The Monolith Timeline consists of the Dark Horse Comic Book, the Alma Interviews, F.E.A.R. First Encounter Assault Recon, the DC Digital Comic, the Armacham Field Guide, F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, F.E.A.R. 2: Reborn and F.E.A.R. 3. Unlike the Vivendi Timeline, which ends with the original game's expansions, the Monolith Timeline is generally considered canonical because it includes the latest games in the series. The first official indication of a separation between the two storylines came when it was stated by Monolith Productions that F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin completely disregards the events of both F.E.A.R. Extraction Point and F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate.[1] With the release of F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, it was unclear if the two storylines actually conflicted, since the fates of characters who died in the Vivendi games are still unknown. However, F.E.A.R. 2: Reborn does contradict the events of F.E.A.R. Extraction Point, since it tells a completely different story of how Paxton Fettel returns from the dead.
Backstory
Below is a summary of some important events that occurred prior to the beginning of the series. A range of years is shown when the exact date is uncertain.
1950-1959
- A military contractor that will eventually become the Armacham Technology Corporation buys the Rammelmeier Industrial Compound in the Auburn District from the U.S. government in order to gain access to an old underground military complex located beneath the property.[2]
1964
- Armacham Technology Corporation is officially founded and begins taking defense and aerospace contracts.[3]
1973
- Armacham Technology Corporation starts the bioengineering program Project Icarus.[4]
1979
- (August 26) Alma Wade, daughter of Armacham employee Harlan Wade, is born.[5]
1982-1983
- Harlan Wade tells the rest of Armacham Technology Corporation that his daughter Alma, age 3, might possess psychic abilities.[6]
1986-1987
- By age 7, Alma Wade has "progressed from frequent nightmares to periodic hallucinations and debilitating empathic episodes."[7]
- Harlan Wade begins planning Project Origin.[8]
- (August 24, 1987) Alma Wade is transferred from Still Island to the Vault in Auburn.[9] She enters the Vault and is put into an induced coma two days before her eighth birthday.[10][11]
1987-1988
- Armacham Technology Corporation starts Project Origin.[12]
1994-1995
- Alma Wade, age 15, is removed from the Vault in order to give birth to Project Origin's first prototype, and wakes up temporarily.[13]
1995-1996
- Alma Wade, age 16, is removed from the Vault a second time, and wakes up again while giving birth to Project Origin's second prototype.[14]
1997
2002
- The U.S. Army creates the F.E.A.R. unit in order to combat "paranormal threats to national security."
2005-2006
- Paxton Fettel, age 10, establishes a telepathic link with a comatose Alma Wade, age 26,[16] culminating in the first Synchronicity Event. As a result, Project Origin is permanently shut down.[17]
- Alma's life support is disconnected, and she dies six days later.[18] However, even after her heart stops, her psychic signature does not vanish.[19]
- Residents of Fairport begin reporting nausea and other unusual physical symptoms after spending time in the Auburn District; as a result, people begin leaving and avoiding the area.[20][21]
2025
Day -7
- The first prototype is assigned to the F.E.A.R. team as the new point man.[22]
Day 0
Morning
- The second Synchronicity Event occurs when Paxton Fettel, age 30, establishes a telepathic link with Alma Wade, even though she is already dead.[23]. Paxton Fettel then uses his psychic abilities to take control of a battalion of Replica super-soldier prototypes in order to take over the Perseus Compound, the facility holding him captive.
- Paxton Fettel leaves with a Replica to the Birthing Facility.
- Paxton Fettel abducts Charles Habegger, who was presumably at the Perseus Compound.
- Armacham VP Bill Moody is abducted by Paxton Fettel on his way to work.
Midday
- Charles Habegger is killed by Paxton Fettel at the Birthing Facility. His corpse is found by Point Man and Jankowski.
- Paxton Fettel ambushes Point Man at the Birthing Facility, incapaciting him long enough to escape with his Replica. Paxton Fettel and the rest of the Replica Forces regroup to attack the South River Wastewater Treatment Plant and abandon the Perseus Compound.
Evening
- Point Man and Spencer Jankowski each lead a team of Delta Force operatives to retake the Treatment Plant while Jin Sun-Kwon is left behind to examine Charles. Shortly after arrival, Point Man's entire team, except for himself, are liquified by Alma.
- Point Man finds the liquified corpses of Jankowski's team within the plant, presumably killed by Alma. Jankowski himself is implied to have lost his eyes during the assault, and was likely killed. Point Man's visions imply that he may have been cremated by Alma, creating the black spots near the corpses of his team. Regardless of Jankowski's fate, his health tracker continues to indicate that he is alive.
- Point Man is knocked out by a very large explosion in the plant caused by Alma.
- Additional Delta Force reinforcements and Jin are sent to secure the plant and search for Jankowski and Point Man. Jin and a Delta Force operative find Point Man and revive him.
- Replica soldiers raid Armacham headquarters. Delta Force sends several units to defend the location in response. Many employees are killed during the attack.
Dusk
- Bill Moody is fatally wounded by Paxton Fettel.
- Paxton Fettel orders the Replica Forces to pull back from the plant.
- A Delta Force recon team arrives at the Armacham HQ, finding lesser resistance than expected.
- Point Man finds Bill Moody nearly dead on a chair. Bill Moody mentions that Paxton Fettel must not find Alma, mentioning Origin as well. Bill dies shortly afterwards from his injuries.
- The Delta Force recon team sent to Armacham HQ (Team Foxtrot) is liquified by Alma.
- A. Shepard loses contact with the Delta Force recon team at Armacham HQ. Shepard and Rodney Betters agree that Point Man should be sent to Armacham HQ to investigate.
Night
- Point Man defeats a sizable force of Replica and is brought to Armacham HQ with several Delta Force. The Delta Force drop off Point Man, leaving him due to large Replica resistance.
- Fairport police set up roadblocks downtown to keep Fairport residents out of harm's way. Fairport police also urge residents to stay in their homes until the crisis at Armacham HQ is over.
- Point Man finds Norton Mapes in an office. Norton agrees to give Betters access to the ATC network if the local ATC security system is shut down. When Point Man shuts down the security system, Norton reneges on the deal and leaves the area, forcing Point Man to give Betters access to the network himself.
- As Point Man gives Betters access to Armacham HQ's cameras, Jin and a contingent of Delta Force arrive on the roof of Armacham HQ.
- Point Man meets Jin near an elevator. Point Man, Jin, and a Delta Force operative find the liquified remains of Team Foxtrot. Jin remains behind to investigate the bodies.
- Point Man finds a hostage taken by the Replica Forces named Aldus Bishop. Point Man is tasked with getting an arriving Delta Force squad over to Bishop to disable the bombs on him.
- Point Man meets up with the Delta Force squad, headed by Douglas Holiday, after a Replica ambush. Point Man leads the squad back to Bishop, where Holiday defuses the bombs. However, a fire alarm is triggered, causing Point Man to leave the squad to disable it.
- Point Man disables the alarm, but a closed gate prevents Point Man from rejoining Holiday and Bishop. Holiday and Bishop are tasked with going to the roof to evacuate while Point Man finds a detour route to the roof.
- Holiday successfully escorts Bishop to the roof as Point Man is navigating through a construction building in the headquarters. Just as Holiday and Bishop board the evacuation helicopter, Point Man arrives at the helicopter as well; however, ATC Security betrays Delta Force and assassinates Bishop.
- Holiday confirms to Betters that ATC were responsible for killing Bishop, causing Betters to investigate ATC Security's actions. This marks the beginning of hostilities between Armacham and Delta Force/F.E.A.R.
- ATC Security confirms that Bishop is dead; their commander states that remaining security personnel should search for and execute Iain Hives and Alice Wade.
Day 1
Night
- Point Man retaliates against ATC Security, but falls down a great distance. A large explosion occurs in the upper levels of Armacham HQ.
- Replica Forces receive orders to capture Norton Mapes alive in order to find the location of the Vault.
- Point Man finds Norton hiding under a plant. Norton tasks Point Man with overriding local security. Once Point Man does the override, Norton escapes via elevator. Norton continues to hinder Point Man's progress by activating automated defenses.
- Aldus Bishop is killed by ATC Security.
- Point Man finds Alice Wade. She gives Point Man and betters the location of the Origin Facility. She offers to use her car to get there, but Betters insists she use a helicopter. Point Man attempts to bring her to the roof with the elevator; however, Alice is taken by Alma to the roof.
- Alice's evac chopper is destroyed before she can board it. She goes to the Armacham HQ garage to get her car, and Point Man goes to stop her. She leaves in her car, and Point Man is picked up by a chopper with Holiday and Jin to go to the Origin Facility.
- Paxton Fettel moves the remaining Replicas to search for the Vault entrance.
- Norton is brought to the Origin Facility to destroy information on Project Origin.
- The chopper carrying Holiday, Jin, and Point Man is shot down on the roof of an Apartment Complex. Jin and Holiday are injured, forcing Point Man to search for the Origin Facility alone.
- Paxton Fettel captures Alice and intimidates Point Man in the apartment complex.
- Fairport police expand roadblocks into the Auburn District and evacuate civilians there.
- Paxton Fettel enters the Vault with Alice. He cannibalizes her shortly afterward.
- A medical team gets to Jin and Holiday's location.
- Point Man descends into the Origin Facility.
Dawn
- Point Man disrupts Norton's attempts to destroy Origin information; Norton decides to move into the Vault.
- As Point Man approaches the Vault, he sees Harlan Wade shoot Norton. Harlan enters and seals the Vault.
- Norton tells Point Man that power must be diverted to unseal the Vault. Point Man does so, and Norton tells Point Man to prevent Alma from escaping, preferably by blowing up the Origin Facility.
- The Dark Signal team is diverted to take ATC Company President Genevieve Aristide into protective custody.
Morning
- Paxton Fettel is killed by Point Man, deactivating the Replica Forces.
- Sergeant Michael Becket fights through ATC Black Ops forces and briefly takes Aristide into custody.
- Harlan releases Alma, and he is liquified by Alma shortly afterwards. Alma assumes control of her corpse in the Vault.
- Point Man destroys four pylons, triggering the beginning stages of the destruction of the Vault. Point Man quickly exits the Vault with a secondary exit.
- Once the Point Man escapes the Origin Facility, the Origin Facility Explosion occurs. Norton Mapes is likely killed during the explosion.
- A large number of Fairport residents are killed during the explosion.
- Point Man is thrown into a warehouse by the force of the explosion and knocked unconscious.
- Becket is knocked unconscious by the explosion and taken to the Harbinger Facility by Aristide.
Midday
- Point Man is recovered by Holiday and Jin by helicopter. While flying away from the explosion, Alma tries to climb aboard the chopper, causing it to crash.
- The sky briefly changes color to a bright orange.
- Point Man and Douglas Holiday are missing from the crash site when Jin regains consciousness, likely captured by Armacham Forces.
- Alma liquifies the helicopter pilot, Bremmer, in front of Jin. Alma dissappears when seen by Jin.
- The UCA begins talks to create a single governing body.
- Redd Jankowski is killed by malfunctioning surgical equipment.
- James Fox is killed by Alma.
- Alma's presence begins to activate Replica soldiers.
- Cedric Griffin is killed by Alma.
- Terry "Snakefist" Halford is killed by a Replica Assassin.
- Keira Stokes is shot by Genevieve Aristide, her fate is unknown.
- Harold Keegan goes M.I.A., later he is shot and presumably killed by Michael Becket as self-defense and mercy-killing.
- Alma rapes Michael Becket and becomes pregnant with his child.
- Paxton Fettel returns from the dead with the help of Foxtrot 813.
2026
- The Point Man breaks free of Armacham and returns to Fairport with his brother.
- Michael Becket is killed by Paxton Fettel.
- Alma and Becket's child is born.
- Paxton Fettel is killed again, and disappears. (Point Man's ending)
- Alma Wade disappears. (Point Man's ending)
- The Point Man raises the third child. (Point Man's ending)
- Fettel kills and devours Alma. (Fettel's ending)
- Fettel raises the third child. (Fettel's ending)
Continuity Errors and Mistakes
- According to character dialogue in F.E.A.R. First Encounter Assault Recon, Armacham Technology Corporation purchased the Rammelmeier Industrial Compound in the 1950s. However, it was stated earlier in an in-game news broadcast that Armacham was founded in 1964.
- While this is probably an unintended continuity error, it is possible that Armacham had already existed long before the public knew about it.
- Terry Halford says that Alma entered the Vault when she was eight years old.[24] However, Harlan Wade had previously revealed that she was put in the Vault two days before her eighth birthday, as noted above.
- This might not be an actual mistake on Monolith's part, since it is entirely possible that Halford was estimating or using approximation.
- According to the Armacham Field Guide, Project Origin was "conceived almost 30 years ago."[25] Since the guide appears to be written during the events of the series, this is impossible. Information in the games indicates that the project was started no later than 1988, when Alma was still 8 years old, while the game takes place no earlier than 2025, when the Point Man (who was born when Alma was 15 years old) is supposedly 31 years old. This is a difference of at least 37 years.
- It is possible that the real-life writers of the guide forgot that the game is supposed to take place in the future.
References
- ↑ Dave Matthews of Monolith Productions: "[TimeGate] took the story in a direction that we didn't intend... We look at Extraction Point and Perseus Mandate as an alternate universe, a 'what could have been', and because of that it doesn't necessarily diminish the story that we were trying to tell. F.E.A.R. was about Alma, F.E.A.R. 2 is about Alma, and we wanted to continue the story the way we originally intended." (News: Ports and expansions "killed off a few" F.E.A.R. fans - ComputerAndVideoGames.com)
- ↑ Rodney Betters: "The UTM coordinates from Wade's laptop are right smack in the middle of the Rammelmeier industrial compound in Auburn. Place has been shut down for years. [...] Turns out Armacham bought the site from the government back in the '50s. Get this. There used to be some kind of underground military complex in that area. I don't think Armacham was interested in what was on the property. They wanted what was under it." (F.E.A.R. First Encounter Assault Recon)
- ↑ News broadcast (radio): "Since it was founded in 1964, Armacham Technology Corporation has become a leading aerospace/defense contractor..." (F.E.A.R. First Encounter Assault Recon)
- ↑ Rodney Betters: "There's a reference to something called Icarus. Says here that it was a bioengineering program that started in 1973." (F.E.A.R. First Encounter Assault Recon)
- ↑ Alma Wade's date of birth is calculated based on the assumption that the scheduled date of her transfer to the vault (August 24, 1987) is the same day she was actually put into the vault (two days before her eighth birthday).
- ↑ Armacham Field Guide, page 14
- ↑ Datanet - Project Origin - Evaluation report (F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin)
- ↑ Armacham Field Guide, page 15
- ↑ Datanet - Alma Wade - Transfer notice: "Alma Wade is scheduled to be transferred from Still Island to the Vault in Auburn on August 24, 1987 for permanent storage." (F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin)
- ↑ Harlan Wade: "We put her in there two days before her eighth birthday." (F.E.A.R. First Encounter Assault Recon)
- ↑ Rodney Betters: "There's an email from Wade about the "subject" being in an induced coma." (F.E.A.R. First Encounter Assault Recon)
- ↑ Rodney Betters: "Says here Alma was 8 years old when Origin started up." (F.E.A.R. First Encounter Assault Recon)
- ↑ Terry Halford: "Her own father stuck her in a suspension tank in an induced coma, knowing she'd probably never wake up again. Well, she did, right after she gave birth to the first prototype. She was 15." (F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin)
- ↑ Terry Halford: "The second prototype was born a year later. She woke up for that one too. She didn't like them taking her babies away from her." (F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin)
- ↑ Datanet - Paragon Program - PARAGON manual (F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin)
- ↑ Armacham Field Guide, page 20
- ↑ Rodney Betters: "I figured out what a synchronicity event is. There was an incident when they lost control of Fettel. He just suddenly started freaking out. He was only about 10 years old at the time, but I guess he killed a few people. In the investigation, they discovered that there had been a telepathic link between Fettel and Alma even though she was in a coma. They concluded that she was influencing him. That must have been why they pulled the plug on Origin." (F.E.A.R. First Encounter Assault Recon)
- ↑ Harlan Wade: "She died six days after we pulled the plug. (F.E.A.R. First Encounter Assault Recon)
- ↑ Terry Halford: "Well, her heart shut down, but her psychic signature didn't. Not many people can just refuse to die." (F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin)
- ↑ Alice Wade (voicemail): "We're still collating data, but it's pretty clear that whatever happened to Auburn wasn't because of the usual socioeconomic factors. The downturn was actually a symptom of people avoiding or leaving the area for other reasons, which we'll summarize in our presentation. One more thing: from what we can tell, it all started about 20 years ago." (F.E.A.R. First Encounter Assault Recon)
- ↑ Alice Wade (voicemail): "It's a bunch of news articles I dug up about Auburn from the last 25 years. There's a surprising amount of corroboration of the physical symptoms that old woman told us about. Seems a lot of people over the years reported feeling uncomfortable or nauseated after spending any amount of time there." (F.E.A.R. First Encounter Assault Recon)
- ↑ Spencer Jankowski: "You're putting him in the field? Are you crazy? He just transferred in a week ago!" (F.E.A.R. First Encounter Assault Recon
- ↑ Armacham Field Guide, page 26.
- ↑ Terry Halford: "Alma Wade was eight years old when they put her in the Vault." (F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin)
- ↑ Armacham Field Guide, page 7