User:Subject 618

=Subject 618= In a general sense, a subject is any person unlucky enough to get caught on the wrong end of an anal probe or any other method of scientific analysis.

Subject 618 did not appear nor was mentioned in any of the published games, but had a hand in orchestrating nearly every major event in the Fallout universe without his, or anyone elses', knowledge. It is relatively certain that he will not appear in any future Fallout games, but may nontheless appear in the as yet tentative Fallout: Resource Wars as the only NPC to ever be seen using a toilet for its intended purpose.

The Resource Wars (2052 CE)
Although Ireland managed to retain its neutrality throughout the war, many scientists were drafted into the irish military in order to work on discovering an alternative energy supply. Among them was 24 year old Dr. Nicholas Grimm, a highly incompetent quantum physicist with a peculiar passion for tart cherry juice and dissecting squid. Believing that his field of study had no practical value in the project, the other scientists soon excluded him from discussions, and so Dr. Grimm began his own project whilst continuing to take advantage of the military's resourses. During July of the same year, he single-handedly completed work on his Quantum Wave Calibrator, a device presumably capable of transforming matter without limitation. Upon hearing that the device ran on rainbow power, and after subsequently learning that Dr. Grimm somehow managed to acquire his PhD at a rave party, he was immediately relieved of duty without pay and decidely left for America in search of new opportunities and to escape his prison sentence.

An Irishman In America (2052-2053 CE)
Five days after arriving in Colorado Springs, and after learning that his baggage containing stolen nuclear reasearch paraphenalia had been accidentally sent to Tel Aviv in Irael, Nicholas Grimm was struck down with a severe flu he had picked up while in Ireland and was brought to a hospital outside the city. Around this time the U.S. closed it's borders to the flood of further immigrants, and although plans were made to export Nicholas back to Ireland, his doctors argued that he was too sickly to be moved, and the authorities eventually conceded. Six months later Nichloas woke up to find himself on life support in an abandoned hospital. He learnt from news reports of an outbreak of nuclear warfare spreading from Tel Aviv to the entire Middle East, and also of a new viral infection that had already devastated the area around him. He decided to flee the state of Colorado in case he too should contract this deadly virus. The last thing he needed was another damn flu, especially one that coincidentally produced the exact same symtoms of his own with the exception that it also killed the host.

The Quantum Wave Calibrator (2053-2065 CE)
Nicholas spent the next few years chasing rainbows in order to test his device, but progress was slow due to his inability to drive. He finally caught one in 2060, but after charging and activating the device he found no change in either the structure or density of his Nuka-Cola. Coincidentally, at the same moment that he activated the device, the entire body of oil in the Middle East suddenly evaporated into thin air. The oil workers abandoned the wells allowing the European Commonwealth forces to comandeer them unimpeded. After discovering that the wells had run dry, they also chose to abandon them, marking an end to the Euro-Middle East conflict, and the begining of the inter-European conflict. Nicholas spent the next two months recalibrating his calibrator, and in 2062 managed to harness the power of yet another rainbow. Once again he tested his device, but this time on something he knew would definatey be less radioactive: a box of noodles. As soon as he activated the device hundreds of U.F.O.'s suddenly dropped from the skies around the world, but the governments managed to cover them up and Nicholas was never made aware of this event. Not yet willing to give up, Nicholas attempted to modify the device so as to harness electrical power instead. In the June of 2065 he finally managed to rig a lab in New York with the electronic setup required. Coincidentally, as soon as he activated his device the local nuclear reactor he was dependant on for power nearly went supercritical. In the face of so many setbacks and presumed failures, Nicholas dismantled the device and subsequently decided to leave New York, in part due to impending power rationing.

A Career In The Military (2066-2072 CE)
Unable to return to Ireland due to quarantine restrictions, Nicholas ended up being drafted into the U.S. army during the winter of 2066 after chinese forces invaded Alaska. Due to some exaggerated or otherwise wholly untrue claims on his resumé, he found himself assigned to the U.S.S. Interference, a nuclear submarine, as the new captain. Nicholas soon gained the nickname "Rave-Crave Nick" after introducing his entire crew to the process of amphetamine production using chemicals stored aboard the submarine. Following the accidental nuking of a U.S.S. Missile Cruiser, the Ebon Atoll, by Captain Nick's speed-junkie crew, the U.S. Navy lost track of him along the coast of Alaska. His new amphetamine, soon referred to as Captain Nick's Lucky Trick also made it to the Alaskan shore. Nick only resurfaced in part and only temporarily through DNA analysis in 2072 when his frozen excrement was discovered to be the cause of a blockage in the Alaskan Pipeline. Nick was never made aware of this fact and the information behind the blockage was buried by the U.S. army who claimed it was an intentional sabotage, giving them the excuse they needed to officially annex Canada. By this time Captain Nick's Lucky Trick had spread in popularity and was becoming known in America as "the Nick Trick".

The Rebel Years (2076-2077 CE)
In late January of 2076 a squad of U.S. Power Armour units, after mercilessly carving a swath through the enemy forces, managed to recover a Corporal Nick Grimm from deep within a Canadian terrorist stronghold. He claimed to have been captured over two years ago and presumed dead. Upon arriving in Denver, Corporal Grimm found himself amidst a domestic war between various security forces and rioters and had little choice but to aid in containment efforts on the side of the governement. By August the situation had become too much for the security forces to manage and military units were deployed to aid in the efforts, but even this wasn't enough and martial law was soon implemented. In early December a mob of starved and ferocious rioters managed to storm an isolated military encampment in Denver and freed a captured fellow rioter who called himself "Rave-Crave Nick". He soon became known as the most overly-dressed rioter in the city, donning expensive italian suits and silk ties, and a few months later Nick was promoted to riot leader after claiming to be the cause of a gas leak in a military encampment that left no survivors. After developing a mild flu, repeatedely sneezing into his hand and then using it to greet others with, the New Plague Virus hit Denver.

The Burrows (2077 CE)
Nick once again managed to convince the military that he was actually a captured quantum physicist after Power Armour units arrived in Denver intent on quelling unrest by any means necessary. After demonstrating his knowledge of chemistry through producing a supposedely non-addictive mental stimulant for the soldiers (actually just more amphetamine, but using chemicals similar to those found aboard the submarine), he is naturally assigned to the Pan-Immunity Virion Project at the Mariposa Military Base where he learns about FEV research. Upon discovering his true value to the team (none), the other scientists decide to send Dr. Grimm out to their West Tek facility to track down a pair of raccoons that escaped there that time last year. During February of the same year and under the guise of tracking them down, Dr. Grimm began to date a news reporter he met and subsequently began to discolse classified information to in exchange for sexual favours. Perhaps not too surprisingly, news reports of FEV research started to flood the media soon thereafter and Dr. Grimm was abandoned by his girlfriend without explanation. While drinking away his sorrows in a bar he overheard a group of hillbillies who claimed to have had encountered and killed several giant mutant raccoons. Pursuing this rumour led him to discover that the raccons he was supposed to be tracking down had formed an intelligent animal community living in and under a large oak tree NW of the West-Tek facility. Using several tear gas grenades and a flamethrower he successfully ensured that the Burrows and its furry inhabitants never made it to an unmodded version of Fallout. Unsure as to what course of action to take next, Nick somehow found himself in the middle of a Los Angeles riot dressed in combat armour and fighting on both sides of the conflict before the month was out. He was knocked unconscious in a building collapse and arrested as a presumed miltary dissenter.

The Great But Short War (2077 CE)
Nick spent the next seven months in the Mariposa Military Base; this time as an experimental subject treated with small but consistent does of a modified FEV, until on the 10th of October when, in a delerium, he believed one of the scientists was actually his ex-girlfriend, somehow provoked a neurotic reaction that led to her sprinting through the halls of the base whilst exclaiming that her name couldn't possibly be Fred now. This attracted the attention of Captain Roger Maxson's men, who decided to investigate the restricted area of the base where they uncovered the secret goings-on of the scientists. A visibly weak, hairless and speechless Nick, as well as other similarly mistreated subjects, were released and given urgent medical attention shortly thereafter. 10 days later an out-of-work technician high on Nick's Trick discovered the remnants of a strange device in New York City's general dump. After three days of assembly Bob was mysteriously hit by a bolt of lightning and the device was activated. Every satellite orbiting the planet was swept clean from the sky immediately upon activation, leaving the great powers of the world blind. In military panic, each sent 90 percent of their nuclear arsenals skyward. After having been previously ordered by Captain Maxson to retreat into the cofines of the military base, the soldiers and their families at Mariposa survived the catastrophe that suddenly flooded the U.S., although media services and communication networks with the other bases were abruptly cut off. Two days later, after his condition continued to deteriorate and upon hearing that a scout sent out to assess the atmosphere outside the base had returned with good news, Nicholas Grimm died, aged 48. On the 27th of October he was buried alongisde the scientists and subjects in the wastes outside Mariposa.

The Wasteland (2077-2102)
On the 10th of October 2077 a lone figure rises out of the ashes outside Mariposa. He has no recollection of who he is or why he's covered in ash, but he's definately one pissed off S.O.B. A tag tied to his wrist proclaims him to be 'Subject 618', and he figures its as good as any of the names he can't remember. The Subject is born. Mariposa is abandoned and the military base locked with no discernable means of entry. With no other plans, the Subject decides to start wandering in a random direction until he finds someone or something that looks better off than him so he can pummel it into the ground. But the earth is scorched and barren, and whatever creature he happens upon amongst the ashes and wildfires is already dead or dying. And so he keeps on walking. Days turn to months turn to years trying to pronounce terms like "Homonymous Hemianopia" and other words that he discovers amongst the fallen ashes. In 2080, the Subject encounters his first mutant critter of the wastes; a giant mutant duck. Frankly, he'd never seen anything so ridiculous, and after wiping the last living duck off the face of the planet, he starts to cheer up a little. The Subject spends the next four years reading up on any book he can get his hands on, in between fighting off giant mutant rats in sewers and driving out packs of feral dogs from city streets. In 2084, the subject encounters his first fellow human since his "awakening" just north of Bakersfield; a ragged muttering zombie in a blue jumpsuit with the number 12 in yellow on his back. The Subject shoots him and steals his jumpsuit. Seven years later, in 2092, the subject encounters a man wearing a jumpsuit with the number 8 on it who cautiously introduces himself as Dr. Richard Moreau. This time the Subject merely tells the doctor that he is stealing both his title and surname. Richard agrees to part with both and so the Subject allows him to live. The new Dr. Moreau notes that there are quite a lot of funny looking creatures running around with numbers printed on their backs. From 2096 onwards, he also begins to see large groups of robed figures traversing the wasteland, but is too shy to approach them. On the 25th of June 2102, the Subject finally returns to Mariposa in search of answers, only to find the military base doors wide open. Inside he discovers the broken remains of both humans and robobrains, and eventually an unconscious Harold after he manages to shut down the base's internal defence systems. After identifying the survivor as belonging to the groups of robed figures now scouring the wasteland, the Subject decides to return Harold to them, He manages to spot such a group the next day, and still feeling rather shy, leaves Harold in their path for them to discover and then returns to Mariposa. Using the vast amount of knowledge he'd gleaned from textbooks over the years, The Subject is able to delve deep into the classified information stored on the computers in the military base labs. Although he is unable to ascertain his identity from the list of experimental subjects used, he is able to discern from the nature of the research that he is meant to have developed enhanced physical and regenerative capabilites as well as superior protection from environmental contagens. The Subject also takes advantage of the various machines in the base to assess his physical health and discovers that he has a dangerously high radiation count prompting him to take some RadAway he finds. Approximately an hour later he develops a migraine, followed by severe stomach cramps. In his desperation he struggles to escape the base and catch up with the robed figures he'd delivered Harold to. Four hours later he has managed to prise open one of the main doors slightly before finally succumbing to his new mysterious illness and keeling over. While trying to distract himself from the extraordinary pain he now finds himself in by concentrating on the feel of the wasteland wind and its irradiated grains of sand against his face, the Subject eventually dies. Again.

Fallout 1 (2102-2125)
A few weeks later the corpse of the Subject suddenly reels in pain as it attempts to inhale through sleeping lungs. Following several moments of assimilating to life once again, the Subject rises, somewhat meekly but more pissed off than ever. Feeling the strains of being dead a month the Subject takes some time to regain his strength, patiently wandering around the base in the meantime. During one of his many strolls he spots a mound floating in one of the vats near to where he found Harold. Although it's a struggle given his own state, he manages to hoist a frail badly burnt man out and carries him to the Vats Control Room where he tries to treat the man's extensive wounds. The man eventually opens his eyes for a moment and the Subject recognises him as the doctor whose title and surname he'd previously stolen while wandering the wasteland. He determines that Richard will die if not treated with certain medicines that are not available in the bas and sets out in the direction the robed figures were heading. After following their tracks for several days the Subject arrives at a settlement called the Hub and realises he has no means of bartering for the medicine that it also turns out they don't have. He reasons that Richard is most probably dead at this stage anyway and spends the next few months scavanging. During a long drinking session with members of a merchant group he is hired as a caravan guard due to repeated boasts of being the best thing since mass-produced stimpacks and the inventor of the iguana-on-a-stick. He visits many settlements throughout California during this time, occassionally even the ghoul city of Necropolis where he fits in quite well. In 2120, Governer Angus requests that a group investigate disappearances occurring North-West of the Hub and the Subject decides to volunteer. During a somewhat confusing attack a week later, several members of the group are snatched by giant ugly green men while they are trying to defend against an ambush by raiders. The Subject loses his hand and is engulfed in flame during the attack when he forgets to throw a lit Molotov. He is subsequently poisoned by a thrown spear and wakes up in a snake pit. After being extensively bitten all over and begins suffering strange delusions as a result, but nonetheless manages to somehow make his way out of the pit and into a nearby village where he is told that he is a chosen warrior of the Vipers after being bandaged across his entire body. He's far too out of it to disagree and takes his new spear with a twisted grin. In the following months he takes part in a number of unsuccessful raids against giant metal men among others, usually whilst under the influence of a powerful tribal potion he takes a strong liking to. In the year 2125 he is asked to lead an attack on a place called the Hub, and after insisting that all the raiders following him take a long swig of the tribal potion, they all set out in a wavvy stupor. Nearly all are gunned down upon arrival by a handful of men led by Angus, while the Subject wanders after a pretty girl he spots.