Trust Issues -- Chapters 5 and 6
Another installment as promised. ;) Chapter 5 Both Lion-O and Cheetara headed down to the control room. They hoped that whatever Ben-Gali found would clear up some things. The door to the control room slid open and the white tiger and panther turned around. “Well boys what do we have?” Lion-O wondered. “Something that makes no sense, check this out.” Ben-Gali poked a sequence of buttons and up on the computer screen popped a report. “This was dated fifty-five years ago.” The white tiger said as he hit another button. “Captain Hobart and his crew set out for the planet Gortact on Monday, September third, in the year twenty-three thirty. Their mission was to retrieve a shipment of grain and an experimental type of soil additive. As lead detective in this case, I have found no trace of the ship some five years after it has gone missing. Details are sketchy as to how or why the ship never returned home. According to Gortact officials the ship arrived on schedule and docked for two days while their ship was loaded with the shipment and then refueled and restocked for the trip home. Then on Saturday, September eighth, the crew boarded and left for home. Solvay officials called Gortact on Thursday, September thirteenth, when attempts to raise the missing ship failed. When the people on our sister planet explained that they had not heard nor seen anything since the eighth, an investigation was launched. The ship only had enough supplies to sustain a crew of twenty-five for five days. Since its disappearance there have been little clues as to what could have happened. Another ship, called The Patriot, had passed by Solvay’s Pride, serial number: Alpha Beta three six four seven Zulu, on the ninth and had talked to Captain Hobart but after that the ship disappeared. Detective Sol Blueback, Badge number three six two, Wednesday, September fifteenth, twenty-three thirty-five at fifteen thirty hours has officially declared this case closed and will have the file put into storage until more evidence comes to light.” With that the official report ended and Ben-Gali cut the transmission off. “Well that explains the recorded message about wanting to land. They were supposed to land on this planet Gortact and they used the message there.” Panthro said. “Yes this is true but what about skeletal remains? Even after fifty years wouldn’t there be something left? I mean it was a climate controlled area and it had been sealed for a long time.” Cheetara wondered. “Ben-Gali call Tygra and see if he knows what the answer would be. In the mean time what did you guys get off the captain’s log?” Lion-O asked. “Nothing. As you can guess this is fifty year old technology and we’ve been having a hard time trying to figure out a way to read it.” Panthro said. “The mighty Panthro letting a little disk get in his way?” The Lord of the ThunderCats teased. The panther smirked and replied, “I’m afraid I’ll break it. What kind of device was it in when you found it?” “It was embedded into the captain’s chair. I had a vision and I then knew what button to push.” Cheetara told them. “Well I guess our best bet would be to look at the chair and see what we can do about making a device of our own.” Panthro suggested. That’s when Ben-Gali got off the line and turned to the group. “Tygra says since they were kept in a climate controlled area and not disturbed they would have remained intact for a long while but without the exact conditions it would tough for him to be perfectly sure.” “There were clothes though.” Cheetara said. “Because they were artificial they didn’t disintegrate according to Tygra.” Ben-Gali explained. “So what caused their bones to disappear and their clothes to be left in positions as if they were in the middle of things?” Lion-O wondered. Chapter 6 “WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” The loud cry pierced the silence of the night. Both parents immediately said, “It’s your turn.” Hearing each other say it, they rolled over and gave each other a look. “I did it last time.” Lion-O told her. “Oh no you didn’t.” Cheetara said. Both then looked at each other with a smile. As Sahara continued to wail, they both got up and tried to comfort the baby. It took about two seconds to realize why the little girl cub was crying. “Holy moly!” Lion-O said as he held one hand to his nose. “Why does she always do this in the middle of the night?” Cheetara wondered as she lifted the cub from her crib. “I have no idea. Maybe we’d better ask Pumyra or Tygra in the morning.” Her mate said as he rifled around grabbing the necessary implements to change a diaper. Within a few minutes, the two of them had her out of the stinky old one and into a fresh clean one. Now Sahara cooed and reached out for her mother’s face. Her tiny little hands found the cheetah’s cheeks and Cheetara couldn’t help but smile. “Good to see you’re feeling better my little one. Why don’t we get you tucked in again?” The mother asked her daughter. As if to answer ‘yes’, Sahara yawned. Cheetara gently laid the cub down in her crib and covered her up. “She is so pretty just like her mother.” Lion-O said as he nuzzled her neck. “Oh I think she’ll be much prettier than me when she’s older.” The cheetah smiled enjoying the feel of her mate’s lips on her neck and shoulder. They were both about to head to bed when Cheetara wondered, “Who’s going to get rid of the stink bomb on the changing table?” “I did it last time.” Lion-O said. “You say that every time.” She gave him a look and then held her right fist out. The Lord of the ThunderCats gave a sigh and followed suit. Then the two of them brought their fists up and down three times before a fourth time when they revealed a symbol. Cheetara had left her hand a solid fist signifying a rock and Lion-O had unluckily picked an option, which revealed his index and middle fingers out as if to make a pair of scissors. “Best two out of three?” He asked. Cheetara shook her head and replied with a smirk, “Get rid of it.” Lion-O grumbled as he picked up the disgusting thing and headed out the door and down the hall towards the incinerator. “And that is how you keep your future mate in line.” The cheetah told the sleeping Sahara. With a little laugh, she headed back towards the bed when a sudden sharp pain in her head made her stop. Images flashed through her mind at a rapid pace as she tried to identify what and who they were. The pain in her head grew until she was almost at her breaking point when they suddenly stopped. A scene played out in front of her eyes and she tried to understand what it meant. People walked around in a zombie-like state down the halls of ship that she recognized as Solvay’s Pride. Although these creatures did not look the same as the ones she’d seen in her previous vision. They were gaunt and their skin was discolored. Their clothes draped around them as if they were four sizes too big. Suddenly the pictures changed and now there were bodies draped over equipment and lying down in the hallway. At the end of the hall, a tall, dark, shadowy figure stood watching the people suffer and die. It laughed at the pain and somehow seemed to grow in size. Cheetara tried to process what she could but the pain increased in her temples and the next thing she knew the world went black. To Be Continued...