Fantastic

Fantastic is a man working at HELIOS One as a technician for the New California Republic in 2281. It is obvious, however, that his technical expertise is severely lacking and is merely using the position as a way to fuel his chem addiction.
==Background==
An immature and egotistical con artist, Fantastic was recruited by the NCR as an external contractor through the Office of Science and Industry because they required technical experts to work on the HELIOS One power plant. When the Courier asks Fantastic how he got the job, he confidently replies, "they asked me how well I understood theoretical physics. I said I had a theoretical degree in physics. They said welcome aboard." This was enough to satisfy the NCR recruiters, and he was given the job.The Courier: "How did you get this job?"Fantastic: "It was easy, man. They were going door to door asking if anyone knew any scientists. I said look no further. They asked me if I knew anything about power plants. I said as much as anyone I'd ever met. They asked me how well I understood theoretical physics. I said I had a theoretical degree in physics. They said welcome aboard."(Fantastic's dialogue)
Since arriving at Helios One, Fantastic, due to his incompetence and self-centered attitude, has done nothing to repair Helios One. However, he's been instilling the belief among NCR personnel that he's essential to the operations at Helios One, to avoid being fired, so he can gain as much money from the NCR as possible to fuel his drug addiction.The Courier: "That's right. I'm here for your job."Fantastic: "Ah, shit, man. You're direct, you're no-nonsense. How am I supposed to compete with that? I gotta pay these chem bills."(Fantastic's dialogue) Some people in the plant have seen through his lies for the idiot he really is.The Courier: "[Science] I notice your solar tower isn't collecting much sunlight. I can help."Haggerty: "No need. We already have an expert hard at work on it. Then again... our expert is an idiot. Hell, he might as well be a saboteur. I guess you couldn't do any worse. Have him fill you in on the details. He's in the back of the building. You'll know him when you see him. "(Haggerty's dialogue)
Even though Fantastic has accomplished very little in his time at Helios, he has properly identified a couple of problems that he has yet to fix, like the outside mirrors being aligned improperly. For months he has been working on a single console, assuming that the biggest console is the most important, which, unbeknownst to him, is the console for the Helios intercom system.The Courier: "The NCR doesn't know about the weapon?"Ignacio Rivas: "Not yet. By some miracle they've hired an imbecile to try and decipher the systems here. He's spent months working at one console trying to get the solar reflectors to track the sun. What he doesn't know is that the only thing the console controls is the plant's intercom system. I tried to tell him, but he insisted that the largest console had to be the most important. Still, it's only a matter of time."(Ignacio Rivas' dialogue)
He works in the control room alongside Ignacio Rivas. Ignacio is shown through dialogue to be far more knowledgeable about HELIOS One, but Fantastic manages the plant and doesn't listen to Ignacio's ideas. He continues to maintain the plant's output at "one percent efficiency." This is advantageous for Rivas as he has been purposely keeping Fantastic - and by extension the NCR - in the dark in order to protect information about Helios One. If the plant is run inefficiently then its true purpose, ARCHIMEDES, can be safely kept secret from the NCR.The Courier: "Why are you here?"Ignacio Rivas: "I was sent here when we saw that the NCR had taken it. We have no record of the facility, but its original builders were cause for concern. I'm to determine the threat level of this place and do everything in my power to prevent the revival of any dangerous Pre-War technology. The NCR let me stay because they are desperate for answers about this place, but I've kept them in the dark."(Ignacio Rivas' dialogue)
===Personality===
Full of himself,The Courier: "[Attack] You won't need to worry about bills where you're going."Fantastic: "Newsflash. Fantastic is irreplaceable."(Fantastic's dialogue) Fantastic believes in nothing but his own self-interest and benefit and has no qualms about weaseling his way into a position he's untrained for. He truly believes (or has deluded himself into believing) he could fix Helios One without any technical expertise.The Courier: "I sent power to McCarran and the Strip."Fantastic: "Whoa, really? Ho, shit! I knew I could do it. Those NCR pricks can all get on their knees and worship at the altar of fucking Fantastic! But don't worry, I'll tell them what you did for me, man. Not all of it, though. They'd think I was an idiot. But some of it."(Fantastic's dialogue) 
This would make him a shrewd character to deal with, but Fantastic is fantastically bereft of intelligence, which exposes him as a fraud to anyone who has to spend even a couple of minutes around him. Other NCR soldiers and Ignacio Rivas have little respect for him. When asked to elaborate on his working environment, his explanation starts promisingly enough, noting "that console there controls the main power grid," but soon devolves, ending with, "that slot over there makes sparks when you put stuff in it." If told that he doesn't know what he's doing, he disagrees and insists that he knows exactly what he is doing, he just doesn't know what effect it will have.The Courier: "So you have no idea what you're doing."Fantastic: "No, man. I know exactly what I'm doing. I just don't know what effect it's going to have. Over there controls power in this building. That station has readouts on the computer network. That big knob there makes a crazy noise. Sparks come out of that slot if you put stuff in it. And I'm learning more every day."(Fantastic's dialogue)
Fantastic is also a frequent drug user, solely using his position to further fuel his drug addiction. He often uses his drug addiction as a sympathy plea to guilt anyone calling him out. Further adding to Fantastic's depravity, should the Courier kill all the NCR on the base, Fantastic joins Caesar's Legion when they push forward, occupying the location. He will be wearing legionary armor amidst the other Legion members.The Courier: "You're with the Legion?	"Fantastic: "Shh. You feel that? That's the winds of change, baby, and Fantastic's riding them with his magic angel wings. They saw the shit I did for the NCR, how I carried them on my back, brought fire to the heathens. I wasn't gonna help them but they begged. Well, somebody begged. Couldn't say who for sure. It's all a blur, you know? Chems, man. What a trip."(Fantastic's dialogue) Nearby is Ignacio Rivas, who is deceased. When inquiring about Ignacio, Fantastic says doesn't know what happened to him, or if he is personally responsible or not.Courier: "Is Ignacio dead over there? Did you kill him?"Fantastic: "Man, I don't even know. It's crazy."(Fantastic's dialogue)
==Interactions with the player character==
===Interactions overview===
===Quests===
* That Lucky Old Sun: Fantastic has to be confronted for the beginning of the quest and spoken to in order to end the quest. He also can give the player character the Western reflector control terminal password through dialogue.
* ED-E My Love: Talking to Fantastic after he is transferred to Hoover Dam, he will mention HELIOS One which triggers an audio log.
===Effects of player's actions===
* If choosing to wipe out the NCR in That Lucky Old Sun quest by arming ARCHIMEDES, and Fantastic is left alive, upon returning, he will be wearing Legion armor and will have killed Ignacio Rivas. If the player character talks to him he will say, "Hey man, when in Rome."
* Alternatively, if one has chosen to side with the NCR, Fantastic can be found at Hoover Dam. He gets a promotion to the position of "goddamn dam god" (in his own words). However, if asked about his new job, Fantastic will admit that Mike Lawson, the chief engineer at Hoover Dam, has made arrangements so that anything Fantastic tries to do must be approved by Lawson first. The female engineers of Hoover Dam will also comment on Fantastic stating that "I'm pretty sick of Fantastic, can't that guy keep his hands to himself?" and "Fantastic grabbed my ass. That guy is vile."
* Choosing to send power to any of the non-weaponized locations in the quest That Lucky Old Sun may result in NCR guards remarking, "Maybe that guy Fantastic wasn't an idiot, maybe he was a genius," when exiting the facility.
===Other interactions===
* When first meeting Fantastic, it can be stated the player character is there to replace him. Fantastic gets worried and tells them that he needs this job for his chem addiction, and with a Speech check of 25, 100 caps can be extorted from him in return for not taking his job.
* During the quest Eureka! and the Second Battle of Hoover Dam, Fantastic can be found towards the back of power plant 01 if the player helped him during That Lucky Old Sun. He will be completely unaffected by the battle occurring. Hearing him say "push the middle button to divert the intake" in his dialogue will allow the player to bypass the Science check of 65 needed to engage the turbines and flush out the invading Legionnaires.
* Killing him does not affect NCR reputation nor make NCR troopers hostile to the player character.
* Killing him also does not give the player negative karma.
==Inventory==
: 
==Notes==
* After sending power to the Strip and McCarran without arming ARCHIMEDES, Fantastic may still appear at Hoover Dam even if he was killed earlier in the game.
==Notable quotes==
==Appearances==
Fantastic appears only .
==Behind the scenes==
Fantastic was written by Eric Fenstermaker. Fallout: New Vegas 10th Anniversary Charity Stream (reference starts at 5:14:10)Joshua Sawyer: "'Who wrote Fantastic?' That was Eric Fenstermaker. Funny man Eric Fenstermaker."
==Gallery==
Hey man, when in Rome.jpg|After the NCR's demise at HELIOS One
==References==
Category:Fallout: New Vegas human characters
Category:Fallout: New Vegas NCR characters
Category:HELIOS One characters
Category:Hoover Dam characters
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