Chapter 15
John woke to the sound of the alarm on his watch going off. He didn't move at first, comfortable where he was. When he did finally open his eyes, he felt a hand grab his watch and press the button, turning the alarm off. Allison rolled over, yawning loudly and stretching her arms, hitting John in the face in the process. John only then noticed he was still holding the picture of himself, Cameron and Allison from the night before. He looked at it long and hard again before handing it back to Allison. She took it with a smile and got out of the bed, shivering in the cold. "Allison, wait, how much did you hear last night, before you fell asleep?". Allison stopped in the doorway to her bedroom before turning to face John. John half expected her to be angry or disgusted with him, but her face told John she was feeling exactly to opposite.
"I heard all I needed to hear dad, just tell me when your going to get my mother and bring her home". John had already decided to get her tonight, he didn't care how risky it was, he couldn't live with out her any more. Six and a half years was too long, far to long to be without someone you love so much it hurts every second not being with her, not knowing if she's safe, not knowing if she's alive or dead. "I'm getting her soon, very soon, I promise you". Allison smiled, bringing a similar warmth to John as Cameron's smile did, though Cameron's was much more powerful. She turned and left for her own room. John hated lying to Allison, but he wasn't going to tell her his plan. She would force him to take her with him and he wasn't going to risk her life as well as his own, not again.
The day seemed to be never ending for John. Everything he did, no matter if it took only seconds or minutes to do, seemed to him like hours. He wanted more then anything to just leave and find Cameron, but because it was daylight, it would be suicide to travel the distance he had to, to find her. When night finally did fall, he finally had the chance to find Cameron, but John first had to get out of the base. The security of the base was huge, to stop machines getting in, so John knew he would have a hard time getting out. He got back to his room, finding Allison asleep in her bed. He stood over her and watched her sleep of a few seconds before pulling the blanket over her to keep her warm. Making sure he was quiet as to not wake her, he went in to his own room and took his plasma rifle, hiding it beneath his coat.
He quietly stepped out of his and Allison's home, in to the dark corridor. The corridor was dimly lit, small lights dotted the ceiling all along the corridor. On this corridor, at least fifty doors were on each side, leading in to separate rooms, all belonging to a family or group of solders. The base was full of rooms like these, housing over twenty thousand people, most of them civilians. John knew from he start he would have trouble getting out of the base, every corridor was covered with camera's, continues rotating patrols of solders moved through the base and every entrance to the outside was heavily guarded. John tired his best to keep his face hidden, keeping himself in the shadows and looking away from the cameras and anyone who saw him. After ten minutes, John stepped in to the motor pool, housing what trucks and cars the resistance had.
Many of them were old, and looked like they were only being held together by glue. Barrels of fuel stood next to every one of them, some leaking their contents on to the ground. John walked towards the entrance of the motor pool, which led to the outside world. Their were around twenty men guarding the door, some manning emplaced machine guns or rocket launchers, the rest all held plasma rifles, ready for any machine attack on the base. Their were also three dogs, tired up with rope, lying near the doors, watching John as he approached. The dogs had always been able to sense when a machine is near by, hence dogs were placed in every bunker on the orders of John.
As John came in to view, the captain guarding the door didn't recognise John at first, so few people did. But when John got closer, the captain stood to attention, prompting the other men to do the same. "General Connor sir, what can I do for you?". John stopped in front of him, taking his plasma rifle from under his coat and holding it in his hands. "Open the doors". The captain nearly fell over. "Sir?, what do you mean?". "I mean, open the doors, I can't walk through solid steel". Everyone there looked at each other with concern. "Sir, with all due respect, you can't expect me to open the doors and let you of all people out, especially by yourself". John took a step forwards, causing the captain to take a small step back in fear. "With all due respect captain, if you don't open the door now, I'll have you demoted and I'll put you in the tunnels, You'll be digging for years, so open the doors, now!".
The captain again nearly fell over in shock. He waited and waited for John to show he was joking but John showed he was serious by gripping his rifle tighter. The captain turned to the others and nodded. Everyone scrambled to their positions, aiming their rifles and mounted weapons at the doors. The captain moved towards a control panel and typed in the access code. The doors slowly began to open, slowly revealing the darkness of the outside world. The captain pressed the button again and the doors stopped opening, leaving only a small gap large enough for John to go through. John looked at the captain, who looked fearfully back at him. "No one is to know I've gone, made sure everyone here keeps their mouths shut, understand?". he captain nodded quickly, looking more fearful that no one would know that John Connor is going off alone through the wastelands outside. John knew what he was doing was stupid, even suicidal stupid, but he wasn't thinking about anything else anymore, not the war, not what was at risk, but of Cameron, the images of her face in his mind almost blinding him.
John stepped forwards and pushed himself through the gap in the doors. As he got out, he turned and watched as the door closed behind him. Once it did close, John turned and saw before him what was left of LA. Every time he saw what was left of the city, he could always picture how it once looked like, with towering buildings and streets full of people. Now, there were no towering building, no streets full of people, just the remains of those buildings and people. John moved away from the doors and in to the city, moving as quickly and quietly as possible.
John found it hard to recognise which way he was going, forcing to go to higher ground to see where he was. This was a huge risk as every time he did so, he could see machines. HK aerials were In the sir, flying with their spotlights on, searching for any Humans. Crouching down so he would not to be noticed, he watched as a group of machines went by. Twenty machines of different kinds, T eight hundreds, T seven hundreds and T six hundreds. John was sure the T eight hundreds were T triple eights, they looked similar to those he saw with out their skin. Only the T six hundreds had skin on them, though it was obvious that it was rubber instead of skin covering the metal underneath. Once the machines had passed, John pressed on, finding himself moving faster and faster as he became more desperate to get Cameron back.
He came upon a clearing, rubble forming a circle shape around him. In the centre was an old playground, with swings and slides. John moved quickly in to the playground, intending to get to the other side as quick as possible. Crouching beside the slide, he quickly regretted it and wished he had gone around. Through out the park were the skeletal remains of people, most of them children. From the position they were lying in, John could tell the children's parents had attempted to shield their children from the nuclear fire. It didn't matter how may times John saw a sight like this, it never got any easier seeing the dead, especially children.
Before he could move away, the spotlights of an HK aerial hit John in the face. The HK aerial came in to view, flying towards him quickly. It fired two shots at John, hitting the ground in front of him. John threw himself under the slide as the HK aerial flew over John and turned around to make another pass. John spotted a ruined car and began running towards hit, being thrown back as the HK aerial fired again, hitting the ground in front of him. John ran back and crouched behind the slide again. As the machine came in for a third pass, John fired a few times with his plasma rifle, doing little to no damage as the machine was too large to be affected by such a small weapon. The machine fired and hit the slide shattering the bones of a child that lay upon it, John dived for his life, only just again getting out of the way.
He wished more then anything now he had brought some solders with him, this was a stupid move for him to make, coming out in to the city alone. He remembered what Cameron had said to him all those years ago, when they lay on the bed together, before John sneaked out to go to Mexico with Riley. Cameron had said, " But, sometimes you do stupid things. It would help me to understand why". This was one of those stupid things John had done. John felt the colour drain from his face as a machine patrol appeared.
The twenty machines spotted John and advanced on him. They didn't fire their weapons at John. He could only guess they wanted to capture him. John, not having any intension of getting captured, fired at the advancing machines, destroying two of them with shots too the head. The machine's changed tactics upon seeing two of their number fall to the ground and opened fire at John, pinning him behind the rubble he was crouching behind. John didn't have a chance to raise his rifle and fire back, as the machine's never tired in firing their weapons. John lay back on to the ground, waiting for a machine to come in to view from above his cover so to fire and destroy it. He could easily call for help, but he was miles from any Resistance bunker, no one would get here in time, not even for him.
Once a machine did come in to view, he fired, taking off its head. A second came in to view and John did the same again, but a third machine reached out and swung its arm, hitting the rifle out of John's hands. The T triple eight, with its red eyes, stood over John for a split second, before raising its weapon and aimed at his head. John hated himself for failing her, for failing Cameron, he promised her he would get her back, but now he was going to die trying because he didn't want to risk the lives of anyone else. He could see the machines finger move on the trigger, about to kill him, but something happened that John didn't expect to happen. "Hey!". Both the machine and John looked up, seeing Allison standing there, a rocket launcher on her shoulder. John's eyes widened in complete shock as she fired at the machine standing over John, blowing it apart before it could kill him.
John felt the blast hit him, but he was only grazed. Another rocket was fired from somewhere, hitting the HK aerial as it made another pass. Its right engine destroyed, it fell to the ground at full speed, blowing up upon impact. John reached for his rifle, diving back in to the cover behind the rubble. John was immediately joined by Allison, who was now holding her own plasma rifle. She didn't say anything, but John could tell she was angry. The machines still in the clearing began firing John and Allison, not having a clear shot. The machines quickly changed the aim as they were attacked from all sides. John could seeing the outlines of people in the rubble around the clearing firing at the machines. John and Allison both rose from their cover and joined the barrage. The machines not having a clear shot at any of them, were quickly all destroyed, leaving a pile of them on the ground of the park. Once it was clear the machines were all dead, Allison waved her hand in the air, and the people who had just helped save John's life, came out of their hiding places, rifles held up in case of another attack.
John stood up with Allison, who promptly slapped him across the face. John was nearly thrown off his feet as she hit him so hard. Turning back to her, she raised her had to slap him again. "That's for coming out here by yourself and trying to get yourself killed!". She then lowered her hand and hugged John tightly. "This is for not getting yourself killed". John, still shocked about Allison being here, let alone her slapping him, put his arm around her, hugging her back. "How did you find me?". Allison pulled away, looking a little offended. "I checked your room about thirty seconds after you left, I saw your rifle had gone. I missed you leaving the base and got the captain to tell me which direction you went in". "I told him not to tell anybody where I had gone". "Yeah, well, he didn't at first but then I threatened to shoot him in the knees if he didn't tell me, that kind of loosened his tongue, once he did talk, I left Liz in charge of Home Plate and Bedell sent Kyle and these solders to meet me about a mile back from Hammerhead bunker. We saw the machine fire at you and here we are".
The solders at this point surrounded John and Allison, all keeping an eye out for machines. Kyle stepped forwards from among them and saluted John, who rolled his eyes and saluted back. "Your insane Connor, what are you doing out here alone?". John didn't want to go in to details on what he was doing. "It's a long story, I'm going home to get something I need". The all looked around at hearing an exploding sound in the distance. John stepped forwards, seeing the explosion in the distance through a gap in the rubble. Allison stood beside John, deep in thought before looking at John. "Your going to get her, your getting mom, aren't you?". John slowly nodded his head. Allison's face was full of mixed emotions, from excitement to disappointment. "You should have told me dad, I would have come with you". "Exactly, last time, I got shot saving you and you nearly died, I wasn't going to put you in harms way again, or anybody else, that's why I came alone". Allison put her hand on his shoulder. "You're an idiot for coming alone, and an idiot to think I wouldn't find out".
Kyle cut across them both before anything more could be said. "Sorry, but if we stay, we'll be found, the machines would have seen the explosion here, we need to move, we're waiting for orders sir!". Kyle waited for John to give an order, expecting him to say they were going back to Home Plate, but John had no intension to go back, he had come this far, gone for so long with out Cameron. "Me and Allison are going west, to my old home, there's something there I need". "Then we're going with you sir, everyone move out". The solders seemed to have been listening in as they all began moving west as soon as Kyle gave the order.
As they got closer and closer to Cameron, they witnessed two more passing machine patrols, letting them go by with out giving away themselves. John didn't know how they did it or how they got there, but he found himself walking up what was left of the street at his old home. Where his house once stood came in to view, the trees and small forest that once surrounded it were now burnt remains and the house itself was now gone. From the looks of it, the house had been flattened by an HK tank passing through it. John stopped before the house, knowing that just below him, Cameron was lying in standby mode waiting for him to wake her up. He tried to find the entrance to the basement but it had long been covered by the rubble from the house. John, with Allison behind him, walked through where the front door once stood at the bottom of where the stairs once were. Allison looked around, seemingly taking in every detail of John's old house. John pointed to the burnt remains of a couch in the room. Allison's gaze followed his finger. "You were born here, on that couch".
Allison looked surprisingly at John before moving to the couch, crouching down beside it. Kyle stepped in next to John, leaving the solders outside, to keep watch for machines. John looked around and saw them setting up a perimeter, crouching beside old trees and rubble. John looked around the house, looking for an opening, finding one just outside where the backdoor used to be, large enough for John to walk in and out of. "Kyle, stay here and keep watch, no one goes down here, okay?". "Yes sir", before he took position next to the opening. Allison followed John in too the basement. They could see clearly that the door leading outside had been destroyed by being crushed from the rubble from the house above them. John went to the door that led downstairs to the lower basement and opened it. He headed down slowly, followed by Allison. They entered the only room there, seeing that half of the room had collapsed under the strain of the house being crushed from above. John could see that it had collapsed on top of where Cameron was.
Moving quickly, he began throwing the boxes out of the way as Allison watched, confused on what he was doing. "Dad, what are you doing?". John ignored her, his mind fixed on Cameron. He couldn't see her anywhere, until he finally threw a box out of the way and there she was. Cameron was lying exactly where he had left her, on the mattress. The ceiling near her had caved in, a large chunk of concrete had landed on top of her. John mustered all his strength and moved the concrete, much to Allison's surprise. With the concrete out of the way, John could now see Cameron clearly for the first time in six and a half years, she looked just as beautiful as the last time her saw her. Allison came from behind, seeing Cameron herself for the first time. "Is she okay?, she doesn't look okay". She was right, Cameron's skin was very pale. "I don't know, I'll have to wake her to know". Allison bent down next to Cameron, taking her left hand. She looked at Cameron's finger, seeing the same brown string as was around John's finger.
Allison stepped back, as John sat next to Cameron. This was all he had waited for, he had waited six and a half years for this moment. He moved his head down to her ears and whispered. "Cameron, wake up". He moved his head away and waited but Cameron didn't move. He tried again, moving himself down to her. "Cameron, please wake up". He waited and waited but Cameron didn't move, she wasn't waking up. John became increasing desperate, shaking Cameron and calling her name but she didn't wake, she remained still. Allison began to cry silently from the other side of the room. "Dad, we can't stay here, we need to go back".
"I'm not leaving her Allison, I've waited too long for her, too long to see her again, I won't leave her". But as John spoke, tears fell down his face, as his heart broke. Allison watched as her father broke down completely. She tried to comfort him, but John pushed her away, unable to accept that Cameron was gone. He tried repeatedly to wake her, but nothing happened, she was dead, gone forever. John rested Cameron's head on his lap and couldn't keep is eyes off her. As time went by, both John and Allison had stopped crying, both remained silent. "Dad, we need to go now!". John slowly nodded his head, hating himself for doing it. Allison stood up and walked slowly to the door, before turning. "Dad?". John didn't take his eyes off Cameron as he spoke next, "I'll meet you in a minute, tell Kyle to get ready to move out, back to Home Plate". Allison nodded and left up the stairs, more tears falling down her cheeks. John waited until he couldn't hear Allison's footsteps.
He didn't want to leave, didn't want to go on with out Cameron, but everyone else needed him and Allison needed him. He hated himself even more and knew he would hate himself for the rest of his life as he made the decision to leave. He looked down at his wife, feeling exactly how he felt when he was about to burn her body after the jeep explosion. He leant down one last time to her ear and whispered, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I love you, I love you so much". He moved towards her face, kissing her deeply on the lips, for the last time. He didn't realise at first, but Cameron's lips had begun to move in union with his. Cameron's fingers began to twitch and her right hand rose up, coming to the back of John's head. It was only when he felt her hand touch his head he relished she was awake. Pulling away, he watched as her eye lids slowly opened, the brown chocolate eyes he fell in love with coming in to view.
She pulled John back down to her, kissing him again. Suddenly, Cameron gasped out for air, couching loudly as if she had been drowning. John pulled her up until she sat straight. Cameron hands darted to her chest and her teeth clenched together in pain. She looked like she was going to pass out. John reached forwards and felt her chest. Beneath her skin, her heart beat was back, but it was beating so fast, it would have killed a normal human. John moved himself behind Cameron, catching her as she fell back. "Cameron!, I got you, don't worry, I've got you". Cameron's breathing slowly began to slow down to what could be seen as normal for someone who had just ran the marathon, twice. "I slept for so long, too long". John couldn't believe it, Cameron had woken up finally, she was going to be alright. Cameron's eyes flickered open and closed again.
"I dreamt for so long, he kept his face hidden, he tortured me. He made me tell him things I didn't understand, I didn't know what I was saying, I never knew what I was saying". John didn't know what she was talking about, he could only guess she had had a nightmare, a six and a half year nightmare. "And then, I heard your voice in the dark, calling to me". She opened her eyes and focussed on John. "I love you, John Connor". Cameron's eyes closed and she passed out, remaining still again. "Cameron?". John thought she had fallen asleep permanently for a second, but he quickly noticed her chest rising and falling as she breathed. John, relived, held Cameron and picked her up, holding her in his arms. John, moved himself out of the room and up the stairs. John stepped in to the basement room, finding both Kyle and Allison waiting for him.
As John stepped in to the room, Kyle looked shocked at seeing who John had in his arms while Allison looked equally as shocked. "Dad, she's not going to wake up, I'm sorry but….". She stopped as Cameron moaned in his arms, moving herself slightly. Allison's eyes widened, a large smile forming on her face. "She woke up!, is she okay?". John looked down at Cameron, already the colour had begun to return to her skin. "I think she'll be fine, we just need to get her home". John looked to Kyle, "Get everyone ready, we're going home". Kyle nodded and took a radio out of his pocket. "Home Plate, come in, Liz, you there?". John could hear Liz's voice call back through the radio. "Kyle!, thank god, what's your situation, have you got Connor?". "Yes, the Connor's are secure, all three of them". "Three? What do you mean all three of them?, there's only two!". "Not any more, we've got John Connor, Allison Connor and now Cameron Connor, all three are alive and well". "Cameron, he found Cameron!, at least she's safe, get the Connor's back here as soon as possible". "Will do, over and out". Kyle put the radio back in his pocket and led John and Allison out of the basement, back outside. The solders looked in awe at John as he walked past them holding Cameron. Allison walked beside John as they walked. "She's more beautiful then in the picture". John looked down at Cameron again. "Yes, she is".
The group headed straight back to Home Plate, only stopping to take cover when an HK aerial came in to view. Once they got back to home plate, the doors silently opened and the group headed inside. Liz was waiting for them just inside, as was hundreds of other people, both civilian and solder. The solders closest to the door waited until the doors had closed before lowering their weapons and staring. John stopped in front of Liz as she looked down at Cameron, who moaned again as the lights from the ceiling shined down on her face. "I know why you went alone John, and I don't blame you, just don't go alone again, okay, take her home, go on".
John, grateful, gave Liz a nod of appreciation and walked through the motor pool, Allison behind him. Everyone John passed stopped what they were doing to watch as John carried Cameron through the base. Kyle followed John with four solders. John and Allison stepped in to their home, stopping to listen as Kyle ordered the solders to guard the room. John lay Cameron on to his bed, watching as she moved herself on to soft mattress, getting herself comfortable. "Dad, I'm tired, I'm going to bed". "What?, don't you want to meet her". "She's here now, I've got my entire life to get to know her, I'll see her tomorrow, in any case, I think I'll leave you alone with her". She kissed John on the cheek and then kissed Cameron on the forehead. "Glad you're here mom". She then left the room, leaving John and Cameron alone.
John lay next to Cameron, who immediately moved herself closer to him, wrapping her arm across his chest as she always did. John wrapped his arm around her, as she stirred and awoke again. She turned her head to John, moving herself and kissing him deeply. "You kept you promise, I didn't think you would come back for me". "I never break my promises, especially not a promise I make to you". She smiled and kissed him again, before moaning in frustration. "What's wrong?, are you alright?". "I slept for so long, I need time to adjust, that's all". She rested her head on his chest before again falling asleep. John could tell by the sound of her voice that she was exhausted, but she was also happy. John found himself drifting off to sleep as well. For the first time in six and a half years, he could go to sleep with the knowledge that Cameron was safe, she was with him again, he had her back.