Fallout: New Vegas Side Quests

Steps...

(1) Look for the source of the Nightstalker stealth mutation. (2) (Optional) Ask Lily to help you investigate the Nightstalker mutations. (3) Tell Doctor Henry you've discovered a potential cause for the Nightstalker mutations. (4) Talk to Lily about participating in Doctor Henry's experiment. (5) Tell Doctor Henry to proceed with the experiment once Lily is present. (6) Wait for Doctor Henry to complete the experiment. (7) Speak with Keene and try to defuse the situation. (8) Speak with Doctor Henry. (9) Decide whether or not Lily should continue to wear the Mark II prototype and inform Doctor Henry.

Important Items...

Chewed Stealth Boy, Oh, Baby!

At the far western reaches of the map, there's a settlement called Jacobstown. Jacobstown is a bit of an anomaly in the Mojave Wasteland, since it's a town run and occupied almost entirely by Super Mutants and Nightkin. Getting to Jacobstown is actually fairly annoying, since you'll have to follow a wandering road through the mountains in order to reach it. But once you do, head forward through the settlement towards the gigantic building towards the back. Within, head right on the first floor to find the town's only non-Super Mutant/Nightkin residents, a human named Dr. Henry and his lab assistant, a Ghoul named Calamity. You can speak to Dr. Henry about all sorts of issues, but ultimately, you'll find out that he's here working on the solution to a problem that's been plaguing the residents of Jacobstown, and indeed Super Mutants and (especially) Nightkin around the Wasteland.

The chronic use of Stealth Boys by the Nightkin community has created a sort of sickness that's endemic with most of their kind. Dr. Henry wants to get to the bottom of what's going on with the Nightkin, and he suspects that the source of the sickness -- and more importantly, the solution therein -- rests with the Nightstalker population that inhabits a cave to the north of town. Dr. Henry requests that you go to the cave to investigate things there, and you should oblige. Be sure to take him up on his optional request, too, to bring the Nightkin named Lily there with you. You'll need to clear space for her in your group of followers (if you have two with you, that is). You can find her outside; just follow your compass instructions. A good combination of followers to bring with you for the duration of this side quest is Lily and Rex, since they both specialize in melee, close-quarters combat.

Once you've acquired Lily, it's time to find an entrance to the cave in question. The cave, named Charleston Cave, is clearly marked on your map, but you can't take a straight northerly route there. Instead, you'll need to leave the confines of Jacobstown. Once you're on the outside of the wooden stakes surrounding the town (as a sort of makeshift fence), simply meander your way northward towards the mountains. You'll run into the non-descript cave entrance before long (there should be a random heart painted on a rock in front of the entrance). Once you're there, there's nothing left to do but to enter. Just be prepared for a lot of fighting when you do. Getting through the Charleston Cave is no picnic. Quite the opposite, actually.