Disclaimer: Don't own them, don't sue. Got no money to pay if you did so don't wast my time, your time and a judges time trying, k?

A.N: Sorry for the long delay between chapters. I've been on holiday in Mallorca for the past 10 days with no internet or computer access. All reviews appreciated, I know this isn't perfect so help is always sought after.

Reviews: This is just a little note to each of my reviewers.

Ahem: Thankyou for your comments about research. Unfortunately I do not have as much time as I would like to complete research and I am doing my best in the short time I have available. As you may notice I have edited this AN as I looked back and realised I totaly went overboard and blew my top. I apologise for that as I took my feelings out on you which were caused by an entirely different inccident. I hope you continure to read this story - if you are actually enjoying it that is - and I would prefer it if you voiced your opinions in a polite way. No-one likes flames but if you do continue to voice your opinions in such a way I will deal with them as best I can. I think we should, and by that I mean everyone involved in this, leave it where it is before it escalates even further than it already has. You are entitled to you opinion and everyone else theirs.

Lil Sweetie: Thankyou so much for your reviews. It's nice to know I have some people out their willing to stick up for me and who enjoy my work. It is vey much appreciated. Ahem had no right to say what they did to you so please just ignore it. As Ren pointed out, you are actually correct.

Ren: Hun, I cannot find the words to thankyou enough for sticking up for me. You have helped so much with the writing of this, and my other PR stories, that I know what I write would be much worse if it wasn't for your help. You've been a great source of knowledge to me and have answered all my questions to the best of you ability and you have saved me much precious time in researching. Thankyou for the confidence boost and all the valid points you made. Plus, thanks once again for opening my eyes to my now favourite PR couple.

TrueRomantic: Sorry hun, I'm sure I made this clear in teh begining but I ship Tommy/Jase and this is Tommy/Jase. If you want Kim/Tommy you'll have to check out my up and coming story called Acceptance which has Kim/Tommy as a sideline pairing. I hope you'll continue o read however as Kim does crop up in this, as does Kat an some other former rangers.

WesEric: I'm glad you like the story and here is the next chapter.

WhiteDino: It's been a while since you reviewed but I just wanted to say I'm glad you like the story and as for Dr. O getting better, you'll have to read on and see.

jedi4jesus19: I'm glad oyu like the story and that you find the explanations up to scratch. I hope you continue reading and enjoy the next chapter.

Amnesia Part Three: Connections

"Get the hell away from me! Who are you? Hayley? What the bloody hell is going on? Where on earth am I?" Tommy's voice was laced with a nervous edge of fear which none of them had ever seen before. Tommy never got afraid. Nothing scared him whatsoever. That was what made him such a good leader, he didn't fear things he just embraced them head on. If he had to jump into a swirling vortex of time, he would. If he had to dive in front of a truck to save some kids, he would. Nothing fazed him. Nothing ruffled his feathers or made him the slightest bit afraid, until now – as far as they knew. This Tommy who had roused a few minutes previously was certainly not the Dr. Thomas "Tommy" Oliver they all knew and loved. This was the real Tommy, the hidden Tommy, the Tommy, Tommy kept away from all the others in order to help keep up this façade of the invincible, unbreakable leader. This was Thomas Oliver – the human.

"Tommy clam down okay," Hayley soothed as best she could trying to keep the fear in her heart from stumbling out into her words, "You took a nasty blow to the head and you've been unconscious for a while. You're in the lair; the lair down in your basement."

Had Tommy not known and loved Hayley like a sister he would have knocked her out for using such a patronising tone and speaking so slowly. He was not an imbecile he was just god damn confused. That and the fact he was relying on her to explain the present situation were the only things preventing him from taking his desired course of action. Like; why was he dressed only in his boxers in front of three of the students from his science class and a random, nervous looking man with sandy blonde hair who kept fiddling with dials?

"Hayley, please explain to me precisely what the hell is going on. This is not my basement for starters so where on earth are we. Secondly, why are Kira, Ethan and Conner from my science class here? Then why don't you introduce me to your friend in blue with the nervous twitch over there." Grumbling slightly Tommy flung out at arm to indicate to Billy who was about to mutter a reply of "I don't have a twitch" but decided against it.

Watching carefully from the side of the bed as Tommy wrapped the blankets tightly around his morphed form Hayley couldn't decided between laughing or crying. Crying because she was just about ready to break down with the stress of this or laughing because the site of Tommy fully morphed in blankets was just hilarious. Yep she could just see all the kids who idolised the Black Ranger really taking to this new form of bravery. Hey kids, best way to fight evil dinosaur style creatures is to wrap yourself up in blankets and curl yourself up into a ball because you secretly think you are going crazy. Yep, that'll definitely catch on. Latest Ranger craze here we come.

Somewhere behind her Hayley could hear a slight snicker coming from one of the rangers. Curiosity soon got the better of her and she turned just in time to see Kira smack Conner upside the head. He gave Kira a dirty looked as she gave Hayley an apologetic smile before witnessing her turning back round with a weary shake of the head.

Breathing in deeply Hayley braced herself for an onslaught of derogatory comments from Tommy. He never was the most cooperative of people, this was only intensified if he didn't understand what was going on and she knew he hated participating in useless and pointless events. The characteristics of Tommy's personality she had once found endearing and had caused her to bond with him so well were now coming back to bite her in the ass. Bite her very hard for that matter.

"Okay, let's try this a little differently. Tommy can you tell me today's date?"

"I'm not an idiot Hayley," noticing the slightly pissed off look forming on both Hayley and Kira's faces Tommy relented, from somewhere in his past experiences he knew it was better to go along with such things rather than fight women such as that but for the life of him he couldn't remember where, or who from, he had first learnt that, "Fine, fine, today's date is the twenty-fourth of April and it's a Friday. Happy now, Hayley?"

"Not quite."

Tommy bit his tongue to stop him muttering something about women and never being satisfied. He was too cranky right now to be on the end of Hayley ranting. Besides Kira would only join in and from the way she acted in class, that wasn't a good thing.

""Just give me a quick, and I mean quick – just something short and brief is all I'm asking for – account of your life up until this point," Tommy looked at her incredulously as if she had just grown an extra head or possibly a tail or some other form of abnormality,"No need to be worried Tommy, you are among friends and it's just standard procedure after sustaining a head wound as serious as yours."

Hmm, my head does hurt a little, Tommy mused silently to himself before shifting uncomfortably on the small gurney. Okay that was an understatement, it hurts a lot. Who decided to allow the brass band to play inside my head because who ever did is so getting their ass kicked. This really isn't funny. Maybe if I act sweet and innocent – yeah like I could ever pull that off – Hayley might get me some clothes and a huge dose of Tylenol or something.

"Fine I was born on May the fourth in 1980 and was put up for adoption. At some point I was adopted by Dr. Martha Oliver and Jake Oliver. I grew up in Los Angeles and despite having a great family and parents I went off the rails a bit. Got in with a bad crowd, you know the same old story and LA street kid will tell you. So we moved to Angel Grove where I finished up high school before going to college in Seattle to study palaeontology. I got my degree and came to teach at Reefside High. Those details satisfy you desire to know every little detail for my life?"

"Almost," She could tell he was getting frustrated with this by the way he kept pulling the blanket tighter round him self as if for security or protection, "Can you tell me a bit more about when you were living in Angel Grove. Maybe something like who your friends were or what you did in your spare time? Please Tommy; just humour me a little bit longer, okay?"

"Hmm, okay then. Right in my spare time I guess I practised karate. When I was a teenager it practically ruled my life."

"What about your friends?" Billy piped up daring to move closer to the bed once again, "Do you remember much about them." Do you remember much about me or the others, he added silently to himself.

Tommy appeared to be racking his brains for a few moments before looking from each of the people in the room with a truly terrified look filling his soulful brown eyes. "N…no," He stuttered, "That isn't normal, is it? I had friends, I know I did. I'm sure I did. Why can't I remember them? Why can't I remember who they are? What the hell is wrong with me Hayley? Why am I in this weird place? What can't I remember?"

Tommy's voice rose steadily as he got more anxious. His panic stricken eyes darted around the room terrified of what they were seeing. His knuckles were turning white with the pressure of clutching the blankets so tightly to his chest but he was the only one who could see that. He was the only one who could see his semi-naked body. He was the only one who could see the deep cuts that scarred his body and the dark purple bruising beginning to form and create patterns over his skin. Tentatively he place a hand no his torso and ran a cautious finger down the large slash mark on his torso. He could see it, he could see his hand touching it but he couldn't feel it. What the hell was happening to him? Why was no-one helping him? Here he was, sat in a strange room he had never seen before with a strange man he had never met before not remembering things he was sure he should have been able to remember whilst looking as if someone had decided to use him as a piñata or a pin cushion and no-one was doing anything except asking him stupid questions and looking at him weirdly.

Suddenly his eyesight became fuzzy and he couldn't quite make Hayley out as well as he should have. Of course that wasn't helped by whoever was spinning him around. Or was that the room just spinning around him? He couldn't be sure which, either way he was soon becoming light headed and extremely over heated. Given a minute or two more he felt ready to collapse into an exhausted heap on the bed. Something pulled him out of his silent reverie as he felt a gentle tugging on the blankets he held firmly in his grip. Looking up he squinted and focused as hard as he could until he could make Kira out relatively clearly. She was smiling reassuringly at him and whispering soothing words but he wasn't exactly sure what she was saying because the damn ringing in his ears was masking her voice.

"Come on Dr. O; let me have the blankets now. You are getting a bit too hot and it's not making you feel well so I'm going to take them for a little bit, just until you cool down, then you can have them back again. Okay?" Nodding reluctantly Tommy released his grip on them slowly and allowed her to ease them out from around his body. He wasn't quite sure how he could over-heat in just his boxers but he sure felt hot. Right now he couldn't give a damn about modesty as the waves of nausea which kept flooding over him seemed to take more of his focus than his pride and dignity. As Kira turned away from him he strained to hear what she was whispering to the group.

"Couldn't we at least unbuckle his helmet? He doesn't seem to be able to see the suit so it's not likely he's going to get himself out of it anytime soon." He voice was hushed and full of raw emotion. Could he detect a hint of worry in her tone?

"Kira I would have already done that if it was possibly but Hayley put a special lock on the suits when she first designed them which means only the wearer can remove any item of it. It was supposed to stop Messagog or one of his minions like Elsa or Zeltrax getting in. Not to mention to help us keep our identities secret by stop the public from unmasking if we collapse during a battle. Shame we never thought about it keeping us out at the time," Ethan informed her as Hayley just ran a weary hand through her hair. Yep, she wasn't so pleased with he bright idea any more. Damn it; this day couldn't get any worse.

"What's going on guys?" Trent hollered down to them as he jogged down the steps into the basement lair." I spoke too soon,Hayley thought dryly to herself. This just gets better and better.

"Trent?" Tommy's head snapped up inquisitively as he recognised the voice and the young boy it was being emitted from. Part of him wanted to yell at him for the shouting but he knew it would only make his head throb even more so. "Tent, what are you doing here?"

"Dr. O are you okay? How is he Hayley?" Trent asked answering the question with a question, easily side stepping the original – slightly confusing – question.

Hayley silenced Trent with a glare and beckoned him over. "Look Ethan, Kira and Conner will explain because I don't have time to right now. Things aren't good, Trent, they couldn't be any further from it to be honest," Hayley seethed under her breath but sweetened her tone towards the end realising it wasn't fair of her to take out her frustrations on the poor, naïve younger Rangers.

Slowly she walked away from the group and started to head towards Billy who was rummaging though the metallic case he had brought with him. She really needed his advice on this. He would know what to do. He could fix this even if she couldn't. She was just about to tap him gently on the shoulder when Tommy decided to make his voice heard once again.

"Somebody better tell me what the hell is going on here, right now!" His yells echoed round the draughty basement lair and painfully he reached out and grabbed the blankets Kira had taken from him and wrapped himself up in them tightly once more.

Sighing, Hayley changed her path and walked cautiously across to him. She couldn't keep it from him any longer she had to tell him and she had to tell him now. The longer she waited the more violent he was becoming and when he got mad, Tommy really got mad. She kept reminding herself over and over again in her head that he was still the Tommy she knew and loved – somewhere in there – he just got a little lost along the way for a while and was extremely scared and confused. Gratefully accepting the computer chair Conner wheeled across for he she slumped down into it and pulled herself up close by Tommy's bed before taking his gloved hand in hers.

"Okay, Tommy, I've got a lot to tell you and a lot to explain to you but before I do I need you to promise me something. I need you to promise that you won't get mad or angry or violent and that you will try and stay calm and rational and listen to everything I have to say. Can you promise me that?"

"I… I can't promise that Hayley but I can try. I really will try," Tommy assured her as best he could. Part of him new that nothing good could come of what she had to say but he was too intrigued now, he just had to know what was going on.

"Okay, that will do," Slowly she released a long, shaky breath she hadn't even realised she was holding, "Tommy we think the reason you can't remember your friends and the things which happened in Angel Grove is because you have amnesia from a very nasty blow to the head…"

She was soon cut off by an impatient disbelieving Tommy, "Amnesia! No way! I can't have! I can still tell you what kind of birthday party I had when I was seven and what your favourite colour is Hales. If I had amnesia I wouldn't be able to remember anything at all, I wouldn't even know who I was. Besides how did I get a blow to a head? Is it how I got all these cuts and bruises? What is going on Hayley? Where the hell am I and what on earth is going on?"

"Tommy you have to believe me here, okay? You got hurt battling a monster called Zeltrax who works for the dinosaur lizard type monster which keeps attacking the city trying to get this gem," She pointed down to the morpher on his wrist which she had not get removed from him in the hopes of him being able to demorph, "You are a Power ranger Tommy. You have been since you were a teenager. First you were the Green Ranger in Angel Grove then you became the White Ranger then the Red Ranger before finally becoming the Black Dino Ranger here in Reefside. The kids are all on your team and that boy in blue is Billy; he was one of the first ever Power Rangers and you fought beside him saving the world from Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd. He's one of the people you think you should remember from you time in Angel grove but can't. He's one of your closest friends."

"You are insane Hayley, absolutely insane!" He yelled wrenching his hand from her grasp and moving as far away from her as he could on the narrow bed, "I'm not a Power ranger. I can't be. The Power rangers aren't even real. They are just some gimmick made up by huge corporate businesses to make good advertising for a load of tacky merchandise which rips kids off for all they've got. I can't be a Power Ranger, Hayley, because they don't exist! I always knew you were a bit kooky but I never imagined you to be full blown crazy. I'm no a freak Hayley, I can't be a Power Ranger."

"Yes you are Dr. O." assured Kira edging her way steadily closer still slightly apprehensive about the situation, "How else can you not feel it when you touch your skin? What other explanation is there for the fact you got over-heated when you clearly think all you are wearing is your boxer shorts? How else can you explain the fact that, if you tried, you couldn't eat anything or go to the bathroom? You are a Power Ranger, Dr. O, and there is no two ways about it."

"No I'm not!" Tommy yelled looking wildly from each person in the room to another with only the briefest of pauses. They all looked about as terrified as he felt, each one scared as to what he might do or how he might react. The only one not afraid of what he might do was Tommy, instead he was afraid of who he was supposed to be not he could possibly do. After all, the present is always more frightening than the future. Finally he looked up pleadingly at Billy, "Come on, tell them I'm not some kind of freak. You are supposed to have been my friend in high school; you should know I'm not some freak. I don't go running around in spandex pretending to save the world, I'm not crazy. I'm normal. Tell them that. Please! Please, tell them I'm not what they think I am! Tell them I'm normal."

Had they been able to see though the blacked-out visor of Tommy's helmet the group would have seen the tears stinging his eyes and rolling down his badly cut cheeks as he worked himself up and wound himself tighter and tighter. For the first time in their lives they would have seen Tommy Oliver look truly petrified, for at that moment in time he was confused and scared and deeply insecure.

"You just want me to think I'm some freak so you can call me crazy and throw me in the Looney bin with all the other crazies. You just want to laugh at me tell me I'm insane. You are just messing with my mind, trying to make me think I'm going insane but I won't let you. I won't let you screw my mind up. I won't let you, damn it! I'm not some crazy freak, I'm not! You are the crazy ones, you are, not me! I'm not a Power ranger and I'm not insane. I'm not!"

"Tommy just calm down okay, I really hoped it didn't have to come to this but I think you need to calm down and take a little nap okay so I'm going to give you something to make you feel sleepy, okay?" Billy did his best to soothe the terrified young man before him. He hated himself for having to do it but they could have Tommy awake and in this state. He could do some serious damage to them or himself.

Slowly he edged his way to the, now visibly shaking, young man who had been one of his closest friends for years. It was tearing him apart to see him like this but he had to do it. There was no other way to protect Tommy from himself. Billy caught the wide-eyed looks of the young rangers as they eyed the sterilized needle in his right hand but he knew that they understood why he had to do this. They saw the visible extent of his injuries and knew how badly Tommy needed to remain calm and still if they were ever going to heal without infection. The rookie Rangers didn't seem to be the only ones who had eyed the needle in his hand as Tommy sprung lightly off the bed and gracefully landed in a fighting stance with extreme ease for someone with such horrific injuries.

"Don't you dare come any where near me with that thing!" He lashed out and sent a kick to Billy's wrist causing the needle to drop from his hand and skid to a halt at Trent's feet a few meters away, "Come anywhere near me with that again and it wont be the needle I'm aiming for…argh."

He cried out in pain and grasped at the wall before sliding his back down it as a wave of pure pain washed through his body. He was aching and stinging all over, he could never remember feeling quite as much pain ever before in his life. Then again, he couldn't seem to remember much of his life –apparently.

Kira was the first to react and dived forwards grabbing the blankets as she went. She wrapped the blankets protectively around him as they seemed to give him some sense of security, most likely because he felt they covered him. After all, to himself he somehow appeared suit less. Carefully she pressed her hands against the suit to feel if she could feel any blood seeping through. If it was bad enough for her to notice it seeping through the thick black material then they would have to sedate him and somehow attempt to cut the clothes off him, no matter how impossible that was they would have to try, other wise he would end up bleeding to death trapped in his ranger suit and owing a friend twenty bucks. Kira couldn't help but laugh silently to herself how her mind remembered the most random of things at the most inappropriate of moments. She had just had a flashback to a battle a few weeks previously when she had jokingly comment that she would have to keep him alive at least until he reached his twenty-fifth birthday and he had replied by saying, "Yeah, 'cause there is no way I'm going to the afterlife owing … twenty bucks." At the time she hadn't caught the name but right now she really wished she had.

"Shh, it's okay Dr O. You just sit here and relax, okay? It's just sore because of those wounds you were telling u about earlier so you have to try and stay still and stop attacking people, okay? Good, I can tell you don't want me too near you right now so I'm going to go back over there and stand with the other whilst you calm down." Kira knew that had her teacher been in the right frame of mind she would, at one time, have gotten a rollicking for being so patronising to her elders and what scared her more than anything was the fact that she might never get that Tommy back.

Slowly Kira stood from her rather uncomfortable kneeling position on the floor and backed up towards then other, her eyes never leaving Tommy's rocking frame. It was tearing her up inside to see the once strong, independent leader who was known as the Ultimate Ranger be such a quivering wreck of confusion and angst. She felt herself bump gently into something and an arm wrap itself protectively around her shoulders. She hadn't realised how far back she had paced and had accidentally walked straight into Conner.

"Let's all go sit down for a bit and leave him o cool off for a little while," Conner suggested leading Kira back over to the sofas and sitting her down gently on them as she seemed to have forgotten how to move at all after that traumatic experience.

They were soon joined by Trent and Ethan who sat themselves on the opposite end of the couch to them. Neither boy spoke not for fear of what to say but more for a total loss of words. No-one knew how to react or think after such a terrible event. Not long after that an exhausted looking Hayley and a troubled Billy crashed out on the other sofa, Hayley curling up close to him for comfort he offered. They seemed to all sit there like that in silence for what felt like an eternity before they finally heard Tommy's breathing become steady and his mumblings fade out into just the occasional words whispered in his sleep. He had sat there, alone in the corner, not allowing anyone at all near him, rocking himself quietly to sleep as he silently cried out tears caused by a mixture of emotions. Pain, anger, confusion, angst, worry; they all contributed to his pitiful state of mind and body.

"Why am I the only one he'll let near him?" Kira's voice was soft and slightly raspy from being out of use for such a long period of time. It was almost as if she had forgotten how to speak and the others forgotten how to hear.

"He lets Hayley close to him as well," Ethan pointed out matter-of-factly.

"Yeah but Hayley is his best friend. Well, the only best friend he can still remember, so of course he would let her near but, to him, Kira is just a student yet he still lets her close and not us. We are just as close to him as she is, in a student-teacher kind of way but he wont let us even anywhere near him," Trent countered, quickly getting his say on the matter added into the conversation.

"I think I know," Billy said quietly in such a tone that it caused Hayley to lift her head from his chest and look up at him inquisitively, her head tilted slightly to one side, "I've been listening to his sleep induced mumblings for a while now and he keeps referring to the colour yellow. If I'm not mistaken I think his subconscious is recalling vaguely on the memories he is suppressing and he is relating the colour yellow to not only you Kira but to someone else who helped him a lot as a teenager."

"Who?" Conner asked, blundering straight in without any tact. Sometimes they had to wonder whether he even gauged his brain before he let his mouth move. Maybe it was just on auto-pilot and naturally took over in delicate situations.

"The first Yellow Ranger?" Kira answered Conner with a question directed towards Billy. It was the fist thing that had sprung to mind and she was sure that she was right, just not one hundred percent sure.

"Yes, that's right Kira. Trini Kwan, the original Yellow Ranger. Trini was very pure of heart and always put other people's feelings and welfare before her own. She was a very compassionate person, such as the compassion you have shown Tommy tonight yourself Kira. Often when we were hurt or upset we would turn to Trini for a shoulder to cry on and some good advice. Many times after battle she was the one who bandaged us up and sorted us out. I believe Tommy is relating her to you through the colour yellow and he knows he can trust you to help him and look after him."

Kira simply nodded understanding the responsibilities of such a reference. She was going to have to do he best to help Tommy through this because he was counting on her. She had to do it for the memory of Trini and for Tommy.

"Then why isn't he letting Conner or I close. After all shouldn't Conner remind him of the original Red Ranger and me of you, Billy? Or what about Trent, as the White Ranger shouldn't Trent remind Tommy of himself?" Now it was Ethan's turn to ask more questions.

"That, I cannot answer, Ethan. Not because I do not want to but because I can't. It is impossible to tell what is going on in Tommy's mind right now and any connection his subconscious is making aloud currently will be most likely forgotten by morning. It will, of course, remain in his sub-conscience meaning he will trust Kira still, but he will not know or understand why. We just have to be grateful his unconscious is making any connections with the suppressed memories at all."

Billy pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration at not being able to just sort this entire mess out with a piece of complex science. He had travelled to other planets and saved his own from destruction but he couldn't save his friend from self destruction. It was infuriating.

Noticing the drooping eyes of the teens and Billy's utter exhaustion Hayley decided it was time to send this lot packing off upstairs to bed, "Come on kids, it's early morning and you need your rest. Trent and Ethan can take one of the spare rooms, Kira take Tommy's bed and Conner you know how to unfold the sofa into a bed, don't you?" Since she got a nod of agreement at this she continued arranging everyone, "You'll find spare sheets in the airing cupboard at the top of the landing. As for Billy and I, we'll stay down here and sleep on the couches to keep and eye on Tom."

The sleepy group stood and nodded in approval of Hayley's suggestion before all sluggishly dragging themselves out of the room.

It had been a long night and it was only the start of what would be a very long week.

To be continued...