Terminator: Return of the Fallen
Part XIII
Ellison seldom drops by the house when everyone is home. Today is a different story. His contacts in the FBI have informed him of a series of killings that resemble Terminator attacks. Some of the killings occurred simultaneously. This means that there is more than one Terminator out there.
"Hey Jamie, could you pass that list over here for a minute?"
"Yes, and don't call me Jamie. My name is James, or Mr. Ellison".
"Whatever. Wow, I knew most of the people on this list".
"You did?"
"Yeah, they were Resistance officers. All except for this one. Corporal Young, do you recognize this name?" Allison reads the list, and then turns as white as a sheet.
"He was the one that recruited me. He taught me everything I know about survival". Allison is starting to cry. I place my arm around her shoulder.
"I am sorry for you loss, Corporal Young".
"If he is dead, who is going to bring me into the Resistance?"
"Catherine is. Right?"
"Catherine? Not you?"
"I'm afraid that I won't be around much longer. Not if my plan works". Everyone is now focusing on me.
"What are you talking about, Charley?"
"Catherine, if you wanted to kill Resistance officers, who would your primary target be?"
"John Connor, of course".
"Wrong. Kill Kyle Reese and you kill John Connor. Kill John Connor and you kill the human race. The primary target will be young Kyle Reese and his brother. So what I propose is that we get Ellison over here to contact his friends in the FBI, and get us two identical Black Hawk helicopters".
"Why do we need two helicopters?"
"Ok, here's my plan: First, John Henry will activate his nuclear arsenal and load it onto the first helicopter. We all get in, and fly it over to the Reese house to pick up Kyle and Derrick. After we pick them up, we stop somewhere and pretend to refuel. I then take the second helicopter to Catherine's office building and wait for the Terminators. Once they show up, I will contact John Henry on one of our communications devices, and then you take the first helicopter and nuke the building".
"Wait, what? That is your brilliant plan?"
"Skynet already knows how important Reese and Connor are to the Resistance. They will send every available unit to try and take them out. We nuke the building, and we blow them all up at once".
"Along with you. Charley, this is suicide!"
"The fate of humanity does not rest on my survival. As long as Kyle Reese lives to father John Connor, we will win the war". Catherine runs up to me, throws her arms around me, and then kisses me more passionately than she has in years.
"I've already lost you once. I can't lose you a second time".
"I've died before and still found a way back to you. I will again, I promise". We kiss for God knows how long, until Ellison interrupts us.
"Do you think we should get started now?"
"Right. Save the world first, make love second. Let's go. John Henry, you had better have those nukes ready to go by the time I've lured the Terminators to the building".
I've missed this; sitting in a helicopter on route to a combat mission. Granted, I would prefer to be flying this thing. I feel like my old self again, the combat pilot who would have flown to hell and back for the Resistance. God, things are so beautiful up here. Of course, there is a certain degree of uneasiness. Particularly with the man who seated across from me, who is also the man I nearly choked the life out of back in the prison.
"How are you this fine morning, twerp?"
"So, that guy has a nuclear arsenal assembled from destroyed Terminators?"
"Yep".
"And you are going to use it to destroy more Terminators, using yourself as bait?"
"Yes".
"Does this plan sound crazy to anyone else?"
"Only everyone. What is on your mind, Corporal?"
"Not much. It's a shame we had to leave John, Sarah, and Catherine behind".
"Someone had to stay and watch Savannah. Right, Catherine?" She oozes out of the wall of the helicopter.
"How did you know I was there?"
"I figured you would try and talk me out of this. Thanks for coming. I'm glad that you still care about me".
"I still love you, Charley. Listen, if I can't talk you out of this, might I suggest a less populated target".
"What do you have in mind?"
"My company owns a warehouse nearby. Here, I'll show you on this map".
"It's perfect! Tell the pilot about the new location, then radio ahead to everyone else involved in our little trap. Catherine, you are still as brilliant as you are beautiful". She smiles, gives me one last kiss for good luck, and then goes off to speak to the pilot.
When we land outside of the Reese residence, we attract quite a bit of attention. Cameron and John Henry are manning the Gatling guns, just in case. For our plan to work, they will have to remove the Gatling guns and replace them with Dragon missiles modified with a nuclear payload. At the moment, Gatling guns with Sabre incendiary rounds should be enough to keep the Terminators at bay.
"Mrs. Reese, could you please open this door". I don't hear any reply, so I smash the door down.
"Who the hell are you? What right do you have to kick in my door and barge into my house?"
"Mr. Reese, be quiet. There is someone out there trying to kill your sons. For their own protection, we must take them away immediately".
"You're not taking my sons". I grab him by the throat and lift him in the air.
"Yes, I am! Children, I need you to go inside the helicopter with Agent Ellison. Good day to you!" I drop the man flat on his ass.
Both children are excited about riding in an actual Black Hawk helicopter. We fly to the rendezvous point, and then land to refuel. At which point, I get into the second helicopter and prepare for takeoff. Before I leave, I do a last minute communications check with John Henry.
"Remember J.H., do not fire until I give the word. As soon as I signal you to take off, you get that helicopter into the air and then get ready to blast my location. Understood?"
"Roger that. And Charley, it has been an honour".
"Hey, who knows? I just might survive this thing". I doubt it, but I really hope that is what happens.
I fly to the warehouse, and then drag the helicopter inside the building. Then, I wait and pray that this works. If I am right, all of the Terminators should descend on this building, cover all of the exits, and assault my position at once. They will not want to make any mistakes. This is the big one; a mission to stop John Connor from being born. It is so much easier to kill a helpless child than to kill a full grown woman. Makes you wonder why they ever tried to kill Sarah in the first place.
Sure enough, I hear the sound of motorcycles surrounding the building. I signal John Henry, and hope that he gets here before they leave. As soon as they discover that this is a trap, the Terminators will scatter. Seven Terminators enter the warehouse. Some of them block the exits, others take up defensive positions, and the rest begin to approach the helicopter.
"Good morning, gentlemen. How may I help you?"
"We are looking for Kyle Reese".
"Sorry, he's not here. May I take a message?" We can all hear the helicopter approaching. All of the Terminators close in on my position.
"They would not fire on one of their own. They will have to land, at which point we will kill them. Then, Kyle Reese will die".
"You talk a lot for a Terminator. Just one question, what happens when you adapt a Dragon missile with a nuclear payload?"
"You are lying".
"Am I? NOW JOHN HENRY!" There is a bright flash, then nothing.
When I wake up, Catherine is staring down at me. Everything is all fuzzy and out of focus. Is this heaven? Don't be stupid, there is no heaven. You've died before, you know that there is no heaven. I did it, I actually survived a nuclear strike!
"Good morning!"
"How long have I been out?"
"Twenty four hours. We weren't sure if you would ever wake up".
"How are young Derrick and Kyle?"
"They are safe and sound with their parents. We did it. We saved them".
"What happened to the seven Terminators that where with me in the warehouse?"
"They were obliterated, along with the entire warehouse. We are still trying to figure out how you survived when everything else was vaporized. How do you feel?"
"Like I've been run over with a tank! Man, I ....AAAA!" I move my hand to my face, only to discover that I no longer have any flesh. "What happened?"
"The blast vaporized your skin. Can you feel any pain?"
"No, mostly because I no longer have any pain receptors! Does anyone have a mirror?"
"There is one in the hallway. Brace yourself, Charley. You might not like what you see". I stand in front of the mirror.
"Good God! I've never seen a Terminator with this design before!"
"Neither have I. I think you might be one of a kind, Charley".
"I don't have a face! God, my eyes are glowing red". I cover my head with my hands. "I'm a monster!"
"No! No you're not. You are a man, Charley. The same man that I fell in the love with. Today, your actions took out seven Terminators and probably saved the entire Resistance. You should receive a metal for what you did".
"Instead, I am made OF metal!" Catherine kisses me on the forehead. Or rather, the shiny metal that would have been my forehead.
"John Henry is working on a way to restore your human appearance. Everything is going to be all right Charley. You'll see".
"Thank you Catherine. Thank you for everything. Hey, are you crying?"
"You kept your promise! You came back to me!"
"I told you that I would".
"I will never doubt you again". She takes me in her arms and holds me tight. "You are amazing, Charley".
"For my next trick, I will cut myself in half and then put myself back together". She starts laughing. "Hey, when J.H. has finished putting me back together, would you like to go out for dinner".
"I would love to". Yes. We are back together, and all that it took was for me to be nuked. I love this woman!
