The Spectrum Force Volume Three - Heather Ray (e novels to read online .txt) 📗

respect for me so obvious."

Mor'se held his breath as the dark power struck. The blast was so hot it vaporized him on impact, so mercifully quick he never had the chance to scream.

Then, without even a glance at the sooty stain on the floor that was once one of the greatest minds in the Denebian Empire, Phaedra turned back to the computer, reading Gaius' notes with avid interest.

To Be Continued In...

The Spectrum Force Volume Four:

Matches

Excerpt from The Spectrum Force: Matches

Friday, February 11th

"Stupid, worthless Calculus... I can't believe this!"

Tamara Fox continued to grumble as she absently wove through the numerous students crowding Hamilton Walk, the main path cutting through the heart of Dreiser University.

Like all other universities, the core curriculum is mandatory for all students to study. Even Drama majors are required to branch out from their primary courses, to broaden the scope of their learning to such areas as science, foreign language, writing, social science... and math.

Tamara rolled her large brown eyes, fist crumpling the sheet of paper that had put her into such a temper.

"Hey, Tammy, what's... Tammy?"

She blinked twice, turning toward the source of the voice. "Hi, Matt."

He smirked as he hurried to her side. "And since when do you storm past your friends without a word?"

"Since this

."

Matt stared at Tammy's fist, noticing the wad of paper crushed within. Intrigued, he took the sheet and unfurled it to expose a rather low number circled in red ink.

"Ouch," he commiserated.

"The first quiz of the term, and I flunk it!" She threw up her arms in frustration, earning several perplexed glances from the surrounding traffic.

"It's not the end of the world," Matthew offered.

"No... just the end of my GPA. Dobrinksi's giving us another quiz next week, and I'm so completely lost in class now! I thought

I understood this stuff..." she snatched back the paper and shook it for emphasis, "..but obviously I didn't

."

Matthew couldn't help a rueful grin as he watched his friend vent her anger. "You said you have Dr. Dobrinski, right? Which class is this?"

"Calculus 101," she spat, as if the very words tasted bitter.

"Then you're in luck; I took the exact same class last semester. And I aced it."

He watched, amused, as Tamara's eyes lit up with awe. "Really?"

"In fact, I even have my notebook."

Tamara clapped her hands, all her frustration fading. "Then let's go!"

Matt watched, mouth agape, as Tamara grabbed him by the arm and practically hauled him up Hamilton Walk. They weren't able to get very far before the crowd had condensed so tightly, no one could slip through. Tammy released Matthew with a huff, standing on her toes to see over the shoulders of the crowd.

"What's going on?" Matt wondered.

"Grid lock. Must be a sorority bake sale or something." Her smile reappeared. "Hey, we can go on the grass and walk around this!"

The pair pushed through the crowd to the yard lining Hamilton Walk, preparing to take a short cut to a less populated avenue. However, Matt couldn't help a little rubbernecking.

"Hey... that's Rachel!"

Tamara turned, and couldn't hide her surprise to see her roommate gathered with half a dozen other students behind a long table, hastily distributing and collecting clipboards and pencils to the substantial crowd.

She also noticed the identical red T-shirts Rachel and her associates wore, with white hearts boldly traced on the back. "Oh. My. God."

Utterly forgetting the urgency of securing a decent calculus grade, Tamara hurried toward the table, and tapped her roommate's shoulder from behind.

"Hi, Tammy," Rachel greeted. Her smile fell at the mischief lurking in her friend's dark eyes. "Now

what are you up to?"

"I simply can't believe my eyes," Tamara replied, "You are the last

person I expected to find on the Valentine's Giveaway Committee!"

Matt frowned. "The what?"

Rachel didn't hear him. "What makes you say that?" she wondered, her tone defensive.

Tamara shrugged. "Well, considering you haven't had a significant other in over a year, I figured romance was pretty low on your priorities."

Rachel's jaw tightened as she became keenly aware that at least one of the surrounding volunteers was paying attention. "Not this again..."

"What's the Valentine's Giveaway?" Matthew interjected, his curiosity piqued.

"It's been a tradition at Dreiser for eleven years," Rachel explained, "Essentially, it's a matchmaking contest. Every year, hundreds of students fill out these questionnaires that try to lock down the personality of the applicant. You know, what you like to do for fun, what types of movies you like, and so on. Then, a winner is selected from the entire batch, and we," she gestured to the other volunteers, "find the best match from the other entrants."

Matt picked up a questionnaire and scanned it quickly. "So it's a blind date?"

"It's so much more than that!" Tamara objected, her face bright with excitement, "The winning couple is treated to a fantastic night on the town! We're talking a limousine and dinner and dancing at a fancy restaurant. And the school picks up the bill."

"Fine... then it's a free

blind date."

"Matt, it's a chance for one lucky guy or girl to meet their perfect match!"

Rachel smiled at Tamara's earnest words. "Well, I wouldn't go that far. The Committee does try to find a solid match for the winner, but still the objective is to have a good time with someone with similar interests."

She then rolled a pencil in Matt's direction. "Care to try your luck?"

He was clearly skeptical. "Even if, by some miracle, I'm picked as winner, what are the chances that a girl for me would even participate in a contest like this?"

With a groan, Tammy picked up the pencil and stuffed it in Matt's surprised hand. "What's the harm in taking a chance? At worst you'll endure a fantastic dinner with a girl with similar interests. At best you'll meet your future wife!"

Matt winced at the comment.

"And most likely, nothing will happen at all. So give it a shot!"

Rachel leaned closer to her young friend. "Just fill it out, Matt," she suggested in a stage whisper that Tamara could easily overhear. "Tammy's not going to let you leave until you do."

With a defeated huff, Matthew pressed the pencil to the questionnaire.

Character Thesaurus

You wanted to learn more about the Spectrum Force, their mentors and the enemies they fight? Read on and you shall find information on these characters and more!

The Spectrum Force

Rachel Castaneda - The Purple Enforcer

Full Name:

Rachel Castenda
Enforcer Designation:

Purple Enforcer
Age:

21
Date of Birth:

February 24, 1978
Height:

5'8"
Hair:

Brown
Eyes:

Brown
Year in College:

Senior
Concentration:

Legal Studies
Hometown:

Miami, Florida
Vital Traits:

Practices kick-boxing; active in various university organizations; studious; very private; fluent in Spanish.

Keith Maloy - The Red Enforcer

Full Name:

Keith Maloy
Enforcer Designation:

The Red Enforcer
Age:

21
Date of Birth:

July 11, 1978
Height:

6'1"
Hair:

Blonde
Eyes:

Blue
Year in College:

Senior
Concentration:

Business Management
Hometown:

Houston, Texas
Vital Traits:

Achieved black-belt level in karate; enjoys water sports; mostly light-hearted and energetic; proficient in Japanese.

Craig Gillis - The Blue Enforcer

Full Name:

Craig Gillis
Enforcer Designation:

The Blue Enforcer
Age:

21
Date of Birth:

December 17, 1978
Height:

6'3"
Hair:

Black
Eyes:

Brown
Year in College:

Junior
Concentration:

Psychology
Hometown:

New York City, New York
Vital Traits:

Member of Dreiser University Varsity Basketball team; all-around athlete; often clownish; enjoys mostly laid-back lifestyle.

Jocelyn Armand - The Orange Enforcer

Full Name:

Jocelyn Armand
Enforcer Designation:

The Orange Enforcer
Age:

17
Date of Birth:

November 9, 1982
Height:

5'2"
Hair:

Light Brown
Eyes:

Hazel
Year in College:

Freshman
Concentration:

Undecided
Hometown:

San Francisco, California
Vital Traits:

Extremely intelligent, with excellent memory and problem-solving skills; participates in intramural beach volleyball and Dreiser University Women's Swim Team.

Matthew O'Conner - The Green Enforcer

Full Name:

Matthew O'Conner
Enforcer Designation:

The Green Enforcer
Age:

18
Date of Birth:

August 25, 1981
Height:

5'8"
Hair:

Copper Brown
Eyes:

Green
Year in College:

Freshman
Concentration:

Biology (Pre-Med)

Hometown:

Greenwich, Connecticut
Vital Traits:

Tends to be impatient and often sarcastic; volatile temper; sensitive.

Tamara Fox - The Yellow Enforcer

Full Name:

Tamara Fox
Enforcer Designation:

The Yellow Enforcer
Age:

19
Date of Birth:

April 21, 1980
Height:

5'5"
Hair:

Black
Eyes:

Brown
Year in College:

Sophomore
Concentration:

Theater Arts
Hometown:

Savannah, Georgia
Vital Traits:

Highly energetic, optimistic, and creative; athletic (particularly jogging and softball)

; artistic (sculpting, singing, dancing, and composing)

.