Power Rangers: World of Darkness
Chapter 1:
Resurrection of One
The beginning of the second alien invasion of Earth had been in the form of beams of light that descended upon the planet's surface, crippling the human societies of North America. These beams left huge craters in the ground, scattered with debris from surrounding buildings, twisted metal from the sewers and underground shelters, and the bodies of hundreds of charred human corpses. The dust clouds never truly settled around these areas. These craters were usually silent and placid, albeit morbid. The peace of one in particular however, was being desecrated. A small rigid humanoid figure, the details of which were obscured by the clouds of dust, was moving unsteadily through the rubble was searching through the bodies. Its right arm was strangely misshapen, the forearm was elongated the hand was thin and rigid. It was this arm that was been passed over the bodies, searching for one in particular. It stopped over one in particular, and lights on the strange arm flashed in response. Shakily, the figure picked up the body and staggered boldly out from the crater. It walked out from the musty haze, its silver body glinted under the moonlight, although dust and mud was caked over most of its features. It trod to the remains of a cathedral, carrying the dark clothed corpse in its mechanical arms. The robot looked like at one time it was in very good condition and very advanced in technology, but whether it was damaged in an accident or it was aged, it was scorched and cracked in several areas. The left leg had a limp to it, which made its walking very shaky, causing it's loose parts to rattle as it moved onwards on its way. The strange right arm looked the newest on it; it was totally black and the forearm resembled some kind of gothic styled metal detector. It had a bulky pack welded to its back where a long metal antenna protruded upwards. Small red and blue lights glinted throughout its body, the largest of which was the single thin red eye that resided on the front half of its saucer shaped head. In black, over the surface of its body were letters of some strange language. On its chest was the largest set of letters, but they were in English and read: A.L.P.H.A-5. It stopped in the center of what was left of the ancient cathedral before the altar. It bent down on a knee and placed the body on the floor. It paused over the body for a moment, its eye scanning over it, then its vision hovered up the last standing wall of the cathedral behind the alter, where an large stained glass window that depicted Christ on the cross stood. The robot wondered how it managed to survive the original bombardment preceding the invasion, but then went back to its previous task. A small compartment in its lower front torso opened. It reached inside of it and brought out a small black box, with a deep red disc on the middle. It looked at the burnt, lifeless corpse before it. The male body was covered in torn black clothing, which may at one time resembled a robe with a white collar. His skin was charred black, but the silver necklace it wore, bearing a stylized crucifix, was still in decent shape and was only slightly melted. The robot then placed the black box on the midsection of the man. The box left from the mechanical hand and buried itself partly in the gut of the human and the disc illuminated a bright red color. The android stood up then, stepping back a few steps as the small box did its work. The box activated, making a sound like the striking of a match that grew to the sound of a bonfire as an orange energy field expanded from the black box, covering the man's entire body. The energy field sunk into the man's skin and the burns on his body began to recede. Soon he looked completely healthy. A momentary calm wafted over his body, the black box's light faded but red blinking lights over the surface of it foreshadowed that it wasn't done. The man opened his eyes and drew in a sharp breath of air. He looked to be 23 years of age, he was a Caucasian male of average height, and an athletic build. His hair was a disheveled short brown, and his eyes were a lighter brown. He looked down at himself, confused. His attention was at once at the black box on his gut as it suddenly began to glow again. The black box emitted a stronger red colored light from the disc in the center. Starting at the box, a red metallic film spread over the man's skin under his tattered clothes. It made a sound like it was burning the man's flesh as it covered him almost entirely, leaving only his head, hands and feet without its red sheen. Although it was mostly red, it was orange on his lower torso to his upper legs, and his upper arms. Black lines were also set on his body, dividing his the colors and outlining his major muscle structures. The man, completely terrified at this change, retreated backwards against the alter, raising his arms and looking under his shirt at the metallic gleam his body now had. "What?" he muttered softly to himself, unaware that the robot still standing by him was even there, "what is this?" "That," began the robot, startling the man. It spoke in a low wavering artificial voice as it continued, "is the dormant stage of your exoskeletal power suit." "My what?" the man said, confused, "Who, or what are you? What's going on." The robot remained silent for a moment, small sparks fell from under it's red eye as it's voice rekindled. "My designation is A.l.p.h.a-5," it recited, "I am-" "I know what you are!" cried the man, interrupting the robot, "You're a Machina! You're invading Earth again! I knew it!" The man got up off his feet and began backing away from the robot, fear in his eyes. "No," Alpha said, attempting to correct the man, but that didn't help. "Get away from me!" the man said and bolted around the back of the cathedral, looking for an exit. He ran around the back but found only rubble. Alpha remained patiently still where it stood. The man glanced back at it, and sprinted following a wall to his left, hoping the chairs of the cathedral would be enough to separate him from Alpha. In a flash, however, Alpha was standing right in his way. "Please," it said calmly, "Calm down." The man looked panicked, balling up his right hand into a fist and struck out at the small robot, in he thought was a last desperate attempt to get away. "Get off my planet!" he cried as he thrust his fist out. His fist slammed against Alpha's chest. To his surprise, the robot flew back, ricocheting off the floor into a fragment of a wall, which crumbled as the robot crashed against it. He looked in awe at the robot sprawled against the wall and then to his fist. His eyes opened wider. His hand was now glowing red, with a faint flickering aura of orange fire around it. In a second his fist returned to normal. He was about to vocalize his amazement when he realized now was his time to escape. Once again he began running out the front of the ruined cathedral, dodging to the side to avoid Alpha's metal body leaning against the wall. He blindly ran outside, and tripped on the edge of the crater. Down he fell against its slope. The world around him was spinning as he rolled down to the center of the huge crater. His body ached, but he didn't feel any bruises or any worse injuries to his body. He breathed hard, questions running through his mind. How did I wind up outside of my shelter? How did I end up with torn clothing? What the hell did that Machina do to me? Why don't I know what day it is?! Without warning, the rubble beneath him made a hollow cracking sound. The man wasn't able to realize what was happening before the gravel under him cracked open, dropping him into some underground cavern in the ground. Into the darkness he fell, and landed hard on a metal floor, the metallic covering of his body adding to the loud clang that announced the end to his fall. The man slowly got off the ground and looked around. Somehow this place seemed familiar to him. He was in a small round metal room, with several pathways leading off from it. The ceiling however, had a large hole in it, and half of the room was mangled with twisted metal and concrete. Then he spotted a sign on a wall that read: SHELTER #023a. "This is my shelter block," he stammered, approaching the sign and looking down the dark hallway that it depicted the name of. Behind him, in a silent flash, Alpha-5 appeared. It stayed in the shadows away from the man, only it's faintly glimmering lights giving it away. However, the man strode quickly down the hallway. Some of the lighting was still working somehow, and he could see where he was going. He began to notice the burnt corpses littered on the ground. "Sweet Jesus," he exclaimed, "What in God's name happened here?" Following behind him, Alpha-5 decided not to answer him. The man continued down the hallway, counting the doors that lined it, reading the names. In a short time he found the door he was looking for. There were engravings on the front of the door. They read: Father Jason Lee Scott Room #023a25
"My room," Jason mentioned to himself aloud. He looked to the right of the door and found the familiar keypad that would open the automatic sliding door. Mashing the buttons, he grinned as it responded. The door, however, only opened a fraction of the way. Jason was not deterred as he wrapped his fingers around the door and pulled. His eyes clenched as he pulled with all his might. I wish I knew what happened here, but I have to see if I can at least salvage some of my belongings, they're all I have left! Come on! Open! Urged by his thoughts, his arms began to glow red in color, and the fiery orange aura returned. With a metallic whine, the sliding door was forced all the way open. He then dashed into his room. He tore off what was left of his robes, leaving him only with a pair of faded white pants and his black shoes. He stopped for a moment to look at his bare chest. The metallic red exoskeleton covering his body frightened him, as he had no idea what he was now. To his imagination, he believed he was being turned into a Machina somehow. He rushed himself to grab a white tank top and put on his leather jacket. The jacket was worn out, and smelled like ash, but Jason was happy to see that the picture of a silver crucifix, much like the one around his neck, was still in decent condition, even though it only made him slightly more assured. He grabbed a photo of his family, looking at his longingly for a moment before stuffing it into his jacket pocket. Finding no other objects of his worth taking with him, he grabbed his deep red biker helmet and started out the door, but he drew back as he saw Alpha- 5 silver form standing in his doorway. "Jason, please don't panic," the robot started, and then remembering Jason's original accusation towards it added, "I'm not a Machina. I'm a friend." The robot's monotone voice did not convince Jason in the least. "Out of my way, you Soulless monster," he said in the bravest voice that he could muster, clenching his free hand into a fist. The little robot did not want to be punched again, however, it did not back down. "Listen to me for only a moment," it began, "then you will understand." Jason hesitated, then remembered the first invasion from the Machina. As he was only 13 then, the event had given him a furious hatred against them. Although he only really could remember a shadow what the Machina actually looked like, Alpha-5 looked similar enough to him. He charged at it, his arms glowing red again for the attack. This time Alpha-5 was ready. His body flickered with energy, and it gained a ghostly silver aura. Jason charged at him, but his body passed right through the robot's form. He stumbled and fell against the opposite wall. He rolled over onto his back and stared in disbelief at the robot. Alpha- 5's body flickered with energy again and the ghostly aura disappeared. It turned around and stared into Jason with it's single red eye. Jason's courage was waning, and he could not muster it this time. He staggered to his feet and ran as fast as he could further down the hall, clutching his biker's helmet in his hand. He was heading to where he remembered the vehicles of the sheltered were kept, and was aiming to grab his motorcycle and driving out of the shelter. He planned to keep driving, heading as far away as possible. I'm leaving this nightmare, he thought, I'll be safe, as long as I can get to my bike. That blasted Machina won't be able to follow me then. There wasn't any doubt in his mind what he was going to do. This is, until he saw what was left of the vehicle storage bay. It was a vast wasteland of mangled alloys, tires, and it was home to another massive crater. The hole in the ceiling cast a light down into the room, and it glinted off a stack of rock and metal that pilled up underneath the opening. "No," he muttered, "no. No. No." His plan ruined, he was near to giving up. The sound of Alpha's limp stride on the metal floor behind him, however, reminded him that he still valued his life. With that he ran for the pile of rubble, climbing on it he made for the opening in the ceiling. The masses of junk under his feet gave way many times, but he managed to climb to the top. He stumbled out from the hole and climbed out into the open. A red hue was passed over the street that he found himself in, as it was now early morning. He collapsed to his hands and knees in exhaustion. His thoughts of rest were interrupted by the heavy metal footfalls on pavement approaching him. The figure in front of him stopped. Jason knew it was much larger than the small robot following him. He closed his eyes and began to pray, thinking this was a larger Machina coming to finish him off. "Get off the ground," a rugged voice said, with a digital muffle to his voice, like someone speaking through a radio, "You're not going to die." Jason opened his eyes and stopped his chanting and looked upwards, sitting up. For a moment he could not believe his eyes. The figure in front of his was completely clad in bulky black armor from head to toe. The armor was like an extra skin, the segments of the armor defining his human muscle structure. Over the armor he was wearing a black cloak, whose hood was drawn back, but the folds framed the intimidating frame of his helmet. The helmet was what Jason noticed first, he had seen the shape of the visor before, he was familiar with the black horns that struck out from the sides of the helmet. He recognized everything down to the jaw-like mouthpiece. "What's the matter buddy?" spoke the massive man in the armor, "Didn't you ever watch TV as a kid? Don't you know who I am?" Jason nodded. "Your." he began, but he couldn't form the rest of the words due to his awe and disbelief. "Yep," the man chuckled, his armor clunking together as he did so, then he said proudly yet grimly, "Ten years ago I was known as a Power Ranger."
The beginning of the second alien invasion of Earth had been in the form of beams of light that descended upon the planet's surface, crippling the human societies of North America. These beams left huge craters in the ground, scattered with debris from surrounding buildings, twisted metal from the sewers and underground shelters, and the bodies of hundreds of charred human corpses. The dust clouds never truly settled around these areas. These craters were usually silent and placid, albeit morbid. The peace of one in particular however, was being desecrated. A small rigid humanoid figure, the details of which were obscured by the clouds of dust, was moving unsteadily through the rubble was searching through the bodies. Its right arm was strangely misshapen, the forearm was elongated the hand was thin and rigid. It was this arm that was been passed over the bodies, searching for one in particular. It stopped over one in particular, and lights on the strange arm flashed in response. Shakily, the figure picked up the body and staggered boldly out from the crater. It walked out from the musty haze, its silver body glinted under the moonlight, although dust and mud was caked over most of its features. It trod to the remains of a cathedral, carrying the dark clothed corpse in its mechanical arms. The robot looked like at one time it was in very good condition and very advanced in technology, but whether it was damaged in an accident or it was aged, it was scorched and cracked in several areas. The left leg had a limp to it, which made its walking very shaky, causing it's loose parts to rattle as it moved onwards on its way. The strange right arm looked the newest on it; it was totally black and the forearm resembled some kind of gothic styled metal detector. It had a bulky pack welded to its back where a long metal antenna protruded upwards. Small red and blue lights glinted throughout its body, the largest of which was the single thin red eye that resided on the front half of its saucer shaped head. In black, over the surface of its body were letters of some strange language. On its chest was the largest set of letters, but they were in English and read: A.L.P.H.A-5. It stopped in the center of what was left of the ancient cathedral before the altar. It bent down on a knee and placed the body on the floor. It paused over the body for a moment, its eye scanning over it, then its vision hovered up the last standing wall of the cathedral behind the alter, where an large stained glass window that depicted Christ on the cross stood. The robot wondered how it managed to survive the original bombardment preceding the invasion, but then went back to its previous task. A small compartment in its lower front torso opened. It reached inside of it and brought out a small black box, with a deep red disc on the middle. It looked at the burnt, lifeless corpse before it. The male body was covered in torn black clothing, which may at one time resembled a robe with a white collar. His skin was charred black, but the silver necklace it wore, bearing a stylized crucifix, was still in decent shape and was only slightly melted. The robot then placed the black box on the midsection of the man. The box left from the mechanical hand and buried itself partly in the gut of the human and the disc illuminated a bright red color. The android stood up then, stepping back a few steps as the small box did its work. The box activated, making a sound like the striking of a match that grew to the sound of a bonfire as an orange energy field expanded from the black box, covering the man's entire body. The energy field sunk into the man's skin and the burns on his body began to recede. Soon he looked completely healthy. A momentary calm wafted over his body, the black box's light faded but red blinking lights over the surface of it foreshadowed that it wasn't done. The man opened his eyes and drew in a sharp breath of air. He looked to be 23 years of age, he was a Caucasian male of average height, and an athletic build. His hair was a disheveled short brown, and his eyes were a lighter brown. He looked down at himself, confused. His attention was at once at the black box on his gut as it suddenly began to glow again. The black box emitted a stronger red colored light from the disc in the center. Starting at the box, a red metallic film spread over the man's skin under his tattered clothes. It made a sound like it was burning the man's flesh as it covered him almost entirely, leaving only his head, hands and feet without its red sheen. Although it was mostly red, it was orange on his lower torso to his upper legs, and his upper arms. Black lines were also set on his body, dividing his the colors and outlining his major muscle structures. The man, completely terrified at this change, retreated backwards against the alter, raising his arms and looking under his shirt at the metallic gleam his body now had. "What?" he muttered softly to himself, unaware that the robot still standing by him was even there, "what is this?" "That," began the robot, startling the man. It spoke in a low wavering artificial voice as it continued, "is the dormant stage of your exoskeletal power suit." "My what?" the man said, confused, "Who, or what are you? What's going on." The robot remained silent for a moment, small sparks fell from under it's red eye as it's voice rekindled. "My designation is A.l.p.h.a-5," it recited, "I am-" "I know what you are!" cried the man, interrupting the robot, "You're a Machina! You're invading Earth again! I knew it!" The man got up off his feet and began backing away from the robot, fear in his eyes. "No," Alpha said, attempting to correct the man, but that didn't help. "Get away from me!" the man said and bolted around the back of the cathedral, looking for an exit. He ran around the back but found only rubble. Alpha remained patiently still where it stood. The man glanced back at it, and sprinted following a wall to his left, hoping the chairs of the cathedral would be enough to separate him from Alpha. In a flash, however, Alpha was standing right in his way. "Please," it said calmly, "Calm down." The man looked panicked, balling up his right hand into a fist and struck out at the small robot, in he thought was a last desperate attempt to get away. "Get off my planet!" he cried as he thrust his fist out. His fist slammed against Alpha's chest. To his surprise, the robot flew back, ricocheting off the floor into a fragment of a wall, which crumbled as the robot crashed against it. He looked in awe at the robot sprawled against the wall and then to his fist. His eyes opened wider. His hand was now glowing red, with a faint flickering aura of orange fire around it. In a second his fist returned to normal. He was about to vocalize his amazement when he realized now was his time to escape. Once again he began running out the front of the ruined cathedral, dodging to the side to avoid Alpha's metal body leaning against the wall. He blindly ran outside, and tripped on the edge of the crater. Down he fell against its slope. The world around him was spinning as he rolled down to the center of the huge crater. His body ached, but he didn't feel any bruises or any worse injuries to his body. He breathed hard, questions running through his mind. How did I wind up outside of my shelter? How did I end up with torn clothing? What the hell did that Machina do to me? Why don't I know what day it is?! Without warning, the rubble beneath him made a hollow cracking sound. The man wasn't able to realize what was happening before the gravel under him cracked open, dropping him into some underground cavern in the ground. Into the darkness he fell, and landed hard on a metal floor, the metallic covering of his body adding to the loud clang that announced the end to his fall. The man slowly got off the ground and looked around. Somehow this place seemed familiar to him. He was in a small round metal room, with several pathways leading off from it. The ceiling however, had a large hole in it, and half of the room was mangled with twisted metal and concrete. Then he spotted a sign on a wall that read: SHELTER #023a. "This is my shelter block," he stammered, approaching the sign and looking down the dark hallway that it depicted the name of. Behind him, in a silent flash, Alpha-5 appeared. It stayed in the shadows away from the man, only it's faintly glimmering lights giving it away. However, the man strode quickly down the hallway. Some of the lighting was still working somehow, and he could see where he was going. He began to notice the burnt corpses littered on the ground. "Sweet Jesus," he exclaimed, "What in God's name happened here?" Following behind him, Alpha-5 decided not to answer him. The man continued down the hallway, counting the doors that lined it, reading the names. In a short time he found the door he was looking for. There were engravings on the front of the door. They read: Father Jason Lee Scott Room #023a25
"My room," Jason mentioned to himself aloud. He looked to the right of the door and found the familiar keypad that would open the automatic sliding door. Mashing the buttons, he grinned as it responded. The door, however, only opened a fraction of the way. Jason was not deterred as he wrapped his fingers around the door and pulled. His eyes clenched as he pulled with all his might. I wish I knew what happened here, but I have to see if I can at least salvage some of my belongings, they're all I have left! Come on! Open! Urged by his thoughts, his arms began to glow red in color, and the fiery orange aura returned. With a metallic whine, the sliding door was forced all the way open. He then dashed into his room. He tore off what was left of his robes, leaving him only with a pair of faded white pants and his black shoes. He stopped for a moment to look at his bare chest. The metallic red exoskeleton covering his body frightened him, as he had no idea what he was now. To his imagination, he believed he was being turned into a Machina somehow. He rushed himself to grab a white tank top and put on his leather jacket. The jacket was worn out, and smelled like ash, but Jason was happy to see that the picture of a silver crucifix, much like the one around his neck, was still in decent condition, even though it only made him slightly more assured. He grabbed a photo of his family, looking at his longingly for a moment before stuffing it into his jacket pocket. Finding no other objects of his worth taking with him, he grabbed his deep red biker helmet and started out the door, but he drew back as he saw Alpha- 5 silver form standing in his doorway. "Jason, please don't panic," the robot started, and then remembering Jason's original accusation towards it added, "I'm not a Machina. I'm a friend." The robot's monotone voice did not convince Jason in the least. "Out of my way, you Soulless monster," he said in the bravest voice that he could muster, clenching his free hand into a fist. The little robot did not want to be punched again, however, it did not back down. "Listen to me for only a moment," it began, "then you will understand." Jason hesitated, then remembered the first invasion from the Machina. As he was only 13 then, the event had given him a furious hatred against them. Although he only really could remember a shadow what the Machina actually looked like, Alpha-5 looked similar enough to him. He charged at it, his arms glowing red again for the attack. This time Alpha-5 was ready. His body flickered with energy, and it gained a ghostly silver aura. Jason charged at him, but his body passed right through the robot's form. He stumbled and fell against the opposite wall. He rolled over onto his back and stared in disbelief at the robot. Alpha- 5's body flickered with energy again and the ghostly aura disappeared. It turned around and stared into Jason with it's single red eye. Jason's courage was waning, and he could not muster it this time. He staggered to his feet and ran as fast as he could further down the hall, clutching his biker's helmet in his hand. He was heading to where he remembered the vehicles of the sheltered were kept, and was aiming to grab his motorcycle and driving out of the shelter. He planned to keep driving, heading as far away as possible. I'm leaving this nightmare, he thought, I'll be safe, as long as I can get to my bike. That blasted Machina won't be able to follow me then. There wasn't any doubt in his mind what he was going to do. This is, until he saw what was left of the vehicle storage bay. It was a vast wasteland of mangled alloys, tires, and it was home to another massive crater. The hole in the ceiling cast a light down into the room, and it glinted off a stack of rock and metal that pilled up underneath the opening. "No," he muttered, "no. No. No." His plan ruined, he was near to giving up. The sound of Alpha's limp stride on the metal floor behind him, however, reminded him that he still valued his life. With that he ran for the pile of rubble, climbing on it he made for the opening in the ceiling. The masses of junk under his feet gave way many times, but he managed to climb to the top. He stumbled out from the hole and climbed out into the open. A red hue was passed over the street that he found himself in, as it was now early morning. He collapsed to his hands and knees in exhaustion. His thoughts of rest were interrupted by the heavy metal footfalls on pavement approaching him. The figure in front of him stopped. Jason knew it was much larger than the small robot following him. He closed his eyes and began to pray, thinking this was a larger Machina coming to finish him off. "Get off the ground," a rugged voice said, with a digital muffle to his voice, like someone speaking through a radio, "You're not going to die." Jason opened his eyes and stopped his chanting and looked upwards, sitting up. For a moment he could not believe his eyes. The figure in front of his was completely clad in bulky black armor from head to toe. The armor was like an extra skin, the segments of the armor defining his human muscle structure. Over the armor he was wearing a black cloak, whose hood was drawn back, but the folds framed the intimidating frame of his helmet. The helmet was what Jason noticed first, he had seen the shape of the visor before, he was familiar with the black horns that struck out from the sides of the helmet. He recognized everything down to the jaw-like mouthpiece. "What's the matter buddy?" spoke the massive man in the armor, "Didn't you ever watch TV as a kid? Don't you know who I am?" Jason nodded. "Your." he began, but he couldn't form the rest of the words due to his awe and disbelief. "Yep," the man chuckled, his armor clunking together as he did so, then he said proudly yet grimly, "Ten years ago I was known as a Power Ranger."