I only recently picked up Fallout 3 and have been playing the hell out of it... I just hit level 10 and followed my Father to the Jefferson Memorial where I picked up his holotapes that are leading me to the Vault where he hopes to find Dr. Braun's research (I think that's his name). Sometimes when I load a saved game and then walk through a door, one of those power-armored soldiers appears right after I walk through the door, toting his missile launcher, and then runs off somewhere after some unseen foe and disappears. I've tried to click on him to talk to him but never seem to be able to get his attention. I think it's a weird bug because it doesn't seem to have any in-game effect (he has never appeared when an enemy is nearby so he hasn't helped me in any fight). Anyone else seen this?

Around level 5 or 6 (I am now level 10), there was a part in downtown DC where I was wandering around killing supermutants and I walked into a building where there were several super mutants that I killed. There was a locked door that I could not enter. I exited and ran into the Brotherhood for the first time. Their leader told me that one of their recruits had gotten trapped in a building and they wanted me to help rescue him and then directed me and another soldier into the building I had just cleaned out. We entered and supermutants were all still dead but the previously locked door suddenly opened and there was the recruit whom I escorted back to his commander. Could this mysterious stranger be the Brotherhood fighter who was supposed to help me rescue the recruit and he just sort of appears because part of Fallout thinks I haven't done that quest yet since I did it in the wrong order? I have credit in my completed quests for rescuing the recruit... but otherwise I don't understand why this guy keeps showing up

It doesn't bother me --- I just think it's funny, but was wondering if anyone else have experienced this mysterious bug.

Also -- I just got The Terrible Shotgun and have the 'Bloody Mess' perk so if you see pools of blood and chunks of meat, you know I have already been there.

Rescuing that recruit is an unmarked sidequest. It does not intefere with any other quest. However, I would start mining the crap out of where ever you keep all your stuff. Screw the displays it took you hours to create, mine your abode now, and keep it mined as that one paladin now thinks that you guys are buddies, and he can share all your stuff.

I'm pretty sure this is a well known bug, and I've encountered it myself several times actually.

It usually leads to some hilarious situations, where the Initiate, Paladin Hoss, or the other unnamed paladin (or all three) just burst into the scene of wherever you are like something out of a Monty Python sketch. I've had him turn up in Point Lookout before.

If you wish to find out his name, then just enter V.A.T.S. when pointing at him and you can discover once and for all if he is from that group or not.

It happened to me after i did the quest to save him, every time i fast travelled he would spawn then usually run away, but i think he followed me for a while a couple of times. Can't remember as it was a few years ago but haven't had it again.