Displaced
Part 2
The sun gradually completed its journey into the western horizon. Along a dusty canyon floor, shadows began to stretch. The shadows touched a sprawled figure and he stirred slightly. As the shadows lengthened, the figure opened his eyes and tried to determine what had taken place.
Wiley Kat groggily sat up and rubbed his head. He felt the beginnings of a goose egg and grimaced. Taking a deep breath, Kat tried to force air into his reluctant lungs. Breathing seemed to be difficult. That wasn’t right. He looked around for anything that would tell him what was going on. As far as he could see, he was alone. Wiley Kat shook his head and was rewarded with a sudden headache. Groaning quietly, he tried to remember how he’d ended up alone and sprawled in the dirt.
He could remember the long tumble down the slope of the plateau. He remembered Panthro locking up Chilla and he remembered his own leap onto Jackalman’s back. He’d heard Panthro cry out when Chilla had suddenly turned her icy breath on his feet. He’d lost his hold on Jackalman then and turned to see what was going on. Chilla had turned on him and he’d leaped out of the way as a ring of ice encircled Jackalman’s throat. The mutant had collapsed. Up until that point, Wiley Kat’s memory was fairly clear. After that, it became vague and fuzzy. Wiley Kat had tried to get to Panthro and break him free of his ice. He seemed to remember that much. But he’d never actually gotten to Panthro. He had seen something coming and stopped. There had been a light that snaked across the floor of the canyon. It was a strange golden light that for some reason had terrified him. Perhaps he’d shouted a warning. It was hard to remember clearly. But everything started to happen at once. Chilla had seen the light and was moving out of its way. Tygra had seen the light and was running toward him, trying to help with Panthro. But in his mind, it all went by in slow motion. And it was all a fuzzy blur. Alluro was trying to scramble back up the hill. But no one was moving fast enough to get out of its way. And then the light had swept over and through him. On that point, he was sure. The light didn’t go around him or by him. It went through him. And he was spread out into it. There was really no way to explain that part. But it had happened. Then there was a sucking feeling, a feeling of being suspended, and then complete blackness. Wiley Kat shuddered. He didn’t want to try and remember anymore.
He managed to get to his feet, though his legs were a little unsteady. And he was still having problems breathing. The air didn’t seem to want to go into his lungs. He stumbled forward for a few steps and tried to figure out what his next move should be. The canyon seemed so lonely and forlorn.
Fortunately for Wiley Kat, his sharp ears caught the sound of a low groan. Following the sound, he saw something lying on the ground ahead of him. He made his way to it and discovered Panthro. The panther was just regaining consciousness. Wiley Kat let out a deep sigh of relief and placed a hand on Panthro’s shoulder. "Panthro? Are you okay?"
Panthro’s eyes opened slowly and he looked up at Wiley Kat. "Hey kid. How are you?"
"Not bad," Kat lied. "How are you?" He could see that Panthro felt exactly as he did.
"Pretty good," Panthro lied back as he pushed himself to his feet. "What happened?"
"I don’t know," Kat said with a shrug. "One minute I was trying to get rid of Chilla’s frosty handiwork and the next minute I’m waking up and its late afternoon. Whatever happened, it knocked the ice off your feet."
Panthro nodded. "So it did. Where are the other Thundercats? Were they hit, too?"
"I don’t know. You’re the first one I’ve seen since whatever happened, happened."
Panthro took all this in and thought for a minute. He took a few unsteady steps away from Wiley Kat and studied the sky. "Well, we’d better see if we can find somebody. I’m not sure I want to be caught out here in the open at night."
Kat nodded and moved after Panthro. The two trudged down the canyon floor in silence. And then Wiley Kat spotted something. "Hey Panthro, isn’t that Jackalman’s Skycutter?"
Panthro looked in the direction that Wiley Kat was pointing. "Yeah, it is." He looked quickly around. "But no sign of the mutants. That’s odd. Actually, I’m getting a really funny feeling about all of this. Something’s not right."
"Let’s just get home," Kat said. The situation was beginning to unnerve him, but he didn’t want to admit it in front of Panthro.
Panthro suddenly went into a crouch, pulling Kat down with him. Kat tried to figure out what had caught the panther’s attention and then saw movement off to his left. "What is it?" he asked, but Panthro quickly shushed him.
The panther slowly crept toward the movement and Wiley Kat followed him. It was then that he recognized the source of the motion. It was Jackalman, lying prone on the ground behind the Skycutter. The movement they had seen had been his foot sticking out from behind the vehicle. "Looks like we found ourselves a mutant," Panthro commented.
"It he waking up?" Kat asked. His answer came immediately as the mutant let out a loud groan and opened his eyes.
Panthro was beside the scavenger immediately. "If I were you," he growled softly, "I’d stay right where you are."
Jackalman’s eyes burned with fury, but in his weak condition, he was powerless to fight the Thundercats. "What do you want? What have you done to me?"
"Let’s talk about that later," Panthro said. He had quickly wrapped his nunchucks around Jackalman’s wrists. "We’re going to borrow your Skycutter, if you don’t mind. And I think we’re going to take you along. Wiley Kat, why don’t you warm it up while I figure out a way to attach Jackalman to the back."
Wiley Kat nodded and hurried to do as ordered. The Skycutter responded quickly to his touch and the engines were soon humming. He was lucky the mutant vehicle and the Thundertank used similar technology. It made things infinitely easier. He looked back and saw that Panthro had firmly anchored Jackalman to the back of the Skycutter. He moved back so Panthro could drive. "Where are we going?" he asked.
"We’re going to circle the area and see if we can find anything else. After that, we’re going back to Cat’s Lair," Panthro answered. "Something’s not right, and we need to figure out what.
* * * *
Waking up was not a pleasant experience for Tygra. He held still for a moment, trying to ascertain his situation before making any moves. It didn’t take him long to realize his wrists were firmly bound behind his back. Further analysis revealed he was tied up with his own whip. He was facedown on a dusty surface. His breath was short and throbbing pains indicated recent bruises. What had happened?
As he began to gain further control over his senses, he could hear voices. They were low and somber. He recognized them immediately as belonging to Chilla and Alluro. And then the fight came back to him. And with it came the confusion of his last few moments of consciousness. That light. What had that light done?
Easing his eyes open, he sneaked a peek around. He was lying in the back of a cave. Chilla and Alluro sat in the entrance with their backs to him. They were talking in earnest, but Tygra couldn’t make out their words. Beyond the two Lunatacs, Tygra could see the outline of the canyon walls. Judging from the position of the sun, Tygra made it out to be late in the afternoon. Whatever happened had knocked him out for at least six hours.
Tygra tried to quietly stretch and then realized his feet were frozen together. Great, he thought. I guess the only way I’ll get answers is to reveal that I’m awake. And then I’ll loose the advantage of surprise. He mulled over how to get around the situation.
But his decision was thrown out the window when Chilla suddenly glanced back at him. "So you’re awake, Thundercat. Now maybe you can answer a few questions for us. What have you done with the Ice Runner!"
"So much for the element of surprise," Tygra muttered beneath his breath.
"Speak up, kitten," Alluro uncharacteristically sneered. "We didn’t hear you."
"What was the question again?"
Chilla’s eyes blazed. "What have you done with the Ice Runner?"
Tygra blinked in surprise. "What do you mean? I haven’t done anything with the Ice Runner. If I had taken it somewhere, would I be here with the two of you?"
"You’re playing a dangerous game, Tygra." Alluro had mastered himself, but his voice was low and dangerous. "We know you didn’t take it. We just want to know how you damaged it."
"And you’ll find we have unpleasant methods for making you talk," Chilla added.
Tygra quickly evaluated the situation and tried to figure out what was going on. "Exactly how is the Ice Runner damaged? Does it not start?"
The two Lunatacs regarded him coldly. Eventually, Alluro answered. "Very good, Tygra. It doesn’t start. It doesn’t respond to anything. We can’t even get the levers on it to depress. The entire vehicle is locked up. Now that everyone knows the situation, why don’t you explain it." He tapped his psyche club against his leg, knowing that Tygra feared mental control more than physical pain.
But Tygra was at a complete loss. He had no answer for the Lunatacs. "Are you sure?" he managed.
A bolt of fire smashed against the wall just above Tygra’s head. "We’re certain it doesn’t respond," Chilla growled. "Now why don’t you tell us why?"
Abruptly, Tygra realized that the Ice Runner wasn’t the only thing bothering the Lunatacs. Something else was going on that had unnerved them. But they were focusing on the Ice Runner as something tangible. "Why don’t we go look at it?" he suggested. "I promise that I did nothing to it. But if I see it, maybe I’ll recognize what happened to it."
Chilla looked at Alluro who shrugged. And then Tygra wondered why Alluro hadn’t used the psyche club on him. There was nothing preventing him. On pure instinct, Tygra glanced at the wall above his head where Chilla’s fire ball had impacted. There was nothing. No smoke, no minor indentation, not even a difference in coloring. It was as if Chilla’s fire had never struck the wall.
Tygra didn’t have time to wonder at this, for he was roughly hauled to his feet. The ice was smashed off and he was propelled out the cave entrance. "This way," Chilla grumbled.
The instant he stepped outside, Tygra knew something was wrong. But he couldn’t quite pin it down. Chilla and Alluro each had an arm and were hustling him forward, but Tygra knew that their haste was not concern for the Ice Runner. Something was bothering them.
They entered the shadows of the plateau and started to climb. With his hands bound, this was difficult for Tygra. But Chilla and Alluro refused to release him. Eventually, they made it to the top. All three were out of breath and panting heavily with exertion. The Ice Runner lay a few yards away, casting a long shadow in the late afternoon sun.
A long shadow.
And Tygra realized what was wrong.
"We’re not casting shadows."
* * * *
The Skycutter raced through the sky with Panthro, Wiley Kat, and a dangling Jackalman. Below them, the last dusty hills were falling behind, giving way to grassy plains. Beyond that, they could see the beginnings of the jungle that surrounded Cat’s Lair. "We should reach the Berbil village soon," Panthro called back to Wiley Kat.
Kat didn’t answer. He was watching the ground below and wondering. Something about it kept striking him as odd. He tried to shrug off the feeling and concentrate on something else. But the day as a whole had been strange. "Why do you think they all left us?" he asked Panthro.
The panther shrugged. "I don’t know. Maybe they’ve been captured. Maybe they thought we were captured. Maybe something came up and they couldn’t take the time to look for us. We woke up a long way away from where the others had been."
"But wouldn’t they have looked for us?" Kat pressed.
Panthro didn’t answer for a while. "Yes," he said at length. "And that’s what concerns me. If they were captured by the mutants or the Lunatacs, why weren’t we captured? Why didn’t they come looking for us, too? Any way you take it, someone should have come looking for us, and apparently, no one did. My guess right now is that something happened to everyone and somehow, we were the only ones to avoid it."
"But what about Tygra, Alluro, and Chilla? They were down in the ravine with us? Why didn’t we find them? Why didn’t they come looking for us?"
Panthro shook his head. "I don’t know," he said softly. "Those three were further away from us when that light hit. Maybe whatever happened to everyone else happened to them, too. Chilla left the Ice Runner where it landed. I wish I could figure out what—"
"STOP!"
Jackalman’s sudden yelp took Panthro by surprise and the Skycutter lurched in the air. Kat turned and looked at him. "What?"
"Just please land us. Just for a minute," the scavenger pleaded.
"Do what?" Panthro demanded.
"Then just take us lower," Jackalman whined. "And watch the ground. Do you see it?"
"See what?" Panthro grumbled.
"Or, not see it? Can’t you tell by now?"
"What kind of game are you up to?" Wiley Kat demanded.
"No game," Jackalman promised. "Look for something you would expect to see and don’t. Tell me it’s just my eyes playing tricks on me!"
"This had better be good, mutant," Panthro warned as he took the Skycutter in closer to the ground.
And as they soared closer to the grass passing quickly below them, Wiley Kat saw it, too. "Panthro? Do you see what I don’t see?"
"And what would that be?" Panthro demanded, tired of all the guessing games.
"Our shadows. Where are our shadows?"
The Skycutter screamed to a halt and landed. Panthro turned around and looked at both Wiley Kat and Jackalman. "What did you just say?"
Jackalman got to his feet and indicated the ground with his bound hands. "No shadow," he whimpered. "We’re not casting shadows. None of us are."
"That’s impossible," Panthro murmured. "Everything else is casting a shadow."
There was a long silence as the three looked at each other. It was Wiley Kat who broke it. "Let’s get home. Please?"
Panthro nodded numbly. He turned back to the controls and activated the Skycutter. Once again it was soaring through the air. The evening was beautiful and the clouds were just becoming rosy, hints of a glorious sunset to come. No one noticed. They were all lost in ominous thoughts.
* * * *
"Ma-Mutt?" Mumm-Ra’s voice echoed among the pillars and statues of an empty pyramid. His pet was nowhere to be found. And Mumm-Ra was still weak enough that he couldn’t cast a spell to determine Ma-Mutt’s whereabouts. "Ma-Mutt? It’s all right, my pet. I am no longer angry at you."
He paused to listen for the expected shuffle of padded paws. But there was silence. "Ma-Mutt? I know you’re there. Come out." More silence. "Where are you?"
The empty pyramid stared back at Mumm-Ra with no answers. "Ma-Mutt?" Nothing. No hesitant footstep. No apologetic whimper. Nothing.
With a forlorn sigh, Mumm-Ra again retired to his sarcophagus. He desperately needed his rest and Ma-Mutt would just have to wait. He lay back inside and the lid closed with a resigned thud.
And just outside the sarcophagus, barking madly for all he was worth and yet getting no response, Ma-Mutt started up a mournful howl that fell dead in the air.
* * * *
"Now stay there," Chilla ordered.
Tygra was thrown to the ground. In his exhausted state, he actually welcomed the horizontal position, no matter how it had been attained. He gritted his teeth and suppressed a moan as he felt Chilla freeze his legs. That was something he could have done without.
Skytomb towered above him. Alluro was attempting to get its attention while Chilla guarded Tygra. As he lay there, Tygra couldn’t help noticing the large shadow that Skytomb was casting. And the lack of his own shadow. He shuddered.
The Ice Runner hadn’t responded to anything. Buttons wouldn’t even depress at Chilla’s touch. If Alluro could have gotten the maintenance hatch open, Tygra might have had a chance to inspect it. But nothing would respond. Frustrated, Chilla had kicked it. It hadn’t budged. There’d been no dent. It was as if nothing had happened. Just like the fireball in the cave. Tygra shuddered again.
He looked over at Alluro. Skytomb was lowering its entrance. Alluro waited expectantly and TugMug emerged with RedEye.
"What took you so long?" Alluro asked.
TugMug and RedEye didn’t answer him. They didn’t look at him. They didn’t acknowledge his existence. They walked right past him as if he wasn’t there.
Chilla stepped in front of them. "What’s wrong with you two? Why did you guys leave us in the canyon? Did you get the Thundrillium?"
Chilla didn’t get a response either. TugMug and RedEye acted as though they couldn’t see her.
Tygra watched all this with growing anxiety. "Hey! There’s a Thundercat over here," he called. And still, there was no response. Frustrated and jumping to conclusions he didn’t like, Tygra did the only thing he could think of. He summoned an image of the Thundercat’s symbol right in front of RedEye and TugMug. Alluro and Chilla both saw it as they both gasped. But RedEye and TugMug didn’t. They looked right through it at the horizon and watched the setting sun.
It was then that Tygra discovered why Alluro hadn’t used his psyche club. The strain of simply summoning an image nearly tore him apart. Keeping it up for as long as he did, which was not long at all, almost killed him. He released the image and gasped for breath. And what frightened him was that he hadn’t felt TugMug’s mind or RedEye’s. He’d felt his image in Chilla’s mind. He’d felt it in Alluro’s. But he hadn’t even felt a presence where TugMug and RedEye were standing.
"Did you see that?" It was Alluro who was whispering. "They don’t even know we’re here. Not even Tygra could get their attention."
"What’s happening?" Chilla’s voice sounded small and scared, something as eerie as the situation itself.
It was then that TugMug started to speak. "Where could they be?"
"I don’t know," RedEye answered. "They haven’t shown up on any of the scanners. The Ice Runner hasn’t been called anywhere. I don’t know."
"You don’t suppose they’re—gone, do you?"
RedEye gave TugMug a sharp look. "What makes you say that?"
"WE’RE RIGHT HERE!" Chilla shrieked.
"Because there’s no sign of them. Anywhere."
"We haven’t explored all possibilities yet. They could be captured by the mutants. Maybe the Thundercats took them prisoner. Maybe Mumm-Ra decided he wanted us back in the lava and Alluro and Chilla just happened to be first. Anything could have happened."
"Don’t you see us?" Alluro pleaded. He now had his psyche club out. "Come on, RedEye, you can see anything." He released the crystal and blue light poured out over RedEye’s head. "Look over here. We’re right here." From Alluro’s expression, it was obvious he was expending lot of energy. "Please, just look over here!"
RedEye completely ignored him. Alluro slumped and dropped his psyche club in despair.
"Chilla, I know you don’t trust me," Tygra said. "I’d feel the same way under similar circumstances. But if I’m in physical contact with someone, that helps my ability to create an illusion. Could you unthaw me for just a moment? Let me try one more time to get them to see us."
Alluro and Chilla looked at each other. "Where’s he going to run if we let him loose?" Chilla asked.
"It looks like the three of us are in this together," Alluro agreed.
Chilla nodded and Tygra sighed in relief as she melted the ice off his feet. He stumbled to his feet, wincing as the blood began to flow in his legs again. Alluro took a firm grip on his arm and guided him toward RedEye. "No funny business," the Lunatac warned.
Tygra nodded. He leaned against RedEye, an action the Lunatac didn’t notice. Tygra felt like he was leaning against a large rock. Concentrating, he tried to force an image into RedEye’s mind. For a split second, he thought he had it. For a brief moment, he knew RedEye saw a flash against the horizon. Maybe he even made out that it was the Thundercat’s signal. But that was all, for Tygra collapsed from the strain. Alluro caught him and moved him out of the way as RedEye stirred suddenly.
"We’d better get back to the scanners," RedEye said.
TugMug nodded absently. "There’s nothing else to do."
RedEye hesitated for a minute. "Did you see, for a minute, a flash of red against the horizon?"
TugMug regarded his companion with worry. "No. Why?"
RedEye shrugged. "Must just be seeing things. Too many hours staring at blank sensor readings."
TugMug seemed to accept this. He and RedEye turned back to Skytomb and went inside, leaving two very confused Lunatacs and one perplexed Thundercat.
"They’re looking for us," Alluro murmured. "And when we’re right in front of them, they completely miss us."
Chilla moved to his side. "We’re not, I mean, we couldn’t be—" She looked at him with eyes that pleaded for an answer.
Alluro looked back at her with pity. "I think we are. I don’t think there’s another explanation. I think that, somehow or another, the three of us have, moved on."
* * * *
The Thundertank rumbled to a halt at the entrance of Cat’s Lair. Cheetara helped Kit out and started to walk toward the main entrance. "We’ll leave the Tank out here tonight," she said to the kitten. "If Lion-O wants to, he can move it in when he gets back. Right now, I think you need a tall glass of lemonade and an early bedtime."
Walking beside Cheetara in complete silence, Wiley Kit nodded. And walking beside Kit, though the Thunderkitten was unaware of it, was Wiley Kat. And he was anything but silent.
"KIT! What’s wrong with you?! Why won’t you answer me?!" Kat grabbed Kit’s arm, but it felt like he was grabbing steel. It didn’t yield to his grip and dragged him along with it.
"Kat." Panthro gently pulled the Thunderkitten away from his sister. "Be quiet for just a minute. I want to hear what Cheetara’s saying."
Reluctantly, Kat stopped trying to get his sister’s attention and listened with Panthro.
"They haven’t been missing that long," Cheetara was saying. "Maybe they got lost in the ravine. Maybe the fight went further than Bengali could tell."
"You can tell me what you really think," Kit sniffled. "I think I already know."
Cheetara tried to appear puzzled. "What do you mean?" She gently ruffled the kitten’s mane. "What do I really think?"
"You and everyone else. You saw what happened with the Sword of Omens. It was a complete blank. Nothing. And then Lion-O said they were beyond worry. And then Bengali said—"
"I don’t want you thinking about what Bengali said," Cheetara soothed. "He was just thinking out loud. I’m sure he didn’t really mean it."
"But I know what you’re thinking!" Wiley Kit was coming close to tears. "You think he’s dead! You think they’re all dead. Well, I don’t believe it. Kat would never leave me like that. He would say good bye first. THEY’RE NOT DEAD!" Kit was now becoming hysterical. "I promise you they’re not dead. I would know it if Kat died!"
Kit didn’t know it, but Kat had almost died at her words. Panthro’s strong hands steadied the Thunderkitten before he could fall over from shock. Jackalman was not so lucky and toppled over in a dead faint, still bound to the Skycutter. Panthro himself had gone to a gray several shades lighter than his normal color.
"Calm down," Cheetara whispered, stroking the kitten’s mane. "No one thinks they’re dead. We haven’t given up hope yet. There are still possibilities we need to investigate. We haven’t even begun to search in earnest."
Wiley Kit nodded, her face streaked with tears. Cheetara smiled. "Now lets get you into bed. We’ll start the search again early tomorrow. If Lion-O returns with any important news, I’ll wake you. How’s that?"
"Okay," Kit whispered. Cheetara smiled at her again and gently led her into Cat’s Lair. Panthro and Wiley Kat stared after them but made no move to follow.
* * * *
Mumm-Ra had once more emerged from his sarcophagus, worry for his pet keeping him from truly resting. And right behind Mumm-Ra, occasionally grabbing a robe that refused his teeth and was like biting the stone walls, Ma-Mutt tried to get his master’s attention.
Ma-Mutt followed the mummy to the edge of the cauldron. He listened as Mumm-Ra called on the Ancient Spirits of Evil to show him the location of Ma-Mutt. And Ma-Mutt watched with confusion as the pool stirred, swirled, and then exploded in a burst of energy.
"Ancient Evil Ones!" Mumm-Ra cried. "What does this mean?"
"Muuummmm-Rrraaaaaa!" The voices reverberated around the stone pillars. "We can not find him. Ma-Mutt is nowhere our influence can penetrate."
"Where!? Where, oh evil masters, could he be?" Mumm-Ra was growing desperate.
Ma-Mutt whined at hearing his master’s voice. He yelped and started to bark again, but to no avail. His whimpers didn’t even echo in the ancient chamber. They fell dead in the air.
"Where?" Mumm-Ra pleaded.
But the Ancient Spirits of Evil had fallen silent. They had no answer for their servant. Mumm-Ra stood rooted to the ground before his cauldron. And then he turned back to his sarcophagus in despair, worry wrinkling his face. "Rest. I’ll rest and then look again. I’ll find him." Saying this, Mumm-Ra relaxed back into his sarcophagus.
Ma-Mutt howled once and then watched the lid close on the coffin. After seeing this, Ma-Mutt decided to go for help. He didn’t really know where he was going. But he knew he had to go.
* * * *
The moon was rising when Alluro, Tygra, and Chilla left the canyon and started out on the grassy plains that would lead them to the Berbil village and Cat’s Lair.
Tygra’s arms were still tightly bound behind his back, but there was now an unspoken agreement amongst the three of them. They had to find out what was happening and none of them cared how. If the Thundercats could help them, Alluro and Chilla wouldn’t complain. If it came to it, they would try the mutants and see if there was a solution there. Perhaps even Mumm-Ra would offer an answer. And with this resolve, they trudged wearily toward Cat’s Lair.
As the moon rose higher, there was more than one stifled yawn. All three desperately needed rest, but no one suggested they stop for the night. Too much was unknown and fear drove them on. But such determination could only take them so far. When Tygra stumbled on a rock about midnight and went down, Alluro and Chilla sat down, too.
With a groan, Tygra rolled himself into a sitting position and looked at the two Lunatacs. Neither one would meet his gaze. They had found something extremely exciting in the grass and were intently studying it. Tygra sighed and wondered how long this night was going to last.
"You know," he said at length. "You could untie me. I’m not going anywhere until we figure this out and it’s slowing us down to have my arms behind my back."
For a while he didn’t get an answer. And then Alluro slowly rose, moved behind Tygra, and released his binds. "For now, Thundercat," Alluro said quietly. He returned to watching the grass.
Tygra massaged his wrists and wound his whip. "You know," he started, "I’ve been thinking."
"About what?" Chilla asked, more to make noise than to make conversation.
"Jaga. If, like you said earlier, we are dead, why are we still wandering around Third Earth? It doesn’t make any sense. Jaga is bound by his own choice to Third Earth, actually to the Sword of Omens, but even he exists in a different astral plane. And if we are dead, what killed us?"
"Does it matter?" Chilla asked bitterly. "We’re here. What do we do about it?"
"We change it," Alluro answered. "And I’m not convinced we’re dead yet. I was only musing earlier. We may still be alive."
"Then explain what happened earlier," Chilla demanded. "Explain the Ice Runner. Explain our shadows. Explain RedEye and TugMug."
"We can’t," Tygra said wearily. "But think about this. If we’re dead, why is breathing still so important to us. I can hear the two of you gasping for air. I am, too. And why are we so sleepy?"
This silenced Chilla, but it didn’t appear to settle her. Alluro sighed. "I’m going to sleep. Do we post a watch, or do we really care?"
"If you can find someone to take it, go ahead," Tygra murmured as he lay back and closed his eyes.
Alluro shrugged and turned to Chilla. But he ruled her out as she was already curled up on her side and her breathing was slow and deep, if a little bit strained. And his own eyes were closing on him. Deciding a watch was just too much effort, he allowed himself to fall back onto the soft grass and slowly drift away in sleep.
* * * *
Kit’s cheeks were wet with tears. Her sleep was restless and dream-filled. More than once, she cried out Kat’s name. And each time, Kat, who watched silently from a corner, felt his heart squeezed tighter and tighter.
"Oh, Kit," he whispered. "I’m here. I just wish I could tell you. Come on, Kit. Please?"
In answer, Kit moaned and turned over, trying to find a more comfortable position. Kat felt his own eyes starting to water. What if Cheetara was right? What if he was dead? He’d never gotten a chance to tell Kit goodbye.
The door to Kit’s room slid open and Lion-O entered quietly, followed by Cheetara. Unseen by either of them, Panthro poked his head in and looked for Wiley Kat.
"Kat," Panthro hissed. "Come here. I need to talk to you. Something might be happening." Panthro disappeared down the hall. Kat turned to follow but stopped as Lion-O and Cheetara began to speak.
"Why does she have to be so young?" Lion-O asked softly.
"It’s not over yet," Cheetara insisted.
"But what do we have to go on?" Lion-O shook his head heavily. "Not even the Sword of Omens can find them. The Lunatacs don’t have them. The mutants don’t have them. And we don’t have them."
"Where there’s life, there’s hope," Cheetara answered.
"Is there life?"
Cheetara looked at Lion-O. But she said nothing. Her head bowed and her body began to tremble. Lion-O slipped a strong arm around her shoulder and held her close. "I’m sorry, Cheetara," he whispered. "I know how close you and Tygra were."
"He was my best friend," Cheetara answered in a trembling voice.
At this point, Kat decided it was time to go. The door was still open and he quietly slipped out, though he probably didn’t need the stealth, he sardonically thought. At the end of the hall, Panthro and Jackalman were waiting for him. Jackalman had been set free after a promise to work with the Thundercats and not against them. And Jackalman was depressed enough over his apparent death that neither Thundercat was terribly worried about him.
"We’ve picked up some more news," Panthro began without preamble. "Tygra, Chilla, and Alluro are also missing. Both the Lunatacs and the mutants contacted the Thundercats, demanding that the prisoners we’re keeping be set free. However, no one is a prisoner of anyone else. So somewhere out there, Tygra, Chilla, and Alluro are probably wandering around like we are."
"And that takes care of everyone in the bottom of the canyon. So it was probably the strange light that caused our demise," Jackalman added.
"We aren’t dead," Panthro snarled. "If we are, the Skycutter died with us. Explain that one."
Jackalman shrugged as if it really didn’t matter to him.
"Wait a minute," Kat interrupted. "So all six of us that fell off the plateau are missing. And it was possibly that strange light that did it. What could have caused that light?"
"That’s what we need to find out," Panthro answered. "Whatever happened to us has something to do with that light. Our job is to somehow convince everyone we’re not dead and pool together our resources. If we all work together, we can reach a solution."
"So how do we tell them that we’re not dead? And how do we even prove that to ourselves?" Jackalman demanded.
"We need Alluro and Tygra. They’re the two with mind powers in this bunch. And Cheetara has a sixth sense. I don’t know that much about telepathy, but this is the best chance I can see. If we get the three of them together, maybe something will happen."
"Sounds good to me," Kat agreed. "Where are Alluro and Tygra?"
"Well, that’s part of the problem. We don’t know," Panthro said. "They might all be together, or they might all be separated. Tygra might have taken Alluro and Chilla prisoner, or the reverse could have happened. I’m betting they’re together and I bet the latter happened. Had Tygra been on his own or with prisoners, he would have come here. And there’s no sign of him. So that leaves me to assume that Tygra is a prisoner and the Lunatacs have tried to contact Skytomb."
"But they would have had no luck there either," Jackalman protested. "Where would they have gone then? You have no idea. I can tell you that they wouldn’t have gone to the mutants, but I doubt that Alluro and Chilla would opt for a Thundercat solution. And the Lunatacs aren’t too keen on Mumm-Ra, either."
"Wait," Kat interrupted, his mind suddenly turning somersaults. "Mumm-Ra could easily be behind this. There was no Thundrillium on the plateau, was there? And all three forces discovered it at pretty much the same time, right? And then a strange light sweeps over six of us and it’s like we’re dead. How many coincidences have to add up to get us where we are? It has to be Mumm-Ra."
Panthro nodded. "You’re probably right. Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do about it until we contact the Thundercats. By ourselves, we’re powerless."
"So what’s our next move?" Jackalman asked.
"The Skycutter. Kat will take the Skycutter and start searching for the other three. You and I will see if we can get some attention."
"Got it," Kat said, jumping at the chance to finally do something. It didn’t matter that he had no idea where to look or what to do. What mattered was that he was doing something.
"Good. Let’s get to work."
Jackalman muttered something obscene under his breath, but followed Panthro into the control room as Kat left for the Skycutter.
* * * *
Ma-Mutt’s breath was short, but he pushed himself ahead, nonetheless. He really didn’t know why he ran. He didn’t know where he was going. Instinct alone was guiding him, and instinct told him to find help.
As far as help went, that could be just about anything. Ma-Mutt didn’t have a clear picture of what form this help would take. He only knew that strong urgings were compelling him to run toward Cat’s Lair and the Berbil village. And having nothing else to fall back on, Ma-Mutt obeyed these promptings.
Every once in a while, Ma-Mutt would let out a howl and listen for some kind of response. He got none. In all the lands through which he ran, nothing sensed him. All was quiet. Even the few roaming night predators took no notice of Ma-Mutt’s dash. As far as they were concerned, Ma-Mutt didn’t exist. And so Ma-Mutt ran on, unnoticed, unobserved, and unaided.
A few hours before dawn, as Ma-Mutt was plowing his way through tall grass, something grabbed his attention. He stopped immediately and froze. A familiar smell sent his lips writhing and started a growl deep within his throat. But the same instinct that drove him to seek help drove him to suppress these feelings. Reluctantly, not knowing what else to do, Ma-Mutt stopped his snarling and slowly trotted toward the scent of Thundercat.
The Thundercat was lying asleep in the grass. Beside him rested two Lunatacs. Ma-Mutt quelled yet another snarl before it could begin and crept in amongst the sleepers. Instinct told him that they shared his plight. And knowing this calmed the dog. A whine of relief escaped him. And with that whine, Tygra woke up.
"Ma-Mutt?!" At the sound of his name, Ma-Mutt leaped for joy and started barking wildly. Tygra soon found himself flat on his back and covered in slobber. Pushing the heavy dog off him, Tygra managed to sit back up and study the situation. "So you can see us?"
In answer, Ma-Mutt howled loudly. Alluro sat up and looked around irritably. "What’s going on?" he demanded.
"Ma-Mutt." Tygra’s voice was soft and he was thinking rapidly. "Ma-Mutt can see us. He can interact with us. He knows we’re here. We know he’s here. And he seems overjoyed to find us."
All the noise was too much for Chilla, who sat up and joined the party. "There had better be a really good explanation for this," she grumbled.
Alluro was studying Ma-Mutt intently and didn’t answer. Tygra was lost in thought. Chilla growled at their rudeness, but then saw Ma-Mutt next to Tygra. "What is he doing here?" she cried.
"What?" Alluro looked up.
"Ma-Mutt! Where’s Mumm-Ra?"
"I don’t think Mumm-Ra’s anywhere around," Alluro answered. "Ma-Mutt seems to have found us on his own. And he can see us."
"He’s not casting any shadow by moonlight," Tygra observed quietly. His mind was turning cartwheels and an idea was beginning to form.
"Great. All this means is that Mumm-Ra’s dog is dead, just like the rest of us," Chilla said as she lay back down.
"You can sleep through your afterlife if you want," Tygra said. "I’m going to try and see if I can’t get back to the land of the living. Come on, Ma-Mutt."
"Where are you off to?" Alluro demanded.
"Cat’s Lair. And if I can’t find anything there, I’m going to Mumm-Ra’s pyramid."
"Not alone, you aren’t," the Lunatac protested. He got up and gave Chilla a disgusted look. "You coming, frosty?"
"You obnoxious, weak-kneed—"
"Can we save this for the hike?" Tygra broke in. "I’d really like to get going."
"You’re still our prisoner, Thundercat," Alluro said. "You’ll wait for us."
"Then consider this an escape," Tygra retorted. "Come on Ma-Mutt."
The dog gave an excited yelp and raced off. Tygra was right behind him. An enraged Alluro roared after them and a sleepy Chilla managed to achieve a standing position of sorts, heave an exasperated sigh, and stumble along in the rear.
* * * *
"Finally," Kat sighed. The scanners of the Skycutter had registered large life forms. "But four? That’s odd. And that’s an awfully small fourth." Puzzled, he kicked the Skycutter into gear and headed for the source of the readings.
Kat had the Skycutter skimming just over the grass, hoping to catch any silhouette against the setting moon. His resourcefulness was rewarded as he made out three running figures and one bounding one. He cut the engines and steered toward the oncoming figures, allowing the vehicle to glide to a landing. "Tygra?"
The figures had stopped when the Skycutter approached, apparently listening. And now one of them was running toward Wiley Kat. "Kat? Can you see us?"
Kat leaped off the Skycutter and raced to greet Tygra. "You can see me! This is great. Now we can—" He was stopped short as Ma-Mutt knocked him over and started cleaning his face. "What is this?!"
"Ma-Mutt," Tygra said shortly. "He’s with us now."
"That makes seven," Kat mumbled as he pushed Ma-Mutt off himself.
"Seven?" Alluro asked.
"The five of us plus Panthro and Jackalman. And I guess you can count the Skycutter if you want to. That would be eight things no one else can see, feel, or hear."
"The Skycutter, too," Tygra mused.
"What’s going on?" Chilla shrieked.
"Apparently, quite a bit."
Alluro studied the Skycutter critically. "It’s not casting a shadow either," he observed.
"You can’t tell me it’s dead, too," Tygra said to Chilla.
"It’s just a strange coincidence." But Chilla’s voice lacked any conviction and contained the beginnings of hope.
"We’ve got to get to Cat’s Lair," Kat interrupted. "Panthro wants to see if you and Alluro can do anything about contacting Cheetara."
Tygra and Alluro eyed each other. Alluro shrugged. "What have we got to lose?"
"I’m not still your prisoner, am I?" Tygra asked.
"I guess not, if we have to work together."
"Good." Tygra turned back to Kat, who was watching in confusion. "How do you propose the five of us get to Cat’s Lair? The Skycutter isn’t going to carry all of us."
Kat was quiet for a minute. "What if I take you and Alluro there now and come back for Chilla and Ma-Mutt? I think the Skycutter can handle the three of us. It handled Panthro, Jackalman, and me."
Tygra nodded in agreement. "Let’s go then. We might finally be on to something."
"You’re leaving me here with this mongrel?" Chilla shrieked.
"We could leave you here alone," Alluro answered as he climbed on the Skycutter behind Wiley Kat. "Which would you prefer? At least this way you’ll have some company."
"Why can’t I just go now?"
"Because I don’t trust you alone on the Skycutter with Wiley Kat," Tygra snorted. "Put you and Alluro there together, and it’s even worse. If you and I are on the Skycutter, it does no good when I get to Cat’s Lair. Alluro and I need to be there together to discuss options and the sooner we get started, the better." By this time, Tygra was up behind Alluro and Kat had started the engines. "We’ll send Panthro back for you. Just stay here."
"Why you—" But Chilla wasn’t allowed to finish her insult as the Skycutter’s engines cut her off. Chilla backpedaled fast as Kat tried to control the Skycutter with its added weight. It was soon off and lurching through the sky toward Cat’s Lair.
* * * *
"Can you do anything?" Panthro asked.
He’d met Tygra and Alluro at the entrance to Cat’s Lair. Fortunately for them, the Lair doors were slightly ajar for ventilation, or they would have never been able to get in. And after a joyous reunion, they were in the control room where Cheetara had taken over the night watch.
"I don’t know," Tygra answered. "Cheetara doesn’t have a lot of control over her sixth sense. If she does pick something up, I don’t know what she’ll make of it. She might just brush it off. And as far as our ability—" Tygra looked over at Alluro for help.
"We don’t know if our psychic powers are compatible," Alluro finished. "We’re really not sure how to combine them. I agree that it’s the best shot we have, but that’s not saying a whole lot for us."
"There’s not a lot they can do about raising us from the dead anyway," Jackalman snorted from the corner.
"Shut up," Kat snapped at him.
"Dissension is one thing we don’t need right now," Tygra remarked.
"Not that we ever really had team spirit," Alluro sneered.
Tygra ignored the Lunatac and studied Cheetara. "I think," he said at length, "that our best option is for you to use your psyche club and command her to see my illusion. Command her to visualize it. I’ll be in physical contact with her and try to project an image directly within her mind. More than that, I don’t see what the two of us can do together. And we can’t do it separately."
"What are you going to project?" Alluro asked.
"Us," the tiger said. "A picture of us with the missing Skycutter. I’m not going to try for sound, just the image. Okay?"
Alluro shrugged. "Fine with me. You want to try it now?"
"If you’re ready."
"Whenever you are."
Tygra sighed and tried to clear his mind, something that was becoming increasingly harder to do. "Now it is, then."
The Thundercat placed his hands on Cheetara’s temples, praying she wouldn’t suddenly move and jam his fingers. He looked at Alluro and nodded. Alluro held up his psyche club and the blue crystal floated over Cheetara’s head. "Now Cheetara. See that. Relax. Think of us. Think of your missing Thundercats. Think of the missing Skycutter. See it. Feel it. It’s there, right in front of you."
From where he was standing, Panthro could easily see how much it was costing both Alluro and Tygra to do this. Alluro was slowly sinking into the floor while Tygra’s hands had slipped down to Cheetara’s shoulders and he was using her to hold himself up.
"Come on, Thundercat. There’s Tygra. There’s Panthro. And Wiley Kat, too. Chilla, Alluro, Jackalman. We’re all there." The strain was making Alluro’s voice ragged.
Wiley Kat suddenly seized Panthro’s arm. "Look at Cheetara!"
Panthro pulled his gaze away from a rapidly paling Tygra and stared at the cheetah. Her eyes were growing wide and she was no longer watching the screens in front of her. Muscle spasms were beginning to shake her shoulders.
Alluro saw it, too, and increased his effort. "We’re not dead, Cheetara. We’re not dead! Help us. Find a way to help us!"
Cheetara suddenly sprang straight up out of her chair. Tygra was thrown backward and hit the wall. Alluro’s crystal slammed back into his club and he in turn went flying back against a panel. Cheetara hit the floor rolling and screaming, clutching her head in pain. Jackalman backed up hastily as she leaped to her feet and ran straight for him. She clutched wildly at the back of a chair. "No! Make it stop!"
"What’s wrong?" Kat shouted.
"I have no idea." Panthro looked around for Tygra and Alluro. Both lay unconscious on the floor.
"Make it stop!" Cheetara wailed again.
Jackalman had found his way over to Panthro and was hiding behind the Thundercat. "If you ask me," he whined, "we’ve just made a bad situation worse."
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