FADE IN:
INT. DROPSHIP - DUBAI
It is TWO YEARS after DEUS EX: HUMAN REVOLUTION. ADAM JENSEN is now working for TASK FORCE 29, an ANTI-TERRORIST TEAM funded by INTERPOL. He finds himself aboard a DROPSHIP alongside a SQUAD OF SOLDIERS who are being briefed by JIM MILLER, who heads up TF29’S PRAGUE UNIT.
ADAM JENSEN
Yes! First Deus Ex protagonist to get a second game!
(looks around)
Wait, what is this?
JIM MILLER
Listen up, men! We just got a green light!
ADAM JENSEN
This -- this is a Deus Ex game, right? It’s not even night out!
JIM MILLER
We’ve got an Iraqi smuggling cartel making a black market hardware buy in a derelict hotel in Dubai!
ADAM JENSEN
No seriously, a dry military briefing, Middle-Eastern enemies -- is this fucking Call of Duty?
JIM MILLER
Jensen, you’ll scout ahead alone and clear the penthouse! What kind of weapon do you want to use? Something lethal or non-lethal?
ADAM JENSEN
(breathes a sigh of relief)
Whew, that is a very Deus Ex thing to ask. I’ll pick something non-lethal, boss. Gots to get me that Pacifist achievement!
The SQUAD LEADER pipes up. His name is DUNCAN MACREADY and he must be IMPORTANT, because he’s got INDIVIDUALLY MODELLED HAIR STRANDS INSTEAD OF A FLAT TEXTURE.
DUNCAN MACREADY
You’re not planning to go crazy on us, right? You know, like all Augs did two years ago, which resulted in the deaths of fifty million people?
ADAM JENSEN
Instead of calmly allaying your concerns, why don’t I feed them by playfully poking you with my elbow chisel? SNIKT!
DUNCAN MACREADY
Relax, I’m just getting everyone up to speed by layering in the previous game’s relevant story beats.
ADAM JENSEN
Oh, I thought we couldn’t be bothered with such subtle writing, since that whole convoluted mess was already condensed in an optional twelve-minute recap video.
JIM MILLER
That’s enough introductory antagonism out of you two! Jensen, time to go!
ADAM does a CAPTAIN AMERICA and jumps out the BACK of the DROPSHIP.
DUNCAN MACREADY
Was he wearing a parachute?
JIM MILLER
No. No, he wasn’t.
INT. DERELICT HOTEL - DUBAI
ADAM safely lands on the HOTEL ROOF using his ICARUS LANDING SYSTEM.
ADAM JENSEN
Neat, I still have all my abilities! Guess we’re doing a New Game+ right out of the gate.
JIM MILLER
Alright Jensen, once you’re through all the obtrusive tutorial pop-ups, seal off the elevator to the atrium on the other side of the penthouse. You better hurry, there’s a sandstorm coming in.
ADAM JENSEN
Pfsh, that’s probably scripted to hit at a preordained moment, so I’ll just assume I have plenty of time. I might actually wait for this horrendous mouse lag to get patched.
After clearing out the PENTHOUSE and blocking the ELEVATOR, JENSEN observes the BLACK MARKET DEAL from ABOVE.
ADAM JENSEN
I think I’ll stand on this balcony in plain view of the whole atrium. That should minimise my chances of being detected.
DUNCAN MACREADY
You just want the wind to ruffle your individual hair strands.
ADAM JENSEN
My hair does look amazing.
Before TF29 can STOP THE DEAL, the CARTEL MEMBERS are suddenly attacked by GOLD-MASKED MERCENARIES who look like POLYGONAL SONS OF THE HARPY.
JIM MILLER
It’s an ambush! Jensen, get down there and stop them from making off with the weapons!
ADAM jumps down, quickly SMOOTHES UP HIS HAIR, and deals with the MERCENARIES. The LAST ONE is shot by MACREADY just so he can feel like THE MAN. Then, the SANDSTORM HITS.
ADAM JENSEN
Agh! Ptui ptui. Called it! Ptui.
INT. RUZICKA STATION - PRAGUE
ONE WEEK LATER, ADAM arrives in PRAGUE by TRAIN.
ADAM JENSEN
I need to find out who crashed the party in Dubai. To do that, I’ll have to --
DEVELOPER EIDOS MONTREAL
Wait! Holy fuck, what were we thinking? A Deus Ex game always has to open with a group of shadowy conspirators adumbrating their sinister plans! Let’s quickly do that now!
CUT TO:
INT. SHADOWY MEETING HALL
Several SHADOWY CONSPIRATORS are sat around a SHADOWY TABLE.
LUCIUS DEBEERS
Greetings, everyone. Before we mention Dubai and other assorted dealings, shall I namedrop you all and stimulate everyone’s nostalgia glands? I am of course Lucius DeBeers. Stanton Dowd, you and your money will go to New York. Elizabeth DuClare, we’ll speak in private later. Morgan Everett, stop worrying about the Juggernaut Collective and Janus. And finally, Bob Page! Is your plan ready?
BOB PAGE
Which one? My plan to overthrow you all and take over the world? Or my plan for whatever we’re doing in this game?
LUCIUS DEBEERS
The second one.
BOB PAGE
Yup, all good to go.
DEVELOPER EIDOS MONTREAL
Okay, that should do it. Back to Prague!
CUT TO:
INT. RUZICKA STATION - PRAGUE
AGAIN, ADAM arrives in PRAGUE.
ADAM JENSEN
Right, so it was the Illuminati. That solves that.
He alights from the TRAIN and meets with ALEJANDRA “ALEX” VEGA in a GUIDED SEQUENCE not unlike when GORDON FREEMAN FIRST ENTERED CITY 17.
ALEX VEGA
Hey Adam. Boy, that ambush in Dubai sounded bad.
ADAM JENSEN
Not exactly something I was expecting.
ALEX VEGA
Well yes, that is the literal definition of an ambush. Anyway, I’m supposed to subtly layer into our conversation that we’re working for the hacktivist Juggernaut Collective and you’re actually a mole inside TF29 on their behalf, but subtlety flew out the window with that recap video. In a similar vein, if you want me to be properly characterised with a backstory, you’ll have to play Deus Ex: The Fall.
ADAM JENSEN
That mobile game that looks like a 240p YouTube video? No thanks. Did the Collective dig up anything about Dubai?
ALEX VEGA
They’ve been trying to find a good reason for the Illuminati to have set that whole thing up, but it seems so unconnected. Almost like it was just a flimsy excuse to have an acclimatising opening mission before the main plot kicks in.
As they pass through a CHECKPOINT, the MAIN PLOT KICKS IN as the TRAIN STATION is suddenly BOMBED.
ADAM JENSEN
Alex! Are you okay?
ALEX VEGA
Yeah, I’m fine. We’ll talk.
(leaves)
ADAM JENSEN
That was a weird response to narrowly surviving a terrorist attack.
ADAM tries to rescue a MOTHER trapped under some RUBBLE, but she TRAGICALLY DIES while holding his HAND. He quickly flips out his IMPLANTED SUNGLASSES as if to say “DEAL WITH IT.”
INT. ADAM’S APARTMENT - PRAGUE
The next day, ADAM awakens in his APARTMENT.
ADAM JENSEN
Look at that, I’m naked. Raise your hand if you’re wondering whether I have a robot penis!
He has a MOROSE SHOWER, gets DRESSED, and takes a call from DAVID SARIF, who is wearing a SHINY BLACK AND GOLD SUIT to indicate that he still CLINGS TO THE ART DIRECTION OF THE PREVIOUS GAME.
DAVID SARIF
Adam! Good thing we both made it out of the wreckage of Panchaea, right?
ADAM JENSEN
Ah, so we’re jumping off from the ending where I elected to destroy Panchaea?
DAVID SARIF
Uhh, not really.
ADAM JENSEN
Don’t tell me lesser versions of all four endings happened simultaneously! That’s the approach Invisible War took and we all know what happened there.
DAVID SARIF
No, Human Revolution’s endings are actually pretty moot. It’s Hugh Darrow sending all augmented people into a murderous frenzy that has shaped this world. Through no fault of their own, Augs are now universally feared and reviled, resulting in mass segregation.
ADAM JENSEN
Ooph, this is going to get heavy-handed as fuck, isn’t it?
DAVID SARIF
They’re calling it “the mechanical apartheid.”
ADAM JENSEN
(sucks in air through his teeth)
EXT. STREETS - PRAGUE
ADAM heads out into the PRAGUE CITY HUB and is immediately accosted by a POLICE OFFICER.
ADAM JENSEN
If this is about me breaking into every apartment on the way down, I can --
POLICE OFFICER
Shut up, you filthy clank! I want to play a game of Papers Please, except here it’s called Papers Now Or I Fucking Shoot You!
ADAM JENSEN
(hands over papers)
I think you’ll find everything is in order.
POLICE OFFICER
Interpol, huh? I am obliged to let you pass, but know that my fellow officers and I would like nothing more than to blow every Aug’s brains out! Fuck you for existing!
ADAM JENSEN
I can only imagine where things will escalate from here.
ADAM presses on until he is contacted by VÁCLAV KOLLER, who is an UNDERGROUND AUGMENTATION SPECIALIST.
VÁCLAV KOLLER
Jenseeeen, my main man! I need your help!
ADAM JENSEN
I need yours too. My augs were fried by the station bombing and I need a tool-up. Also, if you’re going to be the main tech guy, please be less annoying than Frank Pritchard.
VÁCLAV KOLLER
Annoying? You must not have noticed to what extent deviantART has shipped the two of you! Well, the bookstore I run above my secret clinic is currently being ransacked by gangsters, so how about you deal with them on the way to see me?
INT. VÁCLAV’S CLINIC - PRAGUE
After knocking out all the GANGSTERS, ADAM meets with KOLLER, who already looks like he’s going to be INCREDIBLY ANNOYING.
VÁCLAV KOLLER
Jenseeeeeeeen! Thanks for saving my bookstore.
ADAM JENSEN
It was my pleasure, especially since those gangsters were all portrayed as illiterate morons who were simply giddy about the idea of shooting up books. Now, can you fix my augs?
VÁCLAV KOLLER
Sure thing! Just get in the chair and it’ll be done before you know it, because these games treat invasive body-altering surgery like applying a bandaid!
ADAM JENSEN
Quick question. Why does your augmented right hand only have three digits? Wouldn’t you want MORE dexterity when you’re both a mechanic and a surgeon?
VÁCLAV KOLLER
Ha ha it’s time for the sleeping gas now!
ADAM is PUT UNDER. When he WAKES UP, KOLLER is VISIBLY DISTRESSED, which is NOT WHAT YOU WANT TO SEE RIGHT AFTER SURGERY.
ADAM JENSEN
What’s wrong?
VÁCLAV KOLLER
I’m sorry, Adam. I had to reset all your progress because I found some hidden augs that threatened to overheat your system! Even the extra cooling fans I quickly installed in your ass didn’t help!
ADAM JENSEN
Fuck, there goes my New Game+, but at least I can unlock some new abilities. Where did they come from?
VÁCLAV KOLLER
I have no idea, they didn’t have any Sarif Industries serial numbers on them. Maybe there’s a sidequest where you can find out? Oh, speaking of sidequests. I know there’s one related to the gangsters that shot up my store. They were part of the Dvali crime family and you can go square things with them for me.
ADAM JENSEN
Maybe. I want to get to the main story first.
VÁCLAV KOLLER
(snickers)
Right, right. Let me know how that goes.
INT. TF29 HEADQUARTERS - PRAGUE
ADAM makes his way over to TF29 HEADQUARTERS, which involves a LENGTHY LOADING SCREEN disguised as a SUBWAY RIDE. He then undergoes ANOTHER LOADING SCREEN, but this one’s dressed up as an ELEVATOR.
ALEX VEGA
Don’t worry, Adam. I’ll try to contact you as much as I can during these elevator rides so they don’t bore you to death.
ADAM JENSEN
You’re a saint.
ALEX VEGA
We need to find out more about Miller. To do that, you’ll have to bug his NSN.
ADAM JENSEN
The NSN? The Neural Subnet used by Miller to safely communicate with his superiors?
ALEX VEGA
Yes that, thanks for clarifying.
ADAM JENSEN
It’s what I do. All the time.
Once inside, ADAM runs into a JITTERY TECHNICIAN named PETER CHANG.
PETER CHANG
Adam! I need your help! I think there could be a mole inside TF29!
ADAM JENSEN
What -- heh -- noooo, don’t be a silly billy, that’s ridiculous!
(beat)
Wait, is this a sidequest where I have to hunt the mole while I myself AM the mole? That could be amazing! It’ll be like The Departed!
PETER CHANG
No, it’s just someone hacking our fake storefront’s website.
ADAM JENSEN
Oh. Yeah okay, I’ll get right on that.
ADAM walks into MILLER’S OFFICE after having surreptitiously placed a TAP on his NSN CONSOLE.
ADAM JENSEN
So boss, what’s our first move in the Ruzicka bombing case?
JIM MILLER
I don’t want to hear it, Jensen! Macready is heading our investigation into Dubai and that’s final! You stay out of it!
ADAM JENSEN
What? I wasn’t -- oh. Yes, whatever you say, boss! I promise I won’t look into Dubai, which I do care about soooo so much!
JIM MILLER
Right. As for the Ruzicka bombing, we’re being stonewalled by the Prague police, who won’t let us into the crime scene. I’ve sent our forensic expert to retrieve the evidence, but I haven’t heard from him yet.
ADAM JENSEN
I’ll go and check it out. Hey, who’s your voice actor? It seems like he doesn’t quite understand his lines, so it just sounds flatly articulated.
JIM MILLER
Ehmm -- I’d rather not say.
ADAM JENSEN
What’s the harm?
JIM MILLER
Oh okay, it’s Vernon Wells.
ADAM JENSEN
(checks IMDB)
Holy fuck, Bennett from Commando? It’s my old friend Bennett! Hey, you better let off some --
JIM MILLER
THIS IS WHY I’D RATHER NOT SAY!
ADAM JENSEN
I'll be on my way then.
ADAM ducks down and starts opening a VENTILATION SHAFT in the CORNER of MILLER'S OFFICE.
JIM MILLER
What the fuck are you doing?
ADAM JENSEN
Whoops! Force of habit.
(leaves through the door)
EXT. STREETS - PRAGUE
On his way to RUZICKA STATION, ADAM is stopped at a CHECKPOINT run by a POLICE OFFICER named DRAHOMIR.
OFFICER DRAHOMIR
Papers now! Or I --
ADAM JENSEN
-- fucking shoot, I get it.
(hands over papers)
Here.
OFFICER DRAHOMIR
These won’t do. You need an additional six permits filled out in triplicate to pass through. If you want, I know a guy who can get them, but it’ll cost you. Like, a lot.
ADAM JENSEN
Okay, you’re obviously part of an extortion racket preying on marginalised Augs. Is this another sidequest?
OFFICER DRAHOMIR
Yes. Did you want me to mark the location of my documents guy on your map?
ADAM JENSEN
Ugh, fine. If I’m going to do one sidequest, it may as well be this one.
After making his way over to the ADDRESS PROVIDED, ADAM learns that the PERMITS are coming from a YOUNG WOMAN named MILENA EPSTEIN.
ADAM JENSEN
So you’re the one at the top of this racket.
MILENA EPSTEIN
Are you dense? Drahomir runs it. He poses as a cop and pressures me into forging the permits. Please, you have to take him out!
ADAM JENSEN
Yeah, I’m going to need a non-lethal way of doing that?
MILENA EPSTEIN
You can talk to a nearby police officer who just needs a final push in the form of evidence to take care of Drahomir. You’ll recognise her, she’s the only cop who doesn’t openly fantasise about killing you as you walk past.
ADAM doubles back and finds the SYMPATHETIC POLICE OFFICER.
ADAM JENSEN
I have conclusive evidence that Drahomir is extorting Augs for profit.
POLICE OFFICER
May I see this evidence?
ADAM JENSEN
You’ll have to take my word for it.
POLICE OFFICER
Hot damn, good enough! EVERYONE, GET YOUR GUNS! IT’S TIME TO TAKE OUT THE TRASH!
(chambers rifle)
ADAM JENSEN
Whoa, you’re just busting in there to kill him? I’m going for a non-lethal playthrough here!
POLICE OFFICER
Don’t worry, the game only counts deaths directly by your hand. We’ll all turn on you should you decide to help out though.
ADAM JENSEN
What if I just hang back and loot the bodies after?
POLICE OFFICER
That’s allowed. Feel free to loot my own men as well in case they bite it.
The COPS start a FIREFIGHT that ends up KILLING DRAHOMIR. ADAM returns to MILENA.
MILENA EPSTEIN
Thanks! You’re so great!
ADAM JENSEN
Don’t mention it. I’ll be on my way now.
MILENA EPSTEIN
Wait, the sidequest isn’t over yet! I have two permits left. Can you deliver them to their intended recipients? Then I can activate both and they won’t be deported to Golem City.
ADAM JENSEN
Golem City? You mean the Útulek Complex, the ghetto where undocumented Augs are forced to live in what amounts to a prison camp?
MILENA EPSTEIN
Yes. I don’t know why you felt the need to explain that.
ADAM JENSEN
I’m sorry, I can’t help it.
ADAM delivers the PERMITS to the TWO RECIPIENTS and then has to BREAK INTO A REGISTRATION OFFICE so MILENA can ACTIVATE THEM.
MILENA EPSTEIN
Oh no! Through some contrivance, I can only activate one of the permits!
ADAM JENSEN
Fuck! Why did I have to exhaust all dialogue options and humanise both recipients by learning about their destitute lives? I’m usually so good at seemingly not giving a shit.
ADAM is forced to choose WHATEVER MAKES HIM SLIGHTLY LESS SAD.
ADAM JENSEN
That was a surprisingly compelling sidequest. I think I’ll do a couple more.
After completing EVERY AVAILABLE SIDEQUEST, ADAM heads to RUZICKA STATION.
INT. RUZICKA STATION - PRAGUE
Upon entering the STATION, ADAM is met by DANIEL FLETCHER, a TF29 FORENSIC EXPERT who looks distractingly like JONATHAN RHYS MEYERS.
DANIEL FLETCHER
You sure took your sweet time getting here.
ADAM JENSEN
Sorry, sidequests. What are we looking at?
DANIEL FLETCHER
Prague police have cordoned off the crime scene and they won’t let us in. If you can sneak into the tourist office, there’s a 3D scan of the blast site that I’m sure will provide the answers we’re looking for! Yes, it’s basically the Detroit police station mission from Human Revolution.
ADAM JENSEN
Ah, that means I can talk my way in there.
DANIEL FLETCHER
Uhh no, without that part. Give it a try, you’ll see.
As FLETCHER heads back to TF29 HEADQUARTERS, ADAM approaches a POLICE OFFICER guarding the ENTRANCE.
POLICE OFFICER
Get out of here, you piece of shit motherfucker! Your kind makes me want to puke forever!
ADAM JENSEN
Sneaky beaky it is!
In FULL VIEW of the OFFICER, ADAM runs around TRYING DOORS, HACKING KEYPADS, and INSPECTING THE CEILING.
POLICE OFFICER
That is not at all the behaviour of anyone trying to find a way past me.
(stares into the void)
He eventually finds a MAN-SIZED VENTILATION SHAFT that leads him inside the STATION RUINS, which are being patrolled by a POLICE OFFICER wearing a HEAVILY ARMED EXOSUIT.
ADAM JENSEN
Whoa, isn’t that just a little hypocritical?
EXOSUIT OFFICER
How do you mean?
ADAM JENSEN
You guys hate people who are mechanically augmented, yet here you are wearing an elaborate mechanical exosuit, with the only difference that it’s not part of you. That’s like saying you can’t repair a fractured leg with surgical implants, but crutches are fine.
EXOSUIT OFFICER
We’re allowed to have arbitrarily narrow criteria for our prejudices! Besides, if we’re going to violently oppress people who have superhuman abilities, we need to match their capacity for violence.
ADAM JENSEN
Great, now I can’t take you out without proving your awful point. Oh well!
ADAM violently SMACKS DOWN THE EXOSUIT.
ADAM JENSEN
You still alive in there?
EXOSUIT OFFICER
I’m being crushed by half a ton of metal, but yeah, still breathing.
ADAM JENSEN
You could say I put the "fist" in pacifist. Hey-oooooo!
In the TOURIST OFFICE, ADAM finds the BLAST SITE SCAN.
INT. TF29 HEADQUARTERS - PRAGUE
ADAM returns to TF29 and hands off the SCAN to FLETCHER.
ADAM JENSEN
Here you go. When will you have something for me?
DANIEL FLETCHER
When I feel like it! I have a bunch of other cases to get to first and I’m also seeing this girl later.
ADAM JENSEN
Doesn’t the bombing case take priority? Can’t you -- ohh, this is because I made you wait at the station until I completed all my sidequests, isn’t it?
DANIEL FLETCHER
Yup. See how you like it.
ADAM then speaks with MILLER.
JIM MILLER
Jensen, I’m sending you off to Golem City to bring in Talos Rucker for questioning.
ADAM JENSEN
Talos Rucker? You mean the leader of the Augmented Rights Coalition or ARC for short, which fights for --
JIM MILLER
Would you stop with the clarifying! Yes, that Talos Rucker. There’s some really sketchy evidence linking ARC to the Ruzicka bombing and he has to answer for it.
ADAM JENSEN
That came out of nowhere. Almost like he’s being scapegoated.
JIM MILLER
Preposterous. Our pilot will fly you to Golem City, but first TF29’s resident psychiatrist has to clear you for active duty. It’s standard policy after something like Ruzicka.
ADAM JENSEN
Okay, but why now? I was already sent on a dangerous assignment in the meantime.
ADAM steps into the office of DR. DELARA AUZENNE.
DELARA AUZENNE
Hello, Adam. Let’s cast a critical eye on your past, shall we?
ADAM JENSEN
Are you kidding me? This would have been the perfect opportunity to organically summarise the key highlights of the previous game instead of frontloading them in a recap video!
DELARA AUZENNE
I see you’re scrunching up your face a bit there. That’s a strong display of emotion, considering your usual deadpan.
ADAM JENSEN
It’s either that or raising a quizzical eyebrow. Hey, do you mind getting up for a second? You’re sitting on your money.
DELARA AUZENNE
Oh, sorry.
ADAM lifts a CREDIT CHIT from DELARA’S POCKET and then HEADS OUT after somehow being CLEARED FOR DUTY. He meets with his PILOT, ELIAS CHIKANE.
ADAM JENSEN
Hey, it’s nice to meet --
ELIAS CHIKANE
Let’s get something out of the way first, alright? I know you Deus Ex protagonists like to buddy up to your pilots, but we’ll be having none of that crap. I’m not your pal, I’m not your chum, I’m not your Jock, and I’m not your Malik. Are we clear?
ADAM JENSEN
Fair enough, but maybe you’re overlooking the fact that Deus Ex protagonists usually get to decide their pilot’s fate as well? Just putting that out there.
ELIAS CHIKANE
Uhh -- window or aisle? Would you like a beverage before takeoff?
INT. GOLEM CITY - PRAGUE
CHIKANE drops off ADAM just inside GOLEM CITY. He walks past some CRAMPED LIVING QUARTERS occupied by DESPERATE AUGS and runs into VIKTOR MARCHENKO.
VIKTOR MARCHENKO
Brother! You should not --
ADAM JENSEN
Hold on, can we move over this way? There’s an arrangement of fluorescent lights back here and if I stand in front of it like so, it kinda looks like I have luminous wings! It’s an Icarus metaphor, you see.
VIKTOR MARCHENKO
Nice trailer shot too. Now, I am Rucker’s second-in-command. Where he campaigns for a peaceful resolution to the struggles ARC faces, I can only see an inevitable war on the horizon.
ADAM JENSEN
I’m not surprised. I mean, this whole walking tank appearance doesn’t exactly scream “diplomacy.” Your entire right arm is a hydraulic excavator.
VIKTOR MARCHENKO
You better watch yourself, brother. There is no sitting idly by. Sooner or later, you will have to take a stand.
ADAM JENSEN
Tell that to the writers.
ADAM infiltrates ARC TERRITORY and eventually reaches the TOP FLOOR, where TALOS RUCKER has installed his OFFICE. It is bathed in a PISS YELLOW HAZE to indicate that he’s symbolic of the BYGONE AGE OF AUGMENTATION.
TALOS RUCKER
I’m unarmed!
ADAM JENSEN
And I menacingly flashed my elbow chisel to get in here, so that instantly establishes our power dynamic. I’m here to take you in.
TALOS RUCKER
If I let that happen, I’ll be swept under the rug and ARC will crumble. No, I’d rather die.
ADAM JENSEN
Looks like I’ll have to persuade you with a reasoned argument then!
(clears throat)
I’ve personally felt how bad it is out there for Augs, Rucker. If you don’t help us clear this up, it’s only going to get worse.
TALOS RUCKER
Oh come off it! How dare you speak of knowing what it’s like for Augs when almost none of our troubles touch you? What, you get stopped by the police now and then? That same woman always glares at you when you happen to take the subway for Naturals? You never run the risk of deportation or deadly violence visited upon you! Your situation only pays lip service to the oppression we deal with. Sure, you pat yourself on the back when you remark on our plight with sweeping generalisations and idealistic aphorisms, but that gives you no right to put yourself in the same boat.
ADAM JENSEN
That actually feeds into a larger point I’ve been wanting to make. I agree that my experience of the, ugh, mechanical apartheid has been minimal, but that’s only because this game refuses to follow through on its central thesis, and that’s not my fault!
TALOS RUCKER
Permit me to counter that with --
ADAM JENSEN
We’re basically dealing with another BioShock Infinite scenario: blatantly appropriating sensitive racial themes while keeping them at arm’s length, so the message boils down to “Racism is a thing.” That unwillingness to engage completely undercuts the premise while insultingly trivialising the real-world issues it co-opts.
TALOS RUCKER
I believe it was de Tocqueville who said that --
ADAM JENSEN
I say insultingly, because the parallels between actual oppressed minorities and Augs don’t even add up! This setting equates people who have been dehumanised because of their race, religion, sexuality or gender identity with people who can punch through walls and shoot fucking bombs out of their arms!
TALOS RUCKER
Are you --
ADAM JENSEN
I mean, it’s fine if you want to tackle systemic racism through the lens of extrapolated science fiction, but if you have nothing of substance to say about it, it’s just a bullet point on a list of features. And for God’s sake, let people make the connection on their own! Layer it in, don’t wrap it around a brick and hurl it at their heads. You know, like that story recap video I keep coming back to.
TALOS RUCKER
(beat)
Are you done?
ADAM JENSEN
Yeah sorry, I knew I had to address this at some point, so I figured I’d do it all in one go.
TALOS RUCKER
Well, I see your various points. If it’ll move things along, I’ll come with you. But first, let me share my own suspicions about the Ruzicka bombing. You see, I believe there’s OHHH FUCK NYAAARGHH!
RUCKER’S AUGS suddenly GO HAYWIRE and KILL HIM.
ADAM JENSEN
Damnit! Chikane, Rucker just pulled a Lebedev and died right before he could reveal the conspiracy. We have to get out of here now!
ELIAS CHIKANE
I’ll pick you up from a nearby clearing.
(beat)
Handsome.
ADAM makes it to the CLEARING, where he is SPOTTED BY ARC MEMBERS who OPEN FIRE. He narrowly makes it to the VTOL as MARCHENKO looks on.
ADAM JENSEN
Good thing that happened in a cutscene so it doesn’t count against my Ghost XP bonus.
EXT. TF29 HEADQUARTERS - PRAGUE
When he returns to PRAGUE, ADAM finds MILLER waiting for him.
ADAM JENSEN
Yes, it’s nightfall! That makes things feel a little more Deus Ex-y. Not much though.
JIM MILLER
What gives, Jensen? I thought you were going for a non-lethal playthrough!
ADAM JENSEN
I didn’t kill Rucker, he was poisoned!
JIM MILLER
Shit, that’s going to fulminate the tensions in Golem City. I better take my charming bedside manner over there to smooth things over. You check in with Fletcher and follow up on the evidence.
As CHIKANE flies MILLER over to GOLEM CITY, ADAM heads inside TF29 HEADQUARTERS.
INT. TF29 HEADQUARTERS - PRAGUE
On his way down, ADAM is contacted by ALEX.
ALEX VEGA
Adam, I can see you’re currently riding that slow elevator again, so let me lay down some exposition. That tap you put on Miller’s NSN revealed he was ordered by TF29 director Joseph Manderley to pin the bombing on ARC! Heh, did my mention of Manderley make you all nostalgic there?
ADAM JENSEN
Really, the only thing that’s made me nostalgic for Deus Ex so far is the quality of the lip-synching.
ALEX VEGA
We’ll need the rest of Miller’s chat if we want to learn more. Try using his NSN console now that he’s away.
ADAM JENSEN
That must’ve been a very selective bug I installed.
ADAM enters TF29 and first goes to FLETCHER’S OFFICE.
DANIEL FLETCHER
Adam! You’ll be pleased to know that I have deduced the timing mechanism of the explosives used at Ruzicka. The bomber used a wristwatch!
ADAM JENSEN
So we’re looking for Dennis Hopper in Speed.
DANIEL FLETCHER
It was a custom-made watch, no less. The manufacturer is a Nomad Stanek.
ADAM JENSEN
Damn, this Stanek probably moves around a lot then.
DANIEL FLETCHER
What? No, Nomad is his first name.
ADAM JENSEN
Oh right. I’ll go look him up then. But first --
ADAM sneaks into MILLER’S OFFICE and sits down inside the NSN CONSOLE.
ALEX VEGA
The NSN should log you in as Miller, so you can freely access his files.
ADAM JENSEN
This is a weird computer. Why does it look like a giant MRI scanner?
(beat)
Wait. No. NOOOO--
INT. FUCKING CYBERSPACE
ADAM appears in CYBERSPACE using MILLER’S CHARACTER MODEL.
ADAM JENSEN
--OOOO! WHAT IS THIS TRON BULLSHIT?
ALEX VEGA
It’s the game’s optional new Breach mode awkwardly shoehorned into the story! Now, to unlock Miller’s files, you’ll have to hack five data towers. Yes, that means physically reaching them through the dialect of a platformer.
ADAM JENSEN
Why are you calling this hacking to begin with? Didn’t you say the NSN recognises me as Miller? Or does he also have to jump through these hoops every time he wants to review a file? And I thought Windows 10 was bad.
After hacking the DATA TOWERS, ADAM can observe MANDERLEY talking to BOB PAGE.
JOSEPH MANDERLEY
Prague bombing Dubai ARC. Hong Kong alpha one zero. Miller break-in VersaLife San Francisco?
BOB PAGE
Rucker inside man Orchid.
JOSEPH MANDERLEY
Phase 2 Council?
BOB PAGE
Brown.
After ADAM logs out, he contacts ALEX.
ALEX VEGA
That’s proof ARC was framed and Rucker was murdered with this Orchid! Also a bunch of other stuff!
ADAM JENSEN
Great, you get that intel over to Janus. I know I’ve been saying that I want to meet with him in person, but let’s move things forward.
INT. IRISH STOOL PUB - PRAGUE
ADAM has tracked NOMAD STANEK and NOMAD STANEK’S COMBOVER to a nearby PUB.
NOMAD STANEK
You have the wrong man! I’m not a terrorist!
ADAM JENSEN
I’m going to go ahead and believe that. Do you have any idea who it might be?
NOMAD STANEK
Definitely not my daughter! Just because she used to be enlisted in a bomb disposal unit doesn’t mean she’s making bombs now! Ahah ah ha!
ADAM JENSEN
Okay, I see. And where would I NOT find your daughter?
NOMAD STANEK
She hasn’t taken up with that bizarre augmentation-worshipping cult, that’s for sure!
ADAM JENSEN
The one from that earlier sidequest? Thanks, I have -- I mean, I DON’T have what I need now.
As STANEK is taken in by TWO TF29 OFFICERS, ADAM heads outside.
ALEX VEGA
Adam, Janus has something for you. The evidence linking Bob Page to Rucker’s death won’t hold up in court, but there’s an opportunity to find out what this Orchid is. VersaLife has what we need locked away in their safe in the Palisade bank, but they’re moving it tonight! You have to break in now!
ADAM JENSEN
Shouldn’t be a problem.
ALEX VEGA
That’s very confident, considering it’s one of the most secure banks in the world.
ADAM JENSEN
It’s really not. I went in there earlier for a sidequest and chatted with the receptionist. He was very eager to undermine the bank’s extravagant security measures by smugly listing them off one by one.
As ADAM heads for the bank, he is contacted by STANEK.
NOMAD STANEK
Mr. Jensen! I gave those two TF29 officers the slip, but now I need your help!
ADAM JENSEN
You just ditched them? I swear I’d be the most capable person working at TF29 if I wasn’t also a mole.
NOMAD STANEK
It’s my daughter! She’s going to be sacrificed by that cult tonight! If you don’t save her now, you lose any chance of figuring out the truth about the Ruzicka bombing!
ADAM JENSEN
Myeah, I’ve pretty much already put that one together though. And I kinda get the feeling that the VersaLife vault will get the main story out of the way faster? Soooo --
INT. PALISADE BANK - PRAGUE
ADAM breaks into the BANK and accesses the VERSALIFE VAULT, where he uncovers a RECORDING of a CALL between BOB PAGE and MEGAN REED. They’re discussing ORCHID.
ADAM JENSEN
That’s Megan’s voice! She’s in league with Bob Page!
JANUS
I thought you knew. It was in Human Revolution’s post-credits scene.
ADAM JENSEN
Ah, you must be the mysterious and elusive Janus.
JANUS
Yes, Adam. I have been watching you closely, which is something an AI would say, so there you go.
ADAM JENSEN
Oh my God. Megan!
(clutches his heart)
JANUS
It’s time to let her go, Adam. She went a long way towards giving you some relatable personal stakes in the last game, but you’re clearly not having any of that now.
ADAM JENSEN
No, it’s not that! I just get the sense that Bob and Megan are fucking.
JANUS
Let’s focus on something else. The recording mentions the GARM facility, an old geological research centre in the Swiss Alps.
ADAM JENSEN
I have to get over there. That sounds like such a conspiracy kind of place.
After finding and pocketing a SAMPLE OF THE ORCHID CURE from the VAULT, ADAM exits the BANK.
EXT. TF29 HEADQUARTERS - PRAGUE
ADAM meets with MILLER and CHIKANE.
JIM MILLER
What progress have you made on the Ruzicka case?
ADAM JENSEN
Weeeell, I found the bombmaker, but I was too late to save her. I’ll get to that on the next playthrough. But I did find something on the real perpetrators! They may be operating out of a base in the Alps.
JIM MILLER
I’m going to need a great heaping pile of ironclad evidence before I’ll even remotely consider anything you’re putting on the table.
ADAM JENSEN
Let’s just say you can bank on it! Heheh heh.
JIM MILLER
Meh, okay. I’ll get Macready to come up with a plan of action. God knows we need to give him something to do besides just existing in the background.
ADAM JENSEN
No, time is of the essence. We need to move on this now.
JIM MILLER
You want to go in alone? Don’t be a loose cannon out there because I seriously don’t want to scream that you’re a loose cannon.
(leaves)
ELIAS CHIKANE
Alright, if we’re on the clock, we’d better head out.
ADAM JENSEN
Ehhh --
ELIAS CHIKANE
What is it? Don’t tell me you want to first get to your sidequests after pressuring Miller like that!
ADAM JENSEN
I can’t help that they’re infinitely more interesting! Despite the false equivalence at the core of this premise, every sidequest actually shows implications on the level of individuals instead of abstracting everything as vague machinations of obscured power brokers. In doing so, they come a lot closer to genuinely exploring racial issues than the main story does.
ELIAS CHIKANE
You and your reasoned arguments. Fine, how long do you think you’ll be?
ADAM JENSEN
There’s this really cool murder investigation I can Jessica Fletcher my way into, but it involves several subway rides and talking to a whole bunch of people.
ELIAS CHIKANE
Great, and all those Slavic accents don’t exactly speed up conversations either.
EXT. GARM FACILITY - SWISS ALPS
Eventually, CHIKANE drops off ADAM near the GARM FACILITY.
ELIAS CHIKANE
You know you’re going in there completely blind, right?
ADAM JENSEN
It’s okay, I’ve taken off my trenchcoat. If I run into anyone in there, they’ll know I mean business.
(beat)
Hang on, there’s only one way into the base. No vents, no crates to move, just this door. In a choice-driven Deus Ex game, that can only mean I’m being funnelled towards an unavoidable story moment.
ELIAS CHIKANE
So this is basically an interactive cutscene?
ADAM JENSEN
Pretty much. Whelp, let’s get this over with.
ADAM tries to open the DOOR and it BLOWS UP IN HIS FACE. VIKTOR MARCHENKO and two of those GOLD-MASKED MERCENARIES walk out.
ADAM JENSEN
(raises quizzical eyebrow)
VIKTOR MARCHENKO
Brother! You wanted to find out what this Orchid is? Have a taste!
MARCHENKO doses ADAM with ORCHID.
VIKTOR MARCHENKO
Now he is sure to die, so don’t worry about dropping lots of plot-relevant information as we drag him out back.
GOLD-MASKED MERCENARY
Like how we’re dealing with the Dvali in Prague and how that relates to Brown?
VIKTOR MARCHENKO
Yes, like that.
They DUMP ADAM in a COURTYARD and LEAVE. Moments later, he WAKES UP.
ADAM JENSEN
Huh, I’m so badass that Orchid didn’t even work on me. Good thing villains have such a poor track record in checking whether the hero is really dead.
He enters the FACILITY and sneaks past more of the GOLD-MASKED MERCENARIES.
ADAM JENSEN
Oh sure, if you’re going to field an army of shadow soldiers for your conspiracy, make sure to give them baroque golden masks! This really puts the lie to all that “invisible hand” horseshit.
ELIAS CHIKANE
Jensen! Are you alright? You better find me fast! They’re announcing that they’re going to burn this place down in one hour!
ADAM JENSEN
Yes, but that announcement keeps repeating every ten minutes and it always stays at one hour. They’re apparently adhering to a British Railways timetable, so I can take all day to poke around.
After learning NOTHING ELSE, ADAM links up with CHIKANE.
ELIAS CHIKANE
Get in and we’ll head back to Prague.
ADAM JENSEN
Prague again? Isn’t it about time for a new city hub?
ELIAS CHIKANE
I’m afraid Prague is the only one.
ADAM JENSEN
What? This is supposed to be a globe-trotting adventure! Why only Prague, with its imaginative collision of monolithic history and techno-fetishist design, its varied opportunities for exploration and interactivity, its rich thematic overhead, its --
(beat)
You know what, I’m fine with this.
EXT. TF29 HEADQUARTERS - PRAGUE
As he’s flown into PRAGUE, ADAM notices that the CITY is under MARTIAL LAW.
ADAM JENSEN
What happened here?
ELIAS CHIKANE
Riots in Golem City spilled over. Only the police are allowed in the streets now and they’re indiscriminately killing anyone they see. If you wanted to murder them all, that should serve as a moral justification, I think.
ADAM JENSEN
I’m all non-lethal on this one, so I guess I’ll have to turtlecrouch between objectives. Maaan, I JUST finished playing Alien: Isolation!
ADAM turtlecrouches over to TF29 HEADQUARTERS.
INT. TF29 HEADQUARTERS - PRAGUE
Once inside, ADAM barges into MILLER’S OFFICE.
ADAM JENSEN
Miller, you set me up! I was ambushed at GARM and you were the only other person who knew I was going there! Well, Chikane obviously knew. And Janus. Alex too maybe? Fuck, never mind!
JIM MILLER
Don’t worry about it. I understand that the previous games have primed you to be on the lookout for duplicity and betrayals and big twists, but this one fucking opened with calling out TF29 as an Illuminati front! So if the evil players are already earmarked as such, all we can do is focus on what they’re doing.
ADAM JENSEN
Fine. Whatever they’re planning involves moving supplies through the Dvali here in Prague and a man named Brown.
JIM MILLER
Nathaniel Brown? The business mogul who launched the Safe Harbour Initiative to build refuge cities for Augs?
ADAM JENSEN
Hah, who’s clarifying now? Yes, probably that Brown. Looks like I’ll have to infiltrate Dvali territory to find out more.
ADAM laboriously works his way into an OLD THEATRE occupied by the DVALI, where he learns they’re shipping WEAPONS and ORCHID SAMPLES to LONDON. After filling in MILLER, ADAM contacts ALEX.
ADAM JENSEN
Alex, I think they’re targeting Nathaniel Brown in London.
ALEX VEGA
Ouch, that means I have to lay down an entire Wikipedia article’s worth of facts quite late in the game.
(deep breath)
The United Nations are gearing up to vote on the Human Restoration Act, a resolution that would allow Prague’s abhorrent treatment of Augs to be applied the world over. Brown wants to defeat this resolution, because he knows Safe Harbour’s cities are pipe dreams that would never be able to meet the demand if Augs everywhere can be legally segregated.
ADAM JENSEN
So he’s not campaigning against the Human Restoration Act because he’s a humanitarian, but because he’s worried about his bottom line?
ALEX VEGA
Yes.
(deep breath)
Brown is set to meet with UN delegates and his investors during a Safe Harbour convention in London. If they’re all taken out by Orchid, which is a bioweapon designed to turn the immune system against itself and accelerate augmentation rejection syndrome, there will be no one left to stop the Illuminati.
ADAM JENSEN
And Orchid doesn’t work on me because I don’t suffer from rejection syndrome like every other Aug! Man, I really do not have any right to call their struggle my own.
ALEX VEGA
Now let’s go to London and stop them! All I’ve done in this game is have conversations with you, so it will be good to see some action!
ADAM JENSEN
Yeah -- about that --
EXT. APEX CENTRE - LONDON
ADAM and MILLER land on the ROOF of the APEX CENTRE in LONDON and meet with NATHANIEL BROWN.
JIM MILLER
Mr. Brown, we have reason to believe there’s a credible threat against your convention.
NATHANIEL BROWN
That may very well be, but I’m supremely confident in the measures I’ve taken, like hiring the services of Tarvos Security.
ADAM JENSEN
You hired a PMC? That’s like extending the bad guys an invitation.
NATHANIEL BROWN
I’m not cancelling the event. Nuh, not doing it. Mr. Jensen, if you want to check things out for yourself, you may report to the head of our Tarvos division. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some shoulders to rub and palms to grease.
While MILLER heads downstairs with BROWN, ADAM visits the SECURITY OFFICE, where he is stopped by a TARVOS GUARD.
TARVOS GUARD
I’m afraid this is a restricted area, sir. Can’t let you in here.
Instead of REPLYING, ADAM simply raises his LEFT ARM and repeatedly CLENCHES HIS FIST.
TARVOS GUARD
What is that? What are you doing?
ADAM JENSEN
Just -- one second.
TARVOS GUARD
Seriously, stop it.
ADAM JENSEN
Hang on.
TARVOS GUARD
Wait, are you remotely hacking the security camera behind me?
ADAM JENSEN
Got it!
TARVOS GUARD
Motherfucker.
ADAM uses THAT VERY SAME FIST to HIT THE GUARD SQUARE IN THE FACE.
ADAM JENSEN
I don’t know why those count as non-lethal. My hands are made of metal, I’m basically punching you with anvils.
TARVOS GUARD
And that Merciful Soul XP bonus just adds insult to injury.
(passes out forever)
After decking the FIFTH OR SIXTH GUARD, ADAM discovers that they're actually ILLUMINATI MERCENARIES wearing TARVOS UNIFORMS.
ADAM JENSEN
Oh fuck, this PMC is actually kosher for a change! But hey, they’re still Illuminati scum, so I shouldn’t feel bad.
(hands out more concussions)
INT. APEX RECEPTION HALL - LONDON
Eventually, ADAM learns that the ILLUMINATI plan to KILL BROWN and his ASSOCIATES by SPIKING THEIR CHAMPAGNE with ORCHID. He races over to the KITCHEN and finds a WOUNDED MILLER.
JIM MILLER
(weakly)
Jensen! I tried to -- stop them, but they dosed me with Orchid. You -- you have to get to Brown in the meeting room -- before he proposes a toast!
ADAM JENSEN
Hang on, I picked up the cure to Orchid in the VersaLife vault. Bet you’re glad I didn’t go after the bombmaker now, right?
JIM MILLER
There’s no time! You have to -- agh -- warn him!
ADAM JENSEN
(administers cure)
There, that took all of five seconds. Now I’ll rush over to Brown.
JIM MILLER
Jensen, wait.
(briefly passes out)
You were right -- about everything. I’m sorry.
(extended groan)
ADAM JENSEN
That’s alright, boss. I’ll just get to --
JIM MILLER
I should -- have trusted you -- from the start.
(heavy breathing)
ADAM JENSEN
That’s not important right now. Brown might be --
JIM MILLER
If only I had listened to -- to you!
(elaborate coughing fit)
It's like -- my father always said --
ADAM JENSEN
I THOUGHT THERE WAS NO TIME!
ADAM makes for the MEETING ROOM but is then contacted by VIKTOR MARCHENKO.
VIKTOR MARCHENKO
Brother! I have wired two nearby residential towers with explosives. If you interfere with our plans in any way, hundreds of innocent men, women, and children will die! Bwa ha ha ha!
ADAM JENSEN
Fuck! You win, I am left with no choice.
VIKTOR MARCHENKO
No choice? Shit, that’s not very Deus Ex.
(sighs)
Okay, how about this? If you meet me in the exhibition hall right now, I won’t trigger the bombs.
ADAM JENSEN
Right now?
VIKTOR MARCHENKO
Ten minutes! I will exhibit reluctant patience for ten minutes!
ADAM now has to CHOOSE between SAVING BROWN or STOPPING MARCHENKO, but WHY NOT BOTH? First, he sneaks over to the MEETING ROOM.
ADAM JENSEN
Brown! Don’t drink the champagne! It’s been poisoned!
NATHANIEL BROWN
(tosses glass)
Okay, I won’t then.
ADAM JENSEN
Just like that? You’re not going to raise any objections? I figured from your headstrong introduction that you’d require a stern talking-to.
NATHANIEL BROWN
Nope. My associates and I will head for the helipad. Good day.
(leaves)
ADAM JENSEN
That was surprisingly easy.
Then he runs over to the EXHIBITION HALL, where MARCHENKO is waiting.
VIKTOR MARCHENKO
Ah, you have come. Now we fight!
ADAM JENSEN
This is the game’s answer to Human Revolution’s shitty boss battles? Only have one?
VIKTOR MARCHENKO
Yes, but at least now there's more options besides shooting me a million times.
ADAM JENSEN
Really? In that case, let me tell you that the cabal whose bidding you do is manipulating the ideals you hold dear to cultivate a divided body politic that --
VIKTOR MARCHENKO
Except a reasoned argument. That won't work.
ADAM JENSEN
Oh okay fine.
ADAM engages his CLOAK, casually saunters up to MARCHENKO, and LAYS HIM OUT COLD.
ADAM JENSEN
Again, I thought that would take much more effort.
DUNCAN MACREADY
And I’m still in the game, everyone!
INT. ADAM’S APARTMENT - PRAGUE
A WEEK LATER, ADAM is conferring with ALEX.
ALEX VEGA
Adam, why are you so sullen? You got the best ending!
ADAM JENSEN
That’s exactly it. A Deus Ex game shouldn’t have a BEST ending, it should end in a competition of mutually exclusive ideologies that irrevocably change the world. This whole story feels like the hallmark holding pattern of a middle entry in a trilogy, like we’re keeping things reasonably contained for a proper payoff way down the line.
A LENGTHY NEWS REPORT confirms this by mentioning a bunch of PLOT OUTCOMES that ADAM had absolutely NO CONTROL OVER.
ADAM JENSEN
See? Honestly, the most rewarding outcome is that I got the PACIFIST ACHIEVEMENT, BABY! I SO ASKED FOR THIS!
The CREDITS start to roll, but then...
INT. SHADOWY MEETING HALL
LUCIUS DEBEERS is meeting with the OTHER CONSPIRATORS.
LUCIUS DEBEERS
Well, that was a massive cock-up. Luckily none of it really mattered in the long run and we can just move onto our next plan, whatever that ends up being.
BOB PAGE
Hey, I just thought of something. Now that it’s been revealed that we’re actually in fucking cyberspace right now, do you know what that makes us?
LUCIUS DEBEERS
What?
BOB PAGE
Electronic old men! Running the world!
LUCIUS DEBEERS
Har har.
After LUCIUS dismisses BOB AND THE OTHERS, DR. DELARA AUZENNE APPEARS.
DELARA AUZENNE
Twist!
LUCIUS DEBEERS
Ah, Dr. Auzenne. What’s your appraisal of Adam Jensen? Will he lead us to Janus? You know we brought him back expressly for that purpose, which REALLY renders the rest of this entire story inconsequential.
DELARA AUZENNE
Another twist!
LUCIUS DEBEERS
Has he picked up on the clues that he’s in fact a clone I had produced while the real Adam Jensen perished in Panchaea? In that sense, he is not the first Deus Ex protagonist to get a second game after all.
DELARA AUZENNE
FUCKING TWISTY TWIST!
CLEARLY NOT THE END
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