Tom Holden

Tom Holden is standing at the lower floor of the Vault 101 atrium during your escape.

He is talking to his wife, Mary Holden, about escaping. But when they try to make a run for it, they run right into Officer O'Brian and Officer Richards. They are, as dictated by the Overseer, "dealt with, severely." (They are shot on sight and killed.)

It is possible to save him and his wife/sister before they are killed by rushing in first, thereby drawing the guards' fire. However, no unique dialogue or help comes of this, but occasionally Tom might help out by punching.

Futhermore, even if you chose to save him, you will later encounter his corpse in the quest Trouble on the Homefront. As you enter the vault, you will see his dead body next to the indoor vault controls (the control panel you would activate to open the vault door if you were inside). It can be inferred that he was trying to escape and died.

The Holdens will flee if the character gets shot at before Tom attempts his suicide run. Extra Karmic players may wish to utilize this to save the Holdens, and because the guards will rarely leave their post and chase the player, the Vault can be broken free from with minimal bloodshed.

Tom Holden's attempt to escape may be a reference to the book, The Catcher in the Rye, where the main character, Holden Caulfield, tries to persuade a girl to run away from the big city with him.

Related quests

 * Escape!
 * Trouble on the Homefront (if saved)

Appearances
appears only in Fallout 3.