The Saga of the Spectrum Force

"How do I look?" asked the girl for the zillionth time, straightening her short black sundress with small sunflowers embroidered into the cotton.

"Wonderful," he answered unenthusiastically, not even opening his eyes.

"Craig! You didn't even look at me"! she sighed.

"Well, I did the first few times you asked for my opinion, Tammy. But now, I think I memorized your outfit. Trust me, you look great. Now sit down please--youre making me nervous."

Tamara slumped into one of the chairs, resting her elbows on her knees. She jumped up off her chair when she saw a familiar brunette coming towards them.

"Jocelyn! she squealed, What took you so long?"

"I decided to go to the gift shop and by a magazine to read on my way in," she answered, lifting a small plastic bag.

"Where's Matt and Rachel?" asked Craig, sitting up.

"Rachel went to get some coffee, and Matt couldn't make it. He wanted to get more practice time in for the gymnastics tournament. His floor routine needs work."

"Did you find out what time Keith's flight will get here?" asked Tamara, bubbling with excitement.

"Yeah. The attendant at the front desk said that Keith's flight was delayed. They should get here at eleven thirty."

Craig glanced at his wrist watch, and made himself comfortable once again. Tamara glared at him, but he was already asleep, and completely oblivious to her gaze. She then turned to Jocelyn.

"What time is it now?"

"About a quarter of eleven. So make yourself comfortable, Tammy. Were gonna be here for a while."

"Excellent," said the empress quietly, rising from her throne, "For centuries I have searched for a planet like this one. it is so young and full of life, and also so ignorant of magic. They have no magic, and therefore have no protection. Captain!"

The captain of the ship runs hurriedly from the bridge to the throne room at Phaedra's telepathic summons. He removes his silver helmet and kneels before the throne. Phaedra approaches him, her forest green hair and black cape flying behind her.

"How far are we from the third planet from the star?"

"At current speeds, we shall reach the planet in about an hour, my Empress."

"Excellent. What information have you collected about this system?"

"My spies have informed me that the inhabited planet is called Earth, my Empress. It has an intelligent race, called Humans, but they are far inferior to us. They are frail, easily frightened, and are ignorant of magical powers. They pride themselves in their mastery over technology."

"Well, their technology will do little to save them. You are dismissed, Captain. Place the anti-technology shield around the ship. The human's sensors won't even be able to register our presence until it is too late."

The Captain stood up, and looked at the empress anxiously. "I'm afraid there is more."

"Well, spit it out then!" ordered Phaedra, losing her patience.

"Uh, this solar system's star is...uh, its a yellow star. It is young, and releases powerful rays of incandescent light. Earth is so close to the sun that an invasion will be impossible..."

Phaedra's pupiless red eyes began to glow as her pale face contorted into a sour frown. She turned around and stared out her window. As they approached the Earth, the sun came into better view.

"You are dismissed," she said calmly, "Return to your station, and continue on the course towards Earth. I shall take care of the sun." The Captain nodded and hurried out of the throne room.

"A yellow sun, shedding incandescent light," mused Phaedra, "This could ruin my plans. To Denebians, white light is lethal. It shall take a great amount of energy for me to deal with this problem. But, I have time to build my black energies before we reach Earth. My eclipse spell will keep the sun from getting in my way!

"I knew you weren't sleeping," giggled Jocelyn, "Get up! Keith'll be here any minute."

Craig groaned something uncomprehendable and rose to his feet. Rachel, who was on the pay phone, finished her conversation and joined her friends at the gate.

"Did you reach Matt?" asked Craig.

"Yes. He's still at the gym, and he's gonna be there for a few more hours."

"Did you remind him about the basketball game we're going to see?" asked Craig, "It starts at seven tonight."

"I told him. He said he'd be there."

Rachel and Craig turn around when they heard a familiar squeal. Sure enough, Keith Maloy had stepped out of the gate, and was immediately greeted by his energetic girlfriend.

"I've missed you so much!" she cried, trhowing her arms around his neck.

"I've missed you too, Tammy," he answered, hugging her back. When they parted, Keith turned around and greeted his other friends with his charming smile.

"Welcome back, Pal," said Craig, shaking the shorter man's hand.

"Glad to be back," he said with a smile. The, he gave both Jocelyn and Rachel warm hugs. When the greetings were over, Keith picked up his carry on, and lead the others to the baggage claim.

"So, how was your experience abroad?" asked Rachel, "I still don't believe you decided to go to Japan! You don't speak a word of Japanese. Why didn't you go to Germany instead, and get in touch with your roots?"

"Well, I went to Japan for two reasons. One, Tokyo is one the major business centers in the world. And two, I got a chance to study karate with some real senseis! Now THAT was an honor. I've learned more martial arts there than in all my years of training here. I really had a ball, even though I didn't understand about ninety percent of what was being said."

The group reached the baggage claim, and one by one Keith picked up his suitcases. The others helped him carry as they went to the parking lot. Tamara, who was too excited to stay quiet, was busy telling Keith about their plans for the rest of the day.

"...and after we hang at the beach for a while, since I know you haven't gone surfing in months, we have reservations at that Italian restaurant you always liked!"

"So, you two aren't going to the NBA game with us?" asked Craig, "I got ya a ticket, man!"

"I'd better not. It sounds like Tammy's got the whole day planned. Who's playing anyway?"

"The Knicks against the Lakers. Great seats too--middle of the court, fourth row from the front. We're so close, Ewing will be sweating on us!"

"Now isn't THAT a pretty picture?" asked Jocelyn sarcastically.

"Cut it out, Kid. You know you wanna go!" said Craig, punching her in the shoulder good-naturedly. The group stopped at Craig's navy blue Volvo. Craig unlocked the trunk and started piling stuff in.

Suddenly, the sky grew dark, as the sun was blocked by what appeared to be a thick black cloud.

"What's that?" asked Tamara, looking at the sky.

"I didn't know there was supposed to be a solar eclipse today," said Keith.

"There wasn't!" said Jocelyn, "There isn't supposed to be even a partial solar eclipse in the northern hemisphere for the rest of this century! And eclipses are caused by the moon blocking the light from the sun. Now, whatever that thing is that's covering the sun, it sure isn't the moon!"

"Maybe its an alien invasion," said Craig.

"You've seen 'Independence Day' too many times," said Rachel, "I guess there's nothing we can do about it, though. Shall we be off?"

"Yeah," said Jocelyn, still staring at the sky in awe.

"So, we going to the High Rise first, right?" he asked, slamming the trunk shut, "We all have to change into our swimsuits."

"I promised Matt I'd go watch him practice for a bit," said Jocelyn, snapping out of her stupor, "He's really nervous about the gymnastics tournament."

"Okay, I'll give you a lift to the gym, Joce," offered Rachel. Rachel and Jocelyn waved as Craig, Keith, and Tamara pulled out of the parking lot, and then they made their way to Rachel's burgundy minivan.

"After all this time," whispered Spectra, standing up off her golden throne, "the dark Empress has arrived."

Spectra floats to her window, her purple cape and pink toga blowing in the breeze. She looks out, to see the bright sun suddenly darken. Apparently, a black mist is blocking a good portion of the sun's rays, like an eclipse.

"Phaedra had probably spent a great deal of time and energy forming the Black Mist," said Spectra, waving her hands, "but I think I have enough power to undo the evil she has done."

As quickly as it appeared, the thick blanket of mist that had covered up the sun dispersed. Spectra returned to her throne and lowered her head, her pink curly mane cascading over her snow-white face.

"That one counter-spell took a great deal of strength from me," she said, "My power is fading. I can feel it. I won't be able to defend this world from Phaedra as I had promised. I am too old, too weak. I need help. But I cannot call away any of my brethren to my aid, for they all have their own domains to protect from evil. I must seek help from the Earth herself."

Spectra looked up, and created a circular black screen in the middle of the room.

"I must choose an inhabitant of Earth to reveal my presence to," she said to the screen, "One who is noble and brave, open-minded, intelligent, self-sacrificing and pure of heart. Only such a one can call upon the white magic, the power of the Spectrum!"

The screen obeyed Spectra's command, and flashed dozens of images of humans who fit the criteria mentioned.

"Stop," she said, and the screen froze with the image of a young woman with dark brown hair and dark eyes. "She is the one, the one I choose to be the leader of the Spectrum Force. Fetch her for me."

The screen shrunk to the size of a frisbee, and sailed out of the window. Spectra leaned back in her throne, lost in thought. "I only hope Rachel Castaneda will cooperate. She is Earth's best hope."

"Amazing!" said Jocelyn, looking up at the clear blue sky, "That cloud just vanished!"

"Maybe it was some kind of large meteor or something," said Rachel with a shrug.

"I guess it doesn't matter anyway. Let's go."

The whole building was deserted, but for a security guard to check the students for ID, and for one young man in a green sweatsuit, balancing himself several yards off the ground on a pair of suspended rings. The two girls watched silently as the redheaded athlete maintains his balance on the rings, and prepares for a somersault. Jocelyn winks at Rachel, and as Matt somersaults into the air, she makes her presence known.

"Hey, MATT!" she cried as loudly as she could. The sound echoed in the silent room, and startled Matt, you was in mid air. He lost his concentration, and missed catching the rings. He landed on the cusioned mat with a thud. He stood up slowly, rubbing his sore rear end.

"One thing about you, Joce," he said bitterly, "you definitely know how to make an entrance."

Both Jocelyn and Rachel were giggling as Matt walked over to them.

"Are you okay?" asked Rachel, trying to stop laughing.

"I'm dandy," answered Matt with a mischievous smile, "Just remind me to go to Jocie's next diving competition!"

"You wouldn't dare, Mr O'Conner!" said Jocelyn, still laughing, "So, what amazing feat are you planning on performing next?"

"Well, now that you finally showed up, you can tell me what my floor routine looks like. You staying, Ray?"

"I'd love to, but I promised to go to the beach with the others. Tamara will be bored out of her skull while Craig and Keith are surfing."

"We'll see you at the game though, right?" asked Matt.

"Not this time. I still have to read 'El Cid' for my Spanish Lit class, and write an essay about it. Maybe next time."

With that, Rachel waved to her friends and departed the building. She moved to her car, when she felt a strange sensation.

"That's strange," she whispered to herself, looking around, "It feels as though I'm being watched..."

Suddenly, a black disk wisked towards her from the sky. Rachel instinctively ducked out of its path, sprawling to the pavement.

"What is that?" she cried, looking in the direction where the disk went. She then saw it return like a boomerang, once again seeming to aim for her head. She dodged it again, but this time the energy disk seemed to follow her. She started to run back to the gym, looking over her shoulder. The disk caught up with her, and as it touched her body, she disappeared into it.

"HELP!!" she cried, as she fell through the portal and landed on a golden floor. She stood up quickly, amazed at her surroundings. Everything in the room was gold: the floor tiles, the ceiling, the staircase, and even the curtains. At the top of the stairs were a set of curtains. As she gazed in wonder, the curtains parted, revealing a pale woman with pink hair, sitting on a golden throne. The woman looked like she was about forty, and other than the fact that she was pure white with pink hair, she looked normal. Her sky blue eyes twinkled with kindness. Rachel's curiosity overcame whatever fear she first felt, and she approached the throne.

"Greetings, Rachel Castaneda," said the woman, "I am Spectra, guardian of this solar system. You are now in my castle, located several thousand feet above the Earth's surface."

"What's going on here?" asked Rachel.

"You have been selected to help me protect this planet from an intergalactic evil. You see, there exists a race of black magicians called the Denebians, who travel the universe and absorb life energy in order to power their dark magic. Phaedra, the Empress of this empire, has recently decided to target Earth. Phaedra has already begun her attack on Earth by blocking the sun with the Black Mist spell. I managed to thwart this attempt, but she will only become more dedicated to the conquest of this planet. I have lived in this castle for nearly a millenium, watching and waiting. I am sworn to protect this planet and its inhabitants. However, my powers are not what they used to be, and I cannot do it alone. I need your help, child."

"So that's where the eclipse came from. What can I do to help?"

"I'm glad you asked," answered Spectra, floating to the window again. She waved her hand, and a bright and powerful rainbow flew through the window and struck the floor with a resounding thud. THen the light died out, there was a pillow on the spot where the rainbow had struck, and on that pillow lay six shimmering gems, each set upon elaborate silver ring bands. Spectra beckoned the pillow, and it floated into her hands.

"Phaedra is a black magician, and the black magician's weakness is white light," explained Spectra, "Since Earth's sun radiates this kind of light, Phaedra cannot release her armada. But, she can still attack, and the nations of this world cannot stop her with their scientific weapons. Only light can stop her."

Spectra picked up the purple ring and held it out to Rachel.

"This is the Purple Spectrum Stone. There are a total of six--red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Each stone can allow a human to wield the power of the rainbow--of light and truth. Together, the stones form white light, which is the mightiest force beam in existence. I have selected you to be the leader of the Spectrum Force because you fill the criteria necessary for being a hero. You are self-giving, strong, courageous, compassionate, daring, and wise. Do you accept the responsibility and priviledge of being the Purple Spectrum Enforcer?"

Rachel looked first at Spectra, and then at the purple ring.

"I must be crazy to believe this story," she said quietly as she took the ring and slid it onto her finger, "but very well. I accept. I just hope you picked the right person."

Spectra smiled at Rachel with pride.

"I know I picked the right person, child. Anyone else would have immediately turned me down, believing that she was hallucinating. But you have an open mind, and are willing to hear me out. I thank you."

Rachel smiled and gazed at the silver and purple ring twinkling on her finger.

"Go back to Earth, Rachel, and choose five such as you to be Spectrum Enforcers. Choose wisely--only one who fulfills the requirements I mentioned can harness the power. you must be able to trust them completely, both on the battle field and off."

Rachel looked at the stones, and a smile crossed her face. She took the five remaining rings and put them in her pocket.

"Don't worry," she said, "I think I know five people just perfect for this job!"