Disclaimer: Not mine in the least.
Awake
"Bedell. There you are," he said without looking up from the blue prints he was leaning over intently. The two other soldiers standing around the table leaned over the paper as he drew quick lines and circles on it. "Willis, you'll go in here," circle, "and Boyd, you'll take your men through here," another circle. John straightened up abruptly and actually looked at the men in front of him. "You know what to do; get it done. Dismissed."
The soldiers left with their mission and Bedell approached John Connor cautiously. He was bent over the plans again, and even with just the small light from the old lamp sitting on the table he looked tired, older. Older than he should be. Older than he should look after only a few years of fighting. He looked exactly like a man with the weight of humanity pressing down on him with no hope of finding anyone to help shoulder the burden.
"Another run on Hanmire? Already?" Bedell looked over the plans and read John's frenzied notes. "How did you do this so soon?"
"I don't sleep," Connor said, again not looking up. Only this time the smallest trace of a smile played across his features and he inclined his head towards the corner of the small room for a moment.
"Much," said a voice from the corner. "He doesn't sleep much." Cameron stood up seeming to have materialized out of the darkness, and Bedell fought the urge to jump. She walked over to the table to stand next to John. Now Connor was smiling in earnest and letting his attention fall away from the blue prints that consumed him so fully just moments before.
"I don't sleep much," he conceded with the grin of someone not annoyed but endeared. They simply smiled at one another for a moment, and John suddenly looked years younger. More like the boy that told him "it all matters" than a man who led an army. Watching them, Bedell began to feel like he did so many times in their presence, like he'd intruded on a private moment, and no matter how many times he saw it, that machine smiling so adoringly at Connor gave him chills.
As if just sensing him there, Cameron's smile hardened quickly as she turned her attention to Bedell. Unblinking eyes stared at him, and Connor finally looked away from her to follow her gaze.
"Recon. I need you to get sights on that new facility to the northwest. Grab Reese and be outta here by dawn. Previtt will have your gear and Cameron has your route planned out."
"Understood," Bedell acknowledged with a nod.
"John, it's time."
"Time?" he asked her.
"You asked me to remind you when it is time. It's time."
Connor's eyes widened for a split second, and he bowed his head and whispered, "Time. Right." Bedell watched as he sighed roughly and raked his hand through his hair. For two long breaths John's weary eyes locked onto hers, the look on his face betraying just how much hope John Connor still had left.
Turning towards the door, Connor took a step before saying, "Bedell. Don't let Reese do anything stupid and get back here as fast as you can." He looked back at the metal and they nodded quickly to each other before John walked quietly out of the room.
Once alone with the machine, there was only a brief lull of awkwardness in which Cameron stared at the door before she handed Bedell a hand drawn map with the destination clearly labeled. "You know what to do."
"I'll get it done." Bedell turned to leave but turned back to face Cameron before a step was taken. "When he says he doesn't sleep much, how much are we talking?"
"Not enough for a human his age. Not enough for any human."
"He still has the nightmares?"
"Yes. Always." Bedell started to frown and looked up at her with a question in his mind he didn't want to think about much less ask her.
She stared at him searching his face for something and cocked her head to the side. "I don't sleep."
End.