Power Rangers: Rail Riders
Chapter One: All Aboard the Prism Line!
The city of New Berkshire was bustling with activity on a cold January afternoon; people were out shopping, others working, some just relaxing. But more importantly, the trains were running like clockwork as they did every day, delivering passengers from one station to the next. The trains of New Berkshire was indeed the life blood of the city, having been brought up from the ground back when Nathaniel Berkshire decided to bring his business many years ago, his descendants kept the trains running and also had clout to help the congressional part of this city, but never got into deep politics. No, they merely made sure that people could reach their destinations and keep the city running smoothly.
A red train slowly made its approach to Meadowlark Station, a man with short brown hair, tall, and slightly built stepped off as the train's conductor announced "We have arrived at Meadowlark Station! Those exiting the train, please gather your items and step off carefully!". Looking around the platform, he spotted a young girl, around four years old, holding a sign saying 'Welcome home, Daddy!' with flowers and animals drawn on it. Grinning, the man walked over to the girl and scooped her up into his arms, hugging her tightly. "Daddy's back! I missed you!" "I missed you too, Helena." The man spoke softly; he was wearing military fatigues, sans the hat, and would be embraced by a woman with brown hair that had blonde streaks, she kissing his cheek. "Welcome home, dear." "Good to be home, Rachel. How have my two best women been?" "We've been getting by. Here, let me get your bag for you." Rachel answered, grabbing his red bag with a tagged marked ' Lt. Jerry Wallace' as he carried Helena to the car, strapping her into the car seat and getting into the passenger car seat. "So, how long are you here for?" Rachel asked as she started the car. "Permanently." he responded quietly, looking out the window. "What?" "I got Honorably Discharged, too much...stress." "Oh honey, I'm so sorry." she looked at him worriedly, the three driving down the road to their house.
At the Berkshire Public Library, a woman with her hair in a bun, wearing a dark yellow dress with a black vest top over a white button up shirt was putting books on a shelf before hearing a loud 'crunch' sound nearby. Blinking, she climbed off her step stool and went to the other aisle, only to glare at the young man who was eating food while reading a book about steam powered locomotives, wearing a light blue sweater with black jeans. "How many times do I have to tell you not to eat food here?" she asked sternly, the man looking up and holding up a can of cashews. "C'mon sis, enjoy deez nuts with me." he responded with a grin. "James!" she growled, grabbing the can out of his hand and chucking it into a wastebasket before snatching the book and putting it on the shelf. "What?! I'm on my lunch break, and felt like bugging you." James said. "Miss Brittany, how many times have we told you that your brother is only allowed here when he picks you up?" a voice said behind the yellow skirted woman, she gulping and turning to face the voice. "Sorry, Ms. B." Brittany said softly before turning back to James, giving him a 'you are dead' look while he simply shrugged and stood up. "By the way, you're both invited to an auction coming up at the museum, my painting's almost finished." "About time, you've been working on it for months." "It -is- a masterpiece, sis. Those take time." he responded with a good natured grin, grabbing his jacket and heading to the door.
"Gordie, you know I didn't mean to break that window!" a woman protested as a man in a trench coat hauled her into the Berkshire Police Department and sat her down in a chair at his desk, rubbing his temples with his fingers before looking at her. "One; don't call me 'Gordie'. It's Detective Faraday to you. Two; you threw a cement brick through the store window because they wouldn't let you slide two cents for a rock album." "They were being jerks!" "You destroyed public property, Yuki! I'm not even sure I can get the charges lifted this time. Look at you; you dye your hair orange, you wear purple contacts, and try your hardest to go against authority figures! Why? Why do you make my job so hard?" Gordon asked as he leaned back in his chair with his hands over his face. "You think I want to live here? If I had my way, I'd have never left Japan!" Yuki yelled, leaning forward and glaring. "Also...Gordon? Your parents must have hated you to give you that name."
Back at the Wallace house, Jerry was getting into a civilian outfit that consisted of a maroon shirt, blue jeans and a pair of boots, placing his fatigues into a dresser and shutting it, closing his eyes for a moment. Rachel walked into their bedroom and hugged him from behind , placing her chin on one of his shoulders. "I know that normal life isn't going to be easy for you, dear. I can help you, and you do know that there are groups for people who have the same problem." she spoke gently, he grasping the dresser while taking a breath. Turning around to hug her tightly, he said "I don't know how well I'll be able to function, Rachel. I'm going to do everything I can to ensure Helena has a good life, you have my word." "I know I do, and you two mean the world to each other. You're her hero." Giving each other a smile, Rachel then reached into her pocket and handed Jerry a small white envelope. "What's this?" he asked, opening it up. "It arrived for you this afternoon, no return sender addressed." Pulling out a white peace of paper, he read aloud "Jerry Wallace, come to the Old Station at midnight. Your destiny awaits you." Looking at his wife with a confused look, she returned it, looking down at the paper. "Maybe someone wants to throw you a welcome back party?" "I don't know but, I'll go prepared for trouble, just in case." "You better be safe. You just came back home today after all..."
Later that night at the Museum, James placed a winter cap onto his head as Brittany walked over to him at the front steps, glaring slightly. "What happened to picking me up?" she asked, he rubbing his neck and saying "Sorry, I got caught up in finishing my painting, didn't mean to get out so late." "Meh, it's fine. You can just buy me dinner to make up for it." Brittany said while digging into her purse to find her wallet, only for a piece of paper to drop out, she picking it up on confusion. "How did this get in there?" she asked herself, James looking at it cautiously. "Did that say to meet at the Old Station at midnight?" "How did you kn-" James cut her off by pulling out an envelope of his own, along with the paper. "I found this in a stack of supplies I was using. The fact that we both got one is pretty creepy." "Do we go then?" she asked apprehensively, her brother nodding. "Couldn't be a bad idea. I mean, if its our destinies, maybe it'll mean getting raises." With a face palm, Brittany lead him to the car.
Detective Faraday was finishing up paperwork at his desk with Yuki in a nearby cell, who had fallen asleep, snoring lightly. "Done for the day, about time too. Anymore of her snoring and I'd go insane." he said to himself, putting the papers in a manilla folder, only for two small envelopes to fall out of it with his name on one, and Yuki's on the other. Glancing down at them, he stood and knocked on the cell bars, she waking up with a start. "Huh? Whats up?" she asked groggily, he holding up the envelopes. "Is this your idea of a prank?" Gordon asked unamused, Yuki standing up and approaching the bars, shaking her head. "Wasn't me, I've been in here ever since this afternoon." she answered back, taking the one labeled ' Yuki Yanamoto' and opening it. "Meet at the Old Station at midnight-" "Your destiny awaits you." they both read, looking at each other. "I say we check it out." said Yuki, Detective Faraday had a look of unsureness on his face, but slowly opened her cell and handed her a coat. "It's cold outside, so here." "Huh, thanks. Guess you aren't a complete dweeb after all." she said putting the coat on. "Be thankful, I got your sentence down to two months of community service." he said as they exited the building, she giving a look that said 'Aw come on!' while following him to his car.
The Old Station has seen better days; Nathaniel Berkshire built it from the ground up, and it was once an integral part of the train routes. However, as time progressed, so did humanity. They built the Meadowlark Station to be the center hub of all the trains, and soon the station Berkshire made fell into a state of disrepair, abandoned to time and the elements. Jerry entered the building through an empty doorway, clicking on his pocket flashlight and creeping through the darkness, save for the beam his light projected. The air around him was noiseless, only his heartbeat thudding in his chest as his feet crept him around. "Where in the world am I supposed to go?" he thought to himself, only to hit the floor when he heard shouting above him, instinct and training kicking in, but what he feared most came with it; voices of those he had seen killed or killed himself during the war. Shutting his eyes tight, he whispered to himself "The war is over, the war is over, the war is over.." Slowly standing up, he made his way to the staircase, taking each step slowly.
"Sure is creepy in here, huh James?" Brittany asked as the two went in through a window that had remained open, making their way up to the second floor via a small staircase. "Shhh, you never know what may be in here." he replied quietly, looking around in the dark. Brittany had the brains growing up, but James always had the better sight, both foresight and eyesight, being able to see in the dark while his sister needed glasses. "See anything?" she whispered. Holding a hand out infront of his sister to stop her, he said "Two people, one Asian and the other White...He's wearing a trench coat." "What do we do?" James was about to answer when he saw the man draw a gun out of his pocket, pointing it at them and yelling "Freeze!".
"How old is this place?" Yuki asked to herself out loud, ducking underneath a fallen beam as she followed Gordon through the Old Station, holding her cell phone out with the flashlight app on, he keeping an eye out for any other people. "Thought you weren't interested in the city." he said with a bit of a glance at her, she shrugging. "I like old buildings, exploring them is a hobby of mine." she said in a cheerful manner, before giving him a slight look of irritation. "But I still didn't want to be dragged all the way here in the first place." "What made your family come to America?" Gordon asked as he brushed past some cobwebs, walking up a staircase slowly, pausing when he thought he heard shuffling upstairs. "Kill your light!" he whispered to her, Yuki turning off the app and pocketing her phone, she responding "What is it?" "I heard footsteps, follow me carefully and slowly." he replied to her, the two making their way up a staircase and into the upper tier of the station, Gordon stopping dead in his tracks when he saw two people in front of him; one wearing a yellow skirt and white top, the other a winter hat, sweater and jeans. "We're not alone, they may be intruders. Stand behind me.." he spoke in a low tone, before slowly pulling out his gun and aiming it at Brittany and James, yelling "Freeze!"
Jerry hauled himself up the staircase, stopping when he saw a man pointing a gun at two people, going for a low crouch to avoid being seen and hiding behind an old desk. "So I wasn't the only one told to come here. What is this, some sort of mob hit?!" he thought to himself before slowly peeking over the desk, watching the four.
"I am Detective Gordon Faraday, with the Berkshire Police Department! Place your hands above your head and step forward slowly." Gordon commanded, the siblings looking at each other before doing as told, walking forward into some better light, both shaking slightly. "Why are you two here?" Yuki asked from behind him, unsure of how to act. "W-we were told to come here at midnight." Brittany stammered, James nodding his head. "Were your names on an envelope with a piece of paper?" Detective Faraday inquired, James holding out one hand slowly and saying "May I reach into my front pocket, and show you?" "Slowly." the brother reached into his front pocket and slowly pulled out the envelope and note, tossing it over to the Destective, who had Yuki pick it up so he could keep trained on the two. "So it would seem...The four of us were summoned here." he said after reading the paper, putting his gun away. "Make that five." came a voice from beside them, a man wearing a maroon shirt, brown jacket and blue jeans slowly coming out from his hiding place, hands held up. "Who are you?" Yuki asked, he answering "Lieutenant Jerry Wallace of the Six-Oh-Two Division, First Battalion.""He must have been summoned like us." Brittany said, she and her brother finally relaxing after the standoff. "But why were we all brought here? What do we have in common?" Gordon asked, before a voice spoke up around them.
"A soldier, a cop, a librarian, an artist, and a punk, an unlikely crew, but one destined to work together." the voice spoke before a hologram appeared in the middle of them. It was weird, as the hologram had both the voice and appearance of George Carlin in a train conductor uniform. "Mr. Conductor?!" James gasped in shock, the hologram turning to face him. "The one and only! How do you do, young James?" Gordon looked at the group in bewilderment, saying "You mean to tell me, that the character from Shining Time Station is the one who wanted us to come here?" "Not me personally, Mr. Gordon, but the one who created me. You see, I am not the real Mr. Conductor, merely a program based off of him. My creator, and your benefactor is the one who wanted you to come together. We can discuss more on the train." "What train?" asked Jerry, just as a train whistle sounded off, a large red train, pulling a blue, yellow, green and pink box car pulled up to the Old Station, the doors opening.
"All aboard!" Mr. Conductor called out, looking at his pocket watch, the five people slowly walking onto the train cautiously as it began to take off, but instead of a normal train track, it took to the air, tracks appearing in front of it before it flew. "This is kinda neat!" Yuki said while looking out one of the windows of the car, glancing behind her and letting out a small yell of terror; Mr. Conductor was now full sized and looked very real, only to turn into a binary code like form when he walked through a nearby table. "The reason my creator brought you here, is because you are needed to help." "Help with what?" asked James, sitting at the bar area of the box car; though it looked small, inside it was massive and had many tables, seats, and a place to order food. Turning to face James, Mr. Conductor said "Help save the planet from an invading force." then pointed a finger at a nearby screen, different images and videos appearing on it. "There is a monster known as the Train Baron who has used his own railway to take over nearby galaxies. He's conquered civilizations and enslaved them to produce the fuel needed to run his Shadow Line." "What does this thing run on?" Brittany asked while watching the screen. "The very stars in the sky." Mr. Conductor said grimly. "So if this guy has is way.." Yuki started "Then we'd be in an eternal night." Jerry finished.
"That's why the Prism Line was created; to bring forth light and combat the Shadow Line. We need you to use the power of your imagination and inner light to combat them." "How?" Gordon inquired, staring at the screen in disbelief. "By becoming the newest team in a long line of warriors; the Power Rangers." Mr. Conductor said. The images on the screen switched to colorful clad warriors, with a massive group being lead by the Legacy Rangers in the battle for Crystal Harbor. "Power Rangers? Us?" James asked in awe, standing up and approaching Mr. Conductor. "You say our imagination will power us up? How?" he inquired, the hologram saying "Fond childhood memories, your favorite TV show, comics, or anything that you feel makes you powerful." "That would be Helena, my daughter." Jerry said as he stood up, crossing his arms. "She's four, and has the most vivid imagination. I want to protect her and she is my strength." "Art for me, its why I became an artist for the museum." spoke James. "Books are my passion, being able to lose myself in a world is amazing." said Brittany.
"Music is my muse!" Yuki said with a big grin, before looking at Gordon, who was sitting quietly. "Do you even have an imagination, Detective Faraday?" she asked him in a sarcastic manner, he glaring at her before resting his chin on his knuckles. "To be honest, very little. I can't recall what I did for fun because my folks were always so strict! It was always 'study, study, study', 'be a cop when you grow up!' 'No time for friends, do chores!'." Looking from one person to the other, he shut his eyes, thinking. "But I do remember...I remember reading Detective Comics from D.C, as well as Batman. They were my big inspirations growing up. They were why I wanted to become a detective." Opening his eyes, Gordon looked at Mr. Conductor, saying "A single person can only do so much to help, but five as a team could do much more. I'll take you up on this offer."
"Good! Mr. X will be pleased to hear your answer" Mr. Conductor said with a clap of his hands, summoning a small box with a steam locomotive on it, opening it up to reveal five items; small train key chains, one red, one blue, one yellow, one green, one pink. "Who is Mr. X?" Jerry asked, looking at his red charm curiously. "My creator, and your benefactor. I don't know he erased my memories of his identity, but I assume he wishes to keep himself hidden from the Train Baron...Speaking of." The Prism Line was struck by a sharp blast, rocking the train back and forth as it screeched to a halt on a track piece. On the screen inside the car, an alien appeared, it looked like a creature in a top hat and held with it a sword with a train emblazoned on it. "Mr. Conductor, still trying to recruit people for your pathetic cause! Give up and allow the Train Baron access to this world!" "Not trying to recruit, Baron, recruited." the hologram replied, the monster giving off a loud "What?!" as a train floated through the air; it was a black locomotive with smoke coming out of its stack. Stepping out of the Prism Line car, the four adults and one teenager stood side by side, watching as the Shadow Line spat out puffs of smoke that turned into classic gangster looking monsters with axes in their hands. "What are these goons?" Yuki asked, Mr. Conductor saying from their key chains "Those are the Chain Gangers, thugs who work the train tracks of the cosmos. They gather up the fuel for the Shadow Line and threaten innocents."
"Alright guys, time to go full steam ahead!" Jerry declared, clenching his key charm in his hand as it grew into a red pocket watch, the others following his lead, the charms turning into a blue, yellow, green, and pink pocket watch as the hit the button on top, opening them up. "ALL ABOARD!" they shouted out in unison; Their Ranger outfits formed onto their bodies, with a train and track completing the helmets of each warrior as they called out "Rail One, departing!" "Rail Two, departing!" "Rail Three, departing!" "Rail Four, departing!" "Rail Five, departing!" with their respective color shining bright behind them; with Rail Red shouting out "Imagination and Light! Grant us your strength!" "POWER RANGERS RAIL RIDERS!" They all cried out as the Chain Gangers leapt at them from the air to the ground, the Rangers following them and landing in crouches.
"Alright, remember, these powers are new to us, we'll need to be careful." Rail Green said, the others giving a nod of response, as they went to battle against their new enemy, throwing out punches, kicks, and various attacks. "Unreal, it's like these powers let me fight better!" Rail Yellow commented, doing a three point side kick to one of the Chain Gangers, Rail Blue pushing his own opponent farther than usual while commenting "She's right! I feel much more powerful transformed."
When one of the Chain Ganger's tried to slash at Rail Pink, she leapt back, yelling up to the Prism Liner "Hey Mr. C! Do we get weapons of our own or what?!" "One moment, dear Yuki." Mr. Conductor said inside of her helmet, hitting a button on a control panel. Soon, weapons would appear from out of each Rangers belt, which resembled a boarding pass. "Red Train Sword!" "Blue Track Blaster!" "Yellow Signal Hammer!" "Green Switch Axe!" "Pink Bridge Claws!" The five went to work on their enemies, with Rail Red slashing his opponent until it turned into dust. Rail Blue dove to the side, firing his blaster like he was fanning a revolver, the Chain Ganger exploding. "Signal Charge!" Rail Yellow shouted, the hammer starting to glow brighter. "Signal Release. Time to bring the hammer down!" she yelled out, slamming the hammer into the ground and causing a large shockwave; it sent her enemy flying back, exploding. "My turn! Here! We! Go!" Rail Pink said with each strike of her claw, pulling it back and slamming it into the enemy.
"They're doing good so far. I feel like I forgot to tell them something, though.." Mr. Conductor thought to himself, watching the battle from the Prism Liner. Rail Green and Pink bumped into each other when going after her enemy, but they failed to realize one small problem; their train pass belt buckles had fallen to the ground. "Sorry, Gordon!" Pink said as she picked them up placing one into her belt and giving Gordon one back, and soon Gordon found himself wearing the Rail Pink outfit, much to his surprise. " .Hell!?" he exclaimed in shock, looking himself over, only to see Yuki in his own outfit, she struggling to pick the axe up. Watching on the screen, Mr. Conductor face palmed so hard that his body went full binary code for a moment. "I forgot to tell them about the power switching.."
"This is so heavy...How do I lift it?" The last Chain Ganger kicked the new Rail Pink out of the way and made its way over to the new Green, she still struggling to pick the axe up. "James, give me your pass!" Rail Red ordered, Rail Blue reaching for his pass belt buckle and tossing it to Red, who tossed Blue his own. The two would switch colors and weapons, running towards the Chain Ganger. "Hya!" Rolling on the ground, Blue crouched onto a knee and took pot shots at the mook, Red leaping off of his back to deliver a slash. "Yuki, use your imagination! You can lift the hammer with it!" Rail Yellow called to her new ally. "Alright, I can lift this. I WILL lift this! I AM SUPER STRONG YUKI!" she thought to herself, lifting the axe up and, with a yell, leapt into the air and came down on the last mook, slashing it into an explosion. Soon each Ranger turned back to their normal color, the Train Baron growling as he said through his Shadow Line speaker "This is not over Rangers, I will be back!" before the train rode off into the darkness.
Back on the train, Mr. Conductor applauded the new team and on the screen, an X symbol appeared, a distorted voice speaking. "Rail Riders, welcome to the Prism Line. I hope that our teaming up will be beneficial for all of human kind." "Don't worry, Mr. X, we'll keep New Berkshire safe, Train Baron can count on that." Jerry said, the five of them exiting the train once it pulled up to the Meadowlark station, and flew off into the air.
"We were up all night fighting and exploring. Who wants breakfast?" James asked the group while yawning. "Sounds good to me, bro." Brittany responded with baggy eyes, the five of them sleepily walking over to a nearby restaurant, the hostess looked at them with shock. "Jerry?!" Rachel asked, he smiling at her and saying "One hell of a welcome back party, hun. What's for breakfast?"
-To Be Continued.-