Chapter Sixteen. Mandrake's Plan to get through to Shanna

"What will we do?" LJ asked Baylin, "Rick is now a clay person! We cannot just fight him!"

"I know how you feel." Flash told LJ as he had become in despair, "I...I am just unsure of what to do here. We will have to find a way to get through to Rick. To reverse what Astra had done to him."

"And we will." Baylin told her friend, "Flash, I do not know how it feels to be a parent, as I can tell that this is hard on you, what has happened to Rick. We will have no other choice but to fight him and the rest of the clay people that Ming sends for us, but rest assured, we are going to fix this. Rick will come back to us."

"But where do we even start?" Kendra asked.

"I am certain that Ming will send the clay people after us," Baylin answered.

"It is only a matter of time before the clay people," the Phantom added, "and most likely Rick as well, will be here to fight us by Ming's orders."

"We must prepare ourselves for Ming's fight!" Thun exclaimed.

"We are going to be in for one heck of a fight." Flash replied, "That is for certain."

As the Verden was talking to Flash and the rest of the heroes, Mandrake was thinking of something, a plan of his own. The magician figured that Astra was not human and her hatred was too great to listen to reasoning, but Shanna Wylee was human. Maybe, just maybe, if it was not too late, he could try to get through to Shanna.

"Lothar," Mandrake told his closest friend, "I think I have a plan to try to get through to Shanna. I fear that Astra is too far gone to listen to reason, but Shanna, I feel that there might be a chance to get through to her."

"Do you think that she will listen to you?" Lothar asked in confusion.

"Not me per say." Mandrake answered, "but with my plan set in motion, I am certain that Shanna Wylee will learn the truth about her brother."

"Well," Lothar replied, "Whatever your plan might be, it better work, otherwise we could be done for."

Mandrake quickly nodded before leaving the rest of the group.

"Hey!" Kendra exclaimed, "What the...where is he going?!"

"Mandrake has a plan of his own." Lothar replied, "he did not really explain to me what it was about, but he is planning to get through to Shanna."

"But isn't her hatred too great to listen to reasoning?" Jedda asked.

"That would be Astra's case." Flash answered, "I am agreeing here with what Mandrake has in mind. Shanna is still human, but she is manipulated by Ming, just as Joe was. There is a chance of Shanna to listen to reasoning."

"I hope you are right." LJ stated, "and I hope Mandrake's plan is successful."

Down the halls of the castle, Shanna wandered around as she appeared to be in anguish. She had the strange feeling that something was quite wrong. Little did she know what would be in store, something that would actually help her.

"Shanna?"

The young lady was startled by the voice that she just heard. The voice was familiar and it was one that she thought that she would never hear again.

"Shanna?"

This time, Shanna looked and she saw what appeared to be her deceased brother Joe. What she did not know was that Mandrake was setting up an illusion to try and get through to her. Mandrake had disguised himself as Joe to try to talk some sense into her.

"Joe." Shanna gasped in surprise.

"Yes." "Joe" answered in response, "It is me sister. I am here."

"But I do not understand. Flash killed you."

"That is where you are wrong, Shanna." Mandrake replied.

"What?"

"You heard correctly. Flash did not kill me. In fact, he was the one who tried to save me."

"Flash tried to save you?"

"Yeah. I was being manipulated by Ming just as you are right now. However, at the time, Ming tried to use me to kill Flash so I could have Dale back to myself. If it was not for his friends, I would have succeeded in killing Flash."

"What are you saying? So Ming manipulated me all this time into thinking Flash killed you?"

"I am afraid so, sis."

"But what about Queen Aura, Astra's mother. Did Flash kill her?"

"No. Ming killed Queen Aura, but I am afraid that Astra will not listen to you or anyone else but what she wants to believe. I know that you will listen to me because I am your brother."

"I believe you, Joe. How did you die though?"

"Ming was responsible for my death. Just as he was responsible for Queen Aura's death."

"I would go find Astra and bring her here so she can know the truth," Shanna stated, "but she left with Ming. They left me here to help the clay people in destroying the Defenders of the Earth, but I am not sure if I even want to do that anymore."

"You shouldn't." Mandrake as Joe told Shanna, "You have to help the Defenders of the Earth and their allies. Our home planet Earth is at stake here as Ming plans to have a solar bomb destroy Earth."

"What must I do?" Shanna asked.

"I have to leave you now." "Joe" answered, "but trust me, it is better this way. One of the Defenders will come and help you out here in a few. They will let you know what to do from here. Remember Shanna. I love you and I will always be with you."

With that, Joe disappeared.

"Wait! Joe! Come back!" Shanna shouted. She looked down in sadness before she removed the blue wig that she had worn all this time, which there, revealed her short blonde hair that reached her chin, "I hope I am doing the right thing here."

"And that you are, my dear."

Shanna turned and she saw Mandrake standing near the corridor.

"Are you alright?" Mandrake asked in concern.

"Yes. No. I do not know." Shanna answered, "I am not sure what to believe. I am not sure what to do."

"I can tell you what you can do." Mandrake told the young blonde woman, "Now that Joe told you the truth, you can help us fight Ming and stop his solar bomb from destroying Earth. First, we will need some help in saving Rick."

"I will do whatever we need to do." Shanna nodded in agreement.