Fallout Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Fallout Wiki

Ohhh... Beautiful... just like his/her Daddy... Ha ha ha...

Catherine was a scientist and the wife of James, working together on Project Purity, an attempt to produce purified water in mass quantities, overcoming the critical shortage of this essential good in the Capital Wasteland. Despite intense efforts, the Project was cut short when Catherine died after giving birth to the Lone Wanderer in 2258. Although appearing only briefly, Catherine's memory is the driving force behind James' second attempt to restart Project Purity that sets in motion the storyline in Fallout 3.

Background[]

Little is known about Catherine's background or origins. She was a dedicated scientist,[1] familiar with the Bible and Christianity, with her favorite passage being Revelation 21:6: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely."[2] This passage inspired her life's work on Project Purity: Together with James, they attempted to bring the waters of life to the Capital Wasteland and restore it.[3] Catherine was originally one of several scientists working on the project, eventually falling in love with James and marrying him.[Non-game 1] She brought with herself not just knowledge, but also beauty within and without, and a spectacular passion for life and love.[4] Their shared vision was a wasteland with unlimited access to clean, free water, safe to drink and water crops with: An opportunity to eliminate radiation sickness and mutation, to assure survival for everyone.[5]

Their passion and vision inspired others, including Madison Li of the Rivet City science crew, who joined Project Purity to help figure out the issue of water purification. While they were focused on work, James and Catherine left space for flirt and romance for themselves. James seemed fond of interrupting his wife at work, and during one such interruption, the Lone Wanderer was conceived.[6] The eventual onset of pregnancy symptoms coincided with a return to work at the Jefferson Memorial, after sentry guns broke down. After weeks of delays, James finally secured the support of Owyn Lyons, in the form of protection and technical support to hold the mutants at bay. The team returned to work, but Catherine's state slowed work down, briefly leading to disagreements.[7]

However, when news of her pregnancy broke, it had the opposite effect: It had reinvigorated the team, lifting everyone's spirits and bringing a renewed push towards making the purifier work. While their methods were inefficient, James believed they were on the right track. Catherine agreed and spent her every waking hour in the lab, trying to resolve the power issues.[8] She was the happiest James had ever seen her while expecting, planning great things for their future child.[4] However, as months passed and the team prepared to scale back their efforts after the child was born, problems started to manifest. Catherine and James' team could not provide concrete results they hoped for, which strained relationship with the Elder: Intensifying mutant attacks and resulting casualties - two dead and three injured in the span of a single week in 2258 - rendered further support uncertain.[9]

The Project's fate was sealed on July 13, 2258, when the child was born. James delivered the baby personally, with Madison Li assisting. While there were no complications during delivery, Catherine went into cardiac arrest moments after giving birth, her heart unable to withstand the strain.[10] The science team was not equipped to deal with such an event, literally: The infirmary was fitted with scavenged and frequently derelict equipment, which greatly affected Catherine's chances of survival, despite their best efforts.[11][12]

The project imploded shortly afterwards: Without Catherine, James could not properly care for an infant at the Memorial's facilities,[13] and to make things worse, work hit a dead-end and mutant attacks intensified to the point the Memorial came under attack several times a day. Reluctantly, James abandoned Project Purity and made for Vault 101.[14] The rest of the team, many of whom devoted their entire lives to Project Purity, saw it as betrayal and abandonment, forcing them to walk away from the project.[15]

Memories of Catherine, especially her good natured ways and scientific acumen persisted despite James' flight. Li especially respected her work as a scientist, despite disagreements.[16] It was this respect that eventually led to her reluctantly rejoining the project nearly twenty years later, when James hit upon a breakthrough while sealed inside Vault 101 and abandoned its confines to see Project Purity through to the end, in Catherine's name.[17] It was the only thing of value left in his life (as he assumed his child was safely sealed within Vault 101).[18]

Interactions with the player character[]

Interactions overview[]

Interactions
FO76 ui icon quest
This character is involved in quests.

Baby Steps

Icon severed ear color
This character drops an ear upon death (Contract Killer).

Quests[]

  • Baby Steps: Catherine dies in the prologue of the game. She appears during a cutscene that shows the Lone Wanderer's birth, but only her legs and her voice can be perceived. A holotape recording of James flirting with her called "Better Days" can be located in the Jefferson Memorial's lower levels. Her favorite quote from the Bible is Revelation 21:6, and reflects one of the core themes of the game.
  • In Point Lookout, while intoxicated on the Mother Punga, the Lone Wanderer will find one of the many giant bobbleheads on a medical examination table with a skeleton marked "Mom," balloons, and a party hat. The bobblehead will say "Blech. If my kid looked like that, I'd abandon it too." The skeleton is Catherine, reflecting the lack of maternal presence in the Lone Wanderer's life. Furthermore, the last bobblehead in the vision says, "Dead mother, life in a post-nuclear Wasteland and not a friend in it. Yeah, you aren't exactly blessed."

Inventory[]

Apparel Weapon Other items
Birth skirt

Notable quotes[]

Appearances[]

Catherine appears physically in Fallout 3, and an image of her appears in Fallout: New Vegas.

Behind the scenes[]

  • Using console commands (tfc and teofis) during the game's opening allows one to see that Catherine's character model is an older African-American woman with a "No Nonsense" hairstyle, and that James is a Caucasian man with a "Smooth Wave" hairstyle, regardless of what race or tone is used for the player character. With the console command tfc without going into third person view first, one can get a good look at Catherine up close just as the first cutscene ends.
    • However, the storyline of Fallout 3 does not specify her ethnicity nor her last name, and Catherine is never actually directly seen in the game. A photograph of her and James was created for the game, but never placed anywhere. It was subsequently recycled in Fallout: New Vegas and placed in Vault 21 in Sarah's bedroom. It does not seem to have any additional implications.
  • In early exclusive media previews of Fallout 3, Catherine had temporary voice acting performed by lead designer Emil Pagliarulo. According to a Fallout 3 preview from Edge Magazine published in May 2008, "[Pete] Hines emphasized that all the voice-acting, apart from Liam Neeson's turn as your father, was temporary – a point well illustrated by the distinctly gruff tones of your mother."[Non-game 2][Non-game 3]

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. Madison Li: "Yes... Your mother was, well she was a good woman. A very dedicated scientist. Your father loved her very much."
  2. Baby Steps, James: "Come on over here. I want to show you something. See that? It was your mother's favorite passage. It's from the Bible. Revelation 21:6. "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely." She always loved that."
  3. Project Purity journals, personal journal: Entry 1
  4. 4.0 4.1 Lone Wanderer: "Can we talk about, you know... mom?"
    James: "Your mother, she... she was beautiful. But... beyond the beauty you've seen. There's just so much those old photos can never show. And she was passionate. About life, about love. But most of all, most of all she was passionate about you. When she became pregnant, it was the happiest I had ever seen her. Ahhhh.... she had great things in mind for you.... And so! Time for you to stop stalling and get to class! Please, honey/son, please take these achievement tests seriously. The last thing I need is you mother's ghost haunting me because her only child became a garbage burner."
    (Future Imperfect)
  5. Lone Wanderer: "Why is this so important?"
    James: "You remember the Bible passage, about the waters of life? It's more than just a poster on a wall. Your mother and I, we lived by that ideal. Water, clean and free, for everyone in the Wasteland! Think about that for a moment. No more radiation sickness, no more mutated crops, no more struggling just to stay alive. Finally... hope. Isn't it worth taking a risk to give that hope to people?"
  6. Better Days: "...that batch of tests was inconclusive, but Madison and I are convinced it's a problem with the secondary filtration system. We’re going to re-calibrate the equipment and try again tomorrow, so that... James, please, I’m trying to work. Now’s not the time... So that's the next step. Assuming we get the results we need, we'll move on to... James! Stop! I need to finish these notes... We'll move on to diagnosing the issues with the radiation dampeners. That should... Ow! James! Now? We really shouldn't... Ha ha ha ha ha!"
  7. Project Purity journals, personal journal: Entry 1
  8. Project Purity journals, personal journal: Entry 3
  9. Project Purity journals, personal journal: Entry 3
  10. Baby Steps
  11. Madison Li: "Complications from childbirth. None of us were expecting it; we weren't as prepared as we could have been. You have to understand, we were struggling with scavenged, derelict equipment. We did everything we could."
  12. Lone Wanderer: "How did mom really die?"
    James: "I understand that you have reason to question a good many things I've told you over the years. But your mother... I've never lied to you about what happened. Not once. She died giving birth to you. It was a difficult time... She was so eager to meet you, to make a place for you in the world. If nothing else, please believe that she loved you very much."
  13. Project Purity journals, personal journal: Entry 7
  14. Project Purity journals, personal journal: Entry 8
  15. Madison Li: "Your father just shows up here as if nothing happened... He walked out on us. I know he had his reasons, I know it was to protect you, but still. Project Purity was our life. It was the only thing that mattered, and then he just gave up. He abandoned us, and we were forced to move on."
  16. Madison Li: "Yes, I did. I'm sorry that you never had time with her. She was... She was a good woman. We didn't always agree, but I respected her work as a scientist. Your father... He loved her very much."
  17. Project Purity journals, personal journal: Entry 3
  18. Lone Wanderer: "What was my father like back then?"
    Madison Li: "James? He was very driven. Determined to change the world. Well, we all were back then, I suppose. He was focused on two things, really. Making Project Purity work, and your mother. When she died, I think... I think he gave up. I know he wanted to keep you safe, but I think part of what he did was run away. But it seems that he never really was able to get over the idea. I'm frankly shocked that he waited all this time, and wants to try again."

Non-game

  1. Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition p.86: "Mom (Catherine; deceased)
    Your mother died during childbirth, and was one of the scientists attempting to perfect Project Purity, falling in love with James, the leader of the scientists. Aside from her voice (available on Holotape: Better Days), you know little about your mother, except that she suffered cardiac arrest during your birth, and her favorite Bible passage is Revelation 21:6."
    (Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition Wasteland Census)
  2. Voices and Butch on Next Gen
  3. PREVIEW: Fallout 3
Advertisement