Kellog would have made a way more interesting character if we had interacted with him more. The main problem with Kellog in the original Fallout 4 story is that they only tried to make us care after he was dead. No one in the world seems to care either. So here’s how I would change that.
Like in my original re-write of the Fallout 4 main story your character would have amnesia. So you won’t know that Kellog killed your spouse and took your baby. You’ll only learn this later when using the Memory Den for the second time. So you’ll come across Kellog in Concord surrounded by dead raiders. When you enter the conversation with him he’ll subtly hint that he knows you. But he realizes you don’t recognize him. He’ll tell you about the raiders that locked themselves in the museum in fear after they tried to kill him. The player will probably think nothing of it because their just raiders after all. But even this little interaction has consequences later in showing what kind of man Kellog is. Spoiler alert those seemly random raiders are members of the Rail Road. For now whatever you decide Kellog will then point you to Diamond City.
When you reach Diamond City it will play like normal. Piper and the Mayor will have their interaction. However the mayor will refuse to let you in. But then Kellog shows up and he’ll tell the mayor to let you and Piper in. The will Mayor happily agree without a second thought. It’s from this interaction you should get the feeling that Kellog’s word is law in Diamond City. And Piper will also get suspicious and call Kellog out on this. But Kellog nonchalantly will dismiss Piper’s claims. He will then turn to the player and tell them to come talk to him if they want to get to know the city. Kellog will tell you that Diamond City is highly safe. Like a sheep pen with a pack of wolves hiding in it. Are you a mindless sheep? The player can admit that they don’t know who they are and Kellog will point you to Nick Valentine agency.
After freeing Nick and he will suggest using The Memory Den to help you remember. It is revealed that you lived in pre-war, had a spouse and baby. The memory den will glitch and you’ll see Kellog’s face as he was standing in front of your cryo pod. You won’t see him kill your spouse yet but that will be confirmed later when viewing his memories. Right now there should be this feeling of betrayal that the guy who has been so helpful to you had something to do with your dead spouse and missing baby. You need to find him and ask him what he had to do with the vault and your family. So you’ll got to Kellog’s house, break in but he’s not there. He left a message on a holotape telling you to not come find him. But you need answers so you’ll track him down anyway. And before you fight he’ll ask what you expect to find. Maybe the answers you’re searching for won’t have an out come you’ll like. Have you considered that you’re son will not want anything to do with you? Are you willing to continue this path? Of course you are. Shaun is your son and you want him back no matter what it takes. To this Kellog will chuckle and admit that he actually likes you. He will tell you that if you want answers then kill him and take the chip from his head.
Once you take the chip to The Memory Den you will see that Kellog had a family he wanted to protect but someone took them from him. He tracks down the people who wronged him. While on his path for revenge he became cruel. Nothing got in his way. But even after he got revenge he was empty. It’s then he’s approached by the Institute due to his reputation of getting things done no matter what. Kellog only takes the job because the pay is great. We then see Kellog kill your spouse and take your baby. It was all just business to him. As he looks in your cryo pod he thinks that he should kill you. He knows what a monster a person can become when they have family ripped away. But he doesn’t kill you because he wouldn’t get paid. It’s just business after all. The turning point of memory is when you see a young Shaun. Kellog will say that he loves the boy like he was his own. It hurts to look at him knowing what he’s done. He thinks that one day he’ll tell the kid what he’s done. But for now whatever the kid wants he’ll do it. The final memory is Kellog talking to X6-88 who told Kellog that Father wants him to track down Virgil. Leaving Virgil alive will cause problems in the future because of what he knows. Now the player knows to go find Virgil to get to the Institute. You’ll find who ever this Father is and make them pay for what they did to your family.
When you do get to The Institute and talk with Shaun he’ll admit that he’s the leader and the one who he released you. Maybe because some part of him felt like he owed you because you are his parent. But he now regrets it because even after what Kellog did he didn’t think he deserved to die. After all Kellog was like a father to him and did what he asked without question. But since you’re his real parent he will give you a chance to see what the Institute is all about.
As you go about the Institute you’ll get the vibe that Kellog was feared but respected. He was brutal in his methods but it made the goals of the Institute of possible. He trained a lot of the coursers and it’s why they are so dangerous. X6-88 will admit that he hated you because you killed someone who he highly respected. As you earn Shaun’s trust by doing jobs for the Institute the people will come to fear and respect you like Kellog did. And in a way you’ll mirror Kellog’s journey. He had someone take his family away, went out for revenge and by the end did horrible things because he cared for Shaun like he was his own.
What does it say about your character if you kill your own son? The son who The Institute took and brainwashed. The only love he got was from the man who took him from his real family. Only for him to release you and kill his father figure and destroy the place that he was brainwashed to believe he was making better for mankind. That’s the real impact Kellog should have had on the story.
