Acknowledgments: Nack the Weasel is © of SEGA. Nic the Weasel is © of Archie Comics, and possibly SEGA. If Rocky and/or any of Daisy Hunt’s characters show up, tehy’re © of her so please respect that! (As I write this I haven’t even gotten passed page 1, so I don’t know what’s going to happen. This is also my first shot at a disclaimer and such in a while) Samuel and Caleb Tappit are purely fictional characters, any resemblance to them and real people and or events is purely coincidental. Niccolai and Nikala are my own fan characters. Please do not use them without permission or set them on fire. Thank You :)
Disclaimer: I am not really sure of exact histories here so the extent of the railroads and such may not be accurate. If so, attribute this to being A Sonic related Fan story, and make this an Earth/Mobius Hybrid. Lame excuse, but sue me.
***
“NO!” Nicolette cried hanging onto her brother’s hand. The ledge had given way, and the two of them almost found them at the bottom of Tappit’s pit. The old Tappit mine, located in the Arizona Desert, had been abandoned since 1862, at least until now.
“Let it go!” Nack yelled, straining to keep his sister from falling into the mine shaft. He had solid footing, but Nic was hanging onto her bounty fiercely. The plane wooden box was filled to the brim with Gold, and even if she didn’t get the reward she asked for, the treasure was well worth it.
“No!” Nic said defiantly, growling lowly at her brother. “You may be willing to give up, but I’m not!” She yelled, again. Was she really willing to risk her life for a box of not yet jewelry? She’d gone through too much trouble to just quit.
***
The year was 1814. Sam Tappit, and his brother Caleb, had just purchased twenty acres of land. Not for farm purposes, but a mining venture. At first they were looking to find the riches Gold vein in the world, but later, decided that it was best as a coal mine. It was well worth it for that, the fuel they dug out more than supplied the small Old West town that they lived near.
In 1826, Caleb was supervising a blasting expedition into the mine when one of the tunnels collapsed. Grief stricken, brother Sam closed the mine down for the space of 10 years out of respect to him. He never could sell the land, and finally in 1836, it opened again.
1862 came. It was kind of odd really. Although Samuel usually ran things from a distance, he’d been slowly grabbing the reigns hands on like he did when he and Caleb ran the mining facility. his wife died three years before that, and the old man had since focused entirely on the Tappit Mine. People called him a fool, and his employees called him eccentric.
Then one day in the blistering hot Arizona sun, they said he flipped. They thought maybe it was the heat that got to him, or the news that his son Jake Tappit had just been killed in a Wagon train accident was too much for him... But the man entered the mine, and he was heard to be singing as he went in. He was found three days later, at the bottom of the deepest shaft of the mine, now called the Tappit Pit.
The Mine had also been yielding only a fifth of its former glory, so of course it was shut down. In the same year that it had been shut down, Willie Coyote and the Sundown Kitfox had been terrorizing the area. Their grandest heist was a train they robbed, looting it of money, jewels, and four crates of Gold that were headed to Fort Knox. The pair were arrested the following year, and everything but the Gold was recovered or accounted for.
Years passed in a blur until Shadowbane took interest in the legend. He already held stock in every Silver Mine in his territory, and controlled a large deposit of rare gems. He was known for bullying contributions to the ‘Great Spirits’ out of tourists passing through his land too. While he’d been in and out of almost every local jail, he ended up sharing a cell with Marco De Manos, an aged Coyote who claimed to be the great grandson of Willie, that’s when he heard the legend of the two bandits, and the only time he’d heard rumor of where the Gold was hidden. “The old Tappit mine closed that year... Grandpa Willie and Sunny used it as a hideout while they planned their raids. There should still be an old Model of the tracks and the valley in there somewhere. And the treasure... According to Grandpas’ old journal, they hid it in the deepest part of the Mines. The only problem... is the ghosts.”
That was why he hired them... Nic and Nack the Weasel. The first problem was finding the Tappit mine, and Shadowbane is rather strict about his migrations through certain areas - places to go, settlements to terrorize. He prefers someone else to go do his outside dirty work, so they were the obvious choice. Which brings us to the current predicament.
****
“Let it GO!” Nack yelled again. Nic looked back down the shaft, and it was a long way down. Already her arms felt heavy, and there was no way she could take hold of Nack’s arm firmly enough without dropping her cargo. “NIC!” He yelled again, warningly.
Her grip was slipping, sweat rolled down her forehead. She had a decision to make, only one would do. The box dropped from her arm and she tried to reach up quickly for her brother. The choice was made, however, a moment too late, and the weasel girl slipped from her brother’s arms. “NACK!” she yelled up at him as she fell down into the hole.
“NO!” Nack cried, falling backward and hitting his head on a rock, instantly knocking him out. Nic was scared out of her mind as she fell, but somehow, about half way down the shaft, she felt a pair of hands lifting her up. That didn’t last long, and she hit the ground, either unconscious or dead.
***
“W...where am I?” Nack groaned as he cracked his eyes open.
An older lavender Weasel with white was kneeling next to him. He had bright green eyes, and tan hair pulled back in a ponytail. He also had a fang... bright and gleaming, just like Nack’s “You all right kid?” He asked quietly.
“NIC!” he cried, gathering his thoughts and looked over into the pit on hands and knees. “NIC!!!!”
“Whoa, hold it boy.” he said and pulled the weasel away from the edge.
“She... she’s! Maan! I had to... I can’t believe I let her fall! NIIIC!!” The other weasel saw the panic in his face and proceed to slap him sharply across the face. “OW! Durn it, whatcha’ do that for!?”
“Relax..” Nack stared angrily at the older Echidna. “Hey, I used to deal out death for a living.” he said calmly. “I don’t think she’s dead, or hurt badly as you think.”
“Who are you?”
“Niccolai.” He replied and grabbed his pack, fishing for a rope in it. “C’mon, we’ll climb down after her.” Nack nodded.
****
“Rrr...” Nic groaned softly and moved her head to one side. “Mama...” It was painful to move, so after a moment of trying, she just gave it up. Her eyes cracked open and she could see two women arguing over something. One of them was a cornflower blue and her back was turned to Nic, something strange about the both of them, and this one was... translucent?. The other one was just a ghostly abstraction... “Mama...?” She said weakly, she couldn’t believe her eyes.
“All right, m’ lady.” the pale blue one said. “But I’m only doin’ it fer kin’ mind you.”
“Mama?” She looked at the ghost image of Mary floating there like a cloud, but no matter how she tried, she couldn’t get up. “Mama!” She said with more desperation sinking into her voice. The gentle apparition smiled Nic’s way, blew a kiss, then, with it, she faded from existence. The cornflower weasel however, became opaque, and now turned to the girl with acknowledgment.
“Boy, you had a long fall lil’ one.” She knelt next to Nic, and looked her over, with almost a hint of disgust. “Nasty gash on the back of your head, don’t worry, I bandaged it.”
“What are you talking about!?” Nic sat up in a flash now with ease... Why couldn’t she when she saw mama? No, she thought, that’s impossible, I musta been dreaming. Sure enough though, her head was bandaged up right proper, and it was hot where she felt the blood from the gash through the cloth. “I can’t be dead if I’m bleedin’ like a stuck pig...” she muttered. Then she looked up... it was such a long way. Then she remembered why she was here. “My Treasure!” She shouted, looking frantically for the box, it had busted and the gold bars lay bent and beaten, spread on a corner of the cave floor.
“Very interesting. It doesn’t bother you that the fall smashed the box and its contents to pieces, and could have done much worse than you?” she said with mild amusement.
Nic gave her a dirty look. “Wait just a durn minute, who the heck are you and why are you down here in the first place?” she said, reaching for her stun gun, but it wasn’t there. She caught sight of it a few feet from where she fell, smashed to bits like the crate. She also saw a good deal of blood on a rather jagged stone, most likely hers, and a trail leading to where she’d awakened, that’s when she noticed the blood on her clothes. ‘I really could have died!’ she realized. Another odd thing she hadn’t notice was a matter of footprints, there were none besides hers, and only a couple from the point where the stranger had fully materialized.
“Nikala. And I was ordered here, same as you.” she smiled.
“So you were out for the gold eh?” She assumed the worst first. “C’mon, spill!”
“You pest.” She said with absolute calm, glancing at the blood, then the girl. “Don’t you have a splitting headache about now?” Indeed, as she said those words, a massive migraine struck Nic and caused her to cringe. “Have you always been such a disillusioned child?”
“Say what!?” She snarled. “Look lady, I don’t know who you are, but I don’t care, I’m getting out of here NOW! With or without you.” She turned to the wall and tried climbing up the vertical shaft wall, only to fall back to the ground.
“You’re arrogant. You don’t accept help from anyone, you don’t trust anyone. You live alone, and when you’re hurt, you hide it.” She was dead accurate on all accounts, causing glares from the purple weasel that masked he curiosity. But she was willing to brush off seeing mama and Nikala as a near death apparition, just a figment of her imagination. It was just a hallucination. “Why, you don’t believe in anything but what you can see and feel. That’s why those jewels and gems mean so much to you.”
“Are you gonna’ just sit there and psychoanalyze me or are you gonna’ help us get out of this?” She said.
“Don’t bother, your brother’ll get you out in a few minutes.”
“Nack?”
“Exactly, Nicolette.”
“HOW!?” Nic said, jaw dropping. “How do you know my name?”
“My boss told me.” She said idly. “Y’ know, if you lost that chip on your shoulder you’d have an easier time in life.”
“And what would you know about it?” Nic retorted, still trying to see any way of climbing up. a few pebbles dashed over the side and flew at her face. She threw her arms up in protection just in time, hearing her name echo down the hole.
“I used to be just like you... back when I was with the assassins’ guild.” She said and drew out a very ornately handled curved dagger, her weapon of choice.
Nic walked over to Nikala now, and looked at the weapon. “Assassins’ Guild?” She questioned. “You...”
“Yes, I was an assassin, but that was a very long time ago.” She looked up for once, and a rope fell down. “Ahh, right on time.”
“Nic! I’m coming!” came a male’s voice, one that belonged to a certain bounty hunter.
Nic wanted to call back to him, but somehow she didn’t say a word and looked back at Nikala. “Then why are you here? I mean.. you helped me out right?” she nodded slowly.
“There’s bad ghosts here. If I weren’t here, there would be more of them around. The Tappit brothers aren’t exactly resting in peace you see.” She said quite naturally as Nack reached the bottom followed by Niccolai.
“Frankly ma’am, I don’t believe in ghosts.” the lavender weasel said firmly.
“Nic!” Nack called, happy to see her, although, when he saw all the blood, he couldn’t believe it, let alone the blue weasel woman beside Nic. They... the mine was abandoned right?
“You aren’t going to be stupid and try getting that gold out of here are you?” Niccolai said. It immediately struck Nic when she saw him, that he looked remarkably like a much more mature version of her brother, even with the tan hair.
“I’m just fine...” Nic said rushing for the rope, not bothering to give her brother a hug or anything. “Let’s go.”
“Well that’s a nice hello for ya’.” The older one said.
“Nice a one as you deserve.” Nikala eyed Niccolai.
“You two know each other?” Nack said, bringing up the rear.
“You might say that.” Nicco smiled. “She’s my wife.” He said, reaching the top after Nic.
Nic didn’t care, she just wanted to get out of here. “’Scuse me for bein’ the skeptical one here, but whut in tarnation are you two doing down an abandoned mine, just happening to fins us and help us out?”
“Don’t worry about it.” Nicco assured as the group moved on. There was something very familiar about the two of them. Then, Nack remembered something that happened a very long time ago...
***
Nack had nearly drowned that day, he was only three, and his father tossed him in the water to see if he’d sink or swim. He Sank. His mother had fished him out, sopping wet, gasping and crying, and he remembered the angered look on his father’s face. He must have been loaded again... if he was sober for two seconds it was nice... but Mama’... Mary had to work, and he just freeloaded and hated them all... Why did his mother stay with him? He must have been good once, mama was so good...
“Hush... it’s okay Nack.” Mary comforted, holding her child tightly to her.
“Quit cradling that worthless baby!” Tecumseh glared.
“No! You’ve gone too far Tecumseh!” Mary said with anger in her voice for once. One of the only times he could ever remember the sweet faithful woman upset. She had the patience of a saint, that must be why she stayed... too bad it didn’t have a happy ending for her in life.
Nack’s father stormed up to the two of them, and was obviously about to strike Mary across the face. Instead, Nack remembered seeing some faint shadow of a man hold his fist tight, back, keeping him from swinging, despite his attempts. “No... we learned the hard way, fighting is pointless..” He heard the tan hared weasel say softly, then glance his way. “Hey Nack, grow up strong and proud, don’t be like this one here.” he said comfortingly.
Meanwhile, another one appeared by his mother, this one a cornflower blue. “Honey, if you never fight back again, do so now. This is your Son here, and he’s very special. How dare he treat you both so badly?” And she took his mother’s arm and helped put force into her swing.
Shock filled Tecumseh’s face, but he didn’t say anything or retaliate, much to Nack’s surprise, and Mary’s. Instead, the male weasel with a gleaming white fang, appeared to grab the back of Tecumseh’s neck and pull him off. Silently, Nack’s father turned and followed, but Nack, young as he was, could already figure that he couldn’t see the stranger dragging him off.
“Thank you..” Mary said softly. “..My guardian Angel, you’re watching aren’t you?” Her eyes looked skyward, but the lady weasel nearby laughed. She set Nack down on the ground and started walking for home, “Come along son.”
Nack nodded, but stopped and looked at the lady weasel. “Are yoo a angel?”
The lady knelt in front of Nack and kissed his forehead. “You might say that. Your mother’s naught my kin, but m’ Lady needs protection. Remember, there’s more like me to help you on your way.” She smiled, then disappeared.
***
They headed out of the mine without trouble, unlike the kind they had going in. They didn’t have a single gold bar to show for their efforts, but they were both alive. Before Niccolai and Nikala showed up, there were strange moans and groans from the old shaft, tremors that threatened to bring the cave down, and of course the ledge giving way.
“Now that we’re out, why don’t you two just--?” She blinked and looked around, the two were gone, at least to her. Nack could still see the pair, however, they were translucent. “TarnatioN! Where’d they go?” Nack just stared wide eyed. “WHAT!?”
Nack tilted his hat up slightly, and wondered for a moment if he should say anything. “Y’ didn’t notice how smooth it was getting out as opposed to goin’ in didja?”
Nic thought about it a moment, “Maybe they set us up, staged all that.”
Nack shook his head, “no, they woulda let us fall to our deaths if it was that... I reckon they were angels.” He said without embarrassment.
“Yer’ crazy!” Nic said.
Nack shook his head. “You’re the one who nearly got your head split open like a melon. You know you shouldn’t even be alive now Nic.”
“It’s silly...” She shrugged, and looked back at the mine. “It was just an accident is all, nuthin’ special about it. Well they can keep the durn treasure, I’m out of here!” She huffed and stormed off.
Nack looked at the two beings a moment, full of quizzical atmosphere. “You two, y’all are angels aren’t you?” The both of them shrugged at once. “Y’all said something about helping Kin, who are you really?”
Niccolai shrugged. “Two thousand years ago, we were doin’ what you and Nic do so well today. Kinda’ far back on the ol’ family tree, but only the best eh?”
“You’re family that far back?” He stared in amazement, then a thought hit him. “Why... Why didn’t you save mom?”
The two were Quiet a minute, then Nikala strode up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “I was there Nack, I just... I gave you a chance to say good bye.” She bent over and kissed him on the forehead, and then they were gone.
For a Moment more he looked around him at the wide open desert, then up at the sky, a tar rolling down his cheek. “Mom?” he sobbed slightly, “I know... I know you’re watching me...”
