Recap / Deus Ex Mankind Divided Mission 14 Stopping Marchenko

Mission 14:

Stopping Marchenko

Two days after leaving Prague, a VTOL carrying Miller, Adam, MacReady and the rest of TF29 flies towards the Apex Convention Centre in London.

Miller is on the phone with the London branch of the Task Force, who are telling him that there is no credible threat, while MacReady and Adam both hope they're wrong about the Orchid being deployed. Miller gets off the phone and tells MacReady to secure the perimeter with the London team, while he and Miller exit on the roof. Miller gives the group a Rousing Speech before they disembark.

Nathaniel Brown and his entourage meet them on the roof, and he thanks Miller for handling the matter discreetly. Brown tells them that he's taken extra precautions, including hiring additional guards from Tarvos and replacing all of the food and beverage supplies, but wonders if he's doing enough. He says that he's dealt with extremists trying to shut down the Safe Harbor Initiative before, but Adam tells him that it may not be enough. He points out that ARC was framed for Rucker's death, and that the people behind that attack want to stop him from speaking out against the Human Restoration Act.

Brown points out that he will do everything in his power to shut down the Act, and has invited several members of the United Nations Security Council to convince them. He tells them that the London Task Force division has cleared a conference room for the delegates to use, and Miller asks to inspect it personally. He orders Adam to coordinate with the on-site Tarvos Security liaison, Liam Slater, before leaving.

Adam takes the elevator down and calls Vega on the way, telling her what Brown told him. Janus eavesdrops on the conversation and says that the delegates must be protected at all costs, and that the Illuminati's ultimate goal is to wipe out all augmented civilians completely. Vega tells him that Janus is right before hanging up. When he arrives downstairs, Adam walks up to the security office, only to find a man who blusters through an excuse that Liam Slater isn't there. Adam backs off and says he was lost, then covertly calls Miller and MacReady to tell them what happened. They all realize something isn't right, and Miller tells him to get inside Slater's office.

When he arrives, he discovers Tarvos Security officers lying dead on the floor and realizes that the site has been compromised. He radios Miller, who subsequently says that they were ready for a situation like this. He orders MacReady to rush into the building with a strike team, but the latter is being impeded because the stairwell doors are on security lockdown and there's no way in. Miller says that there's a security override switch nearby that Adam needs to activate.

As Adam does so, a live feed from the convention room begins as Brown addresses the delegates. Adam accesses the security feeds and discovers that the mercenaries have also accessed the catering area. Miller says he's near the catering wing, and sees that several of the mercenaries have also infiltrated the room of guests. He tells Adam to get down to the convention room and clear out the mercenaries, while he gets Brown to safety.

Adam continues on and eventually reaches the main hall, while MacReady tells him to find any suspicious guards and neutralize them quietly. Using all his speed and stealth, Adam successfully knocks out 11 guards in the room and hides them from the rest of the delegates. MacReady then radios in and says that he's been stalled by laser tripwires in the stairwells, and that Adam will have to continue on to the catering area himself.

After dispatching more of the mercenaries and heading through the catering area, Adam finds a bloodied and bruised Miller sprawled out in one of the kitchens. Miller tells him to forget about him and find Brown. He warns Adam that the champagne was poisoned and sent to the meeting rooms outside the reception hall, and that he wasn't able to stop the mercenaries. When Adam tries to radio MacReady and warn him that the Orchid is in play, his infolink frequency is hijacked by Marchenko, who says that he should be dead.

Marchenko reveals that he's adapting his plan on the fly, and that he's poisoned the champagne along with wiring residential buildings across the street to explode. He wonders aloud if Adam has what it takes to stop him, and tries to goad him into a Sadistic Choice over whether to save the delegates and Brown or stop him. He gives Adam ten minutes to reach him before he triggers the explosives.

After Marchenko hangs up, MacReady says he will attempt to defuse the bombs in the building while Adam continues on to stop Marchenko. Miller says that the mercenaries forced him to drink the Orchid, and that he can't be saved. Adam reveals that he has the antidote, and administers it to Miller. After chiding him for being a pain in the neck, Miller tells him to hurry and save the delegates.

Adam rushes to the floor below and makes it past several groups of armed guards to reach Brown and the delegates. He finds them Just in Time to stop them from drinking the poisoned champagne. They throw it away in disgust, and he tells them to evacuate to the helipad. Afterwards, he finds a hidden panel in the wall and a passage that leads to the meeting room where Marchenko is holed up.

When he enters and hides behind a pillar, Marchenko goads him once more. He asks Adam to show himself, prompting the agent to reveal that he has Marchenko's killswitch, and orders him to stand down. Marchenko realizes that he's been outmatched, and says that he doesn't fear death. He fires another blast at Adam, causing him to leap out of the way.

Instead of killing him, Adam uses his nonlethal weapons to stun him, then knocks him out with a pair of blistering punches. Once the danger has passed, he calls MacReady and tells him that Marchenko is out and the bomb threat has been neutralized...

One week later, Adam and Vega watch a newscast of Brown thanking Tarvos Security for thwarting the mercenaries' attack at the convention centre. Adam goes to pour a glass of whiskey, but discovers it's empty. Vega tells him that they won, and that they can finally take a breath for the first time in a long while. She also tells him that Janus has relayed that things will stabilize, but Adam isn't so sure and wonders what the future holds.

She asks why he knocked out Marchenko, and he contends that he was of better use to them alive. He tells her that he still wants The Man Behind the Man, and she says that they now know who Manderley and Page are. Adam asks to see Janus in person, despite Vega's objections. He tells her that she can either help him set up the meeting or he'll find him on his own...

Some time later, members of the Illuminati meet to discuss matters again. Rand is outraged due to the failure of the operation. Everett says that Interpol was more capable than they realized, especially since Adam Jensen is part of their ranks. Everett also says that they think he was being helped by Janus and the Juggernaut Collective.

Debeers tells them not to speculate and get more information before reconvening next week. After the rest of the members hang up, "Elizabeth DuClare" is revealed to actually be... Delara Auzenne, who tells him that Adam is well-adjusted despite the trauamas he faced, and that his "memories are still consistent with the program". He tells her that it's only a matter of time before Adam gets in touch with Janus before they both hang up...

Tropes:

• Ascended Meme: Once the game is completed, the "I Never Asked For This" difficulty mode is unlocked.
• Aside Glance: When Everett mentions Janus during The Stinger, Rand looks away slyly for a moment. This would corroborate the information found in the artbook that he is Janus.
• Badass Boast: Just before Miller and Adam disembark on the roof of the convention centre, he gives one of these to his men to remind them of their duty.
  Miller: The world may be going to shit, but we're here to stand against the chaos.
• Bittersweet Ending: The "worst" ending in the game (accomplished by failing both objectives in the final mission) has this tone, as Adam and Vega's conversation is much more downbeat. Not only has the Human Restoration Act passed, but all of Miller's London team (including MacCready) is dead. Adam notes that he still wants to work for TF29, as they're pretty much the only unit not shown to have been fully-compromised by the Illuminati, and in his request to meet with Janus, he angrily demands to meet "on (my) own terms".
• Book Ends:
  • Both the first and last missions of the game begin with Miller briefing TF29 on the way to a dangerous situation, and him giving a speech about how they don't know what they'll find inside.
  • An Illuminati conference is shown at the beginning (right after the prologue) and The Stinger, though the tone is much different depending on how the player completed the final mission.
• Blatant Lies: The Picus newscast at the end has Eliza excusing many of the more sinister acts encountered throughout the game. The Palisade Bank categorically denies being invaded and robbed, while it's claimed that Rucker's death was due to his alcoholism.
• Boss in Mook Clothing: Marchenko is not much tougher than the average rank-and-file enemy, and there are several ways to easily dispatch him. In fact, he can be effortlessly taken down (non-lethally) by stunning him with the Tesla when his Rhino armor isn't up and then performing a takedown, ending the fight in seconds.
• Carrying the Antidote: If the player picked up the Orchid antidote from a previous mission, Miller can be saved when Adam finds him in the kitchen. If not, he dies and Adam pledges that It's Personal against Marchenko.
• Chekhov's Gun: Depending on how "Facing the Enigma" was completed, either of the items obtained plays a key part in the mission. If Alison was saved, the signal jammer she gives to Adam can be used to disable the bombs, preventing Marchenko from detonating them. If the Orchid antidote was acquired from the Versalife vault, it can be used to save either Miller or the delegates (though if the player is quick, they can save both by getting to the latter within ten minutes of Marchenko calling Adam).
• Chekhov's Gunman: The leaders of the Samizdat newspaper (who flee to Paris after Adam completes their quest for them) are revealed in the ending cutscene to have rebranded themselves as Silhouette.
• Deep Cover Agent:
  • Dr. Auzenne is revealed to be this, although this was effectively foreshadowed earlier in the game during the "Fade to Black" sidequest.
  • Adam himself is implied to be this to the Illuminati, though to what extent isn't clear, given the tone of Delara and Lucius' comments and the clone body found in the Versalife vault earlier in the game.
• Earn Your Happy Ending: Saving Miller, Brown and the delegates and stopping Marchenko nets the only unambiguously positive ending seen so far in the franchise. While the threat of the Illuminati still looms, Adam's actions have saved the lives of millions of Augs and allowed Brown to continue campaigning against the Human Restoration Act.
• Foregone Conclusion: Despite Adam's pledge to go after Manderley and Page for their actions over the last few years, long-time fans of the series know that both men must survive to be present in the original game.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: If Brown and the delegates were saved, Auzenne calls out Debeers for letting Adam run around unchecked during The Stinger.
• I Need a Freaking Drink: Subverted. Adam goes to pour a glass of whiskey in the ending, only to find that he has none left.
• Ironic Echo: Miller's first line in the prologue mission is "Am I going to have a problem with you?", directed towards Jensen. If his life is saved with the Orchid antidote at the convention centre, he will respond, "I thought you said you weren't going to be a problem."
• I Will Only Slow You Down: Miller tells Adam this if the latter tries to save him. If the player has the Orchid antidote, they can choose to save his life, which causes him to remark, "I thought you said you weren't going to be a problem."
• La Résistance: The final cutscene reveals that there's an underground resistance (Silhouette) that's come out of the shadows and is publishing newspapers in France.
• Manchurian Agent: The Stinger reveals that Adam is being set up by Auzenne and Debeers to find and meet Janus, thus leading the Illuminati straight to their biggest enemy.
• Multiple Endings:
  • Various aspects of the ending change, depending on whether the player saved Brown, Miller and/or the delegates.
  • Eliza's newscast also changes based on whether certain sidequests and feats were completed throughout the game, including whether Tibor Sokol was left alive in Golem City, whether the Versalife vault was raided, whether the Samizdat owners were able to flee the country, whether the Neon drug operation was shut down, and much more.
• The Needs of the Many: Janus runs headlong into this, as he tries to argue that Brown and the delegates are more important (because they represent the future of augs, who will die if the Human Restoration Act passes) than the tenants in the apartment buildings Marchenko has wired.
• Not So Stoic: Janus is at a momentary loss for words once he realizes that Brown and the delegates are in danger, and he pleads with Adam to save them before they are poisoned.
• Oh, Crap!: If Adam gets Marchenko's killphrase and uses it during the final battle, the latter has this response.
• Rousing Speech: Miller gives the Task Force members aboard the VTOL one of these, reminding of them of the stakes they're fighting for.
• Sadistic Choice: Marchenko tries to force Adam to choose between saving the delegates or stopping him from detonating the bombs. However, if the player is quick enough, they can accomplish both goals.
• Skippable Boss: In true series tradition, Marchenko can be skipped if you use his killswitch. However, this voids a Pacifist Run.
• The Stinger: The mid-credits scene reveals that Delara Auzenne is one of the moles inside Task Force 29, along with the reveal that Debeers has been manipulating Adam behind-the-scenes so he can find Janus for the Illuminati.
• Underestimating Badassery:
  • The Tarvos guards who try to keep up the charade wonder if Adam was a hotel guest who got bored and wandered into the wrong part of the building. Considering that this was the agent who near single-handedly took down most of Belltower's forces on his own two years earlier, it runs smackdab into this trope.
  • Even Rand appears to be in disbelief that their entire plan was stopped by a single agent, and that they're no further along than when they started.
• Villain Ball:
  • The Illuminati operatives pick this up for the duration of the final mission. Having been initially thwarted by Adam and Task Force 29's investigation, as well as Brown's preventative measures, they're forced to enact a seat-of-their-pants plan that involves slaughtering the Tarvos employees and wasting time trying to poison the wine in the conference room. While their plan can succeed, it's far more likely that the player will have more than enough time to rescue the delegates and Brown, along with stopping Marchenko.
  • Rand even calls the other Illuminati members out if both groups were saved, leading Everett to admit that they made adjustments to the best of their ability.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Much like his characterization in the "Hard Line" novella, Janus has an "ends justify the means" mentality. He tries to convince Adam to leave the explosives and save Brown and the delegates instead, arguing that a few hundred civilian lives won't matter compared to what would occur if Brown and the others died, which would condemn all augs to a certain death.
• Why Am I Ticking?: Marchenko gets this reaction if Adam activates his killswitch.
• You Will Not Evade Me: Subverted; you can hack the door to Marchenko's boss fight area after you've initiated combat with him and leave the area... at which point he will radio you and refer to you as a "coward" in response.
• Xanatos Gambit: Jensen is revealed to be an unwilling mole for the Illuminati, who is being used by Debeers to find and track down Janus for the Illuminati.

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