Deus Ex Human Revolution: Shadow's Showdown

Chapter 55: The Zero Hour.

Two days before leaving for Washington.

Sarif Industries.

Like a hurricane, Laura stormed into Pritchard's office. She was so furious that no amount of complaining from him could dampen her mood.

"Princess Laura is back!" he snarled ironically, rising from his armchair. "Welcome to the humble thresholds of our company," he continued, making a deep, courtly bow.

"Spare me this childishness. I have a lot of work to do before I leave."

Apparently, she hit Frank's weak spot, because he momentarily took his place in the armchair and pretended to review the data.

"Connor has probably already mentioned I want our security to be an unconquerable fortress," he stated.

"He did. So if you'll allow, the princess will now return to her matters."

Francis only snickered in response so she left. Faridah passed her on the way, but she didn't even say hello to her. It's possible that she also has many responsibilities and simply didn't notice Laura.

As soon as she closed the office door behind her, Connor handed her a mug of hot coffee without asking anything. She appreciated the gesture, as did the still-warm croissants with chocolate-nut filling.

"I figured you'd need a solid dose of sweetness, so I ordered them right after you left," he said.

"You always think of everything," Laura said, sitting down on a sofa upholstered in brown linen.

The woman set her mug and croissant plate on the coffee table. She took a laptop out of her backpack, placed it next to the mug and turned it on. Connor took his computer, and then took a seat next to Laura.

"Not all people think only of themselves. Besides, I know Pritchard can be an arse most of the time."

"It's not because of him," she muttered, trying to log into her account.

Connor had expected such an answer. Frank never made her feel that way. It was always a short-lived anger that passed on its own. This time she was stuck in some strange state that was hard to describe. She looked sad, angry and lost. He watched her making a mistake every time she tried entering her password. He surmised who was to blame but preferred not to ask.

"I met Adam. He yelled at me because he's jealous of you and still thinks I should stay away," she sighed. "I've had enough of that."

"You shouldn't be venting your anger. You're both stressed about Washington. When you return, try to talk to him and explain everything."

"Why should I..."

"See, you're doing it again. You are floating with pride. Why you? Because you are more reasonable and mature. That's the overtone this move will have."

"You're right," she sighed. "As usual."

"I don't mean to be right. I'm just trying to suggest a solution."

"We'd better get on with what's important first. We don't have much time, and I haven't even packed my suitcase."

Connor nodded in agreement. He momentarily dropped the topic he had started and turned on his laptop. Laura still couldn't log in to her company account, so without asking Pritchard, he restored her old privileges. For several hours they checked the company's security code, applying fixes in some places.

"Look, this part is kind of weird," the man remarked.

Laura stretched and yawned, covering her mouth with her hand. "Yes, because this is a rarely used form of coding. Few people know about it," she explained.