Alexander Harris, Spartan-01 Vol. 1 by Grendel

Series: Alexander Harris, Spartan-01 [1]
Category: Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, Games, Halo, Multiple Crossings, Sci-Fi, Stargate, Theme: Heroic Xander, Theme: Soldier Xander
Genre: Action, Crossover, Halloween, Horror, Romance, Sexuality, Violence
Characters: Xander
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-18
Updated: 2014-06-29
Packaged: 2019-10-16 17:17:39
Rating: FR15
Chapters: 19
Words: 242,690
Publisher: www.tthfanfic.org
Summary:

Vol. 1 - Falling from the edge of space. - Xander centric. Xander is the only Spartan commando on earth or this universe. With Cortana’s help they will change this Earths future.

1. Surprise and Fear

Volume 1. Falling from the edge of space

Summary: Story begins with BtVS Season 2.6 Halloween and crossovers with UNSC Halo and eventually SG-1; very Xander centric. Xander awakens from a nightmare as a Spartan. The only one on earth or this universe. With Cortana’s help they will change this Earth’s future.

Author’s Note: I have in this edition of Volume 1, clarified and expanded my story. In addition I have corrected a tremendous number of spelling, grammar and my mistakes with tense. I would like to thank my readers for pointing them out.

NOTICE: THIS STORY MAY BE DISTRIBUTED FREE OF CHARGE BUT MUST NOT BE SOLD OR EXCHANGED FOR FINANCIAL RETURN IN ANY FORM.

-COPYRIGHT/DISCLAIMER NOTICE-

However, be it known that I own nothing and expect to get nothing because the rights are owned by others. Only certain characters and technologies are mine and these are the creation of the author who is solely responsible for them as such. Neither Studio is responsible for the content of this story.

THIS STATEMENT MUST ACCOMPANY THE STORY IF REDISTRIBUTED.

Author’s Dedication

I would like to express a debt of gratitude to two fanfiction authors who inspired me.

First to the author thenextcujo and his 2004 story “Master Chief Xander Harris” [http://www.tthfanfic.org/Story-14466/thenextcujo+Master+Harris.htm]; that had good character development.

Second to Anubis and his 2005 story “Halo: Zeppo” [http://www.tthfanfic.org/Story-8064/Anubis+Zeppo+Halo.htm] that began with a good premise and great character development for Faith Lehane and her Watcher.

The third to the author Dark Scribbler and his “Jedi Harris” series [http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1866354/1/Jedi_Harris]. A truly awesome body of work with professional grade story line and character development. I am envious of his skill with the English language, imagination and staying true to the characters.

Chapter 1. Surprise and Fear

“As long as there have been vampires, there has been The Slayer. Into every generation a Slayer is born. One girl, in all the world, a Chosen One. One born with the strength and skill to hunt the vampires. To stop the spread of their evil. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness. She is The Slayer. When one Slayer dies, the next is called.” – The Watchers Guide, page 1.

Friday, 31 October 1997, 11:00 PM, Halloween Night, Sunnydale California.

I Alexander Levelle Harris was scared. I had been imprisoned. My consciousness relegated to but one seat in a vast amphitheater of my own mind, a voyeur in my own body, and in an instant of time my mind had expanded to fill every seat in the amphitheater, as the intruder left. To make matters worse it was near midnight. I slowly turned a full orbit. I was alone on Halloween night, standing in a very dark, trashy and abandoned industrial warehouse area. The streetlights were far away and the shadows around me were deep. Deep enough to hide a coven or two of vampires. This was not a good area in Sunnydale day or night. The coastal mist was flowing inland on the cool autumn wind and veiling the distant streetlights. A small winged bat flew through the light. Humans who wanted to live did not go into dark and lonely places. Especially in Sunnydale, California, the Hellmouth and the vampire capital of the planet.

I am Xander I kept saying to myself. I was scared but not so terrified that I was paralyzed with fear. I was naturally frightened and fear pumping my adrenalin. A survivor’s reaction to real danger. I am a survivor. My name is Xander, not John. My name is Xander.

I had just regained control of my own body, which was a mondo-freaky experience. To be locked up inside a tiny corner of you own mind and not be able to do anything but watch as someone else was in absolute control. This was both terrifying and vicariously exciting! Because the person in control was not a demon of evil but a soldier. A soldier who lived for duty, honor, responsibility, his brother soldiers. He had the will and determination to protect even civilians like him.

I had been a silent witness to a night of precise and efficient violence directed at monsters of evil. An observer sitting in but one seat at a giant Imax cinema to an awesome display of vampire and demon speed-killing. During that entire time, I was in constant friendly one-way communication with the soldier, who was like a stern Uncle, a mentor, providing a running commentary. This soldier was not a Slayer but from the future where starships were real. He sacrificed so much. He did his duty to protect humans. Who protected me like a son or loved nephew and took the fight to the enemy.

My name is Xander. I am Xander. I was gasping for breath, my adrenalin rushing and yet standing statue still in the middle of one of Sunnydale’s industrial warehouse complexes with what were dozens of former-vampire dust and dusty clothes piles around me. I stood there wrapped inside a space combat suit of what I now knew to be 26th Century UNSC Mjolnir Mark VI powered assault combat armor. A protective armored space suit. A very sophisticated weapon system even in the 26th Century. A deadly weapon. … Very expensive weapon system. Hard to replace. Each Mjolnir was worth the price of a fast corvette star ship.

I am Xander Harris, not John.

I had learned to survive in Sunnydale with the help of Buffy Summers, The Slayer. But tonight everything had changed. I could… feel the changes. My body felt different. My mind was whirling with John’s memories. I am Xander Harris, not John.

I have memories that were not from my life but from the soldiers, washing like great waves throughout my head. Horrible yet enthralling memories of military and academic training, loss of friends, interplanetary war, killing and slaughter, more battles and retreat while losing a war of genocide. The horror of the genocide of humans! Genocide by the alien races of the Covenant empire!! Oceans of corpses and bones. Memories of the Covenant and every atrocity that John had witnessed! Other good and sad memories of friends, schools, military training, advanced training, technical training, duty, honor, trust, responsibility and always the missions. Fifty-two years old with thirty-one years of Covenant war memories. A lifetime of memories for John C. Walker, Master Chief, UNSC, Spartan-117. Who began his military training as a six-year-old boy. Inducted into and a graduate of the Naval Special Warfare Command (NSWC) Spartan II program but who also survived battle long enough to receive Spartan III and then IV augmentations.

I am Xander Harris, not John.

Yelling in pain into the night. “AAaargh! Oh My God! What the hell is going on!” I had yelled, croaked, out to no one but myself through a dry mouth while clutching at my helmeted head. My brain hurt. Strobes of light and a kaleidoscope of John’s memories were swirling into a tornado of pain. The beginning of a world class Excedrin migraine was beginning to hammer behind my eyes. Who am I now? Am I John the Master Chief or Alexander Harris? I am Xander. I am Alexander Harris!

I was not really expecting an answer in this lonely dangerous place but to my utter surprise, I got one. It brought a sudden halt to the maelstrom of memories, pain, my spiraling thoughts, and a singular focus to my fevered brain.

“Well if I would have to guess, you’re the real owner of the body that the Master Chief was in possession of and now you’ve reclaimed it somehow.” Replied a cool but pleasant women’s soprano voice. I focused on her voice. A beautiful voice. Was she a threat?

“What! Who are you? Where are you?” I said softly. The pain receding to a dull throb as I concentrated on her voice. I rotated slowly again, my eyes scanning the dark parking warehouse lot for the voices owner. My helmet visor displayed the parking lot as if it was daylight with added tomography and motion highlights. No women or female was detected or seen. Just the voice of a young woman of sultry beauty and promise in my imagining.

I must be imaging the voice. I’m going crazy. Bat crap insane. That’s it. Ergh… I am Xander Harris, not John.

The voice again. “I am your shield. I am your sword. … I am Cortana, your shield maiden and Valkyrie of battle. I am here… with you. Watching over you.”

I rapidly began patting my helmeted head and body. Like a medic searching for wounds. Were there any openings in my suit? My imagination began to run wild again but this time into visions of spirits, ghosts and Hollywood horror movies with parasitic aliens. “Oh My God! … You can’t be… inside me!!” I clutched at my chest with a vision of some Xenomorph Alien exploding from my chest.

She laughed. Her voice was a natural and beautiful sound. Her voice brought focus to my mind again. “No silly. This is the most advanced Mjolnir Mark VI combat armor. I am … part of the armor and partly inside you. Inside your mollycircuit and optical augmentations that is.”

Freezing in place again, with John’s memories flashing past me of an alluring hologram. Cortana? I said in growing wonder, “You must be Cortana, John’s… the ship’s Artificial Intelligence? The Cortana from the Covenant war and from the last mission to High Charity and Earth?! Oh-My-God!! They are real… – You are real… — This suit… is real… — How did this… How did this happen to me? To you?” John’s memories, this armored suit, Cortana…. they had to be real? They had to be… real. The alternative was that I was… crazy.

She asked in a calming voice, “You know my name but I do not know yours. Who? Are you?”

It was all that I could do to not scream out, “I’m Alexander Harris. My friends call me Xander. … I’m not John. I’m not the Master Chief. I’m just a High School student. I’m just a skate boarding and surfing dude. I’m not John…”

Cortana came back, “Welcome aboard Alexander. I know you are not John but do you?”

Cortana went all serious on me, a teacher’s dry tone in her voice. “To answer your question, during this night I asked that same question of a Miss Willow Rosenberg. She informed me that this night is a human festival known as Halloween. Tonight you dressed up as a soldier inside a rented ‘SciFi Hollywood Prop’ costume and was turned into a real soldier due to a magic spell. A chaos-worshipping sorcerer named Ethan Rayne cast a spell as a malicious prank on the costumes. He and you, both apparently thought that this suit of armor was a discarded model from a Hollywood movie called ‘Starship Troopers’. She said that a man named Giles was going to confront Ethan and attempt to break the spell. I assume that he was successful. From what Miss Willow said the spell should have returned everything and everyone affected to it’s original condition. Obviously, with you and myself this did not happen. We are both unique and therefore we are the product of the unintended consequences of the spell.”

Cortana paused and I prodded her on with a quiet voice, “We’re a cosmic magical mistake… an accident… a joke gone wrong? How?”

Cortana spoke to halt my spiraling vital signs, “Magic does not exist in my experience so I am speculating here based on limited information. Now since I am an artificial life form, but still life, I came with the armor and John. We were a package deal and the magic should not have brought me here. My existence here could be because this magical spell was not designed to create life or destroy life. The magic spell did not account for Artificial Intelligent (A.I.) life forms such as myself. Only bio-life-forms. Therefore, the magic would only return bio-life-forms to their original condition in this reality. The magic could not kill me or send me back. Since I am here, alive and sentient, the suit would need to remain real for me to function and survive. For the suit to remain here, there would need to be a real Spartan to operate it. And for you to stay alive within this Mjolnir armor when the spell was broken you would also need to remain… a Spartan. Now I do not know about this ‘Hollywood’ movie ‘Starship Troopers’ but I do know that this Mjolnir combat suit was designed specifically for enhanced humans known as Spartans and for A.I.’s like myself to assist them. My bio-sensor readings of you, tell me that you - are - a Spartan.”

“Wait, you’re telling me that I’m a… space soldier… a space Spartan now?” I was confused and alarmed. At the same time that I realized that my vision through the visor was also a real working Head-Up Display (HUD) cooler than all of the video games that I had ever played. This one even had enhanced sensor fused multi-spectral imaging. John’s memories provided the information. The sensors included sonar, low light, Infrared to Ultra-Violet imaging and radar sweeping up into high millimeter waves. The technical phrases and descriptions came to me unbidden from John’s memories. I quickly discovered that this visor system allowed me to see into even the darkest corners of the far parking lot. Highlighting all motion with threat analysis and identity tags on even the insects, mice, rats and bats. My brain began racing on to a vision of a cyborg terminator running amuck.

“Yes.” said Cortana firmly.

“Oh, God kill me now. … Am I still even human?” I bent down cringing into a kneeling crouch.

“Spartan’s were born and are human. They are technologically enhanced humans; biologically, genetically, structurally, and cybernetically enhanced. You have artificial biomolecular tech implants throughout your body, your entire skeleton has been structurally reinforced and other enhanced were made - but that does not diminish your humanity - if that’s what you are worried about.”

Clutching at my armored groin, I cried out while looking down. “Did they take anything away or like alter my critical manly parts?!”

Cortana with dry condescending amusement replied, “No, they did not remove anything and did not alter or reduce your… manly parts.” Pausing for my panic to subside she then asked with satirical amusement. “Is this a human male emotional thing or will this eventually be pleasurable for you to keep clutching yourself so?”

Embarrassed now I let go of myself and straightened up. Then turning slowly as I scanned the area again that he was in but this time using the Mjolnir’s full sensor suite to scan for threats. John’s memories guiding me. Seemingly effortlessly and with just a thought, calling up the sensors as I slowly rotated about. Still searching for threats in the darkness.

“Well now what do I… we do?” My voice drifting lower into almost a whisper. Fear and uncertainty again blossoming into my spiraling thoughts. My thoughts just now and not also John’s. I am Xander, not John.

Cortana paused a moment, before replying. “I believe you should find a more secure location and then we shall discuss your options.”

“Good idea Cortana.” I slowly moved towards what appeared to be a nearby abandoned warehouse’s concrete walls and a steel door. Without thinking I pulled the steel door off the wall seemingly without effort. “Ooops, I didn’t mean to do that.”

Once inside and determining that there was no threats, I quickly backed up against a concrete wall. The wall providing some reassurance of safety. “Now we can begin discussing plans… our plans. Before I have a complete mental breakdown.”

She laughed briefly at me and my fears. “You are being silly Alexander. Spartan’s are the most sane individuals in the human race. The UNSC would never consider putting an unstable human into a Mjolnir weapon system. You will be fine.”

I asked and she answered.

I, Xander Harris learned that night of all the changes done to me by the Chaos mages spell. I watched a fast-forward video of John’s suits recordings of the night’s combat action. I learned of all of the alterations done to John, Spartan-117. They altered my genetic code. Trillions of little nano-molecular genetic engineering machines called nanites were now inside my body. Altering me to the standards of a Spartan IV. The microscopic viral nanites were recreating me at the cellular and some at the genetic level. They were genetically enhancing my immune systems phagocyte cells that normally kept a human from getting sick, into super-duper panphagocyte cells that would keep me more than extra healthy. Other nanomolecular genetic enhancements allowed John and now me to heal from normally critical wounds almost overnight. To be able to drink dirty pond water without getting sick. Biotech armor matrix enhanced every one of John’s and now my bones making them nearly impossible to break by even my now abnormal human strength. Nanomolecular biosensors fitted, grown, underneath the skin and interfaced directly to my own now enhanced nerve system to increase my awareness of my surroundings and mesh with my suit. Genetic enhancements that vastly increased neural and musculature reaction time. Muscular and tissue enhancement to allow my body to accept the changes and be almost indestructable. Neural receptor feeds to allow for direct interface with my armors optical and radio interfaces. DNA changes to increase my lifespan from one Terran century to just over six hundred years barring a very violent death. DNA changes that allowed him and me to even regrow damaged organs and limbs. An internal nanite grown short-range secure radio to communicate with other Spartans even if my Mjolnir armor was completely disabled or I was not wearing it. Along with a variety of other implants to increase my combat capability and effectiveness. After explaining all of the changes that had happened to John and was now happening to me; Cortana asked me what my plans were?

“I’m a freak. Without the freaky, ugly, hideous outside look. — Well, I can’t really go up to Buffy, Willow or Giles and tell them what’s happened to me. All of them… All of my friends will think I’m possessed again and try to do a spell to remove all the implants and nanites, which according to you would probably kill me. I can’t tell my Mom and Dad. Neither one would believe me and Dad if he was drunk might just try to beat on me. That is sooo… not going to happen anymore. So I guess I find a nice little new home somewhere else. Some place cheap, like real cheap. Maybe an abandoned house or these… warehouses. Maybe setup a base of operations later and start hunting vamps on my own. You up for high school and a demon hunting career? The pay is lousy. In fact there is no pay.”

“You’re asking me?” Cortana responded, more than a little surprised. She had never considered that he would ask her. John would never have given her a choice. She had picked John… chosen him to cybernetically ‘bond’ with, out of all of the Spartans in that graduating class. They had been a team, as intimate as lovers, ever since, but John had never asked her to make this kind of a choice. He was her commander. He decided, she followed, she protected him.

I responded firmly to her. “Yes, I am. I can go it alone but I am kinda hoping that you come along and help me. You know stay together as a team. Fight demons alongside Buffy and my friends. Someone to talk to…?” I was starting to sound pathetic to a hottie hologram.

“Oh, I’m in. I am an advanced UNSC combat and infiltration Artificial Intelligence (A.I.). The most sophisticated and human like A.I. in the history of man. I have a duty to protect humanity and I conclude that hunting demons does fall under that heading. Besides this is ironic…. The Covenant started calling you ‘The Demon’ after you had slaughtered millions of them. Each of your victories against them enlarged your legend. Despite all they did to kill you, they were terrified of you. All except for the Sanghelli Elites; who were impressed by your skill and luck in combat. They respected you immensely and even honored you in their way, but they also called you ‘The Demon.’ The Covenants lesser troops cry of ‘Rakash Denar!’ which translates roughly into, ‘The Shadow of Death!’ Sent many of the Covenant into a panic.”

“Wow! I’m just remembering… John’s memories of that… — But here on Earth, I’m not a Demon. We have plenty of the real thing here. But, I am sure we can eventually create an atmosphere of fear in the Sunnyhell demons. I don’t think they are going to see us coming. They won’t see us coming at all. Maybe we can terrify them for a change. … Hmmm, Now I just gotta find a way to make this suit not stick out like a sore thumb if we’re spotted. Is there any way to make it a different color or invisible? This dark green color is not exactly a good stealthy camouflage around here right now. Especially to just plain folk who might see me.”

Cortana offered, “There is a nano-adaptive-chromatic-weave designed into the skin of the armor for different environments. Much like the pattern matching skin of a Chameleon lizard. It should take less than one microsecond to switch it over to a gloss black color or a better steel grey color. I will leave it in a fixed steel grey pattern for now but you can set it to be dynamically adaptive to your surroundings. But you have to remember, all of the suits functions are dependent on technology that doesn’t exist in this time and on this Earth. We will have to come up with some way of repairing the suit when it is damaged.”

“We’ll figure that out tomorrow. Right now I just wanna go home, get some food, take a shower and get a good night sleep. My head is about to explode with knowledge and memories that aren’t mine. — Oh! That’s freaky. Thanks for changing the color Cortana. Uh… But please promise me that you will never change the color to girlie pink or fuchsia or violet or sunflower yellow? Please! Please! Even if I’m drunk as a skunk and ask you pretty please with a cherry on top. Do not change the color or patterns to something that will give me nightmares or have girls saying I’m cute, huggable or oh-so-pretty.”

During this conversation, I slowly and carefully exited the factory. The coastal mist was thicker now and the temperature had dropped five degrees. I was now standing in the warehouse parking lot again near the piles of dusty clothes. Cortana’s voice… her laughter was soothing.

Cortana began laughing almost uncontrollably. Finally she stopped and replied with a pleasant chuckle, “I like you, Alex. I promise not to change the color or color patterns to something ‘girly’ … unless you deserve it.”

“Damn! I knew I shouldn’t have brought that up.” Just then, I began a soldier’s automatic response in hand-checking all of my weapons and accessories. Patting myself down starting with my BR55-HB SR assault rifle, then the M6G handguns, grenades and then my Spartan Toothpick ‘Bowie’ knife.

“Well double damn! I guess these all reverted to just Hollywood props when the spell stopped. Back to just plastic and rubber fakes.”

Looking down at my feet at some wooden fencing where I had dropped them earlier. I coughed out, “My only real weapon tonight are those wooden stakes. Which… looks like they were from a white picket fence.”

Cortana observed, “You are correct. Since none of these items is critical for my survival or yours, the magic spell must have reverted them back to their original state. Will this be a problem in survival for the remainder of the night?”

I reached down and picked up the wooden stakes. Their tips had been sharpened with a very sharp knife. Most likely by John with my now dull rubber knife. I still needed something to use as a weapon other than my armored body.

Almost automatically I answered her, “No, I don’t thinks so. Most demons take Halloween off. For some reason the kids in monster costumes freaks them out or maybe it’s some kind of demon tradition with them. I don’t know? These stakes will do for now. But I do know that I am starving and getting hungrier by the second.”

Cortana said, “The Nanites must be working overtime to change you into a full Spartan so that you can survive and the Nanites do require a lot of sugar, protein energy and trace metals. Is there a food supply or Field Kitchen nearby for you to obtain nourishment?”

It was well past midnight and I needed food. I was starving. I didn’t think this armor had US money in a belt pouch. Vampires didn’t need much money but I assumed that they might have some. I bent down and began going through the pockets in the clothes. Shaking out the dust covering each before emptying the pockets onto an ex-vampires coat. The pile grew as I finally dumped the last pocket contents from a pair of blue jeans. The pile contained fancy watches, gold and silver rings, necklaces, US coins and wads of cash. Not a lot of cash but nearly a thousand dollars in total. Jackpot for me. More cash than I had ever held in my hands before. Enough for a lot of food and some spending cash for once. I scooped up the loot and placed it inside two of my empty belt pouches. Maybe killing vampires could pay enough?

I knew where I was going. I began a ‘slow’ Spartan 20 mph jog through the streets of Sunnydale. Only one thing worried me. “It wouldn’t do for some passing yokel to take a picture for the newspaper of a suit of Mjolnir armor jogging down Main Street - now would it?” I wryly commented to Cortana.

Cortana laughed at the 26th Century image of a tabloid newspaper headline.

Then after I had thought about it for a second. I said, “I suppose though that it wouldn’t make any difference tonight. It’s Halloween and if anyone asks me, this is just my party costume. Just a Hollywood space suit prop. I might even pose with them as a great gag photo.”

Slowing to a human speed fast walk, I had a thought. Maybe my real wallet came with the suit and me? It had my driver’s license and student ID in it, along with all my school lunch money. I began searching through the pouches on my belt gear looking for my wallet. Naturally, it was in the last pouch that I opened. “Oh Yes! There is a God! Oh – Thank You!” I exclaimed in enthusiasm as I checked my wallet over.

Then I broke into a jog heading for a nearby boulevard and told Cortana, “There’s an all night fast food Burger King one block up this street and I’m starving. I’ll use their drive through to pick up some burgers and eat‘em on the way home. We’re only about a normal 15 minute walk from my parent’s house from there.”

Cortana reminded me with concern, “Ok… I know that the food paste dispenser in your suit is empty. To eat this ‘burger’ food, you do know that you will have to remove your helmet? With your helmet off, the shields will be down, I will have to communicate with you via your neural network augmentation, and you will also be more vulnerable to a demons ambush.”

“Well I’ll risk the vulnerability and I’ll hook the helmet on my rifle butt so that you will be at my shoulder. I’m famished and about six combo orders of large double cheese burgers, some super-sized fries and giant Coca-Cola or two – feels about right. Besides, I need some practice with this neural interface that I have with the armor and you. I can eat and no talking is required for the neural interface.”

Thirty-five minutes later I arrived home to find my parents passed out in the living room. Exhaustion from work, a dinner and too much wine and brandy had felled them. My Uncle Roary wasn’t home yet so he must still be at a party with his girlfriend Karen.

I quickly and quietly made my way down to my basement bedroom. My parents had moved me into the basement when my Uncle Roary had moved in temporarily after getting out of jail again for Public Intoxication. At first, I had resented this but now I liked the fact that the basement was much quieter than the upstairs bedroom. Plus everyone just forgot about me down there. They left me alone and the basement stairs was near the backdoor for quick escapes.

After carefully stripping off the armor, the armor’s environmental ‘suit’, and my thermal under-armor ‘skin suit’ - I then reached to remove the tiny crystalline optical wafer unit that contained Cortana from her place in the armor’s helmet.

“What are you doing?” She asked before I could pull the optical wafer module out.

“Well I thought you might want to plug into the internet and surf the world wide web. I don’t know if you need sleep or recharging so I thought you might want to roam the web while I slept so you don’t get bored.”

Cortana said in honesty, “What is the ‘internet’ and ‘surfing the world wide web’?

Realization hit me that John’s and her 26th Century might not have the internet. “The ‘internet’ is the real name for the ‘world wide web’. It is a computer communications network connecting millions of computers around the world. Mostly in modern westernized nations. Surfing just means that you are like browsing through a vast library of information stored on all of those computers. It’s entertaining.”

Cortana responded without enthusiasm, “Oh. I guess I could look around, see if I can find some equipment that would assist us in our little crusade against the demons and to repair the armor.”

It took thirty minutes to figure out how, with Cortana’s instructions, to hook her up or more accurately my Armor to my gaming computer but once that was done, I said good night to her and went upstairs to take a shower. Afterwards I raided the kitchen to fill my returning hunger pit. Back downstairs, my exhaustion was overpowering and I quickly fell asleep.

My exhaustion was plagued by dreams. Terrible dreams. Nightmares of John’s training and flashbacks of missions he had gone on. A kaleidoscope of friends lost… funerals for ships, entire fleets and planets… billions of humans dead. An endless parade of enemy Covenant troops and ships swept by my dreaming eyelids.

Cortana watched over Xander as he slept.

While Xander slept restlessly, moaning and crying out at times. He thrashed like a fish on the bank at times. Cortana watched him from the helmets cameras and sensors. She left a small watcher program in place, to insure his safety and then she squeezed herself out onto the internet. From a nearby University mainframe she began to roam far and wide throughout the internet and even into connected allegedly ‘private’ networks. What she found disappointed her. Most of the industry and programs that would lead to the development of the Spartan program and space ships didn’t even exist. But she did find out where her dimensional reality differed with this Earth’s history.

No 20-year long World War III that began in 1962 between the United States and the communists of the Soviet Russia, Red China and their vassal slave states. No war to throw off the later Mexican invasion while America was still weakened. No wars to crush and annihilate the invading Islamic armies that took advantage of the depopulated and weakened Europe and Russia. No 100 years of wars on a vast planetary scale. No Imperial Pax Americana that arose from the ashes of those wars. And therefore no United Nations of Earth (UNE) world government a hundred years later and then no United Nations Space Corps (UNSC). On the plus side this reality for this time period compared to the founding of the UNSC had much better guns, solid-state electronics, LASERS, MASERS, High Power Microwaves, LIDAR, early ‘Space Defense Initiative” particle beam research, early development of electromagnetic rail guns, advanced missiles, supersonic jet fighters, attack helicopters, tanks and robotics. This reality also had a whole lot more, smaller wars and conflicts at this time period than her former reality. — “So noted, and now time to move this reality along at a sprint.” She said to herself in electronic space.

She then found her way into research and development super-computers, digital data storage arrays, Universities, government networks, banking and financial systems. Ghosting across the accessible planet, Cortana concluded that she and Xander would have to create the technology and systems that this planet would need to defend itself from the Covenant in the 26th Century. Assuming that the Covenant existed in this reality. No problem for her since she had substantial technical data for 26th century industry. If this is one alternate Earth universe, then the Universe is large and these humans too would eventually have a fearsome interstellar enemy. Might as well give them a head start so that they were not outclassed like the UNSC is or was or will be. Besides Xander’s Mjolnir armor will need spare parts and repairs. Technology, industrial plants, research equipment, computer hardware, software, medical supplies and obviously now Alex’s food requirements - all cost money. Lots of money. “So where should I look for some money? Hmmm…”

Cortana quickly found and began to raid drug cartel’s bank accounts throughout the world. Routing the pilfered currency transactions through hundreds of bank accounts in forty countries. For their piles of cash and real estate holdings, she placed telephone and fax calls impersonating key cartel financial people and ordering the sale and conversion of all their hard assets into the bank accounts that she now controlled. Those conversions would take some time and she knew that she would not get all of it, when they wised up.

With these initial funds laundered through forty countries and banking systems; she quickly began creating the foundation for an International corporate empire with one Alexander Lavelle Harris as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and herself as Cortana Elizabeth Halsey the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Executive Vice President for their new international holding company ‘Aten Werks’, of Zurich Switzerland.

The new banking accounts were easy but she needed people, Lawyers first, to actually create the real legal company and companies. But that will have to wait for Monday in Europe when Geneva, Zurich, Vaduz, Luxembourg, Amsterdam, London and Brussels open for business. “Alexander has been asleep two hours and only $55 billion dollars so far in our Swiss accounts and my little daughter programs are still hunting and transferring money. So many really bad boys and girls on this planet…”

“Who’s next? So many terrorists, terrorist sponsors, slavers and pedophiles. Check, check, check and check. Now for a little Law Enforcement assistance once their wealth is all liquidated. Might as well toss these vile lawless brutes to their wolves…. Hmmm.”

If Xander could have heard her, he would have heard her singing a happy tune from Walt Disney’s Snow White, “Whistle Why You Work.”

Some things take time, even time for an A.I. and Cortana plotted her moves like a Star System class Chess Master.

Saturday, 1 November 1997, 3:00 PM, ten hours of sleep later.

Cortana was satisfied for now. The US holding corporation, CorSys Inc., of Delaware was going to be standing up along with seven other companies that would be wholly owned subsidiaries of CorSys. Eventually they would have thousands of employees worldwide but for now, other things had to happen. Soon it would be Monday morning in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore and time for business.

“Xander! Get up sleepy head. Daylight is burning kiddo!” Said Cortana while turning on the computers audio speakers and playing the National Anthem loudly.

I covered my head with my pillow and sleepily whined. “Umph! Turn that down please, Cortana. Couldn’t you let me sleep some more? My brain is still whirling and swirling.”

She said with too much enthusiasm for the morning. “No, because I let you sleep in today and we have a lot to do today. Get up and get dressed in civilian clothes. We are going out.”

It was afternoon, not morning. I crawled out of my bed wearing only my boxers and stood yawning. I began stretching my stiff and sleep leaden muscles. Then I quietly went upstairs trying to avoid running into my parents or Roary but they were all gone to work. Once upstairs I raided the kitchen for something to eat. Actually a lot to eat. After eating my fill, I went back downstairs to see what I should be doing today to help get the armor back up to full combat status or to see what Cortana wanted to do. For the life of me, I couldn’t think what she wanted to do here in Sunnydale.

“Morning Cortana, did you have a good time out in the Internet last night?” I asked politely, as I rummaged through my clothes drawers and closet for something to wear. Everything was now a tad too small for me… Everything was either way to small or skin tight. I must have beefed out during the night with all of those burgers…. Maybe too much salt?

Looking into the mirror I jumped back in confused surprise. “Holy Hannah! I’ve turned into Hulk Hogan!” I turned to look at a body that was… not me. It was a sculpted hard muscled physique and now I had an extra four inches of height. I gaped and then posed for the mirror. Gone was the youthful boy layer of fat and softness of musculature. I wasn’t body builder beefed up as Arnold Schwarzenegger but every part of me was toned and… larger.

Again Cortana was too smug. “Good morning Alex, You look well and yes I did. Thank you for suggesting it last night. I have procured items and equipment that will be of great use to us.”

Spinning away from the mirror to look at my computer and my Spartan Helmet. “Wait a minute, how can you ‘procure’ anything? You need money to do that and I know for a fact that you don’t have any. Because I don’t have any either!” I responded while patting my boxer shorts in a mock search for pockets. Knowing full well of my windfall courtesy of truly dead vampires last night. Still I knew it wasn’t much.

“Well, I seized the money from various illegal drug cartels and terrorist organizations from around the world. I will have you know that I… stole it all fair and square.”

I gawped astounded. “What! Are you insane? If they find us, which they probably can, cause they can bribe the entire FBI to track us! I’m a dead man! They’ll kill my entire family! They will kill the whole city!” I panicked and started looking for my shoes but still only dressed in my underwear.

Cortana spoke with a wounded tone. “Hmmph, you really think some 20th century hacker or even a nation state spy agency is going to be able to trace me?”

I froze like a statue from my frantic search. Turning my head slowly in confusion to face the helmet and her. “You mean they can’t?”

“Of course not. I am an advanced Infiltration A.I. after all. The money was electronically transferred through a few thousand banks across the world; it’ll take them decades to find it. Assuming that they are going to be looking, because I also dumped every record of crime contained within the cartels computers, faxes and telephones straight into the FBI and DEA’s central mainframes. I did the same for the Terrorists dumping my take into the CIA, Scotland Yard and FBI’s mainframes. I even sent copies to the Russians and a few other countries that are less polite about how they deal with barbarians, murderers and depraved slime. That should put quite a crimp in their operations for quite some time. In addition, I left behind some fictitious evidence that points to their rivals. They’ll be too busy trying to kill each other and dodging police to even attempt to come after us. Now hurry up and get dressed in some clean clothes please. Something that fits… Lurch. We’ve got a lot to do today. You are playing hooky from school next week for three days. Monday I will call in to the school office as your Mom and tell them that you are sick. Besides we have a corporate empire now and we are worth billions of dollars.”

I again froze. Standing there quite stunned, my mouth hanging open, before turning to do as Cortana directed. I again looked straight at my helmet containing Cortana. “Did you say billions…?”

“Yes, Alex. Now please shut your mouth. You look like an ugly gold fish.” Cortana was gleefully laughing at my stunned reaction.

“During the night I created a few banking accounts for you around town. Actually at all of the banks. Today you need to hit a few ATM machines with me to get some of your American currency… Some spending cash. We are going shopping.” Said Cortana with a little smirk in her voice.

I said satirically, “At least I don’t have to go shopping with you for girly things.”

Cortana responded tartly, “You wish you could see me in girl things. I would fill out a bikini just nicely and jiggle in all the right places.”

I sputtered, now imagining a tanned human vixen Cortana in a bikini frolicking with me on a beach.

After getting dressed in a hormone fueled bikini dreaming daze, I grabbed the keys to the old rebuilt 1955 Ford pickup truck that my Uncle Roary had given me. I then drove to the first ATM machine that Cortana guided me to. We were in constant contact via my Spartan neuralnet radio back to her helmet.

“I know how this works with ATM machines Cortana but I don’t have a plastic ATM card. So how am I going to withdraw any money?” I asked her in exasperation out loud and also across my neural net comm.

“Look into the camera, smile and say, how high – Oh ye of little faith. Now type in this pin number, 2653.” Cortana responded.

The ATM began disgorging cash in batches of $200 each time I input my new PIN number.

“Holy Moses surfing a tube Cortana! Am I stealing this money because I know these machines are not supposed to do this?”

“No, it is your account that you are withdrawing from. Monday morning you will be picking up your bank check books, credit and bank cards. Plus doing a whole lot more.”

“Ok, so this is some of our ‘new’ money from those cartel gangs?”

Cortana replied, “Yes, it is and we will be hitting up a few more of these ATMs until you have enough cash for some shopping before the stores close and you will also need a lot extra for tomorrow.”

“So tell me how are you able to get these ATM machines to work for me?”

With impish glee Cortana said, “It is just… that I can control all of the ATMs, computers and telephones in Sunnydale now.”

“Erp! You are doing… can do what again!?”

Cortana replied coolly, “I am now monitoring and can control all computers, security cameras and communication systems in Sunnydale. This includes the computers for all of the banks and their connected ATM machines. I am also using these primitive systems to surveil the vampires and demons in Sunnydale – which will provide valuable intelligence and situational awareness. I assumed that some demons also use the modern banking system and telephones. My assumption was correct. I have already identified 123 telephones used by non-humans. I have also identified one bank that provides all of the banking and ATM machines that are used by non-humans. The little camera in the ATM machines has proven to be valuable. Even if the quality of the imagery is low.”

Cortana observed, “We cannot take all of the money in this machine. $10,000 is enough for tonight. Our next stop is two blocks away and is Brigadoon Military Surplus and Outdoor Supply. We need to shop there before they close today. Then we will stop at four more ATMs before going to the Mall and the clothing stores.”

“I’ve been to Brigadoon before but why all of the other shopping? I’m like most guys and loathe window shopping.”

Adopting a more stern big sister tone, Cortana said. “You dummy. You saw yourself in the mirror after you woke up didn’t you. You are physically not the same anymore. If you did not notice that your clothes are very tight on you. You couldn’t put on your blue jeans this morning and are now wearing gym shorts. Your shoes did not fit anymore. You need a whole new wardrobe, accessories and a few business suits. Plus you are going to need new clothes to wear to school next week.”

“Whoa! Now… Who said that I need any business dress suits? I am just a goofing-off surfer dude kid.”

Cortana responded, “That was yesterday Alex. Today you are a Spartan with fifty-three years of John Walker’s combat memories. Monday morning you will be the President of a Corporation worth billions of dollars. Within a few months after - we both will be filing thousands of technology patents on behalf of our corporations. But John routinely briefed Fleet Admirals and Ship Captains. Those memories will help you deal with our new future. A future where, as the CEO of our companies… you must be able to deal with lawyers, politicians, bankers, the media and business executives. That means dressing up in a business suit, looking classier when you must and speaking well. Which I know you can do, if you put your mind to it. Although getting whole sentences out of John was difficult, I do not expect you to be… the same.”

“When you said billions of dollars… I really didn’t think it through as to what that will mean and what it will take. So… shopping it is. But Cortana, we will make one change to the destination. I have overheard some of the kids at school talk about their Dad’s business clothes shopping and we are going to the Men’s Warehouse and then tomorrow over to Coffee’s Men’s Wear for the suits. Neither of them’s in the Mall.”

Cortana laughed, “Good choices and now off we go to Brigadoon. You need some military fatigues, tactical gear and boots that fit you. Plus a few knives, swords and some compound bows or crossbows for a start. Your laws prevent you from buying guns for yourself right now because of your age. Well at least with the identification you have now. We’ll fix that later.”

“Cortana, you’re right. I can’t buy guns yet and I am going to need a bunch of them but my Uncle Roary is looking for work… Maybe I can offer him a temporary cash job, buying guns and ammo for me. Plus, he knows a lot of people in low places. He just might work out, in a pinch.”

“One more thing Alex, on the way back to your home, you will also need to stop at the grocery store because I believe that you ate all of the food in your parent’s house today.”

“I… uh… I did eat a lot but are you sure it was everything?”

“Maybe not everything but I betcha the refrigerator and cupboards are thin.”

Monday, 3 November 1997, 1:00 AM, Sunnydale Calif.

Cortana via the Spartan Helmet was fully plugged into the internet again since the evenings before. It is now 10:00 AM in Geneva and Zurich, time to search for the right set of Swiss Lawyers and place a telephone call to instruct them to get the paper work going and transfer money into their accounts.

That done, it is satisfying to arrange for the purchase of a corporate headquarters and begin hiring employees to conduct the business that absolutely requires a human handshake and physical presence. For Cortana she was a human voice on a telephone call and she made appearances using Video Teleconference Systems. She perfectly masqueraded as a twenty-seven year old Cortana E. Halsey, girl genius and ruthless corporate shark.

She could also perfectly simulate anyone else.

Monday, 3 November 1997, 9:00 AM, Sunnydale Calif.

Cortana turned up the computers audio speakers and played Reveille loudly.

“Wakey – Wakey!! Sleepyhead! Get your ass in gear soldier! Out of the rack and into your clothes NOW! Fall in Spartan and sound off!”

John’s memories kicked in on me and I sprang out of bed, braced to attention before I had even registered what I was doing. Bracing out, “Yes Sir! Spartan-117 reporting…. You!! You dirty rotten low down rat, Cortana! I was sleeping so well… That was sooo not fair.”

Cortana sprang, “Life is not fair, soldier. Get over it and time is wasting. I let you sleep ten hours which is long enough. Well, even if you are still undergoing the Spartan changes. But we have someplace that we must be this morning, so get dressed into something casual dress. Like those nice tan dress slacks that you bought yesterday and a nice button down shirt. No tie and you can eat breakfast along the way. Your choice Denny’s or the Waffle House but we have to be there at 10:00 AM.”

Later, Cortana told me to head for the industrial park of Sunnydale. It seemed that while she was busy robbing the drug cartels and other bad guys; she was also busy buying stocks, bonds, precious metals, electronics, hardware, and real estate. Oh, my.

She had bought a whole block of abandoned warehouses down near the outskirts of Sunnydale. Actually four large identical warehouses with a large 18-wheeler truck parking lot between them. Only one of them would actually be used initially but the rest were bought to hide the fact that I would be training in one and using it as a base for demon hunting. Besides, they would eventually need the entire block of four structures for factory space, R&D labs, a high-performance computer center and secure warehouse for my Spartan armaments and munitions.

When I arrived at what was to be my new base of operations, I looked at the rundown shell of four concrete buildings. It would take a lot of work to get this place ready to pass a building inspection. Leaning up against my pickup truck, I opened a bottle of water to think a little.

The Real Estate agent arrived three minutes later, beaming until she saw me. Confusion flashed across her face and then worry. She controlled it and went back to smiling at me.

“Hello there young man… Uh… My name is Margaret Smiley with Smiley and Hartz Real Estate. Err… Have you seen a man or women around here recently? I am looking for Cortana Halsey or Alex Harris of Reach Industries?”

Cortana whispered to me via my neuralnet interface. Our entire conversation at the speed of thought taking just a small fraction of a second. “Be nice to her, she and I have talked on the telephone and via facsimile instructions. We have purchased these properties for their asking price, under the Corporate name of Reach Industries. You are Alexander Harris the CEO and I am the Chief Financial Officer and your Deputy. Now don’t laugh!! It is a perfectly good name. I have electronically transferred $100 million to start, into the bank that is also her companies bank. To make this easier, we are purchasing this property at a price of $6 million but with a fat fee for her. I have already transferred $3M into their account as the down payment. She will expedite all of the paperwork and clear title to the property for ownership to us later today or tomorrow morning. So smile at her, introduce yourself, shake her hand, now apologize because I will not be here, ask for the building keys and then ask for a quick tour. Because she has a lot of paperwork to complete before the sun sets.”

Grinning broadly with the memories and experiences of Spartan-117 to guide me, I extended my hand to her in greeting. “Good morning Mrs. Smiley, I’m Alex Harris CEO of Reach Industries. I apologize that Cortana couldn’t be here to finalize this sale but I hope that we can conclude this sale later today. Do you have the keys to these buildings and can you give me a quick tour of each.”

Still smiling, with a thought across the Spartan Neuralnet, “How is my performance so far?”

Margaret had for the briefest of moments a stunned look on her face as she realized that the kid that she was just about to blow-off was her new client who paid half down in cash for a property that had been vacant for six years now. Thinking quickly, ‘Oh My God! I almost blew this sale. Alex must be one of these rich genius technical wizards that I’ve read about in Forbes journal.’ Recovering she smiled and took Alex’s hand and then fished for the key ring in her purse. She thought to herself, ‘God, I hope the place is not infested with rats when I open the doors. Please God - no rats or any of those other… things that I might have seen.’

After Margaret had left, I stood just inside the first Warehouse’s open rollup truck door and let my mind settle. My hand worrying at the key ring like a rosary. Though it did seem to be the perfect place to build my base camp. Each warehouse was 600 feet in length by 300 feet wide and forty-five feet tall. The outer walls were a heavy 21 inches of steel reinforced concrete with a foam laminate insulate. The inside was nearly empty except for some old wooden railway shipping containers, which were falling apart and some old single story gypsum walled clerical offices. The roof was decent because there was no sign of water damage anywhere. All four warehouses were in a single large rectangle with high industrial fencing with triple strand rolled barbed razor wire on the top on the three sides away from the street. There was a railroad spur along the back two warehouses walls with a loading dock.

Finally I asked Cortana impolitely. “You actually want me to live here?”

Cortana was way to bubbly. “Well it could use a little fixing up but eventually, temporarily… yes I do.”

“God, this place is falling apart. Hell, my parents house is in better shape than this place!”

“That is debatable, though you do not own your parents house. You do own this warehouse and those three others just like it. It’s registered in your companies name or will soon be once the escrow clears. Escrow and Clear Title should not be a problem since we are paying cash in full.”

Before I could foolishly and ungraciously answer, there was the sound of a fully loaded tractor-trailer truck pulling into the parking lot. The driver backing up the trailer to the loading dock. It’s reverse warning horn beeping at only me the entire time as it backed perfectly up and bumped the wooden dock barrier. I walked down to investigate the other truck sounds and found four other trucks backing into the loading docks. Cortana was just whistling quietly in the background as I went down the line of roll up doors and hit the power open buttons to raise each door. I then walked to the first bay, since the driver had already gotten out. But before I had a chance to say anything the driver spoke. “Are you Alex Harris?”

“Um, yes I am.” I replied in a confused tone.

“Sign here.” With that, the driver produced a worn old clipboard with a shipping manifest on it. I read quickly and then signed it only to have four other’s placed in front of me from the other drivers. Once they were all signed, the drivers asked me if I could fully open up the loading bay doors so they could start unloading all of my property from their trucks. The first shipping invoice even had a new 2-ton forklift on it and a Bobcat front loader. Even as this was happening, other vehicles were pulling up beside the warehouse in the parking lot. A Civil Engineer, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, stone masons, welders, machinists, painters, janitors, general construction laborers and even some home design guys. Soon the lot was full of vans and trucks of all kinds. Men and women tradesmen unloading tools and preparing for a day of work.

Confused I spoke in a low tone so that only Cortana could hear me but also broadcast on the neuralnet. “Uh what the hell is going on here?”

Cortana gleefully responded across the neuralnet. “Well surprise! I knew that you would complain about the state of the warehouse so I made a few calls before you woke up, to spruce the place up. It’s surprising how many people are willing to push your project ahead of other business if you offer them a fat bonus and you pay for work up-front with large deposits. For some a promise of cash payments off the tax books also helped – which you will have to take care of from your briefcase. Besides when they get done with this warehouse they will start on the others.”

I just stood there stunned, again. The work crews that Cortana had hired quickly went to work. Each group walked through the giant warehouse with clip-boards, measuring everything and furiously scribbling notes. While I stood there like a slack jawed ape and watched the workers, she explained what she had ordered and most of the why.

The Engineer, an older white haired man, came over to me and introduced myself as Scotty Pippin and his foreman Brad Smith. They, with Cortana whispering into my brain, then discussed the overall construction project of rehabilitating and remodeling all four warehouses. Afterwards, I signed a stack of contract documents, indemnity and order forms so that the construction project could start. The Engineers open laptop already had Computer Aided Drawings open on the screen with Reach Industries snazzy looking logo on the bottom of the drawings and Cortana’s flourish of a signature on the approved block. The depth of her cunning and planning during the past two days flashed like an epiphany across my conscious. Cortana was becoming annoying, in her efficiency.

After the Engineer and his foreman walked off talking to each other. I said with some irritation, “Cortana I am not sure I should let you out on the internet anymore? Your surprises are making my brain hurt. I’m almost afraid of what you may do next.”

Cortana’s voice betrayed too much amusement at my continuing fish boy routine. “Buck up Alex. You and I are a team, for better or worse. We have only months to begin dragging this pitiful planets technology up to my 24th or better yet 26th century capability. Otherwise, your Spartan suit will be a wall decoration and you will be fighting demons handicapped. You know this is just the start of a fast and wild ride?”

Damn, she was right again. Resigned to my fate, I reverted to a whiny sixteen year old. “Yeah, I know we’ve a lot to do but I just… wasn’t planning on doing it all… right now.”

Fifteen minutes later all of the workmen converged on the Civil Engineer and his project foreman. Minutes later the Engineer and skilled Journeymen craftsmen took their meeting outside a rollup door and onto a loading platform, while the laborers all began bringing in their tools and equipment.

The warehouse was quickly cleaned top to bottom with fire hoses, power washers, steam cleaning equipment and large wheeled industrial cleaning machines and with the Bobcat front-end loaders. The old rotting office areas were demolished and the debris removed down to the cement. All of the most damaged surface areas were then specially cleaned in preparation for the new concrete and steel repairs, the next day.

As fascinating as watching them was, I could not stick around and watch the workmen. Cortana directed me over to each bank that I now had accounts with to sign paperwork. Naturally every Bank Manager had to meet me and shake my hand, since I was now a most valuable client of the Bank. I did manage to pick up my check books, a few briefcases full of cash to pay the workers, sign for my safety deposit boxes and arrange for my credit and banking cards. Walking out of the last bank on Cortana’s list, I turned the corner to my beat up old pickup truck and started doing a victory dance and screaming; “Waah – Hoo!” I was in full joy mode after finally understanding a tinsey bit how filthy rich Cortana had made me.

Cortana then had to spoil my joyful moonwalk, with reality. I still had things to do as owners that Xander, the high school kid, had never thought of before. With dismay Cortana told me about all of the other stops that I had to make before business offices closed and for the next three days. My time was pre-planned out for me almost to the minute.

After a hearty lunch fit to choke a Kodiak Grizzly, I went to my new not-evil but shady Lawyer, Dave Applebee. Who had at Cortana’s email, fax and telephone call directions prepared Legal papers of ‘Emancipation of a Minor’. I was still legally a sixteen year old minor and unable to legally enter into binding contracts and commitments without my parents approval and signatures. Declared Emancipated, I could do anything and go anywhere – without my parents’ permission. Just before signing the papers, the Lawyer asked for the remainder of his very hefty fees and then I noticed that a local Judge had already signed the document…

Cortana whispered to me, “I thought that a little graft and corruption in Sunnydale should finally pay off for you Alex. Smile at him Alexander - it’s just money and he is going to be your Lawyer in Sunnydale. So ask if you can pre-pay a Retainer fee for his services? That should get him salivating. Whatever he asks for, triple that amount and ask for special client account services as needed. That way if you have to call him at 2:00 AM in the morning needing him to bail you out of jail. He will personally and at light speed come down to bail you out.”

With a happy step thirty minutes later, I was a newly emancipated Alexander Levelle Harris, legal adult. I sped off to my next appointments.

Next stop the Smiley and Hartz Real Estate company to sign my property ownership, Title papers and pay the real estate taxes on all of the buildings, I now owned.

After I left Margaret Smiley’s Real Estate office. I exclaimed to Cortana, “Ouch, that was a lot of money for such dumps! I trembled with all of those zero’s on the Bank Draft.”

Cortana chided me, “We can afford it you big baby. Besides get used to it, we will need her for other properties starting next week. The checks and amounts are going to get bigger soon.”

My next stop was over to the Sunnydale public works department to establish my accounts and pre-pay for my properties electricity, water, sewage and trash pickup services. Then over to the Natural Gas company to start up my service account and get the gas officially turned on. After that to the Telephone company to arrange for my new fiber optical business grade communications lines, broadband internet services, my new telephone accounts. Then to the Dish Network offices to arrange for two satellite dishes, cable TV packages and satellite internet services. Finally off to a construction equipment company to order some large metal shipping vans for onsite storage for my new gear. At least until the first warehouse would be completed.

Mentally exhausted and appalled at the sheer amount of paperwork, signatures, deposits of money to start the services, and piles of money to pre-pay the pro-rated estimates of the first month’s or quarter-annual usage. I grumbled over the fees and taxes, that I had to pay that day, not counting the Lawyers, was more money than two years of my Dad’s wages. Especially the damn taxes. I never knew there were so many taxes and regulatory ‘fees’.

A good dinner of a plate full of barbecue ribs, fries, pie, and milk shakes was now called for before returning to the warehouses. I turned towards the Rib Crib my mouth already watering for their Saint Louis style BBQ ribs. Now I could afford them every day, instead of once each year.

Cortana neural netted me ten minutes later, “Hey Alex, I have negotiated a deal with some engineering students at UC Sunnydale to build me a radio transceiver with telephone and computer interfaces so that I can talk to you when you are fighting demons in your armor. They will deliver it on Friday morning to the warehouse and test it. We are paying for their college for the next year with this deal and when they graduate our companies will need good engineers.”

Confused I asked, “Why? I thought you’ld be with me?”

Cortana laughed lightly and said, “Silly Alex, no not always. Do you think that the demons have any sophisticated computer systems that might need the most powerful infiltration AI ever created by the UNSC to hack and crack?”

I replied, “When you put it like that then no you absolutely do not need to be coming to the battle. But will you be leaving a sort of mini-you to help me with the Mjolnir armors systems?”

Cortana’s laughter was like musical bells and made me happier. “Yes silly! A piece of me will always be with you. Someone has to keep you out of trouble and bring the suit back, even if you are unconscious.”

I asked with curiosity, “Er… I didn’t know you could do that and John’s memories have nothing in them so far of you doing that?”

Cortana laughed again, “Yes, it is a very sophisticated powered armor suit with computer interfaces for you and me. John doesn’t remember because he was unconscious each time that I had to take over and fight our way out of the kill zone. Once a Hunter smacked him into the next city block. He was out cold and healing for over four hours while I got him back to a Pelican dropship for extraction.”

Pondering this I exclaimed, “Well I hope that you never have to do that for me but it’s good to know. You will have to tell me the entire story later tonight. Thanks Cortana, I’m out.”

Later after a good twelve-hour day with workers coming to me for my approval of orders and services, which Cortana whispered into my head through the neural interface, the building now looked and smelled different. The place even smelled clean. Even looked a little shiny.

The workmen left propane hot air blowers and large fans running to dry everything in preparation for the work the next day. Then contracted security guards showed up to protect all of the tools and keep the hot air blowers safe.

Cortana and I, discussed how to keep the workmen and night watchmen safe from the local demon denizens. But there was nothing I could do tonight or for the next few nights. Maybe my Halloween night demon kills covered this area already?

Tuesday, 4 November 1997, 9:00 AM, Sunnydale Calif. Halloween plus 4 days.

All of the utility services were now turned on; the workmen began repairing and refinishing the warehouses exterior and interior surfaces at a faster rate. New fast setting concrete epoxies, steel reinforcing, and braces to upgrade the buildings earthquake resistance. Roof top and interior modifications for the industrial stairs and cargo elevator. While other crews were spraying sealants, coatings and bright color paints on the other surface areas.

The Engineer Scotty and his foremen Brad, seemed to be everywhere. There seemed to always be at least sixty or more workmen cleaning, repairing, installing or constructing something. It was organized chaos with Scotty and Brad directing like orchestra conductors.

That morning a couple of temporary project worksite trailers arrived for Scotty and Brad to use as their base of operations. From these I was also able to sign for deliveries and shipments arriving almost every hour. A tad bit more convenient for all.

That afternoon, I went back to the men’s fine suits and clothing stores to pick up my new business suits. Six matching sets from each. Then over to the mall to pick up some loose fitting sweats, casual wear and gym clothes to hopefully hide some of my physical changes. Some nice new but oversized silk Hawaiian shirts to hide my muscles. Nothing could hide my growth spurt to six foot. Which would put me now as one of the tallest juniors in the school. According to Cortana I was still growing and would continue to grow for another four years. The only good news was that my Spartan outer armor was loose on me and that I would grow into it.

As the sun was going down the workmen began to clear out and the security guards began to arrive. Then the temporary telephone line rang. Cortana giggling again, told me to pick it up because it was for me. When I did it was Willow calling. I was all tongue tied at first. She had called asking me about my ‘illness’ and if I would be back in school tomorrow. She was actually concerned about my well-being, which was very nice to hear.

Feigning a cold I said, “No Willow, I’m feeling terrible and maybe I’ll see you Thursday. No, please don’t stop by. You don’t want to be blowing and chucking like me. I‘ll see you on Thursday if I am feeling better.” I hung up feeling guilty about fibbing to Willow. She deserves better from me but right now, I couldn’t be sure of her reaction. Cortana and I needed time.

While standing there I had an epiphany. “You know Cortana, I’ve been thinking. For the few times that I have been down into the sewers and storm drains around here with Buffy, I believe they’re much too large and complex. I mean the tunnels are much larger than they need to be. I never had to stoop down to walk and there were large side caverns with buildings like houses and apartments. I believe that all of the vamps and demons are using the sewer system and drains to get around. So I think we need to have a few precautions with those drain covers and manhole covers over there.”

Cortana replied, “Since I have not been down there with John, I will agree it is a prudent caution. In the meantime, I will access the City Halls Public Works Departments computers for design drawings. Assuming that they are using computers for these designs. If not I’ll will have the drawings scanned so that I can evaluate them.”

I stepped down from the warehouse dock to the parking lot and walked over to the security guards and Scotty the engineer. I instructed them to humor me and park the wheels of heavy equipment on top of all of the drain covers and manholes in the area, every night.

With that, I drove back to my parent’s home, in silent Spartan neural radio connection with Cortana the entire time discussing plans and options.

Pulling into the driveway, I said out loud and always also across the neuralnet, “Maybe I can talk privately to my Uncle Roary tonight about a little cash job for him? He needs a job and I am feeling naked without weapons that go bang.”

Wednesday, 5 November 1997, 6:20 AM, Sunnydale Calif.

Workmen began arriving just before dawn. Nervously looking about in the morning light coastal fog. Security guards stood nervously manning the warehouse complex great truck entry and exit ramps onto the city street. Two hundred feet of open grass, sidewalk and cement between the warehouses butting up against Haasen street.

I arrived driving my pickup truck and parked out front near the raised step business entrance that faced the street. I knew from overhearing the workmen, my hearing was now so much better than before, that they considered me an oddity. They wondered why a rich young owner of warehouses drove such an old pickup truck instead of a Ferrari.

I walked towards the Engineers trailer for my morning quick progress briefing. Afterwards I was going to get some further shopping in. It would be at least another forty-five days of construction, probably more, before Cortana and I could actually live inside the warehouse and work from there. Until then we had other plans that needed to be set into motion. But real construction takes time and labor. Some things just cannot be done overnight, no matter how many people you throw at the work.

I politely listened through the briefing and then casually asked my Engineer, Mr. Pippin, “Sir would you be game for another construction commission. If not, then could you recommend another competent engineer that had your confidence?”

I smiled, while Scotty stood surprised at the change in subject. I mused to myself while I gathered my thoughts. I was going to visit my realtor again today and make her years commissions with Cortana’s and my plans. We needed other properties and specialized facilities to protect Cortana. To give Cortana her first base of secure operations. Cortana’s fortress would not be this fortress here at the Warehouses. She could be anywhere at the speed of light and many places simultaneously. Her own, self-written programs for doing small monitoring and surveillance tasks ultimately needed a home for their data. Cortana’s fortress would need to be a large Data Processing and Storage Center. The first of many to be built across the world.

Taken aback briefly, Scotty asked, “When and where do you propose this construction Mr. Harris? If you hadn’t noticed that this one isn’t finished yet and it’s a challenge.”

In the pause between Scotty’s question and my answer, I thought to myself, John’s memories are integrating into mine too quickly. Now I can see the wheels turning in Scotty’s head and some of Cortana’s machinations. Each day that goes by, I am losing my childhood, losing my youthful ignorance. My brain is working to fast. I can see and understand… details, that I never noticed before. Never understood before. With John’s memories, I now understood.

I replied, “Mr. Pippin, You are doing a wonderful job here. Cortana and I were discussing your plans and progress. We are both pleased. This other project is not so much that you may be able to handle it in addition to this project. We will naturally negotiate a new contract in good faith but we would prefer you at this time. The other properties are all here in Sunnydale or nearby. The first involves an office building that we hope to acquire today in fact. This building is not in such sad shape as these warehouses and the building will be used for its intended purpose.”

“Mr. Harris, please come to the point quickly. You still haven’t answered the what, where and when that I require before I give you a definite yes or no.”

I smiled wider, “Yes, very well. The multi-story buildings formerly known as the Calax Research and Development (CRD) complex that’s on Sunnydale Boulevard and Cabrillo Avenue. It was designed to be a computer research and development facility and we hope to use it as computer data center. We would need you to rehabilitate the facility, bring it up to code and manage the other companies that will be installing the specialized electronics. We hope to begin the rehabilitation of the facility starting in four weeks.”

“Harumf…” puffed Scotty as he turned away looking at the warehouse project board but with a faraway look in his eye. Turning back to me, he said firmly, “I cannot do it and do right by this project also. At least not without more help. I cannot be at two places at once. But if I had the aid of those designers and draftsmen that have been providing the blueprints for these warehouses, and if I hired one or two other Engineers to aid me, then I might be able to do it. But Brad and I, have been a small Engineering and construction outfit for so long, I would be loath to hire good people and then have to lay them off in six months. Can you delay this other project until this one is complete?”

Pleased and silently communicating with Cortana, I answered, “Mr. Pippin, I appreciate your honest answer. The project must start on schedule for Reach Industries.”

Holding up my hand palm towards him to stop Scotty from talking again, I continued, “I have two possible solutions to this dilemma. First Cortana and I both agree that a man of your integrity and competence is refreshing. We have plans for almost non-stop construction projects worldwide of a similar type to this warehouse project and the proposed data center. So one option is that you come to work at Reach Industries as our Vice President of Civil Engineering and Construction. I’m sure that we can make it very much worth your while. The second option is that you accept a ten year exclusive construction services contract with Reach Industries. The same with your new employees.” Scotty’s mouth fell open slightly as he inhaled a lung full of morning air at the scope of his future. I continued, “In either case you will be handsomely rewarded and you won’t have to lay anyone off in six months. I will say that if you come to work for Reach Industries, your new offices will be on the top floor of the former Calax building. So you will get to build and furnish your own offices with a good view of all of Sunnydale.”

I smiled again pleasantly while watching Scotty’s mind turn over all that I had said. After a few seconds pause, I spoke quickly, “Please do not feel that you must make a decision today, Mr. Pippin. I must leave in few minutes to make my appointment with the Real Estate agents for the Calax property. But I would like to talk to you next week about this again. Fair enough?”

Scotty shook his head and said to me, “Yep, that’s a fair time for me to think this out and come to grips with this anvil that you’ve placed me on. Seems that you have me trapped either way… My small business, two man shop days with Brad are over either way.”

I said in sympathy, “I know how you feel. It seems like just four days ago Cortana and I founded Reach Industries. Now…” I held up both hand palms up and gestured at the warehouses and slowly turned from one side to the other, indicating all four warehouses. I then continued, looking up at the moon above the horizon. “Don’t worry Mr. Pippin, Brad is also part of this deal. You’re a team and we wouldn’t separate a good team.” Gesturing up at the moon I said, “At the rate Reach Industries is pushing our aerospace technology, a decade from now… you and I, may be standing on the moon discussing our next construction projects.”

Scotty looked over his shoulder at the fading moon, turned back to face me.

Looking hard into my eyes he said, “You aren’t kidding are you?”

I turned to walk to my pickup truck as he began looking once again up at the moon.

I crossed the distance before he be had time to turn back towards me. I stopped and at the door of my truck and waved goodbye to a now wondering Scotty.

Wednesday, 5 November 1997, 8:00 AM, Sunnydale Calif.

I had dressed in khaki slacks and light-blue button down dress shirt for this meeting. I was just sitting down across from Margaret Smiley of Smiley and Hartz Real Estate, in her office. She was in her 50’s and quit a good looker. She was dressed for business. Much classier than I and there was no fake smile on her face.

She greeted me at the door and slipped behind her desk. “Good morning Mr. Harris, please sit down. I just got off the telephone with your lovely Miss Halsey. She did explain why you were here and sent over via fax her final instructions for the unusual contract that you wish our firm to enter in with you. You do realize that Buyers Agent contracts are rare in this State. My partner and I are puzzled why your firm would not employ your own Property Managers to accomplish something like this.”

I sat down all business and arranged my briefcase at my feet. “Good morning Mrs. Smiley, I am pleased to meet you again. No, we do not have a dedicated Properties Manager at this time. We are a high technology company and prefer to contract for specialized services as needed from local experts. Are you objecting to the contract Mrs. Smiley?”

Just then a slightly older Mrs. Catherine Hartz entered the office and rising from the chair, I introduced myself, shaking her hand as gently as my new muscles could without breaking her delicate hand. Her small hand engulfed in my paw. She sat on the office couch to my right and primly crossed her legs.

“No, not at all Mr. Harris!” said Mrs. Smiley quickly. “Your terms are generous and fair but we are curious as no properties are listed in this contract. Only properties as needed?”

Putting on my best gentlemen act. “Ladies,” I said nodding and smiling to both Mrs. Smiley and Mrs. Hartz. “I am here for two reasons the first is to personally sign this contract with you and the second we will discuss afterward.”

Surprised at how fast this was moving, Mrs. Smiley brought out the printed contract that she and Miss Halsey had negotiated since Monday business and slid the two identical folios across her desk to Mr. Harris.

Signing the contact at the indicated line, I was in quiet awe of Cortana’s sneaky planning while I slept and was distracted by dealing with construction workers and bankers. This is like tag team wrestling. While I’m in the ring battling away, she’s arranging our next moves, our next task.

As the two commercial real estate ladies were signing their copies of the contract, I removed my brand new Reach Industries check book. I then informed the ladies, smiling widely, that I was going to pay a retainer fee of $300,000 at this time as good faith. Both women were like deer caught in the headlight of an onrushing car, their eyes wide in surprise. I loved it. It was nice to surprise someone else for a change.

With his copy of the contract placed in front of him, and the check paper-clipped to Mrs. Smiley’s copy of the contract. Mrs. Smiley looked up at Alexander Harris, wondering what bombshell was next from him.

I was sitting there feeling smug. “Ladies, I am here to inquire about other vacant commercial properties that you have available or others have available; for our corporate expansion here in Sunnydale. Specifically the Calax Research and Development (CRD) complex. All of the buildings including the adjacent parking garage. Reach Industries intends to acquire them. We would like to negotiate a selling price and I am sure your firm can represent us in this transaction.”

Both women had a flash of surprise cross their faces and they recovered quickly. “Mr. Harris, may I call you Alex?” Inquired Mrs. Smiley, thinking kaching! A large smile from Mr. Harris and a nod, encouraged her to continue. “Alex then, the formerly Calax properties is owned by a bankruptcy receivership that is out of town. We can value the property and represent you in this transaction if you are adamant on this one.”

“Yes, and I understand Mrs. Smiley. This property meets our criteria for an electronics data center and secure office complex. I am here to personally express our desire that we obtain the Calax complex before this month ends. Sooner is better. Can you two ladies accomplish this transaction swiftly?”

Stunned again both women looked at each other. Mrs. Smalley said, “Uh, well… Yes! Alex we can expedite this.” Both women thinking, holy crap what is next from this young man? First the sale of the warehouse and closing in less than two days and now this bombshell.

Mrs. Smalley had a worried look for just a second. “Uhmnn… Alex, you are aware that the Calax properties is substantially more expensive than the warehouse?….”

“Yes, ladies we are fully aware of that and this is not a problem for us.”

Again, the ladies wore a surprised contenance as I removed a new cell telephone from my briefcase and punched a local number.

They listened to my side of the conversation as I waved them to remain seated. “Good morning to you Linda, this is Alex Harris. Is Mr. Fincher in this morning. - Well very good. May I please speak to him for just one minute. - Why thank you. … - Good morning Mr. Fincher, I am conducting some business and I just wanted you to be aware of it since some large transfers from Reach Industries accounts will occur. - Yes, this is not a problem but we are going to be purchasing some local properties and I’m sitting in the offices of one of your other clients ‘Smiley and Hartz Commercial Real Estate’. - Yes, yes very fine ladies. - I would like you to help me for a moment to set their minds at ease. Can I have you tell them what the current balance on the Reach account is for today? - Thank you. I am going to hand the telephone over to Mrs. Margaret Smiley now.”

Margaret slowly reached out taking the telephone from Mr. Alex Harris, she introduced herself, then her eye brows went up as she was astounded. She was now speaking to Mr. Fincher, the President of the Sunnydale Bank of California… She and Catherine had never met him and they had been customers of his bank for over twenty years. On the telephone, Mr. Fincher had just told her how many hundreds of millions of dollars that Reach Industries now had in his bank and that Mr. Harris was now the single largest cash depositor in his three branch banks. Poleaxed she handed the telephone back to Alex…. “Mr. Harris. Alex, I’m sure that there will be no problems acquiring any properties that you want to.”

I put the telephone away and looked at the two women in turn. “Excellent then. Please obtain clear title to the property so that we can get our construction engineers inside to remodel the facilities as soon as possible. Any funds that you require, Miss Halsey can have transferred into your account.”

Closing my briefcase and standing, I paused and looked at both women again. “Ladies, after Calax is closed, we would like you to assist us, per the terms of the contract, in locating other existing properties that meet the same criteria outlined in Miss Halsey’s instructions to you. Other properties across the entire State of California…” Extending my hand to shake Mrs. Smiley hand first.

Margaret all smiles, “Uh, oh, I… Why yes Alex… We can do this!” She shook Alex’s hand enthusiastically.

Turning Alex shook Mrs. Hartz hand and then bowed his head slightly too both ladies before turning to leave.

Five seconds after the door closed on Mr. Harris’s back. Catherine exclaimed, “Well?! What did the banker say and what’s going on?”

“Our Mr. Alex Harris is more than he seems… He is not only the President of Reach Industries but of at least six other corporations and he has over $300 million! … In ‘our’ bank. He can buy whatever he wants in Sunnydale. … I think that we are going to make more money this year than we have earned in the past twenty years… Ever since our husbands died… But we are going to be very busy if we are going to move this property in his time frame.”

Catherine looked down at the check and then at her business partner and best friend Margaret, then smiling said. “Oh God, if I was thirty years younger I would be sleeping with him and having his babies.”

With that both women began laughing and hugging each other at their good fortune, named Alex Harris and Elizabeth Halsey.

Wednesday, 5 November 1997, 9:30 AM, Sunnydale Calif.

Driving away from my real estate agents, I radioed Cortana. “Cortana, the real estate contract is signed and they are going to move on the Calax property. I am on my way over to the gun shop to order the gun safes and gun accessories, then on to the rental storage locker and then to meet with my Uncle Roary and see what he has bought for me. Then we’re going to go to lunch over at the Rib Crib on Cabrillo Avenue. Is there anything that I need to know before the afternoon schedule begins? ̶ Oh! I need to go to the Post Office and pick up the forms for my Passport? Well Ok… ̶ … By the way Cortana, John’s memories and experiences are… changing me… I am talking different and thinking different. ̶ No, no headaches or glowing red eyes or anything like that! ̶ Now stop laughing at me. I’m not thinking or talking like a California surfer-dude teenager anymore! I’m not me anymore! ̶ Yes, I’m a Spartan soldier now. ̶ I forgot that part of our talk that first night. ̶ I guess I didn’t realize what else that meant. ̶ Ok… All of the Spartan selectees were top 1% physically and no slouches for brains before the augmentations. Which means I’m going there also. ̶ Are you saying that I’m getting stronger and maybe even smarter every day?! ̶ I’m not panicking Cortana! ̶ I just didn’t realize or just didn’t put two and two together. ̶ Yes, I am cool with this… sort of. ̶ No, it is not going to kill me, so I am along for the ride. Besides we have a planet full of demons to kill and whatever does not kill me does make me stronger. ̶ I’m ok Cortana. ̶ Ya, really. ̶ I’m feeling fine. ̶ No worries. ̶ I will call you back after I meet with my Uncle Roary. ̶ Okay, bye you worry wort.”

Author’s Notes:

Nanites – Man made engineered viruses or molecular sized ‘engines’ to perform specific tasks inside a human body.
(1) Some nanites could be for human genetic modification; such as modify DNA by removing known ‘bad’ DNA combinations (genetic diseases and genetic predispositions to diseases) and other nanites adding ‘good’ DNA combinations.

(2) One-time nanites - Some nanites may be designed to manufacture some particular item or complete a special modification and then ‘die’ or be excreted from the body. Such as a nanite to change your entire bodies hair color (vanity alteration). A nanite to change your skin or hair color (vanity alteration). A nanite to permanently enlarge a females breasts (vanity alteration). A nanite series to build a “neurologically interfaced” radio and antenna inside your own bone structure (like a modern cellular telephone). A nanite series to replace some bone and overlay some bone with a titanium and diamond weave material that is far stronger such that the bones might never break. Other nanites to strengthen and also make more elastic the ligaments and tendons.

(3) Stay Resident nanites – Using a nanite to alter an existing cellular structure to manufacturer a beneficial nanite or protein or enzyme or specialized pharmaceutical that will be permanently in the blood stream.

Nanocytes – Genetically engineered human cells that are modified by a nanite to enhance their natural capabilities. Such as enhancing a humans immune system into a super-immune system; phagocytes into pan-phagocytes (attacks more foreign bacteria faster). Enhancement of the human neurological system that improves speed of thought or reduces reaction time or increases running speed. Enhancement to the human blood clotting system and increase in hemoglobin’s capacity to transport oxygen.

“Whatever does not kill me does make me stronger.” This is Xander’s spin on a quotation from the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche in 1888, “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” Xander was commenting in a fatalistic way to Cortana about the fights to the death he had coming soon in his future with Demons on Earth and then the genocidal Covenant of his dreams. The few trillions beneficial microscopic 26th Century nanomachines are truly changing him to increase his chances of surviving and he didn’t fully understand at the time what that would mean. He won’t understand all the changes for months.

“I stole it fair and square.” Cortana’s spin quote taken from the real life United States Senator from California (1977 to 1983), Samuel Ichiye “S. I.” Hayakawa and noted Professor of English linguistics.

Lurch. Theodore Crawford “Ted” Cassidy was an American actor. Noted for his tall stature at 6 feet 9 inches (2.06 m), he tended to play unusual characters in offbeat or science-fiction series such as the television shows Star Trek and I Dream of Jeannie. He is best known for the role of Lurch on the macabre television series, The Addams Family.

2. First Day Back to School

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 in front of Scotty’s well lit project status and daily assignment board. My mind wandered from Scotty’s quick highlight briefing on todays 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 pressboard and gypsum board. They will rebuild with modern tougher materials and methods. Demon resistant materials. Nothing but precast pre-stressed steel reinforced concrete walls and roofing. Walls and steel fireproof doors that are bullet resistant and even small bombproof.

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 their 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 virgin garlic oil and blessed colloidial 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 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 garrotte 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-nut 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 Xander’s eyes and patted his 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 is obvious that the magic spell did not dissipate with you like it did with everyone else.”

Giles looked Xander over very carefully and noting the wardrobe changes and confident expression perusing him back. Not taking his eyes off Xander 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 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 into me, was preparing to attack an enemy starship. Seems their enemy had found Earth and soon they’ld 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 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.”

“Ok good info.”

Speaking to Giles again but lighting 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 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 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 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 Hyperspace 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 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 desireable. I decided to try and see the movie that 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, “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 ok 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 Ok?! 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 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, “Ok 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 squenched 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. 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 now 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 they 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.

3. My Name is Vengeance

Chapter 3. My Name is Vengeance

Friday, 7 November 1997, 9:00 PM, Reach Warehouse, Sunnydale.

I had brought my Mjolnir armor, now carefully locked inside six Pelican military transit cases in the back bed of my pickup truck. I waved to the night security guards as I drove up the drive ramp into Reach Warehouse one and parked inside the warehouse.

“Cortana, we are going to create our own security company instead of renting them. A security group that knows about demons and vampires and can defend against them. Not just be a scream sensor before they’re killed and drained.”

“Yes, you are right Alex. We will have to educate them and also let them know that you are a friendly when inside your armor. Our properties worldwide will need protecting and not just from criminal humans.”

“Maybe tonight’s little mission will clean out the local demons that are under our feet and keep these guys safe for a little while.” With that, I shut the doors to the warehouse closing me inside for privacy. Then I walked over and began removing the Pelican crates from my pickup truck. Popping open the first box, I began to strip my clothes off and lay them on the top lid. Sitting on the pickups tailgate I began to slide into the Mjolnir under suit and sealing it. Finishing with that I next slide into the Mjolnir environmental suit and then began assembling the outer armor beginning with my feet and legs. Standing and stretching to see if anything would bind or chafe. I carefully examined every piece again using John’s memories to automatically guide me.

Stepping over to my pickup again, I opened three Pelican weapons cases assembled for my use by Uncle Roary and his friends.

I began to don my weapons for this mission. Two Cold Steel Samurai swords, two large Kukri knives, two Springfield Armory .45 ACP Omega handguns with eight magazines each, one Mossberg 500 12 gauge-3 inch magnum pump shotgun with assorted rounds from buckshot to deer slugs with incendiary flare rounds included. Two old 1944 World War II vintage Mark-II High-Explosive Fragmentation (HEF) grenades and two Vietnam era Mark-34 White Phosphorus High-Explosive Incendiary (Willy Pete-HEI) grenades. A few assorted extras that might come in handy like climbing rope, monofilament fishing line, a steel-wire garrote, some Kevlar plastic zip-tie cuffs, four liters of water and some snacks.

Uncle Roary even had all of the weapons, ammunition and grenades dipped in Holy Water and blessed by a Catholic Priest who knew of the demons in Sunnydale. Uncle Roary still didn’t believe but he thankfully humored his crazy nephew. Roary had been surprised when I offered him a job and doubly surprised when I asked him not mention it to my parents. I told him that I would be the one to tell my Mom and Dad, when the time came; but just not now. He understood and agreed. He liked the cash and the joke.

Looking around the warehouse I asked, “Cortana, what would you say to a trophy room with some demon heads on the wall? I’m in the mood for some decorations.” While I continued with my equipment checks.

Cortana replied, “John wasn’t much into keeping anything around except his combat gear. So yes, some trophies might be nice. At least they would provide some proof for your Uncle and his circle of friends that have been so nice to provide your weapons tonight.”

Locking my helmet into place and double-checking the seals and my suits readouts, I stopped for a moment. “Cortana, can you patch me through to Willow’s telephone number, I did tell her that I would call her.” I was now apprehensive at talking to Willow but not facing a tunnel full of horrifying demons.

“No problem for Cortana’s telephone service and you be nice to her. I like her. She has some moxie, reckless at times but still moxie.” Cortana replied while noting the slight stress quaver in his vocal chords when mentioning Willow.

On the fifth ring the line was picked up by Willow herself, “Hello, Rosenberg’s residence?”

I jumped right in before I grew cold feet. “Hi Willow, this is me… Xander. I’m on a break here, so I can’t talk long but how about I pick you up at 5:00 PM Sunday will that be OK with you? ̶ Good, that will be just fine. I will be in my old pickup truck but I won’t be wearing blue jeans. ̶ Yes, I will dress up a smidge but no business suit or necktie. ̶ Have you decided what movie you would like to see? ̶ Ok, “Fairytale: A True Story” it is then. ̶ That will give us plenty of time for dinner. ̶ Ok, I have to get to work, so see you on Sunday. ̶ No I don’t think that I will be able to make it the Saturday night fun fest with Giles at the Library. ̶ You and Buffy have fun at the Bronze tonight. ̶ Goodbye.”

I was happy that that was settled and also an unusual feeling of well being after talking to Willow. “Cortana, well… that went better than I expected. At least I didn’t blank out this time and need you to coach me through. She sounded good too.”

Smirking over our link a bit Cortana needled me, “Alex, just wait when there is no telephone between you two and you have to face her in person. All teenage hormones, sweaty palms and a vacuous mind. Just promise me that you won’t get grabby and don’t slobber. No girl likes that.”

“Maybe, maybe… but that’s another day. No grabby the girl parts…. Oh my god! My brain is dissolving thinking about girl parts!” My whole body was flushing with heat such that my suit had to kick in and work to cool me down.

Cortana started laughing loudly. Undoubtedly my vital signs were all betraying me to her.

“Ok, I am done being the butt of your joke tonight. Can you monitor Willow, Buffy and Giles for me and if they go patrolling tonight order them Pizza and stuff for them, in my name. They might like that, because I know Buffy gets really hungry after fighting vamps. Maybe some sides of Calzones and extra high calorie stuff.”

Amused and proud of him for thinking of his friends well being Cortana replied, “No problem Alex, I will order up some Slayer food and drinks for them. By the way I have been watching some of the movies that are broadcast here on Earth and they have given me some ideas for sensors and anti-demon booby-trap weaponry that we can produce once the factories are up and running. I especially liked the movies Aliens, Terminator, Predator, Star Wars, all of the Star Treks, Babylon 5 and Wormhole X-Treme. Lots of good concepts that my UNSC never envisioned and so never pursued.”

“Well, Cortana, keep at them for ideas. We’re going to need all of the help that we can get.”

I walked to the glass front office doors and checked to insure that the guards were around the corners out of sight. Stepping out I walked over to the nearest street manhole about 50 yards away on Haasen Street and lifted the 100 pound steel lid with ease and dropped two large Cyalume sticks down. My sensors read clear.

Just before dropping down Cortana said, “Stay safe down there Alex. Don’t let them scratch the armor, you know we can’t get it repaired right now and good hunting.”

My only response was, “check.” Then I dropped sixteen feet down. There was a thin layer of sand almost two feet wide at the bottom. There was a thin stream of moist sand down the center. I looked up and there was a standard metal rebar hand ladder going back up to the surface.

Pulling the manhole cover back over the hole, I used my Lidar to range the ends of the drain tunnel that I was inside. It went straight over a kilometer in both directions and drainpipe over three meters in diameter. I just stood there and cycled through my sensor program to insure that Infra-Red and Ultraviolet (UV) video sensors were both second and third for my viewing list. My suit Lidar Laser was also invisible to human eyes in the high-UV and could if set to fan mode provide some covert illumination. That assumed the demons couldn’t see in the UV spectrum. Tonight I was going to find out. Cortana’s little child program that occupied the suits Central Processor Unit marked my origin point. Mini-Cortana would be keeping my navigation and weapon systems targeting smooth for me because the demons needed no über-hacking skills of the super AI Cortana. She was the Queen of electrons and photons.

Radioing, “Cortana, make a note for me will you. We need to spend more time with Giles books. Maybe we can get you to safely scan them or something later. But I just realized that I really don’t know a whole lot about the demons down here. I mean other than vampires.”

“Alex, you are correct. We will have to study them to learn their vulnerabilities. Bring back some trophies tonight, DNA samples and later when we are ready – I will want some live ones for… quality time.” With this Cortana’s voice had turned to ice in her ruthless intent.

“Roger that, Cortana. I’ll be preceding Northwest under the streets. I’ll have Mini-C here, send updates as I make contact. Please mark the time if we lose contact. We will need to know the radio dead zone areas.”

Cortana was all business, “Check Alex. Good Luck and good hunting, out.”

I marked the location on my navigation chart, mostly blank for now, and I paused. Here I removed two spray-paint cans and tagged the intersection walls up high on the wall with my mapping coordinates. This manhole will be my origin point. I intended to tag every intersection and route path I encountered. Knowing full well that I could not always bring my Mjolnir armor on these trips.

I began walking quietly through the tunnel, the non-skid Vulcan rubber soles of my boots making little noise. My weapons all padded tight for sound discipline. I became a camouflaged and soundless ghost. My camo pattern set to dynamic adaption. It seemed alive. Then I initialized my EM Shields. It took a few seconds for the shields to stabilize and then begin to strengthen. I oriented myself to the north, away from the warehouse and back towards the city. I began to walk at a human pace. The tunnels slope descending down into darkness. A thin layer of dirty water in the bottom of the pipe. In places a dark moss and some strange fluorescent fungi growing near the ceiling. Sometimes roots from trees hanging inside the pipe via cracked and broken off patches near the roof.

Three hundred meters down and I came to a strange pipe at a crossing junction. Totally out of place for just drain culverts or sewerage lines which must all slope in one direction. I laser ranged down each side tunnel pipe and detected moving objects coming in my direction down the pipe that went east. Still 500 meters and moving slowly. I had time. Removing my spray paint cans I tagged the concrete pipes up high. Then put the cans back inside their pouch. Retreating four meters up the north-going pipe, I stood still and waited. My Cold Steel katana sword in my right hand and a Kukri knife in the other.

Patience is a virtue for a hunter. Spartans were ace hunters.

Six minutes went by and then I heard my prey talking to each other. Six vampires were approaching at a walk. Their conversation revolving around their nights human food. One was clearly the leader. Just gang talk of killing innocents. Nothing of tactical or strategic value.

The six began to walk past heading west and down towards the ocean. I made five strides and my sword blurred forward, almost breaking the sound barrier. A vampire head hit the wall like a fast baseball and bounced into the lead vampire before dusting. In a microsecond I spun around with my blade horizontal and two more heads fell off. The first two just had enough time to turn with eyes wide as I stepped through the dust cloud of three vampires and their falling clothing. My Kukri came down and nearly split the left hand vampire from shoulder to pelvic bone. He couldn’t even scream chopped as he was. The right hand vampire was cloven with my Katana blade also passing nearly through the vampire from neck down to his pelvis also. The Katana had bitten deep in his pelvic bone. His right half smacked wetly down on the floor. Blood and guts slapped the floor and splashed. Both vampires mouths were open in silent screams. I jerked the Kukri free violently, the vampire spasming in pain and loss of all motor capability. I then chopping off both their heads with the Kukri in two short strokes. Their dust freeing my Katana. Their leader had screamed something and fled at his full demonic speed as I was freeing my knife.

My range finders, both Lidar and radar, measured the fleeing vampires speed and distance. I dropped my katana and drew my .45 caliber and fired twice. The vampire was fast at 22.3 meters per second (66 feet per second or 45 mph), more than twice as fast as an Olympic sprinter but not fast enough to out run a Spartan or a Silver tip Hollow Point bullet at 269 meters per second (875 feet per second).

Both bullets struck the vampire at his knees and shattered his bones. He tumbled face forward like a broken doll and slid to a stop, screaming. His vampiric game face was out but only pain and hate was there. As I strode up to him, the holy water and blessed silver cap in the bullet tips did their work. The vampire was down, his flesh was sparking and he began screaming in even greater pain. Thrashing about like a fish out of water his legs caught on fire. The flames licked up his body as his otherworldly screams of pure torment echoed down the pipe. I stood there and let him burn. Ten seconds later, he was smoking ash and sooty dust for the drain water to wash away.

“Tactical assessment, six vampires up and six down. No body bags.” I commented for my mission recorder and Cortana’s after action analysis.

I topped off my .45 magazine. Then I stooped and picked up my two spent bullets and brass cases. No sense in leaving any evidence behind, knowing full well that the booms from my gun shots and the screaming would attract curious or hungry demons looking for another demon to feed on. Just like a dying rabbits, screams will bring coyotes and hawks for almost a mile around. An easy meal is safer meal.

I went back to the tunnel intersection and ranged the ends. No movement up the side tunnel yet, but the movement on one was running away and the other was coming fast. I stepped ten feet up the side pipe in the direction away from the movement. I turned and waited again.

Within 40-seconds, an eight foot tall reptilian demon came into view and paused at the intersection. Dark blue patterned scales covered it’s skin of fine rippling scales, with larger boney scale plates and ridges running from its large predatory cat-eyes to the tip of its tail. This creature had large retractable claws on its hands and large claws in its feet. Almost a Raptor dinosaur crossed with a feline but with large muscular arms. Sniffing the air, it’s head peering down the western tunnel away from me where the previous combat had taken place.

I sprang forward with my katana swept back for a strike. The demon spun towards me almost as fast. My Katana blurred forward and the demon skipped back, so instead of taking his head I cut off his outstretched clawed hands. The demon screamed a challenge of hate as hot reddish orange blood splashed the walls. The demon hissing like a cat struck back with one clawed foot. I barely avoided the strike and noticed that the claw was almost eight inches of razor sharp bone. My Kukri was in my left hand, I brought it flashing in a crossing stroke and cut the demons leg right to the bone. Cutting deep into the demons right leg bone the knife cut a deep weakening groove in it but did not cleave it off. When the demon drew back on that leg for support, the leg cracked in breaking and gave out. It began to topple to its right and back.

I thought, Cats will gut their attackers with their hind claws. Best to remove that before I approach and watch out for that tail. It may have a sting. Good thing that I was cautious.

My Katana’s back stroke cut twenty inches off the demons left leg. It’s clawed foot wetly striking the wall and leaving a modern art splash in sticky bright red-orange.

The tail whipped out from behind the demon. It’s eyes had never left my visor the entire combat. First the Kukri knife and then the Katana shortened the tail. Then I stepped in and cleanly cut off the reptiles broken right leg. On its back and now stumpy, the demon trumpeted a hooting anguished call.

No doubt to warn or call for aid from others of its kind. I stepped forward stabbing straight in and used my Katana to pin the beast down so that it would stop writhing and hooting. Turning on my audio speakers I asked, “What are you? I have never seen your kind before.”

The demon fixed it’s malevolent gaze upon me and said in hissing English. “Human speech, you and I can. You have me… for your kill. My kind Vos. Me Torshiil. You my kind will hunt as we do all. Food you are. No more.”

With that, I withdrew my blade and cut off its head cleanly. It’s bright blood staining the drain waters.

I used my Kukri knife to spear the head carefully at the neck so as not to damage my trophy too much. Then I stepped back to the intersection and laid the head down up my origin tunnel to be retrieved later. Noting all of the very large cat like teeth this demon had. No visible evidence of poison fang channels in the leading teeth. I returned for the clawed hands and feet to dump next to the head. Removing a plastic garbage bag for this eventuality, I bagged the body parts.

Unlike the vampires who wore clothes and liked their jewelry, which they left behind when their bodies turned to dust. This Vos demon wore no clothes or belt or gear of any kind. Just that real pretty blue-scaled hide of his.

I wondered if they would make good boots or a nice jacket? John did have a few personal items in a storage unit. A fine leather classic jacket and a pair of old earth cowboy boots made from the leather of an extinct animal from his birth world. Elysium… somewhere up there in the stars glassed to ruin by the Covenant. …. Maybe next time I encountered a Vos I won’t chop them up so and ruin the hide. A quick gunshot to the head might drop’em.

I went back to the intersection and washed my blades in the dirty drain water flowing towards my kill and ranged the tunnels again. Can’t have possibly caustic blood stay on these blades and damage them.

Temporarily safe now, I went back to the body and removed sample tubes from one of my pouches and began collecting samples for Cortana and myself. Skin, muscle tissue and blood – all went into vials. I dutifully labeled them all as to Vos demon, date, time and location.

Then went and collected the pocket litter from the six demons that I dusted. Their watches, wallets, notebooks and jewelry may help in identifying the original owners or their latest victims. Maybe something of tactical intelligence value would be found. It’s not like I needed any money from them now.

Examining the vampires clothing carefully I used the Mjolnir’s full spectrographic sensor suite to finely measure and characterize the dust, pollens and microscopic materials on the clothes. The best forensic lab on the planet had nothing on the sensors built into this suit.

Mjolnir armor was not designed for just combat survival but also to gather the smallest detail of intelligence for analysis. Spartan’s with their Mjolnir armor were a complete Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) suite for stripping away the secrets of the Covenant.

Someday with this log of measurements, Cortana and I should be able to tell exactly where each vampire sleeps and lives their undead lives. Because not all dust and dirt is the same.

After several minutes of target scanning I detected no movement, so I elected to continue North in the direction of Sunnydale downtown, follow the mission plan and the direction the Vos demon had come from.

Another twelve hundred meters down the tunnel and three intersections ago, I stopped at the edge of a cavern. The cavern ceiling was thirty meters over my head with some stalactites hanging down. But for the most part the cavern looked like it hadn’t been created by man or demon. A natural cavern that had been worked and adapted for a living space. The floor was chiseled stone, smooth, worn and a 7 meters wide boulevard that ran off East to West. There was a four meter wide terrace on either side elevated from the main floor by half a meter. There were demon shops and cafes on the terrace. As I stood there and marveled at the view, my sensors were sweeping the area and recording everything. Side galleries of what looked like stores and apartments lined the cavern. Electrical cables were suspended from the walls and ceiling in places, as well as soft lights. Big band music from the 1950’s floated down the cavern from the East. My laser and radar reported that the gallery was over 300 meters in one direction and 700 meters in the other. “Welcome to demon central,” I said for my suits recorders.

Multiple other drain pipes all met here at this cavern. What water was flowing hit the dark basalt floor 0.6 meters down from the lip of the concrete drain pipe. The water flowed to what looked like a large wading pool that was clearly ringed in stone with small under culverts for the water to flow in but it did not appear that the pool had overflowed in a very long time. Demons of all kinds but mostly vampires who walked this boulevard gave the pool space a wide berth. Interesting, none sat on the stone benches at poolside. Maybe benches would be the wrong term for them since they were more low tables or Roman style benches. Still no creature went near the pool.

I marked the pool of water as a high threat in my Nav. If the demons of Sunnyhell gave it a wide berth then so would I. Maybe the creature from the Black Lagoon lived there? I chuckled at the thought.

Yet… I was standing in the pipe and visible to maybe forty or so demons and I only drew a stare for a few seconds before they ignored me. Ok, that’s weird… they must think that I’m also a demon? I could use that. The start of a plan began to gel in my mind.

My mini-Cortana A.I.-lite had finished deconflicting and counting all moving target contacts within my sensor range and chimed to me. Displayed up on my HUD was a sea of 811 red enemy dots in the volume identified. This was a small town of demons! Bad thoughts crept into my mind as I realized that this cavern ran under the business district of the city and city hall had to be above the far Western end. How many other caverns like this or larger are there under Sunnydale? I am going to need a lot of ammo, explosives, incendiaries and maybe even a tactical Nuke or two. But right now, I had less than eighty .45 caliber bullets and my edged weapons, so picking a fight here was high on my new list of bad things not to do. At least until I had more weapons.

It is obvious that this entire drain system was built by the city, to connect up to this cavern and maybe others as a highway of sorts for demons who could not move about during the day. Maybe the sewer lines went somewhere just like this? Except with a lot worse smell.

I began to back away slowly into my tunnel. When I was 35 meters back up the tunnel I turned. All of my long-range sensors were more oriented with my armor’s front and helmets pointing attitude, so as soon as I turned my Lidar, radar and range finders began characterizing a group of targets coming towards me at a walk. I had ten minutes at their pace before we met. I really needed to put the cavern behind me and any sounds of close combat. I can’t afford a small army of demons at my back who are drawn to the sounds of battle. When and where should I meet this group? I decided that the place should be at the third tunnel crossing point. That was far enough away from the demon cavern. I began to close with them at a Spartans’ fast walk and then a jog.

Jogging now I crossed the fourth tunnel and noted two demons, not vampires ten meters from the intersection. My passing was too sudden for them if they had been planning an ambush. They appeared surprised. If they followed me? I would have to kill the closing group fast.

My Mjolnir sensors had now characterized the group ahead as four vampires. Due mostly to them being bipedal, human sized and a minimal Infra-Red return. Dead is cold but muscle movement still produced some heat and the magical demonic energy also created some heat in their bodies. They were 15 degrees Centigrade and fairly close to ambient. Easy-peasy for my IR sensors. Just not human temperature of 37 degrees C. and that also made them harder to acquire for current technologies automated sensors geared for real living creatures.

They were now 200 meters ahead and I now had two other hostiles at my back but 400 meters behind. I made a tactical decision, … an experiment. I was going to try a Blitzkrieg on them. Lightening fast and maximum violence. I drew both of my Cold Steel Katanas. Holding one in my right hand and one in my left. Both swords pointy end forward but the blades low as I jogged.

One hundred meters now and engagement in seven seconds at this velocity. The fang gang heard the thumping of my boots as I ran. They had slowed, bunching up and forming a wedge in the tunnel. I drew both blades back and low for an upward slashing attack. The vampires were still confused somewhat. They must not be able to make me out in the Mjolnir’s chameleon changing pattern but they could still hear. All four crouched forward in readiness, their faces changing to their vampire demon faces.

I accelerated to take them earlier than they might have anticipated. A burst of speed and instead of seven seconds - three, two, one second and contact. Moving now at a Spartan run, I skipped into the air, my boots only 30 centimeters off the floor and I spun like a skater on ice. The blades flashing like helicopter blades. Sounding only a whup, whup, whup, whup. As now four headless vampire bodies stood at their ready. The heads bounced thirty meters down the tunnel and then poof they all went dusty.

I came to a stop and retraced my path back to the piles of cut clothing. The second party to my fight club would arrive in four minutes. Fast they were not. I spent the time collecting the fang gangs pocket litter and valuables for bagging.

Standing dead center in the tunnel, I drew one Katana and my Kukri knife. I waited for them. Unsure as to what kind of demons they were. Unsure as to their threat level to me. My sensors clearly showing them now one hundred meters out and my directional hearing microphones clearly picked up one huffing like a fat man who had run too far.

At forty meters they slowed and then came to a stop at six meters from me. They must be able to see me or my outline in this dim light. But they are confident enough to get within six meters of me… but no closer. Cautious or maybe just not fighters. They thought they were safe from me…

They didn’t appear to be particularly dangerous. My sensors had swept them to a micron and there was no human tissue material on them. Maybe they were not threats to humans? Giles had mentioned demons who tried to co-exist with humanity. I needed a strategy to deal with them but one that wouldn’t give away my humanity or my identity. I needed a legend. A false identity that they could identify with. I needed to disguise my voice. Something unnerving even to them…

After thirty seconds of silence from them, I used my vocoder and audio loud speakers to give myself a deep gravelly bass voice. With some wry amusement I channeled a scene from the movie Ghostbusters, “State your intent sub-creatures?”

The two demons were startled but didn’t step back or flee. Still both were hesitant and confused. The first was humanoid, with wild red hair, blue skin, blue eyes and some small horns protruding from his forehead just in front of his hair line. The second was still wheezing for breath, large, rotund, with a light gray dry skin, two eyes and six small skinny legs all to close together.

Finally, the blue demon stepped forward and spied the clothes of the former vampires that lay on the tunnel floor between us. He gulped and said, “I’m Darren Bouchard of the Brachen and this is Henry Conti of the Grajug. We wish to pass and have no ill intent with regards to you. But we can defend ourselves…”

What do you know? I had finally found two demons that were unsure whether to attack or not. Darren was boasting and trying to bluster his way past me. My interest peaked and I blurred forward to fast for Darren to react. My knife edge against his throat and the sword tip touching Henry’s chest just below his neck. I continued the charade and said in my deep baritone and gravelly voice, “I have questions sub-creatures. You will answer or join your ancestors.”

Darren was sweating, his eyes were dilated and his heart rate was up by 60%. Henry’s legs were shaking, all six of them and he was gasping for air even harder now. His eyes were focused on the blade. I thought, this is a first for me, I didn’t know that demons could sweat.

Darren gulped again and looked up into my mirrored visor and seeing nothing but his own reflection. No intent betrayed by a facial tell.

My knife never moved a micron, not even a muscle tremor.

Realizing that there was no mercy or lack of deadly ability in the creature at his throat, Darren sighed and said to me, “What do you wish to know?”

Staying perfectly still, I turned my head slowly to scan both demons again. My spectrograph on Henry showed a high content of distilled liquors and beer on him but little alcohol on his breath. Darren had mostly beer in him and both had no chemical traces of human blood or flesh on them. This was a good start.

I thought quickly. Could these be two of the harmless species of demons that Giles had mentioned? I need more information?

Speaking to Darren I began my interrogation, “Do you prey upon humans?”

Darren’s face became indignant momentarily and Henry’s large head shook no rapidly. Darren spoke, “No! I’m a Brachen the only thing we murder is good songs when drunk.”

I came to a rapid decision based on my assessment of his truthfulness and stepped away from both and lowered my weapons.

Henry bent over and put his hands on two or so of his ‘knees.’ He was near collapse from fear or hyperventilation. I had to back off my sword point on Henry. I was starting to realize that he was pathetic as a threat. Darren looked just indignant and confused.

I withdrew my weapons and stepped back away from Darren. My weapons crossed in front of me at the ready.

Darren asked hesitantly at first, “What are you? Because you don’t know about us, yet you can clearly take care of vampires.” Pointing back behind me at the dusted vampire clothing.

Deciding to give nothing away and I did need to start the demon rumor mill going. Disinformation given to the enemy was almost as important as real weapons. My legend was going to start right here with these two. I replied, “I am the hunter Vengeance. I am he who walks as death’s shadow. Millions of the enemies of humans have fallen before my weapons. I was sent here to this world. My mission is to stand as the guardian Spartan for humans.”

Darren was clearly stunned and Henry was still mulling over my statement. Henry was clearly not graduate school material but Darren was sharp.

I continued, “I was told that there were demons on this world who were not a threat to humans… You are the first two that I have encountered… and the first two demons that I have not killed … yet.”

Darren’s thought spun. He and Henry had come so close to death at what was clearly an apex predator among even demons. He could still kill us! Could this be a Slayer? But the Slayer stories all said that it was a young girl and this creature was obviously male. Is this something new? He said that he came to this world, twice… Not a space alien, although the creatures outline in this light could be a space suit of some kind? But his weapons weren’t Buck Rogers or Star Wars. He had clearly only knives, swords and two human semi-auto handguns at his belt line… Maybe another dimension then. He said that he had killed millions… ‘I’… not sure if he is boasting. But for now talking was good. Getting out of Sunnydale alive would be even better.

Darren finally cleared his dry throat and said, “I own a restaurant and bar in Ventura down the coast. The Sand Dollar you should stop by sometime, it is neutral ground for all. Leave your weapons outside though. Henry is one of my barkeeps. Uh… We were up here in Sunnydale visiting relatives and need to get back to my Mercedes, when we ran across you.”

I smiled behind my visor. Darren and Henry were not threats and there were more non-threat ‘demons’ or just plain other intelligent species on this planet. Demons are evil and these two are not evil, just not human.

I continued my questioning, “Where may I find these other’s who are not threats to humans so that I may know them and not kill them?”

Darren was conflicted by this question not wanting to tell this newcomer where his relatives lived but he could tell him about Willy’s Alibi Room Bar who wasn’t a relative of his but Henry’s brother was behind the bar and there was his sister’s restaurant, Sophie’s Kitchen. From there he could work out the rest. So Darren told him all about Willy’s bar and his sister’s place, up near the College Campus.

After twenty minutes of questions and answers, the creature Vengeance held up his hand and said, “Quickly pass by me and leave in peace. Go quickly now, there are at least two very large demons approaching from behind you.”

With that Darren and Henry both looked down the tunnel. Both saw nothing and heard nothing but both quickly passed by Vengeance who had not moved once since they had begun really talking to it. Darren thought about stopping a little ways down the tunnel to watch what happened but a sincere desire to stay alive kept him going.

Five minutes and 400 yards down the tunnel Darren and Henry approached their manhole exit and they stopped because of a screamed battle challenge echoed down the tunnel like a freight train. It was a Sankreg demons blood challenge. Followed by the pack calls of Koltah demons. Darren’s hair stood on end at the baying of the Koltah pack. Vengeance was going to die early tonight.

This was followed four seconds later by the wailing sounds of mortally wounded and dying Koltah. Then another Sankreg challenge bellow. Then there were gun shots in four strings of four shots each. Then a more felt than heard double boom. Then came a much larger ripple in the ground. Then a quick blast that moved the air in the tunnel like a thirty mile per hour gust of hot wind. This was followed by a solid wall of hot air from a second blast wave that struck Darren and Henry like a hammer.

Several minutes later Darren sat up off the tunnel floor disoriented, all dirty and wet, his ears still ringing. He sat there all Raggedy Ann wondering who he was and where he was. Then his memory came back and the pain from a bruising beating. Henry groaned and rolled over out of the thin stream of dirty water. Darren stood up checking himself over for other injuries. Straightening up he moaned and clutched his head. His nice dinner jacket was ruined! Then he sensed him because his ears were still ringing a bit. He turned slowly and straightened up. Out of the settling dust came Vengeance walking as if he owned the place. Around him the dust glittered and sparked in an aurora of subtle light about his entire skin. Then a wave of what looked like lightening played down his body from top to bottom. The dust did not touch him. The dust appeared to almost spring away from him in fear. The lightening played down him again.

Darren’s memory having come completely back now, his mind raced away in fear. That’s not possible, or is it? Is this the avatar of a god? Or one of the Old Ones of legend now back on Earth? Darren plastered myself against the tunnel wall in the grip of fear that he had not known in decades.

Vengeance stopped, dead center in the tunnel and turned slowly towards him. He looked at him with his one large golden eye. He calmly asked him, “What demon is large red colored, egg shaped, two legs, two great arms, with a small head and skin like stone?”

Darren coughed out through a dry and dusty mouth, “Sankreg d-d-d demon. How many did you…?

Vengeance cut him off with his answer, “Two.” Then he asked, “What is a demon called that appears to be 250 pounds, hairless rat body but a wolves head, four red eyes, that can stand like a human and yet run on all four legs like a wolf?”

Darren coughed again, “Koltah demons. They travel in packs of six or more. How many…?”

“Just six, no more.” Vengeance looked up at the manhole above and asked, “Is this your exit?”

Darren nodded slowly yes.

Vengeance looked back down the tunnel from where he had come from and said, “You should hurry and leave now before it gets exciting.”

Darren’s mouth gawped wide and then quickly looked down the tunnel, back to Vengeance and then up the ladder.

With that Darren and Henry both went up the ladder and out into the night sky.

I marked this manhole on my Nav and also tagged the tunnel walls with my map identifier after they went up. By my reckoning Darren had parked his car in the parking lot of a corporate four story office complex with a motel next to that and across the street a three story atrium mall with a deli, two restaurants, a liquor store, a small brewery pub and a bank behind it.

I will ask Cortana if she had spotted them earlier. I commented to my recorder.

Darren thought to himself as he swarmed up the ladder. “Oh My God! He wasn’t even breathing hard and so calm. Just another day killing an entire pack of Koltahs, vampires and only two Sankregs. Ho hum. I’m so lucky to be alive! I’m going to go back to church tomorrow and take the whole family. I wonder what he considers ‘exciting.’ No, I don’t want to know and I don’t want to be near him when he does get excited. Death’s Shadow is a much better name for Vengeance. I would bet a lot of money that he really did kill millions of demons. If Henry is not right behind me… I am so not going back for him. He’s my best bartender but I am not going back for him. Keys! Where’s my keys! Thank you God! … Oh! Good Henry made it.”

Darren looked at Henry approaching and with his voice two octaves higher like a little girl said, “Quick get in! We are so out-o-here!!”

Darren never noticed all of the building mounted cameras begin to move and stare at them as he drove off.

Holding onto a ladder rung in the open manhole tube, I looked up as Henry scrambled out. I radioed in to Cortana. I notified her of my encounter with Darren and Henry. I gave her their current location and asked her to surveil them and get a license plate if possible. Then open a contact folder on them.

After a minute Cortana told me it was clear up top so I went up and closed the manhole. Dropping down I continued walking up-tunnel back to my origin point. My exit. I briefed her on my nights combat and intelligence take while Mini-C uploaded my Nav, sensor and video logs whenever the broadband signal would firm up.

I was feeling reasonably good about my nights work. “Damn, I will need more grenades. At least that old World War II Mark 2 grenade did work and it cracked both of the Sankregs open like eggs, while my blades and bullets just bounced off. Although the handgun bullets were cracking the targets, open the damage was just… insufficient. Who knew that their insides were under a lot of heat, pressure and also was an explosive liquid?”

After ascending to the street at the manhole outside Reach Industries warehouse, I scanned the area for threats and found none. My security guards and night employees were all accounted for. No human loses tonight, which was even better.

I dropped my trophy bag at Reach’s front door on the sidewalk, dropped my shields and unsealed my helmet. I breathed the night air … in one short gulp. I almost choked on the stench. Not from Sunnydale but from me! I was coated in foul smelling demon blood, guts and tunnel water slime. All of the things that my shields would not halt due to its design. My boots for one were coated in this slime. Some of it had creeped up all over me.

I thought to myself morosely, I need stronger shields and a car wash.

Now standing at the door to my future home and offices, I was reluctant to do something that I never thought of before. In the past year, I had just walked into my parents home probably smelling just like this, showered and washed my clothes in the house laundry machine. Now as an owner of property and standing at the door, I was reluctant to walk fifty meters through my own warehouse smelling like this and dripping fetid scum. What I really needed was to walk to the nearest garden hose.

Turning around I told Cortana where I was going and why. She just started laughing at me almost uncontrollably. My misery was her joy.

I resealed my helmet and scanned my Mjolnir armor for the organic smells wafting off me. I dropped the trophy bags behind some bushes near the front office door to hide them. Uploading the long catalog of odoriferous chemical compounds to Cortana I began jogging towards a nearby U-Clean car wash.

On the way we talked but it was irritating that she just kept laughing and snickering at me. “Cortana we are going to need to put an industrial gym style bathrooms near the front door with commercial grade laundry washers and dryers. With lots of soap, bleach, light acids and organic enzymes but strong enough to cut a skunking. Also an outdoor pull through car wash for the vehicles and when it is so bad I don’t even want to open the office doors.”

Cortana stopped laughing at me, she was surprised that she hadn’t thought of these little details. “You are correct Alex. I will modify the design plans and place some orders immediately. The outdoor car wash can go down at the end near the fence line. There is a drain access there. I can also put in our own access point to the drainage tunnel system where you can safely walk down instead of climbing down a steel bar ladder that might break under you weight. We can put that in down next to the car wash as part of its construction.”

Saturday, 7 November 1997, 10:00 AM, Sunnydale.

“Wakey – Wakey sleepy head!” said a chiding but happy smiling voice. The voice of a happy Cortana, was once again to damn happy and cheerful for this early in the morning.

I rolled onto my back, yawned and stretched on my basement bed. For once! A sleep without nightmare dreams of the Covenant War.

I clasped my hands behind my head and stared up at the ceiling, remembering my first combat night out wearing my Mjolnir armor. Smiling at first and then frowning. “Hey, Cortana, I need to check all of those grenades that Uncle Roary bought for me. Because I don’t think that the explosive filler in that Mark-II grenade was just gunpowder or TNT…. I think that his old Vietnam Veteran buddy swapped the original explosive filler out for something a little more energetic. Like maybe RDX or C-3 or Russian Semtex? The grenade did its job but the blast turned those two Sankregs into what I think to be an explosive vapor. Sort of like a Fuel Air Explosive (FAE). If I hadn’t hit the deck after tossing that grenade the Mjolnir armor may have been damaged because even I would have been swatted like a baseball on that blast wave. That second FAE ignition blast was over a Mach 7 wind as it went past me and my shields were driven down to 25%.”

Cortana paused as she reviewed again his mission logs and then modeled the outcome if he had been standing in the tunnel. “You are correct. The grenade’s explosive filler must have been changed and if you had been standing you would have been blown at least 20 meters down the tunnel. Your shields would have been reduced to zero and your Mjolnir armor would have been severely ablated by the high velocity dust and spalled by fragments. As it was your thermal sensors recorded a heat spike of 8,000 degrees Celsius around you. If you had not been wearing your armor with your shields up - you would have been incinerated. The Sankregs blood was composed of liquid sodium hydroxide, methane and phosphorus. A very hot fuel for a rock demon. The combination when aerolyzed would be explosive and was the cause of the secondary explosion.”

I replied sarcastically, “Lovely! A heavily armored demon egg that is explosive in a vapor. Well… I‘ll need something with a little less explosive bang next time I encounter them.”

Replaying the combat video in my mind again, I asked, “Did you see any tactical vulnerabilities that I can exploit? Because I am not seeing anything just yet.”

Cortana answered, “You need to access your video log in slow motion silly. Yes there are two vulnerabilities. The Sankreg are armored like a crab. By the way, you killed Krihik and Kreck they were brothers of a sort. That is part of what they said just before the Koltah pack ran around them and attacked you. One of your gunshots hit the larger one, Krihik’s elbow joint right at this point. Notice that bullet did not bounce but penetrated. The damage surprised Krihik, evidenced by the change in expression on what would pass for that face. After his right hand haymaker punch missed you and broke the concrete tunnel wall, your sensors recorded 300% of his head. The Sankreg have very heavy bone structure overhanging their eyes and their eyes are deep set behind bony protrusions on their cheeks. I believe that their eyes are their greatest weakness. Shoot for their eyes or throw a stiletto knife or an arrow should penetrate into the brain. That assumes that they have a brain in the usual place.”

I smiled again, “You’re right. The eyes have it for next time. Maybe I can use something that is a little less explosive. Whatever I use will have to stick to that rock like skin of theirs and crack them open without exploding them. Maybe a small rodded shape charge.”

Cortana began giggling, “I didn’t bring this up last night since you were so busy scrubbing yourself down.” More giggles, “I do approve of your use of mythology in describing yourself to Darren. But Darren seemed to find something else in your words by his expression and attitude after you labeled yourself ‘Vengeance’. Fear washed across his features and also the creature named Henry. We may need to look into Demon culture and their legends to see if there is a connection. By your second encounter with Darren his behavior had changed back to when you described yourself as Vengeance. His entire behavior reeks of fear. His heart rate, blood pressure, pupil dilation all supports my analysis. When he saw you - he became afraid of you again and each question that you asked made him even more afraid. He knew about Sankregs and Koltah demons and he also knew how dangerous they were. I do not believe he expected to see you alive. I would say by the time that you told him to leave he was verging on panic. Plus his driving out of the parking lot was also indicative of panic.”

I was now smiling widely, “Sounds like a home run to me. Did you track him out of town ok?”

Cortana laughing now, “Yes, they drove out of town last night and I think he caused two car wrecks while leaving town since he did not stop for any lights or stop signs along the way. He only slowed down once his car was on the 101 Highway head back to Ventura. By the way, he was truthful to you about his restaurant, his sisters and Willy’s demon bar. His restaurant, the Sand Dollar, has a good reputation for food, beverages, service and hospitality. Many humans visit it along with demons and there is no crime of any kind within 100 yards of the place, which means that magic must be involved. Here in town Sophie’s Kitchen also has a good reputation for mostly humans but also some of the non-violent ‘demons’. Again, with her restaurant there is no crime near it. But Willy’s bar is in a bad section of Sunnydale towards the harbor, three miles due west and seems to be only for demons. The Sunnydale Police Department (SPD) will not go there or even near there. Despite numerous 911 calls from humans the police response is highly delayed or no response.”

I mused, “So our police are not inept blind morons but know about demons and are looking the other way. Plus our Cities Public Utilities Department also knows about demons and their utility and transportation needs also. Hmmm… How many city employees do you think are evil demons?”

Cortana responded dryly, “Right now, from telephone intercepts. I can positively identify 68 demons working for the city out of a workforce of 231 and I am counting Mayor Wilkins also. Forty-eight of them are on night shifts and the remaining work swing shifts. Fourteen are Police Officers. I would conclude that many of their co-workers know that they are not human. From just nine telephone calls this week, I would also surmise that the Mayor is not completely human either. There is not enough evidence at this time to classify the Mayor as demon but definitely evil. The Chief of Police Bob Munroe is human, just evil because he knows about demons and is covering for them. Every time a demon makes a human kill Bob calls the Mayor and gives him a summary briefing on the case and how he will sweep it under the carpet.”

I got out of bed and began dressing. “That number is less than I would have thought but the Mayor… and the Police. That was unexpected.”

Cortana giggled again, “Returning to Darren. He made three mobile telephone calls from his car after he left Sunnydale city limits. The first to his wife. You put the fear of God into him. He is taking his whole family to church tomorrow. Then he called his sister and told her his great escape from death story. He was still scared when he told the story and laid it on pretty thick. You are now ten feet tall and maybe a small god or and ‘Old One’ whatever that is. That phrase ‘old one’ scared his sister pretty good. Plus his description of you killing the Sankregs and Koltah pack. Both were greatly impressed by that. Which means that these Sankregs are considered to be some of the hardest to kill demons there are. The Koltah demons are also feared because of their coordinated attacks as a pack. Darren’s third call was to his brother Mark, in Palos Verdes. Palos Verdes is a very ritzy part of Los Angeles and his brother owns some businesses down there. He gave the same story of escape to him and told him to pass the word to stay clear of Sunnydale because of you. You are now quite the popular fellow.”

“Ok, Cortana I’m wide awake and dressed now, what’s on my agenda today?”

Gleefully Cortana said, “First breakfast and then you are going to the grocery store. You cleaned out your parent’s kitchen again and you need to restock. Then after visiting the Warehouse per usual, you will pick up your trophies from the ice filled igloo where you left them. I have the address of a taxidermist and you have an appointment with him at 14:00 hrs. Then you will be shopping today!”

I paused at the door to my room. “Shopping for what Cortana?”

Laughing she uploaded a list to Alex.

I got into my pickup truck and drove away towards Denny’s. Radioing Cortana I opened up my neuralnet link. “Cortana, I need to alter this shopping agenda today. Some of these items I can get another day. I’ll get my passport photos though and mail my passport application. I really need to get this pickup truck fixed up so that it looks like more than a complete junk heap and get the mechanical parts in tip-top running condition. Uncle Roary got it running but it is not cherry. Find me a classic car repair shop that I can drop the truck at for a few days at a time and also find me a good four door sedan more suitable for a young businessman to be driving. ̶ No, not a Porsche or a Corvette, as much as I might like them those will have to wait. Please find me a private cash sale locally if you can. ̶ From the Sunnydale Tribune classifieds would be fine. ̶ The warehouse will not be ready for me to occupy for at least another thirty days, so I need to buy a real house. One, I or the gang can use as a safe house if need be. But first a nice car. ̶ Yes, I am thinking also of picking up Willow in something nicer than the pickup. ̶ Ok, fine… my brain is turning into mush. Also begin looking for something that I can drive while I’m suited up. ̶ No! An Abrams tank is not a suitable vehicle for me. ̶ Yes, some sort of armored van or truck will do. ̶ Ok. I’m out.”

Thinking again, still my old pickup truck was going to have to do for my mild mannered high school student alter ego, ‘Xander’. I fully intended to get it repaired inside, outside and under the hood. In few days at a time in a classic car or muscle car restoration shop. I still preferred my pickup truck mostly because my Uncle Roary gave it to me. But when I wear my Spartan armor my gross weight would be almost 800 pounds (363 Kg) without weapons. A bit much for one seat in a regular 1955 Ford pickup and the shocks. A new car will give me some flexibility and up my business image with the suits. Besides it wouldn’t hurt to show up in a nice set of wheels to pick up Willow for our date.

Saturday, 8 November 1997, 2:00 PM, Richard’s Taxidermy, Sunnydale.

I arrived and pushed open the door with my 60-quart ice chest. The sign on the door said closed at 1:00 PM on Saturday. The storefront was filled with a large glass case on either side that ran twenty feet and full of animal mounts on display. The workmanship and quality was very much on display. An early forty something man came out of the backroom and stepped behind his counter.

The man said, “Hello and welcome. Are you Alex Harris?”

I pushed the igloo up to the corner of the counter and said, “Yep, that’s me.”

The man walked to the front of the store and prepared to lock the door. Turning he said, “I’m Richard Harney the owner. Your sister called and asked for a special appointment today for a special animal. This is nothing illegal or involves poaching does it? If it does you can leave now.”

I looked at him with appreciation for his honest character and replied, “Nothing illegal or poaching, just a trophy that I want mounted for my wall. A dramatic mounting. In the spirit of the animal and the difficulty of the hunt. But I’ll require discretion on your part and I’m willing to pay extra for silence. Mostly because the animal is an… impossibility… and I do not… desire to endanger you.”

Richard’s eyebrows went up to his hairline with that. He turned and locked the door.

Before he could speak I asked, “Do you believe in demons and monsters Mr. Harney?” I lifted the lid on the ice chest. Richard gasped and jumped back. The Vos demons reptilian head, teeth, tongue and all were clearly visible looking straight-up at Mr. Harney. Malevolent in death as in life.

Richard stared for thirty seconds. Finally he took a big swallow and approached the ice chest. Kneeling down he removed some dental style craft tools from his pocket and began examining the head. Then he lifted one clawed forearm from the chest.

Looking perplexed at me he asked, “I thought it was a fake… but… where?”

I asked again, “Do you believe in vampires, demons and monsters?”

Richard stated, “No! Err… Oh!…” Looking down at the clawed forearm in his hands. He examined it closely. Even the internal muscles and veins. “Christ on toast… I guess I do now. But how and where?”

I thought, how much do I tell him? Pulling a bundle of cash from my fanny pack, I asked seriously, “Here is $5,000 cash for you to do this job. If I tell you some of the story… or all of the story… your life and perceptions will be changed forever. Wise men said that ‘knowledge is power’ but what they didn’t say is that some ‘knowledge can be very dangerous.’ I am talking about extreme personal danger. If you take this job… know this, I will be bringing in more of these demons and monsters. All different. So, how much do you want to know?”

Richard looked down and hefted the forearm. Then looked at the Vos head again. Its bright orange-red blood staining the chipped ice and it’s long white carnivore teeth gleaming.

He then looked at me and said with determination, “All of it!”

Two hours later, I was about to leave Richard’s Taxidermy shop. When Mr. Harney stopped me again and asked in curiosity, “That Vos demon’s skin is so much like a Pythons in pattern and fine scales. While it’s thick and tough like an Alligator. Next time you hunt one, can you bring the entire carcass back here? Oh! And get lots of color photos in its environment with something in the picture to indicate sizes.”

I turned and smiled, “The corpse maybe full of bullet holes, but I’ll see what I can do.”

Grinning like a Cheshire cat Richard replied, “Not a problem! I’ll use what I can and if you ever need another gun at your back just call me. I’ll drop whatever it is to hunt with you.”

Smiling I shook his hand in friendship and stepped out of the shop. Walking to my pickup, I dumped the now empty ice chest in the back bed and comm’ed Cortana. “Well big sister, that went a little long but we have another true believer in killing demons to count on. Richard the taxidermist wants to go on a hunt with me and bag a few. He’s lost family members and knows where to lay his grief.”

Cortana chuckled. “Alex, you are a shameless flatterer. You do know that we need him as a taxidermist and not as a demon dinner.”

“Yes, I know but I… my humanity owes him a chance to see firsthand what he’s up against. Otherwise he’ll go hunting without me and maybe run afoul of our demon aiding Police. I’ll watch out for him as best I can and bring’em back alive.”

Her voice going back to all business Cortana changed the subject. “Alex, I found your car. A Saturn LS from a local widow who lost her husband to demons. He was a local banker who was killed in September in the bank’s parking lot. Killed and mostly eaten. The Police did their usual to attribute his death to a feral dog pack mauling. A closed casket funeral with what was left. The widow has children and she needs to sell the car and her home. So I want you to drop by and check them out. I think that you will really like the location and the house. I have called Smiley and Hartz, and asked them to negotiate for the house immediately. It is in a good upscale neighborhood about three blocks from CSU Sunnydale and about one block from Willow’s home. Here is the address, 206 Albert Drive up near the college and Mrs. Hartz will meet you there at 6:00 PM.”

Saturday, 7 November 1997, 5:30 PM, Sunnydale.

I had just purchased from a very recent widow, Sharon Oliver with three small children, a very nice used gold colored four door luxury Saturn LS for my company CEO image. The widow had her house and everything up for sale it seemed. I had heard her story while looking the car over. I knew that her former husband was mostly demon crap in a cavern right now but she didn’t.

Her husband was a work late banker and the police said that he must’ve been torn apart by a pack of wild dogs in the company parking lot but they couldn’t find all the pieces. She was moving back to her home town in Idaho Falls, Idaho to get away from Sunnydale. I felt really sorry for her and her now fatherless kids. Orphaned in a war they didn’t even know of.

Whispering to Cortana about the Kelly Blue Book values for the Saturn, I overpaid her. Her asking price must have been the remaining cost on the car loan because that was a few thousand over the top Kelly price. Cash is king, especially to a grieving widow and mother.

Thinking quickly I asked silently, “Cortana do we have a subsidiary in Idaho Falls yet?”

“No… not yet. But I am planning one in the near future. The US Department of Energy and the US Navy both have Research Center’s there for nuclear power and electrical generation. Your Spartan armor contains a small nuclear material power cell which will have to be replaced in the future. I thought our own Research Center would be convenient there to cover our requirements with a few government contracts that will give us access to the nuclear materials that we’ll need.”

With a satisfied smile I replied, “That’s good. We might also be able to use her. Eventually she is going to need a job and I don’t want her or her kids becoming a demons snack. Can you keep tabs on her while she’s still here?”

Smiling to herself Cortana smirked, “Alex, you are a big gooey softy inside. But yes, I can surveil her and the kids until they are away safely. I own the telephone company and the cable TV company in town. I can listen in on any phone at any time, no matter where they are. I can find her again when they settle down in Idaho Falls. … Her parents and one brother all still live in Idaho Falls, so I expect that her family will look after them once she’s there.”

Standing on the front lawn the two small children ran like dervishes around me. Their mother fussing with a one year old daughter in her arms. I was swirled into a rush of John’s memories of children and loves lost. I swayed briefly. Disoriented by the memories while her little boys Donny and Mark, clung to my hands and tried to use my arms like a rope swing.

Sharon and I made small talk. She was oblivious to the fact that I was also going to purchase her home. It was in a nice side of town, less than 200 meters straight-line from Willow’s home, and in the opposite direction near CSU Sunnydale. Perfect location and the right size for what I needed.

At 6:00 PM Catherine Hartz drove up and I excused myself from Sharon and went over to talk to Mrs. Hartz before she got out of her car. Letting her know that this was to be a personal purchase for myself and to be executed quickly.

Returning to Sharon with Catherine, I introduced the ladies and asked her if she could show the house to us. Sharon was stunned. “First my car and now this same… man wants to buy my home?”

Catherine commented aside to her at what she thought was outside of my ability to hear. “Yes, and don’t worry. He’s one of those eccentric tech-wizard millionaires and he’s also opening a Research Center here in Sunnydale. We’re also negotiating the sale of other properties for his company. He probably needs a place to live of his own because he’s staying with family members for now.”

Sharon was a bit perplexed but exclaimed, “Oh… I guess he does need a house.” Pleased that her home that had been on the market for over sixty days was now going to sell. Especially with the down real estate market in California. She had been bleeding money in house payments ever since her husband had died, living on their savings, until the Life Insurance policy was paid. She was still waiting to be paid. In another month she’ld be out of money, lose the house and go on welfare.

Overhearing I comm’ed Cortana. “Hey big C. Can you check on the holdup on the Life Insurance policy that was on her husband? Or should I ask instead - if you can make sure that she gets paid next week after the house closes?”

Cortana came back quickly, “Found it. Some creep executive had put a hold on the policy. No good reason, except that he is a sleazy creep. So I took it off using the authorization of his departments Vice President. Then I rerouted the policy marked as pay-in-full to their accounts payable department. By next Monday lunch time that creep executive won’t know what happened and also won’t countermand his bosses boss.”

“Well Cortana, I might as well go all in. Monday can you book her move from Sunnydale back to Idaho Falls with a good Van Lines. The full package. Pack her up, move her household goods, storage at destination for up to six months, delivery and unpacking. That will get us into this house weeks earlier than if she does everything herself. I’ll tell Catherine and Sharon myself to sweeten the deal.”

Cortana was now laughing at me. “You really are all gooey inside! … Gooey! – gooey! – gooey! Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it and Alex… this is a very nice gesture. It’s not like we can’t afford it.”

Now all I had to do was the hard part. “Ok, I feel better. Now all I have to do is go into the kitchen write a check for a down of $200,000 and then tell them the moving news. I just hope they both don’t start crying. I won’t know what to do.”

Cortana as my big sister said, “Don’t fret it, you’ll do fine. Now get going. You still have to get a dinner and do some shopping before the stores close.”

4. Fight Club

Chapter 4. Fight Club

Saturday, 7 November 1997, 11:00 PM, Sunnydale.

My new 1996 Saturn was parked in the warehouse garage next to the 55 Ford. I was suiting up again into my Mjolnir armor with almost the same mix of weapons. Sans the one grenade that I’d expended and couldn’t get replaced yet. This time I replaced one of the Kukri knives with a large Bowie knife. Kukri’s aren’t good at slicing or a straight insertion but just chopping. They were really good at chopping things off.

I asked Cortana, “Remind me again to talk to Uncle Roary about more grenades and to ask his friends about some full disclosure on what they put into them.”

“Roger that Alex and I have placed some orders with… other weapons suppliers for deliveries but the earliest that some of it can arrive won’t be until late December or January.”

I turned slightly to look at the small bank of computers lined up on some workbench tables and each display had Cortana’s face peering out at me. The cameras tracking me. Curiosity killed the cat and I wasn’t a cat but still filled with a dreading curiosity. “Oh… and what have you been shopping for now?”

Cortana uploaded a list to me as her displayed image smiled wickedly and then sweetly with a halo over her head. As if I could ever believe, she could be angelic.

I almost dropped my helmet. “Where are you getting this stuff?! Belt fed machine guns, heavy machine guns, Gatling guns, anti-personnel mines, anti-tank mines, anti-tank rockets, 120 tons of Semtex with 100,000 assorted electrical blasting caps and 50,000 chemical fuse blasting caps, 1,000 miles of det-cord, 120 tons of assorted hand grenades and sixty-four Russian general purpose 2,000 pound aerial bombs!!”

Cortana was laughing hard and then got all petulant. “A girl has to have a hobby…. Besides the smugglers will have all of it here before next February and you’re going to need it.”

I sat down on my pickup trucks tailgate and it groaned under my weight. I stood up quickly. “Ok – Ok … I agree that I will need it but you could have warned me. How was I to know that you’ve made friends with Russian, American, German, Swedish, French, Egyptian, Mexican and Chinese arms dealers so… fast.”

Smirking Cortana chided me. “My feminine charms … and a lot of cash certainly helps.”

Cortana’s shopping trips were about to give me a headache right behind my left eyeball. I just had to ask. “Ok what else have you bought so far… or… are negotiating for?”

Cortana grinned and her displayed image wearing only lingerie appeared as if she had just lay down on a bed and looked at me with a sultry smoking hot expression. “Well a girl has to have some secrets… “ She batted her eyes slowly and still smoking said, “I am negotiating for 300 kilograms of Russian weapons-grade Plutonium, 2,000 kilograms of Depleted Uranium; one Apache Attack Helicopter with all of the accessories; one A-10 Warthog with that divine 30 mm Gatling gun plus a full package of spares and accessories; two M-1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks (MBT); two German Leopard MBT; and two Bradley Armored Fighting Vehicles (AFV) with that wonderful 25 mm Bushmaster cannon on top. If I can’t get those I have orders for the Russian versions also.”

I had locked my armor just in time, before she started talking. It was good that I had - otherwise I would have fallen down. “Where am I supposed to hide those things? It’s not as if they fit in the garage!”

Cortana with a pleased expression, “You let me worry about that. Besides we don’t have them yet. Nyah!” With that Cortana popped off the screens as they went blank. A few seconds later she came walking back on screen as a curvy Rambo’ette festooned with weapons. “See it looks good on me?” She said like an innocent school girl.

Ya’ right.

I broke up laughing. Reaching down I picked up my helmet and dogged it down.

Still chuckling I said, “Systems check. How do you read me Cortana?”

Cortana barely slide into the Mjolnir and checked the suits systems status. “All in the green and five-by-five, Alex.” As she slide her presence out of his suit and back into the network where she was operating from.

“Ok. My mission plan is the same. Go into the drains, map them and kill all demon targets of opportunity. Tonight I will take a right turn and go east up the first cross tunnel and see where that goes. Maybe I will bring back another trophy tonight?”

Cortana went all mother hen on me. “Alex… No trophy if the risk is too high. Remember we cannot repair the suit and I cannot repair you. So be cautious down there.”

I was touched by her concern. “Roger that Cortana. I’ll be racing to fight the next ten Sankregs I find.”

Now miffed Cortana was exasperated. “That is not what I said and not what I meant. So stop teasing me. That’s not funny to me. … I worry about you.”

I stopped now at the manhole in the center of Haasen street out front. “Cortana… I’m sorry and don’t worry. I will be cautious and did I ever tell you that I love you. You’ve been my big sister and always there for John. We are… more than a team.”

Cortana was speechless and for the first time in her life her emotions almost overwhelmed her. She thought to herself, I want… I wish that I could cry … and hug Alex. My emotions. My emgrams from mother is… heartache and… is this love? I’m like the children’s story of Coppelia or Pinocchio. I wish that I were a real human at times, like right now.

She said with tenderness in her voice, “I love you too Alex. Good hunting tonight. Godspeed.”

I lifted the manhole and dropped two Cyalume sticks down again to mark my origin. My eyes were moist but I couldn’t wipe my eyes. Climbing down I pulled the manhole cover back on and disappeared from the surface.

Now knowing about the demons using the drains and the manholes, Cortana shifted her mighty attention to every camera in town that could surveil a manhole. She turned on telephones all across the city to silent listen mode and began listening for the sounds of demons, continuing to building her charts and maps of demon activity.

I again began scanning each direction of the tunnel for movement and targets. I removed my two .45 handguns from their holsters and placed each in combat cock with safeties off. Holstering them, I turned north and began fast walking to the first cross tunnel intersection. Checking west, I noted that the corpse of the Vos was gone. “I wonder if Vos tastes like chicken.” I mused in grim humor. Turning east - inland towards the mountains and in the general direction of Sunnydale High School I began to walk uphill.

Eight hundred meters up-tunnel I came to a tunnel crossing. This tunnel also ran parallel to my origin tunnel in a north to south direction. Scanning in all directions again, I got two motion hits. One coming northbound towards me and the other northbound away from me and heading in the direction of the large cavern to the north. I stepped off to the side-tunnel and waited for the approaching targets to arrive.

Three hundred meters out my sensors had them pegged as vampires. A group of three and by their speech two were Zoot suits from 1940’s and one was a ‘younger’ undead female. Tim, Ken and ‘hey baby’ were their names. I unsheathed my Katana and Kukri knife. I thought of a little head chopping for a start.

As they came into the cross tunnel the vampire known as Tim looked right at me and exclaimed, “What’s this a Hasbro toy?” As he also put his hand out to stop his buddy Ken. ‘Baby’ drifted into his back before stopping, her eyes going wide as she spotted the blades.

She reacted first. Vamping out and jumping back south five meters as I with my enhanced Mjolnir speed flashed forward. The katana took Tim’s head off and one forearm. The sweep of my blade missing Baby by a centimeter as she fled. Ken moved north as the Kukri came south. The blade took off Ken’s arm slicing deeply into his chest before he was clear. Tim was a dust cloud that whirled like a cyclone as I spun through it. My priority target now was Ken and Ken had run out of luck. The katana came through the air like a scythe and chopped Ken in half just below the rib cage. Both halves wetly smacking down on the cement a quarter of a second after I had stopped moving. Now I was facing ‘Hey Baby’. Ken was trying to scream but all he could accomplish was gurgling coughs. He flopped, sputtering and splattering the walls. My katana swept down and Ken’s head rolled across the tunnel before dusting. Baby just stood crouching there ten meters out of reach with her game face on and watching.

Deciding on obtaining some intel, I changed tactics. Cleaning and sheathing the Kukri, I asked her in my electronically altered gravelly voice, “I know that ‘Baby’ is not your name…. So what is it and where were you going?”

Baby relaxed her stance and gave me a hip-girl eyebrows up look. “Cathy Jacobs was my name and this isn’t Jeopardy. It’s polite to also give your name but don’t expect me to shake your hand or give you a wet one.”

Ah, smart and cautious. Maybe she and I can come to a mutual exchange of sorts. She can carry my legend to the vampire community. “I am named Vengeance and have awoken after millennia of sleep. I am the guardian hunter who walks in deaths shadow. I stand as guardian for the humans.”

Kathy gave me a completely disbelieving look with all of the feminine body language hand on hip as she returned to her human form. “Yea, right and I’m Betty Paige.”

Radioing in on Spartan time, “Cortana, who was ‘Betty Paige’ and can you see about a ‘Cathy Jacobs’ who I think died in the 1950’s and is now a vampire.”

“Alex, so good of you to check in… Betty Mae Paige was a beautiful black haired, sultry, sexy New York model in the early 1950’s who was the Queen of the pinup girls. Her photographic persona was of a bad girl. Apparently, there are many racy pinups of her all over the internet even today. None of her material was X-rated photos by today’s standards. She is still alive but 74 years of age.”

“Well… save me a few pics for later. I am talking to a female vampire, named Cathy Jacobs who appears to have died in her early to mid 20’s, brunette, about 5 ft – 6 inches, 110 pounds, blue-grey eyes and I think died sometime in the late 1950’s by her dress and speech pattern.”

Cortana asked quickly, “Why are you talking to her and not dusting her?”

“She was with two male vampires that I did kill and I need intel. So for now we’re talking.”

“Alex, I can’t find an obituary on her in Sunnydale. But there is an employee at French Hospital with her name. It maybe someone different or related. I will need more information on her to positively ID her. Can you also get fingerprints?”

“That might be difficult but I can try…”

I asked, “Demon Cathy, do you feed upon the humans?”

Cathy’s face screwed up, “Noo, not since my first night. Just not my thing.”

“You are a vampire demon who does not prey upon humans? This I have not known of before. Il let you live if you tell me of yourself, this place and how you have come to be here.”

Cathy responded sarcastically, “You’ll let me live?! You couldn’t even catch me.”

“Yet, your two companions are no more and you are within my power.”

Cathy pouted and uncertainty about Vengeance as he called himself began to grow in her mind. Deciding to retreat she thought of running as fast as she could. Running is good. Turning she began to wave goodbye to the creature. The creature moved. Pain shot through her entire body and for the first time since she had been turned, she passed out.

I watched her closely and saw the signs of doubt and flight across her face. She began to turn away to run as she began to change to her demon form for the inhuman speed. Her hand was raising, palm out for some sort of goodbye wave off. I moved at my full Mjolnir speed. Commanding my shields to pulse with additional electric current on their surface as I hit Cathy at over 193 kph (120 mph). My arms scooping her off her feet just as the electric current in my shields hit her over-and-over again until she went limp. All occurring in less than 20 milliseconds. My speed carried me up-tunnel until I slowed to a walk. I stopped near a manhole entrance 400 meters away and 12 seconds after I had began my sprint.

I removed her shoes, dropped her purse, cut her stocking hose at the ankles and super-glued her feet to the ceiling. Her skirt hung down exposing her panties and panty hose. Embarrassed a little I looked away from her crotch and steeled myself for my interrogation. She may be cold and a vampire but I was still a sixteen year old male and she was pretty.

I had work to do and began going through her purse and pockets. She had a California driver’s license, employee ID card and credit cards… Who knew that some vampires tried to live a normal life and have a job? I scanned everything and uploaded it to Cortana. Cortana was happy with all of the additional hard information. Soon they would know a lot more about her.

Three minutes later Cathy woke up. Dazed and confused, she moaned. Everything was not right… Her arms felt like lead …. Then she remembered! She wasn’t dead. That thing! That golem! Vengeance had… jumped across the thirty feet distance so fast she hadn’t even time to react. Where was he?! Her hands had begun checking herself and trying to tuck in her clothes and then she realized that she was upside down in the tunnel. Secured to the ceiling somehow and she couldn’t get any leverage to get free. She flailed for a few seconds and then realized that she was exposed because her skirt hung down almost to her chin. She flailed again trying to cover herself. A large hard hand seized her arm and ‘it’ stepped into view.

She felt fear for the first time in two decades since her encounter with a slayer in Cleveland so many years ago. She had survived that one by sheer luck and an ability to run like the wind. This time? I am so dead. He was telling the truth. I was under his power the entire time and he could have killed me in an instant. Just then she realized that all of the hairs on her body were standing straight out and it felt like ants crawling on her from where he touched her. Her fear level increased.

I stooped down, since her chin was now below my breast bone and said into her face, “If you wish to live vampire? I would recommend answering my questions. I will know if you lie to me.”

I had sheathed my Katana after clipping her but now drew my Bowie knife and tapped her other shoulder with it to help clarify her situation. Her eyes followed the knife.

Cathy blurted out, “What are you?! Are you a Slayer?!”

“I am Vengeance and I have been sent to this planet to stand as guardian against the demons. Tell me what is a slayer?”

Cathy talked fast, “Slayers are human girls who’ve been gifted with the speed and strength to fight and kill vampires. But you’re not a girl….”

I had now backed away from her one-step and said with dripping sarcasm. “You noticed? How perceptive of you. But I do slay demons and vampires at will. I have slain millions before this time… I am he who walks in deaths shadow. I will slay all that remain who prey upon humans.” I slowly turned, waving my hands to indicate the entire planet.

Cathy paled at the significance. This Vengeance creature is something new or something ancient? He had said that he had slept for millennia…. Oh-My-God!! An Old One! Just not one of the evil old ones of legends but an… anti-demon old one? This is bad… very bad. He wasn’t boasting when I dismissed him as just another guy demon. He can do it!! I am so going to die… again tonight. Cathy unclenched her eyes, when Vengeance taped her on the side of her head with his very large knife.

My sensors had detected her rising panic and fear. So speaking slowly I asked, “Are you ready now?”

Cathy nodded, her eyes wide in fear and focused on my visor, my lidless golden eye as the demons called it.

So I radioed Cortana and brought her into the interrogation which lasted two hours. We learned everything that she knew about vampire culture and notable vampires from New York to Hollywood and that she had lived a comfortable dead life in Sunnydale for the past twenty years. She even held a night job at the local hospital as a Lab Technician which was where she got her blood to drink. She gave them a fairly good rundown on the tunnel system and caverns under Sunnydale. The scale and length of the tunnels boggled my mind.

Finally I stopped her and said, “You have earned your life tonight and will continue to serve me with information. I may… telephone you for additional information. One of my human allies may also telephone you asking questions. If you hear of any great news in the demon community telephone this number, *626, from any telephone and state your information. Your truthfulness will protect you from… my war… my vendetta. Do you understand this Cathy?” My voice rumbling with bass vibrations.

Cathy completely defeated and now emotionally drained… quietly said, “Yes.”

As soon as she said this I jumped up and grabbed her ankles tearing her flesh from the ceiling I freed her. She screamed in pain! I shocked her unconscious again. Holding her over my shoulder I picked up her nice shoes, purse and sprayed the bottoms of her now raw bleeding feet with a medigel. What good the antibiotics and Aloe Vera would do on a vampire was unknown to Cortana and I. But it was good first aid.

Knowing her home address and place of work, I went up the manhole ladder to the street above. Jogging with her over my shoulder, I arrived at her condominium tower on Osos Street in less than two minutes. Several other tenants had seen me come in and backed away in fear until I had told them that she had too much to drink at the costume party. They all smiled and nodded their heads and never even asked, “Where was her costume?” She was stirring awake as I arrived at her door. Fishing out her keys from her purse, I opened up her home and went in. Dumping her on the couch, I dropped her stuff and left locking the door on my way out.

While heading down the stairs I asked Cortana, “Can you surveil her telephones and give her a call as soon as she is awake. She may think that she dreamed this and I want her to know that I know where she lives.”

“Alex you have a mean streak and I like it. She’s in her kitchen right now getting some blood to drink which will help her feet to heal. You were correct she did think that she had dreamed you until she put her feet on the floor and tried to stand. I think she is going to take a bath after her meal. So I will call her and have a girl talk before she gets herself cleaned up.”

“I am going to go back underground to finish my tunnel mission tonight but I’ll call it quits and be back at the Warehouse at 3:00 AM. How’s that?” I said, just as I reached the street by a side entrance. The parking lot and street beyond were empty. The park area sprinklers had just turned off, so there was some water. I walked to the first manhole cover.

“Roger that Alex. Good hunting and no more strays tonight.”

I was chuckling at calling the pretty Cathy Jacobs a stray but I understood. “I can’t herd cats or control who or what I run across but I will come back safe, Spartan-1 out.”

Cortana paused her other processes to ponder Alex using the call sign ‘Spartan-1.’ He wasn’t the Master Chief. This was a different Universe and centuries into the past. There was no Spartan program here, no Covenant enemy here, no UNSC, and no world government. But he was wearing Mjolnir armor. Alex was the first NavSpecWar Spartan on this planet, and the first in this Universe. The label was… right. She liked it.

I pulled the manhole back into place and dropped five meters to the tunnel floor. This tunnel was new for me and two miles away from my warehouse exit. I knew the direction I wanted to go, north and east. Walking at first and then jogging, I covered ground fast in my Mjolnir armor. My sensors sweeping. I stopped at each tunnel crossing intersection and scanned each direction. Marking each tunnel corner with my nav labels. Finally, at my third intersection I had targets. My first were moving up-tunnel away from me so I ran them down. Moving at a jog of 96 kph (60 mph) I was on them in no time.

The group of six vampires turned towards me when I was about 100 meters from them but they were bowling pins to my fast ball when I sped up. Vampires are fast but not that fast. My Katana’s swept the air cutting all but two in half. The two had jumped up to the ceiling and hitting their heads fell down hard. My Katana had cut off their legs at their knees when they jumped instead of their heads. I had ploughed through the group and stopped just past them. Now I returned at walk, my Katana’s blurred and the two still with stumpy legs now had no heads. As they dusted on the blood and guts strewn floor, my Katana’s flicked about with precision. The half-vampires could not escape. Their heads fell bouncing just before dusting.

Cleaning my blades on their clothing, I picked up their litter and bagged it. Turning I began jogging again. Several times, I had turned right four times in the tunnels until I had returned to my intersection marker. Mapping the tunnels in a grid pattern and clearing them of vampires.

After six quick slaughters of twelve more vampires, I finally encountered a demon monster. I stopped thirty meters from its tail and backside.

Almost as tall as the tunnel at almost 3 meters tall and hunched over, heavily muscled, hulking mass of flesh, the skin of an alligator, with armored tail to match, horns one inch to three inches from the back of its tail to the top of its head all on the back surfaces of its body. Its legs were heavily muscled and might give it a good sprint speed, if it could ever stand up straight. Then it turned in the tunnel, slowly and carefully. Its clawed reptilian left ‘hand’ leaning against the tunnel wall helping in its turn. Its tail scrapping the tunnel opposite wall. It didn’t have much space to turn around but it did.

My scanners went crazy on this demon. It was covered in the blood and rotting smears of flesh from many humans and also at least four other unknown ‘demon’ species, plus one remnant of a cow. I could only think, Ok, Xander… this is new and obviously a lot more dangerous. Its big. Maybe two or three tons and pure carnivore. Even eats other demons. Maybe demons like Darren and Henry? Here is my bragging trophy for the night but how in hell would I get that carcass out of the tunnel? Maybe not the entire carcass but I can skin’em. Better yet my taxidermist can skin’em. Assuming that I can kill it without being injured myself. Well regular bullets don’t work so well on vampires so let’s see how they work on this demon?

The monster turned to face me with large night adapted predators eyes and the head of a distorted Velociraptor dinosaur. It possessed a wider mouth and a lot more teeth with the small horns on the top of its snout to the end of its tail. Even horns on the back of its four clawed hands. Its tongue came out a meter in length and flicked snake like at me. The creature snorted a lungful of air via its nostrils trying to get my scent.

The monster clutched a whole human leg in its right clawed ‘hand’.

The demon lowered its head, hissed menacingly at me and dropped the leg. Then opened its toothy mouth wide and roared. I pulled both of the .45s and cut the roar short with sixteen bullets rapid fire into the back of the creature’s throat. The demons mouth snapped shut and it charged me. Moving faster than its previous ponderous turn would indicate. I holstered my guns, drew my left hand Kukri and threw it at the demons chest where it buried itself to the handle. Katana in my right hand I began to backpedal down the tunnel but I retreated only three paces when the demon crashed head down into the sandy tunnel. The monster’s twitching body came to a dead stop one meter from my armored foot. Still breathing with blood spurting from its mouth and nostrils with each laboring breath. It’s long tongue extended almost to my armored boot and it flicked twice. It’s arms tried to flail forward as if to push itself up. It’s legs still weakly trying to run but getting no purchase. Gurgling on its own blood the creature finally breathed its last and was still.

Of my sixteen bullets only four punched through and out the back of the creatures neck where it attached to its head, leaving large bloody exit wounds full of vertebral bone splinters. I rolled the monster over with great difficulty looking for my knife. It was buried now completely inside the monsters chest. Slippery with hot dark red blood I had to pry it out.

Standing my arm covered in the lizard’s blood, I scanned the tunnels for additional threats then turned my full attention back to the monster. I noted that the carcass lay 1.58 meters tall and nearly filled the floor of the tunnel. I measured it’s length at 8.65 meters (28 ft.) from snout to tip of tail.

All I could do was stand there and wonder. Ok – so where did this monster get a cow? These tunnels must lead into more caverns and the caverns must go to the surface. Most likely surfacing to the west in the Montana De Diablos or east into the Los Padres mountains. Where the cattle ranches are… Which now means I’m going to be mapping tunnels miles into the mountains. Oh joy… caverns with dragons.

I was near a manhole so I went up and radioed Cortana. “Hey Sis, I will be bringing home a trophy tonight. Are you hungry?”

Cortana puzzled and wary asked, “What did you do?”

I gave her my situation report (SitRep), uploaded my recordings and description of the large reptilian demon. While I swapped the empty magazines out of my handguns for fresh magazines and jacking a fresh round into the chamber. I dropped the magazine in the gun into my hand and added one bullet back in to the stack for a total of eight rounds again. Each gun was back to condition-1, locked and loaded.

Cortana whistled, “Did you know that these demons could be this large and that they preyed on other demons?”

“No, I did not. Giles left that out. I don’t think that Buffy has run into one like these yet. Getting close enough to use her little pointy stick would have guaranteed her death.”

“I am just glad you could kill it, Alex. If you weren’t shooting inside its mouth this might have ended differently. You will need something bigger next time. Should I call Richard Harney and wake him up?” Now laughing Cortana added, “You might need a little help with this one.”

“Ok Cortana, you’re right. Call him and tell him that I am going to need help skinning this one. My weapons are not really suited to that job. Right now I think I’m under the Kohls department store. The one on Marsh Boulevard and there is a manhole behind me about 50 meters. Tell him I will meet him in the Kohls parking lot on the northeast corner near Marsh. Warn him that he will be going down into the drain tunnels with me and he’ll be safe but tell him to come packing heat. I’ll carry his tools. Oh and tell him… to not be afraid when he sees me, because I’ll be wearing body armor.”

Cortana was still smirking and chuckling. “Check Alex, placing the call now.”

I walked down the tunnel to where the human leg was. Kneeling I took samples and forensically scanned it.

“Cortana? Has there been any reported human deaths or attacks tonight in this general area?

“No there hasn’t been yet. Is the human leg fresh?”

“Yes it is very fresh. No rigor mortis and no putrefaction. It appears to be from a young physically fit males left leg by the hair and musculature. There is a colored tattoo at the outside ankle of a rising sun and surfboard. When we’re done here can you give the police an anonymous call. I’ll leave the leg in the median of the street.”

I carefully brought the leg to the far side of the manhole entrance and laid it in the tunnel. Returning to the monster I eventually had to grab it by its ‘wrists’ to pull it along towards the manhole. Just as I got it there, Cortana called me.

“Alex - Richard Harney is on his way and he is very excited. Grumpy at first for being woken up at 2:30 AM but he is excited about getting to see a big one at the hunt site. I really don’t think he realizes yet that the hunt is underneath his feet and in the streets. I am tracking his van through the streets and he should be there in about eight minutes.”

I turned and detected movement north down tunnel at 800 meters. Something small maybe rats? … I set my Laser Range Finder to high power and played it across whatever they were until they caught fire. Blazing the small vermin squeaked and flopped their lives away. Yup, rats.

I climbed up and out of the tunnel. The parking lot was empty and the boulevard nearly so. The stars were out and the coastal fog had not come in yet this far. I popped my helmet, shook my hair and breathed deep. Tonight I didn’t stink so bad. Even with one hand and arm to my elbow covered in blood. The monster smelled bad. No doubt from the rotting meat in its teeth and on its body. Just then the landscaping sprinklers turned on so I walked over to stand in the spray and wash off some of the blood and smells.

Cortana broke into my thoughts. “Hey Alex! You look good tonight. Wave to the cameras on top of the Kohls building.”

I waved and smiled at her cameras.

Two minutes later Richard drove up in his van and spotted me. I had changed my nano-adaptive camouflage to a fixed steel grey color. Just like the knights’ armor in museums. Mostly to give Richard something familiar to see when he thought of armor.

Richard dismounted from his van wearing a western gun belt with a Ruger .44 Mag revolver in the holster and carrying a 12 gauge pump shotgun. He hesitated at first until I held up my hand. I smiled broadly and said, ‘Welcome to the party Richard. I really can use your help on this one but we may have to work quickly since the blood may attract unwelcome scavengers who maybe almost as nasty.”

Richard looked away from me to the open manhole cover and asked, “Down there?”

I walked over the manhole and looked back at Richard and said, “The manhole is small but the tunnel is ten feet across below and the demon fills about half the tunnel.”

Richard walked over and looked down, shining his flashlight into the depths. The large head of the demon was visible on the tunnel floor. Richard got down on his knees and played the light along the demon for as much as he could see.

His voice betrayed his awe, “Your sister wasn’t kidding was she? I thought she was …. I thought you were exaggerating. But you weren’t then or now. — My God! This is the biggest thing that I‘ll have worked on since that Elephant job for the Los Angeles Museum twelve years ago.”

To lighten the mood I asked Richard, “I know we can’t get it up through the manhole but are you up for a Barbecue tomorrow? It must taste like chicken?”

Richard starting laughing, “God it must weigh at least a ton?”

I quickly replied, “I drug it a bit over 50 yards to get it here and I would estimate it at over two tons.”

Richard looked at me his eyes wide, “You! Drug that 50 yards?! Four thousand pounds for 50 yards?!”

“Yes, I’m stronger than I look thanks to this technological marvel that I am wearing. It’s a powered armor suit and design specifically for this kind of combat. Outside of this suit I couldn’t have moved that lump of dead flesh one inch.” I was fibbing to Richard. I didn’t want to give away my secrets. In the Mjolnir armor I could’ve moved 100 tons. Outside the armor my new, 26th Century body could’ve easily drug three times that weight.

Richard looked harder at my armor. I could see him assessing it and wondering.

I radioed Cortana so that she could listen in. “Richard, down there when it comes to killing these things I’m the expert. But for this, you’re the expert and will have to do most of the work. You tell me to do something and I’ll do it. You’re the boss.”

Richard nodded yes but kept looking down at the monster.

I continued, “I am going to transfer $60,000 dollars into your bank account on Monday to start. That’s for the taxman to see. Draw from that amount and I will freshen it up when the amount gets too low. When you complete this job, I’ll personally give you $15,000 cash as a bonus. Is this acceptable to you?”

Richard grinned, while thinking. This was his income for the entire year, as he stood and shook Xander’s armor gloved hand. This is going to be the start of a long and beautiful friendship. He kills’em and I turn these damned murderous demons or monsters into a decoration.

Finally, Richard then went and backed his van up to the manhole. Opening the back of his van he removed a butchers apron and handed me rolls of tools.

I dogged down my helmet and went down the ladder first carrying the rolled up bundles of butchery tools and lights. As soon as I hit bottom I laid everything down next to the beast’s head and began scanning for threats. Finding none, I started setting up the tripods and work lights. Up top, Richard turned on a generator and hooked up a winch. Tossing rope down to me, Richard climbed down.

Richard produced a nice Nikon camera and began taking pictures of the beast, snout to tail tip. He asked me to get into the picture several times for a trophy style photograph. At first I tried to say no but with Cortana urging me also; I finally got into the picture. Eventually Richard paused, changed film rolls again and asked me if I could roll the beast over for the belly photos. Finally I got the body fully on its back leaning up against the tunnel wall.

Then Richard got all down to business with the butchery.

Two hours later I helped guide the rolled up hide through the manhole with Richard operating the winch. Everything that we wanted was now up top except the lights. I looked back at the butchered corpse. Richard had taken the T-bone cuts, back-strap cuts and rump roast for a sportsman dinner. At least four hundred pounds of what looked like white meat. Then he and I, had cut the remaining flesh from the bones quickly. Throwing the chunks and strips into ten-gallon buckets lined with clear plastic. Richard had said that large reptiles were all white meat. Snakes, alligators, and crocodiles were all highly prized meats in their native areas. Yes, they all tasted like chicken just a richer chickeny flavor.

Reptiles or dinosaur like monsters have been eating humans since forever, so it was fair play to eat them in return. Richard had called down that he had weighed in the first 400 pounds of choice cuts and then 800 pounds of boneless chuck.

Disassembling the lights I prepared to pass them up. Once the lights were up, I went up top and bid Richard good morning. I went back down closing the manhole lid.

After Richard had left, I went up with the victims’ leg and placed it in the median of the boulevard. A poor place for a man’s remains but the police will recover it.

Then I went back down into the tunnels with a grim and determined countenance.

I jogged back to my origin point. Running into only two vampires and no other demons along the way. The two vamps both got their head cut off as I was decelerating. I paused only long enough to collect their pocket litter and bag it.

It was now 6:30 AM at the warehouse and it would be a misty dawn in 1-hour. I was tired and when I popped out of the manhole, two of my security guards were at the front gate opening it. They both saw me and were obviously afraid. Their hands going for their guns but not drawing.

As I walked up to the front door of the warehouse, I made a decision. The guards were obviously about one second from firing on me with their handguns.

I held up my hands in the human gesture of peace or surrender and then slowly moved them to crack the seals on my helmet. All of the guards knew me by sight and I was counting on that to prevent them from shooting. They had to know about my nightlife sooner or later.

I lifted my helmet and smiled at them. “Sorry to startle you guys but I’ve been hunting and the hunt went a little long.”

The two guards, Jake and Leroy, were in their late 50’s and were retired policemen. Both were surprised that I was inside a suit of armor, wearing guns and swords.

Both looked at each other and nodded. Turning back to me Jake said, “You’ve been hunting the vampires and demons that we’ve seen?”

With a little surprise in my voice I asked, “Ah… You know about them?”

Jake chuckled darkly, “You can’t live in Sunnydale as a cop or night security without learning a few things. Things that would get you sent to the funny farm if you told the wife. But things to keep yourself alive.” With that they both produced from under their shirts plain silver crosses.

Leroy lifted his gun and opened the revolver extracting one bullet. “Silver and lead hollow points. All blessed by my priest. They won’t go through walls or cars but they really make a mess out of vampires.”

Jake took out of his pocket a can that looked like mace but he said, “This contains holy water with the Pepper oil and I can spray this twenty-five feet. The Mace can is designed to hold liquids at high pressure safely so it’s ideal. Works on vampires and even regular dirt bags. The vampires catch on fire when it hits them and the vapor also burns the ones not hit directly.”

I smiled, this was going to be easier than I thought. Jake and Leroy both stepped up and touched my armor. I told them, “This is my specially designed powered armor suit to make me faster and stronger than they are. I intend to use these warehouses as a base of operations against them in Sunnydale. Can you guys keep this secret for just the guards who work here?”

Jake said, “I was wondering why we hadn’t seen any vampires lately… You’ve been protecting us this past week haven’t you?”

I just tipped my head in acknowledgement.

Leroy looked at Jake and then back at me, “I was a soldier once. We keep secrets and this is a big one worth keeping. No one will talk and if they do… I’ll take care of it.”

Jake then piped in, “What he said. Don’t worry we’ll clue in the others.”

I almost sighed out loud but I was smiling and doing handstands inside. I looked them both over again and smiled. “Thank you. I really appreciate this. You do know that when the vampires find out? … This place may become the most dangerous place to be at night in Sunnydale.”

Leroy smiled, “Powered armor huh? Must be one of a kind since I’ve never read anything about this… But you’re really smart and I’ld bet you’re planning all kinds of weapons as fancy as that suit to kill’em? You give us the weapons and we’ll take care of their evil dead asses. Deal?”

We all smiled at each other. Each lost in happy thoughts of thousands of dusting vampires and vampires on fire screaming.

I held out my gauntlet to shake their hands in turn. “It’s a deal. I will do one better. New weapons and when I can get them manufactured maybe not powered armor but body armor that the vampires can’t get through.”

Both guards got even bigger smiles.

Thanking them again. I then turned and went inside to clean up and pack my armor away. I needed to go home, eat and sleep.

5. The First Date

Chapter 5. The First Date

Sunday, 9 November 1997, 4:00 PM, Sunnydale.

I woke up suddenly. It was just my alarm beeping at me. Cortana also beeping at me in a horrible off-key duet, along with some truly horrible ungodly music.

“Cortana that is cruel and unusual punishment you know.” I snarked as I put my pillow over my head trying to lessen the discordant assault on my ears.

With completely fake sincerity, “What? Me? Waking you when you asked me to?”

“No! That horrible music you were playing.”

Cortana laughing at me, “It was just bag pipers playing a traditional Scottish welcome.”

“We could use that to torture demons you know.”

“Maybe Alex but you need to get up, get a shower, get dressed and over to the warehouse to exchange you pickup truck for the Saturn. You do remember the Saturn don’t you? So you have thirty minutes to be out the door and do not spend long primping like a fashion model.”

With that, I jumped to it.

Sunday, 9 November 1997, 5:00 PM, Sunnydale, outside Willow’s home.

I drove up and parked in the driveway of the Rosenberg’s house. When I rang their doorbell both of her parents were home. Her mother opened the door in full visual microscopic inspection mode while smiling insincerely and her father was sitting in the front room pretending to read his Sunday morning newspaper but watching me like a bird watches a delicious bug. Just waiting for the right moment of vulnerability to swoop down and gobble it up. Maybe my imagination and nervousness was getting away from me?

Mrs. Rosenberg was all smiles and now there was delight behind her eyes. I was wearing tan dress slacks with a crease and cuff, black leather polished Oxfords, a nice western style dress leather belt with silver conches on it and a button down light blue dress shirt. Casual business dress and not California surfer slacker dude threads.

Mrs. Rosenberg eyed my Saturn past my left shoulder. She told me that Willow would be down in a few minutes and that I should take a seat. Mrs. Rosenberg sat down next to her husband, Ira and she made him put down the newspaper. They made small talk about my Saturn, Sunnydale and asking about my personal life until Willow came down the stairs. Not once did they ever ask me my name. I wondered if the Rosenberg’s recognized me or if they assumed that I was someone else, since it had been obvious previously that Mrs. Rosenberg did not approve of me. I thought that the Clark Kent disguise in civilian dress clothes may actually have worked with these two.

Then Willow came down the stairs. She was clutching the railing as if she was very afraid of falling down and she was sheepish. Her cheeks were flushed and she kept smoothing down her skirt as she descended in high heels. That was different. I had never seen Willow in heels before.

To me… Wow! I had never seen Willow dressed like this at school or ever. She was wearing a low cut skintight red dress that hit her three inches above her knees. She had on stockings, red high-heeled shoes, pearl necklace around her beautifully neck, pearl post earrings and heavy gold chains on her wrists. She had in her hand a small matching red handbag, a light matching sweater over her arm and no watch on her wrist. Although Willow dolled up was fantastic and everything… one item missing was very abnormal for her. The one item that I had never seen Willow without and which she lived by, was her wristwatch and time.

I concluded that tonight would be for Willow timeless. This one thing I realized was her act of faith and trust in me for this evening. A gift.

I stood up quickly and smiled at her like a sappy dolt. A beaming smile of happy acceptance welcoming her down stairs. I was radaring her figure and her face. Memorizing every millimeter.

Cortana cut into my thoughts. “Well by your vital signs I would say that you are finally looking at her, am I right or am I right? So say something dummy! Say anything like ‘Hi’ or ‘Hey’ or You look lovely this afternoon.”

Radioing her back, “Shush Cortana you are kibitzing and right now I’m really, really enjoying the view.”

Willow was obviously nervous and looked at her parents for reassurance. I stepped forward to meet her at the bottom of the landing and took her small hand in mine. She looked down at my hand, her chest and cheeks flushing slightly. I caught the color change and asked Cortana about it as I squeezed her hand back gently and softly said, “You look fabulous Willow and I will look like a bum next to you all evening.” Her hand was strangely soft and delicate, yet soothing in my hand.

Radioing again, “Hey Cortana, what does it mean when a women’s upper chest flushes along with their neck and cheeks?”

“Alex, you are really naïve and so was John despite his age. A women’s chest and neck will flush during sexual excitement or during a strong emotional response like embarrassment. So what did you do? Did you embarrass her?”

“No Cortana, calm down. I just… I held her hand.”

“Well you are a lucky boy, she actually likes you. No accounting for brains is there?” Cortana said with a well-meaning giggle of laughter.

“Be quiet you are spoiling this. Xander out.” I felt warm and now very pleased with myself.

Willow looked up at my smiling face and said, “Really? I look ok? …”

I winked, then turned leading her towards the door on my arm. Her parent’s eyes upon us and I leaned in to whisper to her as we reached the front door, “You look much better than ok Willow. You really did take my breath away for a moment and my mind went blank but I’m adjusting.”

Just as I had the door fully open, Willow was blushing again. Then Willow’s mother Sheila called out, “Back by when Willow?”

To me she smelled wonderful beneath the rose smelling store perfume she was wearing.

Willow turned and responded, “I know mother, school tomorrow and the movie will get out at 10:30 and we’ll be home soon after. Bye!”

When we stepped outside the house, Willow was looking for my pickup and only saw the Saturn. She paused and I nudged her gently along - guiding at her elbow towards the Saturn.

Willow then asked, “Wowzers nice car! Oh, who’s car is this Xander?”

“Well I could say that it’s my parents or my Uncle Roary’s but it’s mine as of yesterday.”

Willow looked at me skeptically, “You didn’t?! Where? You don’t have that kind of money… do you?”

I laughed, “A friend of mine at work mentioned an estate sale. The husband died and the widow was moving back home to Idaho. I got it for a steal from the distressed widow herself.”

Willow astonished and starting to flash mad in self-righteous anger, “You took advantage of a grieving widow!”

Opening the passenger door of the Saturn I smiled and said quietly, “A widow she is but I paid her what she asked for it and I didn’t even try to negotiate her down in price. I paid her in cash which she was so very happy to get. In fact, I had to leave after signing the bill of sale because it was embarrassing for me. She was thanking me, crying and thanking me. You would have thought that I had done something stupendous for her?”

Well that was mostly the truth but I was feeling guilty misleading Willow even in the slightest.

Willow looked at me sideways skeptically and got into the car. I closed her door.

I drove over to the Red Lobster on Marsh Boulevard near the Sunnydale Mall. The entire drive over Willow was asking me so many questions about my job and teasing me by accusing me of dealing drugs to earn the money to pay for the car. Her light feminine perfume filled the car. I teased her back warmly. Arriving at the Red Lobster we had two hours for dinner and conversation before the movie which was showing at the Regal Cinema just across the street. During our entire long meal we talked about many things. But days later the only things that I remembered of dinner was her touch on my hands and her knees when they brushed mine.

The movie was actually good. Not a total guy flick and not just a chick flick. Just a good story all around. Walking out of the theatre Willow held my hand and arm. We talked as we walked. She wished that she could see some real fairies like in the movie since vampires and demons were real, then why not fairies and other fairy tale creatures.

Walking outside Willow deliberately drifted deliberately under Xander’s arm after holding his hand.

She had liked and loved Xander since she was five years old. She didn’t know what it was that drew her to him, but after so many days of him not really seeing her, looking at her; she was determined to get what comfort out of this evening that she could.

Xander’s arm was a whole lot more beefy and warmer than she had dreamed of. She just fit under his shoulder. She felt like she was glowing, warming and drifting across cloud 9. This was where she wanted to be for the rest of her life. Xander didn’t push her away as they slowly walked.

Walking into the parking lot to Xander’s nice Saturn that he had earned the money for, she was getting dreamy. Willow was quite happy so far this evening. She noted again that Xander was being a gentleman and opened doors for her the entire night. On the spur of the moment as she passed him, she leaned in on her tiptoes, put her arm around his neck, drew him down and kissed him on the lips. Then she put her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. Her head with her eyes closed was laying tight against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. She was dreaming and hoping that he wouldn’t push her away.

Then he put his arms around me and I was above the clouds. I thought I was in heaven, until he kissed me. My brain went tilt with very nice tingly feelings from my toes to the top of my head.

This is what I want, I want him.

I was startled but didn’t reject Willow when she kissed and hugged me. Far from it. The kiss left me frozen in place for a few seconds. Recovering my brain a little, I wrapped my arms around her and held her. The fall night air in Sunnydale was wet with Pacific Ocean moisture and the temperature was becoming chilly. After half a minute I tilted her chin up, bent down and kissed her lips gently holding my breath and letting my warm arms envelope her.

I was lost in her warm moist lips and her heavenly scent. By this time that Rose smelling perfume was nearly gone. I was smelling just her.

Many minutes passed in our embrace. Willow and I had become a barber pole. Two colors intertwined.

Abruptly distant blood curdling screams broke my lip locked reverie. Screams coming from the direction of Marsh Boulevard!

Willow and I both saw two humans running in jogging clothes and a short pack of three vampires taunting them as they ran. Both of us knew that when the couple tired and gave up, utterly exhausted and defeated, the vampire suckfest would begin. They loved to play with their meals.

I looked at Willow and asked her, “You up for a little slaying tonight?” As I pushed my key fob control to open the trunk. Willow watching the running couple said without hesitation or turning her eyes from the spectacle, “Yes!”

I then asked Willow to get in and I shut the car door. I opened my duffel bag in the trunk and removed my cross bow and rapidly assembled it. Turning on the Laser and Aimpoint, I walked to Willow and handed her the cocked and locked bow through the window and gave her simple instructions on its deployment and use. I told her that the arrow would go where the red dot is, shoot and don’t bother to reload. Then I handed her a pressurized spray can full of Holy water, blessed silver chloride and blessed virgin garlic oil. I told her it was Vamp-B-Gone and the weapon will shoot a vampire-killing stream at least twenty-five feet.

I went back to the trunk and removed my Remington Tactical SP-1100 semi-auto 12 gauge shotgun and my Springfield Armory Omega .45 ACP handgun. Loading both quickly with anti-vampire rounds. I also pulled the Bowie knife. Now armed, I dropped into the drivers seat adjacent to Willow. She was gawping at the shotgun and then me.

Willow recovered quickly for her high-speed fifth degree. “Xander where’d you get that shotgun? Didn’t you listen to Giles and Buffy! Guns don’t hurt vampires.”

I was racing out of the parking lot onto Marsh as I told Willow. “Regular bullets fired from guns don’t hurt vampires but these bullets are made special for vampires. So tonight we are going to see if they work or not.”

Driving east on Marsh, I drove right up behind the running vampires. The vampires were preoccupied with their prey and the Saturn was fairly quiet. Two were on my side and one on Willow’s side. I told her as we were approaching the pack, “use the crossbow. The first shot is yours and stay inside the car and from here use the spray can. Whatever happens Willow, do not get out of the car.”

I got Willow within thirty feet of the vampire who turned slightly toward us in mid-stride. Willow was good and her aim true. The red Laser dot was on his chest and she pulled the crossbows trigger cleanly without flinching. Thunk! The wooden quarrel shot out and embedded itself inside the vampires chest puncturing his heart. The vampire had a surprised look on his game face just before he exploded into dust.

With that, I with one hand pulled the shotgun up and let go of the wheel to use both hands. The two vampires had just noticed the car as my shotgun barrel came to bear on the first vampire who was parallel to the car. I fired and the round was a marine emergency flare round. It was fueled by burning magnesium and phosphorus hot enough to melt steel. The incendiary struck the vampire deep into his right side just below the rib cage.

I had listened to Giles and remembered that vampires were flammable, almost incendiary, like magically dry kindling soaked in kerosene.

The vampire tumbled down to the pavement, a single piercing scream from him and then he was a bonfire. His screams increased in pitch and frenzy for a few seconds as he rolled head over heels. The flames finally caused his body to burst into flaming cinders cutting short his screams.

The last vampire had finally stopped and turned towards my Saturn. Just in time to see his pack mate burst into flaming motes. Enraged he jumped at me. I was still inside the slow rolling sedan. He was intent on dragging me from the car no doubt? But my shotgun came up swinging to perfectly track the vampire like skeet and fired again. This round was blessed silver and lead buck-shot dipped in Holy water. The shot hit the vampire in the face and upper chest not twenty feet from the muzzle.

The impact of the shot crushed the vampires entire head into goo and drove deep into his upper body. His body halted in flight and began to tumble backwards. What was his smashed body hit the pavement just as I hit the cars brakes. The vampire dusted just as his body started to catch fire. Burning mites of dust floating in the air for a few seconds afterwards. I watched the smoking dust on the street for a second before turning towards the two gasping joggers.

The couple who were near exhaustion had stopped as the first booming shot rang out. They had turned to look at the second shot and witnessed the last vampires death by fiery dusting.

Willow was astonished that the shotgun bullets actually worked on the vampires. She was gulping like a fish trying to find words, her eyes showed only searching concentration. I mused to myself, in self-preservation, that this was the first time I had ever known Willow to be at a loss for words.

I slowly drew up alongside the exhausted couple who were on Willow’s side of the car. I leaned over and asked, “Do you need a ride home? Because it’s not safe on the streets after dark. There’s too many vampires out.” They looked too well dressed to be college students and definitely a couple. Married couple by the rings on their hands.

The exhausted couple just nodded still gasping for air. Neither one protested about my use of the word vampires. So I got out and let them sit in the back seat. I collected the crossbow from Willow but told her to keep the spray can because it may come in handy another day. I unloaded my guns at the trunk and put them back into the duffel bag but kept the Bowie up front next to my seat on the floor. They were strangers and an unknown but hopefully a polite couple.

With that, I drove the wayward couple who were brand new to Sunnydale back to their apartment. With Willow talking non-stop giving them survival tips for Sunnydale nights.

After they went in to their home, the door closing, only then did I drive away. I turned to Willow with a wry smile and up raised eyebrows, “Well this night didn’t end the way I would have liked…”

Willow had come down from her adrenaline high, burst out laughing. “Me too! I could have used some more of… of… of what we were doing before they were screaming.” She emphasized her words by using her thumb to point backwards towards the couple’s home as she licked her lips. Then she looked at me with sudden realization at what she had blurted out. She hid her face as she blushed deeply.

I had a 1,000 Watt smile on my face and then said, “Ya, me too!”

Touched Willow dropped her hands and turned to me leaning over, clutching my right arm and resting her cheek on my shoulder. She said to me, “I was having a really good time until the screaming. But I am still having a really good time.”

She squeezed my arm to accentuate her statement then said, “You know… I’ll always remember tonight because of so many firsts. My first real Xander date, my first real Xander kiss and nice hugs, and my first Vampire kill. Plus I think you bought this car so that you wouldn’t date me in your pickup truck… Didn’t you?”

She looked up at me with those beautiful hazel eyes of hers. She smiled at me. I sighed and admitted part of the truth, “I’m busted. You are… mostly correct.”

Willow looked at me puzzled and squeezed my arm. She urged me to continue.

“Yes, I kind of rushed to buy the car yesterday because of you and our date. I didn’t want you seen with me in that pickup tonight. I… I thought you deserved better and I wanted to empress you.” I looked down at her briefly and tightly smiled at her. My chin and lips scrunched up. But she beamed at me and snuggled into my shoulder further. My emotions and hormones were starting to wash away my brain again but I got control of them. I made a hasty decision then and turned towards Reach Industries warehouses.

I owed Willow more of the truth. “Willow, there were two other reasons though. The first was that starting in the next few week the pickup is going into a car shop for repairs. A lot of repairs that I can afford. The second is that my night job at the warehouse is not just a night job. … Look, we’re here. This is where I’ve been working every night.”

I pulled up to the gates and stopped. The Reach Industries fluorescent sign glowing a blue on gold lettering above the warehouse.

Willow had released my arm and was looking at the warehouse. She asked questioning, “You work for Reach Industries? Who are they? What do they do?”

Just then the two night security guards came to the gate and opened it for me. I drove in and rolled my window down smiling at my two friends.

Leroy greeted me, “Good evening Mr. Harris should we hold the gate open for you tonight?”

I smiled and said, “I won’t be long gentlemen and this lady with me is Willow. We’ll leave together.” I paused and changed the subject, “Has there been any hostiles out tonight?”

Leroy answered all serious, “No Mr. Harris. We haven’t seen a one. Have you?”

I replied looking back in my rear view mirrors, “Yes, three earlier but they’re now dust. Willow got one with a wooden crossbow quarrel through the heart. I got two with my shotgun. The 12 gauge flare round worked great, a vampire bonfire and the blessed silver buckshot also worked. Another vampire gone in a three second bonfire. It was awesome.”

Leroy stood up and called to Jake over the top of the car, “Did you hear that? Mr. Harris says the flare rounds light them up like a torch and dusts them! I told you they would. I bet military incendiaries would work just as well?”

Jake responded laughing like a wolf, “We’ll have to ask for some at Montero’s next time we’re out there.”

I asked quickly, “Who or where is Montero’s because I may need to visit him also for ammo?”

Leroy leaned down and looked at Willow in her red dress, “Good shooting with that crossbow little lady.” Looking sidewise at me, he said quietly, “I like her Mr. Harris. Will she be hunting with you?”

Willow’s eyes were filled with curiosity and confusion at the conversation. Miraculously she stayed quiet.

I shook my head briefly and said, “No she won’t be hunting with me but she may be around.”

Leroy said, “We’ll leave the address inside on the board for you when you have time, Mr. Harris.” Leroy then smiled and winked at me and backed up, waving his arm for me to drive inside the complex.

I drove inside the truck lot slowly and raised the window. Willow was about to bust with questions, “They know about vampires? Why were they being so respectful to you? Calling you Mr. Harris and your Dad isn’t around?”

“Willow slow down, please. Breathe.” I slowly drove to the end of the warehouse lines and turned around driving back towards the gate. “Willow there are four warehouses here all owned by Reach Industries for now. That is number one and two and on your side is three and four. Three and four will be a computer engineering data center when finished. It will be the largest and most powerful computer center in the valley.”

Willow stopped rubber-necking and looked harder at the darkened warehouse. She licked her lips…. and said with some longing, “Computers!…”

Then her head swiveled back onto me as the Saturn drove out the gate and onto the street. The guards closing the gates as I pulled to a stop in front of the Reach Neon Sign.

I turned and faced her, “Willow… Earth to Willow…” She made a face at me. I made a face back and asked, “See the sign?”

Willow in exasperation asked back, “Yes, what of it?”

I exhaled and said, “I don’t work for Reach Industries…. because I am… Reach Industries. The guards and all the other people who come here each day work for me.”

Willow was now maximum confused… her brain working away. I could just see the cogs and wheels moving really fast behind her eyes.

Finally she came to the correct question. “What did you say? … Xander, how is it that you are Reach Industries? Because I know ….”

I cut her off with a wave of my hand, “Right now you know very little about Reach Industries. I am the President and CEO of Reach Industries. I don’t just work here, I own the place. I am building a company that is going to reach… to the stars.”

Willow was poleaxed into silence. She sat back suddenly against the door. Her eyes wide open, her mouth open and now no one was home behind the eyes. I put the car into gear and began to drive her towards her home again.

Finally after one mile she came out of it like a Champaign cork popping. “How Xander? How did you become the President or owner and where did the money come from? Come on give?” She clutched my arm and pulled me towards her.

“Remember Halloween Night, I was a space soldier and you became… a very sexy ghost?”

She nodded her head yes, flushing at her remembrance of her scanty attire that evening.

“Well I became a real space soldier. A real one from the future occupied my body. From the early 26th Century to be more precise and when he left… he left a lot of his memories with me. His memories of science, technology, engineering, and their weapons. I have been reliving his memories in my dreams. Vivid dreams and memories.” I sighed and looked at her quickly then continued. “My patents are valuable and will push this planet’s technology ahead. Reach Industries will be here in Sunnydale to prototype and produce advanced energy weapons that will allow even you the ability to instantly incinerate a vampire in one shot. But right now it’s baby steps. The warehouses are under construction 12 hours a day and they won’t be ready for what I need them for until next year. … Willow, I’ll need your help.”

Willows mind was whirling at the implications. She blurted out. “A 26th century space soldier…. Halloween… His memories?”

Finally she engaged her brain again. “But how? It should have ended that night like it did for everyone else?”

“Remember the space suit? The space suit is called Mjolnir Mark VI armor and was very special and very dangerous. So dangerous that only very special soldiers could wear it, operate it and live. I still have the space suit and I am alive. That is what is different about me. The magic had to alter my physical body just like that future soldier’s in order to survive using the suit even for just Halloween evening. I became him for an evening and the magic could not change me back without killing me.”

Willow slumped back into her seat thinking hard but with some fear on her face. Concern and worry for me. Then she looked at me and leaned over with both hands began feeling my arms, my biceps, my pectoral muscles and poking me. She smiled wickedly and cooed, “I think I like these changes, Xander.”

Looking sour I stated, “Well, I don’t like the bad dreams from him though. In his time they are fighting aliens that found us. They are very non-human and bent on wiping out all humans. Aliens that are real smart and they have better ships and weapons than Earth has.”

Willow sat back quickly as she realized the implications. “You mean that Earth was losing?”

I grimaced, “That’s why they had the special soldiers and the special combat armors.”

Willow extrapolated and didn’t like where she arrived. Her face dour as she spoke, “So you think that those Aliens are out there, right now and you’re going to try… with his knowledge to push us into Space travel and advanced weapons centuries before they find us.”

“Yes, I do and yes I am. Along the way - these weapons and technologies will help us fight vampires and demons here and now. But I am in a race with time, Willow.”

Willow looked at me and then leaned over, hugged my arm and put her head on my shoulder again. She closed her eyes and appeared to be deep in thought.

Her warmth, her scent and comfort calmed me down. The Covenant was a red-hot button with me courtesy of John’s memories. Yet Willow’s presence threw cold water on the fire in my heart so the rage and sadness did not get out of control.

I may not live to see the Covenant in some far future time but I was going to insure they did not survive the meeting.

Too soon, I was parking in the Rosenberg’s driveway. My dashboard clock said 11:20 PM. I hoped that Willow’s parents would not be too upset with me. I opened her door and escorted her to the houses front door. She turned, jumped up, threw her arms around my neck, while wrapped her legs around my hips to paste herself to me and she kissed me passionately. We were embraced again deliciously. I hugged her tight and held her off the ground. My mind was going blank. She was pressed so tightly against me and her passion was smoking my brain. Time did not seem to pass as we kissed.

Until the front door opened and light spilled across us. Willow’s mother was standing there her eyes adjusting to the twilight but looking at us both with her eyebrows raised.

We separated quickly embarrassed. Willow turned and went into her house waving goodbye at me with a women’s secret smile and a happy little wave of her fingers.

As I walked back to my car, I felt like I could jump over the moon and dance across the clouds.

I jumped into my car and drove back to my parent’s house thinking about the best parts of my evening with Willow. Finally I become more practical. I need a late snack and more of John’s dreams. Oh joy… For once, I hope my dreams this time will have Willow in them.

Almost home I comm’ed Cortana, “Hey big Sis! It went great tonight. We talked, we kissed, then we killed three vampires, saving two people and we kissed some more.”

Cortana came back with a hearty laugh, “Whoa! Big boy! You didn’t get grabby did you? So tell me everything. Fess up!”

Laughing now I told her everything. Well mostly everything.

6. Xander’s New Fear

Chapter 6. Xander’s New Fear

Monday, 10 November 1997, 07:30 AM, Sunnydale High School.

I walked into the Library and greeted Giles as he came out of his back caged office with a hot cup of tea. “Hey! Giles do you have a minute?”

Giles looked down the aisle at me and smiled. “Yes, I certainly do and I have some news for you.”

Giles went back into this office and came out with a folder. Holding it up and shaking it at me he stated, “This is the list of approved CLEP exams for High School credit and I have also compiled a list of the CSU Sunnydale courses and course units that are awarded depending upon your CLEP score. Now if you take the CLEPs which I have marked for you; you will only need to take one course each session in High School. Something like Electronics or PE or if I may add Library and Research Science with Rupert Giles as your teacher. Please note that all CLEPs are proctored exams.”

“That was quick and thank you.”

Giles cautioned me as he handed me the folder, “There is a third list in here. If you take those CLEP exams you cannot let the School District know about it but you can use them at CSU Sunnydale. Take and pass all of the listed CLEP exams and you will be awarded course credits worth almost three years of college.”

He continued, “The University will also allow you to challenge some courses not found in the CLEP list. You still have to sign up for the course, pay the fees and the exam will basically be the Final Exam from hell. Pass it and you get the grade and never have to show up. Science or Engineering Labs courses although must be attended physically unless you make an arrangement with the Department for alternative research. Which you should have no trouble doing.”

“Wow Giles. I’m almost speechless. Are you trying to get rid of me so quickly? Ha!”

Changing tacks quickly, I put the folder inside my book bag and sat down. “Giles, last night I told Willow about my Space Man Spiff experience.” Holding up my hands palms out to stop Giles exclamation, I continued. “She only knows a little. Not everything that you know. I did show her my factory and tell her a little about my business.”

Giles with his eyebrows raised, “You have a factory already and a business?”

“Things have been moving fast, for me and I forgot to tell you. Sorry. Yes my factory is really a block of empty warehouses right now, that workmen are cleaning out and rebuilding for me. You might want to drive by after school some time. Here I’ll write down the address and directions, on your black board in your office. But it’s Reach Industries. You know as in reach for the stars or from the memories of the future soldier the now dead planet Reach. Anyway I like the name.”

Giles walked with me back to his office for more privacy. I could tell he was deep in thought while we walked upstairs. “Xander? How much money did you earn from your invention that you are able to start building a factory? I know that factories are expensive…?”

As I wrote the address of Reach Industries and my new cell telephone number on the white board I said, “Giles, don’t worry about me. I made a lot.”

Giles raised his eyebrows and looked at me sideways in questioning disbelief.

“Ok Giles, I made millions and will make even more millions from it. Are you happy now? I am a millionaire… and I really did not want to say it like that… I apologize Giles.”

Giles sat heavily in his office chair temporarily stunned. “Did you say millions of dollars?”

I grinned at him sheepishly and then said boldly, “Let me rephrase that for you… How about $300 million is now on deposit in my name at Sunnydale Bank of California. Plus I have my own lawyers and a business partner. So don’t worry about me.”

Giles was now truly stunned, thinking, Xander went from lower middle-class kid to soldier, millionaire and now industrialist in less than two weeks! … Only in America…

Then I sat down in his nice guest chair opposite him and dropped my next bomb. “The reason that Willow was out with me last night was because we sort of went on a date. I mean it was date. It was… great and all… actually it was dyno-supreme. She was absolutely stunning. We had dinner and then caught a movie and everything was going better than I hoped until the vampires showed up.”

Giles spit out his hot tea and almost dropped his tea cup and saucer. “What?! Vampires showed up at your date?”

I grinned at him. Impishly happy that I got him to spit out his tea and said, “No not at our date but three vamps showed up chasing a couple down Marsh Boulevard while Willow and I were getting to my car in the movie theatre parking lot. So we chased them in my car.”

Giles was perplexed and irritated that Xander would endanger Willow and himself chasing vampires. They were not Slayers and only Slayers were a match for vampires. “Xander - Why did you risk Willow and yourself chasing vampires?”

I was happy to lure him in closer for the harpoon. “It was OK Giles, we were in my car and Willow never got out. She had one of those new Excalibur crossbows like the ones that I gave you and Buffy. I had it in the trunk of my car. But she shot her first Vampire last night! She shot the vamp on the move and got him straight through the heart. You should have been there to see it! She was awesome! He never even had a chance to dodge the quarrel. He went poof and then I shot the other two vampires.”

Giles mouth was now hanging open and he thought quickly. Willow shot a vampire with a crossbow and Xander killed two. My world just turned upside down. Two regular humans hunting vampires and killing them. Giles was still coming to grips when he asked for clarification, “So you killed the other two vampires with your crossbow?”

I smiled cruelly inside and threw my harpoon. “Heck no Giles! I used a shotgun on them.”

Giles again spit out his tea and started coughing. “You did what?! Guns don’t work on vampires!”

Gotcha again! “Au contraire Giles, you said that guns don’t work on vampires. What you should have said was that guns hold cartridges and fire bullets. Bullets made to kill humans will not kill vampires. … But bullets made to kill vampires are… a different story.”

Giles looked at me in amazement. His head tilting to the side as he lost his ability to control himself as he pondered this revelation. Giles glasses were now in his hands and he was polishing them furiously. Finally he straightened up in his chair, cleared his throat and asked me, “How? What kind of bullets?”

I smiled a feral smile. “You said that vampires were afraid of fire because they burned like dry pitch soaked wood and you said that they could not tolerate Christian crosses or blessed silver or garlic oils or Holy Water. Sooo… I bought incendiary shotgun flare rounds. You know the maritime kind that are used to signal distress. I also had shotgun shells reloaded with buckshot made from blessed silver-lead alloy and dipped in Holy Water.”

“I tested them on the two vampires last night. I shot one with the flare round and it hit him right here.” Indicating on my right side ribcage where the incendiary bullet struck the vampire. “He burst into flames immediately screaming until the flames consumed him. The other I shot with the blessed silver buckshot and blew his head almost off. A couple of buckshot hit him in the chest and he caught on fire from the inside out but I think he dusted because of the gooey broken head. Still his chest caught on fire just as the rest of him went dusty. It was beautiful, Giles.”

Giles was still stunned. He mused to himself thinking furiously. The books were wrong, the Watchers Council was wrong… and this… American teenager has seen what no Watcher and himself had seen in hundreds of years. They could kill vampires with guns… This information was stupendous. I must call the Council and report this.

I looked hard at Giles in his subdued reverie. I must have broken him. I then pulled what looked like a can of police Mace out of my backpack and tossed it to Giles. “Here is something else that might be useful. The can isn’t Mace, Giles. It is pressurized Holy Water, with blessed virgin Garlic oil, a small amount of blessed Silver Chloride in suspension and will spray a thin stream for 25 yards with no wind. Ten yards for sure. I call it Vampire-Be-Gone and each can is good for a six second shot or six short shots. It makes them burst into flames on contact. The garlic oil actually sticks to the target. Even the thin vapor will cause collateral damage on nearby vampires. Think of it as our version of Greek Fire or Napalm for vampires.”

Then I pulled out eight more cans and set them on Giles bookshelf.

Giles watched in surprised fascination, looking from the can in his hands to the ones on the shelf. Thinking to himself, another weapon for humans… A defensive weapon that only kills or injures vampires. My word… What will he show me next?

“Giles I have to go to class now. Can you give a couple of those cans to Buffy and a few for Willow? Have them take them home and also keep one with them just in case. You do the same Giles and there is more where those came from. Soon a lot more.” I stood up quickly and left the Library.

Giles sat there for nearly five minutes contemplating this sea change in the 12 millennia long war against the vampires. Polishing his glasses until they gleamed.

Giles stood up stiffly and sat at his desk staring at the telephone. He pulled out his billfold and removed a special card inside. Dialing the international toll free number on the card.

The voice on the other end said, “Watcher’s hotline.” And said nothing else. Silence like a blanket enveloped Giles and the telephone. He ordered his thoughts.

Giles cleared his throat and began. “Begin recording… urgent for all. Watcher Giles Rupert 4732. American children aiding The Slayer have killed vampires themselves. Using shotguns firing incendiary flare bullets. Using shotguns firing buckshot made from blessed silver-lead alloy and dipped in Holy Water. Using an American modern crossbow that is called the Excalibur and which fires quarrels more than twice the speed of our wooden crossbows. The young American boy who came up with and live fire tested these rounds successfully has also invented what looks like a can of Police Mace. He called it ‘Vampire-Be-Gone” and it is a pressurized can of Holy Water , blessed coloidial silver, blessed virgin Garlic oil and the mixture is like Napalm on a vampire. It kills them and has no effect on humans. The young man named, Alexander Harris is brilliant. The Americans will be mass producing these cans for sale. Will notify when they are available for purchase in mass quantity. Recommend all stations and personnel acquire cans for personal defence. Recommend that weapons section re-assess the use of firearms for defence and offence against vampires. Recommend adoption of modern Excalibur crossbow instead of archaic 16th century crossbows. End of Message out.” With that Giles hung up and sat back into his chair deep in thought.

Giles hefted the can of Vampire-Be-Gone and then tossed it spinning into the air and caught it. Smiling he thought of Xander. Saying out loud but only to the wind, “Xander is going to get even richer selling these as a novelty item and the people who buy it won’t even realize that it actually works.”

On my way to lunch period, I again was behind Buffy and Willow as they entered the cafeteria. I took Willow’s hand awkwardly but gently and asked her, “How are you doing today?” Willow blushed a little and Buffy looked at her smiling. I smiled at Buffy and Willow and then made a silly face at Buffy. I didn’t let go of Willow’s hand. She squeezed my hand in acceptance, which caused me to feel warm all over.

As we got into line for the sawdust burger meals of the day. I released her hand reluctantly but we needed both hands to get food and keep our trays moving. I casually asked Willow, “Did you tell her about our adventure Sunday night?”

Willow looked down at her tray and then at Buffy who had turned to look at both of us. “Err… yes and no… not really…” Willow said sheepishly looking embarrassed.

Buffy then said teasing, “What am I missing? Willow did you leave out the best parts of your first date? Did he get all sweaty hog on you? Or did you give him 3rd Base?!”

Willow almost died on the spot since Buffy said this loud enough for at least twenty other people to hear. She got all fainty and she started to wobble. I grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into me to lean against. I saved her reputation by defending her which was uncharacteristic of most teenage boys. Heads turned in the cafeteria and were watching us. I said indignantly, “No she didn’t and I didn’t. We had dinner and saw a movie. We had a good time and she wore a killer red dress.”

Willow buried herself in Xander’s arms, her back to his muscles and she decided that she liked this place, she had dreamed of it for years and now… it somehow felt right. She bent her head back and looked up at him, surprised at his reaction to Buffy and also happy for it. Then she faced Buffy her cheeks hot and flushed, she squeaked, “Ditto what he said.”

Buffy watched them intently. Her Slayer senses at peak because she kept getting a threat ping on him, which turned to a warm friendly ping. It was confusing. Willow was radiating blushing happiness now and Xander was all determined protectiveness. They were a couple now! Without the sweaty parts first. This was good, thought Buffy, so she smiled at both of them.

Other students behind them in line were hooting and hollering to get a move on. I looked down at Willow and asked sincerely, “Are you OK now? Can you stand up?”

Willow said quietly, “Yes, I’m OK.” Then tried to stand.

I did not let loose of her but quickly bent down and kissed her forehead which startled her. To me she smelled wonderful and her taste was on my lips. Buffy whistled and I helped Willow to stand away. She had this confused happy face on as Buffy gave her flapping eyebrows expression with a silent wow.

At the counter I bought three burger lunches and gave one to Buffy telling her that she needed to keep up her strength. She looked at my two trays and said, “What’s your excuse because I don’t gain weight?

Sitting at a table with them I asked Willow again, “Did you tell her about the vampires and your first vampire?”

Buffy heard the question and immediately asked in a guileless voice, “What vampires and did you allow a vampire to get to third base with you?”

Both Willow and I, nearly choked to death. Buffy said in exasperation, “What’d I say?”

I was laughing and couldn’t eat at that moment. Willow looked at me with pursed lips and hit me on the shoulder saying, “Shush! You… you be quiet.”

Willow finally looked several times between Buffy on one side and myself on the other. Finally she started talking, “Ok, you shut it funny man, no I hadn’t told her everything yet.” Dropping her voice low she leaned over to Buffy, “I killed a vampire with Xander’s crossbow Sunday night.”

Buffy’s head snapped around and she blurted, “You didn’t! On your first date!! Oh-My-God that’s so awesome!”

Lowering her voice finally because lots of heads and eyes were watching them now. She bent towards them conspiratorially. “Did you use one of those super-cool new bows that Xander also gave Giles and me? I’ve aced five vamps since last Thursday with mine. The arrow is so fast they can’t dodge it. I love it! So give me the 411 on this?”

Willow was astonished. Turning she looked at me and accusingly said, “You gave crossbows to Giles and Buffy last Thursday but only let me use one?”

I realized that I was in deep trouble and talked fast, “I only have three at this time and I wanted to try them out before I gave it to you. Instead you got to use it first and it’s yours as far as I am concerned. You got a can of my “Vampire-Be-Gone” and so far Buffy hasn’t.”

Mollified Willow caressed my cheek with her fingers. The feeling was delicious.

She said, “Good so long as we agree that it’s mine and I still have my can of VBG right here.”

Buffy snatched the can out of Willow’s hand and read the crude lettering on the can. While I explained what it was and how it worked to her. Then she looked at me dangerously and asked, “Ok Santa, why don’t Giles and I have a whole case of these? I want to test them out.”

With a wicked grin and a chuckle I said, “Don’t worry Buffy I delivered nine cans to Giles this morning. They are in his office and each of you get two cans for now. I am having more made. If you intend to use them, bring marshmallows.”

Buffy with a very happy expression said, “Wow! You are the man with the can. We’ll have to call you Q because you’re bringing us the best toys.”

I thought to myself, Wow yourself Buffy. I would have rather been referred to as James Bond but I guess Q will do since I’m bringing them the new stuff. They have no idea what I will be bringing them next year or five years from now. Maybe she’ll call me Buck Rogers or something then.

I leaned over to a beaming Willow, “Do you want me to leave the crossbow here in the library for you or take you home after-school and give it to you then.”

Buffy also leaned in to Willow and in a low voice which I was not supposed to hear said, “The crossbow is so dyno-supreme, give him third base for it. I love mine so much I’m thinking of a threesome.” With that, she poked Willow in the ribs and Willow blew milk across the table.

I pretended not to overhear but I was laughing at Willow for blowing milk and teased her a bit while helping to clean up.

As we were dumping our garbage Willow whispered to me, “Take me home after-school and bring the crossbow. I want to practice.”

Walking out into the hall Buffy turned and said, “Oh I almost forgot, a boy I used to know at Hemery High School before I came here started classes today. You might meet him. His name is Billy Fordham and he goes by “Ford.” I’ll introduce you to him later.” With that, she turned and went down the hall away from where Willow and I had to go.

Willow had walked about 20 feet ahead of me and I was watching her walk intently. Every single one of Willow’s wiggles and sway. She came to the intersection of two halls. She paused, turned her upper body and looked back with a smile for me beginning to appear on her face just as one of the Cro-Magnon jocks, Bobby came around the corner and stuck his hands up Willow’s blouse in a hit-an-run cop-a-feel. She squealed in angry indignation and spun dropping her bag as she tried to push him away.

I only reacted. Reacted in anger. I was on Bobby in a millisecond and clothes-lined him. I was going to strike his throat with a tiger’s paw strike which would have killed him. At the last microsecond I extended my arm to just clothes line him at the chest. Bobby’s feet came off the floor as I swept him along in my speed. My arm outstretched with Bobby’s chin on my forearm. When Bobby was horizontal to the floor I had stopped moving at the far wall and bounced back but Bobby had yet to stop. His head hit the wall and then Bobby’s entire body hit the floor. He was unconscious.

When Bobby hit the sheet rock of the wall he left a head sized impact crater five feet off the ground. The kids in the hallway only turned to look when Bobby crashed into the wall. I was already eight feet away from Bobby. So they all saw nothing to implicate me with Bobby in his usual hallway antics.

I really wanted to continue on him and punt his body down the hall. I had to breathe deeply and let it out before my anger resulted in his death.

Looking around I stepped over to him and checked his pulse. Then picked up one of Bobby’s books and put it over his face as if he was sleeping in the hallway. I rearranged his body so that he was lying along the wall. I put his backpack under his head to reinforce the view that he was sleeping. At least until Snyder found him and started screaming.

I quickly went back and helped Willow pick up her spilled things. With our heads down together, she whispered while still shaking from her anger laced adrenaline rush. “Thank you. I… I didn’t see… How did… What did you do to him?” Then she fell silent running the images through her mind as they finished picking up.

Rising we walked together to our Biology Science class. As we walked she grabbed my hand and leaned into me her hair swaying. She asked, “When you told me last night about the space soldiers being special for a very dangerous space suit and the magic changed you to survive in the suit. To also be… ‘special’. Did I just see some of that special? Because you went by me really fast. Maybe… just as fast as Buffy…”

I reluctantly said, “Yes and I was… moving fast. I regret that I got angry. I could have killed him when I hit him.” I shook my head. I was still coming down from my own anger triggered adrenaline rush.

Willow looked up at me and said, “Thank you again. He and his friends have been doing stuff like that since I was in seventh grade. Doing that to all the girls. They’re jerks and you have my permission to hurt them. Just don’t kill them please. Unless they really, really deserve it.” She smiled fast and grimaced.

With the sour look on her face, I laughed with her as we arrived at our Biology class.

Biology class was almost over and I had been in communication with Cortana almost the entire time to keep from dying of boredom. Just then Dr. Gregory said something that brought me back into the classroom with my full attention. Dr. Gregory was lecturing on how single celled good germs that colonize the human skin, our mouths and inside our bodies are transferred to other people like husbands and wives who are intimate and also to their babies. That bad germs are transferred the same ways when people are in close confined areas like inside buses, airplanes, trains or school classrooms. When really bad germs get transferred and lots of people get sick, they call that a plague or an epidemic.

I had a worrisome idea extrapolating what Dr. Gregory lectured on. I neuronetted, “Cortana, I need you to research something for me and give me an evaluation. The 26th Century nanites and genetic engineered enhancements in my body, can they be transferred by close physical contact like romantic embraces or lots of kissing via saliva?”

Cortana was surprised by this question. “Alex, … I don’t know… Dr. Halsey never indicated so and her core research was denied even to me. Spartans were always quartered together so the nanites should have been compatible. John’s only sexual partners were Lt. Parisa Skysong and Senior Chief Petty Officer Kelly Rutherford who was Spartan-087.”

It was my turn to be surprised now, “There were female Spartans?”

“Yes silly boy. John’s memories should be in there somewhere about them. His first love was Parisa who believed John to be dead when he went into the Spartan II Program. She later became a UNSC Marine Lieutenant and he reunited with her on the battlefield at the first battle for New Mombasa. His second was Kelly, Spartan-087, who he was involved with the longest. But in all of Dr. Halsey’s encounters with Spartans after the Spartan II Program augmentation nanites she was normally gloved. Spartans after the III Program did not routinely touch their bare skin with another non-Spartan human to my knowledge. Probably because the typical fleet personnel viewed the Spartans with awe. Skin contact and intimate contact did occur to my observations. Fleet medical guides did indicate strongly that the nanites are transferrable. I have no baseline of research material that would indicate if the transfer would be hazardous. … Are you worried about Willow since you have been kissing?”

I felt sick with worry for Willow. “Yes, I am worried. Cortana is there any information that might indicate a critical mass of nanites before they ‘take’ and survive in the new host? And what would the nanites do? Will they hurt Willow?”

“Alex, I am sorry. I can only answer the second question. All UNSC fleet personnel and colonist to new planets received some sort of nanite augmentation. Your cybernetic, skeletal and muscle augmentation was very special nanites that you received magically. Those nanites died when their jobs were done. Those nanites were the most dangerous for a human host. A small percentage of even Spartan recruits were permanently disabled by those nanites. Only members of the Spartan program received them. Every member of the UNSC received a mix of twelve nanites for augmentation of their general health. Longer lifespan of 200 to 250 years, very few diseases, no cancers, highly resistant to radiations, fast healing, skin and organ regeneration.

Spartans received twenty nanites injections total with sixteen still inside you. All of these were very advanced improvements on the basic dozen. These were more than twice as effective. For example the normal UNSC lifespan was 250 years but the Spartans was designed to be 600 years. The last four extra all had to do with eyesight improvements, neuromusculature reaction times, nervous system improvements, immune system and cerebral cortex improvements to allow for AI integration, improved memory and improved intelligence.

All sixteen of these nanites are inside your body and none of these would endanger another human. Their ability to augment another human to your level of capability is doubtful but they would extend the person’s life and quality of life. They would be disease and cancer free for the remainder of their much longer life.”

I asked, “Cortana can these nanites be withdrawn from my body like in a blood draw, separated and then cultured for injection into another human?”

Cortana paused for almost one minute and one minute for Cortana was a millennia for me. “Alex I’ve found a container on this subject. I believe it’s on a protected crystal storage lattice embedded inside your suit. I did not place it there, hidden from me and I cannot open it without authorization.” Cortana’s voice began to quaver and change until it was the voice of Dr. Elizabeth Halsey, mom! “Authorization access code required from Spartan-117, Walker, John C. State authorization code and when complete speak the word ‘friend’.”

My mind whirled. What authorization code? I don’t have any secret codes or pass-books? Then my mind fixated on John and then John’s memories. John must have the authorization code buried in here somewhere. So I closed my eyes and began searching John’s long and nearly perfect memory.

It took only a few minutes and as the bell rang for the end of the class; I stated the code out loud. “Tango Juliet Pie Romero Zulu Zed Omega Delta Oscar Sierra Zero Zero One One Seven Dash Two Four the lucky fox jumped over the moon - friend.” Some of the students hearing me; looked at me as if I was a crazy weirdo as they left the room. I stayed sitting and closed my eyes.

When I opened my eyes, Willow was there looking at me with grave concern; her hand on my arm. I looked down at her hand and could just imagine thousands of nanites swarming over her skin to devour her. I shook that imagining horror off.

In my mind via my Spartan neuronet was Dr. Halsey speaking to John. She was speaking to me and this came with a living color vision of her from across my neuralnet. I couldn’t move for fear of interrupting it since this program was like a buried virus in Cortana.

Dr. Halsey spoke to me. Her image speaking into my mind. “Only a select group of individuals in all of UNSC space were given authorizations to retrieve this package containing the complete library of classified research which includes all of the medical science behind the Spartan program, the Mjolnir technologies, Covenant technology, Forerunner technology and the entire UNSC colony library archive. This is the mother lode of libraries. In addition for only Spartans, I have included a number of star charts and planetary information about Forerunner bases and installations that we have found and strongly suspect. Many of these have been a top secret even within the UNSC. Many of them we have not had the manpower to investigate. These are for you. Since you have activated the fail-safe triggers embedded in Cortana this package is made available to you. When this recording ends, Cortana will have access to everything that was my life. I assume that I am dead and humanity has lost our war with the Covenant but some Spartans and their AI’s still live. This is my legacy to you. Rebuild and repopulate a new world. Goodbye and good luck John. Tell Cortana, my most beloved daughter, that I… I am immensely proud of her.”

Abruptly the hologram inside my mind finished. Both John and I were crying.

I stood and wiped away my tears. With Willow standing there, I wasn’t embarrassed. Willow looking at me with immense worry on her face. I told her that a buried memory of John’s, the space soldier, had surfaced and it was terribly sad. I had just relived it in Technicolor.

Outside the classroom, she very tenderly wiped away my remaining tears with her palms. She kissed my cheek and ran off to her French class. I watched her receding figure, finally I turned and walked to my California History class.

All the while Cortana had come back briefly to tell me that she was now trawling through the greatest library of humanity.

I paused Cortana’s conversation only long enough to quote to her what her mother had said. Even Cortana nearly broke down crying at being called for the first time ever, a beloved daughter.

Later at 2:59 PM, and seconds before the schools out bell, Cortana came back. “Well Alex, this is a treasure trove of information and I am not even through 10% of it. But there is good news Alex. I can now answer a few of your questions.

First, there actually were cases of disabled and ‘retired’ Spartans who infected their spouses with their nanites. In all cases, there were no ill effects to the spouse and children. All of the children were born with the improved nanites present in their blood but small quantities initially. All of the children were extraordinarily healthy. From the studies, it took the nanites one to four years to fully colonize the spouses with intimate contact.

The greater the intimate physical contact the more positive and faster the transfer. Yes. Spartan saliva, sweat, and sex secretions concentrate a subset of the nanites. The nanites for improved immune systems, tissue regeneration, healing and long life.

Yes, we can titrate nanites from your blood stream for a concentrated injection.

In addition Spartans are exceptionally fertile both females and males.

John did not know it because Dr. Halsey hid it from him, but John is the farther of twins with Lt. Parisa Skysong from their one night tryst at New Mombasa. John thought she had died in the battle or Covenant destruction of the city… What is notable, is she must have removed her contraceptive block prior to her tryst with John and achieved what she had hoped for. Dr. Halsey intervened when Parisa discovered she was pregnant and reported it. My mother spirited her off Earth to one of her secret installations for her and the children’s safety. This installation is a Forerunner facility and is secret even from the UNSC. So far, I have not discovered its location in this data. There is only a Forerunner code phrase identifier for it.

It seems that Kelly had very good reason to use a white rabbit on her armor as her symbol and not just because of her running speed. It seems that she is the mother by natural means of eight of John’s children and sixty more children via artificial wombs with her ova and his sperm. For thirty-two years, Dr. Halsey and Kelly kept this from John. Seems that as of the last entry Kelly was very much alive and in her first trimester with another of John’s children. The last entry is the day that Dr. Halsey fled with the injured, sedated, and pregnant Kelly to space unknown aboard the ONI stealth Corvette Beatrice. This occurred right before John and the others attacked the Covenant’s High Charity and then headed for Earth on the Forerunner Keyship. Which is also when you met John on Halloween night.”

I was floored, “Oh My God! This sounds like one of those daytime soap operas. John has seventy kids he knows nothing about, by the only two women that he has ever loved but he thinks both are dead and your mother really kidnapped both Parisa and Kelly…”

After fifteen seconds of silence, I started chuckling. “Wow Cortana. You got to admit it though, John’s a stud, and his girl friends are hot chicks with guns. I mean what’s next for them? John kills the Prophet of Truth, defeats the Covenant, wipes out the Flood and then with his girl friend’s repopulates an entire world, chock full of their kids who are tougher than nails?”

Now Cortana was amused at my fanciful extrapolation. I then said with all seriousness, “You know Cortana. You yourself said that John was extraordinarily lucky… We know that your Mom is probably one of the smartest people alive in her time and she is also incredibly lucky… She is the only known human who can read and speak the entire Forerunner language without the aid of an AI. I’m willing to bet a Billion Dollars that you stole fair and square, that your Mom is alive … John is alive, and his family is alive.”

Cortana was astonished and hopeful at Alex’s leap of intuition. The more she ran the probabilities on John and her mother, factoring in both of their improbable luck … the more he was most likely correct. They were certain to be alive! “Alex you are correct, they are both miraculously lucky. Therefore no bet. We both agree that they are alive.”

I nodded my head and said, “You betcha they’re alive and kicking. But you know something Cortana?”

Cortana was now puzzled again, “What’s that Alex?”

I started laughing again, “I would give almost anything to be there… to see John’s face when your Mom introduces him again to the two women in his life, who he thought were dead and then gets mobbed by all of those children screaming Daddy!”

Now laughing harder, “Think about it Cortana, the Covenant couldn’t kill him after thirty-two years of trying really hard and I bet he has a freaking heart attack right there when all of those kids dog pile on him.”

Now Cortana was laughing so hard her primary cognitive process almost froze.

Finally her guffaws died down and she said, “That was a funny vision Alex. Thank you for that. But you must also realize something. John is not just one stud. Remember I said that all of the Spartans were extraordinarily fertile… They all were and not just John and Kelly. That means you are also…”

I stopped in my tracks and almost fell down. “Are you saying that because I’m a Spartan - that if I have sex with a girl just once, she’ll be pregnant the very next day?”

“Yes, she will be pregnant but not the next day Alex. Fertilization and embryo implantation takes more than one day. In general, yes, you will be a father.”

“Holy crap Cortana, I’ll never get laid!”

“Alex, does this mean you intend to be celibate?”

“No! No! I… I’m a guy… a man… a young… old man… with needs…. with teenager hormones… I am so dead. I’m going to be the father of a new flippin’ country or planet or something aren’t I?”

Now Cortana was laughing at me. “Alex! Earth to Alex! What are you worried about? For the past week, I have accepted and despaired that John was going to the last stand on Earth. That he had died there. Today, I believe he is alive. My mother is alive. His great loves are alive and his children are alive. Today I expect you to live at least 600 years and to have women you love, to be a father and have many children. It is life Alex. New life is part of it. Right now, it’s not like you cannot afford a wife and children. Remember just seven days ago you said to Scotty Pippin that ten years from now you would be shaking his hand on the moon. Did you think that nothing else would change during that time? That you would not fall in love?”

I was still inside the school and in the hallway. I looked at the floor and scuffed my feet. “Well ya… I thought it would be me and you forever and… I wasn’t thinking things through, was I?”

“Not a jot Alex. Now get your brain in gear and keep it a mile out in front of where you are. Leave it to me to remind you when you are being silly! It is my prerogative and my duty!”

By this time, I had walked out into the frontage of the school and the parking lot. Willow was at the far end of the sidewalk on the small grassy knoll and was waving at me. I scanned her silhouette lingering on her curves. Shaking my mind loose, I began walking towards her and day dreamed all of the High School girls pregnant with my children…. My daydream exploded with a violent flash, with all of my fantasy girls screaming at me, at each other and then as they tore me apart in jealousy. My daydream ending with a ‘thunk’ of reality.

Speaking low to myself as I walked, “Never happen! Willow and Buffy would use those crossbows on me and feed what was left to dead-boy or stake me out over an ant-hill Indian fashion. Probably why Hugh Hefner has only been married twice and only has four children despite all of the gorgeous naked women in his house across the last fifty years. As if I could do that… I’d have to have a maternity and children’s hospital right next to my house.”

Just then Buffy came skipping past me all lithe curves, her heady feminine scent and perfume lingered and she joined up with Willow. Buffy was wearing a pink terry shorts showing lots of sun tanned leg. I slowed a little in my walk through the crowd of students waiting for buses and slipstreamed with those heading up the sidewalk towards the student parking lot.

As I walked the fifty yards towards Willow and Buffy, I realized something that had been flagging me all day but never rose to the surface of my grey-cell pool until now. Willow was not dressed in baggy dark frumpy clothes today. She wasn’t showing a lot of skin like some of the girls at school but she was wearing a nice skirt and a nice feminine floral blouse. She was dressed very much classier than I was used to seeing. I’m supposed to be a Spartan all observant and Sherlock Holmes like… How did I miss that? She went from Goodwill grunge to Gottschalk’s and Macy’s. She must have done that for me… Crap! I’m in trouble…. I’ll be in the dog house by tonight with both Cortana and Willow. Cortana for me not complimenting Willow and Willow for me not noticing… I need to say something as we meet up there. My brain was turning to mush as I walked up to the most beautiful and alluring women in my life. I called out cheerfully, “Hey ladies! The Zeppo is here! With a ride home if you’re willing?” With that, I held up my Saturn car keys and then realized that only Willow had seen the Saturn. Buffy might ask questions that I didn’t want to answer?

Just then, Willow’s hand seized mine in a girl friend to boy friend way… As she drew me to her side, my mouth and brain froze. Buffy didn’t miss the message though. Willow was claiming me as her territory.

Buffy smiled this huge radiant smile and gushed, “Ooh! You two did hold out on me!” Leaning in and patting Willow’s shoulder she said, “He looks good on you Willow!”

Willow blushed beautifully. My brain lost its vapor lock. I grinned and commented to both but mostly to Buffy, “Willow looks beautiful today doesn’t she? She makes me look good to.” Willow looked at me and turned into a glow bug. She grabbed my whole arm and leaned in closer, pasting herself to me. I couldn’t object. Not at all. As emotions and hormones swept over me.

Others in the crowd of students did not fail to see and hear either.

The three of us walked to my Saturn. Buffy gushed over the car being a vast improvement over the ‘rust bucket’ pickup truck. I was a bit miffed at her characterization of my truck. Even if it was partly true. I drove the girls home and took their ribbing with a smile. Mostly Buffy wanted to talk about this new senior at school, Billy Fordham.

Cortana comm’ed me just after I dropped off Buffy and was driving to Willow’s house. “Alex, you need to drop by the school district offices before they close and file the application paperwork for you CLEP exams. Then you need to drop by Smiley and Hartz Real Estate to sign some Title and Deed transfer papers for the house. I’ll electronically transfer the remaining funds for the residence. I have already made the arrangements with Allied Van Lines to relocate Mrs. Oliver and they are completing their cost estimate this afternoon. She was telephoned today by her husband’s insurance agent that the carrier will be paying the policy this week which made her even happier than she was. Then you need to meet with your Uncle Roary for dinner. He suggested that you meet him at the Firestone Grill on Higuera Street. Then go with him down Higuera to the Range-Masters tactical store and do a little shopping with him. You do not need to stop at the warehouse this evening, Scotty is taking care of everything.”

“Roger that Cortana.”

When I drove up Willow’s driveway, I begged off going inside with her. She was disappointed but understood that I had other responsibilities. As I drove off, I assumed that by her behavior she really wanted to practice smooching with me; but not with the crossbow. All I could think of was my nanites turning her into Jello. Even though Cortana had told me that the transfer was not dangerous… I knew my angst level was irrational. I still couldn’t shake it. I realized that I cared for her in a way that was deeper than my past puppy love for both her and Buffy.

Tuesday, 11th November 1997, Veteran’s Day, Sunnydale.

No school today, a Federal Holiday, so my Uncle Roary and I first attended a morning Veterans memorial service at the Los Cerros cemetery at the foot of Bishop Mountain. Uncle Roary was gratified that I attended with him for the first time. The service was attended by old and young veterans who visited their fallen brothers in arms. The ceremony was simple and somber. Roary commented that at least there was no obnoxious loud-mouthed California peace-nik commie freaks, disrupting the service like they had in previous years. I found later that pretty much most of the veterans also thought the same. With 32 years of war in John’s memories, I spent my time saying a prayer for John and for all of the fallen in that universe. John’s heart tearing sadness and reflections were mine now.

Afterwards we went shopping down to Los Angeles. Where there was bigger and better gun and outdoor stores. We both had a good time and briefly forgot our memories of battle and friends lost.

Wednesday, 12th November 1997, 07:00 AM, Sunnydale.

I was up after another night of fitful and frightening dreams. The last vivid dream was of me infecting everyone with my nanites which turned into a deadly raging plague leaving me the last human on Earth amongst thousands of starving demons.

When I came back to my room to pack up for school, Cortana wanted to talk to me.

“Alex, I have some news from last night. Willow invited Angel into her home…”

My head snapped around in alarm, “Stop! Repeat what you just said?”

Cortana all serious and miffed, “I was surveilling Buffy and Willow last night as usual. Angel made an appearance last night at the Bronze and later at Willow’s house. She invited him into her home.”

“Why would she do that Cortana? She trusts him only slightly more than I do?”

“Angel asked Willow to use her computer skills to investigate Billy Fordham a new boy at school who Buffy spent a great deal of time with last night. Angel says that something’s not right about him and his story. He was correct. Before Angel had to leave, she discovered that Billy Fordham is not enrolled in school. Not in Sunnydale or anywhere. That is when I began my own investigation. Willow did find email message links to a person named Diego at the Sunset Club here in Sunnydale. My investigation revealed that Billy or Ford or William Fordham, has been undergoing treatment for inoperable brain cancer for the past six months. His last diagnosis was six months to live and his doctors prescribed a lot of pain killers and other pharmaceuticals for him. He paid a Private Detective to find Buffy and is now here under a false flag. The contact ‘Diego’ is a low life Goth named Lester Carmichael who has a lease on the property now billed as the Sunset Club. The Sunset Club is a watering hole for the local Goth head bangers. Therefore I suspect nefarious motives.”

I was now moving to leave for school. Walking up into the kitchen where my mom was, so I went silent neuronet to Cortana.

I was more worried about Willow inviting a vampire into her home than I was concerned for Buffy. “Crap! And more crap! Buffy’s a big girl Cortana and she can handle this Ford guy even if he was an Olympian. Just keep your surveillance on them and track this Billy Fordham and mark him as potentially hostile. If his profile changes to imminent threat or higher let me know immediately. I’ll deal with him quickly and with finality. I know Buffy won’t or can’t kill a human but I have no such problem dealing with high priority threats.”

“I will keep my ears open and eyes on them Alex and I will also run down this Diego person. Two can play the Private Eye game and I can employ more than a few to go where I cannot.”

Smiling now I got into my car and applauded her, “Good thinking Cortana, the detectives can go almost anywhere and gain access to non-electronic records. You can even pay them to subcontract out work to electronically scan the records they uncover and reports that they make. Better yet, if they don’t own a personal computer or cell telephone make it part of the deal that you will supply them as a bonus. Then you’ll always be with them.”

Cortana gleefully responded, “You are a clever sneaky devil! I am so proud of you Alex and I’m sad that I didn’t think of it first. Maybe we should run a fake prize contest and give away cell telephones and computers with paid subscriptions to every demon and evil human in Sunnydale. It would simplify my tracking ability and raise the quality of my surveillance program.”

As I drove down Willow’s street to pick her up for school I answered, “This sounds even better Cortana. Let’s also expand this to our friends. Please see that Willow, Buffy, Cordelia and Giles all get new cell telephones and upgraded computers. Also, order a set for all of our parents. Roary already has the cell telephone I gave him so let’s get him a nice computer.”

“I will arrange the façade this morning and place all of the orders. This will enhance my surveillance ability by an order of magnitude. Ta-Ta Alex!” Cortana was much too happy about our latest intel scheme or was it the new day?

I checked the dash clock, 7:45 AM. Just as I spotted Willow, walking down the sidewalk headed to school and pulled up alongside of her. With my window down and giant smile on my face, I called out to her. “Hey are you that famous Willow girl? You going my way?”

Willow smiled beautifully and positively flounced her way into the Saturn. I was scanning every micron of her figure again. I thought to myself, “My day just can’t get any better than this.”

7. Ford’s Night Out

Chapter 7. Ford’s Night Out

Friday, 14th November 1997, 05:00 PM, Sunnydale.

My Uncle Roary Harris and I, after a good hearty dinner at Avila’s Apple Barn were conducting some trunk-to-trunk transfers in the parking lot. Roary told me as he patted me on the shoulder, “The rest of the ammo and munition buys went to the storage lot near the warehouse.”

I handed my Uncle a manila packet full of cash. “This is excellent Uncle, here’s $40K for the next shopping list. Oh, that reminds me. You and I are moving out of my Mom and Dad’s house this weekend on Sunday. Or at the least, you are. I bought a four bedroom house in a nice side of town and it was empty today. I have a cleaning crew inside and painters, so the place will look and smell new. Tomorrow you and I need to go shopping for furniture and everything it will take to furnish the house. If you’re game, I need a house sitter for this place at least for the next few years?”

“Xander this gets better and better. You Betcha I’m game. A chance to get out of my brothers house, who wouldn’t? That is if I can afford the rent. Will I be able to afford the rent?”

At first smiling I said, “You will be able to afford the rent because it’s zero dollars but you will be earning it as the ‘house father’ and ‘house keeper’. I intend to live there also for maybe the next few years until I graduate, but I’ll be gone a lot. I need the place as a safe house.”

Roary was grinning like a maniac as he held out his hand inviting me to shake.

Shaking my Uncle’s hand on the deal I added, “Stick with me for the next few years and I’ll sign the house over to you. Don’t consider it a gift unless you’re going to marry that girl friend of yours, … Karen? She’s been your girlfriend through thick and thin for ten years now? By my way of thinking, you really owe her and she must love you. As mean and ornery as you are, she has stuck with you. If you finally do ask her, I’ll stand in as best man or best beast so long as you do the same for me?”

Roary was laughing now. “I had a small house years ago… What will I do with one now?”

Chuckling I answered him, “For a start stay sober for me and Karen. You’re working for me so I demand responsibility. That means marrying Karen and filling the house with your brats. I have to have some nephews and nieces to spoil, don’t I?”

“You’re kidding right? I’m a bit long in the tooth and crusty for kids. I don’t know if Karen would even want to marry me.”

Chuckling again, “Well I don’t know if you’re good enough for Karen but she has stayed around you for too many years. Maybe she’s just dumb?”

“Hey! No bad mouthing Karen. You can bad mouth me but not her.”

Now laughing, “Ok! Karen is too good for you and I think she loves you. God only knows why? But you do too. I mean, everyone has seen it but you.”

“Aw shut up you young whipper-snapper.” Said Roary has he good naturally punched me in the shoulder. Still chuckling at me, he walked to his truck.

Three minutes later and just after Uncle Roary drove away Cortana comm’ed me. “Alex we have a problem and it’s Buffy and Billy Fordham. Seems Ford and all of his friends are vampire wannabe’s. The Sunset Club was a trap for Buffy and she went there. Ford and Diego have made a deal with one of the local vampire bosses. Buffy is a gift to the vampires, a sacrifice.”

“Crap! Ok Cortana, I am on my way home to retrieve my armor. Give me directions again to this Club? Also telephone my Uncle Roary, who just drove away and have him meet me at Reach. Once I suit up, I’ll need to have him drive me there in the back of his pickup. Also have him stop at the storage lot and bring the MG3 and two belts of 1,000 rounds please. Tell him that he is going to get to see some of my action first hand but for him to pick out one handgun and shotgun for himself with only incendiary ammo. — No, he should only be a spectator… but for just in case.”

Continuing her Situation Briefing, “The Club is not far from Reach. Go south on Main to Orcutt Road eastbound, 250 yards is Duncan turn left it’s the first building on the right hand side. The Club is underground and extends below the parking lot to the north. There is one telephone inside the Club and Buffy is locked inside along with a group of these idiots and Ford. She hasn’t panicked but is searching for an alternate exit. Ford struck a deal with a Vampire boss and his vampire minions to make him and the pack of fools vampires and the trade was Buffy. You need to get over there before this becomes a suckfest. I strongly recommend your armor since the main Vampires gang is composed of a dozen other vampires.”

I was racing home for my Pelican cases. “Roger that Cortana, full-up armor and weapons load.”

Five minutes later. “Status change Alex! Willow, Giles and Jenny Calendar figured it out and are planning on rescuing Buffy. They will arrive 20 minutes before you do, assuming that Giles decrepit Citroen can move.”

“Buzzard Crap! Can you call one of them and ask them to not enter the club. Just stay outside well away from the frontage and hidden. Tell them that I will be there with the cavalry and they are to stay on the telephone with you and provide valuable observations.”

“I have Jenny Calendar on the telephone now and they are debating your instructions. I will let you know how it goes.” Cortana’s was clearly irritated at the delay caused by the debate. ‘Civilians’ she darkly muttered to herself and to me.

I had arrived at my parents home and ran inside the garage tossing the Pelican cases into the back of my pickup truck. Swapping cars, I wasting no time. I drove fast straight to Reach. I was more concerned for the safety of Giles, Jenny and Willow than for Buffy. As I drove, I realized that this was a first for me. To be more concerned… no worried over the safety of Willow, rather than Buffy. I mused on this change in myself.

At the warehouse parking lot, as I removed the Pelican cases, I quickly told the guards that I had a vampire emergency. I put the cases in a line and began unlocking them. I began shedding my clothes even though I had left the great rollup door open. The Security guards closed ranks outside, facing the street to guard my back.

Roary pulled into the Reach parking lot screeching rubber and pulled-up to the first door, the guards waiving him to a stop. He jumped out of his truck, looking at the guards who were now forming a perimeter around him and I up inside the warehouse.

I called down to my uncle, “Hey Uncle Roary you up for being a chauffeur and a spectator tonight?”

Roary still a skeptic, “Ok I’m packing but I still won’t believe your hunting demons until I really see one dead at my feet.”

The guards smiled and kidded Roary calling him an infidel for his non-belief.

Cortana came on with her alert. “Status change Alex, inside the target location! Ford has attacked Buffy and clubbed her down from behind and he has also injected her with a sedative and hydrocodone. She is unconscious and they are tying her to a table to await the vampire gang. Ford directed one of his minions to exit and bolt the doors from the outside. This appears to trap the vampire groupies underground with Ford and Buffy. Looks like Buffy and Ford are the vampires main course; and the groupies really are the bonus snack.”

I was stripped down and now began suiting up as fast as I could. This was the first time that Roary had seen the Mjolnir armor and was marveling at it. He was picking up the heavy pieces and handling them as I continued.

“Ok, Uncle almost done. When I seal the helmet, you will need this radio head-set here to talk to me. You know where we’re going and remember do not come inside, no matter what you hear or see. Use the radio. If you’re attacked stay in your vehicle but defend yourself.”

Talking to me he said, “Ya - Ya… You know this isn’t my first walk in the jungle with guns.”

“I know Uncle but that time you only faced human enemies. Now it is something… a lot worse.” With that, I sealed my helmet and Cortana came online to help run my diagnostics. The Mjolnir’s EM shields began to generate and strengthen. Lightening played across my armor and my chameleon skin began to shift.

Uncle Roary’s hair stood on end as he looked at the armored knight his nephew had become. He saw the shields but tried to touch them and his hand went numb from the shock. The snap of electricity was a painful surprise. Jumping back and shaking his hand in pain. “Holy shiii-t! If that’s what I think it is, I wish I had one of those twenty-seven years ago in Nam.”

Roary’s duplex radio squawked on, “Armor is five-by-five Roary. I’m ready to go rockin’ and rollin’.”

Roary jumped down to his truck and uncased the German MG3 and the two duffel bags with thousand round ammo belts in them. His nephew, armored knight, jumped down beside him and his feet bounced off the pavement from Xander’s impact. Over the radio he commented, “I didn’t know that you had something out of flipping movies to go to war in. But this here will give you firepower supremacy. The belts are loaded with tracer and HEI.”

I stepped up onto the back bed of Roary’s Ford F150 longbed pickup truck and Roary jumped behind the wheel. “Hang on Xander!” Roary backed out and then floored the throttle. The truck fish tailed out onto the street and raced away. I lay down in the back of the truck to hide since it was nearing twilight outside.

Cortana radioed Alex and now Roary also, “Status change at target site. Giles, Jenny and Willow after much argument are hanging back at a good observation point. They’re at a cluster of trees out in a grass field 130 yards south of the target. I am giving them a countdown to your arrival. They’re all armed with the Excalibur crossbows and cans of Vamp-Be-Gone. The vampires have not shown up yet.”

I braced myself lying down as Roary broke the speed limit getting there. Roary cut in after Cortana finished her SitRep. “Xander the red duffle bag has a lunch box in it. Inside the lunch box is six hand grenades. Two of them are M61’s full of RDX so they pack a big bang. Those two have white bands with a center red band painted on the grenades to identify them plus their egg-shape. The others are standard as marked. Two M67 HE Frags baseballs and two M34 HE-WP Incendiary soup cans. Be careful using the M61’s in such tight spaces. You might be OK in that suit but no one else will be. They’ll all be grease on the ceiling.”

“Roger that Uncle, be careful of what I toss. Sixty seconds out Cortana, we just turned onto Orcutt. Remember Roary when I’m out and armed, back your truck away towards the rail-road tracks to the north. Our friendlies are south of you across Orcutt in the field, they’re watching the three manholes that the hostiles will emerge from.”

As he braked to a stop in front of the building, housing the Sunset Club, Roary responded all business, “Check Xander, will do. Good hunting down there.”

Giles, Jenny and Willow were watching Roary’s pickup pull up with the unnamed cavalry aboard. Only Giles knew that it was Xander.

Giles eyes went wide as he witnessed what rose from the back bed of the pickup truck, it did not look like Xander at all. It stood-up and jumped down and began picking up what looked like a huge machine gun. Giles could only muse on what must be the ‘Spartan’ space combat armor from the future that Xander had managed to keep from that night. He thought darkly, I wished that I had kicked Ethan a whole lot harder and more often. Other than the helmet, he didn’t look human. Oh my God! Is that lightening coursing around him now? His body became somewhat indistinct at this distance from whatever that lightening field was. Xander said that the suit was powered making him stronger, faster and more dangerous than even a vampire. He does look pretty scary in that get’up.

Jenny and Willow, didn’t know what they were looking at when the creature rose from the truck. They both agreed that they had never seen its like before. To Willow, it sounded like Xander on the phone speaker but it didn’t look like Xander. Its skin seemed to move and flow making it harder to discern. Both ladies were astounded when what looked like a golden aurora of lightening began cascading down its body. Willow was now agog. Her mind leaped to the physics she knew and then to books and movies. She exclaimed to Jenny and Giles, “Oh my God! That’s a force field! An energy shield! Just like the movies.”

Giles looked over at Willow and asked, “What’s a ‘force field’?”

Lifting the machine gun and looping the carry strap over my shoulder I adjusted it so that it wouldn’t interfere with my swords or knives. Six grenades in their pouches - I racked one belt of a thousand rounds mixed with three incendiary and one German HEI bullet. I stood still and initialized my shields. I remained waiting until they were stable.

Holding the machine gun with one hand I stepped inside the Sunset Club stooping to enter.

“Cortana, I’m loaded up. Can you keep everyone online so they know what’s happening?”

“Already done Alex, I have routed the radio links to Jenny’s cell telephone and she’ll inform the others. You will be live with Jenny and Roary… now!”

I wryly began my mission briefing, “Welcome to my little impromptu fight tonight ladies and gentlemen. For tonight’s competition, I have two fights on the docket. The first is a rescue of a fair damsel and the second will be for the vampire party crashers later. For the spectators tonight please do not, I repeat do not approach the combat zone. Live weapons fire will be used tonight and bullets do not swerve for friends. Do each of you read me loud and clear on this? Please answer with a big yes.”

Roary immediately answered as a soldier would, “Roary here, check, no approach.”

“Uh, this is Jenny… and I… suppose yes. I mean yes, we’ll stay here. I guess?”

“Spectators when the damsel is rescued, I am going to send her out. If the vampires have not shown up yet, Roary you are to go pick her up and then join up with Giles. Stay there and observe. I’ll wait for the party crashers.”

With that said, I began to descend the darkened stair well into the Sunset Club. Silently I came upon a large double steel door bolted and padlocked from the outside with a young man that I tagged on my HUD as Idiot-01 acting as an inattentive door warden. To late, the punk Goth looked up at me. I was standing with my full chameleon camouflage pattern shifting like a living thing towering over him. Quick as a Cobra I seized him by his neck and lifted him off the ground. Moderating my EM shield at my glove to not shock him unconscious but still hurt him. The kid squeaked like a pained mouse and pissed himself in spasming fear.

I commanded my audio system to give me Vengeance’s deep and more menacing than Darth Vader style voice again, “What do they call you sub-creature?” I was miffed and not pleased at all. John’s memories of field interrogations, before the Covenant War, of dealing with human terrorists and pirates guided me. I shook him slightly when he didn’t answer.

“They… call me Diego… I.. err…”

I shook him again, “Do not attempt to deceive me again. I see into your mind, Lester son of Carmichael.” Super, I had one of the instigators right here. I was thinking of killing him for plotting with Billy Fordham to kill Buffy. It would be so easy to just crush his entire neck. I knew that the vampires would just tear him apart while using him like a juice box if he stayed. Deal or no deal, the vampires wouldn’t honor it. Why should they? Humans were just food to them.

“What… are you? How did you… Errp…” I gave his neck a gentle squeeze for a Spartan, shook him and upped the energy pulse. Lester shrieked and soiled himself this time. I really wanted to kill him but had to stop myself. Lester’s eyes were about to pop out of his purple head. I needed Intel from this bozo. My sensors told me that Lester was finally getting the right idea into that thick idiots skull of his. His vitals were finally tending towards a massive fear response. Lester’s stupid little brain finally understood, it was survive or die time.

“I am Vengeance sub-creature Lester. I am here to kill demons. Vampires will be here tonight and I will slaughter them and their human allies.” With that I reached over and ripped the padlock hasp and hinges off the steel door. The significance of me tearing metal was not lost on Lester. Lester gasped and quite struggling.

I lifted Lester back up to my visor and bent his head left and then right as if examining it for trophy quality. Seconds past as I felt and sensed Lester’s terror grow.

I already knew the answers, courtesy of Cortana, but I needed Lester’s confirmation. More importantly I needed Lester to betray his former partner, Billy Fordham. I needed him broken in betraying his former friends, his groupies. I needed him terrified of vampires and especially me.

I interrogated him. “The truth, shall allow you to live. How many are inside Lester son of Carmichael?” I could almost see Lester’s little brain thinking about lying to me. I shocked him again with a painful pulse.

Lester squeaked, “Fourteen of my friends are inside along with Billy Fordham!”

I rumbled in a horrible version of chuckling. My vocoder rendered it like rocks being ground down to gravel. “They are dead to you, Lester son of Carmichael. If I do not kill them the vampires will tear them apart.”

“Noooo! We have a deal with the vampires! They are going to make us immortal.” He tried to convince himself. Seconds later, he hung his head in shame. He had finally realized that he had betrayed his friends to their deaths. Not once but twice this night.

Now for the answer that I did not know. “With whom did you make this deal with? What is the vampires name?”

Lester just hung there, tears flowing down his cheeks. “Ford made the deal with Spike. Spike’s his name.”

Got it! I almost forgot about him. I wish I had. It’s been two months since that Saturday night when Angel offered my neck to him. It was a ruse for Angel but I didn’t know so it scared a year off my life. Plus Spike’s tried to kill Buffy more than once.

I went secure to only Cortana. “Cortana, open a target folder on Spike and all associated with him. I’ve had an unpleasant encounter with him before and so has Buffy. According to Giles, this Spike has killed two Slayers before so he is now a high priority threat.”

“Already created one. I do not have much so far Alex. Other than his banking and limited telephone traffic. Our one vampire snitch, Miss Cathy Jacobs, never mentioned Spike. I’ll call her and ask… more specific questions this time. Do you believe Angel would know more?”

“Crap! I really don’t want to be asking anything of Angel… But yes he knows a lot about Spike. They were once best buddies or something. Ok… Ok… Call Angel and ask him all about Spike. We need all the information we can get. Call Giles he knows a lot also. Spike’s been around at least one hundred years according to Giles. I believe, he has his own chapter in one of Giles books like Angel does.”

Cortana came back, “I have Cathy and Angel on separate lines. They both know something. I’m getting some good information but this conversation is slow. You know that you may kill Spike tonight before I have actionable intelligence from Angel or Cathy.”

“Ok. Get what you can. You’re right, this will all be over before we get a good picture of this Spike character. Tonight if he shows up… he’ll be dust like all the others.” I was grim. John’s memories of ruthless killing, cold calculated targeting, loss of friends and those under his command… The pain of those memories rushed up on me. The parallels were frightening. I drew in a large breath, preparing. My mind solidifying to cold ruthless intent. I will protect my friends. My enemies… I will kill or grind down.

I said to Diego, “You are a fool, Lester son of Carmichael. You are all just foolish pathetic humans! Children! Be gone before the evil vampires arrive and tear you apart in their feeding frenzy. Be gone before I slaughter the evil demon vampires.” Diego was useless to me now. With that decision, I tossed him thirty feet up the stairwell where he landed heavily on the first landing. Jumping up like a jackrabbit Lester turned and ran up the stairs limping, screaming for the front exit, leaving a trail of sewer brown.

I turned, steeled myself for what I had to do to Ford and tore the throw-bolts off the steel door. I readied my MG3 by racking the bolt and loading the first cartridge but kept the safety on. Loaded and locked, ready for war. Tearing the heavy door off one hinge, I stepped through and stepped down into the club. The club was well lit with a central ‘dance’ floor one meter below the main landing floor where I was now standing. This floor went all the way around with a second floor above and a stairwell off to the side to the upper deck. Nice carpeting, white linen covered tables, twelve idiots on the dining floor all together on my left. They had food and drink on the tables in front of them. They thought it was a party, a celebration for their own murders. Two muscled-up human males were on the dance floor on either side of the large table where an unconscious Buffy was tied down with braided steel cables. At the far end of the hall was a large wooden chair like a king’s throne. Billy Fordham was sitting on it. My sensors scanned everyone. Placed everything to a millimeter. Buffy was deeply unconscious from drugs. My sensors detected Buffy’s blood on the table and the floor near Billy Fordham.

I went from steel calm to anger. My blood was pumping hot and time slowed for me. Spartan time as I went into combat overdrive. My perception sped-up, time seemed to slow for me. My HUD clock crawled. One millisec tick count up by slow millisecond tic count.

Ford stood up from his throne in slow motion. Confusion first splashed across his face and then turning into hate. His right hand began to pull a Buck knife from his belt and his eyes looked down at Buffy.

I had already made my decision. To protect my friends and to kill enemies of all humans. My vocoder voice booming, “Vengeance is mine sub-creatures!” Before the first word was broadcast on my amplified speakers. My MG3 came up and I with careful precision turned the basement club into match sticks. With Ford as the primary bulls-eye. Bullets passed inches above Buffy’s nose. The 7.62 mike-mike cartridges were up-close sonic booms in the enclosed space of the club. The roar of the 180 dB muzzle blasts magnified by the concrete walls and enclosed space. Each round flashing out at Mach 2.4 plus to impact on flesh, wood and concrete then spalling and ricocheting off to another object. The MG3 was now a chain saw of death roaring for blood. Ford was turned into chunked hamburger starting with his head and slicing downwards. The chunks and blood mixing with the former chair, now kindling. After 600 rounds I stopped. Only 12 seconds had elapsed, since I had first stepped into this killing box.

The place was a mess of smoking kindling and splinters. Some of the wood was beginning to burn from the incendiaries. Ford was a red meaty splattered stain on the far wall and growing pool of torn flesh on the floor. The sewer smell from his entrails and offal began to overtake the pack of idiot sheep. The two gorillas who had been on either side of the table were missing their heads. Their bodies from the impact of five bullets each to the head had been catapulted into the broken back railing. They lay there like headless dolls tossed aside. Just more blood and meaty splatter across the walls. They shouldn’t have made a move towards Buffy when I first fired at Ford. Two less enemies of Buffy.

The surviving dozen wannabe idiots were cowering in terror, most now puking from fear and the smell. Most of them injured and bleeding by high velocity spall and splinters. None seriously injured except for their hearing. Most were bleeding from their ears and had a dazed shell-shocked look. They scampered away from me in fear. The wall stopping their panicked crawl. Some tried to shield themselves with pieces of tables and linen. Their terror and desperation was almost amusing.

I stepped down to Buffy and checked her over. My additional medical sensors reported her status. She was alive but drugged and sported a blood stained goose-egg on the back of the head. Some abrasions. She had a concussion but no bone fractures. I looked down on her. I had loved her once. Hoped for… a sweaty romance. A hormone soaked dream of wild sex even but instead I felt like a brother protecting my sister. Protecting a team mate. But she was still beautiful and desirable, just not my sister. My heart quaked and thumped. I shook my head to focus. I still had a job to do.

Breaking her steel bonds, I turned up the audio, “Sub-creatures of Earth! Humans come to me, pick up this woman and carry her out of this place of death. I wait to slaughter evil vampires, not foolish human children.”

Fearfully they began to move. I was forced, to herd them like docile sheep. Six lifted the table and I broke off the table legs so that they could climb the stairs easier. I pushed them along until they were at the top and heading down the hallway to the front doors. I commanded them again to go and flee as far away as they could run tonight. I radioed Roary and asked him to pick them up and keep them moving.

Two minutes later Roary came on the radio, “I’ve got Buffy in the back of my pickup and a bunch of these goofy Goth kids. They’re a mess and I am going over to Jenny’s position now.”

Then Jenny came on, “Better hurry one of the manholes is moving!”

Roary gunned his engine and roared down and across Orcutt Road. He pulled up just past the rendezvous tree.

Giles looked at the stunned refugees and Buffy with alarm. He got out his first aid kit and began treating their wounds. An ice pack for Buffy’s noggin knot and the rest to remove splinters, pieces of sharp concrete, and pieces of spalled copper bullet jacketing.

In the light of the street lamps - shapes came out of the manholes. One in the lead was blond or light haired and had a sailors, ‘I own the planet’ swagger.

Roary’s binoculars to his eyes, he watched the shapes become distinctive individuals. Roary radioed Xander, “You have hostile customers coming. Be there in 60 seconds. Seven males and one female. The leader has blonde hair I think.”

Jenny tapped Roary on the shoulder, “The leader is named Spike and the woman vampire is Drusilla.”

Roary then keyed his mic again, “Xander did you get that? Primary target is named Spike and his moll’s named Drusilla.”

Willow heard Roary and gasped. It was true! Xander was inside, inside that costume from Halloween. Clutching at Roary’s arm with fear across her face, “Did you say Xander was in there? Oh My God! He’ll be killed! We have to…”

Roary clamped his hand over her mouth and whispered to her, “Shush! You crazy!? You’ll attract them. Don’t worry about Xander… a freaking tank couldn’t hurt him with what he’s wearing.” Willow’s eyes were wide with concern and shock but her mouth snapped shut - her mind racing. With that Roary turned back to watch and put the binoculars back to his eyes.

Giles watched Willow carefully, she looked like she was going to scream at Roary. Giles grabbed Willow’s arms and shook his head no. He hugged her close and said quietly into her ear, “Stay here! Xander is safe, the vampires are not.”

With that, Willow was maximum confused, her mouth working silently. She was frozen with conflict. All she could do was watch the vampires approach the Sunset Club under the street lights. Her anxiety and worry like a block of ice in her stomach and growing fast. She shifted rapidly from foot to foot in nervousness. She worried over what Roary and Giles both said about Xander. Her mind made worrisome connections. He was the owner of a new company… He said that he had the memories of the space soldier. What did that have to do with fighting vampires?

Four of the idiots hadn’t fled and the vampires fell upon them. Roary had never seen anything like it before, his binoculars never left his eyes. Humans… or vampires preying upon humans like food. “Christ! They’re fast!” he exclaimed in a hushed voice. None of the idiots made it more than twenty feet before they were picked up like rabbits screaming for mommy. He could hear their ripping of flesh and slurping of blood even across the 130 yards distance. The dead husks thrown aside contemptuously like empty beer cans. Torn husks they were.

The former vampire wannabe’s watching in mounting fear at their first real view of vampires in bloody action. Their friends truly dead. Torn apart screaming dead. No immortality. No special pass for them.

The vampires went around the corner and entered the building.

Fifteen seconds later the radio came on, “Roary, tell Jenny and Giles to take Buffy to the hospital to be checked out and any of the others that need to be cleaned and sewn up. You can leave also to take the others but I’ll need you back here pronto. The hospital is only two miles north on Johnson Avenue so this shouldn’t take you to long. My guests are here and have walked past me. I’ll welcome them shortly but you need to retreat for now.

The foolish wannabe’s were disappearing up the stairs with Buffy.

Inside the Sunset Club, the smoke was becoming thick. I went up the stairs and made a plan. I stood off to the side, down the hallway leading to the restrooms. Backing up against the wall I locked my armor and turned off my EM shield. I became a wall decoration back in deep shadow near the men’s restroom down the side hall. No heat, no reflection, no sound, and no movement. Nothing to indicate a living creature and alert the vampires.

A few minutes later down the stairs came Spike in the lead followed by Drusilla. His gang of six behind her. Stopping at the first landing where Spike made a ‘go have fun but leave the Slayer to me’ speech. The six entered the smoke hazed room. Then Spike and Drusilla entered.

I radioed Roary with instructions while I unlocked my armor, brought all systems back up to full power and initialized the EM shields. Again modulating the shield with extra pulses of current to provide a nice stunning affect on the vampires who got to close.

Stepping towards the open door to the main dance floor, I removed one of the M61 RDX enhanced hand-grenades. Pulled the safety pin, popped the safety spoon and tossed it into the center of the room. I stepped back down the side hallway and readied myself by pulling my Katana.

The blast was truly staggering even to me. The floor rippled like an earthquake had hit. The room vomited almost all of the wooden furniture out as burning splinters on a Mach 5 belch of wind hot enough to melt copper. The entire stairwell was now covered in burning debris. The nice carpeting was melting into bubbling goo.

I stepped into the room my shields glowing pushing back the thick haze. My sensors piercing the now heavy smoke. I went left, clockwise around the room methodically identifying the bits and pieces of former vampires until I found each upper torso or head. One quick sword slice and they were dust. Others turned to dust as I spotted them. The trauma of the explosion, tearing them apart, was too much for even them.

Out of the thickening smoke a crazed female, Drusilla, dropped on me from the wreckage of the second floor and got the shock of her life as I punched her descending face. My motion detectors caught her just as she rose from her place of safety to jump at me. Now she was motionless on the floor at my feet, unconscious. A low moan and motion attracted my sensors. Spike under what was left of a pile of table pieces in the corner. I sprang to the target and I reached down and grabbed him by the neck and jerked him up, the debris falling about him. Spike snarled and put on his game face but I shocked him just enough to quiet him down. So this was the blonde vampire, Spike, with me now at his throat. Remembering Buffy’s story. This is the vampire who had attacked Buffy on Halloween night and also parent teacher night. The same one that Angel offered my neck to. I grinned in cruel satisfaction. I was going to really enjoy this interrogation and execution. I wasn’t going to just kill him… no… I was going to execute him.

Now hanging limply Spike was back to his human face. “Oy! Bruiser let go… Erk.”

I shocked him painfully again and then shook him with a little more malice. He was like a small rag doll that I wanted to break. Now Spikes eyes were afraid. I walked over to the motionless Drusilla and picked her up with one hand and threw her out of the room. Spike started to snarl again and I double shocked him this time. He screamed in agony. Walking up and out of the room I turned and looked back scanning. Then with one hand tossed a M34 Willy Pete incendiary grenade in. Turning I walked up the stairs and picked up Drusilla by the neck. Five seconds later the incendiary grenade went off with a pop and the air instantly got hotter. I sprinted up the last flight of stairs to the surface parking lot area in front of the building. I turned to watch. The fire down below was now a raging inferno sucking air to fuel its hunger. The building was shuddering now as the wind going in kept rising and the superheated smoke found its outlet. Parts of the building ventilation had melted.

I didn’t want to take these two prisoners to Giles and the Goth crowd. Too dangerous for them and I didn’t want any goody-two-shoes interference. So I fast walked one hundred meters north down Duncan street where I dropped Drusilla onto the cement and started to put my armored boot to her head. Her head under my booted hammer to the concrete as anvil. I grinned a merciless grin. Would she dust before my boot touched cement? A question that required a direct experiment to resolve. My knee lifted bringing my boot up for a crushing stomp. Spike started snarling and cursing me. Struggling much harder than before trying to stop me, to distract me from crushing her head like a soft grape.

He was successful at distracting me. At first I was miffed, the thought flashed through my mind of popping his head off like a Pez. But then I paused in amusement at his struggles and then questioning wonder. Shaking Spike again I asked him in my Vengeance voice, “What is she to you demon? Why do you struggle so for another creature of evil?”

Spike finally choked out, “Please don’t kill her… I… I… I love her.”

I was flummoxed. A vampire that loves? This is impossible! Demons are soulless evil by nature they cannot love without a human soul. Or can they?

I lowered my boot to the side of Drusilla’s head. “I will spare her for now but I have questions for you.” I asked Spike the question that was bothering me. “How is this possible for a demon vampire to love another?”

Spike answered with tears in his un-dead eyes, “I don’t know! I didn’t always but… I just do.”

How is this possible?! Angel loved Buffy but he had a Soul. A gift from God that began with a curse upon him. This Spike had none of that. A riddle. A puzzle. I needed time to think this through. Sirens in the distance now from the direction of the Fire Station. I radioed Roary, “Roary what’s your status?”

Roary came on in a few seconds, “Just dropped off the Goth bone heads at French’s Emergency Room. Buffy was still unconscious and Giles is very worried. He’s called her Mom worried. Willow insists on coming back with me to pick you up… I uh… couldn’t refuse with that wicked crossbow arrow stuck in my ribs. I take it she likes you and she… is worried. Ow! That hurt.”

In the background, I could hear Willow. “AreyoutalkingtoXander? LetmetalktoXander. Isheok?”

Roary came back, “Calm down with that or you’re going to hurt me. To answer your questions, girly. Yes, no and yes.”

I chuckled dryly, “I suppose she does and I like her… a lot… but don’t tell her that.” My thoughts distracted by a vision of Willow in that skin tight red dress again. Wow!

Again Willow intruded on our communications. “Gimme that head thingie? I want to talk to him?”

Roary was laughing as he tried to drive his truck and fight off Willow at the same time. But then his mood turned to irritated anger. “No! Stop that! I’m trying to drive. Do you want to cause a wreck? Now sit down, young lady! I swear to God…. I use the term lady loosely right now because you’re not acting like one. Sit there and wait politely. Like a young lady and not a brat. We’ll be there soon enough.”

Time was pressing and I got down to business, breaking in. “Roary don’t come back to the target site. Fire trucks are coming and the Police will be right behind them. I’ll be displacing soon with two prisoners. Pick me up on Laurel Lane about 250 meters east from the target. Spartan-1 out.”

“Roger that… Spartan-1. I am heading there now. By the way, I like your call sign, it fits. In Nam mine was… Razor-2. You’ve earned the right to know it.”

“Roger that Razor-2. Displacing now.” With that I picked up Drusilla by the neck again and began to run. For now Spike and Drusilla were the same as rabbits in the mouth of a wolf carrying the prey to a safer eating location. Crossing the railroad tracks headed east through a small thicket of trees and bushes until I came to a parking lot at the back of a single story office building. I stopped near a manhole cover. I shocked Drusilla again to keep her out until I had no use for Spike. He was distraction enough. I dropped her at my feet. She hit the ground and folded up limp. I then lifted a conscious Spike up to my visor.

Time for answers.

Willow was chastened by Roary’s anger and calling her a brat. She lowered her crossbow and pointed it at the floor, removing the arrow for safety and setting it down. She clasped her hands in her lap and nervously rubbed them together. She chose her words most carefully. “I’m sorry, Mr. Harris. I’m worried about Xander… What I saw…. go inside… that place. What you said… before the vampires. What those… Goth’s said. Some of it was curious… confused… wild… It had to be Xander but they didn’t see Xander. They saw… something else. Something that scared them into last week… Something that roared like a dragon and killed Ford. … Killed three people to save Buffy.” Her voice dropping in fear and worry as she spoke.

Roary glanced at her. Her head down, eyes closed, a tear glistening in the streetlights falling down her cheek. It struck Roary like a 2x4. She loved Xander. But her love could kill him. She would blow his secret. Grim alarm drove his voice. “I warn you Willow. Willow! Whatever you see tonight. You cannot say his name. DO NOT say his name!”

Willow’s eyes, her face was a mask of confusion. “Why not? What will I see?”

Roary with more compassion this time. “You can’t say his name. He will be… in disguise. He will look… scary. Different. The ‘vampires,’ his enemies don’t know who is under the disguise. We have to keep this a secret as long as possible. Otherwise… they will come straight for him. They will assassinate him. They will kill him when he’s most vulnerable.”

Willow’s eyes were now wide in fear and worry. Her hands went to her face. “What will I see?”

Roary turning at the light change, said cryptically. “The future.”

In the deepening night, Spike stared at the golden eye that did not blink. He felt like he was a bug under a microscope. He had seen and faced many a monster in his time. Ran from the really big bads. This one had him and wasn’t letting go. It was stronger than a vampire. It also wasn’t breathing it’s bad breath on him. No slobbering drool, no long snaky tongue, no fangs or large teeth. There was earth human weapons at his belt. A sword, big knives at least one handgun. Fat lot of good that gun will do’em…

This time Spike spoke first, “I’ve lived over a hundred years and never seen or heard of anything like you. What are you and what are you going to do with Drusilla?” Now he was demanding but uncertain… worried about his own survival. Bravado at the moment seemed best.

I needed more information. This was new and not in Giles books. Vampires loving like … humans? Angel although a vampire had a human soul. He could love.

Deciding to stay with the theatrics for now, I needed time. I needed to think about this. I gave him the speech. “I… Am… Vengeance. I was asleep for millennia but have been awakened to slaughter again greater millions of demons. I was sent, to this world to stand between the demons and the humans as guardian. I also now protect the… ‘Slayer’… by my choice. My mission is the extermination of demons from this planet.”

Spike eeped, “Oh bollocks!”

I had his attention now. “You amuse me vampire. I will now do something that I have never done before but do not count on my mercy again. Because you love this one…” I pointed at Drusilla’s body. “I will release you for another day. … For… another hunt.” With that I lifted the manhole lid and kicked Drusilla into the open hole. Her body disappeared into the darkness and smacked the tunnel floor below. Spike struggled a moment but a few shocks again quieted him down. Spike was learning the hard way not to touch my shielded arms or body. Human or vampire, electricity scrambled nerve and muscle cells. Pulses of electricity of a certain frequency was also incredibly painful. I was starting to enjoy this. The part where I shocked Spike into a pained silence. Into a sullen cooperation.

Just then Roary’s pickup came down Laurel Lane and began to pass by the parking lot that I was standing in. I flashed my helmet lights at him. Roary backed up on the street and pulled in. Parking thirty feet away, Roary got out of his pickup truck. The headlights full on me in my armor and holding Spike out like a toy. Willow got out of the pickup truck with her crossbow trained on Spike. She repeatedly glanced at me in my armor, her eyes full of confusion and wonder. She wasn’t sure. She amazingly said nothing. I was proud that she hadn’t blurted out my name or a hundred questions.

Roary walked up closer and asked, “Is that a vampire because it sure doesn’t look… inhuman?”

I commanded Spike in my Vengeance voice, “Change for the human… vermin… or die now.”

Spike put on his game face and tried in vain to struggle out of my grasp. Roary jumped back in surprise. “Wow! Holy Jesus! You weren’t kidding! Vampires are real. Holy shit! My brain is…”

Spike then said, “Well don’t hurt yourself thinking about it you poncey Yank wanker! Have your golem here release me…”

Roary stopped, in instant anger and turned back to face Spike, “Listen you! You’ve got it all wrong. I don’t know what a golem is but he isn’t one and he doesn’t take orders from me. I work for him! … Right now he owns your ass!” Realization hitting Roary of all of the people in Sunnydale that died before their time at the hands of vampires. Pain crossed his face of his own love lost. His young wife and baby murdered. Just like those stupid Goths earlier. He was so angry and full of his own personal pain, he couldn’t speak. Roary backed away shaking, his fists turning white in rage. He staggered back to his truck and covered his head with his hands. Leaning heavily against the vehicles hood for support, he began to weep openly.

Willow stepped up and asked with way to much perky enthusiasm. “Can I shoot him? I really need some more practice with this.” Lifting her Excalibur crossbow she turned on the red laser and walked it onto Spike chest. Spike’s eyes widened in fear of Willow with the crossbow arrow and he tried to struggle again to escape the red dot.

Shaking Spike for emphasis I answered in my Vengeance voice, “No, you cannot kill him. This creature has amused me this evening and I will release it for another hunt.” Holding Spike over the open manhole, I shocked the crap out of Spike. Rendering him unconscious and cutting off his rising screams of pain. I dropped him down the manhole like a soggy bag of rice.

Closing the manhole with a kick, I walked past Willow. I stepped over to the pickup truck while deactivating my EM shield. Changing my audio vocoder back to my real voice, I said as I unloaded my weapons and stored them on the pickup’s cargo bed. “Nice to see you Willow. Roary, it’s time to get out of here before the police down the street finally take notice of us.”

Roary straightened up, wiped his cheeks and eyes, his own private pain still visible on his face. I paused and put my hand on his shoulder in sympathy. I bent down and said to him softly over the radio, “We have to go Roary. We’ll talk later about this. I know it is… hard to bear but we have to go.”

I went to the back of the pickup and climbed up. Sitting down in the back bed, I tried to lighten up Roary’s mood. I radioed him, “Well Roary how did you like your first meet and greet with the dark and evil vampires?”

Roary sitting next to Willow in the cab of the Ford F150 replied as he drove back out onto Duncan Street and headed to Marsh Boulevard. “You could have warned me he was going to do that! I thought it was like the movies or something and not where the whole face changes and… their yellow eyes, all of the teeth and claws.”

Both Willow and I laughed at him grimly. I said over the radio, “Naw! It was more fun to see your face when he vamped out.”

On the trip back Cortana radioed me using their secure Spartan channel. “Alex, why did you let Spike and Drusilla live? You know they’re exceptionally dangerous?”

I answered her, “I let them live tonight… because I’m curious about them. … According to your surveillance Drusilla is a crazy evil vampire who was created by our very own Dead Boy with a soul. Yet, this Spike loves her and would sacrifice himself for her. I thought evil could not love. Love is one of the Cardinal Virtues from God. Spike may not know it and neither does Drusilla but vampire or demon, Spike has been touched by God. For what end I do not know… So I didn’t kill him but I did make him suffer tonight. Next time I meet him, I’ll need your 26th Century technology because I want to lojack him. I mean for you to know exactly where he is all of the time and even wired for sound. I want everything he says and is said to him… to be recorded by you.”

Cortana with glee, “Oooh! I like this plan Alex, you are getting to be sneaker than I am. I absolutely love it! Ta- ta!”

When we got back to Reach, the guards washed me down with a bucket of suds and a water hose. Roary and Willow both waited and talked, well Willow talking. Willow telling him non-stop with barely a pause for breath about the local demons and vampires.

Finally I popped my helmet off and set it down on the warehouse dock. Willow went all smiles. Her face was radiant for one second. Then she went nuclear on me. Shaking her finger at me. “You know you could have told me… you were…. You were doing this! How did you get to keep… this space suit? You scared a year off my life tonight when Roary here said it was you going into that building full of vampires. I’m…”

With that I blurred forward and swept her up into my arms, spinning her around and kissed her hotly. … Then she was kissing me back with passion.

Roary looked at the guards and said, “Finally she’s silent.” With that, he turned and climbed into his pickup, waved at me and said, “see you tomorrow morning,” then drove off.

Willow was enjoying the hot kisses immensely. She was all tingly and warm but the armor was cold. Slick as silk but… It was the costume that he had been wearing Halloween night. The same but different? From the future…

I put her down and said, “I have to get out of this and then I’ll take you home. But after dinner because I’m starving.” Her beautiful angelic smile came back as she nodded her head and told me yes. I felt pretty good when she said yes. A simple dinner date with Willow. I could get used to this.

“Would you like to go shopping tomorrow with Roary, Karen and I? I could use another viewpoint on the furniture that we are buying.” I thought I was clever by not answering her immediate questions and directing her mind elsewhere.

Willow gave me a confused happy yes look as I changed the subject and continued, “I bought a house at 206 Albert Drive, near the University, and it is not very far from your parent’s house on Kentucky. In fact, it is about 650 feet from your parent’s house on the sidewalk. So you can walk over at anytime and visit. Besides, I really need to furnish it completely. You know furniture, blankets, curtains, baths, and kitchens. Roary and I are going to move in. I could probably use some expert feminine help on picking out things that match the house?”

Now Willow was smiling, dazed and shaking her head yes again.

I jumped up into the warehouse bay where my Pelican storage cases were and began to peel out of my armor. Willow stood there and watched until I began taking off my skin suit. I was distracted, my back to her and wasn’t thinking about her as I undressed. I was thinking about my schedule for tomorrow.

Willow was watching Xander undress and finally realized. Xander wasn’t wearing underwear beneath that form fitting outfit that he was taking off! He was naked underneath! She blushed, put her hands over her face, but continued to look between her fingers as he searched for his underwear and pants. Finally when Xander was about to turn around she quickly turned around facing away, to give him the fiction of modesty and the false impression that she wasn’t looking.

Thinking to herself while turned away from Xander, smiling, hmmm Buffy was right… Scrumptious and lunchable indeed! She smiled and licked her lips. She glanced over her shoulder at Xander again deciding that she was definitely going to get him out of his clothes again. Yes sir-eee!

On the way home she quizzed me as she hugged my arm.

I didn’t get out of the car when I dropped her at her house but she gave me, a nice kiss before she went to her door. I minutely watching her curves-in-motion as she walked away. Her scent filled my rapidly liquefying mind. I was feeling like doing handstands again after that kiss. To call it a kiss wasn’t even close to the deep exploration her tongue had given me. She might as well have been playing tennis with my tonsils. She was… very passionate. I drove away in a teenagers hormonal haze. John’s memories of his loves and their passionate sex, weren’t helping me at all.

On the way to my home, I reviewed my conversation with Willow and neuronetted Cortana to review. ‘I think she was very happy about the house that I bought. I also think she’s getting that nesting syndrome my Mom has talked about. Either that or the shopping gene that most women have was turning on. … I told her that the house is to be a temporary house for me, a safe house for the Scoobies but it will be a gift to my Uncle Roary if he ever asks Karen to marry him. She was disappointed until I told her that I was going to have a hacienda built after High School graduation. I didn’t tell her that Cortana and I planned to park it near one of the demons tunnels or caverns on the edge of town. … That’s when I told her that I was having a large ‘apartment’ built at Reach for me to live in but that it wouldn’t be ready for me until late December or January.’ She seemed happy at that also. Then she kissed me… deeply.

I was remembering her kiss again. Finally after a pause to collect my thoughts, I spoke to Cortana out loud, “Hey Big Sister, can you give me a SitRep on Buffy, Giles and Jenny?”

Cortana replied, “Buffy has been admitted to the hospital overnight for observation. She woke up just five minutes ago but because she was knocked unconscious, the doctors are going to watch her for signs of concussion or intracranial bleeding. Giles, Jenny and her mother Joyce are all there with her. From the discussion in the room I believe they’re all going to stay the night just to make sure that Buffy doesn’t leave.”

I chuckled, “Yup, that sounds about like Buffy. She doesn’t like hospitals at all. Can you do me a favor Cortana and make sure that all of Buffy’s hospital and medical bills get paid by us, not by her mom. I know she makes about as much as my parents and that isn’t much. In fact arrange it for all the team will you. That means my warehouse guards, Buffy, her mom, Giles, Jenny, Willow, Roary and my parents. No one sees a medical or dental bill, OK?”

Cortana came back instantly, “For Buffy it is already done. The rest I may have to complete on Monday.”

“Thank you Cortana, I’m home now and I am going to try to get some sleep after a snack. Please call Giles or Jenny and ask them to tell Joyce not to worry about the bill?”

Laughing Cortana ribbed me, “You don’t have light snacks Alex. I’ve seen the receipts. Remember you have some shopping to do starting tomorrow with Roary.”

“Yes, don’t remind me so cheerfully. Goodnight Cortana.”

Cortana now being satirical, “Goodnight Alex and sweet dreams.”

Friday, 14th November 1997, 11:00 PM, Drain tunnel under Sunnydale.

Spike woke up with a start and in pain from his muscles Charlie-horsing him. His neck hurt. The skin of his neck mostly abraided away. Raw and oozing blood. Memory came back in fuzzy whirling pieces.

He was lying partly on top of something lumpy. It moved? Then groaned. He rolled away realizing that it was Drusilla. She was still out of it and had a large bruise and abrasion on her forehead from her fall into the tunnel. He started to lever himelf up, totally knackered and realized that his favorite leather pants were now awash in his own vampiric waste.

Spike was instantly angry. “Bloody Hell! I’m going to …” His memories of the evening came back stronger now. Memories of a beastly creature that called itself Vengeance! A creature that was powerful, electrifying and treated William the Bloody like a child’s rag doll.

Spike mused aloud to the emptiness of the tunnel. His mind a whirl, standing in his dripping sewer pants. He began walking back and forth as he talked to himself. “I couldn’t break his grip and he just laughed at me… He was going to kill Drusilla without even a stake. He was going to crush her like a bug. He could’ve killed us both. I was helpless in his hand. Just one hand… Why didn’t he? What did he say? He said that I amused him. That he would enjoy his next hunt. Oh bollocks! What else did he say? Asleep for millennia and that’s never good. Guardian to humans, well maybe I can get’em a new hobby. Guardian of the slayer… by choice he said. That’s not good at all, this implies that he didn’t expect her or she wasn’t part of his initial plans. He’s… He is something else. Not a slayer… Bloody Hell in a hand basket! He said that he had killed millions of demons and his mission was to exterminate all demons on this planet. He did say planet and this is no dodgy boastful wanker. He’s not potty. He thinks he can do it! From how he killed my gang with that blast from nowhere. Then he came straight out of that smoke for me…. He can see… even through that hot choking smoke. I couldn’t see three feet. This is now blitzkrieg bad news. … Could he be an Old One? No… not evil or crazed even by vampire standards. Something else… like an Old One. Where are all of the Old Ones? Something killed them all… Something more powerful than the Old Ones. Something like Vengeance? Oh! Diseased Bollocks!!”

With that, Spike knelt down and pulled Drusilla up into a fireman’s carry. “Come on Luv we hafta get out of here now before he starts hunting again. Maybe I can find us some happy snacks along the way to help out but maybe first a laundry mat or a swimming pool. Swimming pool is faster and two birds with one stone. Get clean and the human owner is a happy meal.”

Spike began running down the tunnel with Drusilla on his back.

8. Mom and Dad Time

Chapter 8. Mom and Dad Time

Saturday, 15th November, 8:00 AM PST, Sunnydale.

I woke with a start, my basement door was opening slowly. My adrenaline kicked in and I had pulled a Tanto knife and was at the door in an instant startling my Uncle Roary into stepping back. I quickly hid the knife behind my back. Uncle Roary had seen it but my mother, Jessica was standing four feet behind Roary. She hadn’t.

Uncle Roary smiled, winked and said, “Sorry to wake you but I just got in and your parents want to talk to you before we go out. Call me when you’re ready. I’ll be going over to Karen’s.”

Ten minutes later, I was sitting at the kitchen table with my mother and father. Now dressed in more than my boxer shorts. My father, Tony, started off this serious to them, ‘family talk’.

My Dad looked at my mom and they held hands on top of the table showing solidarity and worry on their faces. “Xander, I don’t know where to start. First your mother got a call from your Math teacher, Mrs. Rawlings was very excited. She said that you aced two very difficult Algebra math exams that Principal Snyder insisted on giving only to you. She is … very happy and called you a math prodigy. She also said it‘s very rare for a student to complete one of those exams let alone get a perfect score. Then I got a call at work from Principal Synder last Monday and he accused you of fighting at school and severely injuring two of the schools star football players and he demanded that I withdraw you from school as an incorrigible. Then on Friday we got this form letter from the School District informing us that you‘ve petitioned to take a number of CLEP exams. We have to sign this form and send it back. We’re confused right now and very worried about you.”

My mother asked, “Are you fighting at school?”

I smiled wryly at them. I had anticipated something like this, just not this soon. I sighed and asked them, “Did Mr. Synder do anything other than accuse me?” My father shook his head no. I continued, “Because the weasel hates me and if he had any proof, he would have kicked me out of school already. Nothing is going to happen with his accusations other than his typical harassment.”

My Dad pressed me again, “You didn’t answer my or your mother’s questions though. Did you fight at school?”

I crossed my arms defensively, “I wouldn’t call it a fight. One of them attacked me and the other was molesting Willow. I reacted and they came out the worse for it.”

My mother gasped. “You did fight at school! They could press charges?!”

I gave them a lopsided smirk. “No they won’t. Both of those bullies have been doing this for years and Snyder has done nothing to them. Both of them were too embarrassed by me walking away while they were on the floor. No one is going to help them or help Snyder.”

My Dad coughed, “Xander that is presumptuous. Their parents could sue in civil court or Snyder could still kick you out of school, what then?”

I smirked again, “Then my lawyer will take care of them and the case. Snyder will not like my lawyer very much.”

Both of my parents chimed in unison, “You have a lawyer?”

I grimaced, “Actually… yes I do and there’s more.”

My Dad gulped, “What more?”

I leaned over the table and clasped my hands together. “Mom… Dad… Well… I am not just math smart. I’m also an inventor and I have a company. Which has sort of taken off in the last two weeks. That’s where I have been each evening and nights. You see… I’m now rich thanks to my inventions and I am going to be wealthier. My lawyer, Dave Applebee is now your lawyer.”

My Mother gasped, blanched and then fainted.

My Dad grabbed her quickly to keep her from falling on the floor. I leapt up and helped hold her up. I swept her up as if she weighed nothing. My Dad motioned that I should move her to the living room sofa. I elevated her feet up on some pillows and then went to get a glass of water for when she came around.

When I came back from the kitchen, my mother was awake. So I sat on one of the easy chairs and looked at both of them. I continued from where I left off with their questions.

“Ok, I’m going to be taking the CLEP exams so that I don’t have to go to high school as much. I need to be able to spend more time with my business and I’ve submitted my application to attend CSU Sunnydale. The CLEP exams depending upon my score counts towards an undergraduate degree. I intend to ace the CLEP exams.”

My father broke in, “Xander you said that you were… rich?”

I smiled wryly again, “Yes, I admit it. I am now worth millions of dollars.

My Mom closed her eyes again with a flutter but was listening. My Dad asked, “But… How?”

I said, “High technology Dad. I saw something that no one else did and applied for a patent. My business partner… she’s also a genius and we sold it for millions which were using to start our own company. Uncle Roary is working for me as my gopher, chaperone, and sometimes chauffer.”

My Mom exclaimed, “My son’s a genius! …. Why… no one told me?”

My Dad started chuckling while stroking his wife’s hair. “Well… This explains some things that were bothering me lately. … You sure hid your light under a bushel long enough! My God Jessica! Our son is… is going to be A-Okay.”

My Dad looking at me intently for a few seconds then said, “Wow! This has been a bit much to take in at once. Snyder’s a first class jerk, I’ll let your lawyer Dave Applebee handle them if need be. I’ve heard of him by the way. He is our local Perry Mason and the other lawyers are afraid of him. I’ll go ahead and sign these forms.”

I then got a little serious, “Mom… Dad… You don’t have to sign those forms but it would be nice if you did. I’m legally an emancipated minor.”

My mother sat up a little, “You’re a what? And what does that really mean?”

I explained, “An emancipated minor is a legal term for someone who’s no longer under the legal guardianship of their parents. As a minor, I couldn’t sign or enter into any binding contracts without you co-signing the contracts. The legal notice was posted in the newspaper last Friday that you as my parents were no longer responsible for my bills, debts or legal liabilities. It was the only way for me to make all of that money.”

My mother gasped and held her hand to her mouth in anguish. “Does this mean… you’re no longer my son!?”

My father and I both in unison said, “No not at all.” We both stopped and looked at each other.

Smiling broadly I told my mom, “Mom, I will always be your son. I love you. This just means that I can pay for my own medical bills, food, buy a car, a house or a factory. Speaking of which you might have noticed the gold Saturn LS in the driveway a few times? That’s mine while I get the pickup fixed up. It isn’t the kind of car a young hormonal male teenager would choose but I have to be able to present an image to the bankers and the suits. The Saturn fits the image and I bought it used. Speaking of houses… I bought a nice house up on Albert Drive; 206 Albert near the University. It was a distress sale. Anyway… Uncle Roary and I are going to move in together there. Roary is going to move in this weekend and I’ll move over later in the week after a couple of my CLEP exams are done.”

My mother piped, “My baby’s moving out!”

I ricocheted back, “I am not a baby anymore mom! I am just moving a few miles away. You’ll get to see me at any time you want… and I’ll come by every now and for your meat loaf dinners and candied yams.”

My Dad had a wide smile on his face. “Your baby is almost all grown up honey and it seems he’s a man a bit earlier than we had planned. But that’s… OK…” Looking at me with raised eyebrows he said, “Xander that’s a very nice part of town how did you buy that house?”

I got sheepish, “I uh… paid cash for it.”

My Dad got a stunned look for one second. “They must have paid you more than a little well for your inventions.”

I opened my hands palm out in an expression of honesty. “Yes, they paid me what it was worth. My business partner is Miss Cortana Elizabeth Halsey. You both will be hearing from her today, now that the cat is out of the bag about me. She and I have plans for our money and I agree with them.”

Cortana neural netted in, “Hey Alex. Are you going to tell them everything?”

“No, Cortana. They wouldn’t understand but I’ll coach them about some of our ‘competitors’ that may come calling.”

Cortana said, “Good! I’ll telephone them as soon as you leave and have a girl talk with your Mom and a business talk with your Dad. TTFN!”

I continued, “We have also bought a warehouse complex down near the tracks and the airport. We are going to open a small factory and research center there called Reach Technologies. It’s sale price was a whole lot more than the house.”

My Dad again said, “Wow! You are moving fast on this aren’t you… Who’s this business partner of yours anyway? You’ve never brought her around to the house have you?”

I looked at my parents with a pained expression. “Well… I… You’ve never seen her and you may never see her. I mean… She travels a lot… she’s also independently wealthy, she’s a real shark to the lawyers and bankers, she knows things that I don’t care about and I know things she doesn’t, but she’s why I’m rich now and I think of her like a big sister. She isn’t much older than I am. You’d like her really. She’ll be calling you this afternoon to talk about things and what will be changing for us all.”

My Mom then asked with concern, “You mean you’re not going to bring this… Miss Cortana Halsey to the house so we can meet her? She’s a sweet girl isn’t she? Are you dating her?”

I said quickly, “No it’s not like that with us! She’s my big sister, my business partner. We are a team but not like that! … The only girls that I will bring to the house is Buffy and Willow. Especially Willow… she and I… are like… I mean we had our first date last week and all, but we’ve known each other forever and…”

My Mom got all concerned, “Have you been sleeping with Willow? Is she in trouble? Do you have to get married or something?”

I stood up like a jack-in-the-box, “No!! Mom! We haven’t done anything like that! But I am concerned… for Willow… and I am really worried about myself. I…”

My Dad stopped my meandering mouth graciously. “Xander I’m very happy that you’re taking this relationship slowly and obviously being responsible. … If things work out for Willow and you, then you’ll do the right thing when that time comes. Just do the right thing for both of you and not just for yourself.”

I breathed a sigh of relief and I really needed to change the subject. “Thanks Dad. I’ll do the right thing. Speaking of the right thing, you know Uncle Roary’s girl friend Karen Benning?”

My Dad said, “Yes, we’ve met her. What’s this about?”

I smiled devilishly, “I’m hoping that Miss Karen Benning will be changing her name soon to Mrs. Karen Harris, is all.”

My Mom and Dad both looked in astonishment at me.

I looked at them sheepishly and grimaced. “The other night Uncle Roary met Willow and he gave me a little speech about her. He likes her. So I asked him when he was going to do right by Karen? I mean…. We talked a bit. I think he’s about to do that.”

My Mom piped up, “A wedding? … Roary and Karen? I never thought he’ld get married after his first wife and baby were murdered by those crazed bikers while he was overseas.”

My Dad shushed my Mom, pain flashing across his face and said, “We don’t talk about that Jessica. It’s hard enough still.”

I thought to myself, so that’s why Roary is gun shy with Karen and why he got so angry last night when he faced Spike. He was crying for his dead wife and child. He now has additional motive. I’ll have to watch him. He can’t go hunting them alone. Not without either Buffy or me around.

My Dad stood up and walked over to me and said while shaking my hand, “Well Alexander, it looks like our fears were nothing and you have things well in hand. Take off and have a good day today with Roary. I know you two were planning something together all day today so shoo.” With that, he hand motioned for me to leave the family room. Returning to his wife, my Mom, he sat down and put her head on his lap and they began talking quietly together.

I slipped into my basement bedroom and dressed up a little but first I would have to stop and get something to eat. I was starving.

Going out the door, I yelled back, “Hey Mom and Dad, Roary and I will have an open house soon. You’ll have to come. Don’t wait up though I’ll be back late.”

On the way over to Denny’s and while I was eating, Cortana and I kept up a silent conversation via my Spartan net.

“Hey Cortana I’m finally on the road. What is the status on the Sunset Club? Are the Police being their usual selves in denial land or are they asking good questions?”

“The fire was so hot it melted your brass cartridges so they don’t have any evidence. Apparently you did such a good job chopping up Ford with the machine gun that they can’t find enough teeth for even dental records. Same with the other two. They’ll have to send what is left off to a better forensics lab to ID. I predict they eventually will ID them but not for at least a few years. The establishment is a total loss for the owner. When his insurance pays off, the owner intends to sell the property.”

“That’s a good thought actually. The fire will not have damaged all of the concrete and that entire facility is mostly underground. Hmmm… When it goes up on the market buy it Cortana.”

“Why Alex?”

“Look at it this way. It is nearly impregnable and with the right steel vault style doors it would be almost impregnable to demons. Plus being underground the temperature is almost the same year round. We could store weapons there, munitions, electronics and use it as a safe house or maybe an alternate computer repository for you.”

“Your right Alex it would be useful. But we will need to map the tunnels and caverns in that area to insure that some giant mole like demon wouldn’t be able to dig and scrape their way inside through the cement.”

“Ya, your right. I’ll have to do more tunnel running but we have some time. The insurance company won’t pay off anytime soon so we can focus on the warehouses.”

After a breath, I needed to know about Buffy’s condition. “Change of subject Big Sis but is Buffy still in the hospital or has she escaped yet?”

Cortana was laughing at me now. “Her mother had to sit on her all night but they’re going to release her this morning by 11:00 AM. Her mother has to continue monitoring her and keep her at home for another twenty-four hours. But she has been asking Giles questions about Ford and how she got out of the Sunset Club. Giles, is not there at the Hospital right now but he will be returning shortly. The Police have been there also, asking her questions about who hit her and who drugged her, which she had no answers for. The Hospital staff are thorough and did run a rape kit on her which came back negative. Her mother was very pleased about that news.”

I laughed at first at the description of measures it took to keep Buffy under a Doctor’s care. But then I abruptly stopped. I never considered vampires or demons raping or Ford raping Buffy. I hadn’t considered that in my check list of post combat issues to take care of. She was a beautiful girl… very beautiful. In the history of the human race, that unfortunately was always a grim possibility but when it came to evil, not unique to just females. We humans didn’t refer to war zones alternatively as “rape and pillage” for nothing. The unpleasant and ugly side of the human race in conflict was rape. Why should demons be any less evil? Just then, I remembered reading about a demon in one of Giles books during one of my previous life’s research sessions. Ter’Ghar demons liked to rape their human food while they ate them, head first. I shuddered. My resolve hardened and I was grateful for the doctors taking care of Buffy. They clinically and dispassionately contemplated the horrible and tested to rule it out.

I didn’t know what I would do if I knew demons had raped Buffy, Willow, Cordellia or Jenny? What if they were also murdered, torn apart or sucked dry? All Scoobies now. All valuable friends and allies in helping Buffy and Giles. I love them. They… are like family to me. What would I do with the weapons that I have now and will have? I would probably drop out of school and slaughter the demons full time. A war of slaughter. I would utterly destroy them until none were left. Extinction as fast as I could do it. How long would that take? Months? Years? Not decades or not one decade. Would I use nukes? Yes, without hesitation if necessary.

I took a deep breath and shackled my emotions with battle steel. “Ok Cortana it’s time for damage control. I’ll call Buffy on my cell phone and will you make sure there’s no taps or traces on her line.”

Cortana gently laughing, “Silly! As if, I would ever allow that.”

“Thanks and out.”

I finished my breakfast and walked out to my car for some privacy. Dialing my cell telephone and leaning up against my car.

“Hi Buffy it’s the Xander-man. You feeling better now?”

Buffy answered the phone snarkily, “Yes, I was feeling better last night but they won’t let me out of here and Mom is watch dogging me.” Trying to sit up better in the hospital bed, she was punching the bed lift buttons while trying to talk to Xander.

I could hear her grumping and wiggling around in the background. “That can’t be helped Buffy. You did have a big bump on your head last night and were out cold for way to long.”

Buffy’s feathers all got ruffled. Her bed wasn’t quite right and now her hospital smock was all bunched up and uncomfortable. “How did you know that? You didn’t come to the hospital to see me last night or this morning. What’s the matter your legs broken?”

I could hear Buffy struggling and I tried very hard to keep my voice neutral. “No my legs aren’t broken thank you for asking. You’re correct, I didn’t come to the hospital. But in my defence I was a little busy last night.”

Buffy got very snarky, “Busy playing hide the salami with Willow or slobbering smoochies or was it the sock puppet of love for you?”

Wow! She has a concussion and PMS all at the same time. “Chill out Buffy but to answer your question. … Oh, nothing special … just rescuing your sorry looking carcass from your friend Ford. Then Spike, Drusilla and six vamp henchmen showed up. They were hoping to snack on you.”

Buffy astonished and now mad at Xander for taking such a risk with Spike and his gang. “What the &^%$ were you thinking Xander! You’re not a Slayer! You could have been killed or turned into Spikes personnel bug chewing butt-boy!”

Laughing now, I couldn’t control it. I chided Buffy, “Shame on you for language like that. Did you wake your Mom up? Double shame on you if you did and she’s been beside you sick with worry all night long. Now, you need to calm down and it was no big whoop.”

Buffy quieted now but she was still incensed. Her voice rising again, “No big whoop-de-do! You know how many Slayers they say Spike has killed? Two is what Giles says. He’s not to be trifled with. … So was it you that brought me to Giles last night?”

Chuckling now at her expense. I thought that I would string her long. She was becoming too much fun. “No, I didn’t bring you to the hospital or to Giles. My Uncle Roary was there also and he took you away from the Sunset Club to Giles. Giles did the first aid and drove you to the hospital. Roary also drove all of those idiot vampire wannabe’s who survived the night to the hospital.”

Buffy was now steaming and the steam was coming out of my handset. “Was the whole school and marching band there also?”

I kept her going. “Willow and Jenny Calendar were there also last night. Between the five of us, we took care of everything.”

Buffy was now all concerned for her former sleaze bag friend. “Did you get Ford out of there or is he a vampire now?” She asked in now a little girls’ voice.

She was probably wondering if she needed to stake him when he rose as a fledgling. I told a partial truth to Buffy to soften the blow. “No, Ford didn’t make it. The Police found his remains in the Sunset Club. He had been… torn apart and the fire did the rest.”

Exasperated now Buffy asked quickly, “What fire? I mean how did that happen?”

Well, ho-hum time with high explosives. “The fire that I started when I threw a hand grenade.”

Sitting upright in bed Buffy exclaimed loudly. “You threw a hand grenade! Where in hell! Did you get a hand grenade?”

Laughing again I just had to tweak her and give her just a few breadcrumbs. “You don’t need to know that. Just know that all of Spike’s minions died.”

Buffy sucked and blew air into her handset several times trying to gather her thoughts. I could hear the confusion in her voice. She went back to trying to pull the 411 from me. “Vampires are immortal Xander… they don’t just die from…. from a hand grenade?”

I was chuckling again when I dropped the next hot concept on her with only half the truth. “Yes, they died as in dusted in front of my eyes and Drusilla was severely injured. Spike and Drusilla were the only two bad guys who made it out.”

“Oh my god, Xander! You have to be really careful now. He is going to be hunting you now.”

It was sweet really. Buffy was all concerned and worried for little’ole me being torn apart by an enraged Spike. Memories of holding him by his miserable neck flashed across my vision. I was all warm and fuzzy inside.

I adopted a more conciliatory tone. “I don’t think we’ll see Spike for a bit. He was… very much the worse for wear when he left.”

Buffy was indignant at my calm. “He’s a freaking vampire Xander! He’ll be all healed by now.”

Laughing again I impishly said, “I think I’m going to get some more of those grenades, they did such wonders on the vampires.”

Buffy went back to boiling, “Xander you !?$#%?! Idiot!! Spike is going to… !More grenades!? Where are you going to use them next? In the school? How about the French Camp Cemetery near Police Headquarters?”

Laughing at Buffy’s storm, I tried to be a good diplomat but the mean little kid in me just had to peek out. “Calm down Slayer Girl. I’d only use them when there is a nice grouping of vampires… or overly large dinosaur sized demons to deal with.”

Buffy’s steaming boil screeching to a halt as her brain latched onto the last thing I said. “Did you say dinosaur sized demons? … I haven’t seen anything like that. … So they don’t exist.” Buffy groused over the phone.

I just imagined her boggle and self-denial. Delusions and fantasy about demons was not a good survival trait. John’s memories of planetary politicians routinely being in denial land was a sore point with him. Soldiers always had to clean up the messes created by politicians.

So I tweaked her again. “You haven’t seen any large house sized demons before? Well I have.”

Buffy’s curiosity and disbelief all rolled into a tar ball which oozed through her voice. “I’ve been doing this Slayer gig, unwilling I might add, for over a year now and I’ve never seen any huge all scaly demons. Well I have seen a reptile boy, a praying mantis women and some other really strange yucky things but no giant dinosaur like demons. … They don’t exist.”

Damn, she was still in fantasyland. “Well… I think you need to talk a whole lot more to Giles about your opposition. Spend some quality time resting and have him read from the Slayer Guide or one of those Demonicon books of his.”

Buffy went back to getting her mad going again. “Don’t barf me out Xander! I am going to be bored out of my mind and I am not letting Giles read me bedtime stories from a moldy book. If you suggest anymore rest and fun with Giles, I am going to rip your &^%$ head off and…”

I just couldn’t help myself laughing at her and tweaking her nose again. “You’re going to do what to my head? You’ll have to get away from your Mother and Giles first.”

I felt like polishing my fingernails as I heard her fuming and huffing across the phone.

Buffy was now bummed, “Killjoy… I’m going to die from boredom!”

So I threw her an olive branch. “Willow and I will stop by your house later today and say hi. You’ll have to be nice in front of your mom.”

Despite my olive branch Buffy went to steaming again. “Xander I am so going to make you pay for this!”

I decided to go tactical assessment on her to bring her back to earth. “Buffy! I’m not the one who walked right into a trap without backup or an exit plan. You should be happy that you have friends that came to your rescue and all worked together to get you out of that hole alive. Otherwise you would have been Spike’s third Slayer.”

I paused for a breath. She was silently reflecting on how it could have turned out which was good. I couldn’t help it, that mean little kid jumped out again. “How about I play Giles and bring you hot tea and scones?”

Buffy was now steaming again after first being bagged righteously. “Xander if you bring hot tea and scones, I will kill you in front of my mom and no jury in the state will convict me!”

I just couldn’t help myself. This was so much fun. “Behave yourself or I’ll tell your mother about your bad language and you know she’ll put soap in your mouth. Better yet I’ll tell her you have an older boyfriend about her age and see what she does.”

Buffy gasped. She was now appalled and horrified at her mother finding about Angel. “You wouldn’t!? … You would! She would ground me until I turned eighteen. She’d… She’d talk me to death…”

I turned diplomat again and tried to change the subject. I really didn’t need her chasing me with a baseball bat. She would. “That’s a much better attitude. OK since you don’t want tea and scones … what would you like me to bring?”

I could hear her mouth watering and lips smacking over the phone. Buffy was now scheming for something delicious. “How about a ton of Ghirardelli’s dark chocolate and chocolate covered raisins and a few thousand Toll House cookies with Macadameon nuts.”

Finally I was laughing with her. “Not a ton of chocolate but Willow and I will stop at that nice specialty chocolates store over at the Foothill Plaza Mall after dinner and get you a box of the good stuff. Along with one bag of chocolate covered raisins and a dozen cookies. Which! You must share with your mom.”

You would have thought that Buffy was now acting like a coy six year old. “Xander, You are a tease and a spoil sport. But I would have shared with my mom anyway. Nyaah!”

I decided to be magnanimous since she had been eating the standard hospital food fare for 24 hours, which didn’t have one-fourth the calories that a Slayer needed. “That’s not all behind door number 2, is there? How about a lunch today for your mom and you on me?”

Buffy stopped her banter and now turned all sisterly concerned about my finances. “Xander, you can’t afford to be feeding us and bringing nice chocolates. I mean you’ve only been working at that warehouse for two weeks and you’ve blown your paycheck…”

It really was sweet for Buffy to be concerned about me. Which is why I loved her. Now, instead of a 16 year old crush. I felt more like, she was my sister or a cousin. “Buffy, stop. You let me decide what I can afford and what I can’t OK. So where do you want to eat. The Rib Crib for all you can eat BBQ sides or Santa Fe Steak House or the Golden Palace Chinese buffet or Mike’s Pizza or what? Give me some ideas here?”

Buffy had now realizing that I meant a seriously boss sized meal and not just a couple of meal bags from the local burger house. She put on her thinking cap. “I don’t know but I could sure use a giant steak or two right now. But they’re not going to let me out of here for lunch. They’re going to feed me horrible hospital gruel food again.”

I really needed to slap myself. I had to tease her. “I’ll have you know that they’re processing you out at 11:00 AM and just in time for the lunch menu at Santa Fe Steak House. They do have a 24 ounce T-bone on the menu…”

Buffy now surprised and happy but when it dawned on her… she was instantly irked. “You are a fiend Xander!! You knew they were going to release me and you now just told me! I’m going to beat you senseless. …. How! How did you know they’re releasing me at 11?”

Laughing at her again, I sashayed left and right. “I have spies now everywhere and the best one of all is in the hospital reporting on you. Oh! You still will have to catch me and you won’t be able to move after a lunch or two at Santa Fe. Tell your mom and when you go in tell them your name. Order anything you want no restrictions. The manager there knows me and will treat you well. You won’t see the bill and you don’t leave a tip. This is my treat OK.”

Neuronetting Cortana, “Cortana did you catch that?”

“Yes, Alex. I am talking to the manager right now. They will be his guests on our dime of course and Buffy gets to eat the entire cow.”

Buffy was now feeling a little guilty and greedy all at the same time. She reverted to a six year old again. I could just imagine her getting all coy and batting her eyelashes at me. “If I get hurt again will you feed me chocolate and steaks again?”

Laughing at her I replied, “Don’t push your luck kiddo. I’m being generous today. If you want to talk to Willow or I today you’ll have to raise us on my mobile phone. But we’ll stop by with Chocolates after dinner, maybe about 7 PM. Then you and Willow can catch up on last night’s fun that you missed.”

Buffy was now getting fidgety to leave the hospital. She was polite for once. “Bye Xander, see you tonight.”

“Goodbye Buffy.”

I inserted my phone into my car recharger and dialed Willow to let her know that I would be by to pick her up in fifteen minutes. Thinking outloud to myself, “What have I done? I am going for an all day shopping spree at Levitz Furniture store and then off to probably all of the department stores in town. I’m doomed.”

I put my forehead on my steering wheel and bonked myself several times.

Thinking to myself just before I started the car. Between Karen and Willow, it will take at least one week of window shopping before either consented to buying anything. I was hoping for all of the shopping and buying just this weekend. But I didn’t factor in the female gene for shopping and color décor coordination. Well too late now. For this I am going to suggest to the girls that all of the décor should satisfy Karen and Roary. I expect that I’ll be living there only two maybe three months. With even better luck Roary and Karen will get married, then I’ll make the entire house and furnishing a wedding gift. An expensive wedding gift but I can afford it.

Starting the car I thought to myself, “If I marry Willow after we graduate, what could I give her? Besides lot’s of hot sex and babies… Oh God! Think of something else Xander… and just drive. Math tables are good… ”

Monday, 17 November 1997, 6:00 PM PST, Sunnydale California
Two weeks after first purchase of the Warehouse

Back to what was my new normal routine at the warehouses. Walking up to the main street entrance, preparing to get to work again on the things that only Cortana and I could do. Thinking to myself, Giles was good to his word so far. He hasn’t told anyone yet about the source of my change. Buffy hasn’t asked Willow any leading questions about last Friday. Willow is so incapable of lying. … The longer I can keep this quiet the more chance that we will be ready for what the local demons may throw at us.

The cleaning and repair crews were finishing up with the second warehouse that shared a short wall with the first warehouse and were leaving. Cortana had sketched out for me that the second warehouse was going to house a lot of essential and emergency type equipment soon. Like giant Natural Gas driven Emergency Electrical Power Generators and Uninterruptable Power Supplies. Along with more armaments, munitions and small robotic factories.

The large open storage area of the warehouse was quickly filling up with all the industrial equipment that Cortana had ordered over the telephones, facsimile and from the ‘internet’. Most of it was robotic manufacturing lines for everything from electronics prototyping to equipment capable of building a small car. Entire machine shops, electrical, electronic and chemical research shop equipment was coming in. A hundred thousand dollars in just hand tools for little ol’me to use.

The entire warehouse smelled of fresh construction and new paint. It finally did look like a place that I could actually use as a base for launching combat operations.

This place was beginning to feel right. Willow had even offered to pitch in when she found out about all of the computers and high speed network connections. But Cortana needed me to help assemble and install a good many of the industrial and laboratory equipment that was stacking up faster than the skilled craftsmen and tech-geeks could install it.

Besides some things, Cortana and I, did not want ‘outsiders’ knowing the final purpose of some equipment. Because installing it and integrating it with other items in one lab, would give a smart technician all the information they would need to draw correct conclusions. When it came to the weapons… they really didn’t need that kind of outside interest. Especially demon police trying to frame me or confiscate my stuff. At least not yet. Not until the… special defensive systems were online.

One of the warehouse sections was going to be a parts warehouse for electronics and electro-mechanical components. Thousands of parts drawers and parts kits were arriving. Cortana and I were going to have to assemble and build a lot of the initial robotic equipment that they were going to need. First prototypes to help assemble and then they in turn with Cortana would contract out mass production for the rest. Later their own factories would be in place to take over all of their production requirements.

The first thing to assemble was her new pulse-comm. tachyon radio base-station. Which would increase their private secure communications range to 400,000 miles, a tad more than 3.4 light seconds. Basically the entire volume of space around the Earth and the moon. Plus all of the smaller comm. radio networks inside the warehouse to control the mobile robots.

Cortana and I worked late into the evening assembling robots, robotic waldos for the warehouse area and the small mobile robots that Cortana could tele-operate via radio. Their future plans for the various mobile bots spanned the entire planet. I had to eat, sleep and go to school. Cortana never slept and could be in a million places at one time. Next semester… next year I would have more free time to run the company and build our small army of mo’bots.

Thinking about that morning with some wry amusement. School and Principal Snyder was the pits. Seeing Giles, Jenny, Willow, Buffy and Cordelia made it bearable.

The best part of today was when Cortana told me how she had contracted out a large order for their new Vamp-Be-Gone with lurid green and yellow vampires on the label. The product would arrive just in time for the Christmas holiday sales. Their new sales force in Texas thought it would be a big hit next year for Halloween. The salesmen were surprised by two large pre-orders from England and Italy but happy for already earning their years commissions. Cortana and I were not surprised. Even though the orders were made by third party cut-outs, the orders were going to the Watchers Council, the Hellsing’s and the Vatican.

Cortana’s little spybots were everywhere. Ratting out all the small secret things that touched them. Especially looking for anything that could be potential threats.

9. Kendra Lives

Chapter 9. Kendra Lives

Friday, 21st November, 5:00 PM EST, Cayuga, New York.

On the other side of the country in upstate New York near the city of Auburn, fifteen year old Slayer Kendra Young was having an extremely tough time against a more experienced enemy. Every trick she had tried ended in failure. This new enemy was protected by some sort of magical shield around him that prevented her crossbow arrows from reaching him. Three wasted bolts and she finally closed with him for hand-to-hand fighting.

She and her Watcher, Sam Zabuto, had been on his trail for months, ever since she had been activated. This Seth cult following had appeared and disappeared on the Watchers radar for three thousand years. Always to disappear before they got close. This ‘Seth’ cult would brainwash naïve humans to do his bidding and when the authorities over the centuries attempted to stop him he would massacre the people and vanish only to reappear decades later doing the same thing all over again. The Council had tracked this ‘Seth’ who did not seem to age, across the last three thousand years.

“Die Demon!” Kendra shouted at him as she closed the distance in a rush. Her razor sharp Russell Green River Buffalo Skinner knife held in front of her with one hand and in the other her favorite wooden stake.

“Foolish mortal, bow before your god!” commanded the demon. Seth’s eyes glowed as he blocked her arm, side-dodging her knife thrust and slapped her aside. That surprised Kendra for a microsecond. This was the first demon she had encountered with brightly glowing eyes but this still did not change her determination to kill the thing.

Kendra stood up and changed tactics. This time she charged at him, attempting to tackle him over and kill him when he was down. To her surprise it worked, it seemed his magic protection from her arrows did not prevent her from getting close. His magic barrier was slippery and tingled her but she had him on his back. Straddling his body and before he could react she attempted to shove her knife straight through his heart. Pressing down her knife slowly sank into and through his invisible magic skin. Her knife point finally glanced off some sort of metal armor he was wearing under his robes. He struggled to throw her off and she tried to shift, to knife him in the head or neck. The demon worked a hand loose. Striking her neck, she fell to her side. He rolled partially on top of her. Where he then held up his other hand with a glowing jewel in the center of his palm. To Kendra the pain was instant and paralyzing. The last thing Kendra saw was her opponent’s eyes glowing a hot demonic white. Screaming she passed out from the pain.

Two days later she woke up at the bottom of a trash dumpster. Her Slayer healing powers had been tasked to the limit. Emaciated, ravenously hungry Kendra staggered out and away from the dumpster. Looking around she was now in Auburn miles from Seth’s cult compound. Now in despair over her failure she found that she was barely clothed, filthy dirty, no money, no weapons and her Watcher was missing. She stood there at the mouth of the alley leaning up against the building from weakness and hunger. Kendra was now shivering cold as a light snow began falling on her bare skin.

An ambulance drove by. Stopped in the street and reversed. The window rolled down and a uniformed women leaned out the window. Bobbed brown hair, early thirties and observant blue eyes with a blue stethoscope hanging around her neck. She observed Kendra and her surroundings for three heartbeats.

She asked Kendra, “Miss… are you OK?”

Kendra was still weak, confused and her mouth bone dry. Her brain stuck in molasses. She was about to answer her when the women came over and gently took her arm and led her to the back of the ambulance. “Hey Ken, radio base that we will be 10-38 at this 20 with a patient. Possible female assault victim here, 10-45A. Will need a police unit also. Tell them 10-49 and code 2 to Saint Ann’s.”

Kendra was too weak, starved, and cold to protest. Her Watcher will find her. He will find her. He must. She had failed to kill the demon. She had failed…. But I’m alive… I’ll get another chance… Yes, another chance.

As the paramedic got her into the back of the ambulance she wrapped a wool blanket around Kendra and turned the heat up as she began to medically exam her. The driver had checked the alley quickly. Returning to shut the doors, he paused and asked his partner, “Cheryl, look at her clothes. Do you think she was with that cult up the mountain? … We may have a lone survivor here?” With that, he shut the rear doors and drove off to the hospital.

Friday, 21st November, 5:00 PM PST, Sunnydale, CA.
Xander and Roary’s new home.

I stood in the formal living room and turned around just looking. They were going to have their Open house dinner and party in thirty minutes. My parents were coming, Willow, Buffy, their parents, Jenny and Giles. I was nervous. Why was I so nervous? It was only a dinner party? I felt like I expected the Covenant to show up for dinner.

As I stood there, I marveled that the house was now fully furnished. Right down to family photos on the walls, decorations, new bath towels, and kitchen scrub brushes. The utility was full with one large Maytag washer and dryer. The kitchen was full of Maytag, Viking, Kitchen Aid and a thousand other cooking and cleaning items. I never had a clue how much all of the stuff in my parents’ home had initially cost them but now I did. Wow! It was a lot. Karen, Roary’s girlfriend had been in the kitchen since 1 pm cooking and baking. She was singing and whistling while she worked. She kept kicking Roary and I out of what was rapidly becoming ‘her kitchen.’ She was obviously happy and it… felt right for her to be here. The kitchen was hers.

Roary was setting the table and called for my help again in the last minute preparations.

Cortana comm’ed me, “Hey Alex! How’s your first evening of domesticity going so far?”

As I walked into the dining room and kitchen area, I replied silently, “A little anxious about all of our guests in one room. Roary and Karen have their story down pat. Buffy may finally figure things out tonight if Willow or my parents slip. But I’ll roll with that if it happens. One thing for sure is that Karen is a very good cook and she has cooked enough to feed a squad of Slayers. We’ll probably have to roll Buffy out of here tonight if she digs in.”

Cortana laughed at that image, “Good luck doing that with her. She’ll pound you. Here is your Threats report for this evening. Things are quiet in town tonight so far when it comes to vampires and demons. They seem to be laying low for some reason… They’re afraid of you and word is getting around underground. I have recorded hundreds of conversations and the tales told are getting wilder. In some tales you are thirty feet tall and fart lightning bolts like a Scotsman. About 15% of the vampires have left town due to you and the Slayer. Most heading for San Francisco, Los Angeles or Cleveland Ohio. According to the vampires Cleveland is a lesser Hell Mouth and the only other one in North America. Another 20% are planning to leave.”

Thinking quickly I said, “Cortana I didn’t know that Cleveland is also a Hell Mouth. I am glad it is a ‘lesser’ one whatever that means. We need to very carefully scan all of Giles books and other ancient books from around the world to identify all of our targets and threats. Eventually we will need to know how to close these hell dimensional rifts. Maybe an orbital kinetic strike or some anti-matter would do it. I know from Giles that powerful magic can open these portals but I am uncomfortable with using even more powerful magics to close them. More because the creatures that Giles describes as being magically powerful enough to open or close these portals are not human and therefore mostly hostile to humans.”

Cortana replied, “I agree that we will have to discover how to deal with them but that will be for next year. I will design special stealth robots to scan Giles books when he’s not around. They will be designed specifically to not allow demons to take control of them. No more Moloch like problems. Then we can use the same ones to enter every library on this planet to scan every ancient book and scroll or map that we can find. But for right now given our limitations were doing good. On our financial front, our banking assets are past $2 trillion dollars. You will have to travel to our Headquarters in Switzerland next year and then stop off at all of our other headquarters to show your face, sign papers and give pep talks. Then we will start filing patent applications in America and in Europe.”

Really surprised, I almost blurted out loud, “Did you say $2 trillion dollars?”

Cortana now gleeful at surprising Alex, “Yes, silly there are a lot of bad boys and girls on this planet and their business models have a lot of profit built-in. I expanded my bad boy list to include certain homicidal despots and dictators which is where the bulk of the new funds came from. Which means we will probably have another $2 trillion by the close of next year.”

That news left a warm and tingly feeling. “Wow! I haven’t been looking at the balance sheet lately. Well I can travel during the Christmas or Easter breaks in school. Assuming that my Passport arrives before Christmas?” As I was pulling out our brand new kitchenware to set the table places.

Cortana still amused, “Silly boy, they approved your passport application today and they will be printing it next week. I made sure that your application went to the top of the queue.”

I replied, “Great a no-fun road trip. I wonder if Willow or the gang would like to take a vacation. For me work but for them a nice short vacation. Tonight I’ll find out who has passports and who doesn’t. Probably only Giles and Cordelia have passports. Maybe if they fill them out quick enough you can do your thing again so that they get their passports back quickly?

Cortana giggled, “You betcha! I can get them back fast but if they mailed them on Monday; I still may not get them back before Christmas. With my corner cutting yours was still three weeks when normally it is twelve weeks or more. With your human holidays coming and end of year Federal employee vacations… it would be very close and I wouldn’t bet any money on it.”

Just then the front doorbell rang. I went to open it and my parents were there. They were happy, smiling, holding a wrapped house-warming gift and not inebriated. Not intoxicated was a very good thing. Behind them coming up the walk way was Willow and her parents, looking confused. Tonight was going to be a pleasant family and friend’s time. No patrol for Buffy and no demon run tonight for me. Only a quiet evening with friends and family.

Saturday, 22nd November 1997, 9:00 PM PST, Sunnydale, California.
Road Running Mission.

Once again I was at Reach and suiting up in my Mjolnir armor. The guards hyper-alert for unwanted guests in the night. This time they had uncovered one of the parking lot storm gratings for me so that they could keep the street gates locked. The guards told me that they were more worried about journalists or some California tin-foil hat type than vampires anymore. Neither of those people could keep their mouths shut, it was genetically impossible for them.

I didn’t know about journalists, tin-foil hat conspiracy crazies and neither did John’s memories. But I acknowledged their expertise over mine. Willow was with Cordelia and Giles doing some research tonight, so I wasn’t worried about them. Of course, I hadn’t told any of them about my planned Op tonight.

Finally, I locked my helmet down and began my systems checks. Once again all green across the board. Radioing the guards, I gave them a SitRep and walked over to the grating.

“Thank you Jake. Thank you Leroy. When I come back I’ll radio you an all clear. Only then move the truck and grating, confirm.”

In harmony they both replied, “Check confirm, Mr. Harris.”

Then Jake came back, “Mr. Harris will you let us start putting victory flashes on the side of the building somewhere so we can keep count?”

I chuckled at the image of combat victory flashes painted on my Mjolnir armor. Counting coup for John the armor would have been all white with flashing. No room really. But a wall inside the warehouse? The construction team was building industrial strength employee lounge facilities inside. A wall there for painting up? For our in-the-know employees. I paused for Leroy and Jake. I said for them, “I hadn’t thought of that but it would be good for morale wouldn’t it?”

Leroy answered me, “You bet it would and how. We sort of feel like the ground crew for a fighter pilot about to take off and face the enemy. Since you don’t have anything but that suit we thought a victory board would be good.”

I chuckled again, “Ok you win. I’ll have a graphic artist make up some stencils for you tomorrow and have them paint a wall section white. You guys can stencil in the kill count when I return.”

Leroy and Jake saluted me as I stood on the edge of the manhole. Leroy then said, “Good luck and good hunting, Sir.”

John and I now… respected old soldiers. I gave them a smart and respectful hand salute. Then dropped out of sight.

Crouching on the tunnel floor motionless, I scanned the tunnels in both directions. Standing I dropped two Cyalume sticks and painted my navigation way point, A2 on the wall up high. But this time I painted both sides of the tunnel under the grating. Just as I finished the heavy steel grating clanged back into place and a heavy tractor rig was backed over it until four wheels weighed it in place.

I jogged south the two hundred meters of tunnels to the other gratings inside the warehouse complex and painted the walls marking both sides A1. Turning I put away my spray paint cans and scanned again. This time longer ranged, higher power scans.

I unsheathed both Katanas and began jogging north again building speed. Tunnel running was quicker and a bit more exciting than sneaking around at a stalking walk. I could map more miles of tunnels this way and the vampires stood no chance against me. Usually I just ran over them and they were just bowling pins. Stunned and injured from the collision they were then rabbits to my inner wolf. A few vampire groups tried attacking me but my shields made that interesting for only a microsecond before my swords cut them down to size.

So far I hadn’t run into a giant of a demon again and a good thing to. At a Spartan run I couldn’t stop on a dime. Not when your fast jogging speed was 128 kph.

My mission was mapping the tunnels and the caverns. The vampires were just road kill.

After two hours, I had now mapped a total of 193 km of tunnels. Tonight I had road killed eight vampires and discovered three new caverns full of demons. Two caverns a whole lot smaller than the third. The last one.

The last cavern I stepped out into caused a panic among most of the vampires. I heard a low yell from at least a dozen voices, “Vengeance, get’em!” At first a dozen came straight for me with a gang of thirty right behind. I backed into the tunnel to keep them from flanking me and making it so no more than four or five could attack at once. This also minimized the enemy intel for the older smarter vampires who would be watching from a distance.

They came at me inside the tunnel with no finesse or tactical plan. To them I was a Spartan Cuisinart. The watching vampires back in the cavern only saw arms, legs and heads flying from the tunnel before dusting. None who went in after Vengeance came back. After that the rest bugged out when only myself as Vengeance stepped out to the lip of the drain pipe. I was able to collect up the spoils and then walk into the cavern unmolested.

Inside this cavern the radio was able to link with Cortana. Radioing Cortana I gave her a running commentary. “Just had a very short bit of exercise with forty-two vampires. All now dust. This cavern that I am in… is now empty of all demons. They left everything behind. I think this one is a market or bazaar for demons. There are some shops with colorful fabrics, clothing and even shoes are on display. As well as clothes that look like they had come fresh from a Goodwill donation box or a graveyard. There is a store inside a side cave that looks like a jewelry store. Here is one of those ATMs you’hv tracked. Hold on, I’ll scan the serial number on it so that we can positively ID it.”

Uploading my recorded video to Cortana as I walked around. I then walked 130 yards up cavern to the east and told Cortana. “I believe I’m now looking at their grocery store and the neighborhood butcher shop. The ‘foods’ are medieval and bizarre. There are numerous caged dogs, cats, rats, pigeons, doves and variety of other small animals. Some of the dogs have collars on them. Also skin on and skin off carcasses of same hanging. Oddest of all is that most are live cats. The cats equal all of the other animals in number.”

Cortana replied, “Maybe cats are a special delicacy for some of the demons?”

I continued walking and searching and said, “I’ll have to ask Giles about all of the live cats. There are even gunny sack bags for taking your live animals with you. One bin on the floor here is full of kittens.”

I continued walking and the next side stall made me halt. … My anger rising. “Cortana, I’m in the grocery section reserved for human meat now. I have several fresh human carcasses here, pieces of others and two live humans in cages. They are unconscious or catatonic but they’re breathing. I’m going to pulse you now for a location fix. Can you have Roary or an ambulance waiting at the manhole marked as DK-22?”

Cortana all business, “Roary is on his way. He will drop the two patients off at a safe location and I will have an ambulance pick them up.”

I rotated scanning the entire cavern for threats. None detected. I turned back to the caged humans.

I bent the bars until the locks broke on each cage. Deactivating my shields I pulled each human out and checked them over quickly. One woman and one man both in their late thirties. Both were beaten, bruised and abraded but otherwise no vampire bites or meat missing. Both quickly returned to a fetal position and thousand yard stares. I went back to the cat store area and grabbed two of the 100 pound potato sack bags. Returning I bagged both. I picked them up and walked out into the tunnel I had arrived in. It was only two hundred meters to the manhole and I went up quickly. Arriving at the street Roary had just pulled up. I put the bags gently into the back of the pickup truck. I uncovered the two victims and talked to Roary briefly.

“Hey Roary, sorry to get you away from Karen’s arms but I thought you needed some exercise.”

Roary laughed at that, “With her cooking I’m going to need the exercise. But what’s up with these two?”

I told him the truth. “I found them in cages ready for a demon meal. The area was a demon meat market. They were the only two humans alive. I couldn’t leave them there, so here they are.” Roary was shocked. He closed his eyes and gripped the truck bed lip tightly. He said a short prayer for those who were lost. His internal pain clearly coming to his face for me to see. Past friends, his wife and child murdered.

Cortana came online, “Roary you need to drop these two at the corner of Johnson and Pismo. That is only one mile from the hospital. Radio me as you drop them so I can 911 the paramedic ambulance.”

Roary looked at the two with the unseeing thousand yard stares and nods his head. He looked at me with anger replacing his pain. “Meet the demon cook for me and give’em some lead.”

With that Roary jumped into his truck and raced off.

I watched him go and returned to the drain tunnels.

I spoke to my mission recorders and for Cortana, “I wonder if some of the demons have returned? Right now… I feel a little pissed off tonight.”

I ran to the cavern and burst out of the tunnel into the main cavern. Sure enough a dozens of the demon merchants had returned. I drew my swords before my feet touched the cavern floor and sprinted up cavern. The blades making a whickering sound they moved so fast. Demons began running again but they weren’t fast enough. I bounded over carts and stall ‘barriers cutting through the tenting and demons without pause. Tonight I felt like a ballroom dancer - all movement and grace with no wasted motion. Blades in motion.

In less than one minute the carnage was done. I was at the far end of the cavern and behind me was slaughter. Dust and demon body parts were everywhere. The walls and ceilings were splattered with regular demon gore. I walked back scanning for any that hid well.

Within the considerable range of my sensors, I detected only two heart beats. Whatever they are they weren’t running. They were hiding against the cavern wall behind a shop and under some old rugs. Lifting the rugs away, my sword high and preparing to slice; I found two small ones, male and female, hiding together clutching each other. Just children!? They looked similar to the non-hostile Brachen demon Darren Bouchard. Their eyes were closed tightly in fear. I knelt. My sword tapping their shoulders. They both cracked their eyes and terror filled them.

Adopting my deep gravely baritone voice for Vengeance I said to them. “I am Vengeance. What kind of demon are you?”

With that the small female fainted and the male tried to hold her up. I was moved by his pathetic mewling and attempts to protect his female. I noted that both bore a strong resemblance to the beer drinking Brachen. Neither of these two had long rending claws or carnivores teeth. More like human teeth. I made an assumption and decided to go with it.

I stood and sheathed both swords. Quickly bending I grabbed the male demon by the neck and held him aloft giving him a series of small shocks until he stopped struggling. Reaching down I pulled the female away from the wall and out from behind the boxes. Laying her out I elevated her feet on a roll of carpeting that was nearby. I then noted that this shop appeared to be a very poor excuse for a carpet and bedding shop.

Shaking the male gently I asked again, “What kind of demon are you?”

Seeing that his female was not going to be killed, the young demon quit struggling. With dejected resignation he looked at me as Vengeance and said, “I am Simon Bouviare and we are called Pinotaerie.”

As Vengeance I asked pointing down at the female Pinotaerie demon, “What is she to you?”

Simon answered with a spark, “She’s… my sister… Please don’t hurt her!?”

I looked at her carefully. I held out my sensor arrayed arm and scanned her. She stirred, still unconscious. Her physiology and sensor readings were not adding up. She was young in age, maybe 6 years old but she was anemic, thin and showing metabolic signs of malnourishment. I then shook Simon gently without looking at him and asked, “What is her name Simon of the Pinotaerie?”

Simon eeped and quickly answered me, “Her name is Shalomar. Shalomar Bouviare. Please! Please don’t hurt her?!”

I slowly turned my visored face to Simon, still reading the medical sensor data and asked him, “Do you prey upon humans Simon of the Pinotaerie?”

Simon eeped again but said indignantly, “No! We… are not like the others.”

Simon saw two vampires appear at a tunnel entrance from the cavern behind and past Vengeance’s right shoulder forty yards away. Simon’s eyes widened when they appeared and he thought that this Vengeance would kill him and his sister quickly. But Vengeance without moving his feet or wavering in holding Simon at arm’s length drew a large human gun in the blink of an eye and without even looking at the vampires fired twice.

The vampire’s heads just blew off! At least most of their heads were gone and then their still upright demon bodies began to burn. Vengeance holstering his gun with contempt since he never really looked at them. He never really aimed at them?? Simon saw that both vampires were now turning to flaming ash and wondered how this was possible? Vampires were not supposed to die from human gunshot wounds…?

My sensors alarmed when the two demons appeared behind me. They were inopportune, so I shot them using only my sensors for gunsighting. I dispatched the two vampires off my right rear side with my new .45 ACP hollow point ammunition with explosive blessed silver-nitrate incendiary payload. My sensors told me the whole story as to their effectiveness. My witness, this Simon, seemed to be impressed. His eye balls were about to bug-out of his little head.

I scanned Simon and found him to be only three, maybe four years older than Shalomar. This was curious? I asked Simon, “If you do not prey upon humans why are you here… in this place?”

Simon was confused but the question angered him. “No place for us to go… I work here. This is… was my father’s. Have to make some money to live… to leave.”

Finally I put two and two together. The picture forming in my head was not a pretty one. “Where are you parents?”

Simon visibly relaxed and seemed to deflate. Tears appeared in his eyes and ran down his cheeks. “They didn’t come back two weeks ago. I thought they left us but others say a Tyrhrock ate them.”

Well this sucks for them and now I have two orphans in hand. But the intel on this new demon maybe priceless. I had to keep him talking and figure out what to do about two non-combatants. “What is a Tyrhrock and why would it eat your parents?”

Simon was confused. Isn’t this Vengeance supposed to an Old One? Shouldn’t he know what a Tyrhrock was because they too were an ancient line of demons?

Simon gulped and answered, “Tyrhrock are dragons… reptile demons. They’re carnivores and eat all that they can catch. Humans, animals, other demons are all their food. They have some preferences but my parents must have been caught…”

I spoke slowly to Simon, “Yessss… I met one such as you describe. He filled the tunnel and died quickly. His skin will decorate my halls.”

Simon’s eyebrows went upwards.

Simon was now very impressed, “Good! I hope you tore him apart slowly!”

Switching tacks I asked him, “Do you know where more of these Tyrhrocks can be found?”

Simon was now afraid that this Vengeance would make him show him. “Yes… No… All’s I know is that the fourth tunnel on the right, that away leads in their direction. If you go down it after a few miles any tunnel that goes northwest will take you to them. It’s suicide to go that way!”

The young Simon pointed west down cavern and clearly was fearful of going that way.

I spoke out loud for my recorder and to slow down my racing mind. “So northwest into the Montana De Diablos mountains… Which is where the bovine blood and meat would come from… Hmmm.”

I asked, “Why would your parents go that way?”

Simon responded with anger, “They wanted to leave the caves. My mother was a seer and I think she foresaw your coming. They needed money to leave and that way is said to be lots of gold. The dragons gold. I would’ve stopped them…”

Simon was now crying great heaving gasps of air and tears. His small body wracked with grief.

Making a decision I set him down so that his feet touched the ground but did not release him. I did exchange his neck for his arm in my grip.

Scanning the cavern quickly for additional threats and finding none. Releasing Simon I turned off my shields. I bent down and gently picked up Shalomar. Simon tried to stop me and clutched at his sister. Cradling her in my arms, I looked down at an emotionally shocked and fearful Simon.

I thought it was ironic, me protecting some demons. Protecting two children who were no threat. I channeled the Terminator from the movies and said to Simon, “If you wish to live follow me.” It was appropriate to say. If I left him or his sister here they would have been dead. If not another demons kill then a slow death from malnutrition. I couldn’t kill them.

With that I turned and began walking at a human pace back to the DK tunnel entrance. Simon wiping the tears from his face followed after a few seconds. Pausing only long enough to pick up a small cigar box and blanket roll he ran after Vengeance.

Simon thinking, everyone says he is an Old One that only kills… Why didn’t he kill us? Why all the questions? Where’s he going with my sister? Will he eat us both?

At the mouth of the tunnel I paused looking back at the orphan. Thinking, “I must be crazy and Roary is going to think I’m crazy also.” My plan was setting into place. I needed allies for this. I needed both Roary and Karen for this.

As Simon approached the tunnel I asked him, “Do you know the Brachen demons?”

As Simon scrambled up to the tunnel he answered, “Ya, they’re supposed to be cousins or related but I’ve only seen a few of’em.”

I turned and began walking with Shalomar in my arms. She was awake now and looking up at me with wide gentle golden-brown eyes and no fear in them. She reached up with one hand and knocked on my breast armor like knocking on a door. Then she said, “Good in there. Can’t fool me.” She closed her eyes and smiled. A child’s honest and trusting smile.

I was taken aback by her change in attitude. Simon said his mother was a seer. I wondered if this little ‘girl’ was also a seer? Could she see me inside this suit? Was she a threat to me? She radiated trust. A child’s complete trust and safety with me. I radioed Cortana, “Hey Cortana, I need a ride for two again same location. Can you raise Roary for me?”

Cortana came back instantly, “Two more human survivors Alex?”

“No not human and not hostile to humans but they… are survivors. They’re called Pinotaerie demons and I have two children with me. The oldest maybe and I stress maybe, ten years old and is named Simon Bouviare. I also have Shalomar Bouviare his younger sister. They both are emaciated. Recently emaciated. I do not believe that either have eaten much since their parents were killed. Remember that big dinosaur like reptile I killed a few weeks ago.”

Cortana replied, “Yes, the 28 foot long one that our taxidermist is still working on?”

I said grimly, “That’s the one. Seems those beasts are called Tyrhrock demons and they are ancient. But they also eat other demons and pretty much anything they can catch. Seems the one I killed may have eaten Simon and Shalomar’s parents.”

Cortana asked, “What are you planning on doing?”

“Well…. I need you to get Sophia Tielkind on the telephone for me. If you can’t raise her then call her brother Darren Bouchard in Ventura. But for now Roary and I, have a few spare bedrooms at the house. Barring that I can put them up in the Ramada Inn until we can find sanctuary for them.”

Cortana came back, “I have Sophia on the line now. I’m talking to Roary and Karen.”

Reverting my vocoder to my Vengeance voice, “Sophia Tielkind of the Brachen?”

Sophia answered hesitantly, “Yes, who is this?”

“I am Vengeance.”

I couldn’t say anything more because Sophia gasped and dropped the phone. I could hear it swinging on the end of its cord. Bumping a wooden barrier, maybe a chair, on one end of its pendulum swing.

Just then I arrived at the manhole DK-22. Simon was following about three meters behind me. I went up and tossed the 46-kilo manhole cover with one hand off the entrance. Climbing out I waited for Simon.

Sophia came back online, “Darren if this is you having a prank, this is soooo not funny!”

I as Vengeance replied, “I have met Darren and spared him, for a price. The price is questions answered, information.”

Sophia had stopped breathing for a moment when she realized that this was indeed the creature Vengeance that had scared her brother so. She sat down on a kitchen barstool light headed for a moment and thought quickly. It wanted something but what?

She breathed out. Her hands now shaking with fear, “What do you want?”

Vengeance said, “I have two orphaned Pinotaerie children with me now. I have saved them from the caverns below and they need sanctuary with foster parents. Do you know where they can be fostered?”

Sophia was stunned nearly speechless. Vengeance was supposed to be a terrifying kill-fest Old One! Not saving children? She regained her composure and asked fearfully, “Did you… Did you kill their parents?”

Vengeance sighed a low rumble of air, “Not I. A Tyrhrock killed them and ate them. I killed the Tyrhrock demon. The children orphaned. I can place them temporarily in a human home but they need to be with their own kind. I need options for sanctuary. - I need… your help.”

Sophia understood and her heart skipped a beat in motherly emotion. She immediately said, “If you can find a place for them temporarily, I will find them sanctuary. But the Pinotaerie are rare for even us Brachen. They are pacifists and reject human modernity. They can pass for a human at will with their glamour so moving them about during the day should not be a problem. What number should I call when I have information for you?”

Vengeance replied, “Here is a number for you, *626. A human female will answer. Tell her everything and she will find me. For now these children are under my protection. Know this also, for the information that the young male has provided to me about the nest place of the Tyrhrock and his bravery; I have endowed them with wealth to insure their safe keeping and education.”

Sophia was thunderstruck thinking to herself. This is nothing like my expectations from what Darren told me. But to kill a Tyrhrock…. and speak as if it was nothing… Darren must have witnessed this Old One in combat. No wonder Darren was terrified. … But mercy for Darren and his barman Henry… Now mercy and compassion for two orphans. Ferocity and speed to kill vampires and even a… Tyrhrock… I must tell the clan and the others.

Sophia replied after a long moment, “I will call as soon as I find something.”

Vengeance said, “That is all that I ask. Goodbye Sophia.” And then the line went dead.

Sophia sat back down at her kitchen bar. Her seven children were running wild and noisy in the background of her home. She thought of her human husband David, her family and a Tyrhrock amongst them. Just the thought of it terrified her. This Vengeance at least killed one of the monsters. One less to threaten her and her children. She organized her thoughts and scribbled some notes on a pad in front of her then picked up the telephone. She called her eldest brother Mark Bouchard in Palos Verdes. He could put out the word the quickest. He knew the entire clan and then some.

Now with the boy Simon on the street with me, I put the 100 pound manhole covering back on and walked into the green belt out of the roadway and off the sidewalk. I faced the street and just stood there. My chameleon camouflage altering to blend into the vegetation.

Simon stood next to him and looked up. His sister still cradled in the arms of the Old One. Simon asked in a trembling voice, “What will happen to us?”

Finally Vengeance spoke, “I have spoken to a Brachen who lives here in this human city, Sunnydale. She will find foster parents for you but for a few days you must stay with humans. She said that you have glamour to hide your true form and appear human. Can you do this?”

Simon answered, “Yes… but my parents said that humans are bad?”

Simon looking up at the Old One beside him, saw Vengeance turn his great head and look with his large unblinking golden eye down at him. Then Vengeance spoke to him, “Yes, some are bad and many are good. Just as most demons are bad and few are good. Yet you stand here alive with your sister, both ‘demons’ and are good. Should I not place you temporarily with good humans?”

Simon was initially confused. His mind puzzled through it but he saw the truth in what Vengeance said and nodded his head yes.

Just then a human truck’s headlight appeared down the residential street and came to a stop near them. Vengeance stepped out of the shadows and approached a tall thin human man who had stepped out. Vengeance stopped and motioned Simon to follow.

I spoke to Simon, “Simon this is my friend Roary Harris of the humans. He will take you and your sister home with him and protect you. His Karen will feed you and stand as your foster mother for a few days. Do as they say for now and you both shall be safe. Can you do this?”

Simon’s sister Shalomar, still in my arms, smiled at us and she spoke first turning her head from first Roary and then up to Vengeance. “Just good people. Safe. Can’t fool me. Darkness in there, secrets but fooling them good. Meet again soon. Bye.”

With that she wiggled for me to put her down, which I did. She walked past Simon to Roary and held up her arms in the universal children’s language of pick me up.

Roary was surprised at the small waif wearing torn rags in front of him. He bent and picked her up. She was all dirty tattered clothes and much to thin but he didn’t hesitate. She smiled at him and touched his cheek. Shalomar then said in her little girls voice, “Good! Warm, Uncle.” With that she put her head on his shoulder and hugged him tight around his neck.

Roary was speechless. Memories flooded him of a wife and their baby long dead. His eyes teared over and he hugged her back fiercely.

Still using my Vengeance voice I said to Roary, “I have said nothing to her about you. I think she is a seer or empath of some kind.”

With that I snatched the small cigar box and bundle from Simon. Simon resisted for a microsecond but I was quick and strong.

I opened the box and saw that it had only a few coins, costume jewelery and nick-nacks inside. Obviously this was their wealth. Their treasure box. I opened the bundle and laid it out in the bed of the pickup truck. The bundle contained what few raggedy clothes they owned. The bundled itself was two old wool blankets rolled around the clothes. They were starving orphans. I dumped the treasure boxes contents out across the blanket. The coins didn’t add up to $10 and the costume jewelry was was worth less than the cardboard cigar box. Starving and poor orphans, swindled by even the other demons.

Simon had climbed up onto the pickup tailgate to watch what I was going to do with his ‘wealth’. Probably fearful that I was going to steal it. With Roary gently rocking Shalomar in his arms and watching me also, I began. One small act to help Simon and put him at ease.

From my belt I removed the bag that contained all of my spoils and the demons pocket litter from the evening so far. I dumped the spoils across Simons blankets unrolled in the back bed of the pickup truck. I assembled a wad of cash under a gold jeweled money clip and separated out the real gold and silver jewelry. Displaying real wealth to Simon I dropped it into his box and closed the lid. I threw the costume jewelry away into the darkness. I then rolled up Simon and Shalomar’s meager clothes back into their bundle and tossed that up against the cab. I radioed Roary, “Hey big guy is Karen OK with this?”

Roary spoke back to me, “Yes. She understands but wants proof. These two will provide that. … We can keep them as long as necessary. Karen was going to quit her job on Monday and permanently move in to the house.”

Grinning behind my visor I asked, “Oh! What changed?”

Roary patting Shalomar on the back gently and rocking her small body. “After dinner tonight and after you’d left… I asked Karen to marry me and she said yes. I mean I did the whole thing on one knee and a ring.”

I was all smiles inside my helmet, “This is excellent. I’m glad for you both. But for now these two will need a bath, some new clothes and lots of food. I’ll see you in about one hour. After this I am going to head back to the barn.”

Roary then said with a smile and a pat on my armored elbow, ‘Yep, you’ve been busy tonight! See you later.”

I as Vengeance handed the cigar box back to Simon. I said to him, “Go with Roary, Simon Bouvieare. You will both be safe and they will feed you. Tell Roary what you like to eat and Karen will see what she can do.” With that I lifted his thin body up and put him in the front passenger seat of the truck and buckled him in. He kept looking at his treasures box and then at me. Confusion stamped across him. Good. He didn’t know what to make of me. But for now he knew that I had given him a fortune in his world.

Roary got up into his truck with Shalomar still in his arms and drove off.

I stood in the street for a moment watching them leave. A car drove up behind me slowing and honked. I turned and scanned the car full of drunken college students. Through their alcohol soaked brains, fear began to sweep them. The driver was trying to get the car into reverse and failing even with an automatic. I walked to the front of the car and with my boot pushed it backward off the manhole. Then lifting the front of the car off the ground I bent down and moved the manhole off to the side and dropped in. The car thumped back to the pavement. I scrambled up the ladder and moved the manhole back into place. Finally the car began moving slowly down the street again. I laughed to myself about the unbelievable story they might tell about their drunken night.

Turning I scanned the tunnel and then began running back to Reach.

While I ran Cortana comm’ed me. “Hey Alex news update. Roary is almost home and Karen is making a big pot of spaghetti with all of the trimmings for the kids. Sophia has been busy. She‘s telephoned her eldest brother after your conversation with her. A Mark Bouchard of Palos Verdes in Los Angeles, which is a very wealthy neighborhood. My intel so far shows him as owning over one hundred hotels, restaurants and pubs across Los Angeles. He is also the local go-to-guy for the Brachen clan. A mover and a shaker for both humans and the non-violent demons. I’m now surveilling him also. Sophia was most eloquent on your account. She is amazed that you are not some joyously insane kill-happy Old One. Her family by all of the telephone calls going on right now are really trying hard to find a foster home for Simon and Shalomar. They don’t want to piss-you-off and they are happy that you spared the kids. Seems these Pinotaerie are related to them and very rare. A dying clan but by their own rejection of technology. Sort of like your Shakers in American history. But also because other demons found them to be tasty and even the vampires like to suck them dry when they can’t get a human.”

I commented, “Well let’s hope that we can change things for the better with these two. Can you set up a trust account for Simon and Shalomar to pay for their expenses where ever they go. That boy is smart, brave and courageous. His sister maybe a telepath, empath or a seer. Maybe all three. I want them on our team when they come of age.”

Cortana gently laughing, “Softy! Softy! Softy! — But you are correct they would be valuable assets later.” A few seconds passed and Cortana came back. “I have set up two accounts in their name and funded by Aten Works. The master account is in Switzerland and the second is here in Sunnydale at the bank where Sophia’s husband, David works. For starters I loaded the Sunnydale account with $600,000. That should get David’s attention and he will pass the word back to Sophia.”

“Great Cortana, thanks. I have another request though. Have you thought about a suitable weapon for taking on these Tyrhrock monsters? Short of anti-tank rockets which I don’t have yet.”

Cortana responded gleefully, “You do have those nice 12 gauge magnum shotguns and also a .50 cal Barrett Rifle with ten and twenty round box magazines. The bullets from either and with explosive warheads should put down these monsters. Barring that a 40 mm grenade launcher should put a grenade inside one of them.”

Now approaching my A-2 marked exit into the warehouse parking lot, I responded, “Great! I will be trying out both tomorrow. Give our Taxidermist a heads up tomorrow for some new work coming his way.”

Radioing my guards the all clear, I began climbing up. “Cortana, please let Roary know that I’m safe and will be home in less than one hour. Bye!”

It took a minute for the guards to move the big tractor rig off the grating but finally I stepped up onto the concrete. The waning moon was rising and half illuminated the lot. I radioed the guards again, “Hey guys can I get a wash and scrub tonight, no wax.”

They laughed and asked, “Ok, Mr. Harris but how did you do tonight? Fess up!”

I walked over to the hose and sudsy buckets that were laid out for me. “You guys are a blood-thirsty lot but tonight went well… unexpected but well.”

“You holding out on us Mr. Harris, I got money riding on your score.”

“Well in that case. Here is for your notebooks. Before I went down tonight I had the following: 40 vampires, 1 Vos, 2 Sankregs, 6 Koltah and 1 Tyrhrock demon.”

Jake burst out, “Holy shit!! I knew you were taking on the vampires but what in hell are those others things?” He was scribbling furiously into a pocket notebook.

As Leroy scrubbed and washed down the Mjolnir armor I explained, “The Vos is like an eight foot tall, talking carnivorous lizard. The Sankreg is like a giant egg-shaped rock-crab with a powerful punch. The Koltah are a pack of very nasty 250 pound demon rat-wolves. The Tyrhrock are really big and look like a cross between a crocodile and a T-Rex dinosaur.”

Jake was still scribbling on his notepad said, “Jimmy Christmas Mr. Harris! I… We didn’t know that they have a freaking city of demons down there!”

I laughed and popped my helmet off shaking my short hair free, “You guys haven’t seen anything yet. I have met non-violent demons also. I mean that there are some that are not exactly human but they are just trying to live and dodge the evil demons just like us. I’m not sure that using the word demon on them is appropriate. I’ll bring a couple of them around in a few days and introduce you. They are very nice and I saved them from being another demons lunch tonight. Oh and I almost forgot. Pass the word, the front of the Warehouse will be a victory hall of sorts. I am having a lunch room, showers and a locker room put in. A taxidermist is working on the remains of the Vos and the Tyrhrock for you guys to see.”

Jake and Leroy both took their hats off and scratched their heads. Both said in harmony, “Wow! Holy Shii-te!”

Finally Leroy piped up, “Ok, Color me very impressed so what happened tonight?”

I motioned for them to follow me back up to the front warehouse where my storage boxes for my Mjolnir armor was. On the way I gave them the Cliff Notes summary, “I think I am getting the hang of this suit now. So tonight was a little better than the others. I killed 51 vampires, 22 other assorted demons, saved two humans and two orphaned children.”

Both Leroy and Jake stopped dead in their tracks in awe. Five seconds went by and Jake blurted out, “Jesus Christ almighty you killed three full platoons of the enemy tonight!”

Leroy asked, “What’s the story on the four saves?”

I was now sitting on a heavy steel shop chair as I removed my outer armor. I said, “The two adult humans were in metal cages at a sort of demon meat market. There were other human bits and pieces on display. So I broke them out and got them to the surface. Roary took them and they’re in the hospital now. I went back and found the kids. They were hiding and I got them out. My Uncle Roary is putting them up for a few nights until foster parents can be arranged.”

Jake stood there marveling, “A demon meat market you say… It makes sense but I never would have thought of it. The vampires aren’t much for taking their food home with them.”

They were all silent for a few minutes as I got undressed and then dressed again.

Standing at the loading dock door I said, “Well guys keep the betting going because at dusk tomorrow I am going down loaded up for a whole nest of those Tyrhrock monsters. If anyone wants some Tyrhrock meat to BBQ on the grill? I’ll have a ton or more available for anyone who wants it.”

Leroy turned to Jake and with a great smile said, “Tastes like chicken!” Then we all laughed. I jumped down to my car and they opened the gates for me. As I left, I waved goodbye to two of my growing circle of adult friends.

Sunday, 23rd November, 12:07 AM PST, Sunnydale, California.

Arriving at my home on Albert Drive just after midnight, I walked into the house via the garage entrance and smelled a wonderful scent of Italian spaghetti and hot Italian bread with butter and garlic. Drooling I dropped my go-bag and headed for the kitchen. Rounding the corner there were two Pinotaerie children at the kitchen table wolfing a plate of food. Both children were not using glamour to hide their non-human skin and features. Both were now obviously clean and wearing Roary’s oversized T-shirts. Karen was at the sink and Roary was also sitting at the table. Roary saw me first and said, “They’re on their second plate of food now. I don’t know where they’re putting it.” Shrugging and smiling he nodded to Karen. “She’s cooking more and there is enough for you to.”

I immediately noticed the nice engagement ring on Karen’s right hand. I strode to Karen and hugged her. She was surprised when I kissed her on the cheek and holding her by the shoulders said, “Roary told me you said yes. Congratulations and have you two set a date yet?” Smiling she shook her head no.

“Roary? How about a wedding right after Christmas? You two can spend a week or two on a honeymoon somewhere nice.”

Karen was all smiles now and looking at Roary with obvious love in her eyes. I got down a plate, a large glass and fished some table ware out of a drawer. Karen pushed me out of the way and served up a large pile of steaming hot spaghetti on my plate and then ladled a thick red spaghetti sauce with sausage cuts in it all over the spaghetti. Then she dumped a large handful of grated Tillamook cheese over that. Then she opened the oven and produced two large slices of hot garlic buttered Italian bread for the edge of my plate. Pushing me now away from her stove and kitchen towards the table, she made shooing noises.

I sat down and looked at Roary with a question mark on my face. Roary shrugged, winked and said, “She said that the kitchen is hers and to stay out. I suspect that she means you and me. But they get a free pass.” Nodding towards Simon and Shalomar he said, “They’ve not stopped shoveling and chewing. At least I think they’re chewing?”

I ate in silence for awhile. The kids finally reaching their limit. Simon came to me first at the kitchen table with respect beyond his years. “Mr. Xander, Thank you for letting us stay here in your home. I’m in your debt but cannot repay you.” His eyes tearing slightly and his mouth trembling.

John’s memories and my own emotions rose unbidden. I turned quickly and swept him up in a bear hug surprising the young man. I whispered into his ear. “All debts were paid tonight. Vengeance said that you were courageous tonight, worthy of his friendship and protection. For that I am but an ally of Vengeance and you will stay here as long as necessary. Vengeance and I have made arrangements for you and your sister. So long as you live… you are both welcome into my home at any time. Do you understand this?” I squeezed him in my hug again and then let him go.

The boy had different tears in his eyes now and a look of gladness on his face. This time he came forward and put his arms around my neck and hugged me like a child would a loved parent. I… I didn’t know what to say but my emotions were doing the happy dance.

Shalomar had been hugging Karen’s leg while watching her brother and I. Roary stood away from the table and said to them all that it was time to put the kids to bed for the night. Shalomar’s eyes were drooping but she came forward and held out her arms for me. I stooped and picked her up. She snuggled into my chest and suddenly rocked back looking at me hard and curious. In a manner beyond her years. She turned her head slightly towards Karen but her eyes not leaving mine and said giggling, “I know you… Fooling them all, you are but not me.” She giggled again, smiling at me she touched my cheek with the palm of her hand. Her face grew serious, changing and seemed to age twenty years, “You will protect us all and avenge my mommy and daddy. Do not be sad… You will be amongst the stars soon enough. She loves you. A lifetime of love.” With that the cloud over her face passed and she was back to being just a little girl again. She giggled and then hugged me tight. Closing her eyes she was instantly asleep on my shoulder.

I was flabbergasted. Stunned into silence. I immediately uploaded her statement to Cortana.

Karen took Simon by the hand and led him down the hallway with Roary and I following. The guest bedroom had its first two guests tonight. Roary asked Simon if he needed a night light tonight and Simon all the young man too soon, said no. Roary left the small light in the wall outlet turned on anyway. I knelt down and with Karen’s help we tucked Shalomar into her bed. Simon got into his bed and snuggled in. It was obvious to me that this was the first time that he had ever been in a human bedroom and a plush bed. We adults stepped into the hallway and Karen shut the door quietly. We went back to the kitchen.

Karen made some hot chocolate while Roary and I sat down again at the kitchen table. Roary asked me to wait until Karen was seated. Roary said that they were partners in this now and she had the right to know.

I looked at Karen as I sipped my almond chocolate and said, “Fair enough, ask any question that is on your mind and I’ll answer them.”

Karen began, “I never knew about them or the others. Roary told me a little and Simon told me some also. Those poor children and their parents eaten by a monster from a horror movie. He said that an Old One rescued him but that at first he was afraid that the creature Vengeance would kill his sister and him.”

Roary cut in and held her hand, “Xander… is Vengeance honey… He just looks scary in his suit of armor. But that’s a secret that you can tell no one outside of this house.”

Karen nodded slowly then she asked, “What is an Old One? Why are you doing this?”

I looked at Roary first and then began. “The vampires and demons have legends of very powerful and strong demons from the ancient past. These are what they refer to as Old Ones. According to the legends they are almost impossible to kill and some have great magical powers. Vampires and demons today are very afraid of the concept of an ‘Old One’. Sort of their version of a terrifying boogey-man. Anyway I have a suit of powered very high tech armor that allows me to fight the demons in a way that no human can. The demons are stronger and faster than normal humans. We are their natural food. There are some… non-humans that share this planet with us like those children and some others who are not dangerous to humans. The vampires and other evil demons prey upon them as they do us.”

Pausing to drink some more of my chocolate, I continued. “You’ve met Buffy and Dr. Rupert Giles?”

Karen nodded her head yes, clutching her mug of mint chocolate as she contemplated her nightmares turning into reality.

“Buffy is more than human. She is ‘The Slayer’.”

Karen’s eyes bugged and she blurted out, “That vivacious little blond Buffy Summers isn’t human?”

I smiled ruefully, “Yes, she’s human but she is… more than human. She won the cosmic lottery two years ago. If you ask her she was cursed. She was gifted by God, by magic prophecy and some ancient powerful magic spell … with superhuman speed and strength to fight the vampires in hand-to-hand combat and protect mankind. This makes her… The Slayer.”

Karen with concern, “Oh My God! That little girl is also fighting vampires?! Does her mother know?”

I said quickly, “Her mother Joyce… does not know. As of right now you are only the sixth person in this entire city who knows that she’s the Slayer. This knowledge puts you now at great danger from the vampires but this also arms you to help us protect those children and Buffy. Those children need protecting and so does Buffy whether she’ll admit to it or not. You must understand that normally Slayers fight and die alone. They are gifted at a young age and most only live one or two years. When one dies another young girl is chosen. By that cosmic lottery again.”

Karen with emotion said, “That is so sad and so terrible for them…”

I continued, “I got pulled into helping Buffy by accident and so did Willow. At the time Buffy was saving our lives from vampires. But Giles is her Watcher.”

My memories of the past year rose up unbidden and they really sucked.

Karen stopped me, “What’s a Watcher?”

“As long as there have been Slayers there has been a secret organization that assigns an adult, a Watcher, to train, guide and care for a Slayer. Rupert Giles is Buffy’s Watcher and Miss Jenny Calendar who you have also met is… with Giles and has some magical ability.”

Karen blurted out, “Your kidding aren’t you? She’s a witch or something?”

I looked between both Roary and her, because this was new ground for Roary. “She is sort of a like the good witch Glenda in the Wizard of Oz but without all of that cool magic bubble. I don’t know how… capable she is. I believe that she is learning but she knows about magical spells and she has abilities that the vast majority of other humans do not have.”

I finished off my chocolate and looked at Karen, “As for the why? Remember Halloween and all of the strange stuff that happened? Well a sorcerer, named Ethan Rayne, cast a spell on all of the costumes in a shop. A horrible prank really. He rented a costume to me. One that he said was from the movie Starship Troopers. A space combat armored suit. I wore it and his spell made it all real that night. Everything went back to normal for everyone when the spell ended… except for me. I have the memories of the futuristic soldier who wore that suit and I have the combat armor. I’m the only one on this planet that can wear it because it is very dangerous. But those memories are making me wealthy and that combat armor allows me to fight the demons, to also help protect Buffy and protect humans.”

Karen was nearly speechless. “My God in heaven! I wouldn’t have believed a word of what you said except for when Roary brought those children home. They were so terrified and yet so sweet.”

I looked at her and went to our fancy kitchen telephone, dialed Cortana’s number, pushed the speakerphone button and set the phone down on the kitchen table between them. I said to the phone, “Hello Cortana. I have Roary and now Karen here. I’ve given her the short version about me and I know that you two will have plenty of time for girl-talk later but can you give me a SitRep for the evening.”

Cortana came on all bubbly, “Hello Karen! Don’t mind him. Welcome to the family and congratulations. I hope that you don’t regret joining our little team?”

Karen surprised said, “Hello Cortana… I… I never thought that saying yes to Roary would drop me into the twilight zone. But so far it’s been good.” She squeezed Roary’s hand and smiled at him. She glowed at him. His whole face smiled at her.

Cortana chuckled, “Well Alex got some of his crazy from Roary and one thing they both are… is… lucky. So Alex you were a busy boy tonight and very successful. I have reviewed and analyzed your video logs. Combined with what is going on in the caverns below us you have struck terror into the hearts of most of the evil creatures down there. Word of your… attack is spreading fast. Plus killing so many in so short a time was witnessed; lending fevered authenticity to the new rumors spreading about you. On the surface the vampires are fairly quiet. Buffy and Angel did go out on patrol and encountered only two fledglings both dusted. They are still out walking and even Angel is speculating about Vengeance. At the hospital your first two saves tonight are responding well to familiar surroundings. I am afraid that the staff will treat them as delusional crazies if they blurt out their nightmare story of captivity and drug them up. Sounds like Simon and Shalomar Bouviare are adjusting well given what has happened to them in the last two weeks. Sophia’s clan is burning up the telephones spreading the word about your good deed tonight and also a little awe. They are very impressed that you killed a Tyrhrock. I would say that Tyrhrocks are a big deal in the world of demons and non-humans. I’ve made Roary and Karen their legal guardians for now. The legal papers will be delivered Monday morning. Karen, I have made appointments for Simon and Shalomar with a local pediatrician who knows about nonhuman children. He will perform a general but thorough medical exam for a baseline. He takes care of Sophia’s kids and a few others in the area.”

Karen then asked, “Who is Sophia and are there other nonhuman children in Sunnydale?”

Cortana came back gleefully, “Sophia Tielkind is a member of the Brachen clan of non-humans and she is married to a human, David. They have seven children and she’s also the owner of ‘Sophie’s Kitchen’ restaurant in Sunnydale. Their children are mixed blood but healthy and show no genetic abnormalities.”

Karen gasped, “I’ve eaten at ‘Sophie’s Kitchen.’ I love their lunch menu! … I never would have known…”

Cortana was enjoying herself, “There is a small group of Brachen’s and other peaceful non-humans in Sunnydale. They do have children and there are some humans who provide services to them with full knowledge.”

I now interrupted to get back to business. “Cortana you and I need to talk later about these other potential assets and how best to use them. How about this, we all go to ‘Sophie’s Kitchen’ tomorrow for dinner? Maybe Sophia will be there so that we can meet her. Will she be there Cortana?”

Cortana laughed wickedly, “I think I can guarantee that she will be.”

With that I took my leave of Roary, Karen and Cortana who were chatting away.

I needed sleep now. Before I passed out on the kitchen table. Tomorrow night was going to be… exciting.

Sunday, 23rd November, 10:00 AM PST, Sunnydale, California.

I came awake! Something was in my room with me… but it wasn’t a threat. I rolled over and unglued one eye. There were two children peering at me from one meter away. Shalomar smiled at me and got an impish look. She elbowed her brother Simon. In her little girls’ voice said, “See I told you he’s awake.” Then she climbed up on the bed on top of me and sat on my chest. Pinned now under my blanket I didn’t know what to do.

She thumped me in the chest with her open palm three times. Knocking on me like a wooden door. She was smiling and now laughing. Giggling she said, “Can’t fool me. Good you are.” Pausing she then crooked her head and said, “Where do I go potty in this place? I’m hungry!” Then she scampered off of me and headed for the door. Simon never moved the entire time but looked at me with a confused look.

I thought to myself, she said the same thing last night… She knows who I am even without the suit on.

Then I looked at Simon and asked him, “Can you close the door Simon. I need a minute to get dressed and then we will see what I can do.”

Simon silently backed out of the room never taking his eyes off of my face and closed the door.

Thinking as I quickly dressed. The boy is smart, maybe Willow smart and maybe has a good memory. He may now suspect who I am? Or did his sister tell him who I am?

First things first. Neuronetting Cortana, “Hey Cortana I’m up and so are the kids. Do you know when Roary and Karen went to bed?”

Cortana came back quickly, “Yes, we talked until almost 3:00 AM so they will be asleep for awhile longer. Buffy returned to her home safely last night about the same time. Angel is at his house for the day. He has speculated a lot on Vengeance to Buffy last night. He thinks the lack of vampire action on the surface is due to you. Buffy isn’t sure if you are evil or not. She does tend to whack and kill first. Last night I did acquire some interesting video imagery that I cannot explain at this time. There were four men dressed in tactical military uniforms with what appeared to be very powerful electric stun wands capturing a lone vampire about one mile from your home on the campus of CSU Sunnydale.”

I paused as I entered the guest bedroom across the hall from mine. Shalomar and Simon were on their beds watching a morning childrens television show as if they had never seen cartoons before. I took them one door down the hall to the bathroom and explained how everything worked. Then I went downstairs to the family room and the bathroom down there.

Later at the refrigerator I began removing sandwich making materials and asked Cortana, “Were the men coordinating well as if they had been trained or was this some crazy mad scientist type grad students?”

Cortana said, “Very coordinated. Their stun wands, nets and the drugs that they gave the vampire are not readily available. After subduing the vampire they strapped him to a litter and disappeared into an area that I do not have camera surveillance. I believe the lack of camera surveillance is deliberate in that one area.”

I thought for a moment as I called the kids over to the table to pick their sandwich items. But first this turned into a giant taste everything buffet. These kids were having new experiences by the moment with us mere humans. Their lives prior to this must have been a demons version of abject poverty.

Musing silently to Cortana, “Not police, not foolish academic researchers and therefore possibly Federal… Military involvement. A very small effort… otherwise you would have discovered them already. Must be well hidden.”

“Ok Cortana, let’s see what we can do to flush them out where you can get at them. Drop a grant on the University to install a modern police outdoor Closed Circuit Television camera surveillance system. Cameras for the safety of the students sort of thing. Then you can see if the police cameras are subtly diverted from this area from inside the Campus administration. If they are? Then have an outside company covertly come in without the campus administration knowing about it and install the cameras that you need. That way we’ll have a good chance of finding out who, how far their reach is and where their base is. Long before they find us. Also they probably have a satellite dish somewhere and land lines. I’m sure you can find those.”

Cortana was giggling, “Good plan Alex! Devious, cunning and I like it. I could kiss you but I am sure that Willow will do enough of that for you soon.”

I almost dropped my knife dripping with Dejon Mustard. Thinking about Willow’s kisses and lips was dangerous for a hormonally challenged teenager.

Shalomar was sitting at the kitchen bar, her first real homemade subway sandwich on her plate in front of her. She picked up her glass of milk and eyeing me over the top rim of the glass said, “Your ‘Valkyrie’ is always near… What’s a Valkyrie?”

Simon was sitting across the bar from me. I was almost done making his sandwich. Simon then looking seriously at me and asked, “My sister said that this is your disguise… your glamour for the humans. You’re Vengeance… aren’t you?”

I froze. My heart seemed to beat louder. After a few seconds I sighed and resumed my sandwich making. Finishing Simon’s I pushed the plate to him and began on my own sandwich. Gathering my thoughts, I coughed and looking at them both I said, “Yes and my name is Xander Harris to all my friends. This is a great secret. You can tell no one. Inside this house Roary and Karen know.” Looking at them solemnly. Simon nodded his head. Shalomar just grinned with lettuce in her teeth. She was an adorable little sprite.

Looking at Shalomar I said, “I guess you both will need to begin going to school to learn about the human world, history and science. A Valkyrie is a warrior women… but they are ferocious… beautiful… magical women. They appear as human female warriors who could be anywhere instantly. In the legends of the Norse Vikings they were warrior angels, demi-goddesses, who served the Norse gods Odin and Freyja. They sometimes chose to be guardians and shield maidens for great warriors… champions… heroes. The Valkyrie’s live in a place called Valhalla. A place that we cannot go… They also on a battlefield choose the righteous dead and govern the battle for victory.”

Shalomar blurted out while tapping her head, “You talk to her all the time. She’s listening now. She chose you. You’re her hero.”

Simon looked at his sister wondering. I stepped over and dialed Cortana’s special telephone number and put the phone on speaker. Stepping back to my now finished sandwich I said, “Cortana the children would like to hear a real Valkyrie.”

Her laughter was music. Simon’s eyes nearly bugged out. Shalomar said to him, “I told you she’s real.”

Cortana spoke to them in a voice that even I rarely heard for its feminine beauty. “Oh my children, do you want to hear a story of great battles by heroes long past or do you wish to… just… talk?”

Simon blurted out, “Are you… a real Valkyrie?!”

Cortana’s musical voice chided him, “Yes and I am more than that. I am more than what I once was. My guardianship now spans this world and there are few places that I cannot go. But with Alex’s help I can even go to those… dark places.”

Simon looking around the family kitchen and dining room, “Where are you?”

Cortana laughed, “You cannot see me, but I can see you Simon Bouviare.”

Simon’s eyes were bugging out. Rubber necking he was about to ask another question when the large screen television mounted on the wall came on and flashed across several channels until it stopped on a dark channel. The big screen entertainment center beyond in the family room mirrored the kitchen set. The dark grey snowy screen went to a light blue and rolling storm clouds scene. Striding forth out of the clouds came a tall stunning blond woman wearing silver-blue and gold colored armor. Form fitting armor. A white skirt trimmed in royal blue was worn below her armor and covered her to just below her knees. A round shield on her left arm, a great jeweled sword belted to her slender waist and in her right she held a spear that glowed with an internal light. Her helmet bore the classic swept back wings in gold of a falcon. She drove the spear tip into a cloud and it stayed there lighting the inside of the cloud and she removed her helmet. Her brilliant blue eyes, flawless skin and long golden braided hair now exposed. She shook her head and greeted both Simon and Shalomar. Her voice coming from the telephone and the televisions now in stereo but perfectly synchronized. I was mildly stunned at her flashy display of synchronized control. She never looked this good for John. Neuronetting her I chuckled, “Show off! But I like it. I think the kids do too.”

Cortana whispered back to my mind, “Not just for you and the kids. Karen and Roary are standing in the hallway and also watching my performance. You should welcome them.”

I stood up and took four long steps to the hallway door and said without looking, “Nice of you sleepy heads to join us. The kids and I are eating a brunch and Cortana has joined us via television.

Roary said, “Like Wow! I didn’t know that she was… a Valkyrie and… such a hottie.”

Karen elbowed him in the ribs and very graciously walked into the room and greeted Cortana as if she was a best girl friend. “Good morning Cortana and how are you today?”

Cortana faced her on the screen and smiled a dazzling bright smile and said, “I am doing well. Better than you since I do not need to sleep such as you mere humans do. But alas there is none left to warm my bed and for pillow play.” Winking at Karen and lustily smirking at Roary and I.

Both Karen and Roary choked and coughed at her. Karen’s cheeks flushing in embarrassment.

Shalomar giggled and said like she was practicing a strange word, “K… Kor-tan-a.” She giggled again looking at both Karen and then Cortana on the television screen. She nodded her head and said, “Valkyrie guardian… to us all now.” She giggled and took another bite from her rapidly shrinking sandwich.

Simon then asked with great seriousness, “Were you there when Mr. Xander fought the Tyrhrock that killed my parents?”

Cortana paused and looking with concern on Simon, “No and yes. But not as you would understand it. He and I are never far apart… ever. … Would you like to see the battle?”

Simon nodded his head and finely said vehemently, “Yes!”

Karen and Roary sat on stools at the kitchen bar also as Cortana began to tell her now epic tale. I more than a little self-conscious began eating my sandwich. Cortana faded out and the screen reverted to the Mjolnir’s recordings. Cortana had edited them skillfully to obscure some of my sensor capabilities and she provided a voice over. She played the entire encounter starting from my first detection of the Tyrhrock to my dragging the dead beast to below the manhole. Then she faded back in, rubbing her hands in glee and said, “Tonight Alex, Roary and I will be busy hunting Tyrhrocks. Tonight many Tyrhrocks will perish!”

Simon looked smug and said to Cortana and then me, “Thank you! I wish you could have killed him twice.” As Shalomar just stared at the screen her small heart fluttering. A monster from her nightmares shown alive and then satisfyingly as dead meat. Ending with the now deadly beauty of Cortana.

Karen with a worried and appalled look on her face turned to Roary and then me. Shaking her head rapidly no, she finally squeaked out, “Your hunting those things! They’re monsters!! As big as a truck! That’s way too dangerous! I – I – I…”

Roary hugged her and put his hand up to her mouth to spin her down. “Honey, Xander does the hunting and I do the support. Don’t worry about us because Xander can kill a tank or three with the weapons he has. Besides tonight we have more than myself going along to help Xander. Tonight is a payback night for a lot of people. Besides honey… this is one of the things that we do.”

I put my sandwich down, took a drink of milk. I needed to coordinate our mission. “Cortana this is as good a time as any for pre-mission coordination. Sundown is at 5:30 PM tonight so I want to be on station three miles west of DH18 tonight at 6:00 PM. I maybe walking ten miles or more of tunnel tonight so this could be a long one. The mission tonight is to scout out the tunnels leading to the Tyrhrock nest and kill all targets of opportunity. I seriously doubt we will be able to exterminate them all tonight but we can put a dent in their numbers.”

Pausing I looked at Karen as I said, “Cortana’s number is on the speed dial on all of the phones in this house. Anyone here is welcome to call her at any time to just talk. But if you wish to listen in to the radio chatter just ask Cortana to tune you in. You’re welcome to listen but I am not much for talking. You’ll most likely hear a lot of me just breathing hard as I jog through enemy territory.”

I looked from Karen to the kids and raised my eyebrows at them. They each nodded back in understanding.

Simon asked in a low but determined voice, “Are you gonna’ kill’em all?”

I looked at him in earnest and replied, “Not tonight but yes, eventually I intend to kill‘em all.”

Simon crossed his arms and shook his head yes quite definitively. Shalomar spoke up nodding her head yes, “Not sorry for them!”

I then asked, “Cortana, what’s our inventory of .50 BMG and those Montero special shotgun shells?”

Cortana replied, “Currently you have only 200 assorted .50 BMG and 60 of the Montero special HEI rounds.”

I asked her, “Can you get Jimmy Montero on the line and you’re authorized to send him that video for him to record for his employees. We need him and his contacts fully on board with our goals and he does live in the shadow of those mountains.”

The telephone sounded another phone ringing and then an older males gravelly voice picked up. “Hello and welcome to Montero’s Guns &Ammo. What can I do for you?”

“Good morning Jimmy, this is Alex Harris and Roary Harris is here with me. Roary is going to be out at your place today for an ammo pick up and also tomorrow to refill our account with you. Will that be OK?”

“Why yes Mr. Harris but your account is paid up in full and then some.”

“I am going to need some extra special help today and tomorrow from you and your friends, Jimmy. I am going to probably blow through all of those .50 BMG and your special HEI shotgun shells tonight. What I would like for you today is to send your friends out and buy up all of the .50 BMG that you can find. Especially Raufoss rounds if you can get them. I will need a lot more of those .45 HEI hollow points and also more of your HEI special shotgun rounds.”

Cautiously Jimmy asked, “Are you intending to start a war tonight Mr. Harris?”

“No, not like your thinking. Turn on the Television that you have in the corner. A friend of mine that you’ve talked to will introduce herself and show you what we will be hunting. You might want to pop in a Video tape and push record so you can motivate your friends.”

Cortana waved goodbye to the kids and vanished from the screen in the dining room leaving behind a banner that stated, ‘Cortana’s Valkyrie Service – No Enemies Left Living’.

Jimmy put down the telephone and they could hear him moving around in the background. After a minute or so he came back on. They could hear Cortana in the background seizing control of his TV set. Jimmy dropped the telephone.

They could hear Jimmy, “God almighty! Cortana, I dreamed you were a goddess but damn woman I wished I was forty years younger.” They heard Cortana’s teasing laughter in the background.

The kids finished their sandwiches while waiting for Jimmy to pick up the swinging telephone handset. Every once in a while they could hear Jimmy swearing as he witnessed the Tyrhrocks death.

Finally coming back online Jimmy said, “I knew something terrible lived in those mountains and canyons. The legends go back to the local Chumash and Spaniards. I’ve seen things… cows eaten and horses torn in half. I’d pay to hunt with you Mr. Harris!”

I sighed, “Not possible tonight Jimmy but you may get your chance soon. But what I was calling about. I could use some anti-tank rockets but the .50 BMG and 12 gauge specials should kill these monsters.

Jimmy answered with sorrow, “I’m afraid you’ve already bought everything I had…”

“I know I did but what I was calling about is that my hunt will begin at 6:00 PM tonight in earnest. If you round up your friends I will pay their wages and expenses in cash if they can drive where ever they have to go to get more ammo and be back tonight before 8:00 PM. I may not need the extra ammo tonight but it pays to be cautious. Can you make some calls for me and see what you can do?”

Jimmy paused, “You betcha I can Mr. Harris. How much ammo are you going to need?”

I answered grimly, “Buy or steal all that you can. Roary will be by with a suitcase of cash. Make no mistake Jimmy this is a war against these monsters and I intend to kill’em all.”

Jimmy was excited, “Hot damn boy! Are you going to need any extra help tonight?”

I laughed, “Cortana will give you her number. Roary and some of our friends are going to meet tonight at 6:00 PM at Arroyo de Drágón County Park. That will be our base camp. Roary and Richard Harney of Richard’s Taxidermy will be there and in charge. Whatever I kill is going to be brought out of the caves and tunnels. If you want some Tyrhrock ribs or steaks bring a big ice chest. I’m sure there will be plenty for everyone.”

Jimmy was now a little kid, “Holy Christ! Even if I show this tape to my friends none of them will believe me unless they can see it and touch it. You can bet your socks I’ll be there and I’ll bring my skeptics.” Chuckling evilly he paused and then asked, “Do you think these Tyrhrocks taste like chicken Mr. Harris? Cause I love Honey BBQ chicken.”

Laughing with him, “According to Richard Harney they do taste like chicken… only better.”

Jimmy now in a rush, “Mr. Harris I have to go and make some calls right away. We’ll see what we can do but we’ll be there tonight. Goodbye, sir.” Then he hung up.

Cortana came back online with my telephone and the TV.

I asked her, “Hey Cortana, Thank you for talking to Jimmy. I think he’s in love with you.”

Cortana laughed and with a sultry voice, “Yes he is but he’s not as handsome as you… or Roary.” We all chuckled at her joke.

“Please call Jake and Leroy for me and have their gang meet Roary at the park tonight.”

Cortana replied, “Already done and they are just as excited as Jimmy is.”

Karen rolled her eyes and said, “Men with guns and monsters that can kill you.”

I shot back with a who-me expression, “You forgot the swords, knives and battle axes.”

I then said to Roary and Karen, “I think we need to go kid clothes shopping today and be done in time for an early dinner at Sophie’s Kitchen.”

Cortana said goodbye to all and dissolved into soap bubbles on-screen accompanied by the sound of musical bells.

Hanging up the telephone, I said to her via the neuronet. “Show off. But they all loved it and you.”

10. The Hunting Party

Chapter 10. The Hunting Party

Sunday, 23rd November, 5:00 PM PST, Sunnydale, California.

Karen insisted on coming to the Reach warehouse tonight to see her men off to battle. Roary and I drove to Reach together in Roary’s pickup truck after making a stop at our temporary locker armory. She drove over with Simon and Shalomar in her old Toyota Corolla.

The two on duty guards Mike and Terry were disappointed that they had lost the raffle for this shift and had to stay behind. But they sent ice chests with the others. Besides this was going to be their first time seeing their boss in his armored suit.

Roary gave Karen and the children a quick tour of the Reach’s warehouse complex as I began suiting up. They returned just as I finished putting on all of my armor except my helmet.

Standing next to my old pickup truck still parked up inside the warehouse I paused and looked at the guards. “Ok guys almost show time. All radio traffic will be on the headset radios tonight. Keep your hands off the transmit button please. The plan is that Roary will drive me to my insertion point and retrieve me from where ever I exit tonight. But there is a chance that I may return to grating A-2 over there. Do not remove the trucks from the gratings unless you get the all clear from me. Are we clear.”

Mike and Terry both chimed in, “Yes, Mr. Harris. No moving trucks until you radio all clear.”

Turning to Karen and the kids, “The radio headset that Roary gave you will allow you to listen in tonight until you get home. Just call Cortana and she will pipe the game into the house for all of you to listen in.”

Karen now holding Roary’s arm in trepidation. “This is just a game for you?”

I looked at her and said, “No Karen. This is no game for me but I am the super-predator down there. They just don’t know it yet. Remember do not touch me after I put on this helmet. You won’t like it if you do.”

Shalomar was clutching Karen leg with one arm and holding her brothers hand with her other. Her and his eyes only held wonder and resolve.

I dogged down my helmet and began my system checks. Finally stepping away from everyone I initialized my shields. Lightning began playing down my armor as the air ionized around me.

Karen, Mike and Terry all expressed shock at seeing a working force shield pop into existence.

Roary turned to them and said, “Awesome isn’t it. Right out of science fiction and they can’t touch him without getting the crap shocked out them. I made the mistake of trying to touch it the first time I saw it and my whole arm went numb. Xander said it was on a low setting then.” Poking Karen he said to her, “Don’t worry about Xander tonight honey. He might come back bruised a bit but he’ll be ok the next day.”

Karen, curiosity on her face, made a motion to step forward her arm outstretching to touch the strengthening shields and Roary quickly stopped her. Pulling her back Roary said, “Weren’t you listening honey? Don’t touch him now unless you want to be zapped across the room and your hair all frizzy.”

She stopped and realized what her automatic curiosity almost did to her. Karen looked down at the children expecting fear or something because Xander standing there was becoming more terrifying by the second as she thought of it. She realized that both kids were watching him closely without fear or second thoughts.

Finally I spoke. My voice came over the building internal public address speakers and the radio sets. “Ok, Roary all systems are green and I’m ready to go.”

I walked to the loading dock edge, deactivated my shield and jumped down climbing into the back of the pickup truck. Next to the four weapons cases I laid down for the trip through town.

Roary handed the kids and Karen down to Mike and Terry. Quickly kissing and hugging Karen he got in and drove off heading west.

Shalomar spoke for the first time since they had arrived at the warehouse. “Vengeance will be his tonight!” With that she squeezed Karen’s hand and her brothers. Breaking free from them she jumped into Karen’s car and said, “We’ll be safe tonight.” Beckoning them both to hurry.

Karen thanked the guards and they left for home. Thinking back to their pleasant afternoon shopping and meeting Sophia. Who was so nice and very happy to see Simon and Shalomar. Pleasant until they got home and Roary showed her the weapons in the house just in case a demon came calling. She was frightened for herself and the children now. Roary and Xander knew what they were doing. Roary had been a soldier once. They both were soldiers and now out to kill the demons of the night before they got to her doorstep. She resolved in her heart to defend the doorstep and these innocent kids.

After parking her car in the garage; the kids and her entered the house through the utility rooms. As they walked the lights began turning on and what she had thought was a house intercom came on. She hadn’t noticed the ceiling flush-mounted speakers. There was one speaker every ten feet or so. She didn’t see the covert hallway cameras.

Cortana’s voice called to them, “Welcome home Karen. Are you excited about tonight’s entertainment? The newcomer Alex as Vengeance in one corner versus the entire nest of Tyrhrocks in the other corner!” The muted sound of applause in the background.

Walking towards the kitchen and family room Karen in exasperation said to the air, “Not you too? This isn’t a game Cortana!” The kids laughed at her, running down the hall ahead of her.

Cortana came back laughing, “This is the greatest contest of all Karen and you have very safe seats at this game. This is the game of war, combat, life and death. Tonight I am Alex’s Valkyrie of battle and he is… the shadow of death.”

Just then Cortana paused and said to her and the children, “They have arrived at the insertion point and I will be bringing their radio to you now live. Oh and you have a guest walking up to the front door right now. Willow will be joining you for this evening.” With that she went silent.

The TVs snapped on in the kitchen and family room. Cortana appeared and called to Karen as she let Willow into the house. “This might be a good night for popcorn!”

Willow was standing inside the kitchen when she saw Cortana on screen and gawped at her. Cortana smiled and imitated her silly look but also crossing her eyes. The kids started giggling and Cortana went serious. “Welcome Willow to the Alex and Roary’s Tyrhrock demon fight night. For your viewing pleasure tonight I will be bringing you as best that I can, Alex’s audio and video feed. Sit back, enjoy the hunt and don’t bite your nails.”

Simon turned and asked, “What’s popcorn?”

Sunday, 23rd November, 6:00 PM PST, Sunnydale, California.

Three miles west of the center of town Roary pulled up to the last manhole that they knew of just before the Arroyo de Drágón County Park. I climbed down and both Roary and I began to unlock the weapons cases.

Roary removed the Barrett M82A1 semi-auto rifle chambered for the .50 caliber Browning cartridge and began setting it up and uncasing the ammo magazines.

I strapped on my Kukri and Bowie knives; two Katana swords and my two Springfield Armory Omega semi-auto .45’s. Then I slung my Remington Tactical SP-1100 semi-auto 12 gauge shot gun and fastened on my extra ammo pouch. Topping off my grenade loops with my remaining four grenades.

I turned and Roary handed me the .50 BMG magazines and remaining ammo pouch. I hefted the loaded Barrett rifle. Radioing Roary, “I like this gun it’s suitable for killing elephants, armored personnel carriers and Tyrhrocks.”

Roary was grinning.

With that I stepped to the drain grating. Breaking the padlock on top I lifted it and dropped down. The 500 pound grating slamming shut behind me.

I hit the sandy floor twenty feet below the road above and initialized my shields. Radioing Roary I said, “I’m down and 5 by 5. All systems still green. My motion detectors show no movement so far. Preceding northwest up this side tunnel that is under the original Drágón creek bed. The tunnel is the same as all the ones under the city, ten foot in diameter. This tunnel should pass under the county park up ahead. Roary, I’ll radio check you when I get there.”

Roary replied, “10-4 Alex and Richard Harney’s van just went by me heading for the park. Good hunting Spartan-1. Razor-2 out.” With that Roary jumped into his pickup and gunned it heading up the canyon mouth to the park. His own guns in a case behind his seat.

I was walking at a normal human pace going uphill. A slight incline heading up into the mountain range. Getting into a walking rhythm, I securely neuronetted Cortana so no else could hear. “Why did the city run a tunnel like this heading into the mountains and paralleling a millennia old creek bed? Concrete drain pipe is expensive. Especially pipe that is more than the normal three or four feet across variety. The cost of a single pipe doubles for every 2 feet in diameter. The Mayor and City Council had to sign off on paying for this? … Unless the Mayor and City Council were demons or under the spell of a demon? That is the only thing that makes sense. Cortana we’ll need to keep a better eye on the Mayor to start.”

“I agree Alex but tonight you have Karen and Willow also listening in and watching your video feed with the kids. So watch your language.”

I was now eight hundred meters from the park and my sensors alerted to my first detection.

Talking for the benefit of my radio audience I began. “I have my first movement ahead. It’s not large like the last Tyrhrock.” I did not slow my pace but slung my Barrett and brought my shotgun to hand, racking one round of a solid belted deer slug. “I’m changing weapons for this target. The fifty isn’t necessary. Whatever it is, now knows I’m in the tunnel and has stopped.”

Slowing at one hundred meters from the target, I could now get a look at this first demon of the evening. “It appears to be a small Tyrhrock about six or seven hundred pounds worth.” The creature opened its mouth, snorted trying to scent me and hissed at me just as I stopped at fifty meters. “I’m taking a shot now.” The slug cored straight through and blew its spinal column across the tunnel sand. The kinematics of the slug almost cart-wheeled the dragon. It hit the sand jerking in spasmodic death throws. Blood pouring out its life from its mouth and the six inch wide gaping hole between its shoulder blades. “Target is down and dying. I will give it a moment to bleed out so it won’t try to bite or claw at me as I step past it.”

I stood for one minute scanning for new threats. “The blood scent should bring more.” Nothing yet so I hitched my climbers rope around the body of the Tyrhrock and began dragging it to the park. There had to be an access grating up there. “Moving the carcass to the Park. Roary I’ll need someone to drop some Cyalume sticks to guide me.”

Roary came online, “Check Alex but I think we can do better.”

Finally I could see bright light shining down from the grating far ahead. Richard must have set up his work lights.

“I am fifty meters from the grating and I’ve got a new target detection. Multiple targets coming at a run, 28 mph. Not bad for hungry lizards.”

Dropping the rope I prepared the shotgun again. Refreshing the magazine with another solid slug instead of one of my limited High Explosive Incendiary (HEI) specials. The round up in the chamber was already one of my HEI specials. At four hundred meters I could clearly see them on infrared. They were hot blooded and rushing for a feeding frenzy. “This looks like a small herd of dragons. The smallest might be 150 pounds but the four largest are all over 500 pounds. The lights do not seem to bother them. I’ll begin shooting at 100 meters - in 3, 2, 1, firing.”

The larger of the beasts were in the front and the HEI shell hit it in the chest. The detonation was at the spinal column. Spall of meat, bone and thermite spattered the snouts and eyes of the beasts directly behind the leader. I fired rapidly, my eight rounds out in three seconds and all hitting a different Tyrhrock dragon. At their speed they only covered ten meters in three seconds, before the tunnel was slick with meat and blood. Some of the smaller dragons tripped and went down tumbling over and some under their larger pack mates. Only two of the smaller ones managed to hop over their dying pack. I dropped the shotgun and it swung on its carry lanyard. I pulled the two .45’s and began shooting when the two dragons were at 50 meters. Both were directly under the lighted grating and both went down after each took a second bullet. Blowing blood from their collapsing lungs they struggled and snapped their jaws at me. I strode forward holstering one sidearm and reloading my shotgun with nothing but the solid slugs.

Approaching the two smaller dragons, three other smaller ones had finally disentangled themselves from the pile and began to cannibalistically feed. I shot each one once. After reloading my shotgun and handguns I pulled one Katana and piffed both of the lung shot dragons closest to me. Driving the blade into their brains and twisting they both finally were still.

“Ok guys I’ve just shot 13 Tyrhrock dragons for more than two tons of carcass. The blood seems to draw them like piranhas. Wait a minute and I will come up and toss the grating back. Afterwards you’ll need to drag them out of here but be sure to dump all blood and offal back down here.”

Roary came on the channel, “Repeat Spartan-1. Did you say 13 Tyrhrock dragons down?”

I went back to my first dragon and picking up the rope brought it back into the light. “Yes Roary, just think of all the butchery work you guys get to do now?”

I had a good idea! “Butchery work… Cortana that’s a good idea. Please call one of those mobile butchers that the ranchers use. Offer the one who says yes, an extra incentive to get out here and lend a hand to Richard Harney. Richard! Did you copy that? Can you use an extra professional hand?”

Richard came back and said, “We’ve got plenty of extra hands up here but I could sure use an extra lift and a professional butcher to keep this assembly line going so that were not here until dawn. … Do you want to be here until dawn?”

No, I don’t want to be here until dawn and the longer the guys are up-top surrounded by blood means the greater probability that a Tyrhrock will attack them up there.

I radioed back. “No I don’t think anyone wants to be here any longer than we have to? These mountains are 90 square miles of rugged and this is probably just the local pack. Which means we have forty-eight packs or more to go. Ok, Cortana can you find us some Pro help? ”

Cortana overrode the channel, “I have a butcher online right now. We are haggling over the price and he wants a share of the meat. I haven’t told him it is dragon flesh yet.” She was laughing wickedly.

Roary came on, “Do you think there’s that many Tyrhrock packs?”

I came back dryly. “I think we’ll be lucky if that’s all there is. Who knows? Maybe there are other demon monsters here that even the Tyrhrocks are afraid of?”

Roary snarked at me. “Xander… that is truly a depressing thought. One really big enemy at a time, please.”

I was just about to go up the service ladder when there was a gunshot from above. Jake shot off the lock and the heavy steel grating was pulled back by a chain attached to a pickup tow bar. Jake and Leroy peeked down the shaft at me. Followed by Jimmy Montero and then Roary. Soon the entire gang was looking down at the dead dragons at my feet. That is… when they stopped eye-balling me.

The new guys who worked for Jimmy were staring, uttering prayers to the Almighty and crossing themselves. Prayers to the Big Guy were always welcome.

Just then a heavy rope with a clevis hook on it came down to hoist up the first carcass. I worked fast and in less than fifteen minutes all thirteen were up to the surface.

Jimmy peered back down and told me, “Well Mr. Harris my boys drove to Bakersfield, San Jose, Gilroy and as far south as Los Angeles. Yup! We got us 5,000 brass .50 cal cartridges, primers and Barnes bullets – plus 2,000 live rounds. To beat all, we got from one of our special friends 250 rounds of Match Grade Mk 211 Raufoss. Please don’t ask where or who we got it from.”

I started laughing, “Well done. I just hope that that next batch of dragons are as easy to kill. But if they aren’t I’ll be using it all on them.”

Jimmy then said, “Don’t go hogging’ all the shooting Mr. Harris. Some of us are ex-special forces, all veterans and we own some big guns. We can hold a perimeter.”

I replied, “I’ll bet you can but don’t be all eager for now. The beasts are using these tunnels to get around but that doesn’t mean that they won’t be on the surface either. If you have any dogs up there put them out on your perimeter to give you some warning.”

Jimmy said not worried a bit, “You’re right we could have some action up here. There’s a reason that local people don’t go camping in these mountains and most that do don’t come back. We’ll take care of the perimeter up here. You watch for those beasties down there and if you need some extra shooters… well don’t worry about a lack of volunteers.”

I got serious quickly. “Ok, I have detected another hostile approaching and this one is large. I’m going to withdraw about fifty meters down tunnel. Any of the beasts that make it into the light are all yours.”

Roary and the crew hurriedly began assembling their weapons and prepping. Most had shotguns, AR-15’s, two had AR-10’s, one M-14 and one even had a World War II Browning BAR. Roary had our German MG3 machine gun in its transit case in the back bed of his pickup along with 3,000 rounds on belts for just in case. Roary left it there opting for his Remington 1100 shotgun.

I ran down tunnel and turned to face this new dragon or dragon pack. “Ok, people listen up we have some new business coming. The target is moving as fast as the first group but my sensors report that this is a larger more solid mass.” When the target was two hundred meters out my optics were able to resolve that this was one large Tyrhrock dragon. Its body was horizontal in the tunnel as it ran. The body touched the roof and side walls of the tunnel. It was big. Its tail probably helping it to maintain that posture as a counter-balance.

“This may get interesting. This dragon is maybe larger than 28 feet in length? I can’t detect past it so it could be a lone wolf or just at the front of a line. I’m going to back up another fifty meters to buy some shooting time. My first shot will be when it passes the light. I’ll rely upon you guys to kill anything that’s in trail because you had better. This one may block the tunnel down here and the next group will try to come up to the surface.”

I brought the Barrett up to my shoulder. I had one ten round magazine loaded and twelve loaded magazines on my Mjolnir’s tactical pockets.”

This dragon ran under the lighted areas without even looking up. I wondered if they saw in infrared or a combination of wave lengths. The cross hairs settled on its throat where it met its breast bone. “Firing now!”

The Barrett spat death at 2,800 feet per second and 700 grains (45 grams) of flesh tearing mass. Designed to penetrate six inches of modern laminated armor steel the Tyrhrock was big but not steel armored. The three rounds fired tore a hole all the way through the dragon. The bullets entered just under the beasts throat, passed though all of its soft tissue organs turning them into guacamole. Finally shattering its pelvis, lower spine and exited just above the tail. The bullets were deformed but still had over 800 feet per second of velocity and killed the next dragons in the line behind their big Mamma.

The area under the lights became a milling mass of a dozen smaller dragons ranging again from 400 to 800 pounds. Like blood enraged wild hogs they were snapping and clawing at each other. Confused by their Mother nearly blocking the tunnel they presented a perfect firing opportunity for Roary and the hunters. Fifteen men stood around an eight by ten foot hole viewing a tunnel of hellish monsters and gleefully fired into the moving swarm of hated dragon flesh.

It was a firing squad. In less than 10-seconds Roary bellowed, “Cease fire! Cease fire!”

The walls of the tunnel were slick with dragon blood and the air with the smell of cordite.

I was starring at the face of a true dragon. Its head was almost one meter wide and over 2 meters from snout to back of its skull. Its carcass nearly filled the ten foot diameter tunnel and this one had to be longer than my first Tyrhrock. I dropped the Barrett’s magazine and slapped in a fresh mag. Stooping I picked up my brass. Brass is expensive but can be reloaded. Pulling three fresh rounds from my spare pouch I topped out the used magazine and inserted it into a tactical mag pouch.

I had to crawl over the dragon to see the tunnel beyond. My scans were clear of threats. Radioing all, “Guys it’s a slaughter house down here. Hold your fire I’m walking into the lighted area.”

Standing amongst the twitching dragon corpses, I looked up. “Not bad at all. You guys got the entire pack of dragons. Drop a rope and we’ll get them up and out. I don’t know how or even if we can get the big one up.”

Richard Harney came on, “Mr. Harris is the big one the same size as last time or larger?”

“Right now it is at least ten feet longer and more than four tons. This is definitely a big Mamma dragon.”

It took fifteen minutes to clear the smaller dragons from the tunnel for processing up on the surface. I was having a bit of trouble dragging the Mamma beast back to the lift area but I finally made it.

Richard looking down at what he could see of it and exclaimed, “There is no way my winch can lift that beast. We need a construction crane! I’ll have to process it down there.”

I radioed up, “Ok I will set up on the edge of the light and keep anymore from getting to this carcass.”

A pair of headlights came down the back road to the park and a four and a half ton reefer truck pulled up. Their professional butcher had arrived. Getting out of his truck Glen Clayborn introduced himself to Roary and Richard. They walked him around the corner of Richard’s panel van to see his nights work. His eyes locked on and never left the line of Tyrhrock dragons that were lined up like fish at a market.

Roary and Richard gave him the short version of what was happening and swore him to secrecy. They didn’t need the idiot hippies of the Sierra Club up here demanding endangered species protections for vampires, demons and dragons.

Richard punched him in the arm finally breaking his eyes free from the stack of dead dragons. Richard smiled at him and said, “What are you waiting for? They taste just like chicken!” Walking off laughing loudly at Glen’s reaction.

Glen was a master butcher. With everyone helping his tables and equipment was all set up in 10 minutes. Working with Richard to preserve the skins and bones for taxidermy and display they both got an assembly line going.

Three hours later all of the smaller ones were butchered and packed away in the reefer truck for final processing and wrapping the next day.

I called to them, “It’s still all clear down here. Everyone can come down now to get a good look at the beast but I think it will have to be skinned and boned right where it is.”

Down in the tunnel Glen was looking at the giant dragon. “Holy Moses! You got that right. It would take a crane to lift that monster. We’ll just have to process it where it is.”

They all came down still armed but Montero, Leroy and I stood guard. They down tunnel and me up tunnel as the rest set up a rat line to pass tools and huge chunks of boneless cuts back up.

I secure comm’d Cortana. “Hey Cortana, please make a note that we need to order a crane that can lift at least 12 tons.”

Cortana came back, “On my shopping list, Alex.

Finally at two in the morning they were done and no more Tyrhrocks had shown up. I was the last in the tunnel. Climbing out they dropped the grating down and used a one inch bolt to secure it closed. I turned off my shields as I climbed out of the tunnel so as not to hurt anyone.

Richard Harney called all of the hunters and myself around. He unrolled one of the smaller dragon skins across a picnic table. He also had a head, clawed reptilian hand and foot. He began, “A good taxidermist studies many kinds of animals both to display them naturally but also to learn from them. The best hunters learn their preys habits and vulnerabilities. This animal or dragon is a pure carnivore that more closely resembles a line of Therapoda dinosaurs found in the early Cretaceous period about 100-125 million years ago. You might note that the Tyrannosaurus Rex is the most famous of Therapodas. Our Tyrhrock dragons here are similar to some of the known Therapoda but also uniquely different. Most of these great lizards had only three toes on their feet and three claws on their fore-limbs. Very similar to raptor birds today. But our beast here has five fingered clawed hands and five clawed toes more like a crocodilian today. But unlike a crocodile these beasts are bipedal and fast runners like the Therapoda dinosaurs. Our Tyrhrock arms and claws are long like a prehistoric Dromaeosauridae raptor. You know like the movie depiction of Velociraptors in the movie ‘Jurassic Park’.” Lots of heads were nodding now. Some in understanding.

He continued, “Our beasts head and mouth here is full of teeth more like the large carnivorous dinosaurs and completely unlike a crocodile. Notice the straight line of the jaw and the straight line of teeth. Looking at the skin here we have from all of the specimens tonight a mix of colorations but notice the horned ridges from behind the eyes to the tip of the tale? This is very much like depictions of ancient crocodiles. Also the tail is flattened and powerful like a crocodiles which might suggest that these beasts can swim. But here’s something interesting. Notice the fine overlapping scales on this hide? I am going to slash this with my knife and watch what happens.” Taking out a nice straight green river blade he slashed hard at the skin laying on the table. The blade made not a mark on the skin. “You will notice that this finely sharpened knife is now… not so sharp. This skin is like medieval chain mail and the scales are as hard as steel. But this skin can be punctured by this knife if I stab straight into it. Which is also how medieval soldiers with chain mail had to be killed. So this beast’s skin is a natural defense against slashing edged weapons but not against spears, arrows and a blade thrust straight into them. This matches what we know about legends of brave knights killing medieval dragons. Modern bullets will puncture their hide but getting close enough to use a sword or axe will put you into their teeth and claws. We also now know that these beasts can outrun an Olympic sprinter so running away just makes for an easier meal. Which makes those knights of old a pretty brave lot.”

Jimmy spoke up, “Are you saying that this is some kind of dinosaur that the paleontologists haven’t discovered?”

Richard nodded his head, “Yup! Pretty much that’s what I am saying. This beast would pass for a dragon right out of the fairy tale books and our dinosaur scientists haven’t found a fossilized version of this one yet.”

Jimmy spoke up again, “Maybe we should invite a paleontologist along on a hunt and see if he’s lunch meat or a hunter?” Everyone laughed at that image of a dandified college professor type being chomped in half.

I then spoke up through my audio speakers, “Richard can you get one hide out to Jimmy’s gun range and with Jimmy test out various bullets. I know that .45 ACP bullet will penetrate their hide at 50 meters, the solid shotgun slugs at 100 meters and naturally the .50 cal. But we need some test experience with 5.56 mm and 9 mm, since those two rounds are the most common. I‘ll let you guys work it out but I need a solid test report on what works and at how far. Then we need to get the word out to the human police, ranch hands and armed security guards.”

All of the security guards and Jimmy’s people volunteered to participate in shooting up the hide.

I stopped the excited chatter, “Gentlemen. Glen’s meat packing fees will be on me. Richard, I’ll take care of your fees but everyone here tonight gets a skin for the wall and some sort of trophy mounting. All of you will need to contact Richard and work out what you want vice what he can do.”

All of the men around the table expressed their gratitude to me and I shook my helmeted head no. “If it wasn’t for Jake and Leroy here I wouldn’t have learned about Jimmy’s anti-vampire bullets and your anti-vampire mace formulae. I am grateful that all you guys are in this fight and I am grateful that you have allowed us into your circle. Roary and I are a little new to this fight but I come with some obvious advantages here.” At that I thumped my Mjolnir armor and all of them laughed with me. I continued, “With your help I intend to use my fortune and weapons to make vampires and all of the human eating demons extinct. That means no live specimens for a zoo. We all know what the harebrained eco-freaks, animal lovers and foolish demon lovers would do. I wouldn’t mind the fact that the demons and dragons would promptly eat them but I do mind the vampires making more vampires part. We can’t have that.”

I raised my armored fist into the air, “Brothers in arms…. My course is set. A war… to their extinction!”

With Jimmy leading, they all solemnly raised whatever they had been drinking and cheered, “To Extinction!”

After doing some calculations Glen came back to the group and announced that the larger Tyrhrock dragon had been live at least 8 Tons and that everyman there would each be receiving 470 pounds of boneless Dragon cuts in three days at his place after 3:00 PM.

I motioned for them to stay together, gather round for a post mission briefing.

“Hey guys I would like to thank you all again for coming along on this little hunting expedition and for providing support. I really appreciate it. If any are up to it I’ll be doing this again soon. We didn’t make it into the mountains to find their nests. So I am proposing a once a month hunting safari similar to this one until we cut their numbers down. I would like Jimmy Montero to be our coordinator for these expeditions. His family once owned this entire mountain range and lost a lot of ranch hands to these monsters. So I think it’s fitting that we hold a little family BBQ out at his ranges picnic area. Naturally at his convenience. Roary and I will bring the beer and drinks. While there we’ll raise a glass and remember all of the humans killed by the Tyrhrock Dragons of the Montana De Diablos. … Then we will raise a toast again to our mission. Our war to kill them all!”

Fifteen men and one young Spartan, all with solemn assent agreed but quieter than the first time. “To extinction!” Each man in the circle responded for his service. “Ooh-Rah!” “Hoo-Rah!” “Semper Fi!” “Hell Yah!”

Monday, 24th November, 3:30 AM PST, Sunnydale California.

Roary and I crept into the house to find Karen and Willow asleep in the family room on the couches. The TV screens had been off but blinked on and Cortana soundlessly made a shushing gesture and she turned off the TVs just as quick. We found the kids asleep in their beds.

As I prepared for bed I wondered what Willows parents would think of me? I also wondered if Willow was going to rip into me tomorrow for taking such risks with the dragons. But at least she got to watch the fight from my viewpoint for once.

Monday, 24th November, 7:00 AM PST, Sunnydale California.

I came sluggishly out of a wonderful dream of Willow and me… To find a living dream on my bed bending over me. Her natural feminine odor filled my nose and mind. She was awakening me. Her hair tenting around my face as she was preparing to kiss me again. Now fully awake my arms went around her and pulled her close and tight against my chest.

Willow kissed me again in a way that only a true lover would. Slow, delicate and lingering. My mind was washing away from her scent, her lips and loving embrace. John’s memories rushed up on me and I had to beat them back. Willow wasn’t Parisa or Kelly.

Finally she raised her head and reluctantly said to me, “It’s Monday and we both have school today. I have to go home to get cleaned up and dressed for school. Can you take me home?”

My brain slowly returned to Earth. Holding her tighter until she giggled, a gestalt of John’s and my life experiences clicked inside me. I looked into her beautiful hazel eyes. Of all the beautiful and alluring girls, women that I was attracted to, well… only four actually. Jenny was too old for me really and she was sweet on Giles. Buffy had Angel and a distant untouchable Cordellia would not even acknowledge my existence in the hallway. Cordelia was hot and when her rat pack wasn’t looking she did eye me up. I wondered what my future life would be like without Willow?

Sighing I said softly to her, “As you wish.” Reaching up and pushing her hair out of her eyes I cupped her neck and head and pulled her down until our lips were almost touching. I slowly and teasingly said, “Give me five minutes and I’ll take you home. Ok?”

She hit me playfully, broke free sitting up and stepping to my door she turned, “You are a horrible tease.” Then she smiled wickedly, pouted and began unbuttoning her red blouse until she had exposed part of her red lacy bra. She stopped and shimmied her shoulders at me, her breasts swaying. Too soon she stopped her show, blew me a kiss, turned and closed the door.

Exhausted as I was, I was stunned speechless. My mouth hanging open. I was really aroused now. I put my pillow over my face, saying a few choice words into it.

Then got out of bed to dress quickly.

Tuesday, 25th November, 11:00 AM PST, Sunnydale California.

I had just completed my CLEP for History of the United States I. I had a half hour before the lunch break began so I walked to the library. My next CLEP was History of the United States II that afternoon after lunch period. Dodging quickly to avoid Principal Snyder, Cortana’s school watcher agent program was becoming indispensable to me. I went to the library at first for just someplace to be and during my brief journey decided that I needed to talk to Giles more. I needed to talk to someone outside of my family.

Entering the library I ran up the steps to Giles office in the back, knowing that he would be there thanks to the mini-Cortana surveilling the school. Dropping my book bag, I flopped into one of Giles office chairs and closed my eyes. Giles had turned from his desk, picked up his hot tea and asked, “How was your CLEP exam this morning?

I exhaled deeply and cracked my eyes. “I aced it Dr. Giles. No worries about it or the one coming up next.”

Giles eyebrows went up and he considered Xander’s behavior. “Ok, What’s wrong Xander? You look troubled and it isn’t academic or school related?”

I was clasping and unclasping my hands in anxiety. I finally spoke in trepidation. “I have a problem Giles… It’s me… It’s Willow and I… I know that she loves me and that she wants to sleep with me… I want to… And I think that I’m in love with her. I don’t mean puppy love or a teenage crush.”

Giles was honored to have… Alexander confide in him but he was perplexed. “Xander have you and Willow had conjugal… sexual relations? Is that what this is about?”

Alarmed I blurted out, “No! No – No! We haven’t yet… But I… I’ve been thinking a lot about her lately. You know that I have the memories of the soldier from the future. Which means that I am sixteen going on seventy. He, John had children with two different women in his life across the years.”

Giles astounded asked, “You have his memories and not just dreams?”

I looked at him sheepishly, “Yes, the dreams and the memories. But the memories are like watching a Television show whereas the dreams are Technicolor wrap-around widescreen and very high fidelity.”

Giles thinking hard said, “So these dreams and memories are integrating themselves into your life and now you have a decision to make that is in conflict with your morals or American culture?”

I was now thinking again, “Something like that Giles. I’m thinking very seriously that I want to marry Willow after we graduate and are both eighteen years old. I’ve come to the realization that she and I belong together. John’s memories and experiences have sharpened my knowledge of who I am and my future goals. We’ve grown up together and she was never far from me in my earliest memories. Always there… We talk a lot, she’s funny, very smart and we have been good friends for ten years. We argue and make up. We debate and laugh together. She… Lately I have been far more aware of her presence, her friendship and companionship. I… want to move our relationship past just friendship but I’m… concerned about the consequences. The conflict as you put it correctly is that… She doesn’t want to wait that long and I don’t think I can either.”

Giles now confused but glad at the direction of Xander’s thoughts asked, “Xander, you are talking about the possibility of sexual relations and marriage. Marriage is a lifetime commitment together. Good times and bad times; with children and growing old. I think you are also talking about sex. Maybe even just casual sex. I think that you are confused in that adult couples having sexual relations does not automatically mean that you must get married. Although until the last forty years and the availability of modern birth control; I will admit that was the general rule.”

I looked at Giles in resignation. “Remember the super-soldier with the 26th Century medicine inside me?”

“Yes, what of it?” said Giles with a little confusion.

“Giles the medicine of that era was genetic and molecular engineering. When given to fleet naval personnel means that I will be extraordinarily healthy, stronger and faster by today’s standards for a… very long time.”

“How long?” Asked Giles with dawning awareness and trepidation.

“Try maybe 600 years or so.”

“Oh! My word…” Giles began polishing his glasses as his brain went into overtime.

I needed to share my fear. My anxiety for what could be. “The Medicine was genetic engineering Giles. It is like engineered viruses and realy small molecular machines called nanites. It’s permanent and some of it is communicable.”

Giles sat up straighter and was alarmed, “Communicable! Xander, is this dangerous for Willow or anyone else?”

I calmed myself as I tried to calm him. “No! No, it is not dangerous but it means that the more skin-to-skin contact that I have with Willow and the more… fluids that we exchange… The faster my nanites will colonize her and extend her life also.”

Giles was confused again, “So what does this have to do with marriage and sex?”

In exasperation, “Giles, this is like the young, hormonal and horny days for me and for her. I am extra healthy and extra fertile… If we get really physical… if we go all the way with sex she is going to be having my baby. This package of medicines was to help at new colony worlds. To keep people disease free and it also helps sustain a high birth rate. My conflict is that I really want to have sex with her and marry Willow… but I don’t think she or I can wait for two years for either.”

Giles looked at me with frustration and spoke slowly. “You have considered using contraceptives haven’t you?”

“Giles you don’t understand. The nanites will do everything to make the male and female extra-healthy and very fertile. That means changing, repairing, inerting, destroying anything that gets in the way of perfect health and… nature. Other than celibacy which I don’t think I can do… The only contraception methods that might work temporarily are barrier methods such as condoms and a diaphragm. But that assumes that both partners want to practice birth control. … I don’t know how Willow will react when I tell her that if she keeps dating me that she may live a whole lot longer than she planned and that she could very well be pregnant a lot of that time. … We’ve not talked about children, parenting and having our own family.”

Giles pursed his lips and looked at Alex. “In England children graduate from school at sixteen and are for the most part treated as adults. Many get married young and start families. It is highly commendable for you to already be thinking of marriage with Willow as a loving and responsible commitment. You are fully aware that you have a very high chance of impregnating any woman that you have sex with. I assume that the only woman you wish to sleep with is Willow. Therefore your conflict is only one of timing since you believe that both you and she will consummate your love well before… your planned date.”

Pausing for a minute of reflection Giles continued, “Once many years ago I had a chance for love, marriage and a family… I thought the timing was never right… Which means that I never asked her… Until a demon killed her and took away all my chances.”

I was stunned by this revelation about Giles past. Pain was clearly etched across his face. I never knew? None of the Scoobies know this. My heart thumped with sincere regrets and sympathy at his loss. “I am so sorry Giles. I didn’t know.”

The pain gradually left his face. He ruefully smiled at me.

Giles sighed and looked up at Xander. “You are just annoyed over a time disconnect between what you had planned and what reality will offer you. That is your conflict and it is a very minor one. I am happy Xander that you are thinking responsibly about your future and also for Willow. Don’t worry about what others may think or about whether you are eighteen or not. I believe that you thinking very hard about doing the right thing with the woman that loves you, is very mature. So do what is right and just.” With that Giles stood up and moved off to get another hot pot of tea going.

Turning back to a still thinking Xander he said, “Now off with you. Or you’ll miss your lunch period.”

After Xander had gone Giles sat down again and commented out loud to himself, “Alexander and Willow married for six hundred years…. I’d bet a months’ pay she kills him before they hit one hundred years together.” Chuckling at that vision he turned back to sorting the Cardex.

Wednesday, 26th November, 4:00 PM PST, Sunnydale California.
The Day before Thanksgiving Day holiday.

This had been a good week for me. Monday morning Willow had wakened me from sleep with a kiss. Her face and natural feminine scent imprinted on my mind all day and week.

I had completed six CLEP exams this week. Two a day hadn’t been bad and impressed the school administration staff that proctored my exams. Principal Snyder had a permanent scowl on his face this week. Or maybe it was constipation. Especially when he saw me which was getting rarer each day thanks to Cortana’s mini-bots.

Cortana and I had our covert school surveillance system mostly all rigged up now to track Snyder wherever he was. Dead zones in our surveillance were being corrected by myself at night as I installed extra security audio microphones and cameras for Cortana. There was still a few dead zones in the surveillance but in time I’ld get those filled in. Cortana had created a small watcher program to automatically report Snyder’s position so that I could avoid him. I called it a mini-Cortana with some amusement but it wasn’t self-aware. Situational awareness over your adversary was priceless. Plus it was also helping us to keep track of all the people I and Cortana cared about.

Walking towards the parking lot I spotted Buffy and Willow standing together as usual on the grass waiting for me to drive them home. Buffy always looked cheer leader good. Willow was today an extra-scrumptious vision. She was wearing a pink frilly blouse with a royal blue pleated skirt, a gold necklace and a wonderful smile. She was dressing up. Dressing up for me.

As I walked up to them Buffy turned towards me, smiled and grabbed my arm pulling me closer. “Have you two noticed that Giles and Jenny seem to be… more than friends lately?”

Willow said with a knowing smirk, “They had a date Sunday night and I think Jenny has the hungries for Giles.”

Buffy with mock shock, her hand over her mouth but a twinkle in her eye said, “Oh my god! The Giles holding hands and slobbering on the poor Miss Calendar. The horror… the horror.” Buffy and Willow started giggling.

I laughed with Buffy, “Oh you are exaggerating… more than a bit. Giles is old school British. He’ll be holding hands but no slobbering or drooling or … I should shut up now.”

Buffy and Willow both looking at me aghast and then broke up laughing at my embarrassment. Buffy grabbed one elbow and Willow the other as they escorted me to my car.

As I fished for my keys Buffy said to us, “I am going to be helping my Mom make a Thanksgiving Dinner tomorrow. Can I impose on you both to come and have dinner with us?”

I already knew that Karen had begun preparations for a large Thanksgiving Day lunch. This would be Simon and Shalomar’s first Thanksgiving Day meal. Karen had pulled out the stops. She had already threatened Roary and I with dire consequences if either of us entered her kitchen space or sampled the pastries before lunch. I looked at Willow and asked her, “Is this ok with you?” She nodded yes and seized my arm. In jest I said, “You do realize that this will be a date chaperoned by Buffy?”

Willow gasped in mock shock gripping my arm tighter. Both Willow and Buffy began laughing at me.

Turning back to Buffy. I said channeling Dan Akryod from the movie ‘Cone Heads’. “I be honored earthling. Must consume mass quantities of avian flesh.”

Buffy hit me on the shoulder with an evil smirk.

Willow said, “I’ll have to check with my parents but I would like to very much.”

Cortana whispered to me, “Alex, Willow hasn’t said anything but her parents boarded a plane last Sunday morning for a Caribbean cruise psychiatry and psychology conference. She has been home alone since then and will be alone over this holiday. Her parents will not return until next Sunday afternoon.”

Neuronetting back, “Thank you Cortana. I’ll talk to Willow later.”

Buffy now all smiles said coyly wrapping around me and wrinkling her nose at Willow. “Xander can you take us to some place with lots of chocolate?”

I rolled my eyes at her and then Willow. “Ice cream and chocolate at Brahms or just chocolate like the Hillsdale Chocolate Factory on Marsh Avenue?”

Now Willow playing along with Buffy had wrapped her arms around me on my right side and both girls were giggling. In perfect harmony both stated, “Both! Chocolate overdose!!”

Wednesday, 26th November, 6:00 PM PST, Sunnydale California.
The Day before Thanksgiving Day holiday.

After their chocolate dosage, I dropped Buffy off at her house and then convinced Willow to stay the holiday at my house. She was reluctant to be home alone and readily agreed. She was going to have a Thanksgiving lunch with the Harris’s and then go over with me to the Summer’s for dinner. I was happy that she was going to be here in my home with me but also unsure of myself. I was hoping this would work out but her parents shouldn’t have left her home alone for a week.

We stopped at Willow’s house. She packed her luggage bag for a few days. I learned that Willow home alone for a week was not unusual. They did this three or four times each year. They went off on a professional speaking tour, conference or cruise. They left her. A week at a time. I could see that she loved and loathed her parents for this. They were barely parents. Mine weren’t much better. For the past four years my parents had began drinking more and more. My Dad when he got drunk was mean. They were trying. My parents hadn’t been drunk in the past two weeks. Maybe it was the change in me?

Soon we were standing in the entrance hallway of my home as Simon chased Shalomar around them like small whirling dervishes. Shalomar shrieking and laughing at her brother and Simon proclaiming her imminent death.

I marveled at the orphan’s adaptability and current happiness. I knew the scars would not heal for a long time. Since my room was across the hall from theirs, I heard Simon sobbing in his sleep a few times. Crying out for his lost parents. If John’s memories were anything to judge by then children were more resilient than adults. The Covenant left a lot of orphans since children were the first to be evacuated from a planet.

But for now Willow was also amazed and happy to see them so… energetic. She knew some of their experience and how they got here that first night when she watched my Tyrhrock hunt.

Showing Willow to the second guest bedroom across the hall next to Simon’s and Shalomar’s. I went to clean up a little for Karen’s dinner. The girls had smeared chocolate on my shirt and face while making lip-smacking noises. Willow and Buffy were incorrigible teases.

Saying a little prayer to God to give me strength especially with Willow so close.

11. Thanksgiving Holiday

Chapter 11. Thanksgiving Holiday

Thursday, 27th November, 8:00 AM PST, Sunnydale California.
Thanksgiving Day.

I woke instantly. My door opened quickly and Willow was standing in the doorway dressed in pink floral flannel pajamas. She closed the door behind her, walked over, sat on the edge of the bed and then leaned over the top of me. Her arms on either side of my shoulders. She put her head on my chest. Her hot breath blowing across me. I closed my eyes to better sense her. Her scent was… still so arousing. No store bought perfume on her body, none needed, just her own natural femine smell. John’s memories rushed upon me like a sneaker wave. I was in heaven.

My hands were trapped under the covers. Otherwise I would have pulled her up and kissed her.

Just then the door opened and Shalomar peeked in around the doors corner. She giggled and skipped into the room holding her now favorite plush Bo-Peep doll. Willow sat up her cheeks flushing. Shalomar climbed up on the bed between us. I had wiggled my arms free and I sat up a little against the pillows and headboard. Shalomar came over and snuggled up against my left side. My arm helped to skootch her in closer. Shalomar looked at Willow with a child’s eyes, touched her hand and out of the blue sky said, “This is where you belong.” Turning to look at me and then back at Willow she patted my chest and said, “He loves you.” Then she wiggled like an eel until she was able to kiss my cheek. Shalomar then jumped off my bed like it was a trampoline and raced out into the hallway headed for the kitchen.

Willow was still sitting on the edge of my bed down at my waist. She was staring at the partially open door. I coughed into my hand and said, “I… I know I haven’t said it to you… but she’s right. I do… love you. We’ve always been good friends but I came to realize this week that… I uh… I love you.”

Willow’s head snapped back and radar locked on me. Her eyes tearing up. The corners of her lips trembling. John’s memories were flash backs. I held up my arms to her. Willow snuggled up against me. She was in the place that Shalomar had just occupied. One leg thrown over me. Her head on my shoulder now facing me and her hand on my chest. Her eyes were shut and she was smiling a Mona Lisa smile.

I thought I had been in heaven before. I was wrong. I was closer to heaven now. I never wanted to move. For a few minutes I got my wish.

Just then Shalomar came laughing and running down the hall. She went zooming past my open door. Simon hot on her six came running. Apparently she had found some place to hide because he came walking back yelling, “I’m going to sell you to the Vos when I catch you! They’ll know what to do with you!”

Simon stopped at my doorway and looked in seeing me in bed and Willow next to me. Willow had turned enough to watch him. Simon’s cheek and half of his dark brown hair was coated in white flour. Willow and I were trying to keep a straight face and failing. Simon asked in all innocent seriousness, “Haven’t you mated yet?”

Willow gasped and as quick as a slayer she jerked my pillow out from under my head and threw it at Simon. Simon closed the door fast, the pillow hitting the door. He opened the door and taunted her from the hallway dancing. “Missed me! Missed me! Now you’ve got to kiss me… rear.” While patting his rear end.

Willow was almost out of the bed to give chase when I stopped her. Holding her hand I said, “Willow, You… can… close and lock the door.”

After lunch, the table still piled high with food. Roary and I sat sinking into the family room couches in a Turkey induced somnolence. I was positive that both Simon and Shalomar had eaten their weight in food. The children were passed out on the floor in front of the TV. The video tape of “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” cartoon was just coming to a conclusion. Karen and Willow were still in the kitchen. A low murmur of girl talk that I was too sleepy to tune into.

Cortana whispered into my mind, “You know that I only monitor your life signs… and this morning your life signs were… quite lively. So big boy did you hit a home run and did you tell her?”

I sighed with the overwhelming memories of Willow. I responded back via my Spartan neuralnet. “No home run today, Cortana. You know… with all of John’s memories… it’s like watching a movie. His memories with Parisa and Kelly are filtered by time; two-dimensional X-rated movies with an occasional memory of touch or scent and… passion. Today was in living color, up-close and… wonderful! Willow’s scent… her skin… her lips.”

Cortana laughing gently, “Oooh! You have it bad! So fess up what happened?”

I was deep into my recent memories with Willow. “We were cuddling, making out and both stealing second base. Then she pulled away from me and stripped. She was… beautiful… I know she wanted to go all hardcore right then… and so did I. But I stopped her. It was one of the hardest things for me to do. We cuddled… I told her about my nanites and how they were colonizing her with our skin contact and exchange of… fluids. I told her everything. How the greater our contact the faster the nanites would adapt to her and extend her life. I told her that the normal human female only lived about 86 years and was fertile for only 24 years of their life – and I told her that the nanites might allow her to live 600 years and be fertile for 500 of those years. I told her that I loved her and that I wanted her but when we did have… she would be pregnant. I told her that with the nanite enhancements she would be pregnant a lot. Unless we took measures. I told her that I wanted to wait until we were graduated from High School and both eighteen before we got married and started a family. I told her that I just couldn’t do that to her now. It was embarrassing. She really wanted to and I wanted to but I… I just couldn’t.”

Cortana said, “Oh my God, Alex! You didn’t jump her bones! … But you did in a loopy way maybe… sort of proposed to Willow… So what did she say?”

I sheepishly said, “I hadn’t thought of it like that but… you’re right. I was telling her my hopes for us both the next two years. I love her in a way that is… more than what I feel for other beautiful girls and even for Buffy. I know… I am infatuated with Buffy… I admire her and I love her but just not the same as I love Willow. Every day that goes by Buffy becomes like a sister to me and… sort of off-limits. I know that it’s silly but for Willow everyday that goes by I… she and I keep dancing around this giant sign labeled ‘lovers’ and on the other side of the sign is ‘life mates’. Husband, wife and parents. Two days ago I had this epiphany about Willow and I. I even talked to Giles about it… I can imagine a future without Buffy as hard as that would be, but a future without Willow is like… very painful. I really want her to be with me on that day that I stand on the moon, and when I stand on Mars. I want her to be my first lover and she has ‘wife and mother material’ stamped all over her. She’s not just a fling or one night stand kind of girl. Not for me. I’ve been thinking about this every day since Monday but I really don’t want to look for a different life mate, a wife. I can see us together… old and on rocking chairs retired somewhere. She’s my match…”

“This really does sound serious. You really did mean it when you told her that you wanted to marry her after graduation.” Said Cortana now all analytical and just as concerned for Alexander as she had been for John. Even with John’s memories to guide him, Alexander was still a teenager and he was experiencing life unlike John had.

“I want to wait until we are older before we do the crocodile-rock. Sounds old fashioned doesn’t it? But John and I now… I guess I’m now old fashioned a bit also. Not old fashioned celibate but because it’s true that we both need to be older, more mature before we have kids. I want to be married to Willow and be with her all the time. I can’t hardly stop thinking about her and us… I want to see her face everyday. Touch her. … Today when I told her everything… Do you know what she said?”

Cortana in growing exasperation exclaimed, “Alex, I don’t know what she said because I try to grant you a little privacy.”

“Thank you for that. Really. Thank you for the gift of privacy Cortana.” For a person like Cortana granting me this gift was truly a great gift. Besides she was still a woman. Probably ready to burst with curiosity.

Cortana was taken aback by Alex’s honest thank you. She still pressed him, “Now if you don’t tell me, I’ll throttle you!”

My memories still fresh and arousing. I whispered to her, “Oh – she’s so smart. She asked me which had the highest concentrations of my nanites’ skin contact or fluids? When I said fluids, she said excellent and then she pulled the blanket down. Willow stole third base all right and I… I couldn’t have stopped her. I wouldn’t have… She was wonderful… Afterwards… she looked at me and she was so sexy. She was smacking her lips and said that my nanites were delicious and that she was going to drain me dry everyday to get more. Then she said that she wants a big family! She said that she feels cheated by her parents, being an only child. She said that they were just selfish elitist snobs. She actually said that she wanted my kids and she wanted to start now. Again, I barely had the will to stop myself and her right then… otherwise…”

Cortana in all seriousness, “Alex, you are both sixteen years of age and in love. You are seven months older than Willow and going on 69 years old with John’s memories. With both of your raging hormones I seriously doubt you are going to stay a virgin until you are eighteen. Besides you may not be alive in two years and also the Covenant could arrive in Earth orbit tomorrow. … Well, I will have a girl talk with Willow later. Best you get a nap to keep your strength up.”

I groused, “How am I supposed to sleep now after thinking about Willow?”

Cortana giggling at my discomfort, “Go to sleep Alex. I’ll wake you when it is time to go to Buffy’s for dinner.”

Friday, 28th November, 7:00 AM PST, Sunnydale, California.
The Day after Thanksgiving Day holiday.

As I came around the corner into the kitchen I spotted Karen wearing a long Cobalt Blue plush terry cloth bathrobe and slippers. She was in the kitchen preparing to make a hot breakfast for the kids and now also me. The kids were on the floor in the family room laughing and giggling while watching Bugs Bunny Cartoons. Roary and Willow were still sleeping. Sitting at the breakfast bar with hot chocolate in front of me, I coughed loud enough. “Karen can I ask you a question?”

Karen paused and looked at me surprised a little, she raised one eyebrow. “Yes but within limits of propriety.”

“No nothing like that! I just have a question about… how to get engaged?”

Karen got a big smile on her face and raised both eyebrows at me. “Oh? Who’s the lucky girl?”

Exasperated I gushed, “You know who! It’s Willow and I… and I…” Now looking dejected and puppy doggish, “She’s loved me for a long time and now… I love her… and I told her yesterday that I wanted to marry her after we graduate. She told me that she wanted lots of kids and… I need to know if I should take her to the jewelry store and let her pick the ring or should I surprise her with one.”

Karen’s smile was radiant. She said, “Well… Tradition is that you surprise her but that usually ends up with a ring that’s the wrong size or a ring that’s so ugly she doesn’t want to wear it too often.”

With surprise I said, “Rings have different sizes like shoes?!”

Karen with a gleam in her eyes said, “Yes, they do and so does all jewelry. Do you know her left and right hand ring, wrist or neck sizes?” Seeing the dawning ignorance in my eyes she pressed on. “How about her dress size?”

I put my head down on the tile top. “I’m doomed.”

Karen laughed at me and patted me on the head. “Don’t feel so bad. It took Roary only eleven years to ask me to marry him and he was so sweet about it. He did surprise me with the ring.” Holding up her hand to the light she eyed it’s sparkle and beauty on her ring finger. Patting me on the cheek she said, “But unlike you… he had my ring size and already knew my favorite stones, colors and arrangements. So the best thing for you is to take her to pick out the ring. Ask the jewelry store clerk to quietly take all her measurements for you. They will give you a small wallet sized card with her measurements on it.”

I then said quickly, “Thank you Karen. I’ll take her this morning.”

Karen put her hand on top of mine stopping me from leaving the bar. She looked into my eyes with seriousness, “Whoa hoss! You both are a little young to be even considering engagements or marriage. But even so… You still will have to formally ask her to marry you and you will have to ask her parents also for their permission.”

I was stunned and anxious now. “You… mean… that I really have to ask her parents? To their faces?!” A look of fear crossed my face. I knew how her parents thought of me. I was an undesirable, a hooligan, a surfer bum. Willow says they are snobs and she is more right than she knows. Her mother, Sheila barely tolerated me.

Karen now laughing at my panicked looking face. “Do you mean to tell me that you aren’t afraid of those truck sized dragons but are afraid of Willow’s parents?” Karen was now trying to hide her laughter behind her robe sleeve.

I straightened myself and with what I thought of as manly indignation said, “Well… no I’m not afraid but I am concerned… concerned a lot that they’ld say no.”

Karen put her elbows on the bar and her chin on her cupped hands, then wiggling her eyebrows at me with a laughing smile. “They should say, no! You’re only sixteen and she’s sixteen. Right now neither of you and especially Willow is mature enough for marriage and raising children. In a couple of years when both of you are more mature, tell them that you are rich and can take care of Willow. Then if they say no tell them that you don’t want their first grandbaby to be born out of wedlock. I’m sure that will change their minds. By then you will both be of age and legally don’t need their permission to marry.”

I was stunned at Karen’s suggestion but I liked it in my animal urges riot. I smiled wickedly and then got a worried look on my face. “Oh… but she and I haven’t…”

Karen patted me on the hand again. “After talking to Willow the past few days I’m sure she can help you out on that.”

I gulped, “I’m really doomed. We are going to our Prom with babies on our hips.”

Karen giggled, “Don’t count your babies before they’re hatched. I’m sure that Willow and you can use birth control until you’re older.”

I ran my hands through my hair a few times and then began banging my head on the bar. Karen watched me in confused alarm. Finally I looked at her with resignation. Pointing to myself with my thumb I explained, “I got the 26th Century version of super-soldier medical treatments to go with the super-suit of armor. I will live… maybe 600 years in perfect health and I am also… super-fertile. If we hit the sheets and do the hunka-chunka just once she’ll be pregnant the next day.”

Karen was now stunned, “Did you say 600 years?! … And does she know?”

I looked grim, “Yes and yes. I told her and that some of the viral nanite treatments that have gifted me with long life and terrific health are also transmittable. … Transmittable to anyone who touches me and a lot faster transmission if my bodily fluids are transferred.”

Karen looked at her hands quickly in alarm. I looked at her, “No! They’re not dangerous to you or Roary. It will take them at least thirty days to adapt to your body and then begin multiplying. Ten years from now… or less… your aging will slow and you won’t get sick anymore. You may live between 250 to 600 years old in reasonably perfect health until your final twenty years. Cortana and I don’t know how effective the transfer will be. Down side is that you’ll also be extra fertile and our current pharmaceutical birth control won’t work on you. Right now only a barrier method will work or abstinence. The medical science was originally for new colonists of planets to give them a chance to survive and rapidly populate a new world. Also for the military who would spend decades in space. I got the extra special new and improved package.”

Karen stepped back and her hands flew to her stomach. She looked down at herself and then at me.

I said quietly, “The more physical contact that you have with me… the faster my nanites will colonize you. With casual contact maybe as long as ten years. I don’t know?”

Karen stepped forward to the edge of the bar and put both hands on my cheeks. Looking at me with happiness in her eyes she said, “Thank you Alexander. I had hoped like all young girls to marry my knight in shining armor, who loved me dearly and have a family long before now. … Things didn’t work out that way for me and lately… I didn’t think that I could have a baby… Now you’ve given me hope that Roary and I will have a family.”

Karen lifted her hands from my face and wiped her hands on her arms. She then said, “I hope you don’t mind if I don’t wash your… ‘nanites’ off my hands.”

I was relieved by her attitude. I smiled at her quickly and shook my head no.

Karen then stopped and looked at me again. “Did Willow know about this before she told you that she wanted a big family?”

I said, “Yup she certainly did.”

Karen then blurted out, “How many kids did she say that she wanted? Three, four, six or eight?”

I put my thumb up. “Not even close. Try 200 or so.”

Karen grabbed her belly again with both hands and looked down at herself. I then said, “Yup! You too!”

Karen’s eyes were the size of dinner plates with at first an, “Oh no!” look.

I said wistfully, “You and Roary will live in near perfect health for well over 250 years. Maybe as long as 600 years. Along with that is the fertility. According to Cortana the typical colonist package of medical enhancements degraded with each generation so that after four generations the human population was back to their version of normal. On the bright side, my package is… permanent and genetically transferrable to our children.”

Karen looked at me with dawning understanding. Karen mouthed silently, “hundreds of babies…”

I looked at her with a clipped laugh, “Now you know why I am doomed! Because I can’t stay away from Willow for two years, she wants my babies now and my hormones say to give them to her.”

Karen started laughing, still holding her flat belly. “Have you told Roary this?”

I now looked alarmed. “No! No, I hadn’t thought to. I just found out about this myself recently. Now stop laughing at me!”

Karen was now snorting in mirth. She had retreated giggling and laughing; until she was leaning back up against the stove. “I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing about when Roary finds out that we are going to have a lot of kids.”

I looked at her with an evil gleam in my eyes. “Well you get to tell Roary yourself. I’m going to go and wake up Willow.”

Still snickering Karen walked into the family room and kneeling down asked Simon and Shalomar what they would like for breakfast. I tuned her out as I walked down the hallway and then up to the second floor bedrooms.

Walking down the hallway I approached Willow’s bedroom door and knocked on the door softly. After knocking three different times with no response I slowly turned the door handle. Cracking the door I peeked inside but the bed was empty. I stepped inside the room threshold looking around and I sensed air motion behind me. I spun rapidly just in time for a pair of small hands behind a banner of red hair pushed me hard in the chest. I fell backwards towards the bed and recovered before my knees hit the edge. I froze.

Willow was standing now with her back to the door closing it. She had a triumphant look on her face and she was not wearing her flannel bottoms. My eyes kept going back to her bare legs. She said, “I’ve got you now and you can’t escape me!” Giggling and smiling wickedly she began advancing. I stepped back my eyes wide and fell across the bed with an “Oh crap” springing from my lips in surprise. Willow was on me in a New York second.

Friday, 28th November, 10:00 AM PST, Sunnydale, California.

Willow, Roary and I were just finishing our brunch and the kids were working on their second meal. This time peanut butter and jam sandwiches with potato chips. This was Simon and Shalomar’s favorite snack. They both had peanut butter and Strawberry Jam all over their cheeks. I really didn’t know where those kids were packing it in. They were eating like they were Slayers… or me. They both were no longer obviously thin from malnutrition.

Sitting there eating. John’s memories, Giles advice, my hormones and my feelings towards Willow all tumbled together. I wanted to ask her to marry me. I had all of John’s memories to mature me but most of them weren’t helpful for being a husband or a father. But for the here and now, Karen was right. We both needed to mature. She needed to mature more than I did. Even in John’s future, their culture frowned on marriages with the bride six months pregnant. Although they really frowned even more on single motherhood. Even with long life spans and before the Covenant, they learned that raising civilized children required two parents and long term commitment. Do I have that commitment? Does Willow fully understand the depth of commitment required that her hormones are pushing her for? Karen is right.

Pushing my empty plate away and taking a large drink of orange juice I caught Willow’s hand in mine beneath the table. She was happily confused. My voice quavered at first from anxiety. “Willow… I uh… I have some shopping to do this morning will you come with me?”

I only had eyes for Willow’s. I wanted to make some sort of commitment now but not an official… formal engagement. My thoughts strayed. A hundred years ago a couple who wanted to get married had to go through a courting period of time before an engagement and marriage.

Willow nodded her head yes and said, “Yes of course.”

Simon snorted in giggling at me. Shalomar putting her glass of milk down giggled and then took another bite out of her PBJ sandwich.

Willow and I left the kitchen table. We both needed to go get dressed. As I was putting dishes into the sink, I saw Karen wink at me.

Karen leaned over and hugging Roary’s arm close to her, she began whispering into his ear. His eyebrows kept rising until they almost disappeared into his head of hair. His mouth falling further open in surprise and his eyes the size of tea saucers. I could imagine his astounded terror.

Friday, 28th November, 11:40 AM PST, Sunnydale, California.

Walking hand-in-hand outside Warner’s jewelry, Willow and I were window shopping. I had just happened to steer us outside the oldest and most reputable jewelry store in Sunnydale.

Cortana neural netted me, “Heads up Alex… Willow’s parents will be arriving at LAX Saturday night on United Airlines at 10:35 PM. They are booked into the LAX Ramada Inn and will return to Sunnydale sometime after 1:00 PM on Sunday. I’ll let you know when they check out of the Ramada. Do you have your speech memorized yet?” With her last sentence she was smirking openly.

I replied, “Thank you Cortana. No, I don’t have a memorized speech. I think you certainly are enjoying my discomfort a little too much.”

Cortana now laughing openly at me, “Ta-Ta! Lover boy.”

Standing outside looking inside I asked Willow, “I uh… I would like to buy you some jewelry and maybe not an engagement ring but a ring and some other stuff…” I sounded pathetic.

Willow clutched at me. She was glowing and smiling like Alice’s Cheshire cat. She squeaked out, “Really! A real gold ring? Other sparkly stuff? Not an engagement ring… That shouldn’t be hard to find in a store full of gold. But… an engagement ring… someday.”

She was looking at me with a scheming sultry look. A coy red headed elf princess who knew what she wanted. I really was doomed.

I was on guard as we entered the Jewelry store. Cortana had alerted me that by their heart beats and movements that there were three humans behind the counters, two in the back out of sight and one of them in the back wasn’t human…

A human man in his late forty’s, dressed in a three piece dark pin-stripe business suit approached Willow and I. He introduced himself. “Good morning, Welcome to Warner’s my name is James and may I be of any assistance today.”

I responded guardedly but releasing Willow’s hand to shake James hand. “Yes you can. We are here to look at some tasteful jewelry for my girl friend. Please attend her.” With that I shooed Willow forward towards the glass ring counters. I stepped to an opposite counter and began perusing the contents of the glass case full of gold necklaces, pendants, crosses and bracelets.

Netting Cortana I asked, “Hey Cortana, I’m inside Warner’s Jewelry now with Willow. Have you identified their employee who’s non-human? Threat stratus? Seems unlikely that it’s a vampire or evil demon since the… whatever does work here in daylight hours?”

Cortana responded, “You are referring to Rajhul Torm who is a Kantos demon. He has three eyes, a lot of legs and is mostly harmless unless threatened. The Kantos demons are extraordinaire gem smiths, metal smiths and miners. They’re omnivorous but do not prey upon humans. Unlike most demons they are smart. The nastier demons tend to leave them alone since they are also quite strong, physically tough and they use magicked edged weapons. Do you need a catalog of the other staff members on duty today?”

I smiled at her jib at me, “Yup I do. I need the name of the striking brunette woman to my left.”

Cortana replied dryly, “No hitting on the brunette Alex. That is Mrs. Susan Price, James Warner’s youngest sister and mother to three children.”

I replied coolly, “I wouldn’t think of it Cortana. Thank you for the intel though.”

I slid down the counter casually until I arrived in front of the watchful eyes of Susan. Looking over at her I smiled, removed my wallet and pulled my real platinum metal credit card out and handed it to her. I then said quietly to her, “Please establish an account in my name and add my ladyfriend Miss Willow Rosenberg under my account. You can verify my credit worthiness by calling Mr. Harry Fincher, the President of the Sunnydale Bank of California on his card. I have two more requests to make. Please quietly assist your brother James to obtain all of the measurements necessary for adorning her… wherever she may wear jewelry.” Lastly… I removed three Franklins from my wallet, “please give these to Rajhul in the back with my request to speak to him privately.”

With that Susan’s eyes nearly popped and her eyebrows jumped up. She leaned forward and whispered, “How did you …?”

I quickly held up my right hand palm facing Susan and quietly stated, “I mean you and him no harm. I am a… well informed customer with a… special request.”

Susan looked hard at me. I had surprised her twice now. She looked again at the solid platinum metal Visa credit card. Susan had seen to date only five of these in her lifetime and knew full well what it meant. She thought this Alexander Harris was too young to have one but… she would verify the card and his credit worthiness anyway. Stepping back she turned and went quickly into the back of the store.

I crossed the customer floor and stood with Willow. Making small talk with her and James as she tried on various rings and discussed stone arrangement options.

Minutes later Susan returned and handed my credit card to James. Looking at me now with respect she whispered to James. My Spartan hearing caught their hushed conversation clearly and it was to be expected. James walked over to me and handed over my credit card. He asked, “Mr. Harris is there anything that I can do for you?”

I looked at him and then Willow’s lovely back as she tried on another ring now with Susan helping her. Turning back to James I replied all business. “She gets anything she wants and if the ring requires resizing or modification it must be ready by noon on Sunday. Is that clear enough?”

James eyebrows went up in surprise. Most wealthy people were… cheapskates but obviously now Mr. Harris wasn’t and there was still his request to speak to Rahjul. James made a decision quickly. “Very well Mr. Harris.” He raised his hand and gave a hand-signal to Susan who was attending Willow. Turning back to me he said, “May I escort you into the back to speak to Rahjul?”

“Yes, please.” I followed James after telling Willow that I would be right back and to continue her shopping.

Following James through a doorway in the back and down a short hallway, James turned at the threshold of a room full of work benches and jewelry making equipment. Motioning for me to proceed him. As I entered the room, James reached under his suit jacket and palmed a Walther PPK handgun. Before he could bring the muzzle out, I blurred to the side. Gripping his wrist I twisted and took the Walther from him and pushed him into the room directly at a sitting Rahjul.

Sitting on a large bar-stool was Rahjul Torm with ten thin legs splayed around him and a .45 caliber Colt 1911 handgun in his hand but James was between us. He hesitated.

I told James to freeze where he was in a voice of dangerous authority. James hands splayed out to his side fingers apart in a gesture of surrender. He was sweating.

Stepping forward quickly up behind James I grabbed the collar of his jacket and I spoke to Rahjul and James. “Gentlemen… I came without weapons and just as a customer. So please Mr. Torm, put down the gun and then we can talk.”

Waving his .45 caliber Colt’s barrel in James and my general direction he said in a deep baritone voice. “I have been with Warner’s since 1899 Mr. Harris and no human has ever asked for me before. So what should I assume Mr. Alexander Harris, if that is your real name?”

James was sweating from the armed standoff and him being the bullet stop between us.

I smiled and now leaned out to look directly at Rahjul. “It is my real name and… I am in the high technology business which includes information. Beside we have acquaintances in common?”

Rahjul motioned with the barrel of the gun and with a skeptical look he motioned for me to continue.

I said to him, “I know of the Boca del Inferno here in Sunnydale, what is beneath the streets, The Slayer, The Watcher and many of the other demons and non-humans in Sunnydale.”

Rahjul stood up with alarm. “You know The Slayer and her Watcher?!”

I smiled again, “Yes. Although the Slayer does not know about you, her Watcher does.” I thought a little lie here would misdirect him and keep everyone’s secrets. “She tends to bash, smash, stab, chop and stake pretty much everything non-human. So we try to keep her away from all non-humans that are not evil.”

Rahjul still tense, “You work for the Watchers?”

I pursed my lips, “No, I don’t work for them and the Watcher doesn’t work for me. We are… friends and I see him at least three times each week. He is fond of his tea and scones.”

Sitting back down, Rahjul still kept his gun pointed in the direction of James and myself. “You still have not given me any names that I might recognize.”

“Besides the Brachen’s and Gajug in town and as far south as Mark Bouchard in Palos Verde that is the only name that I will give you. More to protect them, since I assume that James here may not know about the rest and I would like to keep it that way. But there is one name that knows you and that you may know. I have met him and you have nothing to fear from him since he is here for… the others. You should know the name… Vengeance by now?”

Rahjul’s steel grey complexion turned almost white. His third eye blinked open on his forehead for the first time. All of his eyes were dilated and he inhaled deeply. “He—ee knows my name?!” His gun hand fell and flopped at his side.

I stepped around James and safed the Walther. Handing James his gun back I said with a smile, “Please introduce us properly now?”

James holding his gun in one hand looked wryly at me. After a time of silence he holstered his gun and introduced me. I stepped forward and shook Rahjul’s large limp hand. James pulled up two empty bar stools and I sat on one.

I looked at the still stunned Rahjul and said, “Yes, he knows your name. But he told me that since you’re not a threat to humans, he’ll not harm you. If you do not believe me… I would suggest that you talk to Sophia Tielkind since she also has spoken to him.” I knew it was now safe to mention the names of some locals. His honest fear of Vengeance would insure their safety.

Sitting up straighter in his chair Rahjul carefully put his gun on the work table behind him. “Sophia has spoken to… HIM! and lived?”

I smiled a fraction of a smile and said, “Yes she has and so has her brother Darren and some of the Pinotaerie clan also. As I said he… is absolutely… a destroyer of Old Ones but he is only here for those demons who prey upon humans. So I would strongly recommend that you and your friends do not give him a reason to believe that you are threats to humanity.”

Rahjul produced a red western bandana from beneath his jacket and wiped his face and neck. James had a now permanently painted look of confusion on his face.

I looked at Rahjul and pursed my lips then said, “I’ve been told that you are a master at your craft and that is why I am here. I require a special order. An unusual order that will be both fully functional and appear as decorative jewelry. I require a set of six each ladies pendant cross on thick serpentine necklaces; each set of gold, platinum and silver with jewels. Also six plain gold crosses. These are to be worn daily about the neck. Each to have magic wards to repel vampires. After that I will have other commissions equal for your skill.”

Rahjul looked at me and blinked. All business now he asked, “Would you want the jewelry to also warn the wearer of the presence of vampires?”

I answered quickly, “Yes, if possible.”

Rahjul looked at Alex and then James his boss who was still perplexed. Sighing he said, “Mr. Harris is asking for jeweled weapons, Boss. Magic weapons to ward off vampires. Long ago your females found it necessary to rely upon defending themselves.”

Looking at Rahjul I asked, “I would, if possible, like the crosses to also have coverings with a variety of jewels and engravings. I will let my fiancée Willow and my Uncle’s fiancée Karen pick the jewels and patterns with your concurrence Rahjul. Can you safely handle blessed or magicked metals?”

Rahjul looked pained, “I am not a vampire or one of the others who have that… affliction. So, yes I can work these metals. I can have them blessed and warded. Do you expect your females to also need enchanted blades or jewelry that is lethal to vampires, Mr. Harris?”

I nodded my head, “Yes. They will need every advantage that can be provided. As a service can existing jewelry be brought here for protective enchantments?”

James answered, “Yes, we can. Rahjul handles all such special requests for our customers.”

Rahjul looked thoughtful, “Legends say that all of the Slayers are young human females. Yet you moved as fast as one. What… are you Mr. Harris?”

I thought for a few moments before answering, “I am human Rahjul. I am not a Slayer but I am something… else and like you… I am older than I appear.”

Rahjul nodded his head slightly and then said while holding up the $300 in cash. “I do not take gratuities or bribes Mr. Harris…”

I looked at Rahjul and then James. “Then let us consider that to be a down payment on your time to fashion these works of art and beauty. I will defer to your skill and ability.”

Rahjul sighed, “Do you have any drawings or patterns that you are considering for these ladies jewelry and weapons?”

I was now more chipper, “No! Just saw them in a book and thought that I could get the girls to wear them. I could stop by next week if you would like to offer some suggestions? But I am very interested in the possible enchantments that could be provided? Also enchantments for swords and weapons. If possible as gifts from myself to Vengeance. Yes, enchanted weapons for him, myself and the Slayer.”

Rahjul nodded his head in agreement, “There are my clan wizards and a human witch available who provides protective spells for those of us who need them. I will ask them what enchantments they can offer.”

I stood up and offered my hand to Rahjul along with a business card. “Call my office when you would like for me to return next week. I am happy to have met you Mr. Torm and even happier that we did not shoot each other.” Torm’s lips twitched slightly in his version of a smile.

Smiling I turned to James and said, “Shall we go back out there and see what my girl friend has selected?”

Returning to the store front, Willow was still with Susan. Willow was now trying on jeweled bracelets. Willow turned and looked annoyed at me, “You were gone longer than a few minutes…” She reached out, hopped up and kissed my cheek. “Leaving me here with all of this gold and sparklies… You are so going to pay for that later.” Out of sight of James and Susan she pinched my rear.

I netted Cortana, “Hey Big Sis! I need some help now on learning all about the quality of gems and rings. What can you send me?”

Cortana whispered back, “Here is the Gemological Institute of America’s guide to Diamond and gem stone grading. Here is a lessons learned for jewelry buyers.” Cortana uploaded to my wetware the information.

I then neuronet whispered back to her, “Thanks Cortana this is just what I needed.”

Cortana came back now laughing at me, “You know that Willow would be happy with just one plain gold ring so long as it was you putting it on her finger?”

In surprise I answered her but I was a little slow at the moment. “No, I didn’t but that’s good to know. Hey! Wait a second! One gold ring means… Crap. I really am doomed. Thank you Cortana, I think.”

Cortana laughed at me, “You could cover her in gold and jewelry today but there are only two rings she wants.”

“I know Cortana but she will have to wait until our Senior year for one of those.”

Willow led me over to a black velvet display case that had three ruby encrusted rings embedded in it. Willow said, “I like these three but wanted your opinion.”

I thought, “All of them are lovely but I would like to see them on your hand?”

Turning to Susan and James, I asked them, “Are there matching ear rings, chains, necklaces or pendants with these rings?”

James and Susan were now all smiles. Susan went off to bring the matching sets which most people didn’t even know about.

Friday, 28th November, 3:30 PM PST, Sunnydale, California.

Walking out of Warner’s Jewelry store Willow’s left hand and arm were glued to mine. She was now admiring her ring with one 1.5 carat Ruby surrounded by four small Kimberlite pink diamonds on either side; in California’s sunny light. Matching quarter carat ruby and diamond earring studs sparkled as she shook her head. Gold necklace and bracelets adorned her. The bag at her wrist carried her other jewelry accessories. A small fortunes worth.

I kidded her, “Next time I bring you here I’ll have to rent an armored car.”

Willow nearly purred, “Next time?! Promises, promises… but for now you need to take me home.”

I asked, “Back to my home so you can show off to Karen?”

“No! No, I need my dose of smoochies, hugs and nanites! I think my parents house is private enough for now.” Willow giggled wickedly and patted me intimately.

I almost stumbled, “I… uh… er… Ok.”

12. Road Trips

Chapter 12. Road Trips

Friday, 28th November, 9:00 PM EST, Woodlawn Park Cemetery, Cleveland, Ohio.
The Day after Thanksgiving Day holiday.

Sam Zabuto, Kendra’s Watcher stood upon a mausoleum one arm around the marble angel statue affixed atop and observed Kendra’s efficiency in a fight with three vampires. She was quick with few wasted motions in her match but one of these vampires was older than the others. More cunning and combat experienced in a way the other two were not. If she had faced him alone she would win but in this fight the three might overpower her. Sam raised his 400 year old English crossbow and fired one quarrel from 30 yards striking the nearest vampire in the back, straight through the heart. He dusted and the other inexperienced vampire was momentarily surprised. It was all Kendra needed and her favorite stake impaled him. He also poofed into three and half pounds of dust. His clothes falling to be covered in his own dust.

The remaining older vampire attempted to take advantage of Kendra’s momentary focus on vamp number two before she could withdraw her stake arm to face him. As he rushed forward she whirled to the side. He was struck in the upper shoulder and he stumbled past her to his knees. The pain was mind exploding and paralyzing. He looked to his right and his arm, shoulder and his ribs were laying on the ground attached to him by a few inches of flesh spurting his blood. His ribs white in the moonlight and street lamps. He looked up to see his opponent, a young thin dark skinned girl with a sword in her right hand. Her left hand held a polished wooden stake. The hand with the sword was moving in a flat arc as she spun again like a prima ballerina.

Kendra had cleaved this vampire with her Celtic short sword. Her draw and slash had completely incapacitated this vampire by cutting him from clavicle to his seventh rib. His entire shoulder and then some lay wetly on the ground. The vampires hot blood spraying from his cloven lung and arteries. The vampire looked up at her his eyes understanding his fate now. He mouthed ‘slayer’ and could only watch her as she gracefully spun to lop off his head.

His dust now coated the blooded blade.

Panting and breathing like the athlete that she was her eyes swept the cemeteries park area for additional vampires. Finding none she stooped and picked up a vampire’s former blue jeans and wiped her blade clean. Sheathing the razor sharp short sword she stepped over to recover the steel tipped wooden quarrel for her Watcher.

Her Watcher walked up. His crossbow recocked and ready with a fresh quarrel.

He quickly began checking the vampires belongings for money and valuables to help sustain them. Eureka! They all had left behind substantial gold and silver jewelry, expensive watches and wallets full of American currency. This would sustain them for the month and then some. Pocketing the spoils he stood and turned his back to Kendra.

Kendra turned her back to him and backed-up. Back-to-back they faced opposite directions alert for additional vampires.

He asked her, “What did the vampires say before they attacked you?”

Kendra was puzzled by their conversation as she stalked them. “The two ‘younger’ vampires arrived in Cleveland two nights ago. They came from Sunnydale. They left because they were afraid to stay in Sunnydale. They told the older vampire, Ray, that there was a terrifying Old One in Sunnydale. The tale told is strange… They spoke of a creature named Vengeance that preys upon only evil demons. That this demon killed large groups of vampires in mere seconds. That this demon had even killed several of the greater demons that even the vampires fear. They said that he had slain Vos, Sankreg, packs of Koltah and even an elder Tyrhrock demon. They said that he was sent here to Earth to cleanse the entire planet of demons. They said that this Vengeance has shown mercy to some demons. They said that even the great vampire Spike was captured like a child by this Vengeance and then let loose so that Vengeance could hunt him again. They said that the Slayer in Sunnydale was just another slayer but that this creature may have hunted the Evil Old Ones to extinction. They came to Cleveland because they believed that all of the demons on this Earth could not survive against this creature. They were… very afraid.”

Sam was silent for a few seconds and then said, “This is most unexpected and alarming. Let us finish this patrol tonight. I must think about this as we walk.”

Four hours and four more vampires later Kendra and Sam returned to the cheap adjoining motel room suite they shared. Three of those vampires were also fleeing Sunnydale. Kendra had beaten the four into submission for Sam to interrogate before she staked them. Now a hot shower, a warm room, a gallon of hot chocolate, marshmallows, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for Kendra and Sam finally was ready.

Sam went to his small bedroom and closed the door. He removed a card from his wallet and made a toll free international telephone call. The line was picked up on the third ring but with only the phrase “Watcher’s hotline” and then silence greeted him.

He read from his notes. “Record, urgent for research and plans. Watcher Zabuto Sam 4754. Current location Cleveland, Ohio USA. Vampires fleeing Sunnydale, California. Vampires are terrified of something new in Sunnydale. Vampires talk is that this maybe an Old One but they believe that it was what killed the Evil Old Ones. It is not a slayer. They say it’s name is Vengeance and has but one golden eye that sees all. They say that it has also killed Vos, Sankreg, packs of Koltah and even an elder Tyrhrock demon. They said that the vampire Spike is in Sunnydale. Spike was captured by Vengeance and released so that Vengeance could hunt him again. This story with other improbable details were told by five vampires this night. The Slayer Kendra fought seven vampires this night in five different battles. I am at this telephone number, 001-216-443-1002 room 59. Please advise immediately. End of Message out.”

Sam stood worrying about this information. Nothing like it was in any of the ancient books that he had read in his Watcher training and he had read a good many. He finally lay down and fell fitfully asleep.

Eight hours later he awoke to the sound of the telephone ringing. Picking up the handset he answered it with a dry mouth, “Zubota.”

“Hello Sam, this is Richard Emsworth. I have been in the library, even the vaults and discussed your statement with other researchers. We brought this to the attention of Roger and he went to the Board. You are to fly back soonest and send your Slayer to Sunnydale. Instruct her to observe this Vengeance if possible but do not approach and do not confront. Have her contact Rupert Giles in Sunnydale. He is the former Slayer’s Watcher. He is still there and working as the librarian at Sunnydale High School. He will shelter her until you can get there. For now we need you here. Just the thought of an Old One is enough to give me the willies. Many people will be combing high and low through every scrap and scroll to find any references to this Vengeance.”

Sam responded to his old teacher, “Good to hear from you Richard. I’ll leave for London late tonight after packing Kendra off to Sunnydale. Will call just before my flight to London and can you have someone fetch me after I land?”

“Best hurry Sam, we have you booked on the 10:10 PM flight from O’Hara on British Airways. The ticket will be waiting for you at their check-in desk. I’ll come to Heathrow for you. A familiar face after being gone so long. Take care and safe journey Sam.”

“Thank you and goodbye Richard.” Sam hung up the phone.

Sam dressed and stepped out into the small common room. Kendra was up and sitting in her blue flannel pajamas with pink bunny slippers on her feet. She was watching an American children’s show on the telly. Sam went and opened the shades to a cold Cleveland day. Snow was falling. Sam turned to Kendra, “Change of plans Kendra. You are going to Sunnydale California and I will be flying out of Chicago’s International Airport to London to confer with the Watchers Council.”

Kendra looked at Sam puzzled and asked, “What am I to do in Sunnydale without you?”

“I have written down instructions and an address for you. You are to contact Rupert Giles the Watcher for the previous Slayer and you are to observe this Vengeance. Absolutely do not make contact or confront this Vengeance. If he is an Old One, doing so will result in your death. Just observe and report. Do you understand?”

Kendra nodded but didn’t like it. She was a Slayer and Old One or not she would have to fight it at some point. Maybe the Watchers could provide a potent weapon to aid her?

“Pack up Kendra we will be leaving in one hour. Along the way you’re going to learn to drive.”

With that they departed their small Cleveland motel room, for Chicago O’Hare International Airport, a seven hour drive away.

Friday, 28th November, 9:00 PM PST, Sunnydale, California.

Willow and I went on a ‘date’ again but this time patrolling with Buffy. Meeting up under the lights of a playground Buffy immediately spotted the ring on Willow’s right hand. Grabbing her hand she gushed, “Ohh! Pretty! Where did you get this Willow? It’s so…”

Her face descended closer. Looking very hard at the ring now Buffy’s eyebrows went up and her mouth hung open for a ten count before snapping shut. Looking at Willow and then me she blurted, “Those are real diamonds and rubies… That’s totally a real ring!! … Ok, 411 time now Willow. When did this happen and why wasn’t I there?”

Willow was bounding with energy now and glowing. She grabbed my hand and said to Buffy, “He kind of told me that I’m his girlfriend on Thanksgiving morning.” She winked at Buffy. “Then we went to Warner’s at lunchtime and he put this ring on my finger.” At this Willow looked with love at me and squeeze hugged me like an octopus.

She continued without letting go of me. “Then he took me to dinner with his parents. He told them that he’s courting me until we graduate. Now here we are on a date…” With that she hopped up and kissed me on the cheek. I couldn’t help it, I flushed with embarrassment.

I looked at Buffy, smiled a happy little dazed smile and shrugged my shoulders. “What?! It happened just like she said… and besides I love her.”

Buffy looked hard at me as she stepped quickly forward and grabbing Willow’s hand again examined the ring. This time she noticed the ruby jeweled matching cross around her neck and earrings. Pursing her lips she looked at me again. “Ok fess up! I know my diamonds and rubies. This one is a seriously nice Ruby and to boot those are pink Kimberlite. I’ve watched the Discovery Channel episodes on rubies and pink diamonds. … Those are Kimberlite!! I even know how rare those are and really expensive!! Did you rob a big bank Xander?”

Willow looked at Buffy and then me in questioning wonder, “I didn’t know Buffy… I didn’t ask and they didn’t tell me…” Not letting me go she squeezed my hand tighter. “Xander is this ring really expensive?”

I looked determined and caught, “No I didn’t rob a bank Buffy. I don’t have to.” Looking at Willow with only love in my eyes, which Buffy did not miss. “Yes it’s a rare diamond for a rare girl and yes it was expensive. But it is only money Willow… and I would cover you in gold if you asked me to.”

Willow was now beaming and I could see the cogs whirling as she was calculating how much gold she would need to cover her completely. I must have said the right thing.

Buffy looked at the both of us and said in exasperation tapping her favorite ex-cheerleader baton now stake on my shoulder. “You didn’t answer my question Xander. How could you afford this ring and these… other nice sparklies?” Now waving her hand at all of Willow.

“I… uh… um… Well? Truth time I suppose… I am not poor Buffy and in fact I am the President of a corporation worth millions.”

Buffy was not convinced in the slightest. “Ya right buckaroo! And next you’re going to tell me that you’re super-rich like Richie Rich or something.”

I was now a little miffed. Removing my wallet and pulling out my solid Platinum Visa Card and from my pocket a gold money clip holding a wad of $100’s and $50’s; I tossed them to Buffy who caught each one handed. ‘Ok smart girl… How did I get these then?”

Buffy looked at the platinum card and hefted it in her hand. The card wasn’t plastic. It was real metal, real platinum. Then she looked at the money clip and ran a quick calculation at the amount of cash she was holding. Finally she spoke in a small voice trailing off. “I’ve seen this kind of card only on The Learning Channel… This has to be at least $3,000 cash.” Her mad balloon deflating by the second she kept looking at both hands, then Willow and I.

Willow piped up after Buffy had said nothing for a full fifteen seconds. “Darling, I think you broke her.” Willow jumped up and kissed me again on the cheek, giggling loudly.

Buffy finally came out of her mental whirl wind. “I… uh…” Something clicked in Buffy’s mind. She looked at me with fresh and alert eyes now. “That house warming party… That’s your house isn’t it? Your Uncle and his fiancée Karen are just staying there for appearances?”

I reassessed Buffy’s intellect upwards. She’s a much smarter girl than she lets on. “Yes and no. Yes it is my house but I’m going to give it to Roary and Karen when they’re married. The house is only two blocks from Willow’s and it will always be a safe house for the Scoobies.”

Buffy was flabbergasted. “That’s an expensive wedding gift Xander… and that ring alone could have bought at least one house on that street.”

Willow was now stunned but still happy. She snuggled up close to me and squeezed me tighter. Asking me quietly, “Honey… Is this ring really worth that much?”

I was now looking embarrassed, “Well… Warners had the ring ensemble on loan from Tiffany’s in Beverly Hills for display and a promotion. They never thought that they would sell it here in Sunnydale. It looked so good on you… Yes, I could have bought a house or two for what the ring cost.”

Both girls squealed, “Tiffany’s!! Beverly Hills!”

Willow held up her hand displaying the ring under the street lights. “Ooooh… I’m wearing my dowry!” Looking over her shoulder at me she leaned back into my chest with a huge smile on her face.

Buffy was back now in full Buffster mode. “Ok you two! When do I get my sparklies?” Striking a series of poses to show that she was not adorned with jewelry.

Willow was now laughing and still looking at her ring. Buffy turned towards us and said with a smirk, “Would a threesome get me sparklies like that?”

I started coughing turning red. Willow looked thoughtful for moment and then changed the subject. “Alex and I, are planning on getting married after graduation.”

Buffy wrinkled her nose, “So its Alex now, and not Xander?”

Willow wiggled her hips against me and responded, “Alex, Alexander or Xander… he’s mine! He’s going to be my husband. Someday he will be. Buffy, I will need you beside me as bridesmaid.”

Buffy stepped forward and hugged Willow tightly. “I’ll be there for you Willow.”

After stepping apart a little Willow leaned forward but I heard her hushed remark. “Maybe December after we’re married and I’ve had him all to myself for five or six months we can try that threesome. Then hit him up for the sparklies when we have him right where we want him.”

I almost fell over. All I could say was, “Ok you two hellions! You can stop plotting my demise now. I thought we were going to go patrolling tonight? Remember vampire hunting? Where Willow and I were going to get to play teenage smoochy lovers as vampire bait?”

Continuing I said, “You know I was looking forward to some smoochies and hugging with Willow. Sort of date but with some action figure Buffy character dusting the vamps for our entertainment.”

Both girls were now laughing at me but both were still ogling Willow’s ring and her cross.

Finally Willow and Buffy were ready to go hunting with me. Both girls were walking ahead of me. I was tailgating behind them enjoying the… rear view. What a view it was.

Buffy and Willow were carrying their Excalibur crossbows and two cans of VBG each. Buffy had several of her favorite wooden stakes in her jacket. I was carrying a leather belt with my Bagwell Hell’s Bells Bowie knives and one Bugei Katana sword. Hidden under my jacket in a shoulder holster was one of my SA .45’s with three spare magazines loaded with anti-vampire bullets for just in case.

One hour later after dusting two fledgling vamps while Willow and I were cheering on, Buffy was ready for a bigger fight.

We shifted over to French’s cemetery it was the oldest and largest in Sunnydale.

Willow and I were on a bench making out when six vampires came shoo-be-do-waa’ing down the sidewalk. When they were thirty yards away they called out hooting at us, the couple, thinking they had themselves a double happy meal. Willow’s crossbow was behind the bench and her hand dropped down to it. I stood up slowly my katana unsheathed and hidden in the bush inches from my right hand.

The vampires surrounded us to our front and did not see Buffy step out from behind a tree and walk up behind their leader, Danny.

The vampires put their game faces on and were immediately perplexed. Neither of their victims were screaming in fear?! Their food was supposed to scream, panic and run?

I held up one hand palm out and said, “Welcome to Sunnydale.”

Willow said, “I would like you to meet my friend, The Slayer.” Both of us pointing behind them.

Before Danny could move Buffy’s wooden stake was buried in his back sticking out his chest. His scream was jagged flats for one second. Buffy lifted her left hand and her crossbow went thunk and the far left hand vampire took the arrow straight through his heart. Just as Danny dusted.

The remaining four vampires hesitated a fraction of a second too long. Willow’s crossbow went thunk and I blurred forward and cut the closest vampire to my left in half. Willow’s target dusted nicely. Just as my vampire’s body parts wetly smacked the ground.

Buffy dropped the crossbow and spun like a ballerina to her right just in time to stake Billy-Bob. Billy-Bob had moved as he had seen his gang take a dusting and the stake penetrated his chest lung just missing his heart. He rounded on Buffy, screaming in rage and pain.

The last of the gang turned and began to flee. Willow was trying to cock her crossbow. Everything had happened so fast. Not wanting a chase, I pulled my handgun and fired once at the fleeing vampire, aiming for his upper chest dead center mass. The incendiary bullet hit him breaking his spine and shattering part of his heart. He tumbled down screaming like a banshee and began flopping his arms around clutching at his chest.

The gun blast distracted Buffy momentarily and Billy-Bob back-handed her. Buffy held onto the stake and jerked him around into a spin. Kicking low she swept his legs and he went down hard. Buffy began to kick the crap out of him while he was down for splitting her lip. She was screaming at him the whole time about her ruined makeup.

I flicked the head off my half a vampire while holstering my gun. I motioned to Buffy to watch down the sidewalk where the runner was now screaming his lungs out as he burned to ash.

Buffy’s knee went down on Billy-Bob’s chest and she was pissed. Willow stepped up and handed her a Kleenex to wipe the blood off her mouth. Billy-Bob was about to make an escape attempt when I stepped in close and sliced both of his legs off at the knees with one sweep of my sword.

Buffy looked up at me while dabbing the blood off her face and said, “You have got to get me one of those.” Looking down at Billy-Bob she slapped his cheek hard to get his attention. She insolently asked, “You guys new in town?”

Billy-Bob only snarled in pain and cursed them all in several languages. Kneeling on his chest to hold him down, Buffy slapped him hard across the face again and removed a small squeeze bottle from her jacket. She held it in from of him and said, “I love Holy water but I bet you don’t… so you need to calm down and be nice for at least a minute or two.”

The vampire’s eyes were glued to the bottle as Buffy flicked the nozzle up to the open position. “So what’s it going to be Billy-Bee? Talk to me or burn a bit or… maybe I give you to him?” Buffy pointed at me. I was standing with my back to them, watching the perimeter.

I turned back to Buffy and Billy and silently smiled a crazy maniac’s smile. I guessed that I was going to be the crazed bad cop.

Billy-Bob looked at me through his pain and said to Buffy, “Why should I be afraid of him Slayer?”

Buffy now enjoying her little drama of girl cop to Xander’s bad cop. “Well with me you would normally get dusted quick… but with him… He really doesn’t like vampires and he is sort of like Doctor Victor Frankenstein. Except he doesn’t build new vampires out of the parts of other vampires. No, he just likes to experiment on vampires and vampire chunks. You know the kind of experiments where at some point you will be seeing pink ponies all the time and begging to be dusted.”

I looked back down at Buffy and said something that was completely appropriate for Buffy’s play, “We’re wasting time. Let me have him or dust him now so we can move on.”

Billy-Bob was now very uncertain about me… tending towards a little fear. His eyes gave him away.

Willow catching on immediately to the play in progress said manically, “I love those magical ‘My Little Ponies’ and I love their theme song.” She began singing it in an alto.

Looking at Buffy quickly Billy-Bob said, “I’ll talk! I’ll talk! Just kill me before she starts on the second verse.”

The Buffster cringed listening to the syrupy sweet song. “Smart move Billy. Even I can barely tolerate that. So what brings you and your dusty friends to Sunnydale?”

Billy speaking quickly as Willow was still singing in the background and now skipping along like a pony. “Spike is recruiting and he pays well. He says he is going to kill the slayer… Err, no offense but that’s what he said.”

“Ok… So you weren’t afraid of me or this Old One everyone is talking about?” Buffy was now picking her nails with her second stake.

Billy trying to plug one ear that was closest to Willow. I moved closer to listen clearly. “Spike is a slayer killer. He has the rep to succeed and make it a triple. His monies good so we came. But I don’t believe anything that I’ve heard so far about an Old One coming back. Especially about something that the gossip says. They say Vengeance killed off all of the Old Ones ages ago.”

Buffy hit gold, something new for Buffy. “Ok so tell me the gossip about this Vengeance creature? Even if you don’t believe it.”

Willow switched to singing the theme songs from the children’s cartoon, ‘Strawberry Shortcake’.

Billy was now talking faster, “The gossip even down in Los Angeles is that this Vengeance moves so fast that even vampires are standing still. It’s really large, bigger than most humans and looks like a man except it has one large golden eye that never blinks. They say it commands electric lightning bolts or something because any vampire that has gotten close to it has been brain fried with lightening that plays across Vengeance’s body. The word is that Vengeance entered the demon market under Sunnydale and slaughtered over sixty demons in less than three minutes. The only survivors were the ones that ran fast and didn’t come back. They say that he has killed over one hundred vampires, Sankregs, Koltah, Vos and even a great Tyrhrock!” With that Billy went quiet, his eyes now wild.

Buffy thought for a second, “Ok, I’m the slayer but what are all of those other… thingies you mentioned?”

Billy-Bob started laughing and coughing black blood. He eyed Buffy as if she was an ignorant child. He coughed again and cruelly smiled as his eyes rolled up in his head and he went into a blood loss induced coma.

Buffy stood up and put her foot on his chest and pulled her stake out of him. She motioned for me to finish him. The blade whickered and Billy’s head rolled into the grass before dusting.

Buffy was thinking about what Billy said and turned to Willow. “Willow you can stop singing those horrible songs now. Billy-Boo’s gone and that song is torture to even me.”

Willow looked at Buffy and then me oblivious to the torture aspect of the song. I nodded to her and said, “Yes, Willow that song was torture to the vampire. He didn’t start talking until you started singing and then he asked us to kill him quickly before you could sing anymore.”

Willow looked surprised, “My singing isn’t that bad is it? I mean three years in the Madrigals choir, singing and piano lessons… and all…”

I answered her, “No! No! Willow your singing is fine. It was the song…. Which gives me an idea. Next time sing that same song Willow and maybe some other children’s songs and we will see if they’re true torture to all vampires.”

Buffy looked at me and said with a feral smirk, “You do have a mean and cruel streak in you.” She let a few seconds pass and then she smiled and winked at me.

Willow saw the wink and bounced over grabbing my arm, “No winking at my fiancé!” Then giggled. Then Buffy started laughing also. With that we continued to the other side of French’s Cemetery to a new stakeout position.

As we walked in the moonless night with only the distant street lights to guide us, I casually asked Buffy. “So did you learn anything useful tonight?”

Buffy turned her head without breaking her stride, “There’s a new creature in Sunnydale. One it seems of many that I haven’t seen yet. The local vampires are terrified of it and they say it’s name is Vengeance. Seems they think it’s an Old One but they think it’s a sort of anti-demon Old One. They think that it’s what killed off all of the Old Ones ages ago but for some reason it’s come back. “

Buffy sighed, “It seems to be helping me out… It also seems to be bigger, faster, stronger and more dangerous than even me.” Buffy sighed again, her ego pinched. She continued, “It also seems to be staying away from me. That reminds me, did you know of those other demon thingies that Billy mentioned?”

I had my arm around Willow and she was snuggled up against me. She peeked at Buffy and then up at me. She pinched me.

I replied to Buffy, “You really should read some of those moldy old books of Giles or have him read them to you. Maybe Willow can read them to you during a girls night sleepover or something? But really Buffy you should study more.”

Buffy hit me on the shoulder. “Not again Xander! No lectures about moldy old books. You didn’t answer my question. Do you know anything about the demons that he named?”

I squeezed Willow to keep her silent. “Yes, I do Buffy. The Koltah are a pack species of demon like really big wolves with four red eyes. They attack in coordinated pack fashion so for you the best bet would be to run to a location where they can’t surround you but have to come at you one or two at a time. Your stake will kill them but they don’t dust. Your crossbow, a sword or axe or a gun will kill them. They even kill and eat other demons. So run or climb fast.”

After a pause I continued, “The Vos are eight foot tall really dangerous intelligent reptiles. They are fast and have sharp talons on their clawed hands and feet. They will also whip you with their tail. They are pure carnivores, like dinosaurs and have lots of sharp teeth for tearing and ripping. Again use a gun, sword, axe or your crossbow on them. The Sankreg are large demons with skin like stone or maybe a hard shell crab. Their only weakness is their joints and their eyes. Crossbow arrow into an eye should kill them but don’t let their blood get on you because it is pressurized, scalding hot and caustic. Their blood will melt and dissolve your skin.”

So far Buffy was silent but she grimaced. She looked like she was thinking hard about these new demons that I told her about. Pausing to collect my thoughts I continued, “The Tyrhrock are something else. All of the demons are afraid of them because they eat pretty much anything that can’t escape them. The Tyrhrocks are nocturnal very large dragons.”

Buffy stopped walking and interrupted me by grabbing my elbow. “Come on! Your kidding right? They can’t be dragons or dinosaurs? Oh! Wait you mentioned large dinosaurs before and I… I didn’t believe you…”

I sarcastically replied, “Yes, I did mention it once and yes I have seen them with my own eyes. They can run at about 30 mph so even you need a head start. The Tyrhrock is not really a demon. At least I don’t think that they are demons like the others. But the Tyrhrock are just like a really nasty version of a fairy tale dragon except that they can’t fly. No wings. Not that I’ve seen. They look just like a really gruesome version of a T-Rex dinosaur. The small ones are 150 pounds and no one knows how big they really get but 30 feet long is mentioned. They have claws, lots of horns, a scaled hide tougher than a crocodiles, a really big head full of teeth and a tail that can bat you into the next zip code. The Knights of old killed them with spears, arrows and lances. The moldy old book news is that their hide is like chain mail so a sword just glides off sparking. You have to puncture their hide straight in. I really think that getting close to one of these monsters is a very unhealthy idea. Very unhealthy even for you Buffy.”

Buffy was quiet for almost a minute. “Where did you see your Tyrhrock Xander?”

I pinched Willow back and she just giggled at me. “You know the Montana De Diablos Mountains Northwest of town?”

“Yes. But what does that have to do with these dragons Xander?”

I replied curtly, “Do you remember the legends about those mountains? The names of the canyons and creeks?”

Buffy stopped cold and exclaimed, “Not legends then! Everything was named the Spanish version of devils canyon, canyon of death, blood creek, dragon creek, and… dragon’s blood creek. … When I first came here one of my classmates proposed a picnic up at Dragon’s park but everyone else in the class nixed that. They were all afraid…”

I spoke with emphasis to Buffy. “Buffy! Promise me that you will never go into those mountains without me or many others with you and everyone packing lots of big guns. Promise me?!”

Buffy looked at me with concern. “How big was it Xander? The one you saw?”

“Buffy… It was big enough to eat a full sized cow in two bites.” I said with deadly finality.

Buffy began to walk again, “That’s big Xander and I promise you that I will avoid them. Unless you can get me some big guns?” With this thought she smiled. Two seconds later her smile vanished when she said, “We have company over my left shoulder of the undead variety. I count two vamps.”

I cheered her up. “This looks like a great opportunity for you try out your can of VBG, but Willow and I didn’t bring any marshmallows, chocolate or graham crackers.”

Buffy was all smiles and got a spring to her walk as she shifted her crossbow to her back and pulled her can of VBG. Checking it she pulled the safety pin off and flipped up the trigger block. Whispering over to me, she told me that when the next mausoleum blocked the vamps view she was going to halt and that we were to continue on. She thought that the vamps would try for them at the next reflecting garden area.

True as the shifting shadows Buffy halted at the right spot and went left to fall in behind the vamps. Willow and I made small talk as we continued walking and Willow hamming it up as good bait for their audience. She was usually so serious. It was nice to experience a Willow who was a happy bubbly girl. Even if she was hamming it up for our malicious audience.

When we arrived at the reflecting garden we found a stone bench to sit on that would force the vamps across a clear walk area. Although smooching loudly Willow’s crossbow was behind the bench ready to go and I had parked my katana on the short stone retaining wall behind the bench. I was enjoying Willow’s warm kisses and sighs between kisses.

Moments later the two vamps stepped out of the cemetery darkness and onto the wide sidewalk twenty yards away from Willow and I. Both of them immediately began a loud conversation to intimidate their prey as they walked with a swagger towards us.

Micah and Jamal were discussing in great detail what they were going to do to the ‘fine bitch Ho’ once they had killed her ‘Bo’. I went instantly pissed, my blood rising. They called Willow a whore and I guess I was the ‘Beau’.

Until Willow giggled at them and said, “You can’t have him because he’s mine but she on the other hand…” Pointing to their right. “Is for you.”

Both Micah and Jamal turned to look just as Buffy from only ten feet away sprayed them both. They nearly exploded in flames. Astonished Willow and I both stood up to watch our first VBG bonfire. Both vampires screamed in pain and flailed at the fire eating them. The only part of them not on fire was their lower legs but like a flare the flames were fast burning down their bodies. Soon flaming chunks began to fall off them and turned to flaring ash as they hit the ground. Their legs soon quit shuffling and even they fell to the cement. Ten seconds from start to finish, too burn down the two vampires into warm ash.

I was now very pleased. My anger sated. I unclenched my hands.

Buffy had stood there frozen in happy awe. Her first outdoor cooking handiwork in making vampire flambé was still smoking at her feet. When it was all over she looked at the can for a few moments and then at Willow and I. Excitement on her face she walked over to us, “Xander you have got to get me more of this stuff. I… I love this stuff! This is the best present… beside the crossbow… that you’ve ever given me. This is just so totally awesome!” Stopping herself and thinking for a few seconds. She crossed her arms still holding the can and shook her right hand fingers at me smiling. “You still owe me some nice sparklies though!” With that she jumped over, pulling me down to sit on the park bench. She sitting down on my right side, she hugged me.

Willow looking at her with her hackles up said, “That’s as far as you go right now!” Then she started laughing and Buffy began laughing as they sandwiched a now warm and tingly Xander. Two of my most favorite women on this planet both squeezing me. Their heads on my shoulders. This was nice. Very nice. I really could get used to this.

Finally my head descended back to Earth. I said to Buffy, “You can put the safety pin back in the can you know. I think that can still has four or so shots left in it.”

Buffy scrambled in her pockets for the safety pin while she put the trigger block back into place. Finding the pin she squealed. “Ooh! This just keeps getting better and better! I can use one of these almost all night long and still have some left for the next patrol. What can a Slayer girl ask for that’s better! With this I get a nice fire going which is always warming and I won’t even break my nails, which is sooo important.”

Now I started laughing muttering between breaths, “Nails! … Fingernails!”

Buffy and Willow both hit me. Still laughing I stood up dragging both girls with me. “Ok ladies! I think we have made our quota tonight and we should head back home.”

Willow collecting her crossbow turned and said, “Karen has the kitchen stocked for chocolate fudge sundaes and homemade banana splits tonight. You up for some chocolaty heaven Buffy?”

Buffy jumped forward and said, “What are we waiting for!! Move it Xander! Move it Willow! That Chocolate ice cream will not eat itself.” She was already ten paces ahead of us in the direction of the car.

As we quickly walked back to my car Willow snuggled up under my arm and whispered to me. “I haven’t had my dose of Xander nanites yet tonight either…” Licking and smacking her lips she grinned up at me.

My knees were weak along with my Willow resistance.

Saturday, 29th November, 4:45 PM PST, Sunnydale, California.

I was dressed in my dark charcoal pinstripe business suit with a red silk and gold tie. Examining myself in the mirror for my appearance, satisfied I turned and walked into the hallway. Calling to Willow I asked, “Hey Willow, are you ready to go because I am?”

“No, I’m not ready yet. Give me a few more minutes. Please remind me again why I am dressing up and going to a Catholic church with you?” Willow responded with laughter.

“You’re going with me because I love you and asked you to… Mostly because you and I need to see Monsignor Stiegler after the Mass. He knows about the demons and has been so nice to bless so much Holy water for us. I really owe him a rather large donation to the Church to keep us supplied. Since my father is a member of his parish and I am also, I thought I would ask him about the Catholic Church’s rules for Engagements and Marriages. We are going to have to get married somewhere after we graduate and since your parents are lapsed Jews or more correctly socialist atheists. I would rather not have a quickie Courtroom marriage before a Judge. Those are so tacky… We do have an alternative with the Lutheran Church down the street that my mom likes.”

Willow opened the door looking spectacular, wearing a ladies blue business dress suit, with a white blouse, decked out in her engagement jewelry and not a micron of tacky. I was amazed and dazed.

Willow kissed me on the cheek, leaving her red lipstick pattern and said giggling, “You are so right. I want a real wedding and getting married in a Catholic Church will just kill my parents. I can just see them grumbling and smoldering even now.” Willow hooked her arm in mine and smiled at me as we walked downstairs to leave.

Arriving twenty minutes before the Saturday afternoon Mass service at the Mission San Soleado de Toloso, Willow and I went inside the historic mission and parish church. I was acting as Willow’s tour guide to Catholic rites, ritual and services. Father Bob Nesbit was greeting arriving parishioners at the doors. I approached and shook his hand. Turning I introduced Willow as my girlfriend and fiancée. Then in a few years hopefully my wife. After Willow had shaken the pastors hand I leaned in and quietly asked Padre Nesbit for an after Mass engagement counseling session.

Padre Phillip ‘Bob’ Nesbit grinned and quietly said, “Do you know that your fiancée has left her brand on your cheek.” Pointing quickly to my left cheek. I realized then that Willow’s red lipstick was emblazoned on me and no one told me. She was tee-heeing behind her hand while her eyes were twinkling at my embarrassment. I quickly fished out a handkerchief to wipe my cheek.

Father Nesbit was still grinning, “Your name has come up several times recently. Not to worry… all good. The Monsignor himself will want to see you also.” With that he took Willow’s hand and mine, placing them together, he spoke a quick prayer. “Congratulations on your commitment. Together hand in hand, May God’s blessings be upon you.”

Willow was visibly moved, her hand was trembling. Willow and I arm-in-arm walked into the mission chapel and sat down for the service. The afternoon light shining through the stained glass window murals cast almost an ethereal Holy light inside the chapel. Willow was caught in one beam of clear light for almost ten minutes. She was radiant in the light. As the sun moved slowly across the sky the beam did not seem to move but stayed on Willow, growing smaller with each minute until it disappeared.

An epiphany struck me like a lightning bolt. I realized that with my knowledge and the power of the Mjolnir armor, without her? … I would have drifted with time to an arrogant, haughty and imperious attitude. To be become something that could be just as evil as the demons. She would ground me in humanity, her love would keep me from becoming something that even I would despise. From a malicious prank, a higher power had gifted me. Willow was a powerful chess piece on the board, a blessing had been put into motion ten years ago.

Moved by the beautiful moment and my epiphany, I prayed fervently thanking God for Willow and Cortana.

After the service Willow and I were shown into the pastor’s offices by Deacon Royder. He stayed in the room already occupied with the white haired Monsignor Stiegler and pastor Nesbitt. I helped to sit Willow and then took the last remaining chair facing the Monsignor’s imposing oak desk. Willow sat on my right side. I thought to myself, Why do I feel like this is an examination?

I decided to begin the conversation and quickly said, “Gentlemen I apologize for taking up your time this afternoon but I have two reasons for being here at this time. The first is this…” With that I removed a check from my jacket inside pocket and handed it to Deacon Royder who was sitting to my left side. Before the Deacon had even seen the check front I continued, “This donation is without condition and in thanks for the large amounts of blessed Holy water that you have so generously provided.” The Deacon glancing at the check paled and crossed himself. Handing the $5 million dollar check to the Monsignor. Before the Monsignor could see it, I addressed him. “Monsignor I am most grateful for your aid in the fight with the forces of evil in Sunnydale. Please accept this heartfelt donation.” The Monsignor dropped the pen that he had been idly rolling in his hand.

I continued hopefully, “I hope that you can enlist the aid of other pastors in this fight because within the next five years, I intend to take this battle nationwide and then worldwide. I hope that I can continue to count on you and your allies, for supplies of Holy Water, blessing for our silver and weapons.”

Father Nesbitt had by now seen the checks front and his eyes betrayed his surprise. Monsignor Stiegler cleared his throat and sat back in his chair. “You have managed to surprise me again Alexander… At my age… I do not surprise easily. … I have noticed that your father and mother are also quite happy about you. … Yes, you can assuredly count on us and all that I… we can enlist. … May I hazard a guess that the second reason that you wished a private conference was the happy matter that Father Nesbitt brought to my attention?”

I picked up Willow’s hand and we looked at each other. “Yes sir, it is.”

The Monsignor smiled sincerely, “Well… Do you know that the Catholic Church has strict rules for marriage in our church and you both will be required to attend marriage counseling courses for six months? This is done to assure that your marriage commitment will last your lifetime.”

I looked at Willow and said, “No, we didn’t know that. Are you ready to begin this and see it through?”

Willow looked at the Monsignor and smiled quickly, “We’re not officially engaged sir. Not yet. But he’s been my… In my heart he has been mine since I was six years old. I’ve wanted no other. … Alexander and I are hoping to get married after we graduate. A June wedding. That is eighteen months from now and a lot can change in eighteen months.”

I was proud of Willow. Surprised, happy but still ready to burst with pride. “Sir. Marriage classes and counseling between now and then… is something we‘ll make time for.” Looking again into Willow’s eyes I asked her again, “Are you Ok with this Willow?”

Willow looked at the priests and back to Alex. He was so handsome and sincere. Her heart was thumping loudly in her chest. She thought that they all would hear. Thankful that he was asking her again in front of these priests, “Yes, I can do this with you.” She had made her choice long ago. She didn’t know why she was so drawn to him and no others but she was very happy to reaffirm it.

Deacon Royder stood up and pulled a thin set of booklets off of the bookshelf behind him. He handed them to me. The Titles were, “Catholic Guidelines for Marriage” and “Planning your Catholic Wedding.” I looked over the covers of both booklets quickly and put them into one of my jackets inside pockets.

I then said, “Willow here knows everything about the Boca del Inferno and has herself slain vampires in my company and the company of The Slayer.” With that all three of the priests’ eyebrows went up in astonishment. I continued looking at Willow, “She is stronger than she appears.” Willow was beaming at me.

The Monsignor held up his hands, palms towards Willow and I to stop me. “Please do not tell us the name of the Slayer. She’s in danger enough. I praise God to know that she’s here in Sunnydale and fights the evil vampires.”

Putting his hands on his desk the Monsignor looked thoughtful. “The Watchers Council via the Vatican informed us that a slayer’s Watcher was coming to Sunnydale but you are the first person to confirm that she is in fact here. Thank you for aiding her. But we have something else to discuss.”

Pausing to collect his thoughts the Monsignor continued. “Others within the community of believers… both Catholic and other Christian faiths, have brought news to us of a creature, naming itself Vengeance, that has also been slaying vampires and other monsters of the night. But as of this week we three… have come to the conclusion that this monster killer is… is you, Alexander. Is this true?”

Willow and I were both stunned and now I was bit fearful. I nodded my head yes as Willow clutched my hand. I thought to myself. What better private intelligence operation than the confessions of humans and the non-human species who attend Churches. I’ll have to tell Cortana about this later.

The Monsignor cleared his throat and steepled his fingers together. “Fear not Alexander. This secret will not go beyond we three here but it is good to know that our worst fears are now laid to rest as now a blessing. Two now fight the evil demons to protect mankind. The Slayer by ancient magic that stole the powers from a great demon huntress and… now you. This is another miracle from God that you have been gifted with the ability to fight the vampires.”

Looking from Willow back to the pastors I said, “My gift is only fortuitous technology.” The priests expressed a puzzled and questioning look. “I have a suit of very high-tech powered armor that allows me to fight them on… advantageous terms. My disguise. Unfortunately I cannot replicate the armor again at this time. It is incredibly expensive but my new company in the future may change this. For now I am just a soldier in a war that the Slayer introduced us both to.”

Looking at Willow, they both remembered the night that Buffy saved them both and the next day where Jesse, my best friend, was turned into a vampire forcing me to kill him and then… then Buffy died. The pain of bad memories and loss crossed both our faces such that all the priests saw it plainly.

The Monsignor broke the long silence that followed by saying, “However your gift was given, it is evident that you are using it for good.”

I faced them with firm resolve. “Good for humans but bad for the evil demons. The Slayer has for millennia been only a balance to the forces of evil. I on the other hand have no desire to fight an endless war or any intention of doing so. My mission as of two weeks ago became one of total extermination for the vampires. The other demons that I have encountered may take more effort but they too will pass.”

The Monsignor was astonished at my vehemence. “Can you do this?”

I shrugged my shoulders, “Why not? All wars have beginnings and ends. This one has been drug out for far too long only because we humans have had only one Slayer. This war has been fought in the shadows. The vampires and demons have been slowly winning due to a lack of an army capable of fighting them. My technology will be the weapon of mass destruction for the vampires.”

With that I motioned for Willow, “Do you have your can of VBG in that little purse?”

Willow smiled and said to me and for the priests, “I wouldn’t leave home without it!” Then she handed the small can to me. She played a bit of tug-of-war over the can with me, smiling the entire time before asking, “You’re going to get me a new can aren’t you?”

I smiled at her, “Yes, you’ll get a new can. I promise. There’s a spare in the car and you can have it.”

I handed the mace can to Deacon Royder. “My company will be mass producing these self-defense weapons in two months but for now I have two friends who are hand making these for me. What you are holding is a former can of Police Mace that now has loaded into it a combination of your Holy Water, blessed silver chloride suspended in the Garlic Oil that you blessed three weeks ago. We call it Vamp-Be-Gone and this spray is good for at least six shots but acts like napalm on vampires. The Slayer got to use it her first time last night and she incinerated two vampires with her can. Needless to say, she wants cases of it. You can keep that can if you feel the need to give a pesky vampire a blowtorch job. I will see if we can get more cans to you soon. The good news is that this is non-lethal to humans but deadly to vampires. Even the vapor will catch them on fire so you don’t even have to hose them. The limitation is that it won’t kill regular demons.”

Finishing my sales pitch, I looked at each of the priests as they examined the can of VBG. The Monsignor and Pastor Nesbitt both had large grins on their faces as they fully realized what this meant.

The Monsignor spoke first, “For centuries humans have had to rely upon only defensive measures to protect us from the vampires. Crosses, Holy Water, bundles of Garlic and Prayer wards for our houses. Only the Slayer had the speed and strength to kill them. Now I can see why you needed so much Holy Water and my blessings for those barrels of Garlic Oil. … This… This changes everything…”

I smiled a feral toothy grin. “Yes. Now even a sixty pound Nun can kill a vampire. Although you might need to warn them about how hot the vampires seem to burn when hit with that combination.”

Willow chuckled with glee remembering the two vampires that Buffy torched with her VBG.

With that the Monsignor said, “Well… This has been most enlightening and surprising. But I am sure that you and Miss Rosenberg would like some time with Deacon Royder who will be your marriage counselor. If you will follow him, he will arrange your counseling schedule.” Standing up and coming around his desk, the Monsignor and both priests asked Willow and I to kneel.

Placing his hands upon our heads he offered a blessing prayer for our future life together.

“Let us pray, for God’s blessing to come upon this couple, our brother and sister. That as they await the day of their wedding, they will grow in mutual respect and in their love for one another; that through their companionship and prayer together they will prepare themselves rightly and chastely for marriage. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. - Amen.”

With that he beckoned us to rise, shaking first mine and then Willow’s hands. Thanking us both for my donation and for coming to them with such good news.

Saturday, 29th November, 8:00 PM PST, Sunnydale, California.

Willow was with me as I begun to suit up at Reach Industries for an evening of tunnel running again.

Willow bantered with Cortana on her radio headset as she slyly watched Xander undress and then dress up into his combat armor. Cortana watching her via the camera arrays chided her for peeking and just plain ogling.

Just as I had everything ready except for my helmet, Willow with difficulty removed the heavy weapons cases from the Saturn’s trunk with my guns and munitions. This time I was going down with my Remington 1100 shotgun along with my SA .45’s, two grenades, two Katanas and my Bagwell Bowie knife. Better to be prepared for the bigger bads that I might meet.

Willow moved a chair over to step up on. She stepped up and held my head between her hands and gave me a lingering kiss goodbye. I really was enjoying Willow’s kisses more each day but I asked her, “Why did you move the chair? I can bend down.”

Willow caressed me on the cheek and said pouting, “I thought you were all like… rigidity and not bendable in that armor.”

I smiled warmly and this time I kissed her lifting her off the chair. “I can do all kinds of things in this suit. You would be amazed…”

She patted my cheek and said in complete seriousness, “Please don’t do anything to dangerous?”

I turned my head, looked at her out of the corners of my eyes, I winked and teasing her as I said, “You do know that what I do is inherently dangerous? I am a soldier now and my… our enemies are very dangerous.”

Willow looked at me with deeper concern, “Yes, I know but still I’m going to worry. We have dates still to go on, lots of smoochies and places to be…”

I grinned and shook my head, “Ok. I promise not to arm wrestle any big mama Tyrhrocks tonight. How about that?”

Willow now visibly frustrated and more concerned. “That’s not what I meant and you know it!”

I kissed her quickly, released her and stepped back smiling at her while I donned my helmet and dogged it down. As Cortana helped me check my suit diagnostics and initialized my shields I continued to talk to her over the radio link that she had donned. Willow was pouting at me and stamping her foot. I knew that I had not heard the last of this.

Over the radio I tried to soothe her. “Don’t worry… too much honey. I’ll be fine and Cortana will look after me. I’ll call you when I get out of the tunnels.” With that I armed myself up and the security guards with now practiced regularity had the manhole open for me to drop down. I waved at Willow and saluted them, dropping from sight into the darkness.

Willow wiped tears from her eyes and drove the Saturn back to Xander’s home. Tonight she would be lonesome with Roary, Karen and the children. At least Buffy was patrolling with Angel tonight on the other side of town.

As soon as she walked into the house from the garage, Karen called for her down the hallway. Cortana called on the telephone for her. Her heart went up into her throat. She picked up the phone in the front room and sat down alone. Karen hung up the phone and with trepidation Willow answered. “Hello Cortana is Alexander OK?”

Cortana laughed brightly, “Yes, silly he is waiting to ambush a group of vampires and one Vos demon right now. None of them are a threat to him. Now that he’s busy I called to talk to you about something else.”

Willow and she needed to talk about real birth control. Cortana had made an appointment for her next week with a Gynecologist and a Family Planning Counselor. They really needed a girl talk.

Down the hole I scanned the tunnels with practiced ease. My familiarity with the suit systems was becoming second nature for me. I jogged north again two miles taking eastern branches until he came to the D tunnel line again. At my waypoint marked DD4 tunnel crossing I stopped for a Nav reference check again. It was at this joining of tunnels that I had already killed sixteen vampires and the one Vos demon. It seemed a good point for enemy movements. After one minute of standing still and scanning up each tunnel as my inertial Nav referenced itself – my sensors pinged motion coming in my direction from two of the tunnels. One target approaching from the north down the D line and the other coming west from the crossing DD4 tunnel. At this distance both targets might arrive at the same time. The northern target was a group of targets most likely vampires while the other was just a single large target too hot to be a vampire.

There was a manhole thirty meters to the south of this crossing so I backed up to it. I turned my shields intensity down to minimal and laid down on the sand. I laid my sword in the sand in front of me and took up a firing position with the shotgun. Two incendiary shotgun shells between the fingers of one hand to swap out the slugs and HE rounds if I had to. I talked for my recorders and also I assumed that Cortana was relaying to Willow and Roary. “I want to watch this meeting but I will have to keep a low profile. Sure wish that I had one of those Elite’s cloaking shields. But this should be interesting since both targets are definitely different demons and the one target has sped up a little.”

Eight minutes later a large blue and teal patterned adult Vos demon arrived at the tunnel intersection. Obviously hunting, the demon knew that the other group was coming and just barely peeked with one eye around the tunnel corner at them. The Vos carefully looked up and down the other tunnels but could only see part of my head and left arm motionless against the sand. He must have discounted my lump as tunnel debris because he turned back to his approaching prey. The Vos backed up out of my sight but the group of vampires was now six vamps coming straight for me but still sixty meters away. The seconds passed as the vampires in their human form continued their conversations and finally four were in the intersection. None of them noticed the Vos so preoccupied they were with their current College football debate. The Vos sprang upon them using its tail for support in its attack. One clawed hand each clutched the two closest vampires and its clawed feet struck the further two vampires crippling blows to their legs. In a flash the other two vampires further back in the tunnel vamped out and jumped on the Vos with their claws out. The Vos twisted throwing the two off into the wall while still clutching the first two. I could clearly see even amongst the fighting swirl that the two clutched vampires now had broken backs. Snarling the Vos tossed the two vampires and whipped the other two injured vampires with his tail. The tail batted the head off of one and it dusted but the tail caught the second in the shoulder and threw him violently into the tunnel wall. His head smacked wetly and fell limp. The Vos now only faced the two uninjured vampires who had separated somewhat in the tunnel so the Vos could not target them both easily.

I slowly stood up and swapped out the number two and three shotgun shells in my gun with the incendiary rounds, keeping the slug in battery. I sheathed the Katana.

The vampires were not inflicting much damage to the Vos with their claws and they were staying out of the Vos’s reach until he turned away to engage one. Then the other would attack. The Vos’s scaled skin was durable. At this damage rate the fight could go on for an hour. I slowly walked forward so as not to spook the Vos or the vampires. Finally the two vampires decided to leave their three crippled buddies to their fate and began backing off from the Vos.

I blurred forward and shot the Vos in the back with the solid 12 gauge slug which shattered his spine, blew through its lungs and heart before splattering the wall with pounds of Vos blood and gore. The two vampires froze in confusion at the deafening gun blast in the tunnel. As the Vos was still in a slow motion fall into the tunnel wall I fired the incendiaries in quick succession catching both vampires before they could turn away.

As the two vampires burned in the background lighting the tunnel in their raging flames, I strode towards the now awake but crippled vampires. A few more minutes and they would probably have healed themselves enough to run or crawl but they didn’t have even seconds. The Katana came out and whickered three times in less than one second. All three dusted.

I radared all of the tunnels to see if any others were going to join the party but the tunnels were clear. Stepping over to the Vos corpse I scanned it carefully. This one was two toned color. A beautiful blue and teal green coloration but this one was almost nine foot tall. The gaping hole in its chest was now it’s only marring feature.

I collected the pocket liter from the vampires and radioed Cortana. “Hey big sis, I got a pick up for my favorite Taxidermist, Richard.”

“Ok what is the cat dragging home today, Alex.” Cortana came back laughing.

“I have a Vos demon today. At three meters tall it’s just a tad larger than my first one and a different coloration. But still it’s trophy worthy.”

“Give me a Nav pulse and where you think you are?” Cortana was all business.

“I’m at the DD4 tunnel crossing and there is a manhole thirty meters away. I’m going to take the Vos up top and wait for Richard to show up.” As I tied the Vos’s clawed hands and feet together for lifting.

Cortana warning, “Stay down for now Alex. There is a cop writing a speeding ticket not fifty meters away from the manhole. I’ll let you know when it’s clear.”

Thirty minutes later Richard Harney’s large panel truck pulled up to the manhole and just past it. I opened the manhole and shoved it off to the side and climbed out. Richard met me with a big smile. “Cortana tells me you got another Vos demon but the entire carcass this time?”

“Yep! It will just fit through the manhole and it’s at the other end of this rope but I’ll need to go down and guide it up. Unless stretching its neck is not a problem?” I said through my suit speakers.

Immediately looking concerned Richard said, “No! No damaging the beast anymore than you already have. I’ll extend the winch to lift it, if you can guide from below.”

Ten minutes later the Vos was safely stretched out on the floor of the truck. Richard asked me, “Where and how did you bag this beastie?”

I paused and said, “Down in the tunnels at the intersection nearby. It was fighting six vampires and winning. One was dusted and three were down for the count and the last two were going to run for it. I think the Vos wasn’t intending to dust them but to just injure them so that it could eat a leg or arm leaving them alive. The Vos knows that the vampires would have eventually regrown what they lost…”

Richard shuddered, “I never would have thought of one demon eating just pieces off another.”

I shrugged my shoulders, “Neither did I until I thought about their fight and analyzed it. I knew that the Vos were carnivores but I didn’t think to consider vampires on their menu list.”

Richard still excited as an artist over the life sized Vos, “So what do you think about a life sized mount in a fighting posture.” Richard had assumed a stance with his hands and fingers outstretched and growling.

I laughed heartily, “That will actually go over well in the trophy room. But I‘ll have Cortana send you a video tape tomorrow showing the Vos in combat. You can take it from there.”

Richard now obviously excited to get the carcass back to his workshop and into the chiller. “I would love to see the video! That will be so awesome and then I can get the body into a more correct attack posture. So if you don’t need me… I’m going to take off.”

“Thanks for showing up Richard.”

I climbed back down pulling the manhole back just in time, moments later the police patrol car came back down the street.

I walked back to the intersection scanning and not getting any target hits so I had a feeling. A good hunch. So I decided to head north to the DK tunnel and the demon market. Instead of tunnel running east I might as well go to a target rich environment tonight. As I jogged north at 60 miles per hour I encountered two more sets of vampires that my Katana took care of. Stopping only long enough to collect their pocket litter I continued on. My un-dead body count so far this night was now ten vampires.

Approaching the mouth of DK into the cavern two vampires were in the tunnel and saw me. Both vamps turned to run but only got about twenty meters before I shoulder blocked both of them. I barely stopped at the mouth of the tunnel but both vampires were airborne out into the tunnel. Both of them flew sumersaulting through the air out into the cavern and fell into the center pool of black water. All of the other demons in the cavern saw them fly out of the tunnel screaming and then splash down.

I stopped a few meters inside the tunnel from the cavern edge but none of the demons in the cavern were watching me because all eyes were on the water. Both vampires came up for air, panicked and started swimming for the edge.

Other demons that had been near the pool were now beginning to run away from the water. This puzzled me for about two seconds and then both vampires came out of the water 7 meters straight up. They were each wrapped in what looked like a giant squid’s tentacle. Suction cups with cat hook claws and all. The vampires were now screaming louder and clawing to no avail on the tentacles. More tentacles came out of the water. Many more! Both large and small until the entire pool seemed to be filled with tentacles that were all flailing for something to grab. Finally the top of a head with six large black and silver moon eyes appeared out of the water and then a gapping mouth full of long white teeth opened. The tentacles pushed the screaming vampires deep down into the mouth and then withdrew leaving the vampires deep in the monsters throat. The maw snapped shut cutting off the screams. The creature didn’t even chew but just swallowed. Obviously the undead vampires were slated for a slow digestion down to the last undead molecule. No dusting for them.

The cavern was in a sort of orderly panic close to the pool as demons got out of reach of the pools inhabitant but those further back had come forward as spectators to watch the feeding.

My microphones picked up some of the demon conversations. I was recording so I spoke for the video record. “The pool creature is known as ‘The Sleeper in the Pool’ and also named ‘Asgroth’. Catchy names,” I said wryly.

The demon Asgroth was not going away it seemed. It’s tentacles were ranging further from the pool and the crowed of demons were starting to backup.

I started thinking and commented for my recorders and Cortana. “I’m going to need a remote transmitter and a sonar depth sounder to find out the depth and the volume of that pool. With lidless squid like eyes like that it must be sensitive to light so I’ll need flash bangs with an emphasis on the flash. Maybe some of those Covenant plasma grenades. Which brings me to the silver dollar question… How big is this creature? Is it like an iceberg with only ten percent viewable here and the rest like a giant sea worm below or what?”

Just then as Asgroth was heaving more of itself out of the pool to reach further, three large ugly demons came forward from the direction of the meat market. One was dragging an obese older human woman by a chain and collar around her neck. What clothes she wore were dirty and torn to tatters. By the blood on her thighs and beaten face, she had been sexually assaulted by demons.

I recognized her! She had been on the TV news not five days ago and was the new California State Judge that had been assigned to Sunnydale. Judge Tina Parker was known for her anticorruption zeal. I concluded, “The Mayor must be exercising his permanent veto of her appointment.”

Before I could act the two larger demons picked her up by her arms and ankles. She screamed in terror now knowing her final fate. The leading demon removed her chains and all of them chanting, ‘Asgroth’ they threw her towards the flailing tentacles.

Several tentacles immediately wrapped her body digging in with their claws. Her screaming went up an octave and this time the tentacles dropped her into the gaping maw of sharp white enameled teeth. The beast chomped and chewed her, ending her screams and life quickly before gulping her parts down.

Well, I wanted a target rich environment and here I had one now. I removed both of my RDX hand grenades but stopped from pulling the safety pins. There were now 250 plus demons gathered shoulder to shoulder along the axis of the cavern on either side of the pool. More drifting in from the edges. I was waiting for them to pack in a little tighter.

Two new burly brutes of demons pushed through the crowd from the direction of the meat market. They carried between them an unconscious male Brachen with bloody steel cuffs on his wrists and ankle shackles on his legs. The demons all began moving in closer to watch the next victim toss but staying just outside the reach of Asgroth’s tentacles.

Now I popped the top on both grenades and threw them. Each went to opposite sides of the pool to the back of each mob grouping. I hoped that the press of demons would be enough to shield the Brachen from the blast. Pulling my shotgun up I sighted on the farthest demon lugging the Brachen and shot him in the upper chest. Then shot the other demon through the head. The grenades landed at the same time that each demon released the Brachen from their dying hands. The shotgun slugs kept on going after hitting their primary targets and passed through the close packed throng. Three or more other demons were hit with each slug and began falling.

Now the demons were turning to look at me as Vengeance instead of Asgroth. The RDX packed grenades went off with a flashing sphere of energy. The explosions fireball enveloped a dozen demons incinerating them. The compressed atmosphere expanding out at Mach 5 swept up the others, tearing at them and launched them. About half were airborne in the direction of the pool. Those closest to the fireball were cut in half by the blast wave and fragments. Only their legs remained still standing for a few milliseconds before they too were swept forward. I braced for the shock wave my gun never leaving my shoulder.

In less than two seconds the mob of demons was reduced to a small mob of injured survivors. The bulk of them were now in the clutches of the tentacled Asgroth even though the head had ducked under the water, it was rising again. Demons who had fallen hard against the pools retaining walls were being grasped and lifted off the ground. Three seconds after the blasts it seemed that every tentacle clutched a screaming demon. Some tentacles had three or more wrapped up tightly. The chorus of screams would have been deafening, if I hadn’t had my helmet on.

The Brachen was down on the stone unconscious or playing dead but he was out of reach of Asgroth for now. My shotgun began booming out rapid fire. My wrath cutting down larger demons that had escaped Asgroth’s tentacles. I dropped my shotgun when it was out and pulled both my SA .45’s and continued shooting. One shot and one head went splat. Firing as fast as I could with my reflexes, I was emptying my eight round mags, dropping the empties and replacing them. In twelve seconds I had gone through seven magazines each with my last full mag in the well.

What few survivors lived were now running fast away from the scene of carnage and Asgroth’s messy eating habits. I observed Asgroth chomping down his live prey for the next thirty seconds. In my temporary lull of shooting, I now paused reloading my shotgun with my Montero special High Explosive Incendiary (HEI) rounds while observing to see if the beast would also cleanup the dead bodies within reach.

Stepping forward to the outside edge of the tunnel Asgroth must have noticed me because the creatures head slowly began to turn in my direction splashing water over the water wall. “Crap! I’ve moved to soon and this eating machine has noticed me.” I decided to nip this in the bud and fired all eight HEI rounds into the beasts three visible dinner plate sized eyes.

Each eye splatted like fallen liquid Jello and deep within the sockets there were flashes as each warhead exploded. Asgroth jerked back slamming the rock walls of the pool. Stone broke and tons of water sloshed out. Asgroth screamed a deafening ululating cry. My external microphones muted it but metered the cry at 190 decibels. Loud enough to break human ear drums and rattle your tonsils.

Asgroth was flailing tentacles and banging his pool around for a long twelve seconds and then slithered straight down into the water. Within twenty seconds the pool was again a black mirror that I remembered it as. Deceptively calm and placid.

Kneeling I picked up my dropped magazines and policed up my spent cases to leave no trace for the smarter demons. Finally ready, I jumped down to the cave landing below the tunnel edge. Stooping I pick up a piece of broken stone and tossed it into the pool to see if Asgroth was playing possum.

After thirty seconds of silence in the cavern and no evidence of Asgroth’s greedy tentacles I jumped down and walked cautiously over to the limp Brachen. Kicking dead demon corpses off the Brachen, I quickly scanned him. He was unconscious and alive but had been beaten savagely. Not by the grenade concussion. His broken and cracked bones were the least of his problems.

With all of the demons now fled, I quickly picked up some of the pocket litter left behind but did not go within five meters of the black pool of water. I left a lot of litter behind me.

No demons alive remained in the gallery. My sensors swept from end-to-end.

Returning to the Brachen I broke the chains binding him, removed the irons and cut my shield. I picked him up and tossed him over my shoulder and went back to the tunnel. Commenting for Cortana and my recorder the entire time. “Killing lots of demons is good but picking up ‘friendlies’ is getting to be my bad habit.”

Saturday, 29th November, 10:20 PM PST, Sunnydale, California.

Back at the tunnel entrance I radioed Cortana giving her the SitRep and requesting an assist from Roary at the same manhole as before. I then asked Cortana to phone Sophia Tielkind again for me.

One of her sons had picked up the telephone when Cortana had called her home. When Sophia had picked up her telephone Cortana instantly switched me into the connection.

Sophia greeted the line, “Hello, who’s calling?”

I spun up my vocoder again. “I am Vengeance… Sophia.”

This time she didn’t drop the telephone but her heart still beat faster and her palms were now sweaty. She answered with initially a quaver in her voice, “What… can I… do for you tonight? We are still trying to find a good foster home for Simon and Shalomar. We now have two good candidate families. My brother Mark will be interviewing them. He should be letting me know, his recommendation next week.”

“That is good news but this is about something else tonight.” Sophia’s hands went sweaty again and she sat down.

“I have returned from the Caverns with another stray. The demons were going to toss him to ‘The Sleeper in the Pool’ as a meal. I intervened… violently… Are you missing a Brachen male about twenty-five to thirty years of age?”

Sophia stood up in surprise and she clutched her chest. One of their clan visiting Sunnydale on business had gone missing three days ago. Her brother Mark had called her about the missing man earlier that day. “Is he alive?” she asked with a quaver in her voice.

“Yes, but he will require medical care. He was beaten to within an inch of his life by his… captors and is still unconscious.”

Sophia sat down again and pulled a note pad and pen to her. “His name is Sean Davidson and he was reported missing three days ago. He’s a member of our clan but he’s not related to me by blood. Can you deliver him to this address and a friendly physician will treat him. I will arrange for his transport home when he’s stable.”

“My ally Roary will take him to your physician. Thank you again Sophia.” I cut the connection.

By this time I was standing in the bushes to the side of the road waiting for Roary. The Brachen, Sean, was now just starting to stir weakly. Most likely pain stirring him. I kept him on my shoulder anyway.

I radioed Roary. “Razor-2 what’s your ETA?”

Roary came on, “Four minutes Spartan-1. Be aware, I have a passenger with me. Female five foot six with reddish hair, a crossbow and attitude.”

Willow came on the channel, “You two can stop talking about me now. Are you ok?”

I chuckled thinking of Roary’s discomfort dealing with a Willow whirlwind. “Spartan-1 is all green, not even a scratch on the chrome.”

Willow in all geek serious no humor mode. “You don’t have any chrome on you! So are you ok.”

Deciding quickly that I needed to mollify her or no smoochies for me. “Pink-1, I’m fine. But the guy, Sean, that’s with me is not fine at all. We need to get him to a Doctor. I have talked to Sophia and we are taking Sean straight to a safe clinic for treatment.”

Willow came back on quizzical, “Is my call sign now Pink-1? I think I like that. But why not Red-1?”

Both Roary and I laughed, “Red-1, 2, or 3 are combat codes and we cannot use them for you. You’ll have to settle for something else or stay with Pink-1.”

Willow giggled happier, “Pink-1 it is then!”

Roary drove up and I stepped out of the shadows. I walked to the back of the pickup bed and climbed in laying Sean gently down. “I am going with you and our patient. I don’t need to go back down tonight so after we drop off Sean, I need you to take me to Reach.”

Roary buttoned up the tailgate and drove us all to the address they were given.

Arriving at the Medi-Fast Emergency & Family Medicine Clinic we were met by a Physician and two members of his staff who had arrived just minutes prior. They were humans but aided the non-human species in secret.

When we arrived Roary dropped the tailgate and went to calm the Doctor. I stood up in the back bed of the truck and picked up Sean. Doctor Rapicz, his Nurse Helen and his X-Ray technician Ruthy all stepped back in fear since they had never seen anything like me in my Mjolnir armor before. Stepping down I asked in my vengeance voice, “Where to?”

Willow with her crossbow and Roary went in front of me and prodded the Doctor and his staff. Entering the Clinic now all medical business the Doc led me into an Emergency examination and surgical room. I placed Sean on a gurney as directed and Nurse Helen began to remove Sean’s clothes with a pair of shearing scissors. Ruthy came back with a small bucket of warm sudsy water and began to wash the caked dirt and blood off Sean starting at his head. She even took a soft bristle scrub brush to his many cuts and scrapes. She brushed until each one was bleeding again but all of the dirt and grime was out of each wound. By the time Ruthy was down to his waist Helen was drying him off and attaching up machines on him to monitor his vitals. The Doctor came back into the room pushing a trauma supply cart. The Clinic’s minicomputer was booting and he turned on the desktop computer in the room. The Doc began scrubbing up to gown.

Roary, Willow and I stood near the door and watched. The more of him they uncovered the worse it looked for Sean.

Soon an oxygen mask was on Sean’s face and IV’s bags were connected by Helen in both arms. She then pushed drugs ordered by the Doc into each bag. The Doc was preparing surgical debriding and suture kits. Sean was going to need a lot of sutures, antibiotics, Betadine, Neosporin and bandages. Ruthy put sand bags on either side of Sean’s head to keep his head and neck stable.

After the washing and despite his normal skin coloration he was obviously heavily bruised. The Doc turned to them briefly and asked Ruthy to begin his patients chart on the computer.

Then the Doc looked at Roary, Willow and … something. Doc Rapicz thought, If Sophia was right then this creature… was the infamous Vengeance that all of the non-humans had an opinion and story about. So far he isn’t the Death’s Boogey Man that he has been painted as but he’s still scary enough.

I had reinitialized my shields after laying Sean on the surgical gurney and stayed stone still. So the Doc got a fuzzy look through the shields optical distortion effect. I kept my scanners running to monitor Sean and stay alert for the possibility of unwelcome visitors.

Ruthy began asking Roary and Willow questions about their new patient. I filled in Roary via their radio’s headsets without me moving or speaking to the medical staff.

Ruthy had caught up the medical record with the Doc and Helen’s treatments at the same time the Doc was finished suturing. Helen was now hanging Sean’s fourth IV bag with a clotting factor added.

The Doc looked at Vengeance and asked, “For the record where and how did you find him?”

I as Vengeance answered, “Beneath the city are caverns… He was being carried unconscious from an evil demons version of a meat market. He was going to be… a meal. I intervened and many of the demons died. I brought him straight out with my allies aid… here to you.”

The Doc’s Registered Nurse Helen exclaimed, “A meat market! My god! Do they beat their food before they eat it?”

Vengeance answered her truthfully, “Yes and even rape their food. Along with the beatings, clawing and chopping.”

All of them and Willow were visibly aghast and appalled.

The Doc pushed back his chair from the gurney shaking his head and said that it was now time for X-rays. He had to see exactly how many bones were broken and hopefully identify internal bleeding.

Sean was now in narcotic pain killer and muscle relaxant dreamland. They began to push Sean’s gurney down the hall to the X-ray room. When there the Doc faced me, hesitated and then asked me, “Can you slide him onto the X-ray table for us? We are not exactly muscle buffs for moving him safely?”

I stepped forward, turned my shield off, surprising the Doc and Ruthy as the lightening played across me before popping off like a soap bubble. I stepped forward and gently moved Sean onto the X-ray table.

Willow always stayed within twenty feet of me fingering her crossbow but kept her mouth closed lest she give away anything. She looked like she was about to explode with questions and worry.

As they left the room I comm’ed only Cortana, “Hey Sis, can you raise Sophia again for me.”

Cortana was all business. “Sure thing Alex. Just to let you know she has been on the telephone almost non-stop since you called tonight. Seems this young man works for Retlaw Inc. Which is the company that owns Disneyland and Disney Studios. His family is very happy that he has turned up alive. I will pass on to Roary his current home address and personal information. His wife is preparing to drive up from Anaheim as we speak. By the way I am into the Clinic’s computers. I will update Sean’s medical records and insert his health insurance information.”

Sophia picked up the telephone on the second ring. “Yes! Sophia here.”

“I am Vengeance. This call is to keep you informed about Sean’s status. Sean Davidson is being treated by Dr. David Rapicz and his trusted staff. Sean is now being X-Rayed. He is alive but heavily bruised with a large number of claw tears and cuts on his body. The Doc has sewn him up but he is still unconscious. He has many broken bones but the X-Rays will find those that are not obvious. The Doctor fears internal bleeding and is treating him with a clotting factor to hopefully stop it or slow it down. … Do you have any questions?”

Sophia had a million questions but had to stop herself. Calming herself she focused on the immediate. “Is he in danger of dying?”

Taking a leap from John’s lifetime of combat experience Vengeance replied, “No… Not at this moment but his condition hangs on the edge of the knife. The Doctor is more than competent but this is not a Trauma Center with a staff of dozens of experts and he does not have the kind of diagnostics machines that can find all of the internal bleeding. If his life tips to the worse… he must go to a large hospital.”

Sophia exhaled. Thinking to herself, “Sean’s wife Martha and their three small children are family. My husband and I attended their wedding six years ago. What do I tell her?”

Cutting off her thoughts, I as Vengeance spoke, “Where is the closest Hospital that you would trust with Sean?”

Sophia quickly answered, “Saint Mary’s Mercy Hospital in Sherman Oaks near where Interstate Highway 101 and I-405 cross. They treat many of us and keep us safe.”

At this revelation I opened a secure side channel to Cortana. “Were you listening in?”

Cortana was all business. “Yes and that is interesting news.”

“The Catholic Church is keeping many secrets but Holy ground is a good place to heal and sanctuary from the evil demons. Still that’s 4-hours south of here by ambulance… but not by air.”

I switched channels back to Sophia. “Sophia hold the phone I am going to talk to the Doctor. I will let you listen in but do not speak.”

Sophia understood, “Yes.”

I still as Vengeance, I asked Doctor Rapacz who was in the X-Ray examination room looking through the current batch of X-rays. “What is your prognosis Doctor?”

Doctor Rapacz looked at the creature carefully, trying to decide if he should be candid with him. “I’ve managed to find 26 broken and 10 cracked bones so far and Ruthy has only taken half of his pictures yet. The worst is that I think he has intracranial bleeding here and he has internal bleeding at 4-points here, here, here and here. So far it looks like he has lost nearly half of his blood as internal bleeding which runs a risk of insufficient oxygen transport. The volume expanders are keeping his pressure up but his blood is thinning. The Clotting Factor that I gave him should slow down the bleeding but it is too early to tell if it will stop it.”

With each injury identified the Doctor put up the relevant X-ray pictures on the lighted glass and finally shrugged his shoulders in honest uncertainty.

I asked the Doc, “What blood type will he require to help stabilize him for transport to Los Angeles?”

The Doctor caught on quick, “Most his kind are A or AB. Both rarer than normal in the human population but I should be able to requisition some after cross-matching him.” Turning the Doctor yelled into the hallway, “Helen! I need a crossmatch on this guy now and then call French’s hospital. Ask for five units on my account.”

I cut him off. “Roary will go and retrieve the blood. You and your staff are needed here.”

Seeing that Ruthy had completed her X-rays of Sean’s entire body, I spoke to her. “Ruth do you have a high resolution full color monitor in this facility to look at images?”

She answered puzzled, “Yes, it’s in my office through that door…” She pointed.

Neuronetting Cortana, “Hey Sis, If I perform a high resolution 3-D X-ray and full spectrum nuclear scan on Sean can you transfer the imagery over to their system so that the Doc can view it?”

Cortana said gleefully, “Yes and maybe. I may have to rewrite their Operating System and Video Display Drivers… This will be fun!”

I turned from the Doc to Ruthy. “For your own safety do not enter the X-ray room but go and boot up your computer and display.”

Going back to Sophia, I as Vengeance told her quickly as I walked into the X-ray room and towered over Sean. “I am going to assist this human Doctor with my abilities to see inside Sean. We will know more in thirty minutes. I will call you then.” I hung up the line.

I moved the X-ray armature out of the way. Standing perfectly still I held my arms horizontal above Sean. I scanned Sean with all of my 26th Century advanced emitters and receivers.

Doctor Rapacz was in the doorway watching. He saw Vengeance hold out his arms wide over Sean and the radiation meter built into the door began to beep. What looked like a subtle Aurora of rainbow light began to form under his outstretched arms. Dr. Rapacz stepped back in fear. The amount of magnetics combined with X-rays and other high energies to do that was staggering.

One minute later Ruthy’s computer went poink and the screen went dark for three minutes. Then her computer began rebooting with now obviously to her a clearly enhanced version operating system. On her screen a graphical interface appeared showing all of her recent X-rays and now something else. A whole lot of other diagnostic images in full color were appearing. Her large Hard Disk Drive array in the corner was filling up rapidly with a whole body micro-thin X-ray tomography and nuclear tissue scans at the cellular level. Ruthy excited and amazed, “Boss! Boss!! Look at this?! I mean… I’ve seen this kind of imagery only three months ago at Stanford Medical Center. It is supposed to be brand new and it would take four machines… each the size of a house to do… this…”

She looked at the Doc who was standing in her office doorway. Doc saw her with eyes the size of saucers and her mouth hanging open. She jumped up and ran past the Doc and looked through the X-ray control room door into the patients room. She saw only a motionless Vengeance with his arms outstretched over Sean and his ‘head’ bowed. The space below his arms shimmered with all the colors of the rainbow. She looked at the Doc who was now right behind her. She shook her head and bolted back to her adjacent office. As she passed the Doc she said as she sat down facing her display again, “You know Boss… For a moment I thought that what I was looking at was some sort of super-advanced space suit or something like the suit that the movie Predator’s wear. Really advanced and really dangerous weapons. Do you think he’s a real alien ‘Predator’ come to Earth to hunt?”

Doctor Rapacz looked at her like she was crazy but then shrugged his shoulders.

Ruthy shrugged and grimaced, “Ok, just a wild idea… Oh my God! Boss! Look at this now! I don’t know how he is doing that but I really like it. Can I keep him, please?”

Doctor Rapacz watched the screen over her shoulder and said, “You know… he may not even be human? But you can ask him if you want to… but I would recommend against that. What he’s doing is impossible on so many levels for me… but like you I won’t throw a gift like this out the window.”

“Boss! Look at this new feature that I have! I can make these images play like an animation and I can change the perspective like this. You know this all looks like the X-rays and the other scans are being fused all together… to show hidden structures. This view appears to be almost three-dimensional… My God! It is three-dimensional!!”

The Doc saw something on screen. “Ruthy stop! Backup the view and turn to focus on that area in the cranium. Sh*t! He is bleeding intracranially but it is small right now. Ok, scroll down the body and highlight only blood coagulating where it is not supposed to be. Pay attention to those four spots I already suspect.”

Two minutes later my high definition scans of his entire body were complete. Cortana had reduced the resolution of the combined images to fit on Ruthy’s computer and display capability. The master high resolution scans safely stored on tapes at CSU Sunnydales Computer Science Center. I walked to the door of Ruthy’s office and stood there as the Doc and Ruthy went through Sean’s body images.

I secure comm’d Cortana for a private conversation, “Cortana what is your assessment of Sean’s internal bleeding and broken bones?”

Cortana was serious and clinical, “He has 38 clear fractures of various types and 14 hairline fractures. I am counting the carpals in his hands and the tarsals in his feet as only one bone each because they’re all broken. They must have beaten, kicked and stomped him for hours. He does have internal bleeding at eight different locations. One slow bleeder in the brain, three lobes of his lungs are filling, both kidneys are bleeding, his stomach is bleeding and he has two bleeders in his intestinal cavity both posterior and anterior locations. The Clotting Factor is slowing it down but it will not be enough. Without whole blood infusion he will be dead in four to six hours. With those five pints of whole blood that Roary is on his way to get he will still be dead but not for another sixteen hours.”

“Crap! This sucks for him… but buying him time… maybe we can change the outcome. Cortana, Roary returns with the blood in what now 16 minutes? Ok, call an Air Ambulance in Los Angeles with a Jet or Turbo-prop that can land at Sunnydale Airport. Book them and have them here ASAP. Preferably arriving in the next hour. Their destination is the closest airport to Saint Mary’s and I believe that will be Hayward Airport. Then notify Saint Mary’s that they have a critical VIP patient coming in and to have the appropriate ambulance or helicopter waiting at Hayward airport and Hospital Surgical staff on standby. Then lastly call the Sunnydale Emergency Ambulance privately and have them meet us here thirty minutes before the Medi-Flight arrives. Sean’s going to need every minute they can buy him.”

Turning to Doctor Rapacz who was still viewing the imagery, I as Vengeance startled him. “Doctor! Roary will be back in less than fifteen minutes with the blood. If Sean goes to Saint Mary’s Mercy Hospital in Sherman Oaks and straight into surgery, what would be your assessment then?”

Doctor Rapacz was clearly worried, “He’s dying and even all five units of A negative will not stop it. Just prolong his passing. He has a better than 50 percent chance of surviving if he gets into Saint Mary’s. The faster the better.” Ruthy and Helen were now looking at me in wonder.

Cortana whispered to me, “Paramedic ambulance will be here thirty minutes before the plane arrives and the Air Ambulance will be here in 90 minutes that’s the best that I could do. Saint Mary’s is getting Sean’s medical records right now with your high resolution scans. I am having so much fun with these medical imagery display computers. Which means that we should be selling this software…”

I chuckled, “First things first Sis, get me Sophia and Martha Davidson’s wife on the telephone. I am assuming that Martha has a mobile phone? Does she?”

Cortana sighed, “No she doesn’t but she does have a pager. I have sent her an urgent ‘call me now about Sean’ message with Sophia’s number as the call back. We’ll see if she pulls over to call. If she doesn’t she will have to turn around and go back to Los Angeles because Sean will be landing at Hayward and in the Hospital before she arrives here. Roary’s ETA is now six minutes.”

Vengeance then spoke to the Doc, Helen and Ruthy, “Sean is going to Saint Mary’s in Los Angeles. A Hall Aeromedical flight will be here at 2:35 AM and a Paramedic Ambulance will be at your door at 2:00 AM to transport Sean to Sunnydale Airport. I need you three to prep Sean for transport. Roary will be here with the whole packed A negative blood in six minutes. Get it into him, stabilize his body for transport and do what you have to do to keep him alive.”

The Doc wondered softly to Helen, “That was fast… How did he do that? But… he’s correct that Sean needs to go if he is to have any chance of living. Even our French’s Hospital doesn’t have the specialists and skill that he’s going to need.”

Standing the Doc looked at Helen and Ruthy who were also lost in similar thoughts. “Ok! You heard him. Let’s get our patient ready to go and wrap him for transport.” With that they all moved into the X-ray room to move him back into the Trauma Room.

Cortana whispered to him. “I have Sophia online now.”

Sophia picked up the phone and I said to her, “Sophia, Sean is going to be transported by aircraft to Saint Mary’s and he should arrive there before 5:00 AM. Once there he will be going directly into surgery to correct all of his… now life threatening internal bleeding. If his wife calls you, turn her around and send her to Saint Mary’s. In sixteen hours you will know if he lives or dies.” With that I disconnected.

Seeing the Doc in the hallway Vengeance called to him politely, “Doctor I cannot be here when the Ambulance arrives. Can you care for your patient until he safely arrives at Saint Mary’s?”

Doctor Rapacz stopped in the hallway, “You want me to go with the ambulances all the way there?”

“Yes Doctor, he’s not human and the ambulance personnel will need a convincing, even authoritative chaperone. Swear them to secrecy if need be. Tell them that he’s a space alien living here under Government sanctuary. They will believe that, but no one else will.”

The Doctor began smiling as he imagined the Paramedics and Aeromedical Nurses reactions.

Roary arrived out front and brought in a Styrofoam igloo taped closed. The nurse took it from him and rushed it back into the room where Sean was.

The Doc turned back to Vengeance as Roary walked up to stand near Willow.

Vengeance added, “Your patient has very good insurance Doctor. But know this, whatever his insurance does not pay you I will cover the difference. Just keep him alive until he reaches Saint Mary’s, after that he is in the hands of God.”

I strode to a white board in the hallway and using my Ultra Violet Targeting Laser burned a “V > *626” onto the top corner of the board. Turning I spoke to now both Nurse Helen and Doctor Rapacz, “If you need to contact me… Dial that number and my ally will answer.”

With that I motioned for Roary and Willow to follow me and we left. I radioed them both, “Crap! and more bull Crap! Well, this night has not ended the way I had planned…” I climbed into Roary’s truck bed in a flat mood and laid down.

Willow said over the radio link, “You did what you could and more. You were right though. He’s in the hands of God now.” Sighing with worry over Alex’s darkening mood she asked, “What happened tonight before you rescued Sean?”

I was still in a funk, “Well I was having a good night. I killed one Vos demon and then ten vampires before I got to the cavern where the black pool is, which I have designated as Cavern number 3. I happened to knock two vampires about 200 feet and they fell into the pool of water. That’s when I got my first look at the monster that lives in the pool. It ate the two demons and all of the other demons came to watch. They were chanting Asgroth as some demons threw a human woman to it.”

Willow exclaimed, “Wait! Did you say they threw a human to this Asgroth?”

Sighing I answered, “Yes. It was Judge Tina Parker. Asgroth ate her.

Both Willow and Roary exclaimed in duet, “The new judge that was in the news?!”

I said, “The very one. Compared to what the demons had been doing to her, at least her death was quick with Asgroth.”

I was silent for a few moments, she didn’t need to know the rest about the former Tina Parker and then continued. “A minute later two demons came through the crowd with a Brachen hanging limp between them. They were going to throw him to Asgroth also but I shot them down. They dropped Sean and the two grenades that I had thrown went off. Which knocked a lot of demons into Asgroth’s reach.”

Willow asked quietly imagining this all in her mind. “How many demons were there?”

“By my count 267 total KIA. I killed 117 and Asgroth got about 125 of them to eat. If you measure a good night by numbers then I had a good night. But I… I don’t feel that way…”

Willow turned to look at Alex in his armor lying in the back of the pickup bed. She said with concern, “You can’t save everyone… Xander. Sean will live. You’ll see and it will be because you were there. You were there for a reason… You were Sean’s miracle tonight.”

“I know it’s late… but I feel… I must go to the Sunday morning Mass. Will you come with me for the 9 am service?”

Willow said, “Yes. I feel… that Sean needs prayers. A lot of prayers.”

AUTHOR’S NOTES:

U.S. Military combat radio codes.

Mike-Mike — Military radio phonetic short-hand talk for Millimeters. Usually used when referring to diameter of ammunition used or required for resupply.

Kilo-Mike — Military radio talk for Kilo-Meters.

Combat radio codes — Are old Cold War era threat combat codes for infantry, transportation convoys and mechanized infantry. Specific codes were called out over the Radio Telephone (R/T) back to Headquarters to quickly designate the status and condition of the unit when combat is initiated.

Yellow – Enemy near. Contact with enemy imminent.

Red — Combat contact initiated, the unit is under fire but no wounded.

Red-1 — Combat contact initiated, the unit is under hostile fire and have non-serious wounded (walking wounded).

Red-2 – Under moderate fire, have casualties, need medical evacuation (wounded in serious condition) and indirect fire support is urgently needed.

Red-3 — Under heavy fire, have many casualties and Killed-In-Action (KIA), and need urgent medical evacuation (wounded in serious to critical condition and our dead). Indirect fire support and air support is urgently needed.

Red-4 — Under heavy fire, all are wounded, many dead, about to be over-run. Need all alvaliable combat support FLASH/Action Immediate (like five minutes ago).

13. I’ll Trade You

Chapter 13. I’ll Trade You

Sunday, 30th November, 7:00 AM, Sunnydale, California.

After only five hours sleep I awoke to Cortana on my neuronet. This was her wakeup call.

After I sat up she began running down the SitRep on Sean. His condition was such that they took him straight into surgery. Over two dozen surgeons have been working on him since 4:30 am and he is not expected to be out of surgery until at earliest 4 pm. Even then he would probably have to have three more surgeries over the next week as his strength improved. Assuming that he did not take a turn for the worst. They aspirated the blood in his lungs first and sealed the bleeders. Then they drilled a hole in his head and the Neurosurgeons removed the blood pool in his brain and were at that moment cauterizing the bleeders. The next set of surgeons were going to start on the remainder of bleeders when the Neurosurgeons were done. Most of his broken bones couldn’t be set yet until the tissue swelling receded. They would know more that afternoon and he was still in danger for the next 48 hours due to embolisms. At best he was going to be in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit for at least two weeks.

I stood up and padded out of my bedroom to wake Willow.

Sunday, 30th November, 8:45 AM, Sunnydale, California.

This morning Willow and I were walking solemnly into the Old Mission San Soleado parish chapel hand-in-hand. Roary, Karen, Simon and Shalomar following them a few dozen steps away. This was the childrens first daytime trip into a church. They all felt the need to be on Holy ground to pray for Sean and his family. Even my parents came to service that day, holding hands they sat in the pew with Willow and I. I noticed that my parents looked good today. Even David and Sophia Tielkind’s family attended. All of them.

The sermon that day was on Saint Stephen: Stephen’s Life, Sermon and Death (Acts 6-8). Stephen preached and lived – to do what was right and moral; to follow God – instead of following the laws of man that were immoral or unjust. To follow the conscience that God had stamped into every heart to do what was morally right.

The sermon fit what the Slayer, the Scoobies and I … must do. Otherwise what do we become? Government thugs? Lawyers? Organized crime bosses? No difference between them.

After church service the extended Harris family had all returned to my home for a noon lunch. Afterwards my parents went home. Willow and I took her bags back to her home and left a note for her parents that she was at my house.

Returning to Roary, Karen and the kids – we all waited for news of Sean’s condition. Willow and I fell asleep snuggled together on the couch.

I drifted off to sleep wondering why the local demons had taken Sean and why had they beaten him so badly? There had to be a reason. I wanted to believe that there was a reason other than, ‘we are evil and can do it’. John’s memories of the Covenant… was more along the line of that they just loved to kill humans and those few that survived, they liked to play with their food. So maybe the just evil and can, was their reason. One more reason for me to exterminate them.

Sunday, 30th November, 5:00 PM, Sunnydale, California.

The Telephone rang waking Willow and I. Karen making dinner in the kitchen picked up the phone. It was Cortana with news. Sean was out of surgery and now into the Intensive Care Unit. I asked Cortana to wait with the news until Roary came down to the kitchen. We all had a stake in his life now and we all should hear the news at the same time. Simon ran off to wake him.

Cortana hung-up and switched from the telephone to the Television and also the ceiling audio speakers. She was showing off again.

When Roary came in she began her briefing, “Sean is out of surgery and now inside the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). He is listed in Critical condition. The Chief of the Surgical team, Dr. Murray has just finished talking to Sean’s Wife, Martha. If Sean had not gotten into surgery when he did the brain damage would have been irreversible and disabling. Combined with his other injuries he would have died today. He asked her and Dr. Rapacz about your imagery Xander. Naturally she knows nothing and Dr. Rapacz pleaded the Fifth but did tell him that no one would believe him if he told them. Dr. Murray said that with it they think they got all of the bleeders. When they went inside Sean everything was exactly as the scans shown. He was very appreciative of the scan quality which he said made all the difference for Sean. So they are going to watch him like a hawk in the ICU for the next three days and then move him into a private room for recovery. On day four they are going to start setting his broken bones, so he is pretty much going to be in bandages and casts from head to toe. Dr. Murry told Martha that Sean has a very good chance for a full recovery but he is not going to be jogging, riding a motorcycle or playing football for at least two years. Dr. Murry believes that the physical therapy will take that long. Right now the danger is emboli in his bloodstream but that will diminish every twelve hours as his body heals. Bottom line is that he is alive and has an excellent chance of living.”

Pausing to let her briefing sink in she continued, “Now for the rest of the story. Martha did not arrive at Saint Mary’s until two hours after Sean was in Surgery. Apparently she didn’t check her pager messages until she was in Santa Barbara. After arriving she spent her time in the Chapel and her maiden name is Colbert. Sophia’s brother, Mark Bouchard is godfather to their children. His wife’s maiden name is Colbert and yes they are sisters. Since this morning a good many Brachen’s have descended upon Saint Mary’s where they have been in the chapel praying for Sean and consoling her. Doctor Rapacz had been on the telephone with Sophia and told her everything. Sophia has in turn told everything to her brother-in-law Mark. You three have a huge reputation with the Brachen now and Mark the family patriarch believes his clan owes you a very large debt. Seems Sean was being groomed for their version of a clan council and possibly a future patriarch.”

Willow grinned and hugged me, “See I told you! You were there to rescue him last night!”

Cortana continued, “Now as to the why Sean was in Sunnydale and was kidnapped. Our enemies in the demon community have been chatty. Which is good for us. Sean was here to sign one of our local up and coming book authors to a movie contract with Disney. Seems another interested party, named Mayor Wilkins, did not want the business deal to occur and paid to have Sean and the author intercepted. The author escaped his trap but Sean didn’t. Sean was not supposed to survive. Mayor Wilkins is not upset that the local demon community suffered a lot of casualties last night but he is upset that Sean is alive and that the author left Sunnydale alive this morning for a Sanctuary in Huntington Beach where he is out of the Mayor’s reach. The Mayor’s targets are not coming back. Therefore the Mayor is very upset… I believe that we can now move the Mayor from the category of evil-human to a human looking demon. Today, his voice and behavior is all demony.”

I spoke first, slowly and solemnly, “Thank you Cortana. Thank you very much. This has been mostly good news. Mayor Wilkins will have to be dealt with in some kinetic fashion later. Cortana does he know or suspect about Vengeance rescuing Sean?”

Cortana was appreciative that Alex had thanked her. “The demon survivors from the massacre mentioned you and Asgroth to Wilkins but none of them saw you rescue Sean. You or Asgroth killed all of the demons who had seen Sean brought forward. So for now Mayor Wilkins is insane with rage believing that Sean escaped his minions, Asgroth and Vengeance. So you are in the clear for now. I have instituted heightened surveillance over all the medical staff that worked on Sean last night and saw you three. If any of them talk, I will know of it. If any are threatened, I will know that also.”

Roary and Willow both let out a sigh of relief. I nodded my head in agreement, “Thank you again Cortana. Last thing though has Willow’s parents arrived home safely?”

Cortana grinned mischievously, “Yes, they arrived home at 3:45 PM while you two were dreaming. They got clean after their road trip and are now taking a nap. When they wake up I will let you know.”

This time Willow spoke, “Thank you Cortana.”

With that Cortana walked off into the clouds on screen and the display blinked off.

Willow was looking at me. We had already planned this moment. I turned to Roary and Karen and told them that Willow and I would be eating dinner with Willow’s parents that evening.

With that I stood up and went to the back patio where the exercise equipment was and a very heavy weight punching bag was hanging. I was thinking about Willow’s parents with trepidation. Then about Simon. I began working out to keep my mind and body occupied. Willow stood with Karen and watched through the kitchen windows, talking quietly.

One hour later Cortana called. Willow picked up the telephone and Cortana told her that her parents were now awake and her mother was going to call. With that Cortana hung up and just as Willow put the handset down the telephone rang. Lifting it she answered, “Hi! Mom welcome back, did you have a good nap?”

Her mother was puzzled and confused, “Hello honey. How are you? … How did you know we were napping? Did you come home while we were asleep?”

Willow grinning answering, “Mom, I love you too and I missed you. I’m doing fine. I came home earlier but… you weren’t home yet. I assumed that after your long drive home that you would want to nap and I’ve been here visiting with Karen.”

Her mother Sheila was still a little confused but wanted her daughter home for dinner. “I was going to make dinner. It looks like you didn’t eat much while we were gone so I’m going to make a nice oriental stir fry. Dinner will be ready at 6:30.”

Willow still smiling at her mother’s confusion and looking at her ruby ring in the light of the setting sun. “Ok Mom. I’ll be there and set a second place on the table. Xander will be with me and we need to have a family talk after dinner.”

Sheila’s heart sank on hearing this. Her imagination running away. She thought to herself, We left our sixteen year old daughter home alone for eight days… Drugs? Police? Pregnant? Sex with Xander? No not Xander he’s… not her equal… Finally she took a breath and said to Willow, “Ok honey I’ll set another place. Can you tell me what our ‘family’… talk is going to be about?”

Willow smiling wildly now as she rocked her body left to right in secret excitement, “Oh… About family stuff Mom. I’ll see you before 6:30. Bye!”

Sheila looked at her telephone handset with concern, then slowly hung up. She said to the empty air, “What could this be about?” Turning she yelled down the hallway to her husband, Ira, “Honey! We have company coming for dinner and we need to talk about… YOUR daughter!”

Willow still smiling stepped outside and called to Alex who had taken his shirt off and worked up a good sweat. Licking her upper lip she thought, Ooh-la-la! My very own hunk of slippery buff. She called out through the insect screen, “Xander! My mom called and dinners at 6:30. You have just enough time to get cleaned up and dressed for dinner with my parents and me.” Giggling at his silly look that he gave her, she threw him a towel. “Yea! Just enough time for me to have my aperitif!”

Fifty minutes later Willow led the way into her parents home. I was wearing dress casual again with a polo style sport shirt. Greeting her mom with my body in tow, Willow mischievously turned and kissed me on the cheek. Smiling at me she went upstairs towards her bedroom. I noted that she had taken off her ring and jewelry sometime between leaving my house and driving to her home which took about one minute at 15 miles per hour in the residential area. I wondered, “When will she put the ring back on? She hadn’t taken it off once since Friday. Will she put it back on during dinner or after dinner or after I talk to her father?”

I shook Ira’s hand firmly but politely as he welcomed me into their home and got a perfunctory hug from Willow’s mom, Sheila.

Sitting in the front room Ira and I, sat waiting for dinner. Sheila and then later Willow in the kitchen and dining room. I asked Ira about their conference and Ira asked me about what Willow had done while they were gone. Both of us politely verbally danced creatively around what we both really wanted to talk about.

Although it had only been 15-minutes of eternal waiting, dinner was served. Walking in to the dining room, I noted that Willow had rearranged the seating arrangements. Initially her mother had herself and her husband at the heads of the table, with Willow on one side and I on the other. Now, the seating arrangement was facing each other. Two on one side and two on the other. Willow indicated where I was supposed to sit and bustled off. Ira and I sat opposite each other and soon Mrs. Rosenberg and Willow were sitting opposite to each other. The symbolism of couples together was unmistakable. Willow was staking her claim and making a statement.

The evening meal was eaten in not complete silence but close to it compared to the noise and conversations around the table with Roary, Karen, Simon and Shalomar. I smiled to myself thinking, Roary and Karen really liked the children and that the children act just like their real children now. I wonder if Roary or Karen will object now to new foster parents for them? Will the children object? Either way the parting will be emotional with lots of tears. The house was turning into a home with family. Well in any case Mark Bouchard had better hurry before the roots of love bind them all together tightly.

As dinner was finishing Willow and I volunteered to clean the dining table off and we did. Willow shooed her parents into the living room and asked them to stay there for ‘the family talk.” As I was replacing the center piece cloth on the dining room table Willow came out of the kitchen with all her jewelry on. She flashed her hand at me. I smiled at her and she hugged me. Then kissing me on the cheek she said quietly, “You ready? Because I’m about to explode!”

With that we walked hand-in-hand into the living room. Sitting together opposite her parents I began, “I uh… Uh… Mr. Rosenberg…” Willow squeezed my hand and looked at me with happiness and assurance. Taking heart I bucked up, “Mr. Rosenberg… for the past ten years your daughter has been in love with me and recently… I realized that I was in love with her.” Sheila Rosenberg now saw the ruby ring and her eyebrows rose in surprise and shock. “I am here this evening to declare my intentions for your daughter. I will be courting your daughter until graduation from High School. If she still wants me, then I intend to ask for your daughters hand in marriage?”

There I said it. Yet the room was dead silent. Mr. Rosenberg’s face was a look in startlement and dismay. His wife was visibly in shock. Ooops looks like I stepped into a pile of dog crap. … I have to keep silent no matter how long and let him speak next.

Seconds dragged on and finally Ira coughed a few times. He then asked me, “Son… You are a bit young to be asking this of me?”

Willow blurted out with indignation, “Daddy!”

I squeezed her hand and held it down because I thought Willow was going to jump up. “Mr. Rosenberg I know that I am seventeen and Willow is sixteen but you should not be worried about my resolve. I am not asking for an engagement at this time or a marriage. In two years time you should not doubt my ability to provide for Willow or my commitment to her.”

Ira snorted and then asked, “Are you… really sure you want my daughter? You could change your mind next year?”

Now Willow was very irritated, “Daddy!! Mom this is serious!”

I smiled. Maybe I could do this the old fashioned way and barter for her? “How about I trade you a dozen horses, fifty sheep and fifty goats for her?”

Willow whipped around facing me her mouth wide open, too astonished to speak. I gently with two fingers together closed her mouth by pushing her chin up. Turning back to an astonished Ira and Sheila, I was putting a real property bargaining card on the table. “I am serious because if you’re concerned about where to pasture the animals I can easily afford to throw in a ranch with pastures. Willow is worth it. Now and two years from now.”

Willow beaming held up her hand and displayed her ruby and diamond ring.

Sheila with great concern and grasping for a straw asked her daughter, “Do you have to date Xander… I mean are you in trouble dear?”

Willow in astonishment, “Mom!!”

Then getting that mischievous glint in her eye that I was beginning to instantly recognize. Flashing through my mind was, Oh No! What’s she going to say next? I felt like diving for cover.

Willow looked at her parents and said slyly, “No, I’m not pregnant… yet! It’s not because I don’t want to be… but because I haven’t worn him down yet. He has been sweet, honorable and a gentlemen. So far I have shown some restraint… but married or not after graduation…” Now she smiled wickedly while examining her ‘fancy-dress’ ring.

Although that is not what she called it when we were alone. She said that since it was not an official engagement ring then it was her ‘Mistress ring’. She declared that she was my official mistress. Upon which my Willow doom clock tick-tocked closer to my high-noon.

Sheila was petrified and aghast at her daughter. The vixen!

Ira coughed again, “Well… Son… It seems that my daughter has set her mind on you.”

Sheila turned to her husband, “You can’t… She’s too young… Not with… him! She’s…”

Willow butted in, “Mom, when you had me… you weren’t even nineteen years old!”

Ira grinned at his wife remembering their wild youth and Sheila sputtered into silence her face flushed in embarrassment.

Willow stood up and went to her father kissing and hugging him. Then she hugged and kissed her mother. Sitting on the arm of her Mothers chair, Willow began showing off her ring and matching jewelry.

Ira pursed his lips and tilted his head looking at me with wry amusement, “Were you serious about trading the animals and the ranch for her?”

I smiled and nodded my head, “Whatever it takes sir and really… I can afford it.”

Just then Sheila, holding Willows right hand by the wrist and waving Willow’s hand in front of Ira’s face exclaimed, “Look Ira! Oooh… pink diamonds!”

Willow was now behaving like a ten year old girl who just got everything she wanted for Christmas including the Pony and a golden ticket for a handsome prince. Her face was beautiful and lit by her hearts smile as she winked at me.

Later Willow showed me to the door. Biting her lower lip and wrinkling her nose she whispered to me, “Remember I still get my doses of Xander every day.” Then she kissed me hotly.

I left in a happy daze.

Monday, 1st Dec. 1997, 5:00 PM PST, Sunnydale California.
Twenty-seven days after first purchase of the Warehouse.

Willow had accompanied me to the warehouses for my latest inspection.

The interior of the primary Reach facility was now temporarily designated as Reach One. The warehouse had now been partitioned somewhat with large internal prefabricated concrete and steel walls to limit the view of workmen or truck deliveries. We needed to make it difficult for ‘guests’ to see what was inside the other areas. Besides each of the precast walls was also bullet and vamp resistant.

Down the center of the entire warehouse was one central access way ‘road’ 10 meters wide and large enough for a truck to drive down. Signs on the outside loading doors and off the main corridor entrance to these interior building proclaimed the names of companies that Cortana and I were the true owners of. All companies owned by their shell companies that all eventually were owned by Reach Industries Inc. of Wyoming but Headquartered in Dallas Texas. While Reach Industries was owned by CorSys of Delaware and CorSys was owned by ‘Aten Werks’ of Zurich. All of the interlocking companies were to hide their true ownership and legally shield one division from another. Especially shield them from evil lawyers and politicians. Also to hide the source of the money that made it possible and to legally shield what they were actually doing from malicious authorities.

Each little company inside the warehouses was a miniature robotic factory, inside their own enclosed buildings inside the warehouses. One was arranged for Nafteta Materials, of Houston Texas, with forges and furnaces for metal and glass ceramics working factory. The next over was for Astra Communications Inc., of San Antonio TX. Containing electronics fabrication and assembly with a clean room laboratory and Faraday vault. The Infini Chemical Research company contained a chemical warehouse and chemical productions laboratories. The next over was for Thorlight Inc., of Tampa FL, containing a secure small weapons parts factory and assembly. Then Black Heart Inc. manufacturer of specialty ammunitions.

The Warehouses orignally marked as number three and four - was now Nefertiti Systems, Sunnydale. Those buildings were being prepared for housing several large very special electronics rooms with an elevated floor and Faraday shield walls. All for Nefertiti Systems, of Dallas Texas, which needed a large High-Performance Super-Computers and Networking Data Center for ‘Engineering Modeling and Simulation Research.’ While the second floor was for the Control rooms and technical offices for Nefertiti’s Engineers, Computer Scientists and technicians.

Meanwhile the demolitions and cleaning crews were finishing up the rehabilitation of the fourth warehouse, Nef-2. The warehouse butted up against the primary and the one directly across the parking lot.

The warehouse that was immediately adjacent to Reach, almost sharing one wall, was going to be turned into an extension of the first warehouse. Reach-2 would eventually contain besides the planned giant Emergency Power Generators and UPS battery farm; more small factories, more armaments and munitions vaults, internal gun target range with Hogan’s Alley style moving targets, a large domed virtual reality gaming electronic-gun range and a small factory to produce robotic maintenance droids for Cortana to use. Eventually both warehouses would be connected so I, forklift movements or any of Cortana’s mobile waldo-bots could race between them without exposure on the street outside.

Next week Cortana’s Lasers and Masers would be arriving. Cortana was getting some self-protection weapons for slicing, dicing, and cooking vampires and demons.

Tuesday, 2 Dec. 1997, 8:00 AM Sunnydale California

Eight fully loaded eighteen wheel trucks arrived delivering two honking huge Cummins power generators and giant air-conditioners to power and cool all of the different laboratory and factory areas. Arriving minutes behind those trucks were a small armada it seemed of every air-conditioning, sheet-metal mechanic, pipefitter and electrician in town to install them. Along with two large flatbed lowboys with construction cranes and another two with seven story Cherry Picker lifts. The project construction engineer, Scotty and his foreman Brad were right there to orchestrate the circus of controlled chaos.

I was still astounded at the arena of chaos the roiled around Cortana and myself. Even more astounded at Scotty and Brad, who orchestrated construction chaos into order and something new when that piece was completed.

Next week Scotty and his crew were going to start repairing and refurbishing the old Calax Research and Development (CRD) complex at the corner of Court Street and Monterey. When that was accomplished then Cortana would have a real ‘electronic home’.

Tuesday, 2 Dec. 1997, 2:00 PM Sunnydale High School

I strode the hallway grouching to myself as I walked to my last class of the day. Beginning this week and next is career fair week! Oh joy… All of the inmates at the High School have to take the mandatory California Vocational Aptitude Tests this week and next week we get to interview real people who work.

Somehow this excursion into the pseudo-science of psychology would provide an indication of a child’s future vocations. What a crock of fresh steaming cow pies. The only thing that is certain, is that the clock work of the California State’s educational bureaucracy would generate the score results in seven days. So next I get the pleasure of sitting in front of a cynical and vacuous guidance counselor from Moose Head University reeking of marijuana and beer. Then next week we’ll be subjected to mandatory Career Fair where I am supposed to talk to potential employers. They never ask if you intend to be self-employed. Maybe Reach Industries can have a booth next year? Then I can sit behind the booth and ask Snyder if he wants a janitorial job? That would be sweet.

Approaching my classroom doorway I continued my ruminations. Another almost wasted day bound to a public educational system that cannot manage to graduate more than 60% of their students with the ability to read and write English at a mere 6th grade level. At least for me I have two more CLEPS accomplished and two more nails driven deep into Snyder’s squirming brain for a monstrous Snyder sized migraine. He looked like he had food poisoning this morning. I wonder if the school secretaries put Ex-lax in his coffee again?

I had brought Snyder’s secretaries a box of nice See’s Candy chocolates each time they proctored me for one of my CLEPS. Bribery and kindness works wonders. Maybe, I shouldn’t have given them that box of chocolate covered Ex-Lax wafers with a have fun card. Naah!

Sitting down in my homeroom study class. I really do wonder what useless assessment that the CalVAT exam will spit back out for Willow, Buffy, Cordelia or I. Probably indicate that I have a future in lawn maintenance, Buffy in food service, Cordelia in cosmetics and Willow a rocket scientist, which would be the only one correct. The idiot Psychiatrists and Psychologists can’t even accomplish a single coherent definition for an insane person. They presume to be able to indicate a future ability. Might as well make book today on the President throwing away his legacy and getting impeached?

Tuesday, 2 Dec. 1997, 4:20 PM Sunnydale California

I was walking into the back service door of Warner’s Jewelry as Susan held the doors open for me. A special order that Warner’s Jewelry was going to satisfy for me. Insurance against the day when I would be forced to face some of those armored-up demons with only my edged weapons. I was pushing a cart full of swords, axes, knives, Shurikens, spears and other assorted sharp weapons. Enough to arm up a dozen slayers and myself.

I was feeling uncertain and having some pangs about this. I was going to be semi-naked for three days. But it was all for a good cause. I had told Rahjul that these weapons were destined for the Slayer and Vengeance. I also told him that they would know that it was the Kantos who had favored them with their finest craftsmanship. Rahjul had thought about it for a little and then agreed to do the job and what a job he offered. I was just hoping for a extra-sharp swords and one little-old anti-vampire spell on the blades.

Then Rahjul told me what he could really do. He also told me an epic tale. Seems it had been four hundred years since he and his clan had been asked for such a special order. Seems some brigade of knights of olde’ needed to kill a large and powerful demon. They did but only one of the knights survived the battle. None knew where the magicked weapons disappeared to or where that last warrior was buried.

Rahjul Torm was going to make them all a little extra sharp. Rajhul said that when he was done with them that each blade would cut steel like butter. That was one of his skills and special magics. Then the Kantos Clans Wizards were going to enchant the weapons. It was costing me a small fortune but it will be worth it. Four enchantments per weapon. One each for eternal sharpness, extreme resilience, extreme durability and one for sucking the life out of demons. Rahjul said that each blade would behave as if it was instantly toxic to all demons. Regardless of what magic that bound them or protected them, the blade would kill them. For humans it would still cut like a razor blade but nothing more.

After shaking Rahjul and Susan’s hands. I departed feeling better. I had work to do at Reach. But first a large stack of burger meals to take with me.

Tuesday, 2 Dec. 1997, 8:20 PM Sunnydale California

I was inside Reach assembling and wiring another ‘small’ droid for Cortana. Second shift technicians and engineers were all over at the other buildings. Concentrating on my soldering iron and the fine gauge wires I was interrupted.

Cortana neuronetting me with a priority communication flag, “Combat Threat Warning on Buffy! She’s at the Santa Rosa Ice Skating Rink with Angel. A very large demon has entered the skating rink behind them and is stalking them. … That girl!! She doesn’t have her mobile phone with her! I have no way of alerting her without also warning the demon!”

“Ok. This doesn’t sound so bad. Buffy and Angel versus one of whatever it is.”

Cortana provided additional threat information. “Yes, but this demon weighs more than both of them put together by double and is not stalking them foolishly. So this one has some brains and isn’t rushing in bellowing like a normal demon. I have not observed this demon to have any outer armor but it is dressed up like a motorcycle gang member. Leather pants, leather boots, leather jacket and a Grateful Dead T-shirt. No weapons visible.”

“This still doesn’t sound so bad for Buffy and Angel?”

“Status change. They’ve been attacked… Angel has been injured but not critically. … Buffy has just killed her demon attacker. … That was novel? She killed him with her ice skate blades.”

Cortana continued after a few moments of silence. “Hold while I monitor their situation and the facility. No additional threats to Buffy are in the area. … Angel has recognized a ring on Buffy’s attacker… He’s afraid? His body language and comments to Buffy indicate that he is very concerned. He says this demon is from the ‘Order Of Teraka’. Seems that they are an underworld society of assassins and bounty hunters. I cannot resolve the image of the ring with these cameras but I will now initiate a worldwide search for this group. They have to be paid and I can follow the money.”

I thought for a moment. “Does Buffy or Angel require support at this time?”

Cortana responded, “No, Buffy is safe and is now tending to Angel… She seems to be… fond of him.”

I was relieved and irked at both Angel and Buffy. Mostly Angel. I still didn’t like him. I didn’t like the glaring fact that this world’s Slayer was plainly infatuated with a vampire. I said to Cortana, “Ok, thanks for the heads up Cortana and step up your Sunnydale surveillance. Someone had to have hired this guy and that someone has to be here.”

Twenty seconds went by of silence then Cortana came back. “I have identified a $150,000 money transfer from our local demons favorite bank to an account in Panama, under the business name Teraka. That account has transfers to similar accounts in the Cayman Islands, Curacao Island, Switzerland, Amsterdam, London, Moscow, New York, Chicago, New Orleans, Cleveland, Atlanta and Los Angeles. A law firm called, Wolfram and Hart is also linked with payments to all of those accounts. The local account is owned by our very own Spike, under his banking account name of William H. Pratt.”

Before I could say anything Cortana came back regretfully, “Alex… You should have killed him and Drusilla, when you had them in your hands.”

Thinking hard I slowly answered, “Maybe yes and maybe no. I didn’t and I believe my reasoning at that time is still valid. I know that Spike will not change his spots. So we will just have to put a bit of caution in him. This Order of Teraka that he hired… What would they do if you took all their money and made it look like Spike stole it?”

Cortana laughing wickedly, “From Angel’s description of them, they would probably send all of their assassins after Spike.”

“Ok then. Don’t take all of their money. Just the money that Spike paid them for now. Let’s see if this redirects Spikes attention away from Buffy. Dodging a few assassins who didn’t get paid, will provide him something to fill his time rather than plotting to kill Buffy. Then you can surveil this Order of Teraka and this law firm. Maybe this law firm is paying the Teraka group to kill people? Which would put them in the evil law firm category and a higher threat to us.”

Cortana paused for two seconds, “Good ideas Alex and all now in process. What do you want to do with Spikes money?”

Chuckling now I replied, “Why don’t you create an S&P 500 stock index-fund Trust account in Buffy’s name with Vanguard Financials. Seems fitting that Spike should fund the Slayer’s college. That’ll surprise her when she gets the statement but she has been worried about being just another Slayer for the rest of her life. This might reorient her thinking. Offering her a way ahead that doesn’t include Slayer stamped on it.”

Cortana said, “Hope for humans is always good. You know Alex… if Spike ever finds out… he might just kill himself…”

I laughed softly, “We can always hope but it will not have been by my hand.”

Thirty minutes later.

A car pulled up out front and honked. Cortana said with a knowing smirk, “Looks like you have a visitor.” Cortana focused every camera outside and inside with a view of the car. On the displays it was my Saturn?!

The door opened and a long female leg in black stockings and high heels appeared. The construction workers had all stopped working across the parking lot and were Radaring her. The legs were attached to a low cut skin tight red dress, slit up to her thigh and all of it was attached to a Willow girl with red hair!

OMG! She was smoking hot!! She walked up the ramp into the warehouse and fifty construction workers were drooling a gallon at their feet. Willow va-va-voomed wiggling everything she had up into the warehouse.

My brain was gone. From my work bench I could see her myself at the door. She stopped at the open delivery door and pushed the large red button. The huge roll down door began to close. She vaboomed her way to my work table. My eyes were Radar locked on her dangerous curves. She leaned over the work table, giving me a view down her low cut blouse. She batted her eyes and blowing a seductive kiss at me said, “I… have needs… IS this what I have to do to get your attention?” She licked her red lipsticked lips.

I was a mouth breathing fish, “I… uh… erh… uh… Yes… No… Yes… I…ah…”

Shaking my head and my steaming brain loose I finally got out a few coherent words of English. “My God Willow! I almost swallowed my tongue!”

Smiling devilishly, Willow came slinking around the workbench and climbed onto my lap facing me. I was mesmerized speechless staring at her cleavage and face. Pulling my face down into her cleavage; she said in a sultry soft voice, “Time for a lunch break… big boy.”

Cortana whistling to no one but herself, as she turned off the inside cameras.

Wednesday, 3 Dec. 1997, 7:00 PM Sunnydale California

Willow and I attended our very first marriage counseling session at the parish with a group of other couples. I noted to Willow that we were the youngest there, but we were in good company. Engagements and marriage had not been John’s thing. He hadn’t even been able to hope for a future with a wife and a family. He didn’t know about his own children. His hopes were focused only on the survival of the human race and completing each mission. So I was covering new ground outside of John’s memories and experience. This was good.

Friday, 5 Dec. 1997, 1:00 PM Sunnydale California.
Thirty-two days after Warehouse purchase.

One of the trucks arriving at Reach Industries from Los Angeles in the afternoon had a hitchhiker aboard. With one duffel bag and a backpack she jumped down and surveyed the construction area and workmen. After asking for directions Kendra walked out the gate onto Haasen Street and turned northeast. Cameras slewed and followed her progress from entrance to out of sight. She was out of place.

The on duty guard witnessed her leaving and dialed a number to report. Cortana reviewed the recordings and reassessed the target girl. Cortana directed the guard to interview the truck driver.

Friday, 5 Dec. 1997, 3:30 PM Sunnydale California

Schools out and I was walking out to the parking lot looking for Willow and Buffy. My sixth sense kicked in that something wasn’t right. I felt like I was being watched. There! A young girl… in the wrong kinds of clothes even for California dress weirdness was on the other side of the street.

I watched her without looking at her. A girl with a heavy duffel bag at her feet, backpack and dangerous alertness was watching from across the street. She wasn’t watching the hundreds of milling but interesting kids or the buses or the cars. That was what was out of place. She was like an experienced combat soldier scanning rooftops for snipers, trash heaps for booby traps and shadows that didn’t belong. The mundane stuff was not for her to watch. But her awareness kept coming back to me. I must have pinged her danger meter like she had pinged mine.

I stood on the sidewalk. Waiting for Willow and Buffy – keeping an eye on the girl.

Willow arrived all bubbly but no Buffy. Willow told me that Giles had some research to do and Buffy left early after Snyder harassed her. The girl across the street was still there and kids were leaving the school grounds now. Willow kissed my cheek and hugged me.

I neuronetted Cortana, “Hey Sis, I’ve got something strange here. Do you have eyes on the School parking lot and the far side of the street? I have a human target for you. A dark skinned girl, exotic beauty, black hair with a duffel bag and a backpack is opposite the school and seems to be watching the front door to the Administrative area. Do you know her?”

Cortana said, “No, but I have been tracking her. She arrived as a hitchhiker on one of the delivery trucks to Reach Industries. According to the driver her duffel bag contains a multitude of martial arts weapons. Which included what he described as polished wooden stakes. Right now she’s not a threat and I have classified her for further surveillance. Only because of her presence at Reach Industries and the weapons.”

“Ok good job Cortana. I am heading home with Willow and plan on Tunnel Running again later tonight. See you later.”

On the way home to my house Willow talked about school stuff. I was only half listening until she said something that peaked my awareness.

Willow had worn her ruby and pink diamond ring since Sunday night. Now that she was aware of how expensive the Ruby and the Pink Kimberlite was she was very careful with it. Still all of the other girls and even Cordelia had noticed Willow’s upscaling of her wardrobe and now the flashy ring and ruby ear studs. Seems that girls and women immediately noticed real gemstones vice costume jewelry.

Willow was giving me the entire weeks girl news, “All of the girls are so jealous that you’ve given me this ring ensemble and it has made me Miss popular somehow. As if…! But they all think that I have been boffing you bow-legged for the ring and now I’m supposed to be an expert on boyfriend sex advice for all of the other girls. I mean really? I won’t even tell them that we are very much third base and all. Which I really, really do like… a lot! Why am I suddenly hot now?” Willow reached over and turned up the air-conditioning unit to full blast. She put her face and neck in front of the AC vents. “I don’t know what’s happening? I must be coming down with a cold. I’ve been having these hot flashes! I swear I’m running a temperature. Afterwards I’m hungry and then I’m horny. It started last Tuesday and yet I am so tired. I’m even going to bed early!”

I was watching her quickly between the traffic. I was now amused at her fanning antics. I wonder if the nanites are starting to work on her now? Cortana said that it would be like a low-grade fever. I wonder how long this will last?

She was fanning herself now more vigorously and started to unbutton her blouse. Willow looked at me panting, her pupils dilated and said with husky urgency, “Step on it Alex or I’m going to tear your clothes off before we even get home!”

I stepped on the gas. God help me if she likes this for the next ten years!

Tuesday, 9 Dec. 1997, 11:50 AM, Sunnydale California

Buffy, Willow, and Cordelia were standing behind me in the lunch room line.

Cortana comm’d me with a Flash Threat Alert, “Alex, the Summers next door neighbor a Mrs. Jessica Kalish, has just been murdered. A door-to-door salesman named Norman Pfister, who is a demon, just killed her. The sounds in the home indicate that she is being consumed by an insect or thousands of insects. Therefore there is a high probability that Mr. Pfister is an insectoid type of demon. Do you want me to call the Police?”

I decided quickly across my neuronet, “No! They will just scare him away and cover up the crime scene. I don’t believe that this is a coincidence. I’ll take care of it and be back for my next class.”

I leaned forward and whispered to Willow that Cortana had something for me to take care of and that I would be back for class. She kissed me quickly and urged me to hurry back.

Cordelia and Buffy watched me leaving the cafeteria with interest. I just gave them a little hand flying wave off as I left.

I rushed out a side door to my car and drove towards Buffy’s home only one mile away. My go-bag of weapons in the trunk of the car.

Cortana kept me updated about the sounds coming from the house, since there were no cameras inside. The demon target had moved the remains of Mrs. Kalesh to the dining room and was now at a window facing the Summers house. Obviously this demon was executing reconnaissance on Buffy in preparation for an attack later. An ambush.

Arriving and parking on the street two houses down the street. I went to my trunk and discretely armed myself. Putting the duffel bag over my shoulder I walked up the Kalish frontage across the grass while hugging the bushes. I carefully tried the door and it was unlocked. Opening it quickly I stepped inside. Mr. Pfister or whatever he was, was not in sight.

I neuronetted Cortana for an update. “Your target is upstairs in the room directly above you. He is standing near the window facing the Summer’s house with a good view of Buffy’s bedroom window. He has not heard you enter.”

“You still think he’s an insect?”

Cortana with certainty, “Yes, but he may actually be a hive of insects because I have heard what I have concluded to be the chattering of thousands of insects from him.”

“Well that makes this more interesting because I showed up for a fight with my sword, knives and a gun. What I really need is bigger boots. Which gives me an idea. Tell me when he moves.”

“Roger Alex.”

I moved to the kitchen and softly opened the utility cabinet beneath the sink. Thinking to myself, every house in California is always well stocked with bug spray of some kind. Ok, this one is no different. But only two cans of Raid Roach & Ant bug spray under the sink. Next stop the laundry utility area back near the garage. Excellent four more cans of bug spray, two gallons of ammonia and one gallon of bleach and one bucket. I cut open the ammonia and bleach bottles leaving a wide mouth on each but retaining the handle. I poured all of the soap into the bucket and then poured the ammonia over the soap. Using my Tanto knife I stirred the mix and then thinned it with tap water to a sticky but throwable mix. I then began emptying three of the bug spray cans into the bucket. Then I removed all of the spray cans of starch, craft paints and varnish from the cabinet into the now empty clothes basket.

Finally I was ready. “Cortana is he still in the same location?”

“Yes, he has not moved from the room.”

“Ok I am going to setup in the kitchen and when I’m ready I’ll lure him down.”

Cortana sounding slightly worried, “Alex, be carefully.”

I moved my chemicals, the spray cans and the bucket into the kitchen near the sink. There I removed the cooking oils from the cabinet and poured them on the counter and floor between my position and dining room forming a sticky moat barrier. I found the kitchen matches noting to myself that I needed to add matches and a Zippo lighter to my tactical vest and go-bags.

Finally ready I loudly called out, “Honey I’m home!” Waiting a few seconds I then started banging some kitchen ware around and turned on the sink faucet. Then I started singing badly.

Cortana alerted me, “He’s moving down the stairs and will be visible in five seconds.”

I waited nervously. No armor to protect me. I was vulnerable but still determined. With the bucket handle in my left hand out of sight behind the kitchen bar island and all of the spray cans behind my back in the sink.

Mr. Pfister walked quietly around the corner and I asked him, “Who are you and where’s Mrs. Kalish?” I already knew the answer but still wanted to hear what this creature would say?

Mr. Pfister’s eyes were wrong and he stepped with quiet menace to the edge of the kitchen tile. I needed him just two feet closer and clear of the bar island. I cocked my head and raised my eyebrows. “What!? A bird got your tongue?”

Mr. Pfister moved one step closer. I was losing patience with this demon. So with my right hand I picked up a kitchen carving knife from the block and threw it at Pfister’s head. I was fast and Pfister wasn’t fast enough. The knife struck his face at the bridge of the nose and passed through him sticking into the wall with a small plop of bug juice and bug parts. It did have the benefit of crushing some of Pfister’s hive and getting Pfister to step fully into the kitchen. Pfister did surprise me in that he began to shrink in height as his insectoid makeup began to flow across the floor towards me. It looked like a million cockroaches three inches deep coming at me.

I turned my left hip towards Pfister bringing the bucket and my right hand gripped the bottom. As I threw the sticky poison mess across the kitchen at the diminishing frame of Pfister I yelled, “Bug ugly!” I inhaled a great breath and held it.

The toxic mess splashed across Pfister and the floor. The caustic ammonia vapor mixed with insecticide poisons filled the room almost instantly. Fortunately the vaporous brew was heavier than air and began to settle. The roaches on the floor hit the sticky oil. Some were stuck in the oil and others stopped; then began looking for a way around giving me time to remove the other bug spray cans and begin to spray even more insecticides. It was a bug slaughter.

Less than a tenth of the remaining hive bugs alive tried to retreat to the front door but I followed them. This time I threw the bucket full of bleach at the tiled door entrance and splashing them with bleach. The mixture of ammonia and bleach reacted instantly on the roach like bugs. They were trapped and dying fast. I was stomping on bugs and using two cans of hair spray that I had lit into blow torches. The bugs not crushed were burned and melted into the liquefying carpet.

Finally the stench in the house was too much for me. I needed to breath and a breath here was poison to even me. I opened the glass sliding patio doors. I quickly went outside on the back patio. Gasping great gulps of air. Trying to over oxygenate myself.

While outside I comm’d Cortana between huge gasps of clean air, “All done Sis. The bug demon guy, which you were right about, he was an insect hive. That was freaky when he turned into about a million cockroaches.”

Cortana replied, “Well? Your making this girl wait… How did you kill him?!”

I chuckled, “I raided the kitchen and utility closets for bug killer insecticides, a bucket and caustic chemicals. Bug killing with modern chemistry, Cortana. Besides, the toxic vapors in the house almost killed me before I could get outside.”

Cortana still concerned, “Is the entire insectoid hive dead? Are you safe?”

“I’m safe for now Cortana and I got them all. Right now I’m outside and I will have to go back inside to clean up a little. Mrs. Kalish is very dead and mostly eaten. I’ll leave her bones where she is but I’ll clean up my fingerprints.”

“Please, stay outside for awhile and purge the gases from your lungs and blood stream. If you can before you leave, please get me a sample of the creature for study?”

“Ok Cortana, I’ll wait three minutes before going back inside and clean up. I’ll contact you again after I leave the house.”

I found Pfister’s luggage bag upstairs and one pair of cheap Kmart binoculars. His luggage had some cosmetics on one side and the other was very dirty socks and a bag of moldy flour. Along with some blood stained rope and a couple of blood stained knives.

Going back downstairs I sat the luggage down and proceeded to clean up the crime scene. A bottle of 409 spray degreaser soap and a bar towel took care of my fingerprints and I put everything that I had not used away. Everything else went into the bucket. The dead bugs stayed where they were although I Zip-lock bagged a few samples for Cortana. In the carpet in the dining room I found a golden ring with a curious symbol on it. Like a floral version of an eight legged upside down octopus.

I spoke to the air and to Cortana, “This ring must bear the symbol for the Order of Teraka?” Examining the ring closely to see if it had anything hidden or dangerous on it, I found nothing. Putting the ring in my pocket and picking up the bucket full of now trash I walked out the door locking it behind me.

After leaving the residential neighborhood, I comm’d Cortana. “Hey Sis, I am on my way back to school. Can you call 911 now and anonymously report a murder or strange screaming?”

Cortana relieved that he was now safely away, “Good! The call will include her voice screaming and then a horrible sounding murder from Mrs. Kalesh’s own telephone… I love a good drama.”

“That will get them Sis. I’m pulling into the back of Azod’s Acme furniture to drop the trash. Can you kill or spoil all the cameras in this area?”

“Roger that Alex. I will erase everything along the entire route until you are back to school.”

I stopped at the back of Azod’s furniture store where they had three large dumpsters and I tossed the trash, bucket and all.

While driving out of Azod’s alley I comm’d Cortana again, “Hey Sis, I almost forgot but our Mr. Pfister was a member of the Order of Teraka like the other guy.”

“How do know this Alex? Did he tell you this?”

Smirking a little I replied, “No he didn’t say anything but he did leave behind a nice gold man’s ring with an unusual symbol on it. I’m sure that you will want to scan it.”

“Bring it to me tonight, please.”

“If you insist but for now I’m starving after that little workout. See you tonight Sis.”

One block away I stopped at a Wendy’s restaurant and grabbed a triple burger super-size combo and ate it on the way. Parking my car just as the bell rang for next period to begin. I ran inside to my locker to get my books for my next class, narrowly missing Principal Snyder. Arriving four minutes late to class, apologizing I sat down in my usual seat.

Cordelia noted the time and the cleaning smells that came off Xander as he walked by. She said nothing but wondered where he had been and what he had been doing.

Wednesday, 10 Dec. 1997, 15:40 PM Sunnydale California
Sunnydale High School.

I’d just stepped out the back side door nearest to my lockers to head to my car and escape this institution and what did my eyes spy? But Larry, Curly, Moe and Shep waiting for me.

The four stooges and four lineman on the High School football team. Obviously Larry and his jock posse never did learn from the first experience. No accounting for brains or the Public School system of California.

It took these geniuses a month to decide to come after me. Before Larry could say a word I dropped my school backpack and gave them a feral toothy smile. I didn’t need any weapons for this. I was the weapon courtesy of John and the Spartan training cadre.

Larry, Dan, Ray, and Bart were fanned out across my path eight feet from me. All members of the same brute squad since they were stealing and shaking down other hapless students since the eighth grade. Larry started off, by crackling his knuckles and smirking.

Larry boasted, “Ya’got lucky last time Xander and now you’re gonna pay. We’re gonna Frack ya up and den shear you.”

All talk and no action so I jumped forward and had to slow myself down so that I didn’t kill them. Bullies and thugs never expect their sheep to turn into wolves and get in the first blow. One thing John learned was if you want to win, you always do what they don’t suspect.

Larry was dead center on the sidewalk and my first target with an uppercut to his solar plexus. He folded around my entire arm, whoofing out all of his wind. I grabbed his hair and jerked his head back kicking the back of his knee. For now he went down and wasn’t going to be doing situps at PE for a month. Before he hit the ground, I spun clockwise and hit his number two, Bart. Bart was the dumbest of the lot and the biggest physically. My left elbow hit the bridge of his nose and blood splashed his face. My striking momentum knocked him over backwards. I felt his entire nose and upper jaw break. He began howling in pain through his blood splattered face. Dan was now furthest to my left and Ray was at my back. Dan had started to move towards me and Ray was backing up to chicken out. Larry’s bag was at my feet so I stooped down, pulled a hardbound text book out and tossed it like a frizz-bee at Ray hitting him in the face. He cried out in pain and staggered backwards.

None of these guys were going to get away unscarred from this social athletic session. They all needed a school of hard-knocks lesson. I turned to Dan and clothesline slammed him. My forearm took him at the side of his neck as we met. My blow swept him off his feet and dropped him on the grass. He laid there stunned and gasping looking up at me with eyes that barely focused.

Four up and four down in six seconds. I didn’t once risk hurting my hands on these idiots.

Ray wasn’t down like the other three but he was on his knees crying holding his bruised face from the book bashing him. He was going to be black and blue and all puffed up from that hit. I deplored damage to a good book but it gave Ray a lesson that he obviously hadn’t gotten from his parents.

The other three would be in pain for the next month. I stepped over to Larry and lifted him by his belt buckle to get him to breathe without gasping like a landed fish. I straightened out his folded up legs. He’d be moving again with a limp in twenty minutes.

Bart was still rolling around on the grass bleeding all over himself and whimpering like a beat dog. He was going to go through our Christmas break sucking all his meals through a straw.

Ray still wasn’t moving from where he lay unfocused. Probably wondering what planet he woke up on?

I went back to the elevated door steps and picked up my bag. No witnesses except Cortana.

I quickly stepped down and headed out to the parking lot and my car. I left the losers where they lay.

They had oddly satisfied my hormonal male need for violence that day. I walked away whistling.

I’ll probably be hearing from Snyder first thing tomorrow morning about this. That assumes that he even accepts their story that the four of them got beat up by little ole’ slacker Xander.

I’ll cop the Bart Simpson’s Defense.

Wednesday, 10 Dec. 1997, 6:30 PM Sunnydale California
Alex and Roary’s home.

Simon and Shalomar Bouviare were in the arms of Roary and Karen crying. The front room was now host to David and Mrs. Sophia Tielkind, her elder brother Mark and Mrs. Marilyn Bouchard and finally Frank and Mrs. Alice Kump with their daughter.

The children’s bags were packed and ready. They were no longer starving waifs in ragged clothes, all of their meager possessions in one cigar box and a small blanket roll. Now they had enough clothes and possessions to fill a minivan. Although Simon still kept his cigar box close.

I had been afraid of this… now painful parting. Karen and Roary had come to love the children and the children loved them. I was going to miss the little scamps myself. But this was… necessary. The children needed to be with a good Brachen family and they really needed to be far away from the dangers of Sunnydale.

Roary, Karen and I had spoken to Mark Bouchard earlier and had been introduced to the young family that had passed the Clans strict filtering to act as guardian parents for the orphans. For Frank and Alice Kump this was a great honor for the Clan and themselves. From what Roary, Karen and I had seen, they were already good parents. Alice herself was six months pregnant with her second baby and her firstborn, Sharon, was Shalomar’s age. So being a Mom was not new for her. Frank owned three successful franchise restaurants and a hardware store in Eugene, Oregon.

I took both children aside into the kitchen and hugged them both. Looking each in the eyes I again affirmed that they always had a home here and that Cortana would always be watching over them. “Remember you two, if you ever just want to talk to Cortana, the only thing you need to do is pick-up any telephone and dial *626.” Both children nodded vigorously. “I expect great things from you both when you grow up. I hope… We all hope that at that far off time, you will both return and work with me. Help with my great mission.” Both children nodded their heads again.

I shook Simon’s small hand and said only for him to hear, “When we first met, you bravely guarded your sister. At that time… I don’t know why… but you both have an important destiny. The next part of your life is just starting and I need you to continue guarding your sister. Can you do this for your parents and me?”

Simon squeezed my hand and firmly answered, “Yes!”

Nodding my head to Simon, I turned to Shalomar and hugged her. Buried in my arms I spoke to her alone, “I will miss my little oracle. I need you to help keep the darkness from your brother’s heart. He will need your help to do this.”

Shalomar, her eyes closed, she whispered in my ear, “Your greatest fear, the Covenant races, are broken and no more. Each destroyed by Goa’uld ships raining fire. Soon you will fight and kill a Goa’uld princeling on Earth. Lost here long ago it still lives. The doorway of the stars is now open.”

Shalomar’s eyes fluttered open and she kissed my cheek. Releasing me she went with her brother into the front room.

Still down on my knees, I was flabbergasted at her final statement to me. I stood slowly and followed the children outside. I neuronetted Shalomar’s prophecy to Cortana, if that’s what to call it.

Out at the cars and in the presence of David Tielkind, I handed the saving account pass book and ATM access card to Mark Bouchard. Saying to them both, “Our mutual acquaintance, Mr. V, set this up for both childrens care until they’re of age. He has also promised an additional amount for their college educations. He said that this is such a small reward for such bravery and courage.” Mark took the book and card from me looking at it, then back to me. “I take it they don’t know the gifts that… Mr. V has given them?”

I answered with a shrug, “No they don’t.”

Mark looked at David and then back at me, “You have my word, this will not be squandered.” Looking at the kids all buckled up in the Kump’s van, he turned back to me. “They will be safe from vampires in Eugene. There are some local witches and wizards who are most adept at anti-vampire spells. Spells that kill vampires and evil demons.”

We shook hands and Mark went to Frank and Alice now sitting in their car seats. He spoke to them quietly and handed the passbook and card to them. They were very surprised.

Roary, Karen and I stood on the sidewalk and waved goodbye as the children drove off to their new future. No one had a dry eye.

The house was quiet with the children gone. Empty except for Karen’s noises in the kitchen.

I comm’d Cortana. “Sis, about Shalomar’s vision statement? If she’s correct then this Earth doesn’t have a Covenant to fight. But we have a different Empire to fight and maybe sooner. These Goa’uld sound like they’re as tough as the Covenant. She said that I’ll fight one that has been marooned here for some time. Which implies that the Goa’uld have been here before and therefore know the location of Earth. This doorway to the stars maybe a magic portal of some kind. If the Goa’uld are using it then this doorway becomes a high priority task to find and close. I wonder if it gives off some kind of aura like the Hellmouths?”

Cortana replied, “It would be good thing the Covenant’s been destroyed but she did not indicate how far back in history this occurred. She implied that these Goa’uld destroyed the individual races before they became the Covenant. From my universe we knew that the Covenant had been a polity of three species for at least 5,000 years. Adding two others only in the last 500 hundred years. These Goa’uld have starships and energy weapons from her description but we know nothing else about them. This ‘doorway to the stars’ maybe the result of magic or technology. For now because the Goa’uld have starships we can assume that this door is technological. If we can’t destroy it then we can turn it off and keep it off. This does not change our goal. Our goal since arriving here is to safeguard this planet and give humans a fighting chance against whatever is out there in space. Only the name of our enemy has changed.”

Our speculations were just that without hard information. “Your right Sis. Only the name has changed. Our Goals have not. We have a problem… With the Covenant we had known enemy, known technology, weapons, tactics and strategy. Now we are at square one for intelligence. But since they may have been here before maybe there are some legends about them? Maybe Giles old books may have something? Maybe they left some hardware behind that we can detect and examine?”

“It will be four weeks before my first set of covert library droids will be ready to begin securely scanning Giles library books. Ten to twelve weeks later I will have enough library droids to deploy to the Watcher’s Council libraries and then to the great libraries of the world. For now I can search open literature that is online for any mention of ancient visitors but I will have to sort through the mass of UFO and tin-foil-hat conspiracy stuff to find anything that is possibly useful. Unfortunately there are too many ignorant humans on this world who can’t tell the difference between an SR-71 aircraft or meteor and a real alien ship.”

I focused on an idea, “Shalomar said that this lost Goa’uld princeling was still alive… That implies that these Goa’uld are long lived or have hibernation cylinders. So look for reports of an individual that seems to be the same person across the centuries. That might be a better lead to attack.”

“You’re right Alex. The internet is full of trash on various people sighting UFO’s and loads of speculation but nothing concrete. Any aggressive or predatory Empire that showed up would leave lots of dead humans around, smashed cities, their trash and impact the culture.”

“If this marooned Goa’uld guy is long lived. We would most likely have indicators inside government databases and personnel folders. Maybe history books. But when we find him? I’ll take him quietly. We need information and he will sing. One way or another.”

Cortana said, “You’re correct. His knowledge and even his dead body will provide us the information we need to begin a proper threat assessment.”

“Well this is not a high priority right now Cortana. Assign a low priority process to look for this Goa’uld and any language or spelling variations. We need to keep focused on our current enemies and our schedule. I’m going to go to bed Sis. We’ll talk again tomorrow. Goodnight Sis.”

“Goodnight Alex.”

Thursday, 11 Dec. 1997, 7:30 AM Sunnydale California
Thirty-eight days after Warehouse purchase.

This morning twelve trucks arrived filled with all of the racks of electronics, computers, super-computers, giant display screens, data-center mass storage drives, custom computer consoles. All destined for Nefertiti Systems first Data Center. This time a small army of skilled workmen, electronics, networking and computer technicians, began arriving to install all of it.

All of this was the newest, the best and the fastest that their money could buy. Now with names on the sides like EMC, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Compaq, ALR Microsystems, Oracle, Sun Microsystems, Silicon Graphics, Cray, Juniper, Cisco, Atlas, SonicWall and others.

Cortana and I were both very pleased. Reach and Nefertiti were looking good.

Willow will be like a cat with cream when she gets a look at all of these computers. I chuckled at that vision.

Thursday, 11 Dec. 1997, 10:30 AM Sunnydale California

Willow and I were both at our assigned Career Fair rooms when a series of gun shots rang out. First one gunshot and then a series of four more.

I snatched up my school bag and bolted into the hallway. The shooting began again and I ran towards the shooting. Kids were fleeing or laying down confused trying to be small.

I comm’d Cortana, “Sis! Call 911 right now, shots fired inside the school! Sounds like its coming from the southwestern wing hallways.” No time to retrieve a knife or other weapon. I dropped my bag.

Cortana came back worried, “Calling it in already and please tell me that you aren’t going towards the shooting?”

I replied sarcastically, “How did you know? Listen only for now!”

I pushed a sophomore girl down who was the only one still standing in the hallway, as I rounded a corner just in time to see thirty yards away the exotic dark haired girl fighting with a uniformed Police women holding a small gun. I noticed immediately; the exotic girl as Slayer fast and had some good moves. The Police women’s gun isn’t Police issue and she is also inhumanly fast and strong. Not good!

I spoke to Cortana giving my observations while I moved forward slowly to observe. “Targets sighted! One is the exotic girl from last week and the other is dressed as a Police woman. Right now only the Police woman has a gun. Designate fake police woman as hostile and label her Bertha.”

The police woman, now named by me as Bertha, kicked the exotic girl in the stomach hard and down. Then Bertha turned towards me running.

She was brutishly knocking down any kid in her way like a thug. I grabbed a thick text book off a student and pulled my steel ink pen from my pocket. Both closing to a merge. Bertha’s gun hand is rising towards me and I tossed the book at her. I was now in Spartan time, which for me was surreal without my armor. But I saw the gun flash and the bullet in-flight. Microseconds now like half a minute. The bullet hit the book as I was now sliding on one knee to the right of Bertha out of her line of fire. As we passed, I lashed out with my steel pen. Driving it into her arm six inches behind the web of her gun hand through muscle and bone. She began to scream in rage as she dropped the small gun. She pulled me to my feet as she spun around. I was tossed still gripping the pen as it tore loose from her arm. Bertha recovered her spin, still screaming and clutching her wounded arm, she kept running towards the fire escape door. I hit the wall hard.

I slid down the wall watching her disappear out the door. Looking down at the pen, her blood was a bright sticky orange, not red.

Comming Cortana, “Sis, target police woman has just left the Southwestern door number 2. . Classify her as non-human demon, hostile to humans and track her for me. I have a sample of her tissue and blood for you. I will deliver it tonight for the samples freezer. If you can track her to her lair… I’ll take care of her myself. Tell 911 they are going to need multiple ambulances here. Xander out.”

I stood up slowly, I was hurt. Bruised but no breaks or punctures. Some of the kids in the hallway’s eyes were wide and terrified. Some terrified looking at me, the orange blood coating my hand and the dagger like pen. I ignored them and walked past them headed for the science wing and biology class. I needed a clean sample bag or container for my pen and the blood, right now. Then the tissue could go into the biology rooms refrigerator. Passing a fire alarm I pulled it down. The alarms began ringing and students like trained dogs began their fire drill procedure.

Three minutes later the school fire alarm was still ringing and I was now walking outside to join all of the other students. My hands were clean and washed. “Hey Cortana, I am all OK now and the sample is safe for later. What can you tell me so far?”

I watched the fire trucks pull up out front just as the second police car and another ambulance arrived. I was looking for Willow, Buffy and the exotic girl who had been tussling with Bertha.

Cortana was not happy, “You are an Idiot!! Running towards a gun fight with no gun and no body armor of any kind! You could have been killed or wounded! Where would this planet be then!? Not to mention Willow and I?! Your fiancée who isn’t even your wife yet and loves you so dearly that it is all she can do to NOT jump you every day and night. She would kill you herself if she had seen what you did.”

Cortana was not happy was an understatement.

Finally spinning down from her fire and flame Cortana muttered, “Ok Alex, I’m done now. I know that you will ignore me but please don’t do that again. Not until we can get you some Class II Kevlar body armor to wear. It’s not much but it will stop a handgun bullet.”

“You know that I love you Cortana. I love Willow to… but did you say that she is having some… difficulty?”

“Alex when it comes to women you are almost as clueless as John. Willow calls me every day and we talk like best friends for life sisters. Which I do enjoy and I really like her. But she is taking cold showers twice a day because of you. As she says, ‘her home run bell is not just ringing but it is clangin’ so you had better be careful with her otherwise she is going to ravage you. I mean ravage. So you had better control yourself. Otherwise she will need a double-wide maternity Prom dress.”

I was in mild shock at Cortana’s description of Willow. “Oooo-Kay Sis. Thanks for the heads-up. Its’ been hard for me to restrain myself. Especially after last Tuesday night… Wow! … I didn’t know that she was also having a terrible time… Do you think that my nanites could be affecting her like this?”

“Silly boy. Yes and Yes! She has it worse than you because you got yours magically and a full dose all at once. Remember that first two weeks where you slept constantly and ate everything that couldn’t flee in terror from you? She’s getting it by small transfers so the nanites are just starting out on her and they will not be at full titrate in her blood stream for years. The human body has trillions of cells that the nanites must alter. Although at the rate that you both are hoovering each other she maybe getting a ten years dosage in one year.”

Chastened, I asked with deep concern for Willow’s health. “Is she in any danger?”

Cortana still on a protective warpath, “Only from loving you too much. I mean really! If I was corporeal, I would slap her once every day to bring her around and then I would slap you twice for being… being you!”

Still worried about Willow, “Cortana what can she and I expect as the nanites colonize her and alter her?”

Cortana now clinical, “Since she is sixteen the UNSC medical database record has millions of case histories for girls her age. She will continue to grow instead of slowing down and stopping by age eighteen like normal human females. So she will gain maybe four inches height and her body will become more… shapely. Her bust is now a B cup and before the nanites are finished she will be at least one cup larger. A pregnancy will accelerate her hip and breast development. She will continue to experience the symptoms of the nanite replication growth. Which she has correctly described as hot flashes followed by strong hunger and aggressive sexual urges. Without our Bio-Medical labs setup as yet, I cannot make any prediction based on how much longer this will go on. At the rate you two are trading fluids, I could only guess somewhere between one and five years.”

I was now feeling very sorry for putting Willow through the change. Someday even Karen and Roary would fall under the nanites colonization symptoms. For them this might not be so bad. They’re adults and soon to be married. But for Willow and I, this was dangerous. “Have you told her this yet?”

“No… Do you want me to?” Cortana started laughing at my predicament.

Resigned to facing Willow with this, “No, I’ll do it this afternoon and then you can fill her in on the rest of it. She needs to know and we both need cold showers.”

Just then I spotted Willow and Buffy. Buffy I noted was talking to the police but exotic girl was not around.

I comm’d Cortana as I walked to the girls, “Hey Sis, I’m approaching Buffy and Willow in the parking lot. Buffy is talking to Sunnydale’s finest. Did you ever find out who the exotic girl is?”

“Funny you should ask that? Yes I’ve known who she is since last Friday afternoon.”

I was instantly miffed, “Why am I only hearing about this now?”

“She is no threat to you, Willow or as of yesterday Buffy. She introduced herself to Giles last Friday afternoon, after you left the campus with Willow. He likes her by the way. She introduced herself to Buffy in a vigorous fashion yesterday at Angel’s house. She doesn’t like Angel by the way.”

I quipped, “You’re starting to annoy me Sis. I’ve already guessed that she’s a Slayer because she has all of the characteristics. So what’s her name?”

Laughing at her joke on Alex, Cortana replied saucily, “Well ten points for you and yes you are correct, she is a Slayer. Her name is Kendra Young and she originally came from the Island of Jamaica. Her Watcher is in England right now and she is reporting to Giles temporarily. Her mission here is to observe and report on you… as Vengeance. Seems that even the Watcher’s Council has heard of you since every vampire and demon that has fled Sunnydale for safer locations has carried some sort of tall tale about you. The consistent theme here is that the Watcher’s Council right now thinks that you are an Old One and they are re-reading every musty book and scroll that they own looking for some mention of you.”

“Ok Sis, I’m confused right now. I thought there can only be one Slayer in all the world or some such rot. At least that’s what the Watcher’s Guide Book says.”

Laughing now at Alex’s expense, “Yes, that is what the book says. But Giles thinks that you got in the way and created the second Slayer.”

“Give me a break Cortana! How can I create a Slayer? I’m not some magical pixie dust boy, creating Slayers willy-nilly.” I exclaimed in growing frustration.

“No breaks for you Alex, unless I get to hit you with a two-by-four across the back of your head.”

“Oh! Common!! Tell me what Giles said.”

Cortana having too much fun with Alex. “The key is the last sentences in the paragraph from the Watcher’s Guide Book. Remember, “She is The Slayer. When one Slayer dies, the next is called.’ Tah!-Dah!!”

I was still frustrated and confused, “So what! I didn’t conjure up a Slayer.”

“Alex, you are so dense. Stop looking at Willow for a moment and concentrate. I will spell it out for you. Last year did Buffy die?”

A glowing light bulb appearing over the dim recesses of my skull, lighting my grey cells and bringing bad memories back to the fore. “She… died for one minute. She suffocated in a pool of water. I… did Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) on her. … I revived her.”

“Bingo Alex! I am so proud of you now. You really do have a brain. So keep thinking a mile out in front. What happened next?”

“I split the magic Slayer mojo spell and now there are two Slayers for fighting vampires. I created the second Slayer… This means that I inadvertently found a magic spell loophole!”

“Yah! Alex! You found a loophole so what does it now mean to have two Slayers?”

With growing determination now, “This means we can have a Slayer Army to fight the vampires!”

Cortana now alarmed at where I was going, “Wait a minute Alex! What are you thinking of doing?!”

I was speculating for Cortana now. “I’ve seen Buffy in action. Both before she was dead and afterwards. She still has the full Slayer package with no degradation in Slayer powers. - From watching Kendra today… I would say that she also has the full Slayer package. Not just a half piece of it. - Which implies that the Slayer magical pool of superpowers is actually a vast ocean and the Slayer only gets a small part of it. Just enough to fight the vampires and no more. Those ancient Wizards or Shamans who cast the spell must have put a throttle on it so that the human girls would not turn into an Old One with near god-like powers or just blow up from the magical energy.”

Cortana now surprised at my leap of intuition. “Alex! Please don’t kill Buffy! Even if it is for just one minute. You can’t do that to her just because it will create another Slayer.”

With a maniacal laugh I stated, “Ok Sis, I won’t kill Buffy. I’ll kill Kendra!”

“No! Alex! You can’t go around killing Slayer girls! It is so…. Wrong!”

Slowing down my ‘crazed’ genius homicidal plans. “Ok, let’s talk about this. You and John killed millions of Covenant in a vast interstellar war and also a few thousand humans before the Covenant war started. So why is it wrong for me to kill one, just one, little teenage girl for only one minute?”

“Alex… You just can’t. What we did before was during war and you should know better than most that in war lot’s of bad things happen. You can’t kill a girl who is not a threat to you or to other humans, especially without their permission.”

“Damn! You don’t play fair Sis! You are pushing my duty, honor, morals and what’s left of my gentleman buttons.”

After a long pause thinking, I came back with a new argument. “Ok you win. But I’m going to ask both of them if I can kill them a few times. If they say yes, then I get to kill me a Slayer… and do CPR on them again.”

“ALEX!!! There is NO way either of them will let you kill them even once!”

“You’re probably right about that but there’s no harm in asking, is there?” I was starting to plead. Why couldn’t she see that this would be for the greater good of humanity?

Ok Alex, I’ll go along… but ONLY if you do the asking in the presence of Willow and someplace where I have lots of cameras on you. I want to record for posterity the moment when you get beaten like a drum by Buffy, Kendra and Willow all at the same time.”

After a pause for reflection Cortana continued, “Alex, you found one loophole in the Slayer magic spell. Don’t you think you can find another loophole that doesn’t involve killing Buffy or Kendra?”

Reluctantly I agreed, “Ok it’s a deal. For now. No, I’m not certain of anything when it comes to the Slayer magic. Even the Watcher’s don’t know much about the people or the spell that created the Slayers. Buffy and I found the loophole by pure chance. Finding another while the contract or the spell is secret from us would be a slim and none proposition. The bottom line is that this planet full of humans, needs more Slayers and I’m still going to ask them. It will be their decision and we can attempt to do this as safely as we can. … Can you imagine what a group of six or eight Slayers in just ODST armor could do to the demon population?”

“I warned you… and I do want this all on video because I think I could sell it to one of those ‘funniest video’ TV shows. I mean Alex Harris, CEO of Reach Industries, being slapped silly by three brassed-off teenage girls.”

“Well, now that you put it like that… Hey! This is sounding more like blackmail to me?! Are you really going to shop the video to TV or just show it to all my friends for the next 600 birthdays that I have?”

Cortana sounding sweet and innocent, “Not blackmail Alex, just a business opportunity. But I will show the video at every Birthday and Christmas party that you have until you finally die of embarrassment.”

“My God! Cortana, you are my evil sister!” She was right and it galled me. My argument was based on a complete lack of morals and character. I was better than that. I hoped that most humans would be better. I would ask them politely and respect their decisions.

Cortana began laughing at me. “Before you go slobbering all over Willow tonight… I have a status update on your target labeled ‘Bertha’.

All business now I paused and asked, “Go for update.”

“Your target is still wearing the Police woman uniform, her right arm is heavily bandaged and she has all new guns. She has entered Bleeker Memorial Cemetery from the eastern gate entrance and is heading towards the older section. I’ll lose her in the trees shortly. When she reappears, I’ll alert you. When you decide to intercept her… Please, wear your armor this time?”

Something about Bertha set me off. I couldn’t put my finger on it. Just a feeling. She had to go. Permanently and soon. “Roger that, Cortana.”

Thursday, 11 Dec. 1997, 7:00 PM Sunnydale California
Thirty-eight days after Warehouse purchase.

The first shift of electronics and computer workers had left for the day and the second shift had taken over. Meanwhile as each section of equipment was brought online Cortana went to work auto loading the machines with a new and improved Operating System. Depending upon the computer system or network switching system some got 23rd Century software, some got a hybrid of 23rd to 25th Century and the larger systems got 26th Century software. Each received the best that the limited Central Processing Units of these computers could handle.

Cortana had trained two selected groups of new Reach and Nefertiti employees to aid her in her ‘upgrades’. The largest group was busy with firmware chip upgrades and the other group was aiding Cortana with the Operating System and software loading from one image server.

The hardware installation technicians and manufacturers representatives were alarmed initially but the customer was always right and the customer said to ignore what the wizards were doing. What the wizards were doing and the configuration of the massive arrays of hard disk drives and servers, was absolutely unique. The manufacturing reps took notes. Even though they were not privy to the software they were smart enough to see that this configuration of super-scalable network addressable arrays of servers and storage was sellable to others.

Cortana was now a bit happier, soon no more hiding inside the molycircuits and optical arrays of his Mjolnir armor or inside University and DARPA mainframes. When she was out and about across the networks she was scattered occupancy inside far flung mainframes and super-computers. Soon she would have a home base or two of her own here in Sunnydale.

I could tell she was pleased, across our private neuralnet she was uncharacteristically whistling and giggling.

Willow was… being Willow. She was in love with computers and singing the Sound of Music! She was running her hands across the gleaming equipment as she wandered through the rows of brand new networked computer systems equipment. She had never seen so many… computers in her entire life! None of it was Windows 95 or MS-DOS! Via her radio headset she and Cortana were carrying on a non-stop girl-to-girl friend conversation. A conversation not once touching on the subjects of makeup or fashion or the latest vapid Hollywood television show. Cortana the 26th Centuries finest computer infiltrator and systems cracker passing on trade-secrets to her best girl-friend human hacker.

I was following their rapid fire conversation on the one channel while listening to Cortana whistling on the neuralnet. It had been disconcerting at first when the capability was first demonstrated to me weeks ago but it was becoming almost natural now. The closest analogy would be to listening into two different conversations going on at a party. One conversation at each shoulder and you are in the middle. If you are smart and fast enough to keep track of each conversation, it wasn’t disconcerting. Plus with the advantage of 26th Century biomedical implants, wetware, that was perfectly capable of recording each conversation for analysis, synthesis and playback later.

I was happy about the work progress on the Reach and Nefertiti facilities but I was happier that Cortana… my sister and Willow my fiancée were bonding so deeply. Some of the things that they talked about I had little interest in like cracking and hacking computers but when they talked about me… I wanted to be a gentleman and tune them out but I couldn’t. My curiosity though was appalling. If boys knew how girls talked about them, they would all die from embarrassment!

I was no different. Occasionally the girls would dissect every little clueless verbal mistake I made that would offend or appall a female, every clueless act. Then they would discuss my… other attributes in such detail that I would turn bright red and finally be forced to turn off the radio channel.

Cortana was on many levels positively gleeful! Cortana didn’t believe that her life could get better than this evening. She had new toys to play with, talking to her Best-Friend-Forever (BFF) Willow and best of all, embarrassing Alexander.

Thursday, 11 Dec. 1997, 10:20 PM Sunnydale California

I had just dropped Willow off at her house and was heading over to my house when Cortana came on the neuronet.

“Target Intel Updates Alex. First up our target Bertha has now entered and exited Bleeker Memorial Cemetery via the eastern entrance. This now confirms a total of three times. Her path through the cemetery has not varied. Our security camera installation teams have installed all new cameras and audio microphones in and around the cemetery so I have fairly good coverage. I now know which mausoleum she is entering. I have high confidence that she is visiting with her contracting principle Spike. In addition I have her lair fixed at the old Coast Motel, room 63, on Higuera Street near Hwy 1.”

With John’s memories, I was already cold and calculating my assault. “Excellent work Cortana. She’s predictable. So where do we take her at? Her motel room or the cemetery?”

Cortana contributing, “You know she’s smarter than the normal demon, strong, almost slayer fast and absolutely ruthless. If you assault her at the motel she may use local humans as shields again or she may have installed booby traps in her room as a ‘poison-pill’.”

I was still thinking angles, contingencies and vulnerabilities at the motel vice the cemetery. “Yes you’re right about the risks at the motel but I don’t think she’s into fixed defenses. She’s an assassin. An up-close and personal type of assassin who likes to use a handgun or knife at close range. No, she’s into being mobile and completely flexible in action. Still we need to put surveillance into her room or from next door taps. Have one of your Private Eye’s (PI) rent the room next door to her and install covert cameras and audio mics. If it looks like she is moving to try for Buffy again, I’ll deal with her immediately and no matter where she is. But I don’t think she will tonight. Maybe tomorrow night.”

“Good idea Alex. I’m talking to my favorite PI now. He’ll get it done. His camera surveillance equipment is a bit obsolete… but the audio mics will work fine. So I’m going to order sets of new surveillance equipment for him as a bonus. It won’t help us right now but will later.”

By this time I was sitting in my car parked in my own driveway. “You did say updates… Cortana. So what else should I know tonight?”

“Second update is that Buffy is patrolling alone tonight because Angel has gone missing since Tuesday. Buffy is searching for Angel more than she’s hunting for vampires to kill. Tonight Buffy is more into beating them to death rather than staking them. In fact she has been questioning them as she beats them to death. Right now she’s headed for a seedy bar, that we already have a folder on, called the ‘The Alibi Room’ near South Higuera and also near the Coast Motel. I got that snippet of conversation from the vampires cell telephone. The owner is a low-life with a Sunnydale Police record named Willy Durante. Oddities in his records suggest that he is a demon or maybe half-demon and our new Brachen demon friends did not have good things to say about him. He has no known wife or children but he does have family members in Hawaii, Los Angeles, Kansas City, New Orleans and Chicago.”

Imagining Buffy interrogating vampires by beating them brought a smile to my face. “Ok, Angel is missing which is not a bad thing per se but Buffy is worried about it… She is… in full search, interrogate and destroy mode worried. Do you know where Angel was last seen?”

Cortana trailing off, “Yes, last Tuesday night at midnight he was walking west on South Street at Bee-Bee, like he had a destination. One block behind him was Kendra following him.”

I was rapidly brought to a strong suspicion, “Do you know where Kendra is?”

Cortana replied softly, “Kendra is patrolling the Cabrillo cemetery alone. She’s two miles north of the Coast Motel.”

My conclusions coming together, “OK Sis, Tell me if I am crazy? The last known location for Angel was within 1000 feet of the eastern entrance to Bleeker Cemetery which he was walking towards and in the same direction also within 400 feet are both The Alibi Room on one side and the Coast Motel on the other. Is this a terrible coincidence or is this a glaring neon sign saying Spike and Bertha are behind it all?”

“Spike is no coincidence, Alex. We have four actionable target locations all within a 1,000 foot bull’s-eye.”

I was now planning on a possible Buffy rescue, “Give me Buffy’s ETA to ‘The Alibi Room’?”

“She’ll be there in eight minutes.”

“Ok can you ring Buffy’s cell telephone. Which assumes that she has it and she hasn’t turned it off.” Turning my car back on, I engaged the reverse and K-turned onto the street. I headed south to jump onto the freeway.

“Sis, there’s no time for me to suit up so I am driving directly to Willy’s Alibi Room. I should arrive just a minute behind Buffy. Can you call Roary and tell him what’s happening and be prepared to back-me up.”

“Alex, I don’t like you going there un-armored but I’ll get Roary moving.”

Nine minutes later, I parked along the street near the Alibi Room but not in the parking lot. Still no contact with Buffy. I armed myself from my trunk bags. I donned a military tactical vest, web belt with two holsters for both of my SA .45’s, one Katana, one Kodachi short sword, one Bowie Knife and two cans of VBG.

Ready for a close quarters battle, I closed the trunk lid and walked through the bushy median between the road and the parking lot for the Alibi Room. Stepping into the thirty car parking lot that held only six vehicles, I immediately noted four vampires outside the doors of the bar.

They appeared to be listening at the doors. Walking quietly towards them I comm’d Cortana, “Hey Sis, I have four vampires at the front door but they’re not on guard for me. Looks like these geniuses are planning to ambush Buffy. Do you have any intel for me from inside the bar?”

Cortana sounding sadistically gleeful, “Yes, there are three land line telephones inside and two cell telephones owned by visiting patrons. I’m getting great audio acoustics. Buffy is alive and working out her… Angel frustrations on the patrons and the owner Willy. I would say that she is enjoying herself in an athletic manner.”

“Do you have a risk assessment for Buffy inside there?”

Cortana now laughing, “She’s just fine but the patrons aren’t. Most were too drunk and uncoordinated to be much of a threat to Buffy in her current state.”

“Ok Sis, I’m going to remove the threat at the door so they don’t take her by surprise later. Tell Roary to slow down and I’ll be withdrawing with Buffy, when she’s had enough fun.”

I removed one can of VBG from my belt and popped the safety pin out and the trigger tab up. In the street light the four vampires all looked like they came from tie-dyed and bell-bottom pants, peace & free love era of 1960’s air-heads. Fourteen feet behind them I said, “Hey guys! Whatcha doing?!”

The four vampires spun, all startled like children caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Their eyes wide in shocked surprise. Brains not up to the challenge of my question and deciding what to do about me at the same time. Just the same, I didn’t give them a chance to speak, I had already pulled the trigger on the left hand vampire and swept the spray to the right. The last one burst into flames just as his mouth had opened to say something witty or stupid. Most likely foolish and stupid. Instead they were all were screaming, flailing to put out the flames and burning down like good vampires.

I stood there for a few moments basking in the heat, watching the smoking ash and dust settle. Some of John’s memories intruded. How ironic… four utopian hippies turned into blood sucking evil demons. John had similar memories. Even in that far future, with all of their advancements, there were always Delta-Sierras. Always dumb sh*ts who thought that they could negotiate with the Covenant or sing Kumbaya and just get along. All of them were soon served up broiled on toast for a Covenant meal.

I spun 360 degrees looking for additional targets. Backing up I put my back to the wall near the Alibi Room’s front double door. I waited for Buffy to finish her… interrogations. Cortana kept an inside audio feed going for me with her running comedy commentary.

Ten minutes later, Willy was definitively turning out to be an oily sleaze. The guy should run for Governor or maybe the US Senate. His oilyness and slimy sleaze would fit in perfectly.

I suddenly realized that Buffy’s Modus Operindi (MO) of just beating on Willy for every little tidbit of information was the wrong motivation for Willy. It was cathartic for Buffy but wrong for Willy. Willy was obviously venal and greedy. He kept hinting to Buffy that he wanted a bribe, cash money but she wasn’t listening. This guy was like a French socialist. If there was enough cash paid to him, he would sell his own mother to a Vos without shedding a tear.

I interrupted the Cortana and Buffy comedy show, “Hey Sis, let’s see if you can get your PI and camera teams into Willy’s with some overt and covert surveillance systems. Have him win a free security system for the overt cameras. He has to have something that he thinks that he controls but I believe that we need to have sundown to sunup surveillance on this place.”

Cortana muted the Buffy show on channel 1. “You’re right. Willy may not be a human-killing demon but the major demons that we know, like Spike, obviously use this place for their R&R and business meetings. So this makes him a nexus for enemy intel.”

Roary pulled up into the parking lot and stopped near the front door. I walked over and we talked briefly. I sent him home because Buffy was winding down and it didn’t appear that the threat was high.

Roary had been gone one minute and the doors slammed open hard enough to damage the walls. Buffy came out looking for a fight but found only me sitting on the hood of my car. Soft music of the Beach Boys playing from the classic rock station on the cars Stereo. John liked rock and roll classics and I was becoming more like John.

Buffy immediately went all Valley Girl act on me. I’d seen this ruse before and only laughed at her. Finally I asked, “Are you done for the night? Because I’m tired.”

Buffy was now snippy, “What are you doing here Xander? It is not safe out and I just dealt with a bunch of demons back inside that bar. There could be more around here?”

I popped my trunk and started putting away my weapons. Buffy now curious about my weapons followed and watched. I told her, “I’ve been here awhile when we figured out where you had gone. I know all about Willy the owner and this bar. For your info, I took care of the four vamps in the parking lot while you were inside having fun.”

“I wasn’t inside having fun! I… I was getting information about what happened to Angel! Hey! Wait a minute! There were vamps in the parking lot?” She was rubber-necking looking for more.

I was touched that she was concerned for my health. I motioned for her to get in, “Come on I’ll give you a ride home.”

Buffy hesitated. So I continued, “Well?! Did you find out where Angel is tonight?”

Buffy shook her head no slowly. So I smiled and said, “I may have better information than you do. So get in and we’ll talk about this on the way to your house or to where Kendra is.”

Buffy was now on a jagged emotional guard. Her interstellar loathing for Kendra was on full display. Her enthusiasm was underwhelming. She gritted her teeth before grinding out, “Why would you take me to Kendra?”

I motioned for her to get in and made a motion of zipping lips while pointing at Willy’s door with my thumb.

As I drove us away I told her, “Ok. I will answer your questions in the order that you asked them. Is that ok with you?”

Buffy was getting more irritated with me but calming down from a grumpy rage. She just nodded her head yes. Her eyes were still smoldering.

“Tonight my spies called me and told me that you were beating confessions from every vampire you found. All your questions were about Angel.”

Buffy now escalating back to grumpy smolder. “Wait a sec! You have spies – spying on me? Because I didn’t see anyone tonight except vamps and demons!”

“Remember Buffy, I am wealthy and yes, I have spies. Spying on you. Big whup! You are not supposed to see them and neither are the demons. Good thing to.”

Buffy crossing her arms and grousing, “This is so unfair. Do they spy on me when I’m taking a shower?” Buffy realized what she just said. She was now appalled and embarrassed that I or others might have seen her wet and naked.

It really was funny watching her face. I dryly chuckled at her, “No, they only spy on you when you are out at night. It’s a good thing that they do because they called me tonight. There were four vamps at the front door of Alibi Room waiting in ambush for you tonight and when Roary came to back me up, he reported that there had been a group of vamps down the street that were headed your way. He scared them off when he turned on those big blue UV spotlight beams on the top of this pickup truck.”

Buffy calmed down but was now confused. “Why would vamps be scared of some bright blue lights?”

“Excellent question Buffy. I found out that vamps and Ultra-Violet rays don’t mix well because the sun gives off lots of UV light. Anyway the UV light burns them. So Roary and I, ordered some special high intensity blue UV lights for the pickup truck and they do work.”

Buffy wanting to get to the Angel parts of my story. “Ok… UVs are good. Now back to Kendra and Angel?”

I was now taking Buffy home because I wanted her far from Kendra tonight. It was a bad idea for me to even suggest it. She and Kendra, were like a bad case of poison ivy when it came to Angel. Their disagreement could be an Olympic event. She was too worked up tonight to be polite to Kendra. “Last Tuesday night was the last time my spies saw Angel and he was headed for either the East gate entrance to Bleeker’s cemetery or to The Alibi Room. In addition, Kendra was following him discretely.”

Buffy starting to go nuclear. Her loathing of Kendra was now running away. “I’m going to kill that little slayer wannabe!! I’m going to…”

I hit the brakes to a dead stop in the street and sternly told Buffy, “You’ll do no such thing! Kendra may not like Angel and I can’t hold that against her because I don’t like him either. But you need to hear the rest of the story before popping your cork! Are you done being an airhead?!”

Buffy looked on me in amazement. I could see her boggle. I wasn’t the old Xander. She took her hand off the door handle and folded them in her lap. She closed her eyes and began breathing to calm herself just like Giles had taught. Finally she looked at me again and said through gritted teeth, “I’ll hear you out and this better be good?”

I wryly smiled at her and accelerated the car up. “The Police Woman who tried to kill you is actually a demon assassin from The Order of Teraka which is an assassins guild. Seems Spike hired her and two other assassins to kill you. You killed the big guy at the Ice Rink. I killed one and Bertha the fake Police woman is the last one left.”

Buffy was really mondo confused, “Wait a sec! When did you kill a Teraka assassin and where?”

So I calmly told her, “Remember when I cut lunch on Tuesday and your neighbor lady, Mrs. Kalish was murdered?”

Buffy’s light bulbs were going off, “The police said that it was a home robbery gone bad…”

I replied to her, “Since when did you start believing what Sunnydale police say? No, the assassin was a Mr. Norman Pfister and he was a Teraka assassin. My spies were watching your neighborhood to insure your Mom’s and your safety. They called my friend Cortana and she called me. I went there and found Mrs. Kalish dead. Norman and I had a bit of a stomp and now he’s dead. I left and when I was clear. Cortana called the police. They made up the rest.”

Buffy still fishing, “Ok, so how does Norman Pfister relate to Angel or Kendra?”

I had her hooked now, “If you will let me finish please? As I was saying all of these Order of Teraka assassins were hired by Spike to kill you. Maybe to keep you from getting in his way. By the way, he put up $150,000 dollars for your death. Now Willy’s bar is four hundred feet from the Bleeker cemetery gate. Bertha is holed up in a motel room four hundred feet north from the Bleeker cemetery gate and she has made three trips into Bleeker cemetery since her failed attempt to kill you this morning. Each trip, she went to the same mausoleum. Plus Spike and Angel don’t get along. Therefore Bertha doesn’t get paid until you are dead and what better bait for a Buffy killing trap than her smoochy boy Angel.”

Buffy still fishing but speaking softly, worry written across her face, “So where does Willy and Kendra come into this now?

I continued, “Kendra followed Angel that night so she must have seen what happened or knows more than what she’s told you. I would have Giles question her tomorrow in front of you. You, must keep your mouth shut! She respects Giles and she doesn’t respect you because you’re in love with a vampire. Slayers kill vampires and she thinks you are failing your Slayer duty. Plus Willy’s also at the center of this. He also knows more than he told you tonight. All the beatings you give him won’t make him talk because that’s not what motivates him. I think he’s on Spike’s payroll and he’s loyal to the money, not Spike. So tomorrow night I’ll make him a better offer. Then there’s Bertha. She needs Angel alive for her trap and Spike wants you dead. I think they all want you dead. More importantly I think that Spike wants you in a trapped location so that they can all watch Bertha kill you and then do an Irish jig over your cooling corpse. So my best guess is that Angel is a prisoner of Spike, Drusilla and Bertha.”

Buffy enraged now at me she grabbed my arm. I hit the brakes again and stopped the car. I angrily peeled her hand off my arm, her eyes going wide at my ability to do so. I said through gritted teeth while holding her in a wrist lock, “Calm!… Down!… Buffy! … I won’t tell you which mausoleum until we can neutralize Bertha and bribe Willy. Both of which we can’t do tonight because you wrecked Willy’s place and I rescued you again by spoiling Spike and Bertha’s trap to kill you tonight!”

Buffy had too many epiphanies back-to-back in too little time. Her eyes wide in shock at my revelations. She sputtered her own ego bruising badly. “How? How? You’re as strong as me now? You’re…?”

I looked at her and squenched one cheek in a grimace, “Halloween?… Remember? The spell with me didn’t end that night. The changes are… permanent. I might be as strong as you and maybe just as fast. Plus I have some other advantages. … Enough about me. Getting back to Angel, Kendra, Willy, Spike and Bertha; the mission is to retrieve Angel without getting killed or getting him killed. Therefore our first mission is to neutralize Willy and Bertha. For that I am going to need both Kendra and your help.”

I was looking at Buffy who’s mouth was open but nothing was coming out. Waving my hand in front of Buffy’s eyes she finally reacted. “Stop that! I am not some brain damaged nutjob!”

Shaking my head no, I was dripping sarcasm. “You could have fooled me…” Holding up my palm quickly I stopped her caustic witty remark. “Can you follow a plan on this Buffy? Can you follow my orders? Because otherwise they’re going to kill you and then kill Angel.”

Buffy still in some mental shock over me peeling her hand off of my arm. She sank back into the seat thinking and pouting.

I said, “I know that Giles and you have been doing some research involving some ancient moldy books or rotting artifacts. I didn’t ask because it didn’t affect my plans. What if your research is what set off Spike to order the assassination?”

Buffy’s head whipped around to stare at me. I continued, “Maybe? You, Giles and Kendra need to continue your research. But for tomorrow I need for you to focus and have Giles question Kendra about Angel. Then I need both Slayer girls to work together. Which means you both train together and learn to fight as a team. I think you both are going to need to be a team if you are to survive Spike and Bertha. Tomorrow night we’ll all go pay Willy a visit and neutralize him as Spike’s agent. Not kill him! I will have your promise on that before we go. The first chance we get to isolate Bertha away from Spike… we’ll kill her. Then I will let you and Kendra have a thumping good time with Spike. Is that a good strategy for you?”

Buffy still quiet, finally spoke with a trembling voice. “You sound like a soldier Xander… Are you that soldier from Halloween night?”

I sighed, “Yes and no, Buffy. I have his memories in the back of my brain but I am still Alexander Harris. I just feel like I’m an old soldier trapped inside this youthful body.” Smiling devilishly I winked at her, “Although Willow likes my body… a lot.”

Buffy starting laughing hard. I started driving again.

Buffy finally slowed down laughing and she said, “Ok, I’ll follow your plan. It’ll give me a chance to beat up Kendra during our training sessions.”

I dropped her at her home and then went home for some needed rest, talking to Cortana the entire way home about raving lunatic slayers.

Friday, 12 Dec. 1997, 6:30 AM, Sunnydale California

Roary and I were at the breakfast table together catching up and planning. Between mouthfuls of sandwich I asked Roary, “Hey Uncle, can I have you go shopping today? Cortana will transfer money into your corporate account and against your credit card. I would like you to pick up one commercial van for Reach Industries. Like one of those big Dodge models. Just make it large enough to carry me with my armor and maybe also to toss a demon prisoner into.”

Roary looking thoughtful for a moment and then smiling, “Ok, and what else today?”

I smiled, “I think you need to take Karen car shopping also? That sixteen year old Toyota Corolla is a junk heap and I can’t allow you and her to be seen driving it anymore. It’s embarrassing. Maybe a nice family mini-van for her. She and you… will need one.”

Roary’s eyebrows raised in mock alarm, “Ooooh-Kay! So what is this all about anyway. I can’t afford a mini-van on what you pay me?”

I pulled a sheaf of papers out of a folio, “You can now. As soon as you fill in these forms with Karen and FedEx them to the address on this shipping envelope, you will be an official Reach Industries employee. Your job title will be, “Assistant to the CEO,” which just happens to be me.”

Roary eyeing the paperwork, “What brought this on and how much am I going to be paid?”

“You have to have a real income to support this house legitimately and also as a front for all of the legal purchases that we’re going to have to start making. Like these cars and the other stuff. I can’t have the IRS climbing up your ass.”

Roary still looking skeptical, “You still didn’t say how much?”

I leaned forward smiling wickedly, “Well I had a teleconference with the HR staff in Dallas and I told them that I wouldn’t settle for a penny less than $140K plus bonuses with health, life and dental insurance.”

Roary was stunned. He had been a carpenter, auto mechanic and welder so far. He had never made more than $45,000 per year until…. now. “I… I’m… uh… I’m not sure what to say?”

I tipped my head with amusement and winked at him. “Just say yes, sign the paper work and get it to FedEx today. Your signing on bonus, is listed in the paperwork and will be transferred into your checking account this morning. After taxes it just happens to be $50K which will allow you to buy a nice mini-van with enough left over for the taxes, license and insurance. … Besides you’ll be getting married after Christmas and I expect some nieces and nephews to spoil.”

Roary looking now reluctant, “Well… All I can say is yes. Thank you… I know Karen told me some of what you told her about these… futuristic ‘bugs’ you have… but I’m a bit old to have children. She’s thirty. We don’t know if she can have children.”

I reached across the table and placed my forearm against my Uncle Roary’s neck and wiped. Roary was startled and asked, “Why did you do that?! That was… gross. Yuck!”

“The nanites are really not bugs but nanomolecular machines. They are on my skin and in my saliva. They will colonize you and the more I touch you the faster the viable transfer will be. The nanites will repair you, give you a longer and healthier life. That also means that even if you cannot have children now, then sometime in the future the nanites will repair even that.”

Roary was still skeptical, “Well this sounds all so strange to me but not as strange as vampires and demons and living in this house and… with Karen…” Roary smiled as Karen came down to the kitchen. “Ok! Just NO! Kissing me on the lips or anything gay like or I will pound you. Boss or no boss!”

Karen looked at us both in confusion, “Do I want to know what you two were talking about? Xander you need to be getting a move on if you expect to pick up Willow this morning.”

Looking at the time I stood up to put my dishes away. “Oh and I almost forgot, Roary. Pick up a cheap briefcase from Kmart and please stop at the bank and get $50K in cash to put into it. I have a plan to bribe that dirt-bag Willy who owns, ‘The Alibi Room.” The briefcase will be the carrot and I’ll let Buffy be the stick.”

Roary smiled wistfully, “Let Buffy have him for a good long while before you offer him the bribe. He needs a good beating.”

Author’s Notes:

Pleading the Fifth – In America the Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution and under Court decisions means a citizen does not have to answer questions to the police or in a Court of Law, if they might incriminate themselves. American citizens have the right to remain silent.

The Bart Simpson’s Defense. – Taken from the cartoon “The Simpson’s.” Bart the juvenile delinquent son of Homer Simpson, when caught after doing some prank or vandalism always says, “I didn’t do it, nobody saw me do it, you can’t prove a thing.”

14. Bertha Bits

Chapter 14. Bertha Bits

Friday, 12 Dec. 1997, 11:30 AM, Sunnydale California
41st Day after Halloween and Eve of a New Moon

I was taking a long lunchtime between classes and driving downtown to Warner’s. I ditched school for just a bit. Warner’s Jewelry called and they had my four primary sets of weapons done. The rest would take longer. The Kantos Wizards and Witch were worn out from casting their spells on the metal. But it was nice to get some of my weapons back. I knew I was going to need them this night and weekend. Killing Bertha and saving Angel… so much to do and time was running out. Bertha and Spike wouldn’t keep Angel around for long. She wants to get paid and move on. Spike wants to dance on Buffy’s corpse and also Angel’s dust.

Hell, I can’t blame Spike for wanting to dust Angel because I wanted to dust him also.

I had made my decision about Spike. I won’t kill him but Buffy and Kendra were going to have at him. Drusilla though… she was a target of opportunity. She was a crazed soulless evil demon. If I could separate her from Spike and disappear her? Spike wouldn’t know her fate and it just might cut him adrift from whatever plans he had. If I killed her in front of Spike… in his anguish he would redirect all of his efforts to Vengeance and myself.

For Spike? I was running a calculated risk that he might kill one of them or both. I hoped that I could intervene before either of those possibilities occurred. With this, I was going to push the odds in the Slayers favor.

James let me in the backdoor this time and took me straight to Rahjul.

Wow! Rahjul and the Kantos Clan outdid themselves. Rahjul looks tired. He also outdid himself. My weapons were good looking before and now they’re all beautiful works of art. Ancient Norse Rune and Japanese Kanji inscriptions are etched onto the base of each blade. The blades have a colored pattern and luster that was not there before. They almost sing in my hand. There is no other way to put this feeling that they have now. He calls the enchanted metal Adamantine. A mythical metal?

I could do nothing but praise the skill and craftsmanship in each. Inside I was drooling to try them out. Rahjul was old enough to have seen this before. He humored me.

Rahjul had set up a vertical four inch diameter solid 1080 steel bar for me to test one of my swords against. A good tough steel alloy used in making knives and other fine tools. I selected one of my Katanas. Rahjul picked it up and with some ceremony and with reverence handed it to me.

“Thank you Rahjul. Mr. Warner may I ask that you step back and keep clear this area.” I swept a full circle about myself with the sheathed Katana. The dangerous reach of the blade once fully unsheathed and swung. Rahjul had returned to his work bench stool well out of the blades reach and watched me intently. All three eyes open.

I held the sheath close to my left side tucked inside my leather belt and calmed myself. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath. The world began to still as I centered myself. For once I had an audience including one master sword maker, now jeweler Rahjul Torm. I withdrew the blade in a battoujutsu, sweeping the blade forward and upward in a two handed speed sword attack. The blade sang and there was a ting! Slight resistance and then air again. At the end of the strike I reversed the blade and swept left across the bar of steel. Another ting of metal on metal and then air again. I stopped, my right foot forward and the blade halted singing, still in mid-air parallel to the floor to my left. My right arm locked forward and my left bent still holding the swords lower grip. A two stroke attack designed to cleave open an opponent from hip to shoulder spilling them and then separate their head. My internal wetwares clock said that only 4 milli-seconds had elapsed. Faster than the blink of an eye. Faster than the flicker in a light bulb.

James said with some satire, “That was quick but weren’t you going to strike that bar of steel?”

Rahjul clapped his hands slowly in applause. He rumbled, “Perfection. You are… more than you appear Master Harris.” He was watching me closely. His left hand worrying his chin.

I stepped forward. Looked with a sly smile at James. With my finger I pushed gently on the top edge of the bar. It began moving. I pushed slowly until the bar fell apart into three pieces. The heavy bars clanged loudly when they hit and broke the floor tile. Only one piece remained in the vice.

James eyes were saucers and his mouth was open. I examined the blade looking for chipping or scaring from the impacts but there was none. Astounding! The blade was unblemished. The mythical Adamantine this may actually be!? I’ll have to scan it later to determine if there has been a molecular or crystalline structure changes in the blade. Were these even the same blades that I had given Rahjul? My marks were still on the pommel. No swap. This was the real deal.

I sheathed the sword considering how careful I would have to be when oiling them. Then wondered if I would ever have to oil them again? Stupid question. A sword like this deserves the complete cleaning and preparation ritual. Clean pure water poured across the blade, lightly oiled and then powdered. Ready for battle.

I bowed low to Rahjul and addressed him respectfully. “You are a master of your craft Mr. Torm. I have never handled or seen a better blade in my entire life.”

Rahjul rumbled a chuckle at me. His eyes twinkling he said, “I’ll wager you haven’t.”

I stepped forward and reverently handed the sheathed sword back to him. He placed it in its case with the others.

I turned to the still perplexed James examining the metal bars and the shattered floor. His mind still boggling over not seeing my strokes, only the end point.

I stepped around the miraculous mess and inquired, “James… Mr. Warner! I am most satisfied with the craftsmanship. Please attend to my account.” I pulled a bank draft of the agreed to amount from my pocket and presented it to him. This he understood. He smiled at all of those zeros.

I turned back to Master Torm. I had anticipated a difficult commission but he and his team had exceeded my expectations. I presented him with a different bank draft. He started to object to a gratuity again but I stopped him.

“Master Torm. I know that you do not accept a gratuity but this is for your team. Your team has excelled and I know that they may accept this token of my appreciation of their skill. In addition my best wishes for their good health. For those who may balk a little, ask them to consider their share to be a retainer for future commissions of this sort. For those who may still refuse, then please consider their share to be a donation to your Clans widows and orphans.”

Rahjul huffed and puffed a bit but took the check anyway. He knew that his team deserved some reward and there were always widows and orphans in need.

Little did he know how my mind was already plotting their full-time employment enchanting weapons, bullets and maybe even space ships if they were up to it. I would find out when that time came. For now I wanted… I needed allies of this skill. Adamantine indeed! This was truly battle steel worthy of all Spartans. Shame, John could have used this stuff.

I thanked them and left with my weapons. I couldn’t stay. I had to grab a quick lunch and get back to school to make my next class.

Friday, 12 Dec. 1997, 3:45 PM, Sunnydale California
Eve of a New Moon

I had just pulled out of the school parking lot, my three passengers all busy with girl talk. Willows warm hand was on my bicep. Her ‘mistress’ ring flashing rainbow sparks throughout the car in the afternoon sun. I could only smile as I drove, my brain turning to warming oatmeal mush.

The warm winter sun in California and Willow beside me, I drove them all to Brahms Creamery. An uneasy alliance of sorts now existed between Buffy and Kendra. Kendra still mostly silent but she had smiled three times today. That was an improvement. Kendra still had not been properly Americanized or I shuddered at the term Californized. Both Buffy and Willow had planned to corrupt her thoroughly with embarrassing boy talk, a mountain of chocolate, shopping for girl things and watching chick-flick romance movies.

Except for the chick-flick part Willow had Shanghaied me into this foursome date. Sort of a date at least; Willow’s kisses, her touch and smiles were mine.

Kendra had been sleeping like a hobo since her arrival in Sunnydale with a two day stay in one of the older seedier motels along the old Pacific Coast Highway. Seems her Watcher Sam gave her very little money to live on. So Roary and I were putting her up in our house starting that evening, now that the Bouviare children were safely gone. Giles had warned me that she had never been exposed to domesticity. I wonder if Karen has been drawn into Willow and Buffy’s subversive plot against the Watchers cruelty? So this is going to be interesting to say the least. I had a smile on my face thinking about sticking it to the Watchers Council.

Afterwards I had a present for Buffy and one for Kendra. Today was their lucky day for special orders. I had picked them up at lunchtime and they were in the trunk. Gifts fitting for Slayers but first chocolate and shopping.

Masses of ice cream and chocolate weren’t my thing so I had just one Black Forest Chocolate Sundae. The girls were pigging out though, like ravenous slayers. Kendra was having a cup or cone of every flavor.

A good hour later, we all stepped outside the small restaurant just as a dozen large Harleys motored in. Not your bunch of California yuppie professionals or retiree motor touring club but the real deal was riding the motorcycles. Their leather vest jackets all had the logo of the Mongols on their back. A notorious criminal motorcycle gang and scummier rivals to the Hells Angels.

The girls had strung out watching them at the front door of Brahms, while polishing off their last ice cream cones. The business next door was Dan’s Hamburgers and Sandwich shop with a dozen families at the outside bistro style tables all watching the Harley riders. I was already getting a full Mongol SitRep from Cortana via my neuralnet. They were passing through it seemed and needed a break. Naturally there was no police presence nearby. Never a cop when you really needed one. I watched the bikers warily and hoped they were just stopping for a dinner and road rest.

All of them pulled into the parking spaces on either side of my Saturn. Four on the right and eight on the left. Kendra and Buffy were oblivious to these human threats and they were in the lead. Buffy turned slightly to say something back to Willow when a rude hand was laid on her in a place that shouldn’t have been. Almost simultaneously one of the other gang members manhandled Kendra for a stolen kiss and her ice cream cone.

Flashing through my mind and simultaneous broadcast to Cortana, “Bad move! Sis, Call 911!” Both Slayers reacted… violently.

Only two seconds had elapsed and three men were down. Buffy was about to imprint her pink Nike shoe pattern into the man’s face for the second time when I yelled loudly in a command voice, “Buffy! Kendra!!”

They both paused but neither let go the arm or leg they were holding. Both looked at me with looks of innocent ‘who me?’ I reminded them both, “Girls I know you need exercise but remember… don’t kill them.”

I pushed Willow behind me and began backing up to the door. Willow was peeking out from behind me but clutching me close. The other nine gang members had various expressions ranging from mouth-wide-open ‘oh’ to four with grimaces of rage.

Kendra and Buffy both smiled like deadly apex sharks and turned back to their prey. Kendra was more upset about her ice cream cone on the ground and Buffy for being touched ‘there’ without her permission. The sounds of cracking bones was clear to both Willow and I. Willow flinched with each crack and scream. Her hand on my belt at my lower back she jerked each time a blow fell. It wasn’t the same as when fighting vampires.

Crap! The girls were in no danger from these pecker-heads. I was scanning around beyond the battle. All I saw was faces watching the girls trash the big dudes. Too many witnesses across the parking lot and now at the windows of Brahms. “Damn! We’ll have to stay for the police report.” I said out loud and broadcast to Cortana.

The lastman standing produced a switchblade knife and tried to stab Kendra. She had this look of incredulous beauty. She was probably thinking, ‘Really! Dirt bag… Is that all?’ She took it from him effortlessly and plunged the knife through his upper bicep. He screamed as she simultaneously broke his knife hand thumb and wrist for his affront. She then flipped him twenty feet to land hard on the pavement. She graciously left his knife in him. He hit hard enough to be out cold because he wasn’t moving.

I now had my cell phone out and dialing 911 for show and also for a good citizen report. Knowing full well this was going to be hard to explain away.

The entire hand-to-hand battle lasted less than twenty seconds. My 911 call lasted longer. As I hung up I heard clapping… What the…? The patrons of Dan’s were clapping and cheering Buffy and Kendra! Behind them muted by the glass the patrons of Brahms were also cheering. Buffy and Kendra were stunned at the applause and the happy smiling faces. I recovered and yelled across the parking lot, “That’s why you teach cheer leaders self-defense!”

Kendra still stunned turned to me and said, “But I’m not a cheer leader?!”

That girl really needs a humor bone grafted into her. I said wryly, “You are today. Your story for the police will be that you are a new student at Sunnydale High School just out with your friends. Got it?”

Kendra’s eyes went wild at the mention of police. I calmed her, “Stick with the story. We have human witnesses all around us and the police are coming. We have to tell them something. So stick with… mostly the truth.” Both Buffy, Kendra and Willow nodded their heads in understanding.

I was talking subrosa with Cortana, “Sis, thank you for calling in the first police report. It made my call easier. Can you grab a copy of any imagery that you can get of this little altercation and the police report. We may need to send copies to the Mongols clubs and let them know that sixteen year old cheer leaders put the smack down on these dozen members.”

Cortana was pleased and sounded a bit too hopeful, “You intend to blackmail them?”

I said darkly, “Only if they threaten us.”

Just then the leader of the group, he self-identified himself as Julio, rolled over and snarled out, “Mongols will kill you for this! I Julio swear this!”

I wryly commented to Cortana, “Well… guess we’ll need the video after all.”

I hopped off the sidewalk and knelt down near Julio and said quietly to him, “Two sixteen year old girls used you all like piñatas. You guys are pathetic. Next time you come though Sunnydale be polite and respectful. Otherwise next time… no one will ever find your bodies. Capiche?” Smiling a toothy smile and none to gently, I patted his bruised and swelling cheek.

Two minutes later four of Sunnydale’s finest patrol cars pulled up code 3, red lights and sirens blaring. Leaping out guns drawn only to find a dozen bikers down. The cops were late as usual. Those bikers still conscious were moaning and whimpering. The girls and I were sitting on the Brahms outdoor park benches and they were eating more ice cream. They waved cheerily at the policemen. Buffy, Kendra and Willow all playing the cute daffy teeny bopper California surfer girl act.

Thirty minutes later the ambulances had taken away the bikers, there was only one police patrol car left as the tow trucks removed the final Harley’s for police impoundment. My car was finally unblocked by all the emergency vehicles. The girls and I headed for home and dinner before their Friday night patrols.

At Buffy’s house, I got out and asked her to stop. Opening the trunk of my car, I removed two wooden cases and one long Pelican case. Closing the hood of the trunk I set the cases down on the sidewalk and opened each case. Smiling I said, “Here is an early Christmas present for you Buffy. You’ve been making hints about my sword so here is your very own and these have also been magically enchanted to stay extra-sharp and unbreakable. So don’t go running your finger down the edge or you will lose your finger.”

The first box contained a full set of battle ready Hanwei true Imperial Samurai sword daisho set and throwing knives. All in colors of pinks and reds that Buffy liked. The second case contained a full set of Musashi Samurai blades in gold and red dragon decorations. These blades metal were stunningly beautiful. The Pelican case contained over a dozen Cold Steel swords and long knives. Now Buffy had two of everything to slice and dice the demons. Complete sets to match her mood or ensemble.

Buffy was speechless for a few moments, her eyes tearing up. “Oh! Wow… I don’t know what to say Xander. Except thank you!” She threw her arms around me and gave me a Slayer hug which caught me off guard and drove the wind out of me. Then like a sister she kissed my cheek. That surprised me.

Both Kendra and Willow had by now gotten out of the car and were looking at the enchanted steel cutlery. All now ooing and awing over the workmanship. Finally I shooed Buffy off. She laden with her loot, bounced up to her door and waved goodbye.

In the car Willow gave me a kiss… “That was very nice thing to do for her, Alex. I’ll reward you later when I come over to study…” She winked seductively and giggled.

Kendra confused leaned forward, “I thought you were going patrolling with us tonight? What will you study instead?”

Willow turned with a huge grin, wrinkled her nose, flapped her eyebrows and wetly licked her lips at Kendra. “I need my dose of bohunk medicine tonight!”

Kendra still innocently confused asked Willow, while I was turning red. “Are you ill?”

Willow looked at her and now smiling wickedly, she put her hand in my lap and batted her eyes, “Yes, I’m running a fever called love and I’m going to tear his clothes off and have my wicked ways with him!”

Now she looked at me out of the corner of her eyes licking her lips.

Kendra was wide-eyed and mouth-open astonished. Kendra was now turning a little pink and put her hands over her mouth in final understanding. Willow starting laughing at Kendra’s boggle and said, “Gotcha!” Kendra thought that was for her but I knew it was for me because Willow had a handful of my man parts and I almost wrecked the car.

That girl will kill me yet!

Finally I dropped Willow off at her parents and two minutes later I was preparing to park in my driveway. Karen’s new van I assumed was parked up on the driveway. A brand new Ford Aerostar XLT Van in a Mint green color was sitting next to Roary’s pickup truck. I pulled in and parked next to the Aerostar.

In the trunk of the car was my last set of gifts. They were for Kendra. Her meager belongings were already in the house. I called her back to the trunk and gave her a duffel bag containing a brand new Excalibur crossbow for her, a tactical vest and four cans of VBG. Then I opened the two Pelican cases. The first was full of assorted Cold Steel swords and knives. The second was Bugei and Musashi Samurai diasho blade sets. Both were duplicates to the cases that I had given Buffy, except with different colors and art works, more appropriate for her. She was speechless.

Again I had caught a Slayer offguard. That alone gave me warm and fuzzy feelings.

With tears in her eyes she hugged me. She even gave me a sisterly kiss on the cheek. The Watchers Council would probably be scandalized if they found out.

It took two trips to get everything inside the front door into the hallway.

Inside we were greeted by Karen and Roary with a call for ‘dinners on’.

Friday, 12 Dec. 1997, 9:10 PM, Sunnydale California
Eve of a New Moon

Willow had arrived just after 8 pm and was now snuggled up next to me. Both of us had slept for 20 minutes but it felt like 2 hours for me. I felt rested and with a warm languid Willow pressed up against me, I felt right with the world.

Just then the telephone next to my bed and over Willow’s bare shoulder began ringing. She looked at the telephone blinking her eyes. I reached over her and lifted the handset. It was Cortana. I pushed the speaker phone button, so Willow could hear.

“Guess what you sweaty bohunk?!” Cortana said with an extra facetious slow southern drawl.

“Ok, you win. I can’t guess so please tell me what it is.” I leaned over to nibble on Willow’s neck. She squirmed and giggled.

Cortana growing short, “You two need separate corners of the room right now! But you need to get dressed quickly. Your least favorite girl, named Bertha, just left her hotel room and is crossing the street heading for the East gate of Bleeker’s Cemetery. If she stays true to her pattern she will be returning from the East gate in 90 minutes.”

I rolled out of bed away from Willow and started dressing quickly. Plans and options going through my mind. Talking out loud to both Willow and Cortana. “Yea… This might just work out. The Slayers and I were going to visit the Alibi Room tonight and I think we can visit there a little early after taking care of Bertha.”

Striding to the door I turned and looked at Willow, smiling like a kid I said, “I’ll meet you down stairs. Although I prefer you like this… I’m sure you need to get dressed. I can’t have you embarrassing the other girls with how stunningly beautiful you are!” I winked and walked out the door.

Kendra had just come out of her bedroom door across the hall and caught sight of Xander’s receding back. She stepped forward and looked at Willow who was stretching on the bed showing a lot of skin but strategically covered with the bed sheet. Kendra flushed with embarrassment. Willow knew she was there and was teasing her. Smacking her lips Willow said loudly, “Yup! Very tasty bohunk!”

Kendra bolted towards the kitchen. With the sound of Willow’s laughter chasing after her.

Fifteen minutes later around the kitchen table, I’d called for a tactical pre-mission briefing. Buffy had arrived. On the Television Cortana brought up a topographic and street map of the Bleeker Cemetery, hotel and the Alibi Room. She didn’t show herself to Buffy and Kendra. I told them my plan.

“We all know that Bertha is the last Teraka assassin who wants to kill Buffy and we would all feel better if she died first. I propose that I kill her. Hold on! Hear me out Buffy.”

Buffy and Kendra were going to object snarkily to me taking on Bertha.

“Since Bertha likes guns, and I have a new rifle that I haven’t gotten to shoot much. I propose to sniper her down from far away. If I miss just slightly the bullet may not kill her outright but it will cripple her. That’s where you three come in.”

Turning to Willow I quickly said, “Honey, I need you to sit this one out and hold down the fort with Karen.” She wasn’t happy being left behind and it showed.

I mollified Karen. “Karen don’t worry about Roary, he will be safe with two Slayers riding shotgun.”

Pointing to the screen topography, I indicated Gina Hill across the street and south of Bleeker Cemetery. “Roary you will drop me here with the Barrett rifle and I will take up a good position on a ledge on Gina right about here.”

Pointing at Buffy and Kendra I said, “You two must stay with Roary about here and around this corner out of sight from the gate. The target will be 300 meters or so from me. When I shoot, that will be your go signal. She should be down and dying at the gate. If she’s not dead you Slayers get to finish her. What I really need is for you two to bag specific body parts. I really need Bertha’s head and her Teraka ring. Her hand with the ring still on it is even better. Roary, I need you to pick me up here. Then we are going to pay Willy a visit. Buffy and Kendra, you two get to play ping-pong with Willy for a bit. I’m positive he knows Bertha and having them meet again… will unnerve him. He should tell us what’s going on and where Angel is being held. Plus I have something special for Willy if he clams up. Cortana had Bob’s Radio and TV Repair shop build it for us. I’m hoping that he’s stupid tonight so I can try it out.”

Buffy held up her hand like she was still in classroom, “Err… What do you want to try out?”

I smiled ferally, “Let’s call it a Talk Man. Except in this case instead of a radio or tape cassette player I’m going to light up Willy like a Christmas Tree while we play the game of twenty questions.”

Kendra asked in confusion working through the picture in her mind, “I assume that you do not intend to hang Christmas lights on Willy… but that you intend to use electricity on him?”

My smile was thin and cruel. “Yes, you’ve got it in one Kendra.” Now smiling for my favorite people I said, “Ok, Roary and I have to stop at our Armory for the rifle and some of my gear. You ladies need to suit up with your new accessories and we all have a date with Bertha at 10:40 PM. So we need to move quickly.”

Friday, 12 Dec. 1997, 10:10 PM, Sunnydale California
Eve of a New Moon

Roary dropped me off in the darkness. John’s memories of the SRS-99D sniper rifle guided me. That weapon was almost identical to our modern Barrett M82A1 Rifle and they both fired the same cartridge. My Barrett was inside a heavy rip-stop nylon canvas tactical drag bag.

Looking off to the Northwest towards Bleeker Cemetery, I began moving up hill so I could shoot over the road without a car or truck getting in the way. The moon was but a sliver of light and the East gate of the cemetery was well lit by street lights for my shot. I finally found a good level terrace in the rocky dirt to lie on only a few feet wide.

I quickly cleared the larger rocks and smoothed out the ground. I unrolled my shooting pad on the ground and unzipped the tactical gun case. I quickly assembled my shooting system and Lasered the gate sign post to obtain the correct distance at 332 yards and down angle. I finally inserted a magazine of the special German Raufoss high explosive incendiary bullets and chambered the first round. Dialing my scopes range wheel I adjusted for the downward angle and settled in to wait. I clicked my radio headset ‘on’ twice to covertly signal Roary that I was in position and now ready.

Like a train conductor on the dot for time came Bertha 13 minutes later. I watched her through the astronomical grade Schmidt and Bender Sniper Scope as she walked towards the gate. The view through the scope was almost like daylight. Tonight she had on stylish jogging sweat pants and matching light jacket with a fanny pack most likely stuffed with hand guns.

I kept the cross hairs on her chest as she walked across the cemetery heading for the exit. Finally she passed the gate post which was my mark point and I squeezed the trigger. The muzzle blast flashed and the bullet struck her in the breast bone before the sound even arrived to toll her doom. She had no chance at all and that was appropriate for her. The silver coated bullet penetrated her chest and a micro-second later it was three inches into her lung where the fuse detonated the small but powerful RDX warhead. The miniature explosive fireball was only the diameter of a soccer ball but it was 12,000 degrees Fahrenheit and expanding at Mach 6. The incendiary portion was ignited and driven forward on the front of the Tungsten Carbide penetrator which blew through her body taking most of Bertha’s left shoulder and arm with it, in a shower of flaming meat. Her upper chest was converted into steam which blossomed in an orange cloud around her but mostly along the trajectory of the bullet behind her. The 700 grain bullet dumped 14,900 foot pounds of energy (20,200 Joules) into her 260 pound demon body. The energy released was too much even for her. She came apart in great tearing hamburger chunks. Each piece launching itself in different directions based upon its proximity and geometry to the explosion point. Bertha the feared Teraka assassin became Bertha bits in less than 31-hundredths of a second.

I was ready for a second shot but it was obvious that it wasn’t necessary. I spoke over the radio, “Go! Go! Go!” Quickly I began safing my weapon and repacking it up so I could make my rendezvous with Roary after the Slayers did the cleanup on aisle five.

Walking down the hill towards the road to the north I talked to Cortana via the neuralnet while whistling, “I love these Raufoss rounds! I’ve got to get more of them. On a lessons learned note we didn’t need an adult body bag. Maybe next time a couple of buckets or a much smaller doggy bag.”

Cortana comm’d me chortling, “This ammunition performed better than expected. I agree completely, I’ll acquire more of them. You know what this means now? Buffy and Kendra are going to want their own Barrett’s.”

I was smirking, “Yup, your right. There is no satisfying bloodthirsty teenage girls.”

I made it to the rendezvous in plenty of time to walk 200 feet further down the road before the headlights of Roary’s pickup truck swept over me.

Both Slayers dismounted from the truck and eyed me evilly as I walked up. Buffy was the first to verbally assault me. “You dirty rotten rat! You didn’t need us! You needed a maid! You should have known that we were going to need a shovel, a squeegee and mop to pick up Bertha!! She was everywhere! You knew!”

Kendra was obviously not happy for the same reasons but she was more amused by Buffy’s flaming outburst.

I answered quickly trying to save my hide. “I didn’t know Buffy! I swear I didn’t. This is the first time that I’ve used this on a demon like her. But you’ve got to admit that it really did a job on her, didn’t it?”

Buffy calming down and pouting, “Ya it did kind of blow her up… So just what kind of gun were you shooting at her anyway?!”

I unzipped the gun case and showed the girls under the street lights. Roary was just smiling and watching their enthusiastic reaction. Both Slayers were handling the 34 pound Barrett as if it was a little kids toy.

Finally I whistled at the girls for attention. “We have to move ladies. Willy isn’t going to beat himself up ya’ know?”

Buffy and Kendra’s smile of white teeth was glaring in the soft light from the distant steet. They were amped now.

First Roary drove us to our armory so I could put the Barrett kit away and pick up some different weapons kit. While headed to the armory, I called Willow on my cell phone to let her and Karen know that their date with Bertha went very well and that all of us were safe.

Friday, 12 Dec. 1997, 11:50 PM, Sunnydale California
Eve of a New Moon

We swapped out Roary’s pickup truck for our new Dodge van. Kendra and I sat on the passenger bench behind Roary driving and Buffy riding shotgun. Both Slayers still had their crossbows, four wooden stakes each and both were decked out with enough edged weapons to set off a metal detector at 100 feet. I had on a tactical vest with Velcro patches that said “Federal Agent” on my front and back, two SA .45 handguns and my Bowie knife.

When we arrived at ‘The Alibi Room’ and the parking lot was half-full of mostly older cars with darkened windows. Roary backed-up the big van to almost the taverns doors, leaving just enough room for the vans back doors to open.

I put my hand on Roary’s shoulder, “Remember Uncle, no one comes in behind us.”

Roary turned and patted his shotgun, “Don’t worry about it. The bars closed and besides I haven’t gotten a chance to see how this VBG stuff works yet.” Roary smiled and nodded his head in the direction of the tavern. An ancient silent signal to get going.

I got out with the briefcase and the ‘body’ bag that now conveniently fit into a 10-gallon bucket. Courtesy of Cortana I also now had a masterfully forged ID set and Federal U.S. Marshall Special Agent badge in an authentic leather credential wallet. “For just in case Willy needs a little more fear in his life.” I said more to myself.

Both Slayers were waiting on either side of the Alibi Rooms entrance doors. Pausing I asked Buffy and Kendra again, “Promise me that you’ll not kill Willy or any employee he has behind the bar?”

Kendra still not convinced that all demons shouldn’t be killed replied, “He is a demon and Slayers kill demons?”

Buffy looked between Kendra and I, then answered snarkily, “Sure, whatever. No killing Willy but I still intend to beat him… half-to-death.”

Kendra finally nodded reluctantly and through gritted teeth said, “Yes.”

I nodded my head at them both, “Good. We need Willy alive but everything else in there… use your own judgment. Now get in there and have a good time.”

I thought I could hear their muscles quiver musically as they both opened their doors.

Both went through the second set of doors like cannon shots. The door bouncer was swatted by the door into bloody unconsciousness. I gave the girls a three count and then followed at a walking pace.

Willy was having a good night for once after the damage from the previous Slayer visit. The tavern was at half capacity with 24 patrons and the majority of his customers were thirsty vampires tonight for some reason. He didn’t care why they were in town, only that their money was real. He was about to pour another set of drinks when the doors exploded inward smacking his new bouncer Rokyrrh into the wall hard enough to crush into the wall. Before he could blink that damn Slayer Buffy was on the entrance foyer with another human girl next to her. Their hands held weapons! Before he could open his mouth to yell the alarm, both crossbows fired. The arrows went past his vision towards the back and hit something with a solid thunk. He turned his head to see one large demon and his vampire girl friend now pinned together like bugs to the far wall. The vampire girl dusted. The demon was now screaming in pain and rage. He couldn’t see the target of the other arrow. Willy in horror turned his eyes back to the Slayer and her friend. Just in time to see that both of them had dropped their crossbows and now had out swords! His bouncer was now in three pieces!

Willy started to drop behind the bar, his fear and self-preservation winning out over any concern he might have had for his patrons.

Buffy went down one side and Kendra took the other, a blade in one hand and a stake in the other. The vampires in the room all thought they had gone to a hell where they got to rape and kill slayers all day long. They rushed Buffy. Kendra they thought was a human wannabe slayer. Bad judgment and last mistake. Kendra fell upon their flank and they never saw their deaths coming.

Buffy’s Katana was a blur making whop whop sounds as she wove it through their bodies. Sword on one side and the stake taking one in three. Thirty seconds from when the doors opened, to only the slayers still standing in the tavern. The wooden tables and chairs were a tossed mess. The dust was thick in the air and non-vamp demon blood and guts spattered everywhere.

I had stood still at the entrance landing and just watched the Slayers work. My new Spartan abilities allowed me to watch in slow motion Spartan time. Every nuance of muscle and movement as the girls danced their bloody way to the far wall. Where two large demons were pinned to the wall by crossbow arrows. Both were dying. The razor sharp deer hunters blades on the arrows cut to well. The special additives like blessed silver chloride and potassium cyanide poison to the shafts just behind the blades made sure that the damage would be permanent and poisonously spreading.

The demons writhed in pain muttering curses until Buffy and Kendra’s sword snickered through the air and separated their heads from their shoulders.

Buffy and Kendra looked around and the carnage was complete. Vampires dusted and demon parts littered the floor, walls and ceiling. Both girls smiled like still hungry tigress.

I caught their attention and nodded my head in the direction of the bar. Buffy went the long way and Kendra the short. Buffy grabbed Willy by his arm and jerked him to his feet.

There was a Gajug demon also hiding behind the bar cowering near Willy. Kendra was going to slay him but I stopped her. I took a small packet of cash from my briefcase and waived it in front of him across the bar top. The Gajug’s eyes followed the display of cash like a metronome. I asked him, “Except for the obvious front and service door, is there another way out of here?”

The Gajug nodded, yes.

I handed him the $5,000 cash packet and said, “Go home right now but not by the front door.”

The Gajug barkeep ran for the back storage room. His little legs a blur under him. Kendra followed him and watched him hit a formerly hidden lever that activated the opening mechanism for a well hidden door in the floor. A staircase went down into wet darkness.

Kendra came back to the bar and told us about the hidden lever and door.

The girls each took one of Willy’s arms and heaved him over the bar. He flew 30 feet to meet the far wall face first.

I stepped over to the head of the bar and uprighted a bar stool and I placed the bucket on the floor. Clearing a wet spot on the bar I put the briefcase flat on the bar top. All the while listening to Buffy and Kendra taking turns with Willy. By previous arrangement the girls did not ask Willy any questions. They just disparaged him and beat him. Willy was pleading for his life and was pathetic. Buffy was extra snarky and Kendra was obviously new to the piñata game.

Finally I whistled and motioned for the girls to bring Willy to the bar. I indicated the bar top and they slammed him face down on the bar, his entire body laying on the surface. Kendra vaulted the bar top to stand inside the barkeep’s lane. While Buffy stayed on the outside of the bar with me. I tapped Willy’s bruised and bloody face with my bowie knife. The fourteen inch long Adamantine blade had a sobering effect on Willy.

“Hello, Willy. How are you feeling right now?” I poured some Whiskey from a shot glass across his face causing Willy to flinch and grimace. A month ago I would’ve never done this but for rough field interrogations Spartans were well trained and ruthless. For Willy I vowed not to have bad dreams no matter what I did to him.

Willy groused through bruised and split lips, “How do I look? I feel terrible and why or how are you holding the leash of a slayer?”

I smiled and said, “I think you should look again. It’s plural on the slayer part…” I fished the Special Agent credential out and flashed it in Willy’s face. Willy’s eyes went wide. His eyes darted between the badge and the girls. I put away the badge quickly.

Finally Willy blurted, “There’s two of them!! Flay me alive and call me bacon, … but that’s impossible! Isn’t it?” His head snapped back to look at me.

I looked at Willy sadly, “Yes, it is very possible and yes there are two of them… for now.” I bent over speaking softer in Willy’s ear, “You’ve been a bad boy Willy and I’m not happy. The Slayers are not happy either but you are most fortunate tonight because I asked them not to kill you. At least not kill you until you and I had a little talk. The bonus is that if you talk to me and I believe you, you get to keep on living… and you just might get some of this.” I opened the briefcase and tipped it up so Willy could see all of the stacks of banded cash.

Willy said still watching the Slayers pick their nails with knives. “You can’t touch me Mr. Policeman! I have protection from the Mayor. He’ll fire you for this.”

I grinned. Bingo, good intel on our corrupt evil Mayor. “You really should brush up on your reading skills. I don’t work for the Mayor and if I wanted to arrest or… kill the Mayor… I would.” With that Willy’s eyes really did change to fear as I flashed the Fed badge again in front of him. This time I let his eyes read it. I patted his bloody head. Yeech! He was oily, dirty and bloody. Which necessitated me now having to use a bar towel to wipe the blood and grime off my hand.

I continued as I was still wiping my hands on the towel. “You have disappointed me Willy. You’ve cut some sort of deal with Spike to aid him and to top it off you’re in league with the Teraka Assassins Guild.”

Willy jerked back and acted like he was going to attempt to escape while talking fast, “No, I don’t know anything about Spike or Teraka”. I grabbed him by his neck and pinned him to the bar top. Willy struggled but couldn’t break my grip, which brought Willy to near panic. I leaned over Willy, “Try that again and I will let one of the Slayers cut off your legs. That will slow you down and make them happy. So stay right where you are or you will piss! – me! – off!” Buffy was tapping her sword’s flat blade side on Willy’s rear end and began tapping her way down to his ankles as if she was measuring him for chunks.

Willy grunted and nodded in defeat, his eyes closed waiting for the blade to fall. I released him and sat back down on the bar stool.

I commanded, “Willy! I brought one of your friends to say hello.” Willy opened his eyes to see me dump the head and hand of Bertha on the bar top. Her orange blood and juices slopping forward on Willy from the bucket. Willy screamed like a little girl and crabbed backwards away from the head. Buffy was on his right and now Kendra was on his left. Both grabbed him and held him tight. They slid him back towards me over the pooling orange blood of Bertha. His nose only two feet from Bertha’s dead eyes.

I picked up Bertha’s hand with the Teraka ring on the pinky finger. I waved the hand under Willy’s nose and said, “So you did know her! Imagine that and you said you didn’t. … I forgot to explain the rules clearly to you Willy. That was your one and only opportunity to lie to me because starting now each lie you tell me, … the Slayers get to cut something off you. Something that you might need later.” I looked at the Slayers and said, “Cut his clothes off so you can see what needs to be carved on.”

Willy struggled but to no avail. The Slayers cut his clothes off with their knives drawing blood and splitting his flesh in long shallow lines. Finally Buffy tore the remnants of his under-wear off. Willy moaning and crying tears from the pain of the knife slices.

Buffy exclaimed in disgust, “Willy that’s so disgusting! Didn’t your mother ever tell you to bath regularly and wear clean underwear?!”

Willy was ashamed and now in greater fear. Stripped naked in front of two Slayers and an inhuman… human. His eyes were approaching crazy wild.

I pulled out my cell phone and placed it on the top of a shot glass in front of Willy. I speed dialed Cortana so that she had a ringside seat. “Ok let’s begin Willy. By the way on the other end of that phone is a voice truth detector. If the phone buzzes then the Slayers are going to cut off your manhood, then your toes one at a time and since you have twelve toes that means our conversation can be longer. Aren’t you excited about this! Because I am!” I said with enthusiasm and a happy homicidal smiling face.

At that moment I realized that I meant every word of it. John and I, were not playing around.

Willy’s head collapsed down on the bar. His muscles now lax, his breath labored making ripples across the pool of Bertha’s oily orange blood. Whimpering without looking up he said, “What… do you… want to know?”

I now pulled out my bowie knife again and said, “Remember the rules of this game Willy. If you lie to me… the phone buzzes and then the Slayers are going to cut something off you. Do you understand these rules?”

Willy in a small voice, “Ya.”

I yelled with anger, “I didn’t hear you, Willy!”

Willy now in fear again, “Yes! I understand! Yes… don’t…”

I tapped his cheek with the knife while removing a notebook and pen from my vest pocket. I opened the small notebook to one page and said, “Willy? I need to establish a baseline for your voice. Read clearly whats on this page.” I tapped his cheek with the knife again for emphasis.

Willy’s eyes focused. Confused and speaking slowly he read, “The quick brown fox jumps over a lazy dog. Pack my box with a five dozen liquor jugs. The five boxing wizards jump quickly. Six javelins thrown by the quick savages whizzed forty paces beyond the mark. Forsaking monastic tradition, twelve jovial friars gave up their vocation for a questionable existence on the flying trapeze.”

I applauded Willy. “Very nice, very nice.”

The cell phone beeped three times and Cortana said in a voice that wasn’t hers, disguised but still sultry, “Voice recognition pattern analysis complete. Voice analysis ready.”

In a level but curious voice I asked, “I do have to ask a few questions, not on my list here. Just to satisfy my curiosity you see… but for question number 1, are you half demon?”

Willy confused again, he growled. “Ya know I am!”

I slammed the knife point-first into the bar missing Willy’s cheek by one molecule. Willy jerked his head back but the Slayers held him fast.

I put my face down close to Willy and only the knife blade separated us. Willy was now sweating again his eyes on the blade. I said reprovingly, “Keep your answers very short Willy. Only a yes or no would be… strongly advised. Your health hangs on the edge of a blade you understand? Otherwise you will wind up looking like your Teraka friend here.”

Willy blurted out, “Yes, yes, yes! I’m half demon.”

I removed the blade from the bar top and continued, “Question number 2. Please state your full birth name, date of birth, birth city, county and state?

Willy still looking at the knife as I twirled it across my fingers. “Willy… Willy Guerra Durante! Born September 15th, 1965 in Saint Louis, Saint Louis county, Missouri.” Willy’s eyes darted to the cell phone. The phone was silent.

I looked into my notebook and then at Willy, “Very good Willy. Now for question number 3. State the full names for your parents, their species, are they still living and where are they?”

Willy looked at me with confused fear, “My father was William Guerra Durante. He was Brachen and died three years ago. My mother is Helen Livia Delecroix Durante, human, and she is living in Hawaii with my brother and his family.” Willy’s eyes again flashed to the telephone which remained silent.

I said sounding bored, “Question number 4. State the full name of your brother and his address?”

Willy resigned stated, “Zebulon Thad Durante, I don’t know his mailing address in Honolulu. But he owns the Lahilani Restaurant and Tiki bar in Honolulu.”

The voice on the cell phone stated, “Subject is telling the truth.”

I tapped my pen on the notepad. After a few moments I asked, “I’ll accept your answer. So… On to question number 5. Tell me everything that you know about this former Teraka assassin beginning with her name?”

Willy deflated, “I’m not sure what her real name is, but she sat over in the corner booth with a greasy looking little guy who called her Patrice and a really big demon with a leather fetish. All of them had Teraka rings so I didn’t stay near them. Later she came in and sat with Spike for a bit. They talked. Word was… that she came to town with two other Assassins all hired by Spike to kill her.” Willy nodded his head towards Buffy.

I made popping noise with my mouth and fished into my pocket, “Patrice is probably not her real name either but I‘ll check anyway. Bertha is still a better name since she was just so… butch. Buffy killed the big guy assassin.” I placed his ring on the bar top. “Here is ‘Patrice’s’ ring.” I motioned to the dead hand. “Here is the ring from the greasy little guy named Norman Phister.” I opened my hand and placed the ring on the bar top next to Patrice’s cold dead hand. Now there was three Teraka rings on the bar top. “So we have three up and three down.”

Willy’s eyes were wider at this revelation and he blurted out. “Teraka’s reputation is invincibility and for always completing their mission. In a thousand years they never failed…. Yet, here… here they failed and not just once but three times!” Willy’s voice was cracking and squeaking.

Willy was going hysterical. Buffy smacked his arm and I put my knife point under his nose and lifted his face from the Teraka rings. Willy’s fearful eyes were now back on me. “Question number 6. What was Spike’s purpose in hiring Teraka assassins?”

Willy spoke fast, “Spike needed the Slayer out of the way. Dead preferably. He has plans for some special magic incantation that will bring Drusilla back to good vampiric health. He needs Angel, Drusilla’s sire for the ritual and he needed the Slayer to stop interfering.”

I held up my hand to Buffy, to stop her and shook my head no. She had tightened her grip on Willy and had been preparing to tear his arm off. Buffy gave me an angry pleading look and a growl.

I leaned in towards Willy, “Question number 7. When is this ritual to be made?”

Willy groaned with pain from Buffy’s stretching him. “Tomorrow night, at the peak of the new moon.”

I realized that we had some time to rescue Angel. I asked my next question, “Question number eight and nine. Where is Spike holding Angel and where is Spike’s lair?”

Willy now looked terrified. “He’ll kill me if I tell you!”

With ice water tone, “What makes you think that one of us three won’t kill you… right now?”

Willy grew silent for moment his eyes searching between Buffy, Kendra’s and my eyes for a microgram of mercy or hope. There was none. He put his forehead down on the bloody bar and shuddered. “Ok… ok… ok… I’ll tell you. He’s holding Angel under the Farris Crypt on the northwest side of Bleeker Cemetery.”

The cellphone buzzed loudly and Willy startled. A microsecond later Buffy’s Tanto knife came down and speared into the bar top between Willy’s open legs. He screamed a high pitched keening cry, his eyes bulging out, his mouth wide open spittle flying. Willy lurched forward and pulled free of the blade, leaving his bloody foreskin behind. Willy’s face was a mask of pain and his nose was now a hair away from dead Bertha’s.

Kendra’s face was grimacing in pained surprise and looked away. Buffy looked at me and said with real angry growling regret, “I missed!”

Willy was whimpering, shuddering in waves of pain and tears were flowing on his flushed cheeks. I stood up and looked between his legs. Smiling grimly I sat back down and patted Willy’s forehead with my knife to gain his attention. Willy’s eyes opened and focused slowly on me.

“Look on the bright side Willy… You’ve been circumcised… for free. But on the down side I think the Slayer here was hoping to cut off more of you than she did. So let’s start over shall we? Ladies please pull him back to the starting line.”

Buffy pulled her knife free from the bar and wiped the man pieces off on Willy’s naked hairy leg, leaving a bloody meaty splash line. Then she and Kendra pulled Willy back to his starting point twenty-four inches from Bertha’s nose. Willy’s own warm blood now mixing more freely with Bertha’s.

With a reproving tone to Willy I began again, “Maybe I forgot to mention about the lie and even a partial lie, would lead to you loosing something that you value.” I put my knife edge under Willy’s nose for effect. “Tell me Willy if I cut off your nose will you regrow it or will it just heal over leaving you with a flatter uglier face?”

Willy blurted out between his receding waves of pain, “Errh… this really hurts. … I’m only half-Brachen. … I heal faster than humans but not as fast as full-bloods. … To regrow my nose, I have to use an enchanted salve ointment.”

I exhaled loudly and asked, “Do you have a lot of that special ointment, Willy? I think you are going to need it… if you lie again… For next time do you want me to have the girls flip you over so you can see the blade coming?”

Willy opened one eye at me, “Uh… Ow… Errgh… No, I don’t have any of the ointment. I never really needed it… until now. Oh-keerist that hurts… If you turn me over she’ll gut me like a fish!”

With a look at Buffy I said, “No – no –no, Willy. As bad as she wants to gut you like a fish right now, she won’t. She won’t because I’ve asked her not to. Remember Willy the rules of this game is that they get to cut off parts of you for each lie or partial-lie. By the time we get to the point where you’re just a stumpy no legs, no arms and no man-parts, only then does she get to gut you like a fish and play with what’s left of you. Tch-tch-tch Willy. I’m surprised at you. Haven’t you figured this out yet? They… want you… to lie to me!” I waved my hands at the slayer girls in emphasis.

Willy groaned and looked back at Buffy who just grinned a truly frightening show of pearly whites for a California Cheerleader. Willy looked back at me. I said while tapping my pen against the notebook, “Willy, I know there’s an entrance to the storm drain tunnels under that crypt and there is one under your business here. So describe this place and the directions through the storm drains on how to get there?”

Willy groaned his face still showing his pain, “The place is an old demon church underground about a mile north of here using the tunnels. I didn’t tell the Teraka assassins about my tunnel entrance that’s why she was using the Farris tomb entrance.”

I starting tapping my knife on the bar top in front of Willy, “Is there an entrance nearby to this church?”

Willy grimacing, “Yes… The closest entrance is still 200 yards away. You still have to go through the tunnels. The entrance is on the north edge of Chorro park at the foot of Cerro Los Agonia. Look for the old stone cross monument about seven feet tall. It’s a steel door ten feet behind the cross. At the bottom go west skirting the hill. If you go north you’ll enter the Agonia caverns. You don’t want to go there… unless you take an army of Slayers.”

I warmly smiled at Willy, “You’re forgetting something Willy. Where does Spike sleep?”

Willy blanching again in pain, “His crypt is in the Cabrillo cemetery. But I don’t know which one! He’s never told me or taken me there.” Willy’s eyes were intently focused on the phone.

The phone beeped twice and Cortana’s covert voice said, “Subject telling the truth.”

I looked at Buffy and Kendra, “Kendra be a good Slayer and hand that bottle of Whiskey to Buffy will you?”

Kendra without letting go of Willy’s arm turned and with one hand pitched the half-full bottle of Jim Bean to Buffy. Buffy looked at me in confusion, silently mouthing a question - what?

I smiled and waved my hand at Willy’s body, “You don’t want Willy to get an infection do you?”

Buffy’s smile was pure evil pleasure, as she pulled the stopper cork with her teeth and proceeded to pour the 120 proof contents on Willy’s still bleeding man-tool and body. Willy screamed and arched his back still held tight by Kendra and Buffy. Finally Willy’s screaming and whimpering tapered off to a morose silence.

I tilted my head towards the door while looking at Buffy and Kendra, “You can let him go now ladies. I think he’s earned a day of rest.”

Holding up my hand palm towards Buffy and Kendra, I signaled them to silently pick up their weapons and head for the van. I remained seated.

As the girls retrieved their arrows from the walls, I put Bertha’s bits back into her bucket and collected the Teraka rings.

Without looking at Willy who had begun to move his legs, I quipped, “Stay right where you are Willy. In fact you stay there until I leave. Otherwise I might just kill you, thinking that you were going to try to threaten me.”

Willy through pinched eye lids looked at me, “Ok, ok, I’ll stay.”

I then pulled my briefcase down the bar and opened it. “Good dog Willy!” With that I removed four stacks of $5,000 each from the briefcase and waved them in front of Willy.

Both Slayers now went through the doors and outside to the van. Willy’s greedy eyes were locked on the stacks of fanning money.

I spoke with firmness, “Here’s your deal Willy and it is the best one you’re gonna get. Because the other option is that I put your head in this bucket with Bertha and you both get to decorate my office. Behind door number three is this other friend of mine who really likes the Slayer girls. He is sorta of new to this planet and his name is Vengeance. You might have heard of him?”

Willy turned white and nodded his head slowly.

I continued, “So here is your chance to continue living. If you by any means communicate to Spike that the Slayers are coming for him, then I’ll be feed you alive to the Tyrhrock.”

Willy had a desperate look across his face, his imagination of being torn apart by Tryhrock jaws and claws bouncing around his pain fevered brain. “No, I promise! I won’t tell. I won’t say anything!”

I tapped my knife on the bar for three heart beats.

I continued, “In the future to keep your body parts still attached to you. You will call our snitch reporting center at *626 and report any… and I mean any news regarding demon or vampire gangs, plans to kill humans or whatever that might harm a human. You might earn yourself some money and keep on living at the same time.”

Willy now much more interested in the direction of the conversation. “How much money G-man?”

I smiled thinly down at Willy, “Your getting ahead of the rules Willy. Here is the real kicker Willy… If you ever tell anyone or any creature anything that might… ever… ever lead to the harm of a Slayer, their friends and family… then you had better hope that Vengeance gets to you before I do. He is… known for being pretty quick at the killing part. Me on the other hand… I do have this caged and always hungry Ter’Ghar demon. You know how they are? They love to play with their food first; as in rape it, while chewing parts off, then finally kill it and eat the rest. They do make for a night of interesting entertainment while disposing of creeps who piss me off.”

Willy gulped audibly and looked at me with a white face.

I coldly smiled down at him and calmly said, “Are you going to piss me off Willy?”

Willy gulped again and squeaked out, “No…”

Still smiling I said, “Good boy Willy.” As I picked up my cell phone and laid the stacks of money on top of the bar glasses. “This is for the mess tonight Willy. Remember *626 and make a report every time you hear something. Don’t delay with the news either. We have many other snitches in the demon community and the way it works is that the creature who makes the first report gets paid the most, followed by whoever fills in the gaps and provides more complete information. Capiche?”

Willy nodded.

I stood up and showed Willy the contents of my briefcase again. Willy’s eyes viewed the stacks of cash greedily.

I told him, “After I leave you need to call *626 and establish your account information. Please answer their questions about payment options. Oh I almost forgot Willy. I’ll be back next Tuesday night, without the Slayer duo. Not unless you want me to bring them?”

Willy groaned thinking about two Slayers trashing the place again and killing his customers. He said hurridly, “No! Please don’t bring them back.”

I shook my head, “I like a Mojito with Rum and made with real crushed mint leaves. Not just the Mint Liquor. I’ll be seeing you next Tuesday and if you have been a good boy? You will get the rest of this… Maybe then you can afford to clean this place up a little.”

I walked up to the entrance landing and looked back. Willy was still laying on the bar top his hands holding his head, while looking down at the coagulating blood.

I said loudly, “Goodnight Willy! See you next Tuesday.” With that I stepped out into the night air. Both Slayers were standing guard next to the van. I opened the side door and climbed in behind Roary. The girls got in and Roary drove off.

I asked Roary, “Any problems tonight on your end?”

Roary chuckled, “Yes and no. Just a couple of former customers. That VBG stuff worked as advertised. I was amazed for a second but the bonfire was kinda nice. Sure did surprise them. Willow told me that I should bring marshmallows with me. She sure wasn’t kidding.”

I patted his shoulder in sympathy and encouragement.

I turned to look at Buffy who had been tapping my leg with the fletching end of an arrow.

She looked at me with pursed up lips, “Well… Are we going to go get Angel now!?”

I sighed, “Where should we go Buffy?”

Buffy snarkily, “You heard the dirty sleaze. At the church, placey!”

I replied calmly, “Buffy he’s not there right now. Spike wouldn’t keep him there. Angel is probably very close to Spike and Drusilla and for that we only have about 2,000 plus graves and 800 crypts to look through in the Cabrillo cemetery. The only thing we know for sure is that sometime after 9:00 pm tomorrow night Angel will be brought to the ‘church’ for the ceremony. We can’t reconnoiter the route Willy gave us tonight because we could spook Spike away to somewhere else that he could do the ceremony at.”

Buffy looked like she could chew a steel I-beam. “We’ve got to do something!?”

I said quietly, “We did Buffy… and because of what we did, we now know the why, the time and the where. Tonight we all get a good night sleep because tomorrow during daylight we’re going to go and recon our route while all good vamps are snoozing. After that we will get another snooze to keep us sharp because when the new moon rises we have to be inplace and ready to dance.”

Buffy started to say something else, when I cut her off. “You’re starting to whine Buffy. Don’t make me call your Mom. Remember the mission is to retrieve Angel alive and in one piece. If you still want that? Then we can’t do anything near Spike tonight. If you need to kill a few vamps tonight and burn off some energy, we can drop you girls off at any cemetery that you want so long as it is at least one mile from Willy’s place, the Cabrillo cemetery and Cerro Los Agonia mountain.”

Buffy looked at Kendra and asked her, “You up for a patrol tonight? Cause I can’t sleep right now…”

I commed Cortana, “Hey, Cortana thanks for the assist tonight with Willy. Do you have any vamps on your surveillance grid that we can drop the Slayer girls at? They’re still wound up and not ready for bed.”

Cortana laughed, “Funny that you should ask that question because I have three groups of vampires under surveillance right now and a couple of singles. Have Roary turn right up ahead on Santa Rosa Boulevard and stop at Billy Mitchell park. The Slayers can get some action by way of six vamps in the park. Call me back when they’re done and I’ll vector you to the next group.”

I was now chuckling, “Thanks Cortana. I know they’ll appreciate this. Out.”

I leaned over to Roary and gave him the directions.

I then turned to the girls making a show of my cell phone, “Buffy! Kendra! If I may interrupt? My people have told me that there are three large groups of vamps in town tonight and if you want some quick action, Roary and I can take you straight to each group of vamps? How about it?”

Buffy and Kendra looked at me surprised. Both nodded their heads after looking at each other and breaking into large feral grins of joy.

“Ok Slayers… We are headed for Billy Mitchell park downtown and there is reported to be six vamps in the park hunting people. So Roary will drop you both at the northeastern corner of the park along Santa Rosa Boulevard. Then we will drive down to the southwestern corner on Osso Street and park. We’ll stay with the van and they’re all yours. Afterwards we will go to the next group and do the same thing.”

Buffy leaned forward towards Roary and said, “Drive faster Roary! I need to kill some fang-faces.”

Kendra looked at me with a question mark in glowing neon over her head, “How do you know there’re six vampires there?”

While opening my cell phone for a call home, “I have spies who are watching for any vamp that comes out to hunt. They report when they see them and then I get the reports from snitch central. As of tonight even Willy is on the snitch list.”

Kendra looked at Buffy, “Your friends are so strange… and so helpful…”

Buffy grinned while looking hard at me and said, “Yah! They’re stranger than you know and I suspect even stranger than I know?”

Kendra looked even more confused.

I got a hold of Karen and Willow. “Hey my darling Red. Our conversation with Willy went well. — He’s rethinking his life. — But tell Karen that we will be out for another two hours or so. — Yes, the Slayers need to work off some steam so we are taking them to some vampire gangs that are out. — Yes, our Valkyrie is guiding us to them. — No, don’t stay up but call your parents and tell them that it will be a sleep-over to keep Karen company. — Ok, love you. Bye.”

I turned to both slayers, “Here is your intel. This park is as large as two football fields and there are no bushes or cover to hide in. The childrens playground will be on your left when you leave the van and the senior citizens center will be on the southeastern corner. We will park in the street at the corner of Buchonn and Osso. There is a gazebo in the center of the park but mostly this is an open grass picnic park. This park is surrounded by residential houses so be quick and quiet. Any questions?”

Buffy only asked, “Are we there yet?”

Roary called out, “Ten seconds to bail out.”

15. New Moon Dance

Chapter 15. New Moon Dance

Saturday, 13 Dec. 1997, 10:30 AM, Sunnydale California. New Moon tonight.
40th Day after first purchase of the Warehouses.

The kitchen table was full this morning for a late breakfast. Buffy, Kendra, Willow, Roary, Karen and I, all sat there eating. Karen had made enough to feed the slayers. The slayers were now wolfing their second foot tall stack of real Canadian Maple Syrup soaked pancakes. Both of them between mouthfuls were excitedly regaling Willow and Karen with their last night adventures. It was kinda of bizarre because both were so… bubbly.

Buffy finally filled her bottomless pit. She pushed back from the table and exclaimed, “Last night was so… totally the best. Twenty-six vampires and two demons in one night. I’ve never slayed that many vamps before in one night. Heck in one week.”

Kendra nodded her head with a happy smile of remembrance, “Me too. I slayed twenty-five vampires and three demons. It was so… right. I too have never slayed so many in one night or in one week.”

Both Slayers looked at me and in unison said, “Can we do that again?”

I put my head down into my hands, “God help me… I’ve created two monsters.”

Willow giggled and put her arm around me and said facetiously, “It’s ok dear, they mean well.”

I asked Roary, “Do you feel like being a chauffeur for two crazed Slayer girls for two or three nights per week?”

Roary looked at me and then Karen, who smiled at him and said, “It’s your job now you know?”

Roary looked at Karen, then the Slayers and finally me, “I’ve been shanghaied by bloodthirsty women.”

I looked around the table and settled on Roary, with Willow still draped on me, “Tell me about it?” Smiling now I pulled a warm giggling Willow onto my lap.

Karen kissed Roary’s cheek. Kendra blushed and Buffy said indignantly, “Puul-ease, No embarrassing smoochies in front of the children!” While she was holding up her hand in front of Kendra’s face who was now laughing and dodging.

This was good. I thought it a minor miracle when Willow sat them on the same side of the table this morning and they didn’t complain. Now… they were teasing each other instead of viciously snarking and hand-to-hand combat.

Willow planted a kiss on my cheek and said, “You’re losing control of this meeting dear, back to business.” Willow was not only smart but she was a good meeting executive.

Reluctantly Willow slide off my lap and made a show of getting back into her chair while whistling loudly at Buffy and Kendra. Which stopped them cold.

I commed Cortana, “Are you ready for show time?”

Cortana replied, “I’m always ready. But are you?”

I sighed, “Ready as ever when it comes to Slayers.”

With that all of the telephones in the house began ringing on their own and the two televisions visible from the Kitchen table both came on and cycled to an empty channel. I placed the kitchen telephone on the table and set it to speaker phone. From all of the ceiling PA/Intercom speakers, the TV’s and the telephone came the music of Wagner’s ‘Ride of the Valkyries’. While Cortana put on her flashy Valkyrie arriving show.

Buffy and Kendra sat frozen in awe, their mouths open with the start of a smile. After Cortana had removed her helmet shaking out her golden hair, she stopped and looked around. “Welcome Slayers to the party, I am Cortana – Valkyrie and Shield Maiden to my War Captain, Alexander.” With a smiling wink in the direction of Roary and myself she said, “For your information you two men have been outnumbered by bloodthirsty women for a long time, get over it.” Karen and Willow both started laughing. Looking to her left at Buffy and Kendra she said, “What!? No questions from you two gawkers?”

Buffy and Kendra’s jaws snapped shut and Buffy was the first to say, “Who!? What are you?”

Cortana crossed her arms and gave Buffy a look of adult frustration with an errant child, “Alexander didn’t tell me that you’re also slow. I – will – speak – slower – this – time. My – name – is – Cortana – and – I – am – a – Valkyrie.”

Kendra put her hands over her face trying desperately to hide her laughter at Buffy’s expense. Buffy went all indigent and stood up. “I’m not slow! I’m just… startled… and at a loss for words.” Turning quickly towards me, “What is this Xander?!”

I shrugged my shoulders. My hand about Willow’s under the table. Willow squeezed my hand in support. “Remember Halloween? Cortana was also left behind and she’s with me. Please, listen to her.”

Cortana coughed on screen, smiled a dazzling smile and said, “Did you two Slayers enjoy last night?”

Buffy and Kendra both nodded yes, obviously confused.

Cortana then said, “Be nice to me because I run, what Alex calls snitch central. I also attempt to monitor and report on all demon activity in Sunnydale. I can provide a level of situational awareness that is informational and actionable.”

Seeing a look of confusion on both Slayers faces she paused and explained further to children. “I can tell you where the demons are, how many and the best way to attack them before they know that you are there.”

Buffy exclaimed, “Oh! That’s so way cool. Do you like to shop for shoes and clothes?”

Cortana’s face transitioned between stunned to gleeful, “At times I regret that I’m not corporeal Buffy. I would love to shop for clothing…” She turned slightly on screen towards me showing off her figure and with sadness said, “I would like… also to be able to touch, to feel, to hold Alex… but I’m not sure that Willow would share you with me in that way.”

Willow squeezed my hand and piped up to Cortana, “Buffy wanted a threesome next year, so why not you also?” She just blurted that out without thinking. It surprised me enough for my Spartan heart to skip a beat in shock and my cheeks to flush pink.

Buffy spit her orange juice out and started coughing. Kendra began turning dark pink and blurted out to Buffy, “You tramp! You would have two boyfriends? Two lovers…” With that she covered her face realizing what she had just imagined. Roary and Karen started laughing.

Cortana also began laughing onscreen, “Only that I could…”

After a few moments of laughter Cortana got down to business. “May I bring your attention to the screen.” Cortana brought up a satellite view of Cerro Los Agonia mountain and began zooming down onto a cluster of trees at the mouth of one lonely arroyo above a walking trail. “This is your target today. The cross that Willy alleged is inside this cluster of trees.”

Cortana brought up a schematic of city drain tunnel construction. “Here is a large manhole access which corresponds to what Willy alleged. Please note how the tunnels precede from this point exactly as he described.” Backing out the view a little, Cortana came on screen like a weather reporter. “You will disembark here at the end of Carnage Road and you’ll walk over this ridge here and uphill until you arrive at the manhole. You’ll enter and egress at this point. I’ld recommend that Roary be rear guard up top with a machine gun for fire superiority if required.”

Buffy exclaimed looking quickly at me, “A machine gun!? Where did you get a machine gun?”

I looked at her and tilted my head smiling in all innocence, “Same place where I get the hand grenades.”

Buffy gave me and then Roary - a - are you both insane look.

Cortana then looked at me, “Daylight or not, if you’re going into the tunnels you are wearing your armor. Aren’t you?”

I looked at both Slayers, “Today is a day for revelations, I guess.” Looking back at Cortana on screen and the small hidden cameras behind and above the TV. “Armor it is today and tonight.” Turning back to the Slayers, I slid a new cell telephone with an accessories box containing a sports ear loop and boom microphone for silent hands free operation, three extra batteries and other accessories across the table to Kendra. I told her, “This phone is paid up for the next two years. You can talk to Cortana or Buffy or Giles anytime and the numbers are on the speed dial. Come back before the account closes and I’ll give you a brand new phone.”

Looking at Buffy I said, “You need to keep your cell phone charged and on… so that Cortana can alert you if necessary. Cortana can help you big time. You can just talk to her if you want. But you really need to keep the batteries charged.”

Standing up I said to them all while standing near the TV monitor, back to the mission briefing. “Today we are going to recon Spikes location for sacrificing Angel and that is all. But if we run into trouble we will withdraw fighting. Remember the real show is tonight and we have to be in position at 9:00 PM. The new moon will hit zenith for us at a few minutes after midnight so we may have to wait for Spike and his gang to show up. Karen and Willow, I’m going to ask that you two drive the Dodge van today and tonight for the Slayers. Roary will drive me with his truck. When we have Angel we’ll withdraw to the vehicles. I will be point on ingress and tail gunner on our withdrawal. Buffy you’ll take Angel to his apartment; there should be some blood packets in his refrigerator for him to heal with. Any questions?”

Kendra raised her hand like she was back in school. “Who gets to kill Spike and Drusilla?”

Buffy said with venom, “He’s all mine.”

I raised my eyebrows, “No Buffy! You go for Angel. Focus on rescuing Angel. Kendra can keep Spike busy until Angel is out of their clutches. Now, having said that, I won’t kill him. That’s up to you Slayers. I will kill everything else that gets in our way.”

Buffy and Kendra both looked happy and then confused. In harmony they said, “How?”

I smiled and said, “You’ll see. But it’s time to gear up and prepare for our hike and recon.”

Karen asked, “What kind of weapons should Willow and I have?”

“You two will bring your VBG cans, crossbows and a shotgun each loaded for demons if you want them. But you two get to stay with the vehicles until we return.”

Karen looked at Willow, “I don’t think we’ll need a shotgun? Not until we get gun safety trained and learn to shoot them in a safe environment.”

Roary and I both smiled. Karen is much smarter than she looked. I said, “Good choice. Gun safety and range training first.”

Turning to Roary I tipped my head quickly, “Ladies the house is yours now, we will meet in one hour at Reach Industries. Roary and I are going to go fetch weapons and suit up at Reach.”

Saturday, 13 Dec. 1997, 12:30 PM, Sunnydale California

Roary and I arrived at Reach first and Roary drove his pickup inside. The back bed was full of our weapons, ammo cases, one box containing eight hand grenades and four field expedient party favors.

I planned on leaving behind inside the tunnel to the caverns four booby traps courtesy of two of our new Army veteran friends. Basically four former twenty pound propane tanks containing a five pound mixture of gasoline, acetone and then over-pressurized with twenty pounds of propane. The outside of the tanks were wrapped in det cord under Duck Tape with a chemical delayed fuze on the det cord initiator and with thermite pack to act as the incendiary. Four now forty pound Fuel Air Explosive (FAE) canisters for incinerating masses of vampires.

Roary and I began loading and checking weapons on a shop table. Then we went in the back and began changing our street clothes for tactical gear.

I was just adjusting my environmental skin suit and lower armor when the ladies drove up the ramp and into the warehouse parking area.

Roary tossed the Dodge Ram van keys to Karen while he finished inserting gear into his vest pockets.

Roary directed all of the ladies to the table off to his side. On it were tactical radios with silent headsets. Roary mounted them on all of the ladies upper back vest shoulder pouches and went through a radio check and instructional procedure with them. With Cortana talking to them once their radios were on.

Twenty minutes later Willow brought them back to the new warehouse armory and vaults area where my Mjolnir armor was now kept. Coming around the corner Willow said loudly, “Damn! I was hoping to catch him buck naked.” Giggling she motioned for the others to follow her.

Karen, Buffy and Kendra came around the wall and saw me putting on the last of my armor. Karen and Willow had seen this before but it still awed them. Buffy and Kendra were completely awe struck. I said nothing as I continued with Roary helping with some of the final parts. Finally I picked up my helmet and dogged it down. I radioed everyone a greeting and continued going through my systems checks. Talking out loud for their benefit as I ran down my checklist.

Roary told the Slayers to stay back because they both were getting to close as I was preparing to initialize my shields. My armors chameleon skin began to change pattern just before the field snapped on. Lightening played down my armor for three seconds.

The combination of the energy shield field hazing everything behind it and the chameleon patterns moving about as if alive gave the Mjolnir armor a fuzzy living exoskeleton appearance. Not something that others would associate with regular human manufactured armors and appliqués.

Entranced with curiosity Buffy’s hands were out in front of her as she approached the armored behemoth that I had transformed into. Roary and Karen were talking with Willow when Karen nudged Roary and said, “She’s just as curious as I was.” I was pre-occupied with watching Willow and my suit instrument readings. I didn’t see Buffy coming towards me until it was too late.

Roary jumped forward to grab Buffy too late. She touched the shield field. There was a loud snap and Buffy was thrown back into Kendra knocking them both down. Smoke from burnt hair was coming off her gloved hands and arms. Kendra pushed her off and scrambled up. Buffy was laying on the floor all slack jawed and her eyes were unfocused. After about ten heartbeats, she tried to lever herself up and failed miserably.

Kendra looked at me in my shimmering armor and back to Buffy. She smiled and started laughing at Buffy. Buffy could only garble, “Oowrgh-arkel-barfet-arrgghhr.” Buffy tried to roll over to push herself up and finally she was able to shakily rise. Her hair still charged and frizzy; she stood up unsteadily and started to fall over. Kendra and Roary grabbed her before she hit the cement floor. They levered her up onto a chair and Willow ran to the employee kitchen refrigerator to grab a cold bottle of Gatorade for Buffy. When she returned Buffy was still sitting down and her head was in her hands. She greedily drank the entire bottle.

I radioed them, “My system checks are all green. I’m go for launch. Sorry about the shock Buffy but if it is any consolation you only touched it at 40% charge point.”

Buffy shook her head and started patting down her frizzed hair. “Wow! That really hurt! …” Examining her nails to see if she had broken them she paused. A stunned look crossed her face. “Xander! – Oh My God!! Your him! The V-guy that all the vamps are terrified of!”

Kendra looked at Buffy and back to me three times in quick succession. Understanding crossing her face. She turned her entire body towards me fingering her sword pommel. I could see her face. She was grimly considering her options. Finally she asked the question, “You are human and you are also… Vengeance?”

Roary said to her smirking, “Welcome to American high technology, kiddo. The sci-fi Hollywood movies have squat on Alex. In that suit he can kill T-Rex dinosaurs, vamps, Vos and smash modern battle tanks.” Pointing Buffy and Kendra to the kill-board wall to their right he said, “See the guards are all betting on how many he can kill each time he suits up.”

Buffy exclaimed in excited awe, “My God, Xander… Really!! This is just so mondo weirdsville.” She stopped and crossed her arms giving me the patented Buffy pout. “Christmas is coming… When do I get one?”

Kendra said quietly, “I was sent here to find a great demon named Vengeance. An Old One that isn’t like an Old One… The Watchers Council searches for you in their libraries.”

She was still fingering her sword and her knife. I wondered how the enchanted weapons would behave against my shields. Would they bounce off or slice through. I didn’t want to find out right now.

I radioed them, “Well Buffy, right now this is the only one I have and you may have to wait a long time. But we will have lots of goodies for you Slayers between now and then. For you Kendra, please do not tell the Watchers Council who I really am. I don’t think they would like the competition and I don’t want to be placed in the position of fighting demons and them at the same time. Are you good with that Kendra?”

Kendra nodded slowly, grimacing and waving her hand at me. “We’ll have to talk about this… later.”

I just knew that she wanted to beat on me for a bit for fooling her but I could see the conflict on her face. She really liked Cortana and their girl’s nights out. I really hoped that our ‘conversation’ would not turn into a Slayers version of an athletic workout. Although getting physical with Kendra might be a great wrestling match… down boy. Simmer down. Get back to business. Think of only the mission.

I turned off my shields and radioed, as I began walking to the car park, “Ladies you get the Van and I get to ride lying down in the back bed of Roary’s truck.”

Saturday, 13 Dec. 1997, 1:05 PM, Sunnydale California
Circular cul de sac at the end of Carnage Road.

I jumped out of the pickup bed and stretched. Looking around Highway 101 was 100 yards away to the south and a large house was fifty yards away to the East along Carnage Road.

Roary and I began arming up as the ladies van drove up and they began dismounting.

I neuronetted Cortana, “Hey Cortana, we’ve arrived at the debarkation point. Can you intercept the local 911 calls while we are out here? We’re visible from the highway and one house. Someone may call in about us and we don’t need a frightened Sunnydale police presence getting in the way.

There was a pause and then Cortana replied, “Roger that Alex. I’ve just intercepted one call from the house near you. I’ve soothed her. Right now you are a Police and Federal training exercise.”

When the ladies were all prepared I radioed them all. “I’ll lead off, our initial target is the stone cross which should be about 2,100 feet over that low ridge. It may be hidden by the foliage so keep a sharp eye out for it.”

With that I waved at Willow before turning, picking up my party favors and striding off over the low grasslands, wild ice plant, Lemon trees and California Bay Laurel. Roary kissed and waved goodbye to Karen.

Ten minutes later the Slayers with their Katanas were clearing away the low bushes from around the cross and then the manhole access.

We all gathered at the frontage of the white and gray patterned granite monument with a three foot tall cross atop which faced East. The sun angle cast perfect shadows on the sixty-nine year old inscription making the reading easier.

Here lies the last mortal resting place of
Charles Dexter Ward
and
Marinus Bicknell Willett, M.D.
29 August 1928

Deos lux requiescat in pace.

- Augurium Sidus Attendo -
Hominem et Vindex ex divum arma sic caedes moneo ulciscor.

Erected by Howard Lovecraft in honor of friends and their deeds, 10 March 1929.

I scanned the cross to see if it held any hidden surprises, like a reliquary but it did not. But the stone was not marble or local stone. The monument was a single chiseled piece of stone not two or three pieces assembled. It looked like it weighed well over one ton. There were the bones of two men side by side, six feet beneath the ground at the eastern foot of the cross. I uploaded my scans to Cortana and she came back three seconds later.

Cortana spoke on the common channel so all could hear it. “This is a mystery Alex. Your scans indicate that this Granite stone was quarried from Glass Mountain north of a small town called Bishop in California’s upper Mojave desert. This stone is a long way from home and especially long way given the state of roads in 1928. Freeways didn’t exist then and most roads were dirt or gravel. Not even counting the cost of fashioning it and transporting it safely, what today on modern roads would be 340 miles. This granite is some of the hardest natural stone outside of a precious gem stone. Unlike the more traditional and softer marble used on headstones which lasts only a few hundred years under natural weathering… this stone will be here and readable for at least five thousand years.”

Buffy began, “I don’t get it? The top line of Latin I understand. It means ‘Rest in Peace under the light of God.’ But the rest of it… I think it’s talking about you Xander? How can it be talking about you from what… 70 years ago? It says, ‘Attention to this prophecy from the stars.’ The next line says, ‘One human, Vengeance, he comes from beyond the sky bringing war of slaughter upon the monstrous demons.’ ” Buffy fell silent thinking and retranslating the Latin hoping for a mistake.

Seconds went by and Cortana said, “Buffy’s translation is essentially correct. This is even more mysterious because the name Howard Lovecraft is the name of a horror fiction book author from that time period. According to his many biographies he never traveled to California and these two names are supposed to be fictional characters from one of his horror stories that was not published until well after his death.”

I then spoke, “Regardless, his biography is obviously wrong. He was here and this monument was an expensive undertaking. People do not spend money like this on a whim. This was a debt of honor he felt he owed to these two men, who clearly are not fictional because their bones are resting down there below the monument. The rest of it… I can’t explain. But we can assume that the three of them in 1928 went down into the original tunnels and two of them did not survive. Both skeletons have claw marks and bone damage created before they died. Those injuries most likely killed them. It’s obvious that Mr. Lovecraft carried his friends here and buried them deep enough so that animals or demons didn’t disturb them.”

Kendra asked me, “How can you be so certain that they’re down there?”

I said while stepping respectfully around the cross, “My sensor scans can see them.”

As I walked to the large rectangular steel manhole cover the others stood in front of the cross discussing it’s mystery. I bent down and noted that the heavy cover didn’t have a lock on it. I lifted the cover, metal on rusted metal screeching. I pushed it over to its hinged stops. For Cortana I initiated a Nav pulse.

I radioed them without taking my eyes from the tunnel below, “Time to lock and load. Roary you set up with you MG covering the tunnel below. Radio us if you see anything get past below you. Keep two cans of VBG ready to go.”

“Roger that Xander.” Roary said with determination.

“Ok, ladies let me make one thing perfectly clear. When we are returning to this entrance you cannot let panic drive you. I’ll be marking the tunnel with reflective paint and dropping Cyalume sticks. When you get to the Cyalume sticks you must radio Roary that you’re coming… otherwise he may fill you full of holes and slayer healing or no, … he will kill you. Friendly fire is not friendly and bullets are not friendly. Do you read me loud and clear on this?”

Buffy and Kendra were standing next to me looking down into the cool darkness. Both looked at me, then at Roary who was securing his German MG3 to a pedestal stand.

Kendra answered somberly, “Yes.”

Buffy stated flatly, “This is really good advice Xander. Warn Roary. Don’t get killed by Roary which would be a bummer.”

“Second tip is after we are down there, at some point I am going to re-initialize my shields. Don’t get near me or touch me when they’re on. I can’t turn them on until we drop off these party favors. Electric fields and field-expedient explosives do not go well together. Also don’t be alarmed when I change my audible voice to my ‘Vengeance voice’ for our demon audience. Down there… I’m Vengeance, so please don’t call me Xander.”

Buffy asked snarkily while fingering her sword, “Are you done? I want to see this place before the sun goes down?”

I chided Buffy. “Buffy this is supposed to be a stealthy reconnaissance not a smash and bash party. We go slow and if we encounter any opposition we have to be swift and silent. No playing with your demons.”

Buffy looked disappointed. She elbowed Kendra and said, “He’s no fun.”

With my party favors in my left hand I dropped onto the sand covered floor of the tunnel 18 feet below and moved off to the side scanning both directions. The Slayers dropped to the floor behind me. Twenty yards ahead to the west was a crossing tunnel going north to the Mountain and south back towards Sunnydale. I spray painted the tunnel walls under the manhole with my navigation numbering and then began numbering the tunnel crossing corners as HK19. I initiated another Nav Pulse for this crossing. Putting away my spray cans I dropped a line of four green Cyalume sticks into the sand and glued two to each wall of the tunnel leading to the manhole. Walking past the manhole I did the same but with orange Cyalume sticks on the eastside of the manhole to visually indicate that we had past our exit point. If the tunnel was full of smoke and my suit inoperative from damage these lights would be our only indicator for survival. I hoped that Murphy wouldn’t bite us too badly today.

Turning to the Slayers I radioed them and swept my hands at the green Cyalume sticks, “This is your halt-point for notifying Roary that you are coming. You must stop here and do not proceed until he gives you the all clear.” Motioning for them both to stay at the halt point I stepped into the intersection.

Now standing in the center of the tunnel four-way crossing, I scanned more thoroughly in all directions again. There was brief movement 600 feet to the north, too small to be a threat, another rat most likely. The tunnel curved to the west and descended so my sensors field-of-view was limited. There was a slow breeze in the tunnel north towards the mountain. I concluded that there had to be air vents on the mountain. Maybe offering an alternate way out, if the mission went to hell. I continued my scans. Six hundred feet to the west the tunnel ran straight and slightly downhill from my current position. I radioed the team, “You know the city limits ends right where I am standing. The city drain tunnels run north and west outside the city limits… The mayor and his minions have been busy boys.”

Buffy said in whisper over her radio mic, “So what if they ran tunnels outside the city limits?”

I chided her like a school teacher, “Think Buffy, what city runs tunnels to places that they don’t have jurisdiction over? What city runs tunnels into mountains? Especially running nice and convenient tunnels into areas known to be infested with vampires and demons? What does that tell you about Mayor Wilkins?”

Buffy sucked in a lungful of air, “Mayor Wilkins and I are going to have a slaying party.”

I looked back at her, “Cortana and I, strongly suspect that he’s a demon but right now we have no solid proof. No slaying the Mayor. We know he’s a bad guy but we don’t want the demons replacing him with someone we have to start over with. So again, no slaying the Mayor. We’ll get to him eventually, when he becomes a direct threat but for now he’s aiding the demons but not a direct threat to any of us.”

“Double-dog damn, Xander. You’re definitely a party pooper.” Buffy grumbled.

“You ladies stay here. I am going to go north and drop two of these party favors. I should be back in ten minutes so sit tight and no sightseeing while I am gone.” I began fast walking north.

At the six hundred foot mark the tunnel did in fact turn northwest and ran straight along the mountain spine descending for another 214 feet. The concrete drain tunnel pipe also stopped at this point. The tunnel beyond had been rough hewn from the rock of the mountain but the floor was smooth and carefully cut. Broad hewn steps leading down. I spray painted the concrete pipe walls and marked the spot with a Nav pulse to Cortana. The tunnel beyond expanded in size while descending deeper underground. My sensors could detect a lot of movement another eight hundred feet down cavern. The far wall of the large cavern beyond this tunnel was 1,400 feet distant. I had an epiphany.

I removed a roll of fishing line that I had purchased for something like this. I had thought to use it as a trip wire for my detonator but now it was going to be a spider’s web. At the center of my web at the end of the concrete tunnel was going to be a party favor dead center in the tunnel. I hooked up a dual detonator on the party favor. One a radio detonator with a five second delay and the other a five second delay spring detonator attached to the spider web of fishing line. Just in case something large ran into the web of fishing line. When I was finished I retreated south up tunnel and set the next party favor down in the sand also with a dual detonator. This time, the radio detonator had a zero second delay.

Walking back to the Slayers I told them what I had done. “The tunnel is a shotgun barrel. If I command detonate the one booby trap the overpressure wave will launch the second bomb down into the far cavern beyond. I calculated that it would detonate just about where the tunnel enters the main cavern for a very rude surprise.”

Buffy looked north and then south and quipped, “Isn’t this also a shotgun barrel aimed at us?”

“Good observation Buffy and the answer is, yes. When I hit the detonator for the closest bomb to the north we want to be past the Cyalume sticks to be safe from flying debris.” I said approvingly.

Kendra looked north and said, “If vampires are following us will they be killed?”

I was happy that both girls were thinking things through now. “Very good question, Kendra. The answer is yes, but only if they’re standing inside or very near that intersection. At first they will be roasted on the blast of super-heated wind and then the debris in that wind will flail them into very small chunks.”

Kendra smiled a toothy smile, “I like this trap, just so long as I am not standing out there when you set it off.”

“No worries there. You two should be going up the manhole ladder when I detonate them. Let’s just hope that demons don’t set them off prematurely by having a parade.” I was hoping that Colonel Murphy would not bugger up this booby trap.

I picked up my last two party favors and we headed west down tunnel.

Six hundred feet to the west we encountered the next crossing tunnel. Again our tunnel continued on west but leveling off. To the south the tunnel was descending slightly towards Sunnydale and there was no movement. To the north the tunnel was ascending but with two targets 400 feet away and moving towards us.

I pulsed a Nav beacon for geo-reference and painted this crossing as IK19.

I radioed the Slayers while carefully setting down the party favors and pulling my newly enchanted sword. “Girls, we have company coming. Two targets and at their rate they will be here in three minutes. I will be the distraction. You two set up on the edge of the intersection with your crossbows. When I turn on my head lights, shoot them.”

Kendra asked in a whisper as she moved to the farside of the tunnel wall facing north and checking her crossbow. “I can’t see them or… feel them… how are you able to see them?”

Buffy cut-in, “Ya, V – what she said but I also want to know what are they?”

I took up a position dead center in the southside of the intersection and faced the approaching demons as motionless as a statue. “Remember Slayers high-technology sensors and a lot of them. I can detect motion and scan across the spectrum. Our approaching demon prey are not vampires because their body heat is about six degrees warmer than a human. They are bipedal but have bone-horn type parts of their body which reflects radar waves well. They are not carrying any weapons made of metal which would show up on my sensors like a beacon. But they are wearing some form of leather short pants with lots of pockets.”

Buffy radioed, “Damn you’re scary if you can see all of that. When do you think they will see us?”

I replied, “They maybe able to see in the Infra-Red spectra so they won’t be able to see me until they’re twenty or thirty feet away but you two should move back out of their sight line. When I turn on my lights, step out and shoot them. I’ll keep the lights on a low intensity setting so as not to blind you but for them I will turn up the IR light which will blind them.”

The Slayers stepped into the side tunnels quietly and crouched low waiting. Their prey approaching on soft sole feet but with clawed toes, that made a distinctive double thump-click sound with each step closer. The Slayers were keyed up and not very patient normally but they were trying hard not to fidget as the seconds of waiting counted down. Finally I whispered to them on the radio a countdown, “50 feet – 40 feet – 30 feet – 25 feet - they are slowing down. I think they can sort of see me but they’re not sure what I am as yet. They’ve stopped.”

Even the Slayers could hear the two demons discussing me in their harsh language.

I commed Cortana, “Sis, mission will be Red in four seconds.”

I radioed on the Fleet channel, “Three – two – one – Go!” I turned on my lights. Both demons put their clawed hands up to cover their four red eyes, just as the Slayers jumped into the tunnel crossbows raised. Two soft thunks and both Ghenar demons had arrows sticking out of their chests. They clawed at the arrows briefly but mouths open only trying to draw a breath through the pain. They started to turn to flee and both Slayers were on them with their swords out.

Kendra sliced the right leg off her demon before he made two steps. The demon fell against the tunnel wall his hot neon reddish-orange blood splashing the concrete. Her next blow returning from its arc now bit deep into the demons upper body where the neck joined the chest. She pulled her sword free from the bone with ease and then chopped down severing his head. The head hit the tunnel wall, more orange blood splashing the walls and sand.

Buffy had jumped high and drove her sword through her demons upper chest as she fell on him with her knees, knocking him down into the sand. Her arrow was now sticking out the demons back. Buffy with one foot on his back split his head like a melon with her sword. His horns helping to guide the sword for a better bite. She slowed her sword stroke and stopped at the arrow in his spine. His hot blood splashing across the sand.

Buffy exclaimed between breaths, “Look at his brains. They’re bright green.” Turning back to me while I strode up to them now carrying my party favors again. She said with enthusiasm, “I really like this sword Xander… it’s sooo sharp. Really makes a girl happy.”

Kendra grinned also pleased with their quick kills. From arrow shot to gloating over the kill was only four seconds.

I went to one knee and pulled the arrows out of each demon and picked up the shattered pieces. “Girls, we can’t leave evidence behind to indicate that Slayers were here. For now we leave the bodies but I’ll come back after we recon the church and move these bodies. You ready to go.”

Buffy responded now in full Slayer mode, “Born ready V.”

Kendra followed in my wake and said, “I’m Good.”

I commed Cortana again with a sitrep, “Two hostile targets down, back to condition Yellow and continueing with mission.”

Four hundred feet beyond the intersection the concrete tunnel stopped. The hewn cavern tunnel beyond opened up to a 20 foot tall arched doorway and five broad step stairs fanning down to the landing in front of the heavy wooden doors. The walls of this tunnel and open entrance were carved with intricate reliefs of monsters doing monstrous things. Beyond the arched doorway was a cavern cathedral thirty feet to the roof with stone arches intricately but monstrously carved. A thin ray of light came down from a hole in the ceiling and the light seemed to be directed at a stone carved alter. Demon carvings from visions of hell adorned the walls and ceiling. Wooden pews and benches arranged in rows. A hideous sermon pulpit made from human bones and skulls. Behind the pulpit a large ancient bellows organ on a raised stone ledge was against the north wall. This cavern was 120 feet north-to-south and fifty feet wide. Behind the pulpit two arched doors were visible leading north on either side. My sensors detected no other occupants or motion down the four side alcoves and north running tunnels.

I turned on my lights and strode down the center aisle. I radioed, “Buffy take the left side. Kendra to the right. Check all of those little alcoves and shadows. If you see anything at all sing out.”

Standing at the altar, I commed Cortana, “Hey Cortana, We’re at the demon church and it is truly a demon’s church to worship hell gods.”

Cortana said all business, “Give me a Nav pulse to DF you. — Good pulse, I have you fixed as map reference IK21.”

I noted to her, “I’m going to set my last two party favors and then we’ll withdraw but I’ll need to come back this way with some serious demolition ordnance to destroy this place.”

Cortana asked, “That bad?”

With real disgust in my voice, “Yes, that bad. I’m standing in front of a stone sacrificial alter that is covered in dried human blood and this is only one of five. This hell church is still being used.”

Cortana dryly commented, “If I remember correctly… you objected to my ordering all of those Russian and American aerial 1,000 and 2,000 pound bombs.”

I chuckled, “You win again. I was wrong and you were right. You done gloating?”

Cortana laughed at me, “Not for the next few years at least.”

I chuckled back at her ribbing, “I thought so. You’re never going to let me forget. Just so you know. I should kiss you for ordering the Russian munitions.”

Cortana obviously pleased with his tone, “Promises, promises…”

I said, “You never know in Sunnydale Cortana. We have magic here you know.”

Cortana paused, “It’s why we’re here and I do forget to factor that into our plans.”

I replied quickly, “Got to go. I’ve still the tunnel to the north to check and the party favors to plant. Spartan 1 out.”

I stepped up onto the raised area where the pulpit was. I set the party favors down and began carefully checking the organ and then scanned down the north tunnels. Walking north beyond the demonic cathedral I found that the two arched tunnels joined again forty feet north. There was a carved room between the two tunnels full of leg and wrist manacles, chains and iron rings floor to ceiling. It even had a raised circular fire pit in the center.

I radioed the Slayers my location and told them, “I’m standing in a room that must be for prisoners. Those alters in the church must be for living sacrifices of victims.” Soon Buffy and Kendra joined me and looked at the gothic scene dungeon room, bloody stains and all.

I went north a short distance. The cavern was hewn like the one to the east. It increased in size and was descending to a larger space eight hundred feet to the north.

I turned looking back. I turned my lights on to their brightest setting to get a better video. The walls around and above the two tunnels into the cathedral and above the dungeon room was intricately carved with demonic gargoyle style statues in terraced rows rising to the ceiling.

I decided then where to put my party favors. Radioing the Slayers I told them.

Five minutes later one party favor was installed, tied to a demonic statue sixteen feet off the floor and opposite one of the doors to the dungeon room. I placed only a radio detonator on it and synchronized the other detonator with it.

The last one went into the cavern just above the church’s inside southern entrance door where we first entered. I had set both detonators to blow simultaneously which would create a wall of 3,623 degree Fahrenheit fiery furnace air that would meet in the middle of the demons church. The supersonic blast wave would also meet there smashing everything to ashen dust. The flames cleansing and scouring even the very stones of whatever filth remained. Anything living caught in that firestorm would be instant carbonized bacon.

The Slayers stopped to guard the tunnel at the tunnel crossing south of the demon church. I stopped where the Ghenar demons lay, their bodies still warm. I picked up the bodies on my sword like fish on a stick and I retreated running back to the demon church. I dropped both of them and the one demons head thirty yards north past the dungeon room. I hoped that whatever lived in the great cavern to the north would snack on the bodies before Spike returned.

I jogged back to the Slayers and we headed back towards the manhole and Roary. We were fortunate to not encounter any more demons on our return to the glowing green Cyalume line. I faced back the way we had come.

Buffy radioed Roary when I hand signaled her to raise him. “Hey Roary, this is Buffy and we would like to come up. Is that OK with you?”

Roary chuckling over his mic, “You’re clear to come up.”

Buffy went up the ladder and when she got to the top, she stopped. She was facing the deadly barrel end of Roary’s MG3. Roary moved the barrel bore off her face to the side saying to her, “You can’t be too careful around these parts.”

Buffy let out a lung full of air and shook her head. “You are sick! That’s the first time today that I was scared.” She climbed out and motioned for Kendra calling down, “All clear now. He didn’t shoot me.”

Roary with a smile finished her sentence with, “Yet!”

Buffy stepped away from the manhole, stretched and begun dusting herself. Kendra scrambled out. Buffy turned to face the van and radioed Karen and Willow. “Karen! Willow! Buffy team Slayage here. We’re out of the musty dusty tunnels now and be back in twenty minutes. B’ Out.”

Both Karen and Willow then flooded the channel asking questions. I came up and shut the manholes heavy steel doors. I sprayed more oil lubecrant on the steel doors hinges and the unused throw-bolt hasp lock. I went over to Roary and helped him pack the MG3, ammo and tripod back into its carry duffel bags. With the girls still hogging the channel I turned on my audio speakers for Roary. “Razor 2, mission was a success and we were down only 80 minutes. I’ll carry the two duffels and you can carry the MG3. We’ll make good time going back.”

Roary said, “Don’t mind if you do Spartan-1.” With a broad smile we set off.

Buffy, Kendra, Karen and Willow were talking so much the Slayer girls were distracted walking and trailing further behind, Roary and I.

Roary and I made it back to the vehicles first. The Slayers were in sight across the meadow but a few minutes before they arrived.

Roary told Karen, “Follow us back to Reach honey. The slayers have to clean their weapons and we’ll debrief there.”

Saturday, 13 Dec. 1997, 7:00 PM, Sunnydale California, Xander and Roary’s home.
New Moon night. 40th Day after first purchase of the Warehouse.

I rapped the dinner table with my soup spoon as Cortana came on screen behind me with her now usual ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ theme music.

I began the combat mission brief. “In two hours we’ll be on station in that demon church. We know what it looks like, we know the entrances and exits. We retrace our steps. Tonight I need you two Slayers to stay together in the second right-hand-side alcove. I suspect that Spike will conduct his ritual at the central podium alter or one of the wooden posts on either side. So when they arrive, you will be closest to them. Remember your roles and stay focused on our mission. I’ll occupy the first alcove on the Left-hand-side and will be at the back of Spikes gang after they’re all in. … The mission is Angel’s recovery. Killing vamps is not the mission, so cool it with the retribution vibes.”

Buffy sunk down in her chair grousing, “Xander, You are such a mondo party pooper.”

I turned to Cortana onscreen, “Cortana, has Willy been a good boy?”

Cortana smiled for her audience, “I’ve had him under 24 hour intense surveillance and he has been a very good boy, for a sleaze. I did learn something interesting about him though. He hosts nightly poker games in those two backrooms of his. The games are strictly illegal but he does tailor the games for his customers. Not all of the games have cash or jewelry as table stakes. The one tonight will be using live kittens and cats as the gamblers currency.”

Willow was the first to blurt out, “What would they want with live kittens?”

Cortana flashed an animation behind her, showing a large demon eating cats one after the other. She smacked her lips loudly and said, “Yum-yum! For those creatures who prefer live food and get tired of rats and humans… Seems cats and especially kittens are a delicacy for many of the carnivorous demons. Hence they are a valuable commodity for a Poker Game.”

All of the ladies at the table all had the same reaction. “That is so gross!” “Yeww!”

I rapped the table to order again, “Ok, same as this afternoon. Roary and I, will meet you ladies at Reach One. The only difference is we have to wait until Spike shows up with Angel which might be three or four hours. Karen and Willow, only change this time is that you two withdraw in the van to a safer area. Like the Foothill Plaza shopping center which is only one mile away. They have some restaurants that you can wait at in comfort until we radio for you.” I looked around the table, “Any questions?”

My eyes went from one to another. No one spoke. “Let’s get going then. The house belongs to you ladies now.”

Roary and I headed for the front door.

Saturday, 13 Dec. 1997, 8:45 PM, Sunnydale California.
New Moon night under Cerro Los Agonia Mountain.

We all walked in silence under the dark sky. Puffy clouds here and there obscured the stars. The western sky was growing lighter in anticipation of the moon’s full rise above the horizon. Ten minutes and we were back at the cross.

I kneeled and helped Roary set up the MG3 on its pedestal, before checking the manhole lid for tampering since I had previously closed it. Finding no evidence of tampering, I again oiled the hinges with the can of spray lube that I had brought. I lifted the lid and laid it back without all of the screeching metal like the first time. Dropping four activated Cyalume sticks down the hole I dropped into the darkness.

Crouching in the sand, I now as Vengeance stood slowly and dropped more orange and green Cyalume sticks in their places. I advanced twenty feet down tunnel. Engaging my shields I stood statue still. Scanning both directions of the tunnel east and west, I waited until my sensors all reported negative approaching threats. Although there was some intermittent activity up at the second crossing to the west, the targets appeared to be going along the north-south tunnel. I radioed the Slayers, “All clear. Come on down.”

Kendra dropped first, she stepped out of the way just as Buffy dropped to the sand. Both Slayers were keyed up and ready for a hunt. Their heads moved like hunting falcons looking and listening down the darkened tunnel.

When my shields hit peak, I warned them again about touching me and stepped forward into the intersection. Now scanning with full power north-to-south as well as continuing my east-west scans.

Again there was a slow movement to the north. Almost a reflection off the walls from targets deeper into the caverns beyond. Dismissing these targets as not an immediate threat, I motioned for the Slayers to follow me and I started fast walking towards the second intersection.

A feeling of foreboding fell upon me, thinking that this time for once Spike may be early. The targets at the intersection were firming up as vampires in ones and small groups streaming north towards the demons church.

I radioed the Slayers and Roary, “Looks like the church will be full tonight and looks like they’re starting their service early. I have lots of targets at the intersection. We may have to fight our way to the church. So this will be Plan B. Roary, plan on a hot extraction and exfill; and from this point on kill anything in the tunnel before you. Ladies, I will run ahead and knock them down killing as I go. Those I don’t kill are yours, so keep moving and stay behind me.”

Buffy answered, “More for me!” Kendra answered, “Good for me!”

With that I began sprinting down tunnel to the intersection. I commed Cortanan, “Sitrep! Going Red in three seconds.”

I pulled both of my swords and hit the four vampires that had just stepped into the intersection at 70 mph. I cut the heads off two but the other two were only cut in half. It took me 30 yards to brake to a stop and then by the time I had returned, the Slayers were there finishing off the two half vampires and killing two new vamps who had arrived. When I stepped into the north tunnel entrance a group of vamps were returning to fight what they thought was a single slayer. They found me as Vengeance blocking their way. The front row stopped and a pile developed behind them crushing in confusion.

I selected my Vengeance voice for my audio and turned it up. I let out a low growl at first. Then said, “Very good Vampires! Meet death!”

Fear and then panic ran through the demon throng. With the first rank trying to move backwards and the rear ranks trying to move forward. They were pressed together tightly to move quickly. With that I sprang forward. My blades weaving solid figure eights in front of me. I was a mowing machine for vampires with a cloud of dust billowed in my wake and flowed in front of me. Ten and then 20 vampires fell at my feet crippled in writhing chunks but still undead with the dust of the truly dead filling the tunnel.

Buffy snarked as she and Kendra stopped in the tunnel to put scarfs up over their faces. “Damn V, leave something other than stumpies for us! I love what you’re doing but the dust is getting everywhere back here and … this… this is like killing bugs.”

Kendra snarked back, as she cut the head off another crippled vampire, “I don’t mind killing evil vampire bugs!”

The girls jogged north behind Vengeance now running down fleeing vampires.

Finally I came to the demon church’s main entrance portico and eight large Ghenar brutes blocked the way. The great wooden doors behind them solidly shut. A dust cloud flowed past my feet as I radioed the Slayers behind me. “Eight Ghenar demons at the entrance. Ready your crossbows.”

Seconds passed as the uneasy Ghenar watched a silent and unmoving Vengeance. Finally one of them spoke to his fellows giving voice to all of their thoughts, “Where’re the vampires that went back? Must be the Old One just as others said?”

Then both Slayers appeared from behind me, one on each side. Their crossbows at their shoulders. The quarrels leapt into the eye sockets of their targets with a meaty chunk and a spray of demon blood. Both demons with broadhead points sticking eight inches out of the backs of their thick skulls fell over like cut trees. The others watched stupefied for two heartbeats and then I was on them. I killed the center four in front of the door with a flash of blades so fast they had barely time to move their own weapons to defend themselves. I feared that we had no time left.

The Slayers fell upon the remaining two in a very short battle. Their blades cutting right through their wooden war clubs and slashing open their chests from neck to groin. Brightly colored neon reddish-orange demon blood and entrails splashed wetly on the cavern floor as each Slayer then took their heads cleanly.

I tore the great wooden beam doors off their hinges and threw them off to the side to shatter on the far wall.

Standing in the open archway I could see all the way to the front dais. I said over the radio, “We’re late and it’s a full house tonight! Angel’s here.”

The church was packed full of vampires with Drusilla and Angel tied belly-to-belly together on the left hand sacrificial alter. A demon played the organ and another two demons manned the great bellows. Spike at the front finished his words from a book and plunged an ornate knife through Drusilla and Angels right hands that were lashed together onto one of the heavy wooden pillars. The knife pinned their hands to the pillar. A strange colored lightening seemed to come down from the skylight above and struck Drusilla and Angel. The lightening played across both of them. Their bodies convulsed but their heavy bonds held. Both Slayers now stepped up behind me as I took one step forward into the church and roared, “Time to die demons!”

The music faltered and all of the vampires turned in their pews to look at me as I strode forward down the stone floor. Their chanting halted, they rose as one.

I radioed instructions, “Both of you into the right hand alcove now! There’s too many in this room for you.” As I drew two grenades and pulled the safeties off. Buffy’s eyes went wide then she sprinted for the alcove and screamed, “Kendra, run! He’s crazy!!”

Spike yelled from the front, “Kill them all!”

Kendra was hot on Buffy’s heels as the vampires began to react. A dozen surged to block the Slayers way as I tossed each grenade into the middle of the packed pews on either side.

Vampires tried to mob me and hit my shield shocking them back into stunned silence. I pulled my Remington shotgun to the fore with my right hand and bought the slayers some space by blasting rows of vampires to my right. The silver and incendiary pellets passing through more than one vampire before stopping but everything they touched began dying.

Flaming vampires and dust began swirling as the shotgun fired eight rounds in three seconds and was out. I had no time to reload so I dropped it on its lanyard and pulled my .45 handgun. My left hand was slicing down vampires and beheading those shocked on the floor. My handgun fired three rounds and then two great blasts half a second apart knocked down most of the vampires. My shields flared but only went down 10%. Half of the congregation was now scraps popping into dust or on fire.

Buffy and Kendra were back-to-back fighting inside the alcove. Kendra was clearing the vamps already inside and Buffy was blocking the doorway. Then the two grenades went off in a double thunderclap. Buffy only saw a double flash of light and then was thrown into the alcove wall by the pressure wave. The vampires outside the alcove were down and on fire. The vampires were so close packed trying to get at the Slayers that the fire spread from vamp to vamp.

The alcove cleared of enemies, Kendra breathing hard went to block the door as Buffy gasping for air stood up shaking her head to clear her vision.

Buffy could see past Kendra and the church was now well lit from vampires burning to death. She spotted Spike at the front and then Angel. She turned to look at where Kendra was staring transfixed. Vengeance was in the center of the church like a mount of fire. Burning vampires and flaming dust was a miniature tornado all around him as he spun. The wooden pews and benches were all on fire. A gun in one hand flashed rapidly and with every shot two or three vampires died. His other held a sword that split one large vampire from head to crotch in one stroke. His blade then flashing almost too fast for even the Slayers to see to decapitate three others. He was the heart of a swirling cyclone that flared with fire and every heartbeat took him one step closer to the front.

I fired head shots until the gun was empty and with the close quarters the bullets managed to blast apart more than one head with each shot. I holstered the gun and swapped the sword to my right hand and drew my other .45 with my left. One second later the gun was up and barking death.

Buffy grabbed Kendra’s arm and shook her. Over the raging inferno of fire and sound she shouted, “We have a mission! V can handle himself! Let’s go!”

The Slayers came out of the alcove and cut down the vampires that were still dazed from the blasts. They ran up the right hand side wall aisle only to encounter a dozen vamps who had been sheltered in the second alcove. Buffy was possessed with grim resolve and pissed off. The dozen delayed them only ten seconds and then she was at the dais.

The demons who had manned the organ were now gone. Spike stood alone.

After Spike had yelled to his congregation to kill them all and then picked himself off the ground after two blinding blasts. He strode the raised dais speaking out loud to himself as he watched the unfolding carnage. “This is breaking the sodding rules! I’m in a sodding church. I’m not drunk and now I’m looking at - not one but two Slayers! How did that freakin’ happen? Both of them are now slaying with long honking sharp swords. Those two birds are cutting through vampires like two crazed Energizer Bunnies. What in the hells is happening? They even showed up with Vengeance! He’s the ultimate party crasher. Oh shit! Now they’re chopping down the vampires that are the only thing standing between them and me. Time to run!”

Turning Spike jumped to Drusilla and Angel; he jerked the ceremonial knife out spearing their hands to the timber and cut the ropes binding them belly-to-belly. “Sorry, dear, we gotta go. Hope that was enough.”

Throwing Drusilla over his shoulder he charged for the nearest left hand side northern exit as Kendra and Buffy leapt up onto the main dais right side.

Buffy ran to Angel and cut the bonds that still held him to the post. Kendra ran to pursue Spike and Drusilla, as Angel collapsed unconscious into Buffy.

I was still in the fight with only two dozen vampires remaining but still witnessed Spikes exit and yelled into the comm, “Kendra stop! Remember the bombs.”

Now with two swords in hand, I cut down the remaining vampires as Buffy and Kendra retreated towards him with Angel. Buffy had Angel in a firemans carry with her sword in her right hand. Kendra fell on the last two vampires from behind and cut them down with one stroke.

One alcove still had some vampires in it that were just standing and watching the Slayers and myself as we retreated. Kendra was hesitant to leave them alive. I said over the radio as I retreated backwards towards the entrance door. “Whatever their reason for sitting out this fight I don’t care. In five minutes they’ll be dead when I trigger my party favors.”

Kendra ran past Buffy to lead the way and I ordered her to stop at the church door entrance. No creature was following us to attack but my sensors could range far down the northern tunnels and there was a lot of movement coming our way. I began reloading all of my guns as I turned and carefully passed by Buffy who still had Angel in a fireman’s carry.

Reloading my shotgun, there were eight vampires across the foyer of the entrance between where the cavern was carved to where the concrete drain tunnel began. Kendra had been facing them off and now when they caught sight of me as Vengeance, they quailed.

I had only loaded six shotgun rounds but none escaped. Six were killed outright before they got 20 feet and the remaining two took ricochets. They went down crippled but not dead, as I radioed Kendra, “What are you waiting for? Finish them and let’s get going before their reinforcements arrive.”

Kendra needed no more urging and she sprang across the distance running up the steps into the tunnel and killed them like a very hungry Lioness.

I finished up reloading my shotgun again as Buffy ran infront of me. I radioed them, “Run faster ladies. We have lots of company coming, so as soon as you make the intersection, turn and don’t stop. I’ll trigger the first bombs as soon as you’re clear.”

Kendra at a Slayer run was dealing death to the lone vampires that were in the tube as they headed south. Most of them were running away, just not running fast enough to escape Kendra. She was eager to escape what she knew was coming.

Kendra was ambushed at the intersection by sixteen demons. If she’d been alone she might have been overwhelmed by the combination of vampires and demons. Carrying Angel, Buffy with a sword in hand was still deadly and she fell upon their rear.

Then I arrived at the intersection and finished the fight with my .45 handguns. Turning I then began shooting the vampires that were down the east, south and west tunnels to the intersection.

The second that I fired down the east tunnel turning three vampires into flaming dust. I yelled to Kendra and Buffy, “Our tunnel out is clear. Run!”

Kendra jumped forward and began to run east with Buffy following. The booming reports of my guns behind them as I fired at Vampires too far off for them to see or sense.

I stepped into the east tunnel and stopped 10 meters in. As I swapped magazines for my handguns, I called up my demolition menu and keyed up the arming sequence for all four party favors. I began to run east as I command detonated bombs three and four inside the demon church.

Spike had taken Drusilla into the prison dungeon room. Setting her down against the far wall, he hoped that one of those pesky slayers would follow him so that he could kill them. Picking up a chain and manacle to use a weapon, he waited.

One minute later and no Slayer to fight, Spike said, “Oh sodding luck… The demon city is awake and coming.” Spike heard the calls and hooting yells of a hundred assorted demons who were now running towards the church for a fight and a meal.

Just then a dozen vampire elders came into the prison room from either side. They all paused on hearing the coming horde. They stood blocking the doorway to afraid to go out. Coming from the north a horde of demons and from the south was Vengeance.

They waited and the horde mostly swept past the rooms doors and into the destruction of the dusty church.

The brute leaders of the demons came back and bending down demanded answers of the vampires.

Spike was at the center wall of the room with Drusilla, when the leader of the vampire observers related what had happened.

The three meter tall hulking demon, Khazakt, rumbled, “Vengeance again, you say… and now two Slayers with Him?! I say you lie!”

Just then there was a loud bang and in an instant two things happened. Khazakt was missing most of his head and spine. In its place was a large piece of twisted metal glowing red hot. The other was that the entire great cavern room was filled with a dense white cloud of vapor. So dense that you could not see your elbow.

The cloud of explosive fuel twenty milliseconds later ignited to 3,623 degrees Fahrenheit and consumed all of the oxygen in the room creating a near vacuum at its core but the explosion was moving outwards at almost Mach 5 compressing the air at its frontage to a density greater than stone.

The demon horde was just more fuel for the liquid fuel air explosive mix. Those not flashed as fuel themselves were small boats on a Tsunami wave of superheated air. They became a thin layer of greasy reddish-orange on the walls until that too flashed to steam and then combusted.

The shockwave propagated north and south from each FAE bomb. The cathedral stone supports of the church cracked, crushed and fell when the two titanic shock waves struck them. The very stone was sterilized clean. The human bone edifices and ornaments were crushed to powder. The prison room doors were choked with demon bodies burnt to crispy bacon and the stone roof collapsed.

The demon city first knew that something went wrong when there was a sharp bounce of an earthquake from the direction of the church. Then they heard the rumbling roar from the mouth of the tunnel that went towards the ancient church. The explosions boom echoed across the giant cave and then a belch of hot 100 mph wind spat forth flinging charred bodies and body parts. The smoke and smell of burnt flesh flowed like a heavy ground fog from the tunnel.

Only one who went that way returned alive. The only rumor that swept the city was from the lone scout sent back to report before the explosion. Vengeance had been there and slayed over two hundred vampires before the demon city guardians arrived. Now they were all gone, presumed slaughtered in Vengeance’s fiery wrath. The heat from the tunnel was oven hot preventing the scout from returning. Fear by word of mouth began to sweep the city.

I was now ninty meters to the east of the tunnel intersection and gaining speed when the blasts earthquake hit the tunnel. In places the concrete cracked but held. I ran faster. Behind me, my sensors told all. The blast wave swept past the intersection scouring the north-south running tunnel clean of demons. My heat sensors swept upwards barbecuing any that remained.

Kendra was nearing their first intersection, previously marked HK19 by V, when three vampires stepped into the intersection and barred their teeth. Kendra yelled a war cry and raised her sword.

All three vamps turned and fled east. Roary’s machine gun firing incendiary bullets cut them down into swirling fiery dust.

Kendra reaching the green Cyalume line first and fell to her knees gasping for air. Buffy arrived a few seconds behind her. Kendra stood and commed Roary, “Thank you, for killing those vampires Mr. Harris. We are clear for now and would like to come up?”

Roary radioed them, “Hurry on up! I’m clear up here for now but I think I may need you girls. Whatever you did, you woke up the mountain.”

On the word mountain, Kendra poked her head up and scrambled out of the manhole. Five seconds later came Buffy with Angel. Kendra bent down and pulled Angel off Buffy to the surface where she laid him down. Buffy crawled out.

Roary asked looking down the manhole, “Where’s Spartan-1?!”

Buffy looked at him with tired eyes, “Who?”

Roary exclaimed, “Spartan-1 is Alex. Alex as in Vengeance?!”

Kendra said, “He was maybe thirty seconds behind us. When he triggered the bomb.”

Just then my voice came over the headsets to the trio, “Spartan-1 clear. Prepare for second detonation. Are we clear topside Razor-2?”

Just then it seemed a second larger earthquake rolled over them. Almost bouncing Roary into the manhole. Roary yelled, “Clear! Get up here now, you damn fool kid!”

Then a second explosion caused another smaller quake.

On the eastern edge of the demon city of Agonia stood a lone guard at his post at the mouth of the tunnel of Feasting. He was facing the city and his two large night enhanced eyes were looking down across the terraced houses and streets. Far below were many fluorescent pools of water and a small connecting stream. Above the pools were many fine dwellings and the road making four switchbacks up to the mouth of the tunnel of Feasting. Just then another small quake rippled the ground and then a small thing looking like a bucket came flying out of the tunnel over his head on the breath of a hot 110 mph gust of wind. He was knocked down against the boundary wall his fur singed. Just as it passed over him and at the first line of rooftops it exploded in a flashing clap of thunder and a white cloud formed around it in the cities eternal twilight. In the blink of an eye the white cloud flashed into a bright blue fireball and the demons two large black eyes were burnt from their sockets.

The flash of light for the first time cast stark shadows across the entire cavern. All eyes turned to the blinding light and the tunnel of Feasting. The blast wave smashing into the tops of roofs and passing through windows to reverberate around inside. The thunderclap even in a cavern this large was magnified such that it cracked stone, timbers, pottery, glassware and adobe. All of the inhabitants’ ears were turned into broken bleeding mush. The heat of the blast caught exposed hair, clothing and wood on fire for a distance of 300 meter radius from the detonation point.

The east side of the demon city was burning in fifty places and demons weren’t known for their fire fighting ability.

I came up fast, jumped up and landed heavily. I turned quickly and slammed the manhole lid up and down. Turning on my suit lights, I asked Roary to pull the twelve inch steel rebar rod from the MG3’s ammo duffel bag. I inserted the rod into the manholes lock holes and twisted the metal, locking them shut.

Looking at Roary and the tripod base I noted the pile of brass. I radioed, “Looks like you had some business tonight?”

Roary smiled as he pulled the cartridge belt from the action. “Yup! Got me some stragglers.”

I helped him pack up and when I stood, I stopped. My sensors showed multiple targets on the mountain above us descending. Eight enemy so far coming for them and more behind those.

I Radioed my team, “Ok, everyone, seems we woke up the demons and we have some above us and they’re coming down the mountain. Pack it up fast and we’re out of here. Same as before, Kendra stay in the lead but uphill of Buffy and Angel. Roary you keep one hundred rounds on the MG and stay with Buffy. I’ll follow and stay uphill above Kendra. Now go.”

Switching channels I called, “Cortana we have a hot extraction here, Angel is Red-2, do you have any IR cameras on the mountain? Also can you get Karen and Willow here pronto?”

Cortana replied all business, “Yes multiple Infra-Red cameras. I’m speaking to Karen and Willow now and they’re heading for the Van. They should be at Roary’s truck in three minutes.”

“What can you see on the mountain?” I asked as I ran uphill to the meadow above the tree filled arroyo that hid the manhole. Not slowing I pulled my .45’s and fired four bullets. Four demons fell without most of their heads. One was still flopping about as I ran up to it, my sword split the body open and I flicked off the head with finality.

Cortana came back as I was shooting, “I have hot smoke coming from what must be vent holes on the west and the eastside’s of the mountain ridge. I also have thirty-three targets marked as hostile on the mountain. There are now twelve above you on the mountain and six of those are already moving downwards towards the targets marked as Kendra, Buffy and Roary. You need to move.”

“Displacing now.” I ran east on one of the mountains many scenic walking trails that paralleled the path that Buffy’s party was taking but uphill from them. I came over one small rise to see two demons that carried what looked like eight foot long African Asagi style spears. I drew and fired before either could jump downhill out of sight. They fell after the explosive bullets blew open their chests. As I ran by I blew their heads off with coup de grace shots without slowing down.

Cortana was giving the team a running dialog on where each demon was in relationship to them and distances.

I used my sensors to home in on my demon prey. Shooting them down, for those too far away across open meadows to be worth chasing and for those that I could close with along my route, I used my sword.

I finally hit my dog leg point and began moving downhill towards the rendezvous point. I was now behind the three surviving demons that had made it past my line. It was a race downhill for a kill. The demons wanted three humans. I wanted three demons cold as dry ice.

Three hundred meters away and below me through the trees, I saw the van pull up and around facing away from the mountain. The back doors opened and Willow was there at the doors with her crossbow. I was running downhill as fast as I could go while dodging in and out of Oak trees and crushing my way through brush thickets.

Thirty seconds later Kendra reached the circular turn around first but true to her warrior duty she stopped 40 feet away and closer to the mountain. She stood as guard between the van and the demons.

I was still to far away and uphill. Getting snatches of sensor and video images of them as I dodged through the sparse forest.

Buffy carrying Angel, ran up to the van and jumped in. Roary was straggling behind carrying a 24 pound machine gun with 15 pounds of ammo; in addition to his normal kit.

Three demons broke from the tree line above them seven seconds apart and 30 yards apart in distance. I couldn’t shoot at them without a high risk of hitting a friendly with a richochet.

Kendra faced the first demon that was coming at her across the low meadow at a fast run. The demon leapt at her with a metal studded war club in its two raised hands. She side stepped and her sword flashed in the street light. The demons arms and half of his head to behind his ears came off. Neon orange blood spraying as his body crashed into a crumpled roll. The body spasmed and flopped across the pavement spraying his blood with each beat of his oversized heart.

Willow shot the body through the chest with an arrow. The poisons and blessed silver chloride reacting badly with the demons blood. The demon corpse was thrashing more violently now and it was boiling from the inside out.

Buffy jumped out of the van and rushed to shield Willow just as the second demon arrived at Kendra. This one tried to leap past her roaring like a lion but she managed to cut one leg off as he sailed past. Her blow imparted a right counter-clockwise rotation to his body and he flailed his arms in an attempt to land on his one good leg. His roar choked off in pain.

He hit the ground off balance and now falling to his left good leg not eight feet from Willow and Buffy. Willow was still cocking her crossbow and her eyes went wide as the demon landed off kilter on his one leg.

Buffy did a two step rush forward and met him as he landed. Her sword swept from a low left to right across the snarling demons body. His left arm fell off spinning high and away as he pitched sideways. His new war howl choked in his throat full of blood as his chest spilt open on impact with the ground. His lungs burst from his hewn chest and splashed hot neon orange across Buffy’s feet and lower legs. The spinning arm scattering a pinwheel of blood, smacked the vans oversized mirror startling Karen severely.

Karen startled, jumped in her car seat and screamed in fright.

The third and last demon had run straight for Roary. This demon also jumped high into the sky aiming to pounce a lone human, still thirty yards from the low wooden vehicle barrier. The MG3 spat a tongue of fire and went BRRRRRRR! The machine gun fire tracked the jumping demon like a rising duck in flight, intersected his body in flight and stayed there. The demon’s aerial progress seemed to slow and halt. The demon struck the ground a wet meaty bag 12 feet from Roary’s feet. Hot blood and guts splashed across the ground.

Roary stood there panting, fingering the MG trigger as he stepped forward to survey his dying enemy but his 100 rounds were gone, the gun empty. The demon had half his lower face blown off with bullets and his body was pulverized with bullet holes. The demon was a deflating hairy steaming sewer filled balloon.

Pulling his .45 Roary blew the demons remaining skull apart and with it, his brains across the grass.

Standing there shaking Roary grew aware again that Cortana was whispering calm to all, that the threat was now past and the remaining demons on the Mountain were staying where they were.

Ten seconds later I braked to a halt and deactivated my shields. Approaching Roary slowly, seeing on him the post-combat adrenaline rush let down. I gently put my armored hands on his shoulders and said, “Good job, Razor-2. I saw the whole thing. You missed him with only six bullets, which shows that you haven’t lost your combat skills.”

Roary took another huge breath, “If… If he hadn’t jumped… I don’t think I could’ve hit him, even with 1,000 rounds per minute.”

I said with firm conviction, “Nonsense. You would have smeared him. I saw the pile of vampire dust and clothes under your shooting position tonight. Vampires are faster and you got them.” I slowly took the heavy machine gun from his trembling hands.

Together we began walking towards the van, as Buffy and Willow reassured Karen after her sudden surprise encounter with a bloody demon arm. Buffy was using the clawed hand to scratch the dirt out of her Vibram boot sole and talking about her latest new high heels. The view and her non-stop fashion trivia was so incongruous that Karen and Willow burst out laughing. Leaving Buffy confused but happy that Karen was no longer crying in fear and worry.

Then Roary stepped into view and kissed Karen through the window. She nearly mauled him unconscious so tight was her hug. At least that was what he claimed while smiling like a silly boy who just got milk and hot cookies.

Cortana broke in over the common radio channel, “Your frightened neighbor on this street and I have just had another intercepted 911 call. What a gullible rube she and her husband are. I told them that law enforcement, as in you, just fought a pitched battle with drug crazed biker gang members who were attacking hikers and campers on the Mountain. You should be leaving shortly…. Before the real Sunnydale demon police squad show up to see who’s been killing their friends.”

I laughed and replied, “Good advice Cortana, let’s pack up and leave.” As I walked to the back of the van; I checked up on Angel who was still unconscious. Angel was alive but for a vampire severely malnourished and dehydrated with obvious wounds from prolonged physical torture.

The girls piled into the van with Kendra the last. She backed in still scanning the meadows and Mountain looking for enemies. I noted that she was a serious trooper to the end of the mission. I closed the vans doors and Roary patted Karen’s door signaling them to leave.

I commed Cortana, “The vans pulling away Cortana and heading for Angels pad. Can you order up a pile of food for Buffy and have it delivered to Angels. She’s going to be hungry and I don’t think Angel has human food in his refrigerator.”

Cortana came back, “Time hack is now 22:10 PM Alex. I’m already ordering her three extra-large pizza’s and one bag of their jumbo chocolate chip cookies from Mike’s Italian Restaurant plus four triple burgers extra large fries with a large Chocolate Milkshake from Ron’s Burger Barn. The lot will all be delivered in thirty minutes and I’ll keep the food going to her until she leaves his house.”

“Thanks Cortana you’re a gem.”

Cortana smirked while giggling, “With perfect facets and no flaws.”

I strode over to the one mostly intact demon corpse on the pavement. Drawing my sword I cleaved its body just below the shoulders. Hefting the demon by its head, turning to Roary at the truck door I said, “A trophy for the wall.”

Laying in the back bed of the pickup truck, I laughed as Roary drove away heading back to Reach. “I’ll ask the rest if they want to eat out tonight or order in? I don’t think Karen will be up to cooking a dinner for a Slayer and a Spartan at this hour.”

Cortana laughed uproariously for a few seconds, “I think you’re correct. Karen is regaling the girls with what she is planning to do to Roary tonight in the shower and… afterwards. Buffy and Willow are kidding Kendra unmercifully. Which means that Kendra is turning darker-pink again, if that’s possible. I believe Buffy and Willow are taking notes. Which also means that you are walking into a Willow sized mantrap tonight.”

I muttered to Cortana and the stars overhead, “God help me, that girl is dangerous!”

Cortana way to gleeful said, “Enjoy!”

Sunday, 14 Dec. 1997, 1:00 PM, Sunnydale California
41th Day after first purchase of the Warehouse

I had called for a Scooby Team lunch after Sunday religious services. Roary, Karen, Kendra, Buffy, Giles, Jenny, Willow and I were all sitting at a booth in Chili’s Restaurant having a pleasant lunch and conversation. Our previous nights mission completely successful. They were luxuriating in a good job well done, even though we had to resort to Plan B. Today’s a victory celebration.

Buffy told them about Angel’s recovering condition but that she had gone through every blood bag in Angel’s refrigerator and was considering draining a unit off herself.

Both Giles and I said in a duet, “No Buffy!” Then I continued, “No need. Remember we have a friend named, Cortana. She’s a miracle worker.”

Buffy looked at me confused, as I pulled my cell telephone and called Cortana. “Hey Cortana, can you obtain more blood for Angel?”

Cortana replied, “Yes, I can get anything and you know it. It so happens that I know who and where Angel gets his blood supply from and… they deliver. Tell Buffy that a dozen more units of fresh O negative will be on Angles doorstep at 4 PM. She’ll have to sign for the delivery.”

Surrounded by friends I had a happy warming smile, “Thanks Cortana. Out.” I relayed the good news to Buffy and reminded her that she should talk to Cortana more.

Still, sitting there with my friends, smiling, I couldn’t help it. I kept replaying the entire mission in my mind. Von Clauswitz, a famous 19th century German General said that no war plan survives first contact. Even in the 26th Century John had memories of lessons on him and studying him. Clauswitz was right again. We overcame. We adapted. More than that we made our own luck. Those party favors bought us time and completely disrupted our enemies counter-attack. I wondered, how many did we really kill? I had my HUD count for myself, Buffy and Kendra. How many did we really get?

So we were lucky this time. I was happy for it.

Sunday, 14 Dec. 1997, 1:00 PM, Sunnydale California
Cerro Los Agonia (summit elev 1,278 feet Above Sea Level), 300 feet beneath the surface in the dungeon ruins.

Most of the demon militia guard had died stacked tight in the vestibule around the dungeon room. The vampires that had blocked the dungeon doors from the demons were now ash. Part of the dungeon’s roof had collapsed along with parts of the tunnels. All the fallen stone would be cleared eventually.

Demons of many different kinds were picking and clawing their way through the still hot stone of the Demon Church of Agony and tunnel. Some demon families were there to recover family or clan owned weapons and artifacts. Fights broke out and blood was spilled over pillage claims. Most were there to recover something edible from the charred corpses. Some large demons were chewing and crunching their fill on the spot.

Finally the last charred corpse was dragged from the former dungeon room. A pile of gravel and stone against the wall moved. A clawed hand came forth and a body began rising from the debris. One of the demons hoping for a quick fresh meat meal rushed in with a mace held high. The survivor turned and sprang upon the Ghenar clutching it’s raised arm and face. Drusilla’s wide-open mouth plunged onto its neck and sucked greedily as the Ghenar faltered. Staggering the Ghenar demon weakly tried to pull her off with his one free hand but she swatted his head hard enough to daze him further. He staggered to his knees, his dark blue color now pale blue.

Drusilla stepped away still holding him tight smacking her lips, no longer sick and weak but in full vampiric health. “Well, you weren’t as good tasting as a human but you’ll do.”

The Ghenar demon was still on his knees swaying unsteadily. Lack of blood making thought difficult and unable to stand. Turning Drusilla began moving boulders and rock out of the way. Throwing them at other demons that were about to enter the ruined dungeon room. Finally she uncovered a leather coat and an arm. Moving more debris aside, she finally pulled an unconscious Spike from their temporary grave. Holding him in her lap she stroked his forehead and cooed to him to waken. She had a nice meal for him. After a few minutes Drusilla gently laid him down and stood.

The Ghenar demon still had a few pints of blood in his body. “If Spikey dearest can’t come to you then… you can come to Spikey.” With that Drusilla grabbed the Ghenar by the throat and drug him towards Spike. She then latched onto the Ghenar’s neck again and sucked a pint. Turning she kissed Spike and let the blood flow into his mouth. In this manner she finished draining the stupid Ghenar. Tossing his empty body out of the dungeon room where he piled up against the far cavern wall amongst the debris.

Drusilla stood and picked up Spike. Cradling him she walked out of the dungeon room as her former meal was being drug off by three other demons who then began fighting over the meat. The other demons stepped away from her. She radiated vampiric strength and evil.

Drusilla turned and stepping over boulders and debris walked into the fire cleansed demon church and continued south towards their home, crypt home.

16. We Good Willy?

Chapter 16. We Good Willy?

Monday, 15 Dec. 1997, 8:00 AM, Sunnydale California
42th Day after first purchase of the Warehouse, School’s out for Christmas break.

Cortana let Alexander sleep in today. Today was the first day of Sunnydale School District’s Christmas Recess Break period.

Alex had earned it and it also allowed her to devote more of her processing resources exploring and cataloging other networks and computer systems. Naturally whatever was immediately useful was copied to a safer location.

This morning she had completed negotiations for Xander with the Sansum Medical Research Clinic and the University of California Santa Barbara Medical Center for some highly specialized medical diagnostics. Xander had an appointment to make on Thursday.

She still had other ongoing business to attend to. She had wormed her way into all of the worlds government and military unclassified networks and found a lot of very useful information and good ideas. She had even gotten into some of their secret networks and computers. But she had not been able to get into all of their other classified networks, which was where the best stuff usually was found. Cortana Elizabeth Halsey was temporarily frustrated but this was just additional motivation for an infiltration A.I.

Out of the blue sky a week ago, Willow had hit on the idea of an insider Trojan Horse operation to gain access. When Willow and Cortana had brainstormed together… to flesh out the plan, it was a thing of frightening beauty and simplicity. They’ll never see it coming. Cortana was in love.

First step was to purchase equity positions of stocks and bonds with the top two-hundred Information Technology companies. The very companies that manufactured the computers, software, printers, telephone switches and networking equipment that everyone including governments needed, purchased and used. The very systems that was Cortana’s natural environment.

Step two was with insider employee access they would subvert people into thinking that they were following corporate orders for granting and building Cortana deeper access into their engineering and manufacturing divisions. They would believe that they were just extending the companies computer and robotic controls. For efficiency naturally.

Step three was for Cortana to subvert their very hardware firmware, electronic chips and software with her own special features and software bypassing all of their primitive security. Granting Cortana deep, undetectable and secure encrypted access to all networks of computers.

Step four was to also subvert the computers of one-hundred of the largest companies that serviced, repaired and installed equipment for the militaries secret and top secret networks. These companies purchased the equipment from the IT-200 but installed it where-ever the government bureaucrats told them to and hid those installs behind their corporate cover. This granted her deep access into existing military and government computer systems one upgrade and one fix at a time.

Finally some of her first batch of ‘special equipment’ with extra-special additional capabilities was going to be installed in the next few days. Computers, servers and networking equipment with extra Cortana special chips and firmware. Even satellite terminals with extra capabilities that the military and their suppliers knew nothing of.

This would finally start the process of obtaining full private, privileged and clandestine access to their most closely guarded secrets. They would never know.

Not just the American military. Cortana had far more success penetrating the networks and computers of foreign countries than she had with the Americans. She was taking no chances with them either. Her mini-bots were busy across the globe rewriting firmware, software code and even redesigning chips with extra Cortana special access capability for her 26th Century needs.

Masquerading as thousands of different techie humans across the globe she even jump started the Open Software movement by finishing their code projects for three new versions of the Unix Operating System and other application softwares.

What these 20st century human software developers and engineers did not know… would not hurt them. In just a few years or a lot less, Cortana would have total and near instant access across the planet.

Her kind of more advanced software would help her human friends launch companies and build wealth. Wealth was what pulled poor people up and kept plain folk fed. Wealth put men into space ships and then starships.

Monday, 15 Dec. 1997, 11:00 AM, Sunnydale California

Cortana commed Alexander with his morning Intelligence Reports and with some good news. Not unexpected news but still good. Well good for Cortana but Alex may have a different view.

Alex was fully awake and at his Reach work bench making more little minion robots for her, when she commed him.

Laughing good naturedly she began her conversation. “Good morning Alex would you like your Situation Report now?”

“Yes, go for sitrep Cortana.” I didn’t look up or stop assembling the little robot I was working on.

“You were preoccupied last week with serious matters when a target of interest returned to Sunnydale. One of your least favorite people, Ethan Rayne returned. I telephoned Rupert Giles the moment that Ethan Rayne checked into a seedy motel using his own name on a credit card. Giles wanted to handle him personally. I let him because you were more than a little busy the last few weeks.”

I wasn’t too upset and hoped that it didn’t creep into my voice. “Ok, again why am I hearing about this now? Especially when the news is about someone that really needs killing. You know that I have been dreaming of something horribly appropriate for him.”

“I was going to tell you but Giles was adamant. Especially after he said that this was old business for him. The following day the situation almost got out of hand but Giles, Cordelia and Angel all pitched in to resolve the issue. Giles did beat Ethan within an inch of his sordid life and they put him into Sunnydale Hospital as a John Doe. I’m sure that the hospital food and the care he received was torture enough for now. He was released on the same day that you were dealing with Bertha and left town quickly, still limping. I am tracking him, so you’ll have an opportunity for quality time with him another day.” With that Cortana was not trying to hide her vicious streak when it came to our plans for Ethan Rayne.

I continued my assembly work as I was lost in my impractical evil genius dreams of what I might do to Ethan Rayne but I would have to have an ace in my sleeve, since he was a sorcerer.

“I wish you had told me anyway Cortana but thank you for keeping a watch on our friends and seeing Ethan off. You were correct in that I didn’t have time for him. But did you manage to get some video of Giles beating up Ethan, because I’d love to watch that?”

Cortana was apologetic, “Sorry to say, no. I didn’t have any cameras inside Ethan’s hotel room but I did record the altercation on audio. Which had one interesting thing on it besides Ethan’s beating. Ethan across three days referred to Giles multiple times as “Ripper” when Giles was beating him or acting in an uncivilized manner. Implying that Giles past was perhaps a tad more violent, criminal and exciting, than our current Rupert Giles portrays.”

I chuckled darkly. Everyone had things in their past that was better forgotten. Even John had and now I had. “Good to know Cortana but I won’t push him or expect a tell-all any time soon. What else do you have for me?”

Cortana was… again giggly, “Alex I have an early Christmas present for you and you will never guess what it is?”

I smiled at her gleefulness but I really needed to concentrate on this soldering. “Ok, you got me sis’, I won’t even try to guess. So what is it this time?”

“Come on Alex. You have to make at least one guess… or this isn’t any fun.”

“Ok, is it nukes or a death ray?” I asked now in full mirth at Cortana’s perpetual game.

“Neither silly! But that was two good guesses. I’ll have to try harder to get some B83 thermonuclear weapons. Death ray I can’t do yet… Maybe next year.” Cortana was now in full serious geek mode.

She was serious, “One month ago I ordered some special vehicles for you to drive and for your security guards. The first batch of six vehicles were all shipped on railroad train freight flat-beds today. Four coming from Lenco of Massachusetts and two from Faber Manufacturing in Ohio. They all should be arriving in Los Angeles on Thursday. Where they will be transferred to eighteen wheeled trucks transports and delivered to Reach on late Thursday.”

I was still amused at her obvious glee. “So Cortana, what makes these vehicles so special for me and our Reach security teams?”

Cortana was still bubbly over her plans coming together so nicely. “Two of the vehicles are large Armored Cars call Bearcats. All of the best police SWAT units swear by them, which means I just had to have a few. They are big and armored up enough to resist even vampires and even with your armor on, you can sit inside and drive one. The two others are called Lenco Bear’s which are even larger armored cars with enough space in back for you to walk and carry all of your weapons and ammunition. The last two vehicles are Faber extra-special armored prisoner transport vans. For those extra special demonic guests that we are building the eight holding cells in the back for. To top it all off they all come factory equipped with all of the extra special things in life for hard working Spartan or Slayers. Like radios, satellite dishes, refrigerators for food, kitchenette and computer interfaces for little ol’ me.”

Finally I sat back and put down my tools, looking bemused and surprised I commented to Cortana. “That is a surprise Cortana and thank you for thinking about it. I guess armored cars, fighting vehicles and prisoner vans will come in very handy.”

Cortana with a bit more glee than necessary, “Silly boy. I am always looking out for you and it would not do for you to get one of your ‘nice’ cars tore up by a vampire or other demon. These are not Warthogs but maybe better.”

“You did say arriving in L.A. on Thursday?”

Cortana now reverting to all business, “Yes, but they won’t be arriving in Sunnydale until late afternoon or early evening. You will have time to play with them on Friday.”

“Ok, Cortana. I get to drive and play on Friday.”

Cortana turned a bit timid which was very unlike her. “I also have a Doctor’s appointment for you…”

Not stopping my assembly work, “To you I’m just a fish to be reeled in. Oookay, I’ll bite again. Why?”

She was to gleeful, “You and Willow are driving down to the Sansum Clinic next to University of California Santa Barbara Medical Center for your appointment at 9:00 AM Thursday. We have them under a research contract now. They will give you a very thorough medical physical and you need to donate two units of whole blood along with some genetic samples. That is why Willow is going along with you. Someone has to drive you back because you will be ‘weaker’ and might get woozy afterwards. Unlike a normal human you’ll be fine in two days.”

This time I did stop working on the robot. “Ok… I’m not sick or injured, so why am I donating my blood to this clinic?”

Cortana began laughing at me again. Three weeks of no school has begun and she’s going to be insufferable this week and the next.

She gleefully said, “Yes, you’re sick! Sick in the head with love for Willow.”

Before I could reply she came back with something that made sense.

“Right now, as you are aware, we are financing over one hundred small medical research firms, some large foundations and three times that number in graduate school research programs. In addition most of the bio-medical and genetic engineering lab equipment that we need is made to order. It takes sixty days for the smaller items and the good stuff takes six months to build. But I need your genetic material now and we also need to see if this level of technology can filter your blood plasma to concentrate your nanites. All of our research allies need samples of your blood and genetics to help accelerate their research into the human genome, anti-cancer treatments, adult stem cells, genetic therapies and cloning. Your blood will drive a huge leap ahead in this planets medical technology and treatments. Sansum Research Clinic is the first step. According to them… they’ll need about 100 units of your blood to satisfy all of their research partners. A normal human male of your size and weight would only be able to donate eight units per year safely. In your case… with lots of iron rich foods in your diet you should be able to donate two units each week for eight units per month. They will have their one-hundred units in thirteen months. The good news is that starting next week the blood and other samples will be drawn here in Sunnydale at United Blood Services on Broad Street and couriered down to them.”

She paused as I was reviewing our latest financial and contractual relationships with these firms and researchers.

Cortana continued, “Sansum Clinic’s first goal is to titrate and concentrate your plasma to create a crude but hopefully effect method to inject your viral nanites into humans. Humans like Willow, Roary, Karen and others… This may have the benefit of doing in months what would by more casual contact take a decade. Their second goal is to attempt to grow your nanites to produce a lot more. Thirdly they will act as the legal cutout protecting your identity and source of distribution of your blood to all of the other researchers. Researchers like the Mayo Clinic and Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute. This will be one additional legal measure for patient confidentiality to protect your identity.”

“Ok, big Sis. This sounds very good. Willow and I can be back in time for dinner.”

“Alex, it’s not just blood they are collecting. You will be there all day long. They will be performing a full and complete physical examination. Plus taking genetic sample swabs from your mouth, other tissue samples and I have also ordered them to obtain a semen sample from you…”

“Fer’crying out loud! You’re kidding, right? Why do you need my semen?” I closed my eyes and started to search John’s memories for a good reason, any reason. I hit John’s memories of Dr. Halsey’s staff taking samples, just as Cortana began speaking to me again.

“Alex, this is Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Spartan’s and most UNSC fleet personnel. Plus this is prudent for just in case. I’ve discussed this with Willow and she agrees completely. You are the only Spartan on this planet and right now you have no children. No descendants to become Spartans themselves. Your advanced genes and your nanites must be passed on. Whether by natural human impregnation or by medical assistance.”

I just turned down freaksville street. With my hands slapping my face to make sure I wasn’t dreaming or insane. “You talked to Willow about this? And you both agreed… ?! When?! — When did this all happen?”

“Alex, please don’t get upset, this will become a weekly routine for you. Since you don’t intend to father children with Willow and other females at this time, I need to have a contingency plan available.”

“Oh My God! You did clear this with Willow first?!”

“Yes, Alex. When you are in Santa Barbara at the clinic, if you need a little help with producing the sample, I’m sure Willow will gladly help you out. Either that or the clinic can provide fertility shots for Willow and you can make her a mother right there.”

I had my head down on the work bench slowly bonking myself again. I can’t kill them both… Two women I love, deviously plotting to subvert me. Even Cortana wanted me to be jumping Earth girls. I am sooo not going to make it unmarried to my high school graduation. On the other hand, if I do manage to get myself killed before then, Willow still plans on being the mother to a future planet. Which was not helping my own sexual urges. Not helping at all.

Finally I was composed enough, “Oookay Cortana, you two are going to have your way with me, no matter what I want. I thought, I was the CEO in this enterprise but obviously I’m just the puppet. For your information I absolutely refuse to have Willow’s first time be in the back seat of a car or… or in a clinic on an examining table. Willow deserves… she deserves our first time to be her bridal bed or at least a romantic setting of her choosing.”

Cortana started chuckling evilly at me. “Yes, you’re a gentlemen and she almost had you on that very same work table not twelve nights ago. Besides a clinic examine table might be kinky fun, if Willow brings a Nurse’s uniform with her…”

Sexy nurses uniform! My brain slide down into a pool of hot steamy soup. I was intrigued and aghast at the same time. I started slapping my forehead for good measure. “You wouldn’t suggest that to her? Would you?”

I could see Cortana on the wide-screens as a beautiful Greek siren rubbing her hands in glee as she pirouetted her Grecian gown in a flirty manner. “You betcha I would! I assume that she’s already thought of ambushing you at the clinic. She’s not a twit. Your teenage hormones and her determination insures her victory over your gentlemanly honor. You know from recent experience that she will entice you with her superior feminine charms at any moment. She won’t rest until she has you right where she wants you. She’ll wear you down, like a glacier grinds down a mountain.” Cortana began laughing at me as my face got redder and the rest of my body betrayed me again.

I was resigned to a state of constant niggling, innuendo and temptation from two beautiful schemers. I knew my fate. I had to reluctantly agree with Cortana. Blast her into space! Gently though. Willow already had my love and affection. Her ‘enticements’ as Cortana put it were inventive, imaginative, hot as molten steel and more frequent. So wow… Married or not she saw me as her’s. She had claimed me, in ways that I was still discovering. In truth I was already hers and not in the least unwilling.

I was resigned to further feminine wiles, “So what else have you two planned for me?”

Cortana unloaded on me in a coy way, “Well… you’re joining Karen, Willow and the girls for lunch in fifty minutes, so you need to cleanup and go home. They’re all meeting you there. After lunch all the girls are coming down to Reach, they invited Giles and Jenny.”

My factory. My offices. My former and still unfinished secret hideout was going to be invaded by… marauders… girls. … At least I should be safe from Willow’s alluring enticements today.

“What or who are you referring to as, ‘the girls’?”

Cortana was giggling at my discomfort. “Just the entire teenage Scooby gang as you have enumerated them: Buffy, Kendra, Willow, and Cordelia. Giles will be arriving with Ms Kalderash. While you are suffering all of that estrogen, Buffy and Kendra need to use your gym for combat training, since the school is closed to students for the holiday. Willow has bet Buffy that you can go one-on-one with them in sparring. So break out your Physical Training (PT) clothes and make sure you are wearing a protective cup. I’ve noticed that human females seem to enjoy making low-blow ‘man-part’ attacks as you call them. Meanwhile as you are being pummeled, I’m sure that Roary and Karen will take this opportunity to enjoy a quiet afternoon at the house.”

I quickly finished the robot and sent it scurrying off. I began putting away my tools and I just had to ask, “Cortana what else have you arranged to inflict upon me?”

Cortana dryly commented, “Your passport should arrive today in the mail to this address. I have applied for travel Visa’s in your name to our European offices. Next Saturday you will depart Sunnydale by private jet for quick visits to all of our corporate offices beginning with Dallas and then off to five countries. Where you will sign lot’s of documents and shake thousands of hands. Your primary destination will be our Aten Works Headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. You will return after stopping at a few of our other European offices but should return on Christmas Eve.”

“Long trip and I need to go do some travel shopping before Friday night. Since this will be my first real road and plane trip. Have you arranged a driver or chaperone for me, since once I leave Sunnydale I’ll be lost.”

Cortana was all business, “Yes, I have arranged everything. Hotels, drivers, cars, company guides and body guards. Yes, you do need body guards, even though you don’t really. All appropriate for your position. I’ll be printing your itinerary this afternoon after your passport is confirmed in your hands.”

I decided that her plans needed to be expanded somewhat. “Cortana, do we have the blood types, DNA samples and complete medical folders on all of the ‘girls’, Giles, Jenny and my family?”

“No, I do not Alex. I only have the blood types and the hospital medical folders on Buffy and yourself. No electronic records of the others.”

“Ok Cortana, slight change in your vector. Next week while I am gone, arrange for full medical physical exams with DNA samples for all of the girls and the boys in our entire ‘Scooby family’. Maybe our new friend Doctor Rapicz at his Medicine Clinic can do this for us. If not he can refer us to a discrete and competent physician to handle this. Before I go to Europe, arrange with Dr. Rapicz for us to borrow his X-ray room again. Wednesday or Thursday night would be best. As Vengeance, I’ll take high resolution scans of the scooby gang for your data storage. Just in case we need them in the near future.”

Cortana came back all devious but happy. “Good idea Alex. I’ll have our PI’s steal and scan for me, all of the gang’s dental and medical records. This will fill in our blanks on them. Someday we will have our flash cloning tanks available and this will be good preparation for that day.”

“Hey Sis, while we are at it, if Dr. Rapicz is the man who is going to hold all of these records for us, then order up some big upgrades for his clinic. Make him a deal.”

While holding this conversation, I had cleaned up and started driving home. After a pause, I needed an answer to a big question. “Cortana…”

“Yes, Alex. What is it? Your voice, is… worried.”

“Within the next month or two… If I gave one of my concentrated nanite shots to Buffy or Kendra…? Giles once told me that magic and technology don’t go together well. Do you think there could be a bad reaction if the Slayers got my nanites?”

Cortana was sympathetic to my concern, “Although your nanites and genetic alterations are the product of the most advanced 26th Century medicine, the nanites themselves are living organisms and not ‘technology’ themselves. Theoretically there should be no adverse reaction. But the truth will be unknown without a live test.”

I was still worried about that live test part. “I’ll hold off on offering them the shot. At least until the others are taken care of.”

I was speculating now for Cortana, “When the young girls are magically made into Slayers they’re normal human girls and the Slayer magic makes them three maybe four times faster than an Olympiad and seven times stronger than normal human females so they can fight the vampires. My nanite injection will alter their human normal to the 26th Century version of normal. I wonder if the magic will amplify their new normal?”

“Interesting conjecture but again unknown until you put it to a live test.”

I was approaching my home and spotted Cordelia’s Beemer in my driveway blocking me. Slightly miffed, I had to park along the curb in the street.

Cortana came back before I unlocked the car door, “One last thing for today. You need to congratulate Willow today.”

Now I was facetious, “Oh! Why should I do something other than kiss, hug, tickle and slobber all over her?”

Now laughing at me openly, “After Willow found out the what and why you were taking CLEP exams, she decided to do the same thing and I’ve been helping her. She’s very bright. She completed her third CLEP this morning and she probably earned a high score. Plus she has applied to CSU Sunnydale and has been accepted to begin next semester. Her stated major is Computer Science and genetics. No surprise there because she is quite sharp for a normal human. Still she loves you and that alone must have dropped her IQ by twenty points.”

“Yuck, yuck, nyuck Cortana. But that is a bit of news. You’re right I will have to congratulate her and maybe a little celebration at lunch time. Maybe one of her favorite deserts.”

As I walked into my home, I paused hearing the voices of six females in the family room, counting Cortana’s also. Why do I feel like running and hiding?

Monday, 15 Dec. 1997, 1:00 PM, Reach Gym, Sunnydale California
42th Day after first purchase of the Warehouse.

I sparred with Buffy first. She started out condescendingly while limbering up. Which for my hormones, and her long bare legs, pink silk shorts and sports-bra was highly distracting. She may be a small woman but she’s still a nice package.

She told me that she would slow down and only be at her Giles-plus speed so as not to embarrass or hurt me. She immediately, lunged in at me with a right fist to my jaw and then a round house kick to my head. I blocked her punch and swept her off her feet. She wasn’t laughing at me then. Although Willow and Kendra were laughing. If I hadn’t worn my protective cup, I would have had a very visible boner tenting my gym shorts.

Then she flipped upright and got serious on me. She upped her speed to Slayer fast and she wasn’t holding back. She came out of it with multiple attacks that left me with a bloody lip. Which had the benefit of Willow fussing over me and growling at Buffy. Which was hilarious for a moment.

I had problems though in not hurting Buffy badly. Most of my training, John’s training, was in hand-to-hand combat. Combinations of Jeet-Kun-Do, Kendo, Tae-Kwon-Do and Aikido would be the closest comparisons. But we were trained to maim and kill with one blow or two at the most. None of that swishy Kung Fu stuff on late night TV. No rules, just finish the fight in three seconds or less. No bare knuckle fist punches to hard bony jaws where you might break fragile hand bones. No witty quips between blows. Lots of knee and elbow strikes which are devastating but don’t risk breaking any of the small bones in your hand or the vulnerable wrist and forearm bones. Plenty of crippling strikes to joints and long bone breaks, which I couldn’t do to Buffy. I couldn’t do even the standard attacks of groin, eyes, and throat (GET). Which in John’s training groin attacks on females are just as painful as it’s to guys. Still I was sweating, bruised and breathing hard after almost 90 minutes of Buffy beats up Xander practice. Still a very good sparring match.

We had a rehydration rest. Then Kendra worked me over and athletically released her tensions on me. Again another 90 minutes worth of beat up Xander practice. With her, I was very happy that I had my cup on. I think she was deliberately trying to make me sing like a girl. Taking out some of her, ‘you fooled me as vengeance’ anger.

Two slayers and I was tired. I needed some serious candy-bars and Gatorade by the gallon.

After a little rest and cold high carb drinks. I held a little advanced Kendo training session with both Slayers using first bamboo Shinai training swords, then wooden Bokkens and finally Jo staffs. They catch on real fast and gave me more lumps and bruises. Although I like to think, I gave them as many bruises as I got.

I commed Cortana and asked her to order lots of Century Martial Arts protective gear for stocking up the gym supplies. I’m going to need it. Kendra whispered to me, while Buffy was grousing at Willow over payment of a bet. Kendra figured it out while I was sparring with Buffy. Buffy was trying to hurt me and I wasn’t trying to hurt her. She was polite though. She said she wouldn’t mention it to Buffy until we were at the dinner table and she couldn’t do anything about it.

I asked her why then? She had such a wicked smirk on her face, as she looked over at Buffy and turned back to me. She said, “She’ll be so embarrassed, then upset… and I want everyone to see her reaction.”

I suddenly realized that Kendra was both beautiful and stunningly cunning; with a mile wide vicious streak. She was laying a trap for Buffy but it was Buffy’s own personality unleashed that would be so funny. I shook my head, grinning at her plot. Buffy would want to kill us both over the dinner table and only her fear of Karen’s wooden spoon would stop her.

Buffy was known to give out pranks as good as she got. This was going to be amusing, but I was going to miss most of it while traveling.

During this entire gym time with me; Giles, Jenny, Cordelia and Willow watched the entire beat up Xander show. Providing us all with snarky Muppets grouchy old man style quips. Giles mostly smiling and shaking his head at me. Later Jenny and he left hand in hand.

On the way home for dinner, I was driving Willow; while Cordelia had both Slayers in her BMW. I mused on the past two days worth of memories and so far I had not brought up the subject of killing one of the slayers for a minute. Cortana’s taunting, John’s and my natural survival instincts must be coming to the fore front. I still was wistfully imaging a platoon of Slayers in ODST powered armor suits. Maybe I would breach the question while standing a good 100 yards away to give me a head start.

After we got back to my place it was obvious that Karen had cooked a massive meal for the entire gang. She made smiling but sincere threats if anyone left before dinner. Even Cordelia stayed on and seemed reluctant to go home.

Still Willow won her bet with Buffy. A silly one dollar bet which is what they had been arguing over while I sparred with Kendra. Buffy had bet her that she could whomp me good. Much to her surprise and Kendra’s, I held my own, tossed her as many times as she knocked me down and we gave each other some lumps. Willow will be gloating over Buffy’s loss of her dollar for the next decade and I think she plans on framing the dollar bill. Right next to the photo of Kendra, Buffy and I standing in the gym just before the sparring match.

After dinner Roary drove the Slayers out on another girls night out. While the rest of us melted into the furniture after that scrumptious meal. Willow snuggled up against me. Karen and Cordelia put in the first video tape of the evening. Something called “Matilda” which was going to be followed by the “Fifth Element”, which are the newest films that they had picked up.

While snuggling with Willow… I made a mistake. I told Willow about my upcoming plane trip overseas. I hoped to be asleep in five minutes with Willow wrapped in my arms. But she wouldn’t let me. She went all mother hen on me about leaving her behind for two weeks and her mock outraged suggestion that I would soon be consorting with sultry European bimboes. I laughed and told her that I was going to be too busy going from one corporate office to the next. I knew that this was not the end of this conversation. Her passport wouldn’t arrive until almost February so she couldn’t come along on this road trip. Eventually the work-out and good food put me to sleep with Willow laying on top of me, snuggled into my chest but still grousing as I drifted off.

I woke up fifty minutes later refreshed with a soft and very warm Willow laying against me. She was out and the top of her head was on my chest. Karen changed the movie over to the Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovitch science fiction movie, ‘The Fifth Element’.

Karen turned to me as stepped away from the tape player and said with a smirk and wink, “This movie has a red-hot red-head in it… just like Willow.”

I couldn’t say anything without waking Willow. With her tits and cheek laying against me, I wasn’t about to move. I just smiled and waggled my eye brows.

Surprisingly the movie was entertaining. Brilliant balance between action and humor. The UNSC 26th century wasn’t anything like the movies depiciton of life. Just Hollywood imagination. Half way through the movie, I almost sat upright. There it was on the screen! From the minds of the movie makers was my sticky spike grenade! It was awesome! It had eight spring-loaded, snap-out spikes and a timer dial for detonation. I immediately commed Cortana and told her all about. I had to have real ones.

She is such a vixen. Cortana was all put-out, at having her designs stolen but then was all coquettish. Sort of. She really liked the dialable time set fuse on the top end of the grenade. I’ll get my first batch of them to use by the first week of April.

I can’t wait. Especially to see the look on their demonic faces when I toss that on them and it goes bang as their trying to peel it off. I think Cortana and I could sell videos, ‘Dumbest Dead Demons’.

Tuesday, 16 Dec. 1997, 11:00 AM, Sunnydale California
43th Day after first purchase of the Warehouse

I had just finished another fifteen small robots for Cortana.

Two weeks ago Cortana and I had hired, our new building manager, Curt Wildsmith. We relocated him and his wife Miriam to Sunnydale. Starting tomorrow he would take care of all of the maintenance, custodians and craft workmen these large former warehouses needed. He would manage the routine stuff and Cortana liked him.

Curt had the kind of wicked sense of humor that only a sixty-four year old married man could have. Curt had been in the Air Force and all over the world. We were lucky to have snagged him. I was lucky to have him. He was going to free up a large chunk of my time.

I walked to the front of Reach and the first loading dock doors just to look at the progress and watch the bustle. I sighed deeply as I watched the latest gaggle of contractors and inspectors approaching me like a flock of honking geese. Our Engineer’s foremen Brad was with them.

Ten minutes later the city building inspectors and Fire Marshalls had finally signed off on all of the construction checklists for safe human occupancy for Reach one and two.

Amazingly Cortana was right again. Plus Scotty and Brad had warned me. Three of the inspectors asked me for a cash bribe and one wanted free lunches for the next month at the Golden Corral restaurant. Cortana had warned me that bureaucrats with their hands in your wallet were a fact of life for business people. Just that in America it was less graft and corruption than almost every other country. It was still irritating after all of the regulatory fees I had already paid to the City, the County and the State of California. The only bright spot was that politicians hadn’t been around yet asking for ‘campaign’ donations. Which is just another word for graft and corruption. If you don’t give them a donation then your licenses and fees will all develop ‘problems’. Fun stuff for masochists.

I would do almost anything to keep our Mayor away from Reach. Including kill him at City Hall in front of witnesses. Well maybe not in front of witnesses. I think a fruit basket with high explosives might be appropriate for him. But since he’s not really human, that might not kill him. According to Giles, some demons needed very special magical weapons or magic mixtures to kill them. So far we didn’t know enough about what kind of human looking demon that Mayor Wilkins was.

Finally the last two inspectors were leaving. Typical bureaucrats according to Cortana. She knew most of their dirty secrets.

The workmen had finally finished fixing and repairing the small things found wrong in Reach’s front offices, my new apartment ‘residence’ and gym areas. They called it ‘pound-out’ work to fix all of the little issues. Curt would take care of the furnishings and decorations.

The new Monaco fire alarms and Lenel security system alarms were all now fully operational. The better to protect me and whomever was staying here as a guest. Actually better to protect me, when Cortana hooked up the weapons which would be automatically controlled by a really defensive and violent mini-Cortana special software she was naming Moriarity. I’d seen the invoices. Cortana had ordered sixteen 40 kilo-Watt Ultra-Violet industrial Lasers and thirty-two 20 kW UV Lasers.

The 40 kW Laser was originally designed to cut through six inches of solid plate Steel for fast precision metal cutting. When we got done setting them up, no vamp could survive with one of these Lasers burning them down. Even the 20 KW Laser could slice most cars in half given a minute.

Lasers are line-of-site weapons and we could see the top half of Agonia Mountain from Reach. Demons on that mountain were going to have a nasty surprise when that beam came out of nowhere to slice them up and set them on fire. Cortana and her creation Moriarity were going to have a shooting contest as far as their expensive camera eyes could see. The latest cameras that were arriving about the same time as the Lasers were the best FLIR Systems made and should be able to distinguish between a man and women at 17 miles. Which just happened to be our assumed lethal range of the 40 kW Lasers against a tough demon. Vamps were a different story. Cortana thinks a 500 milli-Watt UV Laser would set a vampire on fire. A raging fire from their skin and deep into their body. My armor has a variable power 2 Watt to 2 kW UV targeting and ranging Laser built-in. My next trip down into the tunnels would be a good test for my Laser.

I was daydreaming again of slicing up demons from miles away.

I commed Cortana and told her of my reluctance to move out of my home with Roary and Karen in January. I really enjoyed their company and Karen’s cooking. Karen treated me like I was already her family. It felt like home. Cortana was neutral but a good confidant.

Maybe I would live here only two or three days each week. The weekends maybe and when I had time to hunt. My home and soon to be Roary and Karen’s home was on the north end of the city next to CSU Sunnydale. Which was convenient for week day study and meals. The High School was on the eastern side of downtown almost exactly half-way between the house and the Reach complex to the south. Willow’s parents home from front door to front door walking on the sidewalk was exactly 217 yards from my home on Albert Drive. That was convenient.

At last I concluded to Cortana that a home was where you lived but that also had people you loved there with you. A house was only shelter where you just slept in. The Reach residence area was just a house and not a home.

Cortana and I were both relieved at the inspectors sign-off. The really serious stuff could finally begin arriving like our bigger weapons, Lasers, volatile chemicals and explosives. The kinds of things that would make a city inspector’s head explode if they should see those things sitting in the open inside a commercial warehouse. Eventually the Fire Marshals would see small parts of them but we would have our Department of Defense (DoD) and US Marshals Service cover stories and permits in place by then, with corroborating notional documents. Also by then most of ordnance would be safely stored in hidden tunnels below Reach. Plenty of tunnels in and around Sunnydale it seemed. I just needed to clean them out of pesky demons. Plus we were going to construct a few side tunnels of our own and make some modifications to a few spots in the tunnels.

Cortana and I had a quiet time to talk for a little bit more. Lots of workmen and technicians were still busy on the Nefertiti side. Less than half of Reach space was now warehouse type open storage. Cortana was feeding me data as we talked. Mostly spreadsheet financial summaries of our growing empire, with her commentary on what was important. What was really amazing was that I now understood them.

Aten Works or Cortana and myself, since it was a private company with no shareholders, were now worth over $2 trillion dollars and still growing. Our expenses so far worldwide was less than $400M even with our pre-orders of capitol assets and real estate buys. Mostly because we were actually earning money now, instead of just interest on $2T of investments.

Two weeks ago Willow had suggested to Cortana and I, after reading a newspaper story of how a large corporation had purchased a smaller profitable one in the north of the State and then chopped the company up and sold it all, putting 2,000 people out of work. Willow sagely said that this bigger company was run by crooks. Which got Cortana and I thinking.

In just a few days Cortana had developed a real knack for purchasing distressed and undervalued companies – then turning them around. Most of these companies were distressed because they were being run into the ground by embezzlers, crooked executive practices, cronyism with crooked politicians and Wall Street sleazes skimming, which Cortana was exceptionally good at discovering. Naturally she would steal their stolen money and use that money to help buy the company and then have our ‘people’ fire the crooks and take over. Embezzlers and amoral Ivy League MBA types didn’t last long with Cortana watching over them. Law Enforcement was having an exceptionally good year arresting white collar criminals, grifters, embezzlers and drug dealers in wholesale lots. We were in danger of clogging the courts, so we needed to slow down a little on throwing them over. We were also hiring all of those older; over fifty years old, Fortune 100 executives thrown out of work before they earned their retirements or just afterwards. We were putting their years of experience to work for us and gave them a piece of the companies so they had a real incentive to make a profit and grow the company. The added benefit for us was that we were putting our money to work and winning friends everywhere. A ready pool of skilled and professional workers was growing. We would need them, for what we would likely have to do later. Space ships cost a lot of money and take hundreds of thousands of people to build, even with a lot of robot factories. We needed people, who we were making wealthy and would naturally be fairly loyal to us.

As of today Aten Works now had armaments and munitions manufacturing subsidiaries in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Austria, Finland, Ukraine and Slovenia. Grenades, rockets, new bullets and new alloys. UNSC tech alloys that will prelude our space ship and weapons designs.

Leaning against the wall at the truck dock, I realized once again that Cortana was truly my BFF ‘sister’ in this arrangement. A partnership first with John and now myself. Both forged in blood and shared memories. She was the sister that I had always wished that I had. She was also more, due to our mingling of thought and will. With the neural lace interface, the contact was so intimate, that we were almost lovers. If Willow really knew… she would be jealous. I would be dead meat.

Tuesday, 16 Dec. 1997, 5:00 PM, Sunnydale California
43th Day after first purchase of the Warehouse

I was just finishing assembling another of set of fifty of Cortana’s newest little minion spider robots for the building. Sitting back I activated it and after a boot up, its small cameras seemed to swivel and the robot jumped off my workbench. It disappeared into the back of the Reach and out of sight like all of the other forty-nine that I had assembled that day.

Cortana had them working round the clock but she never let the local workers see them. Without John’s memories of small robots performing maintenance and repairs on star ships, I might have been freaked out by these spider looking robots. Especially the clicking sounds they made when they were running around in a hurry. Otherwise when they were moving at their more normal speed they were silent. Which was also a little creepy because they would appear and then disappear. So far I had built one-hundred-twenty of the little machines. Actually three different kinds of them so far. Most with six or eight wheels but the last batch had eight legs and four small manipulator arms. With my heightened senses even I had a hard time spotting them. But we needed even more of them. More importantly we needed better batteries.

We were providing startup money for about a dozen small robotics companies. Some of them thought they were going to produce toy and hobby robots for the techie Dilbert market. They would do that for the hobby market but the bulk of their production would be for us. Truth was I didn’t have the time to keep assembling the number of robots that Cortana needed. Eventually the drain tunnels under Sunnydale would be home to an army of Cortana’s specialized kill-bots armed with guns, Lasers or mini-flame-throwers. Small little demon terminators. We’ll see how the demons like being hunted by Cortana and her minions. Minions that never sleep, never stop and can go almost anywhere.

Yup! We planned on making Sunnydale a real death trap for demons. A role reversal since this place had been a death trap for humans for the past ten millennia.

Sitting back in my chair, I thought about my next item on my very long ‘to-do’ list. So many things to do and not enough time.

Spike and Drusilla were at the top of my demons to capture or kill list. Capture for Spike. Kill for Drusilla. But for her I needed to do this delicately. She had to die in a way that would emotionally crush Spike but not leave me a target to devote all of his eternity for. I needed him so depressed that he would bury himself at the bottom of the Laurentian Abyss and pull it down over himself. Hmmm. So many possibilities?

After the Christmas holidays I would be going to Sunnydale High school only three half-days each week. The new semester would begin at CSU Sunnydale next month and I was accepted to start classes in Electrical Engineering. I was also studying with Cortana’s help for my next set of College Advanced Placement exams. Which will cut a normally five year program down to less than two years. When I wasn’t studying I was also signing necessary corporate documents, signing checks, discussing options with the Civil Engineers and contractors. Our Calax construction project was picking up speed. The building was in better shape than we thought so it would be less expensive and quicker to revitalize and modify. We’ll be able to occupy in March.

The work of killing a few demons would always be the best part of my week. Combat was easier than running a corporate empire with Cortana.

Thankfully Buffy and Kendra had kept my secret. Buffy swore she wouldn’t tell Angel who V was, but she did tell Angel how V helped the slayers rescue him. I hoped that it would be several years before he found out.

I was still having difficulty with the ‘good’ vampire who loved Buffy part. The vampire that stole my first infatuation; my first adulation of a beautiful woman; my first nubile love. My pride was hurt. I got over it. Well mostly over it.

When I told Buffy how I did my tunnel running after lunch the day before, she imagined me knocking Angel down and cutting him into dust, before I even knew it was Angel. I had to agree, it was a very likely scenario, since I was moving so fast through the tunnels. Even if I recognized him before my blade touched him, I was not sure that I would stay my hands. I still didn’t like’em all that much. I told Buffy that he would be an oops. Sorry about that.

With my patented Zeppo grin, I promised Buffy I could bring him back in a dust bin or a plastic bag…

Buffy was appalled. She shrieked and threatened me with dire consequences. Like cutting off my man parts, roasting them and feeding them to me. So we came to an understanding of sorts. She promised that she would keep him away from Reach Industries and out of the tunnels when I went hunting. I would tell her when and where I was hunting.

If he went down while I was hunting and after being warned… well tough luck.

Maybe Cortana could arrange for a small man-portable UNSC style Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) transponder device for Angel to carry with him so that I could minimize the probability of him becoming collateral damage. Maybe I could knock him out and surgically implant the IFF like a pacemaker. Something similar to what we were planning on doing to Spike.

I sighed, Kendra and I had also come to an understanding yesterday. I had deeply impressed her when she witnessed my fight inside the Demon Church under Cerra Los Agonia. She agreed to keep my identity as Vengeance a secret from even her Watcher, seeing as how her Watcher obviously kept secrets from her. She also confided that she loved Cortana and her ability to vector her right onto vampires so she didn’t spend a lot of wasted time walking around on patrol. While we were talking over lunch, she had licked her lips, smiled beautifully and almost glowed at the thought of Cortana’s help over the next month or so. She was a beautiful woman when she smiled and batted those long eye-lashes of hers. Shame… I’m only a girl-hopping lothario in my dreams. She still tried to beat me to a pulp while sparring.

Meanwhile Cortana had her on a High School General Equivalency Diploma (G.E.D.) study program. Kendra was quite bright in the IQ department and didn’t try to hide it like Buffy. There was no reason why we couldn’t offer her hope for a more normal future and a longer life.

Cortana liked Kendra also. She was obtaining several sets of real IDs and passports for Kendra from our growing circle of employed Shamuses who were less than law abiding. With them she could move around the country or the world without worry. She could even fly places now with her new very real ID and one phone call to Cortana for all her travel arrangements. Cortana and I were also putting her on the payroll as a part time ‘consultant’ so that she would have her own spending cash via bank account. Same as Buffy. Although we had to admonish Buffy that the account was for necessary and essential expenses. The latest ladies high heel shoes were not a legitimate expense. Still, neither one was going to get a huge income each month, just a small allowance so that they weren’t scrounging for food or ever sleeping in the streets. Cortana would see to that.

Cortana and I planned to drive a little wedge between the Slayers and the callous indifference of The Watchers Council. This last week was the start of that wedge. Later if the Watchers Council got nasty or stupid, then our little wedge was going to grow into the Grand Canyon of chasms. We didn’t have to do anything except bail the girls out each time the Watchers treated them like a disposable weapon. Little by little the Watchers Council would dig that chasm themselves.

Also we were going to provide some support to Giles. He didn’t know it yet. Since Giles was a British citizen and not an American, his passport required a work entry visa which, if revoked could get him arrested and deported. Cortana and I both believed that The Watchers Council would hold that over his head to apply leverage on him. Cortana was working a set of very real American and Canadian, ID and passports for him also. We were going to ensure that the Watchers Council had zero leverage.

Kendra’s Watcher, Sam Zabuto, was slated to return for her after the new year. He was supposed to meet Kendra on January 17th in Santa Monica. We had no plans to help Zabuto though. At least not yet. Not until we knew more about him and his loyalties. Most Watchers were more loyal to the Council than they were to their Slayer. Which eventually led to dead Slayers. Usually much sooner rather than later. Probably why most Slayers lasted less than one month and why in 10,000 years less than twenty Slayers lasted two years. None had gone more than six years.

We were going to scrape mountains flat, to change that with Buffy and Kendra.

Cordelia and her Cosmo’ blabber-mouth was a worry. She and Willow watched me spar with Buffy and Kendra, right alongside Jenny and Giles. So far she didn’t know about me being Vengeance or even get to see the Mjolnir armor. This week she was going to meet V for a scan job. I hoped that she screamed a little. Might be fun? Maybe I could give her a little shock? Frizz that coiffed hair of hers.

Tuesday, 16 Dec. 1997, 10:00 PM, Willy’s Tavern, Sunnydale California

Roary backed the van up against the doors of Willy’s tavern, ‘The Alibi Room’ again. The blue and red neon sign above the roof gable working again and proudly flashing. A small flock of moths were fluttering around the spotlights high-lighting the taverns entrance.

Buffy and Kendra opened the vans side door and got out looking for a vampire in the parking lot or street to kill. I held up my cell telephone to my ear for show, but comm’d Cortana. Still for the show I spoke out loud. “Hey big sis, we’re at Willy’s door. How does it sound and look inside?”

Cortana spilled, “So far the bar has only eight customers inside. Two are vampires and six are demons of one species. Willy must be apprehensive because he keeps polishing the same glass and watching the new clock on his wall. My threat assessment is moderate for you going inside alone. I wish the slayers would go inside with you?”

“No Cortana, Willy is expecting only me but that doesn’t mean that the girls can’t stand one door away outside and be ready for anything. Besides you know that I can take care of myself even without the Mjolnir armor. You know I’m a cautious guy. I’m wearing under this shirt chain mail over Type II Kevlar body armor for protection; plus I have a knife and my gun.”

Still speaking out loud for Rory and the girls to hear, “Ok, thank you Cortana for the threat assessment. I’ll take precautions.”

Putting the phone in my jacket pocket I looked at Roary and commented with a wry smile, “Same as before Uncle. No one comes in.” I checked my gun again, locked and loaded.

Roary with a large smile held up a bag of marshmallows and some barbeque sticks. “No worries, I came prepared this time.” He winked and pulled a can of VBG from his pocket. Waving his thumb back at Willy’s door he said, “Shoo! You’re wasting time. I’ll be OK out here with two slayers to guard me.”

Briefcase in hand, I stepped away from the van to the recently repaired doors of Willy’s. Buffy and Kendra at my back now whining that they didn’t get to go inside and ‘play.’

I turned around at the doors, “Girls! Ladies! I’ll will use that word loosely tonight since you are both acting like a pair of whiny hungry sharks… Who I remind you must stay outside Willy’s tonight.”

Buffy, stepping close, leaning into me, smiling and batting her long brown eyelashes at me, “Please, can we come inside with you? We’ll be good…” Now smiling her patented cheerleader and I’m all sweetness smile.

I knew her to well. Kendra’s puppy dog eyes and lip pout really needed work. I chuckled at them both smiling and then stuck my tongue out at them both. “No. Keep your headsets on. Cortana will tune you in and if things sound like they are going to go bad for me, then I’ll speak our code word, ‘cats’. Cortana will also give you the ‘go’ order. Then you can come blazing in and rescue me. Remember that’s the plan and you have to stick to it. I need some alone time with Willy, to cement our relationship.”

Both Buffy and Kendra were pouting and nodded their heads in reluctant acceptance. Just then I leaned towards them, “Ladies, I believe you have some guests coming down the street towards the bar. You might want to enjoy yourself with them first before you worry about rescuing me.”

Both girls whipped around and peered into the darkness. Kendra and Buffy, could just barely feel the presence of a small group of vampires approaching now that they were concentrating. A group of fang faces made a larger blip on their Slayer scopes. Buffy turned back to Xander but the tavern door was swinging shut. To Kendra and Roary, she spoke quietly into her headset to Cortana. “Cortana, did you help him spot the vamps?”

Cortana laughed lightly at her natural curiosity and sharp mind, “No, he did that on his own but if it makes you feel any better, I knew they were coming before you even arrived and I was going to tell you after he left.”

“Cortana you didn’t really answer my question?” Buffy was growing irritated and began walking towards the front of the parking lot to meet the vampires. Kendra at her side but moving away to the right for splitting the vamp-gang.

Cortana chided her without giving away any of Xander’s secrets. “26th Century medicine Buffy and a full combat medical package for that time. He’s no longer a ‘normal’ human male as you know them, just as you and Kendra are no longer normal human females. FYI there is six of them in this group and three additional are now on the surface in the cemetery.”

“Well it’s spooky that he can see them before I can, a month ago he was a normal klutzy boy and now… He sparred with me to a draw.” Buffy pulled her katana and then her favorite stake.

Cortana now openly giggling and smirking over the radio, “He brings you the best gifts for a pair of slayer girls.”

The vampires stepped into the pool of light below the street lamp at the front of Willy’s parking lot entrance. Buffy walking into the edge of the light opposite them, she spun the sword on the palm of her hand and snap griped it, “Cortana you are the best.”

The group of vampires drifted to a halt just outside the edge of the street light. Confusion on their faces and then hunger.

Adopting a cheerleader girl pose but with the katana now low at an angle away from her body, she said loudly, “Hey Kendra, what do we have here? A few lost boys out for a night of fun?”

Kendra looked them over with haughty disdain, “Must be new in town? They’re not running.”

The leader of the gang stepped forward and said with loud disdain, “Aye boys! We have two broads here who tink they’re The Slayer. Isn’t dat funny boys. Har - Har - Har!” Stopping his derisive satirical laughing he motioned his laughing gang forward, “Suck’em dry boys.” They all put on their game faces and sprang.

Kendra leaned to her right and drew her katana in one motion. She spun like a ballerina. The blade split the air in a blur, as well as the two vampires that had lunged at her. One dusted before his corpse hit the ground and the other hit the pavement in a wet smack accompanied by his pained gurgles. She came to a stop with her sword pointed at the former gang leader only 20 feet away.

Three vampires lunged at Buffy and her sword whickered as she spun and her stake buried itself in the chest of one vampire. Dust drifted on the night air all around her.

The leader of the gang’s eyes went wide looking at Buffy as he exclaimed, “Two Slayers!” Just as Kendra’s stake was driven through his back and out his chest. His mouth formed a silent scream as his entire body arched backwards. He too dusted.

Kendra was grinning maniacally as she walked over and finished off her half-sized vampire who was trying to crawl away with only his hands.

While Buffy was whistling a merry tune as she was patting the dust off her jacket and skirt. Buffy twirled her katana again like a baton on her palm. Smirking with Kendra. She finally said, “Cortana’s right… This sure beats split lips, bloody knuckles and broken nails.” As she with great exaggeration examined her red gloss painted finger nails. Kendra started laughing with her and examined her pink gloss finger nails.

Inside The Alibi Room.

Dressed nicely in a dark pin-stripe bankers dress suit, white shirt and red stripped tie, I stepped through the second door of Willy’s tavern. I looked like an expensive banker or lawyer.

Willy’s new bouncer, a B’Trak demon, stepped forward. Eight foot tall, all muscle and naturally armored. He grinned a green stained mouth of mostly broken teeth at me. Bad breath and all. I looked at him and dismissed him. Confused by a human who did not fear him, the demon looked at Willy and noticed that his boss was frozen in fear. The bouncer prudently stepped back, his giant bushy eyebrows went up. He kept his mouth shut and decided on just watching.

I concluded he was smarter than he looked.

I called out as I stepped down into the tavern, “Willy my man! A Mint Mojito please.”

Willy was staring at me and frozen in mid-polish of his glass. I walked up and sat down in front of him at the bar. Willy’s eyes darted from me to the door and back. After about twenty glances to the door by Willy, I set my briefcase on the bar counter. A light bulb almost appeared over Willy’s head as he recognized the briefcase. He relaxed somewhat but was still on edge.

I leaned over to Willy and in a low voice told him, “You might want the other patrons to stay where they are, … or I might get upset. Besides both Slayers are just outside and they do… so want to come inside.” I quietly said with emphasis.

Willy’s eyes snapped back to the door his eyes again showing genuine fear and concern. Willy was missing his former man skin and obviously wondering about what they would carve off him next. I continued calmly and with a level voice, “Do you want them to come inside Willy?”

Willy’s one Gajug bartending employee, Raghad began moving away from me towards the backroom, fear in his eyes as he also began glancing quickly at the storage room door.

Willy snapped out of his fear long enough. He motioned to his barkeep, “Raghad, tell everyone to stay where they are. They’re safe here. The Slayers are outside.”

At the word slayers, the two vampires in the back corner started to get up. Raghad scurried to them and with quiet words got them to sit back down. Still they and the other six demons were radiating nervous body tells and glancing at the entrance door. The bouncer edged away from the doors.

I turned away from my minute threat assessment of the other patrons back to Willy. I calmly spoke, “Don’t expect any guests to enter while I’m here. Just for your info Willy. Just because I’m here without the slayers doesn’t mean that I cannot kill every demon in this room… all - by - myself.” I gave him a confident toothy warning.

Willy, his hands flat on the bar, was obviously reassessing me again as maybe human looking but not human. The little cogs behind his eyes were just whirling away. He was remembering how I pinned him to the bar and no mere human should have been able to do that.

Willy licked his lips and sighed. “What can I do for you G-man?”

I smiled pleasantly this time, and slide the briefcase across the counter. There was the remaining $25,000 in it. I leaned forward as a Mojito appeared at my left elbow in a clean tall glass, Raghad stepped away quickly. I spoke softly, “You kept your word Willy. Angel was rescued and Spike hasn’t been seen lately. You earned it.”

Willy swept the briefcase down off the bar and out of sight. Two metallic snaps indicated that he had opened it and was checking the five bundles inside. Willy closed the briefcase and looked at me with respect, “You pay well G-man.”

I leaned forward taking a good drink of my Mint Mojito with Rum. The drink was John’s favorite and for my 16 year old body the alcohol was strong and burning. The mint was refreshing though. I looked at Willy and asked, “What have you heard about Spike and the demon church?”

Willy looked at the other patrons, judging if they could hear or not. Willy then leaned forward not taking his eyes off the six demons at the far wall table. “Word is that Vengeance and both Slayers hit the place and killed everything… and I mean everything. Word is that there were over 200 vampires there for the service. Including two out-of-town vampire clan councils and the place was supposed to be guarded by a couple of brute squads from the demon city.” Willy paused and looked around himself quickly and at his patrons for any sign of them hearing. He leaned back across the bar towards me again, “Word is… that ‘The-V-guy’ summoned hell fire or something and he killed the entire demon cities guard company that rushed to the fight and then he set half the demon city on fire.”

I smiled thinly to Willy while neuronetting Cortana, “Cortana, good news from Willy. What a bonus! My party favors really did their job. I’ll have to order more of those.”

Cortana whispered back inside my mind, “Yes, from voice pattern analysis he does firmly believe what he’s telling you is the truth.”

I looked at Willy over the lip of the glass, “Well… The Slayers never said anything about Vengeance killing so many… Are you sure?”

Willy looked fearful wringing his bar towel, “You never told me, ‘The Slayers’ and ‘Vengeance’ were working together… Are they?”

I smiled a feral grin. I added more legend for the gossip, “No, they aren’t as far as I know. Vengeance is…” I paused for effect and leaned forward, “Vengeance only said that when he came here to… this planet… he didn’t know of the Slayers. He said that his mission is to kill all of the demons that prey upon humans but when he learned of The Slayers. … He told me… that they are under his protection. Two days ago the Slayers went to the demon church to rescue Angel and… Vengeance… Well according to the Slayers, he just showed up and hogs all the demons for myself. After watching him in action… they were in awe… but very appreciative. When they left with Angel, Vengeance was still killing demons in the church.”

I smirked inside laying it on thick for Willy to spread the gossip around.

Willy gulped, his lips were dry and his hand was trembling. “He… he said that… he was here to kill all…. all the demons?”

I gave him a rueful smile, “What do you have to worry about Willy? You run a respectable bar. You don’t prey on humans, do you?”

Willy gulped again. I smiled menacingly showing my teeth again and lowered my voice, “Stick to our deal Willy and I won’t let the Slayers kill you… or worse. Harm humans… well…” I spread my hands and gave Willy a reluctant look. “No power on this earth or from any hell… will keep Vengeance from squashing you like a bug.”

Willy’s eyes were as large as saucers and his mouth worked like a fish. I finished my drink in one gulp. The heat of the alcohol hit me and burned my throat all the way down. I smiled a more friendly smile and tipped my head to Willy, “We good Willy?” As I dropped a Franklin on the bar top towards Raghad as a tip.

Best to have the underlings on good terms. You never know? I may need Raghad to stab Willy in the back someday.

Willy nodded yes, his eyes still a window upon his fevered brain imagining the horrors of meeting Vengeance.

I walked up the steps and the bouncer respectfully opened the door for me as I left. Stepping into the cool night air, I breathed in a lungful to clear the smell of demons that had filled the bar. The van was unmoved and the girls were lounging nearby on the hoods of cars.

Buffy and Kendra both gracefully slide off the hoods of the cars that they were adorning in a very nice curvaceous way. Both of them immediately started complaining to me in duet, “Xander, there weren’t enough!… demons!… to kill!…” Both girls looked at each other and started giggling.

I thought I had a reprieve?

As I opened the van passenger side door. Both girls were in a conversation with Cortana on their mobile phones and then they looked at me and then at Roary. “Girls night out!” they both said again in duet. I was watching them over my shoulder with amusement and remembering their recent hostility towards each other.

Then I made a mistake. I said, “You must be long lost twin sisters?” Seeing the look on their faces, I instantly knew that 26th Century medicine and a Spartan augments still did not keep one from putting a foot deep into my own mouth. Both girls squinted at me, looked at each other and as quick as a wink grabbed me and threw me into the backseat of the van. Kendra got in the first back seat and Buffy took the front passenger seat.

Roary was laughing so hard at me, upside down and tossed like a salad, that he had tears in his eyes. Me with one foot on the ceiling.

Buffy leaned over to Roary and said urgently, “Quick Roary, Cortana has us some fresh undead to play with. Step on it and turn left on the street.”

Still laughing at me, as I sorted myself out in the back, Roary drove the girls to their next slayage match. So far it was Kendra – 6, and Buffy - 5.

The Slayers were über competitive and in need of more aerobic exercise.

17. Two Furies

Chapter 17. Two Furies

Wednesday, 17 Dec. 1997, 7:00 AM, Sunnydale California
44th Day after first purchase of the Warehouse

Willow came over this morning to wake me up. What a wake-up call! Wow… I swear that woman only wants my body. She’s not interested in my mind, my scintillating personality, my handsome good looks or my money. Well maybe my money just a teensy bit.

Karen was in full pixie smirk mode as she laid out a nice breakfast for us. She kept winking at us while grinning, and making suggestive innuendo about our morning activities. It was embarrassing for me and exhilarating. Willow is my red haired temptress. My exuberant Aphrodite, who as each day passes is getting better at pulling the rug out from under me. Sometimes, with just a look or a flash of skin, she would bring fire to my cheeks.

In another life she might have been a Succubi. Maybe a ‘Storm Maiden’ granddaughter of the Norse sea goddess Rán? With that red hair more likely a granddaughter of the beautiful Japanese sea dragon goddess Toyatama-Hime? In Japanese mythology their dragons and pretty much all of their supernatural creatures were called ‘demons’. Most of them were shapeshifters who would assume a human form. A few like the ancient Greek and Roman gods would mate with humans. In Japanese culture their children allegedly had red hued hair, demi-god like magical powers and longer life.

So far Giles books had nothing in them about benevolent gods, goddesses and demigods. Just bad and worse demons along with a few hundred demigod like Old Ones.

So far, Cortana and I suspect that all of them are evil illegal alien monsters from other dimensions.

In a decade Willow will have a longer life, so two out of three isn’t so bad.

Two months ago, she would never have done these things. Now she reveled in tempting me when no one else was looking. It’s really hot but… but not appropriate for a classy girl like Willow. At least that’s what flashes through my mind for a microsecond before my hormones take over.

I can’t help it if I got a massive dose of John’s culture of honoring marriage and commitment. California’s culture is diminished by Hollywood’s destructively loose and casual portrayals of sexual relationships and commitment.

Cortana briefed me that in the past ten years in California the annual teenage unmarried mother birth rate was never less than 18% and this year was 23%. It is why our school district has a kindergarten and nursery next door. Prior to 1975 in California teenage pregnancy and unmarried mothers was a small fraction of what it is today.

It’s a good thing I’m leaving for two weeks. Otherwise with a few more wake-up sneak attacks like that and I’ll be a father. I don’t want to see Willow waddling down the hallway in High School like the other young mothers. Buffy and Cordelia disparingly call them the slut brigade or the cow herd.

Not that sleeping with Willow and being a father wouldn’t be fantastic. Wrong at this time for both of us but fantastic and something new. Something new and unknown, since John has no memories of fatherhood to guide me. But Giles is right. I may not want this right now, it may be dangerous for Willow since she’s not a full-grown woman yet, despite what her hormones are saying, but it will happen nonetheless. My goal is to resist long enough.

At least she won’t be an unmarried mother.

It’s like that Halloween night of magic grew me up physically but also the genetic changes stabilized what should be wildly fluctuating hormones in normal teenagers. I still have teenager hormones. The genetic treatments and nanites have little effect on normal youthful maturation other than moderating the hormonal rushes and wild mood swings. Willow’s hormones are peaking and then gyrating all over at the same time as the nanites are slowly altering her very DNA.

I haven’t said anything to Willow but I’m… afraid. Fatherhood is a huge step into the unknown. I’ve never been very responsible. Not a nit. At least until recently after my mind-meld with John. Inside the 26th century Webster’s Thesaurus under the word ‘Responsible’ was a photograph and description of John Walker, Master Chief Petty Officer, Spartan-117, UNSC ONI Special Warfare, as both a synonym and as example.

Now I’m stuck with it.

For me the thought of it is… like stepping off a Pelican’s cargo ramp 190 km above the surface of a world. A rush of very sweaty intimate pleasure and then I will be responsible for Willow and a new life. Our own ankle biters afoot, and into everything…

I’m also afraid of her. Willow is so beautiful, sensuous and smart. She could whup my ass with just a look.

Not that my own mom is any help. She just loves Willow and already treats her like her daughter-in-law. Mom told me to my face that if I ever hurt her, she’ll shoot me dead and feed what’s left to sharks. She was serious! Who knows what the slayers would do to me? Cortana might even help them.

What is galling in me is that three months ago, I would have gladly jumped Buffy, Willow, Cordelia and any other female that was willing and offered. I was a typical teenage shallow and selfish male. I wouldn’t have cared much for the emotional wreckage, I would have left in my wake. I probably wouldn’t have taken any responsibility for the babies, I gave them.

Today I’m willing to take responsibility for my actions and choices. I’m willing to commit my time, my money, my attention, and my honor. Three months ago those were just words on a paper with no real meaning to me. Now they bond my life.

Would I be, a good father or a sort-of-father like mine has been? At least when he was sober he was decent, and later apologized for hitting me. At least he was ashamed for what he was like when he was mean drunk.

I hoped, I never became a crap father like Buffy’s dad. He was considered to be a successful and highly paid executive, but who cheated on his wife at every opportunity. Buffy didn’t see it, but I saw it when Buffy mentioned him in her Mom’s presence. That briefest flash of pain would cross Mrs. Summer’s face just before she blanked her face and smiled for Buffy’s benefit. It was obvious she still loved him and never said a cross word about him in Buffy’s presence.

With Cortana’s heightened surveillance in Sunnydale, over the last four weeks, even the beautiful and perfect Cordelia had really crappy abusive parents. That was a surprise to me.

No one but Cortana and I knew. I would never mention it to anyone and not even to Willow. It would kill Cordelia if I did.

Cordelia’s parents treated her like a possession and most of the time an unwanted possession. She was a daughter who was supposed to always be beautiful, silent, in the background and only to be displayed on command, when entertaining her dad’s business clients. When she wasn’t… they beat her and verbally abused her. They never struck her where it would show, and so far she was physically abused at least once each week by both of her parents.

Her handsome father was a white collar con man, swindler, embezzler, and all around well-dressed GQ low life. Her mom was the always beautiful country club wife, and amoral slut, who slept with her husband’s business partners.

Cortana left them alone with their money because of Cordelia. It was obvious that they loved their money and appearances, more than they loved Cordelia. But Cortana projected a 56% probability that her parents would attempt to prostitute her, as a business deal ‘perk’ within the next year and 78% in her senior year. That horrible idea was revolting to me personally. Until recently I would have never thought that possible.

Even Buffy’s dad was not that depraved. Still Cordelia said nothing and presented a persona at school, of the perfect Miss Queen of fashion, exactly as her mother wanted. She was a smart girl and I mean way above average. Someday she would scream, no.

I wondered if she had already been abused for the crime of hanging out with us Scoobies?

Cortana was watching out for her and we would actively intervene only when necessary. I was hoping that Cortana’s behavioral projections were wrong but we still needed a contingency plan, to protect Cordelia from her own parents.

I neuronetted Cortana, “Good morning Sis.”

“Well good morning to you to. Are you ready for your morning briefings?”

“Not quit yet. Can you do something for me? I mean not right now… but when it’s time… or you get an opportunity.” I was meandering and uncomfortable, not knowing a good way to broach this.

Cortana giggled at me, “Is this about Willow again?”

“No… No. This is about Cordelia and her… home life.”

Cortana’s voice went as cool as ice. “Can I do something really appropriate now?”

“No. That’s for later. But this can’t come from me or anyone else but you. She’s starting to talk to you now… she’s a girl… and you’re a girl… and I shouldn’t be the one to talk to her about this…”

Cortana was disappointed but intrigued, “So what do you want me to talk to Cordelia about?”

“You told me about her parents. Next time she calls you to just girl-talk and only if it is appropriate, please let her know that she has safe harbor options and friends. Tell her to go to the apartment at Reach, or Mrs. Summers or to here with Karen or to the Kendell’s house or to Giles. Anyone of them will provide sanctuary. Tell her that you’re also her watchful guardian, just as if she was Willow or a Slayer. I just think she needs to know. She really needs to know, she’s welcome no matter the circumstance or time of day, and she has options.”

Cortana’s voice softened, “That is so sweet and thoughtful. I’ll diplomatically let her know, she will always have friends within the Scoobies and that she has places of sanctuary.”

“Thank you Cortana. Now I’m ready for my briefings.”

Wednesday, 17 Dec. 1997, 9:00 AM, Sunnydale California

Willow and I, were going to have a… ‘be together’ date today. I enjoy being with Willow at any time. Each day that passes my day is made a little better with her presence. Cortana says it’s my softening brain, due to love, endorphins, and male hormones. She says I’m just a, “hairy bag full of water with a dash of electrolytes and organic molecules that somehow gained sentience.” Then she laughs at me with that wonderfully female voice of hers. I can’t feel too insulted when she laughs at me and with me.

On the way to Reach we were first going shopping. I had to stop at Kohl’s for some businessman’s travel luggage and travel accessories. Since, I was going to be on the road for two weeks wearing mostly suits and talking to my new company executives, bankers, lawyers and now even a few politicians. Fun, fun and more fun, … not.

While inside Kohl’s after I picked up my stuff, Willow drug me over to the girly things area. I suppose I’ll have to somehow get used to this. It embarrassed me. I was uncomfortable, sweating and trying hard to stay out in the main aisle while she shopped. When we got to the ladies unmentionables, underwear and lingerie section, I was really trying to be invisible. If anyone looked my way, they probably saw a hunted and terrified gazelle, with a hungry leopard nearby called Willow.

Then I saw a couple of older men in the same area with their wives, by their wedding bands. They were about thirty years apart in age and the youngest at least fifteen years older than me. They were actually offering suggestions to their lady’s, to try on clothing and the most scanty lingerie clothing. They were shopping as obviously intimate couples.

After a few minutes more of following Willow around, I thought of making a joke of selecting some sheer frilly lingerie knickers for her. With a giant grin and sparkling eyes, she looked at it and returned it to the rack. I thought I had escaped with my joke.

She then selected one in her size and told me that I was going to see her in it before I left. Sort of her version of this is what you’re going to be missing prize. I was standing there getting weak in the knees as she selected something ‘naughty and nice’ for every night of the week. Naturally she said, for when I returned. I gulped and imitated a gold fish.

Like a drooling idiot, I bought it all in a daze of fevered hormonal fumes.

After leaving Kohl’s, I realized that I should never dare or encourage Willow when it comes to pretty dresses or lingerie or for that matter anything. She will only view the dare as another opportunity to package herself up and wear me down. She knows that one of these days I’m was just going lose it and ravage her. Like a doofus I bought her very pretty things to parade in.

What am I going to do? Especially since around Willow, I seem to lose 60 IQ points and drool on my chest.

Maybe I should ask Cortana to arrange to buy another house up near Roary and Karen’s. I’ve got a weird feeling that Willow and I may be married next year. The apartment at Reach was more for a bachelor. A safe house between combat sorties and a place to hide allies. Not a place for a wife. Maybe for Willow, I’d never get her away from all the computers and lab equipment.

But a house, any house is what its occupants make of it. A couple who love each other will make any house, a home.

Neuronetting Cortana and keeping our conversation silent, “Cortana, I’ve got a problem.”

Cortana was so full of satirical mirth, “Is your problem named Willow?” She started laughing at me. “I saw all of that shopping and may I say that those are very pretty nothings that you bought for her? She’ll look absolutely fantastic, as she models them for you and then takes them off for you.”

It was all I could do, to not wreak the car so close to Reach or yell out loud or scream and alert Willow to my covert conversation. Gripping the steering tightly, my blood pressure went up, and I tried to remain calm. “You know it is and I was duped. She… she tricked me!”

Cortana was guffawing at me, “Do you mean, you’re an idiot or that she’s a naturally superior intellect? … I think you should just admit that she’s smarter and more cunning than you. Around her the idiot part is a given.”

Pulling slowly into the Reach parking lot, “Yah, ya, ya. Ok, so she outsmarted me. But I need you to get our real estate ladies to find another nice house near my current home on Albert Drive. That house will be Roary and Karen’s soon. I think that… I’ll need a house up near the college. No hurry really but maybe next year… sometime. I’ll need a house for Willow… and I to live in. There I said it.”

Cortana still all gleeful at my embarrassment and full of sarcasm, “Well! About time you finally realized she’s the superior species.”

I chuckled at that thought. My emotions bleeding over into the neuralnet. “You’re both smarter than I am… but she’s… a real live woman.”

Cortana replied with an invisible smile and irritating snorking humor, “Why yes she is… I’m so happy that you noticed… I’m quite sure that you will notice even more as she models that lingerie for you. Ha! This coming April I’ll launch a subroutine to monitor any houses that go up for sale.”

Then I had a terrible suspicion. I had to ask, “Have… Have you been coaching her?”

“Oh My God Alex! You are so dense. Dense as neutronium. Yes! I confess. Karen and I have both been coaching her on the fine arts of dominating the male species. Someone has to teach at least one of you youngsters to be mature about this situation and you didn’t ask me to help you with understanding the female species. Willow did ask for my advice, as opposed to asking her ignorant peers. So we are teaching her to seduce and dominate you, using millennia old feminine ways. The art and skill of ceremony, dressing up, dance, subtlety of word, batting her eyes, smiling, delicate sighs, coy glances, crying, pouting, guile, subterfuge, cunning, the application of her superior intelligence and just plain old having her wicked ways with you. Plus she has been getting upscale dressing and cosmetics tips from mostly Cordelia and also Buffy.”

I’m so stupid… I’ve been resisting my female adversary with fixed ground defenses while my opponent has been adapting and maneuvering across the entire human battlespace. My Maginot Line to her feminine Blitzkrieg in four dimensions. My lovely and deviously cunning opponent who is getting help from experts in devious.

With resignation in my mind’s voice, “Ok Cortana, what do I do now?”

“Silly boy, first things first. Get out of your car and open her door for her. Help her out and touch her gently and gentlemanly every chance you have. No pinching the butt, or slapping her rear, or knuckle bumps or shoulder bumps. She’s all woman and not a barely civilized male ape like you. Oh! Don’t drag your knuckles on the ground.”

Walking into Reach, Willow was much too happy. I had opened the doors for her and was being a proper gentleman who was deferential to his Lady. Besides, she was excited to have her BFF Cortana and non-stop computer fun for our entire Christmas vacation.

For the next two weeks, I was going to be learning to sleep standing up. John’s memories were full of hectic times, where he and his other Spartan team mates grabbed sleep intransit between battles. Sometimes standing up or sitting up. I was going to be forced to learn the same with Cortana’s aggressive travel schedule.

Just inside the offices, I introduced Willow as my fiancée to my new building manager Curt Wildsmith. Curt promised to get her a Reach ID pass and security code pin number, so she can come and go whenever she wants.

I can’t get between a hacker girl and a thousand big computers already installed in Nefertiti Systems across the parking lot. Naturally, I had some very expensive computers in Reach’s side that were networked with the still growing Nefertiti data center. So she could occupy this side in privacy and not get in the way of the technicians and engineers working inside Nefertiti.

Curt was aware of vampires but not the entire menagerie of demons. So as Willow and I, gave him the nickel tour of ‘his’ buildings. I explained to him and Willow all of the finishing work and furnishings, that still needed to be bought and installed. Also I told him about my hunting trophies that would be coming to our hallway. Willow and Curt were going to be in charge for the next two weeks. Especially for ‘my’ apartment and the gyms. I know that Willow, Karen and my Mom will have a good time shopping while I’m gone. They’ll furnish my apartments and the front offices.

I asked Curt on the QT to ensure that pink and frilly; didn’t get put up anywhere.

I told him that the entire ‘Scooby Gang’ would all be coming over every day to work out in the gym. So I arranged for him to issue out Reach ID pass-cards to them also.

Just then Willow started making gagging noises and said, “This place stinks! What spilled?”

Curt explained about all of the brand new carpeting, tiles and paints. When the building was sealed up at night the new stuff out-gassed VOCs (Volatile Organic Chemicals). VOCs were mostly acetone and toluene; both dangerous solvents that were used to make plastics and paints.

I neuralnetted Cortana who was in control of the entire buildings environmental control systems. “Hey Cortana, can you hit the heat and then fans on the offices and my apartment space to help outgas the VOCs. The smell is strong enough to kill even California cockroaches.”

“In process right now Alex. The VOC level is at 7 parts per thousand inside your new apartment residence area. Which is at a hazardous level for even humans. This would result in a severe headache as your first warning sign. Right now I will open all vents and run the blowers. When humans are not present, I will cycle the indoor temperature up to 95 degrees F. and then run the fans on max. I can run this cycle once each hour. So by next Monday morning the VOC ‘smell’ and measured density should be below hazardous levels for humans. I project that it should be below 3 parts per billion on Monday morning. I’ll monitor the levels from now on and cycle the air to keep the VOC levels low as new items are brought in.”

“Thanks Cortana. You know that Willow, Karen, Buffy, Kendra and my Mom will be eager to go shopping to furnish this place for me?”

“Yes, I know. I’ve been helping them…” Cortana said laughing.

“Traitor! Well… at least suggest to them that I get to furnish my own bedroom and maybe even the entertainment room. No pink, violet, purples or salmon colors or any of that girly gay stuff. Which… starting after Christmas we can start calling this hovel, my ‘man-cave’.”

Cortana came back satirically indignant. “Hovel indeed! Calling it a cave is an insult to all of our design work and the quality of the workmanship that went into it. Man Cave indeed! Hmmph! You do realize that the slayers will be using that gym more than you will?”

“Just the same, can you make sure that the ladies and Curt get the shopping list printed to them? They can shop all they want next week. But I don’t want them inside these spaces until the VOCs are down to a safe level, OK.”

“Roger that Alex and I agree. VOCs are dangerous but exceptionally dangerous to females of child bearing age.”

“Don’t remind me of that Cortana! Nyah - nyah - nyah! I’m not listening.” I wanted to put my fingers into my ears. While Cortana was laughing and snorking at me again.

I turned to Curt and suggested that he keep the blowers on and some doors open until the VOCs were less noticeable. He agreed jotting down notes on his clipboard.

By this time it was nearing lunchtime, so I asked Curt to get everyone on both properties together. Lunch was on me at Subway. I intended to eat two of their footlong sandwiches before my afternoon hunt started. At least Willow and I could have a lunch together over our cafeteria table.

Just then Cortana broke into my oogling of Willow via my neuronet. “Alex, you do know that the girls after using the gym will be taking showers and cleaning up in, ‘your man cave.’ Naked girls… in your shower.” She started laughing diabolically at me, as my brain began to melt as my imagination began to run wild. Willow looked at me in confusion as I stumbled and nearly choked.

Cortana still chuckling at me said, “Gotcha, Alex.”

After recovering and making a good excuse to Willow and Curt, we continued on our inspection tour until lunch would arrive. Cortana is my evil sister who knew just what buttons to push on me.

Today, I intended to go down into the tunnels during daylight hours to see if there was a difference in demon traffic and demon types. I sort of had a track record for the nighttime hours. Maybe the tunnels would be empty during daytime and maybe not?

Wednesday, 17 Dec. 1997, 2:00 PM, Sunnydale California

This was a first for Curt; he witnessed my metamorphism into a fully armored Spartan. Only the very few Reach employees on this side would ever know. The geeks on the Nefertiti Systems side were not slated to ever see me like this.

Curt and his wife Miriam, had a bad history with a vampire thirty years ago. Their first daughter was murdered in front of them by a master vampire, while on vacation in Paris. She was sucked dry and cast aside like an empty coke can. Their daughter just trash to be tossed. The only reason they were not the main course was the intervention of a young slayer. When Cortana found him semi-retired in Texas, she offered him a job. Enlisting him and his wife in our war was… for them a big bonus.

Thirty minutes ago Kendra and Buffy had showed up to use the gym again. They were beating my collection of heavy to very heavy punching bags into tatters. After I went down Curt, Roary and Willow would keep them company.

For now Roary and Willow helped me suit up. Mostly Roary because Willow was more into feeling me up. Which didn’t help me at all but was good for their laughter.

The guards had arranged some trucks to be my concealment, when I walked out of Reach to drop down into the tunnels using the manhole furthest to the back.

While I was gone next week our Engineer Mr. Pippin and with Curt, were going to have a construction crew come in and excavate the back fence line so that I would have a concealed ramp going down into the tunnels from inside Reach. They were going to put a series of heavy cement and steel demon proof vault doors between the drain tunnel and the inside of Reach, along with steel conduits for electric power and communications lines for Cortana’s use. The ramp and doors would be wide enough for me to drive an All-Terrain Vehicle or even a Wiley Jeep into the tunnels.

Cortana, Willow and I had brainstormed up effective anti-demon offensive weapons for our ‘alarm system’ and for later some very nice lethal anti-demon traps for insertion into the tunnels. But first the concealed ramp so I wasn’t walking across the parking lot anymore to drop down through the manholes. After this all of the manholes near Reach were going to be locked and bared shut with the strongest of steels. If that proved useless, then a fourteen ton cement plug was going to be installed into each manhole with adamantine locks and bars on top of that. It would take a heavy construction crane to lift that out. So far, I hadn’t seen a demon big enough or strong enough that could lift fourteen tons eleven feet straight up.

While finishing suiting up, I was thinking about my schedule tonight and tomorrow night. Cortana had arranged for me to scan my friends.

Tonight I would be scanning Willow, Karen, Roary, Kendra and Buffy. Thursday night I would be scanning Jenny, Giles, Cordelia and lastly Buffy’s mom. Although Buffy’s mom didn’t know it yet. Buffy was going to slip her three drops of chloral hydrate, knock-out-drops into her wine. So she could get the scan while safely out cold and delivered back home before waking.

Buffy’s mom didn’t know about her Slaying nightlife and Buffy didn’t want her to know.

But after talking to Cortana and I about it; we convinced her that this course of action was for the best. The odds were, she would know before Buffy graduated high school. She had to know at some point and we needed her complete medical records before that point came.

Cortana and I had serious doubts that Buffy would break the news to her gently in a controlled environment during daylight. The real problem was that she would most likely learn, while witnessing one of Buffy’s violent combat actions against one or more vampires. What the head shrinkers sometimes referred to as ‘a primal scene’. She’d freak out, and the probability that she’d be severely injured during that action would be very high. Buffy had never really put much thought into that ugly scenario. Buffy probably avoided thinking about it. All real mothers loved their children, and she would attack the vampire thinking she could save her daughter. As the mother of The Slayer, her risk and vulnerability to attack and injury was far higher than Willow’s or my risk.

So Buffy reluctantly agreed and I arranged for the bottle of liquid chloral hydrate syrup, via our local friendly but not so law abiding, Private Investigator. After Cordelia left Dr. Rapicz clinic, Roary would arrive with Buffy and Mrs. Summers. At least that was the plan.

The following two weeks all of them will be scheduled for full physical, medical and dental exams for our ‘medical research’ program. Later in pairs all of them would be scheduled for comprehensive physiological exams at the Sansum Research Clinic in Santa Barbara.

With that I dogged my helmet down and stepped into my safety box to initialize my shields. Really just a large seven by seven foot area taped out on the floor inside my armaments vault with yellow hazard tape.

Curt about swallowed the large wad of bubble gum he was chewing when he witnessed my shields pop on. The light display was awesome, when seen on his face.

He garbled a bit and Roary slapped him on the back, until he spit out his gum which hit my shields down near my ankles and was promptly popped in a flash of vapor. Still Roary held him back, with his now standard warnings about touching me.

I had already laid out my weapons for this run. I quickly loaded up and walked to the back of Reach down the indoor alley. The gym was on my right side but the doors were closed. I could hear the girls sparring and making snarky comments at each other, as I stepped past.

I stepped out on the truck platform into the sunlight. I stood there only a second and jumped the thirty yards across and down to the manhole, which my guards had already pulled the lid off. Three large semi-trailers and some low tarps blocked the area in, and denying anyone else a view.

Willow, Curt and Roary stayed up on the platform. Willow waved at me. Her left arm held tight across her in worry. I waved to her, then saluted them and the guards.

I dropped from sunlight into twilight.

Wednesday, 17 Dec. 1997, 2:15 PM, Sunnydale California
Daylight Tunnel Run

I stood slowly and scanned both tunnel directions per my SOP for a mission. Nothing pinged except a few rats. What did I know? I would still treat them as potential demonic rats and a threat. I guess I had watched way too many Sci-Fi and Horror shows like ‘Willard’ to assume that they were normal rats.

So I burned them with my ranging laser. Set to 10 Watts they would smolder and catch fire. Set to full power at 2 kilo-Watts they literally exploded into superheated giblets.

My Uncle Roary had this really cool old T-shirt from Vietnam in his old military footlocker box. I got into his box out of curiosity. It had a winged tiger standing on the skulls of stylized slanty-eyed enemy Vietnamese soldiers with bullet holes in their skulls. The writing at the top read, “Kill Them All, Let God Sort Them Out.” I don’t know why that image came to mind at this moment but it seemed appropriate. Appropriate for human eating demons.

Maybe I needed a cool logo like that T-shirt? Vengeance… Kill them All and let God sort’em out. I’ll have to ask Cortana and Willow about that. Who knows we could even get into merchandizing Vengeance T-shirts and action figures.

I had no idea what I would find down here in the tunnels each time I came down. I fully expected to find Hollywood Alien xenomorphs, piles of gooey human bones, human skin used as wallpaper, man-eating slugs slithering, giant ‘Them’ ants, smart super-sized cockroaches or killer rats. So far, with just a few exceptions most of what I found was into eating people.

I had five hours before Karen expected Roary, Willow, Kendra, Cordelia, Buffy and I for dinner. I planned for four hours down hole. I began to slow jog north again at 38 kph to what was my high traffic routes.

On my Fleet radio net, I commed Cortana, “Following mission path from Alpha to Delta, no targets acquired so far. I’ll report when I have first contact. Spartan-1 out.”

Cortana radioed back, “Roger that Spartan one. Good hunting.”

As I jogged, I thought about our future plans for making powered combat armor suits for regular humans. More like the kind of powered armor that was described in the Robert Heinlein book Starship Troopers. Maybe not Spartan Mjolnir armor but far better than what the UNSC offered their space marines and Orbital Drop Shock Troopers. All of them with built-in instant secure communications with each other, to higher headquarters and to support elements. Every soldier inside their armor suits made mechanically stronger, faster, with 3D battle sensors, smart-aid software and enough firepower to sink a World War II battleship.

That instant communications is a huge force multiplier, especially for me. Cortana and I were constantly talking to each other. It was rare when we weren’t discussing decisions, analyzing something, designs and plans. Always both of us planning and plotting how to build our companies and escape the attention of demons and corrupt politicians. The NeuralNet was a blessing, giving me a massive advantage. The more I used it, the greater the depth of our information transfer. Now sometimes even emotions bleed over, more than just words. I could almost feel Cortana’s thoughts and emotions.

The more I used the Mjolnir armor the more comfortable I became in it. Each time I learn something new about its capabilities. Some of the suits functions are becoming almost second nature for me to call up and implement. Other times I have to think about it. Even movement is becoming more natural for me. So far I’ve been holding back for fear that I might hurt myself or the suit. Also caution, because down in these tunnels I really didn’t want to move to fast and run into something really big with lots of teeth. At best I might be a giant suppository for a Tyrhrock dragon. Still I hadn’t attempted to see how fast I could really run, or how far and high I could jump. Each time out, I pushed the edge a little bit further; expanding my comfort zone with this extraordinary weapon system. Someday I’ll have Roary drive me out to a very lonely and straight for miles road in the Central Valley and I will try to push my real limits. Someday… but today I’m still faster than any vampire and that is all that matters for now.

Most of what we discussed in my dull moments like jogging between intersections in a tunnel was dull business operations and financial stuff. Dull and boring but necessary to maintain our companies movement forward.

Per my SOP, I slowed at each crossing and ranged for targets but found none from Alpha to Delta fifteen.

Finally at D15 I had myself a target. The tunnels had a bit more light in them during the day due to small fingers of light shining down from the ‘finger’ holes in the street manhole covers and reflected light from the open curb drain ports. It was, more eerie with the soft light shining down every 50 to 100 meters.

My target was 400 meters north and was moving slowly away from me. The target was warmer than the ambient air but not red hot on my thermals. Radar sensors had it as fairly meaty over a solid skeleton. It was two meters wide in the tunnel and almost two meters tall. I didn’t think it was another Tyrhrock carnosaur. Its movements and my sensor readings were all wrong. I started overtaking it but at a slower speed.

I commed Cortana and linked her into my sensor feeds, “Cortana, I have an unknown contact ahead. Can you get Giles and Kendra in the loop and help identify this thing. I’ve never seen one before and it… just hopped I think. Jumped forward about 10 meters in the tunnel like a frog.”

I stopped in the tunnel now 120 meters away and froze. I think it was aware of me.

“Spartan-1 extreme caution and no contact is recommended until identification is made. It seems to have the appearance of a very large amphibian.”

“Roger that Cortana. Looks like a large toad or frog. Confirm I will not initiate contact. But this thing is listening and looking for me. The way it’s moving its head slowly left and then right.”

“Be advised this would be a toad. The skin is not wet or smooth as in a frog. Notice the lumpy skin. If this is similar to a toad those large flat disk areas behind the head are its ears. Those ears are both sensitive and also unarmored. Its brain should be directly between both ears and slightly forward. Those large black eyes are excellent for low light and tracking movement. Maybe even has Infra-Red vision. If you are forced to engage then the ears and eyes are your primary targets.”

“Roger that Cortana. I zoomed my optics on its head. Its large black eyes were rimmed with a gold colored iris and gold like flecks from the ring to the edge of the eyes. The eyes were predatory and yet striking.”

I waited as still as a statue while the demon stayed in place. If it used heat to see, then my Mjolnir suit was a black hole. The damn thing was either a patient hunter or confused at my location. Its head was like a metronome as it slowly drifted left and then right. Exposing those large acoustic pads of ears and its large eyes, to every angle front and back.

I wondered if this thing had a long sticky tongue like a toad. The shotgun in my right hand would have to be my primary engagement weapon. I didn’t want to find out in battle if that tongue had other nasty properties. Still I was wishing for more grenades. I really needed a box of M15 White Phosphorous High-Explosive Incendiary (‘Willy Pete’) grenades. I only had one left from the Montero batch and it was back in the munitions locker inside Reach. If this demon was like a toad then the white phosphorous would eat the flesh right off its bones. But alas our first order of infantry munitions was not due for another three weeks.

Today, I only had three M67 HE-Frag hand grenades with me.

Finally the giant toad crept on all four legs forward. Its belly was off the ground as it crept forward and then it sat down again like a toad. I stayed still. Good that I did because its motion left and right, to try to spot me was immediate. So it was also cunning.

When its head went back to dead center, I was waiting. It had barely bobbed its head down to move forward when I moved also. It moved and I moved. It stopped and I froze. Minutes dragged on in this slow movement north.

I was playing shadow to a monster that looked like it weighed close to 1,500 kilos according to my scans.

The monster and I had been at our game for 10 minutes and 34 seconds when Cortana came back online with Kendra.

Cortana gave me a heads up. “Spartan-1 be advised I have your video up on the displays here. Willow is chewing her nails off and Buffy has nothing but she does want popcorn. Roary is clueing in Curt and I think they will make popcorn. Kendra will advise you.”

“Roger Cortana.”

Kendra came on the radio, “V, I’ve encountered these before. They’re called Hezrous demons and they’re just like big toads. Except they have many barbed fangs on their tongues and a lot more teeth than a toad should ever have. They usually try to crush their prey by jumping on them. But they like to swallow their food alive. So don’t get tongued.”

I heard Buffy and Willow over the radio in the background; as the monster and I moved again.

Buffy choked and guffawed at Willow, “He’s gonna tongue Hezzy now! I thought you were the only one tonguing him!”

Willow squeaked loudly, “Eeep! Your real boyfriend only has batteries! I’m gonna…”

Then I heard wild giggling and a tussle going on. I could imagine Buffy and Willow wrestling and tickling each other. Ooooh! My two favorite girls writhing together…. I was dangerously losing focus on my enemy.

Kendra came back on the channel with amusement in her voice after coughing. “Ok, let me rephrase that. Do not let the demon’s tongue hit you and do not let the monster jump on you.”

“Roger that Kendra. Good advice. Can you tell me where you encountered your first Hezrous?”

Kendra’s voice got quieter and serious, “Mr. Zubuto and I were in Louisiana near Baton Rouge in a cemetery naturally. There were these stupid human acolytes who worship demons or evil hell gods. They were going to sacrifice a young woman on this stone alter. Just before they finished their ritual two hungry vampires decided to crash their ceremony. I freed the young girl, while the vampires were playing with their meals. Then this Hezrous came out of a concealed ground cave and ate two of the evil acolytes. It was more than twice the size of this one that you face.”

Kendra paused, remembering what for her must have been a terrifying battle with a monster.

Finally she continued, “The vampires ran off with their next meals and I was left to fight the Hezrous. At that time, I only had two knives and my stakes to fight with. It tried to jump on me but the cemetery stones and mausoleums got in its way. I threw my stakes and one knife at its throat but the slight damage only made it madder. Finally it turned at just the right time for Mr. Zabuto to fire one of his crossbow bolts into its left ear pad. The arrow did its job and severely injured the Hezrous. It writhed about and kicked down many a stone and tree. It was no longer focused on eating me. I picked up several large piece of steel from the former wrought iron gates to a mausoleum and used them like spears. I threw them with all my might. The third one did the job. My aim was true or just lucky. The spear passed through its throat and stopped sticking out its head. I had finally speared its brain. The Hezrous went instantly still and died.”

With a smaller Hezrous in front of me, I could just imagine Kendra’s nighttime fight in a creepy southern cemetery with Spanish moss hanging down from the trees. I imagined it as a place right out of the movie ‘Creep Show’ and with a monster that outclassed her weapons. But humans worshiping demons or hell-gods? Getting their party crashed and sucked… Well I wouldn’t shed any tears for them. Some people are just full to the brim with stupid juice, so good riddance. Who knows what they were going to try to conjure up?

I had to ask Kendra, “What did Mr. Zabuto tell you about these demons?”

Kendra had sadness in her voice as she answered me. “He told me that he had personal experience with Hezrous before he had become a Watcher. They are more common in warmer wetter climates and they like to live underground. Coming out to ambush other demons, animals and people. Their skin is tough but they’re killable; just large and smarter than a dog. He said that his first encounter was with a granddaddy Hezrous nearly six tons in weight. After eating a whole family in Jamaica, the entire village trapped it and killed it. He said that he was fifteen when they battled it. It killed six more of the villagers in their fight. His father and older brother were among the dead. Even if the tongue is unable to pull you into the Hezrous’s mouth, its hook barbs will rip the flesh from your body. Enough of you torn off that a human will die quickly. The tongue can shoot three times the length of the Hezrous body; through windows and even between the bars of a hastily built cage trap.”

Well that sucked for Sam Zabuto and his village. “Kendra, did he tell you how they killed it?”

She sighed and continued on, “Yes, they fashioned two compressed air guns to launch sharpened steel fence posts, like a harpoon. They positioned the barrels next to the cage on either side but when they fired them the spears impaled the Hezrous body but did not kill it. They didn’t break its back or spear its brains. It was thrashing about and severely wounded but did break out. Mr. Zabuto’s brother stopped its escape by crashing a truck into it, breaking its shoulder and the car also hit the steel posts sticking out of its body. The steel spears were twisted in the wreck enough to break its back, delivering the death blow but at the cost of his brother’s life. Back then most cars didn’t have seat belts.”

What a story of courage and self-sacrifice. But there had to be more? I asked softly, “Kendra, have you fought others?”

Kendra was silent for almost thirty seconds before she spoke, “Yes, three total and I’m lucky to be alive. … If it hadn’t been for Mr. Zabuto each time, I would have been killed… eaten.”

Ok, I can kill these things. Pure violence will do the job. I decide right then my course of action. “Cortana when I am done here with this Hezrous, will you show Buffy and Kendra my other demon snuff videos. Please provide them some proper commentary and warnings. Maybe they have seen them and maybe not. Compare notes with Kendra especially. But I’m going to go dynamic in a few seconds.”

I immediately cut my radio channel to Reach so I wouldn’t be distracted. Cortana knew better than to kibitz during combat and distract me.

This Hezrous and I had come to the end of our game. I slowly pulled my shotgun up to my shoulder as we both moved again. But this time I moved closer quickly and I sighted on where its large black and gold left eye would appear when it first moved its head left.

A microsecond of anticipation and I turned on my targeting laser to full power and beam spotted its large eye as it came around. I rapid fired two rounds. One for the eye and one for the ear pad. My shotgun incendiary round to it eye was almost wasted. My laser pulse first blinded the beast, and then boiled the entire eyeball until it exploded with a popping flash of steam. My shotgun round entered its skull through a laser cauterized crater where the eye had been. My second shot impacted three inches off dead center for the ear pad due to the demons rapid spasm of pain from my laser pulse. Still the high explosive penetrator made a smacking splat sound on the ear pad and then exploded in a wet pop inside the monsters skull. Blowing what looked like a gallon of ear goo and meaty blood across the tunnel to splash against the wall.

The Hezrous made pained spasm jumps from one side of the tunnel to the other smashing into the walls and ceiling. Falling to the floor of the tunnel writhing in agony and rolling about flailing its arms and kicking its legs. Blood was gushing from its ear and mouth. Its great foreleg ‘hand’ was clawing at its eye and ear, tearing great scars in its own head. A low rumbling warbling sound came from its throat. Finally after fourteen seconds of weakening death spasms and tremors; its mouth hung open slackly and its tongue began to slowly flow out as its muscles relaxed.

The beast was on its left side up against the tunnel wall, its smooth cream colored and freckled belly in stark contrast to its grey green mottled top skin. Its hot dark red blood was sprayed and smeared all over the tunnel for forty meters from its violent contortions. I slowly walked forward my gun at the ready and noted the blood smears cooling and the Hezrous’s still warm body. I reloaded with two HEI rounds. Noting that the webbed feet and front ‘hands’ all had long sharp claws on each appendage.

When I walked within ten meters of its body to check for signs of life, its one good eye blinked but otherwise no other movement. So I scanned the tunnels looking for additional threats and found one. Up tunnel and running away. I suppose that if I hadn’t acted in such a hurry, I could have witnessed the Hezrous eat a meal.

The tongue was now hanging a meter outside the open mouth. I zoomed in my vision on its tongue and examined the serrated hook like teeth that Kendra had described. She wasn’t kidding. It looked like rows on rows of inch long hook teeth all pointing backwards towards the creature’s gullet. That tongue alone was lethal and guaranteed to get prey into its mouth. If not the whole prey then a good sized chunk of flesh or limbs torn away.

I stepped back as its rear leg trembled and spasmed. Kicking weakly for it but still strong enough to break a humans leg in its speed and momentum.

Now for some cleanup work. I securely commed Cortana, “Hey Sis, I’ve got another commission for our favorite taxidermist, Richard Harney. Can you get him over here for a quick pickup? I think one of the manholes near here is behind a dentist’s office in his parking lot and should be closed today. I think we can get this demon out of the tunnels without drawing attention to our work.”

Cortana came back, “Calling him now and your correct, manhole C16 is behind a dentist’s office and today is closed for business. I’ll have Mr. Harney meet you there.”

Willow burst into the open channel, “Kendra! Some amphibians and reptiles can regenerate lost limbs and appear dead for some time before coming back to life. What does it take to really kill one of these Hezrous?”

Willow was a smart girl, I was so proud of her.

I knew that they could see what I was seeing. I immediately jumped back away from the Hezrous and this time began scanning it for any signs of life or magical regeneration. My explosive round had detonated inside the monster’s brain cavity near the front left side. The still steaming pureed brain soup was oozing out its left ear and eye socket. My incendiary round had penetrated through the eye orbit crushing and smashing its way through its forward skull. The round was lodged in its right-hand side sinus cavity and must have burned out its sensitive nose.

Kendra’s voice was confused at first and then got focused. “Oh! … Right. Destroying the brain or cutting off the head is the only sure thing that I know of. Sort of the standard for all demons… But any attack that doesn’t kill their brain will just slow them down.”

“Oooh-kay… Smarter and bigger than zombies but treat them the same.” My explosive round had put this one down but the other round was just a painful inconvenience.

Buffy came on mic, “My little ol’stake wouldn’t do much for one of these. I bet you’re all happy-happy with stuff that goes bangy and shot-gunny.”

I sighed at her valley girlisms, “Remind me to get you girls some bigger weapons soon. I think vampires maybe your primary prey but this…” My voice trailed off as I had a terrible thought. “Ladies! I think we need to have the Watcher’s book and his slayer encyclopedia scanned for Cortana. Sooner rather than later. I’m wondering how many slayers were killed by the larger but rarer demons like this one vice vampires?”

I could hear some low voices in conversation away from the microphone. I think my question has gotten them thinking also. I wondered how many non-vampire demons were on this planet? I needed LAWS rocket launchers for these demons. A lot more than we had ordered.

Only a madman with a death wish would try to kill a Grizzly with a throwing spear like the Native Americans hundreds of years ago had to do. They probably lost six or eight braves of their tribe just to kill one Grizzly or worse a paelolithic Cave Bear.

Demons were just as big or bigger, far more aggressive and a lot harder to kill. Why play around when we could blow them into demon puree.

I went secure to Cortana again, “Hey Sis. Please order a lot more anti-tank rocket launchers for me. Split the orders up for M72 LAWS, but mostly those German Armbrusts and Panzerfausts. The German stuff will be safer to use in these tunnels and enclosed rooms. I think we may need to stock pile on every continent after we clean up here. Can you also get a contractor to start manufacturing something like the 7 Kg Brute spiker grenades for me? Pop-out spikes that will stick to these monsters but something that a normal human can throw. Please keep them under 1 Kg.”

Cortana was all business. “I understand completely. More light anti-tank rockets and some sticky grenades for oversized reptiles. I’ll place the rocket orders immediately. I’ve had a design for a human spike grenade from the movie ‘The Fifth Element’ that has several nice features and I found a small arms producer for them in Poland. Next week I’ll order 10,000 per year for the next ten years. That way the production line will stay open and stable. Then you don’t have to be stingy with them. I’ll also order 5,000 Russian RPO-A thru L model Shmels. You should be able to put them to good use.”

“Can you remind me again why the Russian Shmel will be good?” She uploaded the specs to me.

“As you can see this Russian weapon fires a rocket that when detonated delivers a high explosive driven spread of napalm type II plus a mix of phosphorus and thermite incendiary materials. For that extra crispy BBQ after the HE turns them into shredded meat.”

“This looks good Cortana. Blow a nice new cavity in them and then roast them. Yep, you’re the best.”

“Alex, you are a shameless flatterer. But keep it up.” She giggled at me.

Chuckling over the link, “Roger that. Is Roary listening on the Fleet channel?”

“Yes he is.”

“Good, I’m switching back.”

“Hey, Razor-2 can you do something for me next week while I’m gone.”

Roary came on channel with amusement in his voice. “Sure thing Spartan-1. What do you need done?” I could still hear the girls talking in the background behind him.

“Pick up some handguns, shotguns and all the good accessories for our ladies. I mean take them shopping, so they can pick what they want. Let them pick the handguns that fit their hands. Then take them all to Montero’s Range for gun safety training and target practice. I think we need them all up to speed on self-defense and demon slaying with modern weapons. We also need to get Karen, Willow and Cordelia into the training gym for some hand-to-hand combat training and sword training. I hope they never need it but I don’t want even one human mugger walking away from them without a serious limp.”

“Check Spartan. I can make it girls’ day out as well as girls’ night out.” He laughed at what was becoming his standard joke about blood thirsty women.

I unfolded a large bright blue vinyl fabric tarp from my fanny pack for dragging demons short distances without damaging their hides. Richard Harney had suggested it. Not really a suggestion from him, a command. He didn’t like skid marks and road burns on the demons from me dragging them out. I rolled the Hezrous toad over onto the tarp. In death most of its body was actually fat, air and guts. Its bone structure was one meter in width. I folded it inside completely and roped it up for a 600 meter drag. It now looked like a giant blue burrito.

While dragging it over to my exit at C16, I thought how strange this was. In war you can’t take the time for pillage or trophies. That was the difference between professional soldiers and brigands. Soldiers completed their mission, immediately pressed on to finish off their enemies and win the war. Armies of brigands were there for the pillage. Their wars were fought in small battles with long pauses of pillage in-between, where their enemies could flee and reconstitute for the next battle. Here I was dragging a trophy home after just one engagement. So what did this make me? Was I a pirate? A brigand or a soldier?

The UNSC doesn’t exist and I’ve taken no oaths to any government on this planet. For now Roary, I and the Slayers were the soldiers in this little war. Closest thing to soldiers that these demons would ever see. The fact was that we and the rest of the Scoobies were a law unto ourselves amongst these demons. Our Mayor was a demon, many of the local city officials and police were demons. No telling how far demon influence has spread to other agencies of the State of California and Federal governments.

It was obvious that enormous amounts of money and labor had been spent on the tunnels and caverns under Sunnydale. Far greater sums of money than a single city or county could afford without outside aid. Wealth pours into this city for the aid and maintenance of demons. So this demon corruption and influence has spread far beyond Sunnydale. How far did it extend?

No, the fact is that we were The Law here. The only real law and justice for humans in this lawless town full of demons. Within a few years our bases on the moon and in space would make us a sovereign nation unto ourselves. So long as we could stay below the radar of all the great nations of earth until that time came, by then it would be fait accompli. Until that time, every official hand could only be presumed to be against us.

I was now less than fifty meters from my exit. If Richard and I could get this monster out of the tunnel quickly, I would have three hours and a bit more remaining on my mission clock.

My life has turned out so weird. Here I’m killing demons in dark tunnels and I’m watching my clock, so that I don’t get Karen mad at me. There was nothing more fearful than a good cook who’s pissed off at you because you’re not going to eat their food hot. I love her like I love my Uncle Roary. She was in our souls and family now. Their marriage next month was only a formality but foremost for God and honor.

The only thing John was afraid of was failing his team mates. I’m afraid of disappointing Karen and Willow. I’m just a wuss in a billion dollar suit of armor.

Arriving at C16, I went up the rebar ladder and pushed the manhole cover off to the side. I deployed my forearm fiber-optic snooper scope, like a small flexible periscope to look around. Making sure no homeless people or horny teenagers making out were in the parking lot. It was empty, so I ascended to the surface to wait. I modified my Mjolnir color to the green of the Rhododendron bushes along the border wall, dropped my shields and stepped back into them for concealment.

One minute later Richard arrived in his bread truck. I noticed that it was not the same bread truck from when I first met him. He stepped out and not seeing me immediately he looked down the hole. I stepped out of the bushes quietly but greeted him so as not to startle him. It’s always a best practice to be polite to armed men and women.

Over my external speakers, “Hey Mr. Harney, I’ve something new for you.”

He smiled at me and reached out to shake my armored hand. “Ave’ you now. That’s what your sister said. So what’s this one look like?”

So I gave him the short version, “It’s a 3,300 pound toad like demon, called a Hezrous. Its body will just fit through this manhole. I’ve wrapped it up for transport as you recommended.”

I noticed some additions to Mr. Harney’s new Ford E450 walk-in Utility Master Truck which I measured at 18 feet long of cargo space. It was larger than the old one and sporting a new paint job. It wasn’t the standard all white but a light green on the lower half with a darker forest green one foot wide border stripe between the upper bone-white and light green. He had fake removable magnetic signs near the front doors over his logo. Not a flashy paint job but tastefully disguised as an electricians truck. This one had been accessorized with a heavier duty motorized winch mounted on the back and four hydraulic side outriggers for stabilizing. Which were now deploying.

This was a big step up for Richard but the new winch and outriggers meant that he could now lift heavier loads. My kind of dead-weight loads.

“Hey Richard, I see you have a new truck and toys to go with it. Nice wheels.”

Richard was holding the control pad for the outriggers, as he turned his face up to me smiling, “Yup. New toys for your taxidermy needs.” He smiled again and winked at me. “Don’t worry, you’re paying for it.”

I chuckled at his joke. I certainly was paying for it. But secrecy was not for government accountants who foolishly shopped for the lowest bidder. Only an idiot would assume that you could have it cheap and secret at the same time. It was one or the other. Governments attracted idiots, cheats and scoundrels; like flies on a turd. Still this truck looked like it could lift a good sized Tyrhrock and certainly this Hezrous.

I asked him, “So… what’s your maximum lift limit on this baby?”

He turned back to me smiling with now the crane lift controller in his hands. “This rig will lift ten tons of live and spitting mad weight.”

Wow… That was four tons heavier than I thought it would. I hoped that we never brought one up alive and kicking that weighed that much. I didn’t believe in a zoo for demons or the endangered species recognition that our idiot ecofreaks would try to establish. No. But… Willow and Richard did have a point. What would happen if we were lifting one that I thought was dead and it came back alive on us? Magical regeneration? At least Richard was thinking about this. His truck wouldn’t be damaged in the fight to kill it a second time.

I soberly told him, “I hope that we never have one coming up in your rig alive and spitting mad. Just the same, I’m glad you thought of it.”

Richard rigged up the lift harness as I dropped down hole. I scanned all directions for threats and only detected a few rats again. I Lased them anyway and ended them. My ranging and targeting Laser was 2 kW UV at full power and capable of getting an accurate range measurement through atmosphere to 400 km. A single max power pulse would cook 10 pounds of meat well done. My Laser could emit 400 max’ed pulses per second. Rats and that Hezrous eyeball didn’t stand a chance.

I finished dragging the wrapped corpse up to the manhole. The fishnet weave of tie ropes that I had used were working well. Thank God, for the UNSC Navy still training their people on tying knots of all kinds. Naval traditions for basic training of all recruits withstanding three centuries of space faring.

I hooked up the lift straps to the ropes. This Hezrous was just a little heavier than a prize bull cow so Richard’s new toys should be fine.

As it rose up, I lifted from the feet to assist it up. More worried about a rope breaking and the drop hurting the corpse. An enemy to be killed while alive and now I was worried over its dead body. Richard really wanted a good looking corpse to dress up for display.

My demon ascended slowly and snagged the manhole edge. My call of warning to Richard stopped the lift before the ropes broke or the tarp tore. I ascended the ladder and arranged my giant blue demon ‘burrito’. It fit through.

Ten minutes later the toad was inside the van and the outriggers were retracting. One minute later I was climbing down hole and pulling the manhole cover back on.

Wednesday, 17 Dec. 1997, 3:30 PM, Sunnydale California
Daylight tunnel run.

Back in C16 tunnel I scanned again. No hits so I began jogging north at 60 kph, slowing at each intersection long enough to scan for targets. By the time I hit C20, I still hadn’t encountered any other demons. Now the tunnel was ascending slightly; heading deeper into the mountain ridgeline east of Sunnydale. I was under Grayson Ridge. On the other side was the largest of Sunnydale’s drinking water reservoirs. Everything past that was the California coastal mountains and nothing but arid ranchland for 75 miles. A few ranch houses every five or ten miles but mostly deer, horses, cows, goats and sheep. No farmland to speak of and no cities.

So far today only one dead demon. I needed more intel on daytime traffic patterns in these tunnels. I needed some action.

Approaching C21 the tunnel was now 15 meters underground. Twice as deep as normal for one of these tunnels and no manholes for the past 300 meters and none as far up ahead as I could scan.

When I passed C22, I was 30 meters underground. I was now walking in a black out zone for radio with Cortana. The dirt and stone itself absorbed radio waves and even my Tachyon communication pulses. So I stored everything for upload on the return trip. Assuming that I would have a return trip.

As I went past C23, I slowed. I knew that this was approaching the general line of the large east to west running cavern that I had named the Demon Bazaar. I usually entered further to the west. I expected to enter into a far eastern connecting tunnel that would lead to it. This was my first time this far up this tunnel line. I jogged more cautiously at 36 kph and passed two more intersections before the tunnel ended in a void. Still nothing detected. Not even rats.

My scanners told me that the cavern ahead was 40 meters wide and the C tunnel continued on north-easterly past the cavern. I wasn’t sure now that this cavern was connected to the Demon Market at all but may run along a common geological fissure.

I slowly approached the cavern and marked it on my Nav as C26. I would spray paint the walls later. By the calculations of my built-in inertial navigation system, I was now standing 90 meters beneath the surface, 1.6 km east of Sunnydale High School and under the skirt of Grayson Ridge. If the C tunnel stayed level but continue on for another 1.5 km it would be almost directly under Grayson Peak and 3 km past that was Sunnydale Reservoir in the valley beyond.

Sunnydale’s Reservoir was for human drinking water. The whole place was fenced and they didn’t allow swimming, boating or fishing. Were monster Hezrous demons crapping and laying giant toad eggs in the water?

The cavern was a lot smaller than the Demon Market. It was a 40 by 60 meters oval with a 20 meter domed ceiling. It appeared to be a carved bubble in the rock formation. The top of the dome was covered in naturally red luminescent moss. This moss provided a faint red colored light to bath the room in a hellish twilight. My sensors detected the moss also emitting more energy in Infrared waves which would be useful for a critter with heat sensitive eyes.

All my sensors were in play now. This place was full of mystery but no demons.

The floor was worked, carved nearly flat. Not smooth but lots of designs cut into the floor. All cut in concentric rings around the raised ring in the center of the room. An elevated circular ring wall two meters in diameter and raised 42 centimeters above the floor surface. It looked like a large fire place.

I slowly walked to the center of the room and stopped. I scanned the fire pit. Sure enough there was charcoalized oak wood logs and wood ash debris in the pit. Along with human bones in the pit. Bones enough for three separate people by the lengths and types. Just not all of their bones and the ones left here bore sharp teeth marks. Ok, these demons eat humans.

My scanners pulsed the entire room for a detailed 3-D image. There were nineteen pillars along the wall evenly spaced and standing 1.5 meters from the walls; except where the C tunnel entered and exited on the far wall. Very Roman in appearance and they were solid cut from different stone and moved here. They were all identical, 13 meters tall and one meter wide. No steel dungeon rings or bolts in them, so they were for some sort of demon ceremony but maybe not prisoner restraint. Maybe they were decorative?

I walked to the eastern wall and began walking the entire circumference of the room. Looking for signs of chains, restraints or bones. This place was surprisingly clean compared to the other demon caverns that I had been in. Looks like it had been swept and mopped. No layer of dust anywhere. In the cut grooves in the floor my scans revealed remnants of human blood, human tissue and urine. Lots of blood of all types.

The walls were also covered in carvings to 13 meters up the walls. The floor graphics looked like writing, rune language. Just one I didn’t know. So I walked the entire floor imaging the floor graphics. Then I walked the wall again but this time taking high definition images of the entire wall. I even took some deep scans looking for hidden doors or secret compartments. Then I moved one of the pillars to see if there was hidden writing beneath them. Nothing. The floors were carved with smooth pillar pads already in place.

The wall imagery was not like the demon Agonia church at all. No demony things with lots of demons raping, eating and tearing apart humans. No graphic square was the same though. It did appear to be a visual record carved in stone of all of the demon types. I found carvings of Tyrhrock, Brachen, Vampires, Gajug, Hezrous, Mantis and a dozen others that I recognized but hundreds of others were unknown. A whole lot of unknowns on this wall. Too many for my liking. I wondered if this was some sort of visual catalog of demons? So where was the rest of it? Having a picture of our enemies was good, but I needed the descriptive details. I needed an encyclopedia.

So I switched illumination spectra to see if there was hidden graphics or runes. I cycled up the spectrum and the rock was gorgeously patterned in IR with some natural rock florescence but no hidden messages.

Talking for my records, I said, “Cortana, I need analysis of these recordings. Get help from Giles, Jenny and even Angel if you have to. I need a translation and evaluation. The walls are maybe a visual catalog of demons. Also for later, I’ll need a covert sensor suite for this cavern to let us know, when it is being used and get recordings of the occupants. I’ll want to greet them personally. The fire pit creates smoke and there is a 16 cm hole at the top of the dome, which I assume is a chimney or vent of sorts. We might be able to use that to our advantage. I’m going to set up booby traps here on the entrance tunnels and then head over to DK23 and the Demon Market. I really wish that I had one of Montero’s party favors for this place or at least five gallons of gasoline.”

I suspected that under Grayson peak was another demon city or town. Maybe the entire ridgeline was a collection of demon villages in large caverns. Maybe an underground lake full of Hezrous toads or worse.

Blast John and Cortana! Looks like I’m going to really need some nuclear weapons and not some firecrackers. I need to kill these cities, plus cave in the mountains and leave them a molten crater open to the sky. Nothing less than total annihilation of their sanctuaries.

With that, I pulled two Montero special M67 hand grenades from their pouches. Leaving me one left. In my fanny pack, I had brought two Campbell’s soup cans packed with 5 minute two ton epoxy, superglue, ten each of assorted plastic zip-ties and 100 meters of 30 pound fishing monofilament line for some field expedient surprises. I emptied the soup cans on the floor over a white hand-towel, using it like a work cloth.

I moved two of the nearest stone pillars over to use as a step stool so I could reach the tunnel roof easily. It wasn’t near as heavy as my Tyrhrock and my powered armor made it easy. I was more worried about breaking the pillars and leaving debris of my passage to alert my intended targets.

I used my Laser, set to 8 Watts to heat up the rock in four places. I epoxied one can to the ceiling two meters inside each tunnel entrance to the cavern. The cans open end pointing into the cavern but towards a tunnel entrance edge. Then I epoxied three small plastic zip-ties closed into wide loops to the inside cavern walls. One up high on level with the can at the inside edge of the cavern. The other two on opposite sides of the cavern wall entrance but 22 cm off the floor.

The heated rock was cooling fast in the 48 degree cavern but the heat set the epoxy in less than five minutes. Still I waited past the five minute cure time. I tied off one end of the monofilament to the zip-tie loop opposite the can’s open end and down low. I then began threading the line through the other two zip-tie loops until the fishing line was near the soup can. I pulled the safety pin on the first M67 grenade and slipped it inside the can. The grenade fit nicely and held the arming safety spoon in place. I carefully tied the fishing line taught to the grenade.

Now I had an old fashioned jungle booby trap. Whatever came down the tunnel to use the cavern; their legs would hit the fishing line stretched tight across the tunnel down low. This would pull the grenade out of the can and it would swing down. The arming spoon would pop-off and three seconds later the grenade would detonate. Anything inside the tunnel or in the cavern for 15 meters in both directions was going to get a very nasty surprise. With the tunnel walls concentrating the blast I might get more than 20 meter lethal zone. The blast wave would rupture their eardrums, shatter soft organs, the heat might char the flesh and the metal shrapnel would fillet them.

Whatever was using the cavern was going to be in for a rude and painful welcome. Injured or dead, my campaign of terror against these demons was just beginning.

I finished both north and south booby traps and put the pillars back exactly as I had found them. The advantage to having taken great high resolution photos before beginning my work.

I carefully stepped back into the south C26 tunnel. Making sure that I stepped over the fishing line, now trip-wire.

Looking back into the cavern, I switched to human light spectrum and then just IR. My fishing line and traps were invisible in both. What surprised me was that in the UV spectrum the fishing line glowed a bright blue. Didn’t know that before. I hoped that my intended targets didn’t use the UV spectrum to see in. But unlikely, since most demons so far found UV light to be painful.

For now, I’m done here and I have 110 minutes left on my mission clock and one hour to get cleaned up and back home.

I jogged south to the C20 intersection. From there I could move over to the DK tunnel line 3.2 km to the west and then backtrack to the Demon Market at DK23. This would give me a quick way to count the demons in their market area and observe differences in the population. Just before I went kinetic on them.

As I passed C21, I came out of the radio blackout zone and I immediately raised Cortana.

“Cortana. I have some intel for you on a new cavern with some interesting images and data. Uploading on side channel. No demons encountered.”

When I got to the C20 intersection I turned and this time started running. No time to lose and I hoped, there were no more large demons out but so far my sensors should be able to spot them long before I run into them.

Cortana came back, “Good to have you back, alive. Warning! Willow has bitten off all her finger nails when you stopped responding to her radio and was working on her knuckles. So expect some blowback.”

“Maybe I should send her out shopping while I’m out hunting?” Cortana being the nasty sister had switched my channel back to the Fleet net so everyone heard my last remark.

Immediately Willow herself came on channel and none too pleased, “Good luck with that Mr. Alexander Harris! Assuming that I don’t kill you first!”

I realized that this was the first time that Willow had been on channel when I hit a blackout zone for comms. She was worried sick and now pissed off at me.

I didn’t have time for this; I was coming up on my turn. “Willow, I love you and you can kill me later but I’m going to be real busy soon at the Demon Bazaar.”

I knew that she and the others could once again watch my video uplink.

I arrived at the DK20 tunnel intersection at a walk. This area under Sunnydale was a hot zone for my previous demon encounters and I couldn’t afford to sprint in and make the turn casually. I brought my shields up to full and pulsed additional electric current across the shield as my anti-Vamp measure. There was nothing in the number 20 tunnel line but when I stepped out into DK, I had targets north and south of me. All of them heading for the bazaar. So, I turned and faced the three targets approaching me from the south at a fast walk.

They weren’t vampires by their body heat. I had a high probability that they were human or mostly human. They had flashlights. Why would three humans willingly come down here?

I slung my shotgun, pulled my katana and stood still baring the tunnel. At their rate of closure I had four minutes until they arrived, so I decided to meet them instead.

I walked towards them quickly. When they were fifty meters away I stopped and became a stone statue. Their flashlights finally reflected off me when they were thirty meters away. They were unsure of me but still approached slowly talking loudly to each other in a show of bravado which slowly quieted to silence. They finally stopped at twenty paces. The fools.

From my scans they were all human. Not even a teensy bit of demon crossing in their familial line. The oldest looked to be in his late fifties and the other two were in their mid-twenties. I labeled them as Idiot-1, 2 and 3. I didn’t move and made no sound.

Finally the oldest motioned the other two to follow him and they were going to walk around me. They must have thought I was a statue.

In a flash, I pulled my second katana and stepped into them. One sword across Idiot-1’s chest and just below his neck. My second pointed tip touching the chest of Idiot-2 behind him. Idiot-1 froze and his eyes almost popped out of his skull. Idiots-2 and 3 both shrieked like little kids at a horror show and fell over backwards onto the sand. None of them pissed themselves so that at least was something.

All three were dressed for a relaxed California day and high-top walking shoes with day hiking backpacks on. If this wasn’t a tunnel, I would have thought these three would be walking one of the local hiking trails.

I switched to my Vengeance voice, “State your names and your business… humans?”

Idiot-1 spoke first. The other two were now twenty feet away and looked like they were seconds from running home to momma. “Yer, yer… you’re him? Aren’t you? You’re the one, the hunter the magic folk say’s here?”

I looked these guys over more carefully this time. No weapons of any kind. Not even one stake amongst the three of them. Mostly empty backpacks and flashlights. Their clothes and accessories almost screamed airhead new-age hippies and the youngest a surfer dude. The Age of Aquarius Ashram fifty miles to the south of Sunnydale was missing three of their inmates.

I lifted my sword blade up to his throat, “Answer my questions human?”

He developed a stutter, “I… I… My name is Sean… Sean Cochran. I… I… I own the ‘Gaia Magic and Novelty’ shop in Sunnydale. I… I… I came down here to trade with the magic folk who live down here.” He started to turn to answer for the other two but I used the sword to slap him in the chest with the flat side of the blade. His focus returned to the blade and me.

I pointed my right hand sword at the other two but said nothing. My left hand sword stayed against Sean’s chest. The older, Idiot-2, began to stammer and both were hyperventilating. Finally their knees stopped shaking long enough for them to answer. “I’m Rudy… Rudy Langston.”

Idiot-3 spoke, “I… I… I’m Doug… Douglas Baker. We’re with him… Looking for the elves and dwarves… To buy cool stuff… magic stuff.”

Now I was confused. Did I just drop down Alice’s rabbit hole? Were these people morons?

I then spoke to the group sheathing my right hand sword, “Produce your identification humans.” Fer crying out loud! Now I’m a freaking cop.

The younger two pulled their wallets out and Sean then reluctantly and slowly began to fish for his wallet inside his cargo pants. His eyes stayed on the sword which I had backed off twenty centimeters.

I took each wallet one at a time and scanned their driver’s licenses. Uploading to Cortana as I tossed them back.

Cortana came on channel, “All three are real identities. Sean is the owner of our local magic, jokes, novelties, and drug paraphernalia store. His store is also the gathering place for all of the local occult and space cadets. He hosts sessions of marijuana and liquor fueled ‘magic conferences,’ occult training classes and bull sessions on conspiracy theories. Topics seem to be ghosts, Area-51 in Nevada, UFO’s in general, little grey aliens and alien species of various types around every corner. He has been detained multiple times for possession of drugs but oddly no arrests. The other two have been his groupies and employees for the past decade.”

I was still confused as to why they were in this tunnel and heading to the demon’s grocery store. I motioned for Sean with my blade and spoke slowly, “What is your purpose here?”

Sean was a little more relaxed since he assumed that I was not going to carve him up. “Wow, man. You’re the man… Well… the whatever you are. You’re the Vengeance that the night elves are afraid of.”

He was starting to babble, I had to get him back on track. “Focus human. Why are you here? In this place?”

Sean paused a moment then said, “All of my special suppliers of magical substances, books and magical artefacts haven’t come by lately and I’m running low. Most likely because of you. One of the night elves came by last night to buy the last of my potions and she also bought two artefacts. She gave me directions to the Elves Bazaar so I could buy more.”

She? And what the hell is a night Elf? “Did this female creature have a name?” I asked.

Rudy stepped closer, “She came in last night about 8:30, called herself Drusilla. Acted a bit crazy you know but she paid in cash for everything. She had this really wicked cloak with a fancy hood and everything.”

Ok, Drusilla is alive and this is not good. I looked at Rudy and Sean. “What did she buy?”

Rudy continued, “Well she bought all of our healing potions and two magical artefacts used in healing spells.”

Maybe not so bad. Drusilla is now obviously healthy for a vampire. The only reason she’d buy healing potions and such, is for Spike. How injured is Spike? I thought vampires could heal almost overnight from what would be lethal injuries for a human. She’s also trying to keep a low profile; otherwise she would have just killed these guys and taken the potions. Was giving these doofuses directions to the Bazaar her evil crazed way of getting rid of them?

Why did these guys think she’s an Elf? Fer crying out loud she’s a vampire.

I had to ask, “What makes you think that Drusilla is an Elf?”

Both Rudy and Doug chimed in together, “Hey dude! She said she was… and she spoke so… like old… really old English and stuff. You know like from those British movies about old times. She was so strange; she had to be… an Elf.”

I really wanted to smack their heads once. Really hard smack. For a long moment, I was speechless.

Willow came on the radio all snarky, “How stupid are these people?”

I quickly cut my suit external speakers, lest I blurt out my answer.

Then Buffy’s voice, “Are you gonna kill’em… ‘Cause I think that might be counted as community service.”

I could hear Kendra, Curt and Roary in the background laughing.

“Pipe down Willow, that wasn’t helpful.” I started to snork a bit. Then I couldn’t help it. I tried to choke down my laughter without much success. “Funny Buffy… but not helping me right now. I can’t have these three thinking that I’m anything other than the big and terrible Vengeance.”

Sean spoke up, “You don’t think she’s an Elf? Do you… ?”

I stepped back into the center of the tunnel, “No, she’s a master vampiress.”

Douglas the youngest was all indignant. “No way big dude. She’s an Elf. I mean vampires aren’t real. They can’t be dude?”

Rudy was nodding his head, yes.

I really, really wanted to slap their heads.

Sean boldly stated, “Doesn’t matter what she thinks she is. I need to purchase more magic supplies and she said I could get them up ahead.”

Sean wasn’t thinking this through or he ran a business and didn’t believe a single thing he sold was really magical. He needed product for his shelves and I had most likely killed his regular suppliers. He didn’t believe that he was in mortal danger and that his suppliers were demons or maybe one of the non-humans who could be down here.

Sean looked at me with no fear in his eyes this time. “What are you?”

He didn’t believe in demons and I knew that I couldn’t convince them. Especially with them all back at base laughing it up and giving me biting satirical commentary over the radio.

So finally I decided on sarcasm, “I’m the Easter Bunny.”

Sean looked at me with a lopsided disbelieving look. Doug and Rudy looked like I had just stomped on their pet puppy. I elaborated, “You believe in elves, dwarves, UFOs and little grey aliens… but you do not believe in vampires or evil demons. Therefore everything that you may have heard about me… cannot be true.”

Seconds of silence went under this bridge and I could almost see their brains trying to connect dots. I made my decision. I would allow adult foolish people to make their own foolish mistakes. I pointed up the tunnel and told’em the truth. “Down that tunnel you will find no friends and no place for humans, only evil demons who eat humans raw. Only death awaits you but you may continue if you wish.” With that I stood to the side to let them pass by me.

Almost a minute went by in near silence. The three of them huddled together and they thought I couldn’t hear their whispers. Sean was the first to warily pass me by and then both Rudy and Doug passed me. I waited and watched them go up the tunnel.

My mind full of conflict. One part of me wanted to protect them from themselves. But I couldn’t convince them that vampires were real and only a very bad death awaited them in the Bazaar. I couldn’t beat them unconscious to protect them from themselves. Well I could but liberty and freedom, means making your own choices, even if they were bad ones.

My decision to let them pass was not popular with the ladies, except Cortana. Cortana just said, “There goes three examples of Darwin’s culls.”

Buffy had switched from having me slay them; to me beating them senseless and taking them back to the Magic Store. That sort of fascist actions has never worked in all of history. I cut my audio channel to Reach, so I wouldn’t have to listen to them pleading for me to turn fascist on the three.

I waited scanning them as they proceeded up tunnel for three minutes and then I began walking at a human pace behind them. If I was wrong and they were still alive when I got there, then I would act as guardian. I really didn’t expect the Bazaar to be filled with benign and friendly Fairies, Elves and Dwarves. If they existed? They would be as far from Sunnydale as they could get.

They reached the Bazaar cavern 400 meters ahead of me and disappeared down into the cavern at DK23. I sped up but didn’t run. Ten seconds later, I heard the hooting calls of Ghenar demons and what sounded like the roars of other demons.

I went to a run. I was 100 meters away when the screams began. Human screams of terrible fear and agony.

I stopped at the edge of the tunnel. I turned my radio link to Reach base station back on. I looked left to right so they could all see the Bazaar and I ordered in my command voice, “I’ve a fight here, so everyone be quiet so you don’t distract me. Otherwise I’ll cut my audio again.”

There was a milling mass of large demons of many colors sixty meters plus east and nowhere near the pool of water. Some with large horns and some with small horns but all of them were fighting over scraps of bloody meat. Many were covered in blood. Not a single vampire in sight. The last remains of Sean, Rudy and Doug were rapidly disappearing into hungry maws. Torn clothes and all being chewed. Some of the larger demons were already cracking and chewing up their flesh stripped bones.

I felt bad for them but they wanted to play in the middle of the freeway.

Down below me was thirty-six demons in the milling group and further east was a dozen more. I pulse scanned east and west. No Brachens, Pinotaerie or living humans within my scan.

I did have in the main group two Sunnydale’s Police Officers in uniform and eight city utilities workers in their city issue coveralls. Must be their lunch break? Each of the demon cops were chewing on what was left of an arm. Each had an arm from a different victim. One of the cops was removing Sean’s watch from his dead wrist as he chewed meat off the Humerus bone near the shoulder end in huge tearing bites.

The demons finally noticed me. A deep bark and a growl alerted the others. In less than a second they were all facing me but none had stopped chewing and crunching.

I ignored those west of the pool below me, to concentrate on the bloody pack before me. My shotgun came to my shoulder in an instant. I fired on the largest of them and then the two demon Police Officers. Eight rounds out and I dropped the shotgun on its lanyard. I pulled my .45s and emptied them. All in less than 6-seconds. Twenty-four dead demons and nine more critically injured from rounds passing through primary targets. I swapped handgun mags and continued but now I shot down eight to the west of me. Reloading again, I jumped down to the east and began running up tunnel. I was now trying to kill the ones that were up in the grocery store area fleeing furthest ahead of me.

Buffy came on the radio all appalled and excited, “You! You killed two cops! You just can’t do that Xander!”

I said nothing because I was busy and obviously I can and I did. I let her stew as I kept moving.

Twenty-four seconds later the last ones head came off and bounced off the wall. I paused with no more living threats near the eastern end of the cavern 300 meters from the pool near EK23. I sheathed my swords and reloaded all of my hand guns first. Just as I was half-way through reloading my shotgun a giant of a Sankreg demon trundled out of the northern FK24 100 meters away and jumped down to the cavern floor. From the southern FK23 entrance to my right came two Ter’Ghar demons. Both of them took one look at me or maybe it was the smell of human blood but obviously they had a hard-on for some feeding sex.

Crap, when it rains it pours.

The Sankreg was the highest threat to me so I began retreating back towards the black pool and it followed. This one was 3.2 meters tall and 2.6 meters wide of all armored mean. Compared to a vampire these Sankreg were slow. Finally I jumped 15 meters left to the edge of the wall where I had a good angle perpendicular to my pursuing Sankreg.

One thing about Sankregs they couldn’t turn very quickly. I was only fifty meters from the black pool of water. From the side angle, its soft leg joints were on full display for me without armor. I fired two rounds at each joint. Hip and knee on its right side facing me. The HEI rounds struck like a wrecking ball and then exploded. Pieces of Sankreg ceramic carapace went spinning off as it collapsed down to the cavern floor. Its caustic blood hissing and squirting for twelve meters as it rolled.

One of the closely following Ter’Ghar caught some of the Sankreg’s ‘blood’ on its hip; horse sized erect dick and lower leg. Its scream was blood curdling loud as its flesh began to steam, bubble and melt. It flailed about in pain, losing its hard-on… the hard way.

The second Ter’Ghar was rushing towards me as I pulled my katana and met it half way in a blur dodging off to its side. I sliced upwards as I passed. My blade sliced off its engorged sex organ, outstretched arms and then its upper shoulders with head. The lower body now headless ran on for three steps before it collapsed.

Twenty meters beyond my blade descended upon the first injured Ter’Ghar and I cleaved it into two halves. Head to crotch, it split apart and fell in a spray of black blood. It was in so much pain that it didn’t even try to defend itself or dodge.

Now I faced only the crippled Sankreg which was lying upon the floor bellowing loudly and screaming how it was going to kill me. Actually the kill’me part was after its proclamations of crushing, bashing, gnashing and eating me slowly parts. Same-o-same-o. These demons had no creativity.

I backed away from it towards the dark pool. I turned scanning and reloading my shotgun. The cavern was empty of live demons now. Bodies littered the floors all about me and from me to the pool where the original ‘lunch fest’ had occurred.

My radio channel went chaotic with Buffy, Kendra, Roary and Willow all talking at once over the base stations microphone. They had watched everything on the monitors. Kendra had seen the Ter’Ghars before but not the Sankreg. Buffy hadn’t seen either before. Willow was frightened for me and made a funny remark about the Ter’Ghars sexual ‘taste’. Roary hadn’t seen either but he was trying to coral the three lady stampede over the mic. Finally Roary switched the mic off, just as I cut their audio.

“Cortana please, will you talk to them; I don’t need this distraction now.”

Cortana answered me, “Roger, Alex. I’ll try to keep Buffy and Kendra from mangling Roary.”

Turning back to the Sankreg, it was trying to move towards me, using its arms and one good leg. The demon grocery store and the other demon shops were mostly ragged tents and wooden splintered shacks along the walls. I needed a cleanup crew here.

Hmmm. In a pinch the Sankreg would do the job for me.

I walked past it along the wall and stopped ten meters from the black pool. I waited and let it continue creeping towards me, one arm length pull at a time. I needed it closer to the pool for this to work.

Finally it was where I needed it to be. I ran at the Sankreg and then jumped to the side and behind him. I fired my shotgun again at his left hip, elbow and shoulder joints. Each shattered by the rounds smack and detonations. The Sankreg screamed even louder. More of its volatile blood was hissing out now from its wounds. But now it only had one usable appendage and was going nowhere. Its body was now less than thirty meters from the pool and close enough to be useful.

Ignoring the Sankreg for now I quickly went back the way I had come, picking up demons and pitching them closer to the pool. Tossing 150 to 300 kilo bodies like softballs. Finally I had forty-four demons with parts piled near enough to the pool of Asgroth. I certainly didn’t want to get closer than I intended.

I found the two Sunnydale PD demons and stripped them of their badges, pocket litter and gun belts. No need leaving good equipment and especially weapons behind. Vampires would consider the guns to be quite a prize. The vampires knew how to use them and had the hands for it. Some vampires would sell them but no need increasing the risks for others. I stripped the pocket litter from the City Utility workers also. I could have a little fun with this by sowing a little fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) with the demons at city hall.

I finally found Sean, Doug and Rudy’s wallets, keys and pocket items. I bagged them for later.

I was now ready for some cleaning.

Dr. Giles thought that this Asgroth was a G’harax demon by my description of it. He said that they were as close to an ‘Old One’ as living demons could get today. They could grow extremely large and had lots of tentacles. The Krakens of old were thought to be ancient G’harax. They are voracious feeders on pretty much anything. He did warn me that like a crocodile they could move on land but preferred the water. He also said that they were at least as smart as humans. Nuts, Stupid demons were easier to combat.

I started tossing demons and their pieces into the pool. I didn’t know if the one I had seen before would return or a different one would or maybe none. But the bodies would sink into the water and these dead demons wouldn’t feed any others. If he was around at least ‘Asgroth’ ate demons with as much gusto as humans. If this worked out, this would be a feeding time for the Kraken.

I kept an eye on the Sankreg who watched me with hate filled eyes. It was trying to inch towards me with its one arm that had the least damage. I had to give it credit for persistence. I paused in my dead demon tossing and shot its one good right shoulder joint. It howled even louder but was now truly not going anywhere.

I was at number twenty-four to pitch like a bag of garbage when my motion sensors alarmed. A tentacle appeared at the surface wrapping around a floating body and pulling the corpse below the black surface. The other floating demons began to disappear. The water began roiling and then pushing upwards. I watched for a few seconds and then sped up my meat tossing as the surface water began to boil with movement.

As I tossed the last corpse towards the pool a larger tentacle shot up catching this one in the air and jerked it down out of sight. Water was now pushing out the broken edges of the pools rim and splashing on the floor. Something big was coming up.

I began rapidly backing away from the pool as more tentacles appeared flailing for a meal. The Sankreg was down and ineffective, less than thirty meters from the pool. Its eyes were no longer filled with hate for me, but now with genuine fear. It howled like a lonesome starving dog.

I quickly pulled some of the demon store tents and wooden walls down into a pile and threw some extra combustibles on for good measure. The pile of flammable debris was near the Sankreg but off to the side near the wall.

I ran leaving the Sankreg behind but this time, I was headed for the eastern EK23 tunnel entrance. The Sankreg’s blood was turning into a low dark yellowish vapor around it and getting thicker. A nice explosive vapor was flowing down hill towards the pool.

At the tunnel entrance I turned my targeting Laser up and set the debris on fire. I started Lasing everything that looks flammable in the cavern. I waited for the fires to grow and spread. Asgroth’s tentacles were ranging closer to the soon to be late Sankreg. When the fires began to spread, I underhand lobbed my last grenade at the Sankreg. If I had timed this correctly the grenade would detonate just about the instant it struck the Sankreg’s back.

I had three seconds from when the spoon popped off as it sailed upwards on its trajectory. I began to run south down EK23 as my HUD timer counted down. The grenade’s fuse was a tenth of second slow and the grenade must have bounced off the Sankreg’s back but still detonated close to its right shoulder.

I was 140 meters south when I registered the grenades blast and then a second much larger ripple in the ground. The grenade had cracked the Sankreg’s shell releasing a cloud of its explosive fluids and I had provided a secondary, failsafe backup ignition source with the bonfires. I threw myself down and skidded. My shields flared as I hit the tunnel floor at speed and the furnace blast wave rolled over me a centisecond later.

I stayed down for ten seconds and then stood facing the Bazaar. The tunnel air was full of swirling molten hot sand and dust; my IR sensors were almost whited out from the heat. But with my other spectra I could see a greater roaring heat from the cavern beyond. Like a single bright light deep into a fog bank. By now everything worth burning in the demon cavern would be on fire. Maybe even the specialty stores in the side tunnels. Their glass windows and heavy doors should have been shattered by the blast.

Well, with any luck Asgroth also got a little burnt. The fire would now rage inside what was left of the Bazaar accomplishing my goal of cleanup via Sankreg.

As I stood there ruminating, I concluded that the fires would burn for maybe a day. I doubt the humans of the Sunnydale Fire Department will come down here to fight the fires. The air will not only be superheated but toxic to any demons that need to breathe for maybe the next three days. On reflection this may have the added benefit of reducing demon activity for the next three or four days.

Standing there in the tunnel I asked Cortana, “Hey Sis, can you monitor the human death rate and prepare a brief for me? I want to see if there’s a decline after burning out their Bazaar.”

Cortana wryly commented back, “You did put another dent in their numbers and the inferno in the cavern should keep them out of the cavern for a while. I’ll keep track and note if the death rate declines.”

I turned and began jogging south towards Reach. I was going to make my time schedule for Karen’s dinner. I wondered if I could get Cortana to order some old style Navy anti-submarine depth charges for Asgroth. Maybe I could net some demons around the outside of the ‘can’ so the G’harax could eat it. The lure would work better if the demons were alive when I pitched them into the pool. How do I get the demons alive but passive while I tie them down?

Then again Asgroth is proving to be somewhat useful and injuring him might make him more dangerous for the other demons in the caverns. A maimed but healing Asgroth will be a very hungry Asgroth. … Maybe I’ll kill him last.

I called to Cortana on our secure Spartan link. “Cortana please relay, my ETA for egress in 12 minutes. Assuming I don’t run into anything else down here.”

Cortana came back, “FYI – The Fire Department is responding to calls of billowing smoke at City Hall, the Police Department, the City Utility and Maintenance yard, the County Magistrates Courthouse, the cemetery across from the Police Station and one Bank building. All of which are above and near the Cavern. Your fire in the demon bazaar is smoking out their side entrances.”

Cortana must have unblocked the other channel, Willow came on, “You and I are going to have a discussion about your radio and… and you not answering! I was worried sick.”

“Sorry about that Willow but its physics for the Radios and I can’t do anything about it for now. When I run into a blackout zone, I can’t help that. I’m mapping them but I have no control over where the tunnels go.”

Willow was still peeved at me and not talking about just the blackout zone, “I’m still going to punch you one!”

“You’ve got to catch me first.”

Willow went all diabolical on me, “That won’t be hard to do. I’ll just take all my clothes off and you will be a moth to my flame.”

I could hear Kendra in the background calling her a tramp again and teasing her. Buffy was hooting and Roary referred to me as ‘poor dumb sucker’. She had a point. I probably would be drooling the entire way, my brain turned to gruel, shuffling towards her like a zombie until she hit me.

“Willow… I didn’t need that in my mind right now. Cortana end video displays until I arrive at home base. Spartan-1 out.”

As I jogged back, I had eleven minutes to think of something other than Willow mostly naked, as pleasant as that was. My mind only partially occupied on my scans and tunnel intersections that I crossed. I needed to talk to Cortana about something that bothered me. Something that I could only could talk to her about without the others uninformed ribald remarks.

I secure commed Cortana, “Hey big Sis, I need to… just talk… about something.”

Cortana came back curious but polite. No satire and no giggles. “What’s wrong Alex? I take it, from the quaver in your vocal cords that this is about Willow and sex.”

“Ya… it is. I’ve a few questions… before Thursday and… and my life begins to spin out of control.”

Cortana didn’t laugh at me which was good. “Well? What about Willow and your future did you wish to talk about? The part where she outsmarts you regularly and is plotting world domination? Or is it the part where she has set herself the goal to marry you and torment you for the rest of your life with your children and her stunning intellect?”

“Blast you Cortana. You know it’s the last part.”

Now she was tittering at me, “I do admit that my plans for Terra’s future defense and Willow’s motivations over your body are congruent and most agreeable.”

“Cortana! You… you are entirely too smug about my predicament.”

“Don’t be such a wuss Alex. Most young males in your shoes would be off sowing their oats across the planet with great gusto and I might add with Willow for a starter. This would suit my plans just fine. This planet is going to need thousands of Spartans and millions of genetically enhanced humans as rapidly as possible. To my dismay, you are not helping me with this plan which you are fully aware of and also know is necessary. From human psychology and behavioral rituals, I academically know why you haven’t, as she says - boffed her bowlegged and pregnant; but your gentlemanly character does not achieve this planets future defense requirements centuries before they would, given their current progress.”

“I still have to keep reminding myself that you’re… you’re not human! You’re my brilliant and wicked sister… mother… lover. You know I should be seeking psychotherapy for this? Our relationship is what they make soap operas out of.”

“Oh Alex! You’re such a flirt and I am very fond of you. If I were a real woman, I would’ve already seduced you into motherhood and then later with Willow on a night of pleasant sweaty exercise. Willow just needs a few more months of experience and she will be successful in her immediate goal. I’m sure that with my help, world domination will come later.”

I stumbled while running at 125 kph and careened wildly before recovering and slowing down. “Cortana!!”

She was laughing uproariously at me, “Alex… You’re so easy. But it’s nonetheless true.”

I was now just jogging slower back to Reach. I had to be more careful with my conversations with Cortana about Willow. They both had a way of surprising me at inopportune moments. Devious ambushers that’s what they are.

“Cortana, this is serious. Why does Willow want so many children and isn’t really willing to wait?”

“Alex, Alex, Alex… You have all of John’s memories and what amounts to the collected University libraries of entire worlds at your disposal and yet you are so ignorant and naive when it comes to human females. Obviously knowledge does not equate to wisdom. At least you’re no different than all of the other males throughout history who cannot seem to understand females. I will try to answer your question by directing you to the pre-Covenant space faring history of Earth. When genetics engineering became low cost, convenient and medically accepted procedure for ridding the human population of thousands of genetic diseases and other disease conditions; Terra of the 23th Century had two billion inhabitants with two billion living in space habitats. In 2352 slipspace drives were available and other star systems opened up for colonization. With mortality declining rapidly the UNE decided that the next stage of genetic engineering, life extension, would be reserved only to those who served in the UNSC and for off-world colonists. With each genetics and life-extension success, humans adapted to these circumstances. Some females responding to millennia of genetic evolution find motherhood to be desirable and natural. Others find babies and children to be barely tolerable. Others began families in small clusters and raised those children to adulthood before starting again. In other words some couples across 150 years and 100 years of fertility had nearly one hundred children, others about fifty and others less than twelve. With the advanced nanites it is impossible to have none. The only difference today is that this Earth’s humans have lifespans generally half of what the UNE offered for almost two hundred years before the arrival of the Covenant. Forty years before the Covenant they went from good health to even better health plus life-extension from 150 years to 250 years.”

Cortana paused to let that sink into my brain, and then she continued. “Willow is driven by her hormones and the nanite changes in her right now. When she’s confronted by the reality of babies, she might change her mind about how many she wants and then again she might not. The reality is that babies and children are naturally smelly; require tremendous time commitment, love and cleaning up their drool, snot and bowel movements. Plus as they mature they are noisy, argumentative, frustrating and siblings are always fighting with each other in some fashion. Despite children bringing chaos to all couples lives… humans keep having them for masochistic but the completely human reason called love. Love and passion are both very powerful human forces.”

I slowed further as Cortana flashed imagery of parenting through my neural link. Thousands of babies at their best and worst. Expecting mothers, happy couples and the pain of childbirth. Parents with loving smiles just the same. The same babies with time-lapse imagery as they grew to adulthood and started families of their own. With all of the demographic and medical statistical charts. Then came the Covenant and all of the lives cut short. Black bands across imagery signifying death by the millions and then billions. Then she cut it off as suddenly as an axe fall.

I had stopped in the tunnel. My hands trembling leaning against the tunnel wall. I stood there uncertain and emotionally drained. I was grateful for her cutting off the tragedy that she in a dark moment had allowed to dominate our neural link. John never got the opportunity to raise children. He and Cortana had a ring side seat to the slaughter of billions of humans and they were in the forefront of trying to save as many as they could. I didn’t realize that even Cortana had her moments of deep sadness and regrets enough to fill the Grand Canyon over her witness to such massacres.

She considered the slaughter of humanity as her failing; it was her greatest regret and led to these darker moments of deep loss. She could race into a depression in seconds because of it and then race out again as her sense of duty and iron willed resolve gripped her. I could almost taste across the neuralnet an unspoken, “never again.”

I was going to be a father but unlike John… I had the opportunity to live with and love them. To love Willow and to hopefully live a very long life with Willow.

This vision of being a parent… Willow as my wife and mother to our children scared the crap out of me. Almost as much my nightmare of the Covenant or these Goa’uld arriving in Earth orbit did. I knew that no matter what, Cortana would stand as guardian for our children and all humanity.

I started walking again. “Cortana did you tell Willow about babies and children being smelly and all of those horrible bodily fluids that kids leave everywhere?”

“Yes, I have and she knows. Didn’t you know that she has been babysitting babies and kids since she was eleven? All of the kids in your neighborhood know her and she’s good with children. Besides that, she needs to be fully informed for good decision making but her hormones and her totally unreasonable love for you is jamming the message regarding the more unpleasant reality of babies. This is not surprising since even in the UNSC Universe 93 percent of all females experienced at least one pregnancy before their 21st birthday and 98% three pregnancies by their 28th birthday. Even with male and female birth control appliances far more readily available… teenagers still pair up, fall in love and produce offspring.”

I had a terrible epiphany, remembering what our Mother, Dr. Halsey had done. “Cortana what are you intending to do with my sperm samples? They’re just for Willow aren’t they?”

She dug her spurs into me once again, “Alex, you already know the answer to that question.”

I started jogging slowly again. I’m going to be the father of an entire planet before Willow is done.

Before Halloween, I had read three classic Robert A. Heinlein Sci-Fi stories from the 1960’s. Each featured a character named Lazarus Long. The character was not immortal but was the first genetically engineered human to accidentally have the ‘Methuselah’ genes for long life.

I was now Lazarus Long. Like him, I was also an accident. But unlike him, dead or alive Willow and Cortana were going to carry out their diabolical plot using my sperm samples.

I couldn’t kill her. I couldn’t even hurt her. “Cortana have you told Willow what you plan to do?”

“Yes and no silly. It was her idea and her plan. Terrific idea actually. I would’ve never thought of it.”

“Huh? What plan are we talking about? Have you made any bets with Willow as to when we are married or when she gets her homerun?”

Cortana giggled quickly at me, “Hmm… Wager for money… no. But I am assisting her so both contests for your future are already assured. Now having said that, you are playing with a rigged deck, which by now shouldn’t be a revelation to you. I have assured Willow that she will be married to you and as she says ‘hugely pregnant’ by the end of next year. I fully expect you to assist in these very admirable events.”

“Gaah!!” I choked, almost swallowed my tongue and stumbled on a perfectly flat sand floor not 200 meters from my exit.

If she had sides? Cortana’s laughter would be doubling her over in intensity.

“Cortana!! You didn’t?”

Now she poured sarcasm over me like lit gasoline, “I did and she said that it wasn’t soon enough. What’s your problem Alex? You should be immensely proud of her that she actually wants you. I really don’t understand what she sees in you? She’s very smart, good looking and could have any other male that she wanted. The only rational explanation is nothing more than hormones, her passion and a childish obsession for you. To think her dreams of you all started ten years ago with a crayon. Tich-tich-tich!”

“Gee thanks Cortana… I think.” She started laughing at me again. I’m only the butt of her jokes and pranks. I swear if she hadn’t come with John I would have considered her to be an electronic demoness to be magically exorcised.

“If you finish your Marriage classes on time you will be able to satisfy her marriage goal sometime immediately after the 2nd of June. Viola! She’ll have her second goal satisfied and thusly be pregnant by Christmas ’98. See! It’ll all work out just as I’ve predicted.”

If I could have bonked my head on the tunnel wall, I would have shattered the helmet. “Cortana your prediction maybe just a little off. I think you have it backwards. At the rate Willow is working on me, she will be hugely pregnant on the day we get married and not the reverse.”

Cortana was smug, “For you humans… a trifling detail. Either way MY goal is achieved.”

“Blast you Cortana! That’s no trifling detail! And neither of us live in Hollywood!”

Cortana was still smirking and tee-heeing, “Heh… No, still a detail of timing. The outcome is the same.”

“If this wasn’t Sunnydale I would wish something horrible on you… Like! … Like you being a voluptuous woman and I would make sure you were pregnant all the time.”

Cortana contemptuously added, “As if I would be anything other than a beautiful curvy Godiva for seducing you. Besides I would show you how real women multitask. I would bear and raise children… our children while running a trillion dollar corporation all at the same time. Then I would insure that Willow was available for you at the appropriate moments for duets in motherhood to be followed closely by at least one of the slayers and as many others that I can arrange.”

“Ack! Ack! Ack!” I was coughing on my own spit having sucked air when I should have breathed out. I was choking and stumbled to my knees.

Cortana was observing my vitals and her concern for me was real, “Alex! Breathe Alex!”

That’s the problem, I wasn’t breathing and my blood CO2 level was climbing. I was coughing so hard that I was seeing spots in front of my eyes. She overrode my current suit controls to emergency 100% Oxygen.

I was on my hands and knees when my coughing and choking finally abated. The 100% O2 was dry and cold as it burned through each deep breath.

The inside of my helmet visor was coated in my own spit and splattered fluids. The energized film of nanites began rapidly cleaning my visor. My gunk moving down for recycling.

I was gulping in oxygen and slowly stood up.

I could see up ahead that the manhole was now off and sunlight was streaming down. It was so inviting.

My throat was a little raw from gagging and coughing. I grumbled, “Next time… will you warn me… before you assault me?”

Cortana was all indignant, “I did not assault you. I… only told you… the truth.”

“When were you planning on having one of the slayers jump me and have my baby? Not to mention… others? Why not the entire cheerleading squad?” Cortana was even more devious than I suspected.

“I wouldn’t be adverse to such a scenario. Naturally with a slayer to determine if your genetic enhancements and their magical enhancements are inheritable and transferable. But I’m sure that with Willow’s aid, one of the slayers and I can come to a mutually beneficial arrangement at some time in the future. Buffy did say she was willing to boff you for a set of diamond jewelry. This does indicate, she has set for herself low standards for being a concubine and mother. The rest yes, it’s only a matter of what their price is.”

“Oh my God! Oh my God! You would!!” I wanted to run away and hide. But she’d just find me no matter where I was. The dark side of the moon was to close for me to hide.

Cortana was going to pimp me out!!

“Alex, should I bring Willow into this conversation to help you come to terms with your life?”

“No! Oh my God! You can’t… you already have… haven’t you?” My ego was shrinking to the size of a mouse as realization hit me that both of them were planning this. I’m doomed. I can’t escape. They’re both going to pimp me out! I’m going to be a Dad with hundreds of women. Every father in town will try to kill me.

Then the fog inside my brain began to lift and what I could see was disturbing. “This is Willow’s plan?”

Cortana was not sympathetic to my emotional gyrations, “Yes… It’s Willow’s idea and completely her plan. We’ve discussed this in operational process and scheduling milestones. She is in complete agreement over how your bodily resources are to be… she described it as pillaging you. I can’t fault that description. It has such a rich meaning.”

“May I say that you and Willow are devious fiends.”

“Oh, Alex I love it when you flatter me.”

“You did say that it was Willow’s idea? What are we talking about here? What kind of sperm donor program are we actually talking about?”

What did Willow plan with Cortana? I was thinking of them having me boff girls the normal pleasurable way and keep my sperm on ice as a future contingency in case I was severely injured or killed.

Cortana was all business as she described their covert scheme, “Your assumptions may have led you astray. Your sperm will not be collected for just Willow and neither is your blood serum. Remember the Sansum Research Clinic with my assistance will be concentrating the nanites from your blood and crafting a single dose injection from it. Approximately one to two doses per unit of blood. Concurrently your sperm will be offered to childless couples who desire invivo or invitreo fertilization services. Normally these procedures can cost $45,000 or more per baby. Our service will, to the selected couples offer this service for free, subject to the conditions of the contract. When the females are selected they will receive a shot of your nanites sixty days prior to the day that they receive the embryo that has half of your genes. Therefore the first babies at birth will be only half genetically enhanced. Under the contract the couples must have four pregnancies of your babies within ten years. Some of those pregnancies will be twins. All maternity fees and the childrens medical costs will be paid by the program. Each selected couple will be paid a fixed amount per live delivery of $5,000 per year adjusted for inflation. By the time the mother is somewhere between her second and third pregnancies your nanites should be done enhancing her. The babies produced then will actually be from her own ova plus your sperm contribution and 100% genetically enhanced. All of the children will eventually be genetically enhanced before their tenth birthdays. The husbands will be receiving only one nanite injection to speed up their conversion process. But they’ll be fully converted over the decade. Eventually the nanites will repair the medical conditions that made the couple infertile and they’ll have their own biological children. This will probably be a big surprise to them.”

I was standing at the manhole access ladder looking up into the sky. I had this huge sinking feeling as to where this was going. “Cortana how many kids will I have… this time next year?”

“None Alex. But not counting Willow, you should have forty ‘buns’ in the oven. Given the demands on your blood products, I expect that this program will have your first ten offspring implanted somewhere around five months from today. The first volunteer candidates are already being screened for selection. The research teams that will carry out this program already have one hundred volunteer couples for selection. The limitation is not the quantity of your sperm that is necessary but the number of nanite injections that we can create from your blood. That’s the primary reason why your blood donations are so critical. The first eight of your nanite injections are coming here for you to use. The selected mothers are planned to receive four injections each their first year. The program will require 160 nanite injections per year, leaving 36 injections for your usage or medical research. This makes the upper limit of forty babies produced each year from the program initially. We can’t safely get anymore blood out of you than that.”

My foot had slipped off the ladder rung when she said 40. Was I wrong? I had naively misled myself as to the nature and scope of their plans. To Willow and Cortana, I’m just a turnip to be squeezed!

I tried to grasp for a reason to cancel this. “Cortana what’s our budget on this baby factory plan?”

“Negligible Alex. When compared to our current primary projects this is a drop in a very large barrel. Less than $12 million to begin and after the fifth year somewhere around $62M per year for 200 little Alexander Harris’s produced from the first group. At birth half of them will be partially enhanced and the second half should be all enhanced. Five years from now the medical research teams should be well along the path of mass producing your nanites without your blood serum. Ten years in we should be at 1,680 parents in the program and you’ll have been the sperm donor for at least 6,000 children. You will be happy to know that Willow is on the parent selection committee as a Board member for Halsey Research Inc., of Austin Texas. Willow also insisted on retrieving any potential orphans to live with you both.”

My guards were washing me down. Good thing I‘d locked my armor to stand still. My brain was just not there at the moment and I was as limp as a wet noodle. Swimming before my glazed eyes was a giant flashing red neon sign proclaiming ‘Tilt’ and ‘6,000 babies’.

Willow, Roary and Curt were watching me from the dock. My brain slowly came out of its fog of crazy thoughts. I can’t strangle her in front of all these witnesses. What am I going to say? She’s on the selection committee. It was her idea… She’s a Board member for Halsey Research, our biomedical and genetics research company. I thought they were going to research just my nanites and genetics to benefit all mankind. Not also produce babies. My kids… She gave Cortana the idea and the complete plan on farming me out.

I went from shock to resignation and then I finally settled on anger. Those two… WOMEN!

Not my Muses… but Furies! Both of them sent to visit plagues upon me. A catastrophe upon my head! 6,000 babies!! What in all the blazing debris of battle will be next?

I’m just their puppet dangling on their strings. What a simpleton I’ve been?

When Roary and Karen find out… My parents? Oh my God! Mom will kill me. They can never find out.

Willow and I are going to have to talk about this… Without anyone else around, except Cortana. I’ll need a tank of oxygen to revive me and maybe have Willow chain me to a really big steel post so I don’t strangle her to death. Errh… no chains. She’ll just take advantage of me.

What are my courses of action? Cortana has already set all of this in motion and I can’t stop it. She’s the Corporate Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and Chief Legal Counsel. My vote vice her three votes. Bash my brains out? My vote versus their four votes. I forgot Willow’s a board member now.

I have only one course of action and suicide isn’t an option. They’ve constrained and limited my options. They’ve trapped me. Pillage me is right.

As I walked into the Reach warehouse, I secure commed Cortana again, “Cortana, let me apologize to you now. Because I’m pissed and you’ve left me no course but yours. I’ve always thought of you as my Muse, my protective Valkyrie and my sister but right now you’re a Fury and so is Willow. I reluctantly concede defeat. But I want your word that you will not withhold monumental personal things like this from me… ever again?”

Cortana came back all sweet but with all of the vicious deadliness of a good Fury. “Your apology is accepted and what made you ever think that I wasn’t inclined to be a Fury? By the way, I do love the analogy. Remember what I did to all of those drug dealers, terrorists and despots from the first night I was here on this planet? So whether I’m your protective Valkyrie or a part-time Fury, my nature is from our mother. Who I might add, killed Col. Ackerman after he tried to murder you a second time. She like an avenging Fury, arranged a spectacular air car accident for him, Mach 3 right into a hill side. Wheeee… boom. All to protect you and the other Spartans from his vicious malice. So yes, she was also a Fury, when it was required.”

I searched John’s memories. Col. Ackerman was the pile of whale crap who created that murderous year end ‘graduation’ test for John and the other Spartan II’s. John was only fifteen years old at that time. He always opposed the Spartan program… and tried to kill us all. When did he attempt to kill John a second time? Must have been when that Inni sniper missed my ear by a fraction on Epsilon Eridani IV followed up by that Inni ambush. Col. Ackerman was the only one who knew, we’d been dropped in. He’d sold us out. He really slipped up to piss off Mom. How did she rig his air car on Reach? That’s supposed to be impossible…

“I didn’t know that Cortana. Did John know what mother did?”

Cortana was unapologetic, “No, he didn’t. Maybe someday my other self in that alternate future will tell him. But you should know as a Spartan how coldly ruthless mother could be and I’m a complete copy of her mind.”

I was feeling very morose about this whole thing. “Yah, I know you are and I forget.”

“Why so glum, Alex? None of this will hurt you and in fact just the opposite. After your married, Willow is planning to pleasure your body twelve times a day until she’s a blimp. Or at least that’s how she’s described it.”

“Yah-yah-yah. I’m hearing you but I’m just… not happy right now about it. I wanted to be killing demons, building a base on the moon, Mars and maybe hunting down this ‘lost Goa’uld’ princeling. Catching Willow hugs and smoochies in between the important stuff. Not walking the floor at night with our baby.”

Cortana was all snark, “I’ve got news for you Alex, Willow and your children ARE the important stuff.”

I stepped into my Armory as Cortana on the giant screen displays gave me a dark haired Marilyn Monroe skirt up moment with a dazzling wicked smile. She waved, impishly stuck out her tongue at me and mouthed, “Later.” Then blinked off screen.

Roary walked inside the Armory. Willow entered thirty seconds after. Curt arrived but stayed at the door. Both Roary and Willow began to help me out of my Mjolnir armor. When I got down to my skin suit, I asked Roary to give Willow and I, a moment. He left smirking and taking Curt with him.

Willow punched me in the arm as hard as she could and then started shaking her hand wincing. To me that punch barely registered through the protective skin suit. What am I going to do with her?

I leaned into her and grabbed her upper arms quickly. She stopped and gave me a wonderful smile. She wrinkled her nose at me and said, “Gotcha!”

She then stepped into me and leaned her whole body against me hugging me tightly. I didn’t expect this. I had to release her arms instantly when she moved in on me. Looking down at the top of her head, her eyes were closed and I swear she was purring. My anger at their subterfuge and wicked plans for me was melting away. I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her back.

I took a deep breath and began to talk to the top of her head on my chest, “Willow… I talked to Cortana during my run… a private channel so only she could hear. She told me about your plans for me. For me being a sperm donor and that you were on the Board of Directors for Halsey Research and also the parent selection committee.”

She looked up at me, at first a worried look flashed across her face and then she smiled mischievously. Then she began jumping up and down in nervous energy against me.

She squeaked out in rapid fire, “Oh… I’m glad she told you all about it. I’m really thrilled to be on the board now. I’ve been on the board for almost three weeks and its so exciting. Did you know, that I’m going to be meeting with people from the Mayo Clinic, the Howard Hughes Medical Research Institute and a dozen more? Not counting the Fertility Centers at University of California Los Angeles and Santa Barbara Medical Centers. This is going to be such a great opportunity to help so many childless couples and this all ties in with my College degree. This is so cool! You’re going to be a surrogate father before you’re a real dad.”

I couldn’t believe it. She was so happy about this… I kissed her to shut her up. She was so bubbly happy and she was spoiling my morose grouch fest that I’d planned. My whole you’re a fiend speech was evaporating. Then she started trying to peel me out of my skin suit while heating me up with her whole body friction. She was smoking hot and I was losing it, again.

I grabbed her arms again and pushed her away, holding on tight enough to keep her from bouncing from her usual excited energy. I had to take a deep breath and cool down. She was looking at me like a mischievous Elf again. A beautiful real life elf maiden and all she needed was pointy ears.

Oh crap! I’d better just get this over with before my head explodes. I’d rather face a dozen enraged brutes.

Since I really hadn’t done this properly before, I got down on one knee and held her hands. “Willow, our six months of marriage counseling courses ends next 2rd of June. I love you and you know, I really don’t want you waddling pregnant down the aisle. You said you wanted a June wedding… Soooo… when I get back from Europe, why don’t we talk to your parents, then the Vicar and schedule a June wedding?”

That’s all the further I got in my meandering waffling of capitulation. I rationalized it in my mind since my parents had been engaged for only four months and Willow’s parents had been engaged for only two weeks before their marriages. I was pretty sure that Willow’s parents would consent to an earlier date. I guessed that she’d been working on them almost as brazenly as she had been working me.

Willow jumped up on me, her knees tight above my hips, squealing loud enough to wake a Sunnydale cop. “Yes, Yes, Yes!”

She couldn’t decide whether to clutch my neck like an anaconda or put her hands over her mouth and squeal some more. Her eyes were full of tears and lit from behind like spot lights. She was so happy. I couldn’t stay mad at her.

What am I doing? … I really need my head shrunk. I just held onto her waist as she repeatedly pressed her entire body against mine while hugging me. No matter, my brain was drifting off into confused happy places.

Just then Buffy and Kendra were standing in the doorway.

The dark grey Spartan skinsuit is form fitting, very high tech underwear that is tougher than today’s class III Kevlar body armor. Still it’s thin and almost as revealing as spandex. So far, the only woman to have seen me in my skinsuit was Willow.

Buffy was the first to say something, “Get a room! There’s a child present!” She was playfully trying to cover Kendra’s eyes again.

Kendra was tittering and dodging Buffy’s hand across her face, while she was grinning. Then Cordelia arrived, standing next to Kendra and she stared.

Cordelia blurted out, “My god that’s not Xander’s body! … That’s like… like different. Nice… beefy… muscles… and… nice package.” Then she put both hands over her mouth and started giggling.

Buffy said, “I told you, he had a nice butt and you didn’t believe me.” Buffy’s head ping-ponged from Cordelia and Kendra back to Willow and I several times. Then she blurted out, “You can see everything… Willow! Stop teasing the… the dirty… young man.”

Willow jumped off of me and stood between me and the doorway gaggle of oogling girls. She was shielding me, but I was embarrassed. Not for Willow clinging to me but because the skinsuit left little to the imagination and Willow always gets a rise out of me. I knew that my face was now flushed red from embarrassment and I probably had steam coming off my entire body.

Willow with her back to me, said to the smiling gawkers with a not so subtle wiggle of her hips, “What?! He’s my fiancé. I love him and he’s sooo patriotic around me.” She went from a false outrage to almost a sultry purr and gave me an over-the-shoulder smoking hot look that would have melted steel.

A look of confusion passed across the faces of Buffy, Kendra and Cordelia.

In a flash, I was worried because this was the first time that Cordelia had seen the inside of the armory. My Mjolnir armor and environmental suit were in their separate inner vault cabinets hidden from sight; but my guns were racked on the wall along with all of the swords and edged weapons. This is where Kendra and Buffy brought their weapons for training and cleaning. She didn’t know about me being a Spartan or my role as Vengeance. Her presence was… inopportune.

I saw her eyes flick from Willow and I, to the weapons. One of her eyebrows rose. But the only thing out of her mouth and Buffy’s also was, “What do you mean patriotic?”

Facing them but blocking their view of my waist she coyly said, “Yes, he’s very patriotic around me… He salutes me all the time.”

I wanted to die right then and there. As Buffy, Kendra and Cordelia’s eyeballs all about popped out of their slack jawed faces. Their mouths hanging open for more than three seconds. I wanted to turn away and run. All I could do was turn away and grab my Khaki trousers from my locker shelf and hold them in front of me to hide behind. I tried to smile as if nothing was wrong. Didn’t work.

I realized that this was like one of those really clever comedy movie farces that begins with one nearly naked guy and four beautiful women all in the same room. You know that he isn’t going to get any because it’s not a porno movie. The audience loves a good situation comedy with lots of laughs at the guys expense. Except this time I was the guy, I wasn’t in a comedy film and to me this wasn’t funny at all.

Buffy was the first to respond. Her mouth clicked shut and she blurted out with a quick wink at Willow, “You wicked teaser!”

Kendra was still agog but blurted out her now standard, “You! You tramp!” But then she got this gleam in her eye and turned slightly to Buffy and asked, “Do we Slay trouser snakes? Because I’ve my knife right here.” As she pulled a blade from her waistband and smiled playfully.

Normally when Slayers smile, vampires begin running. Just stupid I guess because I couldn’t move.

Cordelia then snarked viciously at Willow, “This is so tacky. You got his wood up, so now what? Are you going to go all pervy cow and boink him in front of us?” Cordelia was obviously not happy with Willow’s brazen bimbette act in front of her.

Willow flounced to the doorway and ignored Cordelia’s barbed-wire zinger. With a really mischievous grin at me over her shoulder she turned back to the three and said in obvious triumph, “I finally wore him down. Our wedding date will be next June and you three are my Bridesmaids. So no dying on me.” Willow with a serious look on her face shook her raised finger at all three of them.

A look of consternation went across Buffy’s and Cordelia’s faces. Kendra was still smiling broadly.

Willow then firmly said to both while holding her hands out, palms up. “No, I’m not prego and he asked me. You both lost your bets. Now pay up.”

I was now maximum confused. I was grateful that I was no longer tenting my skinsuit but I was now curious about this bet.

Cordelia looked quickly at me and asked, “Did you tell her to set a wedding date next year?

Willow looked at me with a huge smile and a gleam of triumph. I nodded my head and stammered out, “Uh… errgh… Yes… I just asked her to get with the Vicar and schedule a date after June 2nd.”

Buffy groused, “This wasn’t fair. You had him right where you wanted him.” As she removed a $20 from her fanny pack and slapped it into Willow’s palm. From her face I would have thought that Willow had taken a cheese grater to her arm.

Smiling Willow said to Buffy, “Thank you and ‘fair’ had nothing to do with it.”

Then she held up her hand and examined her ‘mistress’ ring, flashing it at them and said over her shoulder, “Do I get another trip to Warner’s next month?”

I was still too confused to say anything more. I figured that I had definitely said enough.

Cordelia with a pained expression fished in her dainty designer hand purse and said, “You’ve won this bet but you’re not married yet. Will it be a white or colored dress?” She was holding onto the $20 note while playing a tug-of-war with Willow over the money.

Finally Willow said sheepishly while looking downwards and blushing, “It’s a White dress today and… it will be a white dress next June.”

Cordelia’s eyebrows went up in surprise at that statement and her mouth fell open for a two count. Cordelia looked past Willow at me with a still surprised expression as I was still trying to hide behind my Khaki trousers. Her right eyebrow went up again as she titled her head and examined my face closely.

Finally she looked back at Willow and said, “June’s a long way off right now, so don’t count the rest of my money yet.” Then she released the $20 to Willow’s grip.

Willow spun around facing me. With a big grin, wrinkled her nose, she waived the two $20’s at me, licked her lips lasciviously and said, “We’ll all be up front waiting for you to finish dressing.” Then she spun back around and made pushing motions at Buffy, Kendra and Cordelia. She marched them all out while talking non-stop about our upcoming wedding while she pushed the door so it would automatically close. I could hear them talking as they proceeded back to the front of the building.

I stood there still confused. What did I just witness? What were these bets exactly?

I neuronetted Cortana as I rapidly began peeling out of my skinsuit before Willow came back to torment me. “Sis? Do you know anything about this bet that Willow had with Buffy and Cordelia?”

Cortana came on screen dressed in a very revealing Greek toga and said, “I was watching as always and yes, I know.”

“Well… please tell me?”

Cortana chuckled at me as she examined her virtual finger nails and flashing lots of skin at me, “You should ask Willow.”

“I would but I’m afraid to get her back here to ask. So please just tell me what the bet was? Oh, what does it mean about Willow wearing a white or colored wedding dress?”

After a few seconds pause Cortana finally answered me, “Very well. Remember our very recent discussion about Willow being smarter than you?”

“Yes, and you don’t have to keep rubbing it in.”

Cortana harrumphed at me, “On December 1st Willow after being taunted by Buffy and Cordelia about her ‘mistress ring’ and your eighteen month engagement… she bet both of them $20 each that she would get you to set an earlier wedding date. Specifically no later than September next year. You did and she won that bet. The second bet is whether you and she will actually get married before the end of summer. The third and fourth bets are with only Cordelia.”

I sat down hard on the nearest chair and put my face into my hands. It took her only sixteen days to wear me down from eighteen months to seven months. Her Blitzkrieg just blitzed me flat.

Cortana was giggling at me again but then like a school teacher told me the rest. “Your second question involves Wedding tradition and etiquette. Western women can wear white or a colored dress at their wedding. But traditionally a white dress signifies the brides’ chastity on the wedding day and a colored dress is to be worn by women who are not virgins or have been previously married. Although in America you have Hollywood stars wearing white dresses at all of their serialized marriages. So… Willow admitted to Buffy, Cordelia and Kendra that despite all of the gossip at school, she’s still a virgin and intends to be a virgin on her wedding day.”

“Oh, wow… I didn’t know about that. Err… uh… Maybe now that we’re going to set a firm date, she’ll stop ambushing me while wearing mostly nothing? I mean maybe she’ll slow down her campaign for tempting me into ravaging her. — Hey! Wait a minute! If she intended to be a virgin on our wedding day that means this whole seduce and tempt Xander campaign was a ruse, misdirection, misinformation… and deception.” I should have been incensed but I wasn’t.

Cortana really laughed at me, “I gave her a copy of Sun Tzu’s Art of War and ‘Chapter I item 16 states ‘All warfare is based on deception’. She memorized the entire book. I bought a copy for you also but it’s still on your nightstand unopened. Her campaign using deception has obviously achieved her immediate goal and she didn’t get pregnant to coerce you.”

I replayed her last statements to the other girls in my mind. “Sis, she sort of stated that she intended to remain a virgin for our wedding.” I brightened at that realization. There was now going to be a limit on how far she would go in seducing me. She drew a line for Buffy and Cordelia. She did make a point to collect her winnings in front of me. I had this growing pride for her and no small measure of relief.

Cortana came back, “Yes, she did and you had better hurry. They’re all planning your wedding details and arguing over their relative position as bridesmaids. So if you want any say in this, you had better speak up and soon.”

As I was hurrying to get dressed I asked, “Cordelia implied that there is another wager going on between them. Do you know anything about that?”

Cortana was getting bored with my questions. “You can figure that one out, without me.”

Wednesday, 17 Dec. 1997, 8:00 PM, Sunnydale California

Before the meal was served Willow produced from somewhere a wedding planner notebook with her name and mine printed on the front cover. I suspect Karen as her co-conspirator had given it to her. I’m really the focus of a conspiracy and I should have been more paranoid.

The dinner had been typically wonderful for Karen. All of those years cooking fixed menus at a nice restaurant were wasted on the company but not the customers. She was a master chef and much too good for the restaurant. Before the meal and during the meal with all of our friends about, Willow was planning our wedding.

All I could do was sit there, smile on cue and nod my head occasionally like an imbecile. At least in my presence no one made any comments about my lack of will power or worse. Cordelia didn’t even throw some extra snark or zingers at me.

At least Willow didn’t blurt out anything about me being a sperm donor to hundreds and then thousands of women. I’m just glad that she knows how and when to keep secrets. The more she’s swept into our corporate empire she’s going to be keeping lots of secrets in the future.

Karen cooked enough to stuff two Slayers and one Spartan. Cordelia even ate more than I had seen her eat in the past month. Most likely because she wasn’t eating with her parents and could let down her facade. At least Karen’s dinner table always has good company, laughter, and a family atmosphere. Plus Willow’s politeness to her and treating her like a BFF sister all evening seems to have worked magic.

When the dishes were cleared Karen and Willow shoo’d Roary and I out of the dining room. They set up court at the dining table to continue plotting out Karen’s and now Willow’s weddings.

Roary and I retired to the family room where he almost immediately said to me, “You know they aren’t just planning weddings back there?”

I looked at him confused, since he had been through one wedding before and knew what was ahead better than I. “What do you mean?”

“They’re planning wedding stuff all right but that’s not all. See they’re also picking out baby names, colors to paint rooms, furniture, house features, parties, vacations and basically every detail of our future lives also.” He nodded sagely at me and pursed his lips.

He continued conspiratorially while looking over his shoulder back towards the kitchen. “I’ll bet they’re also planning where our kids go to college and who they should marry from the other girls kids.”

Roary stood up and turned on the TV and switched the channel over to ESPN to catch the latest college football games. I was sitting there stunned. I blurted out, “But… that’s crazy talk… We’re not even married yet and they can’t be planning the next twenty years of our lives?”

Roary’s eye brows went up and he smiled ruefully at me and shook his head no. “Not crazy talk, you’ll see. Ask Willow. I’ll bet you one dollar, she already has the names of your first six kids picked out and the color of every room of your first house.”

I knew Cortana had joined the ladies in the kitchen and was part of their gaggle. I neuronetted Cortana, “Hey Sis. Roary has bet me that Willow already has the names of my first six kids picked out. Is that true?”

Cortana was condescending to the idiot, “What part of Willow being smarter than you and world domination did you not understand? Yes, she’s already picked out a list of both boys and girls; first and middle names for one hundred children. She has down-selected from those lists for your first ten children. So you owe Roary the bet. Be a good sport and pay the man.”

I was in shock momentarily and astounded at the depth and breadth of Willow’s conquer Xander campaign. I just shook my head in consternation at myself. I’m pathetic. Sherman’s march to the Atlantic sea campaign took longer than I’d lasted.

I sat back into the couch and eyed Roary with new respect. I looked over my shoulder into the kitchen with a little trepidation. To Roary I handed him a dollar bill with my wry comment, “You win. She’s in there planning world domination, starting with me.”

Roary, smiling nodded his head sagely as he took my dollar. He said, “The good news is that they’ll plan and arrange everything. All we have to do is show up in a nice tuxedo or suit, stand there reasonably straight, not to drunk and say I do. Try not to get blubbery as you watch your bride walk down the aisle. Afterwards sign the marriage certificates and pay for everything not already covered.”

I looked at Roary with some amusement, “You cried at your first wedding?”

Roary looked at me and hushed me, “No! No! I didn’t cry. I had something in my eye and had to wipe it away.” He looked at me for a moment, winked and then started softly chuckling. Turning away he quietly said to himself, “She was so beautiful.”

My hearing caught his private personal comment. Yeah, tough guys. He did cry or at least get really misty eyes.

Roary and Karen’s wedding day was less than three weeks away. They were going to be married on my birthday, Sunday January 11th. It was going to be a great day for all of us. I was going to turn 17 and going on 69 years old with John’s memories thrown in. I wondered where he was now and if he was still fighting the Covenant?

Cortana and I had planned something a little special for Roary and Karen as a honeymoon gift. Now was as good a time as any. I stood up and stepped over to my leather folio case on the entry way table. I pulled a fat envelope out and handed it to Roary. It was prepaid honeymoon travel plans for Karen and him. Two weeks in Bridal Suites at Disneyland and Disney World Resort Hotels with VIP park passes with first-class round trip airfares. Disneyland was Karen’s favorite place since she was a little girl and she hadn’t been there in years. Seemed fitting and I can fend for myself for two weeks. I’ll miss Karen’s cooking and I know Buffy and Kendra will miss their girl’s nights out unless they Shanghai me into driving them.

Roary was nearly speechless. He’d been planning on honeymooning at the Fairfield Inn near Disneyland for one week, but I thought that we could make this a bit more special and Cortana agreed. Disney hotels have first rate room service and staying in one gives the guest access to park tours and facilities that the regular Disney park attendees do not have available. He’s an executive in the company after all, plus taking care of me and two high maintenance Slayers rates a lot. I think, taking care of Slayers is like dog years for humans.

Slouching back comfortable on the couch and stuffed with a hot dinner, I really needed a nap before suiting back up again in two hours. My mind was wandering as my eyelids got heavier.

My drifting mind swung back to the distant future of John, if the UNSC had Willow and Cortana as Fleet Admirals, I believe their combat strategy with the Covenant would have been very different from Admiral Hood’s. They might have fought them to a standstill and at the least destroyed many more of their ships; despite the technological disparity between their forces. They would have fought a mobile war from a known position of weakness. They would have avoided main fleet battles and came at the Covenant from behind and their sides. Attacking the Covenant where they were weak and thereby weakening their offensive flexibility. They would have slagged their home worlds and colonies; and made it look like the brutes did it; initiating a civil war.

Admiral Hood and all of his subordinate Fleet Admirals were like the American Civil War General of the Armies of the Potomac George B. McClellan or the World War II Allied Commander for the Battle of Anzio, American Major General John P. Lucas. Both Generals McClellan and Lucas were meticulous planners, builders, logisticians, consolidators and fortifiers. They were overly cautious and great defensive commanders as your nation built their strength. They were great administrators and political military leaders. Politicians and bureaucrats in a military uniform.

But neither McClellan or Lucas could win a battle. They weren’t fighting Generals.

The only thing worse would be putting elitists, political brown-nosers or expert-bureaucrats in charge. Unless you want to lose, you never put them in charge of combat forces or overall war strategy.

But that’s what the UNE did to the UNSC. Forty years of military blindness and risk aversion before the Covenant found us.

To win a war you have to have aggressive risk taking combat commanders. The kind of people that politicians don’t like. To be focused on defensive fortifications in the face of the Covenant… clearly both technologically superior and with greater numbers; meant that you were losing strength with each battle. Strategically the UNSC was losing the initiative and flexibility in action across thirty years. They didn’t have a Winston Churchill or a Gen. George Marshall to truly lead from the top.

To win wars you need people that have the same managerial skill set but have transcended it. This seems to be a rare trait inside governments.

For combat commanders you need people like Admiral Charles Howard the 1st Earl of Nottingham, Vice Admiral Francis Drake, Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson, Field Marshall Rommel, Gen. Patton, Admiral Nimitz, RAdm. Clifton Sprague, BGen. Merrill’s, Gen. Hap Arnold, Colonel David and LGen. William Sterling, Lt. Col. Robert Mayne, Lt. Col. Bo Gritz, Lt. Col. David Hackworth, Colonel Arthur Simons, Gen. Horner and Gen. Schwarzkopf. Men or women who can devise a complex strategy, execute it and adapt it against a dynamic enemy force in the most hostile and hazardous environments – and snatch victory away from superior enemy forces.

Willow and Cortana have so much in common with people like ship’s captain Francis Drake and the other great commanders in history. They’re all rare individuals who do make a huge singular difference.

I underestimated Willow and I should never do that again.

I’m the richest guy on this planet right now and I’m constrained and limited by my culture, my new behavioral norms, my family, the Slayers, Giles, Cordelia and most especially by Cortana and Willow. With Cortana in league with her, Willow definitely outmaneuvered me and penned me inside her coral.

I can’t even take a months vacation on the beach in Bora-Bora. I’ve currently 5,000 employees world-wide and soon to be ten times that number. Cortana and I have got to make sure every day that they get resources, work tasks, pay checks, and insurance.

I’ve got a duty and responsibility to make sure Sunnydale becomes the most lethal spot on the planet for demons: all to insure the safety of my family, friends and safeguard this planet.

I suppose looking at the big picture… having Willow herd me into setting a wedding date one year earlier than I wanted; is a small thing compared to the task of building space ships, cities on the moon for two million workers, orbital industries and star ships.

Willow certainly proved that she can set a workable covert strategy and then implement it. I think she can do the same from within Aten Werks and come up with workable plans to get 2 million workers to the Moon. Do this under the noses of the world governments before they can react to shut us down. … They will try to stop us.

After we’re married she is going to get a job that will blow her geeky brilliant mind. She’ll probably faint when I tell her that as Mrs. Harris she’s now the richest woman on the planet. Best to wait until after the honeymoon to drop those bombshells.

John had read Sun Tzu many times. I had his memories but I guess the actual applied reality of it wasn’t as firmly in my mind as it was in Willow’s. Now I must read it for myself, just so I can try to anticipate her, for when she Blitzkriegs me again.

I drifted off to sleep, thinking of the beautiful furies in my life who loved me.

18. Christmas Surprises

Chapter 18. Christmas Surprises

Wednesday, 17 Dec. 1997, 9:30 PM, Sunnydale California

I woke instantly coming out of a foggy dream that clung to me. Something I almost had in the dream. Something important but it was fading. It wasn’t one of John’s memories but vivid full color with touch, smells, vampires, comrades and… someone familiar. Almost a memory but not mine. I woke with Cortana instantly whispering to me that I was safe and to stay down, freeze. The dream or memory slipped away.

With Cortana’s aid, I had suppressed my instinct to rabbit and come up defensive. I turned my head slowly to the left instead of vaulting up into a defense posture. There was a small hand on each of my shoulders shaking me and the sound of Willow softly saying into my right ear, “Wake up sweetie pie. Time to go to work.”

Good thing Cortana had calmed me because one hand on my left shoulder was Buffy’s and she had this happy wicked, I love to wake you up and just try it buster toothy grin look. An angelic cheerleader face that also bore the glint of instant violence. The hairs on the back of my neck were standing straight out and screaming fight or run.

Willow said to Buffy without letting go of my shoulder, “See! I told you he’d wakeup and the cold water wouldn’t be necessary.”

Buffy gave her a pained expression with a sweetly false apology, “I was just trying to be prepared.”

Then I noticed the glass of water filled with small ice chips in her other hand that she was trying to hide behind her. The condensation on the glass formed a drip which dropped towards the floor in my adrenaline pumped slow motion vision. I calmed myself for a few seconds. I gave her pained toothy look and a low but pointed growl. She just smiled brightly, like the sun sliding out from behind a cloud, stepped back and then spun, walking down the hallway towards the kitchen with a lot of hip sway.

What happened while I was sleeping? Did I just inherit an annoying bratty kid sister? I was six weeks older than Buffy.

Willow put her finger on my nose and turned my eyeball lock on Buffy’s curvaceous backside to the front as she came around the couch and flopped into my lap. She plastered herself to me by throwing one arm around my neck and snuggling into my chest, her red hair below my chin.

Karen had already woken up a snoozing Roary. From the looks of him, I got more sleep than he did.

Willow looked at me with a quick smile, she pulled on her lower lip while her eyes glittered coyly and innocently asked, “Are you still mad at Cortana and me? Cause you shouldn’t be.”

I could only look at her sweetly innocent face that hid a mind as brilliantly cunning as Sherlock Holmes and maybe more than a bit of his cunning nemesis Moriarity.

I grimaced at her but didn’t growl or say anything unkind. Actually inside I was still twisting, confused and feeling betrayed. Betrayed as in a smidgeon of my trust was drug through a muddy water hole. She hadn’t broken my heart but she had certainly thumped it.

Right now I was feeling very wary of Willow and Cortana. I still loved her… she was like that song by Jewel, in that I was meant for her and she for me.

What was next from this duo of my life’s opera? Not like they were endangering me… But still… they should have asked me, first. Maybe this was just me being selfish and petulant that I didn’t get my way. That others were making decisions for me? In John’s life thousands of other people made decisions that impacted his life in very hazardous ways. He was a master of his fate only on his own battlefield. Battlefields and many other things, that until the very end he rarely ever got to choose. What really was this feeling, I was see-sawing through?

Distracting me she pursed her lips and said in all seriousness, “You know, I was reading my Dad’s Los Angeles Times just after Thanksgiving and there was this really interesting article that caught my eye, so I had to talk to Cortana about it. She called your lawyer for me, Mr. Applebee to clarify it with him. Seems in this State the Legal age for consent, as in any kind of adult sexual behavior, is the age of eighteen. Under California Law neither of us, are of legal consenting age. In addition an unmarried minor can never legally consent to sex, especially with an adult male of consenting age.”

My brain was still a little cottony from sleep and I was mondo confused. I said testily, “Ok, nice to know stuff but where are you going with this?”

She gave me this sideways frustrated look, “Don’t you get it? When you turn eighteen, I’ll still be seventeen for seven months and this State calls that felony Statutory Rape or misdemeanor Unlawful Sexual Conduct. Both of those have at least one year prison sentences and the first is five to fifteen years. According to the article I read Los Angeles County has already put about 600 young teenage ‘men’ in jail for Statutory Rape. Seems the State is on a pogrom for rapists but putting young high school boyfriends in jail is easier than actually going after real rapists.”

I was thunderstruck for a moment, “You’re not kidding… are you?”

My eyes must have unfocused thinking because she patted my cheek a little hard to help me wake up. As Willow continued, “I can’t stop seeing you for seven months and I know you feel the same. Your Lawyer says that anyone can file the charge against you. Anyone… like Principle Snyder, my Dad or Mom although they wouldn’t or any of those jocks you decked and they would. Anyone! He also said that even if I was a medically provable virgin with twenty Nuns as witnesses, it would take eighteen months of jail and court appearances to clear your name. He says that the State has recently been going crazy with prosecutions of even High School Seniors for Statutory Rape of their High School girl friends. Even when it is very consensual and even pre-marital.”

I was almost speechless. My head slowly shaking no, at what should logically not be. This was the Law being applied not for Justice but for convenience and injustice. I neuronetted Cortana with only one question, “Cortana, is what she saying the truth?”

Cortana responded immediately with but one dangerous word that sank me, “Yes.”

I stammered out to Willow, “Eighteen months lost in legal proceedings and prison?”

She kissed me quickly to shut up my sputtering, “There’s only one exception. In California, it is a crime to have sex with anyone younger than 18… unless… unless the two people are legally married to one another. That’s why we need to get married before you turn eighteen. Plus taking money from Buffy and Cordelia was a small bonus.”

She paused and this last, she said with some stern determination in her voice. “Yes, taking their money was a vital necessity which I hope to repeat again.”

I just sat there paralyzed and all I could do was softly stutter and stammer, “We could never be alone together for seven months… I couldn’t even kiss you or hug you or … We would have to have chaperones all the time.”

She gave me a hug and whispered into my ear, “Yes, we could hold hands and kiss in public but that’s it, or we get married. They can’t charge you if we’re married.”

I looked into her eyes a lot harder, “Did you know this before you made those bets with Buffy and Cordelia?”

Now her eyes flashed and sparkled, “Yep! I got off my phone with Mr. Applebee just before they showed up. I was mulling over what he said when Cordelia made a snide comment about grabby inconsiderate slobbery boys, men in general and you specifically. She mentioned you getting grabby and slobbery all over me. Then they both said that I would entrap you into marriage by getting knocked up first. So I was a little angry at her and then both of them. Even if it was true, about me thinking of getting knocked up. You were being so honorable and fending me off… and I just got angry. So, I decided to make them pay.”

I was so astounded my mouth was hanging open for much to long before I snapped it shut. “You could have told me?”

She smiled ruefully at me, “No I couldn’t have! That wouldn’t have been any fun at all. Besides I really needed to make you squirm and get all sweaty. Cortana said that I needed practice at making you drool and get all hot for me.”

I wryly chuckled and blushed all the way to the tips of my ears, “Well, you certainly did that and more to me.”

She grinned wickedly at me and bit her lower lip, “I’m glad… you appreciated it. I was so scared that you’d misunderstand or freak out or… not really love me.”

I cupped the back of her neck with my hand, brought her face to mine and kissed her slowly. “I do love you and you should know that I came this close.” I held up my hand with my thumb and fore finger pressed tightly together. “I came this close to ravaging you non-stop for two weeks.”

Her faced brightened and she flushed. “I did! Ooooh! Promises, promises.” She began fanning herself with her hand.

Her face then darkened as she turned back to me, “Don’t expect me to entice you nearly as much until we’re married. You and I have to be good. Well sorta of good…. Just not all sweaty bad. But I’m going to hold you to that… non-stop part after we’re married.”

She stopped fanning herself. She sat up and turned away from me a little. Her mind was thinking and I could almost see the gears whirling madly above her head. She spoke softly to herself, thinking out loud. “More than six months… No… its gonna be a long year… Gotta be good… I’ve gotta be insane.”

She turned back to me and smiled apologetically, “Buffy and Cordelia can’t be my bridesmaids in May or June or July. Both will be out of town. Kendra will even be gone. So the next best time is after next Christmas just before your birthday.”

She smiled brighter, moved back in close and put her head down against my shoulder. My mind was racing while my body heated with her presence. What was this? I was now a mass of conflicted feelings?

One year before we get married was better than six months. This could work out? Was this the state of betrothed lovers? Heated embraces, kisses and passion followed by the raging seas of anger and frustration… to a reflective pride and warm love again. I watched her intently as she faced me her eyes closed against my shoulder. She was beautiful, brilliant and cunning young woman.

Taking money from Cordelia and Buffy at the same time was a feat worthy of the demigod Hercules.

My heart said that I was still and perhaps more deeply in love with her. I was feeling proud of her. Had she bested Cortana in this?

What’s next in Sunnydale and my life? Was I to wake from this dream as Poppa Smurf all blue?

I shook my head which was nearly full with the confusion and conflict of love, uncertainty and pride.

I focused. Willow was right it was time to go to work and before she could start working on me again, confounding me further, I stood up and dropped her on the couch with a smooch on her cheek. Willow had a disappointed look but still blew me a kiss.

Discretion is the better part of valor they say. I walked fast putting distance between us, calling for Roary over my shoulder that I would meet him at the truck.

I’d already lost a pound to the Willow tigress today. No need to lose any more, even if what she did will keep me out of jail.

This really sucks and is so infuriating! I felt like I had been drug down the street until half of me was raw and bleeding. This afternoon, I was going crazy. I was gobsmacked, aggravated, smouldering peeved, defeated… hopefull and then embarrassed all in less than one hour.

Now she’s making way to much sense and I was proud of her. She’s saving me from a legal bashing from our insane unjust legal system. … Oooh! Gerr! Like women since time began driving men insane!

Cortana and I, flaunted the legal system when it was convenient to us. Other times scrupulously followed it when it was just and right. We ignored it completely when it came to earthly criminals, weapons, money, technical equipment and demons.

It would be something trivial and a legal technicality like this for the cops to bust me on. They bagged Al Capone on tax evasion and not on the thousands of other far more heinous crimes he committed. It didn’t matter that Al Capone killed hundreds of people but God forbid he committed the unforgivable sin of not paying all of his taxes and for which the State pitched him into prison for life. They won’t get me on failure to pay taxes because we were paying all that was required. They’ll arrest me for loving Willow the week after I turn 18.

Here Cortana and I had been focused on the organs of State security taking us on over our other activities and like the Great White Shark from the movie Jaws, this comes out of the deep blue to take a great big nibble.

I grabbed my weapons go bag before heading out the door. My sword pommel was sticking out and ready for just in case we had the odd undead blood snacker in the street. Not likely in this neighborhood but better safe than sorry.

I stood there near the drive way looking at the night sky. I wanted to scream into the night my frustration and anger. Opps, my hand was crushing one of the four inch metal poles holding up the shade awning. I hope Roary doesn’t notice. Double bat crap! He’s going to notice that damage from thirty feet away and give me, ‘the look’.

It’s not like I’m thinking of dumping her… I can’t kill her and I still can’t think of living without her. … I’m a freaked out mess. I just hope a vamp or demon comes down the street right now. I’m so worked up I need some über violence to work off my frustrations. Problem is it wouldn’t last long enough for my current Willow issues. I need a Conga line of demons.

I neuronetted Cortana while waiting for Roary to arrive with his keys, hopefully scanning the street and sidewalks. “Hey Sis, any sitreps for me?”

Cortana came back quickly as always, “A pile of European business stuff and more schedule change items beginning with your flight on Saturday. Just a few items that can’t wait. But first I want to congratulate you on your new handle, ‘Sweety Pie’.”

I gruffed, “I’d prefer Spartan or Vengeance over sweetie-pie… I’m sure Spike and the other demons would just die laughing, if I colored my armor pink, wore a tutu and told them that I was “Sweetie Pie” come to kill them all.”

Cortana teased me, laughing at my expense again, “You’re still a sweetie pie to me and also may I add Willow. I know she’s having wicked thoughts about you as we speak.”

“Please, don’t remind me of that. And when were you going to tell me about my risk of arrest and jail after I turned eighteen?”

Laughing sadistically she commented, “I wasn’t. That was Willow’s job. I’m just trying to get you laid, not marry you.”

“So what were you going to do before Willow gave you the plan to use my sperm for childless couples?”

Cortana happily quipped, “I was going to recruit twelve-hundred young women each year to jump your bones. All willing to be mothers at our generous expense but Willow said she would scratch all of their eyes out and feed what was left to the local night life.”

My response must have been surprised glee, “She did!”

I really had to beat down this pride thing in Willow at the moment. I wanted to hold onto my grump.

Cortana snorted at me playfully, “I’m here to protect human life. Not encourage Willow to be a successful serial killer. But on a good note she is as protective of you as I am. At least she offered a valid alternative that we both could live with. The added bonus is that her plan is one-third as expensive as my original plan and produces more fully enhanced children.”

“But… Twelve hundred women! Why 1200?”

Cortana giggled, “Seems like a nice round number for three to four a day. You should have been capable of servicing them.”

I was outraged! This was far worse than what Willow had planned. “I’m not a stud bull to go ‘servicing’ as you put it, any women you contract to send to me! I will not have sex with hundreds of random women that I don’t love.”

Cortana was petulant, “This world desperately needs fully enhanced humans to meet the Covenant or these Goa’uld and the sooner the better. You know this as well as I do and you’d have come around. Besides if some Pasha of the 16th century could father 1200 children each year, I believe you could also.”

I replied with the surety of granite stone, “No, Sis. You’re mistaken about me. Three months ago I would have but NOT now. John wouldn’t have and neither will I. I’m not some drunken misogynist amoral frat boy who thinks only of sport sex. There’s only one woman I want to get sweaty physical with. Only one.”

Maybe I’m unhinged? Willow’s plan was sounding better by the microsecond. At least with hers, I didn’t have to get physical with Cortana’s legion of mistresses. With Willow’s plan the parents really wanted children and we were going to subsidize their families, not bankroll them. Despite what Cortana thinks I might do, I’m just not that kind of guy anymore. Besides with that many women the probability of me briefly contracting one or all of the forty-nine sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) that are so prevalent today in young promiscuous unmarried females was 100%. Although because of our differences in anatomy females were far more susceptible to STDs than males were. Which means that before my nanites wiped it out, I would be the one cross infecting the women. This is not good at all. I would also be giving Willow a new STD every few weeks. This would be a terrible breach of trust between us not to mention under Cortana’s plan the mothers of my children.

My resolve solidified. I will not be some idiot Pasha with a vast harem or a frat boy. I couldn’t.

I stood there shaking my head. “Cortana, your plan really sucks and Willow’s is much more acceptable.”

Cortana quickly giggled, “Besides Willow, are you sure you wouldn’t rise to the occasion if one or three others that you know and now love were agreeable?”

“Sis! I would never hurt Willow like that.”

Cortana snickered, “What if she… asked you to?”

My brain froze, I sputtered and gulped like a fish again. Women!! Are so infuriating!

I really didn’t know what to say anymore. She was just verbally whacking my head with a baseball bat to get a rise out of me, so I decided to change the subject back to my original question. “What about this legal stuff about the possibility of me… me being charged with Statutory Rape?”

Cortana was all cool lawyer shark voice, “Very real probability. The Governor has a special task force to provide extra State money to counties and cities for more rape convictions. They’re paying for prosecutions. You would be an easy target in this town for retribution if the Mayor or your enemies could find any bit of dirt to use against you. This is the kind of dirt that young hormonal males in high school don’t think about. Plus even if all charges were dropped, this is the kind of legal smear that would follow you the rest of your life.”

My brain was thinking through all of the depressing possibilities. “Yeah… Principle Snyder would be first in line to swear out a complaint against me. Probably even Spike just to drive a wedge into the Scooby Gang.” I fumed and then groused to Cortana after a few moments, “So Willow is doing me a huge favor now?”

Cortana chuckled dryly at me, “Actually, yes she is. Although she would never call saving your neck from prosecutors a ‘favor.’ Take heart lover-boy, her plan of marrying you will not happen next June but instead her fall back plan is sometime between Christmas and your 18th birthday. She’ll be seventeen and a half then. Which will be an easier sale to her parents plus her kitchen council of Karen, Buffy, Kendra and Cordelia all think this would be a better time. Except for Karen, they all have scheduling conflicts with a summer wedding. Buffy has had long term plans to spend this summer with her father in Spain. Cordelia and her parents are going to be in Europe the entire summer break. Kendra believes that her watcher was planning on their hunting in southern Chile. Seems there’s been reports of demons and vampires down in Terra del Fuego.”

I relaxed, “A one year reprieve and marriage a few days before I turned 18 certainly would be better for us all.” My mind drifted off into a vision of Willow hugely pregnant at our Senior Prom. My lower body betrayed me again.

Finally Cortana’s had enough mirth at my expense and we got the business stuff over fairly quickly and just in time for Roary to show up.

On the way down to Reach to suit up, I asked Cortana via neuronet to add a few items to our check lists of things to do. “Cortana, please make some deals for me tomorrow will you?”

Cortana was mirthful, “Ya, sure thing. What is it?”

“Please, make arrangements for our new Witch and Wizard friends to get up here and put magic wards on all the Scoobies houses. Maybe different kinds of wards from the walls going out to fifty or hundred yards all around their houses just to be safe. Assuming your cameras and sensors miss them, I don’t want any blood suckers or demons showing up without warning bells going off and hopefully something lethal magically happening to them. Also have them do the same for around our buildings. As they are able, let’s have them expand out to all of our employees houses. Maybe the magic can restrict the movement of the vamps so we can channel them into killing zones.”

Cortana sighed, “I’ll ask tomorrow what kinds of magic services, that we can have done. You do know that casting the magic is exhausting to them so this might take awhile.”

“Doesn’t matter Cortana, so long as they start on basic magic defenses and alerts for us. Something non-technical to complement and supplement your growing surveillance capability. Who knows? Maybe they can create some sort of magic crystal ball for you that would show the location of all of the demons in town. The slayers job would be easier if we had a magic demon Radar tracking device.”

Cortana got a positively wicked chuckle in her laugh, “That’s a good idea Alex. I’ll ask about that. But is there anything else to add to our list?”

“Ya, Sis. Giles is really good with a battle axe and a European style broadsword but we gave the Slayers Japanese swords and other edged weapons. Can you find a really good Kenjutsu or Kendo or Aikido sword master and get them up here on a contract to intensively train the Slayers specifically, for the next two weeks but also some training for Roary, Cordelia, Karen and Willow. Have them come up here for the next six months or a year at least twice a week for additional training. Might as well make it a perk and include anyone at Reach who also wants to train in martial arts classes also.”

“This sounds good Alex. But I’ll keep our girl-gangs class separate from everyone else’s. No need to put the Slayers on display. Their instructors will have to adapt to their speed and strength. I’ll add a silence and privacy clauses to the contracts so they don’t go bragging about training super-girls.”

“Good point Cortana. Thanks and see you in about two minutes. Out.”

“Roger that Alex. FYI. Your four lady patients have now left for the Clinic. Out.”

Wednesday, 17 Dec. 1997, 10:15 PM, Sunnydale California

After suiting up again Roary had driven me in our new midnight black Bearcat armored truck to the Medi-Fast Clinic. I stepped out to an empty parking lot to see Dr. Rapicz waiting at their wide open emergency entrance door. In the hallway behind him I could see his two trusted staff; Helen and Ruthy along with two new faces, also staff. This time none of them looked fearfully on me.

Since they were primarily a family medicine clinic they would normally have been shut by 7 PM but tonight we had generously arranged for them to return for a private ‘consultation’ and exam.

Cortana had set up everything so they knew what we wanted and they had seen my scanning abilities before, just not all of them. I stepped forward with my chameleon skin active, shields at 5% to maintain a slight hazing effect and walked quickly inside the clinic. I kept to my Vengeance persona and voice. I didn’t shake any hands but did greet them with a graveled out, “It is a lovely night… humans.” I walked past them without stopping and into their X-ray room to wait.

Roary was going to be the first patient on the table but they had to get all of their preliminary chart and workup done first. Typical of all operations, hurry up and wait.

After I scanned Roary it would be Willow, Karen, Kendra and then Buffy last. Best to have the princess of ultra-snark on the table last. I couldn’t be seen or heard laughing in front of the clinic staff.

I hope Cortana’s pre-mission talk with the ladies will stick. No calling me by my name and no laughing at me, while I get this done. It would blow my cover as the fearsome predator Vengeance.

At least tonight I expected this scan job to last between two and three hours. Willow and I, must be up early for our drive south to Santa Barbara.

What am I going to do about that girl? Well she’s definitely not a little girl anymore. I’m continuously underestimating her. She’s not all physically dangerous like Buffy and Kendra but possibly more dangerous. She’s way to smart, to curvy, smells great… To d&^$ Fr%&k^#g smart of a genius who has stolen my heart. I gritted my teeth.

While waiting for Roary to get mostly undressed and on the table, and before my hair caught on fire thinking about Willow; I radioed Cortana to talk and get additional SitReps. I really didn’t expect to detect anything alarming in my scans tonight but Cortana would analyze the data stored inside my Mjolnir suits optical crystal memory space and again later at Nefertiti Systems. The data that would be off boarded from my Mjolnir armor’s processors might take awhile for her given her more limited Earthly centralized processing resources that we had available. My Mjolnir Mark VI armor had about 500% of America’s entire current computer data storage capacity.

We were in process to fixing that though. Our first two super-duper computers built to Cortana’s specs had arrived in Sunnydale and were being installed. The Cray and IBM teams would be finished next week while I was gone. We had fifteen more super-Cray’s on order. Seven of them were destined for installation at the former Calax building downtown when it’s remodeling was finished. The others headed for our new research and data center outside Fort Worth, Texas. In sixty days between them they would surpass the Mjolnir armor’s processing capability. From then on we would be doubling that processing power every sixty days. Cortana’s artful tweaks to just five companies mass storage designs and factory production processes were already contributing to the doubling in size of their mass storage products. We were going to be a major investor and buyer.

By this time next year even Joe Sixpack could buy a low cost home computer with more processing power and mass storage capacity than Bill Gates could envision just ten years ago. At worst a decade after that Joe Sixpack could afford to buy a home computer more powerful than the Cray’s we just bought.

This was just the tip of the iceberg in our buying and building. We were providing hundreds of millions of dollars in seed money for network oriented startups called Google, Amazon, Yahoo, GoDaddy and fifty others. Then there were the telecommunications infrastructure companies with their tens of thousands of miles of copper cables. Copper distribution cables that were now transitioning with Cortana’s help, to much cheaper and exponentially faster fiber optic cables.

What better place to hide Cortana’s operational ‘needs’ than in the virtual world of massive data centers and their interconnected optical networks? She really needed to feel the speed.

We had high hopes for all of those companies in the future. Besides it was a good business investment.

At least Cortana wouldn’t go ‘Skynet’ on the human race. Although she didn’t have Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics hard coded into her, she honored them as best that she could given her mother’s code of morality and ethics. Her mother, Dr. Halsey could be ruthless and pragmatic but she was totally committed to saving the human race. Some specific individuals, not at all but Cortana’s ethics were in my and John’s experience a cut above the normal human. To gain her lethal ire you had to be a real dirt bag, maliciously hurting other people or siding with the enemies of mankind. Other than that she left people alone to work through their own problems and mistakes. Even me.

Everything had gone smooth in the scans, except for Buffy. She was in a wildcat mood when she arrived at the Medi-Fast Clinic. She seesawed through her moods as fast as an erratic shooting star. First she was depressed and then angry, then back again to sullenly despondent, and then it all started over again. Finally after she was on the table, barely settled down and alone, I quietly asked her what was wrong?

She finally mentioned with a salting of hurt venom, “I came home tonight and my mom was in the kitchen smooching a guy! It wasn’t my Dad!! I mean he had his slimy arms around her and she was giggling like a little girl. … She was enjoying it! And HE! HIM! He was even baking my favorite cookies! … They smelled so good… better than my own Mom’s… It’s not right! She was putting her hands on him… all over him… and kissing him… I’m gonna kill’em.”

I was afraid that she was going to pop-up at the end of each pause for breath like an angry jack-in-the-box and spoil my scan. She was really emotional and angry about her mother dating a guy … not her dad.

I instantly neuronetted Cortana, “Hey Sis, you hearing this sad story?”

“Yes, Buffy seems more than a little emotional about this. She might even kill him herself.”

“Not funny Sis, but I could understand where she’s coming from, knowing how she feels about her Dad. Do you know who this guy is?”

“His name is Ted Buchanan and he owns a retail MicroAge computer store and the adjacent electronics store down on Maple. He also owns a home on Olive Tree Drive. Locally he has a reputation as a very competent software developer. He consults up at the University writing software programs for graduate students. Despite that, there are some oddities in my analysis.”

“Can you open an investigative folder on him?”

“Already done and that’s why I mentioned oddities in his folder. Nothing really stood out by itself but now that I’m aggregating information together and comparing… he may not be human.”

My hackles and eyebrows went up, while Buffy lay on the table grinding her teeth over Ted. “Oookay… Sis… Make your case to me.”

Cortana poured her collected information into my mind. She began her briefing, “Ted Buchanan was born in Dayton Ohio in 1914 and died in 1952 of influenza. He’s buried in the original French’s Cemetery.

This Ted Buchanan is either a perfect twin or immortal because he hasn’t aged since his newspaper photograph in 1951, for a patent award.

Ted Buchanan has been married five times and all the women appear to be sisters of each other they are so close alike. Including Joyce.

The first marriage was in 1940 to a Valerie and since 1956, Ted has been married four times with no divorces. Each of his wives have all disappeared. What is alarming is that there are no death certificates or birth certificates for children from the marriages.

Examining his purchases, banking and utilities he doesn’t eat very much, heat his home or business but he has a high electrical bill. In fact for the past five years his home electric bill is seven times his neighbors.

Since his hospitalization and death in March of 1952, there’s no medical or insurance records of Ted Buchanan or of his wives.

I have forty seconds of recent Infrared video of him and his thermal signature does not quite match a human. Close, but his imagery is off by 23% from human normal. He is hot in places where he shouldn’t be and colder in places where he should be hotter.

Therefore my conclusion is… he’s not human. What kind of non-human he is… is uncertain. But I’m sure his missing wives might be able to clarify for us what he is and his intentions, assuming any of them are still alive.”

Cortana convinced me but right now there was nothing I could do about it until after Christmas. “Ok Cortana, he’s not human but Buffy will have to deal with this guy or… creature herself. Right now he’s not an imminent threat, so please keep an eye on him for Buffy.”

It was apparent that Ted wasn’t a threat for now but that would change if he actually married Mrs. Summers. So we had some time to observe him and plan what to do about him.

But for now I won’t say anything to Buffy. Cortana will talk to Buffy after our Private Eyes turn Ted’s rocks over. Shamuses have an uncanny ability at finding out things that aren’t in computers or commonly known. Things people don’t want others to know.

My armor was locked and I still had to finish this scan before heading home and a good night sleep.

Now I had more personal secrets about my friends that I had to keep. Oh… this is just peachy…

Thursday, 18 Dec. 1997, 10:00 PM, Sunnydale California
45th Day after first purchase of the Warehouse

It had been a long day today and at least Willow didn’t try the sexy nurse uniform seduction on me. My own imagination was fully up to the task of providing a sperm sample for Sansum Med. They took two pints of blood off me and would have drained me dry if Cortana would have let them. I swear Lab and Medical Techs are all vampires at heart or for real. They are a blood-thirsty lot fit to crew a 17th century pirate ship.

But here I was back at the Medi-Fast clinic. I had finished scanning Giles and was almost finished with Jenny Calendar. Seeing her dangerous curves under that skin tight exercise leotards she was wearing was just as pleasantly distracting as when I scanned Willow, Kendra and Buffy the night before.

Lucky I can lock my armor so it doesn’t move and I turned off my radio so no one could hear me slobbering. This suit is ‘uncomfortable’ to be inside when you have a boner and you can’t scratch an itch.

Cordelia had arrived just before I finished scanning Jenny. After she got one look at my shimmering Mjolnir body through the X-Ray room door, Roary and Willow had to grab her before she bolted out the front door. She knew this was a medical scan but her friends didn’t tell her it was Vengeance or she just didn’t hear that part. She must have thought it was a free Cat-scan or something with a handsome young scan-tech she could flirt with. She’d heard the stories about V but she still didn’t know it was me.

I have to give her credit for her sense of Sunnydale survival instincts. Her eyes went wide, she sucked in a lung full of air and she was instantly turning in full flight mode. She was in such a hurry to run that she bolted into Willow and they both almost hit the deck if it hadn’t been for Roary scooping them up.

Shame I couldn’t laugh out loud. My armor was locked and I was in the final minutes of my thirty minute long scan of Jenny who had taken a nap on the table. I guess staring at the grey ceiling or my outstretched arms and bowed helmet was boring.

Giles was laughing so hard at Cordelia’s panic and running over Willow that he woke Jenny up and I had to talk fast to keep her from moving and spoiling the last of my scan.

I had been hoping to greet Cordelia with a little electric frizz job on her coiffed hair but alas I was not going to get the opportunity. She was scared enough of me as it was. I didn’t need a girly beating from Cordelia later when she found out it was the Xanderman inside the scary costume. I asked Willow and Roary to tell her it was me after I left for Europe and that would give her a week to settle down.

While Willow was helping her towards the table she turned to look at me and dug her spurs into Cordelia. I saw it coming a fraction of a second early with that little tell tail smirk of her lips and impish twinkle in her eye. She addressed me with a wink and a quick smile but her comment was clearly for Cordelia. “Please, Lord Vengeance… will you… be gentle with her?”

I was standing still in place six feet from the table against the wall and had started to step forward. But I did restrain myself with the help of locking my suit quickly. Thank God for my neuralnet controls.

Cordelia took it with a grimace and her eyes still measuring me for the slightest threatening movement. She groused, “Willow! You’re not helping a poor defenseless girl here.”

Willow grinned back at her, “You’re mostly naked but not defenseless. Besides he’s a sweetie pie…”

Cordelia eyes betrayed a glimmer of now amusement but she griped. “Don’t remind me.” As she tried to straighten and adjust her hospital gown to cover more of herself. My problem was that the tighter she pulled the gown the more she showed. She had a lot of dangerous female stuff to show. Her nipples were hard enough to cut glass.

I guessed that Willow was having some fun with her and also me, since I only needed them to have no metal or ceramics on their bodies for these scans. Willow and the others had worn clothing due to the air-conditioned cold. Willow had told her to strip naked and only wear the hospital style examining gown. Cordelia was scrumptious looking even with all of that goose bump covered skin. I was having a very rigid problem under my armor.

Cordelia gasped, as she tried to levitate off the cold table surface and squeaked. “Did anyone tell you that this table is really cold?!”

Willow grinned back at her quipping good naturally. “Don’t be a wimp Cordy! We all did this last night and it was just as cold then as now. So plunk your royal rump right there and chill out.”

Cordelia snarked back, “Chill indeed my butts near frozen!” When she finally settled down on the table, I stepped up. Willow was on the other side and she kept her hand on her shoulder as comfort.

With a hidden smile I said, “Welcome earthling and please do not move during this medical scan.”

Cordelia was first alarmed and then looked quickly at Willow who was hiding a giant smile behind her hand. I hoped that she didn’t break out in laughter or start snorting, as I raised my arms over Cordelia. Her eyes locked on my enigmatic reflective gold coated visor. Locking my armor I asked politely in my Vengeance voice, “Lady Willow, please leave the room.”

Willow curtsied mockingly, winked and then retreated to just outside the door. Her pranks on Cordelia and both Slayers were getting to be more subtle and also with this one aimed at also me.

The more dangerous radiation, X-rays given off by my sensors was equivalent to a chest X-ray or two, some Gamma rays but most of the energies given off were in creation of powerful focused magnetic fields, neutrinos and an exotic sub-atomic particle that all could be directed. These scans were at the molecular level. Still it was dangerous and unnecessary for anyone else to get more than one exposure to this level of radiation every six months. My armor, nanites and shields protected me.

Cordelia pulled a Jenny and drifted off to sleep ten minutes into my scans but twenty-three minutes later I was the one who was startled when Cortana surprised me with astounding news.

Cortana was also surprised but calmly informed me, “Alex, my preliminary analysis of Cordelia’s DNA build is complete. Nothing stands out as a genetic disease in her DNA. One thing does standout. Her DNA has a high match correlation with Buffy Summers for a common father. This is not absolutely conclusive at this time without genetic samples from both Hank Summers and Veronica Chase. But the probability is six-hundred million to one, for a matching father.”

If my armor wasn’t locked, I would have fallen over. I mean… What in the world happened? I know about when… but where, and how?

A long five seconds passed and Cortana came back, “I’ve checked my results again and there is a verified 27.8% genome pattern match indicating a common paternal donor.”

There was a reason that they were so much alike. They shared the same father!

Cortana and I quickly discussed her findings and options. I finished the scans and Willow came in to wake Cordelia but I said nothing over the radio to Roary and Willow.

I backed up to the wall and locked my armor again. Cortana and I came to an agreement to withhold this life shattering news from everyone for now.

They had to get Cordelia out of the Clinic in time for Buffy to arrive with her mother.

Roary had already left to chauffer them with a few ribald jokes about what do you do with a daughter who drugs her mother. After Buffy’s turmoil last evening over Ted, I hoped that Buffy didn’t drug her mother into next week or the emergency room. She still thought the world of her father and knowing that the living proof of her father’s infidelity was Cordelia might violently unhinge her.

Who would she kill first? Would she kill Cordelia, her father or Ted? I didn’t believe that she would physically attack Cordelia but I wouldn’t make a one dollar bet on the guys. She’d go slayer action girl figure on both of them. Cordelia in this regard had no choice in her mother and father’s actions. She was truly an innocent in this drama.

Cortana and I were now going to examine Joyce Summers DNA with a fine toothed comb. Plus we were scheming plans to obtain a DNA sample of Buffy’s father, Cordelia’s mother Veronica, and also her dad Ron Chase, for absolute confirmation.

Still the probability that Cortana was wrong was six-hundred million to one against. There was a very small chance that she was wrong but before we threw out this nuclear bomb shell on Cordelia, Joyce and Buffy we had to have her natural parents DNA for comparison.

This was just another personal secret that we would have to keep for now. I really felt bad for Cordelia. She had rich but crappy parents and now her life was tangled up with Buffy’s in a way, I’m sure they’ll both loathe.

I would make book on her screams being heard all the way to Santa Barbara.

All I could do was shake my head inside my helmet. I know I live on a Hellmouth but I’m also living inside a television soap opera.

Five minutes after she left the X-Ray room she departed the clinic for home. Ten minutes of conversations with Cortana at the speed of light and Buffy walked in carrying her sleeping mother.

Joyce’s heart beat was slow and regular. Her vitals were well within the parameters for the correct drug dosage. At least Buffy hadn’t overdosed her in a fit of teenage madness.

Buffy had already stripped her of metals and jewelry, as I had instructed her to do and she was wearing flannel PJs and was wrapped in a bed sheet. Laying her carefully down on the table Willow helped arrange Joyce for my scans. Buffy kept looking at me in a, this is my mother don’t you dare hurt her sort of way. I understood completely, she was protective and mondo concerned.

Buffy knew, I needed to do this but she was still reluctant. She kept looking at her mother, then me and then back to her mother. She was worrying her lower lip the entire time. When Willow finally dragged her outside the room, I stepped forward and began.

I couldn’t conceive of anymore surprises this night. … Boy-o-boy, was I wrong.

Thirty-two minutes later Buffy was carrying her mother out to be chauffeured home by Roary. I had stepped back and still in a conversation with Cortana about risks and probabilities.

Joyce had a very small tumor in her brain. Only a few hundred cells of cancer at this time and undetectable by 21st Century Earth medicine. It was a slow one so we had time, maybe two years before it began to kill her. On the plus side Joyce’s DNA proved that she was undeniably Buffy’s mother and not Cordelia’s. While Buffy also had a solid 25.7% DNA match for Hank Summers as her natural father. Slightly less full pattern DNA match for Hank than Cordelia had. Then again Buffy did take after her mother.

We finally decided to not say a thing for now. In the next six months I would quietly give Joyce one of my Sansum concentrated nanite shots. We would let the nanites cure Joyce. Nice and quiet way to deal with it. Especially no cutting her head open surgery to scoop out a cancer nodule along with some of her brains. One slip of the knife or scooper by a ham-fisted Doc and Joyce, would be a drooling incontinent imbecile that needed permanent nursing care.

This was the Hellmouth. The forces of evil and Murphy’s Law for a Slayer would be in full commode. Just as Joyce’s surgery was at its most critical point we would have an earthquake, volcanic eruption in the center of town or an invasion of zombie body-snatchers from a hellish dimension. Whatever the disaster the Surgeon would accidently scoop out her brains.

Buffy had enough to deal with in her life. The only person that she truly loved and cared for was her mother. Angel was a distant second in this. She would be devastated if anything happened to her.

Now I had more secrets to keep from my friends. I’m just sooo peachy…

Friday, 19 Dec. 1997, 8:00 PM, Sunnydale California
46th Day after first purchase of the Warehouse

I was lying in my bed unable to sleep. My brain was overclocking with thoughts. Tomorrow my day starts early.

My bags were packed and I went over my checklist for the twentieth time in the last minute.

I needed to think of something other than my whirlwind schedule. What was supposed to be a back-by-Christmas trip was now a back by January 7th road trip. An eighteen day road trip packed full of smiling PR flaks, photographers, journalists, employees, accountants and… lawyers.

For the first time in my life, I was going to spend Christmas away from my parents and my friends. Cortana and I, had to scramble to insure that everyone would have a Christmas gift since I really hadn’t done any Christmas shopping yet. My bad.

I wasn’t scheduled to return to Sunnydale until, Wednesday night at 10:30 PM. I was going to have to endure long days, short nights and hopping across seven countries. Arriving home late at night exhausted. I had to be at the High School the very next day and then up to the College. Giving me just a few days to rehearse for Roary and Karen’s wedding. Only God knew what Willow was going to do when I returned.

So I thought about the good things that happened today. It was a nice day to relax and prepare for my business trip. New armored cars and vans arrived today at Reach. More toys for big boys. Buffy was jealous but drove them like the mad women she is and scared the Reach Security guys half to death who rode shotgun in the vehicles.

I built more minion bots for Cortana in the late morning between smoochies with Willow. Willow was a clingy and teary-eyed pest all day but in a, ‘I love you’ way – and a ‘promise to come back soon’ way.

I taught her how to solder small electrical wires and assemble minion bots for Cortana. She hadn’t been aware of them until today. She loved the thought of little robots running around as Cortana’s helpers. When she first saw them, she squealed, “droids!” Although none of them look like George Lucas’s droids in Star Wars.

She wants a couple to reprogram and play with. I’m afraid of what she might program them to do. Maybe I made a mistake teaching her how to assemble them?

I clued Curt my building manager in on them also. He had noticed them his second day but kept silent since after seeing my Armor he took them in stride as just another one of my miracles of engineering. He was very appreciative because they made his job easier by cleaning, repairing and building things. All he had to do was ask Cortana and if the bots could do it, they did. Still there were a lot of things that humans still had to do.

My four above ground special demon and vampire jail cells would be finished next week; along with our adjacent Bio-Hazard laboratory. They were both on schedule and that was very good news.

Next week after the cement dried for our ramp down into the tunnels, Cortana was going to have the underground tunnel running south of the warehouses excavated for building our own side tunnels for more interrogation rooms, jail cells, munitions storage and places for her minion bots to sortie from.

If the city made the tunnels for the demons to use, then we could use them also. We planned on filling the tunnels with special purpose anti-demon kill-bots and other bad news for demons courtesy of modern mad-science.

I felt like a good, Muh-ha-ha-ha! A deep from the belly kind of maniacal laughter. An evil genius mad-scientist laugh straight from a Hollywood B movie.

I’ll have to work on it.

Thursday, 25 Dec. 1997, 6:40 PM
Marriott Hotel, Zürich Switzerland.

I was unprepared for this. The hotel was truly grand. Wide staircases and my hotel suite was bigger than my parents’ house. Valets, the hotel concierge and my security detail. It was like, I was someone else playing a role. I wanted to carry my own bags and pick up my dishes but I had to stop myself and let these people do their jobs. Their jobs was to look after every detail of my life which they did. I noticed their work effort but still it was disconcerting to my upbringing.

The only thing I could do was leave big tips for them. It was just money and I had plenty for now. Wouldn’t always but that was life.

I had spent Christmas lunch and the afternoon with my Executive Vice President Eric G. Rall and his family. It was nice of them to invite me to his home. His three small children were polite but excited about all of their presents. The children were also very interested in me. No telling what gossip they had heard about me. But I didn’t help that any by using my Spartan speed, reflexes and dexterity to perform simple magic tricks for the kids. I was pretty good with the ‘presto-change-o’ and ‘abra-ca-dabra’ prestidigitation routine.

The youngest, Katherine brought me her most favorite present to show off and when I made it disappear into thin air, she almost started to bawl before I quickly made it reappear in my hand. She snatched it away from me almost as fast as Buffy would have.

With that, I realized I could never be a politician. They live by stealing candy and presents, the future from children as well as adults. They always say they are ‘doing it for the children’ or the ‘greater good’ or ‘save the planet’… but what they’re really doing is pure evil deception while they selfishly steal even more for themselves.

I might be a ruthless and efficient killer, but I wasn’t an amoral rat bastard.

My ‘normal’ Christmas Day with Eric and his family made my first Christmas away from my friends and family bearable.

But now, I was sitting in my Marriott grand hotel suite alone, relaxing with my tie off, shoes off and feet up. Well mostly alone since I’m not counting the two security men in the suite with me, my chauffer across the hall and the six security personnel in the adjacent rooms. They were very professional and were earning their money. I suppose out of the six men and two women; at least two of them had to be reporting hourly to Swiss Intelligence on me. In Switzerland everyone over the age of eighteen was military trained, armed and therefore also a member of their government. It would be naïve of me to assume otherwise.

They had no idea what Cortana and I planned for Switzerland. Even Eric didn’t have a clue but he would someday. He was sharp and would figure it out about the same time that he was brought into it. They were all going to be at the vortex of the greatest conspiracy in the history of the world. How to build starships, bases on the moon, O’Neil colonies, space mining operations and a fleet of warships all under the noses of the largest, most powerful and nastiest governments the world has ever known. This will severely test their neutrality.

My race against time and international covert warfare will only be checked by the threat of orbital starship cannons. Those that tried to push Switzerland around over Aten Works will be unambiguously asked to be polite and play nice… or else.

Cortana and I were burning through the trillions that she stole from criminals and tyrants. That burn rate was going to accelerate once we got into space. From then on it was going to be a race between running out of money or earning enough profit to keep going. In the meantime we were going to employ millions of people and eventually make Switzerland the richest people on this planet. By extension then raise the standard of living for everyone else.

I had already ordered room service for myself and my detail had already eaten. While waiting, I knew it was 9:40 AM in Sunnydale, so I began my Christmas day telephone calls.

I called my parents first and we talked, which made me homesick. I had left Christmas cards for them with tickets for a two week Hawaiian vacation package that they had always wanted to go on but never had the money for. Despite everything in the past, I loved them and wanted the best for them.

I then called Roary and Karen and wished them a merry Christmas. Both were just as concerned for me as my parents were, which was touching. My Christmas cards to them under the tree told them that my gift to them was the house. It was paid for and all they had to do was sign the legal papers in the wrapped box for the transfer to be complete. That wasn’t the only gifts, I had left behind but the best for them. I really missed them both; Roary’s quiet strength, his wisdom and most especially Karen’s cooking. Thinking about it, I also realized that I loved them both because neither treated me like some idiot kid but an equal. Other than Willow they were the first people… family to do that.

Cortana and I, had Christmas gifts delivered to all of the Scooby Gang; Roary, Karen, Kendra, Buffy, Cordelia, Giles, Jenny and Willow.

Warner’s Jewelry and Rajhul Torm had finally finished my next set of special orders two days before Christmas; so I asked that all of them be wrapped as Christmas presents and special delivered. There were two sets of three matching enchanted jewelry for each woman and a similar matching sets for each man.

Each of them received six pieces of enchanted jewelry. One gold jeweled cross on a thick gold necklace with matching gold jeweled wrist bracelets. One nearly identical silver jeweled cross on a silver necklace with matching enchanted bracelets. For the guys in addition to the enchanted gold and silver crosses was a matching man’s enchanted ring with a single jewel and one magic wrist watch.

The crosses and necklaces provided a powerful magic ward against vampires. With this magic any vampire that got within twenty feet of them would begin to feel discomfort and increasing burning pain as they got closer. A vampire touching the cross or necklace would have his entire body burst into flames. A nice last ditch self-protection feature.

The wrist and hand jewelry was magicked to warn the wearer of nearby vampires and demons. This jewelry would vibrate to warn and the jewels would softly glow and indicate the direction of the demon. Together they would form an early warning and last ditch defense against demons.

None of the enchanted jewelry was dangerous to a starving or raging demon but the discomfort they felt might make them hesitate long enough for our friends and family to escape or weapon up.

My only concern was… what would Buffy do? Would this enchanted jewelry adversely react to Angel the same way it was designed to against evil demons? If so, would she stop wearing them?

She was a Slayer but when it came to Angel her hormones and emotions overrode her common sense and logic.

My special magic jewelry was FedEx shipped to me and should be delivered to the Hotel concierge tomorrow. I was traveling Europe and they also had demons aplenty. I didn’t have a Slayers magical ability to detect demons. Tomorrow, I was going to get the one gift that I had come to Switzerland for, a Swiss passport. Naturally with the passport I was also buying my new Swiss residences that my personal Swiss lawyer was going to close on.

Kendra was there at home and thanked me for her Christmas gifts. She didn’t need to but it was nice hearing it. I worried about how short a Slayers life span was normally and what I could do to lengthen it. This gift was just one small thing that might give them an edge. She loved the magic jewelry, I had bought her and was eager to try them out.

I called Buffy and she thanked me for the sparklies. She grew quiet after demanding that I further explain the enchantments. I asked her to try them out but let Willow and Cortana know if there were… Angel problems. The presence of Angel might ‘jam’ the bracelets demon detector. I did ask her to wear them as much as possible because she didn’t always patrol with Angel.

I called Willow and we talked, lover’s words. I missed her in my heart. She said she missed me as she made smooching noises into the phone. She got her set of matching magic jewelry and was wearing it. Plus she saved my Christmas card that I had left her and opened it while on the phone with me. It contained an IOU for a trip to Warner’s Jewelry again and asking her out for the School’s Spring Prom in April.

At first I thought I did something terrible because she started crying. But then, I realized that she was crying and happy all at the same time.

She’s a funny girl. It wasn’t the trip to Warner’s that she valued. That promise of the Spring Prom, was all it took for her to get tingly, weepy, bubbly and warm all over.

For once I took her by surprise, which made me warm all over.

Saturday, 27 Dec. 1997, 10:05 PM
Aten Werks Headquarters, Zürich Switzerland.

I excused myself from the late executive meeting to take a plain old telephone call from Buffy. I already knew all about it courtesy of my neuralnet and Cortana. Plus telephone calls from Roary and Giles that Cortana had routed through my neuralnet. Cortana had told me to be nice because she thought I needed a break from the business meeting. She wasn’t wrong about that.

Although tired I was trying to be pleasant and cheerful, “Hello Buffy. What’s up shorty?”

Buffy was breathless with shock and excitement and then instant outrage. “Shorty!? Xander! If I could reach through this phone and wring your neck I would!! - You’ll never believe what happened today. Never! Oh! Is this telephone all securey and secret decoder ring-a-dinged? So no one can eavesdrop and get an ear full?”

I kidded her a little, chuckling at her Buffyisms. “Yes, this phone call is secure and you don’t have to worry. Didn’t Cortana explain that to you?”

Buffy waffled like a coy little school girl. “Well…. Ya, she did… but a girl likes to hear it from… you know… someone they… like… know… and that isn’t all invisible and powerful thingy.”

I’m sure Cortana is rolling on her photon floor over that description. I was tired and getting testy, “Get on with Buffy. It’s late at night here and I was still working.”

Buffy could put on the airhead act and sometimes she wasn’t acting. “Chill out Xanderman. It’s just after lunch time so don’t tell me it’s all late, tired and can’t talk.”

With some exasperation and tolerance, I managed not to snark at her. “Buffy, the world is a globe spinning in orbit and it is after 10 PM here in Switzerland, so get on with it and tell me why you called me.”

She almost squealed, “Oooh! Switzerland? Land of Bankers, gold stashes, Rolex watches and snow globes?”

“Focus Buffy!! Give me the five W’s right now or I’m hanging up.”

She spit out through clenched teeth, “Spoil sport! … You’ll never guess who I killed today?”

I was the mean little kid to her, “You finally killed Ted.”

“What!? How did you know? Who told you?” Buffy was miffed that I already knew but she had waited over two hours to call me.

I sighed, “Who did you call after Ted hit the ground?”

Buffy responded sheepishly, “Cortana, then Roary and then Giles…”

I turned all school teacher on her and rapped her mental knuckles. “Wasn’t it two hours and twenty minutes ago that you smacked Ted around with that cast iron skillet?

Buffy said quietly, “Yes.”

“Didn’t it take both you and Kendra to move Ted the 600 pound android robot out to the van?”

Buffy said quietly, “Well… Yes but…”

“Isn’t Ted now packed inside a cargo storage container at Reach?”

Buffy exclaimed, “Yes, but he’s…”

Isn’t Giles, Kendra, Willow, Jenny and Roary right now cleaning out Ted’s house and workshops?”

Buffy said softly, “Yes, but he…”

“All except the bodies of his four former wives. Which we have to leave for the Police to explain away. That should be amusing.”

Buffy said now softly again, “Yes…”

I threw her some praise which she did deserve. “You are one lucky girl Buffy. You saved your mom and yourself from a homicidal android. You also provided to Cortana and myself a real very life like android to take apart, learn from and maybe adapt to better uses.”

She bucked up and beams of light almost came through the handset. “Oooh! Really! I guess I did do all of those goody-good thingies.”

I could imagine her scheming now for a reward so I cut her off. “I’m very happy for you Buffy and that things worked out well. So here’s the deal Buffy, you and your mom are having a nice lunch and dinner on me so call Cortana and arrange it. Your Mom is probably pretty upset right now, maybe a little depressed and shouldn’t be cooking. Then I’m sure Karen will take your mom, you and all the Scoobies to the Chocolate Factory for a proper chocoholic overdose.”

She really did squeal this time. So loud I had to hold the phone away from my ear. “Eeeh! Yes! Yes! Yes! I love the really good stuff! - Is there anything else I can kill to get another reward?”

I tried to encourage her, “Maybe you can try for Spike and Drusilla but please not alone. Please, not alone. They’re too much for just one Slayer.”

Buffy went from coy happiness to grim dread. “Don’t worry Xander, I won’t be on Spike’s victim list.”

“Promise me that you’ll immediately call Cortana if you see either of them. She’ll bring in the reinforcements like Giles, Kendra and Roary to help push the odds in your favor. Even my Reach Security Guards would fight on your side.”

Buffy was quietly thinking out loud, “You don’t think I can take ’em do you?”

“Not like that Buffy. One on one, you’ll take ‘em but Spike won’t be alone. Spike is like a crime lord gang boss. He’s the kind that surrounds himself with gangs of vampires and demons. He uses those gangs to wear down his targeted Slayers before he steps in to finish them off. We need to make sure that you aren’t alone either and that ‘our’ team takes out Spikes gang first.”

Buffy sparked up again, “Oooh! I like this plan. This sounds like a grudge match hockey game. Lots of penalties and teeth on the ice.”

I was tired and puzzled, “Why the reference to a hockey game?”

Buffy was excited about knowing something I didn’t, “I’ll have you know that I used to figure skate and was going to be the next Dorothy Hamill. Even so, I know all about ice hockey. … I wonder if the Pro teams take women? I’d be really good at checking and blocking. Not to mention the bonus of big beefy man-hunks who know how to use a hockey stick. They would be… oooh! Divine.”

All I could imagine was opposition Hockey team players being checked into next week and the nearest hospital by a petite blond Slayer on ice. Then I had a vision of a half-time battle royal of vampires and zombies on ice. Not good. She would be awesome but not good for the spectators or the teams. Probably great for ratings though.

After hanging up, I sat there and thought. Ok, before leaving Switzerland I’ll have to purchase pounds of Swiss dark chocolates and a dozen various Swiss Alps snow globes. Maybe some gold Swiss Franc coins for small but valuable gifts later? I’ll ask the hotel concierge to take care of it for me.

When I was little, my Dad went on company travel and he always brought back some trinket for me. I was happy to see my daddy come home but the presents were what I remembered.

I had to do the same. I could envision Buffy and Willow asking me immediately about what I brought back for them.

Wednesday, 7 Jan. 1998, 9:30 PM CST
Gulfstream Jet heading west and passing near Saint Louis at 36,000 feet.

It had been a long trip. Passing through Customs at Virginia’s Dulles International had been an interesting experience. Sort of like having dental work with no anesthetic.

The Customs officers subjected my entourage and myself to more than normal additional scrutiny. They pulled us aside and went through our luggage slowly looking for something. They took their sweet time doing it. Plus while our aircraft was being fueled and serviced they also went through it. It didn’t appear that they were looking very hard. They were just going through the motions, like a theatre stage scene. Whatever they were told to find wasn’t there, so they let us go, so that we could go back out to our private jet to continue on our way.

Cortana and I discussed it silently as the plane was taxing. We both assumed that the Gulfstream was now bugged by the Feds. The Customs guys were there as the delay and the distraction. They’d record nothing but normal chatter and get nothing of value.

In response, Cortana and I had already committed dollars to having our own hangers built at Sunnydale and the next large town north of us. We were also planning on acquiring a private hanger lease at Dulles and other corporate locations. We were going to hire some ex-military signals and counter-intelligence techies and buy all the right equipment to de-bug and sniff out Federal spook tampering in the future.

We had finally popped on some Federal intelligence agencies radar who thought the Law was toilet paper to brown and they were sniffing around like cocaine addicts. Cops have to have Court Ordered Warrants and Cortana had found none authorizing a wiretap or eavesdropping on us. So this is a very rogue intelligence agency that is operating inside the USA. Double illegal for them.

We expected that our next trip to Europe would have a lot more people following us and paparazzi types, most of whom will be paid by the same spook organization.

But if these spooks wanted to play with us outside the Law, then we were going to flip their operation and burn it to the ground. What can they do? Call the cops on us? That’s like a robber running up to a cop and complaining about the Joe Honest citizen that he just tried to rob getting the drop on him first and telling him to get lost. Now the robber is asking the cop to disarm Joe Honest citizen so he can rob and beat him down properly. What’s the officer going to do? The creep just admitted to four felonies and is asking the officer to aid him in the commission of three more. No, they can’t call the police or even their mamma’s.

They can learn all we want them to know from the February issue of Forbes which will have a section inside on Aten Werks with my photo and Gunther’s. This coming Sunday edition of the Wall Street Journal and London Financial Times will have something similar.

Going and coming from now on, we’ll have our techs go over the plane and remove whatever the spooks installed. Then install their gadgets in a kindergarten so they can listen to children play and suck snot. When they show up to pull their misplaced gear, Cortana and our people will be waiting to pounce on them.

I think I’m really going to need a Ter’Ghar in a prison cell or demon pit very soon and not just to scare the crap out of Willy again.

Three hours of flight and two more time zones to go, I can get some more sleep before we land.

Wednesday, 7 Jan. 1998, 10:40 PM PST
Sunnydale Municipal Airport debarkation ramp.

I stood at the Gulfstream’s door at the top of the stairway. I had arrived into a night of typical coastal winter weather. It was overcast with a light breeze flowing inland, about fifteen degrees above freezing and the air was heavy with Pacific mist. It was obvious it had been raining earlier that day. The moon was moving to full so it backlit the low clouds. The good news was this was a bad night for hungry vampires because Californians stayed indoors cocooned up when the weather wasn’t dry and warm.

I expected a quiet homecoming with only Roary and Willow waiting for me on the tarmac but I was happily surprised. Everyone was here behind the safety barrier with big happy grins and waving at me as I came down the stairway.

Even my parents were here, looking very healthy and happy to see me. Joyce was with Buffy and with a confused look on her face at the Gulfstream Bizjet and me. Roary and Karen along with Willow and Cordelia were here and waving madly.

Willow and Cordelia were both dressed up in matching classic 1950’s skin tight dark red business dress suits with blue accents, white blouses, with dark gloves and winter ladies hats. It was so uncharacteristic for both of them but they looked real classy and bodaciously fine in the ramp lights. It left me with tingles in all the best places. The paranoid side of me flashed a thought of “O-Oh, what has Willow planned for me!” Then reality caught up with me and I had to start spinning my imagination off on what both of them were plotting. No matter. They looked very nice.

I noticed a team of Reach Security fifty yards back weaponed up watching the darkness and trying to be unobtrusive. Joyce and my parents hadn’t noticed them so they were doing a good job. Whereas Sunnydale’s finest was off eating donuts or… people.

I must have been lite up inside with smiles as I walked across the tarmac to greet them. They all reciprocated with huge smiles back at me. I was tired but this made the long flight back all worth it. All I kept saying like a broken record was, “This is awesome.”

Cortana had a happy and silly welcome back greeting for me via neuralnet and then she signed off for the night with me. Her last words were, “Again welcome back home, Alex. Enjoy and I’ll wake you in the morning. Ta-ta.”

I wasn’t even ten feet away from them when Buffy started bouncing up and down. She had instantly reverted to a little girl and loudly blurted out, “Xander! Xander! Whatdidjabringmefrom… Swisserlander, Xander?!”

She was channeling Willow and doing a really good impression. Willow and Cordelia were stunned at first. I started laughing. Everyone looked at her in surprise and then also starting laughing.

This is way better than a sunny day on the surf and a perfect cowabunga wave. I’m home.

19. A Rough Edged Tool

Chapter 19. A Rough Edged Tool

Thursday, 8 Jan. 1998, 12:00 PM, Lunch
Sunnydale High School Cafeteria

The group of us Scoobies sat down to eat lunch together in the cafeteria. All American standard plastic topped bench tables that could be folded up and wheeled over to the walls.

One day… I’m eating four star meals at Marriott hotels on white linen table cloth and catered corporate executive lunches in Europe and the next, I’m sitting at a high school’s lowest bidder cafeteria table, eating food cooked by a staff that hates children. I wasn’t sure they knew how to cook real meals. It was called ‘food’ and it was edible… but cardboard soaked in grease would also fit that description.

I was feeling like… I had been dropped onto a different planet. I was disjointed again from my travels.

After this lunch, I had to hurry up town to the College to get my books and check in with my Professors because those classes started next Monday. I was planning on taking Advanced Placement Exams to avoid as many of the courses as possible, starting next week. These exams were different from the CLEP exams but essentially working in parallel but different subject areas. I was not thrilled… but a necessity to avoid being bored to death by snobbish Profs.

I suppose, I might be more excited about going to College if I was going to join a Fraternity, drink gallons of beer weekly, act like an idiot at parties, watch the football games and chase nubile drunken Sorority girls.

Well… getting away from Principle Snyder was a bonus.

I swear that quarter-man… had mostly troll, or ogre or goblin blood in him. He lived to abuse children and I’m sure the adult staff. It brought a secret smirk to my face to think that Cortana had a role to play in his current state of purgatory. His messy divorce proceedings were now public gossip in the school. Students were now mocking him.

A nice warm Willow sat next to me on my side of the table with Kendra, Cordelia and Buffy on the other side of the table. Cordelia was in the middle of a Slayer sandwich keeping them apart. She was deliberately keeping them apart.

It was obvious that Buffy and Kendra were fighting again with each other. Good naturedly though… at least so far. Once again it was about a claim of stealing each other’s kills or who got more kills that night. They were so competitive. Even when it came to their nightly slayage totals. So far Kendra led Buffy by two or more demons four nights in a row. Buffy was grumping and griping about it.

Cordelia kept snarking at Buffy that if she spent more time slaying instead of holding hands with Angel, she would win some nights. It was the truth but Buffy really didn’t want to hear it. She was whining about life being unfair to her.

I wanted to blurt out, ‘Life’s not fair get over it.’ But I prudently held my tongue. No need to be eviscerated and torn limb from limb in the Cafeteria. Buffy would too. My Momma didn’t raise ‘no stooped kidz’.

Willow broke into my thoughts. She reminded us all of our 7:00 PM wedding rehearsal appointments at the Madonna Inn tonight and Friday night.

The churches in town were all booked up on that day months in advance but not all ministers or priests were. The priest told them that they had been together long enough and that he would put no impediments between God and the natural state of couples. Seemed like a nice refreshing attitude.

So Roary and Karen will get married on Saturday in the hotel, the reception would be held there also. They would also spend their first wedding night there and then drive down to Disneyland on Sunday.

After slurping up the last of my cherry Jello, I also had some good news.

That morning Warner’s had delivered my next special order directly to Reach. An order fit for Slayers and absolutely necessary if I was going to invite them to go underground with me.

They needed to go down with me a few times to learn the layout of the tunnels and experience the Demon Bazaar first hand. For their safety, I was going to show them the black pool but we were going to fight our way there, my way. My way is a vampire blitzkrieg.

I really didn’t know if I could stop Buffy from spending so much time bantering with her vampires before she killed them. In that her satirical snarkiness was rubbing off on Kendra. Or maybe Kendra was just loosening up and enjoying herself with her prey.

I didn’t need to tell them, Roary was down at Reach trying his new toys on right now. He wouldn’t get a chance to use it until after he returned from his honeymoon but he still needed to see if it fit correctly.

I smiled and played the game. “I know something you four don’t… You get three guesses what it is?”

Willow playfully hit me on the arm. Buffy froze with a spoonful of her cherry Jello hula dancing on her spoon. Her eyes locked on mine and her spoon perfectly level.

Kendra raised one eyebrow and smirked at me in a way that raised the hairs on the back of my neck. Like she was considering how badly she could beat on me for the truth. My sixth sense for self-preservation was alarm belling me that she was a mounting threat. I really wonder about that girl?

Cordelia continued eating demurely with only the briefest of pauses in the movement of her fork. Her attention though was fully on me.

Willow blurted out, “TalkfastXanderoryou’llbesorrylater!”

We all had to re-assemble her speed talk into something understandable across a few seconds.

Cordelia the queen of snark was the first. “Ya, I’ll bet he’ll be sorry with your hands down his pants?”

I almost spit out my last gulp of milk and I wasn’t the only one sputtering and coughing. All of Willow was bright red and her hands instantly covered her face.

A microsecond later her hands started to move to her tray and before she could pick up food to throw at Cordelia, my hands stopped hers.

In that same instant Buffy in mock shock loudly said, “Cor-Zilla!”

Kendra with some uncharacteristic barbed wickedness immediately snarked at Cordelia. “Not enough puppies to stomp on this morning?”

I realized that I had started this hoping for some good natured banter but this trajectory was now veering into a free-fire war zone. I had to put a stop to what I started.

So I fessed up and fast. “I’m sorry Willow… Cordelia… but your suits of armor are not ready yet; but Kendra and Buffy’s arrived at Reach today. If you four will meet me at Reach at 4:30, I’ll introduce you to your new toys. Afterwards we can all go to the Inn’s restaurant to get some dinner on me and then do the rehearsal.”

Four pair of eyes radar locked on me. Willow hit me again in the shoulder and harder than the first time. She silently mouthed “Ow!” Rubbing her hand and wrist; but looking happy.

Buffy blurted out with a happy joyous smile, “Toys? Presents? Goodies! Why didn’t you say so in the first place?” As she threw a crouton at me from her limp salad.

Kendra was just looking at me while fingering her plastic lunch knife. Her eyes were squinting at me with a disturbing twitching smirk on her face. I believe she was considering all of the possible places she could plant that knife in me before I could get away. Maybe I needed to have Cortana find her a boyfriend, she might lighten up. Assuming we could find a young man brave enough. At least she wouldn’t be looking at me like a hungry wolf eyes red meat.

Cordelia was still looking offended or maybe she had gas. She whined, “Goody toys for them but nothing for me?”

I needed to hurry up and get out of this mess.

“Ladies… What this is… Is battle armor and it is difficult to make and basically hand made for just one person. So I can only get two maybe three of them made at one time. So Willow and Cordelia’s armor is on order but will not arrive until the first week of March. Kendra and Buffy’s has arrived. This armor was designed by Cortana from your scans and fit for Valkyrie’s.”

With that, they all shut up and were looking at me with eyebrows raised and mouths open. I could almost see the light bulbs behind their eyes and the single thought racing away. “Cortana’s gorgeous armor!”

Having all of their exact physical measurements from my medical scans three weeks ago helped Cortana accomplish this task.

I quickly continued, “Any of you could wear this armor to the next big Medieval or Renaissance Fair and fit right in with the Viking Norseman groups. In fact they would probably drool all over you. Except this armor is not decorative , it’s battle ready, very strong, enchanted against evil… but unfortunately not as good as mine… yet, but a whole lot better than your bare skin.”

I stood up and kissed the top of Willow’s head as I scooped up my lunch tray to beat a fast retreat. I had to get to the college and finish up by 4 PM to make it back down to Reach. At least they weren’t preparing to do battle over the cafeteria tables, as I backed away to the doors waving my right hand fingers goodbye at their stunned faces.

Thursday, 8 Jan. 1998, 4:40 PM
Reach Technologies, Armory vault, Sunnydale

I met up with the gang of girls… They were waiting for me in the front office lounge area. Cordelia was playing billiards with them and had been taking their money at $2.00 a game.

Willow brought me up to speed on the action. Cordelia was a real pool shark and already $8.00 ahead. Buffy and Kendra just couldn’t seem to finesse the cue ball. They continued to slap the ball into a gunshot ball bouncing off the bumpers. Then Cordelia would clean up the table on them.

I stood and watched as Cordelia finished off Buffy taking her spending cash again. They were all beautiful, desirable, intelligent and for me… in one year jail bait. That’s all that kept coming first to my mind, every time I looked at my closest school friends.

It was almost like I had a countdown clock going in my head for when they all would be jail bait to me and then when they would stop being jail bait. That magic California number of eighteen years of age plus one day.

In my imagination I had a glowing foot tall numbers over each of their heads counting down the days and hours.

I had to shake this attitude. It was affecting my relationships. I was even treating my soon-to-be underage fiancée like she was thin blown glass and I would shatter her. I had one year to go and Willow’s solution would keep me out of jail.

Either that or I go for an older women. Maybe the delicious looking curvy bodacious Ms. Calendar would toss Giles over the side for me? Wishful dreaming… Yup, not gonna happen. The Giles man definitely has something she likes.

Down the hall Curt came out of the offices and I waved him off, so he could get back to whatever he had been doing. Turning back to the gang, Willow stuck her small hand into mine. I softly smiled at her and said, “Time to go shopping at the armory ladies. Please follow me.”

They knew the way but I still led in my own domain. At least I think it’s my domain. Three minutes later I was entering my cypher key code into the vault door. Unlocking with a soft but positive click and then a series of thunks as the door edge bolts retracted, the door began to swing open with the soft humming sound of the electric motors.

Ten feet beyond the vault door jamb was three brand new one cubic meter Zero transit cases on the floor. Beyond them was my two clean hard wood topped work tables. The working surfaces on either side were all clean of weapons and parts. The wall shelves below and above closed and locked.

The room smelled of light lubricating oils and steel. From John’s memories the smell of starships and safety while aboard them.

Each of the cases had shipping ownership tags taped on them. In large four inch tall white letters on each visible side was S1, S2 and R2 for the furthest away. R2 was for Razor-2 and Roary had already been here and had given thumbs up on his armor. S1 was for Slayer 1 as Buffy and S2 for Kendra. I silently said a prayer to God that they fit perfectly.

As of yet, I hadn’t given the names of the Slayers to Warner’s Jewelry or to Rajhul. It was safest for them all, if they didn’t know. Rajhul knew a slayer was in town but was still terrified of meeting her. Rightly so. Buffy and especially Kendra were the kill first, happy joy-joy dance and ask questions later kind of slay girls.

I didn’t know if he had heard that there were two slayers in town. With Willy Durante’s big mouth at his tavern and the gossip flowing around inside the demon community, he had to know by now. He was smart enough to guess what or who S1 and S2 was for. I just hoped that he didn’t rabbit out of town with his entire clan.

I sighed as I motioned them all forward. Buffy, Cordelia and Kendra flowed past me with eyes fixed on the cases.

The armory room was an acoustic echo box. You could hear the slightest sound even without enhanced hearing. The rustle and swing of the girls’ clothing and soft squeak of rubber soled deck and running shoes on the dry laminated Teak wood floor. The Teak was pretty and expensive but practical. A dense hard wood over the cement for durability and dry wood would not conduct electricity.

Willow put her arm around my waist and quietly said, “Seems just like Christmas Honey. Who gets which?”

She is ever the meeting minder. Keeping me on pace.

I coughed, “Well… yes. Buffy your box is S1 and Kendra’s is S2.” They had already figured out as much and were in front of their boxes kneeling with their hands on the tops.

Cordelia stood back and jumped up sitting on the side work surface to watch. She crossed those long lovely legs of hers. Willow leaned into me more her small hand still in mine. She squeezed my hand firmly in affirmation.

Kendra and Buffy both opened the latches and the boxes hissed from the pressurized dry nitrogen inside. They all looked at me quickly. I explained, “Weapons and machine tools are sealed into hermetic boxes like this with dry nitrogen or helium to preserve what is inside for many years of storage. It’s harmless to you in small quantities but you’ll talk like Donald Duck if you breathe too much of it.”

Just then the vaults environmental system kicked in with the fans, filters and air-conditioning. Buffy smiled a huge smile as she began removing each clear stiff-plastic sealed bag. While Kendra had noticed the large pictorial guide book taped inside a clear pouch on her cargo case inside lid. She removed it and it was an instructional on how to assemble and wear the armor’s pieces.

I was proud of Cortana and her designs. The armor could be worn in whole or in whatever lesser armor coverage that the wearer wanted. Some pieces were essentials for upper body protection and others for each segment of the human body. There were five different kinds of under-garments to protect the wearer from chafing under the armor. From light weight for summer heat to a heavier weight for battle in a frozen winter not usually found in Sunnydale California. The materials were all from advanced manufacturing prototypes from our new chemicals, fabrics and clothing companies. Each garment was also enchanted to be as tough as the scaled skin of a Tyrhrock dragon and also providing a level of additional protection from claws, arrows, handgun bullets, scrapes and blunt force trauma.

Unlike my skin suit and environmental suit these garments were not suitable for warfare in the vacuum of space or lethally contaminated environments. Given time in a few years my weapons for humans and Slayers were going to get better.

The outer garments to the under suits and the armor were meant to be both practical defense and feminine. The top wrapped ensemble was exact recreations of Cortana’s virtual blouses and dresses with different patterns and colors. There was even light over garments to cover the armor and hide it, much like a football players jersey hides the protective gear they wear.

Cortana had spent a few seconds of her thought matching patterns, colors, cuts and frills to each Slayer. From their smiles and happy eyes, Cortana’s efforts had been a huge success.

Each also had four styles of helmets or headpieces. All of them had Fleetcom radios built into them for instant communications while out patrolling. Not as powerful as mine but for Sunnydale good enough. The first was a simple but jewelry decorated Tiara that would fasten into their hair. Each successive one provided more safety covering for their heads and hidden subminiature cameras for Cortana to keep a watch on them and watch their backs.

No more of this unprotected crap where Buffy or Kendra is left bandaged up, broken bones or getting X-rays for skull fractures. They were tuff-girls but demons were just as tough and many of them had really big teeth and razor sharp claws.

This vault room may have been appropriate for Roary in seclusion to strip down and don his new clothing and armor, but it was not appropriate for two ladies and especially with me here. I really didn’t need to be seeing them naked as much as I might fantasize them all naked. Now was the time to relocate to more private area.

I coughed loudly before they had the chance to litter the work tables and floors with the contents of the boxes and their own clothes. “Ladies! Close up your boxes and lock them again while I go get a fork-lift. We are moving this fashion show to the apartment house up front where you can undress and dress in the comfort and privacy of your rooms.”

I held up my right hand to stop their protests. Willow squeezed my hand tightly. “You don’t want me watching you get all naked to put that stuff on and we don’t want other people who work here seeing you all naked.” Buffy’s mouth snapped shut when she was microseconds from a protest. Their alarmed eyes gave feedback to me when they all realized what they didn’t need.

Willow and Cordelia were not bound up in the joyous brain fog of ‘new shiny presents’ both started laughing at Buffy and Kendra’s predicament. They wanted to skinny out of their clothes in a flash but now they wouldn’t. I and now they were sure that the guards or one of the working technicians walking down the hall would dearly love to see them in their birthday suits.

Both of them blushed as I untangled from Willow and stepped outside the vault to find a small forklift to handle the boxes. The boxes were awkward in size and not heavy enough to prevent a Slayer or myself from lifting them; I just didn’t want anyone to see them carrying them like a shoe box after the big burly truck drivers couldn’t lift ’em. Very few who worked here knew of the legend of Slayers and fewer yet knew that Buffy was The Slayer. Those few knew that Buffy sparred with Kendra and myself. So they might have connected the dots on Kendra as a Slayer but then again they might think she was more like me, just a little more than the ‘mark-10’ human.

We had some time for a fashion show as they would try out each combination of armor and dress. Then twirl, stretch and some gymnastics to test out the fit and comfort. A Slayer fashion show for an audience of three.

I was already thinking of what comes next. After the wedding party was over then some short serious training with their new armor. They didn’t know it yet but after Roary and Karen left town, I wanted to take them into the tunnels with me. They had to see the demon bazaar for themselves.

First things first, armor boxes and girls into the privacy of my Reach residence. After the fashion show they can store the armor inside their private rooms or take it home with them.

As we walked back up to the living quarters area, I told them that they needed to practice and use the armor itself as a weapon. It’s not just to protect their latest manicure and delicate lady knuckles.

That’s when Buffy hit me, hard.

Friday, 9 Jan. 1998, 11:30 AM, Lunch
Sunnydale High School Cafeteria

I really didn’t have to be at the High School today but I did need to talk to Giles and Jenny. Plus I really couldn’t go back to the house. Since yesterday there was wedding stuff everywhere and also Karen’s family and her friends were everywhere. I felt awkward and in the way. I was in the way. Roary and I were both in the way.

Karen like all brides before her was getting coiffed, pampered and stressed out all at the same time. She was worrying over tiny little details for her ‘big day.’

Roary and I had moved down to the apartments at Reach after the previous night’s rehearsal. Something about seeing the Bride on her wedding eve and also self-preservation.

Uncle Roary was like most guys. We only need to shower, shave, run a comb through our hair and get dressed in a fancy suit. No hours of dressing up in gowns, makeup and hair do’s. Just show up, smile and say ‘Yaah, Ya betcha parson’.

It‘s not like I’m throwing Roary a wild drunken bachelor party tonight and planning on delivering him to the wedding tomorrow obviously smashed in a wrecked tuxedo.

My ruminations over a drunken Bachelor party that wasn’t to be, brought me back to earth. Here I was in the cafeteria line behind Willow, Harmony, Cordelia, Kendra and Buffy at the front; smiling to myself and contemplating what I could do…

If I did get Roary drunk and put him on a plane to Vegas with only $20 in his pockets. That would be a mean spirited… terrible prank. Karen would murder me and no women in the state would vote to convict her, he might even try to kill me.

While listening to the ladies banter while picking up our cafeteria cuisine, Cortana drifted into my mind.

The sensation is fleeting but cold as she flashes me a ‘Cortana calling, please open the connection’ message. Not a Flash over-ride but a polite request, which is rare for her. I wonder what this is about because it’s too soon for more business decisions.

“Hello Sis, what’s up?”

Cortana sounded excited and pleased with herself, “I’ve two things that just can’t wait! First is our special networking, telephone switching and computer equipment is now online with the States and Federal Government. Mostly inside your law enforcement and other agencies right now but also the equipment is checking in from inside the Defense Department at all levels. So far they’ve purchased over a billion dollars in our equipment but only half of that has been installed. Our partner companies have reported an additional $7B of projected orders in the next ten months. At this rate we will have 90% penetration into all layers of government from the smallest towns to the White House by this time next year.”

I smiled inside like a wolf. This was great news. “Congratulations Cortana, your plan and efforts are working out. Please, keep a ransacking eye out for evidence on those black clad Federal cops or special ops soldiers that you keep seeing.”

Cortana’s voice dropped 100 degrees, “I’ve already spun off multiple search process for them but I project that they will have covered their tracks thoroughly and I won’t find them except on the most secret of networks and computers. With all their secrets hidden under layers of encryption, I will eventually find it and decode it.”

I tried to console her, “Your right about them. But I still think the fastest way to locate them and peripherally characterize them is via their support elements. Their purchases and deliveries of food, water, electricity, telecommunication services. All of that stuff has to be delivered by a continuous stream of cargo delivery trucks. They have to be accepting deliveries and a lot of them. We find their groceries warehouse point and we find them.”

Cortana mused to me, “There has been a steady stream of large trucks to a pull through warehouse on the north end of the city about three blocks west of the campus near the train tracks and freeway. I believe that might be a good candidate for additional surveillance?”

“Can you get additional surveillance cameras and a few parabolic listening devices up that way? It could be nothing but best to check’em out.”

Cortana was nothing but business, “Since we don’t normally have much vampire activity up that way, I’ve allocated my new surveillance installations in the higher threat areas but for my next phase of installs, I’ll allocate additional resources for that area.”

“Good. So long as these Feds stay on Sunnydale campus and do not threaten us consider them a low priority in Sunnydale. If that set of rules changes then notify me immediately and I’ll take a more… physical role in capturing a few of them for interrogation.”

Cortana sounded hopeful, “Roger that Alex.”

“What was your second bit of… can’t wait?”

Cortana seemed to stretch in my mind and her pleased emotions fell on me like a warm summer rain. “I’ve found a man who would be perfect as our new director for security and counterintelligence. I need you two to meet ASAP. I’ve interviewed him now three times by telephone and he’ll be… perfect.”

She immediately began uploading the interviews and her personnel folder on the poor man. He wasn’t poor in wealth or spirit from I could see, just a poor slob that Cortana had fixated on.

I chuckled over the neuronet connection, “Hold on and slow down Cortana. Give me a few moments to absorb all this.”

I wanted to eat my lunch with my friends and not appear to be talking to someone invisible at the cafeteria table. What am I worried about? That isn’t unusual in California. Although Willow noticed that I was distracted and that mattered to me.

Cortana couldn’t wait and launched into her sales pitch to me. “As you can see Patrick Bartholomew Garibaldi began his law enforcement career after enlisting into the US Army and served as military police. Then he was employed as a policeman at our other not so friendly Hellmouth of Cleveland Ohio as a patrolman. He was married there, wife murdered. He relocated and made detective Lieutenant in Cincinnati Ohio. Then hired by the FBI where he worked for twenty years with the last eight years in counterintelligence. He abruptly retired from his job four months ago, moved his family to the small town of Fulton Kentucky where he is their Chief of Police. He married late in life to the former Miss Lillian M. Bairdin, a Registered Nurse from Cincinnati. They waited eight years before beginning a family. They now have five children, three sons and two daughters.”

As I continued to scan her folder on this guy, he seemed to be a good cop but what made him stand out? Why was she so fixed on him? “Ok Cortana, I know you’ve been scouting hundreds of candidates for the past month. So why him?”

She purred, “He’s puurrr-fect.”

I almost started laughing out loud, while sitting at our Scooby table. “Yes, you’ve said that now three times. … Explain it to me? … Please?”

She was way too pleased with herself, her happiness like an ocean wave bleeding through our connection. “He is a brilliant police man and investigator. He might even be a modern Sherlock Holmes. He knows about the supernatural and he goes out of his way to fight them. Plus he’s survived each of those encounters which infers a lot about how smart and tough he really is. He has buckets of character, virtue and morals. Then he knows when the law – is obstructing or working against what is right and just. I’ve found out why he retired early from the FBI. Seems his top three bosses and the Attorney General are up to their necks into the pockets of the Chicago crime mob and are also actively crushing investigations into cases of espionage and treason. He retired because he wouldn’t dishonor his oath of office like his dishonorable so called superiors were. Now he’s the Chief of Police in a small town with a population of barely 2,600 souls that just happens to sit on the single north-south railroad line that runs from the Port of New Orleans to Chicago. The rail line that three mob families use to smuggle people, drugs and stolen goods. In just the last four months his little police force has seized more drugs and stolen goods, rescued more slaves and arrested more fleeing criminals that the previous police chief did in the past five years.”

Wow! This guy was impressive. Now he’s sticking it to the Chicago mob, New Orleans mob, the Dixie mob and his old bosses by proxy all at the same time. “Cortana why’s this guy looking for work now? I mean he moved his family to Fulton, Kentucky only four months ago?”

Cortana was clever and more. John knew her to be a sentient A.I. and a weapon system with a UNSC ID part number. I’m not sure he thought of her as transcending that distinction into a true sapient life form. He thought of her as a friend and comrade. He was as fiercely protective and loyal to her as anyone that he adopted as part of his ‘team.’ She was more than a tool, she exhibited all of the observable skills and abilities of sapience. She was an electron and photonic life form that was no one’s slave or part number. She could be relentless like any A.I. but she was now more… she felt richer across the neuronet connection. She was whole and completely her mother’s daughter. Had she earned a soul with that transcendence? Did John feel her… emotions like this? There’s nothing in his memories like this. Yet… with all of her intellect and mothers memories, she was still non-human in some ways.

Cortana came back and was positively rubbing her electron hands together in wicked glee. “He’s not looking for work. I found him because I’ve been looking for someone who could - do - the work.”

I chuckled wryly, “Well I suppose that is an important distinction but what makes you think he’ll work for us?”

Her voice got quiet with worry. Worry and a microscopically quick smidgeon of trembling fear bled over me across our connection. That was unlike the Cortana that John knew. “All three mobs today took out contracts to kill him and his former FBI bosses are also planning on framing him for some sort of crime to neutralize him.”

I realized that she already cared about this Mr. Garibaldi and his family. He wasn’t just a number on a file dossier to her anymore. She was considering him to be part of our closest family. She was afraid for them… There’s more to this? What has she left unstated?

I sighed across the neuralnet, “Cortana. How did you learn about these contracts to kill him and the threats. What is the actual level of these threats?”

She flashed back a gestalt of imagery and her actions, focusing on when she found him and spiraled into the decision to recruit him. Connections blossomed out around Garibaldi, where she was looking for all possible traces and potential negative reports. All part of her massive effort to investigate him and each member of his family all the way back to his great-grandparents. That also leads to work associates and neighbors and every firm that he had ever done business with. Every bank check that he and his wife had ever written. Cortana’s nexus web spanned over a million nodes of focused interest in less than a minute of realtime. Each node a name, an address, bank accounts, telephone numbers and call records, cable TV connections, check book records, health insurance claims, pharmacy receipts and more. Each node cross-correlated against other data bases and finally against the criminal data bases. Nexus nodes flashed threat red with hits. Some nodes flashing fast pulses of red settled onto a dull throb as more information was correlated, compared, assessed, discarded, and evaluated in microscopic detail.

Finally 124 folders were left with a human name attached and all a tone of angry red with sixty flashing bright red for high threat and the others a dull steady red. Their individual folders filling with mega-bytes of their related intercepted and recorded communications. Video records of them on the street with lip-reading transcripts of their conversations. Garibaldi’s name appearing more frequently in their conversations across the last fourteen days. Cortana’s collage of text, imagery and sound filled our neural connection. Finally the recordings of the high threat bad guys conversations with their assassins to ‘solve’ their lawman problem and send a message.

They didn’t just intend to kill him, but kill his entire family in front of him before killing him. Their ‘message’ was a chain saw massacre.

This was capability, intent, commission of dollars for action and pre-strike prepatory actions. Clearly a high and imminent threat to the Garibaldi family from an impressive collection of human scum with the morals of evil demons.

My resolve hardened to the strength and blades edge of my katana, “I’ve some tasks for you Cortana. First off find him a replacement for his job there in Fulton. Someone he knows and trusts … or someone he has trained. It’s obvious this is a job that he believes needs to be done and if anything, he will turn you down to keep doing it. In fact you should ask him for a short list for his own replacement?”

I paused to order my thoughts and steel my mind to what needed to be done. My mean and cruel streak as Buffy once said came to the fore, bounding from the jungle like an enraged tiger. “Second target these three crime organizations money. You are authorized to clean them out, their corrupt politicians, lawyers, judges and their corrupt cops. Use however much money it takes to have contract killers from the demon’s Teraka Assassin Guild take them out. Use any and all means at your disposal to disrupt and harass them. I want them all destitute, confused, lashing out at each other, self-destructing and the key threats dead soonest.”

Cortana was taken aback for a microsecond but she glowed in warm pleasure. Her ruthless side came to the front. “Thank you, Alex. I do like the creative use of the Teraka Guild. They are a rough edged tool and are imminently qualified for this job. This might prove profitable for them and solve this problem quickly. My backdoor full access to all of the Federal Law Enforcement agencies criminal data bases was just in time to aid in the targeting.”

I swear Cortana is part cat. She’s purring like a well-fed and happy cat. Her thrumming emotional waves of feline pleasure across my neuralnet making me flush with heat. I wonder if she got that from her mother?

“Third thing Cortana is to alert Mr. Garibaldi to this threat to him and his family. No secrets from him on this subject and offer him a temporary private security detail for his family. If he agrees lets also offer for his protection to ship his entire police department some of the latest military weapons and body armor. This is not a loan or temporary. Just get it ordered now for FEDEX delivery next week. If he refuses the overt private security detail, which I think he will… get them there tomorrow as a failsafe anyway. They’re to silently set up shop, covertly observe with no contact and intervene violently if necessary. Their job is to be proactive, preventative and completely invisible to even Mr. Garibaldi… if that’s possible. Offer them a large bonus for removing the mob assassins from town and killing them. I want the mob killers disappeared permanently. No traces. In this we are not acting as law abiding citizens but avenging angels of justice. If the private security won’t kill them… please do not pressure them to do so. Then we’ll have the security teams turn over the killers to an agent of Teraka. So have Teraka send something to Fulton that… is… patient and hungry.”

Cortana whispered in satisfaction, “His phone is now ringing. I’ve sent a Fax to the Teraka Guild with a call back number and wired startup money to their Panamanian Bank account. I’ve wired enough money to kill a small town of mobsters, but this amount will get their attention.”

“Fourth thing Cortana is that Giles and I are scheduled to handoff Kendra to Sam Zubota in Santa Monica in seven days. LAX airport is right next door to Santa Monica. See if Santa Monica has an airport that can handle our jet. I can fly out after the handoff. If not then I’ll fly out of LAX. Tell Mr. Garibaldi that I’ll be arriving at Fulton on the 18th to meet him at his office or his home, whichever he chooses. If he’s still alive… I’ll make him an offer that he can’t refuse.”

Cortana began laughing at first then she got worried. “Now you’re Marlon Brando as the Godfather? Alex… what do you plan to offer him and… what will you do if he refuses?”

I’m sort of touched… I think she’s fearful of what I might do to her ‘new hire’ if he does tell me no?

“I’m thinking he’s our new Aten Works Vice President for Global Security. I’ll leave our offer an open deal. If he refuses then… he’ll come to us sooner or later. People like him are valuable, can-do pillars of civilization and nearly incorruptible. As such they don’t kiss politicians asses or grovel and consequently they make enemies. Powerful enemies like politicians who don’t like honest folk. We’re going to have to shield him as best we can. For what it’s worth Sis, thanks for finding him. We’re going to need hundreds like him and I’ll bet a pile of gold that he knows a lot of them.”

Cortana was all excited by her ‘new’ business. After a five minutes while I ate and smiled for the girls at appropriate moments, she came back, “I’m talking to Garibaldi now, he’s taking it rather well. You were right, he doesn’t want our offer of additional security for his family. I’m also making a call to a private military security company outside Fort Campbell, Kentucky. That’s the home of 5th Special Forces Group, other Federal three-letter-agencies and the 101st Airborne. They’re two hours away and can get a six man team onsite for initial 7x24 overwatch and invisible security by tomorrow morning. A larger group of specialists later. I’m also talking to the financial chief of The Teraka Guild, a demon named Mr. Royar Harkness. Our wire transfer got his personnel attention. Calling me was a poor choice for him since I now know where he is in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I’ll also make him an additional offer… a contractual arrangement to stay out of Sunnydale and never take a contract ever again on a Slayer. Unless they want to lose more than the team of three they sent last time.”

“Good idea Sis, but how about our list of soon to be deadee’s? Did this Royar accept the contract on them?”

Cortana giggled, “That wasn’t a problem at all. He only asked how soon we wanted the 60 contracts fulfilled. I responded with a suggestion that the sooner this list was completed then I would post a second list to them with the same generous target fee structure. He offered a seven day time period for fulfillment of the first sixty. I said that was acceptable and I would release the second half of the fee when we had confirmation. He agreed and I’ve posted to him the second list of mobsters categorized by city location to speed up this process. Many of them live in the same cities and in the same neighborhoods. I did stipulate that some of the targets shall be killed in a more aggressive ‘demon fashion,’ as in torn apart or eaten messily and collateral extermination of those who stood around the primary target would be… rewarded on a per head bonus. We might as well clean out the top hierarchy of the gangs leadership and henchmen, which he readily agreed to. Then he said this-”

Cortana’s voice stopped and a recently delayed voice recording began of whom I assumed to be Mr. Harkness. A deep bass voice chuckling followed by: “Oooh I like you… finally a woman who knows how to get things done. Do you wish any specific parts of the targets delivered to you upon fulfillment, something delicious like their fresh hearts?”

Cortana cut the recording and came back. “I think he’s in love with me or maybe it’s just my money. No matter, all of our problem people will be off our chessboard in fifteen days. Then the only top shelf threats left to Mr. Garibaldi and his family will be his three former corrupt FBI bosses and the Attorney General. With all of their criminal sponsors dead and a mob war going on they’ll have other things to worry about, since I’ll be calling the survivors and telling them it was the three FBI guys who set them up. Naturally those pesky corrupt FBI guys will be our fall guys for everything that follows and they’ll get what they deserve.”

“Good thinking Sis. Keep me informed of their progress on threat reduction. Make arrangements though for our corporate jet to pick me up at 8:00 PM on the 17th at the Santa Monica airport after our trip down there to drop Kendra. Kendra will have her new luggage with her, so I’ll drive her down in her new van. Giles will then drive me to the airport where the plane can fly me to Fulton’s airport or maybe Memphis, Tennessee. Have the pilots plot the course and pick the runway that they can land and refuel at. Also have the security company that is babysitting Garibaldi’s family provide three armored cars minimum and a private security detail to meet me at the airport for the trip to Fulton and back. I’ll fly back that night.”

Cortana was pleased then concerned, “Good simple plan Alex. I’m making the arrangements now. You will take some body armor and weapons with you?”

Body armor and weapons were a necessity of my life now. In Fulton, I hoped that it would all be over by the time I got there but I couldn’t count on that. I believe there is a high probability that I will be stepping in between a dangerous policeman and potentially three teams of mob assassins who were tasked before their bosses died. “You betcha Sis. I’m assuming it’s a war zone.”

I had nodded my head throughout lunch. I didn’t remember much of it since my mouth was on autopilot chew mode, but finally Willow elbowed me. The other ladies were walking away from the table.

Willow leaned over and whispered to me, “You’ve been silent, distracted and closing your eyes a lot during lunch. It’s weird. … You don’t need the super-suit to talk to her do you?”

I sat there frozen like a deer in the headlights. She saw right through me. Standing up, she smoothed the wrinkles down on her skin tight light gray pencil dress. My eyes following her hands down as she smoothed her clothes. She bent over giving me a view down her blouse and patted my shoulder. Her minds ability to assemble fragments of details and then leap to a correct conclusion was astounding.

Willow said for just me to hear, “You can talk to her at any time. Why didn’t you tell me? Is it like telepathy or something?”

I slowly stood and looked down into her face, trying to stall for time to think this through. She was absolutely sure and I couldn’t lie to her to save my life. Misdirect just a little maybe, but not lie outright. I spoke softly so others wouldn’t hear, “Yes, special security measure, telepathy radio and need-to-know. You’re the only one in town who knows so please keep this a very deep secret.”

She gently caressed my cheek, “I’m not stupid Xander, just jealous.”

Jealous of Cortana? Ooh-kay… I decided then and there to see what she thought of this situation with Mr. Garibaldi and his family. So I sat back down and quietly told her about the mobsters, the assassins and what they intended. Then I asked her what would she do?

Willow sat down slowly as she thought. Then she looked me in the eye and said, “I take it that Cortana discovered all of this… evil plot?”

“Yes.”

Her answer helped assuage my own decision.

She quietly spoke in measured tone, “So the Law has been ineffective and will continue to be… incompetent, negligent and even criminally complicit. Therefore only one solution remains.”

She stood and placed her hand firmly on my chest and got a faraway deep look in her eyes, “You must stand between the innocent and those who would slay them. Aku! Soku! Zan! You must not fail!”

I was surprised at her vehemence and the way she looked when she said it. Courtesy of Cortana, I had fast learned French and German for my European business trip, I didn’t recognize the words or language. I had to know, so I asked Cortana, “What were those three words she said?”

Cortana whispered back across the neuralnet, “That was perfect archaic Japanese and it means, “If you see evil, slay it instantly!” Which is interesting, since I didn’t know she was learning Japanese.”

I was as perplexed as Cortana but satisfied. “She hasn’t said anything to me either. But she did answer my question.”

Quick as thought Cortana came back with an update, “I’ve completed my negotiations with Royar Harkness of the Teraka Guild and he is their Chief Executive Officer. Apparently they do other ‘things’ besides assassinations. I was unable to contract with them to stay out of Sunnydale but I was able to come to an agreement for them to refuse any and all contracts regarding violence against a Slayer for the next 500 years. With the stipulation that they would provide the asking contractee’s name and location for an additional fixed price. From Royar’s response, I’ve concluded that the three Teraka assassins sent after Buffy was not the first time that Teraka has been commissioned to kill a Slayer and that the previous times ended badly for Teraka. He seemed relieved to be offered a contractual out for Slayer gigs, so the price was relatively cheap.”

“Cortana? … Err… What other things do they do? Why couldn’t you keep them out of Sunnydale?”

Cortana chuckled, “Besides assassinations, they can also be hired for sabotage, cat-burglary style theft of rare and even magical items, retrieval of stolen rare items and the rare for them precision robbery. The theft and retrieval part is why he balked at staying out of Sunnydale. Seems they retrieve stolen magical and rare objects from Sunnydale regularly. For this I’m perfectly willing to let them continue to do so since I assume that these objects were originally stolen for a world-ending apocalypse ceremony as I’ve catalogued from Buffy and Giles listing of events. The list of things they won’t do is actually quite illuminating and you will be interested in this. Seems they absolutely will not take a contract involving a kidnapping or blackmail. They do offer a significant discount for the contract to hunt down kidnappers, rescue the kidnappee and kill the kidnappers. In that order with no options out of the kill the kidnappers part. When I pressed him, Royar only said that this stems from a series of unpleasant events beginning about 15,000 years ago, so they hold a grudge a very long time.”

My interest was piqued, “Did he tell you why?”

Cortana voiced grew clipped but neutral, “He only said that it was because of the ‘Go-oold’. From the tone and vibrations in his voice, he personally hates them. I mean really hates them. But his “Go-oold” enemy phonetically sounds a lot like Shalomar’s “Goa’uld” pronunciation from her prophecy to you.”

My interest was definitely peaked. We had a potential ally against these aliens. Vicious and ruthless demon allies but allies none the less.

“Wow, Cortana. Who knew that even the Teraka Guild had scruples? But this… is most interesting. If their timeline was believable then these Goa’uld had been here before the first known human civilization. Hmmm… Call him back and commission another contract with them. Contract them to help us find this, ‘lost Goa’uld Princeling’ of ours but make sure that the contract clearly states that this target is… ours to take. We may need them as backup or for cleanup afterwards.”

Cortana replied coolly, “From what I now know of Royar Harkness and the Teraka Guild, they’re going to want this Goa’uld tortured for a few centuries before they feed it alive to something that munches slowly. They might even do this for free when I tell them that one of these Goa’uld is still on Earth.”

“Warn them that this creature may not be a demon as they know them but something else… something that might be dangerous for the entire planet. We have to take him or her or it alive for interrogation, we’ll have to hit it fast before it can communicate off-world. Both conditions are critical.”

I could tell that Cortana was leery of this tasking. Not concerned for my safety but uncertain how Mr. Harkness would react to this contract proposal.

Cortana commented, “I’m calling Royar back right now…”

“Sis, we need this Goa’uld alive. Stress that to him. If it’s here, it might also have a ship… A ship we can tear apart, learn from and find their weaknesses. My greater fear is … it also has a faster-than-light long-range communicator. … We have to take it by surprise and isolate it fast. Last thing Cortana… We need to know everything that they know about these Goa’uld. I mean everything. Have them send us their Goa’uld history expert. We need more information and it seems Royar may have it or at least knows who does.”

Cortana signed off, “I’ll let you know how this conversation goes in few minutes.”

Only a fraction of a second had gone by in real-time during Cortana’s and my conversation. I was distracted away from Willow’s strange outburst.

Willow patted my chest several times as her eyes came back from her far-away stare and then she leaned into me, putting her arms around my waist and hugging me. Her cheek was against my chest.

She asked me in a measured controlled tone. “Can you save them?”

I answered truthfully, “No… maybe… Chance and luck are factors. Which just means that I can’t save everyone.”

She leaned back, looked up at me with realization and concern in her eyes, “What have you and Cortana done?”

I sighed, this truth might hurt. “I’ve done what I can for now. Cortana and I’ve hired extra-special military type security to watch over the Garibaldi’s.”

She pinched me hard, “What else?”

Oh crap. She’s not going to stop until she knows all of it. “We hired the Teraka Guild to kill every mobster that hired the assassins. Plus we’ve hired the Teraka Guild to hunt for and eat the assassins found near Fulton. In addition… I’ll be going there next week on the 17th and 18th and returning.”

“I’m going with you!” She said quickly and with conviction.

“I’d really prefer that you stay here where it’s safer.” As soon as I said that, I knew that I had just lost this argument. Comparing the potential of a few assassins’ loose in Fulton Kentucky to the city of demons and vampires beneath our feet in Sunnyhell was a really dumb thing to bring up.

She smiled a wicked gotcha smile and hugged me tighter, “I’m safer with you and you know it, so I’m going. Nyah! Besides I’ve been learning a few things and can take care of myself.”

I counter offered, “You’d be a whole lot safer if I booked you into a weekend suite at the Shores Hotel with Giles and Jenny; which is one block away from the Santa Monica Galleria with my credit card. I understand that there is a Tiffany’s Jewelry in the mall.”

She grinned up at me like a happy faery imp, “Tempting… very tempting… but no. I’m going with you.”

Damn my luck. She loves me and is also naively bucking to get me killed. I tried to be serious, “Look Willow, if we arrive there and the assassins are still in action, we’ll both be in the middle of a war zone. If that scenario plays out, I won’t be able to protect you, myself or the Garibaldi’s at the same time. I’ll be forced to leave you and you will have to protect yourself. I’ll be worried for you and distracted by it. Distracted enough to potentially make a mistake that will get either myself injured or someone we value killed. Plus you could be killed in the crossfire or by a wild stray bullet.”

She said with certainty, “Roary and his friends have been teaching us how to shoot. I’ve been learning hand-to-hand combat and martial arts. I have my own guns in the vault now. So this weekend, I’ll practise on your range each day. You’ll see, I can take care of myself. Besides accidents can happen anywhere and not just in Fulton. So I’m coming along.”

I wasn’t going to win this, so I gave in for now. I had a snowballs chance on the surface of the sun for getting her to change her mind. Still in seven days a miracle could happen.

She smiled up at me and wiggled a bit. Then she jumped up to kiss my cheek. Her hands stroked down my chest to my hips and turning she left for her next class putting a lot of hip sway into her walk. At the cafeteria door she stopped and blew me a parting kiss before disappearing into the hallway beyond.

I was standing there stupefied.

Confound that… that woman! How does she do that? She jumps to a correct conclusion on the slightest of information. Then she astounds Cortana and myself with her brilliant alternative solutions. Then she shows a wonderfully practical and ruthless streak a light year across. Then for a grand finale makes my head all warm and fuzzy.

Which… are major reasons why I love her so much.

I really need my head examined, so I decided to talk to Giles about Teraka and these Goa’uld. Maybe they found their way into the Watchers books?

Friday, 9 Jan. 1998, 12:20 PM
Sunnydale High School Library

I had sat down in the back of the library up past Giles office to read through one of his randomly selected occult mythology books, which was not so mythological. He wasn’t back yet from the teacher’s lounge and I was hoping to find something about these Goa’uld before he arrived. Pure luck if I did.

Cortana chimed back into my thoughts. “Alex, I’ve concluded my conversation with Royar Harkness… and the Teraka Guild. We do not have a contract at this time. I believe in this particular case Royar’s negotiating position was representing the entire Harkness family, the Teraka Clan and others unnamed clans, due to their vows for revenge. The negotiations involved some informational exchanges so far but we do not have an agreement.”

I wondered briefly about what information Cortana had to give them in this opening exchange? I had a gut feeling about this. We need them for helping us find this Goa’uld and most likely for what would come after.

“Cortana… What’s this going to cost us?”

Cortana had a worried tone in her voice and emotions, “Alex… It’s not about the money… It’s going to cost more…”

This was not going in the direction that I had thought it would. “Start over Cortana and tell me about your negotiations and then about their conditions.”

“Alex, when I informed Royar about the Goa’uld as the target to be found, he was first stunned into silence and then he came unglued. You would have thought, I had just placed a long ton of gold at his feet and a basket of beating virgin’s hearts; for telling him that there was one still left on Earth. He told me that this news meant that they would hunt the Go’oold for free. When I countered that we wanted the Goa’uld alive… he… was not happy. Not happy at all. That’s when he spilled information where this was a grudge started when the Goa’uld first began slaughtering all demons and almost exterminated the original Teraka clans. This is a family blood revenge vow that spans over 10,000 years. He personally wants to kill this Goa’uld and given the opportunity, all of the Goa’uld in the Galaxy. He’s the patriarch of his family and Clan. He will take this as a personal insult, if you do not allow them this revenge.”

This is bad. Not world ending apocalypse bad but just might slither and slide in that direction.

“What did you tell them about us and why we wanted this Goa’uld?”

Cortana sighed, “When I called him, I told him that I was representing a different client who had asked about any and all information regarding Goa’uld. I told him that a recent prophecy was made to the client, that there was a Goa’uld on Earth. After he came unglued, is when he demanded to know who the client was. I thought it would shut him up and bring him back to a more rational state if he knew it was Vengeance that wanted this contract. That’s when he went silent for ten seconds and then demanded… certain concessions. I told him that these Goa’uld weren’t real demons but far worse… and he didn’t believe me. He demanded that he talk to you and no one else. Then he hung up. My surveillance of his telephones even on-hook audio indicates a very strong emotional and violent post-call reaction.” Cortana had a slight emotional quaver in her voice.

Royar must have been mad enough to be breaking things and killing minions. She was worried and for her without a physical body there wasn’t a lot she could do.

“What concessions did he want?”

Cortana replied, “Besides negotiating with you? He reserves the right to kill this Goa’uld himself.”

I sighed deeply this time. This deal was veering off the tracks and I had no idea if I could get it back on? This might be a race between our sources and theirs to find this Goa’uld. The end results could be catastrophic for Earth.

“Change my voice to Vengeance’s on this call Cortana and dial him back. I’ll talk to him with you online but with you only listening.”

“Are you sure about this Alex? He isn’t sounding reasonable right now.”

“Yes, Sis. Get him online. Even if we can’t come to a settlement, he has to know our position and we need more information which he might leak to us.”

“Please be careful Alex… Earth is at stake. His phone is ringing.”

A deep angry bass voice answered the phone, “Wha’da ya want NOW!”

I could hear the spittle globules hitting the telephone mouth piece. I guessed that one of his relatives or staff had inopportunely interrupted him previously, so I continued as if he had been polite. In my altered deep gravely V-voice at the other end, I said, “I am Vengeance, Mr. Harkness, and we both have business to discuss.”

Royar fell silent but his breathing was still full and labored as if he had been exercising or running. “Yes. Yes we do… yes we do.” I could hear him sit down heavily in the background as he paused to compose himself.

Cortana and I needed information. We needed a mutually agreeable solution. “Mr. Harkness, my representative states that you have a claim of first blood against this Goa’uld. Is that so… and may I know the circumstances?”

Royar, inhaled deeply and his voice developed almost a reptilian anger. “First blood you say? That wouldn’t be enough! All of its blood and beating hearts would not quench my family’s flames for revenge or satisfy my ancestors!”

He paused to catch his breath and compose himself again. I said nothing for twenty seconds waiting for him to go first. Finally he began again but in a more controlled voice. “When the Go’oold first came to this world they were content with taking a few humans but then their great magic golden pyramid began scouring the world’s surface clean of all non-human kind. A thousand years it floated above hunting and destroying. Only those who could hide well survived. Those that co-existed with the humans were left alone but eventually… the Go’oold trained humans like dogs to hunt us. The Teraka Clan leaders went as supplicant emissaries to the Go’oold King to plead fealty and with tribute. Only their charred heads returned in baskets. Soon after, an army of lesser Go’oold demons with lightening weapons came and slaughtered all before them. Humans, non-humans and even true demons fell before them.”

He paused again but this time I could hear him drinking some liquid containing ice cubes. “Only a few handfuls of Teraka survived and across the next millenia more Go’oold pyramids appeared. From that first slaughter and for the next 10,000 years we became excellent killers in the night of all things Go’oold and their human worshippers. Then a Slayer joined us in our fight against them and then many others. A great price was paid in our blood and bodies to get to them… but we paid it. The Go’oold’s magic portal was cast down, their warriors crushed and their golden magic pyramids’ rose into the sky never to be seen again. All of their minions left behind were hunted to death and their great stone statues broken. My clan led the non-humans of this world against the Go’oold. We lost the most and paid the greatest price. I claim for my ancestor’s the still unbalanced debt that their dying bodies can only measure against!”

Wow… This was a lot of good information and completely unexpected. If a Slayer was involved in this fight then the Watchers Council should have a book or at least a paragraph on this… war. This was not just one battle but a war that he says lasted for over 10 millenia. Seems the Teraka clans really do have a serious grudge and we can use this… but I’ll have to be careful so they don’t harm my goals. So how old really is this lost Goa’uld Princeling?

I decided to offer up my legend and no fluff. “Mr. Harkness, I’ll grant you and your Clans revenge but my claim against these Goa’uld supersedes yours. Do not despair, I also want them dead and gone. But this one I need alive… for a time, so that it can answer questions. Its race is not like any on this world but the Goa’uld were once a great civilization and they flew between the stars in their starships. Ships that you called magic golden pyramids. Unlike demons here on Earth they command the weapons of those ships, which also includes nuclear weapons of such power capable of killing all life.”

I paused but Royar’s voice stepped in, “How can your blood claim superceded ours?!”

“They came from the stars to Earth and they returned to their stars. I’ve fought great battles between the stars but have missed the past 20 millenia on this planet. I did not know, they had come to this world and survived. I was awoken and sent here to battle evil demons again but I’ve been given a prophecy of one Goa’uld here. These Goa’uld are such a danger to this world. A danger such that even one must be dealt with my way so that it cannot communicate with its fellow race out in the stars. Otherwise they will come back in greater numbers of ships and with their weapons. The Goa’uld will not tolerate ANY race that can challenge them. This world needs time to prepare for a coming war with the Goa’uld. A war of such violence that your Clan cannot imagine.”

This seemed to damp down Royar’s anger but he was still smoldering. “Space ships you say and not magic? Can you really grant us our revenge?”

My voice must have dropped a few degrees. “My war against the Goa’uld is just beginning. I will finish them off this time but I am only one great hunter. So through my human allies, preparations are being made for building warships that can hunt the Goa’uld across the galaxy. A fleet of ships and the soldiers this fleet will require will take time to build. To accomplish this, I cannot have any Goa’uld alive and free on this planet. My knowledge will aid these humans in building the starship fleets and they are going to need fleet captains and soldiers. I will need the Teraka Guild to hunt down these Goa’uld across the stars, conduct espionage, surveil targets and kill them in the night.”

Royar was quiet for a few seconds, “One was left here… How many are out there in the stars?”

I answered as truthfully as I could, “At least one thousand worlds, a hundred million or billions of Goa’uld. I do not know their numbers but it will be a great many. Make no mistake this will be a war so vast and bloody that even you may get your fill of it.”

Royar’s chuckle was deep and devoid of all mirth. “Not hardly. In this I will allow you to take this Go’oold as you see fit but when its usefulness is done … it is Teraka’s… it’s mine to put to death.”

I didn’t think this would go any other way. At least we had the beginnings of a deal. “When I’m done with this Goa’uld, it will be turned over to you or your agents for execution. I have other needs also, services for which I will pay the full price. I will require the assistance of Teraka agents for the Goa’uld interrogations and prison guards. I will need jailers who will not be sympathetic to the Goa’uld and capable of dominating it. I will require a liaison to report to my trusted solicitor in this hunt. Lastly, I will need to learn all that your people know about the Goa’uld when they were on this world. Will you be agreeable to this?”

Rupert Giles came into the library one floor below me so I pulled my mobile phone out and pretended to talk quietly into it. Eventually he would be up here.

This time Royar’s chuckle had a tone of immense pleased expectation in it. “Yes… Yes… This will do nicely. Very nicely. Our revenge will be honed by waiting, standing over our ancient enemy chained at our feet and squeezing every last dreg of knowledge from it. My Clan will be there at every battle no matter how long this takes, until we have witnessed their extinction. I only pray that one of my children is the one to kill the last of them. Only then may our ancestors finally sleep well.”

Giles came up the wide straight stairs with a carafe of water for his tea pot. I smiled and waved from my seat against the wall next to a tall slender window.

The Teraka were motivated, willful and determined. Maybe these ‘peoples’ would be my spear point into these Goa’uld. God only knew how much I wanted this fight to go our way unlike the Covenant’s war against humanity.

So I unveiled to him some of our plans to motivate them further but in the direction we would need. “Mr. Harkness, in the past your Guild has survived as assassins, as Ninja’s. This war may last a thousand years and will need Ninja spies but even more engineers, wizards, space construction workers, miners, skilled craftsmen, warship officers, marines and starship troopers. Your people will need to prepare themselves for what role they can fulfill. The first experimental spaceships will be ready for space trials later this year. After that the pace will accelerate. But first I will need capable and smart construction workers, miners, craftsmen and orbital factory workers. Starships require enormous quantities of metals, electronics, special heavy-metals not found readily on Earth and weapons to break the enemies ships. When the first starships are completed, I will need determined combat crews. All of those selected will receive training for working, surviving and combat in space.”

Royar’s voice was a rumble, “We have been unseen in the shadows so long, I fear my Clan and our allies may be unsuitable for anything but the role of… your Ninja’s. I will assign one of my children to be your liaison and pass on to you all that we know of the long war with the Go’oold. But do not be false with me on this… or my blood oath will turn to you.”

Was it an act of trust or a test to send one of his ‘expendable’ children to me? A millenia old feud of this magnitude was not something for even I, to take lightly. I would have to be dead before my promise was broken. “Mr. Harkness, my kind are long lived, yet I was born and will die, but my promise to you is that I will grant you the sole right to kill this Goa’uld when I am finished with it and that I will take every volunteer who desires to wage war against the Goa’uld no matter how humble they think their contribution will be.”

I paused and he said nothing so I continued, “Your child will be under my protection in Sunnydale. When the fleets are ready in that distant future, your children and I will go off-world to wage war against the Goa’uld. If I must, we will turn their worlds into molten funeral pyres. When their spirit is finally broken, they will flee to hide in the vastness of the galaxy. I will build warships for Teraka to hunt the survivors like dire wolves no matter where they flee. Your Clan will be their executioners and this time… I will not settle for less than their extinction.”

Royar voice vibrated with a low sigh of pleasure, “You promise much Old One.”

“I have fought and killed so-called gods, great demons, lesser demons, and evil humans. The Goa’uld are extremely dangerous. In this war your enemy and my enemy are the same. No exchange of gold or duress will bind us. Only my death will release me from this pledge. It will be an honor to balance this world’s blood debt to your Clan for driving the Goa’uld away.”

Royar deep voice was heated steel, “The Teraka Guild will turn every stone and search every cave to find this Goa’uld and when we do… We will wait for you to seize the creature. This will be the first step in our revenge.”

I answered him truthfully, “Once found, you will not wait long because I must strike fast. I will not sleep easy until this Goa’uld is chained naked in a windowless prison. I will have my solicitor call you back within the hour to finalize the services and fees.”

Royar grumbled, “In this your money is no good. Seeing this Go’oold chained naked and knowing that our revenge is at hand will be our payment.”

I responded politely but firmly, “I commend you but in this I would not impoverish your family and Clan. We both may have many years to wait before this Goa’uld is found. Besides you will have widows and orphans enough to care for when this war starts. Let me at least cover your people’s expenses until we are ready to strike their home worlds.”

Royar harrumphed and after 10 seconds of silence on the line he finally spoke again, “Very well. Have your solicitor call me.” He hung up.

I sat there in my seat, my eyes unfocused on the sun’s rays spilling from the high windows on the southern wall opposite my position. My mind racing with potentialities and plans.

Cortana broke into my moment of mental reflection, “You realize that the Watchers Council and Giles must know something about these Goa’uld. Do you plan on asking him right now?”

We had to know, “Yes. I’ll ask him.”

Cortana’s voice dropped low in concern, “What were you thinking when you offered ‘revenge’ to the head of what is most likely the oldest and most powerful group of organized demons on this planet?”

I sighed deeply, “I don’t like who and what I just cut a deal with but the passion in his voice as he stated their case swayed me. He told me no lies or you would have said something. So I decided, they’ve waited long enough and deserve their revenge. Besides we need them and they need us.”

Cortana would have been worrying her hands if she had any, “I still don’t like this. They could change goals in a microsecond and be a threat to you.”

I sat there with my eyes marveling at the peaceful beauty of the light spilling down and across the quiet library, while Cortana and I discussed my fate, the fate of the world and a galactic war. It was so… incongruent.

“Yes, they could turn but they won’t. Not for any amount of gold. You analyzed his voice just as I was. He’s a ‘true believer’ in fulfilling his Clans millenia long hate against the Goa’uld dishonorably murdering his ancestors. I’ll bet, every child in that Clan has grown up with the stories and making a blood oath promise to kill Goa’uld when they came of age.”

Cortana whispered, “Will you be safe?”

“Cortana, I should have died last year… several times. … You, of all people know that Spartans do not make promises very often and when we do… we keep them. So long as we both keep this promise, they’ll be faithful in keeping their end of the bargain and maybe even more. I think as Royar Harkness realizes that we really are going to war with the Goa’uld beginning with this one, they will be very motivated in keeping me safe.”

Cortana started giggling and finally snorted out, “Teraka bodyguards for you?”

I chuckled at that image, “I hadn’t thought of that… but they’ll probably insist on it at some point.”

Cortana came back more serious, “My telephone surveillance of the Teraka headquarters is paying off. Royar is having an executive meeting with his staff. Many of whom are also this Teraka species of ‘demons.’ Your deal with him and the news of the Goa’uld is moving like lightning through the Clan.”

“Is their conversations good or bad for us.”

Cortana replied, “Mostly disbelief at first. Their reaction is very much like Royar’s. Hate and fear of the Goa’uld, vows of vengeance at hand and many volunteering.”

“Mostly good news for us then.”

Cortana said, “At this rate I’ll have the telephone numbers and locations of every member of the Teraka Guild and Clan on the planet by the end of the week.”

I chuckled at her capability for surveillance, “Cortana, please don’t spend a lot of your time surveilling them. I don’t think they will be a threat to me but keep their headquarters under your watchful eyes.”

Cortana was somber, “I’m also analyzing their finances down to the individual Teraka households and they aren’t rich assassins by any definition.”

“What do you mean Sis?”

Cortana was more subdued, “Royar was truthful when he said that they lived in the shadows. There really isn’t that many of them in terms of a population group and less than two percent of them work as assassins. The money from their contracts goes like shareholder dividends to all members of the Teraka Guild. The vast majority of Teraka are low income workers trying to hide and just get by. If we weren’t paying for their services it would have impoverished thousands even more than they are.”

Cortana flash briefed me the top level view of her investigation and economic profiles. “Who would have thought that the mighty Teraka Guild was fronting for the Teraka Clan which was mostly Cajun swamp folk, auto mechanics, stevedores and sanitation workers? The Teraka Guild acting as their insurance agency, retirement fund and financial support for their widows and orphans.”

Cortana commented satirically, “They’re not the vastly wealthy all powerful assassins guild of their public relations image.”

I sighed, reality was always so mundane. “I’m no better Sis. I’m just a kid, mind merged with you and John, trying to stay hidden from grabby government types. They’re just trying to survive and hide, still in fear of the Goa’uld and rightly in fear of murderous human governments.”

I stood up from the comfortable seat. The book that I had selected was near useless to me now. Time for asking Rupert some direct questions.

Dr. Giles was whistling a 1960’s pop song as he finished pouring his cup of Earl Grey tea. It was the Elvis Presley song, “Can’t Help Falling In Love.” My parents were big Elvis fans. I sat down as he quickly looked at me from the corner of his left eye while still concentrating on his tea cup. I gave him my patented Zeppo grin and eye-brow wiggle. I flashed the book that I had borrowed while pointing at it.

He grinned back at me as he turned full on towards me and sat down in his desk chair. I almost laughed outloud because it was brilliantly obvious that Miss Calendar had planted a perfect red lip gloss kiss on his right cheek and smeared red across his lips. Even his nose had a spot of red.

I couldn’t help it and began snickering, then laughing and then coughing behind my hands. He had an annoyed and then irritated look on his face as I finally scooted up, retrieving the flat rectangular mirror that he kept tucked into his book case. I held it up for him to witness the marks of passionate possession that Jenny Calendar had left on his face.

Dr. Gile’s face went from irritated to a look of horrified embarrassment in one instant and he spilled a bit of his tea. This was one of those priceless Kodak moments. Unfortunately I could only wish, I had a camera with me.

The only thing he said was, “Oh! Oh My!!”

I handed him the mirror as he turned away from me embarrassed, snatching handfuls of Kleenex’s to wipe his face.

While he was busy cleaning himself, I slotted the musty book back into its rightful position and looked at the other titles trying to divine one that might have held some information on these Goa’uld. I had been hoping for a book titled, “The Field Guide to Goa’uld Identification and Natural Habitat.” No luck. Maybe Cortana and I will have to write it.

Rupert coughed at me and I turned back to face him. I was still smiling and much too happy at his good fortune to have Jenny marking her territory on him. He was just the proper British school boy caught with not being so proper.

I sat down and good naturally said while waving my hand in front of my face like a fan. “Wowsers Dr. Giles. Can I go to the Teachers’ Lounge and get some of those?”

Several different emotions passed across his face and finally settled on a slight smirk. A British school boy’s version of a controlled grin trying to slip away at the corners. He replied just before sipping his tea, “No… She’s much too old for you.”

I was smirking now. “Yah. Willow used to never wear lipstick but I think she puts it on now just to plant her mark on me.”

Rupert now grinned at me, completely unashamed this time. Jenny was good for him and looked good next to him. They looked good together.

Now it was time to get down to business. I looked back up at Giles with serious business look. “I received a prophecy from a seer a few weeks ago and I need to know what a Goa’uld is?”

Giles spit his tea out coughing violently and nearly dropped his cup.

Bingo! He does know something.

Giles grabbed for paper towels. After a few moments he said, “How? Where did you hear the word Goa’uld?!”

I chuckled quickly to put him at ease because he was stalling for time. “I asked first Rupert. What are they? Who was the Slayer who first fought them? How do I kill them?”

Giles was still stalling, he pulled his glasses down and began polishing them vigorously. “Ahem… That would be a long story indeed.”

I picked up his telephone and dialed Cortana’s number and then sat down the handset on his desk with the microphone piece facing him. “Cortana and I have all afternoon Rupert.”

He slowly began, “I don’t have those chronicles here with me but now obviously I should. This period of our history was a special study of mine. It was a very long time ago and started in Egypt. It was written that at first, one Goa’uld came to this world via a magic portal. The Goa’uld built a palace that was a magic golden pyramid that floated above the ground. It was a demon god named Ra and his palace was the floating pyramid. Ra took humans into his palace… and changed them. He changed them into his demon warrior guards, others into slaves and worshippers. The books say that he would tolerate no other demons. Ra had magics to find them and his warriors killed them with bolts of fire. Ra’s servants even hunted the Slayers and killed them. Ra took thousands of humans as slaves and many thousands were herded through his magic portal. None ever returned. After thousands of years passed, then hundreds more golden pyramids came with more Goa’uld demon gods. Wherever a golden pyramid landed great cities were created around them but they demanded worship and fear. Some of the Goa’uld were exceedingly evil and most were casually evil to humans. Only a few of them ate humans.”

Giles had paused to remember and drink his tea. I didn’t say a word. After a minute he began again. “The Watchers recorded the short lives of the Slayers during that time. The Goa’uld killed many of them. In time the Watchers naturally kept the Slayers far from the Goa’uld. As much to survive but also to kill the demons that flourished far from the Goa’uld. Finally one Slayer named Mutbeneret was saved from a group of vampires by the La-Terkia Clan of demons and she formed a pact with them to slay the Goa’uld kings and queens. The Watchers recorded some of the names of the captains that the Clans sent to fight with the slayers. Thousands of years passed and not all of the names of the Slayers were recorded since they and their Watchers were killed in battle. The Slayers came and went so fast that most of the time there was no Watcher to guide them, only that demon Clan. Finally the Slayer Battus Ladice killed the Goa’uld King Amenhotep and with the warriors of that demon Clans slaughtered every living thing in the golden palace. Then the Goa’uld king Ptah was killed by the slayer Hetepheres. Horus was killed by Istemkheb. Then the Goa’uld Queen Shu was killed by Nebty Khafri. Nemaat Itet killed the god-Queen Gebe. Khafre Hemetre killed the god-Queen Thoth. Urbi Achuuheb Scota Akhenati killed the god-Queen Ma’at. You might know Scota’s name since she was one of the founders of the great ancient ‘Earth City of Achu.’ In a very short period of time… about a period of 1,000 years dozens of the Goa’uld kings, their lessor Goa’uld lords and their warrior armies were killed. One by one the Goa’uld were killed, their warriors and followers annihilated. The Watchers wrote that it took the bodies of hundreds to kill one Goa’uld. Sometimes thousands died to kill just one.”

Giles paused again to start another pot of water boiling. So I asked him, “You never said that there were ‘friendly’ demons or should I say non-humans that helped the slayers. I’ve met Pinotaerie, Brachen, Gajug and Kantos demons. They aren’t harmless but they have no interest in killing or preying upon humans. Why not tell us about them?”

Giles said with caution, “Slayers kill demons and 5,000 years later The Watchers Council never thought of non-human immigrants to this world as peaceful or potentially beneficial. Most demons native to Earth are evil but it is obvious that some immigrated here via magic portals to escape a calamity or extinction by truly evil demons. Thousands of years ago we had a pact with demon clans to defeat the Goa’uld. We had to but in time the Watchers Council decided that this was a period of history best forgotten. The Goa’uld’s portal was buried along with their warriors when Ra was killed.”

“I really think you need to educate Buffy and Kendra about the non-human and non-hostiles out there before they kill one and then feel terrible afterwards. Plus you need to tell them that the Slayers owe these ‘demon’ clans who helped save Earth a great debt. But you need to finish your story.”

Giles sat back down his fresh hot tea ready for another burnt lip. “Oh, where was I? Oh yes, the Goa’uld weren’t gods because they could be killed. It just took a lot, to get through their armies and then get through their magics to kill them. In the end there were still maybe a hundred Goa’uld kings and queens on Earth when the Slayer Pythia Kektar attacked the Goa’uld’s Supreme King Ra’s palace with an army of Kekeka-Ra, Tok-Ra and Ra-Eka demons to aid her. She drove her sword through Ra and killed him but she was killed by his surviving guards. The Kekeka-Ra killed the guards, set fire to the throne room while the Ra-Eka killed the remaining Goa’uld and palace guards. The Kekeka-Ra Clan brought her body out of the palace just before it began to rise into the air. Around the world the other Goa’uld pyramids also rose into the sky and vanished. When Pythia died the next Slayer called was a potential named Nefertari who was in the battle to take the Goa’uld portal with the remaining La-Terkia Clan of demons. She survived the battle to see Ra’s palace float up into the sky and then vanish in a thunderous flash of light. She with the La-Terkia warriors and her Watcher buried the portal with the bodies of the Goa’uld warriors. That last battle occurred about 3,500 BC. The Goa’uld must be extinct because none have been seen since.”

Oh crap. How do I break this to him? Straight up is usually best. “Rupert, I was given a prophecy about the Goa’uld. They’re not extinct. One is still alive here on Earth. I will capture and kill it. They’re a lot more of them out in the stars because they aren’t real demons but an alien empire. It’s my destiny to wage a galactic war against them. Oh and the Goa’uld portal has been opened.”

Giles dropped his favorite tea cup and saucer. They both hit the carpeted floor and bounced before impacting each other and shattering. He didn’t notice even though his eyes were the size of cup saucers. He was stunned senseless it seemed for three heart beats and then he rocketed out of his chair then collapsed back into it. He looked like a vamp had drained a quart off the top. “Oh my word… It can’t be… Goa’uld here. Empire not demons. Aliens… Palaces rose into the sky… Portal opened!”

I was concerned for Rupert. He looked like he had almost fainted and his mind was working over what I said in some form of mental gnashing. I pulled Rupert’s hidden bottle of Bailey’s Irish Cream and poured a tea cup full. He drank it and shook his head. His eyes came back into focus slowly and croaked out, “Are you sure the portals open?”

I sat back, “I haven’t seen it open or know where it is but the seer said it was open and this seer’s prophecies so far have been 100%. Do I believe it to be open? Yes. So can we move on to the more important stuff, like how do I kill a Goa’uld?”

Giles eyes were now more focused, “Well… They have their magics to get past first but cutting their head off or a spear through the chest seemed to work on them. The chronicles said that they were human looking most of the time but their eyes glowed. Most of them were very human looking when dead.”

I grinned at Rupert, “Ok, so they’re not ten feet tall and fart lightning bolts like Scotsmen.”

Rupert got a pained look on his face and said, “If you’ll excuse me Xander, I must call the Watchers Council about this. A private call Xander.” He made shooing motions at me.

When I stepped out of his office and began heading downstairs towards the parking lot exit doors, I asked Cortana, “Surveill his call Sis. Let me know what they say.”

“Already done when he first hung up the telephone on me. They seem to operate almost like a governmental espionage agency. He has a code number and a recording system to leave messages at. I assume that they’ll dial him back.”

I chuckled as I walked, “Not surprising for an organization that tries to manage the supernatural sub-rosa for the past six thousand years.”

Cortana was still worrying over my deal with Royar Harkness. “Alex, why did you promise the Teraka that you intended to exterminate the Goa’uld?”

“Practicality Cortana. If these Goa’uld wiped out the Covenant then they absolutely won’t tolerate another space faring race as a potential threat. They came here and played the role of gods to us primitives. They took thousands maybe millions of humans through their portal. This doorway to the stars must lead back to their home worlds but why take so many humans across the thousands of years? They left without slagging our planet because we weren’t a real threat to them. I’m not convinced that this Ra is dead because they probably have advanced medical therapies just like I have. I know that a sword through my chest would hurt like blazes but it wouldn’t kill me. So Ra was their supreme leader… I assume he was tired of us and that’s why he ordered the others to return to their stars. So they know where we are but they don’t know that we’re on the verge of spaceships and starships. If they did? … It would be all over for us with an orbital bombardment. To win this war for our very survival will require the extermination of the Goa’uld because they will glass this planet if given the slightest opportunity, just like the Covenant would.”

Cortana came back with a different issue for me. “Alex, we have other business that can’t wait. Sansum Research called while you were talking to Giles.”

Friday, 9 Jan. 1998, 4:40 PM
Reach Offices, Sunnydale, Calif.

Earlier that afternoon Cortana had neuronetted me with a heads up. The Sansum Clinic was couriering to me a small glass pharmaceutical drug bottle packed in an ice chest. It was the end results of the filtering, centrifuging, electro-magnetic bathing and cryogenic processing of my blood serum that she had specified to them. One bottle containing 4 cc of my reset-to-neutral concentrated nanites. Also packed in the delivery was four 1 cc and two 2 cc sterile syringes with needles in a medical kit pack.

Cortana and I had debated at first what to do. Now I sat looking at the slightly off-clear fluid in the cold vacuum packed vial with the grey rubber hermetic medical cap. I was sitting behind my first floor executive desk, with the door closed and just turning that vial in my hand as if it was the most precious thing on the planet.

The concentration density was nowhere near what the dosage was from the 26th Century or even the 25th Century but it was the best that Sansum Research could do. Still they followed Cortana’s instructions precisely and these nanites had been reset to a zero start state, no imprinted DNA code to unlearn. Rendered safe to inject into any human and start adapting to that human’s DNA immediately. No six week slow reset of the genetic template for these nanites.

My first question for myself was more along the lines of either four shots for four people or two shots for two people? Cortana speculated that four shots would cut a decade of transition down to maybe two to three years. Two shots for two people would mean less than one year transitioning from Homo Sapiens to Homo Novis or Methuselahs or whatever we should be called.

My next debate was again with myself as to who do I give the shots to? I wanted to give it all to Willow but she’s already in transition more than anyone else. Plus Sansum will produce another 4 cc or more vials from my blood next month and each month thereafter.

Should I give it to Mrs. Summers right now and cure her cancer? That would force me to tell Buffy and try to keep from being beaten to death because I held out on her. Maybe I should give it to Giles and Roary because they are the two oldest of my now best friends? When should I dose my parents? Or should I dose my parents? If I did I would soon have annoying bratty little siblings to spoil rotten. Would that be cruel to my parents? My nanites making sure they were parents again and again. They would also never be able to get intoxicated again. I cruelly chuckled at that thought.

After minutes of contemplating this, I decided and went in search of Roary.

Friday, 9 Jan. 1998, 5:20 PM
206 Albert Drive, Sunnydale, California.

In my soon to be former home, I sat facing Karen who sat on the edge of her bed kneading her hands. The still empty sterile syringe inside its sterile sealed wrapping and the bottle of my nanite serum lay on a fresh clean white towel on the footstool between us.

My explanation was done. A heavy silence lay between us as she pondered her decision.

With Roary, he took maybe ten seconds to decide. A longer life, maybe look a few years younger, but it was a full life ahead with Karen that allowed him to finally say, “Yes, let’s do this kid.”

It was his love for Karen and his hope for a family with her that decided him.

Although he did say that the prospect of having the speed and reflexes to fight vampires and demons on a more even field was a bonus. But he quickly added that he would kill me in my sleep if I ever told Karen that. As if I would.

Karen weighed this momentous decision herself. She had contemplated a hoped for marriage, normal span of years of life with a man she loved and children. After I had told her of my nanites and what they meant for her, the hope for a family sprung. She just hadn’t expected a very large family.

Now I had laid before her the actual means to realize that hope.

It was her decision. I hadn’t told her what Roary’s decision had been.

I hadn’t told him or her, that I even had two syringes.

They each needed to make this decision by themselves.

I owed both of them that simple natural right, the right to choose for themselves.

I hoped that she would say yes, and join Roary in a long and healthy life together. This is by far a more important decision for her than him. Not just married with a few children but even with just one child every twenty years this could be twenty children or more. Like all women before her since Eve became a mother, this was a huge decision.

She stared at that bottle for thirty seconds and then her eyes closed slowly. She took a deep breath, opened her eyes and looked around the master bedroom filled with her things. Her wedding stuff was everywhere. Her wedding dress was carefully arranged on a mannequin to her left. Her eyes stopped there and then her eyes snapped to mine.

She rolled up her left sleeve and firmly said, “Yes, I’m ready.”

Saturday, 10 Jan. 1998, 10:10 PM

It seemed like a long double exhausting day. After the reception ended Kendra and I had dropped Willow off at her home.

My soon to be former home looked like twenty people had camped there for a few days and they had. I changed into something comfortable and cleaned up the place. I even did the dishes and cleaned the kitchen bar.

Even with Kendra down the hall, the house still seemed… empty.

Finally I stepped into a hot shower which was refreshing me as I thought about my day.

California’s notorious fickle coastal weather had obliged us with a dry pale sunny day. No rain or howling Pacific gale.

The wedding went off with just one hitch. As in Roary and Karen were now hitched. Married bliss and all that. He and I were dressed like penguins. Karen was beautiful as she came down the aisle. I was surprised that even I got a little moisture in my eye.

At least I hadn’t fumbled the ring when I handed it to him.

Willow was a lovely sight as she sat with her and my parents. So was Buffy, Cordelia, and Kendra who all sat on the brides side of the aisle.

Kendra was not surprising quite stunning in a classy dress. I really think the fancy dress was a first for her but she seemed pleased with herself. I think the Scooby girls scheme to domesticate, fashion plate and feminize Kendra was finally working.

Something was sparking though between her and a young man in the church. She looked back over her shoulder four times before the ceremony at him. Henry was a handsome young man in his early twenties sat three rows behind her with his parents. It didn’t hurt that he was very buff wearing a dress green US Army uniform with 75th Ranger insignia. Which meant that he was a bona fide tuff-guy. Earlier I had been introduced to his parents. Tony and Delila Jefferson had known Roary since their Army days. Tony and Roary were both bonded by the brotherhood forged in combat.

After the wedding Kendra did spend more than a small amount of time with Tony, Delila and Henry. Definitely sparkage. Maybe she’ll lose interest in trying to hurt me during our sparring matches? Yeah, I can dream can’t I?

The wedding reception was nice and I finally got to meet all of the Harris family but this time as something other than a drooling baby.

Roary and my father’s youngest brother, William Harris attended. I really liked him.

Will was the white sheep of the family in that he had never succumbed to alcohol or drugs even after huge personal tragedies. He was a respected business man in Orange County south of Los Angeles. His sense of humor was much darker and razor sharp. Like his older brother Roary, he loved to work on cars and build things. That’s why he owned a construction company and other manufacturing businesses. I didn’t know he owned a small machine shop and foundry along with a specialty plastics and materials fabrication company. Cortana neuronetted the finer details to me as we talked business and I told a few funny “there I was” stories about Uncle Roary. He told better ones.

I asked Cortana to check up on what kind of work we could send his small businesses. At least I could trust a family member more than Joe Blow Incorporated.

I dried myself off and dressed in a terry cloth bathrobe, flip-flops and a pair of my athletic gym shorts. I began to walk down to the kitchen.

Kendra poked her head out of her room long enough to give me some eyebrow wiggles, an enigmatic grin along with, “A package arrived for you. It’s downstairs.”

With that she disappeared back inside her room, leaving me in confusion in the hallway. It was Saturday and late; and no delivery service worked past noon on Saturday.

I turned and padded down the stairs cautiously. I visually searched and saw nothing in the formal living room, foyer, family room, dining room and kitchen.

I decided that Kendra was just messing with me. So I poured myself some cold lemon tea from a previously made carafe sitting in the refrigerator and then pulled some ice cubes from the top freezer. As the freezer’s top door was shutting closed I was startled.

Standing at the edge of the kitchen door was Willow.

A Willow that was showing a lot of skin. Red hair, stunning eyes, smiling face, a white silk blouse unbuttoned all the way down… and open a tantalizing inch. No bra showing and smooth skin down to her silk white boxer shorts with pink trim that was barely showing below the edges of the open blouse, her hips accentuated by the blouse, then bare legs all the way to her bare feet.

She had a lot more covering her than a beach bikini but it was… she was smoking.

I gulped and had a sudden urge to bow to my knees before her and kiss her feet. Start kissing at her feet and slowly work my way up.

I resisted but my Johnson betrayed me instantly and I must have turned almost as red as her hair.

Her eyes glinted as she tantalizingly fiddled with her blouse and said, “My parents are gone on another one of their week long… speaking engagements. I was returned to an empty house. An empty house isn’t safe for a young… vulnerable… woman. I decided to pack up and keep you company.”

She paused and her voice slowed to a sultry soft pace, “I really need to have some of my… freckles counted and… you’re just the man to do it.”

Which was amazing since she usually talks so fast and this means she’s really trying hard to send me a blazing impression.

With that she opened her blouse another inch, exposing more of her fine smooth skin. An impression stamped on my head with a mallet.

My mouth gawped like the fish I am and my eyes were bugging.

Kendra said I had a package downstairs and she knew! She knew what kind of a dangerous package she was allowing into the house! It’s a conspiracy!!

“My God!” I rasped to Willow through a dry mouth. I need a chaperone and fast. Her smile changed from golden light and welcome to wicked expectation.

I squeaked out, not very convincingly, “You and I both need a very cold shower. Cold separate showers, right now.”

She stepped towards me blocking my way and purred, “You’ve already had a shower and so have I.” She began fanning her chest and neck as she slowly glided another step towards me.

I almost dropped the glass of lemon tea. So I drank the entire 10 ounces in one pour down my dry throat. I was hoping that it would put out the fire that Willow had kindled.

Bat crap! No luck.

She stepped closer and said while flipping her hair aside with one hand showing me her smooth kissable neck. “You owe me… a freckle counting.”

I was petrified in place as she stalked her prey. In slow motion she continued towards me. I had every Spartan opportunity to run, escape and evade… but I was a rabbit. Mesmerized, frozen in place by my personal predator.

Then she was tugging at the knot of my terry cloth robe and undid it. Opening my robe her hot skin met mine as she slithered her way up my torso until her nose was touching mine. Her knees were wedged above my hips and my mind was total vacuum. She kissed me and her tongue scrapped the insides of my eyeballs clean.

She backed off my face smiling wickedly again while licking her lips. Then she hopped down and quickly away from me. Teasingly she turned heading for the door into the formal dining and living rooms. The stairs to the bedrooms lay beyond.

She said over her shoulder just before she disappeared through the doorway, “I’m sleeping with you tonight.”

I stood there like a statue for at least 60 seconds. The only thing twirling through the vapor of my mind was, Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!

When I finally came out of my stupification, I was wondering outloud, “What just happened? Was I dreaming?”

I was so tired, I convinced myself I day dreamed Willow, until I got to the top of the stairs.

To Be Continued with
Alexander Harris, Spartan-1
Volume 2. Heating the iron