Chapter 1
Outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia
May 1, 2026
"What kind of operation is this, sir?" Kaemon asked as he stood beside the huge slab of concrete that was blocking the path he and his Tech Com squad- Twin Katanas- were supposed to be taking so they could reach the inner depths of the city-turned-junkyard. He gripped the military-grade walkie- talkie with his gloved hands, listening to the harsh breath of John Connor as he seemed to be tracing his finger over the duplicate map the Commander of Tech Com had supplied for himself and for Twin Katanas.
"You say there's a fuckin' boulder of concrete there?" Connor asked Kaemon as sounds of a map being ruffled filled the background of the walkie-talkie transmission, though Kaemon tried to block out everything and concentrate on Connor's voice and questions.
"Damn straight," Kaemon said, letting his tongue let the words take on the light Japanese accent he seemed to never get rid of. He slid a gloved hand over his near 1 mm tall hair, suppressing a sigh as he looked back at the giant slab of concrete that somehow seemed to have been planted there, though he knew only of one beast that could plant something that goddamned large there… a Hunter/Killer. "It also looks like its planted, sir, though I'm sure there is no evidence of that conclusion."
"Pardon my French, but it had to have been fucking planted there. No way our scouts could have missed some piece of shit that big, Lieutenant Kaemon. I'm just wondering how the hell Skynet knew we were gonna come in that way…"
Kaemon screwed his face around so that it looked as if he was perplexed by some puzzle that had laid unsolved for thousands of years. "How the hell would they know we were coming, sir? I sure as hell haven't let a one of my troops know about the actual mission, and I pretty sure you haven't slipped a word, right Commander Connor? So, if no one knows that we're supposed to be coming…"
"…Then why the hell is it there?" Connor said slowly, his tone now that of Kaemon's- deeply perplexed and dwelling upon his deep, dark thoughts. "Have you noticed any strange signs, Lieutenant? I sure as hell hate to have a squad of my troops go into a city that has been abandoned for over fifteen years. Have you noticed anything, Lieutenant?"
Kaemon once again ran his hand through his extremely short hair that was shorter than some of his men's chin stubble, flicking his eyes to all of the pieces of junk around him. "I haven't noticed much, sir… I have noticed the small number of bird cries as the dawning sun comes up, but I sure as hell wouldn't sing when I knew there was a good chance that I'd become ash as soon as one of those damned Terminators saw me."
"Then again, you can't silence an animal's instincts, Lieutenant. I'm sending in another squad for backup, Lieutenant. It shouldn't take them more than three days or so to reach you, which gives you perfect time to scout-"
Kaemon shook his head as if Connor was standing right beside him. "I can't allow that, sir. I have the best damn squad of troops right here with me, and if we stubble upon ambush…well, I sure as hell don't want some soldier to die when he isn't supposed to."
"Stop the shit, Kaemon. There is no fucking way I'm giving you the orders to go into that area looking for a Level 3 Detention Compound while we are 99% sure it's a fucking ambush. I'd rather commit suicide than that. And if you try to pull that hero shit, Lieutenant, you will most likely die and if you don't…" Connor let out an evil chuckle, "…then your ass is mine. So I'm either sending in a squad or you are aborting. Understand?"
Kaemon shut his eyes as he rubbed his gloved hand against the radio's talking piece, knowing that he was violating strict Tech Com laws, but who the hell gave a rat's ass? "I'm sorry sir, but I couldn't catch any of that. I'm breaking up. Don't worry, no other squad is needed. Twin Katanas out and over."
With that Kaemon flicked off the walkie-talkie and re-hooked it to his utility belt that held up the twin katanas the squad had been named for. He slowly let out a sigh and turned from the concrete slab to his squad of troops that were hunkered down by an ancient portable heater, one that Kaemon had made sure didn't emit any sort of light that let HKs (Hunter/Killers) or Terminators know the were in the vicinity by the waves of light. It was just fucking ludicrous to light a fire when you were in the pitch-blackness of night with your squad of troops, but the Twin Katanas had solved that problem.
"So what's the plan, boss?" Quentin Ringwall asked as he got up from his sitting position and wiped off the dirt that had collected on the ass of his pants. He then picked up his plasma rifle and brought it to his side as he stood just a meter away from Kaemon. Kaemon cracked a smile at the soldier, but straightened his face within a millisecond of letting the smile slip by.
"At ease, Ringwall," Kaemon said quickly, rubbing his temples as he thought of something to tell his squad about the transmission. "I was just speaking to Commander Connor about this goddamned hunk of concrete, and it seems that it was most likely planted here to keep us out of the remains of Atlanta and away from the Detention Compound."
The only female soldier of the squad- a hotheaded redhead by the name of Denise Clark- looked up at Kaemon with her big brown eyes that seemed to look softer than clouds. "How the hell could they cut us off if they didn't even know we were coming?"
Smart girl, Kaemon thought to himself as he looked into the eyes of Clark, a woman that he had bedded with on more than one occasion. She had been the love of his life for more than half a year, but soon she had been pushing herself away from Kaemon and trying to seduce the ox-like Edward von Straut, the most well toned and muscled man in the squad. "That's one question neither the Commander or I can answer, but we sure as hell are looking for leads."
"You mean you think someone squealed?" Ringwall asked Kaemon with a puzzled look, one Kaemon had had stuck on his face less than five minutes ago. Kaemon let the question settle with the group before he cleared his throat and answered, not sure if he was or wasn't looking for a snitch, or if he was looking at the people in his squad either.
"There is a high chance that some shitbag squealed us out like a stupid fucker, but whether or not that shitbag may actually be in this group is undecided. I think that not a one of you could squeal out their own kind to a group of shitty machines that plan to rid the world of all life like the motherfuckers they are. But that still doesn't rule it out now, does it?"
The group grew silent with tension as Kaemon went on. "Before I ended the transmission, Commander Connor told me to either let another squad come in and help us get into the Detention Compound, or to run back to base like a bunch of squealing babies. I told him to screw the backup plan and said that we were going in, but I'm gonna give you a chance to leave this to the troops that can handle going into hostile territory like they were trained to do. Now if you do stay, I'll sure as hell make sure that you're rewarded, but if you abort, I'll sure as hell tell you I don't ever want to see your fucking face again and that you are out of my fucking squad. So who stays and who goes?"
Ringwall was the first to speak up as the group pondered over the question, and he obviously felt like he had no other choice than the one he chose. "Count me in on this one, Lieutenant. No fucking way in hell am I gonna turn and run from this one."
"Me too," von Straut said in his thunderous tone. "I'm staying by your side no matter what, Lieutenant Kaemon. 'Bout fucking time we showed those shitbag machines what the human race is fucking made of. I'm going to give them a piece of my mind for sure."
By that time everyone spoke up to say they were staying with the group and Kaemon felt as if he had accomplished something that was more than just winning battles. He had convinced his troops to stay with him while they were about to charge into a deserted city that not a fucking person had stepped into for fifteen years.
Connor would understand if Kaemon lived to tell him what had happened, but he wasn't worried about that now. All he was worried about was making it through the walls of this city and into its hellish depths to make it to the Detention Compound. All he was worried about was making it out alive.
Outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia
May 1, 2026
"What kind of operation is this, sir?" Kaemon asked as he stood beside the huge slab of concrete that was blocking the path he and his Tech Com squad- Twin Katanas- were supposed to be taking so they could reach the inner depths of the city-turned-junkyard. He gripped the military-grade walkie- talkie with his gloved hands, listening to the harsh breath of John Connor as he seemed to be tracing his finger over the duplicate map the Commander of Tech Com had supplied for himself and for Twin Katanas.
"You say there's a fuckin' boulder of concrete there?" Connor asked Kaemon as sounds of a map being ruffled filled the background of the walkie-talkie transmission, though Kaemon tried to block out everything and concentrate on Connor's voice and questions.
"Damn straight," Kaemon said, letting his tongue let the words take on the light Japanese accent he seemed to never get rid of. He slid a gloved hand over his near 1 mm tall hair, suppressing a sigh as he looked back at the giant slab of concrete that somehow seemed to have been planted there, though he knew only of one beast that could plant something that goddamned large there… a Hunter/Killer. "It also looks like its planted, sir, though I'm sure there is no evidence of that conclusion."
"Pardon my French, but it had to have been fucking planted there. No way our scouts could have missed some piece of shit that big, Lieutenant Kaemon. I'm just wondering how the hell Skynet knew we were gonna come in that way…"
Kaemon screwed his face around so that it looked as if he was perplexed by some puzzle that had laid unsolved for thousands of years. "How the hell would they know we were coming, sir? I sure as hell haven't let a one of my troops know about the actual mission, and I pretty sure you haven't slipped a word, right Commander Connor? So, if no one knows that we're supposed to be coming…"
"…Then why the hell is it there?" Connor said slowly, his tone now that of Kaemon's- deeply perplexed and dwelling upon his deep, dark thoughts. "Have you noticed any strange signs, Lieutenant? I sure as hell hate to have a squad of my troops go into a city that has been abandoned for over fifteen years. Have you noticed anything, Lieutenant?"
Kaemon once again ran his hand through his extremely short hair that was shorter than some of his men's chin stubble, flicking his eyes to all of the pieces of junk around him. "I haven't noticed much, sir… I have noticed the small number of bird cries as the dawning sun comes up, but I sure as hell wouldn't sing when I knew there was a good chance that I'd become ash as soon as one of those damned Terminators saw me."
"Then again, you can't silence an animal's instincts, Lieutenant. I'm sending in another squad for backup, Lieutenant. It shouldn't take them more than three days or so to reach you, which gives you perfect time to scout-"
Kaemon shook his head as if Connor was standing right beside him. "I can't allow that, sir. I have the best damn squad of troops right here with me, and if we stubble upon ambush…well, I sure as hell don't want some soldier to die when he isn't supposed to."
"Stop the shit, Kaemon. There is no fucking way I'm giving you the orders to go into that area looking for a Level 3 Detention Compound while we are 99% sure it's a fucking ambush. I'd rather commit suicide than that. And if you try to pull that hero shit, Lieutenant, you will most likely die and if you don't…" Connor let out an evil chuckle, "…then your ass is mine. So I'm either sending in a squad or you are aborting. Understand?"
Kaemon shut his eyes as he rubbed his gloved hand against the radio's talking piece, knowing that he was violating strict Tech Com laws, but who the hell gave a rat's ass? "I'm sorry sir, but I couldn't catch any of that. I'm breaking up. Don't worry, no other squad is needed. Twin Katanas out and over."
With that Kaemon flicked off the walkie-talkie and re-hooked it to his utility belt that held up the twin katanas the squad had been named for. He slowly let out a sigh and turned from the concrete slab to his squad of troops that were hunkered down by an ancient portable heater, one that Kaemon had made sure didn't emit any sort of light that let HKs (Hunter/Killers) or Terminators know the were in the vicinity by the waves of light. It was just fucking ludicrous to light a fire when you were in the pitch-blackness of night with your squad of troops, but the Twin Katanas had solved that problem.
"So what's the plan, boss?" Quentin Ringwall asked as he got up from his sitting position and wiped off the dirt that had collected on the ass of his pants. He then picked up his plasma rifle and brought it to his side as he stood just a meter away from Kaemon. Kaemon cracked a smile at the soldier, but straightened his face within a millisecond of letting the smile slip by.
"At ease, Ringwall," Kaemon said quickly, rubbing his temples as he thought of something to tell his squad about the transmission. "I was just speaking to Commander Connor about this goddamned hunk of concrete, and it seems that it was most likely planted here to keep us out of the remains of Atlanta and away from the Detention Compound."
The only female soldier of the squad- a hotheaded redhead by the name of Denise Clark- looked up at Kaemon with her big brown eyes that seemed to look softer than clouds. "How the hell could they cut us off if they didn't even know we were coming?"
Smart girl, Kaemon thought to himself as he looked into the eyes of Clark, a woman that he had bedded with on more than one occasion. She had been the love of his life for more than half a year, but soon she had been pushing herself away from Kaemon and trying to seduce the ox-like Edward von Straut, the most well toned and muscled man in the squad. "That's one question neither the Commander or I can answer, but we sure as hell are looking for leads."
"You mean you think someone squealed?" Ringwall asked Kaemon with a puzzled look, one Kaemon had had stuck on his face less than five minutes ago. Kaemon let the question settle with the group before he cleared his throat and answered, not sure if he was or wasn't looking for a snitch, or if he was looking at the people in his squad either.
"There is a high chance that some shitbag squealed us out like a stupid fucker, but whether or not that shitbag may actually be in this group is undecided. I think that not a one of you could squeal out their own kind to a group of shitty machines that plan to rid the world of all life like the motherfuckers they are. But that still doesn't rule it out now, does it?"
The group grew silent with tension as Kaemon went on. "Before I ended the transmission, Commander Connor told me to either let another squad come in and help us get into the Detention Compound, or to run back to base like a bunch of squealing babies. I told him to screw the backup plan and said that we were going in, but I'm gonna give you a chance to leave this to the troops that can handle going into hostile territory like they were trained to do. Now if you do stay, I'll sure as hell make sure that you're rewarded, but if you abort, I'll sure as hell tell you I don't ever want to see your fucking face again and that you are out of my fucking squad. So who stays and who goes?"
Ringwall was the first to speak up as the group pondered over the question, and he obviously felt like he had no other choice than the one he chose. "Count me in on this one, Lieutenant. No fucking way in hell am I gonna turn and run from this one."
"Me too," von Straut said in his thunderous tone. "I'm staying by your side no matter what, Lieutenant Kaemon. 'Bout fucking time we showed those shitbag machines what the human race is fucking made of. I'm going to give them a piece of my mind for sure."
By that time everyone spoke up to say they were staying with the group and Kaemon felt as if he had accomplished something that was more than just winning battles. He had convinced his troops to stay with him while they were about to charge into a deserted city that not a fucking person had stepped into for fifteen years.
Connor would understand if Kaemon lived to tell him what had happened, but he wasn't worried about that now. All he was worried about was making it through the walls of this city and into its hellish depths to make it to the Detention Compound. All he was worried about was making it out alive.