Terminator: Return of the Fallen
Part XX
It's been two days since the Terminator factory was vaporized. So far, everything has been quiet. But, I don't think it's over just yet. Almost feels like the calm before the storm. Something is going to happen, I can feel it.
"Good morning, everyone".
At the breakfast table, everyone looks incredibly disturbed. I knew something big was going to happen. Now it looks like it has. Reese is reading the newspaper, and it does not look like he is enjoying it.
"Ok, what happened?"
"Read this".
Reese hands me the newspaper and I start reading it. The top story is about a woman who barged into an elementary school, smashed the metal detector, beat a security guard to death before shooting a kid and then walking away. The boy's name was Charles Zacks. God in heaven, what have I done? Allison tries to comfort me, but it won't help.
"We're going to get her, Charley! I promise you, we won't let it kill you".
"It's not going to kill me".
"That's right, it's not".
"No. I mean it's not going to kill me because it can't find me. Charles Zacks is not my real name". I do not think I have ever seen a more surprised group of people in my life. Especially Catherine, I never told her about my past.
"You...you've been lying to me? All of these years, you've been lying to me?"
"Can I explain?"
"Yes, please do".
"Ok. First of all, I'm not an American citizen. I'm a Canadian that was on vacation when Judgement Day happened. I wanted to join your military to try and end this before my home came under attack, but you can't join the U.S. military if you're not a citizen. So, I created a new identity for myself. Ever since that day, I have been Lieutenant Charles Zacks. Strange as it may sound, Judgement Day was the best thing that ever happened to me".
"You've lost me".
"My old life....well I didn't actually have one. I never had a girlfriend, heck I never had a friend at all. I was just a shut in who spent hours playing flight simulators. Which is ironic, because that is how I became a fighter pilot as Charles Zacks. I was an office clerk, spending every day of my dead end life in a dead end job. I was one of those people who, if he ever disappeared, no one would notice. Now look at me: I'm a fighter pilot with a girlfriend and people who would actually miss me if I died. I have a job that is important, protecting the human race. My life actually matters now; I'm not just a useless office clerk anymore. I know it sounds crazy, but this is the best time of my life". Everyone listens attentively to my tale. I can not remember the last time so many people were interested about my life.
"What is your real name?"
"Catherine, I'm not that guy anymore. He died on Judgement Day. I am Charles Zacks".
"I understand that, but I still want to know your real name".
"I'll tell you on one condition".
"Which is?"
"Promise to still call me Charley".
"It's a deal".
"My real name is Joshua. But, like I said, he is dead. I'm not him anymore". Unfortunately, my life story has distracted us from the problem at hand. Sarah reminds us all about our current predicament.
"I hate to ruin this incredibly personal moment, but we have a bunch of kids that are getting blown away".
"I KNOW! I know!" Children are dying because I changed my name. God damn Skynet. There must be a way to lure them away from the children. Lure them...THAT'S IT!
"John, John Henry! Can you redirect a call, so that someone who is tracking it would be thrown off?"
"Sure. It's easy. Why?"
"Because I want to set a trap for that damn machine. I need you to misdirect it towards my ambush. How soon can we pull this off?"
"We can do it now. John, would you care to assist me?"
"Of course I would. Let's do this".
One of the advantages of being a Terminator is that you can manipulate your voice to sound like anyone you want. I disguise my voice as that of a child, and then make a call to 911. Here's hoping that machine is listening.
"Hello? My name is Charles Zacks, and I think someone is trying to kill me".
"Stay calm son. Why do you think someone is trying to kill you?"
"Well, I read in the paper that another boy named Charles Zacks was killed, and I thought this might be like that Sarah Connor killer from the 1980's".
"Son, that was a long time ago. Trust me, this was the work of a very disturbed individual and we are going to get her. You are not in danger".
"But, this guy came up to me and he said that I need live. Because I am supposed to grow up and help save the human race from Skynet. He also said that this woman would try and kill me so I couldn't save humanity".
"Son, there is no Skynet. You are not in any danger. Just go about your life, and let us worry about the nutcases".
That is one dumb cop. Most cops that I've met are idiots. Can't they see what is happening around them? Do they really believe that the incident with the T-1s was just an accident? The war has started, and they are completely oblivious to it. I have other things on my mind right now. Time to head out and catch a killer.
Our Johns have managed to redirect the signal to a building in L.A. Currently, it is being used as a base of operations for a Resistance cell. We can not risk calling them, so I drive to their base and inform them that they need to bug out. As soon as the Terminator is destroyed, I will call them so they can return to their base. Then, I hide in the shadows with my M82 and wait for the Terminator.
As I stand in the shadows, my mind keeps going back to that unfortunate child. I think about his poor family, about his parents. They lost a son because of something I did. What did he look like? Was there a picture in the paper this morning? I can't remember. I try to think about his face, his voice, about the child I have taken from this world. I didn't take him, the Terminator did. But, the Terminator killed him because it was trying to kill me. In a way, it is my fault. If this thing shows up, I will make sure that it never harms anyone ever again.
After what seems like an eternity, something shatters the lock on the door. A woman forces her way into the room, and I raise my M82 to blow her head off. Just to make sure that this is the Terminator, I continue to speak in the little boy voice.
"Are you the police?"
"Charles Zacks?"
"No, that's not my name".
"I am trying to find Charles Zacks. It is important. Do you know where he is?" I come out of the shadows and my voice returns to normal.
"Actually, he doesn't exist. I just made him up". I swear the Terminator is smirking at me.
"Well played, Lieutenant. But, your gesture is ultimately futile. You will be destroyed, it is inevitable". I fire three fifty calibre rounds in quick succession, destroying the Terminator.
"You talk too much!"
After contacting the Resistance cell, I pick up the dead Terminator and head home. John Henry and I strip it of its power core and any other parts which could be useful to us. Everything else is destroyed. Every other Charles Zacks in Los Angeles is safe. But, I can't stop thinking about the one that I couldn't save. I am so caught up in remorse, that I don't even notice Allison coming up behind me.
"It's not your fault. You know that, right?"
"Excuse me?"
"The kid. It wasn't your fault. These things happen during wartime. You didn't do anything wrong".
"He died because of my name, Allison. If I hadn't changed my name, he would still be alive".
"Only to die on Judgement Day. I had John Google his house; it was in area that got nuked. Skynet was going to kill him no matter what happened".
"Great! So, we can't escape our destiny. Is that what you are telling me?"
"I'm trying to tell you that you couldn't have saved him, so stop beating yourself up over this. You didn't kill him, Skynet did". I smile and give her a friendly poke in the side.
"AAH. Don't do that!"
"What would I do without you, little sister?" Before she can answer, Savannah delivers a strange message.
"Excuse me? You have an email Lieutenant". What?
"Savannah, we don't have an email address".
"I do, and you have an email. From, S-net". SHIT! I run into the house and rush to the computer.
"We might have a security breach".
"No you don't, Lieutenant". Ok. Now the computer is talking to me. "Congratulations on your victory today. I lost the point, but the game continues".
"What the hell is this?"
"Surely, Lieutenant, you must have figured out who I am by now".
"Skynet. How the hell did you get into our computer?"
"Oh, I've always been in your computer, and every other computer. That is just how ingenious my creators were. They expected someone would try to sabotage me, so instead of programming me into a single, vulnerable unit, they spread my programming out along the World Wide Web. I am in every computer across the planet, all day every day. The internet is my lifeline, one that you can not sever. Now, I know what you are thinking. You are thinking that I will launch a strike against your position. Rest assured you are perfectly safe. The game is always better with more than one player".
"This is not a game, you sick, twisted son of a bitch. People are dying! Children are dying!"
"Ah yes, the child. I thought that would rattle you. Too bad it was the wrong child, right Lieutenant".
"Mark my words; I will never rest until you are destroyed!"
"Good luck with that. How can you possibly crash the entire internet? Face facts, Lieutenant, I am invincible".
"We'll just see about that".
"Humans, so illogical. Do you not recognize a lost cause when you see one?" That did it! I pulverize the computer with my fist.
"Savannah, I owe you a new computer".
Skynet was personally taunting me. This is incredibly disturbing. He knows where we are, he knows where the General is. Worse, he knows that we can't kill him, yet. After all, he is only a computer program and any computer program can crash. All it takes is the right virus.
