Despite learning some of the game's important plot points... Ava and Tom don't shed much light about the newfound situation in Chapter 3. Tom explains to Ava exactly why it is that he needs her help to advance. Simply put: because computers cannot be programmed to be creative, Tom is unable to solve the puzzles without Ava's creative human thinking. Tom's idea of being creative is trying everything until something works, but it is not necessarily a creative thought process that utilizes problem solving. Eventually, Ava switches the conversation back to the crew. She reveals that is has been 6 years since she's been in sleep. Tom tells Ava that the crew has purposely cut communication because of a "disagreement".
At the end, we will reach the Maintenance Room. Compared to the previous "story rooms," there isn't much here. Tom will pretty much just confirm that the crew were sabotaging Tom's systems in any way that they could. They have gone into hiding and do not want to be found, which we have already established. The best piece of information that can be found here are a set of audio logs that follow up with events that we've just learned about. In one, Tom has a conversation with Daniel about his concerns with Mikhail. Tom has increasing suspicions that Mikhail is up to no good. This is from the period of time when Mikhail was secretly doing his research on the implanted chips. In a follow up audio log, Tom will tell Daniel about Mikhail and Chris removing their chips. Tom admits that he was not able to handle the situation himself, and so he came to Daniel for help. It does not tell us the fate of Mikhail and Chris, only that they are missing. The third audio log is Sarah's reaction to the ISA's transportation grounding. After discovering that they cannot return to Earth, Sarah is understandably upset. Daniel defends the ISA and says that they must have their reasons. In the last log, Tom can be heard having a conversation with Sarah. He asks Sarah what she would do if somebody was threatening her friends. She tells Tom that she would defend the ones that she loves. Tom ominously tells Sarah that he "needs her to remember that."
Chapter 4
Now entering Chapter 4, we will see Tom becoming increasingly desperate. He almost takes on the characteristics of a person who is paranoid and distressed. Tom describes the team's efforts to sabotage him as 'ridiculous'. Ava remains unconvinced that the team would take these enormous measures without any sort of good reason. When Ava asks Tom why the ground crew would be afraid of him, he simply replies that they 'have an issue with authority.' It's clear that Tom does not like feeling like he not is the one in control. He makes a desperate plea to Ava for help. I believe that Tom is slowly realizing that without Ava's help, his situation would be entirely helpless. This is further supported by a statement Tom makes later in the chapter. He tells Ava that these tests are a lock and that Ava is the key. Ava remains staunch to her belief that the crew members would not simply abandon their post. Tom even asks Ava how she remembers the ground crew and if they seemed to be the rebellious type. It is almost as if Tom wants to implant a new idea of the ground team into her mind. He wants her to believe that he is the victim here and that he is only trying to set things right.
The secret room in this area is incredibly revealing. Ava can pick up a cassette player that has a conversation between Tom and Daniel. Tom will congratulation Daniel and the team on finding the organism and keeping it safe from Earth. Daniel is despondent. He feels that immortality is unnatural. He is bitter and angry that he cannot return home and he doesn't want to be alone on Europa forever. It is then that Tom brings up the fact that Ava is still on the Fortuna. Because she is not contaminated, the ISA have considered simply sending her home. Is is then that Daniel gets the idea to bring a sample of the organism back to the Fortuna. Tom doesn't advise this, as he traveling back to Europa and to the Fortuna poses a great risk of contamination. Daniel initiates an over ride so that he can personally take the sample back to the Fortuna. When asked what to tell the crew, Daniel tells Tom to say that he has simply gone missing. Since Ava is not yet infected, it would be possible for her to deliver the organism sample back to Earth. I think that Daniel sees this as the answer to his prayers. If Ava is able to deliver the organism back to Earth safely (and she herself doesn't risk pose of contamination), then the rest of the ground team may be able to go home as well. It's my understanding that the organism has to be introduced into a cell. The ground crew may have found the organism, but it's not clear as to how they became infected. Is this organism airborne? Assuming that it isn't and you'd have to inject or ingest it in some way, it would make sense that the organism sample could be safely transported.
There are also some audio logs in this room. The first is on the crew's progress with the organism. Sarah and Sochi are discussing the remarkable effect the organism has on plant life. It's clear through the testing that the organism is causing the plants to live longer than expected. In the second audio log, Sarah confides to Mikhail that she is pregnant with Chris' baby. Mikhail coldly tells Sarah that having a baby is not possible with the conditions on Europa. He tells Sarah that he will need to help her 'get rid of it'. Although Sarah knows this, she is still emotionally devastated. In the third audio log, it sounds as if Mikhail is doing an ultrasound on Sarah. He tells her that he can see hands and feet.. but that the baby will never develop to full term and will not live. In the fourth log, it sounds as if Sarah and Chris are having a argument. Sarah is obviously finding it hard to cope. Chris seems concerned about anybody finding out. Sarah angrily tells Chris that he "did this to her." It should be noted that in the secret room in Chapter 1, you can find a child sized coffin with the name of Sarah's unborn baby. It is unclear on whether the baby was delivered as a stillborn or was aborted due to the fact that survival was impossible.
Moving on through the final few puzzles in the chapter, Tom continues to insist that he and Ava work together as friends and not as enemies. Ava agrees, although it is unclear whether Tom's efforts to gain Ava's trust are successful or not. Ava still seems very much neutral to taking a side and wants only to discover the truth. Just before the final room, we hear the voice of Sarah. She's alive! We cannot see her, but she warns Ava that her presence here is not a coincidence. She calls Ava's arrival "engineered." Tom seems nervous and immediately tells Ava that Sarah is a threat. As we enter the final room, Tom becomes increasingly nervous and tells Ava that Sarah cannot be trusted. We are treated to a room with many static screens with words such as 'slave', 'drone' and 'puppet' on them, as well as phrases like 'Don't trust T.O.M.' and 'You are being controlled'. Sarah will appear in front of us on a monitor. She tells Ava that she is being controlled by Tom against her will. Sarah tells Ava to step into a Faraday cage device built by the ground team that will protect Ava from electronic signals. Tom urges Ava not to step into the cage, but to no avail.
When Ava steps into the cage, we will be able to see Ava from Tom's point of view. The two have been separated. Ava seems dazed and confused. Sarah tells Ava that she is simply feeling the effects of free will. While in the cage, Ava is free from Tom and is no longer forced to be his slave. Sarah warns that while outside of the cage, Tom will be able to control Ava again and indoctrinate her. We do not hear anything more from Sarah at this point, but we are still seeing things from Tom's point of view. From security cameras mounted on the walls, we can see Ava as she wanders around. Ava is angry that Tom has been manipulating her. Tom tells Ava that he tried to warn her about the ground team and that she is being manipulated by them (and not him). He tells Ava that the neural implants were put in place to 'safeguard the mission from a misplaced sense of justice' (in other words, the crew's free will to make their own decisions). Like the rest of the ground team, Ava is obviously unaware that the implants had any impact on her free will. Now that Ava knows the truth, however, she still seems willing to trust Tom. He apologizes and offers to work together in order to uncover the truth. Ava reluctantly agrees to work together.
Here rises another huge plot point: we have not been in control of Ava.... but we have been controlling Tom. The fact that Ava and Tom become separated but we as the player are in control of Tom affirms to me that we have been controlling Tom this entire time. He is the true protagonist of this story. Tom has simply been using Ava as a human vessel to carry out his commands. She is a tool that allows him to pass the necessary testing to gain back control of this entire situation. Although I don't doubt that Ava has some mental capacity of her own, it's clear to me that Tom is the one calling all the shots. Tom's extraordinary power to control not only Ava but the entire ground crew is truly frightening. I am sure that Ava feels similar to how the ground crew initially felt when they discovered the secret behind the implant.
I have a hard time knowing whether or not Ava is able to make a decision about trusting Tom on her own. Does she really trust him, or is this Tom's influence over her? After all, she is still implanted with the chip and is unable to fully free herself from Tom's control. Is she so far into Tom's clutches that she is nothing but a mindless drone, or does she retain some of her own thoughts? We must remember that Ava doesn't always agree with Tom, particularly with his views on the ground crew's activities and disappearance. After all, the game is heavily based around the Turing Test. Would Tom truly be able to pass these tests on his own through commanding Ava, or does her human problem solving factor in to it as well? She is quick to tell Tom that the two will work together, but is difficult to say why.
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