July 11, 2029
"No man should know too much about his own future," the blond-haired man on the Sony color television screen says.
Sergeant Kyle Reese sits down on the chair in the video room, weatching the movie Back to the Future. The movie, which was in theaters in 1985, is about a treenage boy who travels back in time and sees his parents in high school. It takes about two hours before he finishes the movie.
He looks behind him and sees the T-X. "Enjoying the movie?' she asks.
"Yeah, it's real interesting," he says. :It just occurred to me. What if I miss my destiny?"
"Explain."
"You say that I am going to take part in an important battle- so important that Skynet had to send your twin here to kill me. If I am stuck on this boat here and I miss my destiny, then Skynet wins."
"It is safest for you here," says the T-X.
"And how long must I stay here? I'm supposed to do something important, and I don't think that something important is staying here."
"Trust me, Kyle," says his guardian.
"You know, I always wondered what it would be like to travel through time. I mean, here you are, from the future, a bright furture I might add. I didn't even think time travel was possible."
"Time travel is fact."
"Think about it. You could visit any era. You could see the pyramids being built in Egypt, or how about Rome under the Ceasars?"
"It would be a one-way trip. The time displacement unit stays in 2069. And you can not bring anything with you; you have to go through naked."
"Still, there is one person whom I would love to meet."
"And who would that be?" asks the T-X.
"Sarah Connor."
"Who?"
"She is the mother of John Connor."
"Ah, yes. Connor wrote about her in his autobiography. He dedicated the book to her."
"What did he write about her in his book?"
"She had trained him in the use of weapons and military tactics when they were living in Costa Rica. She was working for a mercenary. He had thought that people lived by flying around and blowing shit up."
"Was Sarah in the Army or something?"
"Sarah Connor had no military experience before 1984, when she moved south to Costa Rica to join a mercenary company there. She learned arms training even as she was pregnant. She later moved back to the U.S. in early 1985 to give birth to John Connor and take some rest due to childbirth. Then she moved back to Costa Rica where she continued to be a mercenary."
"So what happened to her?" asks Kyle.
"In 1992, she tried to destroy the Cyberdyne Systems factory in Santa Clara. She was delcared insane and was sent to the Pescadero State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. She later escaped from the hoispital and hid out. She died in a hospital in Ensenada, Baja California Sur, on September 11, 1997."
"it was from leukemia. Connor told me that when I frst met him nine years ago. He gave me a picture."
"Do you still have it?"
"No, it was burned up when Skynet attacked the Los Angeles outpost." Kyle paces around the video room. "It was just two days ago that we took Los Angeles."
"Next week, the Resistance will invade the Great Plains," says the T-X. "With Skynet's forces unable to coordinate, the Resistance scores an easy victory with few casualties."
"Well, maybe I should go have lunch," says Kyle.
"I have a message for you, from the future. You are about to face the most difficult mission, a mission that will define your life. You will be fighting against all odds. But you must be strojng, and believe in yourself. Everyone is counting on you."
"Who gave you that message?" asks Kyle.
"It was Senator John Connor," says the T-X. "He was there at the lab when they sent me."
"How did he know you'd be there?" asks Kyle curiously.
"We told him yesterday."
"Oh."
Admiral Thomas Wright of the British Royal Navy sits down at the conference table in the conference room in Crystal Peak. He faces his Russian colleague, General Sergei Gugarin.
"I wonder what John is up to?" asks Wright in his thick British accent.
"Who knows?" asks Gugarin.
Then the wood-paneled doors open, and General John Connor walks inside, escorted by his aides. He presses a button on the intercom. "We're ready," says the Resistance leader. "Send the video to Conference Room 1."
"Yes, sir," says a voice from the Crystal Peak Command Center. An image shows on the video screen, an image of a middle-aged man in camofluage. His rank insignia identifies him as a major general. "Sirs," says the general. "We have important and disturbing news. We just took Yuma Base five hours ago. The base is secure from any machine activity. Our hackers dpownloasded the data from mthe mainframes, and here is what we found."
"Summarize," says Connor.
the general gives his summary.
"Impossible," says General Chen of the People's Army of China.
"Total bullshit," says Admiral Wright. "Does he expect us to believe that?"
"It's worth looking into," says Connor. "We shall all go to Yuma right now."
Sergeant Jessica Spencer sits behind the desk in her office. As General Connor's secretary, she keeps tracks of his appointments and paperwork.
the door to her office opens, and she sees the general himself entering.
"I thought you were going to Yuma," she says.
"I just need to get something from my office," says Connor. "Continue on."
"Yes, sir."
Connor goes into the office and turns on the Dell personal computer. He looks through the notes. Then he picks up the phone and dials the number for the command center.
"This is Connor," he says. "Patch me in to the Prometheus."
After handing up the phone, Connor leaves the office, not even acknowledging Sergeant Spencer. He continues walking, passing some soldiers who salute him. He then presses a button to call the elevator, and the elevator doors open.
As the elevator ascends, Connor's skin changes to a silver color. Then it changes back.
When the elevator doors open on the main level, a blond-haired woman is revealed.
Explosions rock from the shelling of the airport that Skynet uses as an air base. Its fighters had been deployed to intercept the Resistance fighters. The Skynet mainframe in the air base calculates a seventy-two percent chance that the humans will take the base. The T-X knows exactly what time that the humans enter the air base. It is not her mission to defend the air base. She goes to one of the hangars. There are two C-12 transport planes inside, used for airborne operations. She gets into the cockpit of the C-12. Within minutes, she takes off even as the runway is destroyed behind her. Minutes after takeoff, she arrives at the coordinates of the Prometheus, with the sun setting below the Pacific Ocean.
She opensthe door, and then jumps out. She is in a free fall for a few seconds, with the ocean rushing up to meet her. Then she deploys the jet pack, slowing her descent. she calculates the trajectory which will allow her to touch down on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier.
Captain Daneil Dyson is having supper in the ward room when a seaman interrupts him.
"Captain Dyson," says the seaman. "Sorry to bother you, sir, but you have an urgent message from General Connor."
Dyson goes to the phone in the ward room. "Send the communication here," he commands.
"This is Connor," says General Connor. "Is Kyle Reese still on board?"
"Yes, he is here along with that bodyguard of his."
"Prepare one of your planes and have it fly to the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos. I have a plane there waiting for him."
"Yes, sir."
Dyson and two sailors walk tpo the guest quarters. As they expected, Kyle and the T-X are there.
"General Connor summons you," says the captain. "My air wing is preparing a plane for you."
"It is time, Kyle," says the T-X. "time for your destiny."
"Okay," says Kyle.
They all walk through the corridors of Prometheus. They eneter an elevator and press the button for the hangar deck. a few seconds later, thety emerge in hangar deck. In the hangar deck is the Navy transport jet. The pilot comes out to greet them.
"Wait," says the T-X. The flesh of her hand withdraws to reveal the endoskeleton underneath. It then changes.
She pijnts her hand at the pilot, and a plasma bolt shoots out, hitting the pilot.
"What the?" asks Dyson, shocked that the T-X shot one of his pilots.
The pilot gets up. It then morphs into a T-X.
"It's her!" yells Kyle.
"We'd better draw her away from the hangar," says the T-X.
So she and Kyle and Dyson run through the corridors of the aircraft carrier as the T-X's twin pursues them. They fire plasma shots at each other. They go through corridors and stairs. Some of the sailors get caught in the crossfire. They turn a corner and stop.
"Is there another way up to the hangar deck?" asks the T-X.
"Yeah," says Captain Dyson.
"Take him up there. I'll hold my twin here."
Kyle and Dyson both go down the corridor even as the T-X's twin appears. The T-X opens fire with her plasma rifle. Her twin fires back. and hits the T-X. Then she closes in.
The T-X grabs the twin and the battle becomes close and personal. the T-X slams her twin through a set of double doors marked Power Room.
The power room has control panels and circuit breakers and electric generators. A window provides a view of the nuclear breeder reactor that powers the ship. The two T-X's continue their fight in here; the sailors assigned to the power room flee.
Sergeant Kyle Reese and Captain Daniel Dyson make it to the hangar deck where the Navy transport plane awaits them. They both enter and sit in the cockpit. Kyle looks adn sees the dead body of a Navy pilot.
"Never mind him," says Dyson. He puts on a headset. "Air Boss, this is the captain. "Clear everything for a takeoff."
"Copy that."
A lift lifts the plane to the hangar deck. Dyson does a last minute check on the instruments and gauges. He flips switches to turn the engine on. The plane taxis to the catapault.
"Get ready, Reese," says Dyson. "Brace yourself."
The jet engines scream, and the catapault launches the plane into the air. Kyle feels himself being squeezed back due to the sudden acceleration.He nearly blacks out.
"What was that?" asks the soldier.
"It was takeoff," replies Dyson. "We're in the air now."
Two F-14 Tomcats are launched from the aircraft carrier to accompany their captain on its flight. Dyson adjusts the radio controls. "Crystal Peak, this is Dyson from the Prometheus. Patch me in to General Connor."
"Connor here," a male voice says.
"Sir, I'm in the air and I have Reese with me."
"Good. Land at the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos."
"Copy that," replies the captain. "ETA is in twenty minutes."
The two T-X's are still in battlew in the Prometheus's power room, with fists and feet flying and collisions to the ground and wall. The two of them are too evenly matched, being the same model. They throw powerful piunches and kicks that would kill a human.
Suddenly, one of them smahes the other into the circuit breaker. Spraks fly and then the entire ship goes dark. The control rods of the nuclear reactor drop and stop the nuclear reaction. Seconds later, the red emergency lights come on, powered by 12-volt lead-acid batteries. The skin of the T-X that smahsed into the circuit breaker turns silver and melts away into a puddle of liquid metal. The endoskeleton is revealed in its glory. The other T-X then walks away from the power room.
"i can see the coastline," says Kyle, making out the dark shapes.
"We're almost there," says Dyson. He looks at the radar screen, and sees the signals for the two fighters covering him. A third signal approaches. "Stagecoach One One Six to Unidentified Aircraft," says Dyson. "Identify yourself."
"Let me take a look, sir," says one of the F-14 pilots. After a few seconds, he says, "It's one of ours."
"Identify yourself," says Dyson.
He suddenly has a bad feeling about this as the signal for the unidentified F-14 draws closer and closer. He makes a shapr turn to the left. At that instant, he sees a missile fly by.
"Holy shit," he says.
"It's the T-X!" yells Kyle. "The one that's trying to kill me."
"Stagecoach, this is Prometheus," says the bridge officer. "We detected an unauthorized launch."
"I know," says Dyson.
"We'll cover you, sir," says one of the Navy fighter pilots. "Bug out northwest."
Suddenly, a warning light comes on.
"Our port engine's on fire!" yells Dyson.
"You took a hit," says the F-14 pilot. "I'm coming after the bandit. I have a lock. Fox Three!"
Kyle can see the F-14 fighter. A missile follows it. In a few seconds, the missile will destroy the plane and the terminator after his life.
The missile explodes prematurely; the T-X must have used countermeasures. "She's right behind you!" yells the F-14 pilot.
"I can't shake her!" yells the other pilot. "Arrrrrrgh!"
"Halo Two is down," says the remaining F-14 pilot. "She's right behind me," says Dyson.
Kyle looks and sees the blip approaching them from behind, approaching for the kill. Then it veeers off. She had him in his sights.
"I'm back!" yells a female voice.
"It's you!" yells Kyle into his headset.
"I'll cover for you," says the T-X.
Kyle sees one of the fighters chasing the other, firing plasma shots. The other fighter keeps evading.
"Just keep her busy," says Dyson.
The T-X continues chasing after her counterpart, her metal endoskeleton reflecting the cockpit lights. She scores a hit on one of the wings on her twin's F-14. Then the F-14 disappears from view. She looks at the radar screen.
"I lost her," she says.
Her twin maunevers the F-14 tomcat towards the Navy jet transporting Kyle Reese. She calculates a fifty percent chance of success. As she moves closer, she clculates a greater chance of success. She can see the trasnpoirt jet in her sights. She calculates a ninety-five percent chance of success.
Then she looks up.
The T-X reacquired her target, which is right behind Kyle's plane. She does a qwuick calculation.
"You are terminated!" she yells.
The F-14 Tomcat flies just a few yards behind the Navy transport jet. Suddenly, another F-14 Tomcat goes into a dive and collides with the F-14. The collision creates a fantastic explosion, scattering airplane - and T-X- parts over the Pacific Ocean. "You're clear, sir," yells the remaining F-14 pilot.
"Not quite," says Dyson.
Captain Dyson looks at the altimeter.
"We keep losing altitude," he says. "I don't think we can make it to Los Alamitos."
"Crystal Peak, this is Reese," Kiyle says. "We took some damage and I don't think we'll be able to make it."
"Copy that," says Connor. "You can't land at Los Alamitos?"
"I don't think we can make it, sir," says Dyson.
"Talk to Los Alamitos. We just took it from Skynet yesterday. I'll have Crystal Peak connect you to the garrison there."
"This is the Los Al garrison," a male voice says. "This is Stagecoach One One Six," says Dyson. "Our plane is damaged and I don't think we can make it there. Do you have an alternate ladning site."
"Let me see....Yes, you can land on PCH."
"What?"
"Pacific Coast Highway. There is a straight stretch of it next to Bolsa Chica State Beach, between Huntington Beach and Sunset Beach. you're close by."
"Okay," says Dyson. He turns the plane northwest. "it's too dark," says Kyle. "We have no choice," says Dyson.
They watch as the ground comes closer and closer. Dyson concentrates one the dim outlines, hoping that he is looking at a highway and not a canal. He rediuces the speed and engages the flaps. The plane approaches closer and closer to the ground. Dyson checks the altimeter and puts down the landing gear. It continues its descent. His hart races.
And then, at the last seconds, he pulls back on the yoke. The main landing gears touch down first. Dyson then pushes forward, and the nose landing gear makes contact.
The jet now taxis down Pacific Coast Highway. Dyson engages the reverse thrusters, and the starbpard engine thrusts forward to the max. Ahead, Dyson and Kyle can see the outline of buildings. They both depress the rudder pedals. The plane slows down; it does not slow down fast enough.
"Brace yourself!" yells Dyson. Kyle does exactly that as the building pon the street corner gets closer and closer. And then, the nose of the plane strikes the building, causing the wall to collapse.
Kyle pats his chest. "We're alive," he says.
"Let's get down," says Dyson.
The two men get down onto the sidewalk. They look up and see a helicopter approaching them. It descends a few yards away from them and a soldier comes out.
"Let's go," the soldier says.
"No man should know too much about his own future," the blond-haired man on the Sony color television screen says.
Sergeant Kyle Reese sits down on the chair in the video room, weatching the movie Back to the Future. The movie, which was in theaters in 1985, is about a treenage boy who travels back in time and sees his parents in high school. It takes about two hours before he finishes the movie.
He looks behind him and sees the T-X. "Enjoying the movie?' she asks.
"Yeah, it's real interesting," he says. :It just occurred to me. What if I miss my destiny?"
"Explain."
"You say that I am going to take part in an important battle- so important that Skynet had to send your twin here to kill me. If I am stuck on this boat here and I miss my destiny, then Skynet wins."
"It is safest for you here," says the T-X.
"And how long must I stay here? I'm supposed to do something important, and I don't think that something important is staying here."
"Trust me, Kyle," says his guardian.
"You know, I always wondered what it would be like to travel through time. I mean, here you are, from the future, a bright furture I might add. I didn't even think time travel was possible."
"Time travel is fact."
"Think about it. You could visit any era. You could see the pyramids being built in Egypt, or how about Rome under the Ceasars?"
"It would be a one-way trip. The time displacement unit stays in 2069. And you can not bring anything with you; you have to go through naked."
"Still, there is one person whom I would love to meet."
"And who would that be?" asks the T-X.
"Sarah Connor."
"Who?"
"She is the mother of John Connor."
"Ah, yes. Connor wrote about her in his autobiography. He dedicated the book to her."
"What did he write about her in his book?"
"She had trained him in the use of weapons and military tactics when they were living in Costa Rica. She was working for a mercenary. He had thought that people lived by flying around and blowing shit up."
"Was Sarah in the Army or something?"
"Sarah Connor had no military experience before 1984, when she moved south to Costa Rica to join a mercenary company there. She learned arms training even as she was pregnant. She later moved back to the U.S. in early 1985 to give birth to John Connor and take some rest due to childbirth. Then she moved back to Costa Rica where she continued to be a mercenary."
"So what happened to her?" asks Kyle.
"In 1992, she tried to destroy the Cyberdyne Systems factory in Santa Clara. She was delcared insane and was sent to the Pescadero State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. She later escaped from the hoispital and hid out. She died in a hospital in Ensenada, Baja California Sur, on September 11, 1997."
"it was from leukemia. Connor told me that when I frst met him nine years ago. He gave me a picture."
"Do you still have it?"
"No, it was burned up when Skynet attacked the Los Angeles outpost." Kyle paces around the video room. "It was just two days ago that we took Los Angeles."
"Next week, the Resistance will invade the Great Plains," says the T-X. "With Skynet's forces unable to coordinate, the Resistance scores an easy victory with few casualties."
"Well, maybe I should go have lunch," says Kyle.
"I have a message for you, from the future. You are about to face the most difficult mission, a mission that will define your life. You will be fighting against all odds. But you must be strojng, and believe in yourself. Everyone is counting on you."
"Who gave you that message?" asks Kyle.
"It was Senator John Connor," says the T-X. "He was there at the lab when they sent me."
"How did he know you'd be there?" asks Kyle curiously.
"We told him yesterday."
"Oh."
Admiral Thomas Wright of the British Royal Navy sits down at the conference table in the conference room in Crystal Peak. He faces his Russian colleague, General Sergei Gugarin.
"I wonder what John is up to?" asks Wright in his thick British accent.
"Who knows?" asks Gugarin.
Then the wood-paneled doors open, and General John Connor walks inside, escorted by his aides. He presses a button on the intercom. "We're ready," says the Resistance leader. "Send the video to Conference Room 1."
"Yes, sir," says a voice from the Crystal Peak Command Center. An image shows on the video screen, an image of a middle-aged man in camofluage. His rank insignia identifies him as a major general. "Sirs," says the general. "We have important and disturbing news. We just took Yuma Base five hours ago. The base is secure from any machine activity. Our hackers dpownloasded the data from mthe mainframes, and here is what we found."
"Summarize," says Connor.
the general gives his summary.
"Impossible," says General Chen of the People's Army of China.
"Total bullshit," says Admiral Wright. "Does he expect us to believe that?"
"It's worth looking into," says Connor. "We shall all go to Yuma right now."
Sergeant Jessica Spencer sits behind the desk in her office. As General Connor's secretary, she keeps tracks of his appointments and paperwork.
the door to her office opens, and she sees the general himself entering.
"I thought you were going to Yuma," she says.
"I just need to get something from my office," says Connor. "Continue on."
"Yes, sir."
Connor goes into the office and turns on the Dell personal computer. He looks through the notes. Then he picks up the phone and dials the number for the command center.
"This is Connor," he says. "Patch me in to the Prometheus."
After handing up the phone, Connor leaves the office, not even acknowledging Sergeant Spencer. He continues walking, passing some soldiers who salute him. He then presses a button to call the elevator, and the elevator doors open.
As the elevator ascends, Connor's skin changes to a silver color. Then it changes back.
When the elevator doors open on the main level, a blond-haired woman is revealed.
Explosions rock from the shelling of the airport that Skynet uses as an air base. Its fighters had been deployed to intercept the Resistance fighters. The Skynet mainframe in the air base calculates a seventy-two percent chance that the humans will take the base. The T-X knows exactly what time that the humans enter the air base. It is not her mission to defend the air base. She goes to one of the hangars. There are two C-12 transport planes inside, used for airborne operations. She gets into the cockpit of the C-12. Within minutes, she takes off even as the runway is destroyed behind her. Minutes after takeoff, she arrives at the coordinates of the Prometheus, with the sun setting below the Pacific Ocean.
She opensthe door, and then jumps out. She is in a free fall for a few seconds, with the ocean rushing up to meet her. Then she deploys the jet pack, slowing her descent. she calculates the trajectory which will allow her to touch down on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier.
Captain Daneil Dyson is having supper in the ward room when a seaman interrupts him.
"Captain Dyson," says the seaman. "Sorry to bother you, sir, but you have an urgent message from General Connor."
Dyson goes to the phone in the ward room. "Send the communication here," he commands.
"This is Connor," says General Connor. "Is Kyle Reese still on board?"
"Yes, he is here along with that bodyguard of his."
"Prepare one of your planes and have it fly to the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos. I have a plane there waiting for him."
"Yes, sir."
Dyson and two sailors walk tpo the guest quarters. As they expected, Kyle and the T-X are there.
"General Connor summons you," says the captain. "My air wing is preparing a plane for you."
"It is time, Kyle," says the T-X. "time for your destiny."
"Okay," says Kyle.
They all walk through the corridors of Prometheus. They eneter an elevator and press the button for the hangar deck. a few seconds later, thety emerge in hangar deck. In the hangar deck is the Navy transport jet. The pilot comes out to greet them.
"Wait," says the T-X. The flesh of her hand withdraws to reveal the endoskeleton underneath. It then changes.
She pijnts her hand at the pilot, and a plasma bolt shoots out, hitting the pilot.
"What the?" asks Dyson, shocked that the T-X shot one of his pilots.
The pilot gets up. It then morphs into a T-X.
"It's her!" yells Kyle.
"We'd better draw her away from the hangar," says the T-X.
So she and Kyle and Dyson run through the corridors of the aircraft carrier as the T-X's twin pursues them. They fire plasma shots at each other. They go through corridors and stairs. Some of the sailors get caught in the crossfire. They turn a corner and stop.
"Is there another way up to the hangar deck?" asks the T-X.
"Yeah," says Captain Dyson.
"Take him up there. I'll hold my twin here."
Kyle and Dyson both go down the corridor even as the T-X's twin appears. The T-X opens fire with her plasma rifle. Her twin fires back. and hits the T-X. Then she closes in.
The T-X grabs the twin and the battle becomes close and personal. the T-X slams her twin through a set of double doors marked Power Room.
The power room has control panels and circuit breakers and electric generators. A window provides a view of the nuclear breeder reactor that powers the ship. The two T-X's continue their fight in here; the sailors assigned to the power room flee.
Sergeant Kyle Reese and Captain Daniel Dyson make it to the hangar deck where the Navy transport plane awaits them. They both enter and sit in the cockpit. Kyle looks adn sees the dead body of a Navy pilot.
"Never mind him," says Dyson. He puts on a headset. "Air Boss, this is the captain. "Clear everything for a takeoff."
"Copy that."
A lift lifts the plane to the hangar deck. Dyson does a last minute check on the instruments and gauges. He flips switches to turn the engine on. The plane taxis to the catapault.
"Get ready, Reese," says Dyson. "Brace yourself."
The jet engines scream, and the catapault launches the plane into the air. Kyle feels himself being squeezed back due to the sudden acceleration.He nearly blacks out.
"What was that?" asks the soldier.
"It was takeoff," replies Dyson. "We're in the air now."
Two F-14 Tomcats are launched from the aircraft carrier to accompany their captain on its flight. Dyson adjusts the radio controls. "Crystal Peak, this is Dyson from the Prometheus. Patch me in to General Connor."
"Connor here," a male voice says.
"Sir, I'm in the air and I have Reese with me."
"Good. Land at the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos."
"Copy that," replies the captain. "ETA is in twenty minutes."
The two T-X's are still in battlew in the Prometheus's power room, with fists and feet flying and collisions to the ground and wall. The two of them are too evenly matched, being the same model. They throw powerful piunches and kicks that would kill a human.
Suddenly, one of them smahes the other into the circuit breaker. Spraks fly and then the entire ship goes dark. The control rods of the nuclear reactor drop and stop the nuclear reaction. Seconds later, the red emergency lights come on, powered by 12-volt lead-acid batteries. The skin of the T-X that smahsed into the circuit breaker turns silver and melts away into a puddle of liquid metal. The endoskeleton is revealed in its glory. The other T-X then walks away from the power room.
"i can see the coastline," says Kyle, making out the dark shapes.
"We're almost there," says Dyson. He looks at the radar screen, and sees the signals for the two fighters covering him. A third signal approaches. "Stagecoach One One Six to Unidentified Aircraft," says Dyson. "Identify yourself."
"Let me take a look, sir," says one of the F-14 pilots. After a few seconds, he says, "It's one of ours."
"Identify yourself," says Dyson.
He suddenly has a bad feeling about this as the signal for the unidentified F-14 draws closer and closer. He makes a shapr turn to the left. At that instant, he sees a missile fly by.
"Holy shit," he says.
"It's the T-X!" yells Kyle. "The one that's trying to kill me."
"Stagecoach, this is Prometheus," says the bridge officer. "We detected an unauthorized launch."
"I know," says Dyson.
"We'll cover you, sir," says one of the Navy fighter pilots. "Bug out northwest."
Suddenly, a warning light comes on.
"Our port engine's on fire!" yells Dyson.
"You took a hit," says the F-14 pilot. "I'm coming after the bandit. I have a lock. Fox Three!"
Kyle can see the F-14 fighter. A missile follows it. In a few seconds, the missile will destroy the plane and the terminator after his life.
The missile explodes prematurely; the T-X must have used countermeasures. "She's right behind you!" yells the F-14 pilot.
"I can't shake her!" yells the other pilot. "Arrrrrrgh!"
"Halo Two is down," says the remaining F-14 pilot. "She's right behind me," says Dyson.
Kyle looks and sees the blip approaching them from behind, approaching for the kill. Then it veeers off. She had him in his sights.
"I'm back!" yells a female voice.
"It's you!" yells Kyle into his headset.
"I'll cover for you," says the T-X.
Kyle sees one of the fighters chasing the other, firing plasma shots. The other fighter keeps evading.
"Just keep her busy," says Dyson.
The T-X continues chasing after her counterpart, her metal endoskeleton reflecting the cockpit lights. She scores a hit on one of the wings on her twin's F-14. Then the F-14 disappears from view. She looks at the radar screen.
"I lost her," she says.
Her twin maunevers the F-14 tomcat towards the Navy jet transporting Kyle Reese. She calculates a fifty percent chance of success. As she moves closer, she clculates a greater chance of success. She can see the trasnpoirt jet in her sights. She calculates a ninety-five percent chance of success.
Then she looks up.
The T-X reacquired her target, which is right behind Kyle's plane. She does a qwuick calculation.
"You are terminated!" she yells.
The F-14 Tomcat flies just a few yards behind the Navy transport jet. Suddenly, another F-14 Tomcat goes into a dive and collides with the F-14. The collision creates a fantastic explosion, scattering airplane - and T-X- parts over the Pacific Ocean. "You're clear, sir," yells the remaining F-14 pilot.
"Not quite," says Dyson.
Captain Dyson looks at the altimeter.
"We keep losing altitude," he says. "I don't think we can make it to Los Alamitos."
"Crystal Peak, this is Reese," Kiyle says. "We took some damage and I don't think we'll be able to make it."
"Copy that," says Connor. "You can't land at Los Alamitos?"
"I don't think we can make it, sir," says Dyson.
"Talk to Los Alamitos. We just took it from Skynet yesterday. I'll have Crystal Peak connect you to the garrison there."
"This is the Los Al garrison," a male voice says. "This is Stagecoach One One Six," says Dyson. "Our plane is damaged and I don't think we can make it there. Do you have an alternate ladning site."
"Let me see....Yes, you can land on PCH."
"What?"
"Pacific Coast Highway. There is a straight stretch of it next to Bolsa Chica State Beach, between Huntington Beach and Sunset Beach. you're close by."
"Okay," says Dyson. He turns the plane northwest. "it's too dark," says Kyle. "We have no choice," says Dyson.
They watch as the ground comes closer and closer. Dyson concentrates one the dim outlines, hoping that he is looking at a highway and not a canal. He rediuces the speed and engages the flaps. The plane approaches closer and closer to the ground. Dyson checks the altimeter and puts down the landing gear. It continues its descent. His hart races.
And then, at the last seconds, he pulls back on the yoke. The main landing gears touch down first. Dyson then pushes forward, and the nose landing gear makes contact.
The jet now taxis down Pacific Coast Highway. Dyson engages the reverse thrusters, and the starbpard engine thrusts forward to the max. Ahead, Dyson and Kyle can see the outline of buildings. They both depress the rudder pedals. The plane slows down; it does not slow down fast enough.
"Brace yourself!" yells Dyson. Kyle does exactly that as the building pon the street corner gets closer and closer. And then, the nose of the plane strikes the building, causing the wall to collapse.
Kyle pats his chest. "We're alive," he says.
"Let's get down," says Dyson.
The two men get down onto the sidewalk. They look up and see a helicopter approaching them. It descends a few yards away from them and a soldier comes out.
"Let's go," the soldier says.