"Sunnydalopolis..." Part XXVI...

Sunnydalopolis part XXVI

***
Just before they headed out to Xortox, Willow and Spike received a call from Xander...No
sign of Buffy Rebecca at the college...But they had spoken to the Emperor...back in his role
as a Greek professor...and he would have Ms. Summers watched for... They would head on
to Xortox as well...with Dawn as she and Giles had also come up empty...Giles would return
to man the phones...

***
Harmony reached the outskirts of Xortox by sewer line just as the sun was beginning to set...
She wanted to get there early so as to give Severn a proper report on her activities before the
"Voice" and his minions took the boss' attention...After all she was obtaining immortality
for her boss, she might as well get proper credit...

Smiling at the security guard she showed her id and was let in...

Cute...he thought...

Never realizing he had been saved from a gruesome death only by Harmony's desire to be on
her best behavior...She'd been taking Phil's advice on "professionalism" to heart...

***
Buffy managed to break one of the chains holding her and was working her way free when
Severn and several of his goons come into the lab...He glares at Warren...

"What kind of cheap con are you up to, Warren?..."

Severn looks at Buffy trying her 'deactivated robot' once again...

"Very amusing...Ms. Summers...if you're awake you might as well drop the act..."

Warren looks at him...Buffy Rebecca?...Here?...

Severn motions and Willes leads a dazed looking Buffy Rebecca into the lab...

***
Warren called out to her...

"Buffy Rebecca..."

She did not respond to him...Looking blankly around the room, finally fixing her eyes for a
moment...on Buffy, still feigning unconsciousness...

***
Harmony, carefully guarded at a distance by several security guards somewhat more in the loop
about the 'cute' young woman, was brought to the lab area...

"Buffy?!..." She called out to Buffy Rebecca...and Buffy...

"Oh my God..."

She'd read about this cloning stuff but...

***
Severn reassures the frightened Harmony...the Bad Slayer girls are not going to get her...tonight...

"This one is just a robot...A nonfunctional one at that..."

"A robot...Spike's?..."

Severn grins coldly...Now he sees...Why he can appreciate the beauty of Walthrop's vicious
sense of humor...Imagine, recreating his worst enemy the Slayer as his personal slave...Then,
luring the original here...

If he and Warren hadn't failed him, Walthrop would have been Severn's kind of guy...

***
Harmony sees an opportunity...To improve the lot of Sunnydale's vampire population and
sweeten the deal...

"You know, Dr. Severn...The "Voice" would be really interested in getting his hands on the
Slayer...I'd bet he would guarantee the Scroll's performance...if she were included..."

Severn has been conned once this evening...He's in no mood for another one by a passel of
bloodsucking freaks, out to get whatever they can out of him...Still, if the Scroll works...

"Harmony, my dear...if that Scroll is the real thing...Your friend may have the Slayer...and
gladly...Willes, have the lady escorted to the conference room...And see her friends are
brought there as well when they come..."

Willes motions to several of the guards...

"Oh, and Willes, see that the lady receives proper refreshments..." He smiles at Harmony...

Just like the Dean from 'Animal House', she sighs...

Harmony...working girl vampire with a crush on her boss...
***

Returning to Warren, Buffy, and Buffy Rebecca...Severn drops what little mask of congeniality
he'd scraped up for Harmony...

But there are now only two guards with him and Willes...

Buffy swings out of her chain and smashes it at the closest guard who goes down...The other
runs back...Severn, raging, moves to the alarm system panel at the back of the lab...Willes
cringes...

Two more guards enter the lab...One shoots at Buffy, striking her in the hip...She goes down...

"Well..." Severn sneers at the fallen Buffy. "Nothing like cold lead to take the super out of the
supernatural..."

***

Severn has Warren untied and he goes to Buffy, bleeding on the floor...unconscious but alive...
Severn lets him get the first aid kit in the lab... He manages to stop the bleeding...

Buffy Rebecca is unaware of what's going on...

"Please let me go home...I want my Mom...I don't want to stay here..." She whispers, seven
years old and left in the hospital overnight...

"Look at it..." Severn rages at Warren, pointing at the dazed Buffy Rebecca... He laughs
bitterly... "My ticket to immortality...Worthless...a hunk of junk...like your damned transfer
project..."

He turns on Warren...

He's just afraid, Warren thinks...seeing the gray, ashen face...He's just a frightened sick man
who's going to die...that's all this was about...

My friend Spike could have given him quite a warning regarding the dangers of immortality...

"Willes, have Ms. Summers taken to the infirmary...I have an ambulance coming in a little while
anyway..."

"And you, Warren...you and your vampire 'Dr. Walthrop'...Are Fired!...Willes, throw this fool
out!..."

That's all?...both Willes and Warren think... Warren is an eyewitness to attempted murder...

Willes and the guards move Warren to the door, he turns to plead with Severn...

"Dr. Severn, let me have a few minutes in the lab with Buffy Rebecca...I can still stabilize her
neural net...The process does work... Ms. Summers and I will have nothing to say about
tonight...Please..."

Severn looks coldly at Warren...

"A couple of trespassers...break into my company labs...try to steal valuable equipment...and
my security shoots one...End of story!..."

Willes calls to have Buffy taken to the company infirmary...The guards start to drag Warren
along...

Severn glares at Warren...

"And, Warren...as of tomorrow I will begin an investigation into the unauthorized use of my
facilities by you and your 'Dr. Walthrop'..." Severn sneers. "Throw him out..."

Well, Willes thinks...Easier than trying to dispose of two corpses...And if you already own half
the state judiciary....

Warren cries out to Buffy Rebecca...

"Buffy Rebecca come on!..."

She is too dazed to respond.

"That robot is property of Xortox Labs...Have it taken to storage..." Severn motions to Willes
who shoves her out of the office into the lab area...

Warren is left at the front gate, menaced by guards...
***