Fall Of The Empire
Rating: T (for now.)
Disclaimer: I don't own this. If I did, the second season would have been out already, and I would be all over that like white on rice.
Author's Notes: Whew! Another chapter, another step closer! Wait until the Berbils episode! *Scary music plays.*
Warnings: A little bit more cursing than what you're accustomed to. Echo being cranky, a strange new dimension to the white-haired human, and the arrival of Panthro!
"Mrrphnrf!"
"Hush." Echo admonished, her face twisted in a mixture of concentration and determination.
Beneath her, a certain Wily Kat was squirming and wriggling in her grasp. Her arms were burning as she struggled to keep the kitten in her hold. Kat writhed, slippery as an eel, and Echo had no idea how she'd managed to keep a hold on him for so long. She was scrubbing his face with the edge of her tunic - the kittens were covered in soot, dirt, and without a nearby river, she'd had to improvise.
Kit had borne her face cleaning with grace.
Kat had not taken to it nearly as kindly.
Around them, the ruins of the forest stretched. Once-glorious trees were charred, broken, and bare. The skeletons reached to the sky, which, ironically enough, was a bright, crystal blue. Odd, how welcoming that is after last night. The desperation and urgency they'd all faced seemed like some bad, distant nightmare.
Instead, the early morning sun was shining down, spreading warmth and a bright, cheery light. . . and again, it painted such a different picture than the nightmare that had raged around them last night. The cats had taken a last stand, and had it not been for Panthro's timely arrival, they all would have died.
At least Kit and Kat didn't ask me to finish the story. . .
"Grfph! Enough! My cheeks hurt!" Kat yelled, wrestling himself out from her hands. He hopped away from her and rubbed at his face tenderly, giving Echo a fierce pout.
Kit looked at her brother's expression and laughed. Kat, taking offense to this, growled and ran at her, promising to shove her face into the dirt for her transgressions. Kit ran away, squealing so loudly her voice echoed in the empty clearing. Kat pursued her, determination in his footsteps.
Echo gave a tiny sigh and got to her feet, ignoring the lightheaded feeling that stole through her. Adrenalin burnout, probably. . . when did I actually sleep last?
It had been far too long. She hadn't slept in at least a day, at the very least. Now that she thought about it. . . she was fairly certain she was going on two and a half. As if being remembered, her eyes began to feel ashen, and she really wanted to lay down and sleep for two days straight.
She turned, however, upon hearing a clanging noise, and regarded Panthro and the tank. The ex-general was working on his vehicle tirelessly, and as Echo watched, the huge wall of a cat opened up the hood of the vehicle - where smoke and flames greeted him. She thought he might growl at the machine, but instead, he waved his hand, dispelling the smoke, and gave a grunt before setting to work.
Ain't no rest for the wicked.
Echo strode over to the rest of the group assembled before Panthro and his assault weapon.
"If you get dirty, I will. . . " She struggled to think of a threat, ". . . I will find a very bad punishment. It will not be pleasant."
In response, the kittens giggled, and started throwing dirt at each other. Warning delivered, Echo came to stand before Tygra.
". . are we sure this is even the real Panthro? Because what we saw in the arena. . ." Tygra trailed off, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Was a deception by Mumm-Ra." Cheetara finished, "If he wasn't Panthro, he surely would have let us fall to the lizards last night."
Tygra waved his hand airily. "It always pays to be suspicious."
Lion-O stood beside his brother, looking equally doubtful as he stared up at Panthro. Not that Echo could blame him - what had happened in that arena had left her scarred for life, too. Tygra, taking notice of his brother's hestiation, grinned.
"Go on, Lord of the ThunderCats," Tygra said, sarcastic smile firmly in place, "See if your loyal subject needs help fixing his. . . uh. . . oh. What was it, Echo?" The tiger asked, upon noticing her.
"Tank." She supplied.
"Tank," Tygra continued, "That is. . . unless you're scared."
Lion-O rolled his eyes at the barb, but didn't deny the challenge. He approached Panthro, but stopped right beside the tank, looking uncertain.
"Hey, Panthro." Lion-O greeted, interjecting amiable cheer into his voice.
"Go away." Panthro replied, not even bothering to look up from his work, "Can't you see I'm busy?"
He began to tinker with the engine, touching the hot components with his bare hands. Echo colored herself impressed - he wasn't even giving the slightest indication of pain.
"Oh, come on! You're really just gonna ignore us forever? What are you so grumpy about, anyway?" Lion-O demanded, planting his hands on his hips, patience evaporated.
"You're standing on my samoflange." Panthro replied coolly, voice deadpan.
"Oh, uh, sorry," Lion-O jumped up, getting off of the fallen piece of armor. He cleared his throat to recover from his embarrassment and continued, "Look, maybe I can help. I've dabbled in a little tech myself."
Panthro finally stood up and faced Lion-O, pinning him with an exasperated stare. Even on top of the tank, Echo marveled at how Panthro dwarfed Lion-O. How do Cats even get that big, anyway?
"The Thunder Tank is out of Thundrillium. Now I have to risk my hide to get more at Cloud Peak Mine." He pointed, and Echo followed his finger.
In the distance, she could see a mountain. It was a strange-looking one at that. It was tall, square, and jutted up into the sky like a giant obelisk, but it was actually almost picturesque. Pale, sun-bleached stone towered, framed by a beautiful azure sky, and white, puffy clouds surrounding it. Echo could imagine herself laying at the base of it and falling asleep, surrounded by endless blue and white.
Her eyelids started to droop at the thought. No! Stay awake! Echo gave her head a quick shake, and that seemed to help a little.
"If you're going after Thundrillium," Lion-O said, taking a step forward, "We're coming with you."
Echo barely suppressed a groan.
Cloud Peak Mine must have been at least five miles.
One way.
"Let me put this as respectfully as I can. . . no."
Lion-O bristled. "I am the king now, general. And we are more than capable of handling ourselves on the battlefield!"
Panthro hopped down from the Thunder Tank with ease, and landed on the ground in front of Lion-O. Echo stared, unable to tear her eyes away. In terms of muscles, the only other Cat who could come close was Grune, and heavy scars raked over Panthro's fur, detailing many years of horrible battles and near defeats. His right eye was cloudy and sightless, a scar spanning over his eye.
Just like mine.
Except she had been lucky enough to avoid losing her vision. . . however that had happened.
He's known nothing but war.
Echo stared, eventually finding the general's eyes, and found them flickering, as though he were resisting the urge to rise and meet Lion-O's challenge. Unconsciously, Echo tensed, remembering nightfall in an arena, so many days ago, when a war-hero rose a knife. . .
Surprisingly, however, Panthro's posture relaxed in a heartbeat. He offered them all a halfhearted shrug.
"Fine. If you get in my way, or slow me down, you're on your own. . . any questions?"
Cheetara and Echo shook their heads. Tygra took them all by surprise, however, by giving a small raise of his hand - almost as though he were waiting for a teacher to call on him. He stared at Panthro curiously, brow furrowed.
"What's a samoflange?"
Panthro and Lion-O both rolled their eyes at the same time, and Cheetara turned her head away from the tiger to heave a heavy sigh.
"What?" Tygra asked, "I don't know what a samoflange is!"
"Just. . . Stop, Tygra." Echo said, chuckling into her hand.
Cheetara laid a hand on his shoulder. "You're going to hurt yourself."
Hell of a time to start wanting to learn about tech, tiger.
"Wait for us here," Lion-O called out, "We'll be back in a few hours."
"Behave!" Echo interjected, "Don't touch anything! Don't leave the tank, don't-"
"Okay, Echo! We know!" Kit yelled back.
"Yeah, we'll be good!" Kat chimed in.
"We promise!" They said together.
Yeah, as good as pickpockets get, Echo thought. She tried to look irritated, but she smiled. Damn kittens. At times, they managed to get under her skin like nothing else, but at others. . . she'd feel the strongest glow of affection for them. It was strange, really, just how quickly they had bonded. Echo was beginning to feel like an older sister to the twins.
But. . . for some reason she couldn't understand, Echo honestly didn't know why that thought caused her to seize up in fear. She'd written down other strange thoughts, too, of course. 'I'm not fit for it,' one of them had read, 'I don't want it to happen again,' read another. Echo remembered writing them, right after she'd woken up from various dreams, but she just didn't know what they meant. Another part of the puzzle to her past.
She was kind of. . . happy for everything that had happened in Thundera, awful as it was to say. This journey had begun to tear apart the wall separating her from her memories, something she desired above all else.
The Thunder Tank's loading bay closed up with a hydraulic hiss, quickly cutting the twins and Snarf off from view. Echo stared, fearing for the children. What if the lizards came back, and their party hadn't returned? What if the lizards came back with tech? The kittens didn't know how to drive (pilot?) such a piece of machinery. What if-
A slender hand laid on her shoulder, and Echo blinked, finding Cheetara there, smiling at her.
"They'll be alright - the kittens are far more resourceful than we give them credit for. Come on."
Looks like I'm not the only person worried about them.
At times, Echo hated how Tygra and Lion-O seemed to completely forget that they had two small kittens in tow. Kittens that only she and Cheetara had really been caring for. And in the cleric, she could see the same spark of. . . of what? Maternal instinct? No, that sounded far too strong. A spark of friendship, maybe?
"You get lose in your thoughts quite often, human." Cheetara smiled, giving her shoulder a gentle tug. Echo fell into step behind her, shaking it in disbelief.
"Uh, yeah. Can't help it sometimes."
God, what the hell was wrong with her today? Was it because she was so tired that she just thought of the weirdest things?
Apparently.
Shaking her head again, Echo started walking beside Cheetara, and (much to her chagrin), the group began their trek.
"So, you really think that's Panthro? One hundred percent sure?" Echo asked.
They began to meander back into the forest, and that same picture of beauty was being painted again. Yesterday, it had been tainted by the arrival of the lizards. But now. . . it was peaceful. Echo breathed in deeply, taking in the forest air. Gone were the smells of fuel and fire, and the clean scent of the forest replaced it.
"I'm sure," The cleric replied, "He does not feel as Mumm-Ra did."
Oh yeah.
The way her spine had crawled when he was near, or how her body broke out into a cold sweat. . . none of that was present around Panthro.
"Huh."
"Are you sure you trained with the clerics?" Cheetara asked.
"H-Hey!" Echo replied, aiming a half-hearted swipe at her arm, "That wasn't nice!"
Cheetara dodged the blow without even seeming to move, and chuckled.
"Are you ladies quite done playing around? Or do you want every lizard in the surrounding area to hear you?" Panthro griped.
Cheetara and Echo shared a glance, and with a sigh, resumed walking in silence. They trekked onward for god-knew how long before fatigue began to set into Echo's muscles, and she was getting tired. She decided to concentrate on walking, on the task of putting one foot in front of the other.
The quiet only did a wonderful job of making her even more exhausted, however, and after a few more minutes, Echo wished somebody would strike up a conversation. It would help keep her awake and take her mind off of sleep and how much she wanted it. She glanced at Lion-O and Tygra, at the guarded expressions on their faces.
A short peek at Panthro revealed the same thing.
Panthro was Thundera's ex-general. And after what had happened with Grine. . . she couldn't say she blamed them. But by that same token, this Panthro was not Mumm-Ra in disguise.
"So," Panthro said, deep voice cutting over the silence, "Where's Jaga?"
"Gone." Cheetara replied softly, "He sacrificed himself for us."
So did Sunda.
God, Echo missed that stupid leopard and his overbearing ways. She fingered the hairband in her hair, remembering the festival.
"Didn't think he'd get taken out that easy." Panthro remarked.
Echo glared at his back. She didn't take anybody flinging mud at the clerisy. She opened her mouth to snap at him, but Cheetara shook her head.
"Against Mumm-Ra, there was little chance." Cheetara said calmly.
Closing her mouth, Echo simmered.
Panthro grunted and moved onto the next target of his interrogation.
"Where were you that night, Tygra? I'd imagined you'd be with the guard?"
"I was," Tygra replied, voice hard as steel, "I was with Father when we learned of Grune's betrayal."
Panthro immediately went quiet at the mention of Grune, and Echo smirked at his back. Yeah, bet that felt good. You and him were friends, weren't you?
"And what are you, kid? An albino?" Panthro asked.
Echo wondered who the hell he was talking to, until the general turned and gave her a look. Oh. That was directed at me.
"Do I look like an albino to you?" She responded testily.
Next to her, Cheetara shot her a warning glance.
Panthro stared at her, gaze calculating. He glanced away again, focusing on crawling through the undergrowth.
"You a Wood Forger?" He asked.
"No, I'm not. I'm a human. And don't bother asking anything else. I lost my memories." She said it shortly, hoping if she were curt enough, Panthro would stop interrogating her. She wasn't in the mood to have to defend herself.
"You sure have a motley crew on your hands, kid." Panthro grumbled, looking at Lion-O out of the corner of his eye, "The last cleric alive, a glorified palace guardsmen, and an albino."
Is he some kind of gladiator, come to life? Do we really need to have a pissing contest right now? Or do we have to get mortal wounds to. . . prove. . . ourselves.
Echo paused when she heard the gears turning in her mind with a rusty groan.
We haven't proven ourselves to him.
In everything she had read on the generals, which wasn't a lot, actually, she had learned that Grune and Panthro had forged their bonds through battle. They had been born in raised in the lizard war, and both soldiers had been single-handedly responsible for drawing it to a close. It made sense that Panthro wasn't immediately happy and trusting with them. They had let Thundera fall. They'd let Claudus and Jaga die.
Besides, Panthro seemed more of a, "prove your worth in battle, and make sure to follow my plan to the letter" kind of Cat.
"You implying anything?" Lion-O snapped, eyes narrowing at the general.
"I'm saying it's a miracle you survived this long without any adult supervision."
"We've been doing just fine under my command." Lion-O retorted.
Echo stopped and stared as Panthro and Lion-O squared off. A little ways behind his brother, Tygra palmed his whip, eyes slitted. Lion-O, despite his cool demeanor, often had a short fuse, and his emotions fueled his actions. Probably came from his father's side, Echo mused. The human crossed her arms over her chest and watched, content with just being a spectator.
Lion-O would probably be seen as weak if she defended him then.
Panthro, however, finally appeared fed up with their little back-and-forth exchanges. He faced Lion-O, pinning the king with a stern glare. Echo watched, but suppressed a small groan. Not walking was worse than walking. It gave her time to feel her sore feet, how tired she was, and how she wanted to take a long, nice, dead-to-the-world sleep. She eyed a trunk, strongly considering laying against it will Lion-O, Panthro, and Tygra duked it out.
"If you want to stay alive, greenhorn, you're gonna have to listen to me."
Lion-O squared his shoulders and stared back unflinchingly, ready to meet the challenge.
"I'm the king now, Panthro." Lion-O said gently, as if to remind the general of this tiny detail he'd overlooked.
"Ha!" Panthro barked, "Could've fooled me. . . now, your father. He was a leader. Probably would've still been alive, too, if you two hadn't-"
"Watch your mouth!" Tygra hissed, hand grabbing the hilt of his whip.
Sensing an ensuing fight, Cheetara stepped forward and placed herself between the men.
"The king fought to his very last breath to try and save Thundera, Panthro. And his sons tried even harder to keep their father safe. But Grune's betrayal was too much to overcome. The crown has rightfully been placed to Lion-O, and he is the new king of the ThunderCats. Why do you disobey him? You swore oaths to protect the crown."
Panthro's eyes narrowed, and a soft growl slipped from him.
"My reasons are my own," He huffed. But. . . the anger and irritation dissipated, and he looked away from Cheetara, and then to the cleric again, "So the stories were true? It was Grune? You're absolutely positive of this?"
When Cheetara nodded, something akin to anguish flickered through his eyes. He really didn't know, did he? That was a nasty way to tell him. Inwardly, Echo gave Cheetara props. Who knew the cleric was so skilled at defusing situations?
Maybe Panthro had suspected, but he'd chosen to disbelieve the tales. To be told somebody you considered a brother had up and betrayed everything you had strove to protect for years. . . Echo couldn't imagine the pain Panthro was in. Everyone in their party was quiet, their eyes averted, and call her a bleeding heart, but she sympathized for the grouchy general.
Echo steeled her spine before she walked over to Panthro.
"You. . . didn't know, did you?" She asked quietly. In the silence around them, her voice echoed like a gunshot.
"Had my suspicions, heard the stories," Panthro mumbled, "Kid wouldn't be holdin' that sword if. . . but. . . but Grune - we've been inseparable ever since that first day on the battlefield. . ."
She didn't know if Panthro was the kind to accept physical affection easily, but Echo decided to roll the dice. She reached out and laid a timid hand on one of his massive biceps, and almost instantly, she felt. . . something. A sharp tension laid just underneath his fur, anger and sorrow pulsing dangerously close to the surface. . .
Electricity damn near made her skin tingle, and she lifted her hand and offered a few tentative pats.
I really need to take a nap soon.
Panthro gave his head a shake, as though dislodging a bad memory, and shook himself free of her hand. He grunted (a preferred method of communication, Echo guessed), and began to walk again.
"Keep moving. We're getting closer and I want to be there before nightfall."
Colors swirled in a blurring kaleidoscope.
They're so beautiful.
In every direction, all she could see was a chaotic maelstrom of violent, expressive hues. Red and blacks and even some white and pink. Every color known to man spun in a dizzying array of beauty. And there she stood in the center of it all, numbly watching. As if noticing her, the colors began to press in, drawing closer and closer. She felt her heart skip a beat as she thought of herself, crushed, but she found she didn't need to worry.
With a magnificent explosion, the colors expanded outward.
Echo blinked, and the world fell into place. Nothing seemed tangible, as the landscape kept flickering and changing, almost as though it wanted to morph into something else. It was like watching some horribly glitched movie, and the disc kept wanting to zip ahead to the next scene.
Fire arced overhead, and a cracked echoed through the air.
She whirled around, eyes wide, and she found Thundera. She was standing outside of the gates, staring into the city. The fiery boulders were racing into the city, and Echo's head spun. She couldn't watch this. Not again. The rocks paused in the air, almost as if heeding her call, and Echo glanced down as a flicker of movement caught her eye.
It was that person again. The one she had seen in her vision, and the fall of Thundera.
The entirety of their body seemed to suck in the light, so no discernible features could be made out. The edges of their body flickered, seeming to want to blink out of existence entirely.
Who are you?
The boulders moved, and with a spectacular crash, came raining down on Thundera. Echo closed her eyes against the light, and when she opened them again, the person was gone. Instead, another figure stood, perched on what was left of a parapet of a building. He shone like a small sun, and radiated an intensely strong, red aura. The shadows flickering over him dispelled for just a moment, and under the cloak of black, Echo realized it was Claudus.
He lifted up a familiar golden claw and pointed. Echo turned around and saw two more figures. They were hazy and indistinct, bodies constantly morphing and changing in front of her. Like Claudus, they both radiated strong auras. One was a soft blue, and the other. . . it was a jagged, spike mess - primarily red, but bits of black streaked through it, like decayed flames.
With a jolt, the world changed.
She saw both of the Cats fighting. It never ended. Fight after fight, victory after victory. The two Cats were constantly warring, and through every battle, their auras latched onto each other, fusing and tying. As they locked blades with lizards, the shadows covering their bodies faded, and she, Grune, and Panthro.
Are these. . . Panthro's memories?
Grune's aura changed, growing, the red countenance bleeding into a deeper maroon, the black fires flickering stronger every day. Slowly, ever so slowly, it was beginning to consume him.
Another jolt, and the world morphed again. The sounds of war faded, and sunshine filtered down from a clear sky. Claudus appeared at her side, holding a small scroll in his hands.
". . . it's more than a legend. . . anyone can find it - it's you two." His voice sounded garbled, static-filled, and faraway.
Sunda said you sent them on a quest.
Something moved behind Claudus, and Echo peeked around him.
Another Cat stood there.
Lion-O?
His features were cloaked in the same glitchy shadows, but she knew that mane of spiky red hair. But. . . this was the past. Surely. So what was a grown-up Lion-O doing stand before her?
And why was he shaking his head?
A hand laid over her shoulder and gave her a rough shake, then, and Echo's eyes snapped open. Her mind tried to register what she was staring at, because it wasn't a confusion myriad of colors and people. No, no it was a golden sky. Sunset. Her eyes moved, and she stared into a youthful face surrounded by spiky red hair.
"Echo?" He asked, pitching his voice low, "You okay? You fell asleep."
"Uh. . . yeah. I did. I mean - I'm fine. Must've drifted off. . ." She scanned her surroundings. Tall grass encased the rest of the ThunderCats, all laying low and peering over the ridge.
Echo rubbed at her head. She hadn't even remembered falling asleep - though she yearned to do it again. Right then and there. Shaking her head, Echo flipped onto her stomach and suppressed a yawn.
Lion-O crawled away from her, moving into position next to Panthro, who was critically assessing Cloud Peak Mine, his eye pressed to a scope.
Echo itched to hold her journal and scrawl down everything she'd seen. And why the heck was Lion-O in this dream? He hadn't been in her dreams in a while. The only explanation she could come up with was when he'd woken her up, her subconscious must have transposed him in her dreamworld. It was the only logical reason she could come up with.
"You should have told us you were tired. You'll only slow us down - be a danger to us." Panthro said, never taking his eye from the scope.
Echo glowered at him.
"I just needed a quick nap. I'm completely fine."
She felt far from it. She was utterly exhausted, but she wasn't about to go and tell him that. She could make it through this day, the Cloud Peak Mine operation, but she'd need sleep after. Panthro let out a 'hm' and continued surveying the mine, scope pressed to his eye.
Tygra glanced at her, assessing her, but the hot glare Echo shot his way quickly stopped him.
"Down there, just a bit to the right - it's the access tunnel we need to get to." Panthro peered at it a moment longer, "Doesn't look too heavily guarded."
"I say we take 'em now." Lion-O said, noting the few sparse lizards patrolling the road.
"We'll wait for darkness." Panthro replied, his tone hard and leaving little room for argument.
At that, the panther moved away, not even bothering to wait for Lion-O's grudging acceptance. Cheetara and Tygra crawled after him in a heartbeat, but Echo hung back, scrubbing at her eyes and finally giving into the urge to yawn. Somebody had to talk to Lion-O about the most recent addition to the team. Her friend could be nothing short of a brick wall at times, and Echo hoped that this moment wasn't one of them.
"Lion-O, it's alright. Panthro knows-"
A sharp, quiet growl cut her off, and Lion-O gave her a glower. He jerked his head back to the lizards and snarled softly.
"Just who the heck is in charge here?"
And then, a moment later, he was gone.
One second he was laying there, and the next, he wasn't. Echo caught a brief glimpse of red running down the hillside, and disbelief flowed through her. He. . . He didn't!
She heard Lion-O utter a sharp battle cry, and she knew he most certainly was.
"That idiot!" She hissed.
Echo lurched up to her feet and took off down the ridge, drawing her swords. She slid down the slope and nearly crashed into the lizard rushing to the scene of the fight. A swift jab to the gut sent the lizard sprawling, but Echo didn't have time to celebrate. A laser struck the ground near her feet, and Echo bit out a curse as she sped from the foliage and onto the main road leading into the mine.
Around them, the lizards were pouring out in droves. Within seconds, they were surrounded, several of the lizard's weapons charging with a high-powered whine.
Lion-O offered an insecure chuckle.
"Uh. . . truce?" The lion asked, lifting his hands in the air.
Echo longed to pin him with the most vile glare she'd ever worn, and hundreds of threats were about to spew from her mouth, but her jaw shut with a click, and her eyes grew wide. Lizards were flying through the air, effortlessly being tossed onto a growing pile of unconscious reptiles.
Panthro powered through their ranks like a machine, nunchucks moving so fast they were a blur. Echo stood there stupidly, watching the awe-inspiring display of battle prowess. Her sword tips dropped onto the ground, and she just couldn't believe what she was seeing. Panthro finished just as soon as he started, all of the lizards in an unconscious pile.
The general sheathed his nunchucks with a practiced motion, but his fur was nearly standing on end. He's pissed.
"What is wrong with you?" He barked, marching to stand in front of Lion-O.
Lion-O snarled, baring his fangs.
"Me? What is wrong with me? I gave you an order. You ignored it!"
Echo groaned, her patience wearing thin. Really? Again? When they had much more pressing matters to attend to? It wasn't as though she hadn't been listening to them snip at each other all day. And now they were going to initiate another 'I-am-Alpha-hear-me-roar' dominance match?
"Panthro," Cheetara interrupting, "Lion-O is the king. As a ThunderCat - and a general - you are sworn to obey him."
"So that means I've got to listen to a child giving me the most idiotic orders I've ever received?"
"I guess all of the stories of your undying loyalty were-"
No. This is not gonna fly.
Gritting her teeth, Echo stomped up between them, and both Cats stared down at her in surprise. Panthro, especially, when she jabbed a finger into his muscled chest.
"You," Echo hissed, "Are pissing me off! Why are you being so openly hostile to the rest of us? What few Cats here could be the last of your species. Stay focused on the real enemy - and Lion-O is not a child! He has gotten through many battles with his wits alone. Stop talking down your nose at him, you overgrown grunt! I am sick of your dominance grabs! If you just talked to be people like human beings, not underlings, you might actually get somewhere with them!"
She caught Lion-O grinning smugly out of the corner of her eye.
"Thanks, Echo. At least some-"
Echo whirled around, jabbing him forcefully in the chest.
"And you!"
"Me? What did I do?!"
"You need to stop acting like an entitled idiot! Respect is not given or demanded, Lion-O, it is earned. You must give to your people before you should expect anything in return. What you just did, a minute ago? It was nothing short of stupid - you could have gotten us killed! And look what you have - an invaluable asset, right at your fingertips! You're so blinded by your lordship that you refuse to see that Panthro is - was - a general. He has years of battle experience. He knows what he's talking about, Lion-O!"
Echo stepped back, closer to the mine entrance, and examined them both. Lion-O looked shell shocked, but Panthro had recovered and looked impassive. Anger boiled through her, and she glared at the both of them.
"Now, stow it. Have your little pissing contest later. We have Thundrillium to get, and I'm sick of listening to this rhetoric!"
Without waiting for any of them, Echo stalked away, a heavy scowl on her face as she walked into the darkness of the mine. Sure, Cheetara might have been great at diffusing situations, but Echo was excellent at dialoguing, it appeared.
Due to the acoustics, she heard Tygra let out a long whistle.
"Well, men, you picked the wrong day to irritate Short Stack."
"I've never. . . seen that side of her before." Lion-O said, disbelief in his voice.
"Does she always get that snappy when she's tired?" Panthro asked wearily.
Yeah, I am tired, Echo thought darkly.
Tired of this bullshit.
Echo's anger fizzled out with every step she took. Call it a life lesson, but she couldn't stay mad at friends (or anyone) for very long.
The last time she'd held off on apologizing to a friend, he'd died a horrible death, not even knowing how badly she'd wanted to say sorry. This mind frame was infectious, she learned, as both Lion-O and Panthro had put aside their petty disputes (for the moment, anyway) to concentrate on the mission. Smart idea, for as soon as they'd set foot inside, the presence of the lizards had escalated.
Through the darkness, Echo could see the husks of machinery laying about. Some of it was broken, others in state of disrepair, and more still that were simply being unused. The air grew humid as they walked further into the mine, something which Echo despised. She was tired, and heat had a way of making her nod off. Her fatigue hovered just on the fringes of her acknowledgement, waiting for the right moment to strike. Finally, after minutes of following the tunnel uphill, they came upon an archway. Through it, Echo could see the lizards moving about, ferrying carts filled high with. . . pink things?
Crouching down as low as she could get, Echo tucked herself on the bottom of the archway.
Yes. . . yes, the carts were filled with pink crystals. The lizards would wheel the carts under a dispenser, fill it, and roll it away. Echo had no idea what Thundrillium was, but if she had to take a guess, she'd bet on the crystals. And what copious amounts there were!
"That's Thundrillium?" She asked, voice barely above a whisper.
"Enough to power a thousand Thunder Tanks for a thousand years." Panthro affirmed.
Echo watched the reptiles move about busily, keeping the mine functional, and finally she flicked her eyes gown, catching a bit of gold-
"Grune!" Tygra hissed.
Panthro growled softly beside her, not that she could blame him. If her dream. . . vision. . . was any indication, then he had to be pretty pissed at the other cat. Something ghosted over her hand, and Echo shook it, thinking it was a bug.
"What do we do?" Cheetara asked, "Grune was only bested by Claudus."
Another bug scuttled over her skin.
"You leave Grune to me. . ."
Another tickle on her hand.
Echo looked down, determined to shake off the creepy-crawly, and she found. . she found. . .
Paper?
Yes. Scraps of white paper were fluttering down, landing on the floor and fading away. Echo glanced up at the other Cats, looking for a reaction, but she didn't find one. She swallowed against a tightness building in her throat. I'm so tired, I'm hallucinating. Isn't that great?
A whisper rose, escalating in noise and intensity until it became the very clear roaring of a supportive crowd.
"Pan-thro! Pan-thro! Grune! Grune!"
"See?" Panthro said, voice filled with static, "This isn't bad. We're already legends."
"Legends?
" Grune huffed a laugh, "When we return with the book, we'll be greeted as gods."
The gentle pieces of paper transformed into harsh, freezing snowflakes. But the humidity of the mine melted them all, and it turned into a torrential downpour of rain. Echo watched as the mine floor sucked up all the rain, becoming drier and drier, until the dirt turned fine, and sand began to pour out of the cracks that formed.
The mine was changing into a desert. She could hear dark whispers on the wind, and she caught a brief glimpse of shadow-Grune racing across a dune. She could hear insane laughter in the distance, high and mocking.
Wake up, Echo, wake up, wake up!
She tried to think of a way to snap herself out of it, but nothing was coming to her. As sand began to wash over her boots, she bit down on her cheek - hard enough to taste blood. The pain that rocked through her was enough to make the sand fade instantly. Echo breathed as calmly as she could, but she really felt like sucking in huge drags of air, and her heart was pounding in her chest.
". . . move on my lead. Got it?" Panthro was saying, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Echo listened to Panthro's plan, and agreed to it in a heartbeat. She thanked every holy deity that she'd snapped back to reality before the general had begun explaining. She even caught Tygra giving the general a keen eye of appreciation as he spoke. A minute later, and Echo was alone with Panthro, seated on the edge of the archway. The plan was easy enough: while the main group made a distraction in the initial entry tunnel, Echo was to drop behind them and distract the rest of the forces.
While the lizards were confused, they'd take the opportunity to knock them out.
Grune would come running, and Panthro would drop behind him. Nobody had any qualms with the large cat taking on Grune. Hell, Thundera's ex-hero had almost managed to best Claudus in combat. She and Cheetara really had no interest in engaging Grune, but Tygra and Lion-O. . .
Echo looked at the tunnel and spotted a golden flash of light. A moment later, a lizard flew through the air. He landed on the ground roughly, and his comrades rushed into the tunnel, eager to see who dared to hurt their fellow soldier - only to find Tygra and Lion-O appearing seconds later, easily dispatching the reptiles with their hands.
Lizards poured from the adjacent tunnels and into the mine's central hub. As the numbers tapered off, Echo took that as her cue. She pushed herself out from the ledge and fell, making as much noise as possible when she landed. The closest reptile turned, noticing the noise, and Echo was sure to give him a cheeky grin and an elbow to the ribs for his trouble.
What happened next was mass confusion on the lizard's part. Many of them turned to the source of the new fighter, and that provided the perfect opening for the Cats to get back on the offensive. Within moments, the lizards were incapacitated, and Echo dusted her hands. Perfect. Now all we need is. . .
"You ridiculous fools. Did you expect to challenge me and win? You brought the sword right to me! I won't let you leave here alive!"
Echo backed up as Grune advanced, rejoining the line of Cats right behind her. Grune continued forward, footsteps measured, as though he expected them to pull some tricky weapon out from underneath their sleeves. The small group continued to stand there calmly, much to the general's confusion.
"They will. I just can't say the same for you." Panthro said, appearing from thin air behind Grune. The Cat looked surprised, and spun around to come face-to-face and with his ex-brother-by-blood.
"Ahh, Panthro, old friend. I should have known you would be here." Grune said, and Echo could practically hear the smirk in his voice.
"Grune." Panthro hissed.
"This isn't gonna go well, is it?" Cheetara asked, looking at Tygra.
"Nope." The prince offered, popping the 'p' and crossing his arms over his chest.
Echo frowned, staring at Panthro. He was enraged. His eyes were slitted with fury, and-
The world around her began to fade again.
No. No, not this again!
She bit the inside of her cheek, more blood pouring into her mouth, but it just didn't work. The pain didn't keep her rooted. Quicker than a flash, desert sands whipped through the mine, and Echo shielded her face. A howling tempest raged around her, and she squinted, trying to see through it, praying and hoping Lion-O or Tygra or Cheetara would wake her up. . .
Echo turned, and for the second time that day, her jaw dropped.
The sands were all converging on one point, forming a violent tornado in front of her. As soon as she looked at it, the winds died, revealing a black pyramid. Echo stared, watching as shadow-Grune appeared and raced toward it. The wind picked up, and the voices stirred again. And. . . and fear flooded through Echo as they began to make sense.
COME TO ME, they beckoned. A delicious siren's song. It took everything Echo had inside of her to resist walking to the source of that voice. The pyramid came to life, lines of harsh, bloody red highlighting it. Parts of the pyramid slid back, as if inviting her inside. Echo stood there, entire body quivering in fear.
No, she thought, no, I can't go in there. I can't face this truth. Please, don't make me. Don't force me to do this!
The winds pushed on her back, sending her staggering forward.
I can't do this!
COME CLOSER, the voices said, wrapping invisible hands around her.
It seemed as though she were gliding over the ground. Every step she took covered more than five, and within moments, she was standing before the entrance to the pyramid. She fought, she battled so hard her muscles ached and her heart pounded in her chest, but it was no use. The voices were stronger than her, and their buzzing was making her feel lightheaded.
It commanded she enter that damned black pyramid.
And when Echo took a step inside, breathed in its air, it felt as though somebody had scrubbed her lungs with acid and then lit them on fire. She coughed violently, grasping at her throat. Tears clouded her eyes, and she wheezed as her head spun. She flinched, but a second later, a pleasant warmth washed through her, and her worries, her fears. . . they just faded.
COME, COME! COME CLOSER! SHOW ME YOU ARE WORTHY!
Shadows detached from the walls, red-eyed and hissing. Echo. . .
Echo smiled.
She drew her swords and licked her lips, hands tightening on the hilts.
Yes. Yes, she had to. Only if she were worthy. . .
She danced through them with ease - it was almost pathetic. Her blades flashed in the purple and red light around her, and the monsters fell to her steel. The voices tugged and pulled at her, directing her where to go, and she followed them, no matter where they led. She left a trail of blood in her wake, but she hardly cared. Finally, she came before a heavy metallic door.
Sheathing her weapons, Echo shoved open the heavy metal and stepped inside. The voices grew to a nearly deafening crescendo. A vast room spread out before her, with four giant statues glaring down at a crystal. There. She had to go there.
Shadow-Grune and shadow-Panthro were present, which wasn't surprising. She was glad for it, actually. They could see the glorious rebirth.
Shadow-Grune was pulling at a heavy metal lid, face contorted with insanity.
"Can't you hear it? He's in here! He needs to be fear!"
"Grune, have you gone mad?"
Echo came to a stop on top of the crystal, right before the steps leading up to shadow-Grune and the box. Around her, energy buzzed.
OPEN IT, they commanded, OPEN IT AND I WILL GRANT YOU YOUR BIRTHRIGHT. THE POWER YOU DESERVE!
Echo watched as shadow-Grune tried to open the box with brute force - that just wouldn't do. Lifting up a hand, a smile curved the corner of her lips as she traced the outline of the box in the air. . . no, it was a coffin. She recognized it now.
Yes, she thought, smile growing wider, yes, I will do this. For you.
She swiped her hand to the side, her power coursing through her. It was raw and potent, and the doors slid back with a sharp crack! Shadow-Grune tumbled backward, unable to stand the force of the blast, but Echo remained safe and sound. Purple miasma emerged, a heavy, thick mist that curled on the ground and brushed against her with familiarity.
"Mumm-Ra."
She watched as the tattered red cloak descended down the steps. He paid both shadow-Grune and shadow-Panthro no attention as he approached the crystal she was standing on, and excitement raced through her. Would this be it? Would this be what she'd been waiting for for so long?
Mumm-Ra stopped just an inch away from the edge of the crystal, red eyes staring at the ground.
"Your loyalty will be rewarded - but first, another task. Something was stolen from me long ago, and you're going to help me get it back!"
He lifted up a hand, and immediately, the crystal underneath her liquified. Echo let out a sharp gasp as she fell through the surface and into a sticky, heavy, gelatinous-like fluid. Around her, Mumm-Ra's laughter echoed, insane and dark. She fought to get to the surface, where air waited for her, but the crystal-water was too strong. It kept dragging her down.
Echo panicked, thrashing, but stilled when she saw a picture of Omens swirling in front of her, cat's pupil wide and ever-watchful.
"Echo, move!"
She fell forward, onto her knees, her swords clattering out of her hands. The entirety of the mine was quaking and shaking, and her mind was reeling, still thinking she was drowning in the presence of a withered Mumm-Ra-
"MOVE!" Panthro bellowed. Echo flinched and obeyed, rolling to the side. A piece of technology burrowed through the ground right where she'd been laying.
Echo laid there fora moment, wondering just why there were holes everywhere in the ceiling, until she shook her head and scrambled for her swords. Ask questions later. Fight now.
Her hands shook, and she prayed nobody noticed. I just had a blackout. I have no idea what the hell is going on, and I was stuck in a dreamland-
The drilling noise grew louder, and Echo whirled around right as it popped down from the ceiling a second time. She blocked, throwing her blades in front of her, and a heavy drill bit impacted with the metal. The forced behind the blow had her staggering backward, but she had no time to retaliate. It was gone into the floor again a moment later.
"The acoustics are throwing me off!" Lion-O yelled.
"Keep a sharp ear! It gets louder right before it-"
As if summoned, the drill popped out of the ceiling and struck out with an arm. Echo felt her blood run cold as she realized she was about to watch Panthro die.
"ThunderCats, HO!"
The Eye of Thundera flashed brightly as Lion-O drew the sword from its sheath. Almost as quickly as Cheetara, Lion-O rushed forward, bringing Omens round to bear, and the drill bit hit the stone.
Or tried to.
Electricity and power specific to Omens poured out around the blade.
It seemed like an eternity passed before Lion-O grit his teeth, dug in his feet, and pushed. He shoved the machine, and with a leap, sliced with Omens. Echo flinched as the robot fell to the ground with a noisy crash, the drill bit on its head sliced right through.
Her friend stood, his legs slightly bent and spread apart, as if expecting it to jump back up. There wasn't any time to celebrate, or congratulate themselves for living through another battle. The earth began to rumble, and rocks and dust fell from the ceiling.
"The Driller weakened the mine!" Tygra shouted, "Out! Now!"
Tygra waved for her to run ahead of him, and Echo did, sheathing her swords as she sprinted. The rumbling grew louder, and rocks fell from the ceiling, threatening to kill them all.
"Hightail it!"
The mine began to collapse, rocks raining down and crashing and cracking against each other. Echo sprinted for all she was worth, following behind Panthro and Lion-O. The entrance they'd taken was blocked, but a sub-tunnel, just a few more feet to the left, also promised dusky light and fresh air.
Dust and dirt crawled down her throat as Echo ran outside, emerging on a cliff side that overlooked the mine. Dust and dirt peppered the air around them - but it wasn't anything compared to the dust plumes just outside of Cloud Peak. Echo looked around the cliff, and found a rock with a semi-flat surface. With little grace, she all but fell on top of it, giving a few short coughs to rid her throat of dirt.
"Well," Lion-O said, catching his breath, "That'll slow down Mumm-Ra's army for a while."
"And I got us Thundrillium." Cheetara said proudly, opening her hands so they could see the pink crystals she held.
Echo smiled weakly at her, "Your new nickname should be the Golden Flash."
Cheetara grinned in response.
"Your father's sword. . . it wound up in the right hands after all, it seems. I served him proudly - and you can expect the same." Panthro said, offering a hand out to Lion-O.
Lion-O's trademarked cocky grin was turned up to maximum as he slipped his hand in Panthro's.
"So, you think when we get the Thunder Tank fixed. . . I could drive it?"
Echo smiled to herself. Lion-O's found a new tech toy.
Panthro laughed, utterly amused. "Not a chance," he chuckled, "My king."
Well, Echo thought, as she fought to keep her eyes open, the children are getting along nicely.
She rested her head back and looked up at the twilight night sky, imagining curling up onto her bedroll for a week straight, sleeping. . .
Though. . . is it bad for me to want to be so tired I won't dream at all?
I don't want to be a in a world where I've freed Mumm-Ra.
The thought made a cold shiver crawl down her spine.
What if. . .
What if I did?