ThunderCats

Bio-Booster Armor Guyver

Eye of the Storm

Episode 16

Natalie gaped at Lisker over the breakfast table once he'd finished recounting the events in the Wood, her own plate forgotten. Never had a man so accosted a queen of a Warrior Maiden tribe! Lisker himself merely forked more egg into his mouth and looked as though he'd done nothing out of the ordinary. Even Maria looked a little stunned.

"Solange needed to be brought down a peg or two," Lisker said to fill the silence. "So long as she stays in the trees, she's fine."

"You realize you've weakened her hold over them?"

"Yep. Part of the plan. As long as they don't bother Watershed, they won't have to worry about me. Solange can't assault this place, and she won't take any action with the thought of dealing with me in mind."

"Why did you do this?" Lisker, who had been sipping his morning coffee, set the cup back down in a slow motion.

"Just because handing you over would have been easy it still wouldn't have been right. Besides, it wouldn't have guaranteed anything. Not with that psycho in charge anyway."

"So, now peace breaks out all over?" Maria asked. "From a standoff?"

"Way it goes sometimes," Lisker replied. "Look, back when this was the United States, there was another nation on the other side of the world called the Soviet Union."

"An enemy nation?"

"We weren't exactly friends, Natalie. What kept us from going to war was an acronym called MAD. It meant Mutually Assured Destruction." Lisker sipped more coffee as he let that settle in. "Back then, there were weapons called nuclear warheads."

"What..."

"Maria, before you ask, they could have been launched at any time, and where they hit, millions would have died." Their faces went slack at that. Neither Maria nor Natalie could comprehend a number that hideous, but mass death they could. "MAD essentially meant that if one side launched, the other would and both nations would have been destroyed." It was an overly simplified explanation of the Cold War, but it would do for his audience. In his opinion, nuclear annihilation was what had kept the Cold War from becoming a hot one.

Lion-O cast a sidelong glance at his father as the latter stood once more before his very confused people. The mid-day sun cast its light down on the assembled citizens of the colony, the Thunderian majority murmuring amongst themselves, and he wondered again if such an assembly had been a good idea. Claudis had insisted on it, explaining that his continued existence could not be kept secret much longer and that the sooner the people had the facts laid bare, the better.

"My countrymen," he began. The sombre note in his voice was resonant even without the amplifier patch on his throat. "You no doubt wonder how I am standing before you when, by all accounts, I should have perished with beloved Thundera. Let me say, that my coming here was no easy task and that were it not for the ThunderCats, I would never have arrived at all.

"Over my convalescence, I have learned of the great deeds performed by the ThunderCats. Of the heroic effort all of you put into building this fine home for our people. Allow me to thank you for all of it. Your hard work, your perseverance during your dark days of bondage to the Mutants, your bravery in facing a new world and a new future, ALL show that the heart and soul of our race live on! That the spirit of Thundera lives even after our home is gone!"

Lion-O marvelled at how he had them hanging on every word as he recounted the tale of his trek to Third Earth and the lamentable loss of the engineer who'd ensured his survival. The impromptu speech he'd made just before the site for the colony had been selected paled in comparison to his father's oratory skills. He reminded himself that his father had far more experience in this field. Along with everything else related to being king.

"However," Claudis said without missing a beat, "we now face a dillemma. Two kings stand before you, and both with rightful claim to the throne. I assure you all, that NO foul play was at work in my son's ascencion. There was NO plot, NO conspiracy of ANY kind!" His voice seemed to thunder against the very heavens and even Lion-O flinched slightly. Actually seeing the man at work, he thought, made all the descriptions he'd heard seem pale and pathetic. "My own death had been a logical assumption, given the circumstances, and my son sits upon the throne as is his right! This day, I step down from that throne, and my heart bursts with joy to finally ceede that throne to Lion-O. Long may he reign!"

The cheers which erupted were deafening. The sight of how skillfully Claudis had led the people where he wanted frightened Lion-O somewhat. Was this all part of statecraft? Exactly what was he getting into, here? He stepped up to his father as planned, but the smile on Claudis' face was indeed genuine.

"My people," Lion-O began, "Today is a joyous occaision for us all! One of our own has come to us from the depths of space. There are others among the stars, and they shall find their way home! My father is but the first!" Cheers erupted at that. "We shall find them, and bring them all home!" Lion-O looked at Claudis, and the latter's smile was all the encouragement he needed.

Tygra applauded where appropriate and kept the smile fixed on his face as he watched them together. The sight should have brought him joy but he couldn't help but think about what Claudis had done to him. If Slythe hadn't launched that fateful assault, they would have reached their destination and Jaga would have led the ThunderCats for a time. Then, it would have fallen into his hands, for Jaga hadn't been young then. This entire scenario would never have come to be, and no one would have been the wiser.

But, it had and Tygra hated that Claudis' reasons had been right. And now, the man would likely take a position as an advisor (as a ThunderCat and former king, he had the right) and as Lion-O's father, the man would listen to him. On the surface, it seemed a fairy tale ending. But, Tygra could not stand idly knowing what he did. Claudis could talk about contingency plans and the tough decisions that came with the mantle of king all day long, THIS was just beyond the pale.

And there was nothing to be done about it but keep watch over Lion-O. Politics could be a right bastard, but the future of the colony was what he had to primarily concern himself with. The cheers echoed from below, and Tygra wondered what the future would bring.

"Come on, Try, eat some more," Fahd said as he watched Tryphon push his admittedly small order about his plate. The Bolkin Bar was somewhat empty at this hour of the day, especially since the crowd at the king's speech was only now breaking up. Lord Claudis, alive! Fahd thought. At the very least, their king had one hell of an advisor on his team. With that settled, he could focus more on Try.

Tryphon was of Wildcat lineage, and was small for his age. At four feet nine inches, and skinny as a rail, he could be mistaken for someone barely in his teenage years even though the other man was well into his twenties. They had met when captured by the forces of Primor, and Fahd had never met anyone who was so much his polar oppostie. Given his size, Tryphon had been the target of some of their worst abuse, but had always fought. No matter what they'd done to him, the smaller man had always fought tooth and nail. It was a wonder they hadn't just killed him for his constant clawing and biting. More than one Mutant had come away bleeding when they'd tried to take him.

"I'm not all that hungry," he replied and the tone of his words told Fahd that he was on the verge of snapping at him. "I could have been at my loom today, but instead you drag me out to see something I could have heard about later then push me into this place to eat when I'm in no real mood. Explain why I keep you around again?"

"I don't need to," Fahd replied in his ever-calm voice. Try didn't respond, but ate a little more anyway. The two men had become... close... since having been freed by the ThunderCats and the two Guyvers. Nothing sexual, and Fahd wouldn't rush him on that, but it was heading that way. Fahd was at a loss as to how to handle that with him. Try had been through so much, and the fact that he was willing to be with him was encouraging, but what to do when that aspect of their relationship emerged?

"Hi," said a male voice from behind. Fahd twisted in his chair to look at him and dry-swallowed in surprise. Sho Fukamachi stood there, a bowl of stew in one hand and a glass of water in the other. "Mind if I join you?"

"Um... I don't have a problem with that. Try?" Tryphon's eyes held stunned surprise and guarded suspicion. THIS was something they'd never expected.

"Have a seat," Try said dismissively. Sho merely nodded before sitting down.

"This is a real honor..."

"I'm not here for praise," Sho said before spooning stew into his mouth. "I'm here because I noticed the "Help Wanted" sign in your window." Both of them gaped openly at him.

"Are you asking for a job?" Tryphon asked. His voice carried a slightly incredulous note.

"No," Sho replied. "I want to learn more about the people here, and I can't do that if I'm cooped up in the Lair all day."

"Or blowing up people who want to kill us," Tryphon added.

"Yeah, I tend to do that," Sho replied sheepishly, his left hand behind his head. Fahd thought the gesture somewhat adorable. Try, however, did not.

"And I'm grateful. But what could you possibly know about fabrics? Don't you work in the Lair's forge?"

"I'm just curious is all."

"Well, why don't you come by the... OW!" Fahd jumped when Tryphon's foot smacked into his shin.

"Working a loom isn't something you can learn in a day," Tryphon said testily, "and I don't like an audience."

"I think... ow, that smarts... that Sho just wants to see the product and the people. Right, Vanguard Sho?" Fahd asked, making sure to tack on his title and was surprised when Sho blushed in embarrassment at that.

"Just Sho, please. All my friends call me that." Fahd noticed Try's jaw working as though he were struggling to hold back a sharp comment. No matter how he felt about his... whatever he and Try were at this point... Fahd truly wished he'd smooth his rougher edges a little.

"Fine," Tryphon replied in a tone that was nearly civil. "Fahd will explain what areas are off-limits. Fair enough?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Good." Tryphon rose, his meager meal actually finished for once. "I don't mean to be rude, but we must get back to the shop. Tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow morning, then," Sho said with a genuine smile despite Tryphon's somewhat rough words.

Aptom stood before the mostly-assembled glass tube in what had once been Dr. Gireg's laboratory. He was in his natural form, as were the Jackal and Simian who had become the most recent parts of him. He had halted his assimilation of the Warhammer's crew to only a small percentage, and quite a few of them were of officer rank. He'd need some raw materials to work with, after all.

Some components were still missing, naturally enough. Gireg's own genetic sequence analyzer was woefully unfit for the task at hand. Also, the chemical agents and genetic peptides needed for the optimzation process were in pitiful supply at this base in China. The Warhammer's other lab facilities were well equipped enough for chemical analysis, but where to find the components for them? He doubted there were many places left to find them, as well.

Aptom snorted as he pulled up the map. He knew where more than a few former Kronos installations were. The trick was to get Ratar-O to check them out without arousing either his or Meliz's suspicions. A Jackal sub-commander whom he'd absorbed had given some knowledge of how many sites Ratar-O knew about. Play it by ear from there? Yes, that seemed best.

It was most annoying that he had to convert the crew himself, rather than have his copies do so. He had yet to regain the strength for that, otherwise this entire crew would be... well... him. Also, without zoanoids to use for real food, he'd starve. All he had to do was find the mother lode. He re-checked a region in the southwestern United States. Yes, Kronos HQ. The main stronghold of Kronos the world over, where the first Relic had been found. It was a... swamp now?! Aptom re-focused on that region. What the hell was a SWAMP doing in what was mostly desert land? And... on top of Kronos Headquarters... The gears in Aptom's mind began to turn. If he was right, then this Baleful Swamp might be just the ticket...

Sho entered the chambers he and Myrlha called their own to find the foyer filled with early evening twilight and no trace of the woman he loved. He shrugged it off, chalking it up to her having had something come up as he made his way to their bedroom and the attached bathroom. He and Bengali had completed Panthro's massive order for armor plating the day before, and no further work orders were in the pipeline. Cheetara had taken over his training sessions entirely while Panthro put the finishing touches on the new ThunderTank, along with a few other projects he had cooking. Cheetara was more ruthless than her former teacher, in Sho's opinion. Just landing the blows hadn't been enough for her, she'd wanted to feel them. To make her point the first time, she'd made sure he'd left with serious bruises. It had been rough going for awhile, but Sho had finally overcome his aversion to seriously fighting her. Their sparring matches, while still furious, were now more or less evenly pitched.

"What's wrong?" he asked on entering the bedroom and finding Myrlha sprawled atop the covers. Her eyes were puffy, bloodshot. "Why've you been...?"

"Sho," she said in a surprisingly even tone as she patted the space to her left. He took the place immediately, his own want for a shower forgotten. "Can I ask you something?" Sho draped his arm about her shoulders and pulled her to him. Myrlha turned her head toward him.

"Anything."

"What if... I mean..." Sho rolled onto his side and eased his other hand onto her hip. Not a sexual touch, he squeezed gently in a gesture of comfort. "Do you want a family?" The question caught him completely off-guard.

"Yeah, someday. Myrlha-chan, what's this about? Are you worried about me being human?"

"What if we... we can't? What then?"

Sho took a deep breath, weighing the situation before him and framing his reply. The mantra of "Don't fuck this up" repeated over and over in his conscious mind as he considered. "Myrlha-chan, never forget that I love you. Okay?" She nodded once. "We won't know if we can have kids of our own without actually trying." Another nod. They'd been keeping sex for when she was off her fertility cycle. Thunderian women, Pumyra had once told him, could only become pregnant during certain times of each month, and just before menstruation. "If we can't, then that won't make you less of a woman to me."

"Sho," she began, "I want YOUR child to grow inside me. It's YOUR baby I really want."

"I know, baby, I know," he replied. "We can't help that we're both from different species. There used to be lots of races of humans on this planet, and damn few of them got along."

"That's not it," she said, her face hardening a little. "The clans of Thundera couldn't interbreed for... for centuries!"

"Hey, that doesn't mean WE can't," Sho said, keeping his voice firm. He softened his expression, smiling in the way she liked. "We might be able to have our own children. I really hope we can. If we can't... well... we'll cross that bridge if we get to it. No matter what, Myrlha-chan, I love you." She leaned forward and kissed him.

"If we can... What about..." Myrlha retreated from him, clearly afraid of broaching this topic.

"What about the Guyver?" Sho asked for her. "I've thought about that. I honestly don't know how it'll affect our child, if it does at all. Myrlha, we can't live in fear."

"If... If we can have children... and if the Guyver..." She began to shake, and Sho held her to him as she cried into his chest. Another curse brought on by the bio-booster armor. He held her, her tears soaking his shirt as she trembled in his arms. It had bothered him from time to time, thinking about any effect his armor would have if they ever had children.

"Somehow, I don't think it will," Sho said. "Yeah, it's a part of me but I don't think..."

"How do you know?!" she demanded.

"Listen to me," he began then cupper her chin in the fingers of his right hand. "The... beings who made the Guyver used it as standard equipment. Remember when I told you about that?" Myrlha nodded. More of the holes in his memory had filled since construction had been completed, and he'd made sure to talk with her as often as he could about what he recalled along with the other ThunderCats. None of it had been of particular use to Pumyra and Siberas, at least in regards to how his armor functioned, but they had welcomed the new facts all the same. "I don't know much about them, and I don't think I ever did, but I'm sure they had to breed somehow and they wouldn't let equipment hamper that. If we have a child, the Guyver won't have any effect on it." She stared at him, her gaze a mixture of appraising and loving. Myrlha smiled after several long moments passed.

"No way to know until we try," she said. "I like that can-do spirit of yours."

"Took a while for me to get that," Sho replied. "Zoanoids could breed, but they were just weapons to the beings who made them, on top of a renewable resource. Just have faith, Myrlha. If we can have kids, we will."

"How about now, then?"

"Huh?"

"C'mon, you KNOW I'm not on my cycle right now, Baka." Sho had been teaching her Japanese during their relationship, and that had been one of her favorite words. Baka. Idiot. She always made it sound so playful. She sniffed about his torso before pulling away. "Yeah, you need a shower." Sho grinned, glad this storm was over for the time being.

"You're more important."

"Still, you really need one." The serious tone was gone, replaced by the playful and flirtatious one he was quite familiar with. "I guess I do, too."

"Myrlha..." Her lips met his, silencing his words.

"Let's not talk, not right now. I could use a shower myself." Her eyes, tormented before, were now smoldering. Sho knew she needed to get her mind away from the thoughts which had been plagueing her, now that she'd gotten her fears out in the open.

They rose from their bed and began to make their way to the shower with tender caresses along the way. They hadn't spoken much about starting a family, due in part to the until now unspoken fears of genetic compatability and feeling nowhere near ready to consider the monumental thought of actually raising a child. The fact that she wanted his child caused his face to turn a bright shade of crimson. He kissed her again as they crossed the threshold into the bathing area and each started removing the other's clothing. Myrlha was right, this wasn't the time for talking or thinking overmuch. At that moment, what they most needed was each other and the love both had to give.

So, I'm the without-a-doubt king now, Lion-O thought, sitting upon what was now officially his throne. The lights of the colony glowed beyond the windows of the Royal Hall and he allowed his eyes to fall upon them while his mind churned. His father had returned, and all the issues concerning rightful succession had been resolved in one go. He had the man's wisdom and experience to call upon should he ever lose his way. He had Cheetara, who would soon be his wife and queen. Tygra was willing to take up the mantle of command as Lord of the ThunderCats. Life in the colony was moving along smoothly. The multiple races which called it home got along well, and crime was non-existent. With no outside enemies who were of any credible threat and each day seeming to go his way, he grew more and more anxious.

If life, and his people's own history, had taught him anything it was that the good times don't roll on forever. Jaga, so long ago, had once told him that without the bad times, no one would appreciate the good times. It had been true, especially in the eyes of a kitten, but he had to look at that much differently now. Over two hundred souls now depended on his leadership and things had, if he were to be completely honest with himself, been far too easy.

The door at the far end of the Royal Hall opened and Cheetara stepped through. He watched her as she stepped easliy along the length of the carpet, the sound of her boots muffled by the thick matting. Her face wore a look of deep concern, as well it should. He had spent the rest of the day in here, after all.

"What's troubling you?" she asked. Lion-O rose to meet her. "Is it Claudis?"

"No. Not entirely."

"The people are going to compare you to him, there's no stopping that..."

"That's not it. I... Don't you think things have gone a little TOO smoothly since we defeated the Mutant Army?"

"It's a refreshing change of pace, but you have a point. Our people and adversity are old bedfellows."

"Maybe I'm being paranoid, maybe it's because I'm king now, but I can't help but think that something's happening out there. Something I... we... ought to know about."

"Has Jaga said anything?"

"No. He doesn't appear to me as often any more. Maybe that's his way of telling me that I'm my own man now and I have to stop leaning on him."

"You're king," she said, taking his hands into hers and running her thumbs along the backs of them, "you HAVE to lean on others. That's what advisors are for."

"Jaga didn't warn me when Mumm-Ra had the Mutants set those individual traps for us, and he couldn't have known for sure if Snarf could have pulled off the rescue he did."

"I remember that." Being bound in mystical bandages in Mumm-Ra's tomb chamber with seemingly no hope of rescue was something none of the ThunderCats who'd been named then would forget. "You're not wrong to be worried. I am, a little. It DOES seem like everything's been in a... what's the Third Earth term?"

"Honeymoon period." What a strange name, he thought absently.

"Yes, but we don't have any proof that anything's going on. You can't keep jumping at shadows, my love. Yes, Mumm-Ra could resurface, but will we know if he does? We didn't last time until the Lunattaks had been unleashed on us."

"Maybe I should enstate a Royal Guard and Royal Intelligence, but with what resources? We're stretched to the limit with what we have now."

"No one said rebuilding our society would be easy. Lion-O." Her hands left his and framed his face. "You can't know or plan for everything."

"Well, I could dispatch Sho to try and gather information..."

"What could he uncover? The best place for him is here. The young man is our biggest gun aside from the Sword of Omens. I hate to talk about him as if he's a weapon, but his power can't be ignored. Especially with Lisker still on the loose."

"You're right," he said before bending down to kiss her. Lion-O pulled back before it could deepen despite the burning in his heart for her.

"You don't have to stop, love."

"But..."

"I know," she said with an impish grin. "Who says making love is the same as sex?" Her gaze met his, and he felt his cares fade slightly. "This isn't about me, it's about you. And, this is something you need. Sit."

Lion-O sat back upon the throne. All he would clearly recall the next day was her mouth enveloping him and all seeming right with the world for a time.

Tryphon stilled his anger at the pony-tailed Tyger fool as he worked alone at his loom. What in the FUCK had he been thinking, inviting the colony's vanguard to his shop?! The shuttle moved back and forth between the threads as he worked, his hands blurs which occaisionally wiped sweat off his brow.

He loved Fahd, and with all his heart though he would not admit it to anyone. Other than Fahd. If he was lucky.

The other man had comforted him, soothed his wounds, even held him when in the grip of a nightmare's aftermath, and had never asked for a thing in return. Fahd always had that gentle smile, even when beaten himself, which he had saved just for him.

Shuttle back, shuttle forth.

The pattern which was gradually emerging on the loom was what had kept him sane during those dark days of bondage and pain. An image, taken from Thundera's own night skies, a sight he had for so long wanted to capture in fabric. His homeworld's night sky, which he would stare at for hours since kittenhood.

Back. Forth.

He had been an apprentice to a master weaver, who had been gentle and kind. She had taught him, guided him through his first clumsy attempts, taught him all he now knew. Until their planet had fucking exploded.

The intervening years were blank, due to his own efforts? Probably. All he clearly remembered was being dragged off his ship with others of his kind, slapped into chains, and abused.

Back. Forth. Back. Forth.

This image, the one he so loved, he'd kept as his shield. No matter what they tried to do to him, no matter what they SUCCEEDED in doing to him, it was always there. They could never take it away, and as such could never break him.

Back. Forth. Back. Forth.

Tryphon still remembered the pattern his master had shown him, the blueprint of stars which he'd kept in his head. No matter what, Primor's men could never take that away from him. No matter...

"Come to bed." Fahd's gentle voice broke him from his reverie. Tryphon looked up to see him leaning over the railing.

"When I'm good and ready."

"Really, Try, it's late. We open early tomorrow. Come to bed."

"Are you THAT eager to have me?" Tryphon regretted the words the second he saw Fahd's face crack. ''I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"I'll be in the guest room." Fahd took his leave, he swishing of his robes the only sound of his departure. Tryphon retuned to work, hoping to drown out the pain he'd caused the man he loved.

One day, he swore to himself. One day, Fahd, I'll love you the way you do me. The way you want me to love you. Until then, please be patient...

The portal opens, and Sho lives a nightmare vision of the future. Can he return to his own time to stop the coming disaster? All this and more in the next episode of Eye of the Storm.