I own nothing.

Okay readers, I realize that recently I've been going away from the prototype story, and I'm sorry if that annoyed you. In this chapter, we'll get back to the world of prototype where we left off.

20 minutes later.

Heller and the gang had spent a few minutes resting and healing themselves, still feeling drained after that ordeal. Now Kisuke and the rest of the gang, excluding Ichigo, Orihime, and Heller were going to report to soul society. Kisuke gave Ichigo a spare phone he had made to contact them in case anything went wrong while they were gone. Ichigo had thanked him and said good bye for now, Heller shaking everyone's hand and thanking them for their help.

Rukia and Renji said "we'll be back as soon as possible. Should be about an hour human world time."

Ichigo and Heller nodded as the group walked through the Senkaimon Byakuya had summoned. The door closed and disappeared as the last person walked through, leaving the other's in the training area.

Heller sighed. Fighting his hollow while his body was being kept busy had drained most of his power. The only thing he could really do at the moment was walk and talk. Ichigo wasn't much better, having been forced to use most of his energy to keep the barrier intact for 8 hours, then pouring everything he had into stopping the explosion.

Heller said "come on, Father will be wondering where we are."

Ichigo nodded and opened the door back to the apartment. In the human world, it was about 10:00 p.m. the living room was dark as they walked into it, the blinds drawn shut. Heller and the group tiredly walked to where father would be. It was silent, but the gang just assumed he was looking through some papers he had in there.

Heller pushed open the door and started saying "father we're ba…"

He stopped in horror at the sight before him.

The office was trashed, the papers scattered across the floor, tables smashed and clawed, and the computer shattered. But the thing that had stopped Heller cold was what was in the center of the room. It was father, but he was pale and his chest open, as if clawed. The floor around him was red and slick with blood.

Heller was about to rush forward to try and tend to father when he heard "welcome home!" before Alex mercer dropped down from the ceiling and grabbed Heller by the throat, cutting off his air supply.

"Heller!" Ichigo shouted as he tried to charge forward, but two evolved flash stepped in front of the door. Ichigo tried to draw his sword, but he was weak and unprepared, so a single evolved had no trouble getting behind him and kicking his legs out from under him. Ichigo was about to move when he felt a knee on the middle of his back and a blade next to his jugular, poised to cut if he made the wrong move.

Orihime screamed and tried to get her powers ready to protect him, but the other evolved hit her gently in the neck, knocking her out. She fell forward and was caught around the stomach by the evolved, her head hanging.

Heller tried to struggle out of mercer's grip, but he was weak and mercer had the element of surprise. His grip was iron. Heller growled out "how the hell did you find us?"

Mercer chuckled as he said "I admit, it wasn't easy, but I have eyes and ears everywhere Heller. It was just a matter of time before I found your little base." He looked Heller over as he said "you look tired. Something to do with that training area?"

They were shocked and it showed as mercer said "you have no secrets from me there Heller. I may not know what happened in there, but I can easily tell what that was from a brief glimpse. But I digress. I'm not here to talk with you two."

"Then why are you here?!" Ichigo snarled, but didn't move. With his spirit energy low, his Hierro couldn't protect him enough to stop his neck from being slit. Or use it to enhance his strength enough to throw this damn evolved off his back.

Mercer looked between the two as he said "I came here to offer you two a choice. You're both strong, but I can't consume either of you for some reason. So I came here to give you two options. You can willing join my army, and help me wipe out Blackwatch and Genteck, or…" and he stressed this part. "… You can refuse, and watch everything close to you crumble."

Heller snarled. "You already did that when you released the virus in Penn station the second time mercer."

"And I would rather die than join you." Ichigo growled. His moral compass wouldn't allow him to join scum like mercer, even for his own life."

Mercer stood for a minute and said "I can see you two might need some time to think about this, so I'll leave for now and reach out again later. But I think I'll take the girl."

Ichigo's eyes widened in rage, and a hint of his hollow leaked into his looked as he said with menace "if you touch one hair on her…"

"…you'll do what? Kill me?" mercer said before laughing, the evolved joining him. Mercer stopped and finished by saying "we'll meet again. I expect the right answer."

Then his took and punched Heller in the head, knocking him out, while the evolved elbowed Ichigo in the back of the head, doing the same thing. Mercer then dropped Heller's lifeless body and flash stepped out, the other's following him and taking Orihime with him.

5 minutes later

Heller groaned. His head felt like it had been used as a wrecking ball. He slowly got up onto his knees, trying to not hurl as he tried to stop the throbbing in his head. He picked up his right hand to hold to his head, but stopped as he felt something sticky on it. He slowly opened his eyes to see he had fallen in what looked like blood.

The memories came rushing back, prompting him to quickly look around. He spotted father's body and crawled over to it, but he knew from looking at the wound he was long since gone. Heller bowed his head as he prayed for a second for father's soul. Then he stood and quickly walked to Ichigo, who was passed out on the ground as well. He quickly shook him while saying "Ichigo, wake up."

Ichigo groaned as well before he got on his knees, holding his head in one hand. Heller saw a nasty bruise on the back of his neck, but noting time couldn't heal.

"Heller? What happened, what…?" he gasped as he remembered. "Orihime!"

Heller shook his head and said "I'm sorry Ichigo, but they're gone. I can't feel their presence at all."

Ichigo punched the ground, breaking the floor boards as he felt anger and despair take over him. Mercer had Orihime, and who knew what sick, twisted plans he had in store for her?

Heller walked back to father as h decided to let Ichigo have a moment alone. He looked down at father and noticed his eyes were open, looking blankly at the ceiling. Heller gently closed his eye lids and bowed his head again. Then he heard a buzz. He looked beside father's body to see his cell phone. The screen was cracked but still worked and it was showing someone who was looking back at him. The call seemed live. It was a woman in here mid to late 20's, dark brown hair, pale skin, and lighter brown eyes. She started speaking and said "Heller? James Heller? Damn it. Oh god. He's dead isn't he? Father Guerra is dead."

Ichigo had heard and looked over Heller's shoulder as Heller said in an angry tone "who the hell are you?

The phone's screen was beginning to fritz out as she said "shit, I can't hear you. Listen, I'm his contact, Athena. I can help you. Come find me in the red zone, and bring your friends .God I hope you can hear me. My name is Dana Mercer; I'm Alex mercer's sister. And I have information about your daughter." That was the last they got as the screen began jumping all over the place before blinking to black.

Heller felt like he had been hit by a tank round at close range. "Maya?" he said in a disbelieving whisper. Heller's mind went blank except for one goal. Get to the red zone and find Dana, find out what she knew. Despite himself, Heller could feel a tiny bit of hope bloom inside him.

Ichigo saw that look in Heller's eye as he stood and knew what Heller was going to do. As much as Ichigo wanted to look for Orihime, he knew, to his betterment, that mercer would have hidden her where he couldn't get her. And he was too weak right now to fight to get her back. But he swore he would get her back.

Ichigo stood and said "we'll go to the red zone, but first I need to call Rukia and Renji, let them know what's going on now."

Heller nodded as he flash stepped, Ichigo close behind him. And that was the last sound that was heard in the apartment, as they left behind the dark place that was father Guerra's final resting place.

10 minutes later

Ichigo and Heller were both on the edge of the green zone that was the closest to the red zone. Both of them were impatient to leave and showing it. Ichigo kept looking at the phone Kisuke had given him every 30 seconds, though when he had called and explained what had happened, they said it would take 15 minutes human world time to choose who to send. (Those who think that doesn't sound like soul society, think for a minute. They're stubborn "gods" of death that spent hours deciding what to do for the winter war.)

Heller was even more impatient, due to the fact that the woman he had to find had information on Maya. He was pacing across the roof top of the building they were on, never looking away from the red zone as he paced.

The Senkaimon suddenly appeared on the roof top, still closed, but then the door creaked open.

"About damn time!" Heller growled as he waited to see who would come through. Rukia and Renji walked through, both looking like they hadn't gotten any sleep, but they were still standing.

Heller snarled "what took you so long?!"

Renji and Rukia flinched at the tone in Heller's voice, but they couldn't blame him. Considering that he had found out his daughter might be alive, he had a right to be impatient.

Renji said "sorry, but the captains are like politics from hell. It takes forever to tell everything, then decide who to send."

Ichigo said "and who might that be?" He was equally impatient to get to the red zone so he could try and find Orihime.

Rukia, despite herself, smirked.

"someone you know very well Ichigo."

He was about to ask who, in no mood to play games, when he heard a voice that made him freeze like a deer in headlights.

"ICHIGO!"

The next thing he knew, his head was being smothered in the chest of Matsumoto. He tried to claw his way to freedom, but he had been caught off guard and was running out of oxygen to quickly to put up much of a fight.

Heller in the meantime, seeing an unusual attempt on Ichigo's life, flash stepped behind her and grabbed the back of her robs while yelling "let him go!"

Matsumoto jumped in surprise, releasing Ichigo and allowing him to take such a large breath, you could see the insects in the air suddenly begin flying towards him.

Matsumoto looked at him with a mischievous look in her eye and said "you must be Heller. I've heard a lot about you. But…" she said, looking him over as he let go of her robes. "…they never said how good looking you were."

"MATUSMOTO!"

Heller looked back at the gate as it closed and disappeared. Standing there was Unohana and Tōshirō. Though when Heller saw Tōshirō, he stared then turned to Ichigo and asked "who's the kid?"

Ichigo smirked for a second. Oh, this was going to be fun.

Tōshirō looked like he would blow a vein as he tightly said, in a 'diplomatic' voice, "my name is CAPTAIN Tōshirō Hitsugaya. You must be James Heller."

Ichigo looked at him, then Ichigo, then back again, then back at Ichigo as he said "he's joking right?"

Ichigo and everyone else present laughed, even Unohana chuckled, while Matsumoto and Ichigo were laughing their asses off.

Tōshirō looked livid as he shouted "I WILL LET YOU KNOW I'M A CHILD PRODOGIY, AND THAT I'VE LIVED 10 OF YOUR LIFE TIMES!"

Heller muttered "big freaking whoop."

Unohana stepped forward wearing he 'normal' smile. Holding her hand forward, she said "my name is Retsu Unohana. I've heard many great things about you."

Heller looked the hand and carefully shook it. Truth be told, she looked like a loving mother, not a fighter of any kind, or even a healer.

Heller nodded politely as he said "I've heard about you too, but Ichigo…" he failed to notice Ichigo, Rukia, and Renji shaking their heads and making gestures for him to shut up "…always said you were more… fighter like." He finished lamely, not sure what else to say.

Retsu still smiled as she said "well he can be right sometimes I can be a little…" here, she shifted to her 'murderer' smile, causing Heller to feel like he was about to crap himself and sweating tank rounds, "…intimidating."

Heller quickly said in a slightly tight and high voice "right, I'll keep that in mind, ma'am."

She nodded and shifted back to 'normal', allowing Heller to breath easily again.

"Ichigo was not kidding, she's the devil incarnated."

Ichigo cleared his throat, feeling like they had gotten off track.

"So what's the plan?"

Tōshirō, still looking pissed at Heller's lack of respect, turned to him and said "commander Yamamoto decided to send us in place of the rest. Kisuke is needed to try and find a way to slow the arrivals of souls to buy us time. But Kisuke is on standby should we need anything to be tracked."

Heller raised an eyebrow. That might be the key to this puzzle.

Tōshirō moved on "but he says that we are under no uncertain terms to contact Dana mercer."

Heller felt his anger sky rocket. He marched up to Tōshirō, and just to spite him, picked him up by his robes and growled "and why the hell not?"

Tōshirō growled as well, looking like two beasts about to go at it. "He said that if she's mercer's sister, they may be in collaboration and trying to draw you in, along with us. Now put…me …down."

Heller dropped him, causing him to land on his feet then stumble, and then said "the commander may have said you can't contact Dana, but I'm not his man, and nothing is going to stop me from finding her and finding out what she knows."

Tōshirō said "that's not your decision to make."

Heller flared his spirit energy to half power, just below aura level, causing Tōshirō and Matsumoto to look at him in shock. Unohana simply looked at him with a calm face. Heller then leaned down and said, in a calm voice, yet hinting at the rage he felt.

"Try me."

When they didn't make any move, Heller reined in his spirit energy, then took out his cell, and tapped the screen a few times. The phone rang on speaker a few times before he heard Kisuke say "hello?"

Heller spoke up saying "Kisuke, it's Heller. I need something."

"ah Heller. Good to hear from you. Have you meet Tōshirō and the rest?"

"yep." Heller said, casting a look back at them.

"and?" Kisuke asked in his goofy voice. Heller could just see his face hidden behind his fan.

Heller thought for a minute then said "interesting bunch, but the kid…" Tōshirō's eye twitched "…needs to learn a little thing called manners."

Kisuke laughed over the phone, the other's joining him, while Tōshirō's face turned red in anger. Then Kisuke spoke in a more serious voice as he asked "so what do you need?"

Heller got down to business as he said "listen, I've heard that Blackwatch found Gutiérrez's body, and that they're looking for Dana mercer. I need you to pull up a call I got from her and get her location."

Kisuke laughed and said "child's play. Though Tōshirō did tell you what the commander order right?"

"Yes and I say screw it. I'm not his man and he can't order me around."

Kisuke chuckled and said "fair enough. Give me minute. What the number?"

Heller rattled it off for him and the only sound left was the tapping of a key board as Kisuke worked his magic. A minute later, they heard "the call came from a burner cell that's currently in a Blackwatch base. It's a dead end."

Heller closed his eyes to think for a minute. Dana would have to keep a permanent phone on her for contacts calling her. How to find it?

Then he remembered something else. The call had been high quality. Like the kind through a camera on a computer. He smirked as he said "would you be able to track the computer that the call was sent through?"

Kisuke instantly caught on and said "give me 30 seconds." Then he began tapping at high speed and said, 28 seconds later, "Got it. It's in an abandoned apartment building in the red zone. I've sent you the address."

Heller was about to end the call when he heard a urgent beeping on the other line.

"Wait a minute." Kisuke said. He was silent for a minute as he read whatever had come up, then said "seems Blackwatch somehow found her too. They're currently sending tanks and choppers to kill her."

Heller growled. "Not on my watch. Thanks Kisuke."

He hung up and turned to the others.

"Let's go get her."