The next day Shane discovered all the captains had departed to carry out their plan. Meanwhile, he sent messengers to the rest of the squads to have their highest ranking seat meet at the Squad 13 barracks. While waiting for the replies, Shane paced nervously through the building. Kintaro watched him go back and forth while relaxing against a wall and smoking a pipe. "You know that won't get them here any sooner," he said.
"Yeah, yeah, shut up," Shane waved him off and continued pacing. Kintaro shrugged and smoked his pipe in silence. There was a knock at the door and the squad representatives filed in. They took their places around a table Shane had set up, organized by squad.
"Okay," Shane said clearing his throat. "Let me start by saying-"
"The world is going to end," the 12th Squad representative interrupted.
"And we are all going to die," the 10th Squad member finished.
Shane blinked rapidly several times in surprise. "Well, that about sums it up. Sorry for wasting your time," he said and left the room. The squad members watched him leave, unsure of what to do.
"Is that the only reason he called us here?" the 2nd Squad representative asked.
"This was such a waste of time," the girl representing 5th Squad said. She leaned back in her chair and played with her hair.
Just then the door burst open and Shane re-entered. He walked to the head of the table and slammed his hands on the table, startling everyone in the room.
"You all seriously think the world is going to end?" Shane asked. No one dared to speak. Shane glared equally at everyone seated around the table. "I asked you a question!" he shouted and easily flipped the heavy table over. Several people fell out of their chairs and everyone scrambled out of the way of the table. Shane began pacing up and down the room.
"We are the Thirteen Court Guard Squads of Soul Society!" Shane roared. "What does that mean to you?" He pointed at the girl from 5th Squad. "You! What is your name?"
"Uh, Leena Nagashimi," she stammered.
"What seat are you?" Shane asked.
"Fourth seat," Leena replied.
Shane turned on another person. "You. Name, squad and seat number. Go."
"Toji Kurosawa 10th Squad third seat," he replied.
Shane merely pointed at another person. "Ichiro Sato. Fourth seat of First Squad," he replied.
"Chihiro Yamato, fifth seat of 8th squad."
Shane went around the room and made everyone say their name, seat and squad number. "And I am Shane Akiyama, 13th Squad Lieutenant," he introduced himself last. "People, look around you." Everyone glanced around at each other. "We are the defenders of Soul Society and protectors of this way of life. All the captains left to carry out their mission. It is up to us to make sure there is a Soul Society to return to."
"But all the strongest fighters went with the captains," Leena said. "How do you expect us to defend all of Soul Society with this?" she asked and gestured around the room.
"You said you are the fourth seat, correct?" Shane asked. Leena nodded her head. "How many people are in your squad?" Shane asked. Leena thought for a moment, then shrugged. "I don't know. A lot I guess."
Shane nodded his head. "And out of everyone in the 5th squad, only the captain, lieutenant, and one other person are stronger than you." Leena looked away and said nothing.
"People, you are ranked officers for a reason," Shane said. "This is your time to step up and show the captains and lieutenants who you are and what you can do." Shane turned the table upright and placed his hands on the top. "As I said before, the captains have left Soul Society in our hands." He hesitated for a moment, then continued. "I'm not going to lie to you. This is perhaps the greatest crisis in the history of Soul Society. Souske Aizen, the former captain of Squad 5, plans to overthrow Soul Society and seat himself as the new ruler." Gasps were heard around the table.
"How does he plan to do this?" Toji asked.
"By using the spirit energy of 100,000 souls to forge the Kings Key," Shane said. "Using this Key, Aizen hopes to reach Soul Society, overthrow the King, and seat himself as the new ruler."
"So, he's trying to become God?" Chihiro asked. "Pretty much," Shane replied. "So far, the plan is this. The Kido Corps will us some high-level kido to transport Karakura Town to Soul Society and replace it with a fake. The captains hope to prevent Aizen from coming to Soul Society to forge the Kings Key."
"So why are we worried?" Ichiro asked.
"Because Aizen has an army of Hollows, led by a group of Arrancar," Shane said. At this news, everyone grew quiet.
"Are they strong?" Chihiro asked.
"Very," Shane replied.
"Like how strong?" Toji asked.
Shane thought for a moment. "Imagine if we cloned a Super Captain from the Commander General, Kenpachi Zaraki and Captain Komamura. We'd get someone with stupid crazy power right?
"Sure," Toji agreed.
"That would be nothing compared to an Arrancar," Shane said. Heavy silence filled the room. Shane could see the look in their eyes and it wasn't a very good one. "And to make matters worse, I have reason to believe that an army of Hollows, led by some lesser Arrancar, will attack Soul Society about the same time," he added.
"What?" Leena cried. She stood up, knocking her chair over. "Why do you think that is going to happen?"
"Because that's what I would do," Shane replied. "Attack your enemy with superior numbers, force your enemy to split his forces and stretch them thin, allowing you to attack from somewhere unexpected." Shane let those words sink in and nobody said anything.
"So what's the plan then?" Ichiro asked. Shane sighed. "When the Hollows attack, there will be heavy casualties. I expect many people will die and unfortunately, there's nothing we can to about that." Shane looked around the table. "I don't know how much time we have, so in the mean time, have your squads focus on training and preparation. Second and Ninth squads will be dispatched throughout Soul Society and report back on their findings. I'll have a more detailed plan set up by tomorrow."
"Are we done now?" Leena asked. Shane nodded and they silently filed out of the room, leaving Shane all alone. A thin trail of smoke wafted from the far corner. "Well, that went well," Kintaro spoke up.
"Oh shut up," Shane sighed.
"No really," Kintaro said, rising to his feet. He walked up to the table and gave a few knocks. "Flipping the table was a nice touch."
"Well, what would you have done?" Shane asked. Kintaro smiled and said, "The same thing. You got their attention and focused on the problem at hand."
"The problem is we're screwed and you know it," Shane said dejectedly. He slumped in a chair and closed his eyes.
"Better not let them hear you say that," Kintaro grinned. Shane opened an eye and said, "You're enjoying this, aren't you."
"And why not? Facing impending doom, that's when you really find out what a person is willing to fight for," Kintaro said.
"What about you?" Shane asked. "What are you fighting for?" Kintaro shrugged in reply. "Just because I asked a question doesn't mean I know the answer." Shane slapped himself in the head and sighed. "Go around to the squads and assist wherever you can."
"What about you?" Kintaro asked. Shane rose to his feet and walked to the door. "I have something to take care of." He nodded to Kintaro and left.