The Spectrum Force/Rachel Summers by Heather Ray (graded readers .TXT) 📖

sphere, and began chipping it with her sword. Just then, the five remaining Spectrum Enforcers ran into the chamber through the hole where the iron door was.

"Whoa," said Matthew, "what happened in here?"

"Acheron," called Rachel, preparing for another swing. With each hit, the glass cracked slightly.

"Who's Acheron?" asked Jocelyn.

"We'll discuss it later," said Rachel, "Quick, get Phoenix out of here, before the entire place falls apart! I'll get Chris!"

"Do you need help--" started Craig.

"GO!!"

The Blue Enforcer gently lifted Phoenix into his arms, and the team of heroes ran out of the chamber. Once they left that room, Keith looked up, and saw a crack in the ceiling.

"Sunlight!" he said, "We can't be far from the surface!"

"Here," said Craig, giving Keith Phoenix, "take her. I'll make us a passageway."

Keith took Phoenix, leaving Craig with his hands free.

"I summon the Elemental Armory!" he declared, "Earth Lance!!"

A silver and blue lance appeared in his hands, and he pointed one end of it upwards. The rocks obeyed his command, and separated, creating a narrow tunnel all the way up to the surface. One by one, the Spectrum Enforcers flew up the tunnel, and landed on the grass above. Keith put Phoenix down, who shook her head slightly. "Are you okay?" he asked her.

"Yes," she answered, but the universe isn't. Not if Acheron has so much power...

Phoenix stood on her two feet, and everyone waited by the hole Craig created.

"Where is she...?" asked Matthew.

Just then, a bright purple light heralded the arrival of the Purple Enforcer. She was carrying Chris, who was unconscious. Rachel lay him on the ground, and turned to Phoenix.

"Is he--?"

"He'll be fine," said Phoenix with a smile, "He's just tired. He needs his rest. When he recovers, though, he'll never be quite the same. By bonding with me, I'm afraid the Phoenix Force jump-started his latent mutant powers."

"What kind of powers does he have?" asked Tamara.

"I don't know," said Phoenix, "but they are at least partially psionic in nature."

"Okay, then," said Rachel, picking him up again, "I'll take him home. Wait for me here."

The Purple Enforcer lifted off the ground, and streaked through the sunny sky at a speed near that of light. The other Enforcers watched her go, and then turned to Phoenix.

"So," said Jocelyn, "do you need help home?"

"Yes," she answered, "but not yet. We must deal with Acheron! You won't be able to do it alone, and I don't think I'll be much help, until I recover. We'll need help."

Phoenix closed her eyes, and suddenly her invisible psi-form floated out of her body. Craig caught Phoenix's body just as it began to fall to the ground.

"What happened to her?" asked Tamara.

"We said that we needed help," said Craig, laying her on the ground, "I wonder what she meant."

Just then, the Purple Enforcer returned. She landed on the ground not far from the rest of the Force, who were standing in a circle around Phoenix.

"Chris' roommate is gone," she said, "so hopefully he'll be... what happened to Phoenix?"

"She just fainted dead away," said Matt, "Maybe the power drain was too much for her."

"I guess that's possible," said Rachel, "Acheron had huge batteries filled with Phoenix energies. With that kind of power, the Denebians can cast a spell powerful enough to destroy the solar system..."
An Addendum: Wings

Part One

High in the sky above Langstrum Alps, California, a figure as bright as a star soared through the air. However, most didn't even notice her as she passed through the clouds, at a phenomenal speed. Usually, she would be flying at the speed of light, but she couldn't when she had a passenger.

Rachel Castaneda, the Purple Spectrum Enforcer, was carrying in her arms the limp form of Christopher Greyson. For the past week, she and Chris had been seeing each other regularly, and she was hoping that this was the start of a relationship between them. Lately, the idea of having a steady boyfriend was as foreign to her as any one of us would view the idea of being a super hero. To put it another way, the simple pleasures of a normal life didn't seem to have room in her extremely hectic schedule. And once again, the life of a super-heroine has interfered with her attempts of living like a normal person.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, as she descended once the High Rise came into sight, "If it weren't for me, this whole nightmare wouldn't have happened."

She hovered in front of Chris' bedroom window, and gently forced it open with a force burst. She sailed through the window, and lay Chris in his bed. She took a quick glance around the apartment, to make sure they were alone.

"Good," she said, "I guess his roommate is out. I'm sorry to leave you here like this, Chris, but I have a feeling this isn't over yet."

Rachel leaned over, and gently kissed him on the cheek. She then sailed through the open window, and into the sky. She silently prayed that Chris would be okay, and that he'd forgive her for getting him involved with the Denebians' latest plot to conquer the galaxy. Rachel didn't realize this incident wasn't her fault. Acheron, the emperor of the Denebian Empire, was solely after Phoenix, and he used Chris as a hostage. The implications of this day's events were beyond what either Chris or Rachel, or even Acheron himself, expected.

Part Two

While the young members of the Spectrum Force gathered around her prone body, the astral form of Rachel Summers floated in the sky, perfectly invisible to human perception.

In this form, separated from her body, it was far easier to span the Multiverse. The Astral Plane was a realm connecting all of existence.

The specter flashed out of the universe she was in, intending to find someone who could help her prevent the consequences she feared Acheron's thievery of her powers would create. With all her strength, she reached into the endless void, searching for a psi-print of one of her trusted allies.

She was stunned when she felt a familiar, nearly omnipotent, force of telepathic might.

"Roma?" she called into the black void of the realm-beyond-realms, "Is that you?"

A form materialized before her. A simple ivory gown cloaked her body entirely, and a golden shield enclosed her chest, shoulders, and neck. Her dark eyes gazed at the familiar entity, completely devoid of an emotional reaction.

"Rachel Summers," Roma stated, "I know what you are trying to do. I am here to stop you."

The Phoenix frowned. "I thought you had refrained from interference in the world of the mortals."

"In this case, I am trying to prevent

interference," Roma stated grimly, "I shall not allow you to parade your numerous allies through the Multiverse, Rachel Summers. You are one gifted with the ability to manipulate the gateway. You know how dangerous such transport is."

"But Phaedra and Acheron have stolen my powers!" Rachel argued in frustration, "If I don't stop them..."

"What will be will be," Roma interrupted, holding up her hand.

"I can't accept that," Rachel said indignantly, "I'm not leaving, knowing full well that I've brought Doomsday upon this Earth!"

Roma smiled mysteriously. "You may be the Phoenix, child, but you do not know the full workings of reality. What will happen was inevitable. It shall set into motion a string of events that will forever change this universe... that had

to happen in order to fix a breach that happened millenia ago. What will occur is necessary

. However, the inclusion of other heroes is not."

Roma's smile fell. "You must leave, Rachel Summers. Your own dimension needs you. The longer Mother Askani is separated from her followers, the greater chance the forces of destruction will end your noble attempts."

Rachel swallowed hard. She felt that the choice was not hers to make. Her duty was elsewhere.

But... what would become of the Spectrum Force.

The mighty Phoenix shuddered at the thought.

"How will I get back to my own world?" she asked quietly, "I'm still rather weak."

"I shall create a portal for you," Roma responded, "Return to your body, and let the pieces fall into place... as they will."

Part Three

Wearily, Phoenix opened her bright green eyes, and groaned slightly as consciousness once again flooded her mind. She sat up weakly, and watched as the six Spectrum Enforcers circled her, watching her worriedly.

"Are you okay?"