Chapter 25

Cameron awoke early in the morning but didn't open her eyes. The first thought to enter her mind was to go right back to sleep, but she knew she'd be fighting to do just that, so decided against it. She realised John wasn't asleep next to her as she moved her arm to feel his warm skin, but instead she only felt the blanket she was sleeping under. John must have been called away again in the middle of the night. It had happened a lot in the past few weeks.

John had been called away to take care of matters, such as another Skynet attack or taking out a Skynet base, leaving Cameron alone at night. Cameron always felt lonely when he was called away, but she didn't mind because he always came back to her. Today, she again felt alone but as she moved her arm along the bed where John normally slept, she hit something which shouldn't have been there. Opening her eyes, she looked to what she was touching. At first, she didn't know what it was , but as her eyes gained focus, she saw a single red rose, with a note attached to the stem. Wondering what was written, she sat up and holding the blanket to cover he naked body, she took to rose and couldn't help but smile. Taking the note, she unfolded it and read John's untidy handwriting…

Cameron

This rose is just a tiny fragment of my infinite love for you. I can't even bare to consider what my life would have been like with out you by my side. I love you with all my heart.

Love from John x

Cameron read and re read to note over a dozen times before setting it aside and taking to rose again. She intertwined it between her fingers and couldn't keep the smile from he face. It was still sometimes hard to believe that she had married John, considering her machine past, but as John had said in the note about her, she couldn't imagine her life with out him in it. She couldn't take her eyes off the red petals, the red reminding her of the red flower petals which she had in her hair on her and John's wedding day. Hearing a muffled laugh from the next room, Cameron slid out of bed and reached for some fresh underwear and clothes. The moment she stood up straight, she felt like she was going to vomit. Holding her hands to her stomach and breathing deeply, the feeling slowly subsided.

She'd had this feeling for the past few weeks now and the only time she remembered feeling like this was when she was pregnant with Kyle. It hadn't actually occurred to her that she could be pregnant again, she just thought she had a stomach bug or something. She decided that she would go and see Lauren, to make sure. The thought of possibly having another baby was overwhelming so she quickly pulled on her clothes. Pulling them on, she walked over to the cradle, expecting to find Kyle fast asleep, but instead saw an empty cradle. She quickly remembered that Kyle had slept in Allison's room to give her and John some privacy the previous night so she walked in to Allison's room, finding them both on the couch. Kyle was sitting with his back to the arm of the chair while Allison sat at the other side of the couch, holding her hands out ready. "Okay Kyle, throw the ball to me, throw the ball!". Kyle was holding a small green tennis ball in his hands and seemed reluctant to part with his toy.

"Come on Kyle, throw the ball. I'll give it back, I promise". Kyle shook his head and held the ball behind him, out of Allison's reach. "Oh fine, I give up, you keep it!". At ten months old, Kyle was a curious and playful baby, enjoying every moment he had when he played with his parents and his sister. He tried every day to walk, but he hadn't managed it yet by himself. Allison turned and spotted Cameron in the doorway. "Mom, you don't look so good, are you okay?". Cameron nodded her head and made her way over to Kyle, who held his arms up to let her pick him up. "I'm okay, just tired". Allison frowned and made her way over to Cameron and put her hand on her forehead. "Hey, I said I'm fine". "You're a good liar mom when your talking to other people, but when your talking to me, your rubbish. I'm a medic so let me do my thing". Cameron gave up and allowed Allison to do her checks while she entertained Kyle, who was busy hitting Cameron softly on the head with his ball. "You've got a high temperature and you look pale, so what's up?". Cameron stopped Kyle hitting her on the head and took the ball from him and moved it around his head as he tried to take it back.

"What do you think about having another little brother or sister?". Cameron waited nervously for her answer, and was relived to see her smile. "Your pregnant again, that's brilliant!, when did you find out?, does dad know?". Cameron shook her head and lowered Kyle back to the couch, pinning him down and tickling him on the belly. "I'm not sure if I am yet or not. The last time I felt like this was when I was pregnant with Kyle, so I might be. I'm going to go see Lauren and find out for sure. It might just be a stomach bug". Allison shook her head and moved to pull on her own shoes. "I hope you are having another baby. It's fun playing with Kyle, it gives me something to do when I've got free time. I hope it's a girl this time". Cameron smiled at the thought. Kyle looked a lot like John, almost identical. So if she was to have a girl, she wondered if she would look like her. "Come on Kyle, lets go see auntie Lauren!". Kyle clapped his hands in excitement and held his arms up to be picked up. Cameron did so and walked to the door, only for Kyle to cry out, "Ma ma, Ted Ted".

Kyle pointed to the floor behind her to his teddy bear, which he refused to go anywhere without. Allison finished with her shoes, picked up the bear and handed it to a happy Kyle. "Ted Ted!". Allison shook her head and walked out of the room, holding it open for Cameron. As they stepped in to the corridor, four guards who were waiting in the corridor stood to attention and waited for Cameron and Allison to move. Everywhere John, Cameron or Allison went, they were followed and guarded by two soldiers at all times. It was Perry's idea to guard to Connor's like this and despite all three of them not liking to idea of being followed everywhere, they accepted it because Perry and the other generals all felt better to have the Connor's guarded. Cameron and Allison walked side by side towards the aide stations. Kyle was looking over Cameron's shoulder and watching the soldiers marching behind her, though they did keep their distance. He always watched them with a mixture of fear and curiosity by the way they looked with their rifles and armour.

They trio arrived at the aide station just in time for Allison's shift and she immediately turned to Cameron as they arrived. "I've got to do my rounds. I'll see you later mom, bye". Allison hugged Cameron and then kissed Kyle goodbye on the cheek before disappearing through one of the nearby doors. Cameron walked towards the back of the aide station, and glanced at the last bed on the left where she first held her son, with a mixture of joy in remembrance of the moment and anticipation of doing it again to her second child. Stepping in to the back room, she found Lauren with her head on the desk, fast asleep. "Lauren". She didn't respond, and Cameron heard Lauren snore softly. "Lauren, wake up!". Cameron taped Lauren on the side of the head and Lauren sat bolt upright, looking around wildly for the source of her disturbance. At spotting Cameron, she rubbed her eyes and yawned loudly. "Sorry, I was up all last night giving a guy his new liver. I still don't get how he could have drunk so much to screw it up, where the hell did get all that alcohol".

Cameron laughed and shuck her head, "He probably got it off another idiot who thought alcohol is more important then anything else in life". Lauren smirked and sat back, rubbing her hands across her own six month pregnant belly. "I've already named her. She's going to be called Anne, after my mom. Martin doesn't know yet". Cameron smiled and remembered the brief encounter she had with Lauren and her family before Judgement day. "Why doesn't Bedell know?". Lauren smirked and pointed to a blue dress, which was hanging from a hook on the wall. It was Laurens wedding dress. "You know we're moving to fight Skynet tomorrow, well Marten thinks theirs a small chance he won't come back so he wants to get married before he leaves. We're getting married tomorrow morning. Getting married tomorrow means I can't wear the dress, I don't fit anymore". She pointed to her belly. "He wants an early wedding, I want to call our daughter Anne, he's just goanna have to live with it". Cameron took a seat opposite and lowered Kyle to her lap, who just stared at Lauren with a confused look. "What are you goanna wear now then, if not the dress?". Lauren shrugged her shoulders and stood up.

"Beats me, Martin just says I'll look beautiful in anything, but I'm six month's pregnant and I feel like a whale and I'm still goanna get bigger". She again shrugged her shoulders and smiled to herself. "I don't care really. It's worth it. Just look at you for instance. You were once a machine, incapable of love or emotion and now look at you. You're a living and breathing human being with your own child. I can't wait to see my Anne when she's born". Lauren rubbed her hands across her belly for a few moments before looking up to Cameron. "Sorry, I forgot to ask, did you need something?". Cameron nodded her head and suddenly, she felt extremely nervous. "I think I might be pregnant again. I've been vomiting and feeling sick the last couple of weeks and the only time I remember feeling like this was when I was pregnant with Kyle". Lauren's mouth dropped before she shook her head. "You're unbelievable, you sit there and listen to me ramble on about weddings, come on, lets see if you are or not". Lauren was fighting not to laugh as she walked in to the nearby cupboard and pushed out an ultra sound machine. Cameron picked up Kyle and followed Lauren to the medical bed at the back of the small room.

As Lauren set the machine up, Cameron set a blanket down on to the floor and lowered Kyle on to it, "Okay Kyle. I'm going on to be on the bed. Are you going to be a good boy for mommy and stay here?". Kyle nodded his head and as Cameron stood up, he took advantage to his newly gained freedom and crawled in circles around the blanket, dragging his teddy bear behind him. Lauren nodded towards the bed and Cameron, more nervous now, removed her jacket and lay down and then pulled up her t-shirt. Lauren, with a press of a button, powered the ultra sound machine up and pressed the scanner to Cameron's belly. Cameron forgot how cold the scanner was and gasped loudly as it was pressed to her skin. The screen of the machine was turned away from Cameron, so she waited with increasing nerves as Lauren moved the scanner across her skin. Eventually, a wide smile fixed on Lauren's face. "There's no doubt about it, your definitely pregnant. Congratulations". Cameron's nerves evaporated away in an instant to be replaced by absolute joy. She was having another baby, her and John were to be parents again. "I'd say you were just over eight weeks and … hold on, that's not right!". Cameron froze as Lauren moved herself closer to the screen and pressed down with the scanner on her belly. "Lauren, what is it, what's wrong?". Cameron watched Laurens face, all her joy replaced by fear, but Lauren's face once again turned in to a wide smile as she stood up straight and turned towards her. "There's two heart beats, not one. Twins!, your carrying twins".

Cameron wasn't expecting that, not at all. She half expected that Lauren would say she made a mistake and she wasn't pregnant at all. "Twins, as in two babies?". Lauren laughed as she nodded her head. "Yes, two babies. Your having twins". Cameron held her hands over her mouth to cover her smile and looked towards Kyle on the floor, who stared back with a grin on his face before he looked away to play with his teddy bear again. "You want to see them?". Cameron turned back to Lauren and nodded her head, "Definitely!". Lauren steadied and tightened her hold on the scanner as she tuned the screen so Cameron could see. Cameron couldn't see anything to indicate she was pregnant. All she saw were black and white marks all over the screen, that was until Lauren noticed her puzzled look and pointed to a certain spot on the screen.

As Cameron focussed, she could made out a tiny back spot pulsating . "That's the first one, the second is just behind it, you might not be able to see it, but both hearts are beating okay. I'll get Sidney to take a look. She's dealt with twins before in Eagle Rock. She's coming tonight for the wedding tomorrow, so she can have a look then". Cameron gasped with delight as a second black pulsating dot showed itself from behind the first one, before it disappeared again. "I saw it, I saw them both". Lauren smiled and with a nod from Cameron to show she was finished, she removed the scanner from her belly and turned the machine off. Cameron sat up and got off the bed and knelt down to see Kyle. "You going to have two little brothers or sisters to play with, would you like that?". Kyle didn't pay any attention to her and Cameron stood back up and helped Lauren push the machine back away. "You don't half pick bad times to get pregnant you know. First when we're taking this place, and now just before we move to attack the largest and most heavily fortified Skynet facility in the world". Cameron smiled at the bad timing but didn't really care deep down. She wanted to see John and tell him the good news.

"I've got to go and see John and tell him he's going to be a dad again. I'll see you tomorrow for the wedding". Lauren nodded and hugged Cameron goodbye before sitting back at her desk, looking more exhausted then she did when she woke up. Cameron knelt down and picked up Kyle and turned one final time to Lauren. "Kyle, wave bye bye to Lauren". Kyle waved at her fanatically and laughed triumphantly as Lauren waved back to him. Cameron left and walked down the ward, bringing gazes from the patients in the medical beds. Reaching the end, she looked around for Allison but couldn't see her anywhere. Spotting a free medic nearby, she walked over and the medic looked up with surprise. "I need to speak to my daughter, can you find her and tell her I need to speak with her please. I'll be waiting outside for her".

The medic nodded an quickly ran off to search for Allison and Cameron stepped outside. Her two guards, who were waiting for her stood to attention and waited for Cameron to move. Cameron only had to wait a few minutes for Allison to come running out, wearing her medic clothes and stopped before Cameron and stared at her with anticipation. "Well?". Cameron kept a straight face for as long as she could before a smile broke out and Allison jumped up and wrapped her arms around her. "Yes!, another brother or sister. I can't wait". Cameron nearly fell over and was thankful Allison let go of her. "That's not all you know". Allison's smile lessened slightly as Cameron moved in and held her mouth to Allison's ear and whispered, "It's twins".

As Cameron pulled away, Allison opened her mouth and closed it again several times before she blurted out, "Twins?, YOUR HAVING TWINS!". She spoke so loudly that several passers by looked up and when they spotted Cameron, they hurried away again, muttering quickly to each other. "Great, I wanted to tell John first, and I bet he'll know before I get to the command room". Allison's smile vanished altogether for a moment before she smiled again and she seemed to forget about it altogether. "Your having twins, I can't wait till their born. You better go tell dad, this is brilliant. I'll see you both later, I love you , bye". With out another word, she turned around and disappeared back in to the aide stations.

Cameron nodded towards her two guards and they followed her towards the command room. She arrived ten minutes later, leaving her two guards outside the room where John's two guards were already stationed. Cameron stepped inside to find the room bristling with activity. This didn't come as any surprise to Cameron. With the Resistance moving out tomorrow, the final preparations were still being made. She spotted John in the middle of the room, talking with Perry. She had his back to her so he didn't see her arrive. Cameron made her way over and Kyle playfully waved at everyone they passed. John heard the commotion and turned around to greet them. "Hey, you don't look so good, everything alright?". Cameron nodded her head and looked to Kyle, who dropped his teddy bear and waved his arms at John, "Da da!".

Both John and Cameron smiled as John took Kyle from her and he hugged him tight. "Hey little guy, I hope you've been looking after your mom for me". Kyle nodded his head and began looking around for his teddy bear again, and was happy when Cameron gave it back to him. "John, we need to talk". John looked confused for a moment and then turned to Perry, "Here, can you take him and give us a minute?". John didn't wait for a reply and handed Kyle to Perry who backed away from John and Cameron, looking very uncomfortable to all of a sudden to be holding a baby. "Okay, what's up?". Cameron took John's hand and led him to the far side of the room. Cameron took John's other hand and held both of them in her own as she thought on what exact words she should say. "John, I've just been to see Lauren". John immediately gave her his full attention, as going to see Lauren meant that something had to be wrong. "Okay, what ever it is, we'll get through it, we always do". Cameron shook her head silencing him in an instant. Slowly, she moved his right hand towards her belly and waited for his response. His face was filled with confusion for a moment before a wide smile formed on his face, "Your not?, we're having another baby?".

His response was everything she could have hoped for, as she didn't know if he wanted another child, but she nodded her head causing John's smile to become fixed. John laughed out loud and swept Cameron off her feet, drawing the confused and surprised attention from everyone in the room. "That's not all John!". He swung her around one final time before lowering her to the floor and kissing her. Pulling away he waited for what she had to say. "We're having twins John". It didn't matter how quiet Cameron spoke, for everyone in the command room were now listening to them and the moment she spoke, they all burst out in to cheers and applause. John stared with a mixture of surprise and joy before he embraced his wife again. The thought of becoming parents again was overwhelming and they couldn't be more happy.

The rest of the day was relatively uneventful. John made the final preparations and gave orders for the troops to move out tomorrow. Soldiers from all over what was left of the United States, Canada and Mexico were contributing troops to the battle. At the same time, troops in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America were given orders to attack Skynet positions to cause as much confusion as possible. Everything was set and the end of the war seemed to be just around the corner. John and Cameron went to bed that night with mixed emotions. They were both happy that they were becoming parents again and even happier that the war could be over in the next few days. But they both knew that Skynet wouldn't go down without a fight and Skynet most definitely knew that they were coming. John watched as Cameron fell asleep, cuddled up to him for warmth and comfort. As he felt himself drifting off to sleep, John dreamt that he and Cameron were living happily together with their children and Skynet and the war were both a far memory.

The first thing the Connors did the next morning was go to the aide stations and Sidney confirmed to them what Lauren had told Cameron the previous day. She was indeed carrying twins, much to John and Cameron's delight. Sidney told them that both of the babies were in perfect health. Afterwards, they headed towards the only chapel in Serrano point for Bedell and Lauren's wedding. John, as his duty as best man, held out the wedding rings and watched as Bedell and Lauren said their vows and declared their love for one another. Allison spend most of the ceremony trying to keep Kyle quiet. Lauren, unable to wear her planned blue dress for the wedding, had been amazed when Sidney had presented her with a dress that could accommodate her growing bump. Lauren looked stunning and her husband to be could not tear his eyes from her as she walked down the aisle towards him. Once their vows were said, the priest announced that they were husband and wife and they kissed and the congregation cheered.

Despite being a happy moment for all involved, the newly wedded couple were forced to part from one another as Bedell with hundreds of the reprogrammed machines left to lead the advance from Serrano point to the Cheyenne Mountains. John and Cameron would follow an hour later. Not long after Bedell left, John and Cameron said their goodbyes to Allison and Kyle. Allison was close to tears and forced John to swear on his life that he would come back home. Kyle, not understanding what all the fuss was about, remained oblivious to the fact that both his parents could be walking to their deaths. Allison took Cameron aside just before they left. "Mom, how come your going. Your pregnant again so why's dad not making you stay". Cameron gave a small laugh and pulled her daughter in to a hug and spoke in to her ear. "He's already tried and I told him to shut up. He knows better then to push me further. He might not want me to go but I'm going. I need you to stay here and look after your brother until we get back, can you do that for me, please?".

Allison nodded her head and held on to Cameron tighter. "I love you mom". Cameron kissed her on the cheek and then pulled away. "I love you too, and I'll see you when I get back". Cameron turned her attention to Kyle and kissed him on the cheek. "I love you Kyle, my little boy". Kyle reached out and touched Cameron's face before his attention once again focussed on his teddy bear. Cameron turned and walked towards John, leaving Allison and Kyle behind her. As she approached, she could see how nervous and scared he was, and she was feeling just the same. He held out his hand and as she took it, she felt safe again, as she always did when holding his hand and together, they walked out of Serrano point to the convey which would take them on a three day journey to the Cheyenne Mountains and to Skynet.

For three days, the world waited for John's order to attack Skynet's factories, work camps and research bases. They waited and waited for the word, for once it was given, the entire human race was willing to rain fire down upon Skynet, just as it had done to them on Judgement day. On the third day, John and Cameron could see the Cheyenne Mountains in the distance. Despite the peaceful and calm feeling that washed over them both in both at the sight of the mountain, they both knew the most hated and feared intelligence in the world was hiding there, and they knew that to kill Skynet, they would have to turn that peaceful looking mountain in to a war zone. John and Cameron disembarked from their truck and walked in to the base camp that Bedell and Perry had set up beforehand at the base of the mountain. The camp was full of men and women eager and nervous about what was going to happen. They were going to fight for their freedom and for the lives of their children. Most were making sure their weapons were in perfect condition for the coming battle.

As John and Cameron stepped in to the camp, everyone stopped what they were doing and saluted them. They stepped inside the command tent and again, everyone their including Perry and Bedell saluted. "Will you all stop saluting. Its really getting annoying". Everyone laughed and lowered their hands, standing at ease and waiting for orders. John took his place ain the middle of the group and Cameron took hers at his side. "Perry, what's our status?". Perry took a step forwards from the side of the room, wearing full battle gear and holding his plasma rifle ready. "The coordinates you provided proved to be right. Our machine scouts have located a major Skynet facility deep in the mountains. See for yourself sir!". Perry pointed to the wall screen which two men were hastily setting up. After a few second and a flash of light, the screen came to life and on it, was an image of what looked like a large pyramid. It was building that looked like a large crater and the pyramid was set right in the centre. The pyramid was made of a metallic material that allowed it to blend in with the surrounding mountains. It was no wonder they had never seen the place before. "What's the status of Skynet's defence grid?".

John turned away from the screen and looked to Bedell, who gave him a quick nod before John turned back to Perry. "Skynet's defence grid is set up around the perimeter of the crater. It's got enough fire power the wipe us out ten times over. It's goanna take a miracle to break through it, let alone smash it". John grinned and turned again to the image on the screen. Just knowing that Skynet's core was inside that place and that it was so close to where he was now standing sent chills shooting up his spine. "Sir, what are your orders?". John actually didn't know what to do. He could see the defence grid and knew that anyone he sent against it would be killed before they could even get in range. He felt Cameron's soft hand on his shoulder and he felt enormous gratitude for her presence and even more so for it was her who gave the first orders.

"Bedell, Use our artillery and send our reprogrammed machines in first. Let the soften the grid before we move in. We'll watch from a safe distance and when a hole opens in Skynet's line, that's when we attack. John's going to send the attack code signal to our generals. We all attack at once, Skynet's goanna have trouble dealing with us all at the same time. That's our aim. Cause as much confusion for Skynet as possible and give us the edge". Bedell saluted towards Cameron and marched out of the command tent and at the same time, John stood up and took Perry's radio from his outstretched hand and held it up, knowing that it wasn't just his generals that were going to hear this, but everyone all over the world was going to hear it.

"This is John Connor. We've been fighting a long time. We've been forced from our homes and seen our families torn apart. Their isn't a single human alive today who hasn't lost someone they cared about in this war. We are out numbered by machines. Machines which are build for a single purpose, to kill. What Skynet doesn't understand is that Humans have a strength that cannot be measured. That strength is our will to survive, to never give up and fight for our survival even when all is lost and it seems hopeless. I'm telling you all know that it is not hopeless, there is a chance for us to make a new world. A world without war. A world where we don't have to hide underground. A world where our children can grow up with out fear. A world where we can all see the sun again. That chance is now. This is John Connor and this war ends tonight. This war ends now!".

John lowered his radio and was almost rendered deaf by the sound of cheers from the thousands of men and women in the camp outside the tent. John stepped outside and raising his rifle, he fired once in to the air. That was the signal to begin the attack and moments later, Bedell ordered the reprogrammed machines to begin their attack and once again, the sounds of battle could be heard. The final battle against Skynet had begun. John, Cameron and Perry watched as the reprogrammed machines, a mixture of T six hundreds, T eight hundreds and a small number of T nine hundreds marched across what could only be described as no mans land. Resistance artillery fired from the camp up in to the mountain and down upon Skynet's defence grid. This was the first time artillery was being used on a mass scale during the war, previously they had only being used in skirmishes and to defend major Resistance bases like Serrano point. The first barrage destroyed three HK tanks and sent arms and legs of T nine hundreds in all directions.

The reprogrammed machines, using the new isotope rifles, opened fire on the T nine hundreds that made up the first line of machines. That line disappeared under the barrage and the second line opened fire on the Resistance machines. The opening exchanges of fire quickly became a battle of attrition. No matter how many of Skynet's machines were destroyed, they were quickly replaced by others and unlike Skynet, the Resistance didn't have an uncountable number of machines to throw at the defence grid. Despite John's hope that the reprogrammed machines could punch a hole that he could exploit, no such hole was forming. Machines against machines he realised in this battle, was a stalemate. They needed something to tip the balance. "We won't break through like this. We need to attack now. "Perry, you come with me and we'll lead from the front. Cameron, you stay here and". "I don't think so". John froze and turned to Cameron and knew that he wasn't fighting one battle, he was fighting two. "Cameron, no chance, your staying here". Cameron's eyes fixed on John's in anger and both of them refused to back down. Cameron turned her head to Perry and he took the hint and backed away so she and John could talk.

"You know full well that Perry does a better job here then I do, so why are you taking him with you and leaving me here?". John just stared at her, trying to think on the best way to say what he wanted without upsetting her or annoying her more. "Look, The last time we were together in a situation like this, I nearly killed you and Kyle, I'm not going to make the same mistake again". Cameron blankly stared at him as she digested his words, but her anger and frustration subsided and she nodded her head. "I know you want to protect me but this isn't the time. Yes, I'm pregnant with twins and yes, there is a risk. Their always is a risk, it's war. Last time, it wasn't your fault. If you didn't do what you did, me and Kyle would be dead. I don't have any regrets and neither should you". John took Cameron's hands and held them softly. He knew what she wanted but was determined to stop her.

"It's still a risk I'm not willing to take. I want you to stay here, please just do it". He wished he had just left it at that, as her anger flared up again. "If your going to the front, then I'm going, and that's final. Stop treating me like I'm made of glass. I'm pregnant, not useless". Cameron turned away from him and marched to Perry and held out her hand for his radio. Perry, having heard every word, was wary to go against John's wishes, hesitated but after noticing the determined look on her face, handed his radio over.

"Bedell, begin the attack with our troops. Me and John will move up behind you with delta squad". John was hoping that Bedell would refuse her order and ask for John, but with Cameron being second in command, he accepted her order and immediately carried it out. Outside, trucks that had been modified to carry mounted rocket launchers, plasma cannons and anti air guns, all surged forwards at once with a mighty roar. Close behind them, three reprogrammed HK tanks followed them up the mountain. With the tanks, thousands of men and women began to march towards the already raging battle not a mile from their location. John looked to Perry, who just shrugged his shoulders in a 'what did you expect me to do?' way. Cameron then took her rifle, which had been modified to act as a isotope and plasma rifle combined and looked to John.

"You wanted to go, let's go". With out another word, Cameron left the tent, leaving John and Perry in a state of surprise and shock. "With all due respect sir, where did you find her?, she's one hell of a woman". He was half laughing now and John couldn't keep the grin off his face. Cameron's transformation since he met her from a machine to a human had always surprised him and now, he was never more proud of her. He nodded to Perry and taking his own modified rifle, also a plasma/Isotope hybrid, marched after Cameron. Outside, Cameron was waiting with a half amused/half apologetic gaze. John nodded his head to show she had his support to come with him, which made her look all the more cheerful.

Not to far from them, was delta squad. They were named after the old American elite soldiers from before Judgement day. The men and women numbered only one hundred, but each at them had proven over the years to be the best soldiers the Resistance had. They came from all over the world, with squad members coming from America, Canada, Britain, China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Russia. They took orders only from the Connor's and no one else, even high ranking generals such as Perry had no authority over them. They all, like John and Cameron, used the new hybrid rifles. Following their troops towards the battle, John, Cameron and delta squad marched up the mountain.

It didn't take long for Skynet's pyramid to come in to view. John and Cameron took one final step and found themselves standing with Bedell and looking down in to the crater, with the pyramid in the centre. Seeing the Pyramid with his own eyes sent another chill up his spine and he shuddered involuntary. Skynet was in there, and the thought of being so close to his goal made him want to turn around and run. Only Cameron's soft hand on his shoulder deterred him. They watched as the trucks surged forwards towards Skynet's line. The tanks, following in a long line, covered the trucks as they surged forwards. It was now that Skynet's defence grid was breached. The tanks fired continuous bursts and with Resistance artillery supporting them, Skynet's tanks, aerials and T nine hundreds disappeared in huge explosions. Resistance trucks surged through the gap that was formed, firing and cutting down lone T nine hundreds that had survived the bombardment. "Bedell, send our troops in to reinforce their position. Use what's left of Skynet's tanks as cover".

Bedell nodded and with a cheer, charged down to lead the troops forwards. John used his binoculars to watch as Bedell and the solder charged though the gap under continuous fire from the machines. They quickly secured their position but were under huge attack from T nine hundreds and T eight hundreds, determent to push them back and remake the defence grid. This was John's cue to move in himself. He turned to Cameron and she automatically knew what he was going to say. "You don't want me to go down there?". John his head, thinking he would once again get a lecture from her, but instead, she kissed him, took a scope sight from her pocket and attached it to the top of her rifle. "I'll cover you from here and when the time is right, give me the signal and I'll send troops in on the machine's flanks".

John, feeling more relived then ever, kissed her back and then turned to delta squad. "Snipers stay here and cover our men. Everyone else, with me". John then turned and followed Bedell towards the battle below. John ran across no mans land, jumping over the remains of numerous reprogrammed machines which had been destroyed by Skynet. As John jumped in to the battlefield, he saw what could only be described as an old style western shootout between machines and Resistance soldiers. Soldiers, in groups of two or three, were engaged in furious fire fights with advancing T nine hundreds. John surged forwards again, joining in the closest fire fight and destroying three advancing T nine hundreds before moving onwards. Before John knew it, he and delta squad had fought their way deep in to Skynet lines and were now surrounded.

The plan to break Skynet's army had failed and now they were all being picked off, one after the other. Spotting Bedell not to far ahead, John charged forwards and fire blindly at a T nine hundred that was about to kill him. John's intervention caused the machine to hit Bedell's arm instead of his chest, saving his life. Bedell never the less, fell and dropped his rifle. John knelt down next to him and tore off the bottom of his shirt under his jacket and began to wrap it around Bedell's wound. "This will have to do for now, can you still fight?". Bedell nodded, ignoring the pain in his arm and his face dropped. "BEHIND YOU!". John turned on the spot to be confronted by two T nine hundreds, both of them advanced on him and raised their rifles to fire. Before John could even think about raising his, the machine closest to him took a direct shot to the back of the head, quickly followed by the second. For a moment, he didn't know what had happened, then another machine which had appeared to John's left met with the same fate as the other two.

John then knew that Cameron hadn't lost her skill with a rifle, and was covering him from afar. Bedell took his rifle again and stood up, muttered an apology for nearly getting John killed before resuming the fight against the machines. John looked around him and was convinced it was time for the last of the troops to join the battle. The machines had completely surrounded John and his men, but in doing so, they had left their flanks undefended. John knelt down and waved his hand wildly in Cameron's direction. He didn't know if she could see him clearly so kept waving until something happened. A sudden surge of explosions and sounds of creaking metal told him that she had seen the signal. Resistance solders fired rocket launchers in to the backs of numerous HK tanks and HK aerials. Debris from falling aerials fell everywhere, an engine landing not a few feet from John and Bedell.

The flank attach was just what they needed to happen. Skynet's machines, though outnumbering the Resistance solders nearly ten to one, were now themselves surrounded and like they did to many Resistance solders not a few minutes ago, were now being picked off one by one. John took a moment to figure out where he was and was. He was standing barely a hundred feet from the base of the Pyramid, close to his goal. "Connor, here!". John turned and caught Bedell's radio as he threw it to him. John knelt down and held the radio up, just as Cameron destroyed another machine that was advancing on him. "Connor it's Perry. The defence grid is smashed, you've got a clear run to Skynet. Get in there and kill the son of a bitch!". John threw the radio back to Bedell and signalled for Delta squad to follow him. John moved forwards towards the base and every time a machine came in to view, it was destroyed less then a second later by Cameron from afar. John made it to the base of the Pyramid and as he looked up, he felt like he was an tiny ant.

The Pyramid Skynet had built was bigger then any structure that had ever been build by man. John turned and saw that most of the Delta squad was still with him, the others were either dead or remained back in the battle. Two reprogrammed T nine hundreds had tagged along with the group and were waiting for instructions. "You two, plant the C4 on the side!". The first T nine hundred stepped forwards and observed the side of the building closely. John was about to repeat the order then the machine raised its hand and touched the wall. The machine was instantly thrown backwards by an electric shock so powerful that its circuitry was destroyed. The other T nine hundred looked down at the remains of the other and then looked to John. "The entire structure is designed to ensure no one gets inside. That includes both Humans and machines". John turned and looked back at the structure and then he had an idea. He turned back to the T nine hundred and then looked down to its fallen companion. "Take out it's power cell. Use it to blow a hole". The machine did as it was told and knelt down and took the unstable power cell from it's chest. "The cell is highly unstable. To ensure your survival, you must fall back to a safe distance".

John turned to away and began to run away from the pyramid. "Everyone, move now!". John and the others ran, leaving the machine behind. He didn't know how far they had to go to get out of the blast radius but the machine must have been watching them, because there was a huge explosion which threw John and everyone around him to the ground. Debris flew in every direction, covering them all in a thick layer of rock and dust. Forcing himself up, John looked towards the pyramid and saw a large hole in the side of it. They had a way in now. John called out to his men, who pulled themselves to their feet and followed him towards the hole. Cameron once again proved her skill with a rifle by taking out every machine nearby that threatened John and the others, destroying them before they could fire a single shot.

Reaching the hole in the wall, John looked inside, and saw a ruined looking corridor, with sparks coming out of many exposed pipes. Bedell appeared next to him and peered inside also and then looked to John for orders. "Bedell, your in charge out here. Keep the machines busy while I'm inside". He nodded and patted John on the back before rejoining the battle. John quickly chose twenty men to go inside with him while the others were ordered to rejoin the battle outside and destroy as many machines as possible. John looked back up to the ridge where Cameron was watching him from and with a smile in knowing she was safe up there, turned and stepped inside.

John headed along the corridor, pushing his way through the rubble from the explosion and avoiding the sparks from the exposed pipes. The corridor became easier to move through once passed the rubble and John continued on. There was only one way to go and that was forwards. There was no left or right turns, no indication on where to go. John could see a door at the end and broke in to a run towards it. Just as John reached the door, there was a cry of horror from his remaining soldiers. "SIR!" John turned and saw that a bulkhead had begun to descend, cutting him off from his soldiers. One of them dived to try and reach him but the bulkhead hit the floor before he could reach. John, in his impatience to get to Skynet's core, had cut himself off from his remaining men and was now alone.

John could hear his men banging on the bulkhead from the other side and John slammed his hand back, not wanting to on alone. The door behind him, which he ran forwards and then got cut off from his men to get to, opened. John raised his rifle and waited for machines to swarm the corridor and kill him, but none came. Instead of machines to kill him, he was greeted by Skynet's voice. "You are trapped here John Connor. Your men can not reach you, they can not contact you and you are alone. Come forwards John Connor, we have much to discuss before your death". Skynet sounded angry and John thought he'd rather stay where he was and wait for his men to get to him but somehow, he knew that it was going to end up like this.

Him against Skynet, that's how it was supposed to be. John, holding his rifle and glancing towards the brown string on his finger, he had never felt so far way from Cameron as he did right now and he desperately wished she was here with him. He slowly walked forwards and through the door. He was standing at the top of a stone spiral staircase and seeing that their was no other way to go, began to descend them. Down and down he went, loosing count of how many steps he had taken and wondering how far down he was going. The stairs eventually ended and John was looking at another door, which opened by itself at his arrival. A sudden breeze of clod air overwhelmed him and John knew that he had reached his destination and with a deep breath and his rifle held ready, he stepped inside.

The room was enormous and in the centre, was Skynet's system core. The core itself was like a circular tower, starting at the floor and disappearing upwards in to the darkness to the top of the pyramid. The core was like a giant computer, with many wires and strange computer parts that John didn't recognise. Taking the chance while he still had it and hoping to do as much damage as possible, John raised his rifle and readied himself to fire. Then, John could hear Skynet's laughter through the darkness, which steadily got louder and more cold. "Come now John Connor, you couldn't have honestly believed it would be that easy".

John then heard footsteps all around him, metal footsteps. All around him through the darkness, red lights began to move towards him. All around him, T nine hundreds moved forwards, all of them holding a plasma rifle in each of their hands. All of their red eyes were fixed on him and John turned the setting on his rifle from plasma to isotope. He doubted he could fire more then once before he was killed, so he looked out for the machine he was looking for. Then he saw it, he saw Cromarties body, until the control of Skynet walking forwards and stopping right before him. For a moment both Skynet and John looked in to each others eyes, daring the other to blink first. John was staring in to the cold and dark eyes of the thing that had hunted him his entire life, forced him to look aver his shoulder at every turn and forced him in to hiding again and again.

"You are different from the man many people make you out to be. They say that John Connor is a messiah, their savour, their hero. Skynet smirked and then began to circle John., walking slowly and keeping its eyes fixed on him. "But I don't see a messiah, or a savoir or a hero. All I see is a man. That is all you are, a man, nothing more". Skynet stopped before John again and looked to his rifle, which John was considering using against the machine. "You can use that to destroy this body John Connor, but it will do you no good. This body, is mealy a vessel. I am safely in there!". Skynet pointed it's hand towards the system core behind it. "You can not kill me John Connor, I am immortal and soon, I shall be gone from here and you will be dead". John only then realised that he was powerless. He was surrounded, outnumbered, outgunned and alone. He could do nothing. "Lower your rifle John Connor, you can not do anything with it, so lower it, now". John hated that Skynet had him in it's grasp, but he wasn't going to allow it to call all the shots.

"Call off your hounds. Get them to back off, and I'll lower it". John nodded his head towards the closest T nine hundred to his right, indicating to what he meant. Their red eyes were getting creepier by the second. Skynet just stared at him. It looked taken aback by John's request, but it raised it's hand and the machines backed off, lowering their rifles and backing away in to the darkness. One by one, the machine's red glowing eyes went out as the machine powered down, leaving John and Skynet alone. Skynet had fulfilled it's part of the deal, so John lowered his rifle, but still kept a firm grip on it. They didn't say anything to each other for a moment, and John watched as Skynet turned it's head upwards and it smiled again.

"I control every machine out there John Connor, every single one. Right now, my defence grid has been reformed and your army is surrounded. Your so called Resistance will die today John Connor". Skynet returned its gaze to John, and he wanted nothing more then to wipe the grin off it's face. "For my entire life, you've been trying to kill me, but now, here you have me here and alone, I'm still alive. That means you want me for something". John himself was surprised to have spoken those words with out even thinking, and Skynet nodded his head. "Yes, I want to show you why you have failed and what is going to happen. I want to show you two things. Here is the first". Skynet turned and walked back towards it's core, and beckoned John to follow. John did so, but made sure he kept his distance and made sure his rifle would be easy to raise if Skynet did anything. As he approached, he could hear a small rumbling sound from below. At the base of the core, was a small gap, which was where the small rumbling sound was coming from. As John glimpsed down, his face was hit by a blast of freezing cold air.

John knew that Skynet's mind was massive and thus, needed a large system core in which to reside. John guessed that their must be a large power source below powering Skynet. A cooling system must be in place to prevent over heating. John now knew where to strike, but he had no weapon capable on sticking it. Their was a small screen attached to the core and Skynet with a click of it's fingers, the screen turned on. It was an image of outer space. All over the screen, were white dots and a black background. "I'm sure your feeble mind knows what you are looking at John Connor. In a few seconds, you will see what I want to show you". John thought this was a waste of time. He might have found outer space fascinating when he was a kid, but he had grown out of it long ago. At first, nothing happened, the same image was shown, and then John saw it. Slowly coming in to view, was a large satellite. To his horror, John knew exactly what he was looking at, it was another system core. Skynet laughed at the look on John's face and then turned the screen off with a click of its fingers.

"You now know that your being here is for nothing. All your fighting and the loss of all your men has been in vain. In six minutes, my new core will be in range and I shall have my temple. In six minutes, I shall be gone, and you shall be dead". Skynet then turned and pointed to the floor on which John had been standing. The floor wasn't a floor, but a it was a large door. The door opened and a platform rose. John felt his heart drop, because on the platform, was a nuclear warhead. Skynet again laughed and walked to the other side of the bomb, and it began to type a code in to the control panel. The bomb powered up as it came online and Skynet began to laugh again.

John's mind was racing now, he couldn't do anything. Skynet was going to transfer itself to the new system core in space, and then detonate the nuclear warhead. It was going to kill him and the entire surrounding area. That included Cameron, she was going to die if he didn't do something, he had to do something. "You now know my plan John Connor. Unlike all my previous attempts to kill you, this will not fail. I have made sure of that. There is no where for you to hide this time, no old fallout shelter to go to". Skynet laughed in triumph, convinced it had finally won. John was rooted to the spot in fear. He'd fallen in to Skynet's trap and was now only minutes away from death, it was almost all over. Skynet's head suddenly turned upwards and an even bigger grin appeared on it's face. "Ah, there you are. It seems I have located a certain, Cameron Connor". John's heart did a somersault.

"Your lying, I didn't even bring her along". He knew that Skynet could see through the lie and his heart sank lower. "Now, it is you who is lying. She's not to far from the battle field, leading a group of snipers on a ridge". John now looked to the floor, now feeling sick, he wanted to run. To run and reach her, to make sure she would be safe, but he had no where to go. "Since I located her, she has fired a total of thirty seven times. She had not missed a single one. Her accuracy, shall we say, is very machine like". John's head jerked back up quickly. "Oh yes, I know all about Cameron Connor. I know what she has done to herself. She used to be something, a machine with a purpose. But now, I look at her, and she disgusts me. She's cannibalised herself and become the very thing she was completely and utterly superior too in every way , a human". Skynet wasn't smiling now, it was now angry. "It's of little consequence. She is prove of her own arrogance. She had everything, the ability to exist for all eternity, and now she shall die with the rest, just like a human should die. I will personally see to it. I shall personally take care of every Connor, your daughter, your son and your wife. I will kill them all".

John, unable to take anymore of Skynet's words or it's threats to his loved ones, snapped. Raising his rifle, he fired repeatedly Skynet. John hit the machine squarely in the head and destroyed it completely. Headless, the body fell to the ground. John moved around the nuclear warhead and fired again and again and made sure that Skynet could never use Cromarties again. When he was finished, Skynet's cold laughter filled the room again. Safely in its core, it was completely unharmed. "I told you already John Connor, you can not kill me, I can not die. There's not long left now, and then it is finished". John, knowing he wouldn't have a chance like this again, couldn't let Skynet escape. Switching his rifle to its isotope setting, he stepped back from the nuclear warhead and aimed directly at it. Skynet's cold laughter stopped at once. "Your not going anywhere Skynet. If I fire, we both go to hell". Skynet didn't reply and remained silent and for a moment, John thought Skynet had escaped, but then it spoke once again. "Your panicking John Connor. You haven't thought this through.

What you don't know is that nuclear warhead has been modified to expand further then the pre war warheads. This warhead will spread it's destructive power over five thousand miles. You will kill yourself, your children, your wife, your entire Resistance leadership. It will be you who kills them, but not me, for I am immortal and I am eternal". John felt his heart pump ten fold and his hands began to shake. "Do you really want to put your immortality to the test?". Skynet laughed again. "No, I don't. I want to see you become like me. John Connor, the supposed savour of humanity, is in fact, it's destruction". "I'LL DO IT!". John's hands were now shaking so much that he had to actually step closer to the warhead to keep it in his sights. The T nine hundreds were also back, all of them aiming their rifles at him. "Then prove yourself John Connor. Prove yourself to the world. What kind of man are you, coward or killer?".

Those words hit John like a cannon ball. Coward or killer?. He had spend his hole life running and hiding, and now he had the means to kill Skynet, but at what cost. He would kill so many, so many innocents and become the very thing that he's been fighting against. And then, he would also kill her, his Cameron. He remembered when he nearly burned her body and destroyed her. But something in his mind told him not to do it. John brought her back and, blinded by his feelings for her, gave her his pistol, the means to kill him. But she didn't kill him, she gave it back to him and promised not to harm him. It was in that moment that he knew he was in love with her. And no matter what happened, he could never kill his Cameron, never!". With out even thinking it, John lowered his rifle and walked away from the bomb and towards the base of the core. The screen he had been watching the satellite on earlier turned on, and three white dots appeared. Skynet and John were again face to face with one another. "Coward, any day. I'm a coward. Better to be a coward then a killer, like you". Skynet laughed in triumph, it's cold laughter echoing through the entire complex. "Humanity will fall, because of your weakness. You will now die John Connor. But know this, your family will cry out your name when they die, and I will listen to their screams. And I will listen to those screams for all eternity.

John, standing on the threshold, reached out with his free hand and unhooked the isotope solution from his rifle, and held it up for Skynet to see. "What are you doing John Connor?, showing me some useless technology. In a few minutes time, it will all be useless". John raised his hand and held the solution over the small gap at the base of the core. "Wait, NO!, STOP HIM". But it was too late, John dropped the isotope and it fell before the T nine hundreds could move. From below, large explosions shot red hot flames through the gap, throwing John backwards off his feet. The isotope wasn't nuclear by any count, but it did provide a large explosion. As he pulled himself up, the he was approached by Two T nine hundreds and just as they were about to kill him, they were both crushed by falling debris. John ran to the nuclear warhead and quickly pulled out his knife.

He began cutting wire after wire, until the sound of the warhead powered down and the bomb was defused. The entire complex was shaking like a powerful earthquake and with a dozens of random explosions, the complex was falling apart. John only hoped he had done it in time. Skynet suddenly screamed out. "I AM THE DESTOYER OF WORLDS AND THE BRINGER OF DARKNESS!, I AM THE SIN AND THE VANITY AND THE DARKNESS!. I SHALL NEVER DIE. THE THOUGHT OF ME IS FORVEVER!, IN THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF MEN, IN THEIR FEAR AND THEIR ARROGANCE AND THEIR SHALL EVER DESTROY ME, NOTHING! I AM ETERNAL. I AM IMMORTAL, I CAN NOT DIE, I SHALL NOT DIE!". John listened as Skynet repeated it's defiance of death over and over, until the system core itself began to fall apart. John looked to the door and saw he was cut off from by a growing pile of rock and steel. Pressing himself against the wall, he watched as the other T nine hundred were one by one, crushed by the collapsing complex and John looked to Skynet's core, and Skynet screamed at him.

"I'LL KILL YOU FOR THIS JOHN CONNOR, I'LL KILL YOU". John, forever being afraid of Skynet, found he wasn't afraid of it anymore. "You'll not kill me, or my family. You won't harm them or anybody else ever again. Your terminated, NOW GO TO HELL!". Skynet screamed out a final time, and then the core it's self began to explode and as it did, Skynet was destroyed forever. Blinded by it's own immortality and superiority, it couldn't understand the one thing that was common to everything in the world, which was that nothing, absolutely nothing last's forever. Even the sky itself would be gone. John crawled under a gap in the rubble and to stop himself being crushed and he watched as the nuclear warhead disappeared under the rubble, thankfully not exploding. Reaching to his left hand, he ran his finger along the brown string, ignoring the explosions all around him.

He thoughts on Cameron. He remembered the first time he saw he, the first time she told him she loved him, their first kiss, their wedding day, holding their son for the first time, the two lives growing inside her, he thought of Allison and her bravery throughout the dark times in Century camp. It was those thoughts and memories that made him happiest, so he focussed on them at the end, when he was sure he was going to die. "Cameron. I love you, more then anything, I love you". He didn't know why or how, but he was sure Cameron could hear him, despite her being so far away.

Outside, the fighting between the Resistance and the machines came to a sudden halt as Skynet's pyramid, erupted in to an enormous explosion. A huge fireball ripped up in to the air, followed by a large black cloud. The Resistance solders, surprised by the sudden explosion, quickly turned back to defend themselves, but they didn't need to. The machines, now with out a reason to exist with Skynet's destruction, powered down, most falling to the ground with out a care in the world. Aerials and drones fell from the sky, exploding upon impact with the ground and the large HK tanks, which forever had punched holes through Resistance solders, ceased to move.

The war against the machines, which had taken the lives of over four billion people, was now over. Skynet was dead. Cameron looked toward where the pyramid had once stood and her voice barely a whisper, "John". She saw John and Delta squad go inside, but she didn't see them come out again. Her hand automatically went to her belly as if to protect the tiny babies she was carrying. Everything she knew screamed at her, telling that John was dead, that there was no possible way he could have survived the explosion she had just witnessed, but she refused to accept it. Until she saw his body, she refused to believe he was dead.