Trial By Fire

Blair felt her throat constrict. Was Barnes going to throw that name in her face for the rest of her life?

“I don’t see—”

“Because I don’t,” he cut her off gruffly. “There’s something about it that doesn’t add up.”

She frowned at him, her reflexive reaction fading away as she belatedly noticed the concentration on his face. For once, he wasn’t simply trying to goad her.

And he was right, she realized. There’d been something about the scientists’ description of the Theta Project that seemed a little off.

“I agree,” she said. “Any idea what it is?”

“For one thing, they were pretty damn casual about the whole thing,” he said. “You saw them.”

“They wouldn’t be the first people to lose their consciences.”

“Yeah, but—” Barnes shook his head. “I don’t know. Forget it.”

And then, abruptly, Blair had it.

“No, don’t forget it,” she said, her breath tight in her throat. “You’re right. Damn it.”

“What?” Barnes demanded.

“They said Marcus was a prototype,” Blair said, her mind racing as she tried to make something coherent out of the sudden updraft of thoughts and suspicions swirling through her head. “Remember?”

“Yeah,” Barnes said, watching her closely. “So?”

“So Marcus had a mission,” Blair said. “He was trying to lure Connor into Skynet Central where the machines could kill him.”

Barnes grunted. “Did a damn good job of it, too.”

“Which is exactly my point,” Blair said. “Prototypes don’t get sent on missions. Prototypes don’t get used for anything. They’re built purely to test out the systems, or to experiment on in the lab, or even just see how the specs look in solid form.”

“Unless he was all Skynet had left after it blew up the lab,” Barnes suggested.

“And it managed to program the mission into his chip and get him in position to survive the explosion, all on the fly?” Blair countered. “Because the way Connor described it, the start-to-finish window on that mission was pretty damn short.”

“So if Marcus wasn’t the prototype, what would the prototype have looked like?”

Blair shook her head. “Like I said, its only purpose would have been for study. To show how the interfaces worked, how the living organs handled their job—that sort of thing.”

“So if it had a wrecked face, no one would care.”

Blair looked sharply at him.

“The Theta that attacked Jik,” she said. “Are you saying that was the real prototype?”

“Or maybe a couple of steps down the line,” Barnes said. “So once you got all the insides working, what would be next?”

Blair studied his face. His tone and expression said he was going somewhere with this. But where?

“You tell me.”

Barnes shot a glance at Smith and Trounce, who were leaning forward as they listened intently to the conversation.

“These Thetas are Skynet’s new infiltration units, right?” Barnes said. “I mean, why else bother?”

“They’re definitely a step up from T-600s and rubber skin,” Blair agreed. “A little on the risky side, though. You saw how Marcus was able to break Skynet’s programming.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Barnes said with a grunt. “What I was thinking was that once Skynet got their bodies looking right, it would have to bring their brains in line, too. That means...” He stopped, eyeing her expectantly.

And then, suddenly, she understood. “False memories,” she bit out. “That’s what Jik is. He’s a Theta.” She glared at Barnes. “You figured that out, and you didn’t say something?”

“Hey, I didn’t get it until you were in the middle of your big prototype speech,” Barnes protested. “And we both should have gotten it a lot sooner anyway. Remember when we crossed the river and he got tangled up in that loose T-700 arm?”

Blair felt a shiver run through her as she recalled, “He didn’t just get tangled. The arm’s reconnection magnet grabbed him, just like that mine at the base got Marcus.”

“That’s what I’m thinking,” Barnes said. “Don’t know why he didn’t just kill us once we saw that. Probably figured we were too stupid to notice.”

“Or he genuinely doesn’t know what he is,” Blair pointed out. “Marcus didn’t.” She looked over at Smith and Trounce. “That also explains a few other things.”

“Like?” Barnes asked.

“For starters, why Baker’s Hollow is still here,” she said. “This town—these people—are Jik’s test run. His own—” She smiled faintly at Barnes as a piece of last night’s conversation flickered up from her memory. “Skynet’s own trial by fire.”

“What are you talking about?” Smith asked.

“Don’t listen to them,” Trounce growled. “We’re still here because we’re smart and tough. A hell of a lot smarter and tougher than the city pansies they’re used to.”

“Are you?” Blair countered. “Three scientists working for Skynet drop in out of the blue and just happen to stumble onto your town. They say they’ve been working for Skynet, yet Skynet never comes looking for them. They settle down, get to know the people, let the people get to know them... and then, a couple of months later, this stranger Jik comes wandering into town.”

“And they sit back and take notes and see how all the rest of you react to him,” Barnes said. “See if you can spot a Theta when it’s staring right back into your face.”

“That’s crazy,” Trounce insisted. “Connor said one of those hybrid things attacked him. Why would it do that if they were both on the same team?”

“Because it’s no use seeing if people can pick a Theta out of a crowd if they don’t know Thetas even exist,” Blair said.

“Right,” Barnes agreed. “They’re infiltration units. They have to be able to pass for human in front of people who know they’re out there.”

Blair shivered, her mind flashing back over the long, dark years. Skynet hadn’t started its war that way. For a long time it had relied on massive, brute-force firepower to take out the survivors of the Judgment Day nukes. But as the Resistance had gotten organized and hardened, it had gradually shifted its focus from T-1 tanks and H-Ks to the subtler but ultimately more effective tactic of infiltration.

The T-600s had been the first, and they’d been bad enough. It was unnerving to see a stranger coming toward you down a dark street, knowing you wouldn’t be able to tell whether it was human or machine until it was well within killing distance.

But a Terminator who could walk right up to you without betraying its identity was far worse. If Skynet ever got Thetas into full production it might well be the beginning of the end for the Resistance.

And the end of the Resistance would be the end of humanity.

“Let me get this straight,” Smith said. “So Connor shoots up—”

“He’s not Connor,” Barnes cut him off.

“Whoever,” Smith said impatiently. “So him shooting up a Theta is proof he’s one of them. But you two shooting up a couple of T-700s is proof you’re not?”

“You want proof?” Barnes asked. “No problem. You got any magnets in town?”

Smith and Trounce exchanged looks.

“Maybe,” Smith said cautiously. “Why?”

“You heard what we said about Jik getting tangled up at the ford,” Barnes said. “There’s some magnetic metal in Terminator endoskeletons. All you need to do is get a magnet and run it over him.”

“Just make sure you have your guns ready,” Blair warned. “And don’t let Lajard and the others get away, either.”

Smith shook his head. “You two are certifiable,” he said sadly.