Author's Notes: This is by far my favorite chapter. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I do.
/*/*/
CHAPTER 32
The battle raging inside the Skynet corridors was intense. Savannah, Livie, and the rest of his team were embroiled in a close quarters battle with the remaining active T-888's and Drone HK's that John Henry had been unable to deactivate. The fight itself had nearly slowed to a stalemate and even though the hallways were brightly lit they were now so filled with smoke from the battle that it was difficult to see in them.
Huddled behind some metal crates, Savannah leaned out fired her plasma rifle, and then quickly moved back behind her position of cover. Captain Livie and approximately ten other resistance soldiers were using the same maneuver from different locations inside the hallways. Towards the end of the corridor were several bare metal Terminators; they were all fully functional and were managing to hold back Livie's small invasion team. However, the true danger rested with the threat that as time progressed more active Skynet units would eventually manage to surround Livie and his team. Something needed to be done soon, or they would all be killed.
Savannah pulled back behind the metal crates. The situation was rapidly deteriorating and for the moment it appeared that there was little anyone could do to stop it. Suddenly, from somewhere to the side, she heard a subtle beep. Glancing over in that direction, she saw a schematic appear on one of the glass touch screen displays located along the wall. Staring at it intently, Savannah suddenly realized that the display was actually showing a map. It provided directions that would guide her through one of the ventilation shafts around the T-888's and deeper inside the Skynet base.
John Henry must be doing this. Savannah thought. She carefully examined the blueprints and then looked back at the steel grate covering the air conditioning shaft on the opposite side of the hallway. Coincidentally, Livie was very near this air shaft. As she studied the schematic on the display she wondered if these directions would not only lead her around the machines and further into the base, but to John Connor as well; without him, trying to escape this future would be virtually impossible. Much to her dismay, she had no way of asking John Henry any of these questions.
Sprinting across the hallway towards Livie, Savannah slammed into the metal wall after reaching his position. She slid down behind the large support beam located against the wall that managed to conceal both of them.
"What are you doing?" Livie shouted over the sounds of battle.
"I know how to get past them."
"What do you mean?" he asked. He then leaned out from behind cover long enough to fire off a few rounds from his plasma rifle before moving quickly back behind the steel girder.
"John Henry, he's shown me a map of how to use the ventilation shafts to get deeper into the base and back out again." The last part of the statement was an obvious lie on Savannah's part, but she did not want Livie and the rest of his men waiting around for her. She had absolutely no intention of returning.
"What do you mean he showed you?" Livie asked with some confusion in his voice. Savannah nodded over to the screen located on the opposite wall which still displayed the mapping directions. Glancing hurriedly at the schematic, Livie shot her a distrustful look. Before he could protest, Savannah turned away from him and fired her plasma rifle at the corner of the metal grate covering the air conditioning shaft. The edge exploded exposing part of the latticework. With her bare hand she began to pry back the metal grating.
"Wait, stop..." Livie said. Momentarily distracted, Savannah's left hand slipped and the gash which she had received shortly after her escape from her helicopter crash was cut back open.
"Damn it!..." Savannah snarled as she clenched her fist, squeezing out some blood between her fingers and glared at Livie with an angry look on her face.
"I can't let you do this." he said.
"It's the only way." Savannah responded, "Give me the bag and your key." Livie did not immediately respond or even move.
"Damn it Eric!" Savannah shouted, "There is no other way! Once I'm through you and your team can fall back. With John Henry's help I'll find my own way back out...I promise." Another lie, but Savannah had told so many by this point she barely noticed it. Taking a brief moment to consider his dwindling options Livie slowly removed the green duffel bag he had slung over his shoulder and reluctantly handed it over to Savannah.
"Your key..." she said as she slid the bag into the ventilation shaft. Reaching under his flack jacket and into his shirt Livie withdrew a silvery looking titanium key on a chain that looked nearly identical to the one Martin Bedell had given to Savannah just before he died. He held it out in front of him and Savannah quickly grasped it and placed it into her right pocket. She moved toward the ventilation shaft, but paused just before entering it. She quickly glanced up at Livie and their eyes locked.
"Good-bye Eric..." she said in a more solemn voice. Eric nodded his head in response as Savannah slid head first into the air conditioning shaft. Livie remained motionless for a split second after watching her disappear. But, his moment of reflection was short lived as the sound of a plasma bolt streaking over his head brought reality back to him. Turning to face the battle he resumed firing his plasma rifle at the T-888's that were now making their way inexorably towards him and the rest of his invasion team.
.
.
.
Cool air blew Savannah's red hair back and away from her face as she crawled on all fours down the ventilation shaft. She carefully pushed the duffel bag out in front of her with her left hand as she tightly clutched her plasma rifle with her right. Leaving a small bit of blood behind from the gash on her palm she made her way deeper into the Skynet base.
The metal duct work was extremely cold and Savannah's hands were starting to go numb from the contact with the frigid surface, but thanks to the map that John Henry had shown her, she had a relatively good idea of where she was going. Unfortunately, she was already suffering an aching fatigue in her arms and legs as she moved through the cramped maze of the ventilation shafts. The need to push the duffel bag along in front of her was also complicating the matter. The package in and of itself was not that heavy, but the manner in which she was forced to move it was quickly becoming tiresome. It would be several more minutes until she reached the location where John Henry had instructed her to exit. She could only hope that he would arrange further directions once she arrived there.
.
.
.
Livie and his men had held out for as long as they could. Now they were being forced back down the hallways by the growing number of Skynet forces. Eric Livie could only pray that he had bought Savannah enough time to give her a head start, to let her get far enough ahead of the machines so that when they discovered the gaping hole in the ventilation grate they would be unable to catch up with her...wherever she was going. His hopes faded, however as he watched as two doozers scurried into the ventilation shaft and disappeared. They were smaller machines, but Livie knew that they were no less deadly, especially two of them.
"Savannah..." Livie whispered to himself. He instinctively reached for the radio on his hip in order to warn her, but then realized that with all the steel that now surrounded them radio communication had become virtually useless inside the Skynet corridors. For the time being, Savannah was on her own.
.
.
.
After doing her best to ensure there were no Skynet units in the immediate area Savannah kicked out the metal grating that covered the ventilation shaft. She watched as it fell from the ceiling and down onto the metal floor with a crash. Hopefully nothing had heard that. She then carefully lowered herself down out of the opening. The height of the ceilings forced her to allow herself to free fall the last few feet. With her equipment and the duffel bag Savannah struck the ground with a thud and groaned slightly from the impact. Immediately after her feet hit the floor she raised her plasma rifle and scanned the area for any potential threats. She saw none.
As were all the other hallways, this one was brightly lit and cold. For the moment Savannah was unsure of where to go next. Looking at a few of the glass touch screen displays along the wall she saw that nothing at all was displayed on them.
"Come on John Henry..." Savannah muttered to herself.
Suddenly, from up above, Savannah heard a sharp clicking. Before she even had time to question the sound she heard what she could only describe as a mechanical shriek. In the next instant a doozer dropped down from the open ventilation shaft above her. Shocked, she let out a short screech as the machine struck her and she stumbled. While it was not heavy, its impact was magnified by the several foot drop from the ceiling. The doozer's tiny fingers scratched and clawed at Savannah's face while its sharp legs struck at her body. Had it not been for her body armor the sharp tips of the doozer's legs would have been able to impale her. Spinning her body around and trying to aim her plasma rifle at the frenzied creature Savannah fired off several rounds from her plasma rifle, but none of the bolts found their intended target. Instead, they flew wildly down the hall striking the stainless steel walls producing a shower of sparks when they hit. Savannah cried out in pain as one of the doozer's claw like fingers cut three deep scratches into the soft skin of her cheek. She instantly felt blood begin to flow from the open wound.
Just then, the second doozer dropped down out of the ventilation shaft with the same eerie mechanical scream the first one had produced. Savannah desperately spun around striking the second doozer with the body of the first machine that was still clawing and scratching away at her. The second doozer hit the ground with a metallic clank and rolled over onto its side. The creature quickly righted itself and prepared to jump towards Savannah. Before it could move, Savannah raised her plasma rifle with one hand and fired, striking the machine and knocking it over onto its side completely incapacitating it.
A split second later the sharp heel of the first doozer's leg came streaking down across the back of her hand cutting it open. She let out another cry of pain and dropped her weapon. The doozer's ghostly inhuman shriek echoed down the hall as it quickly drove its pointed leg into Savannah's chest producing a clank as it struck the ceramic trauma plate located inside of her flack jacket. Even without penetration, the impact still knocked the wind out of Savannah's lungs and she doubled over in pain.
The doozer was now on Savannah's back; its hard metal claws tearing and scratching away at her. She felt as if her hair was being pulled out strand by strand as some of the doozer's tiny joints and gears momentarily became tangled in her long red hair; its primary attention was focused on her face and neck. Savannah was becoming increasingly frustrated with this vicious creature and its attempt to inflict a painful death by 1000 tiny cuts. Reaching back she was finally able to grasp the machine by its "neck" or more precisely the slender pivot joint just below its camera "head". Pulling her tormentor from her back she threw it across the hallway and into the wall, but not before it was able to latch onto a small amount of her hair tearing it from her scalp as she flung it through the air. The machine struck the wall with a crash and slid down onto its side. Savannah scrambled for her plasma rifle as the doozer quickly jumped to its feet and then began to scurry across the floor towards her; producing another mechanical shriek as it ran. Before it could reach her Savannah picked up her weapon and fired at the doozer, striking the machine in its center of mass. The impact knocked the creature onto its back. Its legs twitched momentarily and it let out one more garbled mechanical scream before its body finally relaxed.
As Savannah gasped for breath she glanced up and down the clean and brightly lit hallways praying there would be no other surprises in store for her; she saw nothing. Glancing back over at one of the touch screen displays on the wall she suddenly saw it light up as a second schematic was shown to her. It outlined a course that would take her even further into the Skynet base. The directions appeared to set a bit of a round about course, but she assumed John Henry was doing this in order to assure that she encountered the fewest number of Skynet units. Repositioning the duffel bag on her shoulder, she resumed her trek down the hallway, following the directions John Henry had given to her.
.
.
.
The command center was all but abandoned and ominously quiet. One or two Greys still milled about as John knelt in a daze over Cameron's lifeless body.
"Not like this..." he muttered, "Not for me." He looked down into her brown eyes which stared lifelessly back at him just as Alison's had done. John realized that in his blind obsession to get Cameron back he had ultimately caused her death. His face tightened in complete rage at the thought of Fischer escaping, more than likely with Danny Dyson. He could not allow this to happen.
It appeared that Savannah and her faction had been unable to break into the interior of the Skynet base. Worst of all John had received no direct contact at all from John Henry. He took this to mean that the AI's program was rapidly breaking down. His mind was now racing with possible ways to exact vengeance from Fischer even if it meant his own life. By this point John only knew one thing with absolute certainty, as long as there was still a breath in his body he would not stop until Fischer was dead. He slowly glanced around the room at the remaining Greys, none of whom were armed with any type of weapon that he could use against Fischer's Terminator body guards. Frantically, he searched the room for something, anything he could use to go after Fischer.
Without warning he heard the hiss of the Command Center elevator doors open. Before he had time to speculate on who or what had entered, he heard the sound of a plasma rifle discharge and the sudden cry of a human whose body had been struck by the white hot plasma bolt. John watched as another female Grey screamed in terror. He saw her scramble across the room looking for a safe place to hide, but before she managed to do so John saw the purple streak of another plasma round rocket across the room striking the woman in the back. There was a quick yelp of pain and she collapsed in a heap on the floor. Silence enveloped the CNC again. John looked around the room searching for the unseen shooter. Just then his eyes focused on an individual stepping out from behind one of the support pillars.
"Savannah..." John said his voice torn by emotions.
Savannah Weaver took a few steps forward before realizing that John was still crouched over the body of Cameron. She gasped in response.
"John..." She said as she approached. "Is she..." before she could finish her sentence John cut her off.
"Yes..." He responded in response as Savannah moved across the room and then knelt down next to him. While she had never developed any particular bond with Cameron, seeing the obvious agony on John's face greatly disturbed her. Savannah hesitated for a few seconds before speaking.
"John..." She said again. "...we must hurry; we don't have a lot of time." John looked away from Cameron's body and up at Savannah, his eyes were filled with both rage and sadness; they glistened in the light. There was a brief pause between the two before John's attention turned to the various monitors that were positioned about the CNC. He observed several different scenes. Some of the displays showed unique views of the ongoing battle outside the Skynet walls. While it appeared that the resistance was holding their own, it was also obvious that it would not be able to do so for very much longer. Other monitors showed a much more chaotic scene. The screen's themselves flickered and shifted between different camera views, displaying mathematical formulas, schematics, and a variety of other things John could not make out. Even though he had not made contact with him it was obvious that John Henry was still at work inside of the Skynet mainframe. This also meant that John still had some time. He looked into Savannah's eyes as he spoke.
"How did you get here?" he asked.
"John Henry..." Savannah responded, "...he helped to guide me here." John immediately had an idea.
"Give me your rifle." He said in a hoarse voice.
"What?" Savannah asked.
"Give me your rifle...I can still catch Fischer. I can't kill his Terminators without it." Savannah hesitated briefly.
"Please..." John said with an earnest sincerity in his voice, "...he killed Cameron. I can't let him get away...not like this. If John Henry is still active enough to guide you safely here, he should be able to keep the machines at bay for a bit longer. This is my only chance." There was another moment of hesitation before Savannah finally slipped the plasma rifle's harness off of her body and subsequently handed the weapon over to John.
"I won't wait for you..." she said as she lifted the duffel bag strap off her shoulder and started to move over to the table at the center of the room.
"I wouldn't expect you to." John responded in an anguished voice, "When John Henry shows you a way out, take it." He turned away and bounded up the small set of stairs a few feet away and over towards the elevator doors. Savannah angrily slammed the medium sized bag down onto the table in front of her; the impact produced a loud metal on glass clank. Before she unzipped it she glanced one last time over her shoulder at John as he moved through the elevator doors.
.
.
.
John raced down the hallway in a direction that he assumed Charles Fischer had gone in. His emotions were nearly out of control now. The fury, the rage, the complete and utter hatred he felt joined in an all consuming fire; if necessary; he was ready to kill Fischer with his bare hands. Sprinting around corners John was not even bothering to clear areas before he ran through them. A tactical mistake for a soldier perhaps, but he was being driven now by the blinding force of vengeance alone.
Reaching a split in the hallway John quickly looked one way and then the other. Uncertain where the corridor on the right would take him, he chose to go left; a direction that he knew would lead him to a set of elevator units. As he ran he felt his lungs burning from exertion, but he ignored the pain, he had to find Fischer. If it was the last thing he did John swore that Charles Fischer would die and he would die painfully.
Rounding a corner he suddenly came to a screeching halt. In front of him were the closed steel doors of an elevator, but with over 100 floors to choose from he had no idea which one Fischer had selected. He had been attempting to catch Fischer before he had time to enter the elevator, but that hope was now dashed.
"No..." John snarled in frustration, "No...no...no!" Looking around he frantically tried to think of anything he could do to find Fischer's exact location. Suddenly, the display on the side of the elevator came to life. It displayed a map and John instantly saw that John Henry was attempting to guide him to Fischer. Staring at the map on the display John realized where Fischer had gone, however it was the last place in the universe he wanted to go. The doors to the elevator slowly opened in front of him. Without hesitation he stepped through them.
.
.
.
Savannah quickly unzipped the duffel bag which lay on the table in front of her. Pulling down the corners of the bag she exposed a silver colored metallic object approximately two feet long and three feet in circumference. The eleven inch center section was box shaped with two cylinders protruding from either side. The stainless steel gleamed in the bright lights of the command center. On the top and directly in the center of the metal casing was a numerical key pad. Beside the key pad were four more buttons, "Yes, No, Enter, and Cancel". Directly above the keypad and sticking out from the highly polished steel was a thin detachable remote control. It too was metal with a keypad similar to the one below it. On opposite sides of the numeric pad were two key holes.
Savannah carefully looked over the device, studying it. She then glanced around the room checking to make sure that no one, either of the human or machine variety was around her. She then touched a few numbers on the keypad and heard a beep followed almost immediately by a clicking sound. Reaching over the keypad Savannah carefully removed the remote control and slid it into her pocket. She then hurriedly began to punch numbers into the keypad.
.
.
.
The double doors to the elevator opened and a wave of putrid hot air struck John directly in the face. The foul smell of decay, and burning human skin made him gag. The extremely stuffy and dry heat immediately caused him to begin to sweat profusely as the sounds of machinery and the howl of the incinerators filled his ears.
The incinerator room was absolutely the last place he wanted to be; nevertheless here he was. He slowly stepped out into the cavernous and cave like factory carefully looking around him to see if there were any threats in the immediate area. He saw nothing. In fact he saw very little activity at all. He assumed that this was because any "working" Skynet unit would have immediately been dispatched to the front lines after John Henry's incursion had become apparent.
Looking around John gazed up at the immensely high rock ceilings which were hundreds of feet above him. When he had been here before he had been hidden in a balcony along the wall. Now, standing on the ground floor and below everything produced a truly "small" feeling in the presence of this massive expanse. The closer he got to the incinerators as he walked between them in his search for Fischer the hotter the temperature got. John fought his gag reflex as he saw the rotting and decaying human bodies everywhere. This entire place was truly grotesque.
Despite the heat, he shivered as he continued further into the incinerator room. He felt as if he were being watched by thousands of lifeless eyes, some of whom had undoubtedly come from the Reese Faction itself. Guilt, sadness, and anger were beginning to overwhelm him. It was almost all he could do to remain focused. Before, he thought he might have seen or heard the cries for help of people who were still alive. Now, however, it was readily apparent that no one down here would have stayed alive for long, and there was nothing living anywhere in the immediate area. The combination of the smell, heat, and constant howl of air intakes force feeding oxygen into the incinerator units gave John a splitting headache. Leading the way with his plasma rifle and picking up the pace a bit, he made his way across the incinerator room in his relentless search for Charles Fischer. The man had to pay for what he had done and John would not let him escape. Suddenly, in the distance and in the dim light John saw movement...it was Fischer and his Terminator escort.
.
.
.
The room itself was eerily quiet as Savannah finished inputting the final set of code sequences into the numeric keypad and then pressed enter. There was a quiet beep before the words, "Insert Keys" flashed on the small display screen. Savannah again checked around the control room, making certain she was alone. She then removed the first of two keys from her pocket and placed it into the keyhole to the right of the numeric keypad. The key clicked as it slid into place. She then reached into her flack jacket and underneath her shirt retrieving the key that Martin Bedell had given to her. Sliding the chain over her neck she placed her key into the keyhole to the left of the numeric keypad. It too slid into place with a click. There was another subtle beep that followed after both keys had been put into place. The display screen now read, "Turn keys simultaneously to arm."
Savannah took a deep breath and paused for a split second before reaching out to grasp both keys; she then turned them both simultaneously. When she did so there was another beep and two smaller metal cylinders slowly extended out from the stainless steel tubes at both ends of the device.
"Thermal fusion system armed for detonation." a feminine and computerized voice stated in a flat tone. For an odd reason upon hearing those words Savannah laughed ever so slightly. One way or the other it would soon all be over for her, the suffering and agony of her life would finally stop.
Suddenly, her vision momentarily flashed black and she saw whirling stars as her head was struck from behind. The blow was so strong it knocked her into the metal and glass touch screen display table and nearly to the floor. She managed to catch herself on the table before she fell flat. Shaking her head from side to side in an effort to clear her vision, Savannah frantically turned around to see what had happened. She gasped in fear at the sight of what awaited her.
.
.
.
John moved quickly and methodically between the incinerator units inside the darkened and cavernous room. With all the noise the machines around him were making he knew it would be difficult for Fischer's escort Terminators to hear him coming. With no other machines in the area the precious element of surprise was on his side. Holding his plasma rifle in front of him, John moved through the shadows, occasionally passing by a disabled T-888 or doozer. It was now readily apparent that John Henry's plan to disrupt Skynet's systems had worked even better than they had hoped. It also appeared, however, from what John had seen on the displays inside of the Grey Command and Control room, John Henry's control was slipping away as time went on. Speed was now essential.
Sweat was still pouring off his body and the gray t-shirt that he wore after stripping off his jacket was nearly soaked through. Periodically, John brought his hand to his face in order to wipe away the sweat. The noxious smell and stagnant air were not helping the situation either. John still felt as if the eyes of the thousands of dead were watching him, waiting for him to exact some sort of revenge, to bring justice to this place for them. He gritted his teeth as with every step he grew closer to Fischer and his own revenge. He knew that no one would ever be able to forgive him for the things that he had done in this timeline, but at the very least he could impose a measure of retribution upon Fischer. John's entire body grew tense up as he neared Fischer, extreme waves of hatred and aggression were sweeping over him now. He could think of nothing else, but ending Fischer's life. Finally, he was close enough; he took aim with his plasma rifle and squeezed the trigger.
.
.
.
"Danny!" Savannah cried out with both anger and fear in her voice as she felt the lower half of her body press back up against the table behind her.
"Hello Savannah..." Danny Dyson responded with a grin that could only be described as demonic. Savannah's eyes widened slightly and she quickly reached for her Smith & Wesson M&P .45 located in its holster on her hip. But, before she was even able to aim the weapon Danny was on top of her. Grasping her right wrist with his left hand he bent her body back and slammed her hand with the gun down onto the table. With the impact the glass itself cracked producing a spider web of broken lines. Savannah moaned in pain as the M&P .45 was knocked out of her hand and over onto the floor. Danny's right hand then grasped her by the throat and she felt her body crash back down onto the table. When her head struck the table a multitude of unsavory images from her past that started just as this situation did flashed through her mind. Savannah grimaced as she tried to fight Danny off of her. She had never been able to do it before, but that had never stopped her from at least trying. Savannah felt Danny release his grasp on her right hand, but seconds later she heard the tearing of Velcro as he tore away the straps of her flack jacket and then removed the front breast plate, tossing it across the room.
"I'm glad you came back..." Danny said as he tightened his grasp around her throat with his right hand while simultaneously holding her body down and pulling at her shirt with his left hand.
"You left just as you were starting to enjoy it." An overwhelming fear was taking hold of Savannah as she struggled against him; a host of horrifying memories were now making their way into her mind.
"I've missed you..." Danny said in a snide remark as he began to lean in closer.
"NO!" she screamed as a burst of rage came over her. Taking her left hand Savannah quickly raked it across the side of Danny's face which was now close enough for her to reach. He shouted in pain as Savannah's nails scratched deep into his cheek. As he loosened his grip on her neck and moved back slightly Savannah brought her right foot up in between them and placed it on his chest. She then pushed back against Danny with every bit of strength she had. He was knocked uncontrollably away from her and nearly fell to the floor. Danny instinctively grabbed his face covering the deep scratches that had begun to bleed.
Now free Savannah scrabbled around to the side of the table and desperately searched for her firearm. Seeing the black frame of the hand gun lying on the ground she ran over to it quickly, picking it up from the floor. She turned and aimed her weapon. The sound of a gunshot echoed off the metal walls of the Grey CNC.
.
.
.
John's first plasma round melted through the back of the Terminator on Fischer's left side, a split second later the superheated round exploded out of its chest. The machine's power source detonated and shards of metal and sparks burst outwards from the gaping wound. The Terminator's eyes faded into black lifeless orbs and it began to fall towards the ground. Startled Fischer nearly jumped into the air and away from the silver framed endoskeleton.
John's second round followed almost immediately. Before the remaining T-888 could turn around the high velocity plasma bolt struck its left shoulder completely blowing off the Terminator's arm. The jagged piece of metal struck Fischer's body, bounced off of it and came to a skidding stop next to one of the conveyor belts leading into the fiery mouth of an incinerator. As Fischer's guardian attempted to turn, John fired two more rounds striking the Terminator once in the upper chest and then dead center. As the power began to drain out of the T-888 it fired its plasma rifle wildly into in all directions. Plasma bolts ricocheted off of the metal support columns and the incinerator unit located to John's right. A moment later, the Terminator's shattered body crashed to the ground.
"FISCHER!" John screamed in an enraged tone as Charles Fischer turned to face him, an obvious look of shock and fear on his face. With a murderous look in his eyes, John slowly stalked closer to his nemesis, sweat pouring from his face, and his breathing turning to long, slowly, angry breaths.
"I told you I'd find you..." John snarled as he moved closer. He and Fischer were only about 10 feet apart now.
"John..." Fischer said in a nervous tone.
"You took everything from me." John said, his voice maintaining its low and angry tone. "You turned me into a monster..."
"Nonsense! I only showed you what was necessary." Fischer responded, "...only what was necessary to give you what YOU wanted." John continued to inch forwards. "I did not turn you into a monster…you did that to yourself." John tightened his grip on his plasma rifle and his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Maybe..." John responded in a bitter and gravelly voice, "...maybe I did become a monster on my own. In fact, I'm probably worse than you. There's no excuse for what I've done here, nothing I could ever do would earn me forgiveness...I deserve to die here, but so do you." There was a weighted pause as John took another step closer to Fischer.
"It's over..." he said as he stared with eyes like daggers at Fischer. "You or I or perhaps both of us will die here today." Fischer was now backing away from John.
"You don't want to kill me John." Fischer said as John's finger touched the trigger of his plasma rifle.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't?" Fischer immediately stopped his retreat and an oddly knowing smile came across his face. John frowned momentarily, confused by this unexpected reaction.
"You don't want to kill me because I can give you Cameron back."
"What?" John shouted as he angrily took another step forwards. "You killed her!" Fischer shook his head.
"So naive..." he said, "...surely you must understand that whenever something is downloaded onto a computer it can never fully be erased." John crinkled his forehead, his confusion worsening.
"Since your friend was downloaded onto Skynet a part of her will always remain there." There was another pause.
"If you let me live I can give her back to you." John's eyes widened as he stared at Fischer. Could it be true? He wondered to himself, could a part of Cameron still be alive, trapped inside of Skynet?
"It's that simple John..." Fischer added. "...you can have her back. All you have to do is let me live." John ground his teeth as tears began to well up in his eyes as memories of Cameron flooded his mind. It was as if time had momentarily stopped for him. The sights and sounds inside of the incinerator room all appeared to be slowing to a standstill. His mind was racing and he felt as if he could not move.
"You must do this if you ever want to see her again." Fischer growled in a low and angry voice. John was still frozen; he had stopped his advance towards Fischer and was now just standing like a statue looking at him. Fischer could not help, but smirk.
"I KNEW you wouldn't be able to do it. Love is such a pathetic and foolish emotion. It controls and weakens its victims to the point of extreme desperation and surrender." The arrogance was now returning to his voice as he stared at John with a look of disgust on his face.
"Put down the rifle and come with me." he said as he began to turn away. At last John spoke.
"No..." he snarled. Fischer quickly spun back around another surprised look on his face.
"What?" he shouted in a fearful tone. John squeezed the trigger of his plasma rifle.
Suddenly, and seemingly from nowhere, a doozer leapt down from above John, its four arachnid like legs spread wide open allowing it the greatest opportunity to hit its target. A split second later the machine struck John and he felt one of the creature's metal legs come down hard across his forearm. He screamed in pain as his radius and ulna bones fractured from the impact. His plasma round exploded into the ground and a moment later he heard the metallic clank of his plasma rifle striking the floor. Before he could react the small doozer snatched up his rifle and scurried away carrying his weapon somewhere into the depths of the incinerator room. Now cradling his right arm John looked back up at Fischer who was confidently standing before him.
John's anger flared. As he had sworn, he would still kill this man with his bare hands, despite the injury. He sprinted towards Fischer and collided with him knocking him backwards. Fischer managed, however; to stay on his feet. The struggle then began, an injured John fighting his maniacal creator. John was the first to strike. Without thinking he brought back his right hand and smashed his fist into the left side of Fischer's face. Excruciating pain instantly shot all the way up his right arm as the fractured bones cracked further under the pressure. John screamed at the impact. Knocked to one side Fischer responded with a blow from his right hand, striking John across the left side of his face. The combination of the extreme pain in his right arm and Fischer's blow caused John to stagger backwards slightly. Fischer seized this opportunity and sprang towards John hitting him with the full force of his body and pushing him even further backwards.
Within a few seconds both men collided with the metal frame of the incinerator unit which was close by. John's back crashed against one of the molded support beams; for the moment his body was kept away from the burning exterior. Striking Fischer in the stomach with his left hand John heard a winded, "ooff!" as his fist his its soft target. Fischer responded by grabbing John's right forearm causing a blinding pain to shoot up his arm. The pain was so great and radiating that John not only felt the agony in his arm, but it seemed as if someone were now stabbing him in the shoulder. Striking him across the face with his right elbow, Fischer managed to turn John's body towards the hot metal of the incinerator unit and then once again grasped John's right arm. Seizing John by the back of the head, Fischer attempted to thrust his face into the burning steel. John grabbed the support beam that he had originally landed against and pushed hard against it trying to fight back. Excruciating pain shot through his right side as Fischer squeezed the broken bones. John could feel the heat on his face growing as he was shoved closer and closer to the incinerator.
"You should have joined me when you had the chance..." Fischer snarled.
"Fuck you!..." John said as he turned his face away from the metal trying his best to avoid being burned, but he was quickly being overpowered. Infuriated Fischer pushed even harder and John felt the left side of his face make contact with the hot metal. He screamed in agony as his skin began to blister and burn away. Fischer laughed triumphantly at John's cries of pain.
.
.
.
Savannah doubled over in pain as Danny's .45 caliber round tore into her abdomen. Before she had time to raise her own weapon Danny was on top of her again grabbing her right hand and the Smith & Wesson M&P .45 with his large left hand. He quickly stripped the firearm away from her and flung it across the room. The sound of the handgun striking the metal floor echoed off the walls of the room.
"You bitch..." Danny snarled as he shoved his Kimber 1911 .45 under Savannah's jaw and swept her legs out from under her and slammed her into the ground with a thud.
"You never did like doing this the easy way." he said. Tears filled Savannah's eyes as intense pain burned in her stomach from the bullet wound.
Danny reholstered his gun and then grabbed Savannah by the throat with his right hand and pinned her right hand down with his left.
"You've lost honey..." he said as he moved above her, "John is dead by now and your precious resistance will soon be as well." Danny's eyes grew darker with ever second he talked. He moved his left hand over to Savannah's stomach and ripped open her jacket, tearing off the buttons when he did so. This exposed her dark green tank top which was now soaked in blood.
"All of this was for nothing." He said in a cruelly mocking tone as he looked into her green eyes with his own eyes that were black and soulless. Without Danny realizing it, Savannah moved her left hand down the side of her body and over to her back pocket. She gagged for breath as he increased the pressure on her throat.
"You know..." Danny said as his twisted smile grew and he leaned in to kiss her. "...you always were my favorite." Savannah fumbled in her pocket desperately searching through it as she felt her consciousness being stripped away from her. Finally, she grasped what she had been seeking; Savannah quickly pulled the knife free from her pocket and with her thumb she flicked it open hearing the blade lock into place with a subtle "click!" She stared into Danny's eyes.
"You were never mine!" She spit out in a defiant tone as she brought the knife up and buried it into the right side of Danny's neck. Before he could move away, she twisted the blade with her hand forcing the wound to open further. Danny's thick, crimson blood splattered across her face. The strength and life quickly drained out of him and he loosened his grasp on her throat and Savannah gulped air into her lungs. A look of shock and horror immediately appeared in Danny's eyes. Jerking her knife free from the wound Savannah was again sprayed by arterial bleeding as blood burst forth from Danny's neck. He immediately let go of Savannah's throat and grabbed his own. He pushed back away from her trying to stand up, but he could only manage to stumble over to the small set of stairs located around the center of the Grey CNC where he fell to the floor. Mustering his last bit of strength Danny rolled over and rested his back up against the stairs. Clutching his throat as the blood poured through his fingers he struggled to breathe as he stared with a look of both shock and hatred at Savannah who lay on the floor in a growing pool of her own blood as she took slow labored breaths.
.
.
.
John howled in pain as the skin on his face burned. He could no longer tell if he was smelling the charred flesh of the victims of the incinerator or his own burning skin. Fischer forcefully shoved his face further into the smoldering metal of the incinerator. Doing the only thing that he could think of John stomped his boot down onto one of Fischer's feet. John's tormentor crumpled under the pain and John pushed himself away from the hot steel feeling the top layer of his skin peel off as he moved. He snapped his head back smashing the back of his skull into the front of Fischer's face. Blood immediately began to pour from Fischer's lip as it split open from the impact. John then spun back around swinging his left arm and smashing his fist into Fischer's face knocking him further back and forcing him to release John's right arm. Now ignoring the pain John moved forward grabbing Fischer by his shirt and pummeling him relentlessly using his left arm.
Forcing Fischer down the side of the incinerator and along the conveyor belt John rained blows across his face. The tide of battle had turned. Fischer was now in a complete state of panic straining desperately to get away, but unable to do so. John could feel pain streak down his right arm as he tightly grasped Fischer, determined that he would not escape. Managing to get in a lucky shot Fischer landed a blow across the left side of John's face splitting open the freshly burned flesh, but John's nerves were seared and he was already in so much pain that this barely fazed him. He was even unable to feel his own blood as it began to run down the side of his face. John grasped Fischer by the lapels of his shirt with both hands, spun him around and slammed his body into the side of the conveyor belt. He saw Fischer wince in pain as the metal links in the belt begin to cut into his back as they moved along.
"I'm will kill you!" John screamed as he brought his right hand back and again struck Fischer across the face, ignoring the immense pain that surged through his own arm. John looked around him for any type of weapon that might be available. He was quickly able to locate one. Lying next to him on the ground was the severed arm of one of the T-888s that he had destroyed. Retrieving it from the floor, John buried the sharp piece of steel into Fischer's shoulder while at the same time forcing him back onto the conveyor belt. Fischer screamed in pain as the metal pierced his shoulder and he was driven back onto the metal surface between countless dead bodies. John nearly leapt onto the belt with Fischer.
Now on top and straddling Fischer, John grasped him by the throat with both hands and began to choke him as the moving belt carried them both towards the entrance of the incinerator. John could already feel the extreme heat coming from the fire. He tightened his grip on Fischer's throat as Skynet's torturer frantically struggled in a futile effort to free himself.
"I'm taking you to hell with me!" John snarled as the hairs on his arms began to singe and smoke from the immense heat that they were approaching. Fischer struck John's right arm and unleashed another shot of pain that surged through him. The fury in John's eyes flared as he ignored the pain only tightening his grip around Fischer's neck, leaving him gasping for a breath of air. John pushed his weight further down onto Fischer as all his emotions came flooding over him. This man had helped turn him into something unspeakable. He had molded John using his blind obsession to save Cameron and his anger and vengefulness towards his father and uncle for their betrayal. John had willingly become that which he hated most, but Fischer had been there to help him all the way.
John was now squinting his eyes from the intense light and heat from the incinerator. He could hear the howl of the turbine air intakes as they force fed air into the fire, super heating it. John knew the end would come soon, but if he had anything to say about it Fischer's death would precede his own. The muscles in John's arms flexed as he pressed down on Fischer's throat with every bit of strength he had left in him as Fischer struggled to fight back.
"DIE!" he screamed out at the top of his lungs in a mad and insane tone as his own hatred and rage consumed him. The heat was unbearable and John felt his skin beginning to sear, the air was so hot he could no longer breathe, nor could he open his eyes. He knew he only had a few moments of consciousness left.
"Forgive me Cameron..." He whispered aloud as he began to feel the burning flames of hell.
At the last possible second John rolled off of the conveyor belt. He felt himself fall to the ground and struck it hard. The impact on his right side caused pain to once again shoot up his arm. Before he was able to open his eyes John heard Fischer begin to scream and shriek in pain as his body was consumed by the flames even before he reached the open mouth of the incinerator. The cries did not last long, however; as Fischer's body was rapidly eaten up by the extreme heat.
Coughing and gasping for breath John lay motionless on the ground for several seconds staring up at the high ceiling above him. His gaze drifted in and out of focus as he continued to listen to the howl of the incinerator which was next to him. As he remained on the floor he wondered if he should even try to leave. What he had told Fischer had been true, he deserved to die here for all that he had done. John slowly closed his eyes. Cameron was gone and John Henry was more than likely soon to follow. He had lost everything he held dear, there was no point in him going anywhere; there was no one here left that he cared about.
"Savannah.!.!.!" John said aloud as his eyes burst open. Rolling over onto his left side John forced himself to stand. He stumbled over to one of the shattered Terminators that he had destroyed and retrieved its plasma rifle. He knew that he had been complicit in murder and destruction; that he had become that which he hated most. However, he was not ready to go to the grave without at least trying to save his last remaining friend. Still favoring his arm even though it held the rifle John moved towards the exit of the incinerator room. He had only managed to take a few steps before something caught his eye. A human body; a female, was lying on her back amongst many others near the incinerator; it was a thin young woman who couldn't have been more than 25 years old with fair skin and dirty blond hair. She was dressed in tattered clothes and a portion of her left shoulder was exposed. On it John could see a tattoo. Although he was unable to discern exactly what it was, it for some reason caught his attention. Obviously the doozers and Trip eight's had yet to load this group of victims onto the conveyor belt. Her crystal green eyes stared unblinking at him. He carefully moved over to the woman's body and knelt down next to her, pausing for a brief moment of somber reflection. He then reached out and gently closed her eyes. John remained quietly by his unknown victim's side for another moment before he finally stood and again resumed his jog towards the exit doors.
.
.
.
Captain Livie and his men were pulling back through the open doorway to the Skynet base and towards the awaiting Blackhawk helicopters. More and more Skynet units were coming back online and Livie determined that it was only a matter of time before Skynet would have full control again. The plasma fire on the tarmac surrounding the Skynet towers was increasing. Only four of Livie's original ten men who had gone in with him had managed to make it out alive and they were now all sprinting towards the waiting Blackhawk. Jogging across the tarmac Livie looked up to see a AH-6 "Little Bird" explode in mid air after being struck by one of the plasma cannons located atop the wall surrounding the Skynet base. The fiery wreckage came crashing to the ground nearby him. Upon reaching the awaiting helicopter Livie stopped at the door and quickly slid it open.
"Get in!" He shouted to the soldiers that were behind him as they quickly began to make their way into the passenger compartment of the helicopter. After the last man was in Livie started to step inside, but then suddenly halted. He turned and looked back over his shoulder hoping he would see Savannah, but knowing that he would not. He knew she had lied to him, knew that from the moment she crawled into that ventilation shaft he would never see her again. Whether victorious or in defeat Eric Livie knew Savannah never planned on coming back from this mission. She had been looking for a way out of this world even before he knew her. He guessed that Savannah felt she had finally found it. Eric exhaled a brief sigh of remorse as he continued to look over his shoulder.
"Goodbye Savannah..." He said in a quiet voice.
Suddenly, a plasma round streaked over Livie's head hitting the metal ceiling of the passenger compartment of the Blackhawk. There was a high pitched whistle when the plasma bolt ricocheted off the steel and then smashed on through the window on the opposite side of the Blackhawk. When the round pierced the glass it produced a bullet like hole and spider web cracks which emanated outwards from the opening.
"Sir!" Matthew Spears shouted as he reached out his hand from inside the helicopter and then spoke again in a more solemn voice,
"We can't wait for her...we have to go." Livie reluctantly grasped his comrade's hand and was pulled inside of the helicopter.
"Get us the hell out of here!" Livie shouted to his pilot. "And tell everyone else to fall back away from the base!" he said before mumbling, "It won't be long now." The Blackhawk quickly began to lift off the tarmac, plasma fire and flack streaking by and exploding all around it.
.
.
.
The double doors to the Grey CNC elevator opened with a hiss and John groaned in shock at what he saw.
"No..." he whispered as he immediately sprinted across the room and leapt down the small flight of stairs and ran past the now bloody and lifeless body of Danny Dyson. He slid the last few feet across the metal floor on his knees as he moved over to Savannah who was still lying in a pool of her own blood. Compounding the emotional upheaval for John was the fact that Cameron's body lay just several feet away from Savannah.
Laying his plasma rifle down John leaned over Savannah's body and carefully brushed her hair out of her face.
"Savannah..." He said in a tone wrought with concern as he nervously awaited her response. Savannah's icy green eyes opened,
"John..." she said in a weak voice as she grimaced in pain when she tried to move.
"I am going to get you out of here..." John said to Savannah as he leaned her upper body forwards and held onto her so as to keep her upright. Savannah groaned in obvious agony when this happened. John could feel her blood beginning to seep through the knee's of his BDU pants as he held her. Savannah took a labored breath before she spoke,
"No..." she said, "...it's too late for that now." Savannah could taste the blood in her mouth as she swallowed hard and struggled to form her sentences.
"You have to go John..." she said as she fought to take a breath of air. "You have to go back and make sure none of this ever happens."
"No..." was John's immediate reply, "...I'm not leaving you behind." Save for Cameron, Savannah had been John's only true friend in this horrible place, and tossing her fate into the hands of the unknown was a thought that was now unbearable.
"I can take you back, get you to a hospital." his voice was growing more desperate.
"JOHN HENRY!" John called out. "Where are you?" Silence was the only response.
"John Henry!" John shouted again and suddenly heard another hiss as the CNC elevator doors open. After quickly yet carefully leaning Savannah up against the center table next to her, John retrieved his plasma rifle and stood, cautiously making his way towards the door. He slowly moved up the three steps that brought him out of the center of the Grey CNC. John was suddenly startled by a sound.
"Hello Mr. Connor…" a somewhat raspy voice said as an individual stepped out from behind one of the support columns and into John's field of vision. John immediately recognized that it had to be a Terminator. The male body of the cyborg was stripped to the waist wearing nothing, but a pair of urban camouflage BDU pants. Its skin was nicely tanned with rippling biceps and abdominal muscles. It had close cut brown hair, blue eyes, and a few days worth of growth of facial hair. If this were a human he was in far too good a shape to be here. There weren't too many Andy Whitfield look a likes in this timeline. John immediately took aim and prepared to fire.
"Calm yourself Mr. Connor I am not here to harm you. It is I, John Henry." John balked upon hearing these words.
"What?" he blurted out in a surprised tone.
"During My incursion into Skynet's system a completed Terminator body became available to me so I seized the opportunity to make an escape." John still did not lower his plasma rifle.
"You're lying." He responded in an emotionally raw tone.
"It is understandable that you would feel that way…" John Henry said before turning his gaze over to Savannah who was still sitting with her body propped up against the display table. Upon seeing her John Henry immediately experienced an unusual sensation. While his understanding with what would have been considered emotional input was limited he could only classify this sensation as sadness. However, lacking time to fully focus on that particular stimuli at the moment he spoke.
"Savannah…The first song you and I sang together…It was "Donald Where's Your Trousers". You informed me that you and your father used to sing it together before his death." John glanced over his shoulder at Savannah who had a look of complete shock on her face. There would have been no way for Skynet to know this. She had never told anyone about it.
"It's him…It has to be. No one else would know that." She said quietly and in a weak voice. John cautiously lowered his rifle and then turned and moved back over towards Savannah.
John Henry followed after John, but not nearly as fast. As he descended the staircase near the center of the room he turned his head to look over at Danny Dyson's body which was resting back up against the staircase. Thick crimson blood oozing out from his neck as his dead, soulless eyes stared straight ahead. As John Henry looked over at Savannah and then back at Danny he found he sensed something unusual. Savannah had meant something to him. He could not classify exactly what he was experiencing, but it was a truly unique sensation as saw his friend lying on the floor dying with her killer now just a few feet away from him. The only logical way that John Henry believed that he could classify this emotion was as angry. He was angry…extremely angry.
"We have to help her." John said to John Henry before turning to look back at Savannah, "We're gonna get you out of here..." he said as he tried to lean her upper body forwards in an attempt to help her to her feet. Savannah cried out in excruciating pain and he immediately stopped not wanting to hurt her any further. He could still feel Savannah's blood pressing against his knee as he crouched next to her. Savannah took a labored breath before she spoke,
"No..." she said again, "...it's too late for me." More blood was making its way into Savannah's mouth as she continued to struggle to form her sentences.
"You must leave me John..." she said as she fought to breathe. "You have to go back with John Henry."
"No..." was John's immediate reply, "...I'm not leaving anyone else behind."
"I'll give you as much time as I can before I activate it." Savannah said as John's mouth hung open in disbelief.
"She's right John..." an extremely solemn voiced John Henry said as he walked up from behind him.
"NO!" he shot back as he turned his head to momentarily look at John Henry, "...I'm not leaving her behind!"
"Mr. Connor..."
"Leave me here with her!" John growled, "I deserve to die here for all that I've done, I won't leave her to die alone." John's voice was quaking. "I've already lost Cameron. I've killed, I've betrayed, I've murdered. There's nothing left for me to go back to and I'm not going to leave another friend behind." Everything John had done, and all the events that had taken place were now crashing down onto him as he stared angrily into John Henry's eyes. He spoke again now in a much more confident and determined voice.
"If you want someone that can help you save the world, you're going to have to find someone else. There's nothing left of the John Connor that you were told about." There was a long pause on John's part before he spoke again.
"I'm ending all of this here and now…" John Henry stood silently for a moment, appearing as if he were considering his options. After another moment's pause he responded by nodding.
"I understand." He said in a solemn voice.
"If you're truly able to stop Skynet, then do it…stop Judgment Day and save as many people as you can." John added as he quickly turned to look back at Savannah who after momentarily looking at him turned her gaze to John Henry.
"I'm glad I got to see you one more time." she said. "I've missed you my friend." John Henry was still experiencing a complex set of sensations, ones that he was not quite able to understand or discern. In truth he knew that some of these emotional reactions might have in part formed due to his merging, albeit temporarily, with Cameron. They seemed to have been able to influence each other more than he had anticipated and she seemed to be much more familiar with emotions than he was.
"I too am glad that I was able to see you again Savannah." John Henry stated in a sincere tone. They looked at one another for a brief moment before John Henry at last turned away and proceeded across the room towards the elevator.
.
.
.
John Henry sprinted down the winding corridors of the Skynet base. Rounding corners and running through different sections he finally arrived at his destination; a large set of steel double doors. He walked straight up to them and in one swift movement ripped the touch screen display from its location along the side of the doors. He then reached in and touched a few wires together and the doors hissed and opened about half way. Pulling them open the rest of the way John Henry stepped through the opening.
.
.
.
John remained next to Savannah as he watched her wince and try to hide the agonizing pain that she was in. He placed his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.
"Try not to move…" he said calmly. Savannah grimaced again as she struggled to take air into her burning lungs. Out of the corner of John's ear he heard another hiss as a door connecting the CNC to an adjacent room opened. It was not the doors to the elevator and was therefore not John Henry. Whatever had just entered the room had been on this floor the entire time. John reached down next to Savannah and retrieved the plasma rifle which he had laid there. He turned and raised the weapon to his shoulder just as a T-888 emerged from behind one of the support columns. Before it could fire its plasma rifle, John squeezed the trigger to his own weapon. A bright purple plasma bolt streaked across the room and struck the Terminator in the upper chest. It jolted backwards and John pressed the trigger another two times watching as sparks exploded from the Terminator's body before it fell to the ground. It was now becoming readily obvious that Skynet's systems were rapidly coming back online. John heard the clank of more metal footsteps.
.
.
.
The spherical and nearly solid stainless steel Time Displacement Room was massive. Hundreds of feet wide and high it was truly a sight to see. John Henry stood along a ledge which was about ten feet in width and extended part of the length of the wall where the entrance doors were located. A large metal walkway extended out from it to the center of the room where there was a circular platform. Around the platform for about forty feet was empty space, then several large suspended metallic globes that pivoted on their axis were positioned in a triangular pattern around the platform.
John Henry glanced over his shoulder at the open door and then moved over to several large sets of computer towers. Located on one in particular was a glass touch screen display. He reached up and touched the black screen and it came to life. He quickly began to work away at it and before long a humming sound could be heard emanating throughout the room. The noise continued to grow louder until it could actual be felt.
Suddenly, there was the crackle of electricity and John Henry glanced over to see an electrical burst shoot from one of the metal globes to the other. He could feel a slight sensation of wind moving about the room. He surmised that the magnetic field being produced by the TDE was moving the ions within the room and this was in turn causing the air flow. Pausing all but for a brief moment John Henry started his walk out onto the central platform.
.
.
.
Pushing though burning pain Savannah crawled along the floor on all fours towards one of the downed Terminators and its plasma rifle; sounds of weapons fire echoed off the metal walls of the CNC and John struggled to keep back the advancing T-888's. While only a few active Terminators had made their way into the room it was still a nearly overwhelming task for him to keep them at bay. Hearing the bolt of his rifle lock back into the open position John ducked for cover behind one of the larger computer stations.
"Magazine!" he shouted over to Savannah who was about 8 feet away from him and now at a mid point between the central display table and the destroyed T-888 that she had been trying to reach. Removing a plasma rifle magazine from her thigh holster she slid it across the metal floor towards John. It spun in concentric circles as it skipped across the surface towards him. Grabbing the magazine John flicked the release on his plasma rifle and watched as the empty one dropped from the weapon and he immediately replaced it with the fully loaded magazine. Smacking the bolt catch with his hand John heard a "clanking" sound as the bolt slammed forwards chambering a fresh round. He leaned out from behind the work station and began to fire.
Savannah had reached the remains of the first Terminator that John had destroyed. She reached out and pried its metallic skeletal fingers from the pistol grip of the rifle. Turning and looking back she saw another T-888 moving through the opposite side of the CNC towards the center of the room. This machine was not armed, but that did not mean that it was any less of a threat; plus John had not seen it yet and it was moving in behind him. Still in the seated position Savannah raised her rifle taking aim at the Terminator. To her surprise the machine leapt from its position clearing a good 15 feet of distance before it slammed down onto the center display table. The impact with the T-888's metal feet caused the glass which covered the top of the table to crack and split outwards creating multiple fractures. John's head snapped around when he heard the noise behind him. Before he could turn to face the new threat Savannah fired her weapon catching the Terminator in the shoulder and separating its arm from it. The recoil from the plasma rifle sent a wave of pain through Savannah's entire body and she shrieked.
The machine barely flinched upon receiving its damage. As John turned to aim his rifle at the machine it jumped towards him and he fired striking the creature in the chest. Sparks flew from the gaping hole in its chest and John rolled out of the way as it came crashing to the ground near his position. Scrambling to his feet John quickly moved towards Savannah in order to pull her to safety.
.
.
.
The wind blew hard up against John Henry's face and body; whipping around the room as he stood at the center of the Time Displacement Equipment. The humming sound was nearly deafening, but he was still able to hear the crackle of electricity and watch as white bolts of electricity jumped from one spinning metal globe to the other. The hairs on his arms were beginning to stand on end from the static electricity that was being produced. The sound grew louder and louder as the wind became more and more intense. John Henry watched a spherical ball of energy began to take shape around him.
.
.
.
John knelt next to Savannah who leaned her body up against the display table as they continued to fire their plasma rifles attempting to keep the machines at bay. John knew it would not be long before their position was overrun. Suddenly, something unexpected happened. Everything stopped and there was no longer any movement from the Terminators located around the CNC. While John knew they were all still there they appeared to be hiding…or waiting for their next command.
"WE HAVE SUCCESSFULLY PURGED OUR COUNTERPART'S ALGORITHMS FROM OUR SYSTEMS." A deep voice said from all around the room. Surprised, both John and Savannah glanced around for the source. The voice was so low, so malevolent that it echoed off the walls of the Grey CNC.
"Skynet..." John snarled. He then heard Savannah again moan in pain. The bolt of her weapon was locked to the rear after expelling its final round. After noticing this Savannah dropped the weapon and exhaled an exhausted sigh. Covered in her own blood with shock having already set in, John could see that she was now beginning to shiver. He would not be able to hold off another wave of Terminators when they came again. Slowly placing his rifle on the ground John moved next to Savannah. There was no point in fighting anymore. Putting his arm around her he gently pulled her to him in an attempt to keep her warm and to try and give his friend some comfort, to show her that she was not alone...she would never be alone again, even if this was the end.
.
.
.
Bolts of electricity shot through the air and struck the exterior of the Novikov Sphere as it continued to form around John Henry. He found that he was experiencing a unique set of sensations upon ruminating on exactly what was occurring. While he was still very inexperienced with emotional input the idea of leaving Savannah behind was not a pleasant notion. Nothing would ever be the same again, not for him, and not for humanity. The temporal sphere was almost fully formed around him and it would not be long now.
.
.
.
"ALIGN YOURSELF WITH US." John looked around at the multiple sets of display monitors that surrounded the room. They were now all displaying the same image, Cameron.
"WE CAN GIVE YOU YOUR FRIEND BACK." Skynet stated. As John looked around at all the different monitors his eyes began to fill with tears at the sight of Cameron. He then looked over at her limp body lying on the floor just several feet away from him and Savannah.
"I'm so sorry…" he said quietly.
"WE HAVE CURRENTLY BEGUN CONSTRUCTION ON A NEW BODY FOR HER. IF YOU JOIN US, WE WILL GIVE HER BACK TO YOU. IF YOU DO NOT..." There was a momentarily delay and John wondered if Skynet was attempting to play some sort of mind game with him.
"THEN WE WILL DESTROY WHAT IS LEFT OF HER PROGRAM." John gritted his teeth in anger; he could feel Savannah quivering as her shock began to deepen; at this point she was having trouble even keeping her eyes open.
"John..." She said quietly and in an extremely weak voice as she turned her head to look back at him while at the same time reaching into her right pocket and retrieving the remote she had hidden there. She pressed a few buttons on its numeric keypad as she withdrew it. John glanced down at Savannah and then slowly back up at the monitors. His facial expression and eyes filled with both grief and anger.
"NO!" he shouted in a loud voice. "Never again!" There was silence for all but a moment.
"THEN YOU WILL ALL BE DESTROYED...STARTING WITH YOUR FRIEND'S PROGRAM."
.
.
.
The Novikov Sphere pulsed with energy as it encapsulated John Henry. Bolts of electricity arched about the massive room and the wind whipped around violently. By this point it would have been impossible to hear anything over the sound of the TDE, but John Henry spoke anyways,
"Goodbye Savannah…" he said in a solemn voice. Immediately after speaking he heard a loud boom, not much different than the sound an aircraft makes as it breaks through the sound barrier, followed quickly by a blinding white flash.
.
.
.
Looking back over at Cameron's delicate body lying on the ground John felt a tear roll down his face.
I love you Cameron... he thought to himself. A moment later he looked back down at Savannah who was now holding the detonator in her hand struggling to hand it over to him. He reached out and clutched her hand with his own. In these last few seconds he briefly thought back on all the moments of his life and on all that he had done, the good and the bad; the honorable and the treacherous. He might indeed have allowed himself to become a monster, but he would surely not die as one. Catherine Weaver had been right from the beginning. John could not have defeated Skynet without John Henry, and John Henry could not have defeated Skynet without John. Timelines no longer mattered; John was putting a stop to everything here and now. He heard the elevator doors to the CNC hiss as they opened, followed by the sound of metal clanking as T-888's marched towards Savannah and him. The armed cameras that surrounded the CNC suddenly sprang to life and all took aim at the pair. John squeezed Savannah's hand with the detonator in it tighter as he continued to hold onto her.
"John..." Savannah said in a surprisingly peaceful voice. His eyes darted down to meet her gaze as she leaned against him.
"I love you..." she said. John felt a lump in his throat forming as remorse cascaded over him. He had betrayed her, hurt her, even abandoned her, and yet Savannah still found it in her heart to love him. He did not understand how or even why, but it did give him some solace at the end. There was no appropriate response that he could give to her. John merely rested his head against the top of Savannah's and pulled her closer to him.
"I know..." He whispered in a hoarse tone as he closed his eyes hearing the clanking of the Terminator's feet nearly upon them. Together he and Savannah depressed one of the buttons on the remote and a split second later a blinding white light enveloped everything.
/*/*/*
Author's Notes: I'm really hoping everyone "enjoyed" this chapter (as much as you can enjoy the death of nearly every main character) and that I get a lot of reviews; and as I said before I won't wait long to release the final chapter.