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

last question was directed at her. "Not that I've seen."

"Then I'll take my chances in the sky."

And with that, she leapt off the platform, fists burning as she gained altitude.

Trini looked alarmed as the Purple Enforcer shrank in her view. "What if something happens to her? She's all alone!"

"No she's not," Blue assured her. "She wants to distract them from us so I can figure out what your powers are. We never saw Kim in action, so we don't really know what a Power Ranger can do."

Trini blinked in surprise as the blue disc finally landed on the tundra, evaporating on contact. Her white boots sank into the deep snow, but she kept her attention fixed on the tall man before her. "When did you two decide that?"

"I guess that was a bit rude, huh?" he allowed, rubbing his head. "See, we can communicate mind-to-mind."

"You can read minds?"

"Not exactly. I can't read your mind, for example, so don't worry about me poking around where I'm not wanted. See, if I want to communicate with Rachel, I still need to call out to her. But I do it in my head. She can't hear what I'm thinking unless I'm directing my thoughts to her, and vice versa. And we can't do it with anyone else; just the rest of the Force. Spectra's powers are different, though."

Trini nodded slowly, considering the possibilities of such a unique communication system. But Craig quickly interrupted her train of thought.

"So, what powers do you have?"

The Yellow Ranger looked up at the impressive figure of the Blue Enforcer, mentally tacking off his known abilities, and for a brief moment felt a pinch of deficiency. He was faster, he could fly, fire energy blasts…

But she had her own skills.

"The Power enhances baseline strength, agility, speed, endurance, and durability. And my weapons include daggers and a hand Blaster; neither of which can destroy one of these Chaotics on their own." She tapped her chin, watching beams of purple light flash not too far away. "We should focus our efforts on one Chaotic at a time. Can you tell your friend to aim for the underbelly? That seemed to be a weak spot when we fought them earlier."

Craig nodded, lifting off the ground, but then frowned suddenly. "She says it's hard to hit the underbelly from above."

Trini smirked. "Then maybe we should bowl them over first."

She raced toward one of the large rocks that were scattered across the area, adjusting the settings on her Blade Blaster along the way. Carefully, she fired the weapon, carving a shape reasonably close to a sphere out of the rock's side. Craig watched with a puzzled frown as the newly-carved ball rolled away from the alcove, steam climbing from it's heated surface.

"So," the Yellow Ranger commented, "think you can help me push this thing?"
Chapter Fifty-Eight

There was no other word to describe it: the battlefield was sheer pandemonium.

Zack watched the battle unfold from the relative safety of Spectra's floating platform, the sights and sounds making him feel dizzy. Even from a distance, the vivid colors of attacks were clearly visible, and he couldn't help but be impressed by the sheer variety. Fistfuls of blue, sleek purple beams, overwhelming flows of red, tiny but numerous yellow flashes, tight corkscrews of purple mingled with blue, large spheres of red with rings of yellow... Zack found himself counting the Spectrum Force's energy assaults, comparing them to the destructive power of the most comparable Ranger attacks.

That red sphere with yellow rings looks almost like Lex's Eagleheart Pulse, and judging by the way it reduced that Chaotic to ash, it seems more powerful than what Alexis can pull off. Don't think I'll tell her that, though. And that narrow beam the Purple Enforcer likes looks a whole lot like Saba's laser ray.

He then smirked, watching another red-tinged sphere of… something… plow into the Chaotics on the southern edge of the battlefield, throwing three of the bug-like creatures off their countless feet by the sheer force of the collision.

Then Billy and the Yellow and Red Enforcers descended on the disoriented creatures, hammering them with energy blasts and a Blade Blaster.

Trini and the Blue Enforcer had come up with the idea of using the bugs for bowling practice, but the technique quickly caught on.

"Zack, Jocelyn," Spectra said, breaking the relative silence of the high altitude, "It's time."

The two teens nodded, and without further warning, the platform began a swift and sudden descent, streaking toward the ground directly for the cave. The immediate area was mostly clear, thanks to the havoc the remaining heroes were creating less than a hundred yards away, so the trio was able to slip into the small cave without incident.

"They're not guarding the cave at all," Zack noticed with a vague shrug. "They're not as organized as we thought they were."

"Or, perhaps whatever is coming through the portal doesn't need a guard," Spectra suggested.

Both teens grimaced at the thought.

Spectra suddenly paused, pressing her body against the jagged cave wall and holding out her hand out. The two teens behind her froze in mid-step.

"Why'd we stop?" Jocelyn murmured.

"There are two Chaotics now emerging from the portal," she revealed.

Zack scratched the back of his helmet. "How'd you know that?"

"I can sense their destructive aura. Now, I must conserve my power for the spell, so I cannot help you fight them. Black Ranger, how quickly can you destroy two Chaotics?"

He hefted the Power Ax from his shoulder, pulling back the blade and storing power for discharge. "It'll take about forty seconds for the Cosmic Cannon to re-charge to full power. Assuming I hit my target on the first try, about a minute."

"Jocelyn, do your best to hold the other creature," Spectra instructed. "Once the path is clear, I shall begin." And with that, she moved closer to the wall, murmuring under her breath. Zack's eyebrow rose when the shadows of the cave seemed to reach out, smothering the stark whiteness of her hair and costume. If it weren't for the aid of his helmet lens, he wouldn't be able to see her at all.

"That's a neat trick," he awed.

He then nodded to Jocelyn, and together the pair continued into the cavern. They walked in silence, the buzzing of Zack's charging weapon accompanying the eerie burr of the portal as they awaited the telltale flash of red light. When it finally came, Zack stepped forward, bending his knees to brace himself for the backlash.

"I call dibs," he murmured, narrowing his eyes. Just wait until you see the whites of its eyes… figuratively speaking, of course.

As soon as the first creature fully emerged from the portal, Zack let loose the devastating stream of power before it had a chance to orient itself and become aware of the danger. It screeched as it melted against the assault, countless arms flailing but helpless to save itself.

However, the second creature was just a step behind. It dove for the Black Ranger immediately, and Zack could do nothing but yelp in surprise at the speed with which the Chaotic struck.

But then a flash of orange brightened the dim cave, and the creature veered off-target, instead dashing directly down the tunnel toward daylight.

Jocelyn grimaced, bracing herself against the protruding rock. "I'm definitely going to need some industrial-strength Excedrin when this is all over…"

"Just a little longer," Zack assured her, charging his cannon again, "Let's make sure that thing stays out of Spectra's way."

Jocelyn nodded, and together the teens chased after the demonic creature, holding their collective breath as it passed Spectra's hidden form.

If it in any way sensed her presence, it gave no indication.

Spectra watched the creature continue its race, the two young heroes hot on its tail. *Make sure not to leave, Jocelyn,* she warned. *If the creature escapes the cave, let the others handle it.*

*You got it!* Orange acknowledged.

Wasting no more time, Spectra approached the magical portal, watching with no small amount of awe as the projected image warped before her eyes.

She found herself surprised when the scene was overwhelmed by a soft green light. Matthew stood in the background, his arms raised as he generated enough power to illuminate the cave. Close to Matthew, near enough to be warmed by his protective aura, was Kimberly herself, her arms tightly folded and teeth absently gnawing her lower lip.

And in the foreground stood Luminus, perhaps two arms' lengths from the portal, his hands raised as he maintained a spell on his side of the Bridge.

It took the inter-dimensional party a few moments to realize the scene had shifted. Spectra watched in fascination as Kimberly's somber expression brightened, allowing her to wave excitedly and chatter something. Sounds couldn't pass through the portal, and Spectra felt a flicker of amusement that this knowledge didn't stop the excitable Ranger from trying to communicate anyway.

Then, Spectra took a step closer, taking a breath to steel herself as she reviewed the spell Luminus demonstrated in her mind. But as she lifted her hands to begin casting the spell, her apprehension grew tenfold.

Creating a force field is one thing; sealing an entire dimension is wholly different. I've never done this, or anything remotely like this. Spell-casting is not my strength, and Luminus knows it.

Her concern must have showed on her face, for Luminus fixed her with a steady gaze. Though she couldn't hear his voice or his thoughts across the Multiverse, that expression spoke volumes.

"Don't think of it as spell-casting," she murmured, watching her breath mist in the frigid air. "Follow directions. And have confidence that Luminus knows what he's doing."

Her breaths fell into the steady rhythm that accompanied meditation as the young warrior readied herself. Fingers swayed slowly at first, harnessing all the energy they could and causing the surrounding air to glow faintly white. Then, as the portal began to shift, her hands danced more rapidly, spinning a web of power that darted forward, into the maw of Chaos.

Chapter Fifty-Nine