" So, what's the deal with those two?* Sarah said sounding comfortable, now that Anton clearly had control of the chopper. "Cruz and Layton? What do you think they'll do if we don't stop them?"
"You talking to me?" Rosanna said.
"I'm talking to anyone who has the answer."
"Well, I wish I knew."
"Don't you have any ideas, Jade?" John said. "Or Anton?"
"Unknown," Anton said. Then he added, "But we do have a theory."
"The T-XA was an experimental model of Terminator," Jade said "We don't know its full abilities." She was silent for several seconds, probably talking to Anton again. Finally, she said aloud, "We think the Terminator may have had a backup plan."
"Right," John said. "What kind of plan?" "We know it can control minds by neural reprogram-ming. What we do not know is whether it could transfer the same ability. In principle it seems possible."
"What? How?"
"It might transfer a quantity of programmable liquid metal into a human body. The quantity need not be large."
"Hey, let me get a grip on this. You think it could enhance someone else to reprogram people, just like it did to Rosanna?"
"That's right," Rosanna said angrily, "just discuss me like I'm not here. What should I expect?"
"We don't know," Anton said, ignoring her for the moment.
"It is just a theory, but it makes sense," Jade said. She leaned toward Rosanna, where the scientist was crammed with the Terminator in the front seat "Do you see any problems with what we've suggested?"
"No. No, I don't. It makes a sense, in a way. Jack might need a lot of persuasion, otherwise. I don't know how they could handle him if they didn't have something like this up their sleeves."
"So we have to keep them away from him for another day," Sarah said thoughtfully. "I'm not sure how we're going to do that I wish we were on the spot."
"There's not much we can do. I'll just keep ringing. Of course, I won't be able to tell whether Jack has been re-programmed or not It's up to him to keep out of trouble, I suppose. I wish I knew what he made of it when he heard Oscar's voice on the phone."
"Yeah, don't we all?"
"But I think he'd do something. He wouldn't take chances if something that strange was happening. And I know Samantha wouldn't let him. . .she's very careful, whatever she does."
Sarah gave an incredulous laugh. "Yeah, you've got so much faith in these people. Have you noticed that they managed to destroy human civilization in at least two universes, just the ones we know off? Pardon my lack of trust."
As they approached the Simmonds ranch, Anton
banked the chopper in a wide circle and approached from the east, heading into a mild westerly breeze. Below them, the lights of a homestead signaled human occupation, and there were further lights to mark the helipad's location. Anton took the chopper down with absolute confidence. He might not have flown anything just like this before, but he'd certainly mastered it quickly.
They landed, Anton touching the skids precisely, and a bank of bright spotlights suddenly switched on, aimed directly at them, blinding them.
"Uh-oh," John said, shielding his eyes with one arm.
"Looks like we're in for trouble."
A tall man wearing a white linen suit stepped forward, lit up by the spotlights behind him. He carried a military rifle diagonally across his chest. Six more men of various ages backed him up, all carrying automatic firearms. Someone lowered the lights so they could at least see who they were speaking to, and Rosanna stepped out of the chopper, followed by Eve.
The man in the linen suit looked about fifty, with black hair that was probably dyed. Beside him was a large German shepherd dog. When it saw the T-799, or maybe smelled something about it, the dog went crazy-cowering and barking.
" Dogs are good judges of character," the man said, aiming his rifle in the Terminator's direction.
The rest of them piled out of the chopper, John still carrying the laser rifle, which felt like a wheelbarrow full of bricks, a massive thing to lug around.
"All right," said the man in the suit. "I'm not sure I like all this. Why shouldn't I turn you in to the cops?" His friends behind him raised their rifles. John and the rest faced enough firepower to shoot them to pieces in second. Even the Specialists were made of flesh and blood. Only Eve could withstand a full assault from those weapons.
"I don't think you could," Sarah said.
He eyed her steadily. "Just what is that supposed to mean?"
"Look, Elijah, you know me. I can vouch for all these people." John didn't remember Elijah Simmonds, but he guessed that Sarah knew him well—maybe from way back. She added, "There's no time. Please, just trust me on this."
"So says the woman who blows up government factories."
"It wasn't a factory." "Well, whatever it was."
"Please put away your weapons," Jade said. "We mean no harm."
Simmonds looked at them all, one by one. "John?"
"That's me," John said brightly.
Simmonds nodded, then looked carefully at Rosanna. "I recognize you. You're-"
"Yeah, I'm the scientist from Cyberdyne," she said as if bored by saying so. "And, no, these people haven't kidnapped me."
"Please put down your weapons," Jade said. "Ms. Connor is right. We don't have time to argue."
Simmonds walked closer, inspecting her carefully. "And I've seen you in sketches on the TV. I can buy into a lot from Sarah Connor here... and Enrique.. .but this is all too much."
"Please put down the rifle," Jade said again.
"Only when I'm good and ready." "In that case, I may have to force you to." "Yeah?" Simmonds laughed out loud at that, but his dog barked more frantically. He petted the dog absent-mindedly, half-crouching for a moment, still training the rifle in one arm. "And what army, little girl? I just don't get any of this."
Jade accelerated into action.
John had forgotten how fast she could move. In one rush, she had reached Elijah and slapped the gun from his hands. The whole movement seemed preplanned, like a gymnastics routine. Faster than John could follow, she disarmed most of the men. A split-second behind, Anton accelerated after her, taking care of the others. Only one got clear, running toward the chopper. Eve blocked his path, and he backed off. With a sudden movement like a striking snake, Eve snatched the rifle from his hands and aimed it "No!" John said. "Don't shoot him." The Terminator didn't fire, but didn't back away. "Give Sarah the gun," John said. Eve handed it over. Jade, Anton, and Eve had completely taken control. It took only the tiniest hesitation, and the Specialists could disarm anybody. No one anticipated how fast they could move. But they hadn't hurt anyone — not more than bumps and bruises.
"There are a few things we should explain," Sarah said. "But we don't have much time."
Elijah and the others dusted themselves off. John dreaded to think what Eve would have done if the Specialists hadn't acted first. "Have you ever killed anyone?" he said to the T-799.
"Of course. I'm a Terminator."
"Omigod. Since you came back in time?"
"Yes, when necessary for my mission."
He took a deep breath, remembering that he was not dealing with a human murderer here. This was just a machine; it was not really responsible. He didn't even want the details. Whoever it had killed could not be brought hack now. "Well, you have to stop acting that way," he said, controlling his emotions, the sick feeling he had about it. "You can't just kill people."
"Why?"
He'd been through all this with the T-800 in 1994, but ere was no time now. "Just believe me." "All right. I believe you. I can't just kill people."
Elijah looked at Sarah narrowly. "All right, explain away then. What's this all about?"
"It's very important that you help us," Sarah said, "and we don't want a fight every time we arrive somewhere tonight. That's a waste of our energy. My friends have better things to do than beat up your friends. I want you to smooth our way."
"You t
hink I'll do that just because your friends are tough?" He looked uneasily at Eve and the two Specialists.
"Not just because of that."
"All right, then, you'd better come inside."
Anton stepped over to John, holding out his hand to take the laser rifle. "Before you do that, let me show you one more thing."
WASHINGTON, D.C.
"You've been very helpful to us, Steve," Layton said. "You, too, Philip. Thank you for all your work."
It had been a long night, and Layton looked exhausted. He'd had to stop and gorge on junk food twice now, something he never would have done, pre-T-XA. And he'd need to sleep for hours, perhaps until midday, or beyond. Oscar would take command, plan the day ahead, but at least they'd accomplished much, tracking down several key staff in the Pentagon, less well-protected than Jack and Samantha, whose houses were surrounded with police and security staff. Those two might not know much, as yet, but they were taking no chances.
"We all need to get some sleep," Oscar said. "We have it under control."
The two security men left, and Layton closed his room's curtains and removed his jacket. Under it, he now had his gun. "This has been very difficult."
"Yes, I know. I'll work with the media, and I'll keep calling Jack through the morning. He can't put us off for long."
Layton sat in a padded desk chair, showing no real expression, but sagging round the shoulders. Despite his age, he was strong as an ox and twice as healthy.. .but then, no man in his sixties could stand this exertion. He'd strained himself beyond endurance. Oscar felt no sympathy for him, not as a fellow human being-in that sense, he might as well die. But as a valuable tool for Skynet, he had to be cared for.
" I'll go now," Oscar said. "It's under control. This couldn't be going better."
Once Layton recovered, they could find more key people to reprogram. By the time they met again with Jack and Samantha, the odds would have swung their way. Steve and Philip knew about who to choose, just when to attack, what could be done to tighten the noose.
Once more, everything had played into Skynet's hands, as if Time and Fate themselves were on their side, determined to take a certain path.
WEST VIRGINIA
The sun was low in the sky as Anton pulled up in a small town, parking their stolen SUV beneath the overhanging branches of a white oak, next to a deserted phone booth. "All right next call to Washington," John said, climbing out of the vehicle, his back and shoulders stiff, even his legs feeling weary. "I've guess we've got to earn our money somehow."
They'd spent the whole night on their relay across the continent, and now faced a day of driving. He was growing tired of the never-ending travel on the length and breadth of America's highways, trying to sleep on the road, but today they'd get to Washington and straighten everything out. It wasn't just physical tiredness that was draining him. He felt a weight of responsibility, trying to outsmart Skynet's servants. They were still a step ahead, and they had such advantages. No one who'd been near Charles Layton and Oscar Cruz could be trusted, if the Specialists were right. In fact, once they got to Washington, just who could they trust?
He went to the phone booth with Rosanna and Eve, and Rosanna rang Washington, for the second time this morning. She'd caught Jack at home, earlier, when they'd changed planes in Texas, told him not to trust anyone. "Is Jack there?" Rosanna said. "It's his secretary," she said to John, cupping the mouthpiece. "I know her. She's putting me through."
"Okay."
"Jack," she said into the phone. "I'll be there by the end of the day. Listen, first of all, I confirm that I'm with the Connors. Have you spoken to Charles or Oscar today? All right." For several seconds, she was silent, listening to what Reed had to say. Then she passed the phone to Eve. "Just back me up, will you?"
The Terminator spoke in its "Oscar Cruz" voice: "Don't trust anyone, Jack. Not unless you've been with them constantly. People are not what they seem." Eve passed the phone back to Rosanna.
Rosanna said, "No, of course that's not Oscar. I'm just making a point. If I can fool you, so can they." There was another pause, then a series of short sentences, punctuated by equally short pauses at Rosanna's end: "Now listen to me, Jack, I'll say this one more time: Oscar and Charles are dangerous... I don't know their full abilities, but they may be quite considerable. . .You may be right about that. . .that they're not Terminators-I never said they were... No, but they're brought to you by the same people. . . Just listen to me, will you?... If they have to, they can fight ferociously. I know they don't look like it... Not only that, we think they have other enhancements." She shook her head at John, and rolled her eyes mockingly. "One or both can practice a form of mind control... No, I'm not going crazy. That's why I said don't trust anyone. . .no, not anyone. Don't be cute about it, Jack. You can trust me, all right You are in terrible danger. Understand? How much clearer do I have to say it?"
They talked for a few more minutes before returning to the car. They knew this call might be traced, but they had to take that risk, just once. If Reed knew they were in West Virginia, getting closer to Washington, he might be prepared to wait not create any more trouble.
Jade and Anton automatically took the front seats of any vehicle, John had noticed, as though they had a right to the best positions. Still, they were tireless and did all the driving. He supposed it was fair. He got in the back between Sarah and the Terminator, with Rosanna on Eve's other side.
"Let's get out of here," Sarah said. "They'll soon have us pinpointed."
Anton hit the gas and got them away fast heading back to I-81 and merging at high speed behind a thirty-wheeled truck and a small green sedan, heading north.
"All right," Rosanna said. "He wants to meet. I promised to call him one more time, when we're closer to Washington."
"Meeting where?" Sarah said. "At the Pentagon?"
"No, at some small-time complex out in the suburbs. He says they have a training room we can use. He wants it to be just me. I told him that was out of the question. I'm not going anywhere alone until this is over."
"I'm not sure it's ever over," John said.
Jade said, "The knowledge is too seductive. Someone will always want to build Skynet, or something equivalent."
Rosanna made a small sound that probably meant agreement. "That's as may be. As far as I'm concerned, it's over when Charles and Oscar are dead."
"That can be arranged," Sarah said.
"Remember what happened last time, Mom," John said. "With Miles Dyson?" When it had come to the crunch, his mom was not a murderer. She hadn't been able to kill Miles, even to stop Skynet being built.
"That was different, John."
"It seems the same to me." Miles had died, anyway, shot by the SWAT team that had tried to stop their raid on Cyberdyne, and blown up in the explosion on the second floor. But the idea was still the same: You couldn't kill people to achieve what you wanted, no matter how important it was, no matter who the people were. He had to hold onto that. Without that thought, he was wandering in the dark.
Sarah didn't sound convinced. "These people are mindslaves-they're like part of Skynet. It's not the same at all. Isn't that right, Dr. Frankenstein?"
"So am I," Rosanna said. "The T-XA reprogrammed me. Do you want to kill me, too?"
"Maybe." Sarah gave a broad grin. "Nah, there's still the real Dr. Frankenstein under there. We've seen a few glimpses. I think I'll let you live."
"The important thing is, did Mr. Reed believe you?" Jade said. "Did he accept any of it?"
"I'm sure he thinks I'm crazy," Rosanna said. "But he doesn't trust Oscar and Charles, I'm pretty sure of that, too. If only he'd listened to me when I tried to tell him what they can do. I don't know what precautions he'll take."
Anton changed left to pass the truck, and upped their speed to eighty mph. He started to work through traffic, fast but calm, always in control.
"It's not like there was any chance to explain it to him," John said. Where could you even start? With the
whole story about Jade's World, that the T-XA had enslaved people for Skynet, that it had given some of its slaves the same power? It sounded even crazier than the story about Judgment Day. If they were caught, they'd all be put in a mental institution somewhere.
"It wouldn't have mattered," Sarah said. "I've been idling them for seventeen years. They think what they want to think. They'll never believe what we tell them."
"Maybe." John wondered what they'd have to say to get the message through. They must know Rosanna was smart — they'd believed her before, about the Terminators. "If we keep it up, maybe they'll start getting worried." Sarah laughed. "Don't bet the house on it."
THE PENTAGON
"I don't like it," Samantha said. She'd taken up her position on Jack's lounge, stretching her long, stockinged legs in front of her. "Rosanna may be strange, but she was never crazy. What do you think she's caught up in now? Why is she saying these mad things?" She glanced at the pile of reports she'd placed on the lounge beside her.
Seated across from her, on one of the armchairs, Jack breathed on the lenses of his reading glasses, then cleaned them with a tissue. Rosanna's claims made no sense at all, but he no longer felt safe, even here, in his
inner office, in a building full of military personnel. "I just don't know. I've dealt with some flaky scientists in my time — the ones who think they know it all, even outside their fields. I know what you mean, Sam... Rosanna just isn't like that."
"Well, there's nothing much we can do until we meet with her."
"I guess not."
"It'll become clear."
They'd received more reports from Colorado. Dean Solomon had sent another batch of useless observations and poor forensic analysis. But at least they had the surveillance tapes, with a promise from Dean of an edited version tomorrow.
T2 - 02 - The New John Connor Chronicles - An Evil Hour Page 20