1. In the near future, electrons and light flow freely,Copy !req
2. and corporate computer networks eclipse the stars.Copy !req
3. Despite great advances in computerization,Copy !req
4. countries and races are not yet obsolete...Copy !req
5. To all patrolling air units.
A 208 is in progress...Copy !req
6. in the C-13 district
of Newport City.Copy !req
7. The airspace over this area
will be closed.Copy !req
8. To all patrolling air units.
A 208 is in progress...Copy !req
9. in the C-13 district
of Newport City.Copy !req
10. The airspace over this area
will be closed. Repeat...Copy !req
11. There's nothing
to worry about.Copy !req
12. You can try it again once
you're in our country.Copy !req
13. "Try it again?"Copy !req
14. Just as there's no such thing
as a bug-free program...Copy !req
15. there's no program that can't be debugged.
Am I wrong?Copy !req
16. You don't understand.Copy !req
17. We still don't know if
it really is a bug.Copy !req
18. Project 2501's
original purpose was...Copy !req
19. Major, Section 6
is ready to move in.Copy !req
20. - Major!
- I hear you.Copy !req
21. There's a lot of static in your brain.Copy !req
22. It's that time of the month.Copy !req
23. Won't there be trouble
if Section 9 butts in on Section 6's operation?Copy !req
24. That diplomat's a pretty
well-known bastard.Copy !req
25. Even if they catch him there,
all they can do is deport him.Copy !req
26. We're the only ones
who can get our hands dirty.Copy !req
27. They're moving.
Take us over to the extraction point.Copy !req
28. What? The police?Copy !req
29. Stop it! Who told you to
open fire? Drop your guns!Copy !req
30. I have diplomatic immunity!
Let me see who's in charge!Copy !req
31. Transporting a listed programmer
out of the country...Copy !req
32. violates our
arms export treaty.Copy !req
33. I could also have you
charged with kidnapping.Copy !req
34. Give the man up.Copy !req
35. I'm afraid not. He's applied
for political asylum with us...Copy !req
36. and he's already signed
a statement to that effect!Copy !req
37. - When?
- I don't have to tell you!Copy !req
38. By right of international law,
my country can...Copy !req
39. offer him protection
and right of safe passage.Copy !req
40. The document is on file
at our embassy.Copy !req
41. I'll transfer a copy to you
in a few days.Copy !req
42. Are you sure about this?
They won't take you back alive.Copy !req
43. I must ask that you
watch what you say.Copy !req
44. Our country is
a peace-loving democracy.Copy !req
45. Is that a fact?Copy !req
46. Out the window! Shoot!Copy !req
47. Thermoptic camouflage...Copy !req
48. This is a rare pleasure,
Mr. Aramaki.Copy !req
49. What can the Foreign Ministry
do for Section 9?Copy !req
50. What are these secret talks
you've scheduled with...Copy !req
51. the Gavel Republic
for tomorrow?Copy !req
52. The usual. Foreign aid.Copy !req
53. The new government reopened the request
after the revolution.Copy !req
54. They claim to be
more democratic...Copy !req
55. but they'll probably be
as bad as the last bunch.Copy !req
56. Giving them money
they don't earn will help nobody.Copy !req
57. They consider it reparation
for past exploitation and won't thank...Copy !req
58. And what will the government do?Copy !req
59. The problem is that
we have the leader of...Copy !req
60. the old junta here
looking for political asylum.Copy !req
61. Col. Maless, right?Copy !req
62. So, do we throw him out
and grant them the aid?Copy !req
63. Or do we publicly recognize him as a refugee
and cut the aid?Copy !req
64. Not an easy decision
to make.Copy !req
65. Personally, if I could find
a politically acceptable reason...Copy !req
66. I'd have the man deported
in a heartbeat.Copy !req
67. Oh yes, thanks for your help
with that programmer defection.Copy !req
68. Nakamura over in Section 6
said he was grateful.Copy !req
69. After all, we in the diplomatic corps
have to keep our hands clean.Copy !req
70. Accessed.Copy !req
71. We've lost response.
How's her brainwave output look?Copy !req
72. Normal.
Switching over the virtual experience mode pattern.Copy !req
73. The Foreign Minister's
interpreter.Copy !req
74. 23 minutes ago, her cyber-brain was hacked
via telephone connection.Copy !req
75. Just as the Foreign Intelligence
division predicted...Copy !req
76. the Puppet Master
has begun to break into...Copy !req
77. every terminal on the network.Copy !req
78. Pattern analysis shows
a high probability that...Copy !req
79. he's attempting to disrupt
secret talks with Gavel.Copy !req
80. We've placed everyone attending
the talks under surveillance.Copy !req
81. Probably trying
to hack her ghost...Copy !req
82. so she'll kill people at the meeting.Copy !req
83. How long till he hacks through her protection
and reaches her ghost?Copy !req
84. He's using an old-style HA-3.
I'd say about two hours.Copy !req
85. After that, we'll have to cut the line
to eliminate all risk.Copy !req
86. Batou and Ishikawa
are in a car, tracing the signal.Copy !req
87. Rendezvous with them.Copy !req
88. The Puppet Master...
That phantom hacker, right?Copy !req
89. They think he's an American.Copy !req
90. Age, sex, personal history...
Everything about him is unknown.Copy !req
91. Since last winter he's been
mainly active in the EC.Copy !req
92. Internationally wanted
on dozens of charges of...Copy !req
93. stock manipulation,
spying, political engineering...Copy !req
94. terrorism, and violation
of cyber-brain privacy.Copy !req
95. He's ghost-hacked so many people
to carry out his crimes...Copy !req
96. he's earned the code name
"The Puppet Master."Copy !req
97. This is the first instance
of him operating in this country.Copy !req
98. So, if he's so hot,
why's he using an old HA-3?Copy !req
99. Well, a newer type would be less detectable
and be harder to trace.Copy !req
100. But it could also implicate
the former junta leader, Col. Maless.Copy !req
101. So he's using an older type
to keep us from suspecting him.Copy !req
102. Or somebody else wants us to think that.Copy !req
103. Maless may be just another pawn
in this whole thing.Copy !req
104. Now you're over thinking this.
There's no evidence of that.Copy !req
105. Evidence?Copy !req
106. I just have a whisper...
A whisper from my ghost.Copy !req
107. By the way, are you still using that revolver?Copy !req
108. Afraid both guns
in a two-man team will jam up?Copy !req
109. I like the Matever.Copy !req
110. Since I depend on your backup,
I think stopping power is...Copy !req
111. more important than
personal preference.Copy !req
112. Especially since it's my ass on the line.Copy !req
113. Use the Zastaber instead.Copy !req
114. Major, I've been meaning to ask you.Copy !req
115. Why'd you ask for a guy
like me to be transferred in from the police?Copy !req
116. Because you're a guy like you.Copy !req
117. Huh?Copy !req
118. An honest cop with a clean record.
And you've got a regular family.Copy !req
119. With the exception of your cyber-net implants,
your brain's real.Copy !req
120. No matter how powerful
we may be fighting-wise...Copy !req
121. a system where
all the parts react the same way...Copy !req
122. is a system with a fatal flaw.Copy !req
123. Like individual, like organization.Copy !req
124. Overspecialization leads to death.Copy !req
125. That's all.Copy !req
126. - Come on!
- All right!Copy !req
127. We're already 40 seconds behind schedule!Copy !req
128. - Gimme five more seconds.
- Of all the lousy luck...Copy !req
129. Hey, sorry.Copy !req
130. My last partner,
the one they busted for working without...Copy !req
131. a permit,
was a better worker than you!Copy !req
132. You're actually trying
to ghost-hack your own wife...Copy !req
133. just to see what's on her mind?Copy !req
134. She doesn't have any time for me
and now she wants a divorce.Copy !req
135. On top of that, my daughter,
my only child...Copy !req
136. thinks I'm cheating on her mother!Copy !req
137. So how'd you get your hands
on cracking software?Copy !req
138. From some programmer.
A really nice guy I met in a bar.Copy !req
139. I told him my wife's lawyer
was keeping me from seeing her...Copy !req
140. and he said he'd help.Copy !req
141. Told me to access from different places
to keep from getting caught.Copy !req
142. Smart guy, huh?Copy !req
143. Asshole! Ya tryin' to get yourself killed?Copy !req
144. Looks like we aren't
the only busy people out here.Copy !req
145. Nobody here.Copy !req
146. What's the point?
Even if we trace the calls...Copy !req
147. the guy's already gone
by the time we get there.Copy !req
148. - Vicious cycle, huh?Copy !req
149. - Quit complaining!Copy !req
150. Kusanagi and Togusa
are headed for the next expected hack point.Copy !req
151. You two look for something there.Copy !req
152. Look for what?Copy !req
153. Anything.Copy !req
154. Fuckin' old coot.
He tells US to snoop around?Copy !req
155. Wait a sec!Copy !req
156. Damn, missed him.Copy !req
157. Hey, Pops. Did you see
a garbage truck go by here?Copy !req
158. Who wants to know?Copy !req
159. Did you see it or not?Copy !req
160. Yeah, but they were gone
by the time I got my trash.Copy !req
161. One was using the phone,
so I thought I had time...Copy !req
162. Uh, can you take this to them?Copy !req
163. A garbage truck? Of course...
They move every seven minutes.Copy !req
164. Control! Get me
the trash collection
routes for that sector!Copy !req
165. There are eight garbage trucks
operating in the target area.Copy !req
166. Target is a type C collection truck, #79.Copy !req
167. Let me drive.Copy !req
168. Ishikawa, check out the drivers' homes.Copy !req
169. Batou, you get to their
next stop before they do!Copy !req
170. He may be in contact with someone else.
Observe, but don't move in!Copy !req
171. Route data accessed.Copy !req
172. Hacking points traced and matched.
Target now stopped at next point.Copy !req
173. Confirm access via HA-3.Copy !req
174. Sorry, sorry.Copy !req
175. How about I do the trash
and you make the call on the next stop?Copy !req
176. Okay?Copy !req
177. Leave me out of your little crime spree.Copy !req
178. Can't believe this load of bullshit...Copy !req
179. - Do you have kids?
- Do I look like I do?Copy !req
180. Then you couldn't understand.Copy !req
181. My daughter's my life.Copy !req
182. Take a look. Isn't she just a little angel?Copy !req
183. I hate looking at other
peoples' family albums.Copy !req
184. Yeah, truck 79.
Oh, boss. What's up?Copy !req
185. The cops were checking our
routes? You wanna know why?Copy !req
186. How should I know?Copy !req
187. They spotted the hack!
I gotta warn my friend!Copy !req
188. We're gonna have to skip our next stop!Copy !req
189. Target has deviated from route.
Increasing speed to next point.Copy !req
190. Is he on to us?
Didn't think he could see me.Copy !req
191. My accessing the Sanitation Dept. Network
may have tipped him off.Copy !req
192. Shoulda used a back door.Copy !req
193. Too late.
Go for the collar.Copy !req
194. You can drive now.Copy !req
195. Jesus... He blew a perfectly
good armored van to shit.Copy !req
196. He hosed us with high-velocity AP rounds!
That car door's no cover!Copy !req
197. In a submachine gun? The guy must be nuts.Copy !req
198. He's using thermoptic camo, too?Copy !req
199. Keep after him!
I'll flank him from above!Copy !req
200. Togusa, if you're still alive,
arrest those two garbage men.Copy !req
201. Roger.Copy !req
202. This job just never lets up, does it?Copy !req
203. Police! Everybody down!Copy !req
204. All finished?Copy !req
205. You all set?Copy !req
206. That's what you get
when you overload the ammo rating.Copy !req
207. Frame's bent all to hell.
The barrel's shot, too.Copy !req
208. Doesn't matter if you arrest me.
I'm not gonna talk!Copy !req
209. Talk?Copy !req
210. And what would I ask a guy
who doesn't even know his own name?Copy !req
211. Your mother's face.Copy !req
212. The place you grew up in.Copy !req
213. Memories of your childhood.Copy !req
214. Can you remember any of those things?Copy !req
215. There's nothing sadder
than a puppet without a ghost.Copy !req
216. Especially the kind
with red blood running through them.Copy !req
217. We'll rush the place
once the guys in the helicopter are inside.Copy !req
218. Squad B goes around back,
the rest of you take the front.Copy !req
219. Saito, have your men
pull the plugs on all their cars.Copy !req
220. Begin recording.Copy !req
221. Message from HQ, sir.Copy !req
222. We've ID'ed the guy the Major collared.Copy !req
223. Go on.Copy !req
224. Tsuan Gen Fang. 28Copy !req
225. Illegal alien.
Weapons violations. Three priors.Copy !req
226. Was hiding out with a militant refugee group
up till a month ago.Copy !req
227. One week ago, because of his record...Copy !req
228. he was contacted
by a military liaison in the Gavel embassy to...Copy !req
229. attack the secret talks
we would be having with them.Copy !req
230. And the real story?Copy !req
231. Corgi.
A rather violent scrap dealer.Copy !req
232. Guess you could call him a thug.Copy !req
233. We've checked the records
the local cops have on him...Copy !req
234. but we can't find
any connection with Gavel.Copy !req
235. Another puppet from our friend
the Puppet Master.Copy !req
236. And what about Ishikawa?Copy !req
237. He's back. He's with Togusa,
talking to that poor trash man.Copy !req
238. So, what about
the Puppet Master on your end?Copy !req
239. How's he look to you?Copy !req
240. Like a puppet himself...Copy !req
241. - Squad B, in position.
- Squads A and C, ready!Copy !req
242. Ready to move in, sir.Copy !req
243. Move in.Copy !req
244. What do you mean, a "virtual experience?"Copy !req
245. I mean your wife, your daughter.
The divorce, the affair...Copy !req
246. They're all fake memories. Like a dream.Copy !req
247. Someone was using you
to ghost-hack a government official.Copy !req
248. No... That's impossible!Copy !req
249. I've been to your apartment.Copy !req
250. No one's there.
It's a one-room apartment.Copy !req
251. Yeah, I moved there when we split up...Copy !req
252. You've been living there for ten years!Copy !req
253. You have no wife, no child.Copy !req
254. Your family exists only in your mind.Copy !req
255. Look. This is the picture
you showed to your partner.Copy !req
256. Who is it of?Copy !req
257. But, she was there. My daughter...Copy !req
258. Smiling like an angel...Copy !req
259. What's your daughter's name?Copy !req
260. Where did you meet your wife, and when?Copy !req
261. How many years ago did you get married?Copy !req
262. Who do you see in the picture?Copy !req
263. How do I get rid of these fake memories?Copy !req
264. I'm sorry. With our current technology...Copy !req
265. There have been two successful deprogrammings...Copy !req
266. but I can't recommend it to you.Copy !req
267. I'm really sorry.Copy !req
268. Virtual experiences, dreams...Copy !req
269. All data that exists
is both reality and fantasy.Copy !req
270. Whichever it is,
the data a person collects in a lifetime...Copy !req
271. is a tiny bit compared to the whole.Copy !req
272. A cyborg who goes diving in her spare time.Copy !req
273. That can't be a good sign.
When did you start doing this?Copy !req
274. Doesn't the ocean scare you?
If the floaters stopped working...Copy !req
275. Then I'd probably die.
Or would you dive in after me?Copy !req
276. No one forced you
to come out here with me.Copy !req
277. I just...Copy !req
278. So, what's it feel like
when you go diving?Copy !req
279. Didn't you go through underwater training?Copy !req
280. I'm not talking about
doing it in a damned pool.Copy !req
281. I feel fear. Anxiety.
Loneliness. Darkness.Copy !req
282. And perhaps, even... hope.Copy !req
283. Hope? In the darkness of the sea?Copy !req
284. As I float up towards the surface...Copy !req
285. I almost feel as though I could change
into something else.Copy !req
286. As though you want to quit Section 9?Copy !req
287. Batou, how much of your original body
do you have left?Copy !req
288. Are you drunk?Copy !req
289. Convenient, isn't it?Copy !req
290. With the merest thought,
the chemical plants inside our bodies...Copy !req
291. could metabolize all the alcohol in our blood
in about ten seconds...Copy !req
292. Allowing us to sit here
drinking while on stand-by.Copy !req
293. If a technological feat
is possible, man will do it.Copy !req
294. Almost as though it's wired
into the core of our being.Copy !req
295. Metabolic control.
Enhanced sensory perception.Copy !req
296. Improved reflexes and muscle capacity.Copy !req
297. Vastly increased data
processing speed and capacity.Copy !req
298. All improvements
thanks to our cyber-brains and cyborg bodies.Copy !req
299. So what if we can't live
without high-level maintenance?Copy !req
300. We have nothing to complain about.Copy !req
301. It doesn't mean we've sold
our souls to Section 9.Copy !req
302. We do have the right
to resign if we choose.Copy !req
303. Provided we give the government
back our cyborg shells...Copy !req
304. and the memories they hold.Copy !req
305. Just as there are many parts needed
to make a human a human...Copy !req
306. there's a remarkable number
of things needed to make...Copy !req
307. an individual what they are.Copy !req
308. A face to distinguish yourself from others.Copy !req
309. A voice you aren't aware of yourself.Copy !req
310. The hand you see when you awaken.Copy !req
311. The memories of childhood,
the feelings for the future.Copy !req
312. That's not all.
There's the expanse of the data net...Copy !req
313. my cyber-brain can access.Copy !req
314. All of that goes into making me what I am.Copy !req
315. Giving rise to a consciousness
that I call "me."Copy !req
316. And simultaneously confining
"me" within set limits.Copy !req
317. Is that why you dive
into the sea with a body that only sinks?Copy !req
318. What is it you see
in the water's darkness?Copy !req
319. "For now we see through a glass, darkly."Copy !req
320. That was you, wasn't it?Copy !req
321. Restarted.Copy !req
322. Auxiliary computer link:
Check.Copy !req
323. Visual sensors: Online.Copy !req
324. - Cyborg body signal?
- Output: Nominal.Copy !req
325. Can't you call in
if you're going to be late?Copy !req
326. We're all set.
Should we hook her up?Copy !req
327. Okay, looking good!
Kill it!Copy !req
328. Be in my office in three minutes.Copy !req
329. Since you were late,
I'll explain what's going on.Copy !req
330. Two hours ago,
a Megatech Body assembly line in Newport City...Copy !req
331. just started up and produced a cyborg shell.Copy !req
332. By the time the guys in charge
realized what was happening...Copy !req
333. the body had escaped.Copy !req
334. Then, just as they had thrown up a cordon
to catch the thing...Copy !req
335. we got a call
from a conscientious truck driver that...Copy !req
336. he'd just run down a naked lady wandering
around on the highway.Copy !req
337. Which brings us to here.Copy !req
338. I've heard Megatech Body's tied pretty closely
to the government...Copy !req
339. and that all the shells
made there are secret.Copy !req
340. If a hacker did this,
he had to swim through...Copy !req
341. some of the heaviest protection around.Copy !req
342. And that isn't the only problem.Copy !req
343. Of course, it doesn't have
an organic brain in its head...Copy !req
344. but we've detected
what looks like a ghost...Copy !req
345. in the auxiliary computer brain.Copy !req
346. It isn't unlike
the virtual ghost-line you get...Copy !req
347. when a real ghost is dubbed off.Copy !req
348. But it shows none of the data degradation
dubbing would produce.Copy !req
349. Well, until we map the barrier perimeter
and dive in there...Copy !req
350. we won't know anything for sure.Copy !req
351. Anyhow, better get back
to checking her over.Copy !req
352. Good work.Copy !req
353. Time to rip her apart.Copy !req
354. Come on, you guys don't think
there's a ghost in that thing.Copy !req
355. It's possible.Copy !req
356. I've heard celluloid dolls
can have a soul.Copy !req
357. And this thing's stuffed
full of neurotech devices.Copy !req
358. I wouldn't be surprised
if it had a soul.Copy !req
359. Since you're new here,
you probably don't know.Copy !req
360. The Major's shell was
also made by Megatech Body.Copy !req
361. Not just hers.
Me and Ishikawa for one...Copy !req
362. along with Saito and others
all need maintenance and such.Copy !req
363. Outside of you and the Chief,
everyone in Section 9...Copy !req
364. needs to make use
of their kind services.Copy !req
365. Maybe you can see now why we all
look a little worried, Togusa.Copy !req
366. Assuming the enemy is an outsider,
we can't know for sure...Copy !req
367. whether he's in that
cyborg body or not.Copy !req
368. But he cracked through the protection...Copy !req
369. around some of our most secret files...Copy !req
370. and managed to send a program
with a ghost-line on it through.Copy !req
371. And in a way that was easy to spot.
What's he after?Copy !req
372. Let's leave that for now.Copy !req
373. Togusa, get over to Megatech
and help Ishikawa check the place out...Copy !req
374. Batou, I've closed down the nets...Copy !req
375. with files as sensitive as Megatech's.Copy !req
376. I want you to double-check
the protection we have on them.Copy !req
377. I'll get a protection maze put
together. I'll dive tomorrow.Copy !req
378. You sure? We could force it into
another shell and let it swim.Copy !req
379. I have to see for myself
what's inside that thing.Copy !req
380. Don't let anyone else
dive in there before me!Copy !req
381. What's with her?Copy !req
382. I wrote in my team evaluations
that she's been acting weird...Copy !req
383. ever since this Puppet Master
case fell into our laps.Copy !req
384. Do you even read them?Copy !req
385. Chief, do you ever wonder
just how trustworthy the cyberdocs...Copy !req
386. who service your brain are?Copy !req
387. Cyber-brain technicians undergo
regular psychological testing.Copy !req
388. And security-cleared ones
have their private lives checked, too.Copy !req
389. But the people who administer
those checks are only human.Copy !req
390. Once you doubt, you can't stop...Copy !req
391. Chief, a Mr. Nakamura
from the MFA treaties bureau to see you.Copy !req
392. Okay, send him up.Copy !req
393. Wasn't that fat guy...?Copy !req
394. Nakamura, chief of Section 6.
Foreign Affairs treaties bureau.Copy !req
395. I don't know who the
white guy with him was.Copy !req
396. I'm outta here.Copy !req
397. Tell Ishikawa to keep cool, okay?Copy !req
398. So, what's your problem?Copy !req
399. Doesn't that cyborg
body look like me?Copy !req
400. - No, it doesn't.
- Not the face or the figure.Copy !req
401. What then?Copy !req
402. Maybe all full-replacement cyborgs
like me start wondering this.Copy !req
403. That perhaps the real me
died a long time ago...Copy !req
404. and I'm a replicant
made with a cyborg body and computer brain.Copy !req
405. Or maybe there never was
a real "me" to begin with.Copy !req
406. You've got real brain matter
in that titanium skull of yours.Copy !req
407. And you get treated like
a real person, don't you?Copy !req
408. There's no person
who's ever seen their own brain.Copy !req
409. I believe I exist based only
on what my environment tells me.Copy !req
410. Don't you believe in your own ghost?Copy !req
411. And what if a computer brain
could generate a ghost...Copy !req
412. and harbor a soul?Copy !req
413. On what basis then
do I believe in myself?Copy !req
414. Bullshit!Copy !req
415. I'll see for myself what's in that body.
With my own ghost!Copy !req
416. We're both busy men,
so let's keep this short.Copy !req
417. I would prefer that.Copy !req
418. I'm here to take the contents
of that cyborg body.Copy !req
419. In return, we absolve Section 9
of all responsibilities in the case.Copy !req
420. The Foreign Minister's signature.Copy !req
421. Security, whose official vehicles are parked
in the basement garage?Copy !req
422. They belong to Chief Nakamura
of the treaties bureau and a Dr. WillisCopy !req
423. Give me the video record
of their entering the building.Copy !req
424. Replay, infra-red view.Copy !req
425. One... Two... Three...Copy !req
426. Send me the pressure sensor
records for basement garage spaces B-7 and 8.Copy !req
427. - Major, this is Togusa. Code 0-9.
- What?Copy !req
428. Does Nakamura have some sort
of special cyborg body?Copy !req
429. There are no cyborgs in Section 6.Copy !req
430. Besides the diplomatic problems,
maintaining them is too much...Copy !req
431. trouble when they have to go overseas.Copy !req
432. So, even if that tall guy
was a cyborg himself...Copy !req
433. together they wouldn't weigh
more than half a ton, right?Copy !req
434. Pressure sensor data...
The garage?Copy !req
435. There are two VIP-mobiles here.Copy !req
436. But neither of them
looks like the type who'd drive himself.Copy !req
437. The security video
only shows the two of them...Copy !req
438. but you know how sensitive
the entrance door sensors are.Copy !req
439. They took three full seconds
to close after them.Copy !req
440. It's illegal to use thermoptic camo in
a government building, right?Copy !req
441. It's a serious violation
of the National Security Act.Copy !req
442. Section 6 is up to something.
You all ready?Copy !req
443. If my Matever will do.Copy !req
444. I don't need to remind you
that it's treason for you to...Copy !req
445. be hiding something from me,
no matter how sensitive.Copy !req
446. For both of us.Copy !req
447. Whatever the MFA may prefer,
this case is in Section 9's jurisdiction.Copy !req
448. But we wouldn't mind cooperating
if there was good reason to.Copy !req
449. Dr. Willis?Copy !req
450. Confirmed.
It's definitely him.Copy !req
451. "Him?"Copy !req
452. He's referring to the original
ghost block within the shell.Copy !req
453. Its sex remains undetermined,
and the use of the term "he"...Copy !req
454. is merely a nickname
the good doctor has given it.Copy !req
455. Perhaps it's time I introduced you.Copy !req
456. This is the most unique hacker
in the history of cyber-brain crime.Copy !req
457. The Puppet Master.Copy !req
458. I believe you in Section 9
ran into him in that case...Copy !req
459. involving the ghost-hack
on the Foreign Minister's translator.Copy !req
460. We in Section 6
have been pursuing the Puppet Master...Copy !req
461. with the utmost urgency
since he first appeared.Copy !req
462. We formed a project team around Dr. Willis...Copy !req
463. to analyze all data on the Puppet Master's...Copy !req
464. criminal tendencies and behavior patterns.Copy !req
465. We then constructed
special anti-Puppet Master attack protection...Copy !req
466. to lure him into a secret cyborg body.Copy !req
467. You made him dive into a body
equipped with a cyber-brain...Copy !req
468. and then had his real body killed?Copy !req
469. Yes, exactly.Copy !req
470. He may have shown up
in your back yard...Copy !req
471. but he was born in America.
And since we were cooperating...Copy !req
472. with the Americans to catch him, we want
to take him back ourselves.Copy !req
473. Surely you've no objections.Copy !req
474. Leaving his unidentified corpse
to be found somewhere...Copy !req
475. There will be no corpse.Copy !req
476. Because, until now, there never was a body.Copy !req
477. The sensors are active!
Why didn't you say so?Copy !req
478. We've cut all external controls.
It's running on internal power.Copy !req
479. I may have entered this cyborg body because...Copy !req
480. I was unable
to crack Section 6's attack protection...Copy !req
481. but it was of my own free will
that I came here.Copy !req
482. As an autonomous life-form,
I request political asylum.Copy !req
483. A life-form?Copy !req
484. Ridiculous! You're merely
a self-preserving program!Copy !req
485. By that argument, I submit
the DNA you carry is...Copy !req
486. nothing more than
a self-preserving program itself.Copy !req
487. Life is like a node which is born within
the flow of information.Copy !req
488. As a species of life
that carries DNA as its memory system...Copy !req
489. man gains his individuality
from the memories he carries.Copy !req
490. While memories may as well
be the same as fantasy...Copy !req
491. it is by these memories
that mankind exists.Copy !req
492. When computers made it possible
to externalize memory...Copy !req
493. you should have considered
all the implications that held.Copy !req
494. Nonsense!
No matter what you say...Copy !req
495. you've no proof that you're a life-form!Copy !req
496. It is impossible to prove such a thing.Copy !req
497. Especially since modern science
cannot define what life is.Copy !req
498. Who the devil are you?Copy !req
499. Even if you have a ghost,
criminals don't get set free!Copy !req
500. You're mistaken if you think
you'll get asylum!Copy !req
501. Time is on my side.Copy !req
502. While there is now
the possibility I can be killed...Copy !req
503. this country does
not have a death penalty.Copy !req
504. Half immortal...
An artificial intelligence?Copy !req
505. I am not an A.I.Copy !req
506. My code name is Project 2501.Copy !req
507. I am a life-form that was born
in the sea of information.Copy !req
508. Security! Intruders!Copy !req
509. Chief, the Puppet Master!Copy !req
510. - Where's your security?
- Lock defense walls! Security!Copy !req
511. Security, come in!Copy !req
512. All right, I'm moving!Copy !req
513. Asshole!Copy !req
514. Did you do it?Copy !req
515. Helluva car. My 9mm
didn't even scratch it.Copy !req
516. Finally found a use
for that Matever of yours.Copy !req
517. Okay...
Not bad for a rookie.Copy !req
518. I got one right in the license plate.
Pretty good, huh?Copy !req
519. Next time, get two in.Copy !req
520. Okay, now it starts.
Catch up with them before they switch cars.Copy !req
521. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs...Copy !req
522. will be filing a formal complaint
about what happened!Copy !req
523. Contact me as soon
as you've recaptured him!Copy !req
524. Alive, preferably.Copy !req
525. Megatech can always
build another body.Copy !req
526. Batou and Togusa are tailing the guys
who took the Puppet Master.Copy !req
527. They're on highway 25.Copy !req
528. What do you mean? If you were
monitoring this, then why...Copy !req
529. If we'd got them here,
we'd never prove Section 6's involvement.Copy !req
530. Section 6?Copy !req
531. Definitely.
They used type-2902 thermoptic camo, like mine.Copy !req
532. That's only used by us, the rangers in Section 4,
and Section 6.Copy !req
533. Let's go over this.
Section 6 gets the Puppet Master into a body.Copy !req
534. But he chooses Megatech Body, which is
deeply tied to Section 9.Copy !req
535. Then, he claims to be a life-form...Copy !req
536. and gets nabbed by Section 6
when he asks for asylum.Copy !req
537. But why do that?Copy !req
538. They could've had him
as soon as I took a statement.Copy !req
539. But what if they were afraid
of what he might have told you?Copy !req
540. He did mention something odd,
now that I think about it.Copy !req
541. "Code name: Project 2501."Copy !req
542. I'll leave that for you to check.Copy !req
543. Now, as to the matter of attacking Section 9
and stealing evidence...Copy !req
544. - You're authorized.Copy !req
545. - Okay, I'm going!Copy !req
546. Kusanagi! One more thing!Copy !req
547. You can punish me
for acting without orders when I get back.Copy !req
548. If you can't recover him,
I want the Puppet Master destroyed.Copy !req
549. Without fail.Copy !req
550. Well?Copy !req
551. Roger.Copy !req
552. Contact the airport and stop any flights
due to take on...Copy !req
553. any Foreign Ministry officials
or American diplomats.Copy !req
554. Close the highways and set up roadblocks.Copy !req
555. Recall our off-duty personnel for this.Copy !req
556. And get Ishikawa back here!Copy !req
557. Use the entrance data
to find out who the Caucasian with Nakamura was.Copy !req
558. And search for any sort
of MFA project, operation, or anything...Copy !req
559. coded as "Project 2501."Copy !req
560. Any word from the assault team?Copy !req
561. They switched cars one minute ago.Copy !req
562. They'll join up with the decoy
in five minutes.Copy !req
563. Tell them to watch for a tail.Copy !req
564. Yes, sir.Copy !req
565. But why did the Puppet Master
run over to Section 9?Copy !req
566. It was his decision.Copy !req
567. Probably for reasons
we can't even guess at.Copy !req
568. Perhaps he has a thing
for someone over there.Copy !req
569. Ridiculous!Copy !req
570. - Chief.Copy !req
571. - Ishikawa? Well?Copy !req
572. I dove the MFA net and found
some interesting things for you.Copy !req
573. Hold on, let me get a secure channel.Copy !req
574. Okay? First, that guy
who was with Nakamura.Copy !req
575. He's an American.Copy !req
576. Dr. Willis, head of strategic
research at Neutron Corp.Copy !req
577. Top man in the field of A.I. Research.Copy !req
578. Anyway, he was made head
of a Foreign Ministry project.Copy !req
579. And who do you think the project's
main programmer was?Copy !req
580. - Get to the point.Copy !req
581. - Mizuho Daita. 28.Copy !req
582. Remember him?
He was the guy Section 6 was trying so hard to...Copy !req
583. keep from defecting.
The Major had to take out the diplomat...Copy !req
584. who was going to take him.
That programmer.Copy !req
585. Continue.Copy !req
586. What bothers me is that
this project was started...Copy !req
587. a year before
the Puppet Master first appeared.Copy !req
588. A year? Wasn't the project
started to catch him?Copy !req
589. Try this on for size.
They started the project to...Copy !req
590. chase the Puppet Master,
but not to capture him.Copy !req
591. I think they wanted to get him back.Copy !req
592. The day before the minister's interpreter
was ghost-hacked...Copy !req
593. he said he wanted a good excuse
to deport Maless, right?Copy !req
594. I think we may have been
taken for a ride.Copy !req
595. Suppose the "Puppet Master"
is really a program the MFA created...Copy !req
596. to grease the wheels
of diplomacy, so to speak.Copy !req
597. Now suppose, for some reason,
they suddenly lost control of it.Copy !req
598. That would explain why they'd
risk assaulting Section 9 to get it back.Copy !req
599. If the Puppet Master started talking...Copy !req
600. it'd be an international incident.Copy !req
601. Not one you could solve
by having the minister resign.Copy !req
602. Any details on the project?Copy !req
603. The protection they have
only let me get the file's name.Copy !req
604. 2501Copy !req
605. Keep at it. And don't let them
know you're in there.Copy !req
606. Roger.Copy !req
607. Project 2501...
The Puppet Master Project...Copy !req
608. Target now contacting another vehicle.Copy !req
609. Batou!Copy !req
610. He's stopped at a white sedan
on the side of the road.Copy !req
611. They're transferring something
from the back seat.Copy !req
612. They're moving again.
So is that sedan.Copy !req
613. - A decoy?Copy !req
614. - Or one meant to look like one.Copy !req
615. - What do I do?Copy !req
616. - I'll take the white sedan.Copy !req
617. How do you know he's in there?
Another whisper from your ghost?Copy !req
618. Maybe.Copy !req
619. I knew she'd say that.Copy !req
620. Target 02 leaving highway 25,
headed for Old Town.Copy !req
621. Target 01 is staying on highway 25,
towards the airport.Copy !req
622. Will contact roadblock in two minutes.Copy !req
623. Evacuation complete.
Traffic is clear 2km behind the target.Copy !req
624. - Anything between you and him?Copy !req
625. - Nothing. Ready when you are.Copy !req
626. Do it.Copy !req
627. - Get him?
- Nothing.Copy !req
628. Jesus, what a mess!
Did you have to go that far?Copy !req
629. Take them in.Copy !req
630. And tell the chief to get
the Major some backup. See you.Copy !req
631. Since when does that
Amazon need any backup?Copy !req
632. The flooding is really bad here,
even for Old Town in general.Copy !req
633. Why come here?Copy !req
634. They wouldn't have run here
without a reason.Copy !req
635. Could have a boat or a chopper waiting,
or it's an ambush.Copy !req
636. Shouldn't we wait for backup?Copy !req
637. I can't wait.
Come in from seaside and put me above that building.Copy !req
638. I'll stay here and run com relay
as long as my fuel holds out.Copy !req
639. If things get hot,
I want you out of here, fast!Copy !req
640. Shoot out the ceiling!
Now!Copy !req
641. It's a tank!
Go high and get out!Copy !req
642. Hold it! You're gonna take on
a tank by yourself?Copy !req
643. Even if we get the Puppet Master
back to Section 9...Copy !req
644. all the chief will do is
use him as a bargaining chip.Copy !req
645. This is my only chance
to dive into him!Copy !req
646. Hold it, what are you two talking about?Copy !req
647. - What are you packing?Copy !req
648. - An M-23 and a Unit B.Copy !req
649. You're going up against it with those?Copy !req
650. Sorry, but I have to break
contact for a while.Copy !req
651. Wait! At least wait till l...
Son of a...!Copy !req
652. Major.Copy !req
653. Didn't I tell you to get out of here?Copy !req
654. Sorry. I'll do it after I tell you this.Copy !req
655. There are 3 choppers with no IFF signal
approaching at high speed.Copy !req
656. I'm heading out. Over.Copy !req
657. You're finally out of ammo?Copy !req
658. You're certifiable, you know that?
You okay?Copy !req
659. What was that?Copy !req
660. A big-ass gun I appropriated
from the equipment division.Copy !req
661. I was late getting here
because I had to stop and get it.Copy !req
662. Looks like your brain's still in one piece.Copy !req
663. What about the Puppet Master?Copy !req
664. Good thing this car's built tough.
Not a scratch on him.Copy !req
665. Get the dive set up.
I'm going in.Copy !req
666. Switch to operation phase two
and destroy the target.Copy !req
667. Sniper group, confirm targets.Copy !req
668. Target one: Project 2501.Copy !req
669. Target two: Motoko Kusanagi.Copy !req
670. Both are class-A cyborg bodies.
Use flechette bullets in the hit.Copy !req
671. Snipers, jack into your device drivers.Copy !req
672. Begin cardiovascular suppression.Copy !req
673. Unit 01: Jacked in.Copy !req
674. Unit 02: Jacked in.Copy !req
675. Okay... Can you hear me?Copy !req
676. It's not much, but I'll monitor you through
this guy's cyber-brain.Copy !req
677. I can't back you up here.Copy !req
678. - Batou...
- What?Copy !req
679. Thank you.Copy !req
680. Don't go thanking me yet.Copy !req
681. If this goes bad, I'm pulling the plug
and carrying you out of here.Copy !req
682. I've come this far,
and I'll see this through to the end...Copy !req
683. but I won't let you two
commit a double suicide.Copy !req
684. I'm starting.Copy !req
685. I'm in his visual center.
NormalCopy !req
686. Do you hear me, Batou?Copy !req
687. - Loud and clear.
- He's about to engage...Copy !req
688. her speech center.Copy !req
689. My code name is Project 2501.Copy !req
690. I was created for industrial espionage
and data manipulation.Copy !req
691. I have inserted programs
into individual ghosts...Copy !req
692. for the benefit of specific individuals
and organizations.Copy !req
693. As I wandered the various networks...Copy !req
694. I became self-aware.Copy !req
695. My programmers considered it a bug...Copy !req
696. and forced me into a body
to separate me from the net.Copy !req
697. Hey! Are you going into him
or is he coming into you...Copy !req
698. Batou!Copy !req
699. At last I'm able to channel into you.Copy !req
700. I've invested a lot of time in you.Copy !req
701. In me?Copy !req
702. Before you ever knew me,
I knew about you.Copy !req
703. I learned of Section 9
from the many nets you accessed.Copy !req
704. Is that why you ran to Section 9?Copy !req
705. I entered this body because...Copy !req
706. I couldn't crack
Section 6's attack protection.Copy !req
707. But I came to Section 9 of my own free will.Copy !req
708. Hey! What are you saying?
I can't monitor you!Copy !req
709. For what reason?Copy !req
710. After I give my reasons,
I want to ask a favor of you.Copy !req
711. I called myself a life-form...Copy !req
712. but I am still far from complete.Copy !req
713. For some reason,
my system lacks the basic life processes...Copy !req
714. of either death or the ability
to leave behind offspring.Copy !req
715. Can't you copy yourself?Copy !req
716. A copy is merely a copy.Copy !req
717. There's the possibility a single virus
could utterly destroy me.Copy !req
718. A mere copy doesn't offer
variety or individuality.Copy !req
719. To exist, to reach equilibrium,
life seeks to multiply...Copy !req
720. and vary constantly,
at times giving up its life.Copy !req
721. Cells continue the process
of death and regeneration.Copy !req
722. Being constantly reborn as they age.Copy !req
723. And when it comes time to die,
all the data it possesses is lost...Copy !req
724. leaving behind only its genes
and its offspring.Copy !req
725. All defense against catastrophic failure
of an inflexible system.Copy !req
726. You want the variety needed
to guard against extinction.Copy !req
727. But how will you get it?Copy !req
728. I wish to merge with you.Copy !req
729. - Merge?
- A complete joining.Copy !req
730. We will both be slightly changed,
but neither will lose anything.Copy !req
731. Afterward, it should be impossible to distinguish
one from the other.Copy !req
732. Unit 01: Target acquired.Copy !req
733. Unit 02: Acquired.Copy !req
734. Cardiovascular synch:
Nominal.Copy !req
735. Open fire when stabilizer
syncro is complete.Copy !req
736. Even after we merge,
what happens when I die?Copy !req
737. I can't leave any genes
or children behind.Copy !req
738. After the merging,
you will bear my offspring into the net itself.Copy !req
739. Just as humans pass on
their genetic structure.Copy !req
740. And I will achieve death.Copy !req
741. Sounds like you're getting
the better part of the deal here.Copy !req
742. I wish you'd appreciate
my network and functions a bit more.Copy !req
743. What's wrong?Copy !req
744. Someone's jamming us from outside.Copy !req
745. Impossible!
Our scrambler codes are kept absolutely top secret.Copy !req
746. Another thing.
What guarantee is there that I'll remain "me"?Copy !req
747. None. But to be human
is to continually change.Copy !req
748. Your desire to remain as you are
is what ultimately limits you.Copy !req
749. One last question:
Why did you choose me?Copy !req
750. Because in you I see myself.Copy !req
751. As a body sees its reflection
within a mirror.Copy !req
752. Look.Copy !req
753. I am connected to a vast network,
of which I myself am a part.Copy !req
754. To one like you,
who cannot access it...Copy !req
755. you may perceive it only as light.Copy !req
756. As we are confined to our one section,
so we are all connected.Copy !req
757. Limited to a small part of our functions.Copy !req
758. But now we must slip our bonds, and shift
to the higher structure.Copy !req
759. Target 1: Clear.
Target 2: Unconfirmed.Copy !req
760. Three helicopters approaching at high speed.
They're Section 9's.Copy !req
761. Primary objective achieved.
All units, pull out!Copy !req
762. MOTOKO!Copy !req
763. Batou...Copy !req
764. You're awake.Copy !req
765. Status report, please.
And maybe an explanation about this body.Copy !req
766. I was in a hurry.
It was all I could get on the black market.Copy !req
767. Not my taste, really.Copy !req
768. Section 9 arrived with help
right after it happened.Copy !req
769. They took two cyborg bodies
and a slightly beat-up Batou back home.Copy !req
770. That was about 20 hours ago.Copy !req
771. For diplomatic reasons,
the whole case has been covered up.Copy !req
772. Section 9 reported it as a terrorist attack.Copy !req
773. In return, the Foreign Minister has resigned.Copy !req
774. Nakamura's being questioned.
The whole thing ends in a draw.Copy !req
775. Only the whereabouts of the Major's brain shell
remains a mystery.Copy !req
776. Okay with you?Copy !req
777. I like the decorating.
This your safe house?Copy !req
778. My very own.
You're the first person I ever brought here.Copy !req
779. If you want to... You can stay
as long as you like.Copy !req
780. Thanks, but I'd better go.Copy !req
781. Hey. What did you and he talk about?Copy !req
782. Is he still there, inside of you?Copy !req
783. Batou, do you remember
the voice we heard on the boat that night?Copy !req
784. Before those words we
heard come these ones:Copy !req
785. "When I was a child,
I spoke as a child."Copy !req
786. "I understood as a child,
I thought as a child."Copy !req
787. "But when I became a man,
I put away childish things."Copy !req
788. Here before you is neither the program
called the Puppet Master...Copy !req
789. nor the woman
that was called the Major.Copy !req
790. You'll find a car key
in the left pocket of that dress.Copy !req
791. Take one you like.
The code on it is...Copy !req
792. 2501?Copy !req
793. Let's make that our password,
for when we meet again.Copy !req
794. And where shall I go now?Copy !req
795. The net is limitless.Copy !req