A/N: Things are heating up. To clarify in case I wasn't overt enough; the terminator sent to protect Jade is the T-X model like we've seen in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. Only this one is programmed to look like Tori. The one chasing after Jade is the old T-800, so yes imagine a peak Arnold Schwarzenegger! This was my little tribute to the franchise by having both a "good" terminator AND we get to have Arnie as the big bad for the first time since the first movie.
Cat was hot on the heels of the two cops escorting Tori.
"Miss Valentine, please don't interfere!" sighed Gary.
"Oh, no!" scowled the redhead. "I'm part of this. No way you're gonna railroad my friend!"
David tried not to look his daughter's best friend in the eye, but she refused to let him off that easy.
"Come on, Mr. Vega! You can't believe Tori did anything bad, right?"
Tori just looked like she was out of her body, the mind wandering elsewhere.
All four of them entered through the front door, some of the officers with bemused expressions as they recognized the perp as one of Vega's kids.
"Hey, Dave!" ran over one of the men with a receding hairline. "What's all this?"
"Long story, Dennis. Please book her."
Gary pressed his lips as he went along with Dennis to process Tori.
Cat folded her arms, shaking her head.
"I don't believe this!" she stomped.
David looked back at the short girl.
"Cat...I..." he sighed. "If you're going to stay, you'll have to wait here."
The redhead planted herself on a wooden bench and crossed her legs, determined.
The terminator was driving, but to Jade's insistence, not recklessly. She told the cyborg to drive "with purpose" but to not attract the ire of the LAPD.
"May I ask a question?"
Jade was put off by how simple, how human, that sounded.
"I didn't think you guys were so... inquisitive."
The machine did a quick scan of their surroundings, which was being done with great regularity as they traveled.
"My CPU is what is classified as a neural net processor."
The goth just gave the robot a blank expression.
"In other words, a learning computer. It was considered beneficial to our programming if we were to absorb knowledge from human interaction."
Jade nodded.
"Gotcha."
"This Tori Vega is important to you, is she not?"
"What makes you think that?" snapped Jade.
"One would assume this as we are going to the LAPD in hopes of saving Tori from the T-800's intervention. May I ask why?"
She brushed back her hair and sighed.
"You have to do what I say, right?"
The terminator nodded.
"Then consider this an order!" Jade insisted. "I don't have to explain myself! Not to you, not to anyone. Am I being clear?"
Her driver just looked on silently as she continued to drive.
Jade wasn't wrong. The terminator was supposed to acquiesce to who it was programmed to protect. However, such commands could be overridden if they contradicted the directives. For example, if Jade told the terminator to kill her it would refuse. Keeping Jade safe from harm was the first unbreakable rule.
Tonight has been a lot for Jade so far.
Five months ago, her and Beck had called it quits with no sign of them ever getting back together this time. He had no shortage of girls interested in being his next conquest, but Jade's post breakup life was very different. Those who were brave enough to proposition Jade as their new girlfriend were few and far between. The majority of the student body was terrified of her. She couldn't help it. She just gave off that vibe!
Ironically, the one person who dared to get close to her was the one person Jade couldn't stand.
Tori had been a live grenade in her high school career, threatening to topple the queen bitch from her throne. Here was a beautiful and talented girl like her but she was gregarious and downright joyful. Tori would outshine Jade in this regard. That put her in the top running as her most hated enemy. Jade saw a mirror version of herself in Tori, the girl she would have been. The girl supposedly everyone wanted.
Growing up, Jade had been a moody kid. When she smiled, it was a special occasion. Or a scary one. So many grownups around her told the pale child that she would be better to be around if she was just more pleasant. How many times had Jade been told, "You should really smile more. Never fully dressed without a smile!" The way her friends, even her own parents, seemed to fawn over this goody-little-two-shoes made her stomach churn. The last thing she needed was to be interested in this very girl. But... overtime, she did.
It was impossible to avoid forever. Tori's irresistible charms that bewitched everyone else eventually worked their spell over Jade, the toughest nut to crack. Now, thinking about Tori, seeing Tori didn't elicit the same bad feelings as before. The ice queen started to feel warm toward the Latina, bringing a comfort like a kid on Christmas morning, as cheesy as that sounds. Tori no longer represented the better Jade. She came to sum up the best humanity had no offer: joy, compassion, perseverance, love.
(What if it was a romantic love I felt? So, she's a girl. So what?)
(I DARE someone to walk up to me and say some homophobic bullshit! I'll pull out my sharpest pair and they'll see how I scissor!)
Despite this revelation, Jade wasn't sure if Tori would reciprocate these feelings. Tori only dated guys before, too. And even if she was BI or whatever, that didn't mean Jade had a shot. She was cruel toward the Latina since they met. Tori was a patient darling for putting up with her as long as she had to the point that she would be considered a friend. Would that girl really put her heart on the line for someone who everyone thinks has a heart in a jar on her desk?
The terminator said something and it didn't register.
"What?" asked Jade.
"We're approximately five minutes away."
"Good," she nodded.
Tori was finally free of the handcuffs after being taken to a small grey room with a flat screen TV hanging from the ceiling. It had a big metal table and some metal chairs to go with it. The police liked calling these "interview rooms" but Tori wasn't stupid. She was taken to an interrogation room.
David remained silent while Gary played CC footage from the Citgo gas station, showing "Tori" from the side crouching down to pull some kind of weapon and next second a large man was knocked backward into the pump. The teenager's eyes bugged out in disbelief. Then she watched "herself" get up like it was nothing and rushed into a nearby white car.
A different camera from another angle showed the car speeding away, Tori at the wheel. She squinted at who was the passenger as the auto looked familiar and could've sworn it was Jade.
"That's...not me! Honest!"
Gary sighed and folded his arms. This wasn't exactly the first time he had heard that lie.
"Tori, we ran the plates from the car in the footage and it's registered to Jade West."
(IT WAS HER!)
"We contacted her parents, and they haven't seen or heard from her in hours."
David felt sick to his stomach.
"Tori..." he swallowed. "I understand that you and Jade never got along, but..."
The Latina slammed her fists down on the table.
"DAD! Don't even go there! I would never hurt Jade! EVER!"
"Where is she?" pressed Gary.
"What did you do with Jade?" David asked, his voice cracking in disbelief.
Tori grumbled and stood up, kicking the chair which made the two grown men jump back for a second.
"I don't hate, Jade! I... I love her, okay?"
Gary and David shot each other glances.
"She had broken up with Beck, didn't she?"
She was bemused by her dad's line of questioning right now.
"Yeah, so?"
"Maybe...perhaps..." he paused. "You wanted Jade for yourself?"
"So, you kidnapped Jade!" shot Gary with a furrowed brow. "A man saw she was held against her will and tried to help but you attacked him and stole her away!"
The girl ran her fingers through her long straight hair.
(This can't be happening!)
"Just tell us where you're keeping her, Tori."
She squinted at Gary. Tori was pissed at both of them, but especially her father's partner. He was being the most persistent and the quickest to believe that she was the deranged lesbian lover turned murderer from a sleazy 90's thriller.
"I don't KNOW where Jade is because I didn't KIDNAP her!"
"We'll give you some time to think," David told her before motioning for Gary to follow him out the door.
Once outside, they hung by the door with the small glass window. Through it they could see Tori staring down at the table, looking so despondent.
"What do you think really happened?" David asked.
"No idea," shrugged Gary. "I hope to god that West is still alive..." he started walking away toward the water cooler. "...wherever she's being held."
David sighed and folded his arms.
"This makes no sense! But...those cameras...it's impossible!"
Gary drank a cup of water and chucked the paper cup into the receptacle.
"I agree it is bizarre, especially Tori of all people! But how many times has someone did something completely off the wall and their friends and co-workers say: he just seemed so normal!"
The man pushed his partner against the wall.
"Hey, what the..."
"That's still my daughter, Gary! We don't have the whole story. Not yet."
He relented the man, and he straightened his shirt.
"One thing's for sure, David. She's only making it worse for herself if she stays clammed up."
The white car pulled up to the visitor parking and the pair rushed inside the precinct.
"WAIT! STOP RIGHT THERE!"
Jade ignored the pleas for her to yield and charged down the corridor where she ran into David and Gary.
"MR. VEGA!"
He was surprised to see her right now.
"Jade!"
David looked up and waved off the men coming their way, that he had this handled.
"Jade, you escaped?" Gary asked.
The goth blinked.
"What are you talking about?"
Both men's eyes bugged out at the sight of "Tori" standing behind her.
"Tori!" exclaimed David. "How did you get out?"
"And change clothes?" added Gary.
The father wondered if there was a full moon out tonight.
POP-POP-POP-POP-POP-POP-POP-POP
Everyone jumped at the sudden barrage of gunfire, Jade holding her chest. Her mechanical companion looked at her with foreboding.
"He's here."
"Who?" asked a frustrated David Vega.
"You stay here!" Gary ordered the pair and then turned to his partner. "Let's go!"
"WAIT, DON'T!"
The men rushed past Jade, ignoring her protests.
"FUCK!" she seethed. "They won't listen!"
"No time," the terminator told her. "We need to find Tori first."
Jade nodded while the machine did a scan of the building.
"I am not seeing her in any of the holding cells...wait. This way, follow me!"
Officers, blues and plain clothes, lined the corridors with their guns drawn. With the smoke billowing into the room and the lone figure dressed in black walking slowly down the middle; it looked eerily similar to the beginning scene of Star Wars. But this wasn't Darth Vader because this strange man wearing sunglasses was brandishing a huge shotgun.
"What the HELL is going on?" David asked the sergeant a few feet from him.
"Looks like we got a psycho!" he replied. "You and Gary cover me."
"That is one giant motherfucker..." quipped Gary.
The sarge fired upon the gunman but barely acknowledged the impact. Figuring the assailant was high on something, they all opened fire and the man wasn't backing down. Some of the bullets looked like they were ricocheting off his skin.
David shook his head in disbelief.
(I don't get it. This bastard isn't wearing ANY body armor. Doped up or not, he should've went down by now!)
In a flash, the intruder steadied his weapon and began nailing officers. They went down like fish in a barrel, the gunman shooting with frighteningly accurate precision. There were no injured; only head shots and heart shots. Seeing how this wasn't having any effect, David pulled on Gary's arm.
"Come on, let's move!"
"We can't go!" Gary huffed.
"It's useless," David reasoned. "If we don't do something else, there won't be ANY survivors!"
Gary reluctantly nodded and followed his partner in a hasty retreat.
Tori was startled by the muffled screams and shooting. It just sounded like chaos out there and it was terrifying not to know exactly what was going on. She got up from her chair and checked the door to see if it was locked. The handle didn't relent, so she grumbled and started pacing the room frantically. Things were going to shit somewhere in the police station and she was trapped like a rat.
It started to flash in her head that she might not live through the night. Tori knew she wasn't that person in the video but her uncanny resemblance was impossible to deny. What if this person tricked her father by penetrating the station? What if they really harmed Jade and was going after everyone else? It seemed improbable but stranger things have happened out here in these parts over the last few decades.
Tori saw that footage. That woman masquerading as her was powerful enough to lay out that humongous guy with little effort. This may be a heavily armed police precinct but all it takes is one insane person on a mission. They can get surprisingly far when they have nothing to lose! Tori was convinced a psycho was out there, assuming her identity for reasons, and was now was going to kill her so that SHE was the only one with that face! Tori's imagination went to some fucked up places because nothing else made any damn sense.
Her heart dropped into her feet when the handle started to jiggle.
"Ah!" Tori gasped out loud, immediately covering her mouth.
This was so fucked. She had NOWHERE to hide! Tori looked around, tugging at her hair. It was a Hail Mary but she had no other choices. She quickly put the chairs back and scooted underneath the table. Maybe she could convince that person the room was empty. It was her only play. Tori just prayed that this maniac was too consumed with what they were doing to do more than poke their head in and move onto the next room.
She shivered, trying to control her breathing as the handle clicked and the door opened.
"Tori? Where are you?"
It was Jade's voice, but Tori was too frozen to move. She screamed when one of the chairs in front of her face was dragged out and Jade peeked underneath.
"TORI! Thank God." She held out her pale hand. "We have to go...NOW!"
The Latina shook her head and had her senses again, ignoring Jade's hand and just getting out from under the table on her own. She was breathing heavily, face to face with Jade West. Her heart rate was almost prepared to stabilize until Tori's head turned and saw her clone.
"AHHH! IT'S...Y-Y-Y-YOU!" she pointed, using the chair to hold herself up.
More heavy breathing until Tori's fight or flight kicked in and she attempted to bolt, but Jade grabbed her by the waist and yanked her back seconds before the terminator, shotgun in hand turned into the hallway. Jade held Tori close, covering her mouth with one hand and holding her slim form to her with the other.
"don't make a sound..." Jade whispered softly into her ear.
The T-X carefully scoped the scene and just when the T-800 was about to turn her way, officers started firing at him. That got his attention and he started blasting them. With his back turned, she motioned for Jade and Tori to get out and head down the hall in the other direction. The T-X aimed and fired at one of the light fixtures above them as the burly gunman was about to focus on them. That caused a cacophony of sparks and spoke and eventually darkness, making it less easy for the terminator to track them.
Jade was pulling a confused Tori, her grip strong with the T-X right behind them. Normally, she would be in front of Jade but unless things drastically change, the cyborg is between them and the T-800.
"Jade, where are we going?" Tori asked.
"Away from the fucker shooting everybody, duh!"
Tori shook her head and tried to pry herself from Jade's grasp but she wasn't letting her.
"Wait, stop. Wait. Jade, JADE! You're hurting me!"
The made the thespian stop, letting Tori go with a sigh.
"What is the matter with you?" grunted Tori.
Jade scowled.
"I'm trying to save your life! Apparently, we were just in time!"
Tori thumbed back, indicating where they were.
"Jade, who the fuck was that?" she then pointed at the terminator. "Who's SHE?" Then Tori grabbed Jade's shoulder. "Cat, where's Cat?"
Jade's brow lifted in horror.
"No, don't tell me she's here too!"
The tan girl shook her head on the verge of tears.
"No, no, no, we need to find her!"
The terminator looked at the two human girls quizzically.
"Negative. Caterina Valentine is not a priority."
"Bullshit!" Jade snarled, punching her.
That made the girl cry. She forgot this wasn't a person. Jade might as well had punched a concrete wall.
"FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!" groaned Jade, holding her hand, three of the knuckles bleeding.
"Jade, are you alright?"
The goth sucked in her teeth and held her wounded fist close to her stomach.
"I might have broken my hand, Vega" she said. "Otherwise I'm just fucking dandy!"
"Come on," the terminator ordered. "We need to get out of here."
"But what about..."
"You're going to have to trust me," the terminator cut Jade off.
Right before Jade charged into the station, nature called, and Cat had to find the restroom.
When she stepped out, she caught a glimpse of the scary-looking large man entering the front doors, armed. Her fears were confirmed when he opened fire, and the massacre ensued.
Panicked, Cat leapt into a dark room, hiding behind a filing cabinet. She covered her ears from the horrible sounds of mayhem. Nothing but bullets firing and screams of agony. The redhead had never been more scared in her life, looking down at her shaking legs. Her phone vibrated, which made her almost scream.
She checked the screen.
JADE: where r u?
Cat bit her lip as she typed in response that she was in a storage room opposite the booking desk.
JADE: stay there, pls! we're coming
The petite girl let out a soft sigh, trying not to make a sound.
Her little heart skipped a beat when the door burst open and her friends came through, sweating and panting. At first glance, Cat assumed that was Trina standing with them. But no, it wasn't her sister. Instead, she was identical to her friend. Last time she checked, Tori had no twin she was aware of.
"Who's this?" Cat pointed. "What's going on here?"
The girl who looked like Tori but wearing a totally different outfit peered outside and waved them to follow.
"I will explain once we're safe. LET'S MOVE!"
The mystery Tori double charged ahead with the trio trailing behind. Jade sucked in a deep breath as they finally made it outside but just as quickly dropped it when she saw four flat tires on her Toyota. The terminator must have recognized their vehicle and shot at the tires to hinder their escape.
(Learning computer. Terrific!)
"So much for our ride!"
"Let's take mine!" Cat offered, taking out her car keys.
The T-X walked by and snatched them from her thin fingers.
"This will suffice."
"Hey!" protested the redhead.
"It's fine, Cat" assured Jade. "You're gonna want her at the wheel if shit gets real."
A metal door on the side burst open, revealing the indominable T-800 like a tank on two legs.
"Shit already got real!" breathed Cat.
"HURRY!" cried the real Tori.
They piled into Cat's red Chevy Malibu as the terminator power walked his way toward them.
Suddenly, a loud engine roared to life a few yards away. This got the machine's attention, as he was enveloped by the blinding headlights. A grey tactical vehicle with the word SWAT on the side came charging through. The terminator stood his ground, even when the massive urban tank pinned him against the brick wall of the station.
"That's my daughter, asshole!"
"You don't think that was a bit much?" asked Gary.
"You saw that fucker," David reasoned. "Guns weren't cutting it."
"DAD!"
David jumped out of the tactical truck and ran over to the red car.
"Are you girls al...right?"
He was seeing double, and so was his partner. As they lived and breathed, there stood two Tori Vegas.
"Jade..." Gary's voice broke. "Explain."
"There's a lot to unpack, Mr. Vega" the brunette admitted.
Metal scraping and vibrating was audible from the crash site. The terminator wasn't down for the count.
"You guys get out of here!" he ordered. "We'll hold him off."
"Dave!" objected Gary.
"NO! We've done it your way, now we need to do something else!" David turned to Tori. "Sweetheart, just head home and wait there, okay? Do that for me."
Tori nodded with fresh tears roaming down her cheeks. She and the others got into the car. David turned toward his partner, but he was already opening the rear doors of the SWAT tank.
"What are you doing?"
"There's gotta be something here we can use," Gary huffed. "A taser...grenade...bazooka?"
David shook his head and ordered the girls to leave while the getting was good. He rushed over to Gary as the vehicle continued to jostle. This guy...this thing...wasn't giving up so easily. As fantastical as this has been, they were still cops and their first job is to protect.
"JUST GO!" he shouted one last time before the T-X floored it and they zoomed away.
The four sat in silence for a while, almost basking in the quiet. With the utter madness back at the precinct, just the hum of the car's engine was plenty of ambience.
Jade hissed when attempting to open and close her hand.
"Just let me look at it!" Tori insisted.
"I'm fine! I'm more pissed at little miss keep Jade safe over here!"
The T-X looked left and right.
"Stopping you from punching me would have statistically caused more harm to you, Jade."
She hated this feeling. Jade was so used to feeling better after hitting something (or someone) but this time she bit off more than she could chew.
"I think I need to lay down," Cat admitted. "Then I'd like to ask some questions."
The Latina leaned forward.
"I have a question," Tori huffed looking at her artificial doppelganger. "Why were you made to look like me?"