Disclaimer: I do not own any Ghost in the Shell. That is proudly owned by Shirow Masamune. This goes for both the original and Stand Alone Complex. Nor do I own any characters created by the Wachowski Brothers.

Entry 41:
Decided to take a break from the journal for a few days, have been dealing with some fairly serious issues, had no humor in me at all. Read back over what I'd written, not quite in the vein I intended. I believe I will put it in my last will and testament that if anything happens to me, Batou has the dubious job of ridding the universe of this journal. He's the only one I trust not to read it. Oh, he'll want to, but if I specifically state he isn't to, he will respect my wishes.
Of course, I do realize that in my present state, I'm basically immortal. I wonder if that's why I keep taking all the dangerous assignments. Am I trying to push my luck, do I believe immortality transposes over into all aspects of my world, or am I looking for an escape from a nicely built cage?

Entry 42:
Togusa brought pictures of his baby daughter in today. Makes me feel real guilty about having had thoughts about him that were of an…improper nature. It's one thing to think half-heartedly about a coworker (even one I hand selected because we needed a straight-man with a purely human brain to round out the team), it's quite another to think that way about a family man. Again, Batou is so going to bomb this journal.
On a side note, finally made contact with Morpheus. I was able to glean enough information that I am able to substantiate what I have learned about both Morpheus and Neo. Morpheus is only a gateway to allow this Neo character to evolve into a higher being. Morpheus doesn't actually exist. It is a very complicated gate program, and I sent a copy to the lab for evaluation.

Entry 43:
A very disturbing episode happened today. One of the tachikomas "got loose" from the collective. It spent the entire day out interacting with people and things. At one point it even found a ghost box, a box that allows a ghost of a human to inhabit and trap unwary people who are looking for escapism and find instead a very pretty cage.
The box bothers me on several levels. We lost an agent to it, and I do not suffer the loss of my people lightly. Plus, I also found myself wanting to stay in the box, to put the cloak of indecisiveness on and shut the door behind me, keeping myself in and all others out. It was a struggle at first to turn and leave, but I knew I had a job to do. I could not save those inside, but I could prevent others from being trapped as well. I believe many people walked into that room not knowing what to expect, and even more are unable to leave because they do not possess the knowledge or the internal strength to fight the lure of Panacea.
The Tachikoma getting out bothered me as well. It did not behave as its programming should have regulated. Of course it has a free-logic AI program, but that program has several failsafe measures that should have prevented the blatant disregard of all recalls, there were seven. When the Tachikoma finally came back, it also downloaded its experiences to the other Tachikomas. I no longer trust Ko. I had diagnostics done on the unit that got out, the only variation I found was that organic oil had been used on it. I know exactly who to talk to about that one, I only know one person who stands firm in his protest of using "artificial" ingredients. Pretty laughable considering he's mostly machine himself.

Entry 44:
What is the saying about good bedfellows making poor working partners? Well, I'm modifying that a little. Good friends standing on opposite sides of the same fence make vicious enemies. For the first time in months, I made Batou so angry he had to walk away from the area of engagement. We had a little discussion about organics in the workplace. Batou believes that the experience the Tachikoma had yesterday was beneficial to the overall progress of the machines' evolution. He said that the organic oil should not have triggered the effect, and that it was only part of the growth cycle of the programming. I pointed out that none of the other Tachs wanted to "go out and play," only the one he'd been dosing with organic oil. I also reminded him that the only thing that separated us from the latest dolls was the small amount of organic material in our bodies. That's when Batou got tight lipped and crossed his hands over his chest and growled at me. "I'll quit using the damned oil, but I'm telling you it doesn't matter." I just looked at him. It does, and you know it. His face turned red and he walked away. Score for the home team, but I don't feel like I won.

Entry 45:
My second hacker agent left today. Both of them have been working on the Morpheus gate. I'm not sure exactly what is going on in their heads, I was rebuffed when I tried to make contact. I am concerned. I am going to dive myself after I deal with the Tachikoma issue. While playing in a chat room today, I got the direct impression that I was being observed. When I came out, I asked my team, they knew nothing about it. What are the chances I have a secret admirer?

Entry 46:
Decommissioned the Tachs today. They were all singing a children's song about detention camps, but none of them knew the significance when Batou asked them about it. He wasn't on my side of the fence until that incident. Later he came and told me about it, and said that although he didn't approve of my method, he agreed with my decision.
Two things bother me. If a small amount of organic material in an AI machine could cause it to reach consciousness, does that mean machines are capable of creating their own souls? Also, if one machine reaches a state of consciousness and then shares that with the collective, does that make all of them conscious, or is it only the one that the others are "experiencing" consciousness through? How would we tell the difference between a memory and a download if this were the case?

Entry 47:
Drew straws today to see who was going to work with Aramaki this week. He's going out of town to meet with some officials of the British Government. Guess who got the short straw. I told Togusa he owed me one, see if he can figure it out.
Aramaki told me to pack for rain. His exact words were; "To quote the Brits, 'it bloody rains all the time unless there's fog, then it's just wet air.'" He also took me aside and said that my propensity for running around in almost nothing was not an acceptable mode of operandi there. I reminded him it wasn't exactly normal here either, but I didn't care. The look I got was priceless. Guess I'm going shopping –dammit.

Entry 48:
Well, if I'd known we were coming over here for a booty call, I would have brought a thicker book to read. The boys back at base would never believe me if I told them, and I respect Aramaki too much to do so. It was entertaining to see him splash on an extra dab of some cologne called "Old Spice." Mmm, not quite what I imagined for an old war dog. An old sea dog maybe, but NOT Aramaki.
Also caught the charming couple in a clench. If it hadn't been for the two others in the cramped quarters with them, I would have shut the lid and come back tomorrow. Guess the chief hasn't lost his charm, she was none too pleased when he got in the car and drove away. I didn't eavesdrop, but she was dressed for action. She gave him a bottle of wine, very NICE wine I might add. We shared it while he filled me in on what happened to cause them to go into hiding.

Entry 49:
Slow day at the shop. Batou is talking about getting a dog…again. Does he not know they shed, bark, and slobber (among other disagreeable things)? Togusa brought a new set of pictures of his daughter, and Aramaki was humming under his breath all day. Very disconcerting, all he could sing was "Yellow Submarine" by the Beatles. I think Ishikawa was ready to stuff him in the back of Batou's car and park it on a slow boat to America. Too bad Batou was on to it, he spent the day growling at Ishikawa and guarding his keys.
Worked on the Morpheus gate. Did some diving and have come to the conclusion that it was a program designed by someone who was trying to determine if people can distinguish between reality, or a very intricate program. The victims are carefully screened based upon their reality. If their reality is acceptable, they are allowed access to the program and are given two choices, their reality that is mostly unbelievable in its ease and perfect-ness, and a fantasy that is believable in its struggles and moral requirements.
The Morpheus program has computed that of the 1,437 individuals who have been accepted, 97 percent of them are able to distinguish and accept reality. The 3 percent that do not (43 individuals), are infected with an AI system that gives them an alternate reality they can believe. They continue to exist in our society, but believe they do so only as if they are hacking the net (where the rest of us are supposed to live). There is a special site set up for them that allows them to interact with each other, thus providing them with the social interaction required to keep individuals from closing in and becoming non-functioning sub-routines.
It's quite an ingenious program. Too bad it's harmful to the integrity of the victim's mind. I need to talk with Aramaki about how to handle this, there has to be someone behind it. It appears to have no direct ties to the Neo character. I will dive into the chat site later, see if there are any ties there.

Entry 50:
Good News! Ssshhh...don't tell anyone (like you would, you're an inanimate piece of paper). Two months ago, I went to a specialty shop that deals in dive equipment. Explained to the owner what I needed, and he said he'd look into it. Well, he called today and said he had a prototype. I stopped by the shop, and he said I'd have to test it with him, which earned him an evil glare. Back peddling, he explained WHY (if it fails, I'd drop like a stone), than said he wasn't interested in having sex with a machine, and wasn't flattered I thought he might be. Well, guess that puts me in my place. Even though I've the same rights as a normal human-due to my human DNA and a genuine ghost-I'm still a machine in most people's minds. Makes me want to punch him with these cybernetic muscles of mine. Good thing money isn't prejudiced, we dive tomorrow.

sssss

A/N: Sorry for the long break, I have two fics going at the same time (boo, hiss), one posted (this one), and one not posted. I don't like to post until my muse is done; but due to the nature of this story, it is better suited to an as-it-is-written posting. Also, this is completely based off of the anime, not the manga (although I'd love to read the series), so if there are other character developments/history in the Manga, I know nothing about them.

PS, thank you to each of you who have reviewed, I like hearing both how I can approve, and how this story is being received. -TK