A STRANGE RETURN

In the last moment of the fight against the Lunataks Vampi-Ra had seen the inevitable. She would be defeated, again. The ice Lunatak’s breath of cold had come as a surprise, but not wholly. The cold numbed the body and would have killed her, were it not for one thing. There were a number of ways to ensure that a vampire would die and stay dead, this was not one of them. Even as she was hit by the cold she wove her magic to separate her spirit from the shell. Reclaiming the body was difficult, as it was in thousands of pieces, but a few well chosen magical phrases brought an end to this problem. Vampi-Ra was back!

Mumm-Ra, the ever living demon priest, settled in front of the cauldron to watch the battle. It was distressing to know that this was no longer his pyramid. It also belonged to the vampire. He almost snickered softly to see her beaten, but knew that she had escaped almost as surely as he knew his own name. He waited for her to return, that he might hold her defeat over her head and then find out the answer to a question.

"I am so pleased that the Ancient Spirits of Evil have selected a new and better servant. One who can easily smite the Thundercats with but a thought," said Mumm-Ra, an hour later, "I don’t know how you manage it. I would have failed attempting such a thing, but not you, oh successful one."

"You may dispose of the mockery in your voice. I do not need you to remind me of my failures. Such activity is highly unproductive. Besides, in all the years that you have been here you have never truly defeated the Thundercats. They always seem to rise back up to the top," Vampi-Ra said.

"True, but I was able to seal the Lunataks away from the world. They would never have dared attack me," Mumm-Ra said.

"That may be, and I will grant you that you are the superior one as far as experience goes, but victory shall be mine," Vampi-Ra said.

"One thing you did make me curious though. Where did you get the pendant and ring?" Mumm-Ra asked. Vampi-Ra produced the two items from the folds of her cape and tossed them into the cauldron, to reappear in a foreign dimension.

"Through the myriad of dimensions there are many magical items. Some great, some small. It is simply a matter of finding them and apprehending them. I slipped into one of these dimensions, procured them for the purpose of this exercise and, now that I’m done, have returned them as worthless trinkets," Vampi-Ra explained.

What were left of Mumm-Ra’s eyes widened slightly. The prospect of powerful magic lying, waiting, for him in other dimensions intrigued him. "Tell me more of the most powerful item you know of, that I might send the Mutants to retrieve it," Mumm-Ra said.

"The most powerful item? That would be the Book of Darkhold in a dimension known as the Marvel Universe. It is full of heroes and villains, but only one man holds the book. His name is Doctor Strange. He possesses many items in fact," Vampi-Ra said.

Mumm-Ra let out a roar. He had met Doctor Strange once on the field of battle, it was not a fight he chose to relive. It didn’t matter what items he owned, they would all belong to Mumm-Ra before the day was out. "Ancient Spirits of Evil I, Mumm-Ra the ever living, call forth upon your magnificent power to bring forth the Mutants and cast them into the Marvel Universe with me to bring greater glory to you," he said, his arms raised as he was transformed and then transported.

Vampi-Ra let out a chuckle. She had succeeded in goading Mumm-Ra to bring her the one item she truly feared with all her might. Within the pages of the Book of Darkhold was a spell to destroy all vampires in a given dimension and to prevent them from existing on such a plane. With the book in her grasp she would be able to rest much easier.

Doctor Stephen Strange, sorcerer supreme and the protector of the universe, sat meditating in his Bleecker Street home. All was quiet except for his manservant, Wong, making tea in the kitchen. He stopped as he felt something, a tear in the fabric between his dimension and another. The tear mended quickly, leaving Doctor Strange wondering if this was a good thing.

With a mental command his cloak of levitation settled about his shoulders, the Eye of Agamotto clasping around his neck. Doctor Strange then proceeded to fly out the roof of his building and began attempting to locate the source of the tear.

Six mutants, Peregrine, Slythe, Jackalman, Monkian, Vultureman and Mumm-Ra, in disguise as a canine mutant, appeared in front of the Empire State Building. Although New York was home to many super hero teams, such as the Avengers and the X-Men, the sudden appearance of six such horrifying creatures was too much for the people. Most began to frantically run away while some of the more sensible ones made calls to the police. While all this was going on, however, Mumm-Ra took the time to explain to the Mutants just what his plan was.

Doctor Strange alighted on a nearby roof top and analyzed the creatures below. Four of them looked vaguely familiar, almost as though he was remembering them from a dream. He quickly checked his memory for people matching the description of those he now saw.

The Lizard: An enemy of Spider Man. Had a prehensile tail and was generally more scaly. Likelihood: No.

The Angel (Warren Worthington III): A mutant member of the X-Men with the power of flight. Has blue skin. Likelihood: No.

The Vulture: Another opponent of Spider Man. Favors green and appears to be a man bearing a robotic suit. Likelihood: No.

Although there were plenty of super powered villains, Doctor Strange couldn’t make a positive match with any of the mutants below. As they did not appear threatening, he decided to speak with them.

"Greetings. My name is Doctor Strange," he said.

"Isss he the one we ssseek?" asked the reptile, Slythe.

"I believe that’s the right name," the canine replied.

"You have come seeking me, the sorcerer supreme Doctor Stephen Strange?" he asked, taken aback.

"That’s correct. We bear important news. Would it be possible to go somewhere more private, your home perhaps?" the canine asked.

"I suppose there’s no harm in that. Winds of Watoomb heed my call. Transport us to the Sanctum Sanctorum at once!" Doctor Strange intoned, as mystical winds whipped through from another dimension and scooped up the seven assembled people. It carried them across the city and deposited them on the front lawn.

"Now, come inside and I’ll have Wong make us a nice pot of tea," Doctor Strange said, opening the door.

Mumm-Ra nearly laughed at how easily things were going. And to think, he’d been beaten by this mere mortal the last time they’d met. As soon as the door opened the demon priest electrified the sorcerer supreme with his dark magic. "Quickly, pick up the body and take it into the house. Then use Vultureman’s Magical Item Detector to find these items that Vampi-Ra claims he owns," Mumm-Ra said.

"Caw, it looks like he’s got one on already. The cloak and the clasp are magical, though the clasp more so," Vultureman said, fiddling with his M.I.D. Mumm-Ra removed these and donned them himself.

"Ah, they feel quite comfortable. Let’s see if I can figure out what they do," Mumm-Ra said as the Mutants ran around the house.

"The Ancient Spirits will be pleased," Mumm-Ra thought, "This cloak appears to let me levitate while the clasp appears to be some sort of all seeing eye, although it is borne of good magic, unusable by me." The Mutants had tracked down a few other assorted items and left them for him to study. "Soon the Ancients will dispense with Vampi-Ra and I shall reign supreme once more!"

Forgotten in the doorway Doctor Strange felt his senses returning. He dared not chance moving, just in case his captors noticed, but it was time to find out who had defeated him so easily. Slipping his spirit from his body was a simple task and soon he was able to wander the house unnoticed.

"Of course. Mumm-Ra. I should have remembered reading about those mutants when I visited the Thundercats (in The Doctor Is In). Now that I know who it is I face, I will enlist some help. First, though, I will reclaim my body," Doctor Strange thought, guiding his spirit to watch the Mutants and Mumm-Ra.

In a voice so low that one could barely hear it if one had their ear pressed to Doctor Strange’s mouth, the sorcerer cast a simple spell of translocation. In a wink he appeared on the doorstep to Cat’s Lair. "Last time I was here," he thought, "it resulted in a fight. This time it should be different."

"Come on in, Doctor Strange," came a voice through a little speaker. It was, if he remembered names correctly, Panthro.

He was met on the landing by Lion-O and Tygra. "Good to see you again," Lion-O said.

"I see you’ve dispensed with your red cloak. You never seemed to take it off when you were here," Tygra added.

"It’s been stolen, the reason I came here," Doctor Strange said.

"If Wily Kit or Wily Kat have taken it we can easily get it back for you," Lion-O began.

"No, no. It’s not one of your friends, but one of your enemies. Mumm-Ra and the Mutants have arrived in my home dimension. I need your help in defeating them," Doctor Strange said.

"One moment then, while I call the Thundercats," Lion-O said, drawing the magical Sword of Omens, "Thunder, thunder, thunder, Thundercats, ho!" The red and black symbol of the Thundercats rocketed from the sword and hung proudly in the sky.

Cheetara hopped over a bush and grabbed a branch to swing herself over a little brook. She skidded to a halt and turned to see the Thundercats symbol. "I’m needed back at the Lair," she thought turning back.

Bengali was making a minor adjustment to the Feliner with Snarfer hanging about, eagerly asking when it would be ready. "In a moment Snarfer, these things take time," Bengali said. "There’s no time now, no sir, we’re needed back at the Lair, snarfer, snarfer," the little cat said. Bengali moved out from underneath the vehicle and he too saw the symbol. "Then let’s get moving," he said.

When all the Thundercats were assembled in the conference room, Doctor Strange explained what had happened and the items the Mutants were likely to have at their disposal. "Many of the items I have are usable only by those with good and pure hearts. If they were to get their hands on the Book of Darkhold, however, they would have access to unimaginable evil," Doctor Strange said. "I perish to think of what might happen if we don’t hurry."

"And you can take us all there now?" Cheetara asked.

"Yes. The spell itself is simple, though more difficult than just transporting myself. Lion-O and I will deal with Mumm-Ra. The rest of you take care of the Mutants. Be careful not to open any doors that aren’t already slightly ajar. There are powerful wards that can do serious damage to the unwary," Doctor Strange replied.

"Then we haven’t a moment to waste. Take us to your home at once," Pumyra said.

Doctor Strange wove his hands through the air and asked the guardians of the gateways to give them leave to pass. Recognizing the sorcerer they granted him this favor and allowed him and his companions to go through time and space until they arrived on Earth, 1999.

Slythe let out a sharp curse as one of the doors zapped his hand. "Infernal door. I’ll teach you to hurt me, yesss?" he said, pulling out a small laser pistol.

"Think clearly Slythe. If the door shocked your hand when you touched it, what will it do when you fire your gun?" Peregrine asked.

"Look, a window above the door, nyah, ha, ha," Jackalman said.

"See. There’s always a way around things. Monkian, you’re the best climber, go through and let us in," Peregrine said.

"Hoo, hoo. As you wish, Peregrine," Monkian said, jumping to catch the window ledge. He then slowly pulled himself through the window and disappeared onto the other side.

Mumm-Ra turned, while handling a glittering sword, as he heard the sound of the door opening. He glanced at the oriental man bound in the corner and saw to his horror that he too was gone. The Mutants claimed to have gotten better, yet two prisoners had escaped under their noses. What was worse was that the Thundercats had entered along with Doctor Strange.

"Go. They’re upstairs!" Doctor Strange ordered.

"So, Lion-O. You think your puny Sword of Omens can harm me?" Mumm-Ra asked.

"Be careful. He’s got the Sword of Darkness. It carries great power, though I suspect he doesn’t realize how much," Doctor Strange said.

"I know enough to do this!" Mumm-Ra said, firing a sticky black bolt of goo at the sorcerer. This threw him against the wall and held him fast.

"Doctor Strange, by Jaga I won’t let this fight be in vain. Ho!" Lion-O shouted, extending the Sword of Omens. It shot a burst of its own energy at Mumm-Ra but dissipated quickly against the Sword of Darkness.

"Is that the best you can do, Lord of the Thundercats?" Mumm-Ra asked.

Monkian opened the door to the room and the others entered. "Look what I’ve found!" he said, pointing at a book locked in a glass case. "It’s the book Mumm-Ra especially wanted."

"Interesting. I wonder why he wanted it above all else," Peregrine said.

"I sssay we keep it and bribe him into sssending us back to Plundarr," Slythe said.

"Excellent idea. Jackalman, place it in your pack. If we do nothing else, we must maintain our hold on it. Do you understand?" Peregrine said, breaking open the case.

"I understand perfectly," Jackalman said, slipping the book into the bag he’d been carrying when Mumm-Ra had plucked them from Castle Plundarr.

As the mutants exited the room they saw the Thundercats down the hall. "Remember. Your fighting skills have improved. You can now beat the Thundercats!" Peregrine shouted, sending them forward.

Monkian was the first to attack. He sent his cannon ball down the hall, connecting with Panthro’s head. Jackalman and Slythe produced their two laser weapons and began firing. The Thunderkittens and Lynx-O toppled to the ground while the rest jumped for cover in a small room.

"Tygra and Black Claw will probably turn invisible now. Be ready for the slightest noise or movement. Anything that might tip you off as to when they come," Peregrine said, "And fire your weapons in random locations frequently. You’re bound to hit them eventually."

"Now you see us. Now you don’t. Cheetara, ready to draw some fire?" Tygra asked, even as he and Black Claw faded from sight. The woman nodded. "Good, once the fighting starts Bengali will start returning fire with his hammer of Thundera and Pumyra will begin throwing her marbles. Snarf, Snarfer, you two stay here and, if anything happens, run down the hall and warn Lion-O and Doctor Strange that we’ve been beaten." The Thundercats placed one hand each on Cheetara’s and gave a mighty cheer.

"Look. There’s Cheetara!" said Jackalman firing his weapon at the woman.

"Slythe, keep firing elsewhere, she’s doubtless distracting us," Peregrine said.

Tygra felt a laser blast take him in his shoulder and toppled to the floor with a grunt. His concentration wavered for an instant, forcing him to become visible once more. "There’s Tygra. Take him out!" Peregrine shouted, even as a second blast from Slythe caught him, this time in the leg. He didn’t get a second shot. Cheetara had dodged enough blasts to get close enough to use her staff. It cracked against the hands of both gun toting Mutants before being brought up across their jaws. Black Claw soon joined Cheetara up at the front with marbles and bolts from the hammer rocketing by them. Peregrine, who had been handed the bag when the fighting started, turned and ran down the stairs behind him, determined to catch Mumm-Ra.

"You take Monkian and Vultureman, I’ll go after Peregrine," Black Claw hissed, pursuing. Cheetara nodded her agreement even as her staff was snapped by Monkian’s cannonball.

Vultureman lunged at the cat, determined to show off his improved fighting skills, but failed to notice the land mine marbles on the ground. As soon as his foot made contact with them the trigger was set, when his foot came off he was flung to the ground. Cheetara, thanks to Bengali’s shots keeping his shield arm busy, made short work of Monkian with both halves of her staff.

Black Claw saw Peregrine running down the flight of stairs to where Mumm-Ra and Lion-O battled below. Timing was everything. The slightest miscalculation could place him in a vulnerable position. Black Claw ran, jumped onto a table by the railing, and leapt at the fleeing Falcon Mutant. He collided perfectly with the bird, bringing both of them to the ground between the two combatants, though Black Claw was still invisible.

As Doctor Strange hung on the wall he had an idea. As long as Mumm-Ra held the Sword of Darkness in front of him, the Sword of Omens couldn’t hurt him. Since he could command the cloak telepathically, it would be simple matter to help his friend. "Lion-O," he said telepathically, "use the Sword of Omens again. I will be with you." Lion-O had seen Mumm-Ra block his sword once and was uncertain what use a second time would be, but he trusted this man almost as much as he did Jaga. "Ho!" Lion-O shouted, blasting Mumm-Ra again.

Mumm-Ra could hardly believe it. Had the boy lost his senses? Had he forgotten that the last time he’d attacked, the Sword of Darkness had blocked it? So it was to his great shock to find himself being moved in such a way that the blast of energy hit him, instead of the sword. The weapon flew from his hand and the black ooze holding Doctor Strange vanished. "Items return to your places! Now, the Sword of Omens and Flames of Faltine shall spell your destruction!" Doctor Strange intoned, as the items carried by Mumm-Ra and the Mutants left their hosts and returned from whence they’d come.

"We shall meet again, sorcerer!" Mumm-Ra said, returning himself and his henchmen to their homes.

"Once again I must thank you for your help," Doctor Strange said.

"Not a problem. If Mumm-Ra had succeeded here, he would have come back to Third Earth more powerful than before," Lion-O said.

"Any idea what he was after?" Tygra asked.

"None at all, though I suspect there was something in particular he came for. I just hope he doesn’t come back looking for it. If you ever need my help, though, contact me using this," Doctor Strange said, handing Lion-O a sapphire.

"We will," Lion-O said, "and we will always remember that wherever we are there are true and noble creatures willing to lend their support to the forces of good."

"And now, with that said, it is time for you to return home," Doctor Strange said, chanting softly. In an instant Cat’s Lair was once again full of Thundercats.

"All that’s left, is to clean up this place," Doctor Strange mused.

A few days passed and Skytomb’s residents, the Lunataks, were about to be host to some most interesting news. Luna was sitting in her quarters when Alluro knocked on the door.

"What is it Alluro?" she asked.

"Luna. I want you to invoke one of your abilities. I want you to marry me and Chilla," Alluro said. Luna raised her eyebrow.

"With her consent? No hypnosis?" Luna asked.

"None at all," Alluro said, "Just my careful wooing and bravery."

"Very well. In two weeks time, Alluro and Chilla shall be married!" declared Luna.

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