Author's Notes: The point of no return...
CHAPTER 21
The massive explosion tore through the metal door, its frame, and part of the wall creating a large opening to the outside world. Of the two resistance soldiers that had been standing guard, one was killed instantly, while the other lay semiconscious on the ground, critically wounded. Smoke, dirt, and debris momentarily clouded the air. The majority of the civilians in the area immediately tried to flee the scene, but several remained behind. Some were too injured to move while others were simply too frightened to make an escape attempt. As the seconds crept by and the dust began to settle the remaining debris particles left in the air reflected visible light rays from the early morning sun that could now be seen through the opening in the wall. Resistance soldiers were beginning to make their way into the immediate area taking up defensive positions.
Suddenly, the high pitched roar of jet turbine engines could be heard and several HK Drones flew through the opening and into the hallways. Much smaller than their full sized Aerial HK counterparts, but otherwise identical, these drones were lightly armed, equipped with only two small plasma cannons on each wingtip and a set of small rockets that deployed from their underbelly. While any one plasma round would easily dispatch these units, their speed and maneuverability made hitting them extremely difficult.
The HK Drones streaked through the corridors spraying the entire area with plasma fire and miniaturized rockets. The hallways again filled with smoke and dust and now the smell of sulfur and burnt flesh began to linger in the air. Along with the sounds of explosions and plasma fire, cries for help, screams of pain, and dogs barking could be heard. As the Reese Faction soldiers began to return fire on the HK Drones several civilians were caught in the crossfire. None of them survived.
More and more soldiers descended on the battle location and the rate of plasma fire steadily increased. Slowly the resistance fighters began to gain ground, steadily destroying the HK Drones; even though their agility made doing so very difficult. The drones would hover momentarily, barrel roll, allow themselves to fall towards the ground, and then move to the right or left before climbing upwards again; all the while returning fire on the soldiers.
But then the next wave appeared, a multitude of T-888's poured into the base through the opening that had been created just minutes before. The sunlight to their backs made their bright chrome endoskeletons glisten. This produced a glaring effect blinding anyone that was attempting to confront them, exactly as Skynet had planned. Several more HK Drones flew in above the T-888's as they made their entry. The plasma fire inside of the hallways grew into an intense spectacle as the machines easily pushed the resistance back farther and farther into the interior of the base.
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Kyle Reese placed both hands on the table in front of him as he stared at a laptop screen.
"They're everywhere…" he said in a low voice as he looked over at Derek who did not immediately respond. He then glanced over at Alison Young who was standing next to him. She had a horrified look about her face and Derek was easily able to see that she could barely contain her emotions. Glancing back at one of the young soldiers standing behind him inside of the command room Derek spoke.
"Jenkins…" he said at which point the male responded by looking up and taking a half step forwards.
"Yes sir…" he said.
"Take Alison and get her the hell out of here." If it were possible Alison's reaction suggested that she was more afraid to leave Derek and Kyle's side then to try and escape.
"What about you two?" She finally managed to ask.
"Don't worry about us." Kyle stated. "We'll be fine." The moment Kyle said this he knew it was a lie, but he was doing his best to console Alison.
"But…" Alison was cut off by Derek.
"Alison you gotta go…now." he said as he looked back over at Jenkins who stepped a little closer to Alison.
"Ms. Young…" he said. Alison slowly backed away from Kyle, Derek, and the few remaining soldiers located inside of the command room.
"Go…" Kyle quietly mouthed to Alison before she turned away from the group and fled out of the door with Jenkins by her side.
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The plasma fire near the entrance way that the explosion had produced was beginning to subside, but the battle was still close enough that its sounds could easily be heard. Dust and smoke still hung in the air, but thanks to the sunlight, the visual spectrum had improved. Now one could easily make out the outlines of three humanoid figures walking into the resistance base.
Stepping from the crater and into the actual base corridor, John Connor slowly looked around. He lifted the dark lensed Oakley Romeo Sunglasses from his eyes and allowed the gray titanium frames to rest just in front of his radio headset which he wore overtop of his head. John was dressed in a black, white, and gray urban camouflage BDU uniform, with a black flack jacket covering it. He had no plasma rifle, but a .40 caliber Glock 22 was located in a holster on his right hip and a magazine pouch with several extra magazines was affixed to his belt on the opposite hip. John was flanked on both sides by T-888's. Surveying the area he exhibited no visible reaction to the death and carnage that he had helped to create.
"And now the real fun begins…" A voice from behind John stated. Although knowing exactly who was speaking John still glanced over his shoulder and watched as Danny Dyson walked up from behind. Dressed in a very similar fashion, save for the fact that he had a plasma rifle slung across his chest via a three point harness; he was also followed by two T-888's. Danny had a twisted smile on his face and as he turned to John he gave him a conspiratorial look.
"It's about time for your revenge, don't you think?" he asked in a maniacal tone as he moved past John; both Terminators following close behind him. John did not respond and instead remained motionless. Moments later he again saw movement out of the corner of his eyes. What appeared to be human resistance soldiers armed with plasma rifles made their way past him and into the resistance base. But, these were in fact not human at all, they were infiltrator units. With the humans focused primarily on the metal framed Terminators, the infiltrators would easily slip undetected into the interior of the base and unleash whatever chaos they saw fit. John's hate filled eyes glanced over at both T-888's on either side of him, before proceeding onward.
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Alison and Jenkins sprinted down the darkened corridor as errant plasma rounds streaked past them. The sounds of conflict were everywhere and the confusion of soldiers mixed with panic stricken civilians made the situation even worse. Most noncombatants had no idea where to go or what to do. Some blindly ran from one random location to another, while others could only huddle in corners too frightened to move. The situation made it difficult for Alison and Jenkins to navigate the hallways; however Alison was at least relatively sure that they were headed towards the nearest exit. She was however completely unsure what they should do once they had reached the surface.
The sounds of battle were growing closer and closer and Alison's panic grew as she rushed ahead of Jenkins. She found that she was becoming less and less sure of their exact location within the base and this in turn only increased her anxiety. Approaching a sharp turn in the corridor Alison was suddenly surprised by a large male with a plasma rifle emerging from around the bend. She tried to stop, but her feet slid on the loose dirt and gravel beneath her. Stumbling uncontrollably she fell backwards striking the ground with a hollow thud.
The male standing over her was dressed in what she would have considered a resistance soldier's clothing. He looked Alison over for a split second and then glanced up at Jenkins who was nearing their position. The male quickly raised his plasma rifle and fired, striking Jenkins in the chest. There was a brief cry of pain and then Alison Young's only protector fell backwards to the ground dead. Horror instantly gripped her as she realized this was no man at all, it was a Skynet Infiltrator Unit. Still on the ground she frantically scurried away from the Terminator as it reached for her. Momentarily escaping its grasp, Alison managed to pull herself to her feet and ran down an adjacent corridor in a desperate attempt to elude the Terminator.
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"Target sighted…southwest corridor." John heard the deep mechanical voice say over his radio's headset as he pressed himself against the wall, plasma bolts streaking past him. John had found that when the Terminators bothered to talk to him, it was in an information only communication, almost as if they were sending him a text message, albeit a verbal one. He looked over and saw Danny taking cover behind a support beam located on the opposite wall. Occasionally Danny leaned out from behind the beam and fired a few rounds from his plasma rifle. Although they were both still located a short distance away from the main conflict between the resistance soldiers and the T-888's they were still within striking distance. John kept his Glock 22 in his right hand and pointed towards the ground. He had yet to fire a round. He watched with icy, emotionless eyes as Danny fired his plasma rifle. Danny actually seemed to be enjoying the carnage that he was inflicting on other humans. For the moment, however this did not greatly concern John. His attention was focused solely on reaching the southwest corridor where Alison Young might be located. He slightly leaned out from behind the recess in the wall and observed the T-888's absorbed in a firefight with what was left of the resistance soldiers. He then looked over at Danny who was slowly beginning to make his way closer to the battle.
Suddenly, from an adjoining tunnel on Danny's side and from behind the group John saw a soldier emerge with a plasma rifle. The middle aged male raised his weapon and pointed it towards Danny's back. John instantly knew that a plasma round could easily make its way through both Danny's body armor and his actual body. This notion came with the horrible realization that Danny still carried Cameron's chip and it could in turn be damaged by the plasma round. Although he didn't give a damn about the bastard, he unfortunately could not let him die…at least not right now. There was no hesitation on John's part. He quickly raised his Glock, aimed, and then squeezed the trigger. As the round struck the soldier in the side, the man's body jolted, sending the round from his plasma rifle flying wildly. John immediately fired a second round hitting the soldier squarely in the chest. The man staggered back into the tunnel behind him and then fell to the ground. John quickly moved across the corridor and over to the adjoining hallway. He looked down the tunnel for a brief moment and soon realized that while this would not be the most direct route this path would still take him to the southwest corridor. Keeping his gun at the low ready John carefully moved further down the tunnel.
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Danny glanced over his shoulder with just enough time to see John disappear into the connecting corridor.
"Hhmmm…What are you up to John?" Danny mused aloud as he moved away from the firefight and towards the pathway that John had taken. Glancing down the hallway Danny saw John moving further and further away. He hesitated briefly allowing the distance between them to grow and then quietly followed after him.
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After tripping over some debris located in the hallway Alison fell to the ground hard. Quickly picking herself up she began to run. The sounds of battle still echoed down the corridor, but at the same time she could hear her infiltrator pursuer. Stumbling, she again found herself sprawled on the floor. Fear gripped her as the sound of the machine grew closer. Pulling herself back up she resumed her sprint down the darkened tunnels. Alison barely noticed that there was now no one in the immediate area around her, civilian or soldiers alike. She rounded a corner and came upon a large metal exit only door. She began to struggle with the metal latch fighting desperately to open the door. She shrieked as she fought with the lock; the infiltrator was nearly at her position. Finally the latch released and the door swung open with a loud creak. A rush of fresh air poured into the hallway blowing Alison's brown hair back and away from her face. Frantically she than ran into the early morning sunlight.
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John moved purposefully down the dim hallway. With each rumble from a nearby explosion the incandescent bulbs flickered and some dust would be shaken from the ceiling. While nothing was happening in the area around him, the sounds of plasma rifle fire, explosions, screams of pain, and cries for help echoed down the concrete corridor towards him. John showed no emotional response to any of it. He simply could not allow himself to feel anything, at least not for the moment, if he were to do that, he would surely go mad from guilt. There was no alternative. He had to allow his soul to absorb the cold nothingness that led him to reach this very point.
Suddenly, from around the corner in front of him an HK Drone emerged. John froze, staring at the hovering creature. The drone did not immediately react to him. It remained in its current position, almost as if it were studying John for a brief moment. Then both of its small jet turbine engines leaned forwards and it streaked over John's head moving in the opposite direction. By this point John assumed that Skynet Units had overrun every section of the Reese base. He knew there was almost no hope of survival for anyone. John felt a brief, fleeting twinge of regret, but he instantly pushed this feeling aside. Only anger would serve him now. He dare not permit himself to feel anything else. He pressed further down his path.
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As Alison emerged from the underground tunnel she stumbled over the rocky terrain. Still attempting to elude the infiltrator that was following her she climbed unsteadily up the debris covered embankment. When she finally reached the top of the small hill what she saw nearly stripped her of all hope of escape; machines were everywhere. Hundreds if not thousands of T-888's walked about the debris strewn city landscape, Aerial HK's hovered overhead along with their small drone counterparts, large Ground HK's moved ever closer, and what she assumed were infiltrator units appeared to be scattered about the scene as well. Knowing she had no other choice Alison forced herself to move forwards towards a small set of dilapidated buildings located approximately thirty-five yards from her. She clung to a forlorn hope that if she could reach those buildings she might just be able to hide from the deadly threats that surrounded her.
Staggering down the embankment Alison ran towards the buildings. She was surprised to find that it appeared the infiltrator was no longer behind her. For some strange reason this seemed to frighten her even more. Why had it given up? Moving closer to the buildings Alison experienced some sense of relief and began to once again believe that she might escape. Suddenly, her foot struck a rock and she fell to the ground again. She struck the earth with such force that it momentarily knocked the wind out of her. However, her prolonged contact with the ground allowed Alison to feel an impact vibration travel up from the ground and through her body. The vibration was not constant but came in the fashion similar to footsteps…heavy, heavy footsteps. Still on the ground Alison looked up at the small set of buildings that she had been trying to reach. What she saw terrified her.
Emerging from behind the buildings was a massive Skynet Centurion HK; the colossal four legged machine which was at least fifty feet high crashed through a corner of one of the buildings as it slowly exposed its entire body. Concrete and debris tumbled to the ground as it moved. The Centurion HK had four crablike legs, two positioned in the front of its body and two in the back. The center chassis had an appearance similar to an Aerial HK, except with no tail section. Two large metallic arms protruded away from the center body itself and each arm contained a rapid pulse phased plasma cannon along with another set of smaller plasma guns. The entire center torso could rotate 360 degrees so that it could walk or fire its weapons in relatively any direction. The look of the center chassis of the machine could have easily been mistaken for a demonic looking "face". Red glowing "eyes" now focused on Alison.
There was the sudden rush of air around Alison and the loud howl of a jet engine. An Aerial HK sudden moved in over her. Dirt and dust swirled around her position as she cowered in terror on the rocky ground.
No!... She thought to herself. As Alison tried to stand there was a loud bang and she was struck by a large net that knocked her back to the ground. She looked around and saw the Infiltrator that had been following her along. It emerged with several other T-888's from over the hill that she had just run down. Now crying as she hopelessly struggled against the net, Alison screamed in fear as the machines began to approach her.
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John moved slowly along the wreckage strewn corridors. The sounds of plasma rifle fire and screams were fading. John assumed that few humans were left alive at this point. Making his way to a doorway he was certain that if any room was still occupied by the resistance it would be this one. It was the door to the command center, and in order to reach Alison's location John was going to have to cut through it. He slowly pushed the door open with one hand and led the way in with his handgun. The only light in the area was from a few remaining light bulbs and the sparking flying from electrical lines that had been severed by explosions. Small fires caused by plasma fire also provided a minimal amount of light. He expected devastation, but what John managed to see as he entered the room still shocked him.
Several soldiers' bodies, command staff presumably, lay motionless on the floor. However, this was not what surprised him. Located across the room were Derek and Kyle Reese. Derek lay on the ground, lifeless with a large wound in his chest. Kyle was crouched over his body. Upon hearing the sound of the door open Kyle quickly stood up and turned around, looking at John with red, bloodshot eyes.
"You!" Kyle said angrily. John already had his Glock 22 pointed directly at Kyle not allowing him the opportunity to reach for his own weapon. Both men stared at each other, fury and hatred pouring over each of them. Images of his torture and thoughts of his mother's death at the hands of the resistance flooded John's mind. He ground his teeth as the bitterness took hold of him.
"That's right…" John responded in a low voice still continuing to point his weapon, "…it's me." Kyle glared at John's face, which was still bruised from their encounter just days before.
"I always knew you were a traitor." Kyle said with obvious disgust in his voice,
"I wasn't before I met you." John immediately stated. Silence momentarily crept into the room. The only sound was the crackle of electricity as it arched from the broken circuitry and the distant sounds of plasma fire mixed with the occasional rumble of an explosion. Kyle spoke again breaking the deathly quiet of the room,
"You killed my brother." He said. John swallowed before speaking,
"You killed my mother." This produced a slight look of confusion on Kyle's face before an uneasy stillness again encompassed the room. John found his arms were beginning to ache as he held his handgun out in front of him. Kyle took a step closer to John,
"If you're going kill me, you might as well do it." John stared at his father, pure rage and hatred rushing over him as if he were on fire. His finger moved to the trigger of his gun touching it lightly. Kyle stared at John waiting for a response, when he received none he took another half step closer to John.
"DO IT!" he shouted. John's breathing and heart rate skyrocketed as he increased the pressure on the trigger. His hand was beginning to quiver and he narrowed his eyes which were now filling with tears in an attempt to focus his field of vision. The trigger to the Glock moved backwards as John increased the pressure on it.
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Danny carefully moved along the hallway towards the door to the room he had seen John enter. He cautiously made his way along the wall as he crept closer to the doorway. Suddenly, he heard someone shout. His pace increased slightly until he finally reached the door. Peering around the corner Danny saw John inside of the room, his gun pointed at a resistance soldier that he did not immediately recognize. He watched suspiciously as the seconds passed by and then he observed John slowly lower his weapon. Danny furrowed his brown in disapproval as John moved around the room still maintaining eye contact with the resistance soldier. John then moved through another doorway disappearing from Danny's sight. The remaining resistance soldier stood silently for a moment and then turned away and knelt down next to the body of another man. Danny shook his head sneering at the image of grief.
I knew he didn't have it in him. He thought to himself. Danny waited for a brief moment and then quietly stepped into the room. He raised his plasma rifle aiming it at the back of the soldier who was still kneeling over the body of his fallen comrade.
Danny squeezed the trigger of his plasma rifle and a round discharged striking Kyle Reese in the back of the head. Death was instantaneous; Kyle was knocked forwards and then fell dead over Derek's lifeless body. Danny heard a light "ping" as his spent shell casing struck the concrete floor. The room was quiet again and he systematically looked around ensuring there were no more survivors. After seeing that there were none, Danny hurried over towards the open doorway where John had previously made his exit. He briefly glanced back at the command center. A satisfied smirk made its way across Danny's face as he realized that this particular faction had been completely decimated. Its leaders were dead, most if not all of its soldiers had been killed, and the few remaining civilians were now being rounded up by Skynet. Still showing his contemptuous smile Danny turned back towards the door and resumed his trek after John.
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Author's Notes: I'm hoping you are all as surprised about this chapter as my beta reader was. Review! Review!