Shaun Nelson

**Shaun**, also known as **Father**, is the son Carter and Nora Nelson and is the leader of the Institute in 2287.

## Background

### Surviving the Great War

Shaun was less than a year old by October 2077. On October 23, during the outbreak of the Great War, his parents took him and fled to nearby Vault 111 as the atomic bombs began to fall on the Commonwealth. Unaware of the true purpose of the Vault, Shaun and his parents became frozen in cryogenic suspension. Approximately six months following their internment, a revolt occurred and the staff abandoned Vault 111, leaving behind those frozen within, completely unaware of what had occurred.

The cryogenically preserved Vault participants remained undisturbed for around 150 years until the Institute discovered records regarding Vault 111. At this time, the Institute was desperate for genetic material unaffected by the radiation-ravaged wasteland for their Third Generation Synth project. The infant, Shaun, represented the perfect source of uncorrupted DNA, and the Institute set about to acquire him.

Sometime in 2227, the Institute dispatched their mercenary, Conrad Kellogg, to Vault 111 to retrieve Shaun. Along with two Institute technicians, Kellogg revived Shaun and his parents. The parent holding Shaun was unwilling to part with their son and resisted Kellogg and was shot and killed. Kellogg then returned the other parent to cryogenic suspension and terminated the life support of the other frozen Vault participants.

### Living with the Institute

Shaun was then raised by the Institute as one of their own, later nicknamed "Father" for his role in providing the DNA required to complete the third generation synths. In time, he became the acting director of the Institute. After his promotion, he learned the truth that one of his parents was still alive.

His feelings about the Institute as the future and last hope of humanity are based upon the beliefs he was instilled under their control; he possesses a fear of the surface, having never visited it himself since he was an infant, and he is concerned of the potential threats of the Commonwealth to the Institute. Ultimately, Shaun wishes to take humanity further underground and away from the radiation, mutant, and danger-infested surface world. Shaun does not require the rest of the Institute to adhere to his personal beliefs. In contrast to his contempt towards people above, he is not only open to recruitment of talented individuals, but allows them to gain high positions, like with Madison Li.

## Personality

“I am sorry. I must think first of the safety of the Institute, and in the cruel world that has developed, those who are not with us are against us.”

Having been raised in and by the Institute rather than by his parents, Shaun mostly lacks compassion, though he has a strong desire for humanity to survive and believes he is doing what he must to protect humanity from extinction. Although he puts on a well-mannered attitude when reuniting with his parent, if the Sole Survivor keeps doing quests for Shaun, it soon becomes evident that Shaun has the capacity for being quite homicidal and violent to those who wish to get in the Institute's ways, particularly when he orders the deaths of two other factions. If the Sole Survivor refuses to kill the Railroad, Shaun then changes it to an order instead of a request, claiming it "needs" to be done. Shaun never uses "kill" or "slaughter" when he insists the Railroad and the Brotherhood of Steel be taken out, using language like "destroy" and "eliminate" instead. Shaun only uses "kill" regarding the possibility of the Institute being killed.

As he has never explored the surface himself beyond infancy, as well as being raised to become a leader who dishes out orders, Shaun is used to ordering others to do his requests indirectly for him, such as using synths as his lapdogs. Shaun is never shown expressing a desire to talk things out with Desdemona or Arthur Maxson peacefully. Another example of his observant nature is his desire for the Institute to remain in secrecy, as well as him condoning his organization abducting people for the Institute's research. Shaun and the Institute are also unable to solve the issue of runaway synths to the degree the Institute requires an entire bureau to retrieving them; rather than solving the issue first, Shaun instead tells his parent to go murder the other factions. This shows Shaun's priorities, his very cynical attitude towards other people, as well as his reluctance to compromise. His view that humanity should remain underground for its protection is similar to that of the Vault-Tec Corporation, as well as Alphonse Almodovar.

His impersonal attitude towards murder is also shown by him freeing his parent, but also potentially allowing his parent to be killed by the various dangers in the wasteland. However, it is suggested that Shaun wanted to test his parent as an example of humanity, and to have faith restored in human nature as well as the parent he never knew. The Sole Survivor may try to challenge their son's beliefs, though it is impossible for Shaun to fully come around regarding his attitudes towards the people of the Commonwealth, partially due to some of the limited dialogue options of *Fallout 4*. If the Sole Survivor tells Shaun that life on the surface is not that horrible and people manage anyway, Shaun replies, "Perhaps, but at costs too great to be worth it." He is idealistic when it comes to his parent and admits to not having given much thought to the possibility of the Sole Survivor wishing not to represent the Institute.

Shaun does not believe that synths are truly "sentient" and views them as tools, finding the idea of sentient synths to be ludicrous. As such, he views the Railroad as an illogical and ridiculous organization with misguided beliefs. He claims he has dealt with them and seen the lengths they do to complete their objectives and says they refuse to listen to reason, calling them zealots with a bizarre crusade with no regard for human life. If the Sole Survivor reveals they helped the Railroad during the Battle of Bunker Hill, Shaun calls their actions "so stupid" and raises his voice, saying synths can not truly feel emotions like fear. Shaun seems to be in denial of synths gaining consciousness similar to humans, even in spite of Alan Binet's evidence.

Shaun seems indifferent upon remembering the death of one of his parents. He refers to the "incident" as "collateral damage" which potentially angers the Sole Survivor, though Shaun does offer that he has had his whole life to come to terms with that information. While Shaun agrees his parent was killed, he is unsure if it should be called murder. However, despite this indifference, he never lets go of hatred towards his parent's murderer, Conrad Kellogg, whom he does not forgive even if the Sole Survivor does.

He does occasionally show some compassion. For instance, he apologizes to his surviving parent for the Railroad's destruction, which he does even if the Sole Survivor destroys them before Shaun orders it. He also claims he does not take pleasure in their destruction and that he has never been one to advocate violence, but views it as a necessity in their situation. If the Sole Survivor keeps working with the Institute, Shaun does eventually agree to finally address the people of the Commonwealth and engage in public relations with them, though in the style of a recorded message with his parent as the narrator instead of him, another example of Shaun's indirect behavior.