Terminator 3: Final Battle

Chapter 16

Cyberdyne, first floor, 16:01

They were walking through the gray corridors looking for some information about the division of special projects. To avoid suspicion, each of them continued to push a cart with several toolboxes. Lukas kept the fake document in his hands, just in case anyone questioned about their presence in the building.

— See! Special Projects Division, Second Floor - John pointed to a panel indicating the departments near the elevators. They took advantage that no one was around, and went up to the second floor.

As the elevator door opened on the second floor, they saw Richard Russkin pass down the hallway. Without thinking, Sarah ran to catch up with him. Terrified by his mother's sudden movement, John remained motionless inside the elevator. Realizing the situation, Lukas pushed him out, before the elevator door closed again.

— Richard Russkin? - Sarah said in his ear, while pressing the gun against his back - Keep walking. We need to talk. Let's go to your room.

A shiver ran down his spine as he felt the cold barrel of the gun at his back. He looked into the mirror on the opposite wall and immediately recognized the face that held the voice that whispered in his ear. Not even the white hair and wrinkles of old age could confuse him.

— Sarah Connor? - he dared to ask before seeing John and Lukas - Why didn't I think of that? Of course you must be behind Douglas's disappearance!

— Douglas? I have no idea who this person is! But if anyone's gone, that means a terminator must be inside here.

They stopped in front of the door that led to the special projects division. Before Richard used his credential to open the door, Sarah put her weapon away.

— Don't think of screwing up - she said in his ear before the door opened.

They walked across the room together without the teams realizing that something was wrong. Absorbed in their work, no one noticed when the four of them entered Richard's office.

— I don't believe it - Richard said after sitting down and looking at the three - How long has it been? Twenty four years? Don't you give up?

— Funny, I was going to ask the same thing. Let's get straight to the point. You need to abort the Skynet project.

— Give me a good reason for that. The technological advances that may occur because of this project should revolutionize the history of mankind. Miles Dyson had only good intentions with this project. He died because of you.

— Did you ever wonder where that chip and that metal arm you kept secret came from? - Sarah questioned.

Immediately Richard remembered the day he asked Miles Dyson that question. According to Dyson, he had asked the same question when he started working on the chip. The answer given by Cyberdyne had been: don't ask!

— That's what I thought - she said after not hearing an answer - I'll make things easier for you. That came from the future! A future where Skynet has decided to eliminate humanity from the planet! Your precious project will provoke a world nuclear war. The survivors will face the nightmare of fighting terminators.

Open-mouthed, Richard followed Sarah's narrative about the terminators. They were interrupted by a security call. Sarah pointed the gun, warning him not to mess up.

— Mr. Richard, I found something very strange in the video yesterday afternoon. I can't say exactly what happened. I prefer to send you the video so you can review it yourself.

— Yes, send me the video right away - he said before hanging up - Security will send a video related to Douglas's disappearance - he said looking at Sarah - If you're telling the truth, I shouldn't bother to see one of you in this video, right? - he said still suspicious.

After receiving the message and downloading the video, Richard made sure to display its content on a huge screen for everyone to watch.

After lunch time, you could see Douglas crossing the parking lot heading for his car. Out of nowhere, a lightning storm sparked a light ball. You could clearly see the moment when the windows of Douglas's car had exploded, and the naked man appeared in place of the ball. The same man killed Douglas and put his body in the trunk, assuming his shape.

— I can't believe it ... - Richards's jaw dropped.

— We have no time to waste - Sarah said - Where is Douglas?

Richard was still staring at the screen with his mouth open.

— Richard! - Sarah shouted - Where is he?

— I don't know. He disappeared.

— The Terminator must have already copied someone else - John said.

Just then, across the room, Danny Dyson was heading for Richard's office. Looking into the glass room, he could hardly believe what his eyes were seeing. The three people who broke into his home twenty-four years ago, causing his father to die.