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.

After the escape of the cazadores and night stalkers, 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 scientists would wreak upon the fragile, post-apocalyptic world in the name of Science.

Mobius voiced these concerns with Klein and they had a falling out, resulting in Mobius being exiled from The Think Tank; furthermore, Klein removed all the chips of all personalities of The Sink (Mobius' room and personal laboratory) The Courier: "I'll head out, then, and be back with these... things." Klein: "WELL. GOOD. WHAT ARE THE TOKEN WORDS SPOKEN IN THIS CASE... UH... "THANK YOU?" YES - THANK. YOU." Dala: "Wait, is it leaving? Uh, but... eh, Dr. Klein, the Lobotomite will need rest. Recuperation. Things like that. I volunteer my chambers so it might be stared at, my monitor radars slowly scanning its form to collect sensitive data." Borous: "-NO! That would put it too CLOSE to us! It could press BUTTONS, turn lights ON and OFF, and worse, let OTHER Lobotomites in!-" 0: ''"* We could give it Mobius' old room. It's where its brain got scooped out anyway, and plus, some of its parts are already there.* *Might be more comforting for it to hang out with its spine and heart. Home is where the heart is, after all. See what I did there? Went literal.*" Klein: "I SUPPOSE. WE'LL HAVE TO MOVE THAT COUCH OUT OF THERE, BEEN PUTTING THAT OFF TOO LONG." 8: "@@[$((*&^#%]@@." 0: "*8 says let the Lobotomite take the Sink Central Intelligence Personality Chip and re-install it.* *That stuffy Mobius-programmed butt-ler can walk the Lobotomite, feed it, barter with it for us.*" Dala: "It would also prevent it from going to Higgs Village and taking up residence there. With my teddy bears. And it would be nice to have it so... close." Klein: "YOUR LOGIC COMBINED WITH MY DESIRE TO KEEP THE THINK TANK LOBOTOMITE-FREE HAS SWAYED ME. HERE, I PRESENT THE SINK CENTRAL "INTELLIGENCE." LOBOTOMITE, TAKE THIS CHIP TO THE SINK. PLUG IT IN, AND MAKE SURE THE CHIP IS CLEAN, OR IT COULD SKIP. THEN MAKE WHATEVER CRUDE BIOLOGIC DEMANDS YOU NEED OF THE SINK. IT WILL CATER TO MOST OF YOUR HORMONAL WHIMS."'' (Klein's, Dala's, Borous, 0's, and 8's dialogue) and flung them over the balcony, ridding the Think Tank of all things that belonged to the exiled Mobius. Mobius 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.

However, he realized the radar fence would not be enough to keep them in Big MT. So, against their will, Mobius remotely 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 to the point that they now believe Big MT is the world and nothing exists beyond its mountainous boundary. He went even further and accessed more personal information, reprogramming their own names to be part of a recursion loop to lock up the Think Tank's processors; he even left hints of this recursion in their new cyclical names. In the process of making these alterations though, he also damaged some of their memories and knowledge, leaving only mangled, disjointed versions behind. Disgusted to have done this to his friends, he also erased some sections of his own memory, like this event and his pre-War creation, the robo-scorpion, before exiling himself. Like the others, he forgot a part of his personality and his real name, due to the recursion loop in their new perception programming.

Afterward, Mobius moved to the X-42 robo-warfare facility (which he dubbed the "Forbidden Zone") and began to "recreate" the robo-scorpion, inspired by radscorpions that had wandered into Big MT. These new versions included all features of the pre-War model, such as an energy bolt blaster in the tail, highly sensitive robotic eyes, and communication systems connected directly to his stronghold. Now in possession of 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 sending repetitive, threatening broadcasts, laced with false notions that robo-scorpions were somehow able to consume intelligence from brains, fueling the Think Tanks' fear of leaving Big MT's central dome. This also served to further distract them from their experiments, as it prompted the think tanks to focus on retrieving technologies with which to defend themselves instead, which kept them occupied and unable to escape the crater. With the remaining think tanks trapped in the central dome by their exaggerated fear of 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, his body had become severely damaged, partially rusted, and his right "eye" monitor smashed. He also began to suffer from short term memory loss, hallucinations, and obsessive-compulsive behavior. Although his plan had been ultimately 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 off the other think tanks once and for all. Mobius stole The Courier's brain because it possessed the knowledge of a successful brain extraction, which would be able to replicate the procedure. However, Mobius subliminally suggested to the Think Tank 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 and allow the body to leave Big MT. Eventually, the Courier defeated the X-42 giant robo-scorpion, entered the Forbidden Dome, and confronted Mobius.

Quests

 * Welcome to the Big Empty: Mobius interrupts your conversation with the Think Tank and threatens them with robo scorpions.
 * 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.

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."
 * 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 Cowardly Lion, The Tin Man, and The Scarecrow respectively.
 * 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.
 * The song Dr. Mobius occasionally sings in his lab ("Electron's attached to the... neutron. The neutron's attached to the... meson. Meson's connected to the... proton") is a parody of the spiritual song Dem Bones, also called Dry Bones.

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.

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