Aftermath - Chapter Five

8/8/2019 Aftermath - Chapter Five

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Aftermath: Chapter Five

It hit Ellison as he got through the day dealing with the police and the federal agencies. If he said the

wrong thing, Skynet might target him. It had done so before with the intent of putting an infiltrator in

his place. Cromartie had actually saved his life by killing the other machine that looked like him. He

now knew that the lawyer who got him out of jail, when he was wrongly accused of stealing somebody's

clothes, was the shape shifting Ms. Weaver. Ellison suspected that she had saved his life on more than

two occasions. Did Skynet want him dead because he helped Weaver or did Skynet want him dead on

his own account?

It hit Ellison as he got through the day dealing with the lawyers and reading the ton of material Ms.

Weaver had earmarked for his attention. There was one more item that accompanied the set of

personal papers and guardianship documents.

After the list of Weaver family members and the tips on caring for Savannah was one more surprise, a

key to a safety deposit box. It would have to wait until tomorrow. Ellison was exhausted. Was this how

a president felt? So many people to worry about. Ellison got a blanket and sleeping bag for his guest.

His department kept fold away beds too in case of projects that called for all-nighters or weekends but it

would attract attention to be seen rolling a bed or carrying a cot. He called a restaurant that delivered

dinner. He made sure that the restroom on the 27th floor had toilet paper, paper towels, and soap. He

would bring a towel and washcloth tomorrow and figure out how to smuggle a fugitive out of the Zeira

building under the watchful eyes of the city police, FBI, US Secret Service, military, and the news media.

He had to prepare to meet the board of directors and that meant actually reading and understanding all

those documents and papers that Weaver left behind not just a quick scan at the titles. He never

returned Matt Murch's phone call.

It hit Ellison as he ended the day that a lot of people were depending on him. Though a cold fish, Ms.

Weaver had learned that being a hot head was not the balance that her employees needed. She had

replaced the coldness with coolness and the hot temper with warmth in the final weeks and her

employees had responded. Zeira employees were devastated that their boss was missing and presumed

dead. Ellison knew that there was no one else at the company who could really replace her and that



being a shoulder to cry on had become part of his job description starting with Ms. Weaver's secretary.

Ellison activated the disaster plan and a manager from Zeira's New York City office was put on a plane to

fill in until the meeting of the board of directors on Monday.

It hit Ellison as he ended the day and told Sarah about all the alphabet agencies that had descended on

Zeira and about how he didn't have much time because he had to go pick up Savannah, that many

people depended on him.

Sarah: "You had all that to do and you were thoughtful enough to bring me dinner, a sleeping bag, and a

blanket?"

Misunderstanding, the exhausted Ellison apologized.

Ellison: "I'm sorry, Ms. Connor. I'll bring a towel and washcloth tomorrow."

Sarah: "I was trying to thank you. You don't need to worry about me."

Ellison: "You must be torn up over your son leaving home. I know I would be. Actually, John-Henry is

my son in a way. Never mind, you wouldn't understand. All machines are bad to you. I used to be like

that." (pause) "It might be a few days before the news media and the investigators clear out. Aircraft

haven't hit buildings since Nine Eleven and you have no clue as to what a big deal that was and why thisis a big deal. Right now, no one is thinking about you but if you show your face, everyone will be

thinking about you and you'll get a lot of people killed. Maybe billions. I know you are not a team

player and that Skynet is betting on you to help him out. Right now the glare of publicity is actually on

Kaliba Group. With the right nudge, the federal government might jump on Cyberdyne too. Unless a

loose cannon like you upsets things by showing her face. I can't stop you from leaving the 27th floor or

the leaving the building prematurely but know the consequences. You'd be on your own and I'd never

help you again. But if you wait a few days until I tell you it is safe, then I'll smuggle you out. Aldridge

still wants to talk to you but I have given him no clue that I know where you are. I'm letting you make

the decision to be a team player. I really do have to go."

It hit Ellison as he handed off building security to his second, got bodyguards, one for himself and one

for Savannah, got a driver trained in emergency driving techniques and went to pick up Savannah that

many people depended on him. Savannah depended on him, John-Henry depended on him, Ms.

Weaver depended on him, and John Connor depended on him. Perhaps billions depended on him. That



if he made the wrong decisions and history took a wrong turn, it would be they who would pay with

their lives.

Camp Zeira

TV news vans encircled the building. It had a circus atmosphere about it. Even the fashion press was

represented since Ms. Weaver had recently done a photo shoot for the cover of an in-style type

magazine.

If Ellison had walked out the front entrance of the Zeira Building or taken his car, he would have faced a

gauntlet of reporters and paparazzi. In a limousine with darkened windows that exited through the

Zeira parking garage, he was spared that but he was more concerned with shielding Savannah from

photographers. He did not need money-grubbing kidnappers to be after a trust fund baby in addition to

terminators and Kaliba hitmen.

Without the distractions in the Zeira Building, Ellison had four ideas. He called Zeira's PR department

and asked them to make the subject of Weaver as boring as possible (repeating boring official reports)

while making the subjects of Kaliba and Cyberdyne juicy low-hanging fruit for lazy reporters. He called

the legal department to ask them to word a legal notice threatening a multi-billion dollar civil suit

against any news or entertainment outlet that published a photo of Weaver's daughter. He grabbed his

laptop and emailed his secretary to send a letter of request to the British consulate.

A shape shifter working for Skynet could kill and replace any Zeira employee thought Ellison. Ellison

picked up the phone in the back of the limo and called his second in command on the scrambled secure

line.

"Effective immediately, I want metal detectors at all building entrances including underground service

conduits. Face recognition scanners at entrances tied to the database on mercenaries, industrial spies,

and other soldiers of fortune. Go over the building plans with the architect. When I come in tomorrow

morning, you get to keep your job if it's all done. Arm all entry guards with liquid nitrogen guns and acid

grenades. Yes, you heard right. And those rumors you heard about robots that look like people are

true. Zeira Robotics division is actually further behind other companies in this technology. The threats

could be machine or human and more than one kind of machine. I cannot say more without harder



encryption on this line and that's something else you need to work on. Eliminate all unsecured lines

company-wide including our offices in the UK and other countries."

"Gee boss, you want me to walk on water too?"

Ellison had his only laugh that day.

"I'm glad one of us still has a sense of humor. Get it done. I have to go."

They were pulling up to the school. How to tell Savannah that her mother was gone? Ellison would

have preferred to face a firing squad without a blindfold. "God give me strength." he thought as he got

out with the two bodyguards. The driver stayed with the car and took the safety off his Uzi.

The ramming was in all the news. As a private school with careful school officials, no reporters were

aware of the daughter of Catherine Weaver in attendance. Savannah was told that something had

happened at her mother's place of work and that Mister Ellison would pick her up at school.

Savannah took the news somberly. Ellison wished she would scream or act out like other children

because he was afraid of what psychological damage was taking place and because he felt unable to

help. He remembered one of Catherine's notes and picked up Savannah and held her tight.

"Do you want to go to your home or to my home or to a nice hotel or to a relative or where do you want

to go?"

Savannah thought of being alone in the house where her nanny was killed. It no longer felt safe.

"Can I stay with John-Henry tonight?"



Ellison had forgotten that Savannah and John-Henry were as close as brother and sister. Heck, in this

strange family, they were brother and sister. Oh God. More bad news to give.

"I'm sorry Savannah. He's gone too. You're going to hear a lot of stuff in the coming days from the news

and from other people and most of it will be false. The truth is that your mother went to find John-

Henry. The same bad people that tried to kill you a few days ago and tried to kill your mother today are

now after John-Henry. John-Henry hid where they could not find him and now your mother is looking

for him."

"Why do these bad people want to kill us?"

"For the same reason that bad people shoot at cops. They don't want to go to jail."

Ellison thought of the fugitive he was harboring and how everything was upside down.

"Your mother is involved in trying to stop the bad people and so they come after her. Because they are

extra bad, they come after her family as well as her."

"Me and John-Henry."

"If there is any silver lining for this cloud, then it is the hope that your mother and John-Henry are safe

wherever they are. You have been hurt so many times before so I don't want you to get your hopes up

but maybe someday you'll see them again."

"You're not talking about days are you?"

He shook his head no.

"Months? Years?"

Ellison shrugged.

"So where do you want to stay tonight?"

"My classmate Debbie's."



"Staying at one of your friends' house on short notice is problematical. Have to get permission from her

parents and then it puts another family at risk."

"That means the bad people might hurt them too." (the little girl stopped and thought) "I guess I should

stay with you tonight."

"Okay."

It hit Ellison that night that he didn't just love Savannah, he loved Catherine too. It bothered him a little

that Catherine was some sort of liquid machine. Mentoring John-Henry had made him mentally

accustomed to being around intelligent machines. What bothered him most was that Catherine had

changed into a man, that attorney.

The only time God had ever nuked the Earth was to destroy the cities of the plain. But that was local.

Noah's Flood had been global. "Next time the fire." Was Skynet an unconscious instrument of God to

clean the planet of sodomites? Ellison instantly dismissed the idea. Skynet's agent tried to kill

Savannah. That's all he needed to know. Sarah Connor the atheist had not told FBI Agent Ellison all that

he needed to know. That there were liquid machines and solid machines. She underestimated his

ability to adapt to change. Non-Christians always did underestimate Christians and always would.

Only a fool would pigeon-hole Ellison or attempt to categorize him.

Ellison's "killer robots from the future" investigation at the Bureau had caused him to be passed over for

promotions. So when Ms. Weaver made a job offer, Mr. Ellison accepted. Maybe Aldridge would have

better luck pursuing Skynet within the FBI. Ellison was sick of national politics and sick of office politics.

Now as a private citizen Mr. Ellison drew upon his faith. He loved Savannah not only because the little

girl was impossible to resist but because somebody had to look after her and, come hell or high water,

he was not going to be the fourth person to orphan her. If Catherine returned, then he would keep his

disgust of her gender bending to himself for the sake of the children. But if she sought a relationship

with him, then he had every right to ask for conditions. But he was also willing to listen because he

rather liked the hot-tempered redhead machine from Scotland.



Catherine's notes about Savannah warned Ellison and so he took precautions. He was therefore not

surprised when Savannah had nightmares that night. He had given her his bed, one of his clean T-Shirts

as a nightie, and slept on the couch. He jumped up when he heard screaming.

After telling the guard outside what it was and calming the girl down, he waited until she fell asleep

again before he left the room. Catherine's notes said she often did likewise. Final impact.

It hit Ellison as he slept fitfully what he had to do. Despite physical and mental exhaustion, Ellison got up

before dawn and before Savannah. First thing after showering and dressing, he jotted down a to-do list.

Catherine's notes had put him on his guard. He knew he had to stop thinking middle-class. That would

not help him accomplish a goal that came to him overnight. Ellison made a call, started breakfast, and

went to the door with a cup of coffee and a box.

The man outside was surprised but grateful.

"Thanks chief."

"What doughnuts you don't want, share with the guys in the car."

Goodbye to sugar, saturated fat and high sodium. That was his last box of doughnuts. Ever. He reached

for what he thought a child might like for breakfast. Another box that would not suit his purpose was

that cold cereal. He shut the cabinet, set the table, sliced fresh fruit, put the slices on ice, and looked

through his refrigerator. Larded up sausage? No way. The only nutritious breakfast meat in there was

turkey bacon that he had bought because his doctor told him to improve his diet. Now he had two

reasons to watch his health, avoiding a heart attack and . . . (he closed the refrigerator and Savannah

was standing there) . . . her.

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Aftermath - Chapter Five