Fred (Van Buren)

Among the dirty, helpless, and feeble human slaves at the Reservation, one does stand out. Only known as “Fred,�? this slave has managed to survive the longest out of all the slaves who have come and died. For more than five years Fred has toiled in the depths of the Sub-Levels, from shoveling coal, to carrying crates, and to being an object of brutal fun for the ghouls. Over time, the ghouls began to have some respect for Fred and his almost supernatural hardiness. Even to the extent that if a ghoul is caught brutalizing Fred, the ghoul would be severely punished.

Fred is a large man in his early forties. When he first arrived at the Reservation, he was a skinny, thirty-something man who did not look like he could fight his way out of a wet paper bag. However, over the course of five years of hard labor and very basic food, Fred developed into a physically powerful man. No one is quite sure how, but Fred physically took to slave labor like a genetically gifted bodybuilder to weights. Fred’s face may show the pain and hardship of slavery, but his body showed the presence of a strong fighter.

Fred is available to the player as a source of information and a possible slave uprising. If Fred is out of eyeshot of his foreman, then he will talk to the player. However, the player would need to earn Fred’s trust before any rebellious planning could take place.

Appearances in games
did not appear nor was mentioned in any of the published games, but was to appear in the cancelled Fallout 3 project by Black Isle codenamed Van Buren. It is not certain if he will appear in any future Fallout game.