The local grocery store in west Tokyo opens up early today. The cashiers are standing in their positions at the registers while smiling like plastic dolls. Customers are already entering the store since they have been waiting all morning to enter. Everything is just fine…too fine so it seems.
The automatic doors open and close, welcoming each customer inside but these newer customers were unlike the others. A tall, slender woman in a white button shirt leads a group of men into the grocery store. Her navy blue pencil skirt moves with the motions of her hips and thighs. She strides with great confidence and sex appeal as she walks to one of the cashiers.
"Mind telling me where they are?" The woman asks with a smile. She tilts her head ever so slightly, causing her violet locks to sway.
"A-Aisle 4, ma'am…but it may have moved to aisle 5…" The young male cashier responds nervously with his twitching grin.
"Thanks." She turns and walks to aisle 5. Her crimson eyes scan the area with precision. The men who are with her split up and are casually looking through the other aisles and frozen food sections.
One of the men catches up to this woman. As she is looking at one of the canned goods she hears, "Major…look at this…" Major Motoko Kusanagi looks to her left and sees her fellow companion Batou, a big burly cyborg with round prosthetic eyes and a face anyone can remember.
He gives a big goofy grin as he holds up a can of baked beans asking with a pun, "How you bean?"
Major shoots him an unamused glare before looking at one of the random items in front of her.
"C'mon, that was funny." Batou chuckles while putting the can back in its place. He turns to look at her once again but his grin fades as he warns a bit quietly, "Major…"The Major looks to her right and sees an elderly lady, pushing a stroller down the aisle.
[I got this…] Major states through their cyber brain communications. Batou gives a single nod and leaves in the opposite direction but is sure to stay nearby.
"Hello young lady." The old woman greets with a wrinkling smile and cracking voice, "Nice morning isn't it?"
"It sure is." Major replies politely, "How are you?"
"Oh, I've been better…I'm not any younger than yesterday." The woman almost cackles. She abruptly changes the subject asking, "Would you like to see my granddaughter? She's such a doll." She pulls back the hood of the stroller and reveals an infant child. Its eyes open at the sensation of sudden light and it turns its head about in every direction.
"Sorry, ma'am…" Major says as she reaches for her purse and smiles, "I don't like babies."
The old woman's face shifts to a more sinister look and the baby begins to cry. When the cry was turning into a wail, its face opens up, revealing an iron endoskeleton with a large bright red light blinking and beeping in the center. The Major rapidly pulls out her gun and fires it directly into the blinking light, destroying the baby-bot's head within seconds. The old woman runs off and before she could turn into the other aisle, the Major shoots her in the right leg.
[I want this place on lockdown!] Major cyber comms the cashiers through their computers.
The cashiers simultaneously pull the levers found underneath each countertop. It activates the store's lockdown mode in which nothing can get in or out without the use of explosives. All doors and windows are being sealed with reinforced steel and whoever attempts to break out is automatically considered an enemy.
[Borma, the old woman is wounded and is near your position. Batou, I need you to take down the big guy in the fruit's section.] Major orders, [I'll go after the younger woman in the frozen food aisle. Togusa, I sense someone heading towards one of the doors. Take them down.]
[Roger!] The three men respond.
Batou first finds his target. His target is a man of similar build and wears black sunglasses despite being indoors in a casually lit area. His sunglasses definitely give away the fact that he is not some regular customer. Batou pulls out his trusty FN Browning BDA pistol and aims it at the suspect. The man takes notice and makes a run for it as Batou fire his gun. The man is faster than what the ex-militant expected so he ended up shooting some watermelons in his place. Batou curses to himself for missing but he promptly goes after his target.
Borma easily takes down the old woman and instead of completely destroying her; he shuts her down and throws her now motionless body over his shoulder. He informs Major, [I've got the old lady.]
[Good. Hold your position until all the androids have been brought down.] She replies before cutting their connection. She then makes it to her own target and has her Seburo M5 in hand. The female suspect wearing a French maid-like outfit turns to look at the Major and aims her arm at her. Her arm opens up, turning into a canon, and begins to charge. Major quickly evades the beam of ammunition shooting out of it and runs toward the target. The two machines fought hand-to-hand since charging up the canon once more would take too long for the android. Kusanagi trips her opponent with a quick motion of her strong legs and the android falls back. She attempts to aim her canon again but is suddenly shot execution style by the cyborg.
Togusa waits near one of the exit doors. He does not pull out his Mateba 2008M so he would not look suspicious and startle whatever was coming to his position. He looks around but does not see anyone nearby. He feels rather frustrated and begins to think that Major may have been pulling his leg as she sometimes does. Right when such thoughts came to mind, he sees someone peeking at him from a nearby aisle and he grows alert. Whoever it is, they start running. He follows the sound and runs after it.
He finds himself in the back of the store where groceries from all around Japan are imported. He continues to hear the rapid footsteps but they always seem to be 10 steps ahead of him. He decides to stop and listen. Togusa looks around and finally catches up to the suspect. He aims his Mateba at a large open air vent that is located on one of the walls near the floor. To his astonishment, he sees a brown hooded girl inside with long blue hair and grey eyes. She reminds him of his own daughter who looks around the same age. The mysterious girl begins slowly shaking her head before crawling through the air vent passage. Togusa lowers his weapon and stares at the vent. He does not know what to do and is not sure if he even wants to go after the young girl; she looks too innocent to be a destructive device.
[Major...my suspect got away...] Togusa informs hesitantly.
[What?] Her response sounds sharp and cold like a dagger. She normally would scold him for something like this but she did not want to waste her breath. [Meet us back outside.]
[Roger.] Togusa looks at the vent once again before leaving the area.
The team meet up outside in front of the store. Borma carries and places the old woman android inside the back of a Tachikoma, a large blue spider-like think tank. He then returns indoors to help bring out the maid lady. Batou is practically dragging the man he took down due to how heavy the body is. Major arrives with the damaged babybot and carelessly tosses it on the ground in front of her.
Togusa sees this and practically shudders, "Do you really have to toss it?..."
"It was a bomb, not a baby." Major replies before furrowing her brows, "Your target could have easily been a bomb. Which way did it go?"
"She escaped through one of the air vents in the back of the store."
"'She'?"
"Yeah. She looked like a young girl...perhaps around the age of my daughter..."
"You let her go." Major concludes.
"She didn't look like the others! She seemed...human."
"I'll be the judge of that." Major turns to one of the tachikomas and says, "Let's search out back for this 'girl'."
"All right!" Tachikoma exclaims in its squeaky voice with excitement. Its pod doors open, allowing Major to enter inside. Once the doors close, the tachikoma begins to head south before going camouflage.
Batou pats Togusa's shoulder with a heavy hand teasing, "Looks like you're not getting paid today."
The tachikoma and Major are scouting the woods, scanning for any traces of this mysterious suspect. They find footprints in the mud that look too deep to be for that of a human. It is a perfect trail for them to follow.
"It's heading towards the city." Major says as she interprets the direction where the footprints lead, "Let's try to get there before It does."
"You got it!" The tachikoma drives past the trees and over rocks. The vehicle maneuvers with quick speed and precision. They make it to the perimeter of the city within five minutes before spotting the girl. Major ejects herself from the tachikoma and follows their suspect.
The two end up in a long alley way as Major shouts, "It's the police. Stop, or I'll be forced to take serious measures."
The girl stops and slowly turns to look at the sultry woman. There is fear in her eyes which is not an expression most androids would obtain. She slowly raises both of her hands up in submission but while doing so, her baggy sleeves roll down to her elbows, revealing her jointed hands and arm.
Major lowers her gun, she is rather shocked at the sight, "You're a full-prosthetic...first year."
The girl nods quietly.
"Where are your caretakers?" Major asks, putting away her gun and is now speaking in a somewhat gentler voice.
The girl gives a puzzled look and shakes her head.
The Major studies her for a moment before saying, "Come with me. You can help answer questions at HQ."
The child is hesitant and is not sure if she could trust this woman despite obviously being that of a public official. The girl soon steps up and follows.
Section 9 Headquarters is a large and impressive building. If it is possible to have any building in the world that could be the absolute landmark for advanced technology used in the field, it would be here. Currently, Major has taken this mysterious cyber girl into the interrogation room of the facility. Kusanagi, however, must wait outside with Batou. They watch through the double sided mirror as the girl answers questions for Chief Aramaki, who is the head of Section 9, and Togusa.
"Is she able to talk much?" Batou asks.
"Of course." Kusanagi replies to an obvious question but then clarifies, "However, she seems to have limited facial movement...that's usually the case for full-prosthetics in their first year anyway."
Batou nods, "How the hell did she end up in that mess back at the mission location?"
Kusanagi shrugs, "Only one way to find out."
Chief Aramaki finally exits the room and the other men gather round, ready to hear the new information. The old boss straightens his back and eyes everyone.
"She says her name is Leiko and that just a year ago, she and her parents were involved in a fatal car accident. She didn't say what specifically happened but in any case, she was the only survivor. Her caretakers officially adopted her just a few months ago but promptly went missing. There are already a few files on their disappearance and I will give copies out once they're on hand."
"Why was she at the grocery store?" Kusanagi asks as she looks at Leiko in the other room.
"Looking for food I presume." Aramaki responds, "She has been living on her own since her caretakers vanished...that's how Togusa found her in the ventilation."
Kusanagi gave a nod and was silent. She could not help but feel sorry for the girl even if she did not want to admit it.
"Now because she is on her own and with caretakers who may or may not be dead, she cannot stay at a foster home. We have no power to make that decision and since it is against company policy that we have children here at Section 9, she must go home with one of you...Major." Chief Aramaki looked directly at the woman.
Her eyes widen a bit, "You're kidding."
Batou is trying his best to hold back a laugh.
"No, I'm not kidding." Aramaki replies.
"It's because I'm a woman, is that it?" Kusanagi crosses her arms in disgust.
"That's only partially the case." He admits, "But I also know that you have enough space at your safehouse for another person. Also, why the hell would I send this girl off to stay with any of these problematic men?"
"I would think Togusa is the better option choice for this..."
"Togusa already has his hands full with two children." Chief Aramaki rebukes, "Now quit complaining and take responsibility; that's an order."
A part of the Major wants to strangle the chief but at the same time, she knows that she would not get paid if she does so. Togusa and Leiko finally exit the interrogation room and wait for someone to catch them up on the situation. Chief Aramaki waits for Major to make the announcement herself instead so she finally gives in.
"You're going to stay with me." Major sighs, "But only for a short period of time, got that?"
Leiko gives a silent nod and follows the woman to leave the building. The men are highly amused and snicker amongst themselves, curious to see if the Major could handle playing "Mother".