All language subtitles for Ghost in the shell solid state society S.A.C. (2006) anim

Passengers and crew have been evacuated
as per terrorism response manual.

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 any assistance they need.

This is priority one. Full authority for this incident
has been transferred to them.

Hey, my people have
taken casualties!

"Agreement"” or no, there'd better
be a damn good reason for us to-

Keep this line clear. There's no telling
if there's a back-hack on it.

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

Found him.

Immigration Gates
Currently Closed

From what we're told, the initial reports say
that the suspect willingly submitted to questioning.

When we explained that he'd be transferred
into Public Security's custody,

He almost seemed
happy about it.

Happy?

Yes...

That doesn't make
much sense.

So, the Big Man isn't
gonna meet up with us?

He said he's gonna stick with
his "I only work cases that I pick...

...based on what my gut tells me" policy
and sit this one out, too.

Still, the fact is that we were only able
to connect the dots in this case...

...because Batou stuck his nose
where it didn't belong.

Paz and Borma, take the two rookies with you
and come in through the north gate.

We're on it.

The two of us are taking
the frontal approach.

Roger that.

You know,
you've changed, too, Boss.

I can't believe you outgrew
that Mateba fixation of yours.

Nobody said
I outgrew it.

This Ka Gael 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 he's armed?

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

This is just peachy...

Colonel Ka Gael!
We're with Public Security!

We're willing to consider granting you
safe passage out of the country as you demanded.

Start by releasing your hostage.
Then we can talk.

Ka Gael!

Are you listening?

Ka Gael!

Drop your weapon!

Don't do anything, people.
Come on, give me the gun.

The Enemy Cannot Be Allowed
to Live Under the Same Sky

The Enemy Cannot Be Allowed to Live Under the Same Sky
Togusa, looks like he's high on a military-use reflex booster.

Togusa, looks like he's high on
a military-use reflex booster.

Togusa, looks like he's high on
a military-use reflex booster.

Understood.

Ka Gael!

The Puppeteer is coming!
I don't want to die!

If you don't want to die,
hurry up and drop the piece!

What did you
say to me?

You're not gonna make
a public spectacle outta me!

Don't!

Shit! What the hell
did he do that for?!

The Puppeteer, huh?

Not a bad name
at all...

Prime Minister Kayabuki.

Special operatives tattooed with "true believer"
to show their loyalty to General Ka Rum...

...have been committing suicide
one by one here in Japan.

And moments ago, Col. Ka Gael,
his oldest son, killed himself, too.

You still insist there is no need to interrogate
the General in spite of these incidents?

Some reports are saying that Col. Ka's death
was the result of a botched arrest attempt.

Even assuming that indiscriminate terrorist acts
are being planned by Seok Republic holdouts,

I find it hard to imagine that General Ka is
involved in the plan while under house arrest.

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

...that have accompanied my enactment
of the Refugee Naturalization Policy.

I was under the impression that such work
falls under Public Security's purview.

Understood, ma'am.

ISHIKAWA. Send me the files
from Ka Gael's debriefing.

Coming right up.

We're moving out!

Is this wise, sir? I don't believe
she gave you authorization for that.

If no one finds out that I opened Pandora's Box,
I didn't break my word to her.

7072. Has the scene provided you
with any new material data?

No, sir, I haven't
found anything yet.

Call in the Supervisor.
There's some old-

Batou.

Are you listening
to me, Batou?

Yeah, I'm listening.

Where are you?

True Believer We found the
body of a 13th tattooed man.

We found the body of
a 13th tattooed man.

- Is this one another suicide?
- Yeah.

This place looks a lot like our own safe houses.
It was probably one of their hideouts.

Let the Prefectural Police handle this. Grab one
of your subordinates and go to this location.

It's a secret hideout that Ka Gael
told us about in his debriefing.

You sure that a mainstream job like that
isn't more up Togusa's alley?

Togusa's coming with me
to the Dungeon.

Ah, I follow you.

Togusa.

How long has it been since the Major
resigned from Section 97

It's coming up
on two years now, I guess.

That long...

I'm sorry about what happened
with Ka Gael.

There was nothing
you could have done.

This is a vital matter which might prove to be
Prime Minister Kayabuki's Achilles' heel.

Her intention is probably to keep a lid on
things that she doesn't want to see right now.

Still, Kayabuki was scared that the other countries
at the six-party talks would...

...look too closely at the real motivation
behind the Refugee Naturalization Policy.

This whole damn mess got started
because she was forced into looking after Ka Rum!

That's because even before General Ka picked
Japan as the country he'd seek asylum in,

He said that he'd carry out
acts of terrorism in retaliation.

"At the moment of my death,
I will visit terror throughout the world."

You mean that retribution declaration that was
in the speech he gave when Seok fell, huh?

Now that we've learned about it, it's our job
to do something about it, right?

It's unclear how he's been issuing orders from an island
that's cut off from the outside world,

But if we take Ka Rum himself into custody,
we should be able to get a feel for the overall plan.

We'll also learn how far along
this terrorist plot is right now.

Chief. We just got word
from the Coast Guard...

...that they've opened up
the airspace over the island.

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

Make sure you doctor the records
of our flight plan!

Roger that!

No firearms or knives detected!
Clear!

Pro to. Turn the power back on
and open the blinds.

Roger.

What's the matter?

Chief...

It looks like he pulled
them out himself.

This is bad news...

If he's killed himself, too,
their plan might already be in motion.

What's that?

This? It's a terminal that links
to the nursing net.

Basically, it's used to exchange a patient's
medical data with all medical facilities.

Looks like those rumors about Ka Rum being
seriously ill before he fled his country were true.

The government has no idea that he's dead,
even though he was hooked up to that?

Hm? Bingo!

He was going through a back door
in the system!

I guess there was more to the good General here
than meets the eye.

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

We'll need to get this back to HQ
for a thorough examination,

But they definitely seemed to be planning
a terrorist strike using a micro machine virus.

What do you mean,
were planning?

When his operatives started
killing themselves one by one,

He talked with Ka Gael about whether they
should abort the plan for the time being.

What do you mean? Are you saying
that the suicides weren't meant as 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 like
Ka Rum was still alive.

The government probably still hasn't
caught on to the fact that this guy is dead.

So, an assassination set up
to look like suicide?

Yeah. Committed by somebody who doesn't
want the government to know Ka Rum is dead.

That, or...

So, what about the micro machine virus?

Looks like it was delivered to
that Ma Shaba guy's hospital.

Assuming Batou isn't off playing hooky,
he might be able to recover it for us.

Togusa!

What the hell
is this?

Puppeteer?

Azuma, didn't Ka Gael say something
about a puppeteer just before he died?

You know, I think he did...

The keyword "puppeteer" shows up
in this log, too.

Looks like it's the code name
for one of his men.

Looks like we need to apprehend
Ma Shaba as soon as possible.

Right. Once you make a dupe of
the full log, go meet up with Batou.

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

What should we do
with the stiff?

Leave everything as we found it.
I hate to do it, but we were never here.

Understood.

A hospital?

That car sticks out
like a sore thumb around here...

This security system setup
kinda reminds me of-

You head around
from the outside!

Roger.

What the hell?

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

Die, Puppeteer!

Went down there, huh?

Batou?

That looked like-

Open

Get clear!

You dumb-ass!

I'll come back for you later.
Play dead.

Roger.

Hold it!

That you, Major?

It's been a long time, Batou.
So, what brings you to this part of town?

I knew it was you...
I should ask you the same thing.

Conducting an investigation chosen as a result
of personal deduction, I guess you could say.

Here it comes!

Just a second.

What the hell?

Hold on to this
for me.

Hey!

Hey, wait a minute...
Isn't that Ma Shaba?

I'm surprised you know
who he is.

What do you mean, "surprised"?
What the hell are you up to?

Come on,
give that back.

Hey!

Has your taste
in cars changed?

When did she
swipe my-

Still, this isn't
too shabby at all.

Batou, I'm guessing that the reason
you're here is because...

...you're following a lead
on that string of suicides of tattooed men.

But let me give you
a friendly warning.

Stay away from the Solid State.

Otherwise, you'll end up Killing yourself
just like they did.

- Hey, wait a-
- You can find your car yourself.

Didn't I tell you to bring along
one of your men?!

I know, that's why I brought
this hunk of junk.

We got here too late.
Ma Shaba is dead, too.

Cause of death?

Neck trauma resulting from
impacts during the runaway.

Looks like Ma Shaba
wasn't the Puppeteer.

Batou, why the hell did he
attack you in that thing?

Beats me.
That's what I'd like to know.

Maybe he attacked you
because he thought you were the Puppeteer.

Hey, what's this "Puppeteer"
you keep talking about?

It's all still speculation at this point,
but it seems to be a rebel's code name.

We have reason to believe that deaths
of the tattooed men and Ka Rum...

...were all crimes orchestrated
by this person.

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

Judging from the skill of the hacks, we seem to
be dealing with a super-wizard class hacker.

Wizard-class?

Chief, we figured out how Ka Rum's
terrorist attack was going to work.

What did you learn?

You should come see this
for yourself.

It looks like Ka Rum was trying
to spread his virus...

...by implanting children
with micro machines.

Are you kidding me?!
"Retaliatory terrorism," my ass!

No human being could come up
with something this sick!

Section 9 is going to figure out
my M.O. one of these days.

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

Looks like controlling two prosthetic bodies
at once is my limit.

I suppose our only option is to start
their training again from square one.

Really? Damn, and we even tried
using natural oil again...

Yes. But in the end, the observers have
changed, so perhaps this means...

...that their previous environment
hasn't been perfectly replicated.

You're still obsessing over
their development, huh?

Africa was a lot harsher
than I imagined.

I got some new prosthetics before I left,
but it still hit me hard.

If you start supplementing
your cardiopulmonary functions with prosthetics,

Your O2 extraction rate's
gonna take a hit.

I didn't have much choice.
Not as long as I'm working here.

First Togusa, now you...
I gotta hand it to you guys.

From the roster we found
at their hideout,

we've determined that the group
is composed of 16 members:

The 13 members who committed suicide,
plus Ka Gael, Ma Shaba,

And someone named
Raj Puhto.

Who's this Raj Puhto guy?
What's the likelihood of him being the Puppeteer?

He doesn't seem to have successfully
entered the country yet.

We've verified that much
from their communications log.

There aren't a whole lot of people
who will follow you to the grave...

...when you tell 'em
to die with you.

Things always seem to work out that way
when dictators buy the farm.

Still, 16 people is nothing
to sneeze at...

Where have you been,
Batou?

When'd you get back?

Just now.
Sorry, don't let me interrupt you.

Okay, let's continue.
Next.

As for the missing micro machine virus,
one gross, a total of 144 ampules,

Was brought into
the country.

The ampules contain
a bio-chem weapon,

A genetically-engineered form of smallpox
that's had a time-release function added.

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

Batou.

There's something that
I need to make sure of.

You're sure that you didn't see
anyone at Ma Shaba's hospital?

Yeah.

And when that robot went berserk, there wasn't
any indication of intervention by a third party?

Nope.

If you say so.

What exactly are
you getting at?

Well...

The truth is, we weren't able to ID the owner
of that crushed car in the parking lot.

Maybe it was stolen.

Judging from the security setup on that thing,
that's pretty doubtful.

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

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

And that "someone"
was the Puppeteer?

Possibly.

Ka Rum's plan hasn't
gone into play at this stage,

But there's lots of evidence to suggest that
this "Puppeteer" hacker will pick up where Ka left off.

From here on out, we'll narrow our focus to
tracking down the micro machine ampules,

While investigating the Puppeteer
at the same time.

Roger.

Togusa.

What do you want me
to do?

First off, get some R&R. Eliminating the main cause
of human error is your top priority.

Gotcha. I'll take you up
on that offer.

Oh, and Batou?

This morning, the Chief told me,
"It's about time you reeled him in."

You can devote yourself full-time
to being an instructor,

Or you can work under me
on the Puppeteer investigation.

I'll leave the choice up to you.
What'll it be?

Do you even need to ask me that?
I'm on the Puppeteer.

All right.

Learn anything?

Yeah, a few things.

Skip the preliminaries
and fill us in.

First, I got the results back
from the medical checks we ran on the 16 Kids.

There were no signs that they'd been
injected with micro machines.

And although they showed symptoms of
dehydration and injuries from past abuse,

They're all
basically healthy.

But we also found out that in each of the 16,
part of their memory had been erased,

And their ID's had been rewritten
to turn them into somebody else.

They could answer accurately
when asked their name or address,

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

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

There was just old people there
living by themselves.

Any chance that those old people
are really their parents?

Not likely.

We saw everything from an old woman
living alone in a 10-by-8 room...

...to a rich old coot who could afford to pay
for nursing robots out of his own pocket.

But without exception, they were all
Noble Rot Senior Citizens...

...who were hooked up
to the nursing system.

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

The resident ledgers had "child"
listed next to their names,

But those were
probably doctored, too.

What are these "Noble Rot Senior Citizens"?

Apparently, the term came from the way
old people who are hooked up to what's called...

...the "Fully Automatic Nursing System" and
given bare minimum medical treatment...

...lie there like grapes infested with noble rot
shriveling on the vine.

The system was originally developed with
the aim of solving the aging population problem,

And at the same time, to prevent them
from dying alone and unnoticed.

But when NPO's learned that it encouraged
patients to connect to the net and stay in bed,

They started mocking it
as a thinly-disguised asset collection system.

You sure know
a lot about this.

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

It's kind of like a bare-bones version of
the model that was next to Ka Rum's bed.

Hey, wait a minute.

Ka Gael was trying to create
human bombs, right?

If that's true, why did he go to the trouble
of erasing their memories of their parents?

If he wanted the kids to stay inconspicuous
after he infected them with the virus,

wouldn't it have been smarter to erase
the memories of the abduction...

...and then send them
back home?

Hey, you're asking
the wrong guy.

Yeah, you definitely
have a point there.

If he even had them cyberized specifically
for his plan, he's going to an awful lot of trouble.

The operations seem to have been
performed prior to the abductions.

The transformers seem
to be legitimate, as well.

In that case, there should be records
at the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.

Since they're all
six years old,

A consent form signed by a parent
or guardian is required by law.

There were 144 missing ampules...

Just to be safe, we should
probably check to see...

...if there are any kids listed there
who fit the same description.

Good call.

Ministry of Health, Labor,
and Welfare

If the 16 kids we rescued had their cyberization surgery
done through legitimate channels,

the records would've been
automatically recorded...

...in the databases of the MHLW
and the Management Ministry.

If they were abducted afterwards and
their family registries were altered...

...to make them look like
those old folks' kids,

there'll be a discrepancy in the number of kids
listed as cyberized in the national ID system...

...and the number that's listed by
the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare.

I follow you.

Since we have 16 here who say
they have the same last name...

...as one of the senior citizens,
that should be true.

20,0007

There has to be
some kind of mistake.

If kids were being abducted in such huge numbers,
somebody would've noticed.

Yeah, you're right.

Still, that number's way larger than anything
we expected. What do you want to do?

Let's start by eliminating
the worst case scenario.

First, figure out 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.

A trap?!

This is an emergency.
Class E virus detected.

Shut down
all equipment immediately.

This is an emergency...

Beginning virus scan.

- Vaccine pattern match in progress.
- Shut down all equipment immediately.

Incursion into server
has reached...

It's no use! It's not accepting
any commands!

Higaki! Soga!
Lock down the backup server!

Too late!
It's already been compromised!

We've gotta cut
the damn power, then!

Gimme a hand!

There was a virus planted
in the Management Ministry's database?

Data's disappearing
on their side, too!

The MHLW's data
is intact?

Yeah. Hell if I know why, though.

Move it!

Management Ministry database is-

I bet the Management Ministry's buzzing
like a poked beehive right about now.

Shit, we just lost
the best lead we had...

Only if it turns out that there really
were 20,000 abductions.

What do you mean?

Common sense says there's no way
that Ka Gael's crew...

...could have pulled off
that many abductions.

Even if we say that they were the work
of this hacker, the Puppeteer.

The M.O. is just
too sloppy.

If he really wanted to cover up
the abductions,

Don't you think it's strange that he'd leave traces
of tampering in just the national ID system?

This way, it's almost like he's saying,
"I've nabbed these kids, now please find them."

Me, I think he's got
something else in mind.

I have to concur
with your opinion.

Chief?

These were delivered to the MHLW's
Pathogenic Microorganism Isolation Facility.

Analysis has identified them
as a Seok-produced micro machine virus.

This would certainly seem to suggest
that our intel was indeed correct.

What did the person
who delivered it look like?

There were no records remaining that
might show who delivered it, or when.

So there's a chance that this person
might be the Puppeteer?

It's certainly possible.

If that's the case, what's the Puppeteer's
final objective in all this?

It wasn't to keep Ka's
terrorist plot rolling?

It would seem that there's
a chance that the Puppeteer...

...is a hacker sent by
some government agency or other.

The skill with which Ka Rum's death
was covered up has been nagging at me.

As I tried to find some answers, I heard rumors
of a rather suspicious conversation...

...that took place between the Prime Minister
and the Foreign Affairs Ministry not long ago.

So you think that the Foreign Ministry
used a hacker to assassinate Ka Rum,

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

To be perfectly blunt
about it, yet.

In that case, we should probably
think of the abductions as a decoy.

Which Section was it
that took the job?

While this incident does amount
to a serious international crime,

If we consider only the results it has achieved,
we and the government are on the same page.

For now, I believe we should let sleeping dogs lie
and avoid worsening the situation.

You are to identify the 16 children
as soon as possible, but it ends there.

I'm temporarily pulling you off
of the investigation into the Puppeteer.

That is all.

Oh, man...

All that work for nothing, and now we've
got an ass load of loose ends to tie up.

Well, the least we can do is track down
those kids' parents as soon as we can.

I'm on my way there now.
Sorry I'm late.

I need to
ask you something.

Yes, what?

Who made you pull us off this case?
The Treaty Review Department?

Oh, you mean that.
I cut a deal with Nakamura.

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 purging Ka Rum was so vital
to national interests,

You should be offended that they
didn't ask us to do it.

Otherwise, what was the point of expanding
Section 9 these past two years, old man?

She's never gonna come back,
not when we're like this.

Do we regret not receiving
such an order, or do we rejoice?

The answer to that question will determine
what path we will walk down in the future.

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

But we also must consider the possibility
that the Major will never return to Section 9.

Her talents were even
rarer than ESP.

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

I myself won't be able
to stay here forever.

In which case, instead of solving one case
at a time using every ounce of our strength,

Shouldn't we create an organization capable
of tackling three at once using only 80%?

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

That's what I had in mind as I worked
to expand our organization.

Making Togusa the squad commander
was part of that larger plan.

If you had accepted the job, though,
things might have worked out differently.

I'm not cut out
for positions like that.

If you subjectively believe that to
be the case, perhaps you're right.

But it's different
with Togusa.

A man has to overcome a great many hurdles
for his innate talent to blossom.

I want you to give him
the support he needs.

You sure about that?
Personally, I think he's doing a fine job.

The Major'd say that he's keeping
his personal feelings out of the way of doing his job.

Sounds like he's even told his family
about his work at Section 9,

as well as the prosthetics
he got.

But I doubt he had an easy time
of winning 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.

It doesn't look like I'll be able
to make it home again tonight.

It can't be helped. You're in a position
of responsibility now.

Yeah... So, have the kids
been behaving?

Yes.

But ever since our girl declared that she'd be
sleeping by herself in her own room last week,

It's been a little quiet around here
without those two fighting.

She has, huh?
She's growing up.

She sure is. After all,
she's six now.

Wow, she's six already...

Send me a picture of
her sleeping, okay?

Sure. Will do.

Togusa, we have an emergency!
Get to Flat 47 right away!

What happened?!

I'm sorry, sir...
The children are-

They were gone by the time
we realized what was up.

It's just like what happened
with Ka Gael...

Sure looks that way.

The Puppeteer...

If he wanted Pro to dead, he would've made
him pull the trigger a long time ago.

He's just trying
to buy time!

Shit!

ISHIKAWA! Borma!
Use the IR-System to find those kids ASAP!

We're barely able to
keep the damn lights on right now!

Let's ask the Prefectural Police
for assistance, too!

Get Pro to to the analysis room.

Togusa! We need
to talk!

It can wait until later!
Finding those kids comes first!

This is important! I think I might
know who the Puppeteer is.

It's Aramaki.

Excuse me.

What kept you?

Sorry, things are hectic
at work.

How are you feeling,
Colonel Tonoda?

His little "hobbies" haven't
changed at all, I see.

Don't be so hard on him.

They tell me that his health problems
are due to the stress of prison life.

Where's that ingrate Tsujisaki?
He hasn't come to see me even once.

He's forgotten the debt he owes to the man
who looked out for him more than anyone else!

His memories seem to be
a little jumbled, too.

Let's step outside for a minute.
There's something I want to give you.

There's nothing left now of the man
they called Colonel Red Demon.

You should think about remarrying.
There's no sorrier sight than a single old man.

I decided long ago that I'd never own anything
that I couldn't take to the grave with me.

Steely-eyed and resolute
as ever, I see.

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

Right. This is it.

The truth is, I ran into the Major
at Ma Shaba's hospital.

The Major?
You can't be saying that-

At first, I didn't think
it was possible.

But then, I became more and more convinced
that she had to be the Puppeteer.

I missed my chance
to bring it up earlier.

Did you see her Kill
Ma Shaba?

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

Earlier, I'd always butt in
whenever it seemed like...

...the Major might be involved
in a given case.

But back then, I always thought that she was
helping us solve the case in her own way.

But this time
is different.

What the hell is the Major
trying to do?

Hell if I know. But it was the Treaty Review Department
that set up the hit on Ka Rum.

That's probably where the Major is.

Batou!

I want you and SAITO to head
for beltway #16 immediately!

This has top priority!

Chief, we have a situation of our own here.
The Puppeteer has struck at Section 9, too.

He's what?!

Old man, I hate to say it,
but I think the Puppeteer is-

Let's keep this to ourselves
for now.

I'll try to verify it
for myself.

Chief, now that he's made a move,
the investigation is open again, right?

I suppose it is.

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 he? He must be a tough customer
if you want me and SAITO on it.

A super-class-A sniper,
formerly of the Seok Republic.

Lieutenant Raj Puhto.

Raj Puhto? Wait, that was
one of the names from-

The one member who hadn't
come into the country, huh?

He was the commander of
Ka Rum's personal guard.

The way I heard it, he'd sought asylum
in China after Seok fell...

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.
- Roger.

Look, Togusa, if it turns out that the Major is
the Puppeteer and we have to take her on...

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

Somehow, some day,
I'll repay you for this favor.

Col. Tonoda, I'm afraid I can't
stay any longer today.

They say that children take after their parents
and robots take after humans,

But you didn't turn out
anything like me.

It makes me happy that a fool like me
produced a genius like you.

Try to look after your health,
all right?

Thank you for saying so, 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.

Yeah, we have to catch him
before then.

Lemme take over.
I'm gonna get a look at his face.

Don't let him spot you.

I have confirmation.

No doubt about it,
this is our guy.

Togusa! The IR-System
has picked up one of the kids.

Really?
What's his location?

Walking through the grounds
of the Kohoku public housing projects.

Hey, that's near
where I live.

Okay,
'll go check it out.

I'll put in a call
to the PPD.

I guess it's back to investigating
those 20,000 abduction cases for us...

Looks that way.

Damn, I guess we have to
put the Major on the back-burner for now...

Treaty Review Department
#6 Archive Room

The Puppeteer,
I presume?

It's certainly
a fitting name.

I received an inquiry a few minutes ago
from Public Security Section 9...

...asking me if I knew who a hacker
known as the Puppeteer might be.

My answer was,
"Sorry, I don't."

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

I came here to refund
your payment.

As far as we're concerned,
as long as you carry out your assignments,

We don't care what you do
to get the job done.

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

In that case, I'll leave a net channel open
for you to contact us. Feel free to-

This one's a puppet, too?

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
Ka Rum's revenge?

That would make the most sense,
but how would he have gotten his hands on that intel?

Even we were left out of the loop
on that little tidbit.

You have a point.

Geez, how much longer is this guy
gonna keep driving around town?

Come to think of it,
there's that building again.

Hey, isn't that the-

Togusa, the kid just went into apartment
602 in building N25. Can you find it?

Yeah, I know this neighborhood
like the back of my hand.

A Noble Rot Senior Citizen...

Give him back! Everything I have
is invested in that boy!

I'd sooner will it to somebody off
the damn street than let the government take it!

Anyway, the boy would've died of abuse
if I hadn't taken him in...

That's the will of the people of all those
who live in the Solid State...

It's our little game...
No, our just economic action!

If you don't want to kill yourself like the others,
keep your nose out of our society!

Consider yourself... warned...

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

Yeah...

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

Yes, sir.

Cardiac arrest confirmed. Requesting disposal
of remains and retrieval of nursing system.

Disposal? That's strange,
didn't he have some 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 for me to do...

Sacred Citizen Relief Center

Data error? No, he's missing
because I rescued him.

Which means that even if I hadn't come here,
the boy would've been...

...taken into custody by them as part
of their standard procedure.

Special operatives
committing suicide...

Vanished children...

Noble Rot Senior Citizens...

The will of the people of those
who live in the Solid State...

Hang on, what does "Solid State"
mean in the first place?

What did that
old man mean?

It's me.

Thank goodness,
I finally got through!

Honey, you've got to come home at once!
Our daughter is missing!

That clinches it...

Let's get after him!

Wait!

Shit, he's got
optical camouflage?

What the hell
is going on?!

Kiddie Security

Her GPS is turned off...

Is it the Puppeteer?

But she doesn't have
any cyber implants yet!

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

Now that we've lost track of him,
the instant he starts to shoot is gonna be...

...our first and last chance
to get him!

I can probably find
that satellite for you,

But how are you gonna 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.

Change into this.
You're too easy to see.

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

Let's get started.

Bingo!

Send it to me!

This guy's his target?

I've got a back-trace
on his position!

SE-37...

That's where he is?
Send my data back at him!

They're lining up
a shot on me?!

SAITO!

Did I nail him?

Sit tight!
I'll go check!

Damn it, hurry up!

Huh? Daddy?

Well?

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

That's a relief...

Now, then...

Hey, who was that guy you were gunning for?
Why were you trying to kill him?

It was to avenge the General's death...
I'm gonna Kill every last one of you Japs.

To get revenge?
Don't give me that 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 should go Kill him.

And what's the name of
this double agent?

An assemblyman named Munei who spends
a lot of time at the Foreign Ministry...

Old man, I need you to collar an assemblyman
by the name of Munei ASAP.

Also, here's a picture of the guy
that Raj was trying to kill.

Looks like he's the mastermind
behind the hit on Ka Rum.

If I'm not mistaken, the man in this picture is
the assemblyman named Hitoshi Munei...

What're you trying
to pull?

The guy you were trying to whack
is the same guy who fed you your intel!

That's his problem.

Maybe he wanted to
commit suicide or something.

Commit suicide?

Hey, are you sure the Puppeteer
isn't pulling your strings, pal?

Shit... Maybe it is.

If that S.O.B. was human,
I would've Killed it right off the bat...

If it even got to me,
I'm gonna be so pissed...

The Puppeteer isn't human?

It's the name of the mechanism for abducting
kids that's built into the Solid State...

The Solid State?

Hey! What the hell
is the Solid State?

You really don't know?
It's the nursing net...

The government of this democratic country
of yours goes around abducting children...

It's too damn funny...

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

And do some digging into this Munei guy's
background. Something fishy is going on.

Understood.

So anyway, I found her
right after I called you.

It sounds like she was with the neighbors
since this morning.

She was, huh?
Well, I'm just glad that it was a false alarm.

You shouldn't leave the house
without telling Mommy.

Okay!

Good girl.
I'll drop her off at school.

I'll have to go right back to
the office after that, though.

Are you sure?
You look exhausted.

Just seeing you two
makes me feel better.

Really?
Well, if you say so.

See you later!

What is it?

Nothing!

Togusa!

We have Raj Puhto in custody.
Looks like the Puppeteer was involved in this one, too.

Which means that
the Major is-

Yeah. But the Major might not be
the Puppeteer after all.

Raj Puhto says that the Puppeteer is
the name of an abduction mechanism...

...that's built into
the nursing net.

Abduction mechanism?

Yeah.

Plus, he called the nursing net
the "Solid State,"

And implied that the government
is involved somehow.

To tell you the truth, when I ran into the Major,
she told me to stay away from the Solid State.

At first, I thought that "solid state"
was referring to cyber implants.

In other words, she was telling me
to stay away from her.

But maybe she was actually telling me
to stay away from the nursing net.

My guess is that Ka Rum and his group
uncovered this mechanism,

Tried to exploit it for their plot,
and got themselves purged.

That makes sense...

It's from Mommy.

Give me a minute.

Hello?

You ignored our warning.

Hey!

That mistake will cost you
your adorable little daughter.

Togusa!
What's wrong?!

ISHIKAWA! Can you get me
Togusa's current location?!

I can look it up.
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 abducted kids fit into it?

Where did those 20,000 children
disappear to?

We are simply 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.

Kohoku Cyberbrain Surgical Hospital
Batou!

I have a fix on
Togusa's location!

He's at the Cyberbrain Surgical Hospital
over in Kohoku New Town!

Now I get it.

If the kids' own parents
take them to the hospital,

The doctors will perform the cyberization surgery
without suspecting a thing.

Then you overwrite
the child's memory,

The parent drops off their child with a senior citizen,
and the abduction is complete.

After this, you'll wipe my own memory,
and my daughter will have vanished.

You don't need to feel bad
about having your memories altered.

In modern society, memories are constantly
being altered on a subconscious level.

The probability of such alterations already
exceeds that of being in a traffic accident.

So I'm being given
a choice, huh?

That's the place?

I'll never let you people
take my daughter.

Listen, honey. Do you think you can do
what Daddy's about to ask?

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

Run away?

That's right.

You're going to hear a bang,
just like field day at school.

When you hear the bang,
run with all you've got.

Once you start, don't stop running for anything.
And whatever you do, don't look back.

Can you do that?

Okay, then.
Close your eyes.

I'm sorry...
This is goodbye, honey.

Togusa!

I love you.

Togusa!

Max! Musashi!

Everything's okay.
Don't worry.

Major?

I had to wait until the very last second.
Sorry about that.

So, I guess this means that you
aren't the Puppeteer...

Where have you been
all this time?

Daddy!

Ever since I left Section 9, I've been wandering the net,
secretly stepping in on my own...

...to solve crimes that couldn't be dealt with
through organization-based methodology.

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

And have been conducting
an independent investigation of my own.

I can't believe you
used Togusa as bait!

Did you ever stop to think that you might
be putting his family in their crosshairs?

I made sure that I had safeguards
put in place.

Thanks to those, we should now know
who the Puppeteer really is.

What? You mean "Puppeteer" isn't the name of
a system that's running on the nursing net?

Instead of calling it a "system,"
it would probably be more accurate...

...to call it a gestalt of all the senior citizens
who are attached to the nursing net.

But there's an independently-running hub Cyberbrain
that manages the whole thing.

A hub Cyberbrain?

Hey, are those what I think they are?!

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

Hi, Mr. Batou!
Long time, no see!

It's nice to see that
you're doing well!

The nursing net has had a back door
installed in it ever since its design stages.

Look.

This is the full view of the rhizome that's
been woven by the senior citizens' gestalt.

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

That's why the hub Cyberbrain
is constantly in motion.

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

Okay, so now I know what's going on.
But who or what is the hub Cyberbrain?

Max! Musashi!
Report your findings.

What's the problem?

Um, I don't know
how to break this to you...

You failed?

B-But we did manage to
pinpoint its location, though!

Well, where is it?

The Sacred Citizen Relief Center building!
That's where the heart of the nursing net is!

They've arrived.
Disengaging locks.

It's been a long time,
Major.

I suppose it has.

It's too bad that this reunion wasn't
under happier circumstances.

What made you decide
to come back?

Let's save that discussion
for later.

Our first order of business right now
is to apprehend the Puppeteer.

Hitoshi Munei. 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.

He's a reactionary conservative nationalist
who's always been a vocal supporter...

...of the formation of a ruling class
comprised of pure-blooded Japanese.

He's in constant contact
with the Foreign Ministry,

And he also has strong ties to
the Treaty Review Department.

He was also involved in
Ka Rum's assassination.

What're you implying, Major?

I contracted out to
the Treaty Review Department so that I could...

...make it look like Ka Rum
had been assassinated.

But the Puppeteer got to him
before I could.

So, you were only responsible for
covering up his death afterwards.

Yes, more or less.

We've also learned that Hitoshi Munei
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 relief center that provides
senior health care and vocational training.

True. However, thanks to the patronage
of certain politicians,

in addition to its public persona
as a tax-exempt foundation,

It acts in reality as a training agency
for the power elite.

So the place is
a veritable brainwashing factory...

That must be what Raj Puhto meant when he
implied that the government was involved.

If it's being used as a temporary central clearing house
for the abducted children,

it means that the fact that Munei is using it
as a brainwashing factory...

...is what the Puppeteer
has a problem with.

Chief. How about conducting
a compulsory investigation?

Our top priority is to find
the missing children.

Yeah, but raiding the place
will cause a scandal.

If that happens, it won't just be a scumbag
of a politician that catches heat for it.

ISHIKAWA!
How's it coming?

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 evidence
as a basis to conduct a raid.

How about footage
from the inside?

I only found footage from
their manual labor wing.

The defense barrier protecting the education wing
is a complex virtual experience maze.

I had no luck at all
sneaking in.

Just looks like refugees...

So the abducted children are being
held in the education wing...

Which means that
the abduction mechanism...

...had already been built into this place
during its planning stages.

If it weren't, I'd have a hard time imagining
that a rank-and-file politician...

...would have the guts to propose
such an audacious policy.

So you believe that the Puppeteer
was among those...

...who were involved in laying
the project's groundwork?

ISHIKAWA. Use decoys to make it look like
hackers are trying to dive the place.

I'm going in.

If this blows up in our faces,
it'll give you guys some cover.

If you and Togusa are still around,
Section 9 will be able to carry on.

Batou.

I don't like to hear
that kind of talk.

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.

It's certainly true that you always need
someone who can get their hands dirty for you.

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

Chief. No offense,
but I'm going in there myself.

The Puppeteer is waiting for
a chance to eliminate Munei.

I don't want to let
this chance slip by.

But how do you intend to go about
finding the Puppeteer?

We still don't have the foggiest idea
who he really is.

I'm going to keep
my ears open.

My Ghost will
whisper it to me.

Gosh, this is
kinda awkward, huh?

Hup...

Hup...

Hi, everybody!
Been a long time, huh?

Here we go...

Let's do it!

There's nothing like the thrill you get from
zipping along in a physical body, is there?

Really? I dunno,
I'm not used to my joints yet...

This looks like another basic attack,
but their response seems strange...

Go to alert status
just in case.

- Understood.
- Understood.

A fellow pro, huh?
Oops!

Okay, I guess we have
each other's attention...

Hacking from the Public Prosecutors' Office
again, huh? They're wasting their time.

I'm going out to inspect
the facility.

Paz and Borma,
secure an evac route!

- Roger.
- Roger.

W-Who are you people?

What good would that do you?
Then I'd have to kill you.

I've lost communications?

Here come
the security cyborgs!

Major, you go on ahead.

The one who got inside
is as good as dead!

Go after
the think-tanks!

Got it.

Opening fire without so much
as a warning, huh?

This must be a key government facility,
all right...

Wow, he's following us...

That's fine with me.

No thermal signatures
or shadows...

Kyo-Re's "Cloak of Invisibility," huh?
Which means they're-

Your intel's
way out of date!

They don't call Type-3302
a cloak of invisibility.

Son of a-

Shit! You little-
Get off of-

Mow 'em down.

Roger!

Back me up. I'll be able to gain control
of the system in a few more minutes.

Leave it to me.
Haven't we always worked this way?

Togusa! What's your current position?!

Major? I'm making my approach
up the wall of the building.

Good. Make your way to the roof
and rendezvous with the Chief!

I've found out
where the children are.

Let's go!

Assemblyman Munei.
We're Public Security Section 9.

We've already seen for ourselves
what you're up to here.

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

...would seem to be unavoidable,
wouldn't it?

Public Security?

This facility might be off the books,
but it's the government's most vital agency.

You self-righteous Public Security
piss-ants have no business here!

Begging your pardon, Assemblyman,
but from what I can see here,

This looks exactly like the sort of situation
that we have to intervene in.

You're a public servant,
but I don't think you understand...

...the gravity of the threat
that this country faces.

If nothing is done, one day
in the not-too-distant future,

Our country's prosperity will
be supplanted by other races.

To prevent that, we're expending tax revenues
on these children without families,

Providing them with an education,
and entrusting our future to them!

Just what, exactly,
do you find wrong with that?

Those taxes are money that
you've exploited out of...

...the elderly and the refugees
that you bind to this place!

That couldn't be helped, either.
Stop and think about it.

What have they ever done
for the good of this country?

They don't build families or have children!
They don't fulfill their duty as taxpayers!

They live their lives only for themselves,
and then say, "I'm old, take care of me!"

Their selfishness
is appalling!

If I had my way, I'd put a new tax
on them to make up for...

...the tax revenue we lose because they're
too old or can't work anymore!

You're splitting hairs.

In that case, perhaps you could tell me
what you politicians have been doing all this time?

Who will take responsibility for you placing
self-preservation and vanity above your duties,

And constantly putting the pressing problems
at hand on the back burner?

I'm proud of the fact that I have
taken responsibility for it.

Are you also proud of violating human rights
and Cyberbrain ethics laws?

I believe that those were steps
that had to be taken.

You refuse to budge,
don't you?

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

But it's nowhere near 20,000.
It's more like 3,000 at most.

I see. Switch your comm channel
to autistic mode.

Roger.

Assemblyman.

Were you aware that a system to automatically
abduct children was designed into this center?

These children aren't orphans.
The vast majority are children who were abducted.

It was our investigation into
those abductions that led us here.

You yourself are a material witness
in that case.

I've overseen this project
from the very beginning,

And I certainly don't recall incorporating
a bug like that into the system!

In that case, we'll question the people
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.

Togusa!
Take everybody into custody!

Roger!

Batou, I'm going to dive this guy's Cyberbrain
before his memories pull a whiteout!

Back me up!

I hope I'm in time!

Batou, I'm connected.

Gotcha. I'm boosting
your signal.

I see his memory field,
but the output is dropping.

Batou, do you think
you can boost his output?

Let's try going in through a Tachikoma.
Come back up!

There's no time!

Can you see me,
Puppeteer?

Can you see me,
Puppeteer?

Puppeteer...

That's the name of the hub Cyberbrain that
oversaw the Noble Rot Senior Citizens' rhizome.

Yes...

I'm entering his right visual center.

Saccades have halted.
Fixational eye micro movements, too...

Hey! What happened?

Batou, I'm patching him into
my speech center.

- Don't be stupid! Come up, then dive again!
- I owe you a debt of gratitude.

Munei was the Solid State's
greatest bottleneck, you see.

I've tried to purge him
time and time again,

But he's an old-fashioned type
who hates the thought of cyberization.

Who the hell are you?
What are you using the abducted children for?

Setting aside the matter of
my identity for the moment,

Perhaps my motives were
the same as Munei's.

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

The problem of
6 million-plus Noble Rot Senior Citizens...

The growing
unemployment rate,

And the proportionally decreasing
worker population that's continuing unabated.

And then there is
the declining birth rate...

There is no end to the problems
that must be addressed.

Were you aware that even though there is such
a furor over the declining birth rate,

50,000 children under the age of six
needlessly lose their lives every year?

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

- Well? Can you do it?
- And in 80% of those cases...

- I will try.
- And in 80% of those cases...

...child guidance centers, the police,
or 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!

Stay in there much longer, and you're gonna
whiteout along with him when he dies!

That's when...

...| came upon the idea of recycling Ghosts
that were needlessly being damaged.

I find at-risk children though
the abuse surveillance net,

And then launder
their family registers.

I thought that would give them
a new chance at life.

So, that's the core concept
of the Solid State system?

That's right.
But to make it work,

The assistance of
the Noble Rot Senior Citizens was essential.

They hunger for something that
will give them a reason to exist.

Although they wouldn't be able
to pass down their DNA,

Their posterity would exist on paper,
and there would be someone to bequeath their estate to.

In this way, instead of forfeiting their personal property
to the state upon their death,

They could simply use the net and continue
to take part in this economic action.

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,
those were the only possible means.

My main task was to save these children
who were in danger as soon as I could.

For 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...

...to make it into
a self-perpetuating mechanism.

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

...it drew attention to your plan,
and it was found out.

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

It was an understandable reaction
on their part.

Ka Rum I can understand,
but why Munei?

Because he held
the children prisoner here.

If they simply ended up becoming
his brainwashed elite,

My giving them a new lease on life
was all for nothing.

Children need an education,
but if you don't release them out into the world,

They won't develop
a strong will of their own.

That was the point of contention
between Munei and me,

And it was the main reason
why I had to eliminate him.

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

Regardless, my plan has now progressed
smoothly to its next phase.

I've never been able to
hack your Cyberbrain,

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 should be able to eliminate
Section 9 all at once.

I'm surprised.

Your thinking is arrogant
and self-righteous,

But you have so much drive that it's
a waste of your talent to be a bureaucrat.

Plus, you know all about me...
Who the hell are you?!

You still haven't figured it out?
Come now, Motoko Kusanagi...

Surely there can't be
many people in your memory...

...who are burning with
this much egotistical righteousness.

We've synchronized with
countless consciousnesses over the years.

It shouldn't come as a huge surprise that
your deep collective subconscious came to life.

With this, the Solid State
will be complete.

And now, 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, huh?

Batou? Are you there?
What's happening?

Where am I?

So, what have they decided
to do with the children?

Well, it looks like they're going to be returned
to their real parents for the time being.

Even with their memories overwritten,
even knowing about the abuse...

I wonder if that's really
what's best for the kids.

Perhaps the fact that they can't answer
that question after all this...

...highlights the limitations
of our system.

What'll happen to those kids who found
foster parents and managed to get out...

...before their brainwashing
education could begin?

We'll probably have to wait a long time
for the verdicts of what I expect...

...will be some rather complicated trials as
they go through them on a case-by-case basis.

Chief, what can we even hope
to do about things like this?

The only thing I can
tell you is this:

All we can do is continue to work
within the rules that govern us...

...to make a stand against
the unjust.

I only hope that when they're grown,
they've reached their full potential...

...and will find the answers
that we weren't able to.

When you think about it,
the "Solid State system" is a pretty ironic name.

The guy's metaphor of choice was "transistors"
to describe the cyber brains of senior citizens...

That's definitely something that
a stuffed-shirt bureaucrat would come up with, isn't it?

I have to admit, I was a little freaked out
to learn who the Puppeteer really was.

How do you mean?

We learned a few things after you
lost consciousness when he died.

That pencil-pusher actually
died two years ago.

Name, Tateaki Koshiki.
Age, 33.

Born into a family of civil servants,
and was on the fast track to elite status since childhood.

Joined the Ministry of Management and
Coordination right after graduating college.

But he quickly grew frustrated and
began refusing to come to work,

Possibly because he had become
a civil servant with no sense of purpose.

Due to his Cyberbrain skills, he was allowed to
work from home via a remote prosthetic body...

...and after that, he apparently carried out
his duties in an indifferent manner.

Then, two years ago, Munei brought him onto
his project out of respect for his abilities,

Which would be carried out by manipulating
both the Welfare and Management Ministries.

When he did, Koshiki independently designed
and implemented his abduction system.

But his problem was, he wasn't
the kind of guy who stood out.

In spite of this huge job
that he was working on,

Not one damn person noticed that he
had gotten sick and died at home.

Thanks to that, the true identity of the Puppeteer
is gonna remain a mystery forever.

So does that mean that
somebody else entirely...

...was using that remote body
to cause all this?

It's possible.

Actually, that theory is
probably more likely.

Even with those old folks that
had formed a gestalt with him,

Their actions were caused by
their collective unconscious.

So there's no way for us
to find out for sure now.

Oh.

Except, that is...

...for the conversation between you and Koshiki
that was recorded in the Tachikomas' memory.

It's still in there?

It should be, but they claim
that when Koshiki died,

...all of his memories
underwent a whiteout.

Were you listening in on
that conversation, Batou?

Yeah, kinda.

But at this point,
it doesn't really matter, does it?

The old-timers,
those kids who were being abused,

All that stuff is on its way
toward being resolved now.

Even if we didn't find out who the Puppeteer
really was, this case is still more or less closed.

Written off as a scandal involving
a handful of bad-apple politicians?

It's the strangest thing,
Batou...

What have I been feeling so jaded
and disillusioned about?

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

Truth? Friendship?

Or maybe a certain special someone?

Maybe 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?

So, what're you
gonna do now?

You plan on keeping up that
"conducting investigations chosen by personal deduction"...

...routine of yours
by yourself?

Maybe I have had my fill
of that, too.

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

But without those restraints, it doesn't feel
like my actions are accomplishing anything.

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

What's that supposed to mean? That your way
of saying you're coming back to Section 97

But what about Togusa
Won't I get in the way of his development?

If that keeps him from growing,
he wasn't gonna go any further anyway.

I wouldn't sweat it
if I were you.

Maybe you're right.

You know, Batou,
the net truly is vast and infinite.

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