Read Online Terminator Salvation: From the Ashes by Timothy Zahn - Free Book Online
Authors: Timothy Zahn
Tags: Fiction, General, Science-Fiction, adventure, Media Tie-In, Los Angeles (Calif.), End of the world, Robots, Cyborgs, Film Novelizations
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loose from Command, I’d say you’re probably out of luck.”
“There might be a simpler way,” David said, running a finger diagonally across the map. “It looks to me like one of the old drainage tunnels cuts under the parking area around the warehouse.
We’ll have to check, but if it actually goes under the building itself, maybe we can blow the place without Williams having to risk herself or her A-10.”
“Skynet’s bound to have plugged it already,” Barnes said sourly.
David shrugged.
“Maybe. No way to know until we’ve checked it out.”
“We can’t destroy the staging area,” John said. “Not if we want Command to take us seriously.”
Kate frowned, replaying his words in her mind, convinced she must have heard him wrong.
“They won’t take us seriously if we do destroy it?” she asked.
29
“Of course not.” John gave her a tight yet oddly mischievous smile. “What we really need to do is capture it. Intact.”
Blair’s mouth dropped open half an inch.
David and Tunney exchanged startled glances.
Barnes just stayed Barnes.
“Excuse me?” David asked carefully.
“Skynet has a pattern in these operations,” John said. “First thing it does is put out a ring of T-600s to seal off the kill zone. Then, once it’s dark, it sends more T-600s through the neighborhood, usually with some HKs providing air support, and starts the slaughter. As the Terminators run out of ammunition they return to the staging area to reload, then head out again for a second wave, and so on.”
“And you’re suggesting Skynet might carelessly leave the lunch wagon unlocked while all the T-600s are out enjoying the picnic?” Tunney suggested.
“Why not?” John asked. “The first clue most people have that an attack is even coming is when the HKs lift and the miniguns start firing, and by then there’s no time for anything but trying to escape or survive. As far as I know, this is the first time anyone’s ever known in advance where Skynet’s setting up shop.”
“Of course, we don’t know when the attack will happen,” Tunney pointed out.
“Which is why we need to get started right away,” John said. “Barnes, what’s the status on Fallback Two?”
“It’s mostly ready,” Barnes said. He looked at Blair. “We don’t have a good hangar setup yet, though.”
“You want me to go hunting for something tomorrow?” Blair asked.
“Either you or Yoshi—you can sort it out between yourselves,” John said. “Make sure that whichever of you goes takes along an escort, just in case. We’ll work out the details after everyone’s had some sleep, but I’m thinking now that we keep the infiltration team to about twenty.”
“That few?” David questioned, frowning.
“Any more than that and we’ll leave the bunker and the rest of our people unprotected,” John pointed out. “Besides, this whole thing hinges on surprise. If twenty of us can’t pull it off, doubling the number isn’t likely to make much of a difference.”
“I suppose,” David said. Kate could tell he wasn’t convinced, but his voice and expression nevertheless showed his willingness to follow John’s lead. “May I suggest that we go in as Resistance recruiters?”
“Good idea,” John said. “Who knows? We might even find a few people who are ready to stop being victims and help us take the fight to Skynet. I’m thinking we’ll go in two groups of ten, with me taking one group and Barnes taking the other. Once we’ve scouted the territory a bit, we’ll regroup, compare notes, and set up a temp base as our launch point.”
“Can I choose my own ten men?” Barnes asked.
Tunney cleared his throat.
“You know, Barnes, it really isn’t our job to clear the streets of every brain-scrambled gang of punks that’s out there.”
“It is if they get in our way,” Barnes said, his voice going flat and dangerous. Barnes had grown up in one of L.A.’s worst gang areas, Kate knew, and his hatred of
“There might be a simpler way,” David said, running a finger diagonally across the map. “It looks to me like one of the old drainage tunnels cuts under the parking area around the warehouse.
We’ll have to check, but if it actually goes under the building itself, maybe we can blow the place without Williams having to risk herself or her A-10.”
“Skynet’s bound to have plugged it already,” Barnes said sourly.
David shrugged.
“Maybe. No way to know until we’ve checked it out.”
“We can’t destroy the staging area,” John said. “Not if we want Command to take us seriously.”
Kate frowned, replaying his words in her mind, convinced she must have heard him wrong.
“They won’t take us seriously if we do destroy it?” she asked.
29
“Of course not.” John gave her a tight yet oddly mischievous smile. “What we really need to do is capture it. Intact.”
Blair’s mouth dropped open half an inch.
David and Tunney exchanged startled glances.
Barnes just stayed Barnes.
“Excuse me?” David asked carefully.
“Skynet has a pattern in these operations,” John said. “First thing it does is put out a ring of T-600s to seal off the kill zone. Then, once it’s dark, it sends more T-600s through the neighborhood, usually with some HKs providing air support, and starts the slaughter. As the Terminators run out of ammunition they return to the staging area to reload, then head out again for a second wave, and so on.”
“And you’re suggesting Skynet might carelessly leave the lunch wagon unlocked while all the T-600s are out enjoying the picnic?” Tunney suggested.
“Why not?” John asked. “The first clue most people have that an attack is even coming is when the HKs lift and the miniguns start firing, and by then there’s no time for anything but trying to escape or survive. As far as I know, this is the first time anyone’s ever known in advance where Skynet’s setting up shop.”
“Of course, we don’t know when the attack will happen,” Tunney pointed out.
“Which is why we need to get started right away,” John said. “Barnes, what’s the status on Fallback Two?”
“It’s mostly ready,” Barnes said. He looked at Blair. “We don’t have a good hangar setup yet, though.”
“You want me to go hunting for something tomorrow?” Blair asked.
“Either you or Yoshi—you can sort it out between yourselves,” John said. “Make sure that whichever of you goes takes along an escort, just in case. We’ll work out the details after everyone’s had some sleep, but I’m thinking now that we keep the infiltration team to about twenty.”
“That few?” David questioned, frowning.
“Any more than that and we’ll leave the bunker and the rest of our people unprotected,” John pointed out. “Besides, this whole thing hinges on surprise. If twenty of us can’t pull it off, doubling the number isn’t likely to make much of a difference.”
“I suppose,” David said. Kate could tell he wasn’t convinced, but his voice and expression nevertheless showed his willingness to follow John’s lead. “May I suggest that we go in as Resistance recruiters?”
“Good idea,” John said. “Who knows? We might even find a few people who are ready to stop being victims and help us take the fight to Skynet. I’m thinking we’ll go in two groups of ten, with me taking one group and Barnes taking the other. Once we’ve scouted the territory a bit, we’ll regroup, compare notes, and set up a temp base as our launch point.”
“Can I choose my own ten men?” Barnes asked.
Tunney cleared his throat.
“You know, Barnes, it really isn’t our job to clear the streets of every brain-scrambled gang of punks that’s out there.”
“It is if they get in our way,” Barnes said, his voice going flat and dangerous. Barnes had grown up in one of L.A.’s worst gang areas, Kate knew, and his hatred of
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