We walk along the old highway. We passed a place call the grub and gulp a while back. Now we're starting to come up on what they now call 'New Vegas'. It's hard to miss. The old Lucky 38 still stands as tall as it always had in the commercials. They came on very little, especially for the east coast, but the Lucky 38 was in commercials and shows all the time. It was a landmark.
Max stopped talking not long ago. He said to keep my guard up. Said gangs like to rove through here a lot still. Mainly chem addicts looking to loot.
We start walking over a small foot bridge and it creaks and cracks with each step. I feel like the wood will break any second now.
"Is this safe?" I ask.
"Maybe, who knows. I mean the worst that could happen is we fall." He says with a shrug.
I shake my head and we keep moving to the end of the foot bridge. It happens fast, but footsteps approach from behind and a hand grabs me by the mouth and the cold barrel of a gun presses against my head. Max turns and raises his shotgun.
"Let her go." He says firmly.
"Nah, think I'll hold on to this one. Too pretty to let it slip from my fingertips." He says in a rough tone.
"It'll be the last thing you ever do. Let her go, and I may let you live." Max says cool and calm.
The man holding me back walks backwards with me slowly.
"Max." I say nervously.
He looks at me for a second and then looks back to the man.
"Might take my time. Haven't had a clean one inna while. Then again, I may just kill er' and take er' while she's still warm." He says still walking backwards.
Max stiffens at his statement, "one last chance degenerate. Let her go, or I'll be the one having fun with you." He says menacingly.
The man laughs and his breath smells like death, "you think you scare me? Who are you anyways?"
Just then, Max winks at me and smirks as he drops his shotgun. I pull to my left and hear Max quickdraw a revolver he hid in his coat and kill the man holding me. One clean shot to the head. The V.A.T.S. system really does help when you need it to.
I get up from the ground and look behind me. The mans head was blown clean off just about. His aim was perfect.
Max walks over to the corpse of the man and spits, "The courier asshole."
I dust myself off and look to Max with a smile.
"Guess falling wasn't the worst thing huh?" I say.
He chuckles, "I guess not."
"Well anyways, Thanks." I say.
"My pleasure ma'am." He says bowing to me.
I roll my eyes, "alright dork now you killed it. Let's get going."
He chuckles, "alright alright."
He walks over to the man and searches him, but only finds a few caps and the gun he was carrying.
We keep walking for a bit later and we make it to a walled place with a sign that says 'Freeside'.
"Thought we were going to Vegas?" I ask.
"We are. This is how you get in." He says looking back at me and he snaps his fingers to some mob looking guys standing guard outside.
They open the gates and we walk in. To my left are some destroyed buildings and to my right is a shop that says 'Mick and Ralphs.' There's a guy leaning against the wall sizing me up at first but when Max walks in after, he looks away.
"Welcome to Freeside. The locals here are good people, just down on their luck." He says as we walk through town past a place called The Old Mormon Fort.
"Why hasn't this place been rebuilt?" I ask.
"The Freeside locals are too proud. They don't really like newcomers. They barely accepted me back in the day. But I did some odds and ends jobs for em'. Now, I'm part of The Kings. I keep an eye out for the locals and look after them. Usually, when I'm not doing a run for the boss, I'm here. I've grown fond of this place." He says.
We walk through a wall separating the town in half and i'm met with a shop on the corner labeled 'The Kings'. I laugh a little as I see school of impersonation on the side.
"What?" Max asks.
"Nothing. Something I remembered from when I was young." I say.
He smirks, "alright."
"I'll tell you over a drink sometime." I tell him.
"I'll hold you to that." He says.
We walk down the road past the prostitute on the corner urging people to stop by the Atomic Wrangler. Must be the local bar and casino. We get up to the huge neon sign that says 'Welcome to New Vegas." in the classic Vegas fashion.
Huge blocky robots with a wheel and a soldier head projecting on the front like their face roll up.
"Halt! Submit to a credit check to pass." The robot demands.
"She's with me. Mr.House requests our presence." Max says.
"Proceed. Welcome to the strip." The robot says and drives off.
"That's a little much don't you think?" I say.
"Nah. Just how it is. They keep degenerates out and from terrorizing people here. If they weren't here, things would probably be a lot worse." He says.
I nod and the huge gates to the strip open. When we walk in, lights shine everywhere in the moonlight. People drunk and wobbling on the street, prostitutes urging you to stop by, guys pushing drugs in the corner. People are everywhere doing everything. But even with all the weird crazy stuff happening, no one is having a bad time.
"Wow." I say.
Max smiles, "yeah wow. This place is somethin' else huh?"
I chuckle, "yeah. I've never seen anything like it." I say looking around.
"Yea, I felt the same way when I first got here. But, no time to waste remember? Got business to take care of. Come with me." He says.
He leads me over to the bottom of the lucky 38. The large metal doors open and we head inside. But, instead of being met with loud music and people drinking and gambling, I am met with a completely empty building. Well, except for the robots.
"Where is everyone?" I ask.
"This place is off limits to customers. It's headquarters for the strip basically. Only me and anyone I allow can come in." He says.
We walk up tot he elevator and he pushed the button to open it. We get inside and he clicks a button. The box rumbles and we're carried up for a second before the familiar ding of the elevator chimes. The doors open and I'm met with a very nice room.
"This is my place. Stay here while I talk to the boss. You're welcome to anything in here, just don't touch the snow globes." He says.
I cock my eyebrow but nod.
He heads back in the elevator and the doors close behind him.
Max is strange. He's a good guy and everything, but still strange. I take a look around and see alcohol and a few pictures on the shelves, but that's about it. I head to the kitchen and he doesn't have much in there either. Just pork n' beans. I open a can and start eating. I haven't eaten since we left. I see the radio in the corner and turn it on. A man, apparently called Mr. New Vegas starts talking. He sounds very old but charismatic at least. I get a nuka cola from my pip boy and pop open the top. I kick my feet up and eat, relaxing as I wait for word.