Chapter 4
Alice sat next to John in the back of the Dodge. Derek was driving them to the house where her family had once lived together. Where Cheri and her mother waited. She had spoken to them on the phone late the night before, and they were anxious to see her. Her father was at work, had been for a long time, he wanted to meet Sarah and the girl there, not at the family home, but would be back later.
"Long way from where your father works." John said.
"He worked from home sometimes. But if there was a lot on, he would stay away for a few days. Cheri said that since I was... " She hesitated, "taken. He's been at work much more."
Derek looked at her in the mirror. "What's he been doing?"
"I don't know. Machines and stuff I guess." She turned to look out of the window. The houses were bigger here. It was mid morning, and people were starting on the Sunday chores. In the garden mowing the lawn, or washing their cars.
Machine, Derek thought, people and their machines.
------
Sarah sat in the passenger seat in silence as they drove through the desert. There were a few cars parked at the lake. Weekend hikers heading into the hills, she thought. Approaching the institute they could see the line of fence barricading their way.
"We are fortunate he was willing to meet us here." Cameron said.
"Yes, but he does not want to leave his work. Until he is certain his family is safe he will follow the original kidnappers instructions." Sarah turned to Cameron. "He does not trust us, does not want the family home involved. And he knows there's a small army of guards here, for who knows what reasons."
Cameron absorbed this, then. "People go to great lengths to protect their family."
Sarah smiled at this. "Yes we do. And that's why I don't want John anywhere near this place."
There was only one guard at the gate. A younger one than before.
"Leave the car, you can walk from here. Straight in the door, you'll be met." He said to them.
The car pulled to one side and the two women got out.
"I'll need to check you."
The women were lightly dressed. He passed the wand over the older women, it beeped at her pocket.
"Keys." she said.
The wand beeped as soon as it got close to the younger women. She laughed and looked embarrassed.
"Piercings." She said, raised her arms and turned around. Her clothing was so tight, she clearly had no weapons on her. "I've nothing to hide, as you can see." She grinned at the guard. Not wanting to push this, he let them through.
The building was glass fronted , three stories high, about 50 metres long. There were cameras, lots of them, but the guards they had seen the other day were absent. They walked past three cars and a line of well watered bushes. They pushed open the lobby doors and walked through. Inside a tall thin man, mid fifties waited for them nervously.
"Hi. You must be Sarah."
She smiled at him, to try and reassure him. "Yes. You are Dr Westin?"
"Sure, but please call me Frank. Sarah your real name?"
"It's a name I use." Sarah said. "Good looking place you have here Frank. Doing well?"
It seemed like she was sounding him out, perhaps seeing if he would raise the compensation they had agreed over the phone.
"Not so bad. We have many overheads here. Profits are never as high as we'd like. We are going to lay off some of the security staff. Cutting costs, you know."
"I see there are none around. You not afraid of us?"
"I did not want too many people to see you here. And, yes, I'm a bit nervous of you. How do I know you are not going to attack my family again? You said you are not the kidnappers, but how can I be sure?"
The girl had been looking around the atrium. But now she turned her gaze to him. She looked at him with a vacant expression, allowing Sarah to do all the talking.
"I imagine you have security now for your family. You just have to trust us. Call your wife though, Alice should have arrived by now. We just want the money, then we leave." Sarah said.
Frank pulled out a mobile phone. He turned to one side and walked a few paces away.
"What do you think?" Sarah said softly to Cameron.
"We need to find out what he does here. I can question him if you want." Cameron replied. With what sounded a touch of hope in her voice.
"No need for that just yet." Sarah said.
A few minutes later Frank turned back to them. "Alice is safe as you say. My wife used the key word. I don't think she will involve the police. She trusts me on that."
"That's good." Sarah said reassuringly. "But Frank." She raised her voice a notch. "You have been very quick to leave the police out of this. What is it you do here Frank? I'm curious. What exactly?"
The girl had taken a pace towards him, and for someone so slight, she seemed somehow threatening.
"Perhaps if you come into my office, Sarah. The money you asked for is in there, and we can talk. Your, ermmm, associate, can wait out here. No need to crowd the room, they don't let me have a large office."
He turned and led the way, waiting for Sarah to catch up.
"We make robots for the mining industry, surveillance and drilling and the like."
"So why the remote location? Why the heavy security? I can't imagine the competition is that heavy."
They had reached an unassuming door with a plaque. 'Dr Westin. Head of research' on it. Unlocking it they went inside.
"We have branched out, you could say." Frank held the door, as Sarah walked in. "We have started developing robots for the security market. And, well, you could say that we have had some extraordinary breakthroughs."
Sarah had not heard the last sentence. As she had turned to watch him close the door, she had seen a gleaming figure in one corner. It stood six foot tall, a skeleton of polished metal, pistons took the place of muscles, plates covered its chest. The head was a skull, the mouth fixed in a rictus grin. Cameras for eyes. Talons for fingers.
She staggered back into the desk, her heart hammering in her chest, grabbing for the Glock that had been left in the car.
"Whoa! Steady on there. I'm sorry if it surprised you." Frank continued, putting an arm out towards her to steady her. "This is a prototype, non-functional. It sure does look scary you have to admit."
Sarah was a long way from calming down. "What..... What....."
"What is it? It's a Type-1, a security robot. Our very first model. This is the future of security. This is why we have secrecy. Here please sit down." He guided her to a chair by the desk. "Can I get you a coffee?"
Frank had moved to a table by the door holding a pot and cups. He poured out two and returned to the desk. The robot had not moved, and looked lifeless. The eyes were dull, with none of the inner glow that had made the T-800 so intimidating that first time, a lifetime ago.
"Frank, I... I think you have some explaining to do Frank. These robots, they are dangerous to people. You just can't make them."
"Sarah, please. This is the future. Within a few years we will have these at all the major government buildings. They will protect all the VIPs, all key military installations."
Sarah could feel a rising sense of panic. With an army of robots ready for judgement day, Skynet could wipe out all organised resistance to it's plans. Kyle, Derek, even Cameron had never spoken of this. The terminators were developed after judgement day, not before. Something had gone very wrong.
"How are they controlled? Are these autonomous?" She asked.
"They can be. But for remote monitoring, and override, there is a central control facility. All communications are encrypted of course. After all, we don't want anyone malicious to gain control of such a valuable resource."
"How long can they run? How often do they need recharging?"
"Recharging?" Frank laughed at this and looked very smug. "Not needed. A..." He hesitated, "friend, shall we say, helped us to develop a fusion power source. Micro-fuel pellets seep into a reaction chamber, a pulse laser ignites them. Plenty of power."
Sarah now knew what had to be done. This line of development had to be stopped. She leaned forward and thumped her hand into the desk top. Her voice took on a strident tone. The same voice that had warned Dr Silverman that it was time to call over the orderly.
"Frank, this has to stop. You need to stop it, this development is a crime, and has to stop. You have to answer for what you have done here."
Frank looked back at her. He was startled by the transformation. She had been calm and non-threatening, but now seemed dangerous. The poodle had become a pitbull. He began to doubt his initial impressions of her. He looked down at the table, and shook his head sadly. He looked back up at her.
"No Sarah. I think you are the one who has some answering to do. You have not mentioned the reward once. You are more interested in my work. You willingly come here, when a meet in the desert would suit you better. You quiz me about things that should not interest you. You allow yourself to be split up from your companion. A girl, who seems very odd to say the least. Who are you? I ask myself. Time, I think, for you to see behind the curtain." His fingers moved under the desk, and pressed a switch.
------
John sat next to Derek in the Dodge. The driver they had met previously was seated outside the house across the road. As John watched him, the driver was reading a paper, but John was fully aware that he was watching them as well.
"Wonder how they are getting on." He mused out loud.
"They'll be fine." Derek said, then turned to him. "You thinking that scary psycho killer's going to go off the rails and do something stupid?"
"No." John smiled. "Cameron will stop her."
He carried on looking out for a few minutes, then said. "Derek. I've been thinking of starting football. They have try outs next week."
Derek smiled at him. "I think it's great. Sarah might not like it. But you have my support. You can catch a ball, and throw well. Still a bit on the small side, but you're starting to man up a bit."
Derek turned to John, then chuckled and continued. "If your team looks like losing, send the machine on."
"Yeah right!" John laughed.
------
The door clicked, locked. Frank
was staring at her, then his eyes moved to something behind
her.
Sarah sensed something was wrong and moved to stand up. There
was movement behind her and a cold heavy hand landed on her
shoulder.
"It is a functional prototype." Frank said. "Not as good as the type-5s we make now, but it will do."
He was about to continue, but Sarah sank down into the chair and slipped under the hand. Moving down to one side she rolled on the floor then came up by the door. Cameron, she thought. She banged on the door, but it felt solid, and she was not sure if she could be heard from outside. The type-1 had swung around towards her. It was slow, she thought, I just have to stay ahead of it. She threw the coffee pot at it's head, to no effect. As it lurched towards her, she dodged to one side, picked up the chair and swung at its legs. One gave slightly, and she ducked under its swinging arm. Careful, she thought , It only has to land one hit. A second swing of the chair, which shattered on impact, made it collapse to one knee. She looked around for another weapon to use.
She saw that Frank was unlocking a metal Cadenza, as he pulled up the roller she saw a glimpse of guns inside. She dodged around the swinging type-1, and moved towards him. Her fist caught him on the side of the head and he staggered back to the desk. Lifting the roller cover half way she saw more guns, picking up a familiar looking Glock, she cocked it and turned around. The type-1 was swinging at her again. She moved to one side, trying to get closer to the door. At the same time, Frank was fumbling under the desk, another hidden switch she thought.
At that point the door was hit heavily from the other side, splinters of wood came away from the lock, but it held. Sarah raised the Glock and fired at the type-1s head. A low pitched warning siren started up in the corridor outside. The door gave under another heavy blow and a familiar slender figure walked in. The type-1 had stopped still when the shots hit it, Cameron moved towards it, and punched it with a pile driver of a blow. It fell back heavily, its frontal chest area collapsed. Frank looked on incredulous.
Cameron moved to him. Reached for his neck, grasped him by the throat.
"Wait." Sarah called. Cameron looked around at her, then twisted her hand. There was a sickly cracking sound and Frank fell.
Cameron moved to the type-1, and starting disconnecting something from its damaged chest. "We need to destroy this building. Can you walk and run?" She called out.
"Yes." Sarah replied. The callousness of the machines no longer surprised her, but she was shocked by the pace of recent events. As Cameron worked on the item she had removed from the type-1, Sarah went to the door and stepped into the corridor. She froze with what she saw. At the end of the corridor, there were four machines moving steadily towards here. They looked different to the type-1 she had just fought with.
She staggered back into the room. "There's..... Outside... More of them."
Cameron was completely impassive, and continued working on the lump of metal. "I know, I can hear them. Open the gun cabinet. We may need what is in there."
"What are you doing? What have you done?" She asked as she pushed the roller all the way up.
"Destroying the building." Cameron replied. Then put the item down on the desk. As she did so, she saw something. Held it up to examine it, then put it in her pocket.
At the top of the cabinet was a large black gun. "Barrett XM500, 50 calibre." Cameron said. "That will be adequate."
She reached in and took it down, loading it
with a huge clip, pushing two more into her trouser top.
There was
a shotgun in there. Sarah took it, and stuffed handfuls of shells
into her pockets. Then loaded it with more shells from the
shelf.
"Sarah, we must hurry. We have 7 minutes 23 seconds more. The reaction chamber is flooding with fuel pellets, I do not know how big the yield will be."
Cameron walked steadily out of the room. The XM500 held in her right hand, the left supporting the barrel. Sarah followed, glancing down at the innocent seeming fist sized piece of metal on the desk. She moved to stand next to Cameron, and swung the shotgun up at the advancing figures. At that moment Cameron fired. The sound was shattering, Sarah felt her chest thump with the impact of the shock wave. The backwash from the muzzle brake flowed over her in a hot wave.
Cameron fired three more times. Each shot deafening Sarah in the confined corridor. The type-5s crumpled under the impact of the 50 calibre bullets.
Cameron turned to say something, but her words were lost with the ringing in Sarah's ears.
Cameron started walking with a steady pace, and Sarah followed behind. She looked down at the carcasses of the machines as they passed. The bullets had ripped through the chest plates, shattering the machinery behind. On one of them the bullet had not hit dead centre, the machine was still moving, its right arm clawing the floor as it dragged itself towards her. She fired the shotgun at point blank range into the hole in its chest plate. It froze in mid movement. Sarah pumped the gun and fired again into its face.
As they reached the end of the corridor another gleaming machine turned the corner towards them. It was carrying a gun like Cameron's. Cameron reacted first and fired a fraction of a second earlier, her shot hitting as the other machine fired. The incoming bullet missed Cameron and flew past Sarah, the shock wave stinging her face and bringing blood to the surface.
Cameron scooped up the others gun. The bullpup configuration allowing her to carry them one handed. Sarah hung back as the machine strode out into the lobby. There were more type-5s to either side. Cameron swung the guns, one to each side, looking left, then right, then firing in both directions at the same time. Bullets of a smaller calibre impacted on Cameron's shirt, and into the flesh beneath. But they could not stop her firing, and her onslaught continued as the large calibre bullets ripped into the machines that were advancing from either side. One gun empty she dropped it, and kept firing with the other, when it fell silent she ripped a magazine from her pants and slammed it into the gun. Cocked it and kept firing.
Each shot was like a hammer blow to Sarah, she was becoming dazed by the brutal explosions of the guns that echoed around the lobby. When the gun fell silent, Cameron again turned to mouth something, then strode towards the lobby door. Sarah reeling after her. Cameron kicked open the doors, which flew back on the hinges, the glass shattering to the ground. She waited a few seconds for Sarah to catch up.
Then said. "1 minute 42 seconds, we must run." With her volume turned up to full, Sarah could just make out what she was saying.
They began to run across the car park, towards the main gate. Sarah could see the guard jump up and begin running away at the sight of the two women coming towards them. One with blood dappling her shredded shirt, a huge gun in her hands. Cameron moved the gun to aim at the guard. Then decided against the shot. Only three rounds remaining she calculated.
They ran out of the open gate, Sarah stumbled and would have fallen, but Cameron grasped her round the waist and lifted her up. Carrying her to the front, shielding her from the building. Striding forward all the time. A bullet whistled past them, and then Sarah felt, rather than heard, a larger calibre bullet impact on Cameron's back. Cameron did not return fire, instead she stopped still, dropped the gun, then dropped Sarah to the floor. Is she damaged? Sarah thought.
Then Cameron fell on top of her. One hand landed just in front of Sarah's head, sparing her the full weight of the machine, the hand had punched into the surface, and the fingers clenched to gain purchase. With the other hand Cameron pushed Sarah's face into the dirt. The bitch is trying to kill me, Sarah thought. She closed her eyes instinctively against the dust, and twisted her body, trying to wriggle free, but the weight of the machine was too much, her struggles futile.
And then it hit.
Even through her eyelids, the instant of the flash was brighter than looking at the sun. The heat was hotter than the furnaces at the steel plant, and she felt the sweat on her skin evaporate. A split second later the light had diminished. The shock had made Sarah open her eyes, even with her vision dazzled, she could still see the yellow fireball behind them.
Before she could think the shock wave hit them. The air tore past them with hurricane force. It seemed that every shard of glass and fragment of concrete and steel was slamming into Cameron's back as she held Sarah in a protective embrace. The car that had been outside the entrance was rolling past, taking a length of fence with it. Then Cameron's grip on the ground failed, and they were sliding along the dirt, rocks and dust pelting into them. They came to a stop.
Then the vacuum created behind them needed to be filled. The scream that had been building in Sarah's throat was ripped from her as the air in her lungs was sucked out. All the debris that had come smashing past them now came back the other way. A piece of stone avoided Cameron's parry and hit Sarah on the side of her head, and she slipped into darkness.
Epilogue
She opened her eyes. It took her a while to recognise where she was. Back in the house. Her body was in pain, every inch of her skin crawled, her lungs rasped as she breathed. Her throat was raw. But she was alive, she could not be too badly hurt if they had not taken her to hospital. It was dark. As she moved her head a shape by the window shifted to face towards her.
"John?" She croaked, the word hurting her.
"John is asleep." Cameron
said. "So is Derek. They were worried about you. John stayed by
your side for a long time. But you should be OK. I have not told them
exactly what happened."
Sarah sank back onto the pillow. What
had happened? Somehow it seemed surreal.
"How did I get here?" Sarah asked in a weak voice.
"I carried you. Then drove."
Cameron tilted her head to one side and continued, "Something has happened to John though." Sarah felt a rise of panic.
"He wants to play football." Cameron said.
Sarah could not take this in, "The factory?" She asked.
"Destroyed. It can make no more machines. Derek thinks it is a good idea."
Destroyed. This reminded Sarah of the fireball, the light, the heat.
"The explosion... Radiation..."
Cameron hesitated. "No. It was fusion. No radiation. No fallout." There was a pause, then she added. "I washed us both in the lake. Cleaned us. Took new clothing from the cars."
Sarah took this in. Cameron would not have brought then back here if there was a risk to John. She thought back to the factory. The images in her mind of machines, the guns, the bullets flying. The snap of a broken neck.
"Frank? Did you have to?" Sarah asked.
Cameron turned back to the window. "Dead. Yes I did." Again a slight pause, then, "Though it was not necessary."
In the distance a dog started barking, then was quickly silent.
Sarah tried to prise herself up again. "The dog. Something's coming."
"No. Dogs bark. It's what they do." Cameron said. "I can become a cheerleader." Then added, "So that I can stay close to him."
Sarah had stopped listening. All she could see was a vision of a chest crumpling under a high calibre bullet. A human chest. With flesh and blood, and ribs and bones. And underneath that a metal heart.
THE END
A/N:
Hope you liked it. My first story. I've fixed the things I could see wrong with it. I've written a follow up, "Rituals", which will be on line real soon. Please let me know any thoughts or comments.
