Kogami took a deep breath. He was relieved to be wearing the familiar black suit that was his standard fare for work at the MWPSB. With his left arm confined to a sling, he struggled to properly knot his tie, so he left it loose and hanging in the collar of his shirt.

It was early evening as he made his way from the locker room and across the LAPD's CID floor. Without fail, the Los Angeles night life emerged in force. The desks were filling up with the usual cast of characters from the city's streets, and the LAPD officers were there to receive them.

"Nice work, Ko!" Sgt. Cunningham winked at him from her processing station near the fingerprinting machine.

Barbosa, a detective from homicide, nodded as he passed Kogami. "Way to bring down that bastard."

A rookie looked up from her terminal as Kogami walked by her. The nameplate on her desk read: Brink. "Great job, Enforcer Kogami!"

The praises kept coming from all across the large room. Emerging from the break room and various departmental offices, police officers stopped what they were doing to acknowledge him and the end of a very difficult case. Kogami sensed a raw camaraderie from the officers that he had come to envy and, regretfully, would miss when he returned to Japan.

There were 15 cops in the room, hunting dogs every one, without a single, so-called Inspector in sight. Some of them came from other careers, the military, familiar obligation, but for all of them, law enforcement had been their choice of career. Human made choices, not the neutral decision of a machine, and no apocalypse as consequence.

Not much to be said for the Sibyl System, he thought.

"How's it feel to be loved for what you do and not kept on a leash?" Rodriguez asked. Coming up behind Kogami, he slapped the Enforcer hard on the left side of his back.

Kogami winced and held his breath until the pain subsided. "You looking to go another round, Rodriguez?"

"Not certain you're up to it, old boy, not with that sling around your neck."

"The sling can come off."

"But it won't have to," Akane said, getting between them, "because Kogami has me to back him up. That was a cheap shot, Rodriguez. Even for you." She punched him in the arm, but it was hardly a proper blow.

Rodriguez feigned fear and flinched away from her. "My neck still hurts from that little tussle on the beach, Inspector Tsunemori. I give. You win."

"That's right. Recognize your betters." Akane walked between them, taking the arm of each man, and let them escort her down the corridor to the conference room for their debriefing.

"Yes, ma'am," Rodriguez said. He opened the door, and both Kogami and he waited respectfully for Akane to go in first.

"Ah," Chief Tomb cried with delight, "my undercover consultants from Japan have arrived." She set down a bundle of files and a tablet in front of her on the table and sat down. "Where's Officer Royce?"

"Thought he'd be here by now," Rodriguez replied.

"And I thought he was with you," Tomb said.

"Apologies for my tardiness, Chief," Royce said, sticking his head into the room. "If Officer Rodriguez would do his job properly, people would not be parking illegally in the handicap area in front of the station."

"Except for that big mouth of yours, why on Earth would you need a handicap spot? Kogami's the one who got shot. You didn't even so much as break a nail."

"What about me?" Nysa asked. Dressed in a gray business suit, she sat in a wheelchair as Royce pushed her into the room. "How's it going boys and girl!" She winked at Akane. "Did you miss me?"

"They let you out of the hospital already?" Akane asked.

"I threatened to sign myself out against medical orders." Nysa returned the MWPSB Inspector's warm embrace. "Did you think I was going to let you guys close this case without me? I have like an hour before the feds send out their tactical boys to bring me back and arrest anyone who kept me passed my release time."

"Alright, gang's all here," Tomb said. "No sense wasting the time. I have a press conference in 20 minutes. Debrief me, people."

"Of the four missing cars in this case, two of them were found on McNeill's estate. Both of them, and what's left of that Mustang Fastback, match the missing cars, right down to the last digit of the serial numbers," Royce began.

"I thought he scrubbed the vins," Tomb said.

"Scrubbed the vin numbers," Kogami interjected, "but not the serial numbers on the aftermarket parts. Those unique identification tags traced back to the original owners, who either built the parts or installed them."

"So, you're telling me I can tie the missing cars directly to McNeill?"

"All four of them."

"What about the murders of the drivers?"

"Once his minions discovered that McNeill's empire had fallen, they started rolling over on each other and him like bowling pins," Nysa said. "He's going down for a host of local and federal charges, among them grand theft auto and murder one."

"He's looking at a life sentence. If he survives his injuries." Adjusting the glasses on her nose, Chief Tomb sat back in her chair and scrolled through the hospital report.

"He'll survive," Akane said. "The burns cover 25% of his body, but the prognosis is good. He'll live to stand trial and do his time in prison."

"Though he won't be nearly as pretty to look at," Royce said.

Rodriguez snorted and shrugged his shoulders. "His fellow inmates won't be looking at his face."

Tomb smiled wryly at Nysa and tapped her fingers against the table surface. "I imagine this will make a tidy little RICO case for the FBI once you dig a bit deeper into McNeill's finances."

"All thanks to the efforts of the LAPD and the MWPSB," Nysa said. "That's what I call joint agency cooperation." She winked at Kogami. "Kudos all around! FBI Director Bennett will be sending personal commendations for both Inspector Tsunemori and Enforcer Kogami to Chief Kasei, the Head of the Ministry of Welfare's Public Safety Bureau in Japan."

"You'll also be getting commendations from the Los Angeles Police Department," Tomb said, "and the Mayor of Los Angeles. We owe you our thanks." Removing her glasses, she swung them absently between her fingers and gave Royce and Rodriguez an affectionate nod. "As for the two of you, I see a promotion in your futures. Good work, officers."

"Chief Tomb," a secretary called from her office. "Mayor Higgins is here to discuss the press conference."

"Duty calls. This is where I earn my paycheck." Tomb packed her tablet and stood up. "Nysa, I wish you a speedy recovery. If the FBI needs anything in my backyard, they shall have my full cooperation. As long as they send you."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Inspector Tsunemori, it has been an honor and a privilege."

Akane stood up and bowed deeply. "The honor was mine, Chief Tomb. Thank you for the opportunity."

"You're welcomed back any time, Akane. It's nice to know Japan has this level of quality working to keep the public safe. Well," she said, looking down at Kogami, "mostly safe."

There was muffled laughter from the other side of the table as she extended her hand to Kogami. "If the Sibyl System ever retires you, I always have room under my roof for a good hunting dog, Mr. Kogami, even if beneath all that hair lies a wolf."

Kogami could not contain his smile. Taking her hand, he relied, "Might take you up on that one day. Might mean risking your pension though."

"You let me worry about that," Tomb replied. "Good luck to you. To you both." Chief Tomb smiled and left the room.

"Can you smell it! Promotion!" Royce shouted, barely containing his excitement. "Detective, here I come!" He glanced at Rodriguez, who clearly did not share his enthusiasm. "What's with you? Didn't you hear the lady?"

"Yeah, detective. There are no detectives on SWAT, Royce."

"Rodriguez, man, grow up."

"If growing up means no SWAT, I'm never growing up. I'm happy on SWAT, aren't you? I'm not cut out to be a gumshoe."

"Would you two stop it!" Nysa said, "You sound like a married couple going through a midlife crisis." This brought a round of laughter from the group.

"Speaking of midlife crisis," Kogami said. "How's BabyGirl?"

"I won't lie, Ko. She took a bad hit, clipping that wall, but you couldn't have planned that little maneuver any better than you did," Nysa said. "She'll be off the street for a few months, but so will I." She smiled at him and leaned forward in her chair. "So it will give Phoenix and me something to work on together. After that, I think I'll retire her. Babygirl deserves that. Besides, when you leave, who's going to drive her?"

"Where is Phoenix?" Kogami asked.

Nysa's face darkened, and she frowned. "Outside in the corridor. She wouldn't come in if it meant she had to say good bye." She smiled sadly. "Phoenix really took a shine to you, Ko. It's like her dad leaving, you know, leaving her all over again."

"Kogami?" Akane whispered.

Kogami set his jaw. Reality was not always kind. He knew that for a fact and had experienced the truth of it more often than he wanted to admit, but that same reality was cruel for children. He felt Akane's hand on his shoulder.

"I'll talk to her."

Outside in the hallway, leaning into the glass wall of a nearby office, Phoenix sat with her knees folded up to her chin. She was wearing her backpack full of stuffed animals with Tigger riding shotgun from the top.

"Hey," Kogami said.

"Hey," came her muffled reply.

"I have to go home some time, you know?"

"Why can't this be your home now?"

"Because I'm a Japanese Wolfhound, and I have hunting to do back home, so that other little girls don't lose their daddies."

Phoenix turned to him, tears spilling from her eyes. She understood the importance of his job and how paramount an intervention, no matter how brief, could be to someone in need as she had been. "Promise me. You won't ever forget me!"

Kogami stooped down to her eye level. "How could I ever forget you? It's not often you encounter a genuine American Cotton Finger in the wild."

Mindful of his sling, she jumped off the bench and wrapped her arms about his neck. Laying her head against his chest, she whispered, "I wish you could be my daddy now."

Kogami pulled back and looked her in the face. "You have a daddy, Phoenix, and he loves you. He'll always be watching over you. And so will I." He called up a data file on his wristcom. "Got your phone?"

Phoenix handed it to him, and Kogami held the screen over the wristcom until he heard the affirmative alert. "If you're ever in trouble, or you're just lonely, call me." He brushed a hand over her hair. "First number is me. That second one is Akane. If you can't reach either of us, and it's an emergency, that man at that third number can find us. His name's Ginoza. If he's grumpy or mean, just ignore him. We all do."

"Kogami," Akane growled. Holding the large pink panda in her arms, she looked ridiculous as she attempted to scold him. "Inspector Ginoza is a very nice man, Phoenix. He just likes to follow the rules."

Phoenix looked up innocently at Akane, and then turning to Kogami, she said, "He's an asshole, isn't he."

"Phoenix Kaylynn Iazzetti!" Nysa said sternly. "That's a dollar for the swear jar."

"No," Phoenix said in her defense. "Daddy used to say that only assholes followed the rules. If you really wanted to learn something, you had to step outside of your comfort zone. And that might mean bending the rules or maybe breaking them."

Kogami laughed and embraced her. "Guess it all depends on your perspective." He pinched her nose and tugged. "Watch your mouth."

"Phoenix, I was wondering if you could do me a favor," Akane said. She held out the pink panda to the 10-years old. "I'm not sure I can get this guy through customs, and the PSB definitely won't purchase another plane seat. Might be better if he stayed here with you."

Phoenix's eyes lit up. "Really?" She took the panda, which was bigger than she was and wrapped her arms around it. "I'll take good care of him, Akane, I promise! Pinky promise." She held her pinky out to seal the pact."

Rodriguez glanced at a phone alert and smiled mischievously at Royce. "MWPSB, your ride's here."

"I thought you guys were taking us to the airport?" Akane said.

"We are," Royce chuckled. "Just not as planned."

"Not as planned?" Watching from beneath a tousled forelock of black hair, Kogami stared down at Phoenix. "You have any idea what he's talking about?"

Hugging the panda against her chest, she smiled. "I was sworn to secrecy." Phoenix handed the stuffed toy to Rodriguez and took Kogami's hand. She ran, leading him at a fast walk to the elevators. On the first floor at the front doors of the precinct building, Kogami made her wait at the entrance until Royce pushed Nysa outside with Rodriguez.

"Sure you don't want to tell me what's going on?" Kogami asked. "I'll give you my last two dollars for the swear jar."

"You'll see."

Closed to normal traffic and cordoned off by police vehicles and construction barriers, the street outside was empty of vehicles. "What's the occasion?" Akane asked. "Extra security to make sure Kogami and Rodriguez don't break anything before we went back to Japan?"

"Akane, I thought we were good," Rodriguez whined. "My heart—"

Screeching tires and revving engines abruptly reverberated in the air and between the close confines of the buildings as five cars came sliding into view from around the corner. The vehicles did not slow down or veer off as they raced toward the front of the precinct headquarters.

Two police officers promptly moved a street barrier before they arrived and let them speed through before returning the barrier to its place. A black Nissan 350Z led a pack of high performance vehicles, all of which Kogami recognized: a lavender Supra, a blue Skyline, a black RX-7, and Luda's yellow Corvette C5. In full force, the Patriarchs had arrived on the scene in classic style.

"What's this?" Kogami was confused when Rocio got out of the flashy Corvette with a welcoming smile and kissed his cheek.

"Goodbye, and not good bye," Rocio replied. She walked over to Akane and kissed her cheek. "More like see you soon."

Smiling mischievously, Tsuki, Brian, and Sung got out of their vehicles. Arms crossed over her chest, Tsuki announced, "We're the send off party."

"And there can't be a proper send off without a race," Luda said, getting out of the 350Z. "Virgil, are you there?"

"I am here, Lord Patriarch. How may I serve?" A hologram of the poet coalesced beside the pit boss and bowed to each of them.

"The name of the game is Around the World, Virgil. Five crossings within a designated course. The final destination will be the Los Angeles Airport."

The hologram tilted its head with a cunning grin. "Calculating."

Kogami gasped and stepped back as if struck in the chest. "Are you serious?" He glanced at Rodriguez and Royce. "This is sanctioned?"

"Fully sanctioned," Royce said. "Approved by the Chief and the Mayor, herself."

Hands in his pocket, the Enforcer was speechless. Beside him, Akane took his arm and grinned up at him. The Enforcer shook his head and took a deep breath to restore his composure. "Alright," he said, "what's the entry fee?"

"The fee?" Luda asked. "The only fee that matters to a Patriarch, man. Love and friendship and family. If you got those three things, you can always afford the fee." He put his hand out and the other Patriarchs joined him in a circle. They looked back at Kogami. Smiling, he extended his hand with theirs and joined them.

"Love conquers all," Virgil said.

"That's right, Virgil, and love spans all distances. You're a Patriarch and always will be, brother." He shook hands with the Enforcer, leaving a key fob hanging from Kogami's fingers.

Kogami stared at the key and then at Luda. "The 350Z?"

"BabyGirl took a hurting in that chasm run. She'll be laid up a while. Thought you might need something comparable."

"Whose car is this?" Kogami asked.

"Mine, if you must know," Nysa replied. "Her name is Sera."

"Virgil, it's post time," Luda announced. "Start the roll call."

"Around the World Goodbye Tour," the AI said. "One minute until post time! Online: Luda—Lord Patriarch. Online: Tsuki—Patriarch Beatrice. Online: Brian—Patriarch Wraith. Online: Sung—Patriarch Charon. Online: Error detected."

"State the nature of the error."

"Online: Kogami—Patriarch Seraphim. Initiate deletion?"

"Make an addition, Virgil," Luda said. "Overwrite the code."

"Overwrite parameter accepted. Online: Kogami—Patriarch Cerberus."

"Sera? As in Seraphim?" Kogami asked, turning to Nysa. "You were a Patriarch?"

"I was the third Patriarch," she replied, "until I did the unthinkable and went legit. Do us a solid, Ko? Make sure Sera gets to the airport in one piece. And don't embarrass us. This car never lost a heat!"

"I'll certainly do my best."

"I know you will. We'll meet you guys at the airport." Holding Phoenix's hand, she was lifted into a nearby police van as Royce and Rodriguez supervised the transport.

Kogami felt his cheeks flush from the attention. It was rare that an Enforcer was ever shown this kind of admiration and respect, but he was far from home and far from the system that had relegated him to the status of subhuman. He removed the sling, tossed it in the back of the car, and sat down inside the 350Z. Like BabyGirl, the high-performance car was a marvel and left him wondering what was beneath the hood.

Akane settled into the passenger seat beside him and strapped into the five-point restraint harness. Sitting back in the chair she took a deep breath and sighed with a gratified smile on her face. The Patriarch cars began to take off in 10-second intervals to circle the block and await the appearance of the first crossing.

"What?" Kogami asked, feeling her eyes on him.

"Overwhelmed?"

"A bit." He glanced over at her. "Were you in on this?"

"I'm just as surprised as you, but aren't you forgetting something, Kogami?" Akane grinned at him and undid the clasp of her necklace. Putting the winter sapphire over the rearview mirror, she leaned across the console. "Good luck."

"With you here, I've got all the luck I need." He kissed her lovingly on the lips.

"Hurried by fate and borne upon a furious wind go the fearless, those Patriarchs!" said Virgil over the car speakers. "Stand by, Cerberus. The Around the World Goodbye Tour starts in five, four, three, two...one!"