"… Then I see Rex running down the street buck naked with about ten Great Khans chasing him down the street." Veronica exclaimed before breaking into giggling fit.
"Wow." Shepard said finishing her bowl of stew "How the hell did he get out of that one?"
"Luckily, the Khan captain's girl Rex was screwing managed to throw him his guns." Christine said taking the dishes to the sink. "If he hadn't he'd have died before ED-E and Veronica reached him."
"Trust me it was hilarious; his skinny butt shining in the moonlight" Veronica said still chuckling.
"If he ever gives you shit just mention this story and that will shut him up". Catherine said chuckling as she returned to the table
"It seems like our universes aren't that different after all" Shepard said thinking of her own childhood "I grew up on a spaceship flying from one Alliance base to another. We had to deal with roving packs of mercs and pirates on the daily."
"I guess so, but it must have been amazing getting to travel across the galaxy like that." Veronica said getting that misty look of wonder in her eyes again.
"Not really, it was cramped and stank of recycled air" Shepard replied remembering the tight quarters of her childhood "Mom and Dad always tried to make sure I was comfortable though, but they had their careers to think of and I made it work until I was eighteen and joined the Alliance military".
"Followed your parent's footsteps huh? We can understand that." Veronica said, "We grew up in the Brotherhood of Steel."
"That's one of the old factions that formed after the Great War, right?" Shepard asked, she had read some of the materials Rex had provided on the area the night before. "The guide book is really extensive but doesn't have any recent info on the Mojave branch."
"There's a reason for that" Catherine said bowing her head slightly "The Mojave Brotherhood doesn't exist anymore."
Shepard noticed the look and changed the subject "So Rex was talking about arming the Normandy's crew; do you two mind showing me where I can stock up?"
They brightened at that and Veronica slipped on her power fist on and made for the door "Oh yeah! Rex asked me to show you the stock at the Depot; I can take you there right now if you'd like"
"Thanks, I feel almost naked without a weapon" Shepard said getting up from the table and following for a moment before turning to Christine "Thank you for the food, Ma'am. It was delicious."
"Oh, don't mention it, and just a word of advice" Christine said as she wiped her hands off "Don't be so tense around Rex. Like we said he's not as shady as you think".
Shepard nodded and followed Veronica out of the room to the elevator. When the door shut, Veronica turned to Shepard and said:
"Thanks for not reacting to the scars."
"What scars?" Shepard asked giving Veronica a knowing look.
"Thank you, but I know you're just being courteous." Veronica said shaking a little at the thought." Waste landers see crazy things everyday but the moment a chick gets a few scars on her face she's a freak."
"I guess that's another thing our universes have in common." Shepard said shaking her head "Idiots."
Veronica smiled at that and the doors open. Veronica lead Shepard through the lobby, out onto the Strip and down a side street to a small stone building in the shadow of the Lucky 38. She opened a garage door to reveal an old-fashioned car. Shepard had seen pictures of cars from the fifties that resembled this one but at the same time didn't.
This beast resembled a civilian vehicle from her universe but boxier and dated. It was also bright green, and had a bright gold gears stenciled into the hood. Veronica hopped in and turned a key in the ignition and the hum of the Micro fusion cell sparked to life. The top folded down and Shepard slid into the passenger seat next to Veronica, and with a tap of the gas pedal the car flew out of the garage.
They flew out of the city like a hurricane barely swerving around trucks and Securitrons as Veronica cackled like a mad woman. What Veronica lacked in skill she made up for in enthusiasm, and as she rocketed across the asphalt Shepard saw dust devils coil behind them. Shepard managed to buckle herself in as they shot out past the city's wall of broken neon.
The area around New Vegas had been converted into flat farm land with only the occasional watch tower to break up the land scape. Workers and Securitrons filled the roads between the fields, and trucks rumbled up and down the wider access roads. Every so often a flash of blue energy would erupt from a field and Shepard could smell ozone in the air.
"The G.E.C.K division is enriching a new segment of land for farmers today" Veronica explained as she swerved around a truck full of workers.
"The G.E.C.K, eh? How exactly does a machine the size of a suitcase hold the power to manipulate the atoms themselves?" Shepard asked as similar flash of blue erupted in another field.
"Very carefully" Veronica said. "It works just like our vending machines in the fact that it rearranges atoms and particles. If I had to guess I'd say Stanislaus Braun, Vault Tech's wonder boy and the fine collection of psychos at Big Mt. were stealing from each other. Considering how similar the vending machine technology and the G.E.C.K are."
"Amazing your ancestors managed to build things like that without microchips" Shepard said.
"Hey who doesn't like computers the size of skyscrapers?" Veronica said as she pulled off the highway and into Primm.
Rex's "Shop" was a massive building that reminded Shepard of old hotels. A small rail track extended out of one side of the hotel to a raised a raised loading platform. A small army of workers filed in and out of the building, carrying ammo boxes and wooden crates labeled with various names of guns and arms.
Veronica led her through the front doors into an entry way populated by several men and women behind desks each answering calls and scribbling down orders. With a nod, the receptionist at the largest desk waved them past, and Veronica led Shepard through a set of heavy double doors. The pair entered the main warehouse and Shepard saw towering row after row of ammo and weapon racks stretching off into the distance.
In the distance, Shepard heard the muffled roar of machinery and the shouts of men. When Shepard stepped deeper into the warehouse the smell of gunpowder and oil filled her nose. Something about the smell reminded her of childhood visits to the armory of whatever ship her parents were stationed on. She picked up a bullpup rifle, and hefted it in her arms enjoying the weight and feel of the weapon.
"They make the best weapons in the Mojave here" Veronica explained leaning against one row "Rex stole the Old-world blueprints from the Gun runners a few years back. He opened this place shortly after we took over the Mojave."
"Where does all this product go?" Shepard asked.
"Mostly to the private sector; mercenary companies and the like" Veronica explained withdrawing a glimmering black sub-machine gun from a rack "We supply the Midwest brotherhood of steel with arms and ammunition along with other factions around the Mojave."
"Business must be booming." Shepard said placing the bullpup back on the rack. "I'll need sniper rifles, shotguns, sub machine guns, pistols, and assault rifles."
"Certainly, we've got a bit of an overstock so you can pick from our best stock" Veronica said grabbing a clipboard from one of the racks.
"Alright let's get shopping" Shepard said cracking her knuckles.
/
"So, you crashed a space station into a moon?" Rex asked his eyebrows raised.
"You bet your skinny ass, those floating jellyfish still have a warrant out for me" Jack said taking a bite of the hamburger steak.
"Wow and here I thought I was hot shit for tossing a few nukes" Rex said taking a long drag off his cigarette.
"I was stupid as hell after the crash, the Hanar had Mercs after me for months until they got tired of replacing their dead friends" She said; a wicked smile on her face.
"I know how that is, In the last two years I've been through at least ten different assignation attempts" Rex said rolling his eyes. "You'd think they'd stop trying after at most five fuck ups."
"You must make a lot of enemies Carrot Top" Jack said taking a long drink from her cup.
"You don't know the half of it" Rex said flicking the depleted bud of his cigarette across the room into the ash tray by the door.
He had gone through his entire supply of special tobacco talking with Jack; they had begun their talk at lunch several hours ago. Her stories were interesting, and as they talked both Jack and Rex grew more comfortable with each other. Rex had softened his aloof expression and Jack no longer seemed to want bight his head off. As they talked Rex felt himself relax ad release the tension in his muscles.
"So, we've been swapping war stories for hours, but you haven't told me anything about you personally." Jack said finishing the last of her drink and banging it on a table to get the waitress's attention before saying "You've just been feeding me the tour guide bullshit."
"Not much to say really" Rex said flatly "I grew up in a small town called Dust left when I was 14 worked as a mechanic and a gunslinger, but mostly a gunslinger though. After that I worked as a courier delivered a nuclear trigger to a small city and accidently triggered a small time nuclear holocaust. Then a few years later I got shot in the head by a guy named Benny and through a series of escalating events I ended up right here with you."
"Lots of holes there, carrot top." Jack said smirking "and you know most people don't just casually say they caused a nuclear holocaust single handedly."
"Most people wouldn't so casually say they brought down a space station either" Rex said smiling as he leaned back, and changed the subject from his past "So how'd you end up on the Normandy? You don't strike me as a person who would just willingly come into the service of a woman like Shepard."
"Shepard broke me out of prison then she helped me drop a bomb on the hell hole I was raised in" Jack said looking away for a moment before turning back "She's earned my trust and now I'd follow her into hell."
"You were raised by Cerberus, right? That pro human organization." Rex asked.
"How do you know about Cerberus?" Jack asked eyes narrowing.
"I read about them in the codex," Rex said quickly realizing the nerve he just touched "From what I've read they're just like an organization that used to exist here called the Enclave".
"Mother fuckers all around, I never understood why Shepard worked with them" Jack said fuming "although the shiny new ship probably helped, and we did deliver a huge fuck you to the Illusive man when we took down the Collectors."
"Indeed." Rex says standing up "Well Jack I think I've taken enough of your time I should probably let you get back to your fellow crew members."
"Thanks for the grub carrot top" Jack said standing up "Maybe I'll let you buy me dinner next time."
Rex placed a couple dozen caps on the table and said "It would be my pleasure Jack".
Jack walked out of the restaurant and Rex watched her go. She had a nice figure and Rex found himself staring when Jack turned. She winked at him and flipped him the bird before turning and with a flourish of her hips left the restaurant. Rex smiled to himself and laughed to himself as Jack disappeared into the crowd outside the restaurant.
"My pleasure indeed".
?
Shepard pulled Veronica's car up next to the hulk of the Normandy where most of her crew was milling in and out loading waiting trucks and strapping down exposed metal panels. She had insisted on driving after Veronica's wild ride earlier that morning. Thankfully her experience with the Mako Shepard some experience with driving a ground vehicle. Their ride across the Mojave had been a lot smoother without Veronica's swerves and drifts. A courtesy as much for herself as for the truck drivers delivering the weapons and ammo for her crew.
The truck carrying the new weapons came to a stop just behind them and a crew of workmen unloaded streamed out to unload ammo boxes and weapons crates. Shepard left the car and flagged Garrus down from his perch atop the Normandy directing traffic. The Turian crossed the parched ground and eyed the crate beside her with suspicion.
When he reached her, Shepard said "Merry Christmas" and opened the crate revealing a high-powered sniper rifle and equally high powered scope. Garrus picked it up and looked down the sights mock aiming at birds and buildings. A smile spread across his mandibles and Shepard couldn't help but grin at her old friend.
"Well balanced, if a bit of an antique by our standards." Garrus said fiddling with the gun's scope "Still using gun powder I assume"
"Yeah of course" Veronica said rolling her eyes at the comment "Finest powder and weapon you'll find outside of the NCR".
"It'll do" Garrus said loading a single round into the gun. "My dad trained me on an old rifle just like this actually. Belonged to my great grandfather, and was probably the most valuable heirloom the family owned. At least until I broke it trying to load the damn thing."
"How'd that go?" Shepard asked.
"Oh, great once he realized that his old man had it insured years ago" Garrus said chuckling before shooting a crow out of the sky around four hundred yards away "Bought my mother a new kitchen."
Shepard gestured for the other crew members to grab a weapon. The squad members each equipped themselves with their usual armament or at least their equivalents while the rest of the crew grabbed service pistols and rifles. The crew tested their weapons and made quick adjustments before returning to work.
A few hours later after the crew was armed Shepard ordered all the remaining cargo to the warehouse or to the rooms of the crew. She watched the Normandy be lifted on top of a metal platform and surrounded with metal support rigging. When that was done, Shepard walked back to one of the trucks and turned to look at the wreck of Normandy and sighed.
"How are you Siha?" Thane asked as he silently came to stand beside her and entwined his fingers with hers.
"Fine, it's just a little sad to see the old girl like this." Shepard replied squeezing his hand "I'll be glad to get the Normandy repaired; How's EDI holding up?"
"She is fine; Joker on the other hand won't leave the ship." Thane said returning the squeeze "I don't believe he realizes how he acts around her."
"Ah yes, bourgeoning love between A.I and man. I think it's kind of cute" Shepard said smiling "Maybe when we get back we can get them an android body."
Thane just chuckled and they walked back to one of the trucks hand in hand. As they drove off towards New Vegas Shepard watched the Normandy shrink and sent a silent prayer out into the universe that nothing else would go wrong. Of course, with her track record she didn't have high hopes.
?
Rex sat in his work shop tinkering at a small machine resembling an old radio. ED-E floated behind him recording his grumblings and beeping a reply every so often. As he worked Rex measured out a brackish red liquid from a container into a small glass phial before capping the phial with a copper tipped lid.
Then with the utmost care placed the phial into a slot connected by green wiring to the small machine. The machine itself was a crude mockup of a much bigger machine in the bowels of the Normandy, and as rex connected the phial to the various inputs his gut tightened in anticipation. The contents of phial were a liquefied variant of a meteor found in Big Mt.'s storage vaults that he'd accidently found trying to clean out the useless samples.
Hopefully, Rex was right and he hadn't just waisted several hours working with a useless metal. He flipped a switch and the machinery whirred to life sending a blue tendril of electricity into the tube. The liquid began to glow red and writhe as if it were alive. Rex grinned as a field of red energy pulsed out of the machine and was still smiling when the phial exploded in a blast of red energy sending him flying into a pile of junk on the other side of the workshop.
"Trial #1: successful mass effect reaction. Unsuccessful field manipulation." Rex said sitting up and lighting a cigarette.
ED-E unfazed by the blast floated over to him and hovered in circles around rex beeping with concern. He stood up and walked back across the workshop to his workbench. Where the machine once sat was a pile of ash and slag, and with a sigh Rex chucked the remains into a trash bin across the room. He grabbed the bottle and stared at it intently, his mind mulling over the possibilities.
"Possibility of match 100%" Rex said turning to ED-E "perhaps a slightly different molecular structure; needs further testing and refinement at the MT."
Rex placed the small bottle into a lock box filled with similar phials filled with the same brackish red liquid. He stowed the lock box in a shipping crate and sealed it before returning to his workbench. Then he began sketching a design for a more stable version of the machine.
"Remind me to collect the solid form from Klein." Rex said turning to address ED-E "This could be our ace in the hole if Shepard is still hiding something juicy from me, which she no doubt is"
ED-E beeped in confirmation and then proceeded with several low beeps followed by three long high ones.
"What do you mean that's dishonest?" Rex asked raising an eye brow "I agreed to help them fix their ship and she shares a few secrets. Nothing dishonest about a trade for information."
Another series of beeps this time in an almost disappointed tone.
"Don't you dare tell Veronica about this" Rex said jabbing a finger at the robot. "What she doesn't know won't hurt her."
Another series of disappointed beeps.
"How about you show a little loyalty E; I mean who fixed you up when you were collecting dust in Primm? Was it Veronica? No, it was me" Rex said patting the robot's chassis "you and I have been through more shit than a methane farmer just trust me, okay buddy?"
ED-E beeped somberly than in an almost apologetic tone beeped again.
"Thank you, now let's see about a few upgrades for you old buddy, the computers they brought over are so much more…"
Rex trailed off as a sudden smell his nostrils. it was faint but Rex recognized the smell of rad scorpion venom. Commonly used by Legion assassins to give their weapons extra bight, and a smell Rex absolutely despised. He reached forward and pushed himself back slowly turning his chair at an angle.
"Powerful, we can really give you an overhaul" Rex continued reaching forward and opened ED-E's front where the handle of a pistol poked out of the robot's circuits.
It was a custom gun that fired a single solid slug of melted steel and plasma through a mini rail gun. The problem was it only had one shot and Rex didn't know where the attacker was. He closed his eyes as he grabbed the gun's handle all the while still talking. Rex listened and could faintly hear the soft almost silent sound of a padded foot touching the ground as the attacker moved around a stack of parts.
He grabbed the handle of of the gun and waited as the padded footsteps slowly made their way across the work shop. When he heard the almost silent sound of a blade sliding out of a scabbard Rex whipped around and fired. Rex shot low and watched as the glowing red bullet explode into a splash of molten metal and plasma over the assassin's legs. The assassin screamed and fell dropping a curved blade as their legs caught fire; Rex grabbed a small fire extinguisher and put out the fire before it spread across the assassin's body.
A feminine scream rang out as the helmet fell off revealing a chestnut-haired woman. Rex grabbed three stimpacks and a dose of concentrated med-ex from a first aid kit and plunged them into the assassin's burnt legs. He pulled her up by the collar plunged his hand into her mouth and roughly pulled out the false tooth containing the cyanide as she gagged on his metal hand. He threw her across the room and she slammed into a wall with a wet thud.
"E, go and get Veronica. Now" Rex ordered as the eyebot shot out of the room.
When the small robot was gone, Rex grabbed a bottle of anti-septic and poured it over the assassin's legs causing her to jolt in pain. Rex held her against the wall with his robotic arm and watched as the stimpacks went to work re-growing the burnt flesh. To her credit, the assassin only gritted her teeth at the pain, and glared at Rex.
"Regenerating flesh after a major burn's a bitch, aint it?" Rex said pushing her into the wall "Now my lovely little nightingale we're gonna have a chat."
"Fuck you swine" She snarled spitting in his face.
"Now, now, don't be that way little birdie and here I thought we were friends" Rex said punching her in the stomach "Now be a little nicer and the amount of pain you're going to feel will be considerably less."
"Rexy…"
The woman was coughing uncontrollably, now her eyes were bloodshot and bulging. Rex on the other hand felt alive, his heart was beating faster than it had in years and the familiar surge of energy was flowing through him. Fiery warmth spread through his chest and a sneer broke out across his face.
"You know I might just enjoy this little chat; haven't gotten to beat the shit out of a Legion bitch in years" Rex said his sneer contorting his face. He could feel the old gears in the recesses of his brain bringing up emotions and drives he thought he had buried years before.
"Rexy"
In his rage, he almost didn't hear her but of course he heard her voice cutting across the workshop. He turned to see a little red headed girl crying as she clutched a make shift doll. Her tuft of fiery red hair was messy from sleep and he could see that she had been spooked by something maybe another nightmare.
"Rexy, I had a bad dream"
The energy left his body, and the warmth left his body. Like his muscles were iced over, Rex walked over to the girl and knelt to wipe the tears from her face.
"Oh, that's too bad Rosy, but I'm here now so don't be afraid" He wrapped her in a hug and as he did the last dregs of fire were snuffed out as the phantom girl faded back into his memory.
Rex sighed and lit a cigarette as he stood letting the smoke calm him down. He looked back towards the assassin who was clawing her way over the concrete towards the exit. Grabbing a heavy duty nail gun, Rex walked over to the woman and fired into the ground around her, and binding the leather of to the concrete floor.
"Stay." Rex ordered before going to sit on the steps to his living quarters.
The woman went limp and soon Veronica arrived with a doctor. The doctor went to work reviving the woman, and Veronica gave Rex a questioning look. Rex didn't meet her gaze and instead took a long drag off his cigarette.
"What happened?" Veronica asked flicking the cigarette from his mouth with her hand.
"Legion assassin; I got a little carried away went into a rage." Rex replied, "She pulled me out of it."
"When she comes to I'll question her you can go get cleaned up." Veronica said with a sigh.
"Sure" Rex said standing and walking up the stairs to his living quarters and his ghosts.