Vault 24 is an experimental Vault-Tec facility where American citizens were brainwashed into communists using mind control technology. The Vault appears in Fallout Season 2 Episode 1, finally revealing what happened to a location that was cut from Fallout: New Vegas 15 years ago.
Lucy and The Ghoul discover the Vault while tracking Hank MacLean, finding long-dead residents in Soviet-style clothing with brain control chips implanted in their skulls.
What Lucy and The Ghoul Found
The Location: Vault 24 is hidden behind the screen of a Starlight Drive-In movie theater in the Mojave Wasteland.
- Bodies dressed in stereotypical communist attire
- A room with Soviet propaganda playing on loop
- Brain control chips in the deceased residents
- Evidence of systematic brainwashing experiments
The Horror: These weren't willing participants. American citizens were subjected to mind control technology that forced communist ideology into their brains. The experiment appears to have killed everyone inside.
Hank's Connection: Evidence suggests Hank MacLean visited Vault 24 recently—he was retrieving information or technology related to the brain chips.
Vault 24: The 15-Year Mystery Solved
Cut from New Vegas: Vault 24 was planned for Fallout: New Vegas (2010) but never appeared in the final game. The only evidence of its existence was a Vault 24 jumpsuit hidden in the game files, accessible only through console commands.
Developer Comments: In 2019, Fallout: New Vegas lead designer Josh Sawyer stated on Tumblr that he didn't believe any Vault 24 content was ever actually developed—it was likely planned but cut early.
The Show's Restoration: Fallout Season 2 finally gives Vault 24 a purpose. The creative team took this piece of cut content and built an entirely new—and deeply disturbing—backstory for it.
Fan Reaction: This deep-cut reference has thrilled longtime Fallout fans who recognized the Vault number and wondered what the show would do with it.
The Communist Brainwashing Experiment
Vault-Tec's Plan: Every Vault had a secret experiment. Vault 24's was ideological manipulation—testing whether Americans could be forcibly converted to communism.
- Brain-Computer Interface chips developed by RobCo (Mr. House's company)
- Chips allowed direct control of subjects' thoughts and actions
- Communist propaganda reinforced the programming
- The goal: prove that belief systems could be artificially implanted
Why Communism?: In Fallout's alternate history, the Cold War never ended. Communism was America's greatest fear. Proving you could *create* communists would be powerful—and terrifying.
The Results: Everyone in Vault 24 is dead. Whether the experiment "succeeded" before killing them remains unclear, but the technology clearly worked—at a horrific cost.
Connection to Mr. House
RobCo Technology: The brain chips were developed by RobCo Industries—Robert House's company. The Season 2 premiere opens with House personally testing an early version of the device.
Vault-Tec Partnership: Vault-Tec used House's technology for their experiments. In return, House gained access to Vault resources and test subjects.
Present-Day Implications: Hank MacLean is now working with House to "miniaturize" the chip technology. Whatever they're planning, Vault 24 was just the prototype.
The Bigger Picture: The mind control chips could be the key to House's plan for New Vegas—or something even more sinister involving Vault-Tec's long-term goals.