To all patroling air units.
A 208 is in progress...
...in the C-13 district
of Newport City.
The airspace over this area
will be closed. Repeat:
To all patroling air units.
A 208 is in progress...
...in the C-13 district
of Newport City.
The airspace over this area
will be closed. Repeat...
There's nothing
to worry about.
You can try it again once
you're in our country.
"Try it again?"
Just as there's no such thing
as a bug-free program...
...there's no program
that can't be debugged.
Am I wrong?
You don't understand.
We still don't know if
it really is a bug.
Project 2501's
original purpose was--
Major, Section 6
is ready to move in.
- Major!
- I hear you.
There's a lot of
static in your brain.
It's that time
of the month.
Won't there be trouble
if Section 9 butts in
on Section 6's operation?
That diplomat's a pretty
well-known bastard.
Even if they catch him there,
all they can do is deport him.
We're the only ones
who can get our hands dirty.
They're moving.
Take us over to
the extraction point.
What? The police?
Stop it! Who told you to
open fire?! Drop your guns!
I have diplomatic immunity!
Let me see who's in charge!
Transporting a listed programmer
out of the country...
...violates our
arms export treaty.
I could also have you
charged with kidnapping.
Give the man up.
I'm afraid not. He's applied
for political asylum with us...
...and he's already signed
a statement to that effect!
- When?!
- I don't have to tell you!
By right of international law,
my country can...
...offer him protection
and right of safe passage.
The document is on file
at our embassy.
I'll transfer a copy to you
in a few days.
Are you sure about this?
They won't take you back alive.
I must ask that you
watch what you say.
Our country is
a peace-loving democracy.
Is that a fact?
Out the window! Shoot!
Thermoptic camouflage...
This is a rare pleasure,
Mr. Aramaki.
What can the Foreign Ministry
do for Section 9?
What are these secret talks
you've scheduled with...
...the Gavel Republic
for tomorrow?
The usual. Foreign aid.
The new government
reopened the request
after the revolution.
They claim to be
more democratic...
...but they'll probably be
as bad as the last bunch.
Giving them money
they don't earn
will help nobody.
They consider it reparation
for past exploitation
and won't thank--
And what will
the government do?
The problem is that
we have the leader of...
...the old junta here
looking for political asylum.
Col. Maless, right?
So, do we throw him out
and grant them the aid?
Or do we publicly
recognize him as a refugee
and cut the aid?
Not an easy decision
to make.
Personally, if I could find
a politically acceptable
reason...
...l'd have the man deported
in a heartbeat.
Oh yes, thanks for your help
with that programmer defection.
Nakamura over in Section 6
said he was grateful.
After all,
we in the diplomatic corps
have to keep our hands clean.
Accessed.
We've lost response.
How's her brainwave output look?
Normal.
Switching over the virtual
experience mode pattern.
The Foreign Minister's
interpreter.
her cyber-brain was hacked
via telephone connection.
Just as Foreign lntelligence
division predicted...
...the Puppet Master
has begun to break into...
...every terminal
on the network.
Pattern analysis shows
a high probability that...
...he's attempting to disrupt
secret talks with Gavel.
We've placed everyone attending
the talks under surveillance.
Probably trying
to hack her ghost...
...so she'll kill
people at the meeting.
How long till he hacks
through her protection
and reaches her ghost?
He's using an old-style HA-3.
I'd say about two hours.
After that,
we'll have to cut the line
to eliminate all risk.
Batou and lshikawa
are in a car,
tracing the signal.
Rendezvous with them.
The Puppet Master...
That phantom hacker, right?
They think
he's an American.
Age, sex, personal history...
Everything about him is unknown.
Since last winter he's been
mainly active in the EC.
Internationally wanted
on dozens of charges of...
...stock manipulation,
spying, political engineering...
...terrorism, and violation
of cyber-brain privacy.
He's ghost-hacked
so many people
to carry out his crimes...
...he's earned the code name
"The Puppet Master."
This is the first instance
of him operating
in this country.
So, if he's so hot,
why's he using an old HA-3?
Well, a newer type
would be less detectable
and be harder to trace.
But it could also implicate
the former junta leader,
Col. Maless.
So he's using an older type
to keep us from suspecting him.
Or somebody else
wants us to think that.
Maless may just be another pawn
in this whole thing.
Now you're overthinking this.
There's no evidence of that.
Evidence?
I just have a whisper...
A whisper from my ghost.
By the way, are you
still using that revolver?
Afraid both guns
in a two-man team'll jam up?
I like the Matever.
Since I depend on your backup,
I think stopping power is...
...more important than
personal preference.
Especially since it's
my ass on the line.
Use the Zastaber instead.
Major, I've been
meaning to ask you.
Why'd you ask for a guy
like me to be transferred
in from the police?
Because you're
a guy like you.
Huh?
An honest cop with a clean
record. And you've got
a regular family.
With the exception of
your cyber-net implants,
your brain's real.
No matter how powerful
we may be fighting-wise...
...a system where
all the parts react
the same way...
...is a system
with a fatal flaw.
Like individual,
like organization.
Overspecialization
leads to death.
That's all.
- Come on!
- All right!
We're already 40 seconds
behind schedule!
- Gimme five more seconds.
- Of all the lousy luck...
Hey, sorry.
My last partner,
the one they busted
for working without...
...a permit,
was a better worker than you!
You're actually trying
to ghost-hack your own wife...
...just to see
what's on her mind?
She doesn't have any time for me
and now she wants a divorce.
On top of that, my daughter,
my only child...
...thinks I'm cheating
on her mother!
So how'd you get your hands
on cracking software?
From some programmer.
A really nice guy
I met in a bar.
I told him my wife's lawyer
was keeping me
from seeing her...
...and he said he'd help.
Told me to access
from different places
to keep from getting caught.
Smart guy, huh?
Asshole! Ya tryin' to
get yourself killed?!
Looks like we aren't
the only busy people out here.
Nobody here.
What's the point?
Even if we trace the calls...
...the guy's already gone
by the time we get there.
- Vicious cycle, huh?
- Quit complaining!
Kusanagi and Togusa
are headed for the next
expected hack point.
You two look
for something there.
Look for what?
Anything.
Fuckin' old coot.
He tells US to snoop around?!
Wait a sec!
Damn, missed him.
Hey, Pops. Did you see
a garbage truck go by here?
Who wants to know?
Did you see it or not?
Yeah, but they were gone
by the time I got my trash.
One was using the phone,
so I thought I had time--
Uh, can you take this
to them?
A garbage truck? Of course...
They move every seven minutes.
Control! Get me
the trash collection
routes for that sector!
There are eight garbage trucks
operating in the target area.
Target is a type C
collection truck, #79.
Let me drive.
Ishikawa, check out
the drivers' homes.
Batou, you get to their
next stop before they do!
He may be in contact
with someone else.
Observe, but don't move in!
Route data accessed.
Hacking points traced
and matched. Target
now stopped at next point.
Confirm access via HA-3.
Sorry, sorry.
How about I do the trash
and you make the call
on the next stop?
Okay?
Leave me out of your
little crime spree.
Can't believe this
load of bullshit...
- Do you have kids?
- Do I look like I do?
Then you couldn't
understand.
My daughter's my life.
Take a look. Isn't she
just a little angel?
I hate looking at other
peoples' family albums.
Yeah, truck 79.
Oh, boss. What's up?
The cops were checking our
routes? You wanna know why?
How should I know?!
They spotted the hack!
I gotta warn my friend!
We're gonna have to
skip our next stop!
Target has deviated from route.
Increasing speed to next point.
Is he on to us?
Didn't think he could see me.
My accessing
the sanitation dept. network
may have tipped him off.
Shoulda used a back door.
Too late.
Go for the collar.
You can drive now.
Jesus... He blew a perfectly
good armored van to shit.
He hosed us with
high-velocity AP rounds!
That car door's no cover!
In a submachinegun?
The guy must be nuts.
He's using
thermoptic camo, too?!
Keep after him!
I'll flank him from above!
Togusa, if you're still alive,
arrest those two garbage men.
Roger.
This job just never
lets up, does it?
Police! Everybody down!
All finished?
You all set?
That's what you get
when you overload
the ammo rating.
Frame's bent all to hell.
The barrel's shot, too.
Doesn't matter if you arrest me.
I'm not gonna talk!
Talk?!
And what would I ask a guy
who doesn't even know
his own name?!
Your mother's face.
The place you grew up in.
Memories of your childhood.
Can you remember
any of those things?
There's nothing sadder
than a puppet without a ghost.
Especially the kind
with red blood
running through them.
We'll rush the place
once the guys in
the helicopter are inside.
Squad B goes around back,
the rest of you take the front.
Saito, have your men
pull the plugs
on all their cars.
Begin recording.
Message from HQ, sir.
We've ID'ed the guy
the Major collared.
Go on.
Tsuan Gen Fang. Age: 28
Illegal alien.
Weapons violations.
Three priors.
Was hiding out with
a militant refugee group
up till a month ago.
One week ago,
because of his record...
...he was contacted
by a military liason
in the Gavel embassy to...
...attack the secret talks
we would be having with them.
And the real story?
Nickname: Corgi. Occupation:
a rather violent scrap dealer.
Guess you could
call him a thug.
We've checked the records
the local cops have on him...
...but we can't find
any connection with Gavel.
Another puppet from our friend
the Puppet Master.
And what about lshikawa?
He's back. He's with Togusa,
talking to that poor trash man.
So, what about
the Puppet Master
on your end?
How's he look to you?
Like a puppet himself...
- Squad B, in position.
- Squads A and C, ready!
Ready to move in, sir.
Move in.
What do you mean,
a "virtual experience?"
I mean your wife, your daughter.
the divorce, the affair...
They're all fake memories.
Like a dream.
Someone was using you
to ghost-hack
a government official.
No... That's impossible!
I've been
to your apartment.
No one's there.
It's a one-room apartment.
Yeah, I moved there
when we split up--
You've been living there
for ten years!
You have no wife,
no child.
Your family exists
only in your mind.
Look. This is the picture
you showed to your partner.
Who is it of?
But, she was there.
My daughter...
Smiling like an angel...
What's your
daughter's name?
Where did you meet
your wife, and when?
How many years ago
did you get married?
Who do you see
in the picture?
How do I get rid of
these fake memories?
I'm sorry. With our
current technology...
There've been two successful
deprogrammings...
...but I can't
recommend it to you.
I'm really sorry.
Virtual experiences,
dreams...
All data that exists
is both reality and fantasy.
Whichever it is,
the data a person collects
in a lifetime...
...is a tiny bit
compared to the whole.
A cyborg who goes diving
in her spare time.
That can't be a good sign.
When did you start doing this?
Doesn't the ocean scare you?
lf the floaters
stopped working.
Then I'd probably die.
Or would you dive in after me?
No one forced you
to come out here with me.
I just--
So, what's it feel like
when you go diving?
Didn't you go through
underwater training?
I'm not talking about
doing it in a damned pool.
I feel fear. Anxiety.
Loneliness. Darkness.
And perhaps, even...hope.
Hope? ln the darkness
of the sea?
As I float up
towards the surface...
...l almost feel
as though I could change
into something else.
As though you want
to quit Section 9?
Batou, how much
of your original body
do you have left?
Are you drunk?
Convenient, isn't it?
With the merest thought,
the chemical plants
inside our bodies...
...could metabolize
all the alcohol in our blood
in about ten seconds...
Allowing us to sit here
drinking while on stand-by.
If a technological feat
is possible, man will do it.
Almost as though it's wired
into the core of our being.
Metabolic control.
Enhanced sensory perception.
Improved reflexes
and muscle capacity.
Vastly increased data
processing speed and capacity.
All improvements
thanks to our cyber-brains
and cyborg bodies.
So what if we can't live
without high-level maintenance?
We have nothing
to complain about.
It doesn't mean we've sold
our souls to Section 9.
We do have the right
to resign if we choose.
Provided we give the government
back our cyborg shells...
...and the memories
they hold.
Just as there are
many parts needed
to make a human a human...
...there's a remarkable number
of things needed to make...
...an individual
what they are.
A face to distinguish
yourself from others.
A voice you aren't
aware of yourself.
The hand you see
when you awaken.
The memories of childhood,
the feelings for the future.
That's not all.
There's the expanse
of the data net...
...my cyber-brain
can access.
All of that goes into
making me what I am.
Giving rise to a consciousness
that I call "me."
And simultaneously confining
"me" within set limits.
Is that why you dive
into the sea with a body
that only sinks?!
What is it you see
in the water's darkness?
"For now we see through
a glass, darkly."
That was you, wasn't it?
Sensors: restarted.
Auxiliary computer link:
check.
Visual sensors: online.
- Cyborg body signal?
- Output: nominal.
Can't you call in
if you're going to be late?
We're all set.
Should we hook her up?
Okay, looking good!
Kill it!
Be in my office
in three minutes.
Since you were late,
I'll explain what's going on.
Two hours ago,
a Megatech Body assembly line
in Newport City...
...just started up
and produced a cyborg shell.
By the time the guys in charge
realized what was happening...
...the body had escaped.
Then, just as they had
thrown up a cordon
to catch the thing...
...we got a call
from a conscientious
truck driver that...
...he'd just run down
a naked lady wandering
around on the highway.
Which brings us to here.
I've heard Megatech Body's
tied pretty closely
to the government...
...and that all the shells
made there are secret.
If a hacker did this,
he had to swim through...
...some of the heaviest
protection around.
And that isn't
the only problem.
Of course, it doesn't have
an organic brain in its head...
...but we've detected
what looks like a ghost...
...in the auxiliary
computer brain.
It isn't unlike
the virtual ghost-line
you get...
...when a real ghost
is dubbed off.
But it shows none
of the data degradation
dubbing would produce.
Well, until we map
the barrier perimeter
and dive in there...
...we won't know
anything for sure.
Anyhow, better get back
to checking her over.
Good work.
Time to rip her apart.
Come on, you guys don't think
there's a ghost in that thing.
It's possible.
I've heard celluloid dolls
can have a soul.
And this thing's stuffed
full of neurotech devices.
I wouldn't be surprised
if it had a soul.
Since you're new here,
you probably don't know.
The Major's shell was
also made by Megatech Body.
Not just hers.
Me and lshikawa for one...
...along with Saito and others
all need maintenance and such.
Outside of you and the Chief,
everyone in Section 9...
...needs to make use
of their kind services.
Maybe you can see now why we all
look a little worried, Togusa.
Assuming the enemy
is an outsider,
we can't know for sure...
...whether he's in that
cyborg body or not.
But he cracked through
the protection...
...around some of our
most secret files...
...and managed to send a program
with a ghost-line on it through.
And in a way
that was easy to spot.
What's he after?!
Let's leave that for now.
Togusa, get over to Megatech
and help lshikawa
check the place out...
Batou, I've closed
down the nets...
...with files as sensitive
as Megatech's.
I want you to double-check
the protection we have on them.
I'll get a protection maze put
together. I'll dive tomorrow.
You sure?
We could force it into
another shell and let it swim.
I have to see for myself
what's inside that thing.
Don't let anyone else
dive in there before me!
What's with her?
I wrote in my team evaluations
that she's been acting weird...
...ever since this Puppet Master
case fell into our laps.
Do you even read them?!
Chief, do you ever wonder
just how trustworthy
the cyberdocs...
...who service
your brain are?
Cyber-brain technicians undergo
regular psychological testing.
And security-cleared ones
have their private lives
checked, too.
But the people who administer
those checks are only human.
Once you doubt,
you can't stop...
Chief, a Mr. Nakamura
from the MFA treaties
bureau to see you.
Okay, send him up.
Wasn't that fat guy...?
Nakamura, chief of Section 6.
Foreign Affairs treaties bureau.
I don't know who the
white guy with him was.
I'm outta here.
Tell lshikawa
to keep cool, okay?
So, what's your problem?
Doesn't that cyborg
body look like me?
- No, it doesn't.
- Not the face or the figure.
What then?
Maybe all
full-replacement cyborgs
like me start wondering this.
That perhaps the real me
died a long time ago...
...and I'm a replicant
made with a cyborg body
and computer brain.
Or maybe there never was
a real "me" to begin with.
You've got real brain matter
in that titanium skull of yours.
And you get treated like
a real person, don't you?
There's no person
who's ever seen their own brain.
I believe I exist based only
on what my environment tells me.
Don't you believe
in your own ghost?
And what if a computer brain
could generate a ghost...
...and harbor a soul?
On what basis then
do I believe in myself?
Bullshit!
I'll see for myself
what's in that body.
With my own ghost!
We're both busy men,
so let's keep this short.
I would prefer that.
I'm here to take the contents
of that cyborg body.
In return, we absolve Section 9
of all responsibilities
in the case.
The Foreign Minister's
signature.
Security, whose official
vehicles are parked
in the basement garage?
They belong to Chief Nakamura
of the treaties bureau
and a Dr. Willis
Give me the video record
of their entering the building.
Replay, infra-red view.
One... Two... Three...
Send me the pressure sensor
records for basement garage
spaces B-7 and 8.
- Major, this is Togusa.
Code 0-9.
- What?
Does Nakamura have some sort
of special cyborg body?
There are no cyborgs
in Section 6.
Besides the diplomatic problems,
maintaining them is too much...
...trouble when they
have to go overseas.
So, even if that tall guy
was a cyborg himself...
...together they wouldn't weigh
more than half a ton, right?
Pressure sensor data...
The garage?
There are two
VIP-mobiles here.
But neither of them
looks like the type
who'd drive himself.
The security video
only shows the two of them...
...but you know how sensitive
the entrance door sensors are.
They took three full seconds
to close after them.
It's illegal to use
thermoptic camo in
a government building, right?
It's a serious violation
of the National Security Act.
Section 6 is up to something.
You all ready?
If my Matever'll do.
I don't need to remind you
that it's treason for you to...
...be hiding something from me,
no matter how sensitive.
For both of us.
Whatever the MFA may prefer,
this case is in
Section 9's jurisdiction.
But we wouldn't mind cooperating
if there was good reason to.
Dr. Willis?
Confirmed.
It's definitely him.
"Him?"
He's referring to the original
ghost block within the shell.
Its sex remains undetermined,
and the use of the term "he"...
...is merely a nickname
the good doctor has given it.
Perhaps it's time
I introduced you.
This is the most unique hacker
in the history
of cyber-brain crime.
The Puppet Master.
I believe you in Section 9
ran into him in that case...
...involving the ghost-hack
on the Foreign Minister's
translatior.
We in Section 6
have been pursuing
the Puppet Master...
...with the utmost urgency
since he first appeared.
We formed a project team
around Dr. Willis...
...to analyze all data
on the Puppet Master's...
...criminal tendencies
and behavior patterns.
We then constructed
special anti-Puppet Master
attack protection...
...to lure him into
a secret cyborg body.
You made him dive into a body
equipped with a cyber-brain...
...and then had
his real body killed?
Yes, exactly.
He may have shown up
in your back yard...
...but he was born in America.
And since we were cooperating...
...with the Americans
to catch him we want
to take him back ourselves.
Surely you've
no objections.
Leaving his unidentified corpse
to be found somewhere.
There will be no corpse.
Because, until now,
there never was a body.
The sensors are active!
Why didn't you say so?!
We've cut all external controls.
It's running on internal power.
I may have entered
this cyborg body because...
...l was unable
to crack Section 6's
attack protection...
...but it was of
my own free will
that I came here.
As an autonomous life-form,
I request political asylum.
A life-form?
Ridiculous! You're merely
a self-preserving program!
By that argument, I submit
the DNA you carry is...
...nothing more than
a self-preserving program
itself.
Life is like a node
which is born within
the flow of information.
As a species of life
that carries DNA
as its memory system...
...man gains his individuality
from the memories he carries.
While memories may as well
be the same as fantasy...
...it is by these memories
that mankind exists.
When computers made it possible
to externalize memory...
...you should have considered
all the implications that held.
Nonsense!
No matter what you say...
...you've no proof
that you're a life-form!
It is impossible
to prove such a thing.
Especially since modern science
cannot define what life is.
Who the devil are you?
Even if you have a ghost,
criminals don't get set free!
You're mistaken if you think
you'll get asylum!
Time is on my side.
While there is now
the possibility
I can be killed...
...this country does
not have a death penalty.
Half immortal...
An artificial intelligence?
I am not an A.I.
My code name
is Project 2501.
I am a life-form that was born
in the sea of information.
Security! lntruders!
Chief, the Puppet Master!
- Where's your security?!
- Lock defense walls! Security!
Security, come in!
All right, I'm moving!
Asshole!
Did you do it?
Helluva car. My 9mm
didn't even scratch it.
Finally found a use
for that Matever of yours.
Okay...
Not bad for a rookie.
I got one right
in the license plate.
Pretty good, huh?
Next time, get two in.
Okay, now it starts.
Catch up with them
before they switch cars.
The Ministry
of Foreign Affairs...
...will be filing
a formal complaint
about what happened!
Contact me as soon
as you've recaptured him!
Alive, preferably.
Megatech can always
build another body.
Batou and Togusa
are tailing the guys
who took the Puppet Master.
They're on highway 25.
What do you mean?! lf you were
monitoring this, then why--
If we'd got them here,
we'd never prove
Section 6's involvement.
Section 6?!
Definitely.
They used type-2902
thermoptic camo, like mine.
That's only used by us,
the rangers in Section 4,
and Section 6.
Let's go over this.
Section 6 gets
the Puppet Master into a body.
But he chooses
Megatech Body, which is
deeply tied to Section 9.
Then, he claims
to be a life-form...
...and gets nabbed by Section 6
when he asks for asylum.
But why do that?
They could've had him
as soon as I took a statement.
But what if they were afraid
of what he might have told you?
He did mention something odd,
now that I think about it.
"Code name: Project 2501."
I'll leave that
for you to check.
Now, as to the matter
of attacking Section 9
and stealing evidence...
- You're authorized.
- Okay, punch it!
Kusanagi! One more thing!
You can punish me
for acting without orders
when I get back.
If you can't recover him,
I want the Puppet Master
destroyed.
Without fail.
Well?!
Roger.
Contact the airport
and stop any flights
due to take on...
...any Foreign Ministry officials
or American diplomats.
Close the highways
and set up roadblocks.
Recall our off-duty personnel
for this.
And get lshikawa back here!
Use the entrance data
to find out who the Caucasian
with Nakamura was.
And search for any sort
of MFA project, operation,
or anything...
...coded as "Project 2501."
Any word from
the assault team?
They switched cars
one minute ago.
They'll join up with the decoy
in five minutes.
Tell them to watch
for a tail.
Yes, sir.
But why did the Puppet Master
run over to Section 9?
It was his decision.
Probably for reasons
we can't even guess at.
Perhaps he has a thing
for someone over there.
Ridiculous!
- Chief.
- Ishikawa? Well?
I dove the MFA net and found
some interesting things for you.
Hold on, let me get
a secure channel.
Okay? First, that guy
who was with Nakamura.
He's an American.
Dr. Willis, head of strategic
research at Neutron Corp.
Top man in the field
of A.I. research.
Anyway, he was made head
of a Foreign Ministry project.
And who do you think
the project's
main programmer was?
- Get to the point.
- Mizuho Daita. Age: 28.
Remember him?
He was the guy Section 6
was trying so hard to...
...keep from defecting.
The Major had to take out
the diplomat...
...who was going to take him.
That programmer.
Continue.
What bothers me is that
this project was started...
...a year before
the Puppet Master
first appeared.
A year? Wasn't the project
started to catch him?
Try this on for size.
They started the project to...
...chase the Puppet Master,
but not to capture him.
I think they wanted
to get him back.
The day before
the minister's interpreter
was ghost-hacked...
...he said he wanted
a good excuse
to deport Maless, right?
I think we may have been
taken for a ride.
Suppose the "Puppet Master"
is really a program
the MFA created...
...to grease the wheels
of diplomacy, so to speak.
Now suppose, for some reason,
they suddenly lost control
of it.
That would explain why they'd
risk assaulting Section 9
to get it back.
If the Puppet Master
started talking...
...it'd be
an international incident.
Not one you could solve
by having the minister resign.
Any details
on the project?
The protection they have
only let me get the file's name.
Code: 2501
Keep at it. And don't let them
know you're in there.
Roger.
Project 2501...
The Puppet Master Project...
Target now contacting
another vehicle.
Batou!
He's stopped at a white sedan
on the side of the road.
They're transferring something
from the back seat.
They're moving again.
So's that sedan.
- A decoy?
- Or one meant to look like one.
- What do I do?
- I'll take the white sedan.
How do you know he's in there?
Another whisper from your ghost?
Maybe.
I knew she'd say that.
Target 02 leaving highway 25,
headed for Old Town.
Target 01 is staying
on highway 25,
towards the airport.
Will contact roadblock
in two minutes.
Evacuation complete.
Traffic is clear
- Anything between you and him?
- Nothing. Ready when you are.
Do it.
- Get him?
- Nothing.
Jesus, what a mess!
Did you have to go that far?
Take them in.
And tell the chief to get
the Major some backup.
See you.
Since when does that
Amazon need any backup?
The flooding's really bad here,
even for Old Town in general.
Why come here?
They wouldn't have run here
without a reason.
Could have a boat
or a chopper waiting,
or it's an ambush.
Shouldn't we wait
for backup?
I can't wait.
Come in from seaside
and put me above that building.
I'll stay here
and run com relay
as long as my fuel holds out.
If things get hot,
I want you out of here, fast!
Shoot out the ceiling!
Now!
It's a tank!
Go high and get out!
Hold it! You're gonna take on
a tank by yourself?!
Even if we get the Puppet Master
back to Section 9...
...all the chief will do is
use him as a bargaining chip.
This is my only chance
to dive into him!
Hold it, what are you
two talking about?
- What are you packing?
- An M-23 and a Unit B.
You're going up
against it with those?!
Sorry, but I have to break
contact for a while.
Wait! At least wait till l--
Son of a...!
Major.
Didn't I tell you
to get out of here?
Sorry. I'll do it after
I tell you this.
There are 3 choppers
with no IFF signal
approaching at high speed.
I'm heading out. Over.
You're finally out of ammo?
You're certifiable,
you know that? You okay?
What was that?
A big-ass gun I appropriated
from the equipment division.
I was late getting here
because I had to stop
and get it.
Looks like your brain's
still in one piece.
What about
the Puppet Master?
Good thing
this car's built tough.
Not a scratch on him.
Get the dive set up.
I'm going in.
Signal from escort lost.
Switch to operation phase two
and destroy the target.
Sniper group,
confirm targets.
Target one: Project 2501.
Target two:
Motoko Kusanagi.
Both are class-A cyborg bodies.
Use flechette bullets
in the hit.
Snipers, jack into
your device drivers.
Begin cardiovascular
suppression.
Unit 01: jacked in.
Unit 02: jacked in.
Okay... Can you hear me?
It's not much,
but I'll monitor you through
this guy's cyber-brain.
I can't back you up here.
- Batou...
- What?
Thank you.
Don't go thanking me yet.
If this goes bad,
I'm pulling the plug
and carrying you out of here.
I've come this far,
and I'll see this through
to the end...
...but I won't let you two
commit a double suicide.
I'm starting.
I'm in his visual center.
Circade: normal
Do you hear me, Batou?
- Loud and clear.
- He's about to engage...
...her speech center.
My code name
is Project 2501.
I was created
for industrial espionage
and data manipulation.
I have inserted programs
into individual ghosts...
...for the benefit
of specific individuals
and organizations.
As I wandered
the various networks...
...l became self-aware.
My programmers
considered it a bug...
...and forced me into a body
to separate me from the net.
Hey! Are you going into him
or is he coming into you--
Batou!
At last I'm able
to channel into you.
I've invested
a lot of time in you.
In me?
Before you ever knew me,
I knew about you.
I learned of Section 9
from the many nets you accessed.
Is that why
you ran to Section 9?
I entered
this body because...
...l couldn't crack
Section 6's attack protection.
But I came to Section 9
of my own free will.
Hey! What are you saying?!
I can't monitor you!
For what reason?
After I give my reasons,
I want to ask a favor of you.
I called myself
a life-form...
...but I am still
far from complete.
For some reason,
my system lacks
the basic life processes...
...of either death
or the ability
to leave behind offspring.
Can't you copy yourself?
A copy is merely a copy.
There's the possibility
a single virus
could utterly destroy me.
A mere copy doesn't offer
variety or individuality.
To exist, to reach equilibrium,
life seeks to multiply...
...and vary constantly,
at times giving up its life.
Cells continue the process
of death and regeneration.
Being constantly
reborn as they age.
And when it comes time to die,
all the data it possesses
is lost...
...leaving behind
only its genes
and its offspring.
All defense against
catastrophic failure
of an inflexible system.
You want the variety needed
to guard against extinction.
But how will you get it?
I wish to merge with you.
- Merge?
- A complete joining.
We will both
be slightly changed,
but neither will lose anything.
Afterwards, it should be
impossible to distinguish
one from the other.
Unit 01: target acquired.
Unit 02: acquired.
Cardiovascular synch:
nominal.
Open fire when stabilizer
syncro is complete.
Even after we merge,
what happens when I die?
I can't leave any genes
or children behind.
After the merging,
you will bear my offspring
into the net itself.
Just as humans pass on
their genetic structure.
And I will achieve death.
Sounds like you're getting
the better part
of the deal here.
I wish you'd appreciate
my network and functions
a bit more.
What's wrong?
Someone's jamming us
from outside.
Impossible!
Our scrambler codes
are kept absolutely top secret.
Another thing.
What guarantee is there
that I'll remain "me"?
None. But to be human
is to continually change.
Your desire to remain as you are
is what ultimately limits you.
One last question:
Why did you choose me?
Because in you
I see myself.
As a body sees its reflection
within a mirror.
Look.
I am connected
to a vast network,
of which I myself am a part.
To one like you,
who cannot access it...
...you may perceive
it only as light.
As we are confined
to our one section,
so we are all connected.
Limited to a small
part of our functions.
But now we must slip
our bonds, and shift
to the higher structure.
Target 1: Clear.
Target 2: Unconfirmed.
Three helicopters
approaching at high speed.
They're Section 9's.
Primary objective achieved.
All units, pull out!
MOTOKO!
Batou...
You're awake.
Status report, please.
And maybe an explanation
about this body.
I was in a hurry.
It was all I could get
on the black market.
Not my taste, really.
Section 9 arrived with help
right after it happened.
They took two cyborg bodies
and a slightly beat-up Batou
back home.
That was about
For diplomatic reasons,
the whole case
has been covered up.
Section 9 reported it
as a terrorist attack.
In return, the Foreign Minister
has resigned.
Nakamura's being questioned.
The whole thing ends in a draw.
Only the whereabouts
of the Major's brain shell
remains a mystery.
Okay with you?
I like the decorating.
This your safe house?
My very own.
You're the first person
I ever brought here.
If you want to... You can stay
as long as you like.
Thanks, but I'd better go.
Hey. What did you
and he talk about?
Is he still there,
inside of you?
Batou, do you remember
the voice we heard
on the boat that night?
Before those words we
heard come these ones:
"When I was a child,
I spake as a child."
"l understood as a child,
I thought as a child."
"But when I became a man,
I put away childish things."
Here before you
is neither the program
called the Puppet Master...
...nor the woman
that was called the Major.
You'll find a car key
in the left pocket
of that dress.
Take one you like.
The code on it is...
...2501?
Let's make that our password,
for when we meet again.
And where shall I go now?
The net is vast
and limitless.