Max

Max was an artificial human, who came to Las Vegas in 2086 with an amnesia. He looked like an ordinary man, but was an exceptional fighter, quickly making his way up the hierarchy in Faran Brygo's gang and becoming his right hand man. As the death machines of Base Cochise descended upon the city like flies, he grew increasingly paranoid, eventually going missing in the city sewers.

Max's fate was not a happy one - he was captured by cyborgs dwelling below ground and ripped up for spare parts. In this sad state he was found by Desert Rangers and reactivated, pinpointing the location of Sleeper One and Base Cochise for them, before heading topside to help Faran Brygo brave another assault.

It is somewhat suggested that Max originated from base Cochise and was perhaps another AI developed at the same time as the Cochise AI or after it. When the death machines came to Las Vegas Max remembered enough of the threat that base Cochise posed and sought out equipment and allies to stop it before the cyborgs captured and dismantled him.

Finding Max
You'll find Max disassembled in (of course) the deepest, darkest corner of the Las Vegas Sewers, which are accessible through the Mushroom Temple. You can get down there via two methods:


 * You can complete the Temple of Blood questline in Needles by finding the Ruby Ring on the corpse in the Ammo Dump, showing it to the Mushroom Priest in Needles, going to the Temple of Blood, fighting your way to the bottom, retrieving the Bloodstaff (say "MOTEKIM" to get out!), showing it to the Mushroom Priest in Needles, saying "DIPSTICK" to him to get it back (you'll also get a lot of nice items when you turn over the Bloodstaff), and then running the Bloodstaff to the Mushroom Temple in Las Vegas (say "NRC" to get in, tell them you brought the Bloodstaff as a gift). Then, approach Charmaine, say "BRYGO" (if she asks; if she asks to see the Bloodstaff, use the Bloodstaff). When dealing with Charmaine, don't step right up to her unless you feel like starting a fight with the entire room. Once you've shown Charmaine the Bloodstaff, a door will open on the west end of the temple. Follow the corridor north to the northwest corner to find the sewer entrance.
 * If you'd rather skip all the nonsense involved with the Bloodstaff quest, you can simply hunt down the Cyborg Commandos in Las Vegas (they're on the east side). They'll drop a good bit of loot, most importantly, the sonic key. You can also dig up the Sonic Key on the golf course. Once you have the key, say "NRC" to the doorman, and lie and say you're bringing them the Bloodstaff. Then, simply blow open the doors leading to the west from the main reactor room in the Mushroom Temple, use the Sonic Key on the odd section of wall to the west, and follow the corridor north to the northwest corner to find the sewer entrance.

Fixing Max
Be warned: you'll have to fight through some serious legions of baddies in the sewers. If you're not cheating and/or melee-specialized and very well armed and armored, you'll want to take it in shifts, returning to the surface to buy dozens of 7.62mm clips and heal up. You'll have to dungeon-crawl the sewers to find all of his parts: don't forget to bring a Pick ax, Shovel, or a high strength character to chop through hollow walls, and a rope or 2 for crossing the water and the pit. When you find Max's table, you'll need to have the following items to repair him:


 * 1 Android head "Repairs cannot proceed without a head unit."
 * 1 Fusion cell "The energy source socket is empty."
 * 1 Power converter "The old power converter sparks and smokes."
 * 2 Rom boards "A unit control function board needs to be replaced."
 * 4 Servo motor "The left shoulder assembly really needs an overhaul." "The left knee assembly is a mess." "The right hip obviously needs some work." "The central servomotor was damaged by the old power board. It needs replacing to drive the whole unit."

Fixing Max can be a pain in the butt... however, it's absolutely necessary if you want to go to Base Cochise or the Sleeper Base! If you're afraid you might miss a Servo motor, you can find one in Quartz in the Stagecoach Inn.