Charlie Whiteknife and Cooper Howard in “Unfinished Business”

Charlie Whiteknife

Do you know what "fiduciary responsibility" means?

Cooper Howard

"Fiduciary responsibility?" No. I have no fucking idea. I play a cowboy for a living.

Charlie Whiteknife

Okay. So, the US Government has outsourced the survival of the human race to Vault-Tec. Vault-Tec is a private corporation that has a fiduciary responsibility to make money for its investors. And how does it make money? By selling Vaults.

Cooper Howard

That's called "capitalism," Charlie.

Charlie Whiteknife

But they can't sell Vaults if these peace negotiations go through. So, Vault-Tec has a fiduciary responsibility to make sure that it don't work out.

Cooper Howard

[scoffs] Yeah? How are they gonna do that?

Charlie Whiteknife

I don't know. But...do you remember that movie we did with Johnny Morton? You were the Sheriff, and I was some generic Indian?

Cooper Howard

Hey come on, don't say that. Tallhand Mudlake could talk to horses. You played him with grace and dignity. It was a great role for you!

Charlie Whiteknife

Morton played a rancher who owned half of Missouri. And what happens when the cattle ranchers have more power than the Sheriff?

Cooper Howard

The whole town burns down.

Charlie Whiteknife

The whole town burns down. Right. Vault-Tec is a trillion-dollar company that owns half of everything, and after ten years of war the US Government is broker than a joke. The cattle ranchers are in charge, Coop. Unless the People do something about it.

Cooper Howard

I guess everything's a conspiracy, right? Come on man, you sound like you're in a cult.

Charlie Whiteknife

And you're sitting here defending a system that's ready to set the world on fire, Cooper. Maybe you're the one in the cult.