Original subtitles

for terrorism-responsive features.

All arriving and departing flights are in a holding pattern or waiting on the

apron. Divert only those planes that are expected to run low on fuel to other

airports.

305 calling 102.

Public Security Section 9 has arrived.

Give them any assistance they need. All authority in this situation has been

transferred to them.

Hey, my people have taken casualties.

Agreement or not, there better be a damn good reason for us to... Keep this line

clear. There's no telling if there's a backhack on it.

Besides, what's going down here is way out of our league.

I've located him.

From what we're told, the initial reports say that the suspect willingly

submitted to questioning.

When we explained to him that he'd be transferred into public security's

custody, he almost seemed happy about it.

Happy? Yes.

But that doesn't make sense.

So?

Fato's a no-show. I guess we aren't going to meet up with the big guy.

He's sticking to his, I only pick cases based on my gut instinct, policy.

I'm passing on this one.

Ironic. As if Bato hadn't poked his nose where it didn't belong, we couldn't have

pieced this case together.

Boma, Pazu, take the rookies and come in the north gate.

We're on it.

You and I are going in through the front.

Yes, sir.

You know something, boss?

You've changed too. You've outgrown your Matae representation.

Nobody said I outgrew it.

This Cagale guy is supposed to be 100% natural, right?

Yeah.

Explain that, then.

What does it look like? It's an unexpected development.

So now there's a chance that the guy's armed?

Even if he is, it's only a 9mm.

This is just teaching.

Colonel Cagale, it's the rub.

We're with public security.

As you demand it, we'll consider safe passage for you out of the country.

Release your hostage first, then we can talk.

Colonel Cagale!

Are you listening?

Drop your weapon!

No one do anything.

Come on, give me the gun.

Go there.

Looks like you're high on a reflex booster that the military uses.

Understood. Colonel Cagale!

Oh, my tears coming!

I don't want to die!

And if you don't want to die, put the gun down.

Say what?

You won't make a public spectacle out of me? No, don't!

Shit.

Why'd he do it?

Puppeteer, huh?

Not a bad name at all.

prices close your eyes and play the game

Thank you.

Prime Minister, special operatives wearing tattoos of true believer to

signify their loyalty to General Karam have been committing suicide one by one

here in Japan.

And moments ago, his oldest son, Colonel Cagale, killed himself too.

In light of these events, do you still insist that there's no need to

interrogate the General?

Some reports state that Colonel Cagale's death was the result of a botched arrest

attempt.

Let's assume for a moment that indiscriminate terrorist acts were being

planned as we speak by Silk Republic holdouts.

I find it difficult to believe that General Karam could be involved while

under house arrest.

My enactment of the refugee naturalization policy met with

opposition. Please do your utmost to avoid fueling the actions of the

opposing faction.

It was my impression that such work fell under the purview of public security.

Understood, Prime Minister.

Ishkawa, send me the files from Cagale's debriefing.

Coming right up.

We're moving out.

Is that wise, sir?

I don't believe she gave you authorization for this.

If no one finds out that I'm the person who opened up Pandora's box, then I

didn't break my word to the Prime Minister.

Has the team provided you with any new material, David? No, sir. I haven't

found anything yet.

I'll take a few to the outside.

You'll need them down there.

Bajo!

Are you listening to me, Bajo?

I think the work on this one's going to be a nightmare. Yeah, I'm listening.

Back up everything you can.

Just swear on it.

Then you go over to ballistics and have the lab run a check on the blood and

tissues. We found the body of the 13th tattooed man.

Is it another suicide?

Yeah. It looks pretty cut and... The place looks a lot like our own safe

houses. It was probably one of their hideouts.

That's the prefectural police handlers.

Grab a subordinate and go out to this location.

It's a hideout that Sigail told us about in his debriefing.

Oh. You sure, Chief?

I mean, don't you think a mainstream job like that is more of Togus's alley?

Togus is coming with me to the dungeon.

Ah. I follow you.

We're going to be here a while.

Somebody go get takeout.

Hmm. Question.

How long has it been since the Major resigned from Section 9, Togusa?

I guess it's nearly two years.

That long?

I'm sorry about what happened with Kegel.

It's not your fault.

This is the vital matter which might ultimately prove to be the Prime

Minister's Achilles' heel.

I suspect her intention is to keep a lid on things that she doesn't want to see

right now. Still, she was scared that the other countries at the Six-Party

Talks would examine the real motivation behind the refugee naturalization

policy. This entire damn mess got started because she was coerced into

looking after Karam.

That's because even before General Karam chose to seek asylum here in Japan, he

threatened to carry out acts of terrorism in retaliation.

At the moment of my death, I will wreak terror upon the world.

You mean that retribution declaration in the speech he gave when Sok fell?

Now that we've learned about this, the responsibility for handling the

situation falls upon us.

It's a mystery how the General's been able to issue orders from an island

that's cut off from the rest of the world. But if we take Karam into

custody, maybe we can uncover all the details of the plan.

Also, we'll learn how far along the terrorist plot is right now.

Hey, Chief.

I just heard from the Coast Guard.

They've opened up the airspace over the island. We're good to land.

Fine. Thank them for me and take us down at once.

Make sure you doctor the records of the flight plan.

Roger that.

No firearms or knives detected.

Clear.

Proto, turn the power back on and open the blind.

Roger.

What's wrong?

Chief.

Hmm? It looks like he pulled them out himself.

This is bad news.

If he killed himself too, it means that their plan might already be in motion.

What's that?

This? It links up to the nursing net.

Basically, it's a terminal used to exchange patients' data with all medical

facilities. There were rumors about Karim being seriously ill before he left

the country.

Apparently, they were true.

So even though he was hooked up to that, the government doesn't know he's dead?

Got it. He was going through a back door in the system. I think there was more to

the good general here than meets the eye.

Looks that way. The com log shows that he was in contact with his people.

We need to get this back to HQ for a thorough analysis.

But it definitely appears that they were planning a terrorist strike using a

micro-machine virus.

You said we're planning?

When his operatives began offing themselves one by one, he went and had a

chat with Cagale. He questioned whether they should temporarily abort the plan.

What do you mean?

Are you saying that the suicides weren't intended to be the plot's go-code?

I don't know.

But what really worries me is that there was a program planted in here from the

outside designed to make it look as if Karam was still alive.

I wouldn't be surprised if the government still hasn't caught on to the

fact that this fellow is long gone.

Then it's an assassination disguised as a suicide.

Yeah. Done by somebody who doesn't want the government to know that Karam is

dead. Dead or... So, what about the micro-machine virus?

Well, looks like it was sent to the hospital of that Mashaba guy.

Assuming Batso is not playing hooky, he might be able to recover it for us.

Hmm?

Togasa!

What

the

hell is this?

Puppeteer?

Aguma, just before Kagail died, do you remember him saying something about a

puppeteer?

On the think of it, maybe he did.

The keyword puppeteer shows up in this log, too. It appears to be the codename

for one of his men.

We had better apprehend Mashallah as soon as possible.

Hmm. Once you make a complete dupe of the log, go meet up with Bato.

It's imperative that we ascertain the full scope of this plot.

What do we do with the still?

Leave things as we found them. I hate having to do that, but we don't have an

option since we were never here.

Understood.

Hospital?

That car sticks out like a sore thumb around here.

This security system setup kind of reminds me of... Head

around the outside.

What the hell?

You can't hack my cyber brain when I'm in here!

Die, puppeteer!

What's the gun down there?

What's that?

Get clear!

You dumbass!

I'll come back for you later. Leave Ned in the meantime.

Roger.

Major? It's been a long time, Bato.

So tell me, what brings you out here?

Damn, it is you.

I ought to ask you the same question.

I pick and choose the investigations I conduct based on my gut feelings about

them.

Heads up.

Hold on a minute.

What the hell?

Hold on to this woman, would you?

Isn't that Mashaba?

Do you know who he is?

Do I know? Look, what the hell are you up to?

Thanks. I'll take that now.

Hey.

Your tastes have changed.

A new car?

She swiped it.

Not too shabby at all.

Vato, I'm assuming that the reason you're here is because you're following

up on a lead on that string of suicides by those tattooed men.

But let me give you a bit of friendly advice.

Don't go anywhere near this solid state, or you'll end up killing yourself the

way they did.

I'll leave your car where you can find it.

Didn't I tell you to take one of your men with you?

You did, and that's why I brought this hunk of junk along.

We're too late.

Mashaba is dead.

Cause of death?

Neck trauma from the impacts during his rampage.

I guess we can rule Mashaba out as the puppeteer.

Bato, why the hell was that thing going after you like that?

I don't know.

And that's something I'd like to find out.

It's possible that he attacked you because he thought you were the

puppeteer. Hey, who's this puppeteer guy you keep talking about?

It all still remains speculation at this point. But we have reason to believe

it's a rebel's code name.

And we also believe that this is the person who orchestrated the deaths of

the tattooed men and Karam. He's a super wizard class hacker. Here's how he

works. He hacks people's cyber brains and forces them to commit suicide.

Wizard class?

Chief, we figured out how Karim is going to pull off his terrorist attack.

Oh.

You should come and see this for yourself.

This is the result of Karim's handiwork.

Apparently he was trying to spread his virus.

Are you kidding me?

Terrorism, my ass.

No human being could come up with something this demented.

Section 9 is going to figure out my M01 of these days.

Loki, Conan, hold down the fort while I'm gone.

Controlling two prosthetic bodies at the same time is apparently my limit.

see any options. We need to start their training again from square one.

Oh, man.

And we even went back to giving them natural oil.

I know.

However, the observers have ultimately changed.

It could therefore mean that their previous environmental conditions

haven't been perfectly replicated.

Hmm.

Same old Vato. Still obsessing over these guys and their development.

Africa was much harsher than I imagined it'd be.

I got new prosthetics before I left, but still.

If you're supplementing cardio functions with prosthetics, your O2 extraction

rate will take a hit.

Hey, I don't have a choice. Not while I work for this outfit.

I respect that.

First Tokusa, now you.

Good work. From the roster we found at their hideout, we've learned that the

group consists of 16 members.

The 13 suicides, plus Kagail, Mashaba, and someone named Rajputo.

Do you have any information on this Rajputo guy?

What's the likelihood that he's the puppeteer?

So far, he hasn't managed to enter the country.

We verified that much from their communications log.

There aren't a whole lot of people who are willing to go to the grave with you

just because you tell them to.

Things always seem to work out that way when a dictator buys the farm.

Still, 16 people is nothing to sneeze at.

You're late again.

When did you get back? Just now.

Sorry. Don't let me interrupt you.

Moving on. Next.

Regarding the missing micromachine virus, one gross, a total of 144

ampules, was brought into the country.

They contain a biochem weapon.

A genetically engineered form of smallpox with an added time-release

function.

That's one nasty little bug they lost track of.

Fatto!

I need to make sure of something.

You're positive that you didn't see anyone at Mashabad's hospital?

Yeah.

Then when that robot went berserk, there was no sign that a third party had been

involved?

None.

If you say so.

What exactly are you implying?

Well, um, the truth is, we weren't able to ID the owner of that vehicle that got

flattened in the parking lot.

So, maybe it was stolen.

Judging from the security system on the thing, that's highly doubtful.

Plus, part of the surveillance camera footage had been deleted.

I'm thinking that we should work under the assumption that someone else was

there.

And you believe that mysterious someone was the puppeteer? Why not?

It's early in the game still, and Karim's plan hasn't gone into effect at

this stage.

But there's plenty of evidence to suggest that this puppeteer hacker will

pick up where Karim left off.

From here on in, we will narrow the focus of our investigation to tracking

down the ampules while we are hunting for the puppeteer.

Roger.

Togusa.

What do you want me to do?

First off, go get some R&R.

You won't do anyone any good if you're not in top form.

Gotcha. I can handle that order.

Oh, and by the way... This morning the chief said, and I

quote, it's about time you reeled him in.

You can either devote yourself full-time as an instructor, or you can work under

me on this puppeteer case.

I leave the choice up to you.

What'll it be?

even need to ask.

The puppeteer job.

All right, then.

Yeah, I like those kinds a whole lot, too.

Learn anything?

Yeah, a few things.

Cut to the chase and fill us in. First off, I got the medical results back on

the 16 kids we ran checkups on, and there were no signs that they'd been

injected with micromachines. Although they showed symptoms of dehydration and

injuries from past abuse, they're all basically healthy.

But we also found out that portions of memory in every child had been erased.

In addition, their IDs had been rewritten in order to turn them into

somebody else.

They answered accurately when asked their names and addresses.

But when the topic turned to their parents, they had absolutely no memories

whatsoever.

And when we went to check out the addresses they gave, there were only

elderly people who'd been living alone for years.

Maybe those people really are their parents.

Not likely. We saw everything from a woman living by herself in a ten-by

-eight room to a rich old fart who could afford his own nursing robots.

But what each and every one of them had in common was that they were hooked up

to the nursing system and they were all noble rot senior citizens.

Needless to say, there were no signs that any children had ever lived there.

We examined the residency ledgers and child was listed next to each name.

Those were undoubtedly Dr. Two.

What is this noble rot you're talking about?

It's a reference to the fully automatic nursing system. It provides minimum

treatment to the elderly who are hooked up to it. They lie there languishing

like grapes infested with noble rot shriveling on the vine.

It was originally developed with the intent of solving the aging population

problem. And at the same time, to prevent the aged from dying alone and

unnoticed. But when NPO's learned that it was encouraging patients to remain

bedridden by connecting to the net, they started rebuking it as a thinly

disguised asset collection process.

You know this?

I've heard all about it from the old ladies who come to my pachinko place.

It's sort of like the bare bones model that was next to Karam's bed.

Now wait a minute here.

Kagail was trying to create human bombs, right?

If that's true... Why did he go to the trouble of erasing the kids' memories of

their parents?

If he wanted them to remain inconspicuous after he infected them

with a virus, why wouldn't he send the kids back home after erasing the

memories of their abduction?

You're asking the wrong guy. You definitely have a point there.

And if he cyberized them just for his plan, he's sure going to a lot of

trouble. The operation seemed to have been done prior to the abduction.

The Transformers seem legit, too.

Then the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare ought to have records.

Since all of those children are six years old, a consent form signed by a

parent or guardian is a legal requirement.

There are 144 missing ampules.

We should check to see if there are any kids listed there who fit the same

description. We've got to make sure we cover all the bases.

Good call.

All right. If the 16 kids we rescued had their cyberization surgery done through

legitimate channels, then the records would have been automatically recorded

in the databases of the MHLW and the management ministry.

Let's assume that they were snatched afterwards and their family registries

altered to make them look like they were the children of those old books.

There'd be a discrepancy between the number of kids listed as cyberized in

the National ID database and that listed by the MHLW.

I follow.

All of the children claim to have the same last name as one of those seniors,

so it should be simple to spot.

20,000?

There's got to be a mistake.

If kids were being swiped in such huge numbers, I think somebody would have

noticed it.

Yeah, you're right.

Besides, that number is way larger than anything we expected.

What now?

Let's begin by eliminating the worst-case scenario.

First, we ascertain the names and addresses of the excess children in the

database. I'm on it. I can have that for you in a few seconds.

It's a trap!

This is an emergency class E virus detected.

Shut down all equipment immediately.

Repeat, this is an emergency class E virus detected. Shut down all equipment

immediately.

It's too late. It's already been compromised.

We've got to cut the damn power then.

Give me a hand.

So a virus was planted in the management ministry's database too. Data's also

disappearing on their side.

Is the MHLW's data intact?

Yeah. Hell if I know why, though.

Well, I bet the management ministry is buzzing like a poked beehive right about

now.

Shit. We just lost the best lead we had.

Yeah, but that's only true if it turns out that there really were 20,000

abductions. Huh? What do you mean, exactly?

Common sense dictates that Cagale's crew couldn't possibly have carried out that

many kidnappings.

Even if we were to tell ourselves that it's the work of this hacker, the

puppeteer, the M.O. is just too sloppy.

Don't you find it the least bit strange that this guy would leak traces of

tampering only in the national ID system?

This way, it's almost as if he's saying to us, I've nabbed these kids, now

please find them. So for what it's worth, I'll throw in my two cents. I

think he's got something else in mind entirely.

I have to concur with your opinion.

These were sent to the MHLW's pathogenic microorganism isolation facility.

Analysis pegged them as a soap-produced micro-machine virus.

This would suggest that our intel was indeed correct.

What did the person who delivered it look like?

There are absolutely no records remaining that might have offered a clue

as to who delivered it or when.

Is there a chance that this person is the puppeteer?

It's possible.

If that's the case... What's the puppeteer's ultimate goal here?

It couldn't be to keep Ka's terrorist plot rolling.

Hmm. There's a possibility that the puppeteer is the hacker operating under

the authority of some government agency.

What?

The way in which Karam's death was so deftly covered up has been nagging at

me, as I was trying to find some answers. I heard rumors of a suspicious

conversation that took place recently between the Prime Minister and the

Foreign Affairs Ministry.

You believe the Foreign Ministry used a hacker to assassinate Karim because he

was such a big thorn in the government's side?

To be perfectly blunt, yes. In that case, we should probably start thinking

of the kidnappings as a decoy.

So, which section was it that took the job?

Well, this incident does not amount to a serious crime.

Nevertheless, if we take into consideration the results that it's

achieved, the government and we are on the same page.

For now, the best advice I can offer is that we should let sleeping dogs lie and

avoid making the situation even worse.

What?

You're to identify the 16 children as soon as possible, but you finish there.

I'm temporarily taking you off the investigation.

That's all, Maiden.

Oh, man.

All that worked for nothing, and now we've got to tie up an assload of loose

ends.

Well, the least we can do is jump on the task at hand and track down the parents

of those kids.

Very amazing.

I'm on my way there.

Need to ask you something.

What is it?

Who made you pull us off this case? Was it the Treaty Review Department?

You mean that.

I cut a deal with Nagamura.

In exchange for turning a blind eye to their work, we were allowed to take

possession of the micro-machine virus.

And you're okay with that?

If removing Karim from the picture was so vital to national interests, I would

think you'd be offended that they didn't ask us to do it.

Otherwise, what was the point of expanding Section 9 these past two

years?

She's not going to come back, not when we're like this.

So what do we do? Wallow in regret for not receiving such an order, or do we

rejoice? The answer to that will determine what path we walk in the

future.

I completely understand the point you're trying to make, Bato.

But we must also consider the possibility that the Major will never

return to Section 9.

Her talents were more rare than ESP.

Unfortunate though it may be, no one but her can fill her shoes.

And reality being what it is, I won't be able to stay here forever.

So under the circumstances, shouldn't we create a new organization?

A unit that can tackle not just one investigation, but three at a time,

while using only 80% of its resources.

Don't you think that's the best way to carry on our ideals after we're gone?

That's what I hoped for as I worked to expand our current organization.

Making Togasa the squad commander was part of that plan.

But if you had accepted the position instead of him, then things might have

worked out quite differently.

Old man, I ain't cut out for a job like that.

If you subjectively believe that to be the case, you might be correct then.

With Togasa, it's different.

Before a person's inherent talents can blossom, one has to overcome a whole

slew of obstacles.

He needs support, and I want you to give it to him.

Are you sure about that?

Because I think Togus is doing a bang-up job, personally.

I know the Major would say that he's preventing his feelings from interfering

with his work. It sounds like he even told his family about his new job and

the prosthetics he got.

But I doubt he had an easy time trying to win their understanding.

That's something that I was never able to do to the very end.

I'm glad we were able to talk like this again

I

can't

make it home again tonight It can't be helped You're in a position of

responsibility now

Yes. In fact, our little queen declared last week that she'd be sleeping by

herself in her own room without her brother. They don't fight now, so it's

quiet around here.

Her own bed?

She's growing up too fast.

I know.

It's hard to believe she's six.

Wow, six already.

Send me a picture of her sleeping, okay?

Sure.

Tokita, we have an emergency. Get to flat 47 right away.

What happened?

I'm sorry, sir.

They're all... the children are... By the time we learned what was up, they

were gone.

It's like with Kugel.

Sure looks that way.

The puppeteer.

If he wanted Proto dead, he would have made him pull the trigger a while ago.

He's buying time.

Shit!

Boma! Ishikawa! Use the IR system to locate those kids ASAP! But we can

barely keep the damn lights on.

Ask the local police for assistance.

Get Proto to the analysis room.

Togusa! We need to talk.

It'll have to wait.

Finding those kids is a little more important.

This is just as important.

I think I know who the puppeteer is.

It's Aramaki.

Oh, pardon me.

What kept you?

Sorry, things are hectic at work.

And you, sir.

How are you feeling, Colonel Tonoda?

The Colonel's hobbies haven't changed at all, have they?

Don't be so hard on him.

All his health problems are due to the stress of prison life.

Where the hell is Tsuchisaki?

That ingrate hasn't come to see me even once.

He forgets the debt he owes to the man who looked out for him more than anyone

else.

His memories are also a bit jumbled.

Let's step out.

I have something I want to give you.

There's nothing left now of the man once known as Colonel Red Demon.

You should seriously think about remarrying.

There's no sorrier sight than a single old man.

I decided long ago that I would never own anything that I couldn't take to the

grave with me.

As steely-eyed and resolute as ever, I see.

So, what was it that you wanted to give to me?

Oh, right. This is it.

The truth is, when I was at Mashaba's hospital, I ran into the Major.

You ran into her?

You mean that...

At first, I never would have believed it possible.

But then I gradually became more and more convinced that she had to be the

puppeteer. I missed an opportunity to bring it up earlier.

Then did you witness the Major kill Mashaba?

No. But I did see her walk off with the ampules.

Before, I used to always butt in whenever it seemed like the Major might

be involved in a specific case.

But... Back then, I always believed that she was helping us to solve the case in

her own fashion.

This time, it's different.

It definitely doesn't add up. What the hell is the Major trying to do?

Damn it, Michael.

But one thing's certain. The Treaty Review Department set up the head of

Kara. The Major's probably there.

Michael!

I want you and Franco to head over to Beltway number 16 immediately.

This is an urgent matter. It has top priority.

Chief, we have a situation on our own hands here.

The puppeteer has struck at section 9 also.

He did what?

Old man, I hate to say it, but I think the pupp... Keep it between us.

Until I can verify it.

Chief, now that he's made a move, does that mean the investigation is open

again?

I suppose so.

Understood. Now, what's happened on your end?

About two hours ago, security cameras in Coastal District 2 happened to catch

sight of an internationally wanted criminal.

Huh? Who is this guy?

He must be one tough customer if you want Saito and me on him.

He's a super-classy sniper, formerly of the Silk Republic.

Lieutenant Rajputo.

Rajputo? Wait, that was one of the names from...

The one member who hadn't come into the country.

He was the commander of Coram's personal guard.

The way I heard it, he sought asylum in China after Soap felt.

Considering the timing of his entry into the country, there must be something to

this. Right.

Fortunately, the Intelligence Bureau has a fix on his current position.

I want the two of you to tail him and find out what his objective is.

Roger.

Togusa, if it turns out the Major is the puppeteer, then we have to take her on.

Yeah, I know. I don't want to think about it either.

Somehow or someday I will repay this favor, my friend.

Colonel Tanuta, I'm afraid I can't stay any longer.

They say the children...

Take after their parents and robots take after humans.

But you didn't turn out anything like me.

I'm pleased that a fool like me made a genius like you.

Try to look after your health, all right?

Thank you, I will, sir.

Take care of yourself, too, Colonel.

What's his M.O. gonna be for his sniping?

The same as mine. He'll use his Hawkeye to establish a satellite link and then

take his shot.

Which means it's only a matter of time before we lose the ability to track him

by GPS.

Right. We have to catch him before then.

Let me take over.

I'm gonna get a good look at his face.

Don't let him spot you.

No doubt about it. This is our guy.

Togus, good news.

The IR system just picked up one of the kids.

Really? What's his location?

He's walking through the grounds of the Kohoku Public Housing Project.

Hey, that's close to where I live.

Okay, I'll go check it out.

I'll put in a call to the PPD.

I guess it's back to investigating all those kidnapping cases for us. Look that

way. Damn it.

We'll have to put the Major on the back burner.

The Puppeteer, I presume.

It's certainly a fitting name.

I had an inquiry a moment ago from Public Security Section 9 asking if I

knew a hacker called the Puppeteer.

My answer was, sorry, I don't have any clue.

So, what do you want to talk to me about?

I came here to refund your payment.

As far as we're concerned, if the assignments you've been given are

carried out, we really don't care what you do.

I'm sorry, but you won't see me again.

I'll leave a net channel open for you to contact us in that case.

Feel free to.

Hmm?

That's a puppet as well.

What a waste.

And she was so talented, too.

The sun's about to come up.

Still, why do you think he decided to come here now?

You don't think it's to carry out Karim's revenge, do you?

Karim's revenge?

Possibly. Makes sense, but how could anyone have gotten that intel?

We were even left out of the loop about that little tidbit.

Good point.

How much longer is he going to keep driving around?

Come to think of it... There's that same building again.

Hey, wait.

Isn't that the...

The kid just went into building N-25, apartment 602.

Can you find it? Yeah. I know this neighborhood like the back of my hand.

A noble rot senior citizen.

Everything I have in this world is invested in that boy.

I will it to some stranger off the damn street soon enough that the government

get a hold of it.

Besides, the boy would have died of mistreatment if I hadn't taken him in.

That's the will of the people, of those who live in the solid state. It's our

little game.

No, it's much more than that. It's our economic action.

If you don't want to end up killing yourself like the others, then keep your

nose out of our society.

Consider yourself warned.

I'm definitely getting the feeling that a sniping target is in there.

Turn off your cyber brain and assign a guard to him, okay?

Right away, sir.

Cardiac arrest confirmed.

Requesting disposal of remains and retrieval of nursing system.

Disposal? That's strange.

Didn't he have family somewhere?

There's a six-year-old kid listed in his file.

Data error, maybe?

I shouldn't complain.

That's one less job that I have to do.

Data error?

No. He's missing because I rescued him.

Which means if I hadn't come here, it would have made no difference.

They would have taken that boy into custody anyway as part of their standard

procedure.

Special operatives committing suicide.

Children who vanish.

Noble rot senior citizens.

The will of the people, of those who live in the solid state.

Hang on.

In the first place, what does solid state mean?

What was that old man talking about?

Hi hon, what is it?

That clinches it.

Let's go after him.

Hold on.

Shit, he's got optical camouflage?

What the hell is going on?

Her GPS is turned off.

It's the puppeteer?

It can't be. She doesn't have any cyber implants yet.

I need you to pinpoint which satellite he's using.

Now that we've lost his trail, we won't find him until he starts to shoot. The

instant he does is going to be our first and last chance to get him.

I can probably locate that satellite for you, but how will you actually spot the

guy?

He should be in this zone.

He'll know where we are, but we'll be able to spot his position from up here.

Wear this.

You're way too easy to see in that.

There's no time. If we can beat him to the punch, I can take him.

Let's do it.

Bingo. Hatch me in.

This guy's the target?

I've got a back brace on his position.

SE-37.

There he is. Send my data back, Adam.

Someone's lining up a shot.

Righto!

Did I nail him?

Lay low. I'll go check.

Hurry up.

Huh?

Daddy?

Well?

Have a little faith in your skills, why don't you?

That's a relief.

Now then, you want to start by telling me who that guy was you were gunning for

and why you were trying to kill him?

It was to avenge the general's death.

I'm going to kill every last one of you lousy Japs for him.

Out of revenge, huh?

Don't give me that load of crap.

Where'd you get your hands on that piece of intel?

It was a tip that I got from a double agent.

He said he'd tell me who masterminded the general's death, so I had to go take

out the target.

Who is this double agent? Give me his name.

He spends a lot of time at the foreign ministry.

An assemblyman named Mune.

Old man, I need you to call her an assemblyman by the name of Mune, ASAP.

And here's a picture of the guy that Rod was trying to kill.

Looks like he's the brains behind the hit on Karam. Who?

If I'm not mistaken, this photo is of the assemblyman Hitoshi Mune.

What are you trying to pull?

You know that target you were just trying to whack? He's the same guy who

fed you your intel. Explain that to me. That's his problem.

Maybe the bastard wants to commit suicide or something.

Commit suicide?

All right, I've had enough of this.

Are you sure the puppeteer isn't pulling your strings too, bucko?

Could be.

If that thing was human, I'd have killed it right off the bat.

If it got to me, I'm going to be so pissed off.

Are you saying the puppeteer isn't human?

It's the name of the mechanism that's built into the solid state and designed

for abducting kids.

Huh? What the hell do you mean?

Hey, listen.

What is the solid state?

You really don't know?

It's the nursing net, that's what.

The government of this great democratic country of yours goes around stealing

children. It's too damn funny.

Old man, I need a paramedic team and a chopper over here.

And do some digging into the background of this Moonay guy. There's something

dicey going on.

Understood.

No, anyway, I found her right after I called you.

Apparently, she's been with the neighbors since this morning.

I see.

I'm just happy it was a false alarm.

Never leave the house without telling Mommy.

Okay. Come on, I'll drop you off at school.

I'll have to go right back to work after that.

Are you sure you have to go? You look exhausted.

I feel better just seeing you two.

Really? Well, if you say so.

What is it?

Nothing, Daddy.

Togusa. Huh?

We have Rajputo in custody.

It looks like the puppeteer was involved in this one, too.

Which means that the Major is. Yeah, but the way this is going, the Major might

not be the puppeteer after all.

Huh?

Rajputo claims that the puppeteer is the name of an abduction mechanism that's

built into the nursing system.

An abduction mechanism?

That's right.

Not only that, but he referred to the nursing net as the solid state and

implied that the government is somehow involved.

I should have mentioned this before, but when I ran to the Major, she warned me

to stay away from the solid state.

At first, I thought she was talking about cyber implants, but I think what

she was really trying to tell me was to stay away from her.

Or maybe she was giving me a heads up to avoid the nursing net.

I'm guessing the Calram and his group found the mechanism, tried to exploit it

for their plot, and got themselves purged.

That makes sense.

Huh?

It's for Mommy.

Give me a minute.

Hi, honey.

You enjoyed our warning?

Hey! That mistake will come to you, precious daughter.

I told you so! What's happening with you?

You give me focus on his current location.

I'll try to track him down. Why? What's up?

His cyber brain's being hacked.

Daddy, this isn't the way to school.

Shit.

So you're the puppeteer, huh?

What's your plan?

And how do the missing kids fit into it?

Where did those 20,000 children disappear to?

We are doing nothing more than recycling ghosts that have been foolishly allowed

to go to waste. I am about to let you experience for yourself exactly what

some of them went through.

Lato, I have a fix on Togus' location.

He's at the Cyberbrain Surgical Hospital over in Kohoku, Newtown.

The kids are taken to the hospital by their own parents for cyberization, and

the doctors perform the surgery without suspecting a thing.

You then overwrite the child's memory, the parent drops off the kid with a

senior citizen, and the abduction is complete.

After this, you're going to wipe my memory, and my own daughter will vanish

like the others.

You shouldn't feel regret about your memories being altered in modern

society. Memories are constantly modified on a subconscious level.

The probability of such modification already exceeds that of being in a

traffic accident.

Am I being given a choice now?

I won't let you people take my daughter.

Never.

Listen, sweetheart.

I need you to do something very important for Daddy.

When Daddy lets go of your hand, you run away as fast as you can.

Run away?

That's right.

You'll hear a loud bang, just like the field games at school.

When you hear that sound... Run with all your might.

After you start running, don't stop for anything.

And whatever you do, do not look back.

Can you do it?

Mm-hmm. Good girl.

Now close your eyes.

I'm sorry.

This is goodbye, Mike.

Now don't you worry.

It's okay.

Major?

I had to wait until the last possible second.

Sorry about that.

Then I guess this means that you aren't the puppeteer.

Where have you been?

I've kept busy since Section 9.

I've been wandering the net, covertly solving crimes that can't be handled

with standard organization-based methodology.

In the course of doing that, I came across these abduction cases and have

been conducting my own investigation.

I can't believe that you would use Togusa as bait. Didn't you stop to think

that it might put his family in their crosshairs?

There were safeguards in place. I made sure of it.

Thanks to those, we should be able to learn now who the puppeteer actually is.

Hmm? Isn't puppeteer the name of a system that's operating on the nursing

net? Instead of a system, it would be more accurate to call it a gestalt, of

those hooked up to the nursing net.

Meaning all those senior citizens.

But there's a hub cyberbrain running independently of it that manages the

entire thing.

Hub cyberbrain?

Well, I think they are.

I constructed them out of data I found drifting in the net.

Hi, Mr. Batto. Long time no see. It's nice to see that you're doing well.

A back door was installed in the nursing net that's been there ever since the

design stage.

Look.

This is a full view of the rhizome that's been woven by those elderly

peoples to Schultz.

A rhizome doesn't contain the concept of a center.

Therefore, the hub's cyberbrain is constantly in motion.

That, or the rhizome itself, might be acting as a hub.

Now that I know what's going on, I gotta find out who or what this hub is.

Max, Musashi, report your findings.

What's the problem?

You failed.

But we did succeed in pinpointing its location, though.

Okay,

where is it, then?

It's at the Sacred Citizen Relief Center building.

That's where the Heart of the Nursing Net is located.

They've arrived.

Disengaging lock.

It's been a long time, Major.

I suppose it has.

Too bad we have to reunite under these circumstances.

Why? Why did you come back?

That can wait.

There's no time now.

At the moment, our priority is to catch the puppeteer.

Hitoshi Mune, assemblyman in the lower house.

The reason why he was marked for death is our sole lead in uncovering the true

identity of the puppeteer.

This man, Mune, is a reactionary conservative nationalist who's always

been a proponent of the formation of a ruling class, one comprised of pure

-blooded Japanese.

He's always in contact with the foreign ministry.

And he has ties to the Treaty Review Department.

He was also involved in Karam's murder.

What are you saying, Major?

I contracted out to the Treaty Review Department so that I could make it look

as if Karam had been assassinated. But before I could do it, the puppeteer got

to him.

Then you were only responsible for covering up his death after the fact.

Yes, more or less.

We've also learned that Hitoshi Mune has secured a leadership position in the day

-to-day operations of the Sacred Citizen Relief Center.

What's in it for him? The place is just a service organization that provides

health care and vocational training for old folks.

True. However, thanks to the patronage of certain politicians, and its public

image as a non-profit foundation, the center acts in reality as a training

facility servicing the power elite.

It's a veritable brainwashing factory.

That has to be what Rajputo meant when he implied that the government had a

part in it.

If this place is being used as a temporary central cleaning house for

those children who were abducted, then what the puppeteer is having trouble

dealing with is the fact that Mune is using it as a brainwashing factory.

Chief, why don't we go search the place?

Our top priority here is to find those missing children.

Yeah, but raiding the place will cause a scandal.

And if that happens, that scumbag of a politician ain't the only one who's

going to catch heat for it.

Isawa, how's it coming?

Is that you, Major?

You picked a hell of a time to rejoin the fold.

I found evidence of a massive amount of equipment being brought in that was

based off of the HC-25 brainwashing machine.

But that's pretty flimsy proof to justify a raid.

What about from the inside?

I only found footage from their manual labor wing.

The defense barrier protecting the education wing is a complex virtual

experience, ma'am. I had no luck at all speaking in.

Just looks like refugees.

Then the children were being held in the education wing.

Which means that the abduction mechanism had to be built into the place during

planning stages.

If it weren't, I'd find it hard to believe that a rank-and-file politician

would have the ball to propose such an audacious policy.

Then do you suspect that when they laid the groundwork for the project, that the

puppeteer was also among those involved?

Ishikawa, use decoys to make it look as if hackers are trying to dive the place.

I'm going in.

Even if it fails, it'll give you guys some cover.

If you and Togus are still around, Section 9 can carry on.

Bato.

I don't want to hear that kind of talk, all right?

Oh, so you're the one who's going to retire this time?

I appreciate your consideration, but the only reason I came here is to ID the

puppeteer, nothing more.

It's true you'll always need someone who'll get their hands dirty for you.

And besides, I don't have anything to lose right now.

Chief, no offense, but I'm going there by myself.

The puppeteer is waiting for an opportunity to eliminate Mune, and I

don't want to miss this chance.

But how do you plan to find the puppeteer, Major?

We still don't have the foggiest idea who this character is.

I'm going to keep my ears open.

My ghost will whisper.

Hi, everybody.

All right,

here we go.

Their response is strange for a seemingly basic attack.

Go to alert status to be safe.

Yes, sir.

Fellow pro, huh?

Uh-oh.

I guess we have each other's attention now.

Hacking from the public prosecutor's office again, hmm?

They're wasting their time.

I'm going to inspect the facility.

Padun Foma, secure the evac route.

Roger.

I could tell you.

Of course I'd have to kill you then.

I've lost communications.

You go on ahead.

The

one that

got inside is as good as dead.

Go after the think tank.

Got it.

These guys open fire without warning.

This must be a key government facility, Arnold.

That what we want.

No thermal signatures.

Cloak of invisibility, hmm? Which means... You're intel way up, Dave.

Thank you!

Mow him down.

Roger!

You back me up.

In a couple minutes, I'll gain control of the system.

I got it.

Isn't this the way we've always done it?

Tobasa, what's your current position?

Major, I'm making my approach at the face of the building.

Good. I want you to make your way to the roof and rendezvous with the chief.

I found out where the children are.

Let's go!

Assemblyman Mooney, we're Public Security Section 9. We've already seen

for ourselves what you're up to.

Judging from what we see here, a full-scale compulsory investigation

would seem unavoidable, wouldn't it?

Really? Though it doesn't show up on the books, it's the government's most vital

agency. You self-righteous public security pissants have no business in

here. Begging your pardon, Assemblyman, but from what I observe here, this

exactly fits the criteria for the type of situation in which our organization

needs to intervene.

For a public servant, you don't seem to have the vaguest clue as to the gravity

of the threat that this country is facing.

If nothing is done, our country's prosperity will be supplanted by other

races one day in the near future.

So to prevent that, we're expending tax dollars on these children who have no

families, giving them educations and entrusting our future to them.

Just what exactly do you find wrong with that?

Those taxes are from the money you've exploited out of the elderly and the

refugees that you indenture to this facility.

That couldn't have been avoided either.

Stop and think about it.

What have these people ever done for the good of the country, hmm? They don't

have families or children. They don't contribute as taxpayers.

After living only for themselves, they demand, I'm old, take care of me. Their

selfishness is appalling.

If I could, I'd impose a new tax on them to restore the revenue we lose because

they're too old or can't work.

You're splitting hairs.

Besides, I'd like to know what you politicians have been doing about it all

this time.

Who takes responsibility for you people putting self-preservation and vanity

ahead of your duties and burying pressing issues at the bottom of a pile?

I'm proud that I have accepted responsibility for it.

Are you proud of violating cyber-brain ethics laws and human rights as well?

They were steps that needed to be taken, in my opinion.

You refuse to budge.

Major, I ran a check on the number of kids here.

It's nowhere near 20,000. It's more like 3,000, top.

I see.

Put your comms down to autistic mode.

Roger.

You!

Assemblyman, were you aware that a system to automatically steal children

was designed and built into this center?

The children that are here are not orphans. The vast majority of them are

abductees.

Our investigation into their disappearance has led us here.

You yourself are a material witness in the case, Monet.

I'll admit, I've overseen this project from the very beginning, but I know

nothing about a bug in the system.

In that case, we'll have to interrogate the ones who came up with the system.

It was me.

I was the one who devised the core concepts that the solid state system is

founded on.

Togasa, take everyone into custody.

Roger. Bato, I'm going to dive this guy's cyberbrain before his memories

pull a whiteout.

Back me up.

Move on in time.

Bato, I'm connected.

Gotcha. I'm boosting your signal right now.

I see his memory field, but the output's dropping. It's too low.

Bato. Do you think you can boost his output?

We'll try going through a touch coma.

You, get yourself over here.

There's no time.

Puppeteer, can you see me?

Puppeteer, can you see me?

Puppeteer.

That's the name of the hub cyberbrain that managed the Noble Rock Senior

Citizen's rhizome.

Yes.

Entering right visual center.

The cods have ceased. No eye movement.

What happened?

Bato, I'm patching the puppeteer into my speech center.

Don't be stupid.

Come on, then dive again.

You see, Rune was the Solid State's greatest bottleneck.

I've tried to purge him time and time again, but he's an old-fashioned type

who hates the thought of civilization.

Who the hell are you? Why were those children taken? What are you using them

for? Setting aside the matter of my identity for the moment, perhaps my

motives were the same as Mune's.

This country has reached the point where someone has to step in and take action.

There's the problem of six million plus noble rot senior citizens.

Increasing unemployment and the proportionally decreasing worker

population that continues unabated.

Then there's the declining birth rate as well.

So many problems to address.

And here's the fact.

Even though there's such a furor over the birth rate, nearly 50,000 children

in this country under the age of six needlessly lose their lives every year.

Approximately 30% of those deaths can be attributed to domestic abuse. Well, can

you do it? I'll try!

Child Guidance Center. The police and other relevant authorities were aware of

the situation, but they were unable to prevent the deaths.

This country's systems have already collapsed.

and the potential of the individual is declining considerably. Major!

Now listen to me. If you stay in there much longer, you're going to white out

along with him when he dies.

That's when I came upon the idea of recycling ghosts that were being damaged

unnecessarily. I found at-risk children through the abuse surveillance net, and

then laundered their family registers.

I believed that it would give them a new chance at life.

So that's the core concept of the Solid State System.

Correct. But to make it work, it was essential to have the assistance of the

noble rock senior citizens.

They hunger for a reason to exist.

Although they aren't able to pass down their DNA, their posterity would exist

on paper. They would then have someone to whom they could bequeath their

belongings. That way, they could continue to take part in this economic

action instead of forfeiting their personal property to the state upon

their deaths.

They happily gave my plan their approval.

You realize that what you're doing is a crime, don't you?

Yes, but if those ends had absolute priority, they would be the only

possible means.

My primary task was to save these children who were in danger as soon as I

could. With that reason alone, I have no regrets about what I've done, even

though it's cost me my life. On the contrary, it means that my life as a

bureaucrat had meaning.

All that remained was to reinforce the solid state system and make it into a

self-perpetuating mechanism.

Maybe, but the purging one by one of those who had meddled with your system

drew attention to your plan and the scheme was uncovered.

Considering how they must have felt when they knew that the end was near, their

reactions are understandable.

Now Karim I can see, but Mune, why him?

Because Mune held the children prisoner here.

If those young ones end up becoming brainwashed Galit for him... Giving them

new leases on life was for nothing.

Children need an education.

But if they aren't released out into the world, they won't develop a strong will

of their own.

That was the point of contention between Mune and I. And it was the main reason

why I had to eliminate him.

But this time, you people had to go and show up.

Nevertheless, my plan has progressed smoothly to its next phase.

Huh?

I've never been able to hack your cyber brain.

But now I've succeeded in getting you to link me directly into it. Major!

You killed yourself just to lure me into linking with you.

You're a formidable opponent, but if I can momentarily trap you in a thought

maze, I'll be able to eliminate Section 9 all at once.

I'm surprised.

Your thinking is so arrogant and self-righteous, yet you have so much

drive. But being a bureaucrat is a waste of your talent.

Plus, you know all about me.

Who the hell are you?

You still haven't pieced it together?

Come now, Motoko Kusanagi.

Surely there can't be an overabundance of people dwelling within your memory,

burning with this overwhelming egotistical rightfulness.

We've synchronized with countless consciousnesses over the years, so it

shouldn't come as a big surprise that your deep collective subconscious came

to life.

And with it the solid state is complete.

It's time for us to go forth.

Let's become a vanishing mediator and go take an active hand in the next society.

I can't see anything.

Somebody give me a status report.

Finally awake?

Bato, are you there?

What's happening?

Where am I?

So, did they make a decision about what to do with the children?

Hmm. It appears that they're going to be returned to their real parents for the

time being.

Even though their memories were overwritten, and they have no knowledge

of any abuse, I wonder if that's really what's best for the kids.

Perhaps the fact that no one can answer such a critical question after all this

underscores the limitations of our system.

What will happen to those kids who found foster parents and managed to get out

before their brainwashing education began?

For me, they will have to wait a while for the verdict.

I expect there to be some rather complicated trials as they go through

them on a case-by-case basis.

Then, Chief, when a situation like this arises, what can we hope for?

I can only tell you one thing.

We need to persevere and work within the rules by which we're governed. That's

the best we can do to make a stand against the unjust for now.

I only wish that when those kids are grown, when they've matured and reached

their full potentials, they'll be able to find the answers that we couldn't.

That's my hope.

You know, if you just sit down and think about it, The name Solid State System is

actually quite ironic.

The guy's metaphor for cyberbrains of old people was transistors.

Sure sounds like something a stuffed-shirt bureaucrat would come up

with, doesn't it?

I gotta admit, I was a little freaked out to learn who the puppeteer really

was.

What are you talking about?

We discovered a few interesting bits of information after you lost consciousness

when he died.

That pencil pusher, he actually croaked two years ago.

Name, Tateaki Koshiki, age 33.

Born into a respectable family of civil servants.

Fast-tracked to elite status since childhood.

College, then the Ministry of Management and Coordination.

But he quickly grew frustrated and stopped going to work.

possibly because he had no sense of purpose as a civil servant.

Due to his cyber-brain skills, he was allowed to work from home through a

remote prosthetic body, but he was apparently indifferent to performing his

duties.

Then two years ago, Mune noticed the guy's talents. Those abilities were

skills he needed on his project to manipulate both the welfare and

management ministries. Mune brought him on board, and Koshiki independently

designed and implemented his abduction system.

But the trouble was, Koshiki wasn't the type who stood out. He wasn't

noticeable.

In spite of the huge job he was working on, not one damn person happened to

realize that the poor slob had gotten sick and died at home.

Thanks to that, the true identity of the puppeteer is going to remain a mystery

forever.

So now we know the truth about Koshiki's death.

Does it then mean that someone else was operating his remote body to cause all

of this?

It's possible.

As a matter of fact, of any theory, that's probably the most likely. Even

with those old folks that formed a gestalt with a guy. Their collective

unconsciousness was the force behind their actions and caused them to do what

they did. I hate to say it, but there's no way for us to find out for sure now.

With one exception.

The conversation between you and Koshiki that's recorded in the Tachikoma's

memory.

Is it still stored in there?

It should be.

But when Koshiki died, they claimed that all of his memories underwent a whiteout

and were supposedly lost along with him.

Bato, did you listen in on that conversation?

Well, sort of.

At this point, though, it doesn't really matter now, does it?

The neglected old-timers, those kids who were being abused, all that stuff is on

its way toward being resolved at last.

Even if we didn't find out the true identity of the puppeteer, this case is

still more or less closed.

Written off as a scandal involving a few bad apple politicians?

It's the strangest thing, Bato.

Hmm?

What have I been feeling so jaded and disillusioned about?

What do you think I was searching for as I was wandering around the net?

A friend?

Truth?

Or a certain special someone, maybe?

Perhaps I just wanted to blame this organization or even the system for my

own sense of helplessness.

What's gotten into you? You turning all meek and modest on me?

Did you get whatever it was out of your system?

Okay. So what are you going to do now?

Plan on keeping up that picking the investigations you conduct based on your

gut feelings about them routine of yours?

Maybe I'm finished with that, too.

When I'm operating under restrictions, I definitely feel constrained by them. But

without those restraints, it doesn't seem like my actions are accomplishing

anything. I guess I'm right back to where I started from.

What's that supposed to mean?

Is that your way of saying you're coming back to Section 9?

What about Togatha?

Won't I get in the way of his development?

Well, if that prevents him from growing, then he wasn't going to go any further

anyway.

I wouldn't sweat it if I were you.

Perhaps you're right.

Bato, the net truly is vast and infinite.

Who knows?

Maybe a new society we've never even dreamed of is already being born.

foreign is

But now...

foreign