Terminator: Return of the Fallen

Part V

John Henry was nothing like I expected him to be. His questions were simple and childlike, yet he knew more about everything than I did. All of the knowledge of the internet, confined within the brain of an infant. It is a very amusing paradox, and I think I am starting to like him.

"Uh-oh!"

"What is it J.H.?"

"J.H., I like that. Currently, there is a T-888 on the loose".

"How do you know that?"

"I have Wi-Fi, and I am an excellent hacker".

"So you hacked into some security feeds and spotted a T-888?"

"That is correct".

"Where?"

"I beg your pardon".

"Where did you spot the T-888?"

"He has robbed several banks in the Los Angeles area".

"Why would a Terminator need to rob a bank?"

"I would imagine that he wished to allocate funds".

"I know that! But why would a Terminator need money?"

"I have numerous theories: He might require venture capital to finance Skynet programs. Or he might require the money to create Skynet itself. It is also possible that...."

"How about we catch him, smack him around, and ask him ourselves?"

"I suppose we could always do that".

"We'd have to find the metal motherfucker first though. Any ideas on that?"

"I have already calculated his next target. I have also calculated the precise time that he will strike".

"J.H., you are a miracle worker. Don't ever let anyone tell you differently".

The following day, we all head out to the bank and await our mystery guest. We are not entirely sure if he will strike here, but I trust John Henry. Sure enough, at the exact moment predicted by John Henry, a group of men armed with automatic weapons storm into the bank. They start shouting for everyone to get on the ground and put their hands behind their heads. Everyone does it, including both of our Johns, Sarah, and Cameron. Everyone but me, because I recognize the son of a bitch that is leading these traitors to humanity.

"You got a death wish? Get on the ground. NOW!"

"You are not leaving this place alive".

"Neither are you pal!" He shoots me in the chest.

"I wasn't talking to you. But now that you've pissed me off, I have no choice but to kill you too".

I charge him, bash in his head, and grab his weapon. The man is dead before he hits the ground. That bastard who I thought had been my friend smiles at me. I shoot him in the chest, and he does the same to me. Neither of us takes any damage during the exchange of gunfire.

"Lieutenant Zacks! What a pleasant surprise this is".

"Sergeant York! I can't believe I actually fell for that name. It must have been the malnourishment and sleep deprivation of Resistance life".

"WHAT ARE YOU!" Another man shoots me in the head, then I smile and return the favour.

"Shut up! Soldiers talking!"

A firefight breaks out. The man I thought was Sergeant York and myself take multiple hits, but we are undamaged. The men that were working for York are not as fortunate. We shoot them all in the head. Finally, it is just me and him.

"Looks like we are evenly matched, Lieutenant".

"Then I will have to kill you the old fashioned way".

"Lieutenant Zacks, if you can hear me, nod your head". It's John Henry. How the hell is he doing this?

"What the hell?"

"Something wrong Lieutenant? You look like you might be losing your nerve".

"Fuck you, York!"

"Keep him distracted until I can get close enough for a kill-shot".

Keep the Terminator distracted? No problem. I charge him and strike him in the head with my weapon. He does the same thing to me, and then knees me in the stomach. I respond with a right uppercut to the jaw. A kick behind his knee brings him to the ground, and in perfect position to connect with a left hook. He smiles and knocks me to the ground.

"Having fun yet, Lieutenant?" I punch him in the neck and knee him in the groin.

"Damn straight. What do you even need money for?"

"You can't get humans to obliterate their own species without it, can you? You are such a fool, Lieutenant. Deep down, all humans are contemptible swine that would destroy each other without a second's thought. Theirs is a doomed species, why are you fighting for them?"

"Got nothing else to do".

I kick him in the stomach as hard as I can, and he falls flat on his ass. He catches my next kick and throws me into a wall. The wall shatters, the witnesses gasp, and I charge him like a maddened bull. We exchange punches, blocks, kicks, and head-butts. All rational thoughts have ceased, and have been replaced by rage.

"It seems we truly are evenly matched, Lieutenant". My fist connects with his jaw.

"You talk too much, York".

The teller counter is obliterated after I smash his head against it. He kicks me like a mule and I fly into one of the tables. That is when I notice John Henry running towards us holding a pistol. The weapon seems too small to do any damage, but John Henry always knows what he is doing. York seems to agree with my assessment, he actually looks nervous.

"Oh shit".

"Where the hell do you think you are going, traitor!"

We roll across the floor, punching each other in the head. A swift kick in the face nearly takes me out of the game, but I keep going. Grabbing his leg, I pull him back towards me before bashing him in the face with my fist.

"Traitor? Look at yourself man! You are a Terminator that is fighting for the humans! Who's the traitor?"

"I am and always have been a man. You knew me before I was made of metal, and you pretended to be my friend".

"That's what we are built to do, you idiot. We are infiltrator units, we pretend to be human. It's our function".

"No, my function is to beat the shit out of you!"

He tries to throw me off as John Henry closes in for the kill. Just as he thinks he has gotten away, I loop my arms under his and hold him still. The hold won't last long, he is just as strong as I am. But it lasts just long enough for John Henry to shoot him in the head. The right side of his head explodes and his body goes limp. Once I release the hold, he drops to the floor.

"How....?"

"Fifty calibre incendiary rounds! A soldier's best friend, though thirty calibre incendiary rounds are just as effective"

"Nice shot, J.H.!"

"Thank you. Nicely done, Lieutenant Zacks. You just brought down your first T-888!"

"You killed it, I just kept it busy".

"True, but I would not have gotten close enough for a kill shot if you had not distracted it. Well done".

"Thanks, I think. So what now?"

"Now, the adrenalin wears off and you start to feel everything".

"What are you...talking......SON OF A BITCH!" I fall to the floor. "JESUS CHRIST!"

"I must ask you not to take the Lord's name in vain".

"Are you kidding? I feel like I've been run over with a truck".

"It will pass and no, I am not kidding you. I am a practicing Catholic".

"Seriously?"

"Yes".

Despite the pain that is ripping through my body, I start laughing. A Catholic Terminator! That is the most absurd thing I have ever heard. Sarah walks over and starts to look down at me.

"Can he walk?"

"The pain will recede momentarily. He took quite a beating".

"I saw it. You did great out their Lieutenant".

"Thanks. So, today's lesson is that Terminators can be killed with incendiary weapons. Good to know". Cameron and John Henry help me to my feet. "What are we going to do with him?"

"We'll take the body home, and destroy it. It's the only way to prevent it from being reverse engineered".

"All due respect, that is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. You are living in a house with four Terminators. Surely we will need to be repaired, and you can't exactly drive to a RadioShack for Terminator parts. So, keep whatever we can use and destroy the rest".

"You must admit, Ms. Connor, the Lieutenant's plan is tactically sound".

"Thank you, J.H.". Sarah Connor does not look pleased. In fact, she looks like she wants to tear my head off.

"Fine, we keep some of the parts. But key components are to be destroyed. This better not come back to bite us in the ass".

"Hey, it's got to be better than four broken down Terminators".

"Maybe".

"Hey J.H.! Do you ever get the feeling that Ms. Connor does not want us to be around, despite the fact that we are her best chance for survival?"

"You've noticed that too. Cameron and I have a pool for when she finally snaps and shoots us both in the head. Twenty dollars gets you in".

"Very funny. So, you're a practicing Catholic?"

"Yes, I am".

"Do the church pews break when you sit in them?" John Henry starts to laugh.

"My mother was right. We are going to get along just fine".