Dark Ties

M3 - Dark Ties is a mission in Deus Ex: The Fall.

Find Alex Vega
Head to Nightshades in the Boardwalk district. Alex Vega will be in the strippers' section in the northeast corner of the map. Go and talk to her.

Outlined and discussed below are the options presented in the conversation with Alex. Consult Alex's psychological profile on her page to understand which options would be more effective. Note that if Alex's persuasion level is high enough, she wil give you her clearance codes:
 * After some chit-chat, the player can choose to appease Alex (i.e. continue the small talk) or question her. Questioning will lower her persuasion level so the former option is preferable.
 * After some more chatting, the player can opt for a direct approach or bluff Alex. Being direct with Alex will antagonize her (i.e. lower persuasion level).
 * Saxon will direct the conversation towards Riezene and Belltower's sordid involvement in it. The player can choose to inquire or advise Alex. Neither option will antagonize her but 'Inquire' will grant a greater persuasion boost.
 * When asked if Saxon will help, the player can give a confident or unsure response. Alternatively you can use pheromones to get a larger persuasion boost. Being unsure will negate any chances of getting Alex's codes. If Alex's persuasion level is high enough at this point, she will give you the codes to the VIP rooms and the helipad. Needless to say this will make your job much easier.

Check on the Inspector
Once you're done with Alex get out of Nightshades and head to Hotel Etana in the Downtown district. Inside, go left to the southeast section of the map. Take the elevator there to the upper floors. You will arrive at the floor directly below the VIP level. You will have to go up to see the Inspector. There are several ways to accomplish this; note that the following routes are not unique and can be combined as desired: The Inspector is in his room ahead. Go near him and a cutscene follows.
 * Straight route: Head right as you get out of the elevator doors. At the far end of the corridor will be two doors--take the right one up a flight of stairs. You are now on the VIP level. Straight ahead is the Inspector's suite. It will be guarded by NPCs who will open fire since this is a restricted area. The Inspector's room is locked so hack it or use the code Alex gave you (5872).
 * Kool-Aid Man route: Head to your left as you exit the elevator doors. Enter a room with vending machines. There is a weak wall here that you can smash through with the 'Punch Through Wall' augmentation. You will now be in a maintenance shaft--the floor ahead is electrified so don't step on it unless you have the 'EMP Shielding' augmentation. Take the ladder on your right. Straight ahead you can crouch through a gap in the wall into the hotel area. There are armed guards up ahead--access instead the vent to your left and you will be in the Inspector's bathroom.
 * Electric Floor route: As you exit the elevator doors, go to the right. You will be near some locked hotel rooms--head to the first one on the left. The door has a level 3 lock so hack it. The bathroom inside has a vent you can access. The vent at the other end leads you the same electrified floor described above. Take the Kool-Aid Man route here onwards.
 * Kool-Aid Man route II: Head right as you get out of the elevator doors. At the far end of the corridor will be two doors--take the right one up a flight of stairs. You are now on the VIP level. Straight ahead is the Inspector's suite. Go left instead and you will reach a room with a bar. Guards will be patrolling this place so be careful. Next to the bar is a door with a Level 3 lock. Hack you way in--there is a weak wall here you can break down. You will be in the Inspector's bathroom.

Warn Alex
Once the cutscene ends, guards outside will swarm in and attack you on sight. Deal with or sneak past them. Go back to Nightshades to talk to Alex. Once you're done, guards who followed you from the hotel will be looking for you. Deal with or sneak past them out of Nightshades.

Liberate Alex's VTOL
Head to the XNG Data Center in the Downtown district. You start out in the lobby inside. Guards will ask you to "please vacate the area senor, you are not permitted here"--ignore them. As long as you don't do anything suspicious or go past the metal detectors at the reception desk, the guards will grudgingly humor you.

You have to get past the lobby and reach the central hallway in the northwest section of the map. There are several ways to accomplish this; note that the following routes are not unique and can be combined as desired: The central hallway has three guards who keep a tight watch on the entire area. Besides them there is a dormant robot which will attack you if you create a situation. Deal with or sneak past them as you wish. At the other end of the hallway is an 'Access Elevator'. It is guarded by laser beams so you have to go invisible to get past or you'll raise the alarm. Take the elevator to the secret Belltower base.
 * Front desk route: Go to the door behind the front desk. The guards will become hostile if you do this so deal with or sneak past them. The door has a level 1 lock--hack it or use the code (9284; available from a pocket secretary found near the restrooms). You are now in the 'Server Room'. There should be a door leading to a 'Meeting Room' in your immediate view. Go past it and left--the door ahead opens to the central hallway.
 * Restroom route: The women's restroom is always worth exploring...go to your right as you enter the lobby. Get into the restroom and access the vent there. The other end is blocked by a heavy crate so you must have the relevant augmentation to push it aside. You are now in the 'Meeting Room'. Directly ahead are two NPCs you can do a double takedown on. Straight ahead is the office area. The door to it has a level 3 lock so hack it or use the code (8812; acquired from a computer on the west side of the lobby). Inside the office there is a door at the other end which leads to the hallway.
 * Utility Closet route: To your left as you enter the lobby is a 'Utility Closet'. The door to it has a Level 1 lock. There is no code available so you'll have to hack in the vicinity of a patrolling guard and a security camera. Once you're through, go down the corridor. At the other end is a door leading to the 'Server Room'/ 'Security Manager'. Adjacent to it is the hallway.

(N.B.: Once you get to the base, you can't take the elevator back.) From here onwards you will encounter the toughest enemies in the game. Similar to Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Belltower guards come in three flavors: Soldiers, Sneakers and Ogres. You will face all three types in the Base. Additionally you have patrolling robots and turrets to contend with.

You start out at the entrance of the Base. You need to get to the Barracks. There are several ways to do this; note that the following routes are not unique and can be combined as desired: The area around the barracks entrance is tightly guarded (two Soliders plus a security camera). You can make things easier by turning off the cameras--use the security hub in the room directly across from the elevator. The entrance will be locked so hack it or use the code (4319; available from the computer in the office directly across from the entrance).
 * Straight route: Get out of the elevator and take a left. You should be moving down a long corridor that takes you to the northeast section of the map. To your left is an office; the corridor continues to the right to the barracks.
 * Left Vents route: As you get out of the elevator, immediately take a left turn. Up ahead is a vent concealed behind a yellow machine. The vent will fork down the middle into two--the right one will bring you into the corridor while the left takes you to an office. The office has a 'Reload Speed' upgrade you can take. Outside the office, go straight down the corridor to the barracks.
 * Right Vent route: This is the most straightfoward plus covert route. Once out of the elevator, go to the room directly across (don't enter) and look to your left. There is a vent here you can access. The vent will take you right next to the barracks entrance.

You are now in the barracks. You need to get to the Belltower Helipad which is in the southeast section of the map. There are several ways to accomplish this; note that the following routes are not unique and can be combined as desired: