Service Unit

Chapter Thirty Eight – Recompense

Spike stumbled several steps backwards, not even noticing the broken glass slicing into his bare feet as he stammered, "I'm not…" He pointed to the necklace. "The ownership transfer was completed."

The demon huffed out an irritated sigh. "I can see that, Unit 238." He looked Spike up and down, a frown forming on his face. "Why are you clothed?"

Spike blinked. "Because I want…" The demon's eyes narrowed menacingly and Spike sputtered, "Because Buffy… uh… my owner… wishes me to be so."

"She does not enjoy looking upon her slave?"

Spike winced. "She um… she does, but… when others are here, um… she wishes me to be clothed."

The demon smirked. "I am surprised she does not have you on display, showcasing your…" he looked directly at Spike's crotch, "…assets, and inviting her friends and family to use you at will." The demon looked Spike over again. "I see your owner has been lax in regards to enforcing the rules by allowing you to wear clothing, to speak without permission, to move around freely..." He glanced at the floor in front of Spike's feet then raised his eyes, his gaze pinning Spike like a bug on a card. "Get on your knees, slave."

Spike's knees started to bend of their own volition and he fought to keep standing, but it was as if his legs had been turned into limp noodles. He sank gracefully to the floor then winced as several broken bits of glass sliced through his jeans. The demon nodded and smiled. "Now you are as you should be… almost." With a sigh, Spike moved his hands behind him, clasping his right wrist tightly in his left hand. The demon's smile widened and his eyes tracked around the room then returned to Spike, boring into him as the smile on his wizened face turned wicked. "I have been contacted by several of your regular clients. They are quite eager to use you again and have made generous offers for your return to service. Incredibly generous offers." His coal-black eyes flashed with greed and malice. "Should your owner wish to contract with me for your use, I would be amenable. Renting you out for only a few hours per week could make her rich beyond her wildest dreams."

Spike blanched and felt his gorge rise as some of his 'regular clients' cycled through his mind. His 'regulars' had generally been the most sadistic of his renters. They'd done the most damage, caused the most pain, and had taken the most pleasure in brutally raping him as many times as they could before their lease was up. He started to tremble as he sputtered, "N..no. Not again. Please. I can't… she promised she wouldn't… Please… no…"

Buffy's voice came from the doorway and it was as hard as stone. "Yeah, I promised. Nobody is going to use you ever again." Dawn and Jason were standing just behind her and Dawn looked ready to commit murder. Jason had his arms wrapped around the slim brunette and Spike could see him whispering into her ear even as she strained to move forward. Buffy waved them aside then looked at Spike and grimaced, her face melting into an angry scowl. She indicated the slave owner with a nod of her head. "Please tell me he's a demon." Spike nodded feebly and Buffy wrapped her hand in the demon's robe then jerked him backwards. He flew through the doorway and crashed into the opposite wall of the hallway, landing in a heap, his staff clattering to the floor beside him.

Dawn shouted, "Yeah! Kick his ass!" as Jason struggled to hold her back. He managed to pull her tight against him and put his mouth to her ear again. She gave an angry huff then stopped struggling and just stood there glaring daggers at the demon.

Buffy spoke quietly over her shoulder, "You can get up, Spike," and then she stalked over to the demon with her fists clenched. "I don't give a shit how much money they offer. Spike is NOT! FOR! RENT! Got it? E. V. E. R." She nodded over her shoulder at the cart. "His trainer didn't get that at first, but I managed to pound it in to him… eventually." She raised one small fist. "Do you get it or do I need to say it again?"

The demon's eyes tracked to a once-again-standing Spike and then up to Buffy's furious face. "No, you do not need to say it again, Madam Slayer. You are not interested in contracts for rental. Understood."

"Good." Buffy lowered her fist. "Now, since you seem to know who I am, why don't you tell me who the hell you are and what the hell you're doing in my apartment?"

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Spike stood there, staring straight ahead; anger, fear, and shame surging through him. The shame and anger were directed at himself because he'd buckled too easily. All it had taken was one command from the demon slaver and he'd dropped to his knees, slipping right back into his Service Unit mindset like he hadn't spent the past few days fighting against it with everything he had. The fear, though… the fear was a living thing crawling around in his belly. He desperately wanted to cower, to find someplace to hide so the demon couldn't find him and take him back to the slave compound. He couldn't do that again; he'd never survive another vacation in Service Unit Land. He wished with everything in him that Buffy would turn the slaver into a greasy spot on the hallway floor, because a dead demon wouldn't be able to take him anywhere.

A tiny bit of the anger sliced off and pointed itself at the demon still lying on the hallway floor. 'Why did he have to show up here? Now? Doesn't he have other things to do? Other demons to torture into insanity? Buffy completed the transfer, so what is he even doing here? He has no rights to me… unless…' The comment about Buffy not enforcing the rules popped into Spike's mind. 'Is he here to… repossess me? Because I'm wearing clothes? Speaking? Can he do that? How did he even know about it?'

Spike's body was quivering as he tried to fight the emotions roiling through him, and to top it all off, that damn compulsion to stay still until ordered to move had been fired up by the memories of his slavery. He stared at Buffy's back, trying to shut the memories away, resist the compulsion, and squash the fear crawling around inside him all at the same time. His muscles were thrumming with tension and he twitched sharply when he suddenly felt his ridges starting to form. His demon was coming forward. Spike let him, grateful for the help. His mind had been so full that he hadn't even thought of calling on the demon.

The fearful tension slowly ebbed out of Spike's body and he took a deep, calming breath then focused his golden-eyed gaze on the demon slaver. The angry tension was still there, though, and it was amped up a bit by his demon's strength. If the slaver did anything that Spike's demon found even the tiniest bit suspicious, he'd end up as bitty chunks of flesh scattered around Buffy's flat. Images of what had become of Uposs flashed across Spike's mind and he curled his hands into fists, readying himself for Uposs Part Two. 'Bring it, mate. You're not takin' me anywhere.'

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The demon reached for his staff then used it to help him climb slowly to his feet. "I am Blazczak, of the Clan Yzalzak, and I own the finest stable of Service Units in four dimensions." He raised his chin and puffed out his chest a bit, clearly proud of that fact.

Buffy was spectacularly unimpressed. "Okay. That's the who, now I need the what." Blazczak blinked in confusion and Buffy rolled her eyes. "WHAT are you doing here?"

"I have come to retrieve my property."

Dawn lunged forward and Jason scrambled to hold onto her as she screeched, "Like hell, you freak! You're not taking Spike! He's not yours!"

Buffy's fists were clenched again as she moved to stand between Blazczak and Spike. She looked the demon directly in the eye then said in a very firm, yet scarily quiet voice, "Try to take Spike out of here and see what happens. I dare you."

Dawn shouted, "I double-dog dare you! You're not touching him!" Blazczak glanced at Spike then raised a placating hand to Buffy, ignoring Dawn altogether, which pissed her off. She shouted again, louder this time, "Go ahead! Try! Buffy will ram her foot so far up your ass you'll get athlete's tongue!"

Buffy turned slightly to Dawn and made a 'calm down' motion with her hands. "I've got this, Dawnie. I won't let him take Spike, okay?"

"Damn right you won't! C'mon! Kick his ass!" Buffy shot a look at Jason and he nodded then started tugging until he'd wrestled Dawn into the living room. There was the low rumble of his voice and then Dawn groused, "Fine! Okay! I'll let Buffy handle it." Shoes stomped across the floor then stopped, "But we're getting our weapons from the van, just in case," and then the front door slammed.

Blazczak blinked at the commotion then shifted his gaze to Buffy. "I am not here for your unit, Madam Slayer."

Buffy's fist flew without warning and Blazczak was spun around to crash into the wall again as she shouted, "Is everyone in your dimension a fucking moron? He's not a unit! He's not a thing! And his name is Spike! We've said it like four times already! God!"

Blazczak climbed to his feet again with a tired sigh. Dealing with humans was exhausting… and starting to be painful. He'd let her first violent outburst go unremarked because he'd thought she'd been protecting her property, which was completely understandable, but now... Humans who learned of the existence of demon pleasure slaves could be divided into three groups: those who had no problem with the idea and would gladly pay the fee to use one, those who had no strong feelings either way, and those who reacted to the idea with violence and disgust. Being that the Slayer had received one of his best service units as a gift, Blazczak had assumed that she numbered among the first group – those who had willingly paid large sums of money to spend days or weeks taking their pleasure in a demon slave's body – but, based on her latest violent outburst, she was apparently a member of the third group. He hated it when his assumptions were wrong.

Not to mention that the idea of a Slayer protecting a demon was mind boggling. She was known throughout several dimensions – her fierceness, strength, and high demon body count had been the subject of many conversations – and yet there she stood with her fists clenched; protecting a creature she was destined to destroy. What was special about this particular specimen? What had he done to earn the Slayer's protection? He had a soul; was that what made him special? Or was it something else? Blazczak looked the vampire over closely, noting the scratches and other marks littering his chest. Unit 238 was exceptionally adept at bringing pleasure to females, and it was blatantly obvious that the Slayer had taken advantage of those skills. She'd used her property as it was meant to be used, but she wasn't treating the vampire as property; she was treating him like a man. He also wasn't comporting himself as a service unit. He was wearing clothes and moving around freely instead of kneeling naked and restrained while he waited to be used again.

It was all dreadfully confusing and Blazczak thought it wise to tread carefully around the small woman until he could collect his property and go. "My apologies, Madam Slayer, but I have only known him as Unit 238, being that Angelus never spoke his name to me. I did not absorb your use of his given name because my head is somewhat muddled due to the impact with the wall."

Buffy blinked then scowled. "You didn't talk to Spike at all after you kidnapped him? The trainer's notes said that Spike talked a lot when he first got there. Talked, yelled, cursed, screamed… You didn't get his name during any of that?"

"No, Madam. Once I have procured a new unit…" Buffy's eyes flashed with rage and Blazczak raised his hand again. "Forgive me. Once I have procured a new… demon, they are assigned to a trainer and I have no further contact with them." He dipped his head in a polite nod. "I apologize for not obtaining your permission prior to speaking to him." Blazczak motioned toward Spike. "May I have permission?"

Buffy huffed out a frustrated breath. "Oh, for the love of… I am not going through all that crap again. You want to talk? Knock yourself out. Spike's his own person and nobody needs my permission to talk to him. He also doesn't need my permission to tell you to 'bugger off' or whatever British people say."

Blazczak looked over Buffy's shoulder at Spike, his gaze taking in Spike's jeans, his clenched fists, and his collar before it tracked up to Spike's still-golden eyes. "I apologize for the misunderstanding, Spike. It is obvious that Madam Slayer does not expect you to behave as a service unit; therefore, I will desist treating you like one. I would also like to clearly state that I am not here to retrieve you; I am here to retrieve the trainer."

Spike blinked at Blazczak in surprise as Buffy unclenched her fists with a quiet, "Oh… um..."

Blazczak glanced at her then addressed Spike. "Where is the trainer? I must return him to his duties."

"Um… he's right there." Buffy pointed to the cart. "But the whole duties thing might be a problem. He's kind of dead."

Blazczak's eyes flashed and the air around him crackled with furious energy as he gripped his staff tightly in his fist. The wood creaked audibly as he growled, "Who is responsible for depriving me of my property? They will pay dearly for this! I demand recompense!"

Buffy was about to tell Blazczak where he could stick his recompense, but Spike beat her to the punch, and his smirk could clearly be heard when he said, "Well, now… the responsible party would be the wanker who gave me to you. He snapped the trainer's neck like a twig." Spike nodded at the demon's feet. "Pretty much right where you're standin'."

The furious energy dissipated and Blazczak was wearing an eager grin when his eyes moved from the dead trainer to Spike. "Angelus did this? Interesting. I did not think he would perform the same action again, knowing what the consequences would be."

Spike tilted his head slightly. "Consequences?"

"Depriving me of valuable property was what led to our bargain a century ago. I agreed to leave him be for 100 years and he agreed to compensate me for my loss by giving me ten years of service." The grin turned decidedly evil. "Although, I am afraid I will have to forego bargaining this time and move directly to punitive action."

Spike lifted his chin and smiled at Blazczak, his fangy grin also touched with a bit of evil. "I was hopin' you'd say somethin' like that."

"Where is he? I would like him to begin his service immediately."

Spike blinked as his demon melted away. "You're not going to train him?"

Blazczak shook his head. "I prefer to not waste the time, and as I am currently short a trainer..." He shot a glance at the cart. "No, I want him earning as soon as possible, so I will assign him to the Outer Chamber, and…" Blazczak paused for a moment, thinking, then he nodded decisively. "Yes. I believe I can find the time to personally oversee his service."

Spike quirked an inquisitive eyebrow. "I wasn't given the grand tour or anythin', and my brochure must have been misplaced, so tell me… What's the Outer Chamber?"

Blazczak smirked slightly. "It is a service we offer to clients who cannot afford to contract for a fully trained service unit. Clients pay a fixed fee to spend one hour using the unit of their choice. The units are restrained, so no training is required. Special requests – such as the use of certain tools or anything that would cause excessive damage to the unit – require an additional fee, of course. Where is he?"

Spike nodded toward the living room. "Out there, but there's an issue we need to deal with 'fore you take him."

Buffy held up her hand when Blazczak started to speak. "Hold on." She moved to stand in front of Spike, the glass crunching under her shoes, then leaned up to whisper, "What about retribution? Your demon's okay with giving Liam up to this guy?"

Spike nodded. "Was the demon who suggested it, pet. Karma and all that. After what I went through because of that tosser; him goin' through pretty much the same thing is the perfect retribution, bein' that it should've been him goin' through it in the first place."

Buffy considered for a moment then nodded. "Okay, Spike. It's your call. I'll back whatever you decide to do." She looked down, motioning to his feet. "Did you know you're bleeding?"

"Uh… no." Spike looked down and grimaced. "Bloody well do now, though." He lifted one foot and looked at the glass sticking out of the bottom then grimaced again.

Buffy reached for his hand then nodded at the bed. "Sit down and I'll get the glass out and get you bandaged up," She looked at Blazczak, "And then he can deal with your thing. Okay?" Blazczak nodded and Buffy motioned to the cart. "Can you do something with him? If not, Jason will take him down to the van."

Blazczak nodded again and stepped toward the cart. "I will transport him to my dimension then return to collect Angelus."

Spike pointed at the guide stick and asked quietly, "Buffy, can you give him that, too? Please?"

Buffy squeezed his hand then let go and plucked the stick out of the glass, turning to hand it to Blazczak. "Here. I've burned everything else that came with Spike, so I hope you weren't thinking you were going to get that crap back."

Blazczak shook his head. "If you had signed a rental contract, then I would require reimbursement for any damage or loss, but once an ownership transfer is completed, the unit and all its accessories become yours to do with as you please." He laid his hand on the tarp-wrapped bundle and looked at Spike with a wicked twinkle in his eye, "And the fees I collected during your extended service term more than paid for your accessories, even the custom-made items." Blazczak smirked at Spike's flinch then said, "I will return shortly," and then the bundle and the demon disappeared, leaving the cart and bungee cords behind.