The Future War

'Good to know, ma'am.' Chu touched the brim of his hat, nodded, and went down the ladder to the zodiac.

Sarah gave Ike a hug. 'Give that to Donna for me.'

'What, don't I get one?' Ike whined. She grinned and gave him another.

'You want one from me, too?' John asked, grinning.

'Yes, son, I do.' Ike opened his arms and John embraced him.

'Thanks,' John said.

'Thanks for givin' me something interesting to do,' Ike said.

'Well, good-bye.' With that, he, too, climbed down to the zodiac, John cast off, and they were gone.

John put one arm around his mother's shoulders as they watched the captain and Ike climb aboard the Roosevelt, then after a few minutes, they watched the ship submerge. When it was gone, they lingered, watching seabirds circle and dive.

'We seem to be doing really well,' John commented.

'Mm-hmm,' Sarah agreed.

'That worry you?' he asked.

'You bet,' she said. 'I'm scared spitless.'

He looked down at her. 'What do you think it's up to?'

She shook her head. 'Nothing good.'

Taking a deep breath, he looked seaward again. 'Yeah, I do still seem to be here, don't I?'

Sarah hugged his waist one-armed and leaned her head against his chest. 'Much as I love you, John, you are our miner's canary.'

He snorted a laugh, looking down at her again. 'Tweet.'

She looked up at him. 'Okay, so we may not win easily. But the fact that you're still here means that we have a chance. Let's not forget that.'

Smiling, he gave her a squeeze. 'When you're right, you're right. So, let's get to work. We've got some sailors to turn into lubbers.'

'Should be fun,' she said.

MISSOURI

'Do you, Mary Shea, take this man, Dennis Reese, to be your lawfully wedded husband?'

The sun seemed to smile through the tall oaks; the forest receded in ranks of gnarled trunks, as if war and death were a fantasy of some far-off land.

Mary smiled up into Dennis's beaming face and said, 'Yes,'

very softly.

'I'm sorry, I didn't hear that, hon; could you repeat it for the congregation.'

Blushing, Mary gave Jack Brock a look of mock annoyance and shouted, 'I DO!'

'Well, we can see that you're an eager bride,' Jack said, and the whole group beneath the trees laughed.

Mary was eight months pregnant and she was big enough for twins, even though her stethoscope revealed only one fast little heartbeat. Her wedding fatigues had the sleeves rolled up a good five times to keep them above her wrists and the pants had been taken up a good twelve inches.

'One of these days you're gonna need a shot, Jack,' she said between her teeth.

Dennis gave her a squeeze. He was chuckling himself, and when she met his eyes, the love in them made her catch her breath.

'Then I guess I better finish this,' Jack said. 'By the power vested in me by the state of Missouri, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride. Better do it quick, the rest of us want a turn.'

Mary and Dennis hadn't gotten married till now because they hadn't known that Jack was a justice of the peace. They should have known, though. The man was like some miraculous country store. If he didn't have it, you didn't need it, because he had it all. He'd even managed to produce the ingredients for a wedding cake, to the delight of the whole community.

After the kissing and the cake, Jack produced a solar-powered boom box and they danced. If not for the fact that everyone was in camouflage and the guards around the perimeter, it could have been a wedding from any time. Mary was floating on air, even if Dennis did have to keep her at arm's length while they waltzed.

She grinned down at her stomach, then up at him. 'Did you feel that?'

'Pounding on the walls to get the parents to simmer down,'

he said. 'Nervy little brat.' He was grinning so hard it looked as though his head was trying to unzip. 'Bet he wants more cake.'

'I know I do,' Mary said wistfully. But it was all gone, every crumb. 'Den…' He looked at her more seriously, cued by something in her voice. 'I want to name him Kyle.'

'Kyle?' Reese frowned. Then he said the name again, experimentally. 'Kyyyle. Kyle. Hmm.'

She laughed. 'That was my grandfather's name,' she explained. 'He was the best man I ever knew.' At her groom's worried look, she laughed. 'Until I met you. He was solid oak; you'd have liked him.'

'It's a good name,' Dennis said. 'But what if it's a girl?'

Mary took a deep breath and her eyes took on an introspective look, then she smiled. 'It won't be,' she said with finality.

'How can you be so sure?'

'By his heartbeat, by the way I'm carrying him, aaaand intuition.'

'Intuition, huh?' He frowned. 'You gonna turn out to be one of those Missouri granny-wimmen who can predict the crops by their corns?'

She laughed and he spun her around, causing her to whoop with delighted alarm. 'What if I am?' she asked. 'Can you deal?'

His eyes warmed as he looked down at her. 'Oh yeah. I can deal.'

* * *

Reese watched the activity on the farm from the small clump of trees and clenched his teeth until the muscles in his jaw jumped. Skynet still needed its slaves and so it had taken over some human farms, running them with a combination of human and automated labor. Mostly the slaves here were women and children, and from the looks of things, being close to the source of food didn't mean you were well fed.

The farm machines doubled as guards, issuing stinging electric 'slaps' to anyone they estimated was slacking off. If the slaves were caught stealing food, the punishment went on for some time, sometimes until the victim was dead. Night or day made no difference to the machines, which was why even this close to midnight, people were staggering around under the glare of klieg lights.

The lieutenant stroked one hand down the barrel of his new plasma rifle. He was looking forward to destroying these machines. He regretted the hunger that those waiting for this food would feel. But the resistance needed it, too, and those women and children below would be saved. For now, at least, he thought.

'In position,' came through the earphone built into his helmet.

That had been the final platoon. Reese took a deep breath and a final look at the situation below. 'Go,' he said.

* * *

'You know the really unpleasant thing about fighting machines?' Reese asked.

An eight-wheeled harvester came careening around the corner of the sheet-metal barn, brandishing two mower bars; both were spraying red droplets.

'Go!'

The resistance trooper dashed out, apparently heading for a storage bin. Reese waited until the harvester was committed, canted up on one side's wheel set; then he threw aside the insulating tarp and came up to one knee, leveling the LAW over his shoulder and peering through the simple optical sights.

Ra-woosh!

The little rocket cut free; Reese's eyes squinted behind the goggles as he felt the hot backwash dry the sweat on his face.

Brack!