The Replicated Man

The Replicated Man is a Fallout 3 side quest. It is a PC and Xbox 360 achievement, and PS3 trophy. The quest follows the story of an unidentified humanoid robotic prototype, an android, who is hiding from its creator somewhere in the Capital Wasteland.

Starting the quest
The quest is given to you by Dr. Zimmer in Rivet City, who asks you to track down an android that has escaped. The android has gone independent and does not wish to return. Alternatively, the quest can also be started by finding one of the Replicated Man holotapes. The quest can also be started when approached by Victoria, who asks you to stop asking so many questions and later tells you about an android who thinks he's human.

Find more clues
After the quest has started three more clues need to be found. Generally, these are tied to certain non-player characters and you mostly have two options to obtain a clue from each of those people: through dialogue or by finding a holotape/terminal in the person's possession or room. For details on who these people are, please see Replicated Man holotapes.

If asked where to start tracking down the android, then Dr. Zimmer suggests searching the offices of "doctors and techies" and adds the optional objective of talking to Dr. Preston in Rivet City. Preston hands the player one of the android's recordings and tells them that similar tapes were sent to almost every scientist in the Wastelands.

The Railroad
At any time during this quest (including underwater), you may be approached by a woman named Victoria Watts of The Railroad, an organization dedicated to helping androids gain their independence (Herbert Dashwood, Tulip, Father Clifford and Manya are also members of the Railroad). She asks you to tell Dr. Zimmer that the android is dead, and gives you a piece of his body to support your claim. If the quest has not been started yet (e.g. the holotapes have been obtained, but not viewed), then it can be started from here. After receiving the android component, the player can simply end the quest by giving it to Zimmer, however the reward for taking this path is small compared to the other 2 endings' rewards. If you do not choose to finish the quest using this method, then the dialogue options for Victoria Watts will stay the same as when she first meets you, even after completing the quest using any other method.

Looking for Pinkerton
After obtaining the third clue, A free man... a new man..., you learn that Horace Pinkerton, in the broken bow near Rivet City, "reconstructed" the android, making him the only one who knows the android's current appearance and whereabouts.

Since he's rather hard to get to, players that are yet to finish one of the final goals for the Wasteland Survival Guide, specifically the one that requires the player to find out the History of Rivet City, may want to use this opportunity also speak to Pinkerton about Rivet City's History, although once you have found him, you can exit through the locked door discussed below and later come back in that way, which is very easy.

There are two ways to enter the bow section, either by picking a locked door (100 Lockpick skill required) on the starboard side or by entering an underwater door where the bow section has broken off. The latter requires the player to swim a moderate distance through irradiated water. If you have put off this mission until you have obtained a 100 Lockpick skill, then you may bypass the long route; for everyone else, you are going to be swimming. The quicker, less radiation way is simple; Climb the ship to the deck, and then slip off the side at the bow. Go down as low as you can get before falling through the floor to the water. No damage is taken, and less rads because you are near the door.

Note: You can unlock the door from the inside, and relock it (easy) for a small amount of XP, using the switch.

You can spend an inordinate amount of non-fun time swimming around (and drowning) just looking for the underwater entrance, so here is a guide: Head to the back of the marketplace to a door outside, where you should be facing the broken bow. Before jumping in, prepare by popping a Rad-X and putting on a radiation suit if you have one. Now drop into the water and swim down to the right, where you should see an opening with a door. On the other side is a flooded hallway, so swim quickly forward and surface for air. Bring up the Local Map to get your bearings. Assuming you came straight through the door and are now in the middle facing away from it, you will see a tunnel/hall to your right; face that way and go under towards it, open the door, and keep going straight to another door, open it, and come up for air. Enter the door you just opened, then the next door on the left, through another door ahead, then go up the stairs, and into a room which is out of the water. You should have a mirelurk or two after you at this point, so turn and aim. Other than all the traps and mines waiting for you upstairs, you are home free.

Several traps, mines and leveled mirelurks protect this section of the broken ship.

When the player finally speaks with Pinkerton, he will reveal that the android's name is Harkness and that he personally performed the facial reconstructive surgery and memory wipe. He will also reveal that Harkness's mind was not actually wiped, but rather his old identity has been buried deep and that it can be reactivated by means of a certain code word. Harkness is now employed as the security chief in Rivet City, and was actually the person who greeted the Lone Wanderer upon arrival in Rivet City. Pinkerton also gives you the password to his terminal downstairs; log on and it download to your Pip-Boy the proof Harkness will want to see. Sometimes you can get away with not even accessing the terminal and just confronting Harkness head on.

The easiest way out of this area of the ship is through the "Very Hard" locked door. On this side of the door is a switch that can be activated to unlock the door. This makes going back to Pinkerton for any reason much simpler...and leaves you not glowing in the dark from the rads you would be exposed to.

The decision
There are now several possible courses of action which will complete the quest:
 * Show Dr. Zimmer the android part received from Victoria Watts, and inform him that the android is dead. The reward for this is 50 caps and good Karma. This can technically be done at any time after receiving the component. This will anger Zimmer and he will leave Rivet City with Armitage forever, and successfully let you finish the quest. Note: If this is done, then you cannot get the the Wired Reflexes perk. If you want the A3-21's plasma rifle as a reward, then you have to talk to Harkness first (see below) and after that you can talk to Dr. Zimmer with the component.
 * Speak to Harkness and convince him that he's an android. There are several options to choose from in the conversation, but only the final two matter. Regardless of the choices made, you will receive A3-21's plasma rifle and +200 Karma (unless convinced to go with Zimmer) as a reward.
 * If told his secret is safe with the player, then Harkness will do nothing; however, he can still be turned in to Zimmer or said to be dead with the android component if this is chosen.
 * If asked what he will do, then Harkness will state his intentions to kill Zimmer. The player may ask if he can order them to leave instead by making up several false charges instead of resorting to violence, or request if they can have the honor of killing Zimmer. Note that if the player chooses the nonviolent approach, there will not be a chance to approach Zimmer and tell him about Harkness nor collect any reward for doing so. Zimmer and Armitage are immediately "evicted" by Harkness upon completion of the conversation.
 * If told that Zimmer is waiting for him, then the player can pass a speech check to convince him to go with Zimmer, at which point they must go to Zimmer and tell him about Harkness. Both rewards can be claimed in this fashion, but only the Bad Karma will be earned. Alternatively, a different speech check can be passed to convince him that he should stay, at which point he'll proceed to go kill Zimmer. If neither speech test is chosen or passed, then the player can choose to tell Harkness that it is his choice. He responds that he has to rethink his options, because Rivet City is no longer a safe place for him, as someone could eventually discover his secret. This suggests that he could eventually leave Rivet City. However, after the completion of the quest you can ask him, whether he has already decided what to do with his life. He responds that many people on the boat rely on him and continues his duty of a Security Chief. Zimmer himself will remain in the Science Lab and occasionally complain to the scientists, but will only say "there's nothing more to discuss" if spoken to.
 * Tell Dr. Zimmer the android's human name and reveal the code to uncover the buried memories. The player is rewarded with the Wired Reflexes perk and -200 Karma. Dr. Zimmer will then walk to Harkness's location and claim the android as his property. Harkness will initially resist until Dr. Zimmer uses an override code to reset Harkness to factory defaults. Dr. Zimmer and Armitage will then leave Rivet City with Harkness in tow.
 * If you had told Harkness his secret was safe with you, then you will be unable to kill Zimmer and Armitage while they are walking to find and reset Harkness. They will be set to invincible until they have reset Harkness.
 * If Zimmer and Armitage are killed after Harkness is reset, then the android will stand wherever he was for the rest of the game, continuing to ask for parameters if spoken to.
 * To get both rewards without risking Harkness' memory, tell him who he is and ask what he plans to do about Zimmer. Before choosing any other dialogue option, ask to kill Zimmer yourself. Harkness will hand you his trusty A3-21's plasma rifle and you will earn good Karma. Then, reveal to Zimmer that Harkness is the android, which gives you bad Karma (offset by the previously earned good Karma) and earns you the Wired Reflexes perk. You may then either kill Zimmer and Armitage or allow them to wipe Harkness' memory and take him away.

Behind the scenes

 * "The Replicated Man" is a reference, in name, content and theme, to the androids/replicants from Philip K. Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and its movie adaptation, Blade Runner.
 * It also references a similar 1993 film, Mandroid, from which Dr. Zimmer's name was likely borrowed. The control suit in the movie strongly resembles the armor of the Brotherhood of Steel.
 * The holotape title "Self-determination is not a malfunction" may be a reference to the line "Life is not a malfunction" in the film Short Circuit.
 * Armitage may be a reference to William Gibson's 1984 novel, Neuromancer, which featured a character by the same name whose face and memories were also altered.
 * The SNES game Shadowrun, set in a universe based on the Neuromancer novel, features a main protagonist named Armitage who also lost his memories.
 * Armitage may also be a reference to the Japanese cyberpunk anime Armitage III, which focuses on an android police officer by the same name.

Bugs

 * If the player chooses to give Zimmer the component after talking to Watts, then the player will never find out that Harkness is the android and the quest is permanently in your quest list as unfinished.
 * Alternatively, if you give Zimmer the component, then you can still talk to Pinkerton to find out that Harkness is the android. If you talk to Harkness afterwards, then you will get the dialog option to tell him "Zimmer thought you were an android, don't worry, I set him straight though.", and Harkness will respond with shock and relief. However you cannot progress in the quest any further, and cannot obtain his plasma rifle.
 * Although Harkness says that he is leaving after giving the player his plasma rifle, he will still be found standing in the Rivet City Market all day. A new security chief will appear and say that Harkness is gone, even when she is standing right next to him. (sometimes Harkness and the bodies of Zimmer and his guard disappear from Rivet City if you chose to get both rewards)
 * If you obtain the chip and give it to Dr. Zimmer, then the new security chief will appear even if you have not discovered that Harkness is in fact the android.
 * After first getting the quest from Zimmer and talking to Doctor Preston, going back to Zimmer may add dialogue options that mention a few pieces of technology without even really having done any research. Doing so will allow you to bypass finding the holotapes completely by talking to Doc Church in Megaton. He will have a new dialogue option in which you can ask about a piece of technology pertaining to the android. The quest will update and you can then talk to Pinkerton about Harkness.
 * If you complete this quest by receiving both the A3-21 Plasma Rifle and the Wired Reflexes perk, Three Dog will never comment on your completion of the quest regardless of your karma choice.

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