Deus Ex Diaries Part Thirty-Three (Human Revolution)

This is my ongoing exploration of the Deus Ex Universe, in release order. Whether you’re a newcomer or an old-goer, I hope to make this something you can read along with and enjoy. I continue Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

I’d had a busy return to work, and the day wasn’t over yet since I needed to get a checkup, and steal from the police…

Leaving Sarif’s office, I went down in the elevator only to hear a page telling me that I was needed in my office. Heading straight there, I met Tim Carella, who needed my help. It turned out that he was the one stealing Neuropozyne from the company - but it wasn’t just him, and he wanted out. Brian Tindall was the one who got Carella involved - and I couldn’t help but notice that neither of these two were named in the evidence trail I had been following earlier…

Carella asked me to retrieve some evidence from Tindall that could be used to blackmail him into letting Carella go. He couldn’t simply leave, as Tindall had video evidence tying Carella to the thefts. He suggested going to Tindall’s apartment to check his personal computer - luckily he knew where that was and gave me the address. He also said that the only other option would be to use a CASIE aug - a social enhancer. It just so happened that I was saving up my Praxis points for it.

With my new side mission in mind, I left the building - only to run into Megan Reed’s mother Casandra. She had been waiting for me to tell me about a former detective, Chase, who might have had information on the attack six months ago. He was now a night watchman for an apartment building, so she asked me to go and see him - if nothing else to see if there was something off about the investigation. I readily agreed to look into the investigation, and added it to the list.

Down the road, I met an old informant - Letitia. She had been digging through a bin, which caught my attention. I told her that I’d pay for some information, and spent 3500 credits to find out about some secret paths. She gave me the code 2599 to get into the police station from an alternate route, then mentioned how the fire escape on a dilapidated building would be a good route through Baller territory. She finished up with some sewer walls potentially hiding some goodies, and I was running low on money. She told me the city’s mood for free, but I decided that I didn’t have enough money to ask her about weapons and left.

A nearby abandoned petrol station was occupied by a weapons dealer and his bodyguard. I sold some whiskey and left, going around the rear. The apartment building right there in the apartment was where two of my markers were pointing, so I went inside and found Chase sitting at a desk. It was weird, because I’d soon find that there was only one apartment in the entire building, up a few flights of stairs…

Speaking to Chase, he recognised me as the person Casandra Reed had told him about. He was concerned that the case was buried in a hurry, and that ranking officers had brushed him off multiple times. He also had some leads that he couldn’t investigate, without risking his pension.

Chase suspected that someone outside the department had stuck their noses in, and if so there would be evidence on the captain’s computer. I should also have a word with Chet Wagner, a no-good officer who had been brought in on the case presumably to tamper with evidence. I could loosen his lips by checking his computer, apparently, though I hoped I’d have my CASIE aug before it came to that. Finally, Chase said that there was a storage locker I should check out next to the station with the code 4891.

After a bit of a chat about Chase as a person, I left him to head up the windowless stairs to see Greg Thorpe. His thanks extended to telling me about a weapons dealer - Seurat - and that was it. Of course, there may have been a discount involved, but hardly worth the effort it took to get up here…

Before leaving, I bought the CASIE mod. It would help me analyse people’s reactions, and release a pheromone to make them more open to suggestions. I went downstairs and followed the alleyway around. Spotting a ladder up to the fire escape, I took it and went upstairs. Some wood was leaning up as a ramp, so I jumped over hoping to gain access to Tindall’s apartment.

Going downstairs, I found an apartment on the floor above which I could hack my way inside of, and did so. There was a pocket secretary with the bedroom door code on it, so I opened the door to be greeted by proximity mines! I managed to set them off without taking any damage, then checked the computer, hacking my way in. The apartment apparently belonged to Jack O'Malley, and according to one of the emails from “littleToney82”, a person called Sam required silencing. I’d have to keep an eye out for these people.

Downstairs, I hacked my way into Tindall’s place and went into the bedroom. Hacking the computer, I suddenly heard someone calling out for Tindall. I wasn’t alone! I closed the door and got my tranq rifle ready, shooting the guy when he opened the door. I hid in the bathroom until he collapsed, then went back to the computer. Tindall had a chat log with someone who he had been supplying Neuropozyne to, saying that he only had a little left, and that he didn’t want paying for it…

I went downstairs and out of the building, opening the security gate with the code in another email on Tindall’s PC: 0002. As I explored the alleys, I came across a basketball and a hoop - so of course I tried to sink a basket. Eventually, I managed it and moved on, exploring the section of the Detroit I was in. As I neared the police station, Sarif contacted me and asked if I’d obtained the neural hub yet - Jensen replied that it wasn’t that easy. He gave me some tips on looking for other access points, then I decided that I should probably head to the LIMB clinic.

On my way through a monorail station, I stopped to watch some dancing - though it wasn’t very technically competent. When I exited the station I realised that I was close to the petrol station where Tindall was waiting for someone. I went over and spoke to him, not letting him play hard to get and laying into him with words. He tried to say that he was only doing it to help people who couldn’t afford Neuropozyne, and if Carella stopped helping then people would suffer. I told him that I just wanted to help Carella. He also tried to make me help him take on the dealers that were threatening him - his philanthropy was damaging their bottom lines. However, since I had my CASIE aug, I had spotted that he had an Alpha personality, so I sprayed him with pheromones and appeased him.

With a sigh and lamenting that he was going to face dangerous men alone, Tindall handed over the security footage. Leaving him to his fate, I went to find Carella, and handed him the footage. He thanked me and gave me a weapon mod before vanishing.

With a couple of side quests finished, I headed for the LIMB clinic for my checkup…