Please see Chapter 1 for disclaimers and notices.
Author Note: This is a pretty much a double chapter. This chapter's title is dedicated to a certain reader, who was pumped for the big fight back at Chapter 6! :) I've noticed a few folks were intrigued by the fact that Sarah's father is John Connor and her mother is also Sarah. But certainly keep in mind that this is all an alternate universe, and I've decided to make the names Sarah and John legacy names, which will come up in later stories (if I get to do those). But please enjoy this update and let me know how you like the big battle.
I, Terminator
by Red Hope
Chapter 10 – Destruction Time!
Sarah Connor walked away from the one-ton press after she shut it off. She and Cameron had timed how long it'd take the press to drop down to the bed, and it was merely ten seconds. Despite it seemed fast, it could turn out to be long if Cameron couldn't hold the T-888 in place.
Sarah and Cameron marched through the empty, partially lit factory that Cameron could mostly control thanks to her program that Sarah had uploaded into Cyberdyne's automated systems. They were well prepared for the pending fight with John's agents, and it was currently eleven thirty at night. Now they just needed to make the call.
Cameron approached the locked side door that would take them outside into a massive, empty parking lot that employees used. She stopped in front of the door.
Sarah reached for her badge access card she had tucked in her front pocket.
Cameron stopped Sarah from using it and instead used her direct connection with Cyberdyne.
Sarah had a confused look but grinned when the card reader beeped and flashed green to go. She chuckled and remarked, "I like that trick."
The terminator opened the door for them and allowed Sarah to pass. Just before she shut the door, she slotted her eyes and ordered the automated lights to turn off inside the factory. She was satisfied and closed the door. Cameron still wore her jeans and boots, but she'd stripped down just to her tank top. In her back pocket, she had a Glock that protruded slightly.
Sarah was outfitted with her concealed smart vest, which had significantly molded itself to her body's shape and moved with her like skin. She was amazed by its technology. Sarah had also put on her leather jacket so that it hid her Glocks, and she stored two magazines in either jacket pocket. Then in her right jean pocket, she'd clipped the large pocket knife on the inside.
"How are the security guards doing?" Sarah inquired.
Cameron strolled along side her lover towards the fenced parking lot's gate. "One is asleep and the other talking on a cell phone."
Sarah smirked but kept a mental reminder to mention that to her father. She lost her smirk though and became more focused on the task at hand. As she and Cameron approached the gates, she wasn't the least surprised when the gate automatically opened up for them.
Cameron followed her charge out of the parking lot then commanded the gate to lock up again. She and Sarah made a left onto the sidewalk.
Sarah walked closer to her lover and followed Cameron's lead. She clenched her hands and asked, "How many blocks away is the pay phone?"
"It is three blocks away," Cameron reported. She continued rotating through the Cyberdyne cameras and kept a check on things. She now switched her HUD to night vision and kept a visual scan of their surroundings on the street.
Sarah watched a few cars pass them, and she tucked her hands into her jacket pockets. She toyed with the thirty-three round magazines. When they were at a crosswalk, she hurried across it once it was safe. She and Cameron brushed past a few other pedestrians.
But just ahead there was the pay phone that Cameron had researched awhile ago. They beelined to the convenience store on the corner that had the pay phone. Once they were in front of it, Sarah took the phone off the hook but realized she had no coins, and she groaned.
Cameron held Sarah's hand still just before the handset went back to the hook. She read the pay phone's number then whispered, "Give me a second."
Sarah peered up at her lover and saw how Cameron's bright blue eyes went unfocused and lifeless. She indeed waited though.
Suddenly Cameron hit the hook then ordered, "You can call her."
Sarah didn't ask how it'd be possible, but she adjusted the headset to her right ear and steadied it with her shoulder. She touched the keypad. "You know Kelly's cell phone number?"
Cameron retrieved it from a database and gave it to Sarah.
After Sarah punched in the number, she listened to her roommate's ringback tone, which was Will Smith's song Switch. She rolled her eyes because she had the first sixty seconds of the song memorized after two years of hearing it.
"You must talk to her for at least one minute," Cameron softly explained.
Sarah just nodded then she heard Kelly greeting her. At Kelly's voice, she had a calm feeling settle over her but it was brief. "Hey, Kelly it's Sarah." She shifted and leaned her left shoulder into the pay phone's frame. She was now closer to Cameron, who carefully studied her. "Yeah, I'm fine." She paused then explained, "No, something came up with a friend of mine. I had to help her out, but she dropped me off at Cyberdyne." She hated to lie, but it wasn't completely wrong either. "No, you don't know her."
Cameron looked up from Sarah when she heard the store's front door open. She carefully watched the humans that left the store, but they were no threat. At hearing Sarah's low voice, she gazed back down at her human lover.
"I broke my Blackberry at work Friday night," Sarah continued after Kelly asked her why she couldn't get through. "I know, I know... I'm alright, it was just an emergency." She now pressed her left palm into her lover's hard stomach and still stared at the ground. "I'm glad you didn't call them." She softly laughed when Kelly brought up the little rule her and Kelly agreed upon years ago. "No, for once I didn't disappear with some guy." She flushed once she realized she'd said that aloud in front of Cameron. She decided not to look up.
Cameron tilted her head at Sarah's remark but didn't say anything. She continued listening to the phone conversation.
"I'm a few blocks from Cyberdyne... Dad is here late... yeah." Sarah tilted her head and mentioned, "I might be back tonight if I can get a ride from Dad or I might take the subway." Sarah hesitated and added, "I've gotta pick up a new Blackberry too." She chuckled and idly toyed with her lover's tank top. "Alright, I'll see you later." She softly smiled and dropped her arm to her side again. "I will.... bye." She hung up the phone.
The terminator was pleased that her lover had been on the phone long enough.
"You think it worked?"
Cameron lowered her head some and murmured, "They will be here." She straightened up. "We should head back."
Sarah lifted off the pay phone frame and turned around to go back. She went a few steps with Cameron on her heels, but she only made it so far before the pay phone rang. Just like Cameron, Sarah slowly turned around and stared at the ringing phone. Sarah neared the phone and stretched out her hand for the receiver, but her hand merely covered Cameron's much larger one. She peered up, stunned at her lover.
Cameron moved back to the pay phone and picked up the receiver that she'd grabbed before Sarah. She brought the receiver to her ear.
Sarah felt her heart in her throat because she wasn't sure what to expect. But she dropped her jaw when Cameron's voice came out just like hers.
"Oh hey, Kelly," Cameron greeted in her duplicated Sarah Connor voice.
Sarah gawked at her lover, who continued to talk in her voice. She raised her right hand and briefly tangled her fingers through her hair.
"No, I was going to take the subway if Dad can't drive me back," the terminator replied. But in a hastened tone, she argued, "It's alright, Kelly. I'm use to taking the subway but thanks for the offer." She waited a beat then gave a soft laugh. "Fine... if it makes you feel better."
Sarah snapped her jaw shut and narrowed her eyes in suspicion. She wanted to know what was going on between Cameron and her roommate.
"I'll wait near Cyberdyne's parking lot for you," Cameron promised. "It's no rush." She waited a beat then added, "Oh Kelly, do you mind stopping at Blockbuster to get a movie?"
Sarah rested her hands on her hips and wondered what the point of Cameron's question was.
"I want to see Hancock, but I know how much you hate Will Smith," Cameron teased then she laughed with Kelly on the phone.
Sarah stared wide eye now and shook her head at how weird it was to see Cameron talking and laughing in her voice.
"Alright... see ya." Cameron hung up the phone. She focused on her lover and reported, "It was the T-888 that called back." Her voice had returned to normal.
Sarah decided the T-888 must have altered his voice to sound like her roommate. "Hence the Will Smith comment," Sarah summarized after a beat. Then she recalled the rest of the conversation and quickly checked, "He thinks he's meeting me near the parking lot?" At Cameron's nod, she glowered and remarked, "Well that's a change of plans huh?"
Cameron slowly lifted her right eyebrow and commented, "You have to be flexible." She then started for her lover and ordered, "Let's go."
Sarah turned and followed alongside her lover. She stayed close and scanned their surroundings as they journeyed back to Cyberdyne. She and Cameron stopped at a crosswalk but on the opposite side were two men, who intently studied them. Sarah knew it wasn't the Reese Brothers because the left guy was black and right guy was white with tattoos masked over his face.
The black guy gave off a cat whistle to the women just before a few cars passed by.
Cameron reached for her Glock and stated, "We don't have time for this." She was clearly irritated and started across the street before the traffic light changed.
"Shit," Sarah muttered. She feared her lover would shoot them dead out here. She stepped off the curb but backed off when a truck roared down the street at forty miles per hour. "Cameron!" she hollered.
The terminator widened her gait in her next steps and was narrowly missed by the Mack truck. She was fully focused on the two humans that posed a threat to her and Sarah.
"Holy shit!" The tattooed guy backed away and stared at her exposed Glock. He reached into his long, leather jacket to get his own weapon.
Cameron grabbed his wrist with her freehand and saw the black guy coming for her. She immediately responded with a left kick to his groin. She then jerked the tattooed man closer and went for his throat. She hauled him off his feet and listened to his gurgles.
Sarah raced across the street and retrieved her Glock from her waistband. She pointed it at the black guy, who staggered and tried getting his gun freed. "You don't want to do that."
The black guy froze and looked from the smaller woman to the tall one, who was choking his friend. He then demanded, "Don't fuckin' kill him."
Cameron considered the request, and she made her choice. She suddenly threw her opponent into his friend, who knocked them unconscious. She tucked her Glock into her jean pocket again. "Come on."
Sarah let out a breath and concealed her weapon too. She hurried alongside her lover but looked back over her shoulder a few times at the unconscious, lucky men.
"I'm programmed not to kill UR humans," Cameron casually mentioned. "I may kill humans that are a part of the Resistance."
Sarah blinked and peered up at her lover.
"However, it is a conflicting rule when applied to here in 2008," Cameron continued, "because humans have not chosen sides. I must not needlessly kill humans, but I must also protect you." She clearly had a distraught look.
Sarah licked her dry lips and softly told, "You did the right thing, back there."
"Did I?" Cameron debated with a brief glance at her lover. "I concluded that they are most likely drug dealers. He had high amounts of benzoylmethyl ecgonine in his system." She'd analyzed it when she'd touched his skin. "Perhaps it would be more beneficial to kill them than let them continue."
"What was in his system?" Sarah's tone held notes of confusion.
"The drug's informal name is cocaine," Cameron explained.
Sarah now understood and let out a sigh after a beat. She wasn't sure how Cameron so easily determined the guy was on cocaine, but she wasn't going to ask right now. Instead she carefully offered, "It's not your place to play judge, jury, and executioner." She saw Cameron's taut features so she added, "All humans must pay a price for their mistakes, someday."
The terminator's lips pulled back and thinned from this statement. She stared at the gates to Cyberdyne's parking lot, and she softly questioned, "Must terminators too?"
Sarah wasn't sure how to reply, but she realized that Cameron believed she'd made mistakes, like humans, and feared to be punished for them. She wanted to ask Cameron about the mistakes, but they just didn't have time for it. Right now, it was time for them to focus on the mission.
"So, what's the plan now that they're coming to get me here?" Sarah stood next to her lover by the open gate to Cyberdyne's parking lot. "I'm the bait... I'll have to wait out here then somehow get them into the factory."
"No, it's too risky," Cameron replied. She was scanning her local surroundings and tried coming up with her next plans.
"Then what's your idea?" Sarah was impatient because she knew the agents could be here any minute. "We don't have much time."
The terminator focused back on her lover. "I have one last trick." She noticed her mild joke didn't calm her charge, but she requested, "May I have your knife?" She accepted it from Sarah and started cutting at her left arm.
Sarah took one step back and clenched her jaw at seeing the knife easily slice through her lover's skin. She whispered, "It doesn't hurt?"
"No." Cameron handed the knife back after she wiped it clean on her pant leg. She brought her left arm across her chest. She slipped her fingertips through the inch long slit she'd made in her upper arm.
Sarah swallowed and bit her lower lip. She heard a faint whine then a low pop.
The terminator brought out her hand and clutched in her fingers was a tiny ball. She wiped away the blood on her tank top then briefly showed it to Sarah.
"What is it?"
"It's your replacement," the terminator merely replied. She knelt and put down the metal sphere that was about the size of a marble. She came to Sarah and ordered, "I need you to slowly turn in a complete circle."
"Alright." Sarah had nervous features and wondered what Cameron had in mind. She worried about the Reese Brothers and the T-888 showing up soon.
"Spread your arms out," Cameron added. She centered her HUD on Sarah's full body and blue grids popped up in her HUD. As Sarah slowly rotated three hundred sixty-five degrees, the blue grids erratically flashed around Sarah Connor. Once Sarah completed the rotation, Cameron's systems hastily analyzed and processed the dimensions, body figure, unique human characteristics, and added a voice pattern.
"Cameron?" Sarah asked when the terminator didn't move or talk for a minute. "That T-888 is going to be here any minute." She had a rushed voice and tension fueled her.
"I'm aware of this," Cameron murmured in a monotone. She hadn't blinked the entire minute but suddenly she moved and knelt down by the sphere. She closed her right hand around the sphere, waited a beat, and stood up.
The sphere glowed blue and lifted off the ground about an inch but didn't move.
Sarah looked from the hovering sphere to her protector. "What is that thing?"
"It is a Solid Hologram Sphere or simply a SHS," Cameron answered.
"Hologram?" the college student murmured. She abruptly jumped away and gasped at the mirror image of herself that repeatedly flickered in front of her and Cameron, but it went solid.
"Good evening, Miss Connor," the hologram formally greeted. Not only did it look just like Sarah, but its voice was the same. "I am the H-200 model; a compact version of the H-177. I was specially designed and programmed for Miss Philips. I can be stored in her chassis and activated upon necessity." The hologram was winded after its speech. It took a deep breath and offered a polite smile. "It is nice to meet you, Miss Connor."
Cameron glanced at her lover, who stared at the hologram. She sighed and mentioned, "Holograms are very conversational compared to terminators."
Sarah blinked and slowly turned her awed features to her lover. She barely managed, "Imagine that."
"I am offended," the hologram rebuked and shot its owner a glower.
Cameron was not at all deterred and ordered, "We have work to do."
The Sarah Connor hologram became more serious and straightened out its shoulders. "Yes, I received your data. I am ready."
Cameron nodded then faced her charge. "The H-200 will pose as you and draw them into the factory. I will attempt to stop them from my sniper position. You will wait in the factory and ready the thermite."
Sarah folded her arms then gave a brief nod.
"Now," the hologram interrupted and seriously looked at the human, "do you scream when you are being fired upon?"
Sarah oddly stared at her mirror image then inquisitively looked at her lover. She wasn't sure whether or not to answer the hologram. In reality, she wasn't sure about the entire situation from the start.
Cameron raised an eyebrow and argued, "It's a valid question."
Sarah opened her mouth to comment back but just returned her focus to the hologram. She quipped, "Just go with the moment."
The H-200 gave an aspirated sigh and remarked, "You humans are all difficult." It now asked its owner, "Shall we begin?"
Cameron merely nodded.
"Wait," Sarah cut in, "what if the Reese Brothers don't show up?"
"We'll take it as we go," the terminator answered. "We don't have much time and need to setup."
Sarah gave in with a nod and moved around the hologram. She wasn't sure if she could walk through it, but she decided not to find out.
The terminator gave a last head to toe scan over the H-200. She was satisfied it looked just like her lover. She held its eyes and ordered, "See that you find your way back to me."
The H-200 bowed its head and promised, "Of course, Miss Philips," It straightened up just as the terminator marched past it.
Cameron broke into a jog and caught up with her charge beyond the open gates. "Be sure to turn on your two-way radio."
"I will." Sarah now jogged beside her lover back to the factory's employee entrance. "Cameron, if this..." She faltered but stopped beside the locked employee door. "If this goes wrong..."
The terminator edged closer to her human lover. She hooked Sarah's chin with her index finger. "You will survive."
Sarah shook her head and clasped her protector's hand. She moved in closer so that their bodies molded together. "No matter what's written in the future or how it's written, I know we were meant to meet." She watched how the terminator's cold, blue eyes slowly softened. "You are unique... in my heart."
Cameron felt Sarah's grip had increased greatly. She noticed the glisten behind Sarah's eyes that revealed Sarah's emotions. Cameron leaned into her lover, which caused the Saint Christopher necklace to sway, and she gently confessed, "Last night, you made me feel alive." She searched Sarah's face. "Tonight, I protect you because you are my human."
Sarah closed in the distance and pressed her lips hard against Cameron's full ones. She covered her protector's cheek then sharply breathed at the end of the kiss. Her forehead rested against her lover's, and she shut her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered, "for everything, Cameron." She lifted her head after a beat. "Be safe."
Cameron nodded then forced her endoskeleton to move her away from her lover. "See you soon." She walked away and went down to the ladder that'd take her on the building's roof. She linked up to Cyberdyne's systems and commanded the employee entrance, beside Sarah, to unlock.
Sarah heard the badge reader beep at her, and she finally tore away from her stare at Cameron. She stole a last glance at the hologram back at the street but went into the factory. She found a few lights on, which were enough since she had the layout memorized after so long.
Cameron quickly climbed up the iron ladder and popped up onto the windy roof. She brush a few wild strands from her face and marched down to her sniper position where the Barrett M98B waited for her. She knelt beside it but first prepped herself for the pending battle.
The terminator picked up a grenade belt that she brought diagonally across her chest. She then grabbed M4 carbine and slung it over her back but adjusted the strap right. She visually inspected the M-79 launcher nearby but left it alone. Finally, she picked up the Motorola two-way radio and hooked it to her studded belt. She ran the headset's wire under her tank top, positioned the earbud right, and hooked the microphone to her top's strap.
Cameron switched on her two-way radio. She hit the talk button and checked, "You copy me?"
"I gotcha, tiger," Sarah replied after a beat. "I have the thermite ready in here."
Cameron rotated through a few cameras from inside the factory until she found Sarah Connor squatted on a suspended, metal catwalk about two hundred feet off the ground. She also called up the camera that was positioned high up on a pole at the parking lot's entrance. This particular camera gave Cameron a bird's eye view of the street in either direction if she merely turned the camera on its mount.
"How's it looking out there? Any signs of the Reese Brothers or the triple eights?"
The terminator briefly zoomed the parking lot's camera in on the hologram. "The H-200 is in position. I don't see any signs that they're here." She released the talk button then knelt down and got onto her stomach. She inched closer to the sniper rifle that rested on a tripod. She put her right hand into position on the handle and trigger. She molded her right shoulder against the rifle's buttstock then adjusted her view until her right eye focused through the scope. She truly didn't need the scope, but she rather relied on the rifle's scope when her HUD was cluttered by so many screens.
Cameron slotted her eyes some when she saw a distant car speeding down the street towards Cyberdyne's parking lot. "We may have company." She released the talk button at her left side but didn't move her hand away. She waited to see if this was them or not. She tightly gripped the rifle's handle.
Out on the street, the hologram of Sarah Connor gave a wave and approached the car, which slowed down. But the hologram easily identified the T-888's face after it'd received the necessary data from Cameron minutes ago. Immediately, the H-200 reacted by dropping to the ground just as gunfire rang out.
"The triple eights is here," Cameron reported then she released the talk button. She zoomed in on the distant car, but she didn't see the Reese Brothers.
"What about the Reese Brothers?"
The terminator silently cursed and hit the talk button. "They are not in the car." She now focused on her task at hand which was to get the T-888's attention and make its stay more permanent. She cleared her HUD's screen then closed her left eye. She peered through the scope.
The H-200 heard the car door open, and it took the opportunity to flee. It hopped onto its feet but stumbled away from the T-888, who stood about five yards away.
The T-888 left the running car's door open, raised its handgun, and aimed at his target.
The hologram was horrified and murmured, "No." It shook its head then broke into a run into the parking lot.
The T-888 slowly rotated and lined his sights on the target. Just as his trigger finger pulled back there was a sharp whistle. He fired his gun but lost his sights from an impact into its head. His head snapped back then rose again and revealed a silver circle in his forehead. For a beat, he ignored his running target and focused on who or what had fired on him. He scanned the direction the bullet had traveled.
Cameron had inserted a new cartridge into the sniper rifle. She hastily ran the bolt through the breech and loaded the cartridge. She peered through the scope again and targeted her enemy.
The hologram looked over its shoulder at the T-888, which was advancing on it.
The T-888 walked at a fast pace, aimed the handgun at his target, and slotted his eyes. He could almost hear Sarah Connor's scream. He fired his gun.
The H-200 was struck in the back and collapsed to the ground on its knees. Its programming was smart enough to mimic human blood, which trickled down its leather jacket.
The T-888 lowered his gun and determinedly advanced on his enemy. He wasn't concerned about the other terminator that lurked up on the building's roof now that he had Sarah Connor.
Cameron had pulled the rifle's trigger. She was satisfied when she took out the running car's front tire. She quickly loaded another bullet and fired on the rear tire. Afterwards, she gazed down at the T-888 that loomed over the kneeling hologram.
The T-888 took two more steps and pointed the gun's barrel at the back of Sarah Connor's head. He couldn't hide the pleased smirk from the corner of his lips. For the first time, he spoke in his deep timber and declared, "Sarah Connor, you are termi..." He faltered after his scans yielded unexpected results.
The hologram discerned that the jig was up, and it quickly stood without a problem. It kicked the handgun from the terminator's hand, but instantly the H-200 was grabbed by the throat.
The T-888 lifted the H-200 off the ground and stared up at it. He tilted his head in interest, briefly then proceeded scanning for the source of the hologram.
Cameron decided it was time to act despite the plans were not exactly going as expected, but she was accustom to making adjustments. She grabbed her grenade launcher and stood up.
The T-888 jerked his head to the left at seeing the tall, dark terminator on the roof's edge. He scanned the distant terminator and no data was received about the other terminator's series, model, or name.
Cameron backed up a few steps then broke into a run. She launched off the roof, soared a few hundred feet, and performed a midair spin that neatly landed in a knelt position in the parking lot. She'd hit the ground loudly and caused the pavement to crack under her. But she slowly rose up to her full six feet and coldly regarded her enemy.
The T-888 studied his opponent for a few seconds then turned his interests back to the H-200.
"You will be terminated," the hologram factually stated. It shot a smirk at its enemy then suddenly it flickered, and its image was sucked downward to its sphere. The silver sphere quickly darted off from the T-888 and hastened to the other terminator.
Cameron had the grenade launcher in her left hand, and she held out her right but palm facing up.
The silver sphere gain altitude until it hovered in its owner's open hand. It was slipped through the slit in Cameron's arm, and it docked with Cameron's chassis again.
The T-888 had been keenly interested by the relationship between the other terminator and the Solid Hologram Sphere. He still couldn't pull up any data on the other terminator, but he noted her tattoo on the right side of her neck. He easily recognized the seal and what it meant too.
"You are an Omega terminator," the T-888 stated in his heavy voice.
Cameron turned the M-79 grenade launcher on her opponent. "I am the Omega terminator," she corrected in her hard, cold voice. She then pulled the launcher's trigger.
The T-888 took the grenade point blank in the stomach; the explosion launched him in the air.
"Shit," Sarah's voice started over the two-way radio. "I got a problem. I think the Reese Brothers just came in through corporate."
In the background, Cameron heard her lover rack the first bullet in a Glock. She softly cursed but finished loading another grenade into the launcher. She snapped the launcher closed and aimed it at the T-888 but with her left hand, she hit the talk button. "I'll be right there." She cocked her head at the T-888, who was on his feet again. Cameron pulled the trigger and launched another grenade at the enemy terminator. Just then, she recalled the camera from the front, corporate entrance and saw that the two security guards were dead.
"I'll stall them," Sarah promised. She released the talk button and stayed in her knelt position on the metal catwalk that hung from the ceiling. She poked her head around a steel i-beam that rose up beside the catwalk. She listened for any movements since the door to corporate had opened and closed.
Sarah had her Glock parallel to her right temple, and she put her head off to one side. She still waited to hear either of the Reese Brothers so she could pinpoint their location in the dimly lit factory. She then caught a distant, echoed scrape several yards away. Then it went silent again.
Derek Reese glared at his younger brother, but he quietly sighed and gave his brother orders. He pointed at his brother then pointed off to the left. He nodded to his right and silently slipped away.
Kyle raised his handgun and softly moved past a few large machines but used them to hide himself. Like his brother, he'd earlier heard what they suspected was Sarah Connor. At first, their mission had been to capture Sarah's father for bait as a backup plan. But they'd discovered he wasn't in the corporate building then they received orders from the T-888 to come to the factory.
Derek switched the M4 carbine from his right hand to his left once he came upon the one-ton hydraulic press. He visually inspected it and ran his hand past the lit-up buttons. He didn't touch them and instead slipped away. He now held the carbine with both hands as he continued his hunt for Sarah Connor.
Kyle Reese spotted an out of place item by a skiving machine; he cautiously neared it. He knelt beside the three, orange flares and picked up one. But a loud explosion from outside the factory made him lift his head.
Sarah carefully moved down the suspended platform then slowed down once she spotted the slim form of Kyle Reese by the skiving machine. Her breathing had already accelerated, but now she was wired by adrenaline upon seeing her hunter. She wanted to continue down the catwalk to get over him, but she worried that'd only draw his attention up to her. Instead, she squatted down and patiently waited to see if he'd come to her.
The Resistance soldier returned the flare next to the other two, and he readied his handgun again. He kept moving and came up to a line of machines that performed laser beam welding.
Sarah briefly closed her eyes, and her heart hammed against her chest. She could have sworn that somebody would hear it. She slowly opened her eyes and peered through the steel catwalk's grading and barely made out the Resistance soldier. She mentally readied herself and prayed that Cameron would make her entrance soon.
Kyle Reese moved down the line of laser beam welders but an overhead sound caught his attention. Before he could react, he was slammed by a heavy weight and hit the concrete floor on his back. He lifted his head but a fist to his face struck him.
Derek Reese was much further away, but he heard the ensuing fight. He grew wide eye and hastily moved through the machine filled factory to find the source.
Kyle rolled to his right and found himself on top of his opponent. He stared in amazement at Sarah Connor, who had taken him completely by surprise. He'd already lost his handgun, but he grappled with Sarah over the Glock she had in her hands.
Sarah hissed when Kyle forced her arms to the left, but she fired anyway. She was satisfied when he howled from the bullet that painfully grazed his right arm. She took his distraction and slammed her gun's handle across his temple.
Kyle was thrown off by his opponent and landed harshly on his left side. He quickly tried to get to his feet, but he stopped when he looked directly down the barrel of a Glock. "Don't do it... you don't wanna kill me."
Sarah cursed because he'd spoken, which meant that his brother would find them. She backed up one step. "It's either you or me." She extended her right arm and went one more step back. "I pick you."
"Hold it," Derek Reese ordered. He appeared beside the end of the welders. He had his carbine aimed at Sarah Connor.
Sarah glanced from Kyle to Derek but focused back on Kyle. She clenched her jaw but tempted, "I'll kill your brother if you don't put the carbine down."
Derek took a step closer to the pair; his gun sighted on Sarah Connor. "Your death is my mission." He briefly glanced down at Kyle. "His life isn't my mission."
Sarah blanched at his defining words, and she instantly made a break for it. But she randomly fired her gun at Kyle Reese without any care.
Derek fired the semi-automatic carbine at his target, which had jumped behind a gigantic cylindrical grinder.
Kyle screamed and clutched his lower stomach against the intense pain. He gasped for air, but it hurt too much to move. He dared a glance at his bleeding stomach.
Derek continued to fire the carbine at the grinding machine that protected Sarah Connor. But he came to an abrupt stop when the carbine was ripped from his hands. He'd been so preoccupied by his shooting that he never saw the terminator. He then was lifted off his feet and hung four feet off the floor. He gasped and looked down at the Omega terminator.
Cameron increased her grip around the soldier's neck. Her rising anger clearly showed on her face and caused her eyes to glow bright blue in the darkness.
Kyle hollered, "No!" He ripped another gun from his jacket and repeatedly fired at the terminator. He wouldn't allow his brother to die by a machine.
Cameron suddenly threw Derek onto the laser beam welders then through her link to the Cyberdyne Systems, she ordered the automated welders to fire on Derek.
Derek hollered and frantically rolled off the welders, but he was too slow. His left calf was cut by a beam and blood smeared over the side of the welder then on the concrete floor.
Cameron crossed the short distance to Kyle Reese; her stomach riddled by several bullet holes. She tore his gun from his hand, crushed it, and picked up the soldier. She then threw him across the factory, but he crashed into a machine's side and collapsed to the floor.
"Cameron?" Sarah called. She hastily came around the grinder and was met by her protector.
"Are you hurt?" The terminator did a visual check over her lover and saw she was fine. After Sarah's head shake, she quickly explained, "You must get back on the catwalk. The triple eights will be in here any minute."
Sarah looked up at the catwalk above her, but she knew the closest steps were far away. "I'm not sure I'll be fast enough to make it."
Cameron figured out the problem so she hastily grabbed Sarah's hips. "Hold on." She did a quick calculation then tossed Sarah up to the catwalk.
Sarah gave a holler but made it over the platform's rail and landed on the grading.
"Hurry," the terminator ordered her lover.
Sarah ran down the catwalk back towards the employee's entrance. She reached for the flare that was lodged between her belt and waistband.
Behind her back, Cameron heard the scrape of metal and a human groan. She swiftly turned which caused her M4 carbine to move on her back. She simultaneously reached for her loaded Glock from her back pocket and clicked off the safety.
Derek Reese was on his stomach, but he rolled to his right side, and painfully scraped the carbine around to his side. But he was too late when a boot stepped on the carbine's long barrel.
The Omega terminator put more weight on her left foot and crushed the carbine's barrel. She pointed the Glock at Derek Reese's head and regarded him. "You were given a second chance and betrayed us. But now I will rectify Jean's mistake." Her blue eyes blazed brightly.
Derek had a venomous glare and spat, "You're a pet like the rest of them, machine! You're nothing special."
"You are incorrect," Cameron informed, "you are the pet." She knelt down and pressed the barrel into Derek's temple. "And you are terminated." She enjoyed his rage just before she pulled the trigger, and her shot echoed through the entire factory before it went eerily silent. For a moment, she watched Derek's dark blood pool around his head. But the explosion back towards the employee's entrance made her jerk to life and get up.
Sarah Connor ducked after the employee's entrance door was blown off. She peered through the grating and softly gasped at the T-888's half mangled features. The left half of the T-888's face was bare of flesh and his metal cheek flashed any low light. Sarah stared horrified at his red eye that glowed sharply.
Sarah shook off her astonishment and jumped to the rail. She set off the flare, which grabbed the T-888's attention. "Hey, Tin Man!" She waved the flare once then pitched it perfectly at the white powder that surrounded the entrance. She made a run for it just as the T-888 raised his gun.
A few shots rang out but then hot fire exploded around the T-888 thanks to the flare meeting the thermite.
Sarah made it several feet, but a bullet struck her harshly in her midback. She collapsed to the grading and gasped for air because it felt like somebody just punched her. She inhaled deeply but found strength to get back on her feet and run away just as gunfire started again.
Sarah's heavy footfall boomed down the catwalk. She didn't bother to use the two-way radio and yelled, "Now, Cameron!" She ran harder when the first droplets from the sprinklers splashed into her face. But she gave off a yell and sprung up into the air from her next, wide step. Behind her, a steam explosion was set off by the water and burning thermite.
Earlier, Cameron had gone on a hunt for Kyle Reese, but she turned up empty handed just as Sarah cried out for her. She only found the bloody drops left by the injured Resistance soldier, and she doubted he'd get far. When Sarah yelled for her, she had to quickly activate the sprinkler system so that the thermite would explode on the T-888.
Cameron then used thermal imaging and watched her lover fly through the air but neatly landed back on the catwalk far enough away from the steam explosion. She was relieved that it'd worked but now it was her show. She reached to her back, tore off the carbine, turned off the safety, and raised it up. She marched to the employee entrance on a hunt for her enemy.
The Omega terminator clicked her talk button on her radio and remarked, "Kyle Reese is still alive." She put her hand back on the carbine's barrel and continued her determined walk to her enemy.
Sarah lifted her face from the grading after the heat was gone from her back. She whipped her hair out of the way and looked over the edge at her protector, who was heading back to the entrance. She'd heard Cameron's warning. She hit the talk button. "I'll keep an eye out while I get the press setup." She climbed to her feet and hurried down the catwalk back to the steps that would put her near the press.
Cameron was concerned about Kyle Reese, but she tried having faith that her lover could handle the injured soldier. If not, she knew Sarah would contact her right away, and she would break away from the T-888 instantly. But Cameron logically concluded that the T-888 was the primary threat now. She took two more steps and went still at seeing the T-888.
The T-888 formed out of the last of the steam explosion. Both his eyes hummed a bright red, and his full endoskeleton was exposed now thanks to the heat and steam eating away his clothes and skin sheath. There were only tiny scraps of skin that covered his body here or there, but his face was fully exposed.
Cameron lifted her carbine higher and aimed at the terminator. She tilted his head at his exposed endoskeleton and concluded he wasn't severely damaged, yet. After that thought, she pulled the trigger and her carbine's bullets fought against the T-888's hard coltan chassis.
Sarah wrapped around the catwalk's corner and grabbed the handrail at the top of the metal steps. She made it down one step but abruptly stopped at seeing Kyle Reese at the bottom.
The Resistance soldier clung to the right rail with his hand while his left arm covered his wounded stomach. He centered his cold face on Sarah Connor and grounded his teeth.
Sarah grabbed her Glock from her back pocket and aimed it at him. "Back off, Reese."
But Kyle ignored the threat and climbed one step.
Sarah's right boot scraped over the step behind her. She flexed her grip on the gun's handle. "I'll shoot you if you take another step."
The soldier didn't believe her, and he came up another step.
"Stand down!" Sarah snapped at him. She moved the gun and fired at the step above him. "Do you really want to die?" She went back up one step.
Kyle climbed the next step and replied, "I'm already dead, Sarah Connor." He painfully went up the next step and revealed his lifeless eyes to the woman. "Do you know what they call you in the future?" He came up the next step; he was six steps away from Sarah Connor. "They call you the Mother of All Destiny."
Sarah edged back as he came closer. "Just stop," she hissed at him. She wrapped her left hand around the gun handle too. "I don't want to kill you, but I will do it."
Kyle made it up the next step. "You wouldn't kill me... you'd save me." He pulled himself up another metal step. "You raise the most amazing, beautiful daughter, Sarah Connor."
Sarah shook her head over and over. She pleaded, "You don't have to do this. You can walk away from John and the Resistance."
"He's always with me," Kyle murmured. He went up the second to last step. "He's in me, Sarah Connor." His dull eyes held Sarah's more vibrant ones. "I memorized your face from a picture I carry with me. He knows I don't want to kill you. I don't think John could be anymore evil than this." He came onto the catwalk and neared the frozen Sarah Connor. "But he will win and there's nothing you or I... or any human can do."
Sarah lowered her gun and the distant gunfire from Cameron faded away. She softly urged, "You can stop this."
"If I was as strong as you," Kyle whispered, "then I would have done it." He raised his hand and took Sarah's handgun by the barrel. "But I am a soldier with orders." He held Sarah's eyes and softly revealed, "Only you can stop this." With his left, bloody hand, he reached up for the gun that he would use to kill Sarah Connor. As his bloody hand touched Sarah's, his features slowly broke. "I'm sorry."
Sarah felt her grip ease on the Glock. Her chest rose and fell so fast that her heart would surely stop. But suddenly the rush to live and protect a future child that waited for her struck her hard. She screamed, "Nooo!" Then she tore the gun from Kyle's hands. She abruptly shoved herself into Kyle Reese and launched them off the stairs towards the ground.
Kyle felt himself in midair for a heartbeat. But he gasped for air but the sharp fire through his back made him cry out. Then adrenaline was involuntarily shot through his body, and he was forced to fight Sarah Connor back. He rolled them over so that she was under him.
Sarah had a shocked expression but quickly grappled with Kyle for the Glock that she still held, but it was aimed straight up between their bodies.
Kyle grounded his teeth and slowly directed it down to Sarah's chest.
Sarah let out a low growl and tried forcing the gun back at Kyle. Her arm muscles arched out against her skin as she put all her strength into it.
The Resistance soldier could barely hold her back because he was weakened from the wound in his stomach and the graze to his arm. He soon found the gun's barrel pointed at his chin. He locked eyes with Sarah and still struggled against her. "Pull the trigger," he demanded.
Sarah tightened her finger on the trigger but didn't do it.
"Please," Kyle sincerely pleaded and for once emotions lit up his eyes. He desperately whispered, "Please free me, Sarah... I can't stop this."
Sarah blinked against the sting in her eyes. She drew her finger back further, and the trigger gave way.
Kyle kept a sure hold on Sarah's hands, but he made no other attempts to stop her. He could sense he only had a second or two left so he smiled, happily. "Thank you, Sarah Connor."
Finally the Glock fired and the 9mm bullet ripped through Kyle Reese's chin then lodged into his brain. Blood then flooded the entrance wound and dripped out of his chin. Slowly his body went limp, and his eyes were lifeless once more.
Sarah whimpered as Kyle's grip loosened then his body collapsed to one side. She had warm blood droplets that splattered onto her face. Once Kyle fell, she dropped the gun onto the concrete floor and choked for air.
"Oh god," she gasped and covered her face with her right hand. She saw Kyle Reese's smiling face in her mind and couldn't erase it. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry." But a loud boom forced her to refocus on the current situation. She knew Cameron needed her so she wiped away the blood and tears from her face.
Sarah Connor crawled out from under Kyle and stumbled onto her feet. She shoved her emotions aside and at a second boom, she couldn't help but find out what was happening to her protector.
Cameron was thrown face first into another steel i-beam, which caused her cheek's skin to split open. She tumbled to the cold floor. She got her hands on the concrete and slowly stood up, but she was rammed into the beam harder. She tried breaking the lock that held her against the beam, but the T-888 was stronger than her.
Sarah skidded to a stop once she came in view of the fighting terminators. She was stunned at seeing her protector well beaten against the i-beam and locked down. "Cameron," she whispered in fear.
The T-888 instantly focused on his target objective; his red eyes centered on Sarah Connor. He suddenly ripped the exposed Glock from the Omega terminator's rear pocket and aimed at Sarah Connor.
"Sarah!" Cameron hollered in warning. She acted quickly by ramming her elbow into the T-888's stomach. She broke his sight and took her opening. Cameron broke the hold, spun up and around, and grabbed the Glock before it was fired again. She demolished the barrel in her hand while her right fist pulled back then launched into the T-888's face.
The T-888 was knocked to the ground by the powerful punch.
"Get the press ready!" Cameron yelled at her lover.
Sarah was stunned and stared at the T-888, who was without his skin sheath. She'd never imagined what the terminator looked like without his skin.
Cameron realized Sarah was in shock so she snapped, "Go, Sarah." She then lost her footing when the T-888 yanked her feet out from under her.
Sarah shook her head then back stepped once.
The T-888 tried getting up but Cameron grabbed him and got on top of him. He quickly reacted by throwing Cameron over his body using his powerful legs. He rocketed her into a gigantic grinder machine similar to the one Sarah had hid behind earlier. He quickly got to his alloy feet and looked at Sarah Connor, yet he didn't come for her because he knew the Omega terminator would stop him before he could get Sarah Connor.
Cameron recovered but not fast enough when the T-888 slammed her back against the grinder. Her body left a deep dent in the grinder's body.
The T-888 spotted a large, thick black cord connected to the grinder machine. He kept his left hand locked around Cameron's throat, and he ripped the inch thick black cord from the grinder. He brought the live electric cord at Cameron's face.
Sarah broke from her frozen state and yelled, "Cameron!" She started coming at the pair and raised her Glock at the T-888. She began firing on him, but it did nothing to stop him.
Cameron grappled with the T-888 for control over the hot, live cord. She knew what could happen if he succeeded. She grounded her teeth and pushed against him.
The T-888 was stronger and with his left hand pulled Cameron towards the live cord's end. He heard her boots scrape against the concrete, but her resistance was futile. He estimated only moments before he had the Omega terminator then suddenly his red HUD lit up when the electricity met Cameron's body.
"No!" Sarah screamed. But she helplessly watched her lover be electrocuted by unknown volts of power that made Cameron shake. She stared at her protector, who now looked like a lifeless doll positioned perfectly against the grinder machine.
The T-888 tossed the now dead cord aside once Cameron's body went still. He freed his left hand then rose up to his menacing height and turned to Sarah Connor. He knew he had a hundred twenty-seconds to capture and kill Sarah Connor in complete peace.
Sarah kept her gun aimed at the terminator, and she backed away from him. She knew her gun would do little good, but she couldn't think of anything else to do. How could the plan have failed like this? But she was alone now and her only chance at survival was to run, if that was even possible. Her jumbled mind worked through a few weak options, but she still back stepped again.
The T-888's red eyes moved in his sockets as he studied the human. He spoke in a robotic voice now that he'd lost his organic systems. "You will be terminated, Sarah Connor."
Sarah fired a few times at him, yet it was useless. She took another step away from the advancing terminator. Her heart jumped into her throat, suddenly.
The T-888 heard the sound of metal scrapping against concrete behind his back. He turned his head sidelong but only turned halfway before a thick, solid steel rod collided with his head. He was clearly stunned, which only gave his opponent another opening.
Cameron brought the steel pipe back around but this time drove it straight through her enemy's back, chest, and out the other side. She then lifted him off the ground, dug her heels in, and flung him into an i-beam a few yards away. She looked at her dazed lover. "I said get the press ready. Now go!"
Sarah lowered her gun to her side then nodded after a beat. She didn't have time to think about how her lover survived the electrocution. Her entire focus was getting the one-ton press prepared for the T-888.
The Omega terminator spun the steel pipe once then held it diagonally to her body as the T-888 got up and faced her. She now called up the jujitsu moves that Sarah had taught her last night and this morning. She slightly hunched forward and lifted onto the balls of her feet. Gradually, her eyes illuminated a sharp blue in the dim factory.
The T-888 stood rooted for a second because he was unsure how the Omega terminator rebooted so fast from the electrocution. But he concluded it didn't matter, and he'd defeat her anyway. He slowly came for her.
Cameron tightened her grip on the steel pole that was about seven feet long. She calculated the T-888's movements but patiently waited for the right moment.
The T-888 made a desperate grab for the steel pole.
Cameron parried his hand away then brought the other end around and struck the terminator in the shoulder. She quickly cracked the other end against her opponent's bent knee, and she forced him to a knelt posture on his damaged knee.
The T-888 instantly caught the steel pipe before it struck him in the head. He latched onto it and struggled to free it from his enemy.
Cameron drove her right knee into his chin, which snapped his head backwards. She then spun behind him and pulled the pipe horizontally against his throat. She pulled it in and hoped she could slow him down long enough.
The T-888 fought against the pipe, but he recalled the i-beam wasn't far behind them. He stood up despite his bad knee and suddenly forced Cameron backwards until her back slammed into the i-beam.
Cameron lost the air from her lungs, yet she didn't ease up on the T-888. She started bending the steel rod around his neck.
Sarah had the press ready to go. She'd returned to the fight but hid behind a welder machine and worriedly watched her lover. She briefly recalled her lover's reminders that she may not survive the fight but that Sarah had to lead the T-888 to the press and crush him. Sarah didn't want it to be left up to her, yet she sensed that it may be true.
The T-888 grew tired of the fight, and he worked out a finally plan to destroy the Omega terminator. He freed both hands from the pipe and suddenly reached behind for Cameron. He lifted her up, over his head, and violently slammed her backside into the concrete floor, which cracked around Cameron. He retrieved the steel rod from her before she could recover. The T-888 moved at an incredible speed and lifted the rod up vertically. He brought down the solid pipe with such thrust but perfect calculation that it drove through Cameron's skull and struck her CPU chip.
The steel pipe clanged loudly when it collided with the concrete floor under Cameron's head.
Cameron had made an attempt for the rod, but she failed and her arms slowly went back to the ground. Her glowing eyes darkened, and she no longer moved or could fight her enemy. Her main Neural Net CPU was accurately destroyed by the rod.
The T-888 still clung to the bent pipe and stared down at his destroyed enemy. After his scans told him his enemy was terminated, he lifted his head to Sarah Connor. He switched to thermal imaging and pinpointed her exact location.
Sarah swallowed because she knew she was alone. She tried not thinking about her dead lover that rested under the T-888. Her focus was to get him into the press and complete the mission. She was knelt behind the welding machine, yet she knew she was the bait for him. She silenced her fears and stood up to face her enemy.
The T-888 straightened up and released the pipe that remained upright in Cameron's skull. His bad knee caused him to limp around the dead Omega terminator, but he headed for Sarah Connor.
Sarah stood up and stepped out in the open. "Come on, you bastard." She fisted her left hand while her right tightly clenched the Glock. She quickly darted away and went back to the one-ton press.
The T-888 limped along but was determined to complete his mission. He switched to night vision and followed his target's cold trail deeper into the factory.
Sarah came upon the press that was warm and ready. She looked at the controls mounted to the side, but she looked back when she saw the red eyes that hovered in the darkness. She tried not losing her nerve and called, "Over here, Tin Man!"
The terminator made his way to the human and lifted his hands from his side. He could almost read success to his mission.
"Come on," Sarah growled. She lifted onto her feet and waited for her nearing enemy. Her back was to the press's mouth.
The T-888 took a few slow, weak steps then he lunged for his target. He missed because she was fast, but he caught his falling body weight with his right hand on the press's bed.
Sarah had spun away just in time and slammed the lit green button on the mounted controls. She reversed two steps and felt relief when the fast press came down on the terminator.
The T-888's right hand and arm were locked under the powerful press. He tried jerking his arm free, but he couldn't get free. He then stretched out his left hand for the press's controls, but he couldn't reach them.
Sarah half grinned but lost it as she reversed and tried thinking about what to do now. She couldn't gain access to his head if he still had a hand free. But she stiffened when the terminator began ripping his locked arm from his body. She took another step back and raised her Glock at him.
The T-888 tore his arm off, which briefly sparked from electricity. But he faced his target and lifted his left hand for her. He advanced on her. A few bullets collided with his face and did nothing.
Sarah had accidentally backed up into a corner and her back hit a machine's large control panel. She desperately thought of some plan, but she was trapped and her mind froze again.
The T-888 took another limp step and stretched out his fingers for the human. His red eyes grew brighter in anticipation. However, before his fingertips brushed the human's neck, two firm hands grabbed him by the shoulders, lifted him, and swung him around. He slammed hard into the hydraulic press's solid, steel frame then he was thrown back out into the middle of the factory's open floor.
Sarah stared in amazement at the glowing, blue orbs that studied her for a beat. But then her lover quickly left and went after the T-888 with cold intent. "Cameron?" she whispered in amazement. She hastened after her lover, who was much faster.
The T-888 stood back up and stared at the Omega terminator, who was back online despite the hole through her head. He fully scanned her and received orders to terminate her again. He quickly came at her.
Cameron moved forward to the T-888, deflected the strike, and stepped forward with her right foot. She dropped down to her left hand while her left leg stretched out in front of the T-888's legs. Her right leg remained behind the T-888.
Sarah watched in awe as her protector perfectly executed the front scissor throw. She watched the T-888 hit the concrete floor face first; Cameron knelt beside him.
The Omega terminator fisted her right hand and repeatedly slammed her right fist into the back of the T-888's head. She did it six times then grabbed him by the neck and lifted him from the floor. She grappled him by his only arm, spun him in a circle, and launched him directly into a steel i-beam.
Sarah combed her hair back, but she was grateful for Cameron's skills and determination.
The T-888 moved off the beam some, yet his face was slammed into it again by Cameron. He was then shoved hard against the beam and locked into place. The Omega terminator grabbed his left arm and held it to his back.
Cameron had a free hand and reached around the i-beam where she'd saw the power cord that powered several laser beam welders. She popped the power cord from its anchors and ripped it from the welding machine's base. She then returned the earlier favor by plunging the cord's live end into the T-888's neck.
The T-888 involuntarily shook but then quickly stopped and went limp against the beam.
Cameron released the dead cord and backed away from the terminator. She watched him collapse then her glowing eyes centered on the human. She quickly approached the petite human and held out her hand. "Sarah Connor, come with me if you want to live."
Sarah blinked and became confused by her lover's words. "Cameron, we have to get him in the press!" She noticed how her words didn't register with her protector.
"You are in danger, we must go," Cameron ordered. She still held out her hand.
Sarah became worried and glanced from the motionless T-888 to her lover. "We can get him under the press before he comes back online or whatever."
"No, it is too dangerous and you will be harmed." Cameron lowered her hand and now neared the human, who backed away from her one step. "You must be protected."
Sarah shook her head several times and demanded, "We have to stick to the plan. We just have to get him in the press!" She took another step away when Cameron advanced on her. She then hotly whispered, "What's happened to you?"
The Omega terminator tilted her head and regarded the human. "I am operating on my hard codes. I must protect any member from the Connor family." She waited a beat then added, "We only have seventy seconds before the T-888 is back online."
"You don't remember the plan?" Sarah tested. But the response was silent so she checked, "Do you remember anything?"
"My memory files are damaged. I'm operating on my hard codes." Cameron now closed in on Sarah Connor. "If you do not leave freely then I will force you. You must be taken to safety."
"Look," Sarah started in a cold voice, "you and I planned to get him into the press. We can crush him in it and get his chip from his head."
"No, too risky." Cameron now made a grab for the human.
Sarah jumped out of the way but the fast terminator caught her the second time. "Cameron, no!" She was picked up into her lover's arms, but she still struggled anyway. "Listen to me, please. We can stop him."
"You are endanger," Cameron reported in her monotone. She tightly cradled the human and quickly headed to the exit where she saw light.
Sarah growled and fought to break free from her lover. "Cameron!" She wiggled out of her lover's arms and swiftly ducked out of the way before Cameron grabbed her again. "I'm not leaving 'til we stop him." She raced back to the fallen T-888.
The Omega terminator couldn't believe Sarah had escaped her, but she chased after the human.
Sarah stood by the T-888 and breathed hard. She grabbed his arm and tried moving him, but he was too heavy for her. Then her wrist was grabbed by her protector.
"This is not safe," Cameron stated.
Sarah looked into blue eyes that were lit up much like the T-888 could do with his. She inhaled sharply and hoped she could reason with her protector. "But if we run, he'll just come after us. If we can get him in the press then we can stop him... we had it all planned out, Cameron."
The Omega terminator glanced at the fallen T-888 then back at the human. She saw the human's pleading face, and she felt a change in her. She logically knew that Sarah had a good point so she made her choice. "Can you operate the press?"
"Yes, you just get him in it," Sarah replied. She then heard a whine under her and the arm in her hands moved suddenly.
"Go," Cameron ordered. She shoved Sarah away just as the T-888 tried for Sarah.
Sarah stumbled backwards but watched how Cameron stopped the T-888 from coming after her. She recalled the press was locked down and needed to clear it. She rushed back there and slammed the up button for the machine. She nervously grabbed the fallen arm from the T-888 and tossed it aside. She heard her lover fighting the T-888 all over again.
Cameron took one step back then prepared for the T-888's strike at her face. She parried his attack then twisted counterclockwise on her left foot with her right hand behind her enemy's back.
Sarah edged back towards the factory's open space and caught the last part of Cameron completing the spring hit throw move on the T-888. She was amazed by how well Cameron executed the jujitsu moves and wondered how it was possible if Cameron had lost her memory.
Cameron had the T-888 on his back, and she quickly rammed her right knee into his midback, which immobilized him, temporarily. She worked fast and grabbed his left arm then started twisting it in the right direction. Her muscles clearly bulged against her glistening skin.
Sarah cringed at hearing metal ripping then sparks flew, which caused her to shield her eyes. She looked back and saw Cameron threw the T-888's arm off to the side. She couldn't believe it and her lips parted in slight disbelief. She wondered if her protector wasn't just purely pissed off by T-888's attempt to destroy her earlier.
"Get to the press," the Omega terminator hollered over to Sarah. Her brief distraction allowed the T-888 to take out her feet from under her. She was deterred because she certainly had the upper hand now that the T-888 had no hands. She climbed onto her feet but stayed knelt as she grabbed his legs. She bared her teeth and stood up but flung him hard into the steel beam in front of her.
The T-888 tried freeing his legs but with his damaged one it was impossible. But the second, hard blow to his head caused his right eye to loosen from his socket.
Cameron was relentless in her fight. Her clear intent to demolish the T-888 was obvious, and she had an angry look. She rammed the T-888's head into the beam then dropped him, but grabbed his damaged leg. She proceeded hauling him to the waiting press.
The T-888 kicked against his enemy, but she parried them with her freehand each time. He could do nothing to stop her.
Sarah had reloaded her Glock with a new magazine and backed out of the way as Cameron brought over the T-888. She shifted away but kept her right hand on the green button as Cameron came to the one-ton hydraulic press.
The T-888 scraped across the concrete floor. He turned his head in the human's direction, and he robotically called, "Sarah Connor."
Cameron forcefully bent back his leg then with her other hand, she grabbed him by the back of his neck. She lifted him to the open press's bed. She struggled with him but determinedly shoved him onto the bed.
"Watch out," Sarah told her protector.
"Do it," Cameron hotly ordered the human. She had to hold the T-888 on the bed because otherwise he'd get free.
Sarah cursed and slammed the press's green button.
Cameron made the perfect jump back just before the press's powerful head slammed into the T-888. She clenched her hands together after almost getting crushed herself, but she was clearly satisfied that it'd worked.
The T-888's legs twitched, but he was locked under the press. His head stuck out on the other side.
Sarah quickly shoved her Glock into her waistband then raced to the T-888's head. She produced her knife and was grateful when Cameron joined her.
The Omega terminator held out her hand for Sarah to stay back. "We must remove his chip."
"I know," Sarah impatiently replied. But she took a deep breath and asked, "Can you hold his head still while I get it?"
Cameron silently agreed and moved forward to the T-888's thrashing head. She quickly caught his head then locked it down in her right arm. She held him still for Sarah, who opened her knife's blade.
Sarah carefully edged closer and looked for the spot where the chip would be hidden. She made out the circles on the T-888's skull. "Which one is it?"
Cameron gritted her teeth and used her legs to help still the fighting T-888. "It's the one on his right side. You have to remove the seal."
Sarah quickly found the cover that hid the chip. She used the knife's tip and popped off the cover, which revealed another hidden cover that had a bar across it. She slid her knife's blade under the bar then wrenched the knife counterclockwise, which caused pressure to release from the T-888's skull.
Cameron let out a relieved sigh now that the T-888 went limp in her arm. She saw his red eyes no longer glowed against her skin.
Sarah carefully removed the chip and stared in amazement at it in her fingertips. She studied it in the dim light and wondered how such a chip came to be in this world.
Cameron gingerly took the Neural Net CPU from Sarah. She looked it over and decided on how different it was from her own. She closed her hand around it and focused back on Sarah. "We must go." She looked down at the enemy terminator. "He has to be destroyed... no advanced technology can be left behind."
Sarah nodded and explained, "We have thermite to destroy his endoskeleton." But another thought occurred to her. "You have a connection to Cyberdyne's systems. Can you check on the security guards at the front desk?" She hoped Cameron could recall how to connect to Cyberdyne, but she noticed how Cameron's features went still and eyes glossed over.
The Omega terminator was silent while she searched her systems for the link she had to Cyberdyne Systems Corporation. She discovered what she believed was the link and connected to the servers via satellite. Within a minute, she retrieved the cameras' feeds and rotated through them until she saw the front desk. She pulled down the cameras' images from her heads-up display and reported, "They are dead."
"Shit," Sarah whispered and became nervous. "We need to get out of here." She frantically thought about what to do. "There's a shift rotation in like half an hour or hour." She looked from the destroyed T-888 to the factory's open floor. She thought about the dead soldiers. "What we do about the Reese Brothers?"
Cameron gazed down at the human. "The Reese Brothers?" She tilted her head and remarked, "I saw a dead human by the laser-beam welders."
Sarah inhaled sharply once she realized that Cameron's memory loss was rather bad. "They're Skynet soldiers... you killed Derek and I..." She lost her nerve and just finished, "Kyle's dead too." She threaded her fingers through her dark tresses.
"We don't have time to deal with them," Cameron decided. "What year is this?"
"2008," Sarah supplied.
The terminator nodded and made her decision. "Can we transport the T-888 away from here?"
"Yes, we have a pickup truck." At this, Sarah dug out the keys from her right jean pocket and held them out to the terminator.
Cameron shook her head and ordered, "You get the truck. I will gather the T-888 and meet you outside the factory." She thought about another aspect and asked, "Do you know where all our weapons are located?" She knew there had to be some by the way Sarah was outfitted.
"Yes," Sarah replied. "While you get the T-888 in the truck, I'll take care of the weapons and stuff." She started moving towards the open floor. "Can you get the parking lot's gate open? It's the entrance to the employee parking lot." She grabbed Cameron's wrist. "I'll show you."
Cameron followed alongside Sarah at a slow run to the destroyed employee's entrance. She detected that thermite had been used in this area, but she didn't ask. She looked through the blown entrance and saw the gate that Sarah meant. Through her uplink with Cyberdyne, she commanded the automated gate to open up for Sarah.
Sarah was pleased and started heading out for the truck. She looked back at Cameron. "We can use the walkie talkies if we need to talk."
"Walkie talkie?" the confused terminator inquired. But then it made sense once she noticed the small, yellow device hooked to her left side.
Sarah could tell that Cameron now understood what she meant so she spun back around and ran off to get the truck.
Cameron turned on her heels and stared at the dim, eerie factory. She visually scanned the factory but nothing was that familiar to her. She glanced off to her left and studied the demolished carbine but to her right was a flattened Glock. She slotted her eyes and faint memory fragments surfaced then faded away. She tried forcing her memory files back, but it caused intense pain in her cybernetic brain.
The terminator bowed her head slightly and pulled up a few scans in her HUD. She noted that a crucial completion meter had barely started, and she needed to be patient. After a beat, she raised her head and opened her eyes to the chip in her right hand. She studied it briefly then tucked it into her right pocket.
Cameron set aside her frustration and instead went back to the T-888. She had to clear the press and haul out his chassis out. She also made sure to collect his arms. Outside, she heard the diesel truck that waited for her.
Sarah Connor had backed up the truck near the blown employee entrance. She left it running, jumped out, and unlocked the tailgate. Cameron came next to her with the two metal arms. She swallowed and asked, "You're sure he won't come back online?"
"It's not impossible but highly unlikely," Cameron replied. She read the human's worry so she assured, "We are safe." She went back into the factory.
Sarah followed behind and mentally thought about the weapons in the factory. She set about getting them only after she told Cameron to get the sniper rifle off the roof.
Cameron obliged, went outside, and discovered the ladder to the roof. Indeed the human had been right that a Barretta rifle sat on its tripod on the roof. She collected it along with the unused and spent cartridges.
Sarah loaded the weapons into the truck's bed and wearily backed up at seeing the T-888's face that peeked out from under the darkness. She clenched her hands and reversed another step, but she accidentally bumped into her protector.
The terminator wasn't bothered and side stepped the human. She loaded the rifle and cartridge case into the truck. "Is that everything?"
"I'm just missing the grenade launcher," Sarah muttered. But she was sure she saw it earlier in the parking lot. She left Cameron and started on a hunt for the launcher, which she found several yards away in the parking lot. She picked it up but inspected the impression in the barrel that reminded her of fingers. She placed her fingers over the impression, but hers were much too small.
Sarah let out a shaky breath then hastened back to the truck. She tossed the launcher into the bed then shut the tailgate. "You told me you had a location in mind to burn the triple eights, but you didn't say specifically where."
Cameron tilted her head and wondered about the location.
Sarah tapped the closed tailgate and mentioned, "But you said something about Route 1 and going north-west out of LA." She hesitated a bit. "We're in Los Angeles."
The terminator nodded once then properly replied, "Thank you for explaining."
Sarah kept her hand on the tailgate. She carefully studied the terminator's unreadable face and eyes. She tried not staring at the hole through Cameron's forehead where the pipe had been driven through. She instead studied the cuts on Cameron's face that revealed flashes of metal under skin. "You don't remember anything?"
Cameron put her head to the side again. "There are faint pieces, but nothing solid."
"Then how did you know I was Sarah Connor?" Sarah inquired.
"I have certain protocol, subroutines, and data hardwired throughout my entire endoskeleton. They are crucial to my purpose and can only be destroyed if my endoskeleton is destroyed." Cameron straightened up her head after she explained it in her monotone, lifeless tone.
"Almost like firmware," Sarah muttered after she thought about it.
"Yes, that is the earliest version," Cameron agreed. "A human's memory can be erased yet they can still breathe."
Sarah nodded once she understood what her protector meant. "We better go." She held out the keys. "You have the GPS so you can drive."
The terminator collected the keys then went to the truck's open driver door.
Sarah hurried to the passenger door and got into the warm truck. She gave off a shiver but an afterthought hit her just as Cameron put the truck into driver. "What about the H-200? Do you have it?"
Cameron hit the gas pedal which made the Power Stroke whistle loudly all around them. "Yes, it is docked with my chassis." She retrieved her GPS and preceded mapping out a drive to the north-west. Perhaps she would recall what she had in mind, if at all. She gave a brief consideration to the running sedan parked on the sides street but concluded it wasn't relevant.
Sarah slumped back in the seat after she buckled up. She dropped her head against the headrest, but twisted her head to the terminator. "You told me that you'd be able to clear out of Cyberdyne's systems without leaving any traces that you hacked into it."
"Yes," Cameron agreed. "I will do that after I erase the recordings from the cameras." This also would give her a chance to collect data on what happened tonight despite it was a very small window.
Sarah chewed on the inside of her mouth in pure worry. She thought about the fights tonight and recalled how the T-888 hadn't expected Cameron to come back online after he pierced her skull. She glanced once at the terminator and carefully asked, "If that T-888 can't come back online without his chip then how can you if yours was destroyed by that steel pipe?"
Cameron focused on her drive through the city and how to get onto Route 1. But she answered the human's question. "I was specially designed to protect your daughter, who is also my designer." She knew this by the permanent data written to her systems. "She included secondary chips in case my primary chips were ever damaged or compromised. My secondary chips remain in a suspended mode but are activated immediately once my primaries go offline."
"Backup," Sarah muttered. She had to admire her daughter's foresight and now wondered if that wasn't the reason why her daughter sent Cameron to her. She let out a low sigh and slouched deeper into the seat. She placed her right elbow on the door handle and dropped her forehead into her hand.
Cameron glanced once over at the exhausted human, but she wasn't sure what to say. She didn't remember anything about the past days or how any of this happened. She only knew what was hard coded in her endoskeleton, which was protecting Sarah Connor from danger.
Sarah was spent, yet she wouldn't sleep with that T-888 in the truck's bed. She was still tense and shaken by tonight's events. She briefly closed her eyes and Kyle Reese's face flashed in her mind, but she chased it off by opening her eyes. She softly mentioned, "You remembered how to do the jujitsu moves."
The terminator had a slightly perplexed expression while she pulled up the related data to Sarah's comment. "No, the jujitsu is not considered memory files. In my combat programming, I have a recent write for those moves that I executed in the factory."
Sarah furrowed her eyebrows and turned her head to Cameron. "Basically, when I taught you those jujitsu moves you added them to your combat program?"
Cameron's lips pulled and made them thinner once she realized that the human had taught her the jujitsu. She hadn't expected this but confirmed, "Yes, but I do not actually remember you teaching me."
Sarah briefly covered her mouth and felt her heart drop at this news. She lowered her hand onto the door's handle and sadly stared out the window. She felt her eyes sting because this indeed meant that her lover remembered nothing about last night or earlier this morning. She threaded her hand through her hair and clenched her tresses tightly.
Cameron glanced once at the distraught human, but she wasn't sure why Sarah was upset. She also didn't know how to comfort her so she left them in silence. She was utterly uncomfortable with human's difficult emotions because her memory files were lost on what she'd learned about them. She instead just hoped that her charge would calm down on her own. However, it did nothing to ease Cameron's tension or her worry for the emotional human. Cameron would just have to wait it out and hoped for the best for her charge.
To be continued.