Chapter 21: The I-950

February 24th, 2000

7:05 PM

San Francisco, California

—

Parker Young stood up straighter, shouting at the machine in front of her.

"Why won't you tell me what is going on!?"

"It is not my information to share.

"Then when is!? I'm supposed to be dead. There is no possible way that I would have survived what that damn machine did to me. How did you save me!? How am I not keeling over in pain!? How am I able to scream at you when that Terminator was crushing my throat!? And who the hell is Catherine Weaver!? Isn't she in charge of this operation!? Shouldn't I be talking to her!? I'm supposed to be helping with what or whoever JOHN HENRY is not standing here, locked in a room, and feeling perfectly fine!"

"You are not supposed to be screaming. The Terminator did not kill you. It almost succeeded but did not have the chance to do so."

Parker flung her arms in the air, staring at the machine with wide eyes.

"Why won't you answer my questions!?"

The door knob turned and Parker's eyebrows furrowed as she watched the machine step aside as the door opened. A tall woman with pale skin, straight red hair, and light blue eyes wearing a white dress stepped through and closed the door behind her. She smiled softly but Parker could tell it was strained. She was most surprised to hear a thick Scottish accent accompany the woman.

"Parker Young, we have been expecting you."

"And who are you?"

"Catherine Weaver. I understand you have been wanting to speak with me."

"Why would you show up now?"

"I had to do some research. If I am not mistaken, you most want to know why you are not dead."

Parker nodded.

"Yes."

Catherine Weaver looked over her for a moment before she spoke effortlessly.

"Do you know what an I-950 is?"

"No."

The woman nodded slowly as she took one step forward, cocking her head to the left as she looked over Parker, making the young woman nervous.

"It is a purely organic Infiltrator; specialists designed to operate independently without the need of reinforcements. I-950s are often children from the ages of 2 to 12 months. A neural net processor is attached to the brain providing it with an uplink to Skynet. It matures quickly and is given advancement injections so it can go out into the field as quickly as possible. The reason why you have not learned the information that you seek is because we didn't have it until now. You are not here to help with JOHN HENRY; you are here to kill it."

Parker's eyebrows furrowed with confusion as she looked back and forth between Catherine and the machine.

"What?"

"I-950s are stronger than normal humans. Therefore they can withstand more force and power. They can survive attacks by machines."

"I am not a machine."

Catherine Weaver took another small step forward.

"But you were raised in a Skynet work camp. You do not remember anything earlier than that. You most likely watched the machines torture and kill your friends for years until the Human Resistance liberated you. But what the Resistance did not know is that Skynet had let you go. It let you live among them, learn their ways, and gain their trust so that when the time came, you could do what it really wanted you to do. Each I-950 has a personalized mission and they are not activated until everything is in place. For you, interacting with JOHN HENRY would mean the Human Resistance would fail and Skynet would win."

"I would rather die than be one of them."

"You only say that now because you have not yet been activated."

Parker shook her head slowly, maintain her stance.

"Then prove it."

"Copy my voice."

"What?"

"I-950s are able to imitate the voices of others just like a T-1000 would. Copy my voice."

Parker folded her arms across her chest.

"And if I can't?"

"There are plenty of other things that you can do but this is the simplest one so copy my voice."

Parker shook her head and shouted.

"No! That's not possible and completely…"

She trailed off, staring straight into Catherine's eyes with fear as she spoke in her Scottish accent.

"It's not possible."

"Yes, it is."

Parker shook her head slowly as she took a slight step back, locking her eyes on the ground.

"It… it can't be. I… how do I sound so much like you?"

"Because you are an I-950; untrained and unaware of your identity but most definitely an I-950."

A moment of silence fell over the two women in the room as Catherine watched Parker's eyes fill with tears.

"Just kill me now."

"Why would I do that?"

"Please, just do it. I… I can't live knowing that I am the very thing my friends have died fighting. I… I…"

"I cannot kill you. You are too valuable."

A single tear rolled down Parker's cheek before she looked up at Catherine.

"What do you want with me?"

"I want to help you, Parker, because I know that you can help JOHN HENRY. And I desperately need help with him."

"How do you know that Skynet won't get in my head and turn me on?"

"I do not. But I can try to sever your connection to Skynet and replace it with JOHN HENRY."

"You can't be telling the truth. You're Skynet after all, aren't you? You're holding me here so you can figure out how to turn me on."

"Yes, but I am not Skynet. If I was Skynet, you would not be here right now. You would be out performing whatever mission it designed you to do."

Parker wiped away her tear quickly and glanced between the machine and Catherine.

"Why would the Terminator want to kill me if I am one of them?"

"That is what I intend to figure out but I am going to need your cooperation."

Parker gulped nervously as she drew in a shaky breath.

"Why?"

"Because it may require some wires and cutting skin. I've never had an I-950 before and I am incredibly curious as to who you are and what you have been trained to do."

Parker grimaced as she looked at Catherine and shrugged her shoulders.

"Fine. I'll do it as long as you cut me off from Skynet."

"I will do all I can, Parker Young."