Sumik radioed the Thunderstrike while Lion-o started scanning the area for signs of the renegade police cycle. "This is Cat's Lair, calling the Thunderstrike, come in, over."

"This is Pumyra, I read you Sumik, go ahead, over."

"Well, it seems as if Cheetara has taken off on Fuzzy's cycle, but since it has anti-tracking systems, it'll be hard to pick up the signal. If you see anything, please report back. Over, and out." Sumik set to trying to pick up on an energy signal rather than scanning for the vehicle itself. He remembered that part of the reason Fuzzy had left the cycle was because it was a new prototype, one which ran on solar power rather than thundrillium. If he could find where the energy transfer was taking place, he could probably find her faster than if he tried random scans.

* * *

The Thundertank roared as Panthro threw the throttle into it's max speed. Moisture was forming between the spaces of his fingers and beads of sweat were sliding down his neck. Dammit, Cheetara, if you can hear me, listen to me, please come back, please, I'm worried and scared to death for you and the baby, please come back, I love you.

Today of all days the sky was clear and the sun was shining. The police cycle he had helped to design would more than outrun the tank in these conditions, because nothing he ever built dared not to work. And this one time, he hoped it would break.

Panthro silently prayed for a sudden rain storm, but the only droplets he felt were those running down his own face.

* * *

Cheetara's heart beat faster as the words flowed into her head. She couldn't really tell if they were entirely his or a fabrication from her subconsciousness to get her to stop. "...I'm worried and scared to death for you and the baby, please come back, I love you..."

But she had to know. She was so close now, she had catapulted herself into the situation and just couldn't stop.

SkyTomb loomed before her as the cycle flew over the last hill before the tower. Her plan was to radio over and get Alluro's attention, then try and get the information out of him. More than likely, he didn't know he was her father...in the visions, he was gone months before her birth. And then again, the visions were tricky -- once before, due to Vultureman's adn Alluro's inginuity, they had been able to create false visions. (See "The Telepathy Beam")

She slowed the vehicle as she made the approach to the tower, the flipped on the megaphone setting on the cycle. "This is Cheetara of the THundercats. I request an audience with Alluro." She waited to see if it was on a loud enough setting for them to hear. Carefully, she watched the tower for signs of life. There was an earie feeling, a feeling that was worse than those she usually got when she was here.

It was the sound of waterlarks chirping in a nearby pond that caused tiny hairs on the back of her neck to prickle. Their songs were not drowned out by the ominous hum from the powered up fortress because the hum did not exist. The glow cast off of the base was also not present. Instead of the symbolically darkened skies she was used to seeing, the few clouds residing lazily in the afternoon sun were slowly disipating.

Everything was so peaceful, so completely wrong. She couldn't help but wonder if the mobile fort had been evacuated. RedEye's sudden presence at the doorway was a disturbance to her former suspicion. "He's not available right now. Would you care to leave a message?"

Cheetara drummed her fingers on the front handle. It seemed so out of character for the lunatak to greet her in this way. She tried to read his expression for some sort of emotional output, but was too far away for any sort of concrete analysis. "I haven't come to fight. I only want to discuss some things with him." Cheetara brought the cycle nearer to the fortress, parking it about twenty meters or so away. She dismounted, and her clothing swept across the vehicle as she did so. She had banished her uniform to her closet many months ago. The orange leotard had refused to stretch over her swollen belly past the ninth week of her pregnancy.

The simple yellow dress she wore now was accompanied by a cream colored robe, which she laid across the cycle before approaching RedEye. The heat of the sun beat down upon the outskirts of the city, making Cheetara even more uncomfortable than was to be expected. "I have come unarmed." she told him, sensing that he wouldn't try harming her in the condition she was in.

He only nodded. "It would be best for you to leave." suggested RedEye.

"Will you attack me if I don't?" she asked.

"No." he hesitated. "But she might."

"By she, you mean Chilla?"

"Yes. She killed TugMug, she may have killed Alluro, she'll have no problem killing you." RedEye was whispering now, in case Chilla was somehow listening.

"You...you say she may have -- you're not sure?" Cheetara's heart sank fast.

"Either she tossed him out a window, or she's torturing him in the dungeon."

"Why are you still here if you're afraid of her?" questioned the Thundercat.

"More afraid of what she'll do to me if I leave." he admitted, embarrassed. "I'm under contract -- we all are. Luna and Chilla made deals with us. Servitude in their army in exchange for a wish only they could grant."

She waited for him to share the secret of why he was there, but he remained silent, and she realized he didn't plan to offer any further personal information. "And what was Alluro's reason?"

"He always claimed he had a child with a thunderian, and that he had somehow ended up in the wrong time line or something. They never did get him home, obviously, since he's still here.

"Chilla had me drug him months back, after the last battle. She said he was getting soft, needed to be taught a lesson. I haven't seen him since, but I think he's still alive." RedEye explained.

"In the dungeon?" asked Cheetara. RedEye nodded. "Show me."

The lunatak shook his head. "She's down there right now. And you're unarmed."

"I've been through worse." she said, then noticed RedEye's staring, directed towards her unborn child. "And I have other defenses." she said, tapping a finger against her right temple.

RedEye raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "And the rest of your teammates were okay with you coming out here on this little mission of yours?"

"What do you think?" she was hastily trying to end the conversation and make her way past him. Had she not gained such girth in the past months, it would have been easy to slide past the bulky lunatak. "Are you going to let me through?"

"I shouldn't, but..." he trailed off as Amok approached him from behind. RedEye raised a hand in acknowledgement of the giant's pressense, and Amok grunted him salutation.

"But..." Cheetara prodded him.

"But I've never met a more stubborn thunderian, and stubborness is a key quality to being a lunatak. I'm curious to find out if you really are Alluro's kin." RedEye moved aside to allow her to pass. "Amok, show her where the dungeon is." RedEye knew he should have taken her himself, but as a prisoner. The truth was really that he had expressed some amount of loyalty to Luna, just as Amok and the others did. Luna, on many occasions, had brought them close to victory, and never tried offing them. Chilla cared for no one but herself, and they owed her nothing. Realizing this may be the only chance that they would have before Chilla would eventually kill the remaining lunataks, he had to make the most of it.

Amok looked down at Cheetara, a bit confused. "Cheetara...Alluro's daughter?"

She figured she'd better make the choice right now. Either walk into the fire that apparently had already started, or get the hell out now. But, like RedEye had said, she was stubborn. "Yes, I am."

"Amok take you there. Amok help crush Chilla." The beast gently picked up Cheetara, and before she could protest, placed her on his back in Luna's saddle, then began to lumber towards the dungeon.