Chapter 2. First Day Back to School
Thursday, 6 November 1997, 7:00 AM, Sunnydale Calif.
The sun brightening the eastern sky had yet to clear the California coastal mountain range. The morning coastal fog bank was just beginning to move back off shore. I stood in the cool damp air with Scotty. We both stood in front of Scotty's well lit project status and daily assignment board. My mind wandered from Scotty's quick highlight briefing on today's schedule. My attention diverted to thinking that I had to be at the High School campus in one hour and my first day back.
Today work crews will begin to build the interior office spaces. This time no press-board and gypsum board. They will rebuild with modern tougher materials and methods. Demon resistant materials. Only precast prestressed steel reinforced concrete walls and roofing. Walls and steel fireproof doors that are bullet resistant and even small-bomb proof.
Thursday, 6 November 1997, 7:50 AM, Sunnydale Calif.
I pulled my pickup truck into the student parking lot. Sitting quietly for a moment I scanned the lot, the kids, the school windows, and doors. I was quickly looking for and assessing threats. Sighing I thought, I really am turning into a Spartan warrior. Getting out, I continued to scan people and windows looking for threats, while hefting my book backpack. Stepping back to the bed of the pickup, I grabbed a heavy duffel bag which contained a few Spartan field-expedient survival extras. Putting them both inside on the seat bench, I quickly double-checked the contents for the third time.
Inside the duffel bags was two Cold Steel Tanto knives with 12 inch razor sharp blades loose in the bottom of the bag for a safe stashing inside the school and one Tanto velcroed to the inside of the bag for a quick and easy pull; two Cold Steel Katana swords; two high performance big-game hunting Excalibur crossbows with three dozen assorted arrows for each; four pressurized spray bottles filled with Holy water with blessed virgin garlic oil and blessed colloidal silver; flashlights with replacement batteries; a box each of large blue & green Cyalume sticks; four blessed silver crosses; four Zippo lighters; four pressurized spray bottles filled with a mixture of butane and Stovall's lighter fluid for a little vampire barbecue and two Nikon cameras with low light and infrared film.
Inside of my book backpack, beside my school books, was some dual use pack of sharpened wood pencils; four Zytel plastic non-magnetic knives duck taped inside the backpack bag; one P-38 can and bottle opener; one strand of steel piano wire with wooden dowel handles at each end for a quick vamp garrote head popping; 4 plastic police style heavy duty zip-tie cuffs; one large bottle of Coca Cola and a package of eight large Baby Ruth chocolate-peanut bars.
"Well I'm ready for school. My weapons and vittles to keep my strength up between classes."
Turning, I headed for one of the back doors to the school, hoping to avoid everyone, but Giles. I needed to park the duffel bag temporarily safe and Principal Snyder was not immune from harassing bag checks – unless you were one of his favorites.
Thinking, as I slowly jogged as to good tactical locations to create weapons hides throughout the school besides Giles lockers and cases. I will have to check each location after school and I will need to gain access to the janitors closets for the ladders… I'll have to learn locking picking skills. Maybe Giles can help me with some ideas?
Entering the Library and looking around quickly for Giles, I spotted him exiting his office with a cup of hot tea in his hands. Quickly crossing the levels up in the library office, I stopped six feet away. "Hey Giles, good morning. I come bearing gifts and I need a place to stash the rest." I waved the duffel bag.
Giles eyebrows went up. "You seem to be feeling better… Xander. Hmmm, you seem to have grown a smidge since last week?" Stepping forward Giles now looked-up into my eyes and patted my now hard muscled arm. "You did grow more than a few inches and not just taller…"
Not being a dummy, Giles put-two-and-two together in an instant. I saw it in his eyes.
Stepping back away from me with his eyes now alert and his body going to a ready posture, he mused aloud to himself and for me. "Halloween last Friday. Willow and Cordelia told me about you. You were inside of a science fiction movie costume for a space soldier or something. It's obvious that the magic spell did not dissipate with you – like it did with everyone else."
I could see that Giles was looking me over very carefully and noting the wardrobe changes and my confident expression perusing him back. Not taking his eyes off me, he carefully set his fine tea cup down with one hand his mind working towards a possible fight.
I held up my hand, palm out, talking to Cortana via my neuralnet radio interface all in less than two seconds. "He's too smart Cortana and I can't fool or lie to him."
Cortana replied, "Yes, tell him most of the truth but leave me out for now."
"Cortana, I can go with this, he only used the phrase 'space soldier' so he probably doesn't know about the Halo Rings or Spartans or Mjolnir armor or for that matter he has not seen even Star Wars to my knowledge. So I'll use his words and keep it simple."
Speaking calmly to Giles and trying to appear non-threatening. "Well Giles… Yes I did wear a space soldier's costume, I did those things and… Yes, the changes are permanent. Seems the space suit would have killed me if I was not changed to survive inside the suit. When the magic ended… I… My physical changes to survive were permanent. I guess once my physical changes began, the magic couldn't halt the changes without killing me. At least that's what I suspect."
Giles face was a mask of wonderment but his body was still saying to me that he was ready for a fight.
"Giles, the magic didn't make me evil or change me to be an enemy. Relax… please, I do have some gifts for you and to help keep Buffy and Willow alive." With that, I knelt down still facing him and unzipped the duffel bag, removing the two modern Excalibur hunting crossbows with the bundles of arrows. I laid them on the nearby study table and pushed them towards Giles. Giles visibly relaxed now into a boy who loves toys and presents coming to the fore.
I quickly showed Giles how they were assembled. Finally attaching the pre-sighted in electronic day/night red-dot Aimpoint scopes to the top of each and then the red laser pointers. Showing Giles how to turn the Aimpoints on and off to conserve their batteries and the on/off pad switch for the pointing laser. I then handed the first crossbow completed to Giles and bent to finishing the second.
Pointing my crossbow at the entrance door 30 yards away, I showed Giles. "Touch the Laser on-pad here and where the red dot is, see on the door, is where the quarrel will go. These crossbows will launch an arrow at 330 feet per second, which is more than two times faster than those old ancient crossbows of yours. Which I will remind you – that I have seen a vampire dodge. I don't think that they'll be fast enough to dodge these. Plus these will hit with over 100 foot-pounds of energy so they will penetrate even tough skinned demons."
Now pointing to one of the bundles of arrows, which were practice and training arrows. "Those are standard fiberglass training arrows with field-points. I had those other… war-arrows made of hard wood for vampires. These others are aluminum arrows with some blessed silver on them for other demons. You have a good selection to choose from and the guy who sold them to me also painted all of the combat-vamp-arrow heads with blessed silver for that odd-demon who's not a vampire. So you might not have to reload. Oh! And here is the card of the guy who can make all of the arrows that you want. Just tell him to bill me and I'll pay for it. I don't want Buffy to have to get a burger joint job to buy her tools."
Giles was astonished and pleased. He had a smile on his face as he moved his laser beam around the room and then brought the crossbow to his shoulder in one easy motion. Looking down the scope line, he reached up and turned on the Aimpoint sight. Keeping both eyes open on the door the scopes-red dot lined-up over the laser spot. Turning he looked at me and said, "This is very nice Xander… I do like it… and I normally do not like modern electronics… but this is… is very nice. Thank you." Handling the crossbow some more Giles looked over at me again but this time as a teacher and mentor, "But – You are still going to have to tell me more about your… changes." Speaking softer now. "Do you want me to look into a spell to reverse them safely?"
I expected this question. Shrugging I looked him straight in the eyes. "No, Giles. The changes are… were strange at first but good. I can run now 10 miles without breaking a sweat but I do eat for three people now it seems. No scraps left on my plate."
Raising his eyebrows again, Giles turned and retreated into his office. He sat on his chair nearby and setting his crossbow down. He turned and motioned for me to also sit down. He asked, "You are now stronger and faster? What else?"
I took a deep breath to organize my thoughts. "I'm a lot stronger and faster now. Maybe… almost slayer fast. I heal fast also. The suit was supposed to be from the 26th Century with 26th Century medicine. I have some memories of that soldier and Halloween night. The soldiers from then had injections of 'nanites', he called them, that made them what they were… and really tough. All just to face their non-human enemies and survive on that kind of battlefield. Giles, their enemies were aliens that were the size and toughness of our big-demons but with ray-guns, starships and planet blasting weapons. I mean weapons that would glass a planet over with nothing surviving… that reduced whole worlds to burning molten lava." I closed my eyes and lowered my head in real sadness. John's memories of loss and despair flooding through me and for a brief moment overwhelming my emotions.
With concern in his eyes Giles nodded towards me and asked, "You said that you have some of that soldiers memories. How are you feeling?"
Sitting down on Giles guest chair, I clasped my hands together, took a deep breath and looked at Giles in earnest. "Giles… I'm feeling fine. A little disjointed at the changes still. But the soldiers memories come to me in my dreams mostly… Vivid nightmare dreams of his enemies killing millions – no billions of humans in their campaign to exterminate us. But that soldier also knew of electronics, radios, weapons technology, space ships, engineering, physics and mathematics. … I have been looking, researching online and in books. None of the… his technology exists today but it is directly related to what's in the books today."
Now looking hard into Giles eyes, a glint of steel must have entered my eyes because he sat back deeper into his chair. "Giles, it all do-able! None of it's impossible! The technology… our technology needs a push in some different directions. That's all… and I can do it. - I must do this!"
Giles was stunned speechless for a few seconds. "These dreams… are they of this planets future or a possible future?"
"I think it is an alternate dimensions future because they had no vampires or demons. His history… their planets history was different than ours. At this comparable date they were locked in the aftermath of a world-wide nuclear war that started in their 1962. A war or series of wars that would last over a hundred years. … But Giles, that alien empire may still be out there. In that soldiers future they stumbled upon us. We humans were totally unprepared and outclassed by their weapons. Giles, humans were losing the war and had lost over a hundred colony worlds. Billions murdered! Some of those aliens thought we humans were delicious raw and others thought we needed a good roasting first. Damn them! This sounds like some of our demons doesn't it?"
Giles was stunned in horror at the vision of a vast interstellar war, billions of lives snuffed out and that Earth... humanity was losing. Seconds passed into minutes of horrified contemplation. We did not exchange a single sound. Both of us lost in our own private visions of horror.
Finally I spoke again. "Yes, Giles, it does sort of make our little fight here seem puny. But I can push the here and now technology, so that we humans are not caught in a position of inferiority when we finally do bump into whatever is waiting for us, out there." Looking up at the ceiling skylight. I waved my arm upwards. Encompassing the entire sweep of imagined sky. "The weapons and technology that I can introduce will help us… out there in the future and also help us fight our demons now."
With that I pointed at the floor, bringing our conversation back to earth. The here and now. "Giles the ray-guns and plasma guns that I have seen in my dreams: I think could flash fry any vampire that we meet. I mean burn them instantly to ash. At the very least burn a really big hole straight through them."
Giles sucked in a large lungful of air at that vision. He gripped his chair just a little more tightly. His fingers flexed but did not release the armrests and he blinked several times. "That might be very useful indeed, Xander. But I have to ask, I know you Xander and your home situation. How did you get this stuff?" He said waving at the crossbows and duffel bag on the floor.
I smiled widely and was not offended. He was still having a little difficulty with the concept of the new me. "No Giles, it's not what your thinking. People are willing to pay for inventions and new technology… I've not been just exercising and sleeping since last Friday. What I sold was nothing really dangerous. But I no longer have any financial worries right now; with royalties, interest and everything… I am now flush with cash. I have a lawyer and I am setting up a company to handle all of my new patents and technology."
Giles marveled at the attitude change in Xander and asked with concern and worry across his face. "Your soldiers memories… your dreams… are that detailed?"
I naturally became a little excited as I spoke. "Yes, Giles. Extremely detailed. I think that he understood more than I did on Halloween night. He wanted to give us a fighting chance, more than anything else than he has ever done. … Because the ship that he was on, when the magic spell pulled him here, swapped or merged our brains, was preparing to attack an enemy starship. Seems his enemy had found Earth and soon they'd be chasing an enemy fleet headed to Earth. For him this was the end for Earth and he didn't know that our Earth wasn't his."
They both sat quietly again for a few minutes. The bell had rung the start of school thirty minutes ago but Xander knew, their conversation was more important.
Giles thought to himself, Ethan's malicious prank so far had only yielded heartbreak. Some children and others had been killed and injured during that night. But could one good thing have miraculously come from that night? If Xander was right, then alien civilizations could be plying the galaxy in spaceships right now. Could they be hostile? Could some of them already have come here before? The Watchers archives had records… stories and legends of creatures that were described as 'from-other-planets', but those were discounted as patently false. Judged to be just more lies and deception by demons. Maybe I need to notify the Council and ask for a relook at these. But what would I tell the Council about how this came to me? What would I tell them about Xander? This would be extra-ordinarily dangerous for Xander. The Council could react very badly to the knowledge of Xander. They would most likely attempt to control or co-opt him. They might try blackmail, coercion, intimidation, or kidnapping. The council has not been particularly moral champions lately. Far from it, even in their handling of Slayers. ... I can't tell the council... but who could I tell?
I broke into Giles silence which was obviously turning dark. "Giles… You can't tell anyone about my change. Not even Buffy and Willow… at least for now."
Startled from his questing thoughts Giles asked in earnest, "Why not Xander? They're your friends and they'll have to know at some point. They will notice your obvious physical changes…"
That very thing bothered me also but this knowledge had to be delayed as long as possible. I knew that Giles had a doctorate in paleontology from Oxford. Very prestigious and a real science. Except for the diploma on the wall next to his desk, he did not advertise his academic status. No his secret identity was a mild mannered High School librarian. Bull tacos! He sparred with Buffy. That took more skill and courage than I had... before. At least until now. So I thought to call him by his title for once. He earned it. "Doc, the reason those space soldiers were as deadly as they were… was not just their physical attributes or guns but the space suit was more than just a space suit that you are thinking of today. The suit was a powered combat armor with all kinds of 26th Century technology inside of it to make them even faster and even more deadly. The suit amplified their physical strength and protected them from their enemies weapons. At least for a few shots. … Out of their combat suits they were physically strong and advanced for humans, but inside the combat armor they were extraordinarily deadly. Think of a soldier with the knowledge and skill of the finest Samurai, Karate master, street brawler, commando and special forces soldier rolled into one along with a combat armor suit that would allow them to take on a modern battle tank and smash it?"
"Oh my!" said Giles. Removing his glass and polishing them with his handkerchief.
Giles was nervous and thinking hard. I could see the clock gears turning over his head again.
"Doc, today I may not be able to build a fully functional 26th Century combat armor suit, or one of their starships, but given some time, I can build something that will give us all a big edge on our demons. But for now… I can deliver modern crossbows and some more modern stuff. I really need to stay below everyone's sight-line as long as possible. I will need a head start before the demons and evil humans try to stop me."
"What are you going to do?" asked Giles with mild trepidation and a voice dropping lower.
I smiled with reassurance to him. I needed him to be on my side with this secret. "I'm just a high school kid for now Doc but as my company grows… I may need your help with Principal Snyder. I need to stay in school to be able to see you, Buffy and Willow… but the company and my inventions, will begin to soak up more of my time and to soon. I really want to be building space ships, ray guns, and combat armor. With those even you could kill vampires by the bucket load."
Cortana had been listening in but commented to me, "Alex, ask him about CLEP exams."
Via the neuralnet I asked her, "What are those Cortana?"
Cortana explained, "They are College Level Equivalency Proficiency exams, pass one and you get college credits at the University and you do not have to take the courses in High School. You could CLEP out of most of the courses in this year and your Senior year. Show up for one course each quarter like home economics or German language studies; instead of all seven courses and you still have School access and student privileges."
I asked Cortana over our silent neuralnet, "Do you think I could pass one of these exams?"
Cortana chided him, "In your sleep silly! You are a 26th Century Spartan Alex, living on a 20st Century planet."
"Okay, good info."
Speaking to Giles again, but to lighten the mood. "Hey, Doc do you know anything about something called CLEP exams?"
Giles went into librarian and school teacher mode. "Xander, CLEP exams are very tough exams. There is a GED exam and that if you passed it would instantly grant you a High School Diploma, but… that is not… what you want... is it?"
I leaned forward towards Giles. "Doc, I ain't the same boy that I was last week as you pointed out. That includes what's up here." Pointing my left index finger had my temple. "Doc, I only have to take enough CLEP exams to free up most of my day. I need to be able to take one class each day or one each week, so I can actually come here and talk to you, without Snyder calling the cops and claiming that I'm trespassing or something. I'll need to keep my student ID card."
Giles paused in his polishing routine, "Quite right Xander. You know… you could also sign up as a student at California State University Sunnydale across town at the same time. Each CLEP exam passed, depending upon your score, could also give you credit to a college degree. Where you're going Xander, you will need the college degree. It will open doors, give you credibility, and also give you some plausible cover or explanation for where your inventions are coming from. But I will check into the School Districts policies regarding CLEP exams and figure out a way to keep you as a student here."
Thursday, 6 November 1997, 9:10 AM, Sunnydale Calif.
I was standing in the hallway with Principal Snyder after having been stopped on the way to my math class. Willow had run off to the class two doors down as Snyder ranted on about me being tardy for school. I was impatient. Just waiting for him to wind down so I could get to class.
Snyder ranted, "You are a slacker Xander, and you were not in your first period English class this morning. You were tardy!"
I was trying very hard to be polite and keep my anger in check. To a mean spirited troll like Snyder, I could break his neck in less than a second – if I let my anger take over. John's training was prodding me into examining all the different moves that I could make to kill him or disable him. Still a bit of facetious disrespect entered my tone. "I did not know that you cared so much about me Mr. Snyder? Did you have to wait long in class for me?"
"Don't get smart with me!" barked Snyder leaning in closer to me. He was invading my space and the desire to break his neck was rising. His face was scrunched up in anger and spit flew from his mouth. He had lost his cool and I now owned his ass. In a battle of wits, Synder could never win. I used to be so afraid of him... He really is a shallow petty little man with a small mind to match.
Smiling to Snyder, I continued with neutral tones. "I was not in class that is true but I was on school grounds. I was in the Library and time got away from me while studying. You can ask Mr. Giles, he saw me."
Snyder's eyes turned to small black beads as his faced turned bright red and spit flew from his mouth again. "Don't talk back to me you smart mouthed slacker punk! You'll never be more than fast food order clerk! Come with me to your math class. We'll see if you've been studying."
With that Snyder grabbed my upper arm roughly. Automatically, years of training kicked in. I seized his wrist and thumb. I twisted his hand off of my arm and rotated his forearm painfully but stopped. I didn't spin him into a complete arm bar or break his arm. Snyder went from angry to rage. Snyder tried to jerk and struggle out of my grip. After a few seconds of standing still, I let him go just as he was preparing to jerk away from me again. Snyder staggered back rubbing his wrist.
Snyder screamed, "You little punk I'll…"
I stayed still, my hands down at my sides and my hands open and relaxed. The only threat from me was my now cold as space voice. "You'll do nothing. Unless you wish to be charged with an assault on a student. Now I do not put my hands on you and I expect you – to not put your hands on me. Not… ever… again!"
Snyder's face was puffed up and bright red from barely contained rage. He was shaking now with dim realization that was finally lighting his small wormy brain. Looking left and right down the hallway, three students were watching the spectacle. … Three witnesses…
My face was a mask, I was gaining control over my emotions. I quietly said, "Mr. Snyder, I am going to my class now. Do you wish to come with me?"
Snyder whipped his head around to look at me. He was still shaking and shook his head no. He knew that he had lost this engagement badly and I was out of his control. Smiling inwardly, I turned and walked to my next class without looking back. Snyder whipped around and yelled at the other students. "Get to your classes! You punks!" With that the three student witnesses bolted. I could hear them all and place them to within a millimeter as if I was looking at them as I walked.
I entered my math class at the bell. Willow sat up front dead center in the class. She looked good as she watched me enter. She looked at me, with confusion and worry on her face. The other students were finding their seats, preparing their notebooks and textbooks. None of them was a threat to me. My math teacher, Mrs. Rawlings, watched me from the moment that I entered. She picked up a manila envelope, just as I took my seat and walked towards me.
She said, "Xander you missed a quiz so you get to take it now, please move over to the side table over here." She indicated a seat near the window and laid a ten question algebra quiz on the table and a second longer test next to it. Everyone was watching as I moved over. She bent down and whispered, "Mr. Snyder wanted you to take this test also. Both of these are closed book tests. Do your best Xander." With that she went back to the head of the class and addressed the other students.
I took a number 2 pencil out of my bag and one blue ink pen. With the pen I put my name and date at the top and then read the entire quiz. Last week I might have sweated over this but that was so… last week. This was a show your work quiz. I used the pen and disdained the pencil for this. I completed the quiz in less than five minutes and began on the larger test. I noted that this one was more like a Snyder Troll special, the human louse. It was the multiple choice final exam test for the entire Algebra II course that was allotted two hours. I now had forty minutes before the bell. So I began.
One second before the bell, I completed all 100 multiple-choice questions and I turned in my chair to pick up my book pack bag. I knew that Mrs. Rawlings had walked up behind me and was standing there watching me. I turned around slowly, as she moved in. She was reaching for the tests. "Are you finished Xander?" She asked.
"Yes, I just finished. May I go now?" Mrs. Rawlings eye brows rose in astonishment as she saw that I had completed every question on even the larger exam. I left her standing there reading over my quiz.
Willow with a face all puzzled wearing her Kmart grunge clothes, was waiting for me in the hall. Her eyes swept my face and said, "What's that all about with Snyder? We could hear him inside the classroom!"
Stopping for a breath, a quizzical look came over Willow. She stepped up close to me. Her hair swept forward and her scent hit me. No store bought perfume just her woman smell. John's memories of other women's heavenly natural scents then hit me. No store bought perfume can ever equal it. I was now aroused and leaned forward towards her.
She continued, "Did I miss something because…. You seem taller now?" Holding her hand up but flat to the floor, she measured the top of her head and moved her hand over where it bumped me on my chest. She poked me in the chest experimentally.
Apparently satisfied that I was corporeal, she prodded me again, then she looked up into my eyes. "Well…? Talk fast Xander."
She turned to walk towards our next class together which was computers and keyboarding. I noted that her eyes were a bright hazel. I followed behind her for a moment. Appreciating the view of her body's movement, in a way that I had never done before. As covered as she was and with the way she smelled, I felt like a wolf yodeling to the moon.
Catching up in three long steps, I said to her, "Synder had a wolf style breakdown. You know sort of like the wolf in the three little pigs, he huffed and puffed and it came to mostly nothing."
Initiating a neuralnet connection to Cortana, I needed to distract myself, I relayed the math questions and my answers. "Did I get these correct or mostly correct Cortana?"
Cortana answered a bit skeptically since she was a bit surprised that he would be concerned over such trivial math. "Yes you certainly did, I am proud of you but why do you need me to check these?"
I really did need reassurance from Cortana that I did well on the exams given my history before Halloween. "Well… last week I wouldn't have completed either of these tests in fifty minutes and I would not have gotten them correct. Is this part of the Spartan package also or was John a math wiz?"
Cortana giggled pleasantly, "Both actually Alex. Remember you are getting smarter. The nanites are inside cleaning and sprucing things up. Plus you were no dummy before, just without focus. That just means that you learn faster and you remember what you learn. Plus John had your Earths equivalent of Doctorates in Electronic and Mechanical Engineering with other graduate level degrees in Military History, Chemistry, Emergency Medicine and Physics. Their training was more than just being infantry or commandos. They spent a lot of time in Slipspace traveling between the stars. Sometimes months in deep space reconnaissance of a target. Instead of dying of boredom they studied and learned. They could fix, repair, build and design pretty much everything on a starship and what they took into combat with them."
I groused over the neural net, "Great! Just great, I have the combat memories of a super-soldier of the future, who is also a first rate engineer and rocket scientist. No wonder I understand so much of the details of what you are buying for the warehouse and the construction changes."
Cortana said with some happy enthusiasm, "Which Alex also explains why you did better on those tests and will do better as each day goes by."
"Goodbye Cortana." I grumped good naturally. I couldn't keep a good grouch going with Cortana.
"See you after school ya' hunk or haven't the girls noticed yet?" She said way too gleefully.
I closed the connection after I said, "Just peachy." Our silent conversation at the speed of thought lasting less than two seconds. While Willow talked on.
"It didn't sound like nothing from where we were?!" Exclaimed Willow in growing frustration at my calm.
I happily responded remembering Snyder's frustrated rage and hoping that he had a tiny stroke to go with his high blood pressure. "Just Snyder's normal intimidation, but this time he was a little over the top but he cooled down."
Walking, we both turned into Miss Calendar's classroom. Dark haired and all dangerous curves in a tight dress was the definition of Miss Calendar. If she had been a Playmate pinup, all of the boys in the school would have had a poster of her naked somewhere prominent to drool over. They all still drooled and fantasized over a smoking hot single teacher. Even I drooled…
But I was also watching my oldest bestest buddy, Willow's backside as she walked ahead of me. Although she was not wearing clingy clothes to accentuate her figure, I did notice that my best friend, was also a hot curvaceous female. Willow just tried to hide it, unlike Miss Calendar. Now I was drooling over two females with dangerous curves. My imagination was starting to go down into a cesspool of male hormone driven fantasy.
Thursday, 6 November 1997, 5:00 PM, Sunnydale Calif.
After school, I wandered through the warehouses looking at the day's progress.
In the front of the first warehouse they began construction of a two-story 30,000 square foot commercial office area. Precast concrete and steel walls were brought in. Securing everything to the floors for the office area and for the new earthquake resistant construction standards. The whole office area would be less than one-fifth of the total floorspace of the first warehouse.
Behind the commercial offices and 16 inches of concrete partition wall; a second floor spacious 6,800 square-foot residence was planned. This 8-bedroom suite apartment area took up only a fraction of the warehouse office space. This area would also have common rooms, dining hall, utilities and commercial grade kitchen, but each apartment was a full living suite. Later they would install laminated hardwood floors, ceramic tile in the kitchens and bathrooms and carpeting in the bedrooms.
Cortana also planned for an 6,000 square foot two story high open area behind the apartments which was being modified to be a gym and physical training area. The 4,000 square foot area behind that was planned for a secure weapons storage vaults with maintenance benches, secure storage for my Mjolnir armor and next door a munitions storage vault.
New heavy gauge high security steel doors were going up on all of the truck loading docks and regular doors. New industrial fire and burglar alarms going up everywhere. Such that the warehouse was gleaming brighter every day. Metamorphosing into something more than an old abandoned dry goods trucking warehouse.
The Engineer even had industrial roofing contractors up on the roofs, preparing it for what Cortana planned to stick up there. Reinforced roof is always a good thing to keep out the unwelcome night creatures.
Friday, 7 November 1997, 9:10 AM, Sunnydale High School.
Principal Snyder was in Mrs. Rawlings room standing at the window in the front of the classroom. He was facing away from the students and obviously watching the grass grow outside the window. I entered the room to sit down in my seat. Mrs. Rawlings with a quick side look at Snyder, stepped forward to cut me off. She handed me my math quiz from yesterday with a smile on her face and in her eyes. At the top, the grade was a circled A and 100% in bright red.
As I started to turn again to my chair, Snyder said growled out, "Alexander Harris, come with me."
Willow and everyone else in class gave me either a sympathetic look or a sorry you're going to the gallows look, as I walked out of the room.
When we were in the hallway and fifty feet away heading in the direction of the administrative offices, Snyder turned and said with some anger trembling into his voice, "You took an Exam test yesterday and you cheated."
Without pausing my pace, I asked calmly and politely, "How did I cheat? Both were closed book and pop tests."
Snyder's anger level was rising and his cheeks were flushing red again. "I don't know how you did it! But you must have cheated because you've been a straight C minus to D slacker so far. You Xander Harris are a slacker! When I have proof that you cheated – I will with great joy, kick you out of school."
Arriving at the Principals office, Snyder pointed to an empty table and chair in front of the two-school secretary's desks with a different math exam laying on it. By the looks of it, I thought, it must be another Algebra II Final Exam. I'll smoke this one and then maybe Snyder's head will explode.
Turning to his secretaries, Snyder said with still some anger in his voice. "Watch him like a hawk and make sure he doesn't cheat." Turning he stalked back out into the hallways looking for more hapless students to abuse.
I watched him leave and the door close. I dropped my book bag and sat down. Once again I completed the two hour exam before the next bell rang. Standing, I handed the exam to Mrs. Clarke, Snyder's verbally beaten down secretary. I said cheerily, "Thank you Mrs. Clarke, the hour has been pleasant. You know what to tell Mr. Snyder when he returns…." With that, I walked out of the front offices whistling and with happy skip, knowing full well I'd aced this exam also and imagining Snyder's head exploding after he found out that I aced it.
But to be sure, I comm'ed Cortana, "Hey Cortana, Synder gave me another pop exam because he thinks I cheated on the last one. Here are the questions and my answers; can you double-check them again for me?"
Cortana responded back instantly, "Same as before Alex you got them all correct. Anything else besides this afternoon's schedule?"
I smiled, "Nothing more. I'm out."
A little miffed now, Cortana as the protective Valkyrie instantly hacked Snyder's work computer accounts and his home computer which he had foolishly left online. Without telling Alex what she was doing.
"Oooh… What do we have here? Emails to Mayor Wilkins office… A snitch for the Mayor. Mail to his wife, what a creep, the poor woman. At his home computer… What do we have here? Ooh… yuck. He really is a creep and pervert. He likes midget and dwarf porn. Ewww! How disgusting. At least he is keeping it within his same species and opposite sex. Maybe he needs his computers changed just a little like this and this…. Some personal emails and faxes with his dwarf perv pictures sent out to his friends and family for a start. I'll find a good divorce lawyer for his wife..."
Cortana was very happy to torch Snyder's personal and social life to blackened coal.
Walking to my next class in computers, I was passed in the hall going in opposite directions by the geek-squad led by Andrew. Andrew called out to me as he hurried down the hall, "Hey Xander! Are you going to see the new Sci-Fi movie tonight? 'Starship Troopers' should be so cool, Earth versus the Bugs! Pow! Pow! Blam!" Andrew made shooting sounds as he pointed his finger like a gun at an invisible soldier bug.
I was confused at first, for a microsecond. I called to him, "Oh – ya… I nearly forgot about that. It opened today?" Now remembering the television trailers. "Service earns citizenship." Mimicking one of the movie trailers phrases.
Andrew smiled and turned, "See you tonight?! We're going to watch it two or three times. Maybe we'll get to see that cool space marine suit that Willow says you rented last week on Halloween night. She said it was way cooler than her costume. Chow!" Andrew then disappeared around a hall corner.
I stood for a moment in front of the Computer room door. I could see Willow through the glass window and Miss Calendar. Willow had her elbows on her desk and was leaning forward. Her blouse was open and attracted my eye. Miss Calendar was at the front and she was jiggling and swaying in all of the right places. I sighed in an emotional longing for both and my lost teenage innocence. For the first time I felt ten hard years older. Sixteen years old going on John's 52 years and I wasn't looking at girls anymore, but seeing women. Women who were single, available, and desirable. I decided to try and see the movie this weekend.
Sighing to myself, I opened the door and stepped in.
At lunch period, I padded up into the cafeteria line behind Cordelia, Willow and Buffy. Smiling at the girls, I made my patented Zeppo face, but Buffy gave me a detailed once over and asked sharply. "Who are you and what did you do with Xander!"
She then smiled and punched me in the arm. In the past, this would have hurt a lot, but not this time. Still I quickly exclaimed my usual after a full 2-second pause, "Ow! No tenderizing the manly flesh Buffster."
Buffy stopped in line, a puzzled look came over her face, as she kept looking me over, until kids behind me started hooting for the line to start moving again. Even Buffy knew not to get between a mob of growing teenagers and any food. Distracted she lost her train of thought. She slid her cafeteria tray down the line for her hot tray of slop as she called it.
Today was pizza as the main dish, it was actually good, and so the line of hungry kids was larger than normal. She looked sideways at me as I grabbed two trays but said nothing for the moment.
After paying at the cash register, I followed the girls to a table balancing the heavily laden trays and sat down next to Willow. Both girls then watched me chow down two lunch meals in less than 20 minutes while saving my bowl of red Cherry Jello for last.
Simultaneously both Willow and Buffy said in harmony, "Start talking Xander!"
I froze my eyes wide as headlights at the girls in innocence. Both girls did a double-take on each other giggling at their duet.
With a spoon of red Jello jiggling in front of me on my spoon, I looked at both of them with my best face of innocence and said, "What? I'm going through a growth spurt and I have an evening job at a warehouse now. I can be hungry you know?" This was misleading but mostly truthful. I tilted my head, gave them a silly grin and batted my eyes at them. It works in the movies but on me, I was just hoping to reassure them with my Zeppo persona.
Buffy gave me a glare of microscopic inspection and then gave me a 1,000 Watt smile that was her signal that she was now okay with me. I guessed, I wasn't pinging her 'demon-O-meter' as she called it.
Willow exclaimed rapidly. "A part-time job at a warehouse? That is so cool and now you will have some money. Maybe you can take me on a date before the millennium is over?" A sly quick smile crept over her face and she winked at me before quickly looking away to Buffy.
I almost spit my Jello out and flushed. Screaming over my neuralnet, "Cortana! Mayday! Mayday!"
Cortana's voice was instantly in my mind, "Are you okay?! Alexander… Are you safe?!"
I was desperate. I was in a panic. Reality is always different from your imagination. "Cortana, I think Willow just asked me…. Told me that…. I'm supposed to ask her out on a date. I've never been on a date before… I don't think being knocked down by vampires and sneaking through the sewer tunnels can be called a date or spending evenings in the library with Giles and Willow reading dusty books a date? What should I do?! What should I say?"
Cortana had already checked my vital signs, and burst out laughing loudly across the Spartan's covert radio net. "Down boy! Simmer down. I thought you were being attacked by demons and not a curvy 80 pound 16 year old girl and your obviously bad case of male hormones."
My brain had vapor locked and 52 years of John's memories were absolutely no help.
Cortana sighed, "Okay, lover boy, repeat after me when you do not have food in your mouth. Look straight at her, smile nicely then say, yes a date it is. Now pick a day, dinner and a movie."
I looked at Willow and then at Buffy. Buffy had a wide smile on her face, as she looked from Willow to me, amazed at Willow's audacity for the moment.
I looked back at Willow, fixing upon her eyes. Her hazel colored eyes… and that beautiful little pixie smile of hers. I almost lost my brain again. I smiled and touched the top of her hand lightly. She was warm and it was electrifying. I repeated after Cortana, "Yes – a date it is then. Maybe this Sunday afternoon, a dinner and a movie. How about that new movie 'Starship Troopers' that just started, but I don't know the movie times yet."
Buffy's head whipped back to look at me in astonishment. Willow turned bright red and covered her face with her hands in embarrassment. Peeking out between her fingers at me. I went back to eating my Jello. Trying to appear nonchalant and indifferent, but desperately hoping that she would say yes.
Both of my friends were frozen in place for so many long seconds. Finally looking at both girls I said indignantly, "What!? Can't a guy ask his oldest and bestest buddy out on a pleasant afternoon?" Then I smiled at both of them and winked at Willow, now enjoying the moment of manly liberation. Saying in all seriousness, "Willow if you would feel more comfortable we could have Buffy along as a chaperone?"
Willow's face turning even redder than her hair at the mention of a chaperoned date. Now Buffy started to snort and snicker. Trying to suppress her attack of laughter at Willow's self-inflicted embarrassment.
Polishing off my Jello, I leaned over to Willow. My cheek and lips next to her ear and in a low voice said, "You get to pick the movie and I get to pick the restaurant. If you have no objection, it will be the Red Lobster. I'll call you tonight after 9 for your pick of movie times and we can have dinner before the movie. How's that?" With that, I began to stand, picking up my now clean trays.
Willow could only stare at me from between her fingers for a few seconds. Lowering her hands, she nodded her head yes, still dumbstruck by the turn of events that started out with her just kidding me.
I was now elated that she did not reject me.
Neuralnet radioing Cortana again, "Thank you Cortana. My brain froze and you got me out of a jam. Probably into deeper water, but at least I'm not a total foul-up."
Laughing lightly Cortana answered, "What is it with you males? You've faced demons and John's war against the Covenant and neither one of you can speak to a female that you have feelings for without stepping on your tongue."
"Well thanks anyway… and I'm not that pathetic am I?"
Laughing harder now at me, Cortana said, "Yes you are, but you will get over it. I hope. Ta-Ta!"
I walked away to the trashcan and out the cafeteria doors. Buffy and Willow were watching me.
Buffy put her hand on Willow's shoulder and said, "Since when did Xander have a nice butt?"
Whipping around Willow said stammering, "I… I… I…. You... You!..."
Buffy said with a wicked smile and licked her lips, "lunchable!"
Willow indignantly exclaimed, "Since when?!"
Buffy made a funny face at Willow sticking out her tongue at her while squenching up her face. Then both girls broke into a fit of giggles and laughing at each other.
The cafeteria doors had swung shut behind me as I headed down the hall to my locker for my next set of class books. When at the intersection of two halls, Larry and his jock posse of three toadies stepped forth.
Larry at the front raised his hands intending to place them on my shoulders to stop me. The feral gleam of a lunch money shakedown in his eyes. This was Larry's routine since I and many others had been in sixth grade. It ends here, now. I dropped my left shoulder and stepped forward with my right shoulder, pivoting my hips and body. My hands came up and my left hand clasped Larry's left wrist as it went by and I pulled him forward off balance. My right hand applied painful pressure to Larry's left arm elbow. I kicked his leg behind his leading ankle painfully dropping him face forward.
In an instant, Larry went from predator to prey, face down in the hallway with his arm barred painfully behind his back and I with one knee in the small of his back. I kept my eyes on Larry's posse with the look of true predator. My smile showed teeth, but was not in the least friendly.
The posse did not move, but only sucked wind in fear-laden surprise, then stepping back away from me. They hadn't expected this turn of events or my attitude. They weren't going to jump me. I was enjoying not being their victim anymore. John's combat training and my new Spartan abilities made them... inconsequential.
Larry tried to roll away, but I cuffed his face with an open palm. Not hard enough to break anything, although I wanted to. I bruised him painfully. I said in a quiet voice, "Move again and I'll break your arm." Larry obeyed squeaking as the pain in his arm increased exponentially. His face was going to be swollen black-and-blue from the contusion tomorrow. I had no sympathy for him. Too many years of Larry and his toadies beating on me and taking my lunch money.
Cordelia and Harmony then came out the cafeteria door and stopped when they saw Larry's mashed reddening face on the floor and his squinched up eyes. I could see their faces were also astonished at seeing me dominating Larry. It was supposed to be the other way around. Larry took lunch money and food from most everyone in the school.
Not wanting to cause a huge scene and deciding to wrap this up before to many other students showed up. I leaned over Larry again and said softly, "You try that again and I'll take something off of you." Grabbing one of his fingers, I pulled on it roughly but not too hard. "Next time, I might tear one of these fingers off of you Larry and wear it for good luck. Do you like your fingers Larry?"
Larry didn't say a word or even a grunt. I leaned over again, "Larry you had better answer me or I will start tearing your fingers off right now. One by one." As I started to bend two of his fingers backwards, approaching their breaking point. "Do you read me loud and clear?"
This time Larry said in a pained voice, "Yes, I hear you. I like my fingers. Please don't break my fingers."
With a bit of venom I said, "Excellent choice Larry, I am glad that you and I could come to an agreement. Now I'm going to let you go and step away from you. Don't get up until I'm away from you or I'm going to assume that you want to keep this going. Then I am going to really hurt you. Do you understand me?"
Again Larry through his pain squeaked out, "Yes, I hear you."
With that, I released his arm, stood up and backed away in the direction of my locker. Larry stayed down and rubbed his arm. The posse looked startled that Larry didn't bounce up and try to trash me.
Satisfied, I turned and walked away. I knew that it was just a matter of time before Larry and his posse tried to ambush me for a revenge beating. They wouldn't try for lunch money again but the gang would incorrectly assume that they could beat me up without themselves being injured.
I just hoped that I didn't react automatically and kill one or three of them, before I could stop myself. With John's memories of barroom brawls and hand-to-hand battles with Covenant forces, I knew that killing blows were a very quick way to end a fight. With a barroom brawl kind of fight where you really didn't intend to kill people, I might put them into a hospital, but that took more self-control and precise blows. More dodging and weaving between hit opportunities. More time in the fight meant more chances for me to also get hurt.
I looked back and Cordelia and Harmony were all still standing there and looking in Larry's direction.
All of them just stood there staring and wondered at what had just happened. Unable to comprehend at that moment the change that had just occurred in the school pecking-order dynamics. Each knew that Larry had been absolutely dominated.