Necessary
Sacrifice
Part
One
A slight change in the air was Mumm-ra's first indication that trouble was brewing. Lost in the translation of an ancient book of spells he had found in his library, at first he barely registered the light breeze that kissed his sunken cheek. Only when it started to ruffle his cloak did he look up from his book. The room was empty. The dust of ages lay undisturbed on the shelves. He was certainly alone. Yet that breeze had come from somewhere. The Pyramid, though centuries old, had been well built with blocks placed so precisely that not even the probing fingers of the north winds could find entrance. So either he had an intruder or he was getting fanciful in his old age. That last thought made him laugh. Age had long ceased to be a problem, but on days like this, when his search for a way to be rid of the Thundercats was proving to be ever more frustrating, he felt very old indeed. That left the intruder theory.
The Thundercat, Tygra, was known for his ability to become invisible, although not to the extent where he could obliterate all traces of his presence in terms of scent and footprints. As the dry floor had little to offer him, Mumm-ra raised his head and sniffed the air. There was a slight trace of something, although its memory was not immediately forthcoming. A little like brimstone, he decided, which placed it solidly in the otherworldly category, with just the merest suggestion of lotus blossom. Mumm-ra sighed. It was that time again.
"Welcome back, Almari," he said out loud. The silence was broken by laughter like the tinkling of so many silver bells. Before him appeared a pinprick of light that gradually grew into the shape of a woman, her blank face taking on features he knew only too well. As the apparition became solid, a smile played across her full carmine lips and the dark eyes that fell upon him sparkled with amusement.
"And how fares my lord Mummhaptset?" she purred in a soft, lilting voice.
"Well enough," Mumm-ra grunted. "And don't call me that."
"Forgive me, Mumm-ra," she replied in mock apology. "Although a more unsuitable name for one who never followed Ra in his entire existence could not be found, I'm sure. I always thought Mumm-set would have been better."
"To my people, I was Ra."
The smile twitched a little higher and he could tell she was humouring him. "Ah yes, Lord Mumm-ra, earthbound deity and ruler supreme. How could I forget?"
"All too easily, as I remember. What are you doing back here so soon?"
"You know the routine, my lord," she said, unsuccessfully trying to stifle a yawn. "Tiresome, I know, but I have to make the effort to haunt you at least once every twenty years."
"Do you?"
"Of course. You did kill me."
"Did I? I suppose I had good reason."
She pouted and turned her back on him. "Beast!" she snorted.
"What did you expect me to do?" he countered. "My wife, in bed with my senior advisor? You were lucky I didn't have you publicly disembowelled. Your adultery was treason." He moved away from her, taking his book with him and replacing it on the shelf.
"And yours?" she retorted.
He shrugged. "Mere diversions. As I recall, you suffered almost continual headaches back then. Must have been all the time you spent in the arms of your lovers." That got a reaction, Mumm-ra noted with satisfaction. Almari's eyes blazed and the hand that flew in his direction he only just managed to avoid. "Ah-ah, my love," he said. "Temper, temper."
"Creep!" she spat.
"Harpy!"
"Pig!"
"Slut!"
Her anger died as suddenly as it had rose. With a toss of her hair, she threw back her head and laughed. "Oh, I love it when you talk dirty," she said, crossing to where he stood. Drawing close, she snuggled up to him and her gentle fingers drifted temptingly across the once strong line of his jaw. "I did love you, my lord," she said softly. "Even now, after all that's happened, I could still find it in my heart to forgive you."
Mumm-ra caught one of her wandering hands and fixed her with a stern glare. She smiled back at him, guilelessly, almost lovingly. Many years ago, he might have found it convincing. In the intervening period, however, he had learnt that it usually meant she was up to something. "Go on," he said suspiciously. "What is it you want this time?"
"Whatever makes you think that?" she said, affecting affront to perfection. "Actually, I came to do you a favour as regards those verminous cats who torture you so."
"You know about them?" he asked, his eyebrows twitching with annoyance. If Almari knew about the trouble he was having with the Thundercats, he would never hear the last of it. She would delight in telling as many people as possible and he would be the laughing stock of the amassed forces of evil.
She shrugged nonchalantly. "I look in on you from time to time. I have encountered them, yes."
Mumm-ra groaned inwardly. "Name your price for your silence," he sighed. "Gold, jewels, what?"
Again, the look of indignation. "Don't be so vulgar," she chided him. "Do you think I can be bought off with tawdry baubles? What I need is company." She looked at him from under her lashes and grinned lasciviously. "A girl gets bored with the same old faces."
"Never," Mumm-ra hissed. "I would rather sleep with a viper!"
"Well, there's no accounting for taste," she said. "But don't worry, I didn't mean you. I was thinking more along the lines of..." With that, she swept her hand over the reading table, sending the dust flying. As it swirled, shapes formed and an image of the Thundercats danced in the air.
Mumm-ra snorted. "And you dare to question my taste!"
"They would amuse me and make my pitiful existence a little less tedious," she said. "I would forgive you and you would never have to see me again. And you, my Lord Mumm-ra, would be rid of the Thundercats forever!"
"I would be a fool to refuse an offer like that, wouldn't I?" he said, reaching up to stroke her cheek. "I would gladly give them to you, Almari. However, if you've been spying on me, you'll know that is more easy to say than do."
At that, her smile grew ever broader until a giggle slipped from her lips. She pulled away from him and drifted over to one of the bookcases. Trailing a finger across the dusty tomes, she made a satisfied noise when she came to the one she wanted and took it down from the shelf. She flicked through the pages until she found what she was looking for, then indicating the appropriate lines, held the book out to him. "Read that," she said.
Mumm-ra had only to glance at the page to know what she was suggesting. "You think I am so dull-witted that I have not tried such a thing?" he growled, snatching the book from her and tossing it away. It thumped onto the floor and sprawled untidily, squashing its many hand-written pages beneath its black bindings. On the front cover, the black cat's head set against its red background regarded him balefully for such unwarranted treatment. But Mumm-ra was unrepentant. As far as he was concerned, it was fit only for the fire. 'The Boke of Omins', as the dealer had described it when he had visited the Pyramid several seasons ago, allegedly a translation of a lost Thunderian original, had promised great things when he had first delved into it. Unfortunately, the scribe who had undertaken the translation had either been a half-wit or woefully incompetent. Page after page of dull and poorly written history had proved more vexatious than illuminating. Allowing for mistakes, however, it had offered one small spark of hope, which he had put into operation without delay. Much like everything else, it had failed to live up to his expectations and so the book had been relegated to a dusty shelf to moulder away. Almari, it seemed, had other ideas, for she retrieved the book, laid it on the table and turned back to the page she had previously indicated.
"The Curse of Balthaz," she read out, "states that 'when the Sword of Omins is used against a Thundercat, that when fellowship dies, so will die the light'. Now what did you take that to mean?"
"The light of goodness, I suppose. The destruction of the Sword of Omens. But I'm sure you already know that they were able to get the Sword re-forged."
A knowing smile crept across her lips. "So what does that tell you?"
"Either enlighten me, Almari," Mumm-ra growled, "or stop wasting my time."
She sighed and eyed him with some impatience. "If the Sword wasn't destroyed, then obviously something about the wording of this curse is wrong. In fact," she said, casually inspecting her nails, "the idiot who translated this got so much wrong that I have to wonder if the exact wording was not so much 'light' as 'sight'. And if you think of 'sight', well, the Eye of Thundera springs naturally to mind."
"But the Eye was not destroyed. The blade broke, that was all."
"Ah yes, but consider the line, 'when fellowship dies'. I think the blade breaking was to prevent the Sword being used for a greater evil." She smiled coyly at him. "Do you understand me now, my lord?"
"Not really. You're talking in riddles again. What do you mean?"
She moved closer, pressing her bosom up against his decayed chest. Then, with her mouth inches from his ear, she whispered the words to him, the very tickle of her breath on his skin bringing a smile to his lips as surely as what she had to say.
"Excellent," he murmured. "I shall try out this theory on the Lord of the Thundercats without delay."
"Why make life difficult for yourself?" she said. "The Sword of Omens is a formidable weapon in his hands. In that case, we thought you might start with someone else."
Mumm-ra narrowed his eyes. "We?"
"Yes, we, Imhotamen and I."
He hissed and pushed her away. "Don't mention that two-faced weasel in my presence!" he roared. "I thought his traitorous ka was rotting forever in the belly of Apepi."
"On even dates," she said. "The rest of the time he keeps me company."
"Curse his lying tongue," Mumm-ra muttered. "That you consort with the man who tried to oust me!"
"Does it matter now?" Almari purred. "He was one of your most brilliant strategists, don't forget. I said that if he helped now, you might put in a good word for him with the Ancient Spirits."
"That depends on what he had to say."
She smiled again, letting him know that she was well aware that he was far too interested to let his personal feelings stand in the way of a good plan to be rid of the Thundercats. "Well, then, Imhotamen suggests that you provoke a situation so that the lesser members of the group are forced to submit to your demands. You might want to consider targeting a particular individual, one I certainly can't wait to get my hands on," she added with a sly smile.
Mumm-ra grinned and took her in his arms. "And who, my love, would that be?"
***************
"Exactly how did this happen?"
WilyKat shrugged and mumbled something incomprehensible.
"He said he fell off his spaceboard," his sister said tartly, giving him a poke in the back.
"Shut up, Kit," WilyKat grumbled. "And I didn't fall, I was pushed, by someone not a thousand miles from here, because she's a rotten cheat!"
"All right you two, that's enough," Tygra said, as he finished bandaging the cub's ankle. The makeshift strapping would have to do until they got back to the Lair. "Consider yourself lucky it's not broken, WilyKat. It's a sprain, but you'll still have to take things easy for a couple of days."
"Yes, Tygra," the cub said. A mischievous glint twinkled in his eye as he gave his sister a sideways glance. "Does this mean I get out of mining duty?"
Tygra smiled. Mining Thundrillium was everyone's least favourite chore, not least the twins whose attention invariably wandered to more exciting activities. "Yes, I guess it does." WilyKat grinned broadly and poked his tongue out at his disgruntled sister. "But you'll still have to guard the Lair."
Guard duty also generally elicited a groan, but WilyKat seemed pleased enough. "Oh, that's all right," he said brightly.
"Only because Panthro installed that new game in the main computer," grumbled his sister. "It's not fair!"
"Life usually isn't, WilyKit," said Tygra with a smile, as he gathered WilyKat up in his arms and carried him to the Thundertank. He had settled the cub in the front and gone to collect his spaceboard, when the onboard communicator started to bleep urgently.
"Tygra here, go ahead."
The message was distorted and broken by static, but he could just about make out Cheetara's anxious voice. From her babble, he could guess that trouble was brewing.
"Calm down, Cheetara, I can't understand you. Say that again."
"--sense went crazy and--Lion-O--trouble--southern cliffs," came the message.
"Okay, on our way. See you there," he said. Even before the channel fell silent, he had started the engine and was turning its nose towards the south and the cliffs where their young lord had gone looking for an elusive Thundrillium vein that the sensors had indicated was in the area. With WilyKit following on her spaceboard, the tank quickly chewed up the short distance and before long the reddened hills were looming on the horizon. The tank spun to a halt outside a fairly large opening and Tygra jumped out.
"WilyKat, stay here!" he called.
"But what about...?"
His voice died in the still air of the cavern as Tygra ran inside. Two passageways divided the path before him. Glancing down at the sodden floor, he saw several sets of footprints leading in different directions, some of them clearly Mutant. Slithe's massive prints had obliterated any trace as to where his fellow Thundercats might have gone and the best that Tygra could do now was guess. To try and raise them on their communicators might give their position away to the enemy, so this would have to be done the old-fashioned way. They would have to split up and search.
"WilyKit, take the left passage," he said to the breathless kitten who had rushed in to join him. "I'll go right. And be careful."
"As always," she beamed and dashed away into the darkness.
Whip in hand, he started down the other passage, proceeding slowly at first to allow his eyes time to adjust. Glow gems embedded in the rough walls winked at him as he passed, offering what little light they could. Several times the dancing shadows mocked him as they flitted along the dank floor, making him imagine monsters hidden in this twilight world. Then, to his ears came what sounded like an explosion, deafening in the confines of the cave. He broke into a run, caution forsaken for the greater concern of friends in danger. Ahead now came the sound of voices, loud and challenging, then a cry. Fear clutched his heart and sent him on until he rounded a corner and skidded to a halt.
Before him, Jackalman and Slithe, the latter holding a propulsion weapon, still smouldering from a recent discharge. His fellow Mutant tapped his club with almost loving reverence in his hand, his eyes fixed intently on the two Thundercats trapped between him and the unforgiving walls.
"Try that again, Cheetara," he sneered. "Not so fast now, are you?"
She was clutching at the wall, panting hard and barely able to stand. The hand clasped about her chest spoke of injury. Behind her, looking dazed, was Lion-O. The Sword was at his feet and with it the Claw Shield, showing the sort of blackening usually associated with an energy blast.
"Ssstep away from your cub of a leader, ssshe-cat!" roared Slithe.
Cheetara's eyes lifted ever so slightly, noting Tygra's presence without alerting the Mutants. The element of surprise was his. In a flash, his whip snapped out, catching the two Mutants around the ankles and, with a mighty heave, both were sent tumbling to the floor. Jackalman whimpered as his jaw connected with rock. By the time his eyes opened, he found the tip of Cheetara's staff within inches of his muzzle. He leapt to his feet and scampered away, twittering with fear. Slithe pushed himself up with less grace and scowled at them.
"Get lost, Slithe!" Cheetara growled.
"Watch your lip, Thundercat," the reptilian returned. "The tablesss are turning and it's not in your favour!" With that parting shot, he scurried away after Jackalman.
"Thanks," Cheetara said a touch breathlessly. "Things were looking nasty there for a minute."
"Well, the day's young yet," Tygra said. "What's wrong with Lion-O?"
Their young Lord had not moved during the altercation. He stared at them blankly, looking from one face to another without any sign of recognition. His bottom lip trembled and tears came to his eyes. Then, his legs buckled and he dropped to the floor, sobbing and hugging his knees with his arms, like a frightened kitten.
"Like it when I got here," Cheetara said. She leant heavily against a rocky ledge and rested her head on her hands. "Just before I reached him, there was an explosion of some sort. I think it might have been warp gas, something like that."
"And you?" Tygra asked with concern, moving to her side.
"It's nothing. Jackalman knocked the wind out my sails, that's all. I'll be fine," she said, although the strain in her voice suggested otherwise. "Don't worry about me. See what you can do for Lion-O."
He sighed, feeling vexed by her usual stubbornness, and left her to attend to their leader. Lion-O had started to rock back and forth and was murmuring something under his breath. Tygra knelt down beside him and gently touched him on the arm. Lion-O recoiled as if he had been stung and scrambled out of Tygra's reach into a distant corner, from where he regarded him with wide-eyed terror.
"Lion-O?" Tygra tried. "D'you know who I am?"
"I want my mummy!" he sobbed.
"Jaga preserve us," muttered Tygra. "Well, mummy can't be here right now. But she sent me to get you and bring you home. Will you come with me?"
Lion-O shook his head furiously and burrowed deeper into the corner. "Stranger," he said. "Don't go with strangers! Snarf told me." He began to wail and thump his head against the wall. "I want Snarf!" he bawled. "I wanna go home."
Tygra groaned and rubbed his brow. "What now?"
"Well, he is right," said Cheetara.
"Yes, but it's not exactly helping matters, is it?"
"Hey guys, what's happening?" WilyKit said as she bounded into view, only to stop short when she saw Lion-O. "What's the matter with him?"
"The Mutants used a gas of some sort on him," Tygra explained. "He seems to have regressed to childhood."
WilyKit grinned. "Makes up for all those years he lost." The smile died when the adults turned unimpressed faces on her. "Okay, chill out. I didn't mean it. He'll be all right though?"
"If we can get him out of here and if we can get him back to Cat's Lair, so I can run a few tests. Trouble is, Lion-O doesn't want to come with me."
"Let me try," said the kitten. She strode confidently up to their quivering leader and knelt down at his side. Lion-O looked up and fixed troubled eyes on her. "Hi, there," she said. "I'm WilyKit. What's your name?"
"Lion-O," he said in a small voice.
"You know, Lion-O, this place isn't very nice, is it? I'll take you home if you like."
"Don't know you."
"Sure you do. Us kids have to stick together. Just between you and me, Lion-O, these grown-ups are really boring. But I've got some great toys at home. Wanna come and see them?"
Curiosity got the better of him. He reached out to take her hand and she helped him to his feet. "See, it's not so bad when you're with someone." WilyKit turned to the others with a superior expression on her face. "We'll be off then. See you guys later."
"WilyKit?" Tygra called after her. "I'm very impressed."
She shrugged. "Nothing to it. Let's go, Lion-O."
The sound of running footsteps made them all turn. Lion-O retreated to his corner as Panthro suddenly appeared, panting hard from his headlong dash. "Got here in the Feliner as fast as I could," he gasped. He eyed Lion-O curiously, sensing the change in him. "Is he all right?" he asked.
"Not sure," Tygra said. "We'll see. Panthro, can you see them back to the Thundertank?"
"Will do. What's wrong with you, Cheetara?"
"I've had better days, but I'll be okay." A choked cough escaped her lips and she put her hand over her mouth. "Go," she wheezed. "I'll be along in a minute."
Panthro nodded and followed WilyKit and Lion-O out into the darkness of the passage. Once they were gone, Cheetara groaned and slipped down the rock. Tygra only just managed to catch her before she hit the floor.
"Come on now, tell me what's wrong," he urged.
"My side hurts bad," she said, visibly wincing.
He gently probed her side, working his way along her ribs, when suddenly she was racked by a coughing fit. Bones ground viciously somewhere in her upper chest. The coughs subsided, leaving a rattling sound coming from her lungs. She took her hand from her mouth and gasped. On her palm was a splatter of blood, matching the small trickle escaping from the side of her mouth. Frightened eyes met his, understanding its meaning. Without another word, he scooped her up in his arms and started down the passageway at a run.
***************
"But she'll be all right, won't she, Panthro?"
It must have been the tenth time since they had got back to the Lair that WilyKit had asked that same question, and still he did not have a satisfactory answer for her. Since Tygra had streaked past them in the cave, carrying an unconscious Cheetara in his arms and yelling that he was taking the Feliner back to the Lair, the others had not heard a word from him. Panthro had looked into the infirmary, but Tygra had waved him away while he and Snarf attended to their injured friend. But that brief glance had been enough to tell him that all was not well.
Now, as he looked down at the kitten's worried face, he forced a smile and again reassured her as best he could. WilyKit gave him the same troubled look that said she was not totally convinced and returned to the table where WilyKat sat trying to get a response out of Lion-O. Panthro watched them, frustration gnawing at his soul. Part of him longed to storm over to Castle Plun-darr and get those mangy Mutants to tell them just what they had done to Lion-O. The Thundercat in him, however, was saying that his duty lay here. At present, the latter was winning, but only just.
Moments later, the door opened and Tygra looked in. Seeing him, the twins leapt up from their seats and raced across the room, clamouring for news of their friend.
"She's not well, I'm afraid," Tygra told them. "I just need a word with Panthro, then you can come and see her. How's Lion-O?"
"Dull as dishwater," WilyKat said. "Mentally, he seems to be about two."
"And that's being generous," added his sister.
"Keep talking to him," Tygra said. "If anyone can bring him round, it's you two."
They smiled with sad gratitude at the faith the older Thundercat placed in them and wandered dejectedly back to the table. Tygra pulled Panthro outside the room and closed the door.
"Trouble?" Panthro asked.
"You could say that. Cheetara has a few broken ribs. Unfortunately, a shard of bone has punctured one of her lungs and is lodged in a major artery." Tygra took a deep breath and his gaze wandered down the corridor to the infirmary. "There's not a lot more I can for her here, Panthro. Unless she has proper medical attention, we'll lose her."
Panthro hissed and thumped his fist on the wall. "Jaga help the Mutants when I get my hands on them!"
"Later perhaps. For now, I was thinking that maybe Control could help us."
"I'll ask Mandora, see what she's got. What about Lion-O?"
Tygra shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. I was hoping it would wear off."
"And if it doesn't?"
"Then we have no leader and no Sword of Omens on a planet where the powers of evil would do anything to get rid of us."
"Thanks for reassuring me. I needed that."
With Tygra heading back to the infirmary, Panthro set off for the Control Room and wasted no time in contacting the terse Evil Chaser. No sooner had she signed off, promising to get a medical ship to Third Earth as quickly as possible, than the control board lit up with distress signals. He watched in horror as the viewscreen showed him the devastation at the Wollo settlement, the levelled Berbil village and the firestorm tearing its way through the forest home of the Warrior Maidens. His hand hovered over the respond button. Which one to respond to first, that was the question. Not that it would make the slightest difference, he was sure of that. A little voice had been whispering in his ear that this was only the beginning, that the Mutants, knowing full well that two of the Thundercats were out of action, had wasted no time in taking advantage of the situation. Even so, it was all too well planned to have come from Slithe and his rag-tag band. Mumm-ra had to be behind this somewhere, he thought bitterly.
With a sigh, he activated the channel and was met with Willa's soot-blackened face. The forest was aflame around them, she told him. The situation was desperate. They were trapped and there was not way out unless the Thundercats helped them. The decision was made for him, Panthro thought, as he promised to get there as soon as he could. The Wollos and Berbils would have to wait for now. Seconds later, he was charging down to the hangar and almost bowled Tygra off his feet.
"I'm coming with you," he said, after learning of the situation. "Cheetara is stable for now. Snarf can look after her and Lion-O."
"And the twins?"
"They'll have to come with us. We'll need all the help we can get."
***************
Hungry fingers of flame streaked the smoke-darkened sky as the Feliner approached the remains of the forest. The engines laboured a little as debris was sucked into the ship's vents and Tygra had to adjust their altitude to move away from the clouds of hot ash. Far below, he could see the Thundertank weaving its way between regiments of blackened trees. Unless they could get to him, Panthro would have to handle the rage of this fire on his own. He pulled the Feliner up and over the columns of smoke and surveyed the scene before him with growing dismay. The fire was slowing eating its way into the heart of the forest on every side, driving all before it into a trap.
"Jaga help them," WilyKit murmured from the seat beside him.
"And if not Jaga, then us," he said. "Ready the water cannon."
WilyKit nodded and fiddled with the various switches. A brief whirring of hydraulics and a satisfying click later and the cannon was in place. "Ready," she said.
"Good, then on my mark, release the water," Tygra said, wheeling the Feliner round and heading straight for the firewall. At his command, WilyKat activated the controls and the cannon released a torrent of water on the flames. A fierce hiss rose up from the smothered flames, accompanied by jets of scalding steam. But the check was only temporary and eager flames closed up the gap once again.
"What we gonna do now, Tygra?" WilyKit asked.
"We have to break that firewall somehow," he said.
"But how? The water didn't work."
"In that case, we fight fire with fire. Feliner to Thundertank, come in," he said into the communicator.
"Tricky," Panthro said, after Tygra had told him the plan. "Won't have a lot of time to evacuate the Warrior Maidens if it doesn't work."
"We don't enough time for that anyway. If this doesn't work, nothing will. You take the western sector. We'll bomb the north and east. To the south, the fire isn't so fierce. We can beat that back with water."
"I still don't understand," said WilyKit.
"Then watch and learn." Once more he wheeled the Feliner into the path of the advancing fire. Thick flames rose up from the burning canopy in anticipation of claiming them. A warning beacon sounded its warning of the rapidly rising temperature of the cabin, but Tygra held his course. Bringing the forward blasters on line, he targeted the base of one massive tree and brought it down. As the line of blazing trees toppled to the ground under the Feliner's barrage, flames were smothered and the wall was broken. With the gap now too wide to cross, the fire was stopped in its tracks and succumbed to the gallons of water that the Feliner now rained down on the smouldering forest. With the last of the flames extinguished, Tygra brought the ship down in a clearing near to the Warrior Maidens' kingdom.
Willa was waiting for them, singed and sooty, but uninjured. "Thank you, Thundercats," she said as they came over to her. "We would surely be dead this day without you."
"Anything we can do to help, Willa," said Tygra. "How did this fire start?"
"It was the Mutants as usual! Need you ask?" said one of her warriors. A stern-looking girl, a head shorter than Willa, with long brown tresses, eyed both Thundercats with ill-disguised anger. "We thank you, yet it is you who have brought this torment upon us!"
Willa glared at the woman. "Back down, Arilla."
"I speak the truth!" she spat. "How much easier our lives would be without you!"
"If you have time on your hands, why don't you help our sisters with the injured?" With a final look of defiance, the woman stalked away. Willa watched her go and slowly shook her head. "Forgive us. Tempers are frayed this day."
"Perhaps she has a valid point," said Tygra.
Willa looked at him in mild surprise. "Why do you say so? Without you, we would be suffering still under Mumm-ra's harsh rule. The people of Third Earth have much to thank the Thundercats for. We, the Warrior Maidens, consider ourselves fortunate to have you as allies."
"This fire was hardly fortunate though," WilyKit said.
"True, but the forest will recover. That is the way of nature. From death, new life will flourish."
The sound of the communicator's sudden urgent wailing from the Feliner offered a welcome excuse to leave. Tygra returned to the ship and found that the call came from Panthro, reporting that with the fire now under control in the west, he and WilyKat were on their way to the Balkin village. The situation sounded dire. The villagers were apparently under attack from the Nosediver and Skycutters. Promising to join him as soon as possible, Tygra was about to call to WilyKit when the communicator again began to bleep. This time it was Snarf.
"Oh, Tygra, come home quickly, please," he wailed. "It's Cheetara. She's taken a turn for the worse and I don't know what to do!"
"Calm down, Snarf. Tell me what's happened."
"She's coughing up blood again," Snarf replied, barely half a beat slower. "Weeow, she's really ill."
"Yes, I know she is. Okay," Tygra murmured. Torn between two dilemmas, he found himself wishing that Lion-O were there to take the decision off his shoulders. Three Mutants against the Thundertank, Panthro could just about manage, but what if it was a trap? But then to leave Cheetara to what sounded like almost certain death was also out of the question. Valuable seconds were lost as he pondered, hating the choice thrust upon him.
"WilyKit?" he called down. "You brought your space-board, didn't you?"
"Yeah, it's in the back," she answered.
"Take it and go and join Panthro at the Balkin village. They're having trouble with the Mutants."
WilyKit nodded and went to retrieve her board. Tygra set the Feliner's engines in motion and was about close the hatch when she called up to him.
"Where are you going then?"
"The Lair," he said. "Snarf reported that Cheetara is... not doing too well."
A pained expression crossed the kitten's face and the knuckles holding her board turned white. "Is she going to die, Tygra?"
"Not if I can help it. WilyKit, be careful."
She gave a small nod and stepped away from the Feliner. As he looked down at her little face growing ever smaller, he thought he saw the sparkle of tears on her cheeks. Feeling worse than helpless, he turned the Feliner towards Cat's Lair and pushed the engines to their limit.
***************
"I'm telling you, Tygra, Third Earth has gone crazy!" Panthro declared, thumping the table with his fist for emphasis. "And there's not a blasted thing we can do about it. It's like chasing bubbles. You catch one, only to have another pop up."
"Brrr, those wretched Mutants are running amok," Snarf added. "What are we going to do about it?"
Tygra rubbed his tired eyes and sat back in his chair. Four troubled faces stared back at him, expecting him to give them the answers. He knew what he wanted to do, but handing the situation over to their leader right now was out of the question. Lion-O sat on the ledge by the window, busily colouring in a picture that the twins had given him. Thus, the honour of making life and death decisions fell to his second-in-command. A dubious honour indeed, Tygra thought.
"One thing at a time," he said wearily. "What do we know about these Mutant attacks?"
"Cowardly," grunted Panthro. "The minute they saw us, they split like the craven rascals they are."
"That's because they knew who they were up against," said WilyKat. "They haven't got a hope against the Thundertank and they know it."
"Except they just went somewhere else," said his sister. "It didn't solve anything."
"So were they running from you or just avoiding you?" asked Tygra.
"What's the difference?" said Snarf. "Does it matter?"
"Of course it matters. Mutants on the run don't usually stop to cause grief somewhere else unless they're deliberately baiting their prey."
Snarf shivered. "Don't use that word, Tygra. We aren't prey, snarf, snarf."
"Intended targets then. Frankly, the more I hear of this, the more I smell a very well laid trap. We're stretched to breaking point and we're two Thundercats down. This doesn't bode well."
Panthro glanced over his shoulder to the window. "Speaking of Lion-O, any breakthrough?"
"Nothing. The effect of the gas was powerful. Not even the Sword was able to break it."
"And Cheetara?"
"A little worse. How long before Mandora gets here?"
"She said a medical transport would be here in ten hours."
Tygra sighed heavily. "Cheetara doesn't have that much time."
"Why?" asked WilyKat in a small, quavering voice. "What's going to happen to her?"
The hesitation was just long enough to make the cub jump to his feet, his face red with fury. "We're a part of this team, you know! Stop keeping things from us. How ill is she, Tygra?" His angry gaze softened a little as the beginnings of tears started to bead in his eyes. "Please. We want to know."
Tygra cast a quick glance at Panthro, who nodded. Truth, decreed the Code of Thundera, at all times, however painful.
"Another couple of hours at the most, then I won't be able to help her any more."
The cub's face creased with distress and his bottom lip trembled. "You mean, she's going to die?" he said, as much a statement as a question. Their silent nods confirmed his fears. As tears started to streak down his cheeks, Panthro put his arm around his shoulders and gave him a reassuring hug.
"It won't come to that, young WilyKat."
"Yes, it will," the cub sobbed. "You said that Mandora won't get here until it's too late."
"Not if we meet them halfway," said Panthro. "The Feliner can cut that time in half and then some."
"But what about Third Earth?" said Snarf. "We can't just leave the people to suffer at the hands of the Mutants, snarf, snarf."
"Yes, Snarf, I know, which is why we're having this meeting," said Tygra. "We have to decide whether the life of one Thundercat is worth the possible loss of Third Earth and the suffering of its people. More than that, we have to be objective and not let our emotions cloud our judgement as to what is right."
Snarf purred to himself and stroked his chin. "Weeow, put like that, there is no choice. But I can't help thinking Third Earth will be in a worse state if we weren't here at all. Perhaps these Control fellas can do something for Lion-O while they're at it."
"What say the rest of you?" asked Tygra, looking round the table at his fellow Thundercats.
"We get our team sorted, then come back to deal with Slithe and the others," said Panthro. "Can't see them doing much more damage in our absence. They need food and supplies as much as we do."
In the background, an alarm began to wail. Snarf groaned and buried his head in his hands, mumbling something about more trouble. Before Panthro could go to investigate, Lion-O suddenly started making excited noises and pointed out the window. Joining him, Tygra saw the reason for the uproar. Outside the Lair, Mumm-ra hovered several feet above the ground, his face plastered with the self-satisfied look of someone well in control of events unfolding around him.
"Great!" Panthro muttered. "What does he want?"
"Only one way to find out," Tygra said. "Snarf, stay here with Lion-O. The rest of us are going to see what our local evil-doer wants." A feeling of dread dogged his footsteps as he made for the door and he paused a little longer than necessary before opening the main door of the Lair. Mumm-ra's grin broadened when he saw them.
"Greetings, Thundercats," he sneered. "My, my, your numbers are reduced somewhat, aren't they? Is this all you could muster for a welcome party?"
"Get lost, Mumm-ra," Panthro growled.
"As you wish, Thundercat. I'll tell the Warrior Maidens that they die today because their so-called allies would not hear me out."
"Wait!" Tygra called to him, halting Panthro's anticipated outburst in its tracks. "What is it you have to say to us, Mumm-ra?"
The mummy turned in mid-air and glided back to within several feet of them. "It has amused me to see you running yourselves ragged over all Third Earth today, but as they say all good things must invariably come to an end. In your case, no doubt you would prefer that end to come sooner rather than later, so I'll make you a deal, Thundercats. I will have Slithe call off his raids..." He chuckled, clearly savouring the moment. "But only if you give me the Sword of Omens."
Tygra barely stopped Panthro before he launched himself at the mummy. "You slime!" he roared.
"Take it easy," Tygra said.
"If you think I'm gonna stand here and take this nonsense from him?"
"Yes, I know. Let's hear what he's got to say and then start throwing the punches, okay?" Panthro growled something discouraging and continued to stare daggers at their tormentor, but did back down. "Now, Mumm-ra, do you really expect us to hand the Sword over to you, just like that?"
"If not, then all Third Earth will know my wrath. I will call down destruction and devastation, the like of which has never been seen. Your allies will curse the day you set foot on this world."
"And if we comply?"
Mumm-ra smiled thinly. "Then Third Earth shall know peace and, if you know what's good for you, you'll take your pathetic Code of Thundera somewhere else."
"I see. When do you want our decision?"
"I'll be generous," Mumm-ra said. "Say an hour. You can bring the Sword to my Pyramid and then I'll allow you to leave this planet -- unharmed." He swept up into the air, spreading his tattered cloak out behind him. "An hour, Thundercats. Or else Third Earth will be hell on earth!"
Panthro stepped forward to shake his fist at the rapidly departing figure. "Like to see you try, you old bag o' bones! We'll be there in an hour all right, ready to kick his butt into next year. Right, Tygra?" The lack of an immediate response made him turn round to face him. "Tygra?"
"Actually, Panthro, I'm giving serious thought to going along with this."
"What in the name of Jaga are you saying?"
Tygra shrugged. "Think about it. For the sake of Third Earth, I don't see that we have a choice."
"But, Tygra, we can't give Mumm-ra the Sword!" came WilyKit's little voice from behind him.
"Why not? We all know the Sword can't be used for evil. In that respect, it's useless to him."
"Then why does he want it?" WilyKat asked. "He could try to destroy it."
"Yes, he might, but as we've seen, the Sword is pretty much indestructible."
"Except when used against another Thundercat," WilyKit reminded him.
"Right again. However, as there won't be any other Thundercats here when I give it to him, I don't think that will be a problem."
"Now wait just one moment," Panthro cut in. "What are you planning, Tygra?"
"I suggest that everyone leaves now on the Feliner, and I mean everyone. I'll take the Sword to the Pyramid. In the meantime, hopefully, Control will come up with something to help Lion-O. Once he's back to his old self, he can call the Sword to him. Problem solved and Third Earth saved." He gave Panthro a reassuring smile in the hope of bringing his friend round to his side. "Come on, what have we got to lose?"
"You, the Sword of Omens, Third Earth," Panthro replied, counting the items off on his fingers. "Do I need to go on? This is crazy, Tygra, and you know it."
Tygra shook his head wearily. "We're out of options, Panthro. What else can we do, Panthro?"
"I don't trust Mumm-ra. What's to stop him devastating Third Earth even when he's got the Sword?"
"He needs followers. Massacring everyone defeats his main aim, which is to gloat his triumph over the whole planet."
Panthro continued to stare at him, indecision showing in his eyes. Then, with a sigh, he nodded. "Okay, it's crazy, but it just might work. Thunderkittens, go load up the Feliner. I'll be along in a minute." They scampered away, leaving the two elder Thundercats alone together. Panthro waited until they were out of earshot, then shot Tygra a sideways glance. "You know I don't like this, old friend."
"I know. I don't exactly relish the thought of playing Mumm-ra's games either."
"Well, you be careful, all right?"
"Don't worry about me. Just get our friends to safety." He sighed and patted Panthro on the back. "Come on, time's ticking. If we're doing it, let's go."
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