Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence - Scene 6: Batou's Safe House

• August 8, 2006
• James Skemp
• dvd / movie, philosophy

[6 Batou’s Safe House]

(Living room. A car drives by and a dog gets out of a chair, heading to the door. Batou walks in and steps in something. The dog hides.)

(Batou cleans off his shoe in a tub while the dog tries to watch.)

('Gabriel', a gear-driven dog. Batou prepares the dog's food, tenderly moves it's ears out of the dish when it begins to eat. Grabs a drink, sits on a chair, pulls out the photo of the girl. After moving a ball, containing a fish, slightly. The dog jumps onto his lap and falls asleep.)

===

"He died from a blow that severed his cervical vertebrae. The kitchen utensils were for evisceration, not murder."

"Someone took their sweet time dismembering the corpse?"

"So it appears.

"We've confirmed the organs in the refrigerator were the victim's. They reveal gastritis and cirrhosis of the liver. Apparently an alcoholic."

"Why'd the perp bother with the organs?"

"Maybe to create the impression he was a psycho or a freak."

"Or to underscore an element of retribution or revenge."

"So we're not looking for an assassin posing as a thrill-seeker."

"What's with the warped doorknob?"

"Analysis indicates a Chinese prosthetic limb, model NR26.

"Known as the Crab Claw. Strictly military. Available on the black market, defective ones, anyway. The Claw jives with that stiff's mutilated neck, too."

"Did you track down the license on those yakuza wheels?"

"Yeah. They've covered their tracks with a lot of illegal modifications."

"Stick to the facts."

"We tracked down records from a nearby parking lot. The vehicle in question's registered to an organized crime group called Kojinkai. Car's bulletproofed, with a reinforced chassis and rear shocks. It's been linked to a number of assault scenes."

"Custom wheels for a cyborg."

"An illegally powerful bodyguard at that. So this was yakuza payback?"

"But where's the motive?"

"The Kojinkai's an entrenched Japanese crime syndicate. Drugs, hookers, gambling, scams, an anything-goes yakuza operation. And a Hadaly gynoid yanked of the big boss, Inoue's head 3 days ago. A young turk, Wakabayashi, took over the show."

"It's a no brainer, then."

"Avenge the boss' death and his throne is yours."

"Hold on. If Volkerson knew they had it in for him, why'd he take the trouble of hiding out on their turf?"

"We don't know. His e-brain's wiped clean, so the car's our only lead."

"Let's leave this one to the locals."

"The terrorists-masquerading-as-deranged-robots scenario? There's no political link between the victims, so I think that's a dead end. But I'm putting Batou and Togusa on all our berserk Hadaly cases full-time, this one included. The rest of you, get back to your regular shifts. That's it."

(The room changes and four of the seven disappear.)

"Togusa. See me before you go."

(He too disappears. Only Batou and Togusa are left in the room.)

===

"Talk to me."

Togusa: "We'll check out any links between the Kojinkai mob and Locus Solus."

"I mean Batou. Your job includes monitoring your partner's emotional state."

"I know, but I'm not a cyborg or an electronic neurologist."

"'One need not be Caesar in order to understand Caesar.' You're a family man, right? Do you consider yourself to be happy?"

"Well, sure."

"Most of us are neither so happy nor as miserable as we think. The key is to stay engaged with your life and your hopes."

"I don't understand."

"Lately, Batou's reminding me of the Major before she disappeared. You know, 'Let one walk alone, committing no sin, with few wishes, like an elephant in the forest.'"

(Togusa starts to leave.)

"Chief, why did you pick me for this job?"

"Because it was the Major who plucked you off your local beat."

===

(A car is being moved upwards.)

Batou: "What'd he want?"

"Apparently you don't need to be Caesar in order to understand him."

"That goes without saying. 'The world cannot live at the level of its great men.'"

(Batou pulls out a big gun from the trunk.)

"You planning on starting a war?"

"No need to be a yakuza to pay them a visit, but we'll need weapons."

"I want to get something straight."

"What?"

"We're just going to chat with these guys, right?"

"You dislike yakuza?"

"Sure. Detest them."

"Same here."

"But we're just going to chat, right?"

"Like I said, you don't need to be a yakuza ..."

"I know. To pay them a visit. But you also said we need weapons. I'm a family man."

"I can always go alone."

"No. I'll go with you, I am your partner. But I want your word."

"Okay. We're just going to chat. Avoid shooting as best you can.

"Happy now?"

"Just fine."

"Let's go then, pal."

(They shut the trunk.)

===

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Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence - Script

• ghost in the shell