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

The Warrior began to feel the life squeezed from his body as the claw tightened, and tightened around his frame. Soon, the warrior was helplessly poised, weakened and targeted by the creature’s sharp, poison tipped tail. His life’s breath drained from his body.

When White Eagle saw his student about to be killed, the ancient Indian sage screamed for the warrior to use his power over the storms. In an instant, The Lightning Warrior, seeing his sage was safe, used his power over the rain and wind to become a mighty, whirlwind hurricane. Winds whipped and storms thundered like a turbulent symphony in the cave. The force of the warrior’s winds blew him free from the wicked creature’s death grip. The fury of the warrior’s winds then hurled the massive scorpion lord into the cave’s walls, where the force of his landing put a rockslide in motion.

And the warrior’s powerful gusts tore the mask from The Sidewinder’s face, leaving him stripped of his purloined weapon and about to face the warrior’s retribution.

But The Sidewinder would continue to vent his hatred upon the supreme, tornado rider, The Lightning Warrior.

Before the warrior could lasso him with his enchanted lariat, The Sidewinder again wrapped himself in Tatanka, the white buffalo skin’s cloak of invisibility. He then opened gunfire on The Warrior. Bam! Crack! Bang! But the warrior’s shield caused the bullets to bounce off. But the warrior could not strike back as his opponent could not be seen. Suddenly, the warrior’s wonderful war dog, The Lone Defender came to his master’s aid. The super canine was able to sniff out The Sidewinder’s location using his extreme sense of smell. With The Sidewinder’s location exposed, the warrior used his great lance to disarm his evil opponent.

As the two titans raged in mortal combat, neither noticed their battle was about to cause a cave in. As the rocks began to rumble and tumble, The Lightning Warrior saw the staggering White Eagle was about to be crushed by a falling boulder. The Warrior, like a great guardian angel, swooped the ancient Indian wizard up in his arms and flew his mentor to safety.

Meanwhile, The Sidewinder’s guerilla army of desperadoes had long since scattered from The Warrior’s wrath. These outlaws hell bent on conquest, became a bunch of cowardly criminals when they faced the wild wrath of God.

Grasping his opportunity to escape rather than face The Warrior’s anger, The Sidewinder ran from the cave’s collapse into the pitch, black night. But the warrior’s only concern was the well being of his mentor.

As The Lightning Warrior helped revive White Eagle, the former Manitou confided to his chosen successor the real reason The Sidewinder was defeated, "An evil soul can never use these magical gifts to commit acts of hatred. These sacred powers will never obey one as wicked as that boy. Again, Billy Steele, you have proven yourself worthy of the magic."

The Lightning Warrior wanted to chase down The Sidewinder, but he knew he must first attend to the care of White Eagle and the warrior used strips from his cape to gently bandage the ancient Indian’s wounds. Meanwhile, the escaping Sidewinder, alone and lost became drawn to an eerie structure hidden deep in the woods. The teen became hypnotized by what he first thought was a haunted house buried in dead woods and land.

In a barren patch of badlands, beyond graveyard of lifeless trees, there stood a creaky roadhouse. The blood red paint of this saloon was peeling from its bullet-ridden walls, but inviting lights shined brightly inside.