A/N: In this story I need you to believe one thing - the adjoining spell is not needed by a pure slayer.

Chapter 7

The sound of calm, clinical, and unfamiliar voices gradually drew Spike back to consciousness; feigning sleep, he hoped to gain some idea of where he was and what was happening.

Whatever it was, he knew it couldn't be good.

Even without opening his eyes, he knew that his shirt had been removed, leaving him bare from the waist up, and he was in chains, his arms stretched painfully above his head, bound together in shackles hanging from the ceiling. The chains were short enough that his feet barely touched the ground, and the immense pressure on his arms left his nerves screaming for release from the taut, painful tension.

Given that it wasn't the first time in the course of his unlife that Spike had found himself in this sort of situation, he knew enough to stay silent and listen for a change.

"With all due respect, Professor," a male voice spoke with quiet displeasure, "I just don't see the point of this. I mean, it's nothing but your typical, average vamp. Why don't we just toss it in the holding cells with the rest of the demon trash? He hasn't even been chipped yet." 

The response was a bit slow in coming, but after a moment a calm female voice, full of authority, replied, "He may look like just another vampire, Agent Finn, but his behavior during capture tells us something else entirely. The leader of the unit that captured him stated in his report that this vampire didn't once even try to fight them, his actions were defensive only. But what is more intriguing is the fact that our guest here did not reveal his demon face at any time. Any way you look at it we have an anomaly, and you know how I feel about anomalies, Riley."

"I bet he'll dust just the same," Finn muttered under his breath.

Spike kept his eyes closed as his mind reeled at the implications of the conversation he was hearing. Clearly the female was in charge and if the male's, Finn's, hurried apology was any indication, she must have shown her disapproval of his insubordinate mumbling

"Sorry, Ma'am, it's just, a demon's a demon, as far as I'm concerned. And the sooner this one's neutralized, the better I'll feel."

"All in good time, Agent Finn," the woman replied, calm again. "All in good time."

'Neutralized? Well that doesn't sound good...' Spike thought with a healthy dash of concern. 

"First," the woman continued, "I want some answers. Why is this vampire so different from the rest of his breed? Once I have the information I want and provided I don't find anything too out of the ordinary, we will have him implanted and removed to the holding cells with the rest of the hostiles."

None of this sounded good at all. Judging by the words of his captors, they were familiar with the existence of vampires and demons -- and though he had not yet tested them, that gave him a pretty good indication that the chains binding him would probably hold. And even if he could somehow get free, it wasn't as if his demon would actually let him fight back! 'Stupid, soddin', Slayer-whipped wanker!' he snarled at his demon. 'You're gonna bloody well get us dusted!'

There was no response, and upon consideration, Spike decided that that was probably a good thing. He had enough to worry about at the moment without dealing with his developing case of split-personality disorder. He had no idea where he was, who his captors were or what they had planned for him, but it was quite obviously something very unpleasant...and he was, for the moment, powerless to stop it.

Concentrating with every fiber of his being, Spike called out through the bond. He may not be able to feel his slayer, but he prayed to any Higher Power that would listen to an evil creature of the night that she would be able to hear him through the claim. Desperation guided him; he needed her help.

When the male voice let out a heavy sigh of impatience, the female responded in an unsettlingly pleasant tone. "Don't worry, Agent Finn. It shouldn't be too long before you can take him away. After all..."

Her voice was suddenly, alarmingly close. Spike felt a hand fist in his hair, yanking his head sharply backwards, he bit back a yelp of pain as she finished softly with an audible smile, "...he's already awake, anyway."

Spike tried to jerk out of her grip, but found that the bound position he was in left him with very little leverage to work with. He opened his eyes, deciding that since he had been found out, he might as well know what he was dealing with.

"All right, then, you caught me. Now let go, you bloody bitch!" he snarled.

The woman seemed almost amused as she, surprisingly, released her grip on his hair and moved around in front of him, studying him coolly.

Spike barely had a moment to register the sharp eyes, the short, all-business haircut, and the white lab coat she wore before a huge, meaty fist slammed into his face, rocking him backwards in the chains, and muddling his vision with flashes of dark color.

"You don't talk to her, hostile," the soldier barked, disgust evident in his voice. His next words were addressed to the woman. "How did you know it was awake, Professor?"

"He started breathing," the woman explained simply, moving closer to the slightly dazed vampire, frowning slightly as she inspected his now bloodied mouth. "Some vampires do that, though they don't have to, but never when they're sleeping. It's not a natural, unconscious action like it is for humans."

As she spoke, she reached out a hand to grip Spike's chin, forcefully turning his face back toward her, critically eyeing his injury with clear disapproval in her eyes. She opened her mouth as if to speak to the soldier again, but before she could, Spike jerked out of her grip again.

"Keep your hands to yourself, you perverted whore. I'm not yours," he snarled with disgust. The feel of her hand on him sickened his demon.

The big soldier's reaction was much the same as the last time Spike had opened his mouth, only this time he aimed for the bound vampire's vulnerable mid-section, delivering several quick, brutal blows that left him gasping for unnecessary breath, his body attempting to double in on itself, though the chains prevented it.

"You filthy little monster," Riley sneered, grabbing Spike's hair and jerking him back upright, moving in threateningly close to his face. "You only get to talk at all if she wants you to...otherwise you keep your mouth shut!"

Spike drew in a couple of deep, gasping breaths, trying to recover enough to answer. "See...that's where you're wrong," he rasped out after a moment, a bold, defiant smirk on his face as he met the soldier's eyes. "Just about the only time I will keep my mouth shut is when arrogant, self-important little Happy Meals-on-Legs like you two figure on making me open it." He grinned at the soldier's indignant expression of shock, shrugging as much as he could against the chains as he added matter-of-factly, "Thing is, even with me chained up like this, and you two free...you don't even begin to scare me!"

It wasn't completely true, but Spike was satisfied that it was at least convincing to them.

With an exaggerated sniff at the male, Spike continued, his voice laced with disdain. "Only a useless wanker with a small dick would use drugs so he can pretend to be a superhero."

Enraged, the big man drew back his fist to strike, aiming for the vampire's mouth again in an attempt to shut him up, but his blow was stopped by a soft touch on his arm. Riley turned and stared in bewildered outrage at his superior officer, shaking his head slightly in disbelief.

"You're not going to just let him get away with that?" he demanded.

The woman smiled, her hand on his arm tugging him back away from the vampire, allowing Spike to fall forward slightly against the chains at his wrists as the soldier reluctantly released him.

"Control your emotions, Agent Finn. I don't think our 'guest' responds all that well to threats and intimidations," the woman stated calmly, shaking her head as she slowly paced in front of their captive.

"Bloody right, I don't!" Spike declared triumphantly, his narrowed eyes focused boldly on the seething soldier. "Don't care what it is you want to know...you're not gonna get anything out of me that I don't soddin' well want to give you!"

"See?" the woman nodded with a little grimace, her eyes meeting those of the soldier in a silent communication of malicious intent. Still, her voice was calm, disarming, as she slowly circled their bound captive. "No, Riley, I think our friend here is more of a man of action."

"He's not a man at all," Riley muttered resentfully.

Spike smirked defiantly up at him, focused on the sullen boy and the sarcastic response that was forming on his own lips. Eyes narrowing in on the male, the vampire failed to notice the woman's moving behind him or tiny vial of clear liquid that she took from the pocket of her coat.

"Hey!" Spike yelped as the woman suddenly grabbed his hair again, pulling his head back and leaning in close behind him. "Leggo!"

She ignored him, smiling at her protégé, who was now grinning back at her in malicious glee. "You see, Agent Finn," the woman spoke softly, her lips inches from the vampire's ear, her words more for his benefit than for Riley's. "With individuals of action, such as our friend here, you have to communicate with action. I don't think words will accomplish much and neither will punches to the mouth, which will only serve to make him less likely to be able to speak. What you need to do, in cases such as this, is something which will serve to convince our friend that it would be in his own best interest to tell us what we want to know..."

Whatever else she might have said was swallowed up in agony. Spike felt the first splash of the cool wetness of the fluid that she poured across his shoulders, allowing it to run down across both his chest and his back. Searing, agonizing heat engulfed him as the holy water soaked into his skin like acid, tearing into him and causing him to writhe and buck against the bonds that held him, a strangled moan of pain torn from his throat.

Without releasing her grip on his hair, the woman moved around in front of Spike, watching him with a disturbing interest, a slight smile on her lips as her eyes sought his gaze.

"What do you think?" she said softly, as the vampire's moans subsided into ragged gasps for breath. "Feeling talkative yet?"

Spike did not move, did not respond at all, for a long moment, just gasping as he tried to catch his breath. Slowly, he raised his head, as the pain began to ease somewhat, and vivid, intense blue eyes locked onto hers with a riveting power.

Maggie Walsh was more than familiar with the things that most people only allowed existence in their imaginations, and it had been a long time since she had been afraid of anything. But in that moment, she was afraid, as the bound, injured, helpless vampire stared at her with those piercing blue eyes, a strange triumph in his gaze in spite of the pain.

"I asked you a question, hostile," Walsh hardened her voice deliberately in an attempt to disguise her sudden unaccountable trembling. "Are you ready to talk now?"

A slow smile began to spread across the vampire's face, his eyes narrowed as he rasped out his next words with some difficulty.

"Now you've bloody well done it, luv."

Walsh frowned, confused. She laughed contemptuously as she demanded; "Now I've done what? What are you going to do to me, vampire? Give it your best shot, because I really don't see how you can..."

"Not me," Spike interrupted softly, his smile spreading maliciously as he glanced toward the door to the room in instinctive expectation. "Not me...her."

"Her? Who?" Walsh demanded tersely, glancing almost against her will toward the door. Her absolute belief in the security of their facility was irrevocably shaken by the certitude of his attitude.

Riley Finn looked towards the door, a frown developing as his eyes slowly widened in disbelief. Outside the door, barely audible sounds of distant raised voices, accompanied by unexplained thuds and crashes, began to grow steadily louder.

A wicked, almost maniacal giggle escaped the vampire's lips as he replied mockingly, "You'll see...oh, you two are bloody well in for it now...you've really brassed her off!"