June 23, 2020
Once again, Private Kyle Reese sits in the passenger seat of a Humvee as it drives down a windy mountain road. Once again, a T-500 terminator escorts Kyle, with the mission to protect the teenage soldier. The T-500 is driving, with the headlights off to prevent detection from HK patrols.
Kyle looks at the terminator driving the Humvee and wonders why General Connor would send a terminator to protect him. Even though he had only been in the Army for a month, he knows terminator escorts are not standard procedures for transporting Army privates to their posts.
"Did people have to go through all this trouble just to drive to the city?" asks Kyle.
"The main freeways leading in are heavily patrolled by Skynet's forces," replies the T-500. "It is better to use these back roads."
"Can you see without the headlights on?"
"Night vision is standard in the T-500 model."
After another hour of driving, Kyle can see the outline of buildings. "Is this it?" he asks.
"This is the city of La Canada Flintridge," says the T-500. "We are only a few miles from our destination."
Kyle looks around. The buildings are triangular in shape; some of them had burned down.
Kyle notices a road sign marking the entrance to the Foothill Freeway. The terminator passes the freeway on ramp.
"I guess we're not using the freeway," says Kyle.
"I have a road map of Los Angeles County stored in my database," says the T-500. "The road map should be accurate until we get within ten miles of ground zero."
The next few minutes are spent driving down the side streets. Kyle notices the buildings are mostly in one piece, though daylight may show they would be in need of repair.
Kyle suddenly notiuces the ride becomes a lot more bumpy, so bumpy that he is shaken every second. He looks out and sees no buildings standing.
The Humvee stops a few minutes after entering the ruins. "We should be here," says the T-500.
"I wonder why they chose these ruins to be their hideout," says Kyle.
"These ruins are a perfect cover," says the T-500. "Skynet does not anticipate a Resistance outpost in the ruins here. This area is one of Skynet's largest strongholds in North America."
"Really?"
"Because of the wide urban sprawl on Judgement Day, the bomb only destroyed the area ten miles out of downtown Los Angeles. The fallout forced an evacuation of Los Angeles County, and Skynet was able to establish a foothold here with little resistance. With the infrastructure mostly intact, it was able to build huge facilities to manufacture terminators and hunter-killers. The entrance is here."
Kyle sees it; a stairwell leading down to a door.
"My mission will be complete as soon as I confirm your arrival at the outpost," says the T-500.
"You should come with us," says Kyle.
"Negative. Their reaction would be to attack me. Take the supplies and get down there. I shall now return to Crystal Peak."
Kyle descends the stairs even as he hears the Humvee's engine start. He knocks on the door.
"Password," says a male voice.
Kyle gives him the password. The heavy steel door opens.
Kyle is greeted with two men brandishing AK-47's. One of them pinches his face.
"We heard reports of T-600 infilatrators," says one of the soldiers. "They have rubber skin so they look like humans from a distance or in dim light. I am Sergeant Baker, by the way."
"Private Reese."
"So you're the new guy Crystal Peak's sent us," says a man in his twenties. "I am Major Paul Bratt, commander of the Los Angeles outpost. Welcome to downtown Los Angeles."
"I am reporting for duty, sir," says Kyle, giving the major a salute.
"Major, the private here got us supplies- ammo and rations."
"Okay," says the major.
"What is our mission here, sir?" asks Kyle.
"We keep an eye on Skynet's activities in L.A.," says Bratt. "We conduct sabotage and raids upon receiving orders from Crystal Peak. This is a very difficult, and very important assignment. Let me show you."
Bratt takes Kyle to a small room. In the room is a wall-mounted map of Los Angeles County.
"Everything between the mountains and the sea is enemy territory," says Bratt. "We can't go out in the daytime; we'd be spotted by the HK's. Skynet's main base in this county is in Azusa." Bratt places his finger on the map to point the location to Kyle. "It's about thirty miles from here. A dam in the San Gabriel River provides electric power for Azusa Base as well as all of Skynet's facilities in the county."
"I'm surprised the Air Force didn't take out Azusa Base."
"They tried. Skynet has tight air defenses here. Headquarters can't even fly a Predator drone over here. Skynet's fighters are based here, in the Joint Forces Training Center in Los Alamitos, and here, at the Bob Hope Airport in Burbank. Laser batteries located throughout the area provide defense from cruise missiles."
"I guess we don't have a plan to take out Skynet's air defenses."
"We struck some of their factories, and we took out the shipyard in Terminal Island, preventing Skynet from building a fleet of warships to take on the Resistance's Pacific Fleet. To take out the air defenses, let alone Azusa Base, would require more men. Hell, it would require tanks and artillery and air support."
"So now what?" asks the private.
"You, Reese, will go to sleep. We have work to do tomorrow!"
Klye takes on look at the map. He sees spots marking the location of Azusa Base and the known Skynet outposts. He then goes to the sleeping area. At least a dozen men bunk here. Kyle lies down on a cot.
He takes ouit the photograph and looks at the picture of Sarah Connor. He wonders what that woman was like. She had raised her son, John, by herself. Taught him everything he knows. She must have been a great mother if her son was chosen to lead the war against Skynet.
Kyle drifts to sleep, thinking of Sarah Connor.
...................................
June 24, 2020
"Rise and shine, everyone!" yells Sergeant Baker. Kyle gets up.
"What's for breakfast?" asks Kyle.
"We're gonna have to hunt for our breakfast."
Kyle remembers that last week of basic training, where he and the other recruits went on a long hike through the mountains of Alaska. He remembers the drill instructors telling the recruits to hunt for their meals. "Are we going topside to hunt?" asks the private. "I mean, we're not exactly in a wilderness."
"there's life in these tunnels," says Baker. "Put on the night vision goggles."
Baker leads Kyle and his men through the tunnels whiuch go underneath downtown Los Angeles. "During the day, we patrol these tunnels," says the Army sergeant. "We've spotted terminators in these tunnels; we destroy them ebfore they can find our hideout. Like that guy."
Kyle looks where Baker is pointing and sees a skull, the remains of a T-600.
"Look at the ground and listen carefully," says Baker. Kyle and the other soldiers do so.
Kyle hears tiny footsteps. He looks at the ground and sees little green shapes. "I see something on the ground," he says.
"Get one."
Kyle tries to catch one of the green shapes, and he fails.
"Got one," one of the soldiers say.
"I got another one," says another soldier.
"Let's head back to post," says Baker.
Minutes later, Kyle eats his breakfast. He has not had rat before.
...............................................
October 6, 2020
Private Kyle Reese sits down on the ground as he attends a briefing by Major Bratt. He had gotten to know the twenty-plus people stationed in this outpost, which is a far cry from the thousands stationed at Crystal Peak. His duties include maintainijng the place during the day, listening to radio messages from Crystal Peak or other bases, and scouting the area at night. He actually had more than one run in with a terminator patrol. Fortunately, he was able to dispatch the terminators and get away before Skynet could track his position.
"As you know, we're almost out of rations and we aren;t getti9ng that much meat from the vermin population," says the major. "We haven't received word of a supply drop. We're gonna have to ask Crystal Peak for a supply drop. I'm going to make a report and include in it a request for rations and ammunition. Corporal Harland and Private Reese shall be the ones to deliver the message."
"Yes, sir," says Corporal Joanna Harland.
"I won't let you down, sir," says Kyle.
Kyle knows what this means. There is no real-time radio communication between the outpost and the outside world. Outgoing transmissions are sent far from the outpost, to conceal its location from Skynet.
"Get ready for your mission tonight," says Bratt.
.................................
It is almost time for the mission, and Kyle and Harland prepare for their excursion to the surface. Kyle looks at the tall woman with blond hair, who does not appear to be much older than he is.
"Do you remember Judgement Day?" he asks, loading his AK-47 assault rifle.
"I remember my mom and dad taking me from my home when I was little," says the corporal. "I remember living in tent camps. And I remember going to a boat."
"You weren;t that old at the time."
"I was three. Old enough to remember that my life was changing. I slowly understood the reasons hwy I ended on on the ship. If you want to know, I joined because I wanted to take the fight to Skynet, and not Skynet take the fight to my parents' ship."
"Well," says Sergeant Baker, "It's time for you to deliver the message before we starve to death here."
Kyle and Harland leave through one of the heavy doors and walk through a tunnel. the tunnel is dark, and they can only see via their night-vision glasses. They both have come to know the system of tunnels that run underneath the streets of Los Angeles. Someday, they know, the Resistance will come here in full force. Until then, they are its eyes and ears here.
They reach a ladder, and Corporal Harland climbs up. "Hold the ladder," she says. Kyle stays down while Harland peeks above.
She looks around and sees the scenery of blasted buoldings. They had not walked far from the outpost; they are still close to ground zero. She activates the radio and presses a button to send the prerecorded message to Crystal Peak. She then closes the manhole cover and climbs down.
"Were you spotted?" asks Kyle.
"I don't think so," replies Harland. "Didn't hear any HK's hovering nearby. We should stay here for a few minutes, to see if any terminators come."
They wait for a few minutes. No one, man or machine, enters through the manhole.
"Let's head back to base," says the corporal.
.........................................
October 7, 2020
"Well, today's my birthday," Kyle says to his fellow soldiers in the briefing room. "Today I'm seventeen."
"Too bad there's no birthday cake for you," says Private Weatherly.
"That's our life," says Private Venitez.
"I guess we continue on as usual."
And so they do, maintaining the place. Rations have been cut to bare bones. They are all very hungry. Kyle never had a birthday cake ever. He would love just to have rations.
"We're getting a transmission," says Corporal Cahill, looking at the computer attached to the radio. The computer records audio transmissions. Kyle once asked if Skynet could break into the computer; Cahill replied that the radio only translates into sound; it is not a wireless modem. Cahill then plays the recording.
It is nothing but garbled sounds.
"Was there interference?" asks Major Bratt.
"I don't know, sir," replies Cahill. "We might have to....wait, I forgot to use to decrypter. I only hope Crystal Peak used the right encryption algorithm." The encryption algorithm Crystal Peak uses for encryption depends on its destination and the date.
The the message plays. "This is Lieutenant Miller from Crystal Peak," says a female voice. "The U.S.S. California will be sending you a care package at 1900 hours. I repeat, this is Lieutenant Miller from Crystal Peak. The U.S.S. California will be sending you a care package at 1900 hours."
"Care package," says Bratt. "You know what that means."
"Yes, sir," says Kyle. A care pakckage is a package of supply delivered via artilerry shell from a Navy warship. The shell is fired from a rail gun, and it deploys a parachute that drops to the ground.
...................................
At 1859, the crew of the Navy destroyer U.S.S. California prepare to send the package to the Los Angeles outpost.
"Rail gun is ready to fire, Captain," saysd a voice coming from the speaker.
"Acknowledged," says the captain. He speaks to a petty officer at one of the ship's consoles. "Set the coordinates to the targeting computer and prepare to fire on my command."
The petty officer flips open the lid for the fire switch.
the captain looks at the clock. the digital readout changes to 1900 hours.
"Fire."
The petty officer presses the button. "the rail gun has fired, sir. the care package is on its way.
The rail gun is a gun that uses electromagnetic fields to accelerate a shell to very high velocities. The shell containing the care package is fired from over one hundred mkles from the California coastline and crosses the Pacific Ocean. Soon it is over downtown Los Angeles. The shell then deploys its parachute and floats to the ground.
............................
"There it is!" yells Private Kyle Reese, seeing the greenish object float down.
"Let's go get it," says Captain Colton. He and Sergeant Baker and Kyle move across the rubble, wary of any enemy forces nearby. After crossing a few feet through a field of rubble, they find the silk parachute.
"Here it is!" yells Kyle, revealing the shell. He opens a panel to reveal the rations inside.
suddenly the three men hear something flying through the air. Kyle looks up and sees what it is.
It is a hunter-killer, the flying machines Skynet uses for close air support and low altitude recon.
"Let's get prone," says Captain Colton. Perhaps the HK's sensors did not pick them up.
that idea is dispelled when Colton sees a trail of smoke.
"Rocket!" he shouts. Everyone gets out of the way. A minute later, the rocket explodes, sending bits of concrete flying about.
"We need to get that care package!" yells Colton.
"I'm on it," says Kyle. He takes out a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. He sees the HK coming in like a bird of prey.
He fires and sees the rocket propelled grenade going towards the HK. He takes cover in case the HK fires a shot at him.
He hears a crash. He looks and sees he had downed the HK.
"Nice shot, Reese," says Sergeant Baker. "Now we better get going. No doubt Skynet knows our current position, and will send some terminators to check things out here."
The three soldiers grab the shell and are soon back underground.
.............................................
Tonight is a night of celebration as Private Kyle Reese celebrates his seventeenth birthday. Even though the only thing he gets to eat is beef jerky and crackerts, he is glad for the meal, and for the companionship with the other soldiers. So much had changed this past year. He misses his mother; he is glad he is able to participate in the war so humanity can have a future. The soldiers in the outpost treasure this moment, for celebrations are few and far between behind the enemy lines.
Klye lies down on his bed. He looks at the picture of Sarah Connor. He studes every line, every shade. He understood why the general held on to this picture for so long.
Seeing Sarah Connor's image in the photograph seems to give him emotional strength.
Once again, Private Kyle Reese sits in the passenger seat of a Humvee as it drives down a windy mountain road. Once again, a T-500 terminator escorts Kyle, with the mission to protect the teenage soldier. The T-500 is driving, with the headlights off to prevent detection from HK patrols.
Kyle looks at the terminator driving the Humvee and wonders why General Connor would send a terminator to protect him. Even though he had only been in the Army for a month, he knows terminator escorts are not standard procedures for transporting Army privates to their posts.
"Did people have to go through all this trouble just to drive to the city?" asks Kyle.
"The main freeways leading in are heavily patrolled by Skynet's forces," replies the T-500. "It is better to use these back roads."
"Can you see without the headlights on?"
"Night vision is standard in the T-500 model."
After another hour of driving, Kyle can see the outline of buildings. "Is this it?" he asks.
"This is the city of La Canada Flintridge," says the T-500. "We are only a few miles from our destination."
Kyle looks around. The buildings are triangular in shape; some of them had burned down.
Kyle notices a road sign marking the entrance to the Foothill Freeway. The terminator passes the freeway on ramp.
"I guess we're not using the freeway," says Kyle.
"I have a road map of Los Angeles County stored in my database," says the T-500. "The road map should be accurate until we get within ten miles of ground zero."
The next few minutes are spent driving down the side streets. Kyle notices the buildings are mostly in one piece, though daylight may show they would be in need of repair.
Kyle suddenly notiuces the ride becomes a lot more bumpy, so bumpy that he is shaken every second. He looks out and sees no buildings standing.
The Humvee stops a few minutes after entering the ruins. "We should be here," says the T-500.
"I wonder why they chose these ruins to be their hideout," says Kyle.
"These ruins are a perfect cover," says the T-500. "Skynet does not anticipate a Resistance outpost in the ruins here. This area is one of Skynet's largest strongholds in North America."
"Really?"
"Because of the wide urban sprawl on Judgement Day, the bomb only destroyed the area ten miles out of downtown Los Angeles. The fallout forced an evacuation of Los Angeles County, and Skynet was able to establish a foothold here with little resistance. With the infrastructure mostly intact, it was able to build huge facilities to manufacture terminators and hunter-killers. The entrance is here."
Kyle sees it; a stairwell leading down to a door.
"My mission will be complete as soon as I confirm your arrival at the outpost," says the T-500.
"You should come with us," says Kyle.
"Negative. Their reaction would be to attack me. Take the supplies and get down there. I shall now return to Crystal Peak."
Kyle descends the stairs even as he hears the Humvee's engine start. He knocks on the door.
"Password," says a male voice.
Kyle gives him the password. The heavy steel door opens.
Kyle is greeted with two men brandishing AK-47's. One of them pinches his face.
"We heard reports of T-600 infilatrators," says one of the soldiers. "They have rubber skin so they look like humans from a distance or in dim light. I am Sergeant Baker, by the way."
"Private Reese."
"So you're the new guy Crystal Peak's sent us," says a man in his twenties. "I am Major Paul Bratt, commander of the Los Angeles outpost. Welcome to downtown Los Angeles."
"I am reporting for duty, sir," says Kyle, giving the major a salute.
"Major, the private here got us supplies- ammo and rations."
"Okay," says the major.
"What is our mission here, sir?" asks Kyle.
"We keep an eye on Skynet's activities in L.A.," says Bratt. "We conduct sabotage and raids upon receiving orders from Crystal Peak. This is a very difficult, and very important assignment. Let me show you."
Bratt takes Kyle to a small room. In the room is a wall-mounted map of Los Angeles County.
"Everything between the mountains and the sea is enemy territory," says Bratt. "We can't go out in the daytime; we'd be spotted by the HK's. Skynet's main base in this county is in Azusa." Bratt places his finger on the map to point the location to Kyle. "It's about thirty miles from here. A dam in the San Gabriel River provides electric power for Azusa Base as well as all of Skynet's facilities in the county."
"I'm surprised the Air Force didn't take out Azusa Base."
"They tried. Skynet has tight air defenses here. Headquarters can't even fly a Predator drone over here. Skynet's fighters are based here, in the Joint Forces Training Center in Los Alamitos, and here, at the Bob Hope Airport in Burbank. Laser batteries located throughout the area provide defense from cruise missiles."
"I guess we don't have a plan to take out Skynet's air defenses."
"We struck some of their factories, and we took out the shipyard in Terminal Island, preventing Skynet from building a fleet of warships to take on the Resistance's Pacific Fleet. To take out the air defenses, let alone Azusa Base, would require more men. Hell, it would require tanks and artillery and air support."
"So now what?" asks the private.
"You, Reese, will go to sleep. We have work to do tomorrow!"
Klye takes on look at the map. He sees spots marking the location of Azusa Base and the known Skynet outposts. He then goes to the sleeping area. At least a dozen men bunk here. Kyle lies down on a cot.
He takes ouit the photograph and looks at the picture of Sarah Connor. He wonders what that woman was like. She had raised her son, John, by herself. Taught him everything he knows. She must have been a great mother if her son was chosen to lead the war against Skynet.
Kyle drifts to sleep, thinking of Sarah Connor.
...................................
June 24, 2020
"Rise and shine, everyone!" yells Sergeant Baker. Kyle gets up.
"What's for breakfast?" asks Kyle.
"We're gonna have to hunt for our breakfast."
Kyle remembers that last week of basic training, where he and the other recruits went on a long hike through the mountains of Alaska. He remembers the drill instructors telling the recruits to hunt for their meals. "Are we going topside to hunt?" asks the private. "I mean, we're not exactly in a wilderness."
"there's life in these tunnels," says Baker. "Put on the night vision goggles."
Baker leads Kyle and his men through the tunnels whiuch go underneath downtown Los Angeles. "During the day, we patrol these tunnels," says the Army sergeant. "We've spotted terminators in these tunnels; we destroy them ebfore they can find our hideout. Like that guy."
Kyle looks where Baker is pointing and sees a skull, the remains of a T-600.
"Look at the ground and listen carefully," says Baker. Kyle and the other soldiers do so.
Kyle hears tiny footsteps. He looks at the ground and sees little green shapes. "I see something on the ground," he says.
"Get one."
Kyle tries to catch one of the green shapes, and he fails.
"Got one," one of the soldiers say.
"I got another one," says another soldier.
"Let's head back to post," says Baker.
Minutes later, Kyle eats his breakfast. He has not had rat before.
...............................................
October 6, 2020
Private Kyle Reese sits down on the ground as he attends a briefing by Major Bratt. He had gotten to know the twenty-plus people stationed in this outpost, which is a far cry from the thousands stationed at Crystal Peak. His duties include maintainijng the place during the day, listening to radio messages from Crystal Peak or other bases, and scouting the area at night. He actually had more than one run in with a terminator patrol. Fortunately, he was able to dispatch the terminators and get away before Skynet could track his position.
"As you know, we're almost out of rations and we aren;t getti9ng that much meat from the vermin population," says the major. "We haven't received word of a supply drop. We're gonna have to ask Crystal Peak for a supply drop. I'm going to make a report and include in it a request for rations and ammunition. Corporal Harland and Private Reese shall be the ones to deliver the message."
"Yes, sir," says Corporal Joanna Harland.
"I won't let you down, sir," says Kyle.
Kyle knows what this means. There is no real-time radio communication between the outpost and the outside world. Outgoing transmissions are sent far from the outpost, to conceal its location from Skynet.
"Get ready for your mission tonight," says Bratt.
.................................
It is almost time for the mission, and Kyle and Harland prepare for their excursion to the surface. Kyle looks at the tall woman with blond hair, who does not appear to be much older than he is.
"Do you remember Judgement Day?" he asks, loading his AK-47 assault rifle.
"I remember my mom and dad taking me from my home when I was little," says the corporal. "I remember living in tent camps. And I remember going to a boat."
"You weren;t that old at the time."
"I was three. Old enough to remember that my life was changing. I slowly understood the reasons hwy I ended on on the ship. If you want to know, I joined because I wanted to take the fight to Skynet, and not Skynet take the fight to my parents' ship."
"Well," says Sergeant Baker, "It's time for you to deliver the message before we starve to death here."
Kyle and Harland leave through one of the heavy doors and walk through a tunnel. the tunnel is dark, and they can only see via their night-vision glasses. They both have come to know the system of tunnels that run underneath the streets of Los Angeles. Someday, they know, the Resistance will come here in full force. Until then, they are its eyes and ears here.
They reach a ladder, and Corporal Harland climbs up. "Hold the ladder," she says. Kyle stays down while Harland peeks above.
She looks around and sees the scenery of blasted buoldings. They had not walked far from the outpost; they are still close to ground zero. She activates the radio and presses a button to send the prerecorded message to Crystal Peak. She then closes the manhole cover and climbs down.
"Were you spotted?" asks Kyle.
"I don't think so," replies Harland. "Didn't hear any HK's hovering nearby. We should stay here for a few minutes, to see if any terminators come."
They wait for a few minutes. No one, man or machine, enters through the manhole.
"Let's head back to base," says the corporal.
.........................................
October 7, 2020
"Well, today's my birthday," Kyle says to his fellow soldiers in the briefing room. "Today I'm seventeen."
"Too bad there's no birthday cake for you," says Private Weatherly.
"That's our life," says Private Venitez.
"I guess we continue on as usual."
And so they do, maintaining the place. Rations have been cut to bare bones. They are all very hungry. Kyle never had a birthday cake ever. He would love just to have rations.
"We're getting a transmission," says Corporal Cahill, looking at the computer attached to the radio. The computer records audio transmissions. Kyle once asked if Skynet could break into the computer; Cahill replied that the radio only translates into sound; it is not a wireless modem. Cahill then plays the recording.
It is nothing but garbled sounds.
"Was there interference?" asks Major Bratt.
"I don't know, sir," replies Cahill. "We might have to....wait, I forgot to use to decrypter. I only hope Crystal Peak used the right encryption algorithm." The encryption algorithm Crystal Peak uses for encryption depends on its destination and the date.
The the message plays. "This is Lieutenant Miller from Crystal Peak," says a female voice. "The U.S.S. California will be sending you a care package at 1900 hours. I repeat, this is Lieutenant Miller from Crystal Peak. The U.S.S. California will be sending you a care package at 1900 hours."
"Care package," says Bratt. "You know what that means."
"Yes, sir," says Kyle. A care pakckage is a package of supply delivered via artilerry shell from a Navy warship. The shell is fired from a rail gun, and it deploys a parachute that drops to the ground.
...................................
At 1859, the crew of the Navy destroyer U.S.S. California prepare to send the package to the Los Angeles outpost.
"Rail gun is ready to fire, Captain," saysd a voice coming from the speaker.
"Acknowledged," says the captain. He speaks to a petty officer at one of the ship's consoles. "Set the coordinates to the targeting computer and prepare to fire on my command."
The petty officer flips open the lid for the fire switch.
the captain looks at the clock. the digital readout changes to 1900 hours.
"Fire."
The petty officer presses the button. "the rail gun has fired, sir. the care package is on its way.
The rail gun is a gun that uses electromagnetic fields to accelerate a shell to very high velocities. The shell containing the care package is fired from over one hundred mkles from the California coastline and crosses the Pacific Ocean. Soon it is over downtown Los Angeles. The shell then deploys its parachute and floats to the ground.
............................
"There it is!" yells Private Kyle Reese, seeing the greenish object float down.
"Let's go get it," says Captain Colton. He and Sergeant Baker and Kyle move across the rubble, wary of any enemy forces nearby. After crossing a few feet through a field of rubble, they find the silk parachute.
"Here it is!" yells Kyle, revealing the shell. He opens a panel to reveal the rations inside.
suddenly the three men hear something flying through the air. Kyle looks up and sees what it is.
It is a hunter-killer, the flying machines Skynet uses for close air support and low altitude recon.
"Let's get prone," says Captain Colton. Perhaps the HK's sensors did not pick them up.
that idea is dispelled when Colton sees a trail of smoke.
"Rocket!" he shouts. Everyone gets out of the way. A minute later, the rocket explodes, sending bits of concrete flying about.
"We need to get that care package!" yells Colton.
"I'm on it," says Kyle. He takes out a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. He sees the HK coming in like a bird of prey.
He fires and sees the rocket propelled grenade going towards the HK. He takes cover in case the HK fires a shot at him.
He hears a crash. He looks and sees he had downed the HK.
"Nice shot, Reese," says Sergeant Baker. "Now we better get going. No doubt Skynet knows our current position, and will send some terminators to check things out here."
The three soldiers grab the shell and are soon back underground.
.............................................
Tonight is a night of celebration as Private Kyle Reese celebrates his seventeenth birthday. Even though the only thing he gets to eat is beef jerky and crackerts, he is glad for the meal, and for the companionship with the other soldiers. So much had changed this past year. He misses his mother; he is glad he is able to participate in the war so humanity can have a future. The soldiers in the outpost treasure this moment, for celebrations are few and far between behind the enemy lines.
Klye lies down on his bed. He looks at the picture of Sarah Connor. He studes every line, every shade. He understood why the general held on to this picture for so long.
Seeing Sarah Connor's image in the photograph seems to give him emotional strength.