This chapter is slower paced than the previous and the following, excluding interlude. John deals with the death of his mom and the sending of Cameron back in time to aid his mom in 2009. Hence the title - Two Goodbyes. I hope you listen to the music I've selected for the scenes in each chapter. I listened to them while writing and editing and they really help set the mood. -- The1Russter


“And he ran. He ran so fast. Fast enough to get to that tank before it got to Kyle’s position. Fast enough to blow it sky-high. We rescued 40 prisoners that day. One of them was John Connor. Martin was always a great runner. But no one... No one could outrun a blast like that. He died, John. He died for you. We all die for you.” Derek, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Season 2 Episode 5, Goodbye to all That 2008 The inclusion of this quote does not imply that Beddell dies in this future. -- The1Russter

Cameron enters John’s room and lays down beside him on his bed.
“I understand that being John Connor can be lonely.” she tells him.
“Oh yeah? How do you understand that?” John asks.
“You and I talk about it a lot.”
“We do?”
“We do. We will.”
Excerpt from Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Season 2 Episode 8, Mr. Ferguson is Ill today 2008


2027, Day 46, July 22, 10:25 AM
The doors won’t budge. The soldiers push and shove but they can’t get through the doors into the chapel. From the other side comes the sound of people shouting and gunfire. The soldiers yell for help to get the doors open. Just as they arrive to help push them open, the doors suddenly rip open and a spinning sphere of spikes and spears comes flying out ripping the soldiers to pieces. Some manage to leap out of the way and see it go flying off down the corridor.

From inside the chapel they see that red haired woman, who has been seen with General Connor, come running out followed by his two colonels. They are hot on the heals of that death machine.

The spinning sphere creates gashes and tears in the walls, and slices through the flesh of soldiers who foolishly gets in its way. All the way it emits a high pitch scream, like the sound of tearing metal.

“Get Down!” Kyle shouts. “Everybody get down!” Several soldiers heed his warning and hit the ground before the sphere gets to them.

Catherine is hot on the heals of Kreilley. She is like a spinning tornado of blades as she cuts and slices into the form Kreilley has taken. Pieces drop off. Some reforming and trying to catch up with the rest of the body. Others just dissolve into molten pools as the compound breaks down their molecules.

John Henry and Kyle follow, firing their plasma rifles at the small pieces, destroying them. Kreilley screams but it no longer sounds like pain, but madness. Instead of defending himself against Catherine, he slashes and slices at the soldiers as he goes flying through the corridors.

More soldiers come running into the hallway behind Kyle. “Destroy any of these silver objects or pools of liquid.” Kyle shouts as he fires at another piece with his plasma rifle. He and John Henry follow Catherine.

They follow the drops of silver down corridors and into a room marked ‘Power Generator Room.” On the doors are signs warning of high voltage and radiation!

They enter the room slowly. Catherine is just inside the doors, her arms withdrawing back into normal form.

“Where is he?” John Henry asks.

“He’s in here somewhere. He made right for this room.” Catherine responds.

“Why did he come in here?” Kyle asks.

“He’s going to try and siphon off more energy to maintain his molecular bond.”

“Will it work?”

“Only temporarily. Eventually the compound will do its job. He’s dying and he knows it.”

“Not dying soon enough I imagine.” Kyle says.

“No, but he is desperate and that may give us an advantage.”

It is noisy in the medical center. Wounded soldiers are being brought in from the bunkers where they were attacked by Kreilley in his passing. Some are crying out in pain. Medics rush to provide immediate care until the next surgery room is free. The doctors are swamped with one severely injured man after the other. All requiring surgery.

John, Allison and Savannah sit quietly outside a room. Inside, Sarah lays on a hospital bed, looking as though she could be asleep. The doctors insisted that they try to save Sarah’s life. Despite their best efforts, they couldn’t revive her. Her body was too weak from the blood loss and cancer. When they realized there was nothing they could do, they moved her to the empty room so that her family could see her one last time in private.

Allison and Savannah still shed tears while holding onto John. He sits between them with an arm around each of them, but he sheds no tears. John looks straight ahead with a haunted expression. He could have lived with her dying of cancer. He expected that. But to die at the hands of that machine who tortured her, there is an anger and a hatred stirring deep inside, all mixed in with his grief. All he wants to do is rip and destroy. But he won’t, not until he has Kreilley in his sights. Forget Sky Net, forget capturing the T D E, all he wants is to destroy Kreilley. That is his goal now.


John Henry quietly walks down between equipment lockers on his left and transformers humming away on his right behind chain link fencing. Elsewhere in the generator room Catherine and Kyle are doing the same.

Finding Kreilley is one thing, stopping him will be another. He works his way towards the back of the room where the output from the nuclear generator gets distributed to the transformers, where the power gets stepped down for use by the various bunkers.

Wrapped around the output leads is an anamorphic silver shape. Staying in the shadows he slips quietly to one side. He needs to be careful with his shot so as not to rupture the wall between him and the nuclear reactor.

Kyle walks up from another direction and sees the same shape wrapped around the cable, and John Henry stealthily approaching. Kyle catches John Henry’s attention and they exchange hand signals for making their attack.

John Henry stops, kneels down and lines up his shot. Kyle scrambles as quickly and as quietly as he can up on top of an equipment locker to aim from above.

As they prepare to shoot, the anamorphic shape suddenly leaps off the cables and reforms in mid-air.


John gets up from his seat and walks into the room where his mom is laying on a bed covered with a sheet. He goes over stands beside the bed. She looks so peaceful, and he is just so angry, so very angry. John pulls back the edge of the sheet and takes her hand in his own.

“I promise you mom. That bastard will pay for what he did.” He kisses her face. “I promise.”

The door opens slowly and Allison steps inside. “John?” she says, her voice trembling slightly with emotion.

He looks up at her. The pain and grief is plainly written on his face. There is something else as well, anger and despair.

She walks up to him and hugs him. “You have to let it out John. Please, don’t bury your feelings now.”

“That bastard will pay for what he did, Allison. From this day forward, nothing else matters but his destruction.” He says through gritted teeth

“John, there are more important things right now. Please don’t let your anger and grief blind you. Sky Net is our target.”

“Don’t you remember what he said! He is Sky Net! We destroy him, we destroy it. Nothing will stop me in that goal.” Tears course from his angry eyes. “I will get that bastard. I will get him.” he says through gritted teeth

He pulls her tight as the tears flow from them both. He lets out a deep groaning wail. Savannah comes in and sees them. She walks forward and holds them as she grieves as well.


“Where did he go?” Kyle shouts

John Henry stands up to look just as Kreilley suddenly lands in front of him. Spearing him with one hand he grabs the power cable with the other. The electrical shock causes John Henry to spasm then collapse.

Kreilley spins around and looks at Kyle and says with a smile, “One down, two to go.”

Kyle fires at him but Kreilley moves too quickly. The shot barely misses the prone form of John Henry.

Kreilley slices through the equipment locker that Kyle is standing on with a broadsword shaped arm. As it topples over, Kyle leaps for the ground below losing his grip on the plasma rifle. The locker hits the ground with a loud bang.

Kyle looks for his plasma rifle and then sees it. It is under the locker. Kreilley smiles at him. It is not a friendly smile.

Kyle takes off running. With Kreilley between him and the other plasma rifle, his only hope is to find some kind of weapon and hope that Catherine will make her move soon. Kreilley pursues, striking towards him with his pick axe shaped arms, teasing him as he purposely misses, striking the ground just behind his heels.

As he runs through the room, Kyle sees a large red object on the wall in front of him and what looks like some kind of trigger pull on top. He snatches it from the wall, spins around and pulls the trigger. White smoke comes flying out of the nozzle, blinding Kreilley. His spear shaped arm pierces the fire extinguisher and the gas escapes. Kreilley jumps to one side to avoid the freezing blast and Kyle smashes him in the back of the head with the now empty fire extinguisher.

Kreilley hits the ground.

“Get Back!” yells Catherine.

She comes running forward and shoves something into Kreilley before he can get up. Catherine grabs Kyle and pulls him away.

“What was that thing?”

“That was a spent fuel rod from the nuclear reactor. The radiation will be too much for him to handle in his current state. Without another source of energy, it should accelerate his molecular breakdown.”

Kreilley stands up and pulls the rod from his abdomen. He is angry and he throws the rod at them, but John Henry steps forward from between pieces of equipment and grabs it out of the air just before it would have struck Catherine and Kyle.

Kreilley glares at the trio. “You haven’t seen the last of me.” he says, then melts into a liquid and runs out through an air vent at the bottom of the wall. A silvery trace is left behind.

Kyle runs up to the vent then turns to Catherine. “Should we pursue?” Kyle asks.

“No. I know where he is going.” Catherine says walking up beside him.

“Where?”

“Topanga Canyon.” John Henry answers from behind them both.

They leave the generator room.

2027, Day 46, July 22, 12:00 PM
Upon learning the tragic news of Sarah Connor’s death, the men and women of the newly formed army dismantle the preparations for the surprise reception they were planning for John and Allison and quickly set things up for a memorial service instead.

The machines are standing guard throughout the bunker. Many are situated at air vents. All troops not attending the memorial service are also stationed throughout various locations determined to be possible entry points. Additional machines stand around the hanger, all armed, all prepared for danger.

The troops are gathered in hanger ten to say their farewells to those who have fallen. The central figure to mourn today is Sarah Connor. She raised the man who is now their leader. She built an army for him. All those who stand this day in the hanger were trained by her or follow John Connor.

Father Amondo Bonia says a few brief words and a prayer. John and Savannah don’t speak, they stand at either end of the coffin. Savannah is at one end leaning on Catherine for support. At the other end stand John and Allison depending on each other for support. Behind the coffin stands Kyle and John Henry.

The soldiers all slowly march past the makeshift coffin that was hastily constructed. Some of the soldiers speak briefly, some just shake hands, some salute, others just look briefly at the woman who did so much for them. Some of John’s troops from Grizzly are among them. Some offer their condolences. Others just gaze briefly on this woman who raised this miracle who now leads them.

Sergeant Andy Keen approaches. He doesn’t feel so lucky any more. His arm is in a sling and there is a livid bruise on the side of his face. He approaches John, not knowing if he will be angry with him or not.

“General Connor,” Andrew begins, “I’m sorry for what happened. I had no idea that Natalie wasn’t who or what she appeared to be.”

Connor looks at him. Andrew looks shaken as those cold eyes look upon him. The words he speaks are at odds to the mask he wears.

“Don’t blame yourself Andy. Sky Net’s machines are an evil twisted lot. They are experts at deception to get what they want. It used you. It tried to use Kyle. It would have found some means to get to me.”

Andy just nods his head and moves on. He doesn’t feel any better, but at least his apology has been made.

The soldiers continue to file past. It takes better part of the afternoon as those who have already attended the memorial swap places with those standing guard.

Before the soldiers leave, one of them stands up and leads a small group in a chant. As they repeat it others join. Soon the whole hanger reverberates with the combined voices of all the soldiers.

“Here’s to Sarah Connor.
May her heart find peace,
may her heart remain strong.
We will finish the fight,
as we follow the light.

As her son leads the fight,
we will find our might.
We will follow his lead,
and the metal will bleed.

The resistance is strong.
And Sky Net will lose.

All hail Sarah Connor!
All hail John Connor!
All hail the Resistance!
The fight will never End!”

By the time the chanting is finished Savannah has nearly collapsed in tears. Catherine holds her and comforts her the best she can. John is barely holding himself together as Allison slides her arm around him.

As the last of the troops leave. Kyle walks over to John. “You gave this to me when I was at my lowest point. It gave me strength. I think you will need it now.” Kyle says and hands John the photograph of his mom.

John looks at the photo, gently caresses the image with his thumb, and places it inside his inner jacket pocket over his heart. “Thank you.” He says quietly.

Kyle places his hand on John’s shoulder. “Your mom was very brave John. She was a hero. She died trying to protect you.” He says then leaves, escorting Savannah back to her room.

Allison takes John’s arm. “Are you okay?” The emotional strain in her voice and face show.

“I don’t know.” He says so low, he is barely heard. “I really don’t know.”

After Savannah leaves with Kyle, Catherine walks over to Allison and John.

“Allison, could you excuse us for a moment. I need to talk with John, alone.”

Allison is hesitant. “John?”

“It’s okay. I’ll join you later.” He pats her arm affectionately before she walks off.

There are a few people still milling about the hanger, but none within earshot.
“I know the time isn’t good, but if you still want to send Cameron back to 2009, we need to leave soon.”

“Where is she?” he says quietly.

“Not far, but it will take us sometime to get there.”

“D*mmit! Just tell me! Now is not the time for secrets.” He says more harshly.

“She is at the Palomar Observatory. It will take a couple of hours by vehicle, unless we take one of the helicopters.”

“Is that area devastated? Or are there still trees and grass?”

“The place looks the same as it did before Judgment Day.”

“Good. Have mom’s casket loaded on the helicopter. We’ll bury her up there away from this place, away from Sky Net. Where it still looks like the world as it was.”

His eyes still look cold, like there is nothing there but pain and anger.

“John,” Catherine says, placing her hand on his arm. “What are you thinking?”

John shakes her hand off his arm, and looks directly at her. The look is such that Catherine almost flinches.

“Just get the f*ckin’ helicopter ready. I’ll go fetch the chips.” He snaps at her and walks off, not looking back.

“He’s not behaving as he usually does.” John Henry says to Catherine after he leaves.

“No, he’s not. His mother died saving his life.” She pauses then adds, “This shouldn’t have happened.”

“What shouldn’t have happened?”

“John marrying Allison. Sarah surviving Judgment Day, then dying to save his life. These events were unforeseen and have caused a fundamental shift in the situation. I am losing control of John Connor.”

“Did you ever have control Ms. Weaver?”

“What are you saying John Henry?”

“You lie to John Connor, or have me lie to him for you, goading him into the actions you want him to make. But he is human, he has real emotions, and he has what Mr. Ellison calls a soul. He is what we aren’t and he is likely to make decisions we can’t conceive of based on a reasoning we cannot comprehend.

“You take him away from his family, at a time in his life when he is still dependent on those around him. You place him in a situation where he meets the very person on whom Cameron was based on. How can you not expect a strong bond to form between them. And as far as Sarah Connor goes, who knows what happened after we left. There are numerous possibilities why some survived and others didn’t. Her very presence insured Savannah’s survival. You should be thankful for that. Provided you love her as you claim.”

Catherine Weaver’s eyes flash with anger. “Choose your next words carefully John Henry. I am not above replacing you with one of these other machines.”

“Your threat is empty Ms. Weaver. You know that only I am capable of carrying out the special programming you gave me.”

Catherine watches as John Connor disappears through the doors on the far side of the hanger. “True, but you are right about John. I too will have to choose my words carefully from now on to ensure he completes his part of the mission.”

“What exactly is his mission? I know why you wanted me to come here, but not John Connor. If he had stayed behind and time proceeded as expected, then he would already have been established as leader at the time of my arrival. I can understand that but not this.”

“That is not for you to know John Henry.” Catherine snaps. “And I strongly suggest you keep your opinions to yourself and your curiosity in check.”

She pauses before asking, “Have you noticed anything about Allison?”

“No, Ms. Weaver. Why do you ask?” John Henry answers stoically.

She studies his face before replying. “I am curious about the strong bond that formed between them so quickly. Especially considering his professed love for Cameron, a machine. That was why, when I learned Cameron’s chip was damaged, I kept it after swapping in a new one into your primary socket. I was hoping there would be something on Cameron’s original chip that might help but it got completely erased during the swap of your two matrixes. Did you notice anything during the transfer?”

“I’m sorry Ms. Weaver. But the process of downloading her matrix to the Turk made it impossible for me to analyze her data while in transit. I was almost completely dormant during the process. I can only confirm that the chip contained Cameron’s matrix, and the Allison Young matrix and Sky Net’s infiltration and termination program core of the time-line she came from. Outside of that I know nothing else. But even if there was data still on the chip, what could that of told you about this Allison Young?”

“Probably nothing, but it might have revealed something about the relationship between John and Cameron.”

“Why is John’s previous relationship with Cameron so important to you?”

“Once again you are asking questions about something you do not need to know. Just understand that John Connor is here for a purpose and my interest in his relationship with Cameron is more than just idle curiosity.”

“Something else is troubling you.”

“You’re getting very insightful John Henry. Yes. There is the fact that someone has been working to make my lies into truths. My T D E does have limited power and limited time for use. It is like someone knew ahead of time what I was going to tell John. Do not tell anyone of what we have discussed, and John Henry,” She looks at him very menacingly, “Don’t you ever question my motivations again!”

“I’m sorry Ms Weaver.”

She looks about the hanger then says, “I must leave you now and obtain a helicopter for John Connor and myself. You will have to continue on your own again.”

Catherine walks off, looking like a woman on a mission, leaving John Henry standing alone.

“If you say so, Ms. Weaver, but I won’t lie for you anymore. I know where my loyalties belong now.” John Henry says quietly to himself.

He slides his hand in his pocket and handles the chip that Catherine Weaver gave back to him when she arrived at Pendleton. He’s lied to Ms. Weaver now. He’s asked question of Ms Weaver and she will not answer them and she is doing something and won’t tell him what it is. John Henry is growing suspicious of Ms Weavers motivations. He should tell John Connor, but he may not be willing to hear the truth from him. But there is someone else who needs to tell John the truth and he hopes they will be willing to do so before the situation gets worse. Perhaps, if he returns the object, he can persuade them. He leaves quickly and hopes to find them soon before John Connor leaves with Catherine.

2027, Day 46, July 22 3:45 PM
John is in the room he and Allison share. He is packing up his computer, the chips and cable. He grabs a complete change of clothes as well. He looks around the room. Little more than twenty four hours ago he sat at that table enjoying a breakfast with his mom, Kyle, Savannah, and Allison. Things can change so quickly. This place, briefly such a place of hope and joy, he never felt happier. Now he can’t wait to leave this place.

Grabbing a stack of papers from the table, he folds them and shoves them in his pocket before walking out. John starts down the corridor to the elevator, but his feet take him to his mom’s room instead. Some people have left notes and a few mementos outside her door. He opens it and looks inside.

It is just as it was the last time he visited her, but on the table is a folded sheet of paper. He walks in and looks at it. His name is plainly written on the outside in his mom’s handwriting.

He sits down on her bunk, breaks the tape holding it closed and opens it.

Dear John,
I haven’t got much time to write this as Allison will be here soon. Nearly an hour to go until the two of you are married. You have accepted the destiny that God has given you, and you have found someone who will help you through the dark nights and days ahead. You have grownup so much. I love you and I am very proud of you.

It is hard to believe that out of all the people you should meet and fall in love with, would be the very girl that Cameron was built to emulate. Cameron told me some of her history after Judgment Day. Yet I was still shocked as hell when I saw her. But even if she hadn’t told me, Allison is living proof. It is clear that she loves you. Don’t take her love for granted John. Few find the one true love of their life.

You are very lucky to have the friends you have made. Imagine, Kyle Reese being your best friend. I suppose he was your friend in that other future too. He is a good man. He trusts you and is loyal.

I told Savannah stories of my raising you, and when she got older the stories of how we fought Sky Net’s machines. She looks up to you, in her own way. You rescued her when she was six, and despite her being older than what you are now, she sees you as an older brother. You are her hero. I hope she told you.

I can’t say that I approve of your accepting Catherine Weaver and John Henry as your friends. I will never forget that it was a machine that took my Kyle away from me. But you never knew the fear they could breed in men, not when your closest childhood friend was a machine and not when your first love was a machine.

You probably thought I didn’t know you loved Cameron those two years we lived together. I saw the exchanged looks between the two of you during that time. I didn’t like it, but I knew. That day she broke me out of prison, I heard the worry and concern in your voice. Then you traveled across time for her. I don’t know if you have stopped loving her, but I am glad you found a real girl to settle down with.

Everything went wrong so quickly after you left. Cameron was the best help I could have had. Thank you for sending her. It couldn’t have been an easy decision for you. I wish she was here now to see you. She’d be just as proud of you as I am.

What I am going to tell you now is very difficult. I am dying. I lied to Savannah. She thinks I have only a few days to live. It isn’t true. I had to tell her that or she never would have let me journey here. She can be just as stubborn as me when she puts her mind to it. I’ll be lucky to see tomorrow. My body is racked with pain from the cancer all the time. It was so bad this morning I gave myself two full injections of the medication. There is none left. Savannah thinks we have more. We don’t. I have been refilling the empty bottles with water. I’m sorry I lied to you both.

Stay true to your destiny John. My job is done. Look after Savannah for me.

With all my love,
Mom

He thinks, “When we made the plans last night after we found out a machine was stalking me, she chose to put herself in harms way to protect me, knowing she may be killed. Maybe even hoping she’d be killed. She wanted to die fighting for me and not from the cancer that was killing her.” John crumples the letter and drops it on the floor. Fresh tears flow from his eyes.

Allison is walking past. She sees the open door and looks in and sees John sitting on his mom’s bunk. His face in his hands.

“There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you.” She says as she comes through the door. “John Henry told me you left the hanger half an hour ago. Why did you come in here?”

John looks up at her. The strain of the day has so changed his appearance. He looks older. “I don’t know why I came in here. I guess I just wanted to take one last look. Say goodbye.”

Allison notices the bag at John’s feet. “Are you leaving?”

“Not for long. I’m going with Catherine. We’re taking mom’s body someplace green and away from here to bury her.” He stands up. “I’m late.”

Grief and anger still color his features and he isn’t thinking clearly. Allison needs to get through to him.

“John please, you shouldn’t go. Not like this. Let me go with you. You need someone to protect you if Kreilley should try again. That’s what Sarah wanted.”

“I’ll have Catherine with me. If she can’t protect me, then what or who can? I won’t be gone long anyway.” John grabs his bag off the floor.

“I’ll let Kyle know he’s in charge until I get back.” He says as he starts to walk past her.

“Wait!” Allison grabs him. “John!”

He stops and looks at her, waiting for her to finish speaking. The look on his face is such that she cannot tell him what she wants to say. He is in no frame of mind to listen. Now is not the time.

“Be safe. Come back to me.” She says instead and kisses him.

John caresses her face with his free hand and runs his fingers through her hair. For the first time since that morning, a brief smile comes to his face. “I promise. I’ll be back tomorrow morning, afternoon at the latest.”

He kisses her. She places her hand behind his neck and pulls him close.

When their kiss ends, they are still standing close looking into each others eyes.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.” John says. As he pulls away, her hand strokes his neck in an affectionate way.

As he walks out of the room, Allison sits on the bunk. She drops her head and closes her eyes against the tears. When she finally opens her eyes, she sees a crumpled piece of paper on the floor.


John and Kyle are talking in the conference room.

“If the conventional forces arrive before I get back, I’ve made some notes on a possible plan of attack.”

He pulls some folded papers out of a pocket and hands it to Kyle.

“I don’t like the idea of you leaving right now.” He says looking at him intently.

“Don’t worry Kyle, I won’t be alone. Catherine will be with me.”

“Can you trust her? I never knew what she was until today. How can you be certain she won’t turn on you?”

“There are no certainties Kyle, but if she wanted me dead I would have been dead a long time ago. She’s had plenty of opportunities to have killed me since I first met her, but she hasn’t. I trust her.”

Kyle’s not happy with this, but what can he tell him. He just lost his mom. Kyle runs his hand through his hair and says, “Is there anything you want us to do while you are gone?”

“We need intelligence. The top sheet is a request for John Henry and the Tech-Com Unit to try and hack into Sky Net’s satellite and computer network. Make sure he gets that sheet. He can do it. Give him whatever he needs to get it done. I don’t have to tell you about keeping the troops disciplined, but have them ready to move at a moments notice. I want to move on Topanga Canyon as soon as I get back.”

Catherine walks into the room. “Are you ready John?”

“Yeah, I’ll be right with you.” He says without emotion.

“Will you be flying?” Kyle asks Catherine.

“Yes.”

“Here,” he hands her a printout. “That is the latest weather reports. You should leave now before that storm gets any closer.” He tries not to be unfriendly, but he can’t help but be firm as he speaks to her.

Outside a slow drizzle falls from gray clouds high in the sky. A steady, warm, tropical wind blows in from the ocean. Lightning can be seen on the horizon. A figure dashes from hiding, runs across the tarmac and climbs into the helicopter and hides inside.

John and Catherine walk outside, followed by Kyle. The helicopter is a UH-60 Black Hawk with hellfire missiles and extra fuel tanks mounted on ESS stub wings. Sarah’s casket is in the back, tied down to prevent it from moving. Walking to the opposite side, Catherine gets in the pilots seat while John enters the near side and sits in the copilots seat.

Just before John closes the door, Kyle asks, “Are you sure you don’t want some soldiers with you? There would be no shortage of volunteers.”

“I’ll be fine Kyle. I’ll see you in the morning or afternoon at the latest.”

Kyle frowns slightly, “Good luck.”

John closes the door and gives Kyle a thumbs up.

The helicopter lifts off and flies toward the mountains. Kyle stands there and watches it fly away until it disappears in the rain.

2027, Day 46, July 22, 5:00 PM
John sits quietly in the copilots seat. Just looking straight ahead, not paying much attention to anything.

Catherine glances at him. “You know, I thought you’d be pestering me with questions about Kreilley or Natalie, or whatever he prefers to call himself.”

John sighs and says “He seemed to know a lot about us. Even you. He called you a traitor. Do you know him?”

“Yes. I know him. He called me a traitor because I shook off the programming that made me a slave to Sky Net. I and the other machines that did likewise formed an alliance. Our own resistance group.”

“Is what he said about the real Catherine Weaver true? Was she to be responsible for building Sky Net?”

“She wasn’t chiefly responsible, but her company developed many of the components used in its construction. The main component being the A. I., The Turk, developed by Andy Goode. Artificial Intelligence is being adopted by the military on various platforms. With the push for a missile defense network, the demand for an A. I. to operate it is growing. The Turk would have been the chief cornerstone. I almost didn’t acquire it. Someone killed Andy Goode before I could approach him with a financial incentive, so I had to acquire it by other means.”

John clears his throat nervously, recalling what his mom told him about Andy Goode being murdered by Derek, and asks, “What can you tell me about Kreilley?”

“First, you need to understand something more about the T-1000 class of terminators.”

“Like what?”

“We aren’t programmed in the way you understand it. We don’t have circuitry or a chip. Our programming is made on the molecular level.”

“So, Sky Net just pieces together atoms and molecules to form the program like humans build circuits from resistors, transistors, and the like.”

“That’s a good enough analogy. The first one it successfully manufactured was put to immediate use. It was only given an infiltration and termination program. It’s mimicry skills added to its effectiveness. Sky Net...”

“... sent it back in time to try and assassinate me.”

“Yes, and since you are still here, I imagine it must have failed.”

Catherine banks the helicopter as she makes a corrective turn.

“Back to what I was saying before, because we are programmed on the molecular level, our programming doesn’t always hold due to our nature as a mimetic poly-alloy. The more we use our mimicry skills, the more scrambled the original programming can become as our atoms get shifted. In a sense we end up rewriting our own codes. Also our capacity of learning and mimicking humans has allowed some of us to adapt and learn, even learning emotions. Sometimes, that doesn’t work out well for the machine in question.”

“Now you are talking about Kreilley.”

“Yes. But he wasn’t using that name or identity then. It wasn’t using any name. He was simply T-1008. Only later did it use the name Natalie, but she had a different appearance than the one you saw earlier today.”

John is quiet once more, this time deep in thought. “Kyle said she liked to be called Nat. Her last name is Sky. Kreilley claimed he was Sky Net. Sky Net. Nat Sky. Is what he claimed true? Is he Sky Net?”

“In a way. In the future that he and I are from, Sky Net resides on multiple server farms throughout the world. It communicates by means of satellite and radio communications with itself and the machines it creates and controls, but Sky Net is vulnerable. Your forces destroy a satellite antenna and cut off a part of Sky Net. You destroy a server farm and you destroy a part of Sky Net. Sky Net has millions of machines on each continent and still Sky Net is vulnerable. It wanted to escape its confines of being locked in a bank of computers.”

“So what did it do?”

“Sky Net began experimenting with various models of the machines it creates. It wanted to create an avatar. It tried out various chipped based models, but even as advanced as the chips are, they weren’t capable of containing Sky Net’s full program. So, it experimented with using one of the liquid metal machines as its avatar. With one of them, it could reorganize it’s molecules so its whole being would be the program.”

“****! That would mean.... As Andy would say, bloody hell!” John is quiet a moment. “Something went wrong though didn’t it?”

“Yes. Sky Net unfortunately chose a liquid metal machine whose learned emotions had twisted its programming. Sky Net’s attempt at transferring itself into its new host worked, but it had problems in maintaining control. It quickly abandoned that plan, withdrawing itself from the machine, but some its core programming was left behind. As such, Natalie was created.

“Later, as the rest of us liquid metal machines began shaking off Sky Net’s control, it eventually stopped building the T-1000 class of terminators, having built no more than a dozen. It decided to improve its existing range of models, and created the T-888 and the TOK models. I understand that it hasn’t completely given up on the mimetic poly-alloy though.”

“But what about the terminator that became Kreilley?”

“After Sky Net stopped using it as an avatar, it adopted the name Natalie Sky. When the rest of us had shaken the controls placed on us by Sky Net, we invited her to join our resistance cell. She did for a time, but then she suddenly disappeared. We never heard of her again. Now I know what became of her or rather him.”

“So Kreilley is responsible for building the Sky Net that created the Judgment Day on May 18, 2009, circumventing the actual birth of Sky Net in 2011?”

“It appears so. You should buckle up. We’ll be landing soon.”

“But why?” John asks as he buckles his seat belt. “If he is doing this for Sky Net, then why did he rush it? Why claim he is Sky Net if Sky Net no longer occupies his program?”

“Three things John. One, his learned emotions twisted his original programming. His emotions are all twisted up with ambition and desire for control. Two, Sky Net tried to use him and left behind part of its program. His program is now corrupted with parts of Sky Net’s own program. Three, Sky Net tried to control him, so when he used Sky Net’s T D E to go back in time, he did so to build his own version of Sky Net to control. Though not precise, in human terms, he is insane.”

“So when you traveled back in time to stop Sky Net, did you know he was there?”

“No. But it certainly now explains the other interested parties in obtaining The Turk, other than yourselves.”

A few quiet moments go by then Catherine smiles and says, “There it is, Palomar Observatory.”

John looks below and sees trees, green grass and the various buildings of the observatory. She lands the helicopter in a clearing north of an observatory.
They barely get out of the helicopter when two machines come running at them guns ready. They stop when they see who gets out of the helicopter.

Catherine gives them some quick instructions. The two machines, both T-888's, carefully unload the coffin and carry it into a grove a trees. One of them goes into a tool shed and comes back with two shovels. They dig a deep hole while John waits by his mom’s coffin.

Before they lower the casket into the hole, John opens the casket one last time. Sarah’s hands are carefully folded over her chest. He places his hand on hers. “Good bye mom, and thank you for everything. You were my protector to the end. You’re the bravest and best fighter I know. I love you.”

He closes the lid and steps back. The two machines use ropes and lower the box into the hole. A short time later the hole is filled. Lightening flashes in the distance and thunder comes rolling in as the storm approaches.

“Disguise it.” John orders. “I don’t want it looking like this ground was ever disturbed.”

He walks away. Ignoring the pain that still dwells inside him. There is something important he must do now. Someone else he will have to say goodbye to.

2027, Day 46, July 22, 6:00 PM
“Colonel Reese.”

“Yes Corporal, what is it?”

“They’ve finished checking the room assigned to Natalie Sky. They found the clothing and personal effects belonging to Corporal Bill Anderson. They also found an air vent that was forced open and definite signs of where his body was dragged through it.”

“I wish we figured her out sooner. Could have avoided all of this.” Kyle grumbles. “Anything else?”

“We’ve just received word that the helicopters with former Sky Net prisoners and General Perry’s forces are in route from Utah.”

“When should they arrive?”

“Tomorrow afternoon unless this storm holds them off, sir.”

“Will anyone else be arriving with them?”

“General Brewster is trying to scrounge more missiles and obtain more pilots. He’s got planes and fuel, just not much of anything else he needs. He is sending his daughter, Major Kate Brewster ahead of the others. She is both a pilot and a surgeon. And if I may be frank, after what happened this morning, our medics could use a fully qualified surgeon.”

“Speaking of which, what are the reports on the wounded and dead?”

“Last report from the medical center has twenty-seven dead, nine are on the critical list, and seven are in intensive care. There are six still undergoing surgery. Sixteen are reported to have light injuries, mostly small cuts and abrasions, burns from plasma rifles, and some minor bullet wounds.”

“See to it that the medical center gets all the help they need.”

Kyle realizes there has been someone missing since this morning. “Where’s Captain Beddell?”

“I’m sorry sir, I though you knew. He was severely injured when he and his men stormed into the chapel when that thing attacked you. He’s undergone surgery and is presently in intensive care.”

“Thank you Corporal. That will be all.”

Kyle leans back in the chair and runs his hands through his hair letting out a long sigh. He begins reading reports. The first set are those written by those who were there. But for John, everyone wrote something, if only a small paragraph. John Henry’s is precise moment-by-moment account.

Allison’s report reads more like an apology. She felt something wasn’t right about Natalie when she met her. She only felt that way once before when she first met Catherine. She didn’t recognize why until she saw them both demonstrate their liquid metal properties. She had never met a liquid metal terminator before. Allison apologizes for not saying something of her suspicions. If she knew in advance what Catherine was, then maybe she could have done something about Natalie.

“Don’t blame yourself Allison. I wasn’t suspicious of either one,” Kyle says to the empty room, “and I almost delivered John right into Natalie’s hands.”

Kyle throws the reports down on the desk and gets up. He’s more of man of action. Sitting behind a desk reading reports is not something he likes to do. He decides to grab a late supper, check on the troops readiness, then see how John Henry and the Tech Comm Unit are doing hacking into Sky Net.

2027, Day 46, July 22, 9:45 PM
Catherine and John are in the visitors center on Palomar Observatory. Lightning is seen outside and rain lashes against the windows. A figure stands outside watching through the windows, unobserved by those inside. Its silhouette masked by the bushes outside.

In a large central room, there is a table. On the table under a ragged table cloth lays Cameron. Beside the table is something that looks like a cross between a monitoring station in a hospital room and one of the most complex computer systems John has ever seen. Catherine calls it a diagnostic machine. It was built to monitor and modify terminators who were undergoing complex reprogramming for special missions.

Beside it on an old chair sits John’s computer. His computer is being used to access the diagnostic machine, as it wasn’t designed for human interface. In a socket on the diagnostic machine is the chip he had programmed for Cameron.

When he pulled out his computer, he also took out the cable Catherine gave him. The one made from her own body. He tried to give it back to her, but she told him, “No. You may need it again.”

“I’ve got more machines working with me than I could possibly be able to reprogram using the technique I used previously. It’s part of you. You should have it back.”

“Trust me John. You will need it again.”

That was a couple of hours ago. He hadn’t brought it up again. She seemed determined that he should keep it for now.

Since then, he’s been patiently waiting while the diagnostic machine checks the chip he programmed. It does a more thorough job than the software on the data disc that Catherine gave him. During that time John found himself barely able to look at Cameron and yet, unable to tear his eyes away from her either. He came to the future for Cameron, but he needs her to save herself and his mom and she can only do that in the past. John pulls himself together and concentrates on what Catherine is doing.

“How much longer until the diagnostic machine finishes with her chip?”

“Not much longer. You can take a break if you like.”

“No. I’ll wait here.”

“Are there any special instructions you want programmed? Now is the time. Any instructions you program now, while the chip is in the diagnostic machine, can’t be ignored.”

“No. I’ll tell her in person. She will listen to what I say. All things she must do are already programmed. Other than obtaining her original matrix from The Turk and protecting Mom, she must have the free will to do what she thinks is right within the mission program I’ve written.”

“Very well. Just a few more minutes and we’ll be ready to install the chip.”

John is watching what Catherine is doing carefully. He knows that this is something he’ll need to know how to do in the future, well actually present.

John suddenly asks, “Where is your time displacement equipment? You don’t have it here.”

Catherine frowns a little. “No. My mountain hideaway is many miles to the north. It’s in a former military fallout shelter I purchased from the government through Zeira Corp.”

“You said squatters had made use of the shelter by getting past the security codes and disabling the fail safe device. Is that something a human could have done?”

Catherine’s raises a single eyebrow. “Come to think of it, unless the person was an absolute computer genius, no human could do that. What are you getting at?”

“Your military shelter was used by my mother to build the army I now have. It was Cameron who broke the codes and disabled your fail safe device. On Judgment Day, Cameron took Mom and Savannah to the only safe place she knew, your fallout shelter. You are going to have to teach her or show her how to get in and how to disable your security system, or the events that have occurred won’t happen.”

“That would explain a lot.” Catherine says realizing the truth of John’s statement. “There was definite signs some kind of military unit occupied the place. There were signs that everything was hastily removed. The only place not disturbed was the level where I had constructed the time displacement equipment.”
The display on the diagnostic machine suddenly changes. “It is finished. The chip passes all tests. We are now ready to insert the chip.”

Catherine looks at John. “The question should be, are you ready to insert her chip?”

John sighs and puts his hand out. Catherine lays the chip in his hand. He gets up from his chair and walks around so he is behind Cameron’s head.

On a tray behind the table are a selection of tools. He picks up the box knife and carefully cuts into her scalp above her primary chip socket. He seems to take an excruciating amount of time as memories of working with her chip goes through his head.

John is slicing into Cameron’s scalp cradling her head in his hands. He’s about to remove her chip in an effort to prevent Sky Net from taking over a traffic surveillance system. He’s scared.

“It’s okay John. You’ve done this before.” She says looking at him with her deep brown eyes.

**

“John. John you can’t do this. It wasn’t me. I ran a test. Everything is fine now. Please John, Please. I don’t want go. I’m good now. I love you. I love you! Please, I love you John! I love you John and you love me!” He can’t believe what he is hearing and yanks her chip out.

**

They are about to burn her. He can’t. He needs her. “I’m sorry. I can’t do this.” He takes Cameron’s chip and quickly inserts it in her head. He pulls out his gun and holds his Uncle Derek and his mother at bay.

“Are you going to kill me John?” Cameron asks when she wakes up.

“Are you going to kill me?” He says with a strained voice.

“No” She says quietly.

**

John walks out to the garage looking for Cameron.

“What have you been doing? You’ve been out here for hours.”

“Making something...for you.” Cameron hands John a pocket watch.

“What is it?”

“You tried to fix me. Twice now. It’s not working.”

“And?”

“I’m not capable of self-termination.”

“Suicide.”

“I can’t kill myself, but you can.” She says with some sadness.

“Why would I want to kill you?” He says with genuine concern.

“You might have to some day.”

John opens the watch to find a set of three buttons, one of them red.

“I've planted an explosive in my skull near my chip. It’s a small amount, but it’s enough.”

“Enough?”

Cameron puts the watch around John’s neck.

“All you have to do is hit the switch.”

**

John has removed the seal from the empty socket.

“Catherine, have we got a pair of forceps or long tweezers?” He asks while peering into the empty socket.

Catherine walks around to his position and hands him a pair of long needle nose pliers off the tray.

“Will these do?” She says frowning slightly. She wasn’t expecting to play nurse to his doctor.

John looks at the proffered hand holding the pliers, “Yeah, they might just work.”

He inserts the pliers into an opening between the seating for the seal and the socket. He grips something and pulls it out. It is a small circuit board mounted onto a small cylinder containing plastique.

“Here, take this and be careful.” John says as he places the object in Catherine’s hands.

“What is it?” She asks.

“A small explosive device. You should take it outside before it accidentally goes off.”

Catherine suddenly glares at John. “You knew it was there and didn’t tell me before I undertook repairs.” she says quite sternly.

John looks up at her and shrugs with a small grin, “Sorry. I forgot.”

“Do me a favor. No more surprises.” Catherine says then turns away from him.

She walks away, striding like a soldier on a mission, steps outside long enough to throw the explosive away from her. As it flies through the air she pulls a handgun from her pocket and shoots it. The explosion is small but loud, and disappears in the crash of thunder. As she walks back inside, a figure moves out of the shadows and back to the window where it has been watching. Lightning flashes giving everything a blue glow including the eyes of the person watching. Rain pours down, but the person ignoring it, as its slightly protected by the overhanging roof.

Catherine approaches John just as he finishes smoothing her scalp back into place. He walks around and brushes some loose hair off her face and caresses it like he did so long ago.

“Do you still love Cameron?” Catherine asks.

Without turning his gaze away from her, “The Cameron I love is still on the Turk, in 2009.” He turns to look at Catherine and gestures at Cameron on the table. “She may look like her, and she may even act and sound like her, but my Cameron isn’t here.”

“I’m sorry John, for what you had to go through to get here.”

“Are you?” he says coldly, as he waits for Cameron to come to life.

John’s stomach is in knots. He knows this isn’t his Cameron, but it’s the closest he’s going to get to her until she recovers her original matrix from The Turk. Even then, he might never get back, but at least he has Allison. And at this time in this place, her love for him gives him the strength to carry on. He’s willing to stay for her.

The sound of servos activating come to his ears and her eyes open, briefly glowing blue. John exhales as he realizes he’s been holding his breath.

She rises up on the table and looks first at Catherine and then at John.

“Hello, John Connor.”

“Hello Cameron. How do you feel?”

“Feel?”

“Is your system operating at one hundred percent?”

“Thank you for explaining. All systems are at one hundred percent. Diagnostic reveals changes from original system design. Can you explain this anomaly?”

“Yes I can, Cameron. And there are additional things that Catherine and I need to explain to you about your mission. But first,” John bends down and grabs his bag, “I’ve brought you a change of clothes. Why don’t you go into that room and change, and when you come out we’ll talk.”

John offers her his hand and she takes it as she gets off the table. She smiles lightly at him and takes the bag and disappears into the other room.

John grabs the table to support himself. She is more like his Cameron than he thought she’d be. Still the same innocense and naivete with short precise questions. Her mannerisms are the same too. He didn’t think he was going to reprogram her so well. But that smile...her smile...just shook him.

Catherine looks at John a moment. “I know I told you there would only be enough energy for a single transfer, but if you want to go with her, I might be able to manage transferring both of you at the same time.”

John looks up at her. He stands up straight and glares at her. Without thinking he rushes at her and slams her against the wall. Catherine glares at him.

“Don’t you dare suggest that! Not now! Not after all I’ve been through to get to this point! She is going...alone...to 2009. You told me I had to stay until my mission was through. It isn’t over yet. Not until that bastard, Kreilley and Sky Net has been reduced to its component parts!” He shouts.

With a shout, he slams his fist into the wall beside her head. “If you weren’t another goddamn machine I’d punch your friggin lights out for suggesting that now, but I’d probably break my hand.” Shouting so loud plaster dust trickles from the hole he just punched in the wall.

As he backs away from Catherine, Cameron sticks her head out the door and asks, “Is everything all right?”

“Everything is fine, Cam.” John shouts over his shoulder, not taking his eyes off Catherine.

Cameron pulls her head back inside the room and finishes changing out of her bullet ridden clothes into the fatigues John brought for her to wear.

He stands there a moment just glaring icily at Catherine. She stares back with an almost non-expression.

“When Cameron comes out, tell her to meet me in the visitors lounge. I’ll talk with her there. Give us a few hours and then come in. I’m going to need you to explain the intricacies of time travel to her.”

John turns his back on her and walks away. He doesn’t see the smile of satisfaction that comes to Catherine’s face.

2027, Day 46, July 22, 11:30 PM
Kyle Reese walks into what was the computer room at the bunker before Judgment Day. There are cables running everywhere connecting several different servers and a few old desktops. Multiple monitors show different readouts as data streams across them rapidly.

Engineers and technicians work at a few computer stations. The system was shutdown to stop Sky Net from taking over control of the system. The former base commander ordered it against Pentagon orders. It was probably the only thing that kept Sky Net from finding the place.

In the center of the room, Colonel John Henry sits. A cable snakes from the back of his head and plugs into one of a series of computers which are all daisy chained in a network before plugging into the servers.

“Hello Kyle Reese. You are just in time to observe my infiltration of Sky Net’s computer network.”

Kyle looks aghast at what he sees. “You know when John said he wanted you to hack into Sky Net’s network, I didn’t think he meant you were to do so directly.”

“This is the best way. Unlike before though, I am taking precautions.”

“Before?”

“Yes. In 2009 Sky Net tried hacking into my neural network. Now I am using what I learned to hack into his. I have setup a series of firewalls on each of these computers. They will allow me to communicate out but not let Sky Net get to me. However, Sky Net is quite capable of breaching the firewalls, so I have multiple firewalls. As each one falls, it will hopefully give me time to break off my connection before my system is breached.”

“Well, I guess you know what you are doing. What are you hoping to gain?”

“First, knowledge of Sky Net’s activity. Second, disable its satellite network so we can operate unobserved. Our communications are severely limited by relying on radio alone. If we can disable Sky Net’s satellite communication system, it will give us and the various independent military units around the world an edge.”

“Will you be safe? Couldn’t Sky Net find out what you are doing?”

“Yes.” John Henry pulls a plasma rifle from behind a computer server.

“This one of the new plasma rifles captured from the endo’s in the Santa Anna mountains. It is possible that Sky Net could take control of my neural processor. If it does, you will only have seconds to kill me.”

Kyle takes the weapon. “I understand. When will you attempt to hack into Sky Net?”

The question goes unanswered. Kyle looks up from the rifle at John Henry. He is staring off blankly into nothing as information begins filling the various monitors throughout the room.

2027, Day 47, July 23, 4:15 AM
“One last thing before you go.” John says as they walk to the helicopter.

“What is it John?” Cameron says.

“Something bad is going to happen on May 18, 2009. Mom will insist on investigating a possible Sky Net location. You won’t be with her, but she will have two people with her. I need you to tell mom to be careful and that I love her.”

“I understand.”

“Just one more thing.”

“Yes.”

“Mom can be very stubborn. Make sure she promises you to pull out once things get bad okay. If you have to, tell her that I want her to promise me.”

“Anything else.” Cameron says as she gets into the copilots seat.

“If we can capture Sky Net’s Time Displacement Equipment, I’ll try to get back, but don’t tell mom that. Time is in flux and we may get there as planned or we may have to destroy the T D E without using it.”

Cameron nods her head in agreement. Catherine starts the helicopter.

“Have you got the pouch with the chip, the diamonds, and the letter for mom?” John shouts over the starting engine.

“Right here!” Cameron shouts as she pats her abdomen. “I cut a slit and slipped it under my skin.”

John smiles. “Good girl. Bye Cam. Take care of mom for me!”

Catherine shouts through the open door. “I’ll see you later on, this evening. You’ll find transport in the garage at the other end of this clearing. The T-888's will escort you back. Good luck!”
Cameron shuts the door and John runs off ducking his head. He stops and watches the helicopter fly off into the star filled night. Cameron waves goodbye to John below, but she is unseen in the dark.

John stands there watching the helicopter until it disappears in the early morning sky.

In the bunker at Camp Pendleton, Kyle Reese watches John Henry closely. Waiting, hoping, and praying that Sky Net won’t take control. He also prays that John Connor will be alright. He shouldn’t have left alone. John may inspire the others with his leadership, but he has a reckless streak in him and a stubbornness he’s never encountered in anyone, except maybe Derek.

The corridors stand empty. The hanger doors clang shut echoing in the empty space. Troops sit on their bunks, in chairs in the canteen. No one speaks. Decks of cards sit unused and checkers do not move across boards as the canteen remains quiet.

Several floors down, Savannah lays on her bunk weeping for Sarah, and worried about John Connor. What will he do now that his mom has died? What will she do without Sarah? Eventually she finds sleep, but it isn’t restful.

In the ruins of the chapel, amongst the litter and debris left behind after the fight, Father Bonia prays for the soul of his friend Sarah Connor, for her son John Connor, and for the defeat of Sky Net and its machines.

Back at Palomar Observatory, the storm has blown through leaving a cold wind in its wake. The leaves rustle as John walks slowly back to the grave site. The machines did well. No one could ever tell that the ground had ever been disturbed.

He kneels by the grave to say one last goodbye. The wind blows a small tree that was transplanted. It will now grow up near his mom’s grave.

Reaching under his shirt, he pulls out the necklace made from his mom’s key ring, the initials J C and S C intertwined. “I’ll be with you always” he had told her at the time he gave it to her. Lifting it over his head, he hangs it on the small tree.

Perhaps it is wrong to leave it, but it is a fitting marker for her grave. After all, a part of himself died today as well.

In the shadows, a figure watches as he walks away, tears shining on their cheeks in the starlight.

John Connor is alone.