Chapter 16

I own nothing

It was several days after the church was attacked. Father had decided to transfer to the green zone since it would be safer there as long as he was careful. Orihime had decided to accompany him while Renji carried them there to avoid any patrols. Uryu had been feeling useless and decided to go to soul society to try and help research there. He also took the Gigai that Urahara had made at the request of Ichigo Rukia and Renji, since they found them to be excessive in this environment, where they needed to remain unseen by anyone. Meanwhile, Ichigo Heller, Chad, and Rukia were staying in the yellow zone to try and clean up some of Genteck's field tests. In just a few days they were looking scarce in the yellow zone and Genteck wasn't happy. Pictures had been taken despite their best efforts and circulated through Blacknet. Now every Blackwatch soldier knew what they looked like. Heller had found out from hacking Blacknet that rooks had ordered a shoot on sight for all of them despite Genteck wanting them for study.

After father had steeled down he had called James and given the base where Dr. Koenig was stationed. Everyone had gone to the base but Heller would be going in alone to take care of the good doctor. He managed to consume the commander with little trouble, and enter the base.

He spoke over his phone to father "they've got a lot of security in here."

Father spoke back saying "who's knows what they're doing in those labs. Anyway Athena hacked into their security cameras. You need to consume the guard outside the door on the upper platforms to get in."

"Got it."

He hung up and looked around. There was too many guards to consume the one he needed and no way to distract them until his eyes landed on some containers that they used to contain and transport brawlers.

He quickly put his plan into effect as he walked over to the scientist standing on the side of the containers. When no one was looking, he consumed him and activated the hand scanners to let them out.

"go crazy boys." He muttered as the brawlers ran out of their cages. While they went nuts and started killing most of the staff, he consumed the guard he needed and then got down to work killing the brawlers. He grabbed a grenade launcher and started firing directly at the first brawler. As he turned to roar at him he fired a shot directly at its head, killing it instantly. He fired the last few grenades at the last brawler and then picked up a machine gun to begin wearing it down. By this point only he and 2 other guards were still alive. Heller finally threw away the gun, pulled a knife and grenade from his belt and ran at it. He dodged the blow it tried to deliver to the floor and cut a hole in its back. He activated the grenade and shoved it inside saying "try this on for size."

He jumped back while the brawler tried to get the grenade out of itself when it went off, blowing a hole through its lower body, and it fell to the floor with a heavy thud. The two guards came up and clapped him on the shoulder and said "nice work taking those things down."

Heller brought up his knife and stabbed the soldier on the right through the throat, where he fell to the ground clutching his throat while blood gushed out his mouth and he gurgled horribly, while Heller stabbed the other one through the eye, dropping him. All this took a total of 5 seconds.

Heller said with disgust in his voice "got you sick assholes too." He walked to the upper balcony and activated the scanner to Koening's office. He walked through the hallway to it while shifting his form back to normal. He came to the office with koening tapping away at the computer on his desk. Heller glanced at the window across for the door and saw Ichigo and Rukia standing on the outside of it, using their power to walk on air. He turned his attention back to koening as he said "ah, sergeant Heller, good to see you. You're not hurt are you?" he started moving around the office like he was looking for something

Heller was confused about the doctor's behavior. He spared another glance towards Rukia and Ichigo and they looked as confused as he was. Heller started talking saying "what are you…"

Koening cut him off as he took a flash drive and plugged it into his computer saying "no time! All you need to know is that Blackwatch is forcing me to work for them. I'm on your side!"

Heller snorted as he said "Really? I seem to remember you calling me 'the subject' when I was thrown into that cage."

"Do you also remember how I told you to eat those infected to survive when they tried to burn you? I'm on your side, and that's a good thing, because I have some valuable information about a project you need to shut down!"

Heller moved to the computer to look at the screen as he said "and what project might that be?"

The doctor pulled up a folder marked 'project Orion' and brought up graphs and data Heller couldn't make heads or tails of.

"this project is the one you need to shut down. It's head researchers is a doctor Burk. And the goal is to create super soldiers that will be able to fight and kill you, and your friends as well. I can give you the base location so you can destroy it before they can make a super soldier."

Heller thought for a few seconds. Koening was a dangerous man and needed to be put down, but if he was right and this project could create soldiers that could fight him and his friends, then this took priority. He made a snap choice.

"Send me the coordinates. But keep in mind, if you betray me, I will find and kill you in the most painful way possible."

And with that cheerful good bye, Heller shifted back to the form of a Blackwatch guard and walked away.

Rukia and Ichigo caught up with Heller just as father Guerra called and said "James. Did you take care of Koenig?"

"Not yet. Got some bigger problems. Have you heard of a project Orion?"

"no what is it?"

"A bunch of super soldier's mutants that are set on hunting down me and Ichigo's group and kill us."

"! Que hijo de putas! Be careful out there, James."

"We will."

He hung up as they got to the facility. He could see several infected scanners set up in several places, along with more guards armed with machine guns and missile launchers then seen at any other facilities they had hit. Heller took out his phone and speed dialed Koenig.

"Hey doc, I'm here. This place isn't exactly 'lightly guarded'."

"As should be expected. If you can take out the communications towers then won't be able to call for reinforcements."

Heller looked at the towers as he hung up. He saw about 3 total all on various rooftops. He turned to Ichigo and Rukia and said "we'll hit one each. Don't care how you take down so long as you do."

They nodded and then leapt into action. Heller leapt towards one and started to slice into it with his claws, ripping out circuits and causing sparks and smoke. Rukia had flash stepped and used her white sword dance and stabbed inside the machine, causing it to freeze from the inside out and short out. Ichigo had also flash stepped and simply slice through the machine sideways, seamlessly cutting it in 2.

Needless to say that the Blackwatch below had leapt into action when the 3 towers we destroyed. The group heard Burk say to repress the tango immediately. As the group jumped down and hit the pavement on their feet they heard a bellow of "JAMES HELLER!"

They looked up and saw a giant soldier flying through the air before landing, causing the pavement to crack beneath its enormous size. It stood up and they saw that it was easily 7 feet tall, with a black suit and goggles with a single blue lens, while electric blue tubes connected it's head to its middle back. It had a few metal plating in a few places and shoulders, while wearing flexible metal gloves

"YOU KNOW WHO I AM?"

Heller got into a battle stance with the other while saying "project Orion?"

"VOLENTER FOR PROJECT ORION! YO RIPPED MY FRIENDS LIMB FROM FUCKING LIMB, AND NOW I GET TO RETURN THE FAVOR!"

And with that he ran at the group at a surprising speed for his size. He leapt and pulled back a fist to deliver a punch with the tubes glowing a bright blue. Just before it made contact with Heller, he shifted his arms to shields and blocked the punch, then thrust out with the other, the spikes and force behind the blow, knocking back and disorienting the super soldier. Heller then moved and got behind it quickly, grabbed it's mid body, then leapt up and slammed it into the ground shoulder blades first. As he leapt back, he called up Koenig as the soldier got back up shaking it's head.

"Hey doc, thought you said project Orion wasn't running yet"

"That's correct" the doctor said in a cautious tone.

Heller shouted in the phone while Ichigo took over the fight for him "THEN WHAT THE FUCK ARE WE FIGHTING HERE!?"

"Oh dear, this is not good."

Heller hung up as he watched Ichigo fight.

Ichigo's P.O.V

What the hell was this thing? Despite this guy's size, he could move fast enough to block or dodge my strikes, and when he got in a lucky punch, I felt like I had gotten punched by Kenpachi. This thing was strong, and I was wondering how the heck Blackwatch made this thing.

Deciding to experiment, I hit him with the blunt edge of my sword and then raised my palm open and said "Bakudō #63. Sajō Sabaku." I closed my fist and summoned a fair amount of power to form a yellow glowing spirit chain. It whipped forward and wrapped around the soldiers arms and pinned them at his sides. He chuckled and said "nice try." Then, with nothing but brute force ripped free of the chain. Before I could get over my shock, he delivered a right cross to my jaw and blew me backwards. I felt like I had gotten hit be 10 sledge hammers and went flying backwards before hitting a wall. I crumpled to the ground and began to get up, when the soldier grabbed my back neck and lifted me up. He grabbed me with both hands and lifted me up to his face and said "ha. You're nothing but a wimp."

I muttered something and he said "sorry, you say something?" in a 'I couldn't care less' voice.

I spoke up while raising my right hand with the index finger pointing at his head. And gathered as much power as I could while getting choked

"Hadō #4. Byakurai (Pale Lightning)."

A small beam of red light burst of my finger. It rapidly widened as it went father, but at this close range, it acted like a laser, digging through the soldiers head with no effort. As he arms relaxed and let me go to the ground coughing, Heller leapt on the dead soldiers back and slice of the head to consume the body before it fell on me. He and Rukia knelt next to me in concern while Rukia asked "are you okay?"

I took deep breaths before saying "I'm fine, but those bastards are strong. He broke through a Bakudō in the 60's and when I took a punch, I felt like I had been hit by Kenpachi."

Rukia turned slightly pale. Kenpachi was a monster and if these things could break through a 60's Bakudō, then they were going to be trouble. Heller stood up and pointed at a small station with his claws and said "the doc called again. He said we need to take out the power stations to shut the project down, and then burn the building. Can you fight?"

I nodded and stood up saying "yeah, but I'm going Bankai. I'm going to need the extra power up."

I got into my stance and raised my power level, then yelled "BANKAI!"

I felt the power explode and the usual cloud of dust and power happened. I stepped out and said "let's go."

Heller smirked as he said "want to see who can get the most power stations?"

I laughed as I said "oh you are SO going down."

"Yeah? Watch me."

Before I could move, he shifted both arms to tendrils and fired a black hole attack at one station. The resulting force of debris and bodies were too much, along with the stray missile launcher, causing it to explode and go up in flames.

"That's Heller, one. Ichigo, zero."

General P.O.V

And with that, the race was on. Ichigo used his Bankai's speed and power to speed through station after station, while Heller used his strength and creativity to use a combo of tendrils, claws, and missile launchers. They had gotten through halve of them when they heard several thuds and looked up to see 3 more Orion's leapt bodily of the roof. Heller yelled "take one each."

Rukia and Ichigo nodded then engaged one of the new reinforcements each. Ichigo took the nearest one, using his speed to slash and dodge while the Orion tried to deal back blows. Despite taking several slices, it kept coming with the same speed and power, at least until Ichigo shouted "Bakudō # 79. Kuyō Shibari (Nine Sunlight Traps)."

8 black holes with a purple glow around the edges appeared around the Orion like a vertical clock face, with the 9th black hole on the Orion's chest. Said Orion suddenly felt like it had a building pulling on every part of its body and couldn't move as Ichigo appeared in front of it and charged a Getsuga Tensho. He kept that attack in his sword as he slashed; not wanting to hurt innocent people or his friends by accident, but the slash still sliced through the Orion head to toe like a hot knife through butter. The two halves fell to the ground, one on the other side, as the 9 black hole disappeared. Ichigo stood spattered with the blood as he looked to see how his friends were doing.

Heller was using his own style, using shields to block and then body slammed the Orion, and using his tendrils to slow its movements then slicing with his claw hand. As Ichigo watched he grabbed the Orion by its feet, slammed it down into the ground once, pick it up, turn, then slam again before pulling back and ripping him in halve while consuming him.

"Got some issues to work out their Heller?"

Heller turned to Ichigo who had a stupid grin on his face and said "shut up, berry boy."

Ichigo looked like he had been struck by lightning. "HOW THE HELL…"

"Rukia and Renji told me what your name meant. Must be hard being named after a strawberry."

"HEY IT DOES NOT MEAN STRAW BERRY. IT MEANS PROTECTOR JACKASS."

Heller looked like he wanted to jab Ichigo again but then they heard Rukia yell "FIRST DANCE, WHITE MOON."

They both turned to see Rukia holding her sword arm outstretched with the Orion standing in the circle. Ice began to crawl up his body before shooting up in the pillar of ice. The Orion stood frozen at the center, and then broke apart like the pillar and fall to the ground, melting into a bloody puddle.

She turned to the two with her blood smeared sword still unsheathe and gave them a glare.

"While there is a time and place for everything, this is not it. Now can we finish up here already?

With the glare she was giving them with her sword unsealed, neither said anything. They simply destroyed the rest of the power stations then stood before the building, on the opposite side facing the water, and Heller said "Ichigo, would you like to do the honors?"

"Sure. But I think I'll show off a bit."

Ichigo stepped forward and placed himself where Heller could only see his back. Ichigo reached up with one arm like he was scratching, and then brought it down quickly, like he was putting something on. Heller suddenly felt Ichigo powers grow much heavier and darker. He actually staggered and fell to the ground panting for a few seconds before his body adapted to the sudden change. He got back to his feet shakily while he watched Ichigo build up what he called a cero. He built it up to the size of a watermelon, and then quietly said in a dark growling voice "Cero."

The blast blew outward, completely engulfing the building, but staying away from the other, and the shockwave caused Heller and Rukia to go flying backwards while an earthquake seemed to wildly rock the ground. The cero wiped out the building and raced outward on the horizon, flying to the red zone, over 5 miles away, before erupting in a pillar of light bigger than the sky scrapers there. The blast of air hit the where they stood, blowing up dust and covering Ichigo's form. It stopped after a few seconds and Ichigo walked out in his Bankai mode, looking normal while Heller and Rukia got to their feet coughing. Heller looked at Ichigo and said "what the hell was that?"

Ichigo simply grinned as he put his sword on his shoulder and said "that was the final form I told you about."

Heller looked in shock. How the hell did this kid have so much power? He had just blow away a chunk of the red zone for over 5 miles away, with the shockwave hitting the same place, and yet the kid simply stood there like he didn't have a care in the world.

At least, not until Rukia stomped up to him and kicked him with all the strength she had between his legs. Then he screamed like a little girl and fell to the ground with both hands clutching his 'family jewels'. He rolled on the ground as he screamed at Rukia "WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR?"

Rukia had an anime vein the size of Alaska pulsing dangerously on her forehead while she stomped on him again and again and said in a shout "THAT WAS FOR BEING A HOT HEADED IDIOT, WHO JUST SHOWED OFF AND REVELED OUR PRESENCE TO EVERY GOD DAMN HUMAN IN THE WHOLE NY FREAKING Z! THINK NEXT TIME YOU ACT YOU IDIOT!"

She ended the sentence with a kick in the head that sent him skidding across the ground and into the crater he had just created, which had filled with a combination of sewer waste and bay water. He quickly leapt out but still smelling like, well, crap.

He looked like he was ready to wring Rukia's neck as he stomped over but Heller stopped him as he heard over Blacknet "Dr. Burk, I'm afraid… the facility, it's… it's all gone. Project Orion is destroyed."

"Not yet. We still have a phase 2 soldier at the proving grounds. We can clone him and continue the research from there."

They all looked at each other. That didn't sound good. If a phase one was that strong, then they needed to take down that phase 2 before Burk could clone him. Heller called up Dr. Koenig and told him to find the location of the proving grounds, then to get back to him. He hung up saying "we need to find a place to hide out until Koenig gets back to us." He then held his nose and said "and where you can take a shower man. You reek."

Time jump. Now 10 p.m.

Heller and the rest of the group had been on the roof when Heller got a call. He picked up seeing Koenig who shouted "SERGENT HELLER!"

"Doc, what's wrong?"

"THE ORION PRJOECT, I'VE DISCOVERED THE LOCATION OF THEIR PROVING GROUNDS! IF YOU MOVE FAST, YOU MAY BE ABLE TO DESTROY THE ENTIRE PROGRAM!"

"Got it, thanks doc."

He hung up his phone and pulled up the map that the doctor had sent him. It was at an old abounded stadium set near the center of the yellow zone. He turned and was about to speak when chad said "I'm coming with you. This is too important to leave me behind here."

Heller nodded and quickly told Ichigo to carry chad while they ran. They went running over roof tops while Heller talked to the doctor over speaker.

"So docs, what's so special about this Phase 2 of the Orion project?"

"The goal of the phase 2 was to create a super soldier and merge his body with infected DNA that Blackwatch had acquired from… well from you."

He and everyone else stopped on a roof top as that sank in. "What?"

"And that's not all. They also managed to duplicate the energy that the orange hair boy and that black haired girl give off and replicate those powers into him."

Ichigo and Rukia looked horrified. Their power was in that phase 2? If so then this would be harder than they thought. A lot harder.

"Thankfully, you destroyed all the DNA samples we had and equipment needed to replicate the energy of your friends, but Burk still has one successful phase 2 Soldier at his proving grounds. If you can take out that soldier, then Burk will lose all the research he had. But you need to finish it off before he's cloned."

Heller nodded and said "got it." Then hung up. With this new fire under their butts, they got to the stadium in a few minutes. They landed on the roof and looked down at the proving grounds. They could see several metal containers that you might see on transport ships, and several containers that were used to transfer brawlers. They also saw over 200 soldiers, and in the center of the stadium, fighting hand to hand with a brawler, the Phase 2 Soldier. He was bigger than the phase ones, over 7 and half feet tall, with yellow tubes coming out of his head. As they watched, the soldier coated his hands in ice gloves and punched the brawler in the head, freezing it solid and killing the brawler in a minute.

Heller looked at the phase 2 with fury in his eyes as he said "you take the others, the big boy is mine. He has my DNA in him and I'm ripping it back out. Chad, be careful out there."

They all nodded and Ichigo careered chad down as they jumped. As they all hit the ground Heller took off for the center while the others scattered, chad and Ichigo staying together to watch each other's back. And then the fight was on.