TERMINATOR: FIRES OF VENGEANCE
THE DAY THE HER WORLD WENT AWAY...
ANGLES' POINT LIGHTHOUSE
APRIL 21, 2012 (ONE YEAR AFTER JUDGMENT DAY)
Jessica Kell, stood barefoot in the wash of the waves on the sandy beach looking out at the dim horizon as the first rays of dawn chased away the darkness of night. The coldness of the ocean water between her exposed toes sent and rushing up to her ankles felt good as she contemplated the events of last year. The traumatic choices she was forced to make during the months were not easy as the consequences of those decisions bore heavily on her. In the fight to stop, the creation of SKYNET Jessica lost all of those close to her except for a few people she could count on as allies. Everyone she knew was killed as they failed to stop Judgment Day and more than half of the earth was eradicated in nuclear fire.
Tears stream down from depressed blue-eyes eyes as the names and memories of those who sacrificed themselves so that they could save the future. Balling her fists in anger directed in the horizon at the slowly growing presence of the machine empire that ripped away her life. Destroyed all she cared for as a desperate final attempt to stop the machines utterly failed and they unleashed their vindictive fury on the unsuspecting human race. Now the future of the human race was uncertain as the survivors filtered their way from destroyed cities and towns to this small point of untouched land to lay the foundations of the Resistance. This old white towering lighthouse now served as a literal beacon of hope in the eternal darkness to come for the remains of humanity.
"We failed, Thomas," Jessica cried, feeling the hot tears sting her eyes while staring out at the lazy waves of the Pacific Ocean. I failed…after everything, we did to stop SKYNET. It all just came apart after we thought we had won. I should have seen this coming…."
"Jessica?" a soft feminine voice calls out bringing the TX out her dark musings. "It's time…"
"I know," She says letting out a deep sigh turning to face John's protector, Cameron. "I'll be at the lighthouse shortly. I need to do something first."
Cameron kept her face stoic as she stared at the blonde haired TX. She tilted her head and spoke. "Thomas is just meat and bones now."
Jessica felt anger surge through her systems. "What did you say?"
"Thomas is dead. Has been for over a year now...you failed to protect him." Cameron coldly told her.
"It was his choice to go with John," Jessica angrily said.
"Then you should have stopped Thomas. Rendered him unconscious and took him to the safe house with you," Cameron responded. "It was a trap."
"I know that," Jessica sadly spoke. "Now..he's gone..."
Cameron turned away from Jessica and began to walk towards the lighthouse. She stopped and glanced at Jessica. A brief look of sadness fell across her face. "If John were ever to die...I would not know how to continue. There would be no mission."
Jessica takes one more glance at the horizon as the sun finally pokes through the dark clouds casting brilliant beams of light that reflect off the surface of the turbulent water.
"He would have loved this," she sadly whispers feeling guilt well up as she laments for her lost love. "We should've been given a chance."
Jessica turns away from the view of the ocean and gazing out at the motley collection of vehicles and hastily set up tents of the survivors. More people were trickling in everyday as word spread throughout the nuclear blasted landscape that there was hope among st the wreckage of a once great civilization.
Cameron seems to notice Jessica's thoughts as a slight breeze whips her long dark hair about.
"You know John," she begins. "He always puts those he cares about above himself. Future John did the same. It's why he always chose machines to be protectors. We can be rebuilt, but John or Thomas can't be."
Cameron does not finish as she sees the depths of pain in the TX's eyes at the loss of Thomas.
"Future John was right about you," Cameron continued staring out at the crowd of survivors milling about trying to resume the shattered pieces of their lives.
Cameron turned away and continued to walk back towards the light house.
"I know," Jessica silently says as she picks up her boots and slowly walks up path that leads up to cliff overlooking the peacefulness of the ocean.
She spends the next few minutes in deep silence trudging up the cold stone path as the view of a simple wooden cross comes into view. A tall ancient oak tree stood like a lone sentinel over the grave as a slight breeze ruffled the thick branches.
One year ago, Jessica buried the body of Thomas in this isolated place.
Jessica stoops in front of the cross and stares at Thomas's name scratched onto the wood as she reaches into her pocket and removes a small heart shaped locket. Jessica holds the small pendant up into the shade of the oak tree opening the clasp and gazing at the picture of both of them in each other arms.
"Hey," She says looking down at the grave. "It's been a hell of year since you've been gone."
A slight breeze blows through the lonely graveyard as Jessica kneels down, hanging the locket on the cross.
She places a shaking hand on the rough wood feeling the soul wrenching sobs beginning to break forth as she cries for him. Tears stream down her face and for just the slightest of moments the color of Jessica's blue-eyes change to a deep brown.
"I miss you Thomas," Jessica cries out as the tears fall onto the dry dirt of the grave. "I'm sorry I should've been there to protect you. Please forgive me."
Jessica buries her head in her arms crying aloud as the torment of those she cared for lost storm through her.
"I am so sorry! " Jessica desperately cries feeling the soul crushing sadness haunting her. I promise you I will fix all the mistakes. I will find away to make everything all right so you can live…You will not suffer anymore…."
For several long intense moments, Jessica remains silently staring at the lone tears fall from her face and streak through the dried ones. As she continues to cry, her skin begins to flow like water and briefly takes on a silvery sheen as she shifts into her true form. The perfect tanned tone of the skin changes to a flawless porcelain and the blonde hair shifts to dark brown.
Jessica opens her eyes and briefly closes them as the memories of a nearly forgotten past play across her HUD.
Where are you from, Allison? I don't remember You don't remember what town you're from? Why does it matter? It's not there anymore Tell me about your life I live in a tunnel. I eat garbage for dinner. Tell me about your family. My father was an architect. He taught me how to draw. My mother was a music teacher. She'd sit for hours and listen to Chopin. What's that bracelet on your arm? My sister gave it to me for my birthday. July 22nd. I had a party in Griffith Park. My friends were there. I saw a boy ride by on a silver mountain bike, and I told my Dad: "That's what I want". And he said: "Next year". But I didn't have a party the next year. No one did. Why not? Everyone was dead. I wanna go home. Where is home? Palmdale.
Where is home?
Thomas...
Where is home?
Thomas...
The VOID
He floated in the darkness, comforted by the quite. It was all that was left to him. Here there was no concept of time. It was taken by three men dressed in dark clothing that waited on him to be separated from his protector. When the agents of Majestic Twelve claimed his life and left Jessica alone to suffer. How long this strange sense of existence lasted, he had no idea. There was nothing but an endless void of blackness. There was no need for sustenance or rest, he no longer felt those desires or anything at all. He tried to recall the memories of his life, but they were different, chaotic and melting into one another.
Pain, stiffness, the burning sensation of trying to breath, and then nothing else but the sweet embrace of death. The fractured memories floated across his mind breaking the solitude of the void: a young woman with flawless porcelain like skin and
deep blue-eyes curiously stared at him. Long waves of golden blonde hair settled over her slim shoulders as she removed a knife from her jacket pocket. The girl tipped her head and said something as she slowly lifted her right hand and slowly flexed the fingers.
He tried to recall what she was saying, her mouth was moving but he could not hear the words. Sorrow played across her stoic face as she flicked open the knife and placed the tip into the skin of her wrist. She tilted her head and pressed the blade into the flesh slicing down the length of her fore arm in one fluid motion. Blood seeped from the self inflicted wound and the shiny glint of blood stained metal glimmered underneath where bone should be. She said something else before using her hand to rip away the skin revealing a smooth gleaming metallic forearm with lines of pale blue light. Tears fell from her eyes as she lifted the exposed machinery to his face for him to see.
He felt anger stir deep within him at the sight of such a thing that dared to call its self human. A machine from the future whose sole function was to kill other humans. It was nothing but a streamlined metal endoskeleton, a different design created to resemble the shape of a woman encased in a sheath of synthetic living
polymemetic flesh. An infiltrator designed to terminate humans and other rouge machines. The Terminator felt like a real girl, the soft touch of her skin, the scent of her long hair, the bottomless pools of blue eyes that held so much mystery, and the taste of her lips.
Why did she have to lie him?
He wanted to scream out her for lying to him but could not find a reason why to. She stared at him for several seconds as if trying to gauge his reaction to her revealing what she was. The machine seemed to flinch as he suddenly started yelling and cussing at her. He tried to control the outrage and the sickening feelings that he felt towards the cyborg, but was unable to as the torn flesh flowed like water and regenerated over the exposed forearm.
A rare moment for one that acted so cold and emotionless, she spoke again, her voice full of pain, trying to explain everything that had happened to the both of them. Why she had come back for him, deserved her protection and companionship. But he would not listen to her anymore and finally told his protector to leave. She cocked her head to the left as another tear slid down her cheek and without another word ran up the stairs, nearly tearing the basement door from its hinges as it slammed shut with a loud bang. He let out a deep breath and settled back in the chair, closing his eyes as he sought to retreat into the solitude of the void.
There was the sound of people arguing upstairs, but the words sounded muted coming through the floor. He really did not care about the world anymore or those around him. In less than a year everything would go to hell as the machines would blow up half of humanity with its own weapons. The future was lost no matter how hard Sarah Connor or John tried to stop, what was it called? Skynet? Judgment Day? The day that humans were judged for their sins by the rise of Terminators made to look like very people that created them. Sarah had said that the cyborgs could not commune with God. Could not appreciate art.
What could they ever find value in what they were programmed to terminate? Nothing. The machines could not feel...it was impossible. His own protector
killed a Majestic Twelve agent in cold blood. Took a human life. It what she was made to do, the order to kill humans hard-coded into her software and hardware, it was impossible to remove even with Resistance reprogramming. She was a Terminator and it was her sole function to seek out and kill her targets.
Jessica told him those words as she snapped the man's neck like a twig.
Thomas knew better...there was something that was different about her. She was no normal Terminator...she was far from that. She didn't possess the cold calculating nature of a machine. No there was something else about her...
Thomas blamed himself for opening his heart to her, thinking that a relationship would be possible.
He was wrong.
Dead wrong and it got him killed…
Then he heard her call out to him.
"Thomas!"