Terminator: Return of the Fallen
Part XXXXII
Less than an hour after I had arrived at the air base, SkyNet unveiled its newest toy. National Guard units en route to Washington were attacked by robotic motorcycles. The Moto-Terminator has officially reached the front lines. I'm used to blowing the hell out of these things, but the poor bastards from the National Guard have never seen anything like them. They are getting blown to hell before they even reach Washington. Time to provide some much needed air support, and hopefully stop the machines before they can enter the city.
I take off with four other A-10s to intercept the Moto-Terminators. We each take a different route to the city, in an effort to simultaneously hit and destroy all enemy vehicles. As I approach Washington, I spot a column of three Moto-Terminators driving in single file down the highway. This should be easy.
"This is Captain Zacks, I have spotted three bandits on the road to Washington. They will not get far". I dive towards the highway and blast the Moto-Terminators with my Avenger cannon. All three targets explode. "Scratch three Motos".
"Mayday! We have robotic tanks firing on the city! Repeat, robotic tanks are firing on the city! Request immediate air support".
"You heard him, Warthogs. You each have ten deep penetration Maverick missiles, and your targets are thinly armoured. Use missiles when possible, but rely on your Avenger cannons when friendlies are in the area. The last thing we need is to have our guys killed by shrapnel. Move in and finish this".
I would feel so much better about this if the other pilots were not greener than their planes. None of these guys have ever seen combat before. Hopefully, they will not panic and do something stupid. Most pilots die in combat because they panic and do something incredibly dumb. If those idiots in command hadn't dismissed this as a joke, I might have a squadron of hardened veterans instead of a group of green kids.
As I approach Washington, I spot two robotic tanks firing on the outskirts of the city. Civilian buildings are being hit by high explosive shells. The thing that I don't understand is that they do not seem to be targeting any building in particular. They are just firing randomly. This attack does not match SkyNet's usual tactics. What is that bastard up to? Whatever it is, those tanks will no longer be a part of it. I fire a pair of Mavericks and destroy both tanks.
I fly through the streets of Washington, hunting robotic tanks and Moto-Terminators. Out of the right side of my cockpit, I notice a robotic tank driving down the street and shooting parked cars. That is when I realize the point of all this: to create a panic and to blow the crap out of as many things as possible. Might as well accommodate them. I bank right, fly low, and fire a Maverick at the tank. Mavericks might not have been designed for anti-tank missions, but the armour on these tanks is so thin that the missile can destroy them without any difficulty. The tank explodes, adding another notch to my list of kills. Suddenly, I receive a distress signal from another A-10.
"Crash to all pilots, I've got a bandit on my tail. I can't shake this guy, request assistance". I catch a glimpse of the A-10 flying by a skyscraper, followed by a Hunter Killer. If I don't do something, that rookie is going to die on his first day.
"Copy that, Crash. I'm on my way". I hit the throttle as hard as possible and take off after the Hunter Killer.
I fly behind the two aircraft and attempt to lock Sidewinders on the Hunter Killer. The A-10 continues to perform evasive manoeuvres in an attempt to shake off the Hunter Killer. The Hunter Killer matches the A-10s manoeuvres, and I match the manoeuvres of the Hunter Killer. If I fire and miss, I might hit the other A-10. If I do not fire, the Hunter Killer will blow him out of the sky. I have missile lock; do I fire or do I give the pilot some more time to escape?
"SHIT! HE HAS MISSILE LOCK!" No time to debate, I pull the trigger and fire the missile. The Sidewinder hits the Hunter Killer's right engine, destroying it and sending the aircraft spiralling out of control. It crashes in the middle of a deserted street. I fly up to the other A-10 and take up a position directly beside it.
"You ok, kid?"
"Yeah, thanks for the assist. I owe you one".
"You owe me nothing, this is our job". Speaking of our job, we receive another distress call from a group of National Guardsmen.
We both bank left and head off to assist the soldiers. We reach their coordinates and find a group of soldiers taking shelter behind their armoured Humvees. They are taking fire from two groups of Moto-Terminators: one group firing from an overpass while the other group attacks them head on.
"I've got missile lock on the overpass, preparing to fire". Is this kid nuts?
"Negative. If you do that, you will bring the damn overpass down on our troops".
"Oh...Sorry, I'm new at this".
"Never mind. Use your cannon to destroy the units on the overpass; I will take care of the ones on the street". We break formation and head towards our respective targets.
I bank left and fly low to the ground, so low that I feel as if I might hit the pavement. It's all right though; the A-10 was designed for low flying air strikes. Three Moto-Terminators are now headed straight for me. They fire their Gatling guns in an attempt to shoot me down, not realizing that they were built to fire straight ahead, not up. The Gatling gun fire hits the Humvees, but does not penetrate the hulls to hit the soldiers standing behind them. I fire my Avenger cannon while swerving my plane left and right, destroying all three vehicles. I pull up and try to see if my companion needs any help with the enemies on the overpass.
"Hey, Crash! You need a hand?"
"No, I've nailed my targets. Hey, why do you think they keep exploding when we aren't using explosive shells?"
"It's the gas and ammunition. The shells hit the fuel tanks and ammo boxes, causing the vehicles to explode". Most of the military personnel that I have met are incredibly incompetent, but this kid is just....young. I wonder if he has even graduated high school.
After my brief lesson on destroying enemy vehicles, we split up and head off in different directions. This way, we will cover more ground and end this madness a lot faster. I hope the kid makes it through this; he's a good pilot, but he lacks experience. Then again, how many of us were just kids when we joined the Resistance. Young Sarah is only 19, and Allison is only 16. I guess I never noticed it before, but we have always sent babies to do our fighting. God, I hate this war.
I fly down another street and spot some Washington policemen being blasted by robotic helicopters firing rockets. The rockets slam into police cruisers and send shrapnel flying through the streets, slaughtering the unfortunate police officers. I don't think I have ever seen this type of machine before. Oh, no wonder: it says USAF on the side. Once again, the Department of Defence drops the ball. I dive towards the helicopters like a falcon and destroy them with my canon. As I fly over the surviving police officers, I can see people cheering. Everyone on the ground knows that the cavalry has arrived.
A few blocks down, I find a group of soldiers being shot up by two robotic tanks. They are struggling to find cover as explosive shells land all around them. I won't risk using my missiles, just in case one goes off course and slams into the soldiers. Instead, I dive towards the street and strafe the tanks with my cannon. Both tanks explode as my depleted uranium rounds rip through their armour and hit their fuel tanks and ammo boxes. As the tanks explode, the soldiers cheer and raise their weapons towards the skies. Those men are alive because I was there to save them. I had forgotten just how rewarding ground support missions were.
After flying out of the neighbourhood where the two tanks were blasting the National Guard, I spot another Hunter Killer flying straight towards the Capitol Building. It is not firing its weapons, so this is probably a suicide run. I have to stop it. I throttle up to full speed and pursue the Hunter Killer. It does not even seem to notice me; it just keeps flying towards the Capitol Building. When I reach optimal firing range, I fire my second Sidewinder missile. The Hunter Killer is struck in the left engine and spirals out of control. It slams into the pavement one block away from the Capitol Building. As I fly over the Capitol Building, I perform a victory roll. I have always wanted to do that.
Flying over the Capitol Building, I spot four robotic tanks driving in a basic square formation down the National Mall. Where the hell are all of these tanks coming from? As they drive towards the Capitol Building, they fire their canons at the buildings that are lining the National Mall. Some of their shells hit buildings that belong to the Smithsonian. I have waited my entire life to see those museums, and I am not about to let these robotic bastards blow them up. I fly over the National Mall and engage the tank formation. I destroy the first two robotic tanks using my Mavericks and the last two are destroyed by my Avenger canon. I pass the Washington monument and fly by another A-10. The other pilot and I wave to each other as we head off to continue the battle.
On Pennsylvania Avenue, a police cruiser is being pursued by a pair of Moto-Terminators. The driver of the police cruiser manages to avoid the fire from the Moto-Terminators' Gatling guns and missile launchers, but he can only evade them for so long. The other A-10 and I fly in on an angle from opposite directions, so that we do not crash into each other. We both use our canons to attack the Moto-Terminators. I destroy the one on my right and he destroys the one on my left. Our wingtips nearly touch when we pass each other. Whoever is in that cockpit is a very skilled pilot.
"Attention all aircraft, this is General Brewster. The battle of Washington is over. Return to base". Finally; time to head home.
All five aircraft get into formation and fly back to the airbase. As we make our final approach on the landing strip, we find it lined with soldiers standing at attention. They salute us as we land and roll down the runway. After I have cut my engines, I notice that Catherine and General Brewster are present in the crowd. I pop the canopy open, remove my helmet, and salute the General. I climb out of my A-10 and run to the spot where Catherine and Brewster are standing. It is only when I reach them that I notice that someone is not present on the runway.
"Good work out there, Captain. This nation owes you a debt of gratitude".
"Not bad for a little boy from Canada, right General? Where's John Henry? I figured he would be out here to meet us". Catherine walks over and places her hand on my shoulder.
"John Henry has volunteered to stay here and help the Pentagon with the war effort".
"Ok, and what happens to us?"
"We're going back to Los Angeles. Our transport leaves within the hour".
"Without John Henry? Without your son?"
"He feels that he would be of more use at the Pentagon. He's probably right. He's always right". Catherine has tears forming in her eyes. I throw my arms around her and hold her as close as I can. She smiles and caresses my face. "By the way, you did great out there. How many did you bag today?"
"Sixteen ground targets and several aircraft". To my surprise, General Brewster slaps me on the back.
"I have to admit, I had my doubts about you. For the first time, I am glad to be proven wrong". The General extends his hand towards me. "Will you accept an old soldier's apology?" I accept his gesture and we shake hands.
"General, it has been a privilege to fight with the U.S. Air Force. Good luck and God speed. Oh, and take care of John Henry for us". I have grown quite attached to him over the past few months. He is essentially my best friend, even though he is completely synthetic.
"I will. God speed, Captain. Give them hell in Los Angeles". The General salutes me one last time, and then departs to return to the Pentagon. I take Catherine's hand and gently kiss it.
"Come on, let's go home". For some reason, she starts laughing. "What? What's so funny?"
"Charley, you never even called the bunker home. Every time we would return from a mission, you would always say, let's go back to the bunker".
"True, because I never really considered the bunker to be my home. In the bunker, I had a unit. In the Safe House, I have a family, and I am really looking forward to seeing them again. Especially after a long day of combat, advising a bunch of incompetent officers, and preventing a nuclear war". I swing my arm around Catherine's waist, and we walk into the transport together. Next stop: Los Angeles and the people who are as dear to me as my own family.
