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.
What's the hold-up?! This is ridiculous!
Train lines have shut down.
Can't you cut through an alley or something?!
Come on, man!
That'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--
Not again... Please.
Mayuri!
Shiina Mayuri is confirmed dead...
HOE-oh-een-- 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!
Even the number of several billion heartbeats
suujuuoku mo no kodou no kazu sae
anata ni wa matataki teido no saji na toukyuu
is basic research with little glamor for you
anata ni wa matataki teido no saji na toukyuu
kako ni torawarete mirai wo nageku mo
Even locked in the past and lamenting the future
kako ni torawarete mirai wo nageku mo
chiri hitotsu gosan wo yurusanu hitsuzen
it's an inevitability that won't forgive miscalculating one speck of dust
chiri hitotsu gosan wo yurusanu hitsuzen
mugen ni hirogaru yume mo egaku mirai mo
The dreams that stretch out forever and the future we imagine
mugen ni hirogaru yume mo egaku mirai mo
bokutachi ni yurusareta kyoei no genri
are a vain theory we allowed
bokutachi ni yurusareta kyoei no genri
yuugen sore wa futatsu no hari ga shimesu
Finity, that's what the two hands of the clock point out
yuugen sore wa futatsu no hari ga shimesu
zankoku na yakujou to sentaku e hacking to the gate
towards a cruel agreement and choice
zankoku na yakujou to sentaku e hacking to the gate
Hacking to the Gate
zankoku na yakujou to sentaku e hacking to the gate
dakara ima ichibyou goto ni sekaisen wo koete
That's why I want to cross world lines with each passing second
dakara ima ichibyou goto ni sekaisen wo koete
kimi no sono egao mamoritai no sa
and protect your smile
kimi no sono egao mamoritai no sa
soshite mata kanashimi no nai jikan no loop e to
And once again, into a time loop that contains no sadness
soshite mata kanashimi no nai jikan no loop e to
nomikomareteyuku kodoku no kansokusha
A swallowed solitary observer
nomikomareteyuku kodoku no kansokusha
Physically
Necrosis
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...
Assistant
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Not even the texts change... Wait...
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"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.
Who the hell are you working for?!
I just... work for Arc 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're 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 friggin' there!
I...
Answer me!
Do you really have to ask?
Three things...
First off: 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 on to 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.
Are you or are you not John Titor?
That's the only explanation that fits.
No!
Oh god...
Bomb threat worked like a charm.
Trains'll be stalled for a while... We're good to go.
Secure Makise Kurisu and Hashida Itaru...
Everyone else is expendable.
No!
Wait! Don't do this...!
I'll give you whatever the hell you ask for,
just don't kill Mayuri!
Look, I'm sorry...!
I didn't know what I was doing!
Who'd believe a nut like me about SERN anyway?!
Take the damn 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 whose curiosity got the better of him!
Nothing was ever going to come of it!
Nothing ever does... Please don't kill my friend...!
Too late.
Mayuri...
Mayuri!!
Shut the hell up!
Mayuri!
No...
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--
Hey, wait for--!
Clackety-clack...! Look, Mommy--it's the bullet train!
Ah, Oka-- 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 en route back to the lab...
I know. I know everything!
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?
Uh-huh. 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 whose 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...
Well, I won't argue that you aren't reckless...
Fact of the matter is 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.
Humans 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 two seconds away from quoting it to me.
Okay. Not gonna lie. Kind of creepy.
It's like you're rooting through my frontal lobes...
Note to self: time-leaping side effects
include the ability to freak people out.
What am I going to do?
When exactly does the lab get attacked?
Just after seven thirty.
I have a rough idea why Mayuri keeps dying.
Several ideas, actually...
But sitting here brooding about them isn't going to do anything.
Come on.
I am 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 run for their money, right?
"Of course you are!"
Shut up.
Okay, I've set it for about five 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.
You have to get everyone to leave once it's finished
and re-tell me everything you told me earlier,
even though it might be difficult for me to take, okay.
Wear 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 kickass 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?
Uh... 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?
Yep-yep... Nice and stretched out.
Try to think like you're a clothes-line.
Aw, 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.
It is kind of cute...
Got the cosplay bug?
Please. Don't even go there...
Like I'd ever traipse around in public wearing...
That's right...
Five 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...! Mayushii takes 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!
Crap! Too sudden!
What are you talking about?
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.
Coming up.
Explain why here?
Well it wasn't by design.
I didn't get your message until after I'd ordered.
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... Ugh...
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 five hours in the future.
You what...? Is that the first half of a pickup line?
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 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?
You are certifiable...
Ever think you missed your calling
as a schizoid case study?
Easy does it. Mustn't slug her...
Right now what you crave more than anything...
Is a monogrammed fork.
Convinced?
Where the hell is that coming from...?
I say that five hours from now?
You have a personalized spoon to go with it, so why not?
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...
Here's your beef bowl, hon.
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 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,
Cause
Death
Effect
is subject to change.
Death
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 as much from the fact
that she dies even when they're not involved.
Cause
Death
Effect
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 machine unfinished...
Hold on.
We don't know the machine isn't just another detail.
But surely...
She's hit the nail on the head.
You know something...? If so, please just to 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 past the divergence barrier...
That nagging one percent gap between world-lines
attached to the same alpha.
Okay. Pay attention kiddos, it's gonna get complicated:
The Divergence Number indicates a given world line's 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 its 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 havin' trouble gettin' your head around the concept,
it might help to think of world-lines
like fibers in a rope.
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 its own thing,
independent of its 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 past the one percent divergence barrier.
Something that'll derail you off the alpha track
with enough force to land you onto a beta line.
Okay. The one on the right is yours.
Uh, excuse me.
I'm not quite athletic enough to shimmy up a rope...
Ugh. Fine then. Wait here... I'll be back in a second.
What is she?
Professional shimmy-er, perhaps...? I dunno.
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 can D-mail or leap all you want;
it's not going to alter things enough
to break you away from the alpha line.
That said, though...
There are relatively fixed points in any line where events
of great enough significance occur to break off
toward 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.
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.
kisei sareta shikai mujihi naru
Our vision, controlled by someone, fills with cruelty
juuni no shihai nogarerarenai
We can't escape the twelve rules
ansoku no asu wo negatta
We wished for a tomorrow full of rest
te no naka no toutoi jishou no chihei he
to be given to the precious event horizon in our hands
toraware shi meiyaku arawareta gishou no rinkaku
In the promise we made in captivity appeared the contours of a lie
seimei no tenchi wa moumoku na jikan wo kizanda
The realm of life recorded a time of blindness
habatake butterfly
Fly, butterfly
kiseki no butterfly
O, miraculous butterfly
anata he sasagu
I will sacrifice to you
namida no butterfly
Butterflies of tears
mabushii butterfly
Dazzling butterflies
subete ga ima kakikaerareru
Everything is being rewritten