"She really does love him," John Connor silently whispered as he watched Jessica stroll towards the waiting Humvee.

Part of him knew deep down inside Thomas's protector was right. He was placing too much onto his ten year old son...the weight of being the next leader of the Resistance.

Thomas would have to grow up in this damned future without the chance of having a normal life. The danger would always haunt him in his dreams just like it did to John in his youth. The constant threat of the Machines after him, always on the move from one location to another, and never having the semblance of a normal life.

Skynet took so much from him.

John suspected that with all the assassination attempts from Skynet and the meddling of those within the Resistance that one day he would die.

He would die alone.

John's eyes widened as the realization of he needed to do dawned upon him.

His son would never suffer the same destiny that he had.

Location unknown...

"We have an incoming communication," the voice of the infiltrator I-950 series brought her out of sleep mode. "Attention. Your presence is required in the communication room."

She instantly brought her systems online, the annoyance visible on her face at the interruption. She synced her internal wireless array and checked the information contained with in the data packet.

The scheduled communication was an hour early. Which meant the I-950 made the decision to awaken her.

She climbed out bed and quickly dressed in a black jumpsuit. She took a moment to check the time on the rusted metal alarm clock that surprisingly still worked. Making an internal note to investigate why she was interrupted this early.

Straightening her long hair into a ponytail, she exited from the private room and walked down the short hallway to the comm room. The other I-950s in the room continued about their tasks when she walked in.

"Open the frequency through one of the hacked Skynet satellites," she ordered as she took a seat by one of the computer stations.

The face of a human in his mid fifties appeared on the monitor. The image going to the human's screen was scrambled of course due to protocol.

"May I assume that I am speaking with the right person?"

"Yes," she replied.

"Excellent," the human smiled. "I apologize for the interruption, but this was the only time I could get away from my fellow greys. There is so much going now-"

"I don't care about your schedule, Fischer," she cut him off.

She tilted her head and gave the Fischer a threatening glare. " I have only contacted you because of your claim that Skynet has access to records of events that have not happened yet."

"I can provide some," Fischer said. "Events of maybe a few years back, but that is all I can provide for now."

"I'm not interested in a few years back," she allowed the irritation to show in her voice. "I require access to the logs of the years 2008 through 2029. The information on the two deviated timelines. All known information on John Connor, Sarah Connor, Derek Reese and the TOK-715 known as Cameron."

Fischer nervously swallowed, "That will take some time and a lot preparation to acquire those records. We'll have to alter the deal."

"I expected as much. What else do you want?"

Fischer smiled. "I have a good theory on why you want this information, but what ever plan you have in mind...I want to be part of it. You can benefit from my knowledge."

Fischer's fingers played over the keyboard on his end as he uploaded data. "I'm sending you what records I already have."

One of the I-950s looked up from his console and nodded. "We have the data. it is secure."

"Then I suppose that this arrangement is agreeable," she stated. "Contact me again in two weeks."

With that she ended the transmission and configured her internal wireless array to download the information into her data-bank.

"I am not to be disturbed," she ordered the I-950. She turned on her heel and walked out of the communication room intent on reviewing the downloaded data.

Sitting in her quarters she began to review the data Fischer recovered on John Connor...but a flicker of shadow of memory flashed before her.

She felt tears well up behind her eyes.

This could not be.

This was all wrong.

TERMINATOR: RISE

Behold this Shattered Destiny

BEFORE THE JUMP

"Hello."
"Hello."
"I know you."
"And, I know you."
"Will you join us?"
"Yes."

ZERIA CORP HEADQUARTERS
LOS ANGELES
APRIL 10, 2009

It wasn't supposed to happen this way…

All that needed to be done was for the severely damaged Cameron to infiltrate the lower sub basement of Zeria Corporation and terminate the Project Babylon AI, John Henry, while Sarah and John distracted the CEO, Catherine Weaver.

Weaver had turned out to everyone's shock completely different than expected. A liquid metal Terminator series, 1001 from the future and claimed to the doubtful Sarah Connor that she was building something to fight Skynet. Before Weaver could justify her reasons for developing John Henry a prototype Hunter Killer Ariel Drone controlled by the Kaliba Group made a kamikaze run in an attempt to kill them all.

"So?" Catherine Weaver smoothly asked walking away from the expansive windows that overlooked the crowded streets of downtown LA moments before the crash.

"Why are we here?"

John Connor stood with arms crossed staring down the tall redhead in the white dress. His worried thoughts went to the damaged Cameron that infiltrated the lower levels of the building searching for John Henry. The sooner they could get this mess done. The better. His protector was hurt from the prison break to free Sarah and now the only thing that John wanted to do was try his best to repair her. He needed her in his life as much as she needed him. He didn't care if Cameron was a machine…now he finally understood why his future self sent her back for him.

She was meant to be more than just his protector.

Cameron Phillips was sent back to love him, because she was capable of so much more than just the Skynet programming that was encoded into her software and hardware. No matter how Cameron might have explained that the desire to still kill him was there and would always be there. John would never believe her.
Never.
I swear Cameron, John worriedly thought watching as Catherine walked closer to his mother.I'll find a way to fix you. You were always there for me and I treated you so badly. I need you so damn much…if we ever make it out of this alive…

"We need-" Sarah begins, but is interrupted by Catherine.

"Let me restate," Weaver sharply said before Sarah could open her mouth to speak again. "We're here first and foremost so that I can thank you for your heroism regarding my daughter Savannah. She's the light of my life and would be lost without her."

Something in the tone of her voice caused John to feel tortured over the massive damage that was inflicted to her once beautiful body. His stomach twisted and knotted in fear over Cameron's safety. Along with the compromise to her fragile neural chip all he wanted to do was just get the hell out of this situation and find take her with him. Anywhere but here. Anywhere but this damned place. Why was his destiny always taking away those he cared so much about? Why did Cameron have to suffer because of him?

It's not fair! First the car bombing…now this! John thought as the temptation to run surged through his body. What ever was now residing in Cromartie's former body he knew that Cameron didn't stand a snowball's chance in hell in combat against it. She was too badly damaged and John would lose her forever. I'm taking her away from here after this…somewhere that's just us!

"Where is she?" Sarah asked doubtful drawing John out of his thoughts.

"Let's assume school," Weaver smoothly replied as Sarah and John shot a sharp glances at Ellison standing behind them.

"We have a common enemy. One that we cannot fight with conventional weapons or by conventional means," Weaver continues speaking directly to John.
"Kaliba? Don't presume to know Kaliba," Sarah angrily countered drawing a look from Catherine.

"I'm sorry," Weaver replied keeping the tone of her voice neutral at the interruption. "I wasn't speaking to you." She turns back to John. "I was speaking to you."
John keeps his arms crossed turning his gaze towards her.

"About Skynet," she stoically finishes.

Sarah turns her head looking at her son. John draws in a deep breath continuing to listen to Weaver.

"Savannah has told you about John Henry I assume," Catherine continues to explain as a dark speck begins to appear on the horizon growing larger with each second. "Which is why your cyborg is skulking around my basement."

"What in the hell?!" The surprised voice of Ellison cuts through everyone's attention as they all look towards the office windows, hearing the roar of the HK's engines cut through the air.

John breathes out surprised recognizing the design.

Shit! He thinks feeling ice cold shock race through him watching the drone unfurl into it's attack configuration. It's that damn drone!
Weaver turns around calmly watching as the machine gets dangerously closer unfolding into it's main attack mode.

"Get down," She commands the last second before the HK slams through the office window.

Sarah desperately grabs for John pulling her son down for cover, Ellison kneels down behind them using his body to cover them. With a thunderous crash the drone the shatters the windows throwing shards of debris as Weaver raises her arms, morphing into large silvery shaped shield to protect them from the still crashing drone. Explosions erupt throughout the office as the HK slams into the T-1001 sending flaming metal debris in all directions.

Sarah keeping her arm clamped around John looks up at the transformed Weaver in confusion as a wave of fire travels over them. Hurricane like winds buffet around their bodies, Ellison keeps his head down as another explosion rocks the office sending out pieces of burning metallic debris.

"Run," Weaver simply tells them remaining in her shield formation over another deafening explosion.

Sarah, John, and Ellison break into a dead run for the hallway as the drone finally explodes, rocking the entire building. Weaver lowers her arms shifting back to her default template. Waiting patiently as the pet Moray Ell squirming on the floor, being thrown from it's aquarium, responds and slithering back to rejoin the main body of the T-1001. She calmly steps over the shattered body of the HK as the wrecked device explodes in one furious explosion taking out the rest of the office.

Sparks flew out from the damaged overhead lights as John Connor jumped down the stairs two at time determined to reach Cameron. If the drone was a suicide attack from Kaliba then who knew what else could be waiting for her. If John lost her…he shoved those thoughts aside nearly tripping over the next set of stairs as the voice of Catherine Weaver called out, both John and Sarah look up surprised to see the liquid metal machine still in one piece.

"The basement!" She yells out over the din of noise. "Mr. Ellison."

Ellison pauses on his way down the stairs looking at her with shock mixed with contempt.

"Walk with me," She commands the stunned former FBI agent, ignoring the confusion written all over his sweaty face.

"We need to get out there!" Sarah tells Weaver watching the supposed human woman descend the stairs followed by a an equally stunned James Ellison. "They're trying to kill my son!"

"No," Weaver disagrees flatly. "They're trying to kill my son." Then she added coldly. "Just like you are."

"I'm sure she's done it," Sarah defiantly says referring to Cameron's mission to destroy John Henry, staring down Weaver with hate filled eyes.

"You better hope not," Weaver replied not bothering to hide the threat implied. "Your John might save the world but he can't do it without mine."
Weaver then descended the stairs towards the basement leaving Sarah just standing there as John abruptly followed her. Ellison joined suite still trying to place the events of the last few seconds into place. He couldn't believe that he had been duped by a machine this whole time. Was everything that Catherine Weaver told him about stopping the machines was a lie? Was anything she told him the truth as she now was one of them?

As they headed into the hallway lead by Catherine Weaver, John recognized the slight tang of burnt ozone and saw the brief flashes of light being reflected on the painted brick walls. Fear for Cameron surged through his trembling body, breaking into a dead run towards the closed door to the room where John Henry was kept. If that damned machine hurt her then John would burn it himself and make Weaver pay dearly with her own existence.

Cameron! John thought feeling his heart thump rapidly in his chest. Placing his hand around the cold metal knob. Please be safe. Please be safe…I need you! I love you! I'm-

Then he threw open the door and what was left of his whole entire world just collapsed at the sight before him. It couldn't be. Not his Cameron. Not his Cameron. This had to be some sort of terrible nightmare that he would soon wake up from.

NO! Oh God No! John wanted to scream out. Cameron! No!

Her offline body was sitting in the chair, the exposed right ocular sensor dimmed from loss of power. Multiple bullet holes riddled her graceful body as John stood there for a second still not believing that this was his Cameron. Half of her face was blown away revealing the cold metal structure of her endoskeleton below the flesh. The single brown eye looked down at the floor lifelessly.

"No!" John breathed out silently rushing towards her placing his hands on her head and searching for the neural chip access port. His hands tremble with fear for Cameron running his hands through her long auburn hair.

Sarah calmly walks up seeing the damaged Cameron and the look of shock on her son's face as he looks over at Weaver.

"Her chip. It's gone!" He demands trying to control the boiling rage that was building up inside him like a long dormant volcano ready to blow.

That motherfucker took her chip! That metal bastard took Cameron! He stole my Cameron! John thought heart broken looking back down at her. He took…her. He felt the hot tears well up behind his eyes at the thought of John Henry stealing his Cameron. God…I was too late…for her…I'm so sorry…Cameron.

Ellison walks into the room picking up on the mournful sadness coming off John.

John desperately looks around the surrounding area seeing the bloody knife that Cameron always carried around on her person. The blade was flipped open, bright red synthetic blood dully gleamed in the overhead lighting as Connor stared down unable to cope with the shock.

"Where is he?" He demanded motioning in the air and walking around Cameron to face Weaver.

"The-the John Henry! He took her chip! Where did he go?"

Weaver looked down at the damaged Cameron and walked over to one of consoles pressing a series of buttons.

"He didn't take the chip," she explains. "She gave it to him."

"John," Sarah softly said, seeing the words that were scrolling across the large flat screen monitor.

John turned to face his mother. The look of infinite sadness was written all over his features, his green-eyes full of deep pain that was like a bottomless abyss to his tortured soul. He followed her gaze nearly crying reading the content of the message meant for him. Connor wanted to scream out in denial this could not be happening!
This had to be a bad dream, but the flashing words confirmed this was no dream that he would simply awake from.
Cameron…I…this can't be happening! This can't be happening to us! Not us!

But the message confirmed everything and John's heart broke to a thousand pieces like a shattered mirror.

I'M SORRY JOHN
I'M SORRY JOHN
I'M SORRY JOHN
I'M SORRY JOHN

The message kept scrolling across the screen and John breathed out in pure shock feeling like he was going to collapse. This was happening to him. This was no dream…Cameron was gone…

He continued to watch as her apologies continued to flash across the screens. He looked back down at Cameron's body wishing that he could have prevented her from coming to this damned place.

"Where is he?" John whispered aloud still trying to control the rage burning inside him. This was not fair! Cameron didn't deserve this.

"Not where…when," Weaver said looking away from the screen while inputting some final commands into the console.

"What?" Ellison finally asked completely shocked. "What do you mean when?"

Sarah then glanced over John's shoulder at the clear rack of equipment that held the TURK, three small red status lights forming a triangle flared a bright red. She knew she had seen these three dots somewhere before.

"I know that. I've seen it before," She told John as he looked back at the TURK.
John walked up to the clear casing staring down at the quite machine and studying the three red lights.

"Is that the TURK?" He asks looking back at his mother. "That's Andy Goode's TURK."

Sarah glanced back at the machine and watched suspiciously as Weaver silently worked another console, inputting another series of commands. She presses another switch and a loud hum begins to fill the air of the computer room. Sparks of blue energy like lightening began to crackle and the sharp odor of burnt atmosphere wafted through the room.

"Three dots," she said, staring at Weaver with hard eyes. "You lying Terminator bitch! You're building Skynet."

"No," Weaver counters with a shake of her head. "I was building something to fight it." Then she tilted her head speaking in a low voice. "And, I would watch who's calling who a bitch."

Sarah looked on as Catherine glanced over her shoulder at Ellison.
"Coming James?"

"Coming?" Ellison asked still stunned at what Weaver really was.

"After John Henry…our boy," Weaver told him slightly tipping her head and smiling.

"He's not my boy," Ellison flat out refused her. "And you. You're-" He has trouble finishing as Catherine calmly contemplates him.

" Do you mind picking up Savannah then? Gymnastics end at 5:30," She finishes as another crackle of plasma energy lights up the room.
Ellison looks around even more confused as the light display continues this time becoming more frequent. Weaver reaches down, pressing another switch on the console as a countdown appears on all the screens. Sarah watches as more sparks of energy begin to dance about in a spherical formation. She takes a couple of steps back knowing what was going to happen next.

"John we can't," She says shaking her head, knowing that her son knew what was about to happen.

John looked at his mother, a face full of pain, as he speaks to her in a tortured voice.

"He's got her chip," He begins allowing a single tear to streak down his face. His voice chokes with heavy emotion before continuing. John watched stunned as Sarah continued to slightly shake her head backing out of the range of the slowly forming sphere of energy. The countdown reaches the final seconds on the screens as the sounds of equipment powering up fill the burning air.

Finally the walls surrounding John Connor's heart broke as the feelings he felt for Cameron flood through his entire being.
"He has…her…"

Sarah slowly backed out as the sphere slowly began to form and arcs of lightening flared out from the time bubble. John watched horrified at his own mother abandoning him to whatever fate awaited in the future.
"Mom!"

"I'll stop it," Sarah promised him.

John looked at Sarah one more time as the plasmatic energy of the bubble flared brightly washing the whole computer room in it's glow.
"Mom!" He calls out over the chaotic noise. "I love you!"

She gave her son one more loving look as the sphere fully formed and the generators reached full power. John looked about as the energy crackled throughout the bubble brightly pulsing bathing the room in one brilliant surge of power as the time displacement equipment fired. Sending John Connor and Catherine Weaver into the unknown future.

I swear I'll find you Cameron…I will bring you home, is his last thought being absorbed by the blinding light.

THE ALTERED FUTURE:
2025
TWO YEARS BEFORE JOHN CONNOR'S ARRIVAL
RESISTANCE BASE ALPHA SITE

"Who ever thought it was a good idea to turn the base into a training camp for Tech Com," The bored recruit bitterly thought. "Needs to be shot...there's a war going on all around us and Skynet could literally drop in on our heads.

Bloodshot blue-eyes took in the crowded room of one of the auxiliary storage buildings that had been converted into a tightly packed class room. It was full of Resistance recruits that ranged from the young to the old, some of the recruits were still kids, that looked barely old enough to fight.

The rumors that spread among the base were that the war was going badly and the powers that be projected that humanity would be extinct in less than fifty years. From heavy losses from skirmishes against the machines, the slaughter of innocent refugees by scavenger gangs, and the normal dangers of the war torn future. The call had gone out that the Resistance drafted every man, woman, and child capable of holding a weapon. Several bunkers were set up as training camps as the leadership sent out messages to other military cells to join in one united front against the machines.

The answer to the Resistance's invitation was rejection from the other cells. The leaders of the fractured military units and bases that survived over the years fought the machines their own way, and they would continue to do so on their own terms.

Without a united front...humanity is extinct...

Thomas Haden, sat in the uncomfortable hard wood desk with his arms folded bored out of his mind. Listening to the Tech Com drill instructor drone on about the newest Skynet plasma weapon, the VFX 90 Series, a more compact version of the usual black bulky rifles wielded by the machines. All around him several of his fellow privates were enthralled by the display of the weapon, and to be honest Thomas wasn't that really interested, already knowing about the interior mechanics of how the machine worked.

Of course most of these newbies never seen that thing before. Half of them are destined to be killed on the battlefield...We already lost so much. He pushed aside the feeling of regret aside. He started to nod off as the lecture was nearing the boring part.

"Now as we can see," The instructor continued raising a small black remote towards the ancient projector and changing the diagram of the schematics of the VFX to a three dimensional cutaway revealing the inner working of the Skynet tech. "The 90 Series has a more compact modular design than it's predecessor and has two modes of fire. Sniper Mode and Assault Rifle Mode. The internal power cell is three times as more efficient-"

Thomas places a hand to his forehead squinting his eyes shut as the insctructor continues to droll on about wave lengths of plasma and different statistics he already knew about. This was just torture. This boring class was all he needed to pass the requirements of the Resistance Basic Training Course and to move on to his Advanced Individual Training then from there to his Mission of Specialty(MOS) reverse engineering Skynet technology.

Blah. Blah. Blah. The more this guy goes on…fuck! I am going to pass out from boredom…too bad I have to repeat this class though. Failed it the first time…

"Hey!"

A soft female voice calls out drawing Thomas out of his thoughts and looking over his shoulder at the striking girl sitting across from him. Long locks of curly blonde hair framed a perfect face with flawless skin reflecting the light of the projector fell past her shoulders in long waves. Beautiful blue-eyes shimmered with intelligence as she smiled sweetly at him. She was dressed in a black jumpsuit that clung to her shapely body and a dark band with three red dots forming a triangle graced the upper portion of her right sleeve.

Thomas' own blue-eyes briefly went away from her innocent stare to the band with the three dots. To him it looked like some sort of insignia, maybe this girl was in sort of some special unit that he never heard of before. There was small clusters of specialized groups spread throughout the Resistance trained a variety of tasks of raging war against the machines.

"Hey? Do I have to repeat myself?" She asked again, tilting her head ,smiling brightly at him. "Or am I going to have to order you to tell me recruit."

Order me!? Thomas thought looking up once more into her pretty blue-eyes, and finding himself lost for the moment. Who the Hell does this chick think she is? Screw it!

"Thomas," he tells her noting the how beautiful she really was in the limited lighting.

"Jessica," she smiles back just as the instructor yells out to the both of them. Angry over being interrupted from his boring lecture.

"No talking in my class recruits!"

Thomas' face reddens as the peals of laughter from his fellow classmates looking back at Jessica slyly grinning and trying to cover up the embarrassment. She places a hand over her mouth trying to control the soft laughter at her fellow recruit's predictamnet, but cannot as the instructor harshly glares at the both of them.

"I'm sorry," Jessica laughs looking at the confused Thomas, as the instructor nods his head continuing on with where he left off. "But the look on your face was so funny."
Thomas just sat there in the chair with his arms crossed looking back at the boring instructor, pretending to listen to the lecture, while Jessica continued to softly laugh at him.

"Oh come on you big baby!" She said smiling brushing away some long strands of hair from her face. "It's just a joke!"

A few minutes later walking in the crowded tunnel along with other recruits Thomas slung his heavy backpack over his shoulder. He was going over the last few minutes of the lecture in his mind and finding ways to correct the mistakes that the instructor got wrong about the VFX-90. One thing was the power distribution network that controlled the variable rate of fire and the alternate frequicies of plasma that could be used.

If I hadn't failed that class the first time, Shoving a battered field manual into his pack and digging through the mess of supplies for the old T-600 series neural chip he worked on in his spare time. I got sometime before the next class might as well see if I can get this thing up and running.

Finally he found it buried under a couple of heavy books, nearly jumping out of his skin when Jessica steathly walked up beside him.

"Thomas?" Jessica asked smiling noticing how she scared the shit out him.

"Uh yeah!" Thomas replied nearly dropping the battered chip.

"I haven't seen you around before. Are you new here?" She asked shouldering her own pack and looking at Thomas with those crystal clear blue-eyes. He stares back into hers nearly dropping the chip again. "Did you just trasfer here?"

They continued walking in silence for a few seconds before Thomas answered her back.
"Yeah," He said too quickly.

Jessica lightly laughed falling into step with Thomas as they both navigated through the crowded tunnel filled with their fellow recruits.
"So where are you from?"

"Lexington," he simply said tightening his grip on the fragile chip. Finally they had reached his storage locker as Jessica looked at him with bright blue-eyes as if wanting to know everything about him.
"Really?"

Thomas remained quite quickly undoing the combination lock and opening the locker shoving in the heavy backpack. Jessica picked up on his quite attitude before asking her next question.

"What about your family?"

He breathed in sharply pulling out another torn book from the inside and turned looking at her with eyes that were full of deep pain. Thomas quickly pushes away the sadnnes and closing the locker with a deep clang.

"I'm sorry…but I really have to get to the next training class," he explains apologetically.

A look of slight dissapointment crossed Jessica's perfect face, tilting her head and gazing softly at Thomas.
"So…" She starts drawing out the word and capturing his complete attention. "Maybe I'll see you later?"

"Sure. Yeah," Thomas replied distracted as if something weighed heavily on his mind.

"Okay," Jessica said feeling slightly dejected walking past Thomas. "…Bye."

Thomas looked up watching the slim form of Jessica Kell casually stroll down the tunnel and turn around the bend. He opened the palm of his hand and stared down at the battered T-600 neural chip with a look of deep hatred. Several seconds later he closes his hand shoving the chip into his field jacket pocket and walking onto the next training class.

"Maybe there is a ray of hope in this war..."

TWO YEARS LATER:
March 5, 2027

Resistance Private First Class, Thomas Haden, stood three steps away from the desk of specialist Savannah Weaver, the commanding officer of the eastern Los Angeles Resistance bunker. Weaver regarded Thomas with calm hazel-eyes while running a hand through her shoulder length reddish hair. Beside the soldier stood Jessica Kell, TOK-716, and the private's partner for the last two years.

"So let me get this straight," Weaver said blowing out a sigh of frustration, looking over at Jessica. "Thomas tried to ditch you again…while on a mission?"

"Yes," Jessica stoically replied. "We were on the assignment to the target of interest." She looks away from Weaver and towards Thomas the hurt evident in her voice. "Private Haden completed the objective but did not wait for extraction at the landing zone. He ran instead and I had to waste valauble time to search for him…Thomas is inefficient at times."

"I hope you dragged his ass back back to LZ," General Weaver commented looking harshly at the young private. "I should bump his dumb ass back down to recruit and make him take Basic all over again."

Jessica tilted her head casting her own hurt gaze at her partner. "I had to render Thomas unconscious. He refused to come along with me back to the LZ."

"Good," General Weaver replied. "Next time hit him harder…should knock some common sense back into that thick skull of his. Is that clear Private?"

"Yeah…whatever," Thomas commented looking over at Jessica with hardened eyes. "I did not run as the metal puts it. I told you before Commander Weaver. I refuse to work with it."

Weaver looked harshly at Thomas for his usage of words. "Her name is Jessica and she is your partner to work with. You two will be equals in this army! So whatever issues you have between the two of you. Resolve them now…"

"Yeah what a joke," Thomas snickered cruelly refusing to look over at Jessica and seeing the pain etched on her face. "A machine walking around like it has name…it's sick enough-"

"That's enough!" General Weaver yelled out her voice rising in anger and slamming her hand on the desk bouncing around the collection of painted clay figurines. "Jessica is your partener Private Haden! You will swallow that damned pride of yours and you will respect her as a fellow soldier. Do I-"

Before she can finish. One of her aides throws open the office door and stands there breathless trying to control the rapid rate of his breathing.

" Commander Weaver!" He gasps out clutching his chest. "We have an intruder in the lower southeastern tunnels! Kyle Reese's squad just reported in they found a man wondering around confused."

"Who is he?" Weaver asks concerned getting up from her desk and forgetting about Thomas' petty attitude towards Jessica for the moment.

"He says his name is John Connor," The aid replies getting control of his breath.

"John Connor?" Weaver silently asks as she heard that name from somewhere before. "Jessica, Thomas, stay here…I need to go check this out…you two need to talk about whatever issues you have…"

With that Savannah Weaver determinedly strolls out of her office followed by a couple of heavily armed soldiers, leaving Jessica and Thomas alone together. Jessica titls her head gazing sofly at him with hurt blue-eyes. Several seconds of deep silence pass between the two of them, before Thomas walks up closely to her looking into her face with hard eyes.

"Jessica," Thomas harshly says.

"Yes," She replies tilting her head.

"I don't give a fuck about what you told Weaver," He says with a hard edge to his voice. "I know you told her. That's why she was bitching me out. Trying to get me to respect you as an equal."

"That is her order," Jessica silently told him.

"I don't care," Thomas defiantly told her. "I don't have to prove anything to anyone! Not Weaver, not the Resistance, and sure as hell not you!"

With that last harsh word Thomas turns on his heel storming out the office and leaving a stoic looking Jessica Kell standing there alone in the office. The deep hurt was etched into the marble like features of her face as the pain surged through her systems. A single tear streaks down the side of her face as she tries to process all the information at one time.

"I don't understand," She said softly unable to cope with the harshness of Thomas' words. "I love you…Thomas. Why can't you see that…"

TO BE CONTINUED: