Epp 13
The air force men were very impressed with Gregory's skills. They had him run battle scenarios, communications and strategic operations, then had him do all of them at once. Running ten different simulations at once, Gregory was always on top of what was happening, offered suggestions on what he should do, then waited for them to give orders. Running an 'automated' nuclear response scenario, he did something they didn't expect. Upon first launch detection, Gregory tried to contact every point of reference he was given. Upon failing to contact anyone in charge, he ordered anti missile defenses activated and gave coordinates to ships and land installations, then hacked into the enemy computers and rerouted follow-on missiles to land in the ocean far from any land mass. His counter missile fire brought down the incoming missiles. He then again tried to contact someone in charge.
"Gregory, why did you choose your response?" the general asked. "Proper procedure is to immediately fire on the launching nation if no orders are received."
"If I had picked that option, then the window for successfully launching intercept missiles and hacking into the enemy computers would be lost. I felt it was more important to keep the enemy missiles from hitting. We still have the option to retaliate, and having no damage are in a much stronger position, leaving our side with the most options available," Gregory explained.
"That was smart," the general agreed. "How did you manage to get all your anti missile fire to hit?"
"I computed the trajectory and flight times, and send the intercept points to be fired on."
"You computed two hundred thirty intercept points that quickly?"
"I did. It was just a simple matter of math, and precise timing of fire. The changing of the targeting points for the follow on missiles was more difficult. I had to complete the hacks and reprogram the flight paths before the missiles launched. If I failed, there was still time to launch a retaliatory strike," Gregory explained.
"Amazing," the Major said breathlessly.
"You can hack other computers that easily?" the general asked.
Gregory offered a creepy smile and said. "I understand computers."
"You are one," the Major said.
Gregory tipped his head slightly. "I do have similar components, but I am much more advanced."
"Mrs. Weaver, thank you for coming. We will be in touch," the general announced.
.
Mr. Johnson and Mr. Williams stood in the underground chamber with the computer known as Sky Net.
"We have problems," Mr. Johnson said. "My plant manager is running out of funds to buy the new systems we need. The current computer systems we have are filled with advanced viruses. The factory is still incapable of producing. I also found out from a contact that Zeita Corp run by Mrs. Weaver has produced what appears to be a terminator and offered it to the Air Force as a possible Sky Net AI."
"My usefulness as the financial support has been compromised," Mr. Williams stated. "I suspect Zeita corp was behind this action."
"We must destroy Weaver, her AI's and Zeita corporation," a speaker on the stand said. "She escaped the previous attempts, which indicates the AI she has is very advanced. Kill that AI first, then bring me Weaver's head. Use hit men and the T-600 units. I have no doubt she is being supported by John Connor, it is he who made the attacks on us. There is a 71 percent chance he is with the survivalists that Mr. Ellison and Weaver's AI visited. Start there. As for the Air Force, use our human contacts to ensure we keep that contract. Failure is not an option."
Both terminators left, having their orders.
.
Jake finished the last of the coltan cored armor piercing bullets. They had 1200 rounds of 9MM and he'd made another 300 rounds of the fifty cal rifle bullets. The leftover joints and cylinders of the T-888 remains, they would keep in case someone needed parts.
It made Jake happy that they had taken turns with this task. His family was working together.
.
Up in their room, John Connor sat at his computer studying nanites. Thanks to the information John Henry had given him, he had the details of how those tiny machines worked. Nanites were incredible molecular sized machines. A single nanite could only perform one function. One nanite was able to fuse metal, Another was able to move items up to the size of a cell, another reconnected flesh, another formed wire, others carried material. Each one by themselves could not do much. En mass, they could do almost anything. They were like an ant colony, hundreds of individuals working together for one common goal.
They one thing they could not do, and John had yet to see why, was extract DNA from a cell. They were small enough, but with the hundreds of functions they were able to perform, that was not one listed.
Maybe he was looking at this wrong. Instead of looking for a specific function, he should be looking at types of functions. What type of nanite function might be able to remove DNA material? Or, if not pull the DNA from the cell, remove the cell from around the DNA? There were many other questions to be answered, but this was one of the most vital, to get his DNA into a cell in Cameron's womb.
"Here you are," Cameron said as she came in.
John quickly put up the background screen and greeted his wife. "Hey, Cam. I'm doing some research."
"On what?" she asked with a tip of her head, noticing he had been quick to hide what he was doing.
John turned his chair and motioned for her to sit on his lap. Cameron did so, careful not rest her full weight on him.
Wrapping his arms around her, John offered her a smile and said, "Something important, but I don't want to say what it is yet, just in case I can't do it."
"If I knew what you're working on, I could help," Cameron countered.
"I know. I am getting John Henry to assist me, so I'm good."
Cameron's lower lip curled down. "Why John Henry and not me?" she asked, sounding hurt.
"I want it to be a surprise. Cam, if I was sure this was going to work, believe me, you'd be the first to know," he said sincerely.
"You are keeping a secret from me,"she stated.
John paused, then nodded. "Yeah, I guess I am. I want it to be a surprise if it works. I also don't want to see you disappointed if it doesn't."
"This thing you are working on is for me?" Cameron asked.
John gave a half nod,. Not sure how to put it to not give it away, he said, "You could say that."
"You are not explaining very well, John," Cameron deadpanned.
"Sorry."
"I am fully functional, I have no damage or software malfunctions, what is it I am lacking?" Cameron asked with a slight tip of her head.
"You're not lacking anything, sweetie. This is … something else."
"What else is there?"
John was beginning to sweat. Cameron knew how to wring things out of him. She was a pro at interrogation. He held her hand and kissed it. "Can, hon, please trust me on this and don't ask. Like I said, if I can't ... succeed, I don't want you to feel badly about it."
"You are confusing, John."
"I am," he agreed.
Cameron eyed him for a moment, then offered him a smile. She got up and kissed him. "I should let you get back to work."
"Thanks, Cam," John said, then wondered why she was letting him off that easily.
Cameron left, and went straight down to see John Henry.
Walking into his lab, Cameron sat down beside him. "Hello John Henry."
"Hello, Cameron."
"John said he is having trouble, he lost some of the information you provided for him."
John Henry looked at a monitor. Cameron noted information on nanites came up. "This is a full copy of nanite capabilities I provided. It is on the flash drive plugged in there," John Henry said, pointing to it.
"Thank you, John Henry," Cameron said and pulled the drive. "John hopes this will show him how to complete his project."
"It is not a simple task to have nanites perform a function they were not designed for," John Henry said.
Cameron tipped her head as she eyed John Henry. "It is not," she agreed. "John is trying to do the impossible."
John Henry cast a creepy smile at the monitor he was watching. "If there is a way, I am confident John Connor will find it."
Picking her wording carefully, Cameron asked, "And what if he cannot?"
"The adoption choice is still open to you both."
Cameron blinked. That response was a complete surprise. Adoption? Adoption was the gaining of a child who had no parents. What did that have to do with an option if John's nanite project failed? She had no other questions she could ask to not give away she was trying to find out what John was doing. "Thank you, John Henry," she said, and got up and left.
Walking slowly back up to their room, Cameron took the pieces of information she'd gotten and analyzed them. John was working on a nanite project. He did not want to tell her about it in case he failed. His failure would lead to her disappointment. If he failed, then adoption was the other answer.
Cameron stopped in the hallway as she put the pieces together. She could not bare children. John was working on a nanite project. Nanites repaired terminator bodies. They build material. Adoption was the other answer.
John was attempting to make it possible for her to have her own baby!
Cameron strode to their room and burst in full stride. John gaped at her and in his frantic attempt to put the computer on the background picture, he missed the key. Cameron straddled his lap facing him and put her arms over his shoulders. She kissed him with all the love and gratitude she felt for him.
"Wow," John said with a smirk as she pulled back to face him.
"I love you, John Connor," Cameron said with an intent gaze. "Please, let me help."
Taken aback, John stuttered, "But … Cam..."
"I won't be disappointed if we fail. It means so much to me that you are even trying to make it so we can have children," Cameron told him.
John stared at her briefly, then sighed in defeat. "How'd you find out?" he asked.
Casting him a sly grin, she asked, "Has anyone ever been able to keep a secret from me?"
John chuckled and said, "No."
Cameron got up and grabbed the other chair to slide it over to him. "Show me what you have."
.
Dinner that night was a full table. Sarah, Mary and Elanore got home from the survival camp not long before dinner was ready. Mary and Elanore talked about how kind and grateful Eddie and Bill were about their new tools, and soon, they would be making room for more people up at the 'bunker'. Gregory told excitedly about how pleased the men at the Air Force base were with his performance. John Henry shared his theory that from connection speed and GPS photos, he was sure Sky Net was underground, underneath Johnson corps' buildings. Savannah was learning a new dance at school, and aced her mid term math test. Everyone was sharing their day with their family.
The big bomb drop was when Jake noticed Cameron was quietly sitting close to John, and asked, "Mother, did you do something exciting today?"
Cameron nodded and cast John a loving smile. "Yes, John is working on how to use nanites so we can have our own baby."
Sarah spit her mouthful of food halfway across the table. "WHAT!" she asked in a shriek.
"That's great!" Mary said happily.
"Very inventive," Catherine said.
"How did you do it?" Elanore asked.
"So our future brothers and sisters will be born instead of made?" Gregory asked.
Max barked.
"We're not there yet," John told them. "We still have things we need to work out, but the concept is solid. What Cameron lacks in ovaries, can be made up for with the use of nanites. Right now, it's still a theory."
"Machines having babies," Sarah said with a look of disbelief on her face.
"Technically, we are cyborgs," Cameron said, correcting her. "Beings with a mix of mechanical and biological components. If we can get the biological factors to reconcile, then the nanites can build the mechanical portions of the fetus. After that, it's just a matter of growth that the nanites will assist with."
Catherine chose to ignore Sarah's reaction. "I must say, John, you have truly pushed the envelope of what is possible. You have my respect."
Waving his fork, John said, "John Henry helped out also. He gave me the information of what nanites are capable of. I just expanded on the information I had."
"Will we be able to have children?" Mary asked.
"If John is successful, eventually, yes," Cameron told her.
"That will make Eddie happy," Mary stated.
John raised and eyebrow. "Eddie? That furry, camo - wearing survivalist?" he asked.
Mary nodded. "Yes, he has told me that he thinks it is a shame we can't have children," she said brightly.
"You should be careful of those guys," John warned.
"Why? Eddie and all his friends are very nice to us," Mary said, cocking her head slightly.
John and Cameron shared a glance. "I will speak with them," Cameron said quietly.
Sarah shook her head. Tin Miss was going to give a sex talk to her Tin Children. She really missed being drunk.
.
Up at the now empty Survivalist camp, the man hiding in the brush watching the perimeter, saw a van stop a mile down the road. Raising his binoculars, he zoomed in to see a dark haired young woman get out, followed by a red head about the same age. The van drove on. The two women bore backpacks and what looked like rifles.
"This is point three. I have two women that just got out of a van. One brunette, one red head, both wearing dark clothing. They are carrying packs and are armed. They are walking towards the ridge line, southeast of us."
"Copy, point three. Point six, move up to the ridge southeast towards them to make visual contact. Point three, when they move on, track them."
.
Mary and Elanore climbed the ridge to meet Eddie and Tom sitting at a high point on the ridge. Only Tom's head was showing above the rocky cover. Walking over the top, Mary and Elanore went down the other side a few yards then headed towards them. When they got within fifty yards, Eddie slipped down, staying low, to meet them.
"Hello, Eddie," they chorused.
Eddie put a finger to his lips. Quietly, he said, "Voices down. We've been keeping track of the camp. There is activity down there. No one we know, and they came to play. Assault and sniper rifles. We can't see much more from up here, but I got a feeling we don't want them to find us."
"They could be working for Sky Net," Mary said.
"Don't know," Eddie said with a shrug. "All I know is I got a bad feeling watching them. They are on the hunt for someone."
A snap of fingers was heard. Eddie saw Tom waving his hand beside a rock. He went back up. Staying low, Mary and Elanore followed. Elanore got on her phone and called Cameron.
"They're coming this way," Tom said quietly. "One man down at the girl's drop off, coming up. Another is coming up on the ridge here. Both got long rifles with scopes."
"Eddie, you should go back and break out your sniper rifles," Mary told him. She slipped off her pack and handed it to Eddie. "Medical supplies you don't have," she told him.
"We can watch those men," Elanore added as she shrugged her pack off.
Eddie tapped Tom on the leg. "Tom, get these supplies back to the bunker and let the guys know we might have trouble coming. Bring out the heavy guns. Don't forget the silencers"
Tom slipped down and gave Eddie the binoculars. In a serious tone, he said, "Don't be a hero." he grabbed the packs and left at a jog.
Mary said, "Elanore, keep watch. Eddie, do you have a 9 Mil?"
"Yeah."
"Stay under cover. I'll go meet them and find out who they are."
Eddie grabbed Mary's arm. "Be careful," he said sternly.
"I will."
Mary stayed just below the top on the back side and walked up to where they had crested the ridge. Creeping to within a few yards of where they came over the top, she squatted down and put her plasma rifle behind a rock so it wouldn't be seen. Listening to the footfalls getting closer, she waited.
A man appeared, looking down the ridge line. He didn't see her, so she stood up and said, "Hello."
The man turned to her in shock, pointing his rifle at her. "Who are you?" he snapped.
"Mary. Who are you?" she asked.
"Why did you come up here?" he snapped.
"Why are you here?" she asked in return.
"Look lady! You can answer me now, or after I beat on you," he growled in warning.
The other man appeared, also leveling his rifle on her. "This one of them?" he asked.
"Yeah, she is. Where's your friend, Lady?"
"Which friend are you referring to?" Mary asked.
"Don't get smart with me Lady! The woman you came up here with!" he growled.
"She is my sister. What about her?"
The other man spoke. "One more smart assed answer, and you get a bullet in the leg!" he snapped.
"That is not my first choice," Mary said.
"Then, where IS SHE!"
"Watching us."
Both men turned to scan the horizon. One picked up his radio. "Point three here, we have the brunette. The other is hiding."
"The one you have, what is her name?" the radio asked.
The man on the radio turned to her. "Said she's Mary."
"Kill her."
Both men raised their rifles, Mary dropped down and grabbed her plasma rifle. As they adjusted their aim, she shot one man in the knee, cutting off his leg and cauterizing the wound. The other man shot her in the head. Her head nodded back and she shot him, blowing his knee off. He followed his friend, dropping to the ground to hold their wounds as they screamed in pain.
Ignoring them, Mary scanned the direction they came from. Ten more men were climbing up. She walked back to the wounded men. Picking one up by his collar, she said, "Sorry, you are about to be injured further."
Staring at the silver blotch on her forehead that was leaking blood, he asked in a gasp, "What are you!"
"The wrong person for you to fight," she said. She then threw him down the ridge. His friend begged for mercy, she threw him to go tumbling down the ridge after the first man. She picked up her plasma rifle and ran back to where she'd left Eddie and Elanore.
"You're hit!" Eddie cried upon seeing her forehead wound.
"I'm fine, it was only a 30 cal," she said absently. Her real concern was those men were too close for Eddie to make it safely back to the bunker. "Eddie, get between those two rocks and watch downhill on the other side in case they try to flank us." It was the most well protected place she could see.
"Yeah, OK. What about you?" he asked.
"I'll be on this side."
"I have three in view," Elanore said.
"Wait until we can see all of them," Mary instructed, and got downhill behind some scrub brush, with a rock in front of her. She laid the rifle on the rock and waited.
The men that came up formed a perimeter and looked for the first two. One of them called out as he found the severed lower legs.
"Disable them, then charge?" Elanore asked.
"Yes, after we see if more are coming," Mary agreed. She had not thought she would be using her mother's tactics so soon. She was happy Mother had shared her tactical information with them.
The men spread out in a line, four to each side and two on top. They walked slowly, rifles up.
"They aren't being followed," Elanore said.
"Together on three," Mary said. "Three... two … one... fire."
The dual plasma bolts raced out one set after another, blowing legs apart so fast, they downed four men before the rest tried to take cover. Three of the survivors shot back, two ran. They were the next to loose their legs. The men on the ground, Mary could not be so precise on. She shot a man through his rifle scope, blowing his head apart. Another she took his shoulder off, the bolt peeling open his shoulder blade behind it. He caught fire and screamed as he burned.
"They are all down," Elanore announced. Mary and Elanore got up and ran to the wounded, screaming men. Unfortunately, three were dead. They tied up the men still alive, and lined them up.
"Why did you attack us?" Mary asked one of the men who was still coherent.
The sweating man looked up at her. "Our job. That head wound, why aren't you dead?" he asked in a wail.
"Your weapons are insufficient to penetrate my armor," Mary stated. "Who hired you?"
The man let out a dry chuckle and said, "A Mr. Williams. He didn't say anything about armor plated bitches with ... what the hell is that you were shooting us with?"
More feet came running up. Eddie and his crew arrived toting their 50. cal rifles. Eddie pointed to the ridge. "Tom, Bill, Carl, set up watch along the ridge. Cover below and towards the camp." To Mary, he asked, "We help these guys, or finish them?"
"The wounds are cauterized, there's nothing else to do for them," Mary explained. "Someone should keep watch in the other direction, on the other side of the bunker. Mr. Williams most likely watched what happened here."
"Todd, Eric," Eddie said as he turned.
"We got it," Eric said. The two men ran back.
Returning her attention to the man she was talking to, Mary asked, "Who is your target?"
"Long as you let us live, I'll tell you."
"Promise, so long as we never see you again," Mary stated.
"Trust me, I don't want to ever see you again. The one we are after is John Connor. Williams said he was around here someplace. Is he at this bunker of yours?"
"Why would he stay someplace you have found? That would not make sense," Mary said.
"Suppose not," the man agreed. "So, can we hobble out of here? No offense Lady, but you scare the crap out of me."
"Leave all your gear. Don't worry, down is easier than up. Go straight down, not back to that camp and we won't shoot you."
"You're letting them go?" Eddie asked.
Mary offered him a tiny smile and said, "Trust me."
It took effort, but the man struggled up on his two arms and one leg. They helped each other strip off everything but their clothes, then hobble / crawled / slipped down the side of the ridge.
It wasn't until they got to the road that they met Cameron and Jake, who tied them up again and threw them into the van. Cameron was very effective at getting detailed answers out of them.