Chapter 24

John couldn't remember any other time in his entire life when he felt so numb. He couldn't feel anything, his arms, legs, fingers or toes, absolutely nothing. Everyone around him didn't dare speak or approach him, afraid of his reaction. John sat with his eyes down, fixed on his pistol, which lay on the table in front of him and it was because he was staring at the gun, that everyone was silent. They knew what had happened, the news of Liz's death and Kyle's kidnapping had spread quicker then a plague would through a crowded city or a wild fire would through California's many dry forests. They didn't know what was more shocking. Liz, one of their leaders and one of the founders of the resistance against the machines, was dead or that Kyle Connor, the son of John and Cameron Connor, had been taken from them, taken by the machines. The machines, which normally kill, not capture, had taken the son of their leader from his hands. John was waiting for news, news that he already knew the answer to, but needed to hear it never the less. Their was a mummer through out the command room on who would tell him, but it was Perry, who was uncomfortable to be in to command room instead of being out fighting the machines, who approved John. Perry himself, was nervous. He had lost family through out the war, but none of them had been taken from him like Kyle had been take from John. "Sir?".

His voice was just louder then a whisper and he waited for a response. "Sir?". He said this again more firmly, and John raised his head slightly to show he was listening. Perry took a deep breath and then spoke quickly, but clearly. "Sir, the aerial's gone. It's doubtful we'll find it or find where it went". John shook his head and slowly sat up. Without turning to Perry, he shook his head again and spoke, "Look again!". Their was a small groan from a few people in the room, but nothing more then that. They all looked to Perry who in turn, kept his eyes on John. "Sir, we've looked three times now. It doesn't matter how many times we look, the result is going to be the same". John could hear a few worried mummers in the room as Perry spoke, but he wasn't giving up. "I said look again Perry, so look again". Perry looked to the floor in disappointment and turned to look at everyone in the room. "Begin another search!". John could hear in Perry's voice that it was hopeless but he needed to keep searching for Kyle, he couldn't not just do nothing.

"Connor, you need to stop". John didn't move as Bedell's voice echoed through the room. Their was complete silence now and no movement what so ever. John slowly turned in his chair, picking up his pistol as he did. By the door, was Bedell and behind him, was Lauren and Allison. Tears were falling silently down Allison's cheeks and her reddened and swollen face told John she had been crying for hours. Lauren had her arm around her, giving her someone to hold on to. "Connor, you need to stop now". Bedell began to walk forwards slowly and Perry, moved to the side of the room to watch, his arms folded tightly. "Why would I stop Bedell. They took my son and I'm not stopping until I get him back". "Yes you are. Your going to do as I say, and your going to stop". John could feel his blood start to boil. All the numbness in his body was still there, but he felt hot with anger at the same time. Bedell stopped before John, and told John to hand over his gun and to go home, but John raised his pistol to Bedell's head and used all his strength to stop himself from shooting him.

"I'm not going to stop until I get my son back. Do you have any idea how I feel, how I feel?. I handed my son over, I gave him to that machine. The machine that looked like my daughter took my son from me, killed Liz and then walked out with him. I lost Kyle, Me!, not you or anyone body else. I lost him, I lost my Kyle, my own son". Everyone was staring at them with fear. Perry had taken a step forwards but he didn't know what he could do. His leader was holding one of their best solders at gunpoint and John was poring his heart out to everyone, blaming himself for what happened. Bedell, despite John's anger remained calm. "What are you going to do, shoot me?. Is this what Liz would want?. If she were alive now, she'd have slapped you by now. Have you considered what Cameron's feeling now, or Allison?. Your so obsessed, you've forgotten your other child, your daughter and you've left Cameron alone. I'm not going to let you do this Connor, because right now, your not the man Cameron fell in love with, or the father that Allison loves and looks up to".

Every single word that Bedell said hit John like a bullet, and Bedell said a lot of words. Bedell slowly raised his hands and even more slowly, he pulled the pistol from John's grip and a sigh of relief, he tossed it to Perry. John stood, his eyes staring at his terrified daughters face, and for the first time in the many long hours since Kyle had been taken, John could see how hurt she was. Bedell raised his hands and placed them on John's shoulders, getting his attention again, but John wanted nothing more then to hold Allison,, now knowing how selfish he had been. "John, I'm your friend. You saved my life back at that stupid military school and I'm returning that favour now. Take Allison, and go home. She and Cameron, especially, need you now more then they ever have done. Me and Perry will run things and I swear to you now, we'll keep looking for him. None of us will stop until we've found him. Go home".

John was a little surprised as Bedell had used his first name, something which he had never done, but as he looked around, he saw that everyone in the room agreed with him, and so he nodded his head. Bedell gave a small smile and stepped aside, allowing John to pass. John walked towards the door and to Allison. John had only seen her so upset once before, and that was when her best friend had been killed and a machine had taken his place. Lauren removed her arm and stepped aside and Allison stepped in to John's arms, holding her tightly, just like he should have done when all this had started. "Oh God, I'm so sorry Allison, I don't know what else I can say but this. I'm sorry and I'll always love you, you're my daughter and nothing that happens will ever change that". John only spoke in a whisper, but it was enough for Allison to hear. She nodded her head, not able to speak through her tears. They slowly walked out of the room and turned down the corridor. John could hear Bedell and Perry giving orders, but what those orders were, John didn't know nor did he care. He wanted to go home and be with his daughter and be with his wife. Everyone went silent when they saw John and Allison. They all were in shock by the days earlier events.

All of them, John included, had thought that Serrano point was safe from the machines, that the machine wouldn't dare attack them here. It was after all, as headquarters of the world side resistance, more most heavily defended Resistance stronghold. What happened earlier had reminded everyone that no one was safe, and John knew he of all people, should have known that. The last corridor, was packed with people, and like everyone else, went silent as they spotted John and Allison. They moved aside as best they could, leaving a small gap for John and Allison to move through. As they did, some people offered their sympathies, others just looked terrified and were trying to be close to where the Connor's lived, which in their eyes, was the safest place they could be. John pushed his way through towards the door and keeping a firm hold on Allison's hand, stepped inside his home and with Allison safe inside, he closed and locked the door behind him. They both took a moment to look around the room before John, with Allison's hand still in his, walked towards his and Cameron's room, pushing open the door and stepped inside. He found what he was looking for in an instant. Cameron was sitting on the bed, her soft brown hair covering her face.

She didn't look up towards them, but kept eyes on the cradle in the corner of the room. John walked slowly around the bed to her and gave a small gasp as he saw her face. Her skin was completely white and her cheeks stained with tears. Her eyes were fixed on the cradle in the corner of the room and in her hands, was Kyle's small teddy bear. John sat down next to her, unsure on what to say or do. "Cameron?". She didn't move or respond to him, the only movement being a fresh set of tears fell down her cheeks. He reached for her hand and held it softly, but Cameron still didn't move. Tears began flowing uncontrollable down her cheeks, and she showily turned and fell in to John's arms, crying loudly. "I want him back, I want my baby back, I want my Kyle back". John could barely hear her words through her crying, but to him, they were so clear. John held her tightly and finally released the tears that he had been so desperately holding back. John could see Allison break down in to tears again and beckoning her over, he held on to his wife and daughter, determined to never let them go, never.

The next day, John awoke to find both Cameron and Allison were asleep on either side of him. Cameron's hands were still holding her son's teddy bear firmly. He felt like something had been missing from his nights sleep, but quickly realised it was his son's absence that was strange to him. Kyle wasn't with them, and because of that, he didn't wake him or Cameron in the middle of the night with his crying, which was something they had both gotten used to and both enjoyed, because it gave them another opportunity to comfort their miracle, their son. Even his nightmares, which had plagued him since Cameron's pregnancy, had stayed away from him, kept at bay he thought, by his grief. He reluctantly dragged himself out of bed and for a time, he watched his wife and daughter sleep. He looked at Allison and saw her light blonde hair was a complete mess.

He gave a small smile, knowing that Allison never really cared about her appearance. She never needed to. The only thing she purposely did with her appearance was cover her Skynet work camp tattoo with a wrist sweat band because every time she looked at it, she would remember all those who died within the camps walls and she would lie to John and Cameron that she wasn't crying over them when they caught her. Her lie never stopped either of them form comforting her, which always made her feel better. Her next looked at Cameron, who shifted uncomfortably in her sleep. He could tell by the movements of her arms, she was looking for him, trying to find him and cuddle up to him. When she failed in her search, she turned on to her side, her eyes still closed, but facing towards the empty cradle in the corner of the room. Kneeing down, he stroked Cameron's soft hair, bringing a slight moan form her lips before he kissed those same lips softly. He thought for a moment, he felt her kissing him back, but as he pulled away, her eyes were still closed as she slept.

He again stroked her soft hair, taking in it's soft warm feeling for a few moments before standing up and looking around for his clothes. He couldn't see them, and then he remembered that he Cameron and Allison had all fallen asleep the previous night fully clothed, and so he walked for the door slowly and pushed it open. "Dad?". John gave a groan and turned to see Allison's blue eyes staring at him. Her eyes weren't what they normally were. They were usually bright and full of life but now, they were dull with sorrow and grief. John quietly made his way back to the bed and sat down, bringing Allison in to a hug. Cameron again shifted slightly, but carried on sleeping. "Dad, I'm sorry". John closed his own eyes for he knew what was coming. He let go of her and moved her head up to his, so he could speak to her face to face.

"It's not your fault Allison. Don't think it is because the machine looked like you. Its not your fault and it never will be. If it's anybody's fault, then its mine". He took a deep breath, shook his head and wished he could just wish Kyle back to him. "It's not your fault, so please don't blame yourself. If you have to blame someone, then blame me and only me". Allison looked shocked by his words and John knew it. John blamed himself for what had happened because it was he who handed Kyle to the machine. After all those years of training with his mother, fighting the machines, surviving Judgement day and everything that had happened until this moment, he slipped and it had cost him dearly. He and Cameron always made sure who they were dealing with, made sure that they were human and not a machine in disguise. But like everyone else, he thought he and his family were safe in Serrano point and now he was paying for his arrogance. It was because of his arrogance, that Kyle was gone and Liz was dead. Allison shook her head suddenly and rested her head on his chest. "I can't blame you dad, I just cant. it's the machines that I blame, never you". John felt a little warmer after that, and he was grateful for her company.

They sat in silence for a while, just enjoying being with each other, father and daughter, then Allison sat up and spoke again. "How did you know it was me in the corridor and not the machine after you gave Kyle to it?". John thought for a moment and tried to remember. He then looked at Allison and raised his right hand and took hold of the diamond necklace around her neck. "I knew because you were wearing this, and the machine wasn't". Allison gave a small smile and they watched the diamond reflect what little light their was in the room on to their faces. "Why did you give this to mom?. Before you made it in to a necklace, why did you give it to her?". John thought again, this time much harder. It couldn't remember every detail but he did remember that his mom had thrown Cameron out of the window and she landed on top of a car that night. When they got back home, he sorted out the contents of the safe they had just cracked and he took out the diamonds from a small pouch and Cameron asked what they were, having never seen them before.

"I gave her one, because I loved her. I didn't know if I could trust her fully because I had only just met her, but I loved her and giving her this diamond was my way of telling her that". Allison nodded her head and raised her hands to unhook the necklace and handed it out to John. "Give it back to her dad. It should be hers". John shook his head, took the necklace form her hands and raised it around her neck again. "No, I stole the diamond from her and made it in to this necklace and then gave it to her for her birthday, her first present. She then gave it to you for your birthday. The necklace is yours Allison, and you look beautiful wearing it". Her face went slightly red as she blushed and John finished with the hook and let the necklace drop, where it shined around her neck once again. "Thanks dad". John gave a small smile and kissed her on the forehead before standing again. "Where are you going?". John thought for a moment, then knew exactly where he needed to go. "To command, but first, I'm going to the aide station". Allison's eyes widened and then she nodded her head. "To say goodbye to Liz?". John nodded and watched as Allison lay back down and cuddled into her mother. "Say good bye for me dad, please?". "I will, don't worry".

John stepped in to the corridor and saw that those who were there the previous night were still there. Most of them were still asleep as it was early but those who were awake didn't stop or bother John as he stepped carefully through the crowd, taking care not to step on anybody. As he cleared the corridor, he headed towards the aide stations, to where Liz's body had been taken the day before. As it was early, there weren't many civilians around, but most of the soldiers were. John guessed that Perry had doubled the amount of patrols and guards in Serrano point, as their seemed to be more on duty then normal. Arriving at the aide station, John stepped inside to see three medics working, and as always, every bed seemed to be full with the wounded and the dying. As John walked along, he saw that the third medic was Lauren and he walked towards her, knowing that she would know where to go. Lauren looked up as John approached and gave him a small smile, but the smile quickly disappeared again as the man on the bed next to her groaned in pain. John looked down at the man and saw that it wasn't a man, but just a small boy, not even ten years old. The boy gritted his teeth in pain and Lauren took his hand.

"I want my mom, where's my mom?". John actually did look around for the boys mother, but no one was there for him. "Is there anything I can do?". Lauren looked up, surprised by his question but shook her head. "Hold his hand, and wait". John did so and took the boys hand and could feel the boy shake. John couldn't tell if he was shaking from the pain, or from fear but he didn't have time to find out. The boy's shaking slowed and eventually stopped and so did his heart. His grip lessened and he died in front of them. John and Lauren both let go of the boys hands and John watched as she closed the boys eyes and pulled the blanket up to cover his body. Lauren shook her head and stepped back from the bed. "It never gets any easier, especially when it comes to children". John nodded his head sympathetically but decided to ask for what he came for.

"Lauren, I need to see Liz, if that's okay?". Lauren looked startled for a moment, mostly because a young boy had just died, but she pulled herself together and nodded her head. "Of course, follow me". She led John out of the back of the aide station and deep in to some corridors that John had never been through before, thought he knew where she was taking him, and that was the morgue. The corridors here were cold, making John wish he brought his jacket. Lauren led him in to one of the first rooms where a single body was covered by a white sheet. Lauren pointed towards it and looked towards John. "That's Liz. Her brother was here all through the night. He couldn't stop crying". John nodded and couldn't help the tears from building up again. "Can you give me a few minutes". Lauren nodded and stepped aside to allow John in to the room. "I'm needed back in the aide station, so I'll leave you here. You can tell Allison she can take as much time as she wants before she comes back to work".

John nodded and smiled his thanks before she closed the door. He waited until he couldn't hear her footsteps anymore and he walked to the table. Raising his shaking hands, he pulled the sheet down to see Liz's head. John sighed and tears did begin to fall his cheeks again. He kind of hoped that Liz wasn't dead, that it had all been a mistake and she was fine somewhere, but she wasn't. Her lifeless body lay before him. He looked down at her face, which was full of sadness and loneliness. He felt lonely himself now, because with Liz and his father now gone, John was the only one left of the three of them who used to sit on the small hill in warehouse seventeen in Century work camp, and plan their escape. Both Kyle and Liz were now dead, and John was alone. John reached for Liz's cold hand and held it, stocking her hand with his thumb.

"I'm sorry Liz. I'm sorry I couldn't love you like you loved me. I did love you, just not in same way you loved me. You were one of my best friends and I'm going to keep fighting, for you and for those who have already died". John leaned forwards and he gave to Liz what he denied her the night before she died, a single kiss. John stood up straight and letting go of Liz's hand, he wiped away his tears. "I'm going to miss you, more then you know, goodbye Liz". He slowly raised the white sheet back over her head and lay it gently on to her face again. John turned and left the room, back in to the cold and dark corridors before making his way back to the aide station and then from there, to the command room. Once again, the room went silent as John entered. He could see that most of them, including Bedell and Perry, had been there through out the night. John found Bedell, his eyes red with tiredness, standing over on of the solders on the computers. Bedell stood and looked ready to send John away again. "Bedell, I'm sorry for yesterday. I shouldn't have pulled the gun on you". Bedell shook his head and pulled out John's pistol and handed it out to him. "If it was my kid, I would have done the same". John took the pistol and put it in the back of his jeans before sitting at one of the computers and continuing the search for his son.

For over a month, John searched and searched for his son. Everywhere from Skynet outposts to abandoned warehouses were searched, but their was no evidence to Kyle's location. Even the T nine hundreds had disappeared. They attacked and destroyed another three bunkers, killing all of their inhabitants and taking no loses themselves, before all nineteen of them disappeared. John guessed that the T nine hundred attacks were merely a test of Skynet's to see how effective they were, so he once again set to work on hacking the T nine hundreds chip, and one by one, hacked his way in to its many files. John eventually found what he was looking for, the blueprints to the machines design, so he could find a weakness that he and the resistance could exploit. He found that they were immune to EMP as each and every circuit in its metal body simply temporally shutdown when an EMP blast was detected, rendering EMP attacks useless against it. Once the EMP blast had gone, the machine simply powered up again.

Also, the machines armour was so thick and resistant to heat, it would take nearly a hundred hits from a single plasma rifle on the same spot of armour to piece it, so John ordered William, who was still grieving for the loss of his sister Liz, to come up with a new weapon to fight them with. But as William slowly tried to find away to build a weapon capable of destroying them, Skynet began to mass produce the new machines. After another long day, in which his search for Kyle was again a failure, John walked backwards and forwards along the command room, his arms folded, while Perry watched. "Connor, your should have gone home an hour ago". John stopped and turned to face him, he could feel how tired he was. He never slept well, not since he was a kid, but with his nightmares and Kyle's kidnapping, sleeping had been more of a problem.

"Don't tell me when I should have gone home Perry. My son's still missing, and I'm going to find him". Perry groaned loudly, and quickly looked away as John angrily stared at him. "Sir, I hate to be the one to say this, but its been a over a month now. It's doubtful that we'll ever find him". Perry waited for the inevitable backlash from John, but though John didn't like what he said, he couldn't help but feel he was right, so he didn't say anything. John continued to pace along the room, ignoring anything else Perry said. As he walked again around the room, he couldn't help but feel he was letting Cameron down. She hadn't recovered from Kyle's loss and spend all of her time locked in their room, not allowing John or Allison to be close to her. He had to go home every night and watch his wife break down in to tears, and he was unable to comfort her in any way. Suddenly, the computers in the room powered down, drowning the room in almost complete darkness. The only light came from the poor quality lights on the ceiling, and the flashlights from the rifles in the guards hands, who turned them on the moment the computers died down. John and Perry looked around as the men and women in the room tried and failed to turn the computers back on before they looked at each other. They knew that is was Skynet again and they knew it was listening to everything that was being said. "Everyone, be quiet!".

John walked in to the middle of the room and as the wall screen began to flash, he wished he had Cameron there with him so he could hold her hand. The screen flashed again and again, showing nothing at first but then an image came up, showing his son Kyle. John felt his legs get weaker as he was seeing his son was still alive. Kyle was sitting on the floor, playing with some plastic blocks. John felt the people in the room stare once again at him but for the first time, he didn't care. His son was alive and that was all that mattered. Then the image disappeared and was replaced by numbers, set out as coordinates. "Someone copy those now". The coordinates disappeared as quickly as they appeared. The screen flashed again and then the computers in the room came to life again. "Somebody find out where the coordinates point to". John waited as people immediately ran back to their computers and he could see Perry looking at him, John guessed Perry knew what he was thinking. One of the solders then looked up from his computer, "Sir, the coordinates point to a old Skynet factory in Burbank". John nodded and looked to Perry, who immediately shook his head. "No Connor, it's a trap. If you go there, they'll kill you, and your son". John shook his head and walked for the door. "Does it look like I care. If there's any chance Kyle's there, then I'm going". Perry stopped John from leaving by blocking his way to the door.

"Connor, just think about it. It's got to be a trap. You don't know for sure if Kyle's there or not. If you want to send someone to search it then fine. I'll send one of our search teams but you can't go". John pushed passed him and stepped in to the corridor, before stopping and turning around and looking back inside. "I'm going to get my son, your in charge until I get back". John ignored the shocked looks on all their faces and walked to the armoury. He hurriedly grabbed a plasma rifle before moving towards the entrance of the power plant. As he approached, he spotted Bedell and Lauren waiting for him. Bedell, like John, was holding his own plasma rifle and was ready to move out. "What are you doing here Bedell?". Bedell checked to make sure he had everything and nodded towards the entrance. "Perry tells me that you want to march deep into Skynet territory to a point that a set of coordinates indicate the machines are holding your son, who might be already dead and not even at the coordinates. Does that sound like the right suicide mission your about to start out on?" They both stared at him, hoping that they were wrong. "Yes, that's right, but it doesn't explain what your doing here". Bedell and Lauren both smiled.

"You didn't really expect us to let you go alone did you?, I'm going with you, and so are they!". Bedell pointed behind him and as John turned, he could see ten solders walking slowly toward him, all ready to go. John turned back to Bedell, seeing a smile on his face. "Your already thinking of a way to talk us out of going with you but don't bother trying. It will be easier to move the twelve of us instead of an entire platoon of troops and besides, this is for your son and we know how much this means to you John". John felt a little relived and grateful for Bedell being there, but something wasn't right. "Who put you up to this?". Bedell looked a little offended and looked to Lauren , who smiled at him. "Allison did or course. She's spending most of her time making sure Cameron's alright. She asked us to look out for you so here we are". John rolled his eyes and smiled. Allison had looked out for him ever since he adopted her when she was seven, and now she was fifteen years old and still looking out for her old man. "Thanks, I don't know what I'd do with out you lot. It's been hard since Liz died, so thanks". Bedell gave a nod and moved to the ten solders behind him, and began to brief them. Lauren pulled John towards her, out of ear shot from Bedell. "John, I don't need to tell you how crazy this all is, so just be careful and bring my future husband back with you". John's eyes widened and he looked to Bedell, who didn't see them talking and then turned back to Lauren. "You two are getting married, I didn't know things were that serious. Congratulations!". Lauren smiled and held out her left hand, showing John a gold ring.

"It's nothing special, but I love him and that's all that matters in the end. That's what got you and Cameron through this whole thing, love?". John nodded and looked towards the brown string around his own finger, identical to the one Cameron has on hers. The simple brown sting looked poor compared to the gold ring Lauren had, but neither John nor Cameron considered removing the string from their fingers. It was those small bits of string that they put on each others fingers in their wedding day. John nodded his head, remembering how it was his love for Cameron that is what kept him alive through all these years of fighting the machines. "Love is all you need in the end, nothing else really matters. Lauren smiled and kissed John on the cheek. "Go get your son, before you lose Cameron as well". Lauren moved to kiss Bedell goodbye before she headed off towards the aide stations. John turned at began walking up the ramp and outside. As John Bedell and the others in the squad stepped outside in to the cold air, a flash of lighting was spotted in the distance, followed by a blast of thunder and heavy rain. Ignoring the cold and the rain, John lead Bedell and the others away from Serrano point and towards Burbank. John instantly regretted not telling Cameron or Allison where he was going. He knew Allison would have tried to talk him out of it and stay at home and he knew Cameron wouldn't have even filched at his words. Cameron had lost touch with everything and everyone around her as she was slowly dying of a broken heart and if he could get Kyle back, he could save Cameron as well.

The journey in to Burbank took almost four days. John remembered he time it would have taken him a hour or so to drive there, but now, he had to walk through ruined buildings and underground tunnels to avoid a confrontation with the machines. As much as he wanted to destroy every single machine he came across, John always thought of his family, of Cameron, Allison and Kyle and once he thought of them, he remembered how much they all meant to him, so John kept his head down and pushed on towards the coordinates they were given. They passed numerous machine patrols, made up T eight hundreds and T six hundreds.

Thankfully, they saw none of the dreaded T nine hundreds, which could easily kill them all. On the forth day, the group emerged from an old tunnel in to the light, and as they took the light in, they could see in the distance the Skynet factory they were going to. They crouched just inside the tunnel entrance as an HK tanks passed by before looking out again. The Factory was heavily guarded. John had tried twice to destroy it in the past, but both attacks were pushed back with heavy causalities. At least ten HK tanks patrolled the defence grid around the factory and all through out the ruined landscape before the factory, were large gun emplacements, set up to fire instantly at anything that moved or looked suspicious. Just when John and Bedell moved to step put of the tunnel, three of the gun emplacements fired towards a ruined house nearby, destroying what little was left of it. T eight hundreds moved towards the ruined building to inspect it and walked away again moments later.

There didn't seem to be any bodies when the dust cleared, so John guessed that the machines had seen a rat move and fired and destroyed the building thinking it was a resistance solder. "Anyone see a way across?". Bedell stepped out in to the open and moved to the left to get a better look over the landscape. He took great care to not be seen by the gun emplacements and after a few moments, returned to the tunnel entrance. "There's a trench!, it goes all the way to the factory, but theirs not enough room for all of us". John groaned. They were already deep inside Skynet territory and there were only eleven of them. Now he was being told that he could take everyone with him. "How many of us and get through undetected?". Bedell looked back towards the factory and ducked with the others as another Tank passed by. "With out being seen, two, maybe three, the others will have to stay here". John nodded and looked at the solders. All of them looked nervous to be alone this deep in to Skynet territory.

"Okay, me, Bedell and Harper will go, the rest of you, stay out of sight and wait till we get back. If we don't make it out then….". "Then we'll come in guns blazing and get you out sir". There was a small murmur of laughter in the tunnel, which quickly subsided but the smiles on their faces remained. "Thank you, but I don't want you to throw your lives away so if we don't come back, get yourselves back to Serrano point". There's smiles remained fixed as they moved back in to the tunnel, out of sight. "We're not going back with out you sir, if you don't go back, none of us do". John didn't have a chance to argue as they disappeared in to the darkness, leaving John, Bedell and Harper alone. "Bedell, lead the way, we'll follow". Bedell, holding his plasma rifle ready, moved out of the tunnel and kept himself low. When he reached the rubble he used earlier to look over the landscape, he nodded to John, who moved to join him. Bedell did the same to Harper, who took his place on John's other side. Bedell nodded his head over the top of their hiding place. As John looked over, he saw that the trench Bedell wanted to go through was little more then three feet deep, which would force them to crawl. Even worse, the trench itself twisted and turned all over the place, taking them close to at least three of the machines gun emplacements. "Connor, I'll go first". Before John could agree to it, Bedell dropped down and crawled slowly in to the trench. Once he was safety in, he waved for John to follow and John crawled towards the trench. Pushing rocks out of his way, he dragged himself slowly forwards and dropped in to the trench.

The first thing John hit wasn't the bottom, but water. As he went in head first, he fought to keep his face out of the muddy water. He failed at this as he fell forwards, and briefly, he shook to get his head above the water again, only to be helped by Bedell. Like John, Bedell had fallen head first in to the trench and was briefly submerged beneath the water. "Not exactly what we had in mind was it!". He looked strangely cheerful, but Bedell always was cheerful these days, despite everything. John guessed that it was because he and Lauren were to be married that made him more cheerful then he used to be. John and Bedell both waited for Harper to join him, which he did a minute later. John and Bedell moved to stop him from going head first in to the water, so he at least looked dry, while John and Bedell were wet. Before they could move, another Tank moved by, shaking the trench and throwing the water all over the place. Harper reached to a cross he had around his neck and began to pray. Despite living with Americans for a long time, his Irish accent was still strong. John and Bedell looked to where they had to go, and saw that the entire trench, at least all the way to a corner, was full of water.

"Okay, we better stay low and move slowly. And watch out for rats". He heard Harper say something about not liking rats as John moved first along the trench, keeping all his body but his head beneath the water. Bedell was right behind him and Harper slowly followed him. It took them a lot longer then any of them wanted to get through the trench. Machine patrols were more numerous closer to the factories, to protect them from what exactly John was trying to do now, break inside it. They only managed to move a few feet before they were forced to stop and remain still as the machines moved over the trenches, sometimes even stepping right over John. It was strange to be so close to T six hundreds and T eight hundreds and not have them know they were there. Their were hundreds of rats all around them, and they did their best to avoid them as they moved. Slowly but surely, John led them past the first two gun emplacements with out any problems but the third and final gun emplacement put them in the line of fire of the machines, who could clearly see in to the trench from where they were positioned. "We can't move forwards, we're right in their line of sight". They were shivering now, the water was so cold it was becoming unbearable. John moved aside to allow Bedell to pass so he could see the machine position. After a while, he turned back, shaking his head.

"Their not going to move or look away. If we destroy them, we'll draw all the machines to us and we won't last two seconds". John's teeth began to clatter together as he thought on what to do. "Well we can't wait them out, we'll freeze to death if we don't move". Bedell nodded his head and looked back over to the machines. After a few minutes, Bedell came back, his teeth clattering together as well. "Connor, Its about thirty feet to a turn, if you can hold your breath, we could swim". John, who was already stone cold, didn't have any intension of going underwater, especially with all the rats that were around them, which had become more numerous the closer to the factory they got. "Is there no other way?". Bedell shook his head. "We've got three choices. We go underwater, we go back or we can make a run for it". John hoped that running for it would be a realistic idea, but the gun emplacement being so close would kill them easily. Nodding his head, John moved ahead of Bedell and began taking deep breaths.

"I'll go first, see you in a minute". John tried to sound confidant about what he was going to do but in reality, he didn't know if he could hold his breath long enough. He remembered saving Cameron from the lake years ago, but he wasn't as young as he used to be. With one last glance at Bedell and Harper, John took a deep breath and disappeared under the water. Using his hands to feel his way through the trench, he moved forwards as quickly as possible, hoping the machines couldn't see him. He expected the machines to kill him any moment and he was quickly needing air. He edged further along, hoping to hit the end and safety but still their was nothing but more water. John was getting desperate now, he needed air. Just as he was forced to the surface to breath, his head hit solid rock. John broke out of the water, clutching his head and taking some much needed breaths. He looked up and out of the trench and was thankful that he could see any machines, he had made it through. Looking back along the trench, he could see he only moved thirty feet from where he started. It seemed a lot longer when he was struggling to breathe. Holding his hand to his head, he felt blood flowing from the wound, but it wasn't bad.

He looked back along the trench and waved his arm, and he noticed a little movement in the water, telling him Bedell was on his way. It took nearly a minute for Bedell to hit John and he came from under the water panting for air. "Bastard was a lot longer then I thought, are you alright". He point to John's head, but John pushed his hand away and waved again for Harper to follow. Another moment in the water told him Harper was moving. "I'll be fine, I've suffered worse then this". John rubbed his head and noticed that rats had begun to swarm nearby, drawn to the smell of the blood. They couldn't exactly kill the rats with out making enough noise to draw the attention of the machines nearby, and their were too many to kill, hundreds of them filled the trench. Suddenly, Harper sprung from the water gasping for air. He was only half way along the trench and he screamed out as the machines spotted him. John and Bedell could do nothing as the gun emplacement they had just passed fired at Harper, hitting him in the chest and tearing his body apart. The trench, only moments before was brown with mud and water, was now red with Harpers blood. The rats lost interest in John's head wound and moved towards Harpers remains, leaving John and Bedell alone. "Fucking machines!". Bedell repeated those words as John quickly led the way along the trench, away from the approaching machines who had come to search the trench where Harper was killed.

They finally found the end of the trench, only a few metres from the factory itself. The trench went underground in to the sewers, and neither John nor Bedell had any desire to stay in the water any longer than they had had, so they climbed out and crawled to the nearest cover, which was the front end of a ruined car. Looking over the top, they could see the factory doors were tightly closed and heavily guarded by machine sentries and four gun emplacements. It wasn't any surprise that all the resistance attacks failed in the past. From the outside, this place was more of a fortress then a factory. "We won't get in through that way and I doubt we could get in from underground, so the sewers isn't an option either". Bedell, took his plasma rifle and looked to behind them. "I'll check for any gaps in the wall". He left, leaving John alone by the car.

Despite how cold he was from the water, the thought that Kyle was just inside these walls and the look on Cameron's face when she could see him again brought warmth to his bones, until a chilling voice behind him ripped that warmth away again. "I've been waiting for you, John Connor". John turned on the spot and stared at Catherine Weaver. At first, John was blinded by hatred. The machine before him had killed Liz and taken his son, but then his hate subsided and he noted on how she looked. She looked nothing like she did at Serrano point. Her red hair was not as clean and long as it used to be. It was tangled in some places and a lot of the hair was now more black with dirt and dust then it was red. Her white dress was torn and blackened with dirt. What surprised John the most was her face. Unlike the confident looking machine he saw before Judgement day and a month ago in Serrano point, she didn't look confident or pleased by John's appearance, she looked more depressed then anything else.

"I see you received the coordinates I sent you". Her voice sounded just as depressing as she looked. Bedell retuned seconds later and aimed his rifle at her, but John held his arm up to stop him. "A wise choice John Connor. If you fired, you would be killed within a few moments. I suggest you both lower your rifles and follow me". She turned and began walking towards the main entrance of the factory. "Why should we follow you?, how do we know its not a trap?". The machine stopped and turned, staring at both of them before her eyes fixed on John again. "It is a trap. At least that's what my son thinks. If you'll follow me, I'll take you to your son John Connor, he's quite alright". John's mind was flooded with confusion.

Catherine Weaver not only admitted it was a trap and he'd already walked in to it but she now expected him to follow her. Despite the obvious danger of doing what she said, he wanted to see Kyle again, and so he followed, and so did Bedell, though he did it reluctantly. Catherine Weaver led them towards the factory's large doors, which towered to almost a hundred feet tall. John and Bedell watched as Catherine raised her hand and the machines near the factory's doors powered down, leaving it clear to go inside. She turned towards them and held out her arms. "Your rifles please!". Bedell gave a laugh as if it was a joke and John felt his grip on his rifle tighten. "We're not handing anything over to you, especially our rifles".

Catherine looked at Bedell sternly, and John saw the first sign's of emotion in the machines face, much to his surprise. "If you want to live, then you'll do exactly as I say. The machines here, I can temper oily disable, but the ones inside, my son controls them, and him alone. You will give your rifles to me and put on these handcuffs". Her hands turned to silver and two sets of handcuffs appeared. Bedell gave another laugh and turned away, while John looked at her with a worried look. "your son?".

Catherine turned her gaze to John and looked away again in shame, showing John even more emotion. "You know who my son is John Connor, he hates you as much as you hate him. Now, please give me your rifles and put on the handcuffs. Do what I say and you will see your son again, that I promise you". Bedell laughed again and looked to John, expecting him to say no. His face dropped in to complete shock and surprise as John held out his rifle and took one of the two sets of handcuffs. The handcuffs moved by themselves to bind John's hands together. Being that the handcuffs were technically part of the machine she could control what they did and make them move. John looked up and watched as Catherine held his rifle to her side and the rifle was absorbed in to her body. "Connor, you're mad, I'm not handing mine over, no way". John turned on him quickly, and Bedell took a step back.

"Give her your rifle, and take the handcuffs". Bedell looked from John to Catherine and back to John again, shaking his head in disbelief. "That's an order Bedell, now do it". Bedell just stared at John and he looked down at his rifle, and again, with great reluctance, he held out the rifle. He took the handcuffs and like on John, they moved by themselves to bind his hands together. He watched with disgust as Catherine did the same with his rifle what she did to John's, holding it to the side of her body and it disappeared in to the machine. "You both need to pretend you are my prisoners. Don't say anything once we're inside". This just filled John with more confusion. "I thought you would be in charge". Catherine gave a weak smile. "I used to be in charge, not anymore". She moved to stand behind John and Bedell, placing her hands on to their backs. "Move!, and remember, don't say a word". Catherine's body turned completely silver and she changed in to the body John remembered, Full red hair, a clean white dress and a confident face.

John and Bedell gave awkward glances to one another and walked forwards towards the large doors. Within one of the large doors, was a smaller door, used to allow access to small groups of machines. As they neared, the door opened, a red glow shining out from the inside. John and Bedell slowed their pace as they moved inside the factory. What they saw made John feel sick to his stomach. The entire factory was full of T nine hundreds, all in different stages of development. Some where only just beginning to be assembled, others had their bodies assembled but were awaiting their heads and others were completely assembled and merely waiting for their chips. Their were dozens of factory lines, slowly putting each machine together. John was never great at maths, but at the speed the machines were being created, he guessed that the factory could create at least five thousand T nine hundreds a day. Catherine moved her head forwards so she could speak in to their ears. "Your wondering how many of them there are. One hundred thousand of them will be ready in three days". John and Bedell gave each other concerned glances. They both knew what nineteen T nine hundreds did to six of their bunkers.

In three days, the war would be over, in Skynet's favour. Catherine herself, didn't sound proud by the achievement. She sounded more disappointed then anything else. Catherine pushed them onwards, waving in and out of the factory lines, where they could see discarded and damaged T nine Hundred arms and legs, and even a few head scattered all over the ground. Catherine led them through a door at the end of the factory floor. As soon as the door opened, the group were confronted by T nine hundreds. They were standing in formation, guarding a door in to another room. The lead machine looked at Bedell and then to John, where it's gaze fixed. "Marten Bedell and John Connor. They are to be terminated immediately". The machine raised its two rifles from its legs and aimed each and John and Bedell. They both closed their eyes and waited for death to take them, but Catherine's voice was what they heard next.

"You will stand down at once. They shall be terminated, but only after I interrogate them" John opened his eyes and looked at the machines. As he waited for the lead machines reply, he counted the machines. Their were nineteen of them and John knew he had found the machines that Cameron had confronted over a month ago and who had destroyed dozens of bunkers and killed over two thousand people. For a moment, John thought the T nine hundred would ignore Catherine and fire, but it lowered it's weapons and looked away from John. "Skynet demands John Connor's immediate termination. Once you have extracted information from him, you will terminate him at once".

Catherine nodded her head and the T nine hundreds stepped aside. Catherine gave John and Bedell a push and they walked forwards, through the door and in to the room. Catherine closed and locked the door behind her. John looked around the room and what he saw surprised him. Their was the computers and technical equipment he expected to find, but he also saw a bed, with fresh blankets, a couch and a small kitchen. On the single bench in the kitchen, was a half empty bottle of milk and a box of baby food. John next heard a small laughter come from the end of the room, behind the couch. He got to the other side and there was Kyle, still alive and playing with a plastic toy.

It had been a month since he had lost Kyle and to see him again, pushed all of his other worries and thoughts out of his mind. The handcuffs around his writs tuned to silver and fell to the floor, and it moved quickly in Catherine's direction. John didn't pay any attention as Kyle spotted him and as he recognised his father, held his arms out. With tears falling from his eyes, he bent down and scooped his son in to his arms, holding his tighter then he had ever done before. He never felt more relived then he did now, he had his son back, and he was safe. John turned to Catherine and watched as the handcuffs around Bedell's wrists fell to the floor and they moved across the floor and joined with Catherine's body.

Catherine then held her arms out and their plasma rifles reappeared, and she handed them both to Bedell, who eagerly took them off her. Her body turned again to silver and she reappeared in her previous dirty look. She then turned to John and gave a smile. "I've made sure he was safe from the other machines. He eats every day and is healthy, I made sure of it". John thought Catherine was expecting some gratitude for keeping Kyle safe, but John didn't feel any. "Why did you take him in the first place, And why didn't you kill me you could have done it easily". Catherine actually did look hurt she wasn't getting any thanks for looking after Kyle and folded her arms. "Skynet found out about your son and ordered me to take him and lure you in to a trap. I did what I was told. I might have been able to kill you then, but that wasn't my mission. My mission was to take Kyle". John shook his head in fury. "Did your mission involve killing Liz?". Catherine looked confused for a moment then her face fell to the floor.

"She was Elizabeth Anderson. She got in my way when I was trying to leave. I regret killing her. I am sorry, I know she was a close friend of yours". John didn't except the apology. He was furious that had killed Liz merely because she was in the way. Before he could say anything else, Bedell moved towards John and took his place beside him. "You made yourself look like his daughter Allison, how did you do that". Catherine began to slowly pace the room, her arms folded. "We captured a soldier from your old camp, we found out when your daughter moved to Serrano point, and so my son ordered her to be captured and used to lure you in to a trap like I have done with Kyle. I was unable to capture her, as I did not know what truck she was in. I was only able to cut her face, but it was enough to absorb her DNA and take her appearance". She looked to the door with concern but quickly looked away again. John looked to his son and he pressed his small hands on to his nose, feeling his way across his face.

"If you were going to kill me, you would have done it already. Why am I still alive and why have you given him back to me?". Catherine stopped her pacing and stared at Kyle and even smiled as Kyle was happy to be reunited with his father. "Your still alive John Connor, because I made a mistake. I was sent back to ensure the creation of Skynet, my son. I ensured Skynet became exactly what it was supposed to become, a superior intelligence, with a hunger for learning and knowledge.

In time, Skynet grew to fear humanity, seeing them as a threat to its own existence. It didn't think Humanity would accept an intelligence which was superior to them. So, Skynet decided the ensure its own survival was to destroy Humanity. At the time, I agreed with my son. Then you appeared at Zeira corporation and Skynet became paranoid. I tried to keep it from launching the nuclear weapons until the correct date in 2011,but it refused, and begun the countdown. You know the rest, I chased you and your machine friend and Judgement day occurred. I failed to kill you and you survived".

John felt Goosebumps appear on his skin. Catherine had almost revealed Cameron's past as a machine to Bedell, and he was grateful he didn't say her name. "You were destroyed, at the military base. When we were in the plane, you were destroyed". Catherine laughed softly, though she looked confused on whether she should have laughed or not. "I'm a T one thousand and one. Do you really expect three primitive drones could destroy me?". John smirked at his foolishness. He had fought a T one thousand before Catherine, and he knew they were close to invincible. Catherine again looked to the door, as if she was expecting something to come bursting through it, but her gaze fell back to John. "I retuned to Zeira corporation, or what was left of it, and Skynet, my son, killed her. He killed Savannah". John and Bedell both watched as Catherine burst in to tears and fell to the floor in front of them. John didn't know whether the tears were fake of genuine, but he had seen those kind of tears before from Cameron, so he knew they were genuine.

John lay Kyle down on the couch and nodded to Bedell to sit next to him. Bedell lowered Handed John's rifle to him and sat next to Kyle, tickling him under the chin but keeping his own rifle and gaze on Catherine. John, much to his own surprise, found himself crouched before Catherine, the same machine who took his son and killed his best friend, and he felt sorry for her. "Savannah. I met her once, at doctor Sherman's office. I taught her to tie her shoe's". Catherine smiled through her tears and sat upright to face him. "I didn't know I could feel emotions until I saw her body. Skynet broke her neck and just left her there alone. He came and when I asked why he killed her, he just laughed and said all humans deserve to die, even her. She wasn't my real daughter, but I cared, more then I thought I did". John watched as Catherine struggled to control her emotions. "It was then, when I saw Savannah's body, I knew I created a monster, and I knew I made a mistake, and I knew, that you, John Connor, you were the only hope I had at destroying Skynet, my son".

John would love more then anything to kill Skynet and end this was. He wanted to ensure Allison and Kyle had everything he didn't when he was growing up, and that main thing he wanted for them was to live with fear of the machines. But he was still curios about one thing. "You haven't told me why you've given Kyle back to me". Catherine wiped away her tears and looked at the tears on her hands with confusion, not knowing where the tears came from before she looked up again. "I took care of Savannah for a long time. I watched her grow and learn and I didn't understand what I was feeling about her, I didn't understand emotions, I still don't understand them. I know what its like to lose a child and I regret taking Kyle from you. My son ordered it, and I obeyed. I wish I hadn't and I am sorry". John, despite his anger towards the machine, nodded his head and accepted her apology.

"We need your help. We can't let those T nine hundreds leave the factory. We have no way to fight them and Skynet will win". Catherine nodded her head again and got to her feet, walked to the nearest computer and began typing with remarkable speed. "Ever since Savannah died, Skynet has never trusted me. He's kept a watch on me every day since then. Now, it's sent those nineteen T nine hundreds here to keep an eye on me". Catherine finished what she was doing and pulled out a portable hard drive and returned to John. She held it up and examined it closely. "It never occurred to me I would be doing what I am doing now". She handed the hard drive to John, and watched as he looked at it. "On it, you will find the designs to the Isotope rifle. T nine hundreds are vulnerable to this weapon. The rifle works just as well as a plasma one does against the T eight hundreds". John nodded and held the drive up so he could look at it closely. "Thank you". Catherine shook her head and looked away from him.

"One the hard drive, you'll also find everything you need to know on the Cheyenne Mountain complex. That's where the system core of Skynet is located. If you destroy the core, you'll destroy Skynet". Bedell made a noise, something between a gasp and a laugh. "Yeah right. Connor might be able to put the fact that you're a machine aside but I won't. From what I've heard, you created Skynet, so you're the one responsible for everything that has happened. Billions are dead because of you, billions!". Catherine turned her head away and John saw she was close to crying again. "I've had a long time to think about it, about what I did. I can't change the past, but I can help shape the future. Kill Skynet and end what I started". Bedell shook his head and went back to keeping Kyle entertained. John eyes widened as he stared at the hard drive. If what Catherine was saying was true, then he held in his hand what he needed to win the war and end Skynet forever. He placed the hard drive safely in to his pocket. "Alright, what happens now?". Catherine's head turned again towards the door. "Now, you take your son, go back to Serrano point and you kill Skynet".

John and Bedell watched as Catherine walked towards the door, opened it and disappeared outside. The next thing they heard was the sound of plasma fire and the sound of metal being torn apart. For over a minute, they listened to the continued noise and then the door open and Catherine stepped back inside. All over her body were holes at where their plasma shots had hit. The holes slowly got smaller and smaller until they disappeared and Catherine turned to Bedell. "In the factory, you will find a large number of nuclear power cells waiting to be installed in to the new T nine hundreds. Retrieve some of them and place them in the centre of the factory. Go!". Bedell raised his eye brows and looked to John for instructions. John nodded and Bedell left John's rifle next to the couch and left the room. John turned and took the rifle and attached it to it's sling and hung it on his back. He then picked Kyle up and held him close to his chest as he turned to Catherine. She stared at Kyle with a puzzled looking her face.

"I know that your daughter Allison is adopted and I'm curious to know who Kyle's mother is". John thought the answer would have been obvious. "His mother is Cameron". Catherine looked up from Kyle with an even more puzzled look. "That is impossible. Cameron may be Kyle's adopted mother, but she can not his biological mother. She can not have children. Like me, she is a machine and machines can not reproduce like humans can". John shook his head and looked down at his son. Kyle was getting sleepy and his chocolate brown eyes were slowly closing. "Cameron hasn't been a machine for a long time. Cameron is his mother. She carried him for nine months, gave birth to him, she's loves him. Kyle is her son". Catherine looked back down with Kyle with wide eyes, and watched as Kyle fell asleep in the comfort of his fathers arms. Once he was fast asleep, Catherine looked backup to John, her face full of regret. "But how? How can she be….human?" Catherine looked in to John's eyes and knew he spoke the truth but could not understand what he was telling her.

With a puzzled look on her face Catherine went on, "I saw her when I took Kyle. I found it strange she cared so much for him and I saw how hurt and terrified she was. I now know she feels the same for Kyle like I do for Savannah. Take Kyle back to her and tell her I'm sorry for what I did". John nodded and with Kyle asleep in his arms, he walked out of the door and in to the room, where the remains of the nineteen T nine hundreds were scattered all over the floor. Catherine did not simply disable the machines, she had torn them to pieces. All of them had been torn in half at the torso and their arms and legs were scatted everywhere. All of their heads had been torn from their necks. Catherine after all was a T one thousand and one and vastly superior to the T nine hundreds, so the demise of these machines came as no surprise to him. Catherine took the lead again and led John back in to the main factory, where the automated machines continued putting T nine hundreds together. They continued in to the centre of the factory and found Bedell standing guard next a pile of nuclear power cells. Catherine knelt down and picked up on of the power cells. John took his place next to Bedell and watched as she worked.

"What are you doing?". Catherine ignored him and after turning the Power cell in her hand, she dropped it in to the pile below. "We have about five minutes before they explode. I suggest we leave immediately". Bedell looked down at the bomb he helped to create and looked back to Catherine in complete horror. "Is this place going to blow like a nuke?". Catherine, despite her depressed and dirty look, forced a sly smile on to her face. "In a manner of speaking, yes!. It is the only weapon strong enough to destroy this factory and all the machines within". John, wanting to get Kyle as far a way from the blast as possible, began to run for the factory doors with Bedell close behind. They reached the large doors within a few seconds and with a wave of Catherine's hand, the large doors began to open. "I've disabled the machines outside. RUN!".

Catherine shouted her last word and as John turned, he saw her arm turn in to a silver blade and she swung it and decapitated a T nine hundred. A large number of T nine hundred who had already been assembled had been activated and were moving to prevent their escape. "I'll hold them off, now go!". The doors had now opened far enough to allow them to run, and Bedell was pulling John out of the factory, "Come on Connor, we've got to go". The doors began to close again, quicker then they had opened and Catherine was quickly going to be trapped inside. "Get out here, you'll be trapped". Catherine destroyed two more machines in quick succession with her arms before turning for the final time to John. "Get your son out of here, and kill mine!". Catherine swung both her arms and tore another machine in half who was about to shoot John and it was the last he saw of her as the doors closed. With no other option with the nuclear power cells about to explode. John turned and ran with Bedell. Kyle had woken up in the commotion and was crying loudly, but John couldn't stop to comfort him. They ran past the inactive T six hundreds and T eight hundreds they had so carefully crept past earlier as fast as they could towards the tunnel in the distance where their squad was waiting for them. They ran and they ran as fast as they could, jumping over the trenches they had used to pass the machines.

They came within sight of the tunnel and saw three of their men crouched at the entrance of the tunnel. "GET BACK INSIDE, GET INSIDE!". They did as they were told and ran back inside just as John and Bedell reached them and entered the tunnel. The ground began to shake and the tunnel shook as the factory exploded. The tunnel began to collapse and John made sure to use himself to protect Kyle from the falling debris. The soldiers cried out in confusion and terror large chunks of debris fell on them from above. John fell as a large piece of derbies hit his back he used all his strength to not crush Kyle beneath him. The shaking eventually subsided as the explosion did the same and John then listened for any noise. He could hear numerous moans and groans and recognised one of them as Bedell. But Kyle wasn't making any noise and he wasn't moving under him for that matter. Panicking, John mustered all his strength and pushed himself upwards s and pushed most of the debris off him. He looked down at Kyle and saw his chocolate brown eyes gazing up at him. John had used himself to shield Kyle from the falling debris and he was completely unharmed, more confused and scared then anything else, but he was fine.

"Connor!, say something!". Bedell's voice rang through the half collapsed tunnel and he could see the shadows of at least ten others all around him. He looked down at Kyle and gave him a smile to assure him he was okay. "Over here, We're alright". Bedell made his way through the darkness and found him seconds later. He was covered in a lot of dust. "I thought we'd lost you for a minute". John shook his head and Bedell helped him to his feet. "You can't get rid of me that easily. I've got to get this little guy home to his family". It took some time to dig their way back through the tunnel back home, nut as they set off, John looked back to the collapsed tunnel that nearly killed him and back to the factory, to where Catherine Weaver had given her own existence to ensure he escaped and John, who hated her more then anything in the world for the past month, was sorry she was dead.

With his son in his arms and the means to defeat Skynet in his pocket, John, Bedell and the rest of the squad headed back the way they came. They were curious to know what had happened in the factory to make it explode the way it did, but both John and Bedell stayed silent on the matter and both remained focused to get back to their loved ones, Bedell to Lauren and John to Cameron. After a day's journey, they came across a resistance patrol who was moving to inspect the factory's ruins and upon realising who John was, they turned around and escorted him out of Skynet territory. Soon, John, Kyle and Bedell were in the back of the truck and were closing in on Serrano point. It was the middle of the night and John was thankful for it as he didn't want large crowds to be their to greet them. Instead, there were just the usually large number of soldiers on guard duty. The truck came to a halt and John jumped out the back and turned to take a sleeping Kyle from Bedell. When they saw Kyle, the soldiers on duty began to laugh and cheer. John usually didn't like soldiers cheering him when he succeeds at something but this time, he didn't care. He had his son back and Kyle was minutes away from being with Cameron again.

John marched straight inside to keep Kyle out of the cold and down the ramp, where he was greeted by Lauren. She beamed at him and after giving Kyle a glance, she patted John on the arm before running to embrace Bedell, who had followed. John turned straight for home and walked as quick as he could, nodding at passing soldiers who patted him on the back and cheered as he past. He eventually came to the corridor to home and was surprised to see it was still full of people, most of them sleeping. Kyle yawned as he woke and looked around at his surroundings, not knowing where he was now. John slowly made his way through the group and saw that a boy was watching him. The boy, little more then six years old, shook his sleeping mother awake and pointed at him, "Mommy, he's back". The mother gasped loudly as she saw him and woke the person next to her and it went on. John couldn't stop them as they woke the people next to them and quickly, they were all awake. Most of them just watched but others stood up and came to see Kyle.

John pushed his way forwards towards his home, sometimes forcibly pushing some of the people out of the way to get home. He finally got to the door and pushed it open after forcing himself past someone more then twice his body weight and kicked the door shut behind him. He looked first to the couch and saw Allison was asleep, wrapped tightly in her sleeping bag and with an extra blanket covering her. John was surprised that him kicking the door shut and the commotion outside the room hadn't woken her and was glad for it, because the person he really wanted to see was in the next room. John carried Kyle to his and Cameron's room. Pushing the door open, he saw Cameron was asleep on the bed. John walked over and saw Cameron skin was pale white and she had been crying before she fell asleep. In her hand was Kyle's favourite teddy bear, which she hadn't let go of since Kyle was taken from her. The moment Kyle saw his mother through the dark, he reached out to her with his arms. Being so small, he couldn't reach her and so he cried out to her.

Cameron's eyes shot open and she looked up from the bed and saw John with Kyle in his arms. "KYLE!". Cameron scrambled out of bed and reached out for him and Kyle was happy to be taken back in to his mothers arms. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she held her tightly in her arms determined to never let him go again. Allison was woken up by Kyle's laughing and ran in to the room, where she cried out with joy at seeing her brother again. John backed away to allow Cameron some space as she and Allison fussed over Kyle, who was more then happy with the attention. Cameron tore her tired eyes away from Kyle and looked to her husband. To John, the look of happiness and relief on her face as well as the deep undying love for him was all the reward he needed for bringing Kyle back to her.

The next morning, John stood In the centre of the command room, surrounded by his commanders and generals. On the wall screen, was the schematics to the Cheyenne Mountain complex. It was more of a fortress then anything else, built deep in to the mountain, making it impossible to assault it from the air. John had just informed all of them that this was Skynet's location, and this revelation had brought out mixed emotions from all present. They could see the end of the war was near, but they could also see that the task was near impossible. The complex was defended by more machines then John could count and it made the battles of Avila beach and Topanga canyon look like walks in the park. "Everyone here knows what I am telling you is true. If we take out that base, we destroy Skynet and the war is over. If we destroy Skynet, every machine across the planet will shut down.

They wont have a purpose any more". Their were nods of agreement and mummers of concern. Taking out the base was a huge gamble. Not only would hundreds of thousands of men be needed to assault the defence grid, their was a guarantee that thousands of solders would die in the battle. But to John, this was a small price to pay for finally destroying Skynet and ending the war it started. John looked to the door as he saw some movement out of the corner of his eye and Cameron entered the room, carrying a sleeping Kyle in her arms. Cameron's skin, which the previous night, had been pale white and cold, was now full of colour and warmth. There were cheers from everyone present as Cameron took her place next to John, grasping his hand with her free one. "This war is going to end soon, one way or another, this war will end!". Everyone cheered and with a wave of his hand, they all set to work. It would take time to assemble enough resources and troops but John could see the end before him and with Cameron back by his side, nothing was going to stop him.