3rd Person's POV

Buffy is sitting, Giles looking at her and Laney with concern. Xander paces, upset. Buffy is taking it slow, a little frazzled. Laney is still unconscious. Her body is laid across the table.

Thankfully this time they remembered to lock the library door so they wouldn't be interrupted and have to come up with a stupid story.

Xander frowns sitting beside Laney, "I'm gonna kill Dave."

Buffy shakes her head, "He tried to warn me."

"Warn you that he set you up! And got Laney hurt too." Xander strokes Laney's hair then looks over at Giles, "Is she gonna be okay?"

"She was only grounded for a moment. You're the slayer so that second had no effect on you... but Laney isn't and she bumped her head... I'm not sure what else's we can do until she wakes up then see what to do next for her."

Buffy nods and holds Laney's hand, "Tell me the truth. How's my hair?..."

Xander chuckles knowing she's trying to lighten the mood, "It's great. It's your best hair ever."

Giles nods, "Oh yes."

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

"I think perhaps I do."

"Care to share?"

"Does this look familiar to either of you?"

He shows them the Moloch volume.

Buffy nods, "Yeah, sure. It looks like a book."

Xander agrees, "I knew that one."

"Well, this particular book was sent to me by an archeologist friend who found it in an old monastery."

Xander sighs, "Wow, that's really boring."

Giles glares, "There are certain books that are not meant to be read. Ever. They have things trapped within them."

"Things."

"Demons."

"Here we go..."

"In the Dark Ages Demons' souls were sometimes trapped in certain volumes. The demon would remain in the book, harmless, unless the book was read aloud... If I'm not mistaken, this is Moloch, the corruptor. A very deadly and seductive demon. He
draws people to him with promises of love, power, knowledge. Preys on impressionable minds."

Xander nods, "Like Dave's."

"Dave, and who knows how many others."

"And Moloch is in that book?"

"Not anymore." Giles holds up the book showing the blank pages.

Xander stands quickly, "You released Moloch!?"

Buffy groans, "Oh, way to go."

"I didn't read it! That awful Calendar woman found it and it was already blank."

"So a powerful demon with horns is walking around Sunnydale? And nobody's noticing?"

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

"I don't know. And I don't know who could have read the book. It wasn't even in English."

"Where was it?"

Everyone looks over at Laney who is slowly sitting up holding her gauze wrapped up head. Xander hurries over and helps her sit up. Laney looks at him with a questioning stare but he just ignores her.

Giles shrugs, "In a pile, with the other books that were... scanned..."

Everybody gets real quiet. As one, they turn to the computer sitting on the desk.

"Willow scanned all the new books."

"And that released the demon?" Laney asks.

Buffy shakes her head, "No... he's not out here. He's in there."

She points to the computer.

Giles comes to realization, "The scanner read the book. Brought Moloch out-- as information to be
absorbed."

"He's gone binary on us."

"Okay, for those of us in our studio audience who are me, you guys are saying that Moloch is in this
computer."

Laney looks over at Xander and nods agreeing with his confusion.

"And in every computer connected to it by a modem."

"He's everywhere."

"So what do we do?" Laney goes to move but is stopped by Giles holding her arm lightly.

"You are not doing anything but staying here. You might have a confusion."

Laney frowns at Giles but doesn't say anything since her head is pounding.

Buffy eyebrows furrow, "So... Put him back in the book?"

"Willow scanned him into her file. This may be a futile gesture, but I suggest we delete it."

Buffy nods, "Solid."

She sits, turns on the computer.

Xander freaks slightly, "Don't get too close."

"So, which file is it? Willow. That'd probably be the one. I'll just delete the whole thing."

The Willow file icon is highlighted, dragged to the trash. Suddenly a digitalized image of Moloch's horrible face fills the screen, turning and looking right at us.

"Stay away from Willow. It's none of your business."

And with that the computer turns itself off. All four stare at it in shock.

"Stay away... That's just what Dave said when I asked about Willow and... Malcolm..."

"What are you thinking?"

Buffy glances at Xander with a grimace, "I'm wishing Willow's new boyfriend was just an axe-murdering circus freak. Okay.... We're going to Willow's house. Giles you have to find a way to get Moloch out of the net."

"I have records of the ceremonies but that's for dealing with a creature of flesh. This could be
completely different."

"Then get Ms. Calendar. Maybe she can help you and Laney."

"Even if she could, how am I going to convince her there's a demon on the internet?"

"Lie? That's what I would do." Laney shrugs.

"Alright come up with a better plan. Come on Xander."

They leave Giles looking all worried. He looks over at Laney who shrugs again with a sheepish smile.

Giles is poring over text, looking for help. But Laney has now passed out again complaining about too much pressure in her head.

"Binding ritual... there we are..." Giles whispers to himself then looks up as Nicki Calendar enters the room.

"I got your message. What's so urgent? And what is she doing?"

"Thank you for coming. Oh Laney has a headache... I need your help. But before that, I need you to believe something you may not want to."

Ms. Calendar looks from Laney asleep in the chair to Giles, who is trying to gather himself.

"Something has gotten into... inside... There's a demon in the internet."

She stares at him a moment.

"I know."

She smiles, slightly-- Giles' expression draining to genuine concern-- as she shuts the door behind her.

Giles stands, slowly, not taking his eyes off Nicki.

"You already know. How exactly is that?"

"Come on, there've been portents for days. Power surges, on-line shutdowns-- and you should see the
bones I've been casting."

She giggles excitingly making Giles look at her confused, "I knew this would happen sooner or
later. It's probably a mischief demon-- Kelkor, or--"

"It's Moloch."

"The corruptor. Oh boy... He was the one on your book! I should have remembered."

"I'm sorry, I have to say-- I mean, you don't seem terribly surprised by-- who are you?"

Jenny smiles, "I teach computer science at the
local high school."

"A profession that hardly lends itself to the casting of bones."

"Wrong and wrong, snobby. You think the realm of the mystical is limited to ancient texts and relics? That bad old science made the magic go away? The divine exists in cyberspace same as out here."

"Are you a witch?"

"I don't have that kind of power. Technopagan is the term. There's more of us than you'd think."

Giles rises, book in hand. As he speaks he places the book near the computer. Jenny follows him in.

"Well, I definitely need your help. What's in cyberspace at the moment is less than divine. I have the binding rituals at hand but I am completely out of my idiom."

"Well, I can help-- I think. I hope. I mean, this is my first real... Do you know how he got in?"

"He was-- scanned is the term, I believe."

Jenny looks progressively more freaked, "And you want him back in the book. Right. Cool. But shouldn't we make sure we've got enough ammo to--"

Giles shakes his head, "There's no time. Moloch seems to have fixated on Willow. We need to get him out now."

"Okay, okay... minor panic, but I'm dealing... first thing is... what does the book say?"

Suddenly the phone rings. Giles grabs it at the check-out desk.

"Buffy?"

Buffy and Xander are standing at a phone booth near the gate. Buffy holds the phone. Giles puts the phone on speaker.

"Yeah."

"Willow?"

"Not at home. It looks like she was taken somewhere."

"Where are you?"

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

"Ms. Calendar and I are working on getting Moloch off line."

"Here's a tip: Hurry."

Giles hangs up the phone and moves back to Ms. Calendar, what he doesn't notice is Laney sneaking out the front door.