Weston Lesko

Dr. Weston Lesko is a scientist living in Grayditch, found inside Marigold station in 2277. He is indirectly responsible for causing the destruction of Grayditch.
==Background==
The brilliant but aloof Doctor Lesko is determined to achieve one goal: save the wasteland from the mutated wildlife (specifically, giant ants) ravaging it. He seeks to revert the giant ants back to their original pre-War size by genetically manipulating their egg broods, and thus prove to the people of the wastes that they are merely misunderstood creatures. He understands the risks and the "rhetoric" of tampering with nature, but he is convinced that his cause is just and his results will speak for themselves.The Lone Wanderer: "Experiments? What do you mean?"Doctor Lesko: "My experiments are of a complex nature and would take a scientist to explain... oh wait! I'm a scientist! How marvelous! My foray into reducing the girth of these insectoid creatures is of utmost importance. I intend to generationally reduce their immense stature by way of a pre-birth induced mutagen. Isn't that clever?"(Weston Lesko's dialogue)Marigold station terminal entries; Doctor Lesko's terminal, Dangers
Dr. Lesko's experiments did not kick off until after his arrival in Grayditch in November 2276, when he moved into a laboratory shack built with the help of Fred and Bryan Wilks. (Lesko also tried to gain the help of William Brandice, but was flatly refused.)Grayditch terminal entries; W. Brandice's terminal, 11-15-2276 Bryan Wilks remembers him as an "okay" guy during his time in Grayditch, who was nice to him and did not do anything bad. However, his dedication to science did lead to disagreements with the rest of the settlement, and Bryan also remembers one argument between Lesko and his father, aggravated by Lesko's aloof perspective.The Lone Wanderer: "Do you trust Lesko?"Bryan Wilks: "I dunno. I mean, he always talked real funny and didn't let me touch anything in his house. But I guess he was okay. I mean, he never did anything bad."(Bryan Wilks' dialogue)The Lone Wanderer: "Did your pappa ever tell you what he thought of Lesko?"Bryan Wilks: "Well, I remember once they were all yelling at each other and stuff. Kinda weird cause Doc Lesko is so nice and all. Later pappa said something like "The Doc has got a brain on his shoulders when it comes to ants, but he's got a lot to learn about people." It was weird, cause I never seen a brain sitting on Doc's shoulder... that would be gross!"(Bryan Wilks' dialogue) Lesko soon found an ant colony underneath Marigold station on which he could put his theories into practice, and set up a field lab from which to inject the ant eggs and monitor their development.Marigold station terminal entries; Doctor Lesko's terminal, Sample Location Discovered! It was here that things began to go wrong.
As time passed and the batches of Lesko's genetically-modified ants grew, it became clear that they were not growing any smaller. Instead, they were getting more aggressive, and even developed pyrosis (the ability to spew fire from their bodies.) Realizing his error, Lesko retreated into his lab, seeking to correct his mistakes before it was too late and stop the ants' queen from producing more of the unwanted fire ants.Marigold station terminal entries; Doctor Lesko's terminal, Where Did I Go Wrong? However, Lesko found himself unable to get past the queen's nest guardians, and has since remained in his lab, with a solution in place but no way for him to implement it.The Lone Wanderer: "Are you aware your new ants breathe fire?!"Doctor Lesko: "Well, this is rather embarrassing so you'll have to forgive me, it appears that I've made a slight miscalculation in my mutagen samples. Instead of lowering the size of the ants, the brood hatched and developed a new biomechanism. I call their genetic aberration pyrosis; the ability to emit flame from their bodies. I may be able to correct this error, but I can't get near my equipment."(Weston Lesko's dialogue) Meanwhile, unbeknownst to him, above ground, the fire ants he inadvertedly created decimated Grayditch, killing or chasing away everyone in the settlement but Bryan Wilks.Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition p.69:"Doctor Lesko:Lesko is a somewhat befuddled and misguided scientist whose experiments on ants have proven disastrous for Grayditch. Deep inside Marigold Metro Station, he carries out his research, completely oblivious to the destruction that his Fire Ants have caused. He has little patience for anything beyond his scientific acumen and dismisses his failures as only temporary obstacles on the road to success. While his motivation is to save the Wasteland, his methods are in fact destroying it." Even so, he does not intend to stop, viewing the disaster as a temporary setback to his efforts and believing that the true disaster would be if he let emotion cloud his judgement.The Lone Wanderer: "An error? People have died, Lesko!"Doctor Lesko: "A small price to pay for the advancement of science. A few die, and later after the mutagen is improved, many more will live. That's the way it's done. The only way to correct this mistake is to modify the mutagen. I must get to my terminal."(Weston Lesko's dialogue)The Lone Wanderer: "Can't you take responsibility for his father's death?"Doctor Lesko: "All scientists take responsibility for their failures, because it comes with the territory. I will take this experimentation to completion without roosting on the moral high ground. If I allow emotions to enter the mix, all this time and energy spent will have been for nothing."(Weston Lesko's dialogue)
A devoted scientist, Lesko idolizes scientific principle as much as he does the cooperative, egalitarian society of the ants.The Lone Wanderer: "Books aren't going to buy me new ammunition."Doctor Lesko: "Why can't man follow the ant's example? They work together as a team... every waking moment dedicated to the colony. They require no wealth or material items... everything they need is provided for them by their fellow insects. But I digress. If it's payment you need, all I can offer is one of my Mutagenic Bioenhancers."(Weston Lesko's dialogue) He also has little patience for those who do not understand his work, or interfere with it.The Lone Wanderer: "Slow down, professor... Once more in English, okay?"Doctor Lesko: "Yes, it's fairly obvious you have no clue what I'm dealing with here. Let me explain to you, as I would to a child. The ants start out very very big. Then we put the magic potion in the eggs, so when they hatch, the new ones will be smaller. Do that many many times and soon all the ants are tiny again! How marvelous!"(Weston Lesko's dialogue)The Lone Wanderer: "What do you know about Bryan Wilks?"Doctor Lesko: "Far too curious. His incessant questioning would often come when I was the most absorbed with my calculations. He had no regard for the importance of my work!"(Weston Lesko's dialogue) Ironically, however, Lesko himself has flouted the scientific method when he found it convenient, taking the "shortcuts" of avoiding a controlled test group and using the FEV to create his mutagenic agent without verifying its safety first.The Lone Wanderer: "I'm shocked you didn't attempt this in a controlled environment first."Doctor Lesko: "Your knowledge of experimental procedure surprises me! Indeed, I have skipped a step and directly modified an entire brood. Perhaps I was too hasty... I was so certain it would work. To correct this mistake, I'll need to get to my terminal to modify the mutagen."(Weston Lesko's dialogue)The Lone Wanderer: "Something isn't right. You shouldn't have gotten results like these so quickly."Doctor Lesko: "Well... ummm, I may have used a few... ahem, shortcuts. Yes. I was told that the FEV works wonders when used under controlled circumstances! Apparently I was wrong, but I know my mistake. I'm certain I can get it to work!"(Weston Lesko's dialogue)The Lone Wanderer: "Your theories were in error, and beyond correction. I had no choice."Doctor Lesko: "Spoken like a true disciple of science! I will restart my calculations from the beginning and learn to crawl before I try to run. I suppose I shouldn't be angered by your actions, forgive my impertinance."(Weston Lesko's dialogue) Lesko's work has admittedly bore some fruit. He has developed mutagenic bioenhancers, formulas based on fire ant genes, which can provide some of their desirable traits to humans who receive them via injection.The Lone Wanderer: "Mutagenic Bio-what?"Doctor Lesko: "I've managed to isolate some of the Fire Ant genes and distill them into human-safe genetic enhancers! I can inject you with one of these formulas and you'll find yourself with either enhanced strength or enhanced perception! Not only that, but you'll be somewhat more resistant to fire! How marvelous!"(Weston Lesko's dialogue)
* Lesko will not return to his shack until Those! is fully completed. This means one must also find a home for Bryan (or refuse to do so) and receive the experience points for this quest before Lesko will return to his shack.
==Interactions with the player character==
===Interactions overview===
===Quests===
* Those!: Doctor Lesko requires the Lone Wanderer's help to regain control of his experiment. If the player has a high enough Science skill and Intelligence, an additional dialogue option appears when asking Lesko about his experiments. When the Science option is chosen (60 Science needed), Lesko reveals that he has been using FEV in his experiments. An additional dialogue option will also appear if the player has chosen the perk Entomologist, which upsets the doctor slightly.
** If this quest is completed and Lesko stays alive, he will move back to his shack in Grayditch.
* Nectar Collecting for Fun and Profit: After completion of "Those!", Lesko will pay for samples of fire ant nectar. Be aware that entering Doctor Lesko's shack will be considered trespassing, even though the player might have to enter it to give him some nectar. Stay there for too long, and both the protectron and Doctor Lesko will become hostile.
==Inventory==
==Notes==
* Lesko feels little to no remorse about the lives his experiments have cost. He supports the Lone Wanderer's decision to find Bryan Wilks a new home, but only because he will no longer be pestered by Bryan's questions.
* Lesko can sometimes be killed by fire ants if one leaves both doors to his office open. 
* If the player character does not select the extra payment option during the quest, they cannot obtain Lesko's lab coat. The clothing he wears is a regular lab technician outfit.
* Deciding to wait and get the perk later to use the bonus to Perception or Strength to get 10 in all attributes, if completing 'Those' when the Doctor has returned to his shack, one is no longer able to get the perk as the speech option is now gone.
==Notable quotes==
==Appearances==
Weston Lesko appears only .
==Behind the scenes==
* In a 2019 interview, Lesko's voice actor, Mike Rosson, stated that he channeled Frank Grimes from The Simpsons for his performance.Ian interviews Mike Rosson (Fallout 3 + 4 Voice Actor): "And Lesko, I'm kind of channeling, Frank, maybe, from The Simpsons a little bit? Whoa!"
* Dr. Lesko shares his name with the protagonist of the 1974 environmental horror film Phase IV which features scientists in a battle against mutated ants.
==References==
Non-game
Category:Fallout 3 human characters
Category:Grayditch characters
Category:Fallout 3 scientists
de:Weston Lesko
es:Weston Lesko
fr:Weston Lesko
hu:Weston Lesko
no:Dr. Lesko
ru:Доктор Леско
uk:Доктор Леско
zh:韦斯顿·莱斯科