Deus Ex Human Revolution: Shadow's Showdown

Chapter 9: The Hurricane.

Adam Jensen's office.

Three days away from the company had completely wiped him out, but at least when he got back, everything was running like Swiss clockwork. Security guards enduringly were doing their jobs, and Frank sat quietly in his lair. Even Miss Werner caused him no problems, which was the most suspicious thing among of all. With skillful movement, Adam keyed in the code swiftly, entered the office, and took a deep breath. A few moments later, he performed almost ritualistic activities. First, he took off his coat and hung it on a hanger, then he took a box of Golden Icarus cigarettes out of its pocket, poured himself some coffee, and was about to sit down in his office armchair when he noticed that something was not as it should be. He perfectly remembered the condition in which he had left his office, and apart from the standard mess his armchair backrest was certainly not facing the door. Intrigued, he decided to set it up as it should be, and just then, in that one particular moment, a hurricane was unleashed. The plushie Grumpy Cat sitting in the office armchair was clearly not to the Chief of Security's liking. Instinctively, Jensen looked at the shelf, but the cereal box was still there intact. The door was locked and there was no sign of forced entry so the culprit must have known the combination. Currently, he only had two suspects, with the indication of Miss Werner, but he lacked evidence. As an ex-cop, he knew well that without them it was only conjecture and circumstantial evidence. For the time being, he left this subject, but he will return to it in due course. Jensen used to solve every case so words like 'time-barred' or 'forgotten' were unfamiliar to him. To calm himself down Adam lit a cigarette and swallowed anger with a sip of bitter, black coffee. Sadly this did not help him much.

There was nothing urgent to do, so he decided to visit the gym. Sport always helped him to relax. He stubbed out the cigarette and took his bag out of the cabinet. After double-checking, if he has everything Adam left the office, locking it as usual. He strolled to the elevator in a springy step and pressed the button to the 4th floor.

***

The Gym

He couldn't remember the last time he was here, but nothing seemed to have changed. There were two changing rooms and separate bathrooms down the hallway. Behind a double sliding door with the Sarif Sport label on them, there was a main room with various exercise equipment.

Adam looked at the metal cabinets lined up against the wall. He put his black sports bag on the bench and took out a black t-shirt, sweatpants, and a pair of trainers. He changed quickly, but he didn't put the bag into the locker yet. He took a towel, boxing gloves, and a bottle of mineral water. When Jensen was ready, he locked all unnecessary things and left the changing room. Already in the hallway, Adam had the impression that he's hearing music, so he slowed down, not wanting to be noticed. The Chief of Security preferred to be alone, to have time to collect his thoughts and ease his bad emotions. He opened the door carefully and was surprised to find out that Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky was the music he heard. It was quite an unusual but pleasant experience and something different than an everyday playlist of the employees. He silently stepped forward, past the treadmills lined up on the left and a few pec decks on the right.

Adam approached the boxing speed bag and left the bottle of water near it. He wanted to put the gloves on but stopped in mid-motion. A figure at the end of the room caught his eye like a magnet. And he saw her so delicate, ethereal, elusive. In drops of sweat sparkling like diamonds, with closed eyes and flowing hair. Jensen wanted to leave, run away, disappear, but like undine, she enslaved him in that one brief moment. Was she even real? He had not expected that this belligerent, quarrelsome girl could be a ballerina. He silently watched as her arms gracefully move up and down like swan wings. There was precision in her every gesture, a dissonance of everything he had experienced so far. She was wearing pale pink leggings and a loose blue blouse, but yet she seemed elegant and dignified. Laura pulled him into her world so much that Adam felt it with his whole being. And she created him anew, quenching his anger instantly. He felt like a tiny walnut shell rocked by a boundless sea. Jensen surrendered to this feeling completely because how could he reject such an unusual beauty?