AJ-JC's Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles FanFic.
Title: The Journey of John Connor.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything Terminator.
Summary: Continue when Born To Run finished, what will have to confront John Connor?
Authors Note: Ok, first chapter of my first fanfic.
Thanks to Rivers2027 for let me use some fragments of her work (the Born To Run fragments). I edited it a little to fit with my story but the big part is hers.
Thanks to Delusive for beta read this chapter.
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Chapter 1: Who are you?
John was sitting on the floor with his back planted against the wall of a room no more than four square meters, illuminated only by a single dull lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. Lost in thoughts of what had occurred only hours before.
"Stand down man" The new voice ordered. As the figure stepped past the guard who had appeared to be of Asian descent, John's eyes widened in shock.
Derek, Derek Reese.
John felt the corner of his mouth twitch up into a smile. Derek was alive! Derek was here, now! Finally, things seemed to be looking up.
Derek stepped forward, staring at John, eyes squinting hard as if studying him. Finally Derek grinned and looked back at his companion. "Look at his eyes. He's got about as much metal in him as you do. "
"Derek ..." John breathed, his tired smile widening.
To his surprise, Derek Merely stared back, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah?"
He doesn't recognize me...
"John," He finally provided. Derek's eyes showed no recognition and slowly John's joy began to fade. "J-John Connor?"
Derek shook his head. "I know a lot of people, kid. Don't know you. " John could feel his face crumbling as Derek turned to his companion." Anybody heard the name John Connor? "
The soldier serving as John's guard shook his head, the reaction to his surprise made John's eyes betray his utter disbelief. Never heard of John Connor...
Something clicked in his mind and he suddenly felt sick. He'd time-jumped. He'd skipped Judgment Day. John Connor did not exist to these people. John Connor had disappeared the day he went to see Weaver. John Connor was not there on Judgment Day to lead the humans.
John Connor was not their savior.
John glanced down at the floor, trying to contain his shock. It's like I don't even exist...
Derek turned back to him. "You know what? I think you're gonna be famous."
John forced a smile to become present. 'I was famous.' The young man mused. 'I was John Connor.'
Pride shone in Derek's eyes and a smile lit his face. "My brother's back and you're wearing his coat." He looked over John's shoulder.
John turned his head, letting his breath out slowly as Kyle Reese entered. His father... John found himself choking, nearly struggling to breathe. Kyle stopped when he spotted John and for a moment John was almost sure Kyle knew who he was. Or maybe he was just curious as to who the new recruit was and why they looked so much alike.
But John couldn't't care less. He was looking at his father for the first time, the hero, the soldier from the future who would save the life of his mother. He did not even care that he was staring, drinking in the sight of the father he never knew.
Then something caught his eye, someone else coming in behind Kyle, her eyes cast downward, but a happy smile on her face.
His heart nearly stopped.
Cameron. Oh Christ, Cameron.
She had not looked up yet, crouching down next to the German Shepherd dog that was sitting at Kyle's side, a radiant smile on her face. He almost whispered her name, almost ran to her side, ready to tell her how sorry he was, how much he loved her. But something stopped him.
There was something different about her. The way she was petting the dog barking that was not a warning, the bouncing, graceful way she moved, the way she flipped her hair back out of her face. Cameron did not do that.
This was not his Cameron. This was not the Cameron who had professed love for him, the Cameron who had come into his room late at night, and lay down beside him. The Cameron who had been jealous of Riley, the Cameron he was frantic to save, frantic enough to time travel to this devastating future to get her back, the Cameron he loved desperately.
His smile slowly faded as the realization set in. And his heart broke all over again.
This was not his Cameron.
This was not Cameron at all.
He could see it in her eyes. She had Cameron's beautiful brown eyes, but there was something different in them. Life. Her eyes danced, the only ray of light in the dark future he'd landed in. This girl was not Cameron. She was human.
My name's Allison. From Palmdale.
Could this be Cameron who had been talking about? The human girl on who was based her model? Allison from Palmdale.
She looked up to see him staring and her joyful smile slowly faded into confusion, curiosity even. But no matter how hard he tried, he could not look away, could not stop taking in the sight of her.
John glanced back at Derek, at Kyle. He had received no recognition anywhere. At first, he'd felt as if he'd died and gone to heaven, being reunited with all his dead loved ones - Derek, Kyle, Cameron. He swallowed the lump in his throat. But the longer he stayed the more he realized that this was not his family. These were not the people he knew and loved. His Cameron, his Derek were still dead.
This was not the heaven he hoped for, A family together once again. No, this was the hell he dreaded most of all.
He was among strangers.
Strangers who looked and sounded like and were the people he loved. John could feel the tears forming and his vision began to blur. He did not belong here. He did not belong anywhere. More than anything, he desperately wished For the real Cameron, the Cameron who remembered him, who said that loved him. The sobs started slowly and have sunk to the floor, covering his face with his hands.
I did not expect anyone to comfort him. They would not understand. They were now soldiers, battle-hardened by the war. They'd grieved the loss of their loved ones on Judgment Day.
But John Connor had just lost all of his today.
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The sound of the door opening call him out of his thoughts, looking up at the door he saw Derek and Kyle, standing in front of him with mutual indeterminable eyes.
Having his uncle, who he had seen dead on the floor to just a few days, and on top of that his father in front of him, without knowing who John was to him was very painful for him.
In his mind only one thought crossed, he wish to jump and embrace both of them and tell the whole truth to them. But that could not be wise, they would think he was mad or worse a gray.
'And I needed go out of that cell to find and rescue Cameron' he thought.
"Well boy, who are you and what was you doing in our base?" Derek asked with his maintained serious expression and mutually hard tone. John kept his gaze to the ground without knowing what to say In return. All of this, everything that had happened in a few short days had been too much for him.
Cam why you left me? Mom why you did not come with me?
Then he could not do anything, tears started falling down her cheeks. His breakdown unnoticed as he heard Derek repeat the question once again, this time with even more commanding voice. One that clearly stated he had no more room to stall.
"Who are ..."
Just at that moment Kyle interrupted whispering in to his brothers ear."Derek look at him, he's mentally and physically exhausted, you're not going to get much outta him in this state.."
Derek turned his glare up to his younger brother.
"And what are we supposed to do?, Give him a pat on the back and leave him alone?" Derek snapped with a look of: what's the matter with you?
"No man," Kyle said with a sympathetic glance to John. "I'm just saying that we give him some time to rest and recover from whatever it was that did this. Then maybe get something from it." he concluded, taking a step in front of Derek, his eyes telling the older man to back off.
Derek stared at Kyle before finally, he nodded curtly and turned his attention to the boy laying on the ground and added, "We'll leave for today, but tomorrow you best give us answers.. for your sake kid."
John looked up surprised by this and only was capable of say thanks while Derek and Kyle exited out the cell.
Nothing more to close the door John was lying on his right side trying to sleep.
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Reese's brothers were walking down the remnants of a dark hallway when Derek latched his hand on his brother's arm, tugging him back towards him.
"Sorry, but I gotta ask what in the hell happen to you Kyle?" Derek asked in an anything but nice voice. Kyle shrugged and pried the grip off his arm.
"The poor kid was torn up Derek, you also has realized it" Kyle said with a much softer tone than his brother.
Derek hesitated admitting anything at first but finally he nodded.
"Whatever happened to him, has been very hard for him. I think we can at least give him some rest," Kyle continued with a look of empathy. Derek bowed his head and rubbed the base of his
"Yeah…yeah you're right," Derek finally said slowly. "We still can show compassion, not like machines." He finished his voice slightly prideful of the fact that clearly defined the difference between them from the machines.
"He's Okay? He said something to you?" Allison piped, who had just left a nearby room, reflecting a tone, not of concern but curiosity.
"We do not know why, but seems sunk, let's give him some time to rest." Derek answered quickly, earning a nod from Allison.
"Ali can you take care of him please?. Bring some food and some clothing, it would not be nice if we leave him half naked," Kyle requested as soon his brother had finished.
"Of course, I'll get to it right now" Contest Allison with the firmness of a soldier following orders.
"Thank you" Kyle said gently.
Allison walked to where the two men were coming, while Kyle and Derek continued their journey down to the other end of the building, off to make sure the parameter was secure.
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John stood in front of Catherine Weaver, the Terminator version of the woman, trying not to appear nervous. Without Cameron's warning, he might never have known she was metal. She'd fooled everyone, Ellison, Savannah, even his mother at the moment.
"So, why are we here?" Weaver asked.
Sarah spoke up. "We need -"
"Let me restate," Weaver interrupted. "We are here first and foremost so that I can thank you for you regarding my daughter Savannah heroism. She's the light of my life and I'd be lost without her. "
John resisted the urge to curl his lip. 'She is not your daughter. You're a machine.'
"Where is she?" Sarah demanded to know.
"At school," Weaver replied calmly before getting straight to the point. True Terminator fashion, John thought. "We have a common enemy. One we can not fight with conventional weapons or by conventional means. "
"Kaliba?" Sarah questioned. "Don't presume to know Kaliba."
Weaver's eyes glare at her, though she put on a small smile. "I'm sorry. I was not speaking to you. "She shifted her eyes back to John. "I was speaking to you. About Skynet. "
He saw his mother look over, no doubt expecting some kind of surprised reaction, but he did not flinch. He'd known this was coming. Cameron had been right.
Weaver wasn't here on Skynet's behalf. Weaver had a different mission.
"Savannah's told you about John Henry I presumed," Weaver said edgily, maintaining her impassive look at the Connor's. "Which is why your cyborg is skulking around my basement."
Before he could defend Cameron's current actions, Ellison let out surprised curse and John jerked his head up to see something flying towards the window. His eyes widened.
It was the hovercraft from the pond, the one Derek had called it an HK.
Weaver turned back around, face blank. "Get down."
Sarah yanked him down to the floor, shielding him, and John Heard the window shatter, the explosion. His eyes trailed up to see Weaver, her body forming a liquid metal shield between him and the fire. He could feel the searing heat above and beside him, but Weaver's body was blocking the rest of the flames from reaching them.
"Run," Weaver ordered.
John did not waste any time. Sarah dragged him to his feet and they ran for the staircase, dodging the small explosions in the hallway. Weaver was not far behind them.
"The basement," she stated. "Mr. Ellison. John Henry. "
"We need to get out," Sarah insists. "They're trying to kill my son."
"No, they're trying to kill my son," Weaver replied calmly. "Just like you are."
"I'm sure she's already done it," Sarah shot back.
"You better hope not," Weaver replied in a cold monotone. "Your John may save the world, but I can not do it without mine."
She continued down the stairs and John exchanged a confused look with his mother before following. As they reached the end, John saw the unconscious security guard and his quickened pace, feeling a sense of urgency. What if Cameron was not able to kill John Henry? What if she had been too badly damaged in the breakout?
He charged forward, ahead of his mother, ahead of Weaver. As he burst through the door first, he halted suddenly, his eyes widening in shock and fear.
Cameron sat in the chair, completely still, her eyes dead and unfocused. His mind was screaming. Nononono!
He rushed to her side, pulling back her hair and skin to see the port where her chip was. Where it usually was.
"Her chip, it's gone." NO! This can not be happening, he fought against the emotions that threatened to overwhelm him. His eyes desperately searched the table, spotting Cameron's bloodied knife.
"Where is he?" He shouted. "The-th-th-John Henry!" I stuttered. "He took her chip! Where did he go? "He was aware he was shouting, his voice edged with fear. I'll kill him! I'll kill him!
Weaver slowly approaches, glancing at the knife, at Cameron's unmoving body. "He did not take the chip. She gave it to him. "
Wha -
"John," Sarah said softly, nodding to something behind him.
He turned, not knowing what to expect. What he saw was a computer screen that kept flashing words, Cameron's words:
I'M SORRY JOHN.
I'M SORRY JOHN.
I'M SORRY JOHN.
I'M SORRY JOHN.
John could feel the tears coming. Why, Cameron? Why did you do that? "His whole world was suddenly crashing down. I never got to say goodbye to her, never got to tell her how I felt, never got to kiss her ...
"Where is he?"
"Not where," Weaver replied. "When."
John saw Ellison frown from the doorway. "What? What do you mean when? "
Time machine ... John realized with shock.
"I know that," Sarah said, her eyes locked on a piece in the central computer hub. "I've seen it before."
John Turner around, his eyes widening. "Is that the Turk? That's Andy Goode's Turk! "
"Three dots," Sarah whispered. John looked back. Sure enough, there were three red dots on the machine. Weaver was a computer programming into something that looked similar to the one Cameron had used in the bank vault ... time to jump.
We're going to find John Henry. We're going to save Cameron. He was vaguely aware of his mother going off on Weaver.
"You're building Skynet!" Sarah accused, her voice hard with rage.
"No I was building something to fight it," Weaver replied.
Will you join us?
John squeezed his eyes shut before glancing once more at Cameron's lifeless body. He hated seeing her like this. He turned to the screen again, saw the words: I'M SORRY JOHN.
He could almost hear her voice saying those words, in the same pleading tone she'd used when she'd been begging for her life, apologizing for trying to kill him.
"Coming, James?" Weaver asked.
Ellison furrow his brow. "Coming?"
"After John Henry," Weaver replied with a smile. "Our boy."
Ellison shook his head slowly, backing away. "He's not my boy. And you ... you're ... "
"Do you mind picking up Savannah then?" Weaver interrupted, her voice still pleasant. "Gymnastics ends at five-thirty."
John jumped, startled, as the first of the electrical surges began. His eyes flashed from the computer which started ticking down from twenty seconds to his mother, who started shaking her head slowly back and forth.
"John, we can't," she protests, backing up a step.
No! We have to! We have to save her, he heard his voice break. "He's got her chip."
Sarah continued backing away and John could feel the tears welling in his eyes. His throat constricted and he found it nearly impossible to breathe.
"He's got her," he tearfully choked.
The bubble began to form around them and Sarah stepped back, out of the circle. "Mom," John pleaded. Her image began to blur as the blue bubble thickened.
"I'll stop it," she promised.
He felt a deep sense of loss as his mom backed away from view. Right before the jump, his eyes Darted from Cameron's limp body to the screen where her words had been repeating.
I'M SORRY JOHN.
I'M SORRY JOHN.
His breath caught in his throat and he turned to stare down at Cameron's body, eyes watering.
And then he saw nothing, only darkness.
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"Cam!" John suddenly awakes, agitated, rapidly breathing and sweating.
The memories of what happened in ZeiraCorp had returned to his mind as he slept, causing a nightmare. The worst of his life, because this was real.
When he got a little reassurance that this was reality, he noticed that in one corner stood a pile of clothes, and next a tray of what looked like some kind of food and a jug of what he could guess was water.
The clothing was a little small, but now the only thing that mattered was that at least he would not be naked.
When he finished putting on clothes, began to eat and drink.
He did not know how long since he had eaten the last time, it must have had been that night at the motel Cameron had must to force him to eat.
'Cameron...' on that moment his mind was full of thoughts about her:
When they met, when he discovered the truth about her, the first time he pulled her chip, the day of his birthday, the night before going to Mexico, the morning at the Motel before going to free his mother, the image of her sitting helplessly deactivated on that chair ...
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Suddenly a noise broke his thoughts, the door began to open when he realized that his whole face was wet with tears quickly cleaned and dried his face and eyes before Derek and Kyle enter the room.
"Well, I see that you've woken up." Kyle speak with a friendly smile for his son.
"Now we will ask you some questions, and for godsake kid I hope to get answers, truthful answers," said Derek more aggressive tone, no smile for his nephew.
'Want the truth?' John thought 'I am the leader of the resistance against the machines, but I jumped ahead 20 years to get back my protector Terminator, with who I'm in love. Now here's the Ironic part... It just so happens that I'm the leader of the resistance against the machines and I'm hopelessly devoted to one of them…in love with a machine... Why am I in charge? Because ...
"My name is John," John finally, answered, the thought of professing love for a machine hurting him a little. "John Connor. Not kid alright?"
"Well, John Connor, what were you doing in our base?" Derek ask sarcastically saying the name.
"I did not know about a base here. I was just looking for a safe place to rest for the night," replied John, striving to conceal that he was lying.
"You wanted to spend the night? Where do you live?"
'I don't live anywhere, always running, always running away.'
"In the tunnels under the city" Answer John, at the time thinking in the Derek he met.
Thanks Derek, you just have let me deceiv yourself. Thought John with a small smile no one saw..
"You live alone?" No family, no friends? "
No, all dead because of me. Everyone dies for John Connor. John thought before answering.
"I'm alone" said John with a great sadness.
"And what were you doing naked?" Derek this question seemed to amuse him, then a small smile on his face.
"A terminator found where I slept, so I had to flee through an old sewer diving. When surfaced my clothes were soaked, so I had come out to avoid falling ill. Then I found the jacket and put it on. And then you found me" Replied John, without seeming desperate to talk fast.
"The terminator didn't followed you?" Kyle speak for the first time, all the time had remained silent listening.
"They can't swim, let alone dive. Their endoskeleton is far too dense for that, they just sink," said John automatically without thinking.
"How do you know that?" Kyle responded with a suspicious tone.
'Oh shit, you loudmouth..' John berated himself as he quickly looked for a cover up
"Ahh... Well, would not have survived if I had not learned much about them," John with a smug smile on his face being used to cover up his fear from revealing too much.
At that moment there was a knock on the door, distracting the Reese's from further query. John turned away his eyes from the two men face to see the door to what he thought it should be an illusion.
Cam! He takes several seconds to remember the girl who he seen the night he came to this hell. ... It's not her
John recalled the day that Cameron forget that and who was, she said her name was Allison Young.
So she is Allison Young, oh god so identical to that of Cameron. But not her. As much as it was identical in appearance, John knew that she isn't Cam. Allison noticed the change in John when she entered the room, but not mentioned anything. She approached Kyle and whispered something.
As soon finished talking with Kyle, Allison left the room, with an inspecting eye on John. Then Kyle turned to his brother and whisper something, and in just a few seconds Derek spoke to John
"We have finished for now, we´ll continue later" Both brothers quickly leaving the room, closing the door behind him.
Derek and Kyle walked quickly down the corridors of the bunker, to meet Allison and another soldier.
"That happens to be so urgent?" Derek demanded from the subordinate, not even bothering to say hello.
"Sir, surveillance patrol encountered a group of five machines half a mile east of the main entrance." said the soldier.
"It looks like a scouting party. Order all guards and patrols to return to the base and hide the entry" Kyle quickly commanded.
"Yes sir" Quickly the soldier preparing to leave, with his gun on his shoulder.
"Jason" Called Kyle. The soldier turning on hearing his name.
"Good job" Jason nodded and accelerate the move towards its destination.
"What do you think they are doing here?" Asked Allison a tone of concern in her voice.
"No clue Ali, hopefully they are not looking for us" Kyle answered with a calmer tone.
"Think it may is related with our guest?" Derek speak inquisitor tone toward Kyle.
"I don't think so" Contested Kyle, cutting anything that would tell Derek before it was late.
"You think?, he comes and the next day we have a squad of metal only half a mile from here" continued Derek, not happy with the situation.
"He wasn't completely honest with us I'm sure, but I don´t think he is a gray or enemy of any kind" Kyle said with his standard voice of reason.
"You try and see the good in people, brother. There are times when I think that if you propose you would find the bright side of the machines" Derek looked at his brother with a grin.
"And that is it bad?" Kyle interrupts him with an expression of sadness at the way his brother thinks.
"No Kyle, it's not bad. But it is dangerous. Perhaps the kid is only a civie, or he may be Gray. And though your instinct is usually correct we need to ensure" Derek conclude with a look of confidence his younger brother.
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Allison entered the room with a tray of food. John on the same wall that had since they left him there, kneeling trying not to think.
"I've brought some food." Allison said coming slowly towards John and setting the tray on the ground inches from him.
"Thank you" Answered John, trying not to look at the doppelganger of Cameron. Every time he looked at her, all he just saw was Cameron. It was too hard on him to handle for now.
Allison went out toward the door, but when she was about to be out she turned "When you saw me there yesterday, for your reaction would say you know me. How is possible?"
John slow to respond, doubting "For a moment I mistook you with someone I know" Stop a moment, and continued with much more melancholy tone. "Who I knew"
She noticed the change in his voice and his look when he said knew. So she spoke up. "Her name was Cameron right?" Allison asked curiously, crossing her hands and gazed at him curiously
before she could continue John react "How?"
"The guard told me that thw whole night you've been repeating that name in dreams"
John did not know what to say. Would I said something else? Anything important? Will they already know that everything I said is a lie?
Allison approached John kneeling at his side, and placing his hand on his shoulder.
Please do not do that. She did that ...
"She meant a lot to you right?" Allison asked sweetly.
John nodded, putting all his self control to work in order to hold the tears in his eyes from falling.
"What Happened?" Allison could not help but feel compassion for the still unknown. John hesitated. What had happened to Cam? She had surrendered his chip to a machine called John Henry, who had traveled to the future.
"Some machines found us. She .." stop a moment, memories across his brain "she left capture herself for me to escape. I did not see her since that moment." Said John, almost unable to finish what he was saying.
"I´m sorry" Was all Allison managed to say, seeing the young man in front of her with a sunken appearance again. After a few seconds of silence, Allison got up and went to the door stopped.
"John right?" She asked more to herself before looking up and adding. "You can't lose hope, maybe she escape and is fine. Perhaps you see her again."
And in saying this Allison gave him a small wave and turned to exit the room, John faintly heard the sound of her soft voice muttering something to the guard as she left.
Nothing but John broke the door closed to mourn.
Hope? John Henry has her chip, and her body disappeared. What hope left for him?
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"You think that this will work?" Derek asked to his brother.
They were in a tunnel of rock with metal reinforcement in some areas, surrounded by dozens of people.
Because of their appearance it would be said they were civilians, all with the appearance of what were called before J-Day. beggars, vagrants. Most of their attention to the soldiers who were there before them. Waiting to hear what they had to say, many with fear in their eyes.
"I don´t know, but we need to try to not lose anyone…not today" Kyle returned to his brother, an inkling of hope for his plan.
"Please, can you pay attention for a moment?" Kyle speak loudly so that everybody would listen there. He had to repeat four times that call attention to the murmurs among the people ceased, once he managed to continue talking.
"First of all I want to reassure you, there is no imminent danger, or anything along those lines" Started Kyle, knowing that all the civilians got from the soldiers was normally bad news.
"This only is a simple question. If anyone knows anything please do not hide it. Is important" Kyle paused a moment before continuing.
"I would like to know if anyone heard of one John Connor. If someone sounds the least, please say it."
By the time Kyle said the name 'John Connor', a figure that was sitting against one wall of the cave suddenly raised his head looking at the soldiers.
Through the complexion, and how little of the body that through clothes discerned, one might conclude it was a woman.
She was dressed in old clothes covered with a cloak or gray blanket around the body. The hair covered by a handkerchief around his head, her face covered in shadow from the concealing cloth.
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END
Well this is my first chapter of my first fanfic, so review and comment if your read it please.
I know it can be better, but to learn to write i need write. let me know what you think, good or bad.
I must repeat that on this chapter I used some fragments of River2027's 'Born To Run', first chapter of her 'Born to Fight' story. Thanks to her for let me use it.