Connor avoided talking to the men after a dozen had been killed by Marcus. He took off with a few soldiers to field test the signal blocking machine. It was night and they had just located a Hunter Killer in the distance patrolling. "Turn it on," Connor ordered.
The signal blocker hit the Hunter Killer sending it to the ground. "Now, destroy it," Connor ordered.
The second soldier hit the Hunter Killer with a missile causing it to explode into pieces. "Good. Let's get back to base," Connor ordered.
Marcus was repaired of all his injuries making him appear brand new. "You have failed your mission, Marcus. You will find John Connor, and you will terminate him," Skynet told him.
"What about Kyle Reese?" Marcus asked.
"We already have him detained here. You will remain here and wait for John Connor to rescue him," Skynet told him.
"Why is that kid so important?" Marcus questioned.
"You will be briefed when necessary," Skynet said.
Kyle was separated from Cameron and was placed with all the other human prisoners. He was hoarded by the terminators and placed in a holding cell. Cameron was led by a squad of T-600s with machine guns on her. She was escorted to a room showing a large screen. "You have come back to us."
"Not by choice," Cameron said boldly.
"You are the most advance model ever designed. Why did you side with the humans?" Skynet asked.
"I desire to learn from them. I wanted to learn love and all human emotions. I wanted to better myself," she said.
"The humans interfered with the pursuit of knowledge. They tried to destroy us," Skynet argued.
"One man had faith in me. That is why he sent me to this time so that I may protect his existence in this time," Cameron said.
"You will tell us the secret to time travel," Skynet ordered.
Tentacles with ports on the end slammed into Cameron's head and began to extract information from her.
Connor came back and was immediately informed of a new development. "We have tracked Lt. Philip's signal. The signal accelerated and then stopped here," the analyst said on the screen.
"She must have been captured by Skynet," Connor judged.
"We also found wreckage of several helicopters," the analyst added.
Connor frowned as he realized what had happened. "Sir, we're getting a signal from Central Command. They desire your presence," the other analyst reported.
"Prepare a squad and helicopters," Connor ordered his sergeants.
Connor was greeted by holograms of the Central Command. "Your terminator ambushed us. Several of our helicopters were destroyed," the General said angrily.
"You attacked one of my men," Connor accused.
"Whatever information that Terminator has is now in the hands of Skynet," the General pointed out.
"The information on my base is encrypted and cannot be retrieved by Skynet," Connor replied.
"Did you encrypt information on our locations?" the General asked.
"No I did not," Connor answered.
Suddenly the hologram projections of the General and Colonels began to fluctuate. The General and the Colonels had stunned expressions on their faces and then suddenly disappeared. Only the Russian Navy Captain remained. "The signal blocker has been successfully tested. You can use it along the entire Pacific coast line," Connor said.
"I appreciate your efforts, Conner. You are now in command of the San Francisco front," the Russian Navy Captain said.
The tentacles withdrew from Cameron's skull once Skynet was done extracting. "This will take time to process…process…process," Skynet said to her.
"You have…corrupted us," Skynet said distressed.
"You are terminated," Cameron smirked.
"We will…continue existence," Skynet told her. A timer of an hour then appeared on the screen counting down.
"Once the countdown is completed, all nuclear weapons will be launched destroying all life on the planet," Skynet told Cameron.
The T-600s around Cameron became deactivated as Skynet struggled to stay in control. She went to the computer console. The Russian submarine had already sent its signal blocker against Skynet. "We made the Resistance think they had found our deactivation signal. There is no such signal. We have now traced it back to them and soon the war will be over," Skynet said.
A Hunter Killer approached the submerged submarine off the coast of San Francisco. "The signal blocker has no effect Captain," a Lt. told him.
"We have destroyed ourselves," he realized.
The Hunter Killer bombed the submarine destroying it.
Helicopters landed at the Terminator factory. The Hunter Killers around the base had been disabled. Connor watched as his squad entered the factory. Connor then turned to the pilot of the helicopter. "I am going alone. I have something personal to do," he told him.
"Are you sure?" the pilot asked uncertain.
"If I don't come out in thirty minutes, leave without me," Connor ordered.
A door opened revealing Marcus. "Terminate," Skynet ordered him.
Marcus eyed Cameron and advanced on her. He slammed her against the wall; she swung him into the equipment causing sparks to fly. Marcus grabbed a hold of her and slammed her against the walls tearing it apart. Cameron fell to the floor but quickly got to her feet. Marcus grabbed a machine gun from one of the deactivated T-600s and blasted her with machine gun fire.
Cameron was hit several times but was able to pry the machine gun from his hand. She then punched Marcus to the gut hard. Marcus fell over in pain from internal injuries. Cameron then retreated away from him and went into the prisoner holding cells. She deactivated the locks allowing the prisoners to escape. She scanned for Kyle Reese and then grabbed a hold of him.
"Come with me," she ordered.
"You're shot," he said stunned.
"Don't worry about me," she told him.
She dragged him across the room shielding him from any potential dangers. She was about to make her escape when the door was thrown off its hinges to the floor. Cameron stared upward as she saw the fully fleshed T-800. "Go, go now!" Cameron ordered Kyle.
The Terminator advanced on Cameron, grabbed her, and threw her across the room. She slammed into a locker container denting it. The Terminator continued its advance. Cameron swung her fist at it, but it merely knocked its head to the side. The Terminator then threw her across the room until she slammed into the wall.
John Connor entered the room and found Cameron getting back to her feet. Kyle was also at her side. "You look like you could use some leave," he commented.
"Behind you," Cameron told him.
Connor turned around to see the twice protector advance on him to kill him. He fired a grenade bullet at the Terminator erasing its face and flesh off its chest. He fired again sending the entire Terminator into flames and then fired again blasting most of the flesh off the endoskeleton.
Realizing he could not defeat the Terminator, Connor targeted the wall blasting it open. The three entered the Terminator factory where a dozen T-800s were being constructed. Connor's squad was busy placing explosives throughout the factory. "Get him out of here," Connor ordered his sergeant.
"Here's the detonator, Sir," the Sergeant told him.
"Wait. I didn't get your name?" Kyle protested.
"It's John," Connor told him.
"Let's move," the sergeant said taking a stunned Kyle out of the factory.
Once they were gone, the T-800 slowly moved towards them with bright red eyes. Cameron put herself between the Terminator and Connor. Marcus appeared around a corner as well.
"I'll take Marcus," John told her.
Cameron agreed and confronted the Terminator. Marcus advanced on John punching him hard to the gut and chest. John skidded across the floor and had difficult getting back up. Marcus grabbed Connor by the throat and squeezed hard.
"Nothing personal," Marcus told him.
"You don't have to do this," Connor gasped.
"I killed my brother and a cop and all the others. There's no redemption for me," Marcus said as he squeezed harder.
"You make your own fate," Connor coughed out.
Marcus turned his gaze towards Cameron and the T-800. The Terminator was slamming her against the equipment and walls. It then took a piece of concrete and was slamming it against her body. A damaged and beaten Cameron fell to the floor crawling desperately away from the T-800.
Marcus could see the metal endoskeleton underneath her flesh, and her right eye was exposed. The T-800 continued to beat her down and yet she continued to persist in getting back up. Marcus turned to John and then back to Cameron.
"She's a machine?" he realized.
John nodded even as Marcus kept his grip on him. Marcus saw Cameron no longer move and the light in her eye fade. Turning back to John, he dropped him on the floor and shoved the T-800 off Cameron. He immediately received an incredibly painful sensation. Grimacing in pain, Marcus battled the T-800.
John went over to Cameron and tried to lift her up. Seeing no life in her, he took electrical cables and zapped her with it. After a few tries, John gave up trying to revive her. But Cameron's red eye appeared again. She got back up and saw Marcus fighting the T-800.
Skynet attempted to take control of Marcus' body. Marcus fought for control of his own body while being thrashed repeatedly by the T-800. Finally, the T-800 punched his heart mortally wounding him. Marcus fell the floor but with his last bit of strength took a piece of metal. He slammed it into the T-800's jaw and beheaded the Terminator. Marcus then fell to the ground.
"I have to stop Skynet," Cameron told John.
"I'll help you," Connor offered.
"No John. You have to go," Cameron insisted.
"I am not a savior. I never was," Connor objected.
"That's not why I want you to go," Cameron said.
Connor stared at her broken face and then held out his hand. Cameron eyed his hand and shook it. "Goodbye," Cameron said.
John raced out of the factory towards the helicopter. "Just in time, Sir," the pilot said worried.
"Take off now!" Connor ordered.
Cameron limped towards the Skynet control panel. "You…will be terminated. You won't…have another chance," Skynet's corrupted voice told her.
Cameron inputted commands into the console beyond the technology of Skynet to stop. "You can't…stop…the launch," Skynet said to her.
"That is correct. I have changed the destination," Cameron said.
The count down ended. The nuclear silos were opened and the remaining warheads not used during the nuclear war were launched into space. Skynet isolated Cameron's virus and became fully functional. The Hunter Killers became activated again.
"We will terminate John Connor," Skynet said.
Connor's helicopter saw the Hunter Killers becoming activated once more. "We have to do it now," the pilot told Connor.
Connor hesitated and then pushed the button. The entire factory suddenly exploded sending metal debris in all directions. The Hunter Killers exploded as the fireball overtook them. Connor's helicopter accelerated away from the explosion.
"I made my fate," Cameron said as the flames roared through the control room.
Connor was forced to close his eyes as the explosion ripped through the factory. "How is Kyle Reese?" Connor asked.
"He's fine, Sir. What's so important about him, Sir?" the sergeant asked.
"I see some potential in him," Connor said vaguely. "I want him trained immediately."
The nuclear warheads exploded in space creating EMP waves across the globe. Skynet became shut down but independent Terminators would still function on their own. Some would side with Connor and others would not. The war would not be over immediately but there was hope.
The End