"So, we all set? What exactly is this spell gonna do anyway?"

Wesley cleared his throat and looked toward Angel, after receiving a nod from the dark-haired vampire he answered.

"It should tell us if there are any foreign objects in his body and where they are located. A bluish light will surround him and then disappear. If there is anything there, the skin in the area of the object will remain glowing faintly for approximately five minutes. Long enough to mark the area."

"Will it hurt?"

Spike was glad Xander had asked that question as he refused to look weak in front of his sire and his sire's human pet. Not that it mattered - he had been through a lot worse, he was sure.

"No, it won't cause any pain, however ... "

After a brief pause Xander prompted the man to continue.

"However what?"

"However, he will need to take off his clothes in order for the spell to be most effective."

Both Wesley and Xander blushed. Spike snorted and began pulling off his boots. Angel sighed and closed his eyes. It had been a very long time since he had looked upon his childe naked, and he wasn't sure if he could handle seeing the noticeable differences in his body. Spike had lost a fair bit of weight; he looked half-starved and Angel knew without even looking that he would resemble more of a living skeleton than a vampire.

"Can we just get this over with then?"

Spike wasn't concerned about his nudity; he was actually enjoying the discomfort it was causing the others. He didn't know what Angel's problem was, he had seen it all before. But he knew why the watcher was blushing - he could smell his arousal. Xander just seemed to be embarrassed about being in the room with a naked man.

Angel held a marker in his hand while Wesley chanted. Once the spell was cast, Spike stood in a ball of glowing blue light. It seemed to seep into his skin and then fade away. Xander cursed softly when he saw the multitude of glowing blue spots adorning Spike's pale skin. He was lit up like a Christmas tree.

Xander grabbed the marker from Angel as he was just standing there staring, and began marking the pattern of lights. Spike stood still, jaw clenched in anger and waited for him to finish. He counted sixteen marks all together by the time Xander had finished.

Xander grimaced at the thought of what Spike was going to have to go through. He knew that the mark on the back of his head corresponded with the behaviour modification chip, but what the hell were the other fifteen for? He knew without a doubt that one of them would be a tracer - maybe even two as a backup but what the hell else was in there?

"We're going to need to put him out."

Angel's voice startled Xander who was still trying to figure out what all could be in the vampire. Spike shook his head.

"No."

"Spike..."

"I said no, Peaches. You will not put me out for this. Just give me a bottle of that Irish whiskey I know you have hiding in your room somewhere."

Angel sighed but nodded and left the room to fetch the bottle. Wesley gathered up his spell ingredients and headed for the door as well. He turned back when Xander spoke to him.

"Uh, Xander's gone already, just thought you should know."

Xander shrugged his shoulders and Wes nodded before leaving the human and the vampire alone in the room. Xander looked around uncomfortably while Spike paced - naked - throughout the room. He was just about to offer to leave, to give him some privacy, when Spike spoke to him.

"Did this happen back in your world? Did your version of me have all..."

He gestured to the marks adorning his body.

"...this inside of him too?"

Xander shook his head and then ran his fingers through his hair.

"I don't think so. See, back home after you escaped the Initiative you showed up at Giles' and we grudgingly took you in. You spent some time chained up in the tub; eventually we realised you couldn't hurt us and let you out. You stayed with me for a while when Giles' lady friend came to visit. I told you about the chair, right?"

Spike nodded and then Xander continued.

"The soldier boys were still out and about looking for you; they spotted you one night walking back to your crypt and shot you with a tracer. You showed up at Giles' and we dug it out. It wasn't pretty. I don't think my Spike, er, the Spike back home has anything else in him other than the chip now. Of course, you've been stuck as their guinea pig for a hell of a long time now, haven't you?"

"Too bloody long. Did I thank you for getting me out of there yet?"

Xander chuckled and shook his head.

"Don't offer to thank someone when you're naked, okay?"

Spike looked down at himself and smirked.

"I didn't think you went for blokes, pet. The other one does though, so maybe I'm mistaken?"

"Nope. Straight as they come! No interest in alternate lifestyles here. Nuh uh, no way."

"I get it, yer straight. Was only taking the piss with ya, mate."

Angel chose that moment to come back into the room, a bottle of whiskey and a very large first aid kit in his hands. He gave the bottle to Spike while he put some towels down on the bed and opened the kit. Xander wasn't surprised to see an assortment of scalpels, tweezers, needles and sewing thread.

"Anytime you're ready Spike. Xander, you might want to leave. This won't be pretty."

"Yeah, but then who will play nurse?"

Angel sighed but nodded.

"Your call, just don't throw up or pass out."

It took nearly two hours, but in the end everything except the chip had been removed from Spike's body. The vampire himself had passed out from the pain - or the alcohol - after about an hour. Xander had cleaned each piece of technology as it had been extracted. He recognised three of them as being tracking devices. The Initiative certainly wasn't planning on ever letting Spike get away. The others, however, he didn't have a clue about. He followed Angel back downstairs after helping to move Spike back to his own room. He wanted to know if Angel had any clue what the other things might be.