Chapter 4

Leaving Third Earth wound up being delayed for a few hours because Lion-o had to take a few moments to give further instructions to the Thundercats who would remain on the planet. Lynx-O, the blind elder Thundercat listened to the Thundercat Lord's instructions carefully as Bengali kept an eye on the twins to ensure they didn't try sneaking onto the Feliner space ship.

"Remember," Lion-O was saying to the older Thunderian. "The Mutants and Lunatak's might decide because Mumm-Ra is no longer here that they can freely move in and become a bigger threat than they already are. As bad as Mumm-Ra is, he at least kept them in check. I am hoping that they don't figure out that most of us, as well as he are not on the planet."

"Don't worry, Lion-O," the blind Thundercat told him. "We will be on full alert. When you come back I can assure you that everything will be just like it was when you left."

Lion-O put his hand on his shoulder. "I have full confidence that that will be the case when we come back." Though inwardly he was worried that it might not be, he didn't tell Lynx-O that though.

Lynx-O nodded. "Good luck, Lion-O, and safe traveling."

"Thanks," the Thundercat turned to join the others inside the Feliner ship. "See you when we get back."

The Lord of the Thundercats climbed into the ship and Panthro and Tygra who were seated at the controls started the engines and took off into the air. Below Lynx-O, Bengali, and the twins waved after the ship until it was out of sight. Once it was Lynx-O turned to the remaining Thundercats and said. "All right, let's get to work."

After the hunter from the planet Eris had gloatingly shown Mumm-Ra his sarcophagus they had seemed to lose interest in him as they had returned to the control room of the ship and left him alone, restrained in the back of the ship. They had left the coffin in plain sight as well, knowing full well he had no way of getting to it and leaving him with a somewhat hopeless feeling. It didn't help that he was beginning to feel the affects of his power growing dangerously low. No, he wouldn't die but he wouldn't have much energy either. He would rather not be left in such a state ever again. It was bad enough it had happened to him before after trying to use the Star of Thundera, it would be worse this time, especially because he sense the direction between him being out of it and returning would be much longer.

He stared at his sarcophagus longingly. He had to get inside of it and fast! He just needed to figure out a way to get free so he could get over to it, and that was something he was having a hard time coming up with a solution for. Mumm-Ra looked around himself at everything in the room. Maybe he could-

Pain went up his arm and he winced, gritting his teeth and holding back a cry. He turned his head, looking at his right arm where the pain had come from. He saw what looked like an ugly red vein running up his arm. What in the world was this? Was this strange device holding him prisoner doing something else to him now?

Bzzzzt!

"AHHHHHH!"

A horrible electrical sensation coursed through him, nearly knocking him unconscious but it only lasted for a moment before fading out and he slumped forward, breathing heavily. He turned his head, glancing at the bonds again. They seemed to have some kind of mental connection with his thoughts, as if they could somehow pick up on them and act accordingly. Basically punishing him for even considering escape.

What kind of messed up technology did these people have if they were so advanced that their machinescould react to thoughts!?

He lifted his head, straightening back up and eying his bonds, thoughtfully. There had to be a way to get them off without triggering them to respond. But he was having a hard time figuring out how to do it without triggering the shock device. If he even thought of using anything to free himself he would be harmed, if he tried to pull free it would tighten, and if he tried to use magic this thing would drain him.

It seemed to be an impossible task but he wasn't willing to give up just yet.

Mumm-Ra noticed the control panel for his bonds was too far out of reach for him to even kick it with his foot but that wasn't the option he was considering just then. He knew if he thought about it too much he would be harmed and using magic would just be siphoned but he wondered. What if he did both things at once? He just had to concentrate on using magic while withstanding the punishment for the thought. The two things might just cancel each other out and give him a chance, even if it were really slim to break free.

Maybe this device wasn't as powerful as he first thought and the reason it reacted to thought was to prevent him from figuring it its weaknesses.

It might not work but he was willing to try it anyway.

Being cautious to keep his mind as blank as possible, Mumm-Ra took a moment steel himself for the coming punishment then gritting his teeth, he began to concentrate all of his energy. The tips of his fingers started to glow a faint red and just as the bonds would have siphoned it off he let his mind fill with thoughts of breaking free. The restraints function changed slightly, sending a horrible jolt through him that nearly knocked him unconscious. But he fought it, his eyes flaring bright red as he forced his powers into his right hand and, just when he couldn't stand it anymore, let them loose, the energy flashing from his hand and smashing into the control panel.

The control's shorted out, powering down with a dying whine, smoke rising from the ruined machine. When this happened the horrible agony jolting through him ceased the same instant that the restraints deactivated, releasing him. The mummy slumped to the floor, landing on his hands and knees.

He stayed there a moment, trying to collect himself. Pulling that little stunt had taken a lot out of him. He lifted his head, his eyes falling on his sarcophagus which was resting on the wall opposigte of him. If he could just get in there and rest he could get enough power to blast his captor to kingdom come and he could then return to Third Earth.

Mumm-Ra waited a moment to regain enough energy to stand and pushed himself up, getting unsteadily to his feet. He stood for a moment, his whole body shaking then took a step toward it. Suddenly his vision swam before him and he felt light headed, stumbling forward. He put out his hand in an attempt to grasp onto something to stabilize himself.

Unfortunately his hand missed and he fell forward. His outstretched hand did break his fall but only briefly. It collapsed under his weight and he crashed face first onto the floor. Then he lay there, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

Raising his head he stared across the room at his sarcophagus. So close and yet so far. He had to get to it. He just had to.

He started to crawl toward it.

Mumm-Ra hadn't gotten very far when suddenly something was in his way, blocking his progress. He raised his head, staring up at the hunter who stood over him, their hands on their hips. Oh no.

"Going somewhere, Mummy?"

As the planet of Third Earth slowly turned into a small ball in the ship's monitors, the Thundercats inside began to turn their conversion back to the task at hand. Lion-O had told the other's what Jaga had told him about the planet they were heading to and the people. He was sure to stress the details of how they ran their world and daily lives.

"I think I remember reading a bit about Eris a long time ago on Thundera," Panthro said, thoughtfully. "and from what I learned Jaga's description of the beings there and how they work was spot on."

"If these beings are as Jaga describes them then how will we be able to get Mumm-Ra back?" Cheetara wanted to know. "They sound very unpredictable and I don't think trying to reason with them is going to work."

"We don't have to reason with them," Tygra told her. "All we have to do is avoid them."

"Sounds easier said than done," Pumyra spoke up, who until then hadn't said anything. "Avoiding them could be next to impossible, any moment they could decide to turn and spot us..."

"We will just have to be careful and on alert," Lion-O told the other cats. "If the planet is chaotic even in the architecture, it could actually work to our advantage."

Snarf, who was seated by the Lord of the Thundercats sighed. "It all feels like a lot of trouble just to rescue someone as awful as Mumm-Ra," he remarked. "Why don't we just forget the whole thing and let them keep him? Third Earth will be better off without him."

The other Thundercats nodded in agreement with Snarf which meant Lion-O had to once more remind them why they weren't going to do that. "You know what Jaga and the Ancient Spirits said," he reminded them. "If we let them have him, we're all in danger."

"But why?" Pumyra wanted to know. "We keep being told if they use his power the whole universe will be in danger but we don't know how they will do this. If what you said you saw in his cauldron at the pyramid is true he isn't going to willingly go along with this."

"I don't think he'll have much of a choice," Tygra answered her. "If they have the technology to actually capture him they will also have the know how to force him to do what they want."

"We don't have any proof of that," Snarf cut in stubbornly. He folded his arms and made a face. "I'm tell you this is all just a waste of time. Those spirits were most likely lying."

"Was Jaga lying too?" Lion-O shot back, irritably. "He did confirm their words after all."

"How do you even know it was the real Jaga and not a fake?" Snarf was quick to question. "It could have been a figment created by the Ancient Spirits of Evil to trick you."

"No, it was really Jaga," he told him. "I could sense it was him."

"What about the time Mumm-Ra pretended to be Jaga and turned us against Lynx-O , Bengali and Pumtyra? You thought that was Jaga then too."

Lion-O was getting frustrated with Snarf's badgering. "Snarf," he said speaking carefully, as he was having a hard time not losing his temper. "This is not up for debate. The real Jaga spoke to me. The Ancient Spirits might have been able to create something to bring us to the Pyramid but they cannot imitate Jaga as Mumm-Ra is not here to pull it off." He stood up, holding the Sword of Omens out in front of himself. "If you don't believe me why not ask him yourself?"

Snarf frowned. "But only you can see him, Lion-O." he answered.

"That's right," he said. "Only I can see him and he is the real Jaga and, if he's not, we will find out for ourselves once we reach Eris." he put the sword away. "So until then, I don't want to hear anymore about it and that goes for the rest of you as well." He looked at the other Thundercats. "One other thing; Just because Mumm-Ra has done horrible things to us in the past it doesn't mean we should just leave him there. I know that might sound foolish but this one time let's try to think of him as simply an innocent person in need and not an enemy."

"That's going to take a lot of work, but we'll try," Panthro told him. He turned back to the controls. "Just don't expect us to be happy about it."

Lion-O chose not to respond to that because doing so might just cause another disagreement. As Panthro's words were met with silence, the other Thundercats, having seen the wisdom in letting the subject drop, chose to discuss other things among themselves. Doing so helped ease the tension in the ship and they all started to relax a little.

Except Lion-O who was not feeling very happy at his fellow Thundercats at the moment. He sensed that they probably agreed with Snarf's words that maybe the Jaga he'd spoken to had been a fake, but chose not to continue that conversation. While he was grateful for that he didn't like the fact that they all seemed to be questioning it.

I know it was you, Jaga, he thought, looking down at the Sword of Omens. But how am I going to prove it to the others? Please give me an answer.

Patience, Lion-O, they will come to terms with the truth in time. Lion-O looked up, hearing the voice of his mentor. The Thundercat Elder had appeared before him once more. Once they reach Eris and are faced with the reality of the situation they will no longer feel the way they do. Don't be angry with them, Lion-o. They have a right to feel the way they do. Remember; Mumm-Ra has done many things to destroy you but, as you pointed out, he needs help. This is the one time he is no longer the enemy, and you will all realize this very soon.

"But Jaga-"

Jaga had once more disappeared.

Lion-O sighed, realizing Jaga wasn't going to tell him anymore than he already had. He sat back, closing his eyes and going over what his mentor had said. He knew the older Thunderian was right, he really shouldn't be mad at the others for feeling th way they did about the whole thing. He felt the same way, the only thing that had changed his mind about even going after the mummy was learning what would happen if they didn't. If anything; he and the others weren't going to help Mumm-Ra at all, they were just trying to prevent the destruction of the universe and he was perfectly content with that.

"Lion-O?"

"What is it, Snarf?" he asked, opening his eyes and looking down at the red and yellow creature.

"What if they are right?" he asked.

The question surprised Lion-O especially since Snarf had just been arguing with him that the Spirits were lying and Jaga's visit had been a trick. Maybe he'd taken some time to consider the alternative?

"I mean what if these creatures do have some kind of device that can destroy the universe?" he continued. "How will we be able to stop them? I mean even if we do get Mumm-Ra back how can we be sure they won't just try to get him back?"

The Lord of the Thundercats could only shake his head as he tried to think of a good answer. "I don't know, Snarf," he finally admitted. "But we'll think of something." he put his arm around his old friend and smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry about it. We're Thundercats, we always pull through in the end."

But Snarf's question left him wondering. What if they couldn't this time? What if this time they were going into something that was over their heads?

Lion-O tried to push the questions away. It was too late for doubts now. He'd made his decision and they were going to come out victorious or die trying.

Mumm-Ra was in trouble. He'd been so focused on getting to his sarcophagus that he'd completely forgotten about the hunter. Now they stood over him, blocking his way and he had no way of getting past them in the weakened state he was currently in. But he had to do something. he couldn't just lay there looking up at them like some kind of groveling servant! He needed to move!

Come on, don't just lay there like a doormat! Move!

But his body wasn't cooperating.

The hunter seemed to sense this and knelt down, invading his space. They grinned at him, sharp needle teeth gleaming white. "What exactly did you expect to gain by this little stunt?" they asked him. "Did you think you were going to climb inside your stone death bed and charge up enough to blast me? If my information is right you would not have had enough time to pull off such a foolish plan."

They reached behind him, grabbing him by the back of the hood, and stood, dragging him up as they did. Mumm-Ra hung from the hunter's grip, at least four inches shorter than them, in his standard form. "But if you're so intend on sleeping I can remedy that for you."

He grabbed their arm with his free hand, gripping it in a hold that proved to be rather strong for someone in his condition and current power level. His red eyes glowed dangerously as his anger started to rise up once more. "Your plans for me won't succeed," he growled. "Don't think it will. I will get out of this, I promise you. You and your kind will not be able to hold me forever."

The hunter smiled at him, amused. "Maybe I would believe you," they said. "If it wasn't for the fact that nobody will ever come to your rescue." They yanked their arm free from his grip, so they could pull something out of their utility belt. "Oh no, mummy. This will be your future from here on out. I think it's about time you merely accept it."

"No."

They smiled. "I'll let you sleep on it, then."

The hunter jammed something into his neck which sent a rather powerful jolt through him that instantly knocked him unconscious. They then released him, allowing him to fall limply to the floor at their feet. They then knelt down and places manacles on his wrists and ankles, knowing they would work just a swell as the machine he'd been attached to before, which he'd broken and couldn't be fixed until returning to the planet.

Once finished the hunter stood back up, then turned and headed out of the room. "Sweet dreams, mummy."

A/N

I don't know why but I am tempted to do a minor sub-plot involving the Third Earthbound Thundercats and the Mutants and or Lunataks but I am not sure if that would be a good idea. It might just come off as padding.