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Time Enough (Lady Nightshade and Mr. M)

M

Mr Master

Pulsar
Joined
Jan 26, 2009
Location
Right behind you... you smell nice, by the way...
The dream was strange; she'd had unusually vivid dreams before, and more and more recently, but this was the first time she'd had one where she knew it was a dream at the time. "Lucid dreaming," she recalled, from something that she'd read years ago. It was as if she was weightless, and yet she felt the pull of gravity from several directions at once. She saw beneath her, all around her, a vast rippling expanse, gray beneath and starless black above. There was the sense of other blobs up in the distance, but this one, this ocean, looking almost electronic, like a mid-1980s CGI sea, this was hers.

In the dream, she felt like she could surf it. Like she had a board attached to her feet, and the best thing was, she could go in any direction. As she thought about that, she realized it wasn't so much an ocean as a river. There was a definite current, an upstream and a downstream, and as she imagined herself actually surfing the waters, she could sense there was a stretch way off to the sides, and there were... rocks? Whirlpools? Things, under the surface. She didn't know what they were, but she surfed around them. She tried surfing upstream, and found the waves rather harder to navigate, but she did it, slewing back and forth on her little board.

The dream was interesting, but it was oddly featureless. She watched it in part as if it was some kind of show, and only consciously moved the dream a little bit here and there. Finally, though, she started feeling... well, tired wasn't precisely the word, because she was asleep, after all, but she felt like it was time to move on to another dream, and that's when she stopped surfing and just casually dropped beneath the waves, not drowning or anything, not feeling like anything at all, just sinking and feeling heavy, and then she was back to dreaming normally, something about a doughnut and a snake wearing a vest...

It was the birds that woke her. Loud birds, in a tree. She didn't normally have a tree in her bedroom. And her bed was normally much less grassy and full of dirt and dew. Actually, it was usually entirely grass free. So where the hell was she? She opened her eyes to a dawning sky overhead, framed by tall leafy trees, a hint of chill in the air, and no signs of human habitation anywhere around.

Troublesome.
 
For a moment she thought she was dreaming again; If it wasn't for the fact that a pinecorn fell from the tree, and hit her in the head. This has to be a prank. Joseph and Jake are the only ones that can move me without waking me up. Had she left her backdoor open again? That would explain it! It was close to Holloween after all and her friends always tried to pull a prank on her every year. Rubbing her head, Athena looked down at herself to see she was at leasst clothed in something decent. Blue bunny slippers and a white nitegown with a pick flower for a button.

"Alright, when I get home-"

Lapsing into an after thought she needed to find her way back home. Of course she was going to have to explain how she ended outside in her PJ's. Assuming that someone dosen't think she escaped from the local headcase hospital that was in their town. Anger swelled as she started to walk fromt he tree and push past shrubbery. Never did she think her friends would go this far to pull a prank! Pursing her lips she took the pink rubber band that she had on her wrist to tie back her dark hair into a pony tail. Light sparkled out from her soft grey eyes as she heard horses up ahead! Thinking she was on a farm she hurried towards the sound and came out onto a dirt road. Confusion became more rampid as in the back of her mind the tiny warning bell was going off.

There had to be a simple explanation for why she was way out in the boonies. As she crossed the road the sound of thunder rolled and she looked up to see a group of horses and their riders racing towards her and not stopping. Athena screamed at them to stop, but was ignored as she barley jumped out of their way. A few riders looked at her as if she were mad. However, she thought it strange to see them dressed in clothing she had only seen worn at Ren Fairs.

"I must really be out of my mind."

Still swearing that there was a basic explnation for it she took off at a run to where she had heard horses. The closer she got, the more sounds she picked up. Sounds of metal clanging about and shouts. Athena frowned and realised she hadn't seen a car of any power lines. Even the most backward county had powerlines set up! When she moved once more through thick brush, only to stick her head out to see men in shiny, silvery armor fighting what she remembered were bandits.

"What is going on?"

She whispered, not wanting to be seen as the sound of a twig snaped towards her right...
 
As she glanced toward the sound, strong leather-gloved hands grabbed her, and one held a knife, now pointed at her throat. Sensibly, she didn't move or resist. "Don't struggle, poppet," the man growled, his breath rancid against her cheek, "You're just going to be my writ of passage out of here, that's all." He squeezed her and ground his pelvis against her back, "'Fraid I have not time for aught else," he chuckled nastily. There was something odd about his accent; it was English, a little bit Cockney, even, and she could understand the words, but it was strange enough to her ears as to be as if from an unfamiliar country.

He began to drag her carefully backward, back into the forest, when one of the armored men, clad in chainmail with a shiny breastplate and helmet and thick gauntlets, cut down his opponent in a spray of blood. Blood? This was all for real? The helmet turned and caught sight of Athena and her captor, and the knight raised his sword to point at them, striding confidently forward.

"Stop right there, villain, and release her. She has nothing to do with this." Again his accent was understandable, and clearly British, but unfamiliar in its details. His voice was clear an resonant, though, if muffled by the helmet. It was too shadowed within for her to see his eyes, but she felt his gaze on them both.

"Keep coming if you want to see her blood on the grass," her captor snarled, the tip of his knife digging into her skin. "All I want is freedom to flee, and no pursuit. Her safety buys that. Back away."

The knight stopped coming, and lifted his swordpoint, but held it ready all the same. "You may have your freedom by parley, if you wish. You've got my attention. Just let her go." His helmet angled a bit, and his voice was softer. "You're not a part of this, Athena; this man will let you go, and you're going to go back to the fort. Isn't that right, goodman?" He was back to addressing her captor with that last sentence, and the change in vocal tone was obvious.
 
The point of the knife dug a little deeper into her flesh. Fear clamored her body as it became apparent that this was no joke. It was real and that made things all the more confusing as she stared at the man in the shiny armor.

"How do I know you won't change yer mind?" The man hissed and ground his hips harder into her behind. Athena tensed and tried to make sense of things. Even more so to how the knight knew her name? Could it still be a trick? Clevery played by a local theater perhaps?

"I will not let the Lady be harmed. Let her go and leave, before I choose to release the dogs on you."

Athena swallowed a mouthfull of air as her face contorted from the pain of the knife. The man seemed to think of his choices, letting out a cruel smile before shoving her abrutly towards the knight. Pain laced her side, and she knew he had let the blade cut through her clothing. The sound of a scream was heard, and for a moment it took her to realise it was her own. Arms caught her and as she glanced up to see that it was the Knight, she let darkness overcome the pain and fear and she knew nothing more.
 
Athena swallowed a mouthfull of air as her face contorted from the pain of the knife. The man seemed to think of his choices, letting out a cruel smile before shoving her abrutly towards the knight. Pain laced her side, and she knew he had let the blade cut through her clothing. The sound of a scream was heard, and for a moment it took her to realise it was her own. Arms caught her and as she glanced up to see that it was the Knight, she let darkness overcome the pain and fear and she knew nothing more.[/quote]

She awoke in a bed, a rough-clothed, thin-mattressed bed, with a matronly woman dressed in white linen bending over her, smiling gently. "Hello again, Lady Athena," the nurse lady, or whoever she was, said lightly. "I'm pleased you are back with us!"

"Athena!" came the Knight's voice, but the young man who stepped forward and knelt by her bedside was no longer in his armor. He was handsome, square-jawed and strong, an authentic strength borne of practical living, not gym-generated. His stubble was a couple of days old, and his dark hair was somewhat shaggy, but his green eyes glittered in the lamplight (yes, a crude oil lamp stood by her bedside) as clear as hers. "You passed out in the forest, and wouldn't awaken, so we brought you back to the fort. How are you feeling? How did you even make it out there in those unusual clothes"

The nurse opened the one window in the rough-built stone wall. It was evening outside. "I'll just let some fresh air in, and leave you two to speak. But Michael," she warned the knight, "she needs to rest! Don't stay too much longer"

The Knight, Michael, nodded and gazed back at Athena with adoring eyes.
 
Lady...Athena?

Groaning, Athena looked up to the Knight, Michael, with a questionable expression. These people KNEW her. Yet, she did not and it only grew to more confusion as she tried to sit up. Only to realise that the Nurse had stripped her nude to bandage her wound. Scratch sitting up! Instead, she flickered her gaze back to the Knight and had to say something to him.

"Lady Athena? I think.. I think you are thinking of someone else."

As she spoke, the Knight looked at her as if in his own state of confusion. Of course now, Athena knew that things were real. It just didn't occur to her that it was real, real.

"Where am I? And what theme park is this that I was wounded? I demand to speak with the manager and have everyone stop playing this over done prank."

Of course she still thought it had to be a prank. No one wore clothing like they did anymore. The fact that the Nurse and KNight thought her clothing was strange -

"Where's my things? My clothes!"
 
Michael looked stricken! "Is this one of those episodes you warned me about? Am... Aminesia? Worry not, it was likely just the fall. I believe your clothes are in the washerwoman's pile... I'll go fetch them, if you like, or would you prefer others? I can find another dress, if you prefer..." He rose, as she continued to look aggravated. "No, no, I'll go find your clothing..."

He hurried out, closing the door for her modesty. Almost as soon as the latch closed, Athena heard a voice whispering from outside the window.

"Hey, 'Theena! How long before he comes back? I can't hang around here all night, you know..."

This voice was not like the others; it was more American, male, baritone, and with a bare trace of the nasal, flat cadence of the northern Midwest, like Wisconsin or Minnesota. It seemed out of place here, moreso even than the armor and swords.
 
"I have to be loosing my mind."

Athena whispered, screwing up her face in pain as she forced herself to sit up. The sheet fell and cool air brushed her chest before she could take the sheet to wrap herself in like a toga. It was painfull to move, and she still hadn't looked to see how they bandaged it. She was still wondering why everyone was still acting like they were back in the Dark Ages. With each step she winced and managed to get to the window. Cool air greeted her face as she looked to see who the owner of the voice was.

"Who.. Who are you?"
 
The night sky was brilliant, probably more intense than she had ever seen before. The stars were more visible than she'd ever witnessed. They, and distant torchlight, showed her the internal walls of a castle of some sort. She really did seem to be in the middle of a medieval construct of some sort; if they were actors, this was millions of dollars of set decoration, right here. She was about three stories up, but the voice was coming from...

A man hung on the wall, just below the windowsill. His fingers seemed dug directly into the mortar holding the rough stones together. He grinned at her, teeth bright in the dimness. She couldn't see much, but he seemed friendly. If a little... odd, to find him clinging to the wall like Spiderman or something.

"'Theena, what are you doing? You're making him all suspicious! Look, just tell him you're tired, get him to leave you to rest, and I'll debrief you on what's been going on, okay?" He didn't make any moves to climb in just yet, seemed perfectly content to hang there. "Don't worry, I got you covered. Just get us some alone-time, okay?"

Just then, she heard footsteps in the hall outside, the scuff of a boot. Michael, returning?
 
"Wait!? Who are you?"

Athena just stared at the man. Props for climbing something this far advanced without a harness and buddy. Everything was so confusing to her and the game was going far enough. It was time for it to end.

"Am I being punked?"

The thought dawned on her as she thought back to the tv show where people were placed on to be punked/scared. Athena knew that camera's could be hidden on a misacular scale. The fact she was hurt, they must have taken her off set and when it was found only a flesh wound..

They still decided to push on! I am going to sue the pants off this company!


The man with the strange accent looked like he was going to say somehting else when both heard the approaching footsteps. It that was the Knight, she was at least happy he was a good looking one playing the part. She had moved away from the window just in time as the door creaked open and she managed to pull the sheet tighter against her frame. Only showing just a hint of her clevage.
 
"My lady?" Michael called before he stepped into the room. "I found your dress, but it's still soiled, I think you might want..." He looked up and saw her standing by the window, wrapped in the sheet. He immediately colored, flushing bright pink, and looked away, but a smile spread across his lips. "Athena, I... I don't think it's good time. You've been injured, and much as I would love to, you know that, I'm afraid of re-opening your wound."

He stepped close and took her by the arms and pulled her into his embrace. "But I would be most happy to take you up on the offer later, my love," he breathed against her lips.
 
WHAT!!!!

He thought that she wanted.. that she wanted to make love to him? Her eyes opened wide as strong arms embraced her. Michael was confusing her even more then the man hanging outside of her window. Should she tell him about that? No.

"What do you mean by that? I have never seen you before.. Why would I want to do anything.."

Athena's face flushed red as she looked up into his face. It was pure adoration and clear worry that shown. A dawn fo dread started to flood over her. It wasn't really real, was it? Yet the way he was holding her. Was the life she knew before just a dream?
 
His face fell at her words, but he tried to hide it. "Oh, yes, the 'ammesia'. I'm sorry, I forgot." He backed up. pressing her dirty nightgown into her hands. I'm sorry, I'll leave you with this. Please, rest. Perhaps things will seem better in the morning."

He turned away, and no words would sway him from striding out and closing the door gently behind him.

"Finally," breathed the man from outside the window, and there were sounds of scraping on the rock as he started to climb in. His face came above the sill, still smiling. He wasn't chisled like Michael, but his face was thin and handsome and his light brown hair was close-cropped and wind-blown. He reached in and easily levered himself inside, slender and toned but apparently quite strong and agile. He was wearing similar clothing to Michael and the others, medieval garb, but he spoke like ... well, much like she did. He came inside, and leaned on the windowsill, flexing his fingers to work the kinks out. "I thought he'd never go. Dunno what you see in him, 'Theena. But I don't question your choices."
 
"Who are you?"

Athena asked as she stood back. One had clinging to the sheet as she clutched to it. Things were really confusing as everyone seemed to know her. Yet she knew no one. Hell, she dosen't even recongise where she was.

" See in him? I don't even know what's going on!"

She threw her hands up in the air as if in defeat. So aggervated and confused, she had forgot for a moment that all she had on was the sheet. Cool night air gave indication as she opened her eyes and nearly screamed. Athena near about dove for the sheet, only to cry out as the bandage on her side came loose, fell and she began to bleed once more.
 
The man's brow furrowed at her questions, and he opened his mouth to say something, but then her frustration led to her momentary exposure. As she rose with the sheet, clutching her side, he was suddenly there beside her. "Now, hey, look what you've done. Tsk. Look, lie back down; there's no reason we can't talk with you resting."

He guided her to the bed, and made her relax on it; at the very least, her sheet wouldn't fall to gravity. The man took a look at her wound, and started to dab away the blood with the bandage. "Now, that's not so bad at all. But let's give it some modern medicine, shall we?"

He suddenly had something in his hand; she didn't see him reach into his pocket, but then again, she was a bit distracted. He sprayed something from an aerosol can, and it felt cold and clean and smelled antiseptic. He glanced at her face, all serious. "So, you don't recognize me at all? The name Joe Thorvaalson doesn't ring any bells? Really?"
 
Blinking as the light from the oil lamps flickered, Athena ignored him for a moment. The light dancing on the walls was enough to grabe her attention, until he brought out the medicine. her head turned and she hissed as it stung. Leading to a tingle as she shuddered.

"What? No. I don't know you. Why would I? and how did you do that?"

She started barking out endless questions and tried to sit up. It didn't work as the pain threatened to come back. Confusion was really there now and then it dawned.

"Wait, this is all REAL?! I'm not being punked or played a trick on? Whats going on here!"

With each word, her voice grew louder and threatened to summon the guards. Most likley Michael.
 
"Shhhh!" He raised his free hand, glancing at the door. "Yes, it's real, and yes, I'll explain, just... just keep your voice down!"

He sighed and looked at her as if sad. "The more you ask me what's going on, the more I'm thinking this is your first skip. Is that true? You've never time-traveled before? I need to know, so I know where to start when I explain things."

He broke her gaze, and she just then noticed that he had something else in his hand, a little kind of applicator, and he was using it to dab on some kind of liquid bandage, something that dried right away to a skin-like texture, holding her wound closed and coating it protectively.
 
"What are you talking about? Time-skip? Time tavel? That's just sci-fi shanangans."

Athena stated dryly. There had to be another explanation, and then he had something else appear in his hand and applied it to her wound. She had to be out of her mind! Yea, that was it. She was having a mental breakdown and this was her way to escape from it.

"I think your insane.. If..IF this is real. Why does everyone seem to know me?"

Yea, it had to be some kind of mental breakdown. Now she knew what Neo went through in the Matrix when he took the red pill and fell down the rabbit hole.
 
Joe sighed. "Okay, calm down, just calm down. Everybody knows you because they met a future version of you. I'll explain that in a minute."

"First thing you have to adjust to is the idea that there's time travel. There are people born with the ability to transport themselves and certain other people from one time to another. And there's an organization, a society, really, that works with time-travellers. You're one. And I'm your partner. However, this is your first skip, so you don't know any of that. And, now that I think about it, a lot of this is going to slip your mind. So I'd better deploy some memory enhancers..."

This time he held up his hand, and Athena could see a port in his palm open up, retract the liquid skin applicator, and extend something else, a cylinder with an angled flat tip, the surface of which he pressed against her side while she was still shocked at seeing it appear. The cylinder hissed, and she felt a slight sting at the place where it was pressing.
 
She had opened her mouth to speak when he had some strange object pressed to her head. It stung and Athena nearly smacked him out of the way for it. Rubbign her temple she really wanted to just scream.

Some kind of group? A socity? Future Athena and ...Partner?


What the hell was going on! Things were now worse for her. It was worse then cramming for a Algebra test! There was so much going on in her mind that she was suprised talking wasn't compromised.


"This has to be a really.. really bad dream.. That or I I was drugged."
 
Joe sighed. "Okay, look. Did you recently experience something like... like a big gray electronic ocean? And you were surfing along it, going anywhere you wanted, upstream, downstream, anywhere? That's how the Athena I know described it. Upstream means you're moving into the past, downstream means you're moving into the future, and going side to side moves you around in space, because it's all space-time. Einstein, you know. So... did you perceive anything like that recently? It would have been just before you came here."

"Am I striking a nerve? I see by your expression you've got a memory, there. Well, that was your first time-skip. And I think you can tell by now..." he held up his hand as the injector was retracting into it, "... I'm also not from around here. Your job is to time-skip, my job is to accompany you, assist you, and protect you. I don't skip, I don't even perceive the transit, it's just one instant one place, next instant, bang, the new place."

He looked her straight in the eyes. "You can deny your own senses, you can deny your own experiences. But the longer you do so, the more time you waste. The faster you accept that yes, you are in the past, and yes, there's a reason all this is happening, the faster I can explain the rest to you. It doesn't really make sense without you first accepting that time travel is possible. Once we agree on that, I can tell you how we got into the situation we're in. Okay?" He paused, letting her absorb all of that.
 
Striking a nerve? He had to be kidding. How did her know what she had seen? Hell, Athena thought it was just a dream.Then again, I think I'm going insane and having a mental breakdown.

"You're really confusing me. You already know me? Theres another me? I.."

She shook her head. Maybey if she stood and tapped her feet together a few times it would all go away. No, wait, that wouldn't work. SHe didn't have any red slippers or a cute little dog. If everything was for real, then why was this the first time she had done something like this?
 
Joe sighed. "I'm sorry, it just gets confusing when you mess with causality. Look, maybe some graphic representations will help. Don't freak; this is fiftieth-century technology, so it's gonna seem a little weird, but I want you to focus on what I'm saying, not how I'm showing it to you, okay? Ready?"

The corners of his eyes lit up, like little LED lights, and he turned his head to look down at the foot of the bed. There, a ghostly holographic image formed in the air. He pointed to it, sweeping his hand as he described what was being drawn there.

"Okay, this is a timeline, like you'd see in school." A kind of gray line with rule-like markings drew itself in the air. "This," and a blue dot appeared at one end of the timeline, "is your birth. You live your life, grow up..." and the dot became a thick blue line, which extended gently, slowly, "...until one day, for whatever reason, whether by random chance or some stress in your life, or whatever, you make a skip..."

At this point, a hair-thin line popped from the leading edge of the blue line and dropped lower, below the timeline, and zoomed backward, passing the startpoint of the blue line, and well beyond. Another timeline appeared before the first one, and the thin line dropped down into it, becoming another prominent dot. "...to here, Britain, 1134 AD. This is where we are, now. Now, however long you stay here..." and the dot turned into a line again, crawling ahead, "...or if you jump forward, or do whatever, however long it takes, at some point, you're going to do a jump back." A thin hairline appeared again, below the end of the new little line, and rolled backward, but this time, to just a short while before the past-line appeared, and dipped back into the same timeline, but earlier than her first appearance.

"So you see, the Athena that Michael met, the Athena that I've been partnered with, is actually you. It's just in the future of your personal timeline. Your life will progress normally, day by day, and will seem normal and forward-moving to you, but because of your power, you will live out those days in different points along the timeline, is all. An outside observer would see you skipping around, but it'll all seem pretty straightforward to you."

The image blinked out, and he turned to look at her, eyebrow raising. "Does that make a little more sense?"
 
If it wasn't for the fact that she was used to pretty lazer shows and movies, that would have scared the hell out of her. Athena just sat there, like a school kid. jaw partialy dropped as things started to make sense and yet didn't. When he was done talking to her, she let silence fill the room for a few heartbeats before speaking.

"So, the Knight and I?"

She stopped as Joe nodded. Of all the things she thought to say first, he was probably shocked that she asked about that.

"I...kinda understand. But wouldn't time travel mess up with the history? Or the world explode if you met yourself?"


Yea, she had to ask that. Things were still confusing to her, but she was starting to really believe in what was going on. Even if it still questioned her sanity.
 
"Well, as it turns out, there are times when the universe heals itself, there are times when whatever you do was what originally happened anyway, and there are times when intervention is necessary, which is part of the reason there is a society like the one we belong to. Er, you will do it, that is." Joe shrugged. "There's never just one way to accomplish a thing in this world."

"The question is, what do we do now? Can you fake your way through dealing with this dude, until we figure out what it is that's here to accomplish, or do we skip town until we can figure things out? I'm here to help out, but you're the one with the anomaly sense."
 
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