Book 1: Pheobe (Part 1)
Note: Book 1 is the prelude to Book 3, however, Book 2 comes in between them, temporally speaking.

         The magic dust color of Spectre Isle ranged from ebony black to snow-white. The Magic Acedemy was located here, the ideal place for young psychics and magicians to train in.

         And Pheobe: She was witty, intelligent, and powerful. Her fur was stark black and pure white, showing her true Spectre heritage. Lance himself had been born on the Golden White Isles on the war side of Plant ¤, near the Gold Chain.

         "Maybe we should get back to the Academy," Pheobe said. Her voice was smooth, and it had an almost forbidden lilt to it. But she could be the sweetest Roo. And she could be a little devil. Lance had noted that she always seemed to be in two extremes. She also had a peculular symbol in her fur on the front of her neck, a sort of circle. Lance had been to Earth, there they called it a Yin-Yang. Pheobe's Yin-Yang swirled... When she was beeing sweet and kind, the white half grew. When she had an evil outburst, it became more black. No matter how long she stayed nice and kind, she would throw a fit every now and then. But everyone was allowed their odd quirks. Pheobes had never been violent, she always caught herself just before it happened.

         They meandered back to the Academy. It was a small black and white building. It had been shown that certain colors of magic dust had different magical values. The most magical colors were White, Black, and Metallic colors such as Silver, Gold and Bronze. Lance had been lucky enough to have been born in the White Cycle on the Golden White Isles, with magically strong blood in his family. Pheobe... She had never said when she had been born. The preps in school spread rumors that she was a child of the Black Cycle. Many creatures from beyond the True Space saw this as a bad omen, but it was quite good. Pheobe had never said anything about it, however.

         The classroom was small and dark. It was dark because the teacher was administering a psychiatric analysis. The Head Roo held a small device at his desk.

         "Please concentrate and stare at the monitors on your desk.

         They did as they were told.

         Lance stared at his monitor, and there were odd colors floating around in it. The Roo pressed a button on his desk. The screen flashed fuschia, vermillion... Cerulean... A cascade of brilliant colors. Then it went dark.

         His eyes fuzzed with swirling aftermaths of the colors. They floated just behind his eyes in negative representations of the previous colors.

         "Now. You're free to go on to your dorms."

         Lance left, wondering why in the world a psychiatric evalutation was nessicary. Surely only Roos sound of mind could use the psychic and magical powers.

         Lance left with his good friend Cobalt to the dorms, after he waved to Pheobe, who was leaving with Katt Monroe for the spa.

**

         The next day neither Katt nor Pheobe returned to class. When Lance worriedly notified the teacher, the old Roo shook his head and declined.

         "They have been removed from my attendance list. Fine girls, too," the Roo folded his appointement book and waved Lance to his seat. "Don't you go looking for them, Mr. O'Ryan," he added, "They were called away by the head of the National Defense."

         National Defense?? Lance's shocked brain cried out, "?" Was basically what he said. Obligingly he sat down, but he was unable to concentrate on the rest of the day's work.

         That night Lance called Pheobe's parents on the VID. They were worried sick, having gotten a warrant from the government on Silverstreak Island that Pheobes had been taken into custody as well as Katt Monroe and another young Roo from the younger quarter, a certain Chandler Kelley. Lance was determined to find them. He knew Chandler; the tyke was a bit obnoxious but hardly dangerous. Katt was.... Katt, on the other hand, was a bit evil. But Pheobes? Definatly not. He refused to believe that. He typed a quick note to his room mate, and headed out to find his good friend, Phinn. Phinn Atlantis was a magically strong individual, born on Silverstreak Island of parents in "high places." He had, of course, be taken to only the most elite training academy on the planet (and probably in thr system). Lance sought Phinn immedeatly.

         "I still think this is a bad idea," Phinn argued, nonetheless packing personal belongings into a subdimension pocket for easy retrieval. Lance had done the same with his important things; by storing things in a d-pocket, it was possible to retrieve meerely by setting the TDT to the correct coordinates.

         "Well, you don't *have* to come, you know," Lance said, impatiently waiting for Phinn to get done. "But I'm going to find the girls, and you're the only one I trust around here."

         "What about Connery?" Phinn said.

         Cobalt Connery... Cobalt was a good friend, with an extremely dry and discreet sense of humor. He seemed removed at times, caught up in eddies of intelligent thought. He was smart; Smarter than anyone at the Academy imagined, and that Lance had gleaned from his occasional visits with Cobalt. Cobalt's magic and psychic aura was not near as strong as Lance or Pheobe, but he seemed different in a way that no one could understand. He had a good heart, and Lance hoped that one day he could use that brilliant mind of his to do the Homeworld good.

         "He's not the type. This is an adventure, remember?" Lance reminded Phinn. "You like adventure."

         "I never claimed to like adventure," Phinn said innocently. "Anyways. We're getting into a ton of trouble for this. Already I can see the path to Aquarius."

         "I'm past that," Lance grinned, "I'm on my way down. But hey, who knows if it's as bad as all the Ghosts say it is?" Lance had never been particularily religious, but he knew Phinn was. Phinn believed in Sin. He believed that bad little Roos went to Aquarius, the imaginary (in Lance's mind) buried city under the Cerulean Ocean. And the good Roos went to the Shimmering Whiteness of the good afterlife. Lance had always been speculative about the Shimmering Whiteness. But no one he had ever met had shared his skeptical views; Even Pheobe laughed at him when he began on one of his long analystic's view spiels. He wondered if anyone else had ever thought of the Aliroo's main religion that way. Sure, Ghosts had been contacted and channeled, but Ghosts liked to lie. It amused them.

         "Well, I'm done. I guess we'd better get going before the night guard catches us," Phinn said. He yawned. Lance was careful not to. Of all the places he'd visited in Aliroo form, he'd made the mistake of yawning. Other creatures assuming themselves superior couldn't resist this moment of vulnerability. It was embarrassing. Certainly Humans weren't so irristable when they yawned.

         "Let's be off, then," Lance said. He tapped a few buttons on the TDT and aimed it. A bright portal opened and they stepped through.

**

         The end destination was Silverstreak Island, home of Aliroo HeadQuarters, also known as such aliases as Aliroo HQ, Alliance Headquarters, Starstreak Island and other things, due to the faulty translation in many places. Many people and Roos alike called it a mix of all the terms, and were equally understood. No one seemed to attatch to one term or another, it didn't even seem to matter anymore.

         "Now what?" Phinn asked cynically. "We just barge in and free them?"

         "No, of course not," Lance replied, "We'll talk to the Roo at the desk for their status. Judging where they are, we'll know what kind of defense to presume when we break them out."

         Lance knew that if his parents and older brothers and sisters were here they'd critic his plan so much he'd fly home and give up. They always decided his techniques were blunt. He thought he did pretty good, considering there were no warfare classes at the Academy. He had yearned to visit Blue or Green Country and join the classes and schools there, but he had never made it. He had learned a lot from Pheobe, who had taken a couple decades' training in Yellow Country. Lance had been training at the Academy his entire life, and yet she was still his equal in all the classes. It furthered his collection of proof that she was more powerful than she let on. She seemed to almost have too many talents for one Roo altogether.

         "Your plan sucks," Phinn interupted.

         "I know. Let's go."

         "Tally ho..." Phinn agreed.

**

         They entered the Alliance, taking careful steps on the slippery metal of the floor.

         "Excuse me," Lance said to the secretary. "I'd like to know the status of captives Pheobe Deirdrie and Katt Monroe," he said. The secretary was about to scoff and say, 'You fledges obviously don't have clearance; what fool do you take me as? Go back to you mother's pouches!' But Lance exerted the energy to extend a tendril of his powerful psyche into her mind, and with a slight nudge, suggested that there was no clearance nessicary for such a request.

         "Of course," the Roo said amiably, "Here are the files. Please bring them back when you are finished." She handed them a double file on a PADD. Lance took them and settled in a far corner of the large lobby.

         "It says here..." Lance said, glancing over the records. He gasped.

         "What is it, Lance?" Phinn asked, worried at the look on Lance's face.

         "......" Lance said. ".....Pheobe has been banished to the Phantom Zone." The words escaped his throat breathlessly. Phinn less heard them then felt them. Lance's psychic barriers had dropped and his thoughts and emotions were leaking out. Phinn felt fear, anger and bewilderment that were certainly not his own. The PADDs clattered to the floor.

         "Careful with those," the secretary said dully.

         "We gotta go!" Lance said. Suddenly everything that had been floating around in the room was sucked back into his head.

         "-yuah-" said Phinn, agreeing. He followed Lance up the nearest turbo.

**

         They made it, suprisingly, to the actual room where the banishment took place. Phinn was amazed at Lance's subtle mind control. He'd thought the base would have better defenses. The fact that they had crawled through the vetilation system increased the believability, and that Lance had shown Phinn a new form - a sort of vapor form - added to that. They made it to the room.

         The room was a dark, not-fun looking room. Lance's neck-fur stood on end, and he shifted to PokéForm to avoid that. He was quite pleased with his PokéWorld form. It reflected him in all his other forms as well, plus it came with thumbs.

         He came to the Phantom Zone TDT. PZ/TDT, it was labeled. He placed his hands on the sides. As soon as his fingers made contact with the metal pads on the underside of the transporter, he ws suddenly subject to screams, moans and shouts of agony. Fear. Anger. The emotions invaded his sensitive psyche.

         "La...an...ce?" echoed a vaguely familiar voice.

         "Pheobe!" Lance said loudly. Only he didn't move his lips; Rather he thought it loudly.

         "Lance!" her voice became more clear as he honed in on her aura. "Get me out of here!"

         "I'm trying! I don't know how to work this," he said apologetically. "Wait, I got it." He rotated a knob on the panel of the transporter. Her form fuzzed in his mind, and it appeared in the room. She looked terrible. She was exauhsted.

         "Get... Get Katt out. And Chandler," she whispered. Lance nodded as Phinn watched the door. He turned back to the PZ/TDT and located Katt and Chandler. Soon there were five Roos.

         "We need to leave! The trance I put the guards in isn't subject to last long!" Lance said. He wished that his TDT worked within Silverstreak. Only the TDT of high officials could transport within the Island, all other transports were diverted to the pre-coordinated location on the main beach of the Island.

         He was about to transform into an Aquillian spider to re-enter the vents, when a guard crashed through the door. The Roo was wearing a magic pendant. It released a red gas into the room from a fanned syphon on it's back. Lance's eyelids fluttered and then he fell asleep.

**

         Something smelled. It smelled good; Like the fresh aroma of sprigweed in a platter of toasted Citex eggs. Lance woke up and blinked his eyes. He was in some sort of small, metal cell. There was a plate of breakfast food on a tray on the wall. The Aliroos could afford to treat their prisoners well, he decided. He began to eat, never considering the food would be drugged. Why would it be? If they intended to send him to the Phantom Zone, or even kill him, he was plenty vulnerable when he was sleeping.

         When he finished eating, he waited. After what seemed like an cycle, the door was rapped lightly upon, and then opened. A motherly golden Aliroo looked down at him. She had a collar that sported a silver science pendant, qualifying her as a doctor os psychic health.

         "Lance O'Ryan?" She asked. He nodded. "Please come with me, Lance."

**

         Lance found himself staring across a table at a yellow Aliroo. He looked at him like a buck would look at his six month old fledge after it had neglected to clean the premises before he returned from work.

         "Lance -- I can call you that? -- I want to ask you. Do you know why you are here?"

         Lance crossed his forearms and did his best to look subordinant.

         "For trying to free a friend from the unjust punishments of the Alliance," he said as contemptuously as possible. While he was at it, he attempted a slight bit of mind control on the mediator. He was met with a calmn sheild. The Aliroo chuckled.

         "Lance, we have your psychic abilities on record. Now." The Yellow Aliroo shuffled some papers he had before him. "Lance, you are young and so you will get off this with only a minor affection to your permanent files." he said, "Before you go I would like you to realize what you have done."

         You've been naughty, Lance thought reproachfully.

         "You released a potential threat out of the Phantom Zone."

         "Potential??" Lance yelled, "POTENTIAL? Pheobe's no threat!!"

         The Yellow Roo arched an eyebrow and scribbled something on his notepad.

         "Pheobe, Lance," he started, "Is not the creature you took her for."

         "Oh??" Lance asked, fuming.

         "Yes. Let me explain. Pheobe... Is not *a* creature; ... She is two seperate Aliroos."

         "WHAT????" Lance yelled, "You mean to tell ME that she is TWO different people??"

         "Yes, to put it bluntly," the Roo said. "Before you interupt me again, allow me to finish." He waited, but Lance said nothing.

         "Pheobe's psychiatric analysis revealed that she has a severe mental disorder; She has a double personality. She has internal conflicts as well. She is also extremely powerful on both sides. We are keeping her in the Phantom Zone until we find a way to help her. Now--"

         The Roo was beginning to start when a red light began to flash. An alarum blared.

         "Oh dear," the Roo said. "Please stay here." He rushed out the door.

         Yeah right, Lance thought. He looked around. There was a vent on the ceiling. Lance shifted to his vapor-form and floated effortlessly through the fine grating.

**

         When he made it to the beach, he took out his TDT and flashed off to his suite on PokéWorld. He had long before assumed his place as Leader of the Elite Four. Well, not long before. He had spent several PokéYears working on his team, inherantly teaching his Dragons psychic and status attacks. he was happy with his team, tho he always dreaded the day someone would come in with an Articuno.

         He made his way to his room, and fliped open his TDT.

         "Computer, please locate Pheobe Deirdrie."

--Pheobe Deirdrie has put a block on her TDT Comm channel,-- the TDT responded. --Please wait. Requesting Authorization from her TDT. -- --...Authorization acknowledged. Channel open.--

         "..Lance?" Pheobe's voice came through the small computer.

         "Pheobes! You made it!" Lance said. "How did you escape?"

         "I teleported."

         "You what? You teleported? You can't..."

         "I can, Lance. You know who my parents are. You know my power. But... "

         "There's something I don't know. Pheobes, you're more powerful than anyone ever thought! Where does it all come from?"

         "I was born during the Black Cycle," Pheobe said quietly.

         Lance stared at the TDT, dumbfounded. Black Cycle? That was crazy. Roos born during the Black Cycle were always insane.

         He laughed. "Y'know, the Roos at Silverstreak think you have a split personality."

         Pheobe was silent. "What do they know."

         "Yeah. Well, where are you?"

         "I can't tell you or..." Pheobe's voice abruptly was cut off. Lance frowned.

         --Communication canceled--

         "I know that," Lance said. He tapped his fingers on the table, wondering what he should do.

         There was a brilliant flash of white light, and suddenly Pheobe was beside him, in PokéForm. Her white hair was full, with it's black streak.

         "Lance, this is scaring me," she said. He turned to look at her. "I don't... I was never able to do these things before."

         "It should scare you," Lance said, after the fact that she had teleported to his location registered. "It's a good thing."

         "No. I .... I don't remember when it happens! Whenever I get this headache.. I just blank out, and then..."

         Pheobe groaned and doubled over. Lance rushed to her side, and helped her up. He gasped.

         Pheobe's colors had completely reversed. Her normally light grey eyes were stark black. Her hair was black with a white streak.

         "And then I become me," Pheobe said. Her voice had changed, slightly. She stood up straight. "She doesn't know what's going on, but I do. You see, the Roos at HQ were right. But they don't know to what extent."

         Pheobe grinned, this time it was not funfilled, but rather disconcerting.

         Lance took a breath. There was a prescense about her that frightened him.

         "Pheobe. What's wrong with you?"

         She laughed, sending a chill down his back.

         "I am not quite Pheobe," she said. "I'm happy you let me out of the zone. But you know too much. You must die."

         Pheobe held out her hand, and a rush of psychic energy hit Lance full on. It blew him into the far wall, a ball of pure negative energy. It blinded him with darkness, and filled his mouth with the taste of metal. He shook his head. Something was broken.

         Pheobe was crouched on the ground, holding her head.

         "Lance...I'm scared...I don't know what is happening..."

         Lance made it to her, Aliroo stamina kicking in.

         "Don't worry, we'll-"

         "Don't touch me!" Pheobe screamed, backing away. Her hair was white again, her eyes the familiar misty grey. Lance could sense nothing from her mind. It was as if her psyche had dissapeared.

         "Pheobes, there's something wrong with you-"

         "I know that, damnit!" She said, "I have to leave. Lance - I'm sorry. I have to go before I hurt anyone else..." She reached her TDT and flashed off before Lance could stop her.

**

         Pheobe Dierdrie was found and convicted of murder at Sunsnest Penninsula on Stardate 15856.267. She has been diagnosed with acute multiple personality disorder. Upon further inspection she was found to have both depressive and psychotic mental disorders. Until further notification, she will be held in the Phantom Zone.