A/N: Refer to disclaimer in Chapter 1.

Thank you, Augustus Paladin Maximus, for reviewing.

First fic, second chapter, we'll see how it goes:


Belief

"What do I believe in?" John Connor repeated.

Derek Reese shrugged, "We all believe in something. We have to. Without belief, we lose hope, and when we lose hope... I suppose that's when we get our sorry asses wiped off the face of the planet. You've got to believe in something."

John looked at Derek thinking. "Belief. That's an odd concept. I suppose when people say that they mean God. Or which God I believe in. They're really asking whether we believe that He's there, watching over us. Whether we believe those words in the Holy scriptures. It's kinda funny, isn't it? We're hanging on to our very existence, and yet we cannot sin. Is there such a thing during times of war? Sin? They say 'the first causality of war is innocence.' I guess we're all sinners now. But that doesn't matter, does it? We're no longer fighting for ourselves, we're fighting for something we will never live to see."

He looked at the crucifix that had been set on a dark wall. It seemed out of place. A sign of hope amidst a hall of misery. "You see that? Can you imagine only a few years ago, religion caused so many wars. And now?" He chuckled softly, grimly. "It doesn't matter. Nothing matters. Just living till tomorrow and fighting so that that tomorrow will come. What good has religion done us? It divided us and now, we're clinging on to it, not capable of fighting each other.

"And even if we win this war, even if we survive. What if we manage to push away Skynet? What would happen now? Would we go back to your old ways and continue Skynet's goal by ourselves? Is this cause even worth fighting for? Do I believe in this cause? Someone has to. And it's not me. So I lie. I lie, Derek. I tell them we will fight until we win, but I know that we will fight until we die. To be honest, I don't know what to believe in anymore.

"There has only been one constant in my life, and perhaps that's the only thing I can believe in."

Derek raised his eyebrows.

"Death. It has always come, and nothing can possibly stop it. Death will never let me down. Everyone dies, not everyone lives. I believe in death, Derek. I guess it's all I have to believe in." Dark eyes rose to met those of Derek. They stared with a fire burning within, yet beyond the fire, there was nothing.

"What about belief in someone?" Derek stared intently into the eyes that refused to look away.

"My dear friend, I AM that someone. I am John Connor the savior of human kind. I am the Messiah. But what about me? Even heroes need something to fight for yet I have nothing. I have no one to believe in."

"No one?" asked Derek.

Anther chuckle. "No one. You are someone I trust, and I believe that you will fight with every single molecule of your body. But I have no one to believe in. These men, who have entrusted their lives to me... these men. Each and every person is unique and should be valued and honored, but this is war. These people become nothing more than chess pieces. If the price is right, they will be sacrificed, and I am ashamed to admit it. But they will fight because they believe in me, and you cannot begin to imagine what it's like to have that burden. To have someone look up to you with admiration and be willing to die for you. To have someone trust you with their lives and their very souls. You cannot begin to imagine."

"General?" a young private walked past the guards and into the halls, "Sir! They're seated. You may begin." General Connor nodded and the private walked back into the room. John Connor looked back at his uncle once, he turned away, and General Connor entered the room.

The moving doors flickered light across Derek's face. "No," he said into the void, "I do know what it's like." Derek took out a picture from his breast pocket. Kyle's young face shone right back at him in front of a background filled with the greens and blues of life. He stood and slipped the picture back where it belonged, next to his heart. Then, he, too, entered the room.

General Connor approached the podium as Lieutenant Reese closed the door behind him. All noise ceased as if Skynet itself had stopped to listen. This specific group of new recruits were exceptional. The concept of recruits was merely tradition. When the world is in fire, everybody fights.

"If you were any other group of recruits, I would say that I am proud, " General Connor began, "But you are not just any other group of recruits, are you? You are the last hope for humanity. And you are brave for fighting. When we are on the battlefield, your courage will shine through, your honor will not dwindle. Your training, is merely a tool, it is your heart that will guide you.

"I need not tell you that times are hard. But I will tell you that we will win. When you are lying behind a rock praying to whatever powers that be, just praying that you can live just one more day, I want you to remember that you will win. Together, I believe that we have the power to win. I believe that fate will not let us lose. Why? Because I believe that humanity will win. If you are wounded on the battlefield, you hope that some kind soul will come and rescue you from hell. The machines do not care for their wounded unless there are parts to be scavenged. This separates us from them, and this is why I believe there is no way we will lose. I won't lie, many of us will die, but I promise you, no one will die in vain. I will fight until my blood runs dry, and I know that you will stand with me, because I believe that humanity is worth it.

"We are individuals. We do not enslave our own. We think. We each have our own free will. We feel. And because of this, we will win this war.

"You may doubt me, and I do not blame you. Do you see where we are? We are in a city of tunnels. Living beneath our enemy striking when we can. But who will we become?The VietCong in Vietnam, tactics so deadly that we can win this impossible war? Or the Japanese in Okinawa, fighting with the fires of Mount Olympus in our eyes, yet falling as our supplies can no longer sustain us?

"My friends, my comrades, my family, we will win. When we rise up as a single entity devoted to one belief that will not die, we will crush any and all enemies of humanity. Fight for your family, fight for your friends, fight for your future. Believe in yourself. I believe in you. Together we will win this war, I cannot say it enough.

"Know that every step you take, I will take with you. Every bullet that hits, I will suffer with you. Every death that comes, I will grieve with you. It's a price that we have to pay. But humanity is worth that price. You are worth it. Believe me, we will not die, we will survive. This is our land, our war, our future. This is our time."

Applause broke out as the soldiers yearned to fight back what they have lost. General Connor nodded and stepped away. Lieutenant Reese met him before they reached the door. They stepped out together with guards following close behind as closing doors muted the applause. The guards kept out of earshot and Derek looked at John. "So you lie."

John traced the cracks of the cement with his eyes, "I'm not a liar."

"But you lie."

Footsteps continue. Eyes flicker upwards.

"I lie."