The Spectrum Force Volume Three by Heather Ray (ready player one ebook txt) 📕

"Here it is, Empress."

Phaedra looked away from the window, and the perfect blue and green orb of Edenia. The planet that housed the Diadem... the object Gaius was willing- no, eager

, to die for.

Perhaps... he longed for death? Then, he would be eternally out of her reach, mocking her from the Beyond with Hemera at his side.

She began seeing red. If he wanted death, she would give it to him. "Did you add the drop of blood yet?"

Mor'se shook his head. "I thought you might like to do the honors, Empress."

Phaedra's delicate hand rose to her crown, tearing the jewel-encrusted ornament from her woven forest hair. She stared at the pointed tip that sat at the center of her head.

She ran her palm over the jagged edge, drawing rich, ebony blood. "Give me the vial."

Mor'se did as she asked without question. She replaced her crown on her brow, and then snatched the vial. A single drop of the thick plasma slid down the glass edge, and touched the clear liquid.

Instantly, the blood mixed with the toxin, creating a bubbling reaction. Mor'se slipped a nonporous cap above the vial, trapping the invisible vapors the bubbles created. As both Denebians watched, the liquid boiled completely, making the vial appear invisible.

"Shatter the vial, and the vapor will infect the nearest person," he instructed. "Its magical enhancements insure that the virus will infect the target, through the skin or air. Stage One does not yet attack the mind, so he will be able to provide the information we seek."

"He won't," she decided, her eyes staring into the clear glass, "He refuses to give in… even if it means his life."

Mor'se frowned slightly. "Then, is there anything else I can do, Majesty?"

"No," she answered, without hesitation. "I will

find that gods-damned Diadem, with or without his assistance. I still have the Orange Enforcer in my power. Perhaps I should hold her... a little tighter."

Her eyes slid closed, her breaths slowing as she consciously forced herself into calmness. "Leave me."

Mor'se bowed deeply, hiding his triumphant smile until he left the chamber.

The empress found herself leaning against the thick window, as her strength suddenly flowed out of her body.

It's his

fault!

she reminded herself, I offered him a choice… he refused my mercy. And now, I have no choice.

She couldn't back down now; she'd made a threat to his life. It was clear he wouldn't capitulate, not even to save his life. If she didn't carry out her own sentence, she would be humiliated, before the aristocracy, before her enemies… before the Emperor.

It was bad enough she had a history with the man before his Crossing… it would be unforgivable to show even the slightest compromise for his sake afterward.

She took a deep breath, and held her head high. Her face took on its most natural expression, that of mild disdain, and she stepped away from the window. At her silent command, her favorite flowing cape appeared on her shoulders, wrapping around her body and creating an even more imposing figure.

She glided out of her chambers, her heels echoing in the silent corridor. She moved quickly, her long cape dragging over a foot behind her along the floor. As she passed, guards and officers lined the wall and saluted her passage.

She was the Empress: fierce, volatile, powerful… uncompromising. And thus she would remain, whatever the consequences.

All too soon, her trek down the winding obsidian hallways ended at the heavy door of the prison. The lone guard stood at attention, carefully keeping his eyes lowered.

"Your presence is no longer needed here," she told him, her voice even, "Report to Mor'se for a new assignment."

The guard nodded once, and disappeared down the hallway.

Phaedra listened as his footsteps echoed into obscurity… and then, she turned her eyes to the door.

Should she give him yet another

chance to cooperate? She knew every time she did so, she let him make a mockery of her. He seemed to have no fear of her… none whatsoever.

Perhaps his confidence was well founded. She could kill him, but she couldn't truly hurt him. He lived for something far greater than himself, or even his loved ones. The only way to truly hurt him would be to destroy his life's work… and take the Diadem.

And I will!

she ordained, massaging her wounded pride, He will regret

betraying the Empire.

He would regret betraying her

.

Her arm emerged from beneath the heavy cloak, grasping the vial that marked Gaius' death.

She could open the door, and toss the vial inside without a word. She could make a grand entrance, laughing cruelly as she delivered Death in vapor form. She could… offer him a final chance. She could warn him of the properties of the Blight, in case he didn't realize just how much torture he would undergo.

She closed her eyes, and held her hand out, palm up. In a blink, the vial vanished.

She didn't need to deliver some final threat or mockery. It would bring her no joy whatsoever… and she knew it.

She listened intently, and heard the glass shatter behind the door.

And as she walked away, she felt something else shatter… within.

With a deep yawn, Jocelyn slowly drifted back from slumber. She shifted to her left side, her hand blindly feeling for the soft comforter that somehow fell off her body.

Instead, her hand touched cool metal, inducing full consciousness.

She wasn't in her bed. She wasn't in her room. She wasn't even on Earth

.

She was sleeping on the medical cot of an alien's stronghold, thousands of light years from home.

"Hey Rip Van Winkle… ready to join the land of the living?"

She pouted. "Rip Van Winkle? Couldn't you call me 'Sleeping Beauty' or something?"

The Green Enforcer shrugged. "You've obviously never looked in a mirror when you first wake up."

Her threatening grimace made her friend chuckle. "So, how do you feel?"

She stretched her arms out, and released another yawn. "Actually… pretty good." Her face pinched, "Though, a snack would be nice. Did Keith find anything edible?"

He shook his head. "We frankly couldn't tell. Keith, Tammy and Rachel found a room with plants that looked like a greenhouse, with some fruits and vegetables growing there. But it's impossible to tell if they're poisonous to humans. We never bothered to ask Spectra what she eats, so we have no idea if Denebian food is healthy for humans."

He began chuckling anew. "Rachel and Tamara had to actually wrestle an apple-looking fruit from Keith. He was practically salivating."

Jocelyn giggled at the mental image. Leave it to Keith to poison himself on some alien fruit. Though, if they remained on Edenia a few more hours, even she would be hard-pressed to choose to err on the side of caution.

She frowned pensively. "How long was I asleep?"

Matt instinctively glanced at his wrist, only to realize his watch wasn't there. "Well, unless I un-Sync, I can't tell you exactly. I'd say about an hour and a half."

She gasped. "Why didn't you wake me up or something??"

"Relax, Joce, it's fine. The others are still exploring. This place is absolutely huge, and so far we haven't found anything at all that could help us find Craig, Gaius, or the Diadem."

"And what have you been doing all this time?"

He gestured to the computer station sitting against the far wall. "Trying to figure out how this thing works. I think maybe there's some information on the Diadem on the system." He tapped his opaque blue visor. "You know this mask can actually translate written language?"

"Really?" she awed, swinging her legs off the cot, "How?"

"Well, I don't know how, exactly. But you see this screen?"

Jocelyn nodded, staring at the bizarre alien symbols she could only assume was text.

"When I Synced and looked at it, my visor creates an overlay of English text. It's incredible!"

He stood up from his seat. "Actually, if you feel up to it, maybe you can help me browse? You're a lot better with computers than me."

She smiled playfully. "Was that a compliment? Trying to make up for that 'mirror' crack, huh?"

He folded his arms. "Hey, you walked right into that one!"

She sighed theatrically before hopping off the cot completely. She took a few steps back, making some room as she held her ring above her head.

"Spectrum Sync!"

Glowing smoke poured from the gemstone, wrapping her in a cocoon of pure energy that covered her body with molded armor of various shades of orange.

Once the energy released by the transformation died down, the Orange Enforcer took a seat at the computer, and stared at the data through her blue visor.

"Wow, you're right!" she gasped, wonder lighting up her face, "It all makes sense!"

Green leaned over her shoulder, his gloved finger tracing some text in the far left. "This is the menu bar I've been navigating with. The system started up with a surveillance progr-"

Matthew's words were lost as suddenly, Jocelyn's slim fingers clenched around his throat… tightly. Not quite tight enough to substantially hurt, but enough to get his attention.

Matt blinked in confusion as Jocelyn rose to her feet, and brought him with her. "I..is this about that 'mirror' crack?" he rasped.

Suddenly, he found himself flying through the air, his body crashing full-force into the cot Jocelyn had rested on just minutes ago.

He groaned loudly, rubbing his shoulder that came in contact with the now-shattered cot. "Jeez, Joce, that's not…"

He bit his tongue when he noticed her standing above him, orange aura burning over her entire body.