A/N: This story is the first in a trilogy of unrelated stories in which one of the Mutants succeeds in defeating the ThunderCats and achieving his own personal victory on Third Earth. They were inspired by ThunderCats episodes such as, "Monkian's Bargain," "Jackalman's Rebellion," "Super Power Potion," and "Vultureman's Revenge," where the individual Mutants tried, unsuccessfully, to overpower the ThunderCats and/or Mumm-Ra with special abilities or a new army.

Warning! These stories end with the bad guys having the victory, so if you prefer a good guy victory, don't read this story or its two successors. If you've been waiting for a story where a villain wins, then read on and enjoy! However, at least one of these stories, possibly more than one, might have an open ending, where good has the potential to triumph in the future, after the end of the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own ThunderCats; Rankin/Bass created it, and Warner Bros. presently owns it.

Vultureman's Army

ACT I

Deep in Castle Plun-Darr, in a new, secret laboratory he had constructed, Vultureman, the Avian Mutant, was putting the finishing touches on his latest weapons against the ThunderCats. He was sure that the Lunataks and his fellow Mutants wouldn't be able to laugh at him this time.

"Hey! What going on in here, Vultureman? Building another stupid contraption to defeat the ThunderCats, I'll bet, yessss?"

Vultureman turned, startled, as Slithe entered the chamber, followed by the other Mutants.

"Yes and no, Slithe, cawww!" replied Vultureman, "I'm building another 'contraption,' yes, but this time, it isn't 'stupid' or 'useless.' This is a foolproof plan to get my revenge on the ThunderCats once and for all."

"Hoo, hoo, hoo! You mean our revenge, Vultureman!" said Monkian.

"Right, whatever, caw!" said Vultureman impatiently. "Anyway, in this plan, there's more than one weapon involved in it. You see, I have made a cloning machine."

He showed off the big, box-like machine that looked like it was the right size for a Mutant to fit in. The Mutants stared at it skeptically.

"Nyah! And what exactly are you cloning, Vultureman?" inquired Jackalman.

"Caw! You mean, who am I cloning?" Vultureman replied, "Simple. I'm cloning myself. With it being just the four of us, it's no wonder the ThunderCats and the Lunataks can always stand up to even our best weapons. But with this cloning technology, I'm making an army of Vulturemen, all sharing my keen intellect in science and techno material. My DNA is the most ideal for the job, so that is why I cloned myself. And in addition to cloning copies of myself, I also designed and created an army of airborne vultures to fight the ThunderCats by air, including one special clone vulture I made for myself. I call him Vultureboy. And best of all, these Vulturemen and vultures will wield weapons that no ThunderCat or Lunatak will be a match for, like miniature Thundrainium projectors to weaken and kill the ThunderCats, and possess special talents to overcome the Lunataks' special abilities."

The Mutants looked at each other with a mixture of interest and continued skepticism.

"Yessss," said Slithe, "Sounds like a good idea on the surface, but how do you know it'll work, bird-brain? You've tried using many contraptions against the ThunderCats before, and all of them have failed. Why will this one be any different?"

"Hoo, hoo! Yes, Vultureman. Why should we trust you this time?" said Monkian.

Vultureman hissed. "Because, brother Mutants, it was never my fault that my 'contraptions' failed me, and with many clone Vulture soldiers on our side, we will not only have a number's advantage over our enemies, but also a tactical and strategic advantage. Vulturemen can think more creatively than your lower kinds can, and that proves useful against other creative thinkers like the Cats. And we know how to use our powers and our talents better than you barbarians know how to use yours. Take my word for it. This will work."

The Mutants were clenching their fists at being so bluntly insulted by Vultureman, but Slithe said, "Very well, Vultureman. For the umpteenth time, I'll give your invention a chance. But if this one fails us too, I swear I'll feed your stinking carcass to your own vultures, yessss?"

Vultureman swallowed, but otherwise betrayed no sign of fear. "It's a deal, Slithe. Cawww!"

"Now," said Slithe, "Where exactly are these clones of yours? And when are they going to go into action?"

"Caw! They are waiting just outside Castle Plun-Darr, where your Reptilian army used to stand, Slithe. Come with me, and I'll show you just what they can do. And to prove to you that I'm not afraid to lead them, I'll go out with them in my Flying Machine, so I'd suggest you and the others remember to take along the SkyCutters and the NoseDiver, too. Caw!"

In an open clearing, Cheetara and Tygra were walking through the area, patrolling the land of Third Earth as well as keeping the peace in it.

Cheetara said, "It's a rather quiet day today, don't you think so, Tygra?"

"I'll say it is," agreed Tygra, "But that should make us alert only for more attention from the Mutants and the Lunataks, as well as any other troublemakers on Third Earth."

Just then, a shadow passed overhead. They looked up. It was Vultureman in his Flying Machine, or so they thought at first.

"Vultureman!" exclaimed Tygra. "Now why would he be doing a full frontal assault on us in his Flying Machine? That's not like him!"

"Yes," said Cheetara, "That behavior is more common in the other Mutants."

But then, there suddenly appeared another vulture-like Flying Machine next to the first one, and it appeared to be carrying Vultureman, too. The ThunderCats stared as they dodged the first laser blasts from the Machines' eyes.

"Two Vulturemen?" Cheetara wondered, "How can there be more than one? I thought the Vultureman was the only one!"

They went to their vehicles parked nearby, the ThunderClaw and the HoverCat, and prepared to attack the Flying Machines. But then, suddenly, a large bird appeared out of nowhere and proceeded to land on the HoverCat and chew on its cords and wires that powered it.

"Hey! Get off!" Tygra yelled, using his bolo whip to drive the vulture away from its perch. But many more came along a moment later, and began to assault his whole vehicle. He couldn't deflect them all with his whip. Soon, they were also tearing up the ThunderClaw, which Cheetara couldn't defend properly, either, and both ThunderCat vehicles crashed into the ground.

The ThunderCats picked themselves up and prepared to face the Vulturemen, who had dismounted from their Flying Machines. "What is this?" demanded Cheetara. "Which one of you is the real Vultureman?"

"Cawww! That would be me!" said a third Vultureman who landed with the others. He hopped out and called out to one of the vultures.

"Here, Vultureboy!" he called to his "pet," a big condor-like vulture whose physical appearance wasn't too dissimilar to Vultureman's, except for the wings and bird-like posture. "Say hello to my new pets, and my new army, ThunderCats!" He gestured to the other Vulturemen, and identified them as VM-0408 and VM-4444. "I nickname them Grunter and Fours, for reasons that may become obvious."

Grunter made a hoarse grunting noise that was rough, even for a Vultureman. Fours said, "The name is Fours, because of my unit number. Cawww!"

Cheetara and Tygra blinked. "More Vulturemen? But where on Third Earth did they come from?" demanded Cheetara. "And why do you give them unit numbers and nicknames?"

"Caw! They are my new army, She-Cat," laughed Vultureman, "My new, loyal, clone army. And they have every intention of being loyal only to me, and that means you ThunderCats will soon be no more! Do your stuff, boys!"

"Caw! Yes, sir!" the two clones said in unison. Then they pulled out medium-sized, hand-held Thundrainium projectors and aimed them at the ThunderCats.

"Uh, oh! Thundrainium weapons!" said Tygra, "Cheetara, don't let their shots hit you or anything!"

"I'm on it, Tygra," she said, but the Vulturemen wouldn't wait for them to compose themselves for battle. They opened fire.

Cheetara dodged the first few shots with her incredible speed, while Tygra quickly turned himself invisible. But the Vulturemen had talents that Vultureman had programmed into them, talents that could rival those of the ThunderCats, as well as the Lunataks. Grunter was able to see Tygra through the infrared, similarly to Lunatak Red Eye, and fired a shot that hit right near Tygra's feet. The ThunderCat turned visible again, and fell to the ground, rapidly weakening. Fours had unblinking vision that could follow Cheetara wherever she went, and his Thundrainium projector fired guided shots that she couldn't outrun or outsmart indefinitely. He fired at a spot that she was about to run towards, and the shot followed her course and met her there. Soon, she too was fallen on the ground, weak.

Vultureman laughed out loud. "Good! Now blast them with some more Thundrainium to ensure that they don't get up again for a long time."

Grunter and Fours fired concentrated blasts at Cheetara and Tygra, until the ThunderCats lost consciousness. Then they took aim at the Cats' magic insignias on their clothes, and fired again. This reduced the condition of the two ThunderCats to mortal.

Vultureman cheered. "That's two ThunderCats down! I'll show Lion-O yet that even the Eye of Thundera cannot defeat Mutant genius!" He gazed down with glee at the two dying ThunderCats, and then he left with Vultureboy and the clones, leaving a few other vultures to feast on the ThunderCats' vehicles, and then the ThunderCats themselves.

In Cat's Lair, the other ThunderCats were getting concerned, because Tygra and Cheetara were due to report back to the Lair after their daily patrol.

"Snarf!" said Snarf, "What could be taking them? It's not like Tygra and Cheetara to slack off on the job! They're always been two of the most responsible ThunderCats."

"Now, now, Snarf," said Panthro at the controls, "Give them a little more time. They could have been delayed by something unforeseeable."

"That's just it, Panthro," said Snarf, "Maybe this 'unforeseeable' thing did something bad to them! Snarf! Snarf!"

"Oh, you worry too much, Uncle Snarf!" said Snarfer.

"Too much? Snarf! I think you don't worry enough!" remarked Snarf.

Suddenly, the Sword of Omens hummed a warning to Lion-O, Lord of the ThunderCats. He said, "Maybe the Sword senses some kind of trouble they may be in." He held the sword hilt up to his eyes and said, "Sword of Omens, give me Sight Beyond Sight!"

He saw an image of three, not one, but three Vulturemen, shooting at Cheetara and Tygra with hand-held Thundrainium cannons, and it looked like Tygra and Cheetara were in pretty bad shape. He also saw a flock of look-alike vultures tearing up the ThunderClaw and the HoverCat, and a few of them were pecking at the fallen ThunderCats, too.

"Oh, no!" he said, "It looks like the Mutants have defeated Tygra and Cheetara with Thundrainium weapons! Only it looks like Vultureman has brought along his tribe of Vulturemen this time, or maybe he somehow created those other Mutants himself! And there are even identical-looking vultures ripping up the ThunderClaw and the HoverCat, and a few even look like they want to…to scavenge on our friends' bodies!"

Panthro sat bolt upright. "What?! The nerve of that bird-brain, hurting our friends like that!"

Snarf look at Snarfer. "So, you thought I was worrying too much, eh?"

Snarfer replied, "You couldn't foresee that this would happen, Uncle Snarf. So don't tell me that I shouldn't tell you not to worry, even when there is something to worry about."

Snarf looked at him balefully. "Snarf! How dare you talk like that to your elders, Snarfer!"

"Not now, guys!" said Lion-O sternly, "This is a serious situation! We have to get Tygra and Cheetara to the Tower of Omens so that maybe Pumyra and Lynx-O can heal them before things get worse!"

"How are they going to get worse, Lion-O?" asked Snarf. "You said they were directly hit by Thundrainium. Things can't get much worse than that for a ThunderCat!"

"Snarf, please," said Lion-O, "I need you to calm down, and everyone else here, too. This is serious, but things have always pulled through for the ThunderCats before, and they will again this time. Just you wait. Panthro, contact the Tower of Omens and tell them what's just happened. I'll go find our hurt friends. Maybe the Sword of Omens can offer them some relief until Pumyra can heal them. I'll get the ThunderKittens to help me. Snarf, Snarfer, you stay here with Panthro."

Lion-O ran out of the control room to rouse the Kittens from their playtime and come with them. Snarf said, "Snarf! I have a bad feeling about this. Snarf, Snarf!"

Hiding in the woods some miles from where they had battled the two critically injured ThunderCats, Vultureman and the other Mutants listened as a vulture bird that served as a spy communicated to Vultureman that the ThunderCats were already on the move.

Vultureman looked proudly at his more than sizeable army of vulture and Vultureman clones. The other Mutants, even Slithe, were considering that this plan had some potential, after all.

"Hoo, hoo, hoo!" said Monkian, "Another successful try for Mutantkind, wouldn't you say, Vultureman?"

The birdman turned and looked at him. "Caw! I'm not Vultureman! I'm VM-099, or Shorty!"

"Oh, yes, of course you are," said Monkian, "Then you must be Vultureman, right?" He looked at another Avian Mutant.

The bird looked at him balefully. "I'm VM-785, or Lite! Cawww!"

Monkian stared around at all the Vulturemen. "Whatever! Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!" He shrugged helplessly.

"What does 'VM' stand for, exactly, Vultureman?" Jackalman asked the real Vultureman.

"Simple, my simple-minded comrade," explained Vultureman, "'VM' is an acronym for 'Vultureman.'"

"Nyah, I see," said Jackalman.

"Not bad for a first effort, Vultureman, yessss?" said Slithe, "But I won't be fully convinced until some more of our enemies also go down with a whimper, including Lion-O."

Vultureman grinned. "Believe me, Slithe," he said, "We'll be picking off some more of them soon, and later, it'll be the Eye of Thundera's turn. Even Lion-O won't know what hit him; he's overconfident, what with all the victories he's accumulated over the years."

"Good," said Slithe, "That's good, yessss?"

"And soon enough," continued Vultureman, "We'll have a little date with the Lunataks, too. We will show them what it's like to be made to crawl on their knees before us Mutants, and most of all, the Mutant genius himself, Vultureman!"

He lifted a fist into the air and cawed. The other Mutants joined in with their own laughter and cheers, but the Reptilian, Monkian, and Jackalman calls were drowned out by the cawing of the proud, clone Vultureman army.

END OF ACT I