GATE: Task Force Guillotine

Chapter 23: A Necessity.

Abandoned Warehouse, Tokyo

April 2, 2028, 16:02

The rain had started an hour ago, a steady drizzle that turned the cracked asphalt outside into a slick, glistening sheet. Inside the warehouse, the air was damp with the smell of rust and oil, the scent of long-forgotten machinery. Dust clung to the broken windows, filtering what little light seeped through the overcast sky.

Adam and Caldwell worked in silence, dragging the lifeless bodies of the Chinese agents inside. Their boots scraped against the damp concrete, leaving smudged trails of water and blood in their wake.

Caldwell exhaled sharply as he let go of the last body, rolling his shoulders. "That's the last of them."

Adam gave a curt nod, his expression unreadable. "Yeah."

Across the dimly lit space, Itami stood with his arms crossed, watching the two of them work. His gaze lingered on the blood streaks smeared across the floor.

"Was that really necessary?" he asked, his voice edged with something between hesitation and disapproval.

Adam glanced at him, unbothered. "It was us or them."

Itami's jaw tightened. "I could've lost them."

Adam scoffed, shaking his head. "Come on, man. You had no problem killing those bandits in Italica. What's different about this?"

Itami's expression darkened. "This wasn't necessary."

Adam shrugged. "Whatever you say. You got their weapons?"

Caldwell crouched beside one of the bodies, patting it down. He pulled a sleek, black handgun from a shoulder holster and turned it over in his hands. The markings on the side read QSZ-92.

He let out a low whistle. "Now this is exotic."

Adam gave it a cursory glance. "Can we keep it?"

Caldwell smirked. "Sure. When we get back, we'll throw it in the squad room. Let the guys mess around with it."

Rory tilted her head, a curious glint in her crimson eyes. "Oh? Is taking trophies part of your culture as soldiers?"

Adam chuckled. "If we think it's cool, we keep it. If not, we don't."

Lelei gave a small nod, filing the information away. "I see."

Tuka, who had been silently observing, stepped closer and peered at the handgun in Caldwell's grip. "What exactly makes something cool?"

Caldwell and Adam exchanged glances before Caldwell grinned. "Good question."

Before anyone could respond, the low growl of an approaching engine cut through the rain. The group turned as Vic-2's SUV rolled to a stop outside the warehouse. The doors opened, and Tomita, Kuribayashi, Yanagida, Pina, and Bozes stepped out.

The moment they stepped inside, their expressions shifted to mild disgust at the scene before them—the blood smeared across the floor, the lifeless bodies crumpled in darkened pools, the faint metallic tang of death clinging to the air.

Yanagida exhaled, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "So this is what you meant when you said you 'dealt with them.'"

Adam wiped a streak of blood off his Glock. "Not the cleanest hit I've done, but hey—" he gestured toward the bodies with a shrug, "—you take what you can get."

Pina's gaze swept over the carnage, her voice steady but tense. "These men were the ones targeting me?"

Caldwell nodded. "Yes, Your Highness. We've dealt with this group, but there will be more."