Who is December?

Who is December? is a side quest in Prey (2017).

Overview
I’ve been contacted by another operator named December. Like January, it has my voice. However, December’s directive is to help me escape Talos I. It claims that before I lost my memory, I hid the key to Alex’s private escape pod in the debriefing room in the Neuromod Division. It looks like Alex figured out my - its? - scheme first though. The key was gone, but I tracked a series of clues that led me to a safe in Alex’s office. The safe had old TranScribe logs from… me. Plus a key to Alex’s room in the crew facilities. I found Alex’s Escape Pod Key in his room. I could just leave all this behind now.

Objectives

 * Get the key to Alex’s escape pod (eventually failed if the briefcase is found)
 * Meet December in the Foyer (eventually failed if January wasn't destroyed after completing first objective)
 * Search Alex’s Office Safe
 * Search Alex’s Room for the Escape Pod Key
 * Escape Talos I (Arboretum)
 * Search December (if December was destroyed)

Walkthrough
December wants to meet you back at the Simulation Debriefing room. (If you haven’t done it yet, this is a great opportunity to open the safe here.) As you make your way back to the Simulation Chamber, you’ll have to fight your way through a bunch of Typhon including Mimics, Phantoms and Corrupted Operators. Just make sure you’ve loaded up on ammo and take your time. You’ve been through here before, so you know your way around and should be able to avoid the Typhons if you’d prefer.

Get to the Simulation Debriefing room and climb on top of the cabinet on the left side. There’s a briefcase on top, along with a note from your brother. Empty the briefcase to get a suit chipset, another Disruptor Stun Gun and a medkit. Before you get a chance to get too disappointed, December will call again and ask to meet you in the Neuromod Division Lobby.

Lobby
You’ll get to the lobby just in time for January to destroy December (if January wasn't destroyed before returning to Neuromod Division). Exhaust January’s dialogue options and, if you’re like us, start questioning everything it says. Search December’s body for a note, a Neuromod and some ammo.

Once you’re done, you can return to the main story mission in "Detour."

After December takes out January in the Neuromod Division lobby, the optional objective isn’t over. You’ll have to wait a while — and explore a lot more of the station — before you get to finish it, though.

Search Alex's Office Safe
You’ll need to have access to the Arboretum for this next step, which means you have to be at least most of the way through "Detour." Depending on when you undertake this part of the objective, Alex may have given you the code to access the grav lift in the Arboretum that leads to his office. If you haven’t gotten that yet, you can just climb up the rocks and over the railing.

Explore Alex’s office as much as you’d like, but your main goal is his safe. Look for the crate against the wall to the left of the desk. You’ll need leverage 2 to lift it, but there’s a maintenance access panel behind it.

The other way in is to wait until The Keys to the Kingdom, late in the game, when you can smash through the Looking Glass display hidden in the wall behind the desk.

On the other side of the wall, there’s a small space where you’ll find Alex’s safe. Use the code you got from December’s corpse to open it, and you’ll find a suit chipset, a couple Neuromods, a TranScribe and Alex Yu’s suite keycard.

Search Alex's Room for the Escape Pod Key
Alex’s suite is on the Executive Suites level of Crew Quarters (it’s right next door to your suite, actually). You can get the code for the Executive Suites grav lift from a supply closet on the second floor to the left of the Yellow Tulip bar. (It’s easy to find — it’s got a fabricator in it as well.) Activate and take the grav lift up and make your way to Alex’s room.

Clear out any goodies you find in his room, then turn your attention to the globe next to his bed. Pick it up to find the EP01 keycard underneath — this is the keycard you’ll need to access Alex’s escape pod.

Escape Talos I
Head back to Alex’s office in the center of the Arboretum. You have two ways to get to the escape pod. If you have hacking 4, you can use Alex’s computer to lower a bridge from the escape pod to the roof of Alex’s office. This is the easy way.

If you haven’t maxed out your hacking, or you just like a challenge, you can use your GLOO gun instead. Climb up to the roof, then look for the wooden shelter-things. Get to the roof of the "pergolas" and turn toward the escape pod. Use your GLOO Cannon to give yourself footholds along the metal girders.

When you get to the escape pod, use the EP01 keycard you found in Alex’s room to get inside. Turn around, then push the button to close the door. Then you can use the computer screen to launch the escape pod and just kind of … quit. This will earn you the Abandon Ship achievement/trophy. And it is technically an ending to the game.