Patlabor Fan Fiction ❯ Try To Look My Way ❯ Chapter 1

I do not own Patlabor... I'm poor, please don't sue.

Also to David A. Tatum... I couldn't reach you by e-mail but I borrowed an idea from your fanfic, Patlabor Personal Files. The only idea is Gomioka has a crush on Shinobu, nothing else, nothing more.

Gomioka stared out the window and into the Tokyo skyline in a tall office building. Next to him stood Captain Nagumo who was silently surveying the Christmas Eve decorations that bedecked the city. It was quiet, peaceful and they were alone together. The entire thing was completely romantic...

That little fantasy was quickly derailed when the doors opened revealing three heavily disguised and armed individuals ushered in two more hapless individuals into the room. The room that Gomioka was in was neither quiet nor peaceful and he and Shinobu were most definitely not alone together. There were at least ten others in the room, most in various grades of panic and anxiety. There were hushed talking, loud sobs of fear and angry shouts directed at their mysterious captors.

Gomioka repressed an urge to bang his head into the window in frustration. This was not how he intended to spend his Christmas and sincerely hoped that he wouldn't spend New Years trapped in a room with ten other people. Shinobu was all right in his mind but anyone else was just a nuisance.

Gomioka sighed and recounted the events that led to this. Division 1 was mobilized towards the Tokyo Bay Bridge in response to a strange report that cars were going in but not coming out. It was too suspicious, even the Tokyo Bay Tunnel had the same strange problem. Cars would go in but not come out and that included heavy vehicles. Also communications were jammed up by a ECM signal, this included radios, phones and networks, it made it even more difficult to know what was going since there were no reports of what was on the other side. No one knew what was going on but he had a suspicious feeing it was all connected. He just didn't know how it was connected with the ECM jamming in Tokyo that disrupted all communications around the area and the two Brocken he just fought in Tokyo. How it was all connected was a mystery to him. A mystery, which he had little knowledge of, thus causing him to ask more frustrating, questions that he didn't care to count rather than answers.

What was two military labor's doing in Tokyo anyway? Gomioka wondered to himself. He remembered how easy it was for the Brocken to wreck his old obsolete labor without even trying. He grit his teeth at the memory and wondered when the upper brass would get Division 1 with updated equipment. Gomioka realized that what he thought was not true. His superiors did provide Division 1 with new labors but the labors themselves were just a ruse to get at their movement disk data.

Gomioka began to remember the unpleasant realization when he was about to walk into Chief Fukushima's office to pass in some reports. There in the office he could hear Shinobu arguing with the Chief about the SRX-70's and how it was used as a way for Schaft to get at their movement data for some unknown reason. None of the possibilities of what Schaft might do to that data were good since Shinobu pointed out that it could be used in military labors that Schaft sold to less than scrupulous nations. He remembered the flat response of Chief Fukushima the most though.

"So you are willing to sell the soul of my division for blood money?" Shinobu demanded angered.

"... Labor units run on money, not pride," Fukushima responded.

Fukushima's response and the fact his division had been duped into doing illegal weapons testing enraged Gomioka. To think that he took pride, even became arrogant at the fact that his division got a better labor than Division 2. Shinobu wasn't happy at Fukushima's response either and left the office in a rage towards the docks to calm down. The look on her face was of anger and disappointment, she didn't even notice that Gomioka was by the office and probably heard the argument.

At that point Gomioka made his decision to not ride the SRX-70 and instead go back to his old labor. That's when Shinobu finally looked his way and actually smiled. A smile.

He cleared away his thoughts and took a good look at his Captain. Shinobu seemed to be fine despite the fact their mysterious attackers repeatedly hit her. Her face had a scowl on it and her eyes forced straight ahead as if turning away from the window was a crime. The only evidence of the attack was bruise on her arm that she tried to hide from Gomioka. It was obvious she didn't want to concern him about her health. She was never the type to tell what was wrong with her even if the problem was common knowledge. The only person she was ever willing to talk about her problems was with Goto.

Gomioka somewhat frowned when he thought of Goto. Goto often flirted or tried to get Shinobu on a date with him but much Gomioka's relief she always shot Goto down. That however never quashed the feeling that not only did Goto seem to have a genuine interest in Shinobu but also the fact she actually enjoyed the attention that Goto gave him.

It wasn't fair, Gomioka thought to himself, if Shinobu would only look his way, if only she would smile at him a few more times... He was sure he could get a relationship going and she could have all the attention she wanted from him. Regulations among other things were the only things standing between him and her.

Gomioka didn't have a chance to begin a new fantasy involving a relationship between him and Shinobu because she interrupted his train of thought.

"So Lieutenant Gomioka, what are you doing this New Year?" Shinobu asked as though she was trying to ignore the situation they were in.

"Huh? New Years?... I don't know..." Gomioka answered hoping that she was offering him a invitation to a party or something.

"I see..." she said and there were no further words from her.

Gomioka almost cringed in disappointment at the fact she didn't say anything else. He quickly realized that he would have to carry on the conversation if he wanted to salvage any attempt to get her attention.

"So... What are you doing during the New Years, Captain Nagumo?" Gomioka asked hoping for further conversation with her but wished he didn't have to call her by the of formality Captain Nagumo.

"Hm? Me? I'll probably spend New Years with my friends or something like that," Shinobu answered still frowning on some unforeseen problem she had.

"Ah... I'm sure you'll have a good time with them... Anyone else?" Gomioka asked, hoping that she didn't notice his less than subtle push for an answer or offer to invite him. Shinobu however seemed to not notice and instead gripped her the side of her head in pain.

"Captain Nagumo?" Gomioka said with concern. He placed a hand her shoulder and tried to get a better look at what was wrong. That was when he noticed a bruised lump on her head beneath her brown hair. He wondered if she got a concussion or something but before he could do or say anything, she straightened herself up and stopped gripping her head in pain.

"I'm fine..." Shinobu said in a voice that brooked no argument. Gomioka was less than convinced but didn't argue with her. She snapped her eyes forward and stared out the window. Her glare could freeze a desert over but lacked a target for her wrath.

"...So Captain? What was it about you and the two male gigolos?" Gomioka joked trying to get her relax. He didn't know where he thought the joke up but he felt like he needed to get her to relax.

Shinobu on the other hand blinked in surprise and stared at Gomioka as if he was serious.

"What? I didn't say anything stupid did I?" Shinobu asked in slight shock, "I'm sure that they didn't hit me that hard."

It was now Gomioka's turn to blink in surprise and stare at Shinobu as if she was serious.

"I... I was joking," Gomioka finally said.

Shinobu blinked, Gomioka blinked. They found themselves in slightly less than comfortable silence between themselves. Shinobu had a slightly puzzled look on her face but finally shook her head slightly, looked at Gomioka and smiled. Gomioka was surprised and found himself smiling slightly also.

"Sorry... I guess I've been acting a little... uptight..." Shinobu said smiling as she looked out the window, "but then again I'm sure you would also if your aching all over."

"Are you sure you're not hurt?" Gomioka asked.

"I'm sure I can survive... It's not that bad, I just feel bruised," Shinobu answered.

If I get my hands on the creeps that hurt you, I'll make sure they don't just feel bruised, Gomioka thought to himself in anger.

They stood in front of the window and stared out at the city in silence. Gomioka couldn't help but smile as he stared out the window. He got her look his way and smile at him, what could possible ruin that?

Once more the doors opened to reveal three heavily disguised and armed individuals kicked in a familiar and less than docile prisoner into the room. Gomioka winced at the sight of Ohta who promptly got up and shouted at their mysterious captors.

"You can't just kick a police officer you bastards!" Ohta shouted as the three guards closed and locked the door to the room. The guards completely ignored Ohta and one even seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when they kicked Ohta into the room, not that Gomioka could blame the guards.

Please don't notice us... Gomioka said to himself, begging that someone out there would answer his prayers. It was pretty much futile seeing how small the room they were stuck in was.

Ohta turned around and surveyed the room. He quickly saw Shinobu and did a salute.

"Captain Nagumo! I'm glad to see that your all right," Ohta quickly said.

"Looks like we can't say the same for you..." Shinobu commented as she noted Ohta's skewed uniform, black eye and other bruises.

Gomioka didn't say anything.

Wonderful, just wonderful. Someone up there really must hate me, Gomioka theorized to himself.