'And the Lord appeared to them and confused their speech, when they had built the tower to the height of four hundred and sixty-three cubits. And they took a gimlet, and they sought to pierce the heaven, saying, Let us see whether the heaven is made of clay, or of brass, or of iron. When God saw this He did not permit them, but smote them with blindness and confusion of speech.'

Greek Apocalypse of Baruch, 3:6-8

2027, Detroit, Sarif Industries HQ, Plaza

The golden illuminated twin tower loomed high above the city of Detroit, a monument of progress and evolution not long ago, now a divisive reminder to everybody beholding its magnificence. Like a symbol it was rising into the starless evening sky, sending off its warm light against the tides of dread and despair surging up from within the urban canyons; still unwavering, yet not unscathed.

Recent events had taken their toll on Sarif Industries headquarters, leaving it branded and stigmatized despite its every effort to calm the public unrest and global fear of augmentations following that terrible incident. Hateful graffiti and flyers rotting in narrow corners denounced the company of murder, deceit and human rights violations. The plaza leading up to the main entrance had been ravaged during several violent demonstrations and riots; windows, doors and surveillance equipment repeatedly being broken and smashed to pieces, every time replaced in hope it would be the last.

It wasn't.

Adam Jensen, Sarif Industries' Chief of Security, was well aware of that as he was supervising the installation of a new set of automated cameras to monitor the stairs of the plaza and the street beyond.

Fairly empty at this late hour the place was only populated by a handful of SI employees taking a break or heading home, missing the usual amount of poor devils begging for money and Neuropozyne. As winter was closing in the homeless had been forced to find help and warmth at one of the few shelters hastily erected to provide for the many in need. Nonetheless, Adam had a body of security guards constantly on watch to keep at least the immediate periphery safe.

Finally, the maintenance tech working the screws and cables from atop a man lift gave his ok to proceed, whereat Adam hailed Frank Pritchard, Sarif's Chief of Cyber-Security, via Infolink.

'Pritchard, the wiring is done. Tell me, you're getting a visual.'

'Working on it,' the snarky voice promptly responded. 'Connecting now, and... there it is.'

The camera suddenly came to life, lenses rotating, frame panning.

'Autofocus check, IR check, night vision check. Maneuverability's a tad sluggish, but the resolution is sublime.' Just like a child discovering a new toy to play with Pritchard got himself all carried away. 'Except for that big, ugly, black smudge right in the middle of... Oh, no, wait, that's just you, Jensen.'

'Yeah, come and zoom in a bit closer, Francis.'

Adam splayed a finger for Pritchard to see, just as he got interrupted by another voice from behind.

'Err, Mr. Jensen, sir?'

Startled, Adam turned to notice one of his security staff approaching, uncomfortably fiddling with a pocket secretary in his hands.

'Yeah, what is it, Dawson?'

'I... I'm sorry, boss.' The guy hesitated for a second longer before he finally passed the device on.

Adam already had a good guess on the content matter and when he activated the display he found his assumption confirmed, the title reading 'Letter of Resignation'.

'I'm really sorry,' Dawson seemed somewhat troubled and eager for absolution. 'I know, you're in need of every man and I'd like to stay and help - I really do - but I gotta get my family out of this city.'

'It's ok, I understand,' Adam assured and tucked the secretary away. 'I'll take care of the formalities. You just make sure you get your folks safe.'

'Thank you, sir.' Still wavering, Dawson threw a look up the twin tower, regarding its luminescent majesty for a moment before he had to face away. 'And best of luck to you.'

At strife, Adam watched him go, deeply regretting to lose yet another good man. After the Aug Incident employees had been quitting faster than the proverbial rats leaving the sinking ship. And since Sarif had no choice but to fill the vacancies with the many ostracized Enhanced, Dawson had been one of the last few Naturals remaining at the company. Soon, there'd be none left, and Adam couldn't even blame them.

'And there goes another one,' Pritchard suddenly commented out of nowhere.

'Nobody ever taught you eavesdropping's a nasty habit?'

'I don't need to eavesdrop, I got a hi-res visual, remember?' the tech sneered back. 'By the way, Jensen, did you notice that you're starting to grey? You might wanna do something about it.'

Drawing a deep breath to calm the rising anger Adam turned and grimly fixated the electronic eye watching him.

'Get out of my hair, Francis, or I swear I'll rip off that precious camera of yours and shove it someplace you really won't be comfortable with.'

'Uhh, scary,' Pritchard showed himself unimpressed. 'So, what are you going to do about it?'

'Say again?'

'Keep up, Jensen. He was one of yours. The lines of our physical security are thinning gradually. We can barely staff shifts as it is already.'

Yeah, Adam was well aware of that.

Dating just about two months back the Aug Incident had left everybody surviving scarred and shaken to the core. An estimated death toll of over fifty million people and hundreds of thousands maimed and injured had decimated the population drastically. And though fear and mistrust of augmentations and biotech companies were driving off Naturals from pioneering metropolises like Detroit, desperate Augs came flocking together in hope of some salvation, consistently transforming the whole city into an Aug refugee camp.

No, the issue wasn't so much the lack of people willing to work, but people being able to.

Almost everyone who'd chosen to get implanted in the past had terribly suffered for it, been victimized by remote manipulation and turned into rampant killers. They'd all been broken, physically and mentally. They were rather in need of a good therapy than a taxing job.

But Adam required personnel that was able to think on its feet, react swiftly and wouldn't choke taking up arms in order to protect Sarif. And the few candidates fitting that profile were too eager for it, gravely affected by the blind hatred deepening the rift which was dividing mankind.

'Jensen?' Pritchard grew impatient by the lasting silence.

'Don't worry, I'll find a replacement,' Adam ensured, brushing the dark thoughts aside. 'Just do me a favor and keep it from Sarif. He doesn't need to know.'

'Roger that,' the tech agreed. 'Speaking of, I just got word the boss is inbound. He wants to brief us.'

'About damn time.'

Adam hadn't been comfortable at all with David attending the board of directors' meeting in person and without any company security around. But despite all his protests, the conditions of this unscheduled assembly had been indisputable; and the meeting taking much longer than expected hadn't really put his mind at ease.

'I'm gonna meet the boss at the helipad,' he let Pritchard know, already stirring into motion and heading towards the entrance.

'I'll join up as soon as I'm done here.'

'Copy.'

With the tech cutting off, Adam was about to enter the foyer of Sarif Industries headquarters when he was brought to a halt by another voice again, this time of female origin.

'Adam?'

He stopped, stifling a sigh before he turned to face the woman. It's been one of those days all along.

'Yeah, what is it, Nicole?' he asked, inconveniently noticing he was familiar with her beyond a professional level. They used to hook up one time or another, back when things had been entirely different.

'I'm about to leave for today and was wondering if you are free. I'm not feeling safe, going home by myself,' she made her proposition quite clear.

'I'm sorry,' Adam rejected curtly. 'Sarif's just getting back and wants to talk a few things through. But I can assign you an escort, if that's ok with you.'

'Ah, no need,' she dismissed the offer. 'I think I'll manage. Maybe another time.'

'Yeah, maybe.'

Leaving her where she stood, Adam silently thanked David for the very convenient excuse. He really wasn't of a mind for amorous adventures, especially since he knew he couldn't fulfill her true desire anyway. He hadn't any comfort left to spare.

As Adam entered the lobby he instantly found himself surrounded by familiar impressions; the towering information panels reaching for the high ceiling, warm lights, friendly faces and sounds, reminding him of his very first day on the job - as well as his return after he'd been on the brink of death.

Even though about half of the original Sarif staff had resigned by now, there'd been a large amount of personnel who'd had managed to avoid the biochip manipulation causing the Aug Incident. For some reason - may it be out of instinct or suspicion or simple lack of opportunity - lots of employees hadn't submitted themselves to the global chip replacement engineered by the Illuminati; same as Adam, David, Athene, Pritchard, Malik. Those who stayed.

'Mr. Jensen, Adam,' Cindy, the receptionist, addressed him from behind her desk. 'Is the installation finished?'

'Yeah,' Adam confirmed, passing by. 'When Pritchard's done with the final calibrations you should get a clear signal.'

Not stopping for her to bother him with any more questions he headed towards and up the stairs to cross through the Cafeteria straight ahead, simply ignoring the several employees gathered there in front of the TV.

When he stepped out into the chill December night again the B-EE was just about to arrive, slowly descending from above, turbines roaring, until its gear hit the landing pad and the machines powered down. The passenger bay opened to release an obviously ill-tempered David.

'Adam, you're here. Good.' He came approaching over the walkway. 'Frank's coming, too? I gotta talk to you both.'

'On his way,' Adam informed, throwing his boss a closer look. 'It went that well, I take it?'

David honored the question with a dismissive snort, but before he could comment any further one of the employees stuck her head out of the door, urgently appealing to David.

'Mr. Sarif, you have to come and see this.'

'Great, what now?' David grumbled and motioned Adam to follow him inside.

They hadn't even gotten in range to catch a glimpse of the screen displaying Picus's latest news broadcast when Adam already identified the toady voice speaking with rising distaste.

'Of course, it was all a lie, Eliza. The accusations directed against my organization - and thus, my person in particular - could never be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. I've been wrongfully framed and slandered, as this evidence will clearly show. Humanity Front is - and always will be - a peaceful institution, its sole intent on bridging the widening gap of concern and misunderstanding in this unnecessary conflict.'

Several faces turned as David and Adam were queuing up behind the crowd, regarding them with worried looks, while Eliza Cassan continued her exclusive interview on William Taggart.

'Mr. Taggart, you yourself have admitted to Humanity Front harboring a terrorist in the past. How can you now deny your involvement in the biological warfare conducted on augmented people?'

Eliza was still mounting her argument when Pritchard pushed through the doors all of a sudden, stopping short and craning his neck in search for David and Adam.

'Good, you're seeing it, too,' he noted, finding and joining with them.

'Yes, I agree,' Taggart responded on screen. 'The circumstances relating to my former aide, Isaias Sandoval, had been very unfortunate, indeed. But I can assure you, this has been an isolated incident, and Mr. Sandoval is being convicted for his crimes as the law commands. Concerning that terrible tragedy, however, I was nothing but a shocked observer - a witness, actually. In truth, Eliza, no biological attack ever occurred - not by hand of Humanity Front nor anyone else - and I have conclusive data to prove this claim.'

'Dammit, what's he up to?' David muttered his growing unease.

'Guess, we're about to find out,' Pritchard couldn't help but state the obvious.

'Yes,' Eliza followed up. 'You were mentioning you have unearthed enough evidence to clear you and Humanity Front from any allegations. Let's show this material to our viewers and shed some new light on that event.'

The screen swapped and displayed Hugh Darrow at Panchaea, delivering his speech, right before he activated the signal which had caused myriads of people to lose their mind.

'Thank you, David. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Sarif here has asked me to show the world how human enhancement technology can change it. After careful deliberation, I've decided I must do exactly that. Forgive me.'

Then, the massacre launched, reviving the horrors once again and making everyone present relive that dreadful day with all its agony and fear involved. The assembled staff startled, gasping, whispering, wailing; and even Adam could feel it, the crippling sensation of powerlessness reoccurring.

But there was more. The picture on screen swapped another time, now showing Darrow during his talk with Adam.

'Fuck me!'

'Oh, I know what I've done, believe me,' Darrow spoke on from the beyond. 'I take no pleasure in it. I did what had to be done. Twenty years ago, I gave the world augmentation technology. I thought I was giving it a bright future but instead, I gave it the means to destroy itself. No law, no UN regulation was going to fix that.

'I had to convince the world. Before today, people believed we should steal fire from the gods and redesign human nature. But human nature is the only thing we have that gives us a moral compass, and the social skills we need to live in peace! Destroy it, and you destroy our very species.'

Cutting out Adam's presence in this conversation entirely, the picture swapped back to Taggart, leaving the whole room speechless.

'As you can see, Eliza, this is the true testament of Hugh Darrow, a great visionary who, unfortunately, resorted to grave measures in face of a development he considered a threat to all mankind.'

As Eliza and Taggart went on discussing the possible means and motivation behind Darrow's actions the inevitable murmur rose among the employees, asking themselves the very same questions.

'Where, the hell, did that come from?' David was asking an entirely different question.

'That's part of my talk with Darrow,' Adam let him know. 'I've no idea why - or how - Taggart got a record of that.'

'Three guesses,' David grumbled.

Adam exchanged a glance with Pritchard, confirming both their guesses. They must have cleared everything of advantage out of Panchaea before sinking it to the bottom of the ocean.

'Come on,' David called on them. 'I've seen enough.'

2027, Detroit, Sarif Industries HQ, Office David Sarif

'Shit, that's just what we needed, right now,' David cursed away as they were riding the elevator up to the top of the Sarif tower, where his office was located. 'That goddamn Purist shoving his weight around, currying sympathy again.'

'Can you blame him?' Adam remarked sarcastically. 'Wait, you already did.'

David shot him a reproachful look in return.

'I thought, we were all past that.'

'We are,' Adam affirmed. 'Won't hurt to remind you from time to time, though.'

'I can assure you, there's no need for that.' Gnarling, David let the topic drop.

'At least he's not blaming us,' Pritchard considered.

'Not yet, he isn't. But you can bet your ass, it's just a matter of time. He dangled my name along with Darrow already in that record, putting me on the same level with him.'

David was most likely right about that. And none of this came as a surprise. They all had known the lie would blow over eventually.

'At any rate,' Adam focused on a different matter, 'his sudden reappearance is all too convenient with the Human Evolution Conference this close.'

'You don't say,' David noted as the doors opened, releasing them into the front room of his office. 'Why else do you think he came forward now?'

Only three days ahead the Human Evolution Conference, supposed to be held at the Detroit Convention Center, had been postponed several times after the Aug Incident, David pushing for execution until it was finally authorized. Everybody of name and rank to the biotech campaign was expected to attend - everybody remaining, that is.

Taggart stirring up questions better left ignored was certainly going to divert public attention from David's efforts to mend the seething conflict.

'David,' Athene Margoulis, Sarif's Executive Assistant, rose from her desk. 'Good, you're back. Have you seen-'

'Yeah, I saw it,' David gently interjected, checking himself in front of the elderly lady. 'We gotta discuss what's to be done about it. Be a dear and fix us some drinks, will ya?'

Athene complied with a nod and opened the doors, leading on into the office, where she fetched a tray, glasses and David's favorite brand of Bourbon. She served the drinks quietly, while Pritchard and Adam took a seat across their boss at the large desk, before she was leaving them to their talk.

'So, it is safe to assume that Taggart's performance today was orchestrated by the Illuminati,' Pritchard resumed their last argument as David was already having a long sip from his glass. 'They obviously are on the move again. Don't you think it's about time you told us who exactly is pulling the strings there?'

'I wish, I knew,' David admitted, leaning back. 'Since Darrow and Zhao are gone - and I don't think they kept Taggart on their leading council - I've no idea who's in charge anymore.'

David hesitated a pondering moment.

'You're holding something back,' Pritchard noticed, whereat David drew a breath, receding.

'I do know two other connections, yes. Lucius DeBeers is powerful among them, if not even the main honcho.'

'The Lucius DeBeers?' the tech was surprised. 'That's an interesting twist.'

'Yes, but I've never met him in person, so I don't know for sure. The other faction involved would be-'

'VersaLife,' Adam threw in. With everything he had uncovered two months ago the dots pretty much connected straight-line.

'So, Page Industries,' Pritchard pursued the trail, David nodding affirmation. 'Then, that's where we start. Dig up enough dirt on Bob Page and expose him for leverage.'

'No!' David flared up all of a sudden, his air growing tense. 'Don't start poking around the hornet's nest, Frank. You've no idea who you're dealing with.'

'I thought that was the whole point.'

'Trust me, when I tell you, not even you are a match for these people. You won't find anything, anyway. And we can't afford any more of their attention. Not now. So, keep your distance, you hear me?'

It wasn't hard to miss that David was afraid. Afraid of the Illuminati, their influence, their power - and afraid of Bob Page in particular.

Adam contacted the tech via subvocal, for him alone to hear.

'Leave it for now, Pritchard. Let's talk about this later.'

Still reluctant, Pritchard gave a brief nod of consent to both of them.

David slumped back into his chair, drew another breath and emptied his glass in one greedy gulp, just to have an immediate refill from the bottle.

'So, what happened at the board of directors' meeting?' Adam assumed the conversation. 'It sure took a while.'

'It was a disaster, that's what happened,' David grumbled. 'Our stock market value dropped another five percent last week and the shareholders are pissing their pants. Some of them are threatening to pull out and sell their stakes. Worst of all, there's already a profitable offer on the table.'

'Let me guess,' Pritchard chimed in. 'Our illusive, medieval cabal?'

'One would think so, right?' David agreed, fixating his security executives with a stern look. 'But no, the offer comes straight from Kusanagi.'

'Kusanagi?' Pritchard obviously was as surprised as Adam. 'But they aren't in league with the Illuminati, are they?'

'No,' David shook his head. 'Not that I know of. In fact, they were rather giving the Illuminati the finger for their recruitment efforts, just as I did.'

'May we consider them an ally?' Adam reckoned.

'Like hell. Those Japanese bastards are after my company, for Christ's sake!' Heaving a sigh, David tried to calm himself. 'And that's not the end of it. They already bought up Isolay and Caidin Global after those declared bankruptcy. They even acquired several sections of Tai Yong.'

'How'd they get the resources for that?' Pritchard wondered.

'Nobody knows,' David gave a shrug. 'Then again, the Japanese always were more inclined towards cybertech than the rest of us. They bought our products on a large scale back before Kusanagi began to assume the Asian market.'

Adam remembered once reading an article on how Kusanagi monopolized the Asian cybertech industry, forcing Tai Yong to spread out west, to the African and American continents.

'So, what's your take on the situation, then?' Pritchard pressed on. 'Are we supposed to pack our bags?'

'Not yet. Not ever, if I can help it. I'm still holding the controlling interest in this company.'

'But?' This time it was Adam sensing David hesitate.

'But, as I've told you, the directors are beyond nervous. They want us to abandon biotech research and get back into weapons development, securing military contracts.'

He let the proclamation loom, waiting for his execs to respond on the matter, expectantly eyeing them.

'Don't look at me,' Pritchard gestured, warding off responsibility. 'I'm not your advisor.'

'Neither am I,' Adam concurred, though averse to the very idea as he'd always been. 'It's up to you to make that call.'

'I'm afraid,' David justified his course of action with a similar reluctance, 'we're going to need this if we want to keep Sarif Industries afloat for a while longer. At least until we can present a fully operational prototype of the X1 chip.'

'So, you don't plan on dropping the project, then?' Adam felt a need for confirmation.

'Of course not,' David gnarled. 'We've come too far already.'

Adam was relieved to hear that.

'What's the status on that, anyway?' He hadn't kept up with the research since...

'Still stagnating,' David gave in to a sigh and reached for his drink. 'Declan and his team are doing the best they can, but after Megan left-'

He started, throwing his security chief a wary look.

Once Adam had get her out of Singapore, Megan hadn't even stayed for three weeks in Detroit before she vanished again, simply leaving a message stating not to worry about her.

Adam didn't. Not anymore. She'd obviously made her choice.

'So, no development?' he passed over the item.

'I can't even make it public at the conference,' David admitted, gnashing. 'Not without something conclusive to deliver. Not anymore.'

'What if we found more help? Another specialist on the matter,' Adam suggested.

'Sure, you got one up your sleeve?' David remarked, then reconsidered, leaning forward. 'Unless, you do.'

'Her name's Tiffany Kavanagh,' Adam nodded. 'She's a biotech scientist who led the Hyron Project and possesses vast knowledge of Megan's research. And, apparently, she's got a conscience. It was her blowing the whistle on Belltower's involvement in the abduction of the test subjects.'

'She might be eager to redeem herself,' Pritchard went along with the idea.

'Get on it,' David issued the order, pointing a metallic finger, still holding the glass. 'Find her, whatever it takes, and I'll try to reel her in.'

Sighing, he leant back into his chair and finally took a swig of the Bourbon.

'Damn, that's some good news, at last.'

'We still need to consider the bad and very immediate ones,' Adam reminded. 'The conference is only three days ahead, and Taggart won't just quietly sit by and watch. We have to expect him make an appearance.'

'He's not on the guest list, so far,' Pritchard made a quick check with his handheld.

'Doesn't matter,' David controverted. 'The son-of-a-bitch won't pass on the opportunity to stir up further commotion. How are the safety measures coming along?'

'In progress,' Adam informed. 'Everything should be set on schedule.' Provided he'd find some more personnel to hire within the next forty-eight hours.

'Good. Then all I've gotta worry about is how to deal with that goddamn Purist for now.' David shook his head in resignation.

'There's another point,' Adam wasn't finished yet. 'Kusanagi. I saw them on the guest list. Are they going to cause trouble?'

'Hell, if I know,' David deferred. 'As long as they're not trying to buy Sarif Industries right from under my ass in front of a million viewers.'

'There anything else you can tell us?'

'About Kusanagi? Not much,' David regarded. 'Their president is Tetsuo Kusanagi. I met him once at a Human Enhancement Conference, just like this one, about - what? - fifteen years ago.'

'You think he'll attend?'

'No, don't think so. He hasn't shown himself in public for some time now. I think he's got some medical condition. He was wearing an exoskeleton supporting his body back then. No idea what he might have achieved with cybertechnology in the meantime.'

'So, you know nothing, in fact,' Adam established.

'Told you,' David verified. 'I can tell you this, though. The guy crept the hell out of me. He's a fanatic, crazy, like in batshit.'

He let the caution linger for a moment, until Pritchard cleared his throat, obviously growing impatient.

'Well, if there wasn't anything else - technical - to discuss, I'll be back in my lab and find something productive to do with myself - like tracking down Ms. Kavanagh.'

'Make it snappy,' David dismissed him with a brief nod, whereat the tech got up and downed his drink in the go.

Adam was about to follow, already rising, when David held him back.

'Adam, stay with me, would ya?'

Stopping short at the request, Adam waited for Pritchard to leave the office, before he turned, querying his employer.

'There something you wanted to talk over in private, boss?'

David shot him a glowering look in return.

'Can't I just enjoy your company once in a while?' Standing himself, he grabbed the bottle and suggestively pointed at Adam's yet untouched Bourbon. 'Come on. That's an order.'

Leading on to the lounge cornered by the crackling fireplace and the panoramic windows overlooking Detroit's luminescent skyline, David settled on the couch and indicated Adam to join.

Relenting, Adam gave in, retracted the shades from his eyes and picked up the drink to carry it over and sit in a chair next to his boss.

'You know, you just could've asked nicely.'

'I did,' David shrugged, leaning back. 'Didn't get through, obviously.'

Adam couldn't help but answer with an amused snort.

'No kidding.'

'Hey, I'm just trying to get you to unwind from time to time, by decree if need be.'

'You're one to talk,' Adam countered. 'You had any rest in the past thirty-six hours, at all?'

'What, you're keeping tabs on me now?'

'Always. It's the job you hired me for.'

'Touché,' David acknowledged, raised his glass and emptied it, before he helped himself to another refill. He didn't drink though, just sitting there, staring at the reflections of the fire dancing in the golden liquid.

'You know,' he spoke up again, musing. 'I wouldn't have thought you'd stay after- Panchaea and everything. I wouldn't have blamed you if you didn't.'

Puzzled, Adam gave the only response he could think of.

'Where else would I go?'

'I don't know,' David shrugged, still facing the Bourbon. 'Chasing after Megan, chasing another dream...'

'Not much left to chase after,' Adam stated the simple fact.

'That can't be all.'

'It's not.'

Now, David shot him an anticipating look, soon to realize Adam wasn't going to elaborate, keeping silent.

As if the old fox needed an explanation. And like hell Adam would grant him the pleasure of admitting.

'Anyway, I'm glad you did,' David let it go. 'I couldn't do this without you.'

He raised his glass once more and emptied this one too before he heaved a sigh and slumped back into the cushion, weariness showing.

'What a fucking mess...'

'You know this is just the beginning,' facing the bitter truth, Adam followed the example and finally downed his drink as well. 'It'll only get worse from here on.'

'Don't,' David gestured rejection, 'remind me. I don't even wanna think of it.'

Adam understood. He felt the very same.

'Yeah.'

He reached for the bottle and refilled them both while outside a cold December rain set in, sending heavy drops running down the windows, fragmenting the shiny lights of a city on razor's edge.