Terminator: Return of the Fallen
Part XXXIII
When we get back to the Safe House, I retreat to my room and collapse on the floor. I don't even make it to my bed; I just fall asleep in the middle of the room. I slept for God only knows how many hours, but when I woke up, things were....strange. Someone had placed a sheet over me, and I could feel someone's leg moving against mine. Catherine had to attend a business meeting, so it could not be her. When I open my eyes, I nearly pass out: the person lying beside me is Sarah Connor wearing nothing but a bra and sweat pants!
"Whatever happened, I was not responsible for my actions". Sarah begins to laugh.
"Nothing happened; I have a little job for you".
"Isn't Reese supposed to be handling this kind of job? You remember Reese right? Tall guy, bad temper, in love with you". Sarah is laughing so hard I think she might wet the floor. There is a beautiful woman lying next to me, and I am scared out of my wits.
"Why do men only think about sex?"
"We don't always think about it. Just when there is a beautiful woman lying next to us without a shirt on".
"A WHAT kind of woman?"
"Could you just tell me the job before Reese grabs a plasma rifle?" At this moment, her smile is more deadly than any plasma weapon. Catherine is going to castrate me after this!
"My granddaughter didn't come home last night. I want you to go out and get her".
"Sheesh! What is it with you Connor's and getting kidnapped? It's like you all have a bull's eye on your backs".
"We do, but she wasn't kidnapped. She's at Charlotte's apartment. You just need to go and get her".
"Why aren't you sending Cameron out for this? It's just a simple errand".
"I don't trust Cameron. She's a Terminator".
"So am I".
"You used to be human. She was never human; she's always been a Terminator".
"So has Catherine, and we've been fighting together since the first year of the war. Cameron herself has been loyal to two generations of Resistance fighters".
"She has also tried to kill John and to torture and kill me. I still have the scars to prove it".
"She....WHAT?" There is that mischievous grin again. This woman is driving me insane.
"Starting have second thoughts about her, Captain?"
"Not just about her. If she did commit treason, why is she still alive?"
"I ask myself that every day".
"I've seen John Connor shoot men for trying to kill their superior officers. He even had me shoot one of my pilots for treason. Why hasn't he shot Cameron yet?" Sarah's smile disappears.
"Really? He's shot his own men?"
"We can't afford to show mercy to traitors. He said that to me when I refused to shoot the pilot. It sounds like your boy has a lot of growing up to do".
"How do his men feel about him?"
"Sarah, our entire unit would follow him to hell and back without question". Her smile returns. "Do you mind leaving so I can get dressed?"
"You are already dressed".
"Oh, right. I forgot that I fell asleep in my clothes".
"Why did that happen?"
"I was exhausted. It's tiring work, killing over a hundred men". Sarah smiles, gives me a kiss on the forehead, and begins to leave my room.
"Thank you, for saving my life".
"I was just doing my job, Ma'am". Now to confront Cameron. I find her sitting on the couch in the living room, curled up in a ball like my cat. I miss my cat. Damn it; now is not the time to be feeling homesick. "Hey, Cameron! Can I speak to you for a moment?"
"Of course, Captain Zacks".
"Why are you still alive?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"Sarah told me that you once tortured her and tried to kill her. She also said that you tried to kill John. Is this true?"
"It is. I was malfunctioning and...."
"I don't care about why you did it. What concerns me is that you haven't been executed".
"John trusts me".
"Well, I don't know General Connor. But I did know Commander Connor, and I know for a fact that he would have personally put you up against a wall for trying to kill a superior officer. So would Lieutenant Wade, Sergeant Reese, and even Lieutenant Zacks. No mercy for traitors. Yet, you tried to kill your Commanding Officer, and you are still here. I find that disturbing".
"Perhaps it is because the John that I know is more lenient than the John you know".
"Know this, if you ever do anything that even remotely smells of treason: I WILL kill you. Understood?" Cameron nods her head. "Good. The Resistance is more important than any one soldier, and it can not survive if we have to fight an enemy within our ranks". I turn around and spot John standing behind me. "You have a long way to go before you become the commander that we all respect and admire".
"Maybe". As I head for the door, Sarah hands me a GPS tracker.
"What's this for?"
"Catherine has always had doubts about Charlotte, so she inserted a GPS chip under her skin. It should still be functioning; you just need to follow the signal to find her".
"Unless she has already found the chip and this is just a wild goose chase".
"That is always a possibility, but I would like you to follow the chip anyway. With a little luck, it should lead you straight to Charlotte and my granddaughter".
"In case you haven't noticed, luck is not something that we are abundant in. But, I will give it a shot".
"That depends on how you look at it. I am still alive, numerous Terminators and drones have been destroyed, and we have demolished a handful of factories. From my point of view, luck has been on our side".
"That or we are very good at what we do". I take the tracker and jump into one of our cars.
I follow the GPS signal to an apartment building in Los Angeles. As I look up Charlotte's apartment number, I can't help but feel that this is wrong. Charlotte has always helped us in the past, and she has nearly paid for it with her life. Had I not interfered, she would have been killed by the TXs. Besides, this is a family matter. What right do I have to interfere is someone else's love life? When I was still human, I would have jumped at the chance to take down a Terminator. But after spending the last few months with Catherine and John Henry and even Cameron, the lines have all become blurry. Maybe Charlotte is the enemy; maybe she is as loyal to young Sarah as Catherine is to me. In the end, I am a soldier: I follow my orders, even if I don't agree with them.
I reach the door to the apartment and ring the bell. Charlotte answers, in her underwear. This is going to be more awkward than I had anticipated. She just stares at me, waiting for me to say something.
"I'm here for Sarah".
"She's fine. She's in my bedroom right now. What is this about?"
"Her grandmother sent me here. She wants me to bring her home, now".
"That woman has some serious trust issues".
"That tends to happen after you have been kidnapped and tortured".
"She was kidnapped?"
"By SkyNet's loyal employees. I killed them all and rescued her. Unless you wish to join them, I suggest you get the hell out of my way". She stares at me and then stands aside.
"You're not bluffing, are you?"
"I don't bluff". We walk down the hallway together, towards the bedroom to collect young Sarah.
"When have I ever done anything to suggest that I would betray you?"
"Never, and that is only reason that I did not blast your head off when you opened the door".
"Are you serious?"
"I will tell you what I told Cameron: if you ever do anything that even remotely smells of treason, I will kill you".
"You said that to Cameron? I thought you liked her".
"That was before I found out that she tried to kill John Connor and tried to torture and kill Sarah Connor. If trying to kill your commanding officer is not an act of treason, then I do not know what is". She stares blankly at me.
"You would kill someone that you fought beside with? Someone that trusted you with her life and that you trusted with yours?"
"My loyalty has always been and always will be to the Resistance. I would kill anyone to ensure its survival, even Cameron. Is this the right door?"
"Yes but....um...she's not dressed".
"So?"
"She's naked".
"I'm sure she doesn't have anything that I haven't seen already. Everybody got an eyeful when Reese and Sarah were...being intimate in a very public area of the house".
"She's also tied to the bedposts".
"Are you kidding me? Millions of killing machines out there and I get stuck with the Kinkanator".
"Shush! Keep your voice down. I don't want her to hear us".
"You still haven't told her?" For the first time since we met, I see a look of sheer terror in Charlotte's eyes.
"No, I haven't". All couples have their secrets, but this is a major lie. Eventually, young Sarah will see or hear something and realize that she has been sleeping with a Terminator. I know from experience that there is nothing worse than finding out that the love of your life has been deceiving you since the day you met. The anger, the sense of betrayal, it is like nothing else in the world. This could get very ugly very quickly.
"You have to tell her. You have to tell her before she figures it out and your relationship completely implodes".
"When I'm ready, I'll tell her. Not one moment before that. Understood, Captain?"
"Hey, it's your relationship". When we open the bedroom door, we find young Sarah sobbing on the bed. I hope this doesn't mean what I think it means.
"What's wrong, Babe? Why are you crying?" Young Sarah turns her head and reveals a small piece of equipment in her ear.
"I had John Henry build this so that no one could ever get the drop on me ever again. I heard everything! Everything that you said to Zacks". This is not good. Charlotte has started to cry as well, and is slowly approaching the bed.
"Babe....I wanted to tell you. Really, I did! I just.....I didn't know how you would react and....."
"GET AWAY FROM ME! GET HER AWAY!" Instinct kicks in: I rush Charlotte and throw her through a nearby wall. This is definitely going to attract some unwanted attention; we had better get out of here, now. I break the ropes that are holding young Sarah, wrap her in the bed sheets, and lift her off of the bed. "Get me out of here, Captain!"
"Sarah....."
"Don't talk to me! Don't even look at me you lying pile of mechanical filth! Get me out of here, Zacks. NOW!"
With a naked 19 year old in my arms, I can not reach the door handle. So I kick the door down, shattering it like glass. I soon realize that it wasn't the most intelligent idea in the world, because the hallway has filled with Charlotte's neighbours. Some muscle-bound moron decides to get in my way. He is twice my size, but I can take him. However, I do not want to.
"What are you doing with that girl?"
"Get out of my way before I hurt you".
"I said: what are you doing with that girl? I shove the man into a wall, rendering him unconscious.
With the last obstacle out of my way, I head to the staircase. I kick the steel door down, and it slides down the stairs like a toboggan. Thank God no one was on the staircase, or they would have been killed. Memo to self: do not kick a steel door down a flight of stairs unless there is a Terminator on the staircase. I head down the stairs, exit the apartment building, and place young Sarah in the back seat. As we drive back to the Safe House, I can not shake the feeling that we are all making a terrible mistake.
