Mission 10:
Checking Out The Men in Charge
Having learned of Alison Stanek's role with the Church of the MachineGod, Adam decides to go investigate Miller's apartment at Vega's request. Before he gets to the apartment, she tells him that she's still upset over Rucker's death and thinks Miller had something to do with it.
Adam gets into the apartment and finds a secret room hidden behind a wall panel. Inside, he finds an NSN keycard that Miller left behind, along with computer messages dealing with the latter's inquiries into an attack on the Versalife building in San Francisco. Vega calls and suggests that Adam try hacking into Miller's computer at TF29 headquarters, then says that she's found some interesting information on Versalife and wants to meet with him. She directs him to a nearby public square to meet and discuss matters.
When he arrives, he gives her the intel he kept from Rucker's office, and she thanks him for helping. She says that she thinks Versalife has some connection with everything that's been happening, as she learned of a suspicious death at the San Francisco facility. She states that the person who died was a researcher who was apparently poisoned just like Rucker. She also reveals her history to Adam, and tells him how she can't stand Versalife because of what happened when she ran afoul of them, and how they sent Belltower mercs after her. She muses that Versalife may have developed some type of bioweapon, and wonders what they're up to. Adam asks her to backtrace the IP address from the intel he gave, and says that he's going to check out Miller's computer.
Adam enters TF29 and access Miller's room. Inside, he uses the keycard to access the NSN chair and logs on to the server. Vega radios in and warns him to be careful when accessing sensitive information, because there are security systems that could activate if he's not careful. She suggests searching several of the data clusters for any incriminating files.
Upon logging onto the server, Adam finds himself in a virtual conference room. He begins to sneak past several laser triggers and defenses, activating data towers along the way. After activating five of them, Adam finally accesses TF29's conversation archives. He stumbles across a conversation between Miller and Joseph Manderley, who is advising the former to focus on the ARC investigation. Miller is shocked, and asks how he's supposed to pin all of the terrorist bombings on the organization without any hard evidence. Manderley tells him that it's a direct order, and Miller asks him to send over some reports so he can sell it to the public. After Miller leaves the conversation, Manderley places a call to Bob Page and tells him that Miller has been snooping around for information on an office fire at Versalife. Page states that it doesn't matter, and that the incident can be used to cover up a "related matter".
The conversation turns to ARC, and Page asks if their mole inside ARC is still active. Manderley applies in the affirmative, and Page tells him to relay to the mole that they can kill Rucker with the Orchid. While Manderley expresses doubts about the plan, Page assures him that getting rid of Rucker will force Nathaniel Brown to push forward his plan, and says that everything is proceeding perfectly. Adam ends the call and logs out of the server.
He calls Alex and asks Vega if she received the information, and she replies in the affirmative, stating that what they found is big and Janus will be happy to hear it. He asks her to set up a meeting with Janus before leaving the room.
Outside, he finds Dr. Auzenne, who asks him what he was doing in Miller's NSN room. Adam throws it back in her face, asking why she's in the room as well. She indicates that she was leaving a message asking if he had seen TF29's Organized Crime division head, Vince Black. She tells Adam that Black was undercover with the Dvali family, but didn't show up to connect for their weekly meeting. She worries that something may have happened to him, and asks Adam to investigate it if he has time. After trailing a number of leads, Adam eventually finds Black's apartment and discovers that he was killed by the Dvalis after they discovered his true identity. He relays the news to Delara and she laments that Black died for nothing.
Vega calls to relay that Janus has agreed to meet Adam, and asks him to go to the information center inside the abandoned Monument Station. He also stops to get a dead drop Vega left for him in a nearby alley with Marchenko's backstory and more information about him. Along the way, Adam decides to follow up on all leads and drops by Elias Chikane's apartment, where he finds some suspicious emails on his computer talking about a secret meeting with an unidentified contact...
Adam continues to Monument Station. After reaching the basement, he comes face-to-face with "Janus", who appears as a changing series of human faces. Janus apologizes for not being able to get to Prague, and says that it was the best he could do on short notice. When Adam asks if Janus knew who the participants in the NSN conversation were, Janus tells him about Bob Page, the owner of both Page Industries and Versalife.
Adam says that they could arrest Page for admitting his involvement in Rucker's death, but Janus says it would never work because the conversation was obtained illegally and wouldn't hold up in court. Adam suggests that they investigate the "Orchid" instead. Janus says that there may be some information located in Versalife's vault at the Palisade Bank, and he suggests breaking in to see what he can find. The conversation turns to ARC, and Janus theorizes that they're being framed because it could benefit Nathaniel Brown, who runs the Santeau Group and is pushing to build the city of Ra'biah.
Before the conversation can continue, Janus' feed goes dead. Vega calls in a panic and says that the site is compromised. She tells Adam to hurry and get out because sentry drones have been dispatched to the location.
Adam finally escapes from the office after sneaking past several drones, and makes his way through the sewers back to street level. When he exits out, Nomad Stanke calls in a panic and asks Adam to help him. Confused, Adam asks what's happening. Stanek reveals that the Church of the MachineGod is planning to kill Alison, and that he's tailed them to an apartment complex in the Prazicka district. He tells Adam to hurry and help before hanging up.
Caught at a crossroads, Adam is unsure of what to do...
Tropes:
- Ambiguously Evil: While it's revealed that Miller does follow Illuminati orders, his conversation with Manderley shows that he's not happy at all with it, and is unaware that his superiors are part of the conspiracy.
- Becoming the Mask: In the "Fade to Black" sidequest, it's revealed that Vince Black embraced his role as a Dvali gang member, but his true identity was discovered and he was killed for it.
- Call-Forward: Page and Manderley's conversation in the NSN shows that the former doesn't trust the Illuminati council, setting up the events that would eventually lead him to break away from them and build Majestic 12 as a splinter sect.
- Dead All Along: Vince Black, if you complete the "Fade to Black" sidequest.
- Dirty Cop: Following up on the references of him from Human Revolution (notably, the mention of him being brought in to recover the neural hub from the hacker who attacked the Sarif Manufactuing Plant), Manderley does everything in his power to mislead Task Force members and keep them away from the truth, to the point of stonewalling Miller's information requests.
- Foreshadowing:
- Visiting Chikane's apartment and hacking into his computer reveals a surprising amount of information about his past, and how problems paying for his brother's hospital bills led him to seek a meeting with an unidentified contact, sent from an IP address in Hong Kong...
- The Pocket Secretary located beside Vince Black's body in the "Fade to Black" sidequest hints that Dr. Auzenne's true motives are murky, and he claims that she asks too many questions and pokes around the offices when no one's around. Adam discovers her doing exactly that in Miller's office when he exits the NSN server.
- Hidden Depths: Taking the time to poke around Miller's two computers reveals that he has a daughter who has a rare bone condition that will eventually cripple her, and is considering getting augmentations. Miller's demeanor in these emails is markedly different from his actions towards Adam and the rest of the TF29 staff.
- Humiliation Conga: Rooting around Miller's apartment enough and talking to people in TF29 reveals that Miller has been through the wringer — he's going through the middle of a messy divorce with his ex-husband, is reluctant to get life-saving augment surgery for his dying daughter because people would look down on her, has been frozen out of his Palisade Bank account and is getting stonewalled by Manderley when he tries to access information.
- Jerk Ass Has A Point: One of the emails on Miller's computer is from MacReady, who is complaining about Adam's disregard for their authority. While MacReady has been shown to be dismissive of augs, his reasons regarding authority are correct, as Adam is operating as The Mole for the Juggernaut Collective and flagrantly disregarding proper protocol.
- Morton's Fork: Invoked in an email conversation found in the secret room within Miller's apartment. He has a conversation with his ex about getting life-saving treatment for their daughter. The problem is that in order to get the surgery, she would need to be augmented and he is the legal guardian. However, he is reluctant to do so (despite her pain and failing condition) because it would subject her to the same prejudices he deals with every day.
- Porn Stache: Manderley still sports the mustache he had in the original game.
- Properly Paranoid: If the player has taken the time to loot TF29, Chang will call Adam out for his tendencies, and pointedly ask if he's been spying on the group. Though Chang is correct (Adam is The Mole for Janus), Adam points out that he just likes taking things.
- Right for the Wrong Reasons: Chang, who accuses Adam of being The Mole in TF29. Though Chang is correct in a way (Adam is acting as The Mole for the Juggernaut Collective), this conversation only occurs if the player has acted like a Kleptomaniac Hero by raiding weapons and items from the headquarters.
- Xanatos Gambit: As is customary for the series, Page is engaged in a conspiracy to frame ARC for all of the terrorist bombings, and admits that regardless of whether Rucker dies, his plans are progressing along nicely.
