Deus Ex Diaries Part Four

This is my ongoing exploration of the Deus Ex Universe, in preparation for when Mankind Divided arrives later this year. Whether you’re a newcomer or an old-goer, I hope to make this something you can read along with and enjoy. We continue on with Deus Ex.

After locating the NSF warehouse and disabling the generator, I returned to base and Mr Manderley told me how my brother Paul had failed. As such, he had apparently gone AWOL, but an email he himself sent JC suggested he just went into hiding… After a run-in with a Government Official, who didn’t appreciate me nosing in on his interrogation, I was sent to Battery Park to chase down the stolen Ambrosia shipment.

I wandered around, talking to the people in the homeless camp until I got a code to enter the Kingdom of the Mole People — just a former subway station. Whilst there, I killed a drug dealer for a gang leader to get some zyme (a potent drug) for a junkie, which got me two grenades to clear a tunnel and turn the water back on.

Was tempted to murder this guy too, but he had bodyguards...

That was the first time it actually felt like the game was giving me fetch quests, I’ll be honest.

In the bowels of the subway, I found NSF and, after some handy-dandy murdering, a secret way to the airfield they were using: through the mens room.

Secret passages everywhere...

After avoiding some security robots, I entered the main terminal building where a canister of Ambrosia was sat in plain sight. Alex came through the comms to tell me I’m at LaGuardia Airport, and that UNATCO was on their way to grab the Ambrosia — and that whilst I was waiting I should find the other two canisters.

"Don't use your bionic strength to pick it up, use your bionic eyes to look around!"

Some more murder followed, with no more canisters in the terminal, so I went out into the airfield. I had to avoid more robots and dispatch a few more guards before finding another canister of Ambrosia on the docks. Airfields don’t usually have docks, but I was doing a job, not asking the New York municipal system questions.

At least I got a map this time.

I found a key to get into the hangar, which was humorously named “747 Home”. A couple more kills, a lot more looting, and I was inside, only to be greeted by Paul. That’s right, he was working for the NSF, and had ties to another terrorist group, called Silhouette!

"BTW, did you manage to take a dump on Manderley's desk?"

They were taking the Ambrosia to Hong Kong, where it would be replicated by a guy called Tracer Tong. Paul tried to explain himself, that UNATCO were corrupt and the Grey Death was a man-made virus, before just telling me to get on the plane and talk to Juan Lebedev, the leader of the NSF.

With another canister of Ambrosia left to find, I went aboard and found it in the cargo hold. I then went up to meet Lebedev and had a chat which was cut short by the arrival of Anna Navarre. Remember, the partner who never actually seems to be partnered up with me? She told me that my orders were now to kill Lebedev, and like the loyal soldier I am I beat him with my truncheon.

And then freshened up.

Outside the plane, Paul had made his escape and I was to head back to UNATCO headquarters with Jock, the drunk who pilots the helicopter. I told the good news about killing Lebedev to Hermann who had also arrived to quell resistance, and he congratulated me. He seemed quite happy about it, too.

Back at HQ I went downstairs to check my emails — there was only one from Alex who wanted to chat after I’d checked in with Mr Manderley for some reason. I went to the boss and was congratulated, given my mission completion cash of 1,000 credits and told that Paul’s killswitch had been activated.

Oh, also, JC has a killswitch too that can be activated if he shows the slightest sign of not following orders perfectly. Good thing I’m a good boy! Mr Manderley then told me that my next mission was to head to Hong Kong and take out Tracer Tong.

Also, interesting whiteboard in the conference room.

I headed down to see Alex, who was as shocked as everyone that Paul was working with the NSF. Now I think about it, it was probably why he was annoyed that I went around murdering them all of the time… That was all that Alex wanted, so I went and got some supplies from the quartermaster.

Before I left, I found out that the government guy from the previous entry is named Walter Simons, and is the head of FEMA. No idea why he couldn’t tell me that, nor what his interest in me is, but there we go.

With that, I set off for Hong Kong! Or, I would have if Jock hadn’t instead taken me to New York — specifically Hell’s Kitchen to see Paul in The Ton Hotel…

JC took it in his stride, disregarding orders and making me a little concerned. I don’t want them to check my GPS implant and find out I went the wrong way… Though I also don’t know how Mr Manderley expected me to reach Hong Kong in a helicopter…

Inside The Ton, I helped out the owner and his daughter by killing JoJo, the daughter’s pimp, then went upstairs to confront Paul. He was injured and in pain, and asked me to help get him to Tracer Tong. But first I had to go to the NSF warehouse and send a coded message for him, as well as pick up a datapad with some info on it.

Killswitches apparently kill slowly...

As JC seemingly has no free will and will do whatever he is told, off he went.