The Price of Prosperity

[TrooperScooperMKII]

A nuclear war would destroy all life; how could anything survive? That was the dilemma facing the Pre-War government. It was a problem that would demand meticulous planning, subtle scheming, and vast resources. The sheer magnitude of the looming threat would force the government to take drastic measures in order to survive.

Drastic measures rarely go unnoticed, and so the government-sponsored Vault Tec industries would serve as the cover for much larger infrastructure, ranging from hidden bunkers to rocket ships, all with the singular intent of preserving the lives of the rich and famous.

The efforts of the government did not go unnoticed.

Robert House had long maintained extensive government contacts, and his position as the founder of RobCo gave him great leverage; it was not long before he intervened in the affairs of Vault Tec. He directly sponsored the creation of a small vault scarcely a block from his Lucky 38. Though Mr. House had already instituted his precautionary measures, he was savvy enough to recognize the merits of a contingency plan. As per his intentions, Vault 22 was completed scarcely a month before the bombs fell.

All of this is known to the elite of the New Vegas Strip, but it is known to few that Mr House would frequently enter the vault through a secondary entrance in the years after the Great War. Over time, as his body became more and more frail, his visits became less frequent, and eventually ceased.

Time passed. The New Vegas Strip was born from the ashes, rebuilt in all of its glory. The Vault's significance would have been forgotten, if not for the peculiar actions of Mr. House. A decade before the Courier entered the Strip, Vault 22 was sealed in concrete at the behest of Mr. House. Though most visitors scarcely gave the vault a second glance, House's decree aroused the curiosity of many... though none would dare cross the House.

For a period of several months, House's securitrons would stand vigil at the entrance as automated construction workers filled half of the vault with concrete. The entire vault population was relocated to nearby casinos during this period; no living soul was allowed to enter. Extravagant fancies of the imagination persisted in wondering: what was inside the Vault?