Episode 101 – What We Make

Well, there he was, naked except for the coat that he had just learned belonged to his father. The predicament was becoming more and more difficult to cope with by the second. He knew only that he had to try to save Cameron.

At first, he thought this girl was Cameron. But why was she so human like? Cameron was definitely more human than most cyborgs, but still, this was... Different.

Kyle brought him out of his brain and into reality. "We'll get you some clothes. Keep that on for now."

John nodded and the soldiers turned around, ready to leave. Derek was still facing John. "Come with me if you want to live."

John had heard that line once before.

But from where?

He was experiencing too much time lag to waste precious processing power on probing his memories.

He was on autopilot for most of the walk through the tunnels until a familiar voice brought him to reality. "I'm Allison. Young, Allison Young."

He looked to his right and saw that all too familiar face. It was gut wrenching, to see her but not her here. But it didn't make any sense, none of this did, not the future. What he was doing here was what made no sense.

He kept asking himself why he was stupid enough to jump into the future just to get Cameron's chip back. Her body was useless now, so what purpose would having the chip serve? What would they out it in?

Other than the fact that it was her.

But why did he care?

Because she saves his life. He said that to his mom, to Sarah once, to convince her that they should keep her around.

He needed her.

That was why he cared.

"Then don't talk. I will."

John chuckled but avoided looking at her. "Oh, I'm sorry. You just look like someone I know. Actually, exactly like her."

"Well, I don't have a twin, so that's weird."

"Yeah, I guess so." Suddenly, she started giggling. "What? What?"

She pointed down near the bottom of the coat, and he looked. He had forgotten to keep it closed and it was now hanging wide open.

"Your coat." She gasped out between giggles.

"Oh, God... Doesn't this thing have a damn zipper on it?" He quickly moved to keep it closed again and she stopped laughing. "Probably more than you wanted to see, huh?"

"It's okay." They continued walking the length of the tunnel until they came to a hatch. She raised her wrist to show John a rather bland chrome colored wrist accessory. It was nondescript, and was only a plain metal rod bent to the proper shape, with both ends terminating in metal spheres that had a gap of several centimeters separating them. "You have to be wearing one of these bracelets."

"But I don't have one."

"It's okay. It's oftentimes pretty obvious who's metal and who isn't."

They let John through easily enough and handed him a set of military BDUs, which he donned in private within a rack room. They'd told him to where to find food, and while he was hungry, he didn't go to the mess hall. Instead, he collapsed on the bed and fell asleep pretty quickly. The day leading up to the time jump had been long and hard, and his fatigue allowed him to fall asleep pretty quickly.

He dreamed, and it was extremely vivid. He'd remarked to his mother after the jump to 2007 that he also experienced vivid dreams for several days afterward, and they were more akin to playing back a recording of his memories. She also reported the same to him, and they deduced that this must be another symptom of 'time-lag'.

He could have sworn he heard his mom tell him she loved him before he woke up.

"Morning." The second he'd opened his eyes, he saw Allison on the foot of his bed.

"You don't know this yet, but I really hate it when people do that."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"No, don't apologize. You didn't know." She was so much like Cameron, so it was hard to keep what came next from happening. Her hand was on his sheet and, tentatively, he reached his own out to take hold of it.

She was visibly shocked but didn't withdraw. She only smiled at him, and used his hand to pull him out of bed. "Breakfast."

No, she was much too perky to be Cameron. It obviously wasn't her.

But still, there was something there that was so familiar beyond the looks and voice, and it made him long for her even more by the second.

But why did he want her there?

The meal of choice was oatmeal, and it wasn't sweetened. Sugar was a rare commodity these days, Allison had said. Still, John gulped his entire serving down at the small table he was sharing with Allison.

"So, like, does everyone have a job here? I mean, do you do something to help out?"

"You're funny, John."

"What?" He smiled with her, in that confused smile that he expected Cameron to recognize. But this wasn't Cameron. Why did he have to keep reminding himself of that?

"You talk like you've been asleep for fifteen years or something." So he was bearing down on the date. He quickly added it up, and assuming that J-Day was still in 2011, it was 2026.

"So, what's your story?"

He'd begun to talk, but was interrupted when he saw him. "You!"

Instantly, John was confronting him, John Henry. He didn't even care as the chair and tray cluttered to the ground and people turned to stare.

"Hello." He smiled that creepy smile that he always had. It was unmistakable now.

"Give her back."

John Henry looked around at the people and then back at John. "Follow me, please."

He was infuriated, he didn't care if he couldn't win a fight against this metal. He wanted to deck him, lay him out, with no concern for the bones in his fist that he would obviously break.

But John Henry simply walked off, towards the male's barracks. John slammed the door behind him and was glaring at the machine. There was no one around, no one asleep. They were totally alone and John could be dead in a heart beat with no one knowing.

But he didn't care.

All he needed to do was get her back.

"You've got her. You've got her, give her back!"

"Will you listen?"

"Fine! Why did you take her?"

"It's complicated."

"Well, un-complicate it!"

He began to process John's words before continuing. "I had to come to the future, in a body. My mission is to be an ally for you. It didn't work out as planned because you weren't here. No one knew you."

"And you had to take her? Why her?"

"She's still in here. She thinks of you, you know."

"What?"

"She's telling me this was something future you told her she had to do. It was important."

"But everything's different."

"Yes."

John sat down on a bunk and looked up at Cromartie's, no, John Henry's towering figure. "Weaver came through, too."

"Miss Weaver's here?"

"Yeah, and she's one of those things. Why didn't she kill me? Why didn't you kill me?"

"I told you. Her job is no different." The door suddenly opened, and in walked a man dressed in BDUs similar to John's, but with ranking devices indicated a Corporal. Because he had the same chip, John Henry's HUD was the same as Cameron's, and a targeting cross-hair formed which scanned the face of the person now entering the room. Even though this man was very different from her, his analysis still caused the display to read "IDENTITY: CATHERINE WEAVER."

But John didn't have the same pleasure of knowing until he watched the man turn silver, change shape, and then take color and definition. The red hair and demeanor were unmistakable even though John hadn't seen her for hours.

"Hello, John Connor."

"There's still one thing I don't get."

John Henry smirked and looked back to John. "What is that?"

"Why are you two against Skynet? I thought T-1000s couldn't be reprogrammed."

Obviously, John Henry didn't know the answer, but Catherine did, and she supplied it. "I wasn't built by Skynet. I was built by John Henry."

John was preparing a reply, but there was a knock on the door and Catherine quickly morphed back into the man. John yelled, "Open." and the door swung to let the guest in.

It was Allison, and she walked in to sit down beside John.

Suddenly, John Henry looked puzzled, and Catherine noticed.

"John Henry, what's wrong?"

He looked over at their new guest and put on his usual smirk. "Just a little voice inside my head. The voice doesn't like the close proximity of this girl and John..."

"Enough." John stood up, walked over to the door, forced it open, and slammed it closed as he went out. He was seething, and he nearly ran into Kyle without looking, but the latter stopped him.

"Whoa, soldier, hold on."

John looked up from the ground and at Kyle's face, which calmed him down. The angry, blushed look disappeared. His skin drained of blood and his expression relaxed. "Hello."

It was strange for him, he couldn't call him dad but Kyle seemed too disrespectful.

"My coat?"

"Oh. It's on my bunk."

"Come on." Kyle smiled, sighed, and placed his hand on John's back to lead him off to the room.

When they entered, they saw that Weaver, John Henry, and Allison were all still there. Without looking at anyone but Kyle, John picked up the jacket and handed it to him before they left the room.

"John Connor's your name? I like it. Connor. Sounds strong."

"Yeah. I guess, sir."

"Sir? Whoa, kid. Don't get all formal on me, now. So, what's your story?"

"You wouldn't believe me."

"Look, kid, I can handle a lot. I may not know tech stuff, but I'm not stupid. You know why? Because I know people. I know stories. Yours can't be any harder than what I've heard before."

"You believe in time travel?"

"Yeah. Tin cans use it sometimes. Don't know why, though."

"What about reprogramming Metal?"

"Sure. We've tried it once or twice. Afraid to tinker too much, though." They had now reached the eating chamber and were taking one of the small, two person tables.

"Okay, well, then..." He then proceeded to give him his entire story from the point where he and Sarah entered hiding after destroying the T-1000 until traveling forward in time. He omitted the parts about who or what exactly took Cameron's chip, but other than that it was accurate.

He even told him that, had he not jumped forward, he would have risen to be the Resistance leader, and under his command, Skynet would have been crushed three years from now, at the most.

"Wait, your mom, and me? In 1984?" John just nodded. "You know, when I saw you, and that look in your eyes, it was like looking in a mirror. I believe you, kid. Son." A tear ran down John's cheek which Kyle reached out to wipe away.

"I don't know. I haven't been around, I haven't sent you back."

"Yet." He smiled.

"You mean you're not afraid to go?"

He shook his head. "No."

John nodded and they both stood up at the same time. After a brief hesitation, they hugged tightly, Kyle patting John's back, and then separated.

"Your friend, Allison. She looks like your girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend?"

"John. I told you, I know people. You came through time for her. You love her."

"And if that's true, you're fine with it?"

"Is it true?"

"I don't know."

"Well, it doesn't matter if I'm fine with it or not. Who am I to forbid you from love?"

"My dad?"

Kyle shook his head. "Well, I'm the cool parent, then."

"Mom..."

"You really miss her, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I promise I'll get you back to her."

John smiled and they walked back to the barracks to get Allison who had been left alone there with Weaver and John Henry.

The next day, John sat at a table across from Kyle, stripping and cleaning an M4A1 rifle, methodically cleaning and oiling every piece that needed it. Eventually, he had pieced it back together and was in the process of removing the handle to install an Aimpoint CompM4 sight, as he had technically enlisted when he donned the BDUs. This was part of his training, and Kyle was timing him with a stopwatch. John carefully sat the rifle on the table, and assumed a posture of attention as he simply uttered, "Done."

"You sure?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well, Marine, to the Rifle Range. On me. Your time is ten minutes, which isn't too bad." They were walking and talking, with Kyle more lax than he should be, but this was because John had told him about the training he'd received from Sarah, and the drills over the past 12 years. Thus, this was more of a review of what he'd learned rather than starting basic training from scratch.

"I thought Tech-Com was just an Army. How did the Marines become a part of it?"

"Well, the United States had only two Marine Corps training camps prior to the war. One was near us, in San Diego. The only other camp was at Parris Island, South Carolina. Both areas were attacked by conventional explosives deployed by armed Predator drones controlled by Skynet, its first terminators, effectively. Both places were too remote to waste nukes on."

"And, some Marines survived, and somehow got a military infrastructure set up?"

"Yeah. Tech-Com has all the same branches as the original US military except the Coast Guard. The Navy is the only sea force we use."

They entered the range, which was converted from a long hallway that terminated at a distant wall, which was covered in armored plates used as backstops. There were three targets, and after he got set up with earmuffs and everything, John took up position at the center target, which was covered in shoot and see stickers. John flipped the switch from safe to semi auto and took aim, squeezing the trigger after he'd gotten lined up.

The first shot rang out, loud as the sound waves bounced against the unyielding brick and mortar walls. John smiled, happy for proof that he'd gotten it right, and then emptied the entire magazine, his accuracy almost machine-like.

Kyle looked upon his son, proudly, as he'd known since he watched him at the table that the weapon was going to operate perfectly.

He was now in a makeshift office in another part of the basement with Kyle, receiving his Military Occupational Specialty assignment. He was assigned basic Infantry, and the rank of Private First Class. Kyle had told him it was the best way to going about getting him back to his own time, because they could storm a Skynet Temporal Displacement Equipment compound, and somehow find a way to send John back.

He was then fitted for body armor, which was made out of the cannibalized chest plate of a T-800, John was told. It was heavy, but had plenty of padding and he knew it would protect him better from standard prewar military vests. For good measure, it was inserted into a cloth sheath which was stuffed with Kevlar.

He got it fitted, along with a helmet which was made in a similar way, and was allowed to continue using the M4A1 he assembled and tested earlier.

Eventually, all of the registration was completed and he went back to his bunk, not surprised to see Allison there. He smiled and pulled her over to him, locking lips and removing her shirt.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the hatch and John had her quickly replace her shirt as he went over to the door to answer it. He opened the door and saw that it was John Henry and he let him in. "What?"

John Henry stared at her. "What is she doing here?"

"Why do you care?"

"I don't. You know who does."

"Why?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why?"

"Come with me."

"How do I know you're not gonna snap my neck out there in the hallway?"

"I won't. Come on."

John followed him as he said and they walked down to the end of the hallway. "Why are we all the way down here?"

"Out of earshot."

"We were out of earshot in the doorway."

"No, we weren't."

"What... What do you mean?"

"She's metal."

"What?"

"She's a T-888, just like Cameron. She doesn't know it because she's in deep infiltration mode. It happened to Cameron once, a glitch. Remember, the halfway house? She called herself Allison and didn't recognize you? Skynet based her on a real person, Allison Young. TOK-715 is the skin model, it stands for Template of Kill. In her time line, you were close to her, and then she was replaced by Cameron who was originally designed to terminate you."

"... Okay, so what? Why did Skynet replace Allison in this time line?"

"Allison was presumably a high ranking Resistance officer in both time lines."

"So, why's she here now? She's still Skynet?"

"Obviously. There's no real reason to be running in this mode other than that."

"So what do we do? What do I do?"

"Stop having sex with her, for one thing."

"You know about that?"

"Cameron does, so I do as well. She says she's not stupid."

"No, of course she's not." John turned around and prepared to head back until he forgot that he had something to say. "You need to think of a plan. We need one to get use back to our time."

"I'll formulate one."