Fallout 3: Main quests 9 - The waters of life - walkthrough Fallout 3 Guide
Last update: 02 November 2022
MAIN QUEST 9: The waters of life
Received from: James [Vault 112]
Solution: Obviously your first assignment here is to leave Vault 112. You can use the same route as before and you won't encounter any hostile units along the way. Don't forget to drop the jumpsuit, because you won't need it anymore. Put on your previous armor before leaving the vault. Once you've left the garage you can fast travel to Rivet City, even if you're with your father. You must get to Doctor Li and that means you have to travel to the Science lab you've visited before. Proceed to Doctor Li and listen to a longer conversation between her and your father (screen). Once the conversation has ended, talk to your father again. Once again, you're allowed to choose between travelling together and reaching your next destination alone. You will have to go back to Jefferson Memorial. Talk to James once you're there (use fast travel or go there on foot) and he will order to go inside and secure the monument.
You must travel to the same location as before - Jefferson Memorial - gift shop. I assume that you've secured this area during your last visit to the memorial, as well as the rotunda. As a result there's going to be only one more area for you to explore. Look at the screen - you'll find a new door there which leads to Jefferson Memorial - basement. I guess you won't be surprised to hear that there are some centaurs in the basement, as well as supermutants. You will be dealing with stronger versions of these monsters, so you'll have to be ready to engage them at any time. Eliminate all monsters and exit the building. Find James and inform him that it's safe to go inside. Now you'll have to follow him and other scientists. James will go to Jefferson Memorial - rotunda and obviously you'll have to head over there as well.
Locate James once you've entered rotunda. Obviously you must talk to him, because he will grant you with several assignments. Your first task will be to flood the water out of the basement. Exit rotunda and proceed to the southern door to get to the basement again. Thankfully, this area hasn't been populated by any new monsters since the last time you were here. Notice that signs have been placed on the nearby walls and you can use them to navigate your way through this maze. At the moment you should be going where the Flood control sign tells you to. Once you've arrived at your destination use the intercom to receive specific orders. Approach a small switch (screen) and use it. You may go back to the rotunda.
Talk to James again. This time you'll be given three fuses and you'll have to go with them to the basement. Head over there right away. Just as before, use signs for quick navigation. The sign you're looking for is Fuse Access A1. You can use the intercom after reaching the goal area to talk to James, however this is optional. Instead, approach a large fuse box and place the fuses in correct slots. Don't go back up, because you can to talk to James through the intercom. This time he'll order you to get to the server room. The sign you're looking for is Mainframe. Approach a large metal gate (screen) and wait for it to be opened. After that locate a new switch and use it to boot up the main computer. Talk to James through the intercom again and he'll give you a new assignment.
The final assignment from James is to flood one of the main pipes. This means you will have to go back to the gift shop, however stay clear of the rotunda for the moment. Instead you will have to get to a small grate which is located in the eastern section of the map (screen). Confirm that you want to travel to Pump control and you'll find yourself standing inside a long tunnel. Keep heading forward until you've reached a hatch leading to the Capitol wasteland. Approach the red valve and use it. Notice that Enclave soldiers have appeared inside Jefferson Memorial. Sadly you can't go back the same way you came before so use a second hatch which will transport you to Sift pump.
You will have to be extremely careful once you've reached a large shaft. Aim for lower objects and avoid larger drops at all costs. Eventually you'll get to a hatch which leads to the basement of the Jefferson Memorial building. Jump down quickly once you've arrived at your destination, so your presence won't be noticed by enemy troops. Now you'll have to choose a good weapon from your inventory. Make your way to the upper level of the basement and kill anyone who stands in your way (screen). It's not going to be easy, because Enclave soldiers are using excellent armors and they're equipped with laser/plasma rifles. Don't forget to loot their bodies for items of great value. You must fight your way back to the door leading to the gift shop.
You'll encounter new Enclave soldiers here as well. I wouldn't recommend moving too fast. Try securing one room at a time and prevent your character from engaging too many hostile units. Obviously you will have to secure the entire surrounding area before moving on. Once this is done, proceed to Jefferson Memorial - rotunda. Notice that you aren't allowed to use your guns in this room. Thankfully, it won't be a problem, because you won't be attacked by anyone while you're here. Approach Doctor Li. Listen to a very interesting conversation between your father and one of Enclave's high ranked officers. The situation here will resolve with James sacrificing his life to prevent the Enclave from getting their hands on the device. Talk to Doctor Li again when you're given such an opportunity. She will ask you to escort her and some other scientists to safety. Follow Doctor Li back to Jefferson Memorial - gift shop. Listen to what Li has to say and follow her instructions by locating a manhole. Check my screen if you're having difficulties doing that. Descend to Taft tunnels. You weren't able to use this manhole before, but now's your chance.
I would recommend that you talk to Li again, because she will mention that she has plans to reach the Citadel. It would also be wise to order her to stay put. You should always scout the area ahead alone and only then allow her and the scientists to move forward. You could also ask Daniel help (you must have a pistol in your inventory), but he wouldn't be a big help and you would only risk his life. Keep heading west. It's extremely important that you secure one of the southern rooms before moving on (screen). There are a lot of Enclave soldiers nearby. Enemy units are occupying ground floor, as well as using upper balconies. Use one of your most powerful guns against them. A rocket launcher is perfect here to eliminate distant targets. Once they're gone, locate a computer terminal. You can hack it yourself or you can try opening the metal door with your lockpicking skills, but it's best to allow Li to get here. She will open this passageway in just a few seconds. It was important to kill Enclave soldiers earlier, so now she won't be disturbed by anyone.
Be careful, because some of the nearby corridors are occupied by feral ghouls. I assume that eliminating them is not a problem for you, however you must prevent the monsters from attacking your scientists. Just as before, you should order Li and her crew to remain near the opened metal door. Scout the area alone and return to her only if you're certain that you've killed all ghouls. You must locate a door leading to a new section of Taft tunnels. Once you've arrived at your destination, Li will stop you. It turns out that Garza has some problems with his heart and you'll have to resolve this situation before moving on any further.
If you plan on having negative karma, you can convince Li that she should leave Garza behind (screen), because he will only slow down the rest. You can also convince Garza himself that he should agree to being left behind. If you don't want to talk to anyone you can kill Garza with one of your weapons. You aren't going to be attacked by other scientists, but obviously they won't like the idea of you killing one of their colleagues. If you plan on having positive karma, give five stimpacks to Li. I assume that you have more than that in your inventory. Otherwise you would have to scout both tunnel maps for additional medical supplies. The last possible solution is to convince Li to give buffout to Garza instead of stimpacks, but you must have the drugs in your possession (at least three units of buffout) for this to work.
You may explore the area ahead. Be careful when entering a larger room (screen), because the area is swarming with Enclave soldiers and they'll surprise you if you're not careful enough. Use a plasma rifle, a rocket launcher or frag grenades to get rid of them quickly. Watch out for other feral ghouls while exploring nearby corridors. Some of the ghouls will take you by surprise, so don't be scared if they immediately approach you. The objective here is to get to the western section of the tunnels. There's a large stash nearby, but to get to it you must unlock a door. Find a safe inside and open it. Finally proceed to a large metal gate. Use a switch on the wall to open the gate. DON'T attack the brotherhood soldier. Instead, escort the scientists to this location. Look around for medical supplies and ammunition. You may proceed north. Use the ladder to return to Capitol Wasteland. Once you've reached the ground, you must follow Li to the Citadel. Wait for her to negotiate the terms of being allowed inside this complex. Follow Li again and after a short while this quest will come to an end.
