Security Breach (Open)

He should have noticed that something was different as he traveled through the darkness. The pathway was rougher than normal. It was never an easy ride when Stratus made his rifts from Hueco Mundo. But his was was alot harder to open then most. Still he navigated the surreal passage that bridged the gap between the dimensions. He could feel the weakness in the barrier separating the worlds and pushed against it. His hand sunk into the endless shadow and pierced the realities. It was funny how as a hollow he didn't seem to realize how profound the ability to travel between worlds really was. For him it was only a means to find souls to eat. Stratus' power flared as he pulled the small hole he had torn wider and wider. With one final push he tore the open a gap big enough for him to step through into a bright sunny day. The world of Hueco Mundo was dark, but in a way it still had a certain brightness to it. Still it was no comparison to sunlight. Although Stratus preferred the shadows to hunt and stalk his prey he enjoyed sunshine every once in awhile. He found himself on top of a monstrous building over looking a sprawling city. In all his visits to the human world he had never seen such a place. But something about it sparked a memory he had from long ago. As he opened his senses he was shocked by the number of spiritual signals he felt.
"So many tasty souls ready for consumption" he muttered, but then he paused. There was something strange about these souls. They weren't human. Not completely human, but something more. "Shinigami?" he said puzzled as his sense zeroed in on one target. The same was true for the next, and the next. Each signal he sensed had a feel of the dreaded warriors to it. He didn't understand it. How could so many shinigami be in one place. And how did he get there? Was there something he did differently from his usual portals? He quickly suppressed his spiritual power and hugged the building. This was bad, very bad. He had to get out of here before he was spotted. Breathing heavily he looked towards the next building some distance away. If he kept high up, he could avoid detection. He was so high up it was doubtful anyone would notice. Stratus jumped. He landed and looked around again. There were still ample signals around him, but the movements seemed normal. Then the alarm sounded. The clattering sound filled the area and the shinigami began to move. Had someone spotted him? There was no way to be sure, but the fact he wasn't being attacked must mean something.

"Everything seems to be order, Captain." Tatsuya placed a stack of paperwork on Captain Akarui's desk and sat down in front after removing his zanpakuto from his waist. "As thinly spread as we are, the squad is adjusting quite well." He leaned back with a satisfied look in his eyes. "The new recruits are catching on quicker then expected. Definitely making things easier to handle for everyone." He said and shifted forward as if he remember something. "Speaking of new recruits." He searched the pile in front of him and pulled out a small file and handed it over to Captain Akarui. Inside was a picture of an academy student and a brief profile. "Tim Shibata." Tatsuya named the student as he handed the file over. "I have been keeping tabs on certain individuals within the Shinōreijutsuin, with the help of the instructors, of course. He has had several recommendations from them and from what I here, he is actually looking for a position in the squad. He would make a prime addition to our ranks." Tatsuya stated with zeal. "I have a few other prospects, most of which our undecided, but they have the right attitude we our looking for." He added then pointed to the Shibata's file. "He's at the top of the list right now though. The instructors have made it a point to bring up his name on each of my visits to the academy." Tatsuya stated with a chuckle. Just as Tatsuya was about to continue, an alarm sounded throughout the whole of Seireitei.

"This is good news." Kuro commented on the report as he skimmed over the topmost sheets of papers that filled his desk. "I'm extremely proud of the hard work and cooperation the squad has been doing in this stressful time. And the new recruits stepping up to the challenge is making it seem like we'll be back to a sense of normalcy pretty soon." He paused as he was handed the distinct file. "Oh? What's this?" He let his gaze scan down the file, taking note of the strong positive comments contained in its pages. "So we have another talented student who wishes to join our ranks. I can see no reason in here to refuse that request. As soon as he's ready to leave the academy, he will be welcomed in our division if that's what he still desires. Regardless of what the instructors think, the most important opinion is-" Kuro's sentence was cut off by the sharp clatter of the alarms sounding throughout the Seireitei. Leaping up from his seat, he grabbed his zanpakuto off the desk in front of him and secured it in his robes. "An intruder?!" he voiced aloud as he dashed out the door of his office and out into the walkways of the second division's grounds.

The shinigami were running in all directions feasible as they each divided into their individual patrol groups and headed for their areas of defense. Kuro had no such designated point for himself or Tatsuya, and thus made his way towards the streets. Jumping on top of a building to try and get a better view of the surroundings, he asked for Tatsuya's opinion of what their course of action should be. "Any ideas of how we should go about locating the visitor?"

The hollow called Stratus hugged the roof of the building that he currently occupied. Within his armored chest his heart beat like a jackhammer. Shinigami all around him and suddenly an alarm. Had he been found out that quickly? He had been quick in hiding his spiritual pressure. Not even a hint of his energy had escaped his notices. He had survived in the Menos Forest with this very same skill. Deep in caverns he had avoided being eaten my the monstrous Menos Grande that gave the area it's name. Still there was no denying the sound he heard was indeed an alarm. He dared not try to open a new portal and give away his location. How had the damned shinigami found him so easily. As he lay there listening to the sound of alarm half expecting a shingiami to appear and put an end to him. The seconds ticked by and nothing happened. No one appeared and spouted the usual self-righteous drivel they often spoke before fighting him. No swarm of black dressed spirits intent on ending his existence. Nothing. Not a peep, not whisper. Slowly Stratus crawled on his belly to the edge of the structure and peeked over the edge. He expected a sea of black uniforms, but his senses told him what his eyes now saw. There was no one below. The spiritual signals he felt weren't moving in his direction, they were moving away.
"What the hell is going on here?" While he was very grateful to not be caught the hollow was damn confused.

Eastern section of Seireitei

The shinigami sat slumped against the wall as the dark figured stood over him. His phone dropped from his hand. The hallway was completely dark. It was so dark that the cellphone was the only source of light. With the pale blue emanating from the small device one could see the figure's hand still clutched around the shinigami's neck. The man's gasped for breath and clawed at the hand. He kicked and tried to squirm his way free of his attacker's grasp, but nothing worked. Despite his efforts he could not break the iron grip. After several seconds the man's resistance stopped. His arms went limp and his chest did not rise. The figure stayed there for several moments before letting go. Gingerly the hand reached down toward the dead man's phone. The screen had text upon it

"Hello?" came the voice from the earpiece "Are you there? We have received your distress signal. Please confirm!"
The hand closed the phone and the hallway was completely dark. There was a *CLICK* as the phone fell to the ground. Then there was only the sound of footsteps as the attacker walked away.

The Communication section

"The signal has been lostl" the operator said as people ran about the room checking the terminals "We could not get a lock."
"What was the last location?"
"It was an older phone it didn't have the GPS system we updated to. East is all I got. They didn't stay on the line long enough to triangulate!"
People were yelling back and forth as the siren sounded through the building. They had received a intruder alert from the phone, and then heard the speaker scream.
"Replay the message! Alert the rest of the squads!"

"All of them are dead.......bodies everywhere. It came out of nowhere. We couldn't stop it, we .. ARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHH." The sounds of the man being choked followed. Finally the click of the phone being closed.

Captain Akarui quickly dashed passed Tatsuya as the alarm sounded. Tatsuya quickly fell in two steps behind Captain Akarui, zanpakuto in one hand, transceiver in the other. Tatsuya quickly raised the transceiver to his ear as it beeped softly, indicating an incoming transmission, a light tap to the side of the device and it opened up a line to the communications division. Tatsuya didn't say a word as he answered the line. He didn't need to.

An automated male's voice came on the line. "Attention. Intruder detected in the Eastern Section of Seireitei. No other viable information available at this time. Stand by for last recorded transmission." There was a slight pause after the message before the recording played. "All of them are dead.......bodies everywhere. It came out of nowhere. We couldn't stop it, we .. ARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHH." The message stopped and Tatsuya removed the device from his ear.

"Not much to go on, Captain." Tatsuya said as they made it to the street. "It's happening in Eastern Seireitei and we'll be looking for dead bodies thrown everywhere." He stated bitterly, not enjoying the fact that they were under attack. Tatsuya followed Captain Akarui onto the roofs, surveying the area. "Split up to cover more ground. Say, two kilometer spread. That should be sufficient enough distance between us but still allow us to get to the other should we encounter trouble." Tatsuya suggested.

"Agreed. But if you spot the hollow first...it's okay to be a hero." Kuro managed a smile despite the seriousness of the situation. In the past he'd have been more inclined to stick together, but he trusted Tatsuya and was aware of his skills. He knew he could count on him to do his best and not get himself killed at the same time. With the plan decided on, he took off over the streets and buildings, heading for the east part of the Seireitei. The confusion was apparent everywhere, squads of shinigami running every which way. Kuro did his best to keep organized those who didn't have their captain or some other seated member around to direct them. This slowed his own progress, but better managed the forces' search.

"You over there! Take two teams and head down that street. Send word back if anything significant is found. Stick together and watch each other's backs. Don't give the enemy an opening to strike you by surprise. The remaining forces divide and comb the streets heading further east and keep your eyes open. We're looking for a violent scene with bodies of our comrades spread everywhere. We'll get revenge for their deaths by killing the intruder who is responsible."

At Kuro's direction, the forces of the Gotei reorganized and began a clean sweep of the city. He himself resumed his higher advance, jumping over the buildings and keeping an eye on the higher ground where the enemy could possibly try and hide.

OOC: Found an awesome map made by boomerangmouth on deviant art (he said to mention him if used) Going to use it for reference. It's partially canon and not, but damn good stuff. Stratus is located just south of the First squad barrack. The disturbance was near the fifth. :p

http://boomerangmouth.deviantart.com/art/Seireitei-136810247

The confusion rose as the hollow jumped from the high building to the next one. Even with the apparent lack of shinigami he was even more wary of being spotted. This was enemy territory, deep inside. A flashback of the siege to Seireitei ran through his mind. It was all a blur. Killing shinigami was the only thing that sprang up. That was the best part after all. He didn't know his way around. He hadn't memorized the area when he helped with the attack. Why would anyone take the time to remember something like that. How often did a hollow go to Soul Society? It wasn't like he would take the time to note such a thing anyway. Moldale probably would have. He would be ready if he was in this situation. Stratus shook his head in disgust. What kind of sick freak thought that far ahead? Masking his frustration as best he could he scanned the area. There were signals still around him, but nothing close. If he was lucky he might make it out alive. He took a moment to take advantage of his high hiding spot. The hollow could see the city sprawl out in each direction. It was nearly impossible to see the end of it all.

"This place is too big." he growled. Finally after a huff he jumped to the next building top. Just as he landed there was an explosion and the building shook. Too late he noticed the flare of spiritual pressure below him. It seemed he had been seen. Indeed there was a black robed man stood on the ground far below. By chance he had seen the black speck moving among the white buildings. His kido had missed the creature and hit the building. Already the silver haired man was using his phone to dial for back up.
"I see something!" he shouted into his cell. Faintly he felt the undeniable reiatsu of the creature above him. His hand reached for his sword as he shunpo'd into the air to confront the creature.

Eastern Seireitei

The lights had gone out in the building. The academy students inside hadn't been frightened until they heard the screams. At first they thought it was a joke, some prank from their friends. But the screams increased. It was unnerving. There were no windows, not in the back rooms. The florescent bulbs the only means of illumination. They tried to draw their weapons, but being blind hampered them significantly. One of student was wise enough to use a kido to light the small chamber. There was only darkness outside the small sphere. They huddled together inside the small area. Slowly they moved from the room and towards the front. Then something grabbed the clever student that had given them light. Something inside the darkness. A girl screamed as something grabbed her next.

Tatsuya made his way along the roof tops. Much faster then sticking to the paths, which never headed straight to a desired location. Like Captain Akarui, Tatsuya made sure to order around shinigami who seemed to be less then organized. "You there. Split up in to three squads and start heading east bound. Spread out fifty meters. Don't get careless, be sure to search all corridors on your way." He ordered a larger group of shinigami and quickly resumed his way as they split up. Tatsuya moved as quickly as he could while still remaining vigilant, he had just passed the fourth squad barracks when he stopped for an update. He lifted the transceiver to his ear and spoke into it. "This is Vice Captain Okibi. Do we have any further updates on the situation?" He asked calmly. He could hear they were busy in the background trying to gather any available information. "Vice Captain, we are just receiving a report of a second sighting just south of the First squad barracks. Given the circumstances we believe there is a second intruder in the Seireitei." A female voice came from the other end. "What?!" Tatsuya had difficulty believing that there would be two different intruders. "Though we can't be sure at the moment. The relative location of the first and second calls are too far apart. So it is implausible that it is merely one intruder, Sir." The female tried to explain. "I understand. A large number of our forces and Captain Akarui are currently looking for the first intruder, I'll head over to the First squad and provide support." Tatsuya acknowledged and advised. "Roger that." The female acknowledged and immediately signed off. Tatsuya quickly turned around and disappeared with flash step, heading towards the Fist squad barracks.

As Kuro continued east, he suddenly was alerted by the shouts of a man returning from the direction one of the groups had branched off in.

"Captain, we believe there's a disturbance in the academy. The group is moving in to secure the location as we speak."

Kuro immediately changed the direction of his running and shot like an arrow in the direction of the academy. "Proceed with caution, but be quick. Don't let any more students get harmed. Protecting them is our top priority over catching the intruder." Kuro's nice nature was in command again. Rather than worry over whether or not they stopped the enemy here in this confrontation, he wanted to assure the safety of the students. It would leave a bad feeling in his stomach to fail to protect children.

Other than the element of surprise the shinigami attacking Stratus soon realized he had bitten off more than he could chew. As he rose to the top of the tower he had saw the cowering hollow and thought him an easy kill. He deftly drew his zanpukto and brought the blade down. Imagine his surprise when the hollow stopped the weapon with the back of his armored hand. Not taking the hint he pulled the sword back and struck again. Stratus was more than able to dodge the thrust at his head from the opposite side, but found himself reluctant to retreat. The longer this fight took the more likely reinforcements would arrive. So he went for the kill. He advanced while the man's zanpukto came forward. The man's strike glanced off the side of his mask as his hand lashed out. Like a spear his clawed hand pierced the shinigami's chest. He looked down at the forearm running through his body. Stratus stood there holding the man aloft. A stream of crimson was already dripping down his shirt to his pants. The man coughed, splattering his blood across the hollow's face. Very quickly the strength in his muscles failed him. His grip on the zanpukto faltered and the weapon dropped from his hand. Weakly he lashed onto Stratus' wrist as if to pull the arm free of the hole. Whatever thought had registered in the man's mind faded, and his eyes glazed over. Too much blood had left his body. His heart had been torn to shreds, it was a miracle that he had lasted those few seconds at all. The arms fell to his side and his head slumped forward. Stratus jerked his hand free and let the body plop down. For a moment he looked at his bloodied hand, then looked to see if anyone was coming. The area was still empty. He thought it best to move on to somewhere else. Although he didn't know where he was going. The only thing that mattered was that he moved. He looked left, then right, finally he went left. His choice took him north, deeper into Seireitei.

He leaped from the tall structure as he entered the lower area. Hopefully no one noticed the black spot shoot across the sky. Moments later he landed in the middle of the street between two moderately sized buildings. Landing caused a small crater like a meteor had struck the ground. The first thing he did was try and detect if anyone was close or near to him. His next act was hugging the wall. It was stupid for him to stand in the middle of the road where someone might see him. He had abandoned the high ground, much to his displeasure, but he might be better hidden by the maze of buildings that made up the mammoth city. His spiritual sense searched about as he slowly crept down the street. While he focused on the path before him he tried his best to restrict his energy to the absolute minimum.

Eastern Seireitei

There had been at least eight students at the start, there were now only three. Three young men scared out of their minds as they felt their way through the darkness. In their panicked state they had forgotten the layout of the building. They only wanted to get out. Each time their friend or companions vanished their hope dwindled. Fearing themselves next they had locked themselves into a small closet. They hoped whatever that was hunting them might miss them in their tiny sanctuary. In the dark cramped box they tried to silence their sobs and heavy breathing. As uncomfortable as the close quarters were there was some relief in being together. And so they waited praying for salvation. The door was ripped from it's hinges and they all screamed in unison as the student in front was grabbed by the darkness. Their union forgotten the other two men bolted from the closet. The third man a decoy as they tried once again to escape. One went left the other right, both heard the man's screams as whatever had captured him did it's grisly work. They were too scared for their own lives to weep for the fallen. Luck would have it that the student traveling to the left would find the hallway leading to the front of the building. He slammed his way through the doors into a sun lit lobby.

So great was his fright he didn't acknowledge the sunshine. He kept running. Through the lobby into the street beyond. He only stopped when his feet tripped upon a rock in the path. Down went the youth. His face hit the ground and he slid forward then finally skidded to a stop. When his senses returned he tried to pick himself up and keep moving. Still the fear gripped him, and now the tears flowed. Bloodied nose or sprained ankle aside he only wanted to put as much distance between himself and thing behind him. His struggle to stand only resulted in his falling back flat on his face. The pain ignored he crawled on his belly like a snake.