One hour earlier.
Sitting inside his beloved car, Gin lit a cigarette. The heavy dark circles beneath his eyes revealed that he hadn't slept for over twenty-four hours. The nicotine forced his exhausted mind awake as he continued heading toward the location of his next mission.
Slowly exhaling a cloud of smoke, Gin sat upright in the passenger seat, removed the black leather glove from his left hand, and scrolled through his phone. The screen remained on an email sent half an hour ago that still hadn't received a reply.
"Vodka, still can't get through to his phone?"
Swallowing the bite of sandwich in his mouth, Vodka wiped mayonnaise from the corner of his lips and nodded.
"Yes, Aniki. I tried calling again after buying the sandwiches, but it still says the phone is powered off."
Members of the Operative Division could be called on missions at any time. Aside from turning on airplane mode during flights, their phones were usually kept on standby twenty-four hours a day. They almost never powered them off.
A strange sense of unease crept into Gin's chest.
'Could something have happened to Macallan?'
But yesterday's assignment hadn't been difficult, and Bourbon had gone with him. Under normal circumstances, nothing should have gone wrong. As for Bourbon's phone number, Gin had deleted it after using it once before.
As Gin was about to order Vodka to retrieve Rei's number from the Organization database, an email from Vermouth unexpectedly arrived.
The moment he read its contents, a cold darkness flashed through his eyes.
Sitting beside him, Vodka caught that terrifying look and nearly shoved the sandwich wrapper into his mouth along with the food.
'Who pissed off Aniki this time?! And why did it have to happen when I'm the only one beside him?!'
"14-4 Toriya-cho, block 4. Head there immediately. Move it, Vodka!"
"Yes, Aniki!"
Vodka hurriedly gripped the steering wheel and slammed on the accelerator, making a sharp turn toward Toriya-cho. He had no idea what was happening, but if Gin was this shaken, then the situation had to be extremely serious. There was no way he dared slack off.
When they arrived at the location Gin mentioned, Vodka spotted a woman with long pale-blond curls standing before an otherwise ordinary-looking building, dressed in a black motorcycle suit.
Vermouth.
'Wasn't she supposed to be in America? Why was she here in Toriya-cho?'
Gin shoved open the passenger-side door and strode over to Vermouth with a grim expression.
"You're certain he's inside?"
"When I arrived, I saw Curacao bring him here. Luckily, I didn't lose track of them. Otherwise… things might've become impossible to control."
For once, Vermouth had dropped her usual teasing tone, her face completely serious.
The reason she hadn't entered alone was simple, she wasn't certain she could defeat Curacao. If the woman was willing to do anything to obtain Ritsu, the situation could spiral out of control.
When facing that person, one wrong move meant surrendering the initiative entirely.
She had to proceed carefully.
"Hmph. Vodka, bring the bombs from the trunk."
"Yes, Aniki!"
Completely lost, Vodka still had no clue who this mysterious "he" was.
Why were they speaking in riddles at a time like this?!
Though he complained internally, his body moved quickly. After retrieving the spare explosives from the trunk, he even remembered to lock the car doors before hurrying back.
"Aniki, what's the plan?"
"Follow me."
Gin raised his leg and kicked the double doors open without hesitation. His dark green eyes swept across the dimly lit interior.
A laboratory wouldn't be built upstairs.
Which meant it could only be underground.
He slowly examined the room before his gaze settled on the large carpet spread across the wooden floor of the living room.
"Vodka, move the carpet."
"Yes, Aniki!"
Vodka's strength was tremendous. He easily shoved aside the sofa and coffee table pressing down on the carpet before grabbing it with one hand and yanking hard. The heavy carpet flipped over completely, revealing the pine floorboards beneath.
Already understanding what Gin was thinking, Vermouth pulled a lighter from her pocket and lit the cigarette Gin had taken out. Following the direction of the drifting smoke, they quickly pinpointed the entrance to the basement.
Gin drew a dagger and wedged it into a narrow crack between the floorboards before prying upward. Sure enough, it was loose.
Hidden underneath was a button.
At this point, Gin had little patience left. The moment he pressed the button and the opening became large enough for an adult to pass through, he immediately descended into the basement, ordering Vodka to hurry after him.
Staring at the tightly sealed electronic door below, Gin stood there expressionlessly with a cigarette hanging from his lips.
Vodka jogged down behind him. Without needing instructions from Gin, he already knew what to do. Skillfully planting the explosives, he blew the electronic door apart.
As the smoke cleared, Gin's expression darkened even further at the sight before him.
The moment Vermouth saw the white-haired young man roaring like a beast inside the transparent chamber and recognized him as Ritsu, she immediately shouted, "Rum, stop this at once!"
"Macallan?!" Vodka cried out in shock.
He never would've imagined that the vicious-looking figure with bloodshot eyes was actually Ritsu.
"Vermouth? Even Gin is here too? Quite lively today."
Rum sounded utterly calm, as though he already knew they couldn't do anything to him.
"Why make such a fuss? I'm merely conducting an experiment. If it succeeds, that person will surely be pleased."
Gin was hardly known for his patience.
In one swift motion, he drew his beloved Beretta and aimed directly at Curacao's head. "Stop now, or I'll kill her."
"If your temper is too fierce, it's bad for your health." Rum's voice carried a trace of amusement.
But that amusement quickly vanished. Because he realized his system had been hacked.
Who did it?
A low, aged voice echoed throughout the vast underground laboratory. If Ritsu still retained even a shred of sanity, he would've recognized it immediately.
It was that person's voice.
"Macallan belongs to me. Are you planning to defy my will, Rum?"
"…"
After a long silence, Rum finally chuckled softly.
"So he belongs to you. My apologies. I assumed he was merely an ordinary Operative Division member. Curacao, terminate the experiment immediately."
"Yes, Sir." Curacao pressed the red button.
The sounds of machinery shutting down echoed through the room, and the transparent chamber slowly opened as well.
Moments ago, Ritsu had been growling like a wild beast, but now it was as though he'd been injected with a tranquilizer. His body went limp and powerless, completely drained of strength.
The instant the restraints binding his limbs released, he collapsed backward.
Had Vodka not reacted quickly enough, the back of his head would've slammed against the ground and given him another wound.
"Macallan?! Aniki, this…"
Gin stared grimly at the unconscious Ritsu before speaking after a few seconds of thought.
"Take him out of here first. Give him your jacket."
"Yes, Aniki."
Rum then spoke again. "Boss, to express my apology, there's something I'd like to report to you. It's intelligence Curacao obtained while infiltrating the FBI."
"Oh? Go on."
"The true identity of the Japanese Operative Division member codenamed Rye is an FBI agent. He's the one who shot Macallan and left him severely injured.
Curacao happened to be at the scene at the time. She originally intended to pursue those cunning FBI agents, but after discovering Macallan was still alive, she brought him here for experimentation instead."
"I see. And?"
"So this was merely a misunderstanding. My sincerest apologies, Boss. I failed to think things through carefully enough."
"Let this be the last time. We're leaving now, Vermouth, Gin."
"Understood, Sir."
"Yes, Boss."
Vermouth cast a meaningful glance toward the motionless Curacao before turning to leave alongside Gin.
Curacao realized her mission had failed, yet her face remained largely expressionless. After Rum disconnected from the channel, she cleaned up the scene thoroughly and set the place ablaze, reducing everything to ashes.
...
At the same time, inside a manor somewhere in Reykjavík, Iceland.
A man dressed in black robes stood before the window, slowly turning a shogi piece in his hand.
"How very interesting this is becoming."
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