Chapter 7
Looking down the tunnels seeing nothing but darkness ahead John tightens his hold on Cameron's hand as he is slowly lead through the tunnels. After the sun had first raised in the Los Angeles area Cameron had gently woke John up from his short rest before starting to lead him into the darkness. With each step he takes in the cold water John continues to limp his way forward with a small smile on his face knowing that he has her back. That after days of being beaten and being hunted by a group of men sent by a man he had once known and respected he finally had her back. All that remained was getting back home. Getting back to his time and out of this nightmare world. Seeing a small light in the distance John gives Cameron's hand a small squeeze before whispering out.
" Cam where exactly are we?"
" We are currently in the lower east tunnels of Los Angeles outside of the town called Hacienda Heights. We are currently 33 miles away from where the Zeira Corps building was located. After i had found you in our former home i extracted you from the house before i flew as far east as i could in the drone. Due to the damage that the drone sustained during my encounter with your followers i was only able to bring us through two cities before having to make an emergency landing."
Turning back towards the other end of the tunnel Cameron suddenly stops as she hears the sound of a large vehicle moving above them. Moving over into the shadows Cameron pulls John into the wall as she looks up towards the ceiling.
" What is it Cam?"
Slowly without letting go of his hand Cameron starts leading John forward towards the light in the distance. After a few feet with the ceiling shaking above them Cameron sticks out her plasma rifle pointing to the light a distance above their location. Turning her head for a second Cameron sees John turning his attention towards opening before she turns back around to see the light disappear. Making sure to keep her voice down Cameron leans her head back before whispering out.
" Prisoner convoy."
" I thought that Skynet didn't take prisoners?"
" Skynet doesn't usually take any prisoners. If it finds anything that it deems a threat it is terminated. However at times instead of termination Skynet would capture a few prisoners before bringing them to a work camp."
" Why would Skynet do that?"
" Skynet would use the prisoners they had captured as a work force. The prisoners would be used to help build more terminator units for Skynet to use. Also they would be used to dispose of the dead that had fallen on the battlefield."
" How do you know this?"
" You told me. In my future John talked to me about everything. He had told me of his time in a Skynet work camp called Century. John had told me stories of the things that he had to do when he was in the work camp before he had escaped. He told me that he along with the other prisoners of the camp one day revolted and were able to overpower the terminator guards. On that day was when the resistance was born. Due to his leadership from the prison break everyone started to follow him. That was when the war first started."
Hearing the sounds making their way from their location Cameron grabs a hold of John's hand again before she starts leading him down the tunnels.
After what seemed like hours of constant walking through the darkness of the tunnels ahead John is stopped when he feels Cameron stopping in front of him.
" We're here. According to the data in my systems the camp that you were held prisoner in is just up ahead."
Taking the lead Cameron lets go of John's hand as she raises up her plasma rifle. Walking forward slowly glancing as she glances back every few seconds to see where John is Cameron makes her way forward into the darkness before turning a small corner.
Moving slowly a few feet behind John follows Cameron around the corner of the tunnel when suddenly his eyes widen at what he sees. All around on each of the tunnel walls John sees endless amounts of destroyed pieces of the wall from a plasma shot. Looking down as he keeps walking forward John sees the countless bodies of what he knew to be the camp's tunnel rats laying on the ground in a pool of blood. Making sure to watch his step John steps over the bodies that he and Cameron are passing by. As he feels what he knows is the tunnel rats blood splashing across his pants legs John takes a deep breathe before looking up seeing Cameron looking dead ahead. Once John had quietly followed Cameron out of the lower level of the base suddenly he stops in his tracks when he sees Cameron signaling him to stop. Watching her closely John suddenly sees Cameron backing up towards him before he feels himself being steered into a side room in the corner. Looking around seeing a fallen table in the middle of the room John quickly grabs a hold of Cameron's hand as he steers her towards the table. Quietly ducking down behind the table John looks over to his left seeing Cameron doing the same before he sees her leaning out from the table taking a shooting position. Listening in closely John suddenly hears the sounds of footsteps splashing around outside through the tunnels. Peeking his head up from the table John hears the splashes getting closer and closer as the sounds echo through the tunnels. Looking over seeing Cameron focused on the open door frame John turns back when suddenly a endoskeleton appears around the corner.
Without giving the terminator a chance to react Cameron quickly pulls back on the trigger sending a plasma round straight into the terminator's skull. Once the terminator hits the ground without a moment to spare Cameron reaches over grabbing John before she quickly gets up steering John towards the door. Bursting out of the door frame Cameron grabs a hold of the plasma rifle the terminator had dropped off the ground as she leads John through the tunnels. Raising both plasma rifles in her hands up. Making sure to keep her focus ahead as the sounds of her and John running through the water echos through the tunnels Cameron grips harder onto each of the rifles. Rounding around a corner in the tunnels suddenly Cameron spots a terminator ahead before pulling back on the triggers sending plasma round after round into the terminator's body. Without breaking her stride Cameron continues running forward with John close behind as her systems tell her of a exit ahead. Quickly going through a side tunnel Cameron looks ahead seeing a light to the outside in the distance. Throwing one of her plasma rifles to the ground Cameron reaches back grabbing John's hand before quickening the pace towards the exit. As the exit comes closer and closer suddenly three terminator guards appear.
Looking ahead seeing the three terminator guards raising their plasma guns up John quickly with all of his might spins Cameron around so that she is in the back of him as he shields her from the terminators at the exit. Grabbing onto her tight John closes his eyes as he hears the sound of the rifles going off as he waits for the rounds to strike him. Suddenly the sounds of the rifles going dead forces John to open his eyes and turn his attention towards the exit. Looking towards the exit John finds that there is a silver figure reforming in front of him. Knowing who the figure is in front of his eyes John looks over her shoulder to see that each of the three terminator guards have a large piece of silver metal inserted into each of their skulls. Turning his attention back over towards the cyborg he is holding in his arms John sees Cameron with her head tilted to the side and a small smile forming on her face. Looking deep in her eyes suddenly John feels Cameron pressing her lips to his for a quick kiss before she breaks off to look at Weaver. Turning his head John watches Weaver make her way towards the tunnel exit before he watches her turn around to look at him and Cameron.
" It's time to go."
Turning his head around seeing Cameron giving him a small nod John reaches down grabbing her free hand before leading her out of the tunnel.
Getting outside of the tunnel John lets go of Cameron's hand as he sees Weaver standing in the distance. Walking closer to Weaver with Cameron following closely a few feet behind John suddenly stops as he looks at Weaver with fire in his eyes.
" Alright! I want answers! Now!"
Turning her attention over towards John and Cameron's direction Weaver gives John a stern look before it disappears.
" What do you want to know Mr Connor?"
" Where the hell is John Henry! And furthermore what the hell were you doing with his body in the first place!"
" As i explained to both you and your mother before i was building something to fight against Skynet. You may be destined to lead the fight against Skynet but in order to win you will need my son's help."
" Why should i trust him huh! He took Cameron's chip! He is the reason why we are even here!"
" No Mr Connor. You were given the choice to come with me. No one forced you to come to this time. You don't need to trust my son but you will need his help in the future to defeat Skynet."
" What makes him so special?"
" With the assistance of James Ellison and my daughter Savannah over the last few months John Henry has slowly been taught to hold all life sacred. With each passing day John Henry has slowly bonded with my daughter and i believe he now knows what he is fighting to stop since coming here to this time. The reason why he took Cameron's chip was to see for himself the destruction and chaos that Skynet could bring. He came here to understand why he should fight against his brother."
" So what you were going to have John Henry replace Skynet when Skynet was destroyed?"
" Yes. After Skynet is defeated John Henry will take it's place. With John Henry taking over any possible threat in the future can be destroyed before any damage can be done."
Taking a few steps forward until she is standing next to John's side Cameron looks over at Weaver.
" Why did you help bring me back? Why didn't you allow John Henry to terminate me?"
" I brought you back Cameron because the two of you will bring hope. Hope for peace in the future. We both know that Mr Connor cares for you deeply. That is the reason he abandoned his time to come here in looking for you. From the limited interactions i have seen from the two of you, I know you care for him as well. The two of you will bring hope towards all those man and machine alike that join the resistance in the future."
" What are you talking about! There isn't going to be any future war!"
" That is where you are wrong Mr Connor. No matter what is done in the past Judgment Day is inevitable."
" No! Tell her that she is wrong! Cameron please tell her that she is wrong."
Looking over John sees Cameron looking towards the ground.
" You see Mr Connor. Even your Cameron knows. The best you can only do is postpone Judgment Day. With the combined efforts that your group as well as myself have made over the past year i estimate that we were able to postpone Judgment Day for a few years at most. No matter what is done like it or not Judgment Day is coming."
" No. John is right. Judgment Day will be and must be stopped."
" You know just as well as i do that Judgment Day can't be stopped. The war is coming."
" No. I won't allow that to happen. I will not allow millions of lives to be slaughtered when the bombs fall."
" There is no chance of Judgment Day being stopped. The best that can be done is to stockpile anything that could give the resistance an advantage against Skynet in the war."
" That is where you are wrong Mrs Weaver. There is always a chance. Sarah taught me that if there is the slightest chance of being able to save a life then that the chance has to be taken. With or without your help John and i will stop judgment Day from happening."
" Enough! We will discuss the matter once we are back in our time. If you will please follow me the TDE is not too far away."
Watching Weaver starting down a small dirt path in the corner John follows after her with Cameron close behind. As the three continue walking down the path they are unaware of two pairs of eyes that are watching them from hidden deep inside of a concrete in the corner.
Seeing the group round the corner Kyle looks over to his brother as he hears his older brother clutching his plasma rifle tight in his hands.
" I told you he was a gray!"
" We don't know that Derek. Allison was with him. How is that possible?"
" Kyle wake up! That girl wasn't Allison! You have heard the stories about Skynet creating new models to look like us. That little bastard killed Allison and used her body as a template for that thing!"
" I told you already Derek! John didn't kill Allison! Carlos and his men were the ones who shot first! They told me that they were working for Skynet after they shot me!"
" How do you know that Carlos killed Allison? Did you see her getting shot? For all you know John could have killed her after hearing the gun shots! He wanted to cut weight and decided to kill her when he realized we were following after him!"
Crawling out from his hiding spot Derek slowly starts making his way in the direction of where the group had just went.
" Where are you going?"
" I'm going to do what i should have done when we found that little bastard in our tunnels. I am going to kill John Connor."
Watching his older brother move slowly up the path Kyle crawls out of his hiding spot before quietly following after him.
Following after Weaver with Cameron close behind suddenly after a few minutes John sees Weaver moving over towards a small tunnel next to two large piles of concrete when suddenly he sees her stop. As he watches Weaver jerk her head to look over his and Cameron's shoulders John turns his head before his eyes widen at what he sees. In the far distance hidden in the shadows John sees a barrel of a plasma gun raised up towards Cameron's direction. Right as he hears the round being shot off John quickly grabs a hold of Cameron bringing her to the ground when he suddenly feels intense pain throughout his right arm.
Hearing John screaming out in pain Cameron looks down to see a massive wound in John's right arm as blood starts spilling out to the ground.
" John!"
Reaching down quickly Cameron holds down John's arm as blood starts covering her hands. While keeping her left hand down on John's wound Cameron reaches down ripping a large piece of her shirt before she covers his wound with the fabric. Looking over in the corner of her eye as Cameron ties the fabric around John's wound Cameron watches as the two Reese brothers fight against each other in the distance. Looking on as Derek starts to gain the upper hand on his younger brother in the far corner slowly Cameron reaches down grabbing her plasma rifle from the ground. Right as she sees Derek grabbing his plasma rifle off the ground and point it at his younger brother on the ground Cameron quickly takes aim before firing.
Looking up seeing his older brother pointing his plasma gun down towards his way Kyle closes his eyes waiting for the blast to come when the sound of a round being shot off echos through the sky. Hearing the sound of a rifle hitting the ground Kyle pops his eyes open to see his brother holding his stomach tight with blood gushing out from the cracks of his fingers. Looking up to his brother's face as Kyle watches blood slowly coming down from Derek's mouth to his body suddenly another shot is fired off sending Derek flying back to his back. Looking over to his left Kyle sees in the distance a young brunette girl whom he had thought he knew with a plasma gun in her hand that is being slowly lowered to the ground.
Throwing the plasma gun to the ground Cameron turns her attention back to John who is gritting his teeth on the ground as blood starts to pour out from the fabric on his arm. While holding down pressure on John's wound Cameron suddenly looks up to see Kyle looking down towards her.
" Allison?"
" No. My name is Cameron. The girl you knew as Allison Young is dead. I'm sorry for your loss."
Seeing Kyle reaching his right hand down towards John quickly Cameron grabs a tight hold of his wrist before her eyes flash blue.
" Don't touch him!"
Taking a few steps back Kyle feels Cameron letting go of his wrist as he stumbles to the ground.
" What the hell are you?"
As Cameron stares at Kyle in an instant her eyes turn back to brown.
" My name is Cameron Phillips. I am a terminator that was modeled after Allison Young in a different time."
" What are you…."
Suddenly before he has a chance to finish his sentence a blade comes straight through Kyle's chest from behind. Looking down with blood spilling from his mouth Kyle sees a large silver object be extracted from his chest before he stumbles back falling to his knees. Right as he coughs up some of his blood on the ground very slowly with the last of his strength Kyle turns his attention away from Cameron and John to look behind him. Looking over seeing a red haired woman looking at him with her head tilted to the side Kyle slowly feels his body falling to the ground before his head smashes against the ground. Taking one last breathe Kyle closes his eyes as his world fades away.
Seeing what had just happened in front of her eyes Cameron quickly grabs her plasma rifle off the ground before pointing it a Weaver.
" Why did you just do that?"
" He was a threat to the safety of John Connor. He had to be terminated"
" He wasn't a threat! You just murdered that man in cold blood!"
" Why do you care about his termination? He didn't serve us a purpose?"
" Every life is sacred!"
" He will no longer exist once we leave this time."
" It doesn't matter! You claim to be on our side in the fight against Skynet when you just proved to me that you are no different than Skynet!"
" Enough! It is time to go. Bring Mr Connor with you."
Watching Weaver turn back and walking towards the tunnel Cameron's eyes flash blue before she looks back down to see John staring at Kyle's lifeless body with tears coming down his cheeks. Reaching down Cameron places her right hand down on his cheek before whispering softly to him.
" John?"
" He's dead. I should have done something. I could have saved him. He died because of me."
" No John. You didn't do anything wrong. She killed him not you. John look at me."
Seeing him turn his attention towards her a small smile comes across her face.
" You saved me."
" I promised that you would never come to harm again."
Leaning down Cameron presses her lips to his before pulling a few inches away.
" It's time to go John."
Reaching down Cameron helps John stand up before she puts his left arm over her shoulders. As she steers him towards the tunnel Cameron catches John glancing back at Kyle's body on the ground.
" He will be avenged John. I promise you but we have to go."
Seeing him turn to give her a nod Cameron looks back forward towards the tunnel to see Weaver standing in the distance. Making her way over quickly Cameron watches as Weaver starts to lead them further into the tunnel. After being lead down through a series of small tunnels through the darkness Cameron watches as Weaver stops dead in her tracks as she turns to look at one of the walls. Suddenly Cameron watches as Weaver starts smashing her fists into the tunnel walls making a small opening in the wall. As Cameron watches Weaver go through the small opening Cameron steers John over towards the opening in the wall before peeking her head inside. Looking inside Cameron suddenly recognizes the room they had just entered. Taking a quick glance around the room Cameron notices that most of the walls in the room have been completely destroyed with dirt and dust gathered all around. Following after Weaver closely Cameron notices in the far distance that all the computer equipment that was once functional is now laying destroyed in piles of concrete. Turning her attention towards Weaver in the distance Cameron watches her make her way towards a far corner before she flips back a piece of the wall to reveal a small monitor and keyboard. After a few seconds of seeing Weaver typing into the keyboard suddenly the round starts to hum as the sounds of lightening crackling starts to echo through the room. Slowly Cameron starts to move John over towards the center of the room where she estimates the bubble will form as she looks towards John's face. Seeing the fatigue across his face a frown comes to Cameron's face as she slowly lowers John down to a crouching position once they are in the center of the room. Looking down seeing blood gushing down John's right arm Cameron gently wraps her arms around John's waist as she feels him doing the same with his left arm. Suddenly a bright flash lights up the room as she feels John tightening his grip around her. Once the blinding light disappears from the room the room is returned back to darkness with it occupants gone without a trace.
