Grimmjow paced across the cold grey stone of Las Noches, his queen's hard emerald gaze peering at him. The thinning of her lips telling him exactly what her opinion of the situation was. She was pissed at him. Grimmjow let out a deep sigh as he stilled, turning his body, he faced her.
"It's not like I planned to find her…" Grimmjow began.
Harribell held her hand up as if she didn't need anymore of an explanation, every word Grimmjow had told her about the human had done nothing more than cool her blood. It wasn't enough that they had suffered in the past, first by Aizen and then by the Quincy and finally, being infected by the virus.
The mere thought that some unknown race currently hovering above the human skies could have been the origin of such a vicious infection made her hands curl with indignation. Why was it always them that paid such a heavy price? True, Aizen had allowed them another way of living, an evolution of sorts that in retrospect, she was bitterly grateful for.
Harribell tilted her head at Grimmjow, lifting her thoughtful gaze to the man's chilling blue gaze. It didn't take much to understand how the male was feeling. The hardest part of swallowing his explanation had been seeing the flashes of emotion welling in Grimmjow's eyes. Grimmjow, of all males was…in love, and with a human no less.
"I have more important things to think about than you. We will deal with this situation after we aid the soul reapers." Harribel stated, her voice low and seething.
Grimmjow shrugged his shoulders at her, reminding her of the old Grimmjow, the Grimmjow that wouldn't have bat an eyelash in the direction of a woman, never in all their time together had he even hinted at the idea of wanting a woman, of wanting a mate to call his own.
They were Espada, the thought held very little value when one was faced with such a strained existence, such a harsh survival instinct that drove them forward, that clawed deep within their chest's preventing them from ever willingly delivering an enemy with their heart's on a silver platter. That is what Harribell feared would happen now. Grimmjow was the only male Espada left; what would she do if she lost his strength in the future? Would he die in this war? What would she do if the stupid male truly had lost his heart to Karina Reiko?
Harribell let out a deep sigh, watching the male turn from her then, his body rigid, every muscle within him pulled so tight she knew if one of her fraccion had chosen to try and touch him, bate him in any way, they would find themselves on the receiving end of his sharp claws. They would feel the trickle of their own blood gushing as he ripped the flesh from their throats.
"It would seem I've already lost him. Damn you, Karina Reiko." Harribell muttered as she sat feeling melancholy upon her concrete throne.
"Here. Bite down on this." Mayuri instructed Karina.
Karina let out a tired breath as she tried to force her fullbring to stay active so she could give Mayuri the sample of her venom he so coveted. I mean really, it was a small price to pay the man for what he had managed to do. The violation of Tsukishima, while still in the back of her mind didn't sting so much now that she could pull her transformation forward without being emotionally triggered.
The false memories of the arrogant Fullbringer still chafed, yet she was thankful he'd actually heeded Mayuri Kurotsuchi's warning; Tsukishima had left pleasant memories of him within her mind, the memories felt strange, but she supposed she should be grateful that for whatever reason, she was able to see them for what they were…fake.
Mayuri had steered her back into his lab, demanding she hop up on the exam table and show him what she'd been taught. The first glimpse of herself in the mirror had caused Karina to gasp loudly. This is what I turned into? This is how Grimmjow had seen me? The thought had horrified her, staring back at glossy light purple scales upon her forehead, the bridge of her nose, and across her cheekbones. Her eyes had been white hollow slits, gazing back at herself with wonder. When the gasp had parted her lips, Karina couldn't have ignored her fangs even if she'd tried. Bloody Hell, now what am I going to do?
Mayuri held up the sliced half of an orange, his pale hand cupping it in just the right way as to not be bitten himself, treating her as if she really were a cornered serpent sitting on his exam table. With a deep sigh Karina leaned forward slowly, very slowly, because Ayumi was standing next to her.
Karina didn't want Mayuri to react on his own instincts. Karina shook the thought away as the tangy acidity of orange juice filled her mouth. The strange sensation overtook her then, her fangs sharpening, growing thick with the flood of her poison. Karina barley stifled a shiver as she felt the thick liquid rush from the twin tips, her blood pumping harshly, the sound of her own panicked heart beat filling her ears-There's no coming back from this now, I'll never be the same person I used to be!
Mayuri's gold eyes gleamed as she met his gaze. His wide smile, once creepy to her, only told her that he was filled with the rush of excitement only a scientist could understand. When Karina pulled back, turning her gaze to Ayumi, the woman also held a similar smile upon her soft features.
"So what now?" Karina asked.
Mayuri turned from her, giving her his back as he walked the fresh sample over to an elaborate work station. Karina's pointed eyes studied the glass beakers, the soft tops of the plungers laying on sterile paper towels. The care these two took with their specimens, the way their curiosity seemed to over rule them with the deep seeding need to know, to understand; it baffled Karina.
"Now, I will run some tests, to see exactly what it is we are dealing with. It was purely speculation on my part that you in fact, do, contain venom within your bite. I would like to know for certain to what extent of damage you are capable of." Mayuri answered over his shoulder.
Karina only found herself frowning over her elongated fangs, the orange juice on her tongue turning bitter along with her mood-great, just what I needed, now not only am I freak of nature, I'm a freak of nature that has to keep a tight lid on my emotions. How the hell am I going to do that around Grimmjow? Karina's faced paled as the mental image of her new form filled her, only, it wasn't Grimmjow using his fangs to bite, it was her.
"Bloody hell…" Karina mumbled under her breath, realizing she really would have to be careful from now on. If Grimmjow played with her, made her agitated, then tried to kiss her, she could very well end up killing him without meaning it.
" Try not to worry, Karina. I know this change has been hard on you, but I for one think you will adjust pretty quickly." Ayumi offered with a smile, standing at her husband's side.
"I'm glad someone does…" Karina offered back, her voice soft and emotional, not a hint of her normal sarcasm lacing her words.
Mayuri lifted his head from the specimen then, eyeing the woman from across the room, his brow lifting as he studied her. Why, if he didn't know any better Mayuri would have thought he was looking at a woman plagued with the early stages of another kind of poison entirely; the kind that held no cure and only sent one into madness.
"She loves him, Mayuri…" Ayumi spoke softly enough for only her husband to hear.
"Yes, it would seem so…" Mayuri replied before bending his head back down to the table in front of him, now even more curious to see what he would find within his sample.
Kenpachi Zaraki scowled deeply, standing on the small porch outside of his captain's quarters. He'd been hoping to spend what little time he had before war broke out with his family. Linake chose that moment to turn her gaze to him and the frown on her face told him what he looked like. He was brooding, he knew it, but he didn't give a fuck.
"Papa? Why does she have that on her head?" Takeo whispered up at his father, his wide blue eyes looking back to Nelliel, his small hand curled pointing an accusing finger.
Kenpachi's brow furrowed even deeper as he looked at the Espada. Sighing heavily at the skull of bone the woman wore on her head, Kenpachi wondered what to say to his son. How was he going to explain that the bone on her head represented what she had once been…a hollow.
Nelliel was smiling widely, holding Akio in her arms, perfectly content with murmuring sweetly at his daughter, completely oblivious of his son's curiosity; while Kisuke stole Linake's attention from him again.
"She ain't like us, Takeo. Quit starin'." Kenpachi demanded his son.
"But…" The four year old tried to continue.
"I said quit starin', and stop pointin' at her." Kenpachi cut him off, his tone enough to make the boy comply.
Takeo averted his gaze from Nelliel and back to Kenpachi. Kenpachi knew his son was only curious about the Espada. But he wasn't about to try and explain the differences to a four year old. Takeo was smart for his age, and sometimes Kenpachi thought maybe they had skipped a few years somehow, but Takeo was still a kid. Kenpachi didn't want to fill his mind with the thoughts of enemies and how to separate the differences between an ally and a threat yet.
"Can I go play?" Takeo asked, his curiosity stemmed for now.
" Knock yourself out…" Kenpachi growled down at his son, his lips lifting into a slight smile as he watched his son run down the stairs in the direction of the barracks. Kenpachi knew Takeo enough to understand Ikkaku was about to be bombarded with a lot of questions Kenpachi hadn't wanted to answer; but Kenpachi also knew Ikkaku wouldn't give him much either.
"Kenpachi?" Linake called his name then, making him turn his attention to her with a lifted brow.
"We need to go to the human world." Linake blurted.
Kenpachi let out a low sound of aggression, his uncovered eye moved to Kisuke.
"I wouldn't ask this if I had any other options, Captain Zaraki." Kisuke offered, for once the bastard didn't even smirk as he spoke.
"What for?" Kenpachi countered.
"I need access to live satellite feed of Earth's atmosphere in order to try and locate the enemies landing. Rin has been trying to find a way to link into the human worlds feed, but he keeps getting interference." Linake explained.
Kenpachi stood with his back leaning against the doorway, still brooding as he studied his wife. Linake wouldn't say they needed this if it wasn't something important. Kenpachi felt the air leave his chest in a rush, his gaze softening a little as he smiled down at her.
"I'm comin' with ya." Kenpachi stated.
Linake smiled as she met his gaze and nodded her head.
"I'm going to need you. I'm also going to need someone else. If I can pull this off, we'll have all the information that we need plus some. It's just not going to be easy to get it without running into a lot of humans." Linake explained.
Kenpachi tilted his head at her.
"Tch. Human's ain't gonna be a problem if they can't see us." Kenpachi countered.
Linake paused, remembering that nobody would see Kenpachi unless he entered a Gigai. But Linake could be seen once she entered the human world again. She'd never separated herself from her body before, not liking the thought of a bystander finding her body and thinking the worst…that she was dead.
"I might have to separate from my body in order to get the information I need. I'll need you to keep an eye on me if that's the case. The place we're going to is heavily guarded by humans, but that doesn't mean you can go around cracking their skulls." Linake explained.
Kenpachi shook his head as he snorted.
"I'll carry your body over my shoulder if I have to, but I'm goin' wherever you are, woman." Kenpachi retorted, ignoring the jab about cracking skulls.
Linake let out an exasperated sigh at the man before surrendering, she knew better than to keep arguing with Kenpachi. They'd been doing enough of that lately, and right now all Linake wanted to do was get the answers they all so desperately needed.
"We're not going to Karakura Town, Kenpachi. This is going to be a different place." Linake warned her husband.
"Don't give a shit if it's on the fuckin' moon, Linake." Kenpachi countered, his expression looking almost bored.
Linake nodded her head, taking her husband's expression into account, when he looked bored like that , it was because he usually was, but Linake had learned early on not to take it personally, especially when she knew just how to make that expression change with just the crook of her small finger.
"Who else did you want to bring?" Kisuke asked her then.
Linake dropped her gaze, not even sure if Amaya would go after the way Linake had yelled at her the other day; but there was only one way to find out Linake decided.
"Let's pay a visit to squad 2, shall we?" Linake offered as she smiled.
"You're going to break into NASA!?" Amaya yelled, her brown eyes narrowing at Linake as she and Kenpachi stood on her doorstep.
"You know as well as I do it's the only place I can really see what's going on up there. I mean, the humans can't even see the damn thing. We need to know where to set up the pillars, Amaya." Linake reminded her.
"Are you sure you can guess the right placement?" Amaya countered, her stance a bit rigid as she frowned at Linake.
"Yes." Linake answered, she knew if she got a good look at them and followed their trajectory, she could pin point it, she'd be able to give a mile radius of the area in order for squad 12 to start the painstaking task of switching that landmass of the human world with one within the soul society.
Amaya let out a sigh, averting her gaze from Linake as she pondered about it. Amaya knew she was holding her breath expecting an apology from her best friend; after all, Amaya had just given Grimmjow his chance for vengeance herself, so why did she expect Linake to apologize for yelling at her when it's exactly what she'd been needing?
"Do you want to come or not?" Linake pressed, her blue eyes turning expectant.
Amaya felt her hesitation lesson as Sosuke wrapped his strong arms around her waist, pressing his firm chest against her back for support. Amaya lifted her small hands, sliding them across his forearms lovingly.
"You should go." Sosuke encouraged her.
Amaya's brow rose, her brown eyes turning emotional as she heard the rest of his thoughts internally.
"It will help mend the bond between the two of you. I know how much she means to you, Amaya." Sosuke probed.
Amaya let out a pent up breath and managed a soft smile as she met Linake's gaze.
"When do we leave?" Amaya answered.
"Tonight. Meet us at the Senkaimon around eleven." Linake answered before turning away to leave.
"Linake…" Amaya called out to her, making her turn her head over her shoulder.
"Thank you." Amaya whispered, her brown eyes moving to glance at Kenpachi and then back at her friend.
"No need to thank me. Who else would I ask to have my back?" Linake countered, the side of her mouth lifting into a smile as she stepped down the stairs of the squad 2 barracks.
Kenpachi took Linake's hand in his as the couple walked back towards their own squad. If everything went right and the head captain gave Kisuke the permission they needed for the mission. Kisuke, Kenpachi, Linake and Amaya would all be heading out for the most important recon mission the soul society had ever organized. Kenpachi felt the slight tremor run through his wife's small frame, it'd been a long time since Linake had shown even the slightest hint of hesitation.
"What is it, woman?" Kenpachi demanded her on the spot, pulling her to a stop in the middle of the pathway.
Linake looked up at her husband, realizing her body had given her away.
"This is important, Kenpachi. I can't fail!" Linake replied.
Kenpachi allowed the left side of his mouth to lift into a sly smirk, his uncovered green eye bearing down on her.
"You don't know the meaning of failure, Wife." Kenpachi teased her, his hand gripping hers tighter, lending the woman his own strength and support.
Linake half-laughed, squeezing his hand back in return as she silently thought to herself.
"Keep feeding me that strength of yours, Husband. I'm going to need every ounce!"
Under the pale light of the full moon, four beings emerged from the Senkaimon. The chill air greeted them as the double screened doors slammed shut behind them with a silent clang. Only two of them visible to the eye, the women, now dressed in snug jeans and t-shirts in an effort to blend back into the human world.
Kisuke smiled, enjoying that he was currently in his soul form while in the human world. This was a place he'd never been before and he couldn't deny his curiosity as his gaze took in their surroundings. The foursome paused, standing within what looked to be a darkened back alleyway. Linake lifted her hand to the small earpiece in her left ear and tested the connection, bringing Kisuke's attention back to the interesting woman.
"Rin? Can you hear me?" Linake asked the squad 12 department head.
"Yes. I can hear you loud and clear. Did the Senkaimon let you out in the right area?" Rin asked with hope in his voice.
Linake paused for a second, taking a good look around. It had been years since she'd been here, but from the structures peeking out across the city lights, she knew where she was. Who would have thought that one day such events like this would land her straight back into the place where it had all started for her. The very streets she had walked down as a carefree human woman, until one night, she'd been attacked by a hollow.
"Yes. We're about two miles from the target. Standby." Linake answered.
"Copy. Standing by for further instructions." Rin answered.
Linake smiled fully, unable to fight the urge. Rin sounded so excited to be a part of this mission, even if he was only monitoring what he could safely from his chair within the soul society. Linake let out a silent thanks to Mayuri for allowing her to borrow Rin for the night.
"Where to now?" Kisuke asked her, his brow lifting as he awaited her instructions.
Linake found it kind of refreshing, even Kenpachi was patiently waiting by her side, no snide comments, no commands. Her husband's gaze was sharp, focused, taking in the area around them. Linake turned her head to the left.
"This way…" Linake answered as Amaya moved to stand by Linake's side.
To any onlooker they would just look like two friends walking down the street together. Nothing out of the ordinary for the bustling city of Washington, D.C.
"How do you know your way around this place?" Kenpachi demanded her, not even caring about Kisuke and Amaya being present to hear his question. Kenpachi knew Linake was from this world, but this place didn't seem to match her.
"I lived here, this is where I was going to school." Linake answered simply with a shrug.
Kenpachi decided not to ask anymore, instead he followed his wife down the dark sidewalks, all the while taking in a whole different aspect of his wife's life-So this is what she gave up to be with me…
Kisuke turned his gaze from Kenpachi, a bit perplexed by the man's silence. It looked as if he had a million questions for his wife. It appeared that while Linake had been honest about where she had come from, she hadn't bothered to go into much detail. Kisuke paused, smiling softly. No, she wouldn't need to go into much detail, would she? Kenpachi wasn't that type of man, once Linake had made it clear to him she had no intention of coming back, he wouldn't have bothered to ask for details of her former world.
Linake turned her head, taking a peek at Amaya as they both walked at a quick pace. The excitement about what they were about to do together making Linake's chest thump deeply in her chest. As the foursome turned out onto a busy street, cars whirling down the road passed them, Amaya met Linake's gaze.
"I really don't miss that…" Amaya sighed, gesturing to the cars, the crowds of people loitering the sidewalks across the street.
Linake half laughed.
"Me neither." Linake answered honestly.
Silence fell as the two women shared a knowing smile, a smile that only the two of them could share; with them both being substitute soul reapers, they shared a bond that only one other would ever be able to understand, and that was Ichigo.
"He's already been warned." Amaya answered the unspoken question Linake hadn't wanted to ask Kisuke.
Linake let out a deep breath; pushing the last of her anxiety away as the four of them came to the crosswalk. Linake pushed the button and waited for the light to change. Kenpachi's gaze lifted, looking up at the street lights, watching the other humans as they sat in their cars, blaring their music as they waited too.
"Captain Zaraki…" Kisuke called to him, making him realize Linake and Amaya had already walked half way out into the road without him. Kenpachi caught up with only three wide strides, lifting his hand and placing it on Linake's shoulder. When she looked back at him, she smiled.
The team kept silent as Linake lead them deeper into the city, turning down the winding roads, pausing for three more crosswalks. Kenpachi marveled as he watched his wife. She really knew this place, even after all the years she'd spent with him in the soul society.
Linake turned her head, grateful that the streets seemed to be deserted around the plain inconspicuous concrete buildings. Kisuke and Kenpachi came to a pause as the two women looked both ways before crossing the main road, and the two soul reapers followed closely. Linake stopped once more as the four of them came up to the freshly manicured lawn. Linake had led them to the back of the building, but she knew there were still security camera's that would catch both her and Amaya if they stayed in their human forms.
Linake turned to Kisuke then, her lips lifting into a soft smile. Kisuke returned her smile then, lifting what looked like a wooden cane and pressing it against her forehead. Linake's body fell backward onto the concrete with a deep thud. The shiver that overtook her couldn't have been stifled no matter how hard she'd tried to hold it back. Linake hated separating from her body, she much preferred the fusion change when walking through the precipice world, at least then she didn't feel like a ghost.
Kenpachi bent down behind her, in one swift motion he raised Linake's body up over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. Linake shuddered again, seeing herself draped over her husband in such a way. As she turned and met his gaze, his eyes spoke to her-you can do this, woman.
Another deep thud caused Linake to turn around even though she knew it was Amaya's body falling to the ground. Kisuke quickly walked around Amaya, collecting her own body in his arms. Linake's lips parted as he continued down the street, dragging Amaya's body in-between the dense shrubbery of a nearby business away from the security camera's. Kenpachi didn't speak as he followed, hunching down and gently laying Linake's own body down next to Amaya's. Linake sighed heavily, hoping nobody would find them and end up calling the cops; they didn't have time to run around Washington D.C. in search of their bodies.
"You ready?" Amaya's soft voice called out to her bringing Linake's attention back to the present.
"Yeah, Let's do this!" Linake nodded, placing her hand to the hilt of her Zanpakuto for courage. The deep tingle that radiated up her forearm made her smile…it seemed Godai believed in her just as much as her comrades did…just as much as her husband did.
Linake pressed the small button to the earpiece still connected to her ear and let out a shaky breath.
"Rin? Do you copy?" Linake asked.
A soft fuzzing of static echoed into her ear for a brief moment, until she heard the soft feminine voice on the other end.
"We're here, Linake. We've been waiting." Ayumi Kurotsuchi spoke clearly.
Linake paused, her brow furrowing at the unexpected change of plan.
"I'm ready to go when you are, Linake." Rin's soft voice called to her, seeming to be farther away from the speaker.
Linake paled a little as realization donned. This was the biggest most important mission of her life; and squad 12 had decided to put her on speaker phone.
"We're entering in now." Linake stated into the earpiece as the four of them headed to the back entry way of the structure, passed two dumpsters, one for trash and one for paper recycling. Linake held her breath as she pressed her hand against the doorknob and pushed her soul form clear through the concrete structure.
Linake paused briefly, waiting for the others to come through before she made her way down the hallway into the main area of NASA's headquarters. Linake passed through the large doorway just as Amaya called out to her.
"There are three men inside." Amaya stated.
Linake paused abruptly, pausing at the doorway to the main room where she would be able to view the live feed.
"We'll need to knock 'em out." Kenpachi stated.
Kisuke smirked, nodding in agreement. Linake sighed, not liking the necessity. It wasn't like she could go in there and start moving things. The three men would think the place was haunted all of a sudden and cause a scene.
"I'll do it." Linake grumbled, meeting her husband's gaze.
Kenpachi smirked at her. Kisuke raised his brow as if contemplating how she would. Amaya reached forward, pushing the double doors to the room open swiftly. Linake didn't hesitate, by the time the first man's head turned to investigate the sudden opening of the doors, Linake was behind him, her palms laid flat against his cheeks, her thumbs just under his ears.
The man's eyes grew heavy and fluttered as she drained just enough of his elemental structure. More effective than the most potent of sedatives. She wouldn't have to worry about the men waking up suddenly, they would all sleep like the dead until their bodies replenished and re-balanced, something that could take well up to fourteen hours for normal human's with little to no spiritual pressure. Linake flash stepped to the second, then the third, repeating the process, carefully tapping into each man's life essence and draining just enough to achieve her goal. Really draining the men wasn't her intention.
"Better this than a lump on the back of the head." Amaya offered; knowing that would have been Kenpachi's method. While it would have been effective, the men would recover far better from being drained rather than being smacked by the strongest soul reaper, even if it was just a "light tap" as Kenpachi had thought about doing.
Linake didn't reply as she rushed to the front of the room, sitting down in an empty chair, she reached her hand to the controls and began to explore. Linake knew a lot about what she was seeing, and she'd even been inside the building a time or two while in college.
Linake could feel her husband's gaze as he came to stand next to her, carefully watching her as her fingers flew across the controls, pressing buttons and watching how the screen in front of them changed. Kenpachi looked up, feeling an almost eerie sense of recognition. This place didn't look too different than the main lab of squad 12 back in the soul society.
Kisuke appeared at Linake's side then, taking a seat next to her, he too took advantage of the opportunity and together, Linake Zaraki and Kisuke Urahara began to learn the controls in front of them. Linake relaxed her shoulders as a smile spread across her lips. This is what made living in the soul society so damn exciting, it was just a shame that war always seemed to be right around the corner every few years.
Karina felt her leg shaking harshly, jumping up and down in front of her as she listened to the conversation on the speaker. She didn't dare ask any questions as she heard Linake's voice echo throughout the cleared lab.
"I think I got it." Linake spoke.
Mayuri stood, his golden eyes transfixed on the screen in front of them. Rin had allowed Kisuke Urahara to link up to the servers within the soul society, bypassing the massive firewalls that had somehow, been blocking the department head form gaining his own connection. It seemed someone had needed to be on the inside in order to bring down the security for a time. A notion that didn't sit well with Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
"It would seem the human's technology is advancing in ways I was not privy to." Mayuri commented flatly.
"Now ain't the time…" Kenpachi barked at him from the speaker.
Mayuri glared at it…not the time indeed he decided as he ignored the brute, but still, Mayuri made a mental note to investigate the human world a bit more thoroughly in the future.
"Oh! I'm in! You should see what I see in a couple seconds…" Linake's excited voice called out, making Karina lift her thumb to her lips and squint in hesitation. Karina wasn't so sure she really wanted to see what would be on that screen.
"Oh my…" Mayuri muttered; his golden gaze staring up at the orbit of Earth's atmosphere.
"This particular satellite is currently in orbit. What you are seeing is only four hundred and thirty-eight miles from Earth." Linake explained.
" Well? I'm not seeing anything…" Mayuri stated impatiently, his brow furrowing in frustration.
"Give it some time, Mayuri, it's moving." Linake sighed.
"She's right, Mayuri. We will have to have a bit of patience." Ayumi smiled up at her husband, literally the only one who could have gotten away with telling a man like Mayuri Kurotsuchi he would have to be patient.
Mayuri turned his head forward, crossing his thin arms across his chest and sighed. Rin sat back in his chair, the sound of crinkling paper catching Mayuri's attention. Rin looked up at him sheepishly before tossing the bit of candy into his mouth.
Mayuri's next sigh was elongated and accompanied with a roll of his golden eyes at his department head. Ayumi smiled at Rin, leaning her body in his direction and holding out her palm. Rin smiled back, happily dropping a couple of hard candies into her hand.
"There!" Linake all but yelled, causing everyone within the room to jump, even Karina.
"Where?" Mayuri demanded.
Mayuri watched as the courser to the computer system all the way in the human world moved across his screen. Linake circled what looked like a distorted blob of black and crimson.
"How far? Where is it heading?" Mayuri demanded, stepping closer to the screen. As the satellite continued to move within the orbit of the planet, more came into view. The small blob turned into a splatter of energy, an elongated oval orb.
Karina held her breath, lifting her legs up onto the chair and wrapping her arms around her knees. As she waited for Linake to answer the question. Karina didn't know how much more she was expected to endure in such a short time, but it seemed as if fate or whatever had thrust her into this world didn't seem to care one bloody bit.
"Th-there only around 10,000 miles away now…with the speed of their travel, I would estimate they will be landing as close as tomorrow night. Mayuri, is Karina in the room?" Linake asked, her shaky voice betraying the woman's own emotions.
"Yes. Why?" Mayuri answered.
Linake seemed to hesitate, her breath coming out in a shaky sigh.
"They're heading straight for England." Linake admitted.
Karina inhaled a deep breath as her stomach rolled, not liking the thought of that one bit! Her family, her friends, all the people she loved were in England. Was Grimmjow really going to storm out and fight whatever it was on that sodding ship!? Why now? Why did this have to happen? What did these things even want?
Karina leaned her head forward against her knees, squeezing her eyes shut against the welling of tears. Only days had passed since she'd even realized there were other beings in other dimensions and that things such as Soul reapers, Espada and Fullbringers even existed-I guess I can add extra terrestrials to the bloody list!
"How quickly can the pillars be set up?" Linake asked abruptly.
"Within at least four hours notice, why?" Mayuri answered.
"There is a way I can make sure they land where we want them. I'll have to wait until they get closer to Earth in order to do it." Linake revealed.
Karina's head shot up from the protection of her knees, her jaw trembling as her tears fell freely.
"Grimmjow isn't even back yet! I thought you needed the Espada for this fight!?" Karina yelled, her voice thick.
Linake seemed to pause, taking the situation in from Karina's perspective.
"Sweetie, I'm sorry. I know this is your home and I know Grimmjow isn't back yet, but he will be. This is the only opportunity we will have at the element of surprise, of controlling some aspect of this battle." Linake countered.
"Exactly what is it you are proposing?" Mayuri asked curiously.
"There's another satellite up here with a nuclear warhead, all I have to do is point and push." Linake admitted.
"Tch. Why does that not surprise me in the least?" Mayuri scoffed.
"What do you want me to do?" Linake pressed.
"How long can you stay in your current position?" Mayuri asked.
"Hours, Mayuri. The next crew will show up around seven in the morning to relieve the guys I just knocked out." Linake answered.
"You could gain re-entrance if needed?" Mayuri continued.
Linake sighed heavily before answering.
"We'll stand by for further instructions, but, tell Captain Kyoraku this isn't something he has much time to ponder. If I'm going to do this, it needs to be soon!" Linake retorted before breaking the connection.
Mayuri's lips pursed as the screen in front of them went black. Ayumi let out a sigh as her husband turned his head to look at her.
"That woman grows more like her husband by the day…" Mayuri shook his head.
Ayumi smiled softly, nodding her head in agreement, but deep down Ayumi was grateful for the woman. Linake's power was so different, so unexpected, and more importantly, she was on their side.
Mayuri turned his head at the sound of sobbing behind him. His brow furrowed, his golden gaze zeroing in on the cause.
"I suggest you get these emotions of yours out now while you can, Karina. When Grimmjow returns, he'll be leaving with me. Unfortunately, the three worlds do not revolve around you." Mayuri stated curtly before walking away.
Karina lifted her head, her brow tight with emotion as she glared daggers into the man's back-did he really think she was crying because she was being selfish? Karina shook her head, meeting Ayumi's sympathetic gaze. Karina pushed herself up from the chair angrily, not even bothering to speak as she sped from the room, whirling herself down the corridor after the man.
"Why don't you give me something to do, I could be of use!" Karina yelled at his back, causing Mayuri to stop dead in his tracks.
The soft mocking laughter that filled the room only fueled Karina's emotions, like pouring gasoline on an open flame.
"In order to put you to use, you would first have to be of use. I'm afraid my dear subject 6, useful is not something I would categorize you under." Mayuri retorted.