↑Fallout 2 Official Strategies & Secrets p.172: "The Sierra Army Depot The Sierra Army Depot was once a regional storage area for the military's arms and munitions. Although a significant amount of its holdings was depleted in the War, there are still gems—of prebomb hardware—to be found here. However, the base is not easy to find, and its automated defenses are still fully functional." "The Path of the Chosen One It's possible to complete the game without visiting the Sierra Army Depot. However the arms found here, including all plasma weapons, will make your future tasks that much easier. You can also build yourself a loyal and useful companion here—the Robobrain. If you learned about the location of the Sierra Army Depot from Mr. Wright in New Reno, you'll be able to accumulate an additional reward from him if you make certain that the Depot is left open and available to his men. The weapons that he can glean here will almost certainly turn the tide—in his family's favor—in the battle for control of New Reno."
↑ 4.04.14.24.34.4Fallout Bible 6: "X. I've read all the updates and still I'm curious about one thing. Why the Sierra Army Depot is not mentioned at all? I think the Sierra Army Depot is not an insignificant part of the game's plot. Just on the contrary I believe that it has something to do with the F.E.V. experiments or with development of futuristic weapons and armor. It doesn't look like it's just a weapons storage facility. Otherwise why was it inserted into the game if it has no particular reason?(or a place where one can find some stuff to sell and gain an NPC(probably one of the best)) So my question is: What is the role of the Sierra Army Depot in Fallout and what it has to do with the F.E.V. experiments and weaponry development or maybe some kind of an artificial intelligence development?" "First of all, the Sierra Army Depot was intended to be a bonus location for the game, just a place to adventure that wasn't tied to the main plot (kind of like the EPA, Abbey, and the Primitive Village were supposed to be), except it made it in (as did Modoc, New Reno, and to an extent, the Military Base, which, while it helps support the plot, isn't critical path)." "The Sierra Army Depot was used for the following (primarily taken from Sierra Mission Statement Holodisk):" "1. From 1942 - 1991, it was responsible for storing various military munitions. This is true." "2. From 1992 - 2050, it was responsible for disposing much of the obsolete munitions in storage. This is true." "3. From 2050 - 2076 is when the place started getting creepy. It became a classified facility for robotic research and development, and biological and conventional weapon testing. Skynet (constructed primarily for research purposes) went on line in 2050, and it is possible that the intelligence arranged all of this, but unlikely." "Again, Skynet is not its real name." "Robotic Research: Skynet is the first machine intelligence to be developed in the Depot, and it was conceived in 2050 (it didn't actually become aware until 2075, and it really started cranking on developing a cybernetic brain to help it gain mobility). In July of 2077, Skynet was "copied," creating two versions, one to run the defenses and the other one to sit in the lab and wait for the researchers to come back and help it finish the fucking cybernetic brain it had spent so long developing."
"BTW, the dates that Skynet lists for its awareness and "final instructions" in Fallout 2 are incorrect. It became self-aware in 2075, and it was abandoned sometime in late July to early October in 2077. It is believed that the dates and other numerical data within the facility may be suffering from some damage or numeric decay in the base's internal clock."
"Biological Research: In addition to biological weapons and drug testing, the Sierra Army Depot performed many illegal experimentations on prisoners of war and military prisoners (especially U.S. military prisoners and deserters – the ones that weren't used to "stock" robobrains, however), attempting to enhance their intelligence and fighting skills, but the chemical cocktails that the Sierra Depot crew were feeding their subjects had nothing to do with the FEV research taking place in West Tek and the Mariposa facility. Many of the brains extracted in the Sierra Army Depot found their way into Robobrains throughout the U.S. military." "Furthermore, the Sierra Army Depot kept many prisoners and soldiers in stasis, most likely for medical or testing purposes (such as Private Dobbs)." "4. 2077 is when Skynet was made into a "multiple personality" in order to oversee defense of the Sierra Depot as General Clifton and his command pulled out of the base. It has been sitting there in the darkness ever since, illuminated by tiny blinking red diodes and the whirring of magnetic tape reels."
↑Bio storage control terminal: "{125}{}{Virus Menu Anthrax Black Plague (Strain 238) Small Pox (Strain 1025) Ebola Hantavirus (Strain 304)}" (WSTERM4C.MSG)