On August 27th, 2037, three billion lives ended. The survivors of the nuclear fire called it, Judgment Day. Except they lived only to face a new nightmare. The war against the machines. The leader of the machines, a military defense program known as Skynet, sent a Terminator back in time. Its mission was to destroy the leaders of the human resistance. My daughter, Kirsten Go, and the son of my friends Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable; John Stoppable. It was sent to the year 2006 to kill us before John and Kirsten had even been born. It failed.
Now Skynet has sent another Terminator back in time, but to strike at John and Kirsten while they are still children. As before, the resistance was able to send a lone warrior. A protector for them. The only question is who would find them first, and when?
FUTURE WAR
WAR ZONE
By FAH3
EARLIER . . .
"How did I ever let you talk me into letting the kids go to Chuck E. Cheese?" Shego asked as she carried her daughter in her arms and tried to wipe all the cheese and sauce from the child's smiling mouth.
"Don't look t me. Look at the one who actually thought it was a good idea." Kim said as she carried her giggling son who had more of a mess on his mouth.
"Hey! They challenged me, and I accepted. How was I supposed to know they would beat me in an all you can eat Pizza contest?" Ron asked as he tried to wipe off the pizza sauce and cheese that was all over the front of his shirt, his face, and even in his hair.
"John, you're father is a living garbage disposal." Shego said to the little boy as they walked to their waiting van.
"Like you're daughter isn't?" Kim asked her.
"At least mine doesn't act like a lion eating a zebra." Shego said with a proud smirk.
"Oh, what a load of bull-"
Kim's sentence was cut short as their van exploded in a massive explosion. Shego and Kim immediately went into a crouch and shielded their children while Ron tried to cover both women at the same time. All three looked up as they held their crying children close as the van burned.
"What the hell caused that?" Ron asked a loud.
"Ya think changin yer names would ever stop me, lad?" an all too familiar Scottish accent asked behind them.
All turned to see the bearded face of their old nemesis, Duff Killigan with several gold balls in his hand.
"You asshole! You could have killed my kids!" Shego shouted at the short lunatic.
"That was the idea, lass. I'm being paid a handsome salary to finally take all of you out." He said with a sadistic chuckle. "I hope yer children and yerselves enjoyed your last meal. Time to,"
A large Chevy Suburban barreled out of its parking space and hit Killigan head on and drove him into a lamp post, crushing his sternum as it did so. The Suburban then peeled away in reverse, letting Killigan's body fall to the pavement before it stopped in front of the shocked and confused family. The driver's side door opened, and a young girl with long brown hair and a very athletic build rushed out to meet them. She gave all of them a glance before coming to a stop in front of them.
"Are you all okay?" she asked them in a soft and monotone voice.
"Who are you?" Shego asked her.
"That's not important right now. Come with me if you want to live."
Shego woke with a gasp as the events of two days ago replayed before her in every detail. She still couldn't believe what she had seen. Killigan, the mad golfer, had found them after they had been in hiding for over five years. But how did he find them? She thought they had been careful not to draw any attention to themselves. And he was actually going to kill them. She could see it in his eyes. He was going to kill her children. She gave herself a brief mental kick for that thought. She had to remind herself that John wasn't her son. He was Kim and Ron's son. But she was helping them raise John, just like they were helping her raise her daughter. Screw biology. As far as she was concerned, John was as much her child as he was Kimmie's.
She slowly sat up and popped her back. The leather sofa she had spen the night on was hardly comfortable. She looked not too far from her at the opened back of the station wagon they had "borrowed" and saw Kim and Ron were asleep with both kids in between them. After what had happened, they had to make a quick escape. They went to their place and got a few essentials like clothes, money, and weapons. Also a few photo albums they couldn't stand to leave behind. Then they were on the move again. Which reminded her of the one who had saved them. Where was she? She hadn't said much, which gave Shego the creeps and sent alarms off in her head. And the way she moved was fluid, but also stiff at the same time. It reminded her too much of the thing they had faced so many years ago.
As she looked around the abandoned garage they had slept in, she saw the young woman. She was in what used to be the office and waiting room for customers. What made Shego uneasy was that she was still exactly in the same pose she had been when they had dosed off. Same pose, same stance, even the way she was holding the shotgun Kim had given her. As she kept looking at the young woman, the hairs on the back of her neck began to stand on end. What she was looking at may not be a young woman after all.
"How long have you been awake?" Kim asked as she yawned and began to crawl out of the station wagon, trying her best not to wake her husband or the children.
"Not that long. How are the rugrats?"
"They were still pretty upset, but we managed to calm them down." Kim said as she walked over to where Shego was still sitting and stretched out her limbs. As she did so, she finally took notice of the woman who had saved their lives. "She's still there?"
"Yup."
"Did she sleep at all?"
"I doubt it. In fact, I don't think she needs sleep." Shego said as she stood and popped her shoulders and her back. After making sure she had feeling in most of her body again, she walked to where she had put her bag last night. She reached in and pulled out a 45. caliber magnum and made sure that it was loaded.
"What are you doing?" Kim whispered to her.
"We need answers. Grab the Gloch that's in your purse." Shego said as she carefully began walking toward the young woman as quietly as she could. She could hear Kim walking behind her, trying to keep their movements quiet. Just a few more feet, and she would be at a range where she knew she wouldn't be able to miss once she pulled the trigger of her gun.
"You do not need to be so quiet. I can hear you clearly." The young woman said as she turned to face them. Shego raised the pistol and aimed it for one of the young woman's eyes and pulled the hammer back.
"We need you to answer some questions. Starting with what your fucking name is." Shego said as Kim aimed her gun for the woman's forehead.
"I do not have one." She said simply.
"You don't know it?" Kim asked her.
"She doesn't have one because she isn't human. Are you?" Shego asked.
"Shego, aren't you acting a little,"
"She is correct." The young woman interrupted. "I am not human." She said.
"You're a T-Terminator?!" Kim asked as she flipped the safety off and kept her finger on the trigger.
"I am a cybernetic organism. Cyberdyne Systems experimental prototype for a replacement to the T-800 model series. And you can lower your weapons." She said to them.
"Give me one reason why I shouldn't put a bullet through your eye." Shego growled at it.
"Because your weapons would not be able to harm me. And if my mission was to kill you, all of you would already be dead." She said to them simply in her monotone voice.
"Not good enough." Shego said as she started to pull the trigger. She saw the young woman's throat move for a brief few seconds before she spoke in another woman's voice all together.
"The future is not set. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves." She said before her throat moved again.
Shego's eyes widened as she slowly began to lower the gun. It was the message Reese had given to her. It was a message from John and Kirsten in the future. She had never told anyone else that message except in a video to Kirsten when she was older. But she didn't even tell Ron or Kimmie about it at all. And if this metal bitch knew that message, that could only mean one thing.
"Lower the gun, Kim."
"Shego, she's a Terminator." Kim said.
"Lower it." Shego said with a hard tone of voice. As Kim did so, Shego focused her attention back to the bucket head in front of her. "Who's voice was that?"
"It was Kirsten Go Stoppable, when she gave me the message. I was told that if a situation such as this arose, I was to recite it in order to gain your trust. Did it succeed?" the machine asked.
"For the moment." Shego said as she turned back into the garage. "Keep an eye on her, Princess. I'm going to wake up your boy toy."
The machine grew slightly confused at the remark as it turned to look at the redhead. "I did not see you obtain any of the toys that belonged to the children. Did you already have one with you when we first met?" the Terminator asked.
Kim raised a questioning eyebrow at the Terminator's comment, not knowing what to tell it or if she should even try to talk to it at all. A few moments later, Shego returned to the office with Ron in tow. When Kim turned and took a good look at her husband, she could tell Shego had told him what they were dealing with. A look of fear, nervousness, and distrust were all on his face at the same time. Kim also noticed that his right hand was twitching a little bit as he stood in a corner. That meant was making sure his hand wasn't asleep if he had to go for the gun that was hidden in a holster under the back of his shirt. Now that they were all her, it was time to play a little Q&A.
"Alright, rust bucket. Why would the resistance send a Terminator back in time to protect us, and not another human?" Shego asked it.
"My primary mission is to protect John Stoppable and Kirsten Go. My secondary mission is to protect you three. And a human protector would be insufficient." The machine said.
"What do you mean insufficient?" Ron asked her.
"Look at what happened to Sergeant Kyle Reese." The machine said, and made Shego scowl.
"I'd watch it, bitch." Shego growled. "Besides, he kicked the last Terminator's ass."
"But he was killed while doing so. And the Terminator that has been sent back in time is not a T-800. It is an advanced prototype." The machine said.
"Like you?" Kim asked.
"No. It is known as a T-1000. Mimetic pollyalloy."
"Say what?" Ron asked.
"Liquid metal." Kim said. "Wait a minute. You said mimetic?"
"Yes."
"You mean it's a shape shifter?" Kim asked him.
"In a way. It can assume the appearance of almost any human it comes into contact with. Once it does, the human it has copied is usually terminated." The machine told them.
"Oh, great. As if the last one wasn't bad enough." Ron said as he leaned the back of his head against the wall. "So it can just disguise itself as a pack of cigarettes, wait for us, and then turn into a bomb." Ron said to himself.
"Incorrect. It can only assume objects of equal size. And it can not form explosives or firearms. They have chemicals and complex moving parts that it can not form. However, it can create basic weapons like knives and other stabbing weapons."
"How the hell do you know all this?" Shego asked the Terminator, interrupting it. "Does Skynet tell everything it builds what it's planing?"
"Negative. I was informed after the resistance reprogrammed me and brought me online." The machine said.
"But how did they find out? Reese had said that the resistance blew the complex after they sent him through." Ron said.
"They were supposed to. But one of the resistance fighters was able to hack the main frame. They discovered that Skynet had sent the T-800 first, and sent the T-1000 as a back up. In case the T-800 was unsuccessful. When they discovered me, they thought I may stand a better chance against the T-1000."
"So it's already here?" Shego asked.
"I am not sure."
"Not sure? What the hell do you mean you're not sure?" Shego demanded.
"The resistance was not able to find the time period that Skynet had sent the T-1000 to. The data was too heavily encrypted. So John and Kirsten chose to send me to this date." The machine said.
"Why? Why now?" Kim asked the Terminator.
"Because this memory was their most vivid. It was the day they saw Shego kill a man." The Terminator said as it looked at the pale woman.
Shego just froze for a moment while Kim and Ron looked at her. Shego felt a cold knot form in her stomach as what the Terminator had just said seemed to echo in her ears like a broken record. When Killigan attacked, she was trying to figure out a way to stop him. But kill? She never killed anything in her life. But if it came down to the children –
"How?" Shego asked it.
"Your abilities. You set Killigan on fire, and it caused his explosives to ignite at once." The machine said. It noticed the change in Shego's posture and her respiration rate. She was beginning to experience what humans called anxiety. She needed to find some way to comfort her. "Killigan was going to die anyway. I merely changed how." The machine said. "Do you have any other questions?"
"No. That's all for now." Kim said to it.
"I also need to tell you that you can no longer use the alias of Reese. That was how I able to find you. And so can Skynet." She said before walking into the garage to guard the two sleeping children.
"Isn't this a kick in the ass." Ron said as he walked to a chair that was against the wall. "A shape shifting Terminator? How the hell are we supposed to fight that?"
"I don't know. We just have to be more careful." Kim said as she glanced at Shego. Immediately, she began to worry as she saw Shego looking more like a shell shocked soldier than her normal self. "Shego?"
"I was going to kill him."
"Shego, you didn't kill anybody." Kim said to her.
"I was though. Kim, he was going to hurt my baby. He was going to hurt your baby. I love them, Kim. And if I have to – she's right. I would have killed Killigan to keep them safe." Shego said as she began to hold herself. It was at times like this she wished Reese was here. There were so many things about the future they didn't know, and both knowing and not knowing terrified her at the same time. And what was worse, there was another monster out there. But instead of them, it was after the two things in her life that she loved the most. What were they going to do?
"We need to get going. The police will be expanding their search for us, and the children will be awake and need food soon." The machine said.
"She's got a point." Kim said.
"Okay." Shego said as she tried to take a deep, calming breath.
Ron was putting gas in the new car they had borrowed while everyone else inside the SUV were finishing what was left of their lunch. The kids seemed to be happier than they had been when Killigan attacked them. Ron sighed some, but was still worried about the lasting effects. He knew his son was going to be the hope for humanity, and it was bad enough that he was going to have that hanging over his head throughout his entire childhood. But seeing Killigan get hit with a truck? That's really going to mess him up. Some father he was turning out to be.
"How much longer?" the machine asked, making him flinch.
"Don't sneak up on me like that!" he said as he took a few deep breaths. "Not that much longer. It's almost full." He said as he kept his eyes on the dark tinted window. Every so often he kept glancing over his shoulder and noticed that the Terminator kept watching him. It made Ron very uncomfortable. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Ron asked her.
"I was making an observation. John has a strong resemblance to you. You both have a similar facial structure, and almost the same build. But the hair and eyes are different. His is dark like mine, and his eyes are similar to Kim Stoppable." She said as she turned away and began walking back to the side of the SUV she had climbed out of in time to see Shego, Kim, and the kids climb out.
"The kids need to go to the bathroom. Are you following?" Kim asked the machine.
"Yes." Was all she said as they all began walking to the side of the gas station while they left Ron alone with his thoughts.
"I do not understand." The machine said as they all left the ladies room.
"You don't understand how people got o the bathroom?" Kim asked it.
"I understand that. I have extensive files on human biology and anatomy."
"To make you a more efficient killer, right?" Shego asked.
"Correct. But what I do not understand is why you took John into a waste disposal facility that is specifically designated for females when he is a male." The machine said.
"Because I'm not going to let him out of my sight. That's why." Kim said as they began walking back to the car, and by two bikers that were drinking a six pack of beer.
"Hey, foxy. Want to take a ride with me? And I don't mean on my bike." He said with a leer.
"Piss off." Shego said as she lifted her daughter into her arms.
"Aw, come on. I bet since you have that squirt, you'd be used to spreading your legs." The other biker said as he drove in front of them on his Harley. Shego's hand instantly shot forward and slapped him across the man's sweaty, unshaven face and left at least three fresh scratches that started to slowly bleed. "Now that wasn't nice." He said as he drew a knife from a holster in the back of his pants.
"You know, I think you ought to apologize to my friend." The other said as he walked up behind them.
"Leave them alone." The machine said as she began assessing the threat level of the two men.
"Why would we want to do that?" the biker with the knife said as he got off his bike and stood in front of them. The machine instantly began to ball its fists as she saw the knife was pointing at Kirsten.
"Leave them and the children alone now." The machine said.
"Listen to the mouth on this one, Fred." The biker behind them said. "Maybe we should teach her to shut up first." He said as he grabbed the machine by the chin.
The machine grabbed the biker by the wrist and began to apply pressure. The biker began to shout as the bones were beginning to break as the machine pulled his arm away from her. The skinner biker tried to cut the terminator with his knife, but the machine dodged the attack as it pushed the larger biker away. As the biker with a knife tried to cut the machine again, she grasped him firmly by the forearm and twisted his arm. A loud snap was heard as the biker howled in pain while the machine spun him around while still holding his arm. The machine took the knife from his hand as she slammed him down face first onto the seat of his motorcycle before slamming the knife into the biker's right shoulder, making him scream.
"PULL IT OUT! PULL IT OUT!" the biker screamed as the larger one stood to his feet and pulled out a 9mm pistol.
"You fucking bitch!" the heavier biker screamed as he aimed the pistol at the machine.
The machine's reflexes were faster than anyone had ever seen as she grabbed him by his uninjured wrist, and then kicked him in the stomach before kicking him in the face and sending him falling backwards. The machine was able to take the gun from his hand as he fell and grasped it firmly before cocking a bullet into its chamber. With no emotion or any hesitation, she aimed the pistol for the man's heart.
"NO!" Ron shouted as he shoved the machine's arm upward as she pulled the trigger, forcing the bullet to fly upward into the air. "GET OUT OF HERE! GET OUT OF HERE NOW!" Ron screamed at the men and watched as they all mounted their bikes and rode off as fast as they could, leaving a trail of dust in their wake. "You were going to kill that guy!" Ron shouted at the machine.
"Correct. He was a threat to the safety of the children and Kim and Shego. My mission is to terminate any such threats." The terminator said.
"But that doesn't mean you can go around killing people!" Ron said.
"Why?"
"Why? Because it's wrong."
"Why?" the terminator asked, making Ron growl in frustration.
"Look, just promise me you won't kill anyone." Ron said.
"I do not understand." The machine said.
"Just raise your right hand and say 'I swear I will not kill anyone.' Okay?" Ron asked.
"I swear I will not kill anyone." The machine said as it raised it's right hand.
"Good." Ron said as he turned and walked back to the car.
"Does he actually think that's going to do any good?" Shego asked Kim as they walked and tried to comfort their upset children.
"I don't know." Kim said as she held John close to her.
Shego had decided to drive for a while, but didn't enjoy it like she normally would. Sitting in the seat next to her was what she had been calling the metal bitch. The recent events were still weighing heavily on her. That morning, she found out she would have committed murder, and they just watched a robotic assassin from the future, sent to be their bodyguard, commit attempted murder. And now she was forced to watch this – thing – sit right next to her like a stiff shadow.
"Are you always like this?" Shego asked it.
"Like what?" the machine asked.
"This – stiff. You're just sitting like a statue." Shego said to it.
"She's got a point." Kim said from the back. "The way you move and speak isn't normal."
"Actually, besides my reprogramming, I am a fully functional cybernetic organism." The machine said to her.
"She means that you need to act more human. Otherwise, you're going to stand out like a soar thumb." Ron said to her.
"Please clarify."
"You need to act more like a typical human. The way you speak and act needs to change. I mean, can't you mimic the way we behave or learn how to be human?" Kim asked it.
"My CPU is a neural processor; a learning computer. I am designed to learn and expand my programming. But Skynet sets our programming to a specific state when ever we are sent out alone." The machine said.
"Skynet doesn't want you to do too much thinking." Shego mumbled.
"Correct." The machine replied.
"Can't we just reset the chip?" Ron asked it.
Kim made sure everything they needed was here As Ron and Shego made sure there were enough towels and alcohol in the bathroom of the motel room they had checked themselves into. The scalpel, clamps, and bandages were part of the first aid kit they had brought with them; along with the needle and thread for stitches. The pliers and two directional power drill had to be bought from a hardware store with what little money they had on them. Shego had withdrawn all the money from her accounts and had it stashed in certain places if they ever needed it. So she was glad that where they were headed was one of the places she had kept her money hidden. She just hoped that Skynet didn't know jack about them. Ron had just the screwdriver bit into the drill when the machine stepped inside the bathroom and observed them.
"Are you ready?" Ron asked it.
"The more appropriate question is if you ready to proceed?" Cameron asked them. "And only one person is need for this procedure."
"No, two people. I don't trust you, and I'll be damned if I'm going to stay in a room by myself with you." Shego said as she unscrewed the alcohol and dipped the scalpel in it.
"Then which one of you will assist?" the machine asked and noticed how hesitant they were.
"I'll do it." Ron said.
"Ron, you know how squeamish you are." Kim said to him.
"I know. I just have to remind myself that she isn't human." Ron said to her as he tried to take a deep breath to calm his nerves.
"Are you sure?"
"I'll be fine. Just don't let John or Kirsten see this." Ron said as he kissed Kim's cheek. Kim was hesitant for a moment before finally walking out of the bathroom and closing the door behind her. "Let's get this over with." Ron said as Cameron took a seat in front of the mirror. "Do you want just a trim or a little off the top?" Ron said with a small grin, and cringed when he saw Shego's glare.
"Was that a joke?" the machine asked.
"A bad one." Shego said as she removed the scalpel from the alcohol and stood behind the terminator. "Where do I cut?"
"Upper right hand side, towards the back of the head. Make a circular incision." The machine said to her.
Shego wet her lips before pressing the b lade into the scalp, and began to cut. The flesh wasn't as tough as she thought as it would be, but it wasn't easy either. A few time,s she had to use the scalpel like it was a saw and could feel it press against the metal chassis underneath. Once she had made almost a full circle, she removed the scalpel and began to try and wipe away some of the blood with a towel that had alcohol on it.
"Now grasp the flesh with the clamp and peel it away." The machine said as Ron took the tool, and did as instructed. It looked like he was doing his best to keep his mouth closed as he did so, and was also breathing rather heavily. Twice, it looked like he was trying to stop himself from vomiting as the flesh and muscle were pulled away and revealed the circular port at the top of her head. "Do you see it?"
"Yeah. We see it." Shego said as Ron tried to steady his breathing.
"Take the drill, and rotate the screws counter clockwise." The machine told them.
Ron took the drill and carefully set it into place before pressing the button. As the screws loosened, he was amazed at how the machine kept herself steady. Her head was barley shaking or moving. Soon, the screws were loose enough for them to proceed onward.
"Now take the pliers, grasp one of the screws, and pull firmly in order to break the seal." The machine said. Shego's hand was shaking a little, not knowing what to expect once she did this. Grasping tightly, Shego pulled with both hands and heard a faint hiss and pop like when she opened a jar of jelly.
Port open. Port open.
"Rotate the tumbler clockewise ninety degrees and pull it out."
Using the pliers again, Shego did as she was told and heard it clicking like a lock as she moved it. She had to keep her mind concentrated on what she was doing. For all she knew, this bitch might have a bobby trap is she screwed up. And the last thing she needed to do was find a way to explain that she was performing brain surgery on a robot. Soon, she heard the tumbler click on final time and pulled it free from its housing. Inside the spotless open port was a small, and very strange looking, micro chip that was snugly inside what looked to be a USB port inside the machine's head. Even Ron was surprised to see that something so small contained what the terminator needed to operate and function.
"Do you see the chip?"
"Yeah. We can." Ron said to it.
"When you pull the chip free, wait one minute before putting it back. That should reset my neural net, but keep my programming intact." It said as it continued to observe them. "Do it." It said firmly.
Shego grasped the chip with the pliers and pulled it out of the open port. The machine froze in place as soon as the chip had been pulled free, and was completely motionless. Ron looked at her, and had a hard time believing what he was looking at. He moved her arm, and found it somewhat hard to do with the servos and everything else inactive. Unbelievable.
"You wouldn't happen to have a watch would you?" Ron asked as he looked at Shego, and saw her place the chip on the counter and ignite one of her hands. "NO!" Ron shouted as he covered the chip with his hands as Shego fired a small ball of plasma, burning Ron's hands.
"DAMN! That hurt!" Ron said as he growled in pain while Shego looked at him like he had lost his sanity.
"What were doing?!" she demanded.
"Stopping you from making a big mistake!" Ron said back as he ran cold waters over his bright red hands.
"This might be the only chance we have to kill this thing!"
"Look Shego, you heard it. It was sent back to protect us by our kids. If they sent this back, then that means they did it for a reason. If they're supposed to be the saviors of the future, then maybe we should listen to them!" Ron growled at Shego, actually suprising her that he actually had the balls to talk to her like that. For minutes, both of them were just glaring at each other until she finally relented.
"If this blows up in our face, I'm cutting your nuts off and wearing them as ear rings." Shego said as she picked up the chip and gave it back to Ron.
"Did anything go wrong?" the machine asked as it came back online and realized more than a minute had passed.
"Nope. Everything's fine." Ron said as he bandaged his hands.
"If you're going to be staying with us, you're going to need a name." Shego said as she placed the tumbler back into place.
"Do you have any suggestions?" the machine asked as the tumbler was locked back into place.
"How about Cameron?" Ron asked.
"Why Cameron?" the machine asked.
"It's the name of his favorite movie director." Shego said as she placed the seal back over the port and switched the drill's motion.
"So I like Aliens. How about it, tin head?" Ron asked it.
"Cameron is fine." The machine said.
"Good." Ron said as he turned away and winced at the pain in his hands. After a moment, Ron began to think about something the machine had told him earlier that day. Something that had been knowing at him. "Can I ask you something?"
"Yes." The machine said.
"If this T-1000 shows up, how are you going to know he's here?" Ron asked it, making Shego freeze as she was putting the last screw back into place.
"Each model has a unique machine signature. This allows us to identify ourselves when we are on a mission or in a battle. The T-1000 has a very unique machine signature. Once it is in range of my sensors, I will know." The machine said.
So not there was only one question that was hanging in the air. It was a question that both Ron and Shego were both thinking at that exact same moment without even having to talk. It was also one question that Kim would be asking herself. How long did they have until the T-1000 arrived?
NOTE: I do not own Kim Possible or Terminator. Terminator is a property of FOX and Warner Bros, Kim Possible is property of Disney. I do not work for either one, and I wrote this for fun.