Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society

Passengers and crew have been evacuated for terrorist response procedures.

All arriving and departing flights are in a holding pattern or waiting on the apron.

Divert only those planes that are expected to run low on fuel to other airports.

Three Zero Five calling One Zero Two.

Public Security Section 9 has arrived.

Give them any assistance they need.

Full authority of the situation has been transferred to them.

Hey! My people have taken casualties!

Believe it or not, there better be a damn good reason...

for us to keep this line clear.

There's no telling if there is a back hack on it.

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

I've located him.

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

When they explained to him that he'd be transferred into public securities' custody, he almost seemed happy about it.

Happy?

-Yes. -That doesn't make sense.

So... Batou is a no-show, I guess we aren't gonna meet up with the big guy.

He's sticking to his... "I only pick cases based on my gut instinct", obviously, and passing on this one.

Ironic. Because if Batou hadn't poked his nose where it didn’t belong, we couldn't have pieced this case together.

Boma, Pazu, take the rookies and cover the North Gate.

We're on it.

-You and I are going in through the front. -Yes, sir.

You know something, boss? You've changed, too... You've outgrown your Moma-san fixation.

Nobody said I outgrew it.

This Ka Gae-Ru guy's supposed to be 100% natural, right?

Yeah.

-Explained that then. -What does it look like?

It's an unexpected development.

-So now there's a chance that the guy's armed? -Even if he is, it's only a nine-millimeter.

This is this just peachy.

Come on, bird head. You're surrounded.

We're with public security.

As you demanded, we'll consider safe passage for you out of the country.

Release your hostage first, then we can talk.

Colonel Ka Gae-Ru!

Are you listening?

Ka Gae-Ru!

Drop your weapon!

No one do anything.

Come on, give me the gun.

Looks like he's high on a reclass booster that the military uses.

Understood.

Colonel Ka Gae-Ru!

The Puppeteer is coming!

I don't want to die!

If you don't want to die, put the gun down.

Say what?

You won't make a public spectacle out of me!!!

No, don't!

Shit. Why'd he do it?

The puppeteer, huh?

Not a bad name at all.

Prime Minister, special operatives bearing tattoos of "True Believer",

to signify their loyalty to General Ka Rum...

have been committing suicide one by one here in Japan.

And moments ago his oldest son, Colonel Ka Gae-Ru, killed himself too.

In light of these events, do you still insist that there's no need to interrogate the General?

Some reports state that Colonel Ka Gae-Ru's death was the result of a botched arrest attempt.

Let's assume for a moment that indiscriminate terrorist acts are being planned as we speak by Siak Republic holdouts.

I find it difficult to believe that General Ka Rum could be involved while under house arrest.

My enactment of the refugee naturalization policy met with opposition.

Please do your utmost to avoid viewing the actions of the opposing faction.

It was my impression that such work fell under the purview of public security.

Understood, Prime Minister.

Ishikawa! Send me the file of Ka Gae-Ru's debriefing.

Coming right up.

We're moving out.

Is that why, sir?

I don't believe she gave you authorization for this.

If no one finds out that I'm the person who opened up Pandora's box, then I didn't break my word to the Prime Minister.

Batou!

Are you listening to me, Batou?

Yeah... I'm listening.

Just where are you?

We've found the body of a 13th tattooed man.

Is it another suicide?

Yeah.

- It looks pretty cut and dry. - This place to looks a lot like our own safe houses.

It's probably one of their hide outs.

Let the prefectural police handle it.

Grab a subordinate and go out to this location.

It's a hide-out that Ka Gae-Ru told us about in his debriefing.

Oh... you sure, Chief?

I mean, don't you think a mainstream job like that is more up Togusa's alley?

Togusa is coming to me to the dungeon.

Ahh...

I follow ya.

We're gonna be here a while .

Somebody go get take out.

Question.

How long has it been since the Major resigned from Section 9, Togusa?

I guess it's nearly two years.

That long?

I'm sorry... about what happened with Ka Gae-Ru.

It's not your fault.

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

I suspect her intention is to keep a lid on things that she doesn't want to see right now.

Still, she was scared that the other countries at the six party talks would examine the real

motivation behind the refugee naturalization policy.

This entire damn mess got started because she was coerced into looking after Ka Rum.

That's because even before General Ka Rum chose to seek asylum here in Japan, he threatened to carry out acts of terrorism in retaliation.

"At the moment of my death, I will reap terror upon the world."

You mean that retribution declaration in the speech he gave when Siak fell.

Now that we've learned about this, the responsibility for handling the situation falls upon us.

It's a mystery how the General has been able to issue orders from an island that's cut off from the rest of the world.

But if we take Ka Rum into custody, maybe we can uncover all the details of the plan.

Also, we'll learn how far along this terrorist plot is right now.

Hey Chief! I just heard from the Coast Guard.

They've opened up the airspace over the island.

We're good to land.

Fine.

Thank them for me and take us down at once.

Make sure you've doctored the records of the flight plan.

Roger that.

No firearms or knives detected.

Clear.

Proto, turn the power back on and open the blinds.

Roger.

What's wrong?

Chief.

Hmm?

He looks like he pulled them out himself.

This is bad news.

If he killed himself too, it means that their plan might already be in motion.

What's that?

This?

It links up to the nursing net.

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

There were rumors about Ka Rum being seriously ill before he left the country.

Apparently, they were true.

So, even though he was hooked up to that, the government doesn't know he's dead.

Um hmm.

Got it.

He was going through a back door in the system.

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

Looks that way.

The Comm Log shows that he was in contact with his people.

We need to get this back to HQ for a thorough analysis,

but it definitely appears that they were planning a terrorist strike using a micro-machine virus.

You said we're planning?

When his operatives began offing themselves one by one,

he went and had a chat with Ka Gae-Ru.

He questioned whether they should temporarily abort the plan.

What do you mean?

Are you saying that the suicides weren't intended to be the plots go code?

I don't know.

But what really worries me is that there was a program planted in here

from the outside designed to make it look as if Ka Rum was still alive.

I wouldn't be surprised if the government still hasn't caught onto the fact that this fella's long gone.

Then it's an assassination disguised as a suicide.

Yeah.

Done by somebody who doesn't want the government to know that Ka Rum is dead, dead or...

So, what about the micro-machine virus?

Well, looks like it was sent to the hospital or that Ma Shaba guy.

Assuming Bazzo is not playing hooky, he might be able to recover it for us.

Mm-hmm.

Togusa.

Oh.

What the hell is this?

Puppeteer?

Azuma...

Just before Kegail died, do you remember him saying something about a Puppeteer?

Come to think of it, maybe he did.

The keyword Puppeteer shows up in this log too.

It appears to be the codename for one of his men.

We had better apprehend Ma Shaba as soon as possible.

Once you make it completely duplicate the log, go meet up with Batou.

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

What do we do with the stiff?

Leave things as we found them.

I hate having to do that, but we don't have an option since we were never here.

Understood?

The hospital?

That car sticks out like a sore thumb around here.

This security system set up kind of reminds me of...

head around the outside.

Roger.

What the hell?

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

Die!

Puppeteer!

Must have gone down there.

It's Batou.

Who's that?

Get clear!

You dumbass!