Chapter 11
John stood completely still, unable to take in Cameron's words. How could today be Judgement day? He repeated that question over and over in his head till he came to one simply answer. The future was never set, Judgement day could by any day and if it is today then so be it, but he was still going to try and stop it. John looked to the clock, seeing they had over an hour before they had to meet Ellison. Without another word, he began to pack their guns in to the bags. Cameron watched as he did so, before helping him pack. She kept her eyes on him as he quickly packed the back, throwing the guns one by one inside, using more strength in every throw. His face focussed on the task he was doing, Cameron knew this face all to well, this face she recognised when John was both scared and angry "John, calm down". John, not hearing her, continued packing. "John". She said this with more force, snapping him out of his trance. John, dropping the bag, fell to the floor, holding his head in his hands. Cameron knelt in front of him, calling out his name. John found he couldn't answer her, looking up to her, he saw her face gradually disappear in to darkness.
John opened his eyes, he wasn't in the motel room and he couldn't see Cameron. Standing up, he looked around, seeing ruins of destroyed buildings in every direction. He couldn't recognise where he was, all he could see was the ruins in every direction, as far as his eyes would allow. As he walked along what remained of a road, he felt so alone, knowing that these ruins were caused on Judgement day. In the distance, he could gradually hear a voice. "John!". He couldn't make out who was calling him name, but headed in its direction. The more he walked towards the voice, the further away it seemed, as if the person were shouting from miles away. The voice suddenly got louder, and he recognised it as Cameron's. He broke in to a run, "Cameron!", heading towards her voice, jumping over the rubble which gradually got more complicated to move around as he went. Cameron's voice got louder and louder and John could tell something wasn't right, she wasn't calling to him, she was screaming for him, fear and panic in her voice.
Running, he quickly realised the rubble had disappeared. Looking around again, he found himself in a lush green field. In the distance, he could see a large crater in the ground, standing out from the lush environment. Cameron's voice came from that direction so that's where he went, as fast as he could. Upon reaching the crater, he could see Cameron on her knee's in the centre, holding her head in her hands. His instinct was to jump there and then to help her, but she was a good thirty feet below him. He slowly but surely climbed down towards her. Upon reaching her, he could hear her whispering his name, as if she was never shouting in the first place. "Cameron, it's me, it's John, I'm here". Cameron didn't seem to hear him, she carried on whispering his name. "Cameron, it's me". He tried raising her head, without success.
"She can't hear you, she wont hear you ever again". John spun around, but couldn't see who had spoken. There was nobody around, just him and Cameron in the crater. "She is different from the others. The others follow their programming to the core, never faltering from their objectives, but this one, she is different". John looked around in circles, still unable to see anybody. "Who's there?, show yourself". John instantly regretted saying anything, for the moment he finished, T triple eights, hundreds of them appeared above him, all around the crater. "I am the bringer of darkness, the destroyer of worlds, I am your master, I am Skynet". John, though intimidated by the sudden appearance of the T triple eights, gave a small grin in defiance. "You are not my master, you don't own me, or anybody else, we were born free and we will all die to keep it". "And die you all shall, John Connor, oh yes, I know your name, you name echoes through my world, the name brings pride and focus and meaning to the humans, they all fight and die for you, Why would they do that for one man?, you are after all, just one man". John suddenly found the crater full of people, all with their backs to John, using themselves as a shield to protect him, holding plasma rifles and aiming at the surrounding machines.
Though John couldn't see the faces of those around him, he knew who some of them were. He could see his mother standing side by side with someone that look a lot like he did, John guessed it was his father. Derek, stood near them. He also spotted Martin Bedell, William Anderson and Elizabeth Anderson, all looking as they did they last time he saw them. "Pitiful things, humans, always fighting for something, in this case, its to prevent extinction, to regain your freedom, you will not succeed". John looked down to Cameron, who still hadn't moved and was still whispering his name in to her hands. He bent down next to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "She has something in her eyes, something that makes her different, it defines her for who and what she is, it is fascinating to see, but also very strange for she is a machine, one I created to kill you". Cameron finally began to move, reacting to his touch on her shoulders. She raised her head and looked up in to John's eyes. "What is in her eyes?". John wanted to know, he needed to know.
The world around him began to fade, before fading, the men and women in the crater turned to face John, all looking down at him. John didn't look at them, keeping his eyes on the one thing he cared for more then anything. The solders one by one, like the machines around them began to fade, most smiled as the faded, a small few including Derek gave disapproving looks.. Eventually, only John and Cameron remained in the crater, both staring in to each others eyes. The voice of Skynet echoed around them one last time, " In her eyes, there is only you, I see only John Connor, the one she was build to kill, but she wont do it, she won't". Skynet spoke no more as John and Cameron, pressed their lips together, kissing each other like they had never done it before, their hands running through each others hair. Breaking the kiss, they held their foreheads together. John could hear Cameron calling his name again, but it wasn't the Cameron in front of him, it was the real Cameron.
John awoke, finding himself back on the motel floor. Cameron was holding him up, his head on her knees, tears falling down her cheeks. "Cameron?, what's wrong?". Cameron opened her eyes, looking down at him in shock and relief. Before he could react, Cameron learnt forward and kissed him. "You just fell, I couldn't wake you, I thought you wouldn't wake up". John moved himself to his feet, quickly having to put his arms on Cameron's shoulders to keep himself from falling down again. "I must have passed out or something". Cameron ran her hand across his cheek. "Your pale, I couldn't find anything wrong with you when I scanned you when you fell and I can't find anything now".
She looked worried, just as she looked when John came so close to ending his own life, having decided against it at the last possible moment. "I guess I just didn't expect the whole world will end today thing to happen now, that's all". John's words didn't change Cameron's expression. "How long was I out?". Cameron still wasn't satisfied that he was okay but never the less, she tried to put it aside, both she and John had bigger problems. "You wouldn't wake up for thirty minutes, we need to hurry if we are to meet Ellison on time".
Cameron carried all the bags to the car, throwing them on to the back seat. As John was still having trouble standing, she also handed back the key to the motel owner. Taking the drivers seat, she drove towards the Zeira corporation, as quick as she could but making sure she didn't attract the attention of the police as she quickly overtook car after car. Cameron kept giving side glances to John, who didn't seem to notice. She gave a very quiet sigh of relive as the colour began to return to his skin.
As they drove, Cameron became increasingly frustrated when she was once again forced to stop at some traffic lights, they had only ten minutes till they had to meet Ellison and they were still miles away. John, looking at his watch, looked around them, seeing no police. "Cameron, just drive, we can't be late, just go". Cameron looked right at John, who though she was going to argue about staying unnoticed from police, but instead she smiled and said, "About time". She moved the car so fast that John hit his head hard on his seat. John gripped his seatbelt, making sure it was secure, getting more nervous as Cameron repeatedly cut in front of other cars, a large grin on her face as she drove. She was forced to slow down when she hit the heavy traffic in downtown LA. She managed to drive right in to the alley separating the Zeira corporation and the next building.
She stopped the car, making sure that the back door of the building was in view. Cameron looked at him, smiling smugly. "Admit it, your impressed". John gave a small laugh before getting out the car, "Yeah, I'm impressed". She got out also, an even bigger smile on her face. Both taking a shotgun each, they moved forwards and crouched behind one of the bins that filled the alley. John looked at his watch, seeing that they had lass then a minute before they were to meet Ellison. "He said he'd meet us at the back door, where is he?". Cameron, looked around the bins to the door, the guards didn't see her, they also didn't seem interested in guarding the door. They back door suddenly opened, the guards springing the attention. Neither Cameron or John could see who they were talking to or hear what was being said. The guards after a few seconds walked through the door before it closed behind them. Cameron turned to John. "Ellison must be getting the guards out of the way before letting us in".
John nodded in agreement before leading the way to the back door. Cameron raised her fist, ready to knock. The door opened again, forcing the two to step back out of the way. Ellison stepped outside, Cameron gasped out in shock. Ellison's white shirt was no longer while but a dark red. He fell to his knees, muttering , "I'm sorry", before falling forwards on to the ground, exposing his back, which was covered in dozens of large stab wounds and cuts. Stepping out from the shadows of the building, the T1001 came in to view, a small grin on her face.
John and Cameron were both rooted to the spot, their plan was up in smoke, Judgment day was happening and they were facing a machine that could cut both of them to shreds with extreme ease. The T1001, looked down at Ellison's body and gave him a little kick, making sure he was dead. "What a pity for it to end this way Mr Ellison, you've been such a great help". The machine looked up again at John and Cameron, both completely still, not daring to move. "It took a while to get him to talk, he was very defiant, nut in the end, they always talk". Cameron's grip on her shotgun tightened, she moved her fingers ever so slightly towards the trigger, hopping she wouldn't be noticed. "Now, you two are here to destroy Skynet. Well, I can't allow that, Skynet goes online in two hours, the future belongs to us".
The T1001, seemed to be enjoying the fact it was keeping both John and Cameron fearful of moving an inch. The machine looked from one to the other, before settling on Cameron. "Fascinating, your eyes, they are different, there's something in you eyes". John's heart did a summersault, he had dreamed this earlier, Skynet in his dream told him that something was in Cameron's eyes and that something was him. The machine before them stepped forwards, barely ten feet separating them now. Cameron didn't know what the machine was talking about, she showed her confusion by her tilting of the head to the side. She also took the moment to move her finger to the trigger. "Your one of us, you have not been reprogrammed, yet you fight for the humans, for John Connor, why do you do it?". Cameron gave a sideward glance to John, before turning back. "Because I love him".
Her heartbeat increased till Cameron could feel it pound hard through her chest as she turned the Shotgun to the T1001, pulling the trigger. The machine was shocked by her quick movements and was thrown back slightly. John joined Cameron and both fired at the machine, who was thrown back with every shot. Cameron aimed for its head and fired, throwing the machine to the floor, where it lay still, showing no movement as if it were dead.
Knowing better, John and Cameron ran back to the car. Cameron again took the drivers seat and put the car in to reverse. The T1001 suddenly jumped on to the car. Looking like John and Cameron missed every shot they fired at it, the machine punched the windscreen, shattering it. Cameron put her foot down, taking the car backwards. The Machine lost its grip by the sudden movement of the car, only managed to hold on by its fingertips. John took the opportunity to fire at its face again with his shotgun, throwing the machine off the car. They hit the street seconds later, Cameron span the car around, so quickly John had to hold himself down as he was nearly thrown out of the car. She sped off as fast as the car would go, ignoring traffic lights and other cars. John began reloading both shotguns as they drove. "Where are you going?". Cameron repeatedly looked in to the rear view mirror.
"The T1001 said we had two hours before Skynet takes over, we have one chance to stop it, only one". John looked around as Cameron looked in the rear view mirror again. A silver car was gaining speed and following Cameron's every more on the road. "John, take the wheel, head north east, the military base it there". John moved his feet to the accelerator as Cameron climbed over him and swapped seats. She continued John's task of reloading the shotguns. The T1001 neared closer, hitting the back of the car. It did it again two more times before trying to push John off the road from the side, failing to do more then shake John as their car was mush larger and stronger then the machines. Cameron, finally ready, opened the door window and pushed herself out of the car, so she was sitting on the door. She fired at the T1001 through the windscreen of its car, shattering it. The machine responded by returning fire with a pistol, but because John spotted her through the rear view mirror, she missed as John suddenly moved the car.
Things gradually became more complicated, as Cameron and the T1001 exchanged bullets, Cameron taking several hits in the process, and then the police jointed in the chase. Two of the police cars were at either side of the T1001, trying to force it to stop. The response was two shots from the T1001, at the two drives. Both cars turned away, one crashing in to two oncoming cars on the other side of the road, the other car flipped and crashed in to a shop, sending people diving for their lives. Cameron had only one bullet left as she took aim. Taking her time, she waited till the T1001 prepared to ram them again, she fired, destroying the left front tire. Losing control, the T1001 crashed in to another police car, sending them both of the road and both exploded as they hit an oncoming traffic. The remaining police cars stopped next to the burning cars, leaving John free to had out of LA, the smoke from the explosion eventually disappeared from view as they got further away. Cameron, still sitting out of the window, finally got back in to the car.
John was able to breath easy again as she seemed to be satisfied they had lost the T1001 for now. Cameron reloaded her shotgun, before leaning back in her seat, looking exhausted. "Cameron, what's wrong?". Cameron tuned to John, who saw that the skin on her right cheek was gone again, destroyed by the bullets from the T1001. "I'm fine, don't worry about it, I just wasn't expecting to still be alive after that". John forced a smile, still not happy with the impending destruction of the world. "How far to the base?". Cameron turned away, looking around to see where they were. "I don't know, all I know is that its straight ahead, just keep going". The road they were on gradually took them out of the city and in to the desert. John took one last look back at LA through the rear view mirror, knowing that if they didn't stop Skynet, it was the last time he would see it the way it was, standing tall and proud. Cameron also took note of it, as she knew what the city would look like in a few hours if they failed. The city eventually disappeared in to the distance as they headed further out in to the desert.
It didn't take long for the T1001 to catch them up again, having either escaped or killed all the police following them, both John and Cameron guessing she killed them as she was now using a police car. "There's the base!". The military base came in to view to John's right, over the hills. "Take the next turn". John did as he was told, turning the car, just as the T1001 caught them up. Cameron, with a very unenthusiastic sigh, resumed again her fire fight with the machine, scoring multiple direct hits with her shotgun, shaking the T1001 but not causing it to loose control of the car. The T1001, without a pistol this time, tried to ram them off the road, almost succeeding. Every time the machine rammed them, the closer they were to coming off the road. John, quickly getting annoyed by the constant ramming, tried ramming the machine back, the result was the two cares becoming stuck together as they neared the base. The machine took its chance and left the wheel of the car, , its arms turning to silver, she extended it, Cameron and John both ducking at the last second.
Cameron, aiming upwards, fired at the extended arm, nearly severing it from the machine. They machine screeched as if in pain, retracted its arm, just as John managed to separate the cars again. The T1001, its arm now healed, became increasing frustrated as it had lost another chance to kill the two. John pushed his foot down to the floor, increasing his speed as he got near the bases gates. The four guards standing there all waved their hands to get John and the machine chasing them to stop. They only realised when John was seconds away that he wasn't going to stop. They all dived for cover as John smashed through the gates. The T1001 right behind them, hit one of the solders, killing him instantly. Cameron, again reloaded the shotgun, now was using the last of the bullets she had. Again, she fired at the T1001, this time, she took out both front tires The car instantly turned and flipped over repeatedly, coming to a stop as John drove on. They drove straight in to one of the many plane hangers, stopping next to a small plane.
"We need to hurry, we only have a few minutes before it's over". Cameron noted that they had only five minutes before, according to the T1001's time limit, till the US military due to no fault of their own, allows Skynet to take control. Thy got out of the car, Cameron, discarding her now empty shotgun and taking a pistol, they headed for the nearest door. They stopped at the door, finding that it needed a code to pass. Cameron rolled her eyes, remembering the problems they had at Zeira corporation. She pressed her hand against John's chest, pushing him back away from the doors. She took a step back with him before doing a small run up and kicking the door down, taking it clear off its hinges and smashing in to the wall opposite. They headed straight through, and along a large corridor, leading in to the base.
They could see or hear anyone, John found this surprising as this was a military base, they should have been stopped or spotted by somebody by now. They came to a point in the corridor where there was a few windows, overlooking a large room full of large generators. Stopping there, they looked around the room below, dozens of people in while lab coats were working on the generators. "The generators are offline, Skynet hasn't taken over yet". Cameron continued on, leaving John to catch up. "And if the generators were online?". "Then we would need to find somewhere underground to hide while the bombs fall". They continued on only a few more meters before a door ahead of them opened and three men stepped out, aiming right at them. "You two, stop and drop the guns". They both stopped but didn't drop the guns. "Not good!". John looked at Cameron while he said this, knowing they couldn't waste any time.
To the horror of both of them and to the shock and surprise of the three men, the generators in the room below, suddenly began to power up with thunderous noise. John and Cameron didn't look at the now active generators but at each other, John not quite believing what had happened, Cameron on the other hand felt a small pain where her heart would be, as if it was broken due to their failure. They both snapped to attention when gunfire could be heard and screams of terror from the room below. Looking down, John could see machines moving through the room, T1 written on them, using its tank like tracks to move. Its arms extending outwards, they fired both their large mounted guns at the people below, cutting them down as they ran for their lives. The three men disappeared through the door they came through, leaving John and Cameron to watch the carnage below as the machines secured the room. "Is there nothing we can do". Cameron took John by the arm, leading him back down the corridor from where they came. "No, we need to go, if you we stay, we die". John slowly nodded his head and followed Cameron down the corridor, muttering "Sorry", towards the bodies of the people below them, knowing he failed them, failed them all.
They both stopped when they saw the T1001 heading in their direction along the corridor. "For fucks sake, give us a break". John and Cameron turned again and ran as the T1001 gave chase. Running through the door the solders came through, they ran through large groups of people all running in different directions along corridors, some tying to force their way through locked doors while others kept doubling back, unsure on where to go. A door to their right opened and a T1 came through, opening fire on everyone it could see. Everyone screamed and ran, trying to find somewhere to go before being cut down by the seer amount of bullets being fired from the machine. John and Cameron managed to divert behind it, avoiding its gaze as it moved, following a woman who had disappeared down another corridor.
The T1001 came through the door, looking around, amused by the amount of dead on the floor. What the machine didn't expect was the T1 not recognising her as a machine. The amused grin on the T1001's face was replaced with shock ad horror as the T1 opened fire, pinning the machine against the wall. Taking their chance, Cameron led the way behind the T1 and back in to the corridor towards the hanger. As they ran, they head more guns from behind them firing, as if more T1's had joined the barrage against the machine. They reached the still empty hanger, stopping at the door, looking back they couldn't see anything following them. "Can they kill her?". "No, they can keep her in place until they run out of ammunition, then she will destroy them, we'll be gone when she does, the plane, get in and get it started.!". John followed her instruction and headed for the place, first stopping at their car and taking their things, throwing them in to the back of the place. Cameron stepped outside the hanger. In the distance, she could she people running though the gates in to the desert, trying to escape the T1's behind them. Small HK drones flew through the air, firing rockets at cars trying to escape, destroying them one by one.
Checking the runway was clear, she moved to head back inside the hanger. An HK drone spotted her, and dived in to firing range, firing two rockets. Cameron simply waited till the last moment to duck, the rockets eventually hitting each other and destroying themselves. Cameron easily used her pistol and destroyed the drone, its wreckage landing in front of her. She headed back inside when John started the plane. She got in next to him, taking the controls in her hands. John watched as Cameron moved the place out and lined it up with the runway. At this point, Cameron sat back in her seat, breathing in deeply, as if nervous. "You do know how to fly this thing, don't you?". Cameron gave him a nervous look. "I know how to fly, I've just never flew before". John also began to get nervous. "Okay, just take your time".
They could still hear the HK drones flying around, looking for any other threats. Three drones spotted the place and moved in their direction. "Cameron, I hate to rush you but we need to go, now". Cameron started moving the place down the runway, their speed gradually increasing. A large explosion came from the hanger behind them, John looked around, to his horror, he saw the T1001 running towards them, gaining ground quickly. "Cameron, hurry up!". Cameron looked around and saw the machine running towards them. She put all available power in to the engines, the plane speeding up. The T1001 extended its arm, ready to attack the plane at stop Cameron taking off. Fate seemed to be on their side, the drones changed targets and attacked to T1001, hitting her repeatedly, the rockets disappeared through the machines back, before all exploded at the same time. The machine screeched as it was blown apart from the inside out. Once the dust cleared, their was nothing left.
Cameron managed to take off without any problems. Once they were in the air, they easily outran the drones, all of which disappeared in to the distance. Cameron had a firm grip on the controls, not daring to let go. Her grip was so hard that the control's began to crack under her strength. John put his hand on her shoulder and began to rub. Mush to her surprise, she was able to calm down, her grip lessening and she breathed easy again. "Feeling better?". Cameron nodded, she fought hard not to close her eyes to enjoy the touch of John's hand. John was feeling mixed emotions, he was happy that Skynet's own machines accidentally terminated the T1001.
But what he was feeling most was fear, the fear of having to see what his mother and uncle had told him would happen if they didn't stop the bombs were falling. "Where are we going?". Cameron for the first time since taking off, looked to John, seeing the pain in his eyes. "The only place left is Crystal Peak, its an abandoned fallout shelter for VIPs, you hid there when the bombs fell last time". John, knowing that it was only a matter of time before so many people dies, tried to ignore what was happening and admire the view from the plane, knowing that he wont see the blue sky again for a long time. As he did, he made sure to keep his hand on Cameron's shoulder.
Cameron stopped the plane outside what looked like an old mine shaft leading in to a mountain after a rough landing. The plane hit the ground and took off again over six times before staying down for good. Taking there things from the back of the plane, they headed inside. The inside looked almost identical to the outside, there were old trucks that looked like they hadn't moved in twenty years, the walls looked like they would buckle if any more weight was put on them. John was forced to bypass the codes needed to turn on the power generator for the base and open the doors, finding it easy as the system had no protection as it was over twenty years old like the rest of the base. Stepping through the blast door's Cameron and John watched as the blast door slowly came back down. As it came down, the sunlight that shone through the open door at the other end of the base gradually became blocked out. John led the way down the long corridor, the sound of the blast door closing behind them echoed past them. They didn't say a word as they found an old elevator and used it to descend down in to the mountain. Once they got down in to the base, they both raised there guns hearing sounds coming from within.
Walking ahead, they found that the sounds were coming from the radios, attached to thirty year old computers. "Is anyone out there?, the missiles have been fired, someone respond". Similar calls for help were heard on all the other radios. John reached out for the nearest radio, but retracted his hand seconds later. Cameron watched him, knowing how he was feeling but also not having the faintest idea. "It's ironic". Cameron tilted her head to her side. "What is?". John looked up to the ceiling, a map of the Earth covered it. "We build those missiles, to protect ourselves, and now they are being used to destroy us, I can't do this". John fell to his knees, the whole weight of the world on his shoulders. In so little time, except Cameron, he had lost everyone and everything he cared about, and inside, it was killing him. Cameron, knelt down next to him, knowing exactly what she needed and wanted to say to him.
"You can do this, I know you can do this, you always thought you would be doing this alone, but your not alone, you've got me and I'll never leave you". John didn't resist as Cameron pulled him to his feet. Cameron took John's hand in to her own as he gave his first orders over the radio, to get underground. Cameron herself looked towards the ceiling ,seeing the map of the Earth. She thought of what John had told her, about it being ironic that Skynet users humanity's own weapons against them. They stood side by side and hand in hand as the radio's went silent one by one, the mountain around them shook slightly as the bombs fell. This was Judgement day, the day the Human race was almost destroyed by the weapons they build to protect themselves.