh boy." Realization slid over her face. "I should have remembered—"
Giles raised a hand to his temple, unable to stop himself from squeezing his eyes shut momentarily. "You don't seem exactly surprised by—Who are you?"
"Good question," agreed Phoebe.
A small smile played at the corner of Jenny Calendar's mouth. "I teach computer science at the local high school."
Giles frowned. "A profession that hardly lends itself to the casting of bones."
Ms. Calendar sent him a smug glance. "Wrong and wrong, snobby. You think the realm of the mystical is limited to ancient texts and relics. That bad old science made the magic go away? You should know better given who your companion is." She lifted her chin and did a fair impression of the way Giles knew he sometimes looked. "The divine exists in cyberspace same as out here."
"Are you a witch?" Phoebe asked remembering the only times she, her sisters and Buffy had come across another witch. She noticed that Aviva too must be thinking the same thing given that Aviva at the time was one of the witches.
"I don't have that kind of power," Ms. Calendar said flatly. "Technopagan is the term. There're more of us than you'd think. Though I have heard of you and your sisters, Ms. Halliwell. Or should I say the Charmed Ones. And of course Payson who is the Charmed Slayer."
Phoebe's eyes narrowed.
Then, the book of rituals in hand, Giles gestured for everyone to follow him to the computer. "Well, you can definitely help us," he told Ms. Calendar. "What's in cyberspace at the moment is less than divine. I have the binding rituals at hand, but both Phoebe and I are completely out of our idiom."
"Giles is right," agreed Phoebe with a sigh. "Everything Prue, Piper, Buffy and I've dealt with is tangeable vanquishable entities."
Ms. Calendar hesitated, but only briefly. "Well, I can help … I think. I hope. I mean, this is my first real—do you know how he got in?"
"Willow scanned the book he was in," Xander supplied.
"On Sunday?" Ms. Calendar asked as Xander nodded. Her eyes widened. She turned to Phoebe and Giles. "And you want him back in the book. Right." She looked at the book, then at the computer. "Cool. But … shouldn't we make sure we've got enough ammo to—"
"One-thirds of the Charmed Ones will have to do," Phoebe said.
Giles added. "Moloch seems to have fixated on Willow. We need to get him out now."
"Okay," Ms. Calendar said, then repeated it, as though trying to reassure herself. "Okay. Minor panic, but I'm dealing. First thing is … what does the book say?"
Giles started to respond, then Phoebe's cell phone rang. She looked at the caller ID which read: Buffy. "Buffy?" she answered.
Calax Research and Development
"Yeah." Buffy said as she held out the phone so Prue and Piper could listen in. They were parked just down the street from the CRD building.
Phoebe's next question was another single word. "Willow?"
"Not at home," Prue told her sister, as Buffy and Piper glanced cautiously around. "It looks like she was taken somewhere."
"Where are you?"
"CRD," Prue answered.
"Whatever Moloch wants Willow for, it's probably in there," Buffy added.
"Giles, Ms. Calendar and I are working on getting Moloch offline."
"Here's a tip," Buffy told her cousin. "Hurry." Without waiting for a reply, she ended the call. An instant later, they were headed toward the gate.
"So how are we getting in?" Piper wondered looking at her cousin and sister.
Buffy smiled as a fireball formed in her hand. She threw it at the gate. As the fireball hit the gate it broke the lock and caused the gate to crash open. "I hope Willow's okay."
"So do we," agreed Prue as Piper nodded in agreement.
They darted across a small open area, then they were at the door. Buffy tried the knob, found it locked as expected, then reared back and kicked the thing out of their way.
Piper took a glance behind them, ready to freeze if the need arised. There was no one. "We're clear," she said as she turned to follow Buffy and Prue inside CRD.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Willow came to lying on a steel gurney. One long moment—too long—and she sat up quickly. She was in a lab of some sort, but much darker than the facilities at school and deeper in shadow. Everything she saw was made of high tech metal or plastic. As her gaze swung around, Willow finally pinpointed the door, a lighter rectangle amid the gloom.
But before she could stand and run for it, figures filled the entryway.
Welcome. My love.
Willow shook her head and tried to clear it. The voice—it was familiar, but not. She found her footing and turned slowly, still trying to get her bearings. Glowing in the darkness at the other end of the room was a computer terminal, and Willow finally realizaed who she was hearing.
I can't tell how good it is to finally see you—
Then to Willow's horror, a heavy, metal hand lowered into view and rested on top of the monitor.
She didn't want to, but she had to lift her head until she saw the rest of the package attached to. The voice, Willow realized, hadn't come from the computer at all. Rather, it had come from this… thing stepping out of the darkness and coming toward her, a huge, horned demon, hideous to look at and made entirely of gleaming metal. A robot, complete with malevolently glowing red eyes.
—With my own two eyes.
Willow stared upward. She wanted to run, to cower and hide, to do anything but stand here and face the awful truth. But she had no choice.
"Finally see me?" she whispered in a strangled voice. She felt paralyzed, but not enough to keep the next, brutal question from coming out. "Malcolm?"
For a mini-eternity, no one moved or said anything. Then she tried instinctively to step back and away from the monstrosity that began slowly walking toward her. Immediately Willow found herself flanked by Fritz and a white-coated geek/scientist. Moloch's digitized voice boomed through the room.
This world is so new, so exciting.
And I can see all of it.
Everything glows through me.
I know the secrets of your kings.
The computerized demon paused and looked down at his hands, turning them over as he contemplated the way they worked.
But none of it compares to having form again.
To be able to walk.
To touch.
The Malcolm monster stepped in front of her, then reached to the side with one huge hand and placed it ever so gently on Fritz's head. The young man smiled rapturously at the touch—
—and Malcolm suddenly whipped Fritz's head around, instantly snapping his neck.
To kill.
The demon started to turn back toward her, then paused and cocked its massive head. Something white—a tiny light—blinked in the mass of wires and metal pieces within its horns, as though it were receiving a message from somewhere else.
Ah. Here they come.
Willow was afraid to ask what that meant.
Gateway High
"It's a good thing it's late," Giles thought. "I wouldn't want to explain to anyone why Phoebe is lighting candles around a computer in the darkened library. Life on the Hellmouth—always challenging."
Jenny Calendar's question pulled his attention back to the job at hand. "The first thing we have to do is form the Circle of Kayless, right?"
Giles nodded, but he was still perplexed. "Form the Circle. So where do you need us to stand?"
"She's not talking about out here," Phoebe said as she lit the last candle. She looked at the computer teacher. "Are you?"
"No." Ms. Calendar settled in front of the computer. "We have to form the Circle inside. I'm putting out a flash. I just hope enough of my group responds."
"Is there anything Xander and I can do?" Aviva asked.
"Just watch," Phoebe answered.
Concern creased Giles's forehead as he looked at Ms. Calendar. "Won't Moloch just shut you down?"
"Well," Ms. Calendar said with a determined expression, "I'm betting he won't figure out what we're doing until it's too late."
"'Hoping' and 'betting.' That's what we've got." Giles stared at the computer as if his wished could help it along.
Ms. Calendar glanced at him. "You want to throw in 'praying,' be my guest."
Calax Research and Development
Fritz's body lay on the floor at the robot's feet like a sad and broken toy, and Willow edged backward, trying to put distance between her and Malcom. One foot, one more… then the white-coated scientist realized what she was doing and grabbed her by the arm. Instintively, she yanked roughly away, then glared at Malcom. "I don't understand," she said. "What do you want from me?"
The metal demon gazed in her direction, as if it couldn't believe she didn't know.
I want to give you the world.
"Why?" Willow demanded.
Another gray metallic stare before he answered.
You created me.
I brought these humans together to build me a body, but you gave me life.
Took me out of the book the book that held me.
I want to repay you.
Willow shook her head, fighting not to cry. "By lying to me. By pretending to be a person?" She paused struggling even more with unshed tears. "Pretending that you loved me."
I do.
Before she could reply, Malcolm spread his huge clawed hands as if in supplication.
Don't you see?
I can give you everything.
I can control the world.
He stopped for a moment and Willow thought she could almost see the thought processes going on in his computerized head, the files being read and stored, the cross-referencing. His next words confirmed her suspicions.
Right now a man in Beijing is transferring money…
…to a Swiss Bank Account for a contract on his Mother's life.
Good for him.
"You're evil," Willow said flatly. But Malcolm wasn't all perturbed by her statement.
Is that a problem?
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Buffy marched through the hallway door and met the security guard midway. He blocked hers, Prue and Piper's path and reached for his weapon, but Piper was faster as she flicked her wrist freezing the man.
"Buffy—"
Buffy would have automatically made for the door on the other side of the room, but Prue motioned Buffy and Piper over to the security station. Prue pointed at the figures on a small video monitor built into the desk above a label that read Robotics Lab 02.
"It's her!" Buffy exclaimed.
"Yeah," Prue agreed. They peered at the screen, where Willow was facing off with something else—something huge and dark and menacing. "And I think that may be our demon."
Buffy followed by Prue and Piper sprinted for the door. Inside were stairs and it wasn't hard to follow the signs to the second floor. Finally they burst into the room adjoining where they wanted to be, but when Buffy yanked on the handle to the door marked Robotics Lab 02, she found it solidly locked. She hammered on it with her fists, then stepped back in frustration.
"I can't bust this," Buffy told her cousins. "This is heavy steel." Looking up she saw the fire suppression system. "And I don't think a fireball is going to work here unless we want the fire department here with the police."
"Move aside," Prue said. "I will get it open." She was about to squint and telekinetically throw the door open when the lights went out, leaving only a few emergency bulbs to cast a dim, eerie glow around them. A sound—K-CHUNK!—made Piper rush back to the door they had come in; it was now firmly secured, probably by a hidden deadbolt mechanism.
Buffy spied a security camera high in the corner and pointed to it. "The building's security system is computerized." She then noticed the small, electrical indicator marked Fire next to the camera blinked to sudden life.
And streams of a poisonous fire extinguisher chemical began pumping into the room.
Gateway High
"Almost there," Jenny Calendar said. A worldwide map was splayed across the computer screen in front of her, and on it was a line running from San Francisco to various cities around the world. Point to point, they blinked to form a global circle.
Giles frowned at it. "Couldn't you just sop Moloch by entering some computer virus?"
"You've seen way too many movies," Ms. Calendar said without taking her eyes from the screen. "Okay—we're up!" Now she did turn to Phoebe and Giles, her expression all business. "You two read, a little Charmed magic might go a long ways here. After all this demon has never faced descendants of Melinda Warren before. Now I will type. Ready?"
"I am," Giles answered.
"So am I," added Phoebe.
Ms. Calendar spit lightly into one palm, then rubbed her hands together before posing them over the keys.
Giles and Phoebe began reciting the ancient binding ritual. "By the power of the diving," he intoned. Jenny Calendar typing rapidly, keeping up with every word. "By the essence of the word. I command you—"
Calax Research and Development
In the robotics lab, Willow jumped as something banged hard against the door behind Malcolm, then banged again. Who was out there—maybe Buffy, Prue, Piper or Phoebe? Who else could find a way into this place, make it past the robot demon's goons?
"What are you doing?" Willow demanded.
What comes naturally.
Naturally? Of course—and hadn't she just said only moments ago he was evil? Who knew what he was causing in the other room. "Let me leave." Willow begged.
But I love you.
The sound of the metallic voice uttering those special words nearly made Willow break down. "Don't say that! That's a joke—you don't love anything!"
You ... are mine.
Her face twisted in anger and regret, Willow stood her ground as he stepped toward her. "I'm not yours—I'm never gonna be yours. I hate you."
That seemed to make Malcom pause. He lowered his heavy, horned head, but she couldn't tell if it was because she'd hurt him or he was simply considering his next move. After a moment, he lifted his chin and the light pulsed behind his eyes.
Pity. I'll miss you.
When he grabbed her head, his speed was much more terrifying than Willow had expected. A vision filled her mind, a flashback of what Malcolm had done to poor, misguided Fritz only minutes ago.
Willow was screaming even before his fingers began to tighten.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Outside the room Prue squinted at the door, but was having trouble her power due to the poisonous gasses filling the room. "Buffy, augment my power," she ordered as Buffy grabbed her hand and concentrated her eldest cousin.
Gateway High
"By the power of the Circle of Kayless, I command you!" Giles and Phoebe continued the ritual. Then Giles paused for amoment and looked at the screen, then back to Ms. Calendar. "Kayless. With a 'K'."
Ms. Calendar stabbed at the erase key. "Right. Sorry."
Phoebe and Giles looked back at his book and took a deep breath. "Demon, COME!"
Calax Research and Development
In the midst of her scream, Malcom suddenly let Willow go.
He reared back as if someone had looped an invisible chain around his neck and pulled, and his own bellow—long and harsh—cut through the room. Suddenly the door behind Malcolm flew open. Buffy followed by Prue and Piper staggered through amid a dissipating cloud of the chemical.
"Buffy!" Willow cried. "Prue! Piper!"
Malcolm reached for Willow again as Buffy drew herself up, and launched into a flying kick straight at the center of Malcolm's stomach.
The robot demon tottered backward but maintained its balance. "Ow!" Buffy exclaimed as she thumped to the floor. "Guy's made of metal."
Piper saw a lab guy trying to grab her and she flicked her wrist freezing him. Buffy yanked Willow toward the door, but not before Malcolm saw them and planted his hulking robot form in front of them. His arms stretched out, then he clutched his head and screamed again.
No! I won't go back—!
Gateway High
The library computer hummed and suddenly popped, sending a shower of sparks over the keyboard as the screen flashed.
"Whoa!" Ms. Calendar said and scooted backward.
"I COMMAND YOU!" Giles and Phoebe bellowed.
Not one to give up easily, Ms. Calendar squared her shoulders, leaned over and banged out the words on the keyboard, ignoring the sparks and the whirlwind of colors now streaming across the screen. She hit the Enter key with a solid thwack! And a sort of cosmic boom filled the library, swirling around her, Giles, Phoebe, Aviva and Xander with nearly tornado force.
Then it was over, and the screen went dark.
"It work!" Ms. Calendar said triumphantly. "He's out of the net. He's bound!"
Giles blinked at the screen as Phoebe reached for the antiquated leather-bound volume and flipped it open. "He's not in the book," she said.
Ms. Calendar's eyes were huge and she hurried over. "He's not in the book?" Then she saw the creamy, blank expanse of the old pages. "Where is he?"
Calax Research and Development
Buffy hurried with Willow through the lab door, followed by Prue and Piper. Willow saw Prue squint at the frozen lab guy and throw him into the wall to take him out of the fight incase he unfroze at the wrong moment.
They made for a door farther down the hall. They were right on top of it when it swung open, revealing the security guard that Piper had frozen, clearly he had unfroze, with two more scientist-types for backup. Before the uninvited trio could come through, Buffy slammed the door shut again and twisted the lock below the knob.
"The other door," Piper said.
Suddenly the entire wall in front of them literally exploded as an enraged Malcolm smashed through it. Willow screamed as the robot grabbed Buffy, then tossed her against the other wall as though she were made of nothing but feathers. Stunned, she slid down and didn't move.
"Buffy!" Prue and Piper yelled.
There was no denying the robot demon was furious. His eyes were burning coals, and when he spoke, his voice was black thunder, sinking into their eardrums like shards of steel.
I was omnipotent! I was everything!
Now I'm trapped in this shell!
Still dazed, Willow realized that all Buffy could do was wait as Malcolm's terrible clawed hand reached for her. "Prue," Willow whispered knowing they had to do something.
Prue turned her attention to the robot and squinted intending to telekinetically throw him back into the room he had just come out of. She had never been able to move something before, but for some reason Malcom didn't budge. "Either he's immune or he's too heavy," she told Willow and Piper. Then she had an idea. "Willow, get his attention."
"Why her?" Piper asked confused.
"I think I know," said Willow as she nodded toward Prue. "Malcom! Remember me? Your girlfriend?"
The metal monster turned at the sound of Willow's voice. Prue squinted at an oversized fire extinguisher on the wall and it flew into robot smashing into his head.
Before Malcom could recover, Prue squinted and the fire extinguisher hit Malcom again—
"I'm thinking we should break up!" Willow said. "But maybe we can still be friends."
As Prue sent the fire exintguisher at Malcom a third time, he grabbed it out of the air and threw it back into the room he had come out of, out of Prue's sight.
Prue and Piper moved in front of Willow.
"Witches!"
Malcom then Prue and Piper, sending them sailing into Willow and crashing to the floor. He then swung back at Buffy who punched the robot in the stomach.
Bad idea.
"Ahhhh!" Buffy yelled, backing up and shaking her hand. The Malcom robot matched her step by step. His next words were filled with evil intent.
This body is all I have left,
But it's enough to crush you and the witches.
Piper realized that Malcom had now backed Buffy into a corner—there was no escape. Then she saw something behind Buffy, a huge, high voltage breaker box right above her shoulder. "Buffy," she said gesturing with her eyes.
Buffy noddeded indicating she saw it. "Take your best shot." she said sweetly.
Malcolm drew back his gleaming fist and drove it toward her best friend's face with everything he had—
—and Buffy ducked.
Malcolm's punched slammed into the breaker box. The smell of electrical current filled the room as mini flashes of lightning zipped over and around Malcolm's robot form. He shook violently and took a step toward Buffy as smoke and sparks poured from his eyes. His heavy jaw quivered but no sound came out.
Buffy didn't wait around. "Get down!" she screamed and dove to the floor next to Prue, Piper and Willow.
The sound of Malcolm exploding filled Willow's head and made her teeth ache. When the smoke finally cleared, all she could do was sit with her friends and stare at Malcolm's lifeless, metal-sheathed head.
May 9, 1997 – Friday
Gateway High
The sun was shining, the Malcolm/Moloch demon was dead, and Willow, Xander, Aviva and Buffy sat in the quad. "So," Xander said. He gave Willow a patented goofy-Xander grin. "We gonna hang tonight? We four?"
On Willow's other side, Buffy smiled. "It'll be fun."
When Willow didn't say anything, Aviva tried. "Willow? Fun? Remember fun? The thing when you smile?"
Willow shrugged and stared at her books. "I'm sorry, guys. I'm just thinking about..."
Buffy looked at Willow knowingly. "Malcolm?"
Willow nodded. "Malcolm. Moloch. Whatever he's called. The one boy that really liked me and he's a demon robot." She looked sadly at her friends. "What does that say about me?"
"It doesn't say anything about you," Buffy said.
Willow shook her head. "I mean … I thought I was really falling—"
Buffy put a hand on her arm. "Hey. Did you forget? The one boy I've had the hots for here turned out to be a vampire."
"Right!" Xander cut in enthusiastically. "And the teacher I had a crush on? Giant praying mantis."
They looked at Aviva to join in.
"I can't say anything about love category," Aviva reminded them. "But I can say I was tricked and later possessed by a demonic sorceress, all because I wanted someone who could be my sister."
"Oh and did you forget," Buffy added as she thought about her very first vanquish with her cousins. "Piper was dating a warlock when I move in with her, Prue and Phoebe."
"That's true!" Willow said, brightening. So, really, she wasn't the only one who'd gotten fooled.
"Let's face it," Buffy said cheerfully. "None of us is ever going to have a happy, normal relationship."
Xander laughed. "We're doomed!"
Willow nodded and gave them a happy smile. "Yeah!"
For a few seconds all four of them looked at one another and giggled. Then everything they'd just said sunk into their minds and took hold.
Their laughter sputtered out and Willow found herself sitting with her three best friends once again, glum, while they all contemplated the future.