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The Power of the Atom
	20
Location(s)	Megaton
Received by	Lucas Simms Burke
Reward(s)	Disarming The Bomb 500 caps (speech successful) 100 caps (speech failed) My Megaton House Key Deed: Megaton Shack 300 XP +200 Karma (if disarmed for free) Detonating The Bomb 1000 caps (speech successful) 500 caps (speech failed) My Tenpenny Tower Suite Key Deed: Tenpenny Tower Suite 300 XP -1000 Karma
Related Quests	Tenpenny Tower

Quest Objectives

Apon arival to Megaton the first resident you will meet is the towns local sheriff, Lucas Simms. When you talk to Lucas you will have the option to defuse an atomic bomb which is located in the center of town.

Alternatively you may also choose to blow the nuke up instead by talking to Mr. Burke.

After you talk to Mr. Burke and find out his plans to detonate the bomb, if you're the tattle-tail type you may warn Lucas of the plan. Lucas will apprehend Burke for his corrupt plan. Upon aprehension while being lead to jail, Burke will pull a silenced 10mm Pistol on Lucas. At this point, depending on your reaction time you can either save Lucas or watch as he is shot to death. A good tip on saving Lucas is to utilize the VATS system as soon as Burke draws his weapon.

If you were quick enough to save Simms you will be rewarded with positive Karma and Simms thanks for saving his life by watching his back. Alternatively you may seduce Burke under the following conditions.

• Your character is female
• You have the 'Black Widdow' perk

Seducing Burke will result in his undying love for you which will reward you with some love letters as well as the convincing of Burke to outsource the job to someone else.

Disarming The Bomb

You may offer Lucas Simms your services to disarm the bomb. You can find Lucas walking around throughout Megaton with the exception of your first visit as he will approach you as soon as you walk into town.

To disarm the bomb you need to have at least 25 points in your Explosives skill. If you fail to meet this requirement you can also take some Mentats to help bring your skill level up high enough.

Upon a successful dearming of the bomb you will get a cash sum paid out in caps. This is also the introduction to the games currency. The caps reward is determined by a successful or failed speech skill used on Lucas before disarming the bomb in which you ask him for a larger sum for your services. If you are successful the caps total is 500, failing however will only yield 100 caps.

Along with the caps you will also get a key to your own Metagon House as well as the deed. You will gain 300 XP and +200 to your Karma status (you can avoid good karma by not talking to Mr. Burke at all, and forcing Simms to pay you for your services).

If you have not stumbled upon a box of Mentats at this point you can get a box from Leo who usually hangs out at the Water Plant.

Detonating The Bomb

Finding Mr. Burke

Mr. Burke can be found on the first floor of Moriarty's Saloon sitting in a corner close by to Lucy West. You can see this in the video below.

Arming The Bomb

After speaking with Mr. Burke and accepting his request to blow up Megaton he will give you a Fusion Pulse Charge, a required component necessarily to set off the bomb.

Lets Light Up The Sky

Once you have armed the bomb for detonation you were instructed by Burke to meet him at Tenpenny Tower, southwest of Megaton. When you first arrive at Tenpenny Tower you will notice a ghoul in the middle of a conversation with someone on the other end of an intercom. You will later find out that the Ghoul's name is Roy and he is trying to gain acceptance for ghouls to be allowed to reside within Tenpenny Tower.

Once the ghoul is done with the intercom you may use it. After telling the attendant that Mr. Burke is expecting you he will give you access to Tenpenny Tower. You are then directed towards the top floor where you will meet a waiting Mr. Burke and Allistair Tenpenny. After informing Burke that the bomb is ready for detonation he will give you the honor of pulling the switch yourself; Be sure to keep your view to your mid-left as that is where the explosion will appear, if you're unsure check your pipboy and position yourself in the general direction of Megaton and then sit back and enjoy the resulting explosion.

In the video below, taken from PAX 2008, you can see the result of what happens when you follow down the path of pure evil by detonating the bomb in Megaton.

Notes

• If you opted to detonate the bomb: Heading back to Megaton you will find Moira Brown who survived the blast for the most part as she has now turned into a ghoul due to the resulting blast.
• You may use Mentats to increase your skill which is required to detonate or disarm the bomb.
• If you killed Lucas Simms upon arriving in Megaton to get his hat, you can still disarm the bomb to complete the quest. After doing so, talk to his son Handen Simms to recieve the key to your Megaton house and positive Karma.

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Major portions of this page were written by: tekmosis