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

The tittering of the minors had drifted through the immaterial realm of Chaos, spreading like lava pouring down an erupting volcano. A hole had opened. Not a large tear, nor a purposeful one. No great power was summoning specific hordes of Chaos. Someone had simply unlocked the door and left it open.

Strangely enough, the door had two destinations. Both were rife with light and life, practically begging to be smothered. However, only one had a Shadow lurking beneath the light, calling into Chaos like an enchanting song.

The presence of the Shadow Lord, drawing his demons like a flame lures a moth.

Only it wasn't the Shadow Lord that opened the doorway. When he had done so in the past, his call was loud, irresistible. And even the upstart mage Zedd had managed to force a Chaotic into the material realm.

This wasn't a summoning. This was an open invitation.

An invitation into the Realm of the Power Rangers. An opportunity to finish the mission, and destroy Zordon and his charges once and for all.

The large creature moved toward the portal, and scores of lesser creatures made way for the powerful beast. This time it would not fail. This time it would be prepared for the Rangers, and any other creative tricks they'd devise.

This time, it would lead an army. And those deadly forces would help it obliterate all life on Earth, leaving nothing but blood and rubble… much like it had done on the planet Phaedos in the ancient past.

Power Rangers Dimension

The Red Enforcer hung lazily in the air miles above the frigid tundra of the North Pole, one hand on his forehead, the other cradling his stomach.

"Keith?" Tamara murmured, "Are you okay?"

"It's not as bad as those Hyperspace Portals," he assured her. "I'm okay."

Craig smirked cruelly. "Maybe you should pop a Dramamine before the next mission, huh?"

The blonde glared at his friend. "Yeah, right. Like I knew

we were going on an inter-dimensional field trip when I left home this morning!"

Spectra passed through the portal last, her energy blazing white. She descended to where her team had congregated, her gaze thoughtful. "Keith?"

"Just a little motion sickness, nothing to worry about." He took a slow breath to help settle his stomach. "I'll be fine once I get my feet on the ground."

"That may take a while," Spectra noted. "We are several miles from the Power Rangers' location, and I am certain we will be drawn into immediate combat."

"Then I'll deal with it," Keith determined, straightening his posture. "We have to find Jocelyn, pronto."

Their mentor closed her eyes, and all present felt her telepathic call. *Jocelyn!*

The team held its collective breath, anxiously awaiting a response. They didn't need to wait long. *Spectra! You're here!!*

Elation seized the Orange Enforcer the moment she heard her mentor's voice in her mind. Once she'd become aware of Spectra's presence, she was able to stretch her senses, feeling the comforting glow of Blue, Yellow, Purple, and Red.

She hadn't realized how much she'd missed the mental connection with her teammates until she fought a battle without it. Even though the Power Rangers were more than capable warriors, and were quick to assist whenever she needed backup, it was difficult to adapt to such a different style of combat. She couldn't feel her allies in the back of her mind.

She couldn't rely on Keith to invent a new technique in the nick of time. Or Rachel to adapt the team's strategy whenever the enemy surprised them. Or Craig to confront the toughest-looking creature, ready to test its strength and ability. Or Tamara to watch over the battleground, keeping the team aware of dangers such as rockslides, bystanders, weather fluctuations, or sneaky opponents. Or Matthew to guard her back whenever she got in over her head.

Matthew…

Where is Matt, anyway? I can feel everyone else's presence. I saw him in the portal earlier; but then the portal changed.

Her eyes widened with alarm. Could something have happened to him?

Unfortunately, her distraction left her wide open to an assault. Her shield fizzled under the Chaotic's attack, letting a fraction of the battering ram of power plow into her stomach.

She fell into the slushy mess, the world spinning around her. These things just keep getting stronger

…

Jocelyn bent her knees and leapt into the sky, firing a stream of energy meant to slow the creature down. She knew she couldn't muster the strength to destroy it. Now, the goal was to last long enough to regroup.

Once she'd ascended high enough into the air to feel a measure of safety, she released a telepathic call. *Guys, follow my signal. When you get here, grab the Power Rangers. We're overpowered and outnumbered here; the first thing we have to do is get control of the situation.*

*A wise plan, Jocelyn,* Spectra confirmed.

*Let your light shine, Kiddo,* Keith added. *We'll be right there.*

Jocelyn sucked in a deep breath, holding her arms and legs akimbo. The sudden gleam of her power immediately caught the attention of the nearest Ranger.

"What the heck are you doing?"

Jocelyn opened her eyes and smiled at the Purple Ranger. "Calling in some reinforcements."

"What do you…?" Alexis' words were lost as four streaks of vivid light blazed past her. "Uh… whoa."

At some point after the millipede-like creatures began crawling out of the cave, Tommy Oliver's world shrank into a single objective: keep everyone alive. No time for tactical plans. No room for mistakes.

The mutant crab Chaotics had been tough, for each one had been about as strong as one of Lord Zedd's monsters. Fortunately, though, they weren't as durable. A few well-placed strikes with the Power Weapons would send the pseudo-crustaceans back to wherever they came from; so long as the Rangers were quick enough to evade their deadly pinchers, they could manage well enough.

But when Jocelyn, Zack, and Billy had emerged from the cave, a new breed of creature followed them. The long bugs were much

harder to destroy; so far, only a point-blank, continuous burst from the Cosmic Cannon or the biggest Eagleheart Pulse Alexis could muster proved capable of wiping them out. Everything else only stalled them. The Rangers were forced to fight in two groups, everyone attempting to distract the monsters long enough for Zack or Alexis to deliver the finishing blows.

However, once the inter-dimensional portal began spitting the creatures out at a faster rate than the Rangers could destroy them, that strategy was quickly thrown out the window. The situation had deteriorated into a free-for-all.

Tommy leapt, narrowly missing the sharp horns of a particularly persistent Chaotic. He twisted in the air, unsheathing his saber and firing tight beams of laser from Saba's jeweled eyes. The Chaotic shrieked at the attack, but quickly shook off the pain.

Tommy rolled on the ground, jumped to his feet, and began running, putting as much space between himself and his opponent as possible. "Saba," he breathed, "give me a status update."

"Rodger," the saber noted. Tapping his football skills, the White Ranger threw the enchanted weapon into the air, and just managed to dodge a streak of black energy and roll out of an additional monster's deadly path. He began running again, angling toward Zack, who had just annihilated another bug.

Two on my back now!

He groaned inwardly. How much longer can we keep this up?

Saba streaked through the air, landing deftly in Tommy's waiting palm. "Eight more bugs to go," he reported.

"How are the others holding up?"

"Billy is still staggering thanks to injuries sustained in the cave, but Jason and Trini are keeping an eye on him. Together they seem to be staying one step ahead of the monsters. Zack is holding his own at a distance from the rest of the team. Alexis is circling above us, firing when ready. Jocelyn has also just taken to the air."

Tommy sighed. "Great. At this rate, the Chaotics will just wear us down and then pick us off! We need to fall back, before-"

The rest of his sentence was lost in a startled gasp as a powerful force suddenly pushed against his back. However, while the shove was too strong to resist, it didn't burn like whenever one of the Chaotics managed to clip