Warning: Will contain at times; coarse language, sexual and possibly some drug references, implied violence and OOCness. Rated M for suggestive themes, especially later.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or its Characters.

~ TWO ~

They came and took us away. No one knew, no one cared. They experimented on us, biological modifications designed to turn us into super human soldiers.

We were built in pairs. To breed. Apparently mine didn't survive, so they made another... Shuhei.

So many of us died. In the end we were deemed failures. So they thought to exterminate us in a bid to wipe the slate clean. Then Leader saved us, the ones he could.

They think they have the god-given right to reshape humankind, but they are monsters. I hate them! Their days are numbered. We will exterminate Them. Leader will show us the way.

Rukia entered the bunker fondly dubbed The Hub where Prodigy aka Toshiro Hitsugaya chose to operate his equipment. Toshiro was one of the first generation survivors and a Forensic Specialist who could hack and track almost anything with a data trace. The force behind the science.

Careful to overstep the multitude of electric cords hooked up to various screens and devices, Rukia came up beside him in his Cyber-throne and waited. Suspending the link interface, Toshiro swiveled around and gestured to a tray under a microscopic telescope. Picking up the bullet fragment, Rukia looked at it dully and turned it over.

"Give me the short version, please...for us simple folk."

"The bullet is a standard JHP 9mm +P cartridge. Beretta 92FS Special class. Registered to an Agent Byakuya Kuchiki."

"Kuchiki huh?" Now Rukia had a name to the partial image of the face in her head. "Location?"

"Currently resides in an apartment on Pavilion. Classy district."

"That doesn't surprise me... Schematics?"

"Bringing it up now." Toshiro brought up the blueprint of the apartment on the view-finder. "Moderate security. Central alarm system with a sixty second time delay rerouting to HQ. Equipped with laser sensors at the front entry point. Overall not as much defenses as I expected for an Agent's residence to have. Should be a shoo-in for you."

Rukia put the fragment back in the tray like it was a hot coal, then eyed the schematic thoughtfully. "Let's hope so. Surroundings?"

"No pets. No neighbors for miles... The guy prefers anonymity..."

She folded her arms across her chest, her face read; 'I couldn't be less interested if I tried'.

"...Pays his bills on time. Housemaid comes in from 11:30-1:30pm like clockwork. Your regular upstanding citizen..."

"Except he's not, he's an Agent. Anything else?"

"Parents deceased. Single, never been married. No subscriptions, memberships or clubs... A robot has more personality," Toshiro smirked. "Has a fondness for Botany. Likes long walks at night, and his favorite color is grey."

"Pfft, you're making that up," Rukia flushed hotly, "There's no way you could know that."

"You're right, I wouldn't have a clue what his favorite color is."

Toshiro was rewarded with a withered glare. That wasn't what Rukia meant, and he knew it. Shuhei chose that moment to walk in. Coming up from behind Rukia, he began to gently massage her shoulders while listening intently. She gave him a quick smile and continued, changing the subject.

"This still doesn't explain how the Authorities knew I was there." ...Nor him.

"About that, I did some checking, and this is all I could find. The time log on the call to the Authorities presets you entering the building by less than a minute-"

"-How much less?"

"Thirty-eight seconds to be precise."

Toshiro and Rukia wore identical frowns. Thirty-eight seconds told them a lot. That meant the tipper had a preconceived notion that she was going to jack into that testing facility even before she did. So either that anonymous person was there or had misjudged the timing to place the call. Toshiro reached over to another screen and brought up the transmission data.

"It's unlikely they were actually present. The call was made via remote station, scrambled through satellite webs all over the Country. Far too sophisticated for Special Forces, so whoever it was, was not an amateur that's for sure. Here, listen to this."

...

"...(Static) ...Don't hang up- Don't put me on hold...(Static) I-I'm telling...you. Lindocruz Pharmaceuticals Admin- ...Building... on Fifth Street. She's in there..."

"Sir! -Ma'am? Please state the nature of the emergency."

"I'M TRYING TO HELP YOU! ...(Static) ...DO YOUR JOB AND CATCH HER!"

"Who? Where? Are you reporting a break-in?"

"Look you dumb bitch, if They find out I'm dead meat, just send your whole damn pathetic squad- ...(Static)... HOLLOW-" The transmission cut off.

...

"That's the whole recording. Breaking down the voice decoder there's a seventy-six percent chance the caller is male but the interference makes it impossible to identify." Toshiro had scanned all local and secure databases to match a name to the voice without success. "Our anonymous caller knows much more than we do."

"He mentions 'They'. Is that a coincidence?"

"There's no such thing as coincidences."

"I was hoping you weren't going to say that." Rukia's frown deepened into a scowl. "So what now?"

"Retrieve the chip, and be extra careful. Until we get more details as to who is playing saboteur, trust no one. Not even me." Toshiro handed her a PDA uploaded with Agent Kuchiki's apartment coordinates and put his headset back on. "Oh and watch out for the nasty Agent that's trying to kill you."

"You think..." Smiling sardonically to match the prodigy's sarcasm, she took the device. "I don't believe not trusting each other is the answer. We have the same goal, and I would give my life for every one of you. If you're asking me to keep pertinent details to myself then I'll do that, but don't tell me not to trust you. Trust is the foundation on which we stand. Without that, we don't stand a chance against Them."

Rukia and Shuhei walked out of The Hub, missing the rare, sincere smile on Toshiro's face at her words.

Trailing Rukia down the hallway to their shared living quarters, Shuhei pondered the situation. "I'll go," he said at last.

"No, this is my problem, and I'll deal with it."

"Rukia, you can trust me. What Toshiro said back there is wrong. Your problem is my problem. We're in this together."

Entering their room, Rukia shook her head. "Not this time. I understand how you feel, but I'll go in, get the chip, and be out again in no time. We both know that I'm faster."

"So fast you got shot?" Shuhei said. Wrought with worry.

Their room was modestly furnished with a table and two chairs, two single beds and a couch. A large plain shelf unit placed in the corner was laden with clothing items and various gadgets used on missions. The small inbuilt wardrobe consisted of multiple copies of Rukia and Shuhei's mission gear. An even tinier space spanned out into a basic shower, basin and kitchen facilities, all that was really required for the duo since they usually ate meals in the common room with the rest of the gang.

Spotting a parcel on her bed with a note attached, Rukia sat down and plonked the box on her knees, carefully prying it open. "All the more reason why I should go instead of you. Besides, I'm not about to go charging in when Byakuya is there, now am I?"

"Byakuya? I didn't know you were on a first name basis with the guy who put a bullet in your arm!"

"Shu..." Giving him a 'jealousy is beneath you' look. "Are we really going to do this now? My mind is made up-"

"-Why do you have to be so stubborn all the time?" Shuhei protested. He began organizing Rukia's gear at the same time. From her custom-made bunny bombs, wrist blade, aerosol can to a retractable grappling hook disguised as a handheld purse. "At least tell me the location, so I don't have a heart attack."

"Fine, the address is on the PDA," Rukia relented. "I'll take my rod instead of a gun. Less bulky."

Shuhei nodded, and added the extra item, then begrudgingly picked out the address of Byakuya's apartment. He still thought it would be better if he went along, so he had it in his mind to follow after giving her a head start.

Then the deep hue of scarlet red satin caught his eye. Rukia held up a single-shouldered, diagonal hem cut dress and stared at it like it was a foreign object.

Shuhei gaped. "Erm...a present...?"

"And when was the last time we ever got presents? No, this is Rangiku's idea of a disguise," Rukia rolled her eyes and made a mental note to check her colleague's recent psyche report. Rangiku Matsumoto, otherwise known as Mirage, may be the master of disguises, but Rukia couldn't see the sense in this one.

"You'd look nice," Shuhei colored slightly as the image popped into his head. He'd never seen Rukia in a dress before, and he'd always thought she was pretty.

"Except I don't wear dresses. What the hell is that harlot thinking?"

Picking up the card that spilled out of the upturned parcel, Shuhei read it out aloud;

'Wear the dress, it's less conspicuous than a bodysuit that screams 'cat-burglar'! Scarlet doesn't make you look cheap. And yes I know you're fuming right now, so sue me. Shuhei pick up your jaw and take a photo. This moment may never come again...R.M. xxx'

"Damn her."

Having already showered beforehand, Rukia stood up and stripped down to her panties. With the barest of cleavages she didn't need to wear a bra. Then she slipped into the shapely dress to see that Shuhei's jaw was in fact floor-level. Blushing red to match her dress, she pushed past him and began loading up on gear. Attaching a thigh holster to hold her rod, bunny bombs clasped onto her single strap made them look like cutesy badges and picked up the handheld purse to carry. Wrist blade went on next. The aerosol can she opted to leave behind.

"Okay now you're scaring me... Are you going to say anything?"

"You look beautiful Rukia," Shuhei said sincerely, picking up his jaw at last.

"Thanks Shu," Returning the sentiment with a shy smile. There was one last item for her to don. A pair of bionic contact lenses. "Could you help me with these?"

"Sure." Shuhei carefully took the lenses out of the attaché case. "What color did you choose?"

"Grey, like yours."

Shuhei smiled, but said nothing. Rukia stood deathly still as he inserted the lenses. "Blink."

Doing just that, she gave her eyes time to adjust, then focused on Shuhei. "How do I look?"

"Like a femme fatale."

"Ookay..." Rukia laughed, about to head out the door, stopping to peer curiously at the different set of keys to choose her vehicle of choice. "Mind if I take the bike? Since I'm under orders to be 'less conspicuous'..." The bike was primarily a black Yamaha TRX850 with silver spray edging. The speedy duo's pride and joy on wheels.

"Alright, but be careful."

"Me, or with the bike?" Grabbing the keys before he could change his mind.

"Oh, the bike of course. It doesn't argue back." Shuhei teased, though his insides were jumping. He didn't like this one bit.

Roaring out of the Hangar, concealed amongst the Rocky Mountain formation their Hideout was built into, Rukia sped away.

'That man ...Byakuya...'

'It's Do or Die...'

Inserting the microchip into his computer, Byakuya stared at the images that popped up. He had expected the data to be encrypted, but he was disappointed. Web ads, marketing reports and testing statistics for Lindocruz Pharmaceuticals new multivitamin dubbed; Vita-U flashed on the screen. What would the infamous Hollow want with information on the health supplement scheduled for market release in a fortnight? It didn't make a lick of sense.

Agent Kaien Shiba, his former partner before he made Senior, came up behind him waving a report in the air. With short black hair and the bluest of pale blue eyes, you'd be hard-pressed to think the Special Forces Agents weren't picked for their male model looks alone.

"Hey Kuchiki, I think there's a little info missing on your latest report..."

"Oh, and what would that be?" The tone suggested he knew exactly what, though he didn't care.

"Ah, let's see...how about everything? Thirteen of the local police beat's guys are dead, a further eight wounded, collateral damage of a prolific Drug company Admin building, the stolen property hasn't been recovered... Oh, and this is a good one, perpetrator still on the loose. Have I missed anything?"

"Your spine. If there is a problem with the account then the Director can tell me herself."

"Dammit Kuchiki, I just told you what the problem is. Besides, I know you're avoiding that firing line. She only gets this hopping mad if it's to do with you. "

The Director of their Special Forces Division just happened to be Kaien's sister Kukaku Shiba, and one of Byakuya's occasional lovers. Just like the rest of his dalliances, there was a lack of emotional attachment to the attractive, yet volatile woman.

"I am not to be credited with last night's debacle. If I am to do my job, then it is advised that no interference be entered into. As it stands, my report is accurate, as always."

Steel grey eyes met Ice blue ones. "Fine, you win Kuchiki. It is a shame the local PB didn't hold off until you got there."

Byakuya didn't deign to reply and went back to sifting through the copious amounts of e-junk to locate any possible ghost files. Kaien however, remained at his desk. "Shiba, if there isn't anything else?"

"Actually there is... Don't ask me why I'm asking you this, but dammit if you aren't my best friend, so..." Kaien displayed a photo of his new fiancee Miyako. "I finally did it."

Gazing nonchalantly at the pleasantly attractive brunette, Byakuya arched an eyebrow. "Did what?"

"Asked Miya to marry me. And she actually said Yes!"

"Wonders never cease."

Kaien laughed. Byakuya's anticipated reaction wasn't enough to quell his happiness. "Yeah so, I'd like you to be my Best man."

"That's a prime example of poor judgement on your part."

"What, Miya as my wife, or you as my Best man?"

"Both."

"Ha did anyone ever tell you that you're one cold bastard Kuchiki..." The customary lopsided grin belied a more endearing sentiment.

"All the time." Byakuya smirked.

"Good. God knows it's true," Kaien laughed again. "Still, I refuse to take 'No' for an answer, don't forget you owe me."

"You're getting married. Expect to hear 'No' from here on in." Byakuya's opinion of the institution of marriage was no secret. "Nevertheless, I suppose I can accede this once. This makes us even."

"You're problem Kuchiki, is that you just haven't met the right woman yet. What about that sketch artist...Momo, is that her name? She seems nice."

"Too whiny."

"Okay, what about Retsu? Brains and Beauty, that one."

"Too analytical for my liking."

"Agent Soi-Fong?"

"Foot fetish."

"Forget what I said, you're too damn picky." Kaien shook his head in exasperation and admiration at Byakuya's lengthy list of conquests. "Kuchiki, one of these days you're going to get hit with Cupid's Arrow when you least expect it and it's going to break you, mark my words."

Locating the very thing that he was searching for, Byakuya smiled slightly. Senior Special Agent Shiba misconstrued it as agreement. "Speaking of which, when is your new partner arriving?"

Byakuya ticked over the information he'd been given in his head. He'd been informed only this morning that an Agent Ashido Kano would be assigned to him. Fresh from his three year undercover stint to bust up a drug-ring operation, Director Kukaku had offered the up-and-coming rookie a spot on her team. Ashido was due to fly in tonight, reporting for duty the next day.

"Tomorrow."

"Fun. Go easy on him, Kuchiki, I hear he's still a newbie."

With a salute, Kaien finally left Byakuya in peace, who remained as expressionless as ever. Ejecting the microchip, the Agent decided to return home to run the encryption process on his home computer and away from the prying eyes of the Government officials. With state-of-the-art Networking systems via remote satellite, whatever there was to find on this chip, he would be the first to know.

Following the GPS coordinates on the PDA, the Yamaha TRX850 steered off-road and cruised to a stop behind the thick underbrush of the Pavilion's forest. Killing the engine, Rukia could see the outcrop of Byakuya's apartment. Stately, yet posh. No lights on indicated the probability that the Agent wasn't home.

"I'm here." Rukia informed Toshiro and switched to vision sensor mode through her lenses.

"Ah... Patching now. Wait for my signal."

The ring of a phone replaced any conversation. Going to voicemail confirmed no one was present.

"All yours. Good luck. Prodigy out."

"Yeah, thanks."

Rukia replaced her boots with padded shoes, then kissed her fingers and touched them to the bike. 'Here goes...' Promising herself that she and their treasured bike would make it back home in one piece.

Zipping through the mass of trees, she vaulted up and over the moderately high fence, crouching low atop the palings to run a sensor scan before proceeding. Getting the all-clear, she ran along the fence top to a point closest to the roof. From there, she disengaged the grappling hook and lassoed it to the aerial pointing skyward amongst the tile roof panels. Rukia dived off the fence, bringing her feet up to brace her landing against the paneled wood side of the house, then held on by the grapple line, ran up the structure and jumped the gutter clear onto the roof. Stealthily quiet, she tied up the line for her return trip and slid down the other side to the front of the house.

Hooking one foot into the niche between gutter and roof tile, she edged out and clipped the wire effectively disabling the sensor light above the front entrance. Then she ran a second scan to pinpoint the exact location of the fuse box controlling the alarm system. Following the line of cords visible through the lenses lead to the control box on the right side of the house. Running along the gutter to the correct position, Rukia swung herself down from the roof, gripping the gutter railing with her left hand while she dangled precariously in the air. Unsheathing the wrist blade on her right hand, she pried the cover of the fuse box open. With expert deftness the alarm system was preset to turn back on in sixty seconds. Long enough for her to get inside.

Then Rukia dropped down and landed nimbly on the soft grass. She picked the lock and closed the door softly behind her. Leaning up against the door inside, the time spent to run a third and final scan. Through the technology of the bionic contact lenses, the plethora of deadly laser beams shone in sight.

Rukia took a deep breath. Ripped off the hem of her dress, all the while cursing Rangiku in her head for wearing such useless attire and wrapped the shorn off material around her left arm, tying it up in a tight knot to stay in place.

'We're going to need some music.'

Patching into her PDA via wireless antenna signal with the bionic lenses, Electronica music began to play through the micro earpiece inside one ear canal. Then tousling her head from side to side, flexing hands and feet and wiggling her hips, she braced herself.

'Seven movable frames. Let's dance.'

Rukia dropped down onto the floor and slid under the first frame on hands and feet, then pushed herself up. In one fluid motion she bent backwards, twisting to flip backwards through the center of the four criss-crossed laser beams, running flush against the side of the wall to bypass the third frame. Arching into a forward flip landed her clear of the fourth set. Then tucking her upper body in low, Rukia performed a sideways spinning kick, continuing into a wall jump to gain enough leverage to dive through the pentagon-shaped space left center of the sixth frame.

The beat of the music sung in her head. She closed her eyes for a moment of serenity. One more frame to go.

Four laser beams criss-crossed like a star with another beam sliding vertically back and forth simultaneously with a sixth running horizontally. The timing had to be just right. Rukia counted silently in her head to three, then dipped into front splits pushed forward with her hands and fanned into a phoenix rising kick, swinging her legs over with mere inches to spare as the vertical beam made another run.

Rukia beamed. Success. Still, there was no time to waste. She had to find the microchip and make it out of here before Byakuya came home. 'Don't come home...'

Rukia searched and searched. Careful to look through every square inch without leaving a trace of her intrusion. Yet room by room, she came up empty until one room remained, the one room she dreaded and was hoping against hope that she wouldn't be forced to search - Byakuya's bedroom. Taking another deep breath, Rukia willed herself onwards. If this venture turned out to be fruitless, then she would break into the Special Forces Agency HQ next.

Suddenly Rukia froze at the sound of the key turning in the door lock.

'Shit! Someone's coming!'

Quickly scanning the area for a suitable hiding place, Rukia would have to abort the mission and slip out at the first sign.

Byakuya arrived home and turned off the alarm and defense system. Striding down the hallway, he entered the lounge room and placed his keys in a dish on the coffee table. Then going over to his workstation, he booted up his computer and put the chip on the desk. Taking off his jacket, he held it aloft in one hand to hang it in his wardrobe. The plan was to shower first, then set to work.

Making his way to his bedroom, Byakuya pressed the playback button for any messages. But instead of listening, he only pretended and stood stock still outside his bedroom door. There was the minutest feeling, a smidgin of a suspicion...

...Suspended in the ceiling rafters above, Rukia held her breath and her heart thudded in her chest. She had never been so scared in her whole entire life. It was extremely unfortunate that Byakuya had indeed come home, but fortunately he had brought the microchip with him. The only problem now was how was she going to take the chip and escape right under the Agent's nose?

'Why was he just standing there? Leave DAMMIT!'

Adrenaline mixed with fear coursed through her. This scenario was going from bad to worse...

At the end of the last message Byakuya went into his bedroom, closing the door to be left slightly ajar. Hanging up his jacket, he went into the adjoining bathroom while unbuttoning the cuffs and front of his shirt. Then he pulled back the shower curtain and turned on the water valve full-blast. The noise of the running water masked the sound of him pulling out his gun.

Byakuya walked silently out of the bathroom and sat on the edge of his bed facing towards the wall. His weapon of destruction readied in his right hand, rested on one knee.

'I know you're there...'

Author's Notes: Terminology used in the story -

JHP: Jacketed Hollow-point.

9mm +P: 9x19mm Parabellum +P. Is a higher-pressured variant of the traditional 9x19mm Parabellum cartridge.

PB: Police Beat.

A Special Thanks to obsessed dreamer for mentioning the range, I really appreciate it. Though I'm no expert, I did as much research as I could and found that even though the lethal range on the Beretta92 is 50m, a round can actually travel further (though it is dependent on the expertise of the shooter). I've corrected the specific gun type in the first Chapter and added the use of a higher-pressured cartridge to account for slightly more distance and velocity.

Special Thanks Also to; YuzurihaNoRyuu, ANF-Byaruki, The13thConspiracy, AkuRokuTurkTrainee, CielDoll & ReckoningDay for your reviews. Thanks very much :)

Thanks for reading, and please R&R. Any feedback, suggestions or criticism is welcome, especially on the finer details that I may have gotten wrong.