IV
John parks his car in front of the hospital, and he hopes that he's intercepted his parents before Homeland Security reaches the hospital. He's shifts his appearance to look convincing to the police detectives inside. He should probably adjust his scar to appear more familiar to his father.
He sees another vehicle pull up beside him in a sharp swerve. He recognizes the driver and rolls his eyes. O'Brien. He recalls O'Brien post Judgement Day. He's a decent enough person, but also a pain in the ass to be around.
John mentally prepared himself for O'Brien's endless ranting as he exits his car. O'Brien is advancing on him, and he's just not in the mood to deal with him today.
"Hey!" O'Brien shouts at him. "Hey! I need to talk to you."
"I'm busy Detective," he snaps.
"Look, just hear me out," O'Brien pleads. "I've been following this case for years."
John ignores him and enters the hospital. He approaches a pair of detectives, but O'Brien is still hot in pursuit.
"I'm sure you have done a lot of work on this case, and I will have time to speak with you later. Right now, I need to deal with these suspects."
John steps into the elevator. He sees this desperate look for approval in O'Brien's eyes as the doors close. He's always been the like this - always looking to others for validation. The doors close, and John feels a tinge of guilt for rudely snubbing O'Brien. Time is too limited though, and he must get to his parents as soon as he can.
The elevator dings, and John follows the two detectives into the hall. He sees a familiar man approach him, and he feels as if he's been kicked straight in the gut. The man outstretches his arm, but John refuses it with a cold stare.
"Dr. Peter Silberman," the man introduces himself with an nasty self-absorbed smile.
He wants to tear him limb from limb, but John resists. Silberman lowers his outstretched hand, and smiles that smug little half smile of his. He wants to wipe that smile clear from his face.
"If it's alright by you, I'd like to do a thorough psychiatric examination of the suspects once you are through with your interrogation ."
"We have more qualified doctors to handle this case," he says, each word laced with venom.
If you so much as get within ten feet of my mother, I will...
One of the detectives interrupts his train of thought. "Right this way, sir."
He's grateful to be away from Silberman. He's sure that just one more minute with that man would have dissolved into violence, and that would have conflicted with the task of saving his parents from the situation they had landed themselves in.
They reach the room, and John isn't sure he should enter. There is a mixture of fear, anxiety, and excitement. He touches the door handle, but before he opens it, he remembers one last important detail.
"Do you have the key for their handcuffs?" the detectives give him suspicious looks, but the taller one hands him a key without argument.
He pockets the key and opens the door. His mother turns from where she is sitting, and looks straight at him. It's been so long since he's seen her, and he's now certain he's made the correct choice.
"John?" His father is staring at him in utter disbelief.
"I brought a key," he laughs to himself when he sees they've already broken free of their bonds. "I should have known better."
His mother eyes him. She's suddenly so tense, and she speaks with suspicion. "The T-1000 can impersonate others. How do we know it's actually you?"
"Sarah..." his father says with mild irritation in his tone.
"No, she's right," he agrees. He thinks back to a memory and lets out another nervous laugh.
"You hate lullabies and are a sucker for Elton John.
When I was young, you were very fond of Elton John. You used to sing Rocketman although you can't sing..." his mom is looking straight in his eyes, and she is on the brink of tears. "Your voice sounds like a dying cat. I'm sorry."
"John..." her voice is cracking, and a few stray tears fall from her eyes.
The door flies open, and two cops enter. John quickly snatches their tasers from them and zaps them. His mother and father are quick to arm themselves with the police officers' guns.
John watches his mom tuck the gun in the back of her pants. She's different, but somehow still very much the same. He realizes that she deserves his honesty, and that he has to tell her the truth no matter how much it might hurt her.
"Mom…" he pauses as he searches for the right words. "We have to go before it realizes…"
"Realizes what John?" she asks, her eyes wide and anxious.
"We have to shut down Skynet before it realizes I'm no longer it's ally."
Both her and his father stare at him in utter disbelief. His father raises his gun at him. Does he even know yet? John searches his father's face for an answer, and it's clear that his father oblivious to everything.
"You didn't tell him?" he asks his mother.
His father becomes agitated and raises his voice. "Tell me what? That you're working with Skynet."
His father gives a quick disapproving glance over to his mother. "Are you working with him? Is this some sick joke? I gave up everything..."
His mom cuts him off. Her voice is a mixture of exhaustion and heartbreak. "You're his father Kyle."
Bang. He feels a bullet hit him from behind, and he falls to the ground. He feels a boot on top of him, forcing him into the cold tile floor.
"And, this is where the resistance finally ends."
He knows that voice. It belonged to the thing that afflicted him. It's the same thing that made him kill all of his followers - his comrades and friends. He struggles against its hold on him, but to no avail.
"Who the fuck are you?" His father asks.
"I am Skynet," his voice is chilling - a cold reminder of what exactly this machine is capable of. "See, I was aware that John's mission could be compromised if another human brought him closer to his human components. I had always assumed it would be the fault of either of you if he became self-aware, but now I'm curious to who he might have met in this timeline to undo all of my hard work."
John feels relief wash over him in waves. It doesn't know about Kate yet. She's safe back at his apartment waiting for him. He thanks whatever higher power had blessed him with such great fortune.
"By law of infinite probability, I created a fail safe to guarantee success in case someone triggered John Connor's humanity. By sending myself back to this timeline, I will be ensuring my survival."
"Yeah, well, by law of infinite probability there's still the possibility that I can still kick your ass." He hears his father taunt, and he can't help but be a little amused despite his bleak situation.
"Not likely. You are armed with inferior weapons with no method to flee. Today, I will finally put an end to John and Sarah Connor permanently."
"Get down!"
There is a loud hissing sound followed by a loud explosion. John is free once more, and when he glances to his parents, they are climbing to their feet with barely even a scratch. He notices an aged model of the T-800 holding a rocket launcher in hand.
"Skynet talks too much." The machine's tone is monotone and emotionless. "We must go now."
His mother climbs to her feet. She races to John, and she embraces him tightly. He returns her embrace, and he just thinks to himself that it's been too long since he's seen his mother. He can't imagine what it would be like if he never met Kate in this timeline, and he actually even attempted to harm his mother. He's never been so grateful for something in his entire life.
He pulls away from his mom and says, "There's not much time. We have to shut Skynet down."
He glances over at his father. He has this lost look in his eyes. He wishes that his father would have been informed of his role in his mother's life earlier, but right now, there is no time to explain.
They hear the shuffling of rubble, and they waste no more time fleeing the room. He makes sure to stay close to his mother. He knows she's a capable woman, but he promises to everything that he knows that he'll keep her safe.
They pass an MRI machine. It is not in use at the moment, but John has an idea. "We can use this. It will hold him long enough to buy us some time."
John sees Skynet in full pursuit down the hall. He distances himself from the MRI with the T-800 model. His father turns the machine on full blast, and he watches as Skynet dissolves into thousands of little pieces.
"We must go now and obtain more ammunition. I know a safe house," the T-800 informs.
He thinks of Kate. He wants to go to her, and keep her safe. He realizes it is an impossiblity at this point. It will be a matter of hours before the FBI and Homeland Security use facial recognition to identify him.
He reaches for his phone and sends Kate a text. He knows it's going to give her tons of horrible ideas, but he will make it up to her later. "Something came up at work. If you could, it's probably best to stay at your place tonight."
He puts his phone back into his pocket, and he feels an awful sting of guilt. She'll know everything in a matter of days, and he just hopes that she'll forgive him.