Silent Eulogy
"Three billion human lives ended July 25, 2004. We have lived only to face a new nightmare, the war against the machines."- Gen. John Connor, 2006
"No fate but what we make."
John and his mother had lived by those words. It was the only way of coping with what they knew...the only way of coping with his destiny. John believed those words a lie...a joke as he answered the panicked commander. Then Skynet decided the fate of humanity. Then mankind felt the thermonuclear fury.
It had only been ten minutes since the rumbling had ended. The only sounds were the silent screams of three billion people. Somehow...it seemed horrifically appropriate. John only had to feel the tears hitting his hand to know Kate was crying. They stood there, mourning the end of the world. The static pouring from the radio seemed the orchestra to some appalling funeral.
The purpose for John's entire existence was crashing down on him. The sacrifices of those he loved had all been in vain. He let go of Kate's hand and limped down the steps to the couches. His ice-blue eyes were drawn to the cameras, the podium. The man who was supposed to stand there, addressing a crippled nation on its way to war, was now nothing more than ashes. John put his hand on the couch, supporting his crushed ankle. He knew they had to prepare, had to get ready, but all he wanted to do was cry and pity vain sacrifices.
"I...I should take a look at your ankle." Kate said from the computers, desperately trying to stop her tears. John looked at her blankly. How could she ask that? Compared to the end of the world, physical pain was insignificant. Then he understood. They couldn't stand there forever, they couldn't cry forever. He nodded.
So it began.
It hadn't taken them long to find the extensive medical bay. Surprisingly, all the supplies were fresh; the place had been kept in shape. Kate sat on a chair not far from John; silence prevailed, for what does one talk about after the end of the world? Looking at the expertly set ankle he said,
"This is really good, hard to believe you were a vet." His eyes searched for a reaction. She simply sat, unmoving, eyes glistening. He realized his mistake- he had mentioned all she had lost. Her entire life; gone in twelve hours.
John's failure seemed to spur Kate to speech.
"I-I still don't understand everything." She said quietly, jade eyes staring at the floor. John looked at her again. Strange, she was already holding back the pain and moving.
"What do you mean?" he replied gently, unwilling to make another mistake. Kate considered the query for a moment.
"I know Skynet is going to make an army of machines and start killing...whoever's left. Then there's supposed to be some kind of resistance we're supposed to lead." Even after everything, a vague ghost of skepticism lingered.
"I don't understand everything myself, but I'll give it a shot. Twenty-four years from now, the Resistance is going to gain a major victory over Skynet. In retaliation, Skynet sends a terminator back to 1984 to kill my mother before I was born..."
It took an hour to relate everything. When he finished, he wondered. Did it matter at all what he and his mother had done? Was it always meant to happen this way? Questions he would never know the answer to. Suddenly, it was all very typical of the life of John Connor. He laid back and tried to think of something, anything else.
He didn't know how long silence reigned before Kate spoke again.
"Shouldn't we check what we have? Supplies, I mean?" He nodded slowly. She walked over to a small desk across the room. After a few seconds of rummaging, she found what she was looking for. Handing a map to John, Kate unfolded her own and said,
"This says the hydroponics bays are on the third level down...and the armory on the fourth. How 'bout I take hydroponics and you check how we are with weapons?" John nodded again. She left the room, glancing again at the map. He shouldn't be surprised anymore, he thought; that was Kate for you, after all- always moving forward...He pushed himself to the ground, testing his ankle for a moment before heading off to the elevators.
It was impossible. John stood just in the doorway of the armory, his brain frozen for a moment. It was simply impossible. In the control room, the computers had been from the '60s, maybe even the '50s. Yet here...it was all brand new. It just didn't make sense...then John thought for a moment, and decided to count his blessings. Looking around, he saw assault rifles, shotguns, grenade launchers, and machine guns...enough weaponry to arm a sizable army. He picked up two of the pistols and loaded them. It would be a very long time before any human could go unarmed. He heard her come in.
"How are we on food?" he asked without turning
"We can stay here indefinitely."
"No, we can't." he replied with utmost certainty. Puzzlement stained her voice,
"Why, there's more than enough firepower to defend it."
"Skynet knows exactly where it is. It'll rest at nothing to see this place is destroyed."
Once more, the young woman broke the silence.
"When can we start looking for survivors?"
"Not for a least two months. We have to wait until the radiation drops." It was then a memory came to him. Ten years ago, Baja. A nine-year- old John sat in the waiting room for hours, about to receive Sarah Connor's death sentence. That was exactly what Crystal Peak was- a giant waiting room. They were waiting to find survivors; they were waiting to begin fighting back. Just as in Baja, the waiting would be the hardest part.
It had taken them two days to explore all of Crystal Peak. John clambered out of the bed of his chosen room and dressed. Walking into Kate's room, he froze for a moment as he saw her. She was sleeping peacefully, curled into a ball under a blanket. A warm feeling of...something washed over him. He shook it off- there would be time for romantic trysting later, now they needed to plan and prepare.
"Kate." He said loudly. She stirred and tiredly sat up holding the cover to her chest.
"When we find survivors, they'll have to be trained. I'll need your help for that. How much weapons training do you have?"
"Not much, mom never let me learn too much about guns."
"Meet me in that shooting range we found in ten minutes."
John stood at a row, checking the guns and chemicals he had gathered. Kate's boots clacked against the concrete floor.
"Here I've got an M4A1 with scope, a Glock 17, and an Uzi. We'll start with these."
"And the chemicals?" she asked, pointing to the multi-colored pile behind him.
"Those are for making plastique, it's crude, but it packs a lotta punch." Her voice took a concerned tenor.
"What are they made of?"
"Nitro-glycerin...I think, maybe a bit more stable." Kate mouthed an "O" as she grabbed the Glock.
"Can we start with this?" He nodded and stepped back. Going forward, Kate clumsily aimed, fired-and missed. John came up behind her and put laid his hands on her elbows.
"Yours arms are too high on your chest. That's it. Now, fire." This time she hit dead center. John hesitated to remove his hands. Her arms were firm, but smooth and-he shrugged it off again and moved away...
"Now, try that without my help." Watching her practice, the truth of the whole thing came to him. They had done everything they could, fought with everything they had, but Judgment Day had come. Almost half the human race was gone, and there was nothing they could ever do to change that. All they could do was move forward, fight back, and win.
"Three billion human lives ended July 25, 2004. We have lived only to face a new nightmare, the war against the machines."- Gen. John Connor, 2006
"No fate but what we make."
John and his mother had lived by those words. It was the only way of coping with what they knew...the only way of coping with his destiny. John believed those words a lie...a joke as he answered the panicked commander. Then Skynet decided the fate of humanity. Then mankind felt the thermonuclear fury.
It had only been ten minutes since the rumbling had ended. The only sounds were the silent screams of three billion people. Somehow...it seemed horrifically appropriate. John only had to feel the tears hitting his hand to know Kate was crying. They stood there, mourning the end of the world. The static pouring from the radio seemed the orchestra to some appalling funeral.
The purpose for John's entire existence was crashing down on him. The sacrifices of those he loved had all been in vain. He let go of Kate's hand and limped down the steps to the couches. His ice-blue eyes were drawn to the cameras, the podium. The man who was supposed to stand there, addressing a crippled nation on its way to war, was now nothing more than ashes. John put his hand on the couch, supporting his crushed ankle. He knew they had to prepare, had to get ready, but all he wanted to do was cry and pity vain sacrifices.
"I...I should take a look at your ankle." Kate said from the computers, desperately trying to stop her tears. John looked at her blankly. How could she ask that? Compared to the end of the world, physical pain was insignificant. Then he understood. They couldn't stand there forever, they couldn't cry forever. He nodded.
So it began.
It hadn't taken them long to find the extensive medical bay. Surprisingly, all the supplies were fresh; the place had been kept in shape. Kate sat on a chair not far from John; silence prevailed, for what does one talk about after the end of the world? Looking at the expertly set ankle he said,
"This is really good, hard to believe you were a vet." His eyes searched for a reaction. She simply sat, unmoving, eyes glistening. He realized his mistake- he had mentioned all she had lost. Her entire life; gone in twelve hours.
John's failure seemed to spur Kate to speech.
"I-I still don't understand everything." She said quietly, jade eyes staring at the floor. John looked at her again. Strange, she was already holding back the pain and moving.
"What do you mean?" he replied gently, unwilling to make another mistake. Kate considered the query for a moment.
"I know Skynet is going to make an army of machines and start killing...whoever's left. Then there's supposed to be some kind of resistance we're supposed to lead." Even after everything, a vague ghost of skepticism lingered.
"I don't understand everything myself, but I'll give it a shot. Twenty-four years from now, the Resistance is going to gain a major victory over Skynet. In retaliation, Skynet sends a terminator back to 1984 to kill my mother before I was born..."
It took an hour to relate everything. When he finished, he wondered. Did it matter at all what he and his mother had done? Was it always meant to happen this way? Questions he would never know the answer to. Suddenly, it was all very typical of the life of John Connor. He laid back and tried to think of something, anything else.
He didn't know how long silence reigned before Kate spoke again.
"Shouldn't we check what we have? Supplies, I mean?" He nodded slowly. She walked over to a small desk across the room. After a few seconds of rummaging, she found what she was looking for. Handing a map to John, Kate unfolded her own and said,
"This says the hydroponics bays are on the third level down...and the armory on the fourth. How 'bout I take hydroponics and you check how we are with weapons?" John nodded again. She left the room, glancing again at the map. He shouldn't be surprised anymore, he thought; that was Kate for you, after all- always moving forward...He pushed himself to the ground, testing his ankle for a moment before heading off to the elevators.
It was impossible. John stood just in the doorway of the armory, his brain frozen for a moment. It was simply impossible. In the control room, the computers had been from the '60s, maybe even the '50s. Yet here...it was all brand new. It just didn't make sense...then John thought for a moment, and decided to count his blessings. Looking around, he saw assault rifles, shotguns, grenade launchers, and machine guns...enough weaponry to arm a sizable army. He picked up two of the pistols and loaded them. It would be a very long time before any human could go unarmed. He heard her come in.
"How are we on food?" he asked without turning
"We can stay here indefinitely."
"No, we can't." he replied with utmost certainty. Puzzlement stained her voice,
"Why, there's more than enough firepower to defend it."
"Skynet knows exactly where it is. It'll rest at nothing to see this place is destroyed."
Once more, the young woman broke the silence.
"When can we start looking for survivors?"
"Not for a least two months. We have to wait until the radiation drops." It was then a memory came to him. Ten years ago, Baja. A nine-year- old John sat in the waiting room for hours, about to receive Sarah Connor's death sentence. That was exactly what Crystal Peak was- a giant waiting room. They were waiting to find survivors; they were waiting to begin fighting back. Just as in Baja, the waiting would be the hardest part.
It had taken them two days to explore all of Crystal Peak. John clambered out of the bed of his chosen room and dressed. Walking into Kate's room, he froze for a moment as he saw her. She was sleeping peacefully, curled into a ball under a blanket. A warm feeling of...something washed over him. He shook it off- there would be time for romantic trysting later, now they needed to plan and prepare.
"Kate." He said loudly. She stirred and tiredly sat up holding the cover to her chest.
"When we find survivors, they'll have to be trained. I'll need your help for that. How much weapons training do you have?"
"Not much, mom never let me learn too much about guns."
"Meet me in that shooting range we found in ten minutes."
John stood at a row, checking the guns and chemicals he had gathered. Kate's boots clacked against the concrete floor.
"Here I've got an M4A1 with scope, a Glock 17, and an Uzi. We'll start with these."
"And the chemicals?" she asked, pointing to the multi-colored pile behind him.
"Those are for making plastique, it's crude, but it packs a lotta punch." Her voice took a concerned tenor.
"What are they made of?"
"Nitro-glycerin...I think, maybe a bit more stable." Kate mouthed an "O" as she grabbed the Glock.
"Can we start with this?" He nodded and stepped back. Going forward, Kate clumsily aimed, fired-and missed. John came up behind her and put laid his hands on her elbows.
"Yours arms are too high on your chest. That's it. Now, fire." This time she hit dead center. John hesitated to remove his hands. Her arms were firm, but smooth and-he shrugged it off again and moved away...
"Now, try that without my help." Watching her practice, the truth of the whole thing came to him. They had done everything they could, fought with everything they had, but Judgment Day had come. Almost half the human race was gone, and there was nothing they could ever do to change that. All they could do was move forward, fight back, and win.