Riley yawned as he leaned against the counter, eyes drooping, he'd been out of it all week and it had only been getting worse. He lifted his hand to rub his face and realised it shaking, something violent and unmissable as his world started to fade in and out.

"Wow!" Tyler's arms were suddenly around him, saving him from crashing into the floor and he couldn't stop himself leaning forward, nuzzling into the red ranger's neck, falling asleep instantly.

"Riley, Riley!" The red ranger shook his friend a little and didn't get any response, feeling his stomach drop and heart leap into his throat. He scooped the smaller ranger up and carried him through the dark museum and down to the base, using the door over the slide for once.

"Kendall!"

"It's Ms-" She cut herself off with a gasp. "What happened?"

Tyler placed him on the examination table, looking at his team mate with worry.

"I don't know, he's been off since the fight with Poisandra last week, but we just thought he was tired, Chase said he hadn't been sleeping well thanks to dreams of some kind. We were just finishing up cleaning and he passed out." The dark haired teen sighed as he explained, concern for their youngest member swirling through him.

He almost missed Kendall calling the others as he looked at the southerner, Riley was his family, someone he couldn't imagine losing just like any member of the team and they had no clue right now what was wrong with him.

The whole team gathered around, everyone of them trying to thing of what changed, what could have caused this because even nightmares weren't enough. Keeper emerged from somewhere within the base.

No one could make heads or tails of it and not once did Riley so much as stir.

Hey Baby Raptor, you're wasting the day away, you always hate it when I do that.

Come on lazy bones, time to open those pretty eyes of yours.

Koda said he misses you reading out loud for him, I miss your voice as well, I think we all do.

Tyler called your Mom earlier, she knows about us being rangers now, she's on her way here.

We could have really used you today, the monster was Mazedone, like Puzzler's cousin. That beautiful brain of yours would have wiped the floor with him.

Shelby had to do the in voices for the cafe today, took her three times as long as it does for you.

Kendall called in some help from past rangers, you'd love them. They're just as big of geeks as you are, they'd actually be able to keep up with that amazing mind of yours.

I miss you so much, I miss the way your eyes light up when your happy, the way you look when your figuring out a puzzle. The way you smile and light up a room and everything about you.

Please baby wake up, please.

Riley hadn't so much as twitched for over a week and every member of the team could feel it like a weight and at the same time they were watching as Chase wasted away. He was getting thinner and paler as time went on, eyes looking sunken with dark bruises surrounding them from the lack of sleep. The most telling thing of all however was the dust gathering on the skate board, propped besides the golden sword and the tennis ball machine.

Chase was dying inside and if Riley didn't wake up soon, they may loose him forever, not even calls from his family did anything to help him and looking at the Kiwi was physically painful.

They'd all given up trying to drag him away from his boyfriends bedside and focused on getting him to eat as much as possible, which was so very little. The most successful so far had been Cam (the former ranger and current samurai had been through something similar with his own boyfriend) and Casey (a former red and more importantly Riley's cousin)

Every attack Heckyl sent the rangers way was getting harder as they had to carry more of the strain from their two downed rangers. Casey had sent his tiger out to help them more then once and it had been invaluable.

"Come on." Casey dragged the Kiwi up and he didn't have the strength to fight the martial arts master. Luckily for him Casey didn't try to talk him into anything, merely made him walk and the fresh air made the emotions well up in him again as he fought back tears. He felt like he was a knife's edge from breaking.

They were walking through the park, one that the rangers often went to when Chase felt somebody bump into him. The grabbed his wrist so hard he hissed, jerking away and rubbing at the skin where mails had dug in.

He turned and saw Kaylee stood there and the blond girl looked him over for a minute, calculating and assessing before vicious grin spread over her lips.

"I see your little bitch isn't keeping you happy, such a shame." The girl laughed before waltzing off and Chase didn't have the strength to be angry, not any more. Casey was doing that for him but rather than confront the girl he pulled the black ranger along, away from the park and towards the Kiwi's home.

Chase didn't fight as Casey made him take a shower and then the tiger had him bundled into bed, it was the first time he'd slept for more then an hour since Riley had fallen into his own slumber, but it still wasn't a restful one.

Chase twisted and turned through out the night, whimpering and begging, reaching out for someone who wasn't there before finally becoming dead to the world around him.