The Call for Arms

Rachel Castaneda was led into a large, dark chamber by a group of Shadow Warriors. She decided not to bother struggling, since she was severely outnumbered, and since she had no idea where to run to. After all, she was inside Morose's towering onyx spire, and with a little luck, the Shadows were taking her to where the Pyramid of Power was. Sure enough, when the final onyx gates were opened, a soft golden glow welcomed them in. Rachel couldn't help but smile when she saw the Pyramid of Power, the focus of elemental energy, floating an inch off a black pedestal in the corner of a large onyx chamber, decorated with stalagmites, stalactites, and a large onyx throne, set on a platform six feet off the ground. The Shadows released Rachel, forcing her to her knees before the throne. They then backed away from her, and left the chamber. Rachel looked around in confusion, but she saw no one. She rose to her feet, and slowly approached the Pyramid.

"Halt, Girl," came a chilling voice, echoing through the whole room. Rachel stopped in her tracks, and searched the room for the person who just spoke. She jumped a bit when a dark, cloaked form appeared in a cloud of gray smoke. A pair of eyes glowed from beneath the cowl, and Rachel shivered.

"Morose?" she asked, staring at the cloaked being.

"Indeed. Now who, pray tell, are you?"

"Gaius' ally," Rachel said, watching as Morose circled her, studying her from head to toe.

"You are human, are you not?"

Rachel didn't answer. She simply stared at Morose threateningly. Morose smiled under his cloak.

"You are. Only humans are so stubborn. Now, as a human, you have no natural super powers. Therefore, I must conclude you are powered by another force. Perhaps you are one of Spectra's followers?"

Rachel remained silent, her face still frowning.

"Humans tend to travel in packs," Morose continued, "and that means that you have friends here. They didn't enter my Spire, or else my Shadow Warriors would've located them. Therefore, its safe to assume that they are inside the Edenian jungle. I believe my Chameleons have already dealt with them. Shall we find out?"

Morose studied Rachel's face, and noticed that her eyes widened slightly when he mentioned the Chameleons. Morose grinned again, and floated to his throne. The onyx crystal once again began to glow, and the image of the plains came up.

"I can see through the eyes of my Chameleons. Now, this image will show us exactly how many pieces your friends are in."

The image cleared, and much to his surprise, the image was distorted by a translucent surface, like a lens of glass.

"What?!" roared Morose, "What has happened?"

"I guess your Chameleons aren't as tough as you thought," said Rachel with a grin. Morose glared at her angrily.

I can't tell what's happened to my Chameleons, he thought, slowly floating down to the ground, Only one Chameleon responds to my magic, and I cannot see clearly through his eyes... something is blocking his vision. I must find them. Since the sun is nearly set, I can freely walk outside, although my powers may be a little weak.

Morose landed only a foot in front of Rachel, and raised his palm. Black energy flew from his fingertips, and Rachel was thrown to the nearest wall, and suspended there by five black tentacles sprouting from the wall. Two bonded her feet, two bonded her hands, and one wrapped around her stomach. Morose then walked over to her, and looked up at her.

"Don't bother struggling," he said, his glowing eyes focused on hers, "The tentacles will drain you of whatever energy you have. And no one can rescue you. I'll be back shortly... most likely with your allies. No one can escape my magic."

With that, Morose vanished from the chamber in a cloud of gray smoke. Seconds later, he rematerialized inside the clearing where the other Spectrum Enforcers battled the Chameleons only a few minutes earlier.

"Where are they?" Morose asks out loud, searching the area. He then stops when he sees a huge block of ice, at least four feet thick and ten feet high. He frowns and approaches the block, and sees his largest Chameleon suspended inside the icy prison. Morose touches the ice with his palm, and the ice melts away. In a few moments, the ice has completely melted, and the Chameleon falls to his knees, shivering.

"Well?" asked Morose angrily, "What happened?"

"We fought a group of five humans," said the Chameleon, his raspy voice laced with fear.

"And you lost?!"

"The humans have power," protested the Chameleon, "They... they burned one brother with fire, buried two others in the earth, crushed one with a tree--"

"They're all dead?!" cried Morose incredulously, "Impossible! No one has ever defeated my Chameleons before!"

"Forgive me, Father," begged the monster. Morose folded his arms and stepped away.

"Rise to your feet, Chameleon," he ordered, "Apparently, these humans are more powerful than I had bargained. It doesn't matter, though. I have one of them as my captive, and no doubt the others are searching for her. Together, my pet, we shall find these five heroes, and crush them. Then, in less than one hour, I shall return to my Empress, and with the Pyramid of Power, she can bend the cosmos to her will."

Meanwhile, Tamara, Jocelyn, Craig, and Keith follow Matthew through the dense jungle, searching for their leader.

"We only have fifty minutes left before the sun sets," said Tamara, glancing at her watch, "We still have to find Rachel, and get the Pyramid of Power!"

"We're on the right track," said Matthew, parting a curtain of green vines, "Here's the tower."

All the other Spectrum Enforcers gaped at the sheer size of the immense spire. Then, Keith looked down the steep cliff, and noticed that a pool of black circled the onyx tower completely.

"Looks like this is where the Shadow Warriors came," he said quietly, "There must be hundreds of them. There's no way we can beat them all, especially since we can't Spectrum Sync."

"Maybe we can fly over them," suggested Matt, "I think I can create a current strong enough to carry all five of us."

"But they'll still see us," said Craig, "Even if they can't reach us, they can alert Morose of our presence, and then he'll be ready for us. Maybe we can tunnel underneath, with my Earth power."

"Too risky," said Jocelyn, "The tunnel may collapse, like the other one did. And, it'll make too much noise anyway. We must keep the element of surprise."

While the Spectrum Force figured out a plan of action, two figures sped stealthily through the jungle, approaching the heroes. Suddenly, a green and brown creature leapt through the vine curtain, and tackled Craig to the ground. Craig was knocked unconscious on impact, and the other enforcers gasped in alarm.

"The Chameleon!" shrieked Tamara in horror. Matthew was the first to regain his composure, and created a powerful gust of wind, blowing the Chameleon off Craig and throwing the creature off the cliff. The Chameleon shrieked as it plummeted down the steep cliff to the distant plains below him. The four enforcers circled their fallen companion urgently.

"Craig?" said Tamara, shaking him gently. He moaned quietly, and sat up, rubbing the back of his bald head.

"That smarts," he said quietly, "I guess we should've made sure the Chameleon was dead, eh?"

"But, how did it escape?" asked Jocelyn, "I mean, I encased the thing in solid ice! The temperature of this planet is rather hot, but not hot enough to thaw him so quickly."

"I believe that's my doing," said a chilling voice from the woods. The team turned around to see a cloud of gray smoke float towards them, and it molded into the silhouette of a person. Then, it converted into a figure, completely cloaked in a navy blue robe, with the exception of his ancient gray-skinned hands. His cold red eyes glowed from beneath the cowl, and he stared at the team curiously.

"Just as I reasoned," he said, floating a foot off the ground and clasping his hands in front of him, "A group of human youths, no doubt sent by Spectra. After all, she is the guardian of that Solar System."

"Who are you?" asked Keith, standing protectively in front of the rest of the team.

"Isn't it obvious?" he chuckled, "I am Morose, the most powerful Denebian warlock in existence! Spectra is a fool for sending a group of powerless children to face me."

"Powerless?" asked Keith angrily, his fists beginning to glow red, "Maybe it's time to show you how 'powerless' the Spectrum Force is!"

Keith pointed both fists at Morose, and a stream of powerful flames cut through the air. Morose converted his body into a cloud of gray mist right before impact, and the flames continued into the forest, igniting the nearest trees, and quickly creating a powerful forest fire.

"Nice job," mocked Morose, glancing at the fire now raging through the trees, "Now I know why your planet is in ruins! Even its heroes can't help but destroy."

Morose then turned back to the Spectrum Force, and fired a single, solid beam of black energy at Keith. Before Keith could move, the energy wrapped around his body, nearly choking the Red Enforcer. Tamara shrieked as the energy took the shape of a huge rattlesnake, and hissed at Keith menacingly. Keith instinctively grabbed the snake right under its head, trying to keep the deadly fangs from touching him.

"Tamara!" yelled Jocelyn, "Help Keith! Craig and Matt, distract Morose! I'll try to tame that fire!"

With that, Matthew created a cyclone of powerful wind, quickly trapping the dark warlock within. Jocelyn ran past the cyclone, straight into the forest. Once she had reached where the fire raged, she closed her eyes, and brought together her open palms. A light mist began accumulating around her entire body, and then it stretched to the heavens. In a few minutes, she had an entire cloud of water vapor, and it continued to grow until it was about a quarter of a square mile. Once she felt she had a large enough cloud, Jocelyn opened her eyes, and fired a single shot of orange energy from her Spectrum Stone into the cloud. The sky immediately began pouring rain, and it slowly quenched the raging flames. Jocelyn smiled in satisfaction, and hurried back to her friends.

Meanwhile, Tamara hurried to Keith's side. Keith was rolling on the dirt, dangerously close to the edge of the cliff. Keith caught a glimpse of Tamara approaching, and his eyes nearly panicked.

"Tammy!" he choked, "DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!!"

"But Keith--"

"Please!" he yelled, "I can handle this!"

Tamara kept back, and watched as the rattlesnake seemed to slow down, and release Keith. She noticed Keith's hands were glowing a faint red, and soon the snake vanished into dust. Keith rose weakly to his feet, and smiled up at Tamara."

"Snakes prefer cold, shady places," Keith explained, "That's why they're always found under rocks and stuff. They don't like too much heat."

"Nice job," she said with a smile.

"It's no big deal. I grew up in Texas, ya know."

Tamara and Keith turn around to see Matt and Craig fight Morose. Morose escapes Matt's cyclone by flying through the funnel to the top. He then fires two bolts of black energy, each one making contact with its intended victim. Both Matt and Craig are thrown back by the force of the energy.

"We've gotta help," said Tamara, her Spectrum Stone glowing. Then, two nearby trees from the forest that weren't injured by the forest fire suddenly uproot, and walk towards the battle scene. One tree lifted its thick branch, and smacked Morose like an insect. Morose fell from the sky, but he was more or less unhurt.

"Nice parlor trick," grumbled Morose, rising to his feet, "but these twigs pose no threat to me."

Morose glared at the two trees, and thin beams of black flames poured from his eyes, instantly burning the trees to ash. While Morose composed himself, the Spectrum Force regrouped, with Jocelyn returning from her fire-fighting.

"Did you stop it?" asked Craig.

"Yeah," she said with a smile, "But creating a downpour really took alot out of me."

"So did Morose's black energy shocks," muttered Matthew.

"And his killer rattlesnake," said Keith, "Each one of his attacks is draining our energy! And now that the sun's setting, pretty soon we're gonna be powerless!"

In the throne room of the enormous spire, Rachel hangs limply from Morose's energy-draining tentacles. After a few moments of trying to struggle against Morose's magic, Rachel decided that the best thing to do is conserve her energy, and hope the Spectrum Force would find her. But, since Morose was able to leave the Spire, Rachel can conclude that the sun was nearly past the horizon, and therefore their time was almost up.

"Maybe I can contact the Force telepathically," she reasoned, focusing all her remaining strength, "After all, we're still linked by our Spectrum Stones, even though they aren't working like they usually do." *Guys, can you hear me?*

Rachel waited a few moments for a response, but none came.

*Keith? Joce? Matt? Craig? Tammy? Can't ANYONE hear me?!*

Rachel sighed inwardly, and bowed her head in defeat.

*I can hear you, Child,* came a soothing, but unfamiliar female voice. Rachel jerked her head up in surprise, and looked around.

*Who's there?*

*I am the Pyramid of Power, Rachel Castaneda. I have heard your telepathic call.*

*I didn't know you had a consciousness!*

*Very few do know, since I usually choose not to speak. But, we now face dire circumstances. The Edenian sun has nearly set, and I cannot be allowed to leave the planet! If Phaedra were to harness my elemental power for her vile purposes, the balance of nature will be torn asunder throughout the cosmos!*

*Can you somehow escape?* asked Rachel, staring at the Pyramid across the room. She could see the golden light surrounding the Pyramid pulse.

*No. I cannot use my energy in my defense. The power of the elements must be harnessed by another. I cannot escape on my own.*

Rachel frowned, and then once again tried to pull her hands free from the tentacles. But she couldn't break their vice-like grip.

*Perhaps, though, you can free yourself,* said the pyramid telepathically.

*How?*

*I can send you my elemental energy, through the gem upon your finger. The tentacles that now bind you were designed only to drain your limited elemental power, but they cannot sap my near infinite supply. Relax, Rachel Castaneda. I shall do the rest.*

Rachel obeyed, and closed her eyes. The Pyramid began to glow even brighter, and soon Rachel's purple Spectrum Stone began to glow a blinding purple. After a few moments, the tentacles themselves began to glow purple, until they suddenly turned ashen, and released Rachel. Rachel fell nimbly to the ground, and then ran to the Pyramid.

"Now what do I do?" she asked aloud.

*Touch the surface, Rachel, so I can replenish your proper Spectrum Enforcer powers. Although my powers are elemental in nature, energy is energy, so long as it is strong enough.*

Rachel obeyed, and touched her right palm to the surface of the Pyramid of Power. Her ring began to glow brilliantly, and in a cascade of bright purple light, Rachel was once again donned in her Purple Spectrum Enforcer uniform.

"Great!" she shrieked, "Now, I can go help my friends!"

*We had best hurry. The sun is setting as we speak, so your friends no longer have any energy to protect them. I can restore their proper powers to them, if you can get me close enough.*

"Will do," said Rachel, picking up the Pyramid of Power with both hands. She lifted off into the air, and flew through the winding halls of the Spire at a speed nearing the speed of light. She easily avoided the Shadow Warriors saturating the tower, and was soon on her way.

Morose stood at the edge of the cliff overlooking his towering onyx Spire, and began weaving a spell, muttering words in the Denebian native language, and whirling his hands around each other. The five Spectrum Enforcers stood their ground, watching him.

"I don't like the look of this," said Tamara, "What do we do?"

"We stop him!" said Craig, "That's what!"

Craig clasped his hands together, and a soft, glowing sphere of blue energy encased them. He drove his glowing hands into the ground, sending a shockwave of power into the Earth. Craig had intended on creating an earthquake powerful enough to throw Morose over the steep cliff he was standing beside, but the result was a rather unimpressive crack in the ground. Craig looked towards his friends in panic.

"The sun!" cried Jocelyn, pointing at the horizon, "Its gone! Our rings are powerless!"

"Indeed," said Morose, his eyes opening and glowing even brighter than usual, "Now that the sun is completely set, my powers are at their peak! Once I dispose of you, I shall retrieve the Pyramid of Power, and be on my way to the Empress. You've fought well against impossible odds, Humans. I admit, I'm impressed by your courage."

Then, Morose pointed his fingers at the Spectrum Force, and strings of black energy poured from his withered fingertips. Two strings surrounded each Enforcer, and filled him/her with black magic. They all screamed, and writhed in pain as the magic sucked the energy from their bodies. But, since their Spectrum Stones were completely depleted of energy, the tentacles sucked the life energy from the teens. Morose smiled, and held the tentacles around the teenagers, absorbing the energy into his own body. He watched coldly as their struggles slowly died down, and their screams faded.

"NO!!" came a panicked cry from behind. Before Morose could even turn around, he was suddenly encased by a translucent sphere of purple energy. The bubble cut through the black tentacles sprouting from Morose's hands, and the five teenagers fell limp to the charred grass. Morose watched in surprise as Rachel Castaneda, dressed in her Purple Spectrum Enforcer uniform, landed nimbly on her feet, and hurried to her friends. What surprised Morose even more was the fact that the golden Pyramid of Power followed Rachel, and hovered a foot or so behind her.

"How did you escape my tentacles?" Morose asked. Rachel frowned and looked at him.

"What did you do to my friends?!" she cried angrily, walking towards him. The Pyramid of Power followed Rachel, and began to glow brighter.

*Child,* the Pyramid called telepathically, *your friends have been drained of their life force.*

Rachel turned to the Pyramid, and Morose watched curiously.

"Are they dead?" Rachel asked aloud.

*No, but they are so weak, they do not even have the strength to breath, or bring their heart to beat. They will die if not restored.*

"Can you replenish their life energy?"

*Energy is energy, Child. I may harness the elemental energy of the cosmos, but the energy of nature is universal. I can restore them, as well as restore their Spectrum Stones. You must make sure Morose does not escape.*

"You got it," said Rachel, turning to the cloaked warlock. She raised her hands in the air, and the purple force field encasing Morose glowed brighter. Morose scowled under his cloak.

I can escape this force field, he reasoned, but I will not have enough energy to fight the restored Spectrum Force. I must free myself quickly, and flee to the Hyperspace Portal. I just hope Empress Phaedra will forgive my failure.

Rachel turned to watch as first golden energy was sent into each of her fallen friends. They all floated off the grass, and their bodies absorbed the golden aura that bathed them. Afterwards, they all floated back to the ground, and the golden light faded.

"Is that it?" asked Rachel.

*Their life-force has been replenished, but now I must restore the Spectrum Stones to full power, for your return to Earth.*

Then, a tiny sphere of red light formed at the peak of the Pyramid. Once the sphere was the size of a golf ball, it floated away from the Pyramid, and flew into the red Spectrum Stone, which rested on a silver band on Keith Maloy's finger. One by one, colored spheres were created by the Pyramid of Power, and one by one, the Spectrum Enforcers were restored. While this was taking place, Morose was building his black energy around him, in a sphere inside the purple sphere encasing him. The black energy expanded, stretching the purple force field to its limit. Rachel focused her energy, and tried to keep the field from breaking, but it was too late. The purple energy sphere exploded, and the force knocked Rachel to the ground. Morose took advantage of his opportunity, and flew away into the night sky. Rachel rose from the ground to pursue him, but she heard a groan from beneath her.

"What... what happened?" asked Keith, rubbing the back of his head. Rachel smiled and returned to the ground. She kneeled beside Keith, and helped him to his feet.

"We won," she declared, "Morose fled, and the Pyramid of Power restored your powers."

"What happened to you, anyway?"

"Morose captured me, but the Pyramid helped me escape."

Both Keith and Rachel turned around, and saw their other friends wake up. They both smiled and helped their friends gather their bearings. Once all six teens were on their feet, they transformed into the Spectrum Force, and regrouped around the Pyramid of Power, about ten feet in the sky above the cliff.

"We did it!" shrieked Tamara, "Another victory for the Spectrum Force!"

"Barely," said Matt, "You cut it real close this time, Ray."

"I got here as quickly as I could, guys!" said Rachel, grasping the Pyramid of Power, "Now, let's get going. We have to return this to Gaius, and then get home. I have an essay to do!"

"But, what about the movie?" said Jocelyn with a frown, "You're not planning on skipping the movie, are ya?"

"Well..."

"Come on, Ray!" said Craig with a smile, "Even super-heroines need a break every once in a while!"

"Oh, okay," sighed Rachel, flying towards Gaius' palace, "Now, let's go!"

"Great!" said Tamara with a devious smile, "Oh, and by the way, I took the liberty of asking a friend of mine to come along. I think you'd like him, Ray."

"Excuse me?" said Rachel, turning around, "Who?"

"Christopher Greyson. He's in one of my theater classes, and I think he's in your American History lecture too. He's really sweet... and cute too."

Rachel blushed and frowned at the same time. All the others held back laughter.

"Tammy, I cannot believe you did this!"

"Oh, please," said Tamara, rolling her eyes behind her blue visor, "Its not like I sent you on a blind date or anything! Its gonna be the seven of us is all. Besides," she said with a grin, "when was the last time you've been on a date?"

Rachel sighed, and flew in the direction of the clearing. The five other members followed her, each leaving beams of colored light in their wake. In a few minutes, they reached the palace.

"All the Shadows are gone," said Jocelyn, descending to the window of the Pyramid's chamber, "I guess they left with Morose."

"Good," said Rachel, still holding the Pyramid, "I'm too exhausted to deal with more Denebian creatures tonight."

All six Spectrum Enforcers flew into the chamber, and Rachel placed the Pyramid of Power back on its marble altar. The Pyramid began to glow with a blinding golden light, and the light filled the entire room. Once the light faded, footsteps could be heard from the hall.

"Someone's here," whispered Keith, walking to the door, "I'll check."

Keith stepped into the hallway, expecting to see a Shadow Warrior. Instead, he saw Gaius, leaning against the wall for support. Gaius looked up at the Red Enforcer and smiled.

"I see your powers have been restored by the Pyramid of Power," he said.

"Yeah," said Keith, "What're you doing up? Shouldn't you be resting?"

"No. The Pyramid of Power has summoned me. Besides, I feel much better now than I did when you and your friends first arrived."

Keith followed Gaius into the chamber. Gaius walked past the Spectrum Force, and laid his right hand on the Pyramid. The Pyramid glowed gold at his touch. Gaius smiled and turned to the Spectrum Force, without letting go of the Pyramid.

"You've done well, Spectrum Force. Both the Pyramid and I are eternally grateful for your aid. No doubt Spectra is most proud of you."

"We were just doing our job," said Craig.

"Not true. The Spectrum Force is obliged to protect Earth from evil. You have traveled far, and endured much, to save a planet that you have never seen before. For this, we both feel you should be rewarded."

"But--"

"No buts, Rachel," said Gaius, "The Pyramid of Power is the nexus of elemental energy. You shall be provided with the Elemental Armory, a set of weapons capable of tapping the Pyramid's infinite powers. Each of you shall be granted a weapon which commands a single element."

Gaius first created a ball of red energy in his left hand, his right hand still on the Pyramid. Two twin silver daggers with red hilts and a red line decorating the center appeared in his hand.

"The Red Enforcer shall be given the Flame Daggers, which can create either fireballs of streams of flames when commanded to. Use them with care, my friend."

Keith mutely stepped forward and accepted the two daggers. He examined them carefully, and then spun them in his hands.

"Wow," he said, "They're amazing. Thanks."

"No need," said Gaius, this time creating an orange ball of light. That light molded into a golden archer's bow, with two orange bands on either side. He handed this weapon to Jocelyn.

"Orange Enforcer, the Ice Bow shall aid you in your fight against evil. Pull back on the string, and an arrow of solid ice shall appear."

"Magnificent," whispered Jocelyn, grasping her new weapon with a smile.

Gaius then created a yellow sphere of light, which became a brown wooden boomerang, with yellow bands on each side. He handed this weapon to Tamara.

"This Wooden Boomerang will bend the very trees to your will, Yellow Enforcer. It shall obey your mental command, and it always returns to she that threw it."

"Cool," she said, smiling appreciatively.

After creating a green sphere of light, a silver and green nunchuck appeared in Gaius' hand.

"The Wind Nunchuck can create tornado winds when spun," explained Gaius, handing it to Matthew, "I trust it shall serve you well, Green Enforcer."

"I'll bet it will," said Matthew, "I'll bet it will."

Gaius then created a sphere of blue energy, which reshaped into a long blue and silver lance.

"The Earth Lance creates seismic waves," he explained, "as well as earthquakes. Use this with great care, Blue Enforcer."

"You can count on me," said Craig.

"And finally," said Gaius, creating a purple sphere, "for the brave leader, I give this."

The sphere stretched out until it became a silver sword, with a purple hilt and sharp edge. Lightning crackled up and down the blade when he passed the weapon to Rachel.

"The Lightning Saber focuses and commands the lightning in the heavens, Purple Enforcer. It shall always be ready for your summons."

"Thank you," said Rachel, accepting the sword, "Thank you so much."

"It is nothing, compared to what you have done for me," said Gaius, "Now, your job here is done. Morose has fled, and he has taken his Shadows with him. The Hyperspace Portal circles the planet, so it should be easy to find. To return to your solar system, the code is 00582291. Do not forget that number."

"We won't," said Rachel, holding the control device for the portal in her hand, "Now, let's get going. We have a movie to see, right?"

"You said it, Ray," said Craig, flying through the window, "Bye Gaius!"

"Goodbye!" said Jocelyn, following Craig.

"Until next time!" said Matthew.

"Take care!" called Tamara.

"If you need us," said Keith, "don't hesitate to call."

"Good luck," said Rachel, bringing up the rear. The six teens immediately converted back into beams of light, and began their journey to the Hyperspace Portal, to bring them to Jupiter.

"Your Majesty," said a Denebian attendant, "Morose requests an audience."

Phaedra looked away from the tinted window, and scowled at the attendant. "Let him enter."

The attendant bowed and left, and Phaedra climbed the steps to the platform upon which her throne sat. She leaned back, and clasped her hands pensively as the cloaked warlock slowly entered the throne room. Once he reached the platform, he fell to his knees, and pulled back the cowl, revealing the visage of an ancient man with a white beard and white hair. He looked upon Phaedra with pleading red eyes, but Phaedra's face showed no emotion whatsoever.

"Where's the Pyramid, Morose?" she asked calmly, "I thought I sent you to Edenia to retrieve the Pyramid of Power."

"I... I tried, Majesty," said Morose, his voice shaking, "but--"

"NO BUTS!" roared the queen, standing up and pointing at Morose, "You failed old man! And failure only has one reward."

"P-Please, Majesty... I have served you faithfully... for millennia. I have brought planets to their knees in the name of the Royal Family."

"I know," said Phaedra, sitting back down, "That is why I shall be lenient with you. You are still my most skilled wizard, even though you failed in retrieving the Pyramid. Leave my presence, Morose, and prepare for the journey back to Deneb. You services are no longer required here. Perhaps Acheron will find some use for you."

"Acheron?!" said Morose, quaking with fear, "The Emperor has no mercy at all!"

"Then it's in your best interests not to fail the Denebian Royal Family. Don't you dare fail my husband, though... he is by far more ruthless than I."

Phaedra waved her hand, and Morose rose to his feet. He bowed once before the Empress, and pulled his cowl over his face once more. He slowly walked out of the throne room, and the attendant came back in.

"Eres," said Phaedra, "send a message to the Denebian armada occupying the Aldebaran star system. Tell Celea I request her presence."

"The Princess?" said Eres in surprise, "What reason should I give?"

"I need her assistance. The Spectrum Force has made a mockery of the Denebian Empire! It shall not happen again."

"I still can't believe I agreed to this," muttered Rachel, tying her curly dark hair in a French braid, "I don't even like action movies--"

"Oh, stop whining!" said Jocelyn, tying her sneakers, "We're gonna be late!"

"Well, Chris said he'd come to our apartment at seven thirty, and then we can tell the guys to meet us at the door," said Tamara, putting on her earrings, "I guess we'll take two cars. Rachel, you can ride with Chris."

"Not by myself!" shrieked Rachel, "He's your friend, Tammy."

"And he'll be your friend too. Trust me, you'll love him! I'm very skilled in match-making."

Just then, the doorbell rang. Tamara glimpsed at her wristwatch and smiled.

"He's right on time!" she declared, "Go get the door, Ray!"

"Tammy," sighed Rachel, walking to the door, "for the last time, I'm not interested in having a boyfriend now! I don't even have time to sleep, much less develop any kind of relationship--"

Rachel opened the door, and immediately stopped talking. Standing before her was a tall, well built young man with piercing gray-brown eyes, curly brown hair, and a charming smile. Rachel couldn't help but smile back.

"Hi," he said, "I'm Chris. Chris Greyson."

"Rachel," she said, extending her hand, "Rachel Castaneda. Nice to meet you."

Jocelyn and Tamara watched Rachel and Chris' meeting from the kitchen.

"Will you look at that," said Jocelyn, "He is cute! And Rachel seems to agree!"

"I told you I'm skilled in match-making," said Tamara, nudging her young friend, "Say, now that I think of it, I know this great guy on the volleyball team, Jocie. He's smart and funny, just like you--"

"Uh, I think its time to go," said Jocelyn uncomfortably, "The guys are waiting."

The End