April 15, 1863
The terminator immediately takes out a clean cloth and presses it against the wound. He calculates the most immediate danger is from blood loss. He presses quite hard to constrict the flow of blood in the area. He has detailed files on human anatomy and knowledge to provide emergency medical care. He then ties a cloth around Luke's shoulder, formaing a bandage. "What happened?" asks the Confederate soldier.
"You have been wounded," says the terminator. "I managed to stop the bleeding. You will need further medical care."
"You mean go to a hospital. There must be a field hospital somewhere around here."
"My counterpart calculated that you will find refuge in a Confederate base. I will try to find a place for you. You will live."
The terminator carries Luke with his arms and holds the reins of the brown stallion. He leads the horse as he carries Luke.
As the terminator carries Corporal Luke Connor to a safe location, his twin enters the back room of a general store in a small town a few miles west of Knoxville. A hardware check indicates that his left sensor eye is inoperative; the revolver round did pretty serious damage. He takes a small knife and puts it to his face. He cuts away the human eye. He looks in the mirror. With his good eye he can see that the left visual sensor had been shattered.
Using the night vision in his good eye, he looks for something. Then he finds it; it is a piece of cloth. He ties it aorund his head.
He looks in the mirror. A patch covers his left eye. He now goes searching for his target.
The terminator walks along the dirt road. The only light is from the stars above. He has an internal magnetic compass which allows him to calculate the direction he is going. In the distance he sees a light. It is still too far for his visual sensors to make out the structure, even at maximum magnification. He walks for a closer look. Then he identifies the structure. It is a two-story house. He calculates the distance to be at five hundred yards- nearly half a mile. He continues walking, carrying Luke and pulling the horse. Within minutes, he reaches the house. He notices it is located in a farm. He walks on to the property. he puts Luke down and then ties the horse to a wooden post. He then carries the wounded soldier to the front door and knocks. The door opens, and a woman answers the door.
"What happened?" asks the woman, dressed in a maid's outfit.
"This man is wounded and he needs medical attention," says the cyborg.
"I had better go get Miss Celeste."
The terminator enters the room and examines his surroundings. The room is lit will a few oil lamps. A soft carpet covers the floor. There are several chairs and a varnished wooden table. "What happened?" asks a female voice which definitely did not come from the maid.
The terminator sees a tall woman with red hair tied in a bun, wearing a simple gown. Her skin relfects the light from the oil lamps. "This man is wounded," he says. "He needs medical attention."
"You can take him into one of the bedrooms," she says.
The red-haired woman leads them into one of the bedrooms. It is simple, with a bed and a dresser and a closet. "What happened to him?" asks the woman.
"He was shot in the back of the shoulder while escaping from a prison camp," says the terminator. "I must now perform surgery to remove the bullet."
"You're a surgeon?"
"I have detailed files in my memory core on various surgical procedures. I need a clean piece of cloth."
The woman did not question his technical terms. "Okay." she leaves the room, and returns with an lit oil lamp and some cloths.
"You are going to need some light," she says.
"Get a knife and some tweezers."
The woman leaves, and then returns with the requested items. The terminator then places the blade of the knife into the flames.
"What are you doin'?" she asks.
"I am sterilizing these instruments," says the terminator. "Infection is a leading cause of death among soldiers in the American Civil War. By heating these, I can kill any microorganisms and increase his chances of survival."
"Where did you go to medical school?"
"I never went to medical school. All of the medical data was uploaded into my memory core."
The terminator finishes sterlizing the knife and the tweezers. He then removes Luke's shirt. The woman can see Luke's upper body. The young man certainly has done much physical labor. She can also see the wound.
She watches as this mysterious stranger who showed up on her doorstep at this evening starts cutting the skin around the wound. She notices his hands are very steady; she would probably tremble at the sight of blood. The terminator uses the knife to cut away the tissue. Using his optical scanners, he can see the bullet. With the utmost care, he slowly a bullet that was lodged in Luke's shoulder.
"I need sutures," he says.
"What?" asks the young woman.
"I need a thread and needle."
"I'm sure Sadie knows where they are."
And so the terminator waits for a minute, then Sadie the maid enters the bedroom. The cyborg proceeds to sterilize the needle in the oil lamp flame. After the sterilization is complete, he threads the needle and proceeds to stitch the incisions together. Finally, he applies the gauze and bandages. "It is done," he says. "Is he going to be all right?" asks the red-haired woman.
"I calculated a seventy percent probability that he will survive."
"You have a funny way of talking," says the woman. "Are you from Europe or something?"
"I am from Arizona."
"Never heard of it. You do stick out with that accent of yours."
"Do you like this accent better?" asks the terminator.
The woman is astonished. This strange man spoke to her in an exact mimicry of her voice. "How did you do that?"
"I can copy and alter any human voice I hear," he says in his normal, German-accented voice. "So, what's your story?"
"My mission is to ensure the survival of Luke Connor."
"So that's his name."
"Yes."
"I'm Celeste. Celeste Hawkins. What is your name?"
"I am designated 381146."
Cleste looks at the sleeping soldier and then at his protector. "So you can't tell me your name."
"That is my name."
"What is the deal with protecting him?"
"According to my mission briefing, Skynet sent a terminator back to 1863 to terminate Luke Connor. I was sent to intercept and protect Luke Connor. Data about this time was uploaded into my memory core a few hours before my deployment. The terminator sent to terminate Luke Connor is identical to me."
"Are you some sort of Confederate spy?" asks Celeste.
"No, I am an automated infantry combat unit assigned to TechCom."
"What's TechCom?"
"An international military command whose mission is to destroy Skynet's ability to wage war."
"I guess this has nothing to do with this War of Northern Aggression."
"Precisely. The very survival of humanity is at stake with this mission."
"Well, okay. I'd better go get some sleep."
"I will watch over him."
"Maybe we should watch over him in shifts. You need to get some sleep."
"Wrong. I do not need to sleep and I do not need to recharge my power cells anytime soon."
Celeste yawns. "Well, I have to sleep." She leaves the room.
The terminator looks at Luke Connor, who is sleeping in the bed. He stands still, keeping an eye out for any enemies.
April 16, 1863
Fire burns, consuming the buildings. People flee in panic. Shots are fired. Through the smoke, the enemy can be seen. Steel skeletons, loading and firing their rifles. Cannons, apparenmtly firing cannonballs by themselves, provide support. Steam comes out of the nostrils of the skeletons and the breeches of the cannons. Some soldiers fire at the mechanical skeletons, but the bullets just bounce off them. The skeletons get cvloser and closer. The soldiers thrust bayonets into them, but the blade just snaps off. The skeletons emit huge steam clouds; the fires in their eyes blazing.
Then Luke Connor wakes up in a unfamiliar place. "You're awake," says a female voice.
Luke looks and sees a red-haired woman with freckles on her face. He feels himself on a soft surface, and figures he is lying down on a bed. He looks and sees the white plaster walls.
"Where am I?" he asks.
"You're at my family farm," the woman says. "My name is Celeste."
"Did you see a tall man with short brown hair carry me here? Speaking with a foreign accent?"
"Yes. He had to perform surgery on you. He was a rather strange fellow, although he did save your life."
"The past few days have been strange." Luke reaches forward with his right arm, and waves of pain travel up his arm. "Ah," he says. "Uh, where is he now?"
"He went outside to feed and water your horse," replies Celeste. Luke wiggles the fingers of his right hand. It still sends pain up his arm. He swings his legs to the carpet and stands up and looks out of the window. It is a cloudy day, with gray clouds concealing the blue sky. "You should sit down," Luke hears the terminator say.
Luke sees the terminator holding a plate with something yellow on it. "What's that?"
"It is breakfast," says the terminator. "Scrambled eggs."
Luke lies down on the bed and the terminator places the plate on his lap. Using his good hand, he takes the pieces of scrambled eggs and eats everfy piece. It has been such a long time since he had fresh food. In two minutes, Luke finishes the scrambled eggs.
The terminator returns with a tin cup. "Here is some water."
LUke takes a sip. "It's a bit warm."
"I boiled it to kill any microorganisms," replies the cyborg. "You can cook too."
"Files on preparation of food are included in my memory core. You should get some rest, Luke Connor. Your chances of survival will increase as your shoulder heals."
The terminator then leaves the bedroom.
"He said his mission was to protect you," says Celeste. "Yeah," says Luke. 'From what he told me, he is a machine wrapped in human flesh. He came from the future to protect me from another one like him who wants to kill me."
"Why would someone come from the future to kill you?"
"Apparently, in the future machines are built that can operate themselves. They wage war on humans. One of my descendants leads the war against the machines. I guess by killing me, the machines figured out they can erase his existence."
"Interesting," says Celeste. "Well, I guess you'd better get some rest." She leaves the bedroom, while Luke lies down in bed.
Celeste walks around her family's farm to look for the stranger that brought Luke here. She finally finds him in the brick building that is used for gunsmithing.
"Uh, hi there," she says to the cyborg.
"How is Luke Connor?" asks the terminator.
"He's resting up right now."
"Good," says the terminator, holding a Springfield Armory rifle-musket. "He will need it."
"Is it true? That you are a machine?"
"Yes. I am a terminator, Cyberdyne Systems Model 101, Series 800, automated infantry unit. I am a cyborg- cybernetic organism. On the outside I am composed of human flesh- skin, muscle, nerves. On the inside I have a mechanical endoskeleton impervious to small arms fire, powered by fuel cells, microprocessor controlled."
"Microprocessor?"
"It is a miniature optronic circuit that does mathematical calculations. My optimal processing speed is one hundred thirty one thousand seventy-two Terahertz."
"That must be fast," says Celeste, not knowing what a Terahertz is. "And you're from the future, right?"
"I arrived in this time from the Temporal Research Labs in the Yuma Proving Grounds in Arizona, on July 11, 2029."
"That is over a hundred years from now."
"One hundred sixty-six years."
"Luke said another machine was sent from the future to kill him."
"Yes. The humans captured the Temporal Research Lab at around 0620. After scanning the computer database, they found out that three terminators to three different time periods to terminate three different people. I was sent to this time to protect Luke Connor."
"He said something about one of his descendants being in the war."
"His great-great-great-grandson, John Connor, was in charge of military operations against the machines. He led the humans to victory. Skynet- the computer sysatem that controlled the machines- calculated that the most probable way to victory is to erase his existence. "
"Okay, if you are from the future, then you know how this War of Northern Aggression ends."
"The last Confederate troops surrender on May 26, 1865."
"You sure have a strange story mister. A lot stranger than Claire having that colored baby." Celeste notices the terminator examining the rifle. "What are you doing?" she asks.
"I am examining the rifle to see if I can modify it into a semiautomatic rifle."
"Semi-what?"
"Semiautomatic. It refers to a firearm that reloads itself from a magazine whenever a bullet is discharged. I believe that the equipment in this smithery will allow me to make modifications. This will better allow me to deal with my twin when he comes."
"You think he will find Luke?"
"Eventually, he will. I do calculate Luke will be able to move about on his feet and have use of his right arm in two days."
Celeste goes to the door of the gunsmithery when she turns back. "If you're a machine," she says, "why are you on our side?"
"I was deactivated after I failed my last mission for Skynet," replies the cyborg. "I was found by the humans and my link to Skynet was severed. I was reprogrammed to serve John Connor."
"You are not bothered that you were forced into the other side?"
"I am a machine. I simply do what is programmed of me."
"So, it doesn't bother you that you killed humans when you were their enemy?"
"No, it does not."
"So you don't think it is wrong to kill humans?"
"That concept is irrelvant to my design. I am a machine. I do what I am programmed to do. My current function is to protect Luke Connor."
"So if your function was to kill a baby, you would do it?"
"Yes."
"You don't seem to have a conscience."
"I have restrictions to my behavior programmed into me. One of these restrictions prevent me from deliberately killing a human."
"But you do not feel guilty about having killed humans before."
"No, I do not. I simply do what I am programmed to do. Questions of ethics have no more relevance to me that they would to a steam engine or a cannon."
"Oh, so you're not really a good guy."
"I am neither good nor bad. Neither is my twin. I am a machine, and I do what it takes to complete my mission. Nothing else is relevant."
Luke lies down on the bed when he sees the terminator enter the room with a rifle.
"Any sign of your twin?" asks the soldier.
"No," replies the cyborg. Luke sees something hanging from the rifle. "What is that?" he asks.
"An ammunition belt. When this rifle is fired, it will load another cartridge automatically. This will allow for shorter reloading times."
"I understand...I think."
"Allow me to demonostrate. Can you stand?"
"Yeah," says Luke. He gets up and suddenly feels a pain in his right arm.
"Allow me to make you a sling," says the terminator.
He leaves while Luke waits in the bedroom, staring up at the white ceiling. Two minutes, later, the terminator comes back with white linen strips.
"Hold still," he says to Luke. He starts tying the strips around Luke's chest and neck. "There."
Luke stands up. The strips of cloth appear to be supporting his right arm. There is only a dull ache. "It's not too bad."
"Follow me."
Luke follows the terminator to the back porch of the farmhouse. Celeste and Sadie are standing there. Luke sits down on a bench suspended by ropes. The terminator goes to the barn and gets some bales of hay. He returns, setting the hay on the ground. He then comes back to the porch.
"Allow me to demonstrate," he says. He points the modified Springfield rifle at the hay. He then squeezes the trigger. The gunpowder explosion propels the bullet at a fast speed, striking the hay and scattering straw. Then the terminator fires again. And again. "Automatic reloading," says Luke. "I never saw anything like it."
"The Gatling gun is an automatic gun in use today," says the terminator. "Maybe after all of this is over, you can go make these weapons for the Army," says Celeste.
"Once I am done, I must wait for further orders," says the terminator.
Dinner is served at sunset, and Luke sits on a chair in front of the wooden dining table at the dining room. The dinner is roasted chicken, which was prepared by Celeste and Sadie. It has been a long time since Luke had chicken. He tears out pieces of chicken with his fork, since he does not have use of his right arm.
"Are you going to eat?" Sadie asks the terminator.
"I do not require food to function," replies the cyborg. "So tell me about yourself," Celeste says to Luke.
"Well, I joined the militia 'bout three years ago," says the Confederate soldier. "My unit was called up back in '61. I've been in a few battles. The last one was near Milton."
"That's pretty far from here."
"Yeah, we had to retreat when we heard that the Yank reinforcements were coming."
"What about before the war?"
"I helped around my family farm. We only got one slave, so I often have to go work with them. I remember how I thought how hard the work was. But then the war started and I marched with the Army and now I know how hard life is. You know, it was only today that I got to eat fresh food in a long time."
"What about your family?"
"Well, I have my parents and four brothers and three sisters. The house certainly was noisy when I was growin' up."
"What story did he tell you?" asks Celeste, referring to the terminator.
"He says he is some sort of machine covered in skin who came from the future to protect me. Did he say that to you?"
"Yes, he did."
Luke finishes the last of his chicken. "You know, I hope I'm not imposing any burden on you and your farm. I mean, I know things are tough even at the home front. I mean, who knows what will happen if the Yanks take this county."
"I don't mind. I rather enjoy the company. All of the able-bodied young men are off fightin' the Yanks."
"What's your story? Do you own the farm?"
"It's my family farm. My daddy's off fightin' the war- he's a colonel in the militia- so I'm stuck here running the farm and the gunsmithery. I actually know how to repair rifles and muskets."
"What about your mother?"
"She died ten years ago," says Celeste.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It was such a long time ago."
Luke sits down on the bed in the guest bedroom where he had spent last night. The terminator is inside, watching over him. Luke takes the opportunity to ask a few questions, something he had not had time to do what with escaping from a cyborg assassin, being held at a prison camp, and getting shot.
"I know you're not tryin' to kill me," says Luke. "Celeste even mentioned you took out the bullet."
"That is correct. Routines on performing surgery are part of my programming."
"Okay," says Luke, figuring out his protector means that he knows how to remove a bullet safely from a human body. "I know you took a couple of bullets and all, but how do I know you are a machine?"
The terminator rolls back his left sleeve. He takes a knife and makes an incision into his human skin. Then he pulls the skin back.
Luke takes a look and can see a metal rod inside and some metal wires. He sees the wires move as the terminator flexes his fingers. "Okay, I believe you. But how do I know you're from the future. I mean, you can't just walk into the past."
"With a time displacement unit, you can. And if you want proof, cut my scalp." LUke is handed the knife. He puts the sharp blade to the cyborg's brown hair. He cuts the scalp, noticing that his protector is not even wincing in pain. He pulls back the skin to reveal the metal skull. "There is a panel," says the terminator. "Open it."
Luke traces his finger on the skull, and can see an outline. He feels for something to pull. And he does. He pulls out the top of the skull with his left hand.
What he sees inside is quiet alien to him. He recognizes several colored threads crossing the space inside the skull. Attached to the skull's interior surface are things he could not even imagine. He sees blinking lights. "You are looking at my control circuitry," says the terminator. "The microprocessor, RAM, ROM, holographic memory core, backup battery, and data access ports are all located inside."
"Uh huh," says Luke, having not a clue what those things are, except that the terminator needs them to function.
"And you will see blinking LED lights. There is no fire burning in those lights. The light bulb is not invented until 1884 by Thomas Edison, and electric lights do not gain widespread use until the 1890's."
Luke reaches with his pinky finger, hoping not to break something, and feels one of the flashing lights. There is no heat.
"Okay, I believe you're from the future," says the soldier.
The terminator places the skull cap back on and covers it with the human scalp. "Do you have any doubts?"
"Just one," says Luke, laying his head against the pillow. "How do you know that I am the ancestor of this guy who sent you here?"
"His name is John Connor."
"Yeah, well, even if you know he had an ancestor in this time named Luke, how do you know that I am that ancestor? There must be at least a hundred Luke Connors here in America, not to mention any Luke Connors who are in Ireland."
"You mentioned you are from Carthage, Tennessee. The available records show that Luke Connor of Carthage, Tennessee is the great-great-great-grandfather of John Connor of Los Angeles, California."
"I guess I'm the right guy," says Luke, knowing that the only Connors in his home county are his family."Listen, I think we should leave."
"You will be safe here for tonight. You still do not have use of your right arm. Leaving may attract the attention of my counterpart here."
"I just don't want to put Celeste in danger. I don't want her to get killed on account of me. You don't want that to happen, do you?"
"What happens to Celeste is irrelevant to my mission," the terminator says flatly.
"It IS relevant," argues Luke. "We're here in her farm. In her house. That's your job; to protect people."
"My mission is to ensure your survival," says the terminator. "Celeste's survival is irrelevant."
"it's relevant to any decent human being!"
"I am not a human being."
Luke stares the terminator in his eyes. "You know, I really don't know how you are any different from the guy that's looking to kill me."
"We have different, mutually exclusive missions," says the terminator. "Our design and basic programming are identical."
"I guess building machiens that can understand humans is not yet possible in your time."
"I understand human behavior; I have detailed files on human psychology. I calculate that you will be healed well enough to move on tomorrow. Staying in one place will increase the chance of my counterpart acquiring our position."
"Well, I have to acquire some sleep now," Luke says, yawning. "I suppose you know how to blow that lamp."
The terminator extinguihses the fame from the burning oil lamp. The room is plunged in darkness.
The terminator immediately takes out a clean cloth and presses it against the wound. He calculates the most immediate danger is from blood loss. He presses quite hard to constrict the flow of blood in the area. He has detailed files on human anatomy and knowledge to provide emergency medical care. He then ties a cloth around Luke's shoulder, formaing a bandage. "What happened?" asks the Confederate soldier.
"You have been wounded," says the terminator. "I managed to stop the bleeding. You will need further medical care."
"You mean go to a hospital. There must be a field hospital somewhere around here."
"My counterpart calculated that you will find refuge in a Confederate base. I will try to find a place for you. You will live."
The terminator carries Luke with his arms and holds the reins of the brown stallion. He leads the horse as he carries Luke.
As the terminator carries Corporal Luke Connor to a safe location, his twin enters the back room of a general store in a small town a few miles west of Knoxville. A hardware check indicates that his left sensor eye is inoperative; the revolver round did pretty serious damage. He takes a small knife and puts it to his face. He cuts away the human eye. He looks in the mirror. With his good eye he can see that the left visual sensor had been shattered.
Using the night vision in his good eye, he looks for something. Then he finds it; it is a piece of cloth. He ties it aorund his head.
He looks in the mirror. A patch covers his left eye. He now goes searching for his target.
The terminator walks along the dirt road. The only light is from the stars above. He has an internal magnetic compass which allows him to calculate the direction he is going. In the distance he sees a light. It is still too far for his visual sensors to make out the structure, even at maximum magnification. He walks for a closer look. Then he identifies the structure. It is a two-story house. He calculates the distance to be at five hundred yards- nearly half a mile. He continues walking, carrying Luke and pulling the horse. Within minutes, he reaches the house. He notices it is located in a farm. He walks on to the property. he puts Luke down and then ties the horse to a wooden post. He then carries the wounded soldier to the front door and knocks. The door opens, and a woman answers the door.
"What happened?" asks the woman, dressed in a maid's outfit.
"This man is wounded and he needs medical attention," says the cyborg.
"I had better go get Miss Celeste."
The terminator enters the room and examines his surroundings. The room is lit will a few oil lamps. A soft carpet covers the floor. There are several chairs and a varnished wooden table. "What happened?" asks a female voice which definitely did not come from the maid.
The terminator sees a tall woman with red hair tied in a bun, wearing a simple gown. Her skin relfects the light from the oil lamps. "This man is wounded," he says. "He needs medical attention."
"You can take him into one of the bedrooms," she says.
The red-haired woman leads them into one of the bedrooms. It is simple, with a bed and a dresser and a closet. "What happened to him?" asks the woman.
"He was shot in the back of the shoulder while escaping from a prison camp," says the terminator. "I must now perform surgery to remove the bullet."
"You're a surgeon?"
"I have detailed files in my memory core on various surgical procedures. I need a clean piece of cloth."
The woman did not question his technical terms. "Okay." she leaves the room, and returns with an lit oil lamp and some cloths.
"You are going to need some light," she says.
"Get a knife and some tweezers."
The woman leaves, and then returns with the requested items. The terminator then places the blade of the knife into the flames.
"What are you doin'?" she asks.
"I am sterilizing these instruments," says the terminator. "Infection is a leading cause of death among soldiers in the American Civil War. By heating these, I can kill any microorganisms and increase his chances of survival."
"Where did you go to medical school?"
"I never went to medical school. All of the medical data was uploaded into my memory core."
The terminator finishes sterlizing the knife and the tweezers. He then removes Luke's shirt. The woman can see Luke's upper body. The young man certainly has done much physical labor. She can also see the wound.
She watches as this mysterious stranger who showed up on her doorstep at this evening starts cutting the skin around the wound. She notices his hands are very steady; she would probably tremble at the sight of blood. The terminator uses the knife to cut away the tissue. Using his optical scanners, he can see the bullet. With the utmost care, he slowly a bullet that was lodged in Luke's shoulder.
"I need sutures," he says.
"What?" asks the young woman.
"I need a thread and needle."
"I'm sure Sadie knows where they are."
And so the terminator waits for a minute, then Sadie the maid enters the bedroom. The cyborg proceeds to sterilize the needle in the oil lamp flame. After the sterilization is complete, he threads the needle and proceeds to stitch the incisions together. Finally, he applies the gauze and bandages. "It is done," he says. "Is he going to be all right?" asks the red-haired woman.
"I calculated a seventy percent probability that he will survive."
"You have a funny way of talking," says the woman. "Are you from Europe or something?"
"I am from Arizona."
"Never heard of it. You do stick out with that accent of yours."
"Do you like this accent better?" asks the terminator.
The woman is astonished. This strange man spoke to her in an exact mimicry of her voice. "How did you do that?"
"I can copy and alter any human voice I hear," he says in his normal, German-accented voice. "So, what's your story?"
"My mission is to ensure the survival of Luke Connor."
"So that's his name."
"Yes."
"I'm Celeste. Celeste Hawkins. What is your name?"
"I am designated 381146."
Cleste looks at the sleeping soldier and then at his protector. "So you can't tell me your name."
"That is my name."
"What is the deal with protecting him?"
"According to my mission briefing, Skynet sent a terminator back to 1863 to terminate Luke Connor. I was sent to intercept and protect Luke Connor. Data about this time was uploaded into my memory core a few hours before my deployment. The terminator sent to terminate Luke Connor is identical to me."
"Are you some sort of Confederate spy?" asks Celeste.
"No, I am an automated infantry combat unit assigned to TechCom."
"What's TechCom?"
"An international military command whose mission is to destroy Skynet's ability to wage war."
"I guess this has nothing to do with this War of Northern Aggression."
"Precisely. The very survival of humanity is at stake with this mission."
"Well, okay. I'd better go get some sleep."
"I will watch over him."
"Maybe we should watch over him in shifts. You need to get some sleep."
"Wrong. I do not need to sleep and I do not need to recharge my power cells anytime soon."
Celeste yawns. "Well, I have to sleep." She leaves the room.
The terminator looks at Luke Connor, who is sleeping in the bed. He stands still, keeping an eye out for any enemies.
April 16, 1863
Fire burns, consuming the buildings. People flee in panic. Shots are fired. Through the smoke, the enemy can be seen. Steel skeletons, loading and firing their rifles. Cannons, apparenmtly firing cannonballs by themselves, provide support. Steam comes out of the nostrils of the skeletons and the breeches of the cannons. Some soldiers fire at the mechanical skeletons, but the bullets just bounce off them. The skeletons get cvloser and closer. The soldiers thrust bayonets into them, but the blade just snaps off. The skeletons emit huge steam clouds; the fires in their eyes blazing.
Then Luke Connor wakes up in a unfamiliar place. "You're awake," says a female voice.
Luke looks and sees a red-haired woman with freckles on her face. He feels himself on a soft surface, and figures he is lying down on a bed. He looks and sees the white plaster walls.
"Where am I?" he asks.
"You're at my family farm," the woman says. "My name is Celeste."
"Did you see a tall man with short brown hair carry me here? Speaking with a foreign accent?"
"Yes. He had to perform surgery on you. He was a rather strange fellow, although he did save your life."
"The past few days have been strange." Luke reaches forward with his right arm, and waves of pain travel up his arm. "Ah," he says. "Uh, where is he now?"
"He went outside to feed and water your horse," replies Celeste. Luke wiggles the fingers of his right hand. It still sends pain up his arm. He swings his legs to the carpet and stands up and looks out of the window. It is a cloudy day, with gray clouds concealing the blue sky. "You should sit down," Luke hears the terminator say.
Luke sees the terminator holding a plate with something yellow on it. "What's that?"
"It is breakfast," says the terminator. "Scrambled eggs."
Luke lies down on the bed and the terminator places the plate on his lap. Using his good hand, he takes the pieces of scrambled eggs and eats everfy piece. It has been such a long time since he had fresh food. In two minutes, Luke finishes the scrambled eggs.
The terminator returns with a tin cup. "Here is some water."
LUke takes a sip. "It's a bit warm."
"I boiled it to kill any microorganisms," replies the cyborg. "You can cook too."
"Files on preparation of food are included in my memory core. You should get some rest, Luke Connor. Your chances of survival will increase as your shoulder heals."
The terminator then leaves the bedroom.
"He said his mission was to protect you," says Celeste. "Yeah," says Luke. 'From what he told me, he is a machine wrapped in human flesh. He came from the future to protect me from another one like him who wants to kill me."
"Why would someone come from the future to kill you?"
"Apparently, in the future machines are built that can operate themselves. They wage war on humans. One of my descendants leads the war against the machines. I guess by killing me, the machines figured out they can erase his existence."
"Interesting," says Celeste. "Well, I guess you'd better get some rest." She leaves the bedroom, while Luke lies down in bed.
Celeste walks around her family's farm to look for the stranger that brought Luke here. She finally finds him in the brick building that is used for gunsmithing.
"Uh, hi there," she says to the cyborg.
"How is Luke Connor?" asks the terminator.
"He's resting up right now."
"Good," says the terminator, holding a Springfield Armory rifle-musket. "He will need it."
"Is it true? That you are a machine?"
"Yes. I am a terminator, Cyberdyne Systems Model 101, Series 800, automated infantry unit. I am a cyborg- cybernetic organism. On the outside I am composed of human flesh- skin, muscle, nerves. On the inside I have a mechanical endoskeleton impervious to small arms fire, powered by fuel cells, microprocessor controlled."
"Microprocessor?"
"It is a miniature optronic circuit that does mathematical calculations. My optimal processing speed is one hundred thirty one thousand seventy-two Terahertz."
"That must be fast," says Celeste, not knowing what a Terahertz is. "And you're from the future, right?"
"I arrived in this time from the Temporal Research Labs in the Yuma Proving Grounds in Arizona, on July 11, 2029."
"That is over a hundred years from now."
"One hundred sixty-six years."
"Luke said another machine was sent from the future to kill him."
"Yes. The humans captured the Temporal Research Lab at around 0620. After scanning the computer database, they found out that three terminators to three different time periods to terminate three different people. I was sent to this time to protect Luke Connor."
"He said something about one of his descendants being in the war."
"His great-great-great-grandson, John Connor, was in charge of military operations against the machines. He led the humans to victory. Skynet- the computer sysatem that controlled the machines- calculated that the most probable way to victory is to erase his existence. "
"Okay, if you are from the future, then you know how this War of Northern Aggression ends."
"The last Confederate troops surrender on May 26, 1865."
"You sure have a strange story mister. A lot stranger than Claire having that colored baby." Celeste notices the terminator examining the rifle. "What are you doing?" she asks.
"I am examining the rifle to see if I can modify it into a semiautomatic rifle."
"Semi-what?"
"Semiautomatic. It refers to a firearm that reloads itself from a magazine whenever a bullet is discharged. I believe that the equipment in this smithery will allow me to make modifications. This will better allow me to deal with my twin when he comes."
"You think he will find Luke?"
"Eventually, he will. I do calculate Luke will be able to move about on his feet and have use of his right arm in two days."
Celeste goes to the door of the gunsmithery when she turns back. "If you're a machine," she says, "why are you on our side?"
"I was deactivated after I failed my last mission for Skynet," replies the cyborg. "I was found by the humans and my link to Skynet was severed. I was reprogrammed to serve John Connor."
"You are not bothered that you were forced into the other side?"
"I am a machine. I simply do what is programmed of me."
"So, it doesn't bother you that you killed humans when you were their enemy?"
"No, it does not."
"So you don't think it is wrong to kill humans?"
"That concept is irrelvant to my design. I am a machine. I do what I am programmed to do. My current function is to protect Luke Connor."
"So if your function was to kill a baby, you would do it?"
"Yes."
"You don't seem to have a conscience."
"I have restrictions to my behavior programmed into me. One of these restrictions prevent me from deliberately killing a human."
"But you do not feel guilty about having killed humans before."
"No, I do not. I simply do what I am programmed to do. Questions of ethics have no more relevance to me that they would to a steam engine or a cannon."
"Oh, so you're not really a good guy."
"I am neither good nor bad. Neither is my twin. I am a machine, and I do what it takes to complete my mission. Nothing else is relevant."
Luke lies down on the bed when he sees the terminator enter the room with a rifle.
"Any sign of your twin?" asks the soldier.
"No," replies the cyborg. Luke sees something hanging from the rifle. "What is that?" he asks.
"An ammunition belt. When this rifle is fired, it will load another cartridge automatically. This will allow for shorter reloading times."
"I understand...I think."
"Allow me to demonostrate. Can you stand?"
"Yeah," says Luke. He gets up and suddenly feels a pain in his right arm.
"Allow me to make you a sling," says the terminator.
He leaves while Luke waits in the bedroom, staring up at the white ceiling. Two minutes, later, the terminator comes back with white linen strips.
"Hold still," he says to Luke. He starts tying the strips around Luke's chest and neck. "There."
Luke stands up. The strips of cloth appear to be supporting his right arm. There is only a dull ache. "It's not too bad."
"Follow me."
Luke follows the terminator to the back porch of the farmhouse. Celeste and Sadie are standing there. Luke sits down on a bench suspended by ropes. The terminator goes to the barn and gets some bales of hay. He returns, setting the hay on the ground. He then comes back to the porch.
"Allow me to demonstrate," he says. He points the modified Springfield rifle at the hay. He then squeezes the trigger. The gunpowder explosion propels the bullet at a fast speed, striking the hay and scattering straw. Then the terminator fires again. And again. "Automatic reloading," says Luke. "I never saw anything like it."
"The Gatling gun is an automatic gun in use today," says the terminator. "Maybe after all of this is over, you can go make these weapons for the Army," says Celeste.
"Once I am done, I must wait for further orders," says the terminator.
Dinner is served at sunset, and Luke sits on a chair in front of the wooden dining table at the dining room. The dinner is roasted chicken, which was prepared by Celeste and Sadie. It has been a long time since Luke had chicken. He tears out pieces of chicken with his fork, since he does not have use of his right arm.
"Are you going to eat?" Sadie asks the terminator.
"I do not require food to function," replies the cyborg. "So tell me about yourself," Celeste says to Luke.
"Well, I joined the militia 'bout three years ago," says the Confederate soldier. "My unit was called up back in '61. I've been in a few battles. The last one was near Milton."
"That's pretty far from here."
"Yeah, we had to retreat when we heard that the Yank reinforcements were coming."
"What about before the war?"
"I helped around my family farm. We only got one slave, so I often have to go work with them. I remember how I thought how hard the work was. But then the war started and I marched with the Army and now I know how hard life is. You know, it was only today that I got to eat fresh food in a long time."
"What about your family?"
"Well, I have my parents and four brothers and three sisters. The house certainly was noisy when I was growin' up."
"What story did he tell you?" asks Celeste, referring to the terminator.
"He says he is some sort of machine covered in skin who came from the future to protect me. Did he say that to you?"
"Yes, he did."
Luke finishes the last of his chicken. "You know, I hope I'm not imposing any burden on you and your farm. I mean, I know things are tough even at the home front. I mean, who knows what will happen if the Yanks take this county."
"I don't mind. I rather enjoy the company. All of the able-bodied young men are off fightin' the Yanks."
"What's your story? Do you own the farm?"
"It's my family farm. My daddy's off fightin' the war- he's a colonel in the militia- so I'm stuck here running the farm and the gunsmithery. I actually know how to repair rifles and muskets."
"What about your mother?"
"She died ten years ago," says Celeste.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It was such a long time ago."
Luke sits down on the bed in the guest bedroom where he had spent last night. The terminator is inside, watching over him. Luke takes the opportunity to ask a few questions, something he had not had time to do what with escaping from a cyborg assassin, being held at a prison camp, and getting shot.
"I know you're not tryin' to kill me," says Luke. "Celeste even mentioned you took out the bullet."
"That is correct. Routines on performing surgery are part of my programming."
"Okay," says Luke, figuring out his protector means that he knows how to remove a bullet safely from a human body. "I know you took a couple of bullets and all, but how do I know you are a machine?"
The terminator rolls back his left sleeve. He takes a knife and makes an incision into his human skin. Then he pulls the skin back.
Luke takes a look and can see a metal rod inside and some metal wires. He sees the wires move as the terminator flexes his fingers. "Okay, I believe you. But how do I know you're from the future. I mean, you can't just walk into the past."
"With a time displacement unit, you can. And if you want proof, cut my scalp." LUke is handed the knife. He puts the sharp blade to the cyborg's brown hair. He cuts the scalp, noticing that his protector is not even wincing in pain. He pulls back the skin to reveal the metal skull. "There is a panel," says the terminator. "Open it."
Luke traces his finger on the skull, and can see an outline. He feels for something to pull. And he does. He pulls out the top of the skull with his left hand.
What he sees inside is quiet alien to him. He recognizes several colored threads crossing the space inside the skull. Attached to the skull's interior surface are things he could not even imagine. He sees blinking lights. "You are looking at my control circuitry," says the terminator. "The microprocessor, RAM, ROM, holographic memory core, backup battery, and data access ports are all located inside."
"Uh huh," says Luke, having not a clue what those things are, except that the terminator needs them to function.
"And you will see blinking LED lights. There is no fire burning in those lights. The light bulb is not invented until 1884 by Thomas Edison, and electric lights do not gain widespread use until the 1890's."
Luke reaches with his pinky finger, hoping not to break something, and feels one of the flashing lights. There is no heat.
"Okay, I believe you're from the future," says the soldier.
The terminator places the skull cap back on and covers it with the human scalp. "Do you have any doubts?"
"Just one," says Luke, laying his head against the pillow. "How do you know that I am the ancestor of this guy who sent you here?"
"His name is John Connor."
"Yeah, well, even if you know he had an ancestor in this time named Luke, how do you know that I am that ancestor? There must be at least a hundred Luke Connors here in America, not to mention any Luke Connors who are in Ireland."
"You mentioned you are from Carthage, Tennessee. The available records show that Luke Connor of Carthage, Tennessee is the great-great-great-grandfather of John Connor of Los Angeles, California."
"I guess I'm the right guy," says Luke, knowing that the only Connors in his home county are his family."Listen, I think we should leave."
"You will be safe here for tonight. You still do not have use of your right arm. Leaving may attract the attention of my counterpart here."
"I just don't want to put Celeste in danger. I don't want her to get killed on account of me. You don't want that to happen, do you?"
"What happens to Celeste is irrelevant to my mission," the terminator says flatly.
"It IS relevant," argues Luke. "We're here in her farm. In her house. That's your job; to protect people."
"My mission is to ensure your survival," says the terminator. "Celeste's survival is irrelevant."
"it's relevant to any decent human being!"
"I am not a human being."
Luke stares the terminator in his eyes. "You know, I really don't know how you are any different from the guy that's looking to kill me."
"We have different, mutually exclusive missions," says the terminator. "Our design and basic programming are identical."
"I guess building machiens that can understand humans is not yet possible in your time."
"I understand human behavior; I have detailed files on human psychology. I calculate that you will be healed well enough to move on tomorrow. Staying in one place will increase the chance of my counterpart acquiring our position."
"Well, I have to acquire some sleep now," Luke says, yawning. "I suppose you know how to blow that lamp."
The terminator extinguihses the fame from the burning oil lamp. The room is plunged in darkness.