Terminator: Return of the Fallen
Part XXXVIII
In the days following the ambush in the desert, my dreams started to change. Every time I went to sleep I would relive the moments of that night, only I am reliving them through Charlotte's eyes. I see myself and Cameron entering the building, weapons raised and ready to blast anything that moves. I see the first blast barely miss my head, and then all hell breaks loose. I watch the firefight progress into total chaos. Then I look up and see a TX aiming at my back. I watch myself get shoved to the ground, then pain surges through my body. I feel as though I have been shot, the whole building begins to spin. That is when I wake up screaming.
I can not understand why I keep dreaming that I am Charlotte. However, there is one possible, but highly unlikely explanation. After I had been shot up by the TXs, Catherine and John Henry used parts from Charlotte to repair me. Is it possible that her soul has somehow traveled into me? Do Terminators have souls? Maybe, just maybe, these are not dreams at all. Could I be reliving Charlotte's memories? Why can't anything in our lives ever be simple?
Tonight began just like every other night. I went to sleep, and I began to relive the ambush through Charlotte's eyes. But unlike most nights, I did not wake up screaming at the point when she was shot. Instead, I felt a swift kick in my side and woke up to find Reese standing over me. I have no idea why he is kicking me, but I do intend to find out.
"Reese, what the hell? I was in the middle of a perfectly good nightmare".
"Sarah's not feeling well. Get dressed; we're taking her to the hospital".
"Is it that bad?" Reese looks like he is about to cry.
"Yeah, it's that bad". I get up and place my hand on his shoulder. He shrugs away and leaves. We all knew it would happen eventually, we just didn't want to think about it.
Cameron, Sarah, John, Reese, young Sarah, and I climb into a car and head into Los Angeles. John Henry, Catherine, and Allison are waiting in reserve, just in case we need them. It is entirely possible that SkyNet will attempt to attack the hospital. Most of the Connor clan will be in a single building, which makes the hospital a very tempting target. As Cameron drives, John and Reese sit in the middle and try to comfort Sarah. Young Sarah and I are in the back, carrying the new plasma weapons. Just in case.
When we reach the hospital, Cameron and I decide to go in first. Once we are sure that there is no one with a plasma rifle ready to blow us all away, we signal everyone else to enter the hospital. Reese, John, and Sarah sit in the waiting room. Sarah is looking thin. I have never noticed before, but she is very thin. This is very bad. To make matters worse, we can't seem to attract a doctor. Finally, I grab an orderly by the sleeve.
"Hey, we need a doctor out here stat".
"Sir, everyone needs a doctor. Just remain patient, and we will get to you". Two people start to walk by us carrying an empty stretcher. I flip the stretcher and send it flying into a wall. The damn thing actually becomes lodged in the wall of the waiting room
"You listen to me, you little Jimmy Cricket pest bastard! You get your top cancer specialist down here now. Otherwise, YOU will be the one needing medical attention. Do you understand me?" Just to stress my point, I shove the end of my rifle into his gut.
"Are you threatening me with a toy gun? Security! Get this guy out of here".
"Oh, you think this is a toy?" I spot a desktop computer on the receptionist's desk, and I blast it into oblivion. "Still think this is only a toy?"
"JESUS CHRIST!"
"Cancer specialist! NOW!"
"Ok! Ok! Just don't shoot me". In less than five minutes, the top cancer specialist in the hospital is dragged into the waiting room to see Sarah.
A few minutes after that, Sarah is in an examination room with the rest of us waiting outside. Cameron and I carry our plasma weapons, standing guard outside of her room. John is holding out like a real trooper, but Reese looks like he could fold like a house of cards. When the doctor steps out of the room, I grab her arm and pull her to the side of the hallway.
"How is she, Doc?"
"Are you a member of her family?"
"No, I am a member of her security team. See the big gun?"
"Right. Well, I can only give this information to a blood relative".
"Tell me how she is, or you will be sent to the emergency room as something other than a doctor".
"Look, Mr..."
"Captain Charles Zacks, I earned my rank by killing things. Do not push me, doctor". Sometimes, I am amazed at how intimidating I can be.
"I'm sorry, but there is nothing we can do for her. Maybe if you had brought her in sooner..."
"How long does she have?"
"A few months. Maybe less".
"Thank you, doctor". I walk away from the doctor, and put my fist through a wall. I hear a small voice directly behind me.
"Excuse me, why are you punching the wall?" I turn around to find a small girl staring at me.
"Someone that I care about is very sick, and there is nothing that we can do about it".
"My father says that if you pray hard enough, Jesus will cure all of your ailments". Great; a little Jesus freak. I don't see any reason to upset the child. But, this could be a little fun.
"I'm Jewish, sweetie. What does your father say about me?" She looks at me, then at the hole that I had punched through the wall.
"Jews are stronger than they look". I start laughing.
"Well, there is a reason that we conquered the Holy Land". A woman that I assume to be the girl's mother starts to call out to her.
"I have to go now. God bless you".
"You too, little one. Goodbye".
Shortly after the little girl leaves, we receive a reception committee from the Federal Bureau of Investigations. Five agents begin to walk down the halls of the hospital towards Sarah's room, led by a familiar four eyed face. I raise my weapon and aim for their heads.
"Freeze! Take one more step, twerp, and I will blow your head off!" Having recognized me from our previous encounters, the four eyed bureaucratic boob stops in his tracks and signals his companions to do the same.
"Hold it. Trust me on this one, guys. You do NOT want to get on his bad side. Lieutenant?"
"It's Captain, now. That's what happens when you do your duty to the best of your abilities. When was the last time you were promoted, twerp?"
"Do you have to call me that?"
"Try and stop me". This guy may be a twerp, but he's not a fool. He knows that there is nothing he can do to me. Why bother fighting someone that you can not possibly defeat.
"I just want to talk to Sarah. Just give me a few minutes with her".
"The woman is dying! Leave her alone!"
"Sarah Connor is the leading expert on....well, on whatever it is that you are. The Bureau would just like a few words with her. That's it".
"The last time she tried to tell you ass holes anything, you had her committed".
"That was before you......you"
"Got pissed off and started killing people inside a police station in front of witnesses and video cameras".
"Yeah, before you did that". I take a deep breath, and then decide to give this little prick a shot at doing some good for a change.
"All right, I'll see if she is willing to speak to you. But only you, the other four clowns stay outside. Understood?"
"That seems....acceptable".
"Good choice of words. CAMERON". Cameron walks over from wherever she was to stand beside me.
"Yes".
"Make sure that these guys do not come near Sarah's room. If they take a single step towards her room, kill them".
"Yes, Captain".
"Good. Oh, and before you boys start scheming, you should all know that she is not human either. She is as strong as I am, as fast as I am, and as invulnerable to firearms as I am. So stay put, because you can't hurt her and she won't hesitate to kill you. Come on, twerp. We're off to see the Connor". We walk to Sarah's door, with Cameron standing behind us keeping the other agents at bay.
"Could you please stop calling me that?"
"How would you like me to break you in half? SARAH, ARE YOU DECENT". I hear her reply from behind the door.
"I'M STILL WEARING A HOSPITAL GOWN AND LOOKING FOR MY CLOTHES. WHY?"
"YOU HAVE VISITORS FROM THE FBI". Silence. It takes her a few minutes to formulate a reply.
"HOW MANY?"
"FIVE. I BROUGHT ONE WITH ME AND TOLD CAMERON TO KILL THE OTHERS IF THEY TRY TO COME NEAR THIS ROOM". I think I can hear her laughing behind the door. Right now, it is the most beautiful sound on this planet.
"OK. SEND HIM IN". I force the door open. The lock is wrecked and part of the door is destroyed, but it shouldn't be difficult to repair. I highly doubt they will bill us for the damage; the people here are terrified of me.
When we enter the room, Sarah spins around as quickly as possible. Her hands are behind her back, in order to hold her gown shut. I am doing everything I can to avoid bursting out laughing. She looks ridiculous.
"Sarah, I've already seen your butt. As well as the rest of you".
"OOOOK. How did that happen?"
"She was having sex on the living room couch".
"Thank you for bringing that up. Charley?"
"Yeah".
"Get out".
"No problem, Sarah. Wait, did you just call me Charley? You've never done that before".
"Captain Zacks..."
"I know...out. Be good twerp, or you will be leaving this hospital through a window". I turn my back on Sarah and the twerp and walk out of her hospital room. To my surprise, I find John Henry standing outside of the room. "Hey, J.H. What are you doing here?"
"I was worried about John. He's in the washroom right now, could you go in and check up on him".
"Sure, no problem. Wait, why can't you check up on him? You look like a man, even though you are a machine. No one will know the difference".
"Oh, right. Sorry, I forgot".
"You forgot? You don't forget anything. You can recite Pi, and not just to some decimal point. What's up?"
"I don't know what you are talking about".
"Don't bullshit me, John Henry. When a man that can recite the entire periodic table in his sleep forgets his own gender, something is very wrong". John Henry actually looks uncomfortable. I have never seen him like this.
"Do you remember that I was originally a supercomputer before I became a Terminator?"
"Yeah, so?"
"Well, I didn't exactly figure out a way to download myself into this body. I had a little help".
"Can you just give me a straight answer, J.H.?"
"I used Cameron's chip to download my personality into this body".
"Wait, what? You have Cameron's chip inside your head?"
"That is correct".
"If Cameron's chip is in your head, then who's chip is in Cameron?"
"It's complicated. I will explain it to you one day. For now, could you please just check on John? I do not want him to know that.."
"That you have feelings for him? My God, do you have feelings for John Connor?"
"Cameron does".
"And you have Cameron's chip. Good Lord, and I thought our lives were strange before".
"It is no stranger than you having Charlotte's memories".
"You know about that?"
"You talk in your sleep. Every Terminator in the house can hear you".
"So, those really are her memories. Is Charlotte alive or dead?"
"That depends on how you look at it. It's complicated".
"What isn't in our lives? Ok, I'll go check up on him. But if I ever catch you trying to make out with John, I swear to God that I will rip that chip out of your head". As I walk away, I can hear John Henry whispering behind me.
"Thank you".
