Fallout 2 - Navarro Ch. 02

Fifteen minutes later Kali poked her head out the door and sighed with relief when she saw that Dornan wasn't waiting outside. She made her way to Lab D, pushing everything out of her mind except her knew project. Kali considered the ability to be oblivious a wonderful thing. She could focus on one thing and not worry about anything else, like annoying officers.

"Somehow I knew you would disobey my orders," Dornan said from a chair he'd propped in the corner of the lab. The resulting shriek from the good doctor gave him a thrill.

"You scared the crap out of me you-" she couldn't think of anything nasty enough to call him.

"Now, Doc, I'm pretty sure I told you eight hours. It's been fifteen minutes." He held out his hand. "Come on."

"I'm fine," she said ignoring his hand. "I'm not tired."

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully as she went to her work table and picked up a project, tuning him out. He let out a sigh knowing there wasn't any help for it. He walked up behind her and bent down to speak quietly in her ear.

"You know, Doc, I was kind of hoping that you would use that big brain of yours and do things the easy way."

"I don't-"She didn't finish the sentence because Dornan turned her around and hauled her up onto his should like a sack of potatoes.

"Quiet!" He pinned her legs with a well muscled arm and gave her a hard smack on the ass. He started out the door and down the hallway.

"Son of bitch," she bit out, pounding at his back, until she realized that it wasn't doing her any good.

"Put me down," she said as they got into the elevator. He didn't answer her, and she got another slap on the ass for her trouble.

He made his way out of the base, onto the grounds, and headed for his quarters. All Kali wanted to do was bury her head in the ground. It was so humiliating to be carted through the entire base this way. Of course nobody commented or offered to help her because Dornan had them all cowed.

He finally dumped her onto his bed in his quarters, shutting the door with a quiet click. He stood over the bed, hands on hips, legs slightly spread, and stared down at her with unrelenting resolve in his ice blue eyes.

"I will give you ten minutes for a shower." He went to his locker and rummaged around until he found an old t-shirt. "You can sleep in this," he said tossing it to her.

"Sergeant-"

"Nine minutes." He went and sat at his desk, pulling out some paperwork to go over.

"Sergeant-"

"Eight minutes." He turned and looked at her. "If I get to five, then I'm just going to have to help you into the shower and I'm sure you don't want that."

He watched with satisfaction as she got of the bed, grabbing the shirt, and stomped off to the bathroom. She took longer than the ten minutes that he had allotted her, but he figured if she could bend a bit, then so could he. He grabbed her clothes while she was in the shower and locked them in his trunk, figuring that she wouldn't want to walk the entirety of the base in just one of his t-shirts.

"What did you do with my clothes?" Kali came out the bathroom, sat on the bed, and combed her hair.

"I put them in my trunk." He smiled wickedly. "I found your lock pick set too."

"You went through my pockets?!"

"Yep. The clothes are in my trunk, which is locked. The lock picks are in my desk, which is locked. And even if you were inclined to walk out it, the door is locked."

"Gee, Sarge, I guess I won't be going anywhere," she said sarcastically.

"Nope." He chuckled. "I'm a very light sleeper too."

Dornan headed for the bathroom and took the quickest shower of his life. He headed back in the bedroom and found her sitting at his desk, going over his paper work.

"You could-"

"No way, Doc. I won't tell you how to do your job and you don't tell me how to do mine." He pulled the papers out of her hand and shoved them in a desk drawer.

"Where are your clothes," she asked blushing.

"Out of respect for your presence little girl, I decided to sleep in my skivvies instead of naked."

"Naked?" she asked with an audible gulp. "Is that really a good idea? What if there is a drill or something?"

"Darlin, I spend all day cooped up in a suit of power armor. I think my body needs a little time to breath."

"I never thought of it like that."

"I guess you just didn't spend enough time in your own armor."

"I guess the base commander told you my history," she said with a sigh.

"Yes, he did." He let out a yawn. "No more talk. Get in bed."

"Where are you sleeping?" she asked eyeing the sparse room.

He turned and looked at the bed, then looked back at her.

"Then where am I sleeping?"

He turned and looked at the bed again, then looked back at her.

"I don't think so."

"You should know not to test me, Doc."

He scooped her out of the chair and dumped her on the bed. He flipped the lights out and laid down next to her and yanked the blanket over the both of them.

"This is so not appropriate," she said trying to slide out of the bed.

He rolled to his side and pulled her roughly against him. When she tried to scream his arms became a vice, holding her so tightly she could barely breath, let alone make any significant noises.

"If you scream, it'll hurt my ears," he told her in a quiet but firm tone. "That will make me kind of grumpy, and we don't want that. Do we?"

"No," she gasped out.

"So, I'm going to let you go and you're going to be a good girl. No getting out of bed and no screaming. Agreed?"

"Yes," she said and sucked in a deep breath as he let her go.

"You have pale skin," he said attentively. "You're going to have bruises."

"Mmm," she said noncommittally.

"Sleep," he told her firmly and she did just that.

Kali woke up to the smell of coffee. She sat up and saw Dornan sitting at his desk, filling out paper work.

"What time is it?"

"0600." He looked back at her for a moment then went back to filling out his forms.

"That means I slept for eight hours."

"Yes."

"I haven't slept for more than three hours at time for the last six months."

"Jason mentioned as much."

"Did you drug me?"

"No."

"You must be a miracle worker then."

"Maybe. Time to get moving," he said standing up and stretching. "I've already used the facilities. I'll give you fifteen minutes."

Kali took every one of the fifteen minutes he'd allotted her. She spent most of her time just standing under the hot shower, luxuriating at how refreshed she felt. She dressed in the clothes he left her, a grunt's uniform. How he ever found one in her size, she'd never know.

"Coffee?" He motioned toward the pot.

"No thanks. I'm not much for coffee."

"Huh." He shook his head. "I'm not even human until I've had half a pot."

"I found your power armor in your lab." He said and got up from his desk and motioned toward the chair, that he'd set her armor on. "I'll help you get it on."

"I need to get back to the lab."

"You're making my rounds with me today."

"But-"

"No buts, Doc. Today, you're a soldier and you'll take orders like one. Tomorrow I'll let you be an egghead."

"Yes, sir!" She snapped off a smart salute.

"You can call me Sergeant or Sergeant Dornan. Your choice."

"Sir is respectful."

"I work for a living. I won't be called sir."

"All right. It's your choice to make. Sarge." She winked at him.

Dornan shook his head at Kali's antics. She was in a good mood and obviously decided not to hold last night against him. He really didn't enjoy being so harsh with her. Dornan was of the opinion that women were rare and wonderful things, especially in post apocalyptia. And truth be told, if his dick could talk, it would call them goddesses.

She had constantly tried to snuggle with him in her sleep and no matter how many times he'd pushed her away she'd come back. Sleeping with her had played hell with his libido last night, but he had nothing if not self control. Of course it helped ease his mind that he'd promised himself that he would fuck the good doctor, sometime in the near future.

Kali dropped down to lay on Dornan's bed. She ached from head to toe. Dornan had so many responsibilities that she wasn't sure how he kept up day in and out.

Not to mention she had forgotten what it was like to wear power armor. The armor was a wonder and a burden at the same time. It completely encased a soldier from head to toe making you much less vulnerable to weapons fire. It was an enhancement to muscles so you could lift twice as much. And the helmet had quite a few goodies to including binoculars, auto targeting, and a navigation program, all of which responded to certain eye movements. On the down side Kali felt like she was trapped in a tin can, all day.

"You've got a shit eating grin on your face, Doc," Dornan said from his desk chair.

"I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed being a soldier."

"It may have put the gray in my hair, but I enjoy it too."

Kali looked over at Dornan and tried not to smile. She felt that the shock of gray in his black hair made him look even more handsome. She wasn't the only woman on the base who had noticed his classically handsome features.

"I wish it could have lasted a bit longer for me," she said wistfully.

"I've heard you've made some pretty significant advances in the technology you work with."

"Where I come from survival was important and brains didn't necessarily triumph over brawn." She looked at her small hands. "My father was a great warrior."

"A warrior? You're a tribal?"

"Yes. My father was the chief of out tribe. He taught me that my brains were okay, but they wouldn't let me survive in the waste, no matter how much I knew. I needed what he call "practical" knowledge. He was hard on me a lot, but I survived my childhood, fit and healthy. He wasn't one for giving praise unless it was earned."

"Maybe that's why you took so well to being a soldier."

"Yeah. I felt a wonderful sense of accomplishment when I showed the brass at the enclave that I deserved to join."

"I understand."

"Really?"

"More than you know, Doc." He shook his head ruefully. "Most people look at me and all they see is a big dumb brute."

"But you're not."

"Nope. I'm not only big, but I'm fast too. I'm also fairly intelligent. Not as brainy as you, but I can run circles around most people."

"I need a shower," she groaned and rolled off the bed.

"I'll let you have it first," Dornan said chuckling as he remembered his first few weeks in power armor.

"I need to go to my quarters, Sergeant Dornan."

"I don't think so, Darlin."

"You've made your point, Sergeant. I promise to get at least eight hours."

"Sorry, Doc. I can't trust you to walk by your lab and not have all the good intentions fly out of that brainy head."

She opened her mouth to argue with him and then thought better of it. She went to the bathroom, managed to get out of her armor, and got in the shower. He was probably right. She did tend to get caught up in her projects. Besides, if she was going to be completely honest with herself, sleeping with the Sergeant last night had been wonderful. He was big and warm and she felt wonderful, having just connected with someone.

"I left you some hot water," she told him, once again dressed in one of his t-shirts, he'd left on the sink for her.

She sat at his desk while he showered and pulled a pen and a blank piece of paper from one of the drawers. She had an idea for her latest project and since she had no access to her lab she might as well write down her thoughts.

Dornan came out of the bathroom and saw that Kali was asleep at his desk. As he got closer he saw that she had been writing notes and drawing what looked to be schematics.

He scooped her up out of the chair and she snuggled into his chest with a contented sigh. He laid her down and got in bed next to her and pulled the blankets over them. She cuddled up onto his shoulder and he lightly stroked her short brown hair. He could definitely get used to this.

Kali could have kissed Dornan when he led her to her lab in the morning. She'd had a breakthrough last night and was eager to implement her ideas.

"Eight hours, Doc." He watched her for a moment as she practically skipped around the lab, gathering materials.

Jason came by the lab several hours later to bring her some lunch. He stayed to make sure she ate all of it and listen to her report on her present project. He was very happy with the speed in which she was progressing. Dornan was obviously good for the girl.

"Let's go, Doc." Dornan said from the doorway. "Your eight hours are up."

"Five more minutes," she said hurrying to finish.

"You're not using that big brain, Doc." Dornan warned her.

She looked longingly at her project, then set it down on the table and started putting her tools away. She really didn't feel like being carried through the base again. And Dornan's approving nod just seemed to make everything worthwhile.

"So, Doc, you have a productive day?"

"You saw the commander."

"Oh, yeah."

"And what did he say?"

"He went on and on about how you were making so much progress, in such a short time."

"Really?'

"Yep. He also went on and on about how it was all my doing and how I'm such a miracle worker." He puffed his chest out a bit.

"Check the ego at the door, Sarge." She gave him a shove that didn't budge him at all.