Disclaimer – "Brave Police J-Decker" and all related characters, events, and concepts belong to Sunrise, Nagoya TV, and any other related owners/distributors/producers. I get no monetary benefit from this. My benefit is the enjoyment of dealing with beloved characters.

"Live a Little"
by DragonDancer5150

CHAPTER TWO

"Deckard, did Saejima-san say what this was about?"

"No, he didn't. He just said it's not a case but that we should be there. I've already called the school to let them know that you'll be late."

"Thanks." Yuuta sat back into the driver's seat of the patrol car, Deckard's vehicle form. The emergency lights and sirens weren't running, but from the way Deckard was driving, Yuuta could tell that his partner was anxious to get to the precinct and find out what had happened with the rest of their team. "No one's hurt, are they? Gunmax and Shadowmaru had patrol last night."

"No, they're fine. I radioed everyone as soon as I'd heard from Saejima-san, while you were finishing breakfast. None of the Build Team responded, but Shadowmaru said they're fine too. However, Duke said there was. . . an incident in the Decker Room last night."

Yuuta groaned, sinking down in the seat. "The guys weren't fighting or something, were they? I hope not." There had been some strife among the Build Team when Drill Boy had first been introduced, but that had been worked out months ago. The guys roughhoused around a lot – Power Joe and Drill Boy especially – but they'd not genuinely fought since those early days.

"I doubt it," Deckard replied, but the fan of indicator lights around the digital speedometer behind his steering wheel, which flashed in time with his voice, were a little dimmed to match the uncertain note in his tone.

Yuuta knew that Deckard was worried about his team. Yuuta was too, but his gentle-giant best friend was particularly sensitive to the needs and troubles of his teammates. Yuuta reached out to pat the center of the steering wheel. "Shadowmaru said everyone's okay. Let's just go with that and not worry too much until we know what's actually going on."

Deckard's dashboard flickered. "Yeah…"

They drove in silence the rest of the way and soon enough reached the police precinct. Deckard dropped Yuuta off at the front doors before continuing through traffic down the block to head to the side wing of the building where the Brave Police's entrance was, a massive roll-up door that opened directly into their maintenance bay. Despite his assurances to Deckard, Yuuta rushed through security, almost forgetting to check in, then ignored the elevator to dash up the stairs to the second floor and bolted down the hallway to the Decker Room at a dead run. He burst through the door onto the second-story deck and skidded to a stop at the scene before him.

" – replacement parts out of your metal hides!"

Yuuta cringed. He'd never heard Vice-Commissioner Azuma so angry. The tall, stocky man stood at the edge of the deck by Yuuta's desk, hands in fists, thoroughly dressing down the four robots lined up before him. Power Joe, Drill Boy, McCrane, and Dumpson stood at rigid attention. Not one of them would meet the man's gaze. McCrane's was locked dutifully on a spot on the wall in front of him, over the human's head, his expression neutral, if tight. The other three were looking anywhere but forward, their expressions contrite and miserable. Yuuta felt horrible for them, knowing what it was like to be in trouble like that. He felt his gut wrench in sympathy.

Behind Yuuta's desk, Police Commissioner Saejima stood with his arms crossed and head bowed slightly, eyes closed, as he often did when he was listening to something and thinking at the same time. Beside him, Mr. Toudou, the Brave Police team's chief designer and engineer, stood with one fist propped on a hip, the other hand pinching the bridge of his nose with an irritable expression on his face.

Wow, what happened last night? Yuuta wanted to know. His gaze shifted to take in the rest of the room, finding its other occupants.

Duke sat calmly at his desk, watching the Build Team. Yuuta found it hard sometimes to read the stoic, British-built robot, but he thought he knew Duke well enough by now to know that he was concerned even if he wasn't showing it. Across the room, Shadowmaru stood by his desk, and Gunmax leaned against the far wall, both of them with arms crossed as if wanting no part in things. Yuuta couldn't have said that he blamed them. Deckard had arrived by then too, probably only a moment or so before Yuuta, and looked like he'd been shocked into motionlessness the same way Yuuta had. Pulling his gaze from his partner, Yuuta continued his survey around to the other wall . . . where a very broken monitor hung askew on bent moorings. Ut-oh…

"Well!?" Azuma snapped, loudly and suddenly enough to make just about everyone in the room jump, no one more so than the Build Team. "What do you have to say for yourselves?"

"Azuma-sama," McCrane started, his voice low.

"Azuma-sama!" Deckard started forward, visibly intent on rescuing his teammates from their superior's wrath.

Azuma rounded on him. "BP-Double-Oh-One, stay out of this!"

Deckard choked, stopped in his tracks at the use of his design designation over his name, hands clenching. The rest of the Brave Police, even the Build Team, reacted in outrage at the insult to their team lead and friend, though none of them dared speak up against Azuma.

They couldn't, but Yuuta could. Growling, Yuuta darted forward, latching onto Azuma's arm with both hands and yanking it for attention. "Azuma-san, that's going too far! Take it back!"

Azuma glared down his nose at Yuuta, then threw the Brave Police a cold, disdainful look. "I don't apologize to robots, boy." He jerked his arm free. "I don't apologize to ten-year-old children either." He shifted around on his heel, pointedly turning his back on Yuuta as he looked to Saejima and Toudou. "Saejima-sama, do you have nothing to add? It's your pet robots that just busted the rest of our budget for the entire year."

Toudou scowled. "Azuma-san, Yuuta-kun's right, you do go too far."

Saejima unfolded his arms enough to wave Toudou into silence. Lifting his head, he pinned a razor-sharp gaze on Azuma.

Yuuta gasped. Saejima could be a peculiar man, prone to eccentricities and the occasional flight of fancy or drama, but this was one of those moments when Yuuta was reminded exactly why he was the commissioner of the Tokyo Metropolitan police force. His deep blue-grey eyes were as hard as Yuuta had ever seen them, his voice level and stony. "Azuma-kun, I won't ask you to apologize, but I will ask you to respect the Brave Police – and me – at least enough to watch your words to them in my presence. And forget the cost of the monitor. I'll replace it myself."

He hesitated a beat before the rigid set of his narrow shoulders slumped a little and he turned his full attention at last to the Build Team. Yuuta could see the disappointment in his eyes. The Build Team could too, Yuuta guessed. McCrane gazed back in silent apology. Power Joe, Dumpson, and Drill Boy hunched and shifted, looking like chastised school children. "I do agree that there needs to be some sort of disciplinary action, though, to help deter future incidents."

"Mn." Azuma nodded, then rounded on the Build Team once more. "I have a meeting with Oka-san from the Sanitation Council later this morning anyway. I'll arrange it with him. Starting today, you four are on garbage detail for the next week and through the weekend. Double shifts." He thought for an instant, then added, "And no showers or car washes until the assignment is up. Have I made myself clear?"

The foursome exchanged looks of dismay, then followed McCrane's lead to snap salutes in unison. "Yes, sir!"

Mollified, Azuma cast one last, disgruntled glare around the room, then turned and strode for the hall, slamming the door shut behind him. Those remaining, robots and humans alike, heaved a collective sigh of relief as the tension in the room suddenly drained like water from a bathtub.

Gunmax pushed off the wall to approach the Build Team. He had a smirk on his face, waving a hand before his nose as if fanning away some terrible stench. "Whew! Guess who's sleeping out in the parking lot for the next week."

Shadowmaru followed him, frowning. "Guess who else is pulling double-duty shifts to cover things while fully half the team is out of commission for the next week."

Drill Boy curled in on himself. "S-sorry, Shadowmaru . . . everyone . . . "

Power Joe's shoulders slumped. "We'll make it up to you guys, promise. Cover shifts for you next week or something." Dumpson and Drill Boy nodded in agreement.

Duke reached to power on the monitor at his desk. "I'll start working out new shift schedules." He glanced first at Deckard, then Saejima and Yuuta, silently asking for approval before presuming to do so.

Yuuta nodded, but he could see that the team was still upset. "Guys," he called, getting their attention. "No one's hurt. That's the most important thing." The team nodded as one in response.

"Guv," Toudou murmured, addressing Saejima by the nickname that he used, "what's going on with Azuma-san? That was harsh even for him. Especially considering the severity of the situation . . . or lack of, I should say."

Saejima's gaze had softened considerably, and remained so as he shifted to regard the door through which Azuma had left. He pulled a deep breath, looked at Toudou, at Yuuta, and finally turned to the Brave Police. "Please try to forgive him. Besides the pressure he's getting as head of the Finance Committee, what with the quarterly-financials coming up due, he also has some things personally going on. You remember that big bank robbery the other day? Azuma-kun's son and granddaughter were among those caught in the chaos before you guys arrived to take out the thieves' robots. They were both evacuated from the scene by ambulance. His son was released later that day, but his granddaughter is still in the hospital recovering from orthopedic surgery to deal with some of her injuries. Azuma-kun was told yesterday afternoon that they'll need to keep her at least another few days due to an infection that's developed in the surgical site."

The news hit Yuuta like a punch to the stomach. "Robots nearly killed some of Azuma-san's family? Wow, no wonder he's so mad." Suddenly, he felt sorry for the man. Mostly, anyway – Azuma had still just taken some of his best friends to task over what he was sure had just been a harmless accident.

Gunmax snorted. "Wonderful," he muttered in English, then continued, "and I thought he hated us before."

Deckard came forward the rest of the way. "That may be, about his family, and I'm truly sorry for it. I'm glad that they'll be all right after all – " He shook his head. " – but that doesn't excuse him from taking it out on us like that, does it?"

Saejima huffed a sigh and shook his head. "No, it doesn't, Deckard, and I'll talk to him about it again later. In the meantime . . . " The commissioner visibly shifted gears, looking sidelong at the Build Team in general and then turning to McCrane in particular. "I've watched the security footage from last night. I saw what happened . . . and I know about your conversation with one of the cleaning staff."

Duke gave McCrane a questioning look. "Cleaning staff?"

McCrane nodded. "Okiayu-san brought in some people to help with the clean-up." He turned back to the commissioner. "Saejima-san, about what he said-"

Saejima gave him a dismissive wave, cutting him off, then looked up with a grin and a twinkle in his eyes. "What he said was absolutely right, McCrane."

Toudou stepped forward, a fond grin on his face as his gaze swept the room. "Yes, it was. I've always said that it's not right you guys are kept cooped up like you are."

"And I now have good reason to bring the issue up with the board of directors again!" Saejima's tone was one of triumph. He turned for the door, commenting with a wave over his shoulder. "Children really do need to be allowed out to play."

"Huh?" "Wait, what!?" "Who are you calling children?"

The last was Power Joe, who looked downright offended. In that moment, though, Yuuta thought maybe it was appropriate after all. He crossed his arms and pinned a "look" on his teammate, pulling his best impression of his father. "Who was rough-housing around indoors last night when he knows better?" Yuuta didn't know exactly what had happened yet, but he knew the guys well enough to guess.

Power Joe winced and hung his head. "Sorry, Boss."

Toudou had turned to follow Saejima, but he paused at the door, a wide grin on his face. "You kids try to behave yourselves until we get back, will you?" Chuckling at the looks on their faces, he left.

Deckard stepped forward. "Yuuta, I should get you to school."

"Mn." Yuuta nodded. "I'll meet you around front." He had to check back out through security, since he wasn't leaving on duty. He waved at the others. "Bye, guys! See you again later."

"Later, Boss!" came the chorus from the rest of the room.

As the door closed behind Yuuta, he heard Shadowmaru ask, "So . . . what exactly did Okiayu-san say last night?"