Scientist #4

Scientist #4

Audio

Scientist #4
Aliases	Scientist
Affiliation	Playtime Co. The Labs Playcare Bigger Bodies Initiative
Biographical Information
Date of death	August 8, 1995
Place of death	Playtime Co.
Descriptive Information
Status	Deceased
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Appearances
Role	Recurring character
Played by	Michael Kovach
Appears In	Chapter 1: A Tight Squeeze Chapter 2: Fly in a Web Chapter 3: Deep Sleep Chapter 4: Safe Haven
Debut	Chapter 1: A Tight Squeeze

“	I'm not worried about myself. One breakthrough and I'll be back. We must forge onwards in the name of science. Whether those who are beneath us understand it or not! End of-	”
— Scientist #4, Final Log noicon

Scientist #4, also known simply as Scientist, was a Playtime Co. employee involved in numerous aspects of the Bigger Bodies Initiative. He worked on and oversaw many experiments created from and/or before the Initiative, including the Prototype, Huggy Wuggy, and Doey the Doughman.

Personality

Scientist #4 appears to be deeply committed to his work, to the point of letting others affected be dealt with the consequences of his actions. This neglectful behavior is shown in Log 08502, as he states the Surveillance Specialist killed by 1006 was a mere "casualty." He also seemed to have complete faith in the Initiative and its goals, as he explains to the worried Joseph in the 1322 Report that Kevin is fine and would never have been any better with no sense of irony in his voice, and he forwent his life to leave instructions for the containment and disposal of future experiments. In addition, he believed that he could cheat death if a breakthrough occurred.

However, he did seem to have somewhat of a high opinion of himself and the other scientists, as he says to Joseph, "We're good at we do, son." and "We paid attention in school, learned, and got our proper rest when we needed it.", implying that he respected his fellow scientists and showing that he was committed to the work he had done as a scientist. The same tape also shows a much calmer and friendly personality whenever he's speaking to children, which may or may not be genuine.

History

Backstory

Scientist #4 worked with Harley Sawyer and other scientists on the Bigger Bodies Initiative experiments.

Activity

Scientist #4 documented an incident that had happened sometime around 1990, in which Experiment 1006, The Prototype, had attempted and almost succeeded to escape containment. He began by stating that The Prototype had used components from the digital alarm clock in his room to craft a laser pointer, which he then used to disable the camera. After the camera was reactivated 28.2 seconds later, The Prototype seemed to have disappeared, and a female surveillance specialist opened the door to check whether he was there or not.

Scientist #4 noted that The Prototype was indeed in his room and had hidden in the camera's blind spot. Somewhat dramatically, the scientist continued by stating that the Prototype attempted to escape but was locked inside his cell by a second surveillance specialist, even though the first specialist was still inside. Scientist #4 said that "One casualty occurred" before beginning to talk about The Prototype's violent tendencies and intelligence. He then ended the recording by noting that Huggy Wuggy was the most obedient experiment so far.

In another tape, recorded in 1993, Scientist #4 began by stating that a subject for Experiment 1322 was stable and that neural abnormalities were detected in his recent checkup. Scientist #4 was then cut off mid-sentence by one of Playcare's orphans, Joseph, who asked him what he was doing with his friend. Although puzzled at first, after Joseph asked if Kevin was sick, Scientist #4 replied that Kevin was "very, very sick" and tried to comfort Joseph. He then took Joseph back to Home Sweet Home, ending the recording with the sentence "When you see him again, he'll never have been better," hinting that Kevin would be turned into a toy.

After this, Scientist #4 began another recording, briefly recapping the events of the previous one, in which he was attempting to detail the suitability of Kevin Barnes as subject 1322B for "Project: Doey", before elaborating on the "neural abnormalities" exhibited by Kevin. These concerned behavioral issues demonstrated within Playcare, which included problems getting along with others, aggressive and confrontational tendencies, and a combative nature. Scientist #4 labeled Kevin a "problem child" who would attack even the few friends he had in bouts of "intense play". Despite this, Kevin excelled at the Game Station, resulting in Dr. Sawyer ordering Kevin be pulled out of Playcare for use in Experiment 1322. Scientist #4 then stressed that if Kevin's use in the experiment was to "move forward", they couldn't allow a single consciousness within Doey to throw the others off, as even a single misregulation of emotions would result in "900 pounds of dough that can shift however it pleases" potentially turning on even those it trusts, simply due to feeling overwhelmed by a single constituent subject's "stray feeling". Scientist #4 then sighed in resignation, noting that Sawyer's word was law despite these concerns, and that Subjects 1322A and 1322C were to be gathered the next morning for processing, and that all they could do was plan their safeguards accordingly.

The Hour of Joy

During the events of The Hour of Joy (8/8/1995), Scientist #4 recorded his final log related to The Prototype. He stated that 1006 was the cleverest experiment of them all, and that he was skilled in coordination and cooperation. Scientist #4 stated that The Prototype had been missing for some time, and that the day's events were "no doubt in relation to him". According to Scientist #4, 1006's absence was a flaw in the "scientific process" and that that flaw should have not been left unaccounted for. As his fellow researchers were being massacred in the background, Scientist #4 claimed that he was not worried about himself, stating "one breakthrough and I'll be back," before saying that they "must forge onwards in the name of science". He was then killed, presumably by Huggy Wuggy.

Trivia

• He is the first scientist players hear of in the game, outside of presumably more scientists dying/being injured in the background of the tape.
• In Chapter 2, he confirms that Experiment 1006 is not Huggy Wuggy but a separate entity, debunking a popular theory at the time.
• It was originally thought that he and Dr. Bruno White were the same person as they had the same voice actor and the same voice intonation in Chapter 3, in addition to being important scientists for Playtime Co..
  • This was debunked in Chapter 4: Safe Haven, as Scientist #4 is specifically named in the tapes as "Scientist" while Bruno White is named separately, and in Chapter 4 are played by different actors altogether, with Michael Kovach reprising his role as Scientist #4, and Sean Chiplock instead taking on the role of Dr. Bruno White.
    • This was done at the suggestion of Michael Kovach as he was concerned that, despite being two separate characters, he would voice Dr. Bruno White in the same manner as Scientist #4 which could cause confusion.