The next morning was a slower one than usual at the station of New York's labor division, Okimoto walking out of the bathroom with a toothbrush still in his mouth. He left from the main office part of the building to the hangar, spitting out the toothpaste outside into the dirt below and wiping his mouth. Inside numerous industrial fans blew cold air into the hangar to prevent the mechanics inside from getting overheated, the sounds of the blades echoing through the open area of the building. The harsh sounds of the fans would be balanced out by the sounds of the maintenance team at work along with a radio at full blast, it was playing one of Mr. Everett's and Okimoto's favorite songs. It wouldn't be uncommon to hear him even sing along while he worked, music was one thing that kept morale high when working a labor maintenance job.
"I get a feel for the island set, vividly real in your novelettes~" Mr. Everett said aloud in a song-like voice.
"A satin-kimono, writer's romance~" Okimoto repeated, trying to match his tune.
"Auto-erotic souvenirs, aerogrammes of passion~"
A few of the mechanics who were already familiar with the tune, joined them in song. " One more le-tter, Over the wa-ter." Even more joined in at the bridge, " I could never forget you!"
"Whoooowe! That's how I like to start the day!" Mr. Everett said, "Good mornin' too ya Mr. Okimoto!"
"Mornin' Mr. Everett!" He replied, "I noticed that our ace pilot doesn't seem to be in the picture today."
"That boy's probably still knocked out, not my job to wake him up but feel free to do so."
"Nah, I'll leave that job to the dispatch alarm."
"And if Ms. Clancy asked..."
"Then Ms. Clancy shall receive, but so far she has not." He leaned against the wall, looking at the outside through the open shutters of the hangar. Soon after a young man stumbled into the hangar, nearly falling flat on his face as if he was in a hurry.
"I'm not too late, am I!? I didn't look at the clock and just ran in here to save time..." Connors said, out of breath.
"See? I didn't even have to lift a finger." Okimoto said, placing his hand on Connors' shoulder.
"Yo pants on backwards young man!" Mr. Everett said, making Connors look down and noticing the tag being in the front rather than the rear.
Okimoto grasped the back of Connors' head, pushing it forward as he waddled his way back out of the hangar, "Fresh out of daycare."
Roughly a minute would pass before Connors returned to the hangar, this time his pants were put on the right way. "So is that group here yet?"
"Group?" Okimoto asked curiously.
"Some class is supposed to be here today." Matthews said, sipping on coffee as he entered the hangar.
"Didn't that elementary school drop by already?"
"They did, but this is a middle school class, coming all the way from Japan."
"Japan... Been a long time since I've been there." Okimoto said, reminiscing on the days leading up to his shoot out with Kanuka.
Anderson leaned into the doorway that led into the hangar, "Okimoto, you speak Japanese right?" she asked hastily.
"Who's askin'?"
"The bus just pulled up and the Captain's busy right now, you're the only one here who knows this place and speaks their language."
"I dunno... I'm not good with kids." He replied jokingly.
"You always treat me like a kid and you still work with me." Connors added.
"Yeah the difference is that you're an acquiescent child." He walked back through the door with Anderson, going through the main building to the front. He could already hear the engine of the bus idling at the entrance of the building, seeing numerous adolescents stepping off and waiting for their humble tour guide.
"Try your best to be inviting, we've gotta make this trip magical for them!" Anderson said, standing proudly.
"They're not that young, no harm in playing it straight."
"Mr. Okimoto, if they went back home telling us how great the NYPD's Labor Division is it'd work wonders for PR! Please? Just this one time?" She put her hands together, begging him.
"Alright, alright. Don't make me regret this." Okimoto stepped through the front doors to the fresh new faces at the Station, the entire class directing their attention at him. He first cleared his throat and put his hands on his hips. "Welcome to the station house of the New York City Police Department's Labor Division! I'm Officer Okimoto and I'll be taking you all on a tour through our fine establishment."
"I didn't know there were people that spoke Japanese here!" One of the students said.
"Yeah well me neither, today I was just reminded that I could. Anyways let's get on with the show." Okimoto led the group inside the building, talking about each location and it's purpose. "This right here is the main employee office, it's normally messy but to make sure we look clean and put together on the regular we tidied it up." His comical remark made a few of the students laugh.
"What did you say?" Anderson asked curiously.
"Told 'em about how boring it is around here."
"Ah... Okay then..." She admittedly was still confused by the reaction, and Okimoto continued on with the tour.
"Over here is the lounge area, if we're relaxing instead of working it'll be around here. You won't find any of us in here right now cause we're busy trying to entertain you all. Down that hallway are the showers and the in house dormitories for when a unit needs to stay over, arguably when it comes to New York you get more bang for your buck in housing. No constant traffic sounds and the surface area of your quarters is larger than a cereal box, even better you're not even the one paying monthly for it." He walked his way over to a door near the end of the hallway, opening it to reveal a woman sitting at her desk with a pen in hand. "This is the Captain of the first unit and her office, say Hi to Ms. Clancy!"
Kanuka had a surprised look on her face as she didn't expect Okimoto to just suddenly open the door to her office haphazardly, leaving her to awkwardly smile and wave at the students peering inside. "Hello everyone! Aha..."
"Woah, she speaks Japanese too?" One of the students said.
one particular student waved back, "My Mom and Dad worked with her at some point, hi auntie!"
Kanuka took notice of one of the students by his hair and facial features, the boy was a spitting image of his mother and father. The teachers who oversaw the trip took interest in Kanuka, "You're Kanuka Clancy right? We heard a lot of great things about you when we worked at Section Two all those years ago!" One of the teachers said.
"Miss Shinohara, or Miss Izumi as we all knew her as, says you were a pretty good pilot." The other added.
"Oh! It's nice to meet you both! I didn't think I'd ever get around to meeting you two."
Before any kind of conversation could commence Okimoto did a two finger salute prior to closing the door, "We'll not waste your time any further Ms. Captain Kanuka!" They would then visit the exterior section of the station, Okimoto showcasing the large open area they have to themselves. "As it turns out, you can't exactly run around and get your training in the middle of a dense city. So we've been lucky enough to be graced with this large open field, course over that way you can see the skyline of the city, and that way the open waters that separate New York from the other cities. But I'm sure you all don't really care about what's over there, because what you really want to see is all in there." He pointed at the large hangar sitting right next to the main building, where you could even see one of the patrol labors sitting inside. All the students showed their enthusiasm to finally see the kind of labors the police use in New York, however Okimoto folded his arms and shook his head. "I don't think I'm going to show you the labors."
"Aw what?"
"Then just when are we going to see them then?"
Okimoto snapped his fingers, "Right about now."
From the hangar came a large machine that walked out to the field they were standing in, turning to the class and waving to them. It had a dark blue color scheme and large police lights on each shoulder, it's entire frame giving off a mighty yet heroic look. Connors would be piloting the labor and greeted their visitors, "Hey everybody! Welcome to New York City!" He said over the speaker.
"That right there is our AV-05 Taurus, which is basically our version of the patlabors you guys have back at home. And Mr. Connors happens to be one of our many pilots who's currently operating the thing." Okimoto looked up at the labor, "Hey Connors, why not show how cool the labors here are?"
"Ah! Right!" From the left arm of the labor he grabbed the stun baton, swinging it through the air into a reverse grip. He then sent the electrical current through the baton, giving off that signature crackling sound from the flowing electricity. The class marveled at the sight of the Taurus' swift and precise movement, Connors' experience as a labor pilot shining through in that moment.
"Alright, now is about the time I'll show you the hangar." Okimoto said, winking.
The class held up at a fast food restaurant after visiting the station, most of them sitting at the table near the window as they ate their food.
"So, the Taurus huh? What do you think, Shinohara Jr.?" Mochizuki asked, mid burger bite.
Akio took a sip of his soft drink. "I don't know why they'd change the Magnum into the Taurus, feels pretty unnecessary if you ask me."
"The police in New York obviously work differently than they do in Tokyo, when making labors specifically for police use you won't only have modifications added to the labor but also limitations. Example being the firearms the labors use; in Japan we consider using guns as a last resort, but in America it's considered just as viable of an option as any other tool or utility." Satomi responded.
"Someone's been doing their homework!" Taira said.
"I thought the labors in America were able to fly." Sakamoto said, rotating the straw of his drink.
Satomi leaned across the table, "What gave you that idea?"
"Well, America likes eagles and it would be patriotic if they had wings and could fly and stop crime! I mean, it's been long enough..."
"They should put you in charge of designing labors Sakamoto." Akio ate from the fries on his tray, then finished up his drink. "It's honestly a little crazy how clean the station in New York is, they're still working with the abandoned warehouse back at home."
"You'd think they'd finally give them a much nicer looking station right about now, it's been years since Section Two was first established." Satomi replied.
"I mean- Aside from interior renovations, they haven't exactly changed much of anything."
"I guess that does make sense, lots of funding goes into the labors themselves rather than the overall units."
In the middle of the conversation Akio's eyes would wander to the buildings surrounding the restaurant, and would then see that the museum they had visited the previous day was within walking distance. He remembered the woman he had a conversation with, wanting to see if she would be there waiting for him to arrive. "Hey guys, I gotta use the restroom right quick, it'll be number two so it'll take a minute."
"You didn't have to tell us that but okay." Satomi responded.
Akio went in the direction of the restroom but detoured to one of the exits of the fast food joint, trying not to get in the view of any of his other classmates. Outside he disappeared conspicuously into a group of people who were just about to cross the street, following along with them and then down the sidewalk to the museum. He hurriedly paced to save as much time as possible, and yet when he finally arrived at the museum the doors were shut with a note posted on the front. Akio could barely read the poster, all he knew was that the door was locked and the reasoning was in a language he couldn't quite understand. A man walked up behind him, reading the poster out loud.
" To whom all it may concern; the Museum of Labor Development & Engineering is temporarily closed for renovation. Reopening is scheduled for Wednesday the 24th, we thank you for your patronage. " Akio quickly turned around to see a man in sunglasses who read the poster out loud, although it wasn't as if it made him understand any better. The man clasped his chin and surprisingly spoke Japanese. "You don't speak English, do you?"
"Uh No- I.." Akio didn't know how to respond, the man's presence unnerved him.
"The museum is closed for renovations, so you'll have to go play somewhere else."
"Oh... I didn't know."
"Why the long face? You'll just have to come back next week, patience is a virtue."
"...I'm not going to be here next week, I'm on a trip right now and I wanted to meet someone here but..."
"Looks like you'll just have to reschedule then."
"I don't even have any way of contacting her though."
"You don't?"
"I don't even know her name or where she lives or anything about her aside from the fact that she likes labors like the Ingram."
The man looked intrigued, getting down at eye level with Akio. "The Ingram you say...? Tell me, what does she look like?"
"It looked like her skin was tanned, her hair was dark and messy, she looked pretty down in the dumps. She was talking about how she didn't like her job and just wanted to work with labors and nothing else."
The man chuckled to himself, "Nothing else? That's awfully subtle of her to say such a thing."
Akio perked up, "Do you know her!?"
"I know her, oh I know her alright. That woman you were talking to, she wasn't going to meet you here in the first place. She does work with labors, just as security on Atlantis which is quietly overseen by Bronco."
"She works with Bronco...?"
"She's been working with Bronco for far longer than you were born. I'd say she was picked up by the company at around your very age too. A young girl with nowhere else to go and no one to take care of her, given a brand new life and people to look after her. She used to be quite a bombastic person afterwards, but it all mellowed away when the weight of her actions finally came crawling back. I could help you find her, but you're never going to see her again."
"Is she not coming back?"
"She's going to die there, cut and dry."
The statement was blunt, and the man was crystal clear with what he said. Still, Akio was dumbfounded at the statement. "What?"
"Someone important not just to Bronco but to the case and lawsuits against them will be at the artificial island, assuming the police have the routines of each suspect down they're going to be present there to box him in. Security is there not just to prevent terrorism but to protect any and all important people on the island, and they are ordered to lay down their lives if necessary. If you're aware of the disparity between a security labor and a police labor, then you'll know the Bronco's security would buckle under their firepower."
Akio carefully stepped backward, hitting the door of the museum. "I... Wh- How do you know all this? Who even are you?"
"You shouldn't be so concerned about me, your friend is in trouble isn't she? I jest of course, it isn't as if you'd be able to do anything about it. This was an event predestined to happen, nearly twenty years in the making. It'd be for the best if I not sugarcoat it and tell you upfront, it'd do my heart no good to give false hope to a child."
There it was again, someone telling Akio how he can't do anything, that it's simply out of his control. It made him feel dejected on top of his fear, but it irked him as well. Is he going to just sit idly by and let these events unfold? Is fate really that cruel to people? Akio looked at the fast food restaurant in the corner of his eye. If he wanted to he could return back, back to his friends and his class and continue on with the trip. He'd eventually go back home to Japan, back to his mother and father who love him dearly, and relax at his bed and ultimately be safe. And yet, if he were to go back, he'd live knowing another tragedy unfolded in his absence, and he could do nothing but turn his back on it.
...He didn't want to do that, he didn't want to turn his back on anyone anymore. He wanted to do something, just like his mother wouldn't give up on anyone in her heyday he wouldn't either. He didn't know how he was going to do it, but he was determined that if he had the knowledge then he must muster the courage.
"How do I get to Atlantis!?" He blurted out.
"Don't tell me you're actually wanting to go rescue her?"
"I'm not gonna sit around and just let her die, I'm tired of being told I can't do anything. I'll find a way somehow!"
"And I'm not going to be responsible for the endangerment of a child, if you want to go to Atlantis so badly then find the way yourself." The man turned around and walked off into the distance.
"Wait! Come back here! If you know everything about Bronco then tell me how to get there! It isn't like you were trying to hide anything in the first place!" Akio tried to catch up with him but was separated via the crosswalk, to which then he'd disappear into the crowd of people. He looked back at the fast food joint, now was his last chance, he really could go back if he wanted to. Everyone was still there eating and chatting away—oblivious to the information Akio received and the situation he was just about to put himself in. At that point Akio's mind was made up, noticing a semi truck carrying a shipping container he figured a possible destination in mind.