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Mr. Hildenbrand[1] was the last known mayor of the city of Boston before the Great War.

Background[]

Prior to July 4th 2077, the mayor and the city of Boston sponsored a bass fishing tournament on Lake Quannapowitt to celebrate Independence Day.[2] The lake however was heavily contaminated by illegal dumping of industrial waste, a fact that the Massachusetts Department of Natural Resources had known about through the monitoring station there since at least June 1st.[3] Despite recommendations from the monitoring station that the lake be closed to the public while an inquiry was launched into the dumping, the mayor's tournament went ahead.[4] The result was twenty seven people suffering severe illnesses after coming into contact with water, with two suffering from radiation burns after falling into the lake.[5] The survivors then sued the city, and while publicly city attorney J. Richard Thorndike ordered the Lake Quannapowitt monitoring station to preserve any documents related to the tournament, privately he ordered the staff to wipe the monitoring terminal.[6]

Later that year in August, the mayor personally forced the Freedom Society that governed Faneuil Hall to install Protectron security in the hall's marketplace, a move the society had been vetoing on historical preservation grounds, to satisfy businesses operating in the marketplace who were concerned about shoplifters.[7] His reaction to the subsequent massacre of a Fallon's cashier, a bystander, and five alleged shoplifters by the robots is unknown.

That same year, Hildenbrand, concerned with the geopolitical situation as the Sino-American War reached its peak,[8] had been using taxpayer money to build a gigantic personal luxury shelter for his family, wanting to protect his children. As the nuclear apocalypse struck, the mayor and his family retreated to the shelter, sealing it behind them.[Non-game 1] Their safety did not last long, however, as survivors of the Great War discovered the shelter and were furious, forming into a mob and rampaging outside the entrance, eventually breaking through the doors and overwhelming the security on the upper floors. Hildenbrand, knowing the mob would inevitably break through to the lower levels, chose to commit suicide, believing that his death would abate the mob's anger and save his family. He killed himself by electrocution in the bathtub, leaving his suicide holotape on the toilet seat.[9]

Instead of his last planned gesture, Hildenbrand's bodyguard found him and chose to lock the door rather than let his wife see him dead. The bodyguard told the mayor's wife not to worry, and to take the children down to the utility room in the gym and wait for the situation to dissipate. This did not happen, as they were eventually outnumbered[10] and overwhelmed. The shelter fell into chaos as the mob tore through the guards and other shelter staff in a furious rampage, breaching the lower levels.[11]

In her final moments, Hildenbrand's wife recorded a holotape to her husband, unaware of his passing, where she told him that it was all her fault, blaming herself for convincing him that they needed all the funds for the shelter. She decided to give the shelter to the mob so long as she could take their children and walk away, completely disregarding the surface environment.[8] She was also killed by the angry mob as they tore through the shelter.[11]

The facility itself was eventually abandoned, leaving behind the remains of the mayor, his family, and everyone else who had perished inside, civilians and shelter staff alike. It was later sealed up tight by the Institute.[Non-game 1][12]

Notes[]

The mayor's employee ID number for the Boston Public Library was 123456.[13]

Appearances[]

The mayor of Boston's skeleton appears only in Fallout 4.

Behind the scenes[]

  • Script notes in the mayor's holotape give his age range as the mid-60s.
  • The mayor, his wife, and his bodyguard all have holotape speaker NPCs with unique appearances.

References[]

  1. Copley station intercom: "You may enter, Mr. Hildenbrand. Have a nice day."
    Note: This line is played by the Boston Public Library intercom in Copley station when approaching the library entrance if the easy Persuasion check at either this entrance or the western library entrance was passed successfully.
  2. Fishing tournament ad
  3. Lake Quannapowitt terminal entries; Monitoring Station Terminal, 6/1/2077
  4. Lake Quannapowitt terminal entries; Monitoring Station Terminal, 6/25/2077
  5. Lake Quannapowitt terminal entries; Monitoring Station Terminal, 7/4/2077
  6. Legal notice
  7. Faneuil Hall terminal entries
  8. 8.0 8.1 Boston shelter - where are you?
  9. Boston shelter - mayor's goodbye
  10. Boston shelter - guard update
  11. 11.0 11.1 All the skeletons of both the civilians in the pipes and security halls, as well as the guards, including the skeletons of the Mayor and his wife.
  12. The Institute laser turret and synth guards.
  13. Sole Survivor: "My ID number is, um... 123456?"
    Copley station intercom: "Welcome, Mr. Mayor. Please enjoy your visit."
    Note: This line is played by the Boston Public Library intercom in Copley station.

Non-game

  1. 1.0 1.1 Fallout 4 Vault Dweller's Survival Guide Collector's Edition p.310: "[3.14] BOSTON MAYORAL SHELTER
    When the bombs fell, the mayor of Boston and his wife were bundled into this hidden subterranean shelter. Though the bunker is sealed up tight, the wall terminal in the guard pod next door opens it without any problems. There’s an explosives box here, too. Head inside and either enter the large pipe or take the corridors and find out what happened to Boston’s mayor."
    (Fallout 4 Vault Dweller's Survival Guide Map)
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