Deus Ex Human Revolution: Shadow's Showdown

Chapter 3: The Personal Search

Sarif Industries headquarters. / Adam Jensen's office.

Exhausted and out of breath, she runs through the lobby as an arrow fired from a bow and... Was it destiny or maybe bad luck? She was trying to find an answer to this question while sitting on the cold floor with raindrops still dripping from her hair onto her face.

"Good morning, Miss Werner. You want so urgently visit my office?" she heard that hated voice, and the answer suddenly became obvious - Bad luck! And that was the nastiest, worst possible kind of bad luck... "I'm flattered, madam." he added, reaching out to help her with getting up from the floor. She wanted to tell him, where he should put it, but in the end, returned the gesture. This courtesy is highly suspicious, but she had no choice. The whole elaborate plan turned into deep shit. The strangest thing about it all was his tone. It did not at all resemble that one of yesterday. Adam was just nice.

"Thank you." That's all that Laura managed to say. If you asked someone from the outside, he would certainly say that she lost her head for Adam in that one brief moment, and yet yesterday she wanted to cut his throat with a dull knife.

"So please, come with me." he said calmly, gesturing towards the stairs. Stairs, not the escalator. Laura saw in it some kind of attachment to the old days, which she worshipped too, but it was probably only just her imagination.

They remain silent all the way to the second floor. Laura, being afraid that she can make things worse, decided not to change anything. While standing in front of the entrance, to the office, she watched as the head of security enters the access code, on the electronic lock, and in the blink of an eye, she also knew the combination. Adam, like a true gentleman, opened the door and invited her inside. Two monitors, several cabinets, a comfortable sofa, and this wonderful view of the lobby. That was all that she managed to sniff out when he interrupted her with a question.

"Would you like some coffee or maybe tea? You must have been freezing in the rain." He asked with concern, discreetly studying her reactions. Jensen clearly knew how to approach his victim, and his composure calmed her, while at the same time lowered her vigilance.

"Coffee, please, if that's not a problem. Black, no sugar. " She replied, unzipping her navy blue hoodie. She tried not to look at Jensen. Standing towards the wall, made of smoky glass with a huge inscription "VISION" on the surface, almost touching it with her forehead, she was looking at people bustling below like ants.

Adam took off the coat and hung it on a hanger. He was wearing a dark green sweater and dark gray pants. No wonder, since the brown one was stained with coffee. She heard a soft rustle as he pulled out a box of Golden Icarus cigarettes and a lighter from his coat pocket. The quiet footsteps became more and more obnoxious, and the silence tinkled in her ears.

"Smoking is harmful." She replied reflexively when she smelled smoke. Adam shrugged, took a puff, and handed her a cup of coffee.

"Well... Miss Werner." He said after a moment, settling down in one of the office armchairs near the desk. "I'd like to see your backpack, please." The words made Laura choke on her coffee, but this time Jensen didn't pat her on the back.

"It was despicable." She hissed furiously. "You lured me here by trickery, served me coffee like a good friend..."

"I am not and will not be your friend." he interrupted her with this familiar, cold tone. "I have to check the employees of this company whether you like it or not." He explained firmly, and once again puffed on a cigarette. "Now, please don't make this long because we both have our duties."

Laura had no way out of this impasse, Jensen pushed her against the wall. She obediently handed him her backpack, praying that he won't discover the truth. She decided that she would at least try to distract him. They were standing on the opposite sides of the desk like two gunslingers. She was the good, he was the bad. Laura sent him an electrifying glare, but he simply ignored it.