The Vault - Fallout Wiki

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Vault 92
Fo3 Vault 92 Entrance
Icon vault
Site
Vault 92 loc
Map MarkerVault 92
Other
QuestsAgatha's Song
Technical
Cell NameVault92Ext (exterior)
Vault92a (vault door)
Vault92aOverseer (overs. office)
Vault92b (living quarters)
Vault92c (sound testing)
Vault92d (reactor room)
ref id0000150b (exterior)
0001852b (vault door)
000a3977 (overs. office)
00018532 (living quarters)
00018538 (sound testing)
0003abf8 (reactor room)
TerminalsVault 92 terminals
 
Gametitle-FO3
Gametitle-FO3

Vault 92 is one of the Vaults constructed by the Vault-Tec Corporation. It is located in Old Olney, Maryland.

Background[]

The construction of Vault 92 started in May 2062 and finished six years later, in 2068. Designed to hold 245 occupants for a projected duration of 100 years, the Vault was outfitted with a General Atomics International nuclear power reactor and a Brainpower 7 computer control system. To cater to the musicians selected for inclusion in the dweller ranks, the Vault was provided with an ample supply of sound equipment, musical instruments, and recording gear to facilitate the protection of the musical legacy of mankind and the United States.[1]

Of course, the Vault also had a second, hidden mission. Once the Vault was sealed on October 23, 2077, Overseer Richard Rubin began implementing Vault-Tec Confidential Plan WNMSCE (White Noise Mind Suggestion Combat Experimentation), an experiment designed to test the validity of implanting combat suggestions in human subjects through the use of modulated ultra low frequency white noise. The first limited tests carried out on isolated musicians in the sound booths were a success, with the dwellers remaining oblivious, save for the occasional odd pitch and other minor discrepancies on sound equipment.[2] Relationships flourished, particularly the romance between violinist Hilda Egglebrecht and Parker Livingsteen, supervisor of the recording studios.[3][4]

The success of the field tests encouraged Rubin to proceed with the outlined experiment. Together with Professor John Malleus and Section 4, the Overseer extended the reach of the White Noise. The emitters were wired into loudspeakers throughout the Vault, primarily inside soundproof recording studios, where white noise was overlaid with music playback.[5] To ensure full exposure, Rubin blocked the distribution of personal sound players and headphones, to ensure that the musicians listen to music inside recording studios, with the white noise broadcast.[6]

Professor Malleus was oblivious to the true nature of the project and went so far as congratulating his team on a job well done, when these first large scale tests revealed that 33% of subjects that lapsed into a trance-like state under the effects of white noise allowed the team to implement subtle, minor tics to verify the effectiveness of the suggestion. The effectiveness was close to 100%,[7] with less than a 1% margin of error.[8][9]

However, the success was only temporary. Soon, the first problems manifested, as one of the musicians (designated Subject V920717) went insane, murdering three other dwellers in a bloody rage, forcing the security team to put him down. He was only killed after receiving 22 shots to the body. With no previous history of violence or mental instability, Professor Malleus began to question the effects of the white noise signal.[10] To the Overseer, however, the loss of life was negligible and the behavior of the musician proof of the projects importance. The man offered increased strength, tenacity, and unflinching obedience to orders from authority; What else did the post-nuclear world need from a soldier?[11] As such, the experiments were not suspended, even as the researchers autopsied the corpse to learn the source of the problem.[12] What no one knew is that the white noise signal was causing neurological changes inside the brains of the subjects, resulting in dizziness, nausea, and the gradual loss of higher cognition and motor control, sometimes leading to psychosis.[13][14][15] To make things worse, the entire Vault was turning out to be a death trap. The location selected by Vault Tec lay dangerously close to underground water sources, causing gradual deterioration throughout the Vault. Corrosion spread through the pipes and installations, causing leaks and other damage. However, the worst damage was taking place in the lower levels, where the wall deterioration resulted in stress fractures and crumbling of concrete walls. Although the technical team reinforced the walls to the best of their ability, they were fighting a losing battle.[16][17]

Against this grim backdrop, the tragedy of Vault 92 entered its next act. Within a month, another twelve incidents happened: Ten dwellers succumbed to the white noise signal's adverse effects, with seven fatalities; men torn limb from limb by once respected representatives of the musical profession.[18] Malleus pleaded with the Overseer to abandon the project and salvage the situation. The Vault, isolated from the devastated outside world, was on its own.[19] Rubin ignored the Professor's pleas, dismissing the deaths as a necessary sacrifice. However, to prevent the spread of "insanity" through the Vault, he implemented a command phrase in the signal: Sanity is not statistical. It was meant to provide the guards with an easy pacification method against citizens afflicted with white noise.[20]

However, this was not enough to prevent the situation from degenerating further. As 30% of the Vault's population (close to 70 people) was estimated by Malleus to be clinically insane and with 35 dead, the Professor deemed the entire experiment a failure. He believed the white noise inadvertently resulted in the degeneration of humans into savage, mindless brutes.[21] The solution was as desperate as it was daring: Malleus proposed abandoning the Vault completely, as the situation became untenable and outright dangerous for the rest of the inhabitants. But before they would go, the Professor needed to learn the truth.[22]

The Overseer refused to act according to the Professor's plans. Even as he realized the command phrase ceased to work and he lost control of the situation, he refused to recognize the fact that the Vault was already lost. Instead, he ordered his security force to kill Professor Malleus, in the vain hope that doing so would stop the violence from spreading.[23] Some inhabitants took it upon themselves to organize[24] and secure arms in the face of half the Vault going insane, but alas, it was too little, too late.[25] As the Vault crumbled around him and the orgy of violence reached its apex, Malleus learned the truth, from a mortally wounded security guard. He understood that the experiment he helped carry out was always controlled by Overseer Rubin. That the White Noise emitters were hooked up throughout the dorms, rather than just the studios, leading to exposure in sleep. No controls. No observation. Half the Vault dead, the other half divided between the lunatics and their victims. Malleus did the only thing he could: He confronted the Overseer, to make him pay for his sins.[26]

The Vault, the silent witness of the violence that transpired within, kept its secrets safe as best it could. With its maintenance crews dead, it succumbed to flooding from the underground lake. The once human shelter became a haven for all manner of animals and mutated creatures alike. An empty husk deep beneath the ground.[27]

Layout[]

Exterior[]

The entrance to the Vault is located inside a rock formation northwest from Old Olney, with a raider farmhouse to the west and an Enclave outpost located south of the entrance.

Entrance/Atrium[]

Fo3 Vault 92 Map Entrance

The entrance level is quite large. After the entry tunnel and the airlock with the first Professor Malleus audio log, the player enters a foyer. The door in front leads to the ruined atrium, while those to the sides lead, through tech corridors, to exits into the reactor level and the living quarters.

The atrium is completely ruined, with most of its facilities gutted. The lower level holds the remnants of the Vault's clinic and empty rooms. The upper level, with the catwalk, holds the old storeroom and a chamber with a security door leading into the Overseer's office. The entire area is overrun by bloatflies.

Overseer's Office[]

Fo3 Vault 92 Overseer Office Map

The office of the overseer is separated by a makeshift barrier and a corridor with adjoining bedrooms for the overseer and his staff. Inside the office is Richard Rubin's personal terminal, shedding light on the grim story of the Vault.

The passage under the Overseer's desk leads into the computer core inside sound testing. It can't be entered without a modfix, which adds an option to the Overseer's terminal to open the secret tunnel.

Sound Testing[]

Fo3 Vault 92 Sound Testing Map

The heart of Vault 92's musical heritage, this is the sector where the musicians would hone their skills and teach their craft to their adepts. It's divided into two sections. The recording studio is located slightly lower, and consists of a recording booth, the studio itself (with the Soil Stradivarius still sitting there patiently), and a lounge, while the other part of the level is centered around the classroom. The classroom is equipped with a projector and a smaller studio for practice. Adjacent to it are workshops for maintaining instruments and the central core (inaccessible due to the damaged door; access can be gained via the Overseer's office).

Living Quarters[]

Fo3 Vault 92 Living Quarters Map

The living quarters are where the dwellers would sleep and Overseer Rubin would pour white noise into their ears. The area is centered around the recreation room, with male and female dorms ringing it. Each dorm consists of an entryway, the main sleeping area, a storage room, and toilets. Each is fitted with white noise emitters, which can be used to kill the mirelurks that now dwell among the wreckage.

A corridor near the male dorm leads deeper into the Vault, into the section 4 laboratories, where the white noise was developed and perfected. A terminal at the checkpoint can be used to activate the lockdown in the corridor, sealing it with locked doors (very easy locks) and filling the hall with purifying flames.

Reactor[]

Fo3 Vault 92 Reactor Level Map

The reactor level is for all intents and purposes one giant corridor, stretching from one exit to the entrance level to another. The lowest level, D, is flooded, with Vault engineering logs in the southeast section.

Inhabitants[]

Notable loot[]

Vault 92 entrance[]

Overseer's office[]

Sound testing[]

Living quarters[]

Behind the scenes[]

  • Richard Rubin is most likely a reference to record producer Rick Rubin; in fact, one of the intra-Vault emails has Professor Malleus refer to Richard Rubin as "Rick".
  • Professor Malleus' name is a pretty good pun on the ear's bones, one of which is the hammer (Malleus is Latin for hammer.)
  • Zoe Hammerstein's last name is a nod to Oscar Hammerstein II, a Broadway lyricist and songwriter. The GNR song A Wonderful Guy actually comes from Rodgers' & Hammerstein's musical South Pacific.
  • Hilda Egglebrecht's last name is likewise a nod to the real life violinist Renate Eggebrecht.
  • Gordon Sumner is Sting's real name. One of the inhabitants of Vault 92 is named after him.
  • Sanity is not statistical is borrowed from George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, more specifically one of Winston Smith's musings on the nature of reality and the Party's grip on it.

Appearances[]

Vault 92 appears only in Fallout 3.

References

  1. Citadel terminals; Vault-Tec Terminal, Vault 92: "Vault 92
    Vault 92 Information
    Equipment Issuances
    Vault Number...
    92
    Starting Construction Date...
    May 2062
    Ending Construction Date...
    May 2068
    Total Number Of Occupants...
    245
    Total Duration...
    100 years
    Computer Control System...
    Brainpower 7
    Primary Power Supply...
    General Atomics Nuclear Power
    Secondary Power Supply...
    None
    Non Standard Equipment...
    Sound equipment (itemized in memo #328746-2A)
    Musical instruments (itemized in memo #9267563-4C)
    Recording equipment (itemized in memo #5619-7J)"
  2. Vault 92 terminals; Studio Computer, Intra-Vault Mail 000339: "To: Engineering Staff
    From: Parker Livingsteen, Studio Supervisor
    Hey guys, I'm not sure if this is even worth putting an official trouble ticket in for, but I am getting some sort of odd pitch overlay on my sound equipment. It's almost like another signal is leaking from maybe the Vault intercom network or communications gear and piggybacking on everything I record. It's barely noticeable, but I can definitely see it on my 'scope. Do we have any cross-wiring issues or faulty cable insulation problems on C Level?"
  3. Vault 92 terminals; Studio Computer, Intra-Vault Mail 000344: "To: Hilda Egglebrecht
    From: Parker Livingsteen, Studio Supervisor
    I just wanted to take this opportunity to send you an Intra-Vault mail regarding the wonderful session you performed this afternoon. The sound you coax from your Stradivarius is bar none the most haunting, beautiful thing I've heard here to date. I was wondering if perhaps we could get together tomorrow evening and discuss this in a more intimate setting."
  4. Vault 92 terminals; Studio Computer, Intra-Vault Mail 000350: "To: Hilda Egglebrecht
    From: Parker Livingsteen, Studio Supervisor
    Hi Hildie. Just wanted to send you a quick note. Our "session" together yesterday was wonderful! I'm glad the studio doors lock, otherwise some of your stuffier fellow musicians might not appreciate how closely you and I work. Make sure when we meet tonight, you bring your delicate instrument, and your violin too. I have an idea of something we can do with the bow; a new technique I've always wanted to try..."
  5. Professor Malleus Audio Log V92-01: "So far, the experiment is going exactly as planned. We're subjecting the residents to extremely low frequency white noise in regular intervals through the loudspeaker system. Using the soundproof recording studios and the musicians was an inspired idea. Kudos to the Vault-Tec selection committee on their shrewdness."
  6. Vault 92 terminals; Supply Shop, Intra-Vault Mail 000476: "To: Richard Rubin, Overseer Vault 92
    From: Gordie Sumner
    This is the FIFTH time I've requested that you allow me to release our supply of headphones and personal audio listening gear to the residents. It seems unfair that residents are required to listen to their music selections in the studio rooms. I have an ample supply of the type of equipment that would allow most residents to relax in their beds and enjoy their musical recordings. Please let me know your reasons behind this matter."
  7. Professor Malleus Audio Log V92-02: "I'm a bit encouraged by the latest batch of data. It seems that 33 percent of the subjects are now lapsing into a trance-like state on occasion. When in this state, we're fairly certain that suggestion and programming of the subject can be applied. We've begun testing this by implanting subtle clues in affected subjects, making them scratch their ear or constantly fix their hair. So far I'm happy to report a 100% success rate on this implantation method."
  8. Vault 92 terminals; Laboratory Terminal, Intra-Vault Mail 000480: "To: Section 4 Lab Assistants
    From: Professor John Malleus
    Congratulations on a job well done, everyone! It seems like the current WN tests are a complete success, with less than a 1% margin of error. We still have much to do analyzing the data, but I think all of you deserve a pat on the back for excellent work. Let's keep it up!"
  9. Vault 92 terminals; Richard Rubin's Terminal, Personal Entry 000897332: "As per instructions, the broadcast equipment for the White Noise has been rerouted from the sound booths and tied directly into the entire Vault's loudspeaker system. I'll now be able to execute the Vault-Tec Confidential Plan WNMSCE (White Noise Mind Suggestion Combat Experimentation). I have three of Professor Malleus's team doing what I need to get done and hope to show some concrete results soon. I had the engineers make it so the WN can be either triggered from the control center or at the local security consoles. The password to these consoles is "UIY2249"."
  10. Professor Malleus Audio Log V92-03: "Disaster today. One of our test subjects, V920717, has murdered three other residents in a fit of unbridled rage the likes of which I've never seen. It took almost 23 shots before our security team took him down. This subject has no history of violence or mental instability whatsoever. My concern is that this subject is one of our most successful implant recipients, able to execute complex instructions during trance-state."
  11. Vault 92 terminals; Richard Rubin's Terminal, Personal Entry 000897357: "The results of WNMSCE are even better than I could ever have imagined. The sheer strength and tenacity of combat suggestion implanted test subjects is incredible! Imagine an entire army of people who would never disobey a direct order from high command and can fight until it takes over 20 bullets to stop them."
  12. Vault 92 terminals; Laboratory Terminal, Intra-Vault Mail 00487: "To: Richard Rubin, Overseer Vault 92
    From: Professor John Malleus
    Here is the data on Subject V920717 as requested. We are completely baffled as to why someone would behave in this manner after being subjected to the WN experiments. As soon as our autopsy is complete, we'll try and piece together why he went insane. I'm sorry about this, Rick. We'll get to the bottom of it soon."
  13. Vault 92 terminals; Zoe Hammerstein's Terminal, More of Zoe's Thoughts: "I've been feeling a little sick lately. Kind of woozy after playing in the studio usually. It gets so stuffy in that place, but it's sure worth it. I know I'm getting better just from watching my fellow violinist's techniques. They don't even mind giving me some pointers. Tonight, a bunch of us girls from the string section are going down to the rec hall for a dance. I hope that cute sound guy Parker asks me to dance. He's dreamy."
  14. Vault 92 terminals; Zoe Hammerstein's Terminal, morre of Zoes Thoughts: "I'm nnot feling vvery good. I cant concentrate I wen t to Doctoor Bennisons offfice but he jusst said its stress and too take iit easy for a whil I think al the timee I am spendng inn the soundd sttudo is makd in g me tired I can barele type anymoor I am shaking so muc"
  15. Vault 92 terminals; Zoe Hammerstein's Terminal, klkhi plEAsse.HF puu HeLP meeLp: "aw;'jf OrDe R p[fal al Hlep HeLp dme vMe, LosS mInd CANdofw stopthem gEt OUT m[pofmy HED"
  16. Vault 92 terminals; Engineering Logs Terminal, Trouble Ticket TT009: "Maintenance Code: RL01 Yellow
    Issue: Air Conditioning System Odd Smell
    Engineer: Zack Foxworthy
    Fix Notes:
    This was nasty. Seems when Vault-Tec built this place, they decided to go ahead and parallel route the waste disposal dumping system with the air conditioning ducts. In some places, the ductwork is corroding, which has spread to the waste pipes. So now we have the waste products leaking into the venting. The airflow through the ducts is carrying the smell into most of Men's Dormitory 1, 2 and 5. Had to climb in there and patch it all up."
  17. Vault 92 terminals; Engineering Logs Terminal, Trouble Ticket TT010: "Maintenance Code: RL04 Red
    Issue: Wall Deterioration D Level
    Engineer: Carl Maynard
    Fix Notes:
    Ongoing. I have stress fractures and water seepage in three areas on D Level. I can only conclude that there is an adjoining underground spring or lake that is putting pressure on the concrete walls. I have already patched the stress fractures and used the metal plating that we normally use for flooring to shore it up for now. I recommend we get all the engineers together on this issue and come up with some sort of a more permanent solution, otherwise we'll be knee deep in nasty groundwater or worse."
  18. Professor Malleus Audio Log V92-04: "Unbelievable! We've had twelve more incidents in the past month, mirroring Subjects V920717 actions. The shocking part is the savagery these aberrants exhibit when they murder. They rip their victims apart limb from limb and eviscerate them by hand. These used to be respected members of the musical community. How could this be happening? Where have I gone wrong?"
  19. Vault 92 terminals; Laboratory Terminal, Intra-Vault Mail 00502: "To: Richard Rubin, Overseer Vault 92
    From: Professor John Malleus
    We have a serious problem on our hands, and you have yet to answer my last several intra-vault mails or even see me. I have seven more dead. Three other Vault 92 residents have suffered the same symptoms as Subject V920717. How many more of these people have to die before you realize we're in deep trouble? We're alone out here, no one will come to our rescue... if anyone is even left. We have to deal with this ourselves. Please, I beg you to see me immediately and call your goon squad off your living area doors!"
  20. Vault 92 terminals; Richard Rubin's Terminal, Personal Entry 000897377: "Malleus says WNMSCE is a failure. So, there's been a few deaths. One step back, two steps forward. It's easy to suppress what everyone in the Vault are calling "crazies". I've added a command word in their suggestion implants. Simply say the phrase "Sanity is not statistical" and they will stop dead in their tracks. I've informed the guards of this, but I've told them only when out of earshot of anyone else."
  21. Professor Malleus Audio Log V92-05: "The situation is getting out of hand. Over half the population of the Vault is exhibiting savage tendencies. I can only assume our noise experimentation has awakened some dormant part of their psyche...brought their primitive nature to the surface. In essence, I feel that they are almost psychologically devolving. I was stupid for rushing these experiments, and now over 35 people are dead."
  22. Vault 92 terminals; Laboratory Terminal, Intra-Vault Mail 00513: "To: Richard Rubin, Overseer Vault 92
    From: Professor John Malleus
    Section 4 is under heavy guard now. I can't even get in without a personal escort. It's my estimate that over thirty percent of the Vault's entire population is now clinically insane and poses a real danger to the rest of us. We have to consider the possibility we may need to abandon the Vault completely. Better to take a chance outside than in here. You still won't speak to me, and any attempt I've made to see you have ended in scuffles with your guards. It's obvious something's going on and I'm going to find out what."
  23. Vault 92 terminals:"Personal Entry 000897398
    The command phrase is no longer working against the crazies. I don't know what the hell happened, but I'm losing control of the situation. If we don't get things under control soon, we're going to have a huge revolt on our hands. Malleus is inciting the rest of the Vault into action. I'm afraid by the power invested in me by the Vault-Tec Corporation, I have no choice but to have him killed. What a waste."
  24. Feedback loops
  25. Vault 92 terminals; Richard Rubin's Terminal, Intra-Vault Mail 000519: "To: Dan Kobachesky
    From: Gordie Sumner
    From your last mail, it seems we have a deal. I'll give you everything on your list in exchange for the weapon we discussed. Things are getting worse in this Vault with almost half the residents going crazy. I just want to be prepared. Don't worry, I'll lock the gun in my safe so no one can easily trace it back to your department."
  26. Professor Malleus Audio Log V92-06: "I can't believe what I've discovered. Just before he died, one of the security team members told me everything. The Overseer has been implanting these murderous intentions in the entire Vault population without my knowledge! Using the loudspeakers in the dorms instead of just the studios, he subjected everyone to the white noise as they slept. He then implanted combat suggestions he claimed came from Vault-Tec itself! He...he must be completely insane. No observation, no controls...I'm going to have to confront him now and make him pay for what he's done. Half the Vault is dead, the other half fighting for its life. Good luck to all of us and may God have mercy on our souls."
  27. Vault appearance in the game.
Vault 92
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