Deus Ex Human Revolution: Shadow's Showdown

Chapter 15: The desperate begging for help.

Laura's apartment / Sarif Industries – Headquarters

Even after taking a sleeping pill, Laura was unable to fall asleep, which made her frustrated. It was not the first time that she faced pain, humiliation, and shame, but then she was completely alone with it, so paradoxically it was easier to recover and forget. After some time, she called it a daily routine, just like brushing her teeth. Now she unintentionally dragged into her swamp some nosy brunette about 6'1" tall. Fortunately, it had been probably not too late to pull him out of it before things became disastrous. She tried to close her eyes, but at every attempt, she saw Adam's face, and when she covered herself with the quilt she felt as if he was cuddling her. This unbearable feeling made her scream with pure, unbridled despair. Lying on her right side, she curled up, and when she bit her lip, the wound began to bleed again, leaving a few scarlet marks on the sheets. She could hear conversations in the street, the sound of car tires, and the falling rain. Somehow she managed to fall asleep, and when morning broke into her bedroom with the insistent rays of the sun, she didn't want to wake up at all. Laura hoped that the events of the last night were just another nightmare. Unfortunately, Adam's t-shirt she was wearing persistently reminded her of every touch, breath, or fear. It also reminded her of running away from Jensen. She didn't want to go to work so much today, she waited until the last minute for a miracle, but this time there was no saving call from Frank. If Pritchard had been at the company, she would have taken the day off, but these fucking responsibilities were forcing her to be there. It's like someone sprinkling salt on her wounds. She didn't really care what she was wearing. She picked up another pair of jeans, a casual sweater, this time dark purple and began to dress reluctantly. On the way, she fed the cat but didn't eat anything herself. Laura felt her throat clenched, she would throw up if she swallowed anything. She picked up the backpack in which she had placed Frank's report, put on her jacket, and left.

Today she took the longer path, without hurrying at all, and she arrived at the company ahead of schedule anyway. Jensen was not around, but still, she expected that eventually, they would bump into each other. Her face betrayed absolutely nothing, just the everyday face of Miss Werner. Adam was the only person who knew about what happened, and Laura trusted the Chief of Security's discretion. As she walked through the lobby, she was under the impression that people were talking about her, that everyone knew. Two random girls were whispering something in each other's ear, then looked as if in Laura's direction. Suddenly the mask she was wearing fell shattering to pieces and her mind was flooded with voices. She heard them say: "Bitch", "Dirty slut", "You're a nobody", "Worm", "Get out of here!", "You disgust us!", "Did you think Jensen would fall for you if you make a victim of yourself?" then there were waves of mocking laughter that wouldn't stop. Laura ran up the stairs to the second floor, bumping into someone on the way, or maybe it was just a projection of her mind. She opened Pritchard's office, entered, and immediately locked it from the inside. She was panting with exertion and fear, leaning her back against the door, she slowly settled on the ground and began to cry hysterically.

After a few minutes, she called herself to order as she had duties that had to be done regardless of personal matters. She got up from the floor, giving herself a few more quiet breaths, then stepped to the desk and booted the computer along with the servers. While waiting for the system to be ready for work, she brewed herself a mug of coffee. Fortunately, she still had some time, so before the first employees, who signed up for the password change, came, she managed to go through the e-mail, drink a coffee, check how the security works and review the report.

Laura was focused while dealing with the first few people, then it became a routine procedure that was downright tedious. Everyone looked at her face with questions on their lips, but no one asked any, which made Laura very relieved. After just over an hour she had ticked off almost all the names on the list and to her displeasure only Adam and Faridah remained. She leaned against the backrest of the armchair which creaked quietly, tilting back in the process. She intertwined hands behind her head, observing cabinets filled with binders, the tangle of cables on the floor, and the row of monitors. For a split second, she felt like she could see the word 'Rag' written on each of the screens. She twitched in her armchair as if suddenly woke up from a dream. At the same moment, she heard a knocking on the door.