The modified FEV is a quest item in Fallout 3.
Background[]
The sealed vial contains a modified strain of the Forced Evolutionary Virus developed by Enclave president John Henry Eden around 2277, based on the earlier FEV Curling-13 strain used by the Chemical Corps in 2241. Eden intended for it to be placed into the water purification system making up the core of Project Purity beneath the Jefferson Memorial, acting on his altered version of pre-War classified plans made by the former US government that allegedly never came to fruition.[1]
According to President Eden, the virus is designed to only target the physiology of super mutants, ghouls, and all other "unclean" citizens, namely anyone who had been born in the wasteland and exposed to its environmental radiation and other mutational effects from birth. The only people who would supposedly be able to survive the infection are members of the Enclave and those who were born in the Vaults.[2]
By 2277, due to Eden's dissatisfaction with Colonel Autumn's shaky commitment to his plan, after the Lone Wanderer is captured in Vault 87 and brought to the Enclave's stronghold of Raven Rock, he arranges a private meeting with them and offers them the vial in the hopes that they will use it to contaminate Project Purity and purge the wasteland of its mutated inhabitants.[3]
Effects[]
While in the base game of Fallout 3, the effects of using the modified FEV are only implied during the ending slide, during the events of the add-on Broken Steel, set two weeks after the activation of Project Purity, they are shown in full. if the player character decided to contaminate the purifier with the modified FEV, what President Eden said of its capabilities is confirmed as accurate and the FEV proves to be completely lethal to the wasteland at large.
The medical facility of every city in the Capital Wasteland (excluding Tenpenny Tower and Paradise Falls) is filled with new patients dying from FEV infection. Commonly, they clutch at their stomachs and make claims along the lines of "it burns on the inside." According to both Doctor Preston and Doctor Barrows, the FEV specifically targets the immune system of infected individuals, which in turn makes them vulnerable to other diseases. Moreover, this occurs in both humans and ghouls, despite the latter's documented immunity to most typical diseases.[4][5] Along with affecting the immune system, the FEV is also shown to severely weaken individuals both physically and mentally until they expire, likely from total organ failure.[6] The modified FEV is also completely undetectable by any kind of standardized medical test, meaning there's no possible way to screen water sources for infection as it only comes back as clean, purified water.[7][8] The disease is contained to only those that have ingested infected water as the transmission of FEV is impossible from physical contact or bodily fluids. In Rivet City, Dr. Preston comments that they are burning the corpses just to be safe.[4]
Due to the transmission method used, the spread of FEV is contained to only bottles of Aqua Pura and the waters of the Tidal Basin. However, one can infer that, eventually, the FEV-infected water would flow out of the Tidal Basin, into the Potomac River, and affect all sources of potable water in the Capital Wasteland if left unchecked.
Related quests[]
Notes[]
- With Broken Steel, if the Lone Wanderer drinks four successive bottles of Aqua Pura after having completed Project Impurity and inserting the modified FEV, it kills them. This is because the Lone Wanderer, despite growing up in a vault, was born in the Jefferson Memorial, and is therefore not immune to its effects, which Eden was unaware of.
- It is not possible to leave President Eden's room during The American Dream unless one has retrieved the modified FEV from Eden's console.
- The quest item uses the world model of an empty Nuka-Cola bottle as a placeholder. As a quest item, it can never be dropped normally to see it.
- During Take it Back!, when speaking to Elder Lyons, the player character has the option to reveal they have the vial of FEV and give it to him, gaining a significant amount of Karma. With Broken Steel, if not given to Lyons, the item will be removed from the inventory if Project Purity is activated and it's not used to sabotage the purifier.
- With Broken Steel, should one have completed the unmarked quest Project Impurity by going through with using the modified FEV during Take it Back!, Curie III mentions that she was able to neutralize the FEV infection in the Aqua Pura drunk by the Children of Atom by exposing it to high levels of radiation.[9]
The miscellaneous item exists in the code of Fallout: New Vegas as legacy content.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ The Lone Wanderer: "Where did this plan of yours come from?"
John Henry Eden: "A great many years ago, the remnants of the government had a similar idea. I can only assume the plan failed, as I never heard word of its success. But the plan itself was sound. I've made a few modifications, and with your help, I do believe it can work. There's a bright future ahead of us, my young friend."
(John Henry Eden's dialogue) - ↑ The Lone Wanderer: "Won't this kill pretty much everyone in the Wasteland?"
John Henry Eden: "Anyone or anything that has been affected by mutation will be eliminated. You will likely be immune, thanks to your upbringing in the vault. Likewise, the good people of the Enclave will be unaffected as well. I understand that you may have become sympathetic to certain individuals in your travels. Individuals this will eliminate. Please recognize that the fate of our entire country rests on this plan. Sacrifices must be made for the greater good."
(John Henry Eden's dialogue) - ↑ Events of The American Dream in Fallout 3
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Lone Wanderer: "Doc, it's crowded in your clinic. Something going around I should worry about?"
Preston: "Oh no... I'm fairly certain it's not contagious. Though, we are burning the bodies of the deceased, just in case... I just wish I knew how to treat these people. It's like their immune system is killing them. I don't know what to do about it!"
(Preston's dialogue) Note: This is the response given should the player have completed the quest Project Impurity by infecting the water supply with modified FEV. - ↑ The Lone Wanderer: "Full house today, Doc. What's wrong with everybody?"
Barrows: "I don't know yet. Some kind of virus that attacks the body on a cellular level. I've never seen anything like it. It's strange, because Ghouls are immune to almost any known disease."
(Barrows' dialogue) Note: This is the response given should the player have completed the quest Project Impurity by infecting the water supply with modified FEV. - ↑ If the Lone Wanderer drinks four bottles of Aqua Pura infected with the modified FEV, they suffer increasingly negative effects (that are temporary) such as loss of Strength and Intelligence until the fourth and last bottle that kills them.
- ↑ The Lone Wanderer: "Something going around, Doc? The clinic seems pretty full today."
Church: "There's something going around, all right, but it isn't anything I've ever seen before. Definitely not contagious. Maybe something in the water, but that seems unlikely since I've tested it and this is the cleanest water we've ever had. Be damned ironic if we were so used to the crap we've been drinking that actual pure water was killing us."
(Church's dialogue) Note: This is the response given should the player have completed the quest Project Impurity by infecting the water supply with modified FEV. - ↑ The Lone Wanderer: "What's with all the patients? You seem busier than usual."
Church: "I have no idea how to help these people and it's really taken the shine off my normally sunny disposition. So unless you have an actual medical problem, maybe you could stop distracting me from my work."
(Church's dialogue) Note: This is the response given should the player have completed the quest Project Impurity by infecting the water supply with modified FEV. - ↑ The Lone Wanderer: "How do you make your "holy water"?"
Curie III: "It was a gift from Atom. I was meditating right here in Springvale, when four of His armored angels came to me. When I said I was from Megaton, they gave me barrels of "Aqua Pura," and said I should share it with my people. They were very clear on that. But when I shared some with my Enlightened brethren, it made them terribly ill. I questioned why Atom had brought a pestilence upon us. That's when I thought to consecrate it with Atom's Light. And lo and behold, it removed the pestilence and made the finest holy water imaginable!"
(Curie III's dialogue) Note: This is the response given should the player have completed the quest Project Impurity by infecting the water supply with modified FEV.