Episode 11: Foreign Country

**"Foreign Nation -object-"** *Transcription:* "Ikoku -object-" (Japanese: 異国 -object-) is the eleventh episode of *Madlax*. It debuted on June 14, 2004 in Japan.

## Synopsis

Vanessa Rene checks up on a shipment of materials from Nafrece that have arrived in Gazth-Sonika. Everything seems fine. Unknown to Vanessa, Carossur Don watches her, considering whether to eliminate her and how to do it without Friday Monday knowing. It appears Don wants to do things independently of Friday Monday. The current chief of Bookwald Industries calls Vanessa and urges her to finish her work in Gazth-Sonika quickly. Vanessa looks like she’s aware that the company is pressuring her stay out of things. She contacts someone to ask for protection, and in the next scene, SSS calls Madlax and says there’s a job for her. She has to protect a civilian to might be targeted by Enfant.

From talking to Bagis a few days ago, Vanessa learned that the data they hacked was sent to a computer in the city of Daman. Bagis knew the serial number of the computer, and figured out it was recently sold at an electronics shop on West 32nd street. As soon as the new owner of the computer connects to the network, Gazth-Sonika will probably find the data, and alert Enfant. Therefore, Bagis said this was a trap, and Vanessa shouldn’t go looking for the computer in Daman. However, she insisted on going. Bagis gave her the number of an unauthorized agent in Gazth-Sonika: Three-Speed or SSS.

Knowing that someone (Madlax) is being paid to watch her back, Vanessa goes looking for the computer the next day. She finds the electronic shop, and is told that a computer of the same type and series was recently sold to a young student named Ains. Coincidentally, Ains walks into the store to buy a network card since he can’t get his computer connected. Vanessa talks to the boy and tries her best to come up with a story that will give her an excuse to see his computer. At first Ains refuses to invite her. After Vanessa keeps following him around, and tells him she admires computer experts and is curious about software, Ains finally gives in. He agrees to bring his perso-com to Vanessa to let her see.

Working quickly, Vanessa is able to save the incriminating data about Bookwald and Enfant onto a floppy disc, and delete it from Ains’ computer. Just as she stands up to leave the park where they are sitting, Vanessa notices men in shades closing in from multiple directions. She tells Ains to run, knowing there will be violence, but he doesn’t listen. The three men threaten to shoot Vanessa and Ains unless she hands over the data. At first, Vanessa looks like she’s just going to hand it over, but at the second, she refuses, believing that exposing the truth is worth her life. Madlax arrives in the nick of time and shoots all three Enfant agents, killing them. The capable agent tells Ains to try to forget about this day and provides a getaway car for Vanessa and herself.

Carossur Don and one of his personal agents were watching from a distance. They see Vanessa diving away. Before the agent can report the news to Enfant, Don shoots him. Then he lies to Enfant and tells him that the one who has the incriminating data is Madlax, and that her whereabouts are unknown.  It’s only as they drive together that Vanessa learns Madlax’s name and that she was the one who killed those three men, plus four others that had been following her. Madlax tells Vanessa that she never should have tried this, and makes a point that she could very well kill her if she wanted to. After all, they are in Gazth-Sonika, where the price for life is the cheapest.

In The Other World they exist in, Leticia stands next to the little yellow-haired boy, Poupee. She says, “To escape what troubles you, you can cover your eyes and ears. Falsehood is to change the truth. Ignorance is to not notice the truth. Incompetence is to be unable to grasp the truth. And escape is to step away from the truth. It’s no good to run away. The truth is always near. The truth is always so close to us.”

## Preview

Episode 12

*"Thoughts of you weigh heavily on my mind. They consume me. You're like another version of myself. These emotions are intense. Almost like love."* – Limelda Jorg