Samurai Lightning is no more. It's now called the Shinobi Saga and it's undergone a major reboot of sorts. The prologue is more or less the same, but everything is changed from how I originally had it. I'm going to repost everything, so please, give it a read and let me know what you think.
PS: The character pics, they are still reflecting who I'm involving in the story. Enjoy.
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Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers, Disney does and in the old days, Saban did. It was his creation after all. Anyways, I do not seek a profit off this work of fiction, I do however, write this story out of love for Power Rangers and I do it purely for my own enjoyment. Emails and criticisms can be sent to
shaunstegall@yahoo.com. As always, enjoy.
Author's Note: This saga has elements from a lot of different ideas. The parallel Earth thing comes from the television show Sliders, while the suits of the Rangers and their weapons, zords, etc comes from Shinkenger of Super Sentai. Charachters are of my own creation, I just chose who I'd like to see portray them. If you don't know who these actors are, Columbus Short is the black guy from the movie Accepted, Danielle Savre and Michael Angarano are in the movie The Final Season, as is Brett Claywell, and Maria Thayer is also from the movie Accepted, she played Rory in that movie.
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The Shinobi Saga
by Shaun Stegall
Prologue...
Harris Lee Park was, by his own definition, an accomplished man. Everything he'd alwasys set out to do in his life, he'd done. When he was younger, he'd told himself he would settle down with a lovely young woman and marry her and raise himself a family. And he'd done that. He'd met and married Anita Wilson, a lovely young woman and he'd had two children.
He'd also told himself that he'd do something with his life, find something fulfilling. A career. And he'd succeeded with that as well. In his early twenties, he had become a Police Officer for the city of Angel Grove. And it had been a very fulfilling career. He'd done a lot, seen a lot and accomplished a lot in his thirty years with the AGPD.
But now, he was a retired man. A man in his seventies now, he'd lived his life on his terms and he'd lived to see his two children grow up to have children of their own. His grandchildren. Harris's dark brows drew together. He didn't like what he was going to be doing today. But he knew it had to be done.
For generations, the truth had been revealed to the Park children when they came of age. And today, Harris Lee Park would do that honor. He would honor his ancestors by keeping to that tradition. He would tell his grandson, Adam Park, of the truth of the Park family origins. He wished, of course, that it was Chris he could entrust this to, but Chris just wasn't ready for the responsibilty that the truth would entail. Harris knew this much to be true. He'd seen Adam fight as a Power Ranger, seen the honor in his eyes and the courage to do what was right. It was that fortitude that convinced Harris that his eldest grandson was the one he was to reveal the truth to.
He knew Adam had received his call. Adam opened his dojo every morning at seven o'clock and checked his messages right away. Adam would be here soon. And Harris Park walked over to a cabinet that was lying against a wall and he ran his hand over a box that lay there. "He'll be here soon." he whispered.
*****
Adam Park sat behind the wheel of his black Ford Explorer as he drove the truck down the familiar roads towards his grandfather's house, located in the hills on the outskirts of the city. He'd arrived at his dojo early that morning and, after hearing his grandfather's voice, became increasingly agitated. His grandfather never called him on his phone. It was always Adam who came to see him at his house or saw him at the various family gatherings the Park family planned.
And to top it all off, Adam hadn't even been back in Angel Grove two days. Not since the Sentinel Knight had recruited him to help out those Rangers in San Angeles. Adam was happy to help out there, temperarily, but he was glad to be home. But now, his grandfather had sent for him and Adam's mind was in overdrive trying to figure out what was going on.
Don't get him wrong, Adam loved his grandfather, but he knew his grandfather was a tough man. He was a strict man. When he wanted to move way out here, nothing could sway him. Adam's mom tried to convince him not to, but Harris Park would not be swayed in his decision. And now, here Adam was, pulling into the road that would take him to see his grandfather.
A few minutes later, Adam's black truck slowed to a stop in front of an old one bedroom house that looked like it had seen better days. As Adam pulled the keys from the ignition and opened his door, the door to the house opened and his grandfather stepped out onto the porch.
Adam shut the truck door and put his keys in his pocket. "Hello, grandfather."
Harris Park exhaled. "Hello Adam. Thank you for coming."
Adam looked at the tall grass that surrounded his grandfather's home. "You don't call me too much, so when you do, I can guess it must be important. At least to you."
"Please," Harris gestured to his door. "Come inside. There's.....there are things I need to tell you. Important things."
Adam studied his grandfather's face. It was sincere and serious. Adam nodded. He walked up the steps and followed Harris through the door into the old house.
Inside, the living room was small, but tidy. A small couch was against a wall, and pictures adorned his walls. Picture frames of various members of the Park family were there. Adam saw himself, his brother Chris, his mother, his grandmother, he even saw a picture of his father there. And oddly, around the house, he spotted picture frames of a wierd emblam. He wasn't sure what the emblem was and meant to ask, but his grandfather was leading him towards his study.
Closing the door, Adam walked over to a wall where there was a cabinet with several pictures there. He studied one of them.
Harris saw Adam looking at the picture. "That was one of the better days this family's had." he said.
It was a picture of the entire family, together at the city park. Harris, Adam's grandmother, his parents, and his brother Chris, all together. Adam nodded. "It was the last time we were all together. Dad died a few months afterwards, then grandmother died and you moved out here."
Harris sat down in one of the two chairs that faced his desk. "I never liked the city, Adam. Everyone knew that. The only reason I lived there for as long as I did was for your mother and your grandmother. But when Alice died..." Harris felt the familiar lump in his throat every time he thought of his deceased wife and he stopped. "When she died, I just couldn't stay any longer. It felt like the city was suffocating me."
Adam faced his grandfather. "So," he started, "what was so important that you wanted to see me right away."
Harris looked at his grandson, then he reached to his desk. On top of it was a magazine. Harris picked it up and handed it to Adam. Taking the magazine, a US Weekly, Adam scanned the front page. On the front page, a young woman with light brown hair was wearing a pair of eye glasses and she was smiling. "She's pretty." Adam said, but he knew who she was. The story about her was already flooding the television and radio. It was hard not to know who Sienna Wright was.
"That woman has made a very remarkable discovery in Los Angeles." Harris said.
Adam nodded. "I know. I've been watching the news lately. She's discovered that there are a limitless amount of parallel Earths that exist on the same plane of existance as the one we live on. And she's found a way to travel in between them. It's an amazing discovery based on well known alternate dimension theories."
"You know about her?" Harris prompted.
"Not much," Adam said, "just what I hear on the news and radio. Don't know much more than that." Adam paused. "Why are you bringing her up and what has it got to do with you calling me this morning?"
Harris Lee studied his hands, which were lying in his lap. "Adam, there are things I've never told you....about your heritage, your ancestors."
Adam leaned back against the wall, right next to the cabinet that had the pictures on it. And he listened to his grandfather tell him what he knew his grandfather believed, of a truth about where the Park family heritage originated.
It began with the realization that Dr. Wright's discovery of parallel Earths is, in fact, a true discovery, meaning that millions of parallel Earths does in fact, exist. The Harris's story begins with two individuals, on one of these parallel Earths.
Of two protectors of an ancient power known as the Shinobi Matrix. They were Kaeto and his wife, Lita. On this parallel Earth, for the most part, there was planetary peace. You had your petty bickerings between cultures and countries, but it was very peaceful on that Earth.
And Kaeto and Lita, that Earth's guardians, had been the guardians for many years, but their bloodline had been the protectors for many generations. There had been a few invaders that had come from deep space to try and take the Shinobi Matrix, but it was Kaeto and Lita's warrior skills and knowledge that stopped each invader that had tried.
And it was during the days when they were finally ready to settle down and begin a family of their own when a new invasion arrived. This time, however, it would be an invasion that Kaeto and Lita could not overcome. They were Shadow Legions, led by a diabolical, sadistic, maniacal ruler known as High Lord Onslaught. He led his Shadow Legions into full assaults on all of that Earth's major cities.
Cities fell to that assaults in mere days and Kaeto and Lita's efforts to protect their homeworld were in vain because the numbers were simply too strong for just the two of them to handle. Onslaught had vicious foot soldiers called Wraiths and fleets of flying ships with powerful weapons that took buildings down in minutes.
The invasion lasted twenty three days and it was on that last day that Kaeto and Lita were overcome. Onslaught captured the planet as his own and enslaved all of humanity and made that Earth his new home. What Kaeto and Lita didn't know was that Onslaught had not come here to get his hands on the ancient power, he wasn't even aware of it's existence. No, he was just out to conquer and destroy. And he did, adding another planet to the list of planets he'd conquered and destroyed.
Months passed by as all of humanity were now slaves to Onslaught's tyranny. Onslaught wanted a massive castle built in his honor and he used his human slaves to build it. One day, news passed among the human slaves that Onslaught's scientists had made a remarkable discovery. They'd discovered the very thing that Sienna Wright had only just discovered. That multiple parallel Earths existed and it was possible to travel between them. Onslaught saw this is the perfect opportunity to conquer other universes, not just that one and he ordered a machine built that could open the vortex massive enough to launch his forces through.
And that's what happened. The Shadow Legions began conquering parallel Earths and adding more human slaves to his ranks. Each Earth he conquered, he assigned one of his High Generals to oversee the running of that planet. For five years, Onslaught was conquering Earths and Kaeto and Lita were living as slaves, forced to remain in secret or else, Onslaught would discover the Shinobi Matrix ancient power.
But Kaeto and Lita, they witnessed first hand Onslaught's greed and cruelty and they knew the same thing was happening on all of these Earths. They made a decision to protect the power, but also to try and stop Onslaught's tyranny on these other Earths. And also to prevent other Earths from suffering the same fate.
They planned an escape. One day, they deliberately incited a riot among the slaves. When the High Generals and Shadow Wraiths came to control the situation, Kaeto and Lita used the confusion created to escape. They returned to the temple where the ancient power was kept and they took it with them, later stealing a ship and flying it towards the vortex in space that would bring them to an parallel Earth.
The High Generals realized what was happening far too late. By the time they had ships in the air to track them down, Kaeto and Lita had already flew through the gate, leaving their home behind forever.
The vortex took them to another Earth, where their ship ended up crashing into the side of a large cavern. Kaeto and Lita found themselves in a land rich with greenery and blue skies. Land that would later become Japan. It was that land that they would make their home and keep the ancient power safe and protected. They feared that one day, Onslaught would find this Earth and come to conquer, but that day never came for them. They had children and they raised their children to the best of their ability.
When their eldest son came of age, they revealed the truth to him and made him promise that he would likewise reveal the truth to his firstborn when the child came of age. And for generations and generations, the truth was handed down. From child to child, in hopes that one day, the destiny of the Shinobi Matrix would be fulfilled.
By the time Harris had finished his telling of the truth as it had been revealed to him, Adam's face had drained of color and he was sitting, slumped in the other chair. He stared at his grandfather with disbelief. "You can't honestly expect me to believe that my ancestors are from another Earth." he stated.
"It's the truth, Adam." Harris replied. "Do you think I would make this up?"
Adam stared at his grandfather. "I don't know." he paused. "You sitting there, telling me everything I've ever known about my family is a lie."
Harris stood, scoffing at Adam's words. "Adam, I'm telling you no such thing. I'm just explaining to you about the origin of our family's ancestors. As it was passed to me, I'm passing it to you. Your mother wouldn't hear this when I tried to pass the truth to her, so I'm bringing it to you."
Adam shook his head, not saying anything. He really didn't know what to say.
His grandfather walked over to a cabinet on the far side of the study and he picked up a wooden box. He placed the wooden box on the table. "Your too much like your mother, Adam. I can see you don't believe me. That's why I'm thankful I have this." he opened the box and turned it so that Adam could see.
Despite himself, Adam found himself walking over and he looked at what was inside the box. There was one item inside. A rolled up piece of parchment. Adam picked the piece of parchment up and carefully unrolled it. There were lines and markings on the surface of the parchment.
His grandfather spoke. "If you don't want to believe me, that's fine. This is a map drawn by Kaeto himself, passed down along the generations of our family. Find the truth for yourself Adam."
It was all his grandfather said before he slowly made his way out of the study. Adam stood there, holding the parchment in his hands. Adam knew the parchment was genuine. He could see that much just by feeling it. He didn't want the rest of the story to be true, he really didn't. But he would find out for himself if his grandfather was beingt truthful. Then, he'd deal with whatever came later. He really would.
*****
Chapter 1
One year later...
Angel Grove, California was a city that had seen more than it's fair share of disatrous happenings within the past ten years. The city had gone through numerous monster attacks, some led by Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa, others led by the evil Machine Empire. Even some led by a space pirate called Divatox. But the worst came in the form of Dark Spectre and his star pupil, Astronema, when they tried to conquer the universe.
Astronema herself had almost captured the planet and laid waste to the city, crushing over half of the city in the process. It was the Space Power Rangers that fought her and Dark Spectre, defeating them and saving the planet. But it was the city that paid the price. The city and it's citizens.
But somehow, throughout it all, Angel Grove survived. The city remained standing and it was stronger today, because of it. And here it was, 2009, in the month of May, and the city was mostly rebuilt, and it's people happier than they'd been in a long time. The city's economy was finally rebounding, a lot of that having to do with the US President, Maureen Prescott, the country's first female President, stepping in and giving financial aid to Angel Grove in recent years.
The city was better, the people were better, and it seemed that the current trend was going to keep lasting.
But, in one of the rusty warehouse districts, something was happening. On 53rd street, in the center of the old warehouse district, a man was running for his life. There wasn't anything remarkable about the man, just another normal person who lived in the city. But he was running for his life, fleeing from a creature that was rapidly closing in on it's target.
The creature that pursued him was tall, with a reddish face, red and orange clothing, and it carried a red broadsword in it's hand. As the man round the corner of a warehouse and begun running towards an open side of a warehouse, he tripped and collided with the ground face first.
The creature rounded the corner quickly and saw the man getting to it's knees. It raised it's sword and prepared for a swift strike to kill the man. It didn't care about the puny human one way or the other. But the human had spotted it and the High Lord had been swift with his orders. No witnesses.
"I don't think so."
The creature looked up instantly, trying to locate the origin of the voice that suddenly intervened the silence that had surrounded the area just moments ago. Looking it, it scanned the area, then pinpointed a spot on the roof above where it and the man were. There, standing on the edge of the roof of a nearby warehouse stood a lone figure.
The lone figure was covered from head to toe in red armor that was unmistakingly a Ranger. A Power Ranger. It was a Red Ranger. Though parts of his lower body was covered in black Ranger armor, it was a Red Ranger and the Red Ranger that stood there, stepped off the rooftop, diving through the air and landing neatly in front of the creature, and separating it from the man it was planning to kill.
The creature roared and the Red Ranger snickered. "Now, now, don't be grouchy." the Ranger said as he suddenly, and without warning, withdrew a katana that was sheathed at his hip. He struck the creature across the chest and knocked it back. "Now, Wraith....why are you here?"
Instead of answering in any kind of language, the Shadow Wraith roared again and charged the Red Ranger. Red Ranger met the oncoming blade attack with his own, catching the blade and stepping to the side, readying himself as he moved quickly, striking the Wraith with three different strikes across the creature's middle that sent the creature down to the ground hard. Red Ranger then raisted his sword high above him with both hands. "Shinobi of Fire!"
His sword glowed bright red and sparks of fire cascaded over his sword and he swung down with his fire sword, striking the creature once more. This time, when the strike made contact, the creature howled as a fiery eruption ocurred and the evil creature exploded. When the explosion faded away, the Red Ranger was left there, standing with the man that was to be the creature's victim.
Red Ranger turned to the almost victim. "You should go home, sir."
The man nodded and looked where the creature was. Truth was, he'd never seen that kind of creature in Angel Grove, nor had he seen this particular Red Ranger before. "Wh...what was that?"
Red Ranger joined the man in looking at the residual flames. "That.....they're called Shadow Wraiths......hopefully they're won't be more."
"Hopefully?" the man's voice seemed worried now.
Red Ranger looked back at the man. "Go home sir."
And he watched as the Wraith's almost victim turned and hurried away from where he had been. The scene where he was almost killed. That had been the sixth sighting of the Shadow Wraiths inside of five days. The frequenccy of sightings was no mere coincidence. The Red Ranger didn't believe so and he kinew, neither would his brother.
And thinking of him, Red Ranger turned and began walking away.
*****
It all came down to decisions, really. The ones you make, the ones you've already made. Decisions. That's what really defines the shape that your life takes. At least, that's the way Adam Park saw things. His life was the way it was because of decisons that he'd made. And those decisions led him to where he now found himself.
Mentor to five teenagers that he'd led to become Power Rangers. He'd basically done here with these five what Zordon had done in Adam's own life. Adam could scarsely believe the way his life had unfolded. All because of decisions. Not just the decision to act on what his grandfather had revealed to him. But decisions he'd made earlier in his life. After his days as the Black Ranger ended.
Writing that damn book. he thought to himself. That book in question was a very controversial book indeed. It had made his name an infamous one, because of the topical information held within. And by writing it, Adam had changed the course of his life forever. Ruined it in some ways, improved it in others.
Adam shook his head. Now was not the time to dwell on such matters. He got up from his chair and walked over to a separate console. There on the screen was video surveillance of the battle he just witnessed between the latest appearance of a Shadow Wraith and his kid brother, now turned Red Ranger. As he replayed the battle onscreen, he felt something press against his shoulder.
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a woman's head near his, whose chin was resting on his left shoulder. "Six." he said.
The head moved away and Sienna Wright, scientist and attractive brunette stood next to him. "It just validates what you've been saying." was her response.
Adam sighed, "Onslaught has targeted the next Earth he plans to conquer."
Sienna walked back over to one of the two chairs that was in the underground base she and Adam ran, one they named the Shinobi Core. "You knew this day was coming. You told me so the day we met. Remember? When you came out to Los Angelos?"
Adam nodded. "I remember. It doesn't make any of this any easier, Sienna. All of this was just in case......in case he ever found this Earth. Now that it's about to happen...."
"You're worried." the dark haired scientist said.
"That doesn't even begin to describe the feeling." he said. He was leaning against the wall next to the screens he was just looking at. Meeting the dark haired woman's eyes, he said, "Make the calls."
All she did was nod.
*****
The football field of the Angel Grove High School was located on the west end of the school's property. It had bleachers on both sides of the field and the huge scoreboard alighned right behind one end of the field was financed to be put there by one of the more financially sound graduates. Fresh would be put on the field for the upcoming season opener that Angel Grove had against their rival school in their district, Stone Canyon.
On that field at the moment was all of the high schoolers who were on the football team. Led by their coach, Donald Hayes, the team was going through their last practice of the day. Half of the players wore red sleeved jerseys with white sleeveless jerseys over it and the other half wore white sleeved jerseys with red sleeveless ones over it. At the moment, the red sleeveless team had the ball and they executed a well practiced play against the other half of the team.
It was a perfectly run pass play at which the reciever that caught the ball and crossed the goal line at the end of the field stopped as he heard the whistle blow from his coach. And that player, Darnell Haggan, was one of the few star players that the team had. He was also one of the five individuals that had been charged three months prior with helping to defend the Earth should the evil Shadow Legions ever arrive and invade.
Darnell tossed the ball back to the quarterback, Jerry Mason, with a laugh. "You almost overthrew me that time, Jer. Put some control on that arm."
Jerry caught the ball and glared at Darnell. "You just make sure you get out there when the ball comes, smartass."
They both looked over as the coach blew his whistle again. "Alright ladies!" he called out. "Hit the showers......practice tomorrow after school. Don't be late!" he told them.
With practice at an end, the entier team started heading towards the shower building on the east end of the field. Stopping by the bleachers, Darnell grabbed his backpack, as did most of the other players. He pulled his cell phone out to check his messages or missed calls. As he moved to put it back in his bag, it started vibrating. He flipped it open again and he stopped, noticing the number. He answered it. "Hey, whassup." he said into it.
"We need you to come to the dojo, right away, Darnell." came the female voice he'd come to know so very well over the last three months.
Darnell watched his fellow players head towards the shower area. He hesitated for a moment, then he answered back. "I'll be there in twenty minutes."
And with that, Darnell Haggans closed his phone and continued towards the showering building.
*****
Rory Worthington stepped off the elevator and onto the penthouse suite that was the entire top floor of the Worthington Tower, the largest hotel in all of Angel Grove. Not only was her parents the owners of the building, but they were the sole owners of the chain of Worthington Hotels that were scattered all over California.
And though being born into one of the state's wealthiest families had it's perks, it also had it's downs. One of them being that because her parents founded the Worthington Hotels, they were always on the road, making public appearances for the business and always trying to expand to other states. Like today, for instance.
Today, Roger and Kathleen Worthington were in New York City, hoping to buy a series of old and rundown buildings to renovate and make into fabulous Worthington Hotels. And Rory was the one who always seemed to suffer for it. She only saw her parents a few times a week and that was only when they were on their way to the airport. To be honest, it used to break her heart the way things were, but Rory learned never to show her feelings to her parents, because they wouldn't reciprocate.
It was just the way they were. And so, Rory learned to keep herself busy by getting involved in things. It was part of the reason why she accepted the mission that Adam Park laid out some three months ago. That should the day when the Shinobi Samurai Power Rangers were needed, she would stand as part of the team to battle the Shadow Legions. She never really gave much thought to it actually happening, but she wanted to help and she gave her own vow to the experienced former Ranger.
At first, she really didn't even believe what she was being told.....that there were an infinite number of parallel Earths out there and an evil force was out there, conquering them at will and that eventually, that evil force would come for this one. Then, she'd seen evidence of it and she'd had no choice but to believe it. And, truth be told, Rory was going to be damned if she'd stand by and let the home she loves be enslaved, not if there was something she could do to stop it.
Rory went into the spacious kitchen of the penthouse and went to the refrigerator. She grabbed a bottle of fruit juice that she kept there and popped the lid. She took a drink of it and thought about how her day had gone. School had gone relatively well. She had a lot of homework to do, not to mention the book report she had to make her final edits on before she confident enough to turn it in.
She was planning on calling her best friend Cindy and seeing if she'd come over for a study night. Rory always worked better when she had help. Especially Cindy's help. If nothing else, the girl was plenty smart. A lot smarter than Rory herself. The best grades Rory'd ever managed was a B average and Cindy Quinlan was a straight A student. Just like her brother Parker.
She nodded her head. Yes, she'd call Cindy and see if they could study together. As she neared her phone, it started ringing off the familiar tones of Taylor Swift's "Love Story", one of Rory's favorite country songs of the moment. Rory looked at the display and saw the number and instantly, she wondered if this was it. She cliked the answer button. "Go ahead." she said into the reciever.
"Hey, Rory." it Dr. Wright's voice all right, "We need you to come to the dojo right away."
Rory nodded to herself. Yeah, it looked like it was time, alright. "I'll be there."
She closed the phone, then she turned and headed for the elevator.
*****
In another section of the city, Cindy Quinlan entered her family's house in time to see her brother Parker, a brother that was six months older than her, sitting on the couch in their living room. He had a newspaper in his hand and he was skimming through it. As she entered, he looked up.
"Oh," he said, "hey sis."
The blonde haired teenager set her bag down on the nearby table. "How long have you been here?"
"I got home twenty minutes ago. Decided not to stick around at the Surf Spot like usual." he answered her as he turned his attention back to the newspaper.
"Where's mom and dad?" Cindy asked.
In response, Parker held up a piece of paper. She took it from him and scanned it. "Dad has to work late and mom went to see grandma."
"Which really means that they'll both be gone most the night." Cindy said. She knew their grandmother lived in Stone Canyon, the city that they had moved from less than fifteen months ago anyway.
Parker looked at her. "And if you really wanted to be bad, tonight would be the night. It's a shame it's no Friday though."
"Oh, like you'd actually throw a party here anyway. We both know you wouldn't."
"Probably not." Parker agreed, "but I'd at least go attend one without them knowing."
"Like in Stone Canyon. But we both know what happened there, don't we." she said, not meaning to bring it up, but she inadvertedly did.
Parker got up. "Don't go there, Cindy. I'd just soon forget all about that, if you please."
The television ringing on both their cell phones drew their attention from bad memories to the present. Pulling their phones out, they both glanced at the screen, then at each other. Cindy answered hers while Parker just watched. "Hello."
"Hey Cindy," Sienna Wright's voice came through. "Are you with your brother right now?"
She locked eyes with him. "Yes, I am. Why, what's going on Dr. Wright?"
"Listen, we need you two to get to the dojo as soon as you can." Sienna's voice answered.
"Parker and I will be there soon." Cindy said as she hung the phone up. "Guess it's that time, then."
Parker tossed the newspaper down. "I'd hoped this moment wouldn't come." was what he said, then he grabbed his car keys. For better or worse, the two of them had made a promise. And the thing about Quinlans is that they stick to their word. "Let's go."
Leading the way out the front door, Cindy headed for Parker's blue jeep.
*****
A dark haired young man named Chris walked into the business with the sign that read "Park Dojo". Inside was a spacious room with blue mats covering the floor and wooden staffs, wooden swords, and other assorted wooden weaponry adorning the walls. He stepped on the mats and put his hands on his hips as he surveyed the room. The next class wasn't scheduled until the next morning, but it didn't mean that Chris couldn't appreciate the place.
"Don't you know better than to walk on my mats with shoes on."
Chris smiled as he turned and eyed his brother, Adam Park. Chris stepped off the mats with an apologetic look on his face. "Sorry, bro....but I just got your page and I was nearby anyway. You know about the Wraith I fought this morning?"
Adam walked into his office with his younger brother following. "Yeah, I was downstairs with Sienna monitoring the screens when you morphed. We caught the video feed towards the end of the fight."
"It was another scout, right?" Chris asked.
Adam leaned against his desk and faced his brother, his handpicked candidate for the Red Ranger, and leader of the Shinobi Samurai team. "Yes, and that makes six scouts inside of five days. I don't have to tell you what it means, Chris."
"It means this Earth is the next one to be invaded, right? Onslaught's coming." Chris stated with he felf was the obvious.
Adam nodded, slowly. "You didn't morph in front of anybody, did you? Or demorph?"
"Of course not, Adam. I remember everything you told me when I asked you to let me be active. Believe me, I took all of your advice to heart." Chris told him.
"Good.....listen, Sienna's already made the calls. The others are on the way down here right now......I'm officially putting the Shinobi Rangers on alert status. They're going to get their morphers today. The Shadow Legions will be invading soon." Adam explained.
Chris was silent for a moment. "Am I missing something, Adam? I know that scout this morning is reason to be more cautious.....but to call the guys in and give 'em the morphers? You don't think it's maybe being too cautious?"
Adam shook his head. "Something else happened. At one o'clock, when you were at school, there were some abnormalities sighted in space. Just beyond the planet's moon. A massive vortex is what we found. Sienna tapped into NASADA's satellite feeds and got us a good enough view of it." Adam stopped for a second. "And it's not a normal vortex. It's an Earthgate."
Chris eyed his brother, his eyes widened. "Are you sure?"
"Positive." Adam affirmed.
"H-how much time before it begins?" Chris asked.
The answer was a shake of the head. "There's no telling, Chris. Could be any minute, or it could hours from now, days from now. But it's happening. The Shadow Legions are going to be here soon. And I want to make sure that all of my Rangers are ready. Which means, your going to have to be ready."
And that's when Chris got it. He understood what Adam wasn't saying. The responsibility that Adam was putting on Chris's shoulders. The trust. "I will be, bro. You can count on me."
"Yo! Anybody here!" came a voice from beyond the office.
Chris turned and went back out to the training room of the dojo in time to see his friend Darnell Haggans standing near the blue mats. "Well hey! There ya are!" he called out as he rushed over. He grabbed Darnell's hand and shook it as Darnell smiled at him.
"Hey ya doin Chris. Figured I'd see ya here." Darnell said as he spotted Adam at the doorway. "How ya doin, Boss."
Adam winced at the nickname that Darnell seemed determined to put on him. He'd tried several times to get Darnell to just call him Mr. P like the others liked to, but Darnell wouldn't be deterred. "Would you stop with the boss, Darnell....you make me feel old."
Darnell put his hands on his hips. "Well, let's see. You tell us what to do and most of the time, we do it.....yep, sounds like a boss to me."
Adam just shook his head.
"Mr. P!" came a feminine voice from the main doorway.
Three faces turned to see Rory Worthington at the doorway, a smile on her face. "Well, there she is!" Adam greeted her with a friendly hug.
Rory turned and saw Chris. "C'mere you too."
Chris gave her a hug as well. He wasn't about to bring up the fact that they saw each other all the time at school. Truth was, his crush on Rory was still strong and he enjoyed the affection. "Well, that's three." Chris commented.
Adam's smile widened. "And there's the other two."
They turned to see Cindy and Parker enter the dojo. Cindy ran over to Adam and gave him a hug. "Mr.P! It's good to see you again."
Adam returned the young blonde's hug. "Believe me, I wish it were under better circumstances."
Parker eyed the older man. "So, what's going on Mr. P.......we about to be invaded or what?"
Adam eyed the five of them, who watched him. Though Chris now knew the severity of the situation, he remained quiet. "C'mon guys, let's head down to the Core. I'll explain it in detail down there."
He walked past them to where the blue mats were. They knew the routine. They all stepped onto the mats with him. This was the only time that Adam deemed it accceptable for them to wear shoes on his mats. Taking out his IPhone, Adam pressed a series of touches on the touch screen and spoke into it. "Sienna, they're all here. Activate the door."
A second later, a section of the wall behind them moved downward, revealing a lighted staircase that descended downward. Adam began walking down the steps, the five teenagers following silently. As Parker was the last to step into the stairway, the door closed behind him.
*****
Just beyond the large round object that was the Earth's moon, the darkness of space was illuminated by a shimmering vortex, one known as an Earthgate. What differentiated an Earthgate from most other vortexes or portals was that an Earthgate gave off a frequency and structure that matched that of the atmosphere and weather conditions commonly seen on Earth. Plus, thunder and lightning filled the vortex, making it an Earthgate and not just a normal vortex or portal.
And this particular Earthgate was massive, at least as wide as an entire US state. The Earthgate glowed bright white and gray, with streaks of red bolts flashing throughout it as a massive vessel began passing through the Earthgate, from the other end to this side of it. It was the massive Shadow Legions warship, the Nanashi. The Nanashi was the flagship of the Shadow Legions and the personal attack vessel for the High Lord of the Shadow Legions, a maniacal and ruthless tyrant named Onslaught.
The ship was circluar shaped with cannons and blasters built in on the underbelly and top of the craft. It passed through the Earthgate with no problem whatsoever and several smaller crafts followed through on all sides of it. Inside the Nanashi, it's walls and floors were comprised of living organic rock and at the head of the ship was what could be considered the bridge.
And upon the bridge was a flat wall with openings in the wall were there was computer terminals and larger crevices where screens were. Squidlike alien species sat at these terminals, three in total, and they manned the terminals with perfect efficiency. Behind them, a single stone made throne sat with it's occupant, the High Lord Onslaught. On one of the screens before Onslaught was the bridge to another Shadow Legions warship, the Enslave. Standing on that bridge was one of Onslaught's more trusted generals, Chitauri Octocus, who had the head that resembled an octopus and walked with a metal cane in his right claw.
Onslaught spoke. "General Chitauri, report."
"My lord, this Earth is more ripe than many of our recent conquests. Unlike the others, this Earth has more advanced human evolved characteristics. In addition, their technology is far more advanced than the other Earths we've taken in your name. And, my lord, we've even detected massive amounts of morphin energy."
The High Lord leaned forward. That was interesting news. "Truly? Concentrated where?"
"The strongest amounts are centered on land identified by our media translation computers as California." was the response.
Onslaught steepled his fingers together. "Then, California is where the invasion begins. General Chitauri, send the first fleet of Shadow Drones to invade through the air and the Wraiths to attack on the ground."
"Of course, High Lord."
*****
Underneath the Park Dojo, five anxious teenagers stood in the Core, a technologically advanced base of operations for the team of Rangers. Adam walked to his chair and sat down beside Sienna Wright. He gave her the nod and then, she spoke. "Well, first off, let me say that it's good to see you guys again. I know it's been awhile."
"It's good to see you, too Doc." Darnell said. "What's going on?"
"Alright guys listen," Adam said, "three months ago, I told about my grandfather. I told you about my lineage and how my original ancestors were from this other Earth. I told you they escaped this tyrant named Onslaught, who..."
"It turned out was conquering all the Earths he ccould find." Sienna picked the ball for Adam. "They escaped, came here and started a life and family. That family ending with Adam and Chris here."
"Right," Adam said, "and that they brought with them a power energy matrix called the Shinobi Star. Three months ago, all of us made a pact that if the time came that Onslaught and his Shadow Legions found this Earth, that you would be called upon to become Shinobi Power Rangers and defend this planet against him."
"We remember." Parker said, after a moment.
"Well, after you all agreed, Chris came to me and he wanted to be active, just in case." Adam explained. "I made him go through intense training, and I presented him with his Shinobi Animatron. It's a living morpher, I guess is the best way I can describe it. When you use it for the first time, it bonds with your DNA, your mind, anything and everything that's you. And it gives you a powerful Shinobi Animal spirit. For Chris, his was the Lion and he became the Shinobi of Fire."
"That's another ability the morpher gives you. Power over a certain element." Sienna said. "Chris's was fire."
"Recently," Adam continued, "there have been numerous sightings of Shadow Wraith scouts in the city. Chris has been able to handle them and keep the public from knowing about them, but in the last five days, six of them have appeared."
"Six? Does that mean they're coming here?" Rory asked.
Adam turned to Sienna. "Show them."
Sienna swirled around in her chair and pressed a few buttons on the console. An image of the Earthgate in outer space was brought up. "This is an Earthgate." she told them. "The Shadow Legions are coming and you guys need to be ready for when the invasion begins."
Adam stood up, after pressing a button. "A small compartment opened near him and he reached into it and removed a box. He brought the box over to them and he opened it. Inside were the Shinobi Animatrons. They were in different shapes, but with a Japanese symbol etched on top. Adam reached in and pulled out the circular shaped Animatron. He presented it to Rory. "Rory, you will be the Pink Shinobi Ranger, and you will have the power of the Shinobi Turtle to guide you. And you have the power of the Sky. " he presented the six shaped hexagon shaped Animatron to Parker. "Parker, you will be the Blue Shinobi Ranger and have the power of the Shinobi Dragon to guide you. You will have the power of Water.
"Cindy, you will be the Yellow Shinobi Ranger and have the power of the Shinobi Monkey to guide you. You will have the power of the Earth. And Darnell, you will be the Green Shinobi Ranger and have the power of the Shinobi Bear to guide you. You will have the power of the Wood. The five of you are the Power Rangers now and it's going to be up to you five to lead the charge against Onslaught." Adam finished.
"But, can we do it?" Parker asked. "That's the question."
Adam nodded. "And it's a difficult question to have, Parker. I'm not saying it's going to be easy, but if you work together, as a team, nothing will bring you down."
The ringing of an alarm drew their attention to one of the screens. Sienna brought up the visuals. The first was a visual of the Earthgate at real time speed and the second was of the sky above Angel Grove. Where the Earthgate was earlier now resides a massive ship with several smaller ships rotating around it. And the second screen showed a large fleet of ships in the sky, heading straight towards the city.
Adam's face was grave, but set. "Rangers, the time has come."
Chris looked at the scared faces of his longtime friends. "Guys, I'm scared too, but we know what we have to do."
Darnell nodded. "Your right Chris. Let's get to it, guys."
And Adam and Sienna watched as the new team of Power Rangers rushed off, to head back above to hit the streets and await the oncoming invasion.
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Chapter 2 coming soon.
Hybrid Mode
