Part 29

Lion-O was half asleep when Leela entered their bedroom. He was on his side with his back to the door so he didn't see Leela enter. Leela got in bed with him and cuddled around him. She draped her arm over his body. Lion-O stirred a little but he didn't shove her arm off as he usually does. After what happened between him and Cheetara earlier, he didn't mind being held.

"Lion-O." Leela said in a soft voice. "Are you all right? I saw you walking to your room, and you were looking pretty down. What's going on?" Leela was now rubbing his arm soothingly, trying to get him to talk.

Lion-O was awake but still quiet.

Leela turned Lion-O on his back. "I am your wife, Lion-O, your best friend. You can tell me. 'To have and to hold, for richer and poorer, in sickness and in health.' I said those vows and I meant it." She told him sincerely.

Lion-O sat up, looking as if he wanted to talk. Leela sat up with him and held his hand. Leela looked at their joined hands and wedding rings and back up at Lion-O and smiled. A few of her red curls fell on her face, and Lion-O gently pushed it behind her ear. He smiled, but his eyes were still sad. Leela lifts their joined hands and kissed it.

"I know this is difficult; this arranged marriage, and I know you'll never love me like you love Cheetara, that is, if you ever will love me, but if you give me a chance, I'll show you that I'm not that bad. I see you hurting and it hurts me, too. Let me heal you." She said in a heartfelt way and kissed him.

Cheetara got her bed and stretch her tired body. She opened a window so she could get some fresh hair and clear her mind, especially after what happened between her and Lion-O. She tried to avoid thinking about that by looking at the late morning sun shined on the soft, green rolling hills in the distance and the manmade lake. However, her mind still went back to her spat with Lion-O.

"I never loved you and I doubt that I ever would have." She lied again. "I had feelings for you, yes, but it was infatuation. What we had was just a fling. If we'd married, we would've been divorce by now."

"I can't believe I'm hearing this." Lion-O ran his hand through his thick red, mane.

"Believe it and get out. We're through. Get over me as I have quickly gotten over you." She was unsympathetic with the lion. (28)

How could I say that to him? Cheetara thought. "No, what I did was right. As a matter of fact, he deserved it, playing with me like that." She assured herself.

"Cheetara?"

Cheetara turned around. "Panthro."

He walked from the door to a couple feet in front of her. "I saw the door partly opened and decided to check on you. Are you all right? I heard you mumble something."

"I was talking to myself. I'm glad you came by, though. I've wanted to talk to you since I woke up this morning."

Panthro was getting nervous. He wondered if Cheetara knew something he didn't' want her to know. "You did? Why?" Panthro asked nervously.

"Why didn't you tell me that the twins' parents killed Aline?" Cheetara asked.

Leela moved on Lion-O, kissing him deeply. Her plan had worked and she was happy. Lion-O rolled on top of her the way she wanted him too for so long. Suddenly, he stopped and got off her. "No, this is not right."

Leela sat up a little upset. I almost had him. "But why? Why must you continue putting barriers in front of me. I love you."

"I do not share the same feelings."

How can he still love Cheetara after what she said to him? "I understand, Lion-O, but how much time? You know we have to provide an heir to the throne. When will you answer the prayers of so many people that are begging for a leader in the future? When will you reach out to me, when I'm only trying to heal you?" She reach out and took both of his hands and moved them to caress the contours of her body. She noticed that he was liking that, so she moved closer to kiss him.

Panthro turned his back on Cheetara and walked towards the door.

"Don't walk away from me, Panthro." She told him but he kept walking. With super speed, she beat him to the door. "You forget I'm a cheetah."

"So I did." Panthro said flatly.

"Panthro, I want to know. We have been friends for a long time. Are you telling me I can't be trusted?"

"No, I'm not comfortable talking about it, but I guess someone had to know." He said and motioned Cheetara to sit down. Panthro leaned on the wall and sighed, thinking where to begin, what to tell and what to leave out. "It's been nearly fifteen years since Aline died. We were engaged and were planning to spend the rest of our lives together." Panthro reaches in his back pocket and hands Cheetara a picture of him and Aline. They were holding each other closely and smiling.

"She's beautiful." Cheetara commented. "Do you always carry her picture?" Cheetara asked handing it back to him.

"Yes, but sometimes I feel I should put it away and move on, but I can't. When we met, I was a Chief Mechanic at Cat's Lair and she was the head chef at Cat's Lair. You know the saying, 'The way to a man's heart, is through his stomach,' well, that's how she got me. I didn't want to be involved with anyone and I never talked about my personal life, especially the part where I was orphaned at ten., but with her, I didn't mind talking about my life. We only dated for a few weeks before we became lovers and on our six month anniversary we got engaged. It was in the middle of our engagement when things went wrong. Aline said she suddenly had to go out town. I thought it was strange that she didn't explain why, but I thought she would tell me in time. Two days after she left, I received a letter, saying she had been kidnapped and that if I wanted to see again her and alive, I had to meet them that night.

Panthro walked through the dark forests that night to meet Aline kidnappers. It seem like he was in the forest forever until his flashlight saw two figures in the forest. He knew it had to be them. They stepped further into the light and pulled off their cloaks. Now he had a better look at them. One was a female resembling WilyKit, but older. Her hair was red-orange and part in the middle. Her makeup was heavy in orange, especially with her eye shadow and lipstick. Her eyes were orange and pure evil from Panthro's point of view as he stared into them. The other was a male, looking like WilyKat, but older as well. He was taller and a little muscular. His hairstyle was the same as WilyKat's. His eyes looked evil but with some remorse.

"You arrived on time. That's very good." Ursula said.

"What have you done with Aline?" Panthro demanded.

"Temper. Temper, panther, or you'll never see Aline again." Ralik warned and Panthro kept his cool.

"Good. As Chief Mechanic, it is your responsibility that all the Thundercats vehicles are embeddedwith the latest technology. We want you to sabotage the Thundertank so we can control it and kill Lord Claudus and his second-in-command Jaga on their way to the Thunderian Peace Conference in four days." Ursula instructed him.

"What? I won't do it." Panthro told them.

"Oh, yes, you will. It's time New Thundera got a new Lord of the Thundercats, and you'll do it to save your beloved Aline." Ralik told him sinisterly.

"We'll be back with Aline the night before Claudus and Jaga leave for the Peace Conference, and everything had better be ready." Ursula warned him and she and Ralik left.

"I had no choice. I had to save Aline. I couldn't let her die. Lion-O was a cub so an heir was provided. On the night Ursula and Ralik were to return, Claudus and Jaga told me they knew what I was doing because Claudus saw me sabotaging the tank earlier through the Sword of Omens. Claudus came up with a plan to help, but Jaga wanted to do it by himself since Claudus was a new father and didn't want to risk getting him involved." Panthro explained and Cheetara nodded understanding.

Panthro paced under the Cat's claw where the land vehicles are kept, worrying about the plan. He had hope it would work. He only turned his back on the claw for a moment when he sense something that wasn't there before. He turned around and saw Ursula and Ralik on their hover crafts. How strange that he didn't hear the motor on the crafts.

"How did you get so fast and without the lair alarm going off?" Panthro asked.

"That's not your concern. Did you do what we requested?" Ralik asked.

"Yes." Panthro said and explained to them how the tank has been sabotage and what they would have to do.

"Very good, Panther." Ursula said and stroked his arm. "If we had met at a different time, perhaps we would've had something." she said sultrily and slowly licked her lips in front of him.

"Ursula." Ralik said a little jealous.

"Don't worry, my love. You know you're the only one for me now." She said and assured him with a deep kiss. "There's more where that came from when this is over."

"I've done what you want. Now where is Aline?" Panthro asked in the calmest voice he could come up with.

Ursula snapped her fingers and Ralik went outside and pulled Aline, tied and gagged in the claw. He pushed her in Panthro's arms.

Panthro freed Aline and gave her a quick kiss. "Are you all right? Did they hurt you?" He asked checking her.

"No, I'm fine, but I wished you didn't do what they wanted." Aline told him.

"Let's go. Our job is done." Ursula said.

"That's as far as you, spies." Jaga said appearing in front of them.

"Jaga!" Ursula and Ralik said surprised.

Ursula looked at Panthro vengefully. "Traitor."

"Panthro! Aline! Go! I'll take care of them." Jaga told them and begin fighting the two spies. Jaga was able to knock down Ursula and fight Ralik. Aline and Panthro were almost out of the there when Ursula saw them.

Ursula pulled out a pocket laser gun from her breast pocket on her black suit. She cocks her gun and aims it at Panthro. "Die, Panthro." She fires her laser gun.

Aline sees Ursula aiming at Panthro. "Panthro! NO!" She yells and jumps in front of him. The laser pierced her chest and she screams in horrible pains as she felt the laser go through her heart.

"Aline!" Panthro yells and catches Aline. He cradle her in his arms.

"There children....don't let them fall into evil's hands." She said weakly and died in his arms.

Ursula laughs wickedly at Panthro holding Aline. "I warned you what would happen if you betrayed Ralik and I and you paid the ultimate price for it, too."

Ursula's killing Aline even cause Jaga and Ralik to stop fighting. "Ursula, you didn't have to do that."

Ursula boarded her hover craft. "Oh, yes I did." She said sinisterly, pulled Ralik on her hover craft and flew out from under the Cat's claw.

Panthro laid Aline on the floor and boarded the hover craft left by Ralik. "MURDERERS!" He yelled vengefully. He flew the hover craft at high speed, catching up with Ursula and Ralik. Jaga called out to him to stop, but Panthro was far to gone to hear Jaga, and even if he heard him, he wouldn't listen. He was determined to make them pay for killing his love, even if it meant killing them himself. Within minutes he was gaining on them and fired lasers from the flying craft he was on.

"Now he's firing on us." Ralik said dodging a laser. "I think it was a mistake killing his girlfriend, Ursula."

"What's the matter, Ral? Are you scared of the panther? I hope it's not hereditary."

"Scared? Of course I'm not scared." He said upset and begin firing on Panthro but he kept dodging.

"You're a terrible shot, Ral. Take over." She said and begin shooting at Panthro but he dodged her shots, too.

"You're not so bad yourself, Urs."

"Shut up, Ral!"

Panthro pushed the hover craft to its limits as he saw them going near a cliff. He figured he would never catch up them when they fly over the cliff. When he was close enough, he jumped out of the flying vehicle and grabbed Ursula and Ralik by the neck, knocking them off their vehicle, too. All three of them falls off the cliff. He was choking them as the fall. He was determined to kill them, even if it meant him going down with them. Ursula, lacking air and trying to free herself from Panthro, kicked Panthro in the chest, knocking the wind out of them and causing him to release them. Jaga flies down in time on an earlier version of a Thunderclaw and catches Panthro, just as he see Ursula and Ralik splatter on the jagged rocks below.

"We later realized that the mutants were going to attack once Claudus and Jaga were killed. With them dead, they would've easily defeated the rest of the Thundercats, killed Lion-O as a baby and taken over Thundera. I kept Aline's dying request and looked after WilyKit and WilyKat when they lived with their grandmother and now as Thundercats. I was the one who cleared the security check for them when they wanted to be Thundercats, because as you know, security checks are done on anyone competing to be Thundercats and if an immediate relative of a person competing to be a Thundercat was a menacing criminal against Thundercats then they wouldn't be able to compete." He explained to Cheetara something he kept buried in himself for years. There was a quiet pause before he continued. "Sometimes I felt I should have died that night, but I didn't."

Cheetara sat there staring at Panthro and taking in the story he had told her. Now she understood why he didn't want her to use her powers to find out about the twins parents. Everything was now becoming clear. She looked back up at the panther and saw something she never saw in his eyes-tears. She got off her bed and gave him a comforting hug. "Oh, Panthro, I'm so sorry, and the twins, what are you going to do?"

"I guess I have to tell them, but I can't. I need more time."

"I know." She understood. "If you need me for anything, I am here, okay. Always." She assured him.

Lion-O pushed Leela away again. "It seems to me that all you are interested in is getting in bed with me. That won't work. It takes more than six months to get over a love that was suppose to last forever. Now let me be." He said and walked out.

"I don't' care what Tygra wants. That tramp of his is getting in the way and has to be eliminated." A wicked idea came into her mind. "I've killed before, and if I have to, I'll do it again to get what I want."

Part 30

WilyKit and WilyKat returned to Cat's Lair, quiet ever since they left who was now their aunt's house. They still found it hard to believe that Vasa is their aunt. They sat on the steps in the main hall still reliving that last night and early this morning. WilyKat decided to break the silence by speaking.

"So she's out aunt." WilyKat spoke, breaking the silence.

"I can't believe it." WilyKit said in disbelief.

"I know what you mean, sis. She said she did it to hide the painful memories and embarrassment of our parents. It would be shocking if the press knew what our parents did and it seem very ironic." WilyKit gave her brother a confusing look. "Think about it, Kit. Our parents were traitors to their home planet, Thundera and hated Thundercats and look at us, their children, Thundercats. Do you think she thought we would've follow in their footsteps if we knew the truth?"

"She might have. Our parents did wanted us to follow in their footsteps."

"Maybe, but I don't think we would've."

"How do you know that, Kat? We were children then and would have believed what they were doing was right."

"I doubt that, Kit. Some kids do know when their parents are doing things that's not right. I think we would've known." He assured his twin.

Leela stopped at the top of the stairs. The twins are back. I wonder what they found out, and more importantly, if Panthro is involved. I have a gut feeling that he is. She greeted the young Thundercats when they met her at the top. "I see you two have returned. Did you find out why your friend lied to you?"

"She said she did it to protect us." Kit said bitterly.

"She also said she's our aunt." Kat added.

"She's your aunt?" Leela said surprised.

"Yep. Didn't Panthro tell you when he came in this morning?" WilyKat asked.

"This morning?" Leela was surprised again.

"Panthro told us he left to see our aunt this morning and got there before we did. Why so surprised? That's not the truth?" WilyKit asked getting suspicious again.

"Oh, no, no, no, no. I did see Panthro leave this morning, but it was still dark and I sometimes consider morning darkness as night. Sorry about the confusion." She easily covered up for Panthro.

"That's okay. Could you excuse us? We wanted to check on Cheetara." WilyKat said and he and his sister left Leela at the stairs.

Leela watched them as they left. "Hmm. So Panthro didn't return until this morning. My woman's intuition tells me that they did more than talk, but I don't have proof. Sooner or later he'll slip up and I'll be the one to see it."

Rataro and the mutants just departed from Plundarr an hour ago. He was leading this mission with Slythe, Monkian and Jackalman. Rataro explained to them the plan that morning, and he was certain that it would work this time. Rataro grab the radio and opened communications to Vultureman on Plundarr.

"Vultureman, come in." Rataro ordered.

"Caw. I'm here, Ratato. What is it?"

"In 20 minutes, begin operation S.O.P."

"You got it, Rataro." He said and turned his radio off.

"This time. I will win." Rataro said determined.

When WilyKit and WilyKat saw Cheetara, they explained to her what had happened and what they found out. Cheetara was surprised at the news that Vasa was there aunt. She wondered if Panthro knew and if he did why didn't he tell her. She began to wonder if Panthro was hiding something else from her. She knew about the twins parents and promised Panthro that she wouldn't tell them. She knew the twins would find out, but she had a feeling it would be at an unexpected time. After they told her everything they knew, she pulled them in a comforting hug.

"Oh, you two are so brave and are handling this like mature adults. I'm very proud of you." She broke the hug and looked at them. "So, how does this affect your relationship with Vasa now. Are you going to try to form a family relationship with her?"

"Well, WilyKit and I haven't decided what we're going to do."

"I know it'll be awkward, but I think you should give her a chance. She is your only relative now." Cheetara advised them.

"I don't about that, Cheetara. Sometimes family cannot be trusted." WilyKit said darkly.

Cheetara and Kat looked at each other concerned. Before one of them could say anything, the lair alarm blared loudly. They knew it was an emergency because the lair hasn't went off in months. They immediately left and joined up with the rest of the Thundercats and Leela who were already in the control room.

"What's going on, Panthro?" Lion-O asked when everyone arrived.

"I just receive a message from Pumyra minutes ago." Panthro said and replayed the message.

Pumyra appeared on the screen. Behind her were smoke and damages done to the control room in Cat's Lair on 3rd Earth. "Thundercats, this is Pumyra. The mutants are attacking Cat's Lair and the Tower of Omens with the RatStar and the Sword of Plundarr."

"The Sword of Plundarr?" Lion-O said startled. "How could they have gotten the Sword of Plundarr when it's-"

Lion-O's word was cut off as another blast hit the lair and Pumyra fell out of her chair. She coughed because of the smoke and press a button. The screen changes to outside. Rataro was throwing his Sword of Plundarr like a boomerang at Cat's Lair. It sliced through part of the lair's head. The RatStar was shooting at the lair too.

"Hurry, Thundercats, before--" the screen went black.

"How could Rataro get the Sword of Plundarr when--this doesn't makes sense. Why didn't the Sword of Omens warn me earlier? I can't think about that now. Tygra, Panthro, you two come with me to 3rd Earth. Kit. Kat. I want you two to keep an eye on things here. Let's go, guys." Lion-O said authoritatively.

"Lion-O, why aren't you taking Cheetara with you? You'll need all the help you can get." Leela said.

Cheetara looked at the two but Lion-O didn't look at her. "Cheetara, is still weak from yesterday. She needs to recuperate."

"With the new modifications I made to the Feliner's engines, making them powerful and faster than it ever was before, we should get to 3rd Earth in three hours." Panthro said and he and Tygra left.

Leela grabbed Lion-O as he was about to leave. She gave him a long, passionate kiss in front of the twins and Cheetara. "Be careful."

"Don't worry. I will." He assured her and left.

Cheetara stayed to watch the Feliner leave and left the room. Leela couldn't help but crack a smile on her evil face.

Rataro had a cloaking device on the Rataro that allowed him to enter his destination-New Thundera unnoticed. The Feliner flew past them in a blur, heading for 3rd Earth at full speed. Rataro sees this on his monitor in the RatStar. "And there the suckers go." He laughed.

"Are you positive that the Sword of Plundarr is in Cat's Lair?" Slythe asked still not believing.

"I am certain, and don't question me again. I should've that Lion-O wouldn't leave such a powerful weapon in the dark pyramid where anyone could have gotten it. It must be in Cat's Lair, more than likely, the Treasure Room."

"How are we going to get it? From what I saw, only Lion-O, Panthro, and Tygra were in the Feliner. There are still Thundercats in the lair. What, we're just going to walk in there and get it." Jackalman asked smartly.

"In a manner of speaking, yes." Rataro answered.

Cheetara sat in her room thinking and holding a picture frame with a picture of her and Lion-O. She saw the way Lion-O kissed Leela and saw that it was real. It cut her deep. She looked at how happy they looked in the picture and tried to forget. "I really have to get out of here." She said to herself. A loud boom hit the lair and Cheetara fell on the room. "What was that?" She ran to the control room at full speed. "What's going on?" Cheetara asked.

The twins were there as well as Leela. "It's Rataro, Cheetara." Kit answered. "The RatStar's attacking the lair."

"What? That can't be! Lion-O, Tygra, and Panthro just left to fight them on 3rd Earth." Another blast shook the lair and they all fell to the floor. "Then again. I could be wrong. Have you contacted the Feliner?"

"Can't do that. The communications system was the first to get knocked out." WilyKat explained.

"It seems we're on our own." Cheetara said. "Kit, Kat, I want you to--" the lair alarm went off automatically. "Someone's inside the lair. It's Slythe and Monkian. We gotta move fast. WilyKit. WilyKat. Fight off the mutants as best you can. I have to keep Leela from them. Let's go Leela." Cheetara grabbed Leela and pulled her out of the room.

Slythe shot the camera in the main hall down with his laser gun. "I knocked the camera out, Rataro. They only think Monkian and I are here."

Rataro steps in. "While you two stalled the Thundercats, I'll get my sword."

"Where are we going?" Leela asked.

"As Lion-O's wife, it's my duty to protect you, and since you're not a Thundercat, you must hide in the passages below so you'll be safe." Cheetara answered. She opened the doors to the Treasure Room where the passage was hidden below the room. She opened the door and gasped. "Rataro."

He was standing there with the Sword of Plundarr in his hands. He began twirling his sword.

"Get out of here, Leela. Now. Hide somewhere." Cheetara told her.

Leela looked as if she was concern for Cheetara "But-"

"Go!" Cheetara told her.

Leela jumped at Cheetara's voice and ran away, finding a safe place to hide.

Rataro twirled the flames at Cheetara. She jumped out of the way and the flames knocked a huge hole in the wall she was once standing in front of. She did the only thing she could do in the predicament she was in--she ran. She couldn't fight Rataro with so little fighting space. She had to get out of the lair.

"You can't run forever, Cheetara." Rataro said chasing after her.

Cheetara knew he was right. Already she was getting tired, but that was because her body hasn't completely recovered from last night. She ran to the stairs in the main hall. She leaned on the stairway to catch her breath. At the top of the stairs she saw WilytKit and WilyKat defeating Slythe and Monkian. Maybe if I use my telekinetic powers, I could stop Rataro. It's my only chance, but I'm still weak.

"Oh, Cheetara." Rataro called twirling his sword and fired on Cheetara.

Cheetara knew wouldn't be able to move fast enough this time. She concentrated and summoned her telekinetic powers. She fired back at Rataro hard pushing him back a few feet than expected. She used this as an advantage to run to the bottom of the stairs for more room. "Stay back, Kit and Kat." She told the twins.

Rataro got back up. He saw Slythe and Monkian defeated and unconscious. "Pathetic." He mumbled. He stood in the middle of the stairs and twirled his staff faster, warming it up for he saw the weakness in Cheetara's attack. It wasn't as strong as last night. One good direct attack should do it. He thought sinisterly.

Cheetara was readying her Rataro. She knew she wasn't as strong as she was before. Her body hasn't recovered yet, but she knew she had to fight. It was her duty. She was a Thundercat and a Thundercat's duties comes before her own.

The flames on the Sword of Plundarr were brighter and more powerful than before. Rataro smiled wickedly. He knew he had Cheetara now. He fired the flames at her at full power with a direct target for Cheetara. Cheetara mustered all the power she had in and counterattacked. Her defense was strong so Rataro increased the power of his sword. Cheetara began to weakened so much that the Sword of Plundarr's power knocked Cheetara off her feet, throwing her thorough Cat's Lair doors. She landed on her back unconscious on the steps.

"Cheetara!" WilyKit and WilyKat called out as they ran outside to check on Cheetara.

Rataro stood above them looking victorious. "Surrender, Thundercats."

The Feliner just landed at Cat's Lair. When they jumped out, they saw that Cat's Lair didn't have any damages. Pumyra ran out to greet them. "Thundercats, what are you doing here?"

"You called us. You said Rataro and the mutants were attacking you and the Tower of Omens, but Cat's Lair looks fine." Lion-O explained.

"What are you talking about, Lion-O? We haven't been attacked by anyone."

"It was a trap set by the mutants." Panthro said catching on.

"To get us away from Cat's Lair." Tygra added.

The Sword of Omens growled. Lion-O immediately pulled his sword out. "Sword of Omens, give me site beyond site." Through the sword's hilt, he saw Rataro and the mutants attacking the lair, Rataro fighting Cheetara and saw her get knocked through the lair's doors. The eye closed. "Rataro's taken over Cat's Lair with the Sword of Plundarr. Fire up the Feliner, Panthro. We have to get back to Cat's Lair."

Parts 31-33: Rataro is happy with his victory. Lion-O and the other Thundercats rushed back to Thundera and gets an unexpected attack.