If you missed the guide for Episode 1, please review it before reading this portion of the guide to avoid confusion. This episode is pretty long, so I divided it into 4 parts. Datachunks that you must upload to progress in the story are indicated in bold. Keep in mind that Datachunks not necessary for plot progression still impact the outcomes of the story.
Episode 2: A Place Where There is No Darkness
Part 1: Who is Goldfels?
Symes will tell you that his superiors find the activist group Thought to be of interest and have therefore made Goldfels a target person. He will remind you to go back and review previously accessed documents to see if new Datachunks are available.
If you open the new arrest records file, you will see that Cassi is in custody. You can also read the new TNB articles if you want, but none of them have Datachunks. The Listener will allow you to read messages from Josef to Cassi, in which he professes his concern for her safety.
Use the Reader tool to pull up The Thought's blog again. If you didn't in Episode 1, use the link in Cassi's post (Entry 9) to access Entry 1. This post is written by Goldfels and contains several Datachunks.
The first Datachunk mentions "The Thoughts are Free", the same German folk song referenced by the individual(s) responsible for the bombings. The second chunk discusses how Goldfels immigrated to The Nation in 1993 (optional). Uploading the Datachunk "That is why I created this blog" will lead Symes to express his confusion, because The Thought is both an activist group and a blog. There is also a portrait of Goldfels available, but you are not required to submit it to Orwell. If you uploaded the first and third chunks, Symes will unlock Entry 8 of the blog, the most recent article on the website written by Goldfels.
Goldfels talks about "recruiting two of my students" in the first Datachunk on the page, and Symes will take interest in his involvement in the group's demonstrations. The next Datachunk is, "I will halt my active engagement in this group", which indicates that Goldfels ended his involvement with Thought in 2016, after its demonstrations became violent. If you already submitted the first chunk, then uploading the "my students from Stelligan" Datachunk will unlock the Stelligan University website. You are not forced to choose between the conflicting chunks on this page. I recommend waiting until you have more information before returning to Entry 8, if you decide to resolve the conflict.
Now visit Stelligan's website, and go to the Courses tab. If you scroll down, you will see that Media Ethics is no longer available due to Goldfels's retirement in 2016. Click on his name.
On this page, you will find Datachunks revealing that his full name is Abraham Goldfels, formerly a Media Ethics professor at Stelligan. Uploading these two Datachunks will give you access to the ISUCAL - Attendee List. There are four more chunks on this page (three of them being Goldfels's past accomplishments and one being a new portrait), but none of them are necessary uploads. Submit as many of them as you wish, and then visit the ISUCAL - Attendance List page.
Part 2: Harrison and Juliet
Go to the Summer 2016 session and select the Media Department. From the list of professors, choose Abraham Goldfels. If you scroll down, Orwell will identify two names that we've seen before: Juliet Kerrington and Harrison O'Donnell. Juliet was the only student to receive an "A" grade in Goldfels's class in the Summer 2016 term. Harrison was a guest at the lectures and therefore is not assigned a grade. Uploading their names into Orwell will cause Symes to request authorization to consider Harrison and Juliet targets. The authorization will be granted, and you can access each of their Timelines to start gathering Datachunks.
You can look into either one of them first, but I will be covering Juliet before Harrison.
There are a lot of Datachunks on Juliet's Timeline, so I will only draw your attention to the most important ones. The first available upload is a portrait of Juliet. Now that you've put a face to the name, upload the "PR Assistant at Rhosen Tech" Datachunk. This will give you access to the Rhosen Technologies website, but I recommend analyzing the rest of the Timelines page before visiting the Rhosen site.
In an online exchange with Cassi, Juliet says, "You know I'm 'not so' keen on going out late-night.". I recommend uploading this chunk.
Soon afterwards, Orwell will highlight the words "torture and cruelty by my friend". Juliet does not mean this literally (this is exactly why there should be humans operating Orwell), but if you upload the chunk you will accuse Cassi of torturing Juliet (in a literal sense). Messing with Symes is my favorite part of the game, but if you're taking this seriously you might want to avoid submitting that Datachunk.
At this point you will scroll past a link to the Kerrington family website. Ignore it for now; we'll come back to it later.
Further down the Timelines page, there will be a post clarifying that Juliet met Cassi for the first time at the Freedom Plaza demonstration. Feel free to upload it if you want.
Finally, there will be a post where someone named Rick (presumably a friend of Juliet's) asks, "How come you care so much about politics now?". He cites her previous disinterest in serving as the class representative. If you upload this chunk to Symes, he will question whether brainwashing could be involved, citing the sudden political interest sparked in both Juliet and Cassi.
Scroll back up to the Kerrington family website link and click on it.
If you take the time to read the profile of each of Juliet's sisters, you will notice that their names are April, May, and June. Very cute. Scroll down to Juliet's profile.
If you, too, love to annoy Symes, then I recommend uploading the Datachunks in the top section of Juliet's profile, which is littered with seemingly useless information (her favorite food, favorite color, etc). If not, her birthday is the most useful of these top chunks. Either way, you should upload the blue chunks in the lower section. These include "the parents Jonathan and Esther", "to play the guitar", and "her studies of Media Economy at Stelligan University". There is a conflicting Datachunk as well, but we haven't found its counterpart yet. To ensure accuracy, I recommend waiting until you've found the conflicting option to decide which one to upload.
Now we can visit the Rhosen Technologies website that we unlocked before. Click on the bookmarks button inside the Reader tool to access it.
Go to the Get in Touch tab and scroll down to the bottom of the screen. You will find a new portrait of Juliet as well as her professional phone number.
Once you enter her work number, you can use the Listener to pick up a conversation between Juliet and her mother, Esther. Upload both of the Datachunks in that conversation.
When Symes finds out that Juliet lives with her parents, he will ask you to find a more specific location. Go back to the Kerrington family website, and now you will be able to upload the Datachunk "a house in Maloy Court, a cozy little spot in Farview". Symes will mention that he lives nearby.
There are a few loose ends regarding Juliet's Datachunks, but let's come back to them later. For now, take a look at Harrison's Timeline to start collecting information about him.
Unfortunately, he's deleted all of his posts after July 5, 2016. He also refuses to offer up any useful information in his bio.
Scroll down to the July 5th post. It's a picture of Harrison and Juliet as a couple. This is the Datachunk that conflicts with the one on the Kerrigans' website about Juliet being single and a former band member. Based on Juliet's Timeline, her mother updated the website in February of 2017, which means it is more recent than Harrison's July 2016 post. They must've broken up (uh oh), so the Datachunk on the Kerrigans' website is the correct one. Regardless of which Datachunk you choose to upload, you will gain access to the website of a band called The Targets. The only other chunk on Harrison's Timeline is a comment under the July 5th post in which he chews out a guy named Mike for complimenting Juliet. Upload it if you want, and click on the bookmark icon to visit The Targets's website for more information about Harrison.
But first... what the heck is going on here?
If you open any of the corrupted blog links, Symes will report that malicious code was implanted into Orwell. But there's nothing you can do about it, at least for now...
You can open the Listener and pick up a conversation between Josef (on Cassi's account) and Juliet. They will discuss how neither of them has heard from Cassi since the previous night, but Juliet insists that she is probably fine and hiding from Josef. The first two Datachunks in this conversation are unimportant, but the third is a conflicting chunk in which Juliet states that Harrison planned the Freedom Plaza demonstration. Leave it for now, since we do not yet have access to the conflicting counterpart for this Datachunk. Visit The Targets's website for real this time.
In the Band tab, you will find new profile pictures and aliases for both Harrison and Juliet. Harrison is listed as a current member of the band under the name Hancock, and Juliet is a former member with the alias Tubman. Upload the aliases to uncover more Datachunks.
You will now be able to submit Harrison's email address (found in the Albums tab). In the Gigs tab, there is a comment underneath the notification of The Targets's cancelled show from a fan who shares a rumor about "Hancock" quitting the band.
When you upload Harrison's email, you'll be able to access it in the Listener and snag his bank account number. If you peak at his bank account, Harrison will receive an email alerting him that an unrecognized device has accessed it. But you can also find three new Datachunks. The first chunk indicates that Harrison commonly frequents a particular drugstore, the second shows that he pays for two life insurance policies, and the third reveals that he received a large payment from TNB.
Now return to The Targets's website to resolve the conflicting Datachunks. Go to the Gigs tab, then scroll to the right and find the photo where Harrison and Juliet are still together. The first comment is from Cassi (under her alias Cassarthis). She expresses interest in attending the demonstration in Freedom Plaza. However, this is a conflicting Datachunk. Cassi claims that Juliet is the one who organized the protest, which contradicts Juliet's statement that Harrison planned it. You can either choose one now, or wait and attempt to find more information first. Regardless, you need to resolve the conflict in order to move the plot forward. Once you pick one, you will be able to listen in on a call between Juliet and Harrison.
Juliet accuses Harrison of tampering with The Thought's blog to get her attention, but Harrison claims he had nothing to do with it. She accepts that he wasn't responsible, and after some banter you will have access to several new Datachunks. Most of them are about the personal relationship between Juliet and Harrison and their relationship to Thought. Juliet also mentions that Harrison secured a job as a TNB columnist. Upload the Datachunk to unlock an article written by Harrison, entitled "The National Opinion: Shut the Pargesian Border".
Submit the Datachunk about Abe's disappearance. After the call ends, you will gain access to an email exchange between Harrison and an unknown sender.
Part 3: Enter Initiate
It seems that what happened to the blog was no accident, as the email's sender admits to being a hacker who tampered with the website. You must upload the Datachunk "the righteous hacker initiate will expose all information i got on u.". This will enable you to view the response from Harrison to Initiate and a new update on Juliet's Timeline. Let's start with the Harrison-Initiate conversation.
Harrison fires back with a very aggressive email. None of it is particularly important except for the Datachunk "my blog". Symes will find the site for you so you can investigate.
There's a new portrait of Harrison available if you want to upload it. Below that, there are a couple of conflicting Datachunks. Leave them alone for now.
One of the blog posts expresses Harrison's distaste for Dimefront, which I presume to be the Orwell equivalent of Nickelback. Well done Osmotic Studios; you certainly got a laugh from me.
Go to the "leave a message" section of the blog. There is only one Datachunk, but it's a 2015 comment from Goldfels requesting Harrison's participation in The Thought. Interestingly though, he describes it as a debate club. Uploading the chunk will unlock a new page, where Goldfels advertises The Thought to the public. One of the commenters, who introduces herself as Nina, says that she is not a Stelligan student but is interested in the debate club. Harrison replies to her comment and tells her she will be welcome at The Thought. Submitting this Datachunk causes Symes to add Nina as a target person. Once Nina becomes a target, upload her alias concerned1. This will unlock entry 5, "Metamorphosis", on The Thought's blog.
Before we enter the episode's conclusion, go back and find the Datachunks that you want to submit to Orwell. If you don't care about any of the remaining ones, you can skip straight to the end of the episode (within this guide, scroll to the bolded Datachunk a few paragraphs down). If you're interested in the remaining chunks, I'll cover them now:
If you upload the Datachunk on Harrison's blog in which he mentions living in a trailer, you can return to his bank account to find a new chunk. It's the location of his camping lot (his address).
Let's unpack the three-way conflict involving Harrison. Choosing one of the Datachunks will relay to Orwell how Harrison feels about the government's safety interventions. The first of these chunks can be found on his blog. It says, "I cannot even find the words for how mindbogglingly stupid the gov's plan is." Uploading this chunk will communicate to Orwell that Harrison rejects the government's position. Symes responds, "Anything else would have come as a surprise." The second of the conflicting chunks can be found in Entry 5 of The Thought's blog (Metamorphosis). Uploading it will tell Orwell that Harrison is hostile towards the government's position. Symes will say, "The kind of hostile that builds bombs most likely." The third and final conflicting chunk can be found in Harrison's article for the TNB, which can be accessed by uploading the related Datachunk in the phone call between Harrison and Juliet. Submitting the chunk from the TNB article causes Orwell to believe that Harrison supports the government's stance. Symes will express doubt that Harrison truly supports the government but will say he trusts you as the investigator.
As I mentioned earlier, resolving the conflicting chunks in Entry 8 of The Thought's blog is not necessary. However, if you want to upload either of them, now is a good time. The first chunk says, "We let ourselves be consumed by anger and hatred towards those we thought to do us wrong." The conflicting chunk indicates that Goldfels felt responsible for The Thought's actions.
There are a couple of optional chunks regarding Nina. Once you have submitted her concerned1 alias to Orwell, you will be able to upload her comments under The Thought's blog entry 8. The first indicates that she despises law enforcement, and the second chunk mentions that she made a mistake in organizing something.
Now return to the Reader and check Juliet's Timeline. She posted about organizing a protest at Stelligan, offering the chunk that conflicts with the one in Harrison's blog where he mentions occupying the university. Choose one or the other. Once you have resolved the conflict, Initiate will release their hold on The Thought's blog and send Harrison another email.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
Part 4: The Interrogation
Symes will inform you that he may have to interrogate Cassi if you cannot find the third demonstration site. In order to find the location, you must look at entries 5 and 8 of The Thought's blog. No matter which Datachunks you upload, Symes will have to interrogate Cassi.
The course of the interrogation (and the story) differs depending on the information you chose to upload in Episode 1.
If you uploaded information about Cassi's romantic relationship with Josef, Symes will mention it. Even if you did not disclose their romantic relationship, Symes will reference Langley as her lawyer.
Then he will mention Cassi's parents, Alice and Bruno, if you uploaded that information. If you opted to start an investigation regarding the potential involvement of Cassi's parents in her prior court case, Symes will inform her that "accounting irregularities" were discovered. This will deeply upset Cassi. After the interrogation, a new TNB article about the accounting fraud allegations with the headline "Is this a new Watergate scandal?" will be available. If you uploaded the Datachunk that indicated Cassi's case was closed due to lack of evidence, she will simply say that her relationship with her parents is not the strongest.
Finally, Symes will mention Cassi's relationship with Mary Bligh. If you correctly reported that Mary is her former best friend, she will realize that you have a lot of information about her and give in. However, if you led Symes to believe that Mary is Cassi's current best friend, Cassi will scoff and say she doesn't care what happens to Mary.
The correct bomb location is the Circle Mall in Bonton. Even if the interrogation is successful, the bomb will explode if you uploaded the Datachunk about the location being a government building. If you fail to gather sufficient information to intimidate Cassi, she will refuse to cooperate and the bomb will explode even if you correctly identified that the bomb was located at a mall. YOU MUST GATHER SUFFICIENT INFORMATION ABOUT CASSI AND CHOOSE THE CORRECT LOCATION TO PREVENT THE BOMBING.
Whether or not the bomb exploded, Symes will tell you that your target for tomorrow is Nina.
Hi, so, I was wondering: I replayed this episode several times now, because in my playthrough, Symes never mentions Mary. I did upload the datachunk about Mary, the one where Cassi tells her to shut up or some such, and thought that would be enough? It does show Mary as a contact, saying "broken friendship" in Cassi's profile. The mall is a fairly straightforward connection to make, so I linked Nina to the two comments and figured it would be the mall, because there were three protests, one organised by Harrison, the other by him or Juliet and the third one unknown and Nina says she messed up organising something... from Abe's posts and Nina's comments, it was quite clear…
Still wondering what is the correct hint, that the bombing takes places in the mall and not the government building.