THE GHOST IN THE SHELL (攻殻機動隊 THE GHOST IN THE SHELL)

Come on, take a load off.

You want a proper home-cooked meal, don't you?

You put in a hard day at work, so you deserve it!

Your old man is a big ol' dummy.

I can't tell her that I'll be busted back down to beat cop

because I messed up big time and made trouble for everyone.

Just to make a glass of water this size, it takes…

Just let it go.

That was quite a punch.

A toast to the victor.

The Minister and I don't see things the same way.

That much is obvious.

The Minister would never test me to see whether or not I'd storm an orphanage.

He had a meltdown and declared the unit get dissolved immediately.

The papers were backdated to yesterday,

and the Minister of Defense already signed off on it.

I have two pieces of news for you.

One piece of news is good, and one piece is bad.

You'll remember that I told you the budget to form your unit

was passed by the National Council, right?

That was just a placeholder.

The real thing is triple the budget amount you requested,

and will be used to create an international rescue unit.

That way, nobody can say we aren't doing anything to help as civilians die

or that we're buying peace with cold, hard cash.

But that's just for public consumption.

The budget's 80% is founding capital earmarked to create a Shell Squad.

It will answer only to the PM, and I'll be running the show.

It'll be a meritocracy with no ranks. The unit's guiding principle…

will be to seek out crime and nip it in the bud.

An organization that will always be on the offensive,

the kind that you and I have dreamed of.

How well it does will be up to you and your team.

Another round of whatever they were having, on me.

They were cut from the budget, saying they were a waste of money.

Go over those contracts and bring them signed,

tomorrow morning at 6 sharp.

At 8 a.m., you'll be at the collection of all of those brainwashing devices.

I'll be waiting.

He pulled one over on everybody.

The Minister, that orphanage, and even us.

This means that the whole "orphanage gone rogue" thing was total BS, too.

Did I miss a good show?

And I've got one other fun bit of information.

I spotted that Ape-face's car right outside.

I planted some fireworks in the tire wells.

Oh, crap.

Chief!

Already hard at work, I see. Hand it off to Vehicle Division.

Son of a… He outsmarted us again!

Chief!

Make sure our paychecks have lots of zeroes.

It's time for lunch already.

Work harder, people!

I won't be able to afford meat or air conditioning!

The reason we don't get snacks is because people are gaming the system.

THREE MONTHS LATER

JULY 27, 2029

I'm roasting alive!

To hell with this!

How am I supposed to stay in here if I can't use the damn AC?!

I'm out of here!

Nobody's gonna spot me in daylight all camo'd up like this.

Plus, I ain't cut out for round-the-clock surveillance work!

Pressure sensors and a Gorgon land mine?

A dummy?

It's real?! That's no way to set up a mine like this!

I'll take this beauty home with me.

It's me.

Has there been any activity?

In the past 32 hours, there's just been two phone calls about nothing important.

Other than that, there's been zilch.

No staff change, no deliveries, nothing.

Go on, have a swig.

Thanks, don't mind if I do!

This is watered down.

Just like the intel we got from our Korean contact,

the "Puppet Master" has begun tampering with every terminal on the net.

That mysterious super-hacker that no one's ever seen?

They've got something to do with this stakeout?

Their activity pattern suggest that they're trying

to interfere with the upcoming secret meeting with the Gavel Republic.

Then the secret meeting ain't so secret, is it?

Is the guy I've been surveilling the source of the leaked intel?

He's the former leader of its military junta that's requesting asylum in Japan.

Nothing more than that.

You came all this way to tell me that?

No. Summon Kusanagi on your team's comm channel.

Tell her to come to Flat 17.

Huh? But the Major's on summer vacation.

Her leave is cancelled.

How's this feel?

Sorry to keep you waiting!

Huh? Where's Phalanx?

Enjoying herself with an Endorno probe! Boooo!

I'd say it's time for a price hike.

I have to say, having someone like Motoko with 16 squared tactile sensor elements

takes the resolution to a whole nother level.

It uses optical fibers, so it's immune to EM interference.

Wait, your haptic region multiplier goes up to 5?

Now where did you get your hands on such a naughty little equalizer?

I put it together. It's designed to work with micromachines.

It's a prototype!

I can feel the adrenaline.

Oh dear! What's this?!

Endorphins? This is bad!

I can feel it in my stomach! I'm gonna be sick!

You're all slippery and slimy! Are you a slug or something?

Thank goodness you were playing with an organ that didn't have any terminals!

Damn it, don't treat that Ghost key like a toy!

What do you want?

Emergency meeting. Aramaki's waiting at Flat 17.

Tell him to expect me there in 20.

Darn it, you always do this!

You said you'd devote your whole vacation to us!

Vacation's over.

When you leave, do me a favor and activate the room's seal.

I'll call you later, okay?

Hey! Gimme back my equalizer!

The interpreter's condition has stabilized.

Someone seems to be butting in.

It must be Aramaki.

Yes, sir.

Don't do anything unless I tell you to.

Good morning, Minister!

Hello, Aramaki. What can the Foreign Ministry help you with?

It's about the Gavel Republic.

Utility, 6. Trouble, 1. Rank E.

They're not very important, I'd say.

For the time being, they don't have nukes, either.

Diplomatically and economically, they're a little nation of little import.

It was originally under military rule,

but they've been reasonably democratic ever since their revolution.

One of your subordinates provided tactical instruction

to the revolutionary army, as I recall.

Oh, is that so?

Col. Malles, the former leader of the junta,

is currently residing in our country under the pretext of seeking medical treatment.

He doggedly continues to funnel aid to the pro-junta faction.

As a result, the pro-junta faction still controls the country's platinum deposits.

What is this secret meeting about, then?

ODA that won't do any good.

It isn't money that was earned, so it won't be used responsibly,

and since it's viewed as payoff for past exploitation,

it won't earn us any gratitude.

That's a tough spot you're in.

The press is bound to run some off-the-record statements.

So, what is the government's position?

The situation is delicate in the extreme.

If we don't get the lay of the land, it'll make managing public opinion difficult.

Do we kick out Col. Malles and continue sending aid,

or do we accept his request for asylum and cut off aid?

If we follow the money from the platinum, we might learn some interesting things.

We mustn't waste the taxpayers' money.

So there's someone who provided tactical instruction to the junta.

That's…

Intelligence Department can stay out. I've been granted special jurisdiction.

Hey!

Make yourself scarce.

She's the Foreign Minister's interpreter.

I know that.

Because she and our Togusa used to be close.

Twenty-three minutes ago, a virus got into her.

We're currently tracing the location of whoever sent it.

How did they learn that she'd been infected?

Information beats all.

Our culprit loves to be on the move.

He changes location and every seven minutes, he accesses her for five seconds.

So until we catch the guy,

she's literally on the hook helping us like this.

What's the virus that's trying to reach her Ghost?