Author's Note: This story is completely out of line with Power Rangers. It's supposed to happen after this great, final war between the Machine Empire and the Power Rangers, after the Zeo Rangers have retired. The plotline is that the Zeo Rangers come back to Angel Grove, California, when they learn that the Machine Empire is still living, and they return to active duty to fight the remaining machines. During the Final Battle, Rocky DeSantos, previous Zeo Blue Ranger, falls unconscious and into a coma and does not awake for five years. The mild shipping is Adam/Aisha.

Into the Night

Adam Park walked quietly down the blank white corridors, his feet leading him along the familiar path to Angel Grove's Long Term Care Ward. He stopped briefly before his destination, staring at the golden number eleven and feeling a pang of sadness and guilt; guilt because he hadn't visited in almost a year, sadness because... well...

Adam opened the door without knocking. No one ever came to visit anymore, no one but him and Aisha, and Aisha, well; he knew where she was right now. Adam grabbed one of the chairs by the door and dragged it to his friend's bedside, sitting down before speaking. "Hello Rocky." Rocky, as always, failed to answer, just as he'd failed to respond to anything said or done in the last five years since that final, fateful battle with evil.

Adam took a moment to look at his best friend, once so full of life and energy, now, pale and silent, trapped in an unnatural sleep. 'A coma,' the doctors said, 'could wake up at any time.' Three years ago, they'd changed it to, 'There's still hope.' On his last visit, one of the nurses told him, away from the doctors, tears threatening her eyes, 'He'll probably never wake up.'

The nurses kept him clean, healthy, fed, but nothing could bring back that spark, that one thing that would wake him up and make him Rocky again.Adam leaned forward, resting his elbows on the edge of the bed. "Sorry I haven't been by to see you. I've been a bit busy." Adam smiled slightly as he thought of the reason. "Aisha and I, we've just become parents." Adam's smile widened as he thought of his wife of five years, resting downstairs. "A healthy baby boy. I hope you don't mind, we've named him Rocky. Rocky Eduardo Park. Just seemed right somehow,"

Rocky's breathing was the only sound, deep and even. Sometimes, Adam wondered if that was the way it had always been.

After a while, he could take it no longer. "Anyway, what else? Oh! Tommy finally worked up the courage and asked Kat to marry him. She was so happy and she nearly knocked over Aisha when they came over to tell us. They both miss you, " he said quietly, "They both said that the only thing that would make their wedding absolutely perfect was if you were here."

"I haven't heard from Kim and Jason since theyhad their third child a few months ago. I suspect they're busy right now, with parenting, and don't have that much time to talk to us. But that's expected when you're a parent," Adam said, filling in the void.He smiled bitterly, thinking that years ago,Rocky would have been the one filling in the silence. "I heard that Tanya got married to some childhood friend she knew in Africa. Justin graduated with honors from Harvard. The dean said that he might get a teaching position there next year.Zack and Angela are planning to move to Paris to promote Zack's music. Carlos sent me a letter about two months ago, saying that Cassie and T.J. had their second child. And Andros and Ashley are still happily married, with their four, beautiful kids. Everyone's been so busy. I don't think we've ever been this busy, even when we were Power Rangers. It's kind of funny, actually."

Somewhere, further along in the ward, someone let out a bloodcurdling shriek. The noise made Adam's skin crawl. "Don't know how you can stand it here, Rocko. This place gives me a great case of the creeps sometimes." Adam sat staring at his prone friend, hoping that against all odds, today would be the day he'd awake to greet the world again.

"Oi, I haven't told you about Billy yet, have I?" an optimist as ever, he waited for a 'Why no Adam, you haven't,' or even a negative headshake. When none was forthcoming, he continued on determinedly. "He finally came back from Aquitar. He and Cestria realized that they never did love each other. They weren't compatible at all, Billy thought he fell in love with her because she had helped him restore his age properly, and Cestria was disillusioned by this false pretense of love to an Earthling.She actually loves Cestro, and was just trying to make him jealous bylatching onto Billy. They finally came to the conclusion that they couldn't pretend anymore. They wanted to stop all the lies and the dishonesty and they both agreed to separate. So Billy came back to Angel Grove. Back home."

For a few moments, silence reigned as Adam struggled to find another piece of news to impart to his unusually quiet friend. A knock on the door startled Adam; he stood quickly, knocking the chair over in surprise. A terrified looking nurse was peering into the room. Adam realized he had taken a defensive stance and immediately dropped it with what he hoped was an apologetic smile.

"Mr. Park?" she squeaked.

Adam nodded in conformation.

"Your wife is asking for you."

"Is anything wrong?" A million thoughts flitted through Adam's brain, everything from, 'She's realized she doesn't really love me,' to 'We could be under attack.'

"Oh, no sir. She's just worried. You've been gone over an hour. She says she's ready to go home."

Adam relaxed, and, pulling up his sleeve, glanced at his watch, a past anniversary present from Aisha. Time spent with Rocky always seemed to move in strange ways. The glance at his watch revealed that he had been absent from his wife's side for nearly an hour and a half.

"Thank you. Would you be so kind as to tell her I'll be right there?" Adam asked with all the politeness he could muster. The nurse nodded, leaving him alone with Rocky once more.

Adam turned back to his slumbering friend. "Well, I don't know when I'll be back, what with the kids and all. So..." he paused awkwardly. He always hated this, the leaving. "If you don't want to wake up, then I hope at least you have pleasant dreams,"A single tear trickled down his cheek. "I wish that you could be here to see everything that's been going on in our lives, but I know that you still are watching us. You'll always be with us in spirit, Rocky. Don't forget that."

He carefully put the visitor's chair back where he'd gotten it. As he was about to leave, something made him turn back. "Good-bye, Rocky."

Adam's son had been born September 18th, just a day before his best friend's birthday. He had spent the day with his wife and new son, leaving only after the doctors insisted his wife rest. He decided to spend the time visiting with Rocky, catching up on the news. When Adam left, he'd expected to be Rocky's last visitor for the day, but there was one more person waiting to see Rocky.

At 11:59 p.m., a misty shape began to form beside Rocky's bed. At exactly 12:00 a.m., September 19th, every machine set up to help keep Rocky alive, failed, just as the mist began to resemble a very familiar person.

"Rocky?" the voice of Zordon, not heard for many a year, filled the silent room. "It's time to go, Rocky."

If anyone had been there to see, they would have seen Rocky DeSantos make his first independent movement in five years.Rocky DeSantos, a former Power Ranger and hero who courageously saved his friends- only to fall into a deep coma, smiled in his sleep.

"Let's go home."

Zordon faded once more into the ether, takingtheformer Blue Zeo Ranger with him. So it was at 12:01 a.m., September 19th, on his 26th birthday, that Rocky DeSantos died.