Anatoly Kharkov

**Dr. Anatoly Konstantinovich Kharkov** (Mondreuisan: Анатолий харьков) is a supporting character in Prey, and the last surviving man on Boudean. He will appear throughout Phase II. He serves as a partial "guide" who will guide the player through certain situations. His involvement with the player over transmission is very reminiscent of Unit 44 from the previous chapter.

## Appearance

Kharkov is a tall Caucasian man of lean build. He has brown cut hair, and a clean shaven face. He also dons glasses. He wears a green shirt underneath a white lab coat. His pants are gray trousers with armored plates for protection. He wears brown boots.

## Role in *Prey*

The player arrives at P2M1 upon being teleported out of P1MX: Presence of Death. Halfway through the level, the static of the transmitter suddenly beeps to life, and reveals a voice on the other end. The only identification of the sender is "BSA—616", the acronym short for *Boudean Science Administration*. The sender expresses his surprise at not being the only one left alive on the base. He cuts off the transmission, promising, "I will send later."

The next level, the transmission once again picks up once the player reaches a particularly dilapidated and difficult to traverse section of the level. He will give the player directions, furthermore attaching them to the console so that Einhardt won’t forget. During the next level, he is silent.

In P2M4, when the player is forced to open the gates leading to the Caverns, the voice once again states that he can track the player, and that he knows they are in the same sector. He states which office he is located in - the one locked by the red card. Upon entrance, the man reveals himself to be a leading scientist, his name being Kharkov. Kharkov expressed his surprise that the player survived this long, but nonetheless he will give the passcode to open the final safeguard to opening the caverns. He mentions that he will escape by a drop ship and will return to Earth.

Upon entry into the cavern's first level, the transmission will be normal. However, by P2M6, the static is too much and the call is disconnected. There is only a demonic message in its place by P2MX.

### Fate

Once the player returns to Earth in Phase III, the player will find a burning wreck inside one of the city levels. Upon closer inspection, it is a drop ship with markings from Boudean. Directly nearby is what seems to be the corpse of Kharkov, charred badly. Apparently, he met his unfortunate fate after the drop ship malfunctioned during the descent. However, promptings the corpse itself reveals that the player notices something different - this man has a beard, whereas Kharkov had no facial hair. His suspicions are confirmed when he meets a living Kharkov inside a fortified apartment.

Kharkov will briefly explain that he found the corpse of another scientist in the ship and left it inside the drop ship. The ship malfunctioned and crash-landed, but Kharkov survived and threw the already-dead man out before escaping into the city. After this, it is entirely unknown what happened to him.

## Background

Anatoly Kharkov was born to Konstantin and Sara Kharkov in Glaustau, Mondreuisa, in 2111 (age 30–31). Both of his parents were Mondreuisan natives, but they spoke very little of their native language and exclusively spoke in English. Because of this, Kharkov knows minimal Mondreuisan and always speaks in English, albeit with an accent. He performed extraordinarily well in school, eventually taking education at a prestigious college. He majored in biochemical science and earned a doctorate in astrophysics. In 2134, he joined the SIC as a technician on Earth. He was waiting transfer to Cyla as part of his job, but it was cut short when the demonic invasion and the subsequent events of SIC occurred. Upon the cessation of the forces of Hell, the SIC ordered a coverup and gave paid leave to all workers, including Kharkov. Kharkov was incredibly distrustful of the company afterwards, but never actively protested in fear of losing his job.

Finally, in 2142, he was moved to Boudean to aid in production of the new Marauder—class Drop ship. Kharkov has spent years gathering bits and pieces of what had happened eight years, and eventually realized the extent of the Hell forces and how they invaded the Earth. Knowing a second invasion was inevitable, Kharkov invented his own advanced drop ship, hidden away from the other workers. He spent the rest of the time until the invasion researching more about the demonic forces and where the safest place on Earth would be. He further informed his relatives on Earth to fortify his apartment, without stating a reason.

## Trivia

* His character, and knowledge of Hell, is strongly based on Dr. Jonathan Ishii from *Doom 3*.
* His physical appearance is inspired by Gordon Freeman from *Half-Life*.\*
* His name is also nearly identical to Anatoly Karpov, a Chess World Champion between 1975 and 1985.