Terminator: Return of the Fallen
Part XXXXI
Our entire world changed almost overnight. The following morning, I turned on the news channels to hear about terrorist attacks around the globe. Each attack was carried out by mechanical men, setting off explosive charges and then walking away from the explosions completely unharmed. In every attack, the local security forces fought a futile battle against their attackers. From Paris to Beijing, police forces were unsuccessfully engaging Terminators in gun battles. Numerous countries are declaring martial law, encouraging their citizens to stay off the streets and let their militaries handle the attacking automatons. Some governments are even calling for advisers from the global militia known as the Resistance. If we can all unite and fight as a species, we might be able to win this thing before J-Day. If not, then we might all be screwed.
"Get dressed, Charley! We have a plane to catch".
"What are you talking about Catherine?"
"Since your little stunt in front of the T.V. cameras yesterday, I have been in contact with the Department of Defence. They would like you and John Henry to fly to Washington to serve as advisors for the Pentagon. We leave immediately".
"What about everyone else?"
"I'm sure they can survive a few days without us. We are leaving all of our weapons here, just in case something happens in Los Angeles. So far, all of the attacks have occurred over seas. Things here should be quiet".
"Or it is just the calm before the storm. Armageddon could be just around the corner and we are going to be on opposite sides of the country".
"If we work with the D.O.D, we could end this before it goes nuclear. Come on, we leave before dawn".
As we leave the Safe House, I spot Sarah and Reese starring at the early morning sky. Sarah is lying on a bench and looking up at the stars. Reese is sitting on the ground beside her, holding her hand. Sarah Connor has fought this war longer than anyone else on the planet. I hope she will live to see it end. She has earned it.
Catherine's private plane takes off before dawn, escorted by a pair of F16s. If we do come under attack, I would rather be in the cockpit of one of those fighters than sitting in this luxurious flying coffin. This plane has no armour, no weapons, and no defences of any kind. It is basically a giant, subsonic target. I hate to just sit here and wait for a Hunter Killer to blow us out of the sky. I would prefer to fight back, and take as many of those bastards down with me as possible.
The flight to Washington goes off without a hitch. We arrive at the airport to find a limousine waiting to take us to the Pentagon. Once again, I feel like a big target here. We are sitting in a long, black car with minimum armour protection while a group of men carrying hand guns try to protect us from inside black cars. It is no wonder that SkyNet was able to wipe out the world's governments on J-Day: their security measures are a joke!
We reach the Pentagon and are ushered through a thin metal fence where more men with handguns guard the perimeter. If I were an enemy Terminator, I could break in and kill everyone without any difficulty. These guys are so unprepared for the war to come that it isn't even funny. It might be easier to just try to fight SkyNet on our own than to try and get these morons ready to fight. Security inside the Pentagon is just as bad: checkpoints manned by morons in suits carrying handguns. Like that can stop a Terminator.
After we have passed through the poorly guarded checkpoints and pathetically sealed doors, we enter a large room full of people wearing uniforms. There are numerous computer terminals and massive screens for displaying data. All of this high tech equipment is vulnerable to SkyNet. Commander Connor was actually in a military base on Judgement Day. He personally saw all of the U.S. military's high tech weapons turn against them as the machines began to rebel against their creators. I can't shake the feeling that we are going to see something very similar.
"General Brewster, I'm Catherine Weaver. We spoke earlier on the phone". General Brewster! Connor's father in law.
"Mrs. Weaver. It is a pleasure to meet you in person. Welcome to the Pentagon".
"General Brewster. I'm glad to finally meet you, Sir. I've heard so much about you".
"From whom?"
"Your daughter, Sir. In the future, Kate Brewster is a brilliant surgeon. She has even saved my life on numerous occasions. You should be proud of her".
"Yes, well.....I believe you gentlemen came here to advise us about the SkyNet situation". It figures that he would try to change the subject. People are not comfortable with talking about the future, especially when they will never see it.
"The first thing you need to do is triple security at all military installations, and quadruple security at your nuclear missile silos. Then, you should deactivate all drones immediately. If something is unmanned, it should be destroyed before SkyNet can take it over". The General does not like these suggestions. In fact, I believe he thinks that I am insane. The incompetent fool will get us all killed.
"You are Captain Zacks, correct? Captain, I have been fighting wars a lot longer than you have...."
"With all due respect, Sir, I have been fighting THIS WAR a lot longer than you have. I know what I am talking about".
"We are not going to destroy billions of dollars worth of equipment just because you think it could be used against us". Some orderly in a uniform runs up to the General.
"Sir, our Predator drones in Iraq and Afghanistan have begun attacking our ground forces". I hate being right all of the time.
"Activate self destruct mechanisms".
"We're trying to do that sir, but they seem to have been disabled". How dumb are these people?
"Of course they were disabled you idiot! That was probably the first thing SkyNet did when it hijacked your planes. Please tell me we aren't all relying on you to save our ass". General Brewster seems annoyed with me, but also seems to realize that I know what I'm talking about.
"What do you suggest, Captain?"
"Deploy your ground troops with Stinger surface to air missiles. Order them to destroy those drones immediately. You should also deploy your manned aircraft to shoot the drones out of the sky. Only send planes that can not be controlled by computer. Anything that can be controlled by remote must be destroyed immediately or it will be hijacked and used against you. You should also take your entire nuclear arsenal off line, NOW!"
"Why in God's name should we....."
"SIR! WE HAVE AN UNAUTHORIZED LAUNCH OF A NUCLEAR MISSILE!"
"That is why". Brewster is too busy dealing with this catastrophe to notice my comment. Maybe I will write it down for him, assuming we don't all DIE before he can read it.
"Activate self destruct".
"Self destruct has been disabled. Missile is en route to target".
"Where's it headed?"
"Moscow". Oh, that is clever. I guess I was smiling, because Brewster became enraged.
"WHAT THE HELL IS SO AMUSING?"
"Don't you see? SkyNet isn't ready to wage a global nuclear war, so it's trying to trick you guys into waging one for it. After two of the most powerful armies on the planet have finished vaporizing each other, all that SkyNet has to do is mop up the survivors. That is a very clever way to wipe out the human race. I can't believe I never saw this one coming".
"If you're done showing off how GOD DAMN SMART YOU ARE, do you think you can help us PREVENT WORLD WAR III?"
"I can't, but I know someone who can. John Henry? You do that voodoo that you do so well".
"With pleasure". John Henry sits at one of the computer terminals and begins to work his magic. With the world's greatest hacker on our side, that missile will never reach its target. "Come on, I know you're still up there".
"What are you doing?"
"I'm trying to hack into an orbital weapons platform that the Russians launched in the 1980's. Officially, it burned up in the atmosphere many years ago. Unofficially, it has remained dormant for all of these decades. If I can hack into it, I should be able to destroy the warhead before it can re-enter the atmosphere".
"Missile has reached sub-orbital velocity".
"I'm in. Now to recalibrate the lasers....." We all watch the display terminals as the missile continues its journey to the other side of the planet.
"John Henry....."
"Not yet. It needs to be in the precise location before I can fire". The missile is almost ready to re-enter the atmosphere and begin its final approach on Moscow.
"JOHN HENRY!"
"Target locked. Firing!" The missile vanishes from the display screen.
"MISSILE DESTROYED! HE DID IT!" The room fills with the sound of men yelling and cheering. I walk over to John Henry and slap him on the back.
"Good work, J.H. You just saved the world".
"True, but I also shorted out the weapons platform. If my brother should attempt another launch, I am not sure if I will be able to stop him".
"Don't worry, John Henry. If your brother could have launched another missile, he would have; probably towards China in an attempt to trigger a total nuclear holocaust. Our sociopathic super computer could only hack into one missile, and he blew it".
"It is only a matter of time before he can seize the entire United States nuclear arsenal. Judgment Day is inevitable".
"Then we had better make it as hard as possible for him to do that, won't we. Hack into the arsenal and start placing countermeasures. Let's leave a little surprise for your brother when he tries this shit again".
"Affirmative. Would you prefer a series of firewalls, or a virus?"
"Do whatever your metal heart tells you, J.H." John Henry smiles and goes to work on the defence mainframe.
Throughout the Pentagon, people are scrambling to gain control of this insane situation. There are people calling Moscow to convince them that this was not an intentional missile strike, people issuing orders to the armed forces in the Middle East to destroy their drones, and people trying to secure the United States nuclear arsenal before another missile takes an unauthorized trip. Orders are being issued to every American military base on the planet, instructing the personnel to immediately deactivate their drones. Of course, deactivating billions of dollars worth of equipment is a lengthy process and there is a risk of drones escaping before they can be destroyed.
"Sir, a squadron of Predator drones has just been deployed". Speak of the devil.
"Where are they heading?"
"For us, Sir. The drones are headed for Washington D.C.". I have this smug, I told you so, look on my face. General Brewster has a different look: a say it and I'll shoot you look.
"Scramble fighters. Call out the National Guard and deploy them to every major city in case of an attack, including Washington". If there is going to be a battle in a major American city, there is no way that I am sitting it out.
"General, where is the nearest airbase and how soon can you get me there?"
"We already have pilots, Captain".
"General, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the U.S. Army building robotic tanks?" Brewster now has an Oh shit! look on his face. "Put me in an A-10 and I guarantee that those tanks will be destroyed". General Brewster looks me up and down and then scratches his head.
"How much experience do you have flying A-10s?"
"A few hundred sorties worth. I have over thirty air-to-air kills and more than double that in air-to-ground kills". The General smiles and nods his head.
"Corporal, get this man some transportation to the nearest air base". Time to kick some ass.
