The Battle Beneath Los Angeles

Disclaimer: Still don't own TSCC.

Author's Note: This story was written as the 8th chapter in my story The Future Cameron, a story that focuses on Cameron after Judgment Day as she still struggles to build her relationship with John Connor and his mother Sarah. This chapter took me longer to write than any three or four other chapters. I have posted it as the 8th chapter in the story it was written for. After some consideration, I thought it could serve as an interesting stand-alone story post J-Day. If you like it, please leave a review or some feedback. I also hope it will motivate you to take the time to read The Future Cameron.

The klaxon's wail only lasted one minute but it was enough to set in motion the process of all resistance fighters, man, machine and dog, rushing to duty stations to prepare to defend against the surprise attack. Running feet and the clatter of weapons and other equipment moving through the tunnels replaced the sound of the alarm.

John and Sarah rushed to the command complex located above the hospital and new repair center. Waiting for him was Cameron, clutching Hailey. John was shocked by the look of hate on Cameron's face, not having seen it since he had dated a girl named Riley years ago before Judgment Day.

Cameron rushed to John, tears welling in her eyes. She was angry and afraid and the two conflicting emotions were causing her CPU to have processing issues. Sarah reached for the crying Hailey and took the child in her arms.

"I will go to a bunker in the hospital and stay there with Hailey. I won't let anything happen to her. Both of you must clear your minds. Focus on leading the troops in battle. It is the safest thing for both of you. Do not think about me, or Hailey. I will die before I let anything happen to her. Now go, and do your jobs. Both of you had better come back to me alive."

Turning to leave with Hailey, Sarah took one look at the Old Man, Hailey's Terminator bodyguard for the hour. Sarah gave clear orders for him to obtain flack jackets, three military shotguns with ammunition and additional 9 mm rounds for the Glocks she always carried. She made it clear they were to meet at the hospital area in four minutes. Without a word, the Old Man hobbled away as fast as his damaged and worn legs allowed.

Cameron and John hugged each other tight, saying everything that needed to be said in the one, brief hug. Cameron looked up at John and spoke the words he never tired of hearing, "I love you John." Hugging his petite Terminator to his chest a final time, he told her the words she never tired of hearing, "I love you too, Cameron." And then she was gone.

John moved to the center of his command center, one of the few clean and brightly lighted rooms in the entire complex. At the center of the room was a large table like display of the entire underground complex and the surrounding surface areas. The display was computer generated and could show the entire complex, each sub-level, or just a specific area. With a quick touch of a button, the entire underground complex could be made to disappear to be replaced with a detailed map of the entire surface area above the complex. Video feeds from surveillance cameras were available for some sectors and could be displayed on monitors on the wall or one the table display as part of the map.

The entire communication network was linked to the headquarters, allowing General Connor to move his chess pieces as he played a dangerous game with Skynet and the evil AI's forces.

"Where did the breach take place? Any sounds from the dog units to give us an idea what kind of Terminators we're dealing with?

"No canine alerts. Breaches detected by motion detectors in the northeast and southwest entrances. No communication from our outposts. Presumed dead, Sir."

Another staff officer approached, stressed and shaking as she held a clipboard to her chest. "All above ground feeds are out. We're blind on the surface General."

Derek leaned over the display with John. He was dressed in his battle gear and ready to lead his troops into battle.

John scanned the map of the complex with concern etched on his face. The entire complex consisted of three levels, each made up of a series of tunnels forming a rough circle for the entire level. Tunnels ran like spokes in a bicycle wheel to the center hub. Smaller tunnels connected the different main spoke like tunnels. Periodically vertical shafts and tunnels connected the three levels. The top level was primarily designed for combat and halting any breach at the first level.

The second level had training facilities, meeting rooms, the hospital and new repair complex, the mess area and storage for combat vehicles. The third level housed the living quarters, additional storage facilities and well as the armory.

The command center was between the top and second level and connected by tunnels that could be sealed, locking the leadership in allowing command of the battle to continue regardless of which sector of the facility had been captured or destroyed.

A mixture of old utility tunnels, service tunnels, a mass transit tunnel and construction by the Resistance made up the entire complex. It was poorly ventilated in areas, smelled and was dirty. Dirt seemed to be everywhere, like the rats, something that just permeated everywhere. The dim lighting served to make the grime seem worse and cast shadows that seemed to hide enemy soldiers everywhere as the horrors of underground combat loomed.

The rats, normally fearless in the presence of humans, running only if a Terminator moved to within a distance of ten feet, were gone from sight. Hiding like their seafaring cousins of legend who would abandon a sinking ship, the tunnel rats sensed death and destruction was about to visit their underground world.

The entire complex was divided into quadrants based on the compass, NE, SE, SW and NW. Lights on the display indicated the entire garrison had assumed their battle stations or made it to their duty stations in less than three minutes, the result of countless drills.

"Take your men to the reinforce the SW quadrant Derek. There are more tunnels there and we have new maintenance facilities for vehicles. More places for the enemy to take cover. Try to keep them on the upper level. Use your Tame squad as shock troops to absorb the brunt of the initial attack and see if you can determine what your up against. And Derek, come back alive."

Nodding at his General, the older man left without a word to face yet again the horrors of fighting Skynet.

John picked up his master communication headset and put it on, dialing to Cameron's direct channel.

"Are you in position?"

"Yes, no contact yet but the canine handlers say the dogs are anxious. It looks like the attack will be led by Greys, not Terminators. This is a new tactic we haven't seen before. John, I'm worried. We had three months of patrols and no major engagements. Skynet could have built a new army of Terminators."

"If the first forces to make contact are Greys, let the human fighters engage them. Hold your Silvers in reserve until Skynet Terminators engage. Stay at your current position. I have a bad feeling this is just a diversion to draw our machine units out and leave us vulnerable elsewhere. Stay on the net Cameron."

Watching the display and listening in silence to the reports of initial sporadic contact being made, John felt more and more certain the two flanking movements creating a pincer were simply a diversion. Skynet was using Greys to engage the resistance fighters to draw the Silvers and Tames into the battle early, forcing them to commit to the SW and NE quadrants.

"Silver Star, come in."

"Reading loud and clear Big Sky."

"We have to know what is up there. Skynet is using new tactics. Send Wilhelm up with a recon squad and two communication techs. Attach a squad of Tames to serve as runners if we lose communication. They are to observe and report. Engage the enemy only if attacked and then they are to maneuver and continue to provide intel. I want to know what's out there in the SE quadrant. Out."

"Roger. Wilco. Out"

The waiting was always the hard part.

SW Quadrant…

Gunfire and screams echoed through the tunnel. The Greys had finally rushed headlong into the chokepoint the resistance unit had established as their ambush point. The Greys had rushed into the kill zone and kept advancing, oblivious to the slaughter, they bodies pilling up. The Greys charged almost as if they feared what was behind them more than the certain death ahead of them.

"Big Sky, Bud Light Calling, do you read?"

"Bud Light, this is Big Sky, roger."

"This is freaky. Greys rushing us like Terminators. Something is driving them into our kill zone. They're more afraid of it than us."

"Roger, Bud Light."

"Over and out, Big Sky."

On the surface…

Wilhelm was the first to exit from the hidden tunnel. Sweeping the immediate area he detected no immediate threats and moved to make room for the next Terminator. Within 60 seconds his entire squad of Silvers had formed a perimeter while his two human communications techs readied their equipment, setting up the direct line to General Conner, hopefully, allowing them to avoid using the intranet Skynet had at times in the past been able to breach. The Tames quickly evacuated the tunnels and formed up.

Wilhelm reached in the inner pocket of his jacket and smiled, thinking of an idea discussed with his new friend, the old Marine Sergeant Brighton. Pulling out a large, cheap cigar, Wilhelm removed the wrapper, bit the end off and stuck the stogie in the right corner of his mouth. Yeah, I look bad. I am bad. Time to kill some machines!

Using hand signals, Wilhelm led his unit through the rubble and buildings above the resistance complex. After covering two kilometers, he stopped to take another visual scan and for his T-888 to scan for heat signatures. In seconds the two Terminators spotted what they had hoped not to see. Three HKs were hovering one kilometer away, providing cover for a large infantry carrier, a square, boxlike craft designed to carry infantry, human or machine, close to a drop point before opening its garage like door that ran the length of its side to disgorge its infantry cargo, either directly to the ground or via zip lines if it was unable to land.

Motioning a tech to move closer, Wilhelm pointed in the direction of the carrier. The tech immediately began filming, the signal going directly to the command center, avoiding the intranet.

Wilhelm immediately began to move the squad in a direction that would allow his two squads to block the path of the Skynet forces, preventing them from entering the tunnels in the SE quadrant.

In the Command Center…

The video feed from the SE quadrant displayed the very thing John feared. Squads of T-650s led by single T-888s were quickly deploying from the carrier and moving towards the entrances to the SE quadrant.

The initial attacks by Greys were just diversions but he could not pull back the troops holding the Greys at bay. Greys or Terminators, either one, could kill you just as dead.

He hated the thought of losing Wilhelm so early in the battle, but the two squads of machines had to at least slow the initial thrust of the Skynet Terminator attack.

Using the direct link John sent Wilhelm the final order he would give the T-800 that morning. "Deploy in depth. Hold as long as you can. Withdraw in waves."

Skynet's forces wasted no time advancing, rapidly crossing the open areas with no regard for taking cover or using stealth. Wilhelm smiled, thinking of the many IED's he had helped build and plant in the last six months. Looking around at his soldiers, he waived his detonator and smiled as he chewed on his cigar. His soldiers, machine and human alike smiled and nodded back. Death awaited the first waves of Skynet's machines.

In the SW Quadrant…

The fighting had slowed to a lull. The Greys had attacked through more tunnels and driven back the resistance fighters from two checkpoints, allowing the Greys access to several cross tunnels, one of which provided access to a vertical shaft to levels below. The resistance had been forced to destroy the elevator, denying the Greys access to the second level.

Derek watched his portable display. His units were still in good positions and inflicted heavy casualties on the Greys. He could hear the screams of agony and fear as the Greys lay wounded, bleeding, dying in a hole underground for a master who cared not whether they lived or died.

Abruptly, the sounds of barking from the canine units filled the tunnels. Finally, metal. That had to be what the Greys were running from.

"All right all units, metal. Hold your fire as long as you can. Take out the advanced units first if possible. Keep them on the first level. Our families are down below. They die here."

Above ground…

Wilhelm noticed a silver snake moving to the front of the approaching mass of new Terminators. It stopped and took the form of a large dog and quickly began scanning the area. The leader of the assault, Skynet is a fool.

The T-1000 had stopped at the edge of the first IED kill zone. Right in front of a plasma mine. The machine realized its forces had walked into an ambush and Wilhelm gave the T-1000 a little credit for recognizing his trap. Then he pressed the detonator.

His CPU read the noise from the explosion as 184 decibels, the light filled his optic sensors as his skin registered the heat from the fireball that melted the T-1000 and the metals near it. The armor piercing shrapnel from the anti-Terminator Teller mines mowed down the T-650s and T-888s, tearing their limbs off, shattering their metal skulls and CPUs while shredding the flesh of the T-888s if it had not burned off in the fireball. The blast destroyed the T-1000 and nearly fifty T-650s and T-888s.

Signaling his unit to fall back to their next prepared position, Wilhelm shook his head. His two human com techs were unconscious, knocked out by the concussion of the blast wave and the sound. It was more than human soldiers could handle. It also leveled everything in the area, creating a large but shallow crater, destroying more of the already haunting cityscape.

In the Command Center…

"Silver Star, come in."

"Roger Big Sky"

"Move the bulk of your forces to the SE Quadrant and prepare for all surface exits and tunnels to be breached by a large Terminator force."

"Roger, Big Sky. Silver Star out."

I hope the Silvers are enough. If Skynet's forces break through we may have to evacuate and collapse the compound. The thought chilled him. So many of his people would die.

In the SE Quadrant…

Cameron checked the final deployment of all of her Silvers. The human fighters had been pulled back to be held in reserve, the fear and tension obvious in their faces when told to pull back. For the Silvers to be committed in such force so early in a defensive battle could only mean disaster loomed.

"Commander Connor, we have received word Sergeant Wilhelm has lured the attackers into the third kill zone and inflicted heavy casualties and damage yet again. He anticipates another twenty minutes and his squad will be forced underground. They have fallen back to the final kill zone to set their ambush."

"Thank you, Paul. Make sure our forward scouts know to anticipate Wilhelm's squad. Once they have made contact set of the charges to collapse the entrance tunnels. If Skynet wants to fight us here, they will have to dig down to find us."

In the SW Quadrant…

Concussion waves filled the tunnels, flushing dirt, dust, smoke and a fine mist of concrete back over the resistance fighters. The sound was deafening, forcing many of the fighters to cover their ears. Even the Tames staggered back from the force of the blast. The ground beneath shook as cracks in the walls appeared and the floor moved beneath the fighters.

They've blasted a hole to the level below!

"Have the squads three through six move to the level below and take up positions. I want to know immediately if they have broken through to the second level," Derek shouted.

On the surface…

Sergeant Wilhelm chewed the stub of his cigar, watching and waiting as hundreds of T-650s commanded by T-888s advance at their standard combat patrol pace. So many had been destroyed in the first three kill zones, yet it had made no difference. In the distance he saw the second troop carrier depart, leaving the battle.

The final kill zone funneled the enemy Terminators into a narrow wedge. Unlike the first three, it was set up with two separate rounds of charges. Wilhelm intended to obliterate the first wave of attackers and then blast an even greater number as the following waves rushed forward, believing the threat of IEDs to be gone.

His Tames and two human techs were already below ground as were all but two of his Silvers. The flesh on his right hand was gone, burned away from a plasma blast, leaving his steel endoskeleton exposed, his uniform in tatters, his forehead a gleaming steel plate, his cap long gone.

The lead elements of the Skynet force moved into the kill zone, filling it with machines. Wilhelm pressed the detonator, filling the air with plasma, armor piercing rounds, mowing down the machines. Instead of retreating, he watched the results of his handiwork, the carnage inflicted on machines like him.

Metal bodies and body parts were scattered all throughout the kill zone. Wilhelm watched as torsos without legs pulled themselves forward, still moving to achieve their mission objective of killing humans, particularly John Connor. No remorse, no reasoning and no fear, just an overwhelming compulsion to terminate humans. Wilhelm felt nothing for their destruction. The kill zone filled a second time. For a second time Wilhelm set off the charges that would kill machines.

In the SW Quadrant…

Tame squads moved forward to recon the blast damage. Reports of Greys and machines both pouring down to the second level came back to Derek. They were in danger of being bypassed but if he moved his units to the second level Skynet's forces would simply stay on the first level. Splitting his forces would weaken him to the point Skynet could over run any position in the narrow corridors simply by massing enough enemy troops.

It was a terrible choice. Do nothing, and the hospital and second level would be overrun quickly, leaving their families and children at the mercy of an enemy who could not show mercy. Make the wrong choice and the same fate awaited.

If I'm going to lose, I'm going to lose trying to win. Victory goes to the aggressor.

"All Tame units. Move beyond the blast area and attack. Use all of your explosives. If you are unable to drive the enemy back, wire the area for destruction and withdraw. Collapse all tunnels as you retreat. Resistance units, all odd numbered squads, move the second level and retreat to the junctions to the inner ring. Squad Five establish a position at the hospital. Move."

At the Hospital…

Medics worked to triage the wounded and care for the most seriously wounded only to see the liter bearers bring in more. Nurses administered painkillers to the fighters who had to wait to be treated and did their best to comfort them.

At the rear of the hospital Sarah sat in a bunker, holding Hailey in her lap. The Old Man stood at the door, armed with an assault rifle and military shotgun. A table just inside the door had boxes of anti-terminator shotgun shells and magazines for the assault rifle. Leaning against the way next to Sarah was two more shotguns, each fully loaded. Sarah had put on the vest the Old Man had obtained for her and wrapped Hailey in one. The frightened child whimpered in fear as she clung to her grandmother.

"Old Man."

"Yes, Sarah Connor?"

"Promise me you will not let anything happen to Hailey!"

"The protection of Hailey Connor is my primary duty. So long as I exist and can function I will protect Hailey Connor."

"Old Man."

"Yes, Sarah Connor?"

"If you get separated from her, promise me you will find her, no matter what happens!"

"There is no need for me to promise. I will never stop until I find Hailey Connor and am able to protect her. I am a Terminator. We never give up."

Explosions in the distance rocked the hospital facility. Sarah could hear the sounds of approaching resistance soldiers, giving orders to move people to the rear of the facility and prepare for a possible evacuation to the lower level.

We're going to be overrun.

Sarah held Hailey closer, determined to protect her granddaughter. She moved closer to the small door at the rear of the bunker. It led to a passage leading to the lower level. The roof was so low a grown adult could not stand upright. It was one of several evacuation tunnels in the hospital. When the time came, Sarah would flee with Hailey. The Old Man would fight until he was destroyed to buy them time to escape.

In the NE Quadrant…

Silence crept through the tunnels, settling on the human fighters and Tames alike. Smoke drifted through the darkened corridors, moving as if it had a life of its own, first appearing as a ghost and then a soldier, human or machine, before quickly changing into yet another strange apparition. The surviving dogs had calmed down. Squad leaders sent out Tames to recon the tunnels. The news coming back was good. The enemy had withdrawn, leaving only wounded Greys and machines too badly damaged to repair.

In the Command Center…

News of the withdrawal in the NE Quadrant followed on the heels of the news from Derek Reese of the impending collapse of the forces in the SW Quadrant. Cameron had just reported the first Skynet units had blasted their way into the SE tunnels and were moving towards the Silvers.

They have limited troops. Why would they withdraw? Even if the attack in the NE Quadrant was only a diversion, leaving a holding force to engage us would tie down all of our troops in that quadrant. Skynet has to have a limited force committed to the attack. That has to be it!

"Move half of the squads from the NE Quadrant to the hospital area. If we can stop the SW Quadrant from being overrun we'll survive! Do it now," John commanded. His aides moved quickly to issue the orders to being the transfer of soldiers.

In the hospital…

Screams and gunfire combined to create a hellish cacophony. The sounds of gunfire in the distance had moved closer and closer until the explosions and sounds of bullets impacting walls came from the hospital's entrance. Sarah could wait no longer.

"Old Man, close the door behind me. Don't let anyone follow us."

"Yes, Sarah Connor."

"Come on Hailey, we're going to go somewhere a bit more quiet. Don't worry, the Old Man will make sure nobody follows us."

Sarah stooped as she entered the narrow, low tunnel, holding Hailey on her hip, carrying a shotgun and her rucksack with her. Looking back, she saw the door close, throwing the tunnels into complete darkness as the Old Man sealed the door. Within seconds she heard the sounds of gunfire coming from the bunker as attackers tried to enter, only to be gunned down by the old T-600.

Feeling her way in the tunnel of blackness, Sarah moved away from the sounds of combat and the wounded and dying screaming. Moving to take her granddaughter to a safer location.

In the SW Quadrant…

"Sir, we've stopped their advance on both levels. The Tames have driven back the machines on Level One and are preparing charges to collapse the tunnels. Our resistance squads have halted the Greys and are mopping up but several squads of Greys had moved past our checkpoints before we deployed. They'll probably make it to the hospital."

Derek looked at the soldier reporting to him and shook his head sadly. The hospital. "Blow the tunnels. Once we've sealed off Level One, move everyone down to Level Two and finish off the Greys. Send the first squad of Tames that comes off the line to the hospital."

The Hospital…

The scene of carnage was hellish. Blood, tissue and body parts, mixed with parts of machines coated the walls. Silence made the area even more surreal. Not even the wounded and dying made a sound.

The Greys had attacked head on, driven by three T-888s to their deaths. Reinforcements from the NE Quadrant had arrived after the assault wave had crashed over the lone squad defending the hospital entrance. Within seconds the fighting was hand-to-hand combat. Neither side showed mercy.

The Old Man had stood alone, gunning down Grey after Grey as they pushed the defenders back. When the fighters from the NE arrived, the Old Man had moved from his bunker, brining with him a backpack filled with thermite grenades. Shuffling slowly he approached the first of the T-888s who simply disregarded the old T-600 as obsolete and not a threat. It was the last data its CPU processed as the Old Man rammed his fist through the abdomen of the T-888 and left a thermite grenade beneath its breastplate, the pin already pulled. The resulting explosion was largely contained within the chest cavity of the T-888, melting it.

The second T-888 was taken down by a barrage of TK rounds, special armor piercing rounds designed to penetrate a T-888's breastplate, leaving the only the third T-888 to drive forward the attack.

Having seen the fate of its comrade, it blasted the Old Man in his legs with its assault weapon. The damaged legs buckled, causing the Old Man to collapse. The T-888 blasted the T-600's legs again, separating the badly damaged legs once and for all from its torso.

The T-888 strode past the legless terminator to take command of the battle again only to be tripped by the Old Man who had grabbed its leg with both hands. As the T-888 fell, the Old Man pulled himself up and again, rammed a thermite grenade through the abdomen of the third T-888. This time the resulting explosion melted the T-888 but droplets of thermite landed the Old Man, singing and burning his arms and breastplate, burning out his left optic sensor.

The remaining Greys began to surrender, dropping their guns. The lucky ones were taken captive and the others suffered the fate misfortune of being gunned down by resistance fighters still fueled by anger and bloodlust.

Resistance fighters and Greys alike were stunned to see the Old Man dragging himself towards the bunker he had emerged from. None of the humans watching knew the mission he had promised to accomplish.

In the Command Center…

"General Connor, it was a blood bath. It looks like, well, I just can't describe it sir. I'll be seeing it in my nightmares for the rest of my days. But we held. We held."

John nodded, feeling so helpless. He stood there in the relative safety of the Command Center and watched, taking in information and making decisions while others fought and witnessed the horror and others died.

It all came down to the Silvers now. If they could hold and drive back the hordes of machines, the resistance would live to fight another day.

In the SE Quadrant…

Cameron scanned her tablet for the final time. All of her Silvers were in position. Her Tame squads and resistance units were in reserve and ready to follow up the counterattack.

The initial waves of Skynet forces who had entered their tunnels had inflicted losses on the Silvers before the assault had been halted, deep in the resistance tunnels.

Home court advantage wins over 50% of the time. The kill zones saved us. Nothing like armor piercing shrapnel and thermite to mow down terminators in underground tunnels.

Nodding at her Sergeant and her aide, Paul, Cameron gave the signal to launch the counterattack. Wilhelm began moving forward in the tunnel ahead of them with Cameron just behind, the Silvers following. All throughout the complex, her troops moved in perfect synchronization, carrying out the counterattack General John Connor had envisioned and they had rehearsed to perfection.

The sheer mass of Cameron's Silvers overran the first Skynet units, driving them back towards the surface. Both sides took casualties as the battle raged. Cameron's squad was the first to emerge from the underground battleground. Wilhelm's heavy fire blasted space for the other troops surfacing to create a perimeter for Cameron so she could observe the battlefield.

Like ants pouring from a disturbed anthill, her Silvers poured out of the ground. Snipers with .50 cal. TK rounds blasted every T-888 in sight, mowing down Skynets command and control units, leaving older T-800s and the simpler T-650s to fight without coordination.

Five HK's zoomed in from the North, strafing the ground, killing machines from both sides and laying waste to fleeing Greys. Hand held surface-to-air missiles streaked into the sky, destroying three of the HK's engines and obliterating a fourth as the three cripples careened into the ground, erupting into fireballs of molten plasma. The fifth withdrew to a distance, waiting like a circling hawk about to strike its prey.

Far in the distance Cameron saw a troop carrier approaching bringing reinforcements or to pickup the retreating Skynet troops. Now was the time to finish as many of them off as possible.

"Wilhelm, where did the landings take place? That is the probable extraction point. Send out the coordinates to all units. Drive them to the site and have all of our surface-to-air missiles ready to fire on the troop carrier. We need to bring it down if at all possible."

"Affirmative Commander Connor."

The final push by the Silvers was met with heavy resistance. Grey units died in droves as they were left in holding actions to slow the advance of Cameron's Silvers. The Tames followed up, finishing off any straggling Skynet survivors, machine or human. Shrapnel, bullets and plasma filled the air striking any solid object standing upright, sparing no one.

The troop carrier landed at the coordinates Wilhelm had provided. T-650s poured back to board the craft, mowing down the few remaining retreating Greys who hoped to escape as well. Within minutes the troop carrier was nearly full.

Charging with her squad, Cameron pressed the attack, urging all of the Silver squads forward. The remaining HK swept the ground and rubble as the Silvers advanced, damaging and killing the resistance's elite machines. The doors to the troop carrier closed and it began to struggle to take off, overloaded beyond capacity with the heavy T-650s and the few surviving T-888s.

"The engines, target the engines Cameron shouted through the intranet. Spotting a ridge clear of rubble that would allow both cover and a clear line of sight at the slowly rising troop carrier, Cameron ran at full speed, leading her squad and three Silvers armed with surface-to-air missiles. Taking cover behind the ridge, Cameron began directing grenade launcher fire at the carrier's exhaust ports of the carrier's engines while the surface-to-air missiles were readied.

The whine of the turbines increasing speed and the wind from the down thrust, blew Cameron's hair across her face and pushed her backwards. Sergeant Wilhelm grabbed Cameron's arm to steady her as grit, dust and ash coated them in the backwash of the carrier's engines. Its sensors reading the locks on the three handheld missiles ready to fire, the HK began a strafing run, it's cannons tearing up the ground as it walked its fire up to Cameron's squad.

Bits of metal flew from the port turbine as the grenades began to cause some damage, causing the carrier to tilt slightly to port, slowing its takeoff while the computer adjusted. The first two surface-to-air missiles sped towards the damaged turbine, crashing into its blades and exploding into a fireball as the carrier finally managed to lift high enough to begin its escape.

The marauding HK made a final pass, firing explosive rounds as it swept the ridge. The final surface-to-air missile flew at the HK, it's guidance system seeking the heat exhaust of its starboard turbine. Flying directly into the engine, the missile exploded, setting off the fuel on board along with the remaining ordinance. The mortally damaged HK tumbled and turned right as it tried to regain altitude and by doing so, placed it on a direct collision course with right rear lift engine of the carrier. The resulting explosion blew the starboard rear engine off and ripped open the rear quarter of the carrier.

The carrier began to list rearward like a sinking ship at sea, fighting to maintain its position in the air before it began to fall in downward sloping arc, directly towards the ridge Cameron and her squad used for cover.

Slamming into the ground, the carrier disintegrated into its major component subassemblies, each of which carved a trench in the ground at high speed, spewing dirt, rubble, stone and concrete as it passed. The main body finally settled on the ground before exploding in an enormous fireball of plasma and molten steel as the hundreds of power sources of the dying Terminators inside exploded in the ships final death throes.

The Silvers, Tames and humans all raised their weapons and cheered at their unlikely victory, their yells lost in the din of the burning carrier.

Pinned beneath a giant sheet of steel from the destroyed carrier, Cameron did not see her troops victory celebration. Overwhelmed with data from her sensors, Cameron's CPU began to shut down her subroutines and prepared her systems to go into standby mode. Her left arm was crushed beyond repair, the flesh on her beautiful face was torn away from her forehead, her chest filled with bullet holes and shrapnel wounds, all of which she had incurred during her wild rush to lead the charge to take down the carrier.

Sergeant Wilhelm spit the stub of his cigar out and pulled his damaged left leg loose, tearing his crushed foot away, leaving the foot in its torn leather combat boot. Crawling on his chest to Cameron, he raised himself up on his right knee and then rammed the stub of his ruined foot into the ground before standing. Gripping the sheet of steel, he raised it, yelling for anyone who would listen to pull Cameron from underneath.

In the Hospital area…

John moved from one area of the makeshift hospital to another, speaking to and touching the survivors, never stopping as he searched for his family. He had found Derek, who other than some new lacerations that would add to his collection of scars, was otherwise unharmed. Desperate to find Cameron, Hailey and Sarah, John delegated command to Derek until he could find his family.

Exhausted and broken, John collapsed onto a makeshift bench next to a silent resistance fighter who just stared at the wall opposite the bench. Holding his head in his hands, John allowed himself to cry, to let the anger and fear out.

"John, John, it's OK. I'm here with Hailey. We're both fine!"

Looking up John was relieved to see Sarah holding Hailey on her hip. Both were covered in dirt, tear tracks on their faces the only clean spots on their skin.

"Where's Cameron? I can't find her. I looked everywhere and I can't find her."

"John, they haven't started moving the damaged Terminators inside yet. She's probably outside overseeing the recovery efforts."

"Not good enough Mom, not good enough. She needs to be here, with me. With her family."

John stood and left, not saying another word as he made his way to the tunnel leading to the command center. Arriving he made his way directly to the com center and roughly grabbed the resistance fighter desperately trying to manage the incoming messages.

"Raise Sergeant Wilhelm of the Silvers immediately soldier. Right this instant."

Ignoring the chatter, the communication specialist desperately began signaling on channel used by Commander Connors squad. Within minutes he had raised the Sergeant. Passing his headset to General Connor he quickly moved away, not wishing to incur any further attention from the General.

"Willy, tell me she's OK."

John listened and nodded. Removing the headset, he crushed it in his hands and collapsed to his knees, clutching his head in his hands, whispering "no, no, she's got to be OK. She's got to be OK."

Please consider reading the seven chapters that preceded this story in The Future Cameron. This standalone version is the 8th chapter in The Future Cameron and will continue on past this battle.

Feedback that is helpful in making my stories better is always appreciated.