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Chapter 22 A Friend in Need
Chapter 22
A Friend In Need
A Friend In Need
“A friend in need is a friend indeed.” English Proverb
“Don’t go it alone.” A poster on the school wall. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Pilot 2008
“In the future, you have many friends.” Cameron Phillips, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Pilot, 2008
“Sometimes it’s nice to have help.” Cameron Phillips, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Season 2 Episode 17, Ourselves Alone, 2009
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Cue: Track 02 - The Reese Boys & Track 10 - Sarah Connor's Theme (repeat until next cue)
2027, Day 47, July 23, 9:20 AM
The interior of the barn is dark and slightly musty. John’s eyes are slowly adjusting to the dim light. He stands just inside the doors, watching his rescuer. As he walks slowly forward, the driver turns off the bike, gets off and steps back watching him.
Slowly the person reaches up and undoes the strap under their chin. John watches as the motorcyclist takes off their helmet. Her hair falls from the helmet cascading across her shoulders. Just then the sun comes peeking through a hole in the wall lighting her face.
The likeness to Allison is remarkable, but by her expression and the way she holds her head as she looks at him it can only be . . .
“Cam!” John shouts and quickly steps forward to hug her. “I knew it had to be you, with mom and Savannah here.”
She doesn’t return his hug.
He steps back and looks at her. “You’re not my Cameron, are you?”
“No, John. I’m the Cameron you sent to help your mother and recover your Cameron from the Turk.”
“But where’s Cameron’s chip? I sent you to help them both.” He says with confusion.
“Her chip is here John.” She points to the location of the secondary port.
“How? I don’t understand, the program I wrote should have merged her personality matrix into your own, leaving Allison’s on the other chip.”
“For all your knowledge John, you still don’t know everything. Once you give us freedom from Sky Net’s control, we become more than just mere machines acting only on the basis of our programming. We are quite capable of controlling our own program, of making our own choices. That is how we learn. All I did was to bypass the protocols you wrote. I can engage them at any time of my choosing.”
“That’s right. I gave you the freedom to follow your best judgment within the framework of completing your missions, and that would include the mission of recovering Cameron’s matrix.” He responds.
As his mom’s recent death comes to mind he shouts, “But why did you leave mom? You were supposed to stay with her and protect her!”
“I did protect Sarah and I helped her raise Savannah and helped her build an army for your arrival. Three years ago your mom began to get sick. The doctors at the bunker diagnosed her with cancer. Sarah fought it. She was determined to win the battle. About two months ago I lied and told her my power cell was leaking, and I left.”
“I know all about your lie. I never believed that ******** about a leaking power cell. I guess you never told Mom or Savannah that you now have two power cells, because if you had a leak, all you had to do was to remove the damaged cell.”
“You are correct. I didn’t tell them about my second fuel cell, but it was necessary to give them a reason for my disappearance. Savannah was an adult and could look after your mom. Sarah didn’t need me any more.”
“But why did you leave her? If you stayed with her . . . ” Tears begin to run from his eyes. “If you stayed with her, she might still be alive.”
“John, she didn’t have that much time left. Just be thankful for the time you had with her.”
“You don’t understand. Mom didn’t die from cancer. She was killed. That bastard who built Sky Net and tortured her . . . He killed her. She died . . . saving my life.”
Cameron steps forward and places her hand gently on his shoulder. “I’m sorry John. Sarah was my friend. All Sarah talked about was wanting to see you again. She fought the cancer with all her strength to live long enough to see her son. I wanted her to see you again. She knew the year, but didn’t know the date of your arrival, but from what you told me, before Catherine Weaver took me to her T D E, I knew approximately when you would be arriving. I left Sarah to wait for your arrival and keep an eye on you. I’ve been watching you ever since. I wanted to make sure you were safe so Sarah could see you again.”
For the first time in almost twenty-fours hours, he cries real tears of sadness. No anger or bitterness or hatred fills him at that moment, just genuine grief. Cameron holds him gently while John finally let’s go of his grief. After a few minutes, John finally composes himself, but inside, he still feels that anger and hatred for Kreilley.
“I’m sorry I yelled at you. Mom would have appreciated what you did. It’s good to know she had you for a friend.” John wipes the tears from his eyes. “You know, it’s funny. Mom barely tolerated my Cameron. There were times I think she just hated her. I would have liked to have seen the two of you together.”
“You’ve made some good friends yourself. You’ve gotten further in the resistance than would be expected. Sarah must have been very proud of you.”
“She was. She told me in a letter.” John feels his pocket. “Damn. I forgot. I left it in moms room.”
“That’s okay John. She told me often enough how much she loved you and was proud of you. I am proud of you too, but John, this is not your fight. This is not the future you should be risking your life to defend.”
“Don’t tell me that. I’ve fought hard and worked hard all this time to get you repaired and sent back in time to rescue your original self and protect mom. I’ve made my decision to stay.”
“You are staying because of Allison. I understand why, in this time and place you needed her and she needed you. But you shouldn’t stay because of her. There are bigger issues at stake. This isn’t the future you should be in.”
“Allison loves me. If I choose to stay because of her, then that is my decision. My decision! I chose to leave 2009 because of my love for my Cameron. Only to find out she was still on the Turk in 2009. I still loved her enough to ensure your return to rescue her and to help Mom. I’m not leaving. I’m not making the same mistake again.”
“I’ve been following you John. I was at Palomar watching your final preparations before sending me to 2009. Weaver gave you the chance to leave with me and you turned her down. I couldn’t hear it clearly through the door at the time. That room you had me go into was soundproofed so no one could hear the HVAC system it housed. But I could hear everything through the glass window.
“You told me on the way to Catherine’s helicopter that time was in flux. I understand that now, because you should have come back with me and stopped Judgment Day before it happened. That was your chance to put right what went so terribly wrong after you left.”
“If I didn’t leave I never would have fixed you!”
“You could have fixed me eventually in your own time. It wouldn’t take a genius to realize if the Turk was displaying a message from Cameron, that it was possible for Cameron to be on the Turk. You had the spare parts she collected. You had your computer and you knew how to access our chips using present day technology. You could have taken the Turk, and fixed your Cameron without having to travel forward in time. All you needed was another chip. Instead you left. You let your emotions blind you to the truth then and you are doing it again!”
“You sound like Mom. And how do you know all this?”
“I sound like Sarah because I lived with her for almost eighteen years. In that time, I learned how to be more human from her. I know all this stuff because I can access your Cameron’s memories.” She says firmly, but then adds in a normal voice, “I think Weaver might be using you for her own purpose.”
“If she is using me, then why did she offer to send me back with you? Huh. Tell me why?”
“She was testing you, to find out how strong a grasp she has on you. I saw the whole thing from outside, through the window. You didn’t see her face after you confronted her. She was pleased with your reaction. Weaver wanted you to stay.”
“I don’t know Cameron. She’s done a lot to help me. Catherine’s given me advice and protected me when I was attacked. I never would have got you fixed without her help. My Cameron said that it wasn’t her mission to kill me. So why shouldn’t I trust Catherine, why would she do this?”
“I wouldn’t lie to you John. Ask yourself this, why did Catherine wait until after you were both here before she told you that your Cameron was on the Turk? Why not tell you when both of you were in Zeira Corp’s basement?”
“I don’t know. Maybe she didn’t realize until later, after she located John Henry.”
“You don’t really believe that do you? Take off the blind fold John! Weaver is using you!”
“To do what?”
“Did she tell you why she brought you here?”
“She said I was to help these people defeat Sky Net. That we would return home after John Henry and I completed our missions.”
“Why defeat it now when you will in your own future? Why go through all this now?”
“To stop Kreilley’s aberrant form of Sky Net.”
“That still doesn’t sound right. Why now? Why not before it was born?”
“Perhaps, like us, she didn’t know who was going to build it or where. Catherine did tell me that she didn’t know that Kreilley had traveled back in time. She could have been telling the truth.”
“You can’t be certain she told you the truth. She has lied before and she could be doing so again. I can’t help but think that she has been manipulating you into a position where you will destroy Kreilley’s Sky Net for her own purpose. And now you want to destroy it for your own.”
“Kreilley killed mom Cameron! Doesn’t that mean anything to you?! Mom said you were her friend, the best help she could have had! Can you tell me that Kreilley shouldn’t pay for killing her? Nothing will stop me from seeing him destroyed!”
“I miss her John. I considered Sarah my friend, too. But don’t seek revenge. It is an empty goal. Let go of your anger and hatred, please. It is far more important for you to capture the Time Displacement Equipment he’s built and go home! Like you told me you would do and stop this from happening.”
“No! Kreilley will be stopped here and now! I will not leave until he is utterly destroyed!” John yells, but deep inside he has this nagging feeling she is right.
“Don’t do it.” Cameron pleads. “Please don’t do it. You could end up losing far more than what you have already lost. Kreilley has already killed your mom. How many more must die?”
“I’m sorry Cameron. I won’t leave until I know he is destroyed.”
Cameron’s head drops in defeat, looking very much like Sarah. She raises her head and says, “Very well, but just do me one thing if you can?”
“What?” John asks wondering if she is going to ask the impossible or something he can’t or won’t do.
“Promise me that you won’t do anything foolish, and be careful with Weaver. Whatever her reasons are for bringing you to this time, she is up to something. I don’t know what it is and until you find out, do not trust her. Can you do that for me?”
“That’s two things, but yes, I’ll do that for you. I promise.” John pauses a moment then asks, “Will you come with me?”
“John, I can’t . . . ” She says turning away from John so he can’t see her face.
“Please, Cameron. I could use your help.” He walks forward so he is standing behind her. He hesitates as to whether to place a hand on her shoulder.
“You don’t understand . . .” She struggles for a moment before answering.
Cameron turns and faces him. “It would raise too many questions if I were to show up now. How would you explain me to Allison and the others?”
John sighs. “You’re right. This is so damn complicated and its all my fault.” He looks dejected as he steps back and leans against an old workbench.
“I’ve had to lie so much to protect my secrets. Now because of those lies, I won’t have your help. Nobody even knows you exist but Savannah, and she hasn’t told anyone. She’s learned the lesson well from Mom. You don’t share what you know unless you must and then you don’t reveal all that you know.”
He looks at her and asks, “Will you promise to do something for me then?”
“What?”
“Don’t stop watching my back. I need to know that you are still looking out for me.”
“I promise. I’ll always look out for you. That’s what Sarah would want.”
“Now,” she says with a small smile on her face. “Let’s see if we can find that tracking device. Start taking off your clothes.”
John’s face goes red. “You do know that I am married now.”
“I know,” She continues to smile lightly, as he begins removing his jackets. “but how else are we going to find the tracking device.”
John begins to remove his shoes.
“And maybe, while you get undressed, you can explain to me why you found it necessary to destroyed my favorite motorcycle.” She says with a hint of humorous rancor in her voice.
2027, Day 47, July 23, 9:35 AM
Cue: Track 01 - Opening, Terminator Salvation Soundtrack
“Hang on Derek!” Kate yells as the she takes the helicopter through some spins and maneuvers. Plasma beams just miss them as the helicopter twists and turns through the air like a belly dancer on speed.Derek’s stomach does a flip-flop. He so wishes he was still on the ground in Arizona when she pulls a maneuver like that.
“How many missiles have we got left?” Kate shouts as the helicopter goes through another pirouette.
“Just two!” Derek responds.
“Damn!”
“My thoughts exactly. What do you want to do?”
“Well we can’t stay up here any longer. Those damn things are going to kill us. And if we try to land we’ll be shot down before we even touch the ground.”
She banks the helicopter hard to the left then dips, diving nose down. Plasma beams shoot through the air where they just were.
“You fly this thing like you were flying a jet.”
“Not always. I mostly fly Apaches.”
“Crap!” A plasma beam glances across the windshield turning it into a spider web of cracks. Their vision is partially obscured.
“I’ve got an idea.” Derek shouts looking at the windshield.
“What?”
“Stop evading and go after those sons-of-*******!”
“Are you crazy! We’ve only got two missiles left!”
“No, but it’s the only thing we haven’t tried, and I’ve got an idea.”
“What?”
“Just follow my lead. Turn this baby around and lets go after one of those bastard’s.”
The Chinook and Sea Knight helicopters fly over the desert. On board one of the Chinooks, two generals listen to the radio.
“That Derek Reese sounds like quite a fighter.” Perry says as they listen to the radio.
“Yeah, he does. I just hope his idea doesn’t get my daughter killed.”
“You know as well as I, that these machines won’t quit. It is far better for them to go down fighting then to just....”
“Dammit Perry, don’t go spouting that off to me. I’ve fed that line to my fighter pilots just as often as you have fed it to your marines. And I don’t believe it any more than you. To go down fighting doesn’t win any battles, it just costs us more lives.”
“Pilot! What’s the eta for those fighters?” Brewster snaps at the pilot.
“They should be arriving at Major Brewster’s location in the next few minutes sir.”
“I just hope they can hold out that long.”
2027, Day 47, July 23, 9:50 AM
The Humvee comes to a stop in a cloud of dust.
“Where are we going?” The T-800 asks.
“I wish I knew. I’m just following my hunches. Based on his speed and general direction, John Connor should be somewhere within a few miles of us.” Kyle says.
“Pardon me for saying this, sir.” A soldier from a back seat says. “We’ve got about as much chance of finding him out here as we would finding water in the desert.”
“Soldier! You say one more word. Just one more word, and so help me GOD! I’ll shoot you and leave your body out here to rot! Do you hear me!” Kyle shouts.
“Yes sir.” The soldier says quietly.
“Now! Get on the roof with your binoculars and tell me what you see.”
The soldier quickly gets out of the vehicle and clambers up the outside of the Humvee.
There is already one soldier on top with a heavy caliber machine gun. “You should have kept your mouth shut. Those two are close like brothers.”
“Yeah. I really blew it. Give me a hand up.”
The soldier reaches out and takes the hand of the soldier with the mouth. When he gets on top, he pulls out his binoculars and begins scanning the horizon.
“What am I looking for sir?” The soldier shouts.
“Anything that doesn’t look normal.” Kyle shouts back.
The soldier rolls his eyes and scans the horizon.
The T-800 says to Kyle, “I have a suggestion.”
2027, Day 47, July 23, 10:00 AM
Kate flies the Black Hawk straight at an HK and squeezes the trigger. The heavy caliber bullets from the cannons mounted under the cab doesn’t do much damage to the armored HK, but it forces it into a maneuver to avoid the gunfire, placing it in a path between them and two more HK’s.
“Now dive! Before they can react. Get as close to the water as you can get!” Derek shouts.
“I hope you know what you are doing!”
“Lower! Closer to the surface!”
“Dammit! Any lower and we can go in!”
Two HK’s sweep down and are following the Black Hawk. The distance is closing fast.
“That’s low enough! We’re throwing up a spray and that might confuse their scanners. Can you spin this bird in a 180 without changing altitude or losing speed?”
“Not without killing us.” She says grimly.
“We’re not dying baby. Those fvcking machines are. The missiles are still armed. Just spin this bird around and dive out the door!”
“You’re going to kill us!”
“Better to go down fighting, then just going down.” Derek says firmly.
“All right! Get ready. There is no guarantee we won’t end up in the drink.”
Kate quickly scans her instruments. “Hold on!” she shouts.
The helicopter snaps around so fast if it weren’t for the harness Derek would have gone right out the door.
“Jump!”
They hit their harness release and jump out of the helicopter.
They hit the water, as the helicopter continues flying forward. If the HK in the lead had a face, it would be one of shock as the helicopter comes flying right at it. The HK tries to pull back but as it does, the second HK, which was too close, runs into it from behind. The helicopter slams into them both, the missiles exploding. The fuel tanks rupture adding to the fire and explosion.
“sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss” The radio hisses static as the signal is lost.
“Turn that radio off pilot.” General Perry says.
“Kate. Oh my God. Kate.” General Brewster just looks down at his feet.
“Robert. We don’t know anything yet. Wait until we hear from the F-14 squadron.”
“You never had children Justin.”
“No I didn’t. The Marine Corp was my family. We’re not that far from Salton Sea. It won’t throw our schedule off if we make a slight detour.”
“Pilot!” General Brewster shouts.
“I’ve already changed course sir. Eta to Salton Sea five minutes.”
“Good.”
Perry smiles. “See, the Marine Corp is family. We look after our own.”
2027, Day 47, July 23, 10:10 AM
Cue: Tracks 15, 16 & 17 (until next cue)
“I’m really sorry about your motorcycle. I had no idea it was yours.” John says with true feeling.“I set that equipment up in the garage at Palomar Observatory over the years between Judgment Day and your arrival. Sarah had us set up equipment dumps all over the area. I picked Palomar, because of my connection to it. I had a motorcycle before Judgment Day. I missed it. So when I found the two Harley’s in the garage, I rebuilt the better one using compatible parts from the other. It was purple John! And you destroyed it.”
“I said I was sorry. Gee.” John leans back against the workbench. “What is it with you and purple anyway?”
“Perhaps it is a holdover from the original Allison matrix. Is purple her favorite color?”
“I don’t know, but she has ballet slippers that were her mother’s. They are a lavender color and that’s sort of a pale purple.”
He watches Cameron as she rifles through his clothing, pausing to scan the material, buttons and zippers.
“Wouldn’t that be easier if you took your gloves off?” He says after a moment.
“No.” she answers curtly as she continues to scan his clothes. “There doesn’t appear to be any tracking device in your slacks or shirt. You can put those back on.” She throws them at John.
“You know. If I didn’t see how seriously you dug through my clothes, I could of sworn by your smile, you got me naked for other reasons.” John says while pulling on his slacks.
“You weren’t naked. I let you keep your shorts on.” she says looking quite serious.
“Well it was close enough.” he replies. His face turning red again.
“Besides, don’t you think after all those times you saw your Cameron in her underwear, you could have returned the favor.” Cameron says with a tiny mischievous smile looking straight at John.
“You know about that?” John responds, sounding surprised. “Of course you do. You’ve got access to her memories. God, this is so freaking weird.” He says as he buttons his shirt. “You are so much like her yet different too.”
She smiles and says, “Nothing in your shoes either.” Looking at him, she then asks, “Are you sure your jewelry doesn’t contain something?”
“I told you I left the necklace with mom’s key ring on it at her grave. The ring, I picked out myself from dozens. Kreilley would have had to plant a device in all of them. Machines are thorough but I can’t imagine any machine wasting so much time as to bug all of them.”
He shoves his shirt tails into his pants and begins pulling on his boots as Cameron responds. “That’s true. Hand me your jackets. It must be in there.”
John picks up his coats. When he took them off, he unbuttoned them both and pulled them off together. As Cameron pulls the jackets apart, the gold stars come into view.
“You said you weren’t wearing any pins!” She says with anger.
“I forgot about those. I’m not used to wearing insignia.”
“Dammit John!” She shouts, sounding an awful lot like Sarah.
Cameron rips the gold stars off the jacket and scans them. “Its in here.”
She walks swiftly over to a tool bench. She lays the pins on an iron plate and strikes them repeatedly with a hammer. Sparks fly up from a couple of them. She picks them up, drops a few bits on the bench and walks over to John.
“Look at this!” She holds the damaged pins out to John in her leather clad hand. He can see what might be broken circuitry.
“Where did you get this jacket?”
“It was provided for me. I thought that maybe Captain Beddell or one of his men had left it for me. I found it in my room when I got back from getting the rings.”
“Kreilley must have left it so he could track you. Either that or he put the pins on it himself. Despite his direct attack, he planned ahead in case he didn’t kill you.”
“If he did that, then why not just wait for me disguised as a piece of furniture instead of such an elaborate plan.”
“You may not have been his only target. There must have been someone else there he was after. Tell me everything that took place. And don’t leave out any details.”
John thinks a moment, then tells her everything that occurred at his wedding with Allison. Cameron listens to every word. Never interrupting.
“It is good that you stood up to him. He never would have let you or your friends live. He would have killed you immediately the moment you got out from cover. Kreilley didn’t single any one of you out. He seems to hold all of you in contempt. He might have been targeting all of you.”
“True, but it was he and Catherine who fought the most. They even exchanged heated words like they knew each other. She led the others in pursuing Kreilley. And it was she who told me about him. She said that Kreilley is insane. Is that possible?”
“Not as you understand the term. But if his programming has become corrupted, he could behave in a manner that could be construed as insane. Whatever she told you, be careful. There is more going on than she is letting you know. Has she been with you the whole time you’ve been here?”
“No, she hasn’t. The first time I didn’t see her for nearly a week. Then she just kept popping in and out as I needed her. Seldom an explanation of where she’d been or what she was doing. Most recently she was gone for a couple of weeks. I thought she was repairing you.”
“She wasn’t. My diagnostic shows all system repairs were conducted within an eight hour period including the modifications you had made. She’s been doing something on her own.”
“She could have been with John Henry. He hasn’t always been with me. She claims he needed her help.”
“Does John Henry strike you as someone who needs help?”
“No, he doesn’t. He’s a very capable officer and first rate soldier. Even some of the men like him.”
“Has he said anything to you about Catherine Weaver’s activities?”
“No. You’re not going to say I shouldn’t trust John Henry?”
“No, I’m not. Your Cameron wouldn’t have let him have her chip if he wasn’t trustworthy.”
“Tell me. You have access to my Cameron’s memories. Did she give her chip up, or was it taken?”
“John, I don’t know if I should tell you.”
“Please tell me. I need to know the truth. I only have Catherine’s word on it.”
“She didn’t give it up and it wasn’t taken. Cameron was ordered to give it to the cyborg who asked her the question, ‘Will you join us?’”
“Who gave the order?”
“You did or you will if you get back to your own time and live that time line like you are supposed to.”
“That doesn’t sound like me. Why would future me do something like that?”
“I don’t know, and neither does she. It is quite possible that John Henry has a purpose beyond what he has done so far.”
“I believe you. John Henry has been extremely helpful. I do trust him.”
John is thoughtful for a moment. Cameron studies his face while he thinks. He suddenly speaks.
“Catherine said it was necessary to fight and defeat Sky Net in this time line before returning to my own.”
“Why do that when your destiny places you in leadership in your own time? Why defeat it now, when if you go back to 2009, you can stop it before it is even born.”
John thinks for a moment then says, “I’m sorry I doubted you. Catherine has guided and coerced me into leadership before I was ready. I’ve made mistakes. The worst being relying on her too much. She may have a reason for doing it, and hopefully it won’t get me killed. She is working towards a result of her own making. And you are right, until I know what she is doing, I cannot trust her.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that John.” She says with a pleased look. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m going home. I’m going to have to confide in my friends when I get back to Pendleton. But I can’t tell the others the truth. We will attack Sky Net for the purpose of capturing the T D E. If Catherine told me the truth in her explanation to me about time travel, once I and those who traveled with me go back, this time line will cease to exist. It will be like I never traveled here. But just in case we don’t capture the T D E, or we fail to stop Judgment Day in 2009, then we will have to destroy Sky Net now. I don’t have any other option. I owe that to the people who’ve come to trust me.”
John pauses a moment. “I wish you were coming with me Cam. I could really use your help.”
“I already explained that I can’t. And even if I did, I’m already in 2009 and I can’t travel with you there.”
“But what about the others. Can I take my friends with me?”
“I should think so. You are going to need help in 2009. Sarah didn’t have a chance. Kreilley was prepared and was waiting for her. When he realized his enemies were gone, he launched Sky Net. If you go back, you can stop it all from happening and get the time line back on track. Then Sky Net will evolve naturally and you will be there and prepared to stop it.”
“I don’t know how I could have been so stupid.”
“You were upset John. Your Cameron sacrificed herself for you, then Sarah died doing what she has always done, protecting you. That and leading the resistance has kept your mind on other things. You needed to step away from that and breath clearly for a change, without the pressures of leadership and Weaver’s subtle influence. Perhaps, despite being foolish, it was a good idea for you to be on your own.”
“Catherine advised me about isolating myself from others, especially at the loss of those I know. Was that advice sound or was she once again manipulating me?”
“She could be misleading you, or she might be mistaken. You feel more deeply than most humans. In your future, you carry your emotions inside, but they are always there. One only has to look at your eyes to know what you are feeling. But it might be a mistake to carry your emotions inside. People who don’t know you well, may think you don’t feel at all. And in your future, not this one, you do isolate yourself, but it’s not out of pain or grief because of those you’ve lost. You isolate yourself for your own protection and the protection of those you love. It is not always a lonely life. You have friends, many friends.” She says all this looking at him very earnestly, like it is the most important thing she could say.
Looking at his sad face she adds, “Perhaps it might not be wise to do that either. You need people around you John. It isn’t good for you to go it alone.”
“Thank you Cameron. I’m glad you are my friend. I won’t forget what you’ve said.”
John remains quiet and introspective a few minutes before speaking again.
“Is my Cameron aware of what’s going on or is she nothing but data bits you’re digging through.”
“That is a very crude way to put it.” She says, sounding slightly offended. “But no, she is not aware of what is going on. She is dormant until I activate the subroutines you wrote. Why?”
“Nothing.” John’s voice drops. “I’d just like to tell her I’m sorry. For what I did and what future me did.”
Cameron places her hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay John. I’m sure she knows.”
2027, Day 47, July 23, 10:40 AM
“John Henry are you all right?” Savannah says as she strokes the head of the cyborg.
Ninety minutes ago, he had suddenly activated and began walking towards her. Mumbling something about how all humans must die, machines are the superior race.
Savannah panicked and ran, dropping the radio. It was then destroyed when John Henry stepped on it. She found herself cornered between two computer servers. Just when she thought he was going to kill her, he just collapsed face down on the floor. He had lain there ever since not moving.
“John Henry!” Savannah yells at him.
His eyes blink open. “Savannah?” he says in a low, but normal voice.
“Yes, John Henry.” She says with less panic and more compassion.
“Is John Connor safe?” He says slowly.
“I don’t know. What about you? Are you okay? You scared me half to death.”
“My system was attacked. I’m still undertaking internal repairs. Presently I only have partial motor control and mid-level thought processes.”
“Can I do anything to help?”
“I need power. My primary power cell has been depleted. System diagnostic does not reveal why.”
“Hang in there John Henry. I’ll get you more power.”
Savannah jumps to her feet and runs from the room to get help.
2027, Day 47, July 23, 10:45 AM
Cue: Track 21 - Derek Reese
The water is cold and slightly murky. Derek struggles against the waves as he drags Kate to shore.Before Judgment Day he used to work summers as a lifeguard at the local pool. Thank God he still remembers his training. Even so, it’s hard swimming when fully clothed and he hasn’t been swimming since he was fifteen.
He reaches the shore exhausted, cold, and wet. But he hasn’t got time to think of himself. He drags Kate up the beach, out of the surf.
Overhead, F-14's engage the remaining three HK’s in combat while Derek begins performing CPR. He removes the helmet from her head, tilts her head back, and starts breathing into her mouth.
He counts to himself slowly five seconds and does it again, and again.
“Come on Kate. Come on.” He shouts as he begins chest compressions.
He returns to breathing into her mouth. He ignores the air battle overhead.
Suddenly she begins to cough. He rolls Kate onto her side where she coughs up water onto the sand. She rolls back gasping for breath, wiping her mouth on her sleeve.
“Derek?”
“Yes?”
“Did you almost kill me?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Did you just save my life?”
“Yes.”
She reaches out and grabs him, pulling him to her, and kisses him aggressively. He is surprised but not unwilling. As they kiss, Kate reaches for her flare gun hanging on her suit. She raises her arm and fires the flare straight into the air.
2027, Day 47, July 23, 10:50 AM
“Do you see anything soldier?” Kyle yells up to the man on the roof. This is their fifth time stopping to look around. They are using a grid search method suggested by the T-800.
“I can see smoke on the eastern horizon but its too far away to be from John Connor, sir.”
“All right soldier, get back inside.” He turns to the machine, “I’m going to try something different. It might be possible we overshot, that maybe John Connor is behind us. Turn this truck around we’re heading back. We’ll check out some of the abandoned buildings in that valley we went past.”
2027, Day 47, July 23, 11:00 AM
The Chinook flies over the desert approaching the Salton Sea.
“General Brewster. Tomcats are engaging the HK”s.”
“Any word on my daughter?”
“Nothing yet sir. Do you want me to patch you through to the Tomcats?”
“Negative. We’ll be there soon enough. Just keep us appraised of their situation.”
“Yes sir. If you’d like to come up front sir, you can see Salton Sea.”
General Robert Brewster gets up from his seat and goes forward and sits beside the pilot. He watches the air battle as they get closer. The Tomcats have a slight edge in the fight, but not much.
“Take us in low, right over the water.” He orders.
“Yes sir. Looks like there is something in the water over there sir.” The pilot says pointing out the starboard window.
“Take us over there.”
There is wreckage floating in the water surrounded by an oil slick.
“Perry, take a look outside. Do you see anything?”
Perry looks out one of the windows. “Looks like wreckage from an HK, maybe two. Wait, I can also see an external fuel tank and a door from a helicopter.”
“Any sign of survivors?”
“No.” Perry says with some reluctance.
“General! A flare was just fired from the further shore!”
“Take us over there pilot.”
The Chinook heads toward the western shore. Derek and Kate break off their kiss as the roar of the helicopter gets closer. They stand up and wave vigorously
General Brewster wipes his eyes, brushing the tears of relief from his eyes.
“Pilot, get down there and pick them up.”
“Yes sir!” The pilot answers with a smile.
* * *
“When you get back to base you are going to require stitches to that cut over your eye.” Cameron says as she places a piece of tape from an emergency first aid kit from her motorbike on his forehead.
“Will the tape hold it shut?”
“It should, until you get back to base. Before we leave I want to give you some advice.”
“Sure. What is it?”
“When in battle, you keep exposing your right side.”
“This you say that to the guy who just got a flesh wound and a plasma burn on his left arm and a cut over his left eye.” He says with a chuckle.
“Ironic I know, but it was all I could do to protect you when you were involved in taking that plasma rifle factory. Watch yourself. The next time you get shot, you may get more than just your ear clipped.”
“You were there?” He asks with surprise.
She smiles and says, “Put on some dirty combat clothes and rub your face with dirt and you can blend in anywhere. No one knew I was there.”
John just shakes his head with a grin. “You were that close and I didn’t see you. I suppose it’s good I didn’t meet you before I sent you back. It might have screwed up everything, the programming, the choices I made while I’ve been here. You might have turned out differently. Can I ask you question?”
“Sure.” She says as she checks her motorcycle for damage.
“What you said earlier, about being able to choose your own program...”
“What about it?” She says rather quickly as she looks at John through a gap in the bike.
“...is that why machines sometimes go bad?”
Feeling a little relieved she finishes checking the bike and answers his question. “Sometimes. Some machines choose to return to Sky Net’s control, but most times when they go bad it’s because the reprogramming just doesn’t take. That is why in the future that your Cameron comes from, John Connor scrambles the original program before overwriting the chip. It triples the success rate of reprogramming.”
Standing up she says, “No more questions. I should get you back to base. The others are probably worried about you. Allison especially.”
“Cameron, what am I going to tell her? I was such a damn fool. She tried to tell me something but I was just too stupid to listen. When I get back I’m going to owe Allison a big apology.”
“John, if you love her as much as she loves you, just tell her the truth. You’ll find the right words. You always do.” She answers turning the bike around. “Besides, I’m sure she’ll understand.”
Cue: Track 13 - Terminator Tangle
Cameron’s now facing him. Other than the slight unease he feels in having to apologize to Allison, she can see that he is much calmer than when they entered the barn. His gaze is steady and he doesn’t avoid looking at her when he talks. The tension is gone from his body. She got through to him. She feels relieved. She had to say some things that she didn’t want to say or wasn’t exactly true, but she had to say them to get John thinking.He’s leaning against the old tool bench looking relaxed. Cameron smiles gently. That is the John Connor as he should be.
“Would you open those doors so I can drive the motorcycle out?” She asks.
“Sure thing.” he says.
Cam starts up the motorcycle while John approaches the barn doors. He is just slipping the latch open, when the doors just about explode in his face.
With a loud bang the doors fly inwards against their hinges, which snap, causing the doors to fly off landing on the ground. John lands with a hard thud several feet back. The doors barely miss him.
Cameron snaps her head up to look at the intruder. John looks up from his position on the ground and sees an 8 foot tall T-600 standing in the doorway, with three more walking up behind it.
“Oh ****!” John Connor says as the machine opens fire with its mini-gun.
* * *
“How do you feel now John Henry?” Savannah says as she walks into the lab where John Henry has a power cord wired to his internal system.
“External power has helped. My neural network is almost fully repaired. Mental processes operating at 95%. I will need a new power cell.”
“I’ve brought one with me. What happened to you?”
“I have penetrated Sky Net’s satellite network. It is down, but only for 21 hours 27 minutes and 16s. If we are to defeat Sky Net. It has to be done tonight. Sky Net is sure to work out a solution sooner than what I’ve estimated.” He says while removing the power cord from his chest.
“That’s great! But what happened to you?”
“When I discovered that Sky Net was tracking John Connor, I began feeding that data to our servers. That got me noticed. I had to fight Sky Net. That is what depleted my power cell. I had to keep boosting the power to create shadows and misdirections on its network to hide what I was doing. Sky Net got smart and instead of looking for where I was sending the data, it went after me. By that time the firewall’s were down. I was vulnerable to attack. Why didn’t you kill me?” He says all this while inserting the new power cell that Savannah brought.
“You are my friend.” She takes his hand briefly. “I couldn’t kill you.”
“You took a terrible risk Savannah. Next time you may not be so lucky. For a short time Sky Net had complete control of my neural network. You could have died, and I would have been the one who killed you.” John Henry closes up the flesh on his chest.
“But you didn’t. And you wouldn’t. You are my friend and I am yours.” Savannah hugs him.
John Henry looks a little surprised but slowly he raises his arms and returns her embrace. “Yes. I am your friend and I will never hurt you Savannah, nor let anyone else.”
2027, Day 47, July 23, 11:10 AM
“Colonel Reese, I can see smoke to our north west sir!” a soldier calls out from the back of the Humvee.
They have been traveling for some time as they look around the various abandoned buildings. Kyle looks over in the direction of the smoke. It looks more like a cloud of dust.
“Take us over there and hurry!” Kyle says.
Without delay the terminator hits the accelerator and shoots off the side of the road flying across empty fields and over sapling trees. The soldiers are bouncing in their seats like mad.
“I hear gunfire.” The machine says.
“Get us close but not so close we’ll be seen. Men get your weapons ready.”
The Humvee comes flying through the fields smashing through an old chicken coop and slides to a halt behind a house.
“The gunfire came from the other side.” The machine says just as the upper floor of the house is obliterated by heavy caliber bullets.
“Gee, you don’t say.” Kyle says sarcastically as he hops out of the truck.
“Everyone with me!” he shouts as he runs around the corner of the house, gun at the ready.
* * *
As soon as the T-600 smashed its way into the barn, Cameron wasted no time or effort in what she had to do. Grabbing a screwdriver from the bench, she threw it right at the machine. The tip penetrated a small hole at the base of its neck and sunk handle deep, shorting out its motor control functions. Its hand closed down on the trigger firing a heavy stream of bullets which shattered the rotting walls of the barn, throwing up a cloud of dust.
She grabs John Connor, pulling him to his feet.
“Get on the bike. We need to go, now!” she shouts at him.
John can’t help but smile at that last statement as he gets on the bike behind Cameron. It is exactly what his Cameron would have said. Maybe they aren’t so different after all.
Leaving the rifle and helmet behind, they drive towards the doors. Cameron snatches a bag of tools from the bench as they leave.
John ducks as they pass under the machine’s outstretched arm.
Outside in the yard are three more just like the one now blocking the barn doors. Cameron shoots past them and rides in a circle around them. The T-600's are big, strong, brutish, but slow in thought and action. They circle the machines in a tight fast circle. The T-600's are unable to keep up with them. Cameron snatches tools from the bag and throws them at the machines, each time aiming for the small hole at the base of the neck. She misses the first two times but the third and the fourth aim true.
The machines motor functions short just like the first one. Their hands squeeze down on the triggers. The upper floor of the house is pulverized by bullets.
There is still one active machine and there are no more tools to throw. Cameron drops the empty bag and goes flying down the dirt drive to get John away from the machine.
Part way down the dirt trail, John nearly falls off as the bike comes to a sudden halt. “What the hell?”
“We’ve got four more of those machines approaching.”
John looks over her shoulder to see the T-600's marching up the dirt road.
“Oh ****! This is bad! Take us back! Take us back to the barn now!” John shouts. Their only hope is the plasma rifle that got left behind. His sidearm would be useless against these machines.
Cameron spins the bike around and goes flying back up the dirt road towards the farm yard.
A spectacular sight meets their eyes as they find a T-800 engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the remaining T-600. Several soldiers are shooting at the T-600. Ducking her head down to hide her face, Cameron drives straight past the fight and the past the legs of the immobilized T-600 in the barn door, and into the barn.
John jumps off the bike, runs over and grabs his rifle and her helmet. He throws the helmet to Cameron. “Put this on before the other soldiers see you.”
He shoves the metal heads into his bag and runs out with both it and his plasma rifle. The T-800 has bested the T-600 and is using the mini-gun it held to shoot at the approaching T-600's. John runs up and dives for cover behind one of the immobilized machines laying on the ground and begins firing at the approaching machines.
“Where the hell have you been?” someone shouts from beside him.
John looks briefly to his right. “Hi Kyle. You don’t seem too happy to see me.”
“I’ll be happy later. Right now our buts are in a jam. Who the hell was driving that motorcycle?”
“A friend.”
“Well your friend better have a weapon, because we need every available person.”
“You know. Instead of just laying here deciding who’s the deer and who’s the hunter, we could just leave.”
“You want to run from a fight?!” Kyle asks while firing.
“There is a bigger fight we have to do that is more important. This is nothing. We should create a diversion and get the hell out of here!” He shouts while still firing on the approaching metal.
“What kind of diversion?”
“I’ll do it.” says the T-800. “John Connor’s life is important. All of you leave! Now!”
The T-800 drops its empty mini gun and picks up another. Walking forward, it fires repeatedly into the oncoming T-600's.
“Come on! Let’s go!” shouts Kyle not wanting to waste the limited time they have been given.
The soldiers all jump up and run. John pauses momentarily to watch the machine walk forward. Though his shots are true, the onslaught of four min-guns are too much for the T-800. Before he sees him fall, he runs, following the soldiers behind the house.
John quickly climbs into the front passenger seat of the Humvee.
“What about your friend?” Kyle asks from the drivers seat.
Before John can answer, a motorcycle comes flying out from the other side of the house. The rider is fully clad in leathers including a full coverage helmet. Cameron rides across the field and disappears behind a rock outcropping. But just before she disappears, Cameron raises her hand in a quick wave.
“I think that answers your question. Let’s get back to base.” John Connor says.
Kyle puts the truck into gear and drives off, heading west, across the fields.
A few minutes later Kyle asks, “So what the hell happened out here?”
There is no answer.
“John?”
He looks over and John is fast asleep.
“Damn!” Kyle swears.
He picks his radio up from the floor and tosses it to a soldier behind him. “See if you can raise Pendleton. Tell them we’ve got Connor and that we are heading back to base.”
Beside him John just snores lightly as the Humvee bounces over the rough roads. A contented smile slowly forming on his face.
Cue: Track 28 - End Credit
END OF CHAPTER
The1Russter |
Latest page update: made by The1Russter
, Oct 25 2009, 9:48 AM EDT
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8582 words added 47 words deleted view changes - complete history) |
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Keyword tags:
Cameron
Derek Reese
John Connor
John Henry
Justin Perry
Kate Brewster
Kyle Reese
Robert Brewster
Savannah Weaver
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| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | ||
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| AJ_zero | Surprise? Theory.[part1] | 3 | Oct 25 2009, 10:04 AM EDT by The1Russter | ||
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Thread started: Oct 19 2009, 7:05 PM EDT
Watch
I must say, im sospecting a thin since time alot.
1) Savanah spoke alot of Cameron.(Tell the amazings thins what cameran did), and Alyson ever do a questions... [Maybe because she is cam?[theory1]] 2) Alyson never think about: why Cameron(suposed john´s false sister) is identical to her? [Maybe because she is cam[Theory1], or maybe because cam died in the tunel and she "know" it, met she? [Theory2], or maybe, because she already met cameron?? [Theory 2 & 3]] 3) Only one thin said/known about Cameron in this time: “She wanted to see you again, but she left us almost two maybe three months ago." "Cameron told us that her power cell had begun to leak and she was going to leave" [She knows the time when john arraived, because he send it to the past] 4) Later in the wedding, the "nat Sky" say: “Allison Young, or should I now say Allison Connor. I am surprised by your presence. I purged the bunkers in expectation of killing John Connor, but he hadn’t arrived yet. I could have sworn I saw you killed in the attack. Then to my surprise there you were a few weeks later saving John Connor’s life as I purged the tunnels once again. You do live a charmed life.” [If we asume this is true, then Alyson or Cameron is dead, in the case of Cam we could think she was only fingeing death, but this not explain how cameron enter the tunels, or/and anyone observe 2 alyson´s] 5) Calcs: In the ep 17, is the day 44.(6 weeks ago, say John) "few weeks before john arrival, i sworn i saw you killed" this do 8-10 weeks It matchs with the 2-3 months said by savanah they saw cameron the las time |
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