BILLY STEELE: KID RANGER--THE DARK SKULL'S REVENGE

Now with a heart full of evil, The Lightning Warrior leaped upon a thunderbolt and flew to White Eagle’s hidden cave.

While the ancient Indian tried to repair the sacred symbols of his culture damaged when The Sidewinder attacked earlier, the Native American wizard heard his student rumble towards him. White Eagle’s welcoming smile became a face full of fright for he could not believe his student his chosen successor was rampaging towards him.

The newly evil Lightning Warrior let fly a flaming arrow directly at his aged teacher. "Where is the mine, old fool," screamed the warrior, his entire being blinded by greed and vengeance. The arrow missed its target, but barely. The arrow’s flames ignited a great wooden totem pole and as it burned, White Eagle sadly armed himself with The Manitou’s magical gifts, the ones he presented to Billy Steele earlier, and the still-weakened elder bravely challenged this desecrator of his home and culture.

White Eagle attempted to battle his one time savior, The Lightning Warrior, with the Thunderhawk tomahawk. But the ancient wizard suffered a moment of hesitation. Tears swelled in the old man’s eyes at the thought of using a weapon as powerful as this against his student, his friend his son.

The brief hesitation of heart cost White Eagle the battle. The Lightning Warrior used the unguarded moment to use his bullwhip to lash the magical tomahawk from White Eagle’s hand. Before White Eagle could reach, "Tatanka," the buffalo skin of invisibility and the ceremonial mask that could empower the wearer, The Lightning Warrior blasted the Indian with an energy bolt shooting from his wristband.

White Eagle was sprawled unconscious on the cave’s dirt floor. The Lightning Warrior then grabbed his ancient teacher and howled into the near dead man’s ear, "Where is the mine, where is the mine, tell me if you want to live!"

Before the Lightning Warrior could deliver the fatal blow upon the fallen Indian the warrior’s tomahawk was repelled by an amazing cocoon of magical glimmer that surrounded White Eagle’s body. It was like a power greater than the warrior itself divinely intervened to protect the Native American wizard from the warrior’s newly acquired evil. The warrior continued to assault his former mentor, but the warrior’s furious blows only bounced off of this glimmering, mystical barrier.

Suddenly, The Lightning Warrior turned his rage away from his helpless victim. He heard the sounds of hoof beats thundering towards him. Holt’s Rangers, who had been scouring the prairie in search of Paradise Valley’s destroyers, luckily rode by. The elite cavalry unit could not believe that the great god, who saved their lives, had become a devastating force. Col. Tim ordered his men to stop the warrior from attempting to murder White Eagle. With a deep sadness in his soul Col. Tim commanded his men to open fire on The Lightning Warrior-the mysterious hero who saved the cavalrymen on numerous occasions.

As Holt’s Rangers blasted away at the warrior with their pistols and rifles, the warrior released his prey, White Eagle, and used his shield to withstand the cavalry’s barrage. Ironically, Col. Tim, believing Billy was safe at Fort Yuma and unaware of Billy’s super alter ego, was happy his son was far away from this danger.

The Col.’s relief was short lived as The Lightning Warrior hurled a fierce bolt of energy at the tall-in-the-saddle soldier. The bolt toppled the saber-swinging commander from his valiant stallion and he tumbled to the ground. In his wicked supremacy, The Lightning Warrior stood ready to vanquish his fallen foe.