CHAPTER 14
Catherine Weaver and John had been walking for at least two hours. After quickly dispensing with several Terminators, Catherine had led John out of the basement of what appeared to be a dilapidated mansion, albeit an eerily familiar one. John assumed that the ease of their escape had been due to Catherine's ability to circumnavigate several of Skynet's security systems. Otherwise he suspected that there would have been a far more furious battle to get away. After retrieving some clothes for him, which were still inadequate for the weather conditions, but far better than the examination gown he had been wearing; Catherine had instructed John to follow her. She had also transformed her outer clothing into black BDU pants, a tight long sleeve turtle neck and black boots, a much more fitting outfit for what was likely to come as they embarked on their journey. However, since then she had barely said a word to him.
John's head and legs ached. The fatigue from the experiences of the last few days as well as the lack of food and rest had begun to take its toll. The cold air, which blew incessantly, chilled him to the bone. He looked despairingly around the debris strewn, post apocalyptic landscape and saw in the wreckage the ruins of what had once been a massive city. The slowly setting crimson sun added to the ghostly surreal scene. Becoming more aggravated with each passing moment by Catherine's seemingly effortless trudge through the landscape, and by her frustrating silence, John had finally had enough.
"Okay, hold on…" John stated in an exasperated tone. Catherine quickly turned and looked at him, an almost "annoyed' look on her face.
"Yes Mr. Connor?" She asked. John leaned back against a large concrete pillar that had once supported a highway overpass.
"We've been walking for over two hours and you haven't said a word." Catherine raised her eyebrows, almost as if confused.
"Yes?" she responded flatly. "Two hours, twenty three minutes, and forty seven seconds to be exact." Growing more agitated John spoke again.
"It'd be nice to have some answers."
"Exactly what answers were you expecting Mr. Connor?" she asked, again with very little apparent emotion in her tone as she scanned the skyline for any possible threats. John was uncertain whether she was attempting to give him some sort of backhandedly dismissive response, or if she was asking a genuine question.
"Well for starters, where the fuck have you been?" John's voice rose as anger crept into his tone. He then continued,
"Do you have any idea what I've been through?" Catherine tilted her head to the side appearing to be slightly inquisitive. John hesitated for another moment and then dropped his head in what could only be described as an admission of defeat.
"Ca…Cameron is gone. John Henry is gone." John's struggle to speak grew harder as he continued, "My mother is dead, the resistance thinks I'm some sort of traitor to humanity and…" John took a deep breath attempting to fight back his tears.
"…in light of recent events…" John hesitated again, "…I think I might just be one."
"I see…" Catherine responded her voice devoid of any compassion. John felt his rage begin to boil over.
"You see?" He shot back, "You see!" He took a few steps towards Catherine. "I wanna know what the hell is going on around here!" John voice grew more exasperated as he continued. "You disappear about a minute after we get here not to be heard from until now. I don't know what the hell is going on with the resistance and these divided factions in this timeline, and Cameron is GONE!".
"Keep your voice down Mr. Connor." Catherine snapped back as she again looked around the shattered terrain.
"I assure you that except for a few deviations, I believe that this has all been part of John Henry's plan."
"Part of his plan?" John answered with anger still in his voice. "Was it his plan to come here and get himself destroyed…TO GET CAMERON KILLED!" His voice rose again at which point Catherine raised her hand in a "calm down" gesture before giving him a strange look of reassurance.
"What makes you believe John Henry has been destroyed?" Catherine asked in an superior tone. John shook his head with dismay.
"Because I saw his body…I saw his body being burned. His…" John balked, "…Cameron's chip was destroyed." Catherine responded with what John could only describe as a smug smile.
"You saw John Henry's chip destroyed?" she asked in a mocking tone.
"Yes…" he shot back, and then thought for a brief moment instantly realizing something. "Well…they said they destroyed the chip." Catherine took another step closer to John and spoke much more seriously.
"Do you honestly believe I would let anything happen to John Henry, Mr. Connor?" John wrinkled his brow, somewhat confused. Catherine slowly reached into her pants pocket and retrieved something. After doing so she held the object out in her hand for John to see. John nearly collapsed. He felt the strength drain out of his legs and his heart jumped into his throat.
"Is that…" His words were barely audible, "Is that her…"
"Yes Mr. Connor." Catherine responded. "This is John Henry's chip." John swallowed, still nearly overcome with emotion. A slight smile danced across his face as he experienced the greatest amount of hope he had felt since arriving in this dark arena.
"She's still alive." John whispered.
"Yes Mr. Connor…" Catherine stated and then turned and began to walk away.
"Wait!" John called out as he ran after Catherine.
"How did you get it?" he asked as he moved up alongside of her. Catherine looked over at John,
"I am a shape shifter Mr. Connor." she replied the haughty tone again returning to her voice.
"After our arrival and John Henry's subsequent capture I merely led the resistance to believe that I had destroyed John Henry's chip." She hesitated momentarily before speaking again.
"It really was a very simple plan Mr. Connor." Slightly put off, but ignoring his initial reaction John responded,
"So where have you been? Why didn't you come get me sooner?"
"To be honest Mr. Connor, I had much more pressing matters to attend to."
"Such as?" John questioned.
"Well, first and foremost I had to formulate a plan to reactivate John Henry." John looked curiously at Catherine.
"How are you going to do that?" he asked.
"There is a Terminator construction establishment not far by vehicle from here. I have formulated a means of entry to that facility and I will covertly build John Henry a new body and reactivate him." Catherine paused almost as if thinking before she continued.
"If it had not been for your recent capture I would have been able to accomplish this task much sooner." John frowned ignoring her last statement which seemed to blame him for getting captured. Instead he focused on what he believed to be the more important question.
"What about Cameron?" He asked his voice now lacking its strength. Catherine looked over at him and raised her eyebrows in a surprisingly disconcerted manner.
"What about her?" she responded.
"How do we get her back?" There was a brief moment of silence before Catherine answered,
"We don't…" she said in a cold, heartless tone as she turned away from John. Grabbing Catherine by the shoulder John nearly shouted,
"What?" Catherine jerked her head back around to look at John almost as if she were angry. She then quickly pulled away from him.
"Keep your voice down Mr. Connor." John felt his renewed anger growing.
"What do you mean we don't get her back?" he growled.
"John Henry has taken over your friend's chip. While she is still there, he is now the primary and most important program. While it would in theory be possible to separate the two of them, it would be difficult to do, and dangerous for John Henry."
"I don't care…" John immediately responded. Catherine shook her head in what could only be characterized as a clear expression of annoyance on her part.
"She gave John Henry her chip for this very purpose. I am sure she understood the very real chance that she might never again return."
"What will happen to Cameron after you reactivate John Henry?" John asked.
"I am uncertain." Catherine stated a flat expressionless voice. "I presume she would continue to run in the background; however, there have never been two profiles of this nature put onto the same chip before. It is quite possible that she will be permanently damaged or erased."
"Give me her chip." John immediately stated his voice bristling with anger. Catherine ignored him as she turned and began to walk away, leaving him speechless. John stood silently for several seconds watching Catherine walk further and further away, until he sensed his rage beginning to take hold. It finally became an all consuming fire that he could no longer control. And then he sprinted furiously after Catherine.
"Give me her chip!" he shouted as he ran.
In a flash Catherine spun around to meet John. Seizing him by the throat she stopped him dead in his tracks. She then lifted him slowly and deliberately off of the ground.
"Mr. Connor...this obsession with your little metal friend is growing tiresome." John gagged and gasped for breath as Catherine continued to suspend him in the air by his throat.
"We have a mission to complete, the number one goal of which is reactivating John Henry." Catherine paused glaring into John's eyes with her own cold lifeless green eyes. She then released him and he fell to the ground in a crumpled heap gasping for breath.
"It is after all why you and your friend sent me back." She stated in a hostile tone.
"What?" John asked as he coughed. Catherine momentarily gave him a uncertain look, appearing to debate whether or not she should reveal the next bit of information to him. Eventually she spoke,
"You and your friend sent me back Mr. Connor. You sent me back to build John Henry, in order to stop Skynet." Still trying to catch his breath John spoke again in a somewhat labored tone.
"My friend?" he asked, "Who, Cameron?"
"No Mr. Connor." Catherine responded smugly. "Your friend Savannah Weaver. And unlike you, it appears that she was willing to sacrifice the ones she cared about for the greater good." John slowly stood, still in utter confusion.
"Sacrifice the ones she cared about?" he asked. "What are you talking about?" Once again Catherine appeared to be "annoyed" with his question.
"Honestly Mr. Connor, I thought you would have put it together by now. Savannah understood that it would be necessary to sacrifice her parents in order to build John Henry." John's jaw nearly dropped open upon hearing this revelation.
"We…we sent you back to kill her parents?" he asked the disgust flooding into his voice.
"Not specifically to kill her parents Mr. Connor. You sent me back to build John Henry. However it was necessary to terminate her parents in order to do so." John felt the horror slipping over him.
"John Henry is the best chance that humanity has for stopping Skynet." Catherine stated. "I thought you would have understood that by now." John stood silently still in shock unable to say anything.
"I sent you back?" John repeated.
"Yes, you did Mr. Connor, we've already gone over this." They remained quiet for another second each waiting for the other to speak.
"But what about Cameron?" John asked in a weak tone.
"Cameron…" Catherine stated flatly, "…is no longer a priority."
"She is to me!" John shot back in a harsher voice.
"Reactivating John Henry is my mission Mr. Connor and I plan to carry that out, with or without your help. There is an operational vehicle not fare from here. You can either assist me or choose to do nothing. Either way, I am going to reactivate John Henry." Catherine Weaver looked at John with an almost clinical detachment before she turned and walked away, leaving him standing alone amongst the debris.