The Spectrum Force Volume Two by Heather Ray (affordable ebook reader txt) 📕

time before the sun rises again."

The officer rose, and pulled a small transmitter from his pocket. He activated the machine, creating a 3D hologram of Earth, slowly spinning on its axis.

"At current speeds, it shall take approximately an hour to reach the planet. Unless I increase speed-"

"That will be unnecessary. There is no rush."

He nodded, pressing another button. The hologram froze, and a flashing red line appeared along the surface, just touching the western coast of North America.

"This is the area which will be just entering night at our arrival."

"Excellent," Phaedra said, "Now, conduct a scan to determine a high population density. Choose an area filled with Humans, so my scouts can collect information about them."

"Yes Empress," he stated, turning off the hologram. He prepared to leave, but the voice of his Empress brought him to pause.

"The scouts' goal is to remain secret. If they are spotted, make sure they dispose of the witness."
Chapter Three

"So what do you think? Too bright for winter?"

The young man sighed under his breath with mild impatience, pulling his silver-framed glasses from their resting-place atop his thick red hair and sliding them onto his nose. Sharp green eyes rose from the colossal Organic Chemistry textbook, and focused on the excitable girl before him.

No surprise... the outfit was quite flattering. The black skirt with a silver-gray rose design that hung just above her knees cooled the bold yellow cotton peasant blouse nicely. To accent the look, a dainty silver chain adorned her slender neck, mid-length black boots elevated her three inches off the ground, and her lustrous ebony hair framed her face, off-setting her cream complexion.

His lips twitched slightly as his gaze returned to his book.

"You look good," he answered, after a short silence.

Tamara frowned, obviously taking his hesitation as a sign of contemplation. "Really?" she queried, a hint of self-consciousness in her voice.

He nodded, his eyes never leaving his text. "Absolutely. I don't know about that whole season thing, but you look good."

She smiled, her awkwardness vanishing as excitement took over. She fell into the seat beside the young man, and peered over his shoulder. "So, what're you reading, Matt?"

Matthew O'Conner frowned at the very thought of it. "Orgo," he moaned, "My professor is certifiably insane! Three chapters for tomorrow?! God, what's the rush?!"

She smiled tenderly. "Why do you insist upon taking the hard classes freshman year? Last term it was Calculus and Microbiology. Now it's Orgo, Advanced Micro, and... what else?"

"That's it for my pre-med courses," he answered, "Others are for the general requirement. For my History requirement I'm taking 20th Century America, and for Literature I'm taking Arthurian Legends."

"As in King Arthur? That sounds terrific! I was Guinevere in our high school production of Camelot

. It was so much fun..."

"Hey guys!" called a strong male voice. "The Caffeine Train is here!"

The pair looked up, and saw Jocelyn and Craig Gillis round the corner, the former examining a Dreiser University Course Guide, and the latter balancing a tray of four large paper cups.

Craig shot a smooth smile to his friends, the vibrant whiteness of his teeth contrasting sharply to his dark chocolate complexion, and began handing out beverages.

"Let's see," he thought aloud, "one hot apple cider with a pinch of cinnamon..."

"That's mine," Tamara called, accepting the steaming cup gratefully.

"One Hazelnut coffee with double cream and sugar..."

"Right here," Matt gestured.

"One mint hot cocoa..."

He handed it to Jocelyn, who was completely engrossed in what she was reading.

"And finally, one vanilla Frappaccino!" he finished, pulling the final cup from the paper tray and pitching the tray into the garbage bin. He then sat beside Tamara, casting his long, muscled legs across the three empty seats beside him.

"Thank God for Starbucks," Matt sighed, sipping the steaming brew, "I never would've managed hauling my butt to the Meeber Lab at eight every morning last term without it!"

"Time?" Craig suddenly called out, taking a long sip of his chilled beverage.

"Quarter-of," Tamara answered, glancing at her chrome watch, "He'll be here soon."

"I... I just don't know, Craig," Jocelyn sighed, closing the book with a pensive frown, "Dr. Trepe is an incredibly accomplished psychologist! I know I'll be intimidated studying with her. I don't know the first thing about psychology."

"Jocie, Dr. Trepe is the greatest professor I've ever had here," he stated firmly, "She's the leading expert in victim crisis, even though she's only thirty years old! She's absolutely brilliant, but she's also very caring. Sheesh, when I took her course in Victim Counseling last spring, she invited the whole class to her house for dinner! I'm telling ya, she's amazing. And you're taking an intro

course. You're not expected to already know Psych."

Jocelyn's frown softened slightly as she sipped her cocoa.

"Hey, if I didn't absolutely love her, she wouldn't be my advisor for my independent study project."

"Independent study," Matt sighed, almost longingly, "No class, no homework... just a thirty page research paper due at the very end of the term."

Craig grinned. "Pretty sweet deal."

"...and you're sure

she won't mind me joining her class a week late?"

"Joce, relax! I'm sure it'll be fine. And then you can finally rest about that Life Science requirement."

The fragmented banter amongst the four teenagers was interrupted by the local intercom. ^Flight 447, direct from Tokyo to Langstrum Alps, now arriving at Gate 22.^

Tamara released a squeal of excitement, leaping from her seat so abruptly she almost knocked the steaming cup from Matthew's hand. He smiled with amusement, calmly placing a bookmark in his text and rising to his feet. He, Jocelyn, and Craig followed the rambunctious young woman to the group congregated just outside the gate. Through the large window, the Continental Airlines airplane was clearly visible.

After a few minutes, the passengers slowly exited the plane, meeting their loved ones and bursting into conversations. One of the first passengers to exit was a tall, athletic young man with sleek blonde hair. He strode off the ramp, a black duffel bag flung leisurely over his shoulder.

Before he even saw her, a body leapt into his arms, forcing him to drop his bag.

"Hey, Gorgeous," he whispered, a warm smile erupting on his face as he held her tightly, "I've missed you."

Tamara stepped back, a gentle grin on her face as she planted a soft kiss on his lips. "I've missed you more."

His smiled widened, as his gaze absorbed her appearance more thoroughly. "You look terrific," he observed, "Of course, you'd look great in a paper bag."

She giggled, clasping his hand. "Yeah right... a short

paper bag."

Keith quickly grabbed his forgotten bag, and let Tamara lead him to where the others were waiting. Jocelyn wrapped him in a tight hug, and Matt clamped his hand tightly. Craig's broad hand fell upon his shoulder.

"So, Maloy... did ya get it?"

Keith's response was a smirk, as he unzipped his bag. He then slowly pulled out a thick strip of black cloth, with two notches at either end.

"One month of intensive training and refresher pointers, and a Nidan to show for it. Not bad, eh?"

"Nidan?" Jocelyn asked.

"Second degree black belt in Shokotan Karate," Craig explained, squeezing Keith's shoulders, "Congrats!"

"Well, I'm not certified in America, but I'm at the skill level," Keith explained, as the group began its trek to the baggage claim.

"I don't understand why you go all the way to Tokyo for your degree tests," Matthew commented, "I'm sure you can find a more local dojo."

"Oyama was my sensei all my life," Keith explained, "He's a family friend, and my mother wouldn't trust my training with anyone else. So when he returned to Japan five years ago, I started spending more time in Japan, training and testing."

Tamara smiled. "Good thing you picked up some Japanese along the way, or you'd be a fish out of water."

"With my charm? I'd make myself right at home anywhere."

The others moaned mockingly, Tamara leaning closer to him.

"So, what's keeping Ray?" Keith inquired, "Getting a few months head start on finals?"

"She's at an interview," Jocelyn explained, "She'll meet us at Cafe Gallery."

Chapter Four

A brilliant, pulsing flash of light illuminated the relatively sterile chamber with flaming red color. The light emanated from a clear glass sphere, sitting atop a computer console connected to a large screen. Together, these systems formed the majority of the helm in the alien vessel.

A slender woman raced from the spacious back chamber to the helm, her flowing ivory hair and gown trailing behind her. Taking a seat, she activated the screen, and turned off the alarm.

Her peach-hued eyes narrowed when the image of a large black vessel flashed onto the screen.

"Phaedra has punctured my sensor shield," she realized, turning in her chair to another console. She flipped another switch, and gazed at a smaller screen.

"Where are you going, Demoness?" she muttered, chewing her lip.

Chapter Five

Rachel stared out into the streaming darkness of the subway line, a wide grin steadfast on her lips.

The interview had gone off without a hitch. The two partners at the Givens