Chapter 12
"I can't leave you guys alone for five minutes can I?" Mandora asked as she appeared in the main room of the pyramid, exiting the lit tunnel that the others left behind.
"We have it mostly covered," Lion-O smirked at her as he walked over to meet the blonde.
"Well when one hears blaster fire outside, one must investigate. Back up is en-route so they can transport the prisoner to the ship. I'll have them contact Captain Bragg for transfer to the Penal Planet," Mandora smiled.
"Well I think Alluro will need medical assistance before transport. Seems that Slythe was right about Red-Eye. He used Alluro as a shield and then escaped down the tunnel. The backup should maintain the perimeter in case Red-Eye tries to escape," the lion said. Mandora nodded that the medics were doing everything they could to prevent the Lunatak from leaving his mortal coil.
"My helmet doesn't work in here but I can make my way back out and radio in. Aren't there booby traps in the tunnels? You think Red-Eye will be able to avoid them all?" She wondered.
"No idea. Somehow he and Alluro got in and avoided them. They shoved Ma-Mutt into Mumm-Ra's sarcophagus," Lion-O shrugged. That's when an explosion rocked the black pyramid and knocked most of the group down to the ground.
"What the hell was that?" Mandora asked.
"Red-Eye, you can count on it. Everyone get out! It'll be safer outside and probably our best bet to catch him!" Slythe bellowed. Quickly those not injured by the explosion helped the others up and they all headed back the way they had come. Lion-O helped Mandora to her feet, glad to see she was ok. He then made his way to Ma-Mutt who was still in bad shape.
"Come on Ma-Mutt. I'm not leaving you here," the lion scooped up the dog, slightly surprised the horrible hound didn't fight him.
"Is that everybody?" Mandora looked around and didn't see anyone left.
"I think so. Ladies first," Lion-O said. The blonde rolled her eyes but went into the tunnel before him. They were right behind the rest of the group when suddenly everyone stopped.
"What's wrong?" Mandora wanted to know.
"First Class!" Commander Tiberius was surprised to see her.
"What's the holdup sir?" She asked.
"The tunnel is blocked," he said.
"Look after Ma-Mutt," Lion-O told them, setting the dog down, before he said, "ThunderCats Ho!" Quickly, Panthro and Ben-Gali headed toward him in the back of the pack. Slythe followed suit.
"Our muscle is needed. The tunnel is blocked," the lion told them.
"If we're going to do it, then let's do it," Panthro nodded. The four worked their way to the front of the group to investigate the situation. They were about to start trying to open the space when they heard Wizz-Ra outside.
"Stand back ThunderCats!" He shouted to them and everyone backed up. The fallen bits of pyramid started to shift and move. An opening soon presented itself and quickly the Evil Chasers were ushered through it. Mandora and Commander Tiberius had picked up Ma-Mutt and were trying to make it to the hole. Surprisingly, the ever-living dog was pretty heavy. Lion-O went back and took the dog from them and they quickly exited the pyramid to find that back-up had arrived. Alluro was whisked off to the battle cruiser and the rest stayed to search for Red-Eye. Lion-O loaded Ma-Mutt onto the ThunderTank and gave him a blanket along with some more water. The horrible hound seemed to smile at him and Lion-O couldn't help but smile himself.
"Lion-O! A Thunderian ship was rescued by my ship. The Cats aboard are being medically checked over," Tiberius relayed after speaking with his crew.
"That's fantastic news! I look forward to meeting them! However, do me a favor and keep them out of harm's way until we can find Red-Eye," the lion said.
"Not a problem. Where do you think our slippery little fellow got to?" Tiberius wondered.
"That is a very good question," Lion-O frowned.
To Be Continued…