The Superhuman Gambit

Quest giver: Uncle Roe
Where: Canterbury Commons

Buried in the eastern part of the Wasteland, east of Wheaton Armory, lays the quiet town of Canterbury Commons. All is normal within this market town, except for the fact two warring individuals disrupt the peace with their crazy antics. On one side, the AntAgonizer leads her army of ants into the fray; on the other, the Mechanist gears up his band of robots for battle against the nasty insects. Once the standoff reaches a stalemate and the two characters flee the scene, you can begin chatting up the townsfolk. Uncle Roe sheds some light on the strange predicament that has blanketed over the town, and he requests that you help correct the problem. Pass the Speech check to increase the original wage of 200 Caps to 400 Caps if successful.

Uncle Roe refers you to his nephew Derek Pacion; when pressed the superhero enthusiast discloses the location of the AntAgonizer's lair. Press him further to accrue information on the Mechanist and his shop. With information on both parties involved secured, it's now time to decide who you want to take out; if you want, you can even dispatch them both. The town needs saving, and it doesn't matter how you do it (unless you mercilessly slay all the citizens).

AntAgonizer: Don't like insects and would like to squash this one? No worries. First, to make things easier, let's head over to the Hubris Comic Store, reached via a sewer entrance due northeast of Grayditch (town visited in Those!) and read the Letter to the Editor about Grognak the Barbarian from one of the terminals. This reveals the AntAgonizer's real identity and changes the dialog options in the proceedings to come.

The wench's lair is located to the north of town, and can be breached by one of two ways: take the normal way through some sewage tunnels which eventually carry you to the AntAgonizer. The entrance to the alternative route sits on a rocky outcropping, in the form of a sewer grate. You do, however, need Lockpick skill of 50 to un-jam this grate, which deposits you at the AntAgonizer's location more quickly than the former route. Though if you can't pick it open, you're out of luck and must navigate through the sewer system.

Once you've clambered your way into her lair, and assuming you've visited the Hubris Comic Store or acquired her secret identity by other means, you can reveal you know who she is in one of the dialog options, at which point she agrees to stop terrorizing the town and sheds her costume. She gives the costume and her helmet to you. Passing a Speech check or having the Lady Killer Perk net the same reaction as well. The alternate options lean you toward the side of evil, but at the mere cost of some Karma you gain a bonus melee weapon.

Or, tell her you'd like to get rid of the Mechanist, and they'll duke it out in her lair. Loot his corpse for his costume and gift it to AntAgonizer for Ant's Sting. You get the weapon if you show evidence of the Mechanist's demise.

Mechanist: Feeling partial towards the Mechanist, you head toward his forge in the south of town. If your skills in Lockpicking are reasonably high (about 75), you can go through the back way via the elevator door. Otherwise, you have to charge into the Forge Door and hack through his protective robotic sentries posted throughout.

Talk enough sense into the Mechanist using Speech checks or a Child at Heart Perk, and he hangs up his superhero costume for good. You get his costume and helmet. The alternate options lean you toward the side of evil, but at the mere cost of some Karma you gain a bonus laser weapon.

Or, let the Mechanist know you're on his side, and defend the Mechanist from his nemesis' minions. Defeat the AntAgonizer and present him her costume. In return, you get the Protectron's Gaze.

Once the matter has been settled, the town of Canterbury Commons is in your debt for ridding their town of these two nutcases. Locate Uncle Roe when either one nutcase, or both, is dead for your Caps reward.