Chapter 16: Into the Inferno

Summary

After narrowly surviving an Aerial Attack; John, Cameron, Catherine, and John Henry's deactivated shell arrive at the Skynet facility, intending to make use of the Time Displacement Equipment that is there. Meanwhile, Derek and a Battalion of Resistance Soldiers move in on the same target, intending to make use of the Technology and even the odds against Skynet.


One moment, John was sleeping peacefully on his bedroll, snoring away. The next, he felt the gentle jab of a shoe make contact with his stomach, and he awoke, staring up at who had disturbed him. The glare from the sun proved to be incredibly bright, and he could barely make out Catherine's feminine features.

John didn't bother to hide his disgruntled expression, "You know, you could shake me. That's what you do when you want to wake someone up, not kick 'em in the fucking gut."

Catherine's face was the 'blank stare' all Terminators had, "It's time to get up, John. I am waking you up because your Cyborg did not, despite the fact that I asked her to do so." she sneered back at him.

John let out a sharp and frustrated exhale, slowly standing up. The scorching desert heat was already beginning to cut into his skin, and the sun blazed above him, he started to sweat. He popped his neck-bones and let out a prolonged yawn. He looked around briefly but failed to spot Cameron.

"Where's Cameron?" John asked Catherine in a blunt tone.

"Right here." Cameron's familiar voice called behind him.

John turned around to see Cameron walking down a small cliff, and coming to rest in front of him a few feet.

"What were you doing?" Catherine asked, speaking John's concern too.

Cameron's brown and red-eye focused on John, "I was scouting ahead to make sure no threats were present. There were none." she explained calmly.

Catherine glared at her, "I asked you to wake John ten minutes ago. We should arrive at the Skynet facility at the allotted time." she scolded.

Cameron gave her a look with the smallest fraction of annoyance evident upon her face, "I detected John needed more sleep, it would be unwise to wake him; his physical taxation might be too much." Cameron answered.

John looked between the two machines having a disagreement, and couldn't help but smirk as they stared each other down. After a moment, he spoke.

"Alright, you two, knock it off. Let's go" he said.

"Yes, we should go." Catherine responded, not taking her glare away from Cameron until she walked away.

It took about ten minutes to pack up all their gear and place it in their respective compartments inside the APC. John watched Cameron walk towards the driver's side of the carrier, but called out to her before she entered.

"Cameron!" he called.

The machine turned around and looked at John expectantly.

"Will you sit in the back with me? I need to rest a bit longer, but can we talk after I wake up?" he proposed.

Cameron nodded, and John turned to face Catherine.

"Catherine, will you drive us?" he asked her.

Catherine gave him a miffed look but decided against asking him for his reasoning. She complied with his request and made her way to the driver's hatch.

Cameron and John exchanged looks before both of them walked inside the APC. Cameron took her seat opposite John, and John took a seat on the right-facing side, next to the disabled John Henry. He had to admit, it was a little weird hauling his body everywhere.

John and Cameron felt the APC rumble to life, and the dirt under the elephant-sized vehicle crunched under its weight as it took off; leaving the camp behind. John rested his head against the surprisingly comfortable seat and felt his eyes shut again. He struggled but eventually fell asleep after some time.


Some hours later...

John woke up with a snort and felt the vehicle bouncing left and right, seemingly trekking across difficult terrain.

"Are you alright, John?" Cameron asked, concerned from his startled mannerisms.

John looked over to Cameron and took a deep breath. They had so much to go over, mostly Cameron's history with Project Monarch.

"Yeah I'm fine... hey, why didn't you tell me how you were created?" he asked.

Cameron tilted her head at his question. "I don't understand." she replied.

John wasn't having it, "I know everything about Project Monarch. Catherine told me." he shot back in a frustrated tone.

Cameron looked at him for a moment, it was the second time she looked as if she had been defeated by his prodding words, and she was silent for a moment as she looked him over.

Finally, her eyes rose to meet his, and she looked like she was struggling with a response, but was unburdened as John spoke again.

"Catherine found it in the Resistance archives. Something about observing humans closely? She said one of the risk factors involved the data files that actually make the machine work mixing with infiltration protocols, accidentally giving the machine sentience. Is that about right?" John explained to her.

Cameron had a rare look of confusion, "I don't understand, John. Project Monarch was a reasonable concept in my future of origin, but there is no logical conception of it here. Skynet has no reason to build it since the Resistance is losing the war without your leadership."

John shrugged, "It doesn't make sense to me either. But it's not like anything else is logical. The space-time flow or whatever the hell has been all fucked up the moment my dad and the old T-800 landed in L.A." he replied. John looked away for a second to try and ease his mind. His mixed emotions for the situation were putting him in an unsettling mood, and Cameron could tell.

He sighed, "I'm not even sure if we'll make it out of this future. I don't know if I'll ever see mom again." he admitted.

"John?" Cameron called.

"Hmm?" John murmured in response, keeping his eyes away from Cameron's as he curiously stared at John Henry's disabled body.

"I won't let you die. I promise." Cameron said tenderly.

John froze. He looked over to his companion and recalled how genuine her tone sounded. Almost... caring.

"Promise?" he asked.

Cameron thought for a moment. It may not have been her mission, but John Connor was humanity's last hope; she'd protect him till the end. Cameron irked a small smile, as a strange sensation flooded her systems. She didn't bother analyzing, for she found herself welcoming the new sensation the more it appeared.

"I promise."

The APC hit a bump in a road, causing the occupants to bounce up slightly. The kiss on the cheek, the words of companionship Cameron had admitted to him, her strange new quirks like smiling. Had he been deceiving himself all along? He could ask her; but what's stopping her from lying? But why would she wait this long?

Cameron detected John's stress levels skyrocket and took immediate caution with her action of response, "John?"

John looked dumbstruck for a moment, "Uh... Cameron, can I ask you something?"

Cameron nodded silently; truly curious.

"Do you uh..." he started.

Cameron sat silently.

"Cameron... do you... do you have emot-"

BANG!

A loud explosion shook the carrier. Catherine's voice came demanding from the driver's seat.

"Cameron! Aerial hunter-killer! Get up here and mount the fifty-caliber now!" she ordered.

Cameron shot John a repressive look, "Stay here." she deadpanned.

John nodded, his question would have to wait.

Cameron took to the gunner's seat, loaded the gun, and began firing at the hunter-killer as it strafed their position. Everyone felt the APC accelerate faster as Catherine put pressure on the throttle. Cameron emptied the entire magazine into the HK, but it continued to function despite its hull being assaulted taking consistent fire. Cameron scanned the drone for a weak spot and determined the thrusters as a potential target.

Before she could fire, the hunter-killer launched a plasma missile leading the APC. Cameron ducked her head back into the vehicle and yelled for John to hold on.

John complied and held onto his seat for dear life as the missile struck the APC a few feet in front. The impact caused control loss of the front two wheels, causing the carrier to wobble slightly. Catherine tried desperately to regain control, but the APC wouldn't last long without its essential front wheels.

Before the H-K could load another missile, Cameron let off another storm of bullets into the thruster area. She saw a small flame spark ignite, setting the left thruster alight.

WARNING! INEFFICIENT WEAPON!

.50 CALIBER ROUNDS WILL NOT PENETRATE REINFORCED HULL ARMOR. RECOMMEND EXPLOSIVE ORDNANCE.

Cameron looked around, the H-K was coming back for another attack run. If they were hit by a missile this time, the APC would either be destroyed completely or the wheels would be gone. Either way, they would be as humans would call: "sitting ducks". The cyborg checked desperately for something with explosive shells.

"Cameron!" John shouted to her.

The Cyborg ducked back into the loading area of the vehicle and saw John holding what seemed to be a grenade launcher. He tossed her the object, and Cameron discovered she was correct. It was an M32 MGL, the perfect weapon for a situation like this.

Cameron resumed her position behind the gunner's seat, took aim, and waited for the H-K to get into range.

30.8 FT to engage distance.

Cameron watched as the drone rocketed back towards the APC at a speed of 40mph.

22.5 FT to engage distance.

Cameron sensed a rising feeling building in her stomach area. It bothered her, but she wouldn't let it affect her aiming.

14 FT...

13 FT...

12 FT...

11 FT...

10 FT: SUFFICIENT ENGAGE DISTANCE REACHED. FIRE.

Cameron's index finger snapped into position, sending a 40mm grenade rocketing towards its target. Unfortunately, the H-K managed to fire its second missile and it was now making its way toward the APC. Cameron stood in shock as the explosive landed directly on the H-K's nose, causing a large explosion and the machine to lose control. She didn't have time to observe its demise as the missile intended for the APC marked its target in front. What came next, was blackness.


120 seconds later...

...

REBOOT CYCLE INITIATED...

BEGINNING SYSTEM DIAGNOSTIC...

PHYSICAL DAMAGE...

SKIN COATING IS 22.43% DAMAGED. DAMAGE MAJORITY IS CONTAINED TO FACIAL AREA. (REGENERATION TIME: 246HRS/57M/22S)

RIGHT ARM POSSIBLY DISABLED. RECOMMEND IMMEDIATE REPAIR!

LEFT LEG MOBILITY DAMAGE! WILL SEE 48.11% DECREASE IN SPEED AND COMBAT EFFICIENCY UNTIL REPAIR.

OVERALL EFFICIENCY OF UNIT IS 69.54%.

RETRIEVING MISSION FILES... ERROR, NO MISSION FILES PRESENT.

REBOOTING...

Cameron's eyes steadily opened, and she found herself laying down outside of the destroyed APC, with the fallen Aerial H-K crashed approximately sixty feet away. She barely moved her body to stand up when she heard John's voice sound next to her, and it was laced with relief.

"Cameron? Are you okay?!" he asked with worry.

Cameron's eyes directed to John, and she nodded reassuringly. John sighed in relief, and Cameron looked to her left and saw Catherine. Surprisingly, a slight look of concern was evident on her face

"Your operational status?" Catherine pressed.

Cameron stood up as she answered.

"69.54%. Including limb damage." she reported.

Catherine gave her a disapproving look, "Very well. To avoid trouble I suggest we begin moving to our designated location. It is an eight-mile walk from here. Will you be able to make it?"

Cameron nodded slightly.

Catherine forced a smile at both of them, "Good." she said.

She walked over to the APC wreckage and pulled out a half-scorched body from it. John gasped and saw that it was John Henry. His skin was half burnt, his face looked like it had been forcefully placed into an incinerator, and his right arm looked about the same. Catherine looked over and seemed to notice John's dumbstruck expression.

"Oh, don't worry, John. I'll see to it that he receives proper surgical care when we return." Catherine explained with a disturbing tone of innocence.

John gulped, barely forcing himself to look away.


"Hold up!" Derek ordered as he raised his arm upward with a closed fist, signaling everyone to stop. The Resistance lieutenant pulled out his binoculars and scanned the strange wrecked object ahead.

"Is that an APC?" Lieutenant Myers asked over the radio.

Derek placed the binoculars back into his pocket, "Yeah, looks like it. I'm gonna check it out, keep everyone here and cover me with the thirty. I won't be long."

"Will do, Reese." Came the garbled reply from the other end.

Derek exited the jeep and rushed to the back. He unhooked the mounted Kawasaki KLR-250, started the aging dirt motorcycle and sped off down the searing-hot hills. It wasn't long before he reached the wreckage, and found the APC was still burning hot from whatever happened. He pulled out his radio and contacted Meyers.

"I think this might be the APC they took from the motor pool. I can't see any bodies; but I'm gonna check inside." he reported, pocketing the radio.

"Copy that, be careful Derek." the reply came from his pocket.

Derek crawled under the APC wreckage and used his mounted flashlight to scan for bodies. He found some dried blood on the ground, and the leftover parts of what appeared to be an M32 grenade launcher, but no bodies.

Derek sighed in disappointment. He would've loved to imagine how slow John Connor burnt to death. He retreated from the wreckage, and he was about to mount the military motorcycle again before he spotted another wreckage in the distance, what appeared to be an aerial hunter-killer.

"Hey Meyers?" Derek contacted.

"Yeah?"

"Got another wreck over here, I'm gonna check it out. Give me a minute."

"Will do." came the reply.

Derek twisted the throttle and made his way to the other wreck quickly. He investigated to find that the wreck was still smoking, so it must've happened recently. But that didn't make any sense... was the H-K attacking the APC? But why? Was his theory about John Connor wrong? Were the machines actually hunting him? Was there truth to the boy's words?

The thought left as quickly as it came as Derek realized how utterly ridiculous it sounded.

"What is it, Derek?" Meyers voice asked over the radio.

"Just an H-K wreck." Derek responded. "I'm heading back now."

Derek mounted the motorcycle and returned to the assault force. As he mounted his Jeep he signaled for the Assault Force to continue forth.

Meanwhile, Howard, who was resting atop an old humvee, tapped the fifty-cal gunner on the shoulder, earning his attention.

"Yeah?" The gunner asked.

"Do you know what was going on out there?" he asked.

The gunner looked uncertain but answered anyway.

"Uh... something about an APC and HK wreck. Not really sure though." he answered as he returned to attention.

Howard scowled. If there was any evidence of Savannah's warning, this was it. Admittedly it wasn't the strongest, but it wasn't unworthy enough to be ignored.


John stood in awe at the fifty-foot solid-metal walls that seemed to touch the sky. Along the top were large turrets that were aimed upwards.

"Wildcat turrets." Cameron observed.

"Anti-air?" John guessed.

"Yes. They were developed two years after the war began when the Air Force bombarded Skynet Outposts. It was successful at first, but the deployment of the Wildcat Turrets eventually turned the tide. Eventually, the Air Force had lost too many Aircraft during combat operations, and bombing raids were called off." she added.

As John continued to observe the base's defenses, Cameron walked in front of him, grabbing his attention.

"We are going to enter the base through a sewer system that leads underground. According to the schematics, we will emerge behind the observation tower. I want you to stay behind me."

John nodded.

Cameron turned away, observing as Catherine sliced away the grate that was covering the sewers. She peered inside the passageway and discovered it was barely large enough for all of them to fit, they'd simply have to squat.

"Follow me." Catherine ordered. She turned around, grabbed John Henry by the arms, and began to pull him down the sewer.

John covered his nose as the putrid smell of feces, dead fish and trapped odor released itself from the opening, and John barely kept his gag reflex from losing control. Of course, Cameron and the others weren't bothered by the smell, evident as Cameron followed the T-1001 inside with no hesitation. John summoned his will and reluctantly followed Cameron inside the sewer.

As they pressed deeper inside, the smells grew worse. John couldn't see at all and had to count on the splashes in front of him made by his companions in order to navigate. John assumed his machine companions had a form of low-light vision so they could navigate. It felt like an eternity before the group came to a complete stop. He heard a few noises that consisted of clanking iron, and it was followed by a ray of sunlight shining into the sewer.

John saw Cameron peek her head over the top and look around.

"Clear." she quietly called down.

Catherine was the first to climb out, pulling John Henry with her, followed by Cameron and John.

John observed the facility in all its horrifying glory. Peeking around the corner of the observation tower, John spotted patrolling T-888 machines everywhere. This was going to be no easy task.

"Do you see that large brick building at the far end? The one with the catwalks?" Catherine asked.

John and Cameron peered into the distance, and sure enough, he saw a forty-foot tall building in the distance. The side was lined with catwalks.

"We have to climb?" he asked.

Catherine shot him an annoyed look, clearly not a fan of his complaining.


Derek's assault force rolled over the hill, he removed himself from the Jeep and retrieved his binoculars. There were several Wildcat and Reaper turrets lining the walls. Luckily, Razor 6-5 was on standby, and he would make short work of these defenses. Opening the vehicle's glovebox, Derek retrieved a Target Designator, pointing them at a row of Wildcat Turrets.

"Razor 6-5, Assault Group has reached the hills. Be advised, Wildcat Turrets are placed on the walls, proceed with caution. Target is marked, ready when you are." Derek ordered.

The A-10 pilot responded, "Roger that, sir. Danger close, over."

Luckily, the A-10 had kept a minimum safe distance from Derek and his troops, so arrival wasn't far. It took a minute, but the A-10 eventually arrived at the Battlefield.

"Guns Guns Guns."

The jet fired two missiles at the wall, sending a handful of Reaper turrets into a cluster of stone, metal, and fire. Almost immediately, the Wildcat turrets that were on the wall fired a payload of missiles at the jet. Derek watched through his binoculars as the jet popped flares, leaving the missiles in the dust.

"Carnivore Actual, Fire!" Derek yelled.

The few Tanks that were in Derek's Assault Force fired in Unison, most of their shells missed their target, but the few that did land on a Reaper Turret had sent the emplacements into flames. As expected, the remaining turrets opened fire, but the cover of the Desert Hill had provided them with solid emplacements.

"Shit..." he said quietly. He pulled out his radio. "Alright, boys. This is it! Let's give 'em' hell! Move out!"


"RUN JOHN RUN!" Cameron yelled.

John's legs refused to move any faster. The shock of the tank shell nearly hitting him a few seconds ago left his whole body shaken. John ran as fast as he could, close behind Catherine with Cameron following even closer behind him. A T-888 walked in front of them, plasma rifle at the ready. Before it could fire, Catherine had already disabled it with a swift move of her bladed arm. She picked up the Plasma Rifle and tossed it to Cameron.

Cameron caught it just in time, as triple-eights, eight-hundreds, and T-1's were all firing in their direction. Cameron returned fire, disabling one or two machines. John looked ahead, the building was close... he was going to make it.


Luckily, the Humanoid Hunter-Killers were trapped behind the walls. Derek and his comrades had managed to destroy the remaining Reaper Turrets, but Razor could not return for close-air support due to the Wildcat Turrets. Quickly, he ordered the demolition squad forth and waited as they placed their charges on the wall. After a moment, the team pulled away.

"Fire in the hole!" one of them yelled.

Derek and his brethren took cover, the high-explosive went off, tearing a massive hole in the wall. His men marched inward, firing all the way. A concerning amount went down in the first few seconds from Terminator Resistance, but the majority had managed to take cover behind small buildings and debris. An M1 Abrams limped over the hill of metal and fired a shell at a T-800 - shattering it.

With a break, Derek turned to his current squad, "Alright, Kyle, you're with me. Allison, you're with me. Howard, take second squad and get inside that building! Bring whatever you find down here, we'll link up when we can."

Everyone nodded, except Howard.

"You got that Corporal?" Derek demanded from the hesitant soldier.

Howard gulped and was sweating, "Derek, uh... I uh..."

"WHAT?" Derek roared.

Howard flinched under his tone, "N- nothing.

Derek glared at him for a moment. He received a radio notification from Meyers.

"Derek, we've got the main walls locked down."

Derek responded, "Alright, everyone, stay with your squads."

He and his men pushed up, almost catching a stray plasma bolt from a T-800. Another two of his men dropped from Terminator fire, then a third a moment later. The Tank that had accompanied them began providing cover fire and they were once again allowed a moment of reprieve. While catching his breath, Derek looked up at the large building to his front and saw three figures advancing up the catwalk. Squinting his eyes for greater input, Derek was shocked to see who it was...

"John Connor..."


John raced up the catwalk following Cameron, no doubt showing Catherine behind him the definition of haste. The loud bombs and Anti-Air fire were certainly defining the mood for the battle across the facility. John looked down the catwalk and saw a squad of Resistance soldiers advancing upwards, Derek and Kyle were among them. John's eyes widened, they'd be up here any moment. They needed to move.

He took one step forth, and the weak catwalk buckled below his pressure, sending him crashing down the floor below. His falling wail caught everyone's attention, especially Cameron's. She saw John plummet to the platform below, and she felt John's name escape her lips rather loudly.

John fell on his back onto the platform a floor below. His back feeling the worst pain it endured since his training in South America. He quickly collected himself and cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Cameron! Get going! I'll catch u-"

He was cut off as a figure twice his size slammed into him, crashing his body into the wall. Before he could recover, he felt a bone-crushing fist ram into his right cheek. He looked up to see Derek holding him against the wall, a murderous intention about him.

John looked up, scanning his uncle's face for any sign of mercy, "Derek! Wait!" his plea was ignored, and Derek sent his other fist crashing into John's nose.

It was here that everything became fuzzy for John. He could taste the blood in his mouth, and he could feel it running down his nose. Derek lifted John by the collar and tossed him onto the other side of the platform. He landed with a pained grunt. He saw Howard on another catwalk overlooking them, he was watching the fight.

John stood up, the bruises already burning from the activity. He tried to punch Derek, but his uncle knocked his fist away and countered with a brutal right hook. Derek then punched John once more in the jaw and then kicked John back onto the platform.

Cameron began racing down the stairs but was met with a strong force pulling her back and tossing her across the platform. Cameron looked up to scan the machine, it was not one, two, but three series 888 machines. She looked up to see Catherine preparing for battle as well. Both machines looked at each other, preparing to work together to bring down this new common enemy.

Derek marched menacingly toward John, but before he could make a move, John locked his legs in place and sent Derek crashing into the platform itself. John tried his best to get up as quick as he could, but Derek latched his arms onto John's back, spun him around, and punched him in his nose. He followed up with a kick, sending John nearly toppling over the platform. John spit away some blood as he lay on the ground, and mercy it seemed, was not on his side. Derek pinned John to the ground, his six-foot, muscular figure preparing to end their battle.


Above them, Howard watched in dismayed uncertainty. He had a mission, he knew it. But he couldn't bring himself to detach his eyes from Derek and John. Even from this position, he could tell John was losing consciousness with every punch he received... he wouldn't last long.

Howard was torn. His gut feeling versus his loyalty to the Resistance. Derek was his comrade, but Savannah's last words haunted him.

"Please... don't hurt him. Humanity needs him. If he dies... Humanity dies with him."

Nothing about Derek's hatred for John was justified. His infamy didn't click into place. Something was wrong.

Howard's grasp around the pistol grip was so tight, it was beginning to sweat. What if Savannah was right? The evidence for it was strong, and the Resistance High Command was known to be trigger-happy when it came to Greys. Nothing about General Perry or Lieutenant Reese's accusations toward John was ironclad. Knowing his choice would get him killed, or at the very least, a court-martial; Howard came to terms with it, at least that way his conscience was eased.


John saw Derek's fist raise once more. It was only a matter of time before he had beaten him to death, but John saw his opportunity; if he was going to die... he was going to put up one hell of a fight. John rammed his head as hard as he could into his Uncle's collar bone, causing Derek to yell in pain. The small window of opportunity allowed John to reverse their positions. John was more than aware Derek could take his punches, so he simply went for a groin attack first.

In unison, Cameron and Catherine had managed to take out their foes as well, with Cameron tossing their bodies over the side of the catwalk.

John's left boot made contact, and Derek screeched in pain as he felt the force make contact. John had to admit, the last thing he expected to do when he arrived in this time was kick his Uncle in the groin.

He stood up, but before he walked away, he kicked Derek in the face, hopefully knocking him out. John saw that it didn't accomplish that, but the boots surely left a mark and Derek would be out of the game for a minute. He was about to retrace his steps to Cameron when the familiar voice of Howard called to him...

"John! Watch out!" it screamed.

John turned around, unaware of what had alarmed his Terminator Guardian, only to see the barrel of Kyle's Assault Rifle pointed directly at him. He felt time itself slow to a halt as the barrel scouted John's body for the kill-shot. His own dad was going to kill him. John saw the trigger do its deed, and the tip of the barrel lit up.

"NO!" John screamed. He watched Howard's body soar through the air, collapsing when the bullet made a bloody impact on his chest. Both Kyle and John seemed to be frozen in shock as Howard's body hit the ground. He was barely alive, gasping for air. John was the first to slide by his side. He cradled Howard's head in his arms.

John, shaken by what he had just seen, stared at Howard, unable to say anything.

Amongst his difficult breathing, Howard managed to crack a small smile, "God that fuckin' hurts." He coughed, signifying his condition was moot.

To John, the sounds of battle had all but gone silent to him. He felt like he was in a small room with the dying Howard. The smell of burnt plasma was blind to him, the sound of gunfire fell deaf on his ears, and the stench of smog from the nearby factories had been muted.

He could see the life slipping away from Howard. He had no words, all he could muster was "...Thank you."

Howard nodded, using his last breath to muster final words. "Get the hell outta here, kid. We need you."

John felt Howard's body go lifeless, his eyelids closing shut as the last belt of air left his throat. John barely held back tears as his hands barely held onto Howard's head. K

Kyle stared in horror at what he had done. He hadn't meant to, it was supposed to be John. Why would Howard do that? Strong fingers grasped his throat and lifted him up into the air. He gasped for air, yet the circumstances leaving him no trace of success. His captor was the Terminator, the one who looked like Allison.

She was going to kill him.

John gently set down Howard's body. and stood up, "Cameron, stop." he instructed, calmly at first.

Cameron didn't even turn around, her eyes were already occupied with a seething glare that made Kyle shiver, "No, John. He has to die. He'll kill you." she replied.

"Cameron!" he screamed at her, with much more force.

Cameron looked at John with a blank expression, still holding Kyle. Her eyes shifted to his left, Derek had begun to stand up but the fight was gone. He saw his brother at the mercy of the machine, and his eyes were begging her in a way. She looked back at Kyle and no longer saw a battle-hardened Soldier, only a terrified young man who was in way over his head.

The fingers unclasped and Kyle felt the bliss of air once again, as his body fell to the surface of the platform. John grinned in approval at Cameron's decision, earning one back in return.

They noticed Derek was walking towards them, and she put herself between him and John. Derek seemed to ignore them and simply knelt next to Howard's body. The others watched as Derek moved his hands around Howard's neck area, and pulled out a pair of dog tags.

Kyle's put up as many walls as he could to mute the emotion, a nonstop battle, one he didn't always win.

"Howard, oh god... I'm so sorry." he said, his voice filled with grief and guilt.

John looked over the sight with despair. So much grief and sadness... caused by him.

"Derek?" John called quietly.

Derek looked up, glaring at his nephew.

"I'm not your enemy. I want to help you."

"Oh yeah? Who the hell are you then?" Derek sneered.

John opened his mouth to answer, but Cameron beat him to it.

"He is John Connor: Future leader of the Human Resistance against Skynet. Savior of Mankind."

Derek stared at her in shock, as did Kyle, "The hell is she on about?" Derek demanded to know.

John was about to jump on Cameron for her interference, but he thought twice. What she said needed to be said. No more hiding.

"I think you heard her." John replied.

Derek looked John over for a good few moments, the next words he spoke came of no surprise to any of them.

"...You've got to be fucking kidding me."

Cameron began tugging at John's arm, "John! We need to go! There isn't time for this." she urged.

"Wait! Come with us!" John insisted.

Derek looked up at John in shock, "What?"

John looked at Derek, he knew he was a completely different person, not his uncle. But he had to bring him back. He had to save him.

"Listen to me. What's in that building can save us all. We can end the war." John lied.

Derek's eyes widened. "What?" end the war?

John looked up just in time to see Allison approaching them over the platform. As soon as she saw John standing over Howard's body, her eyes widened in rage.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" she screamed as she raised her UMP45.

Derek blocked her shot just in time, "ALLISON WAIT!" he yelled.

Allison was half a second away from pulling the trigger, "What are you doing, Derek?! Get out of the way!" she demanded.

"Allison, listen to me! I can't believe I'm saying this... but he might be able to help." he reasoned.

Allison slowly lowered her rifle, "How... what?... How do you even trust him!"

John spoke in lieu of Derek, "Allison look, I know a lot of shit has gone wrong because of me. A lot of people are dead, and that's why I'm here. That's why you're here... to stop it."

Allison eyed him with a contemptuous glare, one that faded as John spoke.

"Please. Let me help you."

Everyone's attention turned to him. He knew he couldn't hold back anymore, it was time to leave John Baum behind, and become John Connor. It was time to fight.

"Alright, look. Nobody trusts me. I get it. But the reality of the situation is that my friends and I have knowledge of something that could stop the war. But I can't get to it without your help! All of you." he explained.

Cameron knew he was lying, and she knew the purpose. John was trying to save as many people as he could.

Derek, Kyle, and Allison all gave him their attention. But Kyle was the one who spoke.

"What do we have to do?"


John grabbed Allison's arm and pulled her upward. He led the others toward the broken catwalk led into the top room, and the group climbed up until they reached the top. There was a missing space of about twelve feet.

"We're gonna have to jump." John announced.

John took a few steps back, and sprinted towards the gap, jumping as he reached the edge. He barely made it to the other side without falling. Despite knowing it wouldn't exactly strengthen his faith, John looked down and observed the battle below. He noticed both sides seemed to be evenly matched, but the drop is what bothered him. If someone fell, they weren't surviving.

"Alright. Cameron next." John said.

Missing the unhappy glance Derek and his Human comrades shot her, Cameron followed through, her weight caused the catwalk to wobble slightly, but it stayed in place. John helped her onto her feet, even knowing she didn't need it.

Derek was next, then Catherine, first tossing John Henry's body across, last was Allison.

As Allison prepared to jump, Derek caught a glint of fire in his peripheral vision. He noticed it was getting closer, and then he realized... oh no.

"ALLISON JUMP, HURRY!" he yelled.

Allison looked to her right and noticed an Aerial Hunter-Killer had lost control and was now making a crash-landing toward the building. She whimpered in fear, but by the time she started running, it was too late. The explosion of the crash knocked back John and the others who made it across. Allison had managed to hold onto the rail of her end of the catwalk, but John nor the others could help her, for fire and space separated them.

"DEREK!" Allison screamed in terror.

Derek looked at her with teary eyes. No one made any attempt to move.

Kyle leaped toward the edge of the catwalk and reached out for her. Allison tried desperately to grab his hand, yet she couldn't reach it.

"Come on, you can do it!" Kyle encouraged.

She heard the destroyed catwalk buckle under her weight, "Oh God! Oh God!" she began to cry.

Their hands were so close, she was going to make it!

And then the catwalk collapsed.

"KYLE!" Allison screamed as she fell towards the ground.

"ALLISON, NO!" he screamed back.

Her wailing screams echoed through the facility until they were silenced as the catwalk landed on the ground.

There was a moment of silence among the group, everyone looking among themselves. Derek had to forcefully pull Kyle away from the edge of the catwalk, a feat which proved hard for the emotionally-taxed Reese.

"Oh my god." John said to himself. He couldn't believe what he had just witnessed.

"Allison... oh god Allison.."Kyle whimpered as Derek kept pulling him back.

Catherine allowed the humans a customary moment of silence, something she thought she would never do. Even she felt strangely drawn to the situation, probably as close to sadness as she was ever going to get.

John looked at Derek and Kyle with sympathy. John began to tear up as he saw his father and uncle cry together.

"Derek?" he started.

The broken lieutenant lowly directed his gaze towards the young Connor. Holding Kyle in a protective hug as he did so.

"I'm so sorry." John said in a tender voice.

He expected an insult, blame on him, but he was surprised when he simply got a nod of respect from his Uncle.

"You gonna be okay, Kyle?" Derek asked his brother.

Kyle was silent, he stared forward and didn't speak. Not even a tear to see.

"Kyle, we need to go." He said.

His brother looked up at him with constrained eyes. Derek was afraid he upset him even more. He didn't say anything, he just wiped his eyes and stood in silence.

The sound of a window shattering grabbed everyone's attention, as they witnessed the T-1001 smashing the window that led to the top floor.

Catherine looked over when she was done, "We must hurry." the Terminator insisted.


Catherine was the first inside the room, followed by everyone else. The room was completely white, looked like it was cleaned on a constant basis. On the left wall there were four tubes that seemed to contain Terminators with a skin sheathe growing over them. Suddenly everyone noticed John Connor had stopped moving and was examining one of them closely.

"John?" Kyle asked.

John inched closer to the tube, observing the Machine inside... the Brown hair, muscular features, unique jaw. It was him. It was him, the one sent to protect him in 1995. John reached up and touched the glass that held the tube. The machine wasn't finished, the skin coating still needed regeneration over the feet, but John guessed that once the skin coating was done, the machine was too.

Meanwhile, Cameron ran a scan. She noticed differences between it, the T-800, and the triple-eight. Not entirely one or the other... just something in between.

SCANNING ENDOSKELETAL STRUCTURE OF NEW MACHINE...

PROTOTYPE SERIES 850 TERMINATOR.

MODEL 101.

"John, get away from the tube." Cameron deadpanned.

It seemed John either ignored or didn't hear her. He continued to observe the machine, and he did so for a good minute. When he was done, everyone behind him looked at him like he had lost his mind.

"The hell was that about?" Derek asked.

John just looked back up, "Nothing... I just... nevermind." he answered vaguely.

Everyone walked out of the room and into the next. Cameron stayed behind to see if she could salvage anything of use, that was until she detected another text notification through her HUD.

WARNING! REBOOT CYCLE DETECTED!


The facility was small; tiny even. It only took three minutes to walk to the other end. John watched as Catherine bladed her arms once again, and took to the large metal door that was covering the other room.

Derek and his brothers watched in awe as Catherine did her dirty work.

"Who the hell is she?" Derek asked.

John looked at him and smirked, "T-1000. State of the art liquid metal."

"1001." Catherine corrected.

John looked at her and shrugged, he guessed he found a minor upgrade to that series logical.

It took a moment, but Catherine finally managed to cut down the door hinges. The door fell down, and everyone stepped inside. Inside the room, there was the machine. The TDE. Their salvation.

"Quick, find the control panel." John ordered.

On command, everyone in the room began scouring for the control panel, until John spotted it hidden behind the machine.

"Back there!" he pointed.

John rushed to the other end and pressed the green button on the panel.

TIME EQUIPMENT PRIMED...

AWAITING ORDERS...

[INITIATE COUNTDOWN]

[POWER OFF]

John was about to initiate the countdown, and then he realized something... Cameron wasn't there.

"Where's Cameron?" he asked.

As if on cue, Plasma fire was heard erupting from the hallway. Everyone gathered around the entrance of the room and stood in shock at what they were witnessing.

Cameron was fighting the T-850 machine, both of them locked in battle down the hallway. Cameron turned around and gave John an urgent look.

"Run, John!" she yelled. Before she could react, she was met with the T-850's naked arm crashing into her neck, sending her body sailing into the left wall. She couldn't recover before the T-850 picked her and threw her again, causing a hole in the wall she crashed into.

She looked less than fazed as she picked herself up, looking at John quickly.

"Go! I'll be fine!" she stated assertively.

John knew better, "You're lying. That thing's stronger than you, Cameron. You have to run!" he argued.

Cameron ignored him, and she fired her Plasma Rifle again at the machine as it hulked towards her. Strangely, the weapon was having no effect on it; normally, a triple-eight or anything less would have been disabled already. Cameron continued to fire, the plasma managed to burn away the skin coating on its chest but didn't have any damaging effect.

The machine grabbed Cameron by the neck and lifted her into the air as she helplessly tried to wiggle away. With John watching, frozen and unable to act, Catherine bumped into him, forcing him out of the way. The machine noticed the liquid metal machine charging toward him. It tossed Cameron out the window, shattering the glass, and letting in the war-heavy sounds of gunfire and explosions flood the room. John watched in horror as the 6'2" killing machine's hand let its grip leave Cameron's shirt, sending her sailing out the window.

"No!"

The machine stood guard before Catherine could damage it with her bladed arm, and used its superior strength to knock her down with a punch. Kyle fired his pistol at the machine, even knowing it would have little effect, it caught the T-850's attention and hulked slowly toward him.

Kyle continued to fire his pistol, and his brother, seeing no effect, began firing his M4 at the machine's chip port. The machine chose not to pay heed to Derek and reached for Kyle when in range.

The young Reese closed his eyes and awaited his inevitable fate until he heard the sound of a struggle before him. When he opened his eyes, he saw the liquid metal Terminator had climbed onto the back of the machine and was wrestling it away from him.

Kyle took his opportunity to run, making his way past the two fighting Terminators. The T-850 managed to toss Catherine onto the ground.

John rushed past the machine and peered over the window, only to see nothing on the ground. He knew Cameron would have made her way back up the catwalk, but there was no way up. Suddenly, he saw two hands holding onto a ledge below him, and saw Cameron hang on for dear life.

He smiled in pleasant surprise, relieved his friend was still alive, "Cameron! Grab my hand!" he instructed as he lowered his right arm down to her.

Cameron looked up at him, " I'm too heavy John, you have to go!"

John shook his head, starting to be overcome with emotion, "No! I won't leave you!" he refused, and then lowered his arm even more.

Cameron continued to make no attempt to grab the hand, "John, you must do what you're trained to do. Run!"

"John Baum runs! John Connor doesn't!" he argued.

It was at this moment that Cameron knew John wasn't going to turn around and leave her. She had no choice. She threw her arm over her shoulder, and into John's waiting hand. She watched as his nerves pushed against his skin, and his face went red as he pulled as hard as he could. Cameron swung her feet upward, trying to grab the ledge with the toe end of her shoe. She succeeded, and John pulled harder.

He looked over to see the T-850 battling Catherine, smart enough to avoid her blade. Every swing she missed and the T-850 eventually outmaneuvered her, pushing her to the side. John froze in horror as the T-850 slowly turned its head to him, the Red eyes cutting through him like a hot knife through butter. The machine began stalking toward him. John felt his heart race fast, and he pulled Cameron harder.

But the pace he saw the machine approach him, he wasn't going to make it. Despite his inevitable fate, he still pulled Cameron up as hard as he could. While Cameron assisted with her own strength, he pulled again, and their combined might got Cameron halfway through the window. Even knowing this, John knew that he would be dead before Cameron could act. The T-850 reached for him, and he closed his eyes to accept his fate.

"No!" a call was heard.

John opened his eyes when he heard the T-850 struggle, and John saw as Kyle was wrestling the machine on its back, reminiscent of Catherine before him, "Run Connor!" he yelled at John.

John wasted no time grabbing Cameron and pulling them away from the carnage, "Catherine! Start the Countdown. NOW!"

Catherine heard him and raced to the control panel. She pressed the 'Initiate Countdown' button on the console, and the console displayed "THREE MINUTES" in a large, attention-grabbing font.

"Three minutes, John!" Catherine announced.

John nodded to her and approached the console, "Can you hold him off?" he asked her.

Catherine looked at him blankly, "I expect that with our combined strength, Cameron and I could hold it off. But you must stay and guard John Henry. Make sure he is safe."

John nodded.

He looked back to see Cameron was already initiating their plan, charging the triple eight, and then crashing into it like a piece of heavy siege equipment.

Kyle fell off the back and quickly recovered. He peered up to see Derek firing his weapon into the machine, although some stray bullets inevitably hit Cameron as she straddled and punched the machine. Catherine walked into the hallway and bladed her arm. She speared the machine right into its chip port and watched the machine go offline.

Kyle let out a sigh of relief, as the red eyes of the endo-skull went dark. Catherine glimpsed the machine, seeing it as a threat no longer. Catherine retracted her blade and strolled in return to the TDE. She checked the time.

One minute, thirty seconds.

John breathed a sigh of relief, he couldn't believe they had actually pulled it off. All this time spent in hell; watching his friends die, John finally felt redeemed, knowing their sacrifice would not be in vain.

"The hell is this thing?" Derek asked, staring at the machine as if he was looking into the eyes of God.

Cameron turned around and answered, "It's time displacement equipment." she answered using terminology Derek didn't seem to understand. Indeed, the weathered Lieutenant simply stared at her in confusion.

"A Time machine." she answered simply.

John saw Derek's face morph from confusion to realization, and then finally settling on anger.

"...You lied to me." Derek declared with a venomous tone.

John's own reaction was one of confusion and hatred at Derek's.

"I didn't lie. This is Skynet's ultimate weapon, to use against us! Humans!" he argued.

Everyone saw Kyle walk in, and his arrival seemed to fuel Derek's argument.

"You're a coward, John. It's not a weapon, it's an escape. You're just gonna leave and return to the past? Leave us here? Kyle and I?"

John felt his fuse blow, even harder than when he witnessed Catherine's nonchalant attitude toward Savannah's death.

"Hey! Listen to me, asshole. I don't belong in this future! I'm supposed to be fighting this war in the past... before Skynet is born."

Derek shook his head, utterly disgusted by John's motivations. After all he caused, he wasn't even willing to make amends for what he's done? His claim to the title of Mankind's guardian was no longer legitimate in his eyes.

"Go then." Derek said quietly, with no hint of respect to be heard.

The next words of protest didn't come from John, but from Kyle.

"Wait, Derek, maybe we shou- ugh!" Kyle yelped, and fell to his knees, he looked down to see a metal arm had penetrated his chest, blood dripping from the surface.

Everyone except the machines stared in horror, John went into minor shock at the sight, it seemed that they hadn't killed the T-850 from before, it had reactivated and killed Kyle. John didn't think how it happened; all that was going through his mind was how mortified and heartbroken Derek looked as he pulled the trigger on his M4 rifle. Screaming in agony and hatred as he did so.


This is Chapter 16 of the REDUX Project. The upload date is March 31st, 2021.

Thank you for reading!