Chapter III: Thunder and Lightning Part 2

Donna woke up two hours earlier than usual to prepare for her breakfast date with Terry. She quietly threw aside her blanket so as not to disturb her roommate as she made her way to the bathroom. After a quick shower, she wrapped herself in a towel and went about blow drying her hair while brushing her teeth at the same time. She briefly considered going to Karen for makeup as she exited the bathroom when she finally noticed Jihnorama.

Startled, she cupped a hand over her mouth to stifle her gasp. Rather than actually slumbering on her mattress, wrapped up in her blanket, Jihnorama was hovering above her neatly-made bed in some sort of meditation. Her eyes were wide open and glowing with purple energy, as were the tattoos that adorned her pitch-black skin. Hesitantly, Donna waved her hand in front of her friend's eyes, prompting no reaction.

A few moments later, the telepath finally blinked and slowly lowered herself down onto the mattress. "Good morning, Delta-Ray Donna." She greeted. "You are awake at a most unusual hour."

"I could say the same about you, my friend." Donna replied as she opened her closet to pick out an appropriate outfit for her date. "What were you doing?"

"I was attempting to unlock any more of the Moon Dreamer's powers through meditation." Jihnorama explained.

"'More powers?'" Donna's eyebrow arched as she settled on a modest sundress. "I don't understand."

Jihnorama sighed. "I have already explained to you all that my telepathic and telekinetic abilities stem from an illegal criminal operation in which they attempted to graft my genetic material with that of another. However, I suppose I have yet to elaborate on where that other genetic material came from. You see, while I was with Scot-Free, I was able to research the information confiscated from the criminals and discovered that they had spliced my Braalite D.N.A. with that of a White Skrull's."

"White Skrull?" Donna gasped, dropping her hairbrush out of shock. "I've heard tales of their malevolent deeds ever since I was a child. I thought they were only a myth."

"I assure you, they are very real." Jihnorama replied, gravely. "My people have come into conflict with them on several occasions throughout the millennia. In addition to their incredible mental powers I have already mastered, they were also capable of manipulating their own physiology down to the molecular could alter their own molecular structures to disguise their appearances and even phase through solid objects."

"Hmm." Donna sounded impressed. "Such power could be most useful in our never ending battle against injustice."

"Indeed." Jihnorama agreed with a modest smile. "And should I need to sacrifice a few hours of sleep, so be it. But you still have not answered my question; why have you awakened so early this morning?"

"Terry Austin has invited me to coffee." Donna replied, happily. "I am a bit nervous."

Jihnorama's eyebrow arched at her friend's statement. "You courageously leap into battle against god-like beings, yet a meeting with human males makes you nervous?"

"Thunder Woman and my family trained me in the art of battle." Donna smirked. "But they neglected to teach me the art of conversation."

"Then I wish you the best of luck in your endeavor."

Meanwhile, high above Chicago's skyline, Captain Thunder was scanning the entire city for the former champion of magic. The wisdom of Solomon alerted him of the villain's whereabouts while the speed of Mercury and courage of Achilles allowed him to travel from Fawcett City to Chicago overnight. He only hoped that the strength of Hercules and the power of Zeus would be enough to face Black Arkon. Suddenly, his enhanced eyesight spotted a getaway car speeding down the street to escape from the police. Against his better judgement, he put his current quest on hold to help with the pursuit.

His eyes widened in horror as he spotted two children chasing their basketball into the street just as the getaway driver turned the corner. In the blink of an eye, he sped down to the street and snatched the children out of the way just in time. After returning them to their mothers, Captain Thunder leapt into the air and slammed his foot down onto the hood of the criminals' vehicle. The engine was shattered to pieces and the criminals flew through the windshield into the hero's arms. The citizens cheered as Captain Thunder handed the thieves over to the authorities.

"Thanks for the help, son." One officer tipped his hat in respect. "Are you with them new Justice Avengers?"

"No, sir." Captain Thunder shook his head with a modest smile. "I was just passing through and thought I could help."

"Pitiful." A voice called out. The cheering died down as the crowd backed away from the shadow passing over the magic hero. Captain Thunder turned around to see what everyone was afraid of. Hovering down from the sky, he spotted a menacing figure wearing what appeared to be a black alteration of his own costume with a gilded helmet and a quiver of lightning bolts strapped to his back.

"You call yourself a champion?" The figure scoffed as he circled the world's mightiest mortal. "You have the power of the gods, and yet you use them to serve these pitiful creatures. They are beneath us! But I suppose that is what happens when the Wizard bestows such power to a child."

Captain Thunder stared, blankly, at this stranger before he remembered his mission. "Ooooh! Oh, you're Black Arkon! You're that bad guy I've been looking for!" He exclaimed. Not sure of what to do, he put up his fists in a fighting stance and took one step back. "Now, Mr. Arkon, sir, I don't know much about you, but the Wizard told me that you've done some pretty bad things. So, on behalf of the planet, I'd appreciate it if you'd leave."

Black Arkon smiled.

Five minutes later, on the other side of the city, Donna arrived at the coffee shop right on time, only to find that Terry was there early. As she peered through the window, she saw a familiar blonde-haired girl sitting across from him, eating a stack of waffles. As she entered the establishment, the bell alerted her date of her arrival.

"Hi, Ms. Olsen!" Cassie waved as Donna approached.

"I hope you don't mind, Donna." Terry rubbed the back of his neck, uncomfortably. "Dr. Masterson was called in for a second shift yesterday and asked me to look after Cassie."

"Oh, no! Terry, it's no trouble at all." Donna brushed her hair back as she took her seat. "It was an unexpected surprise, but not at all an unpleasant one. How are you this morning, Cassie?"

"Great!" Cassie muffled through a mouthful of waffles. "Terry ordered Thai food and let me stay up late to watch an old documentary on the History Channel about how Thunder Woman fought in the Vietnam War! Then he read me one of his old Hyperman comic books before I went to bed!"

"What's this?" Donna gingerly brushed her thumb over a swollen bruise under the girl's eye.

"Cassie got into a fight yesterday after you left." Terry sighed.

"It wasn't my fault!" Cassie insisted. "I tried to ignore her, but Vanessa Winston was making fun of my dad!"

"Mr. Masterson died just last year." Terry explained. "It was the big A."

"The 'big A?'" Donna asked.

"AIDS."

"How could anyone insult someone for that?" Donna blinked.

Cassie sadly propped her chin up on her fist. "She said 'we all know how he really got it.'"

"I don't understand?"

"She's saying my daddy was gay." Cassie sniffled. "But gay people aren't the only ones who get it, y'know."

Terry patted her shoulder. "How about another cup of hot cocoa, champ?" Cassie nodded, prompting Terry to get up. "What'd you like, Donna?"

"Um, one latte, please." She requested, politely. As Terry walked off to get the drinks, Donna turned her attention to Cassie. "I'm sorry your family had to go through such a loss, Cassie. For what it's worth, I'm proud that you tried to avoid the fight."

"Thanks, Ms. Olsen. 'Be good, and good will follow.' That's what my daddy used to say." Cassie sighed as she stirred her scrambled eggs. "But you know what, Ms. Olsen? I was good before my daddy got sick. And I was good before my mom had to start working so late that she's always tired. And I was good yesterday. I'm starting to think that being good isn't good for me."

Donna felt her heart sink. The disguised Corbinite held Cassie's hand and smiled, softly. "That's because it's hard to be good." She explained. "But in the end, that proves how strong good people are. Bad is always too easy."

Suddenly, a deafening sonic boom shattered the cafe's windows - as well as those of every building on the block. Once the ringing in her ears stopped, Donna got up to see the source of the disturbance; Captain Thunder - one of the heroes she fought alongside during the Infinity Crisis - had been knocked from the sky and into the street. Shortly afterwards, another figure dressed in black crashed down onto him, pinning him beneath his feet.

Black Arkon gripped his replacement by the neck and hoisted him into the air. The magic villain carried Captain Thunder into the cafe, frightening the customers even further. "These are the beings the Wizard has you protect? Pitiful."

"Let him go!" Donna shouted in defiance. In response, Black Arkon swatted her aside with a single backhand. Fortunately, that gave her the opportunity to change into her alter-ego without being seen.

"Donna!" Terry cried.

Captain Thunder broke free from Arkon's grip and pinned him against the wall. "Why?! You just killed that woman!"

"And I'll kill a thousand more before I'm done with you!" Arkon retorted, punching his enemy aside.

But before Black Arkon could carry out his threat, an enchanted ax tore into his shoulder. He screamed in pain as he fell to the ground - the weight of the ax forcing him to - and released the girl in a vain attempt to remove the weapon that had pierced him. At last, acting on its own, the ax tore itself free from his flesh and flew into the hands of an orange-skinned warrior, clad in Asgardian/Amazonian armor. As his wound healed, Black Arkon marveled at the sight of this warrior, as a maelstrom of lightning radiated from her entire body. "Whoever you are, you have attacked this city and threatened its citizens with no provocation." Thunder Woman warned, aiming Stormbreaker at the villain. "Leave now, or face the wrath of the Thunder Woman."

"Strange." Black Arkon remarked. "You do not bear his symbol, yet you command the lightning just as well. Do you fight for the Wizard?"

"I fight for those who cannot fight for themselves." She declared.

Black Arkon smirked. "Very well, then." The magically-endowed alien lifted his arms into the air, summoning more lightning into his bracelets and directed it at his new opponent.

Thunder Woman managed to deflect the lightning, but left herself open to a tackle from Black Arkon. The ancient villain knocked her weapon aside and threw her into a nearby wall. He rushed to retrieve Stormbreaker, only to find that he couldn't lift it. "Rise, cursed weapon!" He growled in frustration.

"Not so fast, chuckles!" Captain Thunder delivered a powerful kick to his dark predecessor, sending him away from Stormbreaker just as Thunder Woman summoned it back to her grip. The mighty mortal rushed to help her up. "Are you okay, Thunder Woman?"

"Captain Thunder…" Donna grunted as she regained her footing. "I don't suppose you know what this is all about?"

"Well, it's a long story." Captain Thunder admitted. "I guess you could say I'm his replacement."

"Then let us replace him." She suggested as Black Arkon rose into the air once more.

Meanwhile, Terry had grabbed Cassie by the arm and dragged her as far away as he could before the police arrived. "Officers!" He beckoned. "Officers, thank god! You need to call in the Justice Legion or somebody! There's a psychopath out there tearing up the city!"

"Calm down, sir. The SWAT team is on the way." One officer called into his radio. "All units, this is Officer Renee DeWolffe, requesting backup on Fifth and Washington!"

"It's gonna be alright, Cassie." Terry finally looked down, only to see that he was holding nothing but the sleeve of a discarded jacket. "Cassie?"

Back at the fight, Black Arkon had knocked Thunder Woman into Captain Thunder, forcing her to drop Stormbreaker. He rushed to pick the weapon up, but found it immovable. His pride taking over, he refused to let go of the weapon until he lifted it. "Rise, cursed ax!" He growled.

"You are unworthy." Thunder Woman declared as the ax flew back to her, cutting Arkon's face in the process.

His rage boiling over, Arkon reached for a lightning bolt from his quiver and struck Thunder Woman just as Stormbreaker returned to her. The demigoddess was sent flying into the air, but Captain Thunder tackled Arkon before he could chase after her. Unfortunately, even with the Wisdom of Solomon, Captain Thunder was no match for the millennia of experience Arkon possessed. All he could do was hold him off long enough for Thunder Woman to return. And considering that they were both evenly matched in terms of raw power, it looked like he just might be able to keep him at bay.

But Black Arkon's unique weapon quickly helped him gain the upper hand. He was just about to strike again when someone threw a rock at his head. "Leave them alone, you big bully!" Cassie shouted as she threw another rock.

Black Arkon sneered as he used his hyper speed to rush at the girl in the blink of an eye and picked her up by her neck. Cassie's courage faltered and she tried to break free.

"Put her down!" Captain Thunder ordered.

"You make me sick." Black Arkon scowled as he lifted Cassie above his head, chuckling at the sounds of her whimpers. "You are above these pitiful creatures! Yet you allow yourself to be controlled by such arbitrary moral beliefs!"

"Put. Her. Down." Captain Thunder glared.

"Tell me something; when you crush an insect beneath your foot and feel no remorse, is this because you are evil? Or because you simply recognize yourself as a higher being?" Black Arkon's grip tightened, slightly, prompting another fearful whimper from the poor girl. "I was a slave before the Wizard bestowed the nega bands to me! He gave me the power to free my people and seek vengeance upon my oppressors! But when I refused to be his slave, he cast me out! But if I possess the power of the gods, then does that not make me a god, myself? Should I not be regarded as such? You have chosen to serve the Wizard and his pathetic love for those beneath us. So if you truly care about these lesser beings, you will revert to your mortal form and submit to me!"

"And then you let her go… and just kill me?"

Arkon smirked. "I shall."

Reluctantly, Captain Thunder tapped his nega bands together and whispered. "Sh'zam…" A brilliant flash of lightning crashed down from the sky, and Captain Thunder was Billy Lawson, once again. "Now, put her down!" He repeated.

"You see? Like an insect." Arkon threw Cassie high into the air with a wicked smile.

"No!" Billy lifted his wrists together again. "Sh'z-!"

Black Arkon had cupped his hand over Billy's mouth in an eyeblink, preventing the boy from speaking the magic word. Arkon removed a lightning bolt from his quiver and pressed it against Billy's chest. "Your last breath wasted on the wrong word." He chuckled.

But before he could kill the young hero, Stormbreaker once again came up from behind and knocked the villain away, saving Billy's life. Billy wasted no time in transforming back into Captain Thunder as he and Black Arkon looked up to see Thunder Woman slowly descending from the sky with Cassie safe in her arms. She summoned Stormbreaker back to her hand and set Cassie on the ground. As the girl ran to safety, Thunder Woman lifted Stormbreaker high above her head, summoning a maelstrom of lightning before channeling its power through the uru weapon towards Black Arkon. At the same time, Captain Thunder channeled his own magic lightning through his nega bands and struck Arkon from behind. The two heroes continued to bombard Arkon with their lightning, hoping to eventually wear him down and force him to surrender. But the ancient villain proved stronger than either of them, as he reached for two more bolts from his quiver and used them to absorb the magic energy. He then threw his weapons towards the heroes, blasting both of them back.

As Donna propped herself up on her elbows, she realized that they could not defeat Black Arkon with brute force and magic alone. They would have to outwit their enemy. She had observed Captain Thunder's transformation and surmised that Black Arkon's powers functioned in the same fashion. She quickly formulated a plan to trick the fallen champion into relinquishing his power.

"Do you not understand?" Arkon boasted as he hovered towards the Corbinite demigoddess. "I possess the powers of seven gods! There is no mortal alive who can stand against me! And once I've eliminated you, I shall return to my home planet and restore it to its former glory! And there is nothing you can do to stop me!"

"You may have defeated Captain Thunder and myself, foul villain…" Donna sneered, trying not to give away her plan. "But think of how long it will be until the one who banished you, before, banishes you, again! Face it, Black Arkon, you'll never be as powerful as the Wizard, Sha'zm!"

"... what?"

"Oh, um, I meant, Sh'zoom? Sh'maz?"

"You idiotic infadel!" Black Arkon sniffed, arrogantly, crossing his arms. "It's pronounced Sh'zam!" Before the mystic tyrant had a chance to realize what he had done, a bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky and struck his wrist-bands. Now, reverted back to Teth-Arkon, he no longer had any of his god-like powers. Acting quickly, Thunder Woman rushed to pin the now-mortal villain to a marble column and slammed the blade of Stormbreaker into it so that the handle kept him in place with his arms apart.

"You won't be terrorizing anyone ever again." She declared, firmly.

"No! You fool! Do you realize what you've done?!" Suddenly, Arkon's body began to decay at a rapid pace. His muscle mass diminished until the golden bands slipped off of his wrists and fell to the ground. "I'll… kill… you…" Arkon promised with his last breath as he finally crumbled to dust.

Thunder Woman stumbled backwards in shock. "What… what happened?"

"Holy moley." Captain Thunder gasped. "He hasn't reverted to his human form in over five thousand years. And when he changed back, it must have all caught up to him."

"No… I-I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay…" Captain Thunder took off his cape and used it to collect his predecessor's nega bands and ashes. "I'll take his remains back to the Wizard for a proper burial. He may have been evil, but Teth-Arkon was still a champion of justice in his own time. He deserves to be properly laid to rest."

Donna solemnly pried Stormbreaker from the marble column before flying off. "Fare thee well, Captain Thunder. It was an honor working beside you. Hopefully, our paths shall cross again in the future."

"Oh, uh… same to you, Ms. Thunder Woman." Captain Thunder nodded, awkwardly, as she left. "And, uh, have a nice day."

Meanwhile, Cassie had been reunited with Terry as the police arrived on the scene of the chaos. Donna spotted the duo and landed behind an adjacent building and reverted to her human disguise. "Terry? Cassie?"

"Donna!" Terry rushed towards the disguised Corbinite and wrapped her in a tight embrace. "Thank heaven you're safe. I was worried that you had gotten caught in between those maniacs downtown! You could've been hurt."

Cassie followed close behind, hugging Donna's leg. "Ms. Olsen, you missed it!" She started babbling, excitedly. "After that bad guy threw you through the window, Thunder Woman showed up and kicked his butt, and I threw a rock at him, and then he got mad and threw me in the air, and I got scared, but then Thunder Woman caught me, and-!"

"CASSIE!" Helena Masterson forced her way through the crowd and dropped to her knees to hug her daughter. "Oh, my darling! My sweet angel! Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine, mom!" Cassie smiled. "Thunder Woman saved me, mom! Isn't that cool?!"

"Dr. Masterson, how'd you get here so fast?" Terry asked.

"Are you kidding? This was all over the news!" Helena picked up Cassie and hugged her tight. "Now, Terrance! I need you to call the museum and tell them I will be going home for the rest of the day! My daughter has been traumatized, and if they say otherwise, they can write out my pink slip!"

"Mom, it's okay." Cassie insisted. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not fine!" Helena declared as she carried Cassie back to her car. "Not even close! We're going home!"

"Bye, Terry! Bye, Ms. Olsen!" Cassie waved as she was hauled off by her mother. "Sorry about your date!"

"Oh, that's right!" Terry turned to Donna. "Donna, I am so sorry about this. I've gotta get back to the museum soon. Can we try this again some other time?"

"Absolutely, Terry. And you don't have to apologize. This wasn't your fault." Donna smiled as she took his hands into her own. The Corbinite glanced back at Cassie as Helena placed her in the back of her car. "Terry, what school does Cassie go to?"

The Next Day

Cassie had tried her best to avoid Vanessa and her troupe, but as always, the cruel girls went out of their way to torment the poor girl. At the sound of the last bell, Cassie hastily made her way towards the exit. She was in such a hurry to get home, she failed to notice the storm clouds circling her school.

"Cassandra Masterson!" Cassie nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of the booming voice. Her classmates gawked in stunned silence as Thunder Woman slowly descended from the sky. "I have yet to properly thank you for your bravery, yesterday. Might I walk you home, this evening?"

Two hours later, Cassie called Helena and told her all about what had happened.

"You met Thunder Woman?! Good for you, sweetie!"Helena smiled as she spoke with her daughter over the phone. The archeologist propped one leg up to help hold her bag while she reached for her keys in her pocket. Once the door was unlocked, she readjusted herself and set the bag on a nearby table. "Uh-huh? She gave you her cape?! That's amazing! Listen, I've gotta go - I have one more interview today before I head home - but I promise we'll talk more about this over dinner! How does Greek sound for tonight? Ha ha, okay, well text me what you want and I'll be home before six. Alright, I love you, too, Cassie. Bye-bye."

The archeologist pocketed her cellphone and sat down at her desk. She opened her bag to read the last resume as the latest candidate for the archeology department let herself in. "Well, I must say, this resume is quite impressive. And I can see you've done your fair share of travelling; Greece, Rome, Egypt. All very impressive, but you left your name blank."

"Terribly sorry about that." The woman removed her cloak, revealing a blue, lightning bolt-shaped scar over her left eye. "I am Dr. Minerva Sivanna." She smiled. "And I believe that we can help each other."

To Be Continued!

White Skrulls - White Martians/Skrulls

Dr. Minerva Sivanna - Dr. Thaddeus Sivanna/Dr. Minerva

Author's notes: Starting school again. So I won't be able to update as much as I'd like to, but that won't stop me from trying. As always, please read and review.