Disclaimer: Nack the Weasel and other Sonic Characters are property of
their respective owners such as SEGA or Archie Comics. Dirk and Crystal
Echidna are m' own fan chars. Characters such as Calia and Lucrecia, Rocky
McCullen etc. belong to Daisy Hunt - LuckyLadybug66 and I always ask before
I use people's fan characters!
Welcome to the heart of the deep Jungle, The Amazon River neatly runs through the rain forest of the same name. It is a lush but murky place constantly under siege by heat, rain, or mists. It is a place of much life, and also of death. It is a place that few want to come to, but most never want to leave, provided the giant mosquitoes and Malaria don't kill you first.
Why would anyone come to this place? Despite its outwardly cruel appearance, there are many draws to the Rain Forest. First of all there's the exceptionally hard woods, and rare animals that dwell there. For others, it's the potential medical benefits of the many plants that can be found no where else in the world. It is also a prime producer of oxygen for life, a purifier of life. No matter who you are though, you should be struck at how awesome and beautiful the place is which survives on only a few inches of the richest topsoil on the planet. But if you were to visit, would you do the place harm, or not?
Let us back away from this pristine and perfect world, to a starkly different environment. See its shining towers and massive Sky Scrapers. Every building seems taller than the last, the streets are choked with cars, the sidewalks with people of all kinds. It's a busy place with a fast pace of life, and it shows, from the dutiful Businessmen yacking on their cell phones, to the punks on the corner with their spike hairdos playing their funky music full blast out of boom boxes while a pregnant woman tries desperately to flag down a Taxi. Every driver is foreign and few match the picture on the back of the seat. It is a vile repulsive mass of noise, and if you turn your back even in a good neighborhood your car might not be there when you look back, only its framework preserved. Welcome to the Big Apple, New York, New York.
Even this place is not without its budding life and beauty however. Mothers watch their children, families sit together for meals. People may be in close quarters in apartments, but they care for each other and their pets. They have hospitals and places of healing and renewal, churches, community centers, and so on. They make their living and go about their lives, perhaps in a different manner, yet not so unlike the Rain Forest.
So why come here? Well, because here, in New York, a Lavender and White Weasel Girl is dining at an outdoor Café. She is eating the best Spaghetti she's ever had with a side of garlic bread and a glass of Dr. Pepper to wash it down. Although she's alone, she's not afraid of anything on the streets - she's more dangerous than almost anything NY could throw her way. Who is she? Nic the Weasel, Bounty hunter extraordinaré, and this is why we are here, because this is her story.
*****
Now it begins, as the Bounty Hunting Weasel gets up to pay for her meal. A ring comes through on her Cell phone. The number isn't listed on her Caller ID, in fact, it doesn't look much like a number at all, but after groaning about being interrupted, she pounds the YES button and puts the phone to her ear. "What is it?!" She grumbles with all the attitude of a striking Baseball Player.
"Is this Nic the Weasel?" comes a distinctly male voice, however, it sounds distorted, probably someone who wants to keep their identity a secret.
"Yes this is Nic, Who the heck are you and how'd you get this number?" She demanded, not being a delicate flower, and quite fond of being direct and to the point about things.
"I have my ways." the voice replied with a chuckle. "Fact is, I would like to employ your services. You are a bounty hunter, are you not?"
"I am. What is it you want? I'm kinda' on a cell phone here so make it snappy." She tapped her fingers on the table. A waiter came by and placed a complimentary bowl of breadsticks on the table. Nic shook her head and sighed, just what she needed, she was already full. However, she did munch on one of the sticks waiting for the response.
"It's a bit hard to explain, I'll be faxing you photos of the Crysathorym Besilius, a type of Flora supposedly hidden deep within the heart of the Amazon."
"Excuse me? Come again? All I caught was that it's some kind of plant." Annoyed, she gulped down part of her drink, which now was just a bunch of ice cubes and highly watered down Dr. Pepper. Yuck.
"The Basilisk Chrysanthemum. The Stone Flower in Layman's terms."
"Okay, now you're starting to make sense, but why do ya' need it and what's in it for me?" Nic smiled slightly, starting to like the idea, especially as she caught site of the bill she was saddled with. Grudgingly she reached into her purse, yes she had one, and being off duty at the moment she carried it with her as closely as Nack brought his stetson with him everywhere he went.
"Ten thousand Dollars."
Nic Laughed and leaned back on the table, kicking her feet upon it, then feeling embarrassed as the Wait staff looked at her puzzled. Sheepishly she sat back down, but put an elbow up on the table and her head on her hand. "Fax me the info, I'll look at it tonight."
"I knew I could rely on you."
"Depending on what I see, I may tack on 'expenses'." Nic smiled coyly. The tables were all full around her, and since she was done with her meal and already paid, and grating on the Wait staff's nerves - she was escorted off the property. She kept from grumbling since she was on the phone at the time however.
"It is done." And with that, the phone hung up on the other end with a CLICK.
Nic put her phone back in her purse, ran her fingers through her hair, gathering herself back together, then turned to the Restaurateur and shouted "See if I ever eat in this Dump again!" After snorting that, she turned and walked down the street, ignored by all but the restaurateur and a few others with puzzled looks. After all, this was NY, strange stuff happens every day.
******
The rest of the day passed quickly, Nic walking the streets of the Apple , just takin' a day to be... Nic. Not that her hunter side would admit it, but she liked walkin' into the sweet shops and browsing the candies, or entering the malls and cruising through clothes. Maybe most of it she'd never dream of wearing, but she imagined maybe, someday, havin' a gal pal to shop with. Just someone to hang around and make jokes with all day, like about who would pay X $ for shoes with holes in them, or that feather hat that looks like it's only a few feathers short of a bird. Yeah, it'd be nice to have a buddy to talk to. Well, there was someone she almost could see as a friend, once...
She entered her room at the Hotel she was staying in - a lot nicer than most of the places her brother hung out at. As expected, there were a few pages FAXed to her waiting on the drop tray right behind the fax. Other than that, everything was as it should.
Nic sat back on a big comfy chair and leafed through the FAX. It described the flower, its probable location, maps, pay plan, everything but her employer's name. She was quite impressed, this was all laid out for her including a First Class reservation ticket on a Plane that would take her nearest her target. The only catch was that the Plane would leave in 12 hours. "Ug! What do these idiots think, that I can just pack up on a whim and leave?" she groaned. Then she grinned, she actually could just pack up and leave. She didn't really have a lot of stuff to haul around, yes it was possible.
"All right Niccie girl, you're gonna' have to move on this offer. Lessee, tack on a Thousand bucks how's that sound? Mm hmm, Instant activation of service fee." She chuckled to herself. "He must really want this flower quick... wonder why hmm." She got onto the phone and settled her bill with Management now, she'd get all kinds of trouble if she just skipped the country. Then again maybe not. Well, it might mess up her NY assignments, so that settled that.
****
After a good Night's sleep, Nic gathered up her few possessions, making sure everything was in order. Her cell phone batteries were recharged, her nap sack was full, and she'd even had time to pack a couple snacks for the trip, though First Class would offer a better meal than anything she could cook up herself.
She arrived at the busy Airport, arguing her way through the inspection gate - her Guns, lethal ammo or not, would be a sore spot. After about an hour of question Dodging and sweet talk, the guard let her by. *phew* that was the main thing she was worried about, after that, everything else got passed security except her bag of Doritos and Chiquita Bananas.
Finally she made it onto the Plane, keeping her ONE back pack, as was custom, on her lap! Sure it was a little bigger than standard, but she knew how many people arrived at their destination while their luggage went onto Borneo or Guam. Funny thing is, the person never makes it past their destination to say, Jamaica, while the luggage stays in California. One way or another, she was in first class accommodations and she liked it. She even got the window seat!
Overlooking water was good for the first 4 hours, but this was getting ridiculous. She was running out of things to do, and her Game Gear™'s batteries died 2 hours into the journey. 'Shoulda replaced those things' she grumbled to herself. There was a guy sitting next to her, no one she knew, maybe she could strike up a conversation with him.
As the plane ventured into its fifth hour, Nic spoke up out of boredom. "Hello." She said, with her gaze slightly tilted to the guy beside her. He was an echidna, tall and lanky, with Rose colored glasses perched on the end of his nose. His eyes were yellow, and his dreads were tipped yellow, otherwise he was a dark reddish brown. He wore a leather Jacket and generally had an intimidating look to him. Were she in a profession other than Bounty Hunting, Nic might have kept her mouth shut.
"Hi." He said, double checking to make sure she was the one who'd spoken first, pulling his glasses further to the tip of his nose if such a thing was possible, with his pointer finger which sported a pewter ring set with a square sapphire.
"Umm... Nice weather for a flight huh?" She said after a moment. 'How lame can you get, talking about the weather?' she grumbled inwardly.
"Better than where I'm headin'." He smiled, folding his magazine onto his lap and ready to give Nicolette all his attention.
"Where's that?"
"The Amazon, lotsa' rain there. You packed an umbrella?" he laughed.
"Me too." Nic nodded.
"Vacation?"
"Sort of" Nic lied.
"Mmm... I rather like exploring new places. It's good to get out once in a while." he said smoothly. "I admit to being something of a bookworm, but my work forces me to travel on occasion." he grinned.
"Yeah, I'm always moving this way and that for work." Which wasn't a lie at all.
"My dear, we haven't even been introduced yet." He said finally.
"Oh, right. My name's Nic. Short for Nicolette." She extended a hand. "Pleased to meet you Mr....?"
"Sier." he replied and shook her hand.
"Sier? That's a funny name."
The dark echidna let out another hearty laugh. "Oh is it now? No more than a girl named 'Nick'." He chuckled. "And just who started talking to whom?" he pushed his rose glasses over his topaz eyes giving them an eerie orange on pink look.
Nic blushed slightly. "Sorry." She put her elbow up on the edge of the window and looked out it, expecting the conversation was at an end.
"Simon." he said after a moment. "My Real name's Simon Belfonté."
Nic glanced back at him curiously. "Oh really?"
The two of them continued talking until the wee hours of dawn, as the Airplane landed at its destination. This place looked more like Los Angeles than the Amazon, but it was hot enough to be. It was the nearest city to the woods so it was natural that this would be their first stop. Nic's instructions also included a local Hotel for accommodations, and the number of several Tour groups and guides, she'd have to contact one of them to lead her into the Heart of the Amazon.
****
Sier hopped off the plane and met up with a group of other Echidnas seemingly as dark as he was. "Hello Sweety." a female echidna spoke up coyly. She was typical Echidna red with many colored bands around very short dreadlocks. She had a black heart tattooed on one cheek and a tear on the other.
"Sharpie, not now." He said as he approached the gang. "So what's the lowdown Lowdown?" he smirked.
The one called Lowdown was short and stocky, with a few more muscles than the other echidnas of the odd gathering were known for. He was brown with black hair, and oddly quiet. At long last, he spoke, "Nothing. Tek's the one with the answers."
Another member of the group was roused, this one nearly as tall, but somehow twice as lanky as their leader 'Sier.' Despite the heat, he was clad in a gray turtleneck sweater with overly large baggy sleeves that went past his hands. He looked like a shaggy ragged mess, a geek. If the ragged black mop hadn't crossed in front of his left eye one would notice it was metal, along with a plating on the side of his face, these were not normal edentata. He pulled up a laptop, and propped it on one hand while the other proceeded to type, his hands never seen as the baggy sleeves encased the keyboard neatly.
"Toby, quit showing off will you?" Simon said.
Tek stopped and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry boss. All right then. I made arrangements for us to join a travel group, under our proper names I might add." he pulled up the tour group's web site on screen and showed it to everybody. Nobody seemed amused but him.
"A tour group? But..." Sier grunts. "all right but we better be able to pull away from it so we can find that blasted flower. Nobody's forgotten their civilian names have they?" Sier queried his group.
"Logun" the burly one said.
"Toby p'shaw." Tek said, combing his black mop of hair with his fingers, which were just as hidden now as ever, just by black hair rather than his sleeves.
"Stethanie." The girl said vacantly.
"So what time does this thing leave anyhow?" Sier questioned.
*******
"Tomorrow, 8:30 AM sharp? Got it!" Nic hung the phone up and groaned. She almost slammed it down. All the personal guides listed were taken, and except for the Last Resort tour Group, it was her Last Resort, Oi what a day. Jet lag setting in, Nic decided to take... a little nap.
*****
8:15 AM the next day...
Nic arrived at the Bus Stop, it was the last road from or to civilization. Just a few feet beyond, were dirt paths which quickly became lost in the tangle of foliage. It would only be a little while now, and she would be on her way to the flower!
A few other people were gathered 'round the station, leaving with other Tour groups that Nic grimly recalled, had turned her down. Still, she'd determined she wouldn't let it get to her, and snickered recalling the little holes she'd put in the rear left tire of the Tour guide's jeep... awww. She glanced about, waiting on the spot for the rest of the group to show, she was the last one to sign up for the LR Tour, and it was a good thing too, they only allowed five people at a time!
8:17 AM
Two Echidnas arrived together, chatting away. One of them was tall, lanky, and most curiously wearing a long sleeve turtleneck sweater. The other one was a girl with a tattoo of a tear on one cheek and a heart on the other. "Aren't you hot in that?" Nic's mouth shot off before her brain caught up with her.
"Hmm? Well yeah, but I don't go nowhere without it." He smiled.
"We're waiting for the tour group." the girl added. She looked a little bit more sanely dressed, wearing a bandanna, a tank top, and Lara Croft brand khaki shorts. But she still looked out of place, like somehow she belonged to a street gang in NY.
"Me too. M' name's Nic." She offered a hand.
"Stethanie." She accepted and smiled. "He's Toby, he's a dork." She motioned to her comrade. Toby made no fuss about it, just smiling like a goof. Nic held out her rand to him, but he just shrugged. "Sometimes I wonder if he has hands." She shook her head and laughed.
8:22 AM
After a few minutes of talking, a short stacked Echidna with an attitude walked on the scene. Nic didn't know what to make of him, except that he was unearthly quiet. He identified himself as Logun and said nothing more.
8:23 AM
The Tour guide joined the four of us. He was a slinky looking small serval cat. Unusual breed of wild cat, very small too. "Hella'!" he smiled chipperly. "G'morning mates!"
"Uh..." nic looked dumbfounded. "An Aussie?"
"I maya' been Born right 'ere, but I was raised up in Sydney." he smiled. "I came back 'a course or else where else would I be? So what 'ave we here anyway? Group all assembled?"
"Not quite. There's only four of us." Nic said, "Weren't there supposed to be 5?"
"True 'nuff. Les' give 'em a few before we shove off." He smiled. He and Toby seemed to already have a connection - geek city.
8:29 AM
"Les' give 'em a few more minutes." the Tour leader said, as the minute hand ticked over to 8:30. "After all, this 'ere's the 'Last Resort' Tour Company. It's in the motto 'It's your last Resort so we'll wait for you - as a last resort!'"
8:49 AM
"Can we go yet?" Nic said impatiently.
"Nope. This 'ere's the Last Resort Tour Co. It's our Motto."
9:25 AM
"Can we get a move on?"
"Nope. This 'ere's the Last resort Tour Co. It's in our Motto!" Said with chipper tones.
10:45 AM
"Can we-"
"Nope. This 'ere's the Last Resort Tour Co. It's in our Motto!" he was seriously starting to annoy Nic, the other two didn't seem to mind.
11:12 AM
"Can we GET GOING before my brain boils from all this heat?!"
"Nope." came the slow droll.
"Let me guess... it's in the motto?" Nic groaned.
"Yep! Sure is lil' missy! 'Ow'd you guess?" he said earnestly.
12:52 PM
"I'm beginning to think the last bloke aint' gonna make it on time." the guide finally said.
"Really? Naawwww..... ya don't think do you!?" nic mocked. She was about to just pull her gun on him right then and there and tell him to guide them or else!
"Well, let's give 'im a few before we shove off. After all, this 'ere's the--"
"DON'T START WITH ME!" nic yelled.
"Don't start with what?" Simon said, walking onto the scene. Sier pushed his rosy glasses back into place, he was dressed in a long sleeve but cool button up cotton shirt instead of the leather jacket. "Sorry I kept you guys waiting."
Nic's steam suddenly cooled down as she got a good look at Simon. "Hey! You're the guy from the plane aren't you?"
"Yep." He smiled and nodded.
"What's this all about a plane?" Stethanie put in with a worried look, but it passed quickly.
"Oh, we met on the plane here, that's all Miss." He eyed Stethanie, but not quite as a stranger, and Nic was quick to pick up on that.
"Stethanie."
He smiled, "Name's Simon. Nice to meet you."
'Riiiiight, you two have never met? Why do I think this group's a sham?' Nic thought, watching Stethanie take Sier's hand uneasily. Whatever was up, she didn't figure the guide was in on it, he was far too dense.
"Oh well, les' get goin' now. Whoa! What a bunch of Didgery Doo! Look at the time, my my my my! Where 'as it all gone? Welp, this is the Last Resort Tour Company, so we better go - As a last resort!" With a speed that Nic hadn't seen til now, the lil tour guide hopped into a Jeep of his own, and motioned for the others to hop in the back. "We can't take it far but it'll getcha home before dark this baby will!" He smiled. "Everyone 'as signed this nice lil' waver ere' avent they?" the serval said looking to the others and holding up a piece of paper with so much writing on it, it was practically black.
"Uh... Waver?" Nic and Stethanie both put in at the same time.
"Oh nothin' big really, jus' says that if y'all wander off into the woods and getcha' selves into some deep didgery doo, that we, the Last Resort Tour Company, is not responsible. That is t' say, that we aint' responsible for scrapes, cuts bruises, falling into pits with sharp pungee sticks at the bottom, being mangled, or choked to death by wild loife, OR getting lost and/or dyin' in the deep Jungle." he smiled. "There's also a decapitation clause. Now, 'ooo all's going to sign?"
......
"Oh c'mon, it's not that bad! We aven't lost anyone in... three weeks!" He smiled absently.
"How often do people end up missing on this here tour?" Simon said doubtfully.
"Well... we only 'ave these tours every three weeks so... Ahh... Just c'mon n' sign the waver will you?" he blushed. "You all look loike responsible types. Yew won't go off doin' anything foolish like getting killed now will you?"
Toby signed the waver first, though even the guide seemed to marvel at how his hands never showed through even once. Logun signed with a grunt, followed by Stethanie, then Simon. Nic shook her head before adding her signature. After that, the Tour Group hopped on board with their questionable guide and had the bumpiest ride in history into the Amazon Jungle. Not more than 5 minutes later, the rocky road ended, and the fun began.
*****
"That's it?" Nic groaned, climbing out of the back of the jeep with her pack in tow.
"Keeyrect!" The Serval climbed out of the jeep, pocketed the keys and took his own pack. "From 'ere on, the terrain's too tough for this baby to hanldle."
"Then why didn't we start out walking to begin with?" Sier asked, gathering his own things, and brushing his hand against Stethanie's accidentally. Stethanie blushed slightly, but Nic couldn't tell if it was a 'happy accident', or just that she thought he was cute. To her, he was certainly the strangest Echidna she'd ever seen, but that dark mysterious part of him, that common sense and strength, attracted her to him, not that she'd admit it.
"Good Question. On your left," he said, completely blowing the question off, "You'll see a great Fig Tree! many of these exist in the world, but none I wager, of this magnitude... End to end, you could 'ave 5 tree huggers fingertip to fingertip round it and still not reach!"
"I get the feeling this guy's a little brain dead." Nic whispered to Sier.
He laughed lightly and replied, "I think that's an understatement. But at least we're on our way."
The tour continued for two solid hours of walking, with relative disinterest had by all. Nic checked the map she'd been supplied with a few times, and indeed, they were painstakingly headed toward the grove of the Basilisk Chrysanthemums. It wouldn't have been so bad if Mr. Didgery wouldn't stop every two and a half steps and make a comment on the surrounding trees which look just like the trees behind them.
"Do you think there's any pretty flowers up there?" Stethanie asked with a smile.
"Quoite so!" Didgery replied cheerily. Didgery wasn't his real name probably, but he was a real didgery doofus.
"What Kind?" She said sullenly.
"Oh all kinds! We gots kinds that makes fruit, and thems that doesn't. We gotcha' exotic and rare fruits, some a' which, the loikes might be poisonous to you or I! The Canopy is just bloomin' with loife!" He continued walking on with his lecture, you could see how the group could get separated from their leader - the absent minded bloke that he was.
"The Canopy?" And for the first time, Nic actually bothered to look up for a change. "My goodness!" She exclaimed. Now she realized that the forest floor was the poorest place for a tour to take place. All the action was taking place topside! Having lost her focus for a moment, she backed into Sier accidentally. "oops!"
Sier laughed. "Are you all right m'lady?" He said, helping Nic back onto solid footing. Stethanie looked on with contempt, no, jealousy. Nic was sure of that now, Stethanie had something with Sier and didn't like anyone interfering in that. Outwardly though, Sier had shown nothing but a cool complexion.
"Sorry about that. yeah, I'm all right." Nic nodded to him and paced herself on up ahead next to Mr. Didgery.
Stethanie fell in step with "Simon" and growled lowly. "What do you think you are doing?"
"Sharpie, I told you, not now." He said softly. He adjusted those rose colored glasses, til she stole them out of his hands. "Gah!" his eyes were suddenly flooded with pure, untainted light, and it was something his photosensitive eyes simply couldn't handle.
"Yew all right mate?" Didgery shot back, and Nic looked on, confused over what happened.
Stethanie held the glasses behind her back, looking as innocent as she could. "He just lost his glasses, that's all." The cruel smile of sweet revenge twisted on her lips..
Sier grumbled something and shielded his eyes, until he managed to snag them back from Sharpie. "Yeah... they just fell on the ground, I got 'em now." He grumbled something more and perched them back on his nose. Through his mechanically altered vision, the forest was one big green blur with entirely too much light for his photosensitive eyes to handle, the rose tint glasses edged just enough of that away as to see things like a normal echidna. When everyone's back was turned, he grabbed Sharpie sharply by the arm and whispered into her ear, "Don't you EVER try another stunt like that again! You hear me?" Sharpie nodded slightly. "Good, we break away from this bone brain at the next rest stop. Can you keep from blowing your cover til then?" Sharpie Shuddered but nodded, the one thing she couldn't stand - was disapproval.
****
"Are we going to get a chance to see the canopy?" Nic asked after a long silence.
"Up there?" Didgery glanced. "Well, Oi Don't sees why not, cept it's a might dangerous."
"Like having you for a tour guide isn't?" Logun said for the first time since the tour began. He had a gruff voice that meant no nonsense.
"Well.. 'course y' did sign that waver. I wonder if it covers breaking yer' neck from falling from a great height... hmmm..." He mumbled to himself and looked over the Last Resort Standard issue Contract. "Well, if it's all the same to you then, I s'ppose we moight."
"Sounds like Fun." Steth smiled sweetly.
"Arright then, well, that could explain why there's climbing gear in yer servival packs."
"There IS? All this time and we've been getting bruised n' blistered here on the ground?" Nic sounded, enraged.
"Yep"
****
Nic started hanging back from the group. Now, more than ever, she examined the map she was given when she accepted the job. It wouldn't be much good, except that she could hear water near by, must be the Amazon River. that was her focal point, that and the bus station, and from there, the Valley of the Basilisk would be close at hand.
They came to their camp site as evening sun began to touch the treetops. Nic and Stethanie took turns questioning Mr. Didgery . The querry started over the climbing gear, then about the general forest its self. "What could hurt us up there?" What can't? And, can we get away from you Mr. Didgery Doo?
"This 'ere Jungle's all sorts of dangerous ladies."
Both of them rolled their eyes. Nic had a seat on a fallen tree, that was wide as she was tall. She watched and waited patiently, the Basilisk flowers only grew on one little cropping of trees and it was only a couple miles away. Now to break away from th group, she thought, although she had doubts this was a standard tour, and she was right.
Tek was relaxing, having a seat right on the leaf covered ground crawling with gawd knows what - ewww. He had his laptop computer on his lap, and busily proceeded to type on it, as glows from the screen reflected on his face. That was when she noticed the glint of metal from behind his long black bangs. 'This is weird, I know we're enemies, just wish I knew what they're after.' Nic thought.
Observation just convinced her more and more that the group of echidnas were not strangers, and their intentional distance from each other was one of the tip-offs. they were beginning their scheme too, the only one not in on it was the very clueless guide. Well, Didgery Doo would have to fare by himself, the time for action had come.
"I'm gonna' go get some kindling for a fire!" Nic announced, and with a smile, she waved and left the group. She didn't need to make up such a lame excuse, but the echidnas had been watching her, she felt it. She and Stethanie were the same in their line of questioning too, it was far too complimentary.
"We should leave." Logun said, observing the weasel leaving.
Sier nodded, "That valley isn't far away... Let's just take care of clueless first."
****
Nic put on her climbing gear and made her way to the top of a nearby tree. "Yowza!" She had to shield her eyes when she came out on top it was so bright. She shook her head, "Poor sap, I wonder how many people he's taken on tours that have missed all this?"
Indeed, the canopy was the heart of the jungle, no other place was so teaming with life. Up here there were flowers, fruits, animals.... killer insects. SWAT! She looked at the picture of the Basilisk Chrysanthemum, but the flowers in sight didn't match. "Oh well, time to play Jane, look out Tarzan, here I come!"
The branches were almost all interconnecting with different trees, it was a jungle highway. It was solid too, there were very few times Nic didn't feel dure footed. The only thing creeping into her mind was how the sun was fading quickly, it would be night soon.
****
"Hey 'ay lads, lassies! C'mon, don't leave me 'ere all alone!" Mr. Didgery cried, tied to one of those trees he'd been talking about all day.
"You're sure the weasel's gone?" Simon said. Everyone had dropped their guise in the meantime, none of them were there on anything that looked like a vacation.
"She's gone Sier." Stethanie said plainly.
"She's after something, I know she already suspects the same of us." Sier put a hand on his hip, and since it was growing dark, he lowered his rose glasses. His eyes were gold reflective pools, and the darker it got, the more the whites of his eyes began to glow a luminous green. "If we meet her again Lowdown, you know what to do."
"Yes boss." The one called Logun said. From his pack he pulled out some weapons and passed them around, keeping a particularly nasty high tech riffle for himself.
"Holy Cow am I in deep Didgery doo! Sheeza' louise! You guys're all freaks!"
Toby/Tek laughed, and his hair flopped away from the left side of his face, revealing sinister metal plating. His left eye was a gold target + with a gold circle around it, rather free floating over a green-black grid- like eye. "We could say the same about you, bloke." Didgery passed out as Toby's sleeves were rolled up for the first time - his arms and hands were all metal. He interfaced with his computer, and a holographic projection grid lit up before him.
"How far to the Basilisk's grove?" Sier said, glancing around for any signs of Nic.
"It's here" A red target akin to his eye focused on a part of the holographic map. "Not more 'n two miles."
Sier nodded. "Sharpie? You and Tek go on ahead. If you find that girl Nic, kill her. Otherwise, secure the flower."
"Tek? But he's not..." Sharpie began.
"Logun and I have to take care of the weapons."
"Yes sir!" She saluted, and raced off, with Tek on her heels.
****
'I wonder why they call it Basilisk Grove...' Nicolette thought to herself as she continued through the treetops. At last, she came across a patch of trees in a strange circular form. The bark on the trees was a stone gray, very fitting she thought. The flowers were polished white like pure marble.
She stopped a moment and compared the plants to the picture she had in hand. "Yep, this must be the stuff. Well this wasn't so hard." She swung on one of the sturdy vines over to the best looking flower she saw, and was about to clip it when....
"Sss---sss-STOP!"
"Eh?" Nic glanced over her shoulder. "What the!?"
Maybe this was the reason it was called Basilisk Grove. All around Nic, there were little pale gray lizards that blended magnificently with the trees. In the center of the grove was another lizard, with a very feminine form, she had piercing pale white eyes, but she was enormous, towering easily 7 feet high, as compared to the typical Mobian 3-4' stature. A Monster. "This was NOT in the Job description!"
Quickly she leafed through her papers, until she found one that had been stuck to the others. "Oh great... So you're a basilisk?"
"What was your firssst clue?" she hissed. Nic could see statues in the trees, statues of Mobians and Man who had tried to claim the basilisk flowers for themselves. "You're intruding on our sssspace."
"All I need is one lousy flower and I'll be out of your hair, so chill!" She drew her gun and fired it off, bringing a double meaning to her words. The monster was quick and managed to avoid the ice shot, that instantly froze the better part of a branch and one basilisk creature on it.
"Sss.... Your kind are not to be trussssted." She launched herself up the tree, nearly knocking Nic off her branch, but she managed to grab hold of a higher one and swing up onto it. Only trouble with the specialized bullets was having to reload every time one was fired.
"My kind? I see you have sooo many visitors!" Nic mocked, reloading an ice bullet, glancing with mild fear at all the statues, frozen in their last fearful moments of life.
"What do you want witch? Immortal life? That's the ussssual." The Basilisk hissed and snapped the branch which Nic had been standing on like a twig with her claws.
"What are you talking about? I just want one of those durn flowers! There's enough of em!" Nic retorted, grabbing a vine as she fell off her post, She looked around quickly, Miss Basilisk was quick, and alreday prepared to shred the vines around them both. Aim quickly and...!
****
"Sier?" Sharpie called over a comm unit.
"I read you Sharpie, what's all that commotion in the background? Did you find Nic the Weasel, or the Basilisk flowers?"
"Sure did Boss. And then some, Apparently the flowers are guarded BY a Basilisk!"
Silence reigned for a moment, "Forget the weasel, we'll be there in a minute. Observe the fight, if the Basilisk wins, kill it, if the weasel wins, finish her. Othwrwise, secure a Basilisk Chrysanthemum ASAP"
"Yes sir." Communications were severed, and Sharpie turned to Tek next to her. "Ready your weapons, we're in for a fight."
****
The Ice blast spread out and showered a half dozen unsuspecting mini basilisks and branches they were on. However, it missed its true target, and Nic found herself face to face with the Queen of them all. She clung to the vine like an ape, with one hand on the vine, and the other powerful arm limp at her side, while her feet held the rope like an extra set of hands. She sneered at Nic and laughed. "Little meat pie, if you're here, surely you know what I mean."
"I'm... rather afraid I don't." Nic cursed herself out mentally for not having more backup than this. Having to hold onto this vine was enough of a problem for her, her feet were slipping, and she very well couldn't reload her gun like this.
"Silence wretch!" She slashed a clawed hand across Nic's face, causing her to scream, and even if she hadn't let go of the vine, it was severed below where the basilisk was holding on.
"NO!" Nic began to fall, and there was nothing nearby to grab onto, she was sure she was going to fall to her doom. And then... SNATCH, something grabbed hold of the back of her shirt and pulled her back onto a solid branch. Nic was on her hands and knees looking down, and she could hear herself breathing hard. "T-thanks... whoever you are..." She brushed her fingers through her bangs , pushing them back into her hairstyle. It was a long way down...
"Not a problem. I can't kill you jussst yet." The voice behind her laughed and chuckled.
"Basilisk!?" Nic whirled around, and indeed the large beast woman was standing there, grinning down at her. "Why?"
"You're already doomed." She cackled, pointing to where her claws had br+oken Nic's skin. Nic held a hand to the side of her face, but instead of her soft smooth fur,the wound felt hard like... "You ssseee, thessse flowers can reversse my sssstone poison. In fact They can ssstop ssskin from aging, rejuvenate it. Ssso your ssalvation iss nearby. But, my children are hungry, and if they get you before you get your cure... Well... I can't be held resssponsible now can I?"
Again, Nic looked over the grove. There must have been more than a hundred of those miniature basilisks nearby, all of them hissing and guarding patches of flowers. Each one showing their pearly white teeth.
The Basilisk put a hand on Nic's shoulder, "Of coursse my dear, you can alwaysss accept your fate, like all the othersss did." And her other hand waved passed Nic to the human and Mobian statues. "Oh, and one other thing..." She grabbed the bounty hunter's gun and neatly snapped it in half.
The Lavender weasel glared at the Basilisk, "I don't feel like dying today." she growled. Even without her gun, she was more than that wasn't she? She checked her pack over really quick, and found a grappling hook and rope. The Basilisk disappeared, probably back into the deep jungle, expecting her offspring to take care of the weasel.
On the ground, Tek and Sharpie were joined by Lowdown and Sier. "Report!" Was the first thing out of the leader's mouth.
Sharpie turned to Sier and nodded, "The Basilisk Queen just left, but there's a whole buncha' little ones up there with the flowers. The Hunter is still alive, but... I'm not sure who really won."
"Fine. Lowdown, Tek? You two start planting the explosives."
"Affirmative" They both nodded and went about their business.
"Sir, if she Does survive..."
Sier tossed a grappling hook up himself and secured his climbing gear. "You know the orders as well as I do. Take ONE flower, destroy all the others. It'll take ten years for even the seeds to mature into blooms."
"Yes Sier." She said, gathering up her own climbing gear. "But the Bounty hunter can't be of consequence to us. We don't even know who hired her, she could be an ally."
"Where's that coming from miss? Getting soft?"
"No sir, these basilisks could pose a problem, that's all."
"Not if you know how to deal with stupid animals." He said, arming his own weapon, a more lethal one than a simple ice blast.
Nic ran to the edge of the branch and jumped off, swinging from her rope like Tarzan the Ape man. "Ye-haw! Brother, Indiana whatsis, eat your heart out!" She cried coming at a couple of the lizard creatures. they were almost like vicious dog things, they were about that size and very fierce with knifelike teeth, nothing like their Queen. She thought to herself, that she was happy to be a weasel, there wasn't anything pretty about these cold blooded savages. She kicked the first one in the jaw, and the other one snapped at her hand, buts he managed to dodge. Gaining her balance quickly, she backhanded the beast and caused it to fall from its perch.
"Nothin' to it.." She said, grabbing the largest flower in the cluster. She crushed it into her hand, making a paste with it, and wiping it across her cheek. Instantly, she could feel the furry texture come back to her. As she grabbed for another bloom, three of the beasts knocked into her from the side. "NO!"
She barely had time to grab back onto the rope she used to swing to that branch, but she caught it, nearly suffering rope burn in the process. Two of the beasts had fallen, but the third one was clingin' onto her back and slobberin' eww.... and she could feel its hot breath on her back. "Get ofF!" She yelled and tried to bat at it - I might add that whatever that slobber was, it turned into little stone drops when it hit its target. The Purple n' white weasel then thought of something real quick, and using the momentum from their fall, she swung the rope forward to the nearest tree, which was coming up quick! If she twisted at just the right time, that thing would be smashed up against the tree, if she was too late or too soon, it'd be HER bein' crushed against the big tree trunk.
-SLAM!- The thing gave a piteous whimper, and as Nic's vine slowly swung back to the center, the animal fell and disappeared into the branches below.
"Clip the flower!" Sier ordered, holding off the Basilisks with whip and Laser. Sharpie took the biggest brightest bloom, and secured it in Sier's pack before they climbed down together.
"Rats... I still need one of those Flowers..." Nic grumbled to herself. She was gently swaying in the center of the grove by her rope, and thinking she should exercise a bit more, her arms feelin' tense and tired.
What worried her more than her arms giving out perhaps, was that the basilisks were quickly disappearing, but where? The branch supporting her grappling hook suddenly bowed. "YOW!" She looked up... there were a half dozen of those things up there, snarling at her and dripping their venom. Below her wasn't much better, the branches there were teaming with the rest of the hungry 'children' each one, anxiously waiting to snap her to bits. "This is not my day..." She groaned.
"Tek, NOW!" Sier yelled as he and Sharpie reached the bottom. The Technogeek hit a button, and suddenly there was a roar of explosions as each one of the bombs blew up.
Well, the bounty hunter didn't have to worry about goin' down, she'd see the floor soon whether she wanted to or not! Her rope jerked forward as the great tree supporting her snapped under the explosive force. A roar of fire shot up the trees behind, her, as she grabbed hold of a now closer branch. The basilisks fell one by one off the branch, and those that still clung to it scampered for higher ground, no longer concerned with their meal.
Nic tried to withdraw her grappling hook, but it was no use, it was stuck! She had an even bigger problem now, those must have been some sorta high explosives, cause the trees were catching fire like they were match sticks. 'My job!' she thought angrily, and tried to reach for one, only to find the plant catch on fire before she could remove it. "No!" Self preservation is a powerful instinct, and that took over after a minute of failed attempts.
She launched herself, like the lizards, onto higher and higher branches as she could, just barely staying ahead of the flames. She knew that was no accident, and as she slid down a fallen tree like a slide, she could see why ahead of her. 'They must have been after it too. Those rats... Don't care who they work for, they're not collecting on MY bounty!'
*****
"What about the weasel?" Sharpie Asked, running alongside her leader.
"If the lizards didn't get her, the flames did. No one could survive that, right Lowdown?" He simply grunted response.
"Sharpie, don't worry about it, Lowdown's the best weapons and pyro technician you could ask for." Tek said with confidence.
"Guess again!" The weasel's voice rang, just as she pulled tight a vine like a tripwire between two trees. She laughed as they all stumbled over each other, with Sier on the bottom. "Now which one of you has my bounty?" She said, standing over the dog pile, arms crossed, eyes narrowed into angry slits.
"You survived!" Sier grunted.
Lowdown made a grab for her, being the slowest on team, and the heaviest, he'd been on top of the pile. However, Nic was quicker than that and fully prepared for that, kicking him in the metal jaw and sending him flying back onto the floor. Tek might have grabbed her up, but for the fact Sier showed an unusual amount of strength bucking him AND Sharpie off. "She's mine!" he grumbled.
"Fighting a lady? How sportsman like, and oh, you have a gun too! How noble" Nic mocked.
"I don't need these to take care of YOU." He snorted. He and Nic, both with backpacks on, started a rough n' tumble fist brawl. He couldn't have known how many fights Nack had gotten into with his sister, or how many of those he'd lost to her. Underestimation of ones' enemy often proves to be folly. "You're not half bad for a girl..." he snorted, getting in a good kick to her midsection.
"Mmph... Funny, I was about to say the same about you!" She lunged at him, and the two continued the fight. The Flames of the Basilisk grove were behind them, lighting up the arena, and for a moment, that light bothered Sier's eyes. Nic caught that and gave him a right jab while she had the chance.
In anger, Sier raised both his fists and clubbed the girl on the head, "You brat! You little....!" Nic went down, falling limply to the forest floor. His anger turned to a cruel smile, having emerged the victor. He laughed.
"Finish her now Boss?" Lowdown said, itchin' to do more than watch.
"No." Sier brushed his yellow tipped bangs aside and laughed again. "She'll be out for hours, by then, we'll be back on the Floating Island safely. Back with the Legion. I'd rather leave her here with her humility of failure, and have her live with that, than simply kill her now. Let's Go." He smiled darkly, and the Legion left the Amazon for good.
****
A few hours later, under the cool of the night sky, rain fell in the Jungle. It quenched the last of the fire, and stirred the lavender and white weasel laying on the ground. "Oooohhh my head..." She groaned, rolling over onto her belly.
She reached behind her and she could feel her pack, good, it was still there. She smiled and sat up, pulling the pack off her back. Everything she needed was in it, grappling hook, new very high quality Stun Gun which she placed in her holster, canteen of water, rations, and the Basilisk Chrysanthemum. She smiled brightly. 'It worked.' She thought. In her scuffle with Sier, she'd noticed their two backpacks looked exactly alike, so it wasn't too hard, in the mayhem that followed, to simply switch them. Now, to visit her employer.
*****
The Dark Legion's camp was bustling with activity when the Private plane landed. Sier and his company filed out, donning their legion Robes. Sier himself went into one of the larger, more lavish tents, after getting passed the guards.
"I see you've returned." Came a female voice, slow and cruel. It was Lien Da, also known a Kommissar to the others in the Legion. She was Kragok's sister, and second in command of the Legion, even now, when Demitri himself has returned to power. She had curly reddish bangs and red fur like normal echidnas, and dressed in a yellow gown, unlike the Legion black robes.
"I have, my lady." Sier stepped forward and knelt before Kommissar.
"Rise Sier. What news of your mission?" She insisted, her green eyes piercing.
Sier rose to his feet, and looked her straight in the eyes, his gold to her green. His glasses hung precariously on his fingertips at his side. "Failure, m' Lady."
"Failure? How so?" Lien Da insisted, but somehow she didn't seem angry, he expected her hand upon his face, or something worse.
"We retrieved the flower as ordered, and burned all the others, but there was a Bounty Hunter. She stole the flower." He looked down at the ground. "I am ready to accept my punishment."
Lien Da laughed, "My my... I see. I see..." She smiled wickedly, and stepped down from her throne and walked around her soldier, looking him over thoughtfully. "I won't punish you for your failure, you've always been my most loyal soldier Sier. May I speak freely with you?"
He eyed her warily, then nodded. "Of course, Kommissar."
"That bounty hunter troubles me not, that flower's probably already being used by whoever for their own needs."
Sier nodded. "You don't seem surprised, or shocked. Without it, Great Demitri will die you realize?"
"Of course I do! I'm no fool." Now, she sounded more sinister, like her true nature, and chuckled. "That's exactly why I wanted the flower in my hands. Whoever controls that, controls the fate of the Legion's Sire." She paused thoughtfully and glanced at her seat of power. "I'm not satisfied with second place Simon. Kragok had malice, and he lead us with cruelty, unlike our soft hearted WEAK father. Demitri is similar in his rage, but he obsesses over the newest of the guardians - Knuckles. I, with my head out of the clouds, would make us great. We would take what is rightfully ours, no questions asked!"
Sier nodded, and when no further speech followed, he spoke up, "So you wanted to force him to give up power. How can you be sure I wouldn't turn you in for such traitorous thinking?"
Kommissar smiled, "As I said, you've always been my most loyal. You have brains, and looks, and character beyond other echidnas here. That's also why I created your little group of 'Over Siers' you know? You bring only the best members into the legion, and all of them are MINE to command." She laughed wickedly. "Ahh..." She sighed, "Now I'll just... have to tell my Dear Grandfather Demitri... he's going to die..." She feigned concern.
****
Lien Da entered a Tent only slightly bigger than her own. A Red carpet was placed down the center of it, with a small set of steps leading to a wicked metal throne. That was the seat of power she lusted after, and all other decorations in the room escaped her. "Come." Came the metallic hiss from the wretched creature seated on the throne.
Since being stripped of his emerald powers, Demitri's body had been decaying. It had gone so far, that he was so much a cyborg, he could almost be a robot. Almost. What remained of him however, was withering and sickly. The Basilisk flower, if legends spoke true, could truly revitalize him, make him healthy and strong, and exponentially slow his aging process. All he'd thought of since his death was predicted, was delaying it. "What news have you Lien Da?"
She put on her most concerned look, and pitiful expression. Her attempt at crocodile tears helped matters, as well as the job she did of messing up her perfect bangs before lifting her head to him. "I'm sorry Master Demitri, the mission was a failure."
"I see..." He said softly. "What, if I may ask, went wrong?"
"A bounty Hunting weasel got there before us. She took what she wanted and destroyed the rest. There are no more Basilisk Flowers." She said nonchalantly.
"I see..." He said grimly.
"I'm so sorry Great Demitri!" She said, with as much sincerity as she could muster. "I know, it was your last hope for survival... I only wish there was something I could do." She pretended to pout, and looked away from her ancestor before she could break into a fit of laughter.
"Your grievance moves me." Demitri said flatly, as if he didn't quite believe it. "But, I never put all my eggs in one basket." He smiled slightly.
"Sir?" She looked up at him, in honest puzzlement.
At that moment, there was a commotion outside the tent, and the guards tried keeping the girl from getting passed, the weasel girl. "OUT OF MY WAY!" She demanded, and smacked the hand holding her back away, and then grabbing another one of the Echidnas by the dreadlocks, slammed him onto the floor. She wiped her hands and stood on the back of the KOed one on the floor. Grunt. "Much better!" She smiled.
As more Guards started to come through, Demitri put up a hand and stood up. "Stop!" he commanded. "Let her pass!"
Nicolette flipped her hair back and stepped up to the throne. "Thanks. So, you're the one who hired me?" She looked up at the wrinkly cyborg Echidna, who nodded in turn. "My Payment please?"
"As you wish." He hissed, and a stronger, younger Echidna beside him threw a bag on the ground. It wasn't tied tight, and from the opening, Nic smiled at the many sparkles of diamonds and rubies. "There's far more than $10,000 worth of jewels in there, but I assumed from our little talk, that you would be adding on expenses." He smiled.
"Excellent. And here's my part of the deal." She smiled, pulling out the Basilisk flower and handing it directly to Demitri himself.
It quickly registered with Kommissar what had happened. It was all she could do, to keep from ordering the weasels' death right then and there. No, it was too soon to show her traitorous nature, if she would ever have such a chance again.
"I feel you will be a very good leader for the Legion some day my child, but I'm not quite ready to die yet." He said, watching the bounty hunter leave, unscathed with her payment. "Your team didn't quite make the cut it seems."
"They were not my best mercenaries." She excused, startled and dumbfounded at being shown up.
"Then learn from me, only chose the best." He smiled cruelly.
"But... but... that was only.. one weasel." She said softly to herself.
Demitri laughed and slapped his knee, then giving a wheeze of a cough showing his age. "No, my dear... That was Nic The Weasel, second only to her brother as Bounty Hunters, if she is not indeed his equal."
THE END.
Welcome to the heart of the deep Jungle, The Amazon River neatly runs through the rain forest of the same name. It is a lush but murky place constantly under siege by heat, rain, or mists. It is a place of much life, and also of death. It is a place that few want to come to, but most never want to leave, provided the giant mosquitoes and Malaria don't kill you first.
Why would anyone come to this place? Despite its outwardly cruel appearance, there are many draws to the Rain Forest. First of all there's the exceptionally hard woods, and rare animals that dwell there. For others, it's the potential medical benefits of the many plants that can be found no where else in the world. It is also a prime producer of oxygen for life, a purifier of life. No matter who you are though, you should be struck at how awesome and beautiful the place is which survives on only a few inches of the richest topsoil on the planet. But if you were to visit, would you do the place harm, or not?
Let us back away from this pristine and perfect world, to a starkly different environment. See its shining towers and massive Sky Scrapers. Every building seems taller than the last, the streets are choked with cars, the sidewalks with people of all kinds. It's a busy place with a fast pace of life, and it shows, from the dutiful Businessmen yacking on their cell phones, to the punks on the corner with their spike hairdos playing their funky music full blast out of boom boxes while a pregnant woman tries desperately to flag down a Taxi. Every driver is foreign and few match the picture on the back of the seat. It is a vile repulsive mass of noise, and if you turn your back even in a good neighborhood your car might not be there when you look back, only its framework preserved. Welcome to the Big Apple, New York, New York.
Even this place is not without its budding life and beauty however. Mothers watch their children, families sit together for meals. People may be in close quarters in apartments, but they care for each other and their pets. They have hospitals and places of healing and renewal, churches, community centers, and so on. They make their living and go about their lives, perhaps in a different manner, yet not so unlike the Rain Forest.
So why come here? Well, because here, in New York, a Lavender and White Weasel Girl is dining at an outdoor Café. She is eating the best Spaghetti she's ever had with a side of garlic bread and a glass of Dr. Pepper to wash it down. Although she's alone, she's not afraid of anything on the streets - she's more dangerous than almost anything NY could throw her way. Who is she? Nic the Weasel, Bounty hunter extraordinaré, and this is why we are here, because this is her story.
*****
Now it begins, as the Bounty Hunting Weasel gets up to pay for her meal. A ring comes through on her Cell phone. The number isn't listed on her Caller ID, in fact, it doesn't look much like a number at all, but after groaning about being interrupted, she pounds the YES button and puts the phone to her ear. "What is it?!" She grumbles with all the attitude of a striking Baseball Player.
"Is this Nic the Weasel?" comes a distinctly male voice, however, it sounds distorted, probably someone who wants to keep their identity a secret.
"Yes this is Nic, Who the heck are you and how'd you get this number?" She demanded, not being a delicate flower, and quite fond of being direct and to the point about things.
"I have my ways." the voice replied with a chuckle. "Fact is, I would like to employ your services. You are a bounty hunter, are you not?"
"I am. What is it you want? I'm kinda' on a cell phone here so make it snappy." She tapped her fingers on the table. A waiter came by and placed a complimentary bowl of breadsticks on the table. Nic shook her head and sighed, just what she needed, she was already full. However, she did munch on one of the sticks waiting for the response.
"It's a bit hard to explain, I'll be faxing you photos of the Crysathorym Besilius, a type of Flora supposedly hidden deep within the heart of the Amazon."
"Excuse me? Come again? All I caught was that it's some kind of plant." Annoyed, she gulped down part of her drink, which now was just a bunch of ice cubes and highly watered down Dr. Pepper. Yuck.
"The Basilisk Chrysanthemum. The Stone Flower in Layman's terms."
"Okay, now you're starting to make sense, but why do ya' need it and what's in it for me?" Nic smiled slightly, starting to like the idea, especially as she caught site of the bill she was saddled with. Grudgingly she reached into her purse, yes she had one, and being off duty at the moment she carried it with her as closely as Nack brought his stetson with him everywhere he went.
"Ten thousand Dollars."
Nic Laughed and leaned back on the table, kicking her feet upon it, then feeling embarrassed as the Wait staff looked at her puzzled. Sheepishly she sat back down, but put an elbow up on the table and her head on her hand. "Fax me the info, I'll look at it tonight."
"I knew I could rely on you."
"Depending on what I see, I may tack on 'expenses'." Nic smiled coyly. The tables were all full around her, and since she was done with her meal and already paid, and grating on the Wait staff's nerves - she was escorted off the property. She kept from grumbling since she was on the phone at the time however.
"It is done." And with that, the phone hung up on the other end with a CLICK.
Nic put her phone back in her purse, ran her fingers through her hair, gathering herself back together, then turned to the Restaurateur and shouted "See if I ever eat in this Dump again!" After snorting that, she turned and walked down the street, ignored by all but the restaurateur and a few others with puzzled looks. After all, this was NY, strange stuff happens every day.
******
The rest of the day passed quickly, Nic walking the streets of the Apple , just takin' a day to be... Nic. Not that her hunter side would admit it, but she liked walkin' into the sweet shops and browsing the candies, or entering the malls and cruising through clothes. Maybe most of it she'd never dream of wearing, but she imagined maybe, someday, havin' a gal pal to shop with. Just someone to hang around and make jokes with all day, like about who would pay X $ for shoes with holes in them, or that feather hat that looks like it's only a few feathers short of a bird. Yeah, it'd be nice to have a buddy to talk to. Well, there was someone she almost could see as a friend, once...
She entered her room at the Hotel she was staying in - a lot nicer than most of the places her brother hung out at. As expected, there were a few pages FAXed to her waiting on the drop tray right behind the fax. Other than that, everything was as it should.
Nic sat back on a big comfy chair and leafed through the FAX. It described the flower, its probable location, maps, pay plan, everything but her employer's name. She was quite impressed, this was all laid out for her including a First Class reservation ticket on a Plane that would take her nearest her target. The only catch was that the Plane would leave in 12 hours. "Ug! What do these idiots think, that I can just pack up on a whim and leave?" she groaned. Then she grinned, she actually could just pack up and leave. She didn't really have a lot of stuff to haul around, yes it was possible.
"All right Niccie girl, you're gonna' have to move on this offer. Lessee, tack on a Thousand bucks how's that sound? Mm hmm, Instant activation of service fee." She chuckled to herself. "He must really want this flower quick... wonder why hmm." She got onto the phone and settled her bill with Management now, she'd get all kinds of trouble if she just skipped the country. Then again maybe not. Well, it might mess up her NY assignments, so that settled that.
****
After a good Night's sleep, Nic gathered up her few possessions, making sure everything was in order. Her cell phone batteries were recharged, her nap sack was full, and she'd even had time to pack a couple snacks for the trip, though First Class would offer a better meal than anything she could cook up herself.
She arrived at the busy Airport, arguing her way through the inspection gate - her Guns, lethal ammo or not, would be a sore spot. After about an hour of question Dodging and sweet talk, the guard let her by. *phew* that was the main thing she was worried about, after that, everything else got passed security except her bag of Doritos and Chiquita Bananas.
Finally she made it onto the Plane, keeping her ONE back pack, as was custom, on her lap! Sure it was a little bigger than standard, but she knew how many people arrived at their destination while their luggage went onto Borneo or Guam. Funny thing is, the person never makes it past their destination to say, Jamaica, while the luggage stays in California. One way or another, she was in first class accommodations and she liked it. She even got the window seat!
Overlooking water was good for the first 4 hours, but this was getting ridiculous. She was running out of things to do, and her Game Gear™'s batteries died 2 hours into the journey. 'Shoulda replaced those things' she grumbled to herself. There was a guy sitting next to her, no one she knew, maybe she could strike up a conversation with him.
As the plane ventured into its fifth hour, Nic spoke up out of boredom. "Hello." She said, with her gaze slightly tilted to the guy beside her. He was an echidna, tall and lanky, with Rose colored glasses perched on the end of his nose. His eyes were yellow, and his dreads were tipped yellow, otherwise he was a dark reddish brown. He wore a leather Jacket and generally had an intimidating look to him. Were she in a profession other than Bounty Hunting, Nic might have kept her mouth shut.
"Hi." He said, double checking to make sure she was the one who'd spoken first, pulling his glasses further to the tip of his nose if such a thing was possible, with his pointer finger which sported a pewter ring set with a square sapphire.
"Umm... Nice weather for a flight huh?" She said after a moment. 'How lame can you get, talking about the weather?' she grumbled inwardly.
"Better than where I'm headin'." He smiled, folding his magazine onto his lap and ready to give Nicolette all his attention.
"Where's that?"
"The Amazon, lotsa' rain there. You packed an umbrella?" he laughed.
"Me too." Nic nodded.
"Vacation?"
"Sort of" Nic lied.
"Mmm... I rather like exploring new places. It's good to get out once in a while." he said smoothly. "I admit to being something of a bookworm, but my work forces me to travel on occasion." he grinned.
"Yeah, I'm always moving this way and that for work." Which wasn't a lie at all.
"My dear, we haven't even been introduced yet." He said finally.
"Oh, right. My name's Nic. Short for Nicolette." She extended a hand. "Pleased to meet you Mr....?"
"Sier." he replied and shook her hand.
"Sier? That's a funny name."
The dark echidna let out another hearty laugh. "Oh is it now? No more than a girl named 'Nick'." He chuckled. "And just who started talking to whom?" he pushed his rose glasses over his topaz eyes giving them an eerie orange on pink look.
Nic blushed slightly. "Sorry." She put her elbow up on the edge of the window and looked out it, expecting the conversation was at an end.
"Simon." he said after a moment. "My Real name's Simon Belfonté."
Nic glanced back at him curiously. "Oh really?"
The two of them continued talking until the wee hours of dawn, as the Airplane landed at its destination. This place looked more like Los Angeles than the Amazon, but it was hot enough to be. It was the nearest city to the woods so it was natural that this would be their first stop. Nic's instructions also included a local Hotel for accommodations, and the number of several Tour groups and guides, she'd have to contact one of them to lead her into the Heart of the Amazon.
****
Sier hopped off the plane and met up with a group of other Echidnas seemingly as dark as he was. "Hello Sweety." a female echidna spoke up coyly. She was typical Echidna red with many colored bands around very short dreadlocks. She had a black heart tattooed on one cheek and a tear on the other.
"Sharpie, not now." He said as he approached the gang. "So what's the lowdown Lowdown?" he smirked.
The one called Lowdown was short and stocky, with a few more muscles than the other echidnas of the odd gathering were known for. He was brown with black hair, and oddly quiet. At long last, he spoke, "Nothing. Tek's the one with the answers."
Another member of the group was roused, this one nearly as tall, but somehow twice as lanky as their leader 'Sier.' Despite the heat, he was clad in a gray turtleneck sweater with overly large baggy sleeves that went past his hands. He looked like a shaggy ragged mess, a geek. If the ragged black mop hadn't crossed in front of his left eye one would notice it was metal, along with a plating on the side of his face, these were not normal edentata. He pulled up a laptop, and propped it on one hand while the other proceeded to type, his hands never seen as the baggy sleeves encased the keyboard neatly.
"Toby, quit showing off will you?" Simon said.
Tek stopped and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry boss. All right then. I made arrangements for us to join a travel group, under our proper names I might add." he pulled up the tour group's web site on screen and showed it to everybody. Nobody seemed amused but him.
"A tour group? But..." Sier grunts. "all right but we better be able to pull away from it so we can find that blasted flower. Nobody's forgotten their civilian names have they?" Sier queried his group.
"Logun" the burly one said.
"Toby p'shaw." Tek said, combing his black mop of hair with his fingers, which were just as hidden now as ever, just by black hair rather than his sleeves.
"Stethanie." The girl said vacantly.
"So what time does this thing leave anyhow?" Sier questioned.
*******
"Tomorrow, 8:30 AM sharp? Got it!" Nic hung the phone up and groaned. She almost slammed it down. All the personal guides listed were taken, and except for the Last Resort tour Group, it was her Last Resort, Oi what a day. Jet lag setting in, Nic decided to take... a little nap.
*****
8:15 AM the next day...
Nic arrived at the Bus Stop, it was the last road from or to civilization. Just a few feet beyond, were dirt paths which quickly became lost in the tangle of foliage. It would only be a little while now, and she would be on her way to the flower!
A few other people were gathered 'round the station, leaving with other Tour groups that Nic grimly recalled, had turned her down. Still, she'd determined she wouldn't let it get to her, and snickered recalling the little holes she'd put in the rear left tire of the Tour guide's jeep... awww. She glanced about, waiting on the spot for the rest of the group to show, she was the last one to sign up for the LR Tour, and it was a good thing too, they only allowed five people at a time!
8:17 AM
Two Echidnas arrived together, chatting away. One of them was tall, lanky, and most curiously wearing a long sleeve turtleneck sweater. The other one was a girl with a tattoo of a tear on one cheek and a heart on the other. "Aren't you hot in that?" Nic's mouth shot off before her brain caught up with her.
"Hmm? Well yeah, but I don't go nowhere without it." He smiled.
"We're waiting for the tour group." the girl added. She looked a little bit more sanely dressed, wearing a bandanna, a tank top, and Lara Croft brand khaki shorts. But she still looked out of place, like somehow she belonged to a street gang in NY.
"Me too. M' name's Nic." She offered a hand.
"Stethanie." She accepted and smiled. "He's Toby, he's a dork." She motioned to her comrade. Toby made no fuss about it, just smiling like a goof. Nic held out her rand to him, but he just shrugged. "Sometimes I wonder if he has hands." She shook her head and laughed.
8:22 AM
After a few minutes of talking, a short stacked Echidna with an attitude walked on the scene. Nic didn't know what to make of him, except that he was unearthly quiet. He identified himself as Logun and said nothing more.
8:23 AM
The Tour guide joined the four of us. He was a slinky looking small serval cat. Unusual breed of wild cat, very small too. "Hella'!" he smiled chipperly. "G'morning mates!"
"Uh..." nic looked dumbfounded. "An Aussie?"
"I maya' been Born right 'ere, but I was raised up in Sydney." he smiled. "I came back 'a course or else where else would I be? So what 'ave we here anyway? Group all assembled?"
"Not quite. There's only four of us." Nic said, "Weren't there supposed to be 5?"
"True 'nuff. Les' give 'em a few before we shove off." He smiled. He and Toby seemed to already have a connection - geek city.
8:29 AM
"Les' give 'em a few more minutes." the Tour leader said, as the minute hand ticked over to 8:30. "After all, this 'ere's the 'Last Resort' Tour Company. It's in the motto 'It's your last Resort so we'll wait for you - as a last resort!'"
8:49 AM
"Can we go yet?" Nic said impatiently.
"Nope. This 'ere's the Last Resort Tour Co. It's our Motto."
9:25 AM
"Can we get a move on?"
"Nope. This 'ere's the Last resort Tour Co. It's in our Motto!" Said with chipper tones.
10:45 AM
"Can we-"
"Nope. This 'ere's the Last Resort Tour Co. It's in our Motto!" he was seriously starting to annoy Nic, the other two didn't seem to mind.
11:12 AM
"Can we GET GOING before my brain boils from all this heat?!"
"Nope." came the slow droll.
"Let me guess... it's in the motto?" Nic groaned.
"Yep! Sure is lil' missy! 'Ow'd you guess?" he said earnestly.
12:52 PM
"I'm beginning to think the last bloke aint' gonna make it on time." the guide finally said.
"Really? Naawwww..... ya don't think do you!?" nic mocked. She was about to just pull her gun on him right then and there and tell him to guide them or else!
"Well, let's give 'im a few before we shove off. After all, this 'ere's the--"
"DON'T START WITH ME!" nic yelled.
"Don't start with what?" Simon said, walking onto the scene. Sier pushed his rosy glasses back into place, he was dressed in a long sleeve but cool button up cotton shirt instead of the leather jacket. "Sorry I kept you guys waiting."
Nic's steam suddenly cooled down as she got a good look at Simon. "Hey! You're the guy from the plane aren't you?"
"Yep." He smiled and nodded.
"What's this all about a plane?" Stethanie put in with a worried look, but it passed quickly.
"Oh, we met on the plane here, that's all Miss." He eyed Stethanie, but not quite as a stranger, and Nic was quick to pick up on that.
"Stethanie."
He smiled, "Name's Simon. Nice to meet you."
'Riiiiight, you two have never met? Why do I think this group's a sham?' Nic thought, watching Stethanie take Sier's hand uneasily. Whatever was up, she didn't figure the guide was in on it, he was far too dense.
"Oh well, les' get goin' now. Whoa! What a bunch of Didgery Doo! Look at the time, my my my my! Where 'as it all gone? Welp, this is the Last Resort Tour Company, so we better go - As a last resort!" With a speed that Nic hadn't seen til now, the lil tour guide hopped into a Jeep of his own, and motioned for the others to hop in the back. "We can't take it far but it'll getcha home before dark this baby will!" He smiled. "Everyone 'as signed this nice lil' waver ere' avent they?" the serval said looking to the others and holding up a piece of paper with so much writing on it, it was practically black.
"Uh... Waver?" Nic and Stethanie both put in at the same time.
"Oh nothin' big really, jus' says that if y'all wander off into the woods and getcha' selves into some deep didgery doo, that we, the Last Resort Tour Company, is not responsible. That is t' say, that we aint' responsible for scrapes, cuts bruises, falling into pits with sharp pungee sticks at the bottom, being mangled, or choked to death by wild loife, OR getting lost and/or dyin' in the deep Jungle." he smiled. "There's also a decapitation clause. Now, 'ooo all's going to sign?"
......
"Oh c'mon, it's not that bad! We aven't lost anyone in... three weeks!" He smiled absently.
"How often do people end up missing on this here tour?" Simon said doubtfully.
"Well... we only 'ave these tours every three weeks so... Ahh... Just c'mon n' sign the waver will you?" he blushed. "You all look loike responsible types. Yew won't go off doin' anything foolish like getting killed now will you?"
Toby signed the waver first, though even the guide seemed to marvel at how his hands never showed through even once. Logun signed with a grunt, followed by Stethanie, then Simon. Nic shook her head before adding her signature. After that, the Tour Group hopped on board with their questionable guide and had the bumpiest ride in history into the Amazon Jungle. Not more than 5 minutes later, the rocky road ended, and the fun began.
*****
"That's it?" Nic groaned, climbing out of the back of the jeep with her pack in tow.
"Keeyrect!" The Serval climbed out of the jeep, pocketed the keys and took his own pack. "From 'ere on, the terrain's too tough for this baby to hanldle."
"Then why didn't we start out walking to begin with?" Sier asked, gathering his own things, and brushing his hand against Stethanie's accidentally. Stethanie blushed slightly, but Nic couldn't tell if it was a 'happy accident', or just that she thought he was cute. To her, he was certainly the strangest Echidna she'd ever seen, but that dark mysterious part of him, that common sense and strength, attracted her to him, not that she'd admit it.
"Good Question. On your left," he said, completely blowing the question off, "You'll see a great Fig Tree! many of these exist in the world, but none I wager, of this magnitude... End to end, you could 'ave 5 tree huggers fingertip to fingertip round it and still not reach!"
"I get the feeling this guy's a little brain dead." Nic whispered to Sier.
He laughed lightly and replied, "I think that's an understatement. But at least we're on our way."
The tour continued for two solid hours of walking, with relative disinterest had by all. Nic checked the map she'd been supplied with a few times, and indeed, they were painstakingly headed toward the grove of the Basilisk Chrysanthemums. It wouldn't have been so bad if Mr. Didgery wouldn't stop every two and a half steps and make a comment on the surrounding trees which look just like the trees behind them.
"Do you think there's any pretty flowers up there?" Stethanie asked with a smile.
"Quoite so!" Didgery replied cheerily. Didgery wasn't his real name probably, but he was a real didgery doofus.
"What Kind?" She said sullenly.
"Oh all kinds! We gots kinds that makes fruit, and thems that doesn't. We gotcha' exotic and rare fruits, some a' which, the loikes might be poisonous to you or I! The Canopy is just bloomin' with loife!" He continued walking on with his lecture, you could see how the group could get separated from their leader - the absent minded bloke that he was.
"The Canopy?" And for the first time, Nic actually bothered to look up for a change. "My goodness!" She exclaimed. Now she realized that the forest floor was the poorest place for a tour to take place. All the action was taking place topside! Having lost her focus for a moment, she backed into Sier accidentally. "oops!"
Sier laughed. "Are you all right m'lady?" He said, helping Nic back onto solid footing. Stethanie looked on with contempt, no, jealousy. Nic was sure of that now, Stethanie had something with Sier and didn't like anyone interfering in that. Outwardly though, Sier had shown nothing but a cool complexion.
"Sorry about that. yeah, I'm all right." Nic nodded to him and paced herself on up ahead next to Mr. Didgery.
Stethanie fell in step with "Simon" and growled lowly. "What do you think you are doing?"
"Sharpie, I told you, not now." He said softly. He adjusted those rose colored glasses, til she stole them out of his hands. "Gah!" his eyes were suddenly flooded with pure, untainted light, and it was something his photosensitive eyes simply couldn't handle.
"Yew all right mate?" Didgery shot back, and Nic looked on, confused over what happened.
Stethanie held the glasses behind her back, looking as innocent as she could. "He just lost his glasses, that's all." The cruel smile of sweet revenge twisted on her lips..
Sier grumbled something and shielded his eyes, until he managed to snag them back from Sharpie. "Yeah... they just fell on the ground, I got 'em now." He grumbled something more and perched them back on his nose. Through his mechanically altered vision, the forest was one big green blur with entirely too much light for his photosensitive eyes to handle, the rose tint glasses edged just enough of that away as to see things like a normal echidna. When everyone's back was turned, he grabbed Sharpie sharply by the arm and whispered into her ear, "Don't you EVER try another stunt like that again! You hear me?" Sharpie nodded slightly. "Good, we break away from this bone brain at the next rest stop. Can you keep from blowing your cover til then?" Sharpie Shuddered but nodded, the one thing she couldn't stand - was disapproval.
****
"Are we going to get a chance to see the canopy?" Nic asked after a long silence.
"Up there?" Didgery glanced. "Well, Oi Don't sees why not, cept it's a might dangerous."
"Like having you for a tour guide isn't?" Logun said for the first time since the tour began. He had a gruff voice that meant no nonsense.
"Well.. 'course y' did sign that waver. I wonder if it covers breaking yer' neck from falling from a great height... hmmm..." He mumbled to himself and looked over the Last Resort Standard issue Contract. "Well, if it's all the same to you then, I s'ppose we moight."
"Sounds like Fun." Steth smiled sweetly.
"Arright then, well, that could explain why there's climbing gear in yer servival packs."
"There IS? All this time and we've been getting bruised n' blistered here on the ground?" Nic sounded, enraged.
"Yep"
****
Nic started hanging back from the group. Now, more than ever, she examined the map she was given when she accepted the job. It wouldn't be much good, except that she could hear water near by, must be the Amazon River. that was her focal point, that and the bus station, and from there, the Valley of the Basilisk would be close at hand.
They came to their camp site as evening sun began to touch the treetops. Nic and Stethanie took turns questioning Mr. Didgery . The querry started over the climbing gear, then about the general forest its self. "What could hurt us up there?" What can't? And, can we get away from you Mr. Didgery Doo?
"This 'ere Jungle's all sorts of dangerous ladies."
Both of them rolled their eyes. Nic had a seat on a fallen tree, that was wide as she was tall. She watched and waited patiently, the Basilisk flowers only grew on one little cropping of trees and it was only a couple miles away. Now to break away from th group, she thought, although she had doubts this was a standard tour, and she was right.
Tek was relaxing, having a seat right on the leaf covered ground crawling with gawd knows what - ewww. He had his laptop computer on his lap, and busily proceeded to type on it, as glows from the screen reflected on his face. That was when she noticed the glint of metal from behind his long black bangs. 'This is weird, I know we're enemies, just wish I knew what they're after.' Nic thought.
Observation just convinced her more and more that the group of echidnas were not strangers, and their intentional distance from each other was one of the tip-offs. they were beginning their scheme too, the only one not in on it was the very clueless guide. Well, Didgery Doo would have to fare by himself, the time for action had come.
"I'm gonna' go get some kindling for a fire!" Nic announced, and with a smile, she waved and left the group. She didn't need to make up such a lame excuse, but the echidnas had been watching her, she felt it. She and Stethanie were the same in their line of questioning too, it was far too complimentary.
"We should leave." Logun said, observing the weasel leaving.
Sier nodded, "That valley isn't far away... Let's just take care of clueless first."
****
Nic put on her climbing gear and made her way to the top of a nearby tree. "Yowza!" She had to shield her eyes when she came out on top it was so bright. She shook her head, "Poor sap, I wonder how many people he's taken on tours that have missed all this?"
Indeed, the canopy was the heart of the jungle, no other place was so teaming with life. Up here there were flowers, fruits, animals.... killer insects. SWAT! She looked at the picture of the Basilisk Chrysanthemum, but the flowers in sight didn't match. "Oh well, time to play Jane, look out Tarzan, here I come!"
The branches were almost all interconnecting with different trees, it was a jungle highway. It was solid too, there were very few times Nic didn't feel dure footed. The only thing creeping into her mind was how the sun was fading quickly, it would be night soon.
****
"Hey 'ay lads, lassies! C'mon, don't leave me 'ere all alone!" Mr. Didgery cried, tied to one of those trees he'd been talking about all day.
"You're sure the weasel's gone?" Simon said. Everyone had dropped their guise in the meantime, none of them were there on anything that looked like a vacation.
"She's gone Sier." Stethanie said plainly.
"She's after something, I know she already suspects the same of us." Sier put a hand on his hip, and since it was growing dark, he lowered his rose glasses. His eyes were gold reflective pools, and the darker it got, the more the whites of his eyes began to glow a luminous green. "If we meet her again Lowdown, you know what to do."
"Yes boss." The one called Logun said. From his pack he pulled out some weapons and passed them around, keeping a particularly nasty high tech riffle for himself.
"Holy Cow am I in deep Didgery doo! Sheeza' louise! You guys're all freaks!"
Toby/Tek laughed, and his hair flopped away from the left side of his face, revealing sinister metal plating. His left eye was a gold target + with a gold circle around it, rather free floating over a green-black grid- like eye. "We could say the same about you, bloke." Didgery passed out as Toby's sleeves were rolled up for the first time - his arms and hands were all metal. He interfaced with his computer, and a holographic projection grid lit up before him.
"How far to the Basilisk's grove?" Sier said, glancing around for any signs of Nic.
"It's here" A red target akin to his eye focused on a part of the holographic map. "Not more 'n two miles."
Sier nodded. "Sharpie? You and Tek go on ahead. If you find that girl Nic, kill her. Otherwise, secure the flower."
"Tek? But he's not..." Sharpie began.
"Logun and I have to take care of the weapons."
"Yes sir!" She saluted, and raced off, with Tek on her heels.
****
'I wonder why they call it Basilisk Grove...' Nicolette thought to herself as she continued through the treetops. At last, she came across a patch of trees in a strange circular form. The bark on the trees was a stone gray, very fitting she thought. The flowers were polished white like pure marble.
She stopped a moment and compared the plants to the picture she had in hand. "Yep, this must be the stuff. Well this wasn't so hard." She swung on one of the sturdy vines over to the best looking flower she saw, and was about to clip it when....
"Sss---sss-STOP!"
"Eh?" Nic glanced over her shoulder. "What the!?"
Maybe this was the reason it was called Basilisk Grove. All around Nic, there were little pale gray lizards that blended magnificently with the trees. In the center of the grove was another lizard, with a very feminine form, she had piercing pale white eyes, but she was enormous, towering easily 7 feet high, as compared to the typical Mobian 3-4' stature. A Monster. "This was NOT in the Job description!"
Quickly she leafed through her papers, until she found one that had been stuck to the others. "Oh great... So you're a basilisk?"
"What was your firssst clue?" she hissed. Nic could see statues in the trees, statues of Mobians and Man who had tried to claim the basilisk flowers for themselves. "You're intruding on our sssspace."
"All I need is one lousy flower and I'll be out of your hair, so chill!" She drew her gun and fired it off, bringing a double meaning to her words. The monster was quick and managed to avoid the ice shot, that instantly froze the better part of a branch and one basilisk creature on it.
"Sss.... Your kind are not to be trussssted." She launched herself up the tree, nearly knocking Nic off her branch, but she managed to grab hold of a higher one and swing up onto it. Only trouble with the specialized bullets was having to reload every time one was fired.
"My kind? I see you have sooo many visitors!" Nic mocked, reloading an ice bullet, glancing with mild fear at all the statues, frozen in their last fearful moments of life.
"What do you want witch? Immortal life? That's the ussssual." The Basilisk hissed and snapped the branch which Nic had been standing on like a twig with her claws.
"What are you talking about? I just want one of those durn flowers! There's enough of em!" Nic retorted, grabbing a vine as she fell off her post, She looked around quickly, Miss Basilisk was quick, and alreday prepared to shred the vines around them both. Aim quickly and...!
****
"Sier?" Sharpie called over a comm unit.
"I read you Sharpie, what's all that commotion in the background? Did you find Nic the Weasel, or the Basilisk flowers?"
"Sure did Boss. And then some, Apparently the flowers are guarded BY a Basilisk!"
Silence reigned for a moment, "Forget the weasel, we'll be there in a minute. Observe the fight, if the Basilisk wins, kill it, if the weasel wins, finish her. Othwrwise, secure a Basilisk Chrysanthemum ASAP"
"Yes sir." Communications were severed, and Sharpie turned to Tek next to her. "Ready your weapons, we're in for a fight."
****
The Ice blast spread out and showered a half dozen unsuspecting mini basilisks and branches they were on. However, it missed its true target, and Nic found herself face to face with the Queen of them all. She clung to the vine like an ape, with one hand on the vine, and the other powerful arm limp at her side, while her feet held the rope like an extra set of hands. She sneered at Nic and laughed. "Little meat pie, if you're here, surely you know what I mean."
"I'm... rather afraid I don't." Nic cursed herself out mentally for not having more backup than this. Having to hold onto this vine was enough of a problem for her, her feet were slipping, and she very well couldn't reload her gun like this.
"Silence wretch!" She slashed a clawed hand across Nic's face, causing her to scream, and even if she hadn't let go of the vine, it was severed below where the basilisk was holding on.
"NO!" Nic began to fall, and there was nothing nearby to grab onto, she was sure she was going to fall to her doom. And then... SNATCH, something grabbed hold of the back of her shirt and pulled her back onto a solid branch. Nic was on her hands and knees looking down, and she could hear herself breathing hard. "T-thanks... whoever you are..." She brushed her fingers through her bangs , pushing them back into her hairstyle. It was a long way down...
"Not a problem. I can't kill you jussst yet." The voice behind her laughed and chuckled.
"Basilisk!?" Nic whirled around, and indeed the large beast woman was standing there, grinning down at her. "Why?"
"You're already doomed." She cackled, pointing to where her claws had br+oken Nic's skin. Nic held a hand to the side of her face, but instead of her soft smooth fur,the wound felt hard like... "You ssseee, thessse flowers can reversse my sssstone poison. In fact They can ssstop ssskin from aging, rejuvenate it. Ssso your ssalvation iss nearby. But, my children are hungry, and if they get you before you get your cure... Well... I can't be held resssponsible now can I?"
Again, Nic looked over the grove. There must have been more than a hundred of those miniature basilisks nearby, all of them hissing and guarding patches of flowers. Each one showing their pearly white teeth.
The Basilisk put a hand on Nic's shoulder, "Of coursse my dear, you can alwaysss accept your fate, like all the othersss did." And her other hand waved passed Nic to the human and Mobian statues. "Oh, and one other thing..." She grabbed the bounty hunter's gun and neatly snapped it in half.
The Lavender weasel glared at the Basilisk, "I don't feel like dying today." she growled. Even without her gun, she was more than that wasn't she? She checked her pack over really quick, and found a grappling hook and rope. The Basilisk disappeared, probably back into the deep jungle, expecting her offspring to take care of the weasel.
On the ground, Tek and Sharpie were joined by Lowdown and Sier. "Report!" Was the first thing out of the leader's mouth.
Sharpie turned to Sier and nodded, "The Basilisk Queen just left, but there's a whole buncha' little ones up there with the flowers. The Hunter is still alive, but... I'm not sure who really won."
"Fine. Lowdown, Tek? You two start planting the explosives."
"Affirmative" They both nodded and went about their business.
"Sir, if she Does survive..."
Sier tossed a grappling hook up himself and secured his climbing gear. "You know the orders as well as I do. Take ONE flower, destroy all the others. It'll take ten years for even the seeds to mature into blooms."
"Yes Sier." She said, gathering up her own climbing gear. "But the Bounty hunter can't be of consequence to us. We don't even know who hired her, she could be an ally."
"Where's that coming from miss? Getting soft?"
"No sir, these basilisks could pose a problem, that's all."
"Not if you know how to deal with stupid animals." He said, arming his own weapon, a more lethal one than a simple ice blast.
Nic ran to the edge of the branch and jumped off, swinging from her rope like Tarzan the Ape man. "Ye-haw! Brother, Indiana whatsis, eat your heart out!" She cried coming at a couple of the lizard creatures. they were almost like vicious dog things, they were about that size and very fierce with knifelike teeth, nothing like their Queen. She thought to herself, that she was happy to be a weasel, there wasn't anything pretty about these cold blooded savages. She kicked the first one in the jaw, and the other one snapped at her hand, buts he managed to dodge. Gaining her balance quickly, she backhanded the beast and caused it to fall from its perch.
"Nothin' to it.." She said, grabbing the largest flower in the cluster. She crushed it into her hand, making a paste with it, and wiping it across her cheek. Instantly, she could feel the furry texture come back to her. As she grabbed for another bloom, three of the beasts knocked into her from the side. "NO!"
She barely had time to grab back onto the rope she used to swing to that branch, but she caught it, nearly suffering rope burn in the process. Two of the beasts had fallen, but the third one was clingin' onto her back and slobberin' eww.... and she could feel its hot breath on her back. "Get ofF!" She yelled and tried to bat at it - I might add that whatever that slobber was, it turned into little stone drops when it hit its target. The Purple n' white weasel then thought of something real quick, and using the momentum from their fall, she swung the rope forward to the nearest tree, which was coming up quick! If she twisted at just the right time, that thing would be smashed up against the tree, if she was too late or too soon, it'd be HER bein' crushed against the big tree trunk.
-SLAM!- The thing gave a piteous whimper, and as Nic's vine slowly swung back to the center, the animal fell and disappeared into the branches below.
"Clip the flower!" Sier ordered, holding off the Basilisks with whip and Laser. Sharpie took the biggest brightest bloom, and secured it in Sier's pack before they climbed down together.
"Rats... I still need one of those Flowers..." Nic grumbled to herself. She was gently swaying in the center of the grove by her rope, and thinking she should exercise a bit more, her arms feelin' tense and tired.
What worried her more than her arms giving out perhaps, was that the basilisks were quickly disappearing, but where? The branch supporting her grappling hook suddenly bowed. "YOW!" She looked up... there were a half dozen of those things up there, snarling at her and dripping their venom. Below her wasn't much better, the branches there were teaming with the rest of the hungry 'children' each one, anxiously waiting to snap her to bits. "This is not my day..." She groaned.
"Tek, NOW!" Sier yelled as he and Sharpie reached the bottom. The Technogeek hit a button, and suddenly there was a roar of explosions as each one of the bombs blew up.
Well, the bounty hunter didn't have to worry about goin' down, she'd see the floor soon whether she wanted to or not! Her rope jerked forward as the great tree supporting her snapped under the explosive force. A roar of fire shot up the trees behind, her, as she grabbed hold of a now closer branch. The basilisks fell one by one off the branch, and those that still clung to it scampered for higher ground, no longer concerned with their meal.
Nic tried to withdraw her grappling hook, but it was no use, it was stuck! She had an even bigger problem now, those must have been some sorta high explosives, cause the trees were catching fire like they were match sticks. 'My job!' she thought angrily, and tried to reach for one, only to find the plant catch on fire before she could remove it. "No!" Self preservation is a powerful instinct, and that took over after a minute of failed attempts.
She launched herself, like the lizards, onto higher and higher branches as she could, just barely staying ahead of the flames. She knew that was no accident, and as she slid down a fallen tree like a slide, she could see why ahead of her. 'They must have been after it too. Those rats... Don't care who they work for, they're not collecting on MY bounty!'
*****
"What about the weasel?" Sharpie Asked, running alongside her leader.
"If the lizards didn't get her, the flames did. No one could survive that, right Lowdown?" He simply grunted response.
"Sharpie, don't worry about it, Lowdown's the best weapons and pyro technician you could ask for." Tek said with confidence.
"Guess again!" The weasel's voice rang, just as she pulled tight a vine like a tripwire between two trees. She laughed as they all stumbled over each other, with Sier on the bottom. "Now which one of you has my bounty?" She said, standing over the dog pile, arms crossed, eyes narrowed into angry slits.
"You survived!" Sier grunted.
Lowdown made a grab for her, being the slowest on team, and the heaviest, he'd been on top of the pile. However, Nic was quicker than that and fully prepared for that, kicking him in the metal jaw and sending him flying back onto the floor. Tek might have grabbed her up, but for the fact Sier showed an unusual amount of strength bucking him AND Sharpie off. "She's mine!" he grumbled.
"Fighting a lady? How sportsman like, and oh, you have a gun too! How noble" Nic mocked.
"I don't need these to take care of YOU." He snorted. He and Nic, both with backpacks on, started a rough n' tumble fist brawl. He couldn't have known how many fights Nack had gotten into with his sister, or how many of those he'd lost to her. Underestimation of ones' enemy often proves to be folly. "You're not half bad for a girl..." he snorted, getting in a good kick to her midsection.
"Mmph... Funny, I was about to say the same about you!" She lunged at him, and the two continued the fight. The Flames of the Basilisk grove were behind them, lighting up the arena, and for a moment, that light bothered Sier's eyes. Nic caught that and gave him a right jab while she had the chance.
In anger, Sier raised both his fists and clubbed the girl on the head, "You brat! You little....!" Nic went down, falling limply to the forest floor. His anger turned to a cruel smile, having emerged the victor. He laughed.
"Finish her now Boss?" Lowdown said, itchin' to do more than watch.
"No." Sier brushed his yellow tipped bangs aside and laughed again. "She'll be out for hours, by then, we'll be back on the Floating Island safely. Back with the Legion. I'd rather leave her here with her humility of failure, and have her live with that, than simply kill her now. Let's Go." He smiled darkly, and the Legion left the Amazon for good.
****
A few hours later, under the cool of the night sky, rain fell in the Jungle. It quenched the last of the fire, and stirred the lavender and white weasel laying on the ground. "Oooohhh my head..." She groaned, rolling over onto her belly.
She reached behind her and she could feel her pack, good, it was still there. She smiled and sat up, pulling the pack off her back. Everything she needed was in it, grappling hook, new very high quality Stun Gun which she placed in her holster, canteen of water, rations, and the Basilisk Chrysanthemum. She smiled brightly. 'It worked.' She thought. In her scuffle with Sier, she'd noticed their two backpacks looked exactly alike, so it wasn't too hard, in the mayhem that followed, to simply switch them. Now, to visit her employer.
*****
The Dark Legion's camp was bustling with activity when the Private plane landed. Sier and his company filed out, donning their legion Robes. Sier himself went into one of the larger, more lavish tents, after getting passed the guards.
"I see you've returned." Came a female voice, slow and cruel. It was Lien Da, also known a Kommissar to the others in the Legion. She was Kragok's sister, and second in command of the Legion, even now, when Demitri himself has returned to power. She had curly reddish bangs and red fur like normal echidnas, and dressed in a yellow gown, unlike the Legion black robes.
"I have, my lady." Sier stepped forward and knelt before Kommissar.
"Rise Sier. What news of your mission?" She insisted, her green eyes piercing.
Sier rose to his feet, and looked her straight in the eyes, his gold to her green. His glasses hung precariously on his fingertips at his side. "Failure, m' Lady."
"Failure? How so?" Lien Da insisted, but somehow she didn't seem angry, he expected her hand upon his face, or something worse.
"We retrieved the flower as ordered, and burned all the others, but there was a Bounty Hunter. She stole the flower." He looked down at the ground. "I am ready to accept my punishment."
Lien Da laughed, "My my... I see. I see..." She smiled wickedly, and stepped down from her throne and walked around her soldier, looking him over thoughtfully. "I won't punish you for your failure, you've always been my most loyal soldier Sier. May I speak freely with you?"
He eyed her warily, then nodded. "Of course, Kommissar."
"That bounty hunter troubles me not, that flower's probably already being used by whoever for their own needs."
Sier nodded. "You don't seem surprised, or shocked. Without it, Great Demitri will die you realize?"
"Of course I do! I'm no fool." Now, she sounded more sinister, like her true nature, and chuckled. "That's exactly why I wanted the flower in my hands. Whoever controls that, controls the fate of the Legion's Sire." She paused thoughtfully and glanced at her seat of power. "I'm not satisfied with second place Simon. Kragok had malice, and he lead us with cruelty, unlike our soft hearted WEAK father. Demitri is similar in his rage, but he obsesses over the newest of the guardians - Knuckles. I, with my head out of the clouds, would make us great. We would take what is rightfully ours, no questions asked!"
Sier nodded, and when no further speech followed, he spoke up, "So you wanted to force him to give up power. How can you be sure I wouldn't turn you in for such traitorous thinking?"
Kommissar smiled, "As I said, you've always been my most loyal. You have brains, and looks, and character beyond other echidnas here. That's also why I created your little group of 'Over Siers' you know? You bring only the best members into the legion, and all of them are MINE to command." She laughed wickedly. "Ahh..." She sighed, "Now I'll just... have to tell my Dear Grandfather Demitri... he's going to die..." She feigned concern.
****
Lien Da entered a Tent only slightly bigger than her own. A Red carpet was placed down the center of it, with a small set of steps leading to a wicked metal throne. That was the seat of power she lusted after, and all other decorations in the room escaped her. "Come." Came the metallic hiss from the wretched creature seated on the throne.
Since being stripped of his emerald powers, Demitri's body had been decaying. It had gone so far, that he was so much a cyborg, he could almost be a robot. Almost. What remained of him however, was withering and sickly. The Basilisk flower, if legends spoke true, could truly revitalize him, make him healthy and strong, and exponentially slow his aging process. All he'd thought of since his death was predicted, was delaying it. "What news have you Lien Da?"
She put on her most concerned look, and pitiful expression. Her attempt at crocodile tears helped matters, as well as the job she did of messing up her perfect bangs before lifting her head to him. "I'm sorry Master Demitri, the mission was a failure."
"I see..." He said softly. "What, if I may ask, went wrong?"
"A bounty Hunting weasel got there before us. She took what she wanted and destroyed the rest. There are no more Basilisk Flowers." She said nonchalantly.
"I see..." He said grimly.
"I'm so sorry Great Demitri!" She said, with as much sincerity as she could muster. "I know, it was your last hope for survival... I only wish there was something I could do." She pretended to pout, and looked away from her ancestor before she could break into a fit of laughter.
"Your grievance moves me." Demitri said flatly, as if he didn't quite believe it. "But, I never put all my eggs in one basket." He smiled slightly.
"Sir?" She looked up at him, in honest puzzlement.
At that moment, there was a commotion outside the tent, and the guards tried keeping the girl from getting passed, the weasel girl. "OUT OF MY WAY!" She demanded, and smacked the hand holding her back away, and then grabbing another one of the Echidnas by the dreadlocks, slammed him onto the floor. She wiped her hands and stood on the back of the KOed one on the floor. Grunt. "Much better!" She smiled.
As more Guards started to come through, Demitri put up a hand and stood up. "Stop!" he commanded. "Let her pass!"
Nicolette flipped her hair back and stepped up to the throne. "Thanks. So, you're the one who hired me?" She looked up at the wrinkly cyborg Echidna, who nodded in turn. "My Payment please?"
"As you wish." He hissed, and a stronger, younger Echidna beside him threw a bag on the ground. It wasn't tied tight, and from the opening, Nic smiled at the many sparkles of diamonds and rubies. "There's far more than $10,000 worth of jewels in there, but I assumed from our little talk, that you would be adding on expenses." He smiled.
"Excellent. And here's my part of the deal." She smiled, pulling out the Basilisk flower and handing it directly to Demitri himself.
It quickly registered with Kommissar what had happened. It was all she could do, to keep from ordering the weasels' death right then and there. No, it was too soon to show her traitorous nature, if she would ever have such a chance again.
"I feel you will be a very good leader for the Legion some day my child, but I'm not quite ready to die yet." He said, watching the bounty hunter leave, unscathed with her payment. "Your team didn't quite make the cut it seems."
"They were not my best mercenaries." She excused, startled and dumbfounded at being shown up.
"Then learn from me, only chose the best." He smiled cruelly.
"But... but... that was only.. one weasel." She said softly to herself.
Demitri laughed and slapped his knee, then giving a wheeze of a cough showing his age. "No, my dear... That was Nic The Weasel, second only to her brother as Bounty Hunters, if she is not indeed his equal."
THE END.