Zero Parades: For Dead Spies is, as you might have guessed, a game all about espionage. Which means that pretty much every quest or odd tangent you’ll take yourself on is shrouded in mystery and loaded with detail.
However, one of the most peculiar oddities you’ll hear about is the possibility of a secret jail present right under your nose in Portofiro. A jail that you’ll need to find, as it houses your only solid lead that will help you truly understand your assignment. A man named Dante, someone whom Tempo was helping out.
That info will come to you either through finding his dead drop or through Yana later on. But finding him is another matter, and you’ll need to go to extreme lengths to track down this jail. Thankfully though, we can point you in the right direction.
Where Is The Secret Jail?
If you want to do things legit, then you might want to talk to the Man With No Heart in the Fogged Mirror Bar. Or start questioning EMTRR employees like Oskar who will eventually help you deduce that EMTRR are behind all of this.
But, instead of going round the houses, allow us to make this as simple as possible for you. The secret jail is located just past the Quisach roundabout in the building shown on the map below.
The problem is that getting in can be rather tricky, as a woman manning the intercom will only let you in if you have a reason to be there. Which is a little tricky if you have no idea what the building is supposed to be.
You can try and pass a rather difficult Cold Read check, but more than likely, you’ll need to find a legitimate way to get inside.
The best option is to head past the door and along the walkway behind the billboard, where you will find a container full of rubbish, and a Blueprints check allowing you to sift through the rubbish for clues.
Failing this check will give you some items and gear in return for some negative stat effects, but passing the check will reveal a crumpled poem. Allowing you to put two-and-two together, and reveal that the building is masquerading as a poetry magazine.
With this knowledge, head back to the intercom, state that you are here to submit a poem, and the door will open.
Accessing The Backrooms
While you now have access to the building, there are no immediate signs of a Jail being present here. But there is a locked gate leading to the basement. Which is a little suspicious for a magazine office.
So, what you’ll want to do is ask the Editor-in-Chief what you can do to access those rooms, and her answer will eventually lead you down the path of the creative. You’ll need to write a poem for submission. As staff and contributors are allowed access behind the gate.
You’ll want to then ask her where you can write this poem, to which the dialogue will point you back toward the 24-hour Foto shop, and the desk with the red folder on it, upstairs.
Return there, and you will then have to pass a Poetics check to write the poem in question. Thoughts like Spiritual Auto-Surgery are helpful here. But at the very least, you can read the Red Folder to gain a +1 advantage on this check.
After writing this poem, head back to the ‘poetry magazine’ and submit this to the editor. This will grant you access to the backrooms. But, with the insistence from the sub-editor to grade your work, your hackles will be raised. Something isn’t right. But, you need to enter the basement, you have no choice.
An Alternative Way In
So, let’s say your character is far from the most poetic, or you simply don’t want to commit to this path. Not a problem at all, as we have an even quicker way in that offers fewer answers for you, but will ultimately lead to the same end result.
If you learn enough about the ties between the prison and EMTRR, either through speaking to Oskar or Huazmann, you’ll gain the option to head to the tapped payphone where Malen got ‘disappeared’, and babble nonsense until you get lifted as well.
It’s a pretty hard Nerve check, but the more information you gather, the easier it will be.
Succeeding will lead to you getting picked up by EMTRR representatives, and will end up with you trapped in the same locked room as you would have been through the previous method in the Poetry Magazine basement.
Surviving The Interrogation
The door will lock behind you, and you’ll realize that you’re effectively trapped, so all you can do is make the most of your situation.
Firstly, you’ll want to assess the filing cabinet, and if you pass a Statehood check, you’ll be able to find out the status of a former asset, ESTOC. Something that can prove rather fruitful later.
Then, you’ll want to grab the nearby Melotonin, a great way to make your buffs during sleep a little more effective.
Then, finally, you’ll want to head for the intercom near the cell where you can talk to Dante. Who will reveal some aspects of your supposed assignment, before the Sub-Editor appears above, electrocutes you, and ties you up for an interrogation.
Just a note, there is no way to avoid this, to hide, or to run. You’re caught, and all you can do is handle the situation as best you can.
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To prepare before touching the intercom, I would suggest bolstering your build in either Shadowplay or Personalism. Lean into whatever is strongest for your character with the gear you have.
I would also suggest lowering all your status effects as much as possible, since her electro-therapy approach adds +1 to all stats when she uses her pen, which she will do at least a few times.
Then, depending on what skill you are strongest in, you’ll want to be extremely flirtatious or stick to your story rigidly. For shadowplay, you’ll want to avoid mentioning the Opera at all by rigidly sticking to your cover. Whereas with personalism, you’ll want to be as flirtatious and charming as possible.
Ultimately, the interrogation will end the same way, with someone negotiating for your release, but you’ll be able to avoid outright detection, giving away information, and even gain some info of your own if you play your cards right.
This sequence ends with you waking up on the nearby shore, on a worn-out old couch. Not a bad result, all things considered.
