Terminator: Return of the Fallen

Part XXXXVII

I can not believe it! She found me. Over ten years have passed since we last saw one another, and she managed to find me. Catherine Weaver is truly a marvel to behold. I just hope that no one throws a grenade in here before we have had a chance to catch up.

"How the hell did you find me?"

"Well, after Judgement Day, I started to fight with the Resistance as various soldiers. When you returned to the base with Allison, I followed you until you boarded the Jimmy Carter. Then, I hid in one of the cargo crates and explored the ship until I found you".

"You are an amazing woman, Catherine. So, you made it through J-Day".

"Yes, I did".

"I'm almost afraid to ask this, but, what happened to everyone else?" Catherine curls up next to me before she answers my question.

"Some of them did not make it. Sarah died of cancer before J-Day, and Reese was shot in the head by a T-888".

"Damn! Well, we both knew it would happen. We just tried not to think about it". Catherine seems confused by my response.

"Are you talking about Sarah or Reese?"

"Both. We all knew that Sarah was going to die before J-Day, but Reese and I also knew when he would die".

"How could you possibly...."

"We found his autopsy report when we were raiding the hospital for medical supplies. We burned it and hoped that the timeline had been changed to prevent it. Apparently, that part remained unchanged. What happened to everyone else?"

"Savannah is still alive. In fact, she is a pilot in our old squadron".

"Really? I guess she wanted to be like her mother. Too bad I didn't get a chance to meet her".

"You've actually flown with her on several occasions. You just did not know who she was at the time".

"I've flown with your daughter? Only, I did not know that she was your daughter, because I had not gone back in time to.....AAH! Time travel gives me migraines!" Catherine begins to laugh at me.

"It has that effect on a lot of people, Charley".

"Let's get back to the others, shall we? What happened to Allison?"

"She survived to become an officer in the Resistance. She's changed her name, though. It would have been too confusing to have two Allison Youngs. Sarah's granddaughter did the same thing. As far as I know, they are both alive and well". Thank God.

I spend the rest of the trip in my quarters, talking to Catherine. When the time comes to leave the Jimmy Carter, she oozes into my personal belongings so that we can stay together. Personally, I think she is afraid of being shot by the crew. These guys really hate Terminators, even the Terminators that are loyal to the Resistance. The woman called Jessie bids me farewell and apologizes for the way that I was treated while on board the Jimmy Carter. Part of me would like to believe that her apology is sincere, but I highly doubt it. She hates me just as much as the rest of the crew.

The English woman leads me to her base. The hangar is filled with former Royal Air Force aircraft; mostly Tornados and Eurofighters. Though these planes are faster and more agile than the A-10, and they are just as heavily armed, they lack the armour protection of the A-10. I would rather be in a slower, heavily armoured aircraft than a faster, more agile one. Regardless of the choice of aircraft, I will carry out my orders and train these people to fight.

"Follow me, Major. Our Command Center is just behind this door". Their Command Center is located behind a large, heavily armoured door. It sort of resembles a panic room or a bunker. The English woman walks over to a nearby keypad and attempts to unlock the door, but she seems to be having some difficulty. "Bloody Hell! The blasted locking mechanism is malfunctioning again! Could you hand me those tools, Major?" I'm in no mood to wait, so I rip the door off its hinges.

"Does that help, Miss....?"

"My name is Lena, and you are going to have to reattach that door". I drop the door and walk into the Command Center. The Commanding Officer walks over to me and offers me his hand.

"Ah, this must be our new pilot from America. I am Colonel Merril, Welcome to England". I accept his gesture and shake his hand. "I am told that you Yank pilots are among the best in the Resistance".

"I'm Canadian. I only fight for the Americans".

"Good, we should get along nicely. Our pilots are in the next room, they are quite anxious to meet you. I must warn you, though, they are terribly inexperienced. Most of the RAF was wiped out on J-Day. Have you had a chance to examine our aircraft?"

"I'm going to do that right now, Colonel. I would like one of your technicians to accompany me. There are some suggestions that I would like to make".

"Splendid. My chief engineer will accompany you. Good luck with our lads and our planes". Well, at least the British haven't tried to kill me yet.

As soon as I climb into the cockpit of one of the Eurofighters, I realize that a lot of changes must be made. Good God, there is more tech in this cockpit than in the HK that I....acquired. It will have to be torn out immediately. Heads up displays, fly by wire systems, all vulnerable to SkyNet hacking. The reason we have to use A-10s and F-16s instead of F-22s and Joint Strike Fighters is that SkyNet hacked into the computers of the new planes and caused them to crash. These British planes will have to be stripped to the bare essentials if they hope to last more than five minutes. It is ironic when you think about it: billions of dollars spent on developing state of the art equipment, and it will all have to be destroyed before it can kill us.

After instructing the technicians to rip out anything that can be hacked into, I leave the hangar to address my men. I brief them on the basics of combat flying, and instruct them to ignore every high tech gadget in their planes. The best instrument in a plane is always the pilot, or else the plane will be lost. We do not have a lot of time here, so these boys are going to get a crash course on combat tactics and manoeuvres. However, a few hours of instruction in a classroom are no substitute for a few minutes in the air. Time test my new pilots, and my new aircraft.

I grab two other pilots and head into the hangar. All three of us climb into the recently downgraded Eurofighters and prepare to take a short test flight. I need to see how these pilots can handle a jet, and I need to see how the planes themselves handle in a combat situation. Once you've stripped away all of the high tech garbage, the controls for the Eurofighter are not that different from those of the A-10. Now, let's see if these British birds have wings.

"All pilots check in".

"Bulldog here, all systems go".

"Union Jack here, ready to roll".

"Tin Man here, time to fly". I chose my call-sign based on the nickname Sarah had for Cameron: Tin Miss. Of course, Sarah meant it as an insult, but I thought that it was cool. We take off in single file and then fly in a diamond formation. I decide to start off with some simple formation flying exercises. "Bulldog, Union Jack, stick to me like glue. Follow my manoeuvres and you might just make it back to base".

"Copy that, Tin Man".

"BANDIT INCOMING! Damn! We've been jumped by a Hunter Killer.

"Evasive manoeuvres. Do not attempt to engage the enemy. Follow me, boys".

I have to admit, I seriously underestimated the capabilities of the Eurofighter. The HK is actually struggling to keep up with us. Our planes are faster and more manoeuvrable than the HK; we can practically fly circles around them. As we attempt to escape our pursuer, a second Hunter Killer joins in on the hunt.

As I lead my small squadron of three planes, the other two pilots mirror my every move. We conduct a series of manoeuvres that would have been impossible for the A-10. I think I am starting to like this new plane. Though I am having a blast outrunning and outmanoeuvring the HKs, it is time to end this little chase. Let's see how the weapons work on this thing.

"Bulldog, Union Jack, on my mark, you both break off and head back to base".

"Sir?"

"Could you repeat that, Sir?"

"On my mark, you break off and try to get the HKs to follow you. Ready? THREE! TWO! ONE! MARK!" The other planes fall out of formation and head back towards the hangar.

As I had expected, the two HKs ignore me and pursue the other two aircraft. My plan is working perfectly. As the other two planes attempt to evade their pursuers, I swing around behind the HKs and lock missiles on their engines. I fire one missile at each target, sending them both plummeting into the English countryside.

"BLOODY HELL! You could have warned us that you were going to do that".

"Part of being in command is that you do not have to explain your actions to anyone. Good job boys, you've survived your baptism by fire. Back to base".

Immediately after landing, I call all of my pilots together and brief them on the characteristics of the Eurofighter compared to those of the HK. I instruct them on the best manoeuvres and tactics for destroying an opponent in air to air combat, as well as the best way to evade an enemy aircraft. I also inform them of the basic tactics for ground support missions. Our planes are not as well armoured as the American A-10, so we must rely on our speed and agility to avoid enemy anti aircraft fire. After spending many hours teaching my pilots in a classroom and in the hangar, I dismiss them and head for my bunk.

"Good hunting today, Major?" It is the English woman again. I wonder if she has been following me, or if this is just a coincidence. Or, could she be Catherine?

"Are you human?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Are you human?"

"Of course I'm bloody human! Are you trying to get me killed?" Definitely not Catherine.

"Sorry, I thought that you were someone else. Yes, today was a good day. Bagged two more HKs".

"Congratulations, Major. General Connor did say that you were an excellent combat pilot".

"Thank you. Is there something I can do for you?"

"I'm not sure. There are two women here to see you. A brunette and a red haired woman". The red haired woman is obviously Catherine, but the brunette......could it be?

"The brunette, does she have brown eyes? And a smile that seems to just light up a room?"

"She does have brown eyes, but I have never seen her smile. There is not much to smile about these days. Do you know her?"

"I think I do. Thank you for informing me of their arrival". I rush to the barracks and find Catherine standing beside a woman with brown hair and brown eyes. At first, I do not recognize her. The moment she smiles at me, I know exactly who she is. "ALLISON". I run up to her and throw my arms around her.

"Hello, Charley. It is good to see you".

"My God, you've aged beautifully. What are you doing in England?"

"I wanted to be as far from my younger self as possible, so I asked John for a transfer. It was just too.....uncomfortable for me". I am only half paying attention to what she is saying. I am so happy to see her again, that I just grab her and hold her tightly. "ACK! Charley, you're squeezing me!" I let go.

"I'm sorry, I was just so glad to see you. How have you been? What happened after I disappeared? God, I have a million questions for you". Allison smiles that sweet smile of hers. No matter what kind of a day you are having, that smile can make your spirits soar.

"There is someone that I want you to meet. CHARLEY?!" A six year old boy walks over to Allison. "This is my son. Charley, this is the man that I told you about".

"It is an honour to meet you, Sir".

"You have a....wow! I have been gone a long time. Um, where is his father?"

"His father was killed in action a long time ago. I am really glad that you are here, Charley. We have a lot to talk about".

"I bet we do".