Harpers Ferry Clinic

The Harpers Ferry Clinic is an unmarked location in the town of Harpers Ferry in the Mire region of Appalachia in 2103.

Background
Before the Great War, the clinic served as a testing site for Med-Tek's Sympto-Matic, being installed in the clinic basement during the fall of 2076. The technician testing the Sympto-Matic was concerned that Med-Tek would face lawsuits over issues with the device, including the complete severing of a patient's limb, but was convinced that these problems were just a "rocky start." By March of 2077, the technician expressed confidence in the success of the Sympto-Matic, as it could treat broken bones, airborne viruses, and lacerations with ease. They also installed fusion batteries inside the Sympto-Matic, which let the device continue operation even after the clinic lost power. After a year of testing, the technician expressed pride in the work that had been achieved, believing that Med-Tek should roll out the Sympto-Matic immediately. The technician was surprised that the clinic staff were not afraid of the Sympto-Matic taking their jobs, with the head doctor being glad that he no longer had to be on call for twenty-four hours a day.

After the bombs dropped, the clinic was left abandoned for a time, even as the amount of people seeking medical attention rose. When the Free States arrived in Harpers Ferry to assist in rebuilding efforts, Ella Ames helped restore the clinic into working order. Lucy Harwick, Martha Clay, Mayor Miranda Vox, and even (an admittedly reluctant) Abigayle Singh assisted with repairing the clinic. While commandeering an old terminal on the second floor of the clinic, Ella discovered an entry that reminded the pre-War clinic staff to no longer serve the Carson family, headed by Free States member Caleb Carson. She found it ironic that the people of Harpers Ferry distrusted the Free States before the Great War, but now the Free States were helping them rebuild and saving their lives.

After ghoulification was first observed in Harpers Ferry, Ella and the new clinic staff began investigating its causes and performing autopsies. Her first encounter with a feral ghoul resulted in her killing the creature and performing an autopsy at the clinic, where she expressed despair realizing that these ferals were once human, in particular being distraught by a note she found from the ghoul's loving mother. She established contact with Maria Chavez of the Responders in Morgantown to ask for their help in researching ghoulification. These autopsies continued for some time, with a seemingly endless amount of feral bodies being brought into the clinic for research. However, they largely avoided glowing ones, due to their realization that dangerous amounts of radiation had essentially replaced their immune systems. Abigayle Singh left the clinic around this time - she could no longer stomach the work, and she was confident that the Responders could fill the gap she was leaving.

With research continuing on ghouls, a few denizens of Harpers Ferry began to claim that some of these ghouls were still sentient and could talk. Because they had only encountered feral ghouls thus far, there was some doubt, but others began to back up these claims. Ella asked Duncan McKann to attempt to capture one of these "chatty" ghouls, or to at least bring back its body, for research. These theories were confirmed when Daniel Whitby became sick, and instead of going to the clinic, was closely monitored by Lucy Harwick. According to Ella, "all hell broke loose" when townspeople discovered that Lucy had hidden Daniel away because he was experiencing ghoulification, and she was trying to find a cure. Daniel was not feral, though his skin had "pruned," affirming that "friendly" ghouls existed. Lucy later fled Harpers Ferry and Daniel was transferred to the clinic for quarantine.

Lucy Harwick became a ghoul herself and organized a group of ghouls attempting to survive against the prejudice they faced, though they were later killed by Duncan McKann's hunting party. Ella's reaction to this is unknown, though she continued research into her other projects, such as RadShield. Ella died at some point prior to 2102, and the clinic, much like the rest of Harpers Ferry, was once again abandoned with the increase of Scorched attacks on the town in the 2080s.

Layout
The clinic is a two-story building in the center of town, identified by the blue neon "CLINIC" sign above the front door and the 126 street address. The first floor contains a reception desk and, to the left, a treatment room. The second floor has some offices and the terminal of Ella Ames.

The basement of the clinic contains many chems and containers to loot, as well as a supply closet. There is a maglocked door controlled by a nearby wall-mounted terminal which, when opened, leads into a secure room with a non-functional Sympto-Matic and the Med-Tek Sympto-Matic terminal. It also contains several stretchers and consoles with assorted loot. A locked safe (Picklock 3) is on the wall next to the desk with the Sympto-Matic terminal.

Notable loot

 * Letter of resignation - Note, on a desk on the second floor.
 * A significant number of chems can be found in the basement of the clinic.

Appearances
The Harpers Ferry Clinic appears only