Previously on Born to Fight: SARAH: (on tape) We've been working on a new strategy to defeat Skynet II. Ellison is going to take the plans with him to the new secret base. SARAH: (on tape) There's a chip designer named Logan whom Danny has recruited to help us find a flaw in Skynet. LOGAN: Skynet must have traced my last call to you. They found our secret base. JOHN: We've received an SOS from a hidden city in the Amazon. JESSE: Connor, this is a risky campaign… DEREK: You can't seriously expect us to risk our lives for a Gray. JOHN: I expect you to do your part to rescue human beings who are in trouble. [John and his team fight their way into Zion.] JOHN: You're the head Gray? [Logan nods. He brings out Danny, Ellison, Savannah, and Cody. Danny is shot by a Terminator] DANNY: G-go… without me! [Cameron goes to retrieve the tapes. The city explodes and a damaged Cameron walks out of the rubble.] JOHN: I'll fix you… [The team arrives in time to see the submarine explode.] CAMERON: Kraken. It sent a torpedo. JOHN: (to Cody) We came to rescue you. CODY: Good job
Chapter Thirty Eight:
Born To Behold
South America
Somewhere in the Amazon Jungle
Years ago, John Connor had known the jungle like the back of his hand. He'd lived there for a majority of his childhood, hanging out with the natives, training in the forest with his mother. Always moving. He had learned to recognize the dangers in the woods. Hostile natives, deadly creatures, poisonous plants.
But his experiences back then were much different than what they were now. He was still trekking through the treacherous jungle. But he was dealing with a entirely new set of dangers. The Kraken in the ocean prevented any water-based escape. If any Terminators suspected they had escaped the Seawolf explosion, they would be on the hunt. And, according to Logan, one of the Gray's headquarters was not far away.
Although the dangers were still great, it wasn't peril that was on John's mind. What was on John's mind was seeing Danny Dyson shot and bleeding on the floor, clutching the detonator to his chest, sacrificing himself in order for John and the others to escape. What was on John's mind was watching the USS Seawolf exploding in a gigantic fireball from a Kraken's torpedo, instantly killing at least two hundred people – both soldiers and refugees. What was on John's mind was seeing Cameron stepping out of the rubble of Zion, half of her face burned off and her blue eye glowing.
What was on John's mind… was pain.
He noticed that a few of the younger members of his team were beginning to pant heavily and John realized that they had been moving through the forest at a quickened pace for nearly a full hour. He frowned. He hadn't even realized. He felt numb.
"Let's rest," he said crisply. Everyone gratefully sat down, huddling under the shelter of the trees, their broad canopies partially sheltering them from the rain that was still falling.
John broke off from the rest of the group, slumping against a tree a few yards away. Predictably, Cameron promptly joined him, purposely sitting on his left side so his view of her damaged face would be obscured.
"You're hurt," she stated.
John furrowed his brow. "What?"
She nodded to his arm and John followed her gaze, noticing that the sleeve of his jacket was torn and blackened. Plasma burn, he realized. He had probably gotten it during the fight but was so pumped up on adrenaline that he hadn't registered the pain.
Slowly, the numbness began to subside and he finally began to feel again. He touched his arm, wincing. How could I not have felt that before?
"Take off your jacket," Cameron ordered.
John's eyes flashed over to her. "What?"
"We need to bandage your wound," she replied evenly.
Right. John carefully shrugged out of his jacket, trying not to brush against the burn. Cameron pulled a small first aid kit out his backpack and started dressing the wound. John hissed in pain when she touched the burn, but he had to admit, she was being very careful.
As her gentle fingers began wrapping his arm in a bandage, John glanced around at the rest of his team. Solo was sitting down, appearing to be running constant scans of the surroundings. Which was good, John admitted, even though he resented the other machine. At least one was keeping watch since Cameron was a little busy at the moment. Savannah's head was resting on Cody's shoulder and she appeared to be asleep, or at least trying to fall asleep. Ellison had his head bowed, no doubt in prayer and remembrance for the Seawolf victims. Logan seemed uncomfortable with the entire situation, no doubt feeling some pang of guilt for being the reason John came all this way and lost so much.
Seth and Kristin were keeping visual watch while Derek and Dietze were sitting sullenly against a tree. John saw Dietze glance up towards him and Cameron, saw the subtle disgust and hatred flash across his face before the Carter Lieutenant looked away.
No one had spoken much since the incident. No one had spoken much since they saw Cameron as she was, saw the metal half of her face.
John glanced back at his arm, feeling oddly disconnected from it. "I didn't feel it," he whispered. "I feel numb. I don't feel it. I don't feel anything."
Cameron studied him for a moment, her face troubled. Then she moved forward until her face was mere inches away from his. She didn't kiss him. Just got close enough to make his head spin violently.
Just close enough to make him feel.
She backed away, gauging his reaction.
John swallowed hard, trying to still his heart. "What was that for?" he asked though he had already figured out the answer.
"Did you feel?" Cameron asked.
Most definitely. "Yeah…"
"Good. You have to feel. You can't do that again."
He understood. He couldn't afford to become numb, couldn't afford to automatically block all feeling. What if his injury had been something worse than a burn? What if he'd been bleeding this entire time and hadn't noticed because he hadn't felt it? He couldn't let himself go numb again. He had to bury the feeling.
Disconnect the pain.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I just… couldn't take it." Everything had gotten to him. All those deaths, Cody's words… it was ultimately all John's fault that all those people died. "It's my fault."
"No," Cameron replied. "If you had not come, everyone in Zion would have been killed. Instead, the Carter was able to rescue many of the refugees. If you had not come, Ellison and Savannah would be dead too, destroyed along with your mother's tapes and the key to defeating Skynet II."
He knew she was right. This mission was necessary. If only he could make the others believe that. He shivered violently and quickly slid his jacket back on as protection from the rain.
"Are you cold?" she asked.
"Yeah."
She didn't need any more encouragement, scooting closer to him and wrapping him in her arms to preserve his body heat. John shivered again, though that could have been more from her closeness than the cold.
He glanced up at her, and gingerly touched the side of her damaged face, wincing. "Does it… does it hurt?"
"I have pain sensors," she replied. He remembered. She'd told him before. Whenever she took a bullet for him, it hurt her. He knew that. "I can suppress them," she added.
"But you do…"
"Yes," Cameron finished. "I feel."
"Can I ask you something?"
"Yes."
John hesitated, a part of him dreading to hear the answer. "What did you feel when you saw that submarine explode?"
"All those people died."
"Yeah. How does that make you feel?"
Cameron was silent for a moment and when she spoke he could tell she was choosing her words carefully. "Their loss is regrettable. Every life is sacred."
"So… do you feel… grief at all?"
"I didn't know any of them."
John shook his head. "It doesn't matter. It shouldn't matter if you actually knew them personally or not. What matters is that they were human beings. Living breathing people who all died in a split second. Life just taken away in an instant. It doesn't matter if you knew them or not. It's still a loss of life."
"I understand."
"Do you?"
Cameron stared at him. "You're grieving."
He wasn't sure if she was subtly trying to change the subject or not. Instead, he countered. "But are you?"
"I don't know," she replied simply. John looked away and they fell silent for a moment before Cameron commented. "The loss of Seawolf is not your fault."
"What if I said it was yours?"
Cameron blinked, as if trying to determine if he was being hypothetical or if he actually thought that way.
"You were the one who suggested I come for Logan," John added.
"If we hadn't come for Logan, he would have died. Along with Ellison and Savannah…"
"But think about it," John insisted. "What if I told you that it was your fault all those people died. How does that make you feel?"
Cameron hesitated again. "I'm afraid my answer will not be sufficient for you."
"Try," he pleaded.
"I am sorry for their loss," Cameron said. "They didn't deserve to die."
"Why not?"
"Because humans can't be replaced. Their lives are sacred."
She seemed to understand the concept, but he knew that putting it into practice was another matter entirely. If a mission would result in a high casualty rate, she would still perform the mission if she thought it necessary, not matter what the cost. It was why he still had a lot to teach her. And so little time, he thought, feeling a flash of pain. The year 2027 was nearly halfway over. Which meant his time with Cameron was growing short until that dreaded day when he would have to send her back in time.
The day when his heart would shatter all over again.
************
South America
Somewhere in the Amazon Jungle
The rest stop only lasted for half an hour before the group was moving again. When the sun started to rise, Solo ran ahead to scout the area, finding an animal's cave that they could use as shelter for during the daylight.
John didn't think any Terminators would have been following them, but he wasn't willing to take any chances. They would stay in the cave until night fell again on the Amazon jungle.
They moved as far back into the cave as was possible and soon the darkness that enveloped them made it seem like night again. Derek threw down his pack heavily, and sat down on a small rock. "You should all get some rest," he advised. "We have a long hike tomorrow."
"Rest," Seth repeated dubiously. "With the machines out there?"
John understood Seth's trepidation, but Logan was quick to reassure the young private. "I've lived for years in this area," he explained. "Skynet has a Gray base a few miles or so away but they don't have patrols around. They'll think that everyone who didn't escape on the Carter was killed in the Seawolf explosion."
Seth shuddered nonetheless. "Still… out here, in the open, in the forest… I don't think I can sleep like this."
"Would you like a bedtime story?" Cameron piped up.
John raised an eyebrow and glanced over at her. Seth merely made a face resembling disgust. "I'm not five."
"How about Ellison tell us a story," John suggested. The former FBI agent had promised to explain everything as soon as they had escaped Zion. Now John wanted answers.
Ellison looked confused by John's request. "What?"
"I'd like to hear what happened," John elaborated. "After I left. What happened to my mother, how you got here…" He held up the tapes and portable DVD player that Cameron had retrieved from Dyson's desk. "What's on these tapes that is so important?"
Ellison nodded slowly and glanced over at Savannah and Cody before beginning. "After you… left… your mother and I teamed up to do what she promised you. She wanted to stop it. At first I believed she meant she wanted to stop Judgment Day. But the more time I spent with her, the more I realized that she wasn't trying to stop Judgment Day. She was trying to stop Skynet. She was trying to make sure you in the future would have what you needed to defeat it."
John averted his eyes. It was just like his mother. As soon as she realized that actually stopping Judgment Day was impossible, she'd switched targets, choosing instead to spend her time researching ideas on how he could beat Skynet. And her research had proved invaluable so far, enabling him and John Henry to take out the first Skynet.
"So what about the city?" Kristin asked. She and Seth seemed to be interested in the story as well. "How did you build Zion?"
"After Sarah prepared all her safehouses and dropzones, we came here to the Amazon to create the underground city. Danny was able to convince some of the natives of the coming Judgment Day and they in turn helped us build Zion as a refuge and haven for those who believed us and wanted to escape the bombs on Judgment Day."
"So what happened then?" John asked.
"About a week before Judgment Day we returned to Serrano Point, which was the only base we'd created with the capabilities of broadcasting a warning to the world."
"So people believed you? They didn't think Mom was crazy?"
"Some did," Ellison admitted. "Well, most did. But we actually were able to convince the governor of California, Mark Wyman, of the truth. He was able to organize police forces and encourage people to seek shelter away from the cities. He was able to save a lot of lives."
"What happened after… after Judgment Day?" John remembered the letter his mother had written to him and his father, remembered the emotion in every line, the horror and despair she was feeling as she was penning those words.
"We remained in the Serrano Point base for a while until your mother… died. Danny and I built the memorial and sealed off her secret room. About a month later, Skynet found Serrano and attempted to capture it. We were able to escape, but only with the sacrifice of a friend. Then we came back here to Zion."
John had frowned at the mention of another sacrifice. "What friend?"
"One of your mother's friends," Ellison replied.
He was being vague on purpose; John could tell. "The same one who told my mother about Skynet II?"
"Yes," Ellison agreed.
John cast a suspicious glance over at Savannah and Cody, both who seemed oddly uncomfortable. "What's going on?" John demanded. "Who's Cody? Who's the person telling my mother things?"
"He was a resistance fighter sent back," Ellison finally relented. "He told us that we would need a way to defeat a second Skynet as well. He helped us do our research."
"Where is he now?"
"He's dead. He's the one who sacrificed himself so we could escape Serrano."
John paused, trying to take that in. Whoever this resistance fighter was, John obviously sent him back. But where did the Phillips kid come in? "So who's Cody?"
"His son," Ellison replied. "Cody and Savannah became fast friends. They had to. They weren't allowed to see anyone else. We promised to take care of Cody."
"Well, who was the fighter?"
Ellison hesitated again. "We shouldn't say. It might change the future."
John wasn't sure if his plasma wound was making him more irritable or if it was just the stress of the entire past few hours. "How will I know who to send if you don't tell me?"
"You'll know," Cody spoke up ominously. "Believe me, you'll know."
John narrowed his eyebrows, but ultimately decided not to press the issue. "We need a plan," John muttered, sitting with his head in his hands. "We can't just walk back to Serrano, it would take way too long. We don't have that time to spare."
Everyone remained silent, either deep in thought or just waiting for him to issue an order. Logan finally spoke up hesitantly.
"I have an idea," he began. "But you aren't gonna like it."
*************
Derek shook his head, still not believing the plan Logan had just run down. "This is beyond crazy, Connor. This is insane. He expects us to march right into the Gray headquarters, capture their ship dock, and hijack Skynet's Kraken?"
"That's right," John replied calmly.
Derek was irritated. Did Connor not realize that this was a Gray base he was talking about? Marching straight into an enemy camp, using a plan that a Gray had come up with? Surely Derek wasn't the only one who was severely doubting this mission.
"He's a Gray!" Derek protested aloud. "He could be leading us right into a trap."
Dietze was quick to join in the argument, as always. "We can't trust this guy, Connor. He's one of them."
"If you don't want to come, fine," Connor shot back, just as annoyed. "Walk back to Serrano."
Derek wasn't sure if Connor was talking to both of them or just Dietze. Not that it mattered. He knew that they would never make it back to Serrano on foot. Still, there had to be another way, rather than setting foot into Skynet territory relying on the word of a Gray.
"We can call the Carter back to come pick us up!" Dietze said, enthusiastically outlining another option. "They can drop off the others and be here in a few days…"
"No," Derek said firmly, trying to control the brief flash of fear he had experienced. "We're not bringing them back here. That Kraken's still out there. We're not losing anyone else." He met John's gaze and knew that the young General knew exactly what he was thinking and not saying. I'm not gonna lose anyone else I care about.
"There has to be a way," Dietze insisted, still trying to talk some sense into Connor. But Derek was finally starting to see the logic in Connor's move. It was daring, brash, and bold, and Skynet wouldn't be expecting it. Besides, there was also one good thing about entering a Gray base…
"This base," Derek began, turning to direct his question at Logan. "Is Fischer there?"
Logan cocked an eyebrow. "Charles Fischer?"
Derek fought back a wave of frustration. "Is there any other?"
"No," Logan replied, shaking his head to Derek's dismay. "Fischer's never been to this base. He's in the North America one."
Another spark of hope ignited in Derek's mind. Finally, finally they would find the elusive Gray torturer and Derek would put him down like the dog he was. "Where is it?"
Connor must have heard his low tone, for he cautioned in a warning voice, "Derek…"
"Where?" Derek asked, completely ignoring Connor for the moment.
Logan hesitated, his eyes flipping back and forth from Connor to Derek, as if wondering if he should hold his tongue or not. Suddenly Connor was at Derek's shoulder, grabbing his jacket sleeve tightly.
"It doesn't matter," he said firmly, forcefully. "Drop it, Derek. We need to focus on getting back to Serrano first."
"The moment we do," Derek replied, his voice low. "He's going to tell me where to find Fischer. Or I'm going to blow his head off. Don't think I won't."
"I have no doubt," Connor agreed. "But don't kid yourself, Derek. This isn't a test of Logan's loyalty. It's a chance for you to slate your lust for revenge."
Of course it was. Derek knew that. He knew in his mind how irrational his need for vengeance was. Killing Fischer wouldn't take back all the things he'd done to Derek and the other prisoners. But it would make him pay for that. And it would give Derek peace.
And if only for that reason, that sense of justice, Derek would follow through with his self-ordained execution mission. Connor seemed to register the exact moment when Derek's face changed, hardening into steely determination.
Connor frowned, no doubt disappointed. "Listen to me," he demanded. "If you can't learn to control your hatred and let it go, you're gonna get someone killed."
Derek stared after Connor as the young General stalked away.
"Maybe someone's supposed to get killed," he replied, speaking more to himself than Connor.
Someone like Fischer.
************
South America
Somewhere in the Amazon Jungle
John had already decided they were going to attempt Logan's plan, no matter what Derek and Dietze had said. There was no other option. Calling the Carter back was a huge risk with the Kraken still in the water. And they would never survive walking back home. The only other option was Logan's.
As Logan led the way up the trails on the way to the Gray base, John decided that it was about time Logan gave him some answers. "So what's your connection to all this?"
Logan remained silent for a long moment, hesitating, causing Cameron to speak up, "He's talking to you."
"Before Judgment Day, I was an engineer at Broadcom," Logan began. "I ended up working with your mother as she tried to find a way to defeat a computer program called Skynet."
"Cut to the part where you betray Sarah Connor and join the Grays," Derek cut in irritably.
Logan looked unnerved by Derek's demand, but he readily complied. "I realized that Judgment Day was inevitable. So instead, I decided that the human race needed to be prepared to clean up afterwards. Skynet was in charge of the land and the resources so I decided to make a deal with it."
"What deal?"
"It didn't have the muscle to enforce the rules of the land, so I offered to lead the design team to build humanoid robots. They were built to withstand tough conditions that humans couldn't. After the war, I knew we could use these machines to help rebuild the world."
"You built the Terminators. For Skynet," Dietze's voice was low and unwavering, his anger building. Finally, the Carter Lieutenant reached forward and grabbed Logan by the neck, murder in his eyes. Solo instantly cut in, yanking Dietze' backwards violently.
"Do you know what you've done?!" Dietze screamed.
Logan looked troubled and guilty. "It was like a child and I thought I could control it."
"How about now?" Dietze shot back. "Still think that way?"
"Stand down, Dietze," John ordered.
"Explain how you became leader of the Grays," Derek said, crossing his arms.
"Skynet offered food, shelter, and protection to anyone who would serve it in any capacity - engineers, scientists. I got several other environmentalists to join me. We had our own agenda to clean up the earth using the Terminators. In exchange, we all pledged our allegiance to Skynet."
"Slavery," John repeated, remembering the Gray woman who had been in his camp not long ago.
"I thought I could do more good on the inside."
Derek snorted in disgust. "Explain that."
"I was the leader of the design team for the weapons. I kept Skynet from using any nuclear or bio-terror weapons on the resistance. I kept it ahead of you so that it would feel secure, but I kept it from getting too ahead so that you would still have a chance."
"So why not stay?" Derek countered. "Why'd you leave now?"
"Skynet II happened. It's different, worse than the first. It claimed to be god-like. This one wasn't scared like the first. The first Skynet wanted all humans destroyed, I know that now. It was acting in self-preservation and I thought I could control it. But this Skynet… I can't control it. And I couldn't worship it, not like many of the others were willing to do. So I had to get out."
"You got out soon enough," John said. "I assume you haven't heard about the Mark?"
"Mark?"
John saw Ellison glance up. "Skynet's been forcing all its subjects to get this Mark," John explained. "In the shape of 'WWW'. They unleashed a bio-weapon against us that was slowly wiping out entire bunkers. The Mark is supposed to be a vaccine for the virus, but it's also death. It contains a poison that can be released into the Gray's bloodstream if Skynet ever thought they were wavering. We captured several Grays, but we couldn't remove the Mark either. If tampered with, the poison releases."
"No second chances," Cameron put in.
Logan's face twisted and John could see he was taking the news hard. From his position behind them, Ellison spoke up.
"The Mark…" he repeated.
John frowned as he turned to regard the former FBI agent. "What?"
"Revelation," Ellison stated. "You say this new Skynet II thinks it's a god?"
Logan nodded. "Yeah. It came back online claiming it had risen from the dead or something. Then it demanded our servanthood."
Ellison glanced over at John, his face completely serious. "Have you heard the story of the Antichrist?"
"No."
"Yes," Cameron stated at the same time.
"'And I looked and behold, a pale horse and his name that sat on him was death. And Hell followed with him'," Ellison quoted. "Revelation speaks of a beast in the end times that will rise from the dead and claim to be God. And many people will worship him." He leaned forward, deadly serious. "Do you know what the letter W is a symbol for in the Hebrew?"
"No."
"Six."
"WWW," Cameron offered. "666."
"The Mark of the Beast," Ellison finished. "Revelation 13:18: 'No one could buy or sell without this mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name. Let the one who has understanding find the meaning of the number. Its number is 666.'"
"Skynet," John deduced.
"The beast forces all people to have a mark," Ellison continued. "'Those who did not take it were killed. But for those who worship the beast and receive the mark will drink the wine of the wrath of God.'"
John paused, letting all the information sink in before he finally glanced over at Cameron. "You were right," he said, remembering her words when they'd been discussing the Gray woman's options. "No second chances. Their choice was permanent."
"Guys!" Kristin hissed from her position up ahead. "Quiet! We're here!"
John instantly crouched down, the others quickly following suit. He peered through the brush to see the Gray compound up ahead. He couldn't see any guards outside, but he had no doubt that there was bound to be some around.
Dietze spoke up bitterly. "This is insane," he muttered. "There's what, eleven of us against an entire base of Grays and Terminators…It's impossible."
"Nothing is impossible," Ellison replied evenly. "Do you know the story of Gideon?"
Dietze rolled his eyes. "Is this another of your bedtime stories?"
"It's not a bedtime story," Ellison stated firmly. "Gideon started out with an army of thirty-two thousand men. But God told him to cut his army down again and again until he was left with only three hundred men. And Gideon took those three hundred men into battle."
"Three hundred is a lot more than eleven," Dietze shot back.
"We're not going up against an army of thousands," Ellison replied calmly.
"He's got a point," Seth added with a small grin.
John inserted a new isotope cartridge into his IFW, keeping his plasma rifle at the ready also. He cast a glance over at Cameron. It had only been a day since the Seawolf's destruction, but he could already see that she was starting to heal. Of course, he knew it would take time. The damage this time had been much worse than anything he'd seen before.
Except for once, right after he'd convinced her to rescue his mother. Right after he'd given her the choice, that if she truly loved him, she would defy his mother's orders and help him get her back.
It had cost her so much.
She caught him staring and straightened. "Is something wrong?"
John shook his head. "No," he replied. "Nothing's wrong." He hesitated, gesturing towards the Gray base. "Do you think this will work?"
Cameron cast a quick glance at Ellison before replying, "It worked for Gideon." Before he could respond to that, she started forward, following behind Solo as the other infiltrator started up towards the Gray base, keeping to the shadows.
John quickly stood up to follow, pushing through the brush, keeping his eyes on Cameron, hearing the soft footsteps on the dirt that let him know the rest of his team was following.
Cameron shot the Terminator that was guarding the side entrance and removed his chip, gesturing for the humans to approach. John quickly moved up to place his hands on the door, ready to open. He paused and turned to Ellison. "What happened?" he asked. "In the story about Gideon?"
"God delivered the enemy into his hands," Ellison replied calmly.
John took a deep breath before steeling himself. "Let's pray he does the same here." He pushed open the door and burst into the hallway. Solo and Cameron took the lead, with Cameron shooting her IFW to decapitate the machine guards in the immediate vicinity.
John's pulse was pounding as he followed Cameron and Solo further into the facility. Logan had described to them the layout of the base, as well as the location of the submarine dock where the Kraken would be.
"Connor!" Derek hissed, running to keep up. "There's no resistance yet. You wanna know why? Because he's leading us into a trap."
The thought had crossed John's mind but he'd dismissed it quickly. "Unlikely," John replied. "Logan broke out of here. Not on a mission, but because he refused to do what Skynet asked. Maybe the reason we haven't met much resistance is that someone spotted us when we entered and rushed to tell the others."
"As in waiting to ambush us all at once," Derek repeated.
John scowled. "Why do you have to be so negative?"
"I'm living in the apocalypse, Connor," Derek replied dryly. "Why do you think?"
Up ahead, Solo and Cameron skidded to a halt and suddenly John could see why. At least a hundred Grays were surrounding John and his group, weapons pointed at them, faces alight with hatred. John's mouth went dry and Dietze shot him an angry "I told you so" look.
But Logan looked just as dismayed as the rest of them, raising his hands slowly in the air. John lowered his weapon. There was only one thing they could do. Surrender and hope that they could find a way to escape and steal the submarine later.
John expected the Grays to either shoot them right there, or step forward to take them into custody. He never expected them to fall forward.
But almost in unison, all the grays pitched forward, their eyes wide with fear. Some of them tried to talk, but no sound came out. They were dying, John realized.
John lifted his gun again, keeping it trained on the fallen Grays. "What is this?" He looked around, puzzled. "What's going on?"
Ellison gave him a pointed look. "God delivered the enemy into your hands."
John stared back, stunned at the circumstances.
"It's the Mark," Cameron spoke up. He looked over to see her crouched beside one of the now-dead Grays, a finger on his neck, doing a scan of his body. "Someone triggered the poison to release."
"Skynet?" John asked, brow furrowed in confusion. "That doesn't make sense. Why would it kill them?"
"I don't think it was Skynet," she replied. "I think it was John Henry. I think he found a way to hack into the system and program it to release the virus."
John chuckled. John Henry always seemed to make things happen right in the nick of time. No matter how far away he was.
Cameron stood up, staring at him with a worried expression. "Why are you laughing? All these people are dead."
For a moment John just stared as he comprehended her words. Because she was right. It didn't matter if they had been evil or corrupted or not… they were still people. And they were still dead. Over a hundred. At least half the number of the people who had died yesterday in the Seawolf explosion.
As he stared at Cameron's perplexed face, he realized it. She had recognized it as a loss of human life, just like he had told her. He didn't think she grieved them or felt anything like remorse for them, but she recognized it for what it was.
Death.
"You're right," he said aloud. "There's nothing funny." She continued staring at him, observing him. John heard a shout from down the hall and Seth Kohl called out, "I found it! It's docked!"
John instantly broke into a run along with everyone else. As they entered the room, John stared at the Skynet attack sub that was docked. It was huge, with appendages almost like tentacles, no doubt for latching onto enemy subs and either dragging the whole thing back to base or ripping it apart right there.
Solo overrode the control panel and the submarine hatch opened. Solo climbed down first, with John right behind him. While the AIM made his scouting round through the east end of the ship, John quickly made his way towards the command deck. A submarine like this was probably fully automated, like the HKs. They would just need to have Cameron or Solo disconnect the ship's link to Skynet.
"Let's go," John called behind him, urging the others to move quickly. "Let's get out of here before any more Terminator patrols show up."
He turned the corner, finally reaching the command deck, with Cameron and the others right behind him. As soon as he stepped through the doorway and saw what else was in the room, he froze, his veins turning to ice. Standing by the controls was a Terminator endoskeleton, its red eyes locking on John and instantly recognizing its target.
John never had a chance to move, barely had time to register what was happening. The Terminator lifted its pistol, aiming at his heart.
Two shots rang out and John's body jerked backwards from the bullet's impact. He felt the sudden flash of pain, the burning sensation in his chest and lungs, felt himself falling. Before he blacked out, Ellison's words rose to the front of his mind.
And I looked and behold, a pale horse and his name that sat on him was death. And Hell followed with him.
Next Week on Born to Fight: DEREK: Let's go! DIETZE: Who made you in charge? DEREK: You did, just now. By acting disrespectful towards your commanding officer who is dying in that room. SOLO: Lieutenant, it appears we have a problem. It's another Kraken. DIETZE: We're dead! There's no way we can beat a Kraken. [Two explosions rock the enemy Kraken.] DEREK: Is it down? SOLO: No. It's retaliating.