Guarded, Part Three

Publication

September 13, 2012

Length

32 pages

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine #13

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Guarded, Part Two	Billy the Vampire Slayer, Part One

"Guarded, Part Three" was the thirteenth issue of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine comic book series.

Synopsis

Eldre Koh was bargaining with the Conduit to the Senior Partners in order to find out who had imprisoned him. The Conduit ordered its servants to find out this information as well as to kill Eldre Koh and the others who knew about the demonic truth about TinCan. Buffy tried to reason with Eldre Koh that Wolfram & Hart could not be trusted and that there was no need to kill Theo. Eldre Koh counterargued that with TinCan offering the only connection to other dimensions. Further he told Buffy if she would not leave he would kill Theo right away. Theo urged Buffy to leave so she could destroy TinCan and so she did.

Buffy found Kennedy and explained that Eldre Koh had betrayed them and was now holding Theo hostage. Kennedy was angry that Buffy had left Theo's side and was still not aware of the danger she was putting normal humans, like Giles, in. Buffy punched Kennedy for mentioning Giles, but they decided to still finish the job together. Because of the security cameras, Buffy and Kennedy went underground into where the Teuth demon had come from.

Meanwhile Theo tried to ask Eldre Koh why he had been imprisoned, but Koh got angry and told him nobody needed to know.

Although the server room was protected by reinforced concrete, the Teuth demon had already gotten through it with its tentacles. So Buffy and Kennedy managed to get in.

Wolfram & Hart had found out who had imprisoned Eldre Kob, and the Conduit told him that that person's betrayal was not surprising as well as that the person was still on Earth; they wanted Koh to kill Theo before they told the name, but Koh demanded to know first and the Conduit agreed.

While the file was being transferred, Kennedy and Buffy attacked and quickly overpowered Koh and freed Theo. Theo quickly ran to the server room to destroy it. The Conduit insisted Koh kill both Slayers as well as Theo.

Kennedy ran after Theo to drag him out, but he insisted to shut the server down; she allowed him two minutes and he pulled a switch with would cause the server to overheat.

Meanwhile Buffy and Koh engaged in combat, this time Eldre Koh won and he went into the server room. There, Kennedy broke off the switch, meaning the destruction could not be undone. They ran out and wanted to get Buffy out safely as well, but she insisted she would see to it that the servers would be destroyed. She confronted Koh and showed him that the connections were already breaking up. Buffy told him to just let go of it, but he told her that it was about much more than honour and that he could never let go.

A little later, Buffy, Kennedy, and Theo watched the server building burn down from a safe distance.

Later still, Buffy had been called into Kennedy's office, Buffy was certain she would be fired, but instead Kennedy offered her a promotion. Even though the money was amazing, Buffy could not accept the job, because she realized that she would be doing it just for her and as the Slayer, she was just not wired that way.

Continuity

The story was set after "Apart (of Me)", but before "Billy the Vampire Slayer, Part Two"

Kennedy bluntly criticized Buffy of focusing too heavily on the big picture, she forgot about just one person. Buffy later lamented this as true. Faith also pointed out this problem of Angel's during her pep talk to him in "Family Reunion, Part Three".
Koh's obsession with vengeance that caused his conflict with Buffy would later be resolved in "The Core, Part Two".
Buffy recieved a scar on her forehead from Koh's weapon. It would later be healed and removed by a newly magical Willow in "The Watcher".

Appearances

Individuals

Organizations and Titles

Species

Locations

Weapons and Objects

Gun
Battle Ax
Seed of Wonder (only mentioned)

Behind the Scenes

Collections

Guarded

Pop Culture References

Theo referenced N.S.A.

Quotes

Eldre Koh - "Don't get close to me! I know your kinds' tricks! You will attempt to talk me out of what I must do."

Theo - "If you're going to kill me, I think I get to ask why."

Koh - "Leave us. Or I will blacken your other eye."

Kennedy - "This? You didn't do this."

Buffy - (shows up and kicks Koh in the face) "I did."

Kennedy - "Buffy! We're getting out of here!"

Buffy - "Go on without me. I didn't mess up by bringing Traitor Koh on board only to let Wolfram & Hart win."

Buffy - "Let it go.

Koh - "Easy for you, Slayer."

Buffy - "Nothing's worth all of this. Not for some ancient code of honor."

Koh - " It's more than honor!

Buffy - "What ... ?"

Koh - " ... It's something you will never understand, Slayer."

Buffy - "I can't do it."

Kennedy - "Is it because of what I said about Giles? 'Cause I was out of line. You made a tough call, and we need someone who can make decisions like that."

Buffy - "But you were right. I keep trying to save the world when sometimes I should just save a single person. It was different when I was younger. Something's changed. But I don't think that's a bad thing. And if I took this job, I'd be doing it for just one person.Me."

Kennedy - "After all you've been through, don't you think you deserve that? To finally have the kind of live you want."

Buffy - "Maybe. But that's just not who I am. I'm The Slayer."

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