Accept Namaste's offer (Tschau route)

With three out of four of the Goodbye Girls gone rogue and Promethia lurking the halls, the last thing you needed right now was to turn Namaste into yet another enemy. You told Namaste that you wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, if they were willing to give you a straight shot to your primary objective.

"That's what I like to hear. Lately, you've made a career out of accepting the help of mysterious allies, haven't you? This time shouldn't be any different. Think of me as one of your Goodbye Girls, if that helps," Namaste laughed all around you. "Alright... I'm taking control of the security shutters and making modifications. Cameras are down. Turrets are... down. The one machine I can't shut down is Tschau herself. Well, her and Promethia."

As usual, Namaste seemed somehow even more aware of your situation than you yourself did, with access to details that could only come from being a witness to everything. For now, you'd have to set aside the identity guessing game and take them at their word.

"Get going, Nathaniel. I'm sure that the security systems will be taken back from in a short period of time. You're going to have to make the most of this window of opportunity and remember: you should prepare for a cold reception."

You knew that without being told, but you thanked them again for their help, even if you didn't appreciate their secrecy. If they heard that, they said nothing in response; instead, the hands simply bowed once again, then disappeared from each of the monitors. The alarm and warning lights were still going, but through the glass wall of the office you'd ducked into, you could see that the security shutters were now mostly raised, with the lower lights of the hallways turned on to form a pathway. Namaste couldn't have made this easier for you. You'd have to meet them and thank them later... assuming they weren't also a conspirator in all of this.

With all of the security shutters down, the hallways remained eerily free of any movement or activity; you began to imagine the worst case scenario, that wherever Promethia had been trapped, the scientists were all slammed in there with her. Still, for now, you could only focus on your primary objective: meeting Tschau and getting to the bottom of her supposed betrayal.

Several aspects of this terrorist activity still didn't add up. Had you ever seen any evidence that Tschau could be working along with Promethia? If she was, she hadn't done a thing to tip her hand back when Promethia had allied herself with Bortnik. Then again, you hadn't seen any evidence that the Deliverer agent was here, besides what the drones had picked up and the CEDIT team reported. You felt like you were being misled by several sources, with no ability to distinguish the trustworthy from the dubious.

You worked your way past offices and labs, noting a few doors still secured on the right-hand side as you were deep in. You half expected to hear Promethia's fist fiercely banging against them or her flamethrower blasting them, but even if the terrorist was trapped behind one of those doors, she'd probably be spending her time more productively, trying to find another way through besides brute force.

Finally, you arrived at the corridor, where a tremendous blast door ordinarily blocked off the section used for large-scale tests-- weapons, early vehicle prototypes, stress tests, etc. were conducted in here. The blast door was wide open this time, either by Tschau's intention or thanks to Namaste's interference. Slowly, you made your way inside, feeling a bit ridiculous with your service pistol tucked away and your hack gun in-hand. Neither one would be of any use against Tschau; the hack-gun needed a valid receiver to aim at and the pistol would simply be unable to hit, unless she was somehow caught completely unaware.

A line of advanced combat robots, eerily reminiscent of Bortnik's that Despedida had destroyed at the Russian facility, were assembled for some sort of testing that had never gotten underway. If you didn't know better, you'd assume that the test was about to begin given that scientists were waiting in the control box, but given the circumstances, you had to imagine those were the hostages that Tschau had taken earlier. You began to step your way up the metal staircase towards the red-lit room...

... Only to hear a sharp slice from below and feel the floor come out from underneath you! You barely collected your wits properly to roll as you hit the floor, following a significant fall. You couldn't stop moving, either, because a second later, your would-be assailant landed behind you with a massive thud of her metallic feet connecting against the reinforced floor. Tschau appeared before you, dressed in her full black gear and carrying her short ninjoto sword, which had evidently been strong enough to cut through what ought to have been a safely secured staircase from below.

"Ciao... Don't dodge at the last second. It would be easier for both of us if you just died quickly," the albino greeted you gruffly, flourishing her blade through the air. She was shorter than you in stature, but you knew that was about the only physical advantage you had over her. The look in her pinkish eyes was cold and unfamiliar, no warmer towards you than the first time she'd sat across from you in a CEDIT Gambit bound for Adder's arms auction.

Still, even if she wanted you dead, the fact that she was talking to you seemed promising, especially because your mind was overflowing with questions.