X-8: High School Horror!

X-8: High School Horror! is a side quest in the Fallout: New Vegas add-on Old World Blues. After completing the quest, the player is awarded with the Spinal-Tapped achievement.

Detailed walkthrough
The Courier should make their way to the X-8 research center and use the terminal to the left of the locked door. Initially, there will only be the "Basic Institutional Data Test Retrieval" test available. The player character is required to collect three sets of data from the facility, as if they were a communist spy. Select the test when ready and make your way inside.

Upon entering, the facility appears to be an American high school, created by Doctor Borous. Borous will guide the player through the loudspeaker, giving directions on where to go. First head through the right door, being mindful of the turrets that guard the halls. Go through the classroom door across the hall, and look for the terminal on the wall near where you came in. You can use this to deactivate the turret or reconfigure its targeting parameters.

Opening the door in this room leads into the next classroom, where the player will find cyberdogs and a turret on guard. The terminal located on the teacher's desk will allow you to access the first data file. The next data file is in the Library, which is down the hall to the left. Make your way there and prepare to deal with the cyberdogs guarding the room. The terminal can be found in the far left corner of the room. If you use the sonic emitter to shut down the force field above the library, the turret above will fall and explode.

Head through the exit on the opposite side of the Library, and look on the wall for the door marked "Stairs". Head upstairs, being mindful of the turrets that guard the second floor. Accessing the terminal in the room will allow the player to shut off the turrets. Heading past the balcony and toward the gym, you will find the final terminal guarded by cyberdogs. Accessing this terminal will allow you to complete the test.

Upon accessing the data, however, two cyberdogs will appear at the exit to the facility down the hall. Leaving the facility completes the basic test and opens up the intermediate test, which is the same test with added enemies. Completing the intermediate test opens up the final test, which will utilize force fields which cover doorways and increased security. Also, the locations of the data terminals will have changed. The player will need to have fully upgraded the sonic emitter to complete the final test. Completing all tests will complete the mission.

Activate the terminal, and select "Residential Guard Test". Go through the door, and you will enter into a large yard with several burial sites and Gabe, a very large cyberdog, who will then proceed to attack if he detects you. Glitches have been reported, in which the outside won't load upon opening the upstairs exit.

The audio sample "Gabriel's Bark" can be found in one of the burial sites; exactly which site is randomly determined when you enter the room. Be warned, especially if you have chosen to spare Gabe's life: obtaining the audio sample will cause four robo-scorpions to spawn, attacking and quickly overwhelming Gabe without the player's intervention. If this route is chosen, the player will then have to flee from Gabe. Alternately, the player may exit the area before the robo-scorpions have a chance to kill Gabe.

If you decide to kill Gabe, a timer will start counting down (roughly 10 seconds). Just prior to the countdown reaching zero, he will detonate. The resulting explosion has a blast radius and damage that is roughly the equivalent of a mini nuke. You still can loot Gabe after the explosion if you are fast enough.

Dr. Borous will react differently depending on what choice the player makes here on whether or not to kill Gabe, though this has little effect other than changing a single dialogue option.