Terminator: Return of the Fallen

Part XXIV

Young Sarah decided to go out for a little while, to get some fresh air. For some reason, I followed her. We ended up at a Los Angeles strip club, where I thought she was working undercover. Imagine my surprise when I found her making out with one of the strippers.

"Well, this is new".

"Shit! You have to promise to keep this a secret. You can not tell anyone, especially not my dad. Promise!"

"Why does everyone in your family want me to keep a secret?"

"Promise me that you won't tell anyone".

"All right, I promise. Sheesh. When we finish saving the world, you all need to go into group therapy".

We both found a seat in the audience and sat down to watch the show. That was, until I noticed a peculiar blond woman staring at Sarah's female friend. It did not take long to realize what she was: a Terminator. I took up a position where I had a good line of sight, and waited for her to make her move.

To my surprise, she transformed her right arm into a type of rifle that I have never seen before. As she took aim at the young stripper, I fired my entire cartridge of fifty calibre incendiary rounds at her head. No effect! She fired her rifle, striking me in the left shoulder. To my surprise, she actually pierced my armour. I can't take many hits like that! What the hell did she shoot me with? I fall to the ground as she escapes into the night.

"Son of a bitch!"

"Are you all right?"

"No! I'm damaged!"

"I thought you were indestructible?"

"So did I! Let's get the hell out of here and formulate a plan to deal with this bitch!"

"Not without Charlotte!"

"Fine, we'll take your girlfriend with us! She's the one it's after anyway".

"I agree. Charley! Grab your gear, we're leaving!" Did she have to call her that?

Due to the hole in my shoulder, Sarah drives the armoured truck with her car in tow. I sit in the back while her girlfriend applies a bandage to my wound. I am not sure if a bandage would help a Terminator, but it makes her feel useful. If that thing had shot me in the head or the heart, it would have killed me. I could have died, again! That is very upsetting to me. By the time we reach the Safe House, I look like crap. A fact that greatly concerns Catherine.

"What happened?"

"It was a TX. He took one in the shoulder, but he should be all right". Every Terminator in the room looks concerned. No, concerned is not the right word. They are afraid!

"Someone want to clue me in? What the hell is a TX?" Cameron, still in a state of shock, answers my question.

"A TX is essentially an Anti-Terminator Terminator. They are designed specifically to destroy us. You are lucky to have survived the encounter".

"Yeah, well, I still have a large hole in my shoulder. The bitch burned right through my armour. How'd she do that?"

"She is armed with a plasma rifle. All Terminators are vulnerable to plasma attacks". Despite the searing pain in my shoulder, I start laughing. "What is so funny?"

"Armed. She turned her arm into a weapon. Sorry, I thought it was funny. So, how do we take out a TX?"

"They are vulnerable to plasma rifles. Other than that..." Cameron shrugs her shoulders. Now, I am afraid.

"J.H., do we have a plasma rifle?"

"No, but I do have something that can work. It's a smaller version of my railgun. The projectiles are too large to place in a clip, so you will only have one shot. Theoretically, it should destroy the TX".

"And if I miss, I'm dead. Does that pretty much sum it up?"

"Precisely, so don't miss!" Great, I've only got one shot to take this thing down.

An hour later, John Henry and Catherine have completed repairs on my shoulder. The new railgun is ready for action; it looks a lot like the one mounted on the truck, except that it is light enough for a Terminator to carry with one arm. That should come in handy if I get hit in the shoulder, again. Before I leave, John Henry takes me aside.

"I have been talking to John. If you manage to secure the plasma rifle from the TX, we should be able to replicate it".

"So, just to be clear: shoot her in the head, get her arm and bring it back here for replication. Is that everything?"

"It is. Good luck, my friend".

"Thank you, John Henry". I am going to need all the luck that I can get. Then, I come up with my own plan for destroying the TX. "Cameron, I want you to come with me".

"Why?"

"Here is my plan: you carry the railgun while I engage the TX in hand to hand combat. While she is distracted with me, you blow her God damn head off! Clear?"

"Clear. This could actually work". Thank you for the confidence. Before we leave, I decide to have a private conversation with Charlotte.

"Isn't it strange that they would send an Anti-Terminator Terminator to kill you?" Our eyes meet, and I know that I am right. She's a Terminator! Why is everything so complicated?

"Don't tell Sarah, all right? I don't want her to know yet".

"Would you care to tell me why you are interested in Colonel Connor?"

"It's simple; I love her. Just like you love Catherine and Cameron loves John". How did she know that? "Sarah has told me all about you". Oh. Wait a minute... "No, I can't read your mind. But, I can read your facial expressions. You have a lousy poker face".

"It's why I don't gamble. Take care of the Colonel until we get back".

"I always do".

We take the regular car and drive through Los Angeles, looking for a Terminator that can transform her body parts into deadly weapons. This is like looking for a needle in a haystack, she could be anywhere. When we encounter a traffic jam, we decide to continue our search on foot. As I walk down the street, I notice that my shoe is untied. Bending over to tie it, I narrowly evade a plasma shot that destroys the car behind me. It's the TX!

"HEY! TURBO BITCH! AFRAID TO FACE ME WITHOUT A HIGH TECH RIFLE?"

The TX attempts to escape, but I pursue her through the crowded streets of L.A. We eventually stop at a small Cafe and confront each other. I throw the first punch and connect with a right hook. I kick her in the stomach and try to hit her again with a left hook, but she catches my arm. Our arms lock as we struggle to overpower one another. Suddenly, she transforms her left arm into a buzz saw and begins to cut through my right arm. Screaming in pain, I head-butt her and throw her off me.

I charge her like a maddened bull, knocking her to the ground. My fists pummel her face in a flurry of punches. I have become so enraged by the pain shooting through my arm that I have forgotten about her deadliest weapon. She fires her plasma rifle, hitting me in my left side. Stunned and weakened, I am thrown off of her and into a nearby wall.

As she scrambles to her feet, I feel a large hole in my left side. This is it, I am going to die. This time, I doubt anyone will be able to put me back together again. She walks over to me, and aims her plasma rifle at my head. At least it will be quick.

"Goodbye, Lieutenant Zacks!" How does everyone know my name?

As I brace myself for the inevitable hail of plasma, my thoughts turn to Catherine. I never really got a chance to say goodbye. I love you Catherine, and I hope you find someone else that will make you happy. Suddenly, just as I think the end has come, the TX's head explodes. Her lifeless body collapses on top of me. I push the corpse off of me and start to look around, wondering who or what had just saved my life.

"What the....." I look up and spot Cameron holding the railgun. She did it! "Nice shot, Cameron. Thank you for saving my life".

"You did the same for me". That is true. We are now even. "Let's bring the body back to the Safe House. We need the plasma rifle in order to produce our own energy weapons, and you need parts for repairs".

"Roger that. Let's take this bitch apart!"

When we reach the Safe House, Charlotte is walking out the door. We say good night to each other, and she drives home in her car. The moment I walk through the front door, Catherine throws her arms around my neck and starts kissing me like there is no tomorrow.

"I thought you weren't coming back. I thought that I was going to lose you".

"When she was about to shoot me in the head, there was only one thought going through my mind. Do you know what that thought was, Catherine?"

"What was it?"

"Seeing you again". We kiss, and for a brief moment, I forget about the hole in my left side. Cameron drags the dead TX into the house. Everyone congratulates us for destroying the most advanced and deadly killing machine in history.

"The Lieutenant is the real hero! He engaged the TX in hand to hand combat so that I would have a clear shot. He was willing to sacrifice himself to ensure the destruction of his enemy. It was admirable". I'm not sure, but I think I'm blushing. Yep, I'm blushing and everyone else is laughing.

"I didn't know that Terminators could blush".

"Look at him; he's as red as a tomato".

"Could we patch me up first, and make fun of me later?"

Due to internal damage, repairs are more complicated and take longer than during previous encounters with Terminators. Fortunately, Catherine is also a skilled surgeon and she can turn her arms into the tools needed to fix me. She uses many different types of surgical and mechanical instruments, all generated from her own body. Unfortunately, she does not have any anaesthetics, so this hurts like hell.

"YAAA! Are you trying to stitch me together, or make a dress?" She slaps me in the face.

"I will not tolerate any sexist remarks, especially from you!"

"I was being sexist! If you were a man, I would have said the exact same thing. ARGH! Careful!"

"Don't be such a baby, we're almost done. You're lucky; I've treated this type of wound hundreds of times".

"Did they at least use anaesthesia?"

"No, but humans have a lower tolerance for pain. Most of them had already passed out". Good to know. JESUS CHRIST! Remind me to knock myself out next time. Surprisingly, she kisses me on the mouth.

"What was that for?"

"I'm proud of you, Charley. You could have let Cameron take all of the risk while you stood aside with the railgun. What you did today took a lot of courage".

"Thank you. I'd ask you to go to bed with me, but I'm afraid I will fall apart like an old sack". She starts laughing.

"Ah, Charley. You always know how to make me laugh". We kiss again. I may be in excruciating pain, but I am also the happiest Terminator in the world.