[Private] Come alone.

'Heh. Yeah, I figured you would say that' Wade grinned. The boy turned back looking behind his shoulder in order to check if anyone was preparing to intrude upon their privacy. Miraculously, no one had showed up yet, but that wasn't going to last for long - either the cops or some reinforcements for the biker gang were going to show up any second now. That wasn't the place nor the time for him to provide Chiharu with exposition.

'We can go to one of my hideouts. It'll be safer to talk there' he explained. 'You know the ice cream stand at the corner a few blocks from here? Right across it is a building. Go behind it, and you'll end up in a back alley like these. I'll meet you there'

Upon giving his instructions, the boy jumped on a nearby emergency ladder, swiftly climbing up on the rooftop once again before leaving Chiharu out of sight. This time, it took him a bit longer to get to his destination - since his hideout was across the street, he needed to actually go down to street level and pass the crosswalk in order to get there, which wasn't something he was particularly fond of. Thankfully, the bill of his hat covered up his rather distinctly Western features well, so at the end of his little journey, he didn't think anyone recognized him.

The backstreet where the meeting happened looked pretty much exactly the same as the other two, complete with dumpsters, ladders and a manhole in the corner - obviously, the hideout had been picked rather well. However, what other people couldn't possibly guess was that the conveniently placed climbing points were far from the actual reason as to why Wade had picked this as one of his numerous hideouts. When Chiharu arrived, the boy crouched down and removed the cover of the manhole, pulling it aside just enough out of reach so that it could later be closed from the inside.

'Through here' he told her, jumping down into the opening and stepping aside in order to allow his guest safe passage. Upon her entrance, Chiharu would discover anything but the filthy water and mind-numbing stench she probably expected - instead of in the sewers, the two would end up in a small, square room illuminated by a single lightbulb on the ceiling. The room wasn't particularly spacious - it had a table with two chairs, a rolled-up futon in the corner, a pile of cans and not much else. But it was still better than nothing, especially for a homeless guy like Wade. 'Cool, huh? This room was built back in the 60s by the Yakuza as a safe place to conduct meetings. That secret of theirs won't be officially discovered for a few more years' he explained, pulling up a chair and sitting down by the table.

Chiharu walked towards the Manhole apprehensively, with her scarf wrapped around her mouth and nose. But when she got close enough to realize the lack of a distinctly shitty smell and see the light coming from inside, she unwrapped the scarf and sat on the edge of the entrance before hopping into the room.

That secret of theirs won't be officially discovered for a few more years'

She held up a hand to block the light coming from the bright and uncovered light bulb as she took a seat of her own and said, "Is that when you plan on revealing it to the world?"

Wade couldn't help but chuckle at Chiharu's words. 'Not really. As far as I remember, two stupid kids discovered it in '25 or '26. They were looking for a place to fuck and for some reason assumed the sewers would be the most romantic place in the world. Gotta love how every generation gets progressively dumber...' Wade sighed, leaning forward on the table. 'Of course, the location of this safehouse isn't the only thing that I'm not supposed to know. I also know that, in a few years, there will be a war unlike any war that has ever been fought, with soldiers and weapons as foreign to us as firearms and horses were to the natives of America. It will be a war without winners or losers, and one which shall affect the entire world. And when it's over, a man who has lost everything will attempt to ensure that nobody ever loses anything ever again, and in the process will strip humanity of everything it holds dear" Wade finally finished. It had taken him a while to come up with this. "The future is going to be a very fucked up place, Chiharu. You can't even imagine. But there's still something that can be done about it"

<So he thinks he's from the future. Hell, he just might be. With a future where shit hits the fan, I wonder how long I would last, and he would probably know. That's a question for another time>

After a short moment of thought Chiharu leans forward and asks, "And what exactly is that? What could you possibly do in the Yamaku Dorms, of all places, that can prevent the end of the world as we know it?"

Yeah, go ahead, Wade. Tell her that you need to snatch panties. See how far that takes you.

'That, um... That is classified. For, eh... Continuity reasons' he explained, scratching his chin. "All you need to know is that, unless I make my way into that dorm, a lot of innocent people are going to die. Including my family. And yours too"

I mean, I don't know for a fact that her family in the future dies, but it's not an unsafe assumption to make.

<He keeps saying other people are going to die, but he never says anything about my fate. Ahh, what the hell, might as well ask while I have the chance>

Chiharu's demeanor shifts slightly more towards the innocent side as she asks, "What about me? Do I make it?"

Wade found himself having to contain a chuckle as Chiharu asked him her question. 'No' he shook his head. 'I slit your throat when you threw an EMP grenade at my bike'

He kept silent for a few seconds.

'I really liked that bike'

What?:

Chiharu seems quite befuddled as she blurts out, "What?"
A short moment passes before she squints with confusion as she continues with, "You killed me!?"

'Mmmhm' Wade nodded. 'You totally had it coming, though. I mean, you destroyed my bike, you shot me, and your hair was all funny. Frankly, I'm surprised you even lasted that long' he explained. Of course, a few seconds later his mouth curved into a grin, indicating that this was another one of Future Wade's strange attempts at humor. 'Sorry, sorry... I didn't exactly have a "straight man" to practice my jokes on when the world ended, so I might be a little rusty'

Chiharu placed an elbow on the table and let out a long sigh as she placed her face into her palm.

<Unerringly facetious, as always>

After a couple seconds, she tilts her head to rest her cheek bone upon her fist.
"I have to admit, I can see how that could've been funny. I guess I'm just not really in the mood for humor, and I thought you would be too, but I guess this is the first time you've gotten the chance to talk to someone, let alone joke around. So, might as well take advantage of the situation while you can. Right?"

Wade's grin slowly faded away as Chiharu began speaking. 'Ten years' he spoke, turning away. 'It's been ten years since I've had a proper conversation with anyone. After Ellie died, the world just... Fell apart. For me and for everyone else. After that, the only humans I met were marauders'

Chiharu remained silent as she sat up and slightly forward, listening intently and allowing Wade to continue.

Wade pulled the bill of his hat down, hoping that it and the hand holding it would obscure his face. He didn't always get really emotional, but when he did, he preferred it if others couldn't see him like that, if he could help it. 'They killed her... Right in front of me' he spoke, trying to keep his composure as the memories came flooding. 'Busted the door open, held us both down... She was so scared and confused, the only thing she could do was scream for me... And then they just sliced her open without a second fucking thought... I couldn't do anything...' his voice trailed off as Wade pressed his face against his sleeve, to both wipe his tears and preserve at least part of his dignity.

Chiharu leans over the table enough to put a hand on Wade's arm as she says, "You're doing something right now. You have the chance to make up for the times you were powerless. You have the chance to save the people you couldn't... And Wade. You have the chance to see your family again."

'I can't' Wade shook his head. 'They've been gone for ten years, and suddenly they're... I just can't. I saw them die, Chiharu. I saw all of them die. You don't just forget something like that'

"I'm not asking you to forget death."
She then pulls out the little box containing the red ring and places it on the table.
"I'm asking you to remember what it's like to be alive again. Even if it's just one last time."

<If this is all true, the savior of the world deserves at least that much. And if it isn't, maybe seeing his family again will snap him out of any kind of delusions he's having>

'I just can't, okay?' he looked at her. 'I'm... I don't expect you to understand. Do you have any ideas how often I've wanted to go there? To watch through their window and see Inna and Ellie like they were before everything went to shit... To go up to them and hold them in my arms once again... To tell them to get the fuck away the moment the world starts falling apart... But that's not how it works. To me, they're just... Ghosts. Ghosts from a past that I don't belong to. I can't see them, Chiharu. I'm not ready'

Silence surrounds them for a few moments.
<There's no way this is just a delusion. What ever happened to him, changed him fundamentally. No amount of schizophrenia could do this>
Chiharu eventually breaks the silence softly with a quiet question.
"Who did this?"

The question, while not related to what they were talking about, didn't exactly catch him off-guard. After all, after one learned of the world's inevitable demise, it was only natural for them to want to know the name of the responsible party. 'It's Takeshi Tachibana, who else? After the civil war, the government of the North American Union was on the verge of breaking apart. And once Takeshi and his cybernetic freaks got their hold on the entire NAU arsenal and sent out a few kinetic projectiles on key areas, the rest of the world just fell on its knees. People who were deemed worthy were subjected to a cybernetic conversion. People who were not were killed on the spot. Children were, by default, deemed unfit for conversion' he sighed. 'Sure, a handful of people survived, but they couldn't exactly do much. After all, how do you kill something which was designed to be unkillable? The best they could come up with was to have a mutant power up a time machine of sorts, but only an exceptionally powerful individual could survive having their consciousness sent back through time. During the Civil War, I was given my father's healing factor, so they tracked me down and had me come back and prevent all this madness. So here I am'

Chiharu seems fairly surprised, almost overwhelmed with everything Wade just told her.
"Wait, Takeshi Tachibana? Like Mr. Tachibana, our old science teacher? And what Civil war? Who's your father, and what healing thing are you talking about?"

'Yep, same Tachibana' Wade said, leaning back. 'During the Civil War, his daughter was killed in an air strike, despite his best efforts to save her. So he ended up declaring war on humanity itself. And that's about as much plot exposition you'll get from me. If I do my job here, none of this will end up happening anyway. Tachibana will end up being nothing more than a science fiction writer, the only Civil War the US will know is the one fought between the North and the South, and my family - everyone's families - will be alive and well'

After taking a deep breath, Chiharu lets out a short, "Well..."
She then stands up, being careful not to move the chair as she does so, before continuing her statement.
"I guess if that's all you can tell me about that, I should probably head back. Unless if there's something else you wanted to say?"

'A few things, actually...' Wade said, still standing on his chair despite the fact that his companion was standing. 'I know I'm already asking too much of you, but I've got two more favors I'll need you to do for me. First...' he spoke, leaning forward and pushing the box with the ring back towards her. 'Please take care of Ellie for me. She needs someone to be there for her, and my sister's most likely way too busy with her job. She might not show it, but my niece is rather sensitive, so when she's distressed, she could use all the support she can get. And second... I'd like to ask you to take care of me. After I lose my memory I'll be disoriented... Scared. And possibly in a shitton of trouble. I'll need someone to assure me that I haven't gone insane, and blackouts like these won't happen again'

<Damn, I was hoping I could leave without him noticing I left that there, or at least not notice until I was gone... Oh well, it was worth a shot at a second chance to convince him to see his family>

Chiharu pockets the box again and replies with a solemn question.
"And what if it does?.. Happen again, that is. How can I know that nothing crazy like this is going to happen again, when it has already happened twice now?"

'You don't' Wade responded honestly, shrugging his shoulders. 'Time travel is unreliable - I mean, hell, I'm the first one who's ever gone back to the past, as far as I know. Who knows, maybe I'll accidentally erase my existence and will disappear without completing my mission. Maybe I'll cause a giant time paradox and space and time will implode upon themselves. Or maybe I'll prevent the apocalypse and replace it with something far worse. I don't know what will happen, I just know that I have to do something. I guess the only thing you can really do is to keep a very close eye on Takeshi Tachibana... And be prepared when something worse happens'