Episode 5 -- Actions Speak Louder / Showdown
Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2005 4:37 pm
EPISODE 5
The group returns to their base and begin investigating the cryptic message left for them during the Shinjuku incident. The Japanese NEST team arrives to pick up the two nukes. Sections 10 turns on the news and realize the aftereffects of what happened. China is accusing Japan of creating an incident with the fallen satellite. Mob violence has occurred in several Chinese cities. A Powder Keg seems ready to burst. Section 10 watches in horror as they realize what has happened.
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER / SHOWDOWN
Greg fixates on one program. It shows a news reporter interviewing Colonel Holden, commander of the American Empire forces stationed on a small base in Japan.
“Let me tell you story. Late 1970s. An object crashes in Northern Montana. Witnesses reached the crash site. They reported a strange acorn-shaped craft. Military arrived and sealed the area. For the next decade, the public screamed bloody murder, claiming we had retrieved yet another alien spacecraft. The report becomes mocked and dismissed by the masses as yet another alien conspiracy…nonsense.”
“What was it?” asks the reporter.
“Around the same time, a Russian Satellite entered the atmosphere, equipped with a new advanced re-entry system. International treaty stipulates that all spacecraft landing in foreign territory must be returned to the original country.”
“So you used the public’s paranoia of the military to retrieve prohibited Russian technology. How does that pertain to here? We using the public’s paranoia of nuclear weapons and terrorism against them…what crashed here?”
“I really can’t comment on that…”
…But the word on Nuclear weapons hasn’t been released…so how did this American Colonel know? Did he leak the reporter to ask the question? The implications start to set in. China is not a country one wants to back to the wall. If the satellite nuclear payload is disclosed, then Japan must admit culpability in its absence. If they illegally stole nuclear weapons from China, they would be in hot water with the global community. However, this would involve China admitting it stationed nuclear weapons in orbit around Japan in the first place. Did the American Empire stage this incident to shoot down the satellite or was it shot down by China in order to start something? The more the members of Section 10 realize the implications, the more they get confused as to why they were ordered to retrieve the nukes in the first place.
Greg remains suspicious of Orthus ever since they tried to hack him when they first infiltrated Etorufu. He checks his Cyberbrain and stumbles across a Back-Door access, allowing someone to enter this Cyberbrain even when in Autistic Mode. He checks Ben and Sharron and discovers the same hack. Katana refuses to be scanned. Greg cleans up the hack and removes the virus. Katana takes Ben, still injured from his fight with the female Cyborg, to the Hospital for servicing.
Sharron contacts Aramaki but discovers he is unavailable. Sharron does discover a surveillance bug in the holograph room. He and Greg continue searching and find them in every room, except Katana’s. Greg decides to break into Katana’s external memory. What he finds is very little, except for a few simple programs she had designed herself. However, they match the same programming profile as the virus that hijacked the Golem at Sagawa Electronics. Could this be another connection?
Greg and Sharron agree they can no longer trust Katana. She was the only one that retrieved supplies for them. Where were they coming from? Sharron’s contact in Russia re-affirms his earlier claim…that Orthus, the original group from the Meguro Recapture Operation, was taken out. If there is a one in Japan…it’s a new one. Perhaps the Orthus incident was staged by someone else to make the group clash with Section 9, without tipping his hat. Does Section 9 know of this? Does Section 10 even exist?
Katana breaks into the servicing room, demanding Ben Return with him to base. She does not explain. This occurs before Greg and Sharron can safely contact him about their suspicions about Katana. When they finally do, they hear that Ben and Kat are racing back. When asked, Katana tell Ben and Sharron to check to the latest news blog.
The NEST team was hit. The news programs reports that a government vehicle struck a pole. The three occupants exited the vehicle and promptly shot themselves. They were hacked. The video signal is from a cyberbrain’s visual feed. Greg and Sharron leave HQ and rendezvous with Katana. Greg checks the details on the news report and finds out the video feed was uploaded 45 minutes to an unused IP. The server was located in China. The video shows the three NEST team members leaving the vehicle, withdrawing their sidearms, and shooting themselves in the head. Just before the video feed was cut, a shadow of an aircraft appeared overhead.
When Section 10 finally arrives, it is too late. They push through the Police line and find the bodies of the NEST team that took the nukes from them. They search and fine the one who witnessed it. He said a strange aircraft came down and took some things from the truck and flew away. The Nukes are gone. The group leave as they realize their cover may be exposed of they remain any longer.
Back at HQ. Greg and Sharron finally face Katana. She refuses to be brain-dived. Sharron says she concedes or she leaves. She agrees to leave. Greg says she cannot. They face her with what they know…she has programs similar to attacker on Sagawa on her system. Her actions have been suspicious. She is either behind it or is connected to those who are.
A slight smirk washes over Katana’s face.
“Well, I guess I know too much…” She pulls her gun, points it her own head, and pulls the trigger. Her cyberbrain plasters over the sidewall. The body drops. Greg salvages through the remains, to see if there is anything in the brain salvaging. He finds no ghost. Instead he locates a DECOT…a remote controlled prosthetic body. Katana was remote controlled all this time. Also inside is an image imprinted on the inside of the braincase. It shows a Japanese symbol that means, “Mark” with 13 slashes behind it. 13 Marks or Mark 13—as in version 13? The nukes are gone, a political powder keg has been lit, and the only person that could answer their questions is now gone. Also inside is a datafile not destroyed. In it is a single line: “…If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.”
The roar of their transport approaching cuts off the investigation. The Yodanari is approaching. This time, it is bristling with 6 Gattling cannons. The group avoids taking either vehicle. They sneak out and separate just as the transport approaches and shreds the building to pieces. After 100 000 rounds expend, the vehicle flies away, leaving a crumbled mess, which sparks ablaze.
Sharron hooks up with his Yakuza contact, which gives him a private room, hidden from the world. Greg returns to his old apartment and gathers what he can before moving on. He leaves Etorufu altogether and vanishes into the sea of information. Ben remains around Etorufu. He rents an apartment and waits.
Greg checks the net--all his Hacker contacts. He knows Section 9 was trying to reach them. Now he needs to find a way to contact them…but on his own terms. And then there was Fylfot.
“Things are not always as they seem.” Fylfot knew. He picks apart the Trash bomb virus Fylfot left at Sagawa. It was a message from Fylfot to him…that they had all been Ghost Hacked. Fylfot tried to set them free. She or He could be Greg’s only salvation. He places a finger on the net, in hopes of catching a message from Fylfot, or perhaps from Section 9.
Sharron checks his contacts all over the world. He pulls in all his favors. The Russian army contact re-affirms…Orthus is dead. His Chinese embassy contact checks his intelligence, and reveals there is additional money funded into Public Security, but nothing dealing with Section 10.
Ben, however, has no connections. All he has is a bounty on his head. If he is not contracted to Public Security, that means he is still contracted to Sagawa Electronics…meaning he has gone rogue. He’s walking in the park when Section 9’s tracker they placed on the keycard locates him. Ben still had it in his pocket. Section 9 surrounds him by stealth. Kusanagi herself delivers the gauntlet punch that knocks him out.
The group returns to their base and begin investigating the cryptic message left for them during the Shinjuku incident. The Japanese NEST team arrives to pick up the two nukes. Sections 10 turns on the news and realize the aftereffects of what happened. China is accusing Japan of creating an incident with the fallen satellite. Mob violence has occurred in several Chinese cities. A Powder Keg seems ready to burst. Section 10 watches in horror as they realize what has happened.
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER / SHOWDOWN
Greg fixates on one program. It shows a news reporter interviewing Colonel Holden, commander of the American Empire forces stationed on a small base in Japan.
“Let me tell you story. Late 1970s. An object crashes in Northern Montana. Witnesses reached the crash site. They reported a strange acorn-shaped craft. Military arrived and sealed the area. For the next decade, the public screamed bloody murder, claiming we had retrieved yet another alien spacecraft. The report becomes mocked and dismissed by the masses as yet another alien conspiracy…nonsense.”
“What was it?” asks the reporter.
“Around the same time, a Russian Satellite entered the atmosphere, equipped with a new advanced re-entry system. International treaty stipulates that all spacecraft landing in foreign territory must be returned to the original country.”
“So you used the public’s paranoia of the military to retrieve prohibited Russian technology. How does that pertain to here? We using the public’s paranoia of nuclear weapons and terrorism against them…what crashed here?”
“I really can’t comment on that…”
…But the word on Nuclear weapons hasn’t been released…so how did this American Colonel know? Did he leak the reporter to ask the question? The implications start to set in. China is not a country one wants to back to the wall. If the satellite nuclear payload is disclosed, then Japan must admit culpability in its absence. If they illegally stole nuclear weapons from China, they would be in hot water with the global community. However, this would involve China admitting it stationed nuclear weapons in orbit around Japan in the first place. Did the American Empire stage this incident to shoot down the satellite or was it shot down by China in order to start something? The more the members of Section 10 realize the implications, the more they get confused as to why they were ordered to retrieve the nukes in the first place.
Greg remains suspicious of Orthus ever since they tried to hack him when they first infiltrated Etorufu. He checks his Cyberbrain and stumbles across a Back-Door access, allowing someone to enter this Cyberbrain even when in Autistic Mode. He checks Ben and Sharron and discovers the same hack. Katana refuses to be scanned. Greg cleans up the hack and removes the virus. Katana takes Ben, still injured from his fight with the female Cyborg, to the Hospital for servicing.
Sharron contacts Aramaki but discovers he is unavailable. Sharron does discover a surveillance bug in the holograph room. He and Greg continue searching and find them in every room, except Katana’s. Greg decides to break into Katana’s external memory. What he finds is very little, except for a few simple programs she had designed herself. However, they match the same programming profile as the virus that hijacked the Golem at Sagawa Electronics. Could this be another connection?
Greg and Sharron agree they can no longer trust Katana. She was the only one that retrieved supplies for them. Where were they coming from? Sharron’s contact in Russia re-affirms his earlier claim…that Orthus, the original group from the Meguro Recapture Operation, was taken out. If there is a one in Japan…it’s a new one. Perhaps the Orthus incident was staged by someone else to make the group clash with Section 9, without tipping his hat. Does Section 9 know of this? Does Section 10 even exist?
Katana breaks into the servicing room, demanding Ben Return with him to base. She does not explain. This occurs before Greg and Sharron can safely contact him about their suspicions about Katana. When they finally do, they hear that Ben and Kat are racing back. When asked, Katana tell Ben and Sharron to check to the latest news blog.
The NEST team was hit. The news programs reports that a government vehicle struck a pole. The three occupants exited the vehicle and promptly shot themselves. They were hacked. The video signal is from a cyberbrain’s visual feed. Greg and Sharron leave HQ and rendezvous with Katana. Greg checks the details on the news report and finds out the video feed was uploaded 45 minutes to an unused IP. The server was located in China. The video shows the three NEST team members leaving the vehicle, withdrawing their sidearms, and shooting themselves in the head. Just before the video feed was cut, a shadow of an aircraft appeared overhead.
When Section 10 finally arrives, it is too late. They push through the Police line and find the bodies of the NEST team that took the nukes from them. They search and fine the one who witnessed it. He said a strange aircraft came down and took some things from the truck and flew away. The Nukes are gone. The group leave as they realize their cover may be exposed of they remain any longer.
Back at HQ. Greg and Sharron finally face Katana. She refuses to be brain-dived. Sharron says she concedes or she leaves. She agrees to leave. Greg says she cannot. They face her with what they know…she has programs similar to attacker on Sagawa on her system. Her actions have been suspicious. She is either behind it or is connected to those who are.
A slight smirk washes over Katana’s face.
“Well, I guess I know too much…” She pulls her gun, points it her own head, and pulls the trigger. Her cyberbrain plasters over the sidewall. The body drops. Greg salvages through the remains, to see if there is anything in the brain salvaging. He finds no ghost. Instead he locates a DECOT…a remote controlled prosthetic body. Katana was remote controlled all this time. Also inside is an image imprinted on the inside of the braincase. It shows a Japanese symbol that means, “Mark” with 13 slashes behind it. 13 Marks or Mark 13—as in version 13? The nukes are gone, a political powder keg has been lit, and the only person that could answer their questions is now gone. Also inside is a datafile not destroyed. In it is a single line: “…If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.”
The roar of their transport approaching cuts off the investigation. The Yodanari is approaching. This time, it is bristling with 6 Gattling cannons. The group avoids taking either vehicle. They sneak out and separate just as the transport approaches and shreds the building to pieces. After 100 000 rounds expend, the vehicle flies away, leaving a crumbled mess, which sparks ablaze.
Sharron hooks up with his Yakuza contact, which gives him a private room, hidden from the world. Greg returns to his old apartment and gathers what he can before moving on. He leaves Etorufu altogether and vanishes into the sea of information. Ben remains around Etorufu. He rents an apartment and waits.
Greg checks the net--all his Hacker contacts. He knows Section 9 was trying to reach them. Now he needs to find a way to contact them…but on his own terms. And then there was Fylfot.
“Things are not always as they seem.” Fylfot knew. He picks apart the Trash bomb virus Fylfot left at Sagawa. It was a message from Fylfot to him…that they had all been Ghost Hacked. Fylfot tried to set them free. She or He could be Greg’s only salvation. He places a finger on the net, in hopes of catching a message from Fylfot, or perhaps from Section 9.
Sharron checks his contacts all over the world. He pulls in all his favors. The Russian army contact re-affirms…Orthus is dead. His Chinese embassy contact checks his intelligence, and reveals there is additional money funded into Public Security, but nothing dealing with Section 10.
Ben, however, has no connections. All he has is a bounty on his head. If he is not contracted to Public Security, that means he is still contracted to Sagawa Electronics…meaning he has gone rogue. He’s walking in the park when Section 9’s tracker they placed on the keycard locates him. Ben still had it in his pocket. Section 9 surrounds him by stealth. Kusanagi herself delivers the gauntlet punch that knocks him out.