8--A-Tom-U-Lar, Ch.2

May 15.

Command Center, Hawkhaven.

ll the Silver Hawks present gathered around Wilykit’s console. “What’s wrong, ’Kit?” Steelheart asked.

Wilykit tapped a few buttons. “I’m not certain. There appears to be some small disturbance around Automata. Ah; it’s our new enemy.”

“I’ll be darned if A‑Tom‑U‑Lar is going to succeed even remotely this time,” Steelheart said. “Bluegrass, get the Mirage ready.”

Bluegrass headed for the elevator. “Aye, ma’am.”

Another blip showed in another area on Wilykit’s screen. She switched the viewing area of her visual screen to that area and saw that Kidd was coming. “Copper-Kidd’s almost back, Steelheart.”

“Thank you, ’Kit.” Steelheart turned to Steelwill. “Come with me, Will. You, Bluegrass, Kidd, and I are going to stop A‑Tom‑U‑Lar.”

Steelwill got up. “Aye, ma’am.” The two entered the elevator.

* * *

Hangar, Hawkhaven.

When the Steeltwins arrived in the hangar, Bluegrass was ready in the Mirage’s pilot’s pod. “The Mirage is ready, guys.” He opened the Steeltwins’ pods on the Mirage.

“Kidd’s coming in,” Steelheart said. “And he’s to come with us.”

Copper-Kidd piloted his Space Racer into the hangar a few seconds later, and just as his vehicle stopped, he leapt out of it. Bluegrass opened Kidd’s pod.

“Get in, Kidd,” Steelheart said.

Kidd entered his pod while the Steeltwins entered theirs. When all three were in, Bluegrass shut all the pods’ canopies. The Mirage, tailed by May-Day, zipped out of Hawkhaven and soared across space toward Automata.

“Wilykit picked up A‑Tom‑U‑Lar around Automata, Kidd. We believe he intends to attack. I hope you brought that Laser Guitar of yours, Bluegrass. We may need music power to stop him.”

“I done brought both the Laser Guitar and Side Man,” said Bluegrass.

“Good.” Steelheart knew she should not have told Kidd that it was Wilykit who had discovered A‑Tom‑U‑Lar. Her telepathic abilities allowed her an empathic sense of everyone, and she knew Kidd felt a bit infatuated with Wilykit, though he never showed it.

She also knew how Quicksilver felt toward her. She just wished that he would request some private time with her and bring it up.

* * *

Automata.

At Automata, A‑Tom‑U‑Lar arrived as a missile in the control room, where he found Monotone, the central computer. Two spinning high-capacity data disks were at the top of her front panel, one at the right and one at the left. Below the tapes was a tremendous low-resolution monitor with an optical disc drive in the middle. Whenever Monotone spoke, the monitor’s pixels portrayed a speaking mouth. A‑Tom‑U‑Lar transformed back to normal.

“Welcome to Automata. Please identify yourself,” said Monotone. Her name was appropriate to describe her voice.

“I am A‑Tom‑U‑Lar, the brother of the evil Mo‑Lec‑U‑Lar,” A‑Tom‑U‑Lar said. “And you are done for, MonoTone.” He transformed into a disc and inserted himself into Monotone’s mouth. She could not resist what the disc was programming her to do. Automata began to shut down. In moments, the computer fell under A‑Tom‑U‑Lar’s control. Automata fell under his control. Limbo fell under his control! “Ha, ha, ha! Now, Monotone, Limbo is controlled by Mon*Star. You’ll do what I say. Let’s put in a call to Mon*Star.”

* * *

Brim*Star.

On Brim*Star, Yes-Man noticed that a call was coming in. “Mon*Star, someone’s calling us.” Mon*Star entered.

“Who?”

“It’s A‑Tom‑U‑Lar. Yes, yes, yes.”

Mon*Star held a communications button on the console. “This is Mon*Star, A‑Tom‑U‑Lar. What’s going on?”

A‑Tom‑U‑Lar laughed. “Limbo is now at your knees, Planet Master. I have conquered Automata for you.”

“I see. How did you accomplish this?”

“I transformed into a disc and entered that blabbermouthed Monotone. Since I can control her, I can control most of the computer systems in Limbo for you.”

“Excellent. But watch out for those darned Silver Hawks.”

“I’m doing that. They won’t get by me. A‑Tom‑U‑Lar out.”

Mon*Star released the button. “Yes-Man, ready the Transformation Chamber. I want to make sure that the Silver Hawks don’t mess the plan up this time.”

“Ooh, yes, boss.”

Mon*Star went up to his seat, from which he could look down upon all in his command chamber like a vulture. Yes-Man activated the controls for the Transformation Chamber. Brim*Star tilted so that the Moon*Star’s rays shone into the Star*Crater and onto the antennae. In the control room, Yes-Man tapped another control button. The claws on the edge of Mon*Star’s platform pointed toward his head. As the Moon*Star’s light shone upon Mon*Star, he began his transformation process.

“Moon*Star of Limbo, give me the might, the muscle, the menace of Mon*Star.” By the last word, he had transformed into his powerful metal-plated monstrous form. He used his elbow-jets to descend to the floor quickly. “Yes-Man, get Melodia and Hardware in here.”

“Melodia and Hardware. Ooh, yes, Mon*Star.” He hit two buttons.

In a few seconds, Hardware and Melodia entered the room. “You sent for us, Mon*Star?” Melodia asked.

“Yes.” His Star*Eye shone. “We’re going to Automata immediately.”

“I thought A‑Tom‑U‑Lar told you that he could handle the Silver Hawks,” Hardware said.

“He has only encountered Condor, Moonstriker, and Quicksilver. He hasn’t encountered the others yet, especially not Steelheart. Let’s go.”

Yes-Man fired up the Limbo Limo, and Melodia entered beside him. Hardware started the Zoomer, and Mon*Star got in the seat behind him. Hardware and Yes-Man piloted their vehicles for Automata.

* * *

Over Bedlama.

Mo‑Lec‑U‑Lar and Zero were heading toward Hawkhaven in the Road Star. At this moment, they were passing over Bedlama, the only Earth-like planet in the solar system. “Are you sure Lion‑O will fall for this, Mo?” asked Zero. “It sounds risky to me.”

Mo‑Lec‑U‑Lar smiled. “Ch-ch-ch-ch! He’ll fall for it, Zero. Don’t you worry your memory tapes about it. I’ll get him to go to the planet Fence. I’ve already made the deal with Space Bandit. He, Spike, and Cyclops will appropriately manhandle that cat. You just have to tell the bandits that I’ve performed my trick.”

“But do you even know what Jaga looks like?”

“If I didn’t, would I be doing this? Lion‑O has a picture of Jaga on his dresser. I photographed Jaga with the viewscreen.” He got a picture out of the glove compartment. “This is he.” Indeed, it was a perfect image of Jaga the Wise.

“I commend you on your efforts, Mo‑Lec‑U‑Lar. Can you make it so that only Lion‑O will see you?”

“Of course. Something tells me that he’ll be alone somewhere. Ch-ch-ch! Without anyone else around to see me, it’ll be perfect.”

“Your shadow?”

“I won’t stand in the light.”

“Perfect, Mo. You’ve thought of everything.”

“And I think he’ll do just about anything Jaga recommends, as long as it’s phrased properly.” The Road Star inched up to the defense perimeter and stopped before it got into range of the alarms. “Well, I’ll be on my way.”

“Good luck, Mo‑Lec‑U‑Lar. See you later.”

“Ch-ch-ch! Later, Zero.” He put his Molecular Transformer on his bolt-hand and clapped it into his left hand. His unstable molecular structure was rearranged so that he transformed into a mosquito. He then zipped into Hawkhaven.

* * *

Hawkhaven.

Once in the hangar, Mo‑Lec‑U‑Lar transformed into a fly and flew up the stairs to the Command Center. Quicksilver, Stargazer, Moonstriker, Condor, the Thunder Kittens, and Snarf were present, but Lion‑O was not. Perfect, he thought. He transformed into a flea and hopped towards Steelheart’s office. He slipped in through the titanium doors and hopped to the door leading into the office. He slipped in, and Lion‑O was sitting on the couch and watching a news broadcast on the viewscreen. The newspeople were talking about a presidential campaign on second‑Earth. No one else was present. This, too, is excellent. Hee, hee! Taking care to avoid Lion‑O’s excellent sight, Mo hopped into the chair in front of Steelheart’s desk. He transformed into a stream of light, which turned into Jaga. The unstable being perfectly disguised his voice as Jaga’s. “Lion‑O?”

“Jaga! What is it, friend?”

“Lion‑O, the evil A‑Tom‑U‑Lar is able to destroy all ten of the Silver Hawks. It is only a matter of time before he does. They cannot stop him, but you may be able to.”

“How, Jaga?”

Mo was enjoying this, but he managed to remain composed. “He is hiding on the planet Fence. It is dangerous there, as those who are termed space-scum frequent that place. The Eye of Thundera will be able to transform him back to normal. Remember what the Silver Hawks’ records said about his transforming into mirror images of objects. You must defeat him, Lion‑O. The galaxy depends on it.”

“Very well, Jaga. Thank you. Anything else I must know?”

“You should go alone. He will get too suspicious if he sees three Thunder Cats there, along with any Silver Hawks. Take care that he does not fool you with his backwards disguises.” Mo disappeared as Jaga normally would.

“Bye, Jaga.” Lion‑O left.

Mo‑Lec‑U‑Lar transformed back into himself when Lion‑O had closed the door. “Hee, hee! That fool fell for it.” He transformed into a flea and leapt out of the office and back to the Command Center. He got an idea, and obtained a perfect hiding spot on Wilykat’s boot.

Wilykit was a tad skeptical about Jaga’s most recent conversation with Lion‑O. She was developing something on the order of Cheetara’s sixth sense. Unfortunately, her simple skepticism also annoyed Lion‑O to an extent that he could not believe. “You’re positive it was Jaga?” asked Wilykit.

Lion‑O frowned. “You’ve never posed that kind of question before, Wilykit.”

“Don’t mind me. I have a strange feeling about this. It just doesn’t feel right, somehow.”

“Well, unless you get some concrete proof, I plan to do what Jaga says.”

Wilykit let out a nervous laugh. “How can I get concrete proof? I cannot see him, after all.”

“I’m going to come along, Lion‑O,” Quicksilver said. “I’ll wait around outside that stinking Sini*Star Diner and keep hidden to listen to what’s going on. If you get in trouble, you might need some help.”

“Okay, Quicksilver. Come along.”

“At least remove our Space-Boards from the Feliner before you leave so Wilykat and I can come to your aid if necessary,” Wilykit said.

Lion‑O wanted to find this amusing, but he found it annoying. “Insistent, aren’t you? Well, I will, just to avoid arguments.”

* * *

Down at the Feliner, Quicksilver was leaning the Thunder Kittens’ Space-Boards against the wall near the elevator as Lion‑O was starting up the Feliner. Quicksilver boarded the craft as Lion‑O finished the final take-off adjustments. Quicksilver closed the door and sat down next to Lion‑O.

“Ready, Quick?” Lion‑O asked.

“Yes, I am.”

Lion‑O piloted the Feliner out from Hawkhaven’s hangar into space. “Could you direct me to that planet?”

“Set course for ten mark twenty degrees. It’s more of an asteroid, really.”

Lion‑O input the course. The Feliner turned and flew towards Fence.

“At this speed, it won’t be long before we get there. You seemed a little impatient on Wilykit.”

“She doubts what Jaga told me. That bothers me.”

“I’m glad you controlled yourself, Lion‑O, but what if you’d snapped at her simply because she had doubts?”

“I’m not supposed to, Quicksilver. Thunderians have complete freedom of expression. I just don’t feel comfortable when someone doubts what Jaga says.”

“I think I know what that’s like. I wouldn’t feel comfortable with anyone doubting what Stargazer says. However, you know Wilykit and her brother have abilities you don’t.”

“You’re right. As the leader, I guess that I just don’t want to be wrong, Quicksilver.”

“I can understand that, Lion‑O. I’ve been there before. But I’ve also learned that it pays to listen to what my friends tell me.”

As they passed Automata at a distance of twenty million kilometers, the mechanical world was utterly dark. “This planet is down. What’s it called? Automata?”

“Yes. The others are coming to take care of it. A‑Tom‑U‑Lar must’ve attacked here and moved on.”

“Yes. Well, our mission’s on Fence.”

* * *

While the Feliner was overflying Automata, the Mirage approached the mechanical world’s surface from the other side. “Automata’s pretty darned dark,” Bluegrass said.

“A‑Tom‑U‑Lar must have taken over,” Steelheart said. “Prepare to launch, Silver Hawks.” She flashed on her visor. “Ready.” All the others flashed on theirs.

“Ready,” Steelwill and Kidd said.

Bluegrass reached for the four-pod release button. “Okay, Hawks. Re—” A red music laser blasted the Mirage. “What the devil. The Mob!”

The Limbo Limo and Zoomer drew near. Melodia aimed the head of her Sound Smasher at the Mirage. “How about an encore, Silver Pigeons?” She hit several chords on the keyboard of the Sound Smasher with her left hand, and red music laser fired from the head once more and just missed the Mirage. “Curse it. Quit being such a good pilot, Bluegrass.”

“Let us out, Bluegrass,” Steelheart said.

“Yes, Steelheart.” Bluegrass pressed the four-pod release button. “Releasing.” The canopies of the Steeltwins’ and Kidd’s pods opened, and the three Silver Hawks zipped out.

“Silver Hawks, wing‑it.” She winged it along with her brother and Copper-Kidd.

Bluegrass pulled a lever to the right of his chair, and the Hot Seat separated from the main part of the Mirage. Bluegrass then pressed a button on his flight yoke with his left thumb. A beam shot out of the back of the Hot Seat and cloaked the main body of the Mirage. Opening the Hot Seat’s canopy, Bluegrass got Side Man, pressed a button on him, and threw him straight towards the Mob’s limos. Side Man’s neck shrank so that his head became closer to his body. His blue wings popped out, and his hawks’ feet, along with the talons, formed as well. May-Day joined him. Bluegrass made his Laser Guitar ready.

“Will, you and I will go in to stop A‑Tom‑U‑Lar,” said Steelheart. “Bluegrass and Kidd, you two stay up here with Side Man, and May-Day and keep the Mob occupied.”

The Steeltwins went down towards Automata. Melodia aimed a red music laser directly at them, but Side Man blocked her fire with his blue music laser. Hardware fired upon the Hot Seat, only for Kidd to counter with a shoulder-laser.

Arriving in Automata, the Steeltwins flew into the central computer room, where Monotone was as dark as space. They landed, clipped in their wings, and flashed off their visors. “A‑Tom‑U‑Lar’s around here somewhere,” Steelheart said.

“The only questions are where, and what?” Steelwill examined Monotone’s monitor with his natural hand. He felt something. “Ha! A compact disc drive of some sort.” He tried to grab the disc inside, but he had no success. “Let’s see. We need an ejector of some sort.” He continued to feel around. He felt something like a button and pressed it. A‑Tom‑U‑Lar, in disc form, popped out and right into Steelheart’s hands. “And voilà, a compact disc. Or, should I say a captured A‑Tom‑U‑Lar?”

“Not bad work, li’l bro.”

The disc began to glow. Steelheart released it, and in mid-air it turned into A‑Tom‑U‑Lar. “Not a chance, Silver Hawks.”

Steelwill clipped handcuffs on A‑Tom‑U‑Lar. “You have the right to remain silent.”

“You may have stopped my plan, Steeltwins, but you’ll never stop me.” He put his Atomic Transformation Ring on his bolt-hand and touched it with all fingers but the thumb of his right hand. He transformed into a rocket and blasted off.

Steelheart thrust her right fist into her left hand. “Fudge! He got away again.”

“He sure is elusive,” Steelwill said. He turned to Monotone and hit a button above the monitor. The computer came online.

“Dash my databanks,” Monotone said. “I’m glad to get that compact disc out of my system.”

“Will you be all right?” Steelheart asked.

“Yes. A‑Tom‑U‑Lar’s reprogramming was not permanent.”

“Good to hear. Come on, Will; let’s get out of here and see how the others are doing.” They flashed on their visors, winged it, and flew out.

* * *

Back out in space, Bluegrass, Kidd, Side Man, and May-Day were whipping the Mob into terrible shape. Bluegrass knocked out the Limbo Limo’s cannon with a good music laser. “Ha, ha! Try to blast us now, little lady.”

Melodia aimed her Sound Smasher at Bluegrass. “Blast you, cowpoke.” Bluegrass shot the Sound Smasher out of her hands with a laser blast from his Laser Guitar. “Ooh! I’m going to say something I shouldn’t, since I’m going to Inferno anyway. Damn you, cowboy.”

“Ooh! Cursin’, Melodia? Not very ladylike.”

“Show me a lady, and I’ll show you some tramp who demeans herself by trying to act all primp and proper.” A laser hit the bottom of the Limbo Limo so that she had to grab the dashboard to anchor herself. “Whoa. What the devil was that?”

Steelheart landing on the hood of the Limbo Limo. “That was a lady, Melodia.” She blasted Melodia into her seat with a laser.

“Yah! Shift into first and get us out of here, Yes-Man. Let’s beat it.”

“Beat it. Ooh, yes, Melodia. Certainly.”

Melodia held her fist in a threatening manner at Yes-Man. “Quit yes‑ing, and start accelerating. We should be moving like a bat out of inferno right now.”

“Allow me to help,” said Steelheart. She flew to the rear of the Limbo Limo, grabbed it, and swung it. When she released the Limbo Limo, it hurtled to Brim*Star. Melodia’s scream could be heard for a few seconds.

Mon*Star gasped. “Stop the Steeltwins, Hardware. Stop them now!”

Hardware was quickly assembling a weapon. “I’m working as fast as I can.”

Steelwill landed on the hood of the Zoomer. “Relax, Hardware. Just calm down.” He shot and destroyed Hardware’s weapon with his shoulder-laser.

“Blast you, Silver Hawk.”

Steelwill next continuously blasted Mon*Star in the belly area. Mon*Star cried out during this. When it was over, he reverted to his pre-transformation state. “Oh, no. Get us out of here, Hardware. Now.”

“I’m trying.” Hardware quickly tried to move the limo away, but the Zoomer was too slow. Steelwill did unto the Zoomer what Steelheart had done unto the Limbo Limo.

“Have a nice spin, Mon*Star,” laughed Steelwill.

Bluegrass again pressed the button on his flight yoke. The Mirage decloaked, and the Hot Seat rejoined it. Bluegrass returned the lever on the right of his seat to its previous position to lock the Hot Seat into the Mirage. Then, pressed the four-pod release button to open the canopies. The three flying Silver Hawks entered their pods after clipping in their wings. Once their pod canopies had closed, they each flashed off their visors.

“Good work, Hawks,” Steelheart said. “A‑Tom‑U‑Lar made a getaway after Will and I stopped him.”

“Whereto next?” asked Bluegrass.

“Home, cowboy. ASAP.”

Bluegrass input the course and speed. “Aye, Steelheart.” The Mirage flew toward Hawkhaven, its mission complete.

* * *

Brim*Star.

When he finally stormed into his control room on Brim*Star, Mon*Star was infuriated. “Those bird-brained Silver Hawks. They have to step in and ruin every confounded thing.” Zero came into the control room. “How did it go, Zero?”

“Perfectly, Planet Master. Hzz, hzz, hzz! I saw Lion‑O going out to Fence in the Feliner. He’ll get there very soon.”

“At least Mo‑Lec‑U‑Lar’s plan to eliminate that Thunder Cat is working well. What’s next, A‑Tom‑U‑Lar?”

* * *

Fence.

The Feliner landed in Fence’s parking area. Fence was a shoddy saloon on a small asteroid just within the former Light-Year Limit. Lion‑O and Quicksilver stepped out of the Feliner. The Thunder Cat immediately found his sensibilities assaulted. “Not the most savory place in Limbo.”

“I can’t help agreeing, Lion‑O. Go on into the Sini*Star Diner, but be careful. All the riffraff in the star-cluster dines here.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll make the Thunder Cat Signal if I need help.” Quick nodded, then hid.

Lion‑O approached the door and cautiously looked in. He saw many sources of noise, and particularly noticed the sign, ‘No alcohol.’ This place stinks. But I’d better get this over with. And, Lion‑O, act tough. He burst open the saloon-like doors. The robotic bartender, Harry, who had eyes all around his head, noticed him. Lion‑O stomped his way over to the bar and ordered something.

Three at a side table, the Space-Bandits, noticed him, then engaged in a hushed conversation. “Hey,” said Cyclops, a bare-chested balloon body. “Isn’t that Lion‑O?”

Space Bandit, the unofficial leader of the Space-Bandits, examined a picture that Mo‑Lec‑U‑Lar had given to him. He had blue cybernetic armor covering his body. “Yes, it is. Let’s get him while he’s off his guard.”

“Mo said that he’d constantly be on his guard,” said Spike. Aptly named, his face resembled a rhinoceros’s with an upward spike on the end of his nose.

“Just as Mo also said, this big cat is alone. Hee, hee!”

“I don’t like this,” Cyclops said. “I’ve heard a lot about the Thunder Cats. According to Captain Shiner, the Eye of Thundera in the Sword of Omens is the source of their powers. It must be very, very powerful.”

Space Bandit pointed to the sword in Lion‑O’s Claw Shield. “Yes, and that’s it. Let’s get him.”

Outside, Quick inched to the door and looked in. Everything seems okay, he thought. Wait a minute. Space Bandit! Space Bandit was clandestinely aiming his mechanical right hand, a laser pistol, at Lion‑O. Quicksilver acted on impulse and burst in. “Look out, Lion‑O.” Lion‑O turned and saw Space Bandit. He dodged and missed the laser from Space Bandit’s pistol.

“Darn it,” shouted Space Bandit. He turned to Quicksilver. “A Silver Hawk, too. This’ll definitely earn us some money with Mo.”

“Mo,” said Quicksilver. “As in Mo‑Lec‑U‑Lar.”

Cyclops got out his laser pistol. “Yeah, Colonel, and he’ll pay us well for destroying you.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Lion‑O said. “If we’re going to fight, we’ll do it outside.”

“Like heck, Thunder Cat,” said Spike. He blasted at Lion‑O with his laser pistol. Lion‑O barely missed the shot. However, Cyclops blasted Quicksilver in the chest and knocked him on his back.

Lion‑O aimed the Sword of Omens at Cyclops. “Ho!” The Sword shot past Cyclops.

“Okay, kitty,” Cyclops said. “Take this.” He fired at Lion‑O with his laser pistol, but he missed. Then, Space Bandit scored a stun blast on Lion‑O.

The Thunder Cat fell on his back with a groan. “This isn’t good.” He put the hilt of the Sword of Omens to his eyes. He then held up the Sword. “Thunder, Thunder, Thunder, Thunder Cats, Ho!” The Sword extended in vertical height at each ‘Thunder.’ At ‘Thunder Cats,’ the Cat’s-Eye opened. At ‘Ho!’ the Thunder Cat Signal shone out of the Eye. In a moment, his consciousness left him, and he dropped the Sword on the floor. The Eye closed, but the Signal continued to shine. Quicksilver attempted to get up, but he also lost consciousness.

Space Bandit laughed. “Pretty good, pretty good. One Thunder Cat and one Silver Hawk. Mo‑Lec‑U‑Lar will definitely be pleased. Call ’im now, Spike.” Spike did so.

* * *

Command Center, Hawkhaven.

At Hawkhaven, the Thunder Kittens were keeping an eye on the monitors. Mo‑Lec‑U‑Lar was still a flea hiding on Wilykat. Moonstriker looked out the window and saw the Thunder Cat Signal. “Look, Thunder Kittens.”

The Kittens turned and saw the signal. When they saw it, their eyes and insignias glowed, and everyone in the room heard the powerful Thunder Cat Roar. “Lion‑O needs us,” Wilykat said.

“Let’s go, Wilykat,” Wilykit said. They rushed into the elevator. When Wilykat had told it to take them to the hangar, Mo‑Lec‑U‑Lar got off him and transformed to normal. “Mo‑Lec‑U‑Lar!”

“In the molecules. Ch-ch-ch-ch! Since I’m going to kill you, I might as well tell you what I’m doing. I’ve promised the Space Bandit’s team I’d pay them well for delivering Lion‑O to me, dead or alive. I came to transform into Jaga and tell Lion‑O that A‑Tom‑U‑Lar was on Fence so the Space Bandit’s team would get him. Wasn’t that evil? Now—” The Thunder Kittens pinched their noses shut, and Wilykit hit Mo‑Lec‑U‑Lar with a sleep capsule. Upon impact, it released the sleep gas. “Hey. What is that—” He began to snooze. Just after that, the elevator doors opened.

Wilykit grabbed Mo‑Lec‑U‑Lar, dragged him to the exit from the hangar, and tossed the molecularly unstable being into space. In the Silver Hawks’ time, the technology to fill a solar system with air needed for breathing was available, as it was for creating artificial gravity away from planets.

“That ought to take care of globe-brain,” said Wilykat, running up to the exit with their Space-Boards. He gave the pink-edged one to Wilykit. “Let’s follow the signal.” Wilykit nodded. As soon as they had zipped out, they saw the Mirage. “The other Hawks are back.”

In the Mirage, Steelheart saw them. “What are the Kittens doing?”

Bluegrass looked over his shoulder to port, the direction where the Kittens were headed. “Goin’ after Lion‑O.” Steelheart, Steelwill, and Kidd saw the signal.

“Kidd, get your Space Racer and follow us.”

Kidd flashed on his visor. “Aye, ma’am! Ready to launch, Bluegrass!” Bluegrass pressed the button for second-pod launch. Kidd’s pod opened. Kidd flew out and entered Hawkhaven. Soon, he joined them in the Space Racer.

“Tell the Kittens that we have two empty pods, Bluegrass.”

“My pleasure, Steelheart.” He activated his radio. “Hey, Kittens. Need a lift? We got two empty pods.”

The Kittens looked at the Mirage, then at each other. “Okay, Bluegrass,” said Wilykit. The two pods on the port side opened. “Let’s go, Wilykat.” Wilykat nodded. They dropped speed so that they could jump into the pods. Wilykat entered into Quicksilver’s pod, while Wilykit entered into Copper-Kidd’s. They laid their Space-Boards to their sides. “Thanks for the lift. Now, follow that signal.”

“That’s just what we intend to do, Wilykit,” said Steelheart. “Where is the source, Bluegrass?”

Bluegrass did some computing. “It looks like Fence, Steelheart.”

“Warp speed, cowboy.”

“Warp speed it is.” He engaged the engines at a high speed.

“Would you two mind telling us why Lion‑O’s out there in the first place?” asked Steelwill.

“From what he said, Jaga told him that A‑Tom‑U‑Lar was there,” said Wilykat.

“He certainly wasn’t at Fence, kids,” Steelheart said. “Will and I stopped him on Automata a few minutes ago.”

“We encountered Mo‑Lec‑U‑Lar on the elevator while coming down,” Wilykit said. “He must have slipped in somehow. He said he had turned into Jaga and told Lion‑O that A‑Tom‑U‑Lar was on Fence in order to lure him into a trap at the hands of the Space Bandit’s gang.”

“Did anyone go with Lion‑O?”

“Yes. Colonel Quicksilver accompanied him.”

“How did they go?”

“They took the Feliner. They left not too long after you had gone.”

“We’ll save them.”

* * *

Sini*Star Diner, Fence.

At the Sini*Star Diner on Fence, the Space-Bandits had Lion‑O and Quicksilver locked in titanium straightjackets, devices strong enough to hold the strongest criminal. “I’m telling you, Space Bandit, we’re making a big mistake in waiting for the other Thunder Cats to get here rather than just take these two to Brim*Star,” Cyclops said. “Mo‑Lec‑U‑Lar’s stuck in space, remember? One of the others might be more powerful—”

Space Bandit laughed. “More powerful? Ha! No other Thunder Cat is as powerful as their Lord. We can handle them.”

Spike snorted. “What about the Silver Hawks?”

“We can deal with them, too.”

Quicksilver had just regained consciousness. “No, you can’t.”

“Shut up, Silver Hawk.” They were so busy jawing that they could not hear the Mirage and the Space Racer landing outside. Quicksilver wanted it that way.

“Okay, guys,” said Steelheart. “Let’s go.”

“Wait,” said Bluegrass. “Shouldn’t someone stay out here to keep watch?”

“That’s an excellent idea, Bluegrass. And, since you came up with it, you get to do it.” The Steeltwins, the Thunder Kittens, and Copper-Kidd ran quietly toward the Sini*Star Diner. The Steeltwins got flush against the wall on one side of the door, while the Kittens and Kidd did so on the other.

Wilykit peeked in through the slats in the door. She said quietly, “They have Lion‑O and Quicksilver in steel straightjackets. They look a little overconfident. That can lead to one’s downfall.”

“True,” said Steelheart. “Now, let’s see what they can do to us.”

“What’re we going to do?”

“We’re going to burst in, me first. I’m going to place them under arrest. And we’re going to make them regret it if they try to blast us, too.” She burst open the door. “All right, you interplanetary criminals. All three of you are under arrest.”

“Just try, blasted Silver Hawk,” said Space Bandit.

“My name is not Blasted Silver Hawk. It is Commander Steelheart. Release Colonel Quicksilver and Lion‑O immediately, or you’re going to have to face a stiffer sentence.”

“Yeah?” Cyclops said. “Just try and make us.” Copper-Kidd got one of his flying discs and whacked Cyclops in the head with it. “Yaah!” The disc returned to Kidd like a boomerang. “Blast you, bird-brain. I’ll get you for that.”

Wilykat got a capsule from his capsule-belt. “All right, chubby. I think you have too inflated an opinion of yourself. See what you think about this.” He tossed the capsule at Cyclops. The powder it released made Cyclops sneeze to death. His propulsive sneezes bounced him all around the bar “I’m sure you’ll soon find that my weapons are nothing to sneeze at. Heh, heh!”

“Oh, enough with the puns,” Steelheart said.

“Oh, well, excuse me, ma’am.”

Wilykit got a capsule off her own belt. “Hey, spike-face. How about a nap?” She tossed the capsule at Spike. The gas in it made him go to sleep.

“I’m not going to let a few brats capture me,” Space Bandit said.

“Too bad,” said Steelheart. She whacked him in the face, right between the eyes, smacking some circuitry and knocking him out. “Because, if you had been willing to let the Kittens capture you, I would not have had to do that.” Steelwill broke Quicksilver and Lion‑O free.

“Thanks, Steelwill,” said Lion‑O. “Sword of Omens, come to my hand.” The Sword of Omens went to Lion‑O’s hand in such a manner that he could grab it by the handle. “Jaga told me—”

“Absolutely nothing today in Hawkhaven,” Wilykit said. “Pardon my interruption, Lion‑O, but Mo‑Lec‑U‑Lar was impersonating him.”

“He made a deal with these three slimeballs and tried to have you captured,” said Wilykat.

“Well, that awful molecule-brain succeeded, but he never got his atoms on me.” Lion‑O was sorry he had doubted Wilykit. He would have to trust her more in the future. “Tell me, where was A‑Tom‑U‑Lar?”

“On Automata, where Will and I stopped him,” said Steelheart. “He got away, of course.”

“Well, these three won’t get away with their crime,” said Quicksilver. “They have a nice trial waiting for them, and then it’s a nice three-hundred-year-long vacation on the Penal Planet.”

* * *

Command Center, Hawkhaven.

Upon returning to Hawkhaven, Steelheart returned Wilykit and Wilykat to scanning duty. “Picking up any more activity?” asked Steelheart.

“No, ma’am,” Wilykit said. “Not at the moment.”

Wilykat sighed. “Yeah. Not at the moment. Atom-head or star-breath is probably thinking up another plan.”

“Naturally,” Steelheart said. “Keep a close watch on Dolare and Bedlama, my friends. They might try either one next time. And we don’t want to—”

“Sorry to interrupt your presidential campaign speech, Steelheart, but I’ve picked up something,” Wilykit said.

Steelheart came over to her. “What is it?”

“Something’s plummeting through Dolare’s defense shields.” She activated her viewer to show the appropriate location. Whatever was going through the shields was doing it very well. “Might be A‑Tom‑U‑Lar.”

“Might be. We’d better stop it, whoever it is. Quick, Will, Bluegrass, and Kidd, let’s fire up the Mirage and get underway.”

“Aye, ma’am,” the four responded. They and Steelheart entered the elevator and went down to the hangar. In minutes, Wilykit and the others saw the Mirage speed off towards Dolare.

“I hope that they’ll be careful,” said Stargazer. “It appears that A‑Tom‑U‑Lar is quite damned tricky.”

Moonstriker feigned shock. “Stargazer. Such language. And in front of the Thunder Kittens.”

“Hey,” exclaimed the Thunder Kittens.

“Oh,” Stargazer said. “Ah, sorry, Moonstriker, everyone. I meant that A‑Tom‑U‑Lar was quite darned tricky.”

“You’ll have to excuse Gaze, everyone,” said Condor. “His mind tells him not to curse, but his mouth does it anyway.”

“Kind of reminds me of Lieutenant Tragg in the Perry Mason novels,” Moonstriker said.

“Yes, same here. Let’s keep an eye on these monitors.”

* * *

Dolare.

Dolare was the banking world of Limbo. This reflective, spherical artificial planet contained all the solar system’s money. On the north pole was a tower that emitted powerful, colorful shields to surround the planet’s main point of entry, also at the north pole, and keep intruders out.

At Dolare, A‑Tom‑U‑Lar was breaking through the powerful shields and going to the door to the vault. When he had reached the door, he found a guard, knocked him out, and transformed into a mirror image of him. The guard was nearly perfectly symmetrical. “If they don’t fall for this disguise, I don’t know what they’ll fall for. Now, I’ll get Lord Cash and make off with Dolare.” He entered the vault and went into Lord Cash’s office.

“What was that disturbance outside, guard?” asked Lord Cash, a tall humanoid in elaborate robes. This noble was in charge of running the banking world.

“It was just a malfunction,” said A‑Tom‑U‑Lar, disguising his voice. “I corrected it.”

“Good. I’d hate it if the Mob discovered how to get in here.”

“Well—” He clapped his hands together and transformed back to himself. Using his normal voice, he continued, “—start hating it.”

“Mo‑Lec‑U‑Lar. I should have—”

“He’s my younger brother. I am A‑Tom‑U‑Lar, proud to be at the service of Mon*Star and his Mob. And you’d better get this planet moving toward Brim*Star right now, or I’m going to kill you.”

“Never.”

“Then, I’ll have good noose for you when we get back to Brim*Star.” Laughing, he coated Lord Cash with A‑Tomic‑Tar. “Get ready to be hanged by the Mob.” He activated the controls and made Dolare move toward Brim*Star. When other guards came to try to stop him, he sealed the door shut with A‑Tomic‑Tar. The guards were unable to penetrate the tar and, thus, could not stop A‑Tom‑U‑Lar.

* * *

The Silver Hawks approached Dolare in the Mirage. “Whoa,” said Bluegrass. “Unless I’m crazy, that planet is moving out of its orbit.”

“Good God,” Steelheart said. “You aren’t crazy. At least, no more than usual. It is moving away. Prepare to launch.” She flashed on her visor. The other three flying Silver Hawks flashed on theirs. “I’ll go in there. You four stay out here.”

“What about—” Steelwill began.

“Sorry, Will. You, too.”

“Yes, Steelheart.”

“Good. Launch us, Bluegrass.”

“Aye, ma’am,” said Bluegrass. He pressed the four-pod release button. All four pods opened, and the four flying Silver Hawks zipped out.

“Wing‑it.” All four winged it.

Steelheart went down to Dolare and began to blast the electronic shields with her lasers. Quicksilver, Steelwill, and Copper-Kidd shot their shoulder-lasers at the point where Steelheart was blasting hers. Bluegrass opened the canopy of the control pod, aimed for this point with the head of his Laser Guitar, and fired on the shield. Soon, a hole formed, and Steelheart went down to the vault, unhindered by the electronic shield.

“Good luck, Steelheart,” Quicksilver said.

“Thank you, Quicksilver.”

* * *

In Lord Cash’s office, an alarm sounded. A‑Tom‑U‑Lar punched up the security monitors. “Oh, no. Those Silver Hawks have breached the shields.”

“They’ll stop you, A‑Tom‑U‑Lar,” said Cash. “You’ll do a long stretch on the Penal Planet for this.”

“Who says?” Some of the glass surrounding the office broke in, and Steelheart entered through the broken area. “Wha!”

Steelheart landed on the floor. “I say.” She flashed off her visor after clipping in her wings. “Commander Steelheart, ready to escort you to the Penal Planet.”

“That is what you think, birdbrain.” He transformed into a huge laser cannon. Steelheart dodged his three shots and blasted his unstable atoms apart with a super-strong laser of her own. Painfully, A‑Tom‑U‑Lar, on the floor, reformed.

“You’re under arrest, A‑Tom‑U‑Lar.”

“No way, Steelheart. I’m beating it.” He quickly transformed into a missile and took off.

Steelheart used her laser to burn Lord Cash free. Then she set Dolare back on course for where it was supposed to be.

“Thank you, Commander Steelheart,” Cash said. “If he had gotten Dolare to Brim*Star, it would have been terrible.”

“Well, Lord Cash, we’ll not have to worry about that. I’ll see to the repairs to your office.” She flashed on her visor. “Steelheart to Quicksilver. Come in.”

“Quicksilver here, Steelheart. What is it?”

“A‑Tom‑U‑Lar has been beaten and has escaped again.”

“He zipped by too quickly for us to catch him, Steelheart.”

“Send Copper-Kidd after him.”

“Will-do, Steelheart. Over and out.”

Steelheart flashed off her visor. “Now, let’s get Dolare back where it belongs.”

“I quite agree,” Cash said.

* * *

Star*Ship Casino.

A few minutes later, Kidd had followed A‑Tom‑U‑Lar at a distance to the Star*Ship Casino, past the Light-Year Limit, which was no longer a hindrance to Silver Hawks catching perpetrators. At the door, A‑Tom‑U‑Lar entered the casino and went directly to Pokerface’s office. Kidd decided to hide and call in. He flashed on his visor. “Kidd to Steelheart. Please come in.”

“Steelheart here, Kidd. Where are you?”

“At the Star*Ship Casino. I’ve followed A‑Tom‑U‑Lar out here.”

“You’re hiding, yes?”

“Right.”

“Stay put. Wait for me. I’ll come out there in the Sprint Hawk.”

“If you insist.”

“I do. I’ll see you in about ten minutes.”

“Okay. Copper-Kidd out.” He flashed off his visor and grabbed one of his flying discs. “Like I’m going to wait,” he said in his native language, which was uncannily identical to Morse code for English. He ascended the steps to the door. He decided to keep his profile low, so he quietly opened the door, slipped in unnoticed, and slinked to the door of the office of Pokerface, Mon*Star’s gambling boss. He put his ear as close to the door as possible so that he could listen to Pokerface and A‑Tom‑U‑Lar and still hide.

Within the office, Pokerface was talking with A‑Tom‑U‑Lar. “Okay, A‑Tom‑U‑Lar. Hide out here until you feel you’ve given the Silver Hawks the slip.” He made it clear in his utterance of ‘Silver Hawks’ that he held uncontrollable contempt for them.

“Thanks, Pokerface,” A‑Tom‑U‑Lar said.

“The pleasure is mine.” He removed his sunglasses. His right eye showed a spade, and his left eye showed a club. The two eyes then spun and when they stopped, both showed exclamation marks. “Those blasted Silver Hawks may have sent someone after you. I picked up nothing on the scanners, but those birdbrains have slipped past them before. In fact, if one flew here under his own power, there’s no way the scanners could detect him.” He pressed a button on his desk. “Mumbo, get in here.” Mumbo-Jumbo entered the office. “Mumbo-Jumbo, I just got this feeling we’re being watched. Look around in every nook and cranny of this casino and catch any Silver Hawks you may find. Feel free to mutilate them to your content.”

Mumbo-Jumbo growled a strongly affirmative response. He would enjoy mutilating a Silver Hawk. When Mumbo had left, Pokerface put his sunglasses back on.

‘Feel free to mutilate them to your content?’ Kidd thought to himself. I don’t like the sound of that. When Mumbo-Jumbo had bypassed Copper-Kidd, the latter went to the office door. Okay. If it must be so, so be it. He opened the door and burst in.

“What?” cried Pokerface. “Oh, it’s just the Silver Brat.” Confidently, he got his cane. “I can handle you.” He fired at Copper-Kidd but missed. Copper-Kidd knocked the cane out of Pokerface’s hand with a shoulder laser. “Yah! Blast you, Copper-Kidd.” He pressed a button on his panel. “Mumbo, get back in here immediately.” Just after Pokerface had cancelled the transmission, Copper-Kidd destroyed the communications console with a flying disc he had been carrying in his hand. The disc then returned to his hand like a boomerang.

“Both of you are under arrest,” he said.

“That’s what you think, Kidd,” snapped A‑Tom‑U‑Lar. Before he could transform, Copper-Kidd knocked the Atomic Transformer Ring out of A‑Tom‑U‑Lar’s hands with his disc. “Aah! Blast you, Silver Hawk.” The disc swooped down so the ring would land on it and returned to Copper-Kidd’s hand.

Mumbo-Jumbo burst in, growling and angry. “Get Copper-Kidd.” When he charged for Copper-Kidd, Kidd leapt out of the way so that he crashed headfirst into the wall. That knocked the bull out.

“Including hardhead, all three of you are under arrest.”

The door flew in suddenly. Steelheart’s strong body was ready for a fight. “Okay, evildoers. Prepare to be—what?” Copper-Kidd smiled. “Kidd, I thought I told you to wait outside.”

“I couldn’t help it.”

“Oh, well. After what you did here!” They clipped handcuffs on the three criminals. “As Copper-Kidd may have told you, you are all under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. If you give up that right, anything you say can and shall be used against you in a court of law.”

* * *

Command Center, Hawkhaven.

“And that was it?” Wilykit asked.

“Yeah,” said Steelheart. “Those evil nuts will have the dubious pleasure of serving time on the Penal Planet.”

“And I guess that, from now on, the only kind of change that A‑Tom‑U‑Lar will be making is changing the color of Limbo license plates in prison,” said Wilykat. Everyone laughed.

* * *

Brim*Star.

“Those blasted Silver Hawks and Thunder Cats have locked some of our guys back in prison,” said Mon*Star.

“Ooh, yes,” said Yes-Man. “What shall we do?”

“Hardware and Melodia,” said Mon*Star, “I want you two to go get Pokerface and Mumbo-Jumbo. We’ll get A‑Tom‑U‑Lar later.”

“Got it, boss,” Melodia said. She and Hardware left.