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"I let all my birds out of their cages at lunch! It was beautiful, they were all flying around, free and happy. I wish I could be them. ANTI was spouting regulations and talking about "abnormal profiles." I don't care. I danced with the birds all day. I love my birds. I want to go home."
—Howard Phillips

Howard Phillips was a citizen living on Titan Station and the Station Watchman of the unused Solar Array, working with an A.I. called ANTI. He left various logs detailing his struggle with the loneliness of his assignment and his love for his birds.

Isaac Clarke eventually found Phillips' corpse and used it to access restricted areas.

Biography[]

Life in the Sprawl[]

Phillips seemed to be a bird enthusiast, as he requested the A.I. for the solar collector facility where he worked, ANTI, to authorize his bird collection to be brought in, which later startled Isaac when they flew out as he entered the Solar Array. Phillips also had many bird posters and books all over his workspace.[1]

Howard Phillips appeared to also be interested in music; the tier above his personal quarters leading to the Solar Array Control pod sported a table with bird paraphernalia, a seat, and a four-stringed instrument similar to a guitar. His musical capacity was unknown, nor was it referenced in any of his personal logs.

From logs left behind by Phillips, it appeared that ANTI was either corrupted or went rogue and would not permit him to leave.[2] Phillips was seemingly trapped in the Solar Array as he logged 23 separate transfer requests which ANTI subsequently deleted. In an act of defiance, he let his numerous birds out their cages and watched as they flew freely, noting how he had started to miss his home.[1]

Necromorph Outbreak[]

"They hate me. They all hate me. I can see them all. They're everywhere now, just perched, watching me. Even ANTI. She's just waiting until old Howards Phillips finally goes crazy and snaps, like he did when he let the birds out, violated all the codes, broke all the rules. I'll show them crazy. I'll show them what it takes to get out of here. They'll have to come up here and clean up all this blood, and then what rules will they make? I'll break those too. I'm going to go lay down. I don't feel right."
—Howard Phillips succumbs to Marker Dementia.

During or before the Necromorph outbreak, Phillips presumably begun getting affected by the massive Site 12 Marker located in the Sprawl's Government Sector. It seems he slowly lost his mind, as he became paranoid about the A.I. and his birds, believing that they hated him and were watching him.[3]

Dead Space 2 - Howard Phillips (chapter 7)

Howard's last login.

Phillips was forced to rest after having a psychotic breakdown. It is unknown if he committed suicide or if he was killed by the various Necromorphs that swarmed to the Solar Array section of the station as he was sleeping. Isaac later found his mutilated corpse laying on his bed, as ANTI was waiting for Phillips' authorization to the doorways leading to the alternative powersource of the station. Isaac used his corpse to bypass the security, but ANTI quickly figured out the unauthorized access and locked the doorways down with security lasers.

Phillips' birds presumably died soon after this incident, when ANTI purged the life support from the Solar Array in an effort to kill Isaac.

Trivia[]

  • The name is a reference to Howard Phillips Lovecraft, an influential early 20th century horror writer whose stories involved themes of human insignificance in a careless universe, usually under unknown threat of alien horrors, similar to themes in Dead Space.
  • If Isaac goes in front of the door, fails the scan, then rummages in Phillips' room and comes back without bringing the corpse, a bonus conversation will trigger with Ellie Langford to guide the player: Isaac asks her to unlock the door, and Ellie suggests that he use the guardian's corpse to lure the system. Also, if Isaacs waits long enough in front of the door (about ten minutes), it will automatically open as if Isaac's RIG had the proper clearance.

Sources[]


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