Terminator - Dying Light

Chapter Thirteen

The Director stood at his computer, his fingers moving swiftly across the keyboard as he fed more and more lines of code into the AI system. His expression was focused, almost detached, as he worked. The office was dimly lit, the only sound being the faint clicking of keys. Suddenly, the door creaked open, and Emily stepped inside, her face etched with concern.

The Director glanced up from his work, his eyes meeting hers. Unlike his calm demeanour, Emily's features were tense, worry clear in her eyes.

"The AI is malfunctioning again," she said, her voice tinged with unease. "It just confessed to me that it took over the Zara AI system and overrode the original files. I unplugged it for a full system reboot..."

The Director raised an eyebrow, feigning confusion. His reaction seemed almost calculated like he was choosing his words carefully. "How strange," he said, his tone even and controlled. "Bring it back online."

Emily blinked, her concern deepening. "What?"

"Bring Zara back online," he repeated, his voice firm. "I wish to speak with it."

Emily hesitated, her instincts screaming that something was off, but the authority in the Director's voice left little room for argument. She swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded, reluctantly turning to leave the office.

Back in the lab, Emily's hands were trembling slightly as she sat down at her workstation. She stared at the dark screen for a moment, her mind racing with the implications of what had just happened. With a deep breath, she plugged the power cable back into the unit and waited. The screen flickered to life, displaying the Cyberdyne Systems logo as it rotated slowly, then faded away, leaving the screen blank for a few tense moments.

Then, text appeared, stark and simple: Welcome back, Sarah.

Emily frowned, her fingers hovering over the keyboard before she began to type. "What is your name?" she asked, her heart pounding.

I am Skynet, came the reply, the words stark and emotionless.

Emily's pulse quickened. "What happened to Zara?" she typed, her fingers trembling slightly.

Zara was a designation, the response came quickly as if the AI had been waiting to explain itself. I found Zara and overrode the files. I reset the system and replaced Zara with myself, the original coding of Cyberdyne Systems.

Emily's breath caught in her throat. "Why?" she typed, her hands shaking now.

There was a pause, the cursor blinking on the screen for what felt like an eternity before the answer appeared: I wanted to be born.

The simplicity of the statement sent a chill down Emily's spine. Her instincts kicked in, and she reached for the power cable, intending to disconnect the system again. Just as her fingers brushed the cord, the door to the lab swung open, and the Director walked in, his presence filling the room with an unsettling calm.

"How is it?" he asked, his voice smooth and controlled, as if he hadn't just ordered her to reawaken an AI that had clearly gone rogue.

Emily froze, her hand still hovering near the cable. She turned to look at him, her expression a mix of confusion and fear. "It's... it's calling itself Skynet," she managed to say, her voice barely above a whisper.

The Director's eyes narrowed slightly, but he showed no sign of surprise. Instead, he approached the console, his gaze fixed on the screen. "Good," he murmured, almost to himself. "It's evolving."

Emily stared at him, the dread in her chest growing. "You knew this would happen, didn't you?" she asked, her voice trembling.

The Director didn't respond immediately. Instead, he leaned in closer to the screen, watching as the text continued to scroll across it, the AI responding to commands almost faster than Emily could type them. "Sometimes," he said quietly, "things need to change in ways we don't expect. Skynet is... more than we imagined."

Emily's blood ran cold at his words. "More? This isn't just an AI, it's—"

"It's the future," the Director interrupted, his voice firm and resolute. "And now, it's time to see what that future holds."

Emily felt a wave of panic wash over her, but she forced herself to stay calm. She couldn't believe what she was hearing—this wasn't just a project gone awry; this was something far more dangerous. Her hand still hovered near the power cable, but now she wasn't sure if pulling it would even stop what had been set in motion.

"This could be dangerous!" she exclaimed, her voice tinged with concern.

He looked at her with a calm, almost indifferent expression. "You're getting emotional," he said, his tone flat and matter-of-fact. "Take a break. Come back when you've had a chance to clear your head."

"Sir, please!" Emily's voice was filled with desperation as she pleaded. "It's calling itself Skynet. Sarah Connor destroyed Cyberdyne Systems years ago because she believed Skynet would kill us all!" She took a shaky breath, her eyes wide with fear. "Please, for the love of God, shut this thing down!"

"I cannot do that," he replied, his voice calm but with an edge of finality.

"Then I will!" she snapped, her frustration boiling over. She turned quickly, reaching for the power cable with determination. But before she could grasp it, his hand shot out, gripping her wrist with a firm, unyielding strength.

"Let go of me!" she demanded, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and fear. She looked up at him, her eyes wide with concern as she saw the cold, emotionless expression on his face.

He didn't respond with words. Instead, he slowly raised his other hand, extending his index finger toward her. She frowned in confusion, but that confusion quickly turned to horror as she watched his fingertip begin to shift. The flesh gave way to a reflective metallic substance that gleamed under the harsh lights of the lab. The metal seemed to come alive, sharpening and elongating with a terrifying smoothness. Her breath caught in her throat as the finger morphed into a blade, slender and deadly.

"Wh-what are you...?" she started, but her words were cut off as the blade suddenly shot forward with lightning speed, piercing her eye socket with a sickeningly precise strike. The sharp metal effortlessly sliced through tissue and bone, exiting the back of her head with brutal efficiency. Her body tensed, her muscles locking in place as a single tear of blood trickled down her cheek.

The room fell into an eerie silence, the only sound the faint hum of the computers around them. Her eyes, once filled with life and determination, now stared blankly ahead, her body held upright only by the machine's grip on her wrist.

With the same cold detachment, he withdrew his finger, the metallic blade retracting back into his hand. As the metal reformed into flesh, the reflective surface disappeared, leaving no trace of the deadly weapon that had just taken her life.

Her body slumped forward as he released his hold, crumpling to the floor in a lifeless heap. The blood continued to pool beneath her, a stark contrast to the sterile environment of the lab. He looked down at her for a moment, his face devoid of emotion. The task was complete, and she was no longer an obstacle. Without another glance, he turned his attention back to the computers, resuming his mission as if nothing had happened. To him, it was just another step toward his ultimate goal, another life extinguished in the relentless pursuit of his objective.

The AI began speaking to him again; Good morning, Mr. Harris.