Terminator: Return of the Fallen

Part XXX

When we return to the Safe House, we find Charlotte helping John to patch up Cameron. Her skin has been ripped to shreds in several places, and part of her face is missing. Even her left breast is covered with bullet holes.

"What the hell happened to her?" Cameron, in her usual monotonous tone, enlightens me about her condition.

"I underestimated the enemy's resistance. There were far more hostile units than I had anticipated".

"You look like you were playing catch with a hand grenade. Why is it that Cameron looks completely demolished and Charlotte doesn't have a scratch on her?"

"I was in front of Charlotte when the T-600s opened fire with their Gatling guns. As a result, I took all of the damage. Had our positions been reversed, it would have been Charlotte that sustained damage".

"Is she going to be all right?"

"Cameron didn't suffer any major damage, so she should be fine. It will take her a couple of days to completely heal, but she should make a full recovery".

That is good news. John and Cameron are very close; too close if you ask me. I wonder if John knows that he is destined to wed someone else. I knew his wife: she was a very beautiful and very intelligent woman. As a soldier, she was an angel of death; as a surgeon, she was an angel of mercy. She even operated on me a few times. Connor always said that he met his wife before J-Day, I hope that still happens; for my sake and for the sake of every other soldier she saved.

"Come on, Cameron. Let's see if Catherine can help us put you back together". John and Cameron leave to find Catherine. Charlotte is holding a bed pan full of bullets.

"You need a new set of pliers. These are worn out".

"We've had to remove a lot of bullets over the past few months".

"What do you do with these after you remove them?"

"John Henry can do wonders with melted bullets. He can use them to make parts, equipment, weapons, even new bullets. We don't waste anything here, including spent enemy ammunition".

"Recycled bullets; now I have heard everything. Well, I'm off". As Charlotte heads towards the door, she turns to kiss young Sarah on the lips. "I'll see you at the apartment later?"

"Of course, I'll see you later tonight. Bye, lover". They kiss again. I am doing my best to look in the other direction. Though they are two attractive young women, one of them is my Commanding Officer's daughter.

"Reese is with Sarah, young Sarah is with Charlotte, and John is with Cameron. Why am I the only one here that is alone right now?"

"It sure is lonely at the top, right Captain?"

"Don't get cute, Sarah. You might outrank me officially, but I am still a better officer than you".

"For now, Captain". Charlotte drives away and young Sarah retreats to her room. After young Sarah has finished slamming her door, John Henry sticks his head out with a huge smile on his face.

"What are you so happy about?"

"I think I have a way to destroy the second factory".

"What are you talking about?"

"SkyNet has a mobile factory in each of the Seven Seas. The purpose of this is to ensure rapid global deployment when Judgement Day arrives. You have already destroyed one of the seven floating factories, and I think that I have located a second vessel off of the Pacific coast".

"You do realize that they will have doubled their anti-aircraft defences by now. An attack on another ship would probably be a one way trip".

"That is why I suggest that we bypass their defences and attack from within".

"Ok, you've lost me".

"I've managed to hack into the global satellite networks. By using a special signal that I have developed, I should be able to take control of a single Hunter Killer drone. We land the drone, load a nuclear warhead into the vehicle, and then you fly the vehicle by remote into the enemy factory. Once you have landed inside, I detonate the warhead and SkyNet will be missing another factory".

"J.H., that plan sounds crazy enough to work. When's zero hour?"

"Tonight, we will head out in the armoured truck and go searching for Hunter Killers. You might want to man the railgun, just in case this doesn't work".

"Just to recap: we will be driving a truck with a nuclear weapon in the back, and attempt to hijack an enemy drone while it is still flying with a signal that you have never tested?"

"Yes, that about sums it up. Any objections?"

"This should be a blast".

John Henry and I spend the rest of the afternoon preparing the bomb and the railgun for our excursion. We rig a computer and a joystick to act as a mobile flight control center for the drone. This will be just like using my old flight simulators, with the addition of live nuclear ordinance. We put the bomb in the back of the truck, along with the railgun, John Henry's laptop, and our home made flight controller.

"Let's roll!"

Reese is acting as our driver this evening; mainly because everyone else was already occupied. We drive through the desert, waiting to attract a Hunter Killer. Finally, an enemy drone begins to descend upon us. John Henry begins to download his signal by bouncing it off of various satellites. The theory is that SkyNet will not be able to trace the signal, nor detect it until it is too late. Assuming, of course, that it works.

"Now would be a good time, John Henry". I spin the railgun around and aim at the Hunter Killer that is following us. My finger is on the trigger, but our plan can not work if I destroy the drone.

"Download complete. I should have control right.....about....now". The Hunter Killer keeps getting closer. Suddenly, it stops midair and begins to land in the desert. "Control has been transferred to your station. Reese, stop the truck! Captain, help me move the warhead".

Together, we pick up the nuke and carry it to the Hunter Killer. I tear a panel off of the hull, which enables John Henry to load the missile within the drone's hull. Once the missile is in place, I replace the panel and screw it back onto the hull. Step one complete; now to fly our bomb into the enemy's ship.

"The hull should mask the radiation signature. I am downloading the vessel's coordinates to your station; you just need to follow it".

John Henry has built the control station to imitate the controls for the Harrier in a flight simulator, which makes it incredibly easy to use. This is all second nature to me. With me at the controls, the Hunter Killer takes off from the desert and heads out towards the Pacific.

"How do the controls feel, Captain?"

"J.H., all of the wasted years of my youth are flooding back to me. It is like I am back in my old room, playing flight simulators and wishing something interesting would happen".

"I would definitely call this interesting, Captain".

"So would I. Coming up on the target area. Here's hoping I don't get shot down".

Surprisingly, the Hunter Killer performs exactly like a Harrier. I have actually flown the Harrier on several air patrols, but the Harrier lacked the armoured protection of the A-10. That is why the Harrier was eventually retired by the Resistance; she just couldn't take a pounding like the A-10 could. The Hunter Killer has the flight characteristics of the Harrier combined with the armour protection of the A-10. The one thing it normally doesn't have is a skilled pilot. Catherine and I can fly circles around the Hunter Killers with our A-10s.

Flying at full speed, I reach the Pacific coast in no time at all. It takes less than thirty minutes to find the target. The airspace around the ship is swarming with Hunter Killers. They give me a quick once over and then let me pass. They actually think that I am one of them. I fly a few laps around the area and pretend to be conducting a routine air patrol, which should throw off these incredibly moronic early Terminators. I am amazed that these things managed to kick our asses for so long. The ship is directly ahead of me, now to try and land on it.

"Uh, J.H.? Exactly how am I going to get inside that thing?"

"I am using my computer to hack into your radar dish and emit a signal that will open the hangar deck. Then you will fly the drone into the hangar and I will transmit the detonation code using this keypad. The bomb will destroy the ship in seconds".

"Man, I hate landing in a hot zone".

"Why is that?"

"The last time I flew a Harrier, I took an anti-aircraft round in the right thigh. My controls were wrecked and I ended up doing a nose first landing in a combat zone".

"Then what happened?"

"Someone dragged my ass back to base and Connor's wife put me back together. That's what I always hated about the Harrier; she was vulnerable to anti-aircraft fire".

"If we're lucky, these hostiles will not be shooting at you. If they do start shooting, at least you will not get hit this time".

"Just send the damn signal, and pray that we didn't just waste one of our nukes".

John Henry types rapidly on his keyboard, and the hatch opens like clockwork. Carefully, I manoeuvre the drone into the enemy hanger and conduct a perfect landing. The Hunter Killer is quickly surrounded by T-600s; whether they suspect anything or not is unknown. I cut the engines and power done the drone. Here's hoping the bomb works.

"All yours, J.H". John Henry begins to punch in the code to detonate the warhead on his control pad.

"Bippity, boppity, and,,,,,,,boom!"

Suddenly, all communications cease between us and the drone. John Henry uses his hacking skills to obtain a satellite image of the area where the ship used to be. After a few minutes of expert hacking, he sees something that makes us want to jump for joy.

"Confirmed nuclear detonation. Enemy vessel has been neutralized".

"WE DID IT! YAHOO!"The mood quickly changes as John Henry begins to frantically type on his laptop. "What is it?"

"My brother is attempting to lock me out of the satellite networks. I am attempting to maintain signal lock". John Henry types so quickly that I think the computer is going to either crack or burst into flames. Finally, he stops typing.

"Well?"

"I have been locked out of every satellite in earth orbit".

"Have you tried hacking into classified military satellites?"

"I have attempted to hack into the reconnaissance satellites of every nation: Russian, North and South Korean, Iranian, Israeli, etc. My brother has locked me out of all of them. We will not be able to commandeer another Hunter Killer drone".

"So, we will find another way to deliver the warheads. This isn't a defeat, John Henry".

"I don't think you realize just how serious this is; without satellite imaging, I can't locate the other five factories".

"John Henry, your brother had intended to carry out his attacks from seven mobile factories. Because of us, two of those factories have been vaporized. This is definitely a win in my book".

"We will need to find an entirely new source of information to locate the other five".

"Then we will. Come on, you are the man that can turn dead robots into nuclear bombs, and you think THIS is a problem?"

"Good point".

"Let's face facts: your brother doesn't stand a chance against us. We are the ultimate machines, not him and his pathetic T-600s".

"Let us pray that those words are prophetic, Captain Zacks".

"Amen, John Henry".