Episode 13:
Eika Tokura, the first girl to receive cyberbrain enhancements several years ago is kidnapped at the age of 16 by a terrorist organization affiliating itself with the ideas of the Human Liberation Front. The HLF is a political organization that believes that cyberization is an unholy practice and that it is important that people remain all-natural, so-to-speak.
The mystery arises when a woman who looks astonishingly like the 16-year-old version of this girl appears in the midst of the terrorist organization itself, a fully-fledged member, participating in events simply days before. They are already provided with intelligence acquired by a separate party concerning the genetic veracity of the individual: her DNA does, in fact, match the DNA of the woman taken over a decade past.
The team is tasked with infiltrating a facility that is believed to be the last known location of the this girl and "figure out what the hell is going on," as Chief Aramaki says.
After arriving at the site, Batou, Saito (the sniper), and one of the Tachikomas are walking around, awaiting a signal that will update them on the timeline of the operation. In the meantime, there is a brief exchange in which Saito remarks on how disgusting "cyborg food" appears as Batou eats it with a smile and the Tachikoma begins telling them about how the crowd of people in the marketplace they are occupying could be full of terrorists and they would never know about it. While one of the salesmen attempts to sell Batou on something, the Tachikoma sends Batou the signal that has just arrived, and Batou expresses his anger at the terrorists making them wait so long to make an appearance; he gestures violently at the augmented reality data that only he can see though, so the shopkeeper gets confused believing that the men are angry with him.
Upon entering the facility, team members encounter one of the operatives from a previous task force, and the person has gone completely mad (repeatedly saying, "Erase them!"), somehow as a result of connecting with "the leader", apparently referring to the younger girl they are ordered to
When Kusanagi storms in on the inner chamber where the terrorist leader is believed to be, they find the 16-year-old girl berating an older woman on acting foolishly and hold them back. When Kusanagi apprehends the girl, she finds that she doesn't have the cyberbrain implants of the original girl and is in fact a clone. The real girl is the elderly woman who was being criticized.
The case closes up with a confused and somber team that wonders what in the world could have happened to her to cause her to age so quickly in such a short span of time.
Episode 14:
The episode opens with an unnamed woman getting off of a plane and looking at the night's cityscape, saying, "this city is haunted by a specter, the specter of capitalism."
It then transitions to the team ambushing a meetup of a criminal group attempting to get revenge on some high-level corporations in south China. After stopping them and investigating the digital files they had on them, they determine that a powerful investor was backing them, a man named Yokose Kanemoto. Apparently he plays e-trading and investing, making a killing, and spending much of his money on the acquisition of gold, despite the fact that he doesn't make many trips to the public. He is a "new breed of corporate extortionist" as he went from mathematician to personal investor.
While discussing the case, the team gets a call from a south China official. Apparently while investigating who had smuggled weapons to the gangsters, they discovered one expenditure that was unmarked, which - from past experience - lead him to believe that an underground assassin was hired for a job. He thought it would be important to notify the Japanese task force. Aramaki instructs them to put round-the-clock security on Yokose, just to be safe.
The unnamed woman from the beginning is then shown again at a bank, exchanging yen for Chinese funds, despite the fact that the clerk informs her the trade is currently more favorable for the yen. She is shown stashing the lines of coins she just exchanged into a hidden gun within her arm. Smirking, she drives off.
Ishikawa explains that he hasn't been able to find any information on Yokose due to the fact that he never makes an appearance anywhere, isn't cyberized, and has had only indirect contact with people in recent times. So all the intel they have is the fact that they know where he lives. He does manage to come across a maintenance appointment on his personal computer, so he fabricates a time and ID for Kusanagi so that she can stroll right in the front door.
Batou gets tied up dealing with some robotic guard dogs. The assassin's car is found out front, so she is one step ahead of them. Kusanagi makes it inside, and sees no one but android servants. She instructs one of the Tachikomas to watch her back as she goes in, but while she is hacking into one of the computers, an android spots her and, detecting suspicious behavior, reveals its weaponry. The major takes it out quickly and scolds the Tachikoma for failing to protect her. The Tachikoma defends itself because it is plugged into one of the androids and informs her that none of them have defense barriers, but the major says that its job is to be her shield, to which the Tachikoma replies, "I don't think of myself that way."
As the assassin begins to shoot at the sleeping Yokose because of his greed (buying up all the wealth of gold and just holding it away from the poor), Kusanagi stops her and breaks her weapon. Shortly thereafter, Togusa and Batou show up (Batou hacked the dogs and made them think he was Yokose), and the three of them discover that Yokose was actually already dead, seemingly of old age. He had devised a money-making program that would simply operate independent of him, and because he was known to be a recluse, no one noticed that he had died some 4 months earlier.
The gold bullion all ends up being taken by the government since the man has no next of kin and his legal advisors are notified of his death. The assassin is arrested, and Togusa sees fit to put one of the yen the assassin used with Yokose as the police take his body away.
Episode 15:
Saito tests out an automatic sniping tool that he was evaluating as bad tech because of the interference he felt it had on ordinary sniping. He hit the target he was aiming at, but only due to his own skill and fighting against the machine's attempts to "correct" his shot. When he and Bouma bring the device back to the base, the Tachikomas flood in, interested to see whether it will become part of Section 9's arsenal, but Saito explains that, for a minimal prosthetic person like him (only his left eye and arm are robotic), the device actually gets in the way of his work.
The Tachikoma's want to try and link up with the sniping system, so they confuse one of the base's androids that are looking after the device by asking it to solve a "self-referenced paradox" ("I never ever tell lies."). After temporarily overloading it, they surreptitiously link up with the sniping system and discover that the whole reason it had "interference" was because it was interpreting Saito's organic inputs as foreign signals and the Tachikoma's start feeling sorry for it, thinking of it as just being a misunderstood and confused robot.
After realizing what the future of the device was (lab testing or scrappage), the Tachikomas begin panicking, thinking that they might be next. They all group together and start discussing the idea. First they deliberate about what the feeling of "dying" might be like, and whether or not they even can die. how Major Kusanagi has been acting cautious around them. They have been noticing their collective discovery of individuality and are worried that the Major will decide to do away with them if she discovers that they are developing unique personalities. The Major, however, is already on to them, and is preparing to talk with Batou about dismissing the Tachikomas and replacing their minds, effectively zeroing them out.
Batou takes his personal Tachikoma out to the training grounds with the recruits and the Tachikoma begins expressing its fearfulness of the Major. It's concerned because it feels that the major doesn't like "something they've acquired recently: individuality." Batou appears all confused, and then the Tachikoma begins talking about how it finally feels like its beginning to understand the concept of God to some degree. It says that, "maybe, just maybe" the God is like analog as the zero is to digital, or in other words, "a symbol that denies the absence of meaning". Batou ends up re-evaluating his sense that his personal Tachikoma is quite the perfect little robot.
Anticipating the Tachikomas in advance, Kusanagi meets with Batou in a room that blocks EM waves so that the Tachikomas can less easily detect what they are saying. She then starts talking about how Batou's methods in handling the soldier recruits needs to be re-examined and that some of the soldiers have to be sent home. Meanwhile, via cybercom, the two are in reality discussing the Tachikomas in a very similar manner about the real issue. The Tachikomas, seeing Kusanagi bring in Batou for questioning, have a cloaked Tachikoma get in close proximity to the discussion and look through the walls, lip-reading to find out if they are saying anything about scrapping the Tachikomas.
When the major is done explaining the situation to Batou, he reluctantly submits to the order. The Tachikoma listening in reports the recruits-variation of the situation to the others, telling them all that things will be fine and most of them begin to feel much more relaxed.
Episode 16:
The episode opens up with the Tachikomas being told they are going back to the lab, but they don't suspect anything now so they are only too happy to return. Batou watches them as they go, a stern resignation in his expression. Batou then accepts an undercover assignment where he is to make contact with potential spy Pavlo Zaitsev. Upon discovering who put Zaitsev to work, he is to apprehend both parties.
Togusa prepares to give Batou a ride to the military base where Zaitsev works as a hand-to-hand combat instructor when he mentions that Batou is feeling down. Batou denies that it's because of the Tachikomas leaving and instead says that he used to really be a fan of Zaitsev who apparently had a history of winning boxing matches throughout his life - even winning the paralympics once. Posing as a visiting soldier from a navy cruiser that just blew into town, he enters the training facility and spars with the guy in a match in front of all the trainees, putting up a good fight before he gets knocked out by "the prosthetic blindspot" (he presumably can't see a particular area due to his prosthetic eyes and Zaitsev bashes him right in the face at one moment).
Invigorated by the presence of a skilled patron, Zaitsev invites Batou back to his home where they talk about Zaitsev's history (Batou examines his many trophies on the wall). Batou mentions that the whole reason he was interested in coming over was to learn about the prosthetic blindspot and wonders why he didn't use it during that last match. Zaitsev reminisces about that last match (not answering his original question), and explains how all the prosthetic manufacturers and financial backers were nowhere to be seen after that incident. His wife brings some home-made, family drinks and snack for them to have, but Zaitsev gets disappointed in his wife for bringing out something so cheap, and then he decides that they are just going to go out to have drinks.
Right after inviting him, Zaitsev's phone goes off and he goes to the side to have a private conversation for a moment. Talking with the wife, Batou finds that he values the family-oriented way in which she was trying to provide hospitality and mentions that he has a wife and a 6-year-old kid himself. Zaitsev pops back in at that moment and says Batou doesn't seem the type. He then tells him that something has come up and that they'll have their drink another time.
The next day, as Zaitsev is working, he runs in to Batou who's been training in the facility. Zaitsev says he is going to take a coffee break and Batou claims he's off to the showers. Zaitsev moves into an office room where one of his fans goes to fetch something for him. While they're gone, he takes the opportunity to begin hacking into one of the computers in the office, stealing data. Batou meanwhile enters Zaitsev's office and tries to backhack the data live. Zaitsev detects that someone is backhacking is hack somehow though, and increases the time it will take purposefully as he makes his way back to his office, confident that that is where his opponent is. Batou is waiting in the office, trying to finish the backhack. By the time Zaitsev gets inside his office, Batou is gone, without a successful backhack. Zaitsev notifies his superiors of the potential threat and they warn him to be wary of "new faces" which makes him think of Batou.
Zaitsev takes Batou out for a drink, and in the midst of their talking, Zaitsev gets another phone call. He goes out to take the call, but proceeds towards a nearby riverside that turns out to be a drop-off point for some of his data. Batou confronts him, shoots down the people Zaitsev is working for, and enters into a fistfight with Zaitsev, calling him pathetic. Batou defeats him, right when Zaitsev uses his winning "prosthetic blindspot," proving that his winning technique was in fact a fraud, that there is no blindspot, that Batou let him win back at their first meeting. Zaitsev admits that he was the one with the "blindspot in his heart" as he is arrested and the episode closes with Batou beating a punching bag, endlessly criticizing Zaitsev, shouting into the air.
Analysis:
In each of these episodes, we find a group of unique effects that cyberization has had on human relationships. Each case presents a significant lesson to be learned in the involvement of machines with society and the ethics involved in such a revolution.
In episode 13, an entire sub-culture of people grow up hating the very idea of cyberization and for a variety of reasons too. This adds a deep division between those who are approved of cyberization and those who are against it. Is this reason enough to deny the introduction of cyberization into society? Is the power of an idea to sow dissent in humanity reason enough to prevent its entrance into the populace? The Bible holds values of truth and discernment in high regard. It is the duty of humans to, with the help of the Holy Spirit, determine the morality and ethics involved in an action or idea. To borrow from some Enlightenment thought, no minority can be denied a voice by the majority lest a noble and positive idea come from a minority-source and be squashed by the ruling powers.
It is up to Christians, as a members of society, to take an idea, examine it, evaluate it as God would have them, and dictate God's will to the world for the sake of the world's understanding (and potentially following along with the ideas). It is when people begin practicing behaviors that haven't been approved by God and the church, together, (and not just the Catholic church, but the church as it pertains to all Christians in the world collectively) that the potential for sin comes into play.
If people can argue that the introduction of a behavior or principle into society would, by its very nature, have highly detrimental effects on said society, then they have every right to argue for the withdrawal/blocking of such ideas being put into practice; however, it is to be expected that all people will fail to share the same conclusions, and thus politics will get involved in the decision as to whether or not a practice will be adopted by the society. Even among Christians, there will be (and are already) divisions in theology, philosophy, and politics. The best each person can do is trust that, via "[seeking God] with all [their] heart", they will "find [Him]" (Jeremiah 29:13).
Episode 14 tells the story of a man who purposefully arranged his life so that the actions of his existence would continue on automatically through a computer, making money, buying gold, and generally being a recluse. In this sense, despite the fact that he himself hadn't been uploaded into a computer, the machine was still enacting his daily lifestyle just as well as he had done. Could this ever be a good thing? Well, if one were to find a way of designing a machine that would accomplish the beneficial works of God in our world automatically, then yes, that would be a spectacular device. Would that free us to no longer feel obligated to do such good works ourselves? Obviously not, as the machine's actions are not a direct relation to our own spiritual state.
It is a people's own actions and will, together, that culminate in the quality of their spiritual devotion. As John states, faith without works is meaningless. In the same way, arranging for one's works to continue, but without the faith involved, is in no way beneficial to that person's salvation.
Episode 15 demonstrates the power of artificial intelligence and the potential it has to create machines that for whatever reason, spark their own form of personality or individuality. The Tachikoma from the episode, however, does mention the fact that it lacks a ghost to Batou. This implies a self-awareness that is purely artificial. In this way, if it is assumed that the soul isn't merely an artificial construction and actually does exist outside of being a mere concept, humans will still have to decide whether these machines are "alive" or whether they have a digital soul in some way.
Based on the Biblical design, God is the one who breathes life into the creatures of the Earth, therefore humans do not have the power to design life, despite having the ability to give birth to it's physical form. As such, humans will need to re-create their definitions of what it is to be a living being and whether or not humans even have the right to develop creatures that can learn and be self-aware. As humans develop such technologies, they will need to start adjusting to the reality of having robots as "members of society," albeit of a second-tier kind.
Finally, in episode 16, the audience finds Zaitsev who not only switched from a broken famous heavyweight champion lifestyle to a life of espionage and data theft, but also managed to lose himself in the process. While this may not be the wholly the result of cyberization itself, the changed world does provide easier access to behaviors that would seem ignoble to the current society.
With these stories connected, one can see that the civilization formed from the ashes of the cyberized revolution would launch a slew of questions that cannot be readily answered, but require the discipline and focus of society's collective minds to ponder and discern exactly what the right course of action is.
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