Gustavo peered through the gate at the girl who had arrived last night, listened to her snoring and watched as a silvery thread of drool dribbled from the corner of her mouth. The awkward angle of her head made his neck ache in sympathy just by looking at it. Every now and then she would mumble something incoherent in her sleep and then twitch or jerk as if frightened.
It was, all in all, a rather pathetic sight.
At what point she had finally succumbed to sleep, he wasn't sure. Generally speaking, Gustavo wasn't easily moved nor was he soft, but he couldn't help but feel some pity for her. Burke had obviously forced her to stay out to prove a point of some sort, but even Gustavo thought it seemed a harsh punishment. Throughout his nightshift he occasionally would pass by the gate just to make sure she was still there and in one piece. Every time he had looked, she was sitting at near attention. Hour after hour, her gaze remained fixed into the inky blackness looking for whatever might be lurking there.
If Gustavo hadn't been worried about incurring the wrath of Mister Burke, he would have let her into the courtyard at the very least, but he knew that if found out his life would have been made miserable.
Gustavo finally opened the gate, walked over to Nicole and grimaced when he noticed that she still had her plasma rifle in a death grip and her finger near the trigger.
"Great," he groaned, already imagining how this would go; he really didn't feel like being turned into a puddle of goo this morning.
Keeping his distance, he nudged Nicole with the barrel of his assault rifle and said, "Hey you, wake up."
Nicole reacted just as expected by jumping and firing wildly at the first thing her eyes settled on which, thankfully for Gustavo, happened to be a long dead tree. The shot from her weapon tore through it and splintered it into thousands of pieces that rained down on the parched earth.
"Watch it!" he exclaimed and jumped back.
"Wha?" was Nicole's mumbled reply as she looked around, trying to remember where she was and why she wasn't in her bed in Megaton when the gears in her sleep deprived brain finally engaged.
"Tenpenny Tower... damn," she said.
"Get up. Mister Burke wants to see you," he nudged her again.
Nicole slapped the gun away and snapped, "You can stop pointing that thing at me, you know!"
"After your performance last night? I don't think so. I'm going to be keeping a close eye on you." He nudged her again just to spite her, "Now move it."
Slowly Nicole got to her feet, rolled her head and grumbled about how stiff and achy she felt this morning. She then slung her pack over her shoulder, snagged her helmet by one of its devilish looking horns and shuffled through the gate.
"How do I look?" she joked drily.
"You look like you've been dragged through hell and back," Gustavo replied just as drily before walking through the courtyard, past the fountain and to the heavy metal doors that led into Tenpenny Tower.
Nicole rolled her eyes, but knew it was the truth. She was filthy, her hair was lanky and stringy and there was a faint whiff of stale sweat and grime coming from her.
"Thanks," Nicole snorted. "You know how to make a girl feel good. I bet they're all lining up to hear your sweet talk, aren't they?"
Gustavo couldn't help but laugh, "The name's Gustavo. I'm the security chief here."
"I've met you before. It was a long time ago now, though." She stifled a yawn and said, "I'm Nicole."
It suddenly dawned on him that they had indeed met before. She had come to Tenpenny Tower not quite two years ago looking for Allistair Tenpenny himself, saying that she had some business to conduct with the recluse. Gustavo had been reluctant to let her in then, but he couldn't imagine that she posed much of a threat with armed guards all over the building, so had allowed her entrance.
"Christ," he said. "What the fuck happened to you?"
Nicole gave him a sardonic smile, "The Wasteland happened to me."
He nodded gravely, fully understanding what she meant.
"Come on, like I said, Burke's waiting for you in his suite," Gustavo said as he pushed open the doors and led her into the foyer of the once grand hotel.
Nicole trudged along behind Gustavo and damned the electric thrill that she felt at the thought of being in Burke's suite but soon forgot it when the faded opulence of the former hotel grabbed her attention. It was true that Nicole had seen it all before, but it had been so long ago that it was like she was seeing it for the first time.
Two large chandeliers sparkled and shone overhead, their thousands of cut glass crystals caught the light and twinkled like stars. On the floor were Oriental rugs that felt strange and squashy under her feet in spite of the many threadbare patches. Roman style columns were capped with acanthus leaf capitals that matched the crown mouldings and ceiling. Tessellated marble flooring stretched out in all directions and the muted light from the chandeliers and wall sconces gave it a satiny sheen. Nicole daren't think of how much it had cost to originally build this monument to the excesses that could be bought by the fragile fortunes that men amassed in those years before the war.
She could almost imagine the hustle and bustle of men in their business suits and women tricked out in their finest on their arms. There would have been bellhops and staff in stiff-collared uniforms attending to the most ridiculous whims of their guests and behind the mahogany reception desk, an insufferably snobbish hotel manager would preside over all.
While Nicole marvelled at her surroundings, she gradually became aware of something else. The residents of Tenpenny Tower had come to a standstill and were watching this scruffy looking, Tesla armoured girl with as much disdain as they could manage. Around her were scandalized whispers.
"Thank God that people like her don't live here!"
"Why ever did Gustavo allow her past the gate?"
"Ugh, she's filthy."
Nicole squared her shoulders, trying to pretend she hadn't heard the rude comments.
"Ignore them," Gustavo said to her and pushed the button to call the elevator.
"I'm trying." She glared at a group of women who had been pointing and snickering at her. "Let's see how they look after walking over 15 miles in this heat and then be forced to stay outside all night."
"Like I said, ignore them," Gustavo ushered her into the elevator that had just arrived.
Nicole nervously stepped inside; she wasn't used to riding in such contraptions.
Gustavo eyed her and gave her an amused smile, "Heh, for all your bravado last night, you don't seem so sure of yourself today."
Nicole frowned, "I'm not on my home turf now. I don't like that."
"I know what you mean," Gustavo nodded. "When I worked for Talon Company one of the things we were taught was to keep the home field advantage."
Nicole's eyes widened, "You were a Talon?"
"Yeah," he chuckled. "That was a long time ago though. I got out when I realized that there were some things I just wasn't willing to do. Took a few others with me and made my own merc company."
"So how'd you end up here?"
"How else do you think we ended up here?" he gruffly said.
"Burke," she closed her eyes and leaned back against the wall of the elevator.
"Bingo." He shrugged, "I can't complain though. It pays well and we get plenty of fringe benefits."
Nicole opened her eyes and peered at him, "Scraps from the master's table, hey?"
Gustavo grunted, "Watch your mouth."
When the elevator pinged, its door rattled open onto the lobby for the penthouse suites and Gustavo shoved past her, "Come this way."
She hesitated but finally followed him to a door that led into what she remembered as being Allistair Tenpenny's suite and scowled. The elderly Englishman was not who she was here to deal with, but it was no surprise that he would be included on the meeting. No doubt it had been his idea to find a G.E.C.K. in the first place and not Burke's at all.
He unlocked the door and opened it for her, "Go on through to the balcony. Mister Burke's waiting for you there."
Nicole nodded, "Thank you."
"Just doing my job," he said and returned to the elevator, leaving her alone.
Nicole looked around the suite, noticing that Allistair Tenpenny's tastes had improved since she had last visited. Previously the suite had been littered with empty Nuka-Cola bottles and had very little in the way of mementoes or anything else of a personal nature. Now there were faded works of art on the walls and statues and other trinkets displayed on the multiple pillars. Nicole cast an appreciative eye over a glass fronted cabinet that housed an impressive weapons collection.
For some time, she remained where she was and tried to calm her nerves. Nicole could remember learning about the history of the ancient world when she was younger. For some reason, the brutal matches that the Romans watched in the Coliseum seemed to spring to mind and she wondered if what she was feeling now was similar to what those long dead gladiators felt before being thrown to the lions.
Clenching her hands to stave off the shaking they were doing, she looked around for any liquor. She was desperate for a drink right now, just one to take the edge off of everything, but she hadn't brought any with her and there was none in sight.
She sighed and raked her hands through her greasy tresses then pulled her hair back into a loose bun in an attempt to tidy up her appearance, knowing that it wasn't going to make much of a difference. Finally she approached the doors to the balcony and rested her hands on their cool metal before pushing them open to find Burke sitting in a chair, watching the horizon.
"Nicole. Please be seated," he said without looking at her.
At the sight of him, the ember of irritation she'd felt over being left outside the previous night flared into life and she marched onto the balcony and unceremoniously dumped her knapsack and helmet.
"What the hell was that about last night?" she snapped.
Burke's fingers laced together in his lap and he firmly commanded, "Sit."
He hadn't shouted, or even raised his voice, but there was a force behind the single, short word that made Nicole shut her mouth and do as she was told.
"Ah, so you can follow instructions then. After yesterday I had my doubts," he said with a hint of sarcasm.
Nicole warily said, "I already told you about the Radscorpions."
Burke finally looked at her, his lips pursed disapprovingly, "Nicole, in the future if you're going to lie to me, please do so more convincingly. Everyone knows that Radscorpions breed in the spring."
Her cheeks burned; she was embarrassed that she had been caught.
"Oh," her eyes scanned the horizon so she could avoid looking at Burke.
"Indeed, oh," he turned his gaze back to the skyline.
Nicole fidgeted and felt very uncomfortable with Burke's prolonged silences. If he was angry with her, she wished that he would say instead giving her the cold shoulder. Nervously she looked around the balcony, finally realizing something.
"Where's Tenpenny? This is his suite, right?"
"Did I not tell you?" Again Burke's head turned in her direction and he gave her an oily smile before saying, "Mister Tenpenny passed away in his sleep a few months ago. I assumed ownership of Tenpenny Tower, and this suite, shortly thereafter."
The self-satisfied look on Burke's face made her highly suspicious and she asked, "Are you sure it was from natural causes?"
Burke's grin spread, "My dear girl, are you accusing me of foul play?"
"Yes," she blurted out.
Burke laughed, "Ah, see, this is what I like, Nicole. You're far more entertaining when you're truthful."
"What about you, Mister Burke? Are you exempt from truth telling?"
"Nicole, one thing I have learned in all my years is that knowledge is power. The more one knows, the stronger his position. If I happen to play my cards close to my chest or am economical with the truth, it is not lying in the least. It is merely a matter of protecting my interests."
Nicole glared, "And you gain that knowledge by any means, don't you? Say, for instance, by bribing a Jet addict?"
Again he let out a rumble of laughter, "Oh my dear girl that pathetic Leo Stahl was so far beneath you. Besides, his actions alone should tell you where you stand with him."
Nicole bit her cracked bottom lip and winced at the pain. The bastard was trying to get under her skin again.
"Play fair, Burke, or I won't play at all."
Burke sighed, "Nicole, stop acting like a spoiled child. Your father coddled you, no doubt, and it shows at times." He glanced at her and said, "Besides, our little game started a long time before now and you know that."
Her eyes narrowed at him, "Asking me to destroy Megaton was nothing but a game to you?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes, it was. Mind you, the actual destruction of Megaton would have served its own purpose." His eyes glittered behind the tinted lenses. "The game was finding someone who was naive enough to fall for my patter."
Nicole snorted, "Burke, I know what you're trying to do, so you can stop it now."
He leaned forward, looked over the rim of his sunglasses and fixed her with an intense stare.
"Tell me, Nicole, what am I trying to do?"
She shifted and tugged at the chestplate of her armour. It had ridden up and was starting to chafe her neck.
"You're trying to wear me down."
"Me?" The corner of Burke's mouth slid up into a smirk and he sneered, "Why should I do that when you're so adept at it yourself?"
They stared at each other for some time, each studying the other and seeing who would blink first until another maddening smirk slowly curled the corner of Burke's mouth upwards.
He said with a velvety voice, "Nicole, as much as I do enjoy our banter, this is not accomplishing the task at hand."
"I haven't said that I was working for you," her eyes flashed a challenge.
"You're here, are you not?"
"You left me little choice." She idly cleaned some grit from under one of her nails and said, "Tell me Burke, why should I help you?"
He sat back in his chair and stared out over the horizon for a moment, making her wait for an answer.
"I'll make it worth your effort; I can assure you of that."
"Forgive me for saying so, but my previous experience with you taught me one thing: Your words are often empty. You promise much yet deliver little. I've got four letters from you to prove that."
Nicole watched a muscle in his jaw twitch and tried not to show pleasure over the fact that she'd managed to irk him.
Although he was annoyed that he'd allowed her an opening, he quickly filed it away that she had kept the letters he sent her.
"My dear girl, you are treading on very thin ice," he warned.
"Am I?" she pretended to be surprised. "What are you offering me? Sweeten the deal enough and I'm yours."
Burke looked at out of the corner of his eye for a moment and said, "I'll pretend that you didn't mean what you just inferred."
"I didn't infer anything," she protested, but her blushing cheeks gave her away yet again.
"Of course not, my dear girl," he smirked.
After remaining silent for bit, he took a deep breath and said, "Very well, Nicole. I will pay you 500 caps for each mission you carry out to completion. There will be a bonus of 500 caps once you locate a Vault with a G.E.C.K. Successful retrieval of the G.E.C.K. will receive a 1000 cap bonus. Any medical, weaponry, or ammunition expenditures will be partially reimbursed."
It was Nicole's turn to stare off into the distance and try to act unimpressed by the offer, but it was difficult. Burke managed to make it sound as if it were a trifling amount to pay, as well.
Trying to keep her face as impassive as she could, she nodded and said, "Is that all?"
Burke's eyebrow lifted slightly, "What more could you ask for? I've been more than generous."
She studied his profile and said, "You're to cover all medical expenses. I get the feeling this is going to be a highly dangerous journey and no doubt those hefty bonuses will barely cover the cost of any doctor's fees."
His head leaned back and he looked into the hazy blue sky before nodding slightly and saying, "Very well. So are we in agreement?"
Again she tugged at the armour and growled softly at it before hesitantly offering her hand to him, "We have a deal."
Burke looked at it disdainfully for a moment but then briefly took it. He could feel the rough calluses on her palm and it made him sad to think that he never had the pleasure of knowing her touch before she'd had to take on such unsavoury work.
Nicole, for once, gave him a genuine smile and rose to her feet.
"Well, now that that's settled, how about a drink?" she winked at him.
"Ah, ah, ah..." he waved a finger at her. "We have one other matter to discuss," Burke stood and walked into his suite, motioning for her to follow him, which she did reluctantly.
There was an awkward silence between them as they passed through Burke's suite and out into the lobby again, to stop outside a door. Burke produced a key from his pocket, unlocked it and held the door open for Nicole.
Nicole peeked into the room and then looked at Burke questioningly.
"This is your suite," Burke said and ushered her into the room by placing his hand in the small of her back.
Much to his disappointment, Nicole quickly darted in to avoid the touch and looked around the room, "As grateful as I am, I thought I'd work from Megaton."
Moving swiftly, Burke was soon at her elbow, "I'd prefer to keep an eye on you."
"Why doesn't that surprise me?" she chuckled. "Don't you trust me, Burke? Or are you worried I'll run off with your precious G.E.C.K.?"
"It's not a matter of trust," he said while opening the balcony doors to let some fresh air into the stale room. "You represent a significant investment. It would be foolish of me to allow you to run about of your own volition and not see a return on this little venture." He returned to stand in front of her, his hands on his hips.
Nicole stepped back, feeling intimidated by Burke's height advantage over her.
Burke chuckled and said, "Why don't you take a look around."
"A-alright," she stammered. His presence was suddenly very overwhelming and she put as much space between them as she could by exploring her new apartment.
"Heh," she eyed a Mr. Handy robot that was floating in the corner of the room, on standby. "I hope he's more agreeable than the one I had in Megaton. Wadsworth could be a misery at times."
"I think it was part of their design, to be honest," Burke kept his distance and crossed his arms over his chest, watching every move she made. Instead of the sure fluid movements he had seen her make before she was now tentative and cautious. He was amused that a slight touch and standing too close to her had suddenly made her so apprehensive.
Nicole looked on the shelves, in the desk and safe, the footlocker, and finally looked in the wardrobe to find it full of clothes. She raised an eyebrow at Burke.
He merely shrugged, "I took the liberty of buying a few things for you. Your usual scruffy attire will not suffice when you're here, Nicole."
For a moment she glowered at him but then started to thumb through the assorted dresses.
"You shouldn't have, really." There was a hint of dislike in her voice. There wasn't a single one that she could imagine wearing.
"You are an incredibly fickle woman," he said wearily.
She laughed and shook her head, "No. I just know what I like. And this..." she held up a green belted dress, "I do not like."
"Suit yourself then," he shrugged again.
Putting the dress away, she resumed her prowling, but not for long.
Burke had stalked up behind her and said in a low, sultry purr, "You have a queen sized bed, as well."
Nicole quickly turned to face him and gasped in surprise. Her rounded cheeks sported a deep blush.
"I, um, saw," she muttered before slipping away and disappearing around a corner.
Burke struggled to not start heartily guffawing at her reaction. For a girl who was no stranger to sharing her bed with another, she was surprisingly easy to embarrass.
Eventually Nicole's head appeared from around the corner and she had an astounded look on her face.
"I have a bath?"
"Yes."
"I have a bath," she repeated breathily before a wide smile broke over her face and she dashed back into the bathroom.
"I have a bath!" she cheered and marvelled over the clean, white porcelain.
Burke casually leaned in the doorway and watched her circle the bath and run her hand over the rounded lip of the claw footed tub.
"All the penthouse suites have a radiation-free water source. We also have the luxury of both cold and hot water on tap."
Nicole's finger ran along the spout of the chromed taps and she licked her lips. It had been so long since she had been able to bathe properly that the thought of plunging herself into a scalding bath seemed an indulgent, erotic fantasy.
"Of course," he lazily drawled, "you realize all of this could have been yours long ago?"
Nicole tore her eyes away from the gleaming faucet and looked at Burke, "Perhaps, but at what cost?"
"Not as great a cost as you seem to think," he retorted.
Her lips pursed together and she shook her head, "You're wrong, Burke."
"I'm not here to argue about moral quandaries," he waved dismissively and moved towards her, again invading her personal space. "So are you satisfied with your accommodations?"
Nicole took a step back and nodded, "They're even better than Vault 101."
"Excellent," he said and closed the gap between them again. "Oh, there's just one more thing before I leave you to settle in, Nicole..."
Burke's hand struck like lightning and quickly reached out to firmly grab her jaw and pull her near.
Nicole had not been expecting this and she let out a yelp of surprise and pain
"Ow... let me go!" she whined while struggling to free herself from his surprisingly strong grip.
Burke smiled, enjoying the power he held over her and the fear he saw in her eyes.
Leaning down he whispered in her ear, "Now that you are under my employment, there is something that you must understand. I will not tolerate these ongoing power struggles. You work for me now, and as such I expect you to behave accordingly. If you even dare consider trying another stunt like you did yesterday or even put as much as a toe out of line, I can assure you that you will regret it. Do I make myself abundantly clear?"
"C-crystal," Nicole stuttered. A single tear streaked through the grime on her cheek.
Still holding onto her jaw, he moved back, gave her an insufferable grin and rumbled, "Excellent," before releasing her.
Nicole quickly took two steps back and pressed against a wall, her armour made a hollow clang as she did.
Burke turned away from her and paused long enough to look in a mirror so he could adjust his tie and straighten his hat.
"Tomorrow we will 'talk shop' as it were and decide on a strategy. Can you please try not to get yourself so drunk tonight that you will be of no use tomorrow?"
Warily she watched Burke and rubbed her jaw. She was too frightened to move and her breath came in ragged gasps. Nicole blinked the tears from her eyes and squeaked, "Yes."
"I'm sorry?" he turned and frowned at her.
"Yes... sir," her voice was barely a whisper.
"Good girl," he smiled smugly and then strode out of the suite, leaving her key on a shelf and shut the door behind him as he left.
Shocked and stunned by the sudden turn of events, Nicole slowly sank to the floor and started to tremble.
"Oh God..." she thought grimly, "what have I gotten myself into now?"
AN: Sorry for the short chapter, but no matter how I tried, anything I added after Burke's power play just sounded weak. I figured it was better to go out with a bang than a whimper so I ended it there. I also would like to say another thank you to all my readers, reviewers and followers. You all don't know how good it does me to know that people are enjoying what I've written, so thank you very much!