This episode starts off at the testing arena of Kenbishi Industry, a company that makes weapons. The arena is used to test out tanks, but unfortunately for Kenbishi, one tank starts to go haywire, and starts firing at people. After destroying the other tanks in the arena, it breaks free, and goes out into the world.
Back at Section 9's headquarters, Batou and Togusa are watching the Tachikomas. A tech explains to them how they are all have the same specifications... and therefore each machine is identical. Batou sees this as uninteresting, and meaning they lack uniqueness. He gives his Tachikoma some natural oil... a little treat, which the Tachikoma loves. The Major enters the room and says to prepare six Tachikomas for a mission. She explains that one of Kenbishi's new prototype tanks, the HAW 206, has gone haywire, and Section 9 has been called in to stop the tank and find out who's inside and controlling it. The military will not help, because they were just about to offically start using the tank, and want to save face if it turns out the tank went haywire because of a systems flaw. All they know is that the tank was started by someone who used the identification code of the designer, a man named Kago, who died a week ago. The Major gives everyone their assignments and the team heads out.
Kusanagi and Batou each drive Tachikomas while the other four follow them behind. They meet up with tank outside the city. Luckily, this is no where near populated areas where people could get hurt. Because of this, and the fact they are hopelessly outmatched, Kusanagi decides it is not the right time to engage it yet. They decide to wait for more information from Aramki who is investigating at Kenbishi. Paz, who has been looking into possible terrorist connections, contacts Kusanagi and says he has yet to find anything. They still know nothing, they don't even know where the tank is headed. They stay on the tank's tail while it ignores them, just waiting for their information to come.
Meanwhile, Aramaki, along with Togusa and Ishikawa, are at Kenbishi trying to figure out as much about the tank as possible in order to stop it. Aramaki tells Ishikawa and Togusa to go talk to a man named Ooba, a technician who worked on the tank, while he talks to the heads of Kenbishi. Aramaki is able to get some information from the Kenbishi heads.
With this new information, and the fact they are almost at the point where Borma and Saito have set up a sniper's ambush, it is time to engage. Saito links with a satellite and aims for the tank. He fires, but the tank has anticipated his attack, and it side steps. Saito fires again, but again, the tank dodges. The tank has been able to link with the satellite, and knew the attack was coming... something that Kenbishi didn't tell them the tank could do. Saito tries to fire without the satellite guidance, but the tank creates a smoke screen, and Saito only hits a non vital area. The tank escapes... heading ever closer to the city.
Aramaki asks the Kenbishi heads for all the information they have on the tank, but they refuse. Kenbishi has invested so much time and money into the machine that they fear telling too much. Aramaki explains that if the situation isn't ended soon, no one will want to buy the tank anyways. The head of Kenbishi asks Aramaki to attack the tank with the Tachikomas.
Kusanagi pulls in front of the tank and fires a volley of bullets, these don't even dent the tank, which fires back. Kusanagi's Tachikoma is able to get away in time, but one of the supporting Tachikomas is shredded by the tank's powerful guns. The tank is now heading for Nehama Bridge.... when it reaches the other side, it will be in the city. Kusanagi suggests an anti tank missile attack, and requests Aramaki find out if this will be of any use. Kenbishi says that if they fire a missile, the tank would be able to stop it, and maybe even send it back to the sniper. So much for that idea.
At this time Togusa and Ishikawa enter the room with Ooba, the technician who worked on the tank. Togusa says he knows who is in the tank. It is Kago, the man who designed the tank. When Kago died, Ooba hooked Kago's brain up to the tank, so he could live again. Kago was a terminally ill man, who couldn't be helped because his religion did not allow cybernetic parts. Kago told Ooba that when his body died, he'd be free from his religion, and asked to have his brain hooked up to the tank. With this new information, it is figured out that the tank is headed for Kago's old home. He blamed his parents for his weak body, and he is going to their house to seek revenge. Releasing the severity of the situation now, Kenbishi's president hands over a data disc to Aramaki.
The tank is getting very close to Kago's old home. The Tachikomas try using their wires to immobilize the tank, but it is too strong, and when it starts to fire weapons at them, they have to let it go. In a last ditch effort, Kusanagi gets out of her Tachikoma and decides to try and link up to Kago's brain. She jumps on it's back and tries to open the brain hatch, but it's too strong. Just at this moment, a Section 9 helicopter swoops in, Ishikawa and Aramaki are inside, and Ishikawa is armed with a weapon from Kenbishi, a large gun that fires green adhesive which hardens instantly, specifically designed to stop the tank. Ishikawa fires off several rounds, stopping the tank dead in it's tracks, just mere meters from the doorstep of Kago's hold home.
With the tank immobilized, Kusanagi opens the hatch of the tank in order to remove Kago's brain. Suddenly, Kago's parents come out of their house to see what is happening. They take one look at the tank and somehow know that it's their son inside. With new determination, the tank starts moving, raising it's guns. Faced with no other choice, Kusanagi quickly links up with Kago's defenseless brain, frying it. A look of shock fills Kusanagi's face as she briefly shares minds with Kago. Kago is dead... and the crisis is over
Batou talks to Kusanagi, wondering if and how Kago could hate his parents so much. Kusanagi looks back at him and explains what she saw when she burned his mind - Kago was thinking about being proud of his new metal body... he didn't hate his parents at all. Batou says what she saw was probably just an illusion. Kusanagi says that she hopes so, since there is no way to tell now.
