Chapter 38: Blowtorch and Corkscrew
Summary
The Connors breach Compound India with the assistance of Epsilon Private Security. Danny is confronted with a terrible truth.
It wasn't a particularly star-filled night, all John could see was the black void that lorded over Earth, a seemingly righteous omen for what was to come. He rested against the rock, shifting his gaze between the two squads of soldiers that surrounded him - all with weapons at the ready. Sarah crouched next to him, her handgun ready to fire. Derek had taken command of another squad, who were taking a position on the other side of the building. He saw Hawkins approach his Corporal, going over plans with him that he could barely overhear.
"Do we have an entry plan?" Hawkins asked quietly.
"Yes sir, several actually." He pointed outward to a Kaliba Guard wearing a Red shirt, combat vest, and three chevrons on his arm, "That's the Senior Officer, his clearance card can be used to open the outer door; we can gain entry with a Bang and Clear. Or, we could go the Stallone route and put that C4 to good use." The Corporal explained.
Hawkins appeared to think for a minute, going over the perimeter schematics silently. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he looked at his Corporal with an accomplished expression, "Eh, we were gonna blow this place to hell anyway." Hawkins said.
The Corporal bore a mischievous grin, "Stallone route?"
Hawkins grinned back, "Blowtorch and Corkscrew baby."
He activated his shoulder-mounted radio and began transmitting, "Platoon, check in."
"Green."
"Green."
"Green."
"Green."
"Green."
"Green."
"Platoon, engage on my order." Hawkins raised his left hand, five fingers displayed. One went down, then two, three, four, and five.
"Engage!"
John almost felt sorry for how badly the Kaliba personnel had been caught off-guard. Amongst the firestorm of bullets, he saw six men go down instantly, including the NCO that had been pointed out. Two roof snipers also fell to their deaths as they were struck with rounds. Hawkins and Alpha squad moved Horizontally to the left, engaging as they did. Bravo squad moved to the right flank and took cover behind a cluster of large rocks. John gripped his shotgun and held steady against his cover. He looked up and saw his mother firing from behind her own piece of cover. She emptied a clip into a Kaliba guard and he went down.
As the fight went on, John noticed the Resistance of the Kaliba guards faltering, the gunfire from their end of the battle had been overshadowed by the Epsilon attackers. Alpha and Bravo squads advanced slowly, mowing down any Resistance. John felt a tap on his shoulder and looked to see his mother waving him forth. He complied and followed her until they were close to Alpha Squad's position. A member of Bravo squad was struck in the shoulder and fell down, holding his wound, only to be put to rest seconds later by a bullet to the brain. Seeing this, Hawkins steered his eyes to the roof and saw a Sniper wielding a Semi-Auto rifle firing upon them.
Quickly, he dispatched the Sniper with a shot of his rifle. Sarah pulled John behind cover.
"Don't move!" She snapped.
Sarah peeped around the corner and saw the remaining Alpha and Bravo squad soldiers dispatching the last few guards. She scanned the area, looking for any more. Satisfied they were clear, she nudged her head, ordering John to follow. The group marched towards the door, two Alpha Squad members covering their rear guard.
"Alright, pull Security." Hawkins ordered. He strolled over to his Corporal, "Casualties?"
"Three, sir. Including Kinnaman and Fargo."
Visibly distraught, Hawkins nodded in acknowledgment. He turned his attention to a well-armored soldier.
"Buck, arm the charges."
The Soldier nodded and set down his Assault Pack. He retrieved two Plastic Explosives and armed them on the door. He set the timer for twenty seconds.
"Fire in the hole!" Buck said.
John, Sarah, and the EPS Soldiers stretched distance from the door and took cover behind whatever was available. After Twenty seconds passed, the charge blew, muffling John's hearing.
"What the hell was that?!" Edvard exclaimed.
McKnight looked up, shaken by the explosion that had sent tremors through the halls of Compound India.
"We're under attack sir." McKnight declared.
Edvard and Danny stood with a wide-eyed expression, both of them held by fear. Jade and McKnight behaved the opposite, they gathered their composure and primed themselves for battle. Jade took hold of Danny's arm and tugged him away from Cameron's deactivated shell.
"But..." Danny attempted to protest.
"We have to go." Jade insisted.
Suddenly, a Kaliba guard security guard entered the room, pointing to his right, obviously shaken.
"Sir! We're under attack, they have us surrounded on all sides." the guard reported.
"So there's no escape?" Edvard asked.
McKnight glanced at his master, still visibly undisturbed by the current situation, "There is, sir. The emergency exit leads through the sewers and into the forest. It's about a mile long, but we'll have plenty of cover, assuming we aren't pursued." he explained.
Edvard contemplated his words. He didn't find the thought of drenching himself in the foul rubbish that the sewer system beneath would no doubt contain, but there didn't seem to be any other option.
"Fine. Daniel - you and Jade will follow close behind." Edvard ordered. He gestured for McKnight to lead the way, and the large man complied.
Jade morphed her right hand into a blade, intending to impale Cameron's chip upon it. She raised her arm above and steadied herself.
"No!" Danny shrieked. He blocked Jade's plummeting blade, just inches before it landed. The T-1001 gave him a confounded look.
"We need it alive for the Virus. As long as it's active, she can transmit intel to the server." Danny reasoned.
Silently, Jade looked at Edvard for final approval. Although it was true that eliminating Cameron would erase a significant obstacle in the path to his goal; what Daniel had accomplished here was tide-turning. The Virus had already given them two targets, and according to Daniel - it would give them more. As long as it stayed active of course. With a reluctant nod from Edvard, Jade had her answer.
With a bitter grimace, Jade reshaped her Blade. She and the others began leaving the room, but Danny stayed behind. He stared at the lifeless machine and felt a sense of uncertainty for the first time. He hadn't anticipated his quest for revenge would escalate into all-out warfare, at least not this quickly, but the price to pay for both vengeance and peace proved to be a costly one, a fact proven time and time again with a simple look at human history.
Begrudgingly, he closed his laptop and followed Jade, leaving the room.
"Platoon, break comms, this is Alpha 1-1. Alpha and Bravo squads have breached the Western entrance and we're moving in to secure the compound." Hawkins informed his men through the radio.
"Copy that, Charlie and Delta moving in now."
"Foxtrot and Echo, ditto."
"Keep it professional Hendricks." Hawkins scolded.
"Yes sir, sorry sir."
Hawkins held his right hand up, signaling his fireteam to hold position. In front of them were two paths that split left and forward. The left path opened into an empty hallway, and the path before them was obstructed by a staircase. Hawkins signaled two men to accompany him, a call answered by Corporal Booth and Private Lowery. Hawkins peeked around the corner and saw that the coast was clear, no defenses to see. Slowly, he and his men moved up the stairs. Before he got to the top, he opened his utility pouch and retrieved a small object - revealing itself to be a handheld mirror.
He held it above his head and over the staircase. He saw a fortified position, Kaliba guards had taken post and were holding position, awaiting them. Hawkins grimaced in frustration. He and his men moved down the stairs, returning to the rest of the fireteam.
"Probably twenty men over that staircase. Fortified MG posts. Booth, I want you to take Pierce and Hill and secure me a flank. Tell me when you're ready." Hawkins said.
Booth nodded, "Yes, sir."
Foxtrot's demolitions team had done its job too well. The door had been blown off its hinges, sure enough - but the explosion must have blown a breaker and caused power loss in the entrance hall. Derek activated the flashlight attached to his rifle, but it did little to repel the darkness.
"Rivera, on me." Derek said.
His second-in-command fell in line, covering Derek. It was clear he was nervous, as Hawkins had previously stated - the man wasn't a veteran; his rifle shook lightly in his hands, and beads of sweat trickled down his left cheek.
"Steady." Derek said.
Rivera put on a look of courage that was clearly an act. Derek had seen it many times, on the face of hundreds of fifteen-year-old soldiers who had been thrown into a world they wanted nothing to do with, only to never see them again.
"Sir? Orders?" Rivera asked.
Derek regained himself, realizing he had a squad to lead.
"Move up!" he barked at his men.
Foxtrot and Echo moved opposite each other into the compound. Their combat boots clacked throughout the metal floor. They passed by a room with an open door, full of strange metal instruments, all of unknown function; Pipes had been shattered, spewing steam and filling the room with a thick industrial fog. As they passed, Rivera and Derek heard something heavy fall onto the ground inside the room.
Snapping their attention to the source of the noise, Derek gestured for Rivera and another man to check. He ordered Echo to pull security front, while he covered Rivera's rear. The three men moved into the room, each of them had their heads on a swivel. A jolting discharge of steam startled Rivera, but the man quickly readjusted himself and continued to move. The Private who followed him was just as edgy, the soldier's eyes darted left and right, up and down - not holding his gaze long enough to catch an easily-missed threat.
Rivera closed in on the object that had fallen, some sort of cylindrical piece of machinery. Curiously, Rivera knelt down and examined it. He held it in his hands, and that was when the mechanism activated; the last thing he saw was a bright flash, feeling the heat of the sun wash over his skin, and then he felt nothing.
The explosion had also claimed the life of the soldier who had accompanied him and sent Derek soaring backward into the hall. The squad rushed to his aid, pulling him up. As he stood, two of the men helping him were gunned down by small-arms fire. The rest of the squad - caught off-guard by the chaos, were also quickly wiped out. Derek took cover behind the bodies of one of his men, the bullets either missing him or impacting the corpse.
Derek reached for his radio, "Alpha 1-1, this is Reese, Foxtrot and Echo have been am-" Derek ducked as bullet whizzed by.
"Ambushed and wiped out. Need support, over."
Derek waited for a response but only received static.
"Shit!"
Sarah and John were alive when the bullets started flying, and if the stairs in front of them hadn't offered cover - that might not have been the case. Hawkins team returned fire, but with the defenses the opposition had, it was a simple war of attrition. He fed a fresh magazine into his rifle and fired another burst of rounds; they failed to cause any casualties, only striking the steel barriers the machine guns were emplaced on.
"BUCK!" Hawkins yelled.
The demolitions specialist, still firing his weapon, turned his attention to Hawkins.
"FLASH IT! FLASH IT!" Hawkins screamed.
The gunfire was deafening, nobody could hear the words the man shouted, even the men taking cover next to him.
"WHAT?!" Buck shouted back.
The man across from Hawkins went down from a bullet to the neck, it didn't take him long to die. Whether it was from blood loss or a second bullet was uncertain.
"FLASH IT! FUCKING FLASH IT!" Hawkins screamed again, this time as loud as he possibly could.
It seemed his words had cut through the unending discord, and Buck retrieved two M84 Stun Grenades from his pack. He threw the first far enough to get behind the turret emplacements, his second made landing just over the stairs, going off on the floor it was connected to.
There was a break in the gunfire and Hawkins took his chance. He signaled for his men to follow him and he raced up the stairs. The Stun Grenade had done its job, and the Kaliba guards were shielding their eyes, their ears rang from the explosion. Hawkins Fireteam moved with him, and they opened fire on the guards inside. Many fell within seconds. The Epsilon soldiers dove behind cover, but one was gunned down by a Kaliba guard who had recovered from the stun. It seemed their progress had been halted once more. Hawkins glimpsed over the piece of cover he had taken and witnessed the machine guns being manned once again.
"Crap!" he cursed under his breath.
Sarah and John were faring just as well. Bullets whizzed by them like pieces of debris being hurled by the winds of a hurricane. John panted heavily, his back rested against the barrel that served as his only means of holding onto life. He gripped his shotgun tightly, his fingers strained from the polymer. He gazed left to see his mother returning fire with her pistol, focusing all of her attention on the skirmish. Meanwhile, he was frozen, unsure of what to do. His brain failing to register any strategies.
Could he raise his head over his thin piece of cover and return fire? No, the chances of catching a bullet in his brain were too high. Move cover-to-cover and flank them from the right? No, the same possibility of death still lingered evermore. He looked desperately, in every corner of the battlezone for a chance to turn the tide. Suddenly, his mother yelped in pain. His eyes widened in horror as his mother held her hand to her temple, blood covering the palm.
"Mom!" he hooted in worry.
Sarah inhaled a sharp breath, she moved her hand into vision and examined it. She was still alive and the pain wasn't too bad, so it could have been worse.
"It's okay, it's just a graze." Sarah reassured.
A body fell back onto the ground next to them, a pained grunt escaped its mouth as it landed. Just another Epsilon casualty to add to books. John reached past his mother and grabbed the arm of the soldier. More bullets threatened to strike his arm, but he pulled away just in time. With a jolt of speed, he hauled the corpse closer and behind cover. The teenager frantically searched his assault pack for anything of use. He only found 5.56 magazines, gum, cigarettes, nothing that would help. He unzipped the side pouch and his hand came across a large cylindrical object.
John pulled it out and recognized it as a Stun Grenade. Grinning briefly at his treasure, John peeked around his cover. Hawkins had lost another man, and the Lieutenant appeared to be buckling under the pressure. John looked at his mother, her bleeding was becoming more severe. He ripped off a piece of clothing from his shirt and placed it against the graze.
"Here. Hold this." John said.
Sarah complied, she winced in pain as the cloth eased against her skin, soaking in the blood that was dripping down. John looked around his cover once more.
"Hawkins!" John yelled.
Thankfully, the soldier had heard him, and he snapped his attention to John. The Teenager presented the grenade to him, and mock threw it. Hawkins nodded in acknowledgment. John rolled the Stun Grenade to the man, and he snatched it from the ground. Hawkins grabbed the shoulder of the man next to him, earning his attention.
"Sully! When I throw this, you and Anderson get your asses to position 3 and get us some fucking ground!" Hawkins yelled.
"Yes sir!" Sully frantically shouted in response.
Hawkins took a deep breath, knowing the next move would either make or break them. Praying silently to his god, he pulled the pin and tossed the grenade over the stairs. The next three seconds felt like an eternity, and then the grenade went off. The sound shattered the ears of the Kaliba defenders, and Hawkins executed his plan. His comrades stormed up the stairs and opened fire. The machine gun positions were still well-guarded, but the guards were still holding their eyes from the flash.
Seeing their chance, Sarah and John inched next to the stairs. Sarah breathed heavily, an action shared by her son. The two looked at each other, knowing in the next few minutes, the chance of walking out of the compound was slim.
Derek could hear them, the footsteps getting closer. The room next to him was still set ablaze, meaning his only measure of cover was the corpse of his fallen comrade. In a way, he always felt the end would be like this, in the worst way he could imagine. A last stand in a dark hallway, his only companion being the feeling of wavering hope.
Suddenly, the feet stopped. The clatter of combat boots against metal had ceased. Silence, and then chatter, chaotic chatter.
"Hey, what the f-"
A fleshy sound erupted from behind Derek, followed by the agonized screams of several men, but he remained still, unmoving. The commotion went on for several seconds, weapons went off wildly in all directions, a few rounds threatened to send Derek to an early grave - but it eventually ceased. The silence was deafening, Derek was afraid to turn around to see what had caused the carnage.
Still blind to his savior, Derek gripped his rifle tightly and sucked in a deep breath. The silence was broken as the sound of walking began again, inching closer until they were right behind him. With impressive speed, Derek whipped around and aimed his weapon.
Seeing who it was, Derek's narrow expression softened, and he lowered his weapon.
"Why do you look so down, Lieutenant Reese?" Catherine said.
Derek realized he had been laying down against the body of his man, and realized the T-1001 had demonstrated her dry sense of humor once more. He picked himself up and looked down at Catherine.
"They caught us off-guard. Bomb went off as a distraction, then they cut us to pieces." Derek explained.
Catherine tilted her head as she processed Derek's words, and then gazed down at the bodies of the men.
"It's unfortunate. I remember Hawkins hired men who were more... potent." she said as she burned a scornful glare into Derek's eyes.
Derek looked her up and down, shaking his head in contempt, "You're a cold bitch." he sneered.
Catherine denied him the satisfaction of a response. Choosing to turn away and walk deeper into the compound. Slightly shaken, Derek gave his dead comrades a final look before hustling forth and following Catherine.
John still hadn't fired his weapon, and everyone else seemed to be on their last magazine. He watched as Hawkins blind-fired another hail of bullets in the direction of Kaliba guards that were holed up behind the barriers. John's eyes flashed left and right, trying to sate his hunger for strategic guidance. It was then that he spotted a red object hanging against the wall, realizing that it was a fire extinguisher.
Sarah noticed John's attention was drawn elsewhere and followed his gaze to the object. Her wound was still bleeding slightly, but not enough to be fatal. Proclaiming she understood his plan, she gave her son a meager nod. John nodded back and lifted himself above his cover. He aimed at the extinguisher and fired. Pressurized foam exploded from the object, coating and blinding the Kaliba guards.
"Now, NOW!" Hawkins yelled.
The Epsilon soldiers closed in on the defenders, they moved slowly, inching upward until they were right on top of them. It was quick after that, the last Kaliba guard fell within a minute. John and Sarah fell in, with John behind. A flurry of footsteps approached John, and he whipped around and let off a round from his shotgun. It was a Kaliba guard who had overestimated his chances at an ambush. The shells tore through him, and he fell to the ground with a weighty thud.
His hands shaking, the weapon in his hands quivered uncontrollably. His eyes locked onto the wall in front of him, unmoving.
"John!" A feminine voice called to him. He paid no attention to it, only staring down at the guard he had just killed.
He felt a heavy grip form around his right arm, spinning him around and shaking him.
"JOHN!" His mother yelled.
Finally, he looked down, his hearing no longer muffled. His mother's face was laced with worry, the woman caressed his cheeks, desperately chipping away at whatever mental force had triggered his thousand-yard stare.
"Mom?"
"John, are you okay?" Sarah said gently.
Realizing he had been frozen, John tore himself away from his mother's hands. He approached Hawkins, who gave him an encouraging tap on the shoulder.
"Nice shot kid." he complimented.
John didn't respond and brushed past Hawkins. There was another hallway with several rooms lining both sides. John pointed to the first.
"We need to search these." He said frantically. "Every one." he declared firmly.
Hawkins gestured his men to follow through. They stacked up against the walls next to the doors, two teams of each. As they did, Hawkins, John, and Sarah moved in on the fourth door on the right side, a large one. John struggled to turn the valve but with enough force it eventually gave way. The door screeched heavily as he pulled - quickly joined by Sarah and Hawkins. With all their strength, they finally managed to pull it open.
Surprising no one, John rushed in weapon at the ready. His heart sank when he saw her.
Cameron was positioned on her back on a medical cot. Her eyes were closed as if she was slumbering. A mess of Computer equipment made a home on the desk next to her, but the sight that drew his attention most was the empty chip port.
"Oh my god!" John huffed frantically. He rushed to Cameron's side and knelt down. He examined the empty port, peeling aside the exposed flesh. His eyes darted to the computer equipment. He searched over the ports for Cameron's chip, pushing aside wires and cords connected to the equipment, and silently rejoiced when he found the chip connected to a port above the tower. He yanked it from its home and wasted no time sliding the chip back into Cameron's head.
Hawkins stared in horror at the sight before him. The girl, the equipment, the discarded pieces of machinery that he had never seen before.
"Jesus Christ..." he said under his breath.
Sarah approached from behind, her gun still in her hand. She glanced at the shocked Hawkins.
His mouth open in horror, he slowly turned to Sarah, "What the hell did I just get my men into?" he asked, possibly rhetorically.
"Please please please!" John chanted quietly, his face red with emotion.
SYSTEM REBOOTING...
OPERATIONAL STATUS... LOWER AND UPPER LIMB DAMAGE.
WILL SEE A 23.7% DECREASE IN COMBAT EFFICIENCY UNTIL REPAIRS ARE MADE...
RECOMMEND IMMEDIATE REPAIR!
SCANNING MISSION FILES... ERROR! NO MISSION FILES PRESENT.
REBOOTING...
Cameron's eyes opened steadily. Sitting up, her confused gaze fell quickly on John. The Teenager smiled proudly through watery eyes. He reached over and pushed away a strand of hair from her vision. She tilted her head at him, the brown irises beaming at him innocently.
"Cameron..." John whispered happily.
Sarah watched, she didn't bother to hide her expression of concern, one her son could easily misidentify as contempt or fear. She knew what happened the last time Cameron had rebooted after a chaotic event, and she wouldn't take any chances now.
"John?" came the Cyborgs soft, feminine voice.
He was relieved to hear her again, her voice. It was like a cloud; soft, easy, and delicate. Ironically, the only thing soft or delicate about the machine to begin with. His hands drifted down and grasped her fingers.
"Cameron are you okay?" he asked tenderly.
The Cyborg looked around, taking in the surroundings, "How did you-"
"Don't worry about that. We have to go." John insisted. With that, he offered his hand to her. The Cyborg took it and stood herself up.
When Cameron stood, her eyes met with the distraught Lieutenant Hawkins.
"What are you?"
Cameron didn't answer, only staring. The tension broke when an EPS soldier strolled into the room, moving next to Hawkins.
"The Compound is clear. My men are ready to set the charges on your go." he said.
Hawkins glanced at the man and nodded meekly, "Yeah, do it."
"Yes, sir."
When the soldier left the room, Hawkins couldn't help but watch Cameron as she and John prepared to leave. He missed the sympathetic look Sarah gave him, and was the last one out of the room, a consequence of being lost in his thoughts.
Catherine moved with the focus and determination of a dancer; steadily, forwardly, and completely unwavering. Derek - very much opposite so. His movements were jolted and unfocused, snapping his attention to every small noise that was made.
"Alpha 1-1 to Platoon. Compound is secure, report to the central chamber for regroup. Over and out."
"You catch that?" Derek asked.
"Yes." Catherine responded. She stopped walking, almost causing Derek to bump into her.
"What?" an alarmed Derek asked.
"We're not alone." Catherine insisted.
Derek's eyes scanned their surroundings, searching for anything that could be a threat.
"What makes you say that?" Derek inquired.
"Footsteps twelve-point-eight feet to our left." The machine answered.
On cue, gunfire erupted from that direction. Derek almost caught a bullet in his lung, Catherine shielded him just in time. The attacker pumped shells into her body before he ran out, and the T-1001 tore the weapon from his hands. As she morphed her hand into a blade to deliver a killing blow, a slender set of arms took hold. She looked over her shoulder and saw the golden-haired T-1001 she and Cameron had battled. Her adversary hauled her away, and she landed a few feet from Derek.
Derek tackled the first attacker, a large, muscular man. He let off a few punches to his lower jaw, but the man simply took them with little reaction. He grabbed Derek by the throat and threw him aside. Derek recovered and looked toward Catherine. The two liquid metal machines were locked in combat in a seemingly unbreakable stalemate.
"McKnight!" A mature, foreign voice called from the hall.
Derek looked over to the source of the voice. Two people stood, watching the battle. One of them was an older Caucasian male, neatly dressed and expertly groomed. The other was a smaller man who looked to be just into his twenties.
"Run sir! Jade and I have this handled!" the large man replied.
The two men exchanged uncertain glances before following through on McKnight's request. The man lifted himself into a standing position, raising his fists. Derek guessed he clocked in at around 6'4", probably 250 pounds, enough veins in his arms to compete for Mr. Universe. He didn't look forward to fighting this man without a gun.
"The shit I do for the future..."
They had been running for five minutes, the facility didn't look to be so big from the outside, but the interior just presented hallway after hallway after hallway. John and the others had finally reached the central chamber, they stood waiting for the rest of EPS. Hawkins ordered his men to pull security around the perimeter, each soldier covering a hallway. The room they were in seemed to be the mess hall; tables and chairs were strewn about, and a kitchen was placed against the eastern wall.
Sarah examined the surrounding area, looking for any signs of Danger. To her surprise, it seemed the facility had been evacuated quicker than expected. Hawkins fed another magazine into his Rifle, discarding the empty one on the floor. Hearing the sound of feet approaching swiftly, Hawkins looked up.
An EPS soldier arrived with roughly seven or eight other men in tow, he removed his cover and stood before Hawkins.
"Leoni." Hawkins greeted. He looked over the rest of the men, they all looked weary from the heavy combat.
"Is this all that's left?" he asked.
Leoni glanced back and sighed, "Yes, sir. We lost three men in the halls. Only reason we're alive is because Penny waltzed in and saved our asses last minute." he explained. He appeared to recall something humorous, as he grinned in amusement, "You should have seen it, Lieutenant. She took down five guys with her bare hands. I'd never seen anything like it."
Hawkins blood ran cold, and he glanced at Cameron briefly. What he saw, what he was still seeing, was a stoic humanoid devoid of any fear or anxiety. She stood next to the boy, watching him closely as if a bird watching prey. Come to think of it, Catherine had been acting similarly as of late.
"Sir?" Leoni addressed.
Hawkins returned his attention to his soldier, "Where is she? The girl... Penny." he asked.
"She went after Foxtrot. They and Echo were wiped out as soon as they entered the compound; fuckin' ambush. We lost Rivera."
"Dammit!" Hawkins cursed. Hawkins wiped his lips with his hand, breathing furiously. After a moment, he pointed to the southern hallway, "Get your men to cover that hall."
He turned around and faced his demolitions expert, "Buck, I need you to prime the charges and set them inside the fuel depot. This whole place is going up in exactly twenty minutes. We clear?"
Buck nodded, "Yes sir." And ran off to perform his task.
John eyed Cameron over, there was visible damage to her skin - which he assumed came from her brawl with Jade. What bothered him most, is that she hadn't said a word since she had reawakened. Hell, it almost seemed like she was insistent on avoiding eye contact.
"Cameron?" John asked with concern.
The Cyborg sulkily stared back at him, only in movement, not emotion, the spark in her eyes was as detached as ever.
"Yes?" She deadpanned.
"Did they do anything to you? All those wires..."
"I don't know. I need to run a scan as soon as we escape." she answered with the same monotone voice.
"It's just... you're acting..." John hesitated to say "weird", as he feared Cameron could interpret it incorrectly.
"Different." he finished.
The Machine gave him another one of her unassuming head-tilts. The gesture she made when she didn't understand something. After a moment, it seemed she had realized John was right. Something was wrong with her software as if it had been violated by an external source. It didn't seem to be a direct threat to John or the others, but she would need to find out what was wrong. Fast.
"Danny?"
John heard the name cut through the air, destroying the tension. He looked at his mother first, only to see her standing in awe, still as a statue. She was gawking at something in the Northern hallway, and he followed her gaze to two men, staring back. Immediately, John recognized one of the men as Edvard Kleven, the man who had masked Kaliba's presence under the pretense of a tech company. The other... no, it couldn't be.
John barely had time to process who it was, as Sarah bolted for the two men. John and Cameron exchanged looks of concern before following after her. He glanced back and saw Hawkins had begun to follow as well, but John stopped him.
"No! Just make sure your men set those charges, we'll be outta here before twenty minutes, I promise!"
Visibly opposed, Hawkins nodded in acknowledgment regardless. Even if he had decided to disobey, John sealed the door tightly as he left the room, leaving Epsilon as the only people left inside.
Derek grunted as the punch made contact with his jaw, setting him on his knees. Before he could react, McKnight lifted him by the throat, carrying him in an almost comical manner. Throughout the entire fight, the man had not said a word to Derek; not like an exchange of fists needed one, but Derek's taste in 80's action films had led him to believe fights like this were supposed to be more dramatic.
A punch to his gut put a stop to his recollections, another almost shut off his brain completely. Realizing he was in a convenient groin-kicking range, Derek sailed his right foot into the middle portion of the man. With a pained screech and face to go with, McKnight dropped Derek on his back.
Derek stood up and wiped away the blood from under his nose, "Steel-Toed boots are a bitch, huh?" he taunted.
McKnight gave him a seething glare. He formed his hands into a tight fist, the knuckles popping as he did so.
"I don't think you're in a position to say shit, seeing how your face looks like ground beef. That punch still hurt?" McKnight shot back.
True enough, Derek's face had been pulverized for the majority of the fight, but if he was anything, it was stubborn.
"I've taken worse." Derek hissed.
McKnight grinned, "Oh, then I'll adjust accordingly."
The large man rushed toward Derek, but he dodged just in time. Derek's fist came sailing into the cheek of his adversary, and then another into his nose. McKnight toppled backward, his back thudding against the steel.
Derek sucked in deep breaths, replenishing his energy, "You know, for a minute, I thought you were a tin can. That boot to your nuts was a gamble." he said.
McKnight scoffed and stood up, wiping away the blood from his lower lip, "Ain't over yet, shithead."
McKnight threw a left hook but Derek swung his head right under and gave his opponent a vicious uppercut, breaking his nose. As McKnight toppled back, Derek's knee came crashing into the man's temple, knocking him down. Derek attempted to stomp on the man's throat, but McKnight caught his foot just in time and lifted him aside onto the floor. Derek rolled briefly, wincing from the pain. McKnight quickly recovered and grabbed Derek by the back of his shirt, and threw him against the wall.
Catherine had no chance to assist her comrade, as she was preoccupied dodging the blades from Jade. One of them came down and sliced apart a steam pipe, causing its contents to spill into the hallway, blinding them both. Both blinded and deafened by the hissing of the divided pipes, Catherine retreated backward with her bladed arms. Her eyes shot left and right, unsure of where the next attack would come.
With divine reflexes, Catherine barely avoided one of Jade's blades that had come sweeping from the right. She caught the blade with her hand, and then the other. The two T-1001's struggled intensely, both trying to gain an advantage over the other. As Jade began to gain the upper hand, a blue flash of light blinded Catherine, scorching heat coated her outer layer.
When the flash subsided, Catherine felt no Resistance from her opponent, and the machine quickly tossed it aside. She saw that the machine had a considerably large hole blown right through its temple. She looked to her left and saw the other machine, the solid and liquid metal one that John Connor had recently reprogrammed. Penny's Plasma Cannon was still smoking from use, and she lowered it to her side.
Jade stood up, her damaged cranium reorganizing itself. When she had recovered, she eyed her partner.
"McKnight!" she called.
The large man had been so busy beating Derek, that he hadn't noticed the commotion going on behind him. When he heard his name, his bloody knuckles halted in the air and he turned around to face Jade.
"We need to go!" Jade called as she rushed away.
When McKnight turned, he saw a Blue Plasma Ball hurling toward him. With his military-bred instincts, he narrowly avoided the attack and watched as it cratered the wall behind him. He stood and ran, as fast as he could.
When he was gone, Catherine approached an unresponsive Derek. She placed a hand on his forehead, assessing his condition.
"He is unconscious. Heavy blood loss, we need to get him somewhere safe." Catherine reported.
"I'll take care of it." Penny responded. "You rendezvous with Hawkins."
Catherine watched as Penny scooped him up in her arms and marched away. Once she was out of view, Catherine began walking to the Central Chamber.
"Danny, stop!" Sarah yelled urgently. She, John, and Cameron had been chasing them for three minutes, they had on numerous occasions tried to shake her, but she had managed to keep up. All those years running trails in the South American Jungle had paid off.
"Danny!" she yelled again.
Danny and Edvard had reached a door in the hallway, they pried it open but Sarah caught up to them. She aimed her P226 but was careful to keep the crosshairs solely on the older man, and not on Danny.
"Danny... please." she reasoned.
John and Cameron stopped behind her. John was visibly shaken by the situation, his eyes focused solely on Danny. Cameron stood next to John in her usual stoic demeanor, not saying a word or showing any emotion.
Danny glared heavily at Sarah, saying through gritted teeth, "Murderer."
Sarah had heard that word from the Dyson's on more than one occasion. Mostly Tarissa, but hearing it from Danny, from his own lips and with such hatred... that stung. Lowering her weapon, Sarah raised her hands in a non-threatening gesture.
"You're right." she said simply. Her words drew an incredulous look from her son.
"Danny, I didn't mean for this to happen. Miles... Miles was a good man."
Danny shook his head in disbelief, "Go to hell, Sarah. My dad didn't deserve what you did to him!"
"I know, I know. You're right." the mother said gently.
"No one deserves to have their childhood torn away from them. Much less find out the hell that's right around the corner. But this isn't the way, you can kill me, you can kill my son but all that does is hand victory to Skynet on a silver platter."
Danny scoffed, "You don't get it, Sarah. I'm not doing this because I want you dead, I'm doing this because if you're gone, Skynet doesn't have a target. John is the one who destroyed it in the future. He's the one who's destined to kill it."
Sarah glared at the older man, a look that promised the worst of fates, "What kind of bullshit have you been feeding him?" Sarah hissed.
"It's true." the man said, "When its agent came to me, it told me that it would spare those who assisted in its creation; and would eliminate the ones who opposed it."
Danny froze. At first, it was shock, and then anger, "Wait..."
"YOU told me that if John was out of the picture, Skynet wouldn't destroy humanity. It would become self-aware but wouldn't launch the nukes."
Edvard cursed under his breath, "That's what I meant." he lied.
Danny approached him slowly, "No... it wasn't, was it?" Danny thought for a moment, and then clarity hit him like a truck on a freeway.
"You're saving your own skin."
John took a step forward, and Cameron moved with him, making sure to stay by his side as he advanced, "They're called Greys." John said.
Quickly, all eyes were on him, awaiting his next words.
"At least, that's what the Resistance calls 'em. They're humans who work for Skynet. In exchange, they not only get to live but live pretty well. Neat facilities, clean water, hot food, and anything else."
Edvard met Danny's glare, giving him a profound look, almost pleading, "I wasn't going to stand in the way of the Devil, Daniel. From every viewpoint of survival, this is the most logical choice."
Bewildered, Danny shook his head, "I can't believe you... you told me we were in this for the species. That we could coexist, without conflict! Without fear!"
Edvard scoffed, "It's Natural Selection, Daniel. Do you think Humanity rose to the top of the food chain without cracking a few skulls on the way up? If you do, you are a fool. The Neanderthals, the Mammoths, even those of our own kind."
"This isn't evolution, Edvard. This is Genocide." Danny argued.
Edvard ignored his words, he opened the door slightly, seemingly ready to depart, "Are you coming?"
Danny looked at the door, and for a brief moment, seemed tempted by his offer. But his whole world had been turned on its head, the quest for peace revealed to be a lie. He felt so stupid, betrayed; but all this time, he was the one who had dealt the betrayal. Finally, he looked up at Edvard, with no hint of respect to be found.
"Fuck. You."
Edvard stared at him. The silence was painful as if a final stand in a Hollywood movie. Then, wordlessly, a 9-millimeter bullet was launched into Danny's torso. Time seemed to come to a halt as Sarah and John stared in horror at the sight of Danny collapsing onto the ground, even Cameron held a look of muted dismay. Sarah was too slow, the rounds she fired back at Edvard struck the door, bouncing off in a random direction.
"Oh my god!" Sarah yelled.
Danny moaned in pain, holding his wound. Blood seeped through his White shirt, some of it spilling onto the ground. Sarah slid next to him and put pressure on it to stop the blood loss. John watched in shock as Danny struggled with the pain, which must have been fierce. Cameron walked over to him and hung his arm around her neck. She lifted him up until he was on his feet. Sarah did the same with Danny's other arm.
"We need to go. The charges will detonate in 10 minutes." Cameron informed.
John remained unresponsive, still staring at Danny's wound.
"John?"
"John?"
Finally, he regained control of himself. He looked at Cameron.
"It's time to go."