Sorry for the long delay everyone. Got kind of carried away with other things. However, I'm surprised that there are no new reviews on my last chapter. I was expecting to at least get a few. Oh well.

Also I've got a plotline for ideas as to what the next few chapters will contain, I just have to actually write them out. Grunt competing in the Thorn? Joker gambling? Shepard and Mike finding a robotic body for EDI? Tali talking with Yes Man?

Concerning ideas for new chapters if any of you want something specific to happen, like Zaeed facing off against some gang or Legion interacting with someone, then PM me and we can work it out as to how, and when, we'll incorporate it into the story. That doesn't mean I'm going to accept every single request, don't want to over extend myself.

Anyways, hope you enjoy.

The sun was just beginning to rise, casting light across the wastelands of the Mojave, as well as the temperature, which dispelled the cool of night and brought the heat and humidity of day. To the Courier this was the norm, but for many of the others, it was an irritation. He had heard Miranda complain earlier about the heat, but not as much as the woman named Jack complained. In his opinion, it was somewhat their fault for the setback. If Shepard and his crew had not delayed and tried to deal with another issue, they would have been able to do most of the journey to New Vegas during the night. The issue had come from Joker and touched upon a difficult complication, EDI

"We can't just leave EDI behind. What if she's found out by someone?"

Mike sighed and rolled his eyes in annoyance, "Jeff, I stated this before. Hardly anyone come here in Quarry Junction, not with the deathclaws around, and the chances of someone actually coming here are very low." He understood the man's worry but suspected that Jeff was not just concerned over someone finding the AI.

"Maybe, but we still can't just leave her here alone all by herself, it's wrong and completely rude."

Mike scoffed at this, "It's an AI, a machine. They don't get lonely nor do they have emotions or feelings. Trust me, I've met AI before."

His comment must have done something to anger the man because Jeff voice took on a darker tone, "EDI is not a simple machine. She's more that that. And EDI is not an it, EDI's a she, a female, so show some respect."

"It is ok Jeff. You do not need to get angry at Mike's comment. He does speak with a common logic and understanding."

Mike quickly cut in, "If… she is so important then take her with you."

Joker shook his head, "No, we can't. EDI is part of the Normandy and therefore has no need for a mobile body, nor do we have a robotic body for her to integrate herself into. Even if we did, she'd still be linked to the Normandy which also presents the risk of someone finding her. If by chance someone does."

Mike sighed, "Why can't anything ever be simple."

Thankfully Shepard, who had heard some of the conversation, approached them, "I'm sure there is a way to take EDI with us." He looked over at Mike, "What about your robot? That hovering one?"

Mike shook, "No. ED-E can't hold another entity within it. Plus I don't want to put ED-E in any risk and lose the information that it holds, but I'm sure we could find a suitable vessel to hold your AI in." Frowning in self-thought he muttered, "Maybe a Securitron. Do what Benny did to create Yes Man." Smiling, he looked up at them, "I may have a solution, but we will have to go to New Vegas first. A friend of mine should be able to help us."

It took them some convincing, especially Joker; but eventually they had agreed.

Thankfully, no more problems had arisen since that one and the beginning of their journey had started off with relative ease. No deathclaws had attacked their band while Mike led them out of Quarry Junction and they had not encountered any other threats so far. Currently they were on the old interstate heading north towards New Vegas. Navoc was far behind and Mike knew that, within an hour, New Vegas would be in view.

"This heat is unbearable. How could anyone get use to it?" Remarked Miranda, who had been unhappy since Mike had met her.

"It is not that bad. Not like Tuchanka," scoffed Grunt, "Though it is close to it. Not only in heat, but in environment." He looked around at the landscape, taking in the ruined remains of buildings and other structures, "It is almost like Tuchanka."

Mike looked up at Grunt, "Your world is a nuclear wasteland as well?"

Grunt nodded, "Before the salarians found Tuchanka, and uplifted us, our world had suffered nuclear war. Even today, the Krogan home world has not recovered from the devastation which has been present for more than a thousand years."

"Except for the fact that the humans here are trying to rebuild, instead of just completely focusing on fighting each other," said Jacob, who walked up beside Mike.

"Well there is still a lot of fighting," began Mike, "The Legion and NCR are going after each other. And there was once the Enclave." Mike paused for a moment and thought to himself before continuing, "And I'm not sure about the rest of the world. China, Russia, Britain, France; no word have we heard from them. We don't know if there are even people in those parts of the world or if those countries were even prepared for the nuclear holocaust."

There was a silence that follow, broken by Tali who had joined their small group, "I've been meaning to ask you this Mike. Surely you humans developed robotic technology before the war?"

Mike nodded, a tad confused, "Yeah, the Pre-war people created many robots. Anywhere from simple security bots, like the Protectron, to-" but Garrus interrupted him.

"What about this Mr. House you mention earlier? Wasn't he an robot or something," questioned Garrus who had been listening to them for a while.

"No, no, no. Mr. House was a man, a human, however he was… machine to."

"You mean like a cyborg?" Asked Jacob who seemed interested.

Mike shook his head, "Not really. Before the Great War, Mr. House was the CEO of RobCo Industries and other things. I cannot really remember all that he said, but just before the war, he entered a pod or chamber. His body was connected to the Lucky 38 and so when the war began, he managed to stop several missiles from hitting Vegas directly. For the next hundred years or so, he was in a coma like state, barely surviving. He eventually recovered and quickly took control of Vegas with his securitrons. I saw his mortal body and it wasn't pretty. So he was mortal, but also not completely so… damn, it's difficult to explain."

"What happened to him," asked Grunt, "To House?"

Mike forgot that he had not told them that he himself had killed Mr. House and that he, along with Yes Man, now ruled New Vegas. "He died. Not to long ago actually. No one really saw it coming."

"But how-" started Garrus, but Jack interrupted him, "Fuck. The Hell is that?"

Everyone else looked at where Jack was pointing. "Looks like a walled city," guessed Shepard.

"It is," stated Mike, "What you are looking at is the city of New Vegas."

"It's so… different from the Las Vegas that I remember, yet there are still similarities," said Jacob.

As the group became silent, the Normandy crew began to notice the other structures. Ruined buildings, broken highways and interstates, and other remnants of a nation destroyed by nuclear fire and ash. "God. This is the aftermath of a nuclear war," questioned Miranda in a low voice.

"It's worse in other places, especially major cities. Wait until you see Washington DC or New York," Mike stated, who was not looking around at the landscape, but instead was staring at the ground near his feet. A sense of depression washed over him, like it always did when he focused too much on the world around him. A whole country, a whole world, all of it ravaged by humanity's destructive nature. Great wonders of the past, the beauty of civilized cultures, the Pre-war era all gone within the blink of an eye and the flashes of the bombs. Why did it have to happen?

"Boss." The ghoul's voice got Mike's attention and he turned to face Raul, "What?"

Raul was looking at him with his usual bored expression, "We gonna get going? I don't like the idea of being out here too long. Don't want no fiends coming by and shooting at our friends."

Mike nodded, understanding the ghoul's worry. Even though he had killed the leaders of the fiends, the group still had a presence in the areas surrounding New Vegas and they would probably still be around for several months before eventually disintegrating into smaller gangs who would hardly present any real problems to anyone. Still, even leaderless, they were a dangerous and merciless lot.

"Come on everyone," announced Mike, "Its not much farther." Then he led them towards the city of New Vegas. 'I just hope this group doesn't cause too many complications with the locals,' Mike thought to himself.