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Kara figured there was no point in waiting for everyone to recover from the bombshell she had just dropped. She cleared her throat and began speaking again, her voice calm and her expression neutral.
"I was sent here not only to warn you all about the attack, but also to intercept and destroy the strike force." she explained. "With your help." she added.
"If the Triple-Eights haven't already joined up, there's a chance we could take a few of them out one at a time." Derek suggested.
"Assuming we can find any them before they find us." John pointed out.
Kara shook her head. "No, you guys don't understand." she said, "The entire platoon was sent back from Alpha Omega at the same time."
"That can't be right." Cameron stated, "It takes at least twice as much power to send a single Triple-Eight back than it does a human. The amount of power required to transport six Triple-Eights would be-"
"A lot. I know." Kara finished the statement.
"And even if they managed to harness that much energy, the stress would render the temporal device useless for future journeys." Cameron added.
"The thing was in its death throes when we found it." Kara said, "But it had enough life to send a single person back."
"How was Skynet able to generate the power it needed for this operation?" Cameron asked.
Kara took a deep breath. "That's the thing you're not going to believe." she said, "The entire base was shut down except for the room with the time machine. Every power source was being rerouted to that room. We even found deactivated HKs and Endos that had been literally plugged into the machine."
"So that's how you were able get into Alpha Omega." Derek realized.
Kara nodded. "It really wasn't that difficult with all the defenses offline."
"So Skynet just gives up one of its largest, most heavily fortified installations, just like that?" Derek asked incredulously, "And all to send six Triple-Eights after us?"
"Well, I don't blame it." Kara smiled, "After all you four have been here killing it in the cradle."
"I guess we've made a lot more progress here than I thought." Sarah mused.
Kara's smile vanished. "What do you mean?"
"We haven't actually done much in terms of stopping Judgment Day, unfortunately." Sarah informed her.
Kara was clearly not expecting this.
"Have you discovered how to stop it then?" she asked.
"We've discovered a few possible clues." Cameron responded truthfully.
"A few possible clues? Is that it?" Kara looked appalled. Sarah would have found her reaction highly amusing if the situation wasn't so serious.
"Yeah. I know. Disappointing isn't it?" Sarah said sardonically, "You see, we've been running into certain problems lately. It's all kind of hard to explain-" She shot a glare at Derek. "-but I'm sure Derek has time to tell you now that he's no longer running around with that girlfriend of his."
"Leave Jesse out of this!" snapped Derek.
"Don't tell me you're still gonna defend that woman, Derek!" Sarah shot back.
John held up his hands. "Can we please talk about this later?" he insisted. He then turned to Kara and asked, "What exactly were you expecting?"
"Well, actually you were expecting that you would be close to destroying Skynet by now." Kara responded grimly.
"Why would Future Me think that?" John asked.
"Because Skynet thinks so." Kara explained. "Otherwise it wouldn't have sacrificed an installation as important as Alpha Omega to come after you."
"It probably just doesn't want to take any chances." John suggested, "I don't really blame it. After all, Skynet has tried to do the same thing to me."
"It's more than just paranoia." Kara said, "Skynet is scared. Real scared. When we took Alpha Omega, we found a partial message left in the database. It was a series of mission orders given to the Triple-Eight attack force just before they were sent through."
"What did it say?" Cameron asked.
"We weren't able to decode much," Kara said, "but we did make out the words: Temporal altercations in progress: Category Delta-Red."
"What does that mean?" John asked.
"It means Skynet believes that someone or something is altering the timeline in a way that threatens its very existence." Cameron explained.
John paused to think about all this.
"You're sure it's talking about us?" John said.
"Who else would it be talking about?" Kara asked.
"Okay, maybe it's talking about a year from now." John suggested.
"No," Kara said, "The message also said: Terminate targets within twelve standard days of arrival. Use any actions necessary."
"So, whatever it is that Skynet thinks we're going to do, we're supposed to do it the next two weeks?" John asked.
Kara nodded. "That's what Skynet thinks anyway." She paused before asking, "Can you guys think of anything you might be doing in the next twelve days that would make Skynet wet itself?"
Everyone shook their heads.
Kara sighed. "Great. Just frakking great." she grumbled, "My job just got a lot more complicated."
"Excuse me, but no one gave us a timetable." Sarah retorted.
John intervened before another argument could begin. "The fact," he stated loudly, "is that we have at least six Triple-Eights coming after us right now. We need to come up with a plan, and we need to do it fast."
Both Sarah and Kara nodded in agreement.
"I assume Skynet knows our location." Sarah asked.
Kara nodded. "I think that's a given."
"Alright then," Sarah said trying to remain cool, "It's a good thing we were already going to leave today. First, we need to get John to a safe house. The rest of us will then gather as many weapons as we can and meet back here. When the Triple-Eights show up, we'll be ready for them."
"And you can sure as hell bet that they'll be ready for us." Derek countered, "I doubt all six are just going to march single file into the house."
"What should we be expecting?" Sarah asked Cameron.
"If they follow standard siege protocols, first they'll establish a perimeter to block off any escape routes." Cameron began to explain. "They'll then send in a single scout to analyze our defenses. Once they've determined our strength, they'll split into two groups. The first half will attack simultaneously from different directions in an attempt to spread us all out.
"The other half," she continued, "will patrol the perimeter, watching for anyone attempting to escape, as well as serving as a secondary assault team should the first group encounter any heavier-than-expected resistance."
Things looked grim and John knew it. "I don't think waiting for them to come to us is going to work, Mom." he said.
"We may not have a choice." Cameron replied, "For all we know, they could be watching us right now."
Kara shook her head. "No, they're not." she said.
Sarah stared at her. "How can you be so sure?" she asked.
"They haven't even arrived yet." Kara replied.
"I thought you said Skynet had already sent them." Derek said, frowning in confusion.
"I was sent back after the task force had already left but I was sent to a point in time twenty-four hours prior to their arrival." Kara explained.
"When did you get here?" John asked.
"Midnight, I think." Kara replied.
"Then we're fifteen hours, forty-three minutes, twelve seconds away from the incursion point." Cameron stated.
Kara shrugged. "You're better at math than me, Cam." she said.
"Would it have killed you, Thrace, to have arrived last week instead?" Sarah asked darkly.
"The only other temporal fissure we found was three months away," said Kara, slightly annoyed, "Would you have rather I taken that one instead?"
"Temporal fissure?" asked John.
"Never mind," said Kara. "Anyway, getting back to the subject at hand, John's right. We can't wait for those things to walk up to us. We have to bring the fight to them instead."
"Explain," said Cameron.
"When the Triple-Eight platoon arrives in this time period, they'll be unequipped and vulnerable." Kara explained, "That's our best chance to take them all out in one go."
"Wonderful plan," Sarah said, "But LA is a big place. How will we know where in the city they're going to appear?"
"Don't worry," Kara grinned, "We got city coordinates from the message found at Alpha Omega. I can show you where, but I'll need to see a map of the city first."
"Dining room." Sarah said.
A few minutes later, they were all gathered at the dining room table looking over at a map of Los Angeles. Kara scanned the map for a few moments. "There," she said finally pointing to an area in the middle of the map, "Assuming the coordinates we found were accurate, the Triple-Eight platoon should be arriving here."
John looked closer. "I hear about that place in the news occasionally. It's a construction site that's been abandoned for years. It's called 'Roachville' because somehow it's survived several highly popular motions for demolition."
Sarah nodded. "It's the perfect staging ground for a Skynet attack." she commented. "It's virtually deserted. No one pays attention to it. The Triple-Eights' arrival will go unnoticed and unreported."
"It's also the perfect spot for an ambush." Kara said, "Plenty of hiding spots. The Triple-Eights won't be armed, so we'll have a significant advantage there." She turned to face Derek. "What sort of guns do we have?" she asked
"We have more than enough armor piercing firepower to take the bastards out." he said, flashing an evil looking grin.
"Music to my ears, Reese. So we load up, drive into Roachville, and wait until we start seeing great big flashes of light." Kara said, "Someone then drives the van towards the Triple-Eights and kills the engine. The rest of us move out on foot and find good positions to shoot from."
Cameron caught on, "The Triple-Eights will see the van and identify it not only as a means of transport but also a possible source of clothes and weapons. Assuming they follow standard infiltration protocol they'll move in to acquire it."
"And when they're close enough, we'll blow them away with armor piercing rounds. Once they're all down, we move in and extract their chips to put them out for good." Kara concluded with a look of satisfaction.
Neither Sarah nor John said anything. They both seemed to be deep in their thoughts. Derek took the opportunity to speak up.
"When we open fire, we're going to have to hit them hard and fast." Derek warned. "Clean headshots. Try to hit the chip itself if you can."
"I'm sure none of us are in kindergarten anymore, Reese." Kara said somewhat condescendingly. She then clapped her hands together and stated, "I guess we have a plan then."
Sarah held up her hand. "Not so fast." she interjected, "Someone should stay behind in the second van in case there's trouble and we need to get out in a hurry. John, you'd better stay back."
John opened his mouth to protest, but Sarah cut him off. "Don't argue with me, John. Just stay in the second van and keep the engine running."
"We only have three sniper rifles capable of taking down a Triple-Eight anyway." Derek commented.
John look down and shook his head. "Fine then. I'll stay in the back." he said with resignation.
"Good," said Sarah. She then turned to Kara. "How good is your aim?" she asked.
"Mine's great. How's yours?" Kara cheekily replied.
Sarah rolled her eyes and sighed, "Alright. Snipers are Cameron, Thrace and me. Derek is the bait."
"Thanks..." muttered Derek.
"We should probably get moving soon." Sarah said, "Derek, go check out Roachville. Look for anything we can use or could be used against us when we pull this off tonight. Get back here in two hours."
Derek nodded and left without a word.
Sarah then turned to Kara. "I hope I'm not making a huge mistake by following you." she said. Her tone was neutral, but her eyes conveyed a clear threat.
"Yeah. I hope so too." Kara murmured, more to herself than to Sarah.
After a brief moment of silence, Kara spoke up again. "If you don't mind, I'd like to use the shower. And you wouldn't happen to have a fresh change of clothes lying around would you? Because frankly these-" she gestured at her raggedy sweater and pants "-kind of stink."
Sarah nodded. "The bathroom's upstairs on the left. I'll try to find you something to clean to wear."
"Thanks," said Kara, "I owe you."
"You can pay me back by helping us kill those Triple-Eights tonight." Sarah replied.
Kara grinned and winked at her. "You won't be disappointed." she said smugly. She then hurried out the room.
John and Cameron moved to exit the room as well when Sarah called out to them.
"Both of you wait," she said, "We need to talk."
"About what?" John asked.
"About our new friend, Colonel Kara Thrace. What else?" Sarah said folding her arms across her chest. "What exactly does Thrace do for the Resistance?" she asked Cameron.
"She's one of John's best strategists." stated Cameron, "She's mostly known for her unconventional and highly creative battlefield tactics. Thrace played a key role in the retaking of Serrano Point in 2026."
"Go on." said Sarah.
"She's conducted at least two-hundred and seventy-three missions behind enemy lines, many of them by herself. She's fought on the front lines at least-"
Sarah cut her off. "Is there anything I should know about her personally?"
"She's a very formidable soldier. She can easily handle any weapon and is highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat. Additionally, she's adept at fashioning improvised weapons by herself-"
"Okay, I get it." Sarah interrupted again, "But is there anything about her personality that I should be aware of? Can I trust her?"
Cameron paused for a moment, before responding. "Her loyalty is unquestionable. But she does have a tendency to show disobedience and disrespect to those in command. She's disobeyed direct orders on more than one occasion. She even physically assaulted a superior officer in one incident."
"I was afraid of that." sighed Sarah
"Colonel Thrace has her flaws. She is human after all." Cameron acknowledged, "But she wouldn't have been sent back if John felt she would cause more harm than good."
"I guess you have a point." Sarah said.
"Why is it I've never heard of her before?" asked John. "She sounds pretty important. Shouldn't Skynet have tried to kill her in the past like it's tried to kill me?"
"There's been no record of Thrace's existence prior to March 21st of 2024 when she was recruited into the Resistance," Cameron explained.
"I see. So she's been in the Resistance for less than four years and she's already one of my best people?" John asked.
"She earned multiple battlefield promotions," Cameron stated.
"What was she doing all those years between Judgment Day and the day she joined the Resistance?"
"Surviving. What else?"
Realizing he wasn't going to get anything else useful, John decided to bring up another issue.
"Derek keeps calling her 'Starbuck'. What's that all about?" he asked.
"It's just a name she prefers to be called by." Cameron explained.
"That's a funny nickname, 'Starbuck'." John mused, "I don't suppose she used to work at a coffee shop?"
"I wouldn't know. She's never explained it to anyone," Cameron said. "She doesn't talk much about her past at all."
Sarah finally spoke up. "I'll play along with Thrace for now." she said, "But I'm going to be watching her closely. So should you, John. We can't let 'Starbuck' put our lives in danger."
"Our lives have always been in danger." John pointed out
"All the more reason not to trust her." Sarah replied tersely, briefly glancing at Cameron as she spoke. No one said anything else as Sarah left the room.
John began to wonder who his mom had really been talking about - Starbuck or Cameron.
"Or maybe both." he thought to himself.
A/N: Read and Review.
The next chapter will explain exactly what happened to Kara when she vanished at the end of "Daybreak Part II"
