The CIA has four positions that oversee spies.
The one I'd most want to run away from
if I encountered them on the field
is the P.O.O. The paramilitary.
They're the team that carries out
the CIA's military operations.
Hex... As in a hexagon?
No, in German it means "witch."
Just killing Koko wouldn't be any fun.
What would hurt her the most if I were to break it?
We might have taken a wrong turn.
What?!
All of the roads look the same! I couldn't help it!
Now, now. No one's getting on your case, Little Lady.
This is a pretty place.
Sure is.
Why do you think people would go to war in a place like this?
A couple of years before you were born,
this became the nastiest battlefield in Europe since WWII.
Maybe they scrambled to claim it as their own since it's so pretty.
Oh, I didn't think of it like that.
Most impressive, Jonah.
(Baby, you know...)
(Ready, move!)
(Stand by! Can't hide!)
(Five, four, three, two, one, zero, go ahead!)
The burning hot grip and my frozen vision
hoteru gurippu kouchoku no bijon
The midnight's making me sick.
hakike ga suru no midnight
You put your gun against my forehead
hitai ni juukou mukete
putting me to sleep with anger to the world.
nemure sekai shousou
Where is God? There's no way out.
where is god deguchi wa nai
orokamono dreamlike utagau wa
I suspect it's like a fool's dream
Let's embrace the black and white
dakiau yo black and white
bokura wa nani wo yume miteite
What is this dream we're having?
(Ready!)
(3...)
(Right now!)
(2...)
(Stand by!)
(1...)
This gunshot reminds me that judgment day begins tonight!
'cause I loathe people like you.
We'll break the fake blue sky.
itsuwari no aozora wo yabutte
dareshimo umare shinu dake nara
If we're merely living from the cradle to the grave,
I will put my trust
only one shinjitai
houkai kara umareru ashita wo
in the only possible future, born after the apocalypse.
You ready? Brace yourself!
I'm Socchi! Did you call for me?
Young! He sure is young.
Well, younger is better.
This is Sergeant Renato Socchi-kun.
He is in charge of gathering
information from the local civilians.
My name is Black.
I hear you're knowledgeable about the enemies here.
Could you give me some assistance?
He is with the CIA, Sergeant.
It's fairly common for us to help each other out by sharing information.
Please carry out any of his requests.
Uh... Sir! I understand!
Thank you!
Later, Burattinaio.
"Puppeteer"?
It's a nickname, Renato. You're also free to call me whatever you like.
It seems we'll be working together for a while.
I called him "Nokogiri," or "Saw."
That was the image I held of the CIA.
In actuality, Saw made good use of my information
and cut down suspects of mass murder in Bosnia right and left.
I quickly learned why he was called the "Puppeteer."
He presided over the operatives in the CIA.
His skill as a Case Officer relied on how much information he could gather
by using his agents.
Saw had a bunch of agents besides me.
He controlled each and every one of our hearts and cleverly manipulated us.
Saw quickly rose in rank, further strengthening his power.
Damn it!
What's keeping the Peacekeeping Force?!
Damn!
"Kill anyone suspicious."
There was an incident where the militia killed all Nation T civilians
that they thought were suspicious.
Danger was drawing ever closer to the family
I had used as my information source.
Too slow! Speed is the life of information!
If you're a second slower than your foes, you'll watch your allies die!
If you're a second faster, you can save their lives!
Why don't you lose that military uniform and join us, Renato?
It's fun!
My record up to when I was a lieutenant in the Bersaglieri is legit
and everything thereafter until becoming the Little Lady's subordinate is fake.
I cannot betray Saw.
Third Special Operations. Group: Wide-Range Radio Communications Platoon.
Platoon WW was part of a project for a women's special ops unit that vanished without a trace.
They graduated from a military academy.
Hex, who was a lieutenant, was selected for the platoon
and endured intense training.
Their performance was such that they were allowed to wear green berets.
But this project had always been plagued with political strife.
Several women dropping out of the training was the reason given for their disbandment.
I believe that some of the military generals
who did not wish to invite women into the Special Forces pushed for this outcome.
In order to guard its secrets,
the military dangled promotions in front of the women's noses.
But Hex rebelled and left the army.
That's when a CIA recruiter invited her into the world of the Secret Service.
I held a discussion with Hex at that point in time.
She was a genuine patriot.
On top of that, she had the pride to say, "I'm a better soldier that any man."
On September 11, 2001, her fiancée died in the simultaneous terrorist attacks.
Hex, who had already been working in Eastern Europe as a P.O.O.,
flew to Afghanistan and put her talent to work.
But this escalated to terrorist hunting that brushed against international laws.
Even though she loves her country, it continues to betray this woman.
I had to position her such that I could keep her under my thumb.
That is the reason why I included her in Operation Undershaft.
If I didn't, she would blindly destroy a perfectly usable arms dealer.
Yes, hello.
Oh, my, my! It's been a while.
Doing well? Something suddenly came up.
Have you sent any hitmen after the arms dealer Koko Hekmatyar?
Chief Black, I'm sorry, but I don't follow...
Oh, now I get it.
Operation Undershaft was a plan revolving around her, wasn't it?
Although we feuded back in my Eastern European days,
I didn't do anything like what you're referring to.
Then all is well. Be sure to keep it that way.
Later.
Most impressive! He tied my hands with a single phone call.
But you know,
there are plenty of ways to "kill" a person without killing her.
For an arms dealer, she sure uses her wares!
She has a sniper! Smoke! Smoke!
Didn't I warn you? They've got a sniper!
Guys, they got Lauren!
The moonlight! They can read our movements despite the smoke screen.
They've got someone with experience in the Special Forces...
If we take too long, we'll go from being the hunter to being the hunted.
Arms dealer Koko Hekmatyar...
The damn terrorist! I won't let you escape.
Turn this dark forest into their grave!
Ma'am!
Scatter!
Hey, ya Yankee!
I won't let you lay so much as a finger on the Little Lady!
I just can't sleep when there is a full moon.
I'm scared...
Valmet, save me! I don't want to die!
I'm paying you, so save me!
Koko!
You got it, Little Lady. I'll protect ya.
But it ain't for the money, dummy.
Did you take a hit, Echo?
Echo!
But I've got one condition. Aren't I always tellin' ya?
The boss should always be smilin', not threatin' and wailin'.
That's what it means to be the boss.
I can't sleep on nights with a full moon.
Thank you so much, Koko-chan. I love you!
It was my pleasure. Thank you for using our services, Torchovsky-san.
You're a lifesaver! I couldn't import this, what with the regulations.
Plus, I love Japanese-made parts.
By the way, have you done anything flamboyant of late?
I'm exceedingly boring. Why do you ask?
According to someone from the DGSE,
France's General Directorate for External Security,
you've got some CIA circling around you.
And supposedly those CIA agents look more dangerous than any he's seen before.
Be careful, Koko-chan.
But that means the DGSE is throwing looks my way, doesn't it?
It's about time we left France.
The CIA truly can be troublesome, can't they?
I recall having one pester me once before. He was...
Right, that's it! It was Book Man!
Book Man: George Black.
He's the chief of the European branch's National Clandestine Service a.k.a. the NCS.
Isn't he the guy who got promoted by collecting info in the Yugoslav Wars?
Right. I see you're knowledgeable about your foes. That's my Koko-chan!
I met George-san once when he was at a branch office in Rome.
He's a model CIA officer who believes
that he can control arms dealers as if we're his puppets.
An acquaintance in the DGSE shooed him away for me.
Could he manipulate us? You know that simply isn't possible!
It looked like you two were getting along.
She's an interesting person.
Some people are like that, you know? She's the type that could do anything well,
and not just work as an arms dealer.
I have that exact same image when it comes to you, Koko.
This is the only path for me.
You think so?
We've reached the age where it's natural for the magazine to be plastic, huh?
We sure have!
As such, my unit will get all new gear!
First up is the rifle. It's the Magpul Masada!
Oh!
Nice reaction! I was afraid you were going to go, "Eh?!"
But there wasn't any real need to buy new ones.
There we go! I was confident you'd say that, Jonah.
The goal is for our unit to use matching ammo and matching magazines.
Does that also apply to our handguns, Little Lady?
Just a sec.
This'll be our handgun.
Sig Sauer SP2022!
As with the other, the goal is to have everyone use 9mm ammo.
Anyone who wasn't using 9mm before, swap over to this.
Please shoot a test shot for us, Little Lady.
Very well.
Penalty game for anyone with a worse shot than me!
Jeez! You just had to go and say that, R!
That might be impossible.
Too slow! Too slow! At that rate, you'll get filled full of holes!
Little Jonah, wrong spot!
S-Sorry!
Do it again!
Oh, sorry!
Don't trip the VIP!
Lutz... You bastard!
That's why I said, "I'm sorry!" and apologized.
You look just like Two-Face, Tojo!
Don't you dare laugh!
Come on, now. I'm begging you! I don't want any Two-Faces here.
Next! We're practicing with real ammo! Keep your act together!
Phew, it's hot! Water, water!
R?
What's up?
Do you know Book Man? He's CIA.
Yeah, I know him!
I met him in Bosnia when I was with the Italian army.
He said he wanted information on some criminals, so I helped him on several occasions.
Book Man, Burattinaio, Adeeb, his real name is—
George Black. He's an executive now.
What? You've already looked into him?
I've got the data. He came up in some rumors,
so I wanted to ask you, since I figured you probably met him in person.
Well, he eats a lot. He's a heavy eater.
Naturally, he was overweight. Who knows how he looks now?
Does working for the CIA make you hungry? The same was true of Schokolade.
Book Man majored in Arabian literature in college,
so the name comes from his proficiency with language.
Or so he claimed, but I think it has a different meaning.
He clamps down on whatever he's investigating
and won't let up until he knows everything.
His obsession is like that of a scholar.
Yikes, he sounds obstinate!
Oh, is this about what those hitmen said?
They mentioned something or other about the CIA.
No, Book Man just came up in some rumors. I think they're two unrelated cases.
I don't see someone ranked as a European branch chief playing that card.
Do you know about the agent called "Hex"?
Hex is a paramilitary operations officer, a P.O.O.
Sorry, I don't know about him.
Is it some dude with a hexagonal face?
It's a woman. Hex the "Witch."
Hey, it's cool. When you brought up that name,
your face clearly said, "I really don't wanna talk about her," Little Lady.
I won't ask about things in the past that bug you.
No matter how annoying the foe may be, we'll protect you, Little Lady!
R, get back here already!
Sure thing!
You're too slow, Jonah-kun. Don't do it like that.
Trace over them with the muzzle of your gun, nice and easy.
If you pull the trigger the second it meets your target, you'll hit home.
Just watch.
The enemies will be moving, so you won't hit them if you can't keep up.
Got it.
H-He's fast!
Hex, who are you?
Who's Hex?!
No matter how many we kill, more keep gushing out.
They're like flies.
We won't get anywhere if we don't destroy the source.
Isn't that right, Cutthroat?
All of you were too much for them to handle in Afghanistan and Iraq.
You were hounded by the army or a PMC.
I'm confident this will proceed satisfactorily.
Let's begin that kind of fulfilling fight.
Stand by.
Ready, move!
Yeah!
Hex and Cutthroat have headed out.
Give me the details on Paramilitary Operations Officer Hex.
Continue tracking them.
Could you get me this and this and this?
Most certainly, Chief Black.
As your lamentation grows faint and disappears,
nageku koe wa kasumi okizari ni
kimi no kimi dake no kuni wo tsukutteru
I will create a nation that will be yours alone.
nee oshiete
Hey, tell me...
hanbun no sekai wa donna iro de
What colors make half of the world,
donna nioi dashiteiru no?
And what smell does it have?
dare ni mo mienai paretto he no gu kasanete
I'll take my brushes to an invisible palette
kimi wa kotoba sae nurikaete waratteiru
and I'll even repaint your words as we laugh.
doushite soba ni itemo
Why can't I make out the tone of your heart,
kokoro no hashi desura yomitorenai?
even though I'm by your side?
bokura ni nozondetemo onaji temochi ni narenai nara
Even if you long for us, it will not be the same.
hayaku katahou wo ubatte
So please, find someone else quickly.
R?
You finally picked up, Saw! Why haven't you answered my question?
It's been ten hours since I sent that first text!
Didn't you say, "Speed is the life of information"? You're not one to talk!
I intended for my delayed response to mean, "I cannot answer that question."
She is an important, top-secret agent. The same is true of you.
"Who are you?" If someone were to ask that, I couldn't give them an answer.
You aren't fully hiding her! She doesn't even try to hide!
We're beginning to catch glimpses of that woman's shadow!
I'll take a stab at who it is, Saw!
The culprit behind that dangerous group was Hex!
Are you okay with this? She's going to obstruct Operation Undershaft.
I thought you said, "I will find the root of this problem."
Very well, R. I'll call you back, so hang tight.
R, if you are my "right arm," then Hex is my "left arm."
She will continue to be a key factor in my plans' various operations.
She always has been, and she always will be.
My "left arm" is an unstoppable force when it comes to destroying terrorists.
If she occasionally demands a sacrifice, then I want one as well.
Give her the life...
...of a single child.