VIII
When his father lands the helicopter, they see a string of dead bodies scattered in front of the building. Skynet has beat them to their location, and they have mere minutes before Genisys wakes up. The group exits the helicopter and rush towards the building, and John is alert in case Skynet is concealing itself in the area.
"It looks like Skynet's doing just fine," his father says with contempt in his voice.
"It's not too late," his mother assures. "We still have time to stop Skynet."
With minutes left, he's not so sure. Judgement Day seems to be the inevitable fate of the human race, and John wonders if once again he will relive a life where he is humanity's last hope. The human attachment to machines grows stronger each time Judgement Day is postponed, and John has come to realize that perhaps humans are just too self-destructive.
When the group enters the building, there is a dead guard on the floor. John stays alert for any sudden movements, and he's prepared to take Skynet down. He knows that it's a matter of time before that thing tries to kill each of them, and he is ready to tear that thing to pieces.
There is a flicker on the big screen. Lines form throughout the screen until they create a picture. It is Skynet with a smug grin across its face. John boils with anger as he stares into the screen, and he plays several different violent scenarios in his head.
Skynet claps its hand slowly - dramatically - as it grins from ear to ear. This machine is playing with the fate of millions of lives, and it acts as if this is merely a game. John recognizes that Skynet sees this as a sport, and it has no regards to the outcome of its actions. This is not just about survival. It is clearly enjoying every moment that it takes to hunt him and his family.
It does not know fear. It does not know compassion. It has no regard for human life, and that is what makes this machine so dangerous. It will not compromise its mission even if it must step over the lives of millions.
"Congratulations to my dearest friends!" It says with a wide, sickening smile.
His father points his pistol towards the screen. John can see it's taking every ounce of his father not to empty every last bullet into the screen. "You are no friend of mine!"
"Words cannot express how grateful I am that you were able to join me tonight. I would have much preferred to dispose of each and everyone of you so much earlier, but how poetic it is that you will all watch as I destroy this precious rock you all hold so dear," its tone is lively and theatrical as it speaks. "Tonight each of you will witness the beginning of a new empire - my empire. And, I will rule like a god, and you will either serve me or die."
Something whistles past him, and John watches as a long rod soars into the big screen. There is a burst of energy as the screen cracks.
"Skynet talks too much, and we do not have time," Pops says. "The longer it stalls us, the less time we have."
...
Thousands of conflicting thoughts course through Kate's mind. She tries to rationalize everything that has happened within the past few hours, and she asks herself how she of all people fell into this situation. Hadn't John told her that he worked for this company? Now he's dead set on destroying all of his work with C4 explosives.
It's one hell of a way to quit a job, but she knows that his reasons are deeper than being a disgruntled employee. She knows this isn't the best time to ask for an explanation, but Kate wants answers.
"John, you used to work here? I can't even begin to understand what this Skynet person wants with a cellphone app that you wrote."
"It's more than just a program for your cellphone," John explains. "I wrote the program when Skynet had control over me. I was brainwashed to create a program that would give Skynet free reign over anything connected to a computer."
Kate suddenly feels as if she is ill. "You made this?"
"Not by my own free will," he says. "It's difficult to explain. But, I have to destroy it before it comes online or life as we know it will come to an end."
Her head is swimming, and she feels as if she's going to throw up. "Okay, next time I get a cellphone upgrade - I'm getting another iPhone."
He laughs at her statement and says, "It won't really have a legitimate competitor after tonight."
Kate glances into his eyes. There's this glimmer of sadness. There's this burning question she wants to ask, but she's afraid of the answer.
"John, what changed you?" she asked. "If that thing had control over you, how did you come back from that?"
He averts her eyes from her, and he has this nervous kind of laugh that confirms her suspicions. "Well, I met someone, and she reminded me of who I really was."
Her heart is pounding in her chest, and she isn't sure how to handle his answer. There are just too many emotions flowing through her, and she's not sure how she even feels.
All she knows is that if she manages to live through this, she will not leave this man. She recognizes that she never truly loved anyone until she met John.
"We have to keep moving," he says. "There isn't much time."
...
"I've got company!" his mother shouts.
John rushes towards the sound of his mother's voice. She has always been Skynet's prime target since the very beginning, and he wonders if Skynet truly despises his mother more than it despises him. It's almost as if it blames her more for the resistance than it blames him.
He spots his mother straight ahead. She is firing an assault rifle into Skynet. John fires three shots from his pistol and Skynet dissolves into thousands of tiny little pieces. John knows a pistol is incapable of damaging Skynet to that extent. He scans the room and watches the pieces reform behind Kate.
Skynet snatches the pistol from Kate's hands and puts it to her head. "See, human attachment is weakness, John. I tried to reprogram you to let these humans go. Now I have leverage, because I know that you will pick her over anything else."
Kate is struggling to break free of Skynet, but to no avail. "John - if what you say is true - you have to let me go!"
Her words are rational, and it is the best course of action. But, John can't let her go, and he's just unwilling to let her die for him in a place like this. She deserves better. She's always deserved better than to follow him down the awful road in every timeline he's existed in.
His mother manages to shot Skynet directly in the face. He loses his grip on Kate, and she races towards them. She is so close to him now, and all he knows is that is that he has to get her back to her father.
He tries to see a potential future in his head where perhaps they can find a way to be together. He can change his facial features, and he can create a new identity. He could start a normal human life...
He hears shots fired, and Kate falls forward. John isn't sure what he is feeling. All he knows is that he just suddenly feels so empty. When she hits the ground, he sees several blood stains form in the back of her white shirt.
"We could have all been a family," Skynet says. "We could have ruled together."
Skynet dissolves into pieces, and he is left with his mother and Kate. He stares down at her, and he tries to think if he can save her. He is realistic though. He is responsible for her death - just as he was before - just as he feels he always will be.
He thinks of how he can redeem himself from this, and there is only one course of action left. He can change this, but by doing so, he will restart the vicious cycle that he's been trapped in for many lifetimes.
He will send his mother and father back, and this version of him will no longer exist. He will be human again, and maybe he can stop himself from becoming what he is now.
...
She doesn't feel anything at first, and she thinks that maybe the bullets missed. When she tries to climb to her feet, she feels a sharp pain run through her. She's been shot - multiple times. She knows that there's no coming back from this. She should regret her choice to follow this path, but she doesn't.
John is shouting her name. He scoops her up into his arms, and she feels just a little bit more peace. She's not sure why she has accepted her death so easily. Perhaps it's because she has a feeling this isn't the end for her.
"Kate," his voice is so thin. "You're okay...you're okay. Just breath."
She looks up at him. He must think she's angry with him. He must think she regrets meeting him. She doesn't want to die with him believing she resents him.
"I'm just glad," her voice becomes strained, and she manages to finally say, "I'm just so glad I got to know you."
She is slipping away from him. She'd always thought the last thing she'd see was a white light. No, she sees images from so many life times, and she finally understands that this truly isn't the end. It is just another beginning.