Fallout 3/The Power of the Atom

"Some people have no respect for the sanctity of life. --Mister Burke"

When you first reach Megaton, Lucas gives a quick introduction about the town and why it's called such; there is a live atomic bomb in the crater. Since it is a threat, he asks if you think you can disarm it.

A competing interest is located in Moriarty's Tavern - Mr. Burke wants to blow up Megaton by rigging the bomb to explode, and gives you a device that allows you to detonate the bomb.

In either case, both interests will give you a reward for completing their side of the mission. If you have a speech skill, you can increase the reward by 500 caps. They will also give you a deed to a personal room which you can customize or upgrade as necessary.

Note: You need an explosives skill of at least 25 to complete this quest. If you don't have enough skill points, you can try using Mentats to get a quick boost of 10 points to the skill, or search for the Duck and Cover skill books scattered throughout the wasteland. You can even grab the bobblehead from the WKML Broadcast station.

Disarming the bomb
Disarming the bomb is simple; disarm it, and report to Lucas Simms.

Notes:
 * You can report Mr. Burke to Lucas Simms. In this case, Simms will attempt to arrest Burke, but will be shot instead.   If Simms dies, you can get the reward from his son.

Your house is in the north-east corner of Megaton. Addons for the room can be purchased from Moria at Createrside Supply.

Detonating the bomb
If you want to detonate the bomb, you need to speak with Mister Burke from Moriarty's Saloon. He will give you a fusion charge that can be used to rig the bomb for detionation.

Once you attach the charge (and loot Megaton for what it's worth, including the bobblehead and schematic), you will need to head to Tenpenny Tower. Go to the balcony, and activate the detonator.

He will give you a room at Tenpenny. Addons for this room can be purchased fron the ground floor - the shop is located through the door on the left.

Detonating the bomb won't prevent you from completing the Wasteland Survival Guide. Moria Brown will survive the blast and move to either Underworld or Rivet City. If you spoke to her previously, you may still catch her in front of Megaton.

Black Widow perk
Black Widows can seduce Mister Burke and convince him to not detonate Megaton. If yo do so, he will return to Tenpenny Tower to convince his employer to cancel the detonation.

He will send you love letters later, although there is no further requirement for you to interact with Mister Burke.

Your room
At first, your room contains a bed, various storages, a collector stand, and a personal butler (who can explain the functions of the items, tell you jokes, and provide purified water). You can purchase upgrades from the appropriate store, which is identified by the person giving you the deed:
 * A jukebox, which tunes in to GNR.
 * A prestine vending machine, which gets stocked with Nuka-Colas and makes them ice-cold.
 * A workbench, which can be used to create custom weapons
 * A laboratory, which can cure addictions and create a random compound (Jet, psycho, etc.)
 * An infirmary, which heals injuries and cures radiation.