The Waters of Life

Objectives:

• Go to the Rivet City Science Lab
• Join the scientists at Project Purity
• Escort the scientists inside Project Purity
• Turn on the Flood Control Pump Power
• Get the fuses from Dad
• Replace the damaged fuses
• Boot up the mainframe
• Speak with Dad over the intercom
• Drain the intake pipes
• Escort Doctor Li to the evacuation point
• Escort Doctor Li through Taft Tunnel to the Citadel
• Deal with Garza "situation"

If you Fast Traveled, you're way ahead of your slowpoke of a father and will need to wait an hour or two for him to lumber into the science lab. Once he arrives, speak with Doctor Li and your father, who urges everyone to return to Project Purity at the Jefferson Memorial.

Once inside the Memorial, patiently and agonizingly wait for your dad, who happens to be slower than turtles stampeding through molasses. It won't do if you try to rush him. Talk to him when he stops at the entrance to the Rotunda. Now shoot off the questions. To get the giant cogs of this machine working again, your father instructs you to first pump some floodwater out by activating the Flood Control Pump Power, located in the Memorial Sub-basement. If you happen to get lost whilst running errands for your lazy dad, you can turn to the intercoms stationed everywhere for guidance.

Look for arrows pointing toward the Flood Control. Activate the Flood Control Power Switch and return to your father. The fuse box is busted, so you need to bug your father about them. Given Fuses, you are to replace them in the shorted out fuse boxes downstairs. Return to the Sub-basement and retrace your steps as if you were heading back to the flood control, but opt to turn right instead. Head through the large chamber and into a corridor marked Fuse Access A1. Locate the fuse boxes on the wall and put the fuses in place.

All you need to do now is boot up the mainframe! Look for the sign marked Mainframe and enter to activate the Mainframe Power Switch on the mainframe itself. Once it is active, your father's voice crackles in the intercom and lovingly tells you of one other teeny thing you need to do: remove some blockage. Grumble, grumble. Carry yourself back to the Gift Shop, and from there move to the entrance doorway and make a right to a crumbled chamber with a grate in the floor. The Grate to Pump Control leads you through a claustrophobic tunnel and straight to a partly torn off, gated tunnel with the Pump Control valve on the right.

Upon successfully activating it, some unexpected visitors show up, the presence of which throw your father into a tumult. Static consumes the intercom, leaving you with a gnawing anxiety and desire in knowing just what the hell is going on! Crawl through the Grate to ease back into the Memorial, which by now is occupied by well-armored and well-equipped Enclave Soldiers. These guys can be stronger than Super Mutants in some sense since normal firepower barely dents their armor, plus the firepower they're packing can be quite devastating. Peek out of the tunnel to find the first Soldier beyond the mesh gate.

Drop down and head through the door, making a left at the first junction to come upon a mattress. Rest up! You will need it. Search the body of the freshly fallen Enclave Soldier for his powerful Enclave Power Armor, Enclave Power Helmet and possibly a Laser Rifle. You'll quickly find that the real drawback to the armor's hulking defense is its weight-it's heavy stuff. You need to be very selective about what you intend to pick up and keep.

Not surprisingly, the return trip to the Rotunda isn't a free ride, but when you get there bare witness to the corruption of the current United States government as Colonel Autumn demands that your father relinquish his life's work and property to the government. Within moments, the situation quickly escalates to a point that leaves you and Doctor Li with no other choice than to escape with your lives. Speak with Doctor Li and follow her as the both of you flee for your lives.

Doctor Li and three of her colleagues have managed to barely escape, but this is only the beginning. Now stuck in this dank underground escape tunnel you must guide Li and her frightened, defenseless cohorts through these terror-filled tunnels. Talk to the hysterical Li to get going. Keep in mind that these folks won't get anywhere without you leading them and making sure the going is safe. To make things worse, the Enclave Soldiers continue their pursuit with dogged perseverance.

Escort the scientists and clear the tunnels of nasty threats. You want to keep them alive (well, at the very least Li since she's an integral part of the story). Whenever possible halt your frantic group of sitting ducks and scout ahead to make it safer for them to cross. Eventually you come to a chamber with a second story, occupied by Enclave Soldiers. Have Doctor Li hack into the terminal to open the utility door, although you can hack it yourself as permitted by your current Science skill. At this point, more Enclave Soldiers pour in like it's Black Friday at Fry's Electronics.

Cut them down, making sure that you're always the main target. Since their Power Armor cannot easily be pierced, go for more headshots or the arm that carries the weapon. Continue through the Taft Tunnel. Doctor Li soon holds up the group and turns your attention to a sick Garza. Ultimately, you can choose how to deal with Garza's maladies and his delaying everyone else, but Li won't go anywhere until the situation has been dealt with. Either generously provide five Stimpaks or continue on, leaving Doctor Li momentarily behind to tend to Garza. Alternatively, you can-with considerable Speech skill-talk to Garza for several more tamed options or just put him out of his misery yourself to keep the group moving.

Keep pressing on with or without Garza, battling down Enclave Soldiers and the lesser Ghouls until you come to a large door that can be opened only via an adjacent switch. This is now ground protected by the fearless Brotherhood of Steel! Examine the shelves immediately in front of you for a bunch of freebies and proceed up the tunnel to the exit. Paladin Bael at the entrance, at first, denies you access into the Citadel, but after much hysterical shouting from Li the heavy metal doors promptly burst open, allowing you to escort these scientists (and a crazy lady) to safety and complete this quest line.