CRS, Three Years Later…

It was not even a full 24 hours since John Connor was murdered by a T-850 infiltration unit. The war had managed to last longer than anyone had anticipated. Just two years ago, the resistance's worst fear was realized: Skynet was creating a new type of Terminator.

Katherine Brewster sat quietly as she watched a resistance tech work on the machine that had killed her husband. In the past hour she had learned several new things from this T-850's memory. Among these things was that Skynet's new model, called a T-X, had been sent through the time displacement field into the year 2003. Its mission was to terminate the future lieutenants of John Connor before the war even began.

She watched the tech as he popped the T-850's CPU into its proper place. "I've set the Terminator's CPU to read-and-write mode. It'll allow it to think more creatively and blend in with humans effectively."

Kate nodded. "When will it be ready to send?"

"Whenever you're ready, Ma'am."

She ran a hand through her slowly graying hair. It was time. The T-850 would be sent to 2003 and ensure the survival of John and herself. In addition (she smiled to herself as she thought the plan out) to those parameters, the T-850 was programmed to obey the commands of Katherine Brewster and her alone.

The T-850 knelt on a circular pad, naked. It would locate and protect John Connor and Katherine Brewster. It's skin receptors began to detect the burning of electricity. It raised its eyes to see that it was surrounded in a pulsing globe of electrical energy. A few feet away were Katherine Brewster and several technicians looking on.

Then suddenly, its eye sensors saw only white light.

The Next Day

Katherine Brewster looked on as several of General Connor's most dedicated soldiers carried his body in a crudely constructed casket. A man who worked as a priest prior to Judgment Day recited a eulogy as the pallbearers moved through a crowd of hundreds of people.

Kate couldn't help but let tears well up in her eyes. John Connor, her lover, her husband, and her friend… had been an inspiration to thousands. And now he was gone.

She looked over to their offspring, who stood silently save for an occasional whimper of anguish. They loved their father. There was a tragic parallel between her, John, and their children. All had lost their fathers to the machines.

But no more. John had ended the war.

She turned her attention back to the priest, who was finishing the eulogy. "Let us remember John Connor as a man who gave us a future to believe in. Now it's our turn to take part in that future."

Katherine smiled to herself, clapping along with everyone as the priest stepped down from his cement pedestal. Amen, Father. Amen.