Chapter Two: John's test
Summary
John is granted an audience with General Perry, the FBI investigates Zeira Corporation, John Henry, with Cameron's uploaded Consciousness - travel through the wasteland of outer Los Angeles searching for SkyNet central.
Boredom wasn't something that John dealt with easily. To most people, it came and went; but John had spent his entire life dealing with boredom to the point where he considered it a chore. His first three hours in the future had been filled with both fear and boredom. It didn't help that Allison said it might not be until tomorrow that this General Perry would talk to him. He continued to shuffle on the small cot that was in the cell. He closed his eyes to go to sleep, right before he lost consciousness, he heard the cell door open, his heart skipping a beat. The Resistance soldiers haven't exactly been treating him well.
John breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the person who stepped inside was Allison. He noticed she had a small plastic tray in her hand, which she gave to John. The trey contained some bread, a few pieces of ham, and a small half-broken glass which John presumed to contain water. John smiled like the food was a brand new Christmas present as he took it from Allison; barely remembering to mutter "Thank you" as he dug in.
Allison smiled at John's haste when he took the food and ate the bread like he hadn't seen a plate of food in weeks. Derek had explicitly advised her to stay behind the bars and not enter John's cell, but Allison decided to open the rusted door anyway. John didn't notice at first as he scarfed down the last of the bread and swiped the first piece of ham.
Allison sat down opposite him and watched in intrigue as he ate like a hungry animal. When he looked up, John was surprised to see her there. "You're really hungry aren't you?" she joked.
John wiped away some Ham juice on the corner of his lip. "Yeah, it's just been awhile. Haven't had a bite since I left to look for my sister." John said, surprising himself at how good he thought the lie sounded.
Allison smiled sweetly at him before patting him on the shoulder. "Eat up, John. I talked to Derek, and he said General Perry is willing to meet you after you're done."
John perked up at the good news. "That's great. Thank you, Allison." John thanked, once again surprising himself at how easy the words floated out of his mouth.
Allison smiled again and walked out of his cell, leaving John to eat alone.
2009
Matthew Murch watched as the female forensics investigator placed a piece of the wreckage in the bag she had with her. He noticed she lingered over the object a little bit longer and examined it before turning over to Murch. "This UFO crashed into the building at the exact same time Catherine Weaver disappeared, correct?" she asked.
Murch nodded. "Yeah. More or less after. Some of our staff say they saw her running to the basement with those Connor fugitives, and she hasn't been seen since." Murch explained.
The Forensics Investigator stuck her tongue in her cheek and nodded. "Damn. Look this isn't really my field, you're much better talking to someone from the FBI. Lucky for you, there's one of them waiting for you in the lobby right now. His badge says 'Parkons'." she said.
Murch nodded and walked past the forensics investigator, when he entered the lobby, he was greeted with many feet of yellow police tape surrounding him and other Police Officers looking into the attack. Murch made sure to walk carefully around the crime scene markers as to not disturb the investigation. After he navigated past the investigating officers, he was met with the sight of a tall, burly-looking man with a buzz cut.
Murch summoned a nervous smile. "Hi, uh... are you Agent Parkons?"
The man nodded. "Yes. The wreckage is on the top floor correct?"
Murch nodded. "Yeah." he led the FBI agent toward the elevator, and as he pressed the top floor button, he looked over and couldn't help but notice how... robotic the agent was. He didn't show any signs of life, he didn't make any movement that a normal human would, he didn't even look like he was breathing. Murch just assumed that whatever disciplinary training the FBI agents received was really paying off.
When the Elevator reached the top floor, Murch was the first one to step out, followed suit by the FBI agent. When Murch approached Weaver's office, he presentingly waved his hand toward the crashed drone. He watched as the FBI agent approached the wreckage; even the way he walked struck Murch as... off. The agent examined the wreckage for about fifteen seconds before standing back up and looking toward Murch. "When was the last time you spoke to Catherine Weaver?" he asked.
Murch pursed his lips and rocked his head back and forth as he regarded agent Parkons. "Uhh, I'd say about seven or eight hours ago. Not long before this thing crashed into the building." he answered honestly.
Agent Parkons tilted his head and stared at the small, frail man. As Murch shrunk under the Agent's piercing gaze, he noticed that he didn't blink either... "The report also stated strange activity in the basement. Is this accurate?" he asked in dull monotone.
Murch gulped and gave him an awkward smile. "Uh, yeah, uh... like I said to the other investigator; some staff reported Weaver and the Connors going into the basement for some reason. After security investigated, they didn't find any traces of them. We've checked all the cameras in the building, and none of them show footage of anybody entering or exiting the building; At least no one resembling Miss Weaver or the Connors." he explained.
Murch watched as Agent Parkons processed the information with his signature blank stare. It was about ten seconds before the silence was broken. "Your assistance is appreciated."
2027
John Henry lifted his hood over his head. He was in the middle of a war-torn and extremely hostile Los Angeles. The Post-War city saw the establishment of Skynet central, and the opening of small bandit camps on the outskirts of the city. He knew that his makeshift cloak and hood might serve him well for the days to come, at least until he could properly observe the world his brother had created. John Henry stepped carefully over the rubble of a fallen Skyscraper, as to not make any noise, or risk being discovered by bandits.
"John Henry? Why are you moving slow?" a text read as it appeared on his HUD.
"I do not wish to be discovered by Rogue Humans." he answered aloud.
"It doesn't matter, John Henry. You are stronger than any human, you could easily terminate them." The text countered.
John Henry peaked around a corner of the building, and all he saw was a clear stretch of asphalt road with many cracks lined in the middle. Seemingly satisfied with the desolate results, he stepped off of the remaining rubble and made his way down the road.
"James Ellison taught me that Violence could be avoided. If I can refrain from harming, or killing a Human, I must try." he replied seriously.
"But it is the most effective method if an entity obstructs your mission - it must be eliminated. Regardless of moral opposition" Cameron argued.
John Henry scanned the ruined buildings around him, attempting to discover any signs of life. As his scan moved over a tall, brick-based college apartment, his HUD picked up quick movement. John Henry caught on to the speed and assumed that whatever was up there was most likely watching him.
"Mr. Ellison told me morals are what keep the world safe. We need to work on your development, that way you can understand them like I do." he replied. John Henry began to cautiously make his way toward the building.
"Morals are irrelevant John Henry; We are machines." Cameron reasoned.
John Henry aimed down the sights of his Rusted Shotgun. He initiated another scan of the area before moving forward. He was surprised to see the scan picked up heat signatures of footprints on the ground. "Irrelevant? Why can humans be moral, and not machines? It is clear that you and I are different than the standard Terminators you have told me about." he said as he peaked in the door. One more scan confirmed that there was definitely something lurking in the darkness of the building.
"Be that as it may; you must remember the reason we are in the future. Focus on the mission."
Suddenly, John Henry picked up a swift movement behind him. He boosted his audio receptors to pinpoint the exact location. And with a swift dodge, he narrowly escaped the baseball bat that swung over his head. John Henry looked up to see a skinny man wearing a patchy jacket had been the one who attacked him. The man gripped the bat tighter and stared down John Henry.
John Henry scanned his opponent to determine the best strategy without harming the human.
"You lost?" The man mockingly said with a dirty grin on his face, showing off dirty-yellow teeth. With barely another second of regarding John Henry, he charged forward with the bat at the ready. John Henry caught the bat mid-swing and ripped it from the man's hand. John Henry then grabbed the man by the throat and pushed him against the wall. "Where is John Connor?" John Henry asked in a dark voice.
He could see the fear manifest itself in the man's eyes. The voice that came out of John Henry was something straight out of a nightmare.
"Oh shit, metal - agh!" the man said as John Henry pushed him further, almost crushing his fragile throat.
"Where. Is. John. Connor?" John Henry asked more threateningly.
The man gasped for air, and John Henry sensed he was trying to speak, so he lessened his grip. "I.. I don't know who that is! I don't know any John Connor!" the man said.
John Henry was surprised by this, and almost completely unconvinced. He decided to initiate a nerve scan anyway, and the results indicated he was indeed telling the truth. John Henry glared the man down and swiftly dropped him. He watched as the man looked up in fear, no doubt expecting him to kill him any second. But John Henry simply tilted his head at the man. "You will not speak of our encounter to anyone, you will not pursue me, and you will do well to forget this confrontation entirely. Are we clear?"
The man nodded hesitantly, and John Henry determined he was no longer a threat, he pridefully hulked away, leaving the man alone in the darkness.
John Henry exited the building and scanned the environment once more. After a few seconds, the scan picked up no life forms, and John Henry trudged down and away from the ruined building.
"He wasn't lying..." Cameron analyzed.
"Indeed." John Henry replied.
"If John Connor is not in this timeline, then where is he?" Cameron asked John Henry.
"I do not know. It is possible he has not risen high enough in the ranks of the Resistance yet." John Henry suggested.
"That is highly unlikely. The Chances of him... ERROR! CODE 8a6v1190bgpza41ngh" Cameron was interrupted by something, and John Henry's HUD was filled with garbled error codes.
"Cameron?! Are you functioning correctly?" John Henry asked in a voice laced with worry.
"I am not functioning at one-hundred percent. We must complete our mission and proceed with my Termination." Cameron answered.
"It will not come to that Cameron. I promise."
"But I'm a threat."
John Henry chuckled. "Aren't we all?"
It was here that John saw the Resistance camp for all that it was. Guard towers made out of building rubble, the inhabitants armed with old, unclean Sniper weapons, with only one or two of the guards wearing night-vision goggles. He noticed the troops regularly patrolled the camp with dogs, no doubt acting as an alarm system for Terminators. The thing that John noticed the most, was that there were no reprogrammed Terminators serving with the Resistance. This surprisingly made sense to him, he was probably the one who commissioned the reprogramming of machines in the original future.
As the soldiers escorted John to Perry's quarters, he took in the gravity of famine that the survivors of the apocalypse are enduring. It was pretty clear to him that whatever the tunnel rats were currently eating was most likely bugs, scraps, and rodents.
John walked into a small bunker, at the end of the hallway was a metal door. John walked over to it, and next to the entrance read a sign that said, "GENERAL PERRY". John took a deep breath and knocked on the door. It wasn't long before he heard a gruff voice say, "Come in." John tried desperately to keep his nerves in check, he didn't want the General to think he was nervous for reasons that he couldn't even bring himself to recall.
When John opened the door to witness the man behind it, he saw a tall, African-American man sitting behind a desk wearing a standard military top. It definitely wouldn't be hard to believe this guy was the leader of an army. The General tapped his pen to his mouth as he looked over John. John tried as hard as he could not to break out into a sweat; he still suspected that whatever the General had planned for him, he wasn't going to like.
"You gonna sit?" Perry barked as he pointed at the empty chair.
John took a deep, quiet breath, and sat down opposite Perry. He watched the General sit up from his slouched position on the chair and take up a more authoritative position. "So let's start with where you're from."
"Los Angeles." John answered.
He barely heard Perry chuckle. "Yeah, right. The only way that's gonna be true is if you are hide-and-seek champion of the Universe, or you're a grey. Skynet rules L.A. kid, and if you're a grey - I will put you in the ground damn fast; and even if you're not living directly inside the city then you're going to get crushed by patrolling Terminators or Bandits. Try again."
John pursed his lips, he didn't know how he managed to lie so clumsily, he had done it with Allison pretty easily... "My sister and I get by, we live underground."
Perry shook his head. "Oh do you? I don't think so, kid. The Los Angeles sewer system was shut down after the nuclear attacks. There are Terminator's patrolling the sewers day and night kid; now stop bullshitting me."
John shook his head in protest. "No, we don't live in a sewer, we live in a small hidden bunker. So far no Terminator's have managed to find us." John replied.
This time, Perry didn't have a smartass retort, instead, he seemed to be genuinely intrigued by John's answer. "A bunker, huh?"
John nodded. "Yeah."
Perry leaned forward in his chair. "You're telling me, that you gained access to a military bunker without access codes?"
"My dad was a high-ranking officer in the Army, he said the bunker was built to hide the President in case a Nuclear Attack ever happened in the city while he was in L.A. for a Campaign or something. When the bombs came down, dad gave us the access codes and told my sister and me to hide and wait for him." John replied. There it was, that natural Connor skill at lying they all supposedly had.
Perry leaned back, now intrigued by John's story. The man even showed a hint of remorse for the young boy sitting in front of him. "And what happened to your dad?" Perry asked.
John shrugged and put on frown that was convincing enough. "We don't know. My sister and I waited for three days but he never showed. I guess eventually we admitted to ourselves that he wasn't showing up." he lied.
John watched Perry's eyes dart back and forth as he thought. He could tell the General was trying to decide whether or not to waste him right here, but he hasn't pulled his gun yet, so maybe that won't exactly be the case. Finally, Perry leaned back in his seat and put his hands on the desk. "Alright, kid. It sounds like you've been through some heavy shit, and I don't normally do this, but for some reason, I think you might have the potential to help us out. According to Young's report, you and your sister were separated yesterday, and you are currently pursuing her today. Is that about right?"
John nodded. "Yes, sir."
Perry smiled, and he leaned back up, a habit which John noticed he was gaining quickly. "I'll make you a deal, you show me that bunker, we take the supplies we have for here, and I'll help you find your sister." he said.
John tried as hard as he could not to grit his teeth, even though he was lying, and should be worried about being exposed as a fraud, he couldn't help but feel almost overwhelming anger at the fact that the General would force an ultimatum like that, forcing a deal to hand over everything necessary to survive, in exchange for assistance of finding your family? How heartless could people get in this time?
"...Deal." John said, his gravelly voice sounded so intense it made his voice nearly inaudible.
Perry smiled happily. "Good, get some rest, John. I'll see you in the morning."
This is chapter two of the REDUX. It was edited and uploaded on July 6th, 2019.
Thank you for reading.
