"You are just in time. I only finished the last pass five minutes ago." Ralph said as we walked in.
"Top quality work I hope? Getting shot at by those Securitrons would be inconvenient." I said and he chuckled.
"I've got a reputation to keep so I put my best into every pass I make." he said confidently as he handed over the the four small paper cards that served as passes into the Strip.
"Pleasure doing business with you, Ralph." I say with a nod as I passed the passes out to everyone before leaving.
Finding the gate to the Strip was the easiest of things as it was a brightly lit neon gate with heavy barricades armed by no less than seven Securitrons. The three on either side and the "greeter" that stood in the center of the path and handled entry to the Strip. As we approached it we got to see a dumbass try to make a break for the gate without passing the inspection and get gunned down for the trouble. No one loitering nearby looked surprised by this and the stains on the ground near the gate made it fairly obvious why.-
"Are we sure trying to use fake passes to enter is a good idea?" Veronica asked a little nervous.
"It'll be fine. I'll go first while you all hang back if it makes you feel better." I offered casually.
They all collectively stepped back in unanimous agreement that made me roll my eyes but swagger over to the greeter anyways.
"Present your pass or submit to a credit check." The bot with an angry cartoon policeman face on it's screen said firmly.
I pulled out my pass without a care. The bot scanned it for a moment before a loud beep came from it and it rolled to the side to let me past.
"Please enjoy your time on the Strip." it said and I walked through the kill box of Securitrons before pushing open the gate and walking in.
The New Vegas Strip was just as it was in the game, a strange mix of worn and fully intact. The casinos sat glowing neon with mostly clean fronts and walls with no more than slight time and weather corrosion marks while the road and side walks were STILL somehow fucked up.-
Not nearly as bad as the wasteland beyond the gate but still not remotely as intact as one might expect given no bomb actually went off near here. I suppose that the roads were just not made to last the time span of two hundred years. To the direct left of the gate was the biggest and arguably most important casino and hotel, the lucky thirty eight. It was built not dissimilarly in style to the Seattle needle but with and black and red color scheme and aesthetic flair making it look almost like a massive roulette table from afar.-
It's entrance was sealed shut by a foot thick metal shutter style black and red wall/door. At the base of the alternating red and black steps was a familiar securitron with a cartoon smiling cowboy on it's scree, Victor. The bot registered me and started a slow roll over as if it automatically knew that soon enough the real target would be walking through the gate behind me, Jess. Right around the time Victor rolled up the gate opened and she walked through.-
"Victor? What the hell are you doing here?" She asked surprised and confused to see the bot.
"He's the welcoming committee, House sent him to greet and bring you to him." I said casually.
"You musta been a fortune teller or something cuz you're right. The big man himself seeming to want a bit of a chin wag with you. Just you, your partners will have to stay out here I'm sorry to say." Victor said in that cowboy accent of it's.
Jess looked at me with a gaze that said she picked up on something that didn't add up. She didn't say anything and followed the bot up the stairs to the great door that slid open for the first time in two hundred years. Behind it revealed a set of stylized double doors that led into the casino portion of the building.-
Our companions joined me as she entered the building.
"Where'd Jess go?" Veronica asked confused.
"Into the Lucky thirty eight to have a chat with House. We weren't invited." I said with a shrug.
"So what are we supposed to do in the meantime, wait?" she asked incredulously.
"Well we COULD do that but I'm thinking about heading up ahead to that fancy Tops casino to do some gambling while we wait for her." I said with a mischievous grin.
"How will she know to find us there though?" Veronica asked confused.
"Oh I don't think that'll be a problem. You'll see when we get there." I said with a chuckle.
The Tops casino was the first through the secondary gate and a strange almost bowl shaped white casino with a neon lit awning and sidewalk with three pairs of metal double doors leading in to it. At it's side was the casino's signage in blue, green, yellow and red for each of the letters. We walked in and the theme was a clean white and black checkered pattern and heavy sixties vibe.-
"Alright hand over any weapons you might have on you. This is for your safety as much as it is any of ours. If you happen to come across any weapons while you are here though don't go flashing them around. Other than that have fun, we hope to make your experience on the Strip the Tops." the greeter/ desk body guard said casually.
I had already put my guns into my inventory and lifted my leather coat to show I wasn't hiding any but Veronica and Boone had to hand over their weapons.
"Wait isn't that...!?" Veronica started with wide eyes before I clapped a hand over her mouth lightly.
"Yes, yes it is. Now you know why I said she'd find us without issue." I say referring of course to Benny who was surrounded by guards at the moment.