Chapter 27

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Everyone was gathered around the pullout couch bed as Orihime was using her powers to heal Renji while everyone else, excluding Kenpachi and father, were gathered around the bed. Heller, Ichigo and Rukia had been healed as well, but Ichigo used his medical kido to heal himself and Rukia, having Orihime immediately begin her healing of Renji when they got back. Right now Rukia was holding Renji's hand, her eyes red and slightly puffy from crying, but her eyes were focused on nothing but Renji while her face was a mask. It was the same for her brother Byakuya, but you could see from the slight frown of his mouth he was worried about his lieutenant.

Orihime was trying to heal the wound, and it was working, but it was happening at a curiously slow rate despite her using all her powers.

"Why is this taking so long? I could heal a group of people in less than 5 minutes, but this has been taking over a half hour. It's like something is rejecting the healing."

Ichigo looked at Heller and Heller met his eyes as Ichigo jerked his head to the side, signaling he wanted to talk. Heller nodded and they excused themselves from the room. They didn't speak until they went into the training area, then Heller turned to Ichigo in time to watch him take Zangetsu, stab it into the ground and shout "DAMN IT!" then he fell to the ground on his knees.

Heller put a hand on Ichigo's shoulder and said "Ichigo calm down it's not…"

"IT'S NOT WHAT HELLER?" Ichigo shouted as he whirled around to face Heller with a face full of anger, self-loathing, and despair that his friend was hurt when he couldn't help.

"IT'S NOT MY FAULT? IS THAT IT? WELL I'M AFRAID IT IS!" Ichigo stood back up and started pacing as he ranted. "I'M THE ONE WHO LET THEM COME, I'M THE ONE WHO LEFT THEM TO FIGHT THAT BATTLE, AND I'M THE REASON THAT RENJI IS IN THAT BED, RIGHT NOW, AND HURT BECAUSE I COULDN'T PROTECT THEM!"

He stopped pacing and stood there panting as he gathered his thoughts then glanced at Heller before looking at the ground and muttering "I'm the reason you have a hollow in you."

Then Ichigo turned his back, walked to Zangetsu and slide down to sit with his back to it and his head down.

Heller sighed as he looked at his mess of a friend. This kid, barely 18, was easily the most stubborn person he had ever met. He tried to take care of all his friends, keep them out of harm's way, fight to keep them safe, and to solve or at least lighten their problems. He took on the entire world.

"But he does it for the right reasons." Heller thought as he went to Ichigo, kneeled down and put a hand on his shoulder again. Then he said "but you're the reason they're alive to begin with."

Ichigo looked up with his eyes slightly red as Heller kept talking.

"You saved Rukia from being executed by soul society, you saved Orihime from Azien and Ulquiorra, you fought through all of Las Noches to get Orihime, and you defeated Azien in the winter war to save everyone. And that is nothing short of remarkable."

Ichigo sighed as he cast his mind back. Heller was right, but he just couldn't forgive himself for letting Renji get hurt. Heller saw this and said "and besides, it's thanks to you that Renji made it back alive. If not for you, he would have bled out from those wounds."

Ichigo grimaced then nodded as he accepted that. Then he stood up, brushed himself off, and said "thanks Heller, I needed that."

"No problem man. But while we're here, I wanted to talk to you about something." Heller finished with a serious look on his face.

"What?" Ichigo said cautiously, having a feeling he knew what Heller wanted to talk about.

Heller sighed and suddenly looked tired and worn before he said "I want your help getting this hollow under control. I can't have this thing interfering with our fights and making me a liability. I want you to put me under so I can fight it."

Ichigo grimaced as he said "I can't. I mean, I can put you under, but there are several problems with this, and…"

Heller interrupted, "I know all the problems, you told me when you explained your own hollow, and I don't care. I need to get this thing under control, and if that means risking death, then so be it. Don't…" he said raising a hand as Ichigo opened his mouth "…bother I'm not changing my mind on this."

Ichigo struggled with his inner turmoil as he looked at Heller. He knew Heller wouldn't change his mind, but Ichigo's instincts were rebelling against this and he couldn't help trying to think of a way to talk Heller put of this.

"but this method is incredibly risky. So few people have managed to subdue their hollows without being consumed by it."

Heller chuckled and said "I'm talking to one of those people, and you were trained in the same method by 8 other people who achieved this."

Ichigo stopped and scratched his head saying, "Touché, but this is still risky."

Heller said "I don't care, we're doing it. Not now, we have too many other things to do, but when we have a calm period, you are going to help me get control, agreed?" he finished with an out stretched hand.

Ichigo hesitated for a minute, looking at Heller's hand, then grabbed it and gave it a firm shake as he said, "Agreed."

Heller nodded then said "let's get back, they might have something."

They exited the training area and found everyone around the bed, still excluding Kenpachi, but father was there now as Orihime finally managed to heal Renji. She sighed and said "He'll sleep for a few hours yet, but he should be fine now."

Everyone except Byakuya openly sighed in relief, Rukia not taking her eyes off Renji's sleeping face as she nodded numbly. Heller's phone rang, startling her as he took it out to see it was rooks calling. He motioned to everyone to be quite as he shifted to riley and answered. Rooks cut to the chase and said "riley, call off the wild goose chase, the goose turned up."

Heller was surprised as he said in rielys voice "Who? Archer? Where is she?"

"She's at a whitelight depot but forget about her and get back here, we have work to do." Rooks said as he turned away with a wave of his hand.

Heller's grip tightened slightly but kept his voice even as he said "understood sir. Just curious, which depot?"

Rooks turned back to the screen with slightly narrowed eyes and said in an annoyed voice "I'll send you the report, now move your ass."

"Roger that."

Heller hung up and shifted back as he said "We need to get to archer now, before she disappears again. Who wants to come?"

Kisuke and Yoruichi stepped forward and said at the same time "here."

Heller nodded and then looked at his phone as he received the report. According to it, Archer was at a depot about 2 miles from here.

"Anyone else?"

Ichigo stepped forward and said "I'm not letting this fight go. Count me in."

Heller nodded again, then looked at the others and said "we'll be back soon. Take care of Renji."

Everyone gave a nod then Orihime gave Ichigo a kiss and hug and said "be careful Ichigo."

Ichigo hugged her back and said "I will. Take care of Renji and…" here he looked at Rukia, who still hadn't looked away from Renji, then whispered "…make sure Rukia is okay."

Orihime glanced at her and nodded. She was worried about Rukia as well and would try to get draw her out of her depression.

"Let's go." Heller said and everyone going flash stepped out of the room.

Five minutes later, everyone was standing outside the perimeter of the depot, overlooking the set up. The depot itself was a factory like building you would see in the city, with brick work and smoke towers, but it was surrounded with easily a square mile of land, all of which had guards and tanks, as well as whitelight tanks in it, along with viral sensors in a few places, and some scientist running to and from. Heller overlooked it and said "I can get in easy, but you guys wait until I give the signal."

Kisuke was looking over the place with his eyes and said in a serious tone "what will the signal be?"

Heller pretended to think for a minute and said "I don't know, probably when you hear explosions and a wall or two crumble. What do you think?" he finished in a sarcastic tone.

Yoruichi and Ichigo laughed as Kisuke blushed slightly. You'd think that a genius like him would figure that out on his own.

Heller shook his head, then shifted to a guard as he said "just wait here." Then he flash stepped into the base.

Kisuke said "That man is incredible. Who would've thought the virus could give him Shinigami powers?"

Ichigo nodded as he said, "You're right there, but while you two are here I need to talk to you."

Ichigo told them about how Heller had gained a hollow inside him when he had consumed the phase two Orion and how Heller had made him promise to help him gain control of it. The two of them looked shocked when he finished and Kisuke said "then we're going to need to do it in the training area. If he was to turn hollow here, he could easily destroy all of NYZ when we fight."

Yoruichi nodded in agreement and said "we'll help you when he's fighting. You're strong, but even you can't fight a hollowed Heller for long without help."

Ichigo sighed as they said that. It was true, with Heller's Zanpakutō power to copy his abilities and learn the ins and outs, he wouldn't last for more then maybe a hour or two. He turned back t the depot after that was settled and waited for the signal from Heller.

Heller's P.O.V

Heller had flash stepped to a deserted part of the base, specifically the roof top, and entered using the door up there. Heller spent about 5 minutes walking through the labyrinth of a factory, using hunter pulses to lead him to archer. He was looking around the base as he walked and saw at least 10 labs, 5 weapons storage rooms, and 3 production rooms for white light.

Heller finally got to the room where his hunter pulse said archer was and walked through the doors. He saw a large room that had work table loaded with scientific equipment and scientists, as well as some armed Blackwatch guards walking down below, along with several small silo-like containers that had a biological warning on the side of them, saying danger, highly toxic gas. There were several metal walkways along the wall and Heller saw a back lab that was locked tight and guarded with 2 Blackwatch standing at the door. There was a glass wall and Heller saw archer working at a table quickly, completely focused on her work.

Heller looked around and thought "got to draw her out somehow." He looked at the silos and thought up a idea. He quickly walked down and through the shifting crowd of people, then hid next to one of them. When a solider came around on his rounds and walked past him, Heller quickly covered his mouth and jabbed him in the next, injecting the bio bomb strain of virus into him. Before leaving, he quickly took two grenades from his belt. Heller walked across the room and stood between two of the other contraries and waited for a second. All of a sudden, there was a tearing sound that was heard through the room and then several tendrils snapped out from behind the container Heller had bio bombed the man, grabbing several scientist and 2 Blackwatch guards, as well as some explosive gas containers before reeling them in to explode in fire and blood at the container. The container itself was dented and several tears in the metal began to spew a light green gas.

The reaction was immediate. The scientist began to yell and run for the exits while the Blackwatch guards began yelling into their radios and a base alarm began to blare. Archer yelled over the intercom "GET THAT GAS CONTANIED!" Heller quickly took the two grenades, popped the pins, and threw them at the two silos for them to explode on contact, blowing a hole in them, releasing the gas from them. The room was filling quickly as Heller saw it begin creeping into the room archer was via the ventilation system, and archer began coughing. Heller was protected due to the mask that came with his disguise. Heller walked to the last tank, crossed his arms into an X in front of him, and thought "let's get ready for hell to really break loose." And then he began to flare his spirit energy to high levels, shaking the building slightly while the air suddenly blasted from him like a bomb went off as he snapped his arms to his side and his aura formed. Heller remained in the disguise and just as archer shouted "THERE'S HELLER, SHOOT HIM!" over the intercom, he punched the air with enough force to make a shock wave that blasted the tank and made a 3 foot hole in it. The gas had now filled the room and one guard had been killed from being blasted against the wall from Heller raising his power with enough force to snap his spine. The other had enough sense to step against the wall when it hit and was still alive when archer stumbled from the room coughing like she had the plague while the guard yelled "DOC, WE NEED TO GET YOU OUT!"

General P.O.V

She ignored him and stumbled to the wall towards a large red button, which she promptly hit, causing a female voice to announce "ALERT, EMERGENCY VENTILATION ACTIVATED!" and several giant fans along one wall roared to life, sucking the gas rapidly into night sky while archer stopped coughing and breathed deeply. The guard grabbed archer's shoulder and shouted "DOC, I WILL DRAG YOUR ASS OUT IF I NEED TO NOW COME…"

The guard never got to finish his sentence as archer's arms shifted to ax blades and she whirled around to stab him several times in rapid succession in the chest. The guard stood for a second gurgling before she took both arms and cleaved him in half across the chest. As the half fell to the ground with a wet thud, archer walked to look down at Heller, who was facing her with is arms ready to change as she pointed at him with the tip of her arm and said "it was a mistake to come here Heller."

He snorted as the air cleared enough for him to change to his real form with his sword forming as he said "don't think so archer, you got info I want."

She laughed as he own aura of red began forming and she said "just try to take it."

And then the real fight began. They both disappeared to clash in midair, both their arms trembling before they pushed each other away. Heller went skidding across the floor, knocking away tables while archer flipped and landed with her feet on the wall. She pushed off towards Heller at high speed, too fast for an average person to see, but Heller brought up the flat side of his blade to block her before making his claws and slashing her across the chest, forcing her away. This went on for several minutes, all at hyper speeds until archer was slightly panting while Heller still wasn't using full power.

Archer smirked then began laughing as she crossed her arms and said "not bad, now let's call in some friends."

Her energy spiked as she spread her arms and roared at the ceiling like a lion, only it was a brawler roar. A few seconds later, 3 brawlers came crashing through the ceiling and landed on all fours, cracking the floor while glaring at Heller with hate fill red eyes. archer began laughing and said "looks like you're outnumbered Heller!"

"We beg to differ." They heard before Kisuke, Ichigo, and Yoruichi dropped through one of the holes the brawlers had made. Heller looked at them in irritation and said "took you guys long enough."

Kisuke smiled his goofy smile and held up his fan over his mouth as he said "Ohh but you we're doing so well, we didn't want to get in the way."

Heller rolled his eyes before he appeared behind him and Gibbs smacked him, not bothering to completely restrain his strength."(A/N: for those of you who don't watch NCIS, he hit him behind the head.)

"OW!" Kisuke yelled as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Don't give me that crap, you just didn't want to fight, you faker." Heller said as he stood ready to dodge in case of surprise attack.

And it was a good thing he did, because archer moved to strike him from behind, but Heller quickly spun and blocked with his shield arm. He smirked and said "nice try." Before shoving her back and jumping to engage her again.

The others took care of the brawlers in a few seconds. Yoruichi, using her speed, got in front of the brawler and upper kicked it under the chin, snapping it's head clean off from the force. Ichigo quickly used Hadō #90 Kurohitsugi to crush and cut the beast into a mass of meat. And Kisuke, well, he just pointed at the brawlers head with his staff and fired a red beam of energy similar to Hadō # 4 Byakurai, but red in color and slightly larger in diameter to pierced the brawler between the eyes, leaving a perfectly circular hole before it dropped to the ground.

Archer and Heller were fighting with swords and claws before separating again and skidding back. Heller was panting now and had some light cuts while archer and panting heavily and had some deep slashes on her arms and legs. She crossed her arms again and roared again, this time summoning 6 brawlers. She laughed and said "you'll never win Heller. Besides, my part is already done."

Heller's eyes narrowed before he said "then let's see what your hiding. Guys." He said, getting their attention.

"You may want to stand back a little. I'll take them all."

They all nodded and stepped back, knowing what he had planned, while archer laughed and said "do you think you can win against all of us Heller? You could barely handle me, let alone 6 brawlers."

Heller only smiled and said "maybe, but now I'll use my full power."

Archer thought "it's a bluff. There's no way he could have more power." Oh, was she in for a rude, rude, rude awakening.

Heller lifted up his sword and said "reflect in despair, shadow shifter."

His aura expanded to twice its size as Heller's sword shifted to his Shikai. Heller didn't waste any time as he flash stepped behind archer and stabbed her 8 times in the chest, though she only had time to feel one before she was consumed.

Archer was working in a lab with one other scientist, but the lab was otherwise deserted as archer handed the other a vial while saying, "Be careful with that sample Jenkins, it's worth more than you are."

Jenkins took the vial and looked at it carefully as he said "Doctor Archer is it true? That the culture your injecting into the whitelight…it was taken from Alex mercer himself?"

Archer was working on something else as she said "that's right, and that is why you will treat it with reverence…or suffer the consequences." She said with a mild warning in her voice before the memory ended.

Heller shook his head as the memory cleared. He spun around as he heard the brawlers roar and charge him. He was about to strike them down before he felt a sense of connection to them. Acting on impulse he yelled in an echoing voice "STOP!"

The brawlers skidded to a halt before Heller and backed up slightly before bowing their heads and lying on the ground, like dogs that had been scolded.

Heller looked at them in surprise and thought "now that'll be handy. Wonder if they would fetch my slippers?"

The others were surprised as well and Kisuke said "now that's interesting. I wonder how you're getting them to obey you."

Ichigo said "probably archer's ability. That'll come in handy when fighting Blackwatch."

Kisuke sighed and said "yes, I know it's archers ability, but how? Maybe it's some sort of pack instinct with Heller being the alpha male, or maybe it's some sort of chemical interaction, or…"

Heller interrupted Kisuke's train of thought and said "the whitelight was compromised with mercer's own blood. We need to get back and tell the other's, try and get a lead on what'll do now."

The others were about to respond when the doors to the room burst open and Blackwatch poured in, all armed to the teeth and lining up for a clear shot as one of them shouted "FIRE AT WILL!"

Heller pointed at the soldiers and shouted "SICK 'EM!"

The brawler reacted immediately; roaring and leaping up to begin tearing thorough them while the group flash stepped out of the base and back home.

A few hours later, the group was walking down an alley where father had told them to meet him. The group had been killing time by taking out field ops of Blackwatch, Heller taking the opportunity to learn more about his pack ability. They found him giving some food and a little money to a homeless person who was huddled against the wall. He looked up as he heard them approaching and said good bye to the person then started walking with James. He cut to the chase and said, "Since the evolved have been altering the whitelight without detection, ATHENA thinks they're going to release it using Blackwatch's own infrastructure."

Heller thought that made since, considering how much trouble they had gone through to alter the whitelight without notice. Kisuke spoke up and said "is there any way to tell what it'll do now that mercer tainted it?"

Father thought for a second and said "we don't know what specifically it'll do, but Athena said that one tank wouldn't affect more than a few thousand square feet."

Heller caught on and said "so we could do a controlled release and see what it does."

"Too dangerous." Ichigo said. "We have no idea what this could do to any of us. We can't release it on innocent people."

Kisuke had this covered as he said "I ran some tests in a small lab that I had in the training area under my shop. I tested the effect of the virus on Shinigami skin samples and found that the spirit energy in them rejected the virus. We won't be affected at all due to that."

Ichigo was suspicious as he said "whose skin samples did you test?"

Kisuke simply waved his fan with his smile and said cheerfully "oh just a few that I happened to gather when you, Renji, and Rukia were being healed after the winter war."

Ichigo thought "that's it!" and lunged forward to punch Kisuke in the nose. THWACK!

Kisuke reeled back saying "I probably deserved that."

"No you deserved this!" Ichigo yelled before taking and delivering a powerful kick to Kisuke's crotch.

The only sound they heard was a clang and Ichigo grunting as he stepped back. His leg felt like it was fractured despite his Hierro and though he didn't show it, that hurt like hell."

"What the heck do you have down there?" he said while trying to keep his eyes from watering.

Heller shook his head and said "it may be risky, but it's the only way we can figure out what's changed about the white light."

Ichigo tried to figure out another way, but he came up empty and finally sighed as he said "fine."

Yoruichi nodded and asked father "where's the nearest whitelight deployment."

Father said "there will be a tank about 8 blocks from the apartment at 9:00 A.M. you can use that tank."

The group nodded and decided to call it a night.

Okay guys, hope you liked the fight; I tried to give it more detail and intensity, so I hoped that worked. Enjoy it and take a look at lostsoldierS636 story Dante Price: Multiverse Jumper Chronicles. It's pretty awesome and has some pretty cool powers.