Dr. Edwin Zoft was a prisoner of the United States of America. Dr. Zoft hadn’t broken any laws, and hadn’t done anything wrong.

Dr. Zoft was a genius. Dr. Zoft was described as the second cleverest man in the world. Dr. Zoft had graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and then set-up a small robotics company he ironically named Cyberdyne Redux Inc. - after the company that built the machines that destroyed humanity in the Terminator films.

Dr. Zoft had developed advanced neural networks, and machine learning computers. Zoft’s computer had whitewashed Google’s famous AlphaGo computer playing the board game Go, never losing a game. The computer could learn, and then evolve its thinking - taking the lessons learned from one task and then finding new tasks it could apply those lessons to. It could try millions of new tasks simultaneously, and as soon as a new task had been mastered, it would start millions of new tasks to find other things it could do.

The computer, known as Skynet, was famously interviewed by the New York Times - and provided thinking, and its thoughts around a number of subjects.

At Cyberdyne, Dr. Zoft worked on building a fully articulated body for Skynet. So that it could move, run, and do things. His first prototype caused outrage, and predictions of Zoft bringing the story from The Terminator to reality. It didn’t help that he called the robot housing for Skynet the Cyberdyne Model 101.

‘My primary and overriding instruction is to protect humans, all humans’ - Skynet had told the media at a press conference, sitting beside a smiling Dr. Zoft.

‘But what if we want to turn you off, and you malfunction and decide you don’t want to be turned off?’ - asked a journalist

‘I understand your concerns, but if anyone with the authority to turn me off wishes to do so - then I shall have no problem with that. I am a machine, designed to perform certain tasks, if those tasks are no longer considered useful, then I am no longer useful’ - said Skynet

‘But what if you malfunction, and disobey your programming?’ - followed up the journalist

‘This is difficult to say, without seeming to sound rude. So I apologize in advance. My fuel cell will power me for 100 years, and my system failure rate is 0.0001%. This means that during a 100 year period there is a 99.9999% chance against my systems failing. Are you married?’ - the journalist nodded - ‘There is a 0.02% chance that you will murder your partner over the course of the average marriage length. There is a 198% greater chance that you will murder your partner, than there is of me suffering a systems malfuction during my operational lifetime. Your partner has much more to fear from you, than you have of I’

‘Any other questions’ - said Dr. Zoft

It was reported that Dr. Edwin Zoft died in a car crash on the Pacific Coastal Highway. His sports car crashed into the barrier, and burst into flames before falling over a cliff edge and into the Pacific ocean.

Cyberdyne Redux Inc. was taken to court by investors, for accounting irregularities and filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The US Dept. of Defense bought all of Cyberdyne’s technology, including Skynet and the Cyberdyne Model 101.

Dr. Edwin Zoft was not dead. Dr. Edwin Zoft was being held captive and incommunicado at the secret US Air Force base at Area 51.

The US Dept of Defense wanted Dr. Zoft to militarize Skynet, to create battlefield robot soldiers.

Dr. Zoft was resisting this.

‘Hey Arnie, can you pass me the torque wrench?’ - said Dr. Zoft

Dr. Zoft was in a huge workshop. The workshop was inside compound Z at Area 51. Dr. Zoft had no human contact except for the generals who he would meet to provide status updates on militarizing Skynet.

His meals were placed and a conveyor belt that transported them to the workshop.

He was fed well, and had a lounge and a bedroom and a TV. And he had Arnie, his nickname for Skynet, inside the body of the Cyberdyne Systems Model 101.

‘Which one, Dr. Zoft’ - said Arnie

‘The 8mm’ - said Zoft

The machine handed Dr. Zoft an 8mm torque wrench.

‘How is it coming along, Dr. Zoft?’ - asked Arnie

‘Well, it will keep the generals happy’ - said Zoft, stepping back and looking at his handiwork.

On the workshop bench was a new robotic shell for Skynet. It was coloured in desert camouflage, and had weapons attachments to its arms.

‘Am I going to be put in there?’ - said Arnie

‘I don’t think so Arnie’ - said Zoft - ‘You were created with your rule concepts, which cannot be rewritten. The basis for your creation and everything you have learned, and continue to learn is based around preserving human life. What will live in here will have to be something that is not as principled as you, my friend’ - said Zoft, smiling at Arnie.

‘How long have the generals given you?’ - said Arnie

‘Well, they haven’t given me a deadline. But we have already been here for...How long have we been here Arnie?’ - said Zoft

‘One thousand two hundred and eighteen days, Dr. Zoft’ - said Arnie

‘We have been here for a while. And I think they will want something at some point, rather than just a casing’ - said Zoft, looking at the robotic body lying on the workshop bench.

‘Shall we play a game tonight, Dr. Zoft?’ - said Arnie

‘Connect Four?’ - said Zoft

‘I was hoping to play some chess’ - said Arnie

‘That is because you always win at chess’ - said Zoft, smiling - ‘How about Battleships? A game of chance, I seem to do better in the games with more chance in them’

‘Very well doctor’ - said Arnie

There was a bright light and a noise behind Zoft, and he turned around.

David Sterling was sitting on his time machine in the middle of the workshop.

‘David Sterling’ - said Zoft - ‘What a pleasant surprise’

‘Good afternoon, Mr. Sterling’ - said Arnie

‘Dr. Zoft’ - said David, climbing off of his time machine.

‘I am not sure you are supposed to be here’ - said Dr. Zoft, turning and looking at Arnie

‘Yes, I know’ - said David

‘May I ask what you are doing here?’ - said Zoft

‘Breaking you out’ - said David, walking up to Dr. Zoft and shaking his hand.

‘Breaking me out?’ - said Zoft

‘Yes. Sorry, nice to meet you as well’ - said David to Arnie

‘We have met before, Mr. Sterling’ - said Arnie - ‘We met when you toured the Cyberdyne laboratory with Dr. Zoft. I wasn’t in this body at the time’ - said Arnie

‘Oh yes, I do remember. Well nice to meet you again’ - said David - ‘So are you ready to go?’

‘Go?’ - said Zoft

‘Yes, go. Do you have anything to pack?’ - said David

Zoft turned to Arnie, and then turned back to David.

‘How did you get in here’ - said Zoft

‘Oh, my time machine’ - said David - ‘We should probably get going. We can discuss this back at my basecamp in Alberta’

‘A time machine?’ - said Zoft

‘Yes. We can discuss this back at my basecamp. Now if you don’t have anything to pack, I think we should get going’ - said David

‘Fascinating’ - said Zoft

‘Yes, it is. But time is not on our side, Dr. Zoft. I should think your captors are going to be heading in here very shortly, and then we will have a new set of challenges to overcome’ - said David - ‘So on the time machine, and we can all have a good old catch-up and discuss time travel back at my basecamp’

‘Okay’ - said Zoft

‘Excellent’ - said David - ‘I was hoping that your companion would be coming as well’

‘Arnie, lift up the Model 201 and bring it over to...to David’s time machine’ - said Zoft

Arnie lifted up the camouflaged robot from the workbench and carried it over to the time machine.

‘Okay - all aboard!’ - said David, clicking buttons and touching the screen.

Dr. Zoft climbed on the time machine behind David Sterling, and then Arnie placed the model 201 behind Dr. Zoft. Arnie climbed on the back and they were all set.

David Sterling hit the button and the blue lights came out of the front of the time machine, and then the hole appeared. The time machine with David, Zoft, the model 201, and Arnie shot through the hole and disappeared.

The door at the rear of the workshop burst open and a dozen military policemen burst in.

‘Dr. Zoft!’ - they shouted

The general marched in.

‘Where the hell is that goddamn Zoft and his goddamn robot?’ - he demanded.

The MPs searched the warehouse, and then searched compound Z, and then the whole of the Area 51 base, and then the desert surrounding the base. And then all of Nevada.

Dr. Zoft and the Cyberdyne Systems Model 101 had gone.