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

*The Diadem and your ring are the same. Your ring binds you to the Diadem, in a manner I am not. That is why Warrior Gaius had to summon aid. Midjinari cannot wield the power of the Diadem… but you can.*

Craig quirked an eyebrow. I don't know about that…

Suddenly, Mashal grabbed his hand urgently. Craig startled.

*I sense Death…*

Her revelation came just before a loud crash in the forest ahead.

Craig's eyes widened. What's going on?

The two hurried forward, taking extra care to remain silent and hidden within the dense verdure. Soon, they reached a cliff face, and a startling battle waged before their eyes.

That's the Spectrum Force!

Craig revealed. He narrowed his eyes, watching the Green and Orange Enforcers tousle in the air above. What the hell are they doing??

His jaw dropped as Jocelyn's energy yanked a nearby tree, and hurled it at Matthew.

*Your friend has been gripped by Death.*

"Wh-"

Mashal quickly smothered his mouth with her hand. *No words Warrior… lest we be discovered. Your Orange friend has been gripped by the Empire.*

I don't understand… how do you know that?

*Close your eyes, and come here.*

Mashal beckoned with her finger. Puzzled, Craig slid onto his knees, bringing him within reach to the Midjinari.

She placed her fingers on his forehead. *Now, look.*

Craig slowly opened his eyes, and gasped as suddenly, the rich green of the surrounding forest was replaced by drab gray. The grass, the trees, the mountain… everything blended into one another, creating a flat background.

However, the people present were far from drab. Each of the Force shone with incredible, vibrant energy, bathing their bodies in such radiance it hurt to look at them directly.

Except for Jocelyn. Where she floated, all Craig could see was a black silhouette. Though oddly, outlining the obscurity was a nimbus of orange light.

What is this?

*This is how Midjinari see,* Mashal revealed. *Our eyes see into the realm of energy. The Warriors of Light shine gloriously, yet the forces of evil swallow light with an unending hunger. Your friend has been corrupted, so she fights her allies.*

Craig moved forward, his face folding.

*You cannot help them if you fight with them. You must find the Diadem.*

He chewed his lip. But… they need help!

*If you transform, your exact location will be discernible by the Empire. And then, no one can safely seek the Diadem without being watched!*

Craig huffed his frustration.

Mashal pointed to the cliff with her free hand. *The Diadem is within.*

He followed her gesture, and noticed a rectangular hole in what had appeared to be a solid cliff. Just large enough to be a door…

*I am certain it called to your friends, but the presence of evil silenced it. If the one had not been tainted, surely your friends would have found the Diadem. Now you must enter. So long as evil does not pass through the entrance, the Diadem will call you. Enter the invisible door, and you will be guarded from evil eyes. You can wield your powers without fear, and the Diadem will guide you.*

Craig's gaze slid back to his friends. Rachel, Matthew, Keith, and Tamara seemed to have regrouped, with Jocelyn hovering high in the air. They're right by the wall, Mashal. If I go now, they'll all see me.

*That can be prevented.*

Craig turned, and watched the Midjinari girl pull off her heavy cloak. Beneath it, her green robe matched perfectly with the surrounding forest. *The cloak can hide you from sight and sense. Cover your skin, and join the edges together to activate its magic.*

Will you be okay out here without it?

She smiled. *The Midjinari have traveled the universe for centuries of centuries without being detected by enemies. We have our ways.*

He smiled in return. Then, I guess it's up to me.

He donned the heavy material, feeling it weigh down his body. He approached the tree line, preparing to step into the open, when he saw his four friends take to the air, surrounding Jocelyn.

I wish I could do something. Wait… maybe I can!

He smirked fiercely as a thought occurred to him. He dodged back into the bushes for cover, and pulled the Ireli sphere from his pocket.

This definitely qualifies as an emergency.

*Jocelyn! Can you hear me at all?*

He'd been trying to reach her, both verbally and telepathically, ever since he grasped the situation. When he shouted, she ignored him. When he threw a telepathic message, his mind crashed against a mental wall that felt impregnable.

Every time he tried, he felt a new shiver of icy fear.

What if she's not there

anymore?

Matthew knew nothing about whatever evil acted through his friend's body. Who knew the implications of this… possession? Did the parasite consciousness only take dominance over Jocelyn, or did it… remove

her?

"Matt!"

The Green Enforcer looked up, and slipped out of the way from a particularly heavy looking boulder.

He waved his thanks to Tamara, who floated over to him. "Snap out of it, Matt! That could've really hurt you."

His teeth gnashed in helpless frustration. "Wh... what if she's gone, Tammy?"

Yellow gazed at him a long moment. "Now's not the time to worry about that. We have to restrain her, without hurting her. Then we can figure out our next move."

"But it should've-"

He bit his tongue, but Tamara knew exactly what was plaguing him.

"It shouldn't have been you. It shouldn't have been any of us. The best thing you can do to help her is to help us stop

her!"

Easier said than done.

If she didn't push me out of the way… I would've been swallowed by the goop. I would've been turned evil.

He clearly saw her, lying on his lap, completely inert. When he'd reversed the transformation through the emergency belt-button, her skin was almost gray, as if it had lost its pigment…

Wait…

He grinned. *Guys! I have an idea! If one of us can get close enough, we can un-Sync her with the button on her belt!*

*Brilliant!* Rachel cheered, *Without her powers, she won't be a threat to anyone. Then we can restrain her easily!*

*But won't she just Sync again?* Tamara wondered.

*Maybe she can't,* Matthew answered. *That evil didn't take over Jocelyn's body until right after she Synced. It might not know how to do it!*

She turned around, and watched an exchange between Keith and Jocelyn. *Keith! Try and get a decent hit in! If we can daze her, we can reach her belt!*

Purple floated upwards, nearing the one on one confrontation.

"I don't know how you managed to destroy the Phlegnin," Orange sighed. "I suppose you got supremely lucky. But how long do you think that luck will last, Humans?"

A solid kick, enhanced by a cocoon of orange energy, plowed into Keith's kidney. He screamed at the sharp pain, and lost his control over gravity.

Tamara and Matthew moved quickly to catch him before he hit the ground; dazed, but conscious.

"Spectra has involved you in a war you cannot win. The Empire is enormous…its resources dwarf the Council of Light, and all their allies! Did she ever tell you the planet we destroyed right before we came to yours?"

She planted her hands on her hips, taking on a superior posture. "The planet Fesp, children. The most powerful planet in the sector… and we laid waste to its forces. Stole their knowledge, murdered their king, enslaved the survivors. What chance do a handful of Humans have against a force that great?"

"What would you suggest we do?" Rachel countered. "Lay down and die?"

"You don't have to." She tossed her hair back with one hand, and held the other out. "The Diadem is somewhere on this planet. Bring it to me, and I swear on my forefathers I will leave Earth alone."

She floated closer to Rachel. "You are clearly the leader of this group. Their lives… and the lives of the people of Earth… fall upon you."

Purple closed the distance further, slowly approaching until the two were an arm's length apart. "How can I trust you? You've stolen the body of my teammate…"

Her fist erupted in violet flame. "…and we're taking it back!"

Orange was unprepared for the punch. She took it square in the jaw, the magnified strength of the energy it carried sending her catapulting into the air.

She would have flown much further, had the Red Enforcer not caught her. His arms lanced beneath hers, locking her in a grip that would not give way.

She could do nothing but sputter in outrage as Green appeared in front of her, and moved for her belt.

Suddenly, she felt the power drain out of her body all at once.

The swirling orange and white atmosphere of Jupiter flooded the view screen, yet Spectra had no time to consider the gas giant's