V
It was only a matter of time before he flaked on her. That's what she tells herself. She thinks that thought is going to comfort her, but it doesn't. She recognized how close she allowed herself to get, and she admits that she was starting to fall for him. If she were in a better place, maybe she would have seen through all of it. She texts Blair about what had occurred, and waits for her to reply. She imagines that perhaps there is some explanation, and she just really hopes she's overthinking everything.
"Yeah, that seems really suspicious. I'd give it three days. If he doesn't have a good explanation, drop him."
There's a part of Kate that still hopes that maybe there's still some chance at this. She knows it is foolish to believe, but she just doesn't want to lose John. She's never connected so well with someone, and she just really thought there was something there. She flops back onto her bed, and she lets out a frustrated groan. Why do men have to be so complicated?
...
The sun is rising in the sky. He originally promised to return to Kate last night, and now dawn is breaking. He wishes he could just go to her, and he wishes he could just explain this all to her.
He sees her worried eyes - that look she'd have every time he left on a mission. He imagines that same glossy look in her eyes, and he imagines she probably thinks the worst of him. He thinks to call her on a payphone, but he's sure that Skynet will be listening. It will only put her in further danger, and that thing will use her as leverage against him.
John has never been religious, but he asks some higher power to protect Kate from Skynet. He asks for his parents to live through this, and he asks to wake up next to Kate one last time.
A bullet slips from his hand, and he places the ammunition clip back on the table. He cannot seem to get his thoughts together, and he wonders if his programming is malfunctioning. That is what I am now - a program. This change in him has to be something more though. A malfunction would shut him down rather than have him reconsider everything that Skynet had instilled within him.
His father approaches him and sets a assault riffle onto the table. "If that thing really got into your head and scrambled your brains, how the hell did you come back from it?"
He averts his gaze from his father. His father knows Kate, and he's not comfortable having this conversation. It just seems odd talking about something so personal especially know that Kyle Reese is aware that he is his father.
"Kate..." his father says. "You met her in this timeline, and that's the person that changed you. I can't think of any other possible explanation."
"Kate? Who the hell..." his mother asks.
"His wife," Kyle interrupts. "She's his wife - at least she was before I was sent back to 1984."
"I'm feel so out of the loop," his mother says. "Why was this not brought to my attention before?"
"It didn't seem relevant - until now at least."
"Relevant? Until now? She's my son's wife - our son."
"I'll tell you what. I'll write you a biography when Skynet isn't trying to kill us," his father scoffs. "It's not like you were exactly one hundred percent upfront either."
"It didn't seem relevant," his mother snaps as she takes two steps toward his father.
He watches his parents eye each other, and John decides that he's done with their bickering. It's counterproductive to their mission, and not to mention really irritating to listen to.
"Can you two please not do this right now?" John ask, his voice inflecting his frustration.
"I'm not the one instigating this," his father argues.
"I'm instigating?"
"Yes, since the first damn day! Maybe if you weren't so self-absorbed, and maybe if you would have been forward with important details..." his father glares at his mother with contempt. "John and I never fought like this."
John let out an exasperated sigh. "Please dad don't bring me into this."
John never imagined that he'd ever witness his parents argue. He's not sure how to deal with the situation, and he retreats into the other room with Pops. Pops is shuffling through bullets and ammunition clips completely dead to the world.
"Do they always fight like this?" He asks.
"Yes. At this rate, I'm concerned that they may never mate."
John wrinkles his nose in disgust. "Please do me a favor and never ever speak of my parents mating again."
"I don't understand it's a biological function to ensure the continuation of the human race."
If John were still human, he imagines that he'd probably feel like puking at this moment.
"Please just don't."
...
John is putting an assault rifle together next to his mom who is filling the ammunition clips. She's unaware that she's taught him how to handle each of these weapons. It brings him back to his childhood. It reminds him of many memories of her preparing him for the Judgement Day. It's feels so prophetically ironic to him.
The truth is he's been trying to keep himself busy for the last five hours, but he's falling apart inside little by little. He sets the rifle down and places his hands on the table. He's shaking uncontrollably, and he just hates how human he feels.
"John," the sound of his mother's voice brings him back. It's so oddly comforting. She puts her arms around him. Her voice soothes him. "Whatever it is that's bothering you, you can tell me."
She's his mother. She's the same Sarah Connor that raised him. She's on the same path as she's always been, but she's still too stubborn to accept it.
"I'm going to get her killed," he finally says.
"You don't know that," she's so reassuring, and it makes him believe for just a moment. "We can still win this."
There's that fierce look in his mom's eyes that he knows all too well. She's the type that always tries to fight fate, but she hasn't seen what he seen. He can't really believe like she can.
She pulls away and her hands are on his shoulders. She looks him straight in the eye. "We're going to fix this, John."
God, he's missed his mom so much. He embraces her, and it brings him back to childhood memories he had thought he'd forgotten.
"There is no fate but what we make for ourselves," she's said these words to him countless times before. He doesn't believe them. How many timelines has he existed in where he's had to fight this war? How many times will he relive losing his mother?
John hears footsteps, and he turns to see his father standing in the doorway.
"We don't have much time left," his father says.
His mom looks towards his father. The softeness in her eyes is replaced with a fierce stare. "We can still stop Skynet. We will stop Skynet."
He's not sure what the future will hold if they all make it out of this alive. He's technically not even born yet, and he's not as well versed in time travel as he would like to believe. He wonders whether he will cease to even exist or if two version of him will exist in this timeline. That is if his mother and father stop fighting with each other at every opportunity they get.
John needs to survive this. He wants to see Kate one more time, and he feels obligated to explain everything to her. He hopes he won't scare her, and he just hopes maybe she'll still want him in her life.
"I know Cyberdyne like the back of my hand," John says. "When we get there, we'll have to be quick. I imagine Skynet is already prepared for us."
His mother slings a bag of weapons and supplies over her shoulders. "Whatever it has planned, we will be able to counter it."
John isn't so sure, but he likes his mother's optimism. "We can't communicate through phones. They all have GPS programmed into them. If we get separated, we meet back here."
"Sounds like a plan," his father says.
John feels a sudden jolt of nervous excitement. He is not necessarily looking forward to their mission, but he's also ready to get it over with. After that, he will finally have what he's always wanted. He will have a whole lifetime with his family and his wife.
"I'll make good on getting you a cold beer after all this is over," his father says. "Something tells me you never got around to that after you sent me back."
John laughs. "No, unfortunately there were some setbacks."
This is it. Tonight they will either stop Skynet or the world will relive Judgement Day. He's ready to end this vicious cycle once and for all. He grabs a rifle and puts it over his shoulder.
The ground shakes and there is a loud explosion. He falls forward as dust and rumble fall around him.
"You really thought you could hide from me?"
Skynet has found them, and now the entire mission plan has changed.