Tracer Tong

Tracer Tong is a fictional character in the computer game Deus Ex. Tong is a member of the Luminous Path triad.

Tracer Tong was voiced by John Gault in Deus Ex and Alexander Brandon, the game's Musical Composer and Audio Director, in Deus Ex: Invisible War.

Overview


Tracer Tong is an ally and informant to Paul Denton. He resides in Hong Kong and heads a small laboratory that aids the resistance. His laboratory is located underneath the compound of the Luminous Path, one of two triads that vie for control of Hong Kong. Paul first becomes an ally of Tracer via e-mail exchanges leading him down a path towards UNATCO's secrets. Both Paul and JC were assigned to assassinate Tracer Tong, as MJ12 views him as a very powerful threat, but both defect before completing their respective missions.

Tracer Tong is a curious man, and curiosity is what leads him to follow JC's actions upon first meeting him; however, his loyalty is not blind. JC must earn the trust of Tracer, even though his brother is Tong's ally and friend. When JC gains a sliver of Tong's trust, Tong uses his laboratory to deactivate JC's killswitch, thus saving his life.

Tong continues to aid JC (as much as JC continues to aid Tong), and with his help JC is led to Area 51 where the game's climax occurs. During the game one of his experments backfires and infects him with the Gray Death, but Tong's life is saved with the help of Dr. Gary Savage. At the end of the game, Tong advises the player to destroy Area 51, thus removing the technology and starting a new Dark Age; this one of three paths the player can choose to take.

The character is very obviously based on the scientist/triad-leader Dr. X from Neal Stephenson's book The Diamond Age.

In the sequel, Deus Ex: Invisible War, he along with Paul Denton co-founded ApostleCorp.Its purpose was to develop improved nanotech technology so that JC could work better with the Helios AI (After their imperfect merger as hinted in the sequel). It also had to develop a universal nanite strain acceptable to all humans.