Austin is a Gen Inc researcher and Soldier who was stationed at the Weapons Laboratory.
History[]
As computer journals in the robotic lab indicate, Austin worked with engineers Ryan and Stolls and medic Cohen in an anti-Thing virus at the underground covert Weapons Laboratory run by Gen Inc. At some point he was assimilated by the Thing, and locked himself in the black tech lab. Freed by Blake, he proceeded to deceive him by urging him to check out a terminal he seemingly couldn't figure out by himself. The trusting Blake found himself locked in a room with green poisonous gas, but managed to quickly get out and pursue Austin. Austin locked himself in a weapons research laboratory as he bled to death slowly.
Trivia[]
- Austin's identity can be assumed due to the journals that mention him.
- Also, if one looks at the squad menu when approaching him as he bleeds out, Austin's name is displayed as "Austin3". He's also designated as a Soldier despite having an Engineer's uniform, hinting that he's an Imitation in the same vein as Carter (Soldier) and Guy, who also wear the wrong outfits. The journals, however, point at Austin having indeed been an Engineer.
- Austin can either bleed to death in the weapons research lab or burst out if fired at from the Observation Area's sniper camera gun.
- If the player manages to reach Austin before he bleeds out, he'll immediately assimilate.
- There's barely any time to perform a Blood Test on him before he assimilates.
- It's possible to cancel Austin's reveal of his assimilation through some combination of giving the squad (Austin and Peltola) a Follow-Stay-Follow command chain at just the right time while running toward him, with Peltola's presence/proximity also possibly being a factor. However, this method is horribly inconsistent, requiring possibly dozens of tries before success. You can tell when you've succeeded if, about halfway or a bit less from the doorway to Austin, he pops from his Man Down pose into a standing position, then crouches back down into his Man Down pose and stays in that pose until you heal him. If this "pose pop" occurs while you are too far away, or if you simply fail to force him into this animation pattern (either by starting to issue the commands too late or by simply not trying to issue commands at all), he will smoothly rise from Man Down into a standing position and stay like that for a second or so before revealing himself, and as he rises, he will stop accepting Follow commands (which you can tell is the case when the squad Follow command stops changing to a squad Stay command after issuing the command).
- After successfully cancelling Austin's assimilation reveal, he'll act like any other assimilated-but-not-revealed squad member (albeit silent) and will help you kill Things, Black Ops, etc. Like Peltola, he will mysteriously disappear and will not appear in the next level even if still alive by the end of this level. The blood test hypo will still test positive on him even used on him while he is stuck in Man Down status, without healing him first.
Gallery[]
Austin urging Blake to help him.
Austin bleeding to death in the weapons research laboratory.
Austin's corpse after having bled to death.
"Austin3," Austin's name in the squad menu if the player manages to reach him before he bleeds out. He'll assimilate shortly after.
The Austin-Thing.
Austin successfully recruited and brought out of the weapon research room.