Streaks of Purple Saga/Spectrum Force by Heather Ray (classic books for 13 year olds .TXT) 📖

him.

Blinking in surprise, Tommy slowly registered that a pair of purple gloves gripped him around the chest, and he was suddenly airborne.

"Alexis?" he wondered. No, it can't be… her gloves are white!

"Sorry for the surprise, Tommy," an unfamiliar voice answered. "I didn't have time to announce myself."

Tommy tried to look up, but all he could see was vivid purple energy. "How do you know who I am?" he demanded.

"Kimberly," she replied, a touch of humor in her voice. "She talked so much about you all, I feel like I know you already."

It felt like the weight of the world had been lifted from his heart. "You've seen Kim? Is she okay? Where is she?"

"Kim's fine," she answered, "but I think explanations should wait until we've regrouped."

"Regrouped?" Tommy repeated, looking back down. He realized with growing alarm that they were far

from the ground, and getting farther with each passing moment. He then squinted into the sky, and gaped openly at a translucent, pearly white disk twice the size of his bedroom, floating in the air with nothing holding it up. He blinked, expecting the strange phenomenon to simply vanish like a trick of the light, yet he was even more shocked to see several people landing on it, proving it had substance.

"The gang's all here," Jason announced from the center of the prismatic surface. Tommy stepped cautiously on the platform, and then turned to get a better look at the woman who had carried him: a tall brunette with a molded uniform of mingling shades of purple. Her costume design perfectly matched Jocelyn's.

"The Purple Enforcer," he realized. She nodded, extending her hand.

"The name's Rachel. Circumstances aside, it's good to meet you."

Tommy nodded his agreement, and took her hand. "Do you guys always go by your first names when in uniform?"

"No; we typically go by color designations. But, considering our two teams have four colors in common, I think that might prove a bit confusing."

The White Ranger smirked. "You have a point there."

The field commanders approached the rest of the group, Tommy's scrutiny passing over the two teams. He exhaled with relief when he noted that his teammates appeared mostly unharmed.

Once satisfied that the Rangers were still able to fight, curiosity drew his gaze to the other team. Congregated around Jocelyn in eager celebration was a very tall, powerfully-built man in blue, a shorter blonde man wearing red, a woman in yellow with dark hair almost as long as Trini's, and a slim, ethereal woman wearing solid white.

Tommy squinted at the apparition. Was it his imagination, or were her features clouded by a pearly white haze?

She noticed his attention, and nodded in greeting. "I am Spectra, and this is the Spectrum Force: Rachel, Craig, Tamara, Keith, and you already know Jocelyn."

Tommy waved his hand toward his team. "I'm Tommy, and this is Jason, Alexis, Billy, Trini, and Zack."

This was really the time to address battle tactics, now that the forces of good had nearly doubled. But instead, the sight of Jocelyn surrounded by her teammates, eagerly hugging each of them in turn, brought to mind the one question that had been plaguing him since the nightmare began. "Where's Kimberly?"

His concern must've been evident in his voice, for Spectra gave him a comforting smile. "Peace, White Ranger, Kimberly is well. She is in our home dimension, waiting for us to prepare the portal for her arrival."

"Thank goodness," Trini sighed in relief.

"Why didn't you bring her with you?" Zack wondered.

"It's kind of a long story, so here's the Cliff's Notes version," Keith responded, taking a deep breath. He then launched into a bizarre summary of an alien princess, alternate dimensions, the strange phenomenon called a Bridge, which linked the universe of the Power Rangers with that of the Spectrum Force, and finally the added complication of a portal to Chaos, that threatened both universes. "And the only way to stop

all this craziness is for Kimberly and Jocelyn to pass back through the original portal," he concluded. "So we're here to help you guys beat down the Chaotics long enough for the girls to switch places."

The Power Rangers fell silent, each one teasing out the meaning of the rapid-fire summary they'd just received. Not surprisingly, it was Billy who recognized an alarming implication.

"Let's assume we're able to establish transit between our universes. What's to stop either Jocelyn or Kimberly from detouring into Chaos?"

The woman in white stepped forward. "That is why I am present. I will cast a spell to seal Chaos, protecting both transferees from diversion. My mentor is in our dimension presently, holding the same spell on that end. Neither woman should be in any danger through transit."

"Are you sure?" Tommy wondered. "Have you seen this phenomenon before?"

"No, to both questions," Spectra admitted. "Yet we are sure that the only way to untangle our dimensions is to dissolve the Bridge, and that can only be done by restoring the proper balance. Also, it is the only way Kimberly and Jocelyn can return to their native dimensions. Kimberly was unable to pass through the portal that brought us here."

"We don't have a choice, then," Jason realized grimly. "We can't leave that portal open."

"And I have

to go home!" Jocelyn folded her arms, her tone adamant. "Let's get the show on the road!"

She then turned to Spectra. "What happened to Matt? He's not hurt, is he?"

"We thought it was best for someone to stay behind to protect Kimberly as she waits for my signal, and to get you away from the battleground once you emerge."

The petite girl nodded sharply and stepped back, her energy blazing with new determination. "Spectra and I will head for the portal, then."

"Zack, you go with them," Tommy decided. "You've got the best chance of destroying any other Chaotics that emerge from the portal with one shot."

"Got it, Leader Man," the Black Ranger answered with a semi-serious salute.

"The rest of us will destroy the rest of the Chaotics." Tommy looked to the ground, peering through the luminescent, glass-like floor. "I think we've got… eighteen down there now."

"And we shall prevent more from coming," Spectra stated. She then turned to the Orange Enforcer. "Jocelyn, have your powers behaved normally in this dimension?"

She nodded. "For the most part. These Chaos monsters have a kind of… evil aura that's distracting, especially if you try to restrain them. Any kind of prolonged contact, either physical or through energy binds, causes one killer of a headache."

Keith nodded. "Sounds like the ones we tango'ed with back home."

"And I can't seem to summon my Dia-Staff," Jocelyn added.

Craig grimaced. "Really?"

"That makes sense," Spectra noted. "The Dia-Staffs are directly powered by the Diadem, which is now in another realm of existence than we are." Her eyes flashed. "Jocelyn, are you able to destroy one of these monsters alone?"

"Not the millipedes. I can slow them down, but I can't muster an attack that can destroy them."

"Then I suggest a cooperative effort," Spectra glanced to Tommy. "All the Spectrum Force has the same abilities, and you have seen enough of Jocelyn's abilities to know what they are. How do you think we should approach this battle?"

Tommy blinked, surprised that she'd asked his input. "The Power Rangers have combination attacks; but we need Kimberly for all of them, so we're at a disadvantage right now. Are you guys able to combine your powers at all?"

"We all can combine our energy assaults with each other," Keith confirmed. "The more of us add power, the more powerful the attack. But we don't need a full team."

"But our powers do merge more efficiently when the colors are closer to each other in the spectrum," Rachel pointed out.

"Then split up the Force into two teams of two," Billy contributed. "That should be sufficient power to destroy a single Chaotic."

"That leaves the five of us," Trini pointed out.

"Billy, you go with the Red and Yellow Spectrum Enforcers," Tommy decided. "And Trini, you go with Blue and Purple. That leaves me, Jase, and Alexis to form a third group. I wouldn't want to split us into any group smaller than three; not with these monsters." He turned to his former leader. "Sounds like a plan?"

"It does to me." Jason then glanced at the alien among them. "Spectra?"

"I approve of this strategy," she confirmed. "Rachel and Keith, take your teams to opposite ends of the battleground and work your way toward the cave," Spectra advised. "Keep your minds open to each other, but stay focused on your own battles. Do your utmost to avoid being surrounded by these creatures. I will alert you the moment the transfer is complete."

The Red and Purple Enforcers nodded, each one walking to opposite sides of the floating platform. They were immediately joined by their designated teams.

"White, Red, and Purple Rangers, stand across from me," Spectra directed. "Black Ranger, stay near Jocelyn and me."

The party of twelve separated into four groups, each group congregating at one side of the circular platform. Then, Spectra snapped her fingers, creating a neat crack that split the platform into quarters.

The three other pieces flew to the ground below, approaching the battleground from the periphery. The Black Ranger watched, fascinated, as the brightly-colored forms of his teammates vanished with distance.

"Now what do we do?" he wondered.

"We wait for the others to distract and disperse the Chaotics," Spectra explained. "When the path is mostly clear, we will move straight for the cave, and the portal within it."

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Trini braced herself as the translucent disc streaked to the ground. It almost felt like surfing, the strong winds buffeting her like waves while she fought to maintain her balance. Teleportation, while it was doubtless the most convenient form of travel, completely shielded her from the actual sensation of movement. There was a certain thrill to the high-speed flight she wished she could enjoy more… if she didn't have a dozen giant insects snapping their claws in her general direction, that is.

Wincing, she noticed that the pearly disc had taken a blue hue, and was angling dangerously

close to the Chaotics as it streaked above them. "What are you doing?"

"Getting their attention." Trini was certain she could hear a smile in the Blue Enforcer's voice. "That is what we're doing up here, right? Clearing the path for Jocelyn?"

"Without getting ourselves killed, of course," Purple commented, her own aura flashing to life around her body. "I'm getting off here; you two continue until you're clear of the Chaotics. These things can't fly, can they?"

Trini realized belatedly that the