The Replicated Man

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  1. Learn more about the escaped android.
  2. Search for clues about Zimmer's missing androids.
  3. (Optional) Discover what Dr. Preston knows about the android.
  4. Find out what Pinkerton at Rivet City knows about the android.

Part 1

Rivet City is a settlement at the far southeastern end of the Capital Wasteland. You have to visit this city several times during your main adventure, but side quests aplenty (or simple exploration) will bring you to Rivet City at other times, as well. Therefore, when and how you run into the man responsible for this side quest, a scientist named Dr. Zimmer, is completely random. Chances are you'll meet him in Dr. Li's laboratory when you visit her about Project Purity, but if you find Rivet City before then, or want to talk to Dr. Zimmer afterwards, you will have to scour Rivet City to find him. As you can see via the screens below, Dr. Zimmer and his bodyguard Armitage can literally be found roaming Rivet City.

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Dr. Zimmer's request is extremely specific, and what's more, there are several ways to wrap this side quest up. Some of them are quicker than others, but we have a really quick surefire solution for you below. But first and foremost, you're going to want to pick Dr. Zimmer's brain about everything he knows. Dr. Zimmer comes from a place known as the Commonwealth, which he says is up north. Ravaged by nuclear war, just like the rest of the country (or world), Zimmer and his colleagues at an institute there created artificial intelligence in the form of androids. And one of those androids, named A3-21, happened to escape. This android was charged with finding other escaped androids, but unlike those other escaped androids, A3-21's specifications make him a must to find. It would be hard to replicate that kind of science in a brief time.

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From here, things begin to get convoluted. And that's where we at IGN Guides come in, naturally. There are myriad people spread around the Wasteland that can help you find the android (and if you spoke to Zimmer and then forgot about this side quest, chances are you've seen branches in conversation trees with random characters go in the direction of the escaped android). There are four types of people you have to talk to, each having a specific set of information. We'll begin in the familiar surroundings of Megaton, where Moira Brown, shopkeeper at Craterside Supply, will have something to say on the android. Pick her brain about the android (whether you convince her with speech or pay her off is up to you), but once she's spilled the beans, you'll know what your next objective is.

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From here, things get convoluted. There are literally a dozen (or more) people you can speak to about the android still, even some in the very same settlement where you just spoke to Moira Brown. Finding these people is totally up to you, the gamer, but know that from here, it's not exactly necessary to do. If for some reason speaking to Moira alone didn't do the trick for you, chances are you need to talk to more people or find Holotapes with the necessary information on them, strewn throughout the world. Big Town, The Citadel, The Underworld, Megaton, Tenpenny Tower, Rivet City, and even Paradise Falls have the pertinent information you need via both people and Holotapes (and either will do). So, get searching!

Part 2

Moira Brown (or the last person you spoke to) will likely have alerted you to the fact that a man named Pinkerton at Rivet City knows what the deal is. If you did Moira Brown's Wasteland Survival Guide in its entirety (as outlined in this very guide), chances are you have already visited Pinkerton in the broken-off part of Rivet City. Getting there, if that's the case, is as easy as using the door at the end of a makeshift bridge at the back end of the ship (see the screens below). Otherwise, you're going to have to infiltrate the ship via the underwater entrance where Rivet City has split in two. To avoid redundancy, you should probably just go ahead and see the side quest information for Wasteland Survival Guide for more on that.

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Again, we're assuming you've been to see Pinkerton before, and thus can breach the back end of the ship. If you can do this, then you'll be able to find Pinkerton exactly where you did during the Wasteland Survival Guide quest, but remember! -- you can always go back and visit our Wasteland Survival Guide if you need to breach this area from the ship split. When you find and speak to Pinkerton, he'll initially act like he has no idea what you're talking about in regard to the android. But if you press him (and it won't take much), he'll reveal to you that the android Dr. Zimmer speaks is none other than Rivet City's very own chief of security, Harkness! Wow. Well, this turns everything on its head, because you likely know Harkness from your time spent in Rivet City. How will you use this newfound information?

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It's likely by this point that a random woman has confronted you on the Wasteland, anywhere you might be. She's an advocate for freeing enslaved androids, and gives you a piece of an android that you can show Zimmer to cool his jets in regard to finding his lost android. Of course, you don't have to use it, but it's almost definite that this woman has found you and handed off this item to you to do with as you will.

Well, naturally, you have options. On the one hand, you can tell Harkness so he can get away from Zimmer. Or, you can tell Zimmer that Harkness is the man you're looking for. Hell, you can do both if you really want to. But we did the right thing here. First, find Harkness roaming around the main area of Rivet City. If you don't find him outside the door leading into the ship (primarily by way of the marketplace), you'll almost definitely find him roaming around the marketplace itself. Speak with him and break the news to him. If you want him to go on a rampage, be as thoughtless and provocative as possible. Otherwise, break the news to him gently. That way, he'll hand over his gun to you. You'll likely have to utter the secret password Pinkerton told you to prove it all to him, but that's fine. Do what you must.

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When that's done, you can now visit Zimmer. While the mysterious doctor from the Commonwealth will wander around the ship at will before you speak to Harkness, you'll likely find him in Dr. Li's lab thereafter. Run down and speak with him and his bodyguard Armitage (who is an android too, if you haven't figured that out yet). Just like with Harkness, you can deal with this how you want. We personally lied to Zimmer and told him that the android part we got from the android liberator earlier was actually a piece of Harkness, thus proving he's dead (or at least no longer in these parts any longer). You can rat out Harkness if you want, but we opted not to! Dr. Zimmer then handed us a measly fifty Bottle Caps and went on his way. Thanks for nothing, doc.

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