Chapter 36

Okay guys, time to keep the ride going. I hope that the last chapter added a nice little twist. Well I plan to keep the twists and turns coming in the upcoming chapters and I hope I can keep them to your liking.

I own nothing

Heller and the group were standing in midair above the base where the emergency meeting was taking place, concerning operation fire hawk. They could see a good number of phase ones, missile launchers, and a few tanks patrolling the outside of the base, and some inside to stop them from getting in.

Heller was looking down and said "we're not going to be able to get in. this amount of security shows they're determined to finish whatever it is they need to plan. And ideas?"

Soi Fon snorted. "I can't believe you can't think this out yourself. Maybe the reports of your intelligence were exaggerated."

Heller ignored her, not in the mood to throw words around. He looked to Ichigo and said "Ichigo remember what we did when flushing out Koenig?"

Ichigo looked down and scanned the base. He saw what Heller was talking about. Scattered about the base were 5 flammable tanks, all on the inside ring. He grinned and said "one to each?"

Heller shrugged and said "I can take them. You guys just deal with the guards."

Ichigo nodded and said "well, let's rock."

Heller shifted to his sword arm and cracked his necked before flash stepping down. He appeared in front of one of the tanks and charged up a small Getsuga Tensho in his sword. He then slashed through it with ease, the blade sending in sparks that set of a small explosion. The reaction was imminent as Blackwatch yelled. Heller paid them no mind as he flash stepped to the next tank. In front of this one was 3 Blackwatch guards that had been on their rounds. They swung their guns to face him, but before they could react, Soi Fon appeared crouched in front of Heller and slashed her left arm. Nothing happened for a second, but then the throats of the guards opened and sprayed blood, causing them to fall to the ground as they clutched at their throats, groaning and gurgling wetly as blood poured out. Heller looked at Soi Fon's arm and saw her short sword in her hand, only slightly red from the cut.

She looked behind her to look at him before flash stepping away to deal with the others. Heller shook his head before doing the same thing he did on the last tank. The others were having a ball. Ichigo was fighting in his normal style, charging forward while using cuts, jabs, and back handed hits with the blunt edge of Zangetsu. Rukia was using her normal style in Shikai, freezing with cuts, and Renji was using long broad swings of his whip sword to clear out chunks of guards and keep them at a distance. Soi Fon was using her assassin training to do some damage. Whenever a solider attacked her, she would simply dodge to the side, not even bothering to use flash step, then get in close and stab him in the heart or lungs.

Heller had just taken out the 3rd tanks when he heard "What the hell's going on out there?!"

Heller looked and saw a dead solider. His radio was still working and broadcasting the transmission. He heard the response "we got Heller and other tangos in the base, there trying to end the lock down!"

"Well stop them idiot, we need to finalize these plans!" Heller chuckled and thought "No way in hell." Heller went to the 4th tanks and was about to destroy it when he heard a crack and felt the ground shift slightly. He looked down to see a good sized crack in the ground that exploded as a juggernaut leapt fist first into Heller's chin, sending him skyward with his face upturned from the hit.

Heller acted quickly, flipping so he faced the ground and landed on a platform of spirit energy before pushing off back towards the juggernaut. The juggernaut roared and brought up its arms to try and block. Heller blurred out of sight, causing the juggernaut to grunt in confusion, before a blade sliced cleanly into its body. The juggernaut turned just in time for Heller to take its head off with his claws and consume the body. Heller's head snapped up as he heard another roar. He looked around and saw juggernauts and brawlers all leaping over the walls and landing inside, the juggernauts cracking the pavements, before roaring and using their natural weapons to attack Blackwatch. One brawler charged towards Soi Fon with her back turned. As it rose its arm to deliver a smash Heller shouted "LOOK OUT!"

Soi Fon looked behind her just as the brawler swung down. The blow appeared to hit, sending up a cloud of dust, covering Soi Fon. The brawler brought back its arm, just as Soi Fon jumped up out of the cloud, but missing her captain's robe. She was wearing only wearing the black uniform of the commander-in-chief of the Onmitsukidō, which had no sleeves and didn't cover her back, though she did wear long black arm bands Soi Fon spun sideways in midair, building up force, before her left leg hit the brawler in the neck, sending it sideways while snapping the neck cleanly. The body hit the wall and caused a small crater to form in it as it fell lifelessly to the ground. Soi fon landed lightly on the ground. She glanced at Heller and called "those are brawlers I take it." Heller nodded while shifting his claws to tendrils, shouting "now might be a good time to go Shikai." Soi Fon looked around at the brawlers and juggernauts, which the others had begun to engage and muttered, too low for anyone but Heller to hear "maybe you're right."

]Soi Fon unsheathed her Zanpakutō, and then held it in her right hand as she said "Sting all Enemies to Death, Suzumebachi!"

The entire sword glowed white and began to shrink in size. When the emitted glow died out, it revealed that Suzumebachi had now taken on the form of a black and gold gauntlet, with a small chain linking it to a stinger-like blade on Soi Fon's middle finger. The "stinger" was about twice as long as the normal length of Soi Fon's fingers, slightly increasing her striking distance. The colors and pattern of the Shikai now resembled those of a hornet, with alternating gold and black patterns, but the stinger mostly gold.

Heller knew a little about the blade, thanks to Yoruichi, but not much. He knew that it was used to stab an opponent once. The first time made a black butterfly like marking on the body from a poison secreted out of the blade, showing her where she had hit. If she hit the same place the blade touched again, either from the same wound, or hitting the space from another place, then the opponent would inevitably die. He knew this was called 'death in two steps.'

Heller nodded and said "nice blade. Now let's go."

He turned his attention back to the fight. So far everyone was doing okay, but Rukia was having a little trouble with a brawler. The thing was fast and making it hard for her to get in and strike. He quickly snapped out his tendrils, tangling the brawler's legs and arms in some sort of twisted web. The brawler roared its anger while trying to tear through the tendrils, but Rukia was able to get in and stab it in the eye, freezing the head solid. Rukia nodded her thanks before she yelled "you need to take out the last 2 tanks." Heller nodded and looked for Ichigo. He saw he decapitating a juggernaut, covered in blood, and his robes a little torn, but not a scratch on his skin thanks to his Hierro.

"Ichigo!" Ichigo looked at Heller as he shouted "get one of the last tanks!"

Ichigo nodded and flash stepped to one of the last ones, Heller taking the other. Ichigo used his blade to take it out while used a black hole attack to suck in debris and some explosions to blow his tank. As the tanks blew and the fire finally started climbing through the building, Heller heard the alarm begin sounding. He searched with hunting eyes for his guy. He cocked his head as he heard the whirr of helicopter blades and looked up. He saw a helicopter taking off and sent out a hunter pulse. The pulse rebounded from inside while his target was highlighted. "Oh no you don't!" he growled as he crouched down, prepared to intercept the copter. He stopped as he heard a cry. It sounded like a bird cry, maybe a falcon or bald eagle, but it was deeper and longer.

He scanned the skies and saw what he heard. It was a flock of birds, something that resembled vultures, but their faces and bodies were covered in tendrils and glowing a deep red gold. Heller watched as they flew in quickly, surprisingly quick for such large birds, and pulled up alongside the chopper. They began using their bodies to smash into the chopper, back and forth, until one of them hit the main rotor by accident. The birds wing was sliced off, causing it to cry in pain and fall like a rock, but then it got jammed and stalled the blade, causing the chopper to fall like a stone in the nearby park, where a plume of flame went up. Heller gritted his teeth. Seemed mercer had some plans for the commander. He shouted "guys, the chopper!" They got the message instantly and finished of their opponents, then flash step to the helicopter. The vehicle was twisted, flames coming out of it and the windows cracked, but Heller could hear the commander calling into his radio for an evac.

Soi Fon snorted. "Humans really are helpless alone aren't they?"

She was ignored as Heller walked forward saying "time to see what this is all about."

As Heller was about to rip off the door, something blurred beside Heller, knocking him sideways with tremendous force, into several trees, shattering them, before he stopped himself using his spirit energy. He and the others looked up as they heard laughing. It was a middle age woman, with some brown hair tied back in a bun and wearing a grey business suit, but her arms were whip fists. Fast ones, if the hit had been anything to show. She was standing in midair, showing that evolved had learned how to make platforms with spirit energy

The woman called down "sorry, but mercer has plans for the commander. We can't let you have him." As the others were looking up, Soi Fon blurred into existence behind the evolved before trying to stab the evolved in the head. The evolved tilted her head, dodging the hit, as she used her legs to kick behind her, but Soi Fon dodged and moved back as the evolved turned to face her.

Heller heard a roar and looked to see that infected were coming. A good number, about 6 brawlers and 4 juggernauts Heller cursed before he said "I got the evolved, you guys cover the chopper!" Everyone nodded as he flash stepped upwards, standing on even level with Soi Fon and the evolved. They were fighting, but the evolved had the advantage, using her whip fists to keep Soi Fon running and at a distance she used them for pinpoint attacks and large sweeping blows. Soi Fon growled as she dodged another strike. The evolved shouted "come on, you must be better than this!"

"She's not the one to worry about." The evolved turned her head just in time to receive a hammer fist blow to the face, followed by a stab in the back by Heller's sealed sword. Soi Fon saw a chance and flash stepped to the front of the evolved. She jabbed with her gauntlet and just, just, barely missed as the evolved flash stepped of Heller's blade to dodge. The evolved materialized 20 feet away and was healing quickly. She chuckled and said "nice try, but you can't catch me."

"Try me." Soi Fon growled. She kicked off and made about 15 speed clones, all standing in various places in the air. The evolved said "huh. Not a bad show."

All the Soi Fons grinned and spoke at the same time, sounding blurred from her speed. "Thank you. I don't get much praise since I do undercover missions. Let me thank you by finishing you with this!" she cried as they all charged.

The evolved stood there smirking. She said "I said not a bad show. Here's a great one!" The next thing they knew, the evolved was next to all the clones, striking them in the chest, head, or back, all of them vanishing except for one, which was the real Soi Fon and got hit in the stomach, sending her skidding back as she coughed up blood from the hit. The evolved looked cool and collected as she glanced down.

"Seems your friends are having a little trouble."

Heller glanced down and saw she was right. While everyone was holding okay, they were losing ground, being overwhelmed by being attacked from blind spots so they would be getting a fair amount of hits. Heller gritted his teeth. All of his attacks were close range or too slow to hit the evolved. Shadow shifter might help, but if she could keep up that speed, they wouldn't be able to take her out in time. Then he remembered something. He had taken Mayuri's Zanpakutō and absorbed it. And that Zanpakutō's Shikai, if he could land a hit, would stop the evolved movements completely, leaving her helpless.

Heller dug deep into is inner world and cried out "Ashisogi Jizō!"

The response was immediate as it answered "I know. Take my power and use it to stop her. Good luck Heller!" Heller looked at the evolved and shouted "not bad, but now it's time to end this little show." Heller raised his blade and pointed the tip at her. She laughed and said "even with that secondary form of your blade, you can't catch me Heller!" Heller smirked and muttered "then let's try the third form." Then he cried out "rip, Ashisogi Jizō!" Heller's energy sky rocketed as his sword changed. His aura formed around him, but this time it was a light pink color as Ashisogi Jizō formed. But it was slightly different. Instead of gold, the blade was red with the two side blades black and straighter. Also the guard now had open glowing red eyes as the open mouth exhaled a red mist. Heller looked at the blade, and smiled. "Nice."

The evolved looked confused as she said "that's not the blade mercer described. What the..?"

She never got to finish as Heller flash stepped to her. He slashed, only for her to block with one spike and try to stab him with another. He leapt up and slashed he head again, but she ducked, making it so only a few strands of hair were cut. Heller brought his feet down in an arc and kicked her in the back of the head. She went flying down but stopped herself and looked up, but Heller was behind her and slashed, scoring a shallow hit on her shoulder and back. He flash stepped away as the evolved spun around to do a seeping blow. Heller was now facing her as she caught him in her sights again. She was panting and the wound was healing while her hair was now disheveled, like she had fallen out of bed.

"You may be fast, but you can't do any real damage." She said as she got her breath back.

Heller looked at him with a blank face as he said calmly, "Nor do I need to." The evolved suddenly felt her body go limp as she collapsed. She didn't fall, still able to make a platform of spirit energy, but like Heller before, she could only move her head, eyes and mouth. Nothing else would even twitch.

Heller didn't waste time. He didn't even bother explaining, since mercer seemed to be able to figure out his abilities, the less said, the better. Heller went to the evolved and sliced through her neck, consuming the remains. He didn't get any memories, nor did he expect to, but his arms both withered under the surface and were covered in tendrils as his arms transformed, turning into 2 whip fists, as he expected. He smirked and said "just try to run now."

Heller looked down and saw that the others had managed to turn the tide. Almost all the infected were dead, laying in pieces or frozen in blocks of ice. He looked around and said "good job."

Before they could respond they heard a cough and the commander they had been after came tumbling out. He looked at them from his knees in panic and stood to start running, getting some good distance.

Heller saw this as a good chance to test his new weapons and said to the others "wait" as they stepped forward. Concentrating on the commander, Heller threw out a fist, which quickly darted forward like a snake striking, stretching and enormous distance before it wrapped around Cantrell's neck. Heller snapped back the whip, snapping the neck while bringing back the body. Heller quickly consumed the body and was pulled into the web of intrigue.

"Did you get the wind pattern charts?" asked Rooks.

"Yes sir, received them this morning along with the latest MRE shipment." replied Cantrell.

"And?" asked Rooks. "Once the mainland is saturated, most of the overage should drift out to sea." said the Commander.

"Casualties?" ventured the Colonel. "Infected removal should be total, sir. About 1.5 million non-infected." said Cantrell.

Rooks mulled over the information for a few moments. "Hmm. That's acceptable. Proceed."

Heller shook his head and said "bastards." He looked at the others and said "whatever's going on, it'll kill 1.5 million people if it happens." The others looked shocked as they heard that. 1.5 million? That many innocent people just to execute this? And that many people might be enough to finally push the balance of soul society. Heller shook his head and said "let's go back, we need to tell the others." They all nodded and flash stepped back to the apartment, leaving the smoking and burring ruin of the helicopter.

Back at the apartment, Mayuri's room

Soi Fon opened the door before quietly closing it. It was late at night, the others all asleep but Mayuri and herself. She knew she needed to report to the commander and Mayuri had told her earlier, out of earshot of everyone, that he had made a breakthrough in how to kill Heller. Soi Fon saw that Mayuri was tapping away at the computer, but now the room looked much more sinister, the specimen jars were filled with some clear liquid and severed infected limbs, heads, and a few human ones, as well as one or two animals. Soi Fon ignored this as she approached Mayuri and said "do you have the commander online yet?"

"Nearly. Just need to tweak this and…there." The computer opened a new window showing the commander standing alone in the R&D department of soul society, looking calm and collected as he said "report."

Soi Fon and Mayuri explained everything they had learned. Soi Fon explained what black watch was planning and how it would kill 1.5 million people, but most important, about Heller's strength, unique weapons, speed, and how he had a Zanpakutō of his own, though having no idea of its form or abilities, while taking Maruyi's. The commander had said nothing until they were finished then said "this is disturbing news. If James Heller is truly as strong as you say, then it is of the utmost importance to have a way to stop him."

Mayuri grinned evilly as he said "I have a way commander." Mayuri quickly opened a box he had beside the computer on his desk and opened it, revealing a syringe filled with a black looking liquid set on a cushion in the box.

Mayuri held it up for the commander to see and explained "I managed to gather enough data to create this. It's a special parasite that I made from the equipment I brought with me." The commander looked at the syringe while saying "explain." Mayuri set the syringe back in the box while typing, bringing up a simulation. He began to explain saying "while Heller was out, I was able to gather DNA to test this." As he said this, a virtual figure of Heller appeared on the screen, scowling out at them while his arms were in blade form. "What I found was that, when the parasite was introduced to Heller's body, it began to root inside and producing some very interesting antibodies."

The simulation showed Heller being injected with the liquid, which quickly began to spread through his veins, turning the brown skin black while Heller grimaced in pain. "These anti bodies began to attack the black light virus in his body, breaking it down from the inside out. And I also found that, when the sample began to emit elevated levels of spirit energy, it began to spread and grow even faster. When the end arrived, the virus was utterly destroyed, leaving no trace."

The simulated Heller feel to the ground, his arms now turning back to normal while he opened his mouth in a silent scream of pain while his arms began to break down into a dust, quickly spreading to envelope the rest of his body until all that was left was a pile of gray dust. The commander nodded and said "well done captain Mayuri."

The captain nodded with delight at the commander turned serious as he said "then you know your mission. If Heller shows any sort of instability, or he shows any sign of, you are charged with injecting him with this. Am I understood?"

The two nodded while Soi Fon said "yes sir. I will make sure of it."

The commander nodded. "But you are not, I repeat, are not to kill him if he can stop Blackwatch and mercer. But after he kills mercer, you are charged with killing him. For the good of soul society."

Well, the commander is sure of himself isn't he? What will happen as Heller tries to stop black watch and mercer? Will he find out about this betrayal and how will he react? All in the next chapter guys. Also I noticed I'm sort of covering everything and dragging it out. If you find this tedious and want me to move along already, just let me know. I'll try to post again soon. Thanks.