author's notes: Okay, so this chapter or "episode" you could say, is expanding on what happened during the Kansas Bunker attack (as partially seen/explained by Derek in Season 2 episode "Goodbye to All That." So you will recognize some sections from the episode itself.
cptlatnok - Okay, I'm seriously going to use your suggestion. There's a character in the next chapter that gets a bit of torture, and I'm naming him Kevin. I don't really want to use Reilly as his last name since there's already a Riley in the story, but he will have the same first name. Thanks for the suggestion! LOL
mik-natsu-143 - As far as I know, yes, I believe the terminators would always kill the humans after they replicate them. After all, the whole purpose of the skin replication (at least on infiltrators) is for the terminator to actually take the human's place, and it couldn't really do that if the real human was left alive with a chance of escaping.
Pjazz - Yes, definitely a juggling act. :) A lot of figuring out timeline of events and all that fun stuff. Thanks for the compliment, though. It is kind of like writing season three on my own, :) which is why I'm always open to suggestions or ideas from any of the readers.
Previously on Born to Fight: In John's past, Derek Reese had told the story of when Martin Bedell had sacrificed his life to rescue forty Skynet prisoners. Lauren Fields, after Judgment Day, cared for Allison Young and eventually became a vital part of the Resistance as a medical doctor. John has finished his NO FATE motivational campaign and returned to Depot 2 where Bedell and the Reese brothers have been readying their forces to defend against an inevitable Skynet attack. John has given the photo of Sarah Connor to Kyle Reese.
Chapter Seven:
Born to Sacrifice
October 2025
Depot 2
John was the first to hear the loud knocking coming from the entrance of Depot 2. Followed by a small squad of soldiers who readied their weapons just in case, John cracked the door, spotting two women standing outside. One was probably not much younger than he was, the other was definitely older, but she had a young face. They looked alike and he assumed they were probably sisters.
From behind him, he heard a gasp of surprise and turned to see Allison's face light up with joyful recognition. "Lauren! Sydney!"
John opened the door fully to let the two resistance fighters inside, barring it behind them.
He didn't miss Lauren's double take as she stared at Allison, didn't miss the strange flash of confusion and doubt that crossed her face before her eyes softened in recognition and she threw her arms around Allison.
John realized exactly what it meant. This was Lauren Fields, the girl on the list, the one his mother and Cameron had helped. The one who had rescued baby Allison Young after Judgment Day. The only other person besides him who knew the connection between Cameron and Allison, if Lauren knew the connection at all. He had a feeling she'd already put two and two together.
Sydney was much quieter than her older sister, but he could tell by the smile on her face and the look in her eyes that she was genuinely happy to see Allison too. Which would make perfect sense, John told himself. After all, Allison and Sydney had grown up together under Lauren's care. After the two teenage girls exchanged hugs, Lauren turned to look at John.
"You're John Connor," she said. It was a statement, not a question, but he nodded anyway.
"And you're Lauren Fields," he replied. "My mother helped save you and your family. She told me about you. She said you liked to build birdhouses."
A sad smile crossed Lauren's face and then disappeared. "I'm sorry to bother you, General," she said apologetically. "We've come from Kansas Bunker requesting some medical supplies."
John frowned, instantly on high alert. "Is there some kind of epidemic there?"
"No, no," she assured him. "Just the usual, but we're running out of even the basic treatments. I figured we should stock up before it's too late."
John nodded his consent, glancing around purposely before turning back to Lauren, rubbing his neck and feeling slightly embarrassed. "I'm not sure where the medical supplies are."
"I can show you," Allison piped up, coming to John's rescue.
Lauren nodded to her younger sister. "Sydney, will you go get them?" As the two girls hurried off, Lauren stared after them before looking over at John once more.
"I always knew there was something familiar about Allison," she began. "Even when I was raising her after J Day, there was something oddly familiar about her face. Now that she's older, it's even more noticeable." She gave John a pointed look and he already knew where this conversation was going. "She looks a lot like the cyborg your mother brought to our house, the one that fought the Terminator."
"Cameron," John replied. The dull ache in his heart was still there every time he mentioned her name, but he pushed it back down.
"I guess…" Lauren said with a shrug. "I never heard her name. But every time I look at Allison, I'm reminded of the cyborg."
John drew in a deep shaky breath. Welcome to my world. "You have no idea. They're not just similar…they're identical."
Lauren frowned. "How could she have a cyborg twin? Unless…" her eyes grew wide with horror. "They used her as a model. They used Allison as Cameron's model, is that it? What happens, Connor?"
John hesitated. How could he explain his theory that Cameron eventually kills Allison and takes her identity? Even now, he couldn't bring himself to accept it. He didn't want another death on his hands. He liked Allison, he didn't want her to die. Not for the first time he wondered how far he was willing to go to get Cameron back. Would he knowingly send Allison to her death? Would he sacrifice a human, his friend, for a machine?
He wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.
"I don't think you should know too much about the future," he said to Lauren hesitantly. "The future is not set. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves. We could end up changing something that's not mean to be changed."
Lauren's frown deepened. "So you know what will happen."
John pursed his lips before slowly nodding. "I know what happens originally. I'm not sure how much I changed by jumping here."
Allison and Sydney came back down the tunnel, each carrying one end of a large box of medical supplies. John cocked an eyebrow.
"Did you leave any for us?" he asked.
Allison nodded easily. "Depot 2 has a large storage of our med supplies. Some of our missions in the past have been to run the medicine to other bunkers. There's plenty more where this came from." She shifted her grip on the box. "Hey, John. I'm going to help them take this stuff back to Kansas. Sydney says they could use an extra pair of hands treating the sick."
John felt a strange loneliness settle in his heart. "Oh…okay."
She smiled at him comfortingly. "Hey, don't worry. I'll be back."
He tried not to wince at her choice of words. "You forgot to ask permission."
She scoffed playfully. "Hello? I'm co-savior of mankind, remember?" John cracked a small smile and his face grew serious.
"Just be careful."
Allison gave him a two-fingered salute. "Yes sir, General."
And then she was gone, along with Lauren and Sydney, leaving him more alone than he'd felt since the first day he'd arrived.
Where's Weaver when I need her?
As it turns out, he wasn't alone for long. Kyle and Derek soon arrived, guns slung over their shoulders as usual. Derek eyed John's plasma rifle, something he'd been doing constantly ever since John returned from his mother's safehouse with the new weapon.
"When do we start getting those issued?" Derek asked with a grin.
John shrugged. "Whenever we can start manufacturing them. Or if I find some secret stash somewhere. Whichever seems more likely."
Derek winced. "Neither seem very promising."
"Where's Allison?" Kyle spoke up questioningly.
"She just headed out to Kansas Bunker to help Lauren and Sydney Fields take care of the sick," John replied.
Kyle's mouth twitched into a smile and John could see the fondness in his eyes. "Yeah, that sounds like her. Always trying to help people."
"Derek! Kyle!" Martin Bedell came running up with something small and blocky in his hands. It took John a moment to realize that the items resembled walky-talkys.
Derek raised a skeptical eyebrow as he was handed one of the communication devices. "What's this? A walky-talky? Old school."
"Actually, it's new," Martin replied. "Our tech team has been working on a communication device that's Skynet proof."
"Skynet proof," John repeated questioningly.
"Meaning it's got protective measures so they can't hack into it and listen in," Martin explained quickly. "Don't ask me how; there's a reason I'm not on the tech team."
"Let me guess," Derek said with a grin. "Wisher came up with this."
Bedell nodded. "Yeah. I guess Billy's been busy."
Derek smirked. "The man's a genius, what can I say?"
"Anyway," Bedell continued. "I'm heading back to Hammerhead. There's a squad tracking a Skynet force that's mobilizing a few miles away. We're hoping it's not going to turn our way, but if it does, we've got some magic bullets in that bunker."
John wasn't sure what a magic bullet was, but decided not to ask at this point. He'd just recently risen to his current rank and so far everyone was taking the new leadership pretty well. John didn't want to ruin the progress with them thinking he was incompetent.
"Derek, Kyle," Bedell offered. "You two want to come along?"
Both the Reese brothers nodded and headed for the east exit. John caught Martin's arm as he turned to leave, suddenly feeling an urgency to tell his comrade how much he was appreciated.
"Hey, Bedell," John began. Bedell turned around, waiting expectantly. John stared, the sudden memory striking him. Bedell was going to make a sacrifice one of these days. Maybe it was tomorrow, maybe it was years away. Or maybe he'd changed that future to where Martin wouldn't have to give his life.
"Connor," Bedell prodded. "General? You okay?"
John nodded slowly. "Yes, I'm…I just wanted to tell you thanks. You're a hero."
Bedell's face remained blank for a moment, as if trying to decipher John's words. Then the corner of his mouth turned upward into a smirk. "You're the hero, Connor. You've united us. I haven't done anything."
John kept his face and eyes serious. "I know, but you will."
Finally Bedell's brow furrowed in confusion. "Is this more of that future time travel stuff?"
"Kind of," John agreed. "I only know what Derek told me, the Derek you knew at P. Alto."
"He told you I was gonna be a hero?" Bedell's voice was filled with incredulity, but also awe and anticipation.
"He did. You save dozens of lives."
Bedell's smile remained for a few seconds before a thought hit him. "How will I know…"
"You'll know," John promised. "And when that time comes, if I'm not around to tell you personally…just know that I'll be eternally grateful to you."
"Alright…cool…" Bedell leisurely turned to walk down the hall before spinning back around and calling out, "You coming, Connor?"
John decided to take that as an invitation. And going to Hammerhead with Bedell and the Reese brothers was definitely better than staying in Depot 2. If he was going to lead these people, he needed to get in on the action.
Hammerhead wasn't too far away, and thankfully there were no Skynet patrols in the area. John stood next to Derek and Kyle in the upper bunker, glancing out through the…he couldn't actually call it a window, but it was a large slit in the wall that allowed them to keep watch on the outside, and to fire at T's when the time came. As John peered through the binoculars, he saw Skynet's force, a huge metal tank rolling slowly their way.
"Bedell," he said, keeping his voice firm, though on the inside his stomach was starting to get butterflies. "We've got something."
Martin was instantly at his side, taking the binoculars and glancing out into the darkness. "It's an ogre."
"Ogre?" John repeated.
"HK-tank," Kyle supplied, grabbing his gun. "We call them ogres or centaurs."
"Or soon to be melted slabs of metal," Derek added with a nonchalant shrug. "Your choice, really."
"Yeah, well, we got one coming our way," John replied.
Kyle came to John's side and glanced out the hole, squinting into the distance. "Someone needs to report this to the others at Depot 2. If that thing keeps coming our way, we may need some reinforcements. They need to be prepared…"
John switched into his general mode. "Alright. Reese, Bedell stay here and keep your eyes on this road. I'm going to go back to Depot 2 to get them posted." He picked up one of the walky talkys. "Keep reporting back to me at regular intervals. We can't let this get out of our control."
"Yes, sir," Derek said with a mock-salute.
John made it safely back to Depot 2 and met Major Perry coming up the main tunnel, looking worried.
"General," Perry greeted. "We've got a problem."
"Don't we always?" John asked before turning serious. "I know. We've got an ogre coming this way. Bedell has a group stationed at Hammerhead to observe Skynet movements."
Perry hesitated. "It's worse than know."
John sighed heavily. "It usually is."
"That Skynet convoy is heading straight for Kansas bunker."
For a moment John felt as if his veins had turned to ice. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out, and he wasn't even sure what he'd been trying to say. Maybe he was just going to scream.
Allison was in Kansas bunker. If Skynet hit there…
John was instantly in motion, bolting back towards the door of Depot 2. He heard Perry's frantic voice calling after him.
"Connor! Wait! What are you doing?"
John paused at the door, turning back to his major, throwing him the walky talky. "I'm going to warn them, maybe get them out before Skynet hits. You stay here, wait for Bedell's report."
Without another word, John burst through the door, plasma rifle in hand as he started off at a run toward Kansas.
***********
Kansas Bunker
John banged on the Kansas Bunker door, no longer worrying about attracting attention. The roar of the HK's overhead and the Skynet transports closing in would drown it out anyway.
It was already too late. They wouldn't be escaping.
A soldier cautiously opened the door and all but dragged John inside. "Hurry!" the fighter cried. "We're under attack."
"I'm looking for Lieutenant Allison Young," John said in a rush. "She should be with Lauren and Sydney Fields."
"Ah, yes, the doctors," the soldier said. "This way." As they ran, the soldier turned to regard John. "Who exactly are you?"
"I'm John Connor," John replied without stopping.
The soldier skidded to a stop, eyes widening with awe. "Connor? You're our savior?"
"That's what they say," John replied.
The soldier held out a hand. "Captain Wells. It's an honor to meet you, sir."
"Thanks, now we better keep moving unless you want to have the honor of meeting your grave too."
Wells nodded quickly and hurried to find Lauren, Sydney, and Allison who were in the upper level, crouched by the bunker viewport. John breathed a sigh of relief, glad they were safe for the time being.
"What's going on?" Sydney asked, eyes widening in fear.
Allison curled her lip. "Crap. We've got an ogre and three monkey wagons."
"Monkey wagons?" John repeated.
"Prisoner transports," Allison explained. "Kyle told me about them. It's how he was transported to Century the first time. If we get caught…" she shuddered involuntarily.
"That's not gonna happen," John said firmly.
There was a loud crash at one end of the bunker and John snapped his head toward the sound, hearing a strangled scream. His heart almost stopped. "They're inside. We've got to go, now!"
"Where?" Allison demanded. "They're outside too! The triple 8 patrols could kill us."
"Well these ones definitely will," John shot back. "This is our only chance." And I hate to say it's not a very good one.
**********
Hammerhead Bunker
Derek Reese stood by the window, staring out at the unfolding battle. His eyes strayed from the scene to his brother Kyle who was seated on the floor, waiting and staring at something small, square, and flat in his hand.
"What is that?" Derek asked.
Kyle glanced up briefly before returning his eyes to the object. "It's a picture."
Picture. Haven't seen one of those in a while. He couldn't imagine whose picture his brother would be carrying around. "Of who?"
"Sarah Connor."
"Sarah Connor?" Derek repeated incredulously. What the heck? "Connor's mother. Why the heck are you carrying around a picture of Connor's mother?"
Kyle's eyes grew defensive and he tucked the picture safely back into his coat pocket. "For luck," he replied.
Derek snorted. "She's dead. How lucky can that be?"
Kyle shot him a look and Derek shrugged, looking back out the window. HK's were now flying overhead and the ogre was shooting out plasma bolts at a target Derek couldn't see from his angle.
Bedell came in, rifle at the ready, looking worried and determined at the same time. "What's going on?"
"Ogre's shooting at something, but I can't see what," Derek replied, straining to catch a glimpse. "We're in a bad position for visuals."
Kyle rose to his feet quickly. "I'll go scout it out," he offered.
Derek shook his head adamantly. His brother may be a hero, but there was no way Derek was going to let him go out there into the heat of battle. "Kyle, no, you can't. I'll go."
Kyle held up a hand to caution him. "Derek, stop. Who's in charge here?"
Stupid question. "Connor."
"Okay," Kyle relented. "But who was in charge before Connor?"
"No one."
"Fair enough, but I was the one who planned missions and gave advice. Now that Connor's here, no matter how young he is, I feel like I've taken myself out of the fight a little, letting him rally the resistance."
Derek shrugged. "Yeah, the kid's done a fine job…"
"But now it's time for me to start doing something again to make a difference," Kyle insisted. "I can do this, Derek. I am doing this."
Without another word, Derek was forced to watch as his younger brother opened the bunker door and disappeared out into the fire.
**********
Outside Kansas Bunker
The plasma rifle charged up and John pulled the trigger, the rifle bouncing back against his shoulder from the recoil. The plasma blast blew a hole through the Terminator's head, completely obliterating the chip side of its skull.
Unfortunately, the plasma blast also drew the attention of several other Triple 8's in the area. John backed up toward the bunker, gripping the gun tightly. I have to stop you. I'm John Connor. He charged his weapon again.
Don't fight back. The voice startled him this time almost as much as it did the first. Cameron's voice. Don't let them know who you are. With a sinking feeling, he realized she was right. He couldn't let Skynet know that he was John Connor. He had to play the part of a regular soldier. Or else he'd be killed on the spot if they even suspected him as being one of the leaders.
He dropped the rifle and hurried back toward Allison and the others, slipping once on a piece of metal.
"What's wrong?" Wells asked. "Did you kill it?"
"Too many," John replied, panting heavily. "There's nothing we can do…except hope they take us prisoners."
"Never thought I'd be saying those words," Allison mumbled.
A trio of Triple 8's came up over the mound of debris, red eyes staring straight at them. John slowly raised his hands over his head in surrender, swallowing hard. They look a lot scarier without the flesh sheath. The endos stalked down, each grabbing hold of a prisoner. John squeezed his eyes shut as the metal fingers closed on his collar. If I were in 2009, I'd be dead… Thank God these Terminators didn't know who he was.
Another Terminator came over the pile, a Triple 8, this one with the Vick Chamberlain skin. "Get on," it commanded in a monotone. John, Allison, and the others were forced into a crowded monkey wagon. With horror John realized that Skynet had captured the rest of the bunker as well. There had to be around fifteen people crammed in this monkey wagon alone.
His eyes closed in grief as he remembered the story Derek had told him. Forty prisoners…Oh Martin…today is the day…
*********
Hammerhead Bunker
Derek tore his gaze away from the battle. He still couldn't see what Skynet was attacking, but it seemed dangerously close to where Kansas bunker lay. Where Allison was. Derek didn't feel as much fatherly love for Allison as Kyle did, but if his brother was acting like her father, that would make him her uncle. Besides, Derek liked Allison. She had a sense of humor and a personality that was rare to find these days. He hoped she would be safe in the bunker.
Bedell repeated his query over the communicator, his pitch increasing as he did. "Kansas, this is Hammerhead, do you copy? Kansas, respond!"
Derek spotted a flash of movement from the window. "He's back!" he shouted, moving quickly for the bunker door. "It's Kyle!"
Bedell drew his gun and aimed it at the door as Derek yanked it open. Kyle stumbled in, pulling his bandana down from where it had been covering his mouth and nose. Derek could see the horror and fear in Kyle's eyes.
"Tin Cans just hit Kansas bunker."
"Survivors?" Martin asked.
"Prisoners now," Kyle replied. "One ogre tank, three monkey wagons. The convoy will roll out down Wilshire towards Century in the next hour. Derek…" Kyle's voice was tortured and grief stricken. "Allison's in there."
Derek's heart was sinking to the ground, but there wasn't anything they could do about Allison and the others. "Kyle, we can't…"
"We have to get her out," Kyle protested adamantly. "I'm thinking…"
"No," Derek said shaking his head. "Uh, we got our orders. Connor wants this corridor controlled. So we sit tight, we observe Skynet movement and report back at regular intervals, and that's it."
The shock and distaste on his brother's face made him feel horrible, but Derek knew what had to be done. "What's that report gonna say?" Kyle demanded. "Huh? That we observed Skynet move these people into a death camp while we sat?"
"I know!" Derek interrupted, raising his voice to calm Kyle down. "I know it sucks alright? But if we lose eyes on this road, we could lose a lot more than one bunker, Kyle."
Kyle gritted his teeth, looking away.
Derek stared at him, trying to will his brother to see reason. "If Connor were here…"
"Connor isn't here," Martin spoke up quickly. Derek spun around to the commander, forehead wrinkling with disbelief. Bedell was going against John Connor? Bedell was the one who'd convinced everyone the kid could be trusted!
There wasn't a trace of guilt in Martin's expression, only hardened determination. "Corporal, get below, run up every tunnel rat you can find."
Kyle hesitated, looking at Derek once before moving to comply. As Derek watched his brother descend into the underground levels of the complex, he turned to Martin, tone disapproving, almost to the point of anger.
"Martin. You know what he'd say. You know what Connor would say."
"Yes, I know what he'd say," Bedell agreed. "If Connor wants to shoot me for disobeying orders, he can get in line behind the tin cans." Martin shook his head, smiling sadly. "But he won't do it."
Derek's face flushed with annoyance. "Why? Because he's a kid?"
"Because he cares," Bedell corrected firmly. "If he knew Allison was really on that transport, there wouldn't be a thing on the planet that could stop John Connor from going to her. It doesn't take a genius to figure that one out."
Derek kept shaking his head back and forth. This wasn't right. They had orders, even if they did come from a seventeen year old kid. In this case, John Connor was right. "We can't risk the lives of the entire resistance for one bunker, Martin, no matter who's in it. That's why we were losing before. Connor would say the same thing if he were here."
"I doubt it."
Derek's face flushed with anger. If John Connor had grown up training for the war no one else believed was coming, he would understand that sacrifice was a part of the battle. John Connor would understand that he couldn't save everyone. J Day proved that.
"What about everything he said about sacrifices?" he demanded. "We can't save everyone, Martin. We have to be able to live with sacrifice."
"He's right. Sometimes sacrifices are necessary." Martin was in total agreement, but Derek could hear a "but" coming.
"But he means we shouldn't risk our lives on a suicide mission to save a few when failure would mean the death of countless others."
What do you call this? "This is a suicide mission."
"Maybe," Bedell replied gravely. "But I think it's my destiny."
Destiny? "What?"
"Connor told me that I would become a hero, that I would save the lives of many people. I think that moment's now. I have to do this."
Derek was shaking his head through Martin's entire response. "No, you don't," he said strongly. "Remember what Connor talked about? The future isn't set. No fate but what we make for ourselves?"
"This is meant to happen, Derek," Martin replied softly.
Derek curled his lip angrily. "Why? Because the future's already happened and we're just going through the motions? Don't we have a choice in this matter?"
"We do have a choice," Martin said in the most serious voice he'd ever used. Derek knew this was something Bedell would always want him to remember, to take to heart. "We just have to make the right one. The one that will save lives. We're doing this."
**********
Skynet Monkey Wagon
"What's going to happen to us?" Allison whispered in the darkness of the prison transport. John could tell she was trying to be brave, but he heard the quiver of fear in her voice. He'd never seen her so scared before.
"I promised I wouldn't let anything happen to you," John reminded her, trying to keep his own voice strong. He had to be able to reassure them. He was John Connor, their leader, the one they looked to for encouragement in times like this. He'd keep her safe. He'd made a promise, not only to Kyle, but to himself as well.
"We'll get through this," John finished.
Wells gave John a resigned look. "Do you really think any of us are going to get through this? How many of us do you really think will last at Century?" Wells shook his head quickly. "No…we're all gonna die."
"Don't say that," John hissed.
"You happen to have a knife on you, Connor?" Wells asked.
John frowned. "Why?"
"Might be better to just end it now," the soldier replied with a shrug. "It's got to be better than being tortured to death in Century."
Suicide. He'd had to deal with it all his life. He'd watched helplessly as Jordan took the plunge off the school roof. He'd nearly blown his own head off with a gun he thought he'd cleared. Everyone else had assumed the stress was getting to him. Death was not the answer. They needed to live, to survive. Suicide was the cowardly way out, if it was even a way out at all.
"No," John ordered in a low voice. His intensity and dark gaze made the suicidal soldier raise his eyebrows and scoot back a bit. "No one is going to die. We're going to get out of here. We just have to be patient."
Cameron's voice was in his head again. You have to be strong, John. You have to wait for me.
John drew in a shaky breath. I'm trying, Cam. I really am. It's not up to me anymore. It's up to Kyle and Derek. It's up to Martin…
*********
Hammerhead Bunker
Derek watched from the side as Martin held up one of the magic bullets they had stashed in Hammerhead. Kyle had returned with three tunnel rats, young, but ready to help do their part to rescue the prisoners.
"Meet my friend the EFP," Martin began, showing off the explosive. "He sits in the middle of the road and blows up metal. This is his life's ambition and I intend to help him achieve it."
"We've seeded the street with these things," Derek continued. "But we've got to make sure that ogre cooperates." That's where you come in.
"Colonel Reese will take you and set up," Bedell finished. "When the convoy rolls to your position, open fire. On this bunker. The ogre will think it's metal on skin and move to assist. And when it does…boom."
Bedell surveyed the faces of the fighters. "Questions?" No one spoke up and Bedell nodded confidently. "Move out."
He handed Kyle an EFP and Derek caught Kyle by the arm before his brother could leave. "Hey, they're kids, they key off you."
Kyle gave him a look that said "duh". "I know," he replied.
Derek shook his head. "Kids…"
***********
Skynet Monkey Wagon
John found a small hole blown in the monkey wagon from a previous battle. It wasn't big enough for anyone to fit through, but at least he could poke his head out and get a partial view of what was happening in the battle. From his angle, he could see the ogre tank rolling steadily down the path.
"What's happening?" Allison asked, brushing up beside him.
"Looks like there's some explosives in the street," John pointed out.
He could only see her face due to the small amount of light let in by the hole, but he saw a smile form. "They're planning a rescue."
John nodded slowly, eyes searching the rubble piles for any soldiers hiding behind them. "It's Kyle," he said, spying his father leading three other soldiers who started firing at the Triple 8 guard squad.
Allison smile widened. "See? We'll be out of here in no time."
John had turned away from the hole to smile at her and as soon as he did he heard a tremendous explosion, saw a ball of fire shoot up from one of the EFPs, saw the next one further down the road trigger as well.
His eyes widened in horror. "Nononono! What are you doing?"
The tank wasn't even near the EFPs yet. Who had set them off early? One by one, all of the explosives had detonated prematurely, and the tank was still fully unharmed. John felt his heart sink and his hope slowly began to fade.
"There goes our last chance."
Cameron's voice rose inside his mind: No fate but what you make
John shook his head slowly. Oh, I'm not going to lay down and give up. But my fate is in the hands of my father, uncle, and Martin Bedell.
Now is the time, Martin. Your turn to be the hero.
*********
Hammerhead Bunker
The explosion almost blinded Derek's view and he cursed violently. "No no no no!"
Bedell reloaded his gun from the corner, raising his voice to be heard over the firefight outside. "You gotta be a little more specific."
"Straight shot from one of the kids," Derek informed, his voice breaking. This can not be happening. "Must have hit one of the EFPs. It set 'em all off, it's a chain reaction, we're just swinging in the wind."
"Where's the ogre?" Bedell asked.
"It's coming to kill us all," Derek retorted. "Where the heck do you think it is?"
"Where is the tank?" Bedell demanded again.
Derek finally cleared his mind, trying to keep down the panic. "About a block away, moving towards us. There's no way we've got enough powder to kill it. I'm gonna lay down some covering fire, maybe drop a couple endos. That'll give Kyle enough time to get back."
Martin was no longer looking at Derek, though. "Reese… we can kill that ogre. We've got one more magic bullet." Derek followed his gaze to see the last EFP still sitting in the corner. Bedell turned to regard Derek once more. "We just got to get it out there."
Suddenly everything Connor had said about sacrifice made sense to Derek. And Derek Reese was willing to make that sacrifice in order to save his brother. "I'll go," he said, picking up the EFP and taking a couple of deep breaths.
"You'll never make it."
"He's my brother," Derek protested. I have to make it.
"You wanna save Kyle or die trying?" Bedell snarled. "Give me the EFP. Please."
Derek looked up at Martin, at the determination and courage in his eyes. The resolution. "I want to take this one," Martin said. "I have to take this one."
Derek hesitated, remembering Bedell's big speech from earlier. "This is your fate?"
"This is my choice," Bedell corrected firmly.
Derek slowly surrendered the EFP. "Do it. But you run, Bedell." Martin started toward the door and Derek followed, feeling the need to get his full meaning across. "Do you hear me? You run. You have to get back." We still need you, Martin. You won't be made a sacrifice, you can be a hero. You just have to run fast enough to get back.
Bedell paused at the door, prepping himself for the sprint. Derek grabbed the door, ready to open it wide for his friend. "When this thing goes off, you pop those wagons, you get those people out," Martin ordered. "Don't be a hero." Derek nodded quickly and Martin looked back to the door. "Go!"
Derek took a deep breath and shoved the door open. Martin disappeared into the middle of the battle and Derek pulled the door close again, rushing back to the viewport and aiming his weapon.
But more than that, he watched Bedell. Martin had told him once how he used to be on the track team in school, how he loved to run, was the fastest in his school. Now Derek could see why. Martin ran so fast, dodging the gunfire and reaching the ogre before it got to Kyle's position.
When the EFP went off, Derek looked away as the explosion lit up the sky, his heart sinking. No one could outrun a blast like that.
Not even Martin Bedell.
***********
Skynet Monkey Wagon
John had seen Kyle making a break for the monkey wagons when the shockwave from a huge explosion suddenly knocked his father into the air, throwing him into the ground. John frantically peered through the hole, straining to see what had exploded.
"The tank," he whispered with shock. "They blew the tank…"
John wrenched his gaze back to Kyle, who was slowly trying to struggle to his feet, wincing. "Kyle!" John shouted.
Kyle coughed violently, looking up through the smoke at the convoy. "Connor?"
"On your feet, soldier!" John ordered.
Kyle staggered to his feet, running for the monkey wagon again. John saw the blast of fire from the Hammerhead bunker knock out a couple of the Terminator guards, and blowing off the locks of their prison.
Kyle grabbed the door and yanked it open. "Let's go, let's go!" he cried. John leaped down, seeing for the first time the whole destruction around them. Dozens of burning Triple 8 skeletons and the HK tank was absolutely blown to pieces.
John had a sinking feeling that someone had gone out with it.
Kyle led them all into the safety of Hammerhead bunker and thirty-nine of the former prisoners went down below into the safety of the tunnels. Only John remained in the upper level. He saw Derek standing at the bunker viewport, hands still gripping his gun tightly, moving as if in a daze, eyes unfocused.
John approached cautiously, hoping Derek wasn't going into shock or anything.
"Connor," Derek stated, his voice low.
"Derek? What happened? Where's Martin?"
Derek's eyes were dead, his voice dull when he replied, "He's dead."
John had expected as much. But he still wasn't prepared for it. He felt his breath rush out of his mouth in a whoosh. It had happened. Bedell had done it; he'd saved them all; he'd been the hero. John recalled Derek's words from before. He ran so fast, but no one could outrun a blast like that.
"He died…" Derek said bleakly. "He died for you."
And John felt an unbearable pain in his heart, an emptiness he could hardly bear. Hearing about it from Derek the first time was hard enough, but this…Martin had just died. He'd died to save John Connor, to save Allison Young, to save the Fields sisters, to save everyone on that transport. He'd made the ultimate sacrifice, his life for the lives of others.
Martin was the true hero.
Derek's words came rushing back to him hauntingly, along with an onslaught of bitter tears.
He died for you, John.
We all die for you.
Next: As John struggles to deal with the grief over Martin's death, a stranger in the camp could mean danger for the Resistance.
