Smoke of Gunpowder, Hail of Bullets

Freed on his own recognizance, Aramaki meets the head of the Ministry of Justice to plead for his people's safety, only to learn the minister can do little beyond prosecuting Yakushima. In the field, Saito and Ishikawa each walk into ambushes laid by Umibozu units, but not before scattering the information seeds the Major had entrusted to them. That leaves Batou and Motoko as the last free members of the team.

Batou risks a run to Motoko's apartment to retrieve a watch she treasures. Umibozu commandos catch him there, and after he beats back the first assault he faces two armored suits, the second beyond his strength. On the verge of being killed, he is rescued by the three surviving Tachikoma, who had tracked him from the wreck of headquarters and now throw themselves away, armed with little more than wire and a single shell, to keep him alive. Kusanagi arrives and pulls the wounded Batou out.

She takes him to the hideout where she keeps her spare bodies, and he hands back the watch, which she fastens to her wrist. After tending his injuries, the pair try to slip out of the city, unaware that the Umibozu, acting on cabinet orders, mean to kill the Major. A decapitated body said to be hers is found afterward, but it is not wearing the watch.

Carrying the subtitle BARRAGE, the episode was directed by Kazunobu Fuseki and written by Yoshiki Sakurai. It aired in Japan on March 18, 2003, and in English on May 1, 2005, between Sunset in the Lonely City and Public Security Section 9, Once Again. Batou's speech about the watch as Kusanagi's one lasting mnemonic device underscores the episode's focus on memory and identity.