Use the Hack-Gun to interfere (Despedida Route)

Namaste told you that whether you wanted their help or not, they planned to open up a pathway all the way from your current position to Tschau's location, while also taking care of Promethia. A career in this business and a lot of time dealing with deceptive criminals had taught you to be suspicious of others, so instead of gratefully accepting the help from this mysterious stranger, you readied your CEDIT hack-gun and targeted the reader on the room's large conference monitor. One of the disadvantages for Namaste: this trick of theirs that they used to communicate with you also left all sorts of valid places to hack in using the tool Goodbye had given you.

"Nathaniel, don't be foolish-" the voice of your would-be helper chastised you, but there was apparently nothing they could to do deactivate the sensors and stop you from hacking in using your gun. Once you were linked up, you utilized the interface on the handheld kit to get as much information as you could on Namaste's location, as well as the technology available to them. There was nothing in this data that revealed their identity, but the sheer number of processes connected to the same network as the monitor was staggering; it revealed to you just how many of the security measures in this sector were in Namaste's clutches.

In fact, with how thorough their control over the area was, it seemed like a stretch to imagine that they'd just hacked into everything on the grid. The much more likely scenario was that they'd controlled it to engineer this scenario in the first place: creating a maze of security shutters and gun-mounted cameras, which Promethia was currently roaming like a minotaur to provide an extra layer of impenetrability. Either they really didn't want you reaching your fellow agents, or they really did want to shunt you towards Tschau under the illusion of a limited window of opportunity.

You'd hoped that things would be simple after you hacked into the security system, but that hope was in vain; it shouldn't be surprising that a hacker like Namaste, with access beyond all of CEDIT's cutting edge cyber security, was capable of repelling attempts by their hacking devices as well. All of the critical paths were being closed off before you could even access them. Something as sweeping as deactivating the turrets or cameras was probably beyond your ability. Having the turrets turn on each other or something of that nature was appealing, but unrealistic.

Wherever Despedida was, you hoped she was working towards an access point like this herself. She'd probably have better luck at this than you.

Still, your quick thinking helped you hone in on a potential avenue of success. You might not be able to take everything offline, but the view through the cameras hadn't been restricted yet. While Namaste was busy covering anything that might allow you to hunt them down, you took the opportunity to access the cameras and commit the safe routes through the shutters to memory. You weren't surprised to see that Promethia was busy patrolling that one safe pathway. Rather than her usual oversized flamethrower, she'd come equipped with some new equipment you'd never seen before: a set of bracers encompassing each of her huge forearms and ending in oversized gloves. It seemed like a step down from her usual tech, but you'd be surprised if she had no defense prepared against a standard service pistol.

The path with Promethia was sure to be dangerous, but it was also certain to be the one route free of deadly automatic gun turrets. The camera had revealed to you that Promethia's current hardware was aggravatingly free of any good port for your Hack Gun to connect with, so you decided to leave it behind. It would be hard to wield that tool along with your firearm and you couldn't afford to have a hand occupied.

When your team had raided the New York Deliverer base, Namaste's appearance had followed shortly after Promethia's exit. Was it too much to suspect there might be a link between these two? Soon, you'd either get your answers or get burned to a crisp in their pursuit.

With the oppressive steel shutters lowered across your path, the straight shot through the tech wing was converted into a labyrinth. It occurred to you that whoever was behind this-- Namaste or whoever it was-- they were having a lot of fun at your expense. In fact, it was a little odd that Promethia would go along with such a plan. She didn't seem to be the type for any kind of whimsy. That remembrance of her character was reinforced when, after a careful trek through the maze of shutters, you came upon her; she stood with her broad back towards you, but when she turned her head, you saw a sour, tight-lipped frown.

"You... CEDIT dog. This is the third time you've interfered in the work of the Deliverers. You cling so hard to the rotten establishment your agency has built! Ignorant, shameless, and now..." the black-haired woman paused, turning slowly and flexing the fingers of the over-sized gauntlets she wore. "Doomed." A visual ripple tore through the air around the palm and fingers of the gloves as she raised them in a boxing stance that seemed, frankly, overkill. She wouldn't need to punch you with those, only grab you, to deal serious damage.