A Blast From the Past!

@knight101

Time is a rare commodity and even harder to command. But for such individuals like Ohno, time is more of a game of pool. You never know the outcome, but if skilled enough, you can walk away with a clean table. But for a guy like Ohno, time plays him like ping pong, always smacking him back and forth over the same net. For when ever something goes wrong, even on a microscopic level, should time wish, he gets a warning. Much like a song stuck in your head or a tickle in your throat, he gets this feeling that something has gone wrong, and he needs to fix it. To make it worse this 6^th sense only gives him a limited knowledge of the problem, usually just names and faces. It’s up to him to figure it out and make the corrections. On this occasion, as Ohno was resting on a planet in the Altara system, soaking up some red rays, a hoard of images raced through his head. Visions from the planet Earth many years ago raced by, mixed with visions of a young heroin named Paragon, and a act of violence. Unfortunately he did not know exactly what it was or even when, but after the images flashed by, he was left with one name….Keira Knight and a current location where she could be found!!

Keira may have thought today would be just another day, but soon it would be far from that. As she stood there doing what comes naturally to her, she could hear the words “Keira, is that you?” echo from behind. Should she turn to investigate, no one would be there. Yet again she would hear the words, “That is you, Right?” just as clear as everything else around her. Suddenly a large black hole would open up in front of her and the top half of a pail white man covered in moving black spots would slowly poke through. Waving his hand sporadically, he addresses her in a squeaky voice, “You are Keira Knight, the Paragon?” followed by an ever awkward “I hope that’s you or I’ve made another big mistake.” He then fully pops out of the black hole and stands before her, as he does his best to pretend that all this is rather normal. Despite how weird this may seem. “I know me popping in on you is not what you would consider normal, but I don’t wish you any harm!” Then after a short pause he hopes will calm her down, he finishes with, “But you have to listen to me!”

Standing confident but concerned he goes on, “Something in your past that occurred is a black mark in time and needs to be repaired.” Sensing a little distrust he continues, “It’s nothing big or Earth shattering but will have future negative consequenceson your life.” He smiles through the ever changing black spots on his face, “And I’m here to help you change it!” Realizing this is nowhere enough to convince a woman like Keira Knight he tries to explain in a better way, “Sadly I’m not a hundred percent sure what it was but I’m betting you do. And if you are worried about all that changing time crap, don’t worry. Your black mark in time is so small, it’s like side pockets in pool, there there but people prefer corner pockets. In other words if we change whatever your mark was, the change to the time line should be minimal!” Still realizing either doubt or distrust in her, he finally plays his last card. “Here,” he says as he extends his hands palm out, “Just touch my hands and you will see what I’m talking about!” Should she touch, them visions of her past, the same ones Ohno saw, would race through her mind, perhaps with more meaning as she had lived them. But none the less she would see enough vision to believe in Ohno, unless she believes him to be planting them in her mind!

@ohno:

As Keira navigated the tranquil waters aboard her cozy cabin boat, equipped with provisions to endure weeks at sea, a voice disrupted the serene solitude from behind her.

“Keira, is that you?”

Spinning on instinct, Keira finds herself confronted by an unseen presence, shrouded in the cloak of mystery. Though no figure stands before her, a voice echoes through the air, inquiring if she is the one he seeks. Once more, Keira remains silent, her gaze fixed upon the enigmatic stranger who materializes before her, adorned in garments as curious as their sudden appearance, offering a greeting with a wave of his hand.

“You are Keira Knight, the Paragon?” followed by an ever awkward, “I hope that’s you or I’ve made another big mistake.”

Peering through at him from behind her glasses, Keira's cerulean eyes narrow at the stranger before her, a testament to her guarded nature. With measured resolve, she responds, "Indeed, it is I. Yet, I cannot help but question the means by which you have located me." Aware of the elaborate measures taken to elude pursuit, she surmises that this man possesses a formidable ability to track her, surpassing the limitations of conventional methods.

“I know me popping in on you is not what you would consider normal, but I don’t wish you any harm!”

With a sly grin and a hand confidently resting on her hip, she emits a soft chuckle. "You think?" she retorts in response to his unexpected appearance, though her guarded demeanor remains intact, uncertain of this stranger's intentions.

As the stranger elaborates on a purported flaw in time requiring correction, Keira's skepticism mounts. Could meddling with the past not lead to catastrophic paradoxes? Yet, the haunting memory of a regrettable event whispers its allure, tempting her to consider the possibility. A fleeting pang of anguish briefly shadows her flawless features, swiftly dispelled as she refocuses on the stranger's proposition, his last gambit, as he thinks.

When he offers a glimpse through tactile contact, Keira hesitates, torn between caution and curiosity. Succumbing to the latter, her fingers tentatively extend, meeting his. In an instant, a torrent of visions floods her mind, overwhelming yet enlightening. It becomes clear: rectifying this temporal blemish is imperative, its ramifications echoing through time, shaping a future fraught with unforeseen consequences.

With a startled gasp, she withdraws her hand, taking a cautious step back. "Who are you, and how can you help me in rectifying my mistake?"

@knight101:

Not every jump is the same. Ohno has been through countless portals and every time he arrives at a new location, you can never tell what will happen when you arrive. On this location his arrival was spot on. Not only did he appear right were his target was standing, but she didn’t seem to freak out due to his physical appearance. Instead, Keira was calm, confident, and her first inquiry was “I cannot help but question the means by which you have located me."Clearly she was not some normal random human being, but already Ohno knew he was going to like her. “It’s some kind of a cosmic thing,” he explained while trying not to go into detail, “Your time differential led me here!” From that point he went on explaining how important it was for her to come with him. Even standing in a non threatening position and saying “I don’t wish you any harm.” Although his intentions were clear, Keira being the woman she was, responded with a slight chuckle and a rather polite, "You think?" Despite her calm demeanor, Ohno could still see the lack of trust in her eyes, behind her glasses, at which point he knew his words would not be enough. Instead he needed to link with her through hand contact, and hope she would trust him enough to go on a life changing event!

For less than a second they touched, but what happened seemed like a life time. Images from a past flashed before their eyes telling a story of death and destruction. To Ohno it was just images, but Keira had to relive them. In the end they pulled back breaking the link, and as everything slowly went back to normal, Keira had to asks, "Who are you, and how can you help me in rectifying my mistake?" Once again Ohno had to dance around questions he didn’t have an answer to, but still he tried his best. Beginning with “I’m here to help!” his posture slumps as he goes on. “My name is Ohno” putting emphasis on the second O. “I sorta travel through time and space, and some times I even help make small corrections in it as I travel. Well now it’s your turn to right a wrong.” He then turns back and faces her with confidence as he goes on, “I can’t do it without you, but I do know things will get worse for you in the future if we don’t go back and fix it now!”

With that said he takes a step back and with the wave of his hand a large black hole the size of a door opens up behind him. Without skipping a beat he takes one step into it, and immediately his leg disappears. He then extends his free hand to her and waves for her to follow. “All you need to do is take my hand and step through this pocket and immediately we will be shifted through time and space roughly twenty-four hours before the said event occurred.” Again, he steps further into the pocket so now only his head, upper torso and right arm can be seen. “It’s perfectly safe and as soon as you enter you will exit another side in a completely different place and time. But it is very important,” he says in a sterner tone,”That you concentrate on the point and time the error occurred or we might be off by a bit!” At that point he quickly goes quiet, as he fails to tell her the downside of traveling through time and space. Even if she doesn’t concentrate, they will arrive at the destination safe, just a few extra weeks off or perhaps miles away from where the event occurred. But the worst part will be the arrival, as Ohno has limited control over that. They could appear anywhere from a top a building to the middle of a crowded street. Either way their arrival will most likely cause a commotion. But for now he stood with his hand out hoping Keira will follow!

@ohno:

When Ohno speaks of a temporal discrepancy, Keira deciphers it as a clue to his uncanny 'gift'—a knack for traversing time's intricate web to pinpoint individuals or objects. It's somewhat comforting that his intentions appear benign, for she's grown weary of evading yet another relentless pursuer.

The mention of a bleak future propels Keira forward, albeit with a measure of blind faith in this enigmatic stranger, whom she knows solely by his moniker.

As the agonizing memories resurface, tears trace silent paths down Keira's cheeks. Haunted by the specters of her past, she has often yearned for the power to expunge them. Now, presented with an opportunity on a silver platter, she hesitates only momentarily before clasping his outstretched hand, though a ripple of apprehension courses through her.

Reluctantly, but feeling compelled, Keira fixates on that fateful day when her world unraveled. With a steadying breath, she steps into the unknown alongside him...

...Only to find herself abruptly thrust into disarray, landing unceremoniously in an alley, stomach churning. She retches, wiping her mouth, and rises, chiding, "A little warning would've been appreciated."

They've arrived, but when? An hour prior to the catastrophe? A day, as the man suggested? It matters little, for Keira possesses no mastery over this temporal dance. With a mental command, her attire morphs into a nondescript hoodie, concealing her identity. "I cannot risk exposure," she asserts. "We must ascertain our temporal coordinates and devise a strategy. I know of a secluded refuge, unless you can offer a superior alternative?"

Meanwhile, concealed within the shadows of an adjacent alley, a figure lurks, unseen. As the city hummed with the restless energy of its inhabitants, the pulse of humanity coursing through its veins like an electric current. Amidst the towering skyscrapers and bustling streets, shadows danced, whispers of secrets exchanged in the darkness.

In this dimly lit alleyway , a figure moved with silent grace, her form cloaked in the embrace of the shadows. The air crackled with anticipation, a storm brewing on the horizon. Eyes watched from the shadows, unseen but ever-present, like predators stalking her prey.

With a flicker of movement, the figure stepped into the light, revealing herelf to the world. She is no ordinary denizen of the city; she is something more. Something of a paradox.

The city held its breath, unaware of the forces at play, the battles fought in the shadows for the soul of humanity. But for now, all was quiet, the calm before the storm. And in that fleeting moment, the figure knew that her destiny awaited, entwined with the fate of the city itself and the heroes she observed.

An ominous smirk curls her lips as she observes, "Took him long enough to fetch her. Now, the real game commences." With a flicker of yellow as she speeds away, she vanishes into the night, leaving behind a whirlwind of debris—a harbinger of the trials yet to come.

@knight101:

In an instant they were gone. Traveling through the dimensions of time and space as easy as breathing. That would be if Ohno breathed. The fact is, it’s really a game of luck. Ohno travels with a internal compass that leads him through one pocket to another. But sometimes it goes awry. Often blaming it on ‘luck’ he simply goes where lead and hopes for the best to turn out. But on those rare occasion he gets a sense that something needs to be changed in a time line, his internal compass is somewhat more reliable. When aided by his visions, his arrival destinations improve dramatically and when guided by another person’s vision, one specifically involved with a time error, his arrival destinations are nearly spot on! That is how he found Keira so easily. But through all his travelings, it had become second nature to him. The act of shifting from one location to another was simply natural. However, after doing it for so long he had forgotten it’s effect on one who had never traveled through a pocket, and the effects it could have on their body.

At the moment they arrived at their new location, Ohno took a second to take in their new surroundings. To him it looked right, it felt right, and it seemed right, and it took him less than a second to mentally understand what little he could about the ‘Culture’ of his new surroundings. It was then he noticed Keira leaning over, vomiting on the pavement under her feet. “A little warning would've been appreciated." she said while, wiping her mouth. Immediately Ohno began apologizing “I’m sorry I did not know this was your firsttime.” he says while trying to sound supportive, “I should have warned you before we left.” He then goes on explaining to her how their arrival point felt right, easily around a day before said event, when suddenly Keira spoke up again. Realizing how their appearance could give them both away, with a mental command her attire morphed into a nondescript hoodie, appropriate with the time and setting, then explained, "I cannot risk exposure," reminding Ohno that he too needed to hide his appearance, for most people of that time period would not react well to a pale white male covered in moving black spots!

But before he could ask her, “Do you have another of those outerwear transfiguration devices?” Keira was already thinking ahead. As if all ready in charge she declared "We must ascertain our temporal coordinates and devise a strategy. I know of a secluded refuge, unless you can offer a superior alternative?" To which Ohno, with no other suggestions, could only agree. But however they arrived at her hide out, should it be through another of Ohno’s pockets or Keira’s flight, at the moment they arrived it quickly got weird. With no true understanding of how Earth works his amazement over her accommodations was overwhelming. With each object he would question how it worked, in relation to other objects from other worlds. At one point he even misunderstood a TV as art work and her bed as a hovering device. But one thing was clear, and that was Ohno needed some kind of a disguise if he was going to continue to walk around outside in front of the other humans.

But now it was time to get down to business, and deal with the event at hand. As Ohno was better equipped to deal with such things he went first. “The visions you saw when you touched my hand are the events leading up to your final destination. It is our job to follow them each and do what we can to either alter them or see that they continue on course. Which ever you feel is appropriate for that situation! In the end I should be able to sense when time is corrected. For who knows, even sending… I believe you call it a mailman in the opposite direction will be all we need to do! The last thing we should do is actually meet your younger self, for that is when things could go wrong.” He then extends his hand for her to touch, and should she, they would only see the first of several images flash before their eyes. In this vision there was a clear image of a bank, a bank that was soon to be robbed by a gang of thugs armed with extraterrestrial technology. At that point he turns to Keira looking for guidance and asks, “What does any of that mean to you?”

@ohno:

Upon reaching her hideout, Keira delights in Ohno's reactions to the eclectic array of items, particularly her TV. Patiently, she offers succinct explanations of each item's function and the reasoning behind its presence, satisfying his curiosity before diving into the task at hand.

As Ohno extended his hand towards her, offering a glimpse into the unfolding events, Keira hesitates briefly before reaching out to touch his palm. In an instant, flashes of imagery flooded her mind, painting a vivid picture of a bank heist orchestrated by a group wielding advanced alien technology.

As the visions subsided, Keira withdrew her hand, deep in thought. "The bank robbery... it's a pivotal moment," she began, her voice firm with resolve. "If left unchecked, it could disrupt the delicate balance of the timeline, leading to unforeseen consequences." She avoids mentioning her failure to thwart the bank robbery in the original timeline, attributing it to being preoccupied with another task.

She paces the room, her mind racing with possibilities. "We have to intervene, but we must do so discreetly, minimizing any alterations to the timeline. Perhaps we can thwart the robbery without drawing undue attention to ourselves."

Her gaze met Ohno's, a silent understanding passing between them. "We'll need to gather more information, assess the situation before taking action. Stealth and precision will be our allies in this endeavor."

Keira moved to a nearby table, retrieving a map of the city. "We'll start by scouting the area, identifying potential entry points, and locating any weaknesses in their security measures. Time is of the essence, but we must proceed cautiously."

Turning back to Ohno, she offered a determined smile. "Together, we'll navigate this challenge and ensure that the threads of time remain intact. Are you ready?"