Anders Hellman

Anders Hellman is a prominent bioengineer, most known for having the leading role in the creation of the Relic program.

Biography
As an expert in neural networks a number of successful patents under his name, Hellman is considered to be one of the cornerstones of Arasaka scientific project development. His most prominent role within the megacorporation was steering the advancement of the Relic Project as its director. Using the Soulkiller's source code, Hellman created a new piece of technology that is capable of communicating with personality constructs. His invention, regardless of being a celebrated breakthrough, remains a generally controversial topic.

By 2077, when Yorinobu Arasaka started executing his plan of taking over Arasaka from within, Hellman was already negotiating his employment status with Kang Tao, as they offered a better deal than the one he presently had with Arasaka. Regardless of turncoating, Hellman did voice his concerns once Yorinobu contacted him regarding the relic, since the version which was stolen had not only been Saburo Arasaka's personal project but contained a prototype version of the program. Yorinobu, already accepting the consequences of his actions, disregarded the advice and carried on with his agenda.

Not long after, Hellman deserted Arasaka without formally terminating his employment contract and was picked up by a Kang Tao crew, offering covert evacuation. His credentials have been concealed, although not quite as well due to the AV transport being discovered and pinpointed for interception. The AV was targeted and brought down over Jackson Plains, after which, as they were tasked, Kang Tao soldiers pulled Hellman out of the wreckage and proceeded their mission on land. The group took over the nearest CHOOH2 station, waiting for assistance, although, even with the amount of automated defences they've set up, were no trouble for V and Panam Palmer, a pair of mercs tasked with extracting Hellman, with an organised Aldecaldo clan backup helping conceal their tracks. Hellman expresses the fear of Arasaka, should they find out about his treason, but is incapacitated prior to talking more and carried to the Badlands' Sunset Motel.

Once back to his senses and realising he is being captured by neither Kang Tao or Arasaka, Hellman is quick to bargain, pointing out that his loyalty can be bought for a higher price. Once he learns that the kidnapping had a more personal nature, namely, the prototype relic being intertwined with his interrogator's psyche, he admits that he does not know much of how the relic functions or why it does what it does. By the time he left Arasaka, the project itself was still in trial phase, facing barricades that would have potentially be crossed by learning of the process that is happening to V then and there. The chip itself has not yet been tested on bodies that are not "neurally indifferent" during implantation, so the process itself is rather intriguing to Hellman. Once he is allowed to connect to V with his personal link, he abruptly ends the examination and sums up his findings with pity over not being able to examine the corrupted relic fully, seeing how V's neural network can no longer function independently of the chip. As a consolation he offers a clinic in Sweden he is familiar with, that offers support in times of facing imminent death. Should the player proceed with the conversation, his offer changes to one involving Kang Tao instead, insisting that the data within V's head must be saved, making his entire act even less trustworthy. While the statements he provides fluctuate between fact and practical deception, Hellman implies that there is a high chance Johnny Silverhand's engram will not violently take over V's mind but instead allow a gradual assimilation of Silverhand's memories, thought processes and decisions to the point of assuming his character.

The interrogation is interrupted by the arrival of Goro Takemura, who had still been on the hunt for proof of Yorinobu's betrayal of Arasaka. Hellman's close contact with the Arasaka heir prior to Saburo's murder made him an excellent subject to catechize.

Dependency
The immediate future of Anders Hellman relies on the direct choices V makes.

In the case of V allowing the realisation of the idea Silverhand's digitised psyche constructed and initiating an open attack of Arasaka facilities to reach Mikoshi, there is no word of Hellman's fate after his departure from the Sunset Motel, although considering the potential ending outcomes, it is certain that Takemura has safely let him go after the interrogation.

Should V decide to accept the offer of Hanako Arasaka and help her bring order to the remains of her corporate heritage, Hellman will be reintroduced as an ally to the cause, either by Takemura, should he previously be rescued or on his own, as an Arasaka employee that seemingly faced no consequences.

Whether or not accompanying Takemura, Hellman's next appearance is during the pickup at Misty's Esoterica, providing sarcastic commentary on the surroundings, insulting V's choice of friends, their business and professional competence. He briefly notes that he is worth more to Arasaka alive than harmed or dead, as an explanation of not suffering for his attempted desertion. But, following this, he will also point out how he does not trust V to follow through with Hanako's plan due to having a progressive effect of the engram on their psyche. Having a history of blowing up Arasaka buildings, Silverhand would not be the first person to simply let back onto the corporation's premises, even in a form he was in, so Hellman threatens with keeping an eye on V as the mission develops.

Reaching the Arasaka estate in which Hanako had been kept, Hellman will portray not much more than primal fear of the plan being discovered, with Takemura present, also a general distrust and disagreement with his methods.

If Takemura survives, once V ends up in the medical facility within Earth's orbit, he will deliver a contract written up by Hellman, in which the ownership of V's "soul" is transferred to him instead. Even after the procedure, V's mind remains a curiousity, something to further be investigated as the surviving consequences of an unintended use of the Relic, so the "Secure Your Soul" program initiation came as a natural next step in the experiment research.

Should Takemura not be rescued, Hellman will instead make the final patient visit, offering the contract personally. He will explain that the turn of events, Saburo returning from the dead and the current protocols taking place do not shock him. In fact, he admits that he had spent half of his life on methods providing Saburo immortality, so he grew accustomed to the idea of him eventually resurrecting. Following this, he provides a sarcastic remark about Yorinobu's tragic demise, all but confirming he never liked him in the first place, giving their cooperation a strict exploitative nature. He is happy to be back in Arasaka, mentioning a new project they have assigned him to, project that has something to do with V personally, which will, aside of being an excellent fit for his skillset, also provide a good outlet for his ambitions. Through this conversation, he keeps addressing Arasaka with a singular male pronoun, indicating that he unifies the idea of Saburo and the corporation.

When addressing V with the conditional fact that the procedure of relic removal was lethal, Hellman will put a chair between them as an apparent protective measure against their reaction. As he continues to convince V that there is no other solution, he faces their desperation rather than anger and takes the seat instead. While taking the most coherent manner of expressing there being no other way out than signing the contract, Hellman provides an ultimatum, threatening with a horribly taxing demise should V refuse to sign. No contact with the Arasaka family is possible, as, in Hellman's words, V is of no interest to them now that they have fulfilled their part of the deal. He will briefly mention that Hanako was the one to send him with the contract, as to honour the promise of saving V's life, although, the entire situation considered, this ordeal becomes derisive. Seeing how V remains unyielding, Hellman starts advertising the procedure as a way to cheat death, and this version of immortality he offers freely for "a dose of trust" of the subject. He will disclose that V's digitised consciousness will remain stored in Mikoshi until a compatible body is found or created, the validity of which is rather doubtful, taking into consideration the existence of cases of full body transplants. When asked for alternatives, Hellman once more makes a statement of the Arasaka being beyond mere humans, straighforward calling them gods, uninterested in the fate of mere mortals such as V.

Once V takes the document into their hands, Hellman will casually mention that since a psyche is not considered to be an individual but rather a possession, the contract itself is in fact the relinquishment of the human's rights to it - making it Hellman's possession. He assures V that the current participants of the program are well-known and nobody yet complained.

If V signs the contract, the procedure is immediately started, Hellman leaving their fate to the Arasaka staff. Should V refuse, Hellman will express unworded anger and walk out of the room. Whether this decision faltered his role in the upcoming Arasaka project is not known.

Associated Quests

 * Life During Wartime
 * Nocturne Op55N1 (dependent)
 * Last Caress
 * Totalimmortal
 * Where is My Mind? (dependent)