You'll hand Dr. Bortnik over to Tschau

You knew that this guy owed more to Tschau than anyone. In the end, he deserved whatever judgment she gave him, whether that was a swift execution or a decision of mercy. You let Despedida know that you planned to give the choice to Tschau, to do as she pleased.

Oddly, the woman didn't seem especially crestfallen or combative, though she did sigh and twirl a lock of her long, brown hair around one finger. "Hmmm? I thought for sure if I poured on the charm, you'd be putty in my hands. Guess even a great fighter makes the wrong reads some times," the hacker giggled, then crossed her hands in her lap. "Hey, if that's your decision, then I'll abide by it. Tschau got you with that justice talk, right? Just remember: sometimes doing what CEDIT needs you to means second-guessing that justice of hers. We're an organization of international peace, not an organization of justice... They're different things, like a forward quarter circle and a dragon punch. You've gotta be able to use the one you need..."

Sometimes, it felt like Despedida wanted to be your life guru for some reason. Then again, if anybody needed a life guru, it was you.

Tschau re-entered the plane when Despedida fetched her, then gave a deep bow. When she came back up, her eyes were dark and serious. "Thank you, Ciao. I won't forget this. You're a real ally of my justice now... someone I can depend on to take the right path." No sooner had the door closed behind her than Tschau drew her ninjoto from the scabbard on her back and held it aloft in an executioner's stance, approaching Bortnik from behind. "I'm glad this day's finally come. I'm glad that after all this time I've finally cornered Bortnik. I'm glad..."

Uncharacteristically, the ninja's arms began to shake as she held both hands around her blade's hilt; if it were a less durable blade, it might have been bent or damaged by the grip of her metallic digits beneath her gloves. You could tell she was overcome by emotion, but you were actually thankful for the pause. If she'd effortlessly cut the old man's neck, you thought you'd have begun to doubt the righteousness of your decision. You asked her to talk about it.

"Damn, Ciao... Sometimes I think you want to be everyone's therapist..." She sniffed, closing her eyes and sitting down next to you with a plop, like a small child might. "Bortnik calls me his daughter, right? Well, I'm not... I was born in Germany. I must have had a real family that I lost. I lost everything... the woman I was before vanished completely when Russia stole me and put me into their cybernetic augmentation program. I've dreamed of this day so many times... I've imagined myself torturing him. In my dreams, I shoved my blade down his throat and twisted it. I turned him into a red geyser. I chopped off both his legs so he'd know how it felt not to have them. Now that I look at him... that was a stupid dream, huh? He's already a robot from the neck down..."

You told her that none of that explained her hesitation now, then asked if she was worried about what would develop between Washington and Russia.

"No. Russia can't admit their ties to Bortnik, so they can't bring anything to a global scale or hold anything against us, no matter what we decide. The unofficial relations are as bad as you've seen." She shook her head, then looked at the floor. "I just... I'm scared. Scared to see the mission to its end. I'm full of hatred when I think that this man turned me into a person who executes others with a ninja sword. I feel like when I sever his head from his neck, I'll never stop seeing that smile in my dreams. Like... somehow, I've only lived up to the destiny he set me on to begin with. I became the perfect super soldier he wanted me to be, even if I never heard that stupid voice he talks about..."

You placed one hand onto Tschau's shoulder to comfort her. You told her that this was all her choice, in the end. If she felt like murdering him, you couldn't blame her for that; you'd both done what you had to in order to secure the world's safety. Who was more dangerous to the world at large than Ivan Bortnik? Tschau would be doing the world a favor by making sure his madness didn't continue to spread. He'd armed Deliverers with augmented weaponry, for Pete's sake. There was nobody in this world who'd mourn a guy like that.

"I won't." She finished, sheathing her ninjoto with a clear frown, despite half her face being covered.

Surprised, you questioned her on her logic. You hadn't expected Despedida to be wrong on this one.

"I'll prove for once that I'm not a killing machine. He'll be just as surprised as anyone when he wakes up. I want to see his face when he realizes that I chose to be human when he wanted to make me a robot assassin..."

Still a kind of sadistic reason, in some respects. That said, you had to admire her decision. It could cause an international incident... but you were bringing Bortnik on a little vacation to America. Your next step was to call Despedida back onto the plane... you wouldn't say goodbye to Milaslava. You were going to get out of there aboard your Gambit, before anybody had a chance to question what had happened to the hostage.

Despedida looked as shocked as you'd expected her to be to see Bortnik was alive. "Uuuuh, you sure, dudes? You probably get it, but handing him over to Washington's the same deal: you aren't gonna get another chance to go for his throat. This is like having the bonus stage in front of you and choosing not to do it," she warned Tschau.

"I'm sure."

Shrugging, Despedida began to program your Gambit for its way back. You stared back at the face of Bortnik, which seemed to smile now like a peaceful, dopey old man's, albeit an old man with a straight-jacket confining him and a metal vent built into his mouth. You resolved not to let it bother you too much on the way back and went to sit across from Tschau instead.