Disclaimer: I do not own Terminator movies or the series or any of the characters.
Terminator: The John Connor Chronicles
Summary: Basically start with the cliffhanger of the season finale. The destiny that John had desperately avoided finally caught up with his life in a way that was unexpected. However, is it really his true destiny or not? There is no fate but what we make.
"All of my life, my mother had told me about the future. How horrible it is and how hopeless the people are. But hearing it is very different from seeing it and living in it. It was no wonder that Derek hated the machines that much. Hitler's tyranny was like paradise compared to this future, to what the machines have done to this world.
Now I understand why I had to lose my childhood, why I had to be trained. Survival is like the most important thing in the future. People even trade their virginity for things like food and weapons. There are some who even eat their friends out of starving. The majority of the people can't fight back because, well, they used to grow in a normal life and circumstance, never imagine waging a war against super computers that took over the world, let alone be prepared for it. I can see that the machines are winning now and the human population is decreasing in number."
John Connor-Voice Over
"Who is this, Derek?"
John was snapped out of his daze by his father's voice.
"He said his name was John Connor," Derek replied while eyeing John suspiciously. They were on the way of searching their lost team members when this kid seemed to appear out of nowhere, not to mention naked.
"He could be a grey, you know. He's too clean and well shaved. He couldn't be one of the tunnel rats," said the man who found John first.
"So, are you going to tell your story or just standing there dumbfounded?" demanded Derek.
John knew right at the moment that if he told them the real story, they probably wouldn't believe him at all. After all, who in the right mind would say that he was supposed to lead mankind against Sky Net to victory when he was barely 17 year-old and had just appeared naked out of nowhere? It was best to make a cover story.
"My name is John Connor. I was living in Mexico with my mother, my sister and my uncle when suddenly we got ambushed. We managed to find a vehicle and drive all the way here from Mexico. We heard that there was a small group here from old friends so we decided to come here. We almost got here when suddenly we encountered a bunch of them and then the fight broke off. My mom told me to run and I think she… couldn't make it. I ran and I saw my uncle got shot in the head. It was horrible. They managed to take out my sister as well," John was shaking when he told the story. It was a cover story but he did lose his family in a day. He tried to hold his tears. The last thing he wanted was him crying like a baby in front of them.
"I managed to escape. It was a miracle, actually. I arrived at this place a day ago or so. I was starving. I saw a rat and I caught it. I burnt my clothes to light the fire." John was silently praying that they would buy his story. He memorized the story in his head. It was a thing that he learned during his training. His mother was right. It was definitely useful in times like this. He regretted that he was always making a fuss about not having a normal childhood while his mother was sacrificing everything to prepare him. The first thing he would do when he met her was to apologize to her for his immaturity. That was if he got to see her again. The thought alone made his eye glistened with tears. He tried to push back his emotion desperately.
John did a calculation mentally. Kyle was 5 year-old in 2008. Now, he was around 24. This must be 2027, John thought. He was going to figure out a way to ask about the year without being suspicious. He could ask Catherine Weaver about this.
"Listen, kid. I don't know if I should believe you or not. I want to ask you more but the chills are killing me. So, why don't we get to our bunker and talk later?" Kyle said and then he led the way to the bunker.
The bunker was occupied with a hundred people or so. When John first entered, he could smell sweat and blood strongly in the air. Obviously, hygiene wasn't the first priority in the future. He didn't even dare to think that there were showers in the future.
Kyle motioned John to follow after him. He led John to a small room and opened one of the boxes in the corner. He took out some clothes, which John thought was obviously deemed to be fit for him. It was a plain gray T-shirt with a peck of blood in the side. John tried to ignore the blood. After giving John time to change. He led them to the main room again.
"So, here we are. Just find an unoccupied mattress and you'll be OK until the morning.
John was lucky enough to have a mattress in the corner of the room. He could at least get some privacy there than sleeping in the middle of the room. Kyle and the others had left him to get some rest. He was thankful for that, though. He didn't think he could hold his emotions in check anymore. John laid down on the mattress, facing the wall. Unable to control himself, he broke down crying quietly as the events of the day hit him really hard. Derek, Cameron, his mom… they were gone. Maybe he could meet his mom again in this time if she survived, but he didn't dare to hope. He knew his life wouldn't be the same anymore. He remembered every detail of his "normal" everyday life. He missed those moments dearly. He missed sitting down at the kitchen table, eating his mom's burnt pancakes, with Derek, Cameron and mom. He missed the discussion about what the next lead would be. He missed the way mom and Derek bickering with each other when their opinions clashed. He missed having to answer Cameron's innocent-like question about humanity. He missed going to school. He missed his mom, his uncle and his cyborg protector dearly.
Cameron. He remembered. She was the reason of why he jumped to this future. He… loved her. It was love and he couldn't and wouldn't deny it anymore. Yes, the future savior of mankind was actually in love with a machine, he thought. But she wasn't like any other machine. He could've sworn she had feelings. She had tried to tell him that several times, but, of course, he just wouldn't accept the fact that she had been able to feel. He made a promise. He would bring Cameron back at any cost, even if it meant that he would fight that Weaver terminator and Cromartie… err John Henry alone. Not that he was sure that he would win against them, but he could at least make some efforts to have her back.
Exhaustion slowly took over his body. As he drifted off to sleep, he offered a silent prayer to God that all that happened today was only a nightmare, and he would soon wake up and find himself in his comfortable room. Well, one couldn't hurt hoping, right?
Allison Young was intrigued. She was a part of the team that searched for their friends, or at least their bodies, that went missing when the last attack happened. A group of tunnel rats apparently didn't careful enough when they were searching something edible, so they stumbled across the path of three T-600. The fight broke off. The soldiers tried to lead the six hundreds away from their bunkers. The loss had been great. They managed to drive away the metals but they lost 15 soldiers in the progress. The least that they could do now to honor their memories was to burn their bodies before the machines got them and did some "experiments" with the bodies. Allison shuddered at that thought. It had been known that the machines were trying to improve the terminators to look more human. Certainly, no person would want their image to be used as the killing machines' image. It was a great disgrace.
The young man who seemed to appear out of nowhere was too clean and too well shaved. He was pretty well fed, too. He seemed to be hiding something from them. Nevertheless, Allison thought that the loss of his family was not made up. She had seen him trembling when he told his story. She had seen him drawing a deep breath to control himself. She had also seen the sadness and shock in the boy's eyes. John Connor was indeed a mystery, she thought, and she would gladly be the one who solved the mystery. That was the reason why she volunteered to watch over John Connor when Kyle and Derek asked.
"Don't put your trust too much on that kid, Kyle. His story may have been believable. But it would take a lot of miracles to escape metals unscathed. Then, it was rare to find someone so clean these days, don't you think? It was impossible to maintain hygiene after living 16 years in this hell. Whether you like it or not, I'm not gonna trust this kid," Derek ranted to Kyle as they walked to their own mattresses. His little brother had been too trusting for his own sake. Derek tried to put some senses to him.
"He's not metal, Derek. I don't think he's a grey, too. Just try to put some faith in this kid. He seems friendly enough to me," Kyle said.
"Friendly? Hah! He will be friendly to all of us until he gets near enough to show his horn!" Derek exclaimed.
"Human race has almost reached the brink of extinction and now you want to kill people out of suspicion?" shot back Kyle.
"This kid is too suspicious for my taste. Tell me, who's not gonna be suspicious to someone who just appeared out of nowhere, naked and has some ridiculous story about escaping metal unscathed? He could be killing us in our sleep," Derek refused to give up the matter as he sat down on his mattress next to Kyle's.
"So what are you gonna do, then?" asked Kyle.
"I'm not gonna kill him like you thought I was. We can have someone to watch over him," Derek said.
"I'll talk to him," said Allison, suddenly appeared and sat beside Kyle in his mattress.
"Allie! How's Bruno doing?" asked Kyle referring to the sick dog that came with them during their journey.
"He's doing just fine, Kyle. Alicia was giving him some treatments when I left. I heard your conversation, anyway. You know, Derek, that was just so not you to make the decision of not killing him," teased Allison.
Derek just grumbled in response.
"So, Allie, you wanna talk to him or try to make him your boyfriend?" Kyle said, saving Derek from the conversation.
"Very funny, Kyle. I heard that you wanted someone to watch him and I kinda have some… special charms for most boys, don't you think?" Allie winked at him.
"Yeah, I think you're the perfect candidate for this mission. Just remember, don't try too hard on him, Alls," said Derek.
"Poor boy. He doesn't know what's coming after him," Kyle said with shaking his head.
Allison glared at him and smacked him with a pillow on his head.
"Ouch! What's that for?" Kyle exclaimed.
"That was for pissing off some certain ninja girl over here, I think," Derek said, earning him some smacks from Allison.
"Hey! Stop! What's my fault? I was only answering for you, right?" Derek said as he tried to hold his laughter but failing miserably.
"Whatever," said Allison. With a huff, she left the two laughing mans alone.
Allison finally saw John. She didn't expect what she saw, though. John was crying quietly with his face facing the wall. Allison wanted to comfort him but she thought better of it. She left John alone to try to give him some privacy, well, at least as private as he could in this bunker. She couldn't imagine of how it felt to lose all of your family in a day. It was a bad day for him, she knew, and he deserved a rest, not an interrogation.
John found himself in a large room. The walls were painted white and even though there was no light or windows in the room, the room was still bright. John saw a figure approached him. He blinked in surprise when he saw who it was. It was Kyle Reese.
"What are you doing here, John?" his father asked.
"I…I suppose I was just wondering around. You know, to get familiar with this place,…um… Kyle," said John, not knowing what to say.
"No, John. What are you doing here, son? Kyle asked again.
John frowned. He didn't think he said anything regarding his real relation with Kyle. Did Kyle know about the truth or did he just used the word "son" as a nickname?
"What do you mean?"
Kyle smiled warmly at him. John merely stared confused at him.
"You must grow up, son. You must be the man we all need you to be. These people need you, John," said Kyle.
"What…what do you mean, Kyle?" John managed to stammer out.
"Don't worry. The other me you have met last night doesn't know who you are."
"You mean, this is like… a dream?
"Yes," Kyle smiled again at him.
John looked down at his hands. "What if I can't do this, dad? What if I'm not who you think I am?"
Kyle put one finger below John's chin and lifted his face so that John's met his eyes.
"We need you, John. Remember this, John. I'm so proud of you," Kyle said.
Tears started to dwell up in John's eyes. Then, he saw his mother walking to him and stood next to Kyle.
"Mom! I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have left you there. I'm so very sorry, mom," John sobbed while hugging his mother.
"It's okay, John. Look at me. You're all grown up now. I'm sorry I couldn't be there to watch the man you're going to be, John. I'm sorry that I couldn't help you. I'm sorry that I couldn't stop it, John," Sarah smiled with tears on her eyes as well.
"Mom, dad, what am I going to do then? I can't lead them. I can't… I'm sorry."
"You're going to wake up soon, John. Remember this, we love you so much and we're so proud of you. Go on, son. We need you." Kyle said as he hugged them both.
"I love you too, mom and dad."
"Hey, wake up, kid. We have so much to do today and we can't afford having you to sleep there during the whole day."
John woke up to find Kyle shaking him to get him up.
"Uh… yeah, I'm up. What time is it, anyway?"
John looked around the crowded room. There were lots of people in the room. Male and female, young and old, all gathered together in this place. What struck him the most was the same expression the people wore. No smiling, no laughter. The majority of them were mostly sleeping or staring off to the space. The air smelled funny in John's nose, now that the shock or the 'time-lag' had disappeared. It was the combination of dirt, sweat and the worst, blood.
"Well, it's almost noon. Derek wanted to talk to you about last night. He's waiting in the dining room right now," Kyle said.
"Um… shouldn't I bathe or something?"
"Are you kidding? Where have you been this last 16 years, John? I don't think I remember using proper shower anymore," he said as he stared at John like if he had grown a second head.
"Yeah, right. Well, I've been not really up-to-date, I suppose," John chuckled nervously.
"Well, you'd better follow me before Derek gets impatient then," replied Kyle, shrugging off the slip that John had made.
John followed Kyle to the other room which had many tables inside and a lot of people eating. The food eaten couldn't really be called real food, John thought. He saw a man greedily eating thick grayish-brown substance in the same manners as if he was eating five-star hotel breakfast menu. Well, maybe it didn't taste as bad as it looked.
Kyle approached a group of soldiers near the corner of the room. He sat down next to a tall blonde woman which seemed to be in her thirties. Kyle motioned for John to sit down. John took a seat across from him, next to a black-haired young man. John observed his surroundings. In the centre of the table, there were two man playing chess on a battered and old chessboard. The people around them were watching the game. Their attention was turned when they saw John.
"So, Kyle, are you going to introduce your new friend over there?" A black-haired young woman asked Kyle as she winked at John.
"Save the introduction for later, Melissa. Where's Derek?" Kyle looked around for any sign of his brother.
"Derek was called by the command for meeting. He said he would be back at noon. So, what's your name? I'm pretty sure you're not that type who's likely to join Griffin's, are you?" said Melissa.
"It's John. What do you mean? Join Griffin's?" John asked her.
"Well, you haven't told him, are you?" Melissa shot a look at Kyle, and then continued, "Well, basically there are two leaders in this base. One of them being Derek Reese, I'm sure you've met him, and the other one is Theodore Griffin. Both of them have often got into fights with each other. I think they are trying to rip each other's head off if it is not for the fact that humanity is very close to extinction and the last thing we need is people trying to kill each other. It's not like it hasn't happened, right?" At this, Melissa sighed.
John was curious. He tried to dig more information. "Well, I came from Mexico and it wasn't hit that bad by the bombs like it was here. We've got really high security there and my mom was a real butt-kicker. What do you mean it hasn't happened yet? It's just impossible that people are trying to kill each other. Haven't we got Sky Net to do that?"
Kyle piped up at this. "Lucky for you in Mexico. Here we have machines trying to kill us and in addition we have thieves, rapists, and not to mention spies from Sky Net who we call the greys. How much luxury do you have in Mexico, anyway?"
"It was better than here, before… the ambush," John was sad when he remembered his family, but he quickly recovered. "Okay, so it's thieves, rappers and greys in addition to the machines. I guess I have a lot to learn living here. So, what about this Theodore Griffin and Derek problem? Why do you think that I'm not that type of guy who's likely to join Griffin?"
The others who had been listening to the conversation had the same thought in their minds. This new kid is definitely sharp.
Melissa answered, "Call it instinct. They say I'm very good at judging characters. You seem like a good person, John. You're definitely good-looking, too," she said then quickly clapped her mouth with her hands. Her face turned red. "Oops, did I say that out loud? I'm…I'm very sorry, John. That's not what you think," she stammered.
The others laughed at Melissa's embarrassment. John blushed as well.
"You know what, Mel, I'm a little bit suspicious about your 'judging characters' now," The guy who sat next to John said, then he turned to John, "You're one lucky man, bro. She's one of Griffin's top lists. By the way, my name is Mike. Mike Charlson."
"Wait a minute. Griffin's top lists? What's this all about?" John asked Mike.
Mike shrugged. "Griffin used to be a rapist. He hasn't made any move so far as long as we concerned. We still keep an eye for him, though."
"Okay, so since the ice has broken, why don't all of us give a proper introduction to John's here?" said Kyle.
Each one in the table introduced themselves. John tried to remember all their names. It could be advantageous in the near future. In the far end of the table, there was a blond-haired tall man named Garret Willstone. Next to him sat Thomas Anderson, a brown-haired man in his thirties which seemed to watch the chess game intensely. Across from him and currently is playing chess was George Bowman, and the other player is a middle-aged man called Chris Jefferson. Chris sat next to Melissa Lawn, who was still blushing after the conversation.
After a while, everyone's attention turned back to the chess game. John went to grab some food and got the same grayish-brown substance he saw before. He inwardly groaned. Okay, stop being a big baby, John. Think the positive. Just think the positive, John mentally berated himself. Okay, let's imagine that it was a delicious turkey. John forced himself to eat them. Well, it's not so bad after all. Better than it looks, definitely. John didn't think that he was that hungry until he found himself walking over the counter to grab some more.
"Gotta like the food, huh?" Kyle grinned after seeing him grabbing more food from the counter. Then, he saw someone approaching them.
"Hey, Allie!" Kyle called the newcomer.
Allison Young waved at Kyle and then proceeded to sit next to him. Then, she looked at John. "Hello there, I'm Allison Young. You must be the guy we found in the tunnels last night."
"Yeah," John answered.
"Where's Derek?" Allison asked Kyle.
"He is attending a meeting with the command. He will be back at noon," Kyle said.
"Wait… The command? Sorry, but I really have no clue about the development. You see, my mom was kinda over-protective of me. She wouldn't let me go outside for a really long time," said John, hopeful that Kyle and Allison would not be suspicious of him.
Kyle and Allison exchanged a glance. There was something that John hid from them. They just couldn't put a finger on it.
"Well, it's the remains of military. However, they are not really commanding us, actually. We run this base separately from them. But they are better equipped than us. That's why most people choose to stay with them than with the separate bases like us, even though it is still risky to go outside and reach their base. They feel somewhat more protected by them," Kyle said supplying information to John.
"So, who is the leader? How's the fight with Sky Net going so far?" John asked the question he had been dying to know. If there was a resistance in this future, that would mean humanity could survive without John Connor. That would mean he didn't have to be the savior of the world. He would control his fate now as there would be another leader to step into his supposed role.
Kyle and Allison exchanged glance for the second time. John sensed their incredulous looks directed at him. "Sorry, did I say something wrong?" John asked, confused by their reaction.
This time, it was Allison's turn to explain to him. "Uh…leader you say? There hasn't been any leader, actually. I've heard that the military had a leader a few years after Judgment Day, but they were all killed by Sky Net. I guess it's now up to whomever the highest in rank to lead. You're really outdated John. We survive, not fight."
"What! Then what's the point of the meeting with the command, then?" John asked, as a feeling of dread slowly came over him.
"They are usually negotiating for food, supplies and weapons. It will get us better chance at surviving," Allison said.
"Then what do you mean with "we survive, not fight" statement?" John asked, still not quite believing what he had just heard.
"Fight? Are you crazy? You fight them, you're dead!" Allison was beginning to get suspicious of this boy.
John felt like his worst fear had come true. He decided he needed to contact Weaver, very soon.
Suddenly, cheers exploded from the people who are watching the chess game, drawing some attention from the other tables. Chris Jefferson smiled smugly at his opponent.
"Aw, man… You said you wouldn't go hard on me," George grumbled at his loss.
Chris grinned. "I didn't go too hard on you. You just wouldn't admit it that you sucks at playing chess."
"Well, someone needs to put him in his place," Mike mumbled under his breath, but loud enough for John to hear it.
Kyle explained to John, "Chris said he had never been beaten in a chess game before. It's likely that he will challenge you soon, seeing you're a newbie. Just don't take it if you don't want to experience public embarrassment," Kyle added with a grin on his face.
After breakfast, John had nothing to do. He wandered around the bunker. It had become his habit to observe his surroundings, to know where the exits were in case something bad happened. He couldn't help wondering if his mother was alive in this future. Cameron said his mom had been sick the time he left her. He was feeling numb inside as he looked at the people around him.
This is all my fault. None of this would have happened if I did not jump to this future. I would have been able to help mom to stop Judgment Day. These people would have never had to experience this.
He was too preoccupied with his thought so that he didn't notice that he had arrived in a room full of dog cages. Allison's voice snapped him out of his thought.
"Hey, John! Nice of you to join me," Allison said as she patted a dog.
"Hey! What are you doing?" John asked inquisitively.
"What do you think I' m doing? I suppose it's really obvious that I am patting a dog," Allison said with a roll of her eyes, then she added, "This is Bruno, my favorite dog."
John patted Bruno as he licked his tongue on his face. "Whoa! Easy, boy."
"I think he likes you," Allison smiled at John.
"Yeah, I think he is," John smiled back at Allison.
"So, we haven't got any change to talk. I guess I want to know you better, you know. You seem like an interesting person to know," Allison said.
Yeah, you bet I am. "Sure, why not? It's nice to know you, Allison," John smiled.
"Call me, Allie. All of my friends call me that."
"And am I one of your friends?" teased John.
"Of course, you are. So, I've heard some rumors spreading around here, John. Most of them involve you're being a gray, though. But don't worry. It's in our tradition to not quickly trust the newcomer. You just have to prove yourself worthy of their trust."
"Yeah, I suppose so. I would be like that too if I was in their shoes." John said.
"So, I really want to know you, John," Allison said, trying to come up with a good topic.
"Oh, yeah?" John said. I'm sorry, but I don't think you will ever know the real me. I don't want to get you involved in this mess that is my life.
"Yeah," Allison said, then she suddenly remembered something. "You seemed shocked when I told you that we didn't fight but survived. I'm just curious. Why's that?"
"Err… When I lived in Mexico, I got the impression that you guys fight, not only surviving. Well, I guess I was wrong, then. Maybe, that was only my mother's fairytale. I suppose it was to make me not to lose hope." John was thankful that he could come up with a convincing explanation.
"Yeah, the reality is usually worse," Allison said sadly, she added, "I sometimes wonder how long we can keep up like this, how long humanity can survive before the machines kill us all. Frankly, I don't see any hope for us, John. The only thing that keeps me from killing myself is that if I die, I want to take as much machines as I can down with me. At least that's what they get for destroying us." Allison said with tears streaming down on her face. She spoke with so much determination that made John fairly surprised.
Without thinking, John reached out and pulled her into a hug. He rubbed her back comfortingly as she continued to cry on his shoulders.
"Thanks, John," said Allison after she calmed down.
"Hey, that's what friends are for, Allie. You know what, that's what the machines cannot take from us. Love, friendship, joy and happiness. They cannot take those from us. That's why humanity must survive, or even better, why we must win. Those are our strengths, Allie, and I believe that it surpasses anything that the machines have." John said
Allison pulled out from John's embrace and looked at him in wonder. She saw the look in his green eyes. They were filled with determination and strength. For a moment, John seemed not like the John she knew. Who are you, John? She wondered.
John walked to the dining room. He saw a few people inside the room. He was thinking of what he was going to do when a familiar red-headed woman approached him. He looked up in surprise of seeing her.
"What are you doing here? How did you get in?" John whispered to her.
"Come with me, Mr. Connor. I assume we have some matters to discuss," Weaver said with a smirk.
"Where are we going to go?" asked John as he walked down the hall with Weaver. "Just don't go outside. There are guards stationed there."
"I don't have any problems with that, Mr. Connor," Weaver said with a smirk and then she morphed into Kyle Reese in front of John's very eyes. "Shall we get going, Mr. Connor?" she said with a rather smug smile.
"Uh… Yeah, I suppose so. Just please, don't kill any people," said John tentatively.
Weaver merely smiled at him. They went to the front door and met some guards.
"We're going to get some supplies," said Weaver-Kyle to the guards.
The guards opened the front door for them. Weaver motioned for John to follow her. After the door was closed, Weaver morphed back to her original form.
John looked around at his surroundings and couldn't believe what he had just seen. The ruins of what used to be Los Angeles staring back at him. It was horrible and so… hopeless. John had heard his mother and the people or machines from the future talking about it, but now, he saw it for real and it was beyond his worst imagination. At times like this, he found himself hoping that his whole life was just a nightmare and he would soon wake up in a normal life. But this was his life, wasn't it? He felt like he existed for one purpose only, which was winning the war. He frowned as a thought crossed over his mind. He wouldn't even exist if he hadn't sent Kyle Reese back through time. That got him thinking that if they had managed to stop Judgment Day from happening, would he simply "poof" out of the existence? He concluded that time travel was not very good for your health because it was brain-damaging.
John and Weaver arrived at a damaged building. Weaver opened a trap door, revealing a set of stairs below them. Weaver motioned him to get down first. John obeyed and descended the staircase. He found himself in an underground basement. Weaver opened the door in front of him. It was a large room, with many deactivated metal endoskeletons piled in the corner of the room. Right in the centre of the room, John Henry sat in front of a set of computer equipments.
"Hello, John Connor. I was hoping to meet you since there are things we need to discuss," John Henry looked up from the monitor.
There were many things John would like to ask right now, but unfortunately he couldn't find his voice in his shock.
"Hello, John Henry. Perhaps it would be better if we explain to Mr. Connor here," Weaver said calmly. "First of all, John Henry didn't take Cameron's chip. She gave her chip willingly to him."
"But… but, why? Where's she right now, Ms. Weaver?" John asked.
John Henry took his turn to explain, "I believe it's an order from your future self. Before you went to rescue Sarah Connor, Ms. Weaver sent Mr. Ellison to tell Cameron the code."
"What? What's code?" asked John.
"The code is "Will you join us?" It was sent by future John Connor. She was under order to give her chip." Weaver explained.
"But why did I… future me give her the order?" asked John, perplexed.
"That's something you have to figure it yourself, Mr. Connor," said Weaver mysteriously.
John sighed. "Why? Why must I figure it myself? Who are you? I don't even know whether I should trust you or not. What is your plan? Why did you bring me to this future?" John did not shout, he said the words with a sudden calmness that even surprised him.
"I can't give you more information than necessary as it will disturb the timeline, Mr. Connor. Believe me, future John Connor has better information than you do," Weaver said.
"That was exactly what Cameron said. Where is she, Ms. Weaver?" John said resignedly.
"I must explain from the beginning to answer that question, Mr. Connor. Future John Connor had ordered Cameron to submit her chip to an entity called John Henry she would soon meet in the past. He didn't elaborate why, though. My assumption is that he wanted John Henry to experience this new future and to grow up. The plan didn't involve you to come along. This is why we have problems, Mr. Connor." Weaver explained.
"What problems do you mean?" John asked as he grabbed a chair and sat down.
"As you have noticed, this is a future without John Connor. Humans are merely surviving, not fighting. Sky Net has no real threat to its existence. It is merely waiting for human to be extinct gradually. It is unlikely that humanity will survive over two years from now. Sky Net has no need to change the past, Mr. Connor. It thinks that it has already won the war. Unfortunately, I don't have enough resources to build a new Time Displacement Equipment."
"What! Do you mean that I can't come back? You're the one responsible for this, Weaver!" he snarled. "I don't even know what happened to my mom, or to Cameron. You still haven't answered my question!"
Weaver, ignoring his outburst, continued explaining, "There is, however, a way, Mr. Connor. Although, you may find this idea a little bit disagreeable. In order for SkyNet to build a TDE, the tide of war needs to be turned so that it wants to change the past."
"I don't like where the conversation is going," John said, having guessed the rest of the explanation.
"I see that you have guessed the main point of this conversation. Yes, Mr. Connor. You need to lead humankind in this future to victory in order to come back."
"But they barely trust me. I don't even know how to lead them, let alone to victory. I'm barely 17 year-old, remember? Who would in the right mind trust a teenager to lead a war?" John asked incredulously.
"You have to, Mr. Connor, and you will know how to do it. It's also the only way to reacquire your cyborg protector."
"Where is Cameron, then?"
"She is, unfortunately, in 2009, inside the Turk."
John stared at Weaver. "You've got to be kidding me. I came here to save her, and now you told me that she was actually in 2009?"
"Why of course, Mr. Connor. I'm surprised that you couldn't figure it out yourself at the right moment. Don't blame me for your situation, Mr. Connor. It is you who decided to follow me to the future, which is currently our present." Weaver smirked.
"What do you want me to do, then? Well, I have one question, though. If Sky Net has been destroyed in this timeline, why do we need to come back and wage a war against Sky Net once more?" asked John, now regretting more than ever his stupid decision to come with Weaver.
"This future, as you know, is not the original future. If we do not come back and maintain the timeline as it was, I'm afraid that you might be erased from the existence, Mr. Connor. If it happens, Sky Net will obviously win."
"Why? Why me? I don't even know how to deal with one terminator. I'm just a sixteen year-old boy. I can't do it. You said that like I was the only one who could defeat Sky Net and humanity would be doomed if I didn't exist," said John, feeling desperate than ever.
"Because you are, Mr. Connor," Weaver put it simply.
"Am I?" John asked incredulously. John finally gave up trying to comprehend the situation he put himself in. "Listen, I think I can't stay here too long. They will soon get suspicious."
Weaver, remaining as passive as ever, answered him, "Yes, you are right, Mr. Connor. You should go back soon. I can accompany you as Kyle Reese. Until then, I will keep in touch for you but you must also do your part, Mr. Connor. Very well, then." With that, Weaver morphed into Kyle Reese's form.
John was mostly silent during his journey. He and Weaver passed the guards without any problems. After that, Weaver morphed into her silvery form and slithered away to the nearest air vent. He walked to his mattress and laid on it. His mind was reeling over the conversation he had with Weaver.
"My mother often told me stories in my childhood. It was mostly about the legend of the jungles. As I was growing up, I heard more from my friends and teachers. There is a famous Greek story. In the story, the hero has to choose between embracing his destiny and running away from it. I can say that it literally happens to me today.
Today I choose to embrace my destiny. The destiny I have tried to avoid for years. I realize it's not about me and my destiny anymore. It's about the whole world and the people I love in it. I'm going to take back this future. I'm going to save the ones I love. My mom, Derek, and most importantly, Cameron. It's my turn now to save them as they have saved me numerous times. This time, I will not sit back. This time, I will fight. I will make my own fate and my destiny."
John Connor-Voice Over.