Chapter 11
Back on New Thundera, Lion-O and the other ThunderCats had finally finished the last small ship. All five would fit in the craft, leaving the snarfs to man Cat's Lair.
"It'll be an hour and a half before we reach Third Earth." Lion-O said with worry. Tygra turned around in his seat and lowered his voice.
"Pull yourself together. That's the twelfth time you said that. We've been in situations like this before and you've never wavered. Don't do this now." It was uncharacteristic of the tiger to be so forthcoming but the Lord of the ThunderCats could see what he meant. Tygra had subtly hinted that if he and Cheetara being together was going to be a problem, then maybe he should rethink things.
"We lucked out that Panthro had been working on this one." Ben-Gali broke the uncomfortable silence that had settled inside the spaceship. He punched up the controls in front of him and the group watched as the hanger doors opened.
"He figured it had at least another three days before it was finished." The lion had seemingly snapped out of his earlier state and now sounded more like his old self.
"Well that was without Tygra and Ben-Gali." Pumyra smiled as the ship lifted out of the hanger. The afterburners were ignited and the vessel shot off toward Third Earth at a very fast speed.
Meanwhile Cheetara, Panthro, and the ThunderKittens desperately tried to contact New Thundera. The others would be walking right into a trap and they needed to know what was going on. Since the Thunder Guard had shifted weapons controls into override it took a different combination of button pushes and switch flips before the communication channels were open.
"Third Earth to New Thundera. Come in New Thundera." Panthro called.
"This is Snarfer on Third Earth. Boy are we glad to hear from you guys." Came the response.
"The Thunder Guard are under some sort of spell and they were given orders from Vultureman to kill ThunderCats." The panther told the young snarf.
"The others are already on their way. I'll give you the frequency to patch through to them with a portable." Snarfer said.
"How are they coming? None of the other ships were close to being ready." Panthro asked.
"The small one that holds ten. Tygra, Ben-Gali, Pumyra and I hammered it together. Lion-O kept an eye on the communication channels, gathered supplies, and then helped us too. We were able to get it done pretty quickly." The young snarf smiled with pride.
"I hate to break up this mechanic's session but we can't be hanging around. Eventually someone is going to figure out that we gave them the slip." Cheetara reminded them.
"Right. Use the frequency 1-2 on the portable and you should be able to pick them up once they enter the planet's atmosphere." Snarfer said. "I'll radio them and alert them to the situation." With that the call was disconnected. Panthro grabbed the portable radio from the cupboard on the wall and the ThunderCats headed out of the Lair.
"Where are we going to hide?" WilyKat asked as they walked toward the forest.
"That is a very good question." The panther replied.
"Can't we hide with the Berbils?" WilyKit wondered.
"We can't risk involving our friends. They could be killed for helping us." Cheetara told her.
"I think there is a cave system not too far away. That will be a good spot to hide." Panthro spoke up after checking their surroundings. The others agreed that the caves were their best bet and quickened their pace.
Over at the onyx pyramid, the Mutants and Mumm-Ra were trying to work out a deal. The ever-living source of evil watched as the squabbling between the Mutants continued. It was often a wonder how they got anything accomplished.
"All right Mutants. Let us not forget that there is still a Tower of Omens to use. With some of you at Cat's Lair and the others out there, this planet will easily be beaten into submission. Let us not waste time with immature name calling." The miserable mummy interrupted them.
"You are right, Mighty Mumm-Ra. But there is a traitor in our midst and he must be dealt with, yesss?" Slythe wondered as he jerked a thumb in the direction of the now shrinking Vultureman.
"He did what any one of you three would have done and you know it. If you expect me to believe that the great Slythe was going to share all his new found power, then I think you've been inhaling too much of your own warp gas." Mumm-Ra spat back at him. The argument continued until the Ancient Spirits of Evil interjected their own opinion.
"ENOUGH!" The animal god statues boomed. "Use the Amulet of Seti to destroy your enemies for they have tricked you. Look into the cauldron." The five evil creatures looked into the bubbling water and saw the ThunderCats running through the woods.
"If you want something done right, do it yourself." Mumm-Ra said. He snapped his fingers and all five cretins were gone from the pyramid.
To Be Continued…