To Olischulu – Don't worry, I remember that. Still thanks for pointing it out. I'm not perfect, so actually could miss something. You see, this is main disadvantage of dividing chapters onto the fragments – all explanations are left in the text, but all you need is waiting for the next fragment for the answers. Sorry for that, but such dividing helps avoiding long breaks between chapters.
To Morded – No, don't think so) I don't see your comment rude.
A/N: This is the translation of "Пепел судьбы". The original has big chapters, but I divided them on fragments.
Sorry for the grammar, again.
I do not owe any right of Terminator universe. All of it is just for entertainment.
Part one. Pain.
Chapter 1. Vices and Beliefs.
# # #
This chapter contains references to the TV series, some scenes. For example, Derek's presence into the work camp (1 season, 6 episode), or capture of Alison (2 season, 4 episode). I purposely did not describe them in order to avoid confrontation with own vision of the series for each person. I show the story in a different way, from a different point of view, so the scenes that are present in the series are omitted for not cluttering up the narrative. I hope readers will remember those scenes.
# # #
Fourth fragment
# # #
Cases had just loaded onto the transport. For many years the Resistance has adapted to use some of the abandoned subway lines, for faster movements. In this case people used mobile on the rails carts, equipped with own engines. For a long time people had tried to eliminate the noise problem, and finally they managed to do it - now this type of transport was almost silent, only occasionally it was heard the creaking of wheels that mated to the rails. These carts at first simply were called "ducks", but later people gave them different name – Leopards.
Near to the exits from the tunnel were three Leopards; one of them was already loaded with the boxes, and the soldiers, who had carried them, were sitting atop. Given the situation, John sent several people for checking the area ahead – were there any traps or not. Few minutes later they returned and reported that all was clear. The rest of people climbed on the Leopards. John sat next to his own box. Couple of seconds later the Leopards came to motion.
The trip wasn't lasted so long. Depot-II was farther away from the subway line than Gamma-3. However John was sure, that there couldn't be any pitfalls or traps. Depot-II was absolutely new outpost, few had heard of it, and hardly SkyNet was among those few.
Upon arrival the men quickly got off the transport and began to check the area. The soldiers, who were sitting on the boxes, now dragged them from the Leopards. Once again people created the column – four were in the front, six were in the rear, the rest – in the middle. The bunker was almost one mile ahead, but the fighters didn't even think to relax. John still didn't depart from his box, he even tried to help soldiers to carry it.
Kyle joined John. His scruffy appearance spoke of good recent slaughter, but he showed no pain. Scorch on his left shoulder was barely visible under the charred scraps of clothing, but Kyle didn't pay any attention to it.
John looked at him. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," he answered dryly. "I've had worse." He remembered Derek and his capturing. Pain can be controlled. You just disconnect it.
"Good," John said, dryly too.
A little later they resumed their conversation.
"It seems, that you're carrying something valuable for you there," Kyle grinned, looking at John's slight efforts.
"It's unlikely you'd understand me," he said. "But here is something that will help me to destroy SkyNet."
"And what it is? Nuclear weapon?"
"Not exactly," John replied. "I'll tell you, and maybe even show you, but only when I'll figure out how and what to do with it. Until then not a word about it."
And John said nothing else.
Rumors about Alison among the soldiers hadn't stopped. While the fighters were going from one bunker to another, many of them wondered where she could had gone. John walked alone with them, without her. And a lot of them wondered why the leader of the Resistance didn't depart from the box. Someone suggested that the cyborg that had attacked John, had killed Alison, and now her body were lying in this box. The rumor quickly spread around the soldiers, but no one dared to talk to the commander. They didn't want to disturb the leader of the Resistance, because it might cause him a new pain. And he still showed no emotions on his face, since they had left the bunker.
John realized that Kyle had told to no one, whose exactly appearance cyborg had had. Surely the soldiers were wondering now, what had happened to the endo. And the main thing for them was what had happened to Alison. But no one asked him about that, and it was for the best. John could easily sink into his thoughts and think about the future.
But the soldiers even had no idea, how these rumors that circulated among them were right. The cyborg really had killed Alison Young. But not there and not now. It had been even before she entered the bunker. And in this bow really were lying the body. But the cyborg's body. Rumors, rumors…
Soon they reached the bunker. Depot-II hadn't so much difference with his older brother, Depot-I, which had been destroyed three years ago, but yet it was larger. Design remembered some prison blocks, only with wider corridors and without cells for prisonersat all. Just a lot of private rooms.
John came in front of soldiers to the doors of the bunker and told the password. The door immediately opened. The leader was welcomed, and the soldiers went inside. The cases with the food, weapons, equipment immediately were delivered to the appropriate rooms. Specially marked case of John Connor was put in his own room that hidden behind the small "office" room.
John looked around his room – small bunk, small wardrobe, two tables near the wall, three chairs. On the ceiling two lamps were hung , pretty well lightened the room. In the wall near the tables there were three sockets. In the middle of the room stood the case, it seemed pretty big in such small room. There was no dust – it looked like people thoroughly had cleaned the room to his arrival.
John opened the case and began to distribute his stuff. The clothes he immediately laid in the wardrobe, laptops and the equipment - on the table. The weapons he laid still on the bed. And after looked at the body that lied inside the box.
The cyborg hadn't closed her eyes. Thanks to vibrating during the passage her head was slightly leaned, but her eyes were still empty looking in front of her. On her face were no emotions, just the mouth was slightly open. In front of John swept all the thoughts about their difficult conversation.
What was she? Just the ordinary cyborg that had been sent to kill him? One could hardly speak about the 'ordinary', when see the emotions on the face of the terminator. Judging by outward signs, her model was lower and narrower than usual triple eight, not to mention T-800 and T-850. And John was also very interested in this unusual form of the chip; he had never seen anything like this before. Before pursuing the reprogramming, he had to find out more of what he had faced and how he would handle that.
Perhaps it was worth to run her before making changes. It was much easier to hear the answers to the questions, rather than try to read them from the code. Whether it was necessary to run a cyborg again? No. But John couldn't wait.
On the table, among other equipment, there was the taser that John didn't forget to take with him from his old room. He picked it up and rechecked, just in case. Electroshock worked fine.
John locked the door and removed all the weapons to the wardrobe. Not enough yet to the cyborg to kill him without answers. He took out the chip fro his pocket and examined it. And then without hesitations inserted it into the port and turned.
The cyborg not immediately came to herself. It took a few seconds for the diagnostics. John walked a few steps back to the table, for acting in case of danger.
The cyborg sat in the case. Looked around the room. Her eyes still didn't express any emotion. Then she found John, and for a moment on her face revealed a bit of bewilderment, with anger, but after she calmly and gently smiled, letting know, that all was fine. The smile reflected in her eyes that slightly sparkled with the red light. The only thing that bothered John was the fact that the cyborg's head began to flutter, periodically and nervously. As if something inside was pounding on it.
"Will you attack me?" coldly asked John.
"No," she replied. "I won't"
"Good."
He came closer. Somewhere inside him he felt that he could trust this machine and could not afraid of her spontaneous attack. "I'd like to ask a few questions. Do you mind?"
"No," cyborg slightly tilted her head, but internal impulse made it return in the previous position.
"What's with you?" he asked.
"System failures," she said coldly. "As I told you before, I fight with SkyNet inside me. It fights with me."
"So, I don't have so much time." John sighed. "What are you?" he asked. "What kind of model? I've never met anything like this before. You seem… different."
"I am," she smiled slightly. "Model TOK-715, last in the class of TOK-700"
"TOK-700?" John surprised. "The last time I heard about them was near three months ago. But you are... different from them. What's the difference?"
"TOK-700 were ineffective. Each model in a certain moment had a systemic failure in the program code, responsible for the infiltration, and their presence among the people immediately came out. Each model was made with the expectation to replace a concrete person. When SkyNet defined, what was the system failure, the series was decided to withdraw from a production, but subsequently SkyNet has been managed to fix that mistake and create a new model – me. I was modified and improved, methods and possibilities of infiltration were developed. It has been spent a lot of time and materials on my production, so there is no other model like me. If I fail, SkyNet would stop further development of the terminators in this direction and would focus only on open military operations. What else I know about myself, I'm unique."
She smiled. John, without tearing his eyes, listened to her every word. Unique? The right word for what I've seen a couple of hours ago. "How…" John paused. "How could you feel?"
The cyborg tilted her head. She didn't know the answer, could only guess. But it didn't matter. She felt that she could trust this man. Felt.
"I don't know. I can only say that there are subtle design elements which are separate program code on imitation the emotions. But…" she looked at his eyes. "…I think that they are not the cause. Maybe that SkyNet has created the suitable conditions for the… implementation of something like that. Unwittingly, it has created what couldn't conceive for well over fifteen years."
John looked into her eyes. She - in his. On John's face didn't reflect any emotions, only, perhaps, curiosity played in his eyes, but the cyborg faintly smiled at him. Light jerky movements rolled over each time more and more, and John decided he'd better hurry. "Why then, in the hallway, you're allowed to give out yourself? Why you attacked those people?"
"Not me. Alison. As I said, the programmed Alison's personality became unstable. Lest there be no surprises - for example, a sudden reboot - I decided to act. She has already killed five soldiers, but I stepped in and locked her. No sooner than have I finished with the soldiers, I immediately sent the signal to SkyNet. Alison's personality since then was locked; she had no access to systems. But it doesn't matter, me or she - we had one purpose, to kill you. But I won't do it. I can't..."
She were still barely noticeable smiling. That smile so reminded Alison… but he saw the different person in front of him. The person who hadn't allowed SkyNet to win the war. Just because SkyNet had created such perfect conditions for the emergence of feelings inside the machine. "I don't know what will happen when I will be able to reprogram you, but I hope that your words are true. That the matter is not in the screws and bolts. That the matter is in you."
The smile vanished from her face, and was replaced by sadness.
"I know that you don't want it, but for you it is a chance to correct the mistakes. To learn how to think like us, how to act like us, and, finally, repent for what you've done. If your words are wrong, and my hopes are in vain, then, as I said, you'll never remember yourself. But I hope that things will turn out differently."
Single tear rolled down her face.
"Frankly, I've never expected to see something like this. The machine was able to feel... It seemed to me unthinkable. Every day there were more and more deaths. Sometimes people died right in my hands. Machines are unfeeling, heartless. And I never saw any of the genuine emotions on the face of your race... until today."
The cyborg smiled.
"I don't know, how long your reprogramming would take, if I'll be able to reprogram you at all. And how much time is needed for your development. But I hope that me and you will still be able to talk about it."
She looked into his eyes, and whispered so simple phrase: "Thank you."
"For what?" he asked, slightly confused.
"For talking to me not like with a machine. For your willing to accept my mistakes and to give me a chance to correct it. That you are ready to give me a new life. I killed her... but I'm really sorry... I'm so sorry... I... forgive me, please... and still thank you."
Another tear rolled down her face, but in her eyes was no expression of sadness. In her eyes there was joy. John smiled at her, for the first time of both their conversations, and that smile imprinted in the cyborg's memory. John walked up to her and gently laid her down on her back and pulled out her chip. Emotions instantly disappeared from her face.
John covered the box by lid and pushed it against the wall, between the bunk and the table.
Whether she was the SkyNet's weapon? Yes. Could she be the weapon against it? John didn't know the answer. Not yet. He was so hoping to find it out when reprogram the cyborg.
# # #
Two ground groups reached the Depot-II bunker at the dawn. As it had become clear from the reports, the third group hadn't been able to survive - they had taken the enemy away from the bunkers and had embarked on long street skirmishes with the machines. How much machines had been destroyed was unknown. But since none from the group had returned yet means that all the people were dead. John ordered to send a small team to locate them. If find the bodies, they should secretly bury them, and take away their belongings.
About 7 a.m. John was woken up by the knock in the door. The leader of the Resistance quickly got dressed and went out of the room; before him stood Mike, the First Major of John Connor's inner circle. "Good morning, sir."
"Morning. Glad that you're alive. What's the matter?"
"From our side, as we walked on the surface, we were able to see two Trolls. One of them was close to the Gamma-3. The other was further, but to make it out from this distance was easy."
"So, SkyNet took prisoners."
"That's right. We haven't seen the bodies of the missing patrol, and one of the Trolls, apparently, wasn't empty."
"Thanks for the info, Mike. Is there something else?"
"Short message from Gamma-2. All of their groups arrived to the place just before dawn. To be honest, they narrowly escaped the attack of the machines - we have seen that a lot of cyborgs were close to their trajectory. That's all for now."
"Thank you, Mike. Go and get some rest. We'll talk in the evening."
Mike nodded, saluted and went into the tunnel, leaving John alone with his thoughts.
SkyNet in recent has surge of captives. Strangely. Perhaps he still hasn't lost hope for a mass infiltration? However, the prisoners still shouldn't be thrown. We must find where they are and what it does with them.
John went back to his room, dressed in the usual form of Resistance fighter and set off to find Kyle.
# # #
The Depot-II was the spacious underground bunker, like a regular prison. However, after the Resistance fighters had been in here for capital repair, prison spirit was completely gone from here; now the outpost was something like a field camp. The bunker could hold a large number of people, almost five hundred men. Before the inner circle of John Connor was headed here, there had been a few dozen fighters, experienced doctors and technicians. Along with the leader of the Resistance almost fifty soldiers had come.
Food supplies, however, were far from perfect. The deliveries to the outpost hadn't been established yet, so there was only that what the soldiers had brought with them. About water, things were a bit better. On the edges of the outpost were about ten rainwater tanks. Every time, when the new bunker had been preparing, people had been drilling small holes in search of possible groundwater sources. The lucky was on humans' side this time. In the desert, and especially in Los Angeles, it was very difficult to stumble upon happiness like that.
For the weapons were no problems at all. Every day its number increased, and soon would be not enough people for these weapons. Yet, besides, tomorrow should be brought a new set of grenade launchers. They needed in more soldiers. But the men would appear here not earlier than supply of food would be normally established.
Kyle Reese didn't sleep this night. During the passage from Gamma-3 he had calmed down a little, but the loss of precious for him picture didn't give any rest. He didn't know what to do now, he could only hope that the photo was intact, and that he would be able to come back and pick it up. He couldn't tell John that he had lost the only preserved photo of Sarah Connor. John found Kyle grimly sat on the bunk. "Kyle?" John quietly entered the room. The Sergeant just bowed his head.
"Yes, sir."
"Don't 'sir' to me. I've told you this many times."
Kyle nodded slowly. "Yes, John."
"I've got the news for you."
He raised his head and looked at the leader of the Resistance. John walked over and sat down on the chair next to his young father. "In two days we are going in Topanga Canyon."
"Found a secret weapon?" The Sergeant said languidly.
"Yes. Ready either destroy it or capture."
"Capture?"
"It will depend on the value of those weapon. If it turns out that it is better to destroy it, then we destroy it."
Kyle nodded briefly.
"What's bothering you?" asked John.
Kyle didn't know how to tell him. He should tell... but didn't know how. "I..." he began, but stopped.
"If you are afraid to say it, just nod, and I will go..."
"No!" Kyle got up from the bunk. "I say..."
John knew that something happened to him. He remembered the burn on the left shoulder at Kyle. Now he was already dressed, but John had been able see the wound. In this place at the Kyle's jacket was the pocket, in which he always kept a photo of Sarah Connor.
His mother's.
"You've lost the photo?" John asked coldly.
Kyle turned away. He couldn't look into the eyes of his leader, but he wanted to excuse himself... wanted to...
"I was the last in the outpost..." he began. "The machines attacked... I didn't have time to react. One almost got into me," he tapped a finger on his chest just below the left shoulder. "Her... her photo slipped out, and fell in my named case... I didn't have time to get the photo. And now... I don't know... all of it seems so hopeless..."
"Stop such thinking immediately. We live in a time when we can't lose hope. Never."
Kyle looked at his leader – John for the first time in two weeks spoke with him about hope. For the first time he said something approving during these two weeks. Perhaps John learned something that made him to hope for a better future with new strength?
"Kyle," John softened his voice. "Don't despair. You told me this, almost two weeks ago. Do you remember? About Ali. Alison... she was like a sister for you.
Was? He said 'was'? Is he certainly sure that she's dead?
"And, Kyle, this is our world. Despair is our enemy. And we need to fight with it and our weapon against it is hope. Don't despair, Kyle. The main thing is that you..." John paused, "...that we remember her. The photo is not so important. Important is what you feel when looking at her."
"Hope..."
"Exactly, Kyle. Exactly the hope."
Kyle sat on his bed and looked at the leader of the Resistance. In his mind once again flashed her image. Features of the young at the time Sarah Connor... and in the heart of Kyle suddenly some calm appeared. He dreamt to meet this woman, about which John told so much.
With what purpose he gave Kyle the photo? John said that she supposed to protect him, Kyle. It was wondering why among all the fighters the leader chose him, the mere Sergeant. But John never answered this question. Sometimes just smiled, sometimes in his eyes Kyle could see sadness.
"How do you feel?" John asked, looking at the pensive face of his young father. "Seems like you didn't sleep well."
"I'm fine," he answered. "It's all right now."
John got up from his chair.
"John!" The Sergeant called out to him.
The leader of the Resistance turned around.
"What was in the box, John?" asked Kyle. "You are so carefully carried it, as if there was dear a thing, but you said that there was the weapon against SkyNet. So what was inside?"
John sighed. He needed to tell him, but he didn't want to disturb Kyle with heavy thoughts in vain. In the end, after two days he should to attack the Topanga Canyon. And to send Kyle in the past.
John sat back in his chair and looked at the Sergeant. "Cyborg, Kyle. Cyborg."
Kyle as if petrified. Cyborg? That wanted to kill him?
"I told you that she won't harm us," John continued. "And she never will."
"It is a machine, John!" exclaimed Kyle. "Machines can't be trusted!.."
"You don't know what I saw," John's voice trailed off. "I will reprogram her. She will be my bodyguard."
"This is not a joke, John. You're the leader of the resistance. In your opinion, how we should react at such your step? The main enemy of the SkyNet, and with the terminator?! No. This is unacceptable."
John got up from his chair. "I don't need your opinion to make decisions," he said coldly. "We are at war. She was my enemy. Now she will be my friend."
"This is not a joke," Kyle said again. "Since when you started to trust the machine? It's metal. And you treat it like a human! I would never have called terminator as my friend! And then… tell me, you don't care about Alison? This is because it killed her!"
John walked right up to Kyle and coldly glared at his eyes. Shivers ran through Sergeant.
"It's not up to you about my decisions," John could barely control himself. "I couldn't be careless about Alison. I do care about her. Yes, cyborg killed her, but she was ready to repent."
Kyle gasped and nearly choked on his own saliva. Repent? This is not funny. "John..."
"Enough," coldly said John. "All you need to know – she won't replace Ali. She is here with different purpose – to help me to destroy SkyNet."
"And Ali didn't want to help you to destroy SkyNet?"
John took a step back. "Yes, she did. But remember her, Kyle. Remember her enthusiasm and hope. Her main desire was not to destroy SkyNet. It was to make the world happy. Destroying SkyNet is how this desire came out from her. Such people are very few. I haven't met anyone else like her..."
"And yet, you keep the cyborg with yourself. Admit it, you want to get her back? That's why you're trying to replace her."
"No, Kyle!" John raised his voice. "People can't be replaced! For me there is only one Alison Young!"
"That's why cyborg killed her."
"No. SkyNet killed her. Not cyborg. You must understand the difference."
"Some kind of hope appeared in you, right? What did you see? What this cyborg showed you, since you so eager began to hope?"
"I've seen enough to understand the truth, for me. Cyborg will be as the source of information about SkyNet. On her chip is enough data. I'll reprogram her, and she will become my bodyguard. The machines is just the tools, Kyle. SkyNet is our enemy. As for this cyborg... she showed me something that is not capable of other terminators. Including SkyNet itself..."
But John didn't finish the sentence. He turned around and headed to the door, when Kyle's voice stopped him. "What she showed you?" John opened the door. "John, what is it?" The Sergeant raised his voice. "Don't leave without answer!"
John turned to him. He suddenly remembered Derek's words about Alison. Yet the cyborg wasn't her, this words were so pretty acceptable. When me and Kyle found her, I fell into shock, Derek had told him. It looked like life itself didn't want to leave her. She always was so joyful and cheerful. Life itself was her constant companion. She always was as a miracle…
"Life, Kyle. She showed me the life."
The leader of the Resistance closed the door behind him, leaving Sergeant Kyle Reese alone in the room, full of surprise, misunderstandings and curiosity. Cyborg showed him the life… impossible! But once inside him there is so strong hope… could it be the truth?..
Stop, all questions later… I'm too tired… I need to unwind, and then to sleep. Never lose the hope…
