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I must say that there are some who doubt such a device really exists, let alone works.
”— Reginald RothchildA Garden of Eden Creation Kit, also known as a G.E.C.K, is a miscellaneous item in Fallout 3.
Background[]
This version of the G.E.C.K. is a far more advanced piece of technology than the implied agricultural starter kit the developers of the previous games intended it to be, possibly containing some sort of chemical fusion based molecular assembly-device: In this case, when included as a component within Project Purity's Purifier, the G.E.C.K. helps that other technology remove all radioactive particles from the water of the River Potomac that flows through it.
In Fallout 3, it is possible for the Lone Wanderer to reach the GECK instead of allowing Fawkes to retrieve it, thus allowing the player to activate it. If activated on its own, a blue energy ball expands around the GECK killing the player's character and, after a burst of white light, the nearest save game is loaded.
Characteristics[]
When the Lone Wanderer locates his/her father in Stanislaus Braun's Vault 112, he/she learns that in order to make Project Purity work properly, he/she requires a G.E.C.K. After James' demise at the hands of Colonel Augustus Autumn, the Wanderer makes their way to Vault 87, a horrendously irradiated location, where they acquire a G.E.C.K. unit.
The Kit has the appearance of a small, silver briefcase emblazoned with the letters "G.E.C.K."; according to Vault-Tec advertisements, it contains all the seeds, fertilizer, and other equipment (including a cold fusion power generator and a basic replicator) necessary to start a new settlement in a post-nuclear world after emerging from a Vault shelter.
Each Vault was presumably issued with two GECKs, except for Vaults 112 and 101. Vaults 112 and 101 were never issued GECKs because they were never intended to be re-opened; each was an experiment in permanent confinement.
The G.E.C.K. will collapse all matter within its given radius and recombine it to form a living, breathing, fertile virgin landscape and allow life to begin anew.
”— Fallout 3The Garden of Eden Creation Kit is a device capable of radically altering the Wasteland and transforming dead, irradiated soil into viable land suitable for farming; it is implied, though not confirmed, that this is the usual mode of operation for a GECK in Fallout 2. However, there is significant disagreement as to what a GECK actually does; the only time we see one properly in action (rather than merely the results) is in Fallout 3.
The GECK builders had no idea what the post-nuclear world would be like, and they had no real way to anticipate it, despite their "thorough tests" (it's doubtful they gave it much thought, to be honest, considering how badly organized the Safehouse project alone was, not to mention the experimental nature of the Vaults); still, it seems as if the seeds present in the GECK were viable for Vault 8.
The GECK's designers assumed that the Vault dwellers would know how to read and operate the various advanced technologies present in the Vault; they did not plan for the reduced knowledge of pre-War technologies common among wasteland tribals, or other similar contingencies. They also did not plan on the FEV getting released into the wider world, or the fact that the Vault dwellers might be attacked by giant mutated scorpions, cockroaches or rats, either.
The GECK's seeds and soil supplements date themselves rather quickly, but "...the government subcommittees sponsoring the research and the GECK contractors (Future-Tec) weren't really concerned about that. They were 'relatively certain' the seeds would be viable in a post-nuclear environment. They had done 'thorough tests,' and 'all conclusions point to this as being the best option.' The GECKs are a miracle... a miracle that they work.
”— Fallout Bible 6Location[]
The G.E.C.K. can be found in Vault 87 in a radioactive chamber, whereby it is nearly impossible for the Lone Wanderer to obtain by themselves: it is wisest to send Fawkes in one's stead.