Terminator Resistance

Terminator: Resistance
Time is fluid and always in motion, for every decision taken new pathways spring into existence. Nothing is absolute and the slightest of changes can affect the world in profound ways.
August 29th 2017 the artificial intelligence known as Skynet became self-aware and made the decision that the most dangerous threat to its existence was the human race and for it to survive mankind needed to be extinguished. Infiltrating the subsystems that controlled the world’s arsenal of nuclear weapons Skynet launched simultaneous attacks against every major city in the world.
We as a race watched in quiet impotence as elemental ribbons of flame rose up into the air and streaked across the sky and plummeted into their targets. For the whole of human history we had believed that if the end ever came it would be shrouded in darkness but the truth was that our destruction came alongside a blinding white light. It was as though collectively as a race we had had a near death experience. The kind we had all heard about; the kind where the white light draws you to your end. When the dust settled three billion people lost their lives. Those who survived were hunted like animals for years by the machines. Until one man stopped the tide of our annihilation.
John Connor seemingly came from nowhere and gathered what was left of mankind and taught them to fight back against the tyranny that was Skynet. In our darkest hour one man gave us all hope. He made us believe that we could survive the darkness. That together we could overcome any obstacle, and so in 2029 twelve years after what had become known as Judgement Day John Connor lead a final assault against the automated forces of Skynet. The plan was to infiltrate and destroy Skynet’s mainframe and in doing so slay the brain that controlled the machines.
With its resources almost depleted and defences overrun Skynet knew that its defeat was inevitable and with this realisation the machine decided to throw one last role of the dice to preserve itself. Skynet made the decision to try and stop the human uprising before it even began by eliminating their leader before he was even born. In the final tumultuous moments of the battle Skynet used the last vestiges of energy it had remaining to send one of its Terminators, a cybernetic organism consisting of a metal endoskeleton encased in living human tissue back into the past to eliminate the mother of its most feared enemy so that she would not be able to give birth to him.
Somehow John Connor knew what Skynet’s plan would be and counteracted by sending his own lone warrior back to protect his mother. Kyle Reece volunteered for the kamikaze mission into the past and followed closely behind the Terminator. Who would get to her first was anybody’s guess, whether Skynet’s scheme would succeed was impossible to tell. In time we would no doubt find out but for the moment the war here in the present continues and although Skynet is on the verge of defeat it still has some life left in it.
 
 
 
 
 
London, England - 2029
The first communications had come through from Los Angeles, the offensive had gone well. Skynet was on the back foot and its defences had begun to falter. By some miracle John Connor had been able to shake the very foundations the enemy was built on.  It was up to the rest of us to finish what he had started now.
I stand here shoulder to shoulder with a thousand other soldiers, willing and ready to take our city back, no not our city, our world. For two thousand years London has stood as a beacon for the world, a guiding light for civilization in general. Looking down at the ground beneath my feet I find myself contemplating how others who had marched on the city must have felt but I was not here to conquer, my task was to liberate my home from the oppression of the machines. I Jacen Pearce had finally returned after a decade away and tonight was the night I would complete my mission even if it cost me my life.
Ominous looking clouds swirl around us, almost as if the world knows that tonight a storm is scheduled to take place. I turn to face the men awaiting their orders behind me. For the first time I see no doubt or apprehension in the expressions. Obviously the word has got out of Johns victory and renewed the ranks with optimism. I smile to myself thinking that Skynet may have started this fight but we were sure as hell going to finish it. Flashes of pure white light crackle across the muddy night sky. I turn back to the horizon and find tiny black dots appearing at regular intervals. Instantly I know what they are. Years of hiding in the shadows and running for cover at the very thought of Skynet’s hunter killers had left them seared into the back of my mind. Hovering drones that rained death from above they were some of Skynet’s most feared creations, but not today.
 I signal the rear guard to ready the heat seekers and give them the order to fire. Billowing columns of smoke spiral into existence and scream towards their chrome covered targets. Feint flashes of light where the rockets hit their targets make it seem as though there is a firework display taking place. Again I smile to myself. These new upgraded missiles had the ability to find targets even when they were in stealth mode. I tell myself I needed to find the guy that created them and shake his hand.  
With debris falling consistently from the sky as the hunter killers crashed unceremoniously to the ground.  I give the order to march towards our final target. The Cyberdyne London headquarters situated on the banks of the river Thames near what used to be Vauxhall. The area used to be heavily populated but due to Skynet’s presence all that was left now were its cybernetic sentries. As we get closer to the building Skynet’s terminators begin to appear in small groups. These aren’t the infiltration units that look human though, these are the uncovered endoskeletons coated in chrome. Sporadically both sides begin to fire there phased plasma rifles at one another. Deadly violet beams of light erupt in what can only be described as absolute mayhem. I see pieces of metal explode as terminators begin to collapse to the floor but the battle isn’t one sided.
The unnerving shrieks of my soldiers being struck echoes through the crisp night air, I have to remind myself that this is the consequence of saving our world. Through gritted teeth I bare ever closer to my target. My radio suddenly crackles to life. “Sir we have reached the entrance.”  Taking my radio in my left hand I fire off two quick blasts from the weapon in my right hand. Two more Terminators tumble to the ground in quick succession. “Good set the explosives and blow the doors off of the bastard; I’ll be there in a minute” I quickly break into a sprint toward the main entrance. All around pitched battles are taking place. I duck and weave through gun battles trying not get hit by any stray fire or explosions. On more than one occasion a flash of deadly violet light barley misses my chest. I remind myself to be more careful. The battle rages on but even from a cursory glance I can tell that the fight is going our way.
At the front entrance I find my second in command Lesley Blake. Her usually soft features are a picture of concentration as she expertly sets the charges on the door.  “How close are we?” My words seem hurried but I know we are under a serious time constraint. Before going into battle John Connor had given all the leaders of the main offensives a secret task to complete. They were to infiltrate all major Skynet sites and locate a secure area named auxiliary three. He had told us that it was Skynet’s most deadly weapon, that Skynet had created a time machine that had the ability to re-right history itself. So far john was unsure if there were any more than the one machine but if Skynet did have another one then it would be imperative that we stop its activation.
A short time before our battle had started we had been updated as to the situation in Los Angeles and knowing this made it even more important that we did not allow Skynet to use its Time displacement unit for a second time.
“It’s all good to go Sir,” Lesley’s voice always seemed to make everything sound so casual and relaxed. I give her the thumbs up to proceed. We quickly find cover behind the fallen wreckage of a hunter killer. With the broadest grin I had ever seen on Lesley’s face I watch her click the detonator. The titanium doors keeping us at bay crumple like cardboard and without hesitation we surge in.
The halls we enter are metallic and pristine. Surprisingly there are no sentinels to greet us. No Terminators to slow our progress. As far as we can tell the site is completely empty. The further in we travel the more eerie the facility seems to become. At what was once a security point Lesley hacks into the Skynet building management system and locates the area known as Auxiliary Three. We can see its ten levels beneath us. “I don’t like this Sir, there should be more resistance”
“I know, this doesn’t feel right,” I look around at the rest of my men and am greeted by the same look of confusion. “All we can do is continue moving forward but make sure you all stay frosty” We hurry through a blur of countless deserted walkways and corridors. We finally reach the designated area. As expected the doors hindering our path are intimidating to say the least. They are twenty feet high and twenty feet wide and look thick enough to withstand anything we can throw at it. “Explosives won’t work here. We’re going to have to hack it” Lesley looks at me for confirmation of her statement; I give her the go ahead and without hesitance she makes her way to the control panel and plugs herself in. The sense of unease is building as I realise that time is something we don’t have much of and trying to hack the system is going to delay us but there are no other options.
As my second in command tries to circumvent the system the rest of us fall into a standard cover formation. Seconds melt into minutes and my anxiety grows. “How’s it going Blake any movement yet.” Never one to pull her punches all I see receive as a response is a grunt. I take this as a sign to leave her be. If this was the real military I’m sure I would have said something but this wasn’t, so I let her continue.
Compressed air and the sound of releasing hydraulics fill the corridor and with a lurching shudder the door slowly raises allowing us to see what lies behind them for the first time. For a second we all stand motionless in awe of what greets us.
A domed room with metallic tiles covering every inch of the walls; in the centre of the room is a raised circular platform. Above the platform are two curved prongs the look like they have the ability spin around the central stage. Steam gently spirals around the platform and the air seems to be almost electrified. Its then I am confronted by the reason there hasn’t been any resistance; we are too late. Skynet has already used its weapon. Almost on cue a screen flickers to life and a metallic female voice announces “Six minutes to shut down of facility.”  I am suddenly filled with dread. We have all heard these announcements before. This was one of Skynet’s rouses. Draw you into a building and then blow it to hell. I feel a pit in my stomach as I realise that we are too far inside the facility to make it out safely. “Lesley check the records, see if you can find out what they sent through” Without having to make eye contact with anyone else I can tell the whole team is aware that we are all going to die here. All that is left is to try and complete the task given to us, I activate my video communication unit. Almost instantly John Connor’s image blinks into existence. His grizzled features are partially obstructed by static interference but even with this I can still make out the scar the runs the full length of the left hand side of his face. “Good to see you Jacen, what can I do for you.”
“Sir I believe we have found a secondary Time displacement unit.”
“Show me.” I turn the device and focus on the platform in the middle of the room.”
“That’s it, do you know if it’s been activated yet.”
“Lesley any updates on the records yet.” Lesley makes her way back over to me and I can tell from her expression that there is an issue. “What’s wrong?” Lesley speaks directly to me and the image of John “Sir they’ve sent a T800 through to 2015.”
“Who’s the target Blake?” John’s tone is little more than a whisper but laced with a deadly seriousness. “Sir there are two targets…” Lesley’s face is haunted and distraught I am sure I heard a tremble when she spoke as well. It was unheard of for Lesley to be flustered so I am painfully aware that she must have seen something really unnerving. “Sir the targets are Jacen’s mother and my Father.”   The world around me becomes silent as my mind races. Of all of the possibilities in my head this was definitely one I had not accounted for.  Why would It. I was little more than a grunt. Yes I was in a position of leadership but what did that have to do with the fate of the world there were hundreds of soldiers like me. Lesley’s expression mirrored mine. “Listen Jacen, I don’t want to ask this of you but you have to follow the T800 through and stop it from completing its mission.” I feel as though I want to laugh from shear nervousness. Lesley nudges me to bring me back to the real world. With searching eyes I take stock of her and truly see how beautiful she is for the first and maybe the last time. “Yes Sir” the words scrape against the back of my throat. “Jacen, Blake none of us were expecting this but we have to deal with it. Skynet has deemed you important enough to target your families for assassination. If it succeeds it could undo everything we have struggled for.  I understand I am asking for the impossible but it has to be done.”
Sir there is another problem, Skynet has initiated the self-destruct protocol; we have a little over four minutes before the facility is destroyed.”
“Look Jacen I know this is hard to hear but you have to do this, there is no other option. If you prevail then your men could be saved. You’ll change their fates…” John’s eyes drill into me, without words they tell me that this needs to be done. Beside me Lesley looks at a loss, her usual confident demeanour completely stripped away. “What about me Sir, what should I do?”
“Blake I am sending you instructions on how to operate the system. You make sure it works. I know you’re scared but Jacen can do this. He will save your father and his mother we just have to hold tight.”  In my periphery I see the rest of the team gathered around us listening intently. To their credit even with the knowledge that they will not escape this situation not one member looked like they even considered running.
In the heat of the situation I hadn’t even started thinking about what was being asked of me. Going back in time and changing the course of history was bad enough but being asked to go and save my own mother and Lesley’s father was verging on the ridiculous. I try to remember when I had last seen my mother but the memory eludes me. “Jacen there are a couple of things; firstly you cannot take anything through with you. No clothes or weapons, they could disrupt the temporal fields and tear your body apart. Also once you go back you cannot disclose who you are to either party it could be catastrophic if you do and finally once you have made contact I’m going to need you to take the targets to my mother Sarah Connor in Los Angeles she will be able to better protect them She’ll be hard to find but at this time in her life she would have been based near san Diego.”
“Yes Sir.” I try to sound resolute but I know I don’t “Sir we’re down to three minutes.” The uncertainty in Lesley’s voice is still there but like a good soldier she is obviously ready to put it aside and complete her task. “Okay Jacen, Blake you have your orders. Good luck we’re all counting on you.”
“Thank you Sir.” I shut down the communication device and begin to unclothe. Lesley’s fingers dance manically across the control panel as she programmes my destination details. I gingerly take my naked body over to the platform and stand awkwardly in the middle. “I’m sending you back to May twelfth twenty fifteen.”
“Okay, what happens when I get there?”
“I don’t know, but I can tell you my father worked in a hotel in Victoria, his name is Peter Blake.” She briefly stops typing and looks at me with sincere eyes. “I know I don’t have to tell you this but please make sure he survives. He was a good man.” I nod my response and she offers me the barest of glimpses of a smile. “Okay you ready?”
“Yes” but I don’t feel ready. How could I? That doesn’t matter now. She hits another key and with a gentle rumble the prongs begin to rotate around me. Quickly they build speed and as they do the room fills with a high pitched whine. Flashes of blue electricity shimmer around me. They gather together and grow in size. I can still see my men watching with anticipation. The light builds and I notice the countdown screen. It reads three seconds. I am lifted off of my feet and find my body rotating with the motion of the prongs It’s not an unpleasant sensation. Powerful bolts of electricity surround me now and just before the room is engulfed in flame as the countdown reaches zero I see her face one last time. Green emerald eyes stare up at me with hope and what might be longing.
 
 
 
 
 
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