| “ | "Alright everyone, back to work! I will not forget about this."
|
„ |
| ― Dmitri Johannes Petrov |
Presumed Dead is one of the five endings of Fleeing the Complex.
After being captured by Dmitri Johannes Petrov in The Wall, Henry Stickmin intends to escape the Complex. When he is taken to the transfer cell, he chooses to immediately start his escape through the entire Complex. When Dmitri overtakes him and dumps him along with the truck, Henry miraculously survives.
Plot
Henry decides to Charge Tackle into the hallway, knocking Grigori Olyat out. Thormund Riloc, a Wall guard on standby, notices Henry running, and picks up his assault rifle to fire on him.
- [X] Timeout - If the time has been expired with no option, Thormund shoots and kills Henry with his assault rifle, grinning maliciously afterwards. (Message: Notice that timer? Now you know exactly how much time you have before your terrible reflexes are revealed.)[1]
- [X] Speed Shoes - Wearing the shoes, Henry begins to rapidly build up speed, and is able to outrun the bullets; however, he is unable to slow down and ends up slamming into the wall at the end of the hallway. (Message: 2 fast 4 you)
- [X] Hide - Henry takes cover inside an open cell. While Henry catches his breath, the door closes, locking him in. (Message: Oh, you managed to find a cell on your own! What a responsible prisoner.)
- Acrobatics - Performing a series of acrobatics, Henry is able to dodge the bullets and continue his course.
After performing the acrobatics, Henry is left sliding from his cuffs. Friedrich Spielen and Haroldt Cüper, two more Wall guards further down the hallway, also notice him.
- [X] Timeout - If the time has been expired with no option, Henry loses all momentum with the cuffs. He stops in front of the two guards. (Message: Yunno, I don't think this guy knows what he's saying.)
- [X] Web Throw - Henry attempts to fire webs, but instead falls flat on the ground. (Message: Your hands are still covered up you know. Can you even shot web?)
- [X] Tool Gun - Entering cheat commands into the game's console, Henry is able to noclip his way out of the Wall - however, he is then kicked by the game's anti-cheat mechanism. (Message: Cheaters never prosper.)
- Item - Rolling an item, Henry obtains a Boo power-up and turns invisible, while also losing his handcuffs. He easily evades the guards and sneaks down the elevator just as it expires.
The warden, Dmitri Petrov, is notified about Henry's escape. Enraged, he sets the Wall on high alert, with the intention on capturing the loose convict. Henry must find a way to go from here:
- [X] Cocca Colinski - Henry attempts to fight Cocca in a boxing match but is instantly K.O.'d with one punch in front of Will Speck and Loius Stoop. The former then yells in front of him. (Message: TKO)
- [X] Building - Henry breaches into the pitch-black building, but soon runs into Freddy Fazbear, who is patrolling the area. (Message: That wasn't scary...)[2]
- [X] Tank - Henry attempts to fight the tank but is nonchalantly killed by a tank round from Andrei Warzow. (Message: Gee, TANKS a lot.)
- Karlov Chernik - Engaging in a sword fight with Karlov, Henry is able to wipe him out with one sword thrust before Karlov has a chance to attack.
With the path cleared, Henry runs towards the gate, and spots three Wall Guards (Karl Pinkerton, Franz Pferd, and Gnewt Stoneheel) chatting.
- [X] Sandwich - Eating the sandwich, Henry morphs into a muscular version of himself. Taking out two of the guards (Karl and Franz) with a single punch, he pummels Gnewt repeatedly, but the effect wears off early. Gnewt kicks Henry in his crotch, incapacitating him. (Message: This one weird trick will make you SUPER BUFF! Weightlifters HATE him!)
- [X] Costume - Henry disguises as a snowman, but Karl assumes the snowman is another convict, Frosty and shoots it, killing Henry. (Message: Those guys need to CHILL.)
- Truck - Stealing the truck, Henry plows it into the three guards and busts through the gate.
Soon, Wall units begin to pursue the rogue truck with armored vehicles. One soldier, Danil Dolche, prepares his shotgun to fire on Henry.
- [X] Timeout - If the time has been expired with no option, Henry is killed by Danil. (Message: Not even close, baby.)
- [X] Shoot - With a pistol, Henry returns fire, and the firefight persists for a few seconds before Henry crashes into a tree when the road curves. (Message: Eyes on the road, man!)
- [X] Bail - Henry flies out of the truck with a parachute, but is soon surrounded by Danil, as well as several Wall units, and is killed by a lead storm. (Message: You should've followed up with a tether from your wrist strapped grapple hook. What do you mean you don't have one of those...)
- Slam - Henry rams his vehicle into Dolche's Humvee, sending it and all of its occupants into their doom below.
The truck drifts for a moment before losing control and tumbling over, sliding just a bit over the cliff edge. The guards surround the truck, and Dmitri arrives in his personal car. He sarcastically congratulates Henry for being the first to escape the wall, and gives him two options: surrender, or die. Henry checks his own options:
- [X] Warp Star - Hitching a ride on the cosmic object, Henry flies away from Dmitri and his forces. However, the Warp Star instead brings him to West Mesa Penitentiary, in the exact same cell he was locked up in approximately one year prior. (Message: This place seems familiar.)
- [X] Airbag - Henry triggers the truck's airbag, but it launches him out of the truck and off the cliff, killing him. (Message: Airbags save lives.)
- [X] Surrender - Henry gives up and surrenders to Dmitri, and is transferred back to a maximum-security cell (Message: Maximum security? What an honor!)
- Timeout - With the time being passed, Dmitri kicks the truck off the cliff.
Furious about how the incident played out, Dmitri promises a pay cut to everyone involved. Unbeknownst to him, Henry survived, as he gripped onto some protruding rocks. Dmitri and his soldiers drive back to the complex empty-handed, while Henry emerges from his hiding spot, now presumed deceased. He walks off into the distance and stows away on a flatbed before applying for a passport. He remains in the snowy tundra - now wearing a purple scarf to keep himself warm.[3]
Aftermath
- Faked Death - Henry is hiding in a Tavern at the beginning of all PD pathways. Factions and characters may perceive him as deceased or missing, such as The Wall itself or Charles.
- Did Not Meet Ellie - Ellie Rose is absent in all PD pathways since they never properly introduced themselves to each other.
Presumed Dead can be combined with Government Supported Private Investigator to get Valiant Hero, Relentless Bounty Hunter to get Little Nest Egg, Rapidly Promoted Executive to get Toppat 4 Life, and Pure Blooded Thief to get Stickmin Space Resort.
Characters
- Henry Stickmin - The Protagonist
- Ellie Rose
- Dmitri Johannes Petrov - The Main Antagonist
- Grigori Olyat - The Secondary Antagonist
- Thormund Riloc
- Friedrich Spielen
- Haroldt Cüper
- Kerdrew Johensen
- Phone Guy
- Will Speck
- Loius Stoop
- Cocca Colinski
- Andrei Warzow
- Freddy Fazbear
- Gary Mann
- Karlov Chernik
- Karl Pinkerton
- Gnewt Stoneheel
- Franz Pferd
- Danil Dolche
- Lemoy Kreutz
- Jimothy Johnston
- Lee Bumbler
- Wall Humvee Driver
- Shoop da Whoop
Italics indicate they only appear in this pathway.
Underlined indicate they only appear in fails in this pathway.
References
Sonic the Hedgehog
The Speed Shoes are modeled after Sonic's shoes in the games. Originally, a sound effect from the games played during this part, but it was changed to avoid copyright issues.
Spider-Man
Web Throw is a reference to this.
Garry's Mod
The Tool Gun references the item with the same name. The cheat commands are identical to those used in some Source and GoldSrc games, while the fail itself references Valve's anti-cheat mechanisms in Multiplayer.
Mario Kart
The Item option displays an item box from Mario Kart.
Punch Out
The fight sequence with Cocca Colinski is a reference to Punch Out.
Advance Wars
The fight sequence with Andrei Warzow in the Wall Tank seems to be a reference to Advance Wars.
Fire Emblem
The fight sequence with Karlov Chernik is an obvious reference to Fire Emblem.
Castle Crashers
The Sandwich is from this game.
Just Cause
The fail message for Bail references Just Cause 2, where Rico Rodriguez has a wrist-mounted grappling hook.
Kirby
The Warp Star is from the Kirby games.
Escaping the Prison
When Henry uses the Warp Star, he ends up back at his cell in West Mesa Penitentiary, the setting for Escaping the Prison, in a similar manner to the Jetpack fail from this game.
Trivia
- This is the first of only two times where stalling for a timeout is actually the way to progress. The other time is during the "Stickmin Space Resort" route in Completing the Mission.
- Coincidentally, SSR uses Presumed Dead for its combination.
- It is the only ending in the game to showcase a full aftermath instead of cutting as soon as Henry escapes.
- This is the only route in FtC without a mid-route "fork."
- In CtM's mission hub, the game claims that Henry never met Ellie in this pathway; in actuality, while the two did not speak to each other in this route, Henry always begins FtC in the same cell as Ellie.
- Despite the nature of the ending, Henry is not presumed to be deceased on all occasions or has been later discovered alive and correctly identified:
- In Toppat 4 Life, the government soldiers presume that Henry is merely missing, while Reginald still wears one hat and is merely their de facto leader, as if Henry was away. At the end of the route, the Toppat Clan then recognize that he was alive and well, and he retakes his position as the Toppat leader.
- In Valiant Hero, Henry later meets Charles near the tavern, and his fate is subsequently made known to the government, who, originally believing him to be dead, did not call for his help until Charles invites him to take down the orbital station.
- This ending, along with Convict Allies and Ghost Inmate, can be combined with all endings of Infiltrating the Airship in Completing the Mission.
- This is the only route in Fleeing the Complex with quick-time events.
- In the legacy version, after Dmitri kicked the truck off to the cliff, a car crash sound is heard. However, the same doesn't happen in the remastered version.
Continuity
In the Legacy version, this rank ends with Henry taking a plane back home. This was retconned in The Henry Stickmin Collection to tie into the events of Completing the Mission, with a purple scarf that Henry will use to pose as the Mysterious Vagabond in the tavern.
Music
| Track | Composer/Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 🎧 "Troika" | PuffballsUnited | Opening theme for Fleeing the Complex. |
| 🎧 "!-Anemotaxis-!" | Atundra | Theme for the sprint sequence following the "Charge Tackle" option; sped up when the Speed Shoes are chosen. |
| 🎧 "Toreador Song" | Georges Bizet | In the Flash version, the Five Nights at Freddy's version is heard, played when Henry encounters Freddy Fazbear inside a pitch-black building in The Wall. In The Henry Stickmin Collection, an altered composition is used as substitution. |
| 🎧 "Pre-Game" | MrStr8face/BiTSTER | Played during the truck chase sequence. |
| 🎧 "Complex Waltz" | PuffballsUnited | Ending theme for the route, played during the final choice scenario onward. |
Gallery
Notes
- ↑ Flash version fail message: "Notice that new timer? Now you know exactly how much time you have before your terrible reflexes are revealed."
- ↑ Waiting for a brief second on the fail screen will cause Freddy Fazbear to humorously jumpscare you. This will net the "Spooked" achievement.
- ↑ In the Legacy version, Henry took a plane home. This was retconned in The Henry Stickmin Collection to connect with the events of Completing the Mission, where in every ending branching from PD, Henry walks off to a Tavern and either overhears a conversation between the Toppats, the Military, or meets Charles Calvin.
