Fairfax Ruins

Fairfax ruins are the destroyed shops and dwellings of a town in the Capital Wasteland in 2277. It is located south of Vault 101, east of Fort Independence, and north of Andale.

Exterior
The ruins consist of the main street, several alleys, and destroyed houses. There are upwards of twelve well armed raiders in the vicinity, on the street and in the tunnels beneath. North of the main road running through the center of the town east to west, is the entrance to the Fairfax Metro station. There are also a pair of manholes and a pit trap leading to the utility tunnels. There are various traps that may attract the raiders' attention if set off. One may also run in to frag mines by fast-traveling here. Outside one of the houses on the outskirts of town, is a gas valve that, when repaired, allows the ability to burn enemies by shooting them inside the house.

Utility tunnels
The main entrance to the utility tunnels is a grating in the floor that collapses into a small rectangular hole in the center of Fairfax ruins. A far less defended entrance to the tunnels is a manhole located to the northwest of the ruins to the east of the Brotherhood Outcast base. Inside are several raiders, ammunition boxes, aid items, and other loot.

There is also a separate subway tunnel in the center of Fairfax ruins guarded by two raiders. This subway has no links to any other areas, but there are various ammunition boxes lying around. When entering the tunnel, there are some mines as well as a shotgun trap close to the entrance. The tunnel is, like the rest of Fairfax ruins, inhabited only by raiders.

In the tunnels near one end, there is a table with an ashtray on it. If the player character falls through the sidewalk trap, the cigar on the table will be lit and smoking. Once they leave the tunnels and return, the cigar will no longer be there. If the Lone Wanderer enters through one of the manholes, instead of the sidewalk trap, they will never see the cigar.

Inhabitants

 * The place is fully inhabited by raiders, whose numbers provide them the confidence to engage in probing assaults on nearby fortified positions including the Brotherhood Outcast's HQ. A small scouting party can even be found just off the road north of town waiting to ambush unwary travelers approaching from that route. Their resources are such that they even have a defense turret overlooking the northern approach into Fairfax. The group as a whole is quite well armed, with a wide variety of weapons from missile launchers, combat shotguns, and assault rifles, to even flamers, and 10mm submachine guns.
 * To the north of the ruins, the Enclave have set up an outpost with a deathclaw cage which will appear after the player has done the quest "The Waters of Life." Upon approaching the camp, there will usually be three soldiers and two officers present, but their numbers can change depending on the Lone Wanderer's level. The soldiers are sometimes armed with flamers and will be busy executing several wastelanders enclosed in a cage, which may explain the bodies. This observation also suggests that a deathclaw cage was being used as a makeshift execution chamber. An Enclave Hellfire trooper may be included in their ranks if Broken Steel is installed.

Notable loot

 * U.S. Army: 30 Handy Flamethrower Recipes in the car dealership east of Fairfax ruins. It's sitting on top of a generator in the higher area to the left. Listen for the generator.
 * Nuka-Cola Quantum in an overturned truck under the highway south of the ruins (towards Andale).
 * Tales of a Junktown Jerky Vendor, in the concrete treehouse south of the ruins.

Appearances
Fairfax ruins appears only in Fallout 3.

Behind the scenes
The Fairfax ruins are based on the real world Fairfax, Virginia.