Terminator: Return of the Fallen
Part XIX
To recap, Allison's new boyfriend is an employee of Cyberdine. There are two possible courses of action: 1. I assume that he truly is interested in Allison and that his employment is a coincidence. 2. I kill him. I know which option will feel more rewarding, but killing him will mess Allison up. I care too much about her to mess her up. I can't believe I am considering this, but I think I need to speak to Colonel Tight Ass.
"Hey, Sarah, do you have a minute?"
"That is not....oh whatever. At this point, you can call me whatever you want".
"Come again?"
"You are a genuine war hero and I am a genuine screw up. If anything, I should be calling you sir".
"What's stopping you? Just kidding, you might be a screw up, but you are still a Connor. All Connor's are survivors".
"Let's hope I am not the exception". I start laughing. "What do you need, Lieutenant?"
"How do you feel about this Jerry guy?"
"I don't know. He seems nice enough. Why, is your Terminator sense tingling?"
"I don't have a Terminator sense".
"I was making a joke".
"Sorry, I've got a lot of things on my mind. Like the Cyberdine key card in his back pocket".
"What? My God, he's a spy! Which one of us gets to kill him?"
"And I was afraid you would talk me out of it".
"Cyberdine created Skynet and the Terminators. If you create our enemy, then you are our enemy".
"You sound just like your grandmother. Anyway, I'll take care of Jerry. No one takes advantage of Allison and gets away with it".
Allison and Jerry are eating lunch in the dining room. I can't believe that Sarah actually let this jerk stay for lunch. Hasn't any else seen him from behind? I can hardly wait to shove that key card down his throat. Now for the tricky part; taking out this asshole without upsetting Allison. Why did she have to bring him here?
"Could someone clear the table?"
"We aren't finished eating yet, bro".
"You are!" I grab him by the throat and slam him into the table. Poor Allison starts screaming.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?" I prepare to crush this guys skull with one punch.
"Tell Cyberdine that I said hello".
"Wait! WAIT! It was nothing personal. I just had a job to do". Allison looks like her head is about to explode. Her eyes fill with tears and her mouth looks like it could hit the floor. She looks like she is in pain. I think Sarah is reaching for her nine millimetre, and I just might let her blow this bastard to hell.
"Wh...what? Cy—Cyberdine? You...you were just using me?"
"I had to find out who activated your friend over here. Cyberdine is the only company in existence with the technology to....to..." I don't let him finish his sentence.
"To turn people into machines!" I start to squeeze.
"Wait! Please..."
"My name is Lieutenant Charles Zacks, and I used to fly A-10s. Did you know that?"
"No! Please don't kill me".
"Did you also know that I was killed by an aerial drone that was designed and manufactured by Cyberdine?"
"Please, you're confused. Skynet would never betray this country. Never!" Ok, now I need to keep him alive.
"What do you know about Skynet?"
"It's classified".
"Talk to me or I snap you in two!"
"Ok! Ok! Skynet is a computer program we developed to control our next generation combat drones. It's been in service since the mid-1990's. But, he's loyal to this country. He would never betray it".
"He? You make it sound like it's a person and not just a machine".
"He's more than just a machine. He's the most sophisticated program ever designed. We're talking artificial intelligence beyond anything you could imagine".
"So, when those Terminators started to shoot up the LAPD, Skynet was in charge".
"That was an accident, man. You've got to believe me".
"Where are you building the Terminators?"
"Come on, man. I could lose my job for this".
"If you don't cooperate, you will lose your life. Oh, and for your information, Skynet is planning to exterminate all humans".
"You don't know what you're talking about. I know Skynet personally. I've worked with him, I've even talked to him. He would never commit genocide, never".
"I'm from the year 2018, so I know more about this than you".
"What? That's impossible".
"How else do you explain an indestructible robot-human hybrid that is at least a decade away from your current level of technology?" Everyone stares and blinks. We were always trying to prevent Skynet from being created, only to find out that it is already operational.
"Seriously? He's...going to try to exterminate humanity?"
"Not if I blow up that factory. Where is it? You have five seconds to tell me, then I rip your arms off. One, two, three, four..."
"OK! I'll show you on the map!"
"Good! How many factories build Terminators?"
"Just one. It's in the middle of the desert". Jerry reveals the location of the Terminator factory. If we can destroy it, we might be able to prevent the entire war.
"Hey, John Henry!"
"Yeah!"
"I need you to build me a nuclear bomb with enough firepower to destroy a large warehouse or factory. Can you do that?"
"Well, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that I can build the bomb. The bad news is that it will require all of our remaining nuclear material. So until we take out a few more Terminators, we will have to go without nuclear ordinance".
"Ah, but that's the beauty of nuking the factory. If we halt production of the T-1s and Hunter Killers, then the T-888s, T-800s, and T-700s will never be built. We will never have to deal with another soulless, merciless killing machine ever again. Sounds good, right?" John Henry and Catherine smile at me.
"You'll have your bomb in one hour".
The bomb is completed on time, and I drive out alone to the Terminator factory. Cameron and Catherine have agreed to watch our Cyberdine prisoner until a nearby Resistance cell can pick him up. We can't exactly kill him, because he is an innocent in all of this. But, we can't let him go either. He knows too much. Allison wanted to come with me, but I told her this was likely to be a one way trip. This bomb is a lot more powerful than the last one, and I'm not sure if I will survive the blast. Before I left, I made her promise me something: I made her promise to have a good life.
When I finally reach the factory, I knock down the front door. The poor security guard at the front desk nearly shits himself, before pulling out a Magnum 357 and aiming it at my head. Where do people keep getting Magnum 357s?
"I think you're lost boy. Just turn around and come back the way you came".
"You should probably start running".
"And why is that?"
"Because I have a nuclear bomb in this case. See?" I open the case and show him the bomb. If he was afraid of me before, he is terrified now.
"OH SHIT!"
He starts shooting at me, and I just walk past him. I break down another door and head into the factory. Everywhere you look there are T-1s and Hunter Killers in various stages of production. Some are already completed. As I make my way towards the center of the factory, more guards pop out and start shooting me. I just ignore them, it's not like their Magnums can do any damage. I hear the first guard shouting at the others to avoid hitting the case because there is a nuke in it.
Just as I reach the optimal place to set off the bomb, the guards activate every completed T-1 in the factory to stop me. My flesh is torn apart by their heavy machine guns, but I remain undamaged. When my entire endoskeleton is exposed, everyone stops shooting and just stares at me.
"What are you?"
"I'm the latest version of them, designed to kill all humans. That is why I must stop you from making any more of these murderous machines. See you all on the other side". I hit the detonator, and I am stunned by a blinding flash.
When I finally regain consciousness, the first thing that I see is a man in a bio-hazard suit staring down at me. Looking around, I notice that I am now lying flat on my back in the middle of the desert. There are people in bio-hazard suits everywhere. I wonder if I destroyed the factory or not.
"Mrs. Weaver, I think it is waking up". Catherine is here? What the hell is going on?
"Charley? Can you hear me?"
"It has a name?"
"Yes, I have a name. Did you move me?"
"No. You are in exactly the same spot as you were at the moment of detonation. The Terminator factory has been vaporized". YES! Score one for the Resistance. Please God, let this end the war. Enough people have died already.
"Am I radioactive?"
"Everything in this area is. Why do you think we are wearing bio-hazard suits? We're going to put you in a containment truck. Alright, Charley? Help me lift him".
"Mrs. Weaver! He weighs more than a tank!"
"Um, I can walk you know". I get up and walk to the containment truck, followed by Catherine.
"I will ride with him. You secure the area, clear?"
"Clear. Be careful".
Once the truck doors are locked, Catherine's bio-hazard suit dissolves into her body. It is amazing what she can do with liquid metal. She leans in close and kisses me passionately. Or rather, as passionately as one can when your partner has no lips.
"I guess the radiation doesn't bother you". Catherine starts to laugh. I love the sound of her laugh.
"Charley, you absorb radiation, remember? This was all an act".
"Wait, so I'm not really radioactive?"
"No. We had to lie to cover up the fact that you are made of materials that have yet to be invented. You are perfectly safe to be around".
"Good, so where are we going?"
"John Henry is driving us back to the Safe House. After we drop you off, we will drive the truck into the desert and fake your escape. That way, everyone will think that you got away and this whole incident will be classified as an inexplicable phenomenon".
"Catherine, you are as brilliant as you are beautiful".
"Thank you". I swear she is blushing.
"Does Allison know that I am still alive?"
"Yes, and she was extremely relieved. Sometimes, I think she loves you more than I do".
"And Jerry? Is that jackass still with us?"
"For now. We've been.............educating him about the future and Skynet. I think he might just join the Resistance cell when it arrives".
"So, he gets to live. Too bad, no one hurts Allison and gets away with it".
"If it makes you feel any better, both young and old Sarah and John kicked the shit out of him".
"You always know what to say to cheer me up". We chat for the rest of the ride home. I still have this feeling that this is not over. Skynet has been set back, but not destroyed. But, we will win. I just know that we will win.
