Charles

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**This article contains spoilers for the main story of *Atomic Heart***.

**CHAR-les** (or **Charles**), also known as Chariton Radeonovich Zakharov, is the deuteragonist and the primary antagonist of *Atomic Heart.*

## Biography

### Before the events of *Atomic Heart*

Chariton Zakharov was Dmitry Sechenov's closest friend and associate (however, many emphasized that the scientists were bound by strong business relations, and no one saw any indication of real friendship during the years of their joint work). Together with him, he participated in most of the developments, starting from the pre-war period and ending with the study of the neuropolymer. He held the honorary position of Head of the Neurobiology Department at the Pavlov Complex of Facility 3826 and was one of the most intelligent Soviet scientists.

Zakharov described Limbo, a state that involves a special combat mode in which a person can be put into order to use their abilities and skills to the limit. At the same time, a person in the Limbo state can be controlled by giving orders. Presumably, he personally conducted a number of experiments in this area. The result of his work was the Voskhod Polymer brain implant, which he developed together with Sechenov and supplemented with special functionality. Additionally, he performed surgeries to place implants in the brains of Argentum operatives.

In contrast to Sechenov, Zakharov had a closed-off character. A misanthrope who was only interested in science, he was generally reserved and indifferent to the fate of people. Journalists and colleagues emphasized that while Sechenov put the welfare of humanity at the forefront of his work, Zakharov seemed to only take pleasure in curbing the laws of the universe and subordinating them to the power of his reason. Radical methods were a constant part of his work, and he did not skimp on the caustic remarks that were firmly planted in the minds of some of the Pavlov Complex's employees.

Unfortunately, Zakharov's misanthropy and indifference extended to his own person. This is also confirmed by the words of his colleague and student, Larisa Filatova, who continued his work on the integration of human consciousness into the Kollektiv 2.0 network as a replacement. In her opinion, "his body did not seem to him to be something valuable," so he conducted experiments on himself. As a result, Zakharov died during one of the experiments with the prototype of the Jelly Man in 1951. The accident that led to his death was known final experiment, though is not known for certain what its essence was and why the scientist died.

Following the incident with Zakharov, Dr. Sechenov, in order to preserve at least his mind and methods of thinking, resurrected him in the form of a consciousness placed in a neuropolymer structure. It is not known how Sechenov was able to do this, but it confirmed the theory of "Polymer immortality" that appeared in one of the "talking corpses" in 1955. After his revival, Zakharov continued to conduct scientific activities in his new Polymer form, while no longer needing to meet ordinary human needs. Zakharov's work was hidden from the public and no one knew about his subsequent existence in Polymer form. However, the results of his work could be traced in many documents, including the most progressive and new, by the unchanged handwriting.

By transforming himself into a Polymer clot and ridding himself of the human body, Zakharov was able to fully concentrate on his scientific activities. He corresponded with Sechenov regarding his current condition. Based on several of Zakharov's letters, it can be traced that Sechenov wanted to create at least some kind of physical clothing for his friend, probably in the form of a human body, but he flatly refused, saying that now nothing constrained his scientific activity. At the same time, no longer having any restrictions on his physical appearance, Zakharov gradually began to realize himself as a new and perfect form of life. In a letter to himself he wrote:

> *Vice is a physiological property. In the magnum opus of "opium for the people," the Bible, this is well shown, if allegorically. Man has become depraved not by tasting the mystic fruit, but by becoming aware of himself. The body dictates our depravity. We want to multiply, so there are rapists and perverts. If we want to eat, we steal money and food. We want to be pleased, and now we surround ourselves with stupid luxury. It is not man himself who is corrupt, but his limited, primitive shell, which needs food, sex, drugs, and care. The radiance of pure reason, and it alone, can illuminate the path of humanity. Because a human being is not a body. It's a way of thinking.*
>
>

Zakharov initially refused one of the offers to attach him to an agent in the form of an implantable module, but later agreed to do it in order to gain access to the management of the Kollektiv 2.0 system. Deliberately taking advantage of the current emergency situation at Facility 3826, Chariton persuaded Sechenov to give the Polymer glove to his agent, P-3, where Zakharov pretended to be an artificial intelligence named CHAR-les. Nicknamed "Charles", he was supposed to mentor P-3 and assist him during subsequent events, and in particular to help the agent deal with the aftermath, as he knew what was happening better than anyone else close to him. Sechenov himself seemed to trust him and his views. This decision paved the way for Zakharov to alter the course of events in his favor.

### Events of *Atomic Heart*

Charles is introduced to the player during the opening sequence in the Chelomey Complex. He is an ideal assistant, an artificial intelligence that tells interesting information about the secrets of the world known to him, including the work of the Facility 3826 from the inside. Charles can be heard providing hints about new objectives, tells agent P-3 about the origin and characteristics of the characters he meets, and also talks a little about the agent's mysterious background.

At Chelomey, Sechenov calls P-3 and says that the Polymer glove housing Charles is his personal invention, and that it is "more important than it may seem at first glance." He then directs P-3 to complete the integration of the glove into the laboratories of the Vavilov Complex. However, there is a glitch in the robots' combat program, and P-3 finds himself in a cascade of events.

Following P-3's arrival at Facility 3826, he is told by Dmitry Sechenov that Viktor Petrov has sabotaged the Kollektiv 1.0 node that manages the facility, turning the robots hostile against humans. P-3 is subsequently tasked alongside Charles to find and capture Petrov. Charles later explains to P-3 that Sechenov and the Politburo are in a secret power struggle over who will ultimately control Kollektiv, and the Politburo will certainly use the incident as an excuse to get rid of Sechenov.

Throughout the game, Charles indirectly hints to P-3 that Sechenov is not as bright a person as it may seem at first glance. In many dialogues about Sechenov's probable plans related to Kollektiv 2.0, Charles manifests itself not as an artificial intelligence, but rather as a person who already has his own, fully formed view of what is happening around him, unlike P-3, who for the most part does not understand the motives of certain actions of other people. At the same time, Charles subtly incites P-3 to go against Sechenov's plans and insinuates that the unfortunate circumstances and the escalating situation at Facility 3826 are the fault of Sechenov, who created the Atomic Heart project that concealed combat modes in each of the robots produced by the Soviet Union.

A few hours later, P-3 discovers that Charles isn't actually an AI at the Academy of Consequences. Charles's true nature is revealed concurrently with P-3's discovery of information about his hazy past purposely hidden by Sechenov, who was presumed to have previously murdered Zakharov. Using Zakharov's security clearance, they head into the Academy's archives where P-3 learns that in order to fix a serious brain injury, Sechenov installed a Polymer implant in his brain that also served to erase his memories of his deceased wife Ekaterina, as well as mind control P-3 when needed. Furious, P-3 decides to seek out Sechenov.

P-3 is subsequently given the choice of confront Sechenov, leading to the Long Ending, or refusing to go against him, which leads to the Short Ending.

### Long Ending

If P-3 decides to fight, Sechenov engages in a verbal skirmish with Charles — Sechenov says that Charles "uses P-3 as a puppet instead of helping him." In response, Charles says that "people are a resource" that Sechenov uses to achieve his goals, also mentioning that he himself was also used by Sechenov, forcing him to do all the dirty work during his lifetime.

During P-3's battle with the Twins (whose exoskeletons house the cerebral hemispheres of P-3's wife, Ekaterina Nechaeva), Sechenov mentions that "it is no longer possible to recall them, since they are fighting Chariton, not P-3 himself."

After defeating them, P-3 shoots Sechenov in the abdomen. Sechenov explains that with the help of the Voskhod Polymer implant invented by Zakharov, which is embedded in P-3's head, Charles sent him to Limbo; he also explains that Charles is to blame for the deaths of Yegor Molotov and Larisa Filatova (during P-3's implant-induced blackouts). After finding out this fact, P-3 decides to take off the polymer glove, but Charles betrays P-3 by subduing him with a strong electric shock. Charles emerges out of the glove in the form of a polymer clot and climbs into the container of neuropolymer. Mixing with the Jelly Man and absorbing all his knowledge, Charles acquires a black-colored humanoid polymer form.

When asked by Sechenov what Zakharov wants, he says:

> *I want this all to end, Dmitry. I want your pathetic human race to realize it has no future. It's time for it to step aside and make way for the next phase of its evolution... Me.*
>
>

Furthermore, when asked by Sechenov what he is going to do with people and Kollektiv in the newfound guise of the Alpha Connector, Charles answers:

> *You should not call something evil just because you cannot comprehend it. Evil is an abstract concept, and your thinking is limited. You are a human, a species that will soon be extinct. I realized when I stopped being human myself. Your limitations prevent you from seeing the truth: dumb humans don't want to evolve. All they want is comfort and satisfaction on someone else's dime.*
>
>

When Sechenov says that Zakharov did not want to be part of the massive array, he says that he changed his mind. After that, he kills Sechenov by breaking his neck. Zakharov can then be seen destroying the golden THOUGHT device on Sechenov's desk – this is probably intended to foreshadow the main idea of Zakharov's subsequent plans.

In the report of the Argentum detachment soldier, it turns out that, according to fragmentarily recovered information, a black polymer object approached Sechenov's body and absorbed his entire body, and then left Sechenov's office and disappeared in an unknown direction.

### Short Ending

If P-3 refuses to fight, P-3 will accuse Charles of wanting to use humans with the Voskhod neuropolymer implant he invented before Kollektiv came along. Shortly after, he forcefully pulls Charles's manipulators out of his glove and crushes them with his boot.

In the report of the Argentum detachment soldier, it is revealed that a camera recorded a small black polymer clot: Charles, who escaped from the glove.

### Events of *Atomic Heart: Annihilation Instinct*

Charles does not appear directly but is mentioned in a dialogue with Lebedev and in several letters. In particular, one can find a letter from Lin Huiyin with a poem, presumably dedicated to Zakharov.

As the plot develops as a continuation of the short ending, Charles remained in the form of a polymer blob, leading a terrorist movement against Kollektiv. At the same time, the clot is not considered to be the embodiment of the deceased Zakharov.

## Notes

* When Chariton absorbs the Neuro-Polymer, he turns black, he is also shown to have complete control over the robots due to the Drofas not attacking him.
* When P-3 enters Limbo, there is a unknown cat-like creature (similar to the Pushistov) that is seen in every sequence, it is revealed later that this was Chariton's mutant cat named "Fluffy". Its presence is similar to the Cheshire Cat from the book, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
	+ In one of Charles' tips, he mentions about what is P-3's favorite animal, which he personally prefers himself to be a cat person.
* From the Chirper cycle of Ivan Bykov's mini-history, you can find out that Charles/Zakharov had a favorite box with a melody.
	+ At the Maya Plisetskaya theater in one of the foyers leading to the hall with a performing ballerina, Charles can turn on this music. To the Major's question about "what he turned on", he will say that it is "a short-term interruption; old records" and that "now all systems are normal" after disconnecting this segment.
* In the Russian version of the game, Charles' name is HRAZ, that is a wordplay: first it's exaplained as a "keeper of knowledge" (Rus. "HRAnitel Znanyi) and in the later game as Hariton RAdeonovich Zakharov.
	+ It relates to the fact that the name **Chariton** in Russian is written as **Hariton** (the first letter's pronounced as "kh"). Most probably the developers decided that there will be difficulties for English-speaking players to pronounce HRAZ ("[kh]ra:z").