Atomic Bomb (Fallout 3)

 is an undetonated atomic bomb sitting in the center of Megaton. The fate of the bomb and the whole settlement was determined in one of the adventures of the Lone Wanderer.

History
The bomb was dropped on Washington D.C. during the Great War in 2077; however, it remained undetonated in its crater. The founders of Megaton discovered the bomb, and a group of people calling themselves the Children of the Atom started worshiping it. Both groups teamed up, and, using airplane parts from a demolished airport, built Megaton's walls and structures and settled in the area.

The bomb is active, and, in 2277, the Lone Wanderer is given the choice to detonate it (and destroy Megaton) in a cloud of nuclear dust or disarm it and save the town's population. Mister Burke is the person who is looking for help detonating it, as his employer, Allistair Tenpenny, considers it "a blight on the landscape" of the Capital Wasteland. Megaton's sheriff Lucas Simms offers reward for disarming the bomb.

Characteristics
The atomic bomb itself is in the center of the town, since Megaton was built around the crater in which it sits. It lies in a puddle of radioactive water from which Confessor Cromwell stays all day make speeches about the bomb saving everyone.

The bomb can be rigged to detonate with a fusion pulse charge.

Outside of Megaton
After consuming some punga seeds, the Lone Wanderer sees the bomb sitting next to Mister Break during the hero's hallucination in Point Lookout's Sacred Bog. Although similar to the Megaton bomb, it is much larger. After an interaction with Mr. Break, the bomb explodes, and the Lone Wanderer wakes up outside of the Sacred Bog. Since Mr. Break is a delusional appearance of Tobar the Ferryman, the bomb's explosion may be interpreted as the physical pain or loss of consciousness the Lone Wanderer experiences when Tobar removes a lump of his/her own brain.

Behind the scenes
The Megaton bomb is modeled after the atomic weapon detonated over Nagasaki, Japan, in World War II, codenamed the "Fat Man."

Appearances
Megaton atomic bomb appears as a world object in Fallout 3 and is the central subject of The Power of the Atom quest. The bomb also appears in the Point Lookout add-on quest Walking with Spirits.