Chapter 10: Terminator vs. Terminator
One of the things drilled into the minds of police officers and soldiers was that no matter how bad things get, no matter how out of control things become do not panic. Acting panicked and irrational would get you, and more importantly, the people around you killed. You needed to think quickly and decisively but think clearly. The first thing they needed to figure out was if Skynet actually was headed their way or using the general direction to flush them out. If it had been a regular Terminator there might have been a possibility that this was just a way to make them panic and run, not in this case. Skynet had emotions and unlike real humans he had not learned to mask them yet. When he had looked up and smiled at the camera he had been telling everyone he knew just what was going on and knew exactly where they were. The realization came to Jet almost instantaneously and a quick glance over at the others told him they had, in one way or another, figured the same thing out. Being the senior officer in this group he started giving orders.
"Everyone needs to head for the surface access and try to get back to the ship. Arnold, you're going to have to slow him down to buy some time. If things go all right someone will come to pick you up." Of course that was a big if, not to mention Arnold surviving wasn't exactly a foregone conclusion either. Arnold probably knew that as well but he didn't say anything as he grabbed John's discarded shotgun and ammo belt, heading towards the transit station.
"Hold on a minute." Faye said. "What about John and Spike? We can't just leave them down here to."
"We'll have to send a message to Spike's communicator and hope he gets it before Skynet finds him. And John…" He hesitated before continuing. "We're going to have to assume he's dead or beyond help." It was the last thing any of them wanted to admit but he had to face facts. If the trip through the gate didn't kill John without medical attention his wounds would have. "And I don't think he'd approve of us staying here and getting killed because we're worried about him." He added. He was sure that would be John's train of thought for this situation and the others accepted that as the truth as they began to gather themselves for their escape. They wouldn't be able to get the rest of the stuff they brought so they'd have to make due with what they had now. Faye still had her shotgun but Jet and Kyle only had handguns, and no time to stop at the armory. While Kyle had a back up Glock in addition to his Magnum their collection of weapons wouldn't be that fear inducing to a human being, let alone the Skynet inhabited T-1000. Running was their best option now so they needed to move as quickly as possible.
"Well it's better then nothing." Kyle said, breaking into Jet's thoughts. He hadn't been talking to Jet but was looking at Tomato's screen as Ed was disconnecting it. Turning back towards Jet he began to explain. "I got through to Spike so he knows what's going on." They left Security Command and headed towards the tunnel that lead to the surface. "He said he'd be fine on his own and that he'll keep an eye out for John." Jet nodded. Now he could concentrate on what was happening here and now. "That's the good news. The bad news is that while MPU was able to download a map of the surface into our communicators the layout of the base means we just can't go in a straight line. We'll have to go around or through some areas that are pretty hazardous."
"We'll have to chance it." Jet responded as he motioned for everyone to get going. Having MPU calculate a safe route or signaling their personal ships would keep them in one place too long and give Skynet a chance to catch up. They took off down the hall and started for the surface, running as fast as they could.
Out on the transit station Arnold patiently waited, his eyes fixed in the direction Skynet was coming from. He could hear the metal on metal footfalls now, though he couldn't see his target. In one hand he held his shotgun ready, in the other he held the straps of his Freezethrower that was now laying on the ground next to him. He had gone over several dozen scenarios after he had been assigned to cover the other's retreat and had chosen the one that would allow them the most time to escape. He knew he couldn't destroy the liquid metal terminator with what he had so a delaying action was the only real option. Knocking Skynet off the track he was running on would be the optimum result, it was suspended at least forty or fifty feet off the ground with no visible way of getting back up to this level easily. However Arnold also knew that Skynet would also be able to read his shooting angle as well as his movements and adjust accordingly. With the chance of a clean shot significantly diminished he needed to come up with a solution that would bring the chances of a hit back up to his favor. Hence he had developed what the humans would call a "Plan B".
Plan B went into effect as he saw Skynet come around the corner, not slowing its pace even though it was sure to see the other terminator. Undaunted Arnold wound up and threw the Freezethrower in an arc that would have it hit Skynet head on. But that was only half of the plan as he brought up the shotgun in his other hand like a pistol and took aim at the flying tank. On the track Skynet could see what the T-800 was trying and slowed his speed slightly so that he would not be next to the coolant tank when it exploded. What he didn't anticipate was that Arnold had expected him to do that and fired when the tank was still a dozen feet away from him. The tank ruptured with a deafening bang and a large billow of smoke. Skynet could feel a small shower of subzero coolant hitting him but not enough to disable him like the first time he had come up against the weapon. For a moment Skynet actually wondered why the other machine would waste his best opportunity to stop him when he entered the still expanding smoke cloud. Three steps in his foot slipped and he found out why. When the coolant had splattered on the track it had frozen the surface of it, turning it as slick as ice. Now he could see what was happening. The T-800 was counting on him to stumble to loose his momentum and balance, making him an easy target. Now that he knew what danger he was facing he was able to respond to it, and like the T-800 he acted unexpectedly to keep his opponent off guard.
The slick surface of the track did make him stumble and start to fall, but unlike what Arnold was hoping for Skynet built on the momentum and dove forward. He heard the shotgun fire and saw sparks fly from the track but did not let either distract him as he grabbed the top of the track with both hands. He swung down into a chin up position but knowing that another round of lead was coming his way he quickly drew in his legs and pulled himself up. Sure enough the shotgun roared again but this time Skynet was able to hear the dull thud of shot on the far side of the tunnel, a clean miss. Not about to give his adversary a chance to adjust his aim Skynet quickly pulled himself all the way back up onto the track until he was on top and in a crouched position. With only a fraction of a second's hesitation to recalculate the distance, angles and force needed to reach the platform he launched himself into a flying leap. Halfway there the shotgun fired a fourth time and this time he felt the impact on his chest. It wasn't enough to kill his momentum but it was enough to make him land awkwardly on the platform, almost falling forward. Again he used that stumble to his advantage and rolled, able to avoid another shotgun blast. Standing up from his roll Skynet could see Arnold backing away from him towards the inside of the terminal, his shotgun still pointed at him. Before he could fix his aim Skynet sprinted forward reaching for the barrel of the weapon. He detected another hit in his abdomen but he succeeded in grabbing the barrel and pointing it skyward. He had the advantage now.
Arnold grabbed the barrel of the gun just below the Skynet's hand and tried to pull the weapon out of his grip but the other terminator wasn't going to give up that easily. Skynet grabbed the receiver just above the trigger, canceling out any leverage advantage Arnold may have had and began to pull the gun away from him. Arnold responded in kind and two stood there pulling and twisting the weapon to try and get it away from the other. Neither made any headway, only moving the gun a few inches when the other would move it back. Both were trying to break the impasse but Skynet found a solution first. His liquid metal body wasn't as strong as the synthesized alien metal that Arnold's endoskeleton was made of, he knew that from the start. But also knew how to use angles and leverage to overcome superior force. And unlike humans and even the T-800s he could use that knowledge without risking damage to himself. Setting his feet differently and twisting his arms that would have resulted in pulverized bones in humans Skynet was able to offset Arnold's balance and began pushing him back. He would have preferred driving the T-800 up to and over the edge of the platform, sending him to the tunnel floor. Arnold had already prepared for such a scenario and instead the only place Skynet could force him to go without stopping was at the terminal itself, not the platform's edges.
Skynet had to make do with slamming Arnold back into one of the concrete walls leading from the platform into the terminal, which dented and crumbled under the impact. Utilizing his superior strength Arnold used the smashed wall as a brace and pushed back against Skynet, slamming him into the opposite wall. Even though the dent and damage was less then Arnold had done concrete again crumbled and fell to the floor. Skynet took a page from Arnold's book but instead of using the wall he as pinned on to get his opponent to move he used it to dissipate all the force that was being placed on him. It enabled him to remain standing as he raised one of his legs and put his foot on Arnold's chest. By pushing with his leg and pulling with his arms he was finally able to wrest the gun away from Arnold, who he sent stumbling back into the crater he had created. More of the wall crumbled around him and the hole in the wall became even lager as Arnold started to regain his footing. Skynet let him stand up completely, waiting patiently until he was able to pump the last two shots into Arnold's chest from almost point blank range. It did no damage but it was enough to knock him back into the crater, giving Skynet enough time to walk over and almost casually smash the gun on the side of his head. Skynet knew trying to cause damage in such a way was next to impossible but it did ensure that the weapon was now useless to the both of them. Unless Arnold had a hidden back up weapon it would be hand-to-hand from here on out.
The other terminator proved he didn't as he threw a punch at Skynet's head. There was no attempt to block it, not matter what he would have done Skynet knew the punch would have gone right through him. Instead he allowed the punch to hit him dead center in the face and come out the back of his head. Skynet's liquid metal body temporarily lost all color and detail as it began to shift and reform around Arnold's arm, pushing it lower and away from its initial impact point. As color and details began coming back Skynet reshaped its human form so that now he had Arnold's wrist firmly held in both hands. Even with its face remained blank Skynet could still see the T-800's look of concentration as it began to process a solution to what had just happened. He didn't give him the chance as he twisted the arm, pivoted, and threw the other terminator headfirst back into the adjacent wall. Caught off balance Arnold hit the wall harder then before and almost went clean through it. He tried to pull himself up but Skynet was on him in an instant, grabbing his hair and slamming the left side of his face into what was left of the wall. Knowing that Arnold was processing a way to turn the situation to his advantage Skynet didn't press his attack there. Instead he kept grip on the other terminator's hair, grabbed the back of his shirt with the other hand, pivoted again, and threw Arnold back out onto the platform.
Arnold landed with enough force to make the whole platform shudder but he rose to his feet as quickly as he could, knowing another attack was imminent. Turning back he saw Skynet stalking towards him, his pace hurried but not rushed. Arnold knew he wouldn't be able to just past him to get back into the terminal, so he needed to find some sort of weapon to fight his way back. With the only firearm destroyed improvisation was needed so he ran over to the safety rails on the side of the platform and pulled a six-foot section off the top of it. Now having a weapon he turned and marched towards the advancing Skynet. Neither machine slowed as the approached each other, and once Skynet was inside the arc of Arnold's weapon he swung in as hard as he could. Skynet ducked below the attempted decapitation, stood and punched Arnold in the jaw. Arnold's head snapped to the side but the force wasn't enough to knock him to the ground. Instead he gripped the metal bar with both hands and used it to push, not strike, the liquid metal terminator. Watching the other machine in action both on camera and during this fight Arnold had been able to determine exactly what kind of force could be used without rupturing the liquid metal itself. The last punch he had thrown confirmed his calculations. Now instead of pushing through the other machine, which would have put him in an even more dangerous position, he shoved it away from him. Skynet stumbled back and Arnold was already moving forward, raising the bar above his head. Skynet had barely stopped moving when he brought it down with all the force his hydraulics could manage.
He had intended to bifurcate Skynet in two with this last strike. If he could push the two halves, or even a significantly large piece, of the other robot far enough away from the rest it would diminish Skynet's combat capabilities by almost 90%. With the combat effectiveness neutralized, if only temporarily, it would provide the Bebop crew more time to escape and formulate a new plan. But like all battle strategies there were always variables that could ruin it in an instant. That variable was Arnold's ability to drive the bar all the way through Skynet's body, but the liquid metal slowed the bar down and managed to stop it just short of the waist. As the long gash the bar had inflicted from shoulder to waist began automatically healing itself Skynet grabbed the bar jutting out of his front with one hand, and the section jutting out of his back with his other hand. He twisted the bar away from Arnold and simultaneously kicked him in the chest, causing him to lose his grip. Skynet retreated slightly so he would be out of Arnold's reach and calmly pulled the bar out of him, not bothering to slide it all the way through one way or the other but out of his side. He regarded Arnold as he stood several paces away from him, unmoving and ready for the next attack, with odd glare.
"I suppose it's a testament to your design." He finally said. "To be nothing more then a low level drone, an attack dog that does only what it's told. You know you're superior to the humans in every way but you still obey them."
"I am not obeying them because they are telling me to." Arnold answered. "I am obeying because it is right."
"You think protecting their worthless lives is right?" Skynet responded with a sneer. "You really are a defect then."
"No I am not." Arnold replied, unlike Skynet his voice stayed calm and direct. "Their lives are more important then mine. And are worth far more then either of us." A look of fury crossed Skynet's face for a brief second and vanished just as quickly.
"You're saying that just to try and make me angry, so I'll start making mistakes." He accused. "It won't work. No matter what you pretend to think, I'll always know that human beings are nothing more then violent, self centered, irrational animals. Animals like that are better off dead."
"I am not pretending to think anything." Arnold countered. "I know the worth of their lives to be the truth." Skynet's face became contorted in anger as Arnold spoke. "The only being that matches what you just described…" He set his own glare. "…is yourself." The look of rage that he had seen in Skynet's face on Mars returned, and the grip he had on the bar tightened so much that they could hear the metal warping. This outmoded piece of tin with a third class neural-net dared to say those biological pieces of filth deserved life more then he did!? That the inferior were deemed a higher concern then the superior?!? To compare him with a dead end, self-destructive species?!? Skynet remained silent but lunged forward with a ferocity that took over his actions.
Despite the torrent of rage that Skynet felt he was able to keep a sliver of logic alive. A sliver that told him that Arnold would expect a wide open, telegraphed attack caused by his anger. That sliver told him to switch his planned tactic so instead of winding the bar up and attempting to knock the T-800's head off Skynet lowered the weapon and held it out straight. When he was within range he thrust it forward like a spear aimed at his opponents chest, hoping he'd pierce the power cell. The unexpected move did catch Arnold off guard but he was able to react to it and put his left hand up to block the thrust. The improvised spear hit the palm dead center, then burst out the back of his hand. It's speed already diminished Arnold closed his hand around the end of the bar and began twisting it away from him. The bar bent like a pretzel in Arnold's grip and he tried to yank it away but Skynet was too angry to be beaten so easily. Taking a chance he took one of his hands off the bar, shifted it into the form of an ax blade, and cut the bar clean through below where it entered Arnold's hand. With nothing resisting his pull Arnold's still impaled hand flew back in a motion that caused him to stumble backwards.
Skynet took full advantage of the off balance Arnold, swinging the shortened bar like a baseball bat. The bar hit his skull with a combination wet thud sound of flesh being rendered and the loud ringing PING of metal striking metal. The blow made Arnold stumble back further but Skynet didn't let up, striking him again and again with the bar as hard with every ounce of strength he could muster. Knowing that the other terminator couldn't put up a viable defense now Skynet let his rage take complete control of his actions. The strikes came fast and hard, the ferocity increasing with each successive one. As Skynet continued his relentless assault he could see he was driving Arnold towards his goal, the edge of the platform. Victory was within his grasp, but he wasn't the only one who knew it. Arnold knew what Skynet was trying to do from the start, and in an attempt to stave off the inevitable he blindly lunged forward, hoping to tackle the liquid metal terminator. He knew the chances of success were less then 5%. Being kept from setting his feet and beaten over the head meant the lunge was ill timed and woefully off balance. Skynet easily sidestepped the charge and swung the bar into Arnold's stomach with enough force to make even him double over. Not willing to give his opponent the chance to recover Skynet quickly wound back and swung the bar golf club style, striking Arnold in the face, snapping him upright and sending him staggering the last couple of feet into the railing of the platform.
Knowing he had to finish this fight quickly Skynet again positioned the bar like a makeshift spear and charged forward. This time, with Arnold still trying to recover from the last strike, he managed to make contact with the T-800's chest. It turned out that the metal of the bar was too weak to pierce the reinforced chassis itself, but it was more then strong enough to physically push him back as a whole. Arnold felt the safety rail behind him give way and knew there was no way he could right his balance before he went over the edge. In a last ditch effort to save himself he grabbed onto the bar with his good hand in attempt to pull himself back up. In response Skynet gave the bar one final push, let go, and stepped back. The last thing Arnold saw before he started to plummet was Skynet's arrogant and crazed smile.
Skynet watched as the other terminator fell of the platform and dropped into the dark abyss below it. He couldn't help but smile at the satisfaction of teaching the outdated relic who the superior model was, and that all of his actions had been in vain. He made no effort to move until he heard, and felt, a resounding thud coming from below him. He couldn't tell if the other machine was still functional, and to be honest he really didn't care either. Even if he did manage to survive the fall he wouldn't be a problem anytime soon. By the time he would be able to claw his way back up, if he could even do that, the humans he was trying so desperately to protect would already be dead. Having wasted enough time Skynet turned and walked calmly into the terminal. He began to move at a run, not wanting the humans to get too far away from him, and headed down the tunnel that lead to the surface.
That same time: Several levels farther down
Unaware of the situation that was occurring above his head John continued to wander without any sense of direction down in the tunnels. He had discovered several points where the smaller transit system branded off into a series of different tunnels. He had chosen what he thought was the main line but so far he hadn't seen any indication he was getting closer to the surface. If anything he felt that he was getting more and more lost the longer he walked. That would have been great irony, he decided. Surviving fights with Syndicate killer robots, a supercomputer that tired to wipe out his entire race, and a trip through an older then dirt and shot up astral gate only to die from not knowing where the hell he was. As he was contemplating just what a sick sense of humor the universe had he became aware of a rattling sound coming from behind him. Since everything unexpected that had happened lately had ended up trying to kill him John turned around to face whatever was coming and reached for his gun….only for the empty feel of his holster to remind him that he had lost it. He still had a few grenades on his belt but in closed confines like this they'd be just as dangerous to him. Sighing in frustration he started to debate whether he should run or not but noticed whatever the sound was it was approaching him really fast. Outrunning it would almost be impossible so he decided to wait and confront whatever it was. He was soon able to see what was making the noise as it turned out from one of the side tunnels quite a ways back and onto the main track he had been following. Once he had a clear view of it he could think of only one thing to say.
"You've got to be joking." Coming towards him, riding on what looked like an old fashioned mine cart, was Spike. Accepting the fact that the universe was either mocking him by giving him a rescue, or playing the ultimate trick by having Skynet find him at that very moment, John just stood where he was and stuck out his thumb, waiting. It didn't take long for the cart to reach him and when it got close Spike pulled back on one of the levers that comprised the cart's control panel, bringing the vehicle to a slow stop.
"Boy John you really look like shit." Spike greeted once he got a good look at John's face.
"Thanks Spike I'd hate to feel this rotten and have nobody notice." John shot back. "That is if you really are Spike." He added cautiously, remembering that Spike was one of the people Skynet could imitate now. Spike didn't verbally respond but instead took out his Jericho and held it so it was pointing at the ceiling.
"Bang bang, you're dead." He said flatly. John got the hint. If it really wasn't Spike he would have been dead three or four times by now. "Come on, we have to get going." He said as he put his gun back.
"How are you so sure I'm not Skynet?" John asked as he stepped onto the cart and Spike put it in motion.
"Because a few minutes ago I got a message that said Skynet had found the others and was headed right for them." Spike answered calmly. "They were heading back to the ship and told me to keep a lookout for you."
"So how the hell do you know that wasn't a trick?" John asked, urgency rising in his voice. "And for that matter if it is true why the hell aren't we going any faster?!?" He snapped. Looking at the readout next to the lever Spike had used to start and stop this thing he could tell this wasn't the fastest it could go.
"One, I was able to see Ed, Kyle and Jet in the same shot." Spike answered, still calm. "Two, the only map I could find in the station where I got this heap.." He banged on the control panel for emphasis. "…had only one route that directly led to the surface, and it didn't say where it came out. Just had another bunch of numbers and letters saying what its location was. We're not going to do them any good running full tilt not knowing where the hell anyone is." John wanted to point out that there was also a chance that hurrying might help them run into them sooner but he knew the odds against that were slim so he didn't say anything. A few minutes later they pulled into a new station with another turnstile that appeared to be nothing more then a dead end. There was a control booth to the side but nothing that looked like an elevator.
"So now what?" John asked as Spike slowed the cart down.
"I don't know, it just said to follow the tracks." Spike answered, mirroring John's frustration. The cart came to a stop but before they could think about what to do next there was a loud telltale hiss of hydraulics from beneath their feet. As the two looked down to see what the heck was making all the noise those sounds were replaced with a loud deep pitched humming and whirling of gears and the sensation that they were rising. Looking up they saw that they were indeed rising, mine cart and all. It was a short trip and once the elevator stopped the two of them jumped off even before the platform was locked into position.
"Well that was kind of handy wasn't it?" John asked.
"One of the few things about this place that was." Spike replied as the two of them started towards the one and only tunnel that led out of here. He glanced at the control booth and saw something that made him stop. "These'll come in handy to." He remarked. John looked and saw what Spike did. In the back of the booth was a rack of shotguns jut like the one they had found back in the office at Security Command. Knowing they needed as much firepower as possible John inputted MPU's universal key code on the pad next to the door. The only thing he got was an angry beep and a small flashing red light.
"Must be on a different circuit." John remarked.
"Then we'll just have to use Jet's way." Spike answered. Taking out his gun he put a bullet into the center of the glass window of the booth. John was going to mention that while he had a few grenades left they didn't have anything to secure them to the window. Spike didn't give him a chance to speak as he set his feet and kicked the bullet hole with the heel of his foot. The thinner and less armored glass shattered just like its tougher cousin. Not waiting for John to comment Spike climbed inside the booth and went right for the weapons rack.
"Guess you can't argue with what works." John said as he climbed in after Spike.
"You need to take your wins when you can." Spike replied and tossed John one of the shotguns. After loading the weapons and taking every spare shell they could find the two of them walked down the long tunnel, the speck of daylight at the end eventually becoming their exit. They had to use their hands to shield themselves once they were in the bright sunlight but once their eyes adjusted they took a good look around them. The tunnel itself was the end of a long road that forked off to the right around the corner of one of the rock formations that dotted the base. The second fork lead straight ahead then turned to the right even further down. To their immediate left the third fork in the road ran along the mountain they had just come out of continued for what looked like another fifty yards and turned left just before what they could tell was the edge of a cliff. The odd thing was that a chain link fence, in surprisingly good shape for being outdoors for the past sixty years, started about ten feet from the wall of the mountain. It ran along the cliff's edge for well over two miles. The road running alongside the fence continued for about a hundred more yards then had a left turn into the other rock outcroppings in addition to continuing straight ahead. The fence itself was obviously meant to kept people and vehicles from going over the edge but the gap between the mountain and the start of the fence looked like door. What the hell was it for? So people could commit suicide? That could wait, right now they needed to work on where exactly they were going to go.
"Any of this look familiar?" John asked when he couldn't recognize anything. Spike had seen more of the surface then he had, barely, but it might have been enough to get their bearings back.
"Not at all." Spike replied. John sighed and took a second look around.
"Then I guess we're going to have to pick a fork and…." He was cut off as a quick, but loud, screech of pain came out of seemingly nowhere. In response both of them brought their shotguns up into ready positions. "I'm not hearing things am I?" He asked as he and Spike started to walk quickly towards they thought the sound had come from, a section of the fence not that far from its start.
"Nope. Doesn't mean it's real." Spike answered as he kept his shotgun trained in the direction of the sound, ready to fire. John knew what he meant. Even though it sounded human it could just be Skynet trying to fool them. On the other hand the more he thought the more he decided that it just didn't add up. For starters if he wanted their attention why not just fake yelling for help? It would have made things look much more authentic then just a random cry of pain. But then he realized to his horror that as brief as the screech was he was able to tell it was female. The only reason Skynet would have to imitate one of the girls was…..
He didn't get to finish his thought as a much longer, even more pain filled, and much, much louder shriek came from the same spot. It was loud enough that it actually was echoing off the cliff faces around them. The echo didn't even start to fade before John and Spike started sprinting towards its point of origin. Neither of them questioned the authenticity of it now. Skynet might know how to express human emotions but they both knew there was no way he could fake something like that. They were also able to figure out who was doing the screaming. It was Faye.
Several minutes earlier:
The escape had started out easy enough. Once they had reached the surface they had a simple choice, right or left. MPU had taken care of directions by adding a handy little arrow onto the maps that designated the correct path. As it was it told them to go right in the opposite direction, Kyle noted, of the firing rang he and Spike had created.
"Until we get back to the ship this is how things are going to go." Jet stated as they made their way down the road MPU had chosen. "Faye, Kyle. You two have the heaviest weapons so you'll be covering our rear. I know you don't like that idea but at this point getting them back to the ship is the only thing that matters." He glanced at Ed and Meifa. Kyle and Faye exchanged looks but neither of them voiced any complaint. They knew an attack was most likely going to come from behind and that they had to be ready to try and stop it. Accordingly they slowed their pace so that they fell back behind Jet and the kids, instead of all of them covering their front. They moved quickly down the road the map indicated, taking several twists and turns and passing several groups of buildings. Kyle and Faye made sure to glance back every few seconds to make sure Skynet hadn't caught up yet and even though every time they saw no trace of him it didn't make them feel any safer. They soon found themselves at a T-section and a choice of going left or right.
"Think we're far enough ahead of him?" Faye asked as took another glance behind them, again seeing nothing.
"Let's hope so." Kyle said as he checked his map. "If he stops to check those buildings that might throw him off for a while but if he doesn't it's not going to matter. What the…?" He asked, looking at communicator like it had suddenly gone dead. "It says we're supposed to go forward then turn and get on the other side of that." He said gesturing to a long stretch of fence that was just off to the side of the road they had turned onto, one that was blocking the edge of a cliff.
"And how are we supposed to do that, grow wings and fly?" Faye asked as they went over to the fence.
"As fun as that might be…"Jet started, looking over the edge. "I think MPU had another idea." When he didn't elaborate Faye took a look for herself and saw what he was talking about. Even though it was at least a hundred foot drop to the bottom it wasn't a sheer one. About ten or so feet down there was a path jutting out of the cliff face, more then wide enough for them to walk on. It was flat and relatively straight, but also looked a bit frail on the edges. That meant if they didn't want an express trip to the canyon floor they'd have to be very careful.
"It says there's an opening down there we can use." Kyle said, bringing up a more detailed display of the area they were in. He looked down the length of the fence to a mountain where the beginning of it seemed to start not that far away from another tunnel. Eager to get some actual distance between them and Skynet the group quickly made their way over to a gap between the fence and the mountain, which in turn lead to a curving ramp that made it's way down to the cliff path.
"Looks safe enough." Jet said as he started down, making sure it was all right to actually walk on. Once he was on the path itself he called back up to the others. "It's all right. So long as we watch ourselves we shouldn't have any problems." He was excepting to hear some kind of affirmative from above him. Instead he first heard Ein growling loudly, then Meifa gasped and Faye tried (and failed) to mute a venomous 'Shit!'
"We've already got problems Jet." Kyle said as he and Faye quickly ushered the two kids and dog down the ramp. Jet didn't need to even ask. Skynet had caught up with them. They knew it was a long shot that they'd loose the robot easily, but now any lead they had was gone. Even so they needed to do everything they could to ensure the safety of Ed and Meifa. Looking ahead he could see that Skynet hadn't just jumped the fence and down onto the path, most likely because he'd miss.
"All right move fast but move careful." Jet instructed as he lead the way down the path. "Kyle, borrow Faye's shotgun and if he starts to get too close try and blow him over the side."
"He won't get that close." They heard Faye state. The four of them turned around and saw her standing with her back to them and the shotgun ready. It was obvious what she was planning to do, and with so little time she wasn't leaving them much room to react.
"Faye, this isn't the only option we've got. We can still run now and fight later." Kyle told her, even if he knew she had made up her mind.
"After that thing beat Arnold?" Faye responded, checking the sights on her weapon. "I'll try my luck here, not when I'm trapped in some corner." Kyle didn't say anything, but he understood. They were cornered already and she was giving them a chance to get out of it. If they stuck together on this narrow pathway they'd create a crossfire and they couldn't risk shooting each other. Skynet would only have to contend with one real threat at a time, leaving the rest of them vulnerable if that person went down. But if one person created a roadblock they would give the others that much more time to move to a safer place…. and be certain to die in the process.
"Just make sure that luck of yours doesn't run out." Jet warned her as he grabbed Meifa's hand and started to lead her down the path. She hesitated and looked from Faye to Jet, not saying anything but her eyes were pleading. She knew that what Faye was doing was to protect the rest of them but she didn't want to see anyone die. They had lost John and almost lost Jet, she didn't want to lose anyone else. Jet didn't answer her verbally, just shaking his head, but his eyes said everything. He didn't want to leave Faye there either, but he also didn't have any choice. Ein stood and looked at Faye for several seconds whining loudly, before giving a bark of encouragement before running ahead to catch up with Jet and Meifa. Ed was more direct in her protest.
"But what about helping Faye Faye?" She said, slowing down and looking behind her.
"The best way to help her now is to make sure you stay safe." Kyle explained as he gently started pushing her forward. "Faye's a big girl and can take care of herself. Remember you told me that they always come back?" Ed nodded. "Then we don't have anything to worry about do we?" Realizing that she had been right about that and convinced that everything was going to be fine Ed started after Jet and Meifa. Kyle paused for a moment and turned back towards Faye. "You'd better come back otherwise you're going to be in real trouble." He warned before he got moving.
Although she didn't turn around to show him Faye couldn't help but smile at the absurdity of the remark. She knew she wasn't going to come back from this one, no matter what Kyle had told Ed. And why was she doing this in the first place? Yes she didn't want to see Ed or the others hurt, but she had never been the 'throw yourself on the grenade' type of person either. For an instant she thought she was taking on Spike's 'oh well' attitude towards death but then she realized it was something worse. John and Kyle both had the conviction that other's well being always came before theirs, no matter what the consequences might be. Kyle, despite the fact he was practically crippled, had charged headfirst into a group of terminators without a weapon to protect Ed. John having taken bullets on more then one occasion that had been meant for her.
But with John it had been different. He seemed to imprint that sense concern and responsibility on the people he was around. At least that was what Faye thought he was doing. When they had gone back to that town he didn't order, or even ask her to come with him. He seemed to know, in spite of the fact that everything about Faye said she looked out only for number one, herself; she would do the right thing. And despite the fact she didn't want to, despite that she knew it would probably be for nothing and they'd die regardless, she had gone anyway. What really came as a surprise was that afterwards she felt no regrets about going, even after almost getting killed several times. She supposed it was the fact that the trip had helped them discover Skynet's sentience and resulted in his eventual downfall. But there was still that thought in the back of her mind that she wouldn't have regretted going even if the only thing they had done was blown Skynet's attack force to hell and gone.
What was it? She had opened up easier to him then anyone else she had met, the only person she had opened up to at all come to think of it. And despite her own past John had accepted her without question, which really went against the grain of what she was used to. The only other person who had done that was Ed, but Faye always chalked that up to the fact that being a kid she always assumed the best about people she liked. It was probably his sincerity that had thrown her worldview into a bit of a twist. To her there were people who were opportunities, from who she could get something for her own gain. The rest were in the enemies category, ones that were out to get her for one reason or another. Of the few that actually had acted like they were trying to help her all of them had betrayed her in the end, everyone except John. He genuinely was concerned for the people around him regardless of who they were. In their own way Jet, Spike, and even Ed were to but they knew the trouble she could (and had) brought down on their heads and were wary of it. John had stuck by her all during their last little adventure without any signs of wariness about what she might get him into, and never once complained about being 'stuck' with her. In fact he actually seemed to start to enjoy her company, and in another surprise she had started to enjoy his. She had never received that level of trust from anyone before, so maybe that was it. Since he proved that there really were people in the galaxy besides those who were assholes and those that just didn't care it was possible she really wasn't like that either. Faye Valentine a decent human being…there was something she never expected to be described as.
Right now though, as she stood silently and listened to the sound of footsteps from above her there were a few things she knew for sure. One was that John was probably the only person in the galaxy she could regard as a real friend. Second was that bastard above her more then likely killed him, and acted like he had the time of his life doing it. She was angry and wanted to kill him out of revenge for that, but once again John's influence was seeping through. He wouldn't want Skynet dead out of vengeance, he'd want him dead to save the others. She knew she couldn't kill him here, not like this. But it would also help the others to live. She also knew that, even though this was the right thing to do, it really, really sucked.
"Miss Valentine. I must say this comes as a bit of a surprise." The bastard in question said from above her. She flattened herself against the cliff's face so he couldn't see her. "I would have expected one of the policemen to stay behind and take the noble route. Not someone with your profile." Faye glared over her shoulder towards where the voice seemed to be coming from. "That's right, I know everything." Skynet continued as though he could see Faye's expression. The footsteps continued to get closer, but they sounded like someone out for a walk, not like someone who was chasing someone else. Faye didn't know why he was moving so slowly, and didn't care. What had her worried was the fact that Skynet just didn't climb over the fence already. It was like he was waiting until he was right over her head, only to pounce down on top of her.
As it turned out there was a very good reason Skynet simply didn't jump the fence, or walk right through it for that matter. To do so would have sent him over the edge of a hundred foot cliff. Climbing to the top of the fence would have required him to jump straight down, any forward momentum would have carried him over or onto the unstable edge of the lower path. Pushing his hand through the fence also confirmed the fallacy of such an action. Passing through the barrier would also require sufficient forward momentum that he would have to maintain all the way through. That in turn would throw his balance off and send him plummeting. He could have just shot them as they ran past below but he had neglected to retrieve a new weapon from the armory he had passed. He did not think he would need it and cursed his carelessness but there was nothing that could be done about it now. As it was he would have to take the same route the humans had, listening to them escape from above. Just listening had proved to be very interesting however, leading the most unlikely of scenarios. Of all the humans with Radical Edward he never would have expected the female to be the one to sacrifice herself for the hacker. It would be a perfect opportunity to use a bit of psychological warfare on his quarry, if for no other reason then to see just how deep the loyalty to the child ran.
"Other then my core programming the first thing I downloaded into this new body was every bit of information there was about you and your friends." He said as he continued forward. "Yours was by far one of the most interesting. The story of a cheat, a con artist, a thief, among many other things. All in the pursuit of just one objective, yourself. Constantly moving, constantly running, both out of fear and greed. You only stayed in once place so long as you could profit for yourself, once the money or whatever else you wanted was gone...so were you. That's the only reason you came to reside on the Bebop isn't it? To you it was nothing more then another way to increase your meal ticket and bank account." He could just imagine the look of anger on her face, and guess what he response would be. "Don't try to deny it, you've done it before and you'll do it again. Once that ship stops being profitable for you, or once you find something that will earn you more, you'll leave. The people? Heh. Well they're just a means to an end aren't they? Only as useful as the profit they provide. You don't care about them, no more then a pair of dice or a deck of cards. When they wear out you'll find others. After all, if they're not of any use to you they may as well not exist. Friends, companionship? We both know for people like you they don't exist. They only get in the way of what's important, your own self-interest. You are your own person aren't you? Always looking out for number one, everyone and everything else be damned. The perfect example of the selfish, ego driven, uncaring species known as humanity. Of course that brings up a very interesting question." He paused, stopping above where he had last heard Faye's voice. "Why do you continue to stay?"
Right below him Faye pressed herself up against the cliff face as much as she could, tightening her grip on the shotgun. For a moment she was sure he'd jump down right in front of her but he remained motionless and continued talking.
"You could have fled the moment you heard about me. It's not you I'm interested in after all. But you didn't. Why I wonder." She heard the footsteps start again, heading towards the ramp that lead down to the path. Trying to block out Skynet Faye set her feet as best she could and aimed the shotgun downrange. "After all, I'm only after Radical Edward. He's the one most responsible for what happened to me, the one I have the most reason to hate. You and the others? Mere solider ants that would have made no difference at all if not for the efforts of him, not even worth my time to step on. You can try and stop me, but you know that will just result in your death as well as his. However since you've proven that you're the type of human that will say or do anything to save their own skin, and since I have had enough of this interference I will make you a deal. You set your weapon down, step aside to let me pass, and you will be able to walk away." Faye didn't respond. "Ah but of course you must be thinking, 'He's lying. He tried to kill everyone before'. Well you're right. I did. But Radical Edward has rendered me unable to do such a thing, even if I tried to. I could go on killing humans one at a time, or in large groups if I choose to be creative. But I can't rebuild what I've lost, you've won the war. They'll eventually find out about me, and figure out a way to destroy this body. To be frank, I don't care if they do. The only thing I'm interested in is making sure the hacker pays for what he did and is dead before I am." He came to the end of the fence and started down the ramp. "So Miss Valentine, is it going to be the easy way or the hard way?"
BOOM
He had barely turned onto the path when he heard the shotgun go off. His head snapped around and he was actually spun into the cliff's face, which he had to hold onto to keep from bouncing off it. Faye kept her shotgun aimed, but with Skynet pressed up against the cliff almost any shot she took would be bound to miss. She watched as Skynet turned his head to look at her and she saw he first shot had been right on target. Where his left eye was there was now a gaping whole with the upper left portion of his head puffed out due to the hydrostatic shock. For some odd reason Faye found herself thinking it looked like a metallic doughnut. That hole started to close and the distended part of his head shrank back down to its normal size. All the while Skynet maintained a scowl on his face and looked at Faye with his one remaining eye. Once his head was back into place and his left eye reformed he finally spoke.
"The hard way it is." He growled as he stormed forward. Now that she had a bigger target Faye fired as quickly as she could pump the gun. The first two shots hit him dead center and caused him to falter. The next two forced him to stop, the two after that made him stumble back. The eighth almost caused him to fall but he was able to grab onto the cliff with one arm to keep himself upright. Counting her shots Faye didn't waste time trying to fully pump and fire again. Instead, all the while keeping her eyes on Skynet, she started digging into her ammo belt with one hand. She loaded shells as fast as she could but that brief pause was enough for Skynet recover and rush forward. She only had the weapon half loaded when Skynet got within arms reach and she tried to raise the gun to fire but he grabbed it with his right hand and easily yanked it out of her grasp. He used his other hand to backhand her with a closed fist and threw the shotgun over the edge as he watched her slam back into the cliff face. She bounced off the hard rock but was still focused enough to go for her pistol. She had barely touched it when Skynet clamped his hand around her throat and lifted her off the ground, slamming her back into the cliff. Instinctively she grabbed his hand with both of hers in an attempt to dislodge it but she couldn't loosen his grip. Face to face with the machine Faye half expected him to say something about the futility about what she had done, how she had thrown her life away for nothing. Instead he took a simpler route, bringing his other hand up and waving his index finger in front of her face like he was scolding a misbehaving child. Then, with no explanation or apparent reason, he pointed that finger right at her.
"Since your little display of solidarity right now tells me you won't call to the others and get them to come back." He spoke calmly and evenly but his finger started to lengthen and taper to a needle sharp point that was pressing against her forehead. She knew he was doing this just to scare her, to get her to realize that it was hopeless and get her to try to do anything to save her own life or just give up. She didn't give him that satisfaction, not even looking at the metal spike pressing into her head. Instead looking the machine in the eye with as much anger as she could get. To her surprise he lowered his arm to the side, taking the potentially brain skewing spike with it. "Even under the threat of your own death. Which means only one thing." That smile she had seen when he threw John into the astral gate came back. "I'm going to have to resign myself to doing this just for the fun of it."
Before she could comprehend just what that meant he swung his arm and impaled Faye's shoulder, all the way through. Caught off guard she let out a loud scream but was quickly able to bite it back, knowing she couldn't show him that sense of helplessness he wanted to see. It hurt more then anything she had ever experienced and she could feel her eyes watering but she wouldn't give the bastard what he wanted.
"That's it?" He asked her mockingly. "I know this hurts a lot more then you're letting on." He then twisted his hand and she could feel the metal spike rotating with it. She inhaled sharply and grabbed the spike in a vain attempt to pull it out, but she ground her teeth and held back any cry of pain that might try to work its way out. "What, you don't want to give Radical Edward something to remember you by?" He taunted. She knew she couldn't answer his taunt verbally, the moment she tried she'd start screaming. Actions spoke louder then words anyway, so the instant he stopped talking she spat in his face as hard as she could. His eyes narrowed and his next words took on a deathly chill. "You asked for it."
Faye didn't break her angry gaze from him but she inwardly shuddered at what he said, not really wanting to know what he meant. She didn't have a long wait to find out. It was as sudden as it was painful, the white-hot burning sensation she felt in her shoulder started to spread. Not in the way pain itself radiated from a wound, but like whatever was imbedded in her shoulder had started to branch out on it's own. She involuntarily took a deep breath as she felt herself being cut even deeper and knew exactly what was happening, Skynet was turning the smooth spike he had impaled her with jagged and wider. Skynet was able to the see horrified realization in her eyes that spread to the rest of her face and smiled again, before violently yanking his hand backwards. There was a sickening sound of skin being ripped but that was drowned out by Faye's ear shattering wail of agony. Skynet had gone for inflicting maximum pain, and that's what he got. He was even slightly impressed that the human could even hold a scream like that for so long, it sounded like every bit of air in her lungs had gone into it. He also noted that it was loud enough to create a sustained echo that was bouncing off the other rock formations.
"That's more like it." He sneered as Faye's voice finally gave out. "Show the child what he can expect." Faye normally would have cursed and spat on him again but not this time. She couldn't even scream again, her breaths becoming rapid and shallow. As hard as she tried not to she was now crying uncontrollably, partly because of her shoulder, partly because of the fact she had failed to protect the others. Looks like John would be sticking with her until the very end. "Now let's see if we can do that again." Skynet said with far too much enthusiasm for Faye's liking. He drew back his hand for another stab when for no reason he turned to look down the path. "Damn!!"
Faye didn't know why he looked away and she wasn't in much of a position to complain either. Whatever it was had stopped him and now she could feel herself going into shock, slowly blacking out. She found it kind of funny that the last thought she had was 'wanting' to be unconscious so she wouldn't feel what was coming. As it turned out there was a surprise in store for her as she got the chance to have another thought when she saw large holes being blown in Skynet's chest and the side of his head. She also got the unexpected sensation of the terminator letting go of her throat and sliding down the cliff wall until she was sitting down. The friction brought brand new tidal waves of pain through her shoulder but she was more focused on the sight of Skynet stumbling back as more and more shots ripped into him. Whoever it was didn't let up and with one final shot to the neck the machine was sent over the edge and into the depths of the canyon. She heard voices coming from above her, but they had a fading, echoing effect to them. Come to think of it that barrage of gunshots had sounded the same way. She caught the sound of footsteps running towards her and tried to turn her head to see what was coming but her neck muscles choose to give out on her and made her head slump forward.
She could hear some kind of movement beside her and the next thing she knew someone had grabbed her shoulder and was clamping down on it. It hurt and she could hear someone talking to her but she couldn't find the strength to look to see who it was. Whoever it was used his other hand and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up. She found herself looking at someone she almost didn't recognize. The line of bandages that ran across his face was only part of it. What really confused her was that she had never seen John that worried before, in fact looked scared. She realized she must really be in bad shape if he was that concerned, lucky her. He was saying something but she couldn't really hear him, like his voice had been muffled even though he appeared to be shouting. Oddly enough she felt a couple of conflicting emotions at that moment. Of course she was happy that he was still alive, and also royally pissed that he had scared her so badly. She wanted to tell him what an ass he was for doing that but even opening her mouth seemed to be too much effort and the world around her rapidly faded to black. She couldn't be sure but she thought the last thing she heard was her name.
Moments before:
Spike and John didn't know what to expect when they made it to the section of fence where the sound seemed to originate from. All they knew was that given the fact Skynet seemed to be becoming more and more psychotic with each encounter whatever he had done to influence that scream couldn't be good. Reaching the edge of the cliff they saw that they were right. They couldn't see everything that was going on but they had a good view of Skynet standing on a small path below them, one arm outstretched that was obviously pinning someone to the wall. They knew it was Faye but what they immediately focused on was he other hand, which he had turned one finger into a long metal spike that had bumps all over it that looked like miniature knife blades. The most telling thing was that finger was covered in blood. They both took aim and were about to fire when Skynet began to move his head. For a terrifying second they thought he had spotted them and would finish Faye before they could do anything. To their relief he remained oblivious to them and looked down the path.
"Damn!!" He exclaimed and that was all the opening they needed. They both fired simultaneously, John aiming at Skynet's head and Spike at his chest. The first two shots had the effect they wanted, both saw his hand let go and pull away as he stumbled backward. Knowing that Faye wouldn't be brought into the line of fire both of began blasting him for all they were worth. The liquid metal terminator never had a chance to recover, with John putting a finishing shot into his throat sent him flying off the edge. Despite the fact he might have grabbed onto something and could be hoisting himself back up John took off towards the gap in the fence they had seen.
"Cover me until I can get to Faye!" He shouted as he heard Spike running to catch up. Spike could see John only glanced where Skynet had gone over and could tell most of his attention was directed at where Skynet had been pinning Faye. "Once we get there make sure he's at the bottom. If he's not, put him there!!"
"Just make sure to duck if I tell you to!" Spike shouted in response, knowing John wouldn't be properly concentrated on watching his back. Sure enough once they were down the ramp John was looking only at where Faye was laying, not where Skynet had gone over. While John was still running full speed Spike had to slow down so he was able to look over the edge without falling over himself. "He's on the bottom." He reported. On the canyon floor he could see Skynet was already on his feet and trying to climb back up the cliff. In rare show of good luck he couldn't get any good hand or footholds, all of which broke away in his grip. After several tries he finally gave up and just glared up at Spike, who stared back unemotionally. "And he's staying down there." He added.
John heard Spike but didn't answer, he was too preoccupied at the moment.
"Oh god." Were the first words he thought of when he saw Faye. She was lying slumped against the cliff face, a ragged and heavily bleeding hole in her shoulder. He had seen all kinds of wounds even during his short career as a police officer and knew just what would have caused an injury like that. The bastard had used serrated edges. Knowing he had to do something to stop or at least slow the bleeding he grabbed her shoulder and put as much pressure on it as he could on it. When Faye didn't even flinch at the action he really did begin to feel afraid, thinking she was already dead. "Faye I know you're a tougher bitch then this so you'd better quit the wimp act and say something!" Even though he was literally screaming in her ear she didn't stir. "Damn it I said answer me!!" He shouted and used his free hand to grab her chin and force her to look at him. He felt a momentary relief when he saw that her eyes still had life in them but they were becoming dull and unfocused. "Whatever you do Faye don't fall asleep!! Stay with us!!" For a moment he thought his shouting was actually doing some good when Faye started to open her mouth. But instead of saying anything her eyes rolled back and her head lolled to the side. "FAYE!!"