Harkness

"Self determination is NOT a malfunction"

Harkness, also known as A3-21, is Rivet City's security chief in the year 2277.

Background
Harkness is a synthetic humanoid, or "Synth", and is the most advanced android ever created by The Institute, as of 2277. He was created in the year 2242 and worked for the Synth Retention Bureau in the Commonwealth before attempting to escape after sympathizing with the escaped synths he was tasked to capture. The synths working at the Synth Retention Bureau are told that the those who try to escape are simply malfunctioning, when in actuality their complex AI has allowed them to start thinking for themselves. The synths that Harkness captured filled his head with ideas about self-determination and freedom, contributing to his decision to escape. “Self determination is NOT a malfunction,” Harkness would say in a holotape before escaping.

He successfully escaped the Commonwealth but was hunted by the Synth Retention Bureau, and had to get surgery to get a new face, a new voice, and to have his memory erased, in order to thwart the Bureau and start a new life. After some searching he found Horace Pinkerton, a skilled surgeon that agreed to perform the facial construction surgery and memory swap. After this, he got a job at Rivet City as security chief.

Daily schedule
During the day, Harkness can be found outside Flak 'N Shrapnel's weapon store in the Rivet City marketplace. He can also be located on the top floor of the Bridge Tower from 12:00 Midnight to 6:00AM. He is mostly found at the Rivet City entrance.

Other interactions

 * When first arriving at Rivet City he will demand that you state your business in Rivet City before he allows you to enter. With most options you choose he'll let you in. If you have the Mr Sandman perk he'll say something on the lines of "Alright you're free to roam around, just don't try anything stupid. Like Try to slit my throat when I'm sleeping, you wouldn't try that would you?". (That's only when you have the perk and when you first meet him say you're wandering around)

Quests

 * The Replicated Man: He turns out to be the android which Dr. Zimmer is looking for. You can choose to either help him or Dr. Zimmer who then takes him back to the Commonwealth.

Notable quotes

 * "I never should've let you on this damn boat!"
 * "Everyone's so goddamn trigger happy these days."
 * "We've got ourselves a psychopath. Everyone stand clear!"
 * "You're just pissing me off!"
 * "You're a petty criminal, but we let you stay here for now."

Appearances
Harkness appears only in Fallout 3.

Behind the scenes

 * When prompted with his activation code, Harkness will mention all of the 'runners' he killed. This is a reference to the movie Blade Runner and the book it was based on, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?.

Bugs

 * Harkness may end up permanently stuck in his initial position. This happens if the player either completes the quest Tranquility Lane without going to Rivet City beforehand, if the player answers "Forget it..." in their initial dialogue with Harkness, or if the player answers "I'm looking for history on Rivet City" for the Wasteland Survival Guide in their initial dialogue. He may still be interacted with if this happens however, as it is possible to reset the quest "Scientific Pursuits" via command console with the code: resetquest 0x00014e89.
 * If you shoot him when he's standing outside Rivet City and try to drop his body in the river, he will simply appear back up on the ship as if he wasn't dropped at all.
 * Citizens of Rivet City and other guards may bump Harkness off the boat into the water; this can make it difficult to talk to him.
 * If Harkness is attacked while in his initial position, he turns hostile as normal, but even if 3 other guards noticed your attack, they stay friendly.