"In the latter half of the Twentieth Century rapid advancements in technology at last resulted in the development of artificial substitutes for human beings." "A synthesis of mechatronics, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology they freed people from all kinds of menial labor." "People called these symbols of the era, "Boomers, assemblers of prosperity."" "People all hold more love and dreams than they can hold with both hands and paint those dreams for tomorrow while entrusting the future to a new-falling star." "If you go step by step on your own two legs, without stopping before everything your arms touch transforms into phantasms you can approach those dreams." "Now begins the unending dream  when you search for yourself, sleeping in the depths of your heart." "Now begins the unending journey." "Fix your sights on a far away time." "Good night." "Hey, Bogarde, why don't you join us?" "Cut that out, you jerk!" "I beg your pardon, sir." "Under Article 0012 of the Regulations, I cannot leave this area." "So long." "Good night, Bogarde." "Good night." "Take care, Okay?" "Mike, Ellie, good night." "This is a No-Parking Zone." "Please move your vehicle at once." "If you do not move within fifteen seconds, the Police will be notified." "AD Police, AD Police, this is Glory Ba..." "A bank robbery involving powered suits is in progress." "The scene is Glory Bank, in the Kabuto Area." "All personnel, check your equipment." "A bank robbery is in progress at the Kabuto Area Glory Bank." "All personnel, check your equipment." "You're completely surrounded!" "Come out of those powered suits quietly!" "I'll count to three!" "If you don't come out by then, we're coming in after you!" "One!" "Two!" "Three!" "Fire!" "Fire!" "Scatter!" "Run for it!" "What the hell..." "That's not one of our choppers." "Which means..." "Shit!" "Damage report!" "Where are our choppers?" "!" "No way those guys were amateurs." "Please give us permission to assemble a special mobile suit team!" "We're up against an outfit with some serious military suits!" "With our current equipment, we're just throwing our lives away!" "Are you listening, Chief?" "The way things are now, we can't do our job!" "I know what you're saying, but it just makes my life difficult!" "Employing the heavy mobile force is an extremely difficult decision to make when you consider the potential for civilian casualties, you know?" "We know that!" "That's why we need the Diet's approval." "Please meet with the Diet, so we can use the heavy equipment without delay." "All right, all right..." "But, complaints from citizens have been heavy lately and that's something we can't ignore." "It's your job as Special Police to find some way to catch these criminals without using the heavy equipment." "HOLD lT!" "Thank you, AD Police!" "You, too, can be one of the elite!" "Join AD Police, for youthful adventure!" ""AD POLICE NOW RECRUITING!"" "What is it with the new Chief?" "He's some corporate retiree they appointed so he could earn his retirement pay." "They think AD Police is a cash cow, after all." "That's ridiculous." "He'll ruin the good name of the Advanced Police." "Would you like a refill on your coffee?" "I tell you, AD Police's future is shot." "Anyway, about that bank robbery..." "What's this?" "I'm sorry." "Oh, she's done it again." "There's just no end to the breakdowns on this built-in coffeemaker model." "I'll have someone clean this up right away." "You're a real problem for me, you are." "That reminds me, a hot dog I ate recently had a spoon in it." "That's because even though they look like human beings they've got no more brains than an orangutan." "Man, I tell ya, there's Boomers everywhere." "It's the labor shortage." "I hear these cheap Boomers are selling like hotcakes." "So will there eventually be nothing but Boomers in MegaTokyo?" "We, AD Police, are the Special Felony Crimes Elite Team but almost all crime in this town is connected with Boomers." "The Normal Police try to stick us with writing tickets for them and the bureaucrats, afraid of complaints treat us like we're a nuisance." "And to top it off, there's this new Chief." "Would you prefer to try calling on the Knight Sabers?" "The Knight Sabers..." "You know, I haven't heard anything about them lately." "What's going on with them?" "Those mercenaries...?" "Where might a person go in search of streetlights and lots of dreams?" "Why won't time stop itself for me just the way it is now?" "The days when we laughed side by side are all so far away." ""Catch me, Oh, Catch me."" "I'm drifting away in the dead of night." ""Catch me... " Warm my closed heart in the palm of your hand, always." "Damn !" "The bigshots all split." "Priss, BABE!" "That was good !" "Very good!" "Priss, BABE!" "That was good!" "Very good!" "You were excellent, Priss." "But..." "Oh, the big guys are always busy with something but it seemed as though they really wanted to hear the whole thing." "You mean...?" "Uh-huh." "Didn't I tell you not to worry?" "We can begin preparations for recording as early as tomorrow." "Re..." "Recording?" "The..." "The pro debut I've dreamed of?" "Yes!" "Your songs will be all over MegaTokyo!" "M..." "My songs..." "my songs...?" "Now that that's settled, let's continue this discussion at my place, just you and I..." "ALL right!" "Pr..." "Priss!" "My songs are gonna get recorded!" "All right!" "ALL right!" "Here it comes!" "Hey, Omni's going up!" "Does someone have info on them?" "Nene's tip about Omni's involvement in developing a new Al was dead on!" "Yes?" "Oh, Omni?" "Yes, I definitely think it's going up." "Thirty?" "Why, certainly, sir." "I'm also buying Omni... so go up, go up... and I'II never stop laughing!" "It really was a good idea for me to change jobs." "Is your Boomer peppy?" "If he's getting run down, then he needs CYBER-kun!" "Super-power your Boomer." "Revive him instantly, with CYBER-kun!" "Hey, have you two been listening to what I've been saying?" "My songs..." "Oh, Essex is on the move..." "Hey!" "What is it, Nene?" "Want another beer?" "Don't you drink too much." "If you strip again, I won't be responsible for you." "WHO'S going TO strip?" "!" "Strip?" "Did someone say strip?" "Who's going to strip?" "Hey, this isn't the planned MA!" "I can't let them get away with it." "You're money-crazed." "You got some nerve talking about me, Little Miss Cyberpunk." "You only hear me when I'm insulting you." "What's so interesting about working for a securities firm?" "I'm making money with my brain now." "No more sweaty aerobics for me!" "Say, Priss, when you get the money from the sales of your CD, give it to me." "I'll double it for you." "Sounds awful..." "All you two think about are yourselves!" "Aren't you concerned about Sylia?" "Sylia?" "What about Sylia?" ""We apologize for the inconvenience."" "When did they start building here?" "Some time ago." "You didn't know?" "No." "And Sylia?" "Nowhere to be found." "Hey, what're we gonna do?" ""What're we gonna do?"" "About what?" "About Sylia!" "She's probably gone to see Mackie, right?" "Isn't he in Germany?" "He took off to study there all of a sudden..." "You two sure are carefree." "If you're that worried, look for her yourself." "You're in AD Police, after all." "AD Police can't be relied upon!" "That's why the Knight Sabers are necessary!" "Let's go get those powered-suit bank robbers!" "I don't like such barbaric things." "For one thing, we won't get any money from it." "Plus, I can't get hurt before my debut." "And you don't care what happens to the Knight Sabers?" "The Knight Sabers..." "I am kind of nostalgic about them..." "No..." "Nostalgic?" "Those were good times, huh?" "Why do you refer to them in the past tense?" "Oh, I never thought that the Knight Sabers would ever break up..." "Last night, around 8:30 P.M., another bank was assaulted by a gang wearing military mobile suits." "This incident occurred out in the open, in the busy Fourth District and by the time AD Police arrived, the gang had vanished without a trace." "AD Police still have no leads as to the gang's true identity." "Nevertheless, public outcry against AD Police's unreliability is growing and speculation is that the organization itself will be reexamined." "How AD Police got to be like this will be..." "How can you sit and watch that so calmly?" "Aren't you insulted?" "What's the point?" "We can't take down mobile suits like those." "Don't you have any pride in being AD Police?" "Dying with your boots on isn't very trendy." "Besides, you can't spend your own insurance money." "You've got some way with words." "Even the Police have gone bad in this town!" "Come on, Daley, let's go work off some stress at the shooting range!" "You'd better not." "I told you not to do it." "The boss seems to be in bed with a game-maker." "Damn!" "Oh, it's you, Nene." "Hey!" "Are you gonna kill me?" "After I went to the trouble of digging up the data on those powered suits?" "It's a little off." "This is as close as they get." "Perhaps they've been modified." "The EC was developing a prototype suit for close combat three years ago but when faults were identified during the testing stage, development halted." "At least, officially." "Officially?" "This is as far as the AD Police Databank goes." "But there's probably more to it, right, Nene?" "How about a coupon good for three days' worth of free desserts at Scirocco?" "According to another source, there is data which indicates that a European mercenary outfit employed this type of suit." "A mercenary outfit?" "Which database did you pull this from?" "Neo-NATO's Top Secret Line." "There'd be an international incident if anyone found out." "The lllegal Army..." "South America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia." "Why are such professional warmongers playing "Gangsters and Terrorists" in MegaTokyo?" "I can't believe they're in it just for the money." "But look!" "Apparently their leader, one Colonel Lando was killed in action a year ago, in an operation in the Philippines." "I remember that." "Word had it that a big Japanese concern was backing a mercenary outfit." "But the operation went awry and nearly the entire unit was supposedly wiped out." "I'm beginning to get the picture..." "But we probably can't do anything to stop them." "Don't give up!" "AD Police is all there is now!" "That's it, no doubt about it." "Well done, Colonel Lando." "Yes, Sir!" "It does indeed appear to be one of the components of the new AI." "But, by itself, it is meaningless." "One of the last two components appears to be at Zone Corporation Labs but we do not know the location of the other." "Get them, whatever it takes." "This AI is absolutely essential to our project." "Yes, sir!" "Stop saluting, Lando." "I am not your commander anymore, I am your comrade." "Okay... there you are..." "Now I've got you!" "Oh, what's the use?" "I can't rely on AD Police, I can't get a hold of Sylia and I can't even beat this game!" "Hi!" "Sylia!" "Where've you been?" "Here and there..." "Been renovating the shop, too." "How are Priss and Linna?" "Oh, they're just peachy!" "Let me tell you!" "I'm currently staying nearby, at the lmperial Hotel." "I wonder if you'd get the others and come up to my room this evening." "I've something important to discuss with all of you." "Some..." "Something important...?" "I'll have a feast laid out for you." "Sylia..." "What's with the fancy food?" "It's not normal, is it?" "Maybe it's our last supper!" "What's wrong with you?" "Hurry up and eat, so we can start our talk." "Sylia... about this "talk..."" "I won't be able to relax without at least hearing what this talk is about." "Oh, me neither." "Oh..." "Well, there's nothing for it, I suppose..." "I'd really wanted to discuss this after dinner, in a leisurely fashion, but..." "The truth is..." "No!" "I won't hear of us breaking up!" "Calm down, Nene." "We understood from the outset that this would happen someday." "But..." "But I like the work we do as the Knight Sabers!" "Uh, hold on a second, would you?" "You don't have to say another word, Sylia." "I'm already resigned to it." "If Priss and Linna quit, I'll do it alone!" "Hey, don't put it like that." "Fact is, a pro debut was always my dream and I'm going to be busy once it happens, but..." "Yeah, me too." "I can manage it, sure, say, when the market's closed." "Sylia, I'm begging you!" "Stop the Knight Sabers from breaking up!" "I wondered what you were talking about!" "Is that what you were thinking?" "Then you're not going to talk about breaking up?" "No, we're not going to break up, you silly girls!" "Then, that something important..." "Is the discussion of our next job, of course." "An awful lot of offers have accumulated during our brief vacation." "And since the equipment upgrades finally seem to be finished as well I thought it was time to start up again... not break up!" "Then all my worrying was for nothing..." "Nene!" "What makes you think that the Knight Sabers would disband, anyway?" "Oh?" "Priss, your pro debut is set, right?" "Huh?" "Oh, uh, yeah..." "Linna, you're working hard at your securities firm, aren't you?" "How about buying a few shares, Sylia?" "Let's talk about that later, when we have more time." "But right now, let's eat." "Don't mind if I do!" "There seems little doubt that the bank robbers currently plaguing the city are the mercenary outfit known as the illegal Army." "But the strange thing is, it's a matter of record that their leader, Colonel Lando was killed some years ago, along with nearly all his men, in a failed operation." "I found out this much just by using AD Police's computers." "That's terrific, Nene." "Well, with you gone, and the Knight Sabers seemingly breaking up I figured that AD Police would have to take our place, somehow." "Will you stop talking about breaking up!" "I'm sorry." "But, if we consider this data, then just who is causing all the fuss now?" "That's the question." "Some members might possibly have survived." "And they're trying to take revenge on the Japanese corporation that sent them to destruction?" "But all they've done so far is rob banks." "That doesn't seem to be the case." "The fact is, our client this time out is Zone Corporation." "I know Zone... they make Boomer brains." "What's the connection?" "This is one component of the special AI which Zone Corporation secretly developed for a new type of Boomer." "Zone hasn't told the media, but the Illegals stole this component from Glory Bank, together with 30 billion in gold bullion." "I've never seen anything like it." "They can't announce anything because of corporate security concerns." "Naturally, just the one component is of no use by itself." "The AI's faculties can only be realized if all four components are assembled." "So the first two were at Glory and Omni?" "Right." "In short, they're using the money as a smokescreen." "But their real objective is the four components of this AI." "Our job is to protect the remaining two." "But how?" "The bait has already been laid out." "We may get a nibble any time now." "This makes three." "Hold it right there, mercenaries!" "Surrender!" "Resistance is useless!" "Not the flies again..." "Throw down your weapons at once!" "Damn!" "Damn it!" "You guys won't be pushing anyone around anymore!" "That idiot!" "Let's do it!" "A hornet among the flies..." "This is for the pride of AD Police!" "Don't interfere!" "I'll take him." "Leon doesn't stand a chance against a suit like that!" "Let him do it his way." "This is the end!" "Now!" "Sorry 'bout that." "Not so fast!" "Victory is mine." "Hang on!" "We're getting out of here!" "It's no use, sir!" "Please, just leave me!" "I won't let you die!" "I'm gonna save you!" "Welcome back from the dead." "It's humiliating, but he beat me." "You take it easy for a while." "I'll explain it to the Chief." "Putting that aside, why did they steal a component of a research project?" "It doesn't seem like they were after money." "But it amounts to the same thing." "After all, they can convert it into money." "No, that's not Lando's style." "He must be after something else." "You are the warriors who have been chosen to bring forth a new order upon the world." "This war you fight is a holy war." "The world is changing." "The history of foolish old humankind is ending and we, the chosen, will purify the world!" "What the hell is this?" "Isn't it great?" "You'll look terrific when you put it on!" "Oh, and here's your sheet music." "Huh?" "This ain't my song." "Oh, that song will be a coupling song and this is the main one." "It's by Fuyumoto, the popular idol hitmaker, so it can't miss!" "I..." "Idol?" "!" "Like I said, leave everything to me, and I won't steer you wrong." "Uh, well..." "There's nothing to be embarrassed about." "After all, we're already one flesh, inseparable." "That does it!" "You got some nerve, thinking I'll hold still for this!" "There's no way I'll become an idol, you son of a bitch!" "Uh-huh..." "This is a temporary thing, you see..." "Huh?" "There's... no need to talk like that..." "What?" "Sell out?" "Uh, yes..." "What?" "You've lost 500,000?" "Just like me, huh?" "Oh, nothing..." "Omni's really taken a nosedive." "It's because of that bank robbery, isn't it?" "Uh, yes, well, it's..." "Damn the Illegal Army!" "I've had it up to here!" ""Resignation"" "Sir!" "Huh?" "I resign, effective immediately!" "The Illegal Army should presently be heading for Stephan Laboratories thanks to the false information I've planted." "Knight Sabers are Go!" "This is a dummy!" "Shit!" "It's a trap!" "Pull out!" "We..." "We can't, Sir!" "Our escape route is completely sealed off!" "No matter!" "We'll just go up to the roof!" "Knight Sabers..." "Go!" "You can't just do as you please in this town!" "You've gotten a bit cocky, haven't you?" "Kill them!" "How about you give me the last component?" "Ha!" "What can you do, alone?" "When the battle is joined, nobody stands in our way and lives!" "You babes are pretty good!" "Priss, Nene, we'll attack him from three sides, all at once!" "Okay!" "What the...?" "Leave them to me!" "Got 'em!" "Without their suits, they're just cheap Boomers." "DIE!" "Damn!" "That's all for today, Knight Sabers!" "You don't get off that easily!" "What?" "!" "Stealing the second generation Boomer AI under cover of bank robberies wasn't simply gathering funds or taking revenge, was it?" "Who's their boss?" "Priss!" "I am the Illegal Army." "I take orders from no one!" "Release her!" "You have no hope of winning now!" "I am a soldier of the glorious Illegal Army." "This isn't enough to make me give up!" "Shove it!" "What?" "!" "Take this!" "Leave this to me!" "Now!" "Give yourself up!" "Who is your boss?" "A self-destruct device!" "WHAT?" "!" "It's too late to start running now!" "I'll destroy everything within three km!" "One minute to detonation!" "Find the self-destruct device!" "Okay!" "What's wrong with you?" "I'll blow us all away together!" "The Illegal Army does not surrender!" "There it is!" "Nene, link up with me!" "Priss!" "Synchronize targets, Priss!" "Okay!" "It's all yours, Priss!" "If you miss, it's all over!" "Shut up!" "You're good... you beat us this time, that is..." "What?" "!" "I am a failed Boomer; neither Boomer nor human." "But soon, there will come a world... with neither humans nor Boomers in it a dream world, controlled only through chaos and terror if anyone can make it reality, he can..." "I guess there's still hope for this town, after all..." "So what's become of your pro debut?" "I'm gonna write some decent songs, and go for it again." "I'm gonna write some decent songs, and go for it again." "When the bell rings, showtime's over." "I got a call from another record company just the other day." "When the bell rings, showtime's over." "Oh, I've also decided to work at another securities firm!" "Oh, I've also decided to work at another securities firm!" "Oh, I've also decided to work at another securities firm!" "Didn't you say you never even wanted to see money again?" "But it's lovely to watch money pile up." "But it's lovely to watch money pile up." "But it's lovely to watch money pile up." "You really are money-crazed." "I heard that, Little Miss Cyberpunk!" "What are you quarreling about?" "Oh, Sylia, these two still haven't learned anything." "Well, do your thing, but don't forget the Knight Sabers." "People are dreaming hurriedly and though no voice gets through strangely, I can hear your voice." "Cool eyes, staring just that way cloud the mirror of the heart concealing one's true self." "With stardust reflected in your eyes you embrace freedom and firmly catch your own dream, now." "Showtime, in a town full of misunderstandings." "Tonight, the heart walks a tightrope." "Straining my eyes in the pitch darkness unable to see anything, I seek tomorrow." "The bustling town is dancing  with a seemingly secret heart, tonight." "The melody you and I heard is carried on the wind, and surrounds you." "Sensitive cool eyes really know the things that possess eyes which seem to melt ice." "With stardust reflected in your eyes you embrace freedom and firmly catch your own heart." "Sensitive cool eyes really know the things that possess eyes which seem to melt ice." "With stardust reflected in your eyes you embrace freedom..."