Chapter 12
"You know that we can't do that. He's still in surgery. Let those hostages go and we'll handle this like we should have many years ago," Mumm-Rana offered after a few moments while Ben-Gali radioed to the Lair along with Bo and Fer.
"Oh the chance for that passed a long time ago. You should have had tried to get me before I got this brand new body. I could totally take you now," Lea chuckled.
"Then even more reason to fight me and only me. You take me out and then you can have the ThunderCats all to yourself," the female mummy said.
"That's a hard offer to refuse," the lioness agreed.
"All you have to do is let the hostages go. Then we can finish this," Mumm-Rana told her.
"Somehow this seems more like a trap, if I didn't know any better," Lea was still hesitant.
"You know I don't lie," the female mummy said.
"You never could figure that out could you? A shame really. You might have been good at it. All right, here they come," Lea caved. Soon the terrified hostages filed out of the room and Bo and Fer quickly ferried them directly out of the building and Ben-Gali assisted them.
"Ok, now come on out. It's just me and you," Mumm-Rana told the lioness. There was silence and the mummy was confused. Energy crackled at her fingertips but Lea emerged from the room. Her wound was still oozing but the lioness did not show any signs of weakness as she quickly grabbed Mumm-Rana by the throat.
"You weren't expecting me to come out like a kitten did you?" she asked. However, all Mumm-Rana did was smirk. She produced a tranquilizer dart from her pocket and stabbed it into the lioness's arm. Lea roared but given the now mortal body that Mumm-Ra occupied, he could not override the medicine. Her grip on the mummy loosened and Lea fell to the floor.
"Got her?" Ben-Gali asked as he radioed Mumm-Rana.
"I've got her. Leo can come down from the tree. Thank him for his dart," she said.
"Will do. Arta and Bo are coming in to scoop up our lioness," he told her.
"Good idea. Better hurry. I'm not sure how long that tranquilizer will last," Mumm-Rana was concerned.
"There shortly. Vehicle is prepped for transport," Ben-Gali informed her.
"Good," a few seconds later, Arta and Bo arrived, scooped her up and hauled the lioness away.
"We've got ThunderGuard heading our way to help the residents. Doesn't look like anyone got hurt which for Mumm-Ra seems odd," the white tiger said as they all piled back into the transport.
"Perhaps my theory is right. Lea is in there. We need to see if we can get her to force Mumm-Ra out. Once he's out, I can vanquish him without hurting Lea," Mumm-Rana told him as they wound their way down the city streets, heading back to the Lair.
"Lion-O is finally out of surgery but he's got an uphill battle ahead of him," Bo called to the back seats from the driver's seat, having just heard it over the radio.
"Thank Jaga he's out of surgery," Ben-Gali breathed.
"Thank him indeed. Have Cheetara meet us down at the cells. I will need her to act on my theory. The sooner we get Lea and Mumm-Ra separated the better," Mumm-Rana said. The white tiger could tell that she was leaving something out and he wondered what it was but he didn't push it. They would soon find out if they could manage to do as she thought they could.
To Be Continued…