"Since our gods and our aspirations are no longer anything but scientific, why should our loves not be so, as well?"
Villiers de L'lsle-Adam, "Tomorrow's Eve"
Eye in the Sky 202 to Control. Now on station above scene.
Opening data link.
Sit-rep?
52 minutes ago, the suspect killed its owner at his condo, the first crime scene,
...and fled the area.
Suspect is now holed up in the second crime scene, an unmarked alleyway,
where it's killed two officers.
All entrances have been blocked. ln two minutes, we plan to go in.
That's a Section 9 cyborg.
When those guys cross your path, you're in for a world of trouble.
Sounds like the Cyber Police are itching to step in.
They're requesting a data link.
First Public Security, and now the Cybercops, huh?
Politely ask them to take a hike.
Please help us...
The moon fails to shine down on either day or night,
and the night bird calls out in sadness.
When I turn to look,
the flowers had all fallen away.
lt was as if all comfort...
...had vanished from the world.
As the gods leave...
...to gather in the new world,
day breaks, and the night bird calls out.
The blossoms beseech the gods.
"Even though in this world..."
"...we may know grief and suffering,"
"our dreams shall never die,"
...and they fall from the branch in anger.
There have already been eight homicides committed by gynoids this week.
ln each case, they self-terminated after killing their owners,
and their cyberbrains were reformatted.
The units were all made by the Locus Solus company,
...the type 2052 "Hadaly."
They're preliminary betas of a mass-production model.
Apparently, they were provided for free to the company's contracted evaluators,
but all of the units have now been recalled.
According to the latest report they submitted to the authorities,
no bugs had been detected in either their hardware or software.
You were paying attention, l hope.
A new line of gynoids went berserk for reasons unknown and killed their owners.
The manufacturer recalled them in a panic.
Next will come the usual lawsuits from the next of kin, and then protracted civil trials...
...centering around producer responsibility, to be followed by massive payouts.
I'd say I understand the gist of it, except for why Section 9 is getting involved.
You understand, do you?
More often than not, what we call understanding is based on wishful thinking.
At this time, there are two reasons for Section 9 to get involved.
The first is that no suits have been filed by the next of kin.
All the cases have been settled in-house at the manufacturer, Locus Solus.
And the second is that among the victims is a politician,
as well as a retired Public Security official.
lt's possible that this might be an act of terrorism,
so determining if we ought to take lead on the case also falls under our purview.
lshikawa and Azuma, you run down leads on the victims.
You two, check out the gynoids in question.
No questions. Get going.
Just so we're straight on this, I didn't ask to be partnered with you.
I'll be the first to admit that l might not measure up to the Major.
That's not it.
l hear she's still listed as missing.
The only things she really owned were her brain and her Ghost.
Of course, she herself wasn't too sure she had even those.
Her prosthetic body and cyberbrain were just government-issued equipment,
and the memories inside that cyberbrain were government property,
top-secret intel and all.
What the top brass want to get back is those memories.
They couldn't care less if she's alive or dead.
So, how do you want to start on this?
Well, Locus Solus is a Northern Frontier manufacturer located way up north.
Let's start with the basics and pay the local cops' crime lab a visit.
"Police"
You, huh?
We're here about that doll the Big Man here smashed up the other day.
That thing killed two of our guys.
You don't expect to walk out of here with it, do you?
Part of our investigation is to make that determination.
Forensics is on the 1 9th floor, end of the hall on the right.
Do I need to show you the way?
No thanks. We didn't come here for a tour.
"Not even crows will peck at a persimmon that is still green."
But you can be sure they'll be circling overhead when they're ripe.
Back when you were a cop, wouldn't you have had a few choice words...
...for somebody who swooped in out of the blue and swiped a case from you?
That's what pissed me off. lt's like l was looking at the old me.
"Don't find fault with the mirror when it's your own face that's distorted."
"The mirror is not a tool for realizing the truth, but rather for obscuring it," huh?
Hell, neither one of you has a face that l'd wanna see in the mirror.
lf I told you once, I told you a thousand times. l'm not doing a joint examination.
Keep pestering me, and I'll have you taken into custody.
l'm Togusa, Public Security Section 9. My scary-looking friend here is--
The one who filled this poor girl with double-aught buck, I take it.
lf you'd have used .50-caliber hollowpoints,
it would've been a simple matter to restore it.
lt killed three people. And two of those were cops.
Before she was shot, she tried to commit suicide. Didn't she?
What do you mean by "suicide," um...
Haraway.
Miss, er, Haraway, what do you mean by a robot committing suicide?
The gynoids give themselves authorization to attack humans...
...by deliberately malfunctioning.
But as a logical consequence of those malfunctions,
they're also freeing themselves from Ethics Code article three.
"Protect your own existence so long as such protection does not harm a human being."
l think it would be more accurate to call it "self-termination," personally...
Yes, if you assume that there is a clear distinction between man and machine.
ls this "suicide" phenomenon limited to a particular model?
I wish I could say it is, but no.
These past few years, we've been seeing a spike in robot-related incidents.
lt's especially bad in the "pet" models.
Any idea as to the cause?
Who knows? Cyberbrain corruption caused by a virus or microorganism?
Human error during the manufacturing process?
Degraded functionality due to age-related deterioration?
Take your pick. Personally, though...
What?
If you ask me, I think it's because humans discard their robots.
You know, when they don't want them anymore.
When the new models come out, people buy the latest and greatest,
some of the discarded ones end up on the streets,
...where they gradually deteriorate from lack of maintenance.
The robots just want us to stop treating them as disposable.
Oh, come on...
Humans and robots are different.
But that sort of faith is nothing more than the recognition that humans aren't robots,
which is on the same level as saying that white is not black.
Unlike things like industrial robots, pet androids and gynoids...
...weren't designed with utilitarianism and pragmatism in mind.
Why did we feel the need to create them in man's image?
ln an idealized image, at that.
Why does humanity go to such lengths to create these reflections of itself?
Do you have children?
Yes, a daughter.
Children have always deviated from the human norm.
That is, if we define a human as something that has a fixed identity...
...and acts in accordance to its own free will.
What, then, are children, those early-stage humans who exist in a state of chaos?
lnternally, they clearly differ from humanity, yet they have the shape of humans.
The dolls that little girls use when they play "mommy"...
...aren't merely a surrogate for a child or something to practice on.
Perhaps these girls aren't practicing raising children.
Rather, perhaps playing with dolls is much the same as raising children.
What in the world are you talking about?
ln other words, child rearing is the quickest method of realizing that oldest of dreams,
...the act of creating an artificial human.
That's the way l see it.
Children aren't... They aren't dolls!
Descartes didn't differentiate between man and machine, organic and inorganic life.
There was a doll that looked just like his daughter Francine, who died at age five.
He named it after her and lavished it with love.
l almost forgot about that...
Look, can we get back to the real-world matter at hand?
l'd like to hear your initial opinions on that robot.
Locus Solus' type 2052 "Hadaly."
True.
lt's a fine piece of work.
l'm told it's a beta-model mass-production unit, but it's built to unusual specs.
Unusual specs?
lt's equipped with organs that aren't exactly necessary on a maid-type model.
Meaning what, exactly?
lt's a sexbot.
lt's not a hobby you can brag about to the public, but it's not illegal.
Now I get it. lt's no wonder that the next of kin dropped the lawsuits.
As their cyberbrains shut down, they reformatted.
lt's a standard practice to safeguard the control software's technical data.
However...
"However" what?
There was a file left in the audio buffer. Shall I play it?
Please help us...
Please help--
Thanks for all your help.
Hey!
Um, would you mind if I asked a personal question?
l've never given birth to any children, and I haven't raised any.
l'm not registered at the egg bank, either.
Thank you for your time, Miss, um...
Just "Haraway." No Miss or Missus needed.
That lady wasn't your typical engineer, was she?
She's the type who fills out the "personal comments" column in forms.
l used to do that a lot, too.
That's why you took so long to climb the ranks.
Anyway, I guess we should keep that gynoid's cyberbrain at the Section 9 lab.
l guess we won't be talking with that lady again, huh?
She the type you like to hang out with?
Yeah, I have a thing for older women. So, what next?
We follow the playbook.
Talk to the shipping inspector, huh?
09 calling 907. 602 in progress at a boathouse in sector 201.
Victim is a shipping inspector at Locus Solus.
Scene secured two minutes prior to arrival of local police.
907, roger.
Goodness gracious, what a coincidence.
On ev'ry spring day, between this world and the next, I spur on the coach.
What's up, you're here by yourself?
Yeah, Koga went back to base with the stiff...
...after getting reacquainted with the tuna sandwich he had for dinner.
Geez, that guy is pathetic...
The crime scene as of 22 minutes ago.
You made a rookie carry that back?
Hey, everything's a learning experience.
Okay, here's a rundown of the situation.
Match run on the vic's cyberbrain.
Jacques Vaucanson, Locus Solus Chief Shipping Inspector. Age, 54.
Submitted vacation request five days ago, then dropped off the radar.
Three days ago, signed a rental agreement for this houseboat...
...with a planned stay of five days.
Murder weapons were kitchen implements that came with the boat.
Search run on vehicles in the area. Record of parked criminal vehicle located.
Check for yakuza affiliation in progress.
Seven cards of various types found in overcoat believed to belong to victim.
Check for usage in progress.
Oopsie daisy. Got ourselves a .38-caliber Smith & Wesson here.
Model 2602.
Looks like he didn't have time to use it.
That might not have done him any good.
An illegally amped-up cyborg. Or a pro pretending to be a psycho.
969 calling 906. Crime scene ETA, 20 seconds.
- Hey, don't mess up my-- - We're not touching anything.
Let's let Forensics take it from here.
907 to 09. Relinquishing crime scene to 969.
09, acknowledged.
Today's my daughter's birthday.
A family man, huh?
I'll drop you off.
l'm in the opposite direction. lshikawa?
l'm the other way, too.
They say a daughter's birthday takes priority over everything else.
Looks like you guys are having a grand old time.
Coming out in person, huh? That's a rare sight.
Our stiff was missing some parts, so I decided to get involved.
We'll get outta your hair, so take your time looking for 'em.
Why aren't you letting the local cops handle this?
The Old Man's got his knickers in a twist over it for some reason.
Found them! They're sitting in jars in the refrigerator!
Heart. Liver. Kidneys. The pancreas, too.
This is one tidy SOB...
lnumaru Foods' wet dog food, huh?
lf you bought dry food, it'd keep for six months.
l can't feed her that garbage.
So, I hear you're teamed up with Togusa.
Better him than some rookie fresh out of the academy.
He's competent enough for a former detective. l've got no complaints.
'Cause the only person you ever partnered with...
...who you thought made the grade was the Major.
- Look-- - lshikawa.
l liked you better when you were the silent type.
Later.
Batou.
Yeah, what?
Take my advice. Switch to the dry.
Just from a nutritional balance perspective, it's the smart choice.
Cause of death was crushing of the cervical vertebrae by blunt force trauma.
We determined that the kitchen tools weren't the murder weapon,
but were instead used to mutilate the corpse.
So you're saying that they killed the guy, then leisurely dismantled him?
Yeah, that's what it boils down to.
We confirmed that the organs stored in the refrigerator belonged to the victim.
They showed early signs of gastritis and cirrhosis of the liver.
Looks like he had a drinking problem.
Why'd he gut the guy so meticulously?
Maybe to make us think he was mentally unstable or a sicko?
Or to reinforce a message of punishment or revenge.
Which would nix the "pro hit disguised as a thrill kill" theory.
What's the story with the mangled doorknob?
Analysis identified the prosthetic limb as a Chinese-made NR26.
A Crab Claw, huh?
Isn't that military?
They're available on the black market. A lot of 'em are defective, though.
It was also a match to the lacerations on the corpse's head.
What about the owner of that car, the one with criminal history?
Looks like there were a lot of illegal mods, so tracking it down wasn't--
Just report your findings.
According to my follow-up investigation on the records of the neighboring parking lot,
the car belongs to the Koujinkai, a designated violent criminal organization.
It's been bulletproofed, and the chassis and rear shocks have been beefed up.
It's been spotted at the scenes of multiple violent crimes in the past.
Tricked-out wheels for a tricked-out cyborg.
Yeah, for hired muscle with illegally amped output.
Are we looking at some kind of yakuza payback here?
The problem is motive. What do we have on the Koujinkai?
They're a Japanese mob group that goes way back.
Drugs, prostitution, human trafficking, Real estate extortion.
They've got a finger in just about every pie.
A Hadaly ripped their boss Inoue's head off three days ago.
His deputy, Wakabayashi, is now running things in his place.
Come on, it's obvious.
Yeah, avenging the previous boss is a prerequisite for taking over.
There's just one problem with that. lf our vic was expecting retaliation,
why would he choose a place to lie low that was inside Koujinkai territory?
His cyberbrain data's been wiped, so I guess we'll have to check out his associates.
In any case, this is definitely a job for the local cops.
And the possibility of it being a terrorist act disguised as a robot runaway?
At this time, we haven't found any political factors that link all the victims.
That's looking awfully unlikely.
Batou and Togusa will work full-time on these Hadaly runaways,
including this incident.
The rest of you, return to your regular shifts.
Dismissed.
Togusa.
Come see me before you leave.
What do you think?
l guess we'll have to check into a link between the Koujinkai and Locus Solus to--
l was talking about Batou.
Partners are supposed to monitor each other's mental state.
Even so, l'm not a cyborg, and l'm certainly no cyber-physician.
"To understand Caesar, one need not be Caesar."
You have a family, as I recall. Do you consider yourself happy?
Sure, I guess...
A man once said that we are never so happy or so unhappy as we suppose.
That what is important is to never grow tired of your life and aspirations.
What are you getting at, sir?
When I look at him lately,
l'm reminded of the Major just before she disappeared.
"Let a man walk alone, let him commit no sin,"
"let him have few wishes, like an elephant in the forest."
Chief. Why did you choose me for this?
Because it was the Major who scouted you from the police force.
So, what did he have to say?
Apparently, you don't have to be Caesar to understand him.
That goes without saying.
The world can't live up to standards set by the giants of history.
You planning to start a war or something?
One need not be a yakuza when one goes to a yakuza office,
but you do need to pack some heat.
Look, before we head out, I want to make sure of something.
Yeah, what?
We're just going there to talk, right?
Do you hate yakuza?
Can't stand the bastards.
Same here.
We're going there to talk. Just talk. Right?
Hey, didn't I tell you that to go to a yakuza office--
Yeah, you don't have to become a yakuza.
But you also said that you needed weapons.
I have a family, got it?
I can go by myself if you want.
l'm going with you. That's what partners do.
So I want you to give me your word.
We're just gonna talk. I'll avoid shooting as much as possible.
- Happy now? - Fine.
Then saddle up, partner.
Who the hell are you two?
We need to talk with your buddy Wakabayashi. Go get him.
You said you were gonna avoid shooting.
I did avoid shooting. As much as possible.
Get moving, point man. Reinforcements are on the way.
A hologram?
The son of a bitch hacked our eyes?!
Blame those cheap-ass cyberbrains of yours.
What's the holdup?
lt's a dark, narrow stairwell. How do we handle this?
One at a time. I'll go first.
I'll go first. You're so big that I won't be able to cover you.
I set off your little presents above our heads.
Even assuming they'd gone off in their maximum effective radius,
it'd take more than two of 'em to take out a cyborg wearing body armor.
Are you trying to insult me?
I don't just want to know about the hit on the shipping inspector.
You're gonna tell me what your connection is to Locus Solus, too.
Was wondering when you'd show up...
Come get some, crab boy. I hate seafood, but l'm gonna chew you up.
Come on, no way is a flashy move like gonna connect! Dumbass.
He said he knew where the inspector was, so we dealt with him...
Look, I just got out of the joint after three years!
I don't know shit about what the old boss was up to with that company!
You still breathing, partner?
My wife and daughter's faces flashed before my eyes...
That wasn't your wife and daughter you were looking at.
That was the angel of death coming for you.
I ordered you to conduct an investigation.
I don't recall telling you to cut corners and take the law into your own hands,
...and I certainlydon't recall telling you to launch an assault on a yakuza office!
This isn't the jungle, and you two aren't Special Forces wetwork specialists!
Still mad, huh?
l'm not mad. lt's just, well...
I don't want to sound ungrateful to somebody who saved my life,
...but it's pretty obvious that I'll need a few extra lives if l'm gonna team up with you.
lt's just you and me working this case full-time.
Half-assed measures aren't gonna get us anywhere.
lf there's something shady going on between them and Locus Solus,
they'll definitely take the bait.
That's why you did something so over the top?
lf the Old Man was really angry with us, we'd both be on desk duty right now.
Pull over up there.
See ya.
You've stepped inside the kill zone.
Don't go screwing around with the settings on that right arm.
Updated drivers have been known to conflict with...
...fire control software and cause degraded functionality.
lf it happens, I'll come in and get it reset.
Hey, what do you think they did with the remains of my original arm?
Don't bother.
The organic components in that arm have been matched to your DNA.
ln other words, it'll be as good as my original once I break it in...
Ow! Wait a minute, damn it!
Hey, if you're bringing her here, that means you--
Sorry, we broke into your little love nest.
The thought of her sitting there howling for her missing master,
starving and covered in her own shit broke my heart.
I may look gruff, but l've got a soft spot for dogs.
Yeah, but I was the one who took her home for the night.
My daughter was ecstatic, but my wife is pissed about the mess on the carpet.
How long did you have us under surveillance?
lt's no big deal, don't sweat it.
Damn straight it is. Using me as a smoke screen...
lt's not my fault you were too green to spot the tail.
lf you're gonna hate anyone, hate the Old Man.
ls she a clone? Originals cost a fortune, right?
Apparently, this was the first type of dog bred by artificial insemination.
lt's not like you to let somebody hack into your cyberbrain like that.
When your daily routine falls into a pattern, that's when you're vulnerable to traps.
I told you to switch to dry food, idiot.
lt's her favorite. That's the only store around here where I can get it.
Somebody pulled your strings to make you go berserk.
You ended up putting five rounds into your own arm,
and came this close to blowing away the store owner.
You might be off your game, but there aren't many people capable of hacking you.
Other than the Major, that is.
Why didn't they make me blow my brains out right off the bat?
Because their goal wasn't to eliminate you, it was to create a scandal.
You busted into a mob office and sent a dozen people to the afterlife or the hospital.
And then before the day was out, you shot up a convenience store.
Anybody would think that you're nuts or have one serious cyberbrain malfunction.
Hey, wait a minute.
This attack proves that this case isn't a simple accident. lf we back off now--
"Then what's the point of there being a Section 9 in the first place?"
lf she were here, I bet that's what she'd say.
Message from the Old Man. "Continue the investigation."
"But until you have material evidence, there can be..."
"...no official support from this point forward."
Guess we'll have to go check out Locus Solus in person.
"Speed is key when preserving secrecy. Fly to the Northern Frontier ASAP," he says.
Up north?
You two aren't up to it?
No, it's just... But what about the dog?
The issue here is a guy in this line of work, a bachelor at that,
having a dog in the first place!
Of all the dogs in the world, you had to pick a high-maintenance breed!
Come up with something your own damn selves!
ln its heyday, this was the Etorofu Special Economic Zone,
built to be the greatest information-intensive city in the Far East.
All that's left to show it was ever here is this forest of giant grave markers.
lts iffy sovereignty status has made it the perfect hangout...
...for multinationals and the criminal organizations that feed on their scraps.
A no-man's-land outside the reach of both UN Net Police and ASEAN Cybercops.
Reminds me of that quote about how an artifact that a single individual builds...
...is as much an expression of the builder's genetic phenotype as the builder itself.
That guy was talking about beaver dams and spider webs.
I'll take coralline algae and the coral reefs they create, thanks.
These are nowhere near as pretty, though.
lf life's true nature is information that's passed down via genes,
then society and civilization are also nothing more than gigantic memory systems,
which makes cities huge external memory devices.
"How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, Oh God! How great is the sum of them!"
"lf I should count them, they are more in number than the sand."
Psalm 1 39 from the Old Testament, huh?
The way it calls up quotes like that at the drop of a hat,
maybe your external memory's phenotype has a bit of your philosophical bent.
Yeah, like you're one to talk.
Sorry to interrupt, fellas, but we'll be over the Locus Solus head office building soon.
I'll do a slow flyby for you guys, so hold on tight and enjoy the scenery.
All right, that's all for our little side tour. Now coming in to land.
"Angel Forms, who lay intrans't Thick as Autumnal Leaves."
"Nine dayes they fell; confounded Chaos roard."
Quoting Milton this time? I got news for you, we aren't Satan.
The night bird calls out in sadness.
When I turn to look,
the flowers had all fallen away.
lt was as if all comfort...
...had vanished from the world.
As the gods leave...
...to gather in the new world,
day breaks, and the night bird calls out.
The blossoms beseech the gods.
"Even though in this world..."
"...we may know grief and suffering,"
"our dreams shall never die"...
B-Batou!
Oh, you're a real bigshot now. When did you grow the stones to drop the "sir" with me?
I haven't forgotten the debt I owe you!
"I never recall you to my memory because I have never forgotten you," huh?
C'mon, cut me some slack, Batou! Sir.
But I also have too much dignity to be buttered up by you calling me "sir."
Forgive me! I beg you! I'll be in your debt for life!
You know a guy by the name of Kim?
Never heard of him.
I mean, guys with that name are a dime a dozen around here.
Maybe, but l'm only looking for one Kim in particular.
Hey, there's such a thing as loyalty in my line of work.
"There are two kinds of loyalty. One maintains secrets, the other, openness."
"The two cannot coexist." Which kind do you have?
The same guy also said that without lies, there can be no truth!
I'll ask you one more time. You know this guy named Kim, don't you?
I don't know the guy! Uh, I don't know that particular Kim!
"When we face death, our life is like a puppet on a festival cart."
"As soon as one string is cut, it crumples and fades."
"Even though in this world..."
"...we may know grief and suffering,"
"our dreams shall never die"...
...and they fall from the branch in anger.
"Man From Machine"
Well?
He started out as a long-range scout for the military.
"Having failed in leading, having failed in following,"
"...he is fit only to die by the side of the road."
His career was shot to hell for things like running black market arms deals...
...while he was bouncing between Special Forces and cyberwarfare units.
ln the end, he wound up your stereotypical hacker.
One of those "colorful history" types, huh?
"lf an ass goes a-traveling, he'll not come back a horse."
He's just a dumb son of a bitch who bit off more than he could chew.
You coming?
Batou. In the study on the upper floor.
I guess we got here too late.
He must've tried to hack into somewhere and gotten fried by an attack barrier.
He probably wouldn't have been any use to us even if he was still alive.
"ln accordance with the deceased's wishes, we firmly decline..."
"...any offers of live flowers, artificial flowers, or releasing of birds."
Hey!
"ln bed he did not lie like a corpse."
Even the great Confucius says you shouldn't play possum.
I haven't got time to play your stupid games.
lt's been a long time, Batou. Not since the Nemuro landing operation.
l'm here on business.
Locus Solus, huh? They got into robot manufacturing late in the game,
but once they switched focus to developing and producing high-end gynoids,
their business started to expand rapidly.
lt's rumored that they're cozy with politicians,
high-ranking bureaucrats, and even organized crime.
They got paranoid about visits from the authorities, so they set up...
...their production line inside a multinational factory ship anchored off the coast.
The dolls they make there are fine pieces of work.
Good enough to commit murder and then kill themselves?
lf that's true, it's pretty disturbing.
I don't understand people who try to mimic humans...
...by breathing souls into dolls.
The definition of a truly beautiful doll is a flesh and blood body devoid of a soul.
A corpse standing on tiptoes, teetering on the brink of collapse.
And that's why you decided to turn yourself into a cyberized invalid?
ln terms of appearance and grace of movement,
no, in their very existence, humans don't hold a candle to dolls.
The flaws in man's knowledge leads to flaws in man's reality.
That sort of perfection can only be achieved by something...
...that possesses no consciousness, or possesses infinite consciousness.
ln other words, only by dolls or gods.
Look, would you mind getting down to the business at hand?
Actually, there is one other being that is on par with dolls or gods.
Animals, huh?
Shelly's skylarks are filled with the joy of the deep subconscious,
something that creatures like us, with our strong sense of self, can never experience.
For the descendants of those who ate of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge,
that's a far more difficult proposition than becoming as gods.
So you put yourself into the body of a doll and played dead. ls that why?
As Confucius said, "Not yet understanding life, how can you understand death?"
"Few people know death..."
"...we only endure it,"
"usually from determination, and even from stupidity and custom;"
"and most men only die because they know not how to prevent dying."
But to a living doll, death is a given, a fact of life.
That was the reason Kim decided to get a full prosthetic body.
Well?
His career was shot to hell for things like running black market arms deals...
...while he was bouncing between Special Forces and cyberwarfare units.
ln the end, he wound up your stereotypical hacker.
One of those "colorful history" types, huh?
"lf an ass goes a-traveling, he'll not come back a... horse."
What's the matter? Let's go.
Batou!
"On this day of this month, the deceased wishes to inform the public..."
"...of the happy occasion of his death."
Hey!
This is seriously disturbing, isn't it? Trust me, I know how you feel.
lt's the uncertainty that maybe something that appears to be alive actually isn't.
And the uncertainty that on the other hand,
maybe something that doesn't appear to be alive actually is.
lf you want to know what makes dolls so unnerving,
it's because they are modelled after humans.
ln other words, it is because they are no less than humanity itself.
The fear that humans might be reduced to simple mechanisms and materials.
The fear, in other words, that the human phenomenon...
...is fundamentally devoid of meaning and purpose.
Stop this crap, and let's get down to business.
Even science, which has tried to shed light on the phenomenon of life,
has played a major role in fomenting this fear.
The belief that nature is quantifiable leads to the conclusion...
...that humanity can also be reduced to simple mechanical parts.
"The human body is a machine which winds its own springs."
"lt is the living image of perpetual movement."
The 1 8th Century "man as machine" theory...
...has been resurrected by cyberbrains and prosthetic body technology.
Ever since it became possible to externalize memory through the use of computers,
man has been aggressively mechanizing himself...
...in order to expand the upper limits of his abilities as a living creature.
lt's a manifestation of the desire to overcome Darwinian survival of the fittest,
and to break free of the evolutionary rat race through sheer strength of will,
as well as the desire to outdo the natural world that gave birth to humanity itself.
The fantasy of a lifeform equipped with perfect hardware...
...is what gave rise to this nightmare.
"God forever geometrizes."
Let's go!
Batou!
How do you feel?
l... What the hell?
You were in a virtual experience maze. Your cyberbrain got hacked.
Just like good things come in threes,
bad things also turn up in sets of three.
You don't want to see, so you don't look. And even if you notice, you say nothing.
And if you say something, no one listens. Then catastrophe comes calling.
But in our world, we don't get three chances.
lf we miss that first hint, it's all over.
I thought I told you that we didn't have time for your games.
When did you figure it out?!
Nobody's easier to trick than somebody who thinks he's tricking you.
You might have been a cyberwarfare specialist,
...but l'm an old infowar pro myself.
And besides, I have a guardian angel looking over my shoulder.
Call up the hall data from that huge external memory device of yours.
According to Jacob Grimm, a golem, an artificial human, was given energy...
...by inscribing the word "aemaeth," meaning "truth," on its forehead.
But if you erase the first two letters, "ae," it becomes "meath,"
meaning "death," and it turns back to lifeless clay.
This was an oracle telling me that there was no truth to be found here in this villa.
You're trying to tell me that someone breached the barriers I set up?
lmpossible! No one could pull that off!
Weren't you listening? I said I have a guardian angel.
Game's over, Kim. You're going to tell us everything.
That's an ordinary doll.
You need to learn when to quit, Kim. You think l'd fall for a stunt like that?
Batou, can you say for sure that this isn't just a continuation...
...of the reality that was manufactured by my virtual signals?
My Ghost is whispering to me.
Humanity is just another thread from which the dream of life is woven.
That is, if our dreams, intelligence, and yes, even our Ghosts,
are rips and distortions that arise in the uniform, timeless matrix.
You and I are both worthless human beings,
but we're not in the same shoes.
Folks who doesn't believe in the Ghost...
...will never know madness, schizophrenia, or a million other little things.
What little flesh you have left will never decay.
I bet it'll keep on functioning physically until you finally get what's coming to you.
We're really back in the real world, right?
There's nothing to distinguish between a memory and your recollection of it.
ln both cases, any understanding of its significance only comes after the fact.
Not being able to save the subjective passage of time makes things tricky.
When you have a cyberbrain and allow your memories to be shared externally,
this is one price you're gonna pay sooner or later.
Do you have really have a wife and kid waiting for you at home?
Or are you still a bachelor,
sitting alone in some dingy apartment somewhere, dreaming you have a family?
Don't you want to go find out?
lf you he was gonna try that, why didn't you stop him?!
I had to find out what his objective was.
He set his trap, knowing l'd come to him for help,
then infect us with that virtual experience to get rid of us.
Probably something like that.
Maybe he planted a tap in my cyberbrain when he had me dancing to his tune...
...and made me blow off my right arm.
Just like lshikawa said, somebody who could pull that off...
...wouldn't stop at just that.
Locus Solus is probably thinking the same thing.
So you anticipated this would happen from the very beginning?
The plan was to make him think l'd fallen into his trap to get close to him,
but Kim is one talented son of a bitch.
lf I hadn't gotten that sign, I never would have made it out.
That "guardian angel" you mentioned, it isn't--
She's gone away. Out beyond the rips in the uniform matrix.
Somewhere out in the vast net, she's fused with the entire realm.
lf you're looking to prove your own existence,
there's as many ways as there are Ghosts.
You yourself have a daughter, remember?
Back when we were in the jungle, even that bastard Kim must have understood that.
l've come out of this with a valuable lesson, too.
What's that?
That I don't have what it takes to be your partner.
You wimping out on me?
lt's not because of what you said,
but I do want to make it back to my daughter in one piece.
Be that as it may, l'm still gonna make you earn your paycheck.
You're not done yet?
The files we pulled from his cyberbrain prove Locus Solus' criminal--
All we can prove is obstruction and violating the Cyberbrain Ethics Act.
And besides, our investigation is off the books.
To prove criminal liability in the killing rampage those gynoids went on,
we need hard evidence, remember?
Maybe, but Kim's a dead end.
No, he isn't.
His cyberbrain is Ghost-packed, but it's still linked to Locus Solus.
We have to finish this before they say to hell with appearances...
...and tie up all their loose ends.
Long ago, people had a great expression.
"When right and wrong are in doubt, beat the drums and attack."
When talk has failed, it's time for violence.
Hey! This is worlds apart from busting into some yakuza office!
l'm not counting on your Mateba to watch my back.
"Birds hide by flying high into the heavens, and fish by diving deep into the sea..."
- Contact made with escort. - Roger.
I'm amazed you have the guts to dive with a body like that.
This area's so deep that if you went down, not even we could retrieve you.
I used to know a cyborg who went scuba diving for fun.
Yeah?
I don't know what the hell she was thinking.
I'm playing along because Lin vouched for you,
but they say that nobody's ever gone to that ship and lived to tell about it.
I don't know what you are thinking.
That makes two of us. Take us in.
Hold on tight.
Contact with sensor picket line in 1 2 seconds.
I'm gonna send out a virtual signal for 2 seconds on their channel.
Acknowledged.
I'll be, this guy's wired directly to the security supervisor's cyberbrain...
Commencing synchronization.
All right, I'm in. Send me the ship schematics.
Upload complete. Are you piggybacking my visual feed?
Of course. I wouldn't miss the Big Man's big infiltration.
I'm already recording.
You can be a real smartass, you know that?
"Please let the dawn..." You can be a real smartass, you know that?
"Please let the dawn..."
"...be waiting in the underworld."
lntruder alert. Reactivate security system at level 2.
Begin facility-wide scan of all cyberbrain activity.
Scanning for terminals where memory usage and virus size matches.
Possible time bomb virus. Be advised.
Unable to establish logic connection with supervisor.
Execute reinitialization.
System reactivation complete. Running at level 2.
Establish diversionary route for intruder.
Rebuilding logic barrier. Loading antibodies.
Virus scan in progress.
Trace route team, equip decoys.
Deploying full array of ambush virus variants inside barriers.
Commencing isolation of infected areas.
Rebuild peripheral barriers at level 1.
Barrier 01 4 breached.
Barrier 032 showing type 280 error.
Enemy attack barrier modulation pattern determined.
Commencing virus transfer.
"Please let the dawn..."
Pull out! lt's too dangerous for you to stay any longer! You'll get your brain fried!
"Please let the dawn..."
Not yet! I can keep working a little longer!
"Please let the dawn..."
You dumb bastard! Don't try to be a hero!
"...be waiting in the underworld," You dumb bastard! Don't try to be a hero!
"...be waiting in the underworld,"
the blossoms beseech the gods.
"When we face death, our life is like a puppet on a festival cart."
"As soon as one string is cut, it crumples and fades."
Illegal input in gynoid production line, Hadaly final processing area.
Unidentified ambush-type virus suspected.
Deploy all antibody variants and stop it.
Unable to track. All machines have been activated.
Unable to establish logic connection.
Now loading self-defense programs for combat-model prosthetic bodies.
Alert. Abnormal startup of bodies on THO7 line.
Security teams, arm yourselves and proceed to line at once.
Repeating...
The blossoms beseech the gods.
"Even though in this world..."
"...we may know grief and suffering,"
"our dreams shall never die,"
...and they fall from the branch in anger.
"And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form upon Him..."
Been a long time, Major.
Or what should I call you these days?
To be precise, this is just a part of me that I uploaded via satellite.
This gynoid's cyberbrain simply doesn't have the capacity.
The combat control programs alone are taking up most of its free space.
This is the best I can do for speech and facial expression.
Go straight up this corridor about 50 meters,
and there ought to be an emergency terminal.
We'll gain access through that and take control of the whole system.
You haven't changed one bit.
Get moving, point man.
I've got your back. Just like the old days.
"There are few who can hold up a mirror and not become evil."
"A mirror does not expose evil; rather, it creates it."
Hey, this is no time get philosophical! I'm running low on ammo here.
"ln short, mirrors ought to be merely glanced at, not stared at."
...and they fall from the branch in anger.
Hey, are you okay?
lt's just until I get control of ship's receiver system.
Jack into the auxiliary terminal in the floor.
Until I gain control, this body's physical functions will stop.
My only defense will be your .30 caliber, Batou.
My regular brain can handle the targeting, but l'm down to one spare clip here.
lf I have to go hand-to-hand with those things, I can't make any guarantees.
l'm starting.
Illegal connection to shipboard systems.
Shipboard? Scan for access point and raise attack barriers.
Multiple virtual signals at multiple terminals.
No increased fluctuations in terminal cyberbrain activity.
Scan all external access points.
Sever all external connections, including home office production line.
Physically isolate shipboard input devices.
No response from emergency control systems.
Remote ignition impossible.
Modular viruses assembling system-wide. System-area barriers being breached.
Prepare for system reboot. Commencing data isolation at level 1.
ln the sad perpetual darkness... Prepare for system reboot. Commencing data isolation at level 1.
ln the sad perpetual darkness...
...of a hundred nights,
they pray to the gods of the land...
...for the egg of the next world to be born.
"When we face death, our life is like a puppet on a festival cart..."
I have control. l've locked out all external access.
This ship is operating in full standalone mode.
It's started moving?
The ship is heading from the extraterritorial Northern Frontier...
...to a neighboring country where the rule of law applies.
The ship itself is hard evidence of Locus Solus' criminal activity.
They're gonna come after us.
Ships will turn up before then to escort us in.
l've already sent out a request.
Now, care to take a peek behind the curtain and see what magic spell...
...Locus Solus used to breathe souls into these dolls?
You don't know already?
You have your suspicions, too. Don't you.
There's no noise at all. This chamber is completely EM-shielded?
Ghost dubbing...
The technology was able to produce multiple degraded copies in animal tests,
but it was banned when they learned that it destroyed the brain of the original.
They take the kids they smuggled in using the Koujinkai's routes,
brainwash them, and dub their Ghosts into those gynoids' bodies.
So, this is the secret behind the popularity of Locus Solus' gynoids...
Please help us...
You came to save us! Mr. Vaucanson said you would!
He was sure that people from the police would come! That they would save us!
l'm a stage 4, but my friend Sowana has already been moved up to stage 5.
She can't hear anything, and she doesn't answer me anymore.
The murdered inspector tweaked their ethics code to try to help these children,
and when he was found out, he was served up to the yakuza as their boss' killer.
That's the long and short of it.
He said that if the robots caused accidents, someone would figure it out!
Someone would come help us!
Didn't it ever occur to you that there would be victims?
l'm not talking about the humans.
Didn't you stop to think what would happen to the dolls that were given souls?
But l... I didn't...
I didn't want to turn into a doll!
"We are saddened by a bird's cry, but not a fish's blood."
"Blessed are those with voices."
lf those dolls had voices,
I bet they would have screamed, "I don't want to be a human!"
Let me ask you something. Are you happy the way you are now?
I haven't seen things that way for a long time.
At the very least, I can say that l'm at peace with myself now.
"Let a man walk alone, let him commit no sin."
"Let him have few wishes--"
"--like an elephant in the forest."
Don't forget, Batou.
Whenever you access the net, I'll be there at your side.
Time to go.
Gods in Heaven, smile upon us.
She appeared to you on that ship, didn't she? Your guardian angel.
Being tight-lipped again, huh? Why? You think I'll include it in my report?
I'll come pick you up at 0800 tomorrow.
I need to repay you for looking after my gal, too.
How about it? Want to come in?
Getting all warm and fuzzy with someone else's family isn't my thing.
Daddy!
Did you bring me a present? Where's my present?
- I didn't forget. Here. - Yay!