Episode 8, Part 4
"Poking the Hacker"
Annie let you be that night and the following morning.
She was always near, sitting or standing somewhere in sight, but you were left to stew. You were brooding. It was not the best word for your mood, but you had few others to use to describe your simmering displeasure. Which forced you to do continuous battle with a small stream of little mind creatures like that gremlin trying to reach the flier in the school earlier.
Little, odious
things constantly trying to escape you. Add your disquiet and as you sat in your chair and felt the old leather caress your porcelain flesh, a faint frown formed on your regal features.
Why does such an odious
creature exist in front of me? You gnashed and chewed at your thoughts and the things riding them.
I do not want it to live
. I do not want anything like
it in my
town.
Thoughts like these made you grumble and hiss at the creatures in your head as you ate them. But you were stalking a set of thoughts over and over and over again, thinking them, discarding them, then returning to smash them. It was so… You didn't have words for it that made any sense to you.
Being displeased at tedium was abhorrent to your very self afterall.
This unsettled frustration mixed with the swelling thud thud thud of the Hellmouth in your inner ear. You grumble, the sharp sound pushing you up as you stood and stared around at your domain.
What would help me? In all of this
! That thought fills you in the now, as you try to move away from musing on the past and stare frustratedly at your domain.
"Annie!" Your voice is sharp and your head snaps to look at her as your hair rustles over cloth.
"Yes my Lady?" She is already looking at you, attentive. Hands at rest and posture tense with nervous energy. You hit upon an idea.
"I am
beset," Your speech twitches and hisses over that word, "...by a multitude of frustrations. That
thing which hides in
my town."
You cast your sanctum, throwing out your arms to indicate random objects. "None of these things let me
hurt it as it should be, just
trap it. The lack of a grasp I have on this thing is galling." The room cools with your words, your disquiet making the Fog sunk into the stone agitated. Annie frowns at your words. For a moment you think she might be hurt by what you said, but then you look again and realize that thought was ridiculous. She's thinking.
She hmms, tapping her chin with her metal hand.
Her eyes focus on you again. "It is using human machinery to avoid your notice. So I think you need someone who can track it down. I can't, I'm not particularly good with computers." She raises an eyebrow as some thought occurs to her, but then you interrupt.
"You're thinking about the Slayer."
Which is where my thoughts were turning.
Your Knight nods, expression angry underneath a calm veneer. "Yes, specifically how to weaken her, because she needs to die." Her voice is also relaxed, on the surface.
"She does," you wave away her eagerness as you respond.
Not time yet. "I have already ingratiated myself with them, but I agree. More is needed." You walk closer to her, thinking about the personalities of the Slayer's companions.
The boy is immediately struck off the list. His use comes from being bait, more than anything else. Which is part of the reason you didn't eat him, you now realize. No need to
take the bait. The scholar might have some use. You might check him if your other option falls through, because he really is too insightful to approach lightly. That leaves Willow, someone you've surprised more than once and is blissfully innocent.
"Hmm." You hum, then giggle. "What do you think of Willow, Annie?" Your expression is still, but your tone pleased.
She brightens, her eyes widening as she makes a tiny 'ah'. "Yeah, she might be able to help you. I've known girls like her before, who retreat into their own little worlds and get involved in books or other things." Then she blinks, head tilting left as she looks at you curiously.
"Do you intend to train her in your arts?" She seems a mix of eager and wary confusion. Her metal hand curls possessively, at her side. The eagerness is what lingers in your mind, to be considered later.
Maybe my Knight would like minions of her own?
Either way. "No, I will not train someone I intend to consume." You have little use in spreading the Soul Arts.
You already exist, and
you are all that should be here. This world is yours, and
no one else's.
Annie relaxes, smiling and her shoulders drooping as she crosses her arms, though an air of put out childish disappointment puffs her cheeks. The entire display pleases you.
"Do I need to get the car?" Your companion asks cheerfully. You shake your head. You want to go on a walk today, to survey your domain as you look for the mage girl.
***
There's no wind today. The air is thick and hot and tries to stick to your skin like warm oil as you walk over the scratchy stone of the sidewalk. The sun compounds the feeling by warming your hair and simple dress of brown cotton. It colors everything gold, reflecting off all of the metal and glass the humans like to put everywhere. Your breath lingers in your throat in the wetness. In another being it would probably invite lethargy. Everything about this afternoon day would. All the animals in the trees you walk under, their cool shade brushing over you, are apathetic and slow moving. The humans around you are too.
Laughing and meandering about their days. You avoid the mortals as a matter of course. They don't matter and you don't want undue interruptions. Annie, of course, stays close behind you. She seems to enjoy the weather, a looseness to her gait you haven't seen before and revelling in the light sheen of sweat on her brow and in her hair.
Hmm. How odd.
Pieces of the woman you were made from whisper to you that this is summer, though you have no real context for their meaning. You also don't feel it is worth your attention, and quickly move on. The vibrations of passing cars and vehicles rattle under your feet. According to Annie it should be nearing the time when the children are released for the day. Finding Willow should be easy and you already have a ready made excuse of just walking around to speak with her.
A part of you points out how it was before, and the rest agrees that it was better.
Rounding the last corner around a small home you come onto the cross street which goes in front of the school. There is a long line of cars which smell of hot metal lined up along the far side of the street. The chatter of teenagers running to parts you don't care about digs into your ears as they pour from the front doors of the school building. You don't stop and watch the stream of humanity, unremarkable Souls streaming to cars and down the opposite side of the street in either direction.
The press looks like it is headed your way, so you continue around the corner, paralleling the line of cars and entering the small park just behind the small house you passed. Finding a bench is easy and you sit, with Annie leaning against the side of it. Her posture is tenser now, with all the noise and mess moving nearby.
It takes a handful of minutes before you hear the Slayer, and looking around find her shiny haired head. You don't care to actually listen of course, since you're watching the thinner brunette next to her as they part ways. The girl slips into the crowd then and with an almost bored glance around discover she is not headed to any car, and is heading down the street away from you.
You glance up at your companion, meeting her green eyes as she looks down. "Annie, be a dear and follow at a distance." You rise and walk past, seeing her nod in the corner of your eye. Your feet make quiet shush shush noises as you stride down the street and past other houses and small buildings, paralleling the flow of humanity on your right. No one notices you as you walk. They're absorbed in their little young human worlds. Passing the last house you come to another corner at the end of the block and cross the street, striding into the flow with regal ease. You aren't that far behind the mage girl so you raise a hand and holler her name.
"Willow! Do you have a moment?" You aim for cheerful and forgettable, and achieve the tone flawlessly. People look over and then look away as the brunette lets out a confused eep and turns. Her face is full of innocent surprise and startlement.
"Uhm…?" Then she seems to discard the confusion and brighten, waving at you and smiling. "Latria! What's up? Excuse me sorry! Sorry! Why are you here? Sorry, oops!" Shyly she scoots her way through the crowd, nearly tripping over a few people and approaches you while shooting a volley of questions at you. You catch the glance she flicks to your bare feet and the look around to everyone else before she gets into arms reach.
"Whoo, too many people… anyway, what's up? And why are you...
here?" The girl seems actively curious for whatever you have to say, looking around at the bright town landscape as if you don't fit into her little world of the moment.
You smile, letting her think you're happy to see a friend. "I was out taking in the sun. Walk with me Willow?" You start walking, gesturing for her to follow, and Willow trots to keep up as you continue talking without pause. "I have a question for you. Where were you going?" Making your way into the crowd is effortless. The humans part around your presence instinctively and Willow stays close easily, mumbling behind you before she speaks up and asks you a real question.
"Uh? Home… what was your question? And why ask me?" Her head tilts over like a very confused lizard, or a small fuzzy and wide eyed animal.
"Home, that's good then. My question is, how good are you with computers? I have a problem I think you could help me with." You're looking at her as you lead the way out of the crowd and across the street. Willow blinks at you before looking away nervously. Then her surprise seems to evaporate, replaced with interest and intelligence and wariness.
She took my explanation of why I was here rather easily… you sigh internally as she answers your question with her own.
"A problem? On a computer?" She leans closer, eye flicking around to note your relative isolation as you walk down the street, you've moved away from the crowds now. And then apparently putting together what you are implying she asks. "Is it a demony kinda problem?"
You nod.
She still isn't looking at me straight on. She must be intimidated. Good.
She grimaces, her small mouth twisting like she tasted something foul. "Yay..." She trails off, obviously thinking. Then she looks up and seems to remember you exist. "Um-uh yeah. Yeah I am pretty good with computers." Then she wilts, fingering her bag strap dejectedly. "But not demons, you'll want Buffy for that…"
You stop, and neatly avoid a collision as she is brought up short, cutting her off with a casual hand wave and shake of your head. Making sure to sound slightly put out, you look at her and say. "Like I
said, I think
you can help me. The computers is a bonus. But we don't want you to be late so let's walk and talk." You start walking again immediately and she hurries to follow you.
She looks around, coming out of her slump. "Right, right. Okay then…" Her tone is hopeful as she walks ahead of you, heading north towards her house. She looks over at you, tugging nervously at her bag strap.
You take that as your que. "So the problem is pretty simple and fit to your unique talents. Somehow a demon got released onto a computer and it appears, hmm, trapped for lack of a better word in there and in all the other computers in the school." Her expression morphs into one of curiosity and mild disgust as you explain. She makes an abortive attempt to ask a question, then seems to think better of it.
You just raise an eyebrow at that and say, "Hmmm?"
She stumbles a little, then corrects and sighs, asking her question. "How did a demon get onto a computer as a
virus? Is this like Evil Tron or something?" She seems kind of rhetorical and very confused. Her eyes are dark and deeply disturbed. You shrug and ignore her reference to 'Tron'. It doesn't sound important.
"I'm not sure of the exact details,
but," You raise a finger, "I know it didn't come from any of the Hells or other worlds. I didn't feel it arrive, so it was already here." You sigh.
"And Buffy would have already killed it if it was moving around freely. Or found it, or stopped it or… something." The mage girl besides you muses, straightening an errant hair as she frowns, eyebrows scrunching in thought.
You nod. "Quite, she's good at that." You huff. "So I expect it was bound to something and then went from that to the computer." You stop when Willow raises a hand, tilting your head left.
Hmm?
"Could it have already, or um,
always been on a computer? And what did you mean
in the school?" She asks, haltingly. Uncomfortable with interrupting you, her eyes lock on your right shoulder.
Could it? No it was too… uncoordinated.
You shake your head and say. "No, I had a chance to talk to it, I'll explain in a moment," warding off her intensely concerned look with a shake of your head, "And it was too uncoordinated. My magic could see that it was not used to the mode of existence it found itself in."
At her invested 'please continue' look, she actually meets your eyes, you move on. "As to how I know. I knew it was around, felt it, so I tried to hunt it down and found it in your school computers. I lied to it and tricked it to talk to me with a message… thing. It sold itself as a senior named Malcolm."
She slows and turns to look at you more intently, then sighs. "That was
risky. And it's
so close? ...Crabsticks." She bites her lip and looks down at her feet. Then she glances up at you, some larger worry pushing her shoulders into a hunch.
You fake a look of concern. "Willow, what's wrong?" You reach for her slowly. She shakes her head and huffs, as she fixes her hair with one hand again.
"Okay, do you know what the Internet is?" She asks you hopefully. You shake your head.
She frowns, then tries to describe something expansive with her hands. "Okay so um… how do I… right. The Internet is basically a bunch of computers connected together, all sharing information, data, everywhere and kind of… talking to each other? Like a uh bunch of people all crammed into a room shouting at each other..." She finishes, dropping her hands and looking at you worriedly.
She's pretty good at explaining via metaphor, even if it is disjointed by her constantly
second guessing herself.
"Ah. Yes I can see where this might be going. Go on."
This sounds like it might be larger than I wish. You start expressing your displeasure on the
things in your head, crushing them underfoot while you listen to her continue, keeping your face stoically calm. Your emotions are also diverted to focus on her. You see her subtly stand up straighter under that focus.
She probably doesn't even notice.
"Yeaaah. So this demon may be in every connected computer, which could mean all of this town… and everywhere else that has a computer. Which is…
bad." She hugs herself, her concern rapidly growing. Then she seems to find her spine and straightens up. Stretching out her hands in an authoritative chopping motion she starts talking again.
"So, this is actually something we can work with. Since you talked with it, right?" You nod at her question. "Okay great, well no not great, but, we can probably lure it into a single computer and then I think delete it if this is like a virus." She winces. "Probably going to have to destroy the computer, Ms. Calendar is going to be pissed."
You nod. "That sounds like it could work. I had considered trapping it with my magic when I initially encountered it, but I wasn't certain it would work." You throw out that comment to watch her reaction. She perks up at the mention of magic, her green eyes, they're duller than your Knight's, widening.
"Yeah, yeah it'd have to be magic." She paces in front of you, fiddling with her bag strap as she thinks. Then she turns and starts walking. You follow after her, watching patiently.
"So, Latria, I need to go home. I'm going to talk to Mr. Giles on the phone and figure out how to do this. How can we uh find you once we figure something out?" With a direction in hand she seems considerably more confident. A good trait in a prospective minion.
"Meet me at the Bronze tomorrow after school." You raise a warning hand. "Also, don't use the computers if you can help it, or message a person named MalcolmNumber9. This demon has some kind of corruptive ability through his 'speech' or presence."
You are coming up to the girl's house now, the dark siding of the two story seeming to drink in the heat. You can feel a Soul in there, moving around slowly.
A parent? Mother probably if I understand this strange culture correctly. Though… what of it. Still a pointless mortal.
You turn back to Willow, smiling at her as she stands at the foot of her front lawn.
Then she speaks. "Thanks for letting us know Latria. We'll see you tomorrow night. Stay safe?" Her confidence leaves her as she dips into another mental slump.
You respond with a confident wave goodbye. "I'll make sure to. Stay safe as well." The girl nods and slips into her house. You can feel Annie approaching, the bonfire of her Soul contrasting with the small flames of the girl beside you and her mother inside. You turn and walk away from the house, to meet your Knight out of sight.
Turning the corner you find her. And she is frowning. You blink at her.
"That girl needs to grow a pair. Watching you build up her self confidence is annoying." Her voice is spiteful and angry.
You sigh.
"I know. But she takes to direction well, and we have a meeting at the Bronze tomorrow to deal a blow to the creature." With her revelation that it is so much
bigger than you thought you don't expect to kill the beast in one blow, even with the plan.
Annie sighs. "Well at least she's sensible. Do you want me to go
looking?" The emphasis you hear in her voice at 'looking' catches your attention. And…
yes, she could help me with her strange sight… though.
You have to prepare for what comes after you strike this blow against the demon, and helping Annie divine the nuances of her Glove is part of that.
There will have to be an excursion to the sewers to test this out however, for the sake of secrecy and not destroying my sanctum.
"You have been affected by him before." You raise a point against her going out alone. But, she shakes her head, expression stubborn.
"I have an idea of how to resist that and your time is valuable to fulfilling your goals." Her tone is brightly confident. Your face is flat, and you tilt your head left.
"Oh?" Your tone is pointed. She nods, shrugging as she crosses her arms.
"Yes my Lady. Now that I know what it's done I can expect it and resist. Also you could be connected to me without distracting you."
You huff.
She raises an interesting point. You are quite tempted to murder that thought as it stalks through your mind.
What do you do?
[] Help Annie divine the nuances of her Glove so that you can be better prepared for the aftermath of the attack against Malcolm.
[] Let Annie go scouting on her own to look for more places the demon may be influencing while you let her draw power from you to protect herself from Malcolm.
A GIFT! ...For you! *wiggles eyebrows*
It's still christmas day where I am and I felt like giving to my wonderful readers. Have fun with the holidays!
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