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🕑 Added 2025-05-14 07:42:41 +0000 UTCThe Supreme State of Science
Chapter 56 - The Unanswered Questions
"What happened?" Leslie slowly regained consciousness, her gaze soon focusing on Jimmy's face, who appeared to be asleep.
The sound of the rain still persisted outside the log, but it seemed to feel more isolated.
"I'm alive..." Leslie's face, covered by her short blonde hair, remembered falling into the water, and before she lost consciousness, she saw Jimmy jumping into the river to help her.
Remembering how that guy, who cared about her safety more than anyone, jumped into the river for her, putting his life in danger, made Leslie smile and cry at the same time.
She really was on the edge of death; she had been so naive...
The warnings Jimmy had given her about the simulation had been ignored by her, which led her into a situation where not only her life was in danger, but his as well.
"Do you feel better?" Jimmy asked, a bit uncomfortable to still be holding Leslie, who was recovering consciousness.
"Yes, but how did you manage to get me out of the river?" Leslie still doubted whether she had really gotten out of the river or if she was in a better place.
Jimmy stopped warming Leslie's cold body, gently letting her go, although inside, he wished he could stay just a little longer. She no longer trembled as much, and her breathing had stabilized.
"It was complicated..." Jimmy said while looking toward the entrance of the log, where the rain continued to fall without pause. "You were floating downriver. I thought I wouldn't make it in time, but Goddard helped me."
"Goddard?" Leslie asked, her voice still weak.
"Yes." Jimmy smiled faintly and said, "I let him go before I jumped. He activated the emergency protocol, lit up the bottom, and gave me a rope. He was the one who marked the safest point to get out of the water."
Leslie looked at him, her eyes filled with gratitude. "Thank you... Thank you both."
Jimmy nodded, and after a brief silence, he added, "While you were asleep, I was thinking about how to prevent this from happening again. It's not safe to cross that river like this. We're going to need something more reliable."
He stood up and extended a hand toward her.
"Come. I want to show you something."
Leslie took his hand and, still with her legs a bit unstable, followed him. They walked along the shore until they reached a point where they could see the still-agitated river. But this time, something had changed.
"Is that...?" Leslie stopped, incredulous.
"Yes." Jimmy replied proudly and said, "My nanobots built it while we were waiting for you to wake up. It's not a very high bridge, but it's sturdy. The nanomaterials are fused to the stones on the bank. And with this rope here, plus some fallen logs."
After saying this, Jimmy pointed to a rope tied between two trees—anyone could cross without falling.
Leslie suddenly hugged him tightly. Jimmy was surprised, but he didn't pull back, thinking that Leslie might create some kind of trauma with this, just as Sheldon did with the sausages.
"You're incredible." Leslie whispered before pulling away and giving him a soft kiss on the cheek.
Jimmy went silent. A slight warmth rose to his face, and before he could say anything, Leslie was already running between the trees.
"Let's see who gets to my house first!" Leslie shouted without looking back, laughing in the rain.
Jimmy blinked a couple of times, processing the scene. Then, for the first time, he let go of any prejudice about taking care of his body, about not running, not jumping, not getting wet.
He ran after her, smiling like he hadn't in a long time.
"I'm going to catch you, Leslie!"
And so, under the rain, between puddles and wet branches, two young hearts that understood nothing about life ran toward something they didn't even know they were looking for.
From the depths of Jimmy's mind, incredible things were going to happen with his new technologies. Not only did he save her life and Leslie's, but he also made sure that Sheldon’s dad, George, was safe as well.
