3.01 Knife's Edge pt. 1 – Introductions

Date Posted – 4/30/11

Disclaimer: I do not own TSCC, its characters or plot. I do own the plot and characters in this story

A.N. Okay, so this is the first chapter of a post-BTR story that I'm working on. It will not have any ties with my first story "No Regrets."

I will be trying to write the story in episodic format, with several chapters devoted to one "episode" in the same manner that talli.b uses, except in one story instead of each episode posted as a separate story. I will not be doing monologues because, quite frankly, I couldn't figure one out for this or any other episodes I thought of; therefore, I decided that it would take too long. Updates will hopefully be every week or so, but I'm rather new at serious creative writing, so it may take some time to get a good rhythm.

This story is titled "John Connor Rising," and will focus a great deal on John's growth and development into a leader. There will be a number of other plots, along with both returning series characters and OC's, but I can't write them down here without revealing the plot.

There are a number of individual plotlines I have worked out, but several others which I have not. It would be a very great help to me if the reviewers will also include ideas on how to proceed. I won't always use them, but it's helpful to have other ideas.

This chapter, called "Introductions," is the start of the first episode, titled "Knife's Edge," of Season 3. Thank you to both Lyaksandra and The1Russter for beta reading for me. Please leave reviews telling me what you think, and enjoy!

Underground Bunker

Los Angeles, California

Unknown Date, Future Day 1

Unknown Time

John Connor sat in the small room of what was the Zeira Corp basement, currently a Resistance bunker. He had looked around when he was first brought here and found nothing but the concrete floor, which made it obvious this room was used as a prison cell before from a lack of objects that could be improvised weapons. After he was put in, he waited a couple of minutes before the soldier who had first found him came back and exchanged Kyle's coat for some unused clothes. As he put them on, he noticed a couple bullet holes in the shirt and pants, and realized that they had been used multiple times. They were likely recycled only when the owner didn't need them anymore, which would often be from being killed in combat. Now, he had nothing to do but sit and wait for someone else to come through that door. It gave him some time to reflect on everything that had happened since arriving, from his perspective, 20 minutes ago at Zeira Corp.

To start, the CEO of Zeira Corp, Catherine Weaver, had told John Skynet was their "common enemy." The drone he had seen erupt from the lake in the desert made a kamikaze strike at the building, to which Weaver told them to get down. When John looked up, he saw that Weaver was actually a liquid metal terminator, and was shielding Ellison, his mother and himself with her body. On the way downstairs, Weaver said that John couldn't save the world without John Henry. When he reached the basement, Cameron's heavily damaged body was sitting still, her chip and John Henry missing, and sitting on the table was a cord and Cameron's switchblade with her blood on it. John was torn between panic and rage, demanding to know where John Henry had taken Cameron's chip, to which Weaver had replied that Cameron had given John Henry her chip. His mother indicated the monitors writing him the message "I'M SORRY JOHN" over and over, which reinforced that. Sarah and John saw the Turk, with Sarah noticing the three dots. Weaver activated the time machine that John Henry had used to go after him. As the monitor counted down, John had pleaded with his mom to come with him. Sarah had refused, instead promising to stop Judgment Day.

A few long, painful seconds later, John had found himself in a decrepit tunnel complex in a crater rimed by flames, next to the naked form of Catherine Weaver. Too much in shock to let his eyes linger on the gorgeous redhead, he had looked around again and back, only to see her fully clothed. He realized she must have formed some clothes out of her liquid metal, but instead of a dress she was wearing a sturdy, guerrilla-style battle uniform. He realized that Cameron was missing, to which Weaver told him that her body doesn't go through the time jump. Upon hearing dogs barking and men talking, he quickly put on a long green jacket he spotted on a cot in front of him and crouched down as two soldiers with guns and dogs hurried through the tunnel, past the room he was in. After they were gone, John slowly walked down the tunnel they came from with Weaver following him.

Suddenly a soldier had appeared around the corner in front of him, pointing a gun at him and threatening to shoot. John realized that Weaver had disappeared, and quickly pleaded with the soldier telling him he was human and not metal. Another soldier came in and ordered the first one, who looked Asian, to stand down. As the second soldier came into view, John realized that it was Derek, whom he'd seen dead with a bullet in the head the day before. When John identified himself, Derek said he knew a lot of people but not him, and neither did the two soldiers behind him, one of whom had come in after Derek. When Derek turned back, he told John with a friendly expression that John was going to be famous, and that he was wearing his brother's coat. John turned around to see his father, Kyle, at the front of a line of soldiers. John had frozen, unable to come to terms with seeing his father for the first time ever. Suddenly, John saw what looked like Cameron walk up and kneel down next to a dog, but realized she was human when the dog didn't react. John couldn't take his eyes off of her even when she looked up and her expression changed from neutrally curious to confused, his own face changing from relief to confusion to disappointment.

Derek then said, "Alright, Connor?" John turned around and nodded in reply. His uncle's face had taken on a commanding expression. "I need to know more about you and where you came from, but we need to finish sweeping the tunnels. These two soldiers behind me will escort you back to a holding cell in our base. You need to wait there until I get back from patrol, and these two will make sure you do." Derek then took a small step forward, his expression darkening. "If you try anything stupid, they won't hesitate to kill you. Understand?"

John nodded, and quickly thought of a rather important question. "Can I keep the jacket on until I get to the cell?"

"Why?" Derek asked confusion evident on his face.

"Because…" John looked around embarrassed at the soldiers surrounding him, lingering on the girl crouched next to the dog, then leaned forward slightly. Derek was clearly bewildered as to why the kid was embarrassed, and leaned forward to hear him whisper "…it's all I'm wearing at the moment."

Derek straightened up with slightly widened eyes, which gave way to a humored smile. "Alright kid, but don't lose it." He turned to the two soldiers behind him, who were also confused. He leaned towards the Asian one who had pointed a gun at John and whispered to him, and his face changed to amused as well. John felt more embarrassed, but was glad Derek hadn't announced to everyone that he was naked under the jacket. Derek turned back to him and said, "You better have one hell of a good story for me, Connor" before walking past him and calling to the others "Move out!" As the rest of the soldiers left John and his two escorts behind, the last ones to leave were Kyle and the girl that looked like Cameron. Kyle gave him a slightly annoyed look, most likely because Derek had let John keep his coat, but didn't say anything. The girl didn't say anything either, just gave him another look of confusion and curiosity before turning around to follow the rest of the patrol. When they were out of sight, the Asian soldier Derek had spoken to said "Follow me," his expression still slightly amused, and turned around to walk John back to the base. The other escort indicated John to go ahead of him, and followed close behind.

Now, John was sitting on the floor in a holding cell with a new set of clothes waiting for Derek to come back. His head was still whirling from everything that happened, but there was one image he couldn't get out of his mind: the girl. There was no way it was a coincidence that she and Cameron looked identical. He remembered what his mother had told him about Carl Greenway and how a terminator had killed and replaced him to sabotage Serrano Point. He remembered watching the memory videos of a terminator posing as Vick Chamberlain, the husband of Barbara Chamberlain, and how he thought the terminator had killed her real husband to replace him. John realized that in the original timeline, Cameron probably was modeled after the girl he had just seen, which also meant that she would have likely been killed as well. He felt a lump in his throat as he realized how much the future had already been written, and how many lives were fated to be destroyed and ended, no matter how hard he and his mother had fought to save them.

Trying to focus, John started to brainstorm a story to tell Derek when he got back. John couldn't help but remember that Derek had been the only one to speak other than the Asian soldier, and that was only to threaten John with a gun or order him to follow. He also realized that Derek had not spoken anyone's name out loud, indicating to John that he would have to talk carefully to not show too much knowledge. He quickly started thinking up ways to cover up his slip of using Derek's name. Part of him was hoping that Weaver would find him before Derek returned, so that she could help him come up with a cover story. However, he realized he needed to be prepared in case Weaver didn't show up, so he continued brainstorming ideas.

Fifteen minutes went by and John still hadn't come up with any good stories, so he was getting frustrated. Not only would he have to explain how he knew Derek's name, which was a major fuckup on his part, and how he'd ended up so close to their camp, he would also have to explain his physical appearance. While he was being led through the tunnels, he saw many different people, but all of them had dirty matted hair, several years' worth of grime and dirt on their faces and skin, and numerous types of scarring, not to mention that all of the men who didn't have beards had stubble with shaving scars. The biggest difference was that they were all thin and malnourished, while he was obviously well-fed and in good physical condition. There was no way he could claim to have been a tunnel rat, or even a resistance soldier, so he had no idea of what to do.

He suddenly heard a strange noise coming from the door, or more specifically under it. Something was pushing itself through the crack at the bottom of his cell door. It looked at first like a blob of mud, but it started to pile up tall. Once it was all through, the tall blob changed color from dark brown to shining silver. It started transforming from a blob into a humanoid shape and from there its features grew and sharpened. Eventually, John was looking at the form of Catherine Weaver.

"Good to see you John."

"Weaver! Where the hell have you been? You left me alone twisting in the wind with these people!"

"I did no such thing. I was blending in with the tunnel walls so they wouldn't see me, but I have been near you since you first entered my office in Zeira Corp Tower."

"Weaver, I have no idea what to do. I'm being held prisoner by the people I should be in command of, I'm coming up blank as to what story I can tell Derek, and I should be out looking for John Henry."

"Calm down John. Due to the fact that you travelled through time into the future, you were not present to make your name known so of course they don't know who you are. There's nothing that you can do to fix that now, so do not worry about it. I will handle looking for John Henry, so do not worry about that either. As for your other point, what's so difficult about coming up with a believable story?" Weaver had a good idea what the problem was but wanted to hear it from John, to see if he took everything into account.

John listed all of the problems with just a regular story, while Weaver thought of a way to help John out. After all, he was no good to her dead or mistrusted by humanity. She had come up with a story, but for John to understand it she needed to give him some background information. "Have you heard of the Greys, John Connor?"

"Greys? What is that, a gang name?"

"Not quite. Grey is the term used to describe a human who has betrayed humanity by serving Skynet."

It took several seconds for what Weaver said to really sink in. But it didn't matter much because John was still speechless with horror.

"Many of them do it simply for the comforts and luxury Skynet can provide, along with avoiding being hunted every second of the day. The problem you currently face, John, is that you look exactly like the stereotypical Grey – clean, straight shave, well-fed, and no scars."

"So what do we tell them? That I AM a Grey?"

"Of course not. If you ever willingly worked for Skynet, you're a traitor to all humanity and would be executed immediately even if you claim to have changed. Now, I have a story in mind that gives you the best chance you have at explaining your appearance without outing yourself as a traitor. Unfortunately, I know that you won't like it." With that, she began to explain her cover story.

After Weaver was done with her explanation, John stared at her in shock. He couldn't believe that she would suggest he use such a story. "You've got to be kidding me! Absolutely not! No fucking way am I saying that!"

"You don't have a choice. You can't say that you're a soldier or a tunnel rat, or just someone who's been on the run for over 20 years. And you certainly can't tell them that you're a time traveler from 2009. This is the best chance that you have." Weaver quickly straightened up. "I have to take my leave now. Not only do I need to track down John Henry, but I also can't be seen by any other soldiers as it might raise suspicion. Understand that after I walk out of this room, you will truly be on your own until I make contact again. I cannot protect you from this world forever, and you need to learn how to take care of yourself."

With that, Weaver melted back into the formless puddle that looked like liquid filth. As John just stared at it with an angry expression, the mass flattened and slid itself under the door, setting out to find John Henry before something happened to him.

After he was alone, John slumped against the wall and slid down until he was sitting on the floor. Weaver was right that he couldn't claim to be a tunnel rat or a Skynet worker. But what she suggested was the last thing that he wanted to say, not only because it was such a bold-faced lie, but also because of how it would reflect on some of those close to him. He continued to try brainstorming ideas for another half-hour when the door opened and the Asian soldier was back to escort him to Derek.

Showtime, John thought bitterly as he rose up and walked out the door of his cell.

John was led through the tunnels by the Asian soldier from before, and was followed by another guard who had his sidearm drawn. John, who was an expert with weapons thanks to his mother's training, recognized it as an M1911 .45 ACP. It wouldn't do much actual damage to a Terminator, and it wouldn't provide as much of a distraction with only seven rounds per magazine, but it was more than enough to put down another human, such as a prisoner who made a wrong move. Not that John was thinking about making any wrong moves, but it was something to think about. It was also a nice distraction from the fact that he still hadn't come up with a story to tell Derek that he liked. Weaver's story was a good one, but he would only use it as a last resort.

The Asian in front of him opened a door on the right and motioned John to enter. Once John did, the Asian shut the door behind him and remained outside. The room was slightly larger than his cell with a table and two chairs. Derek, Kyle, and the girl who looked like Cameron were all inside, along with the girl's dog. Derek was sitting in the chair looking directly at John, while Kyle and the girl were standing in front of the opposing side walls. All in all, when John sat down in the chair after Derek indicated him to, he had two potentially hostile guards standing on either side of him, and a potentially deadly interrogator across the table. He was surrounded.

If this was meant as an intimidation tactic, it was working. He was pretty scared, especially after Weaver had explained about the Greys. However, he knew that looking scared would earn him no points here, so he tried to bury it under a cool and slightly arrogant mask. He stayed quiet, not breaking his stare with Derek despite the two equally hostile looks coming from his sides. After several seconds of silence, Derek asked his first question.

"So, John, have you ever heard the phrase 'innocent until proven guilty'?"

John was caught slightly off guard by the first question, but was careful not to show it. His first thought was that they wouldn't be assuming anything at this point, but he quickly squashed that idea. He wouldn't allow himself to feel hopeful for anything until he knew exactly where these people were coming from. For all he knew, that was a test to see if he knew something he shouldn't. Deciding to answer simply to keep from saying something that would get him in more trouble, he played dumb. "I don't think so. What does it mean?"

Derek waited a few seconds before responding "If someone is accused of a crime, it means they are assumed innocent until it can be proven without a doubt that they are guilty of the crime."

John continued to keep a stone face, while on the inside he did start to feel some hope. Maybe I will catch a break after all…

After another few seconds, Derek continued "That does not apply here."

Of course it doesn't. That would be too easy for one John Connor, wouldn't it? John thought bitterly to himself.

"I don't know you, and neither does anyone else I have talked to, but you know me. You're too well-fed to be a tunnel rat, and you don't have any scars saying that you're a soldier." Derek's voice had taken on a dangerous tone at this point, his neutral expression morphing into one of hostile intent. "That leaves only one other option as far as I can see, with only one solution. Do you understand the position you are in right now John?"

This time, he elected not to play dumb. "Yes."

"Would you care to explain it?"

"You think I'm someone who works for Skynet, someone who sold out the human race for the soft life. A traitor to humanity. And unless I can convince you otherwise," John continued, indicating the dog with his head, "Fido over there and his pals are going to eat well tonight. Is that correct?"

"You missed one detail." John turned to his left and looked at the girl, whose face was as ice cold and deadly as her voice. "You won't have the mercy of being shot before the dogs tear you apart."

"Lovely." John said sarcastically, turning back to Derek with the same stone expression on his face, while on the inside he was getting sick. How will the great John Connor leave this life? Eaten alive by a bunch of ravenous mutts. Not quite what I had hoped for.

"Now you already know my name. How you know is something we're going to find out, along with why you thought I'd know you by name." Derek glared at John, who once again realized what a serious blunder calling Derek by name was. "If you do know the names of the other two people in this room, you obviously won't say them if you're smart, so I'll help you out just this one time. To your right is my younger brother Kyle. He's one of the most reasonable and compassionate people I've ever met, but he won't hesitate to put you down if you try to cross him or anyone he cares about. To your left is Allison. She, on the other hand…"

"I'm not so nice." Allison interrupted. "All women in this world need to be incredibly ruthless to survive the tunnels, let alone Skynet. Do you know how many times I've had to stop gangs of slimy worms from raping me this year alone?" Allison paused before continuing. "Six. Six times in the last year. And that's not counting the random grabs by creeps just passing in the halls. Of course, they didn't do any more grabbing, or anything else with those arms, for several months afterwards." Allison had a slightly sadistic smile when she finished.

At this point, Derek cut in. "So understand that while Kyle may be willing to cut you some slack, Allison won't. And none of us have any qualms about killing you if you can't convince us you aren't a Grey. Understand?"

"Yes."

"So, let's get started, shall we?"