Z Plus Two Years Two Hundred Six Days
Whickham came into the Command and Control Center. Noah was waiting for him. "General, I have the information you asked for."
Whickham glanced around at all the soldiers at work in his CIC, and lead his second command away from them to the privacy of his office. "Proceed."
"I was able to get hold of Connor's criminal record."
Whickham reacted. "Criminal record?"
"Yessir. The Colonel has a juvenile record as long as your arm; and a few warrants out in conjunction with his mother, Sarah Connor. The elder Connor was committed to various psychiatric institutions while Connor was a child, and they were both wanted in conjunction with terrorist attacks on businesses in LA. Once he turned eighteen, they seem to have vanished off the grid completely; there are no further records."
"How can that be? He's a soldier."
"Scuttlebutt says that he survived J-Day thanks to Major Kate Connor, then Miss Kate Brewster. He was given a commission by Lieutenant Eric Walters, who was summarily promoted to Major as now Colonel Connor's second in command."
Whickham looked up sharply. "You're telling me that my Kate just went and picked up a drifter with a record, married him, and somehow he made himself a Colonel?"
"That seems to be the case sir." Noah agreed. "Our people made some discreet interviews of Connor's men, regarding the Colonel himself. Most testimonies came from the lower ranks and the civilians involved. Without exception, they seem to worship the water he walks on."
Whickham laughed.
"The overall feeling on the matter is that he organized a small, battered defensive unit into an offensive unit capable of defeating significantly greater forces. Skynet has sent several invasions into the LA perimeter, and Connor's men managed to wipe them all out with light to non-existent casualties. Skynet has since stopped its offensives to save resources."
Whickham nodded. "Pretty impressive for a crook."
"Yessir. Also, our people report that they think Connor's people may have been asking questions too."
"I'm not surprised. We're all feeling each other out at this point." He looked over the folder again. "Noah, this is some pretty extensive stuff you have here. Juvie records are always sealed, hospitals are all destroyed…"
"Yessir." Noah agreed. "But to be fair, there are huge sections missing. Connor's home address, if he had one, his family's living arrangements, his school information..."
"Where in god's name did you get the information you have?"
Noah smirked grimly. "Connor said that Skynet was software. So anywhere there was a CPU, there'd be a bit of Skynet. Major Connor said that her father was in charge of the Special weapons division, so it occurred to me that if I was Skynet, I would keep any and all information I would need in my own computers. One's I built, not ones that I had taken over and then nuked."
Whickham nodded. "Go on."
"Well sir, if Skynet was software, then it would be able to keep copies of itself. Copies of it's files. And if it was the computer virus like you thought, then it would have had access to everything. Now if Skynet was that smart, it wouldn't have nuked it's own brain, so I wondered where it would be saving all it's information… Skynet machines aren't stupid, just predictable. So I ran a search on the Terminator CPU's we captured, and I found the name Connor. Also, files on Kate Brewster... pretty much all people who have been taken prisoner by Skynet; public records, medical files, history files…"
"You got this off Skynet's databases?" Whickham smirked. "Noah, put yourself down for a promotion."
"I'm your second in command sir."
"Something else then. We'll think of something good." He thought for a moment. "Speaking of Second in Commands, get me Eric Walters' file, and then tell him to join me for lunch."
Skynet had begun sending small groups of Terminators patrolling. With Connor and Whickham's men tearing apart all of Skynet's command Signal Relays, the Machines had shifted tactics, moving the Relay's back to defended locations. The Terminators themselves became scouts. Their glowing red eyes saw everything, and the H/K's that collected and carried them were transmitting constantly.
The Last Army could not move without being seen, and any Terminator destroyed had an H/K within reach to counterattack.
Connor had thus given the order. The Terminators had to be taken out when they were furthest from their Carriers, and it had to be done with minimal soldiers involved. By the time Skynet's H/K had made it to a wrecked Terminator, the humans who killed it had to be gone.
Allison was Lori's unofficial second in command at the Orphanage. She had survived J-Day through sheer dumb luck, had found a home with the help of Lori, and had stayed alive this long by being smart. So when Connor got Lori on board, Allie knew it was only a matter of time before the war became her personal business, and had prepared for it.
She checked his scope again. The sun was beating down hard on the dry ground. And the bright sun gleamed across the skin of the four Terminators marching along a cracked highway. Allie licked her dry lips, waiting for the moment.
Four Terminators, marching their way across the highway, steel feet crunching against pavement, until one of them stepped forward with a clang!
The machine looked down, and saw a large metal plate under its foot.
Allie heard the clang and jumped up and whistled, from a good twenty feet away, further down the road.
The Machines saw her for the first time and charged forward, shooting their plasma guns, too far away to be certain of accuracy.
Allie counted quickly in her head and dove, hitting the trigger.
The Machines were suddenly caught in the middle of a claymore mine which effectively disintegrated the lower half of their bodies. A few seconds passed, and Allie made her way back up the street, pulling out her knife. It had a screwdriver folded into it.
The Machine eyes had gone dark, and she went right to work. First thing to be removed was the power source. Skynet had apparently managed a mini-reactor, and it had a backup power cell. More than one guerrilla had come to their end by assuming a Terminator could not come back to life.
With the power cells salvaged or tossed, she went to work removing the CPU of each of them.
The ground rumbled slightly, and he spared the horizon a glance. The H/K's were coming, aware of her ambush. And then she looked again, getting worried. One H/K was enough to carry dozens of Terminators. So why were there over six of them on the horizon?
Connor had taught them how to correctly sabotage a Terminator power cell. He rigged one, and left it with the mangled Terminators. Then she bolted for her motorcycle, hidden and camouflaged safely off the road.
Allie gunned the throttle and grinned a feral grin, hoping the H/K's would find her parting gift to be... interesting.
The trucks rolled day and night from The Underground to the Castle Keep, recon scouts placed at intervals along to road to watch for any sign that Skynet was moving to retake the supply line between LA and San Jose. For all their people, Connor's base had sparse supplies. The inclusion of Lori's people had brought little luxuries in, and Lori had happily routed some of it there. Saint had been on the first official supply line, and begun fleecing Whickham's soldiers for various goods, and pumping unsuspecting soldiers for information.
When the scouts reported no contact with Skynet, trade between the two bases were made a regular part. Both Connor and Whickham made sure that there was a good rotation of drivers, letting all soldiers get above ground for a while, and around new people.
The LA underground had miles of fortified tunnels. Something that Whickham's above ground base did not have. Whickham had immediately sent his sensitive or highly valuable material there, safely hidden underground.
There was a wonderful feeling of camaraderie among the soldiers. For once there were new people to meet. Connor had remained at Castle Keep to talk strategy with Whickham... and then Kate made the second hardest decision of her life. She called to LA for a very special cargo.
Kyle Reese was waiting at the door, and he quickly saluted Connor. "Sir!"
Connor saluted the boy and quickly made introductions. "General Whickham, Kyle Reese. Kyle, the General is in charge here, so you salute him. Not me."
Kyle saluted the General, and after a surprised and confused beat, Whickham saluted back.
"Report." Connor commanded.
Kyle quickly came to attention. "Sarah is safe. There have been two women who wanted to see her while you were away. I was there the whole time they were with her." He glanced around and shared a secret. "Word is, some of them are pregnant too, and that's why they're interested in the baby."
Connor nodded seriously. "Really? That's good news. Where is Sarah now?"
"With Major Kate sir. They're at the nursery."
"Thanks Kyle. That's the Mess tent over there. Tell them I sent you, get some chow."
Kyle took off. Whickham turned on Connor. "You teaching kids how to fight?"
"Yes and no." Connor nodded. "Reese knew how to survive. All he needs is to be handed a gun. I haven't done that yet, but I've had him on some non-combat missions and he's proved his worth."
"Connor, you do not put children in harms way. Particularly now."
"Machines don't care how old he is sir."
"Remember than when your daughter hits her fifth birthday."
That landed. Connor was caught off guard by the sudden personal attack and didn't know how to answer yet. Whickham nodded, satisfied with that. "I have something to take care of. I'll give you a moment with them before I come meet Sarah."
Connor still couldn't bring himself to say anything as he made his way through the medical wing to the nursery. Kate was there, with a familiar bundle in her arms.
Connor came closer and put his arms around both of them, resting his forehead against Kate's and holding the baby between them. "Hey baby. Baby Sarah. You're getting bigger, yes you are, yes you are."
Kate was grinning softly at him.
"What?"
"You. Never heard you baby talk before."
John smirked. "Not just me. Private Lutz and Lori do it too. You should hear them in the nursery back at LA, the way they fuss over..." he trailed off.
Kate looked at him. "What?"
Connor had gone still, looking slowly around the maternity ward. There were almost a dozen babies lined up in cribs. Medical staff moving back and forth between the cots, one or two guards keeping watch...
"John?"
"Something's missing."
"What?"
"Where are the mothers?" Connor demanded. "There are a dozen kids in this room, and the only adults are here professionally. We're the only parents."
Kate nodded, not worried. "And we've been gone for most of the day too. Working mothers do that sometimes John."
John snapped his fingers. "Lori."
"What about her?"
"When Lori and I started sorting out supplies for the Maternity Ward with Whickham's people, we were getting some attention. They weren't looking at me. They've seen uniforms. Lori is the one they're staring at, and now I know why she stands out." He gestured around the room quickly. "I couldn't quite put my finger… Kate, look around. Where are the women?"
Kate blinked. She looked around the room. "There. And there. And there."
"Now find me one not wearing a uniform."
Kate blinked again. "Well… okay, but why is that strange?"
"Back at the Underground, the first people who started spending time with Sarah, were prospective mothers. Women who couldn't have kids for whatever reason didn't like to be reminded about it; and there are over two dozen babies in here. So where are all the mothers and mothers-to-be?"
"Maybe… maybe the civilians aren't allowed in here?"
"How many civilian women have you seen outside?" He asked. "And more importantly, if they aren't here, where are all these babies coming from? Have you seen a pregnant woman since you got here?"
It should not have been hard. With all the talk about humanity's dwindling numbers, and all the fuss that came with the new generation; it should have been something easy to notice… But after giving the matter some thought, Kate realized that he was right. "My god."
Connor nodded. "Where are they?"
Kate didn't know, and didn't like it. "I'll find out."
"You sure you want to do that?" John asked as they returned to the room. "Kate, if you go digging for your uncle's secrets, you might..."
"Find them?" Kate guessed ruefully.
"Right." John agreed.
One of the nurses straightened her shoulders, and Connor didn't have to turn to know that Whickham had entered the room.
The older man came over, eyes shining, overjoyed to see Kate with her daughter. "Oh… she's beautiful."
"She's perfect." Kate corrected. "Want to hold her?"
Whickham nodded eagerly, and Kate gently passed the bundle over. "Hello sweetie. I'm the one who's gonna spoil you rotten."
John smiled at all of them, but it didn't touch his eyes.
Z Plus Two Years Two Hundred Nine Days
Connor was having a quiet meeting in the Mess Tent with Whickham's Head Tech. Across the Mess Hall, unnoticed by them, Halloway and Lori were watching.
"That's the fourth private chat over lunch Connor's had with one of Whickham's men today." Lori murmured. "I think his chow has been stone cold for about an hour now."
"Last guy was Whickham's Master Chief. You know what they're talking about?
"No idea about the last guy. This one's the head Techie here. Two of my guys managed to fry a few Terminators on patrol, brought the chips back to LA. Whickham's demanding they be turned over to his own Tech Support guys here in San Jose. Connor's trying to keep himself in the loop."
"Think Whickham would make such a fuss if he knew Connor had twelve more CPU's back at LA?" Halloway sipped his coffee. "Hey, has Whickham given you the pitch yet?"
"About coming on board with him officially?" Lori nodded slowly. "I don't want to work for Whickham. He's too... regular Army."
"And Connor's not?"
"Connor's a soldier; but he's not… I don't know. Whickham strikes me as the kind of guy who really has it together, but whatever it is he needs, Connor has more of it."
Halloway just looked at her. "That's a Two Star General you just demoted there."
"Big whoop."
Halloway swatted her lightly. "I been in the military my whole life Lori, it's a decent sized whoop. Particularly now."
"All I know is, if Whickham had found us first, we would have been drafted, and not invited to join up."
Halloway didn't have an answer for that.
"Major Eric Walters and Colonel John Connor, please report to General Whickham." The PA system suddenly piped up.
Connor stood, exchanged a firm handshake with his companion, and left, without so much as looking in Halloway and Lori's direction.
Halloway watched him leave. "Fourth guy today that Connor talked to?"
"Yep."
"I don't like the looks of this."
"Me neither." Lori licked her lips. "So. Who do you stand with?"
"Lori, I appreciate that politics don't stop just because the world's been nuked to the Stone Age, but relax. It's never going to get that far."
Lori smirked mirthlessly. "Write down the exact time and date you said that."
Walters was already there. He nodded respectfully to Connor, still at attention before the General, who got the first word. "Major Walters."
"Sir."
"You went to West Point?"
"Yessir."
"Impressive. How would you judge the current situation in LA?" He asked. "And please, speak plainly."
"I would say that we're doing surprisingly well given the hand that Skynet dealt us; given that the LA theater was not a military post, and there are no aircraft, armored vehicles or heavy artillery to help."
Whickham nodded. "Colonel Connor and I have been going over it. Gentlemen, this may not be a very popular action to take on your first day in my Base, but I'm promoting major Walters to Base Commander in the LA Underground. Connor, you're being put in charge of our Offensive Task Force in the Region."
"Sir…" Connor chose his words carefully. "With all due respect, LA is my Base. I'm the one that made it work. I won't deny that Eric is more than capable, but the people there have gotten used to a certain way of doing things."
"Major Walters?" Whickham invited his comments. "I told you before, speak plainly. I know you gave him the commission. Very few officers would draft someone they just met to be their own Commanding Officer."
Walters's throat worked and he look worried, but he spoke up finally. "Sir, the men trust Connor. They don't trust a whole lot, but they trust him. Before Connor came along, I was having trouble getting the men to stick around. No supplies came in, no pay was allocated, nowhere to spend it anyway. Mass desertion was a serious problem. Connor's voice on the radio was the only way I could convince my guys that there was still someone giving orders. Someone who knew what they were talking about anyway. Connor's involvement not only managed to rope them back together again, he told them what they needed, so that they could start hitting back. When he became more than a voice on the radio, putting him in charge seemed the only way to keep my Unit together."
"I agree." Whickham said. "Connor, there's no doubt that your men trust you, but they don't know as much about your past as they do about Walters. But Skynet does. They know your name. Now that you've figured out how to read information off Terminator CPU's, all that they know could get out."
Connor felt a trickle of fear. How much did Whickham know?
"Connor, your most useful skill in this war, as far as I can see, is your ability to motivate people, and your ability to turn a small defensive force into an offensive force that can take on greater opposition. We don't want to keep you at home; we need you out there, beating back the tide! That was always my intention once you showed me that you had a secure base in LA. I just needed to be sure that Eric Walters could do the job of protecting the civilians there and running things in the tunnels as well as you can. You taught him well, and now we need men who can step up and stop being shields and start being swords. And that's you."
"Yes sir." Connor said. It was the only thing to say.
"I'm giving you a new unit. The 201st. It'll be your own Unit under a new banner, plus another twenty five men from here. Some infantry, some pilots, five techies, and eight snipers. Based on what you've told me, it seems like your style of combat. I want you to make them part of your unit, and make them the silver bullet against Skynet. Can you do that?"
Connor grinned. "Better than anyone else possibly can."
"Do you have faith that Walters can hold the line you drew for him in LA with you gone?"
"I do."
Another 'execution'. Wickham had praised his men, confirmed that their Colonel wasn't needed, shown that Connor was valuable elsewhere, made it clear that Connor had made it happen himself, suddenly shown that he had as much concern for the wellbeing of the base in LA as anyone else did, and forgiven John for leaving them. And he made them have the conversation where they could both hear the other's viewpoint, not knowing how the other may react.
For the first time, Connor realized that General Whickham was better at this than he was.
Z Plus Two Years Two Hundred Ten Days
Carla came into the 'Castle Keep' Medbay, and found Kate flicking through their medical files, reading their history. "Carla, do you know a woman here named Amy Myles?"
"No."
"Me neither." Kate scribbled the name down in her notebook quickly and put the file away, picking up the next one.
Carla stood about five feet away from Kate and sort of stood there, rocking back and forth a little on her heels.
Kate didn't look up from the notebooks. "You're hovering Carla."
"Yes ma'am."
"Why are you hovering Carla?"
Carla licked her lips. "Um... I don't really know how to say this."
"Short and sweet would be good."
"Is Connor planning a coup?"
Kate dropped the notebook in her hand, and scrambled to pick it up. "Where the hell did you get that idea?"
"Well, scuttlebutt is that Connor has been hanging around the Mess Hall at weird hours. And that whenever one of Whickham's lieutenants or department heads comes in, he changes seats and eats with them. They talk for a while and then Connor leaves, and when whoever he eats with leaves, Connor's back a few minutes later."
Kate heard this and came to the same conclusion that Carla had. It sounded an awful lot like her husband was making his presence known among Whickham's soldiers. "Carla, we're all getting to know each other. It's the first time since the war started that there are new people to know, and we're all excited. John has this more than most because he's a Base Commander. The more he knows about the people he's working with, the better for all concerned."
Carla nodded, relived. "That's what I thought." She bit her lip. "See, Colonel Noah came to talk to me. Wanted to know about how I was fitting in with Whickham's medical staff, about how good my skills were... it felt like she was... recruiting me."
Kate smirked. "Well, I can't offer you a raise or anything..."
Carla chuckled. "So you haven't heard anything?"
"Nope."
"Well, if anybody would know about it, it would be you. John's your husband, Chet's been part of your family your whole life."
"That's right."
"So if there was something happening; if Connor and Whickham did mistrust each other, neither of them would probably want to tell you."
Kate sent Carla a pointed look. "Or both of them would. Or maybe, just maybe, there's nothing happening."
Carla nodded. "Yeah. I guess you're right."
Kate came into the VIP tent and sat down next to her Husband. "Are you planning a Coup?"
Connor did not react to the opening line. In fact, he kept looking at his notebook for several seconds. "What did you find out about where all the civilian women went?"
"John. I just asked-"
"So did I."
Kate stared at him a moment. "There are over fifteen women listed in the medical logs that don't have a rank. They were all getting regular check-ups, and several of them were listed as In Good Health. Then the records stopped. There's no sign of them after that. They aren't listed among the dead." Kate jumped back to her topic before John could interrupt. "So when did you start taking meetings with Uncle Chet's lieutenants?"
"Roughly three minutes after your Uncle Chet started having private meetings with Lori, and Halloway, and Saint, and Eric, and-"
"He's what?"
"And I had to do it while I was here, because once we get back to LA, I won't be around much."
Kate felt her heart speed up. "Why not?"
"Because General Whickham has given me command of my unit, plus some heavy munitions and a few reinforcements. he's ordered me to leave LA underground in the capable charge of my second in command Eric Walters, while I go on tour around the West Coast dealing offensive blows."
Kate froze. "That... that would put you in the firing line for months. Week after week!"
"I know."
Kate went white. "John... Tell me this is a joke."
"It's no joke." Connor said evenly. "I've been given charge of a task-force. My missions are at my discretion, but the directive is offensive moves against Skynet. He's promoting me out of the way."
"LA is your base John! You built it! You trained them there! You made that place safe!"
"I've made those same arguments and got nowhere. And what I did in LA? I did the same thing with The Alamo. We can't really hold on to things or places, or for that matter, people any more."
Kate licked her lips. "Carla's worried. Rumor is that Whickham is trying to get your lieutenants loyal to him and not you."
"He's making sure my power base will back me only as long as I back him."
"Let me go to Chet."
"And do what?"
"Figure out what's going on. He'll listen to me. Of all the soldiers in the world, he'll listen to me."
Connor turned his face away from her so that she couldn't see his expression. She knew him well enough to read past his poker face. She would know that he didn't think she could hold her Uncle back.
"Kate, I swear, there's nothing nefarious in it." Whickham assured her. "But your husband has a criminal record, and his second in command went to West Point. Your husband turned a ragtag group of refugees, into a Skynet Skeet shoot, and his second in command spent his career getting secure posts set up in hot spots around the world as a career soldier, as opposed to your husband who apparently got his command as a wedding present."
Kate almost swallowed her tongue. Whickham knew. "Chet, you told me once; that the Army is full of problem kids. You remember Batler?"
Chet smirked. "I remember some kid. I remember a judge that gave him a choice between an Army uniform and a prison yard. He signed on, straightened up... I seem to remember finding the two of you doing something decidedly un-military in my Motor Pool."
Kate didn't blush. "He was a Captain by the time J-Day rolled around, and if he was alive, he'd probably be a Colonel now. And Connor is worth ten thousand of him."
Whickham held up a hand. "Kate-"
"You either stand by your Army or you don't, and if you don't then you'd better take a close look at the world, because what really do you have to back you and your stars up anymore?"
"Kate-"
"You and my dad both made General, but not at the same speed. If my dad had told you to go to Iraq instead of your office back at Fort Baxter, you would have set the place on fire! Chet, I don't know what the problem is but I swear-"
"At EASE Major!" Whickham barked over her sharply.
Kate stopped her rampage and took a breath. "I'm sorry."
Whickham grinned. "You only ever get a full steam up over family. Connor must be the real deal."
"He really is." She took another breath. "Chet, the first thing you do when you meet him is turn him out of his base; and... The reasons you have are valid. And I agree with all of them, but it feels more like you're trying to get LA under your control. And if that happens, you would be putting me, and John, and Eric, and who knows how many other people into an impossible situation."
"I have LA under my control Kate. LA and all who fight in it are under my command." Whickham told her gently. "You're not worried about me taking control; you're worried about what happens if your husband disagrees with me. You know me Kate. Am I the sort that tells people to shut up when they don't agree?"
"No." Kate whispered, feeling foolish.
"The military does not practise democracy. Never has. If Connor thinks I'm wrong about something, tell him to approach me about it. Discreetly. And not in front of the people who have follow my orders. If such a moment doesn't present itself, then tell him to bite his damned tongue until one does. I'm not asking him to do things, I'm ordering him to. And the fact that he sends his wife to argue his case-"
"He didn't!" Kate insisted.
"Oh, and by the way Kitty-Kate," Whickham said with biting sarcasm. "You wear a Major's uniform too; and you have committed about three different acts of insubordination since you walked in. But I get that you love your husband, so you can feel free to walk out of here now and we'll forget this conversation."
"Okay." Kate said softly, feeling six years old.
"I won't tell him we argued. Connor comes from a pretty rough family Kate. You know his mom was actually in a mental institution for a while? It's no wonder that he has such a juvie record."
Kate blinked, feeling cold. "You know about that?"
"Oh good, he did tell you. I was worried that this guy you picked up on your way to Crystal Peak might have been hiding this stuff."
"Hey!" Kate objected sharply, fiercely protective of her family.
"Kate, I don't mind about his past. I really don't. You aren't wrong. The Army was full of problem kids long before the world ended. What matters now is how Connor treats you, and how he handles his responsibilities and his duties, whether to me, to his men, or the civilians in his charge."
How he handles his duties to you? Kate asked herself silently. Are you threatening my husband with his past Uncle Chet?
Carla felt a tug at her sleeve, and turned. One of the soldiers, a young woman with short cropped hair. Carla had noticed her watching the newcomers, more with hopeful curiosity than suspicion. Carla did a quick scan of her shoulders, and her nametag. "Corporal Curry."
"Please, Erin." Curry introduced herself.
"Good to meet you Erin." Carla nodded. "Call me Carla."
Curry seemed relieved. "You aren't military?"
"Not officially. I'm Medical."
Curry nodded. "You're from LA. Scuttlebutt says that there's going to be some transfers back and forth between San Jose and the LA Underground."
"Unofficially, that's what I hear."
Curry seemed nervous. "Do you think if I asked, I could be transferred to LA?"
Carla blinked. "Why?"
"Because I need a favour, and it's kind of a big one."
"Okay." Carla asked, completely lost. She just could not get a read on this girl. "What do you need?"
"That soldier I always see you with… you and he… are close?"
"Dex?" Carla felt her face flush. "Yeah… I guess so."
"he came here with Connor. I met him." Carry took a breath. "I don't want to get in the middle of anything, but I wanted…"
"Spit it out Corporal." Carla said finally.
"I want Dex to make me pregnant." Curry blurted finally.
Carla almost laughed, but managed to swallow it. "You're not serious."
Curry suddenly started talking a mile a minute. "I heard that you've got the same priority with medical to pregnant women in LA as we do here, and Dex seems like a nice guy, and I swear I don't want to make things tough between you and him, so I wanted to make sure it was okay with you first, because it's not like there's any other way to get pregnant anymore, plus if I asked someone here then it might make things difficult so if I went to somebody from outside this community then I just-"
Carla clapped a hand over Curry's mouth. "Breathe."
Curry did so.
"How old are you Erin?"
"Eighteen."
Carla glared at her, not buying it.
"In a few months." Erin confessed.
"You aren't a little young for this?"
"I'm almost eighteen Carla, in a few years, I'll be too old to have kids."
"Twenty one is not middle aged."
"It is if you don't live past your thirtieth birthday."
Carla felt smacked in the face with cold hard reality again. Every time she thought she had a handle on the world, something would happen to make her realise that her thinking was still back in the pre-J-Day world on something. All the rules had changed since she was this girl's age. Kids like Kyle were hardened veterans at ten years old; girls like Erin had to worry about being too old to survive Skynet by forty. "Why Dex?"
"Well… I figured if the father was from LA, then I could get the transfer… and you seem like a good person, and a nurse, so I thought you'd be good to have close to the baby… and Dex seems like a nice guy. He seems healthy… I don't want to pass on anything to the baby, or catch anything from…"
"He is, but there are nice healthy guys here too." Carla pressed.
"I don't want to have my baby here." Erin confessed. "I want to do it. If you say no… I'll understand, but I'm not trying to take him off you, I swear. I just met the guy… And if it's not Dex, it's going to be someone else."
Carla blinked.
Erin lowered her voice. "Look, you're an attractive woman, you seem pretty healthy too. I figure with things being the way they are, you must have thought about it. Someone must have approached you. If not for yourself, then for someone… everyone else…"
"Populate or perish." Carla whispered, remembering the conversation from long ago with Kate.
Erin seized on that. "Exactly. There's a dozen people I met on the road who wanted to have kids…. If only to add something to their lives, but a lot of them couldn't, because of all the radiation." She licked her lips. "I know I'm not ready to be a mother, but biology doesn't care about that. I can get out of the war for months, get all the medical stuff done for nothing, get well fed, lots of rack time, lots of priority care without risk; come back into the fight nine months from now healthier and stronger than more than two thirds of the rest of the Unit…"
"That's no reason to have a baby."
"Why not?" Erin asked. "There are a hundred people who want to just see children again. I can provide one. Yesterday I saw two orphans tearing each other apart over half a tin of rotten tuna. The civilians are all sleeping huddled together behind the motor pool. I can have a rack and three squares a day for months. Everything else has to be practical, why can't I be practical about this?"
"What did you tell her?" Kate asked.
"I told her I'd think about it." Carla mumbled. "She completely threw me. She's seventeen years old and coming at motherhood like it's a nine month health insurance policy."
"In a sense, that's what it is." Kate told her. "When Sarah was born, she stayed with me and John, but given the war, and the situation, Sarah's spent as much time with anyone else as she has with her parents… John told me once, that there's no such thing as a family unit, not anymore. Plenty of people are willing to raise a child that they don't dare have themselves. Carla, she has a point. We're racing extinction, and Skynet has a head start on us."
"You think I should agree?"
"I think you should at least talk to Dex. She's not asking him to marry her and raise her children, just make a donation. Something that people have been doing for a long time; it's just that we don't have clinics anymore."
"She said something about... about me being attractive, so I'd probably have been approached myself." she bit her lip. "Kate... I have been approached. A few women in the underground can't have kids after the radiation... Like you said, populate or perish…" Carla almost jumped to her feet. "I have to talk to Dex." She said decisively. She almost marched out of the room, and came back in a moment later, looking a little panicked. "Come with me."
"Carla."
"Please?"
Kate sighed and stood up. "Fine. I want to meet Curry anyway."
Carla led the way through the Castle Keep, and found Dex in the Mess Hall, in the middle of what looked like a somewhat awkward discussion with Erin Curry. They weren't sitting closely, but both of them jumped apart when they noticed Carla and Kate.
Awkward silence.
"Corporal, let's give these two a chance to talk."
"Yes ma'am." Curry said quickly, and stood up.
Carla sat down in her seat and looked shyly at Dex.
Kate put a friendly arm around Curry's shoulder and led the way to the door. Once out of the Mess, Kate leaned in calmly and asked the question. "So. Why don't you want to have the baby in San Jose?"
Curry reacted as though slapped. "I... Ma'am, I wouldn't..."
Kate fingers tightened on Curry's shoulder. "Erin, listen to me carefully. My baby was born in an underground army post. I know all about wanting someplace safe. I'm a mom. What is it about this place that worries you?"
Curry seemed to shrink. "You didn't get this from me."
Kate nodded.
"The most defended spot in the Keep is the Medical Wing. That's where we have the Nursery. But below that, there's an underground bunker. It used to be part of an office building. Behind the Medical Wing, there's a tunnel that leads down to it. Two checkpoints. That's all I'll tell you."
Kate, growing concerned, headed back toward the nursery, when she saw Eric taking a rucksack toward a jeep. "Eric?"
"Afternoon Ma'am."
"What's going on?"
"Orders from the Colonel. I'm to head back to LA. Connor felt that having the three highest ranking members of the Underground away for too long was a bad idea."
Kate distantly wondered if that was all, or if her husband was getting his key people away from Whickham's reach. "Well, tell everyone there I said hi."
"I will."
Kate remembered something. "One more thing, John wants an update on Gould's Lead Project. Report in with the standard codes."
"The Terminator CPU's? You don't really think we can reprogram them do you?"
Kate had a secret little smile, not unlike the one John often wore. "Yeah, I really do."
"Well, even if we could, I honestly couldn't see any of our guys working with machines around the base, can you?"
Kate blinked, suddenly picturing a walking chrome death machine helping Carla in Medbay, and a hand went unconsciously to her stomach. "Hm. That's a little tougher."
"Well, we ship out in an hour. Want to grab a bite to eat?"
"I have something I have to check up on first."
Kate had followed Curry's directions carefully, and had been stopped at the first checkpoint. A man in a Sargent's uniform, with a huge M-16 over his shoulder. If the man had any problems holding an impossibly huge weapon like that for long, he didn't show it as he stood guard. "Yes major?"
Kate pointed to the insignia on her collar. "Major Connor, Medical. I have to go in there."
The Sargent looked worried. "Is there an emergency? Is everyone all right in there?"
Kate didn't know what she was doing, but struggled to game through it. "I don't know yet. Let me in."
The guard stepped aside instantly. "Take care of them doc."
Kate made it down the hall. The walls were tightly packed, and concrete. The second checkpoint was heavily fortified. Thick barricades and what looked an awful lot like large mounted mini-guns tracking her all the way down the hall. "HALT!"
Kate raised her hands instinctively. "Don't shoot! I'm human!" Dimly, she wondered when a statement like that stopped sounding strange.
"Advance and be recognised."
Kate did so slowly. "I'm Major Connor, Chief Medical Officer, LA underground."
Silence.
"Is there a medical situation?"
"There may be. I'm to check on things and make sure that your own people didn't miss anything." Kate bluffed. "My uncle Chet sent me down here."
She hated to have to play the First Name card. Everyone on the base knew about this woman from the outside who called the General 'Uncle Chet' and nobody seemed to be eager to get in her way as a result. "All right. Are you coming in alone?"
Kate passed awkwardly around the mounted guns and sandbags. More than five guards, all with mounted fortified positions... she made it into the room, and froze as the door shut behind her.
The room was large, the size of any basement level of an office building. Lights had been strung, just as in LA's tunnels, but there were no windows to the outside. Being underground, there was an overpowering feeling of dimness, no matter how the lights were spaced. No bare dirt. The walls and floors were concrete, everything very neat and tidy. A large room, and it looked like a door at the opposite end, but Kate couldn't see where it led…
The room had several guards patrolling the edge of the room, each with a surgical mask and a large rifle...
And row after row of beds.
And in each bed, a noticeably pregnant woman.
There were nurses and doctors making rounds between each bed, checking charts, replacing IV's, taking blood tests. But none of the medical personnel were making contact with the patients themselves for long. The whole room felt more like a laboratory than a maternity ward.
There were very few people in the room standing up. Only the guards and the Medics. Kate was wearing Medical insignia, and she quickly grabbed a chart off one of the beds. "So... Susan? Huh. I knew a pregnant lady named Susan once."
The woman on the bed smiled at her. "Huh. Small world huh?" She looked Kate over. "A new face."
"Same one I've always had." Kate quipped. "How you feeling?"
"Bored. Same as always. It's not time for my shots yet is it?"
Kate checked the chart. The woman had been given regular shots of vitamin supplements... and mild sedatives? "Not yet... Um... are you getting enough sleep?"
Susan rolled her eyes. "Wow, you are new aren't ya?" She looked over Kate's uniform. "You a soldier?"
Kate smiled. "Who isn't these days?"
"Well... I'm not. Not yet anyway. I suppose I will be once I deliver."
"Really?" Kate asked in surprise. "You want to into the war?"
"Yeah. Most of the women who come down here have a kid, then decide to volunteer. Sometimes two. This is my second. But for all the danger, you actually have something to do when you wear a uniform." She patted her stomach. "Junior here keeps me fed, keeps me safe, and I love him. But you just want to see the sky again, y'know? Even if just for a little while?"
Kate swallowed, remembering the checkpoints suddenly. These women had probably been in here since... "It's not good to stay in a bed the whole time."
Susan waved over at the door opposite the entrance. "Oh there are a few exercise machines in there; they take us over in shifts. But when you're at six months, there's not a lot of difference between sweating in bed and sweating on a treadmill. Lousy airflow down here y'know."
Kate was almost sweating herself. "Yeah. Your doctor should know better."
Susan shrugged. "I hear it was a problem back before. Amy had trouble with it; so they started bringing oxygen tanks down."
"Amy? Amy Myles?"
Susan gestured over to the bed at the far wall. "She's the old-timer. Been down here almost since J-Day. Longer than any of us."
Kate glanced over and felt her stomach lurch. The woman in question was barely moving, eyes closed, with an oxygen mask over her face, and IV tubes in each arm. "My god..."
Susan tried to smile. "So... how about you? Any kids?"
"Yeah." Kate smiled softly. "A daughter."
Susan beamed. "My first was a son."
"Where is he now?"
"Somewhere the next level up. Somewhere in the nursery. The nurses let me know how he's doing."
Kate stared. "You haven't even seen him?"
"Not for a while." The woman looked gamely at Kate. "Why? Does that bother you?"
"Well... yes, frankly."
Susan licked her lips. "Listen... I don't want to get you in trouble, but... Can you get me out of here? Just for a little while? I haven't seen my son... hell, any other face, in months. They don't let us leave. They say it's not safe. Is that true? Is it still that dangerous?"
Kate reeled away from her.
"Major."
Kate turned, and saw Colonel Erica Noah staring her down, flanked by two guards. They did not look pleased.
Kate growled under her breath. "What? Chet having me followed now?"
"Major Connor, you are not authorized to be in this area. Please follow me."
Kate stood, and the guards flanked her instantly. "Well, it was nice meeting you Susan."
"Nice meeting you!" Susan called after them.
Noah came into Whickham's Office and saluted. "Sir, Major Connor is here, as requested."
"Show her in."
Kate was escorted in, looking madder than all hell. Whickham nodded to her guards, who quickly left. "Kate. Don't ever do that again." He growled. "The guards down there have Shoot To Kill orders for unauthorized personnel. Our past relationship is the only reason they let you through. You could have gotten yourself in so much trouble… not two hours ago, I made it clear that you can't get away with insubordination, much less trespassing in restricted areas! If you were anyone else, you would have been shot by those guards-"
"Why? Because they have orders not to let anyone find your little assembly line for making babies?" Kate snarled.
Whickham took the news coolly. If it bothered him, there was no sign. "That's hardly an accurate way of putting it."
"How would you put it?"
"Saving human existence. Kate, I've got close to a dozen strategists in here, and they've all done the math. If things keep on as they are, humanity will be ground out of existence in less than fifteen years."
"Then why don't you have the Babies under that same protection?"
"Keeping our eggs in more than one basket for one, misdirection if Skynet ever gets in another, and the fact that having a new Generation around is fantastic for Morale." Whickham explained evenly. "A baby killed is one tragic loss. A pregnant woman killed is two tragic losses. If a Terminator kills a pregnant woman, it's a two for one victory to Skynet."
"Chet, it looked like a prison camp down there. Armed guards patrolling the beds, checkpoints in the tunnel leading to them..."
"Prison Camps are built to keep people in Kate. The maternity ward was made to keep people out."
Kate felt her heart speed up further. He wasn't even claiming ignorance. "What?"
"This war is about genocide. Your husband already has children on the battlefield! Those women need to be protected."
"By locking them up till they have the baby? And then what? Let them out long enough to get pregnant again? Or do you bring people in for that too?"
"Kate, it's not like I put a bag over their heads and dragged them down there in chains..."
"Chet, you had everything but handcuffs on the bedposts!" Kate exploded.
Whickham's gaze levelled her. "Kate. Listen to me now." He commanded. "Your husband's done the math too. He's given priority on everything to pregnant women. Food, medicine, clothing, shelter, and really, what else is there to offer them after that?" Chet asked.
Kate didn't waver. "How about choice?"
"How about it?" Chet shot back. "There were very few healthy women left to begin with; and of them, the radiation had made some of them infertile and of the rest, a lot simply couldn't handle the stress of pregnancy... Kate, I've read the reports concerning Sarah's birth. You're a mom. And until you came here, the only one in the world that you knew about. Kate, we've got the only population that's growing. You don't see the benefit of that?"
Kate didn't have an answer for that. For all the things John had done, there was only a few newborn babies, and still plenty of casualties.
"How do you think we survived the virus?" Chet went on, irrefutable, certain... "We had two dozen pregnant women already here. We found the cure the same way you did. And nobody died."
Kate felt her jaw drop. She could still feel the weakness in her bones from her own infection. "Nobody?"
"Nobody. Kate, we've got the same rule in this base as you do. Everybody works. Those women down there, are pampered. Fawned over. Given the best of everything left, all for the cost of brining more life into the world. That's a steal at twice the price."
"And me Chet? If I had been with you, and not with John, would you have me down there too?"
Whickham looked up at her sharply. "Kate… of course I would. That room is the safest, most heavily defended place for over a thousand miles, and you're a healthy young woman. Why wouldn't I do what was right for you, and right for the whole human race in one stroke?"
Kate was floored. Did her uncle really think it wasn't that bad? "Uncle Chet…"
"I'm not your Uncle, Katie; I'm your Commanding Officer." Whickham said sharply. "We are at the edge of extinction here. You may think it's something out of a horror movie, but find me anywhere left that isn't. Survival does not ask for cute and cuddly. Survival does not tolerate hesitation. The only way to be sure that future generations will be disgusted with me and my methods, is to ensure that are future generations."
Kate had that 'execution' feeling again. In two minutes, he had admitted his ruthlessness, made his case, refuted her arguments, revealed the flaws in her reasoning, reminded her it was not a choice, reminded her how desperate the situation was, made it seem like a reasonable response and forgiven her for arguing.
What would John say? Kate asked herself.
"Uncl… General." Kate started again. "It's not that I disagree on any particular point…"
Whickham gave her an infinitely forgiving look. "Kate, we go back a long way, you and I. And your father and I before that. I know how much you risked becoming a mother in this wretched little world, and I am so proud of you, and your courage. But if you had the baby here, you never would have gotten sick, and no lunatic would have gotten within a hundred feet of your baby." He looked sadly into her eyes, nothing but sympathy. "Kate… If you had been here with me, Sarah would have a big brother or sister right now."
And once again, Kate didn't have an answer. She just stared at him, frozen at the point of speech. Damn you. Damn you for playing that card. Damn you for bringing that up.
A radio buzzed somewhere, and a voice came over to PA. "General Whickham, Colonel Connor; please report to the CIC."
Whickham stood to go, and Kate reached out a hand to stop him. "W-What will you tell John?" She asked finally.
"And why would I tell Connor anything? This isn't his base. Kate, when they put these stars on your shoulder, they take away the part in your brain that makes you have to explain your orders. Why do I have to justify anything to the Colonel?"
Because he's going to be in charge of this war one day. Kate thought. So it doesn't look good for you, Uncle Chet. Kate was in a spin, torn by loyalties she never knew she had.
Whickham held out a hand to her. "Now come on. Whatever's got us called to CIC, Connor will probably want his wife with him. Especially since she's the highest ranking officer under his command, now that Walters is heading back to LA."
Kate stared at his hand for a second. "I... I have to see to something real quick. I'll meet you in the CIC."
Major Walters nodded to his driver, when he heard a distant voice calling his name. He turned and saw Kate sprinting toward the convoy. "Waitwaitwait! One more bit of cargo to give you. Get this back to LA safely. Do it yourself."
She had a bundle in her arms, and handed it up to Walters.
Eric pulled back part of the bundle to discover the cherubic face of baby Sarah Connor snoozing. "Ma'am?" Walters was shocked, to say the least. "The passage between LA and San Jose is clear, but I don't think..."
Kate put a hand out to Eric gently. "Eric, I love Chet. He's the uncle I never had. But I trust LA more. I trust the underground. I trust the people John trained over the people I just met. I want my baby safe, and for all the hardware, I feel safer in the Underground." She looked Eric in the eye intensely. "I trust you to keep her safe."
Walters took that seriously. "Yes Ma'am."
"Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go see someone."
Kate saw John heading for the CIC from the opposite side of the compound, coming out of the Mess Tent, and she rushed to catch up with him before they went into the CIC. "Talking with General Whickham's Supply Chief?"
"He's a good man. Career man. Career military is a tough nut to crack. For all my talents I was a fugitive five years ago."
"John, I think you're right. I think that just because we're on the same side doesn't mean we're on the same team. A castle can only have one King."
"I don't distrust your uncle Kate. I just don't think he trusts me, and if I were anyone else, I wouldn't care, but..."
"But you're John Connor. You have to be in charge because you are." Kate agreed. "I just gave Sarah to Eric. I told him to take her back to LA personally."
John stopped walking and stared openly at her. "When did this happen?"
"Two seconds ago."
"Why?"
"You were right. Eric has been having a number of private conversations with Chet, and if you're worried about him turning your people to his side... You're right. Career soldiers are always sure who to follow. Chet can give Eric a big speech about chain of command and loyalty, and duty, and honor. But we can hand him our firstborn. I think that if we're going to break twenty years of training and tradition, we have to make it personal. Also, because there's lots of babies here, and Sarah has a near Saintly quality on the people in the Underground where she's the one of the kind."
They were perfectly logical reasons. But they weren't the real reasons. Distantly, Kate realised that it was the first time she had said 'we' instead of 'you' and openly declared her allegiance to her husband over her uncle, even if nobody noticed.
Nevertheless, John beamed at her. "Pretty slick."
"I had a good teacher."
The Connors entered the CIC, and the day got a whole lot colder.
"Skynet has begun its next offensive." Noah said bluntly once the Commanders were assembled. "Lori's scouts reported troop deployments heading to the northwest, our AWACK reported that two more divisions were heading east. We drew on a map to the point where those two directions would intersect, and routed one of our UAV spy-Drones in that direction."
"We have here an opportunity." Whickham said finally. "Connor, I told you that the goal of our campaign thus far was to starve the brain of a body. Skynet's offensives have stopped until now because they're building up forces. Like you said, Brute Force is the only way a computer mind outthinks a human one. Skynet is sending brute force in. If we can take apart this army, we'll have destroyed most of Skynet's battle-ready warriors. All that material, all that work and time, wiped out."
"Or we are." Kate put in.
Connor nodded. "Doesn't mean he's wrong Kate. Either this is our most crushing defeat, or it's theirs."
Whickham looked at Noah. "Do we have an ETA?"
"Yes and no. Reports on sighting didn't measure up; so I dispatched scouts to maintain contact from a distance. They're stopping periodically to collect reinforcements."
Whickham took that in and turned to The Colonel. "Connor, take your unit and inflict as much damage on Skynet's invasion force as possible."
"The layout of the advancing force is specially laid out to prevent that." Connor regarded the surveillance photos. "The Army isn't marching. It's coming in small groups. One section advances while two more move to counter its flanks. If we hit any one of these groups, the others will move in to counter attack." Connor bit his lip, thinking. "Skynet learned that from us."
"You think so?"
"Look at the layout of the advancing invaders. Heavy Artillery has two smaller ground troop units to cover its movements. Just like your own defences here." Connor shook his head. "I don't know how your defences will stand up to a grinding attack like this."
"They aren't coming here." Whickham told him. "The invasion is following the old highways. Some of our scouts are there to keep them clear for our own forces. Skynet's heading for LA."
Kate felt her heart race. "LA. We've gotta warn the Underground."
"We can't." Whickham and Connor said in the same moment.
"Skynet can almost certainly crack anything we use to encrypt our communications. That's why we use code words. In any case, it doesn't matter. We can get a runner to LA before Skynet's forces get here."
Noah piped up at that. "Intelligence says that the Invaders haven't started moving yet. They've been travelling slowly and stopping periodically to gather more reinforcements."
Connor stared at the reports. "Are these numbers accurate?"
"Yep. Confirmed a few minutes ago."
"This is bigger than anything we've ever taken on."
"Us too. It's going to be quite a fight." Whickham commented. "But if we're going to take advantage of it, we need to do more than just block the assault. If Skynet's throwing everything it can spare at us, it will leave its own forces with a skeleton defence."
Connor considered. "We could gain a lot of ground if we took advantage of it, but if that Invasion force gets here, it won't matter. We have to take it out first, and we can't match that kind of power on the open road."
"What would you suggest then?"
"Let them hit LA." Connor said. "The LA skyline is an H/K death-trap. If Skynet sends in its forces one group at a time we can knock them down. If they send them in all at once, we can deal much harder damage and have any wounded much closer to base, and when they get close you can have your people attack them from the rear. We can set up a crossfire."
"I wouldn't want that many H/K's coming in so close to the civilians." Whickham pointed out. "They'll send in enough power that you can't overcome them all, no matter how good your sappers are. Terminators marching in at the same time as Flying H/K's. Your men will be overrun. Inevitable when your teams are only a few people shifting in and out. The weakness of the Guerrilla Tactic; you can't run a battlefield."
"And you can't move enough of your heavy artillery to block all those H/K's. The disadvantage of the Front Line solution; you can't be as invisible."
"No, Connor. I get where you're coming from on this. Your tactics have all been strike and withdraw, but that's not going to work here. That Invasion Force is mobile, and armed, and far too powerful for hit and run."
"Due respect General, but we don't have anything that can hit a force that large."
Whickham smiled. "I do. I'm putting our tactical wing under your command for the duration of this battle, and I'm also giving you the 601st. Tactics and strategy is your prerogative."
Connor nodded. "Yessir."
Whickham turned to his people. "Colonel Noah, issue orders to have our men standing by. Major Marsden, you'll be our liaison between his unit and ours. Major White, have our Medical personnel standing by and have your reservists at the LA Underground. Connor, direct any wounded to your own base; it'll be closer. Sparks, I want a full list of targets and strategic points we can take control of while the bulk of Skynet's army is diverted by our counter-attack. Connor, do you have enough vehicles at your Motor pool for your own people?"
"Yessir."
"Good. All right people, move like you have a purpose. Prepare to engage."
The CIC erupted into a hive of focused deliberate activity. The adrenaline was flowing; the voices carried an undercurrent of anxiety that came from the certainty of imminent combat. Orders started snapping out, and responses coming back just as fast.
With everyone busy, Connor went to the table and started studying the map, checking the topographic details, picturing the scene; and Whickham took the opportunity to sidle up to Kate discreetly. "Kate? You want to keep Sarah here for the duration of the battle? If Connor can't do it, LA will be the first place hit."
Kate glared at him.
"I know you don't approve, but if Skynet gets here, the Maternity ward will be the last place they could get their Terminators into. Twenty Four hours to keep your daughter safe."
"Sarah's on her way back to LA already." Kate informed him coldly. "I trust them there."
Whickham glanced about quickly, and got in close. "Kate, if I have lost your respect... then that's a shame, because I never had a daughter of my own to love. Only you. But I make no apologies for the methods I use to spare the human race from extinction. If you or Connor can find a more noble way to achieve the same result, please, I welcome it; please point it out to me."
Kate was silent. "I have to go now. I have a base to prepare for casualties and a baby daughter to tuck in." She turned on her heel and left.
Whickham turned away from the door as she left, and noticed Connor still at the maps. "Something wrong Colonel?"
"Something makes no sense to me." Connor mumbled. "The Invasion Force is gathering in one place before it moves our way en masse, right?"
"That's what Intel suggests."
"Then why are they gathering there?" Connor pointed at the map. "Their reinforcements were closer to the route between here and Phoenix. It would be more efficient for them to make their way here and just collect their reinforcements as they come. Why make those unit's double back?"
"Making modifications?" Whickham guessed. "Maybe there's something in Phoenix that Skynet wants its army to go through."
Connor was still looking at the map. "Maybe. I don't know."
Whickham nodded. "You think it's a problem?"
Connor was silent a moment. "Not in any way i can see. It doesn't change our plans at all."
"Can you take them?"
"Without the usual cover... it's gonna be a dogfight."
Whickham nodded. "Once upon a time, it was all about two armies charging each other. Then it became about holding trenches and front lines. Then it was about operations and air support. Now it's about endurance. Either they're the last one standing, or we are." Whickham looked over the maps again. "You really think that we should let them hit LA?"
"No. I wanted to give my people as much cover for a battle as I could. Skynet knows that trick now; that's why they're sticking to the highways; keeping themselves in the open. But you were right; we can't knock down the H/K's and the Terminators at the same time. Either one or the other gets through, and they're at our front door when they do." Connor sighed and ran a hand through his crew cut. "I just don't like the idea of going to them. We're going to take heavy losses. Skynet's army rolls off an assembly line."
"But an assembly line still needs resources. Skynet has a finite amount of materials, just as we do. We've been hitting heavy metal stores and mines. We can hit the resources, and they can't move the Terminator factories. We can starve them out!"
Connor's eyes flashed. "And we break that Army, we can do it fast. We can burn so much of what they have to cover the whole area, trash the factories before they can replace their armies… I just wish we had something better than the Charge of the Light Brigade."
Whickham smirked. "May we have better luck." He nodded. "You were right too. In a straight up fight, your people on an open playing field would lose. Probably mine too, even with the armoured vehicles and the air support. If you can set up an ambush somewhere along that highway…"
"None of my people know that area real well."
Whickham nodded "I have a few recon patrols still in that area. I can have them find a place for you to set up. But after that, it's all on you. Tactics are still going to be the edge we have over the Drones."
Connor smirked. "My mom told me once, that the war game is the easiest in the world to play. Last man to shoot wins."
Whickham grinned coldly. "I intend to be the last man standing."
Connor grinned, equally cold. "So do I."
For just a moment too long, both soldiers stared each other down.
"You'd better get back to LA and warn your people. If you can wait a day, our troop carriers will take you. Carry on Colonel."
"Yes sir."
Z Plus Two Years Two Hundred Eleven Days
Kate and John were curled up in the back of the troop carrier. Dex and Carla were at the other end, giving their commanders some time in relative privacy.
John sat against the wall of the carrier, in the corner. Kate curled up in front of him, leaning back against his chest. The moving truck rocked them both gently.
"What are you thinking?" John asked her.
"Wondering what Chet would say if he knew the truth. About you. Wondering what he would do if he knew the story of the Great John Connor." She rolled her head back to look up at him. "I was tempted… to tell him everything. He's not sure about you. He knows that you were a civilian till we met Eric, but everything he knows about you says you're a good soldier, just thrown into an army you never wanted to lead."
"I am." John smirked against her hair and avoided the unspoken question. "He loves you like a daughter Kate. It was nice, seeing you with him."
Kate was thinking about the things she had learned about her uncle's actions; and the way he'd treated her husband, and the way he was gathering influence among John's men... and for once, she wondered if Chet losing power would be that bad. Kate almost smiled. "You know that he introduced my parents?"
"Really?"
"Mmhm. Him and my dad were practically brothers. I told you that my dad was never a GI, but he got put through college on a military scholarship. Chet and my dad were college roomies."
John had a bittersweet smile. "What he said, about how you looked like your mom."
Kate tensed. "Yeah?"
"You never talk about her."
"Not much to say." Kate leaned back tighter into her husband. "Some women can live like Army Wives, some women change their minds and decide to stay in one place, even when their husbands and daughters do not."
John gave her a squeeze. "Thinking about Becki?"
"Becki and Sarah." Kate confirmed. "It's not an easy life at the best of times."
"Yeah, but Kate, think of how truly lucky you are. Of all soldiers left in the world, you have family in both bases. Wherever you get stationed in this particular war, you're home."
Kate smirked.
"What?"
"Nothing, just... you were so worried you'd never be able to get people to follow you. You can handle people so easily now. I'm your wife, and I don't even know if you're doing it to me."
John chuckled, as Dex came over. "Am I intruding?"
"Have a seat Dex."
Dex sat down against the fabric wall. "I imagine by now, you know about Corporal Curry's… request."
Connor nodded. "It shows character that she went to Carla first. She doesn't want to make things difficult Dex."
Dex nodded. "I suppose it is kind of flattering that she wants it to be me, but… I don't know."
"Dex, from a purely practical standpoint, it's the right thing to do. Another human being in the world. The problem you have is that it feels wrong." Connor said. "This is a war for Humanity. Feeling things is the whole point. There's an old saying Dex. 'It takes a village to raise a child.' Heaven knows I didn't have a clue about kids when I became a father. Still don't. But this isn't just your kid we're talking about, it's all of ours. Every one of us have a stake in the next generation born. There's no such thing as 'someone else's' baby any more Dex."
Dex thought about that for a long time and looked back at Carla. "What about..."
Kate seemed to read his mind. "Surrogacy is nothing new Dex. It's been an accepted process for a long time now. We just got used to hospitals and clinics."
Dex looked seriously back at Carla. "Permission to be dismissed sir?"
"Granted."
Dex went back over to Carla, slid in next to her gently, and put an arm around her.
"What would you do?" Kate whispered.
"If Curry had come to you and not Carla, what would you say?" John asked her in turn. "You know what does interest me though."
"What?"
"Why doesn't she want the baby to be born in San Jose?"
"I don't know." Kate closed her eyes and snuggled against him tightly, before he could see her face. "Love you husband."
"Love you wife."
AN: I don't know a whole lot about the technologies involved, and I am not military. I would also like to apologize if I got any of the geography wrong. I got everything I know from Google Maps. I don't live in the USA.
For anyone who is bothered by the issues of kids in combat, or the Maternity Ward, I would just like to say before you flame me, that the whole point of this story is; how does something like a post-apocalyptic war change the rules? How do people react? Before anybody gets outraged; just remember, this isn't our world we're taking a walk through here.
Read and Review!