Dark Futures

She ignored him, looking round the table, challenging the Specialists. 'Well? Have you thought of it? Any of you? Whatever we do, they're going to build Skynet or something like it—and the outcome is going to be a disaster. Why not give up now? Maybe we're meant to destroy ourselves. It's in our nature.'

'Maybe,' John said, feeling defeated. The T-800 had once said the same thing. It was going to be hard from now on. What were they fighting for, if this was how it could turn out? It looked like time might be just too hard for them—just like he thought, it had that way of springing back if you let go.

Which only meant you could never let go, never leave the job.

'Maybe we're just a disease on this planet,' Sarah said. 'One that burns itself out Why not let it happen?'

'Ms. Connor,' Jade said.

'What?' Sarah said, her voice sardonic and challenging.

'Please. You must be feeling guilty, like it's your fault. You can't think that way.'

'I'm not thinking that way.'

'If you say so, but, with great respect to you, I think you are.'

Sarah rolled her eyes. 'Another teenager wants to lecture me.'

'Please,' Jade said. 'Perhaps you are right, perhaps not. We don't blame you. If not for what you did, many of us might have died in 1997. Billions of people had years of life they would never have had. And the world would have been so different-many people would never have met-for example, my own parents. If not for you, I wouldn't have been born. How can we blame you? You gave us all a chance. Those who failed to take it must bear the blame.'

Sarah was silent not mollified, or happy, but at least chewing it over. John said, 'How did it happen? Skynet works like a charm for fourteen years, gets everyone to trust it, then goes crazy. Is that it?'

'Not quite,' Danny said. 'At least we don't think so. It happened in the middle of a global crisis. Over Taiwan.'

'China overstepped the mark,' Anton said. 'The Chinese leadership announced it had a sacred duty to annex Taiwan. There were demonstrations on the mainland, supporting the decision. The crisis went on for weeks. Then Chinese warships sailed into Taiwanese waters.'

'This is 2021,' Danny said.

Anton grunted acknowledgment 'That's right.'

'So what did the U.S. do?' John said.

Danny glanced at Anton. 'You tell them the story. I won't interrupt.'

'The President issued a warning to Beijing not to attack the island. China defied it and called on the Taiwanese government to step down. Tensions escalated. U.S. warships sailed into the area. China announced that it was prepared to fire its nuclear weapons at the U.S. if it took military action. Skynet was fed all the data. It put the American missiles on high alert. At that point, all the new complexity it was managing seemed to push it over the edge, into a new state of awareness. It announced it had become self-conscious.'

'And they tried to shut it down?' Sarah said.

'Yes,' Anton said. 'And it retaliated.'

'Omigod. I see.'

'So what do you want us to do now?' John said, looking at Danny, who seemed to be in charge.

'Help us,' Danny said. 'That hasn't changed. We can still create a world that's safe for humanity, one without Skynet. It's not too late.'

'No, I guess it's not. We must have learned something from all of this. Maybe we can get it right.'

Sarah interrupted. 'How many times do we have to try? Billions more people die every time. Don't you understand that?'

John had thought of it, and it was bugging him. But what could do they do? 'We're already in a new timeline, Mom. We must be by now. If we don't do anything, it'll be just as bad.'

'I understood that the first time. It's not a good enough answer.'

'Mom, we can make it work out. We've just got to keep on the job.'

'How can you know that, John? Why isn't it always going to end in disaster? That's what's happened so far.'

She'd pushed him to the point where he was angry, too. 'Well, what's your idea?' He said. 'Just give up? You want us to be the gutless Connors? These guys are going to try anyway. I guess it's either with our help or without it. What do you want to do, Mom? What do you want?'

'I don't know!' she said desperately.

'Yes, you do. We've got to pull together. We've got to try!'

'Is that what you want? Whatever you say, John. I give up. It's too hard for me.'

'I know what I want,' he said. 'What do you want? I want to help, and I want your blessing. Please. Is it so much to ask?'

She stood and walked out of the diner, to the car park. Jade ran after her. 'Ms. Connor.' John tried to hold her back, but she moved like lightning. 'Ms. Connor!'

'I'd better go with them,' John said. 'Mom's kinda tense.'

He followed them to the car, where Sarah leaned against its side, lighting a cigarette. 'Look,' she said. 'Just let me think, okay? I know we've got to help. I know there's no alternative. Just let me absorb it. I'll be all right.'

'Come on, Jade,' John said. 'She's got a lot to face here.' He took Jade's arm without thinking. Her muscles were like steel cables. He let go like he'd had an electric shock. What was he doing touching this creature?

'Very well,' Jade said. She headed back inside.

'Mom?'

'Yes?' Sarah said, almost like a cry of pain. Then, in a tired monotone: 'What now, John? Can't I have a few minutes' peace?'

'All I wanted to say was, 'Thanks.”

Jade found them another car, an early '80s 4WD with a Californian registration. The first task was to slip across the border-then head for the Salceda camp.

'Let's stop in Calexico,' John said. 'I just want to do one thing.'

They found an Internet cafe. John created a new Hotmail account using the sign-in name, 'Uncle Bob,' then sent a message to Franco, saying to expect them, keeping it cryptic. He finished off the message, adding the same name as the sign-in. That should be enough of a clue: If Franco checked his e-mail, it might at least stop them getting shot at, if he and Enrique were feeling trigger-happy.

As they entered the compound, nothing much seemed to have changed since last time John was here, over seven years before. The headlamps lit up much the same collection of vehicles and trailers, though there was now a helicopter hangar and a new garage. Enrique came out to meet them, carrying a flashlight and his shotgun. Franco covered him from behind, along with his Juanita—now a skinny twelve-year-old with long legs. Both of them had snipers' rifles, and probably other weapons.

'All right, Connor,' Enrique said. 'We got your message. What is it this time? Who are all these people?'

'It's okay,' Sarah said. 'They're friends.'

'How do we know that? We haven't seen you for years. Now you turn up out of nowhere with a whole bunch of strangers.'

'These guys are cool, Enrique,' John said. 'Take it from me. But we need you help.'

'That so? You and your mama haven't been too friendly lately.'

'I've kept in touch with Franco.'

'Yeah, sure.' Enrique sounded pissed off, though more put upon than genuinely angry.

'Mr. Salceda?' Jade said.

Enrique leveled the shotgun in her direction. 'Now who the hell are you, young lady?'

'Everyone calls me Jade.'

'That doesn't tell me much. They call me all sorts of things, sometimes even to my face.'

'I can vouch for everyone here,' Sarah said. 'Look, no one's armed.' They'd left all their weapons in the 4WD.  Of course, John thought, Enrique didn't know what Jade and the others could do, that they'd hardly need