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

As The Sidewinder began to examine the simple, carved mask that would turn the wearer into any creature of his fancy, Billy seized the chance to escape while his captors were distracted.

Skillfully, Billy toppled himself on to the ground. His hat fell from his head. Billy managed to wriggle around until his fingers were able to pluck the magical arrowhead from the hatband. Billy continued to grimace in pain as the ropes’ grasp strangled his hands’ circulation. He had to work quickly before his captors noticed his struggle.

Billy’s fingers soon told him the story he longed to hear-the black arrowhead was in his possession. It was behind his back, but Billy did not have to see it to evoke its power. "R.A.M.S.F.F.E.W.," the young boy shouted and the kid ranger felt the power of rain, the animals, the moon, the sun, fire, Earth and the wind surge through his veins.

"I am the thunder from God’s country, taking your world by storm," roared The Lightning Warrior as his battle cry vibrated throughout the cavern. 10,000 years of Native American magic, legend and lore empowered the muscular, night clad avenger. The unstoppable, wild wrath of God would challenge The Sidewinder’s onslaught.

The Lightning Warrior now stood in a magnificent awe to unleash his ultimate brand of frontier firebrand justice upon the Sidewinder and his desecrators. But The Sidewinder was armed with The Manitou’s magical gifts and vowed to destroy the great spirit of the storm.

The Sidewinder raised the Thunderhawk against The Warrior, like an executioner wielded his axe upon a helpless victim. But the Lightning Warrior’s iron grip caught his opponent’s arm in mid swing. With the fury of a tornado, the black caped, phantom protector of the plains heaved his merciless adversary high into the air and crash-landed The Sidewinder onto the cave’s jagged rocks.

The Sidewinder then reached for the Thunderhawk he dropped during the struggle. But the Warrior’s lightning lash of retribution swiftly cracked against The Sidewinder’s hand. The Sidewinder was so consumed by his own anger, rage, and mission of revenge his combat skills became diminished when faced with a trial by combat against the tornado-riding Lightning Warrior.

Meanwhile Billy’s golden pony magically transformed into the dazzling white steed--The Thunder Rider. Instinctively, the magnificent mount galloped to White Eagle’s rescue. His stampeding hooves knocked the outlaws’ guns from their hands. Screaming in terror that they saw a "ghost horse," The Sidewinder’s men ran into the woods. Suddenly, The Thunder Rider exhibited a new power. From the horse’s eyes, the steed was now able to fire beams of a fabulous force. The rays disintegrated White Eagle’s bonds before the outlaws’ horses inflicted more injury upon him. Now free from nearly being drawn and quartered, White Eagle thanked his stallion savior by giving him a sugar cube he kept hidden in his shirt.

In the cave, The Sidewinder grabbed the wooden mask, and became endowed with the power to become the most horrific of creatures. The young outlaw noticed a desert scorpion crawling between the rocks. With all the malevolence his mind could muster, The Sidewinder willed himself to become a raging scorpion creature, a humongous scorpion lord with tremendous claws and Excalibur like tail poised to terminate The Lightning Warrior. The Lightning Warrior’s great speed enabled him to escape the scorpion lord’s grasp. Again and again, the scorpion lord lunged at the warrior with his tail, but the tornado rider moved like a dazzling comet to miss the tail’s mark. But the warrior suddenly became distracted by the moans of White Eagle and lost his focus causing him to fall into the creature’s trap.

Soon, the phantom protector of the plains had been caught in the bone-crushing grip of the scorpion lord’s tail.