Chapter 11: Judgement Day

Summary

Ellison and Savannah struggle to survive the day of days, John tries to understand what drives Cameron.


April 21, 2011

The waning hours had Ellison shopping at the local Supermarket. He and Savannah, now 10 years of age, had assumed the roles of adopted parent and daughter respectively. Ellison had taken as many precautions he thought necessary to ensure their survival. He knew Judgement day was coming, it had to have been. It's been two years since John and Catherine had left and Sarah had died.

Now living in northern Oregon, he managed to find and buy a house with a very basic bomb shelter. It wasn't high-class stuff, but it would have to do.

"That'll be thirteen-forty-eight." said the young cashier at the check-out line. Ellison wasted no time reaching into his wallet and handing the young girl the cash. He didn't miss the flirty smile she gave him as she took the money. She was a looker, he had to give her that.

"Your change, sir." the cashier said as she handed him back the change.

Ellison smiled back, albeit uncomfortably. "Thanks, you have a nice day now."

He barely heard the "you too" from her as he rushed out of the store anxiously. He honestly didn't understand why a cute young thing like that would want his mid-30's ass. He merely chuckled to himself at the thought...

When he entered his car, he noticed extra ink marks on the backside of his receipt. He turned it over and read the words that were written on the back...

541 - 262 - 9801

Call me!

- Marianne

Ellison shook his head and smiled a little. For some reason, the girl reminded him of his ex-wife. He hadn't spoken to her in a very long time, since before the current crisis with Savannah, John, Sarah, and Cameron. He didn't want to get her dragged into this, it wouldn't be right to risk her life like that. She deserved to live the rest of her time in peace. He briefly wondered what it would have been like had they reconciled. Maybe they would have tried for another child, maybe they'd be living life as a family; just as ignorant to Judgement day as the rest of humanity. He was happy for her, she had a husband, a cozy home, and children now. She was at peace.

But when Ellison looked upwards, to the sky, and saw the rockets hurling towards the blue abyss, he realized that peace was soon to be shattered, like a mirror that had been struck against concrete. With all haste, the man shifted his car into gear and sped down the road, nearly colliding with a large SUV in the process.


2027

Catherine was right, this base was extremely well-hidden. It was located on a hillside in the middle of a California desert; far away from Skynet, and out of sight of the Resistance and local Scavengers. Savannah reached into her backpack and pulled out a water bottle; it was warm as the summer sun by now, but she didn't care. She was thirsty to the point of chugging the bottle down to half in a matter of seconds. When she was done, she tossed the bottle to John's waiting hands.

"Finish that if you want. I'm gonna go have a look around." Savannah announced.

John toasted in thanks to her and watched her march down the desolate hallways. Cameron walked behind him. "We should secure the doors. We'll have a better chance at a defense if we do." she suggested.

John nodded, despite wanting to just sit and relax. Something he hasn't exactly gotten to do since he arrived in the future.

"Fine, let's do it." he agreed.

When he walked away, Cameron watched his body language and posture. Not much was needed to know he was stressed. Being a machine, she wasn't sure how to help him cope with the current situation. It didn't make sense to her; he had been so happy only minutes earlier.

She decided she would just talk about how he felt, maybe determine what made humans so stressed to begin with? It would give her a chance to help him cope without having to upset him with the explanation of her mission, which she calculated would upset him just as much. She began to follow him down the stairs and stopped when she saw him securing the latches on the Perimeter doors. Cameron helped by lifting a large empty munitions crate and placing it in front of the door as a makeshift barricade.

John watched her repeat the same action with two more. Just seeing her brought a smile to his face, watching her move, perform her day-to-day actions, it brought him comfort. Which led to wonder why he had reverted back to his grumpy self in the past few minutes? It wasn't like anything had gotten worse since then, aside from being hunted by a large army full of homicidal automatons that held a personal vendetta against him, and the fact that he had drawn suspicion from the Human Resistance.

"Is everything okay John?" Cameron asked.

Looking back up at her, he scoffed. "Eh, not exactly. I mean, just who the hell did I piss off to deserve all this? It's one thing Skynet wants me dead, but I'm used to that by now. But the Resistance? What if they think I hurt Savannah? What if they think I'm a traitor?"

"They want answers, John. People are scared when they want answers." she replied.

The irony in her words seemed lost on her, John realized. They were alone, Savannah had gone to scout the base, so it was just he and Cameron. Now was his chance to ask his questions.

"Yeah... and speaking of answers, you owe me some."

He stood up from his seat on the crate and walked to Cameron. Not threateningly, but curiously.

"Why did you go? Why did you leave?" he asked, pausing when he stood close to her front. "You didn't even... say goodbye."

It seemed like an eternity before she replied, "I left because I was a threat to you." She finally answered.

John scoffed, "A threat? That didn't stop you before." John replied.

Cameron stood motionless, her reply came out just as monotone as her last. "No... it didn't."

John's head tilted slightly, "Cameron, I don't believe for a second that you left because my safety was compromised. I want you to give me an honest answer. I'm sick of being lied to; I just need you to be honest with me, because I'm going to be honest with you, I haven't trusted you because you didn't give me a reason. After that bombing, everything just fell apart. You tried to kill me, Cameron! Then you told me that I couldn't be trusted... I mean, what the hell was that? Why would you say that?"

Cameron probed her processor for an answer, but she knew the answers she was presented with would upset John further. He had requested the truth, and since he was so upset, she determined the truth was the best option at this time.

"I spoke insensitively and discourteously. I'm sorry." Cameron said softly.

John looked at her, but even he didn't know if what he was feeling was doubt or sorrow. He rubbed his hands together restlessly.

"Cameron... can you even feel sorry? I just..." he sighed, briefly burying his face in his hands.

"Never mind. But, the day mom was arrested... when that FBI agent came and talked to us, he said something to you... what was it?"

"Will you join us?" Cameron offered.

John nodded quickly, "Yeah! That's it. 'Will you join us'. What does it mean? Why did he ask you that? It bothered you. Err, I mean... well, you know what I mean."

Cameron knew she would eventually hear the question from him. She knew John was smart, and he was sharper than his mother sometimes. Being backed into a corner, Cameron knew she had to answer. If she were human, she most likely would have sighed, she wasn't sure how John would react to her story, but it wasn't like she could choose. She figured she could handle whatever John verbally threw at her afterward, seeing John begin to get impatient from her silence, she looked him in the eyes and began her story.

"In the future, you sent a United States Submarine - The Jimmy Carter, on a supply mission to Perth. You were given a crew that consisted of a reprogrammed Triple Eight, and the ranking human was Jesse Flores." Cameron explained.

"Derek's girlfriend?" John asked in confirmation.

Cameron nodded, "Yes. You were approaching Australia when the captain - Queeg suddenly steered the sub-off-course. The crew began to grow suspicious, but what they didn't know was that you gave secret orders to Queeg, and Queeg only, to retrieve a package from another faction." Cameron paused to give clarity to her story. "Catherine's faction."

It took him a minute, but he finally managed to wrap his head around what Cameron was talking about.

"Wait... Catherine is the leader of a... Terminator Resistance? Against Skynet?" he asked, his tone made it clear that he was still trying to register the logic.

Cameron nodded, "Yes, the crew members carried out the mission, and brought a package on board. They placed it in the cargo hold, yet no one knew what was inside, not even Queeg." Cameron explained. She paused briefly, seeing if John would have any questions. He didn't, so she continued speaking... "Eventually the crew staged a mutiny, and they opened the package. Inside, was a T-1001 Terminator."

"Weaver." John guessed.

Cameron nodded. "Yes, she killed one of the crew members, and according to Jesse, 'took her body'. For the next day, this left the crew on edge, with tensions escalating between the members. One of them, Dietz, attacked Jesse, suspecting she was the Terminator and he was killed by Queeg." Cameron finished. She could see John getting more and more disturbed by her story, but she continued on anyway. "Eventually, Jesse suspected Queeg of having his system compromised since he refused to speak on the mission or follow her orders. When he refused to co-operate under a chip extraction order, she disabled him. Afterward, she initiated a scuttling procedure and evacuated the crew. Before she left, Weaver appeared behind her and said one thing: 'Tell John Connor, the answer is no'."

"And the question was..." John started.

"...Will you join us." Cameron confirmed.

John suddenly felt his reserve of air leave his lungs. So many questions had been answered, he now knew Jesse's true motivation behind wanting Cameron gone. She most likely believed she had a negative influence on his leadership. He knew Weaver's intentions with John Henry, and he now knew what 'Will you join us?' meant. He took a seat, and Cameron watched him blankly. "Why didn't you tell me all of this before?" he inquired.

Cameron tilted her head. "You never asked." she replied.

John was beginning to get impatient. "Oh come on Cameron!" John pressed. "This isn't like forgetting to turn off the kitchen light, this is essential information that I NEED TO KNOW."

"I determined that since Jesse Flores was deceased, that the information had no purpose. There wasn't a need to tell you."

John raised his arms in frustration, holding them out as if defending himself on a court stand from a crime.

"Seriously? Cameron, everything that happens, every bullet that I dodge, every person we save, everything that I DO matters to me! Have you known about Catherine all along? Did you know that she came back to the past?"

Cameron shook her head, "No."

"Really?!" John asked doubtfully.

"I didn't know. After the incident with the Jimmy Carter, she made no further attempts to contact you, or you her."

John sighed, scratching his head, giving himself a moment to regain his composure, "So... Catherine's here to make sure this 'John Henry' can fight Skynet?"

"From what I was told - yes." Cameron replied. "John?"

He looked up, a torn and exhausted expression about him.

"Are you angry with me?" she asked tenderly. Her voice was the softest John had ever heard, as if she would be truly distraught if he said yes.

John thought for a moment, fighting an inner war with himself, not sure of the answer, "I..." he started.

"I need to sleep." he said. Without further discussion, John stood up and and walked past Cameron, not bothering to look at her as he searched for a place to rest. When his silhouette was consumed by distance and poor lighting, Cameron felt unwelcome foreign data feed into her processors. She ran a scan.

DAMAGE DETECTED, SEARCHING...

ERROR, NO PHYSICAL DAMAGE DETECTED. CORRUPTION PURGED.

SUGGEST IMMEDIATE STANDBY FOR SYNCHRONIZATION.

Cameron dismissed it as a glitch, but determined John was disappointed with her, and she had only made it worse by giving him the impression that she didn't trust him. It took a while for Cameron to realize she was "bothered" by it. In the past, John's opinion of her wouldn't stop her from performing tasks he would most likely oppose. For some reason, it was now affecting her in a way she couldn't explain. Maybe John Henry was on to something about her "development"?

Maybe in the morning she could better determine the anomalies in her code, but for now, she must assume her role of protector once again. She stood still near the door, making sure that any intruders would meet a bloody end.


2011

Ellison slammed the door shut, he sprinted inside the house but couldn't find any sign of Savannah. He looked all around the living room, scanning the desolate rooms in a heated panic until finally resorting to cupping his hands around his mouth, "Savannah!" he shouted.

A faint yell reached his ears in reply. "In here, Mr. Ellison!"

Ellison looked all around before he finally pinpointed the source of the yell. It was the backyard. He quickly made his way to the windows in the kitchen and opened the blinds. When he did, he saw Savannah waving her hand to him in front of the bomb shelter. Ellison smiled, smart girl. Indeed she was. Ellison pulled himself away from the window and made his way outside. He stormed into the shelter and secured the door, latching it shut with the steel-enforced lock.

He grasped Savannah by the shoulders, "Savannah, listen to me-"

"I know. Skynet is online." she replied.

Ellison nodded, he cupped his hands around her fragile ears, hoping to protect them from the armageddon to come, "Alright, Savannah. Listen to me, close your eyes. This will be over soon, I promise." Ellison said.

Savannah was dangerously close to an emotional breakdown, but she managed a small nod. Ellison gave her an encouraging pat on the shoulder, and made a full sweep of the shelter, storing away any loose or sharp objects. Savannah watched intensely while Ellison performed his task in full haste.

Suddenly, the tremor of Earth being shaken was heard. And Ellison lunged to Savannah and helped her cover her ears, and then covered his. He was thankful beyond comprehension they couldn't hear the nuclear wrath obliterate the houses and scorch the earth around them. Suddenly, they felt the blast blow over the shelter above ground.


One hour later...

It was a while before the ring of the aftermath had passed, and everything had gone quiet. About a year ago, after Sarah died, Ellison used his contacts in the FBI to get the best military-grade Radiation suits money could buy, it put a dent in his savings, but that wouldn't matter in the end. Ellison opened the small storage room and changed into the suit. When he put it on, he walked over to Savannah and gave her a reassuring smile through the face visor. "Savannah, I'm gonna take a look outside. You stay put alright? This suit's going to protect me from the radiation okay?" he explained.

Savannah was reluctant to be left alone, but she trusted Ellison and knew he would return. She didn't have the willpower to muster a verbal response, so she simply nodded.

With Ellison safe in the mind he had reassured her, he gently tilted her chin upwards, "Chin up, I'll be back."

He walked up the stairs and took a deep breath. He slowly opened the door, and poked his head outward. The first thing he noticed was the strong, yet horrid stench of radiation and scorched landscape. He was more thankful for this Radiation suit than anything else in the world right now. He took his first step outside and placed his hand on the outer frame of the door.

The sight that greeted him was that of the small Oregon town burning. Buildings were collapsing, and the ground was seething with an inferno to rival the apocalypse described in Revelations itself. Ellison stood his ground outside of the bomb shelter, and he was utterly surprised he was still alive. With the cheap reputation of that shelter, he was sure he would've been fried by now.

Ellison took his first daring step forward, and he eventually broke into a balanced walk quicker than he thought he would. He made his way inside the still-burning city and watched the blazes dominate the city sidewalks, buildings, and parks. As he advanced farther into the blazing inferno, he found himself staring at a startling sight. A man with a gun, an assault rifle of some sort, was holding a pair of people at gunpoint. Ellison ducked behind a concrete slab nearby and watched the interaction.

"Theft is still a crime sir. I'm sure the owners of this gunshop would not appreciate you stealing their hunting rifles." The man said.

One of the men, who upon closer inspection was wearing a hooded jacket, responded in a fearful voice. "Hey, I know! We're just trying to get by! Please, don't shoot us!" the man pleaded. Ellison saw the man with the gun hold his ground for a moment, before lowering the rifle and nudging his head onward. The pair thanked him, "Oh thank you! God bless you!" one of them said, and immediately retreated.

Ellison stood up from his hidden position, only to immediately find himself in the center of the aggressor's crosshairs. "Don't move! Hands up!" he yelled.

Ellison found no harm in complying since he held no power. The man slowly approached him, and as the fog cleared, Ellison recognized that the man was wearing a full Radiation suit like himself. The man lowered his weapon, "Nathan Reynolds, National Guard. You got a name?" he asked.

Ellison thought for a moment, while he guessed a grunt wouldn't know someone like him, an enemy of the state as far as Uncle Sam was concerned, he still took into consideration it was worth it to make up a name anyway. "Preston. Preston Smith." he lied.

Reynolds walked up to him until he was right in front of Ellison. "Are there any other survivors Preston?" he asked.

Ellison nodded. "Yeah, a little girl... Sarah." he lied again, at least about the name.

While the soldier looked rather skeptical for a moment, he quickly dismissed it. "Alright, there's a refugee bunker about four clicks from here. We've got food, supplies, and water to last months. Where is the girl at?"

"We took shelter in our own bunker. It's just around the corner. Luckily this suit was inside or else I wouldn't have found you." Ellison replied.

Reynolds nodded in agreement, "That's good, Preston. Look, I've got a limited number of Rad suits, and none of them are child-sized. Let's head back to that bunker and get the girl; and then I'll have her commissioned for decontamination. You lead the way." he said.


2027

John shuffled in the unclean bathtub that served as the only means of lodging for the silo. Not due to how uncomfortable it was, but because of the questions that still burned in his mind. Catherine, Jesse, John Henry, and most of all - Cameron. What drove her? Despite knowing Catherine for less than a few days, he still knew more about her past than Cameron's. It concerned him greatly, but he was so tired, exhausted from all the traveling. His hunger didn't help, he hadn't eaten since he arrived. That's a hell of a fate, fight machines your entire life only to die from a missed breakfast. Questions questions.

Answers in the morning. It was dream time.