On her first day as the new Inspector of Unit One, Inspector Akane Tsunemori has been assigned to handle a hostage situation: a man named Nobuo Okura whose Crime Coefficient has determined he is likely to commit a crime and is confirmed when he kidnaps an innocent woman. While looking for him, Akane learns about the nature of the Dominator, and the relationship between Enforcers and Inspectors. Enforcer Shuusei Kagari finds Okura, but a weapons malfunction gives him away. Okura flees, and Unit One pursues him. After Enforcer Shinya Kogami disposes of Okura, the unit learns that the hostage's Crime Coefficient has risen to a high level. Before Kogami can execute her, Akane stops him with the Dominator's paralyzer. In the end, Akane manages to calm the woman down, letting her Crime Coefficient reduce to the point where she can be paralyzed and taken away; while Akane must explain her actions in a report to her superiors.

Unit One is called to a drone plant to investigate another dismembering incident. Inspector Nobuchika Ginoza and Masaoka have a heated disagreement; when Akane questions Ginoza, he tells her she is a fool to treat the Enforcers as a colleague rather than a handler. The manager of the plant swears the dismembering is an accident, but Unit One thinks otherwise; they notice a plant worker being bullied by the others. Without the Sibyl System, they have no way of identifying the killer, but the Enforcers cook up a wild plan that terrifies Akane - and nevertheless succeeds.