ALL THINGS COME TO AN END
CHAPTER ONE: THE ARREST
"I can't shoot a lady!"
"Give me that gun!"
The cinema, just like all cinemas during screening, was dark. One could hardly make out the faces of the people seated there.
"You think he'll come?" Cameron said softly while being turned around on her seat to face Sarah.
"He'll come," Sarah responded simply.
"He could be deceiving us. He's done it before."
"He wants the girl. He'll be here," Sarah said while motioning in Savanah's direction.
"And what if he doesn't come through? With the meeting with Weaver?"
"We're going to Zeira Corp, with or without him… When we're done, it will be ashes."
Ellison had appeared at the entrance, which made Cameron stand up and walk down the aisle towards him.
Having found Sarah with his eyes, Ellison exchanged his look with hers. Cameron walked past him to guard the entrance.
Ellison walked up the aisle and took Cameron's seat, not looking at Sarah and staring ahead instead.
"You alone?" Sarah probed.
"Yes. Where's Savanah?"
"Row J."
"I'll be in touch about the meeting," Ellison said before standing up.
Sarah and Cameron looked at each other over the distance of the screening room.
Ellison made his way down the aisle to where Savanah was seated and offered her his hand. She slid her tiny hand into his and got up.
Leaving the cinema screening room Sarah noticed a man in a dark blue jacket, standing at the counter of the snack bar. Just a regular guy. Beams of white light passing through the translucent exit door of the cinema emphasized her athletic silhouette.
When Sarah walked past him, the man left his position at the bar and started following her. Walking towards the exit door, a feeling of something not being quite right shot through Sarah's mind. When she pushed the door out of her way she could see why. The front of the cinema was sprawling with police cars and policemen aiming their pistols at her, undoubtedly prepared to shoot should she decide to draw her own gun. Ellison must have double-crossed them, she thought. That son-of-a-bitch!
"Put your hands behind your head. Kneel on the ground." A detective in a khaki suit said in the megaphone in his hand.
Turning around, Sarah could see that the man she saw at the snack bar was now aiming his gun at her. Bastard.
There was no escape. Sarah just raised her hands. She glanced back to watch John and Cameron stand in the closing door. John! Run! She was trapped like an animal, but she thought that she could at least buy them some time. She charged at the approaching officer, effectively knocking him to the ground, and punching the other one and knocking him out as well. She ran forward, down the short set of stairs, between the parked police cars, where she was wrestled to the ground by two policemen. Shifting herself on top of one of them and kicking the other one to the chest and throwing him back against the police car, it was the least she could do in this situation. Run John! Please! Thoughts of her son raced through her mind.
The cinema door had closed, and John turned around to look at Ellison with a mix of shock and anger.
"John, I swear I didn't know." Ellison said calmly, which only made John more furious. He charged at him while yelling "I'll kill you!" Cameron stopped him before he could reach Ellison. "Let go of me! I'll kill you!" Pointing towards where his mother was now being handcuffed, John finally just said "I'll kill you." Then he and Cameron rushed past him and Savanah, who gave Ellison a confused look.
Stepping out of the building, Ellison could see the consequences of his unintentional doing. The police was simply following him without his knowledge of it. Sarah's body was rocking on the ground under the beats and kicks of the angered policemen. Finally, handcuffs clicked on her wrists and she was pushed on the back seat of the police car.
BREAKING NEWS
FUGITIVE SARAH CONNOR ARRESTED TODAY IN LOS ANGELES
Sarah's face could be seen live on all TV screens across LA. One of these screens was also being watched by John and Cameron who stood in front of a store window located in a safe distance from the cinema. Seeing his mother like this, John could barely hold back tears. Flashes from cameras played across Sarah's face. The policemen who led her from the car had to push the success-hungry reporters out of their way. When John saw in the corner of his eye that Cameron had turned to face him, he nodded to her and together they turned away from the store window to walk back to their car.
Savanah was led inside the Zeira Corp building by Detective Crayton, which caught the attention of most of the bystanders in the lobby. Savanah finally got to see her mother. She ran to her while holding her toy giraffe in her hand. She jumped to her mother's embrace, crying tears of relief. Weaver wore her blank terminator face and stroked Savanah's back to comfort her, not really knowing what else to do.
Moments later, Weaver stood in her office. Outside was still a sunny day, the streets down below sprawling with traffic. Weaver observed the odd, yet somehow organized human behavior when she heard a knock on her office door.
"Come in."
The door opened to reveal James Ellison.
"Ms. Weaver, you wanted to see me."
"Yes, sit down James."
Weaver sat down on her chair while Ellison took the one in front of her desk.
"Is Savannah alright?"
"Yes, she is with Detective Crayton now. He's asking her questions about her kidnappers."
"I see."
"I wanna meet him."
"Detective Crayton?" Ellison asked with a slight confusion on his face.
"The boy."
"You wanna meet John Connor?" Ellison tilted his head.
"Someone's attacked my family. They may attack again... I think he knows something."
Then she added, "And besides, he saved my daughter. And I want to thank him."
Ellison looked around as if searching the room for anyone who might be listening.
"It's a bad idea. I don't know what you think John knows."
"I know-" Weaver raised her voice slightly – an unusual act for her.
"That he was at my house when the attacker showed up. I want to know why," She continued.
She shifted her gaze from Ellison to somewhere outside the building, as if deep in thought.
"His mother thinks he's a messiah."
She looked back to Ellison. "I want to know why.
And despite your reluctance to tell me, I surmise that he and his cyber companion are connected to the John Henry body."
Ellison sighed to himself, growing uncomfortable under his employer's gaze.
"And I want to know why," Weaver continued as Ellison squinted his eyes at her.
"Yes, she's a cyborg. Don't pretend you didn't know," Weaver said accusingly.
Ellison took a moment to respond. "She's dangerous."
Weaver smiled. "And you think I need protecting. That's sweet…" Her smile faded away abrubtly when she added: "But don't ever lie to me again… Now, about John Connor…"
"I don't know how to find him," Ellison countered coolly.
"Well I do…," she smirked mysteriously as she turned her laptop to show Ellison a live feed from John Henry's room.
The sun was beginning to set on the Western horizon in front of the car. Long amber stripes were painting everything an orange hue, making John's frown appear even deeper. Cameron was keeping the monotonously car just at the speed limit, making John feel sleepy. Of all the feelings, he felt tiredness the most. He just stared out of the car window, and began to muse. It all slowly started to get to him. Charlie was dead. Only days ago, John was enjoying his delicious fish soup at the lighthouse. And now Derek was dead too. Shot by a terminator. The two men who were the closest to being his father figures were gone, just like that. Mom…, John thought. Everything has happened so fast. Everyone in his life was now gone. Everyone.
Everyone except Cameron, who... is a robot...- John glanced at her, and she gave him a blank look back before setting her eyes back at the road. -Who isn't even a person... Or is she? Something's going on with her...
What if I just ended it once and for all? Just one painful moment, and that's it. What's the fucking point of living this life? What have I accomplished so far? Wherever I go, there's a trail of blood and dead bodies behind me… If only I-
"-John."
If only I could take it all back… Find another time machine, and-
"-John." Cameron's voice suddenly interrupted his train of thought.
"Huh?" Quickly looking around John realized they must have reached the motel.
"We have to go…" Cameron said flatly.
Apache
MOTEL
Green and red neon light of the motel sign glowed in the dark that has fallen on Los Angeles after the sunset. Everything was quiet, all that could be heard was the chirping of crickets and the distant hum of cars on the highway.
Cameron stood in the window, observing the outside – her face hued red and green by the neon sign. Behind her, John was pacing around the TV in their motel room, visibly nervous.
BREAKING NEWS
FUGITIVE SARAH CONNOR ARRESTED TODAY IN LOS ANGELES
"Sarah Connor was arrested and is now in local custody, facing a series of new charges, as well as all of the old ones. Authorities are also on the lookout for Connor's son John, as well as an unidentified female accomplice."
The image on the screen changed from various shots of Sarah to a photo of all three of them, taken in 1999 in the bank where they time jumped.
"What you see here is a photo dating back eight years. Both fugitives would now be in their mid-twenties."
"We need to get her back," John mumbled.
"Making a move within 24 hours of the incident has high risk factors."
"This is not an incident! This is my mother," John growled.
"You miss her, I understand…" Cameron said innocently.
"Oh yeah? How do you understand that? You're machine."
"You're now in the process of grieving. In the last three days, you've lost three people that were important to you."
John was surprised both by her understanding and her bluntness about it, which calmed him a little.
"Well she is not dead. We can and have to get her back…"
I just got down from the Isle of Skye
I'm not very big, but I'm awful shy
the lassies shout as I walk by,
"Donald, Where's Your Trousers?"
The local news were still abuzz with the today's arrest of Sarah Connor, repeatedly showing shots of her being led from the police car.
Let the wind blow high let the wind blow low,
through the streets in my kilt I'll go,
all the lassies cry, "Hello!
Donald, where's your trousers?"
On that same day, Derek Reese was buried in an unnamed grave, in the same place where the remains of his brother Kyle laid. At least something on that day was how it should be.
I went to a fancy ball,
It was slippery in the hall,
I was afeared that I may fall,
Because I nay had on trousers,
In their motel room John and Cameron discussed Sarah's rescue. John visibly angry and upset, pacing around the room, Cameron still standing by the window, responding with a blank face as usual.
Let the wind blow high let the wind blow low,
Through the streets in my kilt I'll go,
All the lassies cry, "Hello!
Donald, where's your trousers?"
Sarah was sitting in her cell, dressed in orange prison overalls, thinking and worrying about the only thing that truly mattered to her – her son…John.
The lassies love me every one,
But they must catch me if they can,
You canna put the breeks on a highland man, saying,
"Donald, where's your trousers?"
Savannah was sitting in front of John Henry, her freckled face made even paler by the lighting of his basement room. Her face bore a bright smile when she began to sign along with John Henry.
Let the wind blow high let the wind blow low,
Through the streets in my kilt I'll go,
All the lassies cry, "Hello!
Donald, where's your trousers?"
Weaver secretly stood in the door, observing "her daughter" sign in unison with "her son".
I went down to London town,
To have a little fun in the underground,
All the Ladies turned their heads around, saying,
"Donald, where's your trousers?"
Ellison sat on the couch in his living room, staring ahead. In his hand, a glass of scotch. He didn't drink alcohol, but for times like these, he had a bottle of scotch stored in his cabinet. He sighed while pouring himself another glass. Tough day.
Let the wind blow high let the wind blow low,
Through the streets in my kilt I'll go,
All the lassies cry, "Hello!
"Donald, where's your trousers?"
John and Cameron silently stood in front of the TV, their attention drawn completely to its screen.
Let the wind blow high let the wind blow low,
Through the streets in my kilt I'll go,
All the lassies cry, "Hello!
"Donald, where's your trousers?"
"Just an hour ago, a 'strange blue ball of sparkling energy' was observed on the beach of Santa Monica. According to witnesses, an unknown man appeared in place of the strange sphere. Police authorities dismiss this strange event with a combination of a ball lightning phenomena and heavy drinking of alcohol and possibly hallucinogenic drugs…"
"Donald, where's your trousers?"
Author's Notes: Hello and thank you for reading! If you're new to this story, I kindly encourage you to keep reading! This story starts slow, but soon completely derails from the events of the show and introduces its own ideas. Are you ready to embark on a "what if" journey full of mystery, tension, character development and wonder?
Thank you for your time. :)
PS: Please Review! All opinions, positive or negative, regarding the story or my writing will be highly appreciated!