"I Robot, You Jane"

Based on the Episode Written by Ashley Gable and Thomas A. Swyden

The following story is copyright © 2021 by Mark Moore.


In the library at Sunnydale High, a book-scanning project was going on. Tara and a few other computer science students were seated at the table, scanning the books into the library's computer system. Buffy was hanging out there, too, and Giles expected her to help out. She was starting to regret her decision to accompany Tara to this project.

Buffy lifted the lid off a box and looked in. "Oh, great! A book!"

Buffy pulled the book out of the box and blew some of the dust off it.

Giles looked at her. "Oh, uh, I, uh, haven't gone through the new arrivals. Uh, put it in, uh, in - in that pile." He pointed with his book.

"Here, I'll get it." A boy named David Kirby got up from his computer.

"Oh, thanks, Dave. The Katrina pile."

Dave took the book from Buffy and went over to the pile of books next to Katrina Silber, a girl with long brown hair with blonde highlights.

"Uh, when I've examined it, you can, uh, uh, skim it."

Jennifer Calendar, the computer science teacher, looked at Giles. "Scan it, Rupert. That's scan it."

Giles gave her a look. "Of course."

"Oh, I know, our ways are strange to you, but soon you will join us in the twentieth century. With three whole years to spare!"

"Ms. Calendar, I'm sure your computer science class is fascinating, but I happen to believe that one can survive in modern society without being a slave to the, um, idiot box."

"That's TV. The idiot box is TV." Jenny indicated a computer. "This is the good box!"

"I still prefer a good book."

"The printed page is obsolete." Fritz Siegel stood up. "Information isn't bound up anymore. It's an entity. The only reality is virtual. If you're not jacked in, you're-"

"Jacked off?" Buffy finished, giving him a demented smile.

Fritz frowned at her, grabbed his books, and left.

"Thank you, Fritz, for making us all sound like crazy people." Jenny looked at Giles. "Fritz...Fritz comes on a little strong, but he does have a point. You know, for the last two years, more e-mail was sent than regular mail."

"Oh..."

"More digitized information went across phone lines than conversation."

"That is a fact that I regard with genuine horror."

"I'll bet it is." Jenny looked at the students. "All right, guys, let's wrap it up for today."

Katrina looked at her. "I've just got a few more. I'll hang for a bit."

Jenny smiled. "Cool! Thanks!"

Tara stood up, grabbed her bag, and pulled it onto her shoulder. "Ready to go, sweetie?"

"Hell yeah." Buffy followed her girlfriend to the door.

"Cordy, you wanna stay and help me?" Katrina asked.

Cordelia smiled at her. "No, I have a life." She turned and walked away.

"See you tomorrow!" Katrina called.

Cordelia waved without looking at her. Jenny stared at Cordelia.

Giles started to walk away. "I'm - I'm just gonna stay and clean up a little. I'll, uh, I'll be back in the Middle Ages."

"Did you ever leave?" Jenny asked him.

Giles stopped and looked back. Jenny was pleased with his reaction to her comment. He continued up the stairs.


A week later, Buffy was in a hall at Sunnydale High School. She noticed Katrina and ran to catch up with her as she slowly walked down the hall.

"Katrina! Katrina, hey, wait up!" Buffy reached her.

Katrina looked at her. "Oh, Buffy, I didn't even see you."

"Or hear me. What was up last night? I tried your line, like, a million times."

"Oh, I was - I was talking."

"Talking to...?" Buffy asked.

Katrina didn't answer.

"Okay, that's it, you have a secret, and that's not allowed."

"Why not?" Katrina opened her locker.

"'Cause...there's a rule."

"Well, I sort of met someone."

Buffy's face lit up. "I knew it! This is so important! When did you meet?"

"Last week after we did the scanning project in the library." Katrina closed her locker.

"Girl or guy?" Buffy asked her.

"Guy."

"Does he go here? What's his name? Have you kissed him? What's he like?"

"No, Malcolm, no, and very nice."

"You are a thing of evil for not telling me this right away!"

"Well, I wasn't sure there was anything to tell. But last night, oh! We talked all night; it was amazing. He's so smart, Buffy, and - and he's romantic, and we agree about everything!"

"What's he look like?" Buffy asked her.

"I don't know!" Katrina continued down the hall with a big smile on her face.

Buffy was confused and stared after her a moment, then started to follow.

Katrina and Buffy walked into the computer lab. Fritz and Dave were there, typing away.

"So...you've been seeing a guy, and you don't know what he looks like?" Buffy asked Katrina. "Okay, this is a puzzle. No, wait, I'm good at these. Does it involve a midget and a block of ice?"

Katrina gave her a look. "I met him on-line."

"Oh!"

Jenny strode quickly into the room wearing dark glasses and holding a mug of coffee in one hand and her books in the other. "Morning, kids!"

Buffy turned to look at her.

Jenny noticed Buffy as she headed to her desk. She put her mug down. "Buffy, are you supposed to be somewhere?" She took off her glasses.

"No, I have a free."

"Cool!" Jenny exclaimed. "But this is lab time, so let's make it a nice, short visit, okay?"

"Sure."

"You've got mail."

"It's him!" Katrina typed to get the message.

Buffy looked over Katrina's shoulder at the e-mail, which read "I'm thinking of you."

"He's so sweet!" Katrina exclaimed.

Buffy nodded. "He's a sweetie." She smiled nervously.

"What should I write back?" Katrina asked.

"Uh, Trina, I think it's really great that you have this cool pen pal, but don't you think you're kinda rushing all into this? Y'know what I mean?" Buffy asked.

"'I'm thinking of you, too!' No, that's incredibly stupid!"

"Trina, down, girl!" Buffy admonished. "Let's focus here, okay? What do you actually know about this guy?"

"Oh, see, I knew you'd react like this."

"Like what? I just wanna make sure you're careful, that's all."

"Buffy-"

"He could be different than you think."

"His name is Malcolm Black, he's eighteen, he lives in Elmwood, which is about eighty miles from here, and he likes me!"

"Short, tall, skinny, fat?"

"Why does everything have to be about looks?" Katrina asked her.

"Not everything, but some stuff is. I mean...what if you guys get really, really intense, and then you find out that he...has...a hairy back?"

"That stuff doesn't matter when you really care about each other. Maybe I'm not his ideal either."

"Hey, I'm just trying to make sure that he's good enough for you. I think it's great that you met someone."

Jenny was sitting at her desk. She got up holding some papers and walked over to Fritz. "Hey, Fritz, I'm, uh, lookin' at the logs. You and Dave are clockin' a pretty scary amount of computer time."

"New project."

"Ooh, will I be excited?" Jenny asked.

"You'll die."


Buffy aimlessly wandered the halls to kill time before her next class. She walked by the A/V Club room and saw Tara sitting on the couch and watching TV.

Buffy walked into the room. "Hey."

Tara looked at her and smiled. "Hey."

Buffy walked over, sat to Tara's left on the couch, and kissed her on the lips. "I didn't know you were in A/V Club."

"Well, not officially, but I have a reputation for knowing how to work a VCR, so I was asked to make a few copies of this video of the golf team."

Buffy looked at the TV. Three members of Sunnydale High's golf team were out on the green, looking directly at the camera. The one in the middle seemed to be the leader, and he did all of the talking.

"I'm just saying you better come out and support the team. Or else..." He looked at his buddies. "Boys?"

The three of them converged on the camera and raised their golf clubs threateningly.

"What's up?!" one of the other boys yelled before taking a swing.

The picture suddenly cut off.

Buffy stared at the screen, making a face.

Suddenly, a music video for the golf team came on. It highlighted the various team members in action on the green. The song accompanying the video was "So What'cha Want" by Beastie Boys. Buffy stared at the screen. However, when she witnessed a member of the golf team vigorously cleaning his shoe and making an orgasm face, she rolled her eyes and looked away.

"Mute it."

Tara picked up the remote control and pressed the Mute button. She looked at Buffy. "What's up?"

"Well, it's Katrina."

"What about her?"

"Well, first, thank you for introducing me to her. She's been a great friend."

Tara grinned. "Isn't she? She's so smart! She's into engineering and computers-"

"Yeah, well, it's just that-" Buffy stopped talking as she noticed Katrina walking by out in the hall.

Katrina was off in her own world and didn't notice them.

"Trina!" Buffy called.

Katrina snapped out of her daze and walked into the room. "Hey, guys."

"We goin' to the mall tonight?" Buffy asked her. "I wanna check out this new restaurant in the food court, Wok Like An Egyptian."

Katrina was confused.

Tara grinned. "It's owned by an Egyptian immigrant that loves Chinese food, so he decided to create his own cuisine that fuses the two. I've eaten there already. It's delicious. In particular, their Allah Forbids It! menu rocks my taste buds."

Katrina smiled. "Sorry, I think I'm gonna call it an early night."

"Oh, Malcolm, right?" Buffy asked her.

Katrina nodded. "Have a good time, though!" She quickly left.

Buffy and Tara watched her go and then turned their attention back to each other.

"Who's Malcolm?" Tara asked Buffy.

"Some guy that Trina's been seeing online."

"You - You can date on a computer?" Tara asked her, surprised.

"Apparently." Buffy was confused. "I'm surprised that you don't know. You're good at all that computer stuff."

Tara felt a bit embarrassed. "Well, I do gaming and hacking and coding and researching and shit like that, but I avoid socializing. Everyone's spelling is really bad, and it's...depressing."

Buffy smiled briefly but then frowned. "This Malcolm guy. What's his deal? I mean...tell me you're not slightly wigged. I mean...just not knowing what he's really like. Or who he really is."

Tara thought about it. "I guess so. But what can we do about it?"


The next day, Buffy was in the girls' locker room. Suddenly, Katrina came barging in.

"Whoa!" Buffy exclaimed. "You're the late girl."

"I overslept."

"Till fifth period? Talkin' to Malcolm last night?"

"Yeah." Katrina saw Buffy's look. "What?"

"Nothing."

"You're having an expression."

"I'm not. But if I was, it'd be saying 'This just isn't like you.'"

"Not like me to have a boyfriend?"

"He's boyfriendly?" Buffy asked.

"I don't understand why you don't want me to have this. I thought you'd be happy for me."

"I just want you to be sure. To meet him face to face. In daylight. In a crowded place with some friends. Y'know, before you become all...obsessive."

"Malcolm and I really care about each other. Big deal if I blow off a couple classes."

"I thought you said you overslept."

"Malcolm said you wouldn't understand."

"Malcolm was right."


Later, Buffy walked into the computer lab, saw Dave, went over to him, and sat in the chair next to him. "Dave?"

He was oblivious.

"Hey, Dave, anybody home?" Buffy put her hand on his shoulder.

Dave jumped in his seat. "Oh, what do you want?"

"I wanted to ask you something, if you have a minute."

"What is it?"

"Well, you're a computer geek - genius, and, uh, I sort of have a technical problem. If I wanted to find out something about someone, i-if someone e-mailed me, could I trace the letter?"

"Well, you could pull up somebody's profile based on their user name."

"But they write the profile themselves, right?" Buffy asked. "And so they could say anything they wanted."

"True."

"Wow! I had knowledge!" Buffy exclaimed.

Dave smiled.

"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?"

"That's a challenge."

"'Cause, you see, Katrina's got this boyfriend, Malcolm, and to tell you the truth, I think-"

"Leave Katrina alone."

"What do you mean?" Buffy asked, uneasy.

"That's none of your business."

Buffy thought of something. "Dave, are you Malcolm?"

Dave turned back to the PC. "Of course not." He started typing.

"Dave, what's going on?" Buffy asked.

"Look, I'll talk to you later, okay? I've got work to do."

Buffy got up and left the computer lab. She sighed. "So do I."


Buffy went to the library and told Giles about her concerns.

Buffy followed Giles down the stairs to the counter. "I'm telling you, something is going on. It's not just Trina. Dave, Fritz, they're all wicked jumpy."

"Those boys aren't sparklingly normal as it is."

"Giles, trust me."

"I-I do! I-I-I really don't know how to advise you. Things involved with a computer fill me with a childlike terror. Now, if it were a nice ogre or some such, I'd be more in my element. Well, I-I suppose you could, um, tail Dave, see if he's up to something."

"Follow Dave?" Buffy asked. "What, in dark glasses and a trench coat? Please. I can work this out myself."


After school, Buffy walked over to her locker, unlocked it, and took out her skateboard.

Cordelia walked over to her own locker. Buffy noticed she was wearing dark glasses and a dark coat.

"Cordy?" Buffy asked.

Cordelia looked at her. "Yeah?"

"Can I borrow your glasses and coat?"

Cordelia was confused. "Why?"

"Recon. Please, it's urgent."

Cordelia sighed and took them off. "Yeah, okay."


After Buffy put the coat and glasses on, she went outside to the student parking lot. She saw Dave get into his car, start it, and drive off. She watched him go, and then she dropped her skateboard on the pavement, got on, and followed him.


Buffy followed Dave to a building with a sign that read "CRD". He drove around back to the loading dock. She followed him. Dave drove up and got out. Buffy got off her skateboard, picked it up, walked over to the fence, and looked in. She saw Dave go up to a technician and start talking to him. After a moment, Dave and the technician went inside. Buffy waited a while and then left.


The next day, at Sunnydale High, Buffy and Tara walked into the library before their first class.

"Giles, I followed Dave to a building yesterday after school. He met with someone, and they went inside." Buffy went and sat on the table. "Whatever Dave is into, it's large."

"What was the name of this place?" Giles asked her.

Buffy thought about it. "It said 'CRD'. But I couldn't get close enough to see what it was."

Tara looked at her. "Calax Research and Development. It's a computer research lab. Third largest employer in Sunnydale till it closed down last year."

"It closed?" Buffy asked her.

"Uh-huh."

"Looked pretty functional from where I stood. I don't have a clue what they were doing."

"And what do they need Dave for?" Tara asked.

"Something about computers, right?" Buffy guessed. "I mean...he is off-the-chart smart."

"We still don't know an enormous amount. Whatever is going on there may be on the up-and-up."

Tara looked at Giles. "No, if CRD opened, it would've been on the news."

Buffy nodded. "Besides, I can just tell something's wrong. My spider sense is tingling."

"Your...spider sense?" Giles asked in confusion.

"Pop culture reference. Sorry."

Giles cleared his throat. "Yes, well, I think we're still at a standstill. Uh, uh, short of breaking into the place, I don't see-"

"Breaking in!" Buffy slid off the table. "Then this is the plan!"

Tara grinned. "I'm free tonight!"

"Tonight it is!" Buffy went over to Tara.

"A moment, please, of quiet reflection. I do not suggest that you illegally enter the-"

Jenny entered the library.

"-data into the file, so the book will be listed by title as well as by author."

Jenny looked at Giles. "I just came by to check your new database, make sure your cross-reference table isn't glitching, 'cause I'm guessing you haven't gone anywhere near it."

"Uh, I'm still sorting through the chaos you left behind you."

"Hmm." Jenny looked at Buffy and Tara. "You're here again? Kids really dig the library, don't cha?"

Buffy grinned. "We're literary!"

Tara smiled. "To read makes our speaking English good."

"We'll be going now." Buffy looked at Tara and then turned to leave.

Giles looked at them. "Uh, w-we'll, uh, continue this conversation at another time."

Buffy briefly looked at him. "I think we're done."

Buffy and Tara left the library.

Buffy looked at Tara. "'To read makes our speaking English good'?"

Tara shrugged. "I panicked, okay?"


In the computer lab, Katrina was chatting on-line with Malcolm.

Malcontent: I've never felt this way about anyone before, Katrina. Kat69: I know what you mean. I feel like you know me better than anyone. Malcontent: I do. Kat69: Do you think we should...meet? Malcontent: I think we should soon. Kat69: I'm nervous. Malcontent: I'm not. Isn't that strange? Kat69: That's what Buffy doesn't understand, how comfortable you can make me feel. Malcontent: Buffy just makes trouble. That's why she got kicked out of her old school.

Katrina was puzzled and paused for a moment.

Kat69: How did you know that? Malcontent: It's on her permanent record.

She didn't respond, still puzzled.

Malcontent: You must have mentioned it. Kat69: I guess. Malcontent: Let's not worry about her anymore. Kat69: I have to sign off. I'll talk to you later. Malcontent: Don't. Kat69: Bye.

Katrina closed the chat program, turned off the monitor, got up, and left.


In the library, Jenny and Giles were in the middle of an argument.

Jenny was exasperated. "You're a snob!"

Giles was incredulous. "I am no such thing."

"Oh, you are a big snob. You - You think that knowledge should be kept in these carefully guarded repositories where only a handful of white guys can get at it."

"Nonsense! I simply don't adhere to a-a knee-jerk assumption that, because something is new, it's better."

"This isn't a fad, Rupert! We are creating a new society here."

"A society in which human interaction is all but obsolete? In which people can be completely manipulated by technology, well, well..." Giles paused. "Thank you, I'll pass."

Jenny cleared her throat. "Well, I think you'll be very happy here with your musty, old books." She opened the book that Buffy had unboxed.

"These musty old books have a great deal more to say than in any of your...fabulous Web pages."

"Hmm." Jenny paged through the book. "This one doesn't have a whole lot more to say."

Giles stared at the empty book.

"What is it, like a diary?" Jenny asked.

"How odd. I haven't looked through all the volumes yet; I didn't, um..." Giles closed the book and saw the etching on the cover.

"What is it?" Jenny asked.

"Uh, nothing, um, a-a diary, yes. I imagine that's what it is." Giles paused to think. "Well, it's been so nice talking to you." He headed to his office with the book.

'We were fighting."

"Must do it again sometime, yes. Bye, now."

She watched him disappear into his office.


At the end of the school day, Buffy walked out of the school.

Dave came up to her. "Buffy!"

"Dave! How're you doing?" Buffy asked.

"Okay. Uh, look, I'm sorry about yesterday. I haven't been getting much sleep lately, y'know?"

"Don't sweat it."

"Katrina was looking for you."

"Good, I need to talk to her. Do you know where she is?"

"She said she'd be in the - in the girls' locker room."

"Great. Thanks." Buffy looked at him a moment and then went to find Katrina.


Buffy walked into the girls' locker room. It was deserted. Buffy slowly walked down the aisle and into a row of lockers.

"Trina?" Buffy called. She walked further. "Katrina?"

Suddenly, she heard the sound of water coming from the shower.

"Trina? You taking a shower?" Buffy asked.

She went to the shower and saw it was on, but no one was there.

"I guess not." Buffy walked into the shower to turn off the water. "This is how droughts get started." She turned the water off.

"Buffy! Get out!" Dave called.

Buffy turned to him and noticed the exposed wires on the floor. They began to spark. She leaped out of the shower. An arc of electricity followed her for an instant. She landed on a changing bench and rolled off onto the floor. Dave ran from the locker room. Buffy sat up and looked over toward the showers. Then she looked down and realized the soles of her shoes were smoking.

Buffy stared at her shoes in shock. "Holy shit."


Later, in the library, Buffy sat at the table while Tara paced.

"I'm gonna fucking kill Dave!" Tara exclaimed in anger.

"He tried to warn me."

"Warn you that he set you up?" Tara looked at Giles. "Is she gonna be okay?"

"She was only grounded for a moment." Giles sat down and handed Buffy a mug of tea. "Still, if you'd been anyone but the Slayer-"

"Tell me the truth: how's my hair?" Buffy asked.

"It's great! It's your best hair ever!" Tara smiled and kissed Buffy on the lips.

Giles nodded. "Uh, oh, yes."

Buffy took a sip of hot tea. "I just...I don't understand what would make Dave do a thing like that."

"I think perhaps I do." Giles stood up and went over to get the book from his office. He came back, holding it up. "Does this look familiar to either of you?"

Buffy nodded. "Yeah, sure. Looks like a book."

Giles set it on the table. "In the Dark Ages, the souls of demons were sometimes trapped in certain volumes. They remained locked within the book, harmless, unless the pages were read aloud. Unless I'm mistaken, this is Moloch, the Corrupter. A very deadly and seductive demon. He draws people to him with promises of love, power, knowledge. Preys on impressionable minds."

Tara looked at him. "Like Dave's."

Giles nodded. "Dave and who knows how many others."

"And Moloch is inside that book?" Buffy asked.

"Not anymore." Giles opened the book.

"You released Moloch?" Tara asked him.

"Way to go!" Buffy yelled.

"I didn't read it!" Giles insisted. "That dreadful Calendar woman found it, and - and it was already blank."

"Okay, so a powerful demon with horns is walking around Sunnydale, and nobody's noticed?" Buffy asked.

"I-If he's so big and strong, why bother with Dave?" Tara asked. "I mean...why didn't he just attack Buffy himself?"

"I don't know. And I don't know who could've read that book. It wasn't even in English."

"Where was it?" Buffy asked.

"Uh, in a pile with others that were, um, uh, scanned."

They looked over at the PC.

"And that released the demon?" Tara asked.

"No, he's not out here." Buffy pointed to the PC. "He's in there."

Tara realized what had happened. "The scanner read the book. It brought Moloch out as information to be absorbed."

Buffy looked at her. "He's gone binary on us."

"You girls are saying Moloch is in this computer?" Giles asked them, dumbfounded.

Buffy nodded. "And every computer connected to it by a modem."

Giles thought about that. "He's everywhere."

"What are we gonna do?" Tara asked.

"Katrina scanned him into her file. It may be...a futile gesture, but I suggest we, um, uh, delete it."

"Solid!" Buffy got up and walked over to the PC.

Tara looked at her. "Don't get too close."

Buffy sat down in front of it. "Okay. Okay." She turned on the monitor. "So which file do you think it is? 'Katrina'? That's probably it, right? I'll just delete the whole thing."

Buffy dragged the file icon to the Recycle Bin and gasped in fright when Moloch's demonic face appeared on the screen.

"Stay away from Katrina! It is none of your business!" Moloch warned.

The screen returned to normal.

Buffy stared at the screen in shock. "So that's what Malcolm looks like. So much for delete file."

Giles was grim. "This is very bad."

Tara nodded. "Just think of all of the horrible shit that can he do."

"You mean besides convince a perfectly nice kid to try and kill me?" Buffy asked. "Let's see. How about mess up all the medical equipment in the world?"

Giles looked at Buffy. "Randomize traffic signals."

Buffy looked at Giles. "Access launch codes for our nuclear missiles."

"Destroy the world's economy."

"I think I pretty much capped it with that nuclear missile thing."

Giles nodded. "Right, yours was best."

"But what can we do about it?" Tara asked.

"I think the first thing we do is find Katrina. She's probably talking to him right now. God, that creeps me out!" Buffy exclaimed.

"What does he want with Trina?" Tara asked her.

"Let's never find out." Buffy got up. "Okay, I'm gonna check the computer lab, and you guys call her home."


Buffy walked into the computer lab and looked around. It was dark.

"Trina?" Buffy called.

The PCs suddenly all came on, startling her. She backed further into the room while looking around more. She turned around and jumped as she bumped into Dave. He was hanging from the ceiling with a note pinned to his shirt: "I'm sorry. I've been a terrible person. I'm a coward, and I can't go on living like this. Forgive me, Mom and Dad. At least now I'll have some peace. Remember me. Love, Dave."

Buffy stared at his lifeless body in horror, and then she vomited.


In the library, Tara was on the phone, trying to reach Katrina. She gave up. "No answer."

"Damn it!" Giles cursed.

Tara hung up. "Well, it wasn't busy either, so she's not on-line."

Buffy came back into the library.

Tara looked at Buffy. "She's not home."

"What did you find?" Giles asked Buffy.

Tara felt a sudden dread. "Katrina isn't-"

"Dave. He's dead."

"How?" Giles asked Buffy.

"Well, it looks like suicide."

Tara thought about it. "With a little help, perhaps?"

"I'd guess Fritz. Or the other zomboids from CRD." Buffy looked at Tara. "Okay, you and I are gonna go to Trina's house." She looked at Giles. "Giles, you need to come up with a way to get Moloch out of the 'Net."

"I-I have records of the ceremonies, but - but that's for a creature of the flesh. Th-This could be something completely different."

"Then get Ms. Calendar. Maybe she can help you."

"Well, even if she could, how am I gonna convince her that there's a demon in the Internet?"

"Okay, fine, then you can stay here and come up with a better plan." Buffy looked at Tara. "C'mon."


Katrina came home. She unlocked the front door and went in. "Mom? Dad? Sis?" She closed the door.

She went to her bedroom. She dropped her bookbag on her bed and opened it.

"You've got mail."

Katrina looked at her PC. She walked over to her desk, moved the mouse to turn the screen on, and checked her e-mail. She opened the e-mail from Malcolm. It read: "No more waiting. I need you to see me."

She turned off her monitor and went back to her bag. The monitor came back on by itself.

"You've got mail."

Katrina stared at it in disbelief. The doorbell rang; after another look at her computer, she went to answer it.

"Dad, did you forget your keys again?" Katrina opened the door.

No one was there. She turned to go back in. As she started to close the door behind her, she felt someone reach around her head with a cloth splashed with chloroform. Katrina struggled with her attacker briefly but then lost consciousness.


Tara and Buffy arrived at Katrina's house on Tara's scooter. Tara parked in the driveway, and they got off. They found the door open.

"Trina?!" Buffy called frantically.

They went inside.

Tara looked around. "This isn't good."

"Trina?!" Buffy called again.

They headed for Katrina's bedroom.

"Trina?!" Buffy called again.

They walked into the room and saw Katrina wasn't there.

"Okay, any thoughts?" Tara asked Buffy.

Buffy looked around and saw the e-mail on the computer. "'No more waiting. I need you to see me.'?" She looked at Tara. "See him how? Where?"

"What about CRD?" Tara suggested.

"The research place?"

"I'm guessing that's Moloch Central."

"Guessing that's our best lead. Let's just hope Giles can back us up."

They left the house.


In the library, Giles was researching in his office and listening to the radio.

"A spokesman for the archbishop denied the allegations, blaming computer error for the apparent financial discrepancy."

"Binding rituals..."

"In Washington, D.C., the FBI today reported that all of its serial killer profiles have been mysteriously downloaded from its central computer."

Jenny knocked on the door. "Hi. I got your message. What's so urgent?"

Giles turned off the radio and got up. "Um, thank you for coming. Uh, I need your help." He laughed nervously. "But before that, um, I need you to believe something that, um, you may not want to. Uh, there's, uh...something's got into the, um...i-i-inside, um..." He took a breath and let it out. "There's a demon in the Internet."

"I know."

Giles was surprised to hear that. He unfolded his arms and stood up. "You already know? How exactly is that?"

"Come on, there've been portents for days. I mean...power surges, on-line shutdowns. You should see the bones I've been casting. I knew this would happen sooner or later. I mean...it's probably a-a mischief demon, y'know, like Kelkor, or-"

"It's Moloch."

"The Corrupter? Oh, boy." Jenny sighed. "I shoulda remembered; I just don't-"

"Uh...you don't seem exactly surprised by..." Giles paused and stared at her. "Who are you?"

"I teach computer science at the local high school."

"A profession that hardly lends itself to the casting of bones."

"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?" Jenny shook her head. "Mm. The divine exists in cyberspace same as out here."

"Are you a witch?" Giles asked her.

Jenny shook her head. "Mm. I don't have that kinda power. 'Technopagan' is the term."

Giles let out a chuckle.

"There are more of us than you think."

"Well, uh, you can definitely help me." Giles got the book. "Um...what's in cyberspace at the moment is less than divine."

They went out into the main area.

"I have the binding rituals at hand, but I'm completely out of my idiom."

"Well, I can help! I think. I hope. I mean, well, this is my first real..." Jenny sat down at the PC. "Do you know how he got in?"

"He was, uh, 'scanned' is the term, I believe."

"And you want him back in the book?"

"Ideally."


Tara and Buffy arrived at Calax Research and Development. Tara parked her scooter. She and Buffy got off, took off their helmets, and stored them. Buffy walked over to a nearby pay phone, took out her book, opened it, picked up the handset, put in money, and called the school's library. The phone rang twice.

"Buffy?!" Giles answered.

"Yeah."

"Katrina?"

"Not at home. It looks like she was taken somewhere."

"Where are you?"

"CRD. Whatever Moloch wants Trina for, it's probably in there."

"Ms. Calendar and I are, uh, working to get Moloch off-line."

"Here's a tip: hurry!" Buffy hung up.

"What do we do now?" Tara asked her.

Buffy looked at her girlfriend in worry. "I'm not sure, sweetie."


Katrina woke up feeling groggy. It was dark. She was lying on a table in a laboratory. After a moment, she sat up and looked around. She saw Fritz and a technician standing there - and beyond them a computer monitor.

"Welcome, my love. I can't tell you how good it is to see you with my own two eyes."

Katrina looked toward the source of the voice and was terrified. A metal hand slapped down on the monitor - a hand belonging to a hideous robot. Katrina breathed hard, very afraid.

"Katrina."

Katrina couldn't manage to raise her voice above a whisper. "Malcolm."

Fritz and the technician came to get her and took her by the arms.

Moloch slowly came closer. "This world is so new, so exciting. I can see all of it. Everything flows through me. I know the secrets of your kings. But nothing compares to having form again. To be able to walk..." He put his hand on Fritz's head. "...to touch..." He broke Fritz's neck. "...to kill."

Katrina watched Fritz's dead body fall. She looked back up at Moloch.


"Fuck it, we're going in." Buffy walked over to the fence and started climbing.

Tara did likewise. Once Buffy reached the top, she jumped down and landed on the other side of the fence. Tara, however, had to settle for climbing down the other side.

"Back way?" Tara asked.

Buffy nodded. "Back way."

They walked to the back entrance. Buffy kicked the doors open. She walked in determinedly. Tara followed.


In the school library, Jenny was lighting candles. "The first thing we have to do is form the circle of Kayless. Right?"

"Form a circle?" Giles asked her. "But there's only two of us. That's really more of a line."

"You're not getting it, Rupert. We have to form the circle inside." Jenny sat at the PC. "I'm putting out a flash. I just hope enough of my group responds."

"Won't Moloch just shut you down?"

"Well, 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."

"You wanna throw in praying?" Jenny asked him. "Be my guest."


"I don't understand. What do you want from me?" Katrina asked Moloch.

"I want to give you the world."

"Why?"

"You created me. I brought these humans together to build me a body. But you gave me life. Took me out of the book that held me. I want to repay you."

"By lying to me? By pretending to be a person? Pretending you loved me?"

"I do!"


In the lobby, Buffy and Tara walked up to the guard. He got up to stop them, but Buffy punched him out and continued walking.

Tara noticed the guard's monitor. "Buffy!"

Buffy came back to look. "It's her!"

"Yeah, but who's that?"


"Don't you see?" Moloch asked. "I can give you everything! I can control the world! 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!"

Katrina tried to ignore him and stared at the monitor.


Buffy and Tara went through the doors and found themselves in a hall.

Buffy found the door to the lab and tried to force it open. "I can't bust it. It's heavy steel."

"Then let's find another way in." Tara started toward the next set of doors.

Suddenly, an alarm went off, and red lights flashed. Tara jumped to the door to try it. It was locked.

Tara came back to Buffy. "What's goin' on?"

Buffy spied a security camera. "Building's security system is computerized."

A gas began to spray into the hall. Buffy and Tara pounded on the doors. Tara began to cough.


"Almost there."

"Couldn't you just stop Moloch by - by entering some computer virus?" Giles asked Jenny.

"You've seen way too many movies. Okay! We're up. You read, I type. Ready?"

"Uh, I am. By the power of the divine, by the essence of the word, I command you..."


"Let me leave!" Katrina demanded, surprising herself with her own forcefulness.

"But I love you!" Moloch exclaimed.

"Don't say that!" Katrina yelled. "That's a joke! You don't love anything!"

"You are mine!"

"I'm not yours! I'm never gonna be yours! Never!" Katrina yelled.

Moloch lowered his head and considered for a moment. Katrina watched and waited.

Moloch raised his head again. "Pity."


"By the power of the circle of Kayless, I command you..." Giles paused when he saw Jenny's typing. "Kayless with a 'K'."


Tara slid down the wall to the floor, almost unconscious. Buffy was still weakly hitting the door.


Moloch had Katrina cornered. He reached up and put his hand on her head. "I'll miss you."

Katrina screamed and started pounding on him with her fists.


"Demon, come!" Giles commanded. "I command you!"


Moloch screamed and lifted his arms in pain, letting go of Katrina. He began to writhe.

Buffy managed to get the door open and came into the lab with Tara close behind. Buffy leaped into a jumping side kick, making a dull thud when she connected with Moloch's chest, but he only staggered a bit, and she just fell to the floor.

"Ow! Shit!" Buffy yelled in pain. "Guy's made of metal!"

The technician grabbed Tara from behind and pulled her away. Buffy quickly got up and looked at Katrina.

Moloch continued to writhe in pain. "No! I won't go back!"

Buffy grabbed Katrina's hand, and they ran out of the lab.

Tara pushed the technician back into a wall, turned around, and punched him out. She quickly followed Buffy and Katrina out.


In the library, the computer sparked several times. Wind was blowing inside, and the computer monitor was flashing. Giles and Jenny watched the screen flicker.

The computer monitor stopped flashing. Smoke came out of the back of the monitor.

Jenny nodded. "He's out of the 'Net. He's bound."

Giles went over to the book, picked it up, and opened it to look. "He's not in the book."

Jenny got up and looked at it also. "He's not in the book. Well, where is he?"


Buffy and Katrina opened a set of doors and saw a guard and two technicians running toward them. They pushed the doors closed.

"Let's go this way!" Tara began to run the other way.

"Wait!" Buffy warned.

Suddenly, Moloch crashed through the wall between them. He looked at Tara and backhanded her in the face. Tara fell to the floor, unconscious. Moloch turned and advanced on Buffy and Katrina. He started to swing at Buffy, and she tried to block the hit, but he didn't budge and just pushed her aside and into the wall. She slid to the floor, a bit dazed.

Katrina got a fire extinguisher and slowly approached Moloch from behind.

"I was omnipotent. I was everything! Now, I'm trapped in this shell!" Moloch reached out to grab Buffy by the head.

"Malcolm!" Katrina yelled.

Moloch turned to face her.

"Remember me, your girlfriend?!" Katrina pounded the extinguisher into his chest hard enough to make him bend back. "Well, I think it's time we break up!" She hit him again, even harder.

She tried again for his face, but this time he grabbed the extinguisher from her and threw it down. He grabbed her and shoved her down the hall into Tara, who was just getting up. They both crashed to the floor.

Buffy recovered from her daze and stood up to face Moloch.

He turned his attention to her. "This body's all I have left. But it's enough to crush you!"

Buffy looked around for a way to deal with him. She noticed a power junction box on the wall. She faced him again and eased her way in front of the box. "Take your best shot."

Moloch reared back for a punch and swung. Buffy ducked away, and he punched right into the electrical box. It shorted out, and Moloch was enveloped by high-voltage electricity. Buffy ran over to Tara and Katrina and crouched down to protect them, shielding them with her body. Moloch's circuitry overloaded, and his body exploded. His head landed right in front of them.


The next day, in the computer lab, Jenny was standing at her desk and typing on her PC. Giles came in, cleared his throat, and knocked on the open door.

Jenny turned to see who was there and smiled. "Well, look who's here! Welcome to my world. You scared?"

"I'm remaining calm, thank you. Uh, I just wanted to, uh, return this." Giles held up a small, curly earring. "I found it among the new books, and naturally I thought of you."

"Cool. Thanks." Jenny took it.

"Uh, well, I'll - I'll see you anon." Giles began to go.

"Can't get outta here fast enough, can you?" Jenny asked him.

Giles came back in. "Truthfully, I'm even less anxious to be around computers than I used to be."

"Well, it was your book that started all the trouble, not a computer."

Giles was at a loss for words.

"Honestly, what is it about them that bothers you so much?" Jenny asked him.

"The smell."

"Computers don't smell, Rupert."

"I know! Smell is the most powerful trigger to the memory there is. A certain flower or a-a whiff of smoke can bring up experiences...long forgotten. Books smell. Musty and - and - and - and rich. The knowledge gained from a computer is, uh, it...it has no - no texture, no - no context. It's - It's there, and then it's gone. If it's to last, then - then the getting of knowledge should be, uh, tangible; it should be, um...smelly."

"Well! You really are an old-fashioned boy, aren't you?" Jenny asked him.

"Well, I-I don't dangle a corkscrew from my ear."

"That's not where I dangle it." Jenny walked past him and smiled.

Giles followed her with his gaze, puzzled.


Buffy walked by the A/V Club room and saw Tara sitting on the couch. She walked in.

"Hey. Copying another tape?" Buffy sat to Tara's left on the couch.

"Uh-huh."

Buffy kissed Tara on the lips and then looked at the television screen. It was another amateur music video. Three white boys were attempting to dance to a G-Funk beat. Two of them had black hair, and the other had blond hair. The three of them were wearing oversized blue jean shorts, Lakers jerseys, red bandanas, and snap back caps. One of the black-haired boys was taller than the others, and he appeared to be the leader and did all of the singing.

"You don't see what I see every day as Warren Mears. You don't hear what I hear, but it's so hard to live through these years. You don't see what I see every day as Warren Mears. You don't hear what I hear, but it's so hard to live through these years."

Buffy couldn't help laughing in amusement. "What the hell is this?"

"Some lame-ass music video." Tara picked up the remote control, pressed Mute, and set it down.

The two of them watched the video in silence for a while. Warren and his friends were cruising around Sunnydale in a station wagon, and Warren occasionally pointed a finger gun at the camera.

"'Yeah, you may be from Compton, but we're from Sunnydale, motherfuckers! You better recognize!'" Buffy mocked.

Tara laughed.

Buffy grew serious and looked at Tara. "Have you seen Trina today?"

"Not yet."

Just then, Katrina walked into the room. "Hey."

Buffy looked at her and scooted closer to Tara. "Hey. How are you feeling?"

Katrina sat to Buffy's left on the couch. "Okay, I guess. Thanks again for saving me."

"No problem."

"So...do you do shit like this often?" Katrina asked her.

Buffy nodded. "Unfortunately. I should probably get some business cards printed up."

Katrina laughed but then grew serious. "I'm really sorry for how I talked to you."

Buffy smiled at her. "Ain't no thang."

Katrina grinned.

Tara looked at her. "Well, I just hope you've learned to be more cautious when it comes to potential love interests."

Katrina was momentarily distracted by the music video but then looked at Tara. "Oh, yeah, definitely. I mean...a robot. What the fuck?"

"Yeah, that's life on the Hellmouth." Buffy shrugged. "We gonna go out to eat tonight?"

Tara nodded. "I'm down."

Katrina was hesitant. "I dunno."

"Oh, c'mon!" Buffy pleaded. "It'll be fun!"

"Well, I had plans."

"Plans?" Buffy asked, concerned.

"Well, I'm trying to reverse-engineer Moloch's robot body. That thing's fucking amazing!" Katrina exclaimed.

Buffy and Tara stared at Katrina in horror.

Katrina waited a moment and then grinned. "Psych!" She started laughing.

Buffy playfully punched Katrina's arm. "Don't do that!"

"So where are we going for dinner?" Tara asked them.

"Checkers? Doublemeat Palace?" Buffy suggested.

Katrina thought about it. "Mmmm, how about Wok Like An Egyptian?"

Buffy smiled. "Ooh, good choice! You're gonna love it, trust me."