Disclaimer: I don't own Jake 2.0 and I don't think anyone does anymore.
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"Jake you're late." A voice yelled at the young man as he gasped for breath. Jake rested his elbows on his thighs while he stared at the ground and at his shoes that he accidentally wore on the wrong feet. "What's going on with you, Jake? You're always late."
Jake stood up straight to look her in the eye. "Well, I woke up to a knocking on my door, I opened it and no one was there. When I tried to get back to sleep I just ended up lying on my bed for two hours. Then when I woke up again about 10 minutes ago, I saw the alarm clock and I ran over here as fast as I could."
Louise stared at her coworker, rolling her eyes at him. "Technically," Jake said raising his finger. "I'm not late. The meeting begins in one minute."
Louise gently tapped the back of her hand over his head. Jake laughed. "Let's go!"
In the boardroom, the woman went on and on. Jake had rested his forehead on his hand and covered his eyes as he drifted in and out of sleep.
Diane kicked him from under the table as the head of the direction asked him a question. The old woman, her face wrinkled and sagging, looked at the sleeping man with a stern, strict stare.
"Jake!" Diane yelled in a whisper. "Wake up!"
Jake dropped his hand and shook his head, his eyes squinting at the fluorescent lights of the room. "Here." He blurted out without thought. Louise put her hand to her forehead, embarrassed for both herself and her colleague.
"I asked you a question!" The women said angrily. Peering across the table at him.
Jake looked at her in fear. "I'm sorry, uh, could you repeat yourself? Please." Jake smiled cutely at the woman who seemed extremely unimpressed.
She sighed. "I asked you your opinion on the idea that your study is being shut down and what you think should be the best way to terminate it and you."
Jake felt like he'd been hit with a car. Like he had toppled over a giant Jenga tower and it was falling on him. "Well by the sounds of it," he began. "The study will be ended whether or not I can give a good reason. And from my knowledge of the situation there is only one way to terminate it." Jake looked down at his hands on the table.
Looking at the old woman, he could see an understanding and a pity she had for him. "Well, you are correct in what you've said. I am extremely grateful for the work you all have put into this. We just don't have the finances or the right reasons to keep this project on the go. I'm sorry, but your research has come to its end. When you've terminated it I'd like a full report on it."
She stopped and apologetically looked to each member of the research. "You may go now."
When they left the boardroom, it took merely seconds before Diane burst into tears and Louise and Kyle on the verge. Jake held the sobbing Diane in his arms and looked from Kyle to Louise. They both looked nervous, scared and sad. Jake looked at them sympathetically still shocked by their situation.
Seeing a small tear fall down Jake's cheek. Louise leaned against the wall and Jake took her hand and held it up to his shoulder. Kyle stood in place and with his arm against his ribs he held his other hand against his cheek. With admiration he asked his friend. "How can you be so strong? In such a situation?"
Jake shrugged his shoulders not knowing the answer himself. "I guess, one of us has to." He whispered, leaning his head on Diane's. Jake tried to find words to comfort them but couldn't
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That night, Jake called his old friends and his family and explained what was happening to those who could listen past 'I'm leaving.' No one understood why he didn't protest against the verdict. And all Jake found himself saying was that he knew the day would come. Though he'd never imagined it would be this soon.
When Jake got to work the next day, there was a deathly silence. As he passed people said goodbye and claimed they would miss him. Some people came to him and shook his hand thanking him for the time he had spent there. Many of the women hugged him with tears streaming down their faces. All he could do was thank them and tell them that he would miss them too, that he had an awesome time working there. That day he said goodbye more times than he did throughout his entire life. He had never known the impact he had actually on the workers there.
Holding his head high he continued through the quiet, softly sobbing rooms until he came to the hallway where he was told to meet them. Putting his hand on the doorknob, he looked around the hall knowing he'd never see it again. Slowly, he gripped the cold metal knob and turned it, pushing the door open.
In the room everyone sat in silence each on a metal chair spaced out throughout the empty room. Diane stood up and scurried over to him. "I wish you didn't have to go." She said.
Jake looked at the ground, knowing there were no words that could help her. Jake sighed. "Let's… do this." He felt his words burn through his three colleagues. Jake sat down in a comfortable chair and asked in a high whisper. "So how are we doing this?"
Diane explained the procedure through her tears, then began. Pressing the buttons and clicking things on her computer seemed to ease her mind off of Jake. After several dozens of seconds, once half of Jake's body had lost all feeling, Diane's computer lost power. "I'm so sorry Jake." Diane apologized.
"Could I just stay like this? I don't need to die, that's half the nanites gone already. Tell me that's enough." Louise, Kyle and Diane chuckled lightly.
"My computer won't start up. It must have a virus of some sort." Diane stated fearfully.
"We can't just leave him like this." Kyle said.
Louise nodded. "We need to… terminate all of the nanites."
After discussing what to do. Kyle left them and came back with a gun. "I'm sorry Jake. There's no other way."
Jake nodded his head as he watched Kyle load it with a bullet. "Wait." They all stopped what they were doing and turned towards him. "Diane. In my coat pocket there's an envelope. Can you take it out." The young woman nodded her head and retrieved the envelope from his pocket. She went to hand it to him, but he pushed her hand away. "It's… for the three of you. Open it once I'm… gone."
They all agreed and watched painfully as Kyle aimed and prepared to shoot. "Good bye Jake." Kyle said closing his eyes. Jake clenched his fists and held his eyes shut tightly. Kyle counted to three then slowly he pulled the trigger.
Jake could hear it fly through the air and cut through his shirt entering his chest. Diane ran to his side and collapsed on him. "Goodbye Jake." She said weeping, as she felt her blue shirt absorb his blood.
Feeling his life slowly trickle away, he was comforted as he felt his friends around him. Through a cracked voice he sand a song that his mother sang to him as a boy in the hospital while she died.
"Good night sweet heart well… it's time to go. Good night sweet heart… well it's time to go. I hate to leave you but I really must go. Good night…" His muffled voice ended the song early.
The silence filled with uncontrollable sobs tore their hearts. "Jake!" Diane cried out.
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After several long minutes of weeping at his side, Diane held the envelope out to her colleagues. They all stared at it waiting for someone else to speak. Louise put her hand on Diane's shoulder and asked, "Should we read it now?"
Kyle and Diane exchanged glances and nodded at each other. As they sat side by side, Diane opened the envelope and found three napkins neatly folded. Pulling them out, they saw that each one was addressed to one of them.
Kyle opened his first and read it to the others.
Hey Kyle. I just wanted to say thanks for being patient with me and being my bud. You were there for me and I just wish I had more time to be there for you. Thank you for understanding me and defending me when I did stupid things. You were a real friend. Love your pal, Jake.
In tears, Louise opened her letter.
Louise. What can I say? Other than you were the best person I've ever worked for. You were so much more than a colleague. You were my friend. Even though we had our disagreements and our little disputes you were still great to me. We had a lot of fun. I know that I'll see you again. Thanks for everything, Jake.
Diane leaned against Louise and sobbed as she opened the napkin.
Oh Diane. There is no word that I can use to let you know how important you are to me. I've loved you since our eyes first met. Since we began this research I've wanted to tell you but there was some how no time. You were the one thing that kept me from leaving and starting a new life. I love you so much. I was going to tell you today actually but my timing is really unfortunate. I couldn't bring myself to do it before. If you look in you coat pocket there's something I want you to have.
The letter ended there. Diane slowly got up and walked to the hook on which her coat was hanging. Reaching into the pocket, she found a small paper box held together with mounds of duct tape. When she sat back down next to Louise, she cautiously opened the box and found another letter.
On a torn red piece of construction paper was the ending to his letter.
Don't worry, this isn't a treasure hunt or anything. I just wanted to show you how much I love you so when you're ready untape the bottom of this paper. And remember I love you more than anyone loves anyone else in this world. I will always be with you and I'll never leave you. Until we meet again, I'll be thinking of you and I'll wait for you. You're the most beautiful person I've ever met. Love, forever and always, Jake.
Diane looked at her friends. Kyle and Louise smiled at her. Breathing in, she slid across the tile floor to the chair where Jake was. Looking at him and holding his limp hand, she could see him there with her. He smiled lovingly as tears flooded her cheeks. 'Open it.' she heard him say.
Slowly she untaped the paper and found a gold ring tape to it. Two small diamonds were centered on the larger part of the band. On the inside of the ring was printed two words. Marry me.
Diane looked at Jake who was still smiling at her. 'Do you like it?' he asked. Diane nodded her head as she slipped the ring on her finger. 'I love you.' he said as his spirit disappeared.
"I love you too."
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Alone we can accomplish very little, but together we can do everything.
Helen Keller