Russel Washington

"Give me a day, I'm good.  Give me a week, I'm great.  Give me a century?  I'm unbeatable."

-The Boss

Russel Washington, also known as "The Boss," or "Hades," is a ghoul of unknown name and origin who ventures into the Empire Wasteland in search for the cure to Tanner's terminal illness, which is rumored to be located at the World's Fair of New York. The Almighty is his rifle.

Background
"He wondered that himself sometimes, if he could've lived a full, normal life with his family, instead of them dying in nuclear fire and he eventually turned into some kind of horrific monster like something out of Night of the Living Dead.  Maybe he should've had Maxson kill him.  Although, he'd never see them again.  He'd be going to hell for sure."

-Fallout: New York "A World's Fair" IV The Boss was born in San Diego, California. He grew up in a blue collar inner city African American neighbor that was ripe with gang violence. He himself mixed with the gang on his block in order to just avoid getting shot. When he turned 18 he joined the army to escape that life.

He ended up in the Army Special Forces, the "Green Berets," and served with them for eight years. It was during this time that he met his wife, and the two married when he was twenty-four. He briefly left the military to go to college and was very successful, graduating with honors. When he reenlisted, he was made the Staff Sergeant of Mariposa Military base for his intelligence and competence, as to oversee the technologically advanced military unit stationed there. By 2077, he was married with three children. They all perished when San Francisco was struck by ICBMs.

He was a core member of the original Brotherhood of Steel, and personally knew Captain Roger Maxson. As the Staff Sergeant, he was responsible for training new members. When he was older, he became ghoulified when on an assignment. Maxson offered to kill him, but the Boss declined. He acted as an off the grid asset, assisting the Brotherhood but not directly known by most of it's members, even the majority of it's Elders.

He would work behind the scenes as a force to stop the Master. He built up a strong hatred of the mutants because they were directly responsible for the deaths of many Brotherhood of Steel members. He also has personally suffered at there hands, thus furthering his hatred for them. However, this vendetta against the Master and his mutants, is what caused the Boss to gain large amounts of knowledge about mutants and FEV, as he learned more and more from raids lead on mutant bases and encounters with the creatures. When the mutant threat was defeated, he vanished from the Brotherhood's radar, going into a self-imposed exile.

From then on, his activities are largely ambiguous. There is a time gap in between 2162 and 2268, although he doubtlessly was kept very busy during that time. It is known that he spent part of it learning tai chi in San Francisco from the Shi. He also ventured into the Capital Wasteland for the first time during this gap. It was here the title "Hades" was given to him by the ghouls of Underworld, hinting that he may have been mayor at some point or is even the original founder. In 2268, he explored the ruins of the Enclave Oil Rig, and recovered an aerosol version of the FEV virus. In 2275 he visited one of the Midwestern Brotherhood of Steel's bunkers and spoke with Elder Atticus Collins, father of Tanner Collins, along with Paladin Dix. Hades questioned the Paladin about his innate Beastlord powers- how he was granted them and how he used them. Once done, the Boss agreed to find a cure for Tanner's illness. The two set out the next day.

Personality
"Leave no man behind.  De opresso liber."

-The Boss

The Boss is something of a tough nut to crack. On the surface, he is cruel, abrasive, and generally just awful to everyone he meets. He insults with very little wit, instead being very blunt with his insults, simply verbally assaulting anyone he deems worthy of such an attack. This, however, is all to cover up a heart that is much softer than he lets people believe. His insults are limited to people he believes are making poor choices- such as saying something he thinks is stupid, inferring harm to others, or saying something that he doesn't agree with. He follows the U.S Army's ancients codes to the letter, believing that no man should ever be left behind. He always tries to make what he believes is the right choice. He'll risk his life for people who he dislikes or even hates, and has leadership qualities, always making crisp decisions and never questioning himself.

However, the Boss has several flaws. He typically sees things in black or white, there is no gray area to him. Also, he prefers to solve problems with blunt force or violence, the only words he has for enemies being insults. On top of that, centuries of exciting life, and the knowledge that everything he once loved is dead, has taken it's toll on his mind. It is clear he isn't all there, and may be actually unable to refer to people by their names, either since his memory has degraded that it can't commit names anymore or that he knows so many names that he simply can't remember anymore. He treats any non-ghouls as if they were children to him, which they are in a way, such as calling them "boy," or "girl." He even goes as far to call a forty year old man "son." He treats the companions as if they were his soldiers, showing that his perception of companionship has also degraded, and automatically assumed a leadership role. Despite all this, he is generally a good person who attempts to make the best of a horrific post-apocalyptic world he has been forced to live in.

Trivia

 * It is hinted that he has had some kind of advancements to his physique. He does not fall to a gunshot as a human normally would and he heals uncannily quick, able to completely recover from a bullet wound in a matter of minutes using some kind of intravenous drug which he calls his "juice."
 * The Boss is something of a movie buff. He uses references to films like Terminator or Blade Runner to express concerns of his and insults Urban Kriegz by calling the man "Quasimodo" and "Igor." This knowledge of films is further expanded by his referring to Peter Pan as "some Disney film".

Appearances

 * Fallout: At World's Fair - Part I
 * Fallout: At World's Fair - Part II
 * Fallout: At World's Fair - Part III
 * Fallout: At World's Fair - Part IV
 * Fallout: At World's Fair - Part V
 * Fallout: At World's Fair - Part VI