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

reached for her Morpher. "Pterodactyl!"

She expected the comforting flood of pink energy to envelop her, encasing her in her protective armor. She expected to break free from her spherical prison, and fall to the Earth, allowing the Power to strengthen her limbs to let her land safely.

None of that happened.

"Pterodactyl!!" she repeated, her voice urgent. Yet her Power Coin did not react.

Frowning, Kim stared closely at her Morpher. The coin was in place, and it looked

like the real thing.

Maybe Zedd kidnapped me. Maybe he's blocking my powers…

Only, no Dark Dimension ever looked like this. Dark Dimensions were supposed to be… well… dark

.

Then, with a startling suddenness, four streaks of light appeared around her: purple, yellow, blue, and… green?

At first, Kim's heart leapt for joy that her friends had tracked her down. Only, the sight of green energy instantly confused her, since the Green Coin had been lifeless for weeks.

Then, the streaks of light materialized into four humanoids in strange costumes, and her heart sank anew.

Wait… those outfits! I've seen them before!

Then, she remembered the mission to the North Pole. And the energy portal she and Tommy discovered.

"Who are you?" the Green one demanded. His hair was reddish-brown, sprouting from the top of his bright green mask. While his face was covered, the growl in his tone made it more than obvious that he wasn't happy to see her.

Kim stared into the blue visor, trying to make out the person's gaze. Only the lens was just as opaque as her helmet's.

"My name is Kimberly Hart," she stated. She was grateful that her voice didn't crack under the stress of the situation. She'd regained at least some of her composure.

"Where are you from?" the Blue one asked. While his height and physique dwarfed the Green one, he was strangely less threatening. His voice held no menace. He sounded calm. Curious.

Curiosity wasn't exactly a good thing, but Kim would take that over outright vehemence any day of the week.

Does he mean what planet? Or what city?

Kim decided she'd cover all the bases. "Milky Way Galaxy, Sol system, planet Earth, United States of America, California, the city of Angel Grove."

Something about her answer obviously puzzled her captors. They all turned their heads toward each other, though they didn't say a word.

"I've never heard of Angel Grove," the Yellow one commented. Something about her slim frame, soft voice, and flowing ebony hair reminded Kim of her best friend, making her wonder just what these four beings looked like beneath their masks.

"It's a small city in southern California. Most people had never heard of it, but the monster attacks brought us the same kind of infamy Roswell gets."

"Monster attacks?" the Yellow one repeated. Kim could almost imagine a look of shock on her face. "How is that…"

She bit her tongue, turning toward the one in Purple. But Purple never said anything, nor did she look at her teammate… and yet Yellow obviously got some kind of message.

The one in Purple was in charge. And from her stiff, straight-backed posture and folded arms, she exuded a strength and severity that put Kimberly on alert.

"What is that device you're holding? And the strange watch on your wrist?"

Kim glanced down at her Morpher anxiously. That was the question she had hoped to avoid.

Zordon told us never to tell anyone that we're Rangers… but does that apply to other super-powered beings?

Not that she knew whether these four beings were friends or foes. But since she was powerless, hanging miles from the ground, her life very literally depended on the whim of these four beings. The last thing she wanted to do was give them a reason to drop her.

She decided to start with her wrist unit. "This is a communicator, that connects me to my friends. But it's not working now."

"And that Game Boy-thing?" Green demanded.

Kimberly blinked at his choice of words. I guess my Morpher does

look something like a video game. Well, that answers one question: these guys are human. Or at least they're familiar with pop-culture.

That observation eased Kim's nerves just enough to get her to answer. "It's a Morpher. I use it to become the Pink Power Ranger."

"And it's not working," Blue observed.

Kim grimaced, unable to hide her displeasure. Great. Now they know

I'm helpless…

"Your uniform is pink and white, and you have a tall friend who wears white, black and gold, right?"

Kim perked up at Yellow's question. "Right!"

"Do you recognize us?" Purple asked.

Kim stared at them each in turn. "I saw you and you," she said, pointing to Blue and then Yellow, "and one in Orange. Maybe the rest of you were in the background."

"What happened to Orange? Did you see her?" Green demanded, his tone suddenly urgent.

"Did I see her… where?"

"Face to face, while you were in transit between dimensions," Blue elaborated.

Kim's eyes widened. In truth, the thought had

crossed her mind, though she was thinking more in terms of a wormhole teleporting her to another planet. Alternate dimensions… it was bizarre to hear the concept spoken aloud.

"We have a few theories," Purple said. "And we're going to piece together exactly what happened."

Chapter Twenty-Two

Keith frowned at the viewing screen as he watched four of his teammates surround the mysterious girl they had found. The mysterious girl that bore a remarkable resemblance to Jocelyn Armand, the Orange Enforcer.

Despite the nigh-identical appearance, the DNA test proved beyond a doubt that the girl, who they now knew was named Kimberly, was not

Jocelyn. Nor was she a clone, robot, hologram, or shape shifter. The scans proved conclusively that she was human.

Of course, that knowledge didn't offer much relief to the Force. A clone or robot could be explained as part of Celea's scheme. But how could one explain this?

So far, the only explanations they could come up with were as bizarre and unlikely as a bad made-for-TV sci-fi flick. But then again, after traveling to distant planets and encountering both alien species and freakish magical monsters, each with unique abilities that stretched the human imagination, perhaps the concept of alternate dimensions wasn't really that unlikely after all.

Keith's eyes lingered on Kim, watching her tense as she tried to respond to the Force's questions. From her perspective, the four college students were quite threatening, hovering around her in a perfect square, energy auras blazing so brightly they were difficult to look at directly. Plus, the poor girl was floating in the stratosphere, held only by a thin wall of light that looked as fragile as glass.

"Spectra, I think she's had enough," he spoke, turning toward the small laboratory where their mentor labored. "What's the point in giving her the third degree? We know she's not a Denebian spy."

"No, we don't," Spectra answered. "If she is truly a human being from another plane of existence, she may have come from a reality in which the Denebians have already conquered Earth. She may serve the Empire."

Keith blinked. "You think a human being would help an alien race wipe out Earth? Are you serious?"

Spectra's expression was the very picture of serious. "We know nothing of this girl. She could have been bribed, or coerced to protect family and friends. She could even have been directly influenced by evil magic. My scans are picking up a very low-level energy signature in her system that is foreign to normal humans. It suggests that she is somehow empowered."

"Which could be explained by that 'Power Ranger' story she just told," Keith pointed out. "She was forthright about having some sort of power, and you guys did

see people in pink and white costumes through that window. What if she's telling the truth?"

Spectra turned in her seat. "If she is telling the truth, then it is likely that Jocelyn is still alive somewhere in the Multiverse. However, it will be exceedingly difficult to find her."

Keith frowned. "What makes you say that?"

"The number of realms is countless, and the portal has closed. The only clue we have to what Celea has done lies in the blood brand she carved into the ground. My knowledge of the Multiverse is limited; I have always been taught to avoid spells that tear holes in the fabric of reality. I cannot reopen the portal."

Keith tried to fold his arms, only to wince as he aggravated his injured shoulder. "Can't we bring Kim inside? Maybe this interview will go better if she's not

scared for her life?"

Spectra considered for a moment, and then nodded. "The Force will meet you in the gym, where the walls are reinforced and no critical systems are accessible, should she try to escape. I will join you shortly."

Chapter Twenty-Three

The Green one was interrogating her, demanding that she describe what she remembered, when suddenly he cut off in mid sentence. Then, the rest of the group turned around, looking into the distant horizon. Kim squinted against the setting sun, trying to make out what it could be that they saw. But all she could see was the rich blue of the sky, and cloud patterns gathered below. And she didn't hear anything, either.

Obviously, they

heard something.

Then, the Purple one drew closer. "Kimberly, we're taking you in."

Kim opened her mouth to ask for some details, but then Purple lifted her hands, causing energy to gather around her pale purple gloves. The others drew back, and then the spherical energy field surrounding Kim grew smaller, the swirls fading into a deep, vibrant, solid purple.

Kim realized she could no longer see through the sphere. The energy was too dense, and too bright. And it kept drawing closer, reshaping into a rectangle, giving her less than a foot of space between her body and the walls on all sides.

Kim held her breath, fingering her Morpher. It hadn't worked before, but