It was WilyKat. "Do you need any help in here, Tygra?" the youth questioned.

"Thanks, but I don’t know what you could do," he replied. "Right now I’m just running some assays on blood samples from Lion-O, but I don’t see anything out of the ordinary aside from a slightly elevated white blood cell count."

"What does that mean?"

"Generally it would indicate an infection."

"An infection? You mean like if you get a cut and it gets infected?"

Tygra nodded. "That’s one kind. But they can also be internal, which is what I imagine is the case with Lion-O and Panthro. Has Snarf taken their temperatures recently?"

"About fifteen minutes ago," WilyKat answered. "Lion-O was the same and Panthro was half a degree higher."

The tiger sighed. "So the anti-fever capsules I had Snarf give them didn’t help them at all," he said with a note of dejection in his voice. "Did Pumyra get here yet?"

"She’s examining them now."

"All right. Could you go and ask her to come down here and talk to me when she’s done."

"Sure, Tygra." WilyKat nodded walked toward the exit, but paused in doorway. "Tygra… can I ask you something?" Tygra looked up from the tube in his hands and gave WilyKat an affirmative nod. The boy shifted nervously in position and took a deep breath. "Are Lion-O and Panthro going to die?"

"I hope not," he answered somberly. "And we’re all going to do our best to see that they don’t."

"But you can’t promise it, can you?"

Tygra lowered his head sadly. "No WilyKat. I’m afraid I can’t."

WilyKat’s expression remained unchanged. "Thanks for telling me the truth," he said quietly. "I’ll go get Pumyra." He then headed down the hall and back upstairs.

Tygra sighed and went back to his analysis. He jotted down a few more notes on what he observed, but nothing added up. He read over them again, searching for some tidbit of information that he might have overlooked. He didn’t even realize that he’d been in the same position for almost fifteen minutes, poring over his notes, until Pumyra knocked lightly at the lab door and walked in. "Hi Tygra," she said in greeting.

"Hi Pumyra. Thanks for coming."

"You know you can always count on me if I’m needed," she assured him. "I’m just sorry it’s this sort of circumstance." She paused for a second. "The kittens told me what happened to Willa. It’s such a shock. She was so strong, and she was young…I never would have expected…"

"I know. None of us did," Tygra finished, offering her a small smile of reassurance and shared sadness. "How did Panthro and Lion-O look?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Worse than I expected, from what I’d been told. Their temperatures are several degrees above normal and when I so much as touched Panthro’s abdomen he roared in pain. Lion-O didn’t have quite as violent a reaction, but he seems to be getting delusional in his fever. He was mumbling in his sleep and when he spoke to me, I think he thought I was his mother."

"Delirium of his high fever, no doubt," Tygra mused.

Pumyra nodded. "I told Snarf, Cheetara, and the Thunderkittens to give them sponge baths to try and bring down their fevers. Did you give them any medicines?"

"Antibiotics about two hours ago and some anti-fever capsules… they didn’t seem to make any difference. If anything, they’re even worse off," he sighed. "I wonder what could have made them get sick so suddenly. Willa too. We just saw her yesterday, you know."

"Thanks to that Hills of Elfshima disaster and Mumm-Ra having that mask stolen from the warrior maidens’ territory by the Lunatacs." She shook her head in disgust. "Seems our visits lately are always because of some emergency like that."

"Mumm-Ra lives to cause trouble," Tygra agreed, then was struck with a thought. A very bad thought. "That ancient spell book that he used… the Norvog Nage… it was very evil, wasn’t it?"

"Evil enough to drive Lynx-O temporarily insane, bring a destructive giant to life, and to turn Lion-O, Panthro, and Willa to stone." As she finished her sentence, her and Tygra’s eyes met as the same thought occurred to each.

"All three were stone…"

"All three got sick…"

"Then this is even more serious than I thought," Tygra said worriedly. "If this condition isn’t merely biological in origin, but some sort of side effect of black magic… or even worse, if it is black magic… then I don’t know how we can combat it."

Pumyra fingered her belt sling for a moment. "There’s one thing we can do. We can go and confront Mumm-Ra ourselves. Even though he wouldn’t help us, and in fact probably caused this, we may be able to learn something. You know how he can’t help but to boast and brag about his evil deeds. He may accidentally give out information we can use."

Tygra set down his notes and thought for a moment. "It’s a big risk, but it’s worth a try. And it will be very dangerous."

"If it saves Lion-O and Panthro’s lives, it’s worth it," she said determinedly.

"You’re right. We’re not making any progress here anyway. Let’s go." He stood and faced Pumyra, who also got to her feet.

"Right behind you, Tygra," she said, and followed him out.

The two of them headed upstairs, and found Snarf in the kitchen preparing some broth for the two sick Thundercats. "Snarf, we need your help," Tygra told him seriously.

"What do you need?" asked the snarf. An alarmed expression crossed his already worry-lined face. "Oh no, snaaaarf, are they worse?"

"No, but we have reason to believe that they will continue to do so unless we take drastic action," Tygra explained. "That’s why Pumyra and I are going to confront Mumm-Ra."

"No!" Snarf protested. "You can’t leave now! You two are the closest we have to a doctor between Pumyra’s basic healing knowledge and your scientific skills. Why would you go to Mumm-Ra now?"

"Because we have reason to believe that their condition was caused by one of his spells. Lion-O, Panthro, and Willa were each turned to stone by an evil spell yesterday, and today Willa is dead and Lion-O and Panthro are both sick from conditions that sound too much alike to be coincidence. Our skills alone haven’t done us much good this far, so we’re exploring every possibility we can… including trying to get whatever information we can out of Mumm-Ra," Pumyra told him. "You’re a very good caretaker and I have faith that between you, Cheetara, and the kittens, you can do your best to keep Lion-O and Panthro comfortable until we get back."

"But… but Mumm-Ra won’t help you. Snaaaarf, he’s evil. He’s the one who did this to them," Snarf protested.

"Not voluntarily, but there may be something in his pyramid, or if he confronts us, he may inadvertently say something we can use," Tygra argued. "We know it’s a long shot but it’s our best lead yet. Please try and understand."

Snarf sighed. "I understand… rowr… but I still think you’re taking a terrible risk."

Pumyra patted him on the head and smiled reassuringly. "But that goes with being a Thundercat."

"We know we’re leaving them in good hands with you, Snarf. Wish us luck," Tygra called out, as he and Pumyra headed for the hangar.

"Snarf, snarf, good luck," Snarf called back. "Jaga knows you’ll need it."

In the dark and forbidding depths of his pyramid, the soft sound of approaching footsteps awakened the resting Mumm-Ra from his eternal sleep in the crypt. "A visitor," he grumbled in annoyance. The sarcophagus slid open and he stepped out into the main chamber to see who it was that saw fit to disturb his rest. The tall, lanky form of Alluro walked through the entrance.

"I did not summon you, Lunatac," Mumm-Ra stated as Alluro approached. "Why are you here?"

"I want to know what you did to Chilla and TugMug and I want to know now," Alluro replied, an angry undertone evident in his smooth voice.

"What I did to them?" Mumm-Ra repeated with an aggravated frown, trying to figure out what he was referring to. The events of the previous day had already been dismissed from his mind as unimportant. "I don’t even know what you’re talking about, Alluro. Leave me alone and go elsewhere. You irritate me."

The brush-off nearly set off Alluro’s carefully controlled temper. The hypnotist glared at him and took several steps forward. "Not until you answer me," he replied stubbornly. "What did you do to them when you turned them to stone?"

"Oh, that," the mummy said ambivalently. "It was a test. It was nothing personal, if that’s what you’ve got your undergarments twisted into a knot over. Besides, were they not restored to flesh when Lion-O destroyed the Norvog Nage?"

"They were, but now they’re both ill, especially Chilla. She will not last another Third Earth day unless she is cured of whatever it is that your stone spell did to her."

Mumm-Ra cackled with mild amusement. "I see. So you’ve come here hoping to save your icy wench of a girlfriend from death, then. How very touching," he sneered sarcastically.

Alluro bristled at Mumm-Ra’s trivialization of his intentions. "Just tell me how to reverse the effects and I’ll be on my way," And stop wasting my time, you worthless bag of bones, he added silently.

The mage’s eyes glowed maliciously. "Don’t get pushy with me, Lunatac," he warned. "I have no qualms about striking you dead where you stand, so if I were you I would refrain from using that insolent tone, especially if you want to see your lover recover."

"She isn’t my—"

Mumm-Ra snorted derisively. "Oh please, if you didn’t have feelings for her, you wouldn’t be here now. You’re easier to read than you think, Alluro. You’re far too self-absorbed to simply come here out of the ‘goodness of your heart’." To emphasize his point, he replayed the hypnotist’s tender treatment of Chilla at her bedside earlier in full color in the bubbling waters of his cauldron. A shocked look crossed Alluro’s features for a moment, adding to Mumm-Ra’s cruel amusement. "If you’re still not convinced, I could always replay the last night she spent in your quarters… but I’d really rather not. The mere thought of you Lunatacs rutting about with one another makes me ill."

Alluro clenched his fist in anger, but managed to avoid letting Mumm-Ra provoke him. "Will you help her, Mumm-Ra?" he asked neutrally.

"I can… for a price."

"What price?"

Mumm-Ra smiled poisonously. "Your servitude would do nicely."

Alluro narrowed his eyes. "What? I already work for you, or have you forgotten how you bullied us into following your orders?"

"The allegiance of a treacherous Lunatac such as yourself is worth little to me as such. However, a binding agreement in dark magic, one in which you willingly agree for your soul to be bound in spell as my servant and in which you would follow my orders unquestioningly, would be of worth."

"I would sooner die than become your mind slave, Mumm-Ra," Alluro stated in disgust.

"But it’s not you that would die if you refuse, now is it? That is my offer, Lunatac. Show me just how much you care for poor sick Chilla. If you wish me to end her suffering and restore her health, agree to be my slave for the remainder of your days."

Even to his own surprise, Alluro found himself considering it for a brief second, but his self-preserving nature quickly overrode that thought. However much he valued Chilla, he valued his own life and freedom more. Besides, he was certain he could find another way. "Forget it, Mumm-Ra," he said arrogantly, and turned and started for the door.

"Give her my regards at her funeral, then," Mumm-Ra said in a voice as cold as death. "Be sure and add in the sad eulogy you’ll undoubtedly give on how much you’ll miss her that you had the chance to spare her life and passed it by out of your own selfishness. Perhaps after you die and the two of you meet again in hell, she’ll show her appreciation…"

Unable to keep a lid on his temper any longer, Alluro whirled around, his eyes ablaze with rage. "You bastard," he hissed, seething in rage.

Angered by the insult, Mumm-Ra lost his tolerance for Alluro, and hurled a blast of painful energy in his direction. It struck him squarely in the side, doubling him over in pain for several moments. "I warned you about mouthing off to me, Lunatac. Now I suggest you get out of my sight before I do something to you that will make what Chilla and TugMug are suffering pale in comparison. And don’t come back unless you intend to do something about your predicament other than whine to me about it."

Alluro took a few deep breaths to dull the stinging sensation of the evil fire, then managed to stand upright. He gave the mummy one last glare of contempt, then stormed out. Mumm-Ra simply shrugged and returned to his sarcophagus. It was so hard to find worthwhile evil help these days…

Tygra and Pumyra parked the Thundertank outside of Mumm-Ra’s pyramid and paused as they took in the forbidding sight of the dark monument silhouetted against the desert sky. Even though it was a sunny day, for some reason the sun never shone brightly over the black pyramid, and the sky above it always appeared dark though not a cloud was to be seen. Tygra wondered briefly how it was possible for there to exist an evil so intense that it could permeate the very atmosphere of the region.

"I guess we should just get this over with," Pumyra said nervously as she looked over the pyramid.

Tygra nodded. "Yes, there’s no point in dragging it out. If we’re to confront Mumm-Ra we might as well go on and do it. I just hope this isn’t an exercise in futility."

"It’s one of our last straws, what else can we do?"

"I know," Tygra sighed. He tightened his grip on his bola whip and started walking toward the pyramid. Pumyra followed. They were just about to try and find an entrance when the heavy stone passage covering slid open and Alluro walked out. The three of them faced off in a tense silence for several moments, before Alluro spoke.

"Oh, wonderful," he muttered disgustedly.

"Get out of our way, Lunatac," Tygra warned. "We’re not here to fight you today, our issue is with Mumm-Ra."

"Popular, isn’t he?" Alluro said sarcastically as he made his way back to the Ice Runner, which he’d used to get to the pyramid. "Hit him once for me while you’re at it. He’s got it coming to him."

Pumyra raised an eyebrow. "My, he’s well-liked even among his own allies, I see."

Alluro paused in his steps. "Working for Mumm-Ra was never my choice, Thundercat. We Lunatacs probably hate him more than you do." He looked toward the Ice Runner again and then looked back. "Especially now."

Tygra started into the pyramid, but stopped. "Why is that, Alluro?" he questioned.

"I’m not sure why it would matter to you, but the aftermath of a spell he tested on Chilla and TugMug yesterday has made them sick and will likely kill them. He refuses to cure them unless I sell my soul to him, or some such nonsense."

Pumyra and Tygra exchanged looks. "What kind of spell, if I may ask?" Tygra asked.

"Something from an ancient mask that turned them to stone temporarily."

"The Mask of Gorgon," Pumyra said. "He used it on you too?"

"On Chilla and TugMug, yes. They were restored late yesterday afternoon, presumably by magic of yours, or so they hypothesized. You did foil whatever Mumm-Ra’s little black magic plan was, didn’t you?"

Tygra nodded. "Lion-O did, along with Panthro and… Willa." He lapsed into silence for a moment at his now deceased friend’s

name.

Pumyra took a few steps toward Alluro and addressed him. It was awkward to speak so directly to the enemy, but she had to find out more about what happened to Chilla and TugMug. "How are they sick, Alluro? Is it stomach pains? Fever?"

Alluro eyed her guardedly. "How did you know that?"

"Lion-O and Panthro have the same condition. Willa had it too."

"‘Had it?’ You mean she recovered?"

"No, she died," Tygra answered solemnly.

Alluro climbed into the Ice Runner. "She did? Well, my people will not share the same fate. I will see to that."

"You know," Pumyra suggested, "maybe we could work together and—"

"Not in this lifetime, Thundercat," Alluro cut her off. "I’ve already compromised my standards enough for one day. I’ll find a cure on my own. But do give Mumm-Ra my fondest regards." The engine of the Ice Runner then came to life and Alluro sped off, leaving the two of Thundercats there to digest the latest bit of information they just learned.

"So Chilla and TugMug have taken ill after being turned to stone too."

"Yes. It’s a pity that Alluro is too full of himself and his own pride to work with us. Perhaps with our resources pooled we might have come up with something."

"Lunatacs can’t even work with one another very well, much less with us."

"Unfortunate, but true," Tygra agreed. He stepped into the still-open entrance of the black pyramid. "Let’s get this over with, Pumyra."

"Right behind you, Tygra," she replied and followed him in.

As soon as the two of them entered the bleak passage, an icy wind of warning extinguished the supernaturally-lit torches on the passage on the wall, leaving them in an overwhelming darkness. Though he was still in his sarcophagus, Mumm-Ra already knew of their presence and intentions. He was closely attuned to the evil atmosphere of the pyramid and knew when he had visitors, especially unwanted ones. He was not amused. The aggravation of dealing with Alluro had not left the evil mage in the best of spirits to begin with. The unwanted intrusion of Thundercats into his temple served only to sour his mood further.

"I see I won’t be getting any sleep today," grumbled the mummy, and he stepped out of his sarcophagus again. This time however he walked to the edge of the cauldron, extended his arms, and spoke the spell that granted him his power. "Ancient Spirits of Evil, transform this decayed form to Mumm-Ra, the Ever-Living!" The eyes of the statues glowed with an eerie malevolent light and shot their power into the undead sorcerer’s heart, transforming his withered body into its more powerful alter ego. He crossed his arms on the platform and his eyes burned with malignant fire. Now he was ready for them.

Back in the twisting passages, Pumyra and Tygra continued despite the unfriendly atmosphere. When it became too dark to see, Pumyra exploded a marble on the end of a torch and it caught fire, illuminating the passage well enough for them to find their way to the dark heart of the pyramid where Mumm-Ra resided. Surprisingly there were few traps set to stop them, and the few that were there were easily avoided. Both Thundercats had an uneasy feeling about that, but they hadn’t the time to be overly concerned about it. Eventually they found their way to the main chamber and entered.

"Oh goody, Ma-Mutt, we have houseguests," Mumm-Ra sneered in greeting, and then shot a few bolts of red lightning their way. "Welcome to my humble abode, Thundercats."

Tygra and Pumyra jumped aside and readied their weapons for a fight, but didn’t strike. Instead Tygra spoke to him. "We came only for answers, Mumm-Ra," he said evenly. "We want to know what you did to Lion-O and Panthro."

A smugly evil grin crossed Mumm-Ra’s decaying lips. "Oh my… so you’ve gotten so desperate that you would come to me for answers, eh? And you really think I would tell you what I did to them so you can save them? Me? The ever-living source of evil? The one who more so than any other on this planet, would cheerfully applaud your deaths?" The mage let out a wicked laugh of amusement. "You would almost be funny if you weren’t so pathetic, Thundercats!"

Steadying herself and collecting the strength to challenge him, Pumyra stepped forward. "Pathetic? No. Willing to do whatever it takes to save those we love, no matter how impossible the odds? Yes."

"I’ll tell you what is impossible, Thundercat, and that is a sniveling little mortal like you presuming to think that she could ever have the power to take on Mumm-Ra the Ever-Living," he sneered contemptuously. Then, without warning, he thrust his hand forward and a charge of red energy flew from his fingertips. Even the swift Pumyra could not move fast enough to avoid the sudden attack, and the beam seared its way into her leg, making her let out a scream of pain.

Tygra narrowed his eyes and swung his bola whip. "We didn’t come here to fight you, but since you refuse to do the honorable thing, you’ve left us no choice."

"Wrong!" Mumm-Ra roared in response. He pointed in a magical summoning to one of the Ancient Spirits of Evil Statues. Its eyes came to life and the stone shook as it prepared to move. "It is you that has no choice, and we both know it. Otherwise you would not be here wasting your time searching for a final and desperate answer to a problem that you know you cannot solve." He looked to the statue, which now raised its foot and took a lumbering step off the pedestal toward Tygra. "But as always, I do have a solution. A very final one that will put all your petty troubles to rest for once and for all."

Pumyra, still recovering from the blow she took, got back on her feet and watched in horror as the statue’s heavy hand came smashing toward the other Thundercat. Just in time Tygra wrapped his whip around his body and vanished from sight as the fist of the evil spirit connected with the stone floor, cracking it with its might. Then to her dismay she heard another similar noise behind her, and saw that a second statue was now animate, and its sinister eyes were focused upon her.

She ran for a more strategic position as best as she could while Mumm-Ra cackled in amusement from his pedestal. "It’s a shame Lion-O, Panthro, and Willa did not stay as stone after all. As you can see, a statue can be so much more than a work of art," he said, watching delightfully as the other statue thundered toward Pumyra.

"And it’s a shame you have to resort to these childish games in your attempts destroy us," Tygra’s voice sounded from somewhere across the room.

Mumm-Ra whirled around enraged and faced the direction from which his voice had come. "Fool! You think my only goal in raising the Child of Gorgon was to make ugly feline statues out of you? I hate to take away your illusions of importance, but changing their flesh to stone was merely a bonus."

Pumyra rolled out of the way of the crashing foot of one of the animated statues just before it squashed her flat. "And a temporary one at that. When we destroyed the Norvog Nage we changed them back and—"

Mumm-Ra laughed at her outburst. "Or did you change them back? For all your knowledge, you Thundercats are pitifully ignorant as to the ways of dark magic. In destroying the Norvog Nage you also destroyed your only chance at reversing the damage done by casting the first."

"That’s not true!" Pumyra gasped.

"And how certain of that are you?"

Pumyra had no time to answer as the statue caught her off guard and grabbed her by the waist. She let out a cry of alarm and flailed helplessly in its grasp.

"Now there is no need for you to worry about the fate of Lion-O and Panthro any longer," Mumm-Ra told her with mock concern. "You will be dead long before they are."

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Tygra exclaimed. In a flash he was visible once more and leapt across the chamber to come to Pumyra’s aid. He lashed his whip around the wrist of the statue and made it burn a hot fire. The stone went still from the pressure and heat for a moment, giving Pumyra enough time to wriggle her way out. Once free the fingers pressed together in a deadly grip that would surely have crushed her had she not escaped. The stone giant roared and lifted his arm, tearing the whip from Tygra’s hands and completely inactivating its power.

The statue that had been chasing Tygra then fired a beam of energy at his back, hitting him squarely and dropping him to his knees. Pumyra quickly ran for him and took his arm. "We can’t take these things on ourselves, especially now that we’re both injured and you’re disarmed."

"Yes," Tygra panted, struggling to his feet. Somehow he had enough adrenaline pumping through his veins that he could get up and run with her. "We have no choice if we want to survive long enough to save the ones we came here to save in the first place."

Mumm-Ra watched as the two Thundercats ran for the exit. The statues did not give chase since they had no power anywhere but in their own chamber and he did not care enough to put forth the effort to follow them himself. Besides, he knew that they would suffer more through their guilt as they watched their fellow Thundercats die, knowing that they failed them. So he watched them flee, and he chuckled to himself as he heard their rushed footsteps grow faint and distant. "And Thundercats, thank you for the visit, and have a very nice day."