Streaks of Purple Saga/Spectrum Force - Heather Ray (best beach reads txt) 📗

Spectrum Force's base came into focus.

She looked around, and relaxed minutely when she met a familiar gaze. Spectra tried to smile at her, but the anxiety in her peach-hued eyes simply couldn't be masked. Her entire body was tense, like a coiled serpent ready to spring.

Kim's throat tightened. "What's going on?"

"We've arrived to a point approximately twenty miles from the North Pole. The Force battles a group of monsters the likes of which I have never seen!" Spectra responded. "They feel so wrong…"

"Chaos and Order are never in harmony," Luminus spoke. "These creatures come from the First Realm, and their aura of devastating hunger and consuming madness is difficult to tune out to those who are sensitive. You and your Force show discipline and concentration when you wield your powers. The touch of Chaos interferes with order, challenging your team to maintain control of their powers."

Spectra's eyes narrowed. "They are not experienced enough to block out that kind of distraction. I will go to them-"

"Not yet. They have held up quite well against these creatures so far. They do not seem in particular danger."

Then, to everyone's surprise, Kimberly raised her voice. "Are you nuts?? They're battling Chaotics

! As in plural! How can they not

be in 'particular danger'

?"

Luminus stared at the petite girl, curiosity raising his brow. "And what do you know of Chaos, Kimberly?"

"Lord Zedd, the alien emperor bent on taking over Earth, summoned this totally gross thing called Erebus about a month ago," she elaborated. "It took everything we had to defeat it, and then some! And we were a complete team. Your Force down there is minus one! They're not even at full strength!"

Spectra blinked. "You mean your Earth has been exposed to Chaos? That is… incredible."

Luminus nodded his agreement. "Chaos seldom crosses with material Realms. Such forces are tremendously powerful, and impossible to control. They exist to destroy." He then shook his head. "At least we now know what Celea was trying to do. She attempted to create a portal to Chaos, and inadvertently bridged our world with Kimberly's. She had opened the wrong kind of portal, connecting to the wrong Realm."

"So my being here is just a mistake?" Kim concluded.

"A mistake Celea has since corrected," Spectra pointed out. "What does this mean for Kimberly's chances to return home?"

Kim paled at the frightening possibility. "Is… the portal to Angel Grove even there anymore?"

"We shall see shortly." Luminus took Kimberly by the shoulders, guiding the distraught girl to a chair. "For now, I need you to relax, Kimberly. Relax, and think of your home."

The first part was definitely a challenge, but the last part came naturally. Kimberly did her best to calm her mind, dwelling on happy memories of home. Images of her school, her friends, her family, and even her triumphs as the Pink Ranger flooded her consciousness. She managed to disconnect herself from most of her anxiety, burying her mind in the smiling faces of her loved ones, until one startling memory came to mind. Ohmigosh! I missed the PSATs!! Mom's gonna kill me when I get home!

Luminus stood behind her, his hands hovering a few inches from her temples. He disregarded her last distracting thought, focusing instead on the lives with which the girl before him had connected. Her memories were flashes of her Realm, and her yearning to return shined like a beacon, reaching out to her home.

Spectra watched silently as both Luminus and Kimberly seemed to be lost in meditation. Then, gossamer threads of energy stretched from Kimberly to Luminus' hands.

She stared in awe at the magic filling the small chamber in the ship. Shaking off her stupor, she turned her attention to the monitors that displayed the Spectrum Force, who held nothing back as they countered the unnatural creatures that assaulted them.

At least there was no sign of the princess. It was a small comfort, but Spectra couldn't help relief that she wasn't out there, leading her misbegotten army.

Then, curiosity blossomed in her mind. This must have been Celea's scheme all along. But where is she? Why isn't she basking in the glow of her insane accomplishment?

Chapter Forty-Nine

Spectra wasn't the only one to wonder about the princess' whereabouts.

Phaedra stared out at the dinner table, her gaze thunderous. Celea had not heeded her summons. Again.

May the gods damn Acheron for sending her here!

she snarled silently. So far, all she's managed to do is distract me from my research! How will I ever find the Nightfall if I'm constantly tracking Celea down??

Her frustration mounting, Phaedra closed her eyes and searched for her daughter. However, instead of touching her errant child's mind, her eyes widened with shock as she hit an unexpected barrier of power, lurking ominously over the Earth.

Her first response was outrage. Celea was not on the ship, and something was happening on Earth! Again! She focused her formidable powers more intently, attempting to Rein her daughter back to the ship. However, even the Rein spell couldn't penetrate whatever magical force had swallowed the apex of the planet.

Her lips twisted as all the pieces fell into place. "Stubborn brat! I told

her not to toy with inter-dimensional boundaries! She'll destroy the whole star system!"

She rose from the dinner table, throwing her chair into the wall with a satisfying crunch as she approached the door. "How dare she disobey me? I will make

her submit! I will not tolerate insubordination! I'll seal her in a pit until she grows out of this damned stage!"

She marched through the halls with purpose, her flashing eyes giving adequate warning to all aboard to make way. Soon she stepped onto the bridge of the Flagship, startling the crew.

"Run a full scan on the northern extreme of the Earth," she commanded. "What's happening down there?"

The crewmembers hurriedly carried out the monarch's order. Phaedra watched, eyes narrow, as the main screen was swallowed by an image of the globe. Then, it began to zoom in on the designated area.

Far before the scan penetrated the cloud cover, the screen suddenly broke into static.

The technician manning the scanner gulped. "There is… interference, my Empress. We can't get a clear visual below the stratosphere."

Phaedra's lips twisted into a horrible grimace, filled with rage, impatience, and not a small amount of fear. "Do whatever you can to get me some information."

She whirled around and strode off the bridge without another word. A few minutes later she'd crossed the ship, throwing open the heavy doors to her private quarters with but a thought.

Without preamble, she settled on the cold floor, closed her eyes, and concentrated every fiber of her being. If she couldn't see what was happening on Earth remotely, she would have to handle matters personally.

Chapter Fifty

Keith dodged behind an outcropping of icy stone as quickly as possible without dropping the body in his arms. A heartbeat later, a stray stream of corrosive liquid crashed into the spot where he'd stood a moment before, melting the stone into slag.

The Red Enforcer huffed with frustration as he rose again to his feet, carefully cradling Princess Celea as he risked hovering up a few meters to the next crevice in the jagged rock formation.

About a hundred feet below, Tamara, Craig, and Rachel struggled against a swarm of creepy-crawlers. The first bunch had resembled spiders, and despite their horrifying appearance they weren't too difficult to overpower. However, the second wave of creatures had wings, making them much more evasive. And they also had the ability to spit acidic goo that ate anything it touched.

Now, the new creatures numbered ten, meaning the rest of the Force simply couldn't destroy the monsters at the same rate the damned portal brought them to Earth.

And here I am trying to protect our enemy

, while my friends are fighting for their lives!

Keith held the unconscious girl a little tighter as he crossed a particularly perilous ledge, searching for some cover. As he adjusted his grip, he felt her tremble.

"Okay, that's a good sign," he acknowledged, "At least she's not dead… but there's nothing I can do if her condition gets worse."

Not for the first time, the Red Enforcer wondered why he was so determined to protect the one that started

this entire nightmare to begin with.

"She might be useful," he rationalized, "If she opened this portal into the Twilight Zone, she can probably close it."

He sighed, his eyes falling to the hideous wound that split her cheek. He stared at her ashen face, and felt himself grimace at the concern he felt for her.

Who'm I kidding? I helped her because I couldn't

just leave her there. She's crazy as hell, but she's just a kid. How old can she be? Fourteen? Fifteen?

He took a breath, strengthening the shield of crimson energy surrounding her body, keeping out the brunt of the polar cold.

He'd taken refuge high in the cliff face in which the cave was found, giving him an excellent view of the battle while at the same time keeping off the monsters' radar… so long as he kept himself and his charge hidden.

Only when he felt a sudden wash of dark power did he realize that he hadn't hidden quite well enough.

Oh God…

The young man gulped awkwardly. Horrible, furious power wafted toward him like heat drifting out of an open oven. It took all of his considerable courage to simply turn around, and face this newest threat.

His eyes widened. Standing just a few yards from him was a woman, tall and elegant, her eyes burning like crimson suns. Her power crawled around her body like fire, holding off the biting winds, but still stabbing Keith's vague sense of magic.

Then, her snarling crimson lips parted. "You dare touch the Denebian princess, Human?"

The empress was powerful. Incredibly powerful. Not to mention extremely pissed off. There's nothing more dangerous than a mother protecting her child. Keith didn't have a