Disclaimer: I do not own Fallout. Fallout belongs to Bethesda, who purchased the rights from Black Isle.

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Fallout

Burn My Dread

By Cyberweasel89

Chapter 1: Acclimating

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Nikki and Junior docked their ship at Base, the hovering craft sliding seamlessly into its hangar at the Base's dock. They were greeted by engineers who hooked the ship up for refueling and maintenance. That was the problem with alien technology, after all. With mostly Earth technology at their disposal, they required a lot more care. Luckily Base had a whole crew of engineers adapted to their alien's advanced technology.

Casper Shelby, the rescued Prisoner, was still asleep when the two agents who retrieved him fully docked their ship. It was for the best, actually. If he said no to their proposal, he wouldn't know where their Base was when they dropped him off.

"Nikki, wake him up." Junior instructed.

The smaller girl nudged the Prisoner's shoulder, gently jarring him. "Casper? Casper?"

He was significantly easier to wake this time, the pretty-boy's eyes flickering open. He stretched his arms out and yawned, ending by smacking his lips a little. Nikki had to admit, it was kind of cute...

"Shelby?" The tribal looked right at Junior. "Do you understand English?"

He nodded.

"Good. That'll make things easier. I'm Junior Carpenter. This is Nikki Koshka."

Casper Shelby looked to each of them in turn, giving them a nod of acknowledgement.

"Do you know where we are, Shelby?"

He shook his head.

"We're at our Base. Our leader instructed us to rescue you from the Tibbets Facility and bring you here to meet her. Do you understand?"

He nodded.

"He doesn't say much, does he?" Nikki whispered to her partner.

"He might just be shell shocked, Nikki. Don't pressure him." Junior turned back to Casper. "Are you ready to meet our leader, Shelby?"

He nodded.

"Uh... Good. Follow us, then. We'll get you a shower and a change of clothes right after you meet with Big Momma."

The tribal quirked an eyebrow.

"Um... That's our leader, Casper. She calls herself Big Momma."

The Prisoner paused a moment, as if processing his thoughts, before nodding.

"Right, then. Follow us. Don't wander off, and don't fall behind, okay Shelby?"

The Prisoner nodded again.

XXXXXXXXXX

The aptly-named 'Base' was entirely metal walls and oddly advanced technology everywhere. The doors slid open through control panels next to them, some even doing so automatically, and there were all kinds of devices that seemed foreign or alien.

The people of the Base; men, women, children; humans, ghouls, super mutants; all stopped to watch the two agents with their charge. They stopped to look for many reasons. For one, these two were their organization's top agents. Second, them being following by a pretty-boy in a dirty beige jumpsuit was... unusual. Could this have been the rumored psychic tribal Big Momma had been searching for? Casper Shelby seemed undisturbed by their staring, but Nikki still felt the need to put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"I-It's okay, Casper. We've just been looking for you for a long time, is all. Everyone probably wants to meet you."

He shrugged.

"Luckily, you're our charge, Shelby. Nikki and I have exclusive access to you until you settle in here. Think of us as your prison guards, and Big Momma as the warden." Junior explained, chuckling to herself at the end.

Nikki sighed. "That's not a very nice way to look at it, Junior. It's more like... we're his servants, or bodyguards, or something."

"Ugh. I'm no one's servant." Junior growled.

Nikki just sighed again.

XXXXXXXXXX

Casper Shelby was led into a large room that seemed to be the command center of the entire Base. Numerous people of all genders, age ranges, races, and species ambled about, attending to various control panels. Nikki and Junior brought their charge to the center of the area, just under the view of a balcony from the upper level, with no visible stairs leading up to it.

"Welcome back, you two. I trust you were successful in your mission?" a raspy female voice spoke from the upper level.

"Of course, Mother." Junior replied.

"Big Momma, ma'am, we present to you... Casper Shelby." Nikki explained, gesturing to where he stood between them.

The owner of the voice stepped over to the railing, revealing herself to be a female ghoul dressed in rags and with a Pip-Boy 3000 on her left wrist. What little hair she had was ghost white, and though her rags were baggy, she appeared to be an H-cup at the very least, which was highly unusual for a ghoul.

"Huh. You're as cute as I've heard. Casper Shelby, correct?"

The tribal nodded.

"Nice to meet you. Step forward so you can hear me better."

He did so.

"I'm Big Momma, leader of our organization. I assume you have a lot of questions, so just tell me want you want to know and I'll do my best to answer them."

Casper just shrugged.

"So... any questions?"

He shook his head.

"Oh. And here I had prepared all my answers for you. Oh well. Might as well explain them all anyway."

The ghoul began pacing back and forth.

"As I told you, I am Big Momma, leader of our organization. We're simply called... The Cause. Our ultimate goal is to reunite the shattered remnants of this country into its former glory of the United States of America. However, we all have to start somewhere, so our first step is general peacekeeping, be that by settling disputes or taking out problem individuals. As you know, my top agents, Junior Carpenter and Nikki Koshka, have rescued you from the maximum security Tibbets Facility. This is because the Cause needs you. We've heard reports about you, Casper Shelby, and have spent months tracking you down and waiting for the right moment to swoop in and rescue you from that prison hell. So, Casper Shelby... I want you to work for me. If you agree, consider me your boss, and you my number two. You'll be put in charge of a squad and assigned top priority missions direct from my dry, decayed lips. What say you, Casper Shelby? Do you choose to join our Cause, or shall we show you the exit?"

There was a long pause, the Prisoner merely standing there with his hands in his pockets, gazing up at the ghoul. He looked around at all the people staring at him, including good long looks at Nikki and Junior. After a while, he nodded.

"Uh... Was that a yes?"

He nodded again.

"A yes to what? You're saying you want to join the Cause?"

He nodded once more.

"Really? Just like that?"

He nodded yet again.

"And you're sure you don't have any questions? Don't want to know more before you agree?"

He nodded a fifth time.

"Um... Can you talk?"

He nodded for the umpteenth time.

"Well... That settles things. Junior, report to your office. I need you to fill out some paperwork. Nikki, please show Casper Shelby to his room so he can have a shower and a new change of clothes.

"Right away, Mother." Junior nodded.

"Y-Yes ma'am, Big Momma." Nikki stammered. She was surprised. He just agreed right off the bat like that?

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Nikki led the newest member of the Cause through the halls, the humans, ghouls, and super mutants they passed cheering or giving the Prisoner a pat on the back. Yep, word traveled fast on the Base. It helped that every member of the Cause was given a Pip-Boy with walkie-talkie function to anyone nearby with the same Cause-programmed Pip-Boy.

"Um... I-It's great having you on the team, Casper. I've heard a lot about you. Was it true you took down an entire New California Republic battalion single-handedly?"

She looked to see the tribal nod.

"Wow... That's amazing." Nikki giggled. She couldn't believe she was actually leading the fabled Casper Shelby to his new room!

"Um... Y-You're room is right next to mine, Casper. Junior's office is also right next door. We'll be your partners and handlers before your team is decided upon. Okay?"

She turned to see him nod.

"Um... Okay. Here's your room."

Nikki pushed a button on the control panel, the door sliding open. Inside was a comfortable-looking bed, a dresser, a desk, and a door to an attached bathroom.

"You can go ahead and leave your clothes on the bed and go have a quick shower. I'll bring you a new change of clothes. A clean change of clothes. You, um... Your jumpsuit is covered in dirt and sweat, after all." She giggled a little.

Casper said nothing, merely gazing around the room with disinterest.

"Um... Okay. I'll be right back with your new outfit. When you've had your shower and changed your clothes, just head left down the hall and turn right to meet me and Junior in the rec room."

She turned and walked out, smiling to herself. He sure was quiet, wasn't he? Could he really be shell shocked? He told Big Momma he could talk, so why wasn't he? The Tibbets Facility didn't do anything to his voice, did they?

Pondering this, Nikki retrieved a duster typically worn by bounty hunters, feeling it suited him, since he would be their team's leader. It looked cool, too, fitting his dashing looks, she figured. Along with it she selected some gray pants, a black shirt, brown boots, and brown fingerless gloves. She also stopped by the armory and picked up a Pip-Boy 3000 for him. All members of the Cause were required to have one, after all, and he'd be getting it sooner or later.

"Hey, Tobi?" she called into the armory.

"Oh, hey Nikki." The young man looked up from the Pip-Boy he was programming. "What can I do for you?"

"I need a Pip-Boy for Casper."

"Oh, the tribal, right? Good news, then. He's not getting one."

"He's not?" Nikki asked, baffled.

"Nope. Orders from above. He's getting a squad leader's Pip-Boy."

"You mean..."

"Yep!" Tobi held up the Pip-Boy he had just been programming. "A Pimp-Boy 3 Billion." He tossed it to her.

"Well... I guess that makes sense. Thanks, Tobi."

"No problem. And hey, you busy later?"

"Um... Why?"

"I figured we could stop by the mess hall for a Nuka-Cola, or something. Ya know, my treat."

Nikki blushed. "Um... N-No, I'm, um... B-Busy. Need to help Casper acclimate and all."

"Oh, sure. No problem. See ya."

Nikki ran out of the room, the Pimp-Boy held in her bundle of clothes. She slammed her back against the wall once the sliding door closed all the way, her heart pounding.

Dammit... She just had a chance at a date, but she chickened out... It always worked that way with any man at the Base who asked her out. Junior used to get far more propositions, but when it became clear she would kick any potential suitors in the face, the members of the Cause learned. Nikki just... wasn't good at that kind of stuff. She always freaked out when people asked her out... She supposed she was partly afraid of guys... finding out... about her secret.

Shaking the thought from her mind, she made her way back down the hall to Casper's Room, walking in to find him gone. Hm... He must have been in the bathroom. His clothes were on the bed and everything. But why wasn't the water running? Nikki walked over and set his new outfit on the bed, stepping over to the door to the bathroom and listening.

"Casper? Is everything okay in there?"

No answer. Pushing the button on the control panel, the door slid open, and Nikki was greeted by a sight that made her blush so red her face almost turned purple.

Casper Shelby was standing in the bathtub, looking up at the shower head with one eye closed and a look of wonder on his face. And... H-He was ripped. He wasn't muscular, per se, but he was incredibly lean and toned, not a bit of fat on his body... He was pale, too, all over, odd for someone who grew up a tribal.

Oh, wait... He was a tribal. He probably didn't know how to work a shower stall.

Swallowing her embarrassment at seeing a naked man, Nikki walked up to the bathtub, trying to find her voice.

"Um... Uh... Um... H-H-H-Here. L-L-L-Let me t-t-t-turn it on f-f-for you."

Nikki leaned into the stall, reaching for the nozzle and turning it.

Now... Nikki didn't like water much. But it wasn't just that. The extremely cold spray hit her by surprise, she had been so distracted with not looking at Casper's manhood. But next thing she knew, she let out a yelp, and found herself having fallen on top of a very nude psychic tribal. Her face was inches from his, her chest pressed against his very bare, toned chest, and something... poking against her thigh...

"Uh... Ah... Um... Uh..."

Great, Nikki. Don't just lay there on his naked body and stammer like an idiot! Get up! Apologize! Do something!

"Um... Uh... I-I-I-I'm sorry! Um, uh... I just, um, fell, and, uh..."

Casper had a strained expression on his face. Was she heavy? Or was she giving him a...

Uh oh. The thing rubbing against her thigh was getting... bigger. And... stiffer...

The girl jumped twice her height, out of the bath tub and away down the hall, blushing a deep crimson all over her face. She didn't stop to check if Casper was all right. She just had to get out of there!

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After some thorough 'meditations' in her own room, Nikki was sure the image of the naked, toned, lean Casper Shelby was out of her mind. She entered the rec room to find Junior reading an issue of Future Weapons Today and enjoying a mug of black coffee. She looked up and quirked an eyebrow at a thoroughly exhausted Nikki.

"Nikki? What the hell happened to you? It's like you just ran a mile and got trampled by the other runners."

"Um... On, n-nothing. Just some, uh... exercises in my room, is all." The girl squeaked.

Junior smirked. "Oh? And what brought on these 'exercises?'"

Nikki blushed, tapping her fingers together. "Um... J-Just helped Casper with his shower, is all..."

"Aww, don't you sound absolutely smitten." Junior teased.

"N-N-No! I-It's not like that! I-It was an accident!" Nikki exclaimed, waving her hands back and forth in alarm.

"Accident, huh? Well, keep it that way."

"Huh? Why? Is relations between squad members against the rules?"

Junior just snorted. "Hah! Yeah, right! If that were true, Tobi would be discharged for fucking every woman in the Base! I just can't have you, my partner, shacking up with a filthy tribal."

What? Tobi was just hoping for a one night stand with her? He... wasn't interested in her for her- Wait, what?

"Junior... Did you just call Casper a... a filthy tribal?" the cloaked girl whimpered, her voice quivering.

"Of course. That's what he is. Psychic powers don't immediately make you smart. He's just a filthy, ignorant tribal."

"But... Junior... He's going to be our leader."

"Temporarily, until he gets a team of his own. And I'll hate every second of having to obey a damn savage. If you ask me, Mother made a bad decision making him her second-in-command."

"Um... A-Are you sure you're not just jealous, because Big Momma was originally grooming you for that role?"

Junior's face grew dark, glaring at the smaller girl "What... did I just... hear... from you?"

Nikki felt a shiver run up her spine. "Um... Uh... Um..."

The door behind the girl opened, a figure in a duster and golden Pip-Boy walking in.

"Oh! Casper!" Nikki exclaimed, grateful for the distraction.

"Shelby. Good to see you. You look sharp in that duster." Junior complimented, tilting her mug of black coffee toward him.

Nikki pouted, frustrated. Sure, Junior called him a filthy savage behind his back, but was all nice and respectful to his face. Luckily Casper seemed indifferent, merely giving the two girls a little wave with his left hand.

"Um, Casper... I'm... sorry... for what happened in the bathroom..." Nikki mumbled, blushing.

Casper just gave a thumbs up, a small smile on his face, though his clear blue eyes remained distant.

"Oh... Okay... As long as you're not mad..." the girl sighed in relief.

The psychic tribal walked past them, stepping over to the coffee maker and examining it like it was foreign.

Casper Shelby sure didn't talk much... But he was a good person, considering he wasn't mad at all for what happened in the bathroom. And so handsome, too. Such a baby face and nice hair, even if it was almost dark purple. And his pale skin and lean, toned body, with the...

Uh oh...

Looks like she'd have to make a pit stop again...

Damn her overactive hormones! Why did her temporary squad leader have to be so hot?

Well... For now, Nikki would go help Casper with the coffee machine, and pray nothing like what happened with the shower occurred again.