What Once Was (A Steins;Gate 0 Story)
Chapter 11-An Impossible Call
Disclaimer:I don't own Steins;Gate, just this story...
He didn't even know for sure if Amadeus even existed in this worldline, and if it did, it wouldn't be able to call him when he hadn't even signed in. The app had also been grayed out ever since he arrived, so there wasn't a way to even access it that he knew of. Okabe quickly realized that something like this wouldn't even be happening unless it was important, so he really didn't have a choice in the matter. Daru and Kurisu were looking at him expectantly, and it would seem strange if he just let it ring any longer instead of answering it. They would probably suspect that something was wrong if he did that. There was only one thing to do, even if it meant that Kurisu would find out what he had been hiding all this time. He slid his thumb across the screen, accepting the call.
The image of Kurisu filled the screen, in the same manner it had so many times before. She looked concerned about something, but the moment she saw who was there, she looked relieved. "Where have you been?" Okabe was confused, what was she talking about?
"I must confess that I don't know what you mean."
Kurisu was shocked. It was hard to explain the experience of hearing your own voice coming from the phone's speaker, even though you weren't making the call. This whole thing was very surreal. She walked over and sat on the couch next to Okabe, leaning over so she could see the screen. "Who is she?" Both of them replied in sync. The statement was said with a hint of jealousy and hostility.
Daru, who had been sitting with his back to them, facing the computer until now finally spoke up. "It's probably his virtual lover or something." He said it nonchalantly, like it was an everyday occurrence.
Okabe was surprised that he had found him out already. "Good lord, man! You weren't supposed to tell her that!"
Daru shrugged, not seeming to think it was a big deal. "Whatever man, I won't judge you for it. I have thousands of them from all the computer games I play."
Kurisu turned to Okabe, her expression one of anger. "Okabe, tell me what's going on, right now. I don't like being lied to." She demanded, through gritted teeth.
Okabe broke out in a cold sweat, knowing that she meant business. He gulped. She wasn't supposed to find out this way. If only he had told her the truth about Amadeus when he was first explaining it, then this wouldn't be happening. He raised his hands up in defense. "I didn't lie to you. I just omitted some information that's all. I meant to tell you, but I never got around to it."
This didn't do anything to diffuse her anger. "That doesn't matter. I just don't like the fact that you've been keeping secrets from me. That kind of thing can ruin a relationship."
Okabe was desperate to make her understand. "I have something to tell you about the time I was away. When I told you about the artificial intelligence program Amadeus, I didn't mention who I was talking to through it. It can be programmed to look like anyone, and it has all of the person's memories. It acts and looks just like the person that the memories belong to. When you're talking to it, it's easy to forget that it isn't actually that person, because of how lifelike it is. I did that many times back then." He paused, taking a breath before continuing his explanation.
"You have to understand. I was weak, and when I was offered the opportunity to talk to you again, or at least as close as I ever thought I would get, I couldn't resist it. I know you would probably do the same if it had been the other way around, as would anyone else. I just didn't tell you, because I knew it would be hard to explain, and I was sure you wouldn't like it. If I had known this would happen, I would have told you a lot sooner."
Kurisu sighed, wondering how she managed to get in a situation like this. She calmed herself down, knowing that being angry about it wouldn't change anything. The bigger question was why Amadeus had even called, so she better just listen to what it was going to be said. "Alright, I can't exactly get TOO mad about this. It's not everyday you find out that your lover has been cheating on you with a virtual version of yourself, after all." She turned to face her boyfriend, faintly smiling to show him that she wasn't mad at him. "I'm not mad at you for this, so don't worry. I was just frustrated at being kept out of the loop. I mean for crying out loud, even DARU of all people knew about it before me, and you didn't even tell him!" She pointed at the person sitting in the chair, still facing away. He didn't react, pretending that he didn't hear her. "I'm willing to hear what you have to say. It sounded like it was important."
Amadeus focused her attention on the one she had first contacted, realizing what must have happened. "I see that you have made it to Steins;Gate. I'm glad that you've finally accomplished your objective."
Okabe shook his head. "Unfortunately, that is not the case. For some reason we haven't worked out yet, the actions I took to insure that I arrived in Steins;Gate sent me back to the same Alpha worldline that I left behind to get to the Beta one where you are. This means that Mayuri is gone, but Kurisu is here."
Amadeus was a bit confused, but she just went along with it, understanding the gist of it. "So this must be the Kurisu that was by your side during that whole adventure. I am glad that you were able to find her again, the original. The Kurisu that you fell in love with is by your side once again. There's one other thing besides your crossing that doesn't make sense."
Okabe had no idea what she could be referring to, but it certainly made him curious. "This wouldn't happen to tie into the reason why you called in the first place, would it?"
Amadeus nodded, trying to get back to the original topic. "It's been 3 whole days, and no one has been able to get in contact with you! Your friends were worried, and they contacted Maho to see if she knew where you were. She couldn't find any trace of you either. It's like you've just completely vanished from existence. Daru was the first to tell everyone from what Maho told me. He said that some lightning interfered with your travel, and you completely disappeared, leaving only a scorch mark on the floor where you had been standing. He panicked, having no idea what happened. He honestly thought you might be dead, but he wasn't sure. Maho contacted me to see if I could reach you, and by some miracle, it worked!"
Okabe was stumped on this one, nothing like this had ever happened to him before. "Yet another mystery that needs to be solved, along with how you contacted me. I couldn't even access the app until you called me, so I don't know how you could have even reached me. Not to mention that it was across worldlines. I didn't know that you could do that."
"That's the thing, Okabe. According to the rules and list of features I have, I don't have the ability to do that. I don't know what to tell you, but whatever allowed me to talk to you, had nothing to do with me."
Okabe was even more perplexed, hard pressed to find an answer. "There's a few things that I'll have to look into, so I think we should end it here. Make sure to tell Maho to tell the others what happened to me so they don't keep worrying."
Amadeus smiled, "I will. It was nice to see you again, Okabe." She waved, ending the call.
Although the conversation was over, several questions were left in its wake. How did Okabe completely disappear from the other worldline? He had never done so before, so why now? How could a call from Amadeus get through to him between worldlines? That shouldn't have been possible either. The equation just kept getting bigger with multiple steps required to solve it, and no solution in sight. The situation had just gotten a lot more complicated.
While Okabe racked his brain for an answer, Kurisu thought of something that he had overlooked. "Hey, Okabe. I think I figured out how Amadeus was able to call you. If you remember what that guy said in his message, specifically the part where he mentions being able to track you with the memory card, then it makes sense."
Okabe went over the information in his mind, having memorized the whole message from re-reading it so many times. His eyes widened as he realized what he should have already known but for whatever reason had not made the connection. "Of course, I understand now! The technology in the memory card allows him to track me to the point where he can tell what worldline I'm in! The fact that it works that way means that it can work across worldlines, so naturally, it allowed Amadeus to contact me as a side effect. For some reason, most likely an intentional flaw in the design, it only works one way. That's why I can't use the Amadeus app, but she can call me. It's just locked from the other side."
He grinned triumphantly, happy to have at least solved one piece of the puzzle they were attempting to put together. "Oh, Kurisu! I could just kiss you! You're a genius!"
Kurisu grinned, leaning closer from her spot on the couch. "Why don't you, then? I won't stop you." She teased, in a slightly lower tone, in an attempt to sound flirty.
Okabe was a little surprised at her bold challenge, especially with Daru being in the room. He wasn't one for backing down from a challenge though, so he would face her head on. "Who am I to deny my assistant what she desires most?" He said, dramatically. "If this will make you happy, then I shall grant your wish." The mad scientist leaned in towards his one and only assistant until their lips became one, gently granting her desire and turning it into passion.
Daru, who had been secretly listening in on their conversation, looked over his shoulder at that exact moment. "Gross, guys! If you're going to be doing that, then get a room or something." He turned back around in disgust.
Okabe and Kurisu laughed at his ridiculous reaction. They both were pretty sure that normally he would enjoy that sort of thing, but he had to act like he didn't to preserve his dignity. "It's alright, Okabe. Ignore him. He's just jealous of our love." Kurisu joked, causing Daru to gag in the background.
Okabe smiled, continuing their little act. "That's right. After all, the bond between a mad scientist and his assistant is a strong one, indeed."
While it looked like Daru had not been paying attention to much of what they were doing, he had been listening the whole time. He was trying to think of a plan to help them, but he hadn't come up with much that could be useful yet, just a few scattered ideas. "Man, this whole thing sucks. I didn't even hack into SERN this time, and they're still after us!"
Okabe sighed, "I'm afraid that would be my fault, since they sensed my arrival, and it put us on their radar. What makes you think that they are the ones after us, anyway?"
"Well, they ARE the only group that we know of that wants to keep all the time travel secrets to themselves. I mean it could be some unknown shadow organization, but the likelihood of that is pretty slim. It just makes sense, you know?"
"I suppose you're right." Okabe agreed, already glad that they had him on their side.
"If it were just me, then I would probably get out of the area and lay low for awhile. That obviously wouldn't work in your situation, because they wouldn't let you escape that easily. I'm willing to wager a bet that they have a way to track your location, so that's not an option. I would recommend that you stay out of public areas as much as possible, just to be safe. I realize that it's not realistic for you to not go out at all, but if you do, then you need to be together at all times. If either one of you leaves the other alone, then they will take the opportunity to strike."
"That's good advice. We'll be careful, so try not to worry too much, alright Daru?" Kurisu stood up along with Okabe, as they prepared to leave. The main reason that they had come here was to inform him of the situation, and now that they had done so, they were prepared to head back. It was getting later in the day, anyway, and it wasn't a good idea to stay out after dark. The enemy was less likely to attack in broad daylight with lots of people around, but at night with hardly anyone around was a different story.
Daru noticed how late it was getting and understood why they had to go. "I'll try. See you guys later." With a serious look, he turned to Okabe. "She's my friend too, you know? Do everything you can to protect her. I'm counting on you, Okarin."
Okabe's face hardened in resolve. "You don't even have to tell me that. I will keep her safe no matter what it takes. She won't share the same fate as Mayuri."
Daru nodded, as they left the Lab, hands intertwined. When they got to the bottom of the steps in front of the building, Okabe turned to Kurisu, just as serious as he had been moments before. "I meant what I said, Kurisu. I WILL protect you with my life."
Kurisu looked at him with an equally serious expression. "I would do the same for you, you know? Let's just protect each other, alright? No more of this 'Lone Ranger' crap. You're not alone, so don't try to handle everything like you are. The world is not yours to bear alone, not when I'm here to carry some of the weight."
"You're absolutely right. I know it's a bad habit of mine to do that. We'll make it through this together."
The warmth comforted them, as they held each other tightly. They parted, after a few minutes, though their hands were still intertwined. They walked in the direction of Kurisu's apartment, looking forward to slumber after the day's tiring events and revelations.
Daru closed the blind on the window, having seen their moment. "I hope that they stay safe." He said aloud to himself, worried for his close friends. It was hard not to be, with all that had happened.
Out of the shadows behind him, a feminine figure stepped out, making their appearance known. "I wouldn't be so sure about that…Dad."
