Deus Ex Human Revolution: Shadow's Showdown

Chapter 11: The Nobody.

Sarif Industries Headquarters – Adam Jensen's Office

It was supposed to be another typical day at the company. One of those he already knew by heart and could predict every movement and glance to the minute. Unluckily, nothing was typical. Adam was flipping through the pages of documents without much interest. He couldn't identify the separate words, only the strings of markings that screamed into his face: "You're responsible!" He rubbed his eyes, trying to shake off this state of stasis, but to no avail. Wherever he looked, the memory struck him. The door as Laura walked in and out, the floor she was crossing, the glass wall still bearing her mark. Even the cigarette reminded him how she disliked when he smoked. It all overwhelmed Jensen so much that he was incapable to swallow anything. Of course, he noticed that Miss Werner was gone for the second day and felt guilty for it. If only he could turn back time, behave differently, change anything. He even wanted to talk to her but was still blocked by his own decisions. The Chief of Security was powerless. Funny, as an ex-SWAT, he had solved a whole lot of difficult cases, and with this one, he didn't know how to deal.

After parting ways with Megan, he changed a lot, still living the fantasy that it was only a transitional stage and in a while, everything would be like before again. How naive. However, when he realized his childish attitude, he built a fortress in which he locked himself away. Unfortunately, Miss Werner had discovered unconventional ways to reach him, as he had been thinking more about her than about his duties lately. He was disturbed when something bad happened to her and above all missed Laura unimaginably strong... In the last hour, Adam had carefully analyzed all the encounters and gestures, concluding that the breakthrough must have come when he saw Laura dancing. She had been real then, so real that she had etched herself deeply into his memory. She didn't wear a daily mask to pretend to be someone else, to hide from the world as he did. Until now, he hadn't realized how much they could have in common. Still, he kept his emotions in check with a donkey's stubbornness.

The Chief of Security took a deep breath and reached for the police notebook to his trouser pocket. He opened it on the intel he had started to gather about Laura and began adding new observations:

Pretty serious looking wound on the right hand. Located on the outside of the upper part of the fingers, near the knuckles, it could be from a fist punch.

She was gone for a week due to a terrible cold. At present both Pritchard and Laura are absent. Maybe she and Frank? NO! It's problematic to entitle him a human being, let alone suspected of having feelings. This insensitive egotist simply parasites on her.

Miss Werner is a gifted ballerina. Who would have thought? (It was an unforgettable impression. I felt like Siegfried seeing Odette as a beautiful maiden for the first time. She was terrified seeing Siegfried same as Laura.)

For some time now, Miss Werner's behavior has been suspicious, to say the least. I have noted several instances of this already:

'The Jackdaw' - When I seized a cup of rum from her (I can't stand the sight of women drunk to unconsciousness). Laura momentarily stated that she had to go and left the tavern.

The blush on her face is also an unusual phenomenon. She explained it with a cold, but somehow I don't wholly believe it. (Besides, she looked lovely.)

I was gone for a few days, and Laura must have ruined everything. She entered my office without permission. It's beyond all limits. Frank asked her to so, but she should refuse. Sarif would be angry, so what? It is quite possible the blame would fall on me. If not I would not hesitate to accept the responsibility. However, just entering the office in my absence and leaving Grumpy Cat (which is at my home now) is not particularly strange itself. But when I reached for the plushie, Miss Werner wanted to jump away, but she fell down and curled up as if afraid that I would hit her. Why did she react like that? I have observed such reactions of people who have experienced physical or psychological violence. I doubt that was the reason. It would have to be something extremely strong, and she doesn't look like a victim.