Boulder Dome The Boulder Dome is a massive scientific research facility overshadowing the city of Boulder in 2253 . It was built as a structure specifically designed to withstand a direct nuclear attack . Surrounding the structure are the blasted remains of the city of Boulder , with what ' s left of it being hazardously contaminated with radiation and toxic waste . Inside the dome lives a desperate team of scientists that have been infected by a strange disease known as the New Plague . In addition to fighting the disease , they have been trying to keep their ZAX unit from cannibalizing its memory — which contains very important research data on the New Plague — to such an extent that it stops working . Beset by glowing ghoul s and a large pack of cannibal primitives , the dome faces extinction . Background . Before the Great War . Boulder was long a place where advanced scientific research took place . Supported by money from Denver ' s industry and an active military presence , Boulder scientists made advances in medicine ( bio med gel was invented here ) , alternate energy sources , robotics , and even developed a power armor prototype . Construction of the research dome was not considered until the nearby Rocky Mountain Arsenal had a leakage of toxic waste , creating a poisonous cloud that swept through Denver , killing many . In reaction , the military funded a program to create a self - sustaining research dome , making it resistant to a nuclear attack , and having the primary research inside be dedicated to the New Plague . This " city of the future " was to be a prototype for settlements on the moon and other planets . Then the war with China began . Boulder became a hotbed of political activity , as most of the scientists were naturally suspect of the military . When reports of plague outbreaks in Denver surfaced , many in Boulder feared that an exodus from that city would come here and infect them ; they fled north , the scientists staying in a cold sleep stasis deep within the dome . When the war started , and bombs were flying , Cheyenne Mountain ( a military facility , home of NORAD ) was a primary target . A huge section of the mountains became a great radioactive smoking crater . Coupled with attacks on Denver and the Rocky Mountain Arsenal , Boulder was involuntarily included in a triangle of hellish death ; yet 170 years later , the dome still stands . After the War . 170 years later , an NCR scientist named Goddard and his military escort travels through the region , establishing power generators and noting the locations of old - world power facilities . His report to NCR is noticed by Victor Presper , who sends him out again to investigate certain areas in the old America ' s southwest . After Goddard returns , Presper and a small team of soldiers investigate Boulder dome , finding it in need of repair but containing excellent labs and a fully - functioning ZAX unit . Over the next few years Presper invites or sends scientists and students to the Boulder Dome , where he explains his idea to remake civilization . Those who refuse are put in cold sleep , using technology the original Dome scientists developed to aid space travel . Presper knows he can harness the CODE ( Challenge , Opportunity , Discipline , Ethics ) technology developed there to convince them to cooperate anyway , but not until he needs to . Not yet known by most people , Presper was one of the scientists who woke up in the Dome after his cold sleep , nearly 70 years after the war . Four years ago , when things start to fall apart out in NCR , Presper sent out his last team of scientists and grad students . Agnes , a fellow NCR scientist and frequent diplomat from the scientific community to the government , is the leader of the expedition . Using her skills and a " diplomatic immunity " pass she carried , she makes her way to Hoover Dam . Two days later , the NCR Congress building is destroyed , presumably in a conflict with the Brotherhood of Steel . The destruction of the congressional building is a severe upset to NCR and travel becomes difficult . Only by circuitous routes and careful display of her pass is Agnes ' expedition able to reach Hoover Dam a year later . She runs into Goddard , a former colleague ( they were both scientific advisers to NCR at one point ) . Goddard knows Eddie Galenski , a long - haul trucker with an armored vehicle , and together the large group makes its way to Boulder Dome . The group includes Agnes and the grad students , Goddard and his military escort , Galenski , his wife Helen , and their children . Though they lose a few students along the way , they eventually reach Boulder Dome and enter using the passcodes Presper gave them . In a strange accident the scientists and grad students are infected with a form of the New Plague and are forced to quarantine themselves from Goddard ' s soldiers and the trucker family ; after two months trying to fight the disease , the scientists realize that they ' re stuck with it for now and have to live in protective suits whenever they want to interact with the rest of the Dome population . As of two years ago , things had stabilized . Everyone had a routine , mainly around constantly repairing problems with the dome ( mainly from wear and neglect ) . There ' s enough to do that it keeps everyone from going crazy . The scientists worry that the soldiers and truckers might leave them , and if that happens , they ' re probably doomed . One of the grad students ( Paul ) discovers the Sleepers in a deep level of the facility – the scientists Presper sent here and put to sleep to help with his new world order . Xian starts her " hikes " and discovers ZAX . A year ago , the first glowing ghoul showed up on the north end of town , collapsed , and died . The scientists mark the body with radioactive warnings , debate how to dispose of it ( like dumping cement on it ) . Paul finds that ZAX is almost out of storage space at the rate he ' s going . With no storage space , ZAX won ' t be able to run the dome and will start doing damage . They need to get other storage media to hold info . ( Holodisks / holotapes / holodisk tapes , all the same thing ) . If no solution , ZAX will have to start cannibalizing his own memory storage , eating Boulder research as he does so . They start hearing some broadcasts from Denver , but don ' t answer because they fear being attacked ( esp . from diseased people ) . 8 months before the PC arrives : Two glowing ghouls show up within a three - day period . The soldiers start getting paranoid , thinking they ' re in ghoul territory . Sgt Larsen , going stir - crazy , wants to take some Rad - Away , find the ghoul colony , and kill them all . Goddard says no , but Agnes suggests he consider it to let them " let off some steam . " 6 months ago : Galenski is told they need storage ( by now they basically need a " datacan " , though holodisks will help stave it off ) . He makes a run west to find some but fails . While out he runs into a pack of Jackals , kills all but one , and heads home . The lone Jackal runs to his tribe and tells them about the truck , the man , and where he went . The Jackals stop fighting among their own tribes and move out in search of this new food source . Jimmy T the super mutant ( found later at Denver ) is with them . Another glowbug shows up . Larsen ' s team is given RadAway and start doing patrols . Agnes says taking RadAway for too long is dangerous . Larsen realizes that means they won ' t be giving it to them any more , so he starts exaggerating how many ghouls they find so they can justify getting more RadAway to deal with them . Jimmy T leaves the Jackals because he knows the Daughter of Hecate probably doesn ' t want him around and he doesn ' t want to be a sacrifice . 5 months ago : Jimmy T goes to Helen and Galenski and asks them to ship him south . The soldiers say no , but Helen and Galenski allow it because Jimmy once healed one of their kids when he was sick . Wagner ( the ghoul from Denver ) shows up in Boulder , scouting around the outskirts , but is driven off by shots from the soldiers who assume he ' s a glowbug . Wagner realizes things are hostile toward ghouls here . He scouts further south ( and checks out Rocky Mountain Arsenal on the way to Boulder ) . A few more Jackals start showing up . 4 months ago : Galenski makes a run to Denver in response to the radio transmissions . Surprised , he finds the salvagers have a lot of good stuff . He trades them ammunition , minor tools , and medical supplies in exchange for dog meat , computer chips , and holodisks . On the way back he faces some Jackals but fails to kill any of them . Problems continue between the scientists and the soldiers . Larsen and his men succumb to addiction and their addiction is apparent . 3 months ago : Jackals organize in strength in this region . Though they originally try attacking the dome , they quickly realize the truck is an easier target . 2 months ago : Problems with the soldiers get worse . Patrols become erratic . Larsen becomes paranoid . When another ghoul wanders in , the scientists accuse the soldiers of not doing enough , or anything at all . Larsen pulls a gun on a scientist and tells them to surrender their med supplies for " one last patrol . " Goddard agrees , and secretly decides to close them outside to starve and die . He only tells Agnes about this " exile " . . . the others just think they haven ' t returned . 1 month ago : The soldiers return to find the dome sealed up . At first they think it ' s a mistake , then they realize it ' s not . They pull out of Boulder to avoid the Jackals , and end up in a guerrilla state in the nearby mountains , looking for tunnels into the Dome . After two weeks the soldiers are starving . One of them freaks out , and Larsen shoots him , then offers the body to the Jackals . The soldiers and the tribes became allies , both wanting to get into the dome . Soon after , the soldiers use the last of their RadAway , and by the time the PC shows up they ' re in their 7th day of withdrawal . 5 days ago : Presper and his men arrive , shoot some jackals , hide in the truck , slip into the Quarantine Center , and seize Helen , Galenski , and the kids . There ' s a big fight with Pierce and Helen , as they recognize each other ( they used to be lovers , and he ' s the father of at least one of her kids . ) 4 days ago : Presper realizes his datacan is of the wrong type , or can ' t be used to save ZAX without destroying all the data on it , which he ' s not ready to do yet . He starts to run some other calculations and waits around for those to finish . It ' s during this time ( in Part 1 ) that the PC would arrive ; if the PC doesn ' t arrive until Part 2 , Presper & Co . are gone and things are a little back to normal , at least normal for here . When the inner dome got shut down , Xian was trapped outside . The scientists are angry because they don ' t know how to get her back in . When the PCs meet her , she ' s almost out of oxygen but she won ' t open her suit . Why ? Because she doesn ' t want to contaminate the PC . Coleridge agreed to come here ( 1 ) because Presper told him it was a safehouse just in case NCR & BoS went to war , and ( 2 ) he needed the satellite if he wanted to wage war on NCR . The NCR guys spotted Galenski ' s truck , used it as a Trojan Horse , used it to enter the quarantine center and capture Galenski . Helen thought they were going to kill Galenski so she pretended to throw in with them . Once inside they took control of the outer perimeter , and Presper was able to talk everyone into a conference via video monitor . Presper finds out that some scientists didn ' t make it to Boulder and realizes he ' s short on the number of people he needs . Goddard is keeping stuff secret from Presper : the research , the presence of Larsen outside . He knows Presper wants the PC dead . He doesn ' t trust Presper and suspects that Coleridge may have been responsible for the attack on NCR congress . Appearances . The Boulder Dome did not appear nor was mentioned in any of the published games , but was to appear in the canceled " Fallout 3 " project by Black Isle codenamed " Van Buren " . It is not certain if it will appear in any future " Fallout " game .