On the Loose

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

"On the Loose" is the forty-second chapter in Heavy Rain.

Overview

Immediately following "The Shark," Ethan is sitting on the floor of his room. If Madison is still alive, she arrives with the information from Paco and tries to console him.

Description

Ethan sits in a corner of his motel room, distraught by the outcome of his encounter with Brad Silver.

If Madison is alive she arrives and tries to comfort him, telling him his action (or inaction) is not his fault. She goes on to say that she knows he isn't the Origami Killer and can prove it. Ethan doesn't care; he says that changes nothing and maintains that finding Shaun is the most important thing to him. Unexpectedly, Madison tries to kiss him. The player can choose to have Ethan kiss her, or shy away. If the player chooses to kiss her, they will make love. (It can also later lead to "A New Life" or "Tears in the Rain," depending on whether Shaun is saved and whether or not the player chooses to forgive Madison.) When he wakes up, Ethan attempts to quietly leave but inadvertently discovers that Madison is a journalist. Infuriated, he accuses her of exploiting him for a career-making story, bitterly asking her if it was worth it before turning away.

Distraught, Madison explains that she gave up on the story when she realized what he was going through to save Shaun; all she wants is to help him save Shaun, and afterwards, she wants to be with him. She didn't tell him the truth because she was afraid he would react the way he has. The player can choose to forgive Madison or reject her; either way, Madison leaves.

She sees Blake and the police have surrounded the motel and questions the receptionist; he tells her they tracked the Origami Killer (Ethan) to the motel and are about to move in. When she hears this, she can call Ethan's room to warn him; if she chooses to do so, the player must either remember or correctly choose Ethan's room number to complete the call. Just as Ethan receives her warning, the SWAT team enters his room. Ethan escapes out the sliding glass door leading to a foot chase across the roof of the motel. Ethan is eventually cornered. (If the player fails the QTEs of the chase, Ethan will be captured prior to being cornered.) Once trapped, Ethan can escape by falling off the roof and stealing a taxi, or surrender and allow Blake to arrest him. If Ethan was already arrested in "Fugitive" or Jayden was killed in "Mad Jack" or "Fish Tank," Ethan will be imprisoned until the conclusion of the game. If Ethan wasn't arrested in "Fugitive" and Jayden survived then Jayden will help Ethan break out of the police station. Ethan's permanent imprisonment can later lead to one of two endings.

If Madison doesn't call Ethan and chooses to leave instead, the police will still enter his room. The player will have a QTE that will allow Ethan to knock them down and escape from the balcony to the roof. Afterwards, the rest of the chapter continues normally.

If Madison is dead, the player obviously does not cross paths with her in this chapter. The player will be able to freely walk through the motel room with Ethan. Instead of being warned about the cops by Madison, if Ethan looks out the window, tries to exit the room, or goes out on the balcony, he will spot the cops and have a chance to run.

Similarly, if Madison is dead and Ethan does not look out the window, leave the room, or go out on the balcony the room's phone will start ringing. If the player chooses to pick it up, the cops will storm in and Ethan will have to knock them down and escape. The phone will also start ringing if the player takes too long to spot the cops, and if the player does not answer the phone or go to the balcony quickly enough, the cops will storm in and Ethan will have to break free from them to run.

Impact

If Madison is rejected and survives: Ethan will not be able to get "Tears in the Rain" or "A New Life." He will be able to get "A New Start" and "Origami Blues."
Madison is forgiven and survives: Ethan will not be able to get "Origami Blues" or "A New Start" unless Madison dies later on. He will be able to get "Tears in the Rain" or "A New Life."
Ethan is arrested for the second time and/or Norman is dead when Ethan is arrested: Ethan will always get either "Innocent" or "Helpless."

Characters

Ethan Mars
Madison Paige
Carter Blake
Motel receptionist
Norman Jayden (If Ethan is arrested the second time)

Trophies

Lover Boy – Forgive Madison.
Unforgivable – Do not forgive Madison.
Hands Up! – Get captured by Blake. This trophy can also be achieved in "Fugitive."
Escape Master – Escape the police at the motel.

Trivia

The room number is 207.
This is the fourth and last scene containing nudity.
In the Japanese version of this chapter, if Madison and Ethan kiss, at the exact point when they get on their knees, the scene fades out and skips to them sleeping.
Madison may be absent in this chapter if she is killed in "The Doc", altering the opening. It still starts with Ethan sitting, except that he's not crying and is already wearing the black coat. Ethan gets up, reads the last trial and goes to the front door while wondering where Madison is. He sees the police and escapes via the balcony. The chase scene is the same.
Norman Jayden will appear in this chapter if he survives "Mad Jack" and "Fish Tank" and Ethan is arrested a second time.
This is the second and last chapter in which Ethan can be arrested.
It is notable that if Ethan is arrested, when he is thrown in his cell, he appears to be wearing the same clothes he wore in "Father and Son."
This is the fourth chapter where the opening can be changed.
It's possible, although rare, that the game freezes at one point in this chapter. This would be when the camera focuses on Ethan, it will simply stay there. If this happens, you'll have to restart the game.
Both the SWAT team and the police officers are shown to be armed with Beretta 90-Twos.