A BAD KIND OF LOVE

Part Three: Touching Base

.o.o.o.

Nic sat on the table, one leg slung over the other as she tinkered with a small gun in her hands. She was busy trying to calibrate it for better accuracy and power. Standard laser pistols tended to be rather sloppy and required some modifications to make them work better.

She hummed to herself, as she sat alone in the Rec. Room of the Falcon. She was wearing a pair of special glasses to see the parts of the gun better. She pushed back the brim of her hat, brushing a few strands of dark purple hair out of the way.

She inserted the new power cell into it. The object was a metal cylinder with a smooth flat base on one end and a narrowing point on the other end, where it connected with the internal systems of the weapon. There was a small section that bore it production mark, indicating that it was a weapons-grade power cell.

She turned on the gun and whipped her arm around, pointing it at the figure that had just entered the room.

Mighty jerked back at the gun being aimed at him, but Nic simply smiled and him and lowered the weapon. "Sorry, you snuck up on me- I have to be really alert in this line of business." She explained and then set the gun down.

Might nodded and walked over to her, she motioned for him to take a seat but he decline. "Nic, I'd like to know something." He began,

The female weasel smiled and him and turned around to lean more towards him. "Sure, what?" she asked him smoothly.

Mighty wiped his forehead- the truth was that Nic made him nervous. It wasn't like dealing with her brother, he could handle Nack effortlessly, but she was a different story. Nic was shrewd and cunning and made sure that you never quite knew what her real agenda was.

"Tell me about this mission that you need my help with?" He finally asked her.

Nic sighed, observing his tenseness. She looked him over before she finally spoke. "Mighty, you don't have to be so uptight around me- I'm not going to hurt you, you can at least trust me- we've worked together before." She offered.

Mighty decided to sit down. "Alright," he replied with a slight smile, he relaxed and then looked back up at her in expectation.

She smiled. "That's better." She remarked. "A client has asked us to retrieve a priceless relic from an abandoned temple on a small island in the south sea." She explained. "Locals won't go there cause of some sort of curse nonsense, so we should be able to go in without interference."

Mighty nodded. "Why hasn't anyone else gone after this relic before now?"

She smiled at him, adjusting her hat. "That's because previous expeditions have never succeeded in finding the temple- or at least not coming back alive." She explained.

"And what makes you think we'll have better luck?" Mighty asked. He watched her set a glass down in front of him. He took the cup from her and took a sip from it.

Nic smiled affectionately at him. "We've recently 'acquired' some maps of the island that we believe are from a legitimate source. We've matched them up with overhead shots of the island and we think we can find it."

"So where do I come in?" Might asked, taking another sip of the heady drink, deciding that is must be some sort of alcohol.

Nic noted his cheeks were flushed slightly and smiled inwardly. "You're gonna break us into that temple- with our experience and gear and your strength, it'll be a breeze."

Mighty downed the drink and smiled. "Yeah, okay- sounds good to me." He remarked and stood up. He held out his arms and yawned. As he stretched, countless lean muscles flexed, showing off his build.

Nic blushed slightly at the sight of his black fur shifting as he stretched. She figured that he must have gotten a slight buzz from the drink that she gave him… not that she minding the 'show'!

He lowered his arms and looked back at her with a smile. "That stuff you gave me," he began as he sat back down. "It's pretty strong- good stuff though." He added with a smiled and rest one elbow on the table.

He stood up again and looked around. "Um, is this what it's like to get drunk?" He asked unsteadily.

Nic looked at him incredulously. "You mean you've never been drunk before?" She asked, walking over to him. She glanced down, noting the defined muscled in his back and his legs… not to mention his 'tail'.

Mighty turned around and smiled at her. "No, I'm always the nice guy of the group- Vector and Espio probably put down some drinks… I don't think Knux or Julie do though." He added. "But when you're me- you have to play by the rules." He pouted, sitting down.

Nic placed her hands on his shoulders, resting them there. To her surprise, he didn't try to brush her away. He sat there and smiled.

"Well Mighty, you're with me- you can do whatever you want." She told him slyly.

The armadillo smiled. "I think I want another drink." He remarked.

The weasel smiled. "No problem handsome." She replied and filled his cup again.

Mighty accepted the glass and took a sip from it. "Thank." He replied, looking up at her. "You know…" He began to say. "You know, I'm not like most people think."

Nic smiled and pulled up a chair in front of him, pouring herself a drink. "I can believe that." She replied.

Mighty, urged on by the drink, began to speak again. "Most people look at me and think 'nice guy, strong as hell but not too bright." He began. "But I'm not just the Chaotix' strongman." He blurted out.

She watched him as he took another drink. "You know what I mean- you're a weasel."

Nic was quiet for a moment. "Explain." She said, refilling her glass.

"You know how people think that just because you're a weasel, that you can't be trusted?" He asked. "Well, when you're an armadillo, they all think you all brawn and no brains."

Nic smiled warmly. "What do you think about weasels?" she asked him.

Mighty smiled cutely. "Um… Nack's a jerk… but your alright, I think I can trust you." He added. "…I know you don't want me to know this, but you can be kind of nice."

Nic was taken back by this, but smiled back at him demurely. "You know, Mighty, you're a really sweet guy."

He sighed. "That's what I hear a lot." He replied. "But- it would be nice If I could find someone to settle down with and maybe do some writing." Mighty explained in a slightly goofy tone of voice.

Nic finished her drink and looked at him with a serious expression. "Mighty, I'm sure any girl who ends up with you will be very happy."

She continued to stare at him for a few more moments, but his drooping head and silence made it clear that he had fallen asleep.

Nick just smiled again to herself and chuckled softly.

.o.o.o.

One person remarked that I was writing for Mighty as if he were stupid. I hadn't really meant to portray him like that. I was trying to show that he was just kind of naïve about things and confused by the current situation.

I like Mighty's character a lot; he's just a really nice guy. Massive amounts of brute strength (to the point where he could bend steel bars and lift massive chunks of concrete like they were nothing) but still so unassuming and friendly.

I hope I did a better job with this chapter. Also, this is the longest one I've written so far, and that's odd because it only had Nic and Mighty in it the whole time.

-Seras