Rex Meacham

Doctor Rex Meacham was the lead scientist of the Nuka-Cola Corporation's Beverageer Division before the Great War.

Background
Meacham had a close relationship with his subordinate Dr. Ruth Leavitt, who idolized him. Before their falling-out, the pair even stayed at the Mountainside Bed & Breakfast in Appalachia for a time.

Tired of dabbling with soft drinks, Meacham yearned to work on world-changing matters. When John-Caleb Bradberton (affectionately called J.C. by Meacham) formed a partnership with the U.S. military through General C. Braxton to develop chemical weapons, Meacham jumped at the opportunity without consulting the rest of his team, sucking up to Bradberton. They were provided with a cutting-edge laboratory built into the foundations of the Nuka-Cola bottling plant, with a dedicated reactor and living quarters. Despite setbacks, the Beverageers under Meacham were able to come up with the first fruits of Project Cobalt: the Nuka-nuke and a new flavor of Nuka-Cola; Nuka-Cola Quantum, created by Meacham from the same isotope used for the former.

However, the project's military applications did not sit well with Leavitt, who viewed Meacham's actions as a betrayal of the Beverageers' ideals. This was a major loss for the project, as her expertise was second to none; Dr. Edmund Medford was the closest, but his skill level was still far below hers. To appease Leavitt, Meacham placed her in charge of further developing the isotope behind Nuka-Cola Quantum. However, as the Beverageers continued to focus on Project Cobalt, Leavitt refused to stay in Nuka-Cola's employ, declaring her resignation at the end of October. When Bradberton learned of her intent from Meacham, he was furious, and used his connections to have Leavitt blacklisted from the industry.

Meacham and his colleagues tried to convince Leavitt to stay, Meacham resorting to intimidation, and kept trying until the Great War struck on October 23, 2077. Bradberton activated his panic button, engaging the automated safety systems and leaving all four Beverageers trapped within the lab. Within a few weeks, isolation took its toll on the research team, and Medford was the first to break under the strain, hanging himself in his dormitory room. His death shocked his colleagues, who each responded differently. Meacham brushed it off, considering Medford's suicide an act of weakness. Dr. Kevin Bennell instead tried to escape into his work and avoid confronting his fears. Lastly, Leavitt angrily contested Meacham, their relationship quickly deteriorating, and eventually attempted to leave the lab (despite further attempts at appeasement by Bennell) and was instead killed by Meacham for doing so, to the shock of Bennell. Outside, he was calm and collected. Inside, Meacham was falling apart, guilt eating away at his murder of a woman he secretly loved.

A full year passed as he and Bennell continued to work on Project Cobalt, Meacham believing the country's victory depended on the project's completion. In October 2078, Bennell put his escape plan in motion and fled through the reactor overflow pipe. Meacham was psychotic at this point and pursued Bennell into the reactor, opening fire and managing to mortally wound him. Meacham stayed behind, continuing his work and descending into lunacy. In the end, he finished the project but perished awaiting rescue by military forces that no longer existed, having been fatally poisoned by radiation during his pursuit of Bennell.

His remains can still be found in the Nuka-Cola bottling plant's secret lab in 2287.

Appearances
Rex Meacham's skeleton appears only in the Fallout 4 add-on Nuka-World. He is also mentioned in Fallout 76.

Behind the scenes
Rex Meacham's name is an amalgamation of the names of Cal Meacham, the main character of the 1955 science fiction movie This Island Earth, and the actor that portrays him, Rex Reason. He shares this trait with his fellow secure beverageer scientists.