Amateurs

"Listen, General I'm sorry, but-"

"No, don't be sorry! Think, for one fucking second! What the fuck are you doing?!"

Justin Perry didn't like to be accused of 'not thinking.' One didn't survive a Skynet-ruled, machine-dominated world by being stupid.

"Are you professional or not?!"

"Well Sir, I'm a captain in-"

"No! No!" Connor yelled. "Don't shut me up! Am I going to walk around and rip your fucking lights down?!"

Lights? He's worried about lights? Does he think we're so stupid that we're going to let HKs see where we hide out?

"Well?!"

"No Sir."

"Then why the fuck are you walking around in the middle of my scene?!"

Perry glanced helplessly at Reese, the one person who always seemed to be on Connor's good side. Reese looked back just as helplessly. He could understand Connor being frustrated, angry even – the man was the last hope and saviour of the human race (or the Resistance at least), he was bound to let that pressure get to him. But what he meant by "scene," he had no idea.

"What the fuck is it with you?!" Connor yelled. "What the fuck don't you understand?!"

"Sir, I understand-"

"Do you have any idea how distracting it is, to be walking around in the middle of a fucking scene?!"

There was the "scene" word again. And looking at the basement that served as a command post, one bereft of anything approaching theatre, Perry was left to wonder if Connor had lost it.

"Give me a fucking answer! What don't you get about it?!"

"I, was, um, looking at the lights," Perry said.

"Oh, good for you!" Connor yelled. "And how was that?!"

He's lost it.

Perry blinked – going on about lights, claiming he was looking at lights, being worried about lights when he should be worried about the next HK or infiltrator? He felt for a moment that he'd lost it as well. Because up until now, lightning was the last thing on his mind.

"I hope it was fucking good because it's useless now isn't it?!" Connor continued, turning his back to the TechCom soldiers. "For fuck's sake man you're an amateur."

"Sir," ventured Reese. "May I say-"

"Keep an eye on him," Connor said, not returning his gaze to the men. "If he fucks with the lights again…well, I'm trying to do a fucking scene here! Not asking 'why the hell is Perry walking in here?' Don't you understand that my mind is not in the scene when he's doing that?"

"Sir, I apologize," said Perry. "I…didn't think I was doing anything bad. I actually came to inform you that-"

"Just stay off the fucking set, for fuck's sake," Connor murmured. "Let's…go again."

"If I could just have a minute to say-"

"No let's not take another fucking minute, let's go again!" Connor yelled, returning his gaze to Perry. His eyes burning like a T-800's optics. "And let's not have you fucking walking in!"

"You…want him to walk out?" Reese asked.

"Unbelievable," Connor said, and Perry wasn't sure who he was talking to. "You're un-fucking believable. The number of times you're strolling the fuck around in the background."

Background. Perry took another look at the basement. Three brick walls, one wooden door, a lot of water on the floor, and a table that showed a map with marked Resistance and Skynet positions. It didn't really seem like this was a background thing.

"Ah, you don't fucking understand what it's like working with actors, that's what it fucking is."

Actors? "Sir, that's not what that is."

"No, that's what it is, man," Connor sneered. "And I'm telling you…not asking, I'm telling you…you wouldn't have done that otherwise."

"Um…that I wouldn't have come to tell you that we knocked out an HK factory? And salvaged more plasma guns than you could shake a fist at?"

Connor stared for a moment. The fires in his eyes simmered down. Slowly, Perry handed him a written report on the incident. Connor took it in his hands. For a moment, Perry dared to hope that the general had returned to his senses.

"You and me man, we're fucking done professionally." He sighed. "Fucking arse."

Perry sighed, saluted, and left the room, leaving Connor to his 'scene,' or whatever the heck he was doing. Reese followed. It was only when they reached the top of the stairs that they paused. To look at each other. To try and comprehend what had happened. To hear Connor shouting something about lights, camera, action.

"So…" Reese ventured. "Connor's lost it?"

"Yep. Lost it."

A/N

Why yes, this was based on Christian Bale's set rant during the filming of Salvation. How could you tell? ;)