Synopsis:When Billie Tells his sister Mary about being Queen Thunder, she knows that she is also chosen and becomes the fiery Red Thunder.

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"Defeat Ibac, gotcha." I replied as I flew up to check on Ibac. But I need not have worried as he came bursting out of the dam, aimed right at me, "YOU'RE MINE!"

I got furious and punched him into an erupting Mount Saint Helen's, "YOU FIEND! WHO'S GOING TO REPAIR THE DAM?"

I jetted about at super speed, collecting the concrete shards and turning them into a molten mass that I placed into gaping hole that he'd made. Luckily, it was near the top, away from the generators, so there was no flooding.

By the time that I was through, he was back, having been thrown up by the volcano into a polar orbit that sent Ibac back to me from the south. He was mad with his skin red and tights and hair orange, leaving his eyes glowing green with a malevolent fire.

I waited until I could hear him holler, "IBAC WILL CRUSH YOU UNDER MY FEET! SCUM!"

I waited until I was over the deepest part of Fawcett Lake to double fist him, cracking the molten shell he was sporting, sending each half and him into the water, "Careful what you claim, Professor. I've had the upper hand in our get together. Want to tell me why you're after me?"

He came out of the water carrying the halves of the imprisoning shell that he'd been in. BOTH were filled with water, held in by a black magic field that was corrupting the water and life within.

"VERY WELL, RED THUNDER! WE WILL TALK WHILE MY CREATION GELS AND COMES TO LIFE," he laughed.

"What is the purpose of the automaton?"

"SIMPLE, AMAZO WILL BE ABLE TO COPY ANY POWER THAT HE IS HIT WITH AS WELL AS COPY AND OR ABSORB THE POWER, ABILITIES AND MIND OF ANY ATTACKER."

"Leading to their deaths."

"ONLY IF THE BODY IS ABSORBED OR DESTROYED. THE ATTACKER WILL RECOVER, BUT WILL BE DEPOWERED AND STAY SO UNTIL THEY CAN FIND A WAY TO POWER UP."

"Very well. Where will you place AMAZO?"

He slammed the halves together with such a force that it sounded like thunder, "I AM PLACING HIM BACK IN THE VOLCANO, RED. TOO BAD YOU ARE NO LONGER THUNDER." he laughed as he flew away.

I had been forcibly transformed into my mortal form and was plummeting to my death via drowning. So, I touched my amulet and became Red Thunder again. I was bushed, so I landed where Ibac had first appeared. Landing, I saw Uncle Dudley come running up to me in his red bodysuit.

Courtesy Of D.C. Comics.
"That Ibac sure did a number upon you, Mary."

"I know," I sighed. "How did he cause me to revert?"

"He has learned how to tap into his power source. But now that he's done it, he can't do it again," he affirmed.

"Does he know that?"

"No, that's when he'll get a MOST UNPLEASANT SURPRISE when he tries it again," Uncle Dudley laughed as he faded away.

I looked up and saw Ibac flying back, landing by me, "I SEE THAT YOU SURVIVED MY LITTLE SURPRISE. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW, RED THUNDER?"

"Okay, Professor. How did you become Ibac?"

"Simple, A shard of the Star Heart Crystal was found and Lex Luthor used his connections with S.T.A.R. Labs to harness it's awesome magical energies."

"But according to Alena Scott, it should have some sentience. How was it convinced to be used to power you up?"

"The shard has power, but no mind to guide it."

"Then how was it corrupted?"

"Luthor himself had probes attached to it so that he himself could control it's power and make it ready to power me."

"Is Luther some sort of psychic?"

"No, but he does have a meta-gene that gives him psionic immunity and psionic domination of magic or psionic based equipment such as the Star Heart or Jade's Green Lantern Ring."

"That means that he can take over the Sorceress Supreme and Phoenix!"

"No, he can take control of the rings of Alena and Jade as well as any ring that Jade hands out if the owner is out cold. But he can't control their minds."

"How do you know this?"

"Simple, he tried to control mine before he gave me the shard."

"Then why did you accept becoming Ibac, and why are you named Ibac?"

"I will tell you about my name first. I am empowered by four of the most evil and terrifying men to ever lived: Ivan the Terrible, supplies me with Terror, Cesare Borgia gives me Cunning, Attila the Hun gives me Fierceness, and Caligula supplies me with Cruelty"

"But those are mortals, NOT deities, angels or demons."

"Just as you are empowered by deities from your pantheon, I am empowered by mine of evil from those who have served evil in the past,."

"Does Luthor fathom what you are?"

"He knows and approves, having set himself up as a counter to your High Priest, but does so as the Business Executive that he is."

"So, that is how he got to you."

"Luthor made me an offer that I couldn't refuse, now I have full access to Egypt's many secrets from the past, including the fact on how you gained your power."

"Oh?"

"Your High Priest has lived since the Dawn of Time. He has been the High Priest for Egypt, going back to its founding. For a time, he was active as you are now, then he found his first Champion in an Egyptian soldier who was soon corrupted and went from being Mighty Adam to being Black Adam."

"What happened to Black Adam?"

"He was confronted and when he saw what he'd done, Adam freely gave up his amulet. Now his descendants have inherited his mantle while he still serves as the High Priest's Sergeant-at-Arms."

"What?"

"There are many other worlds beside the Earth that host Life upon them like Earth does. Each of them have their own pantheon of Deities who serve your Mother Gaea as they in turn serve as that planet's Champion and Guardians as well as lead the populace in worshiping your God in whatever religion is manifested in that People's many cultures."

"Hold it. You mean to tell me that the Greek/Roman, Asgard, Egyptian, Hindu, Aztec/Mayan and all of the other pantheons are actually gods and goddesses who are supposed to serve God Himself?"

"Yes, your sister has met Apollo. Have you met any Deities?"

"The only possible deity other than Mother Gaea and Father Time has been the High Priest. Why do you ask?"

"Curiosity. I may be Ibac at the moment. But my curiosity as your Professor is still a part of who I am," he sighed.

He is beginning to regret accepting his offer from Luthor. That is a part of my ammunition to defeat Ibac and free the mortal from the monster. "Ibac, you know that I must fight you once this truce is over."

"That is true. What is your point?"

"Right now, you are the Professor, not the monster. Can you not fight the compulsion?"

"I AM IBAC THE TERRIBLE! NO ONE CAN DEFY ME!" he declared as he punched me into the ground.

I came rocketing up and caught him on the chin with a double fisted blow to his stomach, "Defy you, Ibac! I am trying to help you, you idiot!" he doubled over with a loud OOF as he was sent into the Gulf of Mexico.

I was about to go after him, but my arms were afire with pain from hitting him.GUARDIAN. NOW YOU FEEL THE PAIN OF YOUR WEAKNESS. UNTIL YOU DEFEAT IBAC, YOU WILL FEEL THAT PAIN, EVEN IN YOUR MORTAL FORM.

"Mother Gaea, What can I do?"

BE YOURSELF. THEN IBAC WILL FALTER.

"You mean for me to be your Guardian, or my mortal self?"

BOTH. IN BOTH FORMS, YOU ARE MY GUARDIAN.

"So, I stop defining myself as two different selves and see myself as one?"

YES. A HOUSE DIVIDED CAN NOT STAND.

I saw him jetting towards me with his fists held together to hit me with a jaw-jacker uppercut, "If that's the case, then it applies to him as well."

EXACTLY.

I drop kicked him as he neared, forcing the air out of his lungs that smelled like brimstone, "Brush your teeth, Professor! You have bad breath!" I taunted as he went plummeting into the water again.

I saw that my yellow boots were stained by my drop kick and my hosed legs looked like I had been mud wrestling. This is WAY too much! Time to end this.

Ibac came hurtling back up, screaming, "I AM IBAC! NOT PROFESSOR!"

As he neared me, I danced away and snatched away the green glowing amulet that stopped glowing and became a piece of green metal, "WRONG! You ARE both! I have just defeated you, Ibac."

He plummeted down, I was ready to save the now reverted Professor, but a flying sub shaped like a manta ray minus the tail captured him in an anti-gravity beam and rocketed away at supersonic speed who's sonic backwash sent me falling into the water.

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But instead of splashing, I found that I was engulfed in a radiant green glow, "Easy there, Hero. I've got you safe and sound."

I looked towards the voice and saw a girl wearing a green leotard, and thigh high boots, "Alena Scott, I presume."

In the next instant, I felt the green glow engulf me, then fade, leaving me inside what looked to be a nifty star ship," Yes, I am Alena. And welcome to Jade's ship."

"Thanks. My sister Queen Thunder said that she met Jade who gave her a ring. Nice to meet you."

"Thanks, Jade would have done the honors of meeting you, but I need to since you have a piece of the Star Heart."

I passed it over and it changed color as the corruption left it as it glowed white, then a healthy green that matched her aura, "Glad to help, Alena, but I thought that Jade had to allow access to her ship."

I saw Jade approach, smiling, "You're right. But I wanted to honor Alena and the Star Heart by giving them time to meet you since you retrieved the shard."

STAR HEART THANKS YOU, GUARDIAN OF THE FLAME.

"You're all welcome. But could you help me by healing me of battle damage?"

Jade produced a mirror that showed that my costume was whole, "No need, Red Thunder. Are you in pain?"

Then it hit me, "HOLEY MOLEY! I haven't been in pain since I snatched the shard!"

Jade smiled as the mirror faded away, "Thought so. I didn't get any unhealthy vibes from you"

"Can you sense me down there like Alena did?"

I AND THE STAR HEART CAN SEE THE ENERGY OF YOU AND YOUR SISTER.

"THAT was my ring. It can be a bit smug, about itself, but it only speaks if it likes you," admitted Jade.

"Thanks. I'm feeling tired right now."

Jade handed me a copy of her Ring. Here, I only give these to those who want to join with me in protecting the Earth. Want to join?"

I took the ring and placed it on my right middle finger, opposite my Fawcett High School ring, "I accept."

Next thing I knew I was back home, next to the pool, "Then rest, Mary, sister of Billie and know that you have friends you can call upon who wear the ring."

"Thanks," I responded and went to my room and slept as my new ring spoke to me as I dreamed pleasant dreams.
To Be Continued In Blue Thunder

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Finis