Chapter 7 - Rocky

October 5th, 1994

The sun was just rising as they left Ninjor's temple, and Rocky was feeling strangely refreshed. There was an inner peace that had come over him that he hadn't felt in a very long time. There was also a well of power, and strength that he could feel flowing within him, and for the first time he honestly started to think that they had a chance of winning.

The group was fairly relaxed as they all walked out, and Rocky could understand why. They were Power Rangers now. They felt invincible. He knew that he was the only one who was thinking about the fates of the original team – everyone else, he was sure, was just thinking of the ways that they could defeat Rita now that they had these extra powers.

But Rocky knew better than anyone the evils that Rita was capable of. He'd seen them first hand, witnessed so many atrocities that it was hard for him to think of anything else.

Adam and Gene were halfway through an elaborate plan to storm the moon and rescue Kimberly, when Angela held up a hand.

"Hold it," she said. "Does anyone else hear something?"

"I do," Gene said, one hand moving to touch the symbol on his chest. "I smell it too."

The air crackled around them, and the Evil green Ranger and a swarm of Z-Putties appeared.

"Well, well, well," the Green Ranger drawled. "So somehow you've found yourselves some Power Coins." Rocky could almost see him smirking underneath the mask. "Still," the Green Ranger continued. "I've got to congratulate you on your questionable taste in Power Rangers," he said, as he looked at Rocky. "Although I'm sure that my Empress would thank you, for you have given us another Ranger."

"What do you mean?" Adam said, stepping in front of Rocky protectively.

The Green Ranger just laughed, and raised his Dagger to his helmet.

The music was unlike anything that Rocky had ever heard before. There was something about it that was compelling, seductive. He had heard the Green Ranger play the Dragon Dagger before, but this time was different.

He moved without understanding why he was doing so, until he realized that he was standing beside the Green Ranger. He could see the look of hurt in Adam's eyes, and a part of him wanted to cry out, to run back to Adam, but the power of the Evil Green Ranger held him steady.

July 10th, 1994

Rocky had long ago stopped screaming. It wasn't a way of defying the Empress, to not let her and her minions hear how badly they were hurting him. It was more that his throat had so long ago gone raw that he simply lacked the ability to scream. He had been the favored target for months now, ever since Adam had escaped.

He didn't blame Adam. Rocky would have run too, if he'd had the opportunity. He'd been grateful that Scorpina hadn't looked to him for a replacement for Adam. That would have been even worse than the physical torture.

The last blow finally came, and for some reason there was music playing, and Rocky tried to get back on his feet. It hadn't been a bad beating, not in comparison to some of the other ones. That was how he judged things now, had been judging them.

He almost managed to stand, but he collapsed back to his knees. It hurt just to move, and his head was ringing with a mysterious melody.

He was dragged roughly to his feet, and the Green Ranger was staring down at him. He didn't know if the Green Ranger had been one of the ones who had been beating him, it didn't matter either.

"Take him," the Green Ranger said coldly.

The putties dragged him up, and Rocky tried to regain his footing, but every time he nearly managed to steady himself, one of the Putties would hit him again, and he would fall.

He knew better than to ask where it was that they were taking him. He didn't want to be beaten again. He'd had enough of it for one day. He'd had enough of it for a lifetime, but there was no getting around that. He knew he would be beaten again, but maybe he could postpone it for a little while at least.

It was the first time that he'd left the camp in a very long time. When he thought about it, it was probably the first time he'd left the camp since he'd been captured. He didn't know for sure why they were taking him, but he had some suspicions. Some people had disappeared before – Adam's parents had been among them. They had been taken outside soon after Adam's escape, and he'd never seen them again. Some people thought that maybe they'd been moved to another camp, but Rocky assumed that they had been killed.

Maybe they were going to kill him now. He was almost looking forward to it.

He didn't know how long they had walked for, or rather how far he had been dragged for. It didn't matter anyway.

All he knew was that they finally stopped, and the Green Ranger was standing over him.

"I'm going to kill you now," the Green Ranger said, his voice devoid of all emotion. "You see, your former friends have been causing trouble for the Empress lately. Finding your body here in Angel Grove will serve as a good reminder that there are consequences for their actions."

So Adam, and maybe Aisha, were alive. They were still fighting. He was glad to know that after he'd lost so much, seen so many dead, at least some of them had survived. He could die happy, at least.

There was a sound, and he thought that he heard Aisha's voice, yelling his name. But it couldn't be. She wasn't actually here, she couldn't actually be here.

The Green Ranger's sword swung down at him, and he knew no more.

October 5th, 1994

Rocky found himself standing behind the Green Ranger. He tried to move back toward his friends, but he could not move.

"You really think that we just let you rescue him?" the Green Ranger said, sounding bemused. "We just happened to try and execute him in the spot where you were? And then I, of all people, would run at the sight of you? You are such fools."

His laugh was terrifying, and Rocky was filled with despair. Still, no matter how much he tried, he couldn't force himself to move back to his friends.

Rocky's outfit transformed into the traditional uniform of a Power Ranger. Like the Green Ranger, he had a shield. None of the other colors had one, at least not from what he remembered seeing on the TV.

The Green Ranger raised his Dragon Dagger to his lips, and all of the uncertainty that Rocky was feeling was gone. He would fight the Power Rangers, and he would destroy them.

"Hello, Adam," he said, his voice cold. All of the anger that he had felt when Adam had left him behind came to the forefront. Adam had known what was going to happen to him. This was all his fault.

"Rocky, man, you can't do this," Adam said. "You're not evil. You're one of us, part of the rebellion!"

"Please, Rocky," Aisha chimed in. "Come back to us."

"I am not one of you," Rocky said, launching himself at Adam, his saber appearing in his hand instantly.

Adam brought up his own sword to block, but he didn't attack back.

"I'm not going to fight you," Adam said, as he parried Rocky's blow.

Rocky didn't even notice that none of the other Rangers were fighting. They, like the Green Ranger, Scorpina, and Goldar, were watching their fight. All he could do was concentrate on the fight with Adam.

"Please," Adam was begging. "You can't do this. We're best friends."

"Friends don't leave each other behind," he said coldly, and even with the mask, he could see that Adam was visibly hurt by his words, and he failed to block Rocky's next blow. There was so much blood.

"Adam!" Aisha screamed. "Rocky, stop it!" She took a step forward, but Rocky held his sword up, preventing her from moving forward.

He laughed. "I don't see the point in killing you now," he said. "The Rangers died too quickly last time."

In a flash of white light, he teleported out.

Rocky had never been on the moon before. He felt the controls on him momentarily relax. It was at least easier for him to think now that he was away from the Green Ranger.

"Ah, my new Ranger is here!" a shrill and screeching voice said, and Rocky looked up only to see Empress Rita herself walking toward them, gesturing wildly with her magic wand. "Well?" she screeched. "Aren't you going to say anything?"

"I live only to serve you, Empress," Rocky heard himself say, as he bowed to her.

"Excellent!" Rita said. "Have Baboo take you to your new rooms. Tomorrow, we attack and destroy the rebellion once and for all!"

"Yes, my empress."

He mutely followed the monster. There was nothing he really could say or do – it didn't matter what he thought, he was going to have to obey.

This was worse than any of the beatings he had ever undergone. He wanted Adam and Aisha, or one of his other teammates. He wanted to feel the inner peace from only a few hours before, after getting the powers.

"This is your room, White Ranger," Baboo said, gesturing to a white door. "Since the spell we placed on you all those months ago ensures that you will be loyal to the empress, you can go wherever you like."

Rocky nodded, and entered the chamber that Baboo had gestured to. It was spacious, at least compared to the tiny room he had with the rebellion, or the cell that he had been forced to live in at his first time as Rita's guest.

He sat down on the bed for a moment, but he wasn't willing to try and go to sleep. He tried to concentrate on the core of him, the part that held the power that Ninjor had given him. But no matter how hard he tried to get up and run, he couldn't.

Instead, he thought that he could at least try and walk around. He had been given permission to do that.

Leaving his room, he was surprised to see that he was unguarded. He guessed that wasn't too surprising – Rita had nothing to fear from him as long as he was compelled to obey her.

He turned down the hallway, and he wished there was some more light. The whole palace that he had seen so far was dank and depressing, and fit with the mood that he was in. There were more doors in this wing than he thought there would be – Rita couldn't have that many people, but maybe some of them were other slaves.

One of the doors was green. That had to be the Green Ranger's room. Rocky didn't really want to see him. He passed that one by. He had no desire to interact with him again, ever.

So he kept walking. The next door was in pink, and Rocky stopped suddenly. It couldn't be.

Ninjor had said the Pink Ranger was still alive.

He walked over to the door, which opened as he approached. Unlike the other rooms, it was well lit.

There was very little furniture in the room, just an absolutely giant bed. A girl about his age was lying there, curled up in a ball.

"Kimberly?" he asked hesitantly.

"Not another one," she said, emotion barely registering. If anything, she sounded resigned.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Rocky promised her, making sure that he stayed within her line of sight, but he made no move to approach her.

Kimberly laughed bitterly. She sounded like Adam, or himself. "Right," she said. "I've heard that one before."

"I'm Rocky DeSantos," he said. "I am…" The pain started again, although it was weaker than it had been before, so he changed what he was saying. "I was with the resistance."

"Was?" she said harshly.

Rocky bowed his head. "The Green Ranger put some sort of spell on me. I betrayed them."

She scooted back from him a little bit.

"You're a Power Ranger," she said suddenly.

Rocky looked down at himself, and realized that he was still wearing the Ninja outfit from when Ninjor had given them their powers.

"Yes," he said.

"Get away from me," she said dully. "It's bad enough that I'm here. Just… go."

Rocky turned and left.

*

He was barely a minute away from Kimberly's room when the Green Ranger stopped by. At least that was who he assumed it was. This was the first time that he had ever seen the Green Ranger unmorphed, but from the way that he was walking, there was nobody else that he could be.

"You stay away from Kimberly," the Green Ranger said. "She doesn't belong to you."

Rocky desperately wanted to say that she didn't belong to him either, but the words died in his throat, and instead he nodded his head.

"Whatever you say," he answered, managing not to add "Sir" to it.

"Go back to your quarters," the Green Ranger told him. "And stay there until we're ready to attack. You'll be instrumental in destroying your friends," he added smugly.

Rocky had no choice but to do as he was told.

October 6th, 1994

Rocky hadn't slept well at all, which wasn't surprising. He didn't want to go fight Adam and Aisha. He'd been best friends with them since they were four. And he'd become close to Angela and Gene over the last few months as well. They had rescued him before, after all. Even after what he'd nearly done to them, they would have to forgive him

He needed help. And hopefully, he could get that help from the one person on the moon who could truly understand him…

"Kimberly," he said as he reached her quarters. She was still sleeping, curled up on the bed, and he could see a fresh bruise on her cheek.

"Just leave me alone," she said, her voice slightly slurred.

He walked over to her, pulling out the pink coin. Every step he took toward her was pure agony, as the spell tried to stop him. But he couldn't let it. He was not going to let Rita win. He wasn't going to hurt anyone else again.

"Here," he said as he handed it to her, the last bits of the spell breaking up as he did so. "I have something for you."