Xander left Spike watching over Rom while he went to check on the status of the investigation into the demon's escape. He didn't like what he heard.

Sgt. Blake looked royally pissed. "It was done deliberately, Sir, there is no other explanation. The cell door is secure and the electronic locks check out okay."

"Any sign of who might have done this?" Xander asked quietly.

"Nothing I can prove, Sir. But I'd be willing to bet on M.I." Jamison said.

Xander shook his head, "Normally, I'd agree with you. But not this time. M.I. wants them all questioned and then killed. Not even they're dumb enough to let one loose."

Blake and Jamison exchanged looks, each telling the other to ask. Blake finally gave in. "Sir? We heard that Rom...that he..."

Xander sighed; he'd hoped to avoid this for a while. "Get everyone in the training room. I'll explain to everyone at the same time. And have Coffey come in, she's the best candidate for our new field medic."

Both men saluted and went to call the others.

**********

Xander looked at his squad. Over a hundred and fifty of the best soldiers the Army had to offer, and he trusted them all explicitly. He hoped their trust in him went as far.

"As you've no doubt heard, Sgt. Montoya was severely injured today by one of the demons we were holding in lock-up. There was no hope for his survival. But because of Spike, he is still with us, but he's not like he was before. For Spike to save him, he had to turn him."

"He's a vamp now, sir?"

"Yes, Addison, he is."

"Sir, I thought Spike couldn't bite anyone with the chip in his head."

"He can't. But there are a lot of things we didn't know about vampires and the way things used to be. If someone voluntarily allows a vampire to feed, he can turn that person without biting them." Only the fact that these people were so highly trained prevented them from erupting with questions.

"Before you all start sharpening your stakes," that got a small laugh. "Spike cannot turn you without your permission. He offered and Rom said yes. If he'd said no, he'd be dead right now. The Chief of Surgery agrees with this, and with what Spike did. He said there was nothing he could have done for Rom, the damage was...extensive."

Xander leaned back against his desk; this was going to be the fun part, not. "Now, all of you need to think about this. If you no longer feel comfortable working in the squad, you'll be given your choice of orders. No one will blame you or try to talk you out of it." Xander waited, but no one stepped forward.

"Good. I'd hate to lose any of you. Next, when you joined the squad, you all made out your wills and a living will. There will be an amendment to those documents. If you are so severely injured that modern medicine cannot save you, Spike can turn you. If possible, you will be asked before hand, if not, we're going to go by your will."

Xander gazed at them sternly, "I want you all to think about this before you decide. And I mean really think about it. Once it's done, it's done. And I want you all to know this...Rom is not a minion. Spike made him a full Childe. He's willing to do the same for any of you. If it comes to it, you'll be a Master Vampire, just like Spike."

Sgt. Coffey raised her hand. "Yes, Sgt. Coffey? You had a question?"

The petite Japanese-American nodded, "Yes, sir. I don't have to dye my hair do I? I've seen Spike, that would be a really bad look for me." She said seriously.

Xander gaped at her for a moment before he cracked up laughing. "Okay, Sgt. Coffey, point taken. I won't talk you people to death about this. I just want you to realize how serious this decision is, and..I'll shut up now."

Xander got off his desk and clapped his hands together, "Now, on to the fun stuff. Sgt. Coffey, since Rom is out of commission for the time being, we need a field medic. Rom said you were our best bet. We'd like you to try out for the squad."

"I'd be honored, Sir. But what happens after Rom is fit for duty?"

Xander shrugged, "You'll handle days, he take nights. The two of you will work together when ever possible. Is that acceptable?"

Coffey smiled, she'd wanted to be on the squad since day one. "Yes, sir. Very acceptable."

Xander smirked, "Good. Now, there's someone you need to meet before you can be officially signed with the Death Squad. Come with me."

The entire squad filed into the testing room. They all liked Coffey; they just hoped she could make it past FRED.

Xander walked up to a mannequin standing in the center of the room. "Sgt. Coffey, we all know that you're a experienced and capable field medic, we have no doubts about you on that point. But we deal with some very unusual situations in this squad."

Xander patted the dummy on the head, "This, Sgt. Coffey, is FRED. That's an acronym for Fucking Ridiculous Electronic Device. He's literally packed with sensors."

Xander backhanded FRED across the chest and the computer in the corner spoke, "Registering blow, mid torso. Humans and seven registered demon types have expired."

Xander walked over to the computer and reset the sensors. "Now, Sgt. Coffey, we'd like you to kill FRED. Once you begin, you have ten seconds to complete the kill. Any questions?"

"Yes, Sir. What did FRED do to deserve death?"

"He's evil, Sgt. Coffey, completely evil. He must be destroyed." Xander said straight-faced.

Coffey nodded in agreement, "I'd guessed that, Sir. If I break him, do I have to buy him?"

Several of the men made choking sounds, but Xander's glare shut them all up. Smiling he said, "No, this is FRED seven, there are three more standing by. Let me know when you're ready."

Coffey walked right up to FRED and looked him over; nodding decisively she turned to Xander, "A five second countdown if you would, Sir."

Xander hit a couple of keys and the computer's voice droned out, "Five...Four...Three...Two...One."

Coffey went straight up and one tiny boot encased foot lashed out in a blur; FRED's head exploded. Coffey's knees flexed when she landed on her feet again. She shot up with both hands, the full force of her legs under her and punched both fists through FRED's central body mass. Getting a good grip, she yanked back hard.

Xander's mouth fell open when Coffey handed him a mess of wires and broken circuit boards. "FRED is dead, Major." She said serenely.

"Yes, Sgt. Coffey, I can see that." Smiling at her he said, "Sgt. Coffey, welcome to the Death Squad." Xander shook her hand and the rest of the squad gathered around to congratulate her. Xander smiled happily, this was going to work out fine.

**********

Spike sat next to the bed and lit another cigarette while he waited for his Childe to awaken. Rom was healing quickly, but Spike wasn't going to leave him until Rom was back on his feet. He channel surfed for a while, but nothing was on. "I don't bloody believe they cancelled Passions, what the Hell were they thinking?" He grumbled moodily.

Xander was still with the rest of the squad, Rom was unconscious and Spike was bored. He decided to give Maggie a call and tell her about the new member of the family.

**********

Maggie McGlumphy hung up the phone after her conversation with Spike. She was so excited, her hands were shaking. She made herself drink a cup of tea, with a double shot of Irish, to steady her nerves before she picked up her pen.

Turning to the first blank page in the family diary, she wrote...
Today, William the Bloody took his first Childe. The Bloodwell lineage is well begun with the addition of Sgt. Romulus Montoya-Bloodwell to our family.

**********

Spike propped his feet up on the bed, grinning like a madman. Maggie was so pleased that Spike had started his own line, she'd screamed. 'Course his grand-niece had been bloody well pissed off when she found out that Rom had been hurt, but was ecstatic that he'd chosen to become one of the family rather than die. And when Spike told her that he was doing this the old way, the right way, she'd babbled like a loon. She'd spent the next half-hour making plans for one of the other spare rooms in the house for Rom. Spike grimaced, "Hope Nummy doesn't have a cow over that one.";;

**********

The small group of men hugged the walls and ducked into empty rooms whenever they heard footsteps. They finally reached their objective.

**********

Spike jumped to his feet when strangers burst into the room. One of them hit him with a tazer before he'd taken two steps. He heard his Childe growl then felt the electrodes ripped out of his chest.

Lurching to his feet, he saw one of the men hit Rom in the belly with a rifle butt. The bandage covering the wound immediately turned red and Rom dropped to his knees, screaming in pain. Spike went berserk. He managed to hurt three of them before the pain in his skull sent him into convulsions. As he was loosing consciousness he heard a voice he hadn't heard in years, and had hoped to never hear again. "Take them both. Let's move."

**********

Doctor Wilson signed off the last report for the day. He rubbed his eyes wearily. He looked up at the clock and decided to check on Rom before he went home for the evening.

Heading up the back stairs, he was just in time to see a group of men dragging a badly bleeding Rom and an unconscious Spike down the hall. Wilson ducked behind the desk and rang the squad room.

When he heard Major Harris' voice he said quickly, "This is Wilson, I just saw a group of armed men taking Rom and Spike..."

The Major hung up before he got a chance to finish.

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