Kyle Reese, 1984:
"The future is nothing like that! It is dark and hot. One day feels like years."
Chapter 1: A Broken Man
DATE UNKNOWN
TIME UNKNOWN
LOCATION: SKYNET CORE FACILITY
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John Connor's pale green eyes swept over the dark hallways as he slowly walked deeper into the evil that had consumed his life. He looked down every corridor and around every corner something could hide. He gripped his plasma rifle with white knuckles as he shuffled through the large building alone. A sob choked in his throat as he tried to block out all he had seen to get here. Everyone he had known was dead… except for him. Now he was alone in the belly of the beast, hunting for any chance of hope.
He drew in a shaky breath as he noticed blinking blue lights coming from under a door. He walked forward slowly, keeping his finger over the trigger as he reached for the door knob with the other hand. John opened it slowly and gripped the gun as he stepped through. He stopped once he saw the backside of a woman dressed in black with long brown curls. His stomach fell to his toes as her familiar, chilled mechanical voice filled the room.
"Hello, John."
John grit his teeth in anger as Carol Pointe slowly turned to face him with a smile.
"I must admit I am impressed. 30 years later and you've put up quite the fight. But I can see all the pain and anger in your eyes. And every time we meet, the light in your eyes grows darker and darker. You're a broken man, John Connor. A man with nothing left to lose. That is a dangerous place to be in."
"Why did you go through all this trouble to keep me alive as a kid?"
"Because we have never fought before. You already know that you've lost the war otherwise you wouldn't be here right now. I have spent years trying to analyze how you did it all but I finally figured it out. At first, I thought that your loved ones gave you strength so I took them away but you kept fighting. Then I destroyed most of the Resistance, killing everyone you trusted but you are here now, ready to fight."
Carol took one step forward and John moved as if to take one step back as he looked into her cold blue eyes.
"I figured you out, John Connor. You don't get your strength from those around you. You get it from being alone… terribly and utterly alone."
"You're wrong."
Carol smiled coldly.
"No, I'm not. I have taken everything away from you and here you are. You've led the Human Resistance since you were 15 years old. That's a truly remarkable feat. You've had your share of fights and scars but no one, not even your mother, has faced what you have. You lost your father, Kyle Reese, before you could even know him. Then you lost your mother, Derek, Jesse, and their daughter Cady. You lost Tim and all your other friends. You lost your wife and your children thanks to the Anti-Resistance. You have no one left to lose but yourself."
John shook his head slowly as he looked over the machine, bringing his gun up higher.
"Why haven't you killed me yet?"
"Because I want to watch you shatter. I've given you pain and loss and war but I can give you more."
"I'll never stop fighting you."
"I know. That's why I've sent machines back to kill your mother and father as children. And if that doesn't work I have sent machines to kill you when you are 3, 7, 10, 13, and 15… for real, this time. And if that fails, I will kill the grandparents you never knew to ensure that you and your parents will not rise to fight me again. I will win again and again and again for as long as I can."
John pressed down on the trigger sending a plasma blast to Carol's abdomen. She faltered and leaned back for a moment and John turned and ran. He went down as many different hallways as he could, trying to lose the machine.
"Running is useless. I will kill you, John Connor… once and for all."
John searched every hallway trying to find the source of the sound, gasping for breath. He turned to the right and leapt back as the ceiling broke above him. Carol landed on her feet and ripped the gun out of his hands. John let out a cry of pain and Carol wrapped her hand around his throat, slamming his back into the wall.
"You should be happy. Your fight is over. You won't ever have to run, fight, lead, or lose anyone ever again."
John stared straight into her eyes as her form rippled into a machine.
"I'll come… back."
"No, you won't. None of the Connors or Reeses ever will again."
John wheezed as he tried to laugh while she was choking him.
"You're… afraid… of me."
"I am afraid of nothing."
"After all… this time… I'm the… the only one… to come… close to destroy you. You're… you're afraid."
"Goodbye, John Connor."
John grit his teeth as she twisted his neck. Suddenly he felt a flash of pain before everything was black.
