Chapter 8: I Robot...You Jane

April 25, 1997 – Friday

Sunnydale High School

"Oh," Buffy said. "Another book."

Willow looked over from her position in front of one of the scanners and watched as 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. They were a jarring contrast to what Willow had always felt was the old-world charm of the book-filled room.

"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, took the book from Buffy and headed back toward his terminal. Next to him, a boy named Fritz worked diligently.

"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."

The door to the library closed behind Ms. Calendar 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."

From where she sat in a corner doing her homework, Dawn, chuckled softly at the fact that Giles had referred to the computer as the idiot box.

Ms. Calendar did better job than Dawn of holding her expression, although she really wanted join Dawn in on the girl's laughter. "That's TV—the idiot box is the TV. This is the good box."

"Well," Giles said, undaunted. "I still prefer a good book."

"The printed page is obsolete," Fritz put in.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. Calendar 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 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."

Dawn glanced at Buffy who nodded and she began to pack her things in her backpack. Their mother was out of town on a buying expedition for the gallery. So, Dawn was going to be coming over after school every day and waiting for Buffy.

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.

"Rutherford, Dawn," Xander yelled, heading into the hall. "Wait up!"

Willow watched him go and pressed her lips together. She went back to work and from a few tables over, Giles spoke to Ms. Calendar.

"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, gave 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. The Internet, E-mail, on-line research—they were all incredible time burners. Sometimes Willow thought they sucked up chunks of life like Sunnydale vampires sucked up blood. 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.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

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.

April 28, 1997 – Monday

"Willow –Willow! Hey, wait up!" Buffy called after her friend as she threaded her way through the crowd.

Hugging her books, Willow gave her friend a welcoming grin. "Rutherford! 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."

"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?"

"Because…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," Willow 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?"

"Saturday." Willow told her. "The day 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. Her questions tumbled out. "Does he go here? What's his name? Have you kissed him? What's he like?"

If it had been any other 'guy' Willow would have dismissed the question out of jealousy. But while she didn't know her friend identified as a girl, she still considered Buffy one of the girls, someone she could talk to about boys. "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, Rutherford, and he's romantic and we agree about everything."

"What does 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.

"I met him online," Willow answered.

"I'm not sure that is a good idea," Buffy said, she had heard the horror stories of people meeting someone online and that person not being who they portrayed themselves as.

"Morning, kids." Willow and Buffy looked up as Ms. Calendar came into the lab. "Rutherford, are you supposed to be somewhere?"

"I have a free period," Buffy 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. The instant it made the connection, 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 your 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."

"Rutherford–"

"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. Especially when it comes to online dating. I've heard horror stories, Will, about people who meet people online. I've heard of men pretending to be women and vice versa. I've heard of people having horrible deformities. For example, 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 or would do any of that. 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 eyes widening. "What?"

"I'm trying to work."

"Okay," Buffy said a little testily. "Sorry."

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 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. 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 her 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 going to 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 going to 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.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

"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 or some 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. But no, mom's still out of town, so I need to be home for Dawn."

Xander frowned. "What're you talking about?" he asked in regards to the jealous statement.

"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're used to being the protective big brother."

"You're right…" he agreed. "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 as Buffy nodded. "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 know," Buffy admitted. "I had thought the same things earlier today. This guy could be anybody. He could be weird, or crazy, or old, or a woman impersonating a man 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…"

"So what do we do?" she wondered as they stared at each other, then Buffy gave herself a mental shake. "What are we doing? We are totally overreacting!"

Xander gave her his crooked, one-of-a-kind grin. "Yeah," he said. "But isn't it fun? Besides if it were Dawn, wouldn't you be doing the same thing?"

"Of course, I would," Buffy admitted.

April 29, 1997 – Tuesday

Sunnydale High School

Willow barreled up to her locker, nearly colliding with Buffy. "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 during her free period. 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. "A boyfriend?"

"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 toward 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 her next class. When it was finally over, she 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. "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 have 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 through 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."

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. "Because 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 start 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

Following Dave wasn't nearly as difficult as she'd thought it would be; his car was old and sickly and he seemed to catch every red light in town. Even though she was on foot, Buffy kept up easily and when he parked in a spot at the side of a large, blocky building surrounded by a high fence, she slipped unnoticed into an alcove next to 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 coat greet him, then they went inside. Buffy waited awhile, but no one came out and she felt there were too many people around to actually follow Dave into the building.

With little else to go on, she finally headed back to the high school.

CRD

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 stood just out of sight at the main gate and peered toward the loading dock.

"He'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 Him.

Fritz read the command and a slow, nasty smile spread across his mouth.

"Party."

April 30, 1997 – Wednesday

Sunnydale High School

"Whatever Dave is into," Buffy told Giles and Xander, "it's large."

Giles looked at her with interest. "What was the name of the place?"

"Said CRD. I couldn't get close enough to see what it was –"

"Calax Research and Development," Xander cut in. "Computer research lab, third biggest employer in Sunnydale, till it closed last year." When he saw 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.

"Well, my uncle used to work there," Xander admitted. "In a floor-sweeping capacity."

Buffy looked thoughtful. "But it closed."

Xander nodded. "Uh-huh."

"Looked pretty functional from where I stood." She crossed her arms. "We don't have a clue what they were doing, though."

"And what do they need Dave for?" Xander wondered.

"Something about computers, right?" she 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."

Xander shook his head. "If CRD re-opened, it would have been on the news."

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." Buffy said by way of explanation. "Sorry. It's the thing you know where I can sense a vampire."

"Right." Giles looked from one to the other. "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."

"I'm free tonight." Xander offered.

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 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."

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 going to 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?"

"We're literary," Buffy said spritely.

"To read is makes our speaking English good." Xander added.

Buffy nearly groaned. She snagged Xander's arm and pulled him toward the door. "We'll be going now."

"Yes," Giles said. His voice held a sharp edge. "We'll continue our conversation another time."

Buffy gave him a cheerful smile. "I think we're done." Before Giles could comment further, she hauled Xander out into the hallway. "'Our speaking English good?'" she demanded.

Xander had the good grace to look ashamed. "I panicked, okay?"

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 Rutherford doesn't understand," Willow told Malcom in her reply. "How comfortable you can make me feel."

Rutherford just makes trouble.

That's why he got kicked out of his old school.

Willow froze, unsettled. "How did you know that?" she typed.

It's on his permanent records.

She sat there, trying to digest this.

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 him 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 computer 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 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 Buffy could think further about what she'd heard, someone touched her arm. Turning, she saw Dave waiting to talk to her. "Rutherford."

He seemed even more nervous than usual about being around real humans, so she felt compelled to be forgiving about his weird-out the day before. "Dave. How're you doing?"

"Okay." Despite his words, he wouldn't meet her eyes. Instead, he looked over her shoulder, at the sky, at the ground. Anywhere but at her face. "I'm…sorry about yesterday. I haven't been sleeping much."

"Don't sweat it."

He scuffed at the ground with one shoe. "Uh, Willow was looking for you."

Buffy brightened. "Oh, good, I 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."

"And why would she be waiting in the girl's locker room?" Buffy wondered. After all Willow didn't know she was trans and that she identified as a girl which meant Willow would still only know her as Rutherford.

"She said something about knowing who you were," Dave said with a shrug. "You know because you're…"

"And how do you know?" Buffy wondered.

"Do you think you are the first person to be born in the wrong body?" Dave questioned. "I was born female."

"Oh," Buffy said in surprise. "And you think Willow knows?"

"If I could figure it out, she can," Dave answered.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

"Will?"

Buffy moved through the totally empty locker room until she came to the end of the row. No one was around, and certainly not Willow. She was sure Dave had lied to her about Willow finding out she was trans. Though if Dave was actually trans, it would explain how he knew because he likely recognized the signs. She was about leave when she heard one of the showers start up, the sound of the water echoing off the walls.

"Willow?" she 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."

"Rutherford—get out!"

She spun in surprise and saw Dave standing at the other end of the locker room. His expression was full of horror and regret, his gaze frozen toward the wall at the opposite corner of the room. When she jerked in that direction, Buffy saw why: 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.

When she finally raised her head, Buffy saw the soles of both of her shoes were blackened and smoking.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

"I'm going to kill Dave," Xander said. He strode across the floor in front of Buffy, so upset he was practically waving his arms.

"He tried to warn me," Buffy pointed out. She felt bleary and slow, frazzled at the ends.

"Warn you that he set you up!" Xander turned to Giles. "Is he going to be okay?"

Giles studied Buffy. "He was only grounded for a moment." He paused, then directed his next statement to Buffy. "Still, if you'd been anyone but the Slayer…"

"I just…I don't understand what would make Dave do a thing like that," Buffy admitted.

Giles cleared his throat. "I think perhaps I do."

Xander stopped his nervous motion. "Care to share?"

Giles pressed his lips together, then lifted an oversized book from one of the tables. "Does this look familiar to any of you?"

Xander squinted at it. "Yeah, sure. It looks like a book."

Buffy nodded. "Please tell me it wasn't used for what I think it was," she pleaded. When Merrick was still alive, she remembered coming across a book in his collection that he said held a demon within its pages.

"Well," Giles told them, "I'm afraid I can't. This particular book was sent to me by an archeologist friend who found it in an old monastery. As I'm sure you are aware, Rutherford there are certain books that are not meant to be read. Ever." Buffy nodded. "They have things…Demons…trapped within them. In the Dark Ages, demons' souls 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 of an extremely ugly image of something resembling a ram and a flat-nosed creature. "If I'm not mistaken," Giles continued, "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."

"And me," Buffy whispered to herself. She then leaned forward. "And Moloch is in that book?" she asked a loud.

In reply, Giles flipped it opened, showing them its black pages. "Not anymore."

Xander's jaw dropped. "You released Moloch!?"

"I didn't read it," Giles said testily. "That awful Calendar woman found it and it was already blank."

Buffy ran her hands through her hair. "So, a powerful demon with horns is walking around Sunnydale? And nobody's noticed?"

"If he's so big and strong," Xander demanded, "why bother with Dave? Why didn't he just attack Rutherford himself?"

Giles dropped the blank book on the table. "I don't know," he admitted. He would have thought that Moloch would have gone after Buffy. Either to get her out of the way or to bring her to his side with the promise that he could make her wish of being a girl real. "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."

The threesome stared at each other, and then they all turned toward the computer, sitting silent and apparently harmless a few feet away.

"Willow scanned all the new books," Buffy said quietly.

"And that released the demon," Xander added.

"No," Buffy said thoughtfully. "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?"

Buffy 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."

Buffy slid onto the chair in front of the computer, cracked her knuckles, 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 her 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 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. "I'm wishing Willow's new boyfriend was just an axe-murdering circus freak," she said quietly.

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 over-reacting?" 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…" Buffy suggested.

"Destroy the world's economy…" added Giles.

Buffy 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 table. "The first thing we do is find Willow," she decided. "She's probably talking to him right now. God, that creeps me out."

Xander scowled. "What does he want with Willow?"

The three of them looked at one another, but if Giles knew the answer, he wasn't inclined to share. "Let's never find out." Buffy finally said. "Okay, I'm going to check the computer lab." She headed toward the door with a final instruction to Xander. "And you guys, call her home."

With that, she was out of the library and hurrying down the hall, much more frightened for her friend than she would ever care to admit.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

The computer lab was a spacious, bright room, and Buffy was used to seeing it well-lit and seldom with fewer than two or three people in it. The dark room stretching in front of her now slowed her steps and made her cautious, but nothing was going to stop her from hunting for her best friend.

But the cubicle where Willow usually worked was empty—as was every other one. Before Buffy could ponder this, however, there was the electrical hum of equipment, then all the monitors flickered to life at once. Then they just … sat there, as if they were staring at her and waiting for something. Or someone.

"Willow?"

Suddenly the notion of going on to the door at the far end, past the line of silently watching computers, was too creepy. Turning, she checked behind her, as though she were inching away from a dog that was about to bite. She took a couple of steps, then another one, and another one—

Something bumped into her.

Buffy whirled, ready to fight. But instead of striking, on tight fist came up to her mouth and she bit her knuckle in distress. Dave hung from a rope fixed to the ceiling, his corpse rocking from side to side, the rope creaking softly in the stillness.

"Dave..." Hesitantly Buffy reached out and stopped the sway of the body so she could read the note taped to his chest.

She didn't believe a word of it.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Buffy got back to the library in time to see Xander hang up the telephone. "No answer," he told Giles.

"Damn," the librarian said.

"Phone wasn't busy either, so she's not online." Then Xander realized Buffy was there. "She's not home."

Giles looked at her and frowned at her clouded expression. "What did you find?"

Xander's face suddenly drained of color. "Willow isn't –"

"Dave," Buffy said shortly. "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."

Buffy gestured at Xander. "Okay, you and I are going to go to Willow's house," she said before turning to Giles. "Giles, you have to find 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 grabbed Xander's arm and hauled him toward the door. "Come on."

Rosenberg House

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 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 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 the 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.

Sunnydale High School

"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 had gone through a dozen books until he'd found the correct references to what he needed. "Binding ritual," he murmured. "There we are." Now if he could only—

"Hi," Jenny Calendar said from behind him. "I got your message. What's so urgent?"

Giles sat back. "Thank you for coming. I need your help. But before that, um, I 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 for a second, then simply blurted it out.

"There's a demon in the Internet."

Incredibly, Ms. Calendar neither laughed nor walked away. She said simply, "I know."

Giles's expression drained into genuine concern as Ms. Calendar smiled slightly, turned without saying anything, then pulled the door to the library closed.

Rosenberg House

Buffy was frantic by the time they clambered up the steps to Willow's front porch. It didn't help that the door swung open, unlocked, when she started to knock.

Xander blanched. "This isn't good."

"Willow!" Buffy yelled. Without waiting, she hurried inside and up the stairs, beelining for Willow's room. "Willow?"

"Okay," Xander said from behind her 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?"

Xander raised an eyebrow. "How about CRD?"

"The research place?"

He nodded. "I'm guessing that's Moloch central."

"I suppose it's our best lead." She glanced at the screen with a frown. "Let's just hope Giles can back us up." She grabbed Xander's sleeve and they raced out of Willow's home.

Sunnydale High School

Giles stood, very slowly, his gaze never moving away from Jenny Calendar. He resisted the urge to take a step back, unwilling to reveal his fear. "You already know," he 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?"

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?" 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."

Giles squinted at her. "Are you a witch?"

"I don't have that kind of power," she said flatly. "Technopagan is the term. There're more of us than you'd think."

He gawked at her for a moment longer, but a moment was all he could spare. Then, the book of rituals in hand, he rose and gestured for her to follow him to the computer in the library. "Well, you can definitely help me," he told her. "What's in cyberspace at the moment is less than divine. I have the binding rituals at hand, but I am completely out of my idiom."

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?"

Giles nodded. "He was…scanned is the term, I believe."

Her eyes widened in realization that they had freed Moloch when they were scanning books on Saturday. "And you want him back in the book. Right." She looked at the book, then at the computer. "Cool. But…shouldn't make sure we've got enough ammo to—"

Giles cut her off. "There's no time. Moloch seems to have fixated on Willow. We need to get him out now."

"Okay," she 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 the telephone rang at the check-in-desk. He snatched it up. "Buffy?"

If Ms. Calendar found it odd that he had said Buffy instead of Rutherford she didn't let it show.

CRD

"Yeah." Buffy said in response to Giles's nearly frantic greeting. She and Xander were standing at the telephone booth just down the street from the CRD building.

His next question was another single word. "Willow?"

"Not at home," Buffy told him, glancing cautiously around. "It looks like she was taken somewhere."

"Where are you?"

"CRD," she answered. "Whatever Moloch wants Willow for, it's probably in there."

"Ms. Calendar and I are working on getting Moloch offline."

She could hear the anxiety in Giles's voice, but she had to urge him on. "Here's a tip," she told him. "Hurry." Without waiting for a reply, she hung up. An instant later, she was headed toward the gate with Xander at her side.

"This place is pretty heavily secured," Xander said worriedly. "How do we get in?"

"With jumping, sneaking, and the breaking of heads," Buffy said without missing a beat.

"I'll work on the sneaking," he said just as quickly.

Buffy eyed the gate, then hooked her fingers and began to climb. "I just hope Willow's still okay." She skimmed over the top and dropped gracefully down to the concrete on the other side. Xander dove from the top of the fence right after her, executing a much poorer landing.

"Back way?" he puffed.

Buffy nodded. "Back way."

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.

With a glance at behind them, she motioned Xander to follow her inside CRD.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Willow came to lying on a steel gurney, a feeling far too close to what she imagined waking on a morgue cart might be. 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 realized who she was hearing.

I can't tell you 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 flows 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.

Sunnydale High School

"So, Rutherford's preferred name is Buffy," Ms. Calendar said as Giles looked at her with wide eyes. "My niece is transgender. I recognized the signs. The first of which is Buffy changes for gym glass in your office instead of the gym. My niece was like that at first before she got the gender reassignment surgery, afterwards she finally felt comfortable to be seen naked." She smiled at Giles. "Don't worry, I won't out her. I know how bad that can potentially be when a transgender individual isn't ready."

"Thank you," he said appreciatively.

"So, the first thing we have to do is form the Circle of Kayless, right?" she asked bringing them back to the situation at hand.

Giles nodded, but he was still perplexed. "Form the Circle—but there's only two of us. That's really more of a line."

"You're not getting it, Rupert." 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."

Concern creased Giles's forehead. "Won't Moloch just shut you down?"

"Well," she 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." He 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."

CRD

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. Instinctively, 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 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 her path and reached for his weapon, but Buffy's fist made friends with his nose without her even breaking stride.

"Rutherford—"

She would have automatically made for the door on the other side of the room, but Xander motioned her over to the security station. He 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," Xander agreed. They peered at the screen, where Willow was facing off with something else—something huge and dark and menacing. Panic edged Xander's voice. "But who's the other guy?"

Without answering, Buffy sprinted for the door. Inside were stairs and it wasn't hard to follow the signs to the second floor, although having to read the directions fired her impatience to find Willow. 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," she told Xander. "This is heavy steel."

Xander looked frantically around. "Then let's find another way in—"

His words stopped short when the lights went out, leaving only a few emergency bulbs to cast a dim, eerie glow around them. A sound—K-CHUNK!—made Xander rush back to the door through which they'd come; it was now firmly secured, probably by a hidden deadbolt mechanism.

"What's going on?" he demanded.

Buffy spied a security camera high in the corner and pointed to it. "The building's security system is computerized."

Xander swallowed. "Whoops." As he stared upward, he saw a 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.

Sunnydale High School

"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 Sunnydale 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," she said without taking her eyes from the screen. "Okay—we're up!" Now she did turn to him, her expression all business. "You read, I type. Ready?"

"I am," Giles answered.

Ms. Calendar spit lightly into one palm, then rubbed her hands together before posing them over the keys.

Giles cleared his throat and 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—"

CRD

In the robotics lab, Willow jumped as something banged hard against the door behind Malcolm, then banged again. Each time the pounding came it sounded weaker and weaker with every strike, and Malcom seemed content to just stand and listen.

"What are you doing?" Willow demanded.

What comes naturally.

"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 going to 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.

Sunnydale High School

Giles's voice was filled with righteous power, one hand gesturing as he recited the ritual. "By the power of the Circle of Kayless, I command you!" He 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."

Giles looked back at his book and took a deep breath.

"Demon, COME!"

CRD

In the midst of her scream, Malcom suddenly let her 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. Willow heard a clanking sound beneath it, like a door unbolting. There was another pounding, and suddenly the door behind Malcolm flew open. Buffy staggered through amid a dissipating cloud of something chemical, dragging a nearly senseless Xander.

"Rutherford!" Willow cried.

Malcolm reached for her again and Buffy pushed Xander to the side, 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."

Behind Buffy, Willow saw the lab guy grab Xander and haul him off his feet. Buffy yanked her 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—!

Sunnydale High School

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 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 and Giles with nearly tornado force.

Then it was over, and the screen went dark.

"It worked!" Ms. Calendar said triumphantly. "He's out of the net. He's bound!"

Giles blinked at the screen, then reached for the antiquated leather-bound volume and flipped it open. "He's not in the book," he said slowly.

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?"

CRD

As Willow and Buffy scurried through the lab door, Willow saw Xander throw himself backward and smash the lab guy into the wall. The guy let go and Xander spun and gave him a punch full in the stomach. He was back with them before the man fell all the way to the floor. "I got to hit someone!" he said, looking absurdly proud.

Neither Willow nor Buffy commented as they made for a door farther down the hall. They were right in front of it when it swung open, revealing the security guard from the first floor 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.

Xander tugged at Buffy's arm. "Let's go this way!" He sprinted in the other direction.

Buffy looked at Willow. "Wait!" she called. Suddenly the entire wall in front of them literally exploded as an enraged Malcolm smashed through it. It turned its head, saw Xander when he spun back, and backhanded the boy. 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.

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. 'I have to do something!' she thought, then she said aloud, "Malcolm!"

The metal monster turned at the sound of Willow's voice. She'd seen the oversize fire extinguisher on the wall and now she hefted it, then smashed it into his head as hard as she could.

"Remember me?" Willow demanded through gritted teeth. "Your girlfriend?"

Before Malcom could recover, Willow swung the fire extinguisher again—

"I'm thinking we should break up!"

—and again.

"But maybe we can still be friends."

She tried to swing a fourth time, but Malcom knocked it out of her hands, then hit her. She went sailing through the air and crashed into Xander as he tried to stand.

Malcolm swung back at Buffy. Untangling herself, Willow saw her friend wobble upright, then automatically punch 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.

Dismayed, Willow realized that Malcom had now backed Buffy into a corner—there was no escape. Then she saw Buffy glance behind her and focus on a huge, high voltage breaker box right above her shoulder. She took a final backward step and grinned at the monster.

"Take your best shot." Buffy said sweetly.

Willow wanted to scrunch her eyes shut and not see what was about to happen, but she couldn't. Malcolm drew back his gleaming fist and drove it toward her best friend's face with everything he had—

—and Buffy ducked.

Malcolm's punch 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 Willow and Xander.

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 1, 1997 – Thursday

Sunnydale High School

"So," Xander said. He gave Willow a patented goofy-Xander grin. "We going to hang tonight? We three?"

On her other side of Willow, Buffy smiled. "It'll be fun."

When Willow didn't say anything, Xander tried again. "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 her 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."

"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 three 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 two best friends once again, glum, while they all contemplated the future.