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

the rest of his teammates, searching for the blue-tinted signature.

He blinked in surprise. "I... I can't find him."

Jocelyn gasped. "You... you're right! Me neither!"

"Don't worry," Spectra advised. She sat down at the console, settling the black device on the control board. "Craig's telepathic faculties are the result of the Spectrum Stone. You can only make contact once you are synced, and only to a synced member."

"What about you?" Rachel asked, "You spoke to me telepathically before I even got the purple stone."

"Only because you were physically near me. Now, Craig is distant, and he is not wearing the blue stone. His mind is deaf to my calls as well."

She bit her lip, trying to bite back the worry that was becoming visible to her youthful team. "We don't have time to delay," she noted.

The Red Enforcer stepped forward. "I'll go."
Chapter Thirteen

Keith wound his way through the dim halls of the Danbury Coliseum, the facility that housed all indoor sports competitions, ceremonies, and even a few concerts throughout the year. He followed the sound of rubber soles squeaking against polished wood until he found the door leading to the court.

A dozen or so young men were each dribbling his own ball, and in quick succession each ran to the net from center court, firing a foul shot, catching the rebound, and dashing in for a swift lay-up. Keith skimmed the group until he found Craig, his shoulders hunched as he faced a shorter man with a gut too large to be a basketball player.

Keith strode toward them.

"...late for practice, and playing like a kid out of middle school!" Coach Mackenzie growled. He glared up at the sour expression on the young man's face. "You're on something, aren't you?"

Craig stared at him, aghast. "You're not serious...!"

Teddy's eyebrow rose. "Can you

give me a better explanation?"

Craig opened his mouth, but instead clenched his jaw, his eyes narrowing.

"Uh... Craig?"

Both infuriated men whirled, their heated stares causing Keith to take a step back in surprise.

"Who the hell are you?" Teddy growled.

Keith quickly regained his composure, and met the coach's glare coolly. "Craig's roommate. Sorry to interrupt practice, Coach, but he's got an emergency to deal with."

The coach huffed mockingly. "More important than his future at this institution?"

Keith blinked, his jaw hanging open in naked surprise. "What?"

"You heard me. Gillis here is a basketball player

, Kid. When you're on an athletic scholarship, practice is not optional." His harsh glare returned to Craig. "And if you think you can skimp on practice right before the Lexford game-"

"Let's go, Keith," Craig declared, marching past his flustered coach. Keith stared dumbly at Coach Mackenzie before hurrying to follow Craig into the locker room.

"What's going on?" he asked quietly, sitting on a bench. He watched as Craig turned the combination lock, and hefted the heavy gym bag.

"Figures," he said with an ironic grin, as he stared at the flashing blue stone on his ring.

"Craig?" Keith said, standing up.

Craig smiled wanly to his best friend. "We'll talk about it later, okay?"

Keith opened his mouth to protest, but Craig cut him off. "Later. I promise."

Keith dismissed the matter with a shrug, and the two young men hastily found a secluded corner to transform.

Chapter Fourteen

"This is the transmitter that activates the Hyperspace Portal."

"The what-now?" Matthew repeated, staring at the black box Spectra held out before them. It almost looked like a Game Boy.

"Hyperspace Portals have been constructed throughout much of the galaxy," she explained, "They create a wormhole in space-time, which reduces the time required to travel between systems to a mere fraction of light speed. It is this technology that has opened up this part of the galaxy to the Triolian sector, where Denebia lies."

Jocelyn nodded thoughtfully. "Even with light-speed travel, it would take over two years to go from Earth to even the nearest star. There's just too much space between systems."

"Hyperspace technology was developed by the Fespins, a race renowned for their mechanical expertise and intellectual curiosity. They are also considered to be the galaxy's greatest explorers. Several thousand years ago, the Fespins constructed a Hyperspace Portal in this system, enabling easy access to their home planet for their periodic visits. That portal is also the means by which Phaedra and I arrived here."

Spectra held the device out to the Purple Enforcer, who gazed at it in amazement. "I already input in the destination code. All you need to do is press the red button to activate the portal, and then the white button to transmit the coordinates."

"What does this portal look like?" Keith wondered, "How will we recognize it?"

"The portal is extremely large: several thousand miles in diameter." Spectra turned to her monitor, pressing a sequence of buttons that caused an orange-white swirl sphere to appear.

"Isn't that Jupiter?" Tamara marveled, "What does that have to do with anything?"

"This planet's atmosphere houses the Hyperspace Portal. It is located here, in this atmospheric storm."

Jocelyn gasped audibly as she gazed at the location Spectra indicated. "You mean the Fespins hid the Hyperspace Portal in the Great Red Spot?"

Spectra shook her head. "There was never any reason to hide the portal at all. The portal itself causes the tremendous updrafts that result in the cyclonic storms you refer to as the 'Great Red Spot.' The portals cannot exist in outer space, as it ionizes particles in the atmosphere to create the wormhole. Jupiter was likely selected because it resides in the center of this system, and is a large, gaseous planet. Even gargantuan space ships can fit through the portal if need be."

"Where are we going

, anyway?" Craig suddenly asked. "I'm sorry I got here so late, but did I miss something? I mean, I thought we're supposed to protect Earth... that doesn't require interstellar travel."

Spectra slowly exhaled. "I have received a distress message from… an associate of mine."

She turned away from the Force. "There is a planet named Edenia thousands of light-years from here. It is bereft of indigenous intelligent life, but another member of the Remnant, Gaius, has stationed himself there for quite some time. He relayed to me that Phaedra has arrived, seeking a great power source that planet is said to possess."

Matthew blinked. "So Phaedra gave up on Earth?"

"I don't think she has... at least not permanently. But I do feel Earth is safe for the moment. Phaedra is not here to command any attacks, and while her ship is still here, I would be surprised if her servants act at all during her absence. Phaedra can be very... erratic, and her soldiers are fearful of ever acting on their own judgement, for fear she will punish them for lack of respect."

Keith chuckled coldly. "What a way to run an empire."

Rachel smiled as an idea struck her. "But Spectra, if Phaedra's left, maybe now's our chance to destroy her Flagship! We can bring the battle directly to the Denebians!"

"It makes sense," Matt contributed, "The Denebians must be much weaker without Phaedra and her magic around."

Spectra shook her head sternly. "No, we cannot leave Phaedra to her own devices. If Gaius has contacted me for help, then his situation is grim. If Phaedra does find the power she seeks on Edenia, when she returns to Earth she will demolish all our defenses easily. Now her spells are limited by her energy reserves, but with limitless energy comes inexhaustible power. Eventually all the Remnant will be overwhelmed."

She then smiled gently, locking her gaze with each of the Enforcers individually. "You six must travel to Edenia, and do your utmost to stop Phaedra from succeeding. She has already captured Gaius, but she has not yet found the true Diadem. You must seek Gaius' allies on the planet, and let them see the power you hold. They will trust you if they know you are of the Light. I will remain on Earth. If the Denebians do anything, I will halt them."

Craig glanced worriedly at Spectra. "Will you be able to reach us if you need us?"

"Not via telepathy, nor mechanical device. The Hyperspace Portal cannot carry transmissions... only physical objects... and the distance is just too great otherwise. But I do have a Mind Merge technique that can do the trick."

She moved away from the screen toward the hall, once again disappearing into the storage closet. She pulled out a leather pouch, and selected a small silver marble.

"This sphere is made of compact Ireli powder. When crushed, it creates a Mind Merge with the person who crushed it, and the individual they consciously reach to. But it doesn't communicate messages... only sensations."

She moved closer to Rachel, lying the sphere in her palm. One by one, she distributed spheres to the entire team. "If you use this, and envision me, I will see what you see, feel what you feel, and even experience your emotions. The spell works only as long as the dust remains in the air, so perhaps a minute or two. If a situation occurs that you need me to witness, use the sphere. To my knowledge Phaedra does not know about the Ireli spheres."

Matt frowned thoughtfully, sliding the sphere into a small compartment in his belt. "And what happens if we do call you? The only way you can help us is by following us through the portal. You can't send us messages."

"No. But if you need me to come, I will follow you."

Keith exhaled slowly, his muscles tensing in preparation. "As a last resort then. And we can use these spheres with each other too, if something happens to our powers."

Craig then approached the hatch to the flying vessel. "Let's go."

The team watched as the entrance hatch opened. Craig's aura blazed as he leapt into the upper reaches of Earth's breathable atmosphere, closely followed by the remaining members. They immediately converted their bodies into streaks of colored light,