In the fifth episode of Fallout season 2, we are thrust back into the heart of New Vegas, where Deathclaws surround Lucy and the Ghoul. They quickly decide to flee for their lives, with the Ghoul sharing his story of a special vault designed for management before the war. This is where his wife and daughter are, and it explains his relentless search for them. He also believes Hank is hiding out there too.
Fast forward to the middle of the day, and the pair successfully evade their captors. As they try to find another way in, the Ghoul sends Lucy to Sonny's convenience store to get some Addictol to shake her addiction.
At the store, Lucy notices that the price of Addictol has skyrocketed, and she doesn't have enough funds to pay for it. Instead, she uses her sneaking skills to grab the Addictol and a Powerfist weapon. However, she also discovers a dead body stashed in a barrel.
Simon, a man behind the bar, questions what she's doing, and things quickly escalate. Lucy eventually shoots him dead in self-defense. Leaving the store in disbelief that she's killed someone, she pukes up the drugs, freeing herself of addiction.
Meanwhile, Coop shows up in Vegas right on the eve of Robert House and the other leaders gathering for a big conference. He's tasked with killing House to save the world. Kate Williams speaks to him in secret, pleading with him to do this deed for the good of humanity.
The Ghoul reflects on his past as all of this is happening, adding depth and context to his character and motivation. The episode ends with a sense of tension and uncertainty about what will happen next.
Instead, Coop has another idea. He agrees to halt the exchange and retrieve the Cold Fusion for her, but laments the idea of taking a life. That night at the party, Coop is summoned to meet Robert House in his private suite. To his surprise, House is aware of the assassination plot and confronts him about it. Apparently, House was present in Alaska and witnessed precisely what Hank did with the Deathclaws and the natives. He believes this is connected to the future and Coop’s wife as well.
The reason House is acquiring Cold Fusion from Vault-Tec is that it will allow him to remain alive in a robotic form throughout New Vegas. After running the numbers, House believes the world will end on April 14th, 2065, at around 5:17am. This happens to be Cooper's daughter's birthday – and also the day the bombs drop.
Apparently, when Coop bought his ticket to Las Vegas, he actually pushed the date for the end of the world forward. House is uneasy about Coop being such a wildcard variable here and theorizes there could be another variable, an “unknown player” they’re not seeing.
Back in the present, Hank grabs a traveling salesman (The Courier!) and brings him back to the lab for experimentation. This time, however, his head doesn't explode. Hank manages to successfully work on him, and as the camera pans across, we also see that there are two cryopods here for both Barb and Janey Howard.
Meanwhile, a group of Vault-tec survivors led by Norm show up at a strange dwelling being used as a makeshift roach farm. Funnily enough, none other than Ma Jun and Barv are the ones hiding out here. They obviously ran across Lucy in season 1, and they let Norm know as much when he questions them. We get a brief recap over the events from season 1, ending with Ma June claiming that Lucy is dead.
The group continues on their journey, eventually making it to Vault-Tec where they find the offices completely abandoned. Speaking to Claudia, one of the Vault members, Norm heads into Barb's office and they check the computer together.
As they spoke, Claudia couldn't help but realize that Norm wasn't the right successor for Bud. She tried to warn that the others wouldn't take it well if they found out... but unfortunately, Ronnie overheard everything.
As Norm delved into the computer, he stumbled upon an entry for something called the "Forced Evolutionary Virus." Suddenly, Ronnie attacked Norm, and the two began to wrestle. Ronnie managed to gain the upper hand, choking Norm until he was unconscious.
Back in New Vegas, Lucy and the Ghoul eventually reconvened... but they weren't alone. The traveling salesman from earlier had undergone a complete transformation. He was eloquent, polite, and dropped a message to them that Hank was secure in an underground bunker and there was no way they'd find him. He also mentioned that Hank was keeping an eye on the Ghoul's wife and daughter.
Hank wanted to make a deal. In exchange for keeping Barb and Janey safe, he wanted Lucy brought back to the Vault. Coop agreed to the deal, leaving Lucy heartbroken. He seemed to knock her out as she collapsed to the ground, promising that when she awoke, she'd be back home again.
However, Lucy had a second wind. She donned her Powerfist and punched the Ghoul out the window, impaling him in the process. When Lucy regained consciousness, Hank was there, watching over her.
