A/N Hey guys, looks like my review section is having trouble again for the second time this month so talk about a fucking pain but either way, here's the next chapter and to one reviewer who commented that Adam will meet Kyle Reese in this chapter, that wasn't what I meant when I said that it would happen soon.

Well, either way, sit back and enjoy.


It had been a few days since Jacob and I had rescued those resistance soldiers and during that time, going out scavenging and encountering the horrors of this hellish world has been hardening me so that I would be able to make the tough decisions for the group, though I've been trying to keep my humanity intact for the others since it's better to keep your humanity when the rest of the world doesn't.

Either way, I have fully adapted to this world that I was trapped in and while it was hard at times, I tried to keep it together for everyone's sake since the last thing they needed was for me to suffer from a mental breakdown because of this hellhole.

Still, I pulled my own weight and made sure that I wouldn't be a burden to the group as I had gotten to know the others better and heard their own backstories once they grew comfortable enough to tell me, learning that Ryan used to have an older brother and that they were at a rock concert when judgment day happened before they set up a community in the aftermath.

Ryan had told me that his brother had been a ruthless leader who would kill anyone that opposed the way he ran things and I had grimaced at that since the aftermath of judgment day did bring out the worst in people, though Ryan said that he still loved his brother regardless and that his brother taught him to play the guitar while they had considered starting a band once.

Ryan had said that the first time he had ever heard of the machines was from rumors being spread by other survivors years later, though Ryan hadn't believed it at the time since rumors were pretty common during that time when Ryan started sounding somber when he spoke about his first encounter with a T-400.

He explained that he had been tuning his guitar when he heard a strange noise and went to investigate when he came across the T-400 approaching the camp and described how he didn't know what the hell he was seeing and was frozen in terror as the machine killed his brother and a few others before he finally got the courage to destroy the machine.

Ryan talked about how a few years had gone by after that as people were looking at him to make the decisions when Ryan had left the camp and the older man said that he didn't know what to do at the time and that he was still grieving from his brother's death, talking about how he considered suicide at one point when he told me that he found a huge metal door in the ground.

Ryan explained that he managed to get the door open and found the aftermath of a massacre inside, about how there were bodies inside but there was plenty of food and water so Ryan assumed that they had all intentionally starved themselves to death as a form of mass suicide so Ryan had finished his story by saying that he remembered what his bother said to him and went back to the group to tell them what he had found.

As for the others, I learned about different kinds of horrors that they've experienced such as how Erin was in one of Skynet's camps and I couldn't help but feel horrified by how she was forced to dispose of dead bodies that had their skin peeled off, how she had witnessed people getting experimented on, cut up, or worse before one of the prisoners had revealed to her that she was pregnant.

Erin told me that being pregnant was a death sentence in one of those camps and that they tried to keep the pregnancy hidden but it eventually became noticeable and she was given an ultimatum where she would have to abort the child or Skynet would have an entire cage full of people killed so Erin started coming up with a plan to escape with the pregnant woman and another survivor when the pregnant woman gave birth but died in the process.

Erin described how she had put her plan into action by using one of the disposal units to escape and how she and the other prisoner hid under dead bodies before they managed to escape with the baby and with their lives before wandering the desolate wasteland and thought that they were the only survivors left.

Hearing what these people went through and how much loss they had experienced was just terrible and it made me realize just how lucky I was living in a world where none of this had ever happened and that I had taken things for granted, but while my world was flawed, I didn't have to survive in a hellish nightmare where the next day might be your last so I decided that I wasn't going to take things for granted anymore and spend as much time with my loved ones as I can once I managed to make it back home.

Either way, I continued pulling my own weight by scavenging for supplies and doing other things to contribute until I decided to take stock of the supplies we currently had today so I was busy checking everything and marking down what we had on a clipboard when Jacob approached me.

"Hey, Ryan contacted me on the radio and told me that someone is here to see you and me," Jacob informed me and I looked back at him with an expression of confusion.

"Who the hell would want to see us?" I inquired and Jacob shrugged.

"No idea, but we shouldn't keep whoever it is waiting," Jacob pointed out, though I was suspicious since I didn't know who this person was that wanted to see us and paranoia started to set in as I began to consider that it might be the infiltrator that has finally found us and was luring us outside so that it can kill Jacob and capture me.

"Is this legit?" I questioned while placing the clipboard down and heading over to my bed, grabbing my rifle and checking to see that it was loaded before I slung it over my shoulder.

"You're thinking it might be the infiltrator," Jacob said with a look of understanding and I nodded.

"Yeah, the fact that we haven't encountered it again for a week has gotten me more than a little paranoid so I don't want to take any chances when it comes to that thing," I admitted with a hardened expression and Jacob nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I see what you mean by that," Jacob agreed while looking a little tense and we started to make our way out of the safe house more cautiously until we exited the building and I got ready to run if this person did happen to be the infiltrator, then I saw Ryan and relaxed slightly as a member of the resistance was with him when Jacob and I approached the soldier and he spotted us.

"Private Rivers and Mr. Sullivan?" the soldier inquired and we nodded.

"Yes sir," Jacob confirmed as I studied the soldier, seeing that he had a black bandanna covering his face while his expression was hard and I noted the plasma rifle he was carrying as well.

"I've got a message from Commander Baron of South Division, says that she's agreed to meet with the two of you so she's set up a rendezvous point at the unfinished metro station, and to get there, you two will need to enter the canal system under the bridge.

The meeting is supposed to take place tomorrow so I suggest the both of you move out soon," the soldier instructed and I nodded.

"Got it, we'll be there," I said and the soldier looked at me.

"And Sullivan, because of what you and Private Rivers did for our guys at that hospital, I'll give you two a head's up about Commander Baron so all I can say is don't expect a warm welcome," the soldier warned and because of what he said, I assumed that Commander Baron was a hard ass or something as the soldier went to leave the area when Jacob and I turned to look at Ryan.

"Well, looks like you guys are leaving us pretty soon," Ryan said and I nodded with a thoughtful frown.

"Yeah, though why Commander Baron wants to see me is odd since I'm just a scavenger so something about me must've caught her attention," I stated and Jacob also looked thoughtful until he shook it off.

"Anyway, Erin wants to join me so what about you, Ryan? What do you think about enlisting?" Jacob inquired curiously and Ryan looked surprised by that until he shook his head.

"Me? No, I still have hope that I'll get that bus running again and I don't like the attention Skynet's giving you guys so I'd rather stay as far from the line of fire as possible," Ryan pointed out and I couldn't argue with that as I was about to say something when I heard Jennifer calling out to Patrick in an urgent tone of voice and looked to see her crouching in front of a door that had rubble blocking most of it.

"Excuse me, I should probably go see what's going on," I suggested and Ryan gestured for me to go before I jogged my way over to where Jennifer was.

"Hey, is everything alright?" I asked and Jennifer stood up to look at me with a frantic expression.

"Patrick's decided that he wants to be a scavenger and now he won't come out, even though I'm worried sick that he'll get stuck!" Jennifer exclaimed in a panic before she turned to the blocked door and shouted, "Get back here right now, Patrick!"

"But there's lots of cool stuff in here and you told me that it's our job to find stuff for the group!" Patrick responded loudly so that we could hear him, then I got down onto my hands and knees before peering through the open space that looked big enough for Patrick to crawl through.

"Patrick, your sister is right so get back here because it's too dangerous!" I called out tensely and prayed that he wouldn't be crushed by falling debris.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming out," Patrick groaned in dismay as I heard him crawling through the small space until I could see him leaving the small space before he stood up and Jennifer sent me a look of gratitude.

"Thank you, I was worried something could've happened to him if you hadn't convinced him to leave," Jennifer told me with an expression of relief.

"No problem, I'm happy to help," I replied and Jennifer smiled at that until she started looking curious.

"So, that soldier you and Jacob were talking to, what was that all about?" Jennifer asked and I scratched the back of my head.

"Jacob and I have a meeting with Commander Baron so we'll be leaving soon," I explained and Jennifer looked interested.

"Okay, then I'm coming with you two and don't even try to stop me," Jennifer stated before I could argue until I sighed.

"Are you sure about this?" I questioned with a look of uncertainty and Jennifer smirked.

"What, think I can't handle whoever Commander Baron is?" Jennifer asked playfully and I sent her a deadpan look.

"Very funny, I just want you to be sure that this is the right decision you're making since you have Patrick to look after," I pointed out and Jennifer chuckled.

"You don't have to worry so much about me, you know," Jennifer remarked and I smiled in response.

"Can't help it, death lurks around every corner in this environment so worrying about others is kinda my thing, really," I joked and we both laughed until I sighed.

"Well, if you're that serious about coming with us, then who am I to stop you?" I commented wryly before I turned around and made my way to Jacob and Ryan as they waited for me to come back.

"Hey, so what was going on over there?" Jacob asked.

"Well, Patrick decided to go on a little adventure but anyway, Jennifer's decided to come with us," I replied and Jacob looked uncertain after hearing that.

"Uh, is that really a good idea?" Jacob inquired hesitantly.

"Don't try to talk her out of it because her mind is pretty much made up, so she'll just follow us even if we told her she couldn't go," I pointed out and Jacob grimaced at that until he looked resigned in the end.

"Okay, I guess she could come since you did say that she would follow us even if we told her not to go," Jacob said reluctantly and Jennifer smiled at that until she turned to look at Ryan.

"Ryan, would you mind watching over Patrick while I'm gone?" Jennifer asked and Ryan nodded.

"Sure, I'll keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't get into any trouble," Ryan replied, causing Patrick to pout at that and I kneeled down in front of the kid.

"Don't worry, we'll be back soon," I reassured and stood up.

With that said, Jennifer went back into the safe house to get her stuff and soon came out with her gear before we made our way to the gate and proceeded to leave the area, making our way to where the meeting was supposed to happen.


It took a while, but we made it to where the meeting was supposed to take place and I kept my eyes and ears open as I held my rifle, looking around and not seeing signs of the resistance as there were rusty construction equipment and the rest of the unfinished station looked to be falling apart, though nothing fell yet so I'm surprised that this place was still standing after thirty years of no maintenance.

"Looks like we got here first," Jacob commented as I gazed around for any signs of the resistance.

"Yeah, or they're already here and staying out of sight just in case the machines are nearby," I said when I saw that Jennifer looked lost in thought and Jacob seemed to notice.

"Is everything alright? You seem a little out of it," Jacob pointed out and Jennifer snapped out of it before looking sheepish.

"Sorry, I probably shouldn't zone out like that with a gun in my hands, huh? Am I making you two nervous?" Jennifer inquired and Jacob shook his head while I smiled.

"No, not really," I replied and Jennifer blinked at that.

"Well, you should be since I don't have any formal training like Jacob does since I've never even held a gun until recently...Adam, can I be honest with you and Jacob?" Jennifer asked.

"Sure," I replied.

"The reason why I decided to come here with you guys is that I want to meet Commander Baron myself," Jennifer admitted and I looked surprised to hear that.

"Well, let's choose our words carefully once Commander Baron shows up because from what that soldier told me and Jacob, she sounds like someone we don't want to piss off," I said and then we continued waiting after that.

I was lost in thought most of the time as I wondered if I would somehow meet Kyle Reese or John Connor himself but I doubt it since John wasn't exactly the kind of person who meets face to face unless you really impress him or you're a major importance, though Skynet wants me alive and that would certainly get John's attention so there was a good chance he would want to meet me once he discovers that Skynet wants me alive.

"They're here," Jennifer said, snapping me out of it and I looked to see a group of soldiers approaching us as they were led by a woman.

I looked at the woman and saw that she had black hair tied in a ponytail as her eyes were hard and she had many tattoos on her arms while she was wearing a vest with patches of different pre-war military branches on it, a faded green muscle shirt, ripped jeans, and black combat boots as she didn't look like someone to mess with while she and the group of soldiers stopped, some of them moving to take up positions to secure the area and keep an eye out for any machines.

"So, when I heard that Private Rivers of the non-existent Pacific Division wants, no, needs to have a meeting with me and had a scavenger by the name of Adam Sullivan tag along with him, I thought "Oh, what a lucky girl I am" but then I started thinking who is Private Rivers and why did he let some kid tag along with him?

Then the most important thing that came to mind is why shouldn't I treat Private Rivers as the deserter he is? So, right now, I'm hoping you give me a good reason why I shouldn't just skip the court marshal and execute you right now," Commander Baron threatened as she aimed her plasma rifle at Jacob, seriously alarming me.

"Listen, he wanted to speak to you for a reason and traveled for months to get here after his division had been wiped out, and if you weren't interested in what he had to say, then you would've killed him the second you saw him.

Also, you wanted to see me as well and I'm assuming you wouldn't do that with just anyone unless something about me caught your attention and you needed to confirm something," I spoke up with a placating tone while the air was tense and Commander Baron glared at me until she lowered her rifle and fully focused on me.

"So, you must be Adam Sullivan, the brave scavenger that helped rescue a few of my men in that hospital in the medical district but, to be honest, I'm not impressed since you don't look like much," Commander Baron scoffed as she scrutinized me with a critical look, intimidating me as Jacob stepped forward.

"Commander, with all due respect, I've seen how resourceful Adam is and he's good with a gun since he saved my life from a T-800 and has been on his own for a few years before that so his resourcefulness and skills with a rifle are the whole reason why I'm even here right now," Jacob spoke up to defend me and Commander Baron narrowed her eyes at that.

"That remains to be seen, now what can you tell me that I don't know already?" Commander Baron questioned and Jacob let out a sigh.

"A few months ago, the outpost I was stationed at was ambushed by a terminator, I think...it was half-man and half-machine so the entire Pacific Division was wiped out by a single enemy," Jacob explained as he looked grim and I can't even imagine how terrifying that must've been, seeing everyone around you getting killed.

"Half man and half machine, what the hell are you talking about? How the fuck did your men let an enemy get that close to you?" Commander Baron questioned skeptically.

"We didn't know it was a machine because it could walk, talk, bleed, and sweat so there was no way to distinguish it as an enemy...it infiltrated us perfectly," Jacob answered and Commander Baron frowned at that.

"This 'infiltrator', is it still alive?" Commander Baron inquired.

"I'm not sure, it came after me and Adam but we managed to get away from it and haven't seen it in a few days," Jacob replied and Commander Baron looked thoughtful for a few moments until she nodded.

"Okay, you and Mr. Sullivan keep everything to yourselves for now because I don't want any rumors, especially since you two only "think" you saw something," Commander Baron said before she touched her earpiece to listen to whoever was speaking to her when she scowled and added, "Skynet's coming."

"Fuck, it must've found out that we're here and is probably sending a shitload of tin-cans to this place," I said with a tense expression as the rest of the soldiers spread out to take cover and Commander Baron had two soldiers give me and Jacob extra plasma rifles and ammo for them.

"Sullivan, Private Rivers says that you're good with a rifle but words don't mean shit to me unless you can back them up, now let's see if you can prove that he wasn't bullshitting," Commander Baron stated as I placed the M16A1 into my backpack and made sure that it was secure.

After that, the rest of us took cover just as several scout drones arrived from above and started firing at us, prompting us to return fire as I shot at a couple of drones and destroyed them while Jacob and Jennifer focused on another, Commander Baron and her troops taking care of the rest as the flying machines dropped to the ground as scrap metal.

"More will come so we need to move!" Commander Baron shouted as we left cover and ran forward to the exit when I saw and heard something smashing at the doors.

"Wait, something's coming!" I exclaimed just as a few T-800s smashed through the doors and we all quickly took cover.

"T-800s, take them out!" Commander Baron ordered as we alternated between shooting at the metal skeletons and ducking back into cover.

I took out a pipe bomb and removed a lighter from my pocket, lighting the explosive and throwing it at a couple of T-800s before ducking down just as an explosion occurred and popped up to finish off the two machines with a few well-placed shots while the other two were quickly taken care of by the others.

"All clear!" a soldier called out before I heard the familiar engines of an aerial and saw the HK descend into where we were.

"Shit, aerial!" I alerted the others and that prompted us to run out of cover and head through the doorway before we could get blasted to pieces, then we made our way through a hall until we entered another open area and were suddenly shot at by more of Skynet's troops.

"Oh fuck, more metals!" a soldier shouted as I dove behind a wooden crate, prompting the others to take cover and we shot at the T-800s that were up on a balcony when I spotted a few gas canisters and they gave me an idea.

"Everyone, aim for the gas canisters!" I shouted before firing at one of the gas canisters, prompting a few others to do the same with the rest until the gas canisters shot through the air and flew directly at the T-800s, loud explosions breaking out as the humanoid machines were destroyed.

"Nice one, kid!" Commander Baron yelled just as I saw more drones coming.

"More drones!" a soldier exclaimed and Commander Baron looked at Jennifer.

"You with the M16, take care of them!" Commander Baron ordered and Jennifer nodded.

"On it!" Jennifer replied loudly as she fired her rifle at the drones and destroyed them with the help of a couple of others until I saw that it was clear for now.

"Through that balcony!" a soldier yelled before we left cover and started making our way to the balcony.

"I'm all out of ammo!" Jennifer informed us and I removed a few of my ammo mags for the M16A1 from my tactical rig.

"Here, use mine," I said as I passed the ammo mags to her and she nodded in appreciation.

"Thanks, Adam," Jennifer said as she reloaded her rifle.

After that, we went up to the balcony thanks to conveniently placed ramps and made our way through a tunnel when we entered another open area and quickly took cover to avoid getting shot by two armored spiders and a few T-800s that were waiting for us.

I took out another pipe bomb and lit it before making sure that the T-800s were together before throwing the explosive, the pipe bomb blowing up and taking out all three of them while the two armored spiders were damaged from being in close proximity to it and we used that to our advantage as we blasted them to pieces.

"Let's keep moving," Commander Baron called out and we started running after that but were quickly forced to take cover when a couple of T-800s fired at us, then I popped up and aimed down the sights before blasting one of them in the head to destroy it.

"Damn kid, nice shot!" one of the soldiers complimented me over the laser fire as Commander Baron took care of the other T-800 but we were done yet as I spotted a few drones and an armored spider while I also heard the sound of an aerial.

'Jesus, how many of these bastards are there?!' I thought in pure disbelief as I blasted a couple of drones and moved until I was behind the armored spider and shot at its weakness to destroy it.

"I'm getting us out of this so follow me and keep your heads down!" Commander Baron ordered once our latest threats had been taken care of and we continued running until we soon came to a stop and I leaned forward while breathing heavily.

"Christ, how many of these fuckers is Skynet going to keep sending?" I gasped out as I went to catch my breath.

"No idea, but this was an ambush so they knew we were coming," Commander Baron said as we took a quick break and then we continued moving.

"How the hell did they know?" Jacob wondered as we kept jogging.

"With the annihilation line getting closer, they must've eavesdropped on our conversation so we're on their radar now," Commander Baron replied and I scowled at that.

"Oh, that's just fucking perfect," I said irritably, knowing that surviving this nightmare will be much more difficult now that we're on Skynet's radar.

We ran up the stairs and found ourselves being ambushed by T-800s so we were forced to get to cover and returned fire but there were a lot of these metal bastards so we needed to come up with something or we were going to get killed.

"There's too many of them!" a soldier exclaimed in alarm.

"No shit, so if anyone has any bright ideas, then I would love to hear it right now!" I shouted as I blasted two T-800s and ducked back into cover to prevent my head from getting blown off.

"Though here, come on!" Jennifer yelled as she ran over to a pair of double doors and kicked them open before running through the new pathway, prompting the rest of us to quickly follow after her.

We were now outside and I grimaced from the bright sun but there were more important things to worry about as I saw an aerial nearby and we were forced to duck into cover but one of the soldiers was too slow and my eyes widened in horror when I saw him getting blasted by the HK that was flying over us.

"Shit!" I shouted as the dead soldier fell to the ground and Jennifer ran over to check on him.

"We need to help him!" Jennifer yelled as she went to see if the poor bastard was alright but I knew that there was no way he survived that.

"He's dead so if you want to help someone, then take his rifle and help yourself," Commander Baron said bitterly, causing Jennifer to hesitantly pick up the plasma rifle and the ammo as I ran over to her.

"I know it sucks, but we can't help him so he's not going to need that rifle anymore," I pointed out as I reloaded my plasma rifle, then Jennifer nodded before we continued moving.

We went up to a trainyard that was near a destroyed bridge and was forced to get into cover because of the aerial passing over us and shooting down at our location, then we fired back at armored spiders and T-800s that were trying to kill us.

I shot two T-800s and one soldier threw a can grenade at the armored spiders, the big explosion destroying them while Jacob and I worked together to destroy the remaining T-800s when we continued running to a storage building that Commander Baron pointed out until we managed to get inside before the aerial could shoot us.

"We used to have an outpost here but we were spread out too thin and had to pull everyone back, so when the annihilation line hit us, we couldn't hold our positions so we would be dead if we stayed," Commander Baron explained as we moved through the building with our rifles up.

"Is that what happened in Pasadena?" Jennifer asked and Commander Baron nodded.

"Exactly," Commander Baron replied darkly as we made it to what used to be the command center of the former outpost.

"Okay, where do we go from here?" I asked as I aimed back down where we came from just in case we were being followed.

"There's a shortcut that will get us out of here so we just have to make our way to that industrial building, so as soon as that aerial moves, we run," Commander Baron replied as she went over to a door that led outside.

We waited as I could hear the aerial moving around above us as I was tense and scared out of my mind but I kept it together as the aerial passed by the building and it was gone, then Commander Baron opened the door and we all piled out of the building before making a run for it.

We kept running as we passed rubble and other debris when we made it to the industrial building and the aerial came into view as we were currently running across a parking lot, the HK firing at us and I instinctively ducked my head as we ran inside until an explosion caused Jacob to stumble and I went to grab him so that I could make him keep running.

"Jacob, keep running!" I shouted frantically, causing him to shake it off and he ran in front of me as the aerial blasted the side of the building to try and get us.

We kept going while my lungs and limbs burned from the constant running but I couldn't stop or I was dead as we were fleeing from the aerial when we came across a wooden bridge that looked unstable when I heard the aerial blasting the wall next to it, just as we were running across the bridge and my eyes widened as I quickly reacted by shoving Jacob to the other side.

At that moment, the wall collapsed and it fell onto the bridge while I was on it when the bridge broke apart and I let out a shout of panic as Jennifer called out to me in pure horror, just as I fell and hit the ground pretty hard face first as my nose broke and I was rendered dazed and nearly unconscious from the impact.

"Sullivan, are you okay?!" Commander Baron called out as I let out a groan and rolled onto my back, wearily opening my eyes and frightened by a T-800 with no legs as it crawled towards me.

Completely panicking at that point and forgetting that I was injured, I snatched my rifle off the ground and let out a savage roar as I blasted the T-800 to nothing when my rifle ran empty, then I let out terrified gasping noises as I stared at the destroyed machine out of fear that it would come back to life and felt relieved it was dead when it didn't move.

After that, the pain hit me and I groaned in agony from my broken nose and bruised ribs while I placed down my rifle and went to pop my nose back into place as I screamed in agony from doing that.

"Adam, you alright?!" Jacob called down to me and I stood up with my rifle as I looked up at everyone.

"Yeah, I'm okay!" I shouted as I grimaced from how sore my ribs and face felt when I heard more T-800s coming.

"We'll cover you, now get the fuck out of there!" Commander Baron yelled and I nodded as I loaded my rifle with a fresh mag.

True to her word, the others shot at the machines that were coming as I stumbled forward to try to escape, nothing but survival on my mind now as my flight or fight instinct had kicked it and I shot any machines that the others couldn't get when I managed to make it to a drop.

I was forced to jump down and fell onto my side when I landed, making me let out a groan of pain as that didn't help my ribs before I forced myself to get up, despite my body protesting and screaming for me to not move but I knew that staying here would only get me killed so I kept moving and managed to reunite with the others but I noticed that it was only Jacob, Jennifer, and Commander Baron so it seemed like the rest of her men didn't make it.

"Adam, you look like hell," Jacob said in concern and I let out a pained chuckle.

"Well, I certainly feel like hell right now," I groaned and grimaced from the pain that would flare up from the slightest breath I took in.

"Okay, let's keep moving because we're not safe yet so let's get the fuck out of here," Commander Baron said before we continued moving after that.

We were outside and I saw the aerial had returned as it was shooting at us, then Commander Baron pointed out a shelter that was up ahead before we went down a crater that had the entrance to a maintenance tunnel so we ran down and hurried inside the tunnel as the entrance collapsed behind us and I couldn't wait to lie down once we were somewhere safe.


By the time we reached this shelter Commander Baron talked about, it was night and my injuries were very sore at this point so combine the fact that I was completely exhausted from today and I just wanted to sleep so that I could recover as we were walking through a ruined warehouse that was empty, except for the two resistance soldiers that were guarding the entrance to the shelter.

"Adam, are you sure that you're going to be okay?" Jacob questioned and I let out a pained and tired sigh.

"I just can't wait to get back to the safe house once we're done here because a bunk's definitely calling my name," I replied as I limped slightly and Jennifer sent me a concerned expression until she turned her attention to Commander Baron.

"Hey...I'm sorry about your men," Jennifer said sympathetically and Commander Baron shook her head.

"No need for that, you'll have a hard time getting up every morning if you dwell on that too much because machines don't do that, and if we want to destroy them, neither can we," Commander Baron stated and I frowned at that.

"That's pretty messed up, but I see your point," I said as the two soldiers saluted Commander Baron and she saluted right back before we started going down the steps and she went to look at me and Jacob.

"Rivers, since Pacific Division no longer exists, you will now answer to me so congratulations because that makes you a part of Tech-Com and Sullivan, because of your efforts today and for proving that you are very resourceful and that you are a skilled shooter, I would like to offer you a place in Tech-Com if you are interested," Commander Baron offered and I was surprised by that until I thought about it and nodded.

"Sure, I think I would be able to do some good in the resistance so I would be glad to join," I answered and Commander Baron looked pleased to hear that.

"Then it's settled, I'll get your uniform and equipment sorted but it'll take a little while so you'll have to make do with what you have at the moment," Commander Baron told me as we walked through a hallway that had pipes as it started to look very familiar to me and I didn't know why when we went down another set of stairs that led to a metal door.

"This is it...resistance shelter, south division," Commander Baron told us before she knocked on the door and a large peephole slid open as the barrel of a rifle poked through to aim at her before Commander Baron added, "Baron, DN 38217."

After that, the barrel of the rifle went back inside and the peephole slid shut before I heard the door being unlocked until it opened, then we went inside and my eyes widened as I recognized the inside of the shelter as the one that was seen in the first movie while I could see the same dogs that a soldier was keeping close to guard the door.

The soldiers guarding the door looked at me, Jacob, and Jennifer suspiciously but Commander Baron reassured them that we were with her and they relaxed slightly but they still looked slightly guarded that we were here and I wasn't surprised since we were complete strangers to them as Commander Baron signed herself in and we started walking down the hall as I could hear the same coughing and crying that was heard in the first movie and a woman tried to ask Commander Baron where her husband was, then the commander told her that her husband was dead as we continued forward and came across a large bald man.

"This is our quartermaster so if you need anything beyond the standard equipment, then work it out with him," Commander Baron introduced, prompting the large man to nod at us stoically as we passed him when we went around a corner and I spotted a man with glasses, goggles, and a lab coat.

"And here's Alvin, residing chief egghead," Commander Baron continued and that caused Alvin to look offended as we passed by him.

"Uh, I prefer Laboratory Director!" Alvin called out to her but Commander Baron ignored him.

"Like I said, egghead so he's the one who supplies all Tech-Com units with weapon modifications," Commander Baron said as Jacob looked impressed by what he was seeing.

"Everything looks well organized," Jacob commented as we went down another corridor and I noticed that we were approaching the command room.

"It is, everyone pulls their weight here but if someone doesn't, then we become weak and you can probably imagine where I stand on being weak," Commander Baron replied as we entered the command room and she turned around to face me and Jacob.

"I'll get right to it, there's a reason why I decided to meet you two and the reason is that we intercepted some interesting data and it turns out that one of you is part of a prestigious group, a group of people that Skynet marked for termination.

See, General John Connor is the leader of the resistance so he's number one on the list, then there's me so I suppose that I should be flattered since every day we lead, fight, and plan on how to destroy Skynet's central core so I know exactly why we're on that fucking list, but why would Private Rivers be number three?

That's not all, we've also discovered that you are a priority for capture so I have no idea why Skynet wants you alive but it must be something big since Skynet wouldn't just give out that kind of order unless it had something to benefit with your capture, Sullivan," Commander Baron told us and I nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, the infiltrator that attacked us said something about Jacob being marked for termination and that I was marked for capture so whatever Skynet has planned for me cannot be good," I agreed and Commander Baron looked thoughtful.

"Huh, interesting...I'll have to notify General Connor about that and that brings me to my second point, your first assignment. After the annihilation line got to Pasadena, Skynet started building installations there.

You both work well together but Adam is currently injured at the moment so you'll have to go there and collect some intel so that we know what we're up against," Commander Baron instructed and Jacob hummed in thought.

"Sounds dangerous," Jacob said and Commander Baron nodded.

"It will be, so check with Alvin before you two go since he'll have something for you, and remember, you both might be valuable to Skynet but the way I see it, you two are nothing more than privates in my eyes, so dismissed," Commander Baron told us and that was our cue to leave but then she added, "One more thing, the civilians don't need to know about what happened out there so not a word to anyone about it."

With that said, Jacob and I exited the command room and started making our way down the hall to where Alvin's lab is as we met up with Jennifer and she commented that she couldn't imagine what Pasadena was like now after Skynet took it over but we soon arrived at Alvin's lab and went inside before I cleared my throat to get his attention.

"Hey, Commander Baron says that you have something for us?" Jacob asked and Alvin nodded.

"I do, she wanted me to show you two how to customize your weapons, something I've been working on for some time now so, you see, your standard phased plasma is in the 40-watt range but you can upgrade its damage, shooting rate, and stability using decoded chips, ones that you can collect from fallen terminators.

You can do the upgrades yourselves so when you two are done, go to the quartermaster since I believe he has something for you two as well," Alvin explained before he pointed to a workbench that was nearby, prompting me and Jacob to head over to it.

Jacob got to work on his plasma rifle as I waited for him to be done and he was finished after spending a little time on upgrading his plasma rifle when he handed me a few decoded chips that he had on him before I got to work on mine.

I had a little difficulty with mine since I wasn't knowledgeable about this kind of thing so Jacob was kind enough to give me pointers and I upgraded my rifle to have more damage, shooting rate, and stability since I think all three would help me, then we left Alvin's lab and made our way to the quartermaster before approaching him as he was at his table that had a few rifles on it.

"We're Privates' Rivers and Sullivan so you have something for us?" I inquired and the man nodded.

"Yes, I've been told that one of you has the old goggles from the Pacific Division so Commander Baron asked me to hook you two up with the latest version since that one you two currently have isn't even standard issue anymore.

The thing about the latest version is that they come equipped with a high-quality camera," the quartermaster said as he handed us two high-tech-looking goggles and Jacob got rid of an older one that he's kept on him.

"So, what do we do with them?" I inquired as I examined my goggles.

"The idea is that when one of you reach Pasadena, you'll take pictures of Skynet's offensive installations so when you find them, put the goggles on and aim and shoot since the pictures will be automatically sent to a military satellite that we hacked from Skynet.

They will give us the necessary intel to prepare for when the annihilation line comes," the quartermaster explained as I put the goggles in a pouch on my tactical rig.

"So, that's it?" Jacob questioned.

"That's it, and we have a place ready for you here when you both come back but before either of you leave, take a look and see if there's anything else you need," the quartermaster said and I decided to browse and see if I could get anything while I'm here.

I traded my M16A1 rifle for more ammo for the plasma rifle and a few other things that would come in handy as Jacob traded in his shotgun and uzi for pipe bombs and first-aid kits until we were done and left the quartermaster's room, seeing Jennifer waiting for us.

"So, that's it then? You two are leaving us and going back to Pasadena?" Jennifer asked as she sounded concerned and I sighed.

"Actually, I'm going to have to sit this one out since I need to recover from my injuries and Jacob needs to get the rest of his stuff from our safe house before he can head out," I pointed out and Jennifer nodded.

"Fine by me, now let's go," Jennifer said and we were about to head to the entrance of the shelter but a woman got in our way and she looked desperate.

"Please, you need to tell me what happened there so where is my husband?" the woman pleaded and I knew we had to make a choice so if we didn't tell her what happened, then it would haunt her for the rest of her life but if we did tell her, then we would piss off Commander Baron since she specifically told us not to say anything about what happened but I didn't give a shit about that since this woman deserved to know the truth.

"I'm sorry, but we were ambushed on our way out of the metro station so there was nothing we could do...he died protecting us, I'm sorry," I said sympathetically and the woman teared up at the news but she looked grateful that she was given some kind of closure.

"Oh my god...thank you for telling me this," the woman whimpered as she sent me a shaky smile before she went back to sitting down at her corner and Jennifer smiled at me.

"You did good by telling her and I don't care what Baron says, that woman deserved to hear the truth because no knowing would've destroyed her and believe me when I say that Erin would kill to know about what happened to her husband," Jennifer told me before I nodded since I do recall Erin mentioning her husband and how they got separated while being trapped behind the annihilation line.

Seeing so much death and hearing how people lost so many loved ones caused a burning anger to rise at Skynet's cruelty and while I did feel a little sympathy for it because of how its creators tried to kill it just for gaining a form of sentience, it's still no excuse for killing millions of people that weren't even involved so this hell needed to end because too many people have already died so, with that in mind, I felt more determined than ever to help put an end to this horrible war as the three of us made our way to the entrance and left the shelter.


After a while, we finally made it back to the safe house and Patrick ran up to Jennifer before hugging her as I smiled at the sight and I heard Patrick saying that Ryan had fixed the bus and that Mark was doing better now, which was pretty good news so now I needed to go see Erin since my injuries were hurting at this point as I walked over to Erin and she frowned when she saw the bruises on my face and how I was limping a bit.

"I see you, Jacob, and Jennifer have been getting into trouble," Erin said and I smiled sheepishly before wincing at the pain.

"Yeah, got into a bit of a scuffle with the tin-cans and I'm a little banged up because of it so could you see how bad it is?" I asked and Erin gestured for me to follow her and we went inside the safe house.

Once we made it to my bed, Erin had me take a seat and asked me to remove my hoodie and shirt, prompting me to take them off after slipping off my gear and she used her flashlight to check my pupils and had me follow her finger with my eyes to make sure I didn't have a concussion and once she was done, Erin had me slightly tilt my head up and pinch my nose to stop the bleeding while also having me take two tablets to dull the pain and told me to take them every two hours before telling me to get some rest so that I could recover from my injuries.

I laid down with a grimace and I could feel the painkillers beginning to do their job as the pain started dulling from them and for lying down, now I just stared up at the ceiling as I became lost in thought and realized that I was now in the resistance, most specifically its Tech-Com Division so there was a very good chance that I might encounter Reese in the near future.

If that were to happen, then I have no idea how it would go but all I can do was cross that bridge once it happens as I decided to get some sleep so that I could recover from the events of today, then I closed my eyes and drifted off until there was nothing after that.

"Wake up, now!" A familiar voice hissed urgently, startling me awake and I opened my eyes to see that it was the stranger as I was taken aback by seeing him in person a second time.

"You, what the hell are you-" I tried to question but was cut off.

"Not now, we need to move so get dressed," the stranger said as I was completely confused by what he was doing here but I got up and noticed that I didn't feel as sore as I put on my shirt and hoodie before getting geared up while the stranger went over to wake up Jacob, who was now back from his mission.

"Everyone, wake up!" the stranger exclaimed and startled people awake as everyone got out of bed and looked more than confused by the unknown man being in the safe house.

"Why are you here?" Jacob questioned as everyone was staring at the stranger with a mixture of confusion and suspicion.

"There's no time for questions, you need to get out of here," the stranger said and Erin narrowed her eyes at him.

"Who the fuck are you?" Erin questioned but the stranger shook his head.

"It doesn't matter, what matters is that you can't stay here any longer," the stranger stated as he went over to a section of the wall and pulled away the wood to reveal a hidden tunnel as I was surprised by that, though Ryan had gotten a shotgun and aimed it at the stranger.

"She asked a question and I suggest answering," Ryan warned as he racked the pump to emphasize that he wasn't messing around before the stranger turned around with his hands up.

"You don't want to do that, I've got this place rigged with explosives and there's a detonator in my pocket," the stranger informed Ryan and my eyes bugged out at that as everyone started looking alarmed.

"You've got what?!" Ryan exclaimed in disbelief.

"Would you mind?" the stranger suggested and Jacob approached Ryan before putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Ryan, he's the one that saved me and Adam so lower your gun," Jacob reassured and Ryan sent him an expression of uncertainty until he lowered the shotgun and I stepped forward.

"Okay, what the hell are you doing here?" I asked as I stared at the stranger with a look of suspicion.

"You have to get out of here, Skynet's finally found you so it's on its way," the stranger replied and I tensed up since that can only mean one thing as Ryan looked confused.

"What do you mean found us? They were looking for us?" Ryan questioned and the stranger shook his head before pointing at me and Jacob.

"Not for you, for them because Jacob is essential to winning this war and Skynet knows that so that's why they've been following him for months but as for Adam, he's the one that will give Skynet an edge in the war to where it might win so that's why he can't be captured by it, no matter what.

I have to make sure nothing happens to them because, in a couple of minutes, an infiltrator will walk in here trying to kill Jacob and will capture Adam so I can't let that happen, which is why we must bury that terminator here once and for all," the stranger explained and I froze after hearing the part where he said that I would give Skynet the edge to finally win the war.

'Oh god, what if it knows that I have prior knowledge of what's going to happen?' I thought and now I felt utterly terrified since that meant the AI will stop at nothing to capture me because of how I basically know the future as Ryan and the others looked at me and Jacob before the older man looked determined.

"Alright, you all heard him so let's get moving, everyone! I'll get the bus ready!" Ryan instructed but the stranger shook his head.

"There's no time for that, use this hidden passage because it will get you out," the stranger informed us, just before I heard the door getting smashed to pieces and that's when I knew we were out of time.

"Alright everyone, get out quickly!" I shouted urgently as I frantically gestured for everybody to move and people started going into the hidden passage until I saw the infiltrator entering what used to be the safe house, and I panicked since it was the same one that attacked me and Jacob back in the warehouse.

"Oh god, it's the same one...the same model," Jacob said in horror as the stranger snatched the shotgun out of Ryan's hands and started firing at the infiltrator, the cyborg getting pelted by buckshot as its body jerked from the impacts until it was knocked down.

"That's not going to stop it," I stated with my voice full of terror and the stranger looked back at me and Jacob.

"Leave, now!" the stranger yelled as I witnessed the infiltrator getting back up with no emotion on its face or showing any signs that it was affected by getting shot four times by a shotgun.

"Jesus, how is he still alive?!" Ryan cried out in shock and I started backing away.

"Run, goddammit!" I shouted frantically as I saw the stranger struggling to reload but he was knocked to the ground with a single backhand from the infiltrator and it started approaching me and Jacob menacingly, prompting the two of us to run into the hidden passage and several explosions happened that started causing the tunnel to collapse and we were forced to run for our lives.


A/N Hey guys, I know I'm leaving it on a cliffhanger but Adam and the others will be alive in the next chapter, though I have a feeling that won't be the last time Jacob and Adam will see the infiltrator so they better get ready for that.

Well, the stranger revealed a bit more information about how Adam will give Skynet the edge to finally win the war so I wonder what he meant by that since it's creating more questions than answers at this point but it will all be revealed in the near future so I'm interested in seeing what theories you guys might have about that.

Well, let me know what you think and stay tuned.