Michizō Tachihara/Synopsis

History
Tachihara details having felt like he lived in his brother's shadow. His brother was always talented and viewed as the "better" son, much to Tachihara's resentment. In order to distinguish himself from his brother, Tachihara purposely resorted to delinquency and crime. His actions led him to one day stealing from a so-called "gang", revealed to be the Hunting Dogs. He attempted to steal from them, threatened with death if he didn't join them. However much of this true or simply a cover story is unknown.

The death of his brother greatly affected his family as it did Tachihara. His family is hinted to have reacted very harshly to his death, showing disappointment in Tachihra's lack of talent compared to him and even questioned why he didn't die instead of him. This caused Tachihara to experience a strong sense of inferiority which still affects him to this day. Aware of Mori's former connections to the military, his brother, and Yosano, Tachihara fully intended to infiltrate the Port Mafia after Ango defected from his own past as a double agent. Tachihara kept his ability a secret from the Port Mafia and rose to the rank of a Black Lizard battalion leader. The whole operation acted as a stepping stone to confronting Yosano and for the larger part, to find a way to become somebody who was "not like his brother, nor his opposite".

Armed Detective Agency vs. Port Mafia Arc
Tachihara arrives "two minutes late" to Black Lizard's meeting, their mission to attack and kill the Armed Detective Agency and kidnap Atsushi for the bounty on his head. He mocks Hirotsu's strict nature, calling him a nitpicker. He points out Gin is later than him, but Gin appears behind him out of the blue. Dropping his smile, Tachihara clicks his tongue, calling her a "freak". The two almost end in a fight before Hirotsu threatens them with Falling Camellia. Reluctantly, Tachihara relents, calling Hirotsu "untouchable".

With Black Lizard united, Higuchi gives them the order to kill the Agency. The squadron easily enters the building the Agency's located in, attempting a surprise attack. Tachihara takes great glee in the attempted raid against the Agency, however, the Agency overpowers Black Lizard. Kenji defeats Tachihara, sitting on him.

After Akutagawa's defeat and severe injuries, Tachihara joins Black Lizard in trying to dissuade Higuchi from going against Mori's orders. He comments on Gin, stating she's always receiving infiltration and assassination missions. He warns Higuchi if Gin needed to, she would've already killed Higuchi. This alludes to the risk of Mori "eliminating" Higuchi for her disobedience.

This does nothing to dissuade Higuchi, who makes her move when Akutagawa's kidnapped by an enemy organization. According to Tachihara, it was a foreign mercenary group hired by what's left of Karma, the enemy Akutagawa massacred to hijack the boat. The mercenaries are armed to the teeth, making the rescue operation too dangerous for one person. He grips Higuchi's arm to stop her, shouting that Mori will inevitably issue a rescue mission, and Higuchi should wait.

He questions what Higuchi can do on her own, but in the end, Higuchi's resolve convinces Black Lizard to assist her. They later save her life, and Tachihara orders Black Lizard's henchmen to kill anyone they don't recognize. After Higuchi and Akutagawa reconcile somewhat, Tachihara waits outside the room, smiling.

The Guild Arc
It's implied Black Lizard assisted in killing an assassin sent by the Guild alongside Kajii and Chūya. When Port Mafia's boss makes his entrance, Tachihara promptly shows his respect.

After Q's kidnapping by the Guild, Black Lizard participates in defending their territory from further damage of Dogra Magra's widespread mania. Atsushi later forces him to save a baby from the chaos, much to Tachihara's confusion and reluctance. He shouts angrily at Atsushi, only upsetting the baby. Gin and Hirotsu rush to his aid at his protests, only to tease him for his flustered state, worsened when Higuchi arrives and tries taking a photo, much to Tachihara's annoyance. They all end up scolded for "goofing around" by Chūya, the baby returned to their mother by Higuchi.

Later, during Mori and Fukuzawa's secret meeting, Tachihara —along with the other Black Lizard leaders—act as the boss's escort detail. The group did not hesitate to try attacking Fukuzawa when tensions overflowed, only to be deceived by Tanizaki's Light Snow ability.

Cannibalism Arc
With the arrival of the "masked assassin", Black Lizard gets assigned to scoping out and raiding his hideout. However, their target already fled the scene. This failure leads to Fyodor's "cannibalism" scheme. Assigned to "siege duty" during the raid on the Agency, Tachihara and the rest of the mafia's most prominent Mafiosi move in to kill Fukuzawa to save Mori's life. The group nearly ends in a massive face-off against the Agency, only to be deceived by Tanizaki's Light Snow once more. Black Lizard apprehends him and holds him hostage.

With Tanizaki hostage, Tachihara orders Tanizaki to brace himself, asking if he knows how the Port Mafia deals with hostages. Hirotsu warns him that not cooperating will end in Gin killing Naomi Tanizaki. Naturally, Tanizaki snaps, his violent mood swings unsettling Tachihara. In retaliation, Tachihara laughs nervously, aiming his gun at Tanizaki and saying that no matter how menacing he is, Black Lizard knows his ability, assuming all he can do is "disappear".

Tanizaki points out that Tachihara is wrong, saying that he can shoot as many bullets as he wants, but a "small fry" like him can never hit Tanizaki. Tachihara takes the bait, pulling the trigger and distracted by anger. This allows Tanizaki to free himself, much to Tachihara's shock. Tachihara opens fire, failing to hit Tanizaki every time. His reckless shooting nearly gets Gin killed until Hirotsu stops him.

Tachihara points out they should've patted Tanizaki down, uncertain how Tanizaki freed himself. Tanizaki almost kills Gin until she dodges and Hirotsu comes to her aid, seemingly killing Tanizaki. Much to Tachihara's shock, however, it was another illusion, and Tanizaki has escaped.

After Alexander Pushkin's defeat and Mori's recovery, Tachihara accompanies the combined forces of the Agency and Port Mafia to confront him.

Decay of Angels Arc
Despite Mori assigning the Agency's safety to Black Lizard, Tachihara vehemently protests going any further for them, as the detectives are quick to disobey Mori's orders. In fact, he urges that they just kill them, infuriated they're "looking down" on Mori. Chiding Tachihara for thinking like a common gangster, Hirotsu points out Mori knew the Agency wouldn't listen to him, thus why Black Lizard must protect them at all costs. With the Agency and Black Lizard working together, the plan quickly goes up in smoke when Kenji falls for a trap, the explosion from the van he approaches turning the tables on them.

A battle erupts between government troops and the others, Tachihara participating. During the battle, a mysterious, hooded figure appears. Black Lizard and the Agency members escape to a secret lift of the Port Mafia's. Tachihara slams it shut, shouting that everyone knew it was a trap to begin with, to which Yosano agrees. They follow Mori's escape plan, and the Agency and Black Lizard split up.

For a brief moment, Atsushi Nakajima reunites with Yosano, heading to the real van Fitzgerald provided. However, the drivers inside are slaughtered by a sword, which floats back to the mysterious figure. It reveals the same dog tag as the soldier Yosano befriended, and Yosano freezes in shock. Gin and Tachihara come to her aid. Tachihara tries to shoot down the mysterious person, but bullets are useless. Hirotsu manages to break the sword, but it stabs him, wounding him gravely.

Tachihara forces the group to run to a getaway boat, questioning if they want Hirotsu's resolve to be in vain. He and Gin lead the detectives to a heavily barricaded base only the mafia has access to, assuring everyone they're safe. Yosano doubts him, and Tachihara notes how Yosano knows the mysterious figure, but she never answers.

Rigging the entrance with explosives, guaranteeing an "instant death" to even a Hunting Dog. Despite the brief respite, Yosano tells the two to leave without her. Tachihara resents the fact it seems like she's looking down on them.

He then falls into a tangent, speaking of his "excellent older brother" whom he hated being compared to. He states he intentionally turned to crime to avoid any comparisons, being his brother's "opposite". However, he acknowledges that acting out didn't ease his resentment. Then, one day, he attempted to steal from a dangerous "gang", caught robbing their safe. The "gang" threatened that if he didn't join them, they'd kill him.

To Tachihara, the "gang" he joined was fun. At the frontlines of combat, Tachihara didn't have to be his brother's opposite, nor live in his shadow. Because of that, Tachihara values his superiors' orders, as they "make him who he is", so if he dies for those orders, he regrets nothing.

Gin suddenly approaches him, and Tachihara mockingly asks if his story touched her. Instead, Gin stabs him without warning, and Tachihara keels over in pain. The knife controlled by an outside force, Gin is forced to stab herself as well, leaving Yosano alone with the mysterious figure once again. She looks back to Tachihara, who coughs blood in pain. Understanding the sentiment of "becoming someone" after joining a "certain organization", Yosano resolves to protect herself and the others.

A fierce battle ensues, but just when Yosano appears to get the upper hand, the explosive Tachihara put on the door doesn't work, and Yosano realizes it's fake. The figure collapses, revealed to be a metal mannequin, and the Hunting Dogs appear before her.

Yosano realizes how the Hunting Dogs tracked the Agency down so easily in the mafia's maze, an enemy slipping in without a trace, and the fake bomb all trace back to one person. Saigiku begins introducing the fifth Hunting Dog, and Yosano realizes the "gang" Tachihara mentioned is, in fact, the Hunting Dogs. Finally returning to the scene, Tachihara arrives, revealed to be the fifth Hunting Dog and a spy that infiltrated Port Mafia in order to monitor Mori. Meaning that Hirotsu and Gin's injuries, the slaughtered drivers, and the metal mannequin were all Tachihara's doing.

Tachihara confesses that his elder brother is the man Yosano "killed" 14 years ago. According to him, the government sent him to infiltrate the mafia after Ango's fulfilled his own role. However, unlike Ango, Tachihara always intended to join. He figured that if he joined Port Mafia, he'd eventually face Yosano. When Yosano accepts his resentment, she does nothing when Tachihara aims his gun at her.

Two days after leaving the Mafia, Tachihara makes his way to the military base via a motorcycle dressed in full uniform where he is greeted by another soldier at the entrance. Before going to meet the other Hunting Dog members, he takes off he bandaid on his nose, stating he "doesn't need it today". Moments later he runs into Tecchou who states he had been observing the ants on the ground for the past 8 hours, which surprises Tachihara who ponders that he is the strongest Hunting Dog member. Another moment later he is met with a wailing Teruko and Jouno who is accompanying her by holding her hand and walking alongside her with the former stating she would "kill" Tachihara for staring at her with surprise. Jouno explains to him that Teruko was able to make a famed criminal "Ghellete" crack under pressure for interrogation, which shocks him, however he is met with surprise when Teruko states she is now bored that her fun had ended in only 6 months. Shortly after, Jouno praises Tachihara for all his hard work and ending his Mafia infiltration mission, which Tachihara responds with a proud look on his face until Jouno states the "straight man" role can now go to him and orders him to do something about Tecchou doing pushups and Teruko continuing to cry which leaves Tachihara with a blank look on his face.

Later in the briefing room, Tachihara carries Teruko on his shoulders which both calms her crying and brings her joy. He briefs the situation of the Decay of Angels with the other Hunting Dogs and reports the latest situation with them which was two of the Armed Detective Agency members (Atsushi and Kyouka) infiltrating and attacking a high security bank where Mushitaro was held captive two days ago and that there was no activity reported since then. Tachihara questions if the terrorists had already escaped overseas to which Teruko answers amusingly that he is wrong and that they are currently staying still because they had acquired what a criminal on the runs desires most; a "base" and a "command tower". After the briefing, Tachihara asks where Fukuchi had gone to which Teruko responds that he had gone to take on the utmost important mission to see Fukuzawa, the leader of the "enemies" and crush him.

Two more days after the briefing and once Tecchou and Jouno had acquired information about the whereabouts of the Armed Detective Agency and Lucy, Tachihara boards a army aircraft to the Sky Casino where on the way he describes the history of the building being built  after the War and that its ability to remain afloat in the sky is thanks to a special lightweight gas, to which Teruko deduces that its origins likely lie in an unknown Ability. He also states an object like a chair dropped from this height would cause massive damage once it hits the ground. Teruko responds that the casino had been a base for rumors of its status of being a vacation spot to merely be a front and that its true purpose lies in being a base for the winning nations of the War to use for monitoring and intimidation, making a terrorist attack to occur here to be physically and politically dangerous.

Tachihara is later seen having a meeting with the casino's manager Sigma with Teruko who recommends the closure of the Sky Casino, stating there are terrorists aboard the building and that they have proof of it. When Teruko suggests that a search would be useless due to the nature of Lucy's Ability and that the best option was to blockade the casino for a month and tighten security to sniff the terrorists out, Sigma refuses. He argues that no one could ensure that he would regain his assets or trust of the guests if they took such actions, describing the casino itself is his life and that blockading the building would be equivalent to "stopping his heart for one month". Tachihara begins to become angered by his response and is threatened by a specially manufactured artillery that is meant to work against Ability users who are impervious to metal bullets by sending sound waves throughout the target's body. Sigma informs the two that all of his security are armed with these artilleries and are also experts trained to fend against Ability users while mockingly asking if they would like to test them. An increasingly angry Teruko asks Sigma if he is daring to defy the government who responds that the Sky Casino is an independent nation that is not under the jurisdiction of any one nation and tells the two Hunting Dogs to immediately "disappear". As Tachihara yells at him for his attitude, he notices a shift in Teruko's personality from highly irritated to simply complying, which he understood from Hunting Dog rumors that she was at her scariest. Moments later, he stands in shock at the aftermath of Teruko destroying all exits to the casino as she laughs in joy.

After the explosion, Tachihara walks around the Sky Casino alone searching for Atsushi and the others and any proof of terrorist activity as he states he was brought along with Teruko to the Sky Casino as a person who knows the Armed Detective Agency well. He reminisces about his order that Mori had given him and Black Lizard to protect the Detective Agency at all cost and as people who had gone toe to toe with them several times, should know their next move. He recalls Mori stating the public believes the Detective Agency is guilty, but he believes they are not and that their choices from here on out are only "Innocent" or "Death". Tachihara begins to think about why his Boss had believed the Detective Agency was innocent from the start and that he couldn't think he was a person who would believe such things by instinct or feelings. A moment later, he stops himself stating he had "done it again" and that he was not supposed to question the Boss' orders and states aloud that the Mafia's code is to "follow the Boss' order and not question it". Several moments later, he stands in shock as he asks himself what he had just said. He then thinks about how he shouldn't care about the "Mafia code" as he is a Hunting Dog who is the "government's fang who devours criminals", stating the Mafia infiltration was a mission that he held no emotional attachment to and the proof of that was he used his Ability to take the lives of...

An image of Hirotsu and Gin's bodies covered in blood flashes across Tachihara's mind as his eyes become blank and sorrowful as he asks his late brother if he would have been able to do what he did more "skillfully". His mind quickly changes that he would have as he remembers that his family members had engraved that into his being several times by scolding him about his lack of talent and why he had not died in his brother's place. As he ends his recollection, Tachihara finds an odd looking coin on the ground and as he is examines it, he also spots Atsushi sneaking by and tries to capture him by coming in around, however to no avail due to Atsushi's super sensitive hearing and Lucy's Ability. He throws himself back on a couch and laments that he can't find any proof of terrorism anywhere, but soon finds a rug on the ground with only one of its corners bent and deduces something is underneath. He uses his metal manipulation on the ground and finds a specially designed safe underneath which upon examination, he suspected would take 2 years for a professional locksmith to open yet he was able to open with easy with the aid of his Ability.

As the safe opens, there are several coins from all around the world stuffed inside and unbeknownst to him, a camera that Sigma inserted to spy on anyone who opened the safe. Sigma begins to panic that Tachihara had found the coins and makes his resolve to kill him to hide his "secret". As Tachihara brings one of the coins closer to his eye to examine it he notices they are unusually hollow with an unusual metallic structure. Sigma presses a button to explode the coin in his face revealing the coins are actually specially manufactured miniature bombs RDG1800 that would be used in the Decay of Angel's next step of the terrorist attack and that he couldn't let anyone who saw it to leave alive. As he sighs with relief that his works is done, much to Sigma's shock, Tachihara had avoided the explosion by using his Ability to blast the metallic fragments upwards to the ceiling. Though had survived the explosion, he winces in pain that his hand was completely tattered and destroyed due to only receiving a light version of the physical augmentation surgery due to his status as a spy and that a direct attack would have led to his demise. While Tachihara begins to deduce the nature of the explosive coins, Sigma in desperation and fear of losing his precious casino makes a strong determination to get rid of him and hide the evidence of the coins by crashing an unmanned plane towards Tachihara's direction, stating thought it would cause damage to the Sky Casino, but it was necessary to save it. As he continues to deduce the use of the coins and how he must warn Teruko, the plane comes hurling towards his direction. Shocked, he states his Ability wouldn't be able to stop the force of the plane and that he would undoubtedly die once it him. As he sits in shock, Teruko comes to his aid, calling him a "weakling"and to stand back as she used her Ability to transform into her adult form.

After transforming into her adult form, Teruko stops the plane with her bare hands as Tachihara calls out to her in shock and later amazement that she was able to stop the plane with her power. As an exhausted Teruko mocks the plane for trying to wrestle with her, Tachihara notices numerous coins falling out of the plane's side and questions in disbelief as to why Sigma would go so far to try to get rid of them. Moments before the coins explode, Tachihara uses his Ability to explode a coin near him and levitate the plane just enough for Teruko to use her strength to push the plane overboard, stating if they were seconds later, neither of them would have made it. As he pulls Teruko up from the explosion with his Ability, he informs her about the exploding coins and his belief that the terrorists would distribute them worldwide to cause physical damage to those carrying them by inflicting serious injuries with the metallic fragments that would be surgically impossible to remove. After Teruko listens in on the information, she moves out of the room to which Tachihara panics and asks where she is going with such grievous injuries to which she responds that they will take control of the Central Communications Room to relay the message to down below, stating they were going to "save the world". As they walk the halls, they are surrounded by Sigma's men to which Teruko chuckles and asks mockingly if they want to "dance" with her that badly.

A brawl ensues between Teruko and Sigma's men as she joyfully laughs and cackles in the fun she is having at engaging in combat to Sigma's disbelief. As Teruko gets ready to fight more men, Tachihara uses his Ability to take hold of their artilleries, stating it was pointless to use guns against him. The men retreat and as Teruko chastises Tachihara for taking away all of her "fun" he pleads with her to give him a break sine they were technically policemen. As Teruko laughs at the matter, she falls and begins spitting up blood, causing Tachihara to worry and Teruko to shut up and not talk about it or she would kill him. Tachihara realizes the amount of damage Teruko took from taking on the plane and believes fighting any longer would lead to her death. However, Teruko tells Tachihara that "Protectors of Justice" fight on even while injuries and grins at him menacingly with blood dripping out of her mouth asking if she is starting to look like one to which he responds he couldn't possibly go that far. As Teruko wipes the blood from her face, a pair of casino guests come towards them and asks if they are the police to which Tachihara grins and responds affirmatively and shows them his badge and ID, assuring them that they would bring no harm to them. The female casino guest smiles and states she is glad as she stabs a fruit knife into Tachihara's side and her lover crashes a wine bottle over his head. As they run away, the female guests states now their "debt" would be taken care of. Moments later, a broadcast of Sigma airs stating he would award any guest with various amounts of money to clear their gambling debts if they either brought harm or killed the Hunting Dogs assuring them that they would not be charged with any crimes as the Sky Casino was not under the jurisdiction of any country. As the broadcast repeats, guests start coming out of their rooms armed with weapons ranging from metal pipes, suitcases, to chairs eying Tachihara and Teruko.

Tachihara and Teruko attempt to evade the hoard of casino guest as Tachihara thinks in disbelief that Sigma would use his own guests as his personal army to go after them and notes that his men are mixed in with the crowd making it impossible to engage in combat with them. As he ponders for a strategy to get out of the situation, Teruko reminds him that as the police, they must absolutely not bring any harm to commoners and grabs him by the collar to follow her. As the guests go room to room in search for them, they come across Teruko, now disguised as an old woman with a rolling cart with her Ability, and asks her if she had seen the Hunting Dogs. She acts senile as the crowd eventually finds a broken window and a collapsed ladder leading to the outside in her room, causing them to run out and try to find them. As the commotion continues, Teruko walks herself and her cart to the elevator and goes downstairs where she uses her Ability to revert back to her childlike form and kicks one of Sigma's men who had approached her. Tachihara, who had been shrunken down to a toddler's size asks her if it is okay to come out now and peers outside as Teruko uses her Ability to age the man and interrogate him for information about the location of the Central Communication Room. As he witnesses the use of her Ability, Tachihara notes that he had heard that Teruko's Ability had helped decrease crime significantly in several areas in the nation, making her a legend next to Fukuchi. Once Teruko successfully gathers the information from the man, she uses her Ability to change Tachihara back to his normal form and tells him to continue gathering information regarding the terrorist's exact plans as she prepares to make her way to the Central Control Room.

As Teruko engages in combat with Sigma, Tachihara had defeated the guards to one of the computer rooms. He continues to search for information about the terrorist's plans and finds a USB drive that Atsushi had left behind. As he plugs it in, he finds Atsushi's message detailing the events of the past few days and what the Decay of Angels had done to frame the Armed Detective Agency as terrorists including rewriting the current events with the Page. After watching the video message, he receives a message from Teruko through his communicator who asks if he had found any evidence of the terrorist's plans to which he responds "No" and breaks the USB in half, stating he had only found false information they left behind that would lead them down the wrong path. To Tachihara's shock, Teruko then orders him to infiltrate the Mafia once more, stating the Detective Agency had gone too far with the exploding coins and that they must be stopped by the HuntingDogs. In order to capture them, she justifies that they must obtain information on the two Detective Agency members (Tanizaki and Kenji) who had escaped a couple days ago. She also informs him that she had already made contact with the Central Command and that it's chaos down there as she states the world leaders would begin to soon make their move.

As Teruko asks Tachihara if he feels uneasy about the mission, he responds that he's been feeling irritated about the Mafia lately to which she responds in laughter that he would think such a thing given that he was an Ability user who as "born to be a spy". She notes his Ability of metal manipulation was perfect for stealing, altering information, and also assassination as he points out that's what he had used it for in order to eliminate Hirotsu and Gin who were protecting the Detective Agency members to which he meekly responds affirmatively as he reminisces about what had happened after his "killings".

It is revealed that after a certain amount of time after he had cut them down, Tachihara had gone to visit both Hirotsu and Gin who had been hospitalized and treated for their injuries. As Hirotsu greets him as he brings a fruits basket to them, he expresses relief that he was alright and had "survived" with only light injuries, which brings Tachihara an intense feeling of discomfort. Gin notes the light nature of all of their injuries to which Hirotsu agrees, stating although he had bled out dramatically all of his injuries were on the surface level and the attack only seemed like a mere "performance". As Tachihara laughs in response to his comments and slaps Hirotsu's leg that they had all survived thanks to the opponent's flimsy resolve, the latter responds in anger as tries to leave the room due to having "another job" to do. As Gin expresses curiosity on what he means, Tachihara thinks about his status as a Hunting Dog and asks Hirotsu if he is suited for the Mafia. Gin looks to Hirotsu in awe and begins laughing with him as Tachihara looks to them with a sorrowful look. Hirotsu expresses to Tachihara that he is a "Mafia among the Mafia" and a person with qualities that are befitting of one (i.e. recklessness, bravery, and hot bloodedness) who is a shining example that everyone should look to which Gin agrees in her silence. Shocked at his words, Tachihara realizes that his plan to exact vengeance for his older brother was a complete excuse he had made for himself and the true reason for infiltrating the Mafia was to become someone "unlike him nor his opposite". It just so happened that the first people who gave him the "order" to allow for that opportunity was the military. He justifies these things as he recalls what occurred several days earlier back at the Mafia.

Back in the underground Mafia passage, Tachihara had fired, but missed shooting Yosano on purpose and told Jouno he would return to the surface where the commotion was happening. As Yosano called out to him and apologizes for what happened with his older brother 14 years ago, Tachihara experienced a wave of irritability questioning the "shitty Detective Agency" and "evil terrorists" and what they were really up to.

Back at the hospital, Tachihara asks Hirotsu what he thinks about the Detective Agency and their innocence, to which Hirotsu looks to him in amazement and notes he must be more injured than they were to not know the answer. When Hirotsu says anyone in the Mafia would know the answer and turns to Gin for her opinion, she answers back that there is no question that the Detective Agency is innocent as it is impossible for them to ever be terrorists. Hirotsu then tells Tachihara that as a mafioso, he should know that as well.

As Tachihara ends his recollection, he drops the communicator on the floor as Teruko on the other side begins to explain the plan for the infiltration mission and asks if he is listening. He understands that the answer to his irritability is incredibly obvious if he had just thought about it. He then asks himself "Who am I?" and "How do I want to live?". As he recognizes his true identity as a mafioso, The Page symbolically tears as he overrides its influences. He immediately frantically questions what they had been doing all this time and that the Detective Agency couldn't possibly be terrorists as he makes his resolve to find a way to convince the government of their innocence.