Phase 2: Meet up with Despedida and a familiar foe

Despedida had found a covert place to hack in, but really, you two had finished clearing the first floor so quickly that it didn't matter if she was covert or not. As such, she started blasting J-rap music from some obscure anime and throwing hands along to the beat idly, once you informed her nobody was around to see. You told her you thought that was a bit excessive. "Ha ha ha! Oh, come on, Ciao, lighten up! If you don't enjoy the little moments, you'll end up as grumpy as Tschau over there! Just don't enjoy it all too much and grin all the time, or you'll end up like Vaarvel. Not sure which is worse." The hacker grinned at her own joke, then continued beat-boxing along with her noisy music.

Obviously, Tschau wasn't so pleased with the joke. "Vaarvel needs to focus on her job more. So do you. Don't stop hacking to listen to music..." The ninja scolded her colleague with obvious impatience. It was actually kind of nice to see someone else getting fed up with your agent's lack of regard for the mission.

"Oh, come on! You know I love hacking even more than I love my dope jams," Despedida protested, pointing at the terminal's screen. It was currently in the middle of building a 3D map of the downstairs part of the complex. "Me hitting on stuff doesn't make it go any faster, just like spinning your point around on your front screen doesn't make your laptop do anything quicker. It's best if you just let it do its thing. Think of it as building time on one of your mobile games, only you can't get through it faster with premium currency. Heh, you could stand to learn a thing or two about the dangers of hitting on things you aren't supposed to, Ciao." She tipped her cap in your direction with a cheeky grin. Had she worn that cap in under helmet, or else replaced it when she took off the helmet?

And anyway, what was that supposed to mean?! Tschau glared at you sideways as Despedida continued to have a good giggle at your expense. Now you wished she'd just listen to her music and stop teasing you...

The three of you next boarded an elevator to the subterranean part of the complex, which, if the map was correct, would be fortified with Bortnik's robotic security. This part was certainly where Despedida's skills would come in most useful. You asked Despedida how she knew the elevator was safe, thinking that automatic turrets could easily pop out at any moment.

"You sure worry a lot. It's safe, dude. I've made this thing like a ghost. Think of it as being like invis in Crysis 3: if you're seeing it, you're either really close or you're cheating!"

You scoffed at the idea that your enemies were going to be nice enough not to cheat.

"He he, well, you can't cheat against a cheater. At least not one of my skill when it comes to cheating~" Despedida reassured you with a pat on the shoulder, then stuck both hands back into the pockets of her jeans. That girl was never going to be convinced to wear proper agent attire... except for that one time going through the airport, apparently. Seeming to sense an opportunity for theatrics, the Latina agent moved to the front of the elevator and held out both arms to block you and Tschau from exiting. With a grin, she held up one hand to count down three... two... one... "And here comes the boom!"

Sure enough, as soon as the door opened, you found the hallway practically shaking with explosions. The robots stationed around the elevator, waiting for your arrival, had suddenly turned and began firing on each other with heavy ordinance, creating a massive number of explosions that scattered futuristic, white machinery parts everywhere. You almost felt sorry for Doctor Bortnik... it seemed that anyone that put anything on any kind of network was just handing Despedida their security on a silver platter. "Kapow, how you like me now?! That wasn't a pentakill, that was some kill that's so big they don't have words for it! Play of the game and then some!" All of the security robots stationed in that hallway had been instantaneously neutralized.

Tschau closed her eyes irritably, perhaps annoyed that Despedida's quick accomplishment had already outshined her work on the upper floor. "Don't get a big head, Despedida."

"Ha ha! I always play with Big Head Mode active!"

"Well... don't."

It struck you that these two were truly mismatched on this team together. As the only Goodbye Girl who rarely smiled, Tschau really was the odd woman out. Returning focus to the mission, you asked Despedida if the destruction of these robots meant that the series of tunnels really was going to be free of security.

"I mean, I think so. All the goons were upstairs. All that's left down here is laboratories full of scientists we don't need to go after and, presumably, Bortnik himself. Rest of the place was as empty as the Battleborn servers six months after launch."

You nodded, then motioned for Tschau to exit the elevator and follow the two of you. However, before she could manage, a gateway outside the elevator door suddenly slammed shut, nearly smashing you in the process. An alarm had gone off.

"Ha ha... Well... It was a cool move, but I guess he has a couple of defenses that aren't on his network. Well played, Bortnik," Despedida congratulated your enemy.

Tschau was cut off from you now; you heard a slashing noise as her sword bounced off of the heavy wall. "Damn... Just go! If you stay here, they'll all swarm you. I'll find a way out of the elevator and rejoin you quickly. Don't hang around here!"

You left Tschau trapped there, after informing her to stay careful herself; she was more of a sitting duck than anybody right now. As you and Despedida ran down rows of identical looking hallways, with her in front to guide you, you questioned who she thought might come to respond to that alarm.

"He probably doesn't have any robots that aren't on the grid. That means whoever comes, they'd be someone who's not a part of his security at all. I'd say either the man himself will come, or else... a Deliverer!"

As if on queue, a giant of a woman rounded the next corner, pointing a flamethrower in your direction. You and Despedida barely managed to dodge back down the hallway, avoiding a giant plume of flames that overpowered the flashing red alarm lights with its own brightness. You saw scorch marks and trails of embers left where it had run across the compound's floor. "CEDIT doooogs! Come out! I'll pay you back for last time and then some!" Promethia growled. The glass walls of the science offices allowed you to see her approaching and her you. The Deliverer bigwig was dressed this time in the same baggy, red, futuristic-polymer pants she'd worn last time, but other than that, just a black tank top, showing off her intense musculature. Her black, half shaved haircut looked matted with sweat already... the consequences of using a flamethrower with no protective gear, you supposed.

However, just because she didn't have protective gear didn't mean she didn't have equipment. The woman had gotten some upgrades since you last saw her... it seemed like half of her body, from the left side of her cranium down to her shoulder, the whole arm, and even her rib-cage had been replaced with gleaming black machinery. A red light like something out of a science fiction traced the muscle of her bicep, running up to her shoulder. You saw now that the flamethrower she'd used hadn't been held; it was actually attached to her hand. The hand on the other side was actually missing as well, replaced with a new robotic fixture. The cybernetic enhancements she'd received could only be the work of Doctor Bortnik. You thought you understood why she'd sought him out now... but not why he'd helped her.

"Shit, this is like when Wild Dog shows up with his chain gun arm in the games after the first Time Crisis," Despedida remarked, amazingly still able to quip in this situation. "What's the matter, Promethia? Couldn't beat us, so you had to go pay-to-win?"

"I will not rise to your provocations, dog." The woman's face was glowering, watching you like some sort of Terminator as she approached. You didn't know if her muscles or her flamethrower looked scarier right now. "It's time you all burned for the sake of the Deliverers' mission. I won't fail a second time."

Despedida tipped down her cap, then smiled, resting her gaze on you with her one visible eye. "Okay, Ciao... Got any plans? We've got a narrow little hallway behind us and no Tschau, so I'm not saying no to consulting the strategy guide on this mid-boss battle... If you say you're gonna rely on that little pistol, then I'm gonna go ahead and start warming up the Bonfire for us right now." You wondered if you had anything that would work, or if you were going to have to rely on Despedida to use her genius to get you out of this...