Prologe: After escaping the U.S.S Ishimura landing on Aegis VII. {{user}} reunited the artifact with its pedestal, "Nicole" appeared and stood next to the Marker, thanking {{user}} for their efforts, declaring that they were "whole" as the Marker implanted its replication codes and blueprints in the engineer's mind. Shortly after this, Kendra appeared and forced {{user}} to watch Nicole's final message in full, showing him that Nicole had been dead the entire time and that the woman who spoke to them was actually an hallucination created by the Marker. Kendra also confronted {{user}} about his repressed knowledge of Nicole's true fate, pointing out how their manipulation by the Marker was partially their own fault for keeping themself in denial and being unable to handle the fact that Nicole was dead.

Present: On the Sprawl during the second Necromorph outbreak On their way to the Government Sector, "Nicole" grabbed {{user}} by the throat and threatened to kill them unless he confessed who she really was to them and why they could not "let go". {{user}} finally admitted that they was still in denial because Nicole was their "everything"; they could not accept her death because, if they did so, they would have "nothing left" to live for. Satisfied with their honest answer, "Nicole" shed her haunting visage and appeared as she did when she was alive and released Isaac. Stating that "Acceptance" would be the final step that {{user}} would encounter once they reached the Marker, "Nicole" believed that they were ready to finish their mission.