- ❝ Everything I know is in Chicago. It's my home. And now, we just start again? I thought things would be different. I hoped...❞
- ―Nicky to Aiden
Nicole Anne Pearce, commonly referred to by her nickname Nicky, is a major character in Watch Dogs and a minor character in the Watch Dogs: Legion DLC Bloodline. She is Aiden Pearce's younger sister and mother to her two kids, Jackson and Lena Pearce.
History[]
Nicky was born in 1979, five years after her brother Aiden. She, Aiden, and her mother moved to the United States in the 1980s, to escape their deranged father in Belfast, Northern Ireland. At some point Nicky got married and became the mother of two children: Jackson and Lena, both of whom were very close to their uncle Aiden. She divorced from her husband sometime between 2006 and 2012. In October 2012, as a result of the Merlaut Job, a hit on Aiden caused the death of Lena, only aged 6. After her daughter was killed, her son Jackson became her only remaining child. Aiden vowed to guard her to prevent any future family tragedies.
Events of Watch Dogs[]
On Jackson's birthday, Aiden showed up to wish his nephew a happy birthday. The family went inside the house, where Nicole updated Aiden on recent events since Lena's death, including that Jackson was seeing Dr. Yolanda Mendez to deal with his post-traumatic stress disorder. After, she received a prank call, the caller implying that he will break into her house. With haste, she runs to double-check the locks, at which Aiden expressed concern, having hacked her phone. Suspecting that her brother intends to go after the caller, she lashed out at him, telling him that he can never fix anything. After her brother left the house, Nicole realized her mistake and called him to apologize and asked him to come back. However, upon hearing the apprehension in his voice, she correctly guessed that he was in pursuit of the crank caller and insisted that he let this one go, but he hung up on her, saying "the call is breaking up", making her frustrated about it.
Nicole was soon kidnapped by Aiden's mentor, Damien Brenks, who set up that prank call to blackmail Aiden into doing his dirty work for him. Damien only allowed limited conversation between the siblings via phone only when Aiden had something to show. Eventually, Aiden was able to discern her location from background noise. Remotely hacked into the cameras, Aiden kills her guard with a power box before calling her on a nearby cellphone, instructing her to pick up the gun. No sooner than she does, a Fixer walks into the room and she incidentally shoots and kills him. Though shaken by it, she manages to keep a level head as Aiden directs her to safety.
Later picking up Jackson from Mendez, who was planning on calling the police on Aiden, Nicole notices the police and tells Aiden that they can help them. Aiden explains to her that they won't help them because the police were after him. Nicole then realizes that he's the vigilante. After evading the police, Aiden drives them to Pawnee, where Nicole suggests that she tell everything to the police about Damien, but Aiden opposes, telling her that she and Jackson should disappear from the public eye. Later, the siblings share an emotional farewell, Nicole reminding Aiden that she can't follow him, which Aiden already knows.
At this point, Nicole and Jackson flee Chicago for their own safety. It is unknown where they have moved to, but Aiden theorizes they have most likely changed their names, and are staying off of the internet for their own protection.
Bad Blood[]
While not mentioned by Aiden nor T-Bone in the Watch Dogs: Bad Blood DLC, if T-Bone goes to Nicole's house, there will be an audio log from Aiden, stating he doesn't know anything about what her and Jackson are doing now except that they've most likely changed their names and don't use the internet. He hopes that they are happy and have moved on from Chicago but he doesn't dare find out if this is true or attempt to contact them out of fear of endangering them again.
Watch Dogs: Legion - Bloodline[]
Nicole appears in the Watch Dogs: Legion DLC Bloodline as a hallucination and figment of Aiden's imagination, during the mission Bury Your Dead. However, it is not known where she actually is and was only mentioned several times by Aiden and Jacks throughout the story. During the hallucination, Jackson visits her in the tunnel where Lena died, where she tells him that she still hasn't gotten over Lena's death, and that her death was Aiden's fault. Despite this, she is nowhere to be seen physically as she is not mentioned to be living in London like Jackson.
Personality[]
Unlike her brother, Nicole is not obsessed by the death of Lena. Rather, she accepts it and has moved on. She is concerned about Aiden's violent measures to avenge Lena's death, and also tells him numerous times to stop. She cares about her son Jackson deeply as he is her only known family member besides Aiden, and is also extremely protective of him, telling Aiden that she would immediately keep him away before something happens to Jackson. She also seems to care about people all around her, such as when she shot a fixer in self defense, Nicole wanted to call 911 and help him, despite there being Fixers all around her.
Appearance[]
Nicole is a blonde woman with her hair tied to a ponytail. She wears the same clothes during all her appearances: striped shirt with a jean jacket and yellow pants.
Mission Appearances[]
Nicole, Jackson, and Aiden Pearce
- Bottom of the Eighth (on Aiden's computer)
- Big Brother
- Hold On, Kiddo (voice)
- Collateral (phone call)
- Grandma's Bulldog (phone call)
- Planting a Bug (phone call)
- In Plain Sight (voice)
- Little Sister
- Ghosts of the Past
Trivia[]
- According to the CTOS Profiler, Nicole is an event planner and makes $49,700 a year.
- The Profiler lists her name as "Nicky" rather than her real name "Nicole".
- She is the narrator in the Digital Trip, Alone.
- It should be noted, her dialogue and narration in the Digital Trip somehow relates to an angry and pessimist Nicole. She comments the death of Lena, although never referencing her directly, and sometimes wishes Aiden was the one to be gone. She also comments the actions of Aiden through the game.
- When on the phone with Nicky, the picture that comes up with her name shows a much different Nicole, hinting that she may have had a different appearance in the BETA.
- Although her backstory reveals she was married (and subsequently divorced) it is never revealed why her children have her surname instead of their father (her ex-husband).