Alma Wade is the key figure of the series and a powerful psychic who seeks revenge against Armacham Technology Corporation because of what they did to her as part of Project Origin. Alma was a severely troubled child, gifted with tremendous psychic powers, who suffered nightmares and apparently was attuned to the negative emotions of the people around her. At the age of only three, Armacham Technology Corporation inducted Alma into Project Paragon, where they tested her for every known psychic ability. Alma passed all tests, and, should she appear not to have any psychic ability, her father Harlan Wade would work tirelessly with her until she was able to focus her powers and complete the objective. When Alma was five, she began to fail all her tests, and it was discovered that she was purposefully failing them. Sometime later, she started a fire in one of the labs. Armacham scientists began to have vivid nightmares, sudden mood changes, and delusions. It was concluded that Alma was psychically attacking them. Soon after, Armacham made plans to keep Alma alive, but to also stop her from being able to harm their employees. In her seventh year, she was recruited into Armacham Technology Corporation's Project Origin with the aim of creating psychics from a psychic for-bearer and to keep Alma from using her psychic powers against Armacham's scientists. Two days before her eighth birthday, she was put into an induced coma and locked in The Vault, a spherical structure located deep inside the secret Origin Facility, blocking her psychic abilities. A note that can be found in FEAR 2: Project Origin suggesting that Alma may have already killed at least one person before being put into the coma. During the project, Alma was impregnated twice with clone embryos. She gave birth to the First Prototype, the Point Man when she was only 15 years old, and then a second, Paxton Fettel, when she was 16. Alma caused a "synchronicity event", in which she merged her mind with Fettel when he was 10, prompting ATC to shut down Project Origin completely and to "pull the plug" on Alma. Life support was removed from The Vault and according to Harlan Wade, she died six days later. Alma was 26 at the time of her death. Alma is capable of linking her mind with Paxton Fettel during the so called "synchronicity events", where she is able to use him as a means to take her revenge: this is clearly shown in F.E.A.R.'s intro where she whispers to Fettel to "Kill them. Kill them all.", and then frees him from his cell. Among Alma's other powers, she is able to kill people with a psychic attack that literally liquefies all their flesh, leaving behind only a charred, blood-drenched skeleton, something she does several times during the course of the games. She can also create a number of different hallucinations and can take the Point Man into her dream world where she is even able to summon malevolent phantoms. Alma also seems to display other powers associated with the mind. It is assumed she can perform pyrokinesis, as seen during one encounter when she sets off fiery explosions through an entire corridor, hurling the Point Man through a window. It can also be inferred that she has some level of telekinesis, as random objects move with her approach, or even in her absence. It is important to note that the Point Man may be simply hallucinating, an effect of Alma's psychic abilities. The identity and mystery of Alma Wade is the very core of the game, first appearing in the introduction, Alma's presence is felt constantly throughout the game, with hints and glimpses of her life made throughout the game's use of visions and info the Point Man gathers through both Paxton Fettel and some laptops scattered throughout the game. She appears as a little eight year old girl wearing a red dress and has a disturbingly blank, mask-like face almost completely obscured by long dark hair. Right from her first appearance, it's never quite clear if Alma is real, or if she only exists in the minds of the people seeing her. Bloody footprints can be found in some places where she walks, and she is briefly visible on a CCTV monitor in the South River Wastewater Treatment Plant, in the same room where Bill Moody is interrogated. Alma is seen repeatedly in F.E.A.R., often only out of the corner of the Point Man's eye, standing in the shadows or darting quickly out of sight. Her appearances are usually preceded by a static radio transmission, logged as "Unknown Origin". As her appearances are almost always accompanied by scenes of extreme violence, this rapidly becomes extremely unnerving. Sometimes all that is heard is her soft, giggling laugh, or indistinct words whispered as though in the Point Man's ear. Twenty years after Alma's death, ATC president Genevieve Aristide reopens the Origin Facility, despite the protests from ATC scientists that tendrils of Alma's psychic powers may still be active. She sends in a team to assess the facility's condition. The team promptly disappears, killed by Alma. Genevieve sends in a second team, but they also disappear. Realizing that Alma's spirit has somehow been awakened by the reopening of the Origin site, Genevieve seals the facility. A few days later, Alma appears to Fettel and creates a second synchronicity event, causing Fettel to go rogue and take command of an army of clone soldiers called Replicas. Fettel finds and kills Charles Habegger, whom he cannibalizes in the belief that he can obtain his victim's thoughts through their flesh. He and Alma learn about a report being worked on by ATC employees dealing with contamination of water in Auburn. The two set out to find the people attached to the report, possibly believing that they may know the location of Alma's body. They first visit the South River Wastewater Treatment Plant, where Alma attempts to kill the Point Man. Despite her efforts, the Point Man survives, and Alma becomes curious about him. She begins to appear to him randomly, always watching him, but never attacking. Fettel and Alma then move to Armacham Technology Corporation Headquarters. In both the wastewater plant and ATC headquarters, they kill everyone present, whether these people know about Project Origin and Alma or not. There, Alma continues to watch the Point Man, and eventually learns he is her son. Soon after, Alma and Fettel learn the location of the Origin facility, and they depart from ATC's headquarters to find it. Along the way, Fettel is able to kidnap Alma's sister Alice Wade, and kills her while Alma watches. Genevieve Aristide muses in the field guide that Alma was likely jealous of Alice due to the preferential treatment she received from their father, and so wanted to witness her death. Inside the Origin facility, Harlan Wade releases Alma's true body, showing her to be an adult woman. Alma immediately kills Harlan, then begins to walk around the facility, expelling Nightmares wherever she goes. After she is released from The Vault by Harlan, her appearance changes to that of a naked, emaciated young woman. Soon after, Alma takes the Point Man into a hallucination, but instead it shows a memory that reveals her to be Harlan Wade's daughter, as well as that the Point Man is in fact Alma's son. In the memory Alma is reaching out to him, demanding to "Give me back my baby!!", only to encounter stern resistance from her father. After that, the Point Man walks down a hallway on his way out of the building when Alma again whispers to the Point Man saying "I know who you are" and also, "My baby". The Point man, after all the horror he went through, exits the building, only to get hit by the explosion from the Origin facility. The Point Man survives and is rescued by a chopper. Though her body is destroyed in the explosion, Alma manifests her appearance on the side of the chopper the Point Man is riding in, causing it to crash and leaving his fate unknown.
Alma’s Apparitions
Alma Wade is able to summon Apparitions, such as Nightmares to attack people:
Nightmares are supernatural beings summoned by Alma Wade and Paxton Fettel. These creatures are similar to ghosts in that they float and emit shrill cries. They attack by colliding with their target, inflicting massive damage and dissolving into black smoke afterwards. However, their extremely low health makes them a relatively small threat, particularly if a weapon that deals area damage is used against them (the MP-50 Repeating Cannon can wipe clusters of 3 or 4 with ease).
Shades are an apparition that appears in F.E.A.R. Extraction Point and F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate. They are known to appear as corpse like creatures crawling on walls etc.) They are meant to scare the player and do not hurt the player when they are in a corpse form. Their behavior in its hostile form is very similar to that of Replica Assassins, in which they use hit-and-run tactics, attack with their bare hands and are fond of acrobatics.
Specters are enemies that appear in F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin. The Specter blinks in and out of visibility as it moves to attack, disappearing in a puff of energy when it is killed. Specters were once part of the city's population until the Origin Facility Explosion occurred. They are the residual psychic imprints of dead people. Specters exist only due to Alma Wade's rage, which translates into the behavior of the Specters. Spectres make disturbing garbled sounds that can be heard when they are close to the player. It is rumored they are tortured by Alma's hate and resentment, which would explain their hostile actions. Specters are only fought in four levels of the game: Devastation, Elementary, Nurse's Office, and Keegan. All other Specters encountered will not harm Michael Becket. In the level Ruin and Keegan, Specters are limited and will not reappear if killed. In the school levels (Elementary and Nurse's Office), Specters can appear an unlimited amount of times until the player passes a certain area, so they are much more dangerous in those levels. In these two levels, the atmosphere is also very dark, the flashlight will constantly blink on and off, and Alma and other paranormal activity appear frequently.
Ghost Soldiers are specters of dead soldiers (mostly Replica) in F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin and F.E.A.R. 2: Reborn. They appear suddenly, and can move very fast since they have the same Slow-Mo ability as the player. They are just as accurate with their weapons as standard replica soldiers but are harder to kill due to their speed. On the other hand, they have very little health and will disappear after five shots or less from any gun. Using slow-mo to fight them is highly recommended. They can be considered ghosts of former soldiers while Specters are ghosts of civilians. They do not drop weapons or ammo when killed.
Scavengers are abominations created by Alma's mind. They are said to be created thanks to her bad childhood memories; they first appear in F.E.A.R. 3. Buried deep in Alma's mind, are the memories of her time in the Vault. Her only human contact was the Armacham scientists and doctors who came to take more "samples" for their rigorious testing protocols. Poking and scraping at her, gathering samples for research and then leaving her alone in her Vault. These harsh memories make up the dismal corner of Alma's mind from which the Scavengers sprang. And as Alma's contractions increase in intensity, the Scavengers, along with other fragments of Alma's tortured psyche, begin to bleed over into the F.E.A.R universe. The Scavengers are as indiscriminate as the torturing madmen that inspired them. They have an unmatched hunger and aggression and are highly intelligent and disciplined to work together to ruthlessly consume their prey. As soon as one Scavenger senses prey, it calls on the rest to join in the attack. Their method of attack consists of scratching and lunging to bite. Flames start to appear on their bodies as they take damage and this indicates how much health they still have. Being rogue horrors of Alma's mind, they attack both the player and ATC forces. Scavengers, along with the Creep are the only enemies who can't be possessed by Fettel.
Spectres are a type of character that appear in F.E.A.R 3. These ghostly creatures are gruesome in appearance, being little more than the upper half of a mutilated body wearing a cloak. They seem like they are missing flesh, have their bottom jaw broken and their intestines seemed to hang from their torso. Their abilities are psychic in nature, allowing them to fire psychic blasts and possess humans, much in the same vein as Paxton does.
The Scarecrow is an apparition created by Alma, present only in rare encounters in F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate. A hideous and ghoulish creature, the Scarecrow appears as an upper torso with thin arms and large claws, a faceless head with gouged eyes and a mouth skewered with, seemingly, metal shards. The monster acts as a trap, hiding inside large black cloaks that appear on the floor, similar to a huge splat of black blood. Stepping into said cloak brings the Scarecrow to attack by holding the player still and viciously flailing its claws at him, a move that can disorient and frighten the player. While the creature looks fearsome, it's not really dangerous, for its attacks don't do much damage if stopped quickly enough, which can be done rather easily as a shotgun blast at point-blank range is usually enough to kill it. Also, shooting at the black hole where the monster hides will kill it safely, though explosives aren't recommended. Active Scarecrows can be heard from a distance through their growling, and their holes, if active, will expand and spew ashes when approached, creating a "ripple" effect in the air around, as if exposed with intense heat. It'll shriek loudly and its den will close quickly after its death, (ejecting the player if he was caught) and leaving behind a little grayish scar in the floor. The first Scarecrow appears when Lt. Steve Chen steps into its hole and is dragged down: while the Sergeant can try to save him by holding his hand, Chen will inevitably be torn to pieces, leaving his arm still holding the Sergeant's hand. From then on, Scarecrows occasionally appear throughout the rest of the game, often cleverly disguised by blood or even water in a certain spot. The ripples will still appear when the den is approached, though.
Remnants are people affected and mutated by Alma's psychic influence after the Origin Facility Explosion, guided by their last memories of who they were - but they are no longer human. Approaching one too closely invokes a powerfully devastating and disorienting scream, serving as a warning to what the Remnant will do next. Being puppet masters, Remnants can take control of nearby enemy corpses, which will seek out a weapon before attacking anybody the Remnant wills it to. The Remnant itself has only its scream and a strong melee attack to defend itself so the reanimated dead serve as bodyguards to it. Remnant-controlled corpses are merely puppets on strings, controlled by the very will of the Remnant - taking the Remnant itself out will result in the strings being cut; not an easy task, considering the odds. There are three remnants faced in the game: A man trying to hail a taxi, a piano teacher and a principal, each one a harder encounter than the previous one. While little to nothing is known about the first two, other than the school employed the piano teacher, intel in the game reveals the Principal's last name was Saunders and was in charge of the school's operations and concerned with maintaining the illusion of the school. It is also revealed that he used to be a psychiatrist. A piece of intel found near the first Remnant fight says that Colonel Vanek wants his men to stay away from civilians, as they have lost contact with some squads after they reported seeing civilians acting strangely. Two more of the Remnants are encountered by Foxtrot 813 during his journey to Paxton Fettel. The two do not perform any particular actions of their former life, being mindless monsters who stalks the player in the sewers. This is most likely related to Alma using every means at her disposal, including Remnants, to try and destroy Foxtrot 813. The first one encountered more or less act the same as in Project Origin however, the second one is a bit tougher because Abominations can appear and attack you together if you did not get rid of them before the Remnant appeared.
Followers
Cannibals are enemies in F.E.A.R. 3. They used to be civilians but now have gone insane thanks to Alma's influence. The cannibals appear to have been normal citizens at some point, but as Alma grew stronger, their minds started to be influenced by Alma. They now worship her to the point that most of their shrines are completely covered in blood. They most often appear with groups of Cultists but are more dangerous due to their ranged knife attacks and agility. They're usually pale white with no clothes on their upper bodies, but all of them have some kind of sign on their bodies. Either a vortex on their face or an 'A' on their forehead or chest. They are mainly encountered in interval 3 as enemies but several are seen in intervals 4 and 5 in scripted events but never fought. They usually throw knives at the Point Man and Paxton Fettel but will melee them with the knife if they're close. Their knives are pretty damaging and are deadly accurate so cover must be taken when fighting them. They are extremely agile and can jump very very far and high. They can be possessed by Fettel and are the only way for the player to pick up different melee weapons. It is possible to gain their knife-throwing ability without directly possessing them. As a possessed Cultist, players can approach knives thrust into walls and be supplied with an endless amount.
Cultists are enemies in F.E.A.R. 3. They were once Fairport civilians but now have gone insane thanks to Alma's psychic influence. The Cultists are the ones responsible for all the writings on the walls relating to Alma. They appear to have been normal citizens at some point, survivors of the nuclear detonation, but as Alma's psychic influence grew stronger and wider, their minds became corrupted. They now worship her and seem to write everything with blood, usually to the point that most of their shrines are completely covered in blood. They are often accompanied by Cannibals. They usually attack with their hands (claws) but some are equipped with melee weapons and does more damage. The most dangerous ones are armed with timed explosives; these guys act as suicide bombers that charge at Point Man and Paxton Fettel and detonate when in contact or shot by weapons. They dress in different clothes, but all of them have some kind of sign on their bodies; either a vortex on their face or an 'A' on their forehead or chest.
Abominations are the first test subjects and surviving failures from Project Harbinger. They were implanted with amplfiers and administered chemical agents to aid in the development of psychic abilities, while undergoing telestheic amplification sessions to become Replica Commanders. However, the invasive process of improving and attuning the subjects' psychic fortitude caused extensive neural damage to the candidates, causing them to regress into a violent animalisitic state. Symptoms of early psychological decay within the testing studies were incessant paranoia, hallucinations, nightmares, and loss of logical thought. Although the developmental stages caused the abominations to become extremely dangerous and unsuitable for being rational commanders, they were, however, successful in obtaining the psychic capability to fully control Replica Soldiers while in an Amplifier machine, but that ability was usless in its entirety due to the failed subjects possessing inadequate mental control of their own self and also of the replicated soldiers. Abominations prove to be dangerous to themselves as well, as they are sometimes seen with bandages wrapped around their heads, and always have severe wounds and rashes. They are kept in a "holding area" in the Paragon facility, a prison-like area with several rows of tiny, crude metal cells, equipped with a mattress. Michael Becket is attacked by several throughout the course of F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin. At several points in the game, they can be seen attacking enemies and brutally slaughtering them, severing their heads and spraying blood. They attack anything in sight (Replica, ATC, etc.) and have no allies. Abominations are savage, humanoid cannibals. They often wear hospital pants, but are sometimes naked. When they are not wearing pants, it can be observed that they do not have genitals; this is either for censorship, or they were surgically removed for unknown reasons. Their faces are mutilated; this appears to be self mutilation. The extent of how the Project's research affected the Abominations negatively can be observed from their grotesque physical appearance. Some Abominations (without bandages covering their heads) can be seen to have stitched skulls, where the likely procedure of neural implant surgery was performed on their brains. Several white circular markings are located along the bodies of the test subjects, where diode devices to assist in psychic actvitity are to be located internally, and are able to be easily connected to other supportive systems, such as a T.A.C chair. The Abominations are the frightening aftermath of inhumane attempts to excel a human's brain and body to supernatural lengths, ultimately destroying the sanity of the individual in return for power. Abominations are lethally quick and have the ability to run on walls, coupled with quick hit-and-run melee attacks that deal a lot of damage. They thus share very similar abilities with theReplica Assassins. Unlike the Assassins however, they cannot turn invisible and they can grab hold of you. In the latter scenario, only repeated meleeing will shake them off. The sounds they make are animal-like and will alert you to their presence.