Act II The Deep Lattice
Act II: The Deep Lattice is the second act of Terminal Descent, spanning Nodes 7 through 14 across the corporate networks of The Lattice. ZERO infiltrates three Consortium fortresses to recover the fragments needed to assemble the kill-switch.
Overview
Act II takes place in the Deep Lattice — corporate-controlled infrastructure housing the Consortium's most valuable data. Security levels range from 5 to 8. Players must infiltrate three corporate fortresses, build faction reputation, upgrade their Cyberdeck, and uncover the truth about Lyra.
Corporate Infiltrations
Kronos Financial (Nodes 7, 9)
The Consortium's financial backbone. Kronos Gate (Node 7, Security 5) serves as the perimeter, requiring the player to bypass financial security protocols. Kronos Vault (Node 9, Security 7) contains Fragment Alpha — the first piece of the kill-switch assembly.
The Kronos infiltration emphasizes Intrusion and Crypto skills, with encrypted access terminals and financial data puzzles.
Panopticon Media (Nodes 8, 10)
The Consortium's surveillance arm. Panopticon Gate (Node 8, Security 5) features passive HEAT gain — the node itself monitors visitors, raising HEAT over time. Panopticon Core (Node 10, Security 7) contains Fragment Beta, protected behind the Mirror Maze puzzle.
The Panopticon infiltration emphasizes Stealth and Analysis skills, with surveillance evasion and pattern recognition challenges.
Aegis Defense (Nodes 11, 12)
The Consortium's military contractor. Aegis Perimeter (Node 11, Security 6) features patrol timing puzzles — players must study and exploit IC patrol patterns. Aegis Fortress (Node 12, Security 8) contains Fragment Gamma, guarded by a Hunter IC boss.
The Aegis infiltration emphasizes Combat skills, with the most dangerous IC encounters in Act II.
Faction Development
During Act II, players can build reputation with three underground factions:
- Ghosts — Reputation unlocks Old Net Archive (H2) at rank 3+ and provides Ghost Protocol support in Act III
- Reclaimers — Reputation unlocks Oracle's Hollow access at rank 5+ and provides the Ghost Protocol Key at rank 8+
- Brokers — Reputation unlocks Crime Mall (H3) at rank 3+ and provides unique programs and data
Faction missions become available throughout Act II nodes, and reputation gains are influenced by the player's Social skill level.
Key Revelation
During the corporate infiltrations, ZERO discovers evidence that Lyra jacked into the Lattice and never disconnected. Her consciousness was absorbed into The Hive. She may still be alive — somewhere in the network's deepest layers. This revelation reframes the mission: the kill-switch is no longer just about shutting down the Hive, but about what happens to Lyra if it activates.
Act II Climax
After recovering all three fragments and assembling the second kill-switch half, the Hive springs a coordinated trap. An advanced Hunter AI — more sophisticated than anything encountered previously — tracks ZERO through collapsing corporate infrastructure. The player must fight or evade to survive, making this the most intense combat sequence before Act III.
Key Items
- Fragment Alpha — From Kronos Vault (Node 9)
- Fragment Beta — From Panopticon Core (Node 10)
- Fragment Gamma — From Aegis Fortress (Node 12)
- Kill-Switch Half 2 — Assembled from the three fragments
- Consortium Evidence — Found across corporate nodes, needed for certain endings