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Deception Point

 Deception Point
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TVTItem
 Deception Point
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Deception Point
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DeceptionPoint
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Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_1'); })Deception Point is a 2001 novel by Dan Brown, published between Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code.Rachel Sexton is a single, attractive Intelligence Analyst for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). She has a strained relationship (with good reason) with her father, Senator Sedgewick Sexton, who's currently running for President against the incumbent President Zachary Herney. The Senator has been gradually gaining support due to focusing on an overlooked issue: the fact that NASA has cost the tax payers billions of dollars that would have been better spent elsewhere with little results beyond a string of blunders and "pictures of space dust". Sexton denounces Herney's enthusiastic support of NASA as harmful and plans upon election to dismantle NASA and open up space exploration to the private sector, something that obviously causes a lot of people to fear the worst.Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_2'); })One day, straight out of the blue, Rachel is summoned by the President and then sent to Ellesmere Island in the Arctic, all in utmost secrecy as to why. There she meets Michael Tolland, a celebrity oceanographer and documentary host, and Corky Marlinson, a highly respected astrophysicist. Both are members of a special civilian scientist team assigned to investigate an "amazing find". Said "find" being a meteorite embedded in the ice containing fossils similar, but not identical, to species found on Earth; in other words, conclusive proof of extraterrestrial life. NASA is incredibly excited, and hopes this will serve as proof that NASA deserves its continued existence......However, Michael then notices an irregularity in the meteorite's extraction pit. He, Rachel, Corky and experienced glaciologist Dr. Norah Mangor venture into the Arctic wastes to survey the extraction pit with ground penetrating radar and make a shocking discovery: the meteorite was actually drilled into the shaft, after which the salt water under it froze. The discovery is actually false!Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_3'); })Before they can tell anyone of this, they are immediately attacked by a Delta Force team apparently sent to prevent this from coming to light. What follows is a struggle to survive the ordeal and find out the truth: did NASA stage the discovery and prevent its potential dismantlement in case Sexton wins the election? Or was it the current administration, going to extreme lengths to stay in office? Meanwhile, Senator Sexton sends his assistant, Gabrielle Ashe, to investigate the matter after noticing some inconsistencies himself. What she finds, however, will not only cause her to doubt NASA's integrity but also that of her employer...
 Deception Point
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2021-07-07T14:25:31Z
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2021-07-07T14:25:31Z
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Dropped link to Mythbusters: Not a Feature - ITEM
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Dropped link to NamedAfterSomeoneFamous: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN
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DBTropes
 Deception Point / int_131ca891
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Literal Surveillance Bug
 Deception Point / int_131ca891
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Literal Surveillance Bug: Delta Force uses these.
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 Deception Point / int_133f1c12
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The Spymaster
 Deception Point / int_133f1c12
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The Spymaster: William Pickering is the director of the National Reconnaissance Office, whose organization collects information for military and intelligence use.
 Deception Point / int_133f1c12
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 Deception Point / int_1621af29
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DanBrowned
 Deception Point / int_1621af29
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Dan Browned: Obviously: The novel mentions special "Improvised munitions"- weapons that are capable of firing water at sufficient speed to shatter bones or turn sand or ice into bullets. In reality, "Improvised Munitions" in military jargon means something else entirely, and of those possibilities mentioned, only the first one is remotely feasible: turning sand into glass bullets would require a power source too big to conveniently carry and ice bullets were shown to be ineffective by Mythbusters. Director Pickering addresses Rachel as "Agent Sexton". Intelligence analysts are not law enforcement officers and the NRO does not have clandestine field operatives. NASA sets up a huge camp in Ellesmere Island and does all its business unhindered. Ellesmere Island is part of Canada, who would presumably also want to take part in this. It gets worse when you consider Canada has a military base there... and said military base is specifically a signals intelligence intercept facility that is jointly run with CSEC (Canada's equivalent of the NSA) that would have detected strange radio transmissions like the one that led NASA to the meteorite Japan's Seven Gods of Good Fortune (Shichi-fukujin) are misidentified as "Shichigosan'', which is pretty hilarious.
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 Deception Point / int_2044af1
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Faceless Goons
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Faceless Goons: Interestingly invoked: the fact that Delta One, Two and Three are never physically described, coupled with only being referred to by their codenames conveys this impression. Even more curious considering Brown's penchant for using single assassins with distinct physical features in his other books.
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 Deception Point / int_2310dacb
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Dead Man Writing
 Deception Point / int_2310dacb
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Dead Man Writing: Rachel's intent when she starts Banging for Help on the ice floe - she knows that a rescue plane won't reach them in time, but she hopes that once their bodies are found someone will investigate the damning piece of evidence she's got on her person:
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 Deception Point / int_30ed4f7d
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Sleazy Politician
 Deception Point / int_30ed4f7d
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Sleazy Politician: Senator Sexton is a lech, and an unscrupulous individual who is in bed with several private aerospace companies.
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 Deception Point / int_38bf28e3
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Engineered Public Confession
 Deception Point / int_38bf28e3
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Engineered Public Confession: How Sexton gets his comeuppance: he gives to the press what he thought was the evidence of the meteorite cover-up but Gabrielle switched the envelope with one containing pictures of the sexual tryst between the two which he has vigorously denied to the press much earlier.
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 Deception Point / int_493a162d
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Bioluminescence Is Cool
 Deception Point / int_493a162d
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Bioluminescence Is Cool: The first clue that the meteorite find is fake; the supposedly-ages-old shaft contains glowing (i.e. fresh, not long-dead as they should be) plankton.
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 Deception Point / int_4f84cdef
type
Smug Snake
 Deception Point / int_4f84cdef
comment
Smug Snake: Senator Sexton is an arrogant politician who is willing to use any situation to create political opportunities.
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 Deception Point / int_50c58a13
type
Exit, Pursued by a Bear
 Deception Point / int_50c58a13
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Exit, Pursued by a Bear / Just Desserts: Both Delta-Two and Delta-Three wind up being eaten by sharks near the end.
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 Deception Point / int_588d6b3e
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Vasquez Always Dies
 Deception Point / int_588d6b3e
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Vasquez Always Dies: Dr. Mangor.
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 Deception Point / int_5a4aa505
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Government Conspiracy
 Deception Point / int_5a4aa505
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Government Conspiracy: Subverted, seeing as Pickring acted without the government's knowledge.
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 Deception Point / int_5beef860
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Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?
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Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Rachel's aquaphobia, which she developed after falling through a frozen lake as a child. Incidentally this makes her another Dan Brown protagonist who developed a phobia after falling into some water as a child.
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 Deception Point / int_630f60bd
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Prayer Pose
 Deception Point / int_630f60bd
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Prayer Pose: Lampshaded; the main character notes that the others might think she's doing this when they're left for dead on an ice flow but is actually preparing to tap out morse code, since she knows that the organisation she works for has a listening post (although they're actually saved by a passing submarine that was investigating all the activity that lead to said stranding).
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 Deception Point / int_63cad64b
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Threatening Shark
 Deception Point / int_63cad64b
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Threatening Shark: A bunch of these show up towards the end and wind up eating Delta-Two and Delta-Three.
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 Deception Point / int_63d861f8
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Even Evil Has Loved Ones
 Deception Point / int_63d861f8
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Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Despite the fact that Pickering is willing to murder several scientists and one of his own subordinates for what he believes to be the greater good, he is still a grieving father, having lost his daughter.
 Deception Point / int_63d861f8
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 Deception Point / int_6bda9a30
type
Meaningful Name
 Deception Point / int_6bda9a30
comment
Meaningful Name: Senator Sexton and his daughter Rachel. The former is a corrupt politician who likes to have his way with his hot secretary, the latter, well, is just sexy. Obviously. What other famous chess master Lawrence tries to make thing better but ended up screwing up big time and killed a bunch of innocent people? Hm... Named After Someone Famous: William Pickering is named after William Hayward Pickering, past director of Caltech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
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 Deception Point / int_729c69f3
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Politically Incorrect Villain
 Deception Point / int_729c69f3
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Politically Incorrect Villain: Senator Sexton is a misogynist and a homophobe who thinks that "if it were up to me, the faggots wouldn't even have the right to vote" to himself while simultaneously agreeing to tone down condemnation of same-sex marriage in his campaign. Later on, he tells his daughter "you're just like your mother: idealistic and small. Women cannot grasp the true meaning of power" after Rachel called him out on leaving her to die.
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 Deception Point / int_737394ab
type
Iconic Item
 Deception Point / int_737394ab
comment
Iconic Item: Ming's long, camel hair coat. When he's drowned in the extraction pit by the Delta Force, the coat's silhouette is how the other scientists recognize him on the printout from ground penetrating radar.
 Deception Point / int_737394ab
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 Deception Point / int_970c790a
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Big Bad
 Deception Point / int_970c790a
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Big Bad: Senator Sexton might be a Jerkass, but William Pickering serves as the conspiracy's true mastermind, orchestrating the conspiracy in order to keep NASA afloat, having. anyone who finds out the truth killed.
 Deception Point / int_970c790a
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 Deception Point / int_978937d6
type
Brand X
 Deception Point / int_978937d6
comment
Brand X: Averted: all of the aerospace companies mentioned in Sexton's illicit meeting with their representatives are real.
 Deception Point / int_978937d6
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 Deception Point / int_a3509d95
type
The Password Is Always "Swordfish"
 Deception Point / int_a3509d95
comment
The Password Is Always "Swordfish": Sexton's computer password is "SSS", standing for "Senator Sedgewick Sexton". When Gabrielle finds out that his password is only 3 characters long, Sexton goes on a ramble about how he's too old to memorize passwords, only for her to demonstrate that that line of thinking is insufficient when she types in the password that she guessed just by looking at him when he types it. Sexton then changes it...to POTUSSS, which Gabrielle is also able to easily guess.
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 Deception Point / int_a858bec5
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Banging for Help
 Deception Point / int_a858bec5
comment
Banging for Help: Trapped on an ice floe with Michael and Corky after an attack by the Delta Force and quickly succumbing to hypothermia, Rachel uses her ice ax to bang out SOS. Rachel knows she and the men will be long dead by the time the hydrophones listening in hundreds of miles away hear the signal, triangulate their position, and dispatch a rescue team, but she hopes that the discovery of their dead bodies will prompt an investigation into the anomaly in the extraction pit. The trio is promptly rescued by the Navy submarine USS Charlotte, which was stationed three miles away on a classified mission.
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 Deception Point / int_abcb9af1
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Eaten Alive
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Eaten Alive: Happens to Delta-Two and Delta-Three near the end by a bunch of sharks, nonetheless.
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Black Helicopter
 Deception Point / int_b0cbdcb1
comment
Black Helicopter: the Delta Force's unmarked Kiowa Warrior.
 Deception Point / int_b0cbdcb1
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 Deception Point / int_b593baf1
type
Author Filibuster
 Deception Point / int_b593baf1
comment
Author Filibuster: Several characters give speeches on why letting the private sector explore space is a bad idea, more in comparison to those in which the opposite is stated.
 Deception Point / int_b593baf1
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 Deception Point / int_b7c53a22
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Blood Knight
 Deception Point / int_b7c53a22
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Blood Knight: The Delta Force operatives seems to enjoy their job a little too much.
 Deception Point / int_b7c53a22
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 Deception Point / int_d62dd556
type
The Chessmaster
 Deception Point / int_d62dd556
comment
What other famous chess master Lawrence tries to make thing better but ended up screwing up big time and killed a bunch of innocent people? Hm...
 Deception Point / int_d62dd556
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 Deception Point / int_dbca2c99
type
Red Herring
 Deception Point / int_dbca2c99
comment
Red Herring: Lawrence Ekstrom and Marjorie Tench initially seem to be the masterminds behind the conspiracy. Tench is a pawn, while Ekstrom is not in on the conspiracy at all.
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 Deception Point / int_e2023325
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StrawmanPolitical
 Deception Point / int_e2023325
comment
Strawman Political: Senator Sexton is a negative portrayal of a politician who is in favor of space privatization for his own gain, in addition to being homophobic and misogynistic.
 Deception Point / int_e2023325
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 Deception Point / int_ec0ce986
type
Spotting the Thread
 Deception Point / int_ec0ce986
comment
Spotting the Thread: Basically the reason the fake meteorite is exposed; all the evidence supported the idea that the meteor was real, but once they discovered a few microscopic fish under the meteorite, introducing the idea that it had been planted in that iceberg on purpose, Rachel, Michael and Corky are able to take another look at the evidence and admit that there are other explanations for the evidence beyond it coming from outer space.
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 Deception Point / int_f42f96fa
type
Would Hit a Girl
 Deception Point / int_f42f96fa
comment
Would Hit a Girl: Sexton slaps Gabrielle when he fires her. This is the most petty of the things he's doing at the time.
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 Deception Point / int_fb3576b2
type
The Dog Bites Back
 Deception Point / int_fb3576b2
comment
The Dog Bites Back: Sexton fires (and punches) Gabrielle when she calls him out on letting his daughter die for the sympathy vote. She exposes their affair in retaliation.
 Deception Point / int_fb3576b2
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 Deception Point / int_fd4f8299
type
Well-Intentioned Extremist
 Deception Point / int_fd4f8299
comment
Well-Intentioned Extremist: William Pickering. He orchestrated the meteorite forgery and the attempted silencing of Rachel, Michael and Corky so NASA's sensitive data wouldn't end up in the hands of the private sector and potentially in those of the USA's enemies. He's so dedicated to his country that he goes to these lengths to save NASA despite its incompetence being indirectly responsible for his only daughter's death.
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Deception Point

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Digital Fortress
seeAlso
Deception Point
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hasFeature
Action Survivor / int_80eee49c
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American Literature (# to D) / int_80eee49c
 Deception Point
hasFeature
Author Catchphrase / int_80eee49c
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Author Filibuster / int_80eee49c
 Deception Point
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Bioluminescence Is Cool / int_80eee49c
 Deception Point
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Black Helicopter / int_80eee49c
 Deception Point
hasFeature
Everyone Knows Morse / int_80eee49c
 Deception Point
hasFeature
Literal Surveillance Bug / int_80eee49c
 Deception Point
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Prayer Is a Last Resort / int_80eee49c
 Deception Point
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Prayer Pose / int_80eee49c
 Deception Point
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Professionals Do It on Desks / int_80eee49c
 Deception Point
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Threatening Shark / int_80eee49c