Raid
A/N: Finally, right? This is a little short, but I promise it'll be intense =)
Aizen's main compound wasn't underground or secreted away on an island or anything. It was in plain sight, and looked kind of like a library from the outside. Anyone even approaching the building would be in for a surprise though and according to what Grimmjow and Nnoitra had said, the inside was practically a labyrinth, full of rotating walls and hidden passage ways, surveillance, and guards.
Ichigo could tell Byakuya wasn't really happy to be working with Nnoitra, Grimmjow, and Gin, but he did his duty, laying out the plan and separating the team into smaller teams; Team 1, Team 2, and Team 3 and Team 4. Team 5 was off site and Team 6 was monitoring communications for all teams and broadcasting updated information as it came in. Much to Grimmjow's disapproval, Ichigo was with Team 1, under Byakuya. Much to Byakuya's annoyance, Ichigo had pulled aside Grimmjow to convince him to go along with it, sealing his argument with a searing kiss in front of everyone.
"Still got feelings for the kid?" Nnoitra asked with a smile.
"Keep your mouth shut, espada," Byakuya responded. "Emotions shouldn't have any play on the battlefield. We are on a mission, it is unprofessional."
Nnoitra just laughed at him.
They waited in their vans for final clearance.
"It's a go," Byakuya said, then repeated it into his collar mounted com system. He waited for confirmation from all teams, and then they began. There was a burst of static in everyone's mics as the communications team shut down power in the main building.
Gin's Team 3 moved quickly towards the rear of the building while Byakuya's Team 1 and Grimmjow's Team 2 took the front entrance. Nnoitra's Team 4 began placing explosives on the side of building to make their own door. There was a brief firefight as the grounds guard's came out to investigate the power outage, but it was done quickly and almost silently.
Once inside the grounds, Teams 1 and 2 stuck together, following Grimmjow's lead as he walked down the long white hallways. Emergency lights buzzed as they flickered on above their heads, and doors began to come from the ceiling to block off certain areas as the entire building went into lock down.
"One problem with all the revolving halls is that with the stupid maze this place is, even in lock down, if someone knows what they're doing, they can find a way in," Grimmjow said with a grin, leading them through a series of turns that almost seemed to backtrack on itself. They wound up in a large hall. Both teams froze as they saw people approaching from across the long room.
"Zommari Rureaux, 7th espada," Grimmjow told Ichigo.
"No," Ichigo replied, indicating that the man was an enemy.
"I'll handle this," Byakuya said. Speed was of the essence, which is why they had so many teams. If they took too long, no doubt Aizen would escape. "Go ahead."
"Ichigo is coming with me," Grimmjow stated.
"No," Byakuya said, not looking away from the approaching men.
"How will I know who to trust?" Grimmjow pointed out.
"I'm going, you focus on this," Ichigo told Byakuya. Byakuya made a small noise as being given an almost order but didn't stop Ichigo as he began to leave with Team 2.
"GRIMMJOW!" Zommari yelled at Grimmjow's retreating back.
"He is not who you should be worried about," Byakuya told the man. "Stand down or I will cut you down."
"Almost there," Grimmjow said as his team rushed through the compound towards Aizen's office. He knew that the man was too proud...or arrogant...to leave it until absolutely necessary. They pulled up to a full stop as they saw a lone figure at the end of the hall, standing tall, his weapon drawn and aimed. No one wants to be looking a grenade launcher in the face in a confined space. "Don't do anything stupid," Grimmjow said, both to the man and to his team. He didn't know how trigger happy these borrowed men were.
"Starrk Coyote, number 1 espada," Grimmjow said to Ichigo, really hoping he wasn't going to have to face off against the man, especially at such a disadvantage.
"We have your daughter," Ichigo told the man.
Starrk tensed.
"I don't mean that as a threat," Ichigo assured him. "I just mean that we've rescued her from where Aizen has been keeping her."
Starrk lowered the launcher from his shoulder slightly.
"That's fucked up," Grimmjow said. "Aizen had Lilynette? You said she was off at boarding school."
"I stepped in something I shouldn't have," Starrk said. "Lilynette was a casualty of that."
"Can I get my phone?" Ichigo asked.
"Careful," Starrk warned him.
Ichigo nodded and slowly took out his phone and dialed it. He put it on speaker phone and held it out towards the man.
"Lilynette?" Starrk called out.
"Starrk!" the girl cried out. "Starrk! Are you ok? You didn't get shot did you, you big idiot? No one will tell me anything!"
"I'm fine," Starrk assured her. "You?"
"It was boring but nothing happened," Lilynette told him.
"Do you feel safe right now?"
"Gum drops and rainbows," Lilynette said, in what Ichigo had to assume was some sort of code, unless she really talked like that. Whatever it was, Starrk lowered the weapon completely and placed it on the ground with care.
"He'll be by to see you soon," Ichigo said into the phone.
"See you soon then, Lily," Starrk said.
Ichigo hung up.
"Did you mean that?" Starrk asked.
"Of course," Ichigo said.
"What are you here for?" Starrk addressed his question to Grimmjow.
"Aizen's ass," Grimmjow told him.
"Well then, have fun," Starrk said, slowly walking away. No one stopped him.
"She's just outside in a blue car," Ichigo called out.
"What a bastard," Grimmjow growled. Ichigo looked at him. "Who takes a child hostage?"
"Isn't that what you guys do?" Ichigo said archly.
Grimmjow restrained himself from slapping Ichigo upside the head. He was sure how the intelligence men around him would react to it. Instead he just glared daggers at him and they moved on, taking out a couple roving guards along the way with tranquilizer darts.
"This is such a pussy way of fighting," Grimmjow complained.
"Hey, they aren't all bad, and you're going to want a department after Aizen is gone," Ichigo pointed out.
"Repeat, do you need backup?" Byakuya said into his com.
"Fuck you, I'm fine!" Nnoitra said, gunfire in the background. "SHIT!" he yelled and there was what sounded like a small explosion.
"Idiot," Byakuya said. "Team 6, please relay Team 4's location."
"Barragan you bastard! Let's see how much blood you have in those old dry bones!" Nnoitra yelled, still coming in over the speaker to Byakuya.
"Southwest of your current location," came Team 6's response.
"On my way," Byakuya said, motioning his team to move forward.
Grimmjow's team came across Gin's just as he was preparing to breach Aizen's office.
"Do you suppose he's still in there?" Gin said with a smile.
"Let's find out," Grimmjow grinned. They backed up and waited for the pop as the explosive blew the hinges off the door. Grimmjow kicked the door in almost gleefully.
Both teams stopped. Aizen was simply sitting as his desk. He looked up as if barely interested in what was happening.
"Yes?" he asked calmly.
"I hate that," Grimmjow said quietly.
"I agree, it's very annoying to go through so much work and not get a payoff," Gin agreed.
"At least look surprised you bastard!" Grimmjow yelled at his boss.
"Why, hello there," Aizen said, looking at Ichigo. "Are you Ichigo Kurosaki?"
"You know I am," Ichigo said. "I'm pretty sure that a picture of me you're looking at right now."
"Ah well, it's good to have manners," Aizen said, "and we haven't been formally introduced."
Grimmjow looked over and Gin, wondering what course of action to take. It seemed like they had the man severely outnumbered, but if that was the case, why was he so calm? Was he just bluffing? If they walked forward would they all be walking into a trap of some sort? Was the place rigged with explosives or gas? Hell, Grimmjow wouldn't put it past Aizen to have a fucking trap door in his floor.
Ichigo stepped forward.
"Ichigo!" Grimmjow yelled out.
Ichigo stopped walking halfway between the Aizen at the invaders.
"Tell me, do you want a job?" Aizen asked. "I'm quite impressed with your performance."
"A job?" Ichigo queried.
"Stop fucking talking to him and get out of the line of fire," Grimmjow muttered lowly, his weapon still aimed at the ground.
Gin was examining the room, trying to figure out exactly what, if anything, Aizen had hidden in it.
"I pay well, it's a fun work environment, and we have a great retirement plan," Aizen said with a smile. "Plus, all the power you can steal."
"Hm," Ichigo said.
Ok, so Ichigo is trying to stall for time so we can work out a plan of attack, Grimmjow thought. He looked over at Gin to see if he had figured out Aizen's angle yet. Gin shook his head and continued to scan the room. He hadn't found anything either.
"Exactly what would I be doing?" Ichigo asked Aizen.
"Why don't you be my second in command? My current one seems to be broken," Aizen said, looking at Gin.
"That doesn't sound too bad," Ichigo agreed.
"Of course, I need you to fire him first," Aizen suggested.
"Absolutely," Ichigo said.
"Ichi..." Grimmjow began. Ichigo whirled around. He hadn't been allowed to carry a weapon into the raid, but he was now reaching into the arm sling that was holding his cast.
Things went in slow motion for Grimmjow as his adrenaline pushed his senses to the limit. There was a small gun in Ichigo's hands. He pointed it at Gin's chest and fired twice. Grimmjow could see the small caliber weapon bucking in Ichigo's hands. Ichigo was rushing towards him now, Grimmjow began to raise his own weapon, but Ichigo was behind him.
"I surrender myself to you," Ichigo said quickly, throwing his weapon down, keeping Grimmjow's body between the intelligence teams and himself.
"W-what?" Grimmjow's mind was reeling.
"Arrest me, and for fuck's sake don't let Aizen run off either," Ichigo said.
A/N: Muhahahaha!