The Power of the Atom

 is a Fallout 3 quest. It is also an Xbox 360 and PC achievement.

Objectives and walkthrough
This quest is given to you by Sheriff Lucas Simms (who wants you to disarm the the nuclear bomb in the middle of Megaton) or by Mister Burke (who wants you to help him detonate it, as his employer, Allistair Tenpenny, considers it a blight on the landscape of the Capital Wasteland). Burke can be found in Moriarty's Saloon in Megaton casually sitting in the corner.

If you warn Simms of Burke's plan, Simms will attempt to arrest him. One of two things can happen. As Simms turns to lead Burke to jail, Burke pulls a silenced 10mm Pistol on him. If you don't act fast, Simms is killed, and although you can kill Burke afterwards, he says his friends will avenge him. If you are quick enough, you can kill Burke as soon as he pulls out his gun. To do this, be ready to enter VATS the instant Burke draws and try to take him out in one shot; if it takes two shots, Burke can still kill Simms. However, if Lucas Simms dies you can still complete the quest by talking with his son, Harden Simms, after disarming the bomb. You can kill Burke after speaking to him, without talking to Simms first, killing him will result in good karma and you can avoid risking Simms.

Afterwards, you gain Karma, and Simms (if he survives) thanks you for watching his back. If you play as a female character and have the Black Widow perk you can seduce Burke into getting another person to do the job and taking you out of the city; he will even send you love letters.

Rig Megaton's atomic bomb to explode
To do it, you have to put a Fusion Pulse Charge given to you by Burke inside the bomb. Your Explosives skill must be 25 or higher for you to attempt it; Mentats can be used to boost your statistic. Note, it is advisable to get the Strength Bobble Head from Lucas Simms' home before you detonate the bomb.

It has been confirmed that the Japanese version of Fallout 3 does not have this quest; Mr. Burke will not appear and the player cannot get the Fusion Pulse Charge. The only options are to disarm the nuke or ignore it.

The reason it is not in the Japanese version is because it is considered culturally insensitive to remind people of a time when their cities were bombed, especially since people continue to suffer radiation poisoning effects to this day.

Report to Mister Burke in Tenpenny Tower
After rigging the bomb, meet Burke at Tenpenny Tower, which is southwest of Megaton. There you can observe the explosion from a safe distance together with Burke and Tenpenny.

Mr. Burke will give player the privilege to push the button to detonate the bomb. Doing so instantly gives the player a Karma of -1000, the lowest possible value in the game.

If the Lone Wanderer helps Roy Phillips take over Tenpenny Tower in the quest Tenpenny Tower prior to completing Power of the Atom, Lone Wanderer may still complete Power of the Atom. When you return to the top floor penthouse, you will stumble onto Roy Phillips and Mr. Burke having a conversation. Roy is intimidated by Mr. Burke and the fact that he made his way to the top floor. Roy agrees with Burke on the matter of blowing up Megaton and also states that he could use a man like Burke, thus Burke begins a new partnership with Roy Phillips.

Disarm Megaton's atomic bomb
Lucas Simms wants you to disarm Megaton's bomb. Your Explosives skill must be at least 25 to attempt this. If you are successful you get a cash reward and the keys to your own Megaton shack. The cash reward is usually 100 caps, but with a successful use of your speech skill on Lucas (before you actually disarm the bomb) you can talk him into 500 caps instead.

By equipping the Raider Blastmaster Helmet (+5 to skill) and/or using Mentats (+5 to PE, which results in a +10 to skill) it's possible to disarm the bomb even with minimal base skill.

As a result of disarming the bomb, Talon Company mercenaries hired by Mr. Burke will randomly appear to kill you.

To get some Mentats, go and find Leo Stahl. He is at the Water Processing Plant during the night. If you successfully use Speech on him, he will give his stash away for free.

You can also find Mentats in the Vault 101 Overseer office.

You can also buy Mentats at Craterside Supply.