Episode 12

Opening Theme: Rise - Origa/Yoko Kanno

Closing Theme: One Minute Warning - Passengers (3:16 - 4:40)

Cast:

Motoko Kusanagi - Mary McGlynn

Daisuke Aramaki - William Knight

Buttetsu Batou - Richard Epcar

Togusa -

Saito -

Ishikawa -

Pazu -

Borma -

Azuma -

Yoko Kayabuki -

Hideki Yoshimura -

Hatsumi Shinobi - Patricia Ja Lee

Masahiro Takeda - John DiMaggio

JGSDF326SAIptypv.1 -

Toshio Hamauzu -

Takeshi Shinobi -

Plot Summary: Akira Kawashima is dead and it is now learned that Takeda was implanted with false memories in order to make him believe that he was disgraced. Shinobi places Hamauzu as her second in command and she has an uneasy meeting with Kaneren. Someone steals one of Hatsumi's prosthetic bodies and impersonates her. Batou and Togusa are personally charged with investigating this person. The imposter then is murdered by the same assassin who killed Kawashima, thinking that the imposter was Shinobi. Aramaki personally speaks with Takeda, who allies himself with Section 9 and Hatsumi.

Part A Scene 1

We are in Shinobi's office where we see Shinobi sitting at her desk. She has a file of Yoshimura in front of her and she is looking through all of the paperwork. She sighs as she tosses the papers on her desk. She then reaches over and picks up her katana. She unsheathes it and examines the blade for a moment. She stands in front of her desk and takes a ready stance with her katana. She then slowly and fluidly moves into a striking motion with her sword. Shinobi then performs a stabbing motion, speeding up this time. She then blocks and swipes, going faster yet. She then whirls around and extends her arm out completely with the tip of her katana inches from Hamauzu's throat. He is startled and Shinobi silently grunts. She speaks.

Shinobi: "Yes?"

Hamauzu moves the blade away from his throat with two fingers as he speaks.

Hamauzu: "Practicing your bushido katas, I see."

Shinobi slowly lowers her katana from Hamauzu with somewhat of a glaring scowl on her face. She speaks as she sheathes her sword and places it back on the stand.

Shinobi: "Is there something that you want, Hamauzu?"

She sits down at her desk as she speaks. Hamauzu responds with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

Hamauzu: "I am truly sorry to hear of General Kawashima's death. I will admit that him and I were not on the best of terms, but I wish death on no one. You must be going through a difficult time, Chief of Staff."

Hamauzu doesn't have a hint of a sneer or maliciousness in his voice as he says this. Shinobi looks away from him and responds.

Shinobi: "I'll be fine, Hamauzu."

Hamauzu doesn't speak but turns to leave. He stops at the door when Shinobi speaks.

Shinobi: "Lieutenant General Hamauzu, I want you to head over to the Itami garrison and interrogate Yoshimura."

Hamauzu seems surprised and turns to speak.

Hamauzu: "Are you promoting me, Chief of Staff?"

Shinobi shifts her eyes at Hamauzu from the file on Yoshimura. She speaks with a solid tone.

Shinobi: "I am."

Hamauzu responds in a concerned tone.

Hamauzu: "Why?"

Shinobi doesn't break her glare but responds.

Shinobi: "No questions. Go."

Hamauzu grunts to himself. He simply nods, turns, and leaves. Shinobi sighs and looks through the file. She notices a sheet of paper and picks it up. She begins to read it to herself. The paper is a file exclusively on Kaneren and his development. She seems somewhat surprised and begins to shuffle through the papers. She then picks up a sheet of paper on Kaneren's tests. She notices a few hand written notes by Dr. Asuda. She reads them out loud to herself.

Shinobi: "JGSDF326SAIptypv.1 exhibits behavior similar to that of an HA-3 computer virus. The A.I. also shows emotions and behaviors such as anger, aggression, biggotry, and jealousy. It also continuously speaks of the newly inducted Chief of Ground Staff, General Hatsumi Shinobi. The A.I. also reminds us that it prefers to be called 'Kaneren', a word that means 'accomplished' and 'correct'. This name was given to it by Major General Hideki Yoshimura."

Shinobi ceases to read since the rest of Asuda's notes are illegible. She repeats a section of the notes in a slower and more confused tone.

Shinobi: "It also continuously speaks of the newly inducted Chief of Ground Staff, General Hatsumi Shinobi."

Shinobi sets down the paper. She then connects a cord to the back of her neck and plugs it into a computer implemented in her desk. She closes her eyes and speaks via cybercom.

Shinobi: "Kaneren, come to my office at once."

Shinobi disconnects the cord from both her cyberbrain implants and the computer. She thinks for a moment until Kaneren appears on the large screen in her office. He speaks.

Kaneren: "Yes, Chief of Staff Shinobi?"

Shinobi looks over at Kaneren and speaks with an almost annoyed and angered tone.

Shinobi: "Explain to me why you've been delving into my personal life and why you've taken an interest in me."

Kaneren's avatar appears confused and surprised. He appears to be thinking and responds.

Kaneren: "I do not have any recollection of taking an interest in your personal life or yourself."

Shinobi scowls at Kaneren and picks up the file. She physically shows him that she is holding the file as she speaks.

Shinobi: "I beg to differ. I have a file here on Yoshimura. Inside of this file are the test results of your development by Dr. Asuda. These results state that you've taken a great and keen interest in myself. To quote Asuda's note: 'It also continuously speaks of the newly inducted Chief of Ground Staff, General Hatsumi Shinobi.' Also, two days ago, you were speaking to General Kawashima about my mother, Lieutenant Colonel Yoko Tsuneki, who you knew had been dead for 3 years. You also claimed that you had a vast and near limitless knowledge database, therefore, you would have a complete file on Yoko Tsuneki including age, hair and eye color, nationality, sex, blood type, marital status, and children. You know that her husband was Vice Admiral Masashi Shinobi, who was my father, and you would have known that her daughter was Hatsumi Shinobi, me."

Shinobi tosses down the file on her desk in disgust, not breaking her stare with Kaneren. Kaneren responds in a near monotone voice.

Kaneren: "That is quite a hypothesis, Chief of Staff. However, I do not know who Vice Admiral Masashi Shinobi is nor do I have a data file on Lieutenant Colonel Yoko Tsuneki."

Shinobi continues to scowl at Kaneren. She speaks.

Shinobi: "Then explain to me how you know who Yoko Tsuneki is."

Kaneren responds.

Kaneren: "Lieutenant General Hideki Yoshimura told me of Lieutenant Colonel Yoko Tsuneki. I was quite interested and eager to listen and learn about others in the Self Defense Army. Yoko Tsuneki interested me immensely and I proceeded to conduct my own research. I learned much about the Shinobi family this way and I have an in-depth knowledge of your entire history, Chief of Staff."

Shinobi seems angered and speaks in a threatening tone.

Shinobi: "Kaneren, you've completely contradicted what you just said. Therefore, you do have a complete file on my mother, my father, myself, and everyone else in the Shinobi family."

Kaneren responds.

Kaneren: "I do not know what you are speaking of, Chief of Staff Shinobi."

Shinobi then silently speaks in a threatening tone.

Shinobi: "Kaneren, get out of my office before I lose my patience."

Kaneren then disappears and Shinobi slams her fist on her desk. She sighs and slumps back in her chair. We are now outside of the Defense Agency where we see Hamauzu standing with an officer of the MSDA. They are speaking with each other when Hamauzu looks over across the street to see Shinobi enter an alley. She was wearing a brown trench coat. Hamauzu seems confused and puts his hand up. He speaks.

Hamauzu: "I'm sorry but something has caught my attention."

Hamauzu then crosses the street and looks into the alley to see no one there. He appears surprised and looks back at the Defense Agency to see Shinobi climbing into her vehicle. She is wearing her military uniform without a trench coat. He appears bewildered and speaks out loud.

Hamauzu: "What the hell?"

He then watches as Shinobi's car pulls away. Hamauzu then crosses the street back to the Defense Agency and enters it. He hurries up to the main desk and speaks.

Hamauzu: "Did Shinobi check out twice?"

The secretary seems surprised but responds.

Secretary: "No, sir. She just checked out for an appointment with Section 9 Chief Aramaki. Would you like me to leave her a message?"

Hamauzu glances around before speaking.

Hamauzu: "Yes. Tell her that I need to speak with her at once."

The secretary simply nods as Hamauzu turns around to see Shinobi coming out of the alley across the street. He appears shocked and runs out of the Defense Agency, shoving past people. He then watches as she gets into another vehicle and drives off. We then switch to Hamauzu's eyeview, where he connects to Shinobi's cyberbrain. He speaks via cybercom.

Hamauzu: "Where are you?"

Shinobi responds with an annoyed tone.

Shinobi: "Hamauzu, what do you want?"

Hamauzu responds.

Hamauzu: "Just listen to me this time. Are you wearing a brown coat?"

Shinobi responds.

Shinobi: "No. Why does it matter?"

Hamauzu explains.

Hamauzu: "Listen, I saw someone with your prosthetic body wearing a brown trench coat get into a vehicle and speed off. Your prosthetic body is highly classified, right?"

Shinobi appears confused but responds.

Shinobi: "Yes, it's one of the most classified prosthetic bodies made by Megatech. It's unique only to me, Hamauzu. No one else has this body."

Hamauzu speaks.

Hamauzu: "You need to keep your eyes open for anything unusual. I'll put in a request for an investigation with Aramaki. I've got a feeling that Takeda or Yoshimura is behind this."

Shinobi responds quickly and with annoyance.

Shinobi: "Fine. Just don't interfere with my work again."

The transmission ends with Hamauzu staring down the street. He mutters to himself.

Hamauzu: "Ignorant woman."

The scene ends here.

Part A Scene 2

We are now somewhere in Niihama where we are inside of Togusa's vehicle. Togusa and Batou are sitting in it. Batou is drinking a can of beer while Togusa is driving. Togusa speaks.

Togusa: "So, Hamauzu wants us to find a cyborg who's impersonating Shinobi, right?"

Batou takes another drink before responding. He doesn't look at Togusa as he speaks.

Batou: "Yeah, that's right. He hasn't proved that there is someone who is her doppelganger, though. It could be a farce set up by Hamauzu in order to get rid of her. We still don't know if he's involved with Yoshimura and Takeda in the plot to kill her. For all we know, he could be using us in order to cover his own tracks."

Togusa's car turns a corner as Togusa responds to Batou.

Togusa: "The Chief of Ground Staff stated that Takeda told Kawashima that he had never seen Hamauzu before in his life. So, what's up with that?"

Batou doesn't look at Togusa but responds.

Batou: "There's always the possibility that Takeda is simply a pawn for Hamauzu's game. If he even is involved. There's nothing to prove that he's a part of this, yet."

Togusa grunts to himself as he glances into his rearview mirror. He responds as he continues to drive. Batou takes a drink from his beer.

Togusa: "Yeah, but you have to remember that it was Hamauzu who was trying to get rid of Shinobi to begin with. Don't you think it's odd for him to render aid to Shinobi as soon as both Yoshimura and Takeda are in military custody? The timing's too convenient."

Batou takes another drink of his beer and silently groans to himself. He glances out of the passenger side window and speaks.

Batou: "There's no way of telling if he's invovlved unless we dive his cyberbrain. We just need to keep our eyes open for anything unusual, namely this imposter that Hamauzu claims to have seen. He could've had his eyes hacked by Takeda, Yoshimura, or someone. However, it's probably not likely that either Takeda or Yoshimura hacked his eyes due to the fact that their cyberbrain communication signals are blocked and jammed by the SDA's EMF field. And since both of them are the property of the M.O.H.A. and Shinobi; the Home Affairs Minister, Shinobi, and the old man are the only people who have the password in order to deactivate the EMF field."

Togusa then drives onto the expressway as he speaks.

Togusa: "That makes sense. Unless Shinobi's a part of this whole thing."

Batou grunts and looks at Togusa. He speaks.

Batou: "You must be joking. She's not the type who would purposely stage a farce to portray herself as the target of assassination attempts. There's nothing for her to gain by doing that."

Togusa glances at Batou before speaking.

Togusa: "Maybe she's after personal financial gain or maybe she's aspiring to move up in the world."

Batou scoffs and looks out the windshield as he responds.

Batou: "Have you ever heard about the Shinobi family's pension? They've accumulated a fortune over the centuries so large, that she's nearly drowning in weath. And we're only talking about her family's fortune, not her bank account that she has not hundreds of thousands, but millions of Yen just from her military budget alone. Coupled with her family wealth and personal fortune that she's built up over her lifetime, Hatsumi Shinobi is more than better off financially speaking. She's also not the type who wants to move up into the upper ranks of man. I remember her telling the chief that she never wanted to be the Chief of Ground Staff and she wanted to stay a Colonel since she was most comfortable on the battlefield, alongside her soldiers. Despite the fact that she's wealthy and in a position of great power, she is one of the least selfish people that I know of."

Togusa simply sighs and continues to drive. They finally reach the Defense Agency where they see Hamauzu standing and waiting for them. Togusa parks his vehicle and switches it off. Batou and Togusa get out of the car and turn to see Hamauzu walk over to them. Togusa somewhat scowls and Batou shows no emotion. Hamauzu stands with his arms behind his back. He speaks to them in a hard tone.

Hamauzu: "You must be the detectives from Section 9, correct?"

Batou doesn't speak but Togusa answers Hamauzu's question.

Togusa: "I'm Togusa and my partner here is-"

Togusa is cut off by Hamauzu.

Hamauzu: "Yes, Batou, I know. I know very well who he is."

Togusa emits a suprised grunt as Batou shows no emotion. Hamauzu speaks.

Hamauzu: "I'm quite surprised that Section 9 decided to heed my call, considering that you're closely aligned with Shinobi and I'm not."

Hamauzu looks away for a moment. Batou simply turns and watches traffic drive by, looking for Shinobi or her imposter. Togusa speaks to Hamauzu.

Togusa: "Listen, there may be a chance that your cyberbrain was hacked and you were only seeing an image."

Hamauzu looks back at Togusa and responds with a hint of anger in his voice.

Hamauzu: "No, that's impossible. I am in the security supervisor for military prisoners, so my cyberbrain defensive barrier mazes rival that of Shinobi's, who's virtually immune to hacking. I know what I saw!"

Togusa glances over at Batou, who hasn't moved from his position. Hamauzu then looks at his watch and speaks.

Hamauzu: "I have something that requires my attention, detective. However, I can furnish you with the license plate number on the car that Shinobi's doppelganger sped off in."

Hamauzu takes a slip of paper out of his officer's jacket and hands it to Togusa. Togusa looks at the paper. He then turns and and climbs into his vehicle with Batou sitting in the passenger seat. Togusa speaks as they put on their safety belts and Hamauzu turns to walk away.

Togusa: "Thanks for all of your help, General."

Hamauzu simpy grunts and proceeds back inside of the Defense Agency. Togusa's car pulls away. Togusa then hands the paper to Batou, who enters the license plate number into the computer inside of Togusa's car. The screen then shows a virtual map of Niihama and a blip where the car is parked. Batou then presses another key and the screen switches to a live video feed. We see a white car parked on one of the back roads in one of the refugee residential districts. Standing near the car is Shinobi wearing a brown trench coat speaking with 2 men and a woman. Batou speaks.

Batou: "Hamauzu wasn't lying. There's our perp."

Togusa glances over at the screen and speaks.

Togusa: "Looks that way. Shinobi's meeting with the chief and the Major right now, isn't she?"

Batou doesn't look at Togusa and keeps his gaze on the screen. We see one of the men walk away and Shinobi switch her attention to the other man. Batou responds.

Batou: "Yeah, I've got a live video feed of her speaking with them as we speak."

He then presses another key and another video feed appears next to the screen. We see Shinobi speaking to Aramaki and Kusanagi inside of Aramaki's office. Batou speaks.

Batou: "And Shinobi doesn't drive herself when on duty. Her car is also black, remember?"

Togusa then nods and drives in the direction of the imposter Shinobi. We see Togusa's car on the expressway. After a moment, Batou speaks.

Batou: "Togusa, the imposter and the two other people that she was speaking with have just gotten into the vehicle and are on the expressway."

Togusa's car then speeds up and drives until they catch up to the white car. We are inside of the white car, where we see the woman driving with the man in the back seat and the Shinobi imposter in the passenger seat. The woman speaks.

Woman: "Hey, we're being followed."

The man and the Shinobi imposter then look through the back window to see Togusa's car following them. The Shinobi imposter speaks, sounding exactly like Shinobi.

Imposter: "Any idea who it is?"

The man turns his attention away from Batou and Togusa to a submachine pistol that he is loading. He doesn't look at the imposter but speaks as he cocks the chamber.

Man: "Don't know, but we can't be taking any chances."

We have returned back to Togusa's car, where we see Batou loading his pistol. Togusa speaks in an alarmed tone.

Togusa: "What are you doing?"

Batou cocks the chamber to his pistol and rolls down the window to his side of the car. He responds.

Batou: "Keep your head down but don't lose them, got it?"

We then see the man lean out of the back driver's side window and fire the submachine pistol. The shots miss Togusa's car, but rips up the expressway behind it. Batou then leans out of his window and fires at the car, hitting the back window. The bullets ricochet off of it. Batou curses and speaks.

Batou: "Damn! The car's armored!"

Just then, the Shinobi imposter leans out of her window with an assault rifle and fires, hitting Togusa's car but missing the windshield. Batou yells.

Batou: "Watch it! She's got an assault rifle!"

Batou then aims and fires, hitting the rear tire on the passenger's side of the car. The tire blows and the woman begins to lose control of the vehicle. The view switches to inside of the white car, where we see the woman struggling with the steering wheel. The Shinobi imposter speaks.

Imposter: "Get control of the vehicle! If we crash, it's all over!"

The woman responds with strain in her voice.

Woman: "I'm trying, damn it!"

The Shinobi imposter is angered and loads a clip into her assault rifle. She cocks it as the man shouts at her.

Man: "Are you crazy? That gun wasn't designed for HV bullets! You're going to screw up the breach before you even get halfway through the clip!"

She responds in a threatening tone.

Imposter: "Just shut the hell up and shoot!"

The man grunts and loads another clip into his submachine pistol. They both lean out of their respected windows and fire on Togusa's car. Batou fires and kills the man before he gets the chance to shoot. He then takes out the other back tire, causing to white car to go out of control. The Shinobi imposter tries to fire, but the assault rifle jams before she can shoot. The white car then takes the exit off of the expressway, with Batou and Togusa following close behind. The white car then crashes into the corner of a building. The Shinobi imposter then leaps out of the car and runs into an alley. Togusa stops the car and the two of them get out. Batou immediately sprints after the imposter into the alley. Togusa proceeds to arrest the woman. We are now in a dark alley, where we see Batou running after the imposter. The imposter runs around a corner and Batou takes cover on the corner. He glances around the corner, only to be shot at by the imposter, who runs around yet another corner. Batou then runs after her. He turns the corner to see a man in a black BDU standing over the imposter's body wielding a katana. He is wearing a mask, concealing his face from us. Batou speaks.

Batou: "Hold it right there!"

The assailant then leaps onto the roof of a low lying building, activating thermoptic camouflage as he does. Batou then runs over to the imposter's body to see that she's been killed by the assailant stabbing her in the torso with the katana. Batou growls to himself and speaks to Togusa via cybercom.

Batou: "No good. Our perp has been killed."

Togusa responds.

Togusa: "What? How?"

Batou puts his pistol back in its holster as he examines the imposter's stolen body. He speaks.

Batou: "She was killed by a man wielding a sword. He got away before I could stop him. The wound matches that of Kawashima. Seems like we've got someone who's got a beef with the SDA. He probably didn't know that this wasn't Shinobi, so he's thinking that he killed the genuine article. My guess is that he'll probably go after Hamauzu or Yoshimura next. We've got to warn Shinobi."

The scene ends with Batou looking up at where the assailant vanished.

Part B Scene 1

We are now at the Itami base where we see Aramaki and Shinobi outside of Takeda's cell. Shinobi nods and the two MPs unlock the cell door and open it. Aramaki, Shinobi, and the two MPs enter to see Takeda still reading Jules Verne. He is smoking a cigarette as he does. Takeda is not wearing his cap or his coat. He looks up to see Aramaki standing in front of him across the cell and Shinobi leaning against the wall. He speaks.

Takeda: "Good afternoon, and what can I do for the chief of Public Security Section 9?"

Aramaki responds as Takeda puts out his cigarette on his cell wall.

Aramaki: "I understand that you are the one behind the assassination attempts on the Chief of Ground Staff, correct? That would make you Masahiro Takeda."

Takeda coughs once and closes his book. He glances at Shinobi, who has her eyes closed. He responds to Aramaki in a calm tone.

Takeda: "One attempt, mister Aramaki. One. That was two weeks ago when I hacked into that Yakuza thug's cyberbrain."

Aramaki grunts and responds.

Aramaki: "There's Tokyo and the attack at the assemblyman's party."

Takeda then puts down his book and responds as he looks at Aramaki with firm eyes.

Takeda: "For starters, I never planted that nuke in Tokyo. I've only had possession of one nuclear warhead, one which I could conceal easily and carry on my person. Then you have to consider where I was at the time. I wasn't in Niihama. I was in Nagasaki looking for guns to hire so I could stage an attack against Yoshimura, believe it or not."

Shinobi opens her eyes and seems surprised, along with Aramaki. Aramaki speaks.

Aramaki: "What do you mean?"

Takeda reaches over and retrieves a cigarette. He is about to light it, but sets it down. He mutters.

Takeda: "I've got to quit these."

Shinobi silently speaks.

Shinobi: "Well?"

Takeda looks up at them. He coughs a few times before standing and filling a cup full of water at the sink. He takes a drink from the cup as he sits back down on his cot. He looks at Aramaki and Shinobi as he responds.

Takeda: "I first realized that I had been dancing to Yoshimura's tune when he charged me to kidnap Warrant Officer Masako Kobayashi the day of Shinobi's trial against that man, Hamauzu. Now, what was strange is that he told me to go to the Yakuza in order to have them retrieve her for me, despite the fact that he didn't trust them. I did as he said and then I proceeded to go about my activities of acquiring arms and ammunition from the funds that Yoshimura supplied me with. Two days later, I hacked into the Yakuza boss' cybercom and overheard him speaking with Yoshimura. His orders were to shift all of the blame on me in order to have me either imprisoned or killed. From that moment, I knew that I was backstabbed and I had to act on my own accord. However, I wasn't done with my revenge on Shinobi, but she would have to wait for the time being because I knew that Yoshimura would pose a problem to me."

Shinobi then speaks in an angered tone.

Shinobi: "Why did you have Yoshimura release you after you were captured by Section 9, then?"

Takeda looks at her and immediately responds.

Takeda: "Just think for a moment, Hatsumi. I wouldn't have been able to get rid of Yoshimura if I was couped up in here by you and Kawashima, now would I? After I was released by him, I asked him to have his men steal your Arm Suit for me."

Aramaki then speaks.

Aramaki: "So you were planning to use it to kill the Lieutenant General, correct?"

Takeda nods once as he grunts. He continues to speak.

Takeda: "At this time, my focus was on Yoshimura and I proceeded to assassinate him with her Arm Suit and 6 other men. I thought I would be able to succeed, until your people screwed it up. I was captured once again and now I'm sitting here in front of you, reading Jules Verne."

Shinobi silenty grunts to herself before speaking to Takeda.

Shinobi: "And the assassination attempt at the assemblyman's party?"

Takeda looks at Shinobi and explains.

Takeda: "That was Yoshimura's own doing. I had nothing to do with that. On the contrary, you should be thankful that it happened. The man that Yoshimura sent to kill you spilled his guts to you, Kawashima, and Aramaki. By having that man try to kill you, Yoshimura confirmed the link between him and I, therefore, exposing the fact that he is the one who is actually behind the attempts on your life. And who do you think planted to nuke in Tokyo? Yoshimura's men. The nuclear device that I bought from Yoshimura was a dud. After taking it to an underworld expert bomb specialist, I realized that I had been played. I then disposed of it and proceeded to expose Yoshimura for what he is. I was hoping to get rid of him before good men like Kawashima were caught in the crossfire. However, I was too late."

Takeda then stands and walks to the sink after finishing his water. He looks at Aramaki and Shinobi through the mirror as Shinobi speaks.

Shinobi: "Why are you confessing to all of this?"

Takeda glances at Shinobi through the mirror and responds in a quiet but solid tone.

Takeda: "Because I decided to change sides when you told me that I was implanted with false memories by none other than Yoshimura."

Shinobi's eyes become somewhat wide as she silently grunts. Aramaki somewhat scowls at Takeda. Takeda then turns and walks back to his cot. He sits and speaks, not looking at Shinobi.

Takeda: "Can I request something?"

Shinobi speaks in a more quiet and calm tone.

Shinobi: "What?"

Takeda picks up his book and offers it to her. He speaks.

Takeda: "Could I get a new book? I've finished reading this one."

Shinobi silently grunts to herself and gently takes the book from him. He looks away from Shinobi and says nothing. Aramaki glances at Shinobi, who is gazing at the book, as if lost in a void. Shinobi then walks out of the cell, followed by Aramaki and the two MPs. The door closes and locks. Takeda then begins to cough violently for a moment before wheezing. We are in the hall outside of his cell, where we see her watching him through the viewhole. She seems emotionally moved by Takeda's coughing and his confession. Aramaki speaks to Shinobi.

Aramaki: "Madam, are you all right?"

Shinobi snaps out of her trance-like state and turns back to Aramaki. She speaks with a weak, quivering laugh.

Shinobi: "Sorry. I'm fine. It's just that, everything that he said in there was true. And the way he confessed that he accepted that he was implanted with false memories, he just sounded truly sentimental."

Aramaki seems somewhat surprised and concerned. He responds.

Aramaki: "And do you believe him?"

Shinobi speaks in a quiet tone.

Shinobi: "I do. Takeda may have made mistakes in the past, but he's no liar."

Aramaki thinks for a moment. He responds.

Aramaki: "Are you planning on releasing him?"

Shinobi glances away and responds.

Shinobi: "I can't right now. I've no idea what he's planning on doing next. I also need the Home Affairs Minister's approval, not to mention yours."

Aramaki simply grunts to himself and turns to walk away. The episode ends with Shinobi looking at the book with a hint of emotion in her eyes.