As the days began to get longer and the snow melted, it felt like opening your eyes for the very first time. Seeing birds of different colors chirping away and beginning to make their new nests was quite the sight, as was seeing grass beginning to poke out over the snow. No longer needing to wear such heavy clothing was joy enough. But with the days getting warmer days, new battles would commence.
Alana sat at the top of the stairs waiting for the Thundertank to return. The nearby birds gave a nice tune for her worrying heart but it wasn't enough to distract her. It was the first time the ThunderCats were called to battle since she arrived two months ago.
Earlier, Alana walked into the command center and to her surprise, Lion-O and Cheetara were not present. Panthro had told her they went to see the Berbils. Not long after saying where they were, the cats' signal came souring through the sky. The remaining ThunderCats jumped and told Alana to stay. She watched as they ran to the Thundertank and took off towards where the signal came from.
Beside her, Snarf came up inform her the Mutants must have attacked and Lion-O was in trouble. She could tell he was worried. But it was not worry over the ThunderCats but more over Lion-O. Knowing there wasn't anything more to do, she stood and walked back inside but came out a few moments later wearing her warmer clothing.
For over an hour she waited when something caught her eye. She pulled out her binoculars, which she found in amongst one of the crates that survived the crash, and saw the Thundertank. She ran down the steps to wait for them.
"What happened?" she asked in concern when Panthro pulled the tank to a stop and allowed his teammates to jump out. She wasn't sure if she was angry or worried.
Lion-O walked up to her. "While we were visiting the Berbils, the Mutants decided to finally attack. They must have gotten wind of your ship crashing and decided to try and make the Berbils talk. Of course, they weren't expecting us to be there."
"And I suppose they started to overpower you?" Alana asked.
"And that's why I summoned the other ThunderCats."
"Did the Mutants find anything out?"
"Not yet, but I'm sure they will soon. With their attack, Mumm-Ra probably has awoken as well and he usually somehow can figure out what has been going on," Panthro answered. "I'm just glad we have the supplies needed to complete the lower level. When the Mutants retreated, I asked if the Berbils could come by tomorrow and give us a hand with the new level."
"That's not a bad idea," Alana agreed.
"I, for one," Tygra began. "Would like to check out to see if the Mutants are trying any of the other villages to get the information they need."
The ThunderCats began to make their way up the stairs, when Lion-O looked back and saw Alana still standing where she was, head bent. Excusing himself, he went back over to her.
"Is something the matter?"
Alana looked up at the sound. "I was worried about you and when you came back, it was as if you never left. I'm sorry but to me, that's upsetting."
"After fighting the Mutants and Mumm-Ra for so long, one gets use to it."
"But it was the first time you left me here. I don't know about you, but after gaining a new brother…it just scared me. All the other times, you left, hearing rumors of Mutant activity, someone always stayed behind. I wasn't even told what was happening."
Lion-O nodded in agreement. "I understand. But with the Mutants finally showing their ugly heads again, we can't take any chances. I'm sorry for leaving you behind with no one for company."
"It's not that you left me with no company that I'm upset about, I was a little worried one of you might have been hurt badly. I don't think I could stand in losing another friend so soon." A single tear managed to make its way down her cheek.
Lion-O's eyes flashed with total understanding. It wasn't they left her behind with no one to talk to, except for Snarf, but it was the fact one of them could have been hurt. He brought his hand to her cheek, wiping the tear.
"Thank you, for your concern," he finally answered. "It means a lot. Now, why don't we go inside and see if the Mutants are trying to cause any more trouble?"
Alana nodded.
When the two entered the room, Panthro was busy checking out other populated areas. When he came up with nothing, he turned and announced everyone could take it easy. Alana quietly excused herself, still upset with the ThunderCats leaving her. Tygra noticed her distress and was about to follow when Lion-O stopped him.
"Leave her be," he said. "She's upset we left her here. She was worried for our safety."
"That is something she'll need to get used to," Snarf said. "She needs to realize we can't always be here to keep her company."
"Snarf," Lion-O turned. "It's not keeping her company is the problem. It's the fact she is beginning to trust us, and she doesn't want to lose her new friends too soon. She is still grieving over her brothers."
"Perhaps next time," Cheetara came out. "We could set up a link for her to see what is going on. You know as well as I do we can't keep her away from the Mutants. They will learn of her and when that happens, they may try to use her against us. We have to prepare her for when that happens. From what I have gotten to know of her, she has never gone up against someone like the Mutants. She's only had her father and Tony to deal with."
"I agree," Panthro said. "She needs to learn what to expect. We are not asking her to do anything, just get her to be alert."
"But how," Lion-O asked. "Do we prepare her for a Mutant attack?"
Tygra placed a hand on his leader's shoulder. "That is something we haven't quite figured out yet. Perhaps you should speak with her."
"Actually," Cheetara came out. "I should speak to her. She seems more comfortable around me when she's hiding within herself."
"I agree," Lion-O nodded.
Tygra sighed. "I just wish she would get over this fear of men, we want to help her."
"I'm sure she'll tell us on her own time," Lion-O concluded. "In the mean time, Cheetara why don't you go and speak with her. Tell her our concerns while the rest of us start working on the new level. It's near completion and I want it to be a surprise."
Cheetara nodded.
When Alana walked into the room, she decided to leave the door to her room opened. She never liked keeping the door closed. She looked at the wall where she hung her plaque and remembered how her birthday went. She had noticed several things that day, though it took her a few days to figure it out.
She noticed as much as Lion-O was concerned for her, he kept averting his eyes to Cheetara. But Cheetara wasn't the only one who had the eyes; Tygra was eyeing Alana. Every other time Alana had ever been eyed by a man, she always got a creepy feeling but this time she wasn't. When Tygra watched her, she never felt tense. Even now, she noticed he carefully watched her but it wasn't a creepy stare.
His stare felt warm and understanding. She didn't feel he looked like he was undressing her with his eyes, which was something she received a lot from Tony and his friends. She soon realized Mandora was telling the truth about Tygra being unable to keep his eyes off her.
She looked out her window and saw the Thundertank still sitting where Panthro stopped. She turned away, remembering why she went to her room in the first place, she was upset the ThunderCats left her alone without telling her what was going on, or where they were going.
"Why?" she asked suddenly.
"Why what?"
Alana quickly turned to her door to see Cheetara standing in the doorway.
"Why do you have to fight? Why didn't you tell me where you were going?"
Cheetara walked in and sat on the bed. "I'm sorry for not telling you, but when Lion-O calls, we know we need to get to him, fast. We never know how much Lion-O needs us until we get to him."
"So you're saying you didn't know the Mutants were attacking?"
"No. Sometimes he has called us because one of our strengths is needed for something. Once he called on us but needed me most because Tygra was in danger and I was the only one who could help him."
"What happened?"
"When we first landed here, we needed to find Thundrillium. It's the source of power that runs the lair and our vehicles. We went scouring the land to find some. Tygra ended up traveling into a cave that ages a person. I was the only one who could travel in the cave and it wouldn't affect me. There has also been times where Lion-O led us to his location because we were looking for something."
"I never knew that," she said. "I thought the sword was used when there was a fight."
"The sword has many uses. Lion-O can call forth the sword when it's out of his hand. You have already seen some of its talents."
"The sword is powerful."
"And that is one of the reasons why we fight. Our enemies want to obtain it so it can be either be destroyed or somehow used against us. They know it can't be used by evil but can be manipulated. Look I didn't come here to justify why we left you behind but I did come to talk."
"Why am I not surprised?"
"We need you to understand the situation you're in. The Mutants are trying to learn about you and when that happens, they will come after you wanting to use you against us. You need to be prepared for that."
"How can I be prepared when I don't know why you're leaving?"
"I have a solution for that. The next time Lion-O needs us, we can create a linkup where you can see the action, no matter what it is. From there you can see the Mutants."
"But I saw the Mutants in the vision I had with Lion-O."
"Yes, but that was only for a few minutes, try having to witness a battle that can last for a few hours. You need to know how cunning and manipulative they can be. Especially Mumm-Ra."
"Well maybe a linkup would be a good idea. Then I can see how severe these Mutants really are."
Cheetara nodded. "So what are you planning on doing for the rest of the day?"
"I was wondering if you could teach me some tricks with your staff."
Cheetara smiled. "That's something I can do. Let's go."
Panthro walked outside, wondering where Cheetara was. It didn't take him long to find her when he found her showing Alana something. He took a closer look and noticed Alana had Cheetara's staff in her hands. Cheetara was standing behind her, giving her instructions. Panthro turned to see Lion-O and Tygra heading towards the upper level of the foyer.
"Take a look at this," Panthro got the two ThunderCats attention.
The two ThunderCats, curious, went up beside the panther and to their surprise saw the two women, training. The women were so immersed into the training, they had no idea they were being watched. After a couple of minutes, Panthro decided to head in, leaving the women and the other two ThunderCats.
"Why don't we try something else," they heard Cheetara say. "Why don't we try sparring without a weapon?"
"Sure," Alana breathed.
Cheetara walked away from Alana for a moment to put her staff down on the steps. Sensing the feeling of being watched, she glanced up, seeing they weren't alone. With a small smile, she turned back towards Alana, with the intent of not allowing the human to know she was being observed. Cheetara wanted to see what Alana knew with defense. The cheetah walked over to Alana, getting in front of her so Alana couldn't see her audience.
Lion-O realized Cheetara noticed them. "I think Cheetara wants to see what Alana can do?" the young Lord replied quietly.
"I don't blame her," Tygra answered in the same manner. "There may be a time where Alana may have to defend herself. I'm actually curious to see what Alana knows."
The two men continued to watch the women.
"I want you to come at me as if I'm the enemy," she said.
"What good will that do?" Alana asked. "I already know you can over power me."
"In order to get away from your attacker, you need to have the speed. Pretending to attack me, will show us how fast you are."
For the first couple of times Alana went towards Cheetara, the cheetah avoided her by quickly moving to the side.
"You need to know what your enemy can do before he makes his move."
"Easier said than done," Alana breathed. "You're fast, therefore, it's hard to catch you off guard."
"Perhaps so, but my enemies have been able to slow me down. Ready? Let's go."
Alana ran knowing Cheetara was going to move out of the way. Seeing which way the cheetah moved to, Alana went and tried it again, but Cheetara only dodged once again. It was really starting to frustrate her. She needed to try something different. Soon an idea came to mind as she tried once more. But this time, when Cheetara moved, Alana jumped up and kicked out as if she was doing a straddle, catching Cheetara in the back. The cheetah fell to the ground.
"Are you ok?" Alana asked with immediate concern.
Cheetara smiled and stood back up. "That was good. But why didn't you try that before?"
"I'm not sure. I guess I was afraid it would remind me of when my brothers taught me some defense lessons."
"Alana," Lion-O called. She turned to see the lion and the tiger. "That was great foot work. Where did you learn that?"
Alana blushed realizing the two ThunderCats watched the sparring match. "I was taught by my brothers."
"Perhaps we could see what other talents you have. They could save your life someday."
Alana felt not only her cheeks were burning but also felt hot all the way down her toes. "I guess I could do that."
Her blush soon faded as something caught her eye. She looked up, dread filling her heart before quickly running into the lair, startling the three ThunderCats. She charged into the command center, almost running down Wilykit before reaching Panthro at the main station. She leaned over his shoulder, not paying any attention to anything or anyone else in the room.
"I see something up in the sky. Is there anyway to get a fix on it?" she rushed out, breathing heavily.
The three ThunderCats soon entered, wondering what was wrong. What could have spooked Alana to make her charge into the lair?
Panthro nodded, confused. "Sure." He wasn't going to ignore her distress, sensing the others behind him.
Seconds later, Panthro had the camera pointing to the sky. "There," Alana pointed. "Do you see it? It's a small dark object."
"I see," he said. "I'll magnify it." When it was magnified at fullest strength, Panthro continued. "Well it's a ship that's for sure, but I can't get any further."
Alana seemed to recognize the ship from somewhere but wasn't sure from where. She stared at it for a few more moments before suddenly gasping. "It can't be," she whispered, catching everyone's attention one again.
"You see something?" Wilykit asked.
Alana walked away from Panthro to one of the other stations. In the past month, Panthro showed her how to use the computer. She pressed a button, bringing the picture of the oncoming ship on her screen. With some calculations, she projected where it was going to land. She then was able to make out the dimensions of the ship. Everyone around her was curious as to what she was seeing.
When her calculations were done, she clenched her fist. "I don't believe it," she whispered.
"Don't believe what?" Cheetara asked, coming up to her.
"I know that ship," she said, turning towards the ThunderCats. "I didn't think that model was still commissioned."
"Who is it?" Tygra asked.
"It's…" she turned away. "It's my father…Safari Joe."
"Safari Joe!" Lion-O gasped. He looked up at the main viewer to the oncoming ship.
Wilykat threw up his arms. "Great! Just what we need, another run in with him."
"He's not here for you," Alana said. "He's probably here for me."
"How would he know you're here?" Lion-O asked.
"Chances are Tony probably came up with some sort of lie when Mandora questioned him by saying I went on a trip and he was escorting the ship."
"And if that's the case," Tygra sounded angry. "He would have said your ship malfunctioned and crashed here."
"But how would Tony explain how he wouldn't have helped," Wilykit questioned. "Like I mean, 'if' Tony escorted your ship and you crashed, why didn't he check to see what happened?"
"No one ever questions Tony on why he didn't do something. Mandora probably would have but he would have eluded her questions to just accusations. She has to be careful around him or she could lose her job."
"He's about to land," Panthro said.
Alana looked up at the main viewer and noticed it was no longer magnified. In fact it was reduced magnification to its lowest settings and she could see the paws of Cats' Lair. The ship was landing directly in front of the drawbridge.
"ThunderCats," a voice said through the comlink. "This is Safari Joe and I'm not here to fight. I'm here to talk."
"Well we should find out what he wants," Lion-O said. "But stay alert."
The ThunderCats began to walk out but Alana ran and blocked their way. "I can't let you guys go out there. My father is tricky."
"Alana," Cheetara said. "We need to find out for sure if he is here to find out about you or not. And if he's here for you, we can also tell him he no longer has any sons."
"He won't believe you. If Tony fed him lies, father will not believe anything you say."
"We'll soon see. If you don't want to see him, that's your decision but we can't ignore him," Lion-O said. He slightly pushed Alana out of the way and continued out to the entrance of Cats' Lair.
Alana followed but stayed just inside the doors, out of sight; able to hear everything.
"All right, Safari Joe," Lion-O began. "Here we are. What do you want to talk about?"
They watched as a hatchway opened and a ramp leading from the hatchway to the ground was revealed. At the opening, Safari Joe stood but he had no weapons in hand or his little robot friend, Mule.
"I have been under the impression a ship crashed here a few months ago. I want to know a little more about it."
"Why do you want to know about the ship?"
"My daughter was on that ship. The ship ran into an asteroid and crashed here."
Alana clenched her fists and ran out. "That's a lie!" she yelled.
"Alana!" The ThunderCats called at the same time Safari Joe did. The ThunderCats called in alarm but Joe was in surprise.
She stopped at the bottom of the stairs. "Tony has lied to you," she blurted. "I was not hit by an asteroid. I was fired upon and we crashed here. Your sons have been killed."
"That's not possible," Joe argued. "My sons would not have been on that transport."
"You're delusional. Why would I have asked the ThunderCats for help if I wasn't escaping that bastard?"
"Don't call him a bastard, you are to marry the man."
"Oh please." She rolled her eyes. "One, I will not marry that bastard and two, Tony probably thinks I'm dead, considering I was the only survivor. You can even ask the ThunderCats yourself. They buried my brothers, your sons, and my friends."
Joe walked along the drawn drawbridge and stopped just in front of Alana. He looked at the ThunderCats and knew she was telling the truth about his sons. He turned back to his daughter. "I want you to return with me, you were supposed to marry Tony two months ago."
"I am not leaving," she stated firmly.
Joe grabbed her arm. "Yes you are!"
Lion-O's eyes flashed angrily. He wasn't the only one. A low growl came from Tygra. Lion-O jumped down the steps, grabbing Joe's wrist, forcing him to release Alana. Tygra came up from behind Alana, pushing her behind him.
"You heard her," Lion-O said angrily. "She's not leaving."
Joe was shocked that the ThunderCats were quickly at her side. "Why are you defending her? She's a woman."
"You sexiest PIG!" Alana shouted.
"Just because she's a woman," Cheetara came up to him, startled by Alana's harsh words. "Doesn't mean she is to be mistreated. I'd like to see you try and force her on to your ship." She brought out her staff, extending it to full length. "You have to get past us first."
"Alana, please," Joe tried to reason. "If you are telling the truth about my sons being dead, you are the last one I have left for family."
Alana snorted. "Well then I guess you shouldn't have ignored your daughters or forced us to marry people we did not want to marry when we were only eighteen."
"I was never taught how to take care of daughters," he pleaded.
"Then," Panthro said, nunchucks in hand. "You shouldn't have mistreated your wives."
Joe stood at his normal height and flashed his angry eyes. "I never mistreated my wives. And how did you know I have had more than one?"
"You're pathetic," Wilykat snorted. He and his sister stayed on the top of the steps.
"Never mistreated your wives!" Alana screamed. She forced herself away from Tygra. "Why would I wake in the night, seeing mother on the floor, crying her eyes out with bruises forming on her face? Why on some nights I'd wake with mother sleeping on the floor in a weird position?!" The last line she shrieked. The ThunderCats had to cover their ears. "I want you out of here NOW before I kill you where you stand!"
The ThunderCats and Safari Joe looked at her with surprise.
"And don't think I won't, because I will," she said in a low voice. "I could easily grab a weapon."
"Alana…"
Alana walked closer to her father. Not caring, she quickly swung her leg around, kicking Joe in the stomach. He flew back, landing on the ground with a thud.
"That, I learned from Josh. He taught me some defense lessons so I wouldn't have the same thing that happened to mother, happen to me." She abruptly turned and stormed away, back into the safety of Cats' Lair."
The ThunderCats didn't know what to say. They watched as she quickly ran up the stairs, rushing past the Thunderkittens and disappeared into the lair.
Lion-O was the first to recover. "You heard her!"
With the sound of his voice, Safari Joe scrambled to his feet and run back to his ship. He didn't even stop to say anything before he climbed in and blasted off. When his ship was no longer in sight, the ThunderCats made their way inside. Heavy sobs were heard from behind one of the bigger pieces of debris from her ship as they entered the lair.
Tygra was the first to see her behind a large piece. He took one step forward; about to comfort her when Cheetara beat him to it. She went over and placed a gentle hand on Alana's shoulder.
Alana looked up, with a blurry vision, but quickly collapsed into the cheetah's arms.
"I'm sorry for your mother," she said, softly. "I never realized that your mother was put through that kind of abuse."
"That would…have happened to me if it weren't for…Josh and the others. But it would…have been by Tony," she sobbed.
"It's all right," Cheetara said. "You're safe here, with us."
Alana moved herself away from Cheetara and looked at the ThunderCats. She could see concern in their eyes and friendship. Wiping her eyes, from tears, she stood. "I don't deserve your friendship but I'm glad I have it."
Lion-O smiled. "And you'll always have a place here for as long as you want it. I will not allow anyone to hurt my sister."
Alana slightly smiled. "You know, you sound a lot like Josh. Could I have a word with you for a moment?"
"Sure," he said.
With Alana taking the lead, the two went back outside. The two walked until they were a little distance from the entrance, near the drawbridge.
"What did you want to talk to me about?" he asked.
"This is something I would rather stay between us."
Totally curious to what she wanted to say, Lion-O remained silent while she collected her thoughts. He hoped she would open up but had a feeling that wasn't what she was going to say.
"You remember when Jaga said I could become a ThunderCat." She watched as he nodded. "Well I have been thinking about that."
"You want to become a ThunderCat?"
"I would like to, however, I don't feel like now is the right time. Where I'm only human and not a Thunderian descent, I should earn the right to become one. You may have taken me in and even became my brother but that's not enough for me to consider myself a ThunderCat."
"But you want to become a ThunderCat? That would be great."
"Can you keep this to yourself for now, please. I don't want the others to find out in case they start unconsciously pushing me towards doing the trails."
"If you don't mind me asking, what made you decide to consider becoming a ThunderCat?"
"The vision. Seeing you as you went through the trails, though you hated it, must have been hard for you to go up against the ones who go to you when the Eye of Thundera roars."
"It was hard. But in the end, I learnt things about my friends I never knew. Cheetara only can run at top speed for so long, Tygra becomes exhausted when he uses mind abilities. The Thunderkittens can be cunning but they think they are the only ones."
"I'm sure after seeing father, Tony will eventually come. He'll somehow learn I'm still alive and either want to get rid of me and you or try to take me back and make everyone think I left on my own accord."
"I will destroy the sword before I let anyone take you."
Alana smiled. "I wish I had your confidence. You have been through so much in such a short time. I haven't even begun to experience what you have been through."
"Perhaps, but there is something you have that I don't. As you know, I lost my teen years, at least you were able to grow up."
Alana turned away. "Sometimes, growing up isn't what it's all cracked up to be."
Lion-O placed both his hands on her slumped shoulders. "You're growing years weren't the best but at least you have been able to experience the small things; your first crush, first kiss."
"I suppose so." She turned back to the young Lord. "I guess that is something you were only able to experience here."
"And some I still haven't experienced."
"If you don't mind me asking but is there someone you have eyes for?"
Lion-O slightly inclined his head. Alana smiled as she hit an embarrassed button.
"I suppose I do. But she never could return my feelings. In all accounts I should only be a teenager. Technically you're older than I am."
"That doesn't matter. You are now older and age doesn't matter. So who has caught the Lord of the ThunderCats eyes?"
"Perhaps we should head back in," Lion-O said, trying to evade the question.
"Oh no you don't," Alana said sternly. "You're not getting out of that one."
Lion-O sighed. He looked into her eyes and saw determination. She wasn't going to let him leave until the question was answered. And seeing her standing with her hands on her hips, having a slight chill, as she wasn't wearing her warm coat, he knew he wasn't getting out of the conversation. "Cheetara."
Alana's eyes widened. If she was in shock, she didn't show it. Cheetara liked Lion-O and he liked her. "Why couldn't you have just said that in the first place instead of trying to dodge the question?"
"I shouldn't have feelings for her," Lion-O defended. "I'm younger than her even with the aging from the suspension capsule."
"Like I said before, age doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that you like her. What if she feels the same?"
"I'm not sure."
A sudden shadow came from overhead. Lion-O looked up. "What's that?"
Alana looked up as well and gasped. "He's back." She looked at the Lord. "Father has returned. But why?"
"Let's go find out." Lion-O grasped Alana's hand and ran to the safety of Cats' Lair. When the two reached the command room, they saw Panthro was quickly dancing his fingers along the panel.
"What's Safari Joe doing back?" Lion-O asked.
Panthro turned in his seat. "He wants to talk to Alana."
"Well I don't want to talk to him." Alana crossed her arms.
"Alana," Cheetara said. "He may not leave us alone if we don't find out what he wants."
"All right," Alana sighed. "But only in here."
Panthro smiled. "That's what I told him." He turned back to the console. "Safari Joe. This is Cats' Lair. Alana agrees to speak."
Safari Joe's face appeared on the main screen. "Good. Why are you here in the first place?"
"Well that's a nice way of starting a conversation," Alana said sarcastically. "Josh andmy other brothers did not like how I was being treated by Tony. They made arrangements for me to escape. When I got word what they were doing, I involved myself as well. But I wasn't the only one."
"What did Tony do?"
"I wasn't finished," she fumed. "After we left, there were several mishaps that were revealed as sabotage. But not long afterwards we were attacked by one of Tony's ships, Tony, of course, leading the attack. A cat and mouse game began and before long we were under serious fire. The next thing we knew, the ship was in flames and we were crashing on Third Earth, which of course was our heading anyway."
"Why were you on your way here?"
"To enlist the help of the ThunderCats for our freedom. It may seem selfish for us to find the ThunderCats but to me it was essential. Mandora…"
"Mandora! You know Mandora?"
"Of course I know her," she snapped. "After Mandora would have her meetings with you, she would talk to me. She kept it secret between the two of us. She told me all about the ThunderCats."
"You know what she is?"
"Do you want to know why I'm here or not," she snapped angrily. "Because if not, I'm sure Panthro can cut the transmission. And if you so much as try to attack the lair, I'll have Mandora here faster than two shakes of a cats tail. I'm sure she would just love to arrest you."
At hearing her say 'cats tail', each ThunderCat gave a smirk. They had never really heard that phrase before, but it was obvious they liked it.
Joe cleared his throat. "Please, daughter, continue."
"When we crashed, Josh threw me out of the way, trapping me around fallen bulkheads in hopes for me to survive, which is why I'm standing here today. Everyone else was killed. And if you want to know where everyone is buried just look at what's left of the ship."
"What's left of the ship?"
"As I said the ship was in flames when we crashed. I'm lucky to be alive in the first place."
"And all my sons are gone?"
"All," Alana emphasized the word. "All you have left are your daughters."
"Don't take that tone of voice with me young lady."
"What are you going to do?" Alana challenged. "You have never been good with threats when you know other people are breathing down your neck. Now you have what you wanted."
"Daughter…"
"Don't call me that!" Alana yelled. "You are not my father. You might have given me life but were you ever there when I fell and scraped my knee? Were you ever there when I made my great achievements in school? Were you ever there for any of my birthdays? No you weren't. I always spent my birthdays with my brothers, sisters and mother. And this past birthday I was alone except for my new friends. To me you are as dead as my brothers and mother."
Alana walked over to Panthro. "Oh and another thing. Something I also forgot to mention. Something Carl taught me." She hit several buttons before looking up and smiling. "Time for an overload."
No one had the chance to ask what she meant by that before sparks began flaring out of Safari Joe's panel and the communications went dead. Satisfied, Alana turned, about to walk away when Panthro grabbed her arm.
"What did you do?" he asked.
"Overloaded his circuits. He won't be able to contact anyone for a while."
"How?" Tygra asked, fingering his chin. "All I saw you do was press random buttons."
Alana turned to her tiger friend. "From where you stand it was random buttons, but when a communication line is opened, certain buttons can cause an overload from the opposite end."
"Why did you overload his systems?" Cheetara asked.
"Ummm…" Alana blinked, wondering how to answer that. "It's an old Third Earthian expression, something not for young ears. How is the new level doing?" she asked, wanting to change the subject.
Panthro and Tygra gave each other a smile, which did not go unnoticed by Alana. She placed her hands on her hips. "What's going on? When ever I see smiles like that, I know something is up."
Tygra turned. "Well like Panthro said, we'll have the new level done soon."
"But why the smiles?"
"Just that you'll like it, when it's finished," Panthro answered.
"You let me be the judge of that," Alana protested.
"Trust us," Tygra said. "You'll like it. I am glad you've taken some time to relax."
"Yeah," she agreed. "Is there any way I could start helping out?"
"Actually," Lion-O began. "We would like the new level to be a surprise. But if you want to start helping out, I'm sure we could find you something."
Alana was a little disappointed. It was her idea in making the new level in the first place. Although she understood they wanted to surprise her. Giving a nod, she turned and walked away. Before walking out of the room, she glanced back at the ThunderCats. She knew they would protect her no matter who tried to go after her, even if it were her father or Tony. But how long would it be before she was faced to face with their enemies. She knew they were right, she had to be prepared and it made her feel comfortable to know they were willing to train her.
What Josh and her brothers taught her were only for defense, to protect her self from unwanted men. But defense lessons wouldn't be enough to protect her from other enemies who wouldn't harm in the sexual aspect. She wasn't even sure the Mutants or Mumm-Ra would be capable of doing something like…or at least she hoped they didn't. But she wasn't prepared to protect herself from life and death situations or anyone else for that matter.