“ Maybe that's why I couldn't tell you. I knew you would've tried to help. We're the same in that way. There are too many people who need you. Who count on you. Fuck, even Rhodes loves you and he hates, everybody. Once you got to New York it was clear, they didn't need me anymore. But, there was something else happening. Another threat was building and I had to figure out what it was before it was too late. - Faye Lau to Alani Kelso in an insurance recording file she left behind in Hidden Alliance”
Faye Lau was a former Strategic Homeland Division agent activated after Black Friday as part of the Second Wave of agents tasked with saving what remains of New York City. When she was wounded in action after the explosion of the helicopter that killed the original Senior Second Wave commander, Louis Chang, she had to assume Chang's role by assisting the player in the Base of Operations.
In Warlords of New York, she initiated a shocking turn of events when she disavowed The Division by talking to Bardon Schaeffer after Aaron Keener activated the Rogue Network. Eventually, the agents located her at Camp White Oak and ended her life for her allegiance to Black Tusk.
In Hidden Alliance, after Faye's death, it was revealed she had a series of encrypted comms as insurance policy where it revealed she was working undercover and was working to aid the Division against Black Tusk the whole time and was trying to warn them about the Hunters.
In Vanguard, more was unraveled about Faye as it is revealed she was working secretly with Aaron Keener under the codename Cassandra in her mission to undermine the Black Tusk and the Hunters.
In Burden of Truth, the truth behind Faye's mission was unraveled, as it revealed her mission was to obtain the Presidential Clearance for The Ark Protocol as part of a grander operation to take down Black Tusk's Network.
Biography[]
While enrolled at City College, Lau joined the school's ROTC (Reserve Officers' Training Corps). She used her service as a springboard to a series of appointments in military intelligence and eventually the NSA (National Security Agency), where she worked on the support staff of the Director of National Intelligence. Soon after Presidential Directive 51 was signed, Lau moved laterally into the newly formed Strategic Homeland Division as a senior field officer reporting directly to the northeast section Division Commander, Louis Chang.
After the First Wave of Division agents disappeared during the Green Poison bioweapon contagion, President Waller activated a Second Wave of agents into New York City, ordering Commander Chang to personally lead the team's insertion and operations. Agent Lau was activated to serve as Chang's second in command and senior field officer. When their helicopter was destroyed, Commander Chang was killed and Lau seriously wounded.
Barred from field work due to her injuries, Agent Lau has served as acting Division Commander for the region, working from the N.Y.C. Base of Operations located inside the James Farley Post Office in Pennsylvania Plaza. Her current role is primary contact and "handler" for all Division agents active in the New York City area. (NOTE: This has changed since she went rogue)
Tom Clancy's The Division[]
Faye Lau was activated as part of the Second Wave of Division agents in Brooklyn along with the player, with whom she was to partner up with.
After regaining control of Brooklyn, she and the player were awaiting a VTOL carrying other Second Wave Division Agents and Senior Second Wave Commander Louis Chang. Unfortunately, the VTOL was destroyed in an explosion (later revealed to be caused by an LMB surface-to-air missile) just as it landed, killing everyone on board and critically injuring Faye, whereas the player suffered minor injuries and was knocked unconscious.
After the explosion, a Joint Task Force helicopter came to their aid and transported the two agents to Camp Hudson.
After the player gains control of the N.Y.C. Base of Operations, Faye takes the role of acting commander of The Division in New York. She then continues to provide strategical support to the player and other remaining Second Wave Division agents in New York.
Tom Clancy's The Division 2[]
Faye is once more seen in a cutscene for Tom Clancy's The Division 2, killing an Incinerator boss type after the reactivation of the SHD Network, implying that she fully recovered from the injuries in her ongoing quest to take back New York City seven months after the Green Poison, as well as being indirectly mentioned in an audio recording found in Washington, D.C. detailing Roy Benitez's reaction at hearing that two Division agents have been brought in.
Warlords of New York[]
In Warlords of New York, she is the acting commander of The Division in the city, as well as leading the hunt for Aaron Keener, but the New York Division branch has been crippled after a devastating hurricane rocked Lower Manhattan, as well as new leadership in the forms of Rogue Agents leading returning factions such as the Cleaners and the Rikers.
With help from Alani Kelso and other Division agents from Washington, D.C., she continues the hunt for Keener. In a shocking turn of events, Lau disavowed The Division by siding with Black Tusk as her conversation between herself and Bardon Schaeffer was intercepted as the rogue agent network was activated.
The most probable reason for her going rogue was caused by her sister’s death following the attack on the Hell's Kitchen settlement. Another probable reason for her to go rogue was after close interrogation with rogue agent Alicia Coswald, who said she's on the side of The Division by going rogue. According to her, she was marked rogue when she disobeyed a direct order or directive, but however her aim was the same; to restore order. Therefore, it can be concluded that Faye went rogue because she chose to disobey the directives of The Division, and now she wants to bring the organization down in order to restore order and control by siding with the Black Tusk, who work for Natalya Sokolova. She recruited several rogue agents into Black Tusk, including Shade, Dusk and Belfry.
However, as revealed in Y5S3: Vanguard, Lau was working secretly with Keener to undermine the Black Tusk and the Hunters during the events of this story. Her sister's death due to "budget cuts" was enough to motivate her to join the PMC so she could get closer to their infrastructure and hit them where it truly hurts.
In fact, Faye was trying to aid the Division the whole time, but the methods were not up to ISAC's standards, which marked her Rogue.
End of Watch[]
“ I did what I had to do. What we needed to do. I made the hard choice and did what was necessary. I’m not going to come quietly. I’ve served my country. I did what we were trained to do, to make sure that our mission was maintained. If you choose not to honor that service, you’re the one off mission. I will bury you, just like I buried Keener. - Faye Lau, upon knowing the player has enough evidence of her guilt and before engaging the agents she once fought alongside with”
During Season 4 - End of Watch, Faye Lau's four rogue lieutenants were hunted down and killed. The intel gathered from them leads to a confrontation with Lau in Camp White Oak. While she is here, Lau kills President Ellis and frames The Division for it. She attempts to flee in a helicopter, but it is disabled before she can make an escape. Forced to fight the very agents she turned her back on, she is killed. After her death, several audio logs are discovered. The logs tell a story of Lau going rogue solely to work her way up in the B.T.S.U. ranks in order to assassinate the president. Her main aim was to eliminate the corruption that prevents order being restored.
Roy Benitez had asked Kelso what she planned to do with Lau's body, she wanted to give Lau's body to the crows who were flying above her, but Paul Rhodes immediately decided against it. Eventually, Roy convinced Kelso completely, therefore, Lau's body was placed into a CERA body bag and flown to New York City for a proper burial at Haven.
Hidden Alliance[]
“ We're family now. We bonded fighting this war, Kelso. You're the only sister I have left. I couldn't tell you what I was planning. I needed you angry at me to keep my cover. I'm sorry. I know I hurt you. But I couldn't find another way to do this. Please know it only went down this way because the Division couldn't afford to lose you too. They need a leader and you're the only one I trust. - Faye Lau, in the first insurance recording file, apologizing to Kelso for deceiving her fellow agent”
Prior to her death, Lau left a series of comms as insurance policy that was found by Kelso. Those comms were encrypted and had to be decrypted over time. After the Division dealt with the resurgent True Sons and reluctantly allied with Captain Lewis to stop Black Tusk in Jefferson Trade Center, all the comms were eventually decrypted.
In those comms, it was revealed that the Hunters were working for Homeland Security. And that Faye Lau and Bardon Schaeffer worked together to aid the Division by having the latter act himself as bait in Coney Island, prompting the agents to capture him. They betted their plan that Schaeffer would share the truth and who's the threat towards the Division. It's possible that she secretly told him that a number of the Hunters are embedded in the Division as agents.
However, due to Schaeffer was far from waking up, due to certain meddling. And given the Division learned that one of their own is a Hunter during their hunt against The Recruiter, its unclear how much Schaeffer could offer to the table.
Vanguard[]
“ I don't expect you to trust me. But, I think we can help each other. With our little Hunter problem. (...) You think me and my Rogues have been targeting Division. This couldn't be further from the truth, Faye. If you really want to stop the Hunters... I can stop them. Well, I can't. But if we work together, we might stand a chance. - Aaron Keener in an ECHO he left behind in a safehouse meant for Faye, later discovered by Agent Kelso”
In her hunt for truth in New York, Kelso learned from a reconstructed ECHO that Faye Lau was secretly working with Keener to undermine the Black Tusk and the Hunters with her secret codename being Cassandra (named after the Trojan Priestess from Greek Mythology) with the key being a Mobile SHD Server inside a SHD Crate that could only open by a secret two-factor authentication. Comms revealed that Lau was close to ending the alliance when Keener attacked City Hall with his Eclipse Virus to root out Hunters embedded as Division agents, but she stayed knowing there was no other way.
Because of these revelations, Kelso joined Keener and Parnell to work with them to stop Natalya Sokolova and the Black Tusk, taking the Mobile SHD Server with them. Kelso's reasoning was that Lau was close to putting an end to all the insanity and wanting to finish what she started.
Burden of Truth and Debriefs[]
Throughout the Division's mission to recover Agent Kelso in DC, they recovered intel drops she left behind, which detailed even more truth about Faye Lau and the burden she took for her mission as 'Cassandra', as well as the impact she had on her new allies.
Honey Pot[]
After her meeting with Lau, Bridgette 'Viper' Douglas shared doubts to Aaron Keener about recruiting Faye Lau. Keener, on the other hand encouraged his friend to be honest, maintaining that no relationship can survive on lies and be truthful, even if it included telling her about her partnership with Keener, and her upbringing with Natalya Sokolova and Black Tusk. (Manhunt: Burden of Truth, Comm#1, Honey Pot)
Meet Cute[]
After Lau was recruited for the mission, Douglas was playing the recording of the meeting, Keener thought Lau was dangerous for her. Douglas argued she won't betray them, and then argued its better they sleep together as it'll maintain their cover, which Keener agreed as long as she and Lau stay focused. (Manhunt: Burden of Truth, Comm#2, Meet Cute).
Mission[]
Keener and Douglas discussed Lau's mission to assassinate President Andrew Ellis and the challenges she'll have to face like indulging him and making him feel like the most important person in the world. Regardless, the mission was important as Ellis had access to the 'Ark Protcol. (Manhunt: Burden of Truth, Comm#3, Mission).
Green Light[]
Douglas informed Keener they have the green light, as Lau agreed to play politics with President Ellis, and kill him if necessary. And she would also undertake Sokolova's tests to join her new BTSU and antagonize Bardon Schaffer for Natalya's enjoyment. (Manhunt: Burden of Truth, Comm#4, Green Light).
Though given Lau's partership with Schaeffer, she only did so to maintain their cover while secretely conspiring to aid the Division.
Red Light[]
Before heading to Coney Island to act as bait for The Division, Douglas tried to dissuade Bardon Schaeffer, but the latter insisted. And when Douglas lamented of the situation they were in, Schaeffer encouraged her to spend as much quality time with her girlfriend as possible before facing the end, which she did. (Manhunt: Burden of Truth, Comm#5, Red Light)
Chickenhawk[]
Douglas informed Keener and Schaeffer that Faye Lau was now part of President Ellis's security detail. This proved crucial, as they were one step closer to get the 'Ark Protocol' clearance. (Manhunt: Burden of Truth, Comm#6, Chickenhawk)
Recruiter[]
After their discussion on Brian Johnson, the Hunters, and Keener's positive feelings on the relationship between Faye Lau and Bridgette Douglas, the conversation turned sour with the reality of Schaeffer being in Division's custody and in a coma. Not to mention, the reality of the Division coming after Douglas and Lau next, which Douglas lameneted to the point of almost crying.
Keener encouraged her with the same words that Schaeffer gave her before he went to Coney Island, quality not quantity. And with that, Douglas left to see Lau one last time before the end. (Manhunt: Burden of Truth, Comm#11, Recruiter)
The Truth[]
After recovering all the intel drops, Division agents headed to Roosevelt Island to recover a few pieces to uncover the truth. After recovering Faye Lau's laptop, President Ellis' SHD watch, and eliminating the True Sons forces, the agents recovered Lau's Mobile SHD Server which allowed them to play an ECHO (albeit with ANNA playing the transcript due to 'Glasses' scrubbing the audio data).
The ECHO revealed a rather shocking truth; President Ellis aided Lau in her mission while the Division was busy trying to find her and hunt her down in Camp White Oak, by transferring his Presidential Clearance of the 'Ark Protcol' to the agent, reasoning that if Natalya Sokolova gets the clearance, the country and the whole world could be in danger. And with the transfer complete, Ellis asked Lau to kill him, refusing to be Sokolova's puppet any longer. And with, Lau shot the president dead, and the rest is history.
This was a shocking revelation to the Division, as Lau's watch now has the Clearance, which will play an important role in the war against Black Tusk. And who's the agent who has the watch? Agent Alani Kelso.
The Watch[]
During one of the debriefs that Manny Ortega had with Bardon Schaeffer after he awoke from his coma, the latter told the former the Presidential Clearance is needed for the plan to take down Black Tusk's network. Manny didn't realize the importance of the Clearnace until he remembered its within Faye Lau's watch.
As reported by Manny, after Kelso killed Joshua Summers for being the Black Tusk mole and woke up Bardon Schaeffer, she told Ortega about the watch and informed him that she needed to go off the grid and away from any friendly settlement to prevent putting a target on their backs.
The Manager[]
Apparently, Faye was supposed to inform the Division about The Manager, a man working as logistics manager for Sokolov Concern and Black Tusk, as he was supposed to be recovered after the agents apprehended Bardon Schaeffer in Coney Island. (Manhunt: Crossroads, Comm#12, The Manager)
However, due to unforseen circumstances, not even Manny was aware about The Manager, which forced Schaeffer to brief about him, which culminated in Division agents assaulting a Black Tusk supply depot in Potomac Event Center to rescue the man.
Crossing Lines[]
Of course, there was still the lingering question of why Faye Lau willingly joined with Keener and Parnell given their cell's involvement in the Eclipse Virus attacks on City Hall and Castle Clinton. During the events of Crossroads, two pieces of intel recovered by Division agents during their test-runs in the Descent Simulation Facility had shed some light on that matter.
Lau called Theo Parnell, who was angry over the Eclipse Attack on City Hall, citing death of civilians, and threatened to pull out of her mission because of it. Parnell tried to dissuade her by saying they were targeting a Hunter outpost over there to kill embedded Hunters and anyone who was loyal to Calvin McManus, maintaining belief that the attack was gonna bring the Division's attention and they needed to make Natalya Sokolova and Black Tusk believe Keener and his Rogues were a threat worth their time, which they fulfilled as Kelso and her fellow agents were coming to Lower Manhattan, with Nat and her PMC to follow.
As apparent, Faye Lau agreed with the use of Eclipse Virus only against Hunters, and the fact that innocent lives died from it was enough for her consider leaving. However, Parnell concinvced her otherwise, promising her that no more Eclipse will be used on civilians, and telling her that she can trust him. (Descent Comm#100, Crossed Lines)
However, after the Eclipse attack on Castle Clinton, Lau called Theo again, very angry about what happened there. However, Parnell told her that the personnel in Castle Clinton weren't innocent, as all of them save for Dan Abett, whom Division agents rescued, were either Hunters or Cal's loyalists and not the heroes she thought they were. He confessed to Lau they didn't tell her before the attack happened as they wanted her angry at Keener and his Rogues, especially with Agent Kelso on her side, who can sense bullshit a mile away, and they needed her to draw Sokolova and Black Tusk to New York, so Faye can infiltrate Black Tusk.
Parnell emphasized to Lau on Kelso's importance, not only because she has the BSAV, but she also knows of April Kelleher's whereabouts as the agent helped the civilian woman disappear under Black Tusk's radar, and Sokolova had been tracking Kelso since April showed up in D.C. Thus, Kelso plays an important role with Keener's Rogues.
Finally, he pleaded with Lau as they needed her to infiltrate Black Tusk, so they can recover the BSAV and April before Sokolova does. Given the past events involving Faye Lau, it was clear she accepted and continued her mission as 'Cassandra' before her untimely death. (Descent Comm#102, Castle)
Legacy[]
In the weeks after her death and her subsequent cremation, Faye Lau's actions while going undercover had a considerable impact on her loved ones and her Division colleagues as they try to focus their struggle against their enemies.
Furthermore, Lau saw Alani Kelso as family, as her first encrypted message from her laptop had her apologize to Kelso for the deception and wanted to have her in the fight against Black Tusk and the Hunters. The revelation that Lau was actually helping the Division this whole time, had redeemed her in Kelso's eyes as well as with Roy Benitez, even though Paul Rhodes is still bitter about the deception. Even so, there was still tension between Benitez/Rhodes and D.C Division, as the former held Kelso responsible for the death of their beloved friend.
It is for this reason Kelso joind with Aaron Keener and Theo Parnell in their fight against Black Tusk and the Hunters, when she learned the truth about Lau and her involvement of these rogue agents, including Bridgette Douglas and Bardon Schaeffer. And as a way to honor her and to see her mission finished, Kelso took the 'Cassandra' codename.
Furthermore, Burden of Truth, showed Faye Lau wasn't truly the traitor the Division and their allies thought she was at the time and was truly dedicated to her mission in saving her country, helping Ellis find peace of mind in his inal moments by being given his Presidential Clerance of the 'Ark Protcol' and kill him,
How Roy Benitez and Paul Rhodes feel about Lau's involvement with Keener is as of yet unknown, though there is no doubt they'll have mixed feelings. On the other hand, Benitez would understand why his friend did what she did, as hew
And with Lau's watch in Kelso's hands, it will play an important role in the war against Black Tusk.
Personality[]
A second generation Chinese-American, Lau’s parents were killed in a car crash when she was a seventeen, leaving her to raise her younger sister Heather Lau. Owed, in part, to the loss of her parents, Lau has kept a distance from intimacy for much of her life, having regarded it as a potential disruption to her education and career. Now that the Green Poison has hit, however, Lau has realized that she may be more attached to the surrounding people than she previously believed. A light in this is the attachment to her sister and worry that something bad may have happened to her when she goes missing from Camp Hudson.
Lau later joined Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) at City College, after which she excelled through the upper echelons of government intelligence and national security. After a field accident left her left leg and right eye severely injured, Lau now serves as a "handler", responsible for the base’s maintenance and collecting and giving intel to the player.
Competitive, driven, and full of grit, there is no question in Lau’s status as a devoted patriot or her belief in the system. Though her peers typically regard her as a strong, serious woman, she has a caustic sense of humor, a knack for knitting, and a secret love of romantic movies.
By the Warlords of New York campaign, she is much harsher than before, and more aggressive. This may be attributed to Heather Lau, her younger sister, having been killed during a Riker attack on a settlement in Hell's Kitchen, which caused her to start drinking. Over the course of the campaign against Keener and his rogue agents, Faye is shown to drop hints of doubt in The Division's ability to truly defeat Keener.
However, as revealed by Hidden Alliance and Vanguard, Faye was shown to be the driven Division agent and was aiding her fellow agents secretly. The fact that she was working for Black Tusk as a cover to undermine the organization hurt her emotionally, considering it put a rift to her loved ones. While she was only mentioned in comms in Vanguard and First Rogue, its clear that her alliance with Keener was out of convenience and desperation knowing that the rogue agent has the key to put a stop to Black Tusk.
Equipment[]
In-game, Faye Lau is a Rogue Agent armed with a Lightweight M4, Tactical UMP-45, Striker Drone, EMP Sticky Bomb and Fragmentation Grenades.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Curiously, in the ECHO that shows Lau assassinating Ellis, both characters are represent by the logo of Outcasts faction instead of the respective factions' logos. This error was corrected with the release of Y7S2: The Pact, correctly showing the Black Tusk logos in the ECHO.
- Faye Lau's codename, Cassandra, that was given by Aaron Keener and revealed in Year 5 Season 3: Vanguard is named after the trojan priestess from Greek Mythology. In the mythology, Cassandra was known to utter true prophecies that would never be belived. This makes sense as Lau was trying to warn her former allies about the danger that Black Tusk and the Hunters represent, but wouldn't be believed until after her death and her insurance policy was discovered.
- Despite never being seen effectively using these in-game, Faye could be seen holding a Vector SBR .45 ACP in her in-game character artwork, a Maxim 9 pistol in her promotional artwork and a Military P416 in the in-game briefing video.
- Additionally, despite never using it in combat against the player, Faye is also often depicted as using a P320 XCompact (which can be seen holstered in her chest rig), such as when she assassinates Ellis.
- Additionally, despite never using it in combat against the player, Faye is also often depicted as using a P320 XCompact (which can be seen holstered in her chest rig), such as when she assassinates Ellis.
Missions[]
Tom Clancy's The Division 2: Warlords of New York[]
- Stranded Tanker (voice only)
- Pathway Park (voice only)
- Wall Street (voice only)
- The Tombs (voice only)
- Liberty Island (cutscene only)
- Camp White Oak Manhunt: Faye Lau
Other Media[]
Tom Clancy's Elite Squad[]
Faye Lau was featured in Tom Clancy's Elite Squad as part of The Division faction. She is a Hero character with the abilities Sticky Bomb and Explosive Rounds, and Squad Perks Emergency and Enduring.
- Rogue Faye Lau was featured in Tom Clancy's Elite Squad as part of the Rogue Agents faction. She is a Villain character with the abilities Bombardier and Pulse, and Squad Perks Betrayal and Composed.