The noises coming from beneath the control boards were anything but encouraging. Muffled curses, sparks of electricity, and the occasional sound of something heavy falling kept the onlookers both entertained and worried. But it was still early in the morning, and an entire day lay before them. Eventually, their hard work would be rewarded. And after an hour or so of disheartening sounds, there was a ray of hope. A voice from the darkness of the vents called out "that should do it." Bengali pulled himself out from underneath a control panel, stood up, and brushed off. "Give it a try now."

Across the room from him in the Tower of Omens, Pumyra activated the sensors. "Is it working, yet?" she asked Lynx-O.

There was silence as Lynx-O’s hands flew lightly over the Braille board. And then a broad smile swept across his face. "For the most part," he answered. "The Braille board is picking up more information and in a much larger area. I can continue the work by computer from here. I don’t think we need to mess with the actual machinery any longer."

"Finally," Bengali said as he started to put away his tools. "I was getting sick of reconnecting wires."

"Actually," Pumyra said with a mischievous grin, "the refrigerator hasn’t been working lately."

Bengali growled at her. "Rowr, my quota of electrical wiring is done for today."

Pumyra was about to say more when both Thundercats heard Lynx-O gasp. As one, they turned. "What is it?" Pumyra asked.

"Thundrillium," Lynx-O said in awe. "A mountain full of Thundrillium ore. I’ve never seen so much Thundrillium before."

"Where?" Bengali asked, tapping into the sensors from a remote station.

"Where we should have already found it," Lynx-O answered. "In fact, the sensors of Cat’s Lair should have picked up a find this big."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s get it," Pumyra said.

"Cat’s Lair is closer," Bengali observed. "Let’s call them."

Lynx-O nodded in agreement. He quickly had Cat’s Lair on the screen. Snarfer answered.

"Hey guys, snarfer, snarfer. Can’t I visit Cat’s Lair for one day? Don’t tell me you need me back so soon."

"Not yet," Pumyra laughed. "But we’ve just discovered a mountain of Thundrillium near Cat’s Lair. It might be nice to have a reserve supply."

"Thundrillium?" Panthro appeared from behind Snarfer. "Where?"

"We’re feeding you the coordinates now," Bengali told him. "You’re closer to it, so we thought you might want to pick it up."

"Right. Snarfer, you and Snarf will stay here," Panthro said. "The rest of us will take the Tank and go after the Thundrillium."

"Sounds good to me," Snarfer said. "Anything else?" he asked the Tower.

"Nope, just stay out of trouble," Pumyra answered.

"And be careful," Lynx-O added. "I’m getting a funny feeling about this."

"One more adjustment," Vultureman whispered to himself. His fingers deftly made the final connection in a mass of circuitry and wires. "There." The mutant stepped back to admire his work. Now occupying the back wall of his lab was a new scanner for Castle Plun-Darr. "Perfect," he murmured. He activated it and started to search. "It picks up almost everything. With this, I’ll be able to find all the chemicals I’ll ever need, awwwk, for my experiments."

"What about some Thundrillium, yesss?" a voice called from behind him.

Vultureman jumped and turned to face Slithe and Monkian. "What have I said about barging in when I’m working?" he fumed.

"Hoo, hoo, it didn’t look like you were working. It looked more like you were playing," Monkian answered.

"What’s so interesting?" Slithe asked. "What isss your new machine?"

"If you must know," Vultureman said irritably, "it’s a new scanner."

Slithe nodded. "We heard that much. What can it scan? Can it find usss some Thundrillium deposits, yesss?"

"I suppose it, awwwk, could. But it can be used for so much more. I’m using a new technology I once heard about when it was still in the experimental stage. It can handle things twice as fast as our normal scanners and can handle twice as much. So I rearranged our basic programming to increase our scanning capabilities and further boost the speed. Instead of simply looking for readings similar to the one you’re searching for, it categorizes all readings it finds even if they’re not the readings you’re searching for which means it does your work and then records things for later data and also checks on them every time its used to run and scan and then, awwwk, sorts them by a multitude of variables, making them accessible and easy to find using any key word while—"

"We need some more Thundrillium," Slithe interrupted. "And I say find usss some."

Vultureman glared at Slithe, but since Slithe outweighed the avian mutant, Vultureman couldn’t really protest. What was the use of trying to explain things to Slithe or any of the other mutants anyway? Vultureman knew his place. His job was to make them neat gadgets. They took no real joy in science. Mumbling all this under his breath, he turned to his scanner and initiated a Thundrillium search. There were immediate results. Aside from a few smaller finds, there was an enormous find about halfway between Castle Plun-Darr and Cat’s Lair. "Take a look at that," he yelped. "Look at all that Thundrillium."

Slithe studied the screen. "This thing is accurate, yesss?" Vultureman nodded indignantly. "Then why have the Thundercats not mined it?"

"I don’t know, ask them," Vultureman sulked.

"If they don’t have it, let’s get it for ourselves, hoo," Monkian suggested.

Slithe nodded slowly. "Get Jackalman and take two Skycutters. I’ll join you on the Nosediver. Vultureman, you stay here and look for more Thundrillium." With that, Slithe left the room and an irate vulture. He headed for his Nosediver.

Chilla stretched and yawned. Skytomb was unusually quiet that day. She wondered what the other Lunatacs were up to. Usually a few of them came to bother her on her watch, but for some reason, she’d been left alone this time. To her surprise, she found herself wishing that RedEye, TugMug, Alluro, or even Luna would walk in. She told herself it was so she could yell at something that would yell back.

She ran a few internal scans and found the Thundrillium reserves had gotten low. She’d have to tell Luna when her watch was up. In an attempt to stave off boredom, Chilla decided to search for Thundrillium deposits that they could exploit.

The computer’s response was immediate. She gasped as she looked at the results. "Why haven’t we found this before?" she mused.

"Found what?" TugMug asked as he entered the room.

Her concentration broken, she wheeled on the Lunatac, forgetting she had been wishing for company only minutes before. "Don’t you have the decency to knock?"

"Why should I knock? It’s only the control room."

"Suppose I had been doing something that had required my complete concentration?"

TugMug snorted. "Like what? Your nails?"

Chilla’s eyes flashed. "Just because you don’t do anything worthwhile around here doesn’t mean that I don’t pull my own weight."

"Then you must be pretty strong, because that’s a lot of weight," TugMug quipped. He leaped out of the way just in time to avoid becoming a popsicle.

"How dare you!" Chilla roared.

"What’s going on in here?" Luna shrieked as she and Amok entered the room.

"This jumping heap of scrap metal just insinuated that I—"

"I did not! You’re the frosty snow demon that has a complexion prob—"

"I don’t want to hear it!" Luna yelled. "Anything to report," she asked Chilla.

Chilla continued to glare at TugMug who was trying very hard to keep a grin off his face. Finally, she turned to Luna. "We’re low on Thundrillium, but I’ve discovered an enormous find near Cat’s Lair and Castle Plun-Darr."

"Really?" Luna rode Amok forward. "That is a huge find," she commented. "Lay in a course."

"Now?" Chilla asked. "It’s broad daylight. The Thundercats will see us."

"So? Are you afraid of those pussycats? I say we move off Darkside and take it."

"Right, Luna," TugMug seconded. "Some of us aren’t afraid of a little scuffle now and then."

Chilla gave him an icy look, but chose to say nothing. She turned and punched in the commands that would direct Skytomb toward the Thundrillium.

Wiley Kat felt like the Thundertank was going to jar his bones completely out of place. A hard jolt knocked him roughly against the side of the Tank, bruising his ribs. Wiley Kit slid into him, crushing him against the side. Irritably, he shoved her away. She flailed to the other side of the back of the Tank, clutching wildly at Lion-O who was also holding on for dear life.

"Do we have to go so fast?" Cheetara shouted.

Panthro and Tygra, who happened to be driving, didn’t answer immediately. Cheetara gritted her teeth as loose rocks sent the Thundertank careening off course and onto the rocky slopes of the hills they were passing. More bumps and jolts started to rattle her legs.

"What?" Tygra called back.

Lion-O had managed to secure a hold and was next to Cheetara. "We’re being shaken out back here. What’s the rush?"

"According to the scanners," Panthro answered, "we’re not the only ones who just discovered this Thundrillium deposit."

The Thundertank wove in and out of the ravine floor, dodging boulders and skidding across loose gravel. It hadn’t been too bad at first until Tygra had suddenly said something to Panthro and the panther had taken off like a shot. No warning had been given to the four in the back and they had suddenly found themselves being thrown around like seedpods in a windstorm.

"Wait a minute," Wiley Kat said, pulling himself up next to Lion-O. "What do you mean we aren’t the only ones?"

"Mutants," Tygra answered. "Two Skycutters and a Nosediver. Slithe, Jackalman, and Monkian. No sign of Vultureman. I don’t know where he is."

"Funny that we all noticed it at the same time," Wiley Kit said between shaking teeth.

"Funny that we didn’t notice it before now," Panthro commented. "A find this big should have been hard to miss."

"Are they going to reach the Thundrillium before us?" Lion-O asked.

"Not if we hurry," came the answer from the front. The Thundertank leaped into the air as it hit more large rocks. The Thundercats in the back found themselves thrown to the floor and scrambling for a hold.

"Almost there," Cheetara heard Tygra call. The Thundertank hit a few more bone-breaking bumps and suddenly tipped skyward. The Thunderkittens bounced toward the back of the tank, grabbing the sides to keep from falling out. Panthro hit the gas and the Thundertank shot up a hill and leveled out.

"Here we are," Panthro announced, jumping out of the Tank as it came to rest atop a small plateau.

Tygra was examining the scanners on the Thundertank. "It should be right here, but I don’t see anything that looks like it could contain an ore deposit."

The four Thundercats who had been in the back dropped clumsily out of the sides. "I’m sitting up front next time," Lion-O grumbled.

"Tower to Thundertank!" the communications whistled. Tygra quickly activated it.

"Tank here, go ahead Lynx-O."

"Skytomb is converging on your position. We have also picked up signs of mutant activities."

"We knew about the mutants, but we didn’t know about Skytomb," Tygra answered.

"I could send Pumyra and Bengali out with the Thunderclaw if you believe it will be needed."

Tygra looked up at Lion-O. Lion-O nodded. "That might be a good idea," Tygra answered. "Send them over. We’ll keep in touch. Tank out."

During the conversation, Panthro had been fiddling with the scanners. "That’s odd. The ore should be streaking the ground, but there’s nothing. I don’t get it."

"If the rest of us clear away, maybe you could use the Thundertank and dig down a little," Cheetara suggested.

Tygra nodded and Panthro moved away from the Tank. Activating the Tank’s paws, Tygra started to dig. As dirt and gravel began to fly, the others moved further away. The Thundertank slowly disappeared as it tunneled underground. After a while, it backed out again. "I don’t get it," Tygra said as he shut off the Tank’s engines. "The scanners say it’s all around down there, but there isn’t any Thundrillium to be seen."

"What if—" but Wiley Kat was cut off as the whine of a Skycutter raced overhead. Laser bolts began to fire.

The Thundercats scattered as a second Skycutter dove through. A Nosediver cut across, firing as it did so. Panthro raced for the Tank. Tygra already had the main gun up and activated.

Cheetara watched as Slithe’s Nosediver circled and prepared to dive again. Gauging the distance, she readied herself and then took off. Jumping high into the air, she came down on the Nosediver. Slithe grunted in surprise but didn’t have time to do more than that as Cheetara forced the Nosediver to the ground.

Wiley Kit and Wiley Kat had rigged a trip line between the two of them and were waiting for Jackalman’s Skycutter. It raced along the ground, unaware of the two Thunderkittens until it was too late. Jackalman was thrown to the ground as his Skycutter continued to roar ahead and down into the floor of the ravine. "Stupid Thunderkittens!" he shouted as he whirled around, preparing to fight.

Lion-O was aiding Tygra in driving the Thundertank while Panthro shot wildly at Monkian. "Hold still you miserable mutant," Panthro growled.

"Uh-oh," Lion-O muttered. "I think we’ve got more problems. Look!"

Tygra glanced at the scanners and snarled in frustration. "Panthro! The Ice Runner!"

Panthro looked back just in time to see Chilla on the Ice Runner bearing down on him. There wasn’t time to fire and when he saw Chilla open her mouth, he jumped. Behind him, the Tank’s gun was suddenly frozen solid. Lion-O and Tygra also jumped just before the controls of the Thundertank iced over.

Landing and rolling, Tygra’s whip lashed out, catching the back of the Ice Runner. Thrown off balance, Chilla toppled off. A blast of electricity forced the Thundercats away from her as RedEye, TugMug, Luna, Amok, and Alluro suddenly emerged from the landing Skytomb and charged into the fray.

"And all we wanted was some Thundrillium," Panthro complained as he jumped toward TugMug, knocking the gravity carbine from his hands.

"This is our spot, Thundercats and mutants!" Luna crowed. "So stay away!"

"Your spot!" Slithe raged, slashing at Cheetara with his tail. "We found it first."

Lion-O snorted. He had the Sword of Omens out and ready. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but we’ve already started digging. So if the Lunatacs and mutants would kindly step back, we’d appreciate it."

"Get them!" Luna shrieked.

The Lunatacs joined the fight and it was soon a large free-for-all. Tygra and Panthro spotted the Thunderkittens having some trouble with Jackalman and leaped to help. Alluro and Chilla followed them. Cheetara and Lion-O squared off against Slithe, Luna, RedEye and TugMug. "Back off," Slithe hissed at both Lunatacs and Thundercats. "This is our place, yesss?" He hefted a Thundranium cannon and began firing it.

"Restrain him, Amok," Luna ordered. "Get those Thundercats!" she yelled at RedEye and TugMug.

"You seem too light on your feet, Cheetara," TugMug quipped as he tried to catch Cheetara in the rays of his gravity carbine. "Maybe I can help you with that."

"Maybe another time," Cheetara retorted, using her speed to evade the Lunatac. Her staff flashed and TugMug barely managed to get out of the way.

Lion-O and RedEye would have been fighting if Monkian, still on his Skycutter, hadn’t involved himself. Both were trying to bring the Skycutter down while watching each other for sudden moves.

A wrestling match had broken out between Wiley Kat, Wiley Kit, and Jackalman, with Jackalman having a definite advantage. The kittens had both lost their pouches in the scuffle. Tygra and Panthro were trying to get to them, but they also had to avoid Chilla’s breath and Alluro’s psyche club.

"Pick on someone your own size," Panthro roared as he finally leaped past Chilla and dove into Jackalman. The startled scavenger lost his hold on Wiley Kit, but he managed to get a good hold on Wiley Kat’s throat. Struggling on the edge of the hill, Panthro, Jackalman, and Wiley Kat suddenly found themselves sliding down into the bottom of the ravine. Chilla slid down after them.

Tygra finally hooked his whip around Alluro’s psyche club and yanked it out of his hands. "Knock down Monkian!" he ordered Wiley Kit. Wiley Kit raced to help Lion-O. Alluro took advantage of the moment to grab back his psyche club and knock Tygra over the side of the hill, sending him tumbling into the ravine. Lashing out with his whip, Tygra wrapped it around Alluro’s legs and dragged him down after him.

Jackalman was racing toward his Skycutter, which had landed down there. Chilla saw him and cut him off before he could get it, but Panthro cut her off and wrapped his nunchucks around her neck. Wiley Kat launched himself at Jackalman, using his momentum to knock the mutant to the ground.

Tygra moved to help but he was suddenly powerless. "No you don’t, Tygra," Alluro said softly. "I don’t think you want to do that. In fact, I think you want to help Chilla escape. Don’t you?"

Tygra struggled against the psyche club. "Help—Chilla—escape—No! I’ve got to fight—" he kicked out blindly and made contact with Alluro’s stomach, breaking his concentration. Looking back to the fight near the Skycutter, he shouted a warning. "Wiley Kat! Look out for Chilla!"

Chilla had freed herself from Panthro and frozen his feet together. While the Thundercat was trying to break loose, she had turned to Wiley Kat and Jackalman. "Time to cool off," she laughed.

"Come Ma-Mutt," a voice called softly. Ma-Mutt opened his eyes, stretched, and sauntered over to the bubbling cauldron. He pressed against a figure wrapped in a red and whined. The figure that had once been human bent down and gave the dog a reassuring pat. "Watch," he ordered quietly.

The cauldron began to stir and foam. Images appeared and the bandaged creature began to speak. "The Thundercats, the mutants, and the Lunatacs. They are all fighting together, and I can rid myself of them in one blow. They are fools to think they can deny the wrath and power of Mumm-Ra." The mummy laughed, an evil cackle that echoed around the columns of the dark pyramid. "Behold, my pet," Mumm-Ra continued. The scene in the cauldron shifted to one of outer space. "The planets are aligning with the gateway star. A star that holds the key to interdimensional travel. By channeling its power down through the planets, I can bring it into contact with beings in this plane of existence and banish them to another. I can send them to places where their existence is impossible and they will be killed instantly. Only a few more minutes and all will be ready."

The cauldron swirled and Ma-Mutt snarled. The view of the Thundercats fighting the Lunatacs and mutants had reappeared. "Yes, Ma-Mutt. By luring them there with a false Thundrillium reading, we have ensured their demise. They will be swept from this dimension into dimensions where they have no place. The few who are not here will be no match for me with their allies gone." The cauldron swirled back to the stars. "It’s time," Mumm-Ra announced, his voice trembling with anticipation.

Ma-Mutt backed up with a whine as Mumm-Ra suddenly spread his arms. "Ancient Spirits of Evil," he intoned. "Grant me, Mumm-Ra, your ever-living servant of evil, the power to channel the energies of space and time." Wind from beyond the void swept through the pyramid. The eyes of four statues surrounding the cauldron glowed brightly and rays of golden light encased the mummy. The light began to spread and brighten. Ma-Mutt backed up hurriedly, barking wildly in fear. A great moaning sound shook the stones and the ground trembled violently. Lightning began to flash from wall to wall.

Ma-Mutt raced wildly around the cauldron, trying to avoid the light. It was a light that was not really a light at all but an emptiness, sucking things away. He could almost feel the rip in the air as dimensions began to clash. Strings of blue light suddenly started to web themselves around the pyramid. He howled in terror as the streaks of light shot just overhead. The golden light had gathered itself into a ball over Mumm-Ra’s head. The mummy was shrieking from the strain of keeping the energies he had summoned under control. Ma-Mutt leaped wildly, not understanding what was happening and trying desperately to avoid the blue webbing that was defining dimensional boundaries. And in his crazed leap, he accidentally slammed into Mumm-Ra’s upraised arms.

Mumm-Ra’s concentration was gone, and with it his control over the powers granted him. The golden sphere of light exploded, sweeping out and encasing the pyramid. Surging past that, it dissipated after passing the walls and vanished. All was still again.

Mumm-Ra fell to the floor wailing.

"NOOOOOO!" He slammed his fists against the cold, unforgiving stone. Huddled on the floor, he became aware that the pyramid had become very quiet. Still dimly tied to the gateway star, he felt the planets shift. And with that shift, he knew his time had come and gone. It would be another few thousand years before the planets were ever aligned like that again. Red eyes flashing, he leaped to his feet and looked for Ma-Mutt. "Where are you hiding!?" he demanded. "I almost had it. A few more seconds and I could have released the powers. They would have flown right for the ravine. What have you done!?" There was no answer. Mumm-Ra listened for the scrape of a paw or an apologetic whimper. There was nothing.

Steadying himself, he made his way back to his sarcophagus. Ma-Mutt would come back in time. And then Mumm-Ra would lecture him firmly.

He had been so close. Mumm-Ra could still almost taste the victory. But there would be time to deal with his pet later. When Ma-Mutt quit hiding, then Mumm-Ra would punish him. Weariness conquering him, he allowed himself to relax back into his sarcophagus and sleep.

Lion-O had decided the Thundercats could use some help. Monkian was now off the Skycutter and on the ground thanks to a cleverly positioned snare by Wiley Kit, but for the moment, the Lunatacs and mutants had teamed up against the Thundercats. Raising his sword as Cheetara and Wiley Kit leaped in front to protect him, he called on the power of the Eye of Thundera. "Thunder—Thunder—Thunder—Thundercats! Ho!" The Thundercat signal leaped into the sky, startling RedEye, TugMug, Luna, Amok, Monkian, and Slithe. And down out of the sky, like the cavalry to the rescue, came the Thunderclaw.

Bengali’s hammer started shooting and the air was suddenly filled with Pumyra’s exploding pellets. The Thundercats on the ground leaped back into action. This was too much for Slithe and Monkian who raced for the Nosediver and Skycutter. The Lunatacs were far more stubborn, though. As the Thunderclaw raced overhead and turned back, RedEye was firing mercilessly at it. Amok had charged Lion-O and Wiley Kit, preventing them from aiding Bengali and Pumyra. Cheetara leaped at RedEye only to be slammed to the ground under the influence of TugMug’s gravity carbine. But Bengali was a good pilot. Coming in low to the ground while dodging RedEye, he rammed Amok and Luna while Pumyra’s pellets knocked TugMug flat. Freed from his opponents, Lion-O slammed into RedEye and the two started wrestling.

Luna and Amok recovered just in time to see Bengali and Pumyra circling back. She look wildly around for Chilla and Alluro, but they were no where to be seen. "Retreat!" she ordered, whipping Amok back to Skytomb.

TugMug hesitated for a moment, glancing at Cheetara lying helpless, and then followed Luna’s lead. RedEye broke away from Lion-O and joined them in Skytomb.

Lion-O slumped, trying to catch his breath. The effects of the carbine were beginning to wear off Cheetara and she managed to get to her knees. Wiley Kit found her bag of pellets and joined the others. Bengali and Pumyra landed next to the frozen Thundertank.

"Good thing we dropped by," Pumyra observed.

Bengali helped Cheetara to her feet. She steadied herself, bracing against his strong shoulder. "Thanks," she said. "I’d better thaw out the Thundertank."

Bengali nodded and turned to the other two. "Where’s everyone else?"

Lion-O looked around and rubbed his head. "I’m not sure. The last I saw, they were fighting close to the edge over there. That’s the slope the Thundertank drove up."

"They fell down it," Kit explained.

"That’s funny. We didn’t see them when we passed overhead," Bengali said. "And we followed the ravine here until we saw the Thundercat signal."

"I’ll see if they’re still fighting," Kit volunteered.

At the Thundertank, Cheetara’s staff was slowly melting through the ice on the control boards. "This is a mess," she commented as Lion-O joined her. "We should ask Panthro if he can do something about proofing the Thundertank against Chilla."

"Let’s talk to him when he gets back," Lion-O agreed. Kit’s shouting attracted his attention. She was racing back from the hill’s edge.

"I can’t see them," she panted. "They’re gone."

"Calm down," Pumyra said gently. "The fight probably just moved them further down the canyon. What if you and I take the Thunderclaw and see if we can track them?"

Kit nodded. "I hope Kat’s okay," she said as she followed Pumyra to the Thunderclaw.

"The Ice Runner’s still here," Bengali observed.

Lion-O thought for a minute. "That means Chilla’s still around. Otherwise, she would have recalled it. How much longer Cheetara?"

"I’m done with the main controls," she answered. "But the gun will take a little longer and some controls like communications are still frozen. But we can drive."

"Can you thaw out the gun as we go?"

Cheetara nodded. "Just don’t shake me around too much."

Lion-O jumped into the front of the Thundertank as Cheetara climbed into the back. Bengali joined Lion-O up front. "Let’s go down the slope and see if we can find anything," Lion-O said as he took off. The controls were a little stiff, but they worked and they were soon rolling slowly down the slope.

Bengali watched the ground carefully as they drove along. "That’s where quite a few people slid down," he said, pointing to the ground a little to their left. "They landed there and a few went that way." He pointed ahead of the Thundertank. "But the dust is so confused that I can’t tell much more."

"Did they keep going that direction?" Lion-O asked.

Bengali shook his head. "No, I’m pretty sure of that. The only tracks further on are those of the Thundertank when it first came here. The fight stayed in this area."

"Where are they now?" Cheetara asked, looking up from the large gun.

Lion-O stopped the Tank and Bengali got out, still studying the ground. "A Skycutter landed over here. Actually, it was more of a crash. I don’t see any signs that it took off, but it might have. The ground is just too confused."

"They could be prisoners," Cheetara gasped.

"A Skycutter can’t carry many people," Lion-O objected. "Jackalman would have had to leave some of them."

The Thunderclaw zipped by, circled, and then landed. Pumyra and Kit jumped out. "No sign of anything up or down the ravine," Pumyra said.

"There was a fight here," Bengali told her. "And a Skycutter might have taken off. But I can’t tell anything else."

"Who fell down the hill?" Lion-O asked Kit.

"Panthro, Tygra, Wiley Kat, Chilla, Alluro, and Jackalman," she answered, counting them off as she named them.

"If they’ve been taken prisoner, Jackalman had to have a powerful Skycutter," Pumyra observed.

"That’s what I said," Lion-O agreed. "A Skycutter would have been able to carry Jackalman, Chilla, Wiley Kat, and then one of the other three. But two would have to be left behind."

"Maybe they added to the engines," Cheetara suggested.

"Maybe." Lion-O didn’t sound convinced. "Kit, use the communications from the Thunderclaw and ask Lynx-O if he can track the Skycutters."

Kit hurried to do as she was asked. The others followed her. "Thunderclaw to Tower."

"Tower here. Go ahead Wiley Kit," Lynx-O’s gruff voice answered her.

"We were wondering if the Tower of Omens could track the course of the Skycutters after leaving the ravine."

There was a pause on the other end. "I can only get one Skycutter to register and it’s headed back to Castle Plun-Darr. In fact, it’s almost reached it."

Lion-O leaned forward and took the mouthpiece from Kit. "You say you can only get one Skycutter? Which mutant is riding it?"

"I can’t be sure, but from the driving I would guess it was Monkian."

"If a Skycutter were already in Castle Plun-Darr, would you be able to tell?"

"No," Lynx-O answered, "but I know what you’re thinking and that’s not it. I say I can only account for one Skycutter because only one Skycutter has left the area. Two arrived. What’s more, the missing Skycutter is no longer in the area."

"I think he lost me," Bengali commented.

"Lynx-O, if two Skycutters came and there are no Skycutters now, doesn’t that mean that two left?" Lion-O asked.

"No, and that’s what’s strange. I think this is something you need to see for yourself."

Lion-O hesitated. He looked at the other Thundercats and then turned back to the Thunderclaw’s communicator. "Are we the only ones in the area right now?"

Lynx-O paused. "The Tower’s sensors still need some fine- tuning, but I think I can trust them on this. You’re the only large life forms I’m picking up in the vicinity."

"Alright," Lion-O said. "We’ll be coming back."

"We can’t leave not knowing what happened to them," Kit protested.

"They’re not here Kit," Lion-O said gently. "Lynx-O might have something for us. Why don’t we find out more information before determining our next move?"

Kit grudgingly accepted his argument. "Okay, Thundercats," Lion-O announced. "Let’s head to the Tower."

From a discreet distance, Skytomb observed the departure of the Thundertank. And continued its search for two missing Lunatacs.

"They can’t just disappear," Luna shrieked to no one in particular. "They must be out there somewhere." The situation was beginning to spook her.

RedEye and TugMug both struggled to get finer and finer resolution with the scanners. But neither could find any trace of Alluro or Chilla. "The closest I’m getting is the Ice Runner," TugMug muttered. "And Chilla’s not anywhere near it."

"Same thing over here," RedEye agreed. "And I’m not picking anything up for Alluro. They’re just not in the area. They’ve gone somewhere else."

"Where could they have gone?" Luna demanded.

"Gone, gone, gone," Amok chanted, earning himself a sharp hit from Luna’s riding stick.

"I don’t know," RedEye murmured, ignoring the interruption. "The Ice Runner’s still there. It hasn’t been called anywhere else. Which means Chilla’s busy, unconscious, or captured. I don’t know about Alluro, but I’m guessing he’s with Chilla. The Thundercats only had two vehicles, and they both left. The mutants had three, and two are almost at Castle Plun-Darr."

"That leaves a missing third for the mutants," TugMug observed.

"It could already be inside Castle Plun-Darr," RedEye suggested.

"Or not. One of those we’re tracking is a Nosediver. That’s Slithe. Would another mutant go back before Slithe did? No, because that mutant would be accused of cowardice. So there’s a missing Skycutter, too."

"Could Chilla or Alluro be on the missing Skycutter?" Luna asked.

"Why?" RedEye asked. "If they needed transportation, they could have called the Ice Runner."

"And I don’t think a single mutant could capture and transport them on a single Skycutter," TugMug added.

"But we have nothing else to go on," Luna yelled.

There was silence. Eventually, RedEye turned back to his scanners and TugMug followed his lead. Frustrated and tired, Luna left the room to nurse her wounded pride.

Slithe was quite annoyed when he saw Vultureman waiting for them as they approached Castle Plun-Darr. Somehow, the bird always knew what went wrong, why it could have been prevented, and how Slithe’s leadership was severely lacking in at least fifty different ways. And Slithe’s patience was always thin at best.

Vultureman watched the Nosediver and the Skycutter land with an interesting expression on his face. He waited silently as Slithe and Monkian walked toward him. Both mutants stopped before the vulture and stared back. Finally, Slithe broke the silence. "Well? What are you standing out here for?"

"Do I need your permission to stand out here?" Vultureman retorted, but his reply lacked its usual bite. Slithe could tell something was wrong, but Vultureman obviously didn’t want to say what.

Monkian was never one for subtlety and simply asked. "What’s wrong?"

Vultureman clinched his fists momentarily. "Have either one of you seen Jackalman?"

Slithe blinked in surprise. "You’re worried about Jackalman?"

"Have either one of you seen him?" the vulture pressed.

Slithe shook his head and looked at Monkian. The ape shook his head as well. Both looked at Vultureman who was getting an even stranger expression on his face.

"What about his Skycutter?" Vultureman asked. "Do you know where that is?"

"Am I accountable for everything?" Slithe demanded.

"As leader, I would put that under your list of responsibilities," Vultureman sneered. "Apparently you’re not up to the task. But now is not the time to get into this," he hurriedly added as Slithe began to growl menacingly. "I think we may have an even bigger problem."

"And that is?" Slithe hissed.

"Jackalman and his Skycutter have vanished into thin air."

"Sword of Omens, give me Sight Beyond Sight." Lion-O held the Sword to his face and waited for its powers to take effect. "Show me Panthro, Tygra, and Wiley Kat."

The other Thundercats hovered around him expectantly. They were all waiting in the Tower of Omens where Lynx-O claimed to have something of great import to show them. But he had refused to do so until Lion-O used the powers of the Sword to try and find Panthro, Tygra, and Wiley Kat.

Lion-O’s face was puzzled as he lowered the ancient blade. "Nothing. They don’t show up."

"What does that mean?" Pumyra asked.

Lion-O didn’t answer for a minute. When he did, his voice was grave. "It could mean a number of things. It may mean they’re out of danger, but for some reason I don’t believe that."

"They aren’t," Cheetara said softly. "I’m beginning to sense that much. But I can’t sense anything else."

Lion-O nodded. "That’s what you told me earlier and I believed you then. Which means that they’re beyond the powers of the Sword to see them."

"And what does that mean, exactly?" Kit asked.

Again, Lion-O paused. "If it means what I’m beginning to think it means, they are out of danger in a way." He held up his hand to stop further questions. "Let’s hear what Lynx-O has to say."

Lynx-O nodded his head and turned to the Braille board. "It disturbs me that you can’t find them. Because neither can the scanners. In fact, they show something very odd." Lynx-O’s hands danced over the Braille board and the screen was filled with dots. The dots were superimposed on a map of the ravine where the fight had taken place. "The dots you’re seeing represent different vehicles," Lynx-O explained. "I’ve assigned the various forces different colors to make it easier to see. The red dots are the Thundertank and the Thunderclaw. The yellow dots are Skytomb and the Ice Runner."

"So the blue dots are the mutant vehicles," Pumyra finished.

"Right," Lynx-O answered. "Now watch. Here are the positions of the various vehicles initially. Now I’m going to have the monitor track the vehicles as the fight progresses. This Skycutter," Lynx-O said, pointing to one of the blue dots, "goes crashing into the ravine. That was Jackalman’s Skycutter. Monkian’s continues to circle and is eventually brought down. Now right here is where things get a little different. Jackalman’s Skycutter suddenly blips off the screen. I can’t explain it. I just know that’s what happened. Eventually, Monkian’s takes off again and returns to Castle Plun-Darr where the mutants have some sort of shielding and the sensors can’t reach."

"What do you mean?" Bengali asked. "How can it just blip off the radar?"

"I don’t know. But that’s what happens. You can see for yourself."

"Did the radar register anything else right there? What about individuals?"

Lynx-O shook his head. "Sorry Lion-O. I wasn’t watching individuals at the time. I was only watching vehicles and energy. Although, there is one other thing. Right when Jackalman’s Skycutter disappeared, the scanners registered a spike in energy. At the time, I thought it was nothing more than sensor feedback. They were just expanded this morning and aren’t quite online yet."

"Maybe it was an energy spike that caused you to lose the Skycutter," Bengali suggested.

"I thought of that," Lynx-O answered. "But that’s not it. The spike didn’t last that long and looking at it again, it wasn’t that large. Even if I had lost the Skycutter for a moment, I would have found it again within a few seconds.

"Is it possible that Jackalman’s Skycutter could have teleported back to Castle Plun-Darr? And that was the surge of energy?" Cheetara asked.

"Highly unlikely," Lynx-O said. "The mutants don’t have technology like that. And again, the surge wasn’t that big."

"But for it to just disappear like that," Bengali murmured.

The Thundercats stared at the screen. Wiley Kit edged forward and tugged at Lion-O’s hand. "What did you mean earlier?" she whispered. "When you were talking about Sight Beyond Sight."

Lion-O looked down at her and tried to think of an easy way to put what he was about to say. "It means they’re somewhere that the Eye of Thundera can’t penetrate."

Wiley Kit stared back at him, holding his eyes with her own. "And what does that mean?" she managed to ask.

Lion-O took a breath to steady himself. "It may mean they’re beyond the worries of this world."

Kit backed up abruptly. "But you’re saying they could be—" She stopped, unable to go further.

"We shouldn’t jump to conclusions," Bengali interrupted. "There is an unexplained power spike."

"A power spike that may only be a glitch in the sensors," Pumyra reminded him.

"But there’s also a missing Skycutter," Lynx-O added. "Something has happened to it. And whatever happened to it might have happened to our three missing Thundercats. From what you remember of the battle, they were all in the same area."

"Although," Bengali mused with his usual tact, "the spike does correspond to vaporization." There was silence in the Tower of Omens as everyone stared at the white tiger. "What?"

"Do you realize you may have just described the demise of three of the best Thundercats who ever lived?" Lion-O demanded.

The Tower fell silent as Lion-O’s statement sunk in. Although it had been in the back of their minds, no one had ever really considered the possibility that Tygra, Panthro, and Wiley Kat might actually be gone for good. A sniffle caught Cheetara’s attention. She turned and saw Wiley Kit against a wall, trying desperately to hold back tears. She moved over to the kitten and sat down next to her. "Easy now. We’ll find them," she soothed.

"How?" Kit asked quietly. "How? There’s nothing to go on besides a sensor glitch. And Bengali just said—" The kitten buried her head on Cheetara’s shoulder. "What if they really are gone?" she sobbed.

Cheetara bit her lip. That was a hard question and one they might have to answer soon. "We’ll find them," she promised. "One way or another, we’ll find out what happened."

"Cheetara?" It was Lion-O who spoke quietly. "Why don’t you take Kit somewhere in the Thundertank. Anywhere. Just get her out of the Tower. I’ll head back to Cat’s Lair in the Thunderclaw later. There’s some things I want to look at."

Cheetara nodded. "Good luck." She turned to the Thunderkitten. "Let’s go and we’ll work on the problem together. Two female heads away from all this male clutter should be able to figure things out," she added with a smile.

A snort from Bengali indicated he had heard. Pumyra slapped him. "It’s true, you know."

Kit managed a feeble smile and allowed herself to be led out of the control room. "We’ll find you, Wiley Kat," she vowed under her breath. "You’d never leave me without saying good bye."

But the faces that watched the two Thundercats leave the control room were grave.