- “We've got a mission here.”
- ―Forrest Gates[src]
Forrest Gates was an agent of The Initiative and a UC Sunnydale student.
Biography
Much like Riley Finn, Forrest was forced to lead a double life and balance his military service with his cover of university student. Initially, he liked Buffy Summers and encouraged Riley to pursue a relationship with her. As events proceeded and Buffy became an enemy of the Initiative, Forrest began to vocally disapprove of Buffy and Riley's relationship with her.
Reanimation
- “He's gonna fix you up too, soon as we got some choice parts. Then you and me'll be back on the same side, moving toward a new future.”
- ―Forrest Gates[src]
Forrest reanimated
After being killed, Forrest's body was taken by Adam, who performed a procedure similar to the one used in him and transformed Forrest into a bio-mechanical demonoid, replacing most of his body - save for most of his face, except ears and lower jaw, and his left arm - with that of a spotted, clawed reptilian demon and minor cybernetic enhancements. Unlike Adam, however, Forrest was not animated by a Uranium 235 core.
Forrest quickly adjusted to his new condition and looked forward to fight and kill Buffy. He also looked forward for Riley to be transformed into a fellow demonoid. Under Adam's orders, he tried to decapitate Spike, who had demanded for his behavior modifier to be removed though he had failed to lure Buffy to the Initiative lab alone. However, Spike managed to escape after jabbing Forrest in the eye with a lit cigarette.
When Buffy appeared at Adam's secret lab to rescue Riley, Forrest finally got his chance and attacked her. After Riley managed to remove the behavior modifier from his shoulder and aid Buffy, she left him to confront Adam, while Riley remained to fight his former friend. Though Forrest easily outmatched Riley, he eventually met his end when he hoisted a gas canister over his head, which caught a live wire and blew him to pieces.
Powers and Abilities
- “I'm surging with life. And strength? Adam made me to be nearly as bad as he is...”
- ―Forrest[src]
When he was alive, Forrest was secretly fed with the same drugs and steroids by Professor Walsh. These drugs granted Forrest enhanced strength and stamina, allowing him to hold his own in fight against demons.
After his transformation, Forrest possessed the strength of the demon his own body had been replaced with, thus making him stronger than a Slayers and vampires. He also had a number of cybernetic implants, which presumably would have allowed him to interface with computer systems and the Behavior Modifiers Walsh had implanted in her top agents. He also seemed to possess a high pain threshold, as he only showed signs of minor discomfort after Spike jabbed a lit cigarette in his eye; nonetheless, it was just enough for Spike to escape.
Personality
- “This is the best thing that ever happened to me. I'm free of all my weaknesses - my doubts...”
- ―Forrest[src]
Forrest represented the epitome of what the Initiative looked for in its agents: loyalty and unquestioning obedience. He followed orders from his superiors without second guessing or doubt and had a black-and-white, materialistic perspective of life. He also showed prejudice against non-humans, openly declaring that he killed any and all demons on sight.
His disgust for Buffy was not just because she had drawn Riley away from his friends, but mostly because he considered her a dangerous influence, as she made Riley question orders and think for himself.
After his transformation, Forrest kept the same perspective, though any capacity for human doubt and sensitivity had been replaced with the single-mindedness and ruthlessness Walsh sought in her creations. His old "family", the Initiative, was replaced by the army Adam planned on creating and of which Forrest hoped Riley would become part.
Behind the Scenes
- He was portrayed by Leonard Roberts.
Appearances
- "The Initiative" Template:1st
- "Pangs"
- "Hush"
- "Doomed"
- "The I in Team"
- "Goodbye Iowa"
- "This Year's Girl"
- "Who Are You"
- "Where the Wild Things Are"
- "New Moon Rising"
- "The Yoko Factor" Template:Killed
- "Primeval" (Reanimated and Killed again)