Watashitachi (We)
I pace, back struts stiff and shoulder cables taunt as I was programmed to stand, but pacing is something Yuuta taught me when he gave me my heart. I am worried for him now, wondering if he is alright in the hospital. I want to be angry with our human commanders – keepers – but I cannot. They have sealed us within our room locking us down while Boss is unwell.
I miss Yuuta, when he is here I forget that he is only human. The data never leaves my processors, but he is like us, one of the Brave Police. Superintendent General Seijima is often kind to us, he treats us like we are just others of his officers to be deployed as our skills are needed. But, I am always reminded that he is only human. He is too much like the others of their kind. Sometimes he is unconsciously cruel when using us. He sometimes seems to forget that we are not merely machines.
My processors turn back to our friend – our maker, the small, brave human who gave me my heart and through me the others as well. None of us would be what we have become if it were not for Yuuta. That thought makes me sad though, for we did not protect Yuuta when we should have. The police say Yuuta failed to follow protocol, but they created this scenario for him. Yuuta has always stepped up for us before his police training, and afterwards he began to hide his true self from us, withdrawing his kindness and far too often teary eyes to keep from being seen as weak.
The humans are unconsciously cruel to him as well as to us. And I can only hope that Yuuta knows we are concerned for him and wish we could be there for him as he has always been for us.
"Are you going to pace all day?" Power Joe asks with his brazen, confident smirk. I know he wants to stir up some trouble that mischief he tries to hide has lit his optics more than usual and I know he will only bring the human commanders down harder on us.
"It had been my objective." I reply, maintaining my formal posture as Joe's face slightly falls with my response. I look at him with concern, was Yuuta's injuries affecting Power Joe's emotion matrix more than I had realized?
"Seriously?" the yellow member of the Build Team asked weakly sagging.
"But, Yuuta's being kept from us! Don't you want to check on him? Doesn't he do that for us?" Dumpson's powerful voice rose with each word bringing him to yell, his red fists clenching around the dumbbells he kept with him at all times and his metal teeth gnashing in impotent rage at our situation.
"Yes." I reply simply, resuming my pacing that Power Joe had interrupted. I pass by the Build Team, slightly ignoring the trio as I paced. I kept my optics from landing on Drill-Boy and tried not to notice his pouting. My steps moved me past Duke and beyond Shadow Maru. All the members of my team kept watching me as I paced, each agitated and furious as I felt for being locked up like criminals for days while our Boss could be dying and thing he is alone.
"What?! Decker, he needs us." I look to the kung-fu loving yellow build bot and vent a sigh, something else Yuuta taught me long ago.
"But if we break out and go to him we will cause trouble. Will he be well enough to handle being held responsible for our actions?" My question stops Power Joe, stills Duke as he fidgets and makes Drill-Boy sag further in his seat and I silently feel remorse for their defeated expressions.
"But if we don't go to him, who will let him know we care?" Drill-Boy piped up from his chair, making us look at his bright optics and forcing us to think of Yuuta's sheepish admission of being afraid of doctors from when he was still a child.
I sighed, thoroughly defeated by my team mates' will power. "Very well, we will visit Yuuta."
"Alright!" Power Joe grinned hugely, leading us from the collected desks and chairs of our 'office' through a back way I had long forgotten about and out into the brilliant summer night. "Now we can get to the hospital and Yuuta!"
I knew I would regret this, Power Joe and Drill-Boy were far too happy and them happy together usually meant trouble. Still, I could not begrudge their happiness, especially not when I shared their excitement. Together we folded down, took on our alternate modes and raced towards the hospital, the others following right behind us making a convoy towards the hospital that defied our need for stealth in reaching Yuuta.
Still, my mind buzzed with worries. Would Yuuta be able to be repaired? Would he terminate from his injuries? I had read about human injuries once long ago when Yuuta had been sick as a child. The frailty of our Boss had terrified me then, and even more so now. Would he even survive a single gun shot? Were we racing for sorrow to find that the two shots he had taken had been too much? I wanted to quit thinking, to set my worries aside but I could only remember the image of Yuuta running from our position the armor suits chasing after him and two shots hitting him as he ran with us all too far away to reach him.
'Please, Yuuta, please be alright.' The thought lingers in my processors as we pull up to the hospital and realize that without Boss, or any of our human allies, we had no way of getting inside. I huffed, feeling stupid and defeated. Why had I thought visiting him would be easy?
"Decker?" A familiar voice piped up from in front of my hood attracting my scanners' attention. I stared through thermal scanners in silence before I finally found my voice protocols and spoke, "Azuki? I thought you would still be on your honeymoon."
The young woman smiles, her light brown hair now cut short and her face pinched with worry. "We just came from visiting Yuuta. He – he looks so frail." I open my driver's door to her, welcoming her within my frame for comfort. Her smile falters, sorrow evident in her eyes. "I was so happy when he turned fifteen and grew taller than Kurumi and me. Then he graduated high school a full year early." She swallows and I worry she might be having trouble breathing but she continues. "Then he became a police officer. We knew he would do great and for the last two years I only heard stories of how much fun Yuuta has had, your adventures together. Now this."
I remain silent as she speaks, knowing that humans tend to have the strange need to speak when worried I let her, and open my radio to the others, letting them hear her words. Around me the other bots are just as concerned and we all feel the remorse of having failed Boss. "It is my belief that he chose his course of action due to his training. Boss has pulled away from us since becoming an officer it was something that began during his final six months of training."
My words startle Azuki, her bright eyes turn dark as she slips into thoughts. I know she is thinking hard on my statement, her thumb to her lips as she strives valiantly to refrain from chewing the nail. I remember her once telling me it was a bad habit of hers and this has always amused me, until now. This time I see the habit for a sign telling of how hard this has been on her.
"That would explain his other changes." She finally replies. "During his police training he applied for room in police housing. I thought he was just reaching the age of wanting to be independent. Then he stopped coming for dinners, he said he did not need to be a burden on Kashiwazaki and me while we were deciding when to marry." I watch as she looks up to the sky through my windscreen and realize she is looking at a particular window.
"Azuki, would it be alright for me to ask a favor at this time?" I finally break the silence once I have triangulated the window she is looking at.
"Of course Decker, you have always helped us." She smiles wanly, fond memories warring with her current worries and fears.
"Thank you. I was wondering if you could go back into the hospital and let Yuuta know that we are here." I smile internally as she starts finally looking around the parking lot, spotting the others.
"Wow, you all are here?" She looks to the others a smile suddenly blossoming on her face.
"Yes, Boss has always watched out for us during our repairs. It is only proper that we watch over him during his." I reply and hear the others give their assents making Azuki grin hugely at us.
"You all are the best friends Yuuta has. Thank you," She darts from my seat, darting back to the hospital. Once she enters I stand, the others transforming with me while Gun Max gets off his bike and waits for us to regain our feet.
"Glad you came?" Dumpson asks brusquely as he stands beside me. I can only nod. This was a good thing, and any punishment would be worth it. Together we head to the window and wait, watching expectantly as the dark window brightens then opens revealing Yuuta supported by two tall men in white. Azuki stands behind them, hands clasped while hope and worry mingle in her eyes.
I scan Boss worriedly taking in the bindings around his wounds and the dark circles under his eyes. Seeing him now, six days after his shooting I am amazed at how drastically he has changed. He is thinner, his body gaunt and bearing the first traces of facial hair I have ever seen on him. The image is disturbing. Once more I realize his frailty and for the first time I wonder, what would happen to us, the robots of the Brave Police, should Yuuta perish?
Several of the city and police officials felt our maintenance costs outweighed the perks of keeping us online. Civilian groups had formed protests in front of headquarters demanding we be shut down. Others wanted us to be turned into normal machines ready for use and able to be shut down when not needed. Still more felt that we brought the violent crimes to our city just because we existed our presence offering a challenge to the powerful criminals in the world.
Only Boss, Superintendent General Saejima, and Toudou-san truly stood up for us. Toudou-san was retiring soon, and Saejima-san would not be in the force for more than a couple decades. He was aging swiftly from the pressures of his work. If only Boss remained, would we be kept online? If Boss died before the others retired would the results be the same? I suppressed a shudder, grateful my thought process took milliseconds, my mouth opening to speak a mere instant after the window opened. "Boss."