-102: Intelligence Reports—

Message secured via TASX protocol. Endpoint is Great Barrier, via Red Sickle, origin Rising Sun

Please be advised. Report data has not been corroborated or confirmed. Per Rising Sun status as marginally hostile, cooperation with local authorities impossible.

Begin report:

Tenative asset LOCKOUT condition confirmed as alive, identified in western quadrant. Routine believed to be semi-regular in nature; exact nature of routine is unknown due to [SEGMENT REDACTED]. ASIS query on LOCKOUT affiliation remains unknown; geographic location implies independent status or possible loose alliance with local authority. WOODCUTTER chatter on LOCKOUT restricted to internal channels. LOCKOUT mentions on internal chatter incorrectly indicates asset is in southern quadrant with further status unknown. Public chatter is unlikely due to public and WOODCUTTER focus on PARASOL, and potential embarrassment due to [SEGMENT REDACTED].

PARASOL activities indicate escalation beyond southern quadrant in spite of WOODCUTTER actions. Coinciding with spread rate, WOODCUTTER chatter suggests prep for similar escalation.

[SEGMENT REDACTED]

As of 60 hours ago, LOCKOUT routine became erratic and was observed moving toward southern quadrant. Unknown if this movement is due to PARASOL activity or other source. LOCKOUT was confirmed to be in proximity to PARASOL via external chatter shortly before WOODCUTTER escalation action in southern quadrant. Actual sympathy to PARASOL rated as negligible due to BALDWHITE reports on asset [SEGMENT REDACTED].

WOODCUTTER chatter erratic, but direct observation indicates that WOODPILE was met by PARASOL as a divide-and-conquer action with an unknown number of logs being knocked free. Implication of PARASOL organizational structure being unaffected by escalation event suggests southern quadrant was not source. Full results of WOODPILE action still in progress, but due to holding of [SEGMENT REDACTED: ASIS-LEVEL CLEARANCE]. Future observation required to identify potential retaliation, but will reduce visibility as a precaution.

Current Status of LOCKOUT unknown. Condition of southern quadrant not receptive to operations via silicon or organic means. Proximity to PARASOL strongly implies asset was caught in escalation event: survival odds rated low, despite reports from BALDWHITE.

Regards, ACE

Robalson had to scan through the document twice to get his brain to untangle the spy-speak. At least the news wasn't all bad, even if fairly convoluted. At long last, his overseas partner agency was able to provide him with a report instead of the usual opposite. Better than that, a personal connection from his cadet days had made sure the raw report had made it to his desk. A mostly raw report, Robalson mentally amended, his eyes settling over the redactions yet again.

But, it was good. Good enough to perhaps mollify Monica's state of belligerent irritation for the time being. Kneading tired eyes, the beleaguered officer hoped so. Allen's desk had been cleared out and all his worldly goods had been tossed into the evidence lockers within a week after the event—less his few personal effects claimed by Monica and remaining an open secret.

Casting a final glance at the clock at his desk, Robalson winced at the hour. Just one last email to send and he could go home. The replacement had been as well received as well as he could've hoped. Fresh out of the training program, decent marks, smart enough to not pry into who she was replacing—maybe better than expected. He had been offered first dibs on the next unit to come out of the medical Research and Development division, but that was going to be months between finding volunteers and the survival rate. There was also the potential blowback from the team over the whole 'replacement goldfish' issue.

Between Trisha's slashed throat and Robert needing to literally tape his arm back on, it was a damn miracle that there was only one replacement after that ten minutes of insanity. The even itself would keep the office gossip going hot for at least a year, and from the general purpose emails warning the Bureau against spreading rumors, the story had definitely made it to both coasts at this point. Robalson's personal view was that he would've rather have given up an arm himself rather than go though the meeting that happened after the debacle at the office.

Before it had devolved into the blame game, Robalson's role in this meeting had been to answer any questions about the actual events. Then, when the special-rank Tactical Squad leads had joined the conference call, it was revealed that Monica had made the situation that much more of a problem—because of course she had—by actually nominating Allen to have his T-class bumped up to a Tx-class. Naturally, the cannibal had neglected to tell anyone about this development. Thank fuck they hadn't considered Allen ready to join, because they might've had the will and enough favors to call in to force some kind of action. This was a group where the top twenty were literally on the Presidential security detail, not to mention actual ghoul on the line having taken two shots for Kennedy. So for the first time, Robalson was able to take some solace in the fact that Allen had not yet been as combat adept as his R-sac donor.

Everyone had been mad, even if they had refused to admit it had been souring the atmosphere that was threatening to eagerly waterboard the conference. The political-minded Public Affairs director had been infuriated that the source of the trouble, Matsuri Washuu, had not been kept alive at all costs—even with significant loss of personnel and that the 'highly unfortunate loss' of Allen was worth it to keep the noise down. The Personnel Head had been frothing at the mouth at the idea that some temporary trade was worth more than a team of her highly trained—though according to her, domesticated—ghouls, fallout be damned.

The head of Intelligence was absolutely eager to wring some poor sap's neck for even sending Allen overseas in the first place on the grounds that he was basically a trove of medical information. Based on how little he added beyond his 'great disappointment', Operations was worried that his neck was ripe for the taking.

Halfway through the meeting, despite knowing better, Robalson had started to wonder how the BGA actually managed to function.

Mr Arima,

Per the special standing order, I have removed the information noted below from the general records and will be sending it posthaste for your review. My apologies for sending this in the immediate aftermath and creating more work, but this may be of high importance.

During the lead up to and raid on Aogiri in the eleventh ward, a number of previously unknown ghouls emerged from the woodwork in the area. One of these, a tentative B-rate at the time, was noted in the wide vicinity of the Aogiri base and given the identification of 'Ghost' by the intelligence team. No prior information on this ghoul or mask was in the database and it was unknown if this ghoul is a migrant from the twenty fourth ward or was simply a scavenger who escaped the notice of the local CCG and Aogiri.

However, in the aftermath of the Aogiri raid, two more positive identifications were made. One was in Tower Seven, where Ghost encountered the survivors of squad thirteen, exterminating four ghouls and murdering one CCG Investigator. Based on the audio-visual data from the helmet cameras, it can be confirmed with eighty percent certainty that the ghoul known as 'Ghost' is in actuality confirmed ghoul Allen Grissom, previously affiliated with the American BGA. This may be further confirmed from the intelligence Investigator Koutarou Amon provided to the commander of the Eleventh Ward Special Countermeasures Unit, Itsuke Marude.

Kagune traces at the site have been fast-tracked to forensics for a positive identification. Also, I have included kagune shards found in the corpse of the ghoul Jason, collected by one Juuzou Suzuya, as they appeared to be a close visual match.

My personal evaluation of the sequence of events is that it appears that Grissom was specifically aiming to exterminate Jason, given the incomplete records we have access to and assuming the forensics confirm the match. His success would place him as at least an S-Rank, far in excess of the B-Rank that we have given to the general-access records. Even if the constructed profile indicates that this ghoul would not seek out CCG members, the low rating may force the issue by encouraging him to be underestimated and tracked by a newbie seeking accolades.

As you have no doubt already concluded, this ghoul is far different than any other quarry. He has sizable knowledge of the practices and behaviors of ghoul investigators, negating several advantages we usually enjoy—evident in his going to ground in the eleventh ward and dropping off our radar nearly perfectly in that regard. Equally unique is that Grissom is formally trained—to the extent that I was very likely, though certainly not to that of your own—which makes him that much more of an unknown. While our team and other top-tier teams could exterminate him with little difficulty, the problem boils down to finding this ghoul.

At the core of the issue is the training; this ghoul knows and has been trained in essentially our own methods, as a result making a passive search absolutely necessary, as active searches will cause the target to go to ground. More worryingly is that if a group of Investigators try and fail to exterminate, the situation may escalate further and this Grissom may move to actively treat the CCG as a target.

I will continue to re-review the data at hand for possible shortcomings, and eagerly await your own thoughts on the matter.

Cordially,

Take Hirako