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

They didn't even need words anymore. They were a team: they worked like a well-oiled machine.

The system they devised was simple. A little on the reckless side, but then again, so were these particular Rangers.

It started with Jason. Approach a Chaotic. Get too close. Get it angry. A tight blast from the Blade Blaster to its underbelly worked wonders on the millipedes; the bug-beast immediately forgot whatever it was doing before, and whirled on him in a snarling fury. And Jason drew it away, running as quickly as he could, listening to the thunderous beat of a thousand legs.

Before the creature could overtake him, a series of short laser bursts from Saba forced the monster to a standstill. In Tommy's capable hands, the enchanted saber fired bolt after bolt of energy, giving Jason time to get comfortably distant, as well as getting the creature adequately disoriented.

And during all this activity, Alexis hovered in the air, a sphere of purple-gold light burning between her palms.

It worked four times, carving down the otherworldly abominations by a sizeable chunk. And as Jason dove for cover, listening to the buzz of Tommy's lasers cough up ice and snow to blind the monster, he was certain it would work again.

But then one element changed: Alexis began to stagger.

It was Jason who noticed the first signs. The Purple Ranger had noticeably lowered, her body trembling as the Pulse flared wildly in her hands, a stark contrast from the steady glow that was typical of her signature attack.

He immediately knew what it meant. "Plan B, Tommy!"

The White Ranger didn't let up his energy assault. "What's Plan B?"

"Stall, as I work out Plan C!" Jason ran to the ground below the Purple Ranger, his brow furrowed. "Lex! Drop the Pulse!"

But the strong winds and steady hum of nearby energy made it impossible for her to hear him.

And also, she was far too focused on the inexplicably stubborn energy sphere that flashed weakly in her hands.

Why isn't it getting bigger?

Her heart raced, the quickened beat thumping between her ears as she pushed as much power as she could through her hands. The purple energy diverted into the attack was even visible, trailing along her white gloves like tiny bolts of lightning. And yet the Eagleheart Pulse flickered, unwilling to sustain itself.

Come on, dammit… I know I've got it in me!

Then, a sudden slushy force against her boot startled her just enough to release her focus. The waning Pulse dissolved completely.

"Lex!"

Gasping, she glared at the Red Ranger below. "This is no time for a snowball fight, Jase!"

"You're spent, Lex. You can't fly and generate a Pulse at the same time."

She winced. "I'm a little tired, but-"

"You've never put this much drain on your powers before. Stay airborne and recover your strength." He then tossed her his Blade Blaster. "Cover us from up there."

She grimaced, noting the warmth of the weapon's barrel. "But-"

The Power Sword materialized in the Red Ranger's hand. "I prefer my fights up close and personal anyway."

And with a quick wave, the Red Ranger hurried to aid his best friend.

Alexis sucked in a frustrated breath, climbing higher into the air and following Jason. Tommy had stayed one step ahead of the creature, though puzzling flashes of red energy made her take a closer look.

Her frown only deepened. The Red Spectrum guy. He must've noticed Tommy was in trouble, and picked up the slack for me.

She blinked, angrily fighting the sting in her eyes. I should

have been able to hold out! I know it in my bones! I know I'm pushing myself… I know these Pulses are at maximum strength, but I should have been able to generate more. I should've come through when they needed me.

It was terrifying to hit the limit of one's strength, and realize it just wasn't enough.

Her gaze dropped to the morpher on her waist. The morpher Zordon added to her ensemble. When she first inherited the Power, channeling it directly from the Eagle Coin, it felt different. It felt… limitless.

She shook her head, banishing the errant thought from her mind and bringing her attention back to the fight at hand.

Her eyes widened as a large cone of energy erupted from the Red stranger's palms, spinning on its own axis, and plowing mercilessly through the middle of the tenacious Chaotic.

The creature exploded in an acrid black mist, and left the nearby Rangers stunned, and snow-covered.

"It worked," Keith mused, grinning unselfconsciously. "Good thing you guys beat that thing so hard the past few minutes; so far an attack from any one of us hasn't been that effective. It definitely got weaker."

"Nice work," Tommy noted, shaking the young man's hand. "Thanks for the back-up… Keith, right?"

"Right."

Alexis landed as the team regrouped, ignoring Jason's pointed stare. "It looks like things are under control."

"I'd say so," Keith confirmed. "I disbanded my strike unit when I noticed you guys in trouble. Tammy combined with Rachel and Craig makes one killer assault team, so they're plowing through the rest of these caterpillars. I asked your friend Billy to stand by the cave. He's keeping watch there with the Yellow Ranger; so far nothing new has come out."

"Then the seal must be in place," Jason surmised.

"Only five left," Tommy noted after a quick count. "If your team has the Chaotics covered, I think I'll head into the cave and see how the transfer's coming."

"I'll come with you," Keith announced, falling into step beside him.

When Zack heard footsteps pounding on the stone floor of the cave, he lifted his Cosmic Cannon, just in case. He had no idea if the Chaotics could sense that their portal home had been messed with, or if they'd be concerned that their reinforcements had stopped coming. But his assignment was to make sure the transfer wasn't screwed up by any interfering inter-dimensional boogie-men, and he took that assignment very seriously.

Only when he saw the burning aura of the Red Enforcer, accompanied by the glaring white armor of the White Ranger, did he lower his weapon. "Guys come to see the main event?"

"Thing's have gotten quieter outside, so we figured we might be useful here," Keith answered. He frowned when he noticed the tension on his mentor's face. "Spectra?"

"These… creatures are strong," she hissed through clenched teeth. "Stronger than those the spell was designed for."

Tommy took a step forward. "Will it hold?"

Spectra nodded stiffly. "I believe so. It took great… effort to adjust the seal. And it takes great effort to… to hold it."

Jocelyn rocked impatiently on the balls of her feet, rubbing her arms briskly. "We're only waiting for the portal to shift again. We couldn't move on the last shift because Spectra had to adjust again. Something…" she gulped. "Something big

must've just come on the side of Chaos."

Keith looked at his young friend. "Why'd you de-sync, Jocie? It's cold out here!"

She shrugged. "When we first switched, Kimberly and I were both in our superhero forms. Keeping this whole 'balance' thing in mind, we wondered if maybe our energy levels have to be more or less the same as well. Spectra said Kim can't morph, so the only solution to balance us out is for me to go un-powered as well."

Keith shook his head, stepping closer to her and expanding the red-tinged aura of his power. "Doesn't mean you have to freeze to death, Kiddo."

She grinned up at him. "Always eager to help the damsel in distress?"

He winced, rubbed his neck, and laughed a little too loudly as his thoughts strayed to the other

"damsel" he'd aided just a few short hours ago... the one with the green hair and unpleasant disposition. "Guilty as charged, I guess."

Just then, the portal shifted, the white of transition giving way to the emerald hue of Matthew's power. Jocelyn smiled widely, all thoughts of teasing Keith forgotten.

Spectrum Force Dimension

"Something's happening…" Kimberly reported. She watched with bated breath as the image cleared, revealing a face that gave her a bit of a start.

"Jocelyn!" Matthew gasped from behind her. "She de-synced!"

Heh… I'd always wanted a sister,

Kim reflected, a feeble grin on her lips as she stared at the stranger with such a familiar face. Her smile widened when another figure stepped forward from the background, and gave her a thumb's up.

"Tommy," she murmured. As always, his mere presence made her feel twice as strong.

"Everything is prepared," Luminus noted with a nod. "The Bridge is as stable as it will ever be, Kimberly."

The girl nodded, taking a breath and quickly scanning her form. Morpher and communicator, check. New shirt from Tammy, also a check. Langstrum Alps souvenir hoody, double-check; and the warmth is much appreciated!

She turned on her heel, planting a sudden kiss on Luminus' cheek. "Thank you so much, Sir."

The wise elder was too startled to respond as the excited teen hugged a stiff Green Enforcer, then waved at her audience through the portal.

"There's no place like home," she exhaled, and haltingly stepped closer.