Trapped in a Strange New World
Steins;Gate
Chapter Nine

2012.07.24 - 3:59 AM PDT
Tuesday

"Aunt Kurisu? How much did you hear?" Suzuha questioned me.

"I heard enough. These two want to change the past." I gestured towards the older Violet and older Okabe. My expression was as stern as ever.
"May I ask why?"

As Violet opens her mouth to answer my question, I hear ruffling coming from back in the motel room. A teenage voice then spoke up.

"Kurisu? Is that you? How did you get the door open?"

It was Mayuri. In response I turn around in the open doorway. It looks like she was laying on the other bed across from where I had been sleeping previously. Mayuri must have woke up due to the screams from earlier. She slipped out of bed and approached me.

"Hmm… who's this?" Mayuri yawns half way through her question. She was referring to either the older Okabe or older Violet. Her eyes squint as she tries to identify them. For Okabe, the white lab coat was a dead give away.

"Ok… Okarin?! What are you doing here?!"

This was clearly not part of their plan. The three panic. Okabe is the first to respond.

"Errrr… no. I'm not Okarin. Who is this Okarin?"
"My name is Hououin Kyouma!"

Only after finishing his sentence did Okabe realize he had completely blown his cover.
He took a futuristic looking cell phone out from his pocket and brought it up to his ear.

"Yeah. It's me. We have a situation. We've travelled back to the year 2012 and my former hostage has caught sight of me. I need you to send a batch of memory erasers on the double. What? No, we can't have her remember this. It could jeopardize the whole mission. Well, I… fine I'll do it if you're that short on supplies. I'll have to try dealing with this another way. Wish me luck. El Psy Kongroo."

After his rambling into an undoubtedly inactive cell phone, Okabe "hangs up" and looks over to Violet for help. Mayuri's eyes follow. She soon identified the other figure too.

"Huh? Violet? You look much… more mature."
"Are you trying some new makeup?"

Mayuri had no knowledge of the time machine or anything. She clearly thought that this was the same old Violet. The seventeen year old Violet. However, this was not the Violet we all knew. If this Violet's from the year 2036 like Suzuha, that would mean she has an extra twenty four years of memories. That's pretty substantial. Before anyone could react, another person interrupted.

"What are you talking about, Mayuri?"
"I don't even have any makeup on."

The teenage Violet also gets out of bed. She notices me, still standing half out the door.
"Kurisu, how did you get in here? Did Tina…?"

Violet trails off as her older self comes into view. They both carefully examine each other. The younger Violet first pushes me out of the doorway and then walks up to her older counterpart.

"Who the heck are you?"

"That's not important right now."
"We need to talk with Kurisu. Alone."

"No. You can tell me as well."
"I've had enough of these secrets."
"Tell me. Who are you?"
"What do you need to talk with my sister about?"

The older Violet sighs. She was clearly not enjoying this conversation with her younger self. She then turns to Okabe.

"Was I really this stubborn as a teenager?"

"Yeah. You were. Quite sensitive too."

After she received that response the older Violet sighed again. The younger Violet looked at these two in confusion. She clearly didn't understand. She didn't know they were time travellers. Who could blame her for being confused though. Out of context those comments made little sense. The younger Violet then noticed this other person was Okabe.

"Huh? Okabe? How did you get here so fast?"

Instead of answering her question, Okabe looks over to me. It seems he wanted me to fill in the gaps for Violet and Mayuri.

"Tell me. How do you think I got here, Christina No. 1?"
"How did we get here?"

There was only one true answer I could really give. I had ran out of excuses. It was time to come clean.

"Time travel…" I muttered.

"Huh?" The two girls gasped and looked at me questioningly. Violet's expression was of that of shock. Like she thought I just said the sky was orange. She was going to need some convincing.

"You two arrived from 2036, right? Using a time machine I built?"

They nodded. I had no idea why I built that time machine, but that's what the older Violet said before I interrupted their conversation.

"This has to be a joke, right? Time travel is impossible."

The younger Violet looked around expecting reassurance that I was trying to be funny. None came.

"Kurisu… what's going on? Are you serious?"
"How would you even know something like that?"

"It's because Kurisu has some dark secrets."
"Isn't that right, sis?"

The older Violet covers her mouth once she realizes what she had said. It was too late to take it back though. We all fell silent. The younger Violet finally figured it out.

"Sis…?"
"Wait… that can't mean…"
"Are… are you me?"

"Look's like the cat's out of the bag." The older Violet replied with a slight smile.
"It's true. I'm you from twenty four years in the future."

Silence fell again. The younger Violet goes to open her mouth, but her older counterpart cuts her off.

"8-5-7-6."

"Huh?"

"That's our bank pin from back when we were twelve. 8-5-7-6."
"We've changed it since then, but that's what it was."
"You wanted proof of who I am and there it is. 8-5-7-6."

"I… I… haven't told anyone that."
"You're really… me? This isn't a prank?"

"Yeah, I really am you. This isn't a prank."
"Have any other questions for me?"
"Ha. Of course you do, but I'm afraid I probably can't answer most of them."

"I need more proof. That… that… could just be a fluke."
"Show me your arm."

"Huh? What are you…?"

The younger Violet grabs her doppelganger's right arm and rolls up her sleeve. What she finds is a scar about an inch across. She gasps.

"It… it really is true."

The younger Violet let's go of the older Violet and takes a few steps back.
She explains herself to us.

"I burnt myself on that spot a few months ago with an old hot glue gun."
"That scar doesn't seem fake."
"Why are you here?"

The older Violet says nothing to her counterpart. She just looks over at me.

"You have no intention of telling me, do you?"
"Your special ability. Reading Steiner."

I froze. How did she know that? I guess just like Suzuha I do tell Violet everything sometime in the future. I could barely shake my head in response to her question.

"That's what I thought."
"Actually that's why we're here."
"My current self deserves to know what you've been hiding."

"Maybe she does, but I won't let you tell her."
"Just go away. Hop back to 2036."
"Take the Phone Wave with you."

The older Violet was furious, but she managed to calm herself down. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out five paper cards then holds them in front of her. Violet's younger counterpart then spoke up again.

"What is this Reading Steiner thing?"
"What does it have to do with Kurisu?"

"It has to do with her memories." The older Violet robotically responded. She then looked at me for the third time.

"Sis, I have five questions on these cards."
"Each question is about you and our family."
"It's all biographical information you should know."
"If you can answer even one question correctly, Okabe and I will leave."
"Deal?"

"Deal."

I clearly didn't think my response through. I wasn't thinking. I just knew I couldn't let Violet know the truth. Everybody else was happy. If I just needed to suffer a bit for everyone to be happy, then so be it. Plus how hard could this truly be?

"Okay. First question."
"What science did you major in?"

"Neuroscience."

I jump a bit at the sound of a "wrong answer" buzzer coming from Okabe's cell phone.
That was wrong? How? I find out soon enough.

"No." Okabe replied.
"You may have had an interest in neuroscience, but you ultimately studied physics."
"That's actually why I recruited you as my assistant, you know. I hate math."

"Question two." The older Violet continues.
"What is Mama and Papa's current marital status?"
"Now. In 2012."

"Divorced."

I once again replied without thinking and I'm met with another buzzer. What? I look over at Mayuri and the younger Violet. They were starting to look uncomfortable.

"Mama and Papa are only separated, Kurisu." The older Violet tells me.
"Big difference."

"Huh?"

"Question three."
"When is my birthday?"

"Well, January… no… February… um… March…?"

"June! June 30th 1995!"

The younger Violet yells at me with tears in her eyes. This was not what I wanted. She is clearly hurt by me not being able to remember her birthday. What Violet says next hurts me as well.

"If you had amnesia, then why didn't you just say so?"
"You've been acting differently since Saturday."
"I wish I had figured it out sooner…"

"I…"

Her words were like a knife through my heart. I had really messed up here. I felt so guilty.

"Question four." The older Violet tries to resume her questioning.
"What-"

"That's enough, Violet."
"I think we get your point."

The voice was so familiar I didn't even need to look. It was me. A version of me from the year 2036 to me exact.

"Kurisu? How?" Violet blurts out. The two other time travellers gasp.

"I made three time machines." The other me coldly responds.

******
(Chapter Ten: Out Now!)