Prologue
13th December 2015.
"The fuel cell is damaged." Her voice comes out with a distinctly metallic sound. "Power levels are down to 3%." The man at her side ignores her and moves on as quiet as he can with the injured cyborg leaning on his shoulder as they walk through the rubble.
He stops for a moment to catch his breath and eases her with her back resting against the wall. She is heavy. Much heavier than she looks. The air is thick with dust and heat. He lifts the canteen to his mouth but soon tosses it unceremoniously to the ground and slides down next to her.
"I cannot continue," her steel fingers brush with unsuspected gentleness a strand of hair from his brow.
He takes her cold, artificial hand in his and kisses it. "I cannot leave you."
"Machines are not people, John. You said it. We can be replaced."
"Not you." He shoots her an angry glare, immediately softening as their eyes meet. "Not you and you know it."
"They need you out there. Now more than ever"
"And I need you. On your feet, soldier!" He pulls her up again, but the servo of her legs fails to sustain her and he almost falls as they both stumble. Alert. Critical power loss. Locomotion systems offline.
He lets her sit back down. He can't carry her and they both know it. Not with a broken arm. Not inside this God forsaken mine. "You know what needs to be done." He crouches next to the cyborg, his face morphing into the very portrait of defeat and despair as he takes her hand in his. He's so dehydrated he can't even cry.
All those years we've been together you always knew I would be coming here...
She smiles at the memory, finally grasping the irony behind those cryptic words spoken a long time ago, in a distant future.
"I will change this. I will change it so that none of this will ever happen."
"Don't you dare." She squeezes his hand almost too tightly. "Don't you dare change a single thing... You can't take this away from me..."
Outside, the bombing has begun.
"Cameron..." He leans in to kiss what skin is left of her lips. The shockwaves of the first explosion reach the mine and tiny rivulets of dust pour from the cracks in the ceiling. The gallery will collapse any moment now.
"You'll come back with more people. You'll dig me out and fix me. But you have to go now." She smiles and kisses him on the forehead as they both know it's a lie. "It's going to be okay, John."
This is going to be Skynet territory for the next decade. No living human will ever set foot on this mountain for as long as Skynet holds it. That was the reason to come here in the first place. And even if he could come and dig her up, suitable fuel cells have yet to be invented.
What she also knows and wouldn't say is something a very drunk Future John once said during the time she spent with him with the resistance. I failed you, Cameron. Forgive me, I could never find you. Her younger self had no clue as to what he might be referring to.
Her younger self! She almost forgot!
The ground shakes again. This one must have fallen terribly close to their position.
She must warn him. He must be ready. "February, 5th 2027."
Before any reply is spoken she pushes him away from her as the rock wall crumbles on top of her body. He stares wide eyed, unable to even scream. Another bomb. There's no time. He races towards the end of the tunnel not looking back as the landslide buries her body.
A/N: let's not go with the usual disclaimer... It is pretty obvious I don't own TSCC or there would have been a third series.
This is the very short prologue of a 6 chapter story - in hopes this time I'll manage to finish it.