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Dr. Helen Faraday is a highly influential scientist in Wellington Wells, and the creator of much of the advanced technology found throughout the city. She plays an important role (one way or another) in all three of We Happy Few's main acts, and serves as the main antagonist of They Came From Below.
Appearance[]
Dr. Faraday has brown hair in a beehive style, brown eyes and adorns square glasses. She wears a lab coat, white heels, black kneehigh socks and occasionally white gloves.
In an earlier build, she had short black hair, white round glasses and orange gloves. Even earlier than that, in an Alpha build, Dr. Faraday looked much the same as she currently does, only without her glasses.
History[]
Little is known of Dr. Faraday's early life before the years leading up to the events of We Happy Few. In the 1950s, she worked in a lab of some sort under a boss that she considered a "numpty". Research done at the lab led Faraday to conclude that she could open portals to another place in space, and she began working on doing so in secret, out of fear that her incompetent boss would commandeer her lab. By late 1959, Faraday had successfully opened a portal to a planet inhabited by robots.
At some stage, the Executive Committee, aware of Dr. Faraday's brilliance, were unhappy with her lack of cooperation with them and moved her lab and effectively placed her under house arrest. She was provided with two assistants, James Maxwell and Roger Bacon, to perform basic tasks like manage the house and bring her food; the two were deemed to be perfect for the role, as the Committe knew that they would be disliked by Dr. Faraday, and they did not have the competency to help her escape.
The opening of the portal to Planet X who was responsible for the existence of motilene in Wellington Wells. Based on her research into the robots, Dr. Faraday reasoned that motilene could be used as a power source. At the request of the Executive Commitee, Dr. Faraday used the motilene and the knowledge she had gained from the robots to create several new pieces of technology, including Jubilators, Spankers, Revolvers, Gates, Clever Locks, and Peepers.
Events of We Happy Few[]
They Came From Below[]
Dr. Faraday is first seen getting dragged into a portal in her own workshop, and she isn't seen again until later in the DLC.
Roger discovers her in the research wing and questions what she's planning to do with the robots, to which she explains that she's attempting to turn them into gardening tools as no one else in Wellington Wells are willing to farm anymore. She admits that although the robots are delicately made powertools, they have gone a bit haywire due to her torturous experiments, which Roger calls her out on.
Dr. Faraday assures that she's no longer going to stick instructions in their heads, but is instead going to use a Positronic Converter to hijack their feedback loops in order to make the process of reprogramming them a lot easier.
Near the end of the DLC, Dr. Faraday asks Roger to check if the Positronic Converter still has power due to it having gone offline, which Roger refuses to commit to. Because of this, Dr. Faraday sends out a hoard of robots to stop Roger from tampering with the Converter. Despite this, Roger succeeds in destroying the Converter.
Dr. Faraday, alarmed of what Roger did, realizes she has to set all of the robots on their side of the portal on fire so that they won't kill any more people, ending the conversation by firing Roger.
In the end, Roger has to fight a gigantic Headmistress with Dr. Faraday projected on the screen; she can be seen operating the Headmistress in the small room above the arena. Halfway through the fight, James angrily declares his resignation, before throwing a cluster of Bangers at the Headmistress, damaging it. After she's been defeated, the robots take her to their side of the portal so that they can 'reprogram' her, and eventually send her and Roger (and James, if the player chose to take him) back to Wellington Wells.
Act I[]
Arthur goes to Dr. Faraday's home for help with fixing the bridge to St. Georges Holm. There, he finds her home in a state of minor chaos, with James Maxwell outside, screaming about how Dr. Faraday will kill them, while his partner, Roger Bacon, skips back and forth inside, somewhat oblivious to the mess at hand. James tasks Arthur with finding a valve so he can fix the water pipes. After Arthur does this, James lets him in.
From there, Arthur goes through Dr. Faraday's security systems to get to her. Once he meets Dr. Faraday, he asks for help with the bridge. She asks him to let her out, but finds that it is complicated by the lack of an apparent locking mechanism. Faraday sends Arthur out for a bucket of motilene, which he retrieves for her.
Faraday then reveals to Arthur her escape plan: she will use a device that can open up a portal in her workshop, with it exiting out on the other side of the river. However, she's missing some mechanical parts, so she sends Arthur out to fetch them for her. After Arthur retrieves these, Faraday tells him to come back tomorrow so he can get help from her.
As he leaves her house, however, an energy beam shoots up into the sky from her house. Arthur runs back inside to discover that she's gone, but has left him a note. The note tells Arthur to turn the bridge off and then back on again. It tells him the code for operating the switch, which is 1492.
Act II[]
She asks Sally to grab a copy of the Unicorn Song from Nick Lightbearer's house in exchange for a boat motor for the Bristol Pilot.
Act III[]
While Faraday does not appear in this act, as she has left before Ollie arrives, he does discover the aftermath of her escape, as well as James and Roger, who are locked in her lab.
Act I[]
- Roger! I asked for my sandwich forty five minutes ago, do you want me to starve to death?
- Still waiting for my sandwich! I don't hear anyone coming up the stairs!
- James! Roger! Stop fucking the dog and bring me my sandwich!
- James! Roger! Stop poledancing and bring me up something to eat!
- I told the Executive Committee I wasn't going to make any more Spankers, or Gates, or Clever Locks, or Peepers, or Jubilators. Those were all my designs, you know.
- I've been working on a wormhole device, you see. Well don't you look puzzled. Spent science class mooning after a girl, did you?
- They said it was dangerous. Hah! Ridiculous. It's perfectly safe, for the most part.
- Mmmmmmfmfmfmhm. The going in the hole works. Theoretically, I can come out a second hole on the other side of the river. I just need a few particular mechanical pieces. That's how I'm getting out. How are you getting out?
- Did you get everything? Brilliant. You've got a knack for these things. So rare these days, everyone expects everything to just work by magic.
- Where's my bucket? Why did you bother to come here? Just to taunt me? For heaven's sake, I need that Motilene!
- Do you have my parts? Well, then, run off and get them. You want me to fix that bridge for you, don't you?
- I can't get any work done with you poking about like that. Could I have a little privacy?
Act II[]
- I suppose three can keep a secret if two of them are dead.
- I don't like people. They want things. Disturbs my thought processes.
- Hah. I'm sort of embarrassed to admit it but ... The Make Believes. The early stuff. Before Nick sold out? "The Unicorn Song"?
- Really! I know if I heard that song I'd remember my idea. That's how my brain works.
- Boat motor! I've had sneezes more complicated than a boat motor. I thought you were here for something difficult.
- This is fantastic. I'm finally going to be able to make my portal -- never mind about that.
- (Audio) And you have earned your boat motor! I won't ask you whose boat or where you're sailing it, I have an entirely different plan. (Subtitle) Oh, yes, the boat motor! Here you go. I suspect I know whose Bristol Pilot it is, but I won't ask where you're sailing it. I have an entirely different plan.
They Came From Below[]
- What are you doing in my robotics lab?
- Don't touch anything. And shush.
- All sorts of useful things! People won't farm, you know. We're going to run out of food. But not if I can make these robots farm for us!
- They're not alive, ye numpty! They're beautifully made power tools. That have gone a bit haywire. That I'm having a devil of a time turning off. And if I can't, I'll have to set off the motilene reaction.
- Dinna worry, am not sticking instructions in their tender metal heads any more.
- I'm going to use a positronic converter to hijack their feedback loops. Then I won't have to break programming into steps! They'll figure out what I want done, and do it. For a change.
- I don't know what you think you're doing here, but if I can't get my positronic converter up and running, they'll kill every last one of you.
- The motilene. I have to catalyze it. Set it all on fire. Burn all the robots on this side of the portal. Or they'll kill us all... All my research gone to waste.
- They'll burn, too, I suppose. And there's a non-zero chance the mines under Wellington Wells will explode. Brilliant job, Roger. I won't be needing your services any more.
- You won't listen to reason, will you?
Boss Taunts[]
- Did they ever tell you how their creators died?
- Do you think they'll be grateful to you?
- Here to save the tractors?
- If I'm wrong, we're still alive. If you're wrong, we all die.
- If making them happy is so bad, why does all of Wellington Wells take Joy?
- It's them or us, Roger!
- It's too late to go back!
- They don't have a word for gratitude.
- What if you're wrong, Roger?
- Who do you think killed their creators?
- You're a bloody steamroller of stupid, aren't you?
Near-Defeat Boss Taunts[]
- Roger, this is no time for wishful thinking! Robots don't know what mercy is! They're machines! They'll kill us all!
- You deluded old maid! You've doomed us both!
- Damn you, Roger! God damn both of you!
General[]
- Faraday uses records to tune everyone out so that she'd be able to focus on her inventions, she also remembers her ideas through listening to said records.
- There is a note opposite her lab window on a box that says she only eats foods that are white or yellow. Included on this list are eggs, fish n' chips, polenta, dandelion flowers, white bread, egg stretcher, cauliflower, pumpkin, squash, and sawdust. However, all but sawdust are either crossed or struck out.
- Additionally, the note says that she will eat fungus as long as it's not red, but goes on to imply there was an incident last time she was given red fungus.
Other[]
- When Arthur first arrives at her workshop, her sentences over the speakers may cut off and overlap the previous one.
- Dr Helen Faraday's name may be a reference to Michael Faraday, a famed English scientist who conducted scientific research in both Electromagnetism and Electrochemistry.
- During Alpha, Helen would lie to the player, claiming that the Executive Committee locked her up because they believe she did all of the inventions when it was actually her husband, and that she was only his lab assistant. When Arthur asks her why she has a motilene harvester when she isn't a scientist, she tells him the truth.
- While there is no trace of a Mr. Faraday existing in Alpha either, he is mentioned twice. The other time he's mentioned is in the newspaper.
- In Act III, James Maxwell mentions that Mr. Faraday 'went on holiday'.
They Came From Below[]
Appearances[]
