After a quick, grimy jaunt through the Slums, Noa finds herself in Cash City. She still needs to track down her dad, but you should guide Noa on a quick look-see through town before setting yourself on the path of the plot.
- Right at the entrance of Cash City is a Deck Lord outlet. It has pretty much the same gear as the Deck Lord back in Bright Town, though after the trek through the Slums you can probably use more of it than before. The Hyperderm Software is a decent all-around choice for keeping Noa healthy in battle, if you've reached level 10.
- If you've embarked on the Hack Monomind's intrusive TransSpires side quest, you'll find one of the TransSpires just south of the entrance to Cash City.
- Next to the TransSpire, whether you sabotaged the thing or not, is a Dejected Mafioso. He misses someone named Monika, and you need to Help the mafioso in the Slums reunite with his girl. Monika turns out to be the Dangerous Gun received from a little girl in Bright Town. Give Monika back to its owner and he'll give you a Button. You can give the Button to the Cold Older Gent in the north of Bright Town in exchange for A Fancy Fountain Pen. Surely someone else needs this...
Aside from a few sketchy characters - and a group of odd goths - Cash City is pretty small. Head south and you'll wind up in Abner's Neighbourhood, and Noa will arrive just in time to see Krall, the woman who knocked her out, emerging from her dad's home. Monomind has indeed taken Noa's father hostage, and they're busy searching the house. Look south of the house once you regain control of Noa to find a box containing a Health Packet, then follow the group inside.
Abner's house is a mess, unsurprisingly, and a weird little spider robot beckons you to board a jammed elevator. Check the broken stairs for a message from Guin to Noa's mother, then hop aboard the elevator. You'll wind up in a new area.
Abner's Basement
How eerie. Check the data pad near the elevator for some info on Noa's work ethic - it's not great - then follow the little spider robot deeper into Abner's Basement. You'll start running into enemies as soon as you approach the door in the west, and they're quite different from the things you faced in the Slums:
- Biotic Blobula - 600 HP. Weak to Electroware. Triggers a countdown when hit, and if it reaches one it'll explode, doing damage to everyone, including yourself. Use Electrowave moves to avoid reaching the end of the countdown.
- Bio Drone - 450 HP. Weak to Electroware. Hits very hard, poisons with its attacks, and has a fair amount of health. Use Short Circuit to take it down quickly.
- Cleanup Crew - 300 HP. Weak to Electroware. Can poison Noa with their attacks. Kill 'em quick.
- Junior Lab Tech - 300 HP. Weak to physical attacks. Debuffs Noa's Wetware defenses. Annoying, but a bit of an afterthought.
- M-Man - 450 HP. Straightforward enemy you've encountered already. Shouldn't be an issue by now.
- Monomind Security - 140 HP. Weak to all. You've fought these guys before, and they haven't changed much.
- Synth-Hound - 200 HP. Weak to Electroware. Buffs other enemies before attacking. Has low health and can be defeated pretty easily.
Follow the spider north, to the Security Terminal. The door forward is locked, and you'll need to use the Security Terminal to unlock it. The terminal, of course, needs power before you can use it. Check to the right of the terminal for a box containing an I.C.E. Breaker Packet.
The path splits in two at the Security Terminal. If you go east you'll find several winding passages that eventually lead to a power box, attached to a pillar. Walk behind the pillar and you'll find a hidden chest containing a Data Packet.
Walk back to the Security Terminal and check to the west. You'll wind up seeing Dr. Qadir, one of Monomind's crazed scientists, though he's on a lower level. Ultimately this path will bring you to the other power box. Along the way you'll find a box sitting in plain sight that contains a Mini Assault Chip and another box, partially obscured by two machines, that contains a Health Packet.
Return to Security Terminal and check the terminal to unlock the door in the north. Your little spider pal will ditch you, forcing you to reach the Monomind forces on your own. Follow the path north and to the right and you'll find a lift in the next room. Cross the lift without lowering it and you'll find a box containing an I.C.E. Breaker Packet on the right side of the room.
Lower the lift and head south two rooms. Sitting beside a pair of computer consoles is a box containing a System Cycle Packet. Continue to follow the path west from here and you'll soon be in front of the door to the lab, where you'll find a vending machine to heal up Noa. Head inside the lab once you've saved your game, 'cause Dr. Qadir is about to get forceful.
Dr. Qadir
6,600 HP
What an odd fellow. Accompanied by an M-Man and a Monomind Security, Dr. Qadir is a threat, but not a massive one. The two mooks act as they normally would, while Dr. Qadir uses normal attacks and a Wetware attack named Splat to deal damage. He can also Bounce, taking him off of the field for a turn, then landing on Noa on his next turn for Wetware damage. Occasionally Dr. Qadir will use his turn to fill up the container on the back of his bouncy vehicle with goo, after which he'll use Splort Blast to reduce Noa's Wetware Defense and do damage.
Take out the two mooks first, then concentrate all firepower on Dr. Qadir. Buff yourself against Wetware damage, and use Electroware attacks to do the bulk of the damage. Cache your turn whenever Dr. Qadir uses Bounce to give yourself an extra turn when he comes down, as well as to brace yourself for the damage. This will allow you to heal Noa back to full and inflict some serious pain on the doctor. Repeat until Qadir bites the dust. He has over 6,000 HP, so the fight might take a while. (Though Killerwatt, properly executed, can make it much shorter.)
Check out the computer console on the left once you've sent Qadir packing. Noa will pop open the door, allowing you access to her father's lab. There are plenty of things to inspect, though what you want is the MiniMem inside the bin on the right side of his office, in front of one of the chalk boards. Watch the cut scene that follows, then speak to the spider dude in the north. It'll open a path out of the lab and back to Cash City. Time to head home.