11.22.63: The day of the assassination
Jake drives the stolen car through the Dallas traffic, and Sadie warns him that all of Dallas will be closed for JFK's visit. He swerves through traffic and arrives at a road, only to discover that it's closed when it's supposed to be clear. They can't turn around, so Jake and Sadie start walking. As they go, Jake explains that Bobbie Ray will see Lee on the 6th floor, and fires three times at JFK at 12:30. The first shot misses: the other two shots don't.
The couple runs through the crowds and Jake bumps into a man. He turns to look at him and for a moment sees Frank Dunning, the man he killed in Kentucky to save his friend Harry. The vision fades, and Jake discovers that he's lost Sadie in the crowd. He finds her as she bumps into someone who appears to be her dead husband Johnny, and as they run Bill apparently trips Jake. Jake keeps going and pulls Sadie into an alleyway. As they come out the other end, a man in a red car drives after them and Jake runs with Sadie. They jump into a tour bus and the car broadsides the bus. Jake and Sadie go out the emergency door and Jake warns that the past is trying to stop them.
The couple arrives at Daley Plaza and reaches the book depository. Jake spots Bonnie Ray and tries to convince him to let them inside, but Bonnie Ray is closing the depository for lunch. The depository wasn't closed in the original timeline, and Bonnie Ray refuses to let them in. Jake asks if Lee is inside and says that Bonnie Ray testified for the Warren Commission. Bonnie Ray has no idea what he's talking about, and Jake draws a gun on him and orders him to let them in.
On the sixth floor, Lee assures himself that they will know his name.
Bonnie Ray unlocks the door and Jake tells him that Lee is going to try and kill JFK. He tells the worker to get the police and bring them there. Once Bonnie Ray runs off, Jake and Sadie run up the stairs.
The motorcade arrives at Daley Plaza, and Jake sees it coming through a window. They keep going up past writing on the wall saying, "Your the patsy."
Lee draws a bead on JFK at 12:29.
Abraham Zapruder films the approaching motorcade. Lee pulls the trigger as Jake and Sadie pry the fire door to the sixth floor open. The first shot misses, and Jake yells at Lee to stop. Startled, Lee turns and shoots, and Jake tackles Sadie to cover. By the time Lee turns back, JFK's car has driven out of sight. The fire door slams shut on its own, and Lee moves forward. Jake and Sadie move around to the window and Jake confirms that JFK got away.
Lee yells, asking what they're doing there. Jake tells Sadie to stay put and then moves away and calls to Lee. He says that he doesn't want to hurt Lee, but Lee fires in his direction and a startled Jake drops his gun and it falls out of sight. Furious, Lee insists that he came there to do something and he can do anything he sets his mind to. Jake tries to convince him to surrender, but Lee says that he's going to make his mark on the world. As he looks for Jake, Jake jumps him and they struggle for the rifle as it goes off. Jake finally gets it in and Lee charges at him... and Jake shoots him in the chest.
Sadie, moaning, calls to Jake. He goes to her and discovers that the stray shot hit her in the stomach. Jake tells her that they did it, and Sadie begs him to stay with her. He takes her hand and promises that he's there, and then says that he came back to be with her. Sadie says that she knows... and dies.
The police burst in and handcuff Jake. He begs them to help Sadie but they ignore him.
Later, the police detectives haul Jake to the courthouse. When they taunt him about going to the electric chair, Jake tells them to shut up and one of them punches him in the face. The reporters are waiting and the detectives push through them. They check Jake's shirt for the blood type on it and check his hands for gunpowder residues. The police then take Jake to an interrogation room where Agent Hosty and Captain Will Fritz question him. Jake says that he heard Lee threaten JFK because he lives in the apartment below him. He thought that Lee was drunk but couldn't get the threat out of his head. Fritz doesn't believe him and points out that Jake's fingerprints are on the rifle. Jake insists that they won't get a confession out of him.
Jake glares over at Hosty and asks why he didn't stop Lee, Hosty orders Fritz out of the room, insisting that the FBI has jurisdiction. The captain reluctantly leaves and Hosty asks Jake who his handler is. He points out that Jake has a fake ID, lives in two houses in two different cities, and has a partner who is supposedly his brother and committed suicide. Hosty points out that Jake has no identity prior to 1960, and Jake figures that Hosty's superior will come in and tell him to burn the threatening letter that Lee wrote two days ago. He figures that Hosty is covering himself by setting up Jake, and Hosty figures that Jake, Lee, and Sadie were Russian-activated assassins. The agent assures Jake that the evidence will show that a FBI sharpshooter took out Lee and Jake shot Sadie. Jake threatens to talk on the stand about the FBI's surveillance of JFK and his mob mistress, and insists that he didn't kill JFK. Hosty says that he knows... and doesn't care.
Hosty's superior comes in and whispers something to him. He confirms Hosty's orders to burn the letter and frame Jake, and leaves. Hosty asks Jake who he is and what he wants, and Jake insists that all he wanted to do was save JFK. Fritz comes in and Hosty tells him that Jake is in FBI custody. An officer comes in and says that there's a call for Jake... from JFK. They take Jake to the phone and JFK and his wife Jackie both thank Jake for saving their lives. Jackie expresses her condolences to Jake over Sadie's death.
Later, Hosty secretly drives Jake to the bus depot. On the radio, the newscaster talks about how the man who saved JFK and killed Lee has chosen to remain anonymous. Hosty asks Jake why Lee wanted to kill JFK, and Jake figures that no one will ever know. He wonders if Hosty burned the letter, and Hosty says that he'll tell him if Jake tells him. The agent figures that there's something off about Jake, and Jake insists that he likes privacy. Hosty offers his condolences for Sadie and Jake goes into the depot. The clerk is watching a newscast about the shooting, and Marguerite insists that her son has done more for his country than any other living being. Jake orders a ticket to Lisbon, Maine and waits for the bus. As he waits, Jake imagines seeing Sadie across the way, reading the same book she was reading when Jake first met her. She looks up and smiles, and then disappears.
Several days later, Jake arrives in Lisbon and goes to the portal. He says that he'll fix it and be right back, steps through, and... finds himself standing in the ruins of Al's diner. Ruined buildings are everywhere, and there's no one around. Jake goes searching and finally finds a woman. She confirms that it's 2016 and she's never heard of Al's Diner. She goes off, coughing, and Jake goes to his home. It's overgrown and falling apart, and nobody is inside.
As Jake walks down the street, he sees several hobos harassing a man. Jake grabs a stone and hits one hobo, and they run off. He turns to the man and realizes that it's Harry Dunning, who stares at Jake in surprise. Harry leads Jake to the abandoned factory where he lives and Jake claims that he's from Texas. After Harry offers him a drink, he says that he recognizes Jake as the man who saved him and his family in 1960. He wonders why Jake hasn't aged and if he's an angel, Jake has him describe what happened in the new timeline, and Harry explains that JFK was elected and re-elected. George Wallace succeeded him, and there was no Vietnam War or 9/11. There were refugee camps that Kennedy started, and Harry took his family there in 1975. Ellen was taken away, and Tugga joined the militia and Harry never saw him again. Kennedy started the camps after the bombings and the riots. Jake realizes that saving JFK didn't make the world a better place. Harry wonders why Jake saved them for the world that was coming, and why he killed his father.
Jake realizes that he has to go back and reset the timeline. He says goodbye to Harry and heads back to the portal. The hobos attack him but Jake shoves past them and goes through the portal. Jake finds himself back in 1960 and finds things just like they were on his last two trips. A car drives by and Jake sees Sadie in it with her two cousins. He runs after the car, calling Sadie's name, and finds her in a diner with her friends. Jake goes in and tells Sadie that they know each other, and describes her favorite book and how she works as a librarian.
The cashier asks if the man outside is with Jake. It's the Yellow Card Man, looking in through the window. Jake asks Sadie to stay put and goes outside. The Man says that Jake is in his own loop, and every time he thinks it's going to be different but it isn't. Jake insists that he and Sadie are supposed to be together, and he won't do save JFK or Harry's family. The Man says that it will always end the same with Sadie dead, and walks away. Sadie comes out and Jake takes her hand... and says that he made a mistake and doesn't know her.
Jake goes back through the portal to 2016 and goes back to his life. A student asks if he's okay, and a dazed Jake says that he's fine. Harry comes in and tells Jake that he didn't get the promotion, but thanks him for putting in a good word. Crying, Jake apologizes for not helping him, and Harry hugs him and assures Jake that he's a good man.
Later at home, Jake checks the Internet for information on Sadie. He discovers that she's the Texas State Woman of the Year for her service to the Jodie High School library.
At the town hall in Jodie, the townspeople are celebrating Sadie's honor. Jake stands at the back as the mayor says that Sadie has touched all of their lives and calls her up. A 30-years-older Sadie comes up and talks about how they never know what lives they influence, and she is proud to be a part of so many others's lives. Sadie reads Deke's favorite poem about how they should enjoy life despite their troubles.
Once Sadie is done, the music plays and the attendees dance. Jake approaches Sadie and says that he's a teacher from Lisbon. Sadie thinks that Jake is vaguely familiar, and Jake says that he came there for her. He asks Sadie if she's happy, and she says that she is very happy. Sadie wonders why he asks, and Jake says that she seems like she deserves her happiness. Surprised, Sadie swears that she's sure that she knows him, and Jake says that they met in another life.
Written by Gadfly on Apr 5, 2016