Chapter 3: Race to Mars

"I take it you want to talk to Arnold." Doohan said as they walked towards the workshop. "You wouldn't have come all the way out here if someone like me could give you the information you need. So what happened?"

"We lost almost half the squad investigating one of Skynet's bases." John answered. "We have no idea what killed them but whatever it was it was able to make itself look exactly like one of the dead men."

"And you think Arnold can tell you what it was?" Doohan asked.

"He does have all the information Cyberdyne's computers had inside that head of his." Kyle said as they entered the workshop. "Our best guess is that whatever that thing was is another experiment the Dragons had going and Skynet managed to finish. If that's the case Arnold might have a way to stop it."

"Let's hope so." Doohan said. "Hey metalhead!!" He shouted across the room, where Arnold and Miles were in the process of disassembling the two engines Arnold had brought in. Being accustomed to being called things like that Arnold stopped what he was doing and looked up. "Got someone who wants to talk to you!"

"Who would want to…?" Miles started as he looked up from his engine. "John? Kyle? What are you guys doing here?"

"Looking for answers." John answered.

"What do you need to know?" Arnold asked. John gave him a rundown of what had happened in the last hour.

"So does it sound like anything Cyberdyne was working on?" John asked when he had finished.

"Yes and no." Arnold replied. "What you have described possibly matches one thing in the Cyberdyne files but there was no work being done on it."

"Well tell us what it is." Kyle said. "Anything you have would be helpful."

"Very well." Arnold answered. "The most likely match is a file labeled as 'Mimetic Polyalloy'. It was to be the next generation of camouflage used by T-800s such as myself. Instead of a biological skin that would be susceptible to the elements and damage it was proposed to coat the endoskeletons in an alloy that would perfectly mimic human features, skin color, facial build, even clothes. In addition it would auto repair if damaged, ensuring an almost limitless timeframe for infiltration."

"How could that even be possible?" John asked. "No metal can heal itself or change colors. Not even the alien metal you're made of."

"This was to be a new type of metal." Arnold answered. "Instead of standard methods it was planned to use advanced nanotechnology to create a fully synthetic metal."

"Nanotechnology?" Miles asked.

"Microscopic machines." Arnold said. "If programmed correctly it is possible for them create the alloy and achieve the effects that I have described to you."

"Can you give us any details on how it's able to do all this?" John asked.

"Yes I could." Arnold replied. "But I do not believe you would be able to understand it. Since you are not scientists it would be too complex for you." John and Kyle were quiet for a minute, surprised at the response Arnold gave them. Before he just would have started explaining the details like he was reading a manual but now he had considered how they would be able to interpret the information.

{Looks like Miles and Doohan did a good job at making him more human.} John thought to himself. Aloud he said "All right, just give us the basics." Arnold nodded before replying, another human mannerism he had picked up.

"By rearranging its molecules the alloy is able to shift its structure to match the needs of the situation. If damaged it will heal itself and it has been theorized that hard, edged weapons could be created from it."

"You said that Cyberdyne wasn't working on this mimy mitic….." Kyle stopped in mid-sentence and tried to think of a different, easier, way to refer to this new stuff. "This liquid metal. Why not? It sounds like it would be a hell of a weapon." In his mind the only way he could see metal 'shifting' was if it was melted and then poured into a different position.

"Nanotechnology was in its earliest stages when this was conceived. It was decided that the trial and error way of creating this metal would take decades even with the best computers and equipment. The chances of perfecting this metal even within the projected time period was calculated as being almost zero so the project was abandoned."

"But the plans stayed in their files, even after the gate disaster. They had it all the time and they didn't know it." John said to himself. "Arnold, assuming the right equipment was available, how long would it take for a computer of Skynet's capabilities to make this type of metal?" Arnold remained silent as he did the calculations.

"Factoring in all parameters it would take at minimum two days and at maximum a week."

"Damn!!" John shouted. That was within the time frame that Skynet had existed as a sentient being.

"I don't get it." Miles spoke up. "According to Arnold this thing is just another Terminator, only with a fancier skin. If you guys can find it you'll be able to take care of it." John, Kyle Doohan, even Arnold were frowning. "What?"

"Miles, weren't you listening when I explained what happened?" John almost growled.

"Yeah, the shots went right through him. That means they just missed something vital. Next time all you need to is get a head shot and that's it." Miles answered. Doohan slapped him in the back of the head, knocking his hat off. "What?!?"

"What you are suggesting will not work." Arnold stated.

"Why not?!?" Miles demanded. "All you got to do is aim for something vital and…"

"This isn't just another Terminator Miles." Kyle interrupted. "When we saw it we couldn't see any difference between it or Roberts. Not its clothes, its face, not even its size."

"I met the guy before that big dustup in the mountains." Doohan added. "He might not be small but he's nowhere near as big as Arnold. If it is that stuff covering a new robot it's got to be a damn small skeleton."

"But with the information I have been given the most logical explanation is that what John and Kyle have seen was nothing more then liquid metal. There will be nothing vital to hit."

"I was hoping you wouldn't say that." John said and took out his radio.

"Wait a minute. How can a pile of goo just get up and walk around?" Miles asked.

"The same way a supercomputer can turn genocidal." John remarked. After adjusting the frequency on his a little he was rewarded with a burst of static and what sounded like words. "Can anyone hear me? This is John Connor trying to reach…"

"I hear you John." Al's voice answered over the static. Apparently their radios weren't built to handle these kinds of ranges. "Though I don't know for how long. There's asteroid interference in this sector and it's going to get worse."

"Then I'll keep it short." John replied. "Have you found whatever it was we saw in the compound?"

"No sir but we did find the van, abandoned about fifty miles out. There was no sign of that thing but we did find something on the computers that you should know about."

"What was it trying to hack into?" John asked, expecting the worst.

"It didn't hack anything." Al replied. "It was running a search on ship registrations and the last known gate transactions." Al paused to lighten the bombshell John prayed he was wrong about. "He ran a search for the Bebop. According to the data on the screen right now they're on Mars."

"Shit." John said quietly.

"We'll be ready to leave in ten minutes." Al said, almost reading John's thoughts.

"No." John responded.

"Sir?" Al asked, not understanding.

"You and the others are staying here. Three people are less conspicuous then eight and we'll move faster that way. Go back to where we found that thing and try to find out more about it."

"We already did." Al responded. "After loosing it we went back to the room where it killed Roberts and the others and managed to find a some kind of analysis computer that was hooked up to that mold. Most of the stuff was just technobabble but one thing kept on coming up, T-1000. That mean anything to you?"

"Just that our killer has a name." John mumbled to himself.

"What was that sir? I didn't quite hear you." Al said.

"Nothing." John replied. "Keep at that computer and try to find something important. If you do contact us immediately."

"Yes sir." Al responded and signed off. John shut off his own radio and turned to Doohan.

"Arnold is coming with us, no arguments. It'll take a Terminator to fight another one and he's the best chance we have at destroying that thing. Where's your radio?" He asked.

"In the office." Doohan replied and before he could say anything else John ran towards the office. When the others caught up with him he was already trying to contact someone.

"This is captain John Connor, squad leader TC 190, calling Earth division HQ. Come in HQ."

"This is Earth Division HQ. Go ahead Connor." Someone answered.

"Thank god. HQ there's a situation down here and I need to get a message out ASAP."

"What division of ISSP?" The voice asked.

"Not ISSP. This message needs to be sent to a civilian ship that is in serious dan.."

"Sorry captain but no can do." The voice interrupted.

"What do you mean 'no can do'?!?!" John shouted.

"Orders from above are that you not make any transmissions to the civilian population unless it is to family or approved in advance by ISSP command."

"And just who the hell thought that up!?!?" John yelled.

"Do to the sensitive nature of you operations no unauthorized transmissions to civilians. To do so could jeopardize security of…."

"What security?!? Everybody knows what we're doing down here you JACKASS!!!"

"Your Earth operations have been declared classified." The voice stated bluntly, as if that explained everything. "I can have you message sent through after it's gone through proper channels."

"PROPER CHANNELS?!? That could take hours!! This is an emergency you asshole!!!"

"I'm sorry captain but protocols must be observed. If it is of ISSP or government concern I can put you through right away." The voice answered. John couldn't believe it. This was a new low, even for ISSP.

"Why don't you tell them they need to spend less time on their asses and more time in the trenches!!!" John shouted and snapped the radio off, almost wrenching the knob off in the process. He now had an even greater hatred for bureaucracy and the cowards that were pulling the strings.

"So what do we do now?" Kyle asked. John looked over at Doohan

"That antique you flew out to the Bebop still working?" He asked.

ISSP Earth Headquarters

"What the hell was that about?" The cop manning the desk asked.

"Don't know." The radio operator answered. "Guess he's been out in the sun too long." The desk cop shrugged and turned back to the other ISSP officer he was helping.

"You were saying something about needing to find a suspect?"

"That's right." The second officer answered. "I've been tracking this fugitive for some time now and I've always lost him at the last minute. His last known whereabouts were here on Earth but I've received information that he is now on Mars. My ship was recently damaged by a stray asteroid and there's a good chance I'll lose him again if I wait for it to be repaired. I need transport to Mars as soon as possible." The desk cop flipped through some papers before coming up with something.

"We got a prisoner transport that's leaving in about fifteen minutes. You can hitch a ride with them if you want."

"That'll be just fine." The first cop replied.

"All right. Just let me have your name for the log and you'll be all set."

"Roberts." The first cop replied. "Patrick Roberts." The desk cop thought that name sounded familiar but when he couldn't place it right away just pushed it out of his mind. After writing something down he answered Roberts.

"All taken care of. Just wait at the…." He looked up and saw Roberts was already on his way out. "landing area. Asshole." He said and went back to work.

On approach to ISSP Earth Headquarters: One hour later

"Now you're sure you don't want us to go with you?" Doohan asked John as he steered the helicopter in for a landing. Miles was in the navigator's seat and John stood behind them.

"Positive." He answered. "No offence Doohan but it looks like this is one machine that is beyond even your expertise."

"You give me enough time and a powerful enough microscope, I'll show you a thing or two sonny." Doohan replied.

"We're not trying to study it Doohan we're trying to destroy it." Kyle yelled from the back.

"Any suggestions on that Arnold? Any weaknesses of this thing we can exploit?" John asked. Arnold shook his head.

"I do not know. All data concerning the properties of the perfected form of this metal were strictly guesswork. Any strengths or weaknesses would be theoretical, and based on the old data such theories would very unreliable, at best."

"I guess we'll just have to play it by ear then." John replied as the chopper began to set down. "Thanks for the ride Doohan. We owe you one."

"You owe me more then that but if you manage to get Arnold back in one piece we'll call it even. I don't want to lose my best mechanic."

"You got it." John said as they went down the ramp. As soon as they were out of the chopper's backwash Doohan lifted off and headed back towards his place. John, Kyle and Arnold headed for the main building. When they stepped inside the cop manning the desk looked up.

"You two bringing in a prisoner or a new recruit?" The desk cop asked. Arnold was still in his work clothes and he didn't look like someone would walk into a police station willingly.

"We need transport to Mars, right away." John said, ignoring the desk cop's question.

"Wait a minute." The desk cop said, recognizing John's voice. "You're that guy that was on the radio before. The one that thought regulations didn't apply to him."

"That's me." John replied, resisting the urge to deck the guy. "And because those idiotic regulations say that I can't contact anyone I figured we could just borrow a ship and meet them in person."

"Nice try captain but paper work to get a ship would take just as long as transmission approval. Besides, I've already let one unauthorized cop hitch a ride and that was my good deed for the day."

"Who was he?" Kyle asked, suddenly very suspicious. The desk cop shrugged and went back to shuffling papers.

"Some guy named Roberts. Said he had some fugitive on Mars to catch. If you had been here an hour ago and told me you were with him I might have let…URK!!!" Before the desk cop could finish John grabbed him by his uniform collar with both hands and hauled him up to eye level.

"I'm only going to say this once you arrogant little bastard so listen up!" John growled. "Who you let through wasn't a cop and he's not trying to capture some fugitive. He's already killed three officers and is going to try and kill some very good friends of ours!" To further convince the desk cop to help them he took out his gun and practically shoved the barrel up the guy's nose. "Now you had better find us a ship before…."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you captain." A new voice said. John turned to see several other officers had entered the room, all of them with their guns drawn. The apparent leader of the group, another captain, motioned at Kyle and Arnold. "Now let's just calm down and try to figure things out."

"What took you guys so long?!" A voice that John recognized as the radio operator asked. Looking past the now shaking desk cop he saw the radio operator at his station, that now had a flashing red light on it. The little weasel had set off a silent alarm.

"I'm sure there has to be a better way to resolve this thing Connor." The captain said, ignoring the radio operator. Knowing they didn't have time for this John looked around and an idea came to him.

"What's behind that wall?" John asked, nodding towards the wall in the back of the room.

"A briefing room. Why?" The captain asked.

"Is there anyone in there?" John asked.

"No…." The captain answered.

"Good." John said right before he pulled the desk cop form behind the desk and threw him to the ground, gun still in his face. "Arnold, pick up that desk and throw it through the back wall." He ordered, backing away to give the robot some room. Arnold said nothing and headed towards the desk.

"Hold it!!!" The captain shouted and all the guns in the room were trained on Arnold. Ignoring them Arnold walked up to the desk and proceeded to pick it up despite the fact that it weighed a couple of hundred pounds and it was bolted to the floor. The bolts snapped like cheap plastic and Arnold hefted the desk over his head like it was made of cardboard. The cops in the room, the captain included, were now watching in stunned amazement. John and Kyle just watched, not looking surprised in the least. Shifting his stance to get the best throwing angle Arnold took aim.

"Duck." He ordered the radio operator, who immediately complied and hit the floor. With what almost looked like a light heave Arnold sent the desk flying and it crashed through the wall into the briefing room.

"Now about that ship…" John said to break the stunned silence. The first thing he heard wasn't a vocal response but the clatter of over a dozen handguns being dropped almost simultaneously.

"W, whatever you want." The captain stuttered.

"Nice that you feel that way." Kyle said. "Because we're going to need more then a ship. We'll need weapons, something powerful and concealable, and civilian clothes."

"You got it." The captain said.

"Last and most important. You're not going to tell anyone about us. That would make him upset." Kyle said, motioning to Arnold. The captain looked at Arnold, gulped nervously, and nodded. "Then let's get moving."

Getting new weapons wasn't that difficult. All three of them got weapons that were confiscated from the prisoners that had just been transferred, a failed gang of bank robbers. The Calico submachine guns John and Kyle took at first glance looked like just a couple of fancy pistols. True they shot 9mm pistol ammunition but with hundred round magazines and a firing rate of over 700 rounds per minute it made up for it's lack of power with the sheer volume of lead it could throw. Arnold got the robber's heavy artillery. The USAS-12 was a gun designed specifically for the military to create a high body count. A semiautomatic shotgun that was feed from 20 round drum magazines, just one of them firing would make a person think they were up against a squad, not some lone nut. The downside was that this thing was something someone couldn't just walk around with and expect no one to notice, it was a large gun. That problem had been solved by the robbers themselves, ironically. They had designed a long, lightweight metal suitcase whose handle was in fact the carrying handle of the gun itself. When the time came the carrier would just have to press a hidden button with his thumb, the case would fall away, and the unsuspecting victims were in for a world of hurt.

Clothes were another matter. John and Kyle had no problems, they just took what they wanted from the evidence office and found things easily. John was now wearing a gray sweatshirt and a blue pair of jeans while Kyle took a black shirt and a second pair of jeans. Both took oversized jackets, brown and black respectively, that the robbers had used to hide their weapons. As a bonus the jackets had pockets on the inside that would be able to hold spare clips for their guns. They couldn't wear their gunbelts or body armor, that would give them away, so those had to be left behind, but they would be able to take their radios with them. Arnold was a different matter. The only clothes that would fit him belonged to a member of a gang of badland bandits. John thought it made Arnold look like a member one of those biker gangs you always saw in the movies. Finally he took a brown overcoat that would allow him to carry extra magazines for his own weapon.

It took them ten minutes to get ready, and twenty for the ship to show up. Those twenty minutes were some of the longest for both sides. John and Kyle because the T-1000 was getting farther away with each passing second, the other cops because there was a giant armed with a large gun that would shoot them dead if John ordered him to. The sooner this group left the better. When the ship did arrive they saw it was a prisoner transport just like the one that had left an hour earlier. John really didn't care what kind of a ship it was, so long as it could get them to Mars in one piece it was fine.

"So you three ready to go?" The pilot asked when they got on board.

"All except for one thing." John said.

"What's that?" The pilot asked.

Outside the other cops waited to see them leave if for no other reason then to make sure they were gone. They got one last surprise when the pilot of the ship came flying out the back of it, looking like he had been tossed. Before the pilot even had a chance to figure out what happened the ship's engine roared to life and it took off. Inside the ship John piloted while Kyle was destroying every way that the ship could be tracked with. They got to the gate with no problems and when John gave a police override code, using a different name and badge number, they were let through without question. They were on their way to Mars, but the T-1000 already had a huge lead.

Mars gate: Twelve hours later

Even before the ISSP ship dropped out of hyperspace the T-1000 already knew what it was going to do. The ship didn't go to the planet itself but docked at an orbiting ISSP station. It didn't matter to the T-1000, time meant nothing to it. If it failed to catch the ship he would simply follow it again until he finally did. But for some reason if his target got away….

"You all right buddy?" The question had been asked by the ISSP pilot.

"I'm fine." The T-1000 answered in a neutral tone.

"Funny. A second ago you looked ready to punch a hole in the wall." The pilot replied.

"I guess I'm just frustrated by not being able to catch this guy." The T-1000 said. "Mind if I use your radio for a second? I need to check in."

"Go ahead. Paperwork is going to be a bitch anyway." The pilot replied and left. Once he had left the T-1000 closed and sealed the cockpit door, then turned on the ship's computer. Logging into the ISSP databanks he quickly confirmed that the Bebop was still in Mars orbit. That task done the next thing he did was to find out what frequencies the Bebop used for it's communications. Once he got those as well he started typing very rapidly, creating a complex computer program in the space of only a few minutes. After making sure the program would work flawlessly he activated it and then proceeded to his next task. Now sure of transmission security he flipped on the radio but deliberately made the video portion nothing but a mess of static. The first few attempts at contact yielded no reply but on the fourth try someone on the other end finally picked up.

"Wadda ya want!?!" A tired and grumpy sounding voice asked.

"Is that you Spike?" The T-1000 asked in a perfect imitation of John Connor's voice.

"Ya it is. Who want's ta know?" Spike answered, still not completely awake.

"What, you don't recognize who I am?" The T-1000 replied in a tone that most humans would consider humorous.

"John? What are you calling for?" Spike asked, finally awake. "And why can't I see you?"

"With what I'm calling on you're lucky you can even hear me." The T-1000 answered. "I finally managed to get off assignment for a while and figured I'd drop by for a visit."

"That's a surprise." Spike said. "From what we heard it sounded like you were never going to get off Earth."

"Well unexpected things come up and I was actually able to get some free time."

"I'm sure Ed and Faye will be thrilled to hear it." Spike remarked.

"Are they there now?" The T-1000 asked.

"No. I'm the only one on the ship right now." In the background there was the sound of a dog barking. "Make that me and the mutt." The barking got louder and more rapid. "Shut up you dumb dog!! I'm trying to talk here!!"

"Where are they?" The T-1000 asked, ignoring the shouting match between Spike and Ein.

"Faye's at a casino. (So what else is new.) And Ed went to Mars with Jet to visit a friend. Said something about wanting to have a closer look at Mars, something about red dirt. I don't know, I can't figure that kid out."

"Funny you should mention that because this ship they have me on will have to land on Mars soon and I might be able to meet them down there. Just give me the name of the friend and what city they're in."

"Trying to make sure you don't lose your tracking edge huh?" Spike asked but gave the information. "So when can we expect to see you?"

"Soon. Very soon." The T-1000 answered and closed the connection. On the Bebop Spike gave his communicator a funny look and put it down. He had been taking a nap on the couch when he had been rudely awakened by John's call. A loud whine at his feet made him look down at Ein. Ever since the mutt had walked into the room and heard John he had been acting funny. Barking loudly not quite in alarm, but more like in confusion.

"So he sounded a little weird." Spike told the dog. He didn't need Ein's level of hearing to notice there was something different in the way John talked. "You work almost non stop for two months and let's see how you sound. Even I would act a bit abnormal." Ein let out a snort that seemed to say 'You act normal to begin with?' Not amused at Ein's 'remark' Spike acted as he usually would with an annoyance. Picking up the nearest thing possible, an old magazine lying on the table, and motioned to throw it at said annoyance, Ein. Knowing full well that Spike would do it and how good his aim was Ein showed just how smart he was by sprinting out of the room. Chuckling Spike laid back down on the couch to finish his nap.

Back at the ISSP station the T-1000 had plotted a course for the ship and was busy with a when he heard a banging the cockpit door.

"Come on pal open up! You want to make a private call use your own phone not my ship!" The T-1000 ignored him and began to start up the ship's engines. "HEY!!!" Opening the door using an override code the pilot walked in and up the T-1000. "Now just what the hell you think you're doing!?!"

CRACK

The pilot didn't even have time to feel the gun being shoved into his stomach before he was lying on the floor with a bullet wound in his stomach.

"Leaving." The T-1000 answered in his regular voice and took off, heading for Mars.

Mars gate: One hour later

"John, if Doohan knew what you did to this thing he'd probably shoot you." Kyle remarked as they dropped out of hyperspace. The whole trip John had kept the engines going full power, stretching them to their breaking point. Even now they sounded like they were on the verge of exploding.

"We managed to make up a lot of time so I don't want to hear any complaining." John retorted. It was true, they had cut the lead the T-1000 had to roughly an hour by Arnold's calculations. Of course that would mean nothing if the T-1000 had found them already so John activated the radio and tried to contact the Bebop. "Come on. Pick up." John urged, hoping that they weren't too late. Somebody did answer and the face of a slightly rumpled Spike Spiegel filled the screen.

"Damn it!! Is it a crime for a guy to get some sleep on his day off!?!?!?!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. This was the second time he had been woken up and he was not amused. When he turned on his communicator he was surprised to see who was on the other end. "John, if this is some kind of a joke it isn't funny. If you had visual the first time why didn't you use it?"

"The first time?" John asked.

"Yes the first time." Spike retorted, thinking John was playing dumb. "When you said you could only use audio and kept asking were everyone was. Why are you calling again anyway? I already told you where Ed and Jet are and you should be there by now."

"No you didn't." John replied.

"What do you mean I didn't?" Spike asked. It sounded like it was part of the joke but the way John had said that told Spike he was dead serious.

"Spike you didn't tell me anything. We just got through the gate a few minutes ago."

"That's impossible. You called over an hour ago and were almost here."

"Spike, that wasn't me." Now he had Spike's attention. If it were anyone else Spike wouldn't have believed it. But there was one reason that would make sense. It would explain how John had seemed to talk to him twice but not the first time, and why he would be this far out in the first place.

"It was a Terminator, wasn't it?" Spike asked. John nodded. "Shit." Spike didn't think that they would have been able to get off Earth, but he guessed this proved him wrong. At least they knew how to identify and destroy those machines now so he would be able to…

"It's a new type. One we haven't seen before." John said. Well that was something Spike wasn't expecting to hear.

"What do you mean new type? How's it different, and who the hell built it?" If there was one thing Spike and the others had learned fighting Skynet it was that every new machine or robot was ten times worse then the ones they already knew about.

"We don't have time to explain right now." John said. "Where did you send 'me' the first time?" Spike told him and John nodded. "At least we caught a break. A city that size makes finding any one person almost impossible. Have you had contact with any of the others recently?"

"The only person I've talked to in the past couple of hours is you." Spike replied.

"You'd better call them back up here. That way we can get everyone up to speed and concentrating on how to stop this thing." Spike didn't say anything and tired to open a channel to the others. What he got was a high pitched shrieking noise, causing everyone, even Arnold, to cover their ears.

"What the hell kind of interference is that?!" Kyle said.

"Interference my ass, we're being jammed!!!" Spike shouted.

"The son of a bitch was ready for us!! I don't believe it!!" Kyle yelled.

"Believe it!" John shouted in response. "Spike we're going after that thing. You find Faye and bring her back to the ship. Knock her out if you have to but get her back there." Willing to trust John's judgment in the matter Spike ran for the hangar without question. John steered the ship towards Mars and the city Spike had mentioned, hoping that the T-1000 hadn't found them yet.