She cuddled closer to him, placing an arm around his waist.  He took to holding her around the shoulder.  Comfort came very little these days. 

Andros looked to his right.  A tall man with long brown hair, pulled into a ponytail, held onto a medium height blond.  She covered her eyes, her head buried in his shoulder, her own shoulders shaking lightly.  A dark-haired Asian man patted her back softly before the dark hand of a Black woman joined in. 

Another Black woman walked up, covering her distinctly foreign clothing with a raincoat and hugged the Asian man.  Another dark-haired man stood behind them, head held low as he kept the umbrella poised over them. 

The sound of a car pulling up caused Andros and Ashley Hammond to look over their shoulders.  Cassie Chan got out first, followed by T.J Johnson.  The back doors opened.  A rather muscular dark-haired man got out, holding out his hand to help a lithe auburn-haired beauty.  Her eyes were red and she looked like she was holding back, trying to look strong but failing miserably.

Another car, a black Chevrolet, pulled up right behind them.  Carlos Valertes got out the driver’s side while Zhane climbed out the passenger side.  From the back, two people got out: a Black man with a shorn head and a long-haired Asian woman.  The Asian woman ran to the auburn-haired woman, hugging her tightly.  Tears streamed down both of their cheeks, meshing with the rainwater as it hit their faces.

They all stood in the rain, letting the heat of the Californian sun dissipate into the air. 

Jason Lee Scott, Trini Kwan, Zack Taylor, Kimberly Hart, Tommy and Katherine Oliver, Aisha Campbell-Mfume, Rocky De Santos, Adam Park, Tanya Sloane, Justin Stewart stood alongside the Alien Rangers (Cestro, Delphine, Corcus, Aurico, and Tideus) and Billy Cranston, who was accompanied by Cestria.  Trey, Prince of Triforia, draped in his royal robes of mourning, stood next to an equally styled Dex, the Masked Rider and prince of Edenoi. 

The Blue Senturion made sure that the rain didn’t rust out the Alphas – 5 and 6.  He placed a small device on 6 and activated it, a blue forcefield shielding them from the rain.

Lerigot, protected by the cloak of Auric the Conqueror, burbled slightly in that alien language of his, eyes filling with tears at the solemn occasion.

Ninjor, in particular, kept quiet.  He cut off all contact with the Rangers after the Orb of Doom incident, for reasons that only Ninjor and Zordon knew.

Zordon was gone.

Just like that, the greatest flame for good was extinguished, a desperate bid to rid the universe of the evil of Dark Specter.  The bid paid off – at a cost that seemed high to some.

Another car pulled up.  All in attendance turned to see this vehicle - a black and gold Lincoln Navigator - stop next to the other cars.  The door opened, revealing a tall Black man, eyes hidden by dark shades.  He closed his overcoat, pulling an umbrella from behind his seat and stepping out towards them.

Most kept quiet, looking at the tall man as he passed by them, silently.  Tommy stepped away from the group, despite the subdued protests of Adam, Rocky, Tanya and, particularly, Katherine.  With a reassuring glance at them, they quieted down.  Andros raised his eyebrow, watching as Tommy came up to the man.

“Tommy.”

“Why are you here?”

Sean removed his shades, folding them and setting them in his jacket’s inner pocket.  “Not here, Tommy.  Not now.”

“Why are you here?”  He repeated, the timber in his voice growing slightly icy.

“To pay my respects to a great man, although that should be obvious.”

“Respect?”  Tommy’s face contorted in incredulity.  “You insulted him the last time you saw him!”

“Lower your voice, Tommy.”  Sean continued in his even, low voice.  “Let’s not make this a spectacle like last time.”

“Look, Sean, I don’t want trouble, either.  But I don’t think you should be here.”

Sean raised an eyebrow.  “You would deny me the chance to say goodbye to him, wouldn’t you?  Are you so petty that you would…?”

Tommy grabbed Sean by the lapels of his coat.  Luckily, Kat had made her way over, pulling on Tommy’s arm.

“Let him go, Tommy!”  She loudly whispered.  “Don’t make a scene!”

With quiet resolve, Sean stood there, letting Tommy manhandle him.  He made no move.  His face showed no emotion.  Finally, with a little bit of effort, Kat pried Tommy’s hands loose.

“Not here,” she whispered, eyes filling with tears.

Tommy looked at her and then back at Sean before looking back at her, nodding.  He placed his hand on her waist, guiding her away from Sean.  Kat didn’t even look at Sean as she walked away.

“Wonder what that was about,” Aisha whispered to Adam.

“Hey,” Ashley’s voice broke through to Andros from his contemplation of the preceding situation.  “I think they are about to start.”

Dimitria walked up to the podium that had been set up.  They stood outside, near the remains of the Command Center/Power Chamber, the base of operations for all previous incarnations of the Power Rangers against the forces of evil. 

“He will be sorely missed.  Thank you all for coming.”

Her voice died down, as she turned away from the podium.  Everyone kept quiet, paying their final respects to him.

Sean made his way past the crowd towards his vehicle.  He opened the back, pulling out a canister of some kind.  Walking back, he placed it down on the ground.

Slowly, the pieces of mortar and stone lifted from the ground.  Moving his hands in a manner, Sean conducted their movements.  Anyone close enough to Sean could feel the air starting to heat.  The rain evaporated from the stones.  Soon, the stones turned into molten balls of lava, which Sean melded together to form a huge mass.

A shape started to take form as the lava reached out for the ground.  Those in attendance watched as it formed into a pedestal of some kind with four spires reaching upwards towards the heavens.  Sean slowly let the temperature come down, not too fast or the stone would crack.

When he was finished, a stone statue stood over the area where the Power Chamber rested.  A familiar looking lightning bolt decorated its base.

Sean leaned over to pick up the canister.  He levitated up, the canister in hand.  Unscrewing the cap, he emptied the contents into slightly concave bowl that had also been formed.  It sat in the very center of the statue.  When the thick orange liquid had been poured in, Sean floated back down to the ground.  He took a step or two back, gesturing for the others to do so.

Sean gasped, grabbing at his chest as pain wracked his body.  Unable to maintain cohesion, the Gold Ranger persona melted away from the form of Sean who stood there.  An auric outline of the Gold Rhino Ranger floated above the group, a ghostly afterimage of the power this man once possessed.  The ethereal helmet seemed to look down at Sean then to the other Rangers before the monument of Zordon.  A moment's pause and then it turned to the sky, disappearing as it hit the clouds. 

The rain stopped and Sean looked up at the flame, tears rolling down the young man’s cheek.  He fell to his knees.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered to no one.  “I’m sorry.”

He repeated the phrase, interlocking his fingers in a praying position.  A minute later, Dimitria came over to place her hands on his shoulders.  “It’s all right, Sean,” her soft voice came.  “He knows.  I’m sure he knows.”