Legacy
The lights were dimmed in the large frigid living quarters that housed the commanding officer of the 132nd. The living space contained everything needed in an office. A dented metal Desk cluttered with reports and troop movements to the rooms west wall. A large map of the greater Southern California area hung to the north wall with thumb tacks pined into the ancient paper. To the far end sat a large blow up mattress with the figure of a beautiful brunet girl wrapped in a soft quilt.
On the far wall stood a glass encased manikin. The manikin dawned a torn black overcoat with Officers stripes on the sleeve and stars on the collar that covered a Bloodstained Gray tank top. It also wore dirty Black fatigues, and a pair of worn brown Motorcycle boots. A scraped and dented Remington shotgun hung from the manikin's shoulder.
A shirtless John Connor stood inches from the case. His scared face reflected in the glass as he stared idle into the nonexistent face of the dummy as if looking for answers.
***
Manhattan
2015
The rain turned into steam as it fell on the ruined city streets of Waverly Place.
The smell of burned flesh and rubber mixed together to form a sickening combination that was almost toxic to the regular human nose.
The sound of rubble being moved broke the unearthly Calm as the worn out and beaten figure of Corporal John Connor climbed and weaved through the mess of fallen buildings, lifeless bodies and spent Endoskeletons of T-600s . The young Soldier was near crippling fatigue as he desperately searching for something or someone through the silent battlefield.
"Where are you? Please don't do this to me!" He muttered panicked as he went from body to body searching the dead.
After several minutes of looking he reached the end of a hill of ruins. He slowly lowered himself down the hill trying not to make to much noise as he used the rebar as handles. He sighed heavily as he reached the bottom to the cracked concrete bellow.
What happened next would haunt him for the rest of his life.
As if in slow motion John noticed a lone body laying face down in a growing puddle of ashy water in the open street.
John felt his stomach drop out from beneath him. He hadn't seen the face, but something told him he knew who it was. Slowly John walked toward the fallen body. The sound of a shotgun dropping into a puddle could be heard throughout the broken Manhattan Neighborhood.
"Please God, No!" John let out a half sob half gasp quietly as he exhaustedly dropped to his knees into the puddle next to the body. He slowly turned it over on its back. Revealing the half mud covered face of Colonel Sarah Connor.
She had streaks of white in her wet raven hair to which he pushed out of her face to expose A large diagonal scar stretched across her other wise agelessly beautiful face. John did his best to clean the mud off her face.
"Mom, mom!" John called as he sat down in the puddle lifting her body into a cradled position. John shook her but the only answer received was Emerald eyes stare up at him devoid of life.
"Common on, we're going home." John said with a sniffle and sobs breaking his voice as he lifted her slightly and carried her out of the puddle. They only made it several feet before John collapsed of exestuation and sadness. John immediately sat up and collected Sarah's body holding her close for several moments with the revelation that she was gone finally hitting him.
"Why'd you have to leave me?" John said finally resting his face underneath her chin as he cradled her. "You were my mom, my Dad, my teacher, my mentor, my…Best Friend" John's tears were hidden by the thick rain drops that plastered the pavement.
"You were my…Everything." John said quietly slightly rocking back and forth. The glow of a flickering traffic light brought to life by a power surge bathed the two in a red light.
Suddenly a weak voice cut threw the sad scene.
"On your feet soldier!"
John looked up from Sarah's neck to see a weak flicker in her eyes.
"Mom!" John was half shocked half relived to see her alive. "Mom, its okay I'll get you to…" John started but was cut off by her hand grabbing his jacket collar.
"Take what you need off me and keep moving!" Sarah ordered slightly shaking him. John starred at her in disbelief.
"What! No, no I'm not leaving you" John protested
"John Connor, You strip me of my gear and you get out there and fight! That's an order God damn it!!" Sarah slightly choked on her last words shaking John slightly. John watched as the light started to fade in her eyes again.
"Mom, I'm …I'm sorry If I've ever…" John started but Sarah's hand cupped his cheek.
"You have nothing…to feel sorry for…you…It's your responsibility now." Sarah struggled with her words as she felt her self slipping. John nodded and took her hand in his. It was at this moment that Sarah Connor passed the mantle of Hero of humanity to John.
"I love you" John said silently holding her close.
"I lo…always" was Sarah Connor's dying words before she returned to her limp form in her only child's arms.
John sat there for a while just holding her before he carried out her final wishes.
***
"She doesn't say much?" a soothing female voice called to John from the mattress breaking John from his flashback
"Rarely, but when she does I listen." John breathed a small laugh turning to the brown eyed beauty propping herself up with her elbow as she lay on her side. John turned back to the manikin staring at his refection in the glass. The room was quite for a moment.
"It doesn't feel like I'm doing her justice Cam" John hung his head in shame placing a gentle hand to the glass. "My whole life … I was raised to be this hero." John stated once again looking at his reflection.
Cameron got up from her position on the mattress and walked behind him covered by the quilt.
"I can never be her Cam; I can never live up to that. No matter how many times I've tried, or tried to think like her. I feel like I'm nothing more then a cheap imitation of the real thing. " John said quietly turning his gaze to the blood stain on the Gray tank top. John felt warm arms wrap around his waist and a chin on his shoulder.
"I knew Sarah Connor for eight years, and I've known you longer. You're her son not her clone." Cameron spoke gently in his ear. "She wouldn't want to you to be her, and neither would anyone else you earned this spot on your own." There was a comfortable silence as both starred at the case.
"She would be proud of you, and what you have done." Cameron stated leaving John to go get dressed for the day leaving John alone again with the memorial.
"I know, I know" John said sadly placing his hand one more time on the glass where the heart was on the manikin which in the reflection was where his heart was.
Foot notes
So the glass cased manikin with the uniform in it was an idea I got from the Batman Comics (If you're a fan then you know).
I always thought it was a bit weak for Sarah to be killed by cancer.
I fell in love with the idea that John considers himself to be a replacement to Sarah who in his opinion is the real savior.
Yeah Jameron … I can't help myself. Though you have to give me credit it was not the main focus :)