Patlabor: Personal Files
An Episodic Patlabor Fanfic by David A. Tatum
Disclaimer: Insert legal junk here...
Episode 13: Patlabor: Personnel Files
February 22, 2000
"Hmm, I need the stapler..." one of the SV2 officers said, searching
through the top of Gotoh's desk. The three captains were all out of the
office, but that didn't stop people from coming in to file reports.
As the officer looked through the clutter on the desk, he knocked a book
off the table. Picking it up and casually glancing through it out of
curiousity, he noticed something.
"Hey, is that my name? And Shinobu's... and Kanuka's... and- whadya know?
Everyone's name is here. What is this, exactly?"
Turning it to the beginning, he read the title page.
"Thoughts on my co-workers in the SV2, by Luitenant Gotoh. Begun
11/23/98."
The officer blinked. "LUITENANT Gotoh? This thing must be from back when
the SV2 was first formed. Interesting."
He flipped to the next page.
"Shinobu Nagumo," it read.
"Captain of the SV2, Division 2. Age: 32 (hey- she's my age! Woohoo!).
A real looker. Very competant. Should probably be in a higher position-
should investigate why she isn't. I'd love to ask her out, but she's my
superior- it could hurt my career if we were caught. I'm due for a
promotion, though- maybe I'll have a chance when it comes.
"Updates:
"12/29/98- I got promoted to captain. We're of equal rank, now, and I'm no
longer under her command- I can date her without being punished by internal
affairs. I'm gonna ask her out for new years.
"1/01/99- I got shot down. No explanation why from her- maybe she's
already got a boyfriend, but she seemed reluctant to admit it. I'm not
giving up, though- she didn't seem to mind the attention.
"10/04/99- Oh, god, what a road trip! We wound up sharing a hotel room in
a love hotel. Shinobu is SO cute! Too bad she caught me before I got a
chance to see her in the bath. She didn't seem to mad about it, though,
after she was done with the bath. I didn't get any sleep at all, though-
not only was I just using a sofa and a towel to try and get comfortable
with, but she was in the room the whole time. I went over to just watch
her for a few moments- just watching her is a pleasure- and found she was
still awake as well. Then she checked on me a few minutes later. I don't
know- she seemed rather nervous. Was there a chance that she thought
something might actually happen? If so, does that mean she might find me a
little attractive? At least a very little?
"1/4/2000- Went to kiss Shinobu on New Years, but she dodged. It didn't
help there was a huge power-out at the time. Sigh.
"1/28/00- Shinobu got drunk today. I read a postcard from someone who I
think is a former lover named Tsuge. All I know about him is that he
established a school in the Police Academy that was a predecessor to the
Patlabor Training Facility, and that was where she met him. I also know he
was married- which is a bad, BAD thing. Shinobu kissed me for the first
time today, but as good as it was I couldn't let her do it again. Not like
that anyway- not when she's on the rebound.
"1/29/00- Shinobu and I talked about last night. She says to forget last
night happened, but encouraged me to continue pursuing her. I've gotta
move real carefully, now- don't want to move in so fast that I become a
short-lived rebound relationship for her. I'm also not certain she's
entirely over that postcard."
The officer reading Gotoh's journal sat down at his desk and leaned back.
"Interesting- very interesting," he said. "I always thought there was
something wierd about their relationship. I wonder what this book has to
say about the rest of the wierdos here."
Turning the page to the next tab, he continued reading.
"Tetsuo Gomioka.
"Very junior luitenant. Will probably replace me when I'm promoted. Very
serious. A couple years younger than I am. He's the pilot of Labor 1, so
I guess that means we're equals- both luitenants piloting a labor. He's
very good, technically, but I don't know how good he is with people. He
seems a bit arrogant. Other than that, he's okay. Oh, yeah- he's married,
but I don't get the feeling it's all that happy a marraige- he seems to
avoid his wife and she seems quite jealous and suspicious of him.
"Updates:
"4/12/99- Shinobu got mad when we she found out her unit was being used to
develop military equipment. Gomioka found out about her anger, and so
abandoned the labor that was the cause of this so as to make her happy,
despite the belief that the older technology of his labor made his
assignment dangerous. He might have a crush on her, too- is he a rival for
Shinobu's affection?
"12/27/99- Tomorrow gets promoted to command the newly established third
unit. VERY BAD IDEA in my opinion- he's not ready for command. Shinobu,
however, thinks he can handle it. I'm going along with it for her, but I
fear what it might do to Division 2.
"2/20/00- He did a good job today. Maybe he's growing into the job. We'll
see."
The officer sighed. "Not much to go on, there. Odd, though- I never saw
anything between him and Shinobu. Then again, I haven't been around here
for too long. Who else is mentioned in here?"
Continuing through the book, he read, "Ohta Isao.
"Headstrong firebrand. A bit triggerhappy. Pilot of labor 3 (a Type 96-
he's only called on in emergencies. He also acts as the command car
officer for Gomioka's labor, but he usually have to ignore half of what he
said). Ambitious brown-noser. Crack shot, adequete hand-to-hand ability.
As likely to cause problems as to solve him. He has a rivalry with
Shinohara. Oldest person in the division who isn't an officer- though
still just about my age. He'd do better if he could calm down.
"1/1/99- He was given to me to be one of my two labor pilots in my new
unit, as part of a deal to get Shinohara. Still need to find another-
Shinohara, who would be my top choice, is VERY reluctant to do it. I'm
trying to convince S. to take the assignment by making him Ohta's command
car operator. A few weeks of that and poor Asuma'll be begging for any
other position.
"1/20/99- The Shinohara expirement is failing. I'm getting new labors- and
a couple of new labor-trained personnel- in a few days. I'm keeping an eye
on someone I bumped into on my recent trip to the academy- Noa Izumi.
Izumi has the same never-say-die attitude that Ohta has and Shinohara
lack, but also is in control of herself enough to not be a threat to the
public. I'll put them together if possible. Maybe between them I'll get
what I want- Asuma's tactical skill combined with Ohta's stubborn will
minus Ohta's hair trigger. At any rate, I'm moving Shinohara off of Ohta's
team- Shinshi's the most likely candidate to replace him, unless one of the
new recruits turns out to have promising chemistry with him.
"1/26/99- PERFECT! An American officer just arrived, hoping to join our
unit. She also has the sense to realize piloting a labor of her own is
impossible, despite her impressive skills in the field. She's a firebrand
in her own way- maybe she can tame Ohta down a bit. At any rate, she's
better than Shinshi would be.
"6/24/99- Bad news. Kanuka had to leave, meaning I'm going to have to make
Shinshi Ohta's backup, after all. He can do the job, but it'll be a
serious struggle for him. I'm going to search all my resources for a
replacement.
"7/1/99- Found a replacement for Shinshi. Takeo Kumagami. She's a
luitenant, so she'll have his respect like Kanuka did, though she's
inexperienced. We'll work on it.
"12/27/99- Pushing Ohta off on Gomioka. I feel for the guy, I really do,
but after dealing with Ohta for a full year now I think it's time he became
someone else's problem. It's sort of a lateral promotion for Ohta, but
it'll probably be good for his career in the long run."
The officer reading smirked. "Yep, that sounds like what it would be like
dealing with Ohta, all right. I wonder who's next?"
"Asuma Shinohara," the book said.
"A bit of a punk, but considering what I know of his brother's suicide,
that's to be expected. Does NOT get along with his father, who heads the
largest labor manufacturer in Japan. Despite this, he still is able to use
his background in the labor industry to his advantage. Knows the technical
ability of just about every labor out there, and an impressive tactition,
as well. I think I'll take him under my wing. I just wish I could
convince him to become a labor pilot- I think he'd be good at that
position. Don't know why he doesn't like being one, he just does. Has a
rivalry with Ohta. Twenty four years old.
"1/1/99- Asuma's been assigned to my unit. I begged Shinobu for him,
shegave him to me... but I had to take Ohta, too. I'll make Asuma Ohta's
command car operator- might convince Shinohara that there are worse jobs
than being a labor pilot.
"1/23/99- Heh... Asuma met the academy girl I've been keeping my eye on.
She isn't even officially part of our unit yet, and already they're working
together like a great team. Maybe I don't need to try and make him a
pilot, after all- he seems to be good with the command car position.
"1/26/99- Asuma and Noa came up against each other in labor competition
today. Asuma was holding his own (even though it had degenerated into a
sort of elementary school play-fight, I could tell they were about even)
but then 'his leg suddenly gave out.' I know better than that- he threw
the match to her. I don't mind, though- he made up for it by showing that
he and Noa will be an EXCELLENT team as forward and backup. After he was
eliminated, he, without even being asked, assumed the position of command
for her... using his advice, Noa advanced to the finals and even fought the
extremely good and heavily experienced pilot Kanuka Clancy (from NY) to a
standstill, losing only because of a simple rookie mistake (running out of
power).
"6/2/99- Asuma and Noa have had a huge fight. I'm going to have to
separate them when we go on this next mission, and hope that the temporary
separation will help them make up.
"6/10/99- Asuma actually decided to pilot a labor, for once. He did it to
rescue Noa during a fight with some strange- but very powerful- labor.
Seems to me they made up.
"8/2/99- Asuma was severely injured in battle against a (different)
super-powerful labor. He was test-driving the mass-production labor, and
claims that it was not running smoothly at all. I believe him. At any
rate, he'll be out of the action for a bit.
"8/7/99- Asuma aggravated his injury because he wouldn't listen to the
doctors advice and came to help us out against the black labor.
"11/5/99- Asuma had a class reunion today. He's acting very distracted,
like something strange happened at the reunion. Actually, he's been doing
that for a few days, now, come to think of it. Wonder what's going on...
"12/16/99- Asuma took Noa somewhere today. Considering it's the
anniversary of his brother's suicide, I can guess where.
"1/7/00- Asuma went to dinner with his father. Curious- perhaps they are
attempting some sort of reconciliation? At any rate, he was rather upset
before he left.
"1/18/00- The maintenance squad had a little spat with him because he was
rude to Natsume. I think Sakaki stepped in and settled it, though.
"1/28/00- Asuma's taking personal time off to look after Noa. He'll
probably be gone as long as she is- which is about a month, I think."
The man reading the journal chuckled. "Of course Shinohara'd take a month
off to look after Noa. They're lovers, aren't they? I wonder why Gotoh
didn't mention the depth of their relationship in this journal, though?
Maybe it's in Noa's entry. Ah, well, wonder who's next."
There were a couple of entries the man passed by- people who were no longer
part of SV2, including Akito Kenichi, the most recent to have departed,
looking for more relevant entries. He stopped when he got to Toru Sasaki.
"Grizzled veteran- he's been a Patlabor pilot since the program got started
in 1996. Retired from piloting to become a command car operator in 1998.
Refuses promotions and claims the new labors give him motion sickness-
which seems odd to me, if the old ones didn't. Typical veteran, except he
has a thing for keeping his uniform clean."
Their were no updates on him, and so the person reading turned another
page.
"Hideki Nomo,
"Labor driver. Was a labor pilot from the start of the industry alongside
Toru Sasaki, until he lost a hand in the line of duty. Unphasable by
outside events. Otherwise uninteresting."
That seemed a rather... pointless... entry. Again, the page turned.
"Shinshi Mikiyashi
"Harmless.
"1/26/99- Make that Mostly Harmless."
For some reason, the reader of the journal was expecting a longer entry for
Shinshi, considering certain things. There was no mention of Shinshi's
marraige, his rivalry with Ohta, the triggers which would upset him, or
anything. Then again, Shinshi probably WAS just mostly harmless. Oh,
well- on to the next entry.
"Yuhki Watanabe
"Returned to Unit 1 to replace me when we created Unit 2- apparently, he
couldn't hack it the first time he joined. I wasn't part of the SV2 when
he was first here, but apparently he was just too nervous in combat
situations to deal with it. He's still rather nervous, but maybe he's over
it by now."
Again, there were no updates- Gotoh apparently didn't have much to say
about the members of Unit 1. There was only one more to deal with,
however, until they reached the entries on the latest crop of rookies.
"Tazaki Hiroaki
"Another man brought in to fill up Unit 1's ranks. He's a transport
driver.
"Updates:
"12/27/99- Promoted on permanent basis to become command car operator for
Yuhki."
Another real short entry- barely worth reading. Maybe the next one would
prove more interesting.
"Hiromi Yamazaki
"A gentle giant. Really quiet. I'm not entirely sure why he joined the
force- he spends more time worrying about his tomato garden and caring for
the hens than he does caring about police work. He's the first person to
have my unit as his first assignment- should be getting another one soon
(I'm looking at Noa Izumi, a delightful young girl who I hope has the
ability to go with that enthusiasm). He'll be on the not-yet-formed labor
team 2.
"Updates:
"1/26/99- Found the rest of Labor Team 2. Noa Izumi and Asuma Shinohara.
It seems as if they'll have pretty good chemistry.
That entry was a bit longer than the last few, but still left something to
be desired. Oh, well- there really wasn't much to know about Hiromi,
outside of that, as far as the reader knew. On to the next entry.
"Noa Izumi," it said.
"What a find. The tests all show that she should be a barely average cop,
but there are a few things about her that make me think those tests are all
wrong. Namely, she's already shown herself a skilled labor pilot, almost
singlehandedly rescuing the new Type 98 labor as it was being stolen.
That, along with her enthusiasm and affinity for her labor, all show she's
perfect for her position. That, and the chemistry she has with Asuma
Shinohara all make me think she's a tremendous find.
"Updates:
"1/26/99- She's named her labor Alphonse. She also won the position of
pilot for labor 1 over Ohta. Deserves it, too. She fought Kanuka Clancy,
who is reputed to be the best Patlabor pilot in the world, to a standstill,
losing in the end due to having neglected to keep her eyes on the power
guage. She DID have an unfair advantage, however- Asuma was helping her.
As I said, good chemestry between those two.
"6/2/99- Noa and Asuma had a spat. I'll work on fixing them up- I'd hate
to lose as good a team as that over something stupid.
"6/10/99- Spat seems to be resolved. Asuma saved Noa's life in a labor
battle today.
"8/7/99- Noa's fight against the black labor nearly sent her into a nervous
breakdown. It'll take her a while to recover from this one.
"10/11/99- Noa's second fight against the black labor ended much better for
her. I don't think we'll be seeing it again.
"10/15/99- Noa had a toothache today. It didn't exactly make her happy,
and Asuma teased her about it constantly. She seems to hate going to a
dentist...
"11/18/99- We went on our first unit vacation this week. Noa seemed a
little upset that she couldn't get drunk despite everyone else being so.
Odd, that.
"12/16/99- Noa went with Asuma to visit his brother's grave.
"1/7/00- Noa seems upset today. Don't know why."
"1/28/00- Injured with freak sports accident. She was trampled, and will
be in the hospital almost a month. Asuma's keeping her company."
Finally, a longer entry. There were a few things missing, however. Like
with Asuma's entry, there wasn't any mention of the two of them going out.
Well, except maybe for that repeated mention of 'chemistry,' but that
doesn't seem to be enough. Maybe Gotoh just didn't care... or perhaps he
was afraid someone might go snooping through his books, and didn't want to
risk it being someone who might harm said relationship. Come to think of
it, the officer reading the book could be just the sort of person Gotoh was
avoiding mention of the relationship for. Oh, well- next entry.
"Kanuka Clancy
"Reputed to be the best patlabor pilot in the world. Honestly, I think Noa
Izumi will probably be better than she is, but at the moment I guess that
she's a little better. An American who's joined our unit temporarily. In
theory, to learn our 'tactics' or some bullshit like that. The truth is
she's being exiled for a temper- she and Ohta think a little alike. I'm
going to make her Ohta's command car operator- the two of them might hit it
off, you never know. She DOES have a lot of skills outside of being good
with labors. She seems to be trying to out-Japanese us Japanese. She even
speaks our language better than her native one! Rather arrogant about her
abilities, however. She'll only be staying with us for 6 months.
"Updates:
"6/24/99- Went back to America.
"8/4/99- Kanuka's come back for a little while, to help us out while
Takeo's in the hospital. Should be interesting.
"8/12/99- Back to America.
"9/15/99- Kanuka's back AGAIN. This time, it's to help us with E. Hoba
problem. Good thing, too, since Kumagami's in Hong Kong, pursuing a lead
on the guy who shot her.
"9/20/99- Back to America.
"10/7/99- Kanuka showed up again, with her Grandmother. I think her
grandmother's planning to move here in a few months.
"10/11/99- Kanuka helped us out with the Black Labor again.
"10/15/99- Back to America.
"11/18/99- Kanuka was able to join us for the first unit vacation. Takeo
was there, too- and BOY did the sparks fly. Both of them were involved in
a contest of one-upmanship (poor Ohta- he got the worst of it from the both
of them!) that I was a little concerned would end in a serious catfight.
It ended peacefully, however
"11/20/99- Back to America.
"12/26/99- Back here to participate in Gomioka's promotion ceremony.
Sometimes I wonder why her home police department keeps letting her go,
considering how good a cop she is.
"12/31/99- Kanuka's asked for a position in our unit because her
Grandmother's dying and she wants to be able to stay in Japan and look
after her. I can't do anything, myself, but I was able to make
arrangements for a unit of the street cops to take her in temporarily. She
doesn't like the idea, though.
"1/7/00- She's back in the SV2, having been given her old job back of
taming Ohta in Unit 3. Heh... well, she got what she wanted, I guess."
The reader chuckled. 'Taming' Ohta- yeah, that sounded like the position
his command car officer would be given.
"Takeo Kumagami," the next page read.
"A supercop, sort of like Kanuka but without the background in labors.
Terrified of the supernatural. Looks a little like Noa, but with different
colored hair. Putting her in charge of Ohta for now- she's really more
interested in using us as a stepping-stone for promotion than anything.
"Updates:
"8/2/99- She's been shot and is in the hospital.
"8/23/99- On duty again. She doesn't seem fully recovered, yet, but
physically she's fine.
"9/10/99- She took some personal leave to take a trip to Hong Kong. She
claims she has an idea about the man who shot her.
"9/20/99- She's returned. Apparently, she was unsuccessful. She arrived
just in time to miss the E. Hoba incident.
"10/11/99- Interesting. She has a connection to this 'Richard Wong'
character.
"11/18/99- Kanuka showed up for the unit vacation, but the two of them
didn't exactly get along.
"12/16/99- Odd. I didn't expect her to turn down the promotion we were
offering. Instead, she claims she wants MY job! She can have it, if she
wants it."
So, Kumagami wasn't as ambitious about her career as she seemed. The
reader filed that little bit of information away as being possibly useful
in the future- there was someone he knew who might be interested in that.
The man continued reading.
"Koichi Miyagi." Ah! The first of the rookies.
"Enthusiastic. VERY Enthusiastic. Smiles all the time. He's rather
creepy about it, in fact... I'm glad he's in Shinobu's unit and not mine.
Labor Pilot."
It was back to short entries with few if any updates, but that was to be
expected. These were people who hadn't been here nearly as long, and
weren't as likely to make much of an impact on Gotoh's unit. Next.
"Ueki Mashimo
"Doesn't care about his appearance. Has some sort of rivalry with Yamane
Seiroku. This is not a happy man. Physically reminds me of Inspector
Matsui, however. Transport Driver. Assigned to Unit 1."
"Updates:
"1/28/00- Heard the OFFICIAL story of his and Seiroku's rivalry. Not sure
I believe it, though. Getting into a fight because someone turned in the
other over some booze? Doesn't seem likely to me."
Next.
"Joudo Ishikawa
"Nice enough guy. Good labor pilot. Has a thing for Natsume Kawai- but
then, so do all the engineers. They're on the same team, so I guess
there's a chance something could come of it. They'll just have to hide
their relationship a bit. Internal affair would have their hide if they
found out.
"Updates:
"1/6/00- Takeo reports that he was very effective. Imagine, a NORMAL
police officer piloting one of MY Labors. Unheard of."
Heh, funny. Next.
"Natsume Kawai.
"Er, not much I can say about her. She's... cute. Seems to have attracted
the attention of the entire mechanics division, and her teamate Joudo
Ishikawa. So far, only Joudo and Shige seem to be able to attract her
attention, however.
"Updates:
"12/29/99- Mental note: She and Asuma don't get along well. Probably
because she nearly killed Noa by accident today, but still...
"1/18/00- The Maintenance Squad nearly killed Asuma on her behalf today.
Maybe we should think about trading her in with that idol singer who was
made an honorary part of our unit- Kana, I think her name was- she'd be
just as popular as Kana, and Kana would be better suited working here than
she would! Don't have anything against the girl, but she's barely able to
succeed as a member of the team. I'll have to think about what to do with
her."
The man reading frowned. Gotoh hadn't mentioned it, but he had a slight
crush on Natsume, himself. Oh, well- it wasn't likely that Gotoh was going
to be able to replace her any time soon. Next.
"Yoshi Tobe
"Transport Driver, Unit 3. Don't know anything about him."
Heh... oh, well. Next.
"Kenji Iguchi
"Oops- I made this page to write about him when I got his file, and forgot
to put anything on it. Oh, well- I'll remember to come back to it later.
No time, now."
It looked as if Gotoh STILL forgot to write anything about the guy. From
what the reader knew, he was a totally non-descript man. Totally
forgettable. It was almost as if the gods had decided to toss in one extra
person to put in situations where just one more man was needed. Oh, well,
it seemed pretty obvious there wasn't much of importance about him.
Now, for the last entry.
"Yamane Seiroku.
"Interesting guy. He REALLY wanted to be a labor pilot, from what I heard,
but instead we had to assign him to be a command car operator. I think
Gomioka's talked to him, and decided to make him the pilot for the third
labor. His placement match was a little wierd- his first opponent's labor
was defective. I'd almost say it looked like sabatoge, but I've been
assured that isn't possible. Part of unit 3. Very competant. Could be
the next Kanuka or Takeo as a command car operator. Has a rivalry with
Ueki Mashimo.
"1/28/00- If this is really why he and Ueki got into such a fued, I pity
his nose. Broken HOW many times, now- and by the same person? Poor guy.
"2/20/00- Gomioka has put him up for a commendation for excellence in the
Quartermaster's Building break-in. First time I've ever known a Captain in
the SV2 to put their officers up for commendation to the high command-
usually, that's done by public relations. Honestly, I think Noa and Asuma
both deserve commendations more than him, but I may approve the
recommendation to boost Gomioka's morale. He needs a pat on the back for
finally getting his act together as captain. However, I think Mr.
Seiroku-"
The door opened, and the officer shut the book before anyone could catch
him reading it.
"Hello. What are you doing here?" Captain Gomioka said, entering the room.
"Finishing up a report, sir," the officer replied. "I was looking for a
stapler, and knocked some things off of Captain Gotoh's desk."
Gomioka nodded. "Carry on, then."
The officer placed the book back on Captain Gotoh's desk, breathing a sigh
of relief. He didn't want to get caught reading that book... not that
there was really anything that private in there, but it probably wasn't
anything that Gotoh wanted anyone else to read. It was rather interesting,
however. Oh, well... now, where to find a stapler?
-------------------------
Next Episode: An unusual theft from Shinohara Industries has brought in
some of the members of the second section to investigate- namely, Noa and
Asuma. Instead of helping the investigation, though, they're appropriated
by Asuma's father for a little tete-a-tete.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
desaix@sysnet.net
Sir Desaix, member # 116 of the Knights of the True Fiancee
anime fanfics available at
http://www.geocities.com/zednik.geo/fanfics.htm
An Episodic Patlabor Fanfic by David A. Tatum
Disclaimer: Insert legal junk here...
Episode 13: Patlabor: Personnel Files
February 22, 2000
"Hmm, I need the stapler..." one of the SV2 officers said, searching
through the top of Gotoh's desk. The three captains were all out of the
office, but that didn't stop people from coming in to file reports.
As the officer looked through the clutter on the desk, he knocked a book
off the table. Picking it up and casually glancing through it out of
curiousity, he noticed something.
"Hey, is that my name? And Shinobu's... and Kanuka's... and- whadya know?
Everyone's name is here. What is this, exactly?"
Turning it to the beginning, he read the title page.
"Thoughts on my co-workers in the SV2, by Luitenant Gotoh. Begun
11/23/98."
The officer blinked. "LUITENANT Gotoh? This thing must be from back when
the SV2 was first formed. Interesting."
He flipped to the next page.
"Shinobu Nagumo," it read.
"Captain of the SV2, Division 2. Age: 32 (hey- she's my age! Woohoo!).
A real looker. Very competant. Should probably be in a higher position-
should investigate why she isn't. I'd love to ask her out, but she's my
superior- it could hurt my career if we were caught. I'm due for a
promotion, though- maybe I'll have a chance when it comes.
"Updates:
"12/29/98- I got promoted to captain. We're of equal rank, now, and I'm no
longer under her command- I can date her without being punished by internal
affairs. I'm gonna ask her out for new years.
"1/01/99- I got shot down. No explanation why from her- maybe she's
already got a boyfriend, but she seemed reluctant to admit it. I'm not
giving up, though- she didn't seem to mind the attention.
"10/04/99- Oh, god, what a road trip! We wound up sharing a hotel room in
a love hotel. Shinobu is SO cute! Too bad she caught me before I got a
chance to see her in the bath. She didn't seem to mad about it, though,
after she was done with the bath. I didn't get any sleep at all, though-
not only was I just using a sofa and a towel to try and get comfortable
with, but she was in the room the whole time. I went over to just watch
her for a few moments- just watching her is a pleasure- and found she was
still awake as well. Then she checked on me a few minutes later. I don't
know- she seemed rather nervous. Was there a chance that she thought
something might actually happen? If so, does that mean she might find me a
little attractive? At least a very little?
"1/4/2000- Went to kiss Shinobu on New Years, but she dodged. It didn't
help there was a huge power-out at the time. Sigh.
"1/28/00- Shinobu got drunk today. I read a postcard from someone who I
think is a former lover named Tsuge. All I know about him is that he
established a school in the Police Academy that was a predecessor to the
Patlabor Training Facility, and that was where she met him. I also know he
was married- which is a bad, BAD thing. Shinobu kissed me for the first
time today, but as good as it was I couldn't let her do it again. Not like
that anyway- not when she's on the rebound.
"1/29/00- Shinobu and I talked about last night. She says to forget last
night happened, but encouraged me to continue pursuing her. I've gotta
move real carefully, now- don't want to move in so fast that I become a
short-lived rebound relationship for her. I'm also not certain she's
entirely over that postcard."
The officer reading Gotoh's journal sat down at his desk and leaned back.
"Interesting- very interesting," he said. "I always thought there was
something wierd about their relationship. I wonder what this book has to
say about the rest of the wierdos here."
Turning the page to the next tab, he continued reading.
"Tetsuo Gomioka.
"Very junior luitenant. Will probably replace me when I'm promoted. Very
serious. A couple years younger than I am. He's the pilot of Labor 1, so
I guess that means we're equals- both luitenants piloting a labor. He's
very good, technically, but I don't know how good he is with people. He
seems a bit arrogant. Other than that, he's okay. Oh, yeah- he's married,
but I don't get the feeling it's all that happy a marraige- he seems to
avoid his wife and she seems quite jealous and suspicious of him.
"Updates:
"4/12/99- Shinobu got mad when we she found out her unit was being used to
develop military equipment. Gomioka found out about her anger, and so
abandoned the labor that was the cause of this so as to make her happy,
despite the belief that the older technology of his labor made his
assignment dangerous. He might have a crush on her, too- is he a rival for
Shinobu's affection?
"12/27/99- Tomorrow gets promoted to command the newly established third
unit. VERY BAD IDEA in my opinion- he's not ready for command. Shinobu,
however, thinks he can handle it. I'm going along with it for her, but I
fear what it might do to Division 2.
"2/20/00- He did a good job today. Maybe he's growing into the job. We'll
see."
The officer sighed. "Not much to go on, there. Odd, though- I never saw
anything between him and Shinobu. Then again, I haven't been around here
for too long. Who else is mentioned in here?"
Continuing through the book, he read, "Ohta Isao.
"Headstrong firebrand. A bit triggerhappy. Pilot of labor 3 (a Type 96-
he's only called on in emergencies. He also acts as the command car
officer for Gomioka's labor, but he usually have to ignore half of what he
said). Ambitious brown-noser. Crack shot, adequete hand-to-hand ability.
As likely to cause problems as to solve him. He has a rivalry with
Shinohara. Oldest person in the division who isn't an officer- though
still just about my age. He'd do better if he could calm down.
"1/1/99- He was given to me to be one of my two labor pilots in my new
unit, as part of a deal to get Shinohara. Still need to find another-
Shinohara, who would be my top choice, is VERY reluctant to do it. I'm
trying to convince S. to take the assignment by making him Ohta's command
car operator. A few weeks of that and poor Asuma'll be begging for any
other position.
"1/20/99- The Shinohara expirement is failing. I'm getting new labors- and
a couple of new labor-trained personnel- in a few days. I'm keeping an eye
on someone I bumped into on my recent trip to the academy- Noa Izumi.
Izumi has the same never-say-die attitude that Ohta has and Shinohara
lack, but also is in control of herself enough to not be a threat to the
public. I'll put them together if possible. Maybe between them I'll get
what I want- Asuma's tactical skill combined with Ohta's stubborn will
minus Ohta's hair trigger. At any rate, I'm moving Shinohara off of Ohta's
team- Shinshi's the most likely candidate to replace him, unless one of the
new recruits turns out to have promising chemistry with him.
"1/26/99- PERFECT! An American officer just arrived, hoping to join our
unit. She also has the sense to realize piloting a labor of her own is
impossible, despite her impressive skills in the field. She's a firebrand
in her own way- maybe she can tame Ohta down a bit. At any rate, she's
better than Shinshi would be.
"6/24/99- Bad news. Kanuka had to leave, meaning I'm going to have to make
Shinshi Ohta's backup, after all. He can do the job, but it'll be a
serious struggle for him. I'm going to search all my resources for a
replacement.
"7/1/99- Found a replacement for Shinshi. Takeo Kumagami. She's a
luitenant, so she'll have his respect like Kanuka did, though she's
inexperienced. We'll work on it.
"12/27/99- Pushing Ohta off on Gomioka. I feel for the guy, I really do,
but after dealing with Ohta for a full year now I think it's time he became
someone else's problem. It's sort of a lateral promotion for Ohta, but
it'll probably be good for his career in the long run."
The officer reading smirked. "Yep, that sounds like what it would be like
dealing with Ohta, all right. I wonder who's next?"
"Asuma Shinohara," the book said.
"A bit of a punk, but considering what I know of his brother's suicide,
that's to be expected. Does NOT get along with his father, who heads the
largest labor manufacturer in Japan. Despite this, he still is able to use
his background in the labor industry to his advantage. Knows the technical
ability of just about every labor out there, and an impressive tactition,
as well. I think I'll take him under my wing. I just wish I could
convince him to become a labor pilot- I think he'd be good at that
position. Don't know why he doesn't like being one, he just does. Has a
rivalry with Ohta. Twenty four years old.
"1/1/99- Asuma's been assigned to my unit. I begged Shinobu for him,
shegave him to me... but I had to take Ohta, too. I'll make Asuma Ohta's
command car operator- might convince Shinohara that there are worse jobs
than being a labor pilot.
"1/23/99- Heh... Asuma met the academy girl I've been keeping my eye on.
She isn't even officially part of our unit yet, and already they're working
together like a great team. Maybe I don't need to try and make him a
pilot, after all- he seems to be good with the command car position.
"1/26/99- Asuma and Noa came up against each other in labor competition
today. Asuma was holding his own (even though it had degenerated into a
sort of elementary school play-fight, I could tell they were about even)
but then 'his leg suddenly gave out.' I know better than that- he threw
the match to her. I don't mind, though- he made up for it by showing that
he and Noa will be an EXCELLENT team as forward and backup. After he was
eliminated, he, without even being asked, assumed the position of command
for her... using his advice, Noa advanced to the finals and even fought the
extremely good and heavily experienced pilot Kanuka Clancy (from NY) to a
standstill, losing only because of a simple rookie mistake (running out of
power).
"6/2/99- Asuma and Noa have had a huge fight. I'm going to have to
separate them when we go on this next mission, and hope that the temporary
separation will help them make up.
"6/10/99- Asuma actually decided to pilot a labor, for once. He did it to
rescue Noa during a fight with some strange- but very powerful- labor.
Seems to me they made up.
"8/2/99- Asuma was severely injured in battle against a (different)
super-powerful labor. He was test-driving the mass-production labor, and
claims that it was not running smoothly at all. I believe him. At any
rate, he'll be out of the action for a bit.
"8/7/99- Asuma aggravated his injury because he wouldn't listen to the
doctors advice and came to help us out against the black labor.
"11/5/99- Asuma had a class reunion today. He's acting very distracted,
like something strange happened at the reunion. Actually, he's been doing
that for a few days, now, come to think of it. Wonder what's going on...
"12/16/99- Asuma took Noa somewhere today. Considering it's the
anniversary of his brother's suicide, I can guess where.
"1/7/00- Asuma went to dinner with his father. Curious- perhaps they are
attempting some sort of reconciliation? At any rate, he was rather upset
before he left.
"1/18/00- The maintenance squad had a little spat with him because he was
rude to Natsume. I think Sakaki stepped in and settled it, though.
"1/28/00- Asuma's taking personal time off to look after Noa. He'll
probably be gone as long as she is- which is about a month, I think."
The man reading the journal chuckled. "Of course Shinohara'd take a month
off to look after Noa. They're lovers, aren't they? I wonder why Gotoh
didn't mention the depth of their relationship in this journal, though?
Maybe it's in Noa's entry. Ah, well, wonder who's next."
There were a couple of entries the man passed by- people who were no longer
part of SV2, including Akito Kenichi, the most recent to have departed,
looking for more relevant entries. He stopped when he got to Toru Sasaki.
"Grizzled veteran- he's been a Patlabor pilot since the program got started
in 1996. Retired from piloting to become a command car operator in 1998.
Refuses promotions and claims the new labors give him motion sickness-
which seems odd to me, if the old ones didn't. Typical veteran, except he
has a thing for keeping his uniform clean."
Their were no updates on him, and so the person reading turned another
page.
"Hideki Nomo,
"Labor driver. Was a labor pilot from the start of the industry alongside
Toru Sasaki, until he lost a hand in the line of duty. Unphasable by
outside events. Otherwise uninteresting."
That seemed a rather... pointless... entry. Again, the page turned.
"Shinshi Mikiyashi
"Harmless.
"1/26/99- Make that Mostly Harmless."
For some reason, the reader of the journal was expecting a longer entry for
Shinshi, considering certain things. There was no mention of Shinshi's
marraige, his rivalry with Ohta, the triggers which would upset him, or
anything. Then again, Shinshi probably WAS just mostly harmless. Oh,
well- on to the next entry.
"Yuhki Watanabe
"Returned to Unit 1 to replace me when we created Unit 2- apparently, he
couldn't hack it the first time he joined. I wasn't part of the SV2 when
he was first here, but apparently he was just too nervous in combat
situations to deal with it. He's still rather nervous, but maybe he's over
it by now."
Again, there were no updates- Gotoh apparently didn't have much to say
about the members of Unit 1. There was only one more to deal with,
however, until they reached the entries on the latest crop of rookies.
"Tazaki Hiroaki
"Another man brought in to fill up Unit 1's ranks. He's a transport
driver.
"Updates:
"12/27/99- Promoted on permanent basis to become command car operator for
Yuhki."
Another real short entry- barely worth reading. Maybe the next one would
prove more interesting.
"Hiromi Yamazaki
"A gentle giant. Really quiet. I'm not entirely sure why he joined the
force- he spends more time worrying about his tomato garden and caring for
the hens than he does caring about police work. He's the first person to
have my unit as his first assignment- should be getting another one soon
(I'm looking at Noa Izumi, a delightful young girl who I hope has the
ability to go with that enthusiasm). He'll be on the not-yet-formed labor
team 2.
"Updates:
"1/26/99- Found the rest of Labor Team 2. Noa Izumi and Asuma Shinohara.
It seems as if they'll have pretty good chemistry.
That entry was a bit longer than the last few, but still left something to
be desired. Oh, well- there really wasn't much to know about Hiromi,
outside of that, as far as the reader knew. On to the next entry.
"Noa Izumi," it said.
"What a find. The tests all show that she should be a barely average cop,
but there are a few things about her that make me think those tests are all
wrong. Namely, she's already shown herself a skilled labor pilot, almost
singlehandedly rescuing the new Type 98 labor as it was being stolen.
That, along with her enthusiasm and affinity for her labor, all show she's
perfect for her position. That, and the chemistry she has with Asuma
Shinohara all make me think she's a tremendous find.
"Updates:
"1/26/99- She's named her labor Alphonse. She also won the position of
pilot for labor 1 over Ohta. Deserves it, too. She fought Kanuka Clancy,
who is reputed to be the best Patlabor pilot in the world, to a standstill,
losing in the end due to having neglected to keep her eyes on the power
guage. She DID have an unfair advantage, however- Asuma was helping her.
As I said, good chemestry between those two.
"6/2/99- Noa and Asuma had a spat. I'll work on fixing them up- I'd hate
to lose as good a team as that over something stupid.
"6/10/99- Spat seems to be resolved. Asuma saved Noa's life in a labor
battle today.
"8/7/99- Noa's fight against the black labor nearly sent her into a nervous
breakdown. It'll take her a while to recover from this one.
"10/11/99- Noa's second fight against the black labor ended much better for
her. I don't think we'll be seeing it again.
"10/15/99- Noa had a toothache today. It didn't exactly make her happy,
and Asuma teased her about it constantly. She seems to hate going to a
dentist...
"11/18/99- We went on our first unit vacation this week. Noa seemed a
little upset that she couldn't get drunk despite everyone else being so.
Odd, that.
"12/16/99- Noa went with Asuma to visit his brother's grave.
"1/7/00- Noa seems upset today. Don't know why."
"1/28/00- Injured with freak sports accident. She was trampled, and will
be in the hospital almost a month. Asuma's keeping her company."
Finally, a longer entry. There were a few things missing, however. Like
with Asuma's entry, there wasn't any mention of the two of them going out.
Well, except maybe for that repeated mention of 'chemistry,' but that
doesn't seem to be enough. Maybe Gotoh just didn't care... or perhaps he
was afraid someone might go snooping through his books, and didn't want to
risk it being someone who might harm said relationship. Come to think of
it, the officer reading the book could be just the sort of person Gotoh was
avoiding mention of the relationship for. Oh, well- next entry.
"Kanuka Clancy
"Reputed to be the best patlabor pilot in the world. Honestly, I think Noa
Izumi will probably be better than she is, but at the moment I guess that
she's a little better. An American who's joined our unit temporarily. In
theory, to learn our 'tactics' or some bullshit like that. The truth is
she's being exiled for a temper- she and Ohta think a little alike. I'm
going to make her Ohta's command car operator- the two of them might hit it
off, you never know. She DOES have a lot of skills outside of being good
with labors. She seems to be trying to out-Japanese us Japanese. She even
speaks our language better than her native one! Rather arrogant about her
abilities, however. She'll only be staying with us for 6 months.
"Updates:
"6/24/99- Went back to America.
"8/4/99- Kanuka's come back for a little while, to help us out while
Takeo's in the hospital. Should be interesting.
"8/12/99- Back to America.
"9/15/99- Kanuka's back AGAIN. This time, it's to help us with E. Hoba
problem. Good thing, too, since Kumagami's in Hong Kong, pursuing a lead
on the guy who shot her.
"9/20/99- Back to America.
"10/7/99- Kanuka showed up again, with her Grandmother. I think her
grandmother's planning to move here in a few months.
"10/11/99- Kanuka helped us out with the Black Labor again.
"10/15/99- Back to America.
"11/18/99- Kanuka was able to join us for the first unit vacation. Takeo
was there, too- and BOY did the sparks fly. Both of them were involved in
a contest of one-upmanship (poor Ohta- he got the worst of it from the both
of them!) that I was a little concerned would end in a serious catfight.
It ended peacefully, however
"11/20/99- Back to America.
"12/26/99- Back here to participate in Gomioka's promotion ceremony.
Sometimes I wonder why her home police department keeps letting her go,
considering how good a cop she is.
"12/31/99- Kanuka's asked for a position in our unit because her
Grandmother's dying and she wants to be able to stay in Japan and look
after her. I can't do anything, myself, but I was able to make
arrangements for a unit of the street cops to take her in temporarily. She
doesn't like the idea, though.
"1/7/00- She's back in the SV2, having been given her old job back of
taming Ohta in Unit 3. Heh... well, she got what she wanted, I guess."
The reader chuckled. 'Taming' Ohta- yeah, that sounded like the position
his command car officer would be given.
"Takeo Kumagami," the next page read.
"A supercop, sort of like Kanuka but without the background in labors.
Terrified of the supernatural. Looks a little like Noa, but with different
colored hair. Putting her in charge of Ohta for now- she's really more
interested in using us as a stepping-stone for promotion than anything.
"Updates:
"8/2/99- She's been shot and is in the hospital.
"8/23/99- On duty again. She doesn't seem fully recovered, yet, but
physically she's fine.
"9/10/99- She took some personal leave to take a trip to Hong Kong. She
claims she has an idea about the man who shot her.
"9/20/99- She's returned. Apparently, she was unsuccessful. She arrived
just in time to miss the E. Hoba incident.
"10/11/99- Interesting. She has a connection to this 'Richard Wong'
character.
"11/18/99- Kanuka showed up for the unit vacation, but the two of them
didn't exactly get along.
"12/16/99- Odd. I didn't expect her to turn down the promotion we were
offering. Instead, she claims she wants MY job! She can have it, if she
wants it."
So, Kumagami wasn't as ambitious about her career as she seemed. The
reader filed that little bit of information away as being possibly useful
in the future- there was someone he knew who might be interested in that.
The man continued reading.
"Koichi Miyagi." Ah! The first of the rookies.
"Enthusiastic. VERY Enthusiastic. Smiles all the time. He's rather
creepy about it, in fact... I'm glad he's in Shinobu's unit and not mine.
Labor Pilot."
It was back to short entries with few if any updates, but that was to be
expected. These were people who hadn't been here nearly as long, and
weren't as likely to make much of an impact on Gotoh's unit. Next.
"Ueki Mashimo
"Doesn't care about his appearance. Has some sort of rivalry with Yamane
Seiroku. This is not a happy man. Physically reminds me of Inspector
Matsui, however. Transport Driver. Assigned to Unit 1."
"Updates:
"1/28/00- Heard the OFFICIAL story of his and Seiroku's rivalry. Not sure
I believe it, though. Getting into a fight because someone turned in the
other over some booze? Doesn't seem likely to me."
Next.
"Joudo Ishikawa
"Nice enough guy. Good labor pilot. Has a thing for Natsume Kawai- but
then, so do all the engineers. They're on the same team, so I guess
there's a chance something could come of it. They'll just have to hide
their relationship a bit. Internal affair would have their hide if they
found out.
"Updates:
"1/6/00- Takeo reports that he was very effective. Imagine, a NORMAL
police officer piloting one of MY Labors. Unheard of."
Heh, funny. Next.
"Natsume Kawai.
"Er, not much I can say about her. She's... cute. Seems to have attracted
the attention of the entire mechanics division, and her teamate Joudo
Ishikawa. So far, only Joudo and Shige seem to be able to attract her
attention, however.
"Updates:
"12/29/99- Mental note: She and Asuma don't get along well. Probably
because she nearly killed Noa by accident today, but still...
"1/18/00- The Maintenance Squad nearly killed Asuma on her behalf today.
Maybe we should think about trading her in with that idol singer who was
made an honorary part of our unit- Kana, I think her name was- she'd be
just as popular as Kana, and Kana would be better suited working here than
she would! Don't have anything against the girl, but she's barely able to
succeed as a member of the team. I'll have to think about what to do with
her."
The man reading frowned. Gotoh hadn't mentioned it, but he had a slight
crush on Natsume, himself. Oh, well- it wasn't likely that Gotoh was going
to be able to replace her any time soon. Next.
"Yoshi Tobe
"Transport Driver, Unit 3. Don't know anything about him."
Heh... oh, well. Next.
"Kenji Iguchi
"Oops- I made this page to write about him when I got his file, and forgot
to put anything on it. Oh, well- I'll remember to come back to it later.
No time, now."
It looked as if Gotoh STILL forgot to write anything about the guy. From
what the reader knew, he was a totally non-descript man. Totally
forgettable. It was almost as if the gods had decided to toss in one extra
person to put in situations where just one more man was needed. Oh, well,
it seemed pretty obvious there wasn't much of importance about him.
Now, for the last entry.
"Yamane Seiroku.
"Interesting guy. He REALLY wanted to be a labor pilot, from what I heard,
but instead we had to assign him to be a command car operator. I think
Gomioka's talked to him, and decided to make him the pilot for the third
labor. His placement match was a little wierd- his first opponent's labor
was defective. I'd almost say it looked like sabatoge, but I've been
assured that isn't possible. Part of unit 3. Very competant. Could be
the next Kanuka or Takeo as a command car operator. Has a rivalry with
Ueki Mashimo.
"1/28/00- If this is really why he and Ueki got into such a fued, I pity
his nose. Broken HOW many times, now- and by the same person? Poor guy.
"2/20/00- Gomioka has put him up for a commendation for excellence in the
Quartermaster's Building break-in. First time I've ever known a Captain in
the SV2 to put their officers up for commendation to the high command-
usually, that's done by public relations. Honestly, I think Noa and Asuma
both deserve commendations more than him, but I may approve the
recommendation to boost Gomioka's morale. He needs a pat on the back for
finally getting his act together as captain. However, I think Mr.
Seiroku-"
The door opened, and the officer shut the book before anyone could catch
him reading it.
"Hello. What are you doing here?" Captain Gomioka said, entering the room.
"Finishing up a report, sir," the officer replied. "I was looking for a
stapler, and knocked some things off of Captain Gotoh's desk."
Gomioka nodded. "Carry on, then."
The officer placed the book back on Captain Gotoh's desk, breathing a sigh
of relief. He didn't want to get caught reading that book... not that
there was really anything that private in there, but it probably wasn't
anything that Gotoh wanted anyone else to read. It was rather interesting,
however. Oh, well... now, where to find a stapler?
-------------------------
Next Episode: An unusual theft from Shinohara Industries has brought in
some of the members of the second section to investigate- namely, Noa and
Asuma. Instead of helping the investigation, though, they're appropriated
by Asuma's father for a little tete-a-tete.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
desaix@sysnet.net
Sir Desaix, member # 116 of the Knights of the True Fiancee
anime fanfics available at
http://www.geocities.com/zednik.geo/fanfics.htm