Chapter 6: The Future Gadget Laboratory

Note: I don't not own Steins;Gate. Only this fanfiction story.

This story follows the events that happened after the following Steins;Gate titles. Steins;Gate, Steins;Gate OVA, and Steins;Gate 0. Also, there are situations from other Steins;Gate titles that inspired multiple events in this story.

Check out my profile for upcoming dates for new chapters on Steins Gate: Epsilon

In an unknown place, it is grey and foggy, barely visible. Okabe wakes up in it suddenly, and he gets confused as to where he is. Then. he begins running through it as if he was trying to either run from something, or trying to find something. He runs for a few minutes, but it seems he gets nowhere. However, as he looks around, he suddenly sees an outline of a girl.

"If I'm here, that means I'm dreaming again," says Okabe.

The girl is barley visible as she comes closer to Okabe. The only thing revealed is her eyes which are blue. "Why do you keep thinking this is a dream?" She asks.

"Well, I can't feel anything and that the last thing I remember is falling asleep, it only means I must be in a dream."

"It seems you are not fully capable yet, but only time will tell."

Okabe raises an eyebrow as to what the girl means by her comment.

"Well, we are here for one thing. That is for me to tell you, be ready for anything. No matter how much you try, the past may always reappear, and you must be ready for that possibility. Especially after the mental conditions your going through"

"What do you mean by that?" Okabe asks with a curious tone.

Suddenly the girl's eyes turn yellow, very similar to Okabe's eye color. "You will find out very soon. Hououin Kyouma. See ya." She says her goodbye with a smile, forcing Okabe out of the dream and makes him wake up.

Okabe is unease about the dream he just had and decides maybe he should get up now. As he sits up though, he gets a sudden huge headache and holds his hands on his forehead while covering an eye, feeling as if he was severely drunk last night before passing out. Okabe thinks to himself about the dream he had and wonders what was that about. As he gets up to walk, he struggles to maintain focus and feels weak and dizzy, making him unable to walk properly.

July 17th, 2021

It's a clear Saturday morning. The birds are chirping, the people in the city walking around for another day of work, and heading to other places. Maho and Kurisu have arrived at the old lab. Maho goes up to her room to put away her things after sleeping over at Kurisu's place, and Kurisu decides to enter the old lab to see if anyone is there. She enters to look around, but sees no one around the room and wonders where Okabe is.

However, as she was getting ready to leave, she hears something being dropped in the back room of the old lab. She goes to the back to see the bathroom lights on and the door slightly opened. She blushed as she didn't want to see if Okabe was showering or naked, but she was still curious about the cause of the huge noise. She gets a quick peek through the bathroom, and she sees Okabe on his knees while hanging onto the bathroom sink with his right hand. He was breathing very heavily and covering his left face with the other hand. Around him was soap and a small stand with toothbrushes on the ground. Kurisu realized he was not in good condition right now.

She quickly enters to call Okabe and help him. "Okabe?!"

Okabe turns to see Kurisu next to him, offering to help him. "Ku-Kurisu..."

After Okabe accepts her help, he is seated on the couch and lies down to take a quick rest. Kurisu gets a white cloth and soaks it and gives it to Okabe.

"Thank you, Kurisu." As Okabe puts out his hand for Kurisu to give him the cloth, she decides not to do that, and instead, she blushes a bit, but puts the cloth on his forehead for him. Okabe feels a bit stunned for her to help him like this already, but allows her to do so.

"Yo-your welcome," Kurisu replies. There is a moment of silence. However, Kurisu becomes concerned for what happened to Okabe in the bathroom. "Okabe, are you ok?"

"I'm ok. It was just I fell from the couch this morning and hit my head pretty hard on the ground, and it caused me to lose my focus for a short time."

Kurisu didn't exactly believe what he said. Losing focus from a fall that is not really high up between the couch and the floor. "Either that is true, or your lying to me. You were on your knees in the bathroom like you were very weak. If something is wrong with you, please tell me."

Okabe wants to tell her because she is the only one who can maybe understand his situation, but he doesn't know if she will believe him from the dreams and unusual mental condition he has, and doesn't want to make her worry more, so he pushes it aside. "Don't worry, I fell on my head is what really happened. Besides, the couch is small and I'm tall, so if I move around while sleeping, I may sometimes fall off from it."

Kurisu's worry stops after Okabe mentions the couch, but then questions about where he sleeps. "You look like you have money to buy new furniture based on how your home is now. Why don't you get a new bed to sleep better and not hit the floor?"

Okabe sits up and puts down the wet cloth on the table, and switches to his Persona. "This couch is my resting place for many years! I, Hououin Kyouma, would never be able to regenerate my soul energy efficiently in another place other than my couch!"

"Uh-huh. That's because you almost never slept on a bed before, right?"

Okabe becomes shy. "I-I of course have multiple times! And I still prefer in the end to sleep in my resting place!"

Kurisu sighs as she know Okabe is just hiding his true reasons. She thinks about the night when Okabe was sleeping on the bed. At that time, he had no other choice but to stay at her apartment as well. However, she also thinks about a similar event that Okabe had in the bathroom with the one he also had in her apartment, but she quickly decides to move on.

Kurisu wanted to mention something to Okabe since they are alone, but as she started to speak, Maho walked in. "Hello."

"H-Hello." Kurisu responds with a startled tone.

"So, we are going to the Future Gadget Laboratory to give Kurisu a tour, right?"

"Yea." says Okabe. "Before we go, we need to wait for Daru."

Suddenly, someone comes through the door. Who appears is Itaru Hashida. "I'm here and ready to go."

Okabe speaks up. "Daru, did you do what I told you to do?"

Daru nods in agreement. "Yes. All the Interns will arrive today for another regular day at the lab."

"As expected of my favorite right arm! Now my assistant can see how amazing our lab works!"

"You sure are happy for this." says Maho.

Kurisu giggles and responds. "Well. This will be perfect then to see a complete tour of how the lab is. Well, let's get going."

Daru drives Maho, Kurisu, and Okabe in a van he had purchased with his wife for their family. It takes them not too long before they finally reach the front gates of the Future Gadget Laboratory. Kurisu is in shock to see the lab Okabe once created as make believe is now a reality. The building looks a bit fancy but fairly average and modern overall. As they begin to find a parking spot, Kurisu notices the lab logo is the same as the pin badges each of the lab members have from when Okabe gave them out years ago.

The group enter through the front of the building, and are greeted by a receptionist at the front desk to identify who entered in.

"Hello everyone!"

"Hello." says Okabe to the receptionist.

Maho, Daru, and Okabe hand their IDs to the receptionist and check them in. "Here you are Professor Hashida. Here is yours Professor Maho, and Professor Kyouma."

Kurisu gets surprised to hear the receptionist call Okabe, Professor Kyouma. She whispers to Maho about it. "Hey Senpai, is Okabe really known as Hououin Kyouma in the lab?"

"Yea. He made it clear to everyone working here that he is Kyouma. That also includes his delusion mad scientist persona"

Kurisu sighs. "Of course he would do that."

Okabe gestures to Kurisu for the receptionist. "Also, we have an important guest today."

Kurisu bows. "Hello, I'm Kurisu. Kurisu Makise."

The receptionist becomes shocked. "Wait, you mean the genius scientist Kurisu Makise that is recognized by the world and her scientific theories?!"

Kurisu confirms. "Ye-yea. If that is how you view me."

"It's so nice to meet in person! The lab is great to have you visit us!"

"Thank you." Kurisu replies.

Okabe and the group move on from the main entrance to arrive at the locker rooms. They put away their stuff in there and take out their lab coats. Kurisu however doesn't have hers because she hasn't been here in years. But Fortunately, Okabe comes into the locker to hand her the lab coat she always wore when inside the old lab.

"Here is your lab coat, and don't worry. I made sure it was cleaned before handing it to you. I kept it safe for the day you came here."

"Thank you, Okabe." Kurisu changes into her lab coat.

"Well then, let's give you the tour. The tour of the greatest lab to ever exist under the insane mad scientist!" says Okabe with his persona.

Everyone walks out and begins taking a tour of the lab to three major lab rooms. The group first go to a big room that is filled with areas of computers, working tables, bookshelves, and other items that are like any other lab. There are also several scientists experimenting on gadgets. These gadgets involve only using electrical wiring and wireless connections to connect to other existing devices that people use everyday, but having more features. There is also those who are computer scientists. Everyone greets Okabe and the others, and of course, are wowed to see Kurisu in the lab.

They then head to the second major lab room where it's similar to the first lab room. However, the second lab room has scientists working on mainly different types of gadgets. These gadgets involved chemicals that looked like they were being created for either tough working fields, and defensive purposes. The scientists greet Okabe and the others, and are also amazed to see Kurisu in the lab.

Then, the group heads into the third major lab room. This room is more focused on prototypes and fun experimental purposes that don't exactly focus on handing them out to the public. However, this room is so scientists can have more fun trying to see how much ideas can be generated by having fun making an item. Only a few scientists are here, but greet everyone, and are just as amazed to see Kurisu as the other scientists have in every other room.

Throughout the tour, Kurisu asks questions to both Okabe and her friends, and then the scientists that work there to get their personal ideas of the Future Gadget laboratory and their theories to see how smart they are. She also tries to understand what drives them to actually working there. After the tour of the first floor, Kurisu realized she scared several scientists with her questions and small arguments, but that is just like any other lab and scientists for those who can't argue against her back.

She is amazed to see the lab functioning like any other standard lab, but with 2 major differences. One is there are a lot less people, which is expected for a lab that opened only 5 year ago, and the other, is how the scientists are all working together to generate new theories and help build new gadgets which is the main goal. Maho's opinion that she remembers about how this lab doesn't have scientists with big egos is true, and now wonders how it would feel to work here.

After touring the main floor lab for over 2 hours, Okabe and the others take a short break to get some quick lunch. Daru has a lunch box made by his wife to eat more healthy but still tasting very good. Maho grabs a meal she prepared herself from this morning and so did Kurisu. Okabe was going to get some noodles warmed up from the vending machine with some Dr. Pepper, but then, he could no longer as a soldier appeared next to him.

"Sir. You are needed at Braun's office."

"Ok. Let go." says Okabe.

Okabe walks out of the conference room. Kurisu notices Okabe walking out with a soldier. She is curious as to who the soldier is, but then remembers the story Okabe told her about the Rounders.

"Hey Senpai. Is that a special forces soldier with Okabe."

"Yea." says Maho to confirm her question.

Daru steps in. "Seems like something might have happened that Braun needed to call in Okarin."

Kurisu turns to Maho and Daru. "What does the special forces do in this lab?"

Daru speaks. "They are like the guards to protect this lab from any harm that may come towards the lab and lab members. We fortunately don't see them often as nothing like that really happens, and it's just Okarin maybe being overprotective."

"Yea." says Maho. "We don't exactly need them here, but because they are allied with Okabe, it may be nice to have them in case anything terrible happens. For example, they help guard the very sensitive research below the lab."

Kurisu is surprised to here another floor in use for the lab. "There is a lower level to this floor?"

"Yea." says Maho. "The lower floor is all about research that is much more serious, such as the AI, research and experiments that involve high grade chemicals that can be destructive, and Okabe's recent experiment, the teleporter."

"So Okabe's story is true." Kurisu thinks. "Hey, can we go there next, I want to see everything that is down there."

"Sure." says Maho.

Down in the lower floor of the lab, Okabe is in Braun's office to talk about something privately, and also is showing a concerned face.

Okabe wonders what is wrong with him. "Mr. Braun, is what's wrong?"

Mr. Braun refuses to answer for a minute and looks down for a minute, but then he turns to speak to Okabe. "Okabe, I called you to warn you to watch your back."

Okabe wonders what he is talking about.

"Lately, our spies have reported 2 people in black suits have been roaming the city. I don't know why and I don't know what they want, but they maybe are looking for you. Since you managed to keep your identity hidden, they will have a very hard time to find you. So you better be careful."

Okabe nods. "Thanks for the warning, Mr. Braun!"

"Also that is not the only thing." Braun sits at his computer to pull up an article that was written by Moeka Kiryu. "SF has also written an article for the public to know, but has also messaged me it's mainly for you."

Okabe walks up to Mr. Braun's computer. He looks through the article about science labs across the world. The article explains how some of the major science labs in known parts of the world are being hacked by unknown groups who are trying to get into their databases. So far there is no information that any of the groups have succeeded in such a thing or for what purpose, but they could also be lying to hide such information. This information can only be supported with evidence in Europe where the European government is now on high alert after a hacking attempt directly to the government database. There was also information that the Russian labs were trying to be hacked, but they were saved.

Unfortunately, there isn't much more information to help lead somewhere. However, Okabe believes this information is already enough to know that some of the major laboratories in parts of the country are working to discover something revolutionary, or cause chaos. With this in mind, it makes Okabe think suddenly of a time machine and World War III. This cause his PTSD to hit him pretty badly. He begins to get a huge headache and begins to sweat intensely as the flashbacks of 2010 and in the alpha and beta worldlines rush through his memory. However, Mr. Braun helps him snap out of it and shows a concerned face once Okabe comes to his senses. "Are you ok Okabe?!"

Okabe decides to take a seat on a chair and closes his eyes to take in easy, deep breaths.

Mr. Braun can't help but question what was wrong with Okabe. "Okabe, what is wrong with you?"

Okabe tries to lie. "It's nothing. I might of over thought something when I read the article"

Mr. Braun believes about the overthink part, but not when he says it's nothing. "You're lying, Okabe. What are you hiding from me?"

"What? I told you, I just overthought a possible outcome from reading that article."

Mr. Braun decides to say what he believes is wrong with him. "Okabe, that type of reaction I saw for you just now, is the reaction people with PTSD suffer from."

Okabe looks at Mr. Braun about what he means as he is shocked. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Mr. Braun explains. "PTSD, also known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, is a disorder that develops in people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event. The events those with PTSD experienced may return as nightmares or flashbacks. I even have seen it with World War II veterans. That just almost looked like that happened to you. You were just standing there, staring into nothing, and yet you reacted so intensely like you were visioning something so terrifying or disturbing, like you were ready to instantly act without realizing your surroundings."

Okabe sits as he is shocked to realize what Mr. Braun said may be right after all. He never considered the possibility that he may have suffered a consequence for time leaping and shifting worldlines a lot back when he was trying to reach the Steins Gate Worldline. In this case, his mental state. He knew that his terrifying memories may return sometimes as it will always be permanent, but not to a severe extent.

"Okabe, I want to know how you have PTSD, because PTSD tends to usually occur in people who have served the army, but you have no experience of that from what I know about you all these years. However, I won't make you talk, because PTSD is an unfortunate mental condition and I rather not see you overreact again."

Okabe sighs and gets up from the chair. "Thank you Mr. Braun for telling me. It may be possible I do have PTSD and I'm more alert of it now than ever."

"I would suggest you to seek a psychiatrist to help find ways to treat your PTSD, and immediately."

Okabe would think that is a solution, but he in the end disagrees. "Sorry, Mr. Braun. I would rather not seek help as my PTSD is not something I can just say to anyone. Unfortunately, I have suffered through events that no one will ever understand, and they would sound very crazy. Not only that, but having my friends know that will cause problems. So please, don't tell anyone about my PTSD."

Mr. Braun doesn't like the idea of Okabe hiding his PTSD from his friends, but it's his life and he can't help much as he doesn't understand what terrifying experiences he went through to develop a mental condition such as that. Mr. Braun sighs and responds. "Ok, Okabe. I will believe in what you doing. However, I would suggest you find ways to distract yourself from the memories that scare you. Because otherwise, your PTSD will return and become a weapon that will kill your will to live. What I suggest to help you is, for example-" Mr. Braun thinks. "You can think about spending more time with your girlfriend, eh?

Okabe reacts instantly and blushes. "W-What are you suggesting, Mr. Braun?!"

"What? Spending time with the woman you love should help you easily push away the scary memories and make new memories. Just like with me and my wife back in the old days."

Okabe switches to his Mad Scientist Persona. "S-Stop it! I am a mad scientist! I am capable of controlling anything that is thrown my way and push through it all!"

"Now you're just trying to not admit it. Well whatever, but I will suggest you try to find some way to push away your PTSD. Nothing good will come out of just trying to endure a mental condition so severe such as yours."

Okabe stops his persona. "I will keep that in mind." Okabe decides to leave as he has been gone from Kurisu and the others for over half an hour. "Well, I am going to head back. I have to finish showing around the lab for Kurisu." Okabe waves to Mr. Braun as he exits the room.

As Okabe walks back, he finds Maho, Daru, and Kurisu already in the lower level, giving a tour of everything that happens in the lower floor of the lab where the AI program is. "Hey everyone."

The group turns to Okabe who walks up from behind them. "Hey Okabe," says Kurisu.

"So, you're messing around with the AI." Okabe asks.

"Yea. I wanted to know from my AI what you have talked about over these last couple of years. Not only that, but I was trying to see if you have found out any secrets about me too."

"Don't worry. Your AI is too strict on your secrets and will not reveal them to me or Daru. Only to Hiyajo-Safina."

The AI Kurisu speaks up. "That's correct. Can't have you knowing everything about us."

Okabe puts on his persona. "I am a very considerate man when it comes to the secrets of my assistant! However, I could find ways to force you to tell me your secrets. After all, I am the mmmaaaddd scientist, the one that can overcome time itself. My name is-!" Okabe strikes his pose. "Hououin Kyouma!"

Both the AI Kurisu and Kurisu herself get ticked off as that may be a threat for Okabe to really do something like that. Then, Kurisu speaks. "If you dare try to know any of my secrets, I'm going to jam an electrode into your hippocampus!"

"Oh? You think you can erase my memories? I am someone who will not fall by any of your pleasurable tortures that you dare do to me! Besides, you will cause problems for the succeeding Future Gadget Laboratory and be in huge trouble for messing with me, assistant!"

Kurisu gets ticked off. "How many do I have to tell you, I'm not your assistant?!"

"Oh but yes you are, Kurisutina!"

Kurisu and the AI Kurisu react to hearing that nickname and say the same thing together. "There is no tina either!"

Okabe and Kurisu look at each other for a good several seconds as they have their normal argument they would always have about nicknames and other random things. Maho then decides to stop this confrontation to finish giving Kurisu the tour. "Calm down you two. No one will be forcing anyone to find out their secrets. We should instead finish giving Kurisu the tour of the lab. There is something we should all show her."

Kurisu and Okabe calm down and agree with Maho and continue the tour. What's unusual is the lower part of the lab only has a few rooms. There is a big room that they just were in earlier which is where the Amadeus Project is. Then there is a huge lab room which has highly dangerous equipment and chemicals to create some sort of deadly weapons or future gadgets. Then there are rooms which are restricted access for only the special army and those with permitted access, and two special rooms. One special room is where Okabe leads the group to. It is the room where he has been trying to research on creating a wormhole to create a teleporter. There are two devices which create this teleporter, one to enter in and one to come out of.

Kurisu is stunned to see such a huge device which can possibly create a wormhole. However, she also notices the device destroyed to a certain extent. "What happened here? These devices seem to be destroyed from an explosion."

Daru speaks. "That's the so-called teleporter gadget. We activated once, hoping a wormhole would be created for at least one second. But, it exploded due to not being stable."

Maho steps in. "That's because the wormholes walls were attracting each other and became unstable, which then collapsed and exploded the device.

Kurisu steps up to the device to see everything that was made to even allow a wormhole to manifest in the first place. However, because the device is destroyed to a certain degree, there isn't much to help learn about it.

Okabe speaks. "In the end, this was just a fun experiment just to see how far I can go to open a dimension that can lead to another area, and I seemingly discovered wormholes. It's not that much of a deal anyways."

Kurisu doesn't like Okabe regarding the teleportation device, not a big deal. "Huh? Okabe, this device is a big deal. To be able to create wormholes is like you finding out you have the ability to teleport to another place instantly without effort!"

Okabe understands Kurisu's point of teleportation but decides to tease her with his persona. "I would love to talk more about this topic, assistant. But you don't work here. This place is a top secret organization that only looks out for those that work here, and everything else is our enemy! I can't reveal more information about this since you're part of another organization!"

"You used to study in the same organization that I worked in!"

"That's because I deceived your organization to learn more and enhance my knowledge to become the greatest mad scientist that has ever existed!"

"Some of what this Hououin Kyouma guy just said is not true, but I have to admit some of it does," says Maho as she then turns to Kurisu. "Whether we like it or not, Okabe-san is the boss of this lab and he is right about not sharing information by any sort of means to anyone. That is not because we don't trust you Kurisu, but because the lab has been extremely cautious ever since the AI incident with the unknown organization."

Kurisu remembers about that story. As much as she is curious about the device she holds her curiosity and decides to no longer ask more. "I understand, Senpai. If the lab is that cautious then I will not ask anymore about it."

"Well then, let's move on to the final room of the tour. The gadget showroom!" says Okabe.

Not far from the teleporter room is the gadget showroom. A room designed by Okabe himself to showcase all the gadgets that have been ever created. There are currently a total of 130 gadgets on display throughout the room, with some having an upgraded version of the original next to it.

Throughout the room. Kurisu briefly checks out each gadget that is in display. While doing so, memories of the past begin rushing through her brain to remember her times in Akihabara when she was at the old lab, creating random gadgets with Okabe and the other lab members. Looking at the gadgets made her smile because she is glad to see Okabe cherishing each creation that was a part of the Future Gadget Laboratory, even if they were failures, or random gadgets.

Now, out of all the gadgets however, one stood out to her the most. It was a unusual pink bracelet with a small sensor on it. The gadget is revealed to be "Future Gadget Number 12: Darling You Idiot." Kurisu gets a rush of memories of her experience with the device when she made that and went through a very crazy, awkward situation with Okabe. However, that situation was also what deepened the bond between her and Okabe which connected their feelings for each other. Kurisu smiles to remember the situation. Even if it was quite chaotic, it was very heart-warming.

Okabe comes up from behind Kurisu who also knows that she looks at "Darling You Idiot" for the loving memories she and he had during the time they were forced to wear the gadget. "Time sure goes by. I remember the day you introduced the lab member of this gadget. You really caused a lot of trouble for all of us."

"Hey, I told you before to be careful to not push the on button for the gadget." says Kurisu.

"That may be true, but you also did the same thing when Daru rushed through the door. Not only that, but you didn't create any safety measure to take it off earlier. Because of that, we had to be stuck in a chaotic and awkward situation."

"I also mentioned before turning it on, it was incomplete." Kurisu thinks for a moment, and then blushes as she asks Okabe a question. "H-Hey Okabe. Do….. you regret having to turn the gadget on after everything we went through?"

Okabe blushes and feels embarrassed to respond, but does so anyway. "N-No, I don't."

Kurisu smiles to hear Okabe say that, strengthening her thought that Okabe still loves her to this day.

As sunset falls, Kurisu has finished taking a tour of the Future Gadget Laboratory. After witnessing it all, she has come to the conclusion that the lab is really like what any other lab should be, but more special. What is the reason? One, it mainly prioritizes creating future gadgets. Then the other, more important reason for her is because the owner of the place is her boyfriend, Rintaro Okabe. She is proud to see Okabe make his delusional lab a reality.