Chapter Eighteen - Bond of Blood
The young desk attendant in the lobby smiled at John and the others as they made for the door. "I hope you all had a great stay! I know palmdale is gonna treat you well." she bid.
John waved back at her before leaving. "Thanks!" he said. He held open the door for Cameron and Catherine, he thought about letting the door shut in Derek's face as a joke, but decided against it after taking into account his Uncle's bitter mood, so he let Derek out too.
Before John took his first step down the stairs, Cameron grabbed him by the arm. He knew she wanted to speak to him in private, and he allowed her to do so as Derek and Catherine marched down the stairs oblivious to what was going on.
"Sit in the back." she ordered.
John gave her a confused look. "Uh, why? I mean, I guess it doesn't make a difference who sits where, but..."
Cameron stopped him. "I don't want you to be spotted. Keep your head down until we reach Sarah's location." she deadpanned. Her expression didn't welcome a protest from John-so he reluctantly nodded.
"Fine." he replied. Cameron looked him up and down, seemingly studying him for a moment before walking away. John wasn't five, he wasn't going to throw a fit about sitting in the backseat; but if Cameron were going to these lengths to "protect" him, then she'd probably bug him about his seatbelt, and ask him if he wanted Ice cream at McDonalds. He laughed at the idea. Before realizing that combined with Cameron's social inexperience, and overprotective nature, how realistic that scenario could be.
He followed the others down the stairs, and found the Lincoln SUV that Catherine had parked. John, of course, sat in the back. Cameron took the passenger seat, Catherine accepted the liberty of driving, and much to John's dismay, Derek sat next to him in the backseat. Oh how John longed to experience the endless cycle of machine beratement.
The rumble of the SUV coming to life gave John a new mood. A feeling of excitement, but also fear. He smiled at the thought of an emotional reunion with his mother, but her sentimental values could be overridden the moment she saw Cameron.
"Something funny?" Derek Reese gruffly asked.
John glanced over to see his uncle staring at him curiously and shook his head reluctantly. "Nothing. Just excited to see my mom again." he answered. "I don't think I've given you an explanation for that have I?" John added.
Derek shook his head. "Nope. But you don't have to; I think I kinda know the idea anyway. You left your mom alone here to get this... metal. Sound about right?" Derek explained, cringing when he mentioned Cameron. John gave his Uncle a disapproving glare, but let his "metal" comment slide.
"Basically yeah. I just... look we'll talk about this later. I promise I'll explain everything to you." John said quietly.
Derek glanced at John briefly before turning his attention to the buildings passing by as they drove down the main road. "Understandable, considering all parties present."
John ignored his uncle's comment and gazed out the window. He barely missed the concerned stare from Cameron that reflected in the middle-view mirror. All that was on his mind was seeing his mother again. John had gone through hell and back to find the person he cared about most in this world, his dear cyborg friend - Cameron. John's thoughts drifted to the Terminator that had claimed his heart, his very being. She was the one thing that determined his mindset and actions for a long time. It was incredible how the clarity was so sudden, all by simple explanation and fighting.
He understood that he cared about her deeply, it would be a delusion of the highest degree to deny that considering what he was willing to go through to find her. Which begged the question...
How would Sarah react?
John's daydreaming of the subject was interrupted when Derek leaned over and bumped into him as he climbed in front of the seat, reaching for the radio knob. He noticed Catherine regard him briefly as he turned the radio on to the local rock channel which was playing the familiar tune of Creedance Clearwater Revival's 'Fortunate Son'. The soldier paused for a moment; John couldn't tell completely, but it looked like he was frowning.
"What's wrong?" John asked with concern.
Derek remained silent for a few more moments, he looked at his nephew and gave him a light smile. "Kyle used to love this song. He'd play it every birthday he had since he was seven. Even when the bombs hit, I could hear Fogerty's voice from his bunk to mine."
John smirked at Derek's softened features, but felt pity for him at the same time. "Seems fitting." he commented.
Derek's face suddenly fell sad, and his tone came out choked and frail. "I think the song helped him cope with the war. It was one of the only things he could hold onto from the past besides me." he added.
John had never seen Derek so torn apart. Even when he had killed Jesse, he wasn't this emotionally shattered. But John could see it in Derek's eyes, detect it in his body language. Kyle's death weighed heavily on him, and he couldn't help but feel it was partially his fault. He'd never forget Kyle's pleading horrified face as he fell dead to the ground, not even able to say he loved his brother one last time.
John wiped away a lone tear as the SUV came to a stop, he looked back out the window, unable to face his uncle anymore, who was now sitting quietly with his head resting on the seat. He heard the the song fade out, and the voice of an obnoxious radio host swiftly take it's place.
"It's always good to hear some Creedance Clearwater Revival in the afternoon, sure get's your blood pumping! So, for your daily dose of news... it seems fugitive Sarah Connor has escaped police custody with the assistance of her son, John Connor. No one knows exactly where they are, and it's possible they took Catherine Weaver; owner of technology company Zeira Corporation hostage. The police have not yet received any demands from the Connors, but Chief Harper expects to hear from them soon. If you see Sarah Connor in public, notify local authorities immediately! Police have advised not to approach Sarah Connor because she is considered armed and EXTREMELY dangerous. That's all for now folks, so I'm gonna go ahead and hook you up with some Pink Floyd. Stay happy and warm, just like our good ol' Palmdale!" The host's voice faded out to be replaced with music as the vehicle began to accelerate away from the stop sign.
John and the two Cyborgs in the car seemed indifferent to the broadcast. John was used to his family getting bad media coverage. Only Derek seemed bothered by it.
"Wait, YOU own Zeira Corp?" Derek realized, referring to Catherine.
The T-1001 kept her eyes on the road, seemingly thinking Derek wasn't worth the eye contact. "Yes. I used it to build the A.I. John Henry to fight Skynet. No doubt my budget will be of use to you and the Connor's when I regain control." she answered.
Naturally, Derek jumped at the chance for an argument, causing John to groan. He could have sworn he saw Cameron stare daggers at his Uncle through the middle-mirror too.
"Hold on, how do I know you're not building Skynet! You could be right under our noses." Derek argued.
This time, simply out of spite, Catherine glanced at Derek with a look that spoke the volume of an explosion. "I respect your suspicions, Lieutenant. But I assure you they do not need to be addressed, for I harbor no hidden plans against you or John. If I wanted the Resistance to lose the war; you, John, and Sarah would have been dead a long time ago. Fortunately, my interest seem to coexist with John's." The liquid metal Terminator retorted.
Derek had nothing to say for once. He had to admit, the machine had a point. He dropped back into the seat and closed his eyes. John smiled to himself, finally able to have peace and quiet for the hour-long drive to Los Angeles.
That was until he began to hear Derek snore.
"Fucking hell..." John complained in his mind.
Dyson Residence
Tarissa was eating lunch with her daughter Blythe. She was still shaken by the disappearance of her son two months earlier, and her gut feeling told her it was the Terminator's work. She and her daughter had moved back to Sunnyvale under instruction from the authorities for fear that her family may be a target. Paranoia was a feeling she had to put up with ever since Miles' death, and it had been made all the more stronger ever since the police notified her of Danny's disappearance.
"Mom?" Blythe whimpered.
Tarissa faced her daughter silently, setting her fork gently down on the plate. "Yes, hon?" she replied in a gentle, calming tone.
"Can I have a scoop of ice cream before I meet up with Royce and the others?" she asked politely.
Tarissa smiled at her teenage daughter. "Sure, hon." she answered gently. She stood up from her seat and pushed in the chair and walked over to the fridge. As she opened the freezer door, she noticed a small college portrait of Danny on the counter. She read the graduate note on the bottom of the picture...
"DANNY DYSON, MASTERS DEGREE IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING: GRADUATE DECEMBER 16th 2008."
Tarissa smiled to herself. Her son had been on his way to become a man, only for the ugliest part of his childhood to come and take it all away. What was the game of Skynet at this point? Why were they after him? Wasn't the target Sarah's son? Tarissa sighed and felt small tickling wetness gently drop down her right cheek. She brought her finger up and wiped it away, reaching into the freezer to retrieve the chocolate chip ice cream. She placed it on the table for blythe and gave her a spoon.
When she was walking back to her side of the table for a seat, she heard the telephone in the living room ring. She gave her a daughter a knowing look.
"I'll be right back, hon. No more than two scoops, okay?" Tarissa warned.
Blythe was too busy texting someone on her phone, and only a slight "uh huh" was murmured, with Tarissa wondering if she even heard her.
Tarissa entered the living room and reached for the phone on the table as it was still ringing. She held it to her ear. "Hello?" she greeted.
"Mom?"
Tarissa froze. The voice on the other end of the phone was undoubtedly her son's; but she remembered what Sarah had told her about machines being able to disguise their voices.
"You're not Danny." she stated firmly.
There was silence on the other end for a moment before the voice spoke up.
"Mom, it's me." it argued. "I can't prove it to you, but... even if you don't believe me I'm gonna tell you I'm safe." he said. The voice was so sincere that Tarissa knew that no machine, no matter how advanced, could replicate emotion like that.
"Danny? It's really you? Where... where are you?" she asked as she gripped the phone tighter.
Danny spoke up, his voice wasn't fearful, it was calm. But why? The circumstances certainly didn't call for such. "Yeah, it's me." he paused, and Tarissa sniffed lightly. She turned around and gently requested Blythe call 911.
"Don't bother. We'll be gone before the police trace this call. I'm sorry, mom. I just called to let you know I was okay." Danny clarified.
Tarissa began to cry silently, she walked over to the door that separated the kitchen and the living room and closed it. When the door clicked shut, she returned to the conversation. "Danny... what's going on? What happened? Where are you?" she frantically pleaded.
Danny replied quietly, still with his terrifyingly calm tone. "I'm sorry, mom. I can't answer any of those questions. But I promise you... I'll be fine. How's Blythe?"
Tarissa looked briefly behind her back to the closed door. "Shes fine, Danny liste-"
"That's good. Tell her I love her okay? I have to go."
"Danny, wait!"
"Bye mom."
"Danny! Stop!" the phone clicked.
"Shit!" Tarissa barked as she slammed the phone down. She groaned in frustration, followed by the sound of the kitchen door squeaking open. She turned around to see Blythe standing in the middle of the frame.
"What happened?" she asked in a worried voice.
She gave her a comforting smile. "Nothing, Just Insurance on my back again." she lied, quite convincingly. "You gonna go meet with Royce?"
Tarissa felt a pang of fear as her daughter frowned slightly. "Yeah. I had three scoops." she murmured with adorable guilt.
Tarissa rolled her eyes at her daughter.
Danny sighed as fatigue gripped him. He took a seat on the desk chair behind him and collapsed. A pair of smooth hands snaked onto his shoulders and started rubbing them lightly. Danny breathed comfortably as he laid his head back, seeing his girlfriend's crystal-blue eyes meet his own.
The boy was obviously in complete bliss. "That feels good, babe." he said with a dumb grin.
Her red lipstick showed off much more beautifully as the girl smiled back. "I'm glad, you deserve it. Your mom okay?" she asked.
Danny nodded lightly. "Yeah." he reached his right hand to grasp his girlfriends own, he brought it up his lips and placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles. She gave him a hungry grin, stepped back from the chair, and undid the bun that shaped her hair-letting her bright blonde hair fall gently onto her shoulders. Danny directed his attention to her hands as they quested for her dress straps. She undid them and her dress fell to the floor.
Danny licked his lips in anticipation as he stared at his girlfriend's nude body.
She started walking that sexy walk that men loved so much, and she made straight for Danny. When she reached him, she placed her arms around his neck, pulled him close, and kissed him gently. "Come on, babe. Let's get crazy." She pulled him in for a deeper kiss, and led him to the bedroom. When they were both inside, she tore off Danny's shirt and slammed the door shut.
John and the others were already close enough to the house that he began to recognize the same roads he and Savannah had taken in the future. He sensed the right turn coming up that would lead under the bridge, and dip into the road that would diverge into a path surrounded by a thick forest; and that's where the house would be. Catherine continued driving at a moderate speed, and she finally reached the forest road. The SUV wasn't purposely built for off-road, but it could handle light stuff like gravel and dirt.
The SUV toppled side-to-side as they trekked down the road until they finally reached the house, and John's heart began to beat in anticipation. He felt extremely anxious for Catherine to stop sooner, but she waited until she was on the curb near the house to do so. She was the first to step out; followed by Cameron. John shook Derek to wake him up, and he did so with a slight groan.
He struggled to open his eyes. "We here?" he asked lazily. He proceeded to rub his eyes.
John grinned happily. "Yeah, we're here." John announced. He turned around and practically rammed open his door. He faced the house where his mother was in. It was very different from the hovel that he found in the future, only this looked much more frail. He strolled slowly up the driveway, his gaze magnetized onto the house the entire time. His brain was basically on autopilot, and he marched right past the T-1001 who grabbed his shoulder.
He turned around and gave the machine a withering look, quite impatient. The machine simply returned with a warning look. "Let me go in first, I must see if the area is secure." She was met with a nod of agreement from John, and she marched up the driveway. She stopped briefly when she saw the open door. She scanned the area in detail to detect threats; she found none, but Sarah Connor would never leave a door open, even if she would only be away for a matter of minutes.
Suddenly, gunfire erupted from inside the house, and John brushed past Catherine as he charged inside. He sprinted inside the door, and found himself in the living room. "MOM!" he screamed. No answer, another gunshot sounded from the top of the stairs, and John spotted a large man firing it's pistol at something.
John stared in horror as the machine directed it's attention to him; he then felt Catherine brush past him and march menacingly up the stairs, commenting "I'll handle this." as she bumped into his shoulder.
The machine turned to fire it's weapon at her, but Catherine was too quick. She bladed her arm and knocked the pistol out of it's hand. The machine resorted to a right hook which made contact, but didn't even faze the more advanced Terminator. She grabbed the machine by the shoulders, and tossed him over the stairs, shattering the wooden railing in the process. John pressed his back against the wall, for fear that the machine might recognize him.
Fortunately, it's attention seemed to be focused solely on Catherine, who was already at the machine's feet before it could get back on them. Catherine pointed her left index finger directly at it's skull, and it was over in an instant. Almost on cue as Derek and Cameron ran inside, seemingly aware of the combat inside.
There seemed to be a moment of silence so everyone could gain their bearings, and catch there breath. It lasted for a brief moment before John began hearing footsteps on the floor above. He looked up, and saw a figure hustle to the railing above him, and his mouth gaped at whom it was.
It was his mother.
"Mom?" he couldn't believe his eyes.
The person at the top of the stairs was certainly Sarah Connor, and she was looking back at him like he was some sort of godsend. She leaned over the railing so much that John briefly thought she might fall.
"J-John?" she asked in a quiet voice. Her mouth dropped at the sight of her son. The response was an indicative nod from him, and she wasted not a moment more before she raced down the stairs. John met her at the base, and they embraced as if one of them had been resurrected from the dead.
Both Connors were crying tears of unfathomable joy, as Sarah wrapped her arms around her son so tight the skin was turning red. "John, Oh god." She pulled back, and began nurturing her son's face. She felt over the scars and marks from his time in the future, and this only exacerbated her tears.
"What happened to you, John?" She asked with hurt.
John grinned at her concern. "A lot of shit."
A voice from the side added to their conversation. "Indeed." It commented in Scottish.
Sarah dreaded the voice as she turned around, and sure enough Catherine was standing right there to meet her gaze. Sarah gave the Terminator an intolerable look.
"What did she put you through?" Sarah asked her son in an intimidating tone while her eyes were still set on Catherine.
As much as he disliked the machine, he jumped to her defense. "It's okay, mom. She's saved my life more than put it in danger." He corrected.
Sarah turned around and smiled at her son. The scars, bruises, and overall weathered look is exactly what she pictured a warrior-fied John Connor would look like. But when her eyes drifted to the left, she spotted Cameron and Derek. Her expressions shifted from anger, confusion, and then settling on shock. The entire room watched awkwardly as the mother of John stared at Cameron and Derek like they were ghosts.
Cameron broke the silence, "Hello Sarah." she greeted in her signature polite tone.
Sarah couldn't muster up a reply, all she could do was open and close her mouth to try and get words out with no success. Her eyes stood wide open at the machine before her. Her final reaction was to look at her son with an expression of silent outrage.
"How dare you bring her here!" the matriarch Connor sneered.
John inwardly groaned, he knew this moment would happen at one point or another. "Mom... she's safe. I promise."
Sarah shook her head frantically. "No, John. I don't want her here!" Sarah's eyes drifted away from Cameron, and settled on Derek. "Get her ou-" her eyes widened, and her expression changed completely.
John and everyone else looked confusingly at Sarah, and turned around to see what had caused Sarah to stop so sudden. It was Derek.
"What?" Lieutenant Reese asked wondering why everyone was staring at him like he was the second coming.
Sarah dropped her hands around from her son's waist, and stepped back up the stairs. She raced back without saying another word, and bumped into Ellison with Savannah in tow as she did so. The former FBI agent recognized everyone, and his face jumped in what John couldn't tell was surprise or fear. Catherine's daughter's face displayed likewise.
"John?"
"Mommy?"
John walked up to find his mother standing silently with her arms folded. Oddly, she was staring directly at the wall, refusing to face her son.
"Mom?"
Sarah kept her eyes planted firmly on the wall near the bathroom as she replied. "So you brought Derek too, huh?" she inquired.
John smirked. "Yeah."
Sarah finally summoned the courage to turn around and face her son. "How the hell did you even find him?"
John shrugged, taking a step closer. "Well, after the jump, I landed exactly where he and his men were stationed. Went through hell to bring him back." John explained, purposely leaving out the part of Kyle death out, he figured he would tell her later when his trauma over the event ended.
Sarah smiled a proud smile. She knew her son would eventually grow into the warrior he was destined to be; but she didn't expect it to happen this soon. She walked over and gave her son a tight hug which he returned. Even though John couldn't hear crying, he felt the shaking that was a precursor to a breakdown. John began to feel his own tears coming, and he wrapped his arms tighter around her.
"I'm proud of you." she pulled back and looked her son in the eyes. "I won't press you for the details, but..." her words started off with a smile, and then her expression changed to anger. John was confused, but prepared for the coming storm nonetheless.
"Goddammit, John! What the hell were you thinking you stupid boy!" Sarah yelled. John groaned silently, which only served to fan the flames as his mother's face reddened even more. "You could've been killed!"
John raised his arms in disbelief. "Well I'm not am I? I'm here! I'm alive!" he argued.
Sarah shook her head, and brought her left hand up to wipe away a tear trailing down her cheek. "I just... I'm sorry, John. I'm glad you're back. You were brave." her warm expression returned, at least for a moment it did. "But you're an idiot." she stated.
John sighed, there was no arguing with his mother. "Well... I'm here now. I missed you, mom."
Sarah embraced her son again, and as she did so, she realized how stupid she had been for ever doubting him. This was the tightest she had ever held him since he was a small boy. Since the days of the T-800 and the T-1000.
"I love you, John. But we need to talk about... her." Sarah pulled back and looked upon her son's beaten, tired expression. She expected one hell of an argument later. But not now.
"We need to go fill everyone in." Sarah stated.
