Madison Li

Doctor Madison Li (born 2229, Institute username Li.M) is the chief scientist of Rivet City and serves on its council in Fallout 3. In Fallout 4, she is a member of The Institute.

Project Purity
Born in 2229, Li chose to dedicate her life to science in hopes that she could help bring change to the wasteland. This is best exemplified by her devotion to Project Purity, a mass water purification effort started around 2257. Despite her romantic feelings for the chief scientist, James, she respected his marriage to another project scientist, Catherine, and continued to work tireless on the project, never doting on these feelings. When Catherine died in childbirth, James chose to abandon Project Purity to keep his child safe, dooming all of their efforts to purify the wasteland's water. Although initially distraught, Li quickly felt betrayed by James and grew bitter of the whole experience.

Rivet City
After Project Purity fell through, Li settled in Rivet City where she would have the opportunity to continue work with the limited scientific community of the Capital Wasteland. Much to Horace Pinkerton's frustration, his entire staff of scientists began working for Li; she even gained enough of a reputation that she succeeded Pinkerton as the scientific representative on the Rivet City Council.

By this point, she had recognized that Project Purity was a lost cause, and finally abandoned her efforts on the project to which she had dedicated so many years. Project Purity was a failure and it was time to move on. To this end, she began to devote her time to other humanitarian endeavors; most recently, she and her team have been working on hydroponic technology and portable fusion power. Her team has had limited success with their hydroponics, purifying just enough water grow a limited amount of crops, but they still lack the infrastructure to replicate these results on a large scale.

James' Return
When James emerged from Vault 101 in 2277, twenty years after abandoning his team, he approached Li claiming to have finally discovered how to make Project Purity functional, but Li's cynicism caused her to dismiss him, not even entertaining the thought and telling him that the project was too far gone to be revived. In spite of this, when James shared information about the Garden of Eden Creation Kit he confirmed at Vault 112 with her, Li was convinced to help him and revive the project. James: "I told you it would work, Madison, and now I can prove it." Madison Li: "James! You're back!" James: "And with good news. I was right about Braun and the G.E.C.K. If we can find one, we can adapt it to work with the purifiers." Madison Li: "I'd like to believe you, James. Really I would. This is all just so... So sudden." James: "Madison, I'm telling you this is real. I talked to Braun himself. He confirmed it. Don't you see? This is what we've been waiting for!" Madison Li: "I... I don't know, James. So many years have passed. Is it really still worth trying?" James: "How could it not be worth improving the lives of everyone in the Wasteland? What could be a more worthy endeavor?" Madison Li: "You haven't lost any of your passion, have you James." James: "It's as important to me as ever, Madison. I know it's important to you too. Let's finish this together." Madison Li: "James, I... We don't have a G.E.C.K. I can get a small team together, but we'll need proof that it works before people believe us." James: ''"I know, I was thinking about that. The lab at the facility had some old pre-war computers that we scavenged. One of them might be useful." Madison Li: "From the last reports, there's no power at the facility. Even if one of those computers had a database, we couldn't access it." James: "That's why we're going to head over there right now and get things up and running as best we can." Madison Li: "You know if it were anyone else asking me to do this, I'd have them run right out of Rivet City." James: "And you know I wouldn't be here if I didn't think this would really work. It's time, Madison." Madison Li: "Damn you, James. When this is all over, you owe me a drink. I'll get the team together." James: "Thank you, Madison. It's good to be working with you again."'' (Madison Li's and James' dialogue)

After the Lone Wanderer cleared the Jefferson Memorial of super mutants, Li transferred her team to Project Purity's original site and they began renovating the neglected facility. The renewed activity for Project Purity was brought to a standstill shortly after when the Enclave seized the facility and Li was forced to escape with part of her team through the Taft Tunnels to the Citadel. Despite her aversion to the Brotherhood of Steel, she had no choice but to be seek shelter with them. While the Lone Wanderer was securing a G.E.C.K. from Vault 87, Li remained in the Citadel's laboratory and proved to be instrumental to the Brotherhood, using her prior research on portable fusion power to aid them in mitigating Liberty Prime's energy management issues by designing a power system that was powerful enough to power Prime's systems while fitting inside its frame. This ultimately allowed the Brotherhood to deploy Liberty Prime to take back Project Purity, destroy Raven Rock and access Enclave relay 0X9-B.

The Commonwealth
Following the Battle of Project Purity and the activation of the project, Li left for the Commonwealth in the north, to pursue "more interesting projects". Others believe it was because she couldn't stand Brotherhood scribes improving up on her work. Her real reason was that she was tired of being stepped on and used by the Brotherhood. First there was the water purification project, designed to freely benefit the entire Capital Wasteland. Even though the Brotherhood allowed it to be activated, they wanted to control it. Then there were other, more classified projects. Always using her work as weapons of war. She simply had enough.

Why go all the way to the Commonwealth? She has fled the Capital Wasteland in fear for her life. While Owyn Lyons permitted her to leave with no strings attached, there were people concerned about her as a potential security risk. The Institute was the only safe harbor she could think of. For ten years she has labored among cutting edge laboratory equipment and some of the greatest minds the world's ever known, becoming the head of the Advanced Systems division. Yet something irks her - the lack of transparency most of all. Even worse is the fact that the Institute actively buries facts it finds inconvenient. Li was friends with Brian Virgil. When several months earlier he escaped from the Institute, he was declared dead and his lab sealed off against Madison's insistence on a thorough investigation.

However, the key problem is that she feels the Institute is selfish - the technology that could improve countless lives is hidden inside the Institute, buried deep beneath the ground, yet the Institute continues to hide and insulate itself from everyone.

Quests

 * Scientific Pursuits: Dr. Li reports that James went to the Jefferson Memorial and suggests searching it for further clues on his whereabouts.
 * The Waters of Life: After James is killed in the Jefferson Memorial rotunda, Dr. Li and the remaining scientists must be escorted to the Citadel.
 * Picking Up The Trail: Li suggests asking the Brotherhood for help finding a G.E.C.K.
 * Take It Back!: Over an intercom, she tells the Lone Wanderer that the project needs to be activated or the facility would explode.

Effects of player actions

 * If the Lone Wanderer has killed Three Dog before completing the Galaxy News Radio quest, the Lone Wanderer will need to talk to Dr. Li to progress the plot.

Other interactions

 * Dr. Li was the first distinct face that the Lone Wanderer sees, during the birthing scene, as she carries the newborn Lone Wanderer away while Catherine is going into cardiac arrest.
 * If the Lone Wanderer passes a Speech check before going to Project Purity, Dr. Li rewards them with five stimpaks.

Quests

 * From Within : Li is a crucial element of the plan to restore Liberty Prime to his former glory. The player can either fetch Brian Virgil's holotape from his laboratory or persuade Li to rejoin the Brotherhood.
 * Institutionalized: Li is one of the department heads the player meets. She also installs a courser chip inside the player's PIP-Boy, allowing travel to and from the Institute at will.

Fallout 3

 * According to a dialogue script for Li called, Li was originally going to interact with James more than she does when he is sabotaging the Project Purity control room, urging him to not do it, but this dialogue was left out of the final game.

Appearances
Madison Li appears in Fallout 3, Fallout 4, and Fallout Shelter as a legendary vault dweller.