"Speaking Japanese" "Speaking English"
'Thinking' 'Zanpaktou'
"Hell Butterfly" "Radio"
'Hichigo' "Hollows"
Rukia was sure of it now, Cross just didn't feel right. They watched from invisible platforms in the air while Captain Cross pretended to haul Alex, or Taggart, off the helicopter and onto the huge carrier. Closest to him was Ichigo, Zangetsu's hilt held firmly but still attached to his back. Even he didn't like this Cross character, and he was no good at sensing Spiritual Pressure.
Despite being a supposed prisoner, Alex still didn't like being pushed around. Taggart's disguise was uncomfortable to him…maybe because it was recent and he didn't like his situation. Maybe it was the fact that he was surrounded by water, cold ocean breezes making him cringe.
General Randall stalked right over, looking more paranoid than ever, and was addressed by Cross with a salute.
"I found Taggart, sir." Cross said.
"Good." And just like that, the man lifted his weapon and shot 'Taggart' in the head. If he'd been human, he'd be dead. As for Alex, it stunned him enough to knock him down, but he was nowhere near dead.
Ichigo growled at the shooter. Mercer had been right, Taggart would have died either way. At least he didn't have to get killed by this bastard.
"Still going to let the place blow?" Cross asked the General.
"Of course." He pushed some buttons on a control panel. Even without being able to understand English, Ichigo knew it was the bomb. What else would be strapped to giant sticks of dynamite, or that's what it looked like to him.
"What about our men? The ground troops still in Manhattan." Cross looked genuinely concerned for the other soldiers and Ichigo decided maybe he was only dangerous feeling because he didn't like Mercer.
"You didn't think I was that naïve, did you?" Randall suddenly pulled a gun and turned to Cross. By now, Byakuya and Rukia were there, the latter waiting to signal Mercer when to strike. The General had his back turned. "When you have a wound, you cauterize it."
At the silent signal, Mercer stood and reformed into his default look. The sound of flesh moving caught Randall's attention as he spoke.
"We'll be saving millions of American lives." And then he turned.
Alex lifted the General off his feet and snarled in his face.
"I won't let you erase this town like you did Hope." He said.
"Let?" Randall coughed, trying to get air. "That bomb goes off in ten minutes. And only I know the code."
Though the Soul Reapers didn't understand, the look of frustration on Alex's face and his eyes darting to the bomb made it clear what was wrong. The virus tossed the General back to the ground.
"You don't know what you're doing to this place." Alex hissed. He paused for a moment, thinking. "You took something from Elizabeth Greene."
Byakuya heard Elizabeth's name and frowned. What did Alex want to know about her that he didn't from the woman herself?
"I know what Blackwatch has done." Alex stepped menacingly towards Randall, who cowered backwards. "All you're soldiers I've killed…their memories are mine now."
Realization dawned on Randall.
"That's how you…"
Mercer didn't let him finish, consuming the military bastard before the others could stop him.
"Alex!" Rukia seethed.
"I needed to know." The virus shot back. "He had a chance to stop this, and he didn't. Elizabeth had a child, and he took it from her, keeping it under wraps so he can continue his bio-warfare."
That caught them off guard. Elizabeth had a baby? And now they know it's simply being used for more weapon making. Things were worse than they thought. This really was war.
Their shock kept them from seeing how Cross looked at each of them, seeing them clearly. He smirked and stepped towards Mercer.
Sensing danger, the virus turned, only to get picked up by the throat with strength the human shouldn't have possessed.
"Stand back!" He shot at the Soul Reapers, his message clear. "When that weapon detonates, and they think this place is cleansed, they won't be looking for me." He glared at Mercer. "Once I consume you, I'll be able to survive even this."
He tossed Alex back before turning his arms to claws and slamming them into the boat. Enormous black spikes jutted out, threatening to spear the Soul Reapers had they not moved away in time, gathering near Mercer to plan.
"This has to be the guy Toshiro found." Ichigo growled. "This means he's the one that was leading us around."
"Consume me…" Alex muttered. "And he'll survive. What does he mean?"
"Who knows, Mercer. Focus or he will consume you." Rukia warned.
Before them, Cross's form was abandoned, and the true terror behind their situation made itself known.
"What…What is it?" Ichigo kept himself still, but the image before them was horrible.
What was once a soldier was a mass of twisted flesh, walking as a human would. Tendrils snaked of its enormous clawed arms, pincers around its mouth. What's more, it had a Hollow mask, the white thing shaped into an ever changing blob. The only things kept still were the golden Hollow eyes. Spines pricked up on the back and its cry was mixed with the guttural sound of the infected and the screech of a Hollow.
"They've finally managed to converge." Rukia breathed in horror. "The virus has absorbed enough Hollows to gain their powers. They've become one being!"
"That doesn't change the fact that we must kill them." Byakuya spoke harshly, lifting his zanpaktou into place.
Before he could release Senbonsakura, something slammed into the Hollow Hunter and pushed it up top to where the other soldiers on the ship were. That someone had a small pink haired girl attached to him.
"Yeah, get him Kenny!" She cried out joyfully.
"Kenpachi? Yachiru?" Ichigo looked confused.
"How come no one invited me into this fight?" Kenpachi grinned wickedly, ignoring Ichigo and looking almost hungrily at Alex. The virus bristled and twisted his arm into the blade, just in case. Even if this huge man was dressed as a Soul Reaper he didn't like him. His transformation only made the Captain more interested.
"I'm guessing Hitsugaya prevailed in getting reinforcements?" Byakuya questioned, brining the attention to him.
"Yeah, come see for yourself."
With that, he leapt up top. The others followed, Mercer hiding in the disguise of a soldier just in case he was seen.
It was chaos up top. The minute the Hollow Hunter had emerged, soldiers were shooting off every round they had. The jets left the ship to shoot from above, helicopters hovered in the hopes of taking it down while avoiding being blown out of the sky by debris. It was completely focused on the soldiers at that moment, but Mercer could see its gaze go to the six other Soul Reapers surrounding the ship occasionally, one of the being the familiar white head of hair he recognized as Captain Hitsugaya.
When Toshiro was spotted by the monster, it abandoned the others and leapt at him. He was at the edge of the ship, Hyorinmaru in release form, waiting ever so patiently for the monstrosity to reach him.
"Ice Dragon Swirling Tail." He recites, swinging the long blade in the Hunter's direction. The crescent shape wave of ice threatened to engulf it as it barreled forward.
The fact that it keeps going sent up warning flags and Toshiro decides to back off just as it crashed right through the ice with barely a scratch or any frostbite. It became apparent quickly that this Hunter knew all too well his powers and could now put up a protection against them.
"Guess it got used to the cold." He muttered, Yoruichi next to him snickering slightly, before getting back her battle stance.
"Don't let that cold go, Toshiro. It should at least have the slowing effect on it, even if it doesn't calm it like it does to Alex."
"No problem there. I should probably up the scale though if I want it to have any effect."
"No Bankai yet, let's see if we can take it down before we need that kind of power."
Hitsugaya pondered that for a moment, glancing to see his 'sister' Momo and Izuru holding up their own released zanpaktou and preparing for the attack. Unohana was taking soldiers off the ship one by one trying not to attract attention. Soi Fon sent a command through to keep any and all personnel from the ship. Her voice was strong enough, and the threat bad enough, that any air soldiers high-tailed it from the ship.
"Alright, we'll try it." Toshiro jumped back into the fight, Yoruichi close behind, to see Kenpachi rush head on at the Hollow Hunter.
"Let's see what you've got!" He shouted with blood lust.
The fight was officially started.
A fight that needed to wrap up around nine and a half minutes or they would all be toast.