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 the player character by Dr. Zimmer in Rivet City, who tasks the Lone Wanderer 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 the player character to stop asking so many questions and later tells them about an android who thinks he is 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 with 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 Lone Wanderer one of the android's recordings and tells them that similar tapes were sent to almost every doctor in the Wastelands.

The Railroad
At any time during this quest (including underwater), one 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 Vargas are also members of the Railroad. She asks the player character to tell Dr. Zimmer that the android is dead, and gives them a piece of his body to support the claim. If the quest has not been started yet (e.g. the holotapes have been obtained, but not viewed), it will then begin. After receiving the android component, one can simply end the quest by giving it to Zimmer. However, the reward for taking this path is small compared to the other two endings' rewards. If the player character does 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 them, even after completing the quest using any other method.

Looking for Pinkerton
After obtaining the third clue, A free man... a new man..., the Wanderer learns 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.

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 Lone Wanderer to swim a moderate distance through irradiated water. If this mission is put off until a Lockpick skill of 100 is met, then the long route may be bypassed; without the required Lockpick skill swimming is the only option. 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 possible before falling through the floor to the water. No damage is taken, and fewer rads.

Note: The door can be unlocked from the inside, and locked (Easy) for a small amount of XP, using the switch.

Head to the back of the marketplace to a door outside, where one should be facing the broken bow. Drop into the water and swim down to the right, where there should be an opening with a door. On the other side is a flooded hallway, so swim quickly forward and surface for air. Assuming one came straight through the door and are now in the middle facing away from it, there will be a tunnel/hall to the 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 that was 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. Several traps, mines, and leveled mirelurks protect this section of the broken ship.

When the player character 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' 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 them the password to his terminal downstairs; the information from the terminal can be downloaded to one's Pip-Boy as proof to Harkness who will want to see it. Harkness can be confronted directly about this even if the terminal entry hasn't been read.

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.

The decision
There are now several possible courses of action which will complete the quest:


 * Quick Reward:
 * 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 complete the quest. Note: If this is done, the Lone Wanderer cannot obtain the Wired Reflexes perk. To obtain A3-21's plasma rifle as a reward, they must talk to Harkness first (see below). Afterward, Dr. Zimmer can be spoken to and given the component.


 * Good-only Reward:
 * Speak to Harkness and convince him that he is an android. There are several options to choose from in the conversation, but only the final two matters. Regardless of the choices made, A3-21's plasma rifle and +200 Karma will be received (unless convinced to go with Zimmer) as a reward.
 * If told his secret is safe with the player character, 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 is going to do about Zimmer, then Harkness will state his intentions to kill Zimmer. They 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 one 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 they 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 Lone Wanderer 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 they 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.


 * Evil-only Reward:
 * Tell Dr. Zimmer the android's human name and reveal the code to uncover the buried memories. The player character 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 one had told Harkness his secret was safe with them, then they 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.


 * Maximum Reward:
 * 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, offer to kill Zimmer. Harkness will hand the Lone Wanderer his trusty A3-21's plasma rifle and the player character will earn good Karma. Then, reveal to Zimmer that Harkness is the android, which gives bad Karma (offset by the previously earned good Karma, unless one was at or near max Karma) and earns the Lone Wanderer the Wired Reflexes perk. One 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 name may also be a reference to the character Naomi Armitage, an android from the 1995 cyberpunk anime series Armitage III. Another reference is Jake Armitage, the main character from the SNES game Shadowrun (1993) adapted from a fantasy-futurist TRPG of the same name (1989). This same character also appears as an NPC on the 2013 PC game Shadowrun Returns.
 * Much of the information introduced in the quest (such as synths, the Railroad and the Institute) is later explored in Fallout 4.

Bugs

 * If one chooses to give Zimmer the component after talking to Watts, then the Lone Wanderer will never find out that Harkness is the android and the quest is permanently in the quest list as unfinished.
 * Alternatively, if one gives Zimmer the component, then they can still talk to Pinkerton to find out that Harkness is the android. If the player talks to Harkness afterward, then they will get the dialogue option to tell him "Zimmer thought you were an android, don't worry, I set him straight though." Harkness will respond with shock and relief. However it is not possible to progress in the quest any further, nor can one obtain his plasma rifle.
 * Although Harkness says that he is leaving after giving them 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 one chose to get both rewards.)
 * If the chip is obtained and given it to Dr. Zimmer, then the new security chief will appear even if one has 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 one to bypass finding the holotapes completely by talking to Doc Church in Megaton. He will have a new dialogue option in which the player can ask about a piece of technology pertaining to the android. The quest will update and the Wanderer can then talk to Pinkerton about Harkness.
 * There is a chance Watts will spawn in Megaton instead of Rivet City.