T2 - 02 - The New John Connor Chronicles - An Evil Hour

by Russell Blackford

  As soon as they'd stopped, Anton was out of there. He flung himself to the concrete, rolling to one side between two civilian cars that were backed in bays against a concrete wall. Jade took off almost as quickly, and covered distance as fast as ever.

  "Stay here," Eve said. The Terminator squeezed past Rosanna's knees, and followed the two Specialists, not moving with the same lightning speed, but still quickly and efficiently, like a human athlete.

  John felt for any injuries. He seemed okay. With four of them in the back, he hadn't been wearing a seatbelt, but he'd braced himself just before the crash. He checked Sarah and Rosanna. His mom seemed fine, but Rosanna had hurt her arm, bracing against the seat in front. He'd heard her grunt resentfully when Eve had squeezed past her. John felt her arm for any break-she just seemed bruised from the impact

  Anton had taken the laser rifle, a terrible weapon that could have mown down their enemies in seconds. John didn't move for now. He thought it would soon be over-twenty ordinary humans, no matter what Skynet had done to them, were no match for the two Specialists and a Terminator. It should be easy.

  Then he saw he was wrong.

  It all seemed to happen at once — the movements, the shots ringing out. He recognized Oscar Cruz from TV, and from pics in magazines and on the Internet. The silver-headed man with him was less familiar, but he must have Charles Layton, Cyberdyne's Chairman. John had his photo on Cyberdyne's web site. That meant those • two older people—a tough, military-looking guy and a smartly-dressed woman in her forties—must be the folks they wanted to see: Jack Reed and Samantha Jones. When they'd driven in, Layton had been attacking Reed, holding him, but Reed broke free, and ran for cover, and Jones was close behind him. No one shot in their direction; everyone had other priorities. They rolled beneath a big four-wheel drive, out of harm's way. Layton and Cruz took cover, but the rest of their team stood fearlessly, not even flinching when Anton fired the searing heat beam at their feet He aimed over the trunk of a Ford sedan parked nose-inward in one of the bays. John knew what the beam did when it touched a human body. He'd seen it in Mexico, when they'd first fought the T-XA. Any direct hit, even on an arm or a leg, would be horribly mutilating, probably fatal. The laser rifle was designed for just one purpose: cutting down human beings like vermin. It wasn't meant to wound, only to kill — and Anton didn't want to kill.

  The cops and the others with them returned a storm of fire from their pistols, keeping Jade and Anton at a distance. Even Jade could not run straight into a hail of metal, fired by enemies who never hesitated. She took cover behind a concrete pillar.

  John took the pistol from his backpack and reached past Rosanna to open the door, but Sarah grabbed his arm with her strong fingers. "No, John, you've done your part. Just keep down."

  From the other end of the car park came the sound of motorcycles, and more gunshots. There was too much lead flying through the air. In a moment, someone might be hurt, or killed. One shot took out the SUV's windscreen, the round striking it diagonally, and continuing across John's body.

  Rosanna curled into a ball on the seat her back in the corner, knees lifted to her face, trying to escape the noise of battle. Unlike the rest of them, she was not trained for this. She could be dangerous, thanks to the enhancement that the T-XA had given her, but now she was obviously terrified.

  Jade was exposed to shots from the motorcycle cops. She turned and fired at both of them, deadly accurate, blowing out tires on both bikes, which keeled onto their sides and skidded across the concrete, striking sparks. That was one less hazard.

  Another bullet shattered a side window of the SUV, and glass blew into John's face. He put his hand to his cheeks, then took them it away. He was bleeding. The noise of pistol fire seemed to go on and on, Layton's people loading and reloading, always someone firing.

  But Eve walked straight into the pistol fire, making no attempt to dodge it The Terminator produced a Colt .45 pistol from under its jacket, and began firing systematically, shooting straight at the bodies of their enemies. John had expected it to aim at their legs: He'd ordered Eve not to kill, just as he had in 1994 with the T-800. But this time the Terminator had ignored his order.

  No one ran; it seemed these cops and government agents would do anything for Skynet. Even those who fell, screaming with pain when bones shattered or lungs collapsed, kept firing from the ground, until Eve kicked the guns from their hands. They didn't stop until disarmed, unconscious, or dead.

  That gave the Specialists the break they needed. Jade moved like lightning, dodging stray bullets that came her way, zigzagging and whirling, and knocking down several men in the blink of an eye. But Layton moved almost as fast catching her with a shot to her chest at point-blank range.

  "No, John!"

  John ignored Sarah's cry to stop. He forced his way past Rosanna, and flung the door open. Layton turned toward him, taking aim. For a moment, John saw his death coming, but Eve stepped into his path, absorbing the 9mm. round. Then another.

  Cruz tackled Anton, fighting like a cornered cat but he was out of his league. As Anton forced him to the floor, one of the cops whom Eve had shot seemed to recover. He crawled to a pistol lying on the floor, picked it up, and fired, hitting Anton in the back. Then again. And again.

  Eve had grabbed the laser rifle where Anton had dropped it at his feet Unlike him, the Terminator showed BO compunction; it fired at the cop, who exploded into flames.

  Layton saw what had happened; he tried to run, moving with speed that rivaled Jade's. But Eve cut him down in mid-air as he headed for the elevator lobby. His body became a flaming brand, flying on a long, flat trajectory. Then it was over. The huge concrete space was silent The Terminator and the two Specialists had killed, in-jured, or stunned their entire opposition. In their own way, their enemies had been more than human: Endowed with a ferocious fighting capacity, in the case of Layton and Cruz; and simply without fear or hesitation in the case of the others. Most of their enemies were dead, including Layton, all killed by the Terminator. Both of the

  Specialists were hurt. Eve had taken multiple wounds, though it did not faze her in the slightest John felt his own body. He was okay, no bullets had hit him; his only wounds were the glass cuts on his face.

  He ran to Jade, who was nursing herself, seated on the hood of a police car. "Are you okay?" he said, almost pleadingly.

  She nodded, then coughed painfully. "I'll live," she said, through gritted teeth. "What about Anton?"

  Sarah had left the car and gone to him, where he lay on the ground, bleeding. She checked him over quickly, looking up at John and mouthing, "Okay." Rosanna was still in the SUV, understandably terrified.

  Reed stepped forward. He'd picked up a fallen handgun, and he trained it on Cruz, who backed away warily. He gave a smile that might have been charming in different circumstances. "I guess you want an explanation, Jack?" Cruz laughed, then must have realized it was out of place. "A better one than I gave you last night, right?"

  "Just who do you think you are?" Reed said.

  Samantha Jones walked toward them, her face white.

  John turned to Eve, angry at what she'd done. "You killed people. I told you not to do that. You have to obey my orders."

  Eve looked at him with much the same expression as a man examining a fly that he plans to swat—and John felt a twinge of fear. Eve's expression was so cold. Could he really control the Terminator? If the T-799 ever turned on him, it would be dangerous. Even the Specialists would have to respect it.

  Jade got down from where she'd been sitting and walked up behind him, holding his arm, protectively—and many thoughts went through his mind. He wondered again how she would fare against a Terminator. So many conflicting emotions went through his mind. Just how badly hurt was she? He couldn't bear harm coming to her.

  And what did she think of him? What did he mean to her, this superwoman from the future?

  He said to Eve, "Why didn't you obey?"

  "It was not just killing p
eople."

  "What's that supposed to mean?"

  "They were no longer human. They were extensions of Skynet."

  "You can't make that judgment. It's not up to you."

  "Best hypothesis: they were under Skynet's control, Reprogrammed."

  "Of course they were."

  Eve glared in Cruz's direction, still looking dangerous.

  "Don't kill him," John said. "I specifically order you not to. Have you got it this time?"

  "Yes. Got it."

  John had almost forgotten how dangerous it was to have his own Terminator. In the end, the T-800 he'd known in 1994 had not seemed to him like the killing machine it was. As far as he knew, it had never killed anyone on its trip back in time. Eve's behavior reminded him of the truth, what a Terminator really was: A machine built specifically for killing human beings.

  Reed still had his gun trained on Cruz.

  "So, you're Jack Reed?" Sarah said.

  He nodded. "Sarah Connor, I presume." He looked at their group with a hard gaze almost equal to the Terminator's. This shootout had put steel into him. A siren came from above, up the levels of ramps, along with the sounds of car engines coming toward them. It never seemed to stop. "We've got to get out of here," Reed said.

  Behind John, a voice said, "I hope there'll be no more killing." It was Rosanna, always pale, now looking like a ghost. She'd finally gotten out of the car.

  "Quickly," Reed said. "This way." He gestured Cruz in the direction of the elevator lobby, but Cruz refused to budge. Eve seized him by the neck and forced him along.

  They reached the elevator as two more police cars arrived. All nine of them crammed into an elevator car: John and Sarah; Eve; Rosanna; the Specialists; Cruz; the two people from the government

  Cruz said, "What are you going to do with me?"

  "That depends on whether you want to cooperate,"

  Reed said.

  "I don't think so. I'm afraid the ball's in your court."

  The Terminator looked ready to kill him on the spot John said, "Don't kill him, Eve. Don't even hurt him."

  The Terminator stared back at him. "Tactically inadvisable. He is dangerous while he lives."

  "Well, we're still not going to kill him," John said "That's enough. It doesn't matter what they've done, or what Skynet has done to them. We can't kill people."

  "Why?"

  He struggled to find an answer. This was different from 1994. They were dealing with people who were positively fighting on Skynet's side, their brains programmed to make them think that way. Did they still have a right to live? It seemed to him they did; there remained some hope for them. Look at Rosanna, he thought Maybe they could do something to help Cruz. "It's a long story," he said. "Just trust me on it"

  At ground level, the elevator opened onto a small glassed-in lobby with a door that led into the street. Two police cars had pulled up outside, waiting for them to exit. Four officers were ready, taking cover behind their cars, one of them speaking into a radio mike, the others with guns drawn.

  "Don't do anything," John said to the Terminator. "We can handle this." But he wondered if they could. Jade was badly hurt, worse than he'd ever seen her. Sarah was helping her walk. That was bad; she should already be healing. Anton was hurt as well. "Maybe just threaten them a little," John said.

  The Terminator pointed the laser rifle. It stepped forward, toward the police. "We need your cars."

  As they headed north, Reed drove, while Jones took out her cell phone. She seemed to have come to life, forcing herself back to work, despite the shock she'd suffered in the garage.

  John sat in the back between Jade and Eve. Sarah drove the other police car, following behind them with Anton, Rosanna, and their prisoner—Oscar Cruz.

  Eve leaned forward. "Give me your phone."

  "What?" Jones said. "What do you want it for?"

  "I need it."

  "You'd better not argue," John said. "I mean, seriously." Jones passed the phone back.

  "Your secretary was one of them," Eve said to Reed. "Who else do you suspect?"

  Reed shook his head as he pulled out to overtake a slow-moving pickup truck. "We have no way of knowing. They don't behave any different."

  But Jones said, "Yes, they do."

  "What? What do you mean, Sam?" He shifted lanes again. in front of the pickup.

  "Dean Solomon, Jack. This explains his behavior."

  "Goddamn it yes."

  "Do you have his number?" Eve said.

  Jones gave a number, and the Terminator rang it When the telephone was answered, Eve said, in Charles Layton's voice, "It has gone badly. Get out of there." There was a pause, then the Terminator added, "Take the others. Go to Rosanna Monk's home. Await my instructions."

  Eve passed the phone back. "Now you have a position of strength."

  Jones made a series of calls on her cell phone, arguing, pleading, talking tough, trying to straighten things out, getting people sent to places, pulling back others, calling up favors. John couldn't follow it all, but she must have worked out that DoD and the military had been compromised by Skynet's mindslaves; she seemed to be rerouting her calls, talking to people she hardly knew. Making arrangements, fixing issues.

  "I'll get you a doctor," she said, speaking over her shoulder to Jade. "We need all kinds of help, don't we?"

  "She mostly needs food," John said. He took Jade's hand and squeezed it "Will you be okay?"

  "My body is repairing around the wound," she said in a small voice. "I should have the bullet removed."

  Eventually, Jones gave up talking on the phone. "That's as straightened out as it's going to be," she said. "At least for the moment."

  "So where are we going?" John said.

  "The place where we said we'd meet. We have a lot to discuss."

  "Like who or what are you people?" Reed added.

  John gave Jade's hand another squeeze, then let go, not wanting to seem like he was offering more than comfort. He wondered where to start. "That's going to take a while."

  Jones said, "Don't worry. We have time." The road led to a small military complex, one hour out of the city center. Reed dealt with the checkpoint guard, drove in, and unlocked a door to one low building. The other car pulled up alongside.

  Yet another car was already parked there, this one an unmarked white sedan. An Indian or Pakistani-looking woman got out and introduced herself. "I am Doctor Panikkar."

  "Everyone come inside," Reed said. In the small meeting room inside the building, he took a seat and said to Cruz, "It seems like we're back where we started."

  "Seems like it," Cruz said.

  "We'll have to keep you under guard, you know. It looks to me like you're a dangerous man."

  "I might be, or I mightn't. I'm not making any comment about that. You realize you can never hold me, don't you? Just what have I done wrong? Nothing you can make public."

  "Right. So you'll slip outside our justice system, will yon? That might not be to your advantage."

  Rosanna spoke, "You can't threaten him. He doesn't care about his own life, do you Oscar? All he cares about Skynet."

  Cruz smiled and shrugged. "Have it your way."

  Jones found a room in another building for Dr. Panikkar to examine Jade and Anton. Meanwhile, Eve watched Cruz closely, looking like she might kill him with any excuse. But a minute later, two more cars pulled up outside, and a group of people yelled out, then entered the building.

  "In here," Reed said loudly. Two women and three men appeared, all medium height, slightly unkempt looking, a little nerdy if anything. Two of the guys wore gold-rimmed glasses. John looked them over with a practiced eye; despite first appearances, they were all strong and fit, well-trained operatives of some kind.

  "So we're putting this guy in your jurisdiction?'' Reed said. "That's the decision?"

  One of the women stepped forward and said, "It seems we've been assigned it, at least for now. We'll ask him some questions. You'll get your chance as well."


  "And those people in Colorado Springs?" The same. We got them okay."

  Cruz's eyebrows raised at that, but he said nothing. John wondered where it would end. Many people must be compromised; perhaps they'd never identify them all. The government would wash its hands of the nanoprocessor and the Skynet project, and Cyberdyne would be out of business, or close enough to it But it gave John a bad feeling to think there were still people out there who were Skynet's mindslaves, determined to bring it into existence. Some of those people must be smart Even now, when they seemed totally defeated, they'd be plotting and planning, trying to work something out

  "Yeah, all right," Reed said. "Take him away."

  Cruz didn't resist, though he doubtless could have put up a fight The spirit seemed to have gone out of him. "Just be very careful," John said to the agents. He wondered just what agency they came from. "He doesn't look like much-"

  "The kid's right," Reed said. "You'd better handcuff him."

  One of the men found a pair of handcuffs inside his nylon jacket "Glad to oblige."

  When they were gone, Samantha Jones reappeared at the door. "All under control. They'll be okay." She said to John. "Your friend Jade should be dead. That bullet ripped out half of her lung capacity. No one survives something like that."

  "I know," John said. "But thank God she's okay."

  "They're going to operate on her under local anesthetic. We'll get her to a military hospital."

  "And Anton?" Sarah said.

  "He's as strong as a bull. Most of the bullets missed his spine. One just grazed it. He's flesh and blood, but he's as hard as iron. He's going to be okay."

  "Faster than you think."

  "I doubt it. Whatever those two are, they're not human."

  No one replied to that; Reed took command. "All right, who's the spokesman here? Who's going to start?"

  John said, "Let me try."

  CHAPTER

  THIRTEEN