While tracking the New World Brigade, an anti-cyberization group, to an unused radiation scrubber facility off Okinawa, the Japanese Maritime Safety Agency took pictures that show Eka Tokura, the kidnapped daughter of a cyber-technology company CEO. However, the girl had been abducted over 16 years ago when she had been 10 years old. In the recent photos, she looks just as she did on the day she was taken.

For reasons unknown, contact with the Maritime Safety Agency's reconnaissance team has been lost. Section 9 heads to the facility to locate the unit and find out why Eka Tokura was there.

As the JMSDF's Special Forces Unit rounds up the remaining members of Section 9, Daisuke Aramaki meets with the Minister of Justice to make one last appeal to the government to salvage his team.

Section 9 may be down, but certainly not out. They have help in the form of their "think-tanks", otherwise known as the Tachikomas. Public Security will make one final push to save itself from extinction.

A cat thief named Cash Eye has infiltrated a building owned by Federation of Economic Organizations Chairman Tsutomu Tadokoro. The cat burglar made quick work of the top-notch security system and left a calling card on the Chairman's desk saying that Cash Eye will be infiltrating his vault during an upcoming party.

Albeit reluctant to get Section 9 involved, Aramaki has no choice but to assist Tadokoro. Prime Minister Kayabuki has requested that his unit go undercover in order to prevent the burglary.

During a visit to the Dejima Refugee Residential District off the coast of Nagasaki, Prime Minister Kayabuki receives a bouquet of flowers that is accompanied by an envelope stamped with the diamond seal seen in "NATURAL ENEMY". The envelope contains a letter that promises an attempt to take the Prime Minister's life.

At a meeting of the Prime Minister's Cabinet, Aramaki is shown the letter and told that so far the stamp on the envelope has turned up in eight other terrorist incidents. The Cabinet calls for Section 9's assistance. However, much to the unit members' chagrin, Section 9 will not be deployed in an offensive role.

Section 9 has uncovered Shō Kawashima's ("FAKE FOOD") external memory device on the net. Hidden in a route to the Asian matrix only accessible through the European array, Section 9 concludes that the device was hidden by Gouda. Unfortunately, Gouda has left no trace of his movements in the device.

The Major prepares to dive into the device with Bōma and Ishikawa watching her closely. However, before she can dive, Aramaki notifies her that someone even more important than the external memory device has just surfaced...

Ishikawa returns from the Peninsula with the latest intel on Kuze, but is surprised to learn of a possible refugee uprising. The Major and Aramaki are sent to see the Prime Minister to discuss this matter and the existence of "hub cyberbrains". While they wait, the rest of the team listens to Ishikawa's report on Kuze's past.

Despite close scrutiny by the authorities, the Dejima refugees declare their independence. Kuze is suspected to be the mastermind behind this new resistance and Section 9 is sent to detain him.

The Major hacks into the refugee cyberbrain hub and easily locates Kuze. When the team rushes to capture him, however, they find themselves in the middle of a trap.