Doctor Mobius

Doctor Mobius is a think tank operating in the Big MT in 2281. He is the leader of the robo-scorpion army and nemesis of Dr. Klein and his team.

Background
Doctor Mobius was one of the Big MT "Think Tank" executives before the Great War. Sometime after the War, he became a think tank in order to continue his work at Big MT. Like the others, he forgot a part of his personality and his real name, due to the recursion loop in their new perception programming.

After the escape of the cazadores and nightstalkers, Mobius became disillusioned with the methods of the other think tanks. He grew tired of the endless and horrible experimentation, and was deeply afraid of the damage the amoral and psychosis-ridden think tanks would wreak upon the fragile, post-apocalyptic world in the name of science. He erected a radar fence - a kind of radar-guided repulsive field - around the perimeter of Big MT to prevent the disembodied brains from escaping into the wasteland.

After a severe dispute with Klein, Mobius removed all the chips of all personalities of The Sink; his room and personal laboratory, and against their will, hacked the data banks of his colleagues, reprogramming their chronometers, geometers and cartography programs, making them lose their sense of history, time and the world beyond Big MT. He also actively fostered the false notions that robo-scorpions are somehow able to consume intelligence from brains, fueling the Think Tanks' fear of leaving Big MT's central dome, he was exiled for crimes too heinous to remain in recorded memory, and a belief that Big MT is the world, and nothing exists out of Big MT. However in the process, it also damaged some of their memories and knowledge, leaving mangled, disjointed versions of themselves. Disgusted to have done this to his friends, he also erased some sections of his memory, like this event and his pre-War creation, the robo-scorpion.

Afterward, Mobius moved to the X-42 robo-warfare facility (which he renamed the "Forbidden Zone") and began to "re-create" the robo-scorpion after seeing some radscorpions coming into Big MT, with all features of the pre-War model as energy bolts blaster in the tail, eyes and bullhorns systems connected to him. Now with a proper army, Mobius decided that without something to distract the other think tanks, the radar fence would eventually become insufficient to contain them. He began to send repetitive, threatening broadcasts, instilling fear and prompting the think tanks to focus on retrieving technologies with which to defend themselves against Mobius. With the remaining think tanks restricted to central dome because of the fear instilled in them by Mobius, the Big MT fell mostly silent.

Although not originally aggressive in his intentions, Mobius' own behavior seems to have degraded over the years, likely in part due to an increasingly serious addiction to Mentats and Psycho. By 2281, he had not only lost the functionality of his right 'eye' monitor, but also began to suffer from short term memory loss, hallucinations and obsessive-compulsive behavior. Although his plan had been mostly successful, the recent arrival of Father Elijah, Christine and Ulysses from the Mojave has caused the curiosity of the think tanks to begin pushing beyond the boundaries he had set for them.

The arrival of the Courier, and the subsequent survival of their lobotomy, proved to be the last straw. Mobius unleashed a fresh wave of robo-scorpions and announced his false intention to finish the other think tanks off once and for all, whilst subliminally suggesting to them that various technologies around the Big MT would help them against him. These technologies - a sonic emitter, an X-2 antenna and a Stealth suit Mk II - are actually all the components required to rehouse a brain inside a body. Eventually, the Courier defeated the X-42 giant robo-scorpion, entered the Forbidden Dome, and a confrontation ensued.

Quests

 * Old World Blues: You are to go to Mobius' lair and either kill him or reason with him.

Other interactions

 * He will offer the Courier a Mentat upon interacting with him through dialogue, once per 24 hours.
 * If you have consumed alcohol and Mobius asks you if you would like a Mentat you may turn it down saying you would rather avoid mixing it with alcohol.
 * If you are already addicted to a drug when he asks you if you want some Mentats you can refuse stating you are tripping as it is already.

Notable quotes

 * "I see you. Now, I end you." nvdlc03gen attack 00015edb 1.ogg
 * "Stop that! you'll damage the hull"
 * "Well, there's many things they have forgotten sitting in their bowls. Friendship. The thrill of discovery. Love. Masturbation. The usual."
 * "You're really quiet difficult to ignore, you know. It's because you're... well, bah! Rather intriguing, if you don't mind an old brain for saying so."
 * "Would you care for a Mentat?"
 * "I'm not sure except that I'm sure there's a very good raisin for it. I have very good raisins for almost everything I do."

Appearances
Mobius appears only in the Fallout: New Vegas add-on Old World Blues.

Behind the scenes

 * Mobius was inspired by Dr. Edward Morbius, the antagonist in the 1956 science fiction film Forbidden Planet, as well as the name of his base was inspired by the name of the film. He also references it in dialogue.
 * His name is also a reference to the Möbius strip or Möbius Band, a 3D object which topologically has only one side. The challenge to dress in his apparel is also called "Mobius strip."
 * Mobius can say sometimes "Mmmmmm Men-thats" calling Mentats "Menthats", it's a reference to "Mmmm (object)" of Homer Simpson in the 1989 animated sitcom The Simpsons.
 * The 'Murderous gang of thugs' that he said once went looking for a spine, a heart, and a brain, but had them all along is a reference to Frank L. Baum's book The Wizard of Oz. The thugs refer to The Tin Man, The Scarecrow, and The Cowardly Lion.
 * If the player character has taken the Wild Wasteland trait, Mobius will mention keeping several "Plan 9s in place". This is a reference to the cult-classic, 1959 science fiction/horror film "Plan 9 From Outer Space", written and directed by the infamous Edward D. Wood Jr.
 * Dr. Mobius bares remarkable similarities to doctor Walter Bishop from the television show "Fringe". Both have a quirky disposition, recreational addiction to an array of powerful drugs, mistakes with word usage, and regrets over mistakes they have made leading to removal/repression of memories, though many are accessible through memory tricks. Even Dr. Mobius' human appearance is nearly identical to Dr. Bishop's while in St. Claire's Mental Institution at the beginning of the series.

Bugs

 * If you talk to Mobius after defeating the giant robo-scorpion, you may be forced into killing him, as you can only end the conversation with "enough, I came here to kill you." This can be avoided if the player has a repair skill of 75, permitting the player to repair the "ghosting" in his optical sensors. This will open up the conversation to leave him be without killing him. However, the player can still kill Mobius if they so choose.