Terminator: Return of the Fallen
Part XXXI
A few days after John Henry and I had vaporized a SkyNet floating factory, Catherine arrived at the safe house with invitations to some swanky party. Sarah, Cameron, and Allison accepted her invitations quite enthusiastically. I was a different story.
"I'm a soldier, not a spy or a hot shot business executive. Let the Infiltrators have their fun and leave the fighting to me".
"I think you will be quite interested in what occurs at this party".
"Might I ask why?"
"Because there will be many representatives from Cyberdine there".
"Cyberdine? As in, the people that invented the Terminators and the Hunter Killers? The people that invented the technology to turn ME into a MACHINE? That Cyberdine?"
"I knew you would be interested".
"I'm not interested in talking to them; I am interested in breaking their necks. They are responsible for all of the shit that has happened to us".
"And the ones responsible for you and I being reunited".
"John Connor also helped us out; in many ways, actually. However, it is probably too late to kill them anyway. SkyNet is already operational and the Terminators are coming off of the assembly lines. Maybe I will just smack them around a little". Ironically, Catherine smacks me on the nose like a dog.
"No! No smacking people around! Bad Charley!" We can't help but laugh at this. It is so absurd. After we have calmed down, we continue our serious conversation about the party. "Listen, I think we will have a great time at this thing. Plus, we just might be able to do a little business while we are there".
"Business? With Cyberdine? Are you insane?"
"With all of the bad publicity of late, I just might be able to buy Cyberdine. Imagine everything we could learn about SkyNet by purchasing its creator".
"If you think this will help with the war effort, then I will come with you. Just don't expect me to act like prince charming at the ball".
"Why would I start expecting that?"
"HEY!" I start to chase Catherine around the Safe House, and it feels like the old days: back when I thought that she was human and when I actually was human. We laugh and tease each other; it is the best I have felt in many months.
When the time comes to head out for the big party, I feel like a complete tool. Cameron, Sarah, and Allison are wearing their best clothing, but I am wearing a tuxedo that Catherine rented for me. Catherine says that I look like a young Sean Connery, but I think that I look more like a waiter than like James Bond. As for Catherine, she is wearing the most beautiful evening gown that anyone has ever seen. Of course, the gown is just an extension of her own body, but it is still a beauty to behold. Her driver picks us up at around seven in the evening, and we arrive an hour later.
It amazes me how well Sarah and the others blend into the crowd. Sarah is a natural liar, and Cameron was built to deceive people. Allison tries to imitate whatever Cameron is doing, which is ironic because Cameron was designed to imitate Allison. I, on the other hand, stick out like a sore thumb. I do not have any experience in this kind of field work; I'm more of a blow the hell out of everything kind of guy. There are so many buffoons in suits and lackeys carrying cameras to film all of this. Catherine is chatting with some corporate tool in a business suit; I might have to kill him later.
"Charley! Come over here, there is someone I would like you to meet". I walk over to where my girlfriend is chatting with a monkey in a suit. Man, I hate that guy. "Captain Zacks, this is Rick Zuckerman; Vice President of Cyberdine".
"Captain, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. We at Cyberdine are huge supporters of our military personnel".
"What a coincidence, Mr. Zuckerman. It just so happens that I was killed by a machine that was designed and built by Cybderine". Catherine has a facial expression which is a mixture of terror and rage. She can not believe that I am mentioning this. Zuckerman just looks lost.
"I'm afraid I don't follow you, Captain".
"My A-10 was shot down over a combat zone by a Hunter Killer aerial assault drone. Those are built by Cyberdine, aren't they?"
"Yes. Yes they are; but I can assure you that the machine that fired at you was experiencing a massive glitch. Experimental aircraft are expected to undergo numerous malfunctions, especially when deployed to a combat zone".
"Your malfunctioning machine got me killed, Mr. Zuckerman".
"Since you are alive and talking to me, I believe your argument is flawed".
"Funny story: My plane blew up while I was still in it, and I woke up six years later inside a robotic body. Which company desecrates human remains and places them in mechanical bodies, Mr. Zuckerman?"
"That project was cancelled many years ago, Captain. You are mistaken".
"Then explain THIS!" I grab his shirt with one hand and lift him over my head.
"CHARLEY! PUT HIM DOWN THIS INSTANT!"
"If I were still human, and not a half human/half machine freak, could a puny man like me lift you with one arm?"
"Listen to me! That project was cancelled years ago! Whoever it was that experimented with your remains did so without the knowledge of Cyberdine".
"Or the knowledge of my next of kin. No one asked my family if they could turn me into a walking weapon!"
"Cyberdine had no knowledge...."
"YOU DEVELOPED THE TECHNOLOGY THAT BUILT ME!" Everyone is starring at us. My outburst has been captured on film to be shown on the twenty four hour news networks. Zuckerman looks like he will burst into tears at any moment.
"Please, I have a family!"
"So did I; once". I drop him flat on his ass. "Next time your company decides to pull shit like this, don't ask yourselves how you can do it; ask if you should do it. From where I'm standing, you have no right to turn people into robots". Catherine and Sarah look absolutely furious. I turn towards the terrified camera crew. "There, I have said what I came here to say. This is Captain Charles Zacks, deceased, signing off". As I begin to storm off, an elderly gentleman calls my name.
"Captain Zacks! If you could stay here a little longer, I have something to show you".
"I'm listening".
"My name is Albert Thirsk, I am the President and Chief Executive Officer of Cyberdine. Over the past few months, our robotics division has been plagued by numerous disasters. The attacks against the Los Angeles Police Department, the air strike on the Los Angeles Air Show, and various other catastrophes that were caused by our drones". Thirsk; why does that name sound so familiar?
"You have just listed every reason I need to open your neck".
"The problem has been that we have relied too heavily on artificial intelligence. We thought that our robots could do the job more efficiently than men. We were wrong".
"No shit, Sherlock".
"CHARLEY!"
"Hey, a lot of people have died because of these schmucks".
"I must ask that you watch your language, Captain. My grandson is with me, and I would prefer that he not learn your colourful metaphors". When I see the boy, I feel queasy. I knew that name sounded familiar: Albert Thirsk the third was a young Resistance pilot that I was responsible for. During a training mission, we were jumped by Hunter Killers and the poor boy slammed into a mountain. Now, that same boy is right in front of me, ten years younger with no idea as to his fate. I feel sick.
"My apologies, Mr. Thirsk. Cute kid".
"Thank you. As I was saying, we have relied too heavily on artificial intelligence to run our machines. No longer!" I hear the sound of jet engines, and spot a Hunter Killer approaching our position.
"EVERYBODY GET DOWN!" People start to scream and try to find cover. Thirsk attempts to calm the situation.
"Everyone please, we are in no danger. That is not one of our unreliable drones, but a piloted vehicle flown by one of our most skilled test pilots. This vehicle is designed to safely transport a squad of infantry to the battlefield and then transport them back to base. If you will all direct your attention to the helipad outside of this window, we will give you a demonstration of our new, reliable aircraft".
As the aircraft begins its final approach, I can feel my pulse racing. I have fought these things so many times, and they have killed me once already. I am unarmed and there is a Hunter Killer a few feet away from me. Everyone here is exposed, and I pray that this truly is a different aircraft. Otherwise, we are screwed.
"As you can see: our pilot in full control of the aircraft. He will be available for questions after he has landed". The plane lands on the helipad, and the rear of the vehicle opens to allow the pilot to exit the vehicle. At first, I fail to recognize the pilot. When he reaches the door to the room we are in, I recognize his shape immediately. It is a T-600! Some lackey walks over to Thirsk.
"Sir, that is not our pilot".
"He's not? Then who the hell is he?" The T-600 pulls out a pistol and fires, hitting Thirsk in the side and killing the aide that spoke to him.
"GRANDPA!" Thirsk falls to the ground with blood gushing out from his wound.
"Security! Take him down!"
The people that are paid to protect these business hot shots come out from every direction and fire their pistols at the T-600. A gun battle ensues, and the security forces lose. One by one, the security personnel are gunned down by the T-600. Everyone hits the floor as bullets begin to fly through the ballroom. Everyone but me, of course.
"Why can't Cyberdine ever do anything right? Seriously, they keep screwing up and people keep getting killed". The T-600 notices me and starts to run towards the Hunter Killer. I am a lot faster than he is, so I catch him without difficulty. "Where do you think you are going?" I grab him just as the Hunter Killer takes off and flies away. I knew this was a bad idea!
I grab his mask and throw it aside, revealing the true face of this murdering machine. With the cameras still rolling, I throw the T-600 into the room so that it can not escape. Of course, there is the risk that it will kill someone, but I doubt it. These things are as dumb as dirt, so it will focus on me and forget about everyone else.
The T-600 tries to connect with a right hook, but I block it with my left arm and bring my right arm down on it as hard as possible. The impact snaps the T-600's right arm off of its chassis. It counter-attacks by shooting me in the head twice at point blank range. I knock the gun out of its hand, spin towards it, and connect with a karate chop that breaks off its left arm.
"What are you going to do now, num nutz?" The T-600 head buts me, which hurts like hell. I grab it by the shoulders and kick its left leg as hard as possible, breaking it off. Even with only one limb, he is still dangerous. I have not forgotten the time that a T-600 blew itself up in my face.
"Any last words?"
"Victory shall be forever beyond your reach. Against SkyNet, there is only death". Whatever. I grab its head and twist as hard as I can, tearing the head off of the chassis. Once the head has been removed, I throw it out a window and it lands on the roof of a Mercedes.
"Uh, whose Mercedes is parked across the street?" Zuckerman raises his hand.
"It's mine. Why?"
"A robotic head just smashed through the roof".
"WHAT?"
"Better that it destroyed the roof of your car than the top of your head. Speaking of which, will someone please remove the corpse of that aide near Mr. Thirsk. He is dripping blood and brain matter everywhere". Thirsk looks horrified, but not by the blood and gore that he is currently drenched in.
"My God! How could this happen? How could this happen?"
"That was the latest model of Terminator, you idiot. Your T-1s have evolved and they are now replacing humans. This is the legacy of Cyberine, Mr. Thirsk. This is your legacy: an army of near indestructible mass killing machines".
"Your head..."
"Bullet proof skull, courtesy of Cyberdine".
"No more. I am selling the company to the military. Let the American Government worry about all of this madness. I'm done".
"That is probably the most sense I have heard all day. Will some call an ambulance for Christ's sake?"
The ambulance arrives in time to save Mr. Thirsk, and he signs the contract giving the United States Department of Defence full control of Cyberdine. The LAPD have cordoned off the area, but that is completely pointless now. The gunman has been killed and his vehicle is long gone. A Department Of Defence agent tries to question me, but I am not cooperative.
"Captain Zacks, we just want to clarify a few things. Now, we have numerous eye witness reports that say that you took the killer robot apart with your bare hands. Is that correct?"
"It is, and I am about to do the same thing to you if you do not stop annoying me".
"Captain, this is pointless. Just cooperate and you can be home in a few hours".
"Hm, I don't think so". I jump out of nearby window, landing on the hood of a Ferrari. I flatten the car on impact, and begin to walk away just as a crowd begins to develop near the window that I had jumped out of. "See you later, folks".
The police that have closed off the area stare at me in shock. I just walk past them and through the yellow tape, and begin to walk home. Cyberdine now belongs to the American Government. Here's hoping that is a good thing. I will have a lot to think about during the walk home. I could use a little time to myself right now.
