Public Security Section 9 is an elite special ops unit that works directly under the control of the Prime Minister. They've been called in to rescue a high-ranking government official from a hostage situation. But something doesn't seem right to Major Motoko Kusanagi.

As Togusa and Bato track down Nanao, Motoko and Paz are attempting to protect the Superintendent-General at a press conference about the police misuse of interceptors. When the virus does hit, Motoko and Paz have to act fast to save the intended victim. Meanwhile, the road to Nanao=A hits a dead end.

Togusa goes undercover at a hospital for patients with Closed Cyberbrain Syndrome, a hospital completely cut off from communication with the outside world.