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Apart (of Me), Part Three is the tenth issue of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine comic book series. Written by Andrew Chambliss with Scott Allie and illustrated by Cliff Richards, it was originally published on June 13, 2012 by Dark Horse Comics.

Synopsis[]

While Buffy is undertaking an away mission with Spike and Andrew, the SFPD is starting to really feel the effect of the rapid zompire population growth... With Buffy out of town, as the only Scoobies in the vicinity, Xander and Dawn have been approached for guidance. Buffy needs to get herself back together and home to SF quick, but facing Slayer Simone and her unexpected ally is going to make it a rough job!

Summary[]

Buffy wakes up tied up in a chair and notices Buffybot doesn't seem kidnapped. The Buffybot says she's now free from the trap Buffy left her in, with the fake suburban life, just to hide her body. Buffy argues that it wasn't her plan, but Buffybot interrupts her to say that this plan turned to crap like they always do and she doesn't care how strong the robotic body is: Buffy doesn't deserve to be a Slayer anymore. Buffy remembers Sineya in her dream telling her: "You are not the Slayer". Buffybot accuses Buffy of being the Chosen One and having used her powers just to build herself up and recruit an army of disciples. She then asks why Buffy built an army and not arm them with guns. With this and Buffybot's magenta streaks, Buffy recognizes who's behind it. Hearing this, Simone enters in the basement. She continues Buffybot's lecture that, if Buffy ever cared about being a Slayer, she never would've given it up for some easy life. Buffy begins to ask how she knew about that, but Simone punches her in the face. As Simone is hitting Buffy on the head with an empty bottle, Buffy tells Buffybot that, whatever is inside her, she isn't like Simone. Simone empties a toolbox she found on a table.

Meanwhile, Andrew is walking alone in the woods. He's reunited with Spike, who shows him the guns he has found. As a strong light reaches them, Andrew gets scared and leans on Spike, who gets annoyed about it.

In San Francisco, Dowling's sergeant is talking to him outside the crime scene. Dowling, sitting on the sidewalk, tells him he had to do what he did, but his sergeant interrupts to say that this isn't in question. Instead, he's impressed, since zompires are becoming a big problem and turning the public's opinion on vampires. The sergeant says the mayor is talking about a new task force, so he asks if he has any ideas about it. Meanwhile, Dawn is on the phone and tells Xander that there's no answer.

Simone holds a tool in her hands. Buffybot hold Buffy's hair and Simone brings the tool close to Buffy's robotic ear. She wants to isolate the essence of Buffy Summers in the "chrome dome." They hear some noise and Simone leaves. Buffy removes her newly added mechanical right arm and frees herself from her ties.

Spike and Andrew arrive with the bugs. Spike talks with them but gets interrupted by gunshots. He gets shot, Simone attacks and kicks him in his head. She starts shooting again. The bugs move and go in front of Spike and Andrew to protect them, since their armor is bulletproof. Spike orders Andrew to find Buffy and shows him how to leave the room. Spike then turns to Simone and attacks her. Andrew walks inside the building, searching for Buffy. He finds Buffy and Buffybot fighting each other. Buffy wins and holds down her Buffybot defeated. Meanwhile, Simone is kicking some bugs. Spike worries about the bug that Simone just attacked. Simone grabs a stake and Spike attacks her. Simone stakes him on his right shoulder. Andrew, Buffy, and Buffybot arrive. Simone goes for her gun and starts shooting at Buffy. Buffybot throws herself on Andrew to protect him from the bullets. Simone escapes.

Dowling enters the San Francisco Police Department building. Everyone is looking at him, pointing at him, talking about him.

Still on Angel island, Buffy, Buffybot, Spike, Andrew, and the bugs are on top of the warehouse with the spaceship. Spike tells Buffy that he's ready to leave her for good. He turns to face her and says that he isn't blaming her but he "can't get jerked around no more." He says that he believes in her and he knows she'll do right; that's how he has her back. Buffy touches his arm. She watches his spaceship as it heads off.

In his lab, Andrew is ready to put Buffy's mind back into her body.

The next day, Buffy's talking to her boss, the magenta streaks still in her hair "for now." Root tells Buffy that Kennedy left her something and he gives Buffy a card. Buffy looks at it and asks her boss if she has any shifts. He replies she doesn't and Buffy tells him to consider this her resignation.

Continuity[]

  • Robot Buffy has a flashback of the First Slayer saying she was not the slayer in Slayer, Interrupted.
  • Dowling decides to quit being a cop and instead help Buffy with the zompire epidemic. He'll take a greater role with the police in Welcome to the Team, Part One.
  • Spike snarks to Simone that he thought he'd killed his last slayer, a reference to the two slayers he killed through his unlife ("Fool for Love").
  • Buffy would mention that she keeps forgetting about Dawn, which foreshadows the discovery that Dawn's essence has been fading due to the end of magic.
  • Spike departed San Francisco to find himself, would eventually help Angel and Faith, before returning in "The Core, Part One".
  • Buffy quit her job as a waitress, the one she had since Last Gleaming, Part Five.

Appearances[]

Individuals[]

Organizations and titles[]

Species[]

Events[]

Locations[]

Death count[]

  • Five of Spike's bug crew, killed by Simone Doffler.

Behind the scenes[]

Distribution[]

  • Apart (of Me), Part Three was the 89th best selling comic issue in its publishing month, with 27,867 sales in June 2012 at comic specialty stores.[2]

Collections[]

Pop culture references[]

  • Andrew claims to be writing Scream 5, his own sequence to the horror movie series Scream. The fifth installment of the series was eventually released in 2022 under the title Scream.

Gallery[]

Covers[]

Cover artwork[]

Preview[]

Quotes[]

Buffybot: "Your plans always turn to crap. I don't care how strong that tin can is, whatever you're powering it with. You're welcome to it. You don't deserve to be a slayer anymore. You treated it like it was nothing. So irresponsible... You were the Chosen One and you just used that power to build yourself up. Recruit an army of faithful disciples."
Buffy: "Andrew better not have programmed any of this..."
Buffybot: "I told you. I figured out the game a lot quicker than you expected. You never wanted them to be strong. So you could be more powerful. Why else would you build an army and not arm them? Are you afraid of guns?"
Andrew: "Well past the witching hour, I find myself alone in the dark, neither the romantic lead nor the proverbial "last girl," but rather a former villain currently friendless, the witty comic relief character, on a collision course with--"
Spike: "Andrew."
Andrew: "My death!"
Spike: "The bloody hell were you going on about?"
Andrew: "Just writing Scream 5."
Spike: "Slayer!"
Buffy: "Relax, you're in worse shape than me. Also, I'm a robot."
Spike: "I don't want to go back. To lurking around the edge of your life. Watching from this far above it all until 'till you're desperate for someone you can count on."
Buffy: "She had her act together, right? Her life was working. Maybe you should just fix this thing up. I can fight vamps. You can be my pit crew, and she can live in the house with the little white picket fence, find the perfect husband... have the perfect kids."
Buffybot: "Uh, you can tell I'm awake, right?"
Buffy: "Sort of fighting for you here."
Buffybot: "Buffy, Simone brainwashed me, but it wasn't all lies. That was a fake life. It was nice, it was comfortable for sure, with an impeccably safe sense of style. But I could tell something was wrong. I hadn't earned it. And I wouldn't be able to forget that now. Simone wanted to make me a killer, a fighter. She awakened something Andrew had buried. A drive, a fire. That's you, Buffy. I want to get this mind all the way right again. And that means getting all of you back in it."
Buffy: (sighs) "I'll never have a life like that."
Buffybot: "Buffy. You will have it someday. But it won't mean anything unless you get it for yourself. On your terms."

References[]

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