Lynx-O listened to Lion-O’s pacing. The leader was obviously distressed. Lynx-O tried to think of things to say that would alleviate some of Lion-O’s worries, but he was trying to quell his own anxiety.

"Any suggestions?" Lion-O asked. Pumyra shrugged. Snarfer whined. Lynx-O sighed. Lion-O shook his head. "None at all?"

"Perhaps you should more clearly define our objective," Lynx-O suggested.

Lynx-O listened to the movement of Lion-O’s mane as Lion-O nodded in response. "Right," Lion-O muttered. "As I see it, our objective is to rescue Snarf without endangering anyone else in the process."

"I can point out a flaw in the plan right now," Pumyra remarked.

"Okay, without needlessly endangering anyone," Lion-O corrected. "I don’t want anything too reckless and nothing that will cause us to overreach ourselves. We’re stretched thin as it is."

No one said anything. They all sat quietly in the Tower of Omens. Lion-O continued to pace around the Braille board. It was a beautiful morning, but none of the Thundercats were aware of it.

"We could sneak in when Mumm-Ra’s sleeping," Snarfer suggested.

Lynx-O shook his head. "Too obvious. He’ll be expecting something like that."

"And he probably doesn’t have much use for sleep because he hasn’t done anything for a while," Lion-O added. The room fell silent again.

"Would he trade Snarf for something," Pumyra wondered.

"Us," Lion-O answered. "If we asked him to name a ransom, he would demand the surrender and exile of the Thundercats. Or maybe our deaths. I don’t think that’s an option."

"Could we use the Thundertank to burrow underneath the pyramid?" Snarfer asked.

"And do what?"

"Um, snarfer, snarfer, I don’t know. Weaken the foundation?"

"The point of this would be what?"

"Uh, shake Mumm-Ra up?"

"We need something more concrete than that, Snarfer," Lion-O said. "Come on Thundercats. Snarf’s in trouble and we’re just sitting here."

"What about some kind of diversion?" Pumyra said hesitantly.

"What kind?" Lynx-O asked.

Pumyra shifted uncomfortably. She didn’t like to draw attention to herself. She preferred to wait in the background. "Well, something to draw his attention away from the pyramid and guarding Snarf."

Lion-O stopped. "A diversion." He turned and faced Pumyra. A smile spread over his face. "I think I know what we need. Listen to this idea. Pumyra, you and I will attack Mumm-Ra’s pyramid. Nothing too reckless, we just need to draw him out. And once we draw him out, we need him to chase us. Snarfer, you’ll sneak into the pyramid and free Snarf after we’ve gotten Mumm-Ra out of it. Lynx-O, you’ll be waiting at the Tower of Omens to fire on him as we draw him after us."

"It will be risky for only the two of you," Lynx-O said. "Perhaps if I were also there?"

Lion-O shook his head. "No, you’ve got to be here to get Mumm-Ra off our backs as we race here. Snarfer, you’re going to want to take Snarf to Cat’s Lair. That way you won’t get caught when we force Mumm-Ra to retreat.

"Me go into that big pyramid? Alone?" Snarfer asked.

Lion-O bent down to the snarf’s level. "Are you up to it Snarfer? Because if you don’t feel like you can do it, we’ll try something else."

Snarfer raised himself up straight and tall. "A snarf can do anything," he answered. "I’ll do it."

Lion-O managed to suppress a grin. "Good. That’s the spirit. Now, when is the best time and what else can we expect? Are the mutants or Lunatacs going to be involved?"

"Not the mutants," Pumyra said confidently. "If they’ve even regrouped, they won’t be going anywhere fast."

"But the Lunatacs are a different matter," Lynx-O warned. "I wouldn’t be surprised if they were also involved in Snarf’s kidnapping."

"I guess we’ll have to deal with that when the time comes," Lion-O said.

Lynx-O punched up some scans from the Braille board. "Skytomb is in orbit right now," he observed. "And has been since two days ago after they attacked."

"What about their other vehicles? Like the Ice Runner?" Pumyra asked.

"Nothing," Lynx-O answered. "I wouldn’t be surprised if Skytomb came in for water, though. But it’s been fairly quiet."

"Then it must just be Mumm-Ra," Lion-O concluded.

"So when do we attack?" Snarfer asked, perching on his tail.

Lion-O was silent. "This evening. It will be light enough that Pumyra and I will be able to see clearly in the fight, but dark enough that Snarfer will go unnoticed if he hides well."

"It will be really dark going to Cat’s Lair, won’t it?" Snarfer murmured. "But I can do it," he finished resolutely.

"Well, if we’re all in agreement, that’s the plan. Objections?" Lion-O looked around. There were none. "Good. Lynx-O, keep a watch on Skytomb and make sure they don’t suddenly involve themselves. Snarfer, tap into the Lair’s computers and monitor the pyramid. Make sure Mumm-Ra doesn’t try anything. Pumyra, let’s check out the defenses and make sure they’ll work. Everyone, meet back here after lunch and we’ll go over the details."

"Snarf, snaaarrrfff, you’ll never get away with this," Snarf whined. His four feet were firmly chained to the base of a tall statue.

"And who’s going to stop me?" Mumm-Ra laughed. "The real question is, how much does Lion-O value your little life? Will he go after Tygra and Bengali, or does he hold his nursemaid closer to his heart?" Mumm-Ra leaned closer to Snarf, who wiggled and squirmed as he tried to get away from the disfigured mummy. "What do you think? What is your own worth? Are you truly a Thundercat, or are you merely tolerated, easily discarded, expendable?"

Snarf didn’t answer. He pulled against his chains and tried to avoid looking at Mumm-Ra. The mummy cackled at Snarf’s efforts. "Snarf, snarf, what do you want with me?"

"Haven’t you guessed? I’m going to split the Thundercats. I had hoped to postpone their mission to Lotari, but they sent some on anyway. Apparently you aren’t that valuable."

Snarf growled. "You’ll be sorry for this."

Mumm-Ra called for Ma-Mutt. He picked his pet up and began to scratch behind his ears. "Ma-Mutt, this little snarf says we’re going to be sorry. Show him what you think of that." Ma-Mutt snarled and tried to lunge at Snarf.

Snarf cowered against the wall while Mumm-Ra laughed at him. Ma-Mutt barked a warning and quieted down as Mumm-Ra continued to pet him. "The Thundercats can take you any day," Snarf whimpered.

"Can they?" Mumm-Ra appeared highly amused. "Then why are they waiting? Why are you still here? Do you want the answer? Your precious Thundercats are afraid of me." Mumm-Ra set Ma-Mutt down. Ma-Mutt continued to growl at the terrified snarf. "Just as you are afraid of my pet, they are afraid of me. Come Ma-Mutt. There is much to arrange." Mumm-Ra left Snarf cowering against the wall and set off to make preparations for the Thundercats.

Wiley Kit stretched and slumped back against the Feliner. The sun told her it was late in the afternoon. Remnants of the lunch she and Wiley Kat had shared were still scattered in the grass. "Kat, how long has it been?"

Wiley Kat’s head appeared from within the Feliner. He peered down at her. "Five hours."

"Shouldn’t they be back by now?"

Kat sighed. "Yeah. But remember what Cheetara told us. We aren’t to go anywhere."

"But she and Panthro went somewhere," Kit grumped.

"Give them time," Kat told his impatient sister. "They’ll be back. Maybe the ocelots are making some kind of official apology to Bengali and Tygra." Kat jumped out of the Feliner and landed on the soft, springy grass. "Want to play a game?" he offered.

Kit glared at him. "How can you think of playing a game when we’re stuck here on a planet that’s imprisoned two Thundercats on false charges?"

"What else are we supposed to do?" Kat demanded.

"Go after them!"

Kat shook his head. "Kit, you know that won’t work. Only ocelots are on this planet. We’d stand out like sore thumbs. Wait until Cheetara and Panthro get back."

"We’re useless on this mission," Kit complained. "We never get to do anything. We’re always the ones left behind." She picked a rock up and hurled it into the trees surrounding the Feliner.

"Yelling about it won’t do anything," Kat said trying to calm Kit down. "I’ll race you to the top of that tree over there."

Kit shook her head. "I don’t feel up to it, Kat."

Kat leaned back against the Feliner. He was also bored, but unlike Kit, he wasn’t letting it get to him. Still, there had to be something to do.

"Ho, Thunderkittens!" a voice cried out from the trees. Kit and Kat straightened up and watched Cheetara and Panthro make their way to the Feliner.

"What happened?" Kit asked. "Did you get Bengali and Tygra?"

Cheetara shook her head. "No, we didn’t. They took our log of the computer files, but said it would have to come up during the trial. Until then, Bengali and Tygra remain their prisoners."

"When’s the trial?" Kat asked.

"Four days," Panthro answered. "We’ve also made arrangements to see Tygra and Bengali tonight. You can come with us then. We tried to get their defense attorney, too, but we were told he was too busy."

"Let’s get this mess cleaned up," Cheetara said indicating the kittens’ lunch, "and then we can go visit them."

"Oh, and we brought you these," Panthro said, tossing the kittens two brown cloaks. "All the ocelots seem to wear them and since you’re small, you’ll fit right in.

"Why do we have to wear them?" Kit asked, examining hers.

"Your heritage," Cheetara explained. "You are both part-tiger. I don’t think the ocelots will recognize that right away but they might. And from what we saw in the capitol today, you don’t want to be associated with tiger clans. You’d start a riot."

"It’s that bad?" Kat asked, helping to clean up lunch.

"Worse," Panthro said. "I wouldn’t want to be Bengali or Tygra right now."

Once again, Bengali was slammed down into the steel-restraining chair. By now he was used to being thrown around and didn’t think much of it. The steel restraints locked around his wrists and forearms. He attempted to find a semi-comfortable position and watched as Tygra was shoved back into the chair, locked down, and injected with the antidote for the neural repressor. Another band was placed on his head. The gray-cloaked guards left the room. "Feeling better?" he asked Tygra.

Tygra stared at him for a minute and then seemed to comprehend. "I—uh—yeah, I am." He paused for a moment. "That’s nasty stuff," he concluded.

"I bet," Bengali sympathized. "But at least you get to pass the time without being aware that you’re passing the time."

Tygra shook his head. "I wouldn’t say that. It’s more like I’m passing the time and battling insanity. If I’m on that neural blocker much longer, I don’t know. Every moment I can’t focus on something is a moment I’m on the fringe of madness. So the whole time, it’s one big battle to find something on which to concentrate."

Bengali frowned. But he was prevented from responding when the door behind them opened. "Mandora?" Bengali asked.

"You have visitors," she said simply. "Due to their off-world nature, they are under my jurisdiction. I have arranged for them to see you." She stepped aside and allowed Cheetara, Panthro, and the cloaked Thunderkittens to enter. Bengali and Tygra stared. Four chairs were brought in and arranged around the table. Mandora retreated to a corner but made no move to leave the room.

"It’s great to see you!" Bengali exclaimed.

"What are you doing here?" Tygra asked.

"Checking up on you guys," Panthro answered.

"How are the two of you doing?" Cheetara asked as she took a seat.

"Oh, not bad," Bengali answered. "It’s gray, dull, boring, and full of guards who would rather kill us than look at us, but other than that, it’s a really nice place."

"There’s not much color in here," Wiley Kat observed lowering the hood of his cloak.

"Boy, you can say that again," Bengali began as he got ready to launch himself into his tirade. But Tygra chose this moment to interrupt.

"What are you really doing here?" he asked.

"We discovered that the Feliner’s navigational logs had been altered. They prove that the two of you

did go to New Thundera. You’re really innocent. We turned them in to the proper government authorities

this afternoon. After the trial in four days, you’ll be free to go." Panthro waited for their reaction.

Bengali and Tygra exchanged glances. "I’m afraid that might not be enough," Tygra said quietly.

"Not enough?" Kit questioned. "Why not? What else do we need?"

"They have tapes," Tygra explained. "Tapes from the security cameras around the palace where Ruler

Traun lived. Recordings from these tapes show that Bengali and I blasted our way through the outer wall,

sneaked into the ruler’s bedroom, and sneaked out again within the time in which Traun was killed. We

were shown these tapes yesterday."

"Tell them about the whip," Bengali encouraged.

Tygra nodded. "There was one thing I noticed about the tapes. After Bengali used his hammer to knock a hole in the ruler’s wall, I turned myself invisible. But I did it wrapping the whip down myself instead of letting the bolos catch the bottom and wrapping the rest of the whip above them. I don’t usually do that. In fact, it takes more energy to do it that way and I don’t disappear like I normally do. On camera I do, but to the observer, I fade out. It’s a trick of light that a camera sees through but eyes don’t. But none of that really matters. What matters, is that if I had done that with the intention of sneaking past guards, I wouldn’t have wasted the effort to fade out instead of disappear."

"So the tapes are wrong," Cheetara said.

"Of course they’re wrong," Bengali confirmed. "This is the first time we’ve been on Lotari."

"Tygra, what’s on your head?" Wiley Kat interrupted.

Tygra glanced up. "Oh, that? It’s to make sure I don’t create any illusions."

"What happens if you do?" Kit wondered.

"I have been told that the chair will stun me and inject me with a neural blocker."

"They don’t take any chances, do they," Panthro grumbled.

Cheetara tried to get the conversation back to the tapes. "How do we go about proving their evidence is false?"

"I don’t know," Tygra answered. "I guess you could try and find the real tapes of what happened that night. But I’m not sure how you’d go about doing that."

"We’ll find a way," Panthro promised.

Cheetara caught Mandora motioning with her hand. "I think we have to go now. They didn’t want to give us too much time with you. We’re lucky we got what we did. We’ll try and get back in tomorrow. Anything we can get you?"

"I don’t think they’ll let you get anything for us," Bengali pouted. "You should see what kind of observation we’re under. It’s incredible."

"Don’t get yourselves into any trouble," Cheetara warned as she stood.

"I think we’re in as deep as you can get," Tygra retorted.

Panthro and the Thunderkittens also stood. "We’ll check and see how the evidence is building. Let us know if there’s anything we can do for you."

Mandora pushed the door open and escorted the Thundercats out. "That’s good news at least," Bengali said.

"How much of a good thing can we take?" Tygra muttered sarcastically.

"You know, you’re almost as bad off the drug as you are on the drug. Try and be hopeful," Bengali suggested. "Take a look at the bright side."

Tygra looked at him. "And that would be?"

Bengali shrugged. "It’s a lighter gray in here than in the cell. You wouldn’t know that, but for me it’s a change of scenery. And the guards haven’t come back yet. So you’re still aware of your surroundings. That’s good."

"I wonder where they are?" Tygra mused.

As if on cue, the door opened behind them. But instead of gray-cloaked guards, Justry entered. "Good evening," he addressed them.

"Anything new?" Bengali asked.

Justry shook his head. "I went over the security tapes slowly. You seem to be right. Things are a little choppy and look as though they’ve been put together. But you can also blame that on the camera quality. There’s no real evidence there. So far, the only thing in your defense is your insistence that you were on New Thundera. And we still can’t prove that."

Tygra and Bengali looked at him in surprise. "But the Feliner’s records had been altered. We can prove that now. Didn’t the Thundercats give them to you?" Tygra asked.

Justry scratched his head. "Where is this coming from? I haven’t gotten anything new."

"Four additional Thundercats are here on Lotari," Bengali explained. "They’ve managed to prove that the navigational logs had been changed. We were really on New Thundera."

"I haven’t seen anything like that," Justry confessed.

"Maybe you’ll get it tomorrow," Tygra suggested.

Justry shook his head. "If your friends landed on Lotari, they got past our orbiting defensive satellites. Which means they had clearance. And to get clearance, they had to state their purpose. If they did that, then I should have gotten the evidence. Because I’ve got memos out requesting all evidence that comes in. Do you know what they did with the logs?"

Bengali thought. "They didn’t really say."

"Something about turning them in to the proper government authorities," Tygra added.

"Odd." Justry thought for a moment. "Maybe the prosecution has them. I’ll check. And it’s funny. I haven’t even heard your friends are here. They’re more testimonies we can call upon. They may not be exactly what we need, but in your case, anything helps."

"Mandora will probably know how to contact them," Bengali said.

Justry nodded. "I’m going to have to do that. You’ll excuse me if I leave right now? I think it would be better if we all met in the morning. Apparently, we now have more to go on."

During the night, Panthro was awakened by some rather odd sounds. He poked his head out of his portable sleeper and looked around. A dark shadow passed between him and one of Lotari’s two moons. Another one followed. "Those better not be bats," he muttered to himself. He lay quiet for a moment and then heard hushed voices on the edge of the clearing in which they’d parked the Feliner. "Those are definitely not bats," he concluded. Silently, he slipped out of the sleeper and stole to the edge of the clearing. He crouched and tried to make out the voices he heard.

"Should they be told?"

"They can find out in the morning. Let them sleep."

"Suppose they’ve posted a watch."

Panthro looked around. He wondered where the watch was. It should be Wiley Kat. Looking around, he spied Kat leaning against one leg of the Feliner fast asleep. That kitten needed a talking to. He turned back to the voices. Though he could hear them, he still couldn’t see them. With both moons in the sky, it was light enough that they should have been visible. But he remembered Lynx-O saying something about stealth and ocelots. He crept closer.

A tap on the shoulder caused him to jump and spin. At first, he still couldn’t see. But then a deep laugh in the darkness identified the source. "Some guards you are on this side," the deep voice called out. "This Thunderan almost got behind you."

"Who’s there?" Panthro demanded. There was movement behind him and he wheeled around, trying to track it. Finally, part of the shadows seemed to separate and come forward.

"Back in the clearing, Thunderan," another voice hissed. Panthro backed up, trying to get a better view of his opponent.

"What’s going on?" Panthro asked.

"You’re being held in protective custody," a silky voice whispered. Something in the back of Panthro’s mind clicked. He’d heard that voice before. But he couldn’t identify it. "Please cooperate. All will be explained in the morning." Another shadow passed overhead. Panthro recognized it as one of the government’s planes he and Cheetara had seen that day.

"I think I want answers now," he growled.

One of the shadows stepped into the moonlit clearing. The shadow lowered her hood. "Do you recognize me, Panthro?" the silky voice asked.

"Celotta? What’s going on?"

"The people are growing restless. We fear for your safety," Celotta explained.

"We can handle any problems ourselves," Panthro told her.

"Can you handle an entire city of blood-thirsty ocelots attacking your camp, catching you off guard, and fighting with the skills all ocelots learn from a very early stage?" Celotta retorted. "I don’t think so. So we are providing you with protection."

"So you’re our jailers."

Celotta’s eyes grew cold. "Do you think this is easy? My people are clamoring for vengeance. My cousin is dead. Your friends are at fault. The tigers have restarted a feud that ended generations ago. I’m protecting my cousin’s murderers. I’m ensuring that they have a fair trial. And I’m ensuring that my people don’t turn on you for retribution. My people could easily turn on me, next."

Panthro listened to this tirade and then asked, "Are we allowed to move about freely?"

Celotta stared at him. "Have you heard a word I’ve said?"

"We told Tygra and Bengali that we’d visit them tomorrow morning," Panthro explained.

Celotta moved closer to the large panther. Her green eyes shone in the moonlight. "Do you want to invite the wrath of the ocelots," she hissed. "If they see you associating with the condemned ones, you’ll stand condemned in their minds, too."

"What about an armed escort?" Panthro reasoned. "That would ensure our protection."

Celotta’s eyes narrowed. "Very well. You will have your armed escort. But it will only be a short visit. And then you will be held here in the clearing until the trial. We will provide you with food and drink. I will not allow my people to be drawn into another blood feud. Please understand why I’m doing this."

Panthro nodded. "I understand, Celotta. Thank you for honoring our request." Panthro turned to return to his sleeper. When he glanced back, he could see only moonlight.

"There was nothing?" Tygra demanded. He and Bengali were back in the prison’s conference room. Justry sat across from them shaking his head.

"Nothing. I was told that the evidence had been thoroughly examined and found to be falsified. It will not be admitted in court." Justry’s green eyes closed as he leaned back in his chair.

"There has to be something we can get a hold of," Bengali insisted. "The Thundercats wouldn’t have come all this way from New Thundera with falsified evidence."

Justry leaned forward. "I know they wouldn’t. That’s what bothers me. Among other things, my family has always kept with the tradition of honoring the Code of Thundera. I had ancestors who were Thundercats. I can not find it in my heart to believe that the Thundercats have regressed. I know they would bring good evidence."

"Have you talked to the other Thundercats?" Bengali asked.

"No, I wasn’t allowed. I was told they are now in protective custody."

Tygra was puzzling over something. "Justry, you said you had ancestors among the Thundercats and honor the Code of Thundera." Justry nodded. Tygra continued. "Then why do you still have such a hard time believing we’re innocent when we are also Thundercats?"

Justry gave them a thin smile. "Can I be blunt?"

"Please do," Tygra replied.

"Because you are tigers. And tigers, especially red tigers but also white, are known for their treachery and deceit. It was Clawtel’s ambition and jealousy of Junglan that began the feud. It was Coldpaw’s deception that severed the ocelots and Spotrol. Clawtel was a Thundercat. Coldpaw was also a Thundercat before he left their ranks and returned to make war on the ocelots. Tell me then, why should I trust the two of you when the beginning and end of our wars came from tiger Thundercats?"

"Now wait a minute," Bengali interrupted. During the night, he had convinced a guard to get him a recording of the history of the ocelots and he had learned about the war between the ocelots and the tigers. "I may not be a scholar on this issue, but I could tell that Clawtel was acting only to protect the life of Leon and it’s my opinion that Junglan was a little out of his head anyway."

Justry’s eyes hardened. "I thought you didn’t know anything about the war."

"I didn’t until last night," Bengali responded. "One of the guards brought me tapes." Bengali turned to Tygra. "If you had been in Clawtel’s position, what would you have done?"

Tygra thought for a moment. "I don’t know," he confessed. "If it was Lion-O I was trying to protect and I couldn’t stop someone from coming, I wouldn’t hesitate to use my mind powers. But I’m not sure what I would do with them. I would probably do what Clawtel did. I would turn their fears against them and hope that would be enough. It’s dangerous to both them and me to do much more."

"Why?" Justry pressed. "Why wouldn’t you just lead them away with illusions?"

"Because that’s only a short-term solution," Tygra answered. "And it’s draining. After using the energy, I would have to recuperate. If this person returned, I would be unable to repeat it. The person I was protecting would be killed. By turning their fears and insecurities against them, I frighten them badly enough that they take a few days recovering from it. Most people who attack like Junglan did can’t overcome their fears when directly confronted with them. So it would be a more effective solution. There are other things I could do, but I wouldn’t. It would endanger my mind and theirs."

"But merely showing them a vivid representation of their worst nightmares doesn’t in anyway endanger their mind," Justry observed tartly.

Tygra bristled a little. "It does. I didn’t say otherwise. But that would be the next best alternative to illusions. And I already explained why illusions wouldn’t have worked."

Bengali decided to break in. "Justry, how’s our defense looking?"

Justry continued to glare at Tygra, but he did answer Bengali’s question. "Minimal. I can probably get the Thundercats to testify in your behalf, but that doesn’t mean a whole lot. There are also eyewitnesses that swore they saw you leaving the palace that night. Their word will be valued more than the word of the Thundercats. Against the tapes, we have nothing except Tygra’s insistence that he wouldn’t have used his whip the way he did. And we have the tradition of the Thundercats that says you would not have murdered in cold blood. But as I’ve already explained, Thundercat tigers don’t count for much here."

"Oh," was all Bengali could think to say.

There was an awkward silence. "Justry, I can’t change what’s happened or your opinions of us," Tygra said finally. "But I can tell you this. We are innocent. And if we die, we die innocent. And I respect you for attempting to defend us even when you believe the contrary. You would have made your Thundercat ancestors proud."

Justry stared at Tygra. He was saved from answering by the timely appearance of a guard who motioned Justry to the door. There was a hushed conversation and Justry turned back to the two tigers. "I’m being ordered out. Apparently, your friends are back to see you. I will return later this afternoon." He paused. "And I will think about what you said, Tygra." With that, he was gone.

A few minutes passed and Panthro, Cheetara, and the Thunderkittens trooped through the door. "Have a good night?" Cheetara asked.

"Oh, wonderful. And you?" Bengali responded.

"Not bad," she answered. "We’re under house arrest."

"We heard," Tygra said. "Any particular reason why?"

Cheetara looked over at Panthro who stirred. "Well, they woke me up last night accidentally. And I found Celotta in charge of the whole thing. She explained to me that the ocelots were going to attack us and the military was protecting us before the trial. It took some convincing for me to get us in here this morning. I’m afraid this is our last outing."

"I hope we’re allowed to see you before we die," Tygra remarked.

"You’re not going to die," Wiley Kat argued. "We’re going to get you out of this mess."

"Yeah," Kit echoed. "The evidence we brought from the Feliner should convince the ocelots that the two of you are harmless as kittens."

"It’s not going to be shown," Bengali grumbled bitterly.

"What?" the other Thundercats chorused.

"According to Justry, he’s our defense at the trial, the logs you gave them were falsified. And so they’re not going to be admitted as evidence."

"Falsified!" Panthro exploded. "There’s no way they could be falsified. They can verify the Feliner’s memory banks themselves, if they want to."

"Justry tried all last night to get a hold of them, and that’s what he was eventually told," Tygra explained. "That’s all we know."

"I don’t understand," Cheetara murmured. "My dream—" She paused. She hadn’t intended to speak out loud.

"Your dream?" Tygra prompted.

Cheetara hesitated, but the other Thundercats were looking at her encouragingly. "Well," she started, "the night after you two were taken away, I kept having this dream. It was a horrible nightmare. You die in the dream. But you die because we can’t get the evidence there on time. And then the rest of us die. And the real murderer is laughing at me because all I try is fruitless. They’re all laughing at me. And no one believes us. And you call out to me to help, but I can’t. Because they won’t let me go to you. And they won’t believe me when I tell them you’re innocent. I was sure it was a call to get the evidence here. Now I’m not so sure."

"Maybe it was just a vision of the inevitable," Bengali said softly.

Panthro slammed his fist down on the table. "I will not accept that. The future is not preset. We set it ourselves. And we will set this right."

"We’ll get you out of here," Wiley Kit vowed.

"Count on it," Kat promised.

A guard poked his head through the door. "Ready?" he asked.

"A few more minutes," Cheetara answered. The guard grumbled something and closed the door.

"If you aren’t allowed back to see us and things don’t turn out right," Bengali said, "would you tell the others good bye for me?"

"No," Cheetara said shortly. "Because that’s not going to happen."

"And if it does?" Tygra asked quietly.

Panthro looked the tiger in the eye. "If it does, Tygra, I will personally rip the ocelot society apart until I find those who framed you."

"Promise me something," Tygra requested.

"What?"

"Go back to Third Earth and leave the ocelots alone. Don’t get any more Thundercats involved in this feud. It’s gone on long enough. Maybe our deaths will satisfy it."

The other Thundercats stared at Tygra. Bengali cleared his throat. "That goes for me as well. Don’t get involved. Consider this our last request."

Cheetara’s throat constricted. She knew that Tygra and Bengali were more familiar with the situation than she was. And if they didn’t have any hope, what hope did she have? "All right," she whispered. "If worst comes to worst, we’ll leave Lotari. But we will still search for the real people behind this."

The guard poked his head in again. "Now," he ordered.

Panthro clapped a hand on the tigers’ shoulders. "See you at the trial," he said. He and the others left

the room.

"We’ve got to escape," Bengali whispered.

Tygra looked at him. "Say that again and then tell me how."

"We’ve got to escape," Bengali repeated. "But not now. We’ll incriminate the others. We’ll wait until Justry comes this afternoon. I have a plan."

"I’ll bet you do," Tygra muttered as he heard the guards coming down the hall. "It had better be a good one."

Bengali grinned at him. The guards entered. A needle glistened as it was placed on Tygra’s forearm. The last thing Tygra heard before he was banished back to his swirling madness was "It is."

"Pssst!" Wiley Kit looked up from her lunch. Wiley Kat was motioning to her from inside the Feliner. She looked back at Panthro and Cheetara. Panthro was still eating and Cheetara was taking a nap in the midday sun. Quietly, she got up and started to the Feliner.

"Finished with lunch?" Panthro called.

"Um, no, I just have to use the little kitten’s room," she quickly explained. She raced into the Feliner. "What is it, Kat?"

"Do you still have your brown cloak?" he asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Get it ready. We’re going to rescue Bengali and Tygra."

Kit stared at him. Usually, she came up with the insane ideas. "Are you out of your Thunderan mind? How are we going to do that?"

"I’ve been using the Feliner’s scanners. There’s a gap in the guards directly south of us. If we can get back there, we can get out of here."

"Okay, genius, and how are we going to do that?"

Kat scratched his head. "I was going to leave that up to you."

Kit sighed. "How big of a gap?"

"About ten yards."

"You call that a gap?"

"It’s heavy forest," Kat explained. "In this kind of foliage, five yards is a virtual mile."

Kit groaned. "Okay, how far into the forest are they?"

"Back about twenty yards."

Kit thought for a moment. "Remember yesterday when you offered to race me up a tree? I’ll take you up on that offer."

Kat grinned. "I get it, sis. You’re on."

"Fold up your cloak and hide it somewhere," Kit warned.

Kat looked around. "Where?"

"I don’t know, stuff it down your tunic," she suggested, folding stuffing her own down the front of her dress.

"You look a little fatter than you usually do," Kat warned. But he followed her example.

"Hopefully, they won’t be able to tell from where they’re standing." She went to her drawer in the Feliner and pulled out a pouch of marbles. Kat already had his. Now they were ready.

She and Kat wandered out the back of the Feliner. Panthro had finished lunch and was tidying up. He looked up as they emerged. "You going to finish your lunch, Kit?"

"Actually, I think I’m full. Sorry."

Panthro shrugged. "No big deal. We’ll save it for dinner. What are you two up to?"

"Tree climbing," Wiley Kat answered. "Ready Kit?"

Panthro laughed. "Sure thing. Ready, set, go!" He watched the two Thunderkittens race toward the southern edge of the clearing. Had he not been so worried, he might have even joined them. But his thoughts kept straying back to Tygra and Bengali. He wished he could be as carefree as the Thunderkittens.

In reality, the Thunderkittens were anything but carefree at the moment. Both were high up in tall trees bordering on the meadow. Kat looked over to Kit. Over there, he mouthed at her and jerked his head. She looked in the direction of his jerk and nodded. She pointed to a tree with a very dense top and started climbing toward it. Kat followed her lead. Soon both were out of sight from the ground and huddling in the top of the tree.

"Now what?" Kit whispered.

Kat looked back. He could barely make out the Feliner through the thick branches. He checked the position of the sun for direction. "Right through there is where the gap is," he hissed.

Kit studied the layout of the ground beneath them. ‘There’s a guard," she whispered to Kat.

"I see him. The gap is to his left, then. Treetops or ground?"

"The problem with the ground is getting to it," Kit murmured. "I think we’re safer if we stay in the trees."

"But they’ll be watching for us up here. We’re going to have to be extra careful."

Kit nodded in agreement. "Let’s follow the line of that branch," she said pointing. "It’s pretty thick and should hide us."

Kat gave her hand a squeeze. "Here we go." He crawled out along the branch. Kit followed behind him.

Near the end of the branch, Kat spied a branch from a different tree, also thick with branches. He paused and gathered himself for the leap. Looking down, he could barely make out the guard Kit had seen early. He wasn’t looking in their direction. Kat quickly leaped and held on as the branch began to bounce. When it stopped swaying, he regained his balance and climbed to the center of the tree. He looked back and watched Kit repeat the maneuver. She joined him. They studied their next move.

Slowly working this way, the two kittens were able to slip between the gap in the guards and eventually drop to the ground a good fifty yards outside the ring of soldiers. They pulled out their brown cloaks and slipped them on. "Now where?" Kit asked.

"East," Wiley Kat answered. "We should reach the city by mid-afternoon. And we’ll get inside the prison from there."

"Do you have an idea for getting them out once we’re in there?"

Kat smiled at her. "Let’s just make this up as we go along."

Dark clouds loomed ominously overhead. Snarfer waited cautiously out of sight as Pumyra and Lion-O approached the dark pyramid. The air was completely still. That was part of the reason Snarfer was so nervous. If Mumm-Ra had started a lightning storm or leaped out of the pyramid as Mumm-Ra the Ever-living, it wouldn’t have been so bad. He could have handled that. But where nothing was moving and who knew what to expect, it was much worse. He shivered.

Pumyra looked over her shoulder. The stillness was beginning to get to her, too. Nothing moved behind them or before them. It was completely quiet. She accidentally bumped into Lion-O, startling them both. "I guess I’m not the only one who’s jumpy," she whispered. Lion-O nodded but didn’t say anything. He was watching the pyramid.

A rumble beneath the ground sent both Pumyra and Lion-O into defensive crouches. But it died down as soon as it began. "Would he be sleeping?" Lion-O murmured.

Pumyra shrugged. "I guess there’s only one way to find out," she whispered back.

Sword extended, Lion-O edged toward the pyramid. Nothing. Pumyra caught up with him. Nothing. The two crossed the threshold and began walking down the dark corridors. Still nothing. They silently crept into the entrance of the main room. Nothing. The four statues were silent. The cauldron was still. Mumm-Ra’s sarcophagus stood closed. "Nothing," Lion-O muttered. His whisper fell dead in the still room. He turned and looked at Pumyra.

The cauldron suddenly erupted behind him and a waiting shadow dropped from the ceiling. "So good of you to visit, Thundercats," Mumm-Ra laughed. "You don’t come over often enough." Both Pumyra and Lion-O were taken completely by surprise and were scrambling for defensive positions. Pumyra’s agility saved her from some errant lightning bolts Mumm-Ra was giving off. The Sword of Omens deflected a few more before Lion-O had even realized they were being fired upon. "Snarf was getting lonely," Mumm-Ra continued. "I thought I’d find some friends to cheer him up. And then you come over. I couldn’t have asked for more." The Sword of Plun-Darr appeared in his hand and he advanced on the two Thundercats.

Lion-O and Pumyra had gotten over their initial surprise and were now positioned in front of the exit. "Make it look convincing," Lion-O hissed through clenched teeth. Pumyra nodded an understanding. "Where’s Snarf?" Lion-O demanded.

"Where do you think he is, Thundercat?"

Lion-O growled. "If you’ve done anything to him, mummy, I’ll—"

"You’ll what?" Mumm-Ra asked. Flashes flew from the Sword of Plun-Darr. Pumyra flipped out of the way as Lion-O leaped back a few paces.

"This time you’ve gone too far," Pumyra snarled. She loosed her sling, and Mumm-Ra was surrounded by exploding pellets.

"Your puny tricks are no match for me," the mummy scoffed. The Sword of Plun-Darr neatly deflected Pumyra’s shots. "Try some of your own medicine, puma." A stream of fire lanced from his finger. Pumyra quickly leaped out of the way, rebounding off the wall and landing further down the corridor that led out.

"Ho!" Lion-O shouted, bracing himself as the Sword of Omens lashed out with its own power. But Mumm-Ra deflected it and Lion-O was forced backwards. Mumm-Ra followed the two retreating Thundercats. "Let’s take this outside," Lion-O shouted, starting down the hallway.

Snarfer watched as lightning began to crackle from the pillars surrounding the pyramid. Moments later, Pumyra and Lion-O emerged. Mumm-Ra was soon to follow. Snarfer cowered deeper in his hiding place, trying to stay out of sight. The entire plan resided on him making it inside the pyramid undetected.

"Very nice," Mumm-Ra said as Pumyra’s acrobatics helped her dodge another shot. "But not nice enough." He let loose a stream of light that caught Pumyra in mid-leap and froze her there.

"Pumyra!" Lion-O yelled. "Ho!" The Sword of Omens shot forth a counter-light and the Cat’s signal hit the clouds above. The two sorceries negated each other and Pumyra dropped to the ground, dazed. Mumm-Ra took advantage of this and unleashed more fire. This time, Pumyra was not able to get out of the way.

Lion-O raced to her side. Mumm-Ra cackled merrily from his vantagepoint. "Are you okay?" Lion-O asked, helping her to sit.

She groaned. "Lion-O? What happened?"

Lion-O looked at Mumm-Ra who was raising his hands for another assault. He quickly shot out with the Sword. "Ho!" The blast caught Mumm-Ra by surprise. "I’d say this gives us a pretty good excuse to get out of here," he told Pumyra. "Let’s go." Scooping Pumyra up, Lion-O raced for the Thundertank, which had brought them there. Mumm-Ra chased after them.

Snarfer crept out from behind his outcropping of rock. "Now or never," he vowed. He left the spaceboard he’d brought with him and made a dash for the pyramid. "Uncle Osbert? I mean, Uncle Snarf?" Snarfer skittered down the dark halls nervously. "Uncle Snarf?" He found his way into the main room. The cauldron bubbled uneasily. Snarfer paused for a minute. "If I was Mumm-Ra, where would I put Uncle Snarf?" He looked around. "The sarcophagus, yep. That’s where I’d put him, snarfer, snarfer." Snarf dashed over and pulled the sarcophagus open. The lid fell over with a clang. It was empty.

Snarfer backed up, trying to think. Where could Snarf be? A sudden weight shoved him forward. He rolled and looked up to see Ma-Mutt’s fangs right in his face. The dog snarled. Acting out of pure fright and surprise, Snarfer lashed back, giving Ma-Mutt a good bop on the nose. The dog jumped back, whining. Snarfer leaped up to face him. "Go away, Ma-Mutt. Get out of here. You can’t take me."

Unfortunately for Snarfer, Ma-Mutt decided to call his bluff. The snarf leaped out of the way as Ma-Mutt jumped for him, missing by inches. The dog pivoted as he landed and leaped again, knocking Snarfer to the ground. The canine loomed over the terrified Snarf, his jowls quivering with snarls and growls. "You know," Snarfer whined, "we snarfs don’t taste very good. Nope, we’re pretty disgusting, snarfer, snarfer." Ma-Mutt gave him a good sniff and started to drool.

Snarfer had to act fast, but he was frozen. And then he remembered something. Before he left, Pumyra had handed him something, telling him to put it in his utility belt. While trying to keep Ma-Mutt’s head back with one hand, he groped for it with the other. Finding it, he reached inside and felt something round and smooth. A pellet. Pumyra had given him a pellet. He took a deep breath and cracked the pellet open on the ground next to him. A flash of blinding light was followed by a cloud of yellow smoke. Ma-Mutt jumped back in surprise and sniffed it. And almost immediately, he fainted.

Snarfer had held his breath the moment he saw the smoke. The smoke dissipated quickly and Snarfer gave Ma-Mutt a nudge. The dog was out cold. Feeling a little more relaxed, Snarfer once again took up the search for Snarf.

The Thundertank careened wildly across the rough terrain with Mumm-Ra just behind. Pumyra’s head was beginning to clear, but she was still a little shaky. Lion-O could hear Mumm-Ra laughing behind them. He hoped Lynx-O had the Tower ready, because they were going to need it.

A cough in the engine caught his attention. He checked a few gauges and groaned. "Oh no, not now. Not this!"

Pumyra leaned forward. "What is it? What’s wrong?" A few blasts from Mumm-Ra flickered overhead.

"Didn’t you say we had enough Thundrillium in the Tank?"

Pumyra looked up in surprise. "No, I said I’m not sure and asked if I should check on it."

Lion-O turned the Tank sharply, avoiding another series of blasts. "Well, consider it checked on. We don’t have enough."

"You’re kidding."

"Would I kid you at a time like this?"

Another series of blasts hissed by. The Tank’s engine coughed again. "How far are we from the Tower?" Pumyra asked. She clutched her seat as the Tank hit another series of bumps at high speed.

"Too far," Lion-O said between clenched teeth. The Tank’s engine sputtered again. Pumyra could hear it beginning to wind down. "I think we have a serious problem," Lion-O muttered.

Pumyra slipped her belt off and quickly converted it to a sling. And then the engine coughed, sputtered, whined, and shut down. The Tank started to slow. "Call Lynx-O," Lion-O ordered as he yanked out the Sword of Omens and jumped out of the Thundertank.

"So Lion-O. You aren’t such a coward after all," Mumm-Ra taunted.

"At least I’m brave enough that I don’t have to call on ancient ghosts to make me stronger," Lion-O replied. Mumm-Ra let out an angry yell and charged the Thundercat. The Sword of Plun-Darr and the Sword of Omens met

"You’re only making this harder on yourself," Mumm-Ra hissed as the two pushed back and forth on the Swords. "Give up now. I may spare you a painful demise."

"How thoughtful," Lion-O quipped.

"Suit yourself," Mumm-Ra responded. The Sword of Plun-Darr began to glow and a wave of heat forced Lion-O back. Lion-O began to gasp for breath. "You always were the stupid one."

"Lion-O!" Pumyra let loose a flurry of marbles. "Get out of there!"

Taken by surprise, Mumm-Ra was forced away from Lion-O. Lion-O heaved himself to his feet and staggered back to Pumyra. "Let’s get out of here," he croaked, forcing air back into his lungs.

The two began to run, but Mumm-Ra wasn’t far behind them. The only things keeping him at bay were Pumyra’s marbles and the Sword of Omens. But Pumyra was running out of ammunition and the Tower was still far away.

Mumm-Ra hurled his sword at them. Glancing back, Lion-O barely managed to see it in time. "Pumyra! Down!" Lion-O flung himself to the ground, pulling the puma with him. The spinning sword flew by overhead and turned around, coming back. "Ho!" The Sword of Omens erected an energy shield. The Sword of Plun-Darr glanced harmlessly off this shield. But Mumm-Ra had caught up with them. He stood between them and the Tower.

"So Thundercats," Mumm-Ra laughed. "Do I finish you together or one at a time?" He raised his hand and the Sword of Plun-Darr flew into it.

Lion-O stood slowly. "Don’t look now, Mumm-Ra, but I think our way out is coming behind you."

Mumm-Ra laughed. "What kind of a fool do I look like? Do you want me to casually turn my back on you, Lion-O? I don’t think so." A sudden laser blast forced him to the ground.

Lion-O grabbed Pumyra and started to run again. "Maybe you should have," he called over his shoulder. The waiting Thunderclaw hovered inches off the ground. He and Pumyra leaped on and took off. "Thanks Lynx-O," Lion-O radioed.

"My pleasure," the old Thundercat responded. "But you’d better hurry. According to the Braille board, Mumm-Ra is right on your tail."

This was not an exaggeration. Mumm-Ra was whipping after them and to Pumyra’s eyes, he was starting to gain ground. "We’re going to have to turn and fight him," she yelled over the roaring wind.

"We can’t," Lion-O answered. "The Thunderclaw doesn’t have the ability. We have to reach the Tower and hope its defenses are enough."

"The Tower can’t open fire on Mumm-Ra if he’s this close behind us," Pumyra shouted back. "He’s too close. They’ll hit us."

This was something Lion-O hadn’t considered. But if Mumm-Ra followed them in as closely as he was doing, Lynx-O wouldn’t have a chance to fire at Mumm-Ra. The Thunderclaw would be in the way. Lion-O started a series of evasive maneuvers as the Tower grew closer on the horizon. Hopefully, one of these moves would put Mumm-Ra in the clear and give the Tower a chance to knock him out of the fight. But Mumm-Ra had caught on. No longer wasting his energy on trying to shoot down the Thunderclaw, he was concentrating on merely following it. By staying behind it, Lynx-O wasn’t given the opportunity to fire.

Zipping in close to the ground, Lion-O increased their speed. Mumm-Ra followed. The Tower was coming in fast. If they got much closer, they would be too close for the lasers to turn on Mumm-Ra. Lion-O suddenly veered off and started a wide circle around the Tower. Mumm-Ra was forced to fly a larger circle. He couldn’t keep up and the Tower finally had a chance to shoot. But Mumm-Ra had anticipated this and suddenly rolled inward. Before the lasers could compensate, he had gotten in so close that they couldn’t fire. Waving cheerfully to Pumyra and Lion-O as they watched in horror, he beat the door down and disappeared inside.

"That was not part of the plan, was it?" Pumyra asked as she jumped off the Thunderclaw. Lion-O quickly settled it and raced inside the Tower of Omens.

"Nope. Let’s get to the top."

They entered the main control room just in time to see Lynx-O deflect a blast from the Sword of Plun-Darr with his light shield. "Oh, so there you are," Mumm-Ra called. "You left so soon, I decided to pay you all a visit."

Pumyra’s pellets hit the floor, and Mumm-Ra was momentarily blinded by the sudden flash of light. This gave Lynx-O a chance to move in. But Mumm-Ra was faster than expected and caught the Thundercat with the flat of his blade. Lynx-O went skidding over the floor.

Pumyra rushed to help him. That had been the last of her pellets. Lion-O engaged Mumm-Ra with the Sword of Omens, but in a surprise move, Mumm-Ra retreated before the lion and leaped to the side. Lion-O’s blade sliced through empty air and while his swing had him off-balance, the Sword of Plun-Darr leaped out and sent the Sword of Omens spinning across the floor. Lion-O jumped to grab it, but Mumm-Ra stopped him. The mummy’s retreat had also enabled him to scoop up Pumyra.

"Call it, Lion-O," he hissed. "Call the Sword. Do it, and Pumyra will surely die." Pumyra was writhing as the mummy’s hand clasped her throat in an iron grip. Her breath was going fast. "You don’t dare? How noble."

Lion-O was frozen. If he made any move toward the Sword, he knew Pumyra was done for. There had to be another way out. "What do you want?" he growled.

Mumm-Ra backed up a step and kicked the unconscious Lynx-O out of the way. "Move away from the Sword, Lion-O. Toward the screen. That’s it. Good kitty."

"You’ll kill her anyway," Lion-O snarled, but he continued moving toward the viewing screen.

"Maybe," Mumm-Ra smirked. "But the possibility I may not is preventing you from acting." Mumm-Ra, keeping a firm grasp on Pumyra who had passed out at this point, moved over to the Sword of Omens and picked it up.

"Now what happens?"

Mumm-Ra smiled at Lion-O and raised the Sword of Plun-Darr. "Now, you die."

"Freeze," Kit hissed. In their alley near the prison block, Kit and Kat hid motionless as a trio of guards walked home after work.

"This is never going to work," Kat moaned.

Kit glared at him. "This was your idea in the first place. You’d better make it work."

"If we’re caught, it won’t take them long to see that we’re at least part-tiger. What are we going to do then?"

"We’ll just have to make sure we aren’t caught." Kit peered around a corner. "Okay, I see two smaller guards coming this way. We can snatch their uniforms and report in for duty."

Kat pulled a few sleeping pellets from his bag. "Do you want me to be bait or do you want to do it?"

"I’ll do it," Kit volunteered. She crouched in the shadows and waited. The two guards walked past and Kit slipped out behind them. Kat slid to the edge of the alley and waited. Presently he could hear shouts of thievery and then the sound of running feet. "Now!" Kat heard Wiley Kit shout.

Kat threw his pellets to the ground and leaped back. Kit dashed right through them, holding her breath. The two guards behind her entered the smoke, coughed, wobbled, and toppled over. The Thunderkittens waited until the smoke had vanished before advancing on the guards. "So far so good," Kat commented.

"Now we just have to figure out what the protocol is when we get inside," Kit said.

Kat slipped one of the guard uniforms over his head. The big gray cloak felt awkward, but he made it fit. Going over the guard, he discovered a stun gun, an Electro-rod, and some sort of small laser cannon. He clipped the weapons on his belt. Wiley Kit had done the same and the two were ready. "We’re going to have to keep our faces down," Kat warned.

Kit nodded in agreement. "Let’s go."

The kittens quickly made their way to the main entrance of the prison and lined up behind some other guards who were also reporting for duty. The line went quickly and the ocelot guards in front of Kat were soon passing the gate. Kat heard one of them whisper the name Spotrol. The gate guard nodded and pointed in a direction. Kat decided this was probably a security check for the guards. As he went passed, he said, "Spotrol." But he did it loud enough that Kit could hear him.

"Shhh!" The guard at the gate hissed. "Are you trying to get us in trouble?"

Kat froze and wondered what he had just done. "I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—"

"New recruit, aren’t you?" the guard whispered. Kat nodded. "Understandable. Just don’t do it again. Not all the guards are part of it. We don’t want to attract any attention, especially now. That way," he finished, pointing with his finger.

Kat started off the direction the guard had indicated. Behind him, he could hear Kit whisper something and assumed she had followed his example. He slowed his step and waited for her to catch up. "What was that all about?" she asked.

Kat shook his head and realized that with his hood down, Kit wouldn’t be able to see the motion. "I don’t know," he said. "The guard in front of me said it and I assumed it was some kind of password or something. So I said it loud enough for you to hear."

"I’m guessing it wasn’t quite that. Which way now?"

A gray shadow suddenly appeared behind them and an ocelot leaned close to their heads. "New, aren’t you?" Kat decided that truth would be safe in this case and answered in the affirmative. "I thought so," the stranger continued. "Remember to keep your hoods pulled down. We can’t afford to have anyone recognize any of us. Follow me. We’ll let you escort them to their prison cells. We’ve been rotating so that all can feel a taste of the vengeance that will come." The guard pushed ahead of them and Kit and Kat quickly followed him.

They followed him through a long series of hallways and corridors. Kit couldn’t help but sense that things were beginning to look a little familiar. She kept her eyes peeled. And then they came to a hallway with only one door at the end. Four other guards were waiting outside the door. "Wait here," the stranger instructed. "Those four will administer the mind blocker and chain them up. When they exit, you will accompany them. After that, report back to the main block for regular assignment." The guard that had led them there then vanished back down the corridor. Kit felt Kat tug at her sleeve. She leaned his way.

"It’s the conference room!" he hissed excitedly. "That’s the room we met Bengali and Tygra in. They might be in there!"

Kit looked again and saw that he was right. She examined the other guards that were waiting. They looked larger than most ocelots they had seen. She was grateful for the bag of pellets around her waist. "Should we wait?"

"Yeah," Kat whispered. "Let’s make sure that’s them in the room. And if it is, you can call us the luckiest Thunderans in the world."

"I’ll save that until after we find out way out of here," Kit retorted.

"Counting today, there are three days left before the trial and I don’t see any way out of it," Justry concluded. "Even though you still claim innocence, I think it might be best if we went for guilty anyway."

"Never," Bengali growled.

"Call us stubborn," Tygra echoed, "but I agree with Bengali. We are innocent and that’s how we’ll go out."

"You’ll be executed," Justry shot back in frustration.

"Do you have any kind of guarantee that we won’t be killed if we plead guilty?" Bengali pressed.

Justry shook his head. "No, but at least that way we have a chance."

"We have a chance with innocence, too," Tygra said.

Justry got up and began to pace. "I don’t think the two of you understand. The ocelots hate you. There is no way you’ll be proven innocent. No jury in this world is going to acquit you."

"What about an off-world jury?" Tygra asked.

"I tried for that," was Justry’s answer. "Mandora also tried for that. But under interstellar law, there’s a clause that Celotta chose to interpret a certain way and stuck to it. Under that clause, you may not be tried by off-worlders."

"Then we’ll die innocent," Bengali resolved.

Justry tore his fingers through his mane. "Why are tigers so stubborn!?" he exploded.

"Since when did you care so much?" Tygra asked curiously.

"Hasn’t there been enough blood between us?" Justry asked in return. But Tygra had caught a moment of hesitation. Justry had been thinking something else entirely. Something had changed his mind about the two tigers. Tygra resolved to discover what.

"It’s like we told the other Thundercats," Bengali was saying. "You’re right. There’s been too much blood spilt between us. I say it’s time for that to change. And maybe we can satisfy the hatred of the ocelots. Maybe this will stop it."

"They won’t stop until they’ve done the same to every tiger out there! You don’t realize how deep this hatred is!"

"How deep is it?" Tygra asked quietly.

Justry stopped his pacing and gave the tiger a measuring look. "Deep enough to convict you," he said at length.

"Just us?"

A frightened look was growing in Justry’s eyes. "It’s strong," he conceded. "If other tigers were on this world, they would probably be put on trial as accomplices."

Tygra nodded thoughtfully. "There would probably be some proof of that, too." He looked hard at Justry. "Wouldn’t there?"

Justry seemed at a loss for words. Bengali knew something was going on, but he couldn’t pick up on it yet. He looked at Tygra who was staring at Justry. "If there had been accomplices, then yes. There would be proof," he finally said.

"That’s not what I asked and I think you know it."

Bengali was beginning to get impatient. "What’s going on here?" Tygra gave him a withering look, but the damage had been done. Justry quickly regained his composure and took up his briefcase.

"I’ve told you what I think. Apparently, that’s not going to change your minds. Don’t blame me for what happens next." Without waiting for anything more, Justry swept out of the room.

"What’s the plan?" Tygra hissed.

Bengali stared at him and then remembered. "So you’re going to help?"

"Tell me what it is!" Tygra demanded.

Bengali nodded. "Right. When the guards come in, right before they give you the mental block, create an image. I don’t care what, just something to set the chair off. If I’m right, it will shock the guards around you and knock them out. I’ll be able to get keys from one of them and get you out, too."

Tygra stared at the white tiger. "And then what?" he finally managed.

Bengali shrugged. "We fight our way out?"

"You’ll have to do the fighting. I’ll be as stunned as the guards." The guards entered the room at this point. "Don’t struggle," Tygra hissed. "They’ll release you first if I’m struggling." With that, Tygra began to heave against his bonds. They didn’t budge, but Tygra made sure the guards could see his efforts.

Bengali watched as the guards looked at the two tigers and then proceeded to release Bengali first. They left him in the care of one guard as the other three guards went to Tygra. "Hold him down," one of the guards ordered. Two guards positioned themselves on Tygra’s forearm and tried to hold the muscles still. The third produced a hypodermic needle and bent down to inject the tiger.

And then Tygra’s headband started to glow. An alarm started to blare. Electric current arced up from the chair. Three guards toppled. Taking advantage of the surprise, Bengali delivered a hard kick to the head of his guard. Bengali quickly picked up the keys and managed to release his manacles. Two more guards rushed in from the corridor. Bengali slammed one of them into the wall. The second managed to evade him and leaped over to Tygra.

"Bengali!"

Bengali stopped cold. The second guard lifted his hood. Kat’s eyes stared out at the tiger. Bengali looked behind him at the guard he had just thrown into the wall. The hood had slipped back and he could see Kit’s features. "Oops."

Kat turned off the chair’s alarm and was speaking into an intercom. "No, the red tiger just tried to create an image. Everything is under control. They’ll be back in their cells in a moment." He paused as the voice on the other end said something. "Right. Out." He looked at Bengali. "I think we’ve got a problem."

Bengali had picked Kit up. "I just knocked her out," he said. "Sorry. I didn’t know you guys had planned a rescue. Where are Cheetara and Panthro?"

"Um, well, we left them back at the Feliner. It was kind of just Kit and me."

Bengali gaped. "You can’t be serious."

"Well, I am."

Bengali continued to stare and then remembered Tygra. He moved to the chair and found the button that released the restraints. He caught a glimpse of a hypodermic needle retracting into the side of the chair. "Oh no. I forgot. Tygra probably didn’t, but I sure feel stupid."

"What?" Kat asked.

"We’ve got to find some antidote," Bengali told him. "Tygra’s back under the mental block."

"He can’t pull himself out of it?"

Bengali shook his head. "It stays in his system until it’s counteracted." Bengali looked around. "We’ve got to get out of here. Can you carry Kit?"

Kat nodded. "Not for very far, though."

"We’ll stop and rest," Bengali promised him. He grabbed Tygra and threw him over his shoulder. "I think I’ll need the rest as much as you will," Bengali grunted. "Where’s the exit?"

Kat thought for a minute as he gathered his sister in his arms. "This way, I think." He started off. He could hear Bengali following him.

"You think?" Bengali muttered.

Kat didn’t answer. He looked around the corner. No one was there. "Come on," he whispered. They made it halfway down the hall before some guards exited a door and spotted them. Without warning, Bengali suddenly sprinted into the guards and sent them flying.

"Let’s get out of here," he called over his shoulder to Kat who was trying to keep up. Behind them, Kat could hear the guards getting to their feet and calling out warnings. An alarm suddenly began to scream overhead.

"Turn left!" Kat shouted. Bengali surged left and ran into some more surprised guards. Guards behind them suddenly began to fire lasers. Kit moaned in Kat’s arms. Shifting her weight to one arm, Kat managed to toss a smoke screen pellet behind them. The lasers stopped as the guards ran to get through the smoke. Guards appeared up ahead. Bengali skidded to a halt and put Tygra down. Kat shoved Kit against a wall and pulled out some more pellets. "Close your eyes," he warned Bengali. An enormous flash lit the corridor. The guards groped around, trying to see.

"We’ve still got to find some antidote," Bengali huffed as he tried to catch his breath.

"I think escape is more important right now," Kat warned as lasers began to scream behind him. Without another word, Bengali threw Tygra over his shoulder again and was off. Kat picked up Kit who was beginning to regain consciousness and took off after him.

All around them was the sound of running feet and hurried shouts. Alarms were all over the place. But Kat saw hope. The main entrance loomed ahead. Unfortunately, it was blocked with at least twenty guards.

Kit had recovered by this time and was running beside Kat. She grabbed some pellets and tossed them ahead. The air was filled with a yellow smoke. "Hold your breath!" she ordered. She leaped through the smoke and found the door, pushing it open. Bengali and Kat were right behind her.

"We’ll never make it though town," Kit answered. "The palace! Head that way." She and Kat took off. Bengali raced after them. Guards were pouring out of the prison.

Kit and Kat ducked into some side streets. Bengali was right behind them, but the guards were gaining. Bengali couldn’t carry Tygra for long. "Go that way!" Kit shouted. "I’ve got an idea." Without hesitating, Kat took off down another alley. Bengali followed him. Kit waited until she could see guards behind her and ran the opposite direction. "This way!" she called to the guards. "They’re heading toward the palace."

Beneath a stairwell a safe way down the alley, Bengali clutched his chest and tried desperately to catch his breath. Tygra was propped beside him against a wall. He showed no signs of regaining consciousness after his encounter with the chair. Kat stood guard in the shadows, watching for pursuit. "I think they’re all following Kit," he whispered.

Bengali continued to heave. "How are we going to get out of the city?" he managed.

Kat’s brow furrowed. "We really hadn’t gotten that far in planning. This whole thing kind of happened on a whim."

"Great," Bengali moaned.

"Don’t worry. We got in, didn’t we?" Kat shrugged off his guard uniform, revealing the brown cloak underneath. "There are enough side streets that lead out to part of the forest that I think we can make it without too much trouble. After that, we’ll just have to try and get to the Feliner."

Bengali pushed himself to his feet. His arms were trembling from Tygra’s weight, but that didn’t stop him from pulling the Thundercat back over his shoulder. "Let’s get going, then."

Kat nodded and led the way.

As worried as Bengali was, their journey was disappointingly uneventful. They only met five other ocelots, all of which were easily frightened away, and Kat and Bengali left the area before guards could arrive. The forest was a welcome sight and Kat and Bengali were soon plowing through it on the way to the Feliner. Kat hoped Kit would be as lucky.

"They’re not in the Feliner," Cheetara whispered.

Panthro growled, a deep rumble coming from his barrel-like chest. "Where could they be?"

"You haven’t seen them since they climbed the trees over there?" Cheetara asked.

"No. That was the last I saw of them."

"I followed a hunch and ran the Feliner’s scanners on that section of forest. There’s a gap in the guards almost due south of us," Cheetara said quietly. "They must have slipped through."

"Those two are going to get us into big trouble if they don’t show up soon," Panthro grumbled. "We can’t pretend forever that they’re sleeping in the back of the Feliner."

"If they get into trouble in town, I don’t think we’ll have to pretend any longer."

"Why would they run off?"

Cheetara was silent. "Do you remember the request to leave if Tygra and Bengali don’t—don’t make it off the planet?"

"They wouldn’t try to rescue them, would they?" Panthro demanded.

"Shhh," Cheetara hushed him. She looked around for prying ocelot ears. "I don’t know. But if you were the Thunderkittens, what would you do?"

"You’re right," Panthro grumbled. "So what do we do about it?"

"I don’t think there’s anything we can do about it."

"There’s something funny about all this, Cheetara. I don’t like it. First there’s the program in the Feliner’s computers showing that Bengali and Tygra went to Lotari. Then when we find the real data, it’s said to be false. Then we’re put under protective custody. We’re never allowed to speak with the defense for Bengali and Tygra. We’re only allowed to see them twice. They have absolutely no hope. There are tapes of them entering the palace and killing Traun. And then the Thunderkittens run off. I don’t know. Something strange is going on here."

"I could have told you that before we left Third Earth," Cheetara replied softly.

Panthro heard a ship fly overhead. "Where did we go wrong?" he asked.

Cheetara shook her head slowly. "Maybe we underestimated this hatred between the ocelots and tigers. Maybe it’s more than we can handle."

Panthro was about to respond to this when a shrill whistle hit the air. Almost immediately, ocelots were breaking from the bushes surrounding the clearing. In a matter of seconds, Panthro and Cheetara were entirely surrounded. Laser cannons tracked their every movement, which wasn’t hard because they weren’t moving much. They were frozen in surprise.

Removing a pilot’s helmet, Celotta walked forward. "I thought I could trust you, Thundercats," she hissed angrily. "I thought the Code of Thundera still meant something, although it was never enough to protect us."

"What are you talking about?" Panthro asked.

"Don’t even try and give me that," Celotta stormed. "Where are the Thunderkittens?"

"Why?" Cheetara pressed. "What happened?"

"All right, since you’re going to play innocent, I’ll play, too. Bengali and Tygra escaped this afternoon with the help of two small guards. Guards that would fit the height and weight of Wiley Kit and Wiley Kat. In fact, I did a little research on these two Thundercats. It took a while, but I found out that these twins are part-tiger. Now tell me you didn’t know this when you brought them to Lotari."

"The twin have no past," Cheetara insisted. "They know nothing of the feud between you and the tigers."

By this time, the guards had managed to relieve the Thundercats of their weapons. "Shackle them," Celotta ordered. "And start looking for the tigers. Take no chances. That red tiger has mind powers. Both tigers are to be shot on sight. This proves their guilt."

"This proves nothing!" Panthro shouted. "If anything, it proves they have no faith in your system of justice."

"Silence! Section A, take these two and lock them up in the palace. Section B, hunt those tigers and bring them in. By the time of the scheduled trial, those tigers had better be dead!"