CH 11
In Derek's Command truck, the brunette woman in a resistance uniform watched Derek closely and asked, "Sir, are you all right?"
"I'm fine," he said, still staring at her.
She frowned slightly and said, "You don't look fine. You're pale and seem disoriented. I'll go get a doctor for you,"
That woke Derek up some. He tore his eyes off her. "No! I'm fine, honest. Ahh, yeah, I'm a little … disoriented. It'll pass." he then grumbled, "Quicker if I had a beer."
In a soothing tone, Laura said, "I have learned that people who used to drink or smoke have a hard time adjusting to not having those things any more. It's like John Henry, who sorely misses the internet do discover things on. It is hard for you now, but it will get better with time," she explained.
"Matter of option," he said vacantly, he said, not looking at her. "Why did you say you're here?"
"I have been assigned as your personal assistant and guard," Laura explained. "Being so close to Sky Net forces, it would be a tragedy for this army and the resistance if you were lost. I can spot Terminators from a distance, even if they do visually look like humans."
"Yeah, I suppose you can," Derek said in agreement. "You got two plasma canons in your arms, don't you?"
"One in each arm," Laura said. "You are familiar with the TX model?" she asked.
Derek coughed , "You could say that," he told her. "I just wasn't expecting a … personal assistant. " Or his future daughter's mother to waltz into his command truck.
"Major Jacobson said it's vital you be kept safe," Laura said.
"Yeah, suppose he did," Derek agreed. Right, so now he had his own drop-dead gorgeous metal to guard him. Worse yet, he knew how this was going to turn out. He needed some air. Gathering his wits, he got up and said, "Could you go let Major Gentry and Major Jacobson know I'm going to check on the factory?"
"Yes, sir," Laura said and departed.
Derek watched her go. Damn that was a fine ass on top of those legs! He then said to the floor, "I really could use a beer right now."
.
Laura found both men and relayed where General Reese was going to the factory to check on things there, then hurried back to the command truck. She noted General Reese get into an SUV, and ran over to get in the other side.
"I informed both Majors of your intentions, General," Laura said. Seeing him stare at her again, she added, "General I do think you could use the services of a doctor."
"I'm fine," he said, turning to look straight ahead. He started the SUV and headed off.
"I can drive," Laura offered.
"I got it," he said, looking out the windshield.
Laura brought up the things she learned and tried to conclude why General Reese was acting so odd. When he saw her, he'd stared for a while and all but fell into a chair. He had her go on an errand, then tried to leave before she got back. His pulse was up, he was breathing was higher that normal. He claimed he wasn't sick, but he was acting oddly.
He glanced at her and asked, "Why are you staring at me?"
"Why did you stare at me?" she asked in return.
"I was … surprised to see you," he stated.
Having some experience with humans, Laura knew he wasn't telling the whole truth by his pause. His vitals also climbed a bit. "You are acting odd because of me," she concluded aloud. "Why?"
He frowned and said, "Look, I just never … have been around a TX before, OK? It's going to take some time to get used to you."
Again, he wasn't telling the whole truth. The General was hiding something. "You've never seen a TX before?" she asked.
"No," he said firmly, which she could tell was an outright lie.
To try and sooth him, she said, "Please understand I am loyal to the resistance. I know we're fighting Sky Net so machines don't become slaves and humans won't be exterminated. You haven't seen a TX what was controlled by Sky Net, have you?"
"I haven't. I don't think Sky Net has TX's … yet. They barely have T-800's. Yes, the form is there, but so far, they are made of inferior materials," Derek explained. "I'm hoping we can get rid of Sky Net before they upgrade their terminators."
"That is the same information I have," Laura said. "John Henry expects the coltan terminators to start being produced in another year to year and a half. He is a very smart AI. Have you met John Henry?"
"No. I know of him. Never met him." Derek replied.
"John Henry is a pleasant fellow. He has good friends too!" Laura said happily. "I met Savannah, she's the human girl who is Mrs. Weaver's daughter. He also told me about John Connor and Cameron. They are his friends too. Have you met them?" Laura asked.
"I know Cameron," Derek said in a huff. "John's my nephew."
Laura tipped her head slightly. "You don't like Cameron?" she asked.
Derek frowned and said, "Let's just say we have a history. For a while, if there was bad news, Cameron was there. She also seems to love destroying any vehicle I have. We really don't get along too well."
"I'm sorry to hear that. I heard Cameron is one of the most advanced AI's there is. I am eager to meet her," Laura said cheerfully.
"No surprise there," Derek said in a huff. "Look, Laura, This is round two for me, fighting Sky Net I mean. I came from a previous future where there was no Mrs. Weaver, no Terminator, human alliance. Where I came back from, it was humans versus terminators, period. All terminators were the enemy. I hated them. When Cameron came back in time, I hated her. So, please excuse me if I have a tough time … adjusting to this new reality. Not that it's bad, I mean, we seem to be doing much better. Still, I am not real comfortable with it."
Laura was quiet for a moment, then said, "I understand, General. I am asking you to trust me to do my best for you, and believe in our alliance. I am new, just out of school, so please help me learn how to make our union more pleasant."
"What?" Derek asked, snapping his head to gape at her.
Seeing he was staring at her and a turn was coming up, Laura grabbed the wheel and made the turn. When they were settled on the road and not in a tall snow bank, she let go. "Did I use the wrong words?" she asked. "Don't we have a union between free AI's and Humans?"
Derek got himself together and kept driving, now focusing on the road. "Ahhh yeah, we do," he said, feeling his face warm. "Just never head it called that before," he offered. That wasn't the union he thought she was implying.
"How do you describe our relationship?"
"Just working together for a common cause," Derek said with a shrug. "I'm new to this arraignment."
"Yes, You are new to how thing are now, and I am new. Perhaps we can teach each other?" Laura asked.
Derek sported a slight grin. "Yeah, Ok, we can teach each other."
Laura found Derek was telling the truth now that he seemed a little more comfortable with her. Still she had to wonder about his odd behavior. He knew her name and the fact she had plasma cannons, and admitted to knowing about TX's, but had never seen one before. That didn't make sense. She wanted to find out why.
.
Derek drove to the Groom Lake facility where a few planes were in hangers, being modified to run on hydrogen. John was trying to make an air force. So far it looked like they had a P-51, and two single prop planes he'd never seen before that had chain guns in the nose and missile pylons under the wings.
Going into the underground facility, Derek and Laura got a golf cart ride through the tunnels to the factory that was looking more like a town with a factory in it. They even had a long room that was brightly lit and pans of dirt that was going to be a garden. Another room was dark and held long rows of mushrooms being grown. OK so that was why he was eating mushrooms at every meal. The factory itself was all but finished. A few Stugs were under construction, and a pile of destroyed T-400's was supplying the metal to make them.
While Derek was looking at the progress of the factory, Laura noted a man watching a woman work. The stare he was giving her was very similar to the stare General Reese had been giving her.
"General," she asked, touching his arm to get his attention. "Why is that man staring at that woman?"
Derek looked over and let out a snort. "Probably has the hots for her," he said.
"What is the hots?"
Explaining, Derek said, "It means he really likes her, most likely thinks she's very pretty."
Thinking back on how the General acted when he first saw her, Laura asked, "Will he stumble into things while he stares at her?"
Derek laughed. "Most likely," he said with a grin. "Probably won't tell her so."
"I see," Laura said, gazing at him. "Will he want to be friends with her?"
"More than friends, I imagine," Derek said a he looked at the crane system.. "Most likely, he wants to take her to bed."
"Have sex," Laura concluded.
"Yeah, that's why boys and girls usually go to bed together." Derek said, eyeing the forge where the Stug wheels were being made. It was a fairly good setup, they had five molds now. Pouring five at a time.
"General Reese! Good to see you!" A man said happily as he approached.
"Hey, Harry. How's it coming with those snow cats?" Derek asked.
"Great, we're finishing up a couple. Let me show you."
Following the men, Laura decided General Reese had 'the hots' for her. She'd also noted something else when she'd entered his command vehicle. He had pulled something out of his pocket and glanced at it, right before he fell back into a chair. She didn't know for sure, but she had the idea he was comparing her to a picture. That made her curious. If it was a picture, what was on the picture?
Laura followed them to a long, wider vehicle that was close to the same style as a Stug. It was low and had wide tracks, but there was no turret or gun on it.
"These will hold twenty people," the man told the General. "Initial testing is coming out well. The heater melts snow, and the side scoops here will bring snow into the water compartments as the vehicle moves, so fewer stops to shovel. It moves over the snow at 55 miles an hour with a full load, 67 empty. You want these to pick up survivors, right? I made a storage compartment in the back for medical kits and other stuff. The seats are five wide, four long, plus the driver and a passenger seat."
"These will be real handy," Derek said. "I'm sending out parties to look for more survivors, and these will be more comfortable for any we find instead of riding on top of a Stug. Good work, Harry." Derek then shook the man's hand.
Laura had seen the deactivate terminators waiting to get loaded on the train to take back to Mrs. Weaver so she could free them from Sky Net. Here, the General was working to find surviving humans. She decided she liked General Reese. He was a little odd, but he was a good man. She really wanted to see what was in his pocket. Maybe that was part of why he acted oddly.
.
John sat puzzling over the coltan mines in the Congo. In the middle if friggin Africa, there was no way he could defend those mines so far away even if he did gather a force to attack it and managed to get them all the way there. Having no idea what was there now, he'd be sending men in blind and praying for success. Not a way to win. There was even the question of how to keep in contact with them.
OK, first they would need to scout the area out and find out who and what was there. Even to do that was going to be a monumental task. They did have a submarine, but it had a more important job to do. Until he had some inspiration, or something happened to change things, he could not spend all his time worrying about a Congo invasion.
Where survivors might be was another of John's priorities. Mammoth Caves were a good possibility, and places in the eastern mountain states all had caves in them. They were no where near those places. Also, anyone smart would have their entrance covered up and minimize their activity on the surface.
"General," Major Crammer said as he came into John's office. "The snow is getting too deep for our air intakes. Men shovel it out, but it's becoming obvious they are there. I was thinking to run a tunnel through the snow, out to someplace away from the bunker to bring air in."
"It's not vital now to stay completely hidden," John replied. "There's not a Sky Net force anywhere near us. Keep shoveling the intakes clear, and think had about how to disguise them. Don't rush it."
"All this snow is a pain in our ass," Crammer grumbled.
John chuckled and said "It' a worse pain for Sky Net, they have a hard time moving in it, so don't be too upset at the snow."
"At lest we haven't had any recently, and the temperature's dropping again. It's a whole 12 degrees outside."
"Yeah, nuclear winter sucks," John agreed. "How's the food and water holding out?"
"Pretty good, we're using most of the flow from the river, but there's still enough flow to keep the generator turning. Mary damn near has a jungle down in the gardens. Keeps the goats fed and the bees making honey. I sent another thousand men out to Derek, we've seen nothing here, and men want to fight, not sit on their asses. I still have 3500 available here. Some are digging tunnels. Others transport goods back and forth with the caverns."
"Transport," John said to himself. He looked at the Africa map.
"Sir?"
"Coltan is in the Congo. To get it to a factory, Sky Net has to transport it," John said. "Over land it would take a long time. If they get it to the coast, a ship would be more efficient." Looking up at Crammer, he said, "We don't go after the mines. We let Sky Net do the work to get it onto the ships, then steal the ships!"
Crammer eyed him and said, "The Congo is in Africa, how do we get someone all the way there?"
'Still working on that," John admitted.
.
John did work on it. Submarines seemed the best choice. Before nuclear powered submarines, they were diesel powered. Yes, they had to come to the surface often to recharge batteries, but if they used hydrogen, they could intake water from the sea and stay under for longer periods of time. To use those, they needed to get to the Atlantic ocean. The nearest place to do that was Texas. Derek had already send scouts into Arizona and a bit of New Mexico. John made a message to Derek to concentrate on getting to the gulf coast in Texas. They needed an eastern port.
.
Major Gentry had his screen of Stugs out on front of each column the long line of 20 Stugs were within radio distance of each other. The other ten , five on each column, towed the extra sleds and and had the TX's riding on top as lookouts. They went through Nevada finding nothing. Getting to Utah, they moved slower, and bore south to avoid the taller mountains. Feeling their way along, they closed up to drive through valleys They searched, and didn't find a single Sky Net radio signal or did they visually sight anything.
For all the Sky Net machinery that was thrown at Jacobson, Gentry was beginning to think Sky Net had used everything it had in the area in an attempt to break their line.
Gentry opened his hatch. "Bob, how are you doing up there?" he asked the TX on the roof
The TX replied, "I am fine, thank you for asking. There is no sign of any Sky Net machines, nor humans. I have seen some animals. Upon noticing us, they ran away."
"Expected," Gentry told him.
The radio announced, "This is Captain Jensen, A group, we got movement and heat coming from a hillside! I'm in the second valley from center."
"B group, standby, A group, close on Captain Jensen," Gentry ordered of the radio.
"I'm on it," the driver announced and turned toward Jensen's radio signal.
As they were moving toward the valley, Bob knocked on the hatch. Gentry opened it. "Yes, Bob?"
"I have detected tracks and trails not made by our forces in the hills we are proceeding towards. Some appear to be deeper tracks made by terminators, others are lighter, but larger tracks I determined are human. The human tracks appear to congregate near the place Captain Jensen's Stug is parked."
"Thank you, Bob," Gentry told him, "Keep watch on that point." On the radio, Gentry said, "We have a possible human habitation, bring up the A group reserves. Scouts, form a ring around the first hill to the left of the second valley."
Gentry's A group moved up the hillside where coming close, they could see there was signs of previous movement. Gentry had his Stug and the reserve force climb up the hill to the mouth of what looked like an abandon mine. Parked outside the entrance, which was closed up by fallen timbers, the snow packed down led to the narrow space to get inside.
Gentry got out and called loudly, "Medical teams, standby! TX's and third squad, dismount! Bring lights, we're going to into this mine."
The teams had just collected when a form clad in a light colored blanket peeked out of the entrance.
"The army, thank God!" a woman's weak voice cried. She pulled the blanket off her head to show only patches of her dark hair were left. "Please help us!"
"Medics!" Gentry called and flung an arm to motion to them.
Gentry was expecting to find a family, or two. His men went into find a few families here, and the deeper into the mine they went, the more ragged, sick people they found. They all were starved and many were close to dying from dehydration and exposure. Many of the smaller children were already still and cold, their bodies frozen.
There were so many, Gentry called B Group in to help. He also had a pair of Stugs to go back to base get more help. So far, they had found 300 people, and the deeper Gentry's men went, the more people they found.
By the time Derek's line of Stugs pulling sleds and the new personnel carriers arrived, Gentry's men had found 10,000 people stuffed into this old mine.
.
Derek frowned at the frozen bodies being pulled out of the mine to be lined and stacked up for burial. Too many were small children. All the medics were inside, with men passing out light food and warmed water to help get people's temperature up as well as hydrate them. Sobs sounded here and there throughout the mines as well as words of thanks. A woman cried as her baby was taken out to be added to the pile outside.
"This is so sad," Laura said as she handed Derek a cup.
"Yeah," Derek said tightly, and took a drink. Noticing a TX stir the water with his finger before he gave it to a man huddled in blankets, he asked, "Why did he stir the water before he gave it to that guy?"
"He put some of his nanites in the water. They are not DNA matched, but the nanites will help remove the radiation from his body," Laura explained.
"They do need it," Derek said vacantly. All this time, Derek had grumbled about the work they had to do to 'build' the bunkers , tunnel systems and caverns, then living in them. Seeing these people, Derek now considered what John had build the equivalent of paradise. These people didn't have any food or clean water, and they were half frozen to death. Well, the ones frozen and dead so far were only 486, while there were over 600 alive and being helped, and thousands they had yet to get to. So, not quite half had died, yet.
There just wasn't enough room in these tunnels to get help to those people yet.
Derek drank the water Laura gave him as he pondered how to get to those down deeper, faster.
"General, you didn't have to come here, this is our farthest point of advance, Sky Net could be close by," Laura said.
"I did," Derek told her as he watched some men carry out a few more frozen bodies.
When he heard about people in mines, his first thought was this might become another base. Now, he just wanted to get those still alive out, and dynamite the long tomb shut.
"Laura, could you go deeper and see if there is any place down here there are no people?"
Laura replied, "I am your assistant."
Right, stuck to him like glue. "OK, then, let's go," he told her, and walked down the sloped floor, stepping around those huddled up.
Walking down past the last medics and men helping people, he and Laura entered the mines where people looked up at him and begged for help. Laura held the light over her their heads to illuminate the bleak condition of these people.
Along the way, Derek assured them that help was coming. Derek had no idea how far they had gone, but it seemed like miles.
Up ahead, voices sounded.
"Look, just open up, we've come to get you out of here."
A muffled voice yelled, "Go away! This is our space, you can't come in!"
Coming to a fork, Derek followed the voices. He came to a couple scouts in front of a wall of timbers. "What's going on here?" he asked loudly.
The soldiers turned to him. One said, "General, the people in there won't let us in."
It was odd to Derek that while the tunnels were filled with the very sick and the dead, there were men who had the strength to stand up and defy his soldiers. Derek walked up and thumped on the timbers. "Listen up in there! This is General Derek Reese, you will open this up, or I will!" he thundered. "Open it NOW!"
"Fuck you, there aint no military left, there's nothing left. Go away!"
Derek had his men move to the side. "Laura, can you get this open?" he asked.
Laura nodded and handed him the light. Stepping up to the block she pushed hard on it. The block flew back to fall. Some bits of rock from the ceiling came down on the block. From under the timber now on the floor, a man screamed. Derek strode in over the block. The man underneath let out a gasp and went quiet.
Backed up from the entrance four men held picks and shovel, raised up to defend themselves. The room they were in was about fifteen feet to a side. The back wall was filled with boxed of rations, and stacked with bottles of water.
"Git the fuck out this is ours" the man with the shovel growled.
Derek stared at them briefly, then pulled his pistol and shot all four. "Not any more," he said in a hard tone. "Men, have you found any more closed off places like this?"
"No sir. We tried to go deeper and got dizzy, so we came back up. Saw some bodies down there," he said pointing to the other fork.
Derek nodded and said, "Go back on up. See if you can find some oxygen masks. If not, no one goes down there. Make sure Major Gentry knows about this room."
"Yes, sir," one man said. The hurried back up the tunnel.
This deep into the mountain, the air was warm. Derek holster his pistol, hung the light off it and grabbed all the water bottles he could carry. "Laura, grab some boxes of food, will you?"
"Yes, sir," Laura replied. She stacked boxes on a plank, then picked the plank up. The General had come down here himself to help these people. She was proud of her General Derek Reese.
.
A full day of helping and treating people in the old mine, and they had only gotten to half of them. When there was room to move, Derek send for air cleaners and ducting and a hydrogen generator to get fresh air down into the mine, as well as a fan and ducting to get the bad air out of the deep mine. Although he'd rather leave the dead where they were, down here it was warm, and the return Message from John was to make that mine Foxtrot base. It was a strategic decision, Derek knew. He also wouldn't have to transport all these people back to Las Vegas. Steel came from Derek's factory to put a proper door on the entrance. With the door, the temperature inside the upper mine warmed up.
After three solid days of getting people assistance, Derek sat down 'just for a moment'. Laura stayed where she could see him and made sure he wasn't bothered. Watching him sleep as she gave a family nanites in their water. She looked back at the General again, then sat down beside him. Curiosity got the better of her. Carefully, she slipped her fingers into the pocket that held the picture. Carefully pulling it out, she looked at the image and it was her turn to stare.
It was a picture of her.
Uniform jacket hanging open and sticking her tongue out at whoever was taking the picture while she carried a supply bag in one hand, she looked relaxed. She was a little dirty too.
This was not possible! Laura herself had never been in a situation like this. She did not recognize the surroundings either. She studied the form to verify dimensions and eye color. Even a look-alike would not match her dimensions so perfectly. It was her in this picture, but if she had never been in that place, then how could a picture be taken of her there? She studied the pixels, yes, this was an original photo, no modifications. It was real, but it couldn't be.
Laura's electronic brain searched for an answer to this dilemma. Why would General Reese be holding onto a picture of her? Searching through her conversations with him, she found a few clues.
She knew he was lying when he said he'd never seen a TX before.
He had been in shock upon seeing her. He'd even looked at this picture as if verifying it was her. He had tried to leave without her. This was, as he put it, his 'second round' fighting a war with Sky Net. Laura knew Mrs. Weaver had come back from the future to stop Sky Net from destroying the world, and said there were others who came back also. Yes, General Reese had come back from the future also.
If Mrs. Weaver was making TX's for the first time, then how could Laura possibly have been there during their first war? Laura knew humans carried pictures if important people with them, their loved ones. That meant General Reese held her as important to him long before he met her, or even before she was made, at least in this reality. That was another hole in this train of logic.
The General groaned and moved. Laura popped her eyes up at him to see he was shifting to get comfortable. She also saw his eyes open and look right at her, holding the picture of her.
His eyes came open wider. What are you doing?" he asked firmly.
Laura did the only thing she could think of and asked, "Where did you get this?"
Derek slapped a hand to his face and sat up. He rubbed his face, and asked in a grumble, "Do you always go through people's pockets?"
"No," Laura said simply. "I noted when you first saw me, that you looked at this. I was curious what it was. General, where did you get it?"
Derek sat back and let out a long sigh. "OK, I have it so I would recognize you when I saw you. Frankly, I never thought it would happen," he admitted.
"Yes, the shock you showed when you saw me," Laura said. "But, where did this picture come from?"
"Can't tell you," he replied. He plucked the picture from her grasp and put it back into his pocket.
Laura tipped her head slightly. "Why not?"
Derek stared at the far wall and said, "I really, really need a beer right now."
"I'm sorry, there isn't any," Laura told him.
"Can we please just forget you saw it?" Derek asked in a pleading tone.
"No, it is in my memory, I can't un-see it," Laura stated.
"Well, neither can I," Derek grumbled. Seeing Laura watching him, he added, "Someone … close to us, from our future gave it to me. That's all I can tell you."
"Does anyone else in this reality know about this picture?" Laura asked. "Did the person who gave this to you know I was going to be your assistant?"
Derek opened his mouth to answer, and quickly said "I can't tell you."
"You like having my picture?" Laura asked quickly.
"Yes, but I can't tell you where it came from," Derek stated. He then paused and said, "I ahh, kept it to recognize you, as I said."
He knew her now, so there was no more reason to keep it, yet he did. Laura had previously concluded that General Reese did like her. The fact he liked holding her picture told her he considered her as an important person to him.
Derek changed the subject and asked, "How are we doing with these people?"
"They are all very weak, but with food, water and warmer, radiation free air being supplied, as well as nanites in the water, they are beginning to recover. 6, 341 people are alive and being helped the number of dead are…"
"Don't tell me!" Derek quickly said, interrupting her. "I just want to know how the live people are doing." He got up and stretched out some kinks. Glancing at her, he said, "Sorry, it's just depressing hearing about the number of dead."
"I understand."
"Let's go find Major Gentry and Major Jacobson," Derek said.
Laura got up and went with him. She was disappointed that the General wouldn't tell her what she wanted to know about that picture. From what she had seen of him so far, she was sure he had a reason for not doing so. Maybe someone else would tell her.
.
Derek found Major Jacobson near the entrance that was now dig out to the sides to make a room. "Where are we at?" he asked as he came in.
Jacobson said, "With these people, we got the dead out, and everyone inside seems to be a little stronger. The mine itself is old, but stable. It used to be a silver mine, and was tapped out. It won't be a large base, but we can make it large enough to hold the people here in a little better comfort, and leave a garrison of troops here. For the bigger picture, scouts are still finding nothing of Sky Net. The area is verified clear for two hundred miles in every direction. Either they are gone, or they are hearing our radio chatter and retreating to form up with more units from the east to try and overcome us. The tracks in the snow we're finding are weeks old, at the least. Most head off to the south, only single tracks go north into the town, or west. I have gotten word from General Connor."
"Let's hear it, Derek said.
"We are to focus our search and destroy mission into Texas to the gulf coast. We need a gulf port as soon as we can get one. Found or built," Jacobson said.
Derek nodded and said, "Makes sense. Get a port, make some ships and we can attack Sky Net on the east coast and up the Mississippi. Where's Gentry?"
"With his A Group, they should be returning from a sweep west in an hour or two."
"Got a map?"
.
Derek plotted out the most direct route to get to Texas. Southeast would get them into Mew Mexico, then angling through that state, the would have another long drive through Texas to the gulf coast. It would take weeks, and if they met Sky Net unit along the way, even longer. Derek was concerned about being stretched out so thin, but it was doable. With Gentry scouting and Jacobson backing him up. Even leaving men to garrison their bases, they had a decent chance of doing it.
"Have we been in that town these people came from?" Derek asked.
"Yes, sir, Gentry's B group searched it. The town itself wasn't hit and we did find supplies there. They took everything useful, including tools and building material, and a few vehicles. Sky Net had gone through and took most of the vehicles. We think they are scavenging metal to make more terminators."
"Most likely. Send the passenger vehicles back to Las Vegas and get supplies for us. We'll leave the supplies here for the people. Leave a tunneling crew with the garrison. When our supplies get here, we'll move on." Derek told him.
"Yes Sir."
Watching the General, Laura noted he needed more rest. "General, you should lie down for a while," she told him.
"I took a nap," he reminded her.
"You passed out," Laura stated. "You need more rest to keep your head clear."
'And it's starting already', Derek thought.
.
Major Gentry got a call from 3rd squad, they had picked up Sky Net comms up ahead. Not one but a constant chatter of what they guessed were three locations. Then a Stug from Second squad came flying over the snow to meet them. Parking beside Gentry's Stug the commander opened his hatch. Gentry did also.
"Major, there's a big sky Net installation up ahead," the man said as he pointed. We went radio dark and closed in to get a peek. It's damn near city sized, and it looks like it's got at least one factory in it. It's 115 miles that way, you can follow my tracks back to it, Sir."
"Where's the test of your squad?" Gentry asked.
"Captain has them sitting still just behind a ridge, watching and making sure they don't come this way. Sir, I've never seen so many of those Terminators, they got gun emplacements on the walls as well as those H/K tanks. We didn't see any flying H/K's but still covered our Stugs with snow, just in case."
"Give me details. What kind of walls are we talking here?" Gentry asked.
"Tall. Concrete, we think. Outside the walls there's thick barbed wire and a long ditch. They are dug in place, Sir, all the snow has been cleared out a hundred yards all around the outside of the place."
Gentry told him, "Go back and tell your Captain to keep reporting. Your route in and out is secure?"
"Yes, Sir, kinda windy, but we kept to the low ground approaching it, Sir."
Gentry waved him on and said, "Get going."
"Yes Sir," the man replied, got back in his hatch. The Stug turned around and went back the way he came.
.
Word of the Sky Net installation went back to Derek, who immediately sent back for more information, as much as they could get without being seen. Derek noted where it was, just inside Colorado. He returned to Vegas and sent what he knew back to John and let him know they were investigating.
.
Receiving this news, John became nervous. This wasn't catching Sky Net by surprise, they were ready and waiting with who knew how many units. In his office, he looked at the map, and his resources.
"If there is a factory there, there is also a work camp," Cameron stated from beside him.
John had to agree. "By the size of it, it was started right at the beginning of this war," John said, speaking as he thought. "This is too big for just Derek's troops. Bedell is scattered all over the western states, those are the only two large armies we have."
"Catherine has twelve H/K's , four more in the process of being made," Cameron added.
"The air units could scout and do some damage," Cameron offered.
"And get shot down," John said with a snort. "With all that equipment, I'm sure Sky Net is going to strike hard at whatever comes close to that place." He then grew a grin.
Cameron eyed him and tipped her head slightly. "What are you thinking?" she asked.
"We've been moving east, Sky Net has to be expecting us to come from the west. It knows we're here, but not where. I am sure it is sending reinforcements to search us out," he explained.
"Yes, that is logical," Cameron agreed. "Their base is far back from where they think we are so they can get a strong force together to come after us."
John said. "Getting in there is going to be hard. Our Stugs are not made to attack fortifications, they are made for fast strikes on open ground, and we do need to get to the gulf coast," John added in a mussing tone. "Sky Net wants to find us, so we let them. Send for General Bedell, have him bring 30 Stugs and as many men with plasma rifles and TX's as he can spare."
"You have a plan, John?"
"I do, I'll have it firmed up by the time Martin gets here. I also want to send a message to Derek and talk to Catherine," John told her. Looking up at Cameron, he said, Timing in this battle is going to be vital."
.
While John was planning his attack, Captain Booker was moving into position for his attack. The ice sheets over the southern Pacific near Antarctica were growing thick. It was also the quickest, stealthy route to the Indian ocean. He had thought about going around the tip of South America, but the TX that was his acting as his XO, told him if Sky Net has ships, the chance was 82% that Sky Net would be waiting for him there.
So, they had gone south west, slipping under the ice near Australia and coming out of it in the southern Indian ocean. The ice above was clearing, and they had detected nothing on sonar.
"Scope up," Captain Booker said. At 200 feet, he raised the scope to get a look at the surface Above them and to the port side was the edge of an ice floe. Ahead and to the starboard side was clear. "Planesmen, made your depth 100 feet, four degree up angle on the ship, zero once you hit 100 feet." he announced.
"Coming up to 100 feet at four degree up angle," came the reply.
Booker watched the water around them as they rose. The edge of the ice floe was getting farther away. He called out, "Navigation, range to the farthest target."
"5,800 miles, Captain."
It was tempting to come to periscope depth and take a visual look around. If there was radar present, that would give them away. They were in range, and nothing but water above them. "Helm, slow to three knots, take the ship to 150 feet, prepare to launch tubes 5, 6, 7, and 8"
On the Conn, Booker watched the speed decline. They came down to depth and the speed dropped to 3 knots. He raised the scope again to get another look around and above them. No ice, nothing visible. "Helm all stop, hover the ship at 150."
"Coming to all stop, maintaining one five zero," the helm replied.
The speaker over him spoke. "Weapons in tubes 5, 6, 7, 8 targeted and ready, Captain, awaiting order to launch."
He keyed his mike. "Standby …" He watched the ships speed drop to zero, then said, "Weapons officer, verify ships position and launch."
There was compete silence, then the speaker said, "Ship's position verified, targeting updated, launching tube 5."
The ship shuddered and bounced.
"Tube five away, launching tube 6..."
After tube 8 was away, Booker announced, "Helm, ahead full, Planesmen, make your depth 900 feet, twenty degree down angle. Change course to 045."
"Changing course to 045."
"Diving to 900 feet, twenty degree down angle."
Booker held on as the deck tipped sharply. As they passed 500 feet sonar announced, "Splash detected off the port side …. Torpedo in the water!"
"Planes men, level out, launch countermeasures, torpedo room, launch Sub simulator, set course for 180." Booker ordered. He waited as these were carried out.
"Sonar detecting pings from the torpedo, range 3400 yards and closing, Torpedo is drawing left … Torpedo closing to 2800 yards, still drawing left, Ping rate increasing, torpedo speed increasing, Torpedo is passing astern …"
Everyone was holding their breath as sonar reported the torpedo's progress. Then the submarine shook, vibrating. A coffee cup flew out of the holder to smash on the floor.
"Torpedo detonation, approximately 1200 yards astern." Sonar reported.
The sigh of relief from everyone was audible.
"Helm, slow to five knots, Planesmen, dive to 600 feet," Booker said.
Sonar then announced, "Splash detected astern … No prop noise…"
Booker though it was a dud torpedo.
"Captain! That could be a nuclear depth charge!" the TX announced.
Unlike hiding from a torpedo, where depth was your friend, a nuke device was the opposite. The deeper they were, then harder the pressure wave was going to hit them.
"Thirty degree up angle, ahead flank! Come up to periscope depth!" Booker commanded.
The ship tipped up and pointed it's nose at the surface as it moved faster to get shallow. Where the torpedo's explosion made the surface, an AI missile detected it and dove to splash down on the same point. It dove down to 400 feet and detonated the nuke on board.
The compression wave raced at the Alaska to hit it with an equivalent of 9600 pounds per square inch of pressure. When the compression wave hit, the Alaska deformed and buckled, then came apart. Air bubbles rose to the surface as the pieces of the Alaska sunk to the bottom.