Chapter 8: Prelude to Battle
According to Terminator's maps the closest ISSP building was an armory. Its security was mostly automated with the need for only one guard. As he approached the building a dog his files identified as a Welsh Corgi began barking at him. The condition of the animal revealed it wasn't a stray and there was no record of that breed being used by ISSP so it was probably a pet of the guard on duty or a visitor. He ignored the dog's angry barks and headed for the door when a small human burst out of the building and nearly ran into him, he estimated its age to be in the early teens. He ran the image of its face through his data files but couldn't find any matches. It stopped and looked up at him. For a moment the human looked surprised then began to smile.
"Hi. My name is Ed. Who're you?" The human asked, in a high-pitched voice. The dog stopped barking but continued to growl. Terminator showed it his fake badge.
"I'm a policeman." Terminator answered. The human, Ed, seemed to be cooperative and might know where his targets were so he took out the pictures he had and showed them to it. "I am looking for these people. I am also looking for John Connor have you seen him?"
"What does John Connor look like?" The human asked. It was a question Terminator had expected to be asked and had already prepared an answer.
"He is dressed like a police officer and would be traveling with these three. Have you seen any of them?" Ed looked at the pictures again and her eyes seemed to light up.
"Ed remembers now!! Edward knows where they are!!" That did not go over too well in the office were the others were hiding.
"What the hell is she doing!?!?" Kyle hissed, even though there was no way the Terminator could hear him.
"Don't worry." Jet said. "She wouldn't do this unless she has something up her sleeve."
"Just in case you'd better get those weapons rooms open." Spike added. Kyle didn't need to be told twice and began the procedure to open the doors, still paying attention to what was on the screen.
"You are positive you have seen them?" Terminator asked. Ed nodded. "All four of them?" Ed nodded enthusiastically. "Where are they?" In the office everybody held their breath. Outside Ed somersaulted, came up into a mock dramatic pose and pointed down the street.
"They went that way!!!" She declared in an equally mock dramatic voice. The Terminator stood silent, scrutinizing her words. Heart rate was steady, there was no voice stress detectable, her eyes never wavered. All indicated she was telling the truth, but there was something in the way she acted that made the Terminator second-guess his data. Mentally unstable humans could lie successfully because they thought they were telling the truth, and Ed seemed to fit the bill of mental instability.
"Are you sure?" He asked.
"Edward is very sure!" Again everything indicated no lies but something still didn't compute.
"What are you doing here?" Terminator asked.
"Seeing a friend." Ed answered. In the office everyone began to get nervous.
"Only ISSP personnel are allowed here." Terminator said. In the office Kyle jumped out of his chair and ran out the door.
"Hey wait a minute!" John yelled and tried to follow. Jet grabbed the back of his shirt collar.
"Are you nuts? That thing knows who you are. You go out there and he'll recognize you, then we're all in deep trouble." John stayed put and they looked back towards the monitor.
[This is bar-none the stupidest thing I've ever done.] Kyle thought to himself as he raced towards the door. Stupid but also necessary. That terminator was trying to trap Ed in a lie and if he didn't help she would be. When he opened the door Terminator, Ed and Ein looked over at him. "ED!" He yelled, trying to sound extremely annoyed. "Have you been bothering people again?!?"
"Edward isn't bothering." She said with a pout, sounding slightly annoyed herself. "Edward is helping." Ein let out another low growl in Terminator's direction.
"You be quiet." He said to Ein. He then addressed Ed. "Didn't I tell you that you needed to behave yourself?" Ed crossed her arms and started to sulk.
"Are you in command of this facility?" Terminator asked, ignoring Ed for the moment.
"Yeah I'm in charge." Kyle answered.
"Why do you have an animal and an unauthorized civilian on the premises?" Terminator asked. Kyle didn't know what was worse, the deadpan way he was asking the questions, or his emotionless face. That he was wearing sunglasses in the dead of night didn't help either.
"I promised a friend that she could look around, and I didn't expect she'd bring this stupid mutt along." This time Ein growled at him. Kyle tried to remain calm. Lying to a machine should be easy. So why was he so nervous? [Because if he finds out I'm lying we're all dead.] Kyle told himself. "Look I know it's against regulations but can't you cut a guy some slack? If they find out about this I'll be busted down to janitor."
The first thing Terminator did when the second human came out of the building was run the image of its face through his files to identify him. After he found the identity he crossed-referenced it with all four of his targets. The only thing Kyle Reese had in common with any of the others was that he had graduated from the ISSP academy the same time as John Connor had. Not enough to prove anything definite. As for his words they might be lies but he appeared to be nervous about being turned in and that could throw off all of his readings. That nervousness could work to his advantage.
"I won't report this." Terminator told him. "If you help me find these three." He handed him the pictures. Humans always seemed willing to corporate more if they were given a second option not in their favor. Kyle studied the pictures for a moment.
"I've seen these three. They passed by here earlier but I didn't see where they went." It was a partial lie and Kyle hoped it would be enough. Terminator seemed to be considering it when Ed spoke up.
"Ed saw where they went and Ed already told him!"
"Ed, if you were lying to this man…." Kyle said.
"Edward doesn't lie! Only mean people like you lie!!" She responded. She then blew a long, loud raspberry in Kyle's direction. Kyle rushed over, and even though Ed tried to run, grabbed the back of her shirt.
"I've had just about enough of you!" He scolded as Ed started flailing around in an attempt to escape. "You were told to behave and you didn't! Why can't you do what you're told?!"
"Edward doesn't wanna!!" Ed wailed. "MEANIE, MEANIE!! She began yelling. She again made an exaggerated effort to get out of Kyle's grasp.
"I'm really sorry about this sir!" Kyle had to yell over Ed's caterwauling. "If you'd give me a minute I can take care of this troublemaker and…"
"Don't bother." Terminator said. Both were acting strangely but there was no evidence to suggest it was nothing more then the breach in regulations. All evidence pointed that Ed and Sergeant Reese weren't lying and that his targets had been here and left. Despite that he was again second-guessing the data. He finally computed that the only way to verify their story was to follow it up. If the story proved false he would know where to look. "I'll be back." He promised the two of them. The dog gave another loud growl.
"Knock it off!" Kyle hissed at the dog. "I'm sorry sir, he usually doesn't act like this."
"Dogs don't like me." Terminator replied. Kyle nodded.
"I'll make sure he doesn't bother you anymore. All right killer, inside." Ein let out a loud whine but complied. "As for you." He said to a still struggling Ed and half dragged half pushed her inside. Terminator watched them go, then turned and left. There was a police station in the direction Ed had pointed and it was the most likely place his targets would go.
Inside the armory Ed continued to thrash in Kyle's grip while Ein followed behind them.
"Is he gone?" Kyle whispered. Like a switch had been flipped Ed quieted down, stopped thrashing and looked behind them.
"Yep." Kyle exhaled loudly and let her go. "Did Edward do good?" She asked hopefully.
"You did very good." Kyle answered, giving thanks she had caught on so quickly. "No hard feelings ok pal?" He said to Ein. To his surprise Ein barked in response. When they walked back into the office the others started applauding. Kyle and Ed looked at each other then started bowing. "Thank you, we'll be here all week."
"So you still got doubts about this?" Spike asked him. Instead of answering Kyle clutched his chest and acted like he was a having a heart attack. "Guess not."
"There's no question now, I'm in." Kyle said. "Whatever you guys want, you got it."
"Then lets get started." Jet said. Kyle nodded and led them to the weapons storage rooms.
"We have three main rooms." Kyle explained. "One for the guns, one for ammo and one for explosives. I've also got some bad news."
"Spit it out." John said.
"Most of the really heavy stuff has been signed out already." The others groaned. "Don't blame me. Nobody's taking chances after the shootout. All the good rocket launchers were already taken. There're some older LAW rockets, lots of grenades, even some C4 but that's it."
"I guess we'll just have to make do." Jet stated. "We'll need anything you have that can knock out a vehicle. Each of us should take something different to, we don't know how effective any of these things will be." He stepped into the weapons storage and gave an appreciative whistle. Weapons of all sorts were arranged in rows. Pistols, rifles, even a few machine guns all in one very large room. He picked up a large, nasty looking rifle.
"Barrett fifty caliber sniper rifle. Supposed to be able to take out anything short of a tank." Despite the seriousness of the situation Kyle sounded like a salesman.
"That's why I'm taking it." Jet said as he went to the ammo storage and started to load a clip. "So you're the resident gun nut?"
"Expert." Kyle corrected. "Gun expert. A gun nut is someone who treats his guns better then his kids." As he was talking Faye picked up what looked like a very pregnant Tommy gun.
"Hey 'expert'. Do you have any real ammunition for this?" She asked. The weapon she had selected was a MM-1 Hawk twelve shot 40mm grenade launcher that was usually used to fire tear gas in riots.
"We've got some high explosive rounds. Help yourself."
"Don't mind if I do." She responded and followed Jet into the ammo storage. John continued to look and Kyle noticed someone was missing.
"Where's Spike?" He asked.
"In here." Spike's voice drifted out of the explosive's storage. He came out carrying several LAW rockets. "No one else seems to want these so I'll take them."
"Sure you know how to use those?" Kyle asked. "They're a bit out of date." In response Spike put all but one of the rockets down.
"I think it goes something like this." He said. He then expertly extended the tube at the same time flicking off the safety, flipped the sights up, aimed it, and mimicked pressing the firing button.
"Sorry I asked." Kyle said, not expecting the speed at which Spike had handled the weapon. John stepped out into the hallway and Spike frowned when he noticed the type of gun he was carrying.
"I don't think a SAW is going to cut it John." Spike said. The M249 squad automatic weapon was good when you were fighting people but it fired the same type of bullet as the M-16, and that would be useless against a Terminator.
"This is a new model." John explained, able to guess Spike's skepticism. "It's built to chamber a bigger round and hopefully there's a healthy supply of armor piercing bullets here." He went into the ammo storage and found Faye loading up the cylinders of her grenade launcher with HE rounds and Jet loading a fourth oversize clip with fifty-caliber ammo. When the clip was full he inserted it into the gun and chambered a round. Faye finished loading her weapon and checked the sights. John took a box clip for the SAW and attached it to the side of his weapon, threading the belt ammunition through the receiver and cocked the weapon.
"Everybody ready?" Kyle asked when they were finished making adjustments on their chosen weapons.
"Everyone except you." Spike answered.
"Me?!?" Kyle asked in surprise. Spike nodded.
"You're going to play a bigger part in this then you thought." Spike explained. "Don't think we're ungrateful for this but in addition to the guns you're going to provide some help when we actually find this thing."
"Hold on." Kyle broke in. "You don't even have a plan yet and you're asking me to be a part of it?"
"You don't have a whole lot of choice." Jet replied. "That Terminator knows who you are. How long do you think it'll take for it to make the connection between you and us?" Kyle shook his head.
"Not long." He said. "Looks like I'm committed now. What do you want me to do?"
"You're going to be guarding Ed and Ein. If we can't destroy this thing you need to get them out of there. It'd probably be a good idea to get yourself a weapon." Jet explained. Kyle nodded and left the room. He came back a few seconds later carrying a large revolver. "A wheel gun? That's the best you can think of?"
"It's a 44 Magnum." Kyle defended. "One of the most powerful handguns ever made. But what's going to make it special is this." He walked to the back of the room where another door marked 'Contraband' was located. "This is were we keep the all the stuff ISSP isn't allowed to use. All this was taken off the street and was scheduled to be destroyed in a few days." He inputted a code into a keypad then put his hand onto a panel so his DNA and fingerprints could be read. "We've picked up almost everything, chemical, biological, there's even a rumor that we hauled in a nuke one time." The door opened and he stepped inside. "This is actually kind of puny compared with the rest." He brought out a box that had the label 'Rhino - 44 Magnum' on it.
"I can see why those are kept under lock and key." Jet said. Kyle nodded. He opened the gun and began to load the chambers.
"Practically nobody uses these things." He said as he finished loading the gun then began to load a couple of speed loaders. "They're almost too good at what they do."
"You know their motto." Faye spoke up. "'Nothing stops a Rhino.'"
"Lets hope that holds up. Cause if that Terminator manages to get by all of you I'm going to need a small miracle to stop it." Kyle said as he finished the last of the speed loaders. He took out his regulation sidearm and replaced it with the Magnum. "I guess I'm ready. What's the plan?"
"First we need to find someplace where we can fight this thing on our own terms." Jet said. They went back to the office and had Ed display a map of the city. "We'll have to fight it out in the open, in close quarters our weapons will be as dangerous as his."
"What we need to do is utilize what we've got to our best advantage." John said, the combat lessons from the academy starting to come back.
"That means putting our best stuff on the high ground." Jet continued. He watched the map scroll by on Tomato's screen. "Freeze it there Ed." Ed did so and Jet pointed to what he had found. "Right here. A side street a couple of blocks from here that's a dead end, the buildings on either give us great shooting positions."
"Ok we've got an ambush sight." Faye said. "But how is he going to know where to go if we're all on the roof?"
"We're not all going to be on the roof." Jet said. "That Terminator is going to have to be led down that side street."
"OH NO!!" Faye shouted, knowing were this was going. "I'm not going to be the bait for this one!! You're not going to get me to go find that thing by myself!!!"
"We wouldn't dream of that Faye." Jet replied with a bit of humor. "John's going with you."
"WHAT?!?!" John shouted.
"You two have weapons that give you greater mobility then the rest of us." Jet explained. "You'll need to be able to hit and run."
"Then what about Spike?" John asked. "He can fire and maneuver better then any of us." His face suddenly contorted in pain as Faye drove her heel into the top of his foot.
"Forget it! You're not going to slink your way out of this. If I have to go so do you!" Faye yelled and for good measure ground her heel in deeper, getting a shout of pain from John. She took her foot off and John began hopping around on one leg.
"Thanks. I'm probably crippled for life." John snarled. Faye responded with a sneer of her own.
"Mind if I finish?" Jet asked. "Spike has to stay on the roof because those rockets are the best chance we have of destroying that thing. Any other questions?" Between his throbbing foot and the glare Faye was giving him John decided to keep his mouth shut. "Good. Kyle you stay here and keep an eye on Ed and Ein, it's probably the safest place right now." Kyle nodded. "Then I guess the only thing left is to get some transportation." All of them looked at Kyle.
"Hey don't look at me. I take the bus."
"Then I guess we're going to have to improvise." Jet said. "There're parking lots all over the place so we can 'borrow' a car for a while. Everybody ready?" The others nodded. "Then lets get going. Ed, show Kyle everything we've got so far, he deserves to see all of it." Putting their spare ammunition into duffel bags Jet, Faye, Spike and John left the armory, Kyle locked down every door in the building.
"Ok Mr. Terminator, let's see what you're made of." Kyle said as he crouched down to view Tomato's screen.
John and the others walked into one of the parking lots of a nearby building and surveyed their options.
"So what exactly are we looking for?" John asked.
"Something fast but not something that would look out of place."
"How about this?" Faye asked. The three turned and saw her sitting on the hood of a blue sports car.
"Perfect." Jet said. Faye hopped behind the wheel, putting her grenade launcher between the seats.
"So I suppose you know how to disable the alarm and hot wire a car?" John asked. The engine roared to life and Faye gave him a smug smile. "I've got to stop asking stupid questions like that." He mumbled. Jet and Spike put all the spare equipment into the back and climbed in while John climbed into the passenger side. They drove to the side street and Jet and Spike got out, slung their weapons onto their backs and climbed up the fire escapes of buildings on opposite sides of the street.
"Remember the plan." Jet called down as he climbed. "Just find him and lead him back here."
"We're not idiots Jet!" John yelled back.
"Speak for yourself." Faye deadpanned. John glared at her.
"Fight nice kids." Spike called down. That earned him a glare form both of them and John motioned to reach for his SAW in the backseat, while Faye grabbed the grenade launcher. Spike smiled and Faye put the car in gear and drove off.
"That was a little too tempting wasn't it?" John asked.
"Almost." Faye agreed. "So you want to explain yourself?"
"Explain what?" John asked, sounding genuinely confused.
"Trying to weasel out of coming with me? What you said was a pretty lame excuse."
"Bullshit." John responded. "You're looking forward to this as much as I am. You would have tried to get out of this to given the chance. The only reason you're angry is because I beat you to it. Am I right?" Faye didn't answer. "I am right. You had the same argument but I said it first." Faye scowled and John started laughing.
"Then you know why I was going to say that." John stopped laughing and became deadly serious.
"Because you're just as scared as I am." Again Faye didn't answer but both of them knew he was right.
While the Bebop crew had been preparing Terminator was walking into the police station in the direction Ed had pointed. He asked all the officers on duty and none of them had seen either John Connor or his other three targets. His ISSP alias held up and he was able to get a meeting with the chief.
"Well detective Smith, how can we be of assistance?" Terminator handed him the pictures he had.
"These three are wanted fugitives. They are considered armed and extremely dangerous. In addition to having a police search I would like to request a bounty be placed on each of them." The chief looked a bit apprehensive. "Contact the commissioner, he will confirm my report." The chief nodded.
"Shouldn't be too hard. Is there anything else I should know about these three?"
"Yes. Two ISSP officers are believed to be in league with these criminals. Sergeant Kyle Reese and Lieutenant John Connor. I want a bounty placed on their heads as well."
"But those two are fine officers."
"I know, both their records indicate no criminal activity but these three," He pointed to the pictures. "Helped Connor escape when he had no reason to other then his activities were going to be discovered."
"So you have evidence?"
"Nothing that can be revealed at this time, but yes." Terminator answered. The chief picked up the phone and dialed a number.
"Sir, I've got a Detective Smith here. He says that…" He stopped and listened. "Yes sir. I see. All possible means? Very well sir. I'll keep you posted." He hung up and faced Terminator.
"The commissioner verified everything you said. Also said to assist you in any way possible. The bounties will be placed right away. Is there anything else?"
"Yes. I may know where they are. I need a vehicle and a heavier weapon."
"But if you know where they are why place the bounties?"
"In case I am incorrect." Terminator said flatly.
"Then I'll arrange for some backup to go with you." The chief began to pick up the phone.
"No." Terminator said quickly.
"No? But why not? If this group is as dangerous as you say…."
"I have been assigned to them and I will be the one to apprehend them. If I require assistance I will ask for it."
"No problem, we can have a unit tail you at a distance and…."
"You will send no units, and you will send no officers without my say-so. Understood?" Terminator interrupted. The chief started to say something but stopped. For starters this guy had the commissioner's ear. Normally even that wouldn't keep him from chewing out someone who had just mouthed off to a superior officer but there was something about this guy that didn't seem right.
"It's your call." He finally said. "See the Sergeant at the front desk about getting a cruiser and a weapon." The man took out a pair of dark wraparound sunglasses, put them on and left without a word. For a weapon he chose a regular M-16 assault rifle, but he took several drum magazines capable of holding fifty rounds each. After signing out a cruiser he started towards the direction of the armory he had been to before. There was a slim chance that his quarry was still there but it was the most logical place to start looking.
While Terminator was going back where he came from Faye and John were headed in the direction he had gone in after Ed and Kyle had convinced him to leave. Unknown to any of them was that they were on a collision course.