Chapter Text
Ruka went to answer the door. As she opened it, there stood her suitor, in a slick suit. He looked much more attractive now than he did at supermarket, she thought. He was taken aback by her appearance as well.
"Evening..." She said shyly. It was apparent that they were equally nervous.
"Shall we?" He offered his hand, and she took it. Ruka and Kaito watched from the porch as they walked to his car.
"Think she'll enjoy it?" Kaito asked Suzuha.
"I'd say she already is." She replied.
"So, you think he's from the future..." Daru said with doubt.
"It's the only explanation. He knew everything we'd done up until the explosion." Okabe replied.
"It would also explain the stealth suit." Kurisu added. Daru pondered all of this.
"It still doesn't explain why he did it..."
"It was pre-emptive I think. He was trying to prevent something from happening." Okabe interrupted.
"So...like breaking a link in a chain of events..."
"He's hiding something from us. He knows what we've done, right? He has to know what our work does in the future..." Kurisu said. Okabe sat in thought, remembering the world war that was nearly caused twenty-seven years before.
Ruka stared at the menu while her date glanced at her every now and again. She tried not to let her nervousness shoe through. He had taken the liberty of reserving a table at the nicest restaurant in the small lake town.
"See anything you like?" Daisuke asked.
"It all looks good...what do you recommend?" Just as she asked, the waiter approached the table.
"We'll take two number sevens" Daisuke told him without hesitation. Ruka couldn't help but notice that was the most expensive menu item.
"You don't have to do that, really..." She said anxiously.
"I don't mind." He said with a smile.
Okabe's phone rang in his lab coat pocket (his ringtone was Lonely Space man from Captain Future and the Future men). He answered it promptly with suspicion.
"Hello? Who is this?"
"Okabe..."
"Moeka?" he responded in surprise. He hadn't spoken to her much since her career took off.
"They're coming for me...and they'll come for you too. All of you." She said as calmly as possible.
"WHAT!? WHO!?"
"They want that information...and all you've achieved with it so far. They won't stop until they get what they want..." She paused. Moeka hung up and erased her calls and messages within seconds. She could her almost silent footsteps nearing her office. She was the only one left on the floor, or so she thought. She drew her old sidearm from a drawer and waited patiently.
A series of gun shots echoed through the halls of that floor moments later.
"You're sure? We're all in danger?" Kurisu asked her disturbed husband.
"We need to take every precaution. It would be best to continue the work awa-"
"Continue!? Are you crazy? This has gone far enough!" Daru interrupted. The thought of his family in danger overwhelmed his emotions.
"Perhaps you're correct...but we need to keep what tech and info we have out of the enemy's hands."
They all pondered this thought. "Where would we go?" Kurisu asked hypothetically.
"There's a big underground bunker at the Nikko house. My great grand-dad had it put in after the war in case of a nuke attack. Lead lined and everything." Daru said.
"Very well." Okabe said with a sigh. "Then we'll join the other three at your family's manor. Let operation Reunion commence." Shortly after, he and Daru went to work dismantling the machine for transport while Kurisu took care of the smaller items they'd need for an extended stay. The captive was also released to help load the truck.
Ruka opened the door and quickly walked inside. She was breathing quickly and looked pale, aside from her blushing dimples. She walked into the living room as quietly as she normally did.
"Well, how'd it go? Kaito asked. He and sitting beside Suzuha watching an old rerun of an anime his dad grew up on. He had his arm around her, and she had her head on his shoulder until she looked at Ruka.
"It was...well..." Ruka said anxiously.
"That bad?" Suzuha asked.
No no...it was great." Ruka finally said. "The food was delicious, and he was a gentlemen for sure."
"Then why do you look like you've seen a ghost?" Kaito asked curiously. Ruka looked away for a moment, blushing. "Well...even though its the first date he...he kissed me goodnight!"
Kaito and Suzuha exchanged glances before looking back at her. "Wow...really? That's great!" Suzuha said, Kaito nodding in agreement.
"I don't know...I think he's moving kinda fast." Ruka said nervously.
Before Suzuha or Katio had tine to reply, the phone rang. Ruka answered, being the closest.
"What? You're coming here? All of you?" She asked as Okabe explained the situation.
"Just the three of us, the prototype and some additional...'equipment. 'The rest of Daru's family will stay with his in-laws until things calm down. I trust there is plenty of room?"
"Y-yes." She responded.
" Good. Now, you may see if Suzuha knows about bunker."
"Bunker? Where?!" She said, astounded.
"Somewhere below the property. We need it ready for our equipment. We should arrive the morrow after."
"O-ok." She responded anxiously as she hung up the phone.
"Who was it? Your date?" Kaito asked.
"N-no...Suzuha, do you know anything about a bunker here?"
Suzuha's expression got stern. "What happened at the warehouse..." She demanded.
"I don't know..." Ruka said sadly, "but your parents are joining us soon...both of yours."
Okabe and Daru shut the door on the moving truck as they finished loading the cargo. They thought it best to use a generic rented moving truck rather than the company truck to avoid watching eyes. Kurisu locked up the lab just before meeting them at the gate. "It's quite a drive..." Daru said with exhaustion. It was 4 AM when they set out. "Maybe this will help" Okabe said as he turned on the radio. A news alert blared over the speakers.
"2 found dead in office of renowned business woman Kiryu Moeka...gun-play believed to be involved. Detaiks still coming in. Who would commit such a tragedy??"
The air in the truck as tense and silent. They all exchanged glances of horror. They were all thinking the same thing: They'd gotten to her because of the info she passed on to Kaito. Which means they'd be next. Little was said for the remainder of the trip. A rain shower dampened the remainder of it.
"That's everything." Suzuha said with a stretch. She and Kaito had spent the morning preparing a few of the bedrooms for their parents. They assumed the 3rd one would be host to Mayushii. Meanwhile Ruka was preparing food for their parent's arrival.
"This is weird...” Kaito said as he sat on the freshly made bed.
“Why would they abandon the warehouse to come here?” Suzuha sat beside him, giving him an answer.
“Maybe the warehouse isn't as safe as when we left it.”
“Do you think something happened?” He glanced at her.
“No telling, but we'll find out soon.” There was a brief silence as they both sat there thinking.
“C'mon, Ruka said Dad wanted me to check out the bunker.” Suzuha said with a pat on his pat as she rose. “A bunker? Here!?”
“C'mon, it's cool!” She shouted as he followed after her.
The rental truck arrived late in the afternoon. Daru and Okabe wasted no time unloading the teleporter prototype-in-progress. It wasn't difficult to get the device into the bunker, which was in the side of a large nearby hill with enough capacity for 8 people and a small car. The process went especially fast with the help of Kaito, Suzuha, and the stranger which had yet to be identified.
That evening was very awkward. Ruka laid out a delicious looking spread of food, but everyone ate in silence. The stranger sat between Okabe and Daru, under their watchful eyes. Suzuha, unable to stand the silence, finally spoke.
“So...Dad...who's your friend?” Okabe and Daru glanced at each other nervously, unsure of what to say.
Before they could, their “guest” cleared his throat.
“I suppose proper introductions are in order. My given name is Matsuhiro Wakamatsu. I am a member of the resistance against SERN 30 years from now. I was sent back to stop SERN from securing the teleportation technology you were in the process of perfecting.”
All eyes were on him, but he resumed eating once he was finished speaking. Okabe stood up. “You couldn't have told us this earlier!?”
“I couldn't risk it. You may not have known it but all ears were directed at that warehouse lab of yours.”
“Then why did you risk blowing it up!?” He screamed.
“HE TRIED TO BLOW UP THE LAB!?” Suzuha said loudly with fright. Matsuhiro sighed.
“I was trying to make it look like an accident. None of you were the target of my sabotage. In fact, despite all you've done to me, you're all pretty damned important in the time to come, so I'll let it slide.” He took a sip of his water. “We're not out of this mess yet.”
After dinner Kurisu helped Ruka with cleanup while Daru showed Okabe around the house. Suzuha and Kaito retreated to one of the rooms to be alone. He sat on the bed staring out the window while she laid on the carpet floor, staring up at the ceiling.
“This is even weirder than I thought.” He said.
“I would say it's unbelievable but...weirder things have happened. It actually makes sense with everything that's been going on.”
“I wonder what he meant when he said 'all you've done to me...'”
“I'm more curious about how we're 'pretty damned important.'”
“Yeah...” There was a knock on the door. Daru poked his head in.
“Hate to do it, but we've gotta start curfew just to be on the safe side.” He told them. Suzuha got up and started for the door, but not before giving Kaito a hug and kiss on the cheek.
“It'll be fine, don't worry. Goodnight.”
“Night.” He told her as they walked on down the hall. As he turned back, he got a glance of Matsuhiro walking to his room. They shared a momentary glance. Somehow, Kaito knew there was a familiar quality about him that he couldn't pinpoint.