Episode 10
"Lament of a Stranger"
Jeremy sat at his desk, his location not changing over the last eight hours. His clock read "5:46 a.m.", but he was too focused on his work to pay any attention to the time.
"After working with Hopper on this project for two weeks, I think we've just about got it working." Jeremy said, standing from his chair. He let out a loud *Yawwwnnn* and stretched his arms out from his body. His muscles ached and his eyes sagged, his vision left fuzzy from a night of work in front of a bright computer monitor.
"I guess I should get ready so I can eat breakfast."
Suddenly, his computer made two consecutive beeps, causing him to take notice. He sat down, turned the monitor back on and opened the pending tab on his screen.
"A message from Franz." Jeremy read over the massage:
'I need you here now so we can run the final tests. If this succeeds, we will be ready to destroy X.A.N.A.'
Jeremy sighed, but it went unheard, blocked by the sound of his stomach growling.
"Well, Jeremy, I guess you won't be getting breakfast after all." He bantered with himself, changing out of his night clothes and into his usual attire as quickly as possible.
He grabbed his phone, finally taking note of the time.
"5:51..." Jeremy said, slipping his phone into his pocket. "If this program works, I might actually get some sleep for a change."
Jeremy laughed slightly to himself as he walked out the door. A small group of boys walked past his room headed for the showers, making random banter between them.
Jeremy walked across the hall to Odd and Ulrich's room and knocked on the door.
Silence
He knocked again: "Odd, Ulrich, get up."
Silence
Seeing how futile his attempts were, he opened the door and walked in, only to find Odd half on his bed and half on the floor while Kiwi stood on Ulrich's chest, licking Ulrich's face.
"Guys, wake up." Jeremy said, closing the door behind him.
"Ugh," Ulrich moaned, his voice tired and groggy, "five more minutes."
"Ugh," Odd said, sounding much worse than his brown haired friend, "five more hours."
Jeremy crossed his arms, looking back and forth at both of them. "Fine, sleep. I'm going to test the final stages of Franz and my program, and I'll call you if something develops."
Odd moved slightly, but remained asleep. "No, mom, I want orange juice with my toast."
Jeremy laughed a little on the inside, but was quick to leave, given the circumstances.
Jeremy walked down the hall, down the stairs to the bottom floor and exited the building. He was excited about being so close to destroying X.A.N.A., but at the same time something just didn't feel right to him.
—
Jeremy climbed down the ladder and into the sewers, an action he has done many times over the last couple of years. Upon entering the sewer, he grabbed his scooter and scooted across the same path he always did. This routine had, over time, become just another daily thing, showing just how long they have all been working against X.A.N.A.
Jeremy arrived at the opening to the bridge, went through and made his way into the factory. His ride down in the elevator was quiet, his mind empty, talking a slight rest after obtaining no sleep last night.
The elevator doors slid open, revealing a busy Franz typing rapidly at the keyboard.
"Ahh, Jeremy, come here. I was just about to start running the preliminary tests."
Jeremy walked over to Franz, and, upon arrival, turned to look at the monitor.
"Did you get all of the work I sent you a couple of hours ago?" Jeremy asked.
Franz turned his head a little towards Jeremy, but not enough to take his attention away from the computer. "Yes, I found your algorithm for displacing the erased virtual particles interesting."
"Thank you, I just built off some of your old work, made it more compatible with out current problem." Jeremy replied.
Franz typed one final line into the computer and turned the chair to face Jeremy.
"I have the preliminary tests starting now, but it will take them a couple of minutes to finish." Franz pulled his glasses off, used his shirt to clean them and put the pair back on.
"Jeremy, I've been meaning to talk to you about something. I've heard that there may be a chance that you like my daughter."
Jeremy blushed faster than any human before him, his cheeks turning crimson instantly. "... Where did you hear that, sir..?" Jeremy said, sweat dripping from his brow.
"Calm down, Jeremy. I have seen your personality over my observation in the past and over these last few days, I think you are an amazing and caring boy." Franz put his right arm on Jeremy's shoulder. "I want to tell you something. At the moment, I am X.A.N.A.'s biggest threat, meaning he is surely out to kill me as quickly as he can. I am just worried about how Aelita will be if I, well, am killed by X.A.N.A.. She is a strong and independent girl, but she can't deal with a stress like that alone. All I ask of you is, if I am to take an early leave during our final attempts on X.A.N.A., I want you to take care of her, be there for her, comfort her, never let her feel alone." Franz looked deeply into Jeremy's eyes, as though there was a direct connection between them. "Can you do that for me?"
Jeremy looked at Franz with a massive amount of confidence, a strength that Jeremy didn't often have on his side. "Yes, I believe I can do what you have asked. Thank you for trusting me with her well-being."
Franz smiled, Jeremy matching his expression. "Good. Now then, let's get back to these tests. Hopefully the results will be as promising as our earliest estimates."
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