After the train...

...I leapt over... and over... and over... and Over!

So many times, that it's all a blur now.

But...

...however hard I tried...

...Mayuri would always die...

...right in front of me!

When Moeka and her thugs didn't attack...

...it was as if fate stepped in for them...

...like the whole world wanted Mayuri dead...

...and nothing I did could change its mind.

Hehahaha...

What's the hold up... this is ridiculous!

Train lines have should down.

Can't you cut through an alley or something... Come On, Man!

It's not really an option... sorry.

Oh, no... I just wound you... don't tell me you're broken.

So, not fair.

I've taken extra good care of you and everything.

Huh!... Go Ahead... Please!

Mayuri!

Ugh... ahhhh!

Shiina Mayuri is confirmed dead.

Hououin... O-Okabe Rintarou, rather... has fled the scene.

...no matter what I do... no matter what I try...

...she keeps on dying.

I don't understand... what is this!?

Is this the choice of Stein's... No!... No, it's not!

Get out of your damn head... Okabe!

None of that crap is real...

...not the organization... not Stein's Gate... none of it!

You're an Idiot!

Episode 14 - Physically Necrosis [Title Page]

What's the deal!?

Explain it to me!

Dude, I just hit a story branch. The least you could do, as a man, is let me save it.

Look! I'll do it for you.

Just get the hell out of town, before you don't have that option, anymore.

I'll explain later.

What's going on!?

It doesn't matter... she's already left.

It's the same, every time I try to save her...

...Every time!

Not even the texts change.

Wait!

Shining Finger...

...there's something about the time machine, you should know...

...I need to speak with you alone.

Don't move... hands in the air!

Hehhuhh... Who the hell are you working for!?

I just work for Ark Rewrite.

Don't play games with me!

I know you and your pals are planning to bust into our lab tonight and try to abduct us, Okay!

How?

Because I'm from the God Damn Future!

Who are you!? ...Answer Me!

Can I text it?

Screw that! Tell me to my face. Are you people working for SERN!?

We're Rounders.

You... What!?

Our mission is to retrieve the IBN 5100.

Haven't you psychos already made off with it!?

What!?

Do I look stupid!? It's been missing since your D-Mail.

That's right!... When the world line shifted Moeka lost all memory of sending that text... didn't she!?

This isn't making any sense. Why Raid the lab in the first place, the IBN's not even frickin' there.

I...

Answer Me!

Do you really have to ask?

Three Things: First of... you have access to knowledge... you shouldn't.

Secondly... you've created a time machine.

Last but not least... you intended to go public with it.

You knew all of that!?

How long have your overlords at SERN been onto us!?

FB is the only authority I'll ever answer to...

...and that's what? Like a splinter cell?

FB... is my...

...my Everything!

Where am I?

Don't move.

Huhh!

Are you or are you not John Titor?

Ha...huhuhha...

That's the only explanation that fits.

Huhhuhuh... No!

Oh, God!

Bomb threat worked like a charm.

Trains'll be stalled for a while. We're good to go.

Securing Makise Kurisu and Hashida Itaru.

Everyone else is expendable.

No!

Huhuhha... Wait! ...Don't do this!

I'll give you whatever the hell you ask for... just don't kill Mayuri!

*sobbing* ...I'm sorry! ...I didn't know what I was doing.

Who'd believe a nut like me about SERN anyway!

Take the damned Time Machine. I don't care!

I won't tell a living soul about this... I swear to God!

Commence Operation.

I'm begging you not to go through with this!

I'm just a nobody who's curiosity got the better of him.

uhh... nothing was ever gonna come of it! Nothing ever does!

uhh... Please don't kill my friend!

Too late.

*sobbing* ...Mayuri!

MAAYUURRRIIII!

Shut the hell up!

Mayuri!

No...

Hehughhughhhe...

What's with you!?

Earth to Okabe?

Not again!

No...

I can't take it anymore!

Okabe, No!

Dude!

Calm down, we agreed not to do it.

There's no point in breaking the damn thing... alright?

There you go.

We've got a party to plan. Let's focus on that.

Party... uhh.

Hey! Wait for...

Clockety-Clock... Look mommy it's the bullet train.

Ah, Okab... um... I mean Kyouma.

Have you seen Mayuri?

Oh... she headed out a little while ago.

I know...

She came here to invite you to the party tonight.

As we speak, she's stopping off at her friend's place to fix a hem and [rook?] back to the lab.

I know... I know Everything!

uhh... hauhhhha... I... know.

I'm sorry, I don't know what to say.

I know everything...

...and I'm powerless.

Do I want to know what you're doing here?

Kurisu...

Something must be wrong for you to use my actual name.

What happened then... or... what's going to happen?

Aha... You time-leapt, didn't you?

It's...

It's all my fault.

What is?

From start to finish.. it's my fault.

I'm the one who told Daru to hack into SERN.

I'm the one, who's stupid idea it was to build a time machine, to begin with, and the one who brought Moeka into our lives.

I'm the reason, that Mayuri...

snuh...

Well I won't argue that you aren't reckless.

That doesn't matter as, we have no idea how dangerous leaping might be to you, physically.

For all we know... do it enough and you could possibly leap yourself right out of existence altogether.

Human beings are time-haunted.

That's what Heidegger thought, isn't it?

Oh, you've read him? Funny, I was just thinking about that passage earlier today.

You were about 2 seconds away from quoting it to me.

Okay, not gonna lie. Kind of creepy.

It's like, you're rooting through my frontal lobe.

Note to self, time leaping side effects include the ability to seriously freak people out!

What am I gonna do?

When, exactly, does the lab get attacked?

Just after 7:30.

I have a rough idea why Mayuri keeps dying... several ideas, actually...

...but sitting here, just brooding about them... isn't going to do anything.

Come on... I'm not about to let a friend get killed. You and I have work to do.

I'm so sorry.

Stop apologizing... I'm in this mess, with you, by choice.

I'm one of you.

Perk up! You're supposedly a world class mad scientist.

One bent on giving 'The Powers That Be' a little run for their money. [The Powers That Be = The Authorities]

Of course you are!

Muhahahahaha...

unhh... shut up.

Hehaha...

Okay, I set it for about 5 hours ago... around the time we put the finishing touches on the time-leap machine.

Any earlier than that and we run the risk of it not being completed.

hmm...

You have to get everyone to leave once it's finished, and retell me everything you told me earlier...

...even though it might be difficult for me to take, okay?

Bear me down and I'm bound to believe you, eventually.

You sure about that?

Hey, I know precisely how much crazy I can swallow at one time.

Think about it. I'm the one who designed the machine, so I'll trust that it works.

Just play to my ego.

So... your willingness to believe me is proportional to your narcissism.

Naturally... I'm proud of the fact that I'm a kick-ass research scientist.

Tell me I'm good at applied science and you're in!

Just to be on the safe side though, we should give you a trigger phrase.

When you see me, tell me I've been craving my own fork.

Like, personalized.

That's kind of an odd thing.

Why not! I already have a spoon waiting to go with it.

Hey! Stay on task! My motives are immaterial.

Are you ready!?

Uhh... yeah, okay.

I won't remember, you used my actual name.

Kind of a shame, really. Might go a long way toward endearing you to me.

Hey, hold this a second for me, will you? Like that, yeah.

Like this?

Yup Yup!

Nice and stretched out, try to think like you're a clothesline.

hmph...

Oh, Mayuri... what a pretty ribbon.

I know...

...Oh! Hey, you should totally try this one on. It's okay, I have other outfits I can compete in.

Hmm... it is kinda cute.

Got the cosplay bug.

Uh... please, don't even go there.

Like, I'd ever traipse around in public wearing...

That's right... 5 hours back lands me here, right before Mayuri leaves.

The time-leaper is done moments after she puts the final stitch in her outfit.

Finished! ...Yay!

Mayushi takes home the Gold! I beat you!

Oh, dear. This was a race? You 'cleaned our clock' then, didn't you?

But, we're not far behind... matter of fact, we're done.

We're not going through with it.

Huh!

Crap! Too Sudden!?

What are you talking about!?

Uhh... I mean it's clear that we're all completely and utterly exhausted.

What we need is rest. All further experimentation is called-off for today.

One Beef-Bowl, please.

Waitress: Coming up

Explain... why here?

Well, it wasn't by design. I didn't get your message until after I'd ordered.

This just doesn't strike me as the sort of place, that you would patronize.

I just found it. It's not like I'm a regular, yet.

Mayuri was the one who recommended it.

Uhkk... what'd you want to talk to me about?

First, you send us all packing for the day, with no explanation, then I get one of your cryptic texts.

Listen to me...

I've come from approximately 5 hours in the future.

You what!? Is that the first half of a pick-up line.

Ugh!

Damn it all! You told me you'd know the precise amount of crazy you'd be willing to swallow...

...I'm approaching this the way you instructed me to.

Okay, then... let me stop you right there.

In the short amount of time we've known each other...

...have I ever once struck you as someone inclined to swallow any amount of crazy.

That's what I thought, but...

Look, think of it this way, that I'm here at all is a testament to your ingenuity. Doesn't that entice belief?

Heha... You are certifiable.

Ever think, you missed your calling as a schizoid case study.

Easy does it... mustn't slug her. [slug = hit/punch]

Right now, what you crave more than anything, is a monogrammed fork.

Convinced?

Where the hell is that coming from!? I say that 5 hours from now!?

You have a personalized spoon to go with it. So, why not?

unh... Damn it! Future me is in for such a royal ass kicking.

Surely, this is sufficient to persuade you, I'm telling the truth.

Okay... so, you're telling me, a time machine I constructed, works as designed!?

You should be full, hon'. \N [hon' = honey]

One thing is clear, if you've got your facts straight, this is serious stuff we're dealing with.

Yeah.

Maybe our trouble is, we're focused too tightly on Mayuri.

Why not shift to Moeka!?

Couldn't she and the rounders be dealt with before they even become an issue.

I've tried that.

The same basic scenario played itself out, regardless of what I did.

Damn!

Still... Every natural phenomenon, however immutable it might appear to be on the surface, is subject to change.

We have to think in terms of 'Cause and Effect'.

Now usually, cause of death is directly attributable to something...

...illness, accident... whatever.

But really, these are just incidental details. Local manifestations of a broader principle.

In Mayuri's Case, the rounders are the obvious culprit, but they're not the prime mover.

That's something more abstract.

We can deduce this much from the fact that, she dies, even when their not involved.

So, what's the underlying cause?

I can't be sure...

I mean it could even be, that the circumstances of her birth somehow set her on a path; which made dying on a certain date, at a certain time, unavoidable.

You're sounding like an astrologist. That's fatalism, and I don't buy into it for a second.

You're right, it's absurd. I just don't know a better way to frame what I'm trying to get at.

The point is, we're not thinking back far enough to expose the real catalyst.

Indeed.

Maybe we need only think back so far, as to, leave the time machine unfinished.

Hold on! We don't know that the machine isn't just another detail.

But surely...

She's hit the nail on the head.

You know something, if so, please just tell us.

You're right, not wanting to abandon the time machine.

Take my word for it, when I say, this'd be impossible without one.

You wouldn't have a prayer.

If you wanna save the world, you've gotta push passed the divergence barrier.

That nagging 1% gap between world lines, attached to the same alpha.

Okay, pay attention kidos, it's gonna get complicated. \N [kidos = slang for kids]

The divergence number indicates a given world lines latitude on a continuum, so to speak.

The only way to keep track of it, is this, a trusty divergence meter.

Nixie tubes.

My hats-off to the taste of it's inventor.

Funny you should say that. This bad boy's papa is you!

Me!

Your memories tend to stay put regardless of the world line, so eventually you developed, or will develop, a gauge to keep track.

The meter records and represents, numerically, the gap between the present world line and the one it splintered off from.

Indispensable for the discerning time traveler.

0.337187

That's this world line's number.

If you're having trouble getting your head around the concept, it might help to think of world lines like: fibers in a row.

unh!

At first blush, a rope looks like a single thing.

But, hone in and it's obviously made up of many interlocking threads.

Now each thread is it's own thing... independent of it's neighbors, but they're all moving in the same direction.

That's why it's so strong.

Wait! Are you telling us that every world line leads to Mayuri's death?

For now...

But, all bets are off, if you can manage a big enough change to push passed the 1% divergence barrier.

Something that'll derail you off the alpha track with enough force to land you on to a beta line.

Okay, the one on the right is yours.

Uhh... excuse me, I'm not quite athletic enough to shimmy up a rope.

Uhk... fine then, wait down here. I'll be back in a second.

What is she?

Professional shimmier, perhaps. I don't know. \N [shimmier = a person skilled at shimmying/rope climbing]

The coast is clear, hop to!

Alpha and beta world lines play out differently, so they lead to different futures; very different futures, most of the time.

Normally, it's impossible to travel between them.

You could D-Mail or Leap all you want, it's not going to alter things enough to break you away from the alpha line.

That's it, though...

There are relatively fixed points, in any line, where events of great enough significance occurred to break off to a Beta, depending on the choices that are made.

Recent examples of what I'm talking about are like, let's say: the Gulf War, the Y2K panic from the turn of the last century...

...and it should go without saying, the invention of the time machine.

Is that...

Points like that are the only elbow room we've got, the only way to shimmy from an Alpha to a Beta. [Shimmy = Shift/Move]

Yes, but the question is: how to take advantage of such points?

Hold on!

First things first... don't you think it's time to tell us who you are?

Is this...

You know what it is.

I'm a time traveler, specifically from the year 2036.

Dear God!

We've met online a few times, you and me.

I post as John Titor.

[END]