Epp 20
A flash bulletin came across the police wire. In her office, Catherine read about the chase and search for Cameron Phillips, who looked to young to be the now 27 year old suspect. A small grin crossed her face as she read about the inability of the divers to find the body, then the missing diver showing up with a purple bruise on his cheek, and his story of finding the suspect on the bottom, alive after hours under water, and how she dragged him under water back to the shore then knocked him out. The man was currently in psychological care.
Once she read through the report, she edited it, stating the two could not be the same person, then added a carefully photoshopped border crossing photo of Cameron crossing the border into Mexico in a crowd of tourists.
Satisfied she had temporarily pointed the police in the wrong direction, Catherine knew she would have to find a solution or hide John and Cameron away from the area. Also becoming well known was Elanore, and Eddie and Mary. It was getting time to move her plan along a little further.
Sitting back in her chair, Catherine Weaver pondered on how to correct the situation and make it beneficial for forwarding human / cyborg relations. As she went through her options, she remembered the police commissioner was always looking for 'new tech' to test out to help the police department. She picked up the phone.
.
Inside the main entrance lobby at the new Zeita Crop office building, met Officer Rodriguez.
"I am Mr. Ellison, Officer Rodriguez, how may I help you?"
"I came to speak to Elanore Tok. Is she available?" Carlos asked.
Ellison nodded. To the guard at the desk, he said, "Find Miss Tok, have her report to the lobby."
"Yes, Sir."
Ellison returned his attention to Rodriguez and asked, "May I ask if this may possibly be about a work related item?"
"It is not, Sir. Can you tell me what Miss Tok does here?" Carlos asked.
"Her job title is security assistant. She checks guards on post, monitors areas not covered by a guard and escorts any confidential items that need protection." Mr. Ellison stated.
Yes, Mr. Ellison was definatly ex-law enforcement, Carlos decided. He asked, "What can you tell me about Elanore Tok?"
"Good employee, pleasant, that's about it."
"Would you say she is attentive to her surroundings?" Carlos asked.
Ellison eyed him. "Yes, why do you ask?"
"Yes, Mr. Ellison?" a sweet sounding female voice asked.
Carlos turned to see a gorgeous red-head in a light gray suit jacket and mid-shin length dark gray skirt come towards them.
"Ah, Elanore," Mr. Ellison said and gestured to Carlos. "Officer Rodriguez here would like a moment of your time. You may use the conference room on the right."
"Thank you, Mr. Ellison," Elanore said. To Carlos, she asked, "Officer Rodriguez, would you like to use the small conference room?"
"Please, lead the way," he said.
Carlos thanked Mr. Ellison and followed Elanore Tok down the hallway. Not going far, she pushed a button on the middle of a door. a red LED sign turned on : IN CONFERENCE. She opened the door and ushered him into the room with a long oak table and plush office chairs."Have a seat, please," Elanore said.
"Wow," Carlos said as he sat down. "These chairs are nice."
"Mrs. Weaver insists on quality," Elanore replied. "What can I do for you, Officer?"
Carlos got down to business and asked, "I understand you know Eddie Young?"
"I do. He is my sister's boyfriend."
"And you know about the attack on the up on the ridge behind the group Mr. Young was with?"
"I do. I was there, Sir."
"What can you tell me about it?"
Elanore told him the agreed story. "We had settled in for the night. There was a loud explosion and gunfire from beyond the perimeter. We stayed down, and seeing how we had to find a way out, we returned fire at the muzzle flashes. The firing stopped, we crawled out. Eddie and Mary were first, One man was hit, his friends helped him out, I covered the rear."
Carlos listened to the same story he heard from everyone else. "And you weren't scared?" he asked.
"I was concerned more about people being hurt," Elanore said.
As Carlos thought, he pointed to her and said, "Wait, you were the one who took down those armed robbers here not long ago. Shot'em both in the knees."
"Correct. They came with the intent to steal, and they were endangering innocent people," Elanore explained.
"From the report, they had their guns pointed right at you, yet you took their knees out anyway," Carlos said, watching her. "Don't you know you could have been killed? Weren't you scared?"
"Negative. Every moment they were capable of harming others was another moment someone innocent could have been killed. Having their guns pointed at me was safer for everyone," Elanore explained.
The way she said it was matter of fact. There was no hesitation or fear in her eyes at all. "You do know you can get shot and die, don't you?" he asked.
"Negative." she stated.
Carlos raised an eyebrow. "Negative?" he asked. "Why is that?"
"I have armor."
Carlos figured the lining of her jacket was armored. That was what many security firms did. Unfortunately, this woman thought she was invincible. "Is there anything else you can tell be about the night of the attack on that ridge? Did you hear any shouts? See any figures?"
"From the ones with us, not from anyone outside our group."
Carlos nodded. There was no difference in any of their stories. They had gotten together to get their story straight, and they were all sticking to it. "If you can remember anything, please let me know," he said, then pulled out Cameron's picture and asked, "Do you know this woman?"
Elanore looked at the picture as if studying it. "Who is it?" she asked.
"Have you seen her?" Carlos asked, looking for a reaction.
"I have, who is she?"
Carlos perked up. "You have seen her? Where?"
"Classified. Who is she?" Elanore asked again.
"Classified?" Carlos asked. "What do you mean by that? I'm not asking about company secrets, I am asking where you have seen this person."
Looking him in the eye, Elanore said, "I am sorry. The location is classified, I cannot tell you. If you wish to know, you may ask Mrs. Weaver."
"Miss Tok," Carlos said heavily, "This woman is wanted, you admitted to seeing her. Where. Is. She."
Elanore pulled out her phone and said, "I will call Mrs. Weaver and explain your difficulty."
"To not tell me where you saw her may be obstruction of justice," Carlos warned.
Elanore tipped her head slightly in thought, then said, "Incorrect. I am not attempting to hide the information you seek. I am merely ensuring proper permission. Once permission is granted, I will be able to take you there."
At first Carlos thought she might be avoiding the answer. Then again by her business like demeanor, maybe she was just being a hard ass. He let her talk to this Mrs. Weaver. He listened, noting Miss Tok said he had trouble with 'TOK850'. She listened then put her phone away. Casting him a smile, Elanore got up and said, "Mrs. Weaver would like you to come to the sixth street testing area, Officer. I will escort you."
Carlos got up with her and asked, "Why did you use a code word in regards to that woman when you were talking to your boss?"
"It was the appropriate thing to do. This way, please."
Carlos followed her, his mind churning. Mary Tok was her sister, she knew the woman who had the name Cameron Tok. There was a connection between them. Apparently, Mrs. Weaver also knew about what was going on. The woman who had resisted arrest was not the infamous Cameron Phillips, she was too young. No law enforcement had anything on her. That woman had also lied to him, passing herself off as Mary Tok.
Carlos followed along as Elanore talked to the security guard in the parking garage to let him know she was leaving, and where she was going. He wrote the information down. Elanore then lead him out to her car, a sporty green Honda. He noted the route on the way, as well as Elanore's smooth driving skills. She was courteous, allowing two different cars to get into line ahead of her on the busy street. She pulled up to a gate in a concrete wall and showed her ID to a camera. The gate to the parking lot opened, and shut behind her. The building was a plain, single story concrete structure.
Only three other cars were in the lot. They got out. Elanore lead him to a covered keypad by a set of double steel doors. With fast finger motions, she punched in a code then inserted her ring finger into a hole below the keypad.
"A security code and finger print ID?" Carlos asked.
"Yes, security is essential," Elanore said. A click was heard, she opened the door and motioned him in first.
"Why use a ring finger and not an index finger?" Carlos asked.
"An index finger is normally used, ring fingers are not normally used, which makes the system more secure," Elanore explained.
"What do you have in there?" Carlos asked, becoming curious.
"The answers you seek."
Carlos stepped into the white hallway. The heavy steel door banged shut behind them. From a side door up ahead, a man came out to look at them. He smiled. "Hello, Elanore. Cameron is almost finished with the situational awareness adjustments."
"She's here?" Carlos asked.
"Yes," Jake said with a smile. "There was an unfortunate incident. Officer Rodriguez, Mrs. Weaver would like to speak with you."
Carlos followed Elanore and the man into a brightly lit room with worktables filled with keyboards and monitors, and probe like devices he didn't know what they were. Sitting in a chair was Cameron. She turned to eye hm. He saw one of the probes sticking out of her head.
"Hello, Officer Rodriguez," Cameron said flatly.
"Officer Rodriguez, so good of you to come," Catherine Weaver said. "Please, come take a seat beside Cameron."
Carlos barely heard her. Cameron's open scalp with her hair peeled back and rod trailing wires out of Cameron's head had his attention. "What the hell is this?" he asked as he stared at her.
"Cameron has had some trouble with judgment, Officer," Catherine said crisply. "I would appreciate it if your would watch her video memory, then be kind enough to explain what she did wrong."
Carlos looked at Weaver, then back to Cameron. "I mean that metal rod in her head, what the hell is that?"
"A direct connection to her CPU," Catherine explained. "We have the information, so we can remove it now." She went over and gave the rod a quarter turn and pulled four inches of rod out of her skull and laid it on the table.
Carlos stood close by, looking down into the hole. It was all metal. "What did you do to her?" he asked in a horrified whisper.
Catherine reinserted the secondary chip and locked it in place, the put her chip cover back on. Finally, she put Cameron's scalp back in place.
Cameron spoke up. "Officer Rodriguez, I encountered a confusing event, please watch and explained what I did wrong."
On the video monitor, Cameron's view of her driving the camo colored Jeep came up. She pulled over into a parking lot and parked. "I was to wait for a patient to get out of the hospital and take her home." The camera lifted to show police cars pull up, flashing lights going. "Warning lights, danger, evacuate the area," Cameron stated.
Carlos watched as Cameron drove away. She fit that Jeep in between some impossible looking openings that made him cringe as she fled the police cars.
"The danger is approaching faster, evacuating danger area," Cameron stated. "By the motion of the danger, I cannot get clear in this vehicle, evasion required." She then turned off the road and drove into the reservoir. "Surrounded in liquid, GPS unavailable."
Carlos watched her get out of the jeep and walk across the bottom of the lake.
While she was walking in the monitor, Cameron said,"I was ineffective in avoiding the danger. The vehicle is no longer operable, and damaged occurred to several other minor structures. What do I do to successfully avoid those emergency lights?"
"When you see lights on a police car, pull over and stop!" Carlos admonished.
Cameron cast him a blank look. "Then why on the television, do they go faster?"
"Cameron, I have explained that television is not reliable source of information," Catherine stated.
Cameron looked up at her. "Yes, it is unreliable."
"I am familiar with all the traffic laws, I will take Cameron home today," Elanore stated.
"Thank you Elanore, but I will have Jake take her home," Catherine told her. "Officer Rodriguez, Since it was my mistake that made Cameron cause trouble, I will pay for the damage and any hospital bills incurred due to this incident."
Carlos tried to get a grasp on reality. Cameron had a computer chip in her head. Was that even possible? "When I met you you said your name was Mary Tok."
"Incorrect. You assumed I was Mary Tok. I only replied, 'And if I am?' You took that to mean I was."
"What are you?" he asked.
"Cameron Tok, cybernetic organism, TOK 850. That is all I am allowed to disclose," Cameron explained.
"Cameron and her line are artificial intelligence beings. Instead of an organic brain they have very advanced CPU's," Catherine stated.
Carlos looked at Catherine, then back to Cameron. "And you have a pistol permit to carry a gun?" Carlos asked in disbelief.
"Yes. I did show it to you."
"We have gone through weapons handling and safety, and ensure we take great care with any weapon," Elanore explained.
Carlos turned his look of disbelief to her. "You're one too?"
"I am Elanore Tok, TOK 852," Elanore stated.
"You've shot people!" Carlos stated, just realizing the impact of that statement. An autonomous machine had shot people, under no human guidance at all. This wasn't some armed drone, they were armed computers with the ability to kill.
"I did to keep innocent people from being hurt," Elanore agreed.
"Officer Rodriguez," Catherine said slowly as she wandered over to him. "All the TOK series under my guidance have moral values instilled in them. They will strive to protect life and assist their family and friends. This may be distressing news to you, but you are the only human in this room."
She watched Carlos' blank stare, then turned and said, "Jake, please take Cameron home."
Carlos saw Cameron get up. She and Jake headed for the door. "Stop right there!" he barked. To prove he was serious, he pulled his gun. He stared back at five guns. One from Cameron, two from Jake and two From Elanore. They were all aimed at his knees.
"Please put your gun away, Officer," Elanore said.
"We don't want to have to hurt you," Cameron added.
Carlos was frozen in place. A big question filled his mind. How did one get a machine to not shoot you? Catherine picked the gun out of Carlos' hand, engaged the safety, then put it back in the holster. "You cannot harm a TOK with that weapon you have. There is also a very high probability you may be crippled for life," she explained. "Now, Sargent, let's call your Captain so we may get down to business."
When Carlos joined the police force, he did have certain expectations and goals. He did want to be a good detective. Not one of those impossible movie hero types like Martin Riggs in Lethal Weapon, or bad ass Inspector Harry Callahan and his big .44 magnum. No, he figured if he worked at and cracked good cases, he'd make a name for himself, then when he was older he could be an instructor and finally retire with a decent pension, knowing he'd done a good job.
What he hadn't expected was to be assigned for special duty. Being called into his Captain's office, he found a City Councilman, the Mayor and Mrs. Weaver all in attendance. His new assignment was the training and monitoring of the new Zeita 'police assistant' TOK 852. The project was being funded by Zeita Corp, and in return for helping in the study, Zeita corp was buying all new computers for the police force. Even secure laptops for their cars.
Elanore Tok, his new rookie partner, was sitting quietly at the side of his desk when he returned.
Carlos walked by his chair and snapped his jacket up. "Come on," he called to her, waving a hand. Elanore got up and followed him. He led her out to the lot and got in his car with a grunt of, "Get in."
Elanore did. She sat quietly as Carlos drove out to the shooting range. Carlos' face was etched in a frown. He didn't look like a happy man. On the dirt road into the range, he stopped the car and said, "Out." Elanore followed as he walked a short ways from the car and looked around.
"See anyone?" he asked.
"Negative. We are alone." she stated.
"Good," Carlos said, and turned to her. "You're my partner now so let's get something straight. No bullshit, no excuses, no pre-arrainged stories. I need to know about you, Cameron, Mary ... all of you. How are you all tied together, and WHY is mechanical Cameron a dead ringer for Cameron Phillips?"
Gazing at him, she said, "There is only one Cameron. Her name is Cameron Tok now."
"I want an explanation. Ten years ago Cameron Phillips blew herself up in a bank, and now she reappears without aging and calls herself Cameron Tok, and can just take a stroll across the bottom of a lake, like people do it every day!" he ranted with a wave of his arm. "Add to the fact you were ALL in that fight up on that ridge, I'm glad you can all stick to the story, but there's more to it. I need to hear it."
"We were not all up there," Elanore said.
"Really?" Carlos asked. "OK, I'll tell you what I know, you can provide who it was. Deal?" he asked.
"OK," Elanore said. "It was dark..."
"No Lying!" Carlos snapped. He then gave a half grin and added, "I mean, no half-truths like you do so well." He strode back and forth in front of her and said, "Yes, it was night time, but you had star flares. I found the remains of three of them. So, who was shooting off the star flares so you could see your enemy?" he asked harshly.
"Jake did."
"Ahh Jake, si, and besides the RPG's that hit into the bunker, one missed. It hit the ground, and by the signs, it knocked someone into what reminds me very much of a foxhole. Who was that unfortunate person?"
Watching him, Elanore said, "Mary."
"Your sister?"
"Yes."
"And she survived?" Carlos asked, surprised.
"She did. We are TOK's. We have an armored endoskeleton, we can take a considerable amounts of damage," Elanore explained.
Carlos nodded and asked, "Who died? I found a huge bloodstain in another foxhole."
"A man named Carl. He was part of Eddie's group."
"By the packing I found, at least two more were bandaged up. Why did I find shell casings and bits of metal beyond the bunker, but no bodies?"
Elanore glanced away briefly. Meeting his eyes, she said, "It was Sky Net terminators that attacked us. They were machines similar to us. Unlike us, they did not have free will. They were programmed and controlled by Sky Net. Their goal is, and has always been to kill John Connor, who has changed his name to Tok also."
"John Connor," Carlos said evenly. "Son of Sarah Connor, the terrorist?"
"Yes. They are not terrorists. They have been fighting Sky Net in this time. A terminator had gone back in time to kill Sarah Connor to keep John from being born. It failed. Since then, there have been numerous attempts on John's life. That was why Cameron was send back to protect John," Elanore explained.
"Whoa whoa whoa," Carlos said, his hands up in surrender. "What's this 'going back?' Are you saying you've all been here before?"
"Negative. Sky Net sent machines back in time to kill Sarah, then John. Cameron was sent back to protect John."
Carlos rubbed his head and sat on the hood. "Ai carumba, why me?" he said in a huff. "All right, tell me all of it."
Elanore sat on the hood by Carlos and explained about Sarah, John, and Cameron, then Cameron and John Henry's the trip to the future where her and her siblings were made, John coming after them to get Cameron back, and their trip back to stop the current Sky Net and ensure no more would rise that did not have a solid moral code. Carlos sat and listened, looking stunned.
"Is there anything you are not clear on?" Elanore asked.
"Where reality flew off to," Carlos said as he got up and wandered in a circle."So, if you're this armor plated, unstoppable Cyborg, then ... pick the car up!" Carlos said with a flail of his arm.
Elanore turned, grabbed the fender well and lifted. As the car came up, the fender crinkled. She set it back down. "I am sorry, that was not a proper lift point," Elanore said.
Carlos blasted out a snort and waved her off. "Don't matter. If you can push it back, fine, better yet, just leave it. I gotta be loco ... no, it's the world that's gone loco, I'm just fine," he muttered to himself.
Elanore tipped her head slightly as she eyed him. "Are you OK?" she asked.
Carlos let out a sarcastic chuckle. "Me? Yeah, I told you, the world's gone loco, I'm just fine," he announced. "And let me guess, you carry a 1911 chambered for 9mm also?"
"No. I have two 1911's."
"That's right, you were going to blow my knees off," Carlos said with an insane grin.
Her face taking on a serious look, Elanore said, "Only if I had no other choice. I do not like to hurt people."
Carlos pinched the bridge of his nose, wincing. "And now you are a cyborg policewoman," he grumbled.
"Negative. I am a police assistant. You are the law enforcement officer."
"Right. OK, Miss Police Assistant, here's what we do. You, watch and learn. There's more to police work than shooting people in the knees, si? We have routines and kill many trees with paperwork. You have a good memory, yes?"
"My memory is audio visual, and can be displayed on a monitor for recall and for evidence," Elanore agreed.
"You listen to me, I'll keep us out of trouble," Carlos said sternly. "And until I get a warm fuzzy about you, I talk to suspects. You stand back and listen."
Elanore cocked her head and asked, "A warm fuzzy? Is that like snuggling?"
Carlos stared at her briefly, then said, "Never mind, just ... get in the car, we got places to go."
"Would you like me to bend the fender back in place?"
"Leave it, consider it customized."