1999

Written by Dr. Zhie

            The two of them sat at the main console, staring up at the survey images of Third Earth.  One of them was on duty, the other would claim he was there because he couldn’t sleep if someone were to wander into the room.  It was nearing time for one of the others to take over for the rest of the early morning hours, when most were sleeping.  And they knew exactly who that other Thundercat was.

            “Are you sure that telling him is a good thing to do?” she finally asked, her voice cutting through the silence in the room. 

            “What other choice do we have?  You rather that we tell Lion-o instead?” offered the panther, his eyebrow raised a bit.  “But then, I assumed that you’d be the one to turn us in.”

            “No.  I would never do that.  You know I wouldn’t.  But can you be so sure he won’t?”  Cheetara shifted somewhat nervously.  “He is closer to Lion-o than he is to you or me, it wouldn’t surprise me if he were to tell Lion-o if we let him in on this.”

            “He won’t.  He’ll be happy to know we’re finally doing something about those blasted mutants and those damned Lunataks.  Something that should have been done a long time ago.”  Panthro stood up and positioned himself so that he was standing behind the cheetah’s chair, bending down so that he could speak softly into her ear.  “Keep in mind, he was old enough to remember what Rataro and Jackalman and the others did to Thundera.  Lion-o isn’t.  He lost his father and a sister to those raids, he’ll be on our side in this matter.”

            She gave a slight nod.  “I agree that he remembers, and I know he’s still angry about it.  But he might not believe in the same. . . methods that we do.”

            “Then, we’ll have to convince him, won’t we?” Instead of letting her answer, Panthro seized her shoulder between his teeth, biting down only hard enough to take her mind off of the situation.

            “Mmmm. . .yeah. . .” Her eyes were closed, but she was still able to reach around the chair to try to get a hold on him to keep the panther where he was.  Not quick enough, though, as the panther was walking back to his chair.  She opened her eyes and saw him sit down and punch a few buttons on the keypad in front of him.  “Something wrong?”

            “Just making sure that we’ll have complete privacy once he gets here.  I’ve been having the tapes run a loop on the security cameras so that anyone who gets suspicious won’t be able to track things back to us.”  Panthro explained.  “Let me do the talking once he gets here, okay?”

            Again, she nodded, letting her mind wander to events that happened earlier that day.

-  -  -  -

{eleven hours earlier}

Lion-o scratched his head as he read the report Mandora had sent.  "Wow.  That's the second in one day.  And I thought Tygra was paroling that area."

"The second what?" Panthro asked casually.

"The second time someone's done the wrong re-entry calculations for the Third Earth atmosphere.  Maybe there's been some sort of flux or something." mused the thundercat lord.

"Really. . .I guess people have to learn to be more careful." the panther sighed.

"Panthro!  These people are dead!  I understand that the first one *was* Vultureman, and frankly, I can't say I'm not somewhat happy it was him and not one of our kinsmen.  But we're not sure yet who this was, but besides that fact, it's still someone having died."  Lion-o sat down in one of the control room chairs, exasperated.  "Sorry.  Guess I've just been under a lot of pressure.  And with these sudden reports of this being, gosh, the fourth, maybe fifth, death within the last week, of those who once were our enemies, I can't help but think that something's wrong.  And I can't help but think this last crash may have been another one."

"I understand how you're feeling." Panthro shot a sideways glance to Cheetara with Lion-o's back now turned.  They both knew the lord's assumptions were right, and were positive that it would be discovered that RedEye was the latest victim in this bizarre series of accidents.

-  -  -  -

            Cheetara was brought back to the present as the doors behind her swished open and Tygra entered.  She swiveled her chair so that she caught a glimpse of the tiger acknowledging Panthro’s presence, then hers.  Giving him a small smile back, she relinquished her seat to him and walked over to lean against the wall, so that to the confused tiger, she seemed to be standing behind the panther.

            “Sorry, did I interrupt something?” Tygra asked with a bit of a grin and a sideways glance at the two of them.

            Panthro simply shook his head and flipped a switch, causing the main viewer to go black.  Tygra’s head snapped up to look at the screen, then back to Panthro.  “I assume there’s a reason for that?”

            “We have to talk.” Said Panthro.

            Tygra turned his entire chair to face them, folding his arms across his chest.  “I’m listening.”

            “Obviously, there have been quite a few clumsy mutants and Lunataks around these parts lately.  I have a feeling you’ve been wondering why that is.” Panthro began.

            “And you’re about to enlighten me.” Tygra said.

            Panthro nodded.  “More like. . .let you in on the fun.”

            Cheetara shifted uncomfortably.  She wasn’t happy with the way Panthro was approaching Tygra, but interjecting would only show weakness to the tiger - she would discuss with Panthro his choice of tactics later, but for now, she was more interested in Tygra’s reaction.  If he suddenly seemed upset by what they were telling him, the plan was to remove Tygra from the entire situation - permanently.  And that was why she was alert, keeping her watch on the tiger, her weapon already drawn but hidden at her side.

            Tygra raised his eyebrows a bit.  “The fun?  Does ‘the fun’ include murder?”

            “If that’s your word for it.” Panthro answered.  “We like to refer to it as ‘divine intervention’.”

            “Playing God isn’t an easy thing to do.”  Tygra told him.  “And none are qualified to self appoint themselves to that position.”

            “We’re just speeding up the inevitable.  Given enough time, those idiots would be bound to do something stupid that would cause their deaths.  And they’ve all done their own share of killing, we’re merely offering passage to a place where they can be judged.” Panthro said.

            Tygra closed his eyes and shook his head.  “You realize that you’ve just confessed to the murders of five individuals, only one of whom you are aware of having killed, and that was during a time of war when he served as a soldier.”

            “On the contrary,” Panthro said, “we didn’t have anything to do with the three who were in the RatStar.  That only gave us the idea to take care of what should have been taken care of long ago.”  However, he neglected to add that the deaths of both RedEye and Vultureman weren’t freakish acts of nature as had been the case when the RatStar’s power source lost containment and caused S-s-slithe, Monkian, and Rataro to burn up in the atmosphere with the vehicle.

“Technically, I should be placing you under citizens arrest and calling Mandora right now.  Tell me why I’m not.”

            “Because deep down you know that given the chance, those bastards *will* do something to someone.  They are menaces to society, here, and on any other planet they come across.  Nothing at this point stops the Lunataks from leaving Third Earth and plundering elsewhere, and it is only a matter of time before the mutants either hitch hike with them or find their own way to a weaker planet to conquer.  Enough is enough.” Panthro’s fist slammed down on the arm of his chair, yet none of them flinched.  “Tell me, when you came home to find your father and youngest sister lying in a pool of their own blood, did you think that it was just something that you had to deal with, because it happened during a time of war?”

            Tygra didn’t answer.  For the next few minutes, silence fell upon them, except for a few stray sobs that escaped from the tiger as he continuously wiped tears from his cheeks.  Had they not been in the situation they were, Cheetara would have been comforting the tiger, but due to what was at stake, she knew he was almost at breaking point, so she stood her ground.  Finally, the tiger once again found composure and the courage to look at the two of them.  “It’s against the code.”

            “So is what they did to your family.” Panthro reminded him.  “Look, Tygra, we wouldn’t have even gotten you involved, except that you were in the area when RedEye had his mishap today.  We aren’t asking you to actually do any of the dirty work, either.  We just need to be clear on the fact that you didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, and that the reason you didn’t pick him up on sensors was that his craft was malfunctioning and that the entire thing was an accident.”

            “Awful lot of accidents going on lately.” Tygra muttered.

            “Accident happen.” Panthro informed him.

            Tygra heaved a sigh, then switched his gaze to the cheetah.  “And I suppose if I don’t agree with this plan, you’re here to take care of the situation.”

            “I’m hoping it doesn’t get to a point where we have to find out.” She answered him back.

            Instead of giving her a hateful look, his eyes conveyed one of pity, but he said nothing of that to her.  He looked back to Panthro.  “As much as my gut feeling is to tell Lion-o about this right now, I’m going to overlook what’s happened the past week.  But I won’t be blind the next time this happens - especially if the next time is tomorrow.  Understand that I will not be an accessory to further crimes of this nature.  It is only because we all know that Vultureman did indeed have much to do with the travesties on Thundera during the war, and last I remember, if caught on Thundera during Claudus’s rule, would have faced a death sentence.  As for RedEye, I’m sure that when the time comes that the two of you feel it is right to confess to this crime, you will.  You’re still Thundercats, after all.  Now, if the two of you will excuse me, I have a job to do.”   Tygra reached in front of Panthro and flipped the switch to turn the screen back on.

            Panthro stood and headed for the door, Cheetara following after she sheathed her staff.  Once she was in the hallway and the doors to the main control room had closed again, she felt a hand grab her wrist and push her against the wall.  Before she could protest, Panthro had his hand pressed firmly over her mouth.  He let go of her wrist, and with the other hand, made a motion for her to keep quiet, then nodded to the door that led outside.  Cheetara soon found herself being led out to the front steps of the lair, down to where the Thundertank was parked.  Without being asked, she jumped into the passenger seat and soon Panthro was next to her and the windshield slid shut.

            “What did you think of his reaction?” questioned Panthro, keeping the lights in the ‘tank off. 

            Cheetara leaned back in her seat to contemplate how Tygra had acted.  “Well, although you might think he was only saying what he did to placate us, he is a Thundercat, and he is held to telling the truth by following the code.”

            “But if that’s the case, he has to tell the truth about what he saw today as well.” Panthro reminded her.  “He can’t do that both to us and to Lion-o by writing a false report.”

            “He’ll find a way to do it.  He’s more intelligent than you give him credit for.  He already knew we were behind the last two ‘accidents’ that happened, he was just waiting for us to come to him about it.  I sensed it.”  She stifled a yawn, then added, “He truly does believe that we are going to turn ourselves in.”

            “Then he’s not as intelligent as you say he is.” Scoffed the panther.  “We’ll see what happens.  For now, we’ll have to wait with carrying out any more of the plan, make it seem like we’re heeding his advice.  But we will finish what we started.”

-  -  -  -

            “I don’t like what you’re telling me.” Lion-o frowned, pacing in the council chambers.  Tygra was seated at the head of the table, Lynx-o to his left.  “It just. . .unnerves me.”

            Lynx-o nodded.  “It does put one on edge.  At least, we’ll have to be much more cautious from now on in regards to this matter.”

            “I agree.” Tygra told them.  “The fact that all of the information collected from that area has suddenly been purged from our systems by an outside source does make it seem as if what happened wasn’t quite the accident that we believed it to be.  I am speculating that either the mutants or the Lunataks were the ones responsible for stealing that data.”

            “The Lunataks, most likely.  The mutants aren’t as capable of this sort of thing, and everyone who had met an untimely end has been a mutant.  Maybe the Lunataks no longer have a use for the mutants and have decided to get rid of them.” Suggested Lion-o.

            “Except that RedEye was a victim and Jackalman has yet not been - could it be that they’re constructing some sort of alliance?  Getting rid of those who are in their way?” Lynx-o waited to hear the views of the others on these ideas.

            “Hard to say.  But for now, let’s concentrate our resources here.  I want to make sure we don’t let our guard down because of this.”  No one objected with Lion-o, so he merely nodded and adjourned the meeting.  Lynx-o left soon after, but Tygra sat glumly in his seat, staring out one of the windows.  “Something wrong, old friend?  Anything you want to talk about?”

            The tiger didn’t answer one way or the other for a while, just continued to contemplate the space he was staring into.  He finally let his head fall into his hands, which were propped up on the table by his elbows.  “It’s more of a hypothetical that’s bothering me, Lion-o.”

            “A hypothetical what?”  questioned the young lord, as he took a place next to Tygra.

            “Let’s say that a there was a Thundercat who was doing something that was in one way against the code, but in another way was taking care of a problem that had been occurring for some time.  Would you punish that Thundercat?” asked Tygra.

            “Tygra, I’m not quite sure what you’re talking about,” began Lion-o, “but if this has anything to do with the events of the last few days, you might want to tell me, hypothetically, what it is you’re talking about.”   

            Tygra’s mouth opened, but no words came out.  Instead, he abruptly closed it and shook his head.  “Nevermind.  Please, forget what I said, it really was just a hypothetical situation, just my random thoughts colliding with hard facts.  It’s nothing.” He falsely assured Lion-o before excusing himself and leaving the chambers.

            Lion-o absently drummed his fingers against the top of the table.  It bothered him that Tygra, of all of them, would be this way about talking to him.  And some of the others had been acting strangely the last few days as well…

            He left the council chambers and made his way down the hall.  Wilykit crossed paths with him, and since her tasks for the day included a series of chores which she was trying to opt out of, she happily offered to walk Lion-o to his destination, which forced an impatient Lion-o to slow his step to allow Kit to keep up, though her slow gait was an obvious act.  After a conversation that ranged from the latest festival in the Berbil village to Snarf’s singing to the best remedy for insomnia, they reached the sword chamber.  It took another five minutes plus a reminder of what happened the last time Kit and her brother had decided to ‘just look’ at the sword before he was able to shoo her away and enter alone.

            Once inside, his entire concentration was upon the blade and the magnificent stone embedded in the hilt.  Carefully, he raised the sword in front of his face, and lined the curves of metal to his eyes.  “Sword of Omens, give me sight beyond sight.  Show me what Tygra is talking about.”  But the sword declined to answer, or maybe didn’t know, for the only image that greeted Lion-o’s eyes was an iridescent glowing of blues and silvers as the sound of the sword trying to project the image filled his ears.  He tried again, and again, phrasing his question differently each time, but each time, the sword was blind.

            “Nothing.” Lion-o finally told himself, placing the sword back to rest.  “But the sword isn’t the only one with sight beyond sight.”

-  -  -  -

            Every time she tried to convince herself it was wrong, he found a way to convince her it was right.  When she brought up the fact that it was against the code, he reminded her that a number of Thundarians weren’t given the chance to argue that fact with the mutants during the war.  When she said it was morally wrong, he needed only bring up the memories of her brother, a soldier whose throat was sliced through to his spine while he was detained in a prison camp.  If she came up with alternatives to killing them, he made sure she remembered what they had done to Claudus the night they invaded the palace and cut the lord off from the rest of the Thundercat warriors. 

            And for some unexplained reason, after they finished their debates and his argument won, he would bring her to his room and make love to her.  But never until he had the last word in the matter, and only after her mind was set on his reasoning - almost as if he was claiming his prize.  The more she thought about it, the more she should be upset and object to his behavior.  But she had seen what he was capable of with those who had crossed him in the past, she didn’t plan to be the one to set the precedent of what happened to those in the present.  Today, he had expanded part of the plan, and it went completely against the code.  But if what they were doing was being done to preserve the code, as he had argued, it would have to be done.  And he had already blown his chance to do it, so she would have to.  Unless, of course, she crossed him.  And there was that problem again.

            Panthro left soon after their discussion today.  He had the time to mate her before he left, but for some reason, which he did not disclose, he declined to today.  She was much more hurt by this than she was showing.  Even if it had become a game for him, it had become something to look forward to for the cheetah, to the point that she had on occasion started debates that she would not win solely for the purpose of getting into the panther’s bed.

            A short rap on the door alerted her of the presence of someone at her door.  Had she taken the time to concentrate on it before rushing hopefully to the door, she would have found that it was not who she expected it to be.  “Lion-o!  Is. . .is something wrong?” she asked, quickly composing herself.

            “I’m unsure, Cheetara.” He answered, entering her room.  Quickly, Cheetara closed the door and followed the lion in.  “There have been some. . .odd happenings as of late, and Tygra has begun to act strange.  So, I tried to see what might be the problem using the sword.”

            Cheetara’s muscles tightened.  “And?” 

            “And. . .nothing.” he sighed, throwing his hands into the air.  Cheetara’s own sigh was luckily muffled by his.  “That’s why I’ve come to see you.  I know that your sixth sense must be used sparingly, but Tygra seemed quite concerned today, and I have been unable to contact Jaga on this matter.  I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t need it, but I really need your help.”  The lord looked at the cheetah with pleading eyes.

            Slowly, Cheetara nodded.  “I understand, Lion-o. Besides, I would not have this gift if it were not meant to be used.”  Finding an open area in the room, Cheetara started to spin, faster and faster, all  the while, trying to devise a cover-up.  When at last she had stopped, arms outstretched now at her sides and eyes suddenly open, she offered the familiar words “I see. . .” but her voice trailed off after that, for nothing was what she saw.  Concentrating so hard on what sort of fairytale she could make up in lieu of the truth had caused her to block out her sixth sense, so she answered truthfully, “I see nothing.”

            “How can that be?” Lion-o asked himself out loud.  “How can something block both the sword, and your sixth sense?  What could be that powerful?  Could it be Mumm-ra?”

            “What would he gain through all of this?” Cheetara reasoned, then wished she hadn’t said a thing.  She should have let Lion-o keep thinking it was the evil Egyptian’s doing.

            “You’re right.  What would he care?  If it were him, he would gladly be taking credit for his work.  But Tygra had said that it might be another Thundercat.  What if. . .” Lion-o’s eyes suddenly met hers, and for a moment, Cheetara almost panicked, thinking he had figured things out.  “What if he means himself?”

            Before she had a chance to rebuttal, Lion-o continued.  “His mind powers - that could have been what blocked the sword and your sixth sense.  He barely uses it, so that when he does it’s at its maximum.  And he was in the area that the last ‘accident’ occurred, and he’s the one who discovered that the data about it mysteriously disappeared.  And. . .” Lion-o hung his head sadly.  “And he’s been known to betray us before.”

            She nearly gave in to the guilt, almost told him everything.  But this sudden revelation could be manipulated to work to hers and Panthro’s advantage.  “Should I keep a close watch on him?”

            “What good would that do?  For all we know, he could be standing here next to us at this very moment.” Replied the lion.   “No, I will investigate this myself.  You and Panthro will have to keep an eye on the lunataks and what’s left of the mutants.  Jackalman *was* once a General, he might seize this opportunity to cause another uprising.  I have complete confidence in the two of you, you and Panthro are my most trusted and loyal of all of the Thundercats.”  Without another word, Lion-o abruptly  left, leaving Cheetara shaken up and with more information than she knew what to do with.

-  -  -  -

            “But he’s the one who called Tygra a traitor, right?”  Panthro demanded.  Cheetara was nervously twirling her retracted staff in her hands as she sat in the passenger seat of the ‘tank, being interrogated by the panther.

            “His exact words were that Tygra had betrayed us before.  Or close to that.” Cheetara answered quietly, her eyes cast downward.  Panthro gruffly leaned over and snatched the weapon from her, which caused her to look up at him.

            “Close to that isn’t good enough.  Think.  What did he say about Tygra.”  Panthro asked again, much more forcefully this time.

            “I don’t know for sure.  But he was the one who brought it up, not me.” Cheetara assured him.  When he didn’t answer, she reached for her staff, but Panthro held it out of her reach.

            “Why are you so impatient to get this back, hmm?  Getting tired of me, are you?” he taunted her, curious of her response.

            “I don’t take your weapon away from you, do I?”  Cheetara made another fruitless attempt to grab the staff.

            Panthro set his nunchukas between them.  “Go ahead.  Take ‘em, if you’re so determined.”

            “Give me my weapon back.  Now.” She snarled.  “I don’t like this game.”

            “It’s not a game.” He simply answered.  “So go on, take my weapon.”

            Cheetara rolled her eyes.  “Fine.  If it’s going to make you happy.” She half heartedly began to reach for the nunchukas.  In less than a second, she was pinned in her seat, the panther over her with an angry look in his eyes.

            “Never, never, ever, let your guard down.” He growled.  “You’re not being careful enough.”

            “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

            “It’s a set up.  A trap.  I just know it is.”  He asserted.

            “How?” she asked as she struggled beneath him.  “How is it a trap?”

            “I don’t know.” He admitted, loosening his grip.  “It’s just. . .it’s just too well thought out for Lion-o, that’s all.  It just seems planned is all.”  As a second thought, he tossed her staff into her lap.  “We need to have a little talk with the tiger.  Actually,” contemplated the panther, “you need to have a talk with him.”

-  -  -  -

            Cheetara hesitantly stood outside of the door to Tygra’s room.  Her hand had lifted to the door more than once, ready to knock, but each time her fist fell silently to her side.  For the fifth time, it was lifted, and she nearly jumped into the door as she felt a hand fall upon her shoulder.

            “Looking for me?” asked the striped cat, a light hearted smile on his face.  “I saw you standing here from down the hall.  How long have you been waiting to receive an answer?” he asked playfully. 

            “Actually, I, haven’t even knocked yet.” Admitted Cheetara, keeping herself from looking at him directly. 

            “Must be about something serious, then.” He guessed, unlocking the door and pushing it open.  His hand motioned for her to enter ahead of him and she did.  Tygra followed, closing the door and locking it behind him, then he made his way to the sofa across the room.  Cheetara was still standing by the door, and didn’t make a move until Tygra patted the empty seat on the couch.  “There’s room for one more, unless you prefer to stand.”

            Cautiously, Cheetara approached and sat down.  Tygra relaxed a bit, settling back against the cushions.  “Now, what is it that I can help you with this evening?”

            She’d rehearsed what she was going to say numerous times earlier that evening, choosing the exact words that she and Panthro had decided upon, but everything came out in a rush, including the tears that started to run down her face.  “Ijustdon’tknowwhattodoanymore. . .IgetsoscaredtobearoundhimIdon’tknowwhoelseIcantalkto. . .hekeepsgettingworseandworseandIdon’tknow. . .”and that’s when she completely lost it, her sobs and words intermingled and incomprehensive.  Tygra immediately drew her nearer to him, cradling the distraught cheetah, waiting until her anxiety had passed before he began to ask questions.

            “Panthro, right?  He’s the one who’s been making you upset?  Has he been forcing you to go along with his plans?”  Each time the answer came in the form of a short nod as she continued to whimper while he held her.  “Then maybe it’s time for us to have a talk with him.”

            Cheetara’s body suddenly became ridgid, and she shook herself from Tygra.  “No…no, we can’t.  You don’t know how upset it will make him.”

            “I’ve known that panther longer than you have, I know how upset he’ll be.  But he’ll handle it.  If this doesn’t stop, now, I can only imagine how far things will go.  After the lunataks and mutants, who else has he planned to get rid of?”  When she didn’t answer, Tygra continued, “We should go to Lion-o about this.  About everything.”

            The cheetah stood.  “No.  I can not betray Panthro like that.”

            “But you can betray the Thundercats.  And betray your lord?”  Tygra shook his head.  “Lion-o confided in me, just now before I found you at the door, that he had tried first the sword, and then your sixth sense, in attempting to find out who is behind this scheme.”

            “He told you about that?” she asked in disbelief.  “He said he wasn’t going to tell anyone.”

            “He finally confided in me, I could tell something was upsetting him.  When he asked if I was the one behind the murders, I answered him honestly that I was not, and never would do such a thing without his orders.  He was so ashamed of having thought it was me, Cheetara, you would not believe how much it pained him to have to accuse me of such a thing.  It would be even worse for him to think that either you or Panthro were the ones responsible, and it will kill him if he ever finds out, especially when he realizes that *you* lied to him about knowing anything.”  Tygra was standing now, and had nearly backed the runner up against the door to exit the room.

            “I didn’t lie to him.  My sixth sense showed me nothing.”

            Tygra growled.  It wasn’t menacing, rather, it was one of frustration.  “How can you let Panthro control you like this.” He held up a hand before she could speak.  “Don’t answer that.  I just wish you were as strong as I used to think you were, that’s all.  This isn’t something you ever should have ended up in.”  The tiger left her there at the door, disappearing around the corner into the reading room section of his quarters.

            She took the opportunity to use the mirror by the door to glance at herself.  The tears from earlier had smeared the makeup around her eyes, then caused it to cake on in streaks on either side of her face.  Lucky for her, her markings covered it up enough for her to avoid questions from anyone she might pass in the hall as she walked to her room.

-  -  -  -

            “So you didn’t get very far with him, then?” Panthro asked.

            Cheetara was sitting on the hood of the ‘tank; Panthro was under the vehicle administering an oil change.  They talked in the open with little fear today: Everyone was in the Berbil Village for some festival or another, with the exception of the two of them, and Wilykat, who was inside monitoring the sensors, and much too far away to eavesdrop.

            “I didn’t get anywhere.” She complained, leaving out the part where she broke down.  There wasn’t any need for Panthro to know about that.  “He seemed anxious for us to turn ourselves in, but he wasn’t going to do it himself.”

            “Well, that’s good to know.  However, we’re not going to get any further with our plan with him still around.”  Panthro slid out from under the ‘tank, wiping his hands on a towel that was laying on the floor.  “And, if something happens to him, we won’t get very far, either.”

            Her expression was almost too hopeful.  “So, we’re calling off the rest of the plan?”

            “We’re postponing it.  Until a later date.” Corrected Panthro, walking over to Cheetara.  “But as soon as things quiet down again, we’ll start things up again.  Finish what we started.”

            Cheetara nodded, hoping that wouldn’t be for quite some time.

-  -  -  -

            Jackalman approached the lair tentatively, his shoulders twitching in a way that might have been construed as fear.  Earlier, he had mustered the courage to find himself at the door of SkyTomb, but hadn’t been able to press the security intercom button to alert them of his presence on their doorstep – as if the lunataks didn’t know.  They were probably all laughing at his pathetic attempt to grovel and ask for a place in their ranks.  Now that everyone he was associating with was gone, he felt much too alone in Castle Plundaar to remain it’s sole inhabitant.

            Indeed, he was having trouble now, trying to decide whether to knock on the door or run away into the forest, when the door suddenly slid away.  Stumbling backward, Jackalman nearly fell down the entire flight of steps, save for the fact that an orange striped hand shot out and grabbed his wrist, pulling him back into a standing, if not cowering, position.

            “Uh, um, hello, uh, Thundercat.” Jackalman managed to squeak out, his throat tightening up.

            Tygra merely gave a nod, then, oddly enough, motioned with the other arm into the lair, letting the jackal’s wrist drop from his grip.

            *They must have seen me on their cameras,* thought the mutant, stepping cautiously into the fortress, *or maybe they just knew that I would be coming…*

            The door behind him shut, and Tygra led Jackalman through the maze of halls and rooms until they entered into the huge room that was referred to as the Great Hall and Council Chambers.  Lion-o sat at the head of the table, arms folded across his chest.  Present also were Bengali, Panthro, Cheetara, and Wilykat.  Tygra pointed to an empty seat opposite the others, in which Jackalman promptly sat.  The tiger then took his place, in a chair at Lion-o’s right side.

            Jackalman quivered in his chair, wondering if it had been such a good idea to come here in the first place.  They were all just…staring at him.  And probably with good cause, but all the same, he was only here because their people had never told the people of his planet that Thundera was going to explode at any time, and had someone told the people of his planet, then they would have had the time to organize an escape effort, and the war most likely wouldn’t have happened, and they wouldn’t have had to leave so many people behind, and-

            The looks of those around the table began to soften, Wilykat’s and Tygra’s especially.  Jackalman had been softly weeping for the last minute or two, and now was realizing this, with his nose getting stuffed up and his eyes cloudy, rubbed his arm across his nostrils to wipe off any strands of mucus that might have been dangling.  Cheetara stood and walked to a small cubbord that was located in a corner, opened it, and brought out a box of tissue.  She made her way back to the table, at her end, and slid the box across the smooth and shiny surface toward the jackal.

            Bengali’s hand trapped the box before it completed its journey.  Jackalman didn’t notice the white tiger’s narrow-eyed look to the cheetah, as all he saw was the back of the feline’s head.  What he did see was Bengali stand and approach him, holding out the box to him.  Jackalman took it, nodding a silent thanks.  Bengali returned to his seat before Lion-o spoke.

            “We’re sorry for your loss.”

            Jackalman was puzzled.  Had he heard correctly, or was he only hearing what he wanted to?  Maybe he was still in shock about losing his friends – his only real family.  Or was it that he was really only dreaming this.  Yes, that must be it!  He would never have entered the lair to begin with, let alone be led here, and before all of them.

            Lion-o continued, further confusing the jackal.  “We are investigating the deaths that occurred, and were wondering if you might shed any light on the situation.  I know it’s probably hard for you to talk about now, but any information you might have about any part of this tragedy would be helpful.”

            Jackalman wore a confused look on his face as he asked, “Tragedy?  You make it sound like you’re really upset that these accidents…happened…” he fought back the tears, but a few escaped regardless.  “I don’t have any information.  All I know is that one by one, the  rest of the mutants began having malfunctions with vehicles and problems that were completely unaccountable…” He had to stop again, blow his nose, and take a few moments just to try to remember to breath.

            Lion-o cleared his throat, and after grasping everyone’s attention, suggested that they adjourn for the evening.  He instructed Bengali to find a room that Jackalman could use for the night, and everyone began to file out of the hall.

            When Cheetara tried to leave the room – Panthro had exited fairly quickly, not wanting them to seem connected in any way – Tygra stepped in her way, blocking the door, which he closed, and locked.  Lion-o was still at the table.

            “Is there a problem, Tygra?” Cheetara attempted, but even the slight fluctuation in her voice gave away her panic.  Sweat beaded up on her forehead, and her neck was hot.  She was probably blushing, but that was the least of her worries, as she turned on her heels, hearing Lion-o approach.

            “Is there, Cheetara?”  Lion-o’s glare focused on her eyes, closing in on her every second.  “Is there a problem?  Or is it a game.  What is it?  What is it, dammit!”  His fist flew into the wall to her left, but she didn’t flinch.  “Tell me, why is this happening?  Why?”

            Cheetara didn’t answer, but did attempt to move to the right.  Tygra blocked her way, and with Lion-o’s fist still pressed to the wall, she was trapped.  She stared back into the lion’s eyes defiantly.  “I don’t know at all what you’re talking about.”

            “Liar!” Lion-o now clasped down on her shoulder’s with both hands, keeping her anchored in front of him.  She felt the impact of being shoved against the wall, back sore and cramped.  She squirmed a short while, but stopped as soon as Lion-o began to speak.  “I asked you once to tell me what was going on, you gave me your word you saw nothing.  I ask you again, and still you reply that you have no idea what’s been going on.  It pains me – it truly hurts me inside to think of what it is that possess you to lie to me in this way.  Is it Mumm-ra?  Does he have you under a spell?  What is it?  Tell me!”

To Be Continued