This chapter is going to be rated M for graphic violence and war scenes.
I appreciate the upsurge of reviews but I would like to inform some of you guys that all in italics are flashbacks … so what happened with Jameron and Weaver!Sarah happened five years prior to the events of Purpose … So
Last Stand
Night fell swiftly in the twelve mile patch of muggy humid jungle in an area that was once a territory of the country of Mexico.
Nervousness gripped the psyche of the soldiers at the assembly headquarters as staffers walked by hurriedly carrying reports or messages back and forth between companies in efforts of coordination between commands. Amongst the glorified secretaries and pencil pushers Sarah Connor felt out of her element. A warrior at heart, she felt like she should be on the wire with Ryan, not on the sidelines watching.
"Well … I guess I should welcome you to the staff?" Major Hayworth sighed with a warm smile that made Sarah feel a little more tolerable. The slender woman tossed an arm around Sarah's shoulder and led her toward the sandbagged bunker.
"So … how did you and Ryan meet?" Ava asked as if they were two women gossiping at a salon. Sarah wasn't sure how to respond exactly to the question, so she decided to tell the truth.
"He saved me from a …" she stopped and tried to think of the name of the hulking machine whose head her grandchild vaporized. "T-600" she finally found it.
"Lucky girl … there isn't many who would put their neck out to save someone from one of those monsters." The older woman grinned. "But then I guess it helps to look as pretty as you do."
Sarah felt like she was being condescended too, but at the same time she knew that with her now youthful appearance the likely hood that anyone was going to take her serious was little to none. Suddenly she remembered why she hated being the pretty girl in a camp of soldiers.
The Major directed her into the entrance of the company's new headquarters.
Ducking under the roof Sarah found that they were inside a massive fox hole that was the size of a walk in closet, toward one of the sandbagged walls stood a small school desk with a wispy looking man sitting at it with a laptop computer and a discarded radio backpack.
"Sully …" Ava called to the man. He jumped quickly and nearly knocked over the computer. The man shot a nervous smile as he placed the equipment back were it should be. Sarah could see why the nervous wormy looking soldier was left behind.
"Sully this is Sarah, she is going to be joining you and the Commander tonight." Ava presented the young woman as if she was a new student in a high school. With that she gave Sarah an encouraging pat and left outside, leaving her alone with the under toned man who looked like a classical nerd.
There was a slight pause as the Soldier shifted shyly. "Ummm … my … my name is Sully." He stuttered out. Sarah felt the man's shyness in front of her was only adding to the high school atmosphere.
"I know …" she smiled politely and nodded.
"Right … no, of course you know that … the Major told you." He stuttered again. This wasn't a new situation that Sarah was placed in, as a captain of the high school cheer squad and a walk on at her university in college, she had often dealt with young men that stumbled over themselves trying to talk to her. Of course this situation was different because the stuttering person in front of her was not a teen and neither of them was in an educational environment.
After an awkward moment he tried again.
"I guess I should show you how things work …?" he said cautiously. Sarah gave a humoring smile and nodded her head in agreement. "Alright …" he motioned her toward the laptop.
On the screen was an over head look of digital topography of the woods with Blue dots shaped like people were moving about.
"This is Sector E … this is where our responsibility is." He explained a little more comfortably now that they were in his realm of expertise.
Sarah watched the blue human like smudges move about with awe at the leap of technology.
"John would flip out if he saw this …"
Sarah smirked as she imagined her boy's face as if he was standing next to her.
"I know it's pretty cool, huh …" Sully said with cockiness like she was a teen girl admiring his new sports car. Sarah gave the guy a strange yet humored look at the corniness of his come on. The man's confidence disappeared as he caught her look. "Anyway …" he trailed off. "Everybody to your left is part of 1st Platoon under Lieutenant Connor … I mean Lieutenant Phillips … Phillips." He smacked his head a bit at the slip of the tongue. "And everyone else is the new 3rd Platoon under the now promoted 1st Lieutenant Taylor …" he pointed to some more blurs that were grouped into smaller units of three and spread thinly over the digital map.
Sarah noticed like Alice mentioned that the soldiers of Company A were spread out way to far from one another. This did nothing for her nerves as she thought of Ryan who if landed into trouble would have no one to help him.
"Damn it, I should be out there with him!"
Sarah frowned in frustration at the situation her loved one was in. Sully looked at her with a cautious flick.
"Okay … well, I guess I should show you what you're going to do?" He nudged his head toward the radio backpack. Sarah gave one more look at the blue blurs on the left before following the nerdy tech to where he was leading her. "You are going to be relaying the messages from the Officers to the Major …" He patted the radio.
"Oh please Sully, don't refer to those little silver spooned brats as Officers." A familiar Australian accent moaned in annoyance. Sarah turned her head to an attractive petite Asian woman whose arm was in sling.
"I don't know Jess, I heard Connor is pretty good in a fight …" Sully said to the woman with reassurance.
"Yeah, good at getting us killed, like his old man …" Jesse replied.
Sarah felt the fire of white hot rage burn a hole through her self control at the woman's comment about her children.
"What the fuck would you know about it?!" Sarah said hotly. Jesse took a visible step back at the blunt force of the younger woman's statement. Her face turned from shocked to smug.
"Oh it's you …" she snorted after a moment like Sarah was a yappy purse dog. Sarah was a second from laying the bitch flat.
"Company CP, this is Ghost Rider One Zero, come in over …"
Sarah heard Ryan call over the radio.
"Speak of the devil" Jesse said with a smug smirk. Sarah balled her fist ready to hit the woman in the face.
"Company CP, this is Ghost Rider … pick up the damn radio new guy!" Ryan ordered with an irritated huff.
"That's you, Sarah" Sully winced apologetically. Sarah gave the Asian woman one last warning murderous glare before she picked up the phone and pressed the handle.
"This is Company CP … we're receiving you Ghost Rider." She looking to the wispy man who in turn gave her a thumbs up to tell she did a good job.
There was a pause on the other line.
"Oh it's you … sorry about that Sar … Angel." Ryan caught himself before he said her name over the line and instead covered quickly.
"It's alright … babe." Sarah played along catching a pathetic look Jesse gave the young adult, which earned her a glare.
"So they got you answering phones do they … that's uh … haunting" Sarah gave an unamused bite to her lip at the snort on the other end.
"I guess you could say that …?" Sarah sighed. Sully motioned for her to wrap it up. "Right … what did you need?" She nodded.
"Just reporting that chalk one is in place …" Ryan said with ease. Sarah looked to the man again as to what to do; he motioned to Jesse who nodded at Sarah.
"Acknowledged …" she responded.
"Ghost Rider One Zero out …" Ryan blipped out and there was a small amount of static on the line. Sarah sighed worriedly and hung up the phone and looked at the backpack in thought.
"Hey, that was good, but … you umm need to get to the point a lot faster …" Sully smiled and gave the girl in front of him an awkward pat on the shoulder as if he wasn't sure he should touch her.
Sarah nodded not liking the job already.
"Also you need to keep the bedroom names off the com …" Jesse added in a chastising manner. Sarah was about to responded with some choice words when another voice came over the radio.
"Company CP, This is Ghost Rider three Zero, Come in over." Alice's sweet southern accent came over the receiver, the kindliness made Jesse look to the roof in disbelief.
"This is Company CP …" Sarah gave the short answer.
"Hey …" Alice greeted friendly to which Sarah shook her head with a slight grin. "No … right, we're all settled down here." She corrected herself seriously.
Sarah turned to Jesse who shrugged back.
"Alright" Sarah answered with finality.
"Take care …" Alice cut out.
There was momentary silence amongst the individuals in the room. Sarah wrapped her arms around her and decided to walk back and look at the bird's eye view of the battlefield.
She watched the blue hues unmoving in groups of two's. Sarah caught a figure moving from one group to the next on the left of the screen.
"What's that …?" Sarah asked with a squint. The man leaned in and looked along with Jesse.
"Oh that's probably Lieutenant Phillips, checking the line …" Sully responded. Sarah focused on the hue with interest.
"I hope you kissed your bloke goodbye?" Jesse said with a sigh. Sarah turned back to the Aussie with contempt.
"And why's that?" Sarah asked. The Asian woman flipped her hair out of boredom.
"Because he has to go from pod to pod the entire fight … you know what the survival rates of Junior Officers are in defensive engagements …?" She scoffed looking at her nails. Sarah hitched her breath and turned back to the mobile dot while Sully shook his head taking his best friends bate. "Let's just say there is a reason that there are so many kids with officer's stripes." Jesse chuckled.
"Aren't we optimistic?" Ava said walking in with a scolding look for the slightly younger woman.
"Sorry sir …" Jesse apologized. The woman brushed past her and stood between Sully and Sarah looking at the screen with them.
"Report" She commanded indifferently.
"The 1st and 3rd are in place, but we haven't heard from the 2nd." Jesse reported professionally.
"I just got back from there …" she said off handily. "They're ready" she followed up with a worried sigh.
***
The hours pasted tensely as the small group in the bunker milled about inside. The one thing Sarah hated more then Skynet was waiting. She however couldn't imagine what it must have been like for those in the jungle.
In Central America night fell swiftly in the rain forest and without the light of a camp fire it was a like trying to find your way through a blanket of darkness. Now add that to the knowledge that a host of metal monsters were on there way to kill you and you couldn't even see your own hand in front of you. Sarah shuddered at the thought and suddenly had the need to go out to the foxholes and take her grandchild in her arms and protect him from the frightening feeling she was feeling herself.
"So after the Carter, Jesse and I got assigned to the 132nd." Sully finished with a nod. Sarah turned to him with a fake interested smile only catching the tail end of his story.
"What time is it?" Jesse stretched with a bored yawn. Sully looked to a clock on the computer.
"1:30" he stated with a sigh then lounged back in his seat. Sarah frowned at both former submariners. She couldn't understand why they felt so relaxed at this moment in time. Did they think that they were immune from the fight?
Suddenly from outside the sounds of distant cannons from the cliffs fired out and there was echoes of plasma fire.
All in the bunker perked up and looked at the computer screen to find it still clear.
"CP this is Ghost Rider One Zero, checking confirmation on contact from 2nd and 3rd Brigades with enemy units?" Ryan's voice sounded over the radio.
"Stand by Ghost Rider …" Ava answered motioning Jesse to go outside and check. The woman responded immediately. The chestnut haired commander checked the screen once again seeing a clear picture with the exception of the blue figures. "They may be probing …" the Major said to know one in particular looking at the folded map in her hand. Sarah watched her trace her finger over the water line of the river. There was a thud and Jesse came inside quickly panting and out of breath before nodding her head.
Ava flipped a switch on the radio and pressed down on the phone. "Ghost Riders be advised the right and left flanks of the line have been engaged … so keep your eyes open." She said into the phone in a hardened tone.
Sarah looked at the map then at the screen with her mind racing with a theory with what Alice had told her while waiting out side the command bunker. "They might be demonstrating against the flanks in order to draw resources from the center." She blurted out loud.
Ava gave her a thoughtful look then looked at the map a second.
"You may have point …" she gave Sarah an impressed smile and took the phone again and switched a knob on the frequency. "Halo this is Ghost Rider requesting a blown up picture of Sector E at an 800 yard field position." Ava asked with a formal tone.
"Copy that …" the responding voice was distorted by what sounded like helicopter blades. After a second she looked to the computer screen and watched the picture of the field zoom out twice to reveal lines upon lines of Red and gold figures standing in rank.
"Are those …?" Sarah trailed off looking at what seemed to be thousands of red and gold hues. Sully nodded with a fearful flash in his eyes that wasn't there several minutes ago.
"They're just standing there …?" Jesse puzzled tilting her head in confusion. Ava motioned Sarah to give her the phone to which she complied.
"Ghost Riders One and three zero be advised, be advised, you have enemy units in your sector!" the Major said with a small panic at the onset.
"I don't see them …?" Alice responded.
"There out there …" Ava said steeling her nerves.
"Acknowledged" Ryan said simply, which haunted Sarah with every conversation she ever had with Cameron over the phone. Ava hung the phone up and went to a small walkie talkie and turned it on to which chatter echoed.
"Squad leaders we got Skynet in the sector, set your weapons to 30 watt range and only fire at what you can see. Wait to blow your claymores till there's a bottle neck."
Sarah clenched at the sound of Ryan's voice. The maternal figure gave an excepting nod at the advice and flipped a frequency on the talkie.
"Pods six and seven re angle your line of fire."
"Copy that …"
Alice's voice was responded to by another southern accent.
Suddenly there was a mechanical squealing from the electrical equipment before a low hum cleaned out all sound.
"Those of you that are members of the Companies of the 132nd Tech-Com, Your numbers have been depleted to near decimation. There is little you can do to stop this assault, but I offer you a choice. If you surrender your weapons and swear loyalty to Skynet, all of those you care about will be spared extermination … you must realize that loyalty to John Connor will only bring more death upon you and your families … this is the only way out." The beautiful female voice that sounded over the radiowas tender, warm, and sounded empathetic, as if she was a worried lover that was almost in tears.
There was a wave of silence from everyone in the bunker as if the charismatic and innocent voice had cast spell over them.
Then without warning there was a large explosion that shook the ground followed plasma fire that increased by ten fold all of the sudden.
"CP, Contact, Contact!!" Ryan's voice came loudly over the radio. "All pods report contact with enemy forces, over!!"
Sarah was shaken out of the haze and turned to the screen to find the entire digital woods overflowing with red and gold blurs rushing like streams of ants at the river where they were disappearing when a tiny bolt fired from a blue dot hit it.
"Copy that Ghost Rider!" Ava yelled over the ruckus.
"Grid 6 watch for the bull rush …"
"Yes, sir"
Alice's voice echoed from the walkie talkie. Ava turned the frequency again and bit her nails nervously.
"Grid 2 knock them down, when they hit the water … pod three keep the figure eights on the banks."
"Aye, Aye"
"Watch the crossfire boys …"
There was the sound of thudding explosions close to the assembly area.
"Sir, Lieutenant Connor just lost pod four!" Sully called out. Sarah's breath hitched as there was the sound of continues explosions hitting near by.
"CP, this is Ghost Rider One Zero, there is a Skynet mortar position that has my holes zeroed, over!" Ryan sounded urgent.
"Hang in there, One Zero." The Major called and turned on the knob on the backpack. "Halo this Ghost Rider … there is a couple of three point shooters that have my command zeroed in Sector E, can you give me a visual."
"Yeah, we see them … fifty clicks from the blue line, there's about eleven of them, they seem to have a bead on your boys." The harsh male voice called over the roar of helicopter blades.
"Fucking villagers …" the Major growled in a rare shot of anger with a low mutter. "Copy that." She said and turned a switch. "This is Ghost Rider … Fire Mission, Fire Mission on Sector E about fifty clicks from the blue line, Over!" she called into the phone.
"We'll bring the heat, Ghost Rider!" a feminine voice called from the other line.
After a second there were the same mechanical booms that Sarah heard during the ambush. The ground shook violently with the shock of the artillery rounds. Sarah steadied her self on a desk.
"Target neutralized, over …" the voice of the mysterious helicopter pilot sounded over the radio.
"Acknowledged …" Ava answered with a relieved sigh
***
.
Sarah watched the battle on screen for what seemed like only minutes but what was in reality three hours as column after column of machines and Grays continue to enter the river only to disappear off the screen in rapid succession.
There was a tiny sliver of hope in the back of her head when she felt that maybe the fight was winnable as she watched attempt after attempt of crossing the river turned back.
Her hopes were dashed as she watched small flashes of trails cross over from the east bank and obliterate blue dots on the right of the screen.
"Sir, there are large gaps forming in 3rd platoons defensive perimeter!" Ava turned from the Radio and rushed to the screen and watched as red blurs began to cross the river and reach the other back.
"There gaining a foothold…!" the Commander gasped and grabbed the phone. "Ghost Rider Two Zero, come in, over." She commanded.
"This is Two Zero …" the angry Lieutenant from the other night responded.
"Jake, Alice is in trouble I need you to move in and stop the bleeding in grids 5, 6, and 7, over!" Ava ordered.
"Aye sir …" the man responded.
The slender Beauty turned to the computer and pressed the phone to her chin and watched as there started to become a heavy stream of red dots making it to the other bank and split the two Platoons in half. The red dots began to disappear slightly when there wedge was hit from a cross fire of several blue dots from 1st platoon and an emerging 2nd as the two began to contain the breach.
The containment was short lasted as heavier columns of the enemy soldiers began crossing with the dwindling numbers of alpha company unable to keep up.
Soon there was dots of different colors jumbled on the western bank some even meeting each before one would disappear, a tale tell sign of hand to hand combat.
"Hold them … hold them …" Ava was chanting nervously as she watched the struggle on the screen.
"CP … they're rocketing our pods and there are Grays all over the perimeter!" Alice called.
"CP the defenses are collapsing … permission to …" Jakes voice was cut out as an explosion sounded from the other line.
"Ghost Rider Two Zero … come in over … Jake!" the gentle maternal figure called into the radio but got nothing but static.
Sarah looked to the computer screen where the right side of the line was crumbling but the center and the left seemed to be holding the machine back by the skin of the teeth.
After nearly four hours of hard fighting, Company A was starting to be pushed back by the sheer volume of numbers.
The computer screen flickered a moment causing Sarah to frown but she pushed it aside as not important and continued to feel a panic in her stomach as she hadn't heard from Ryan yet.
"Oh god, what if he's hurt or … Dammit I should be in there!"
Then with another squealing the screen blanked out.
"What the hell!" Ava yelled looking to Sully who turned and began to type quickly on the keyboard, but nothing came up, there was a pause and then with trumpeted music an animation of a rocket ship flew past the screen and transformed into a familiar logo that made Sarah cringe.
"Cyberdyne … the company of the future!" a cheese movie guy voice announced and froze the screen with the logo front and center.
"No, no, no, NO!" Ava slammed the computer with panic. She lifted the radio to her hear and pressed down on the switch but there was a pleasant female voice already talking.
"At Cyberdyne System incorporated we strive to explore and expanded the knowledge of technology for a brighter and glorious tomorrow for all of mankind."
"Our communications have been hacked!" Sully announced.
Sarah turned to the Major for some semblance on what to do next. However Ava looked frozen mentally watching the Cyberdyne logo as if looking for some divine answers.
"Sir!" Jesse shouted to the woman, she looked at the former, then dropping the phone and walked outside. Both Sarah and Jesse traded looks and followed.
The night was still hot but less humid in the assembly area. Both women followed the commander into the dark. Ava had her binoculars to her eyes with hawk like observation of the area in front of her.
The forest that Sarah once thought was dead was now illuminated like there was a fireworks display for the fourth of July being set off inside, every several seconds there was a flare shot over the tree lines with the sound of plasma fire accompanying it.
From afar there was a whistling like a falling bomb followed by an explosion that lifted everyone off there feet and to the ground. Sarah huffed and got up as she looked to Ava who was on her back. She quickly rushed to the slender woman and lifted her up to a sitting position. The woman looked panicked as she stared at the crackling jungle.
Ava turned to Sarah with hopelessness "Sarah … I don't know what's going on?" She spoke with a voice of a worried mother as she turned back to the battle again. With some help she stood and walked a little farther towards the jungle. "What's happening …?" she said with a whisper.
"WHAT'S HAPPENING TO MY SOLDIERS!?" Ava yelled at the woods suddenly as if the exotic vegetation would answer her. Suddenly the Major turned and desperately grabbed Sarah by her shirt. "Sarah … I need you to go in there and find your fiancé and tell him to pull back … you understand?" she said with a fever pitched tone.
Sarah didn't need to be told twice as she rushed forward toward the woods, however she stopped and took a look around realizing that she had no idea what she was walking into or where she was going. She turned back and watched Jesse rush in to the woods on the other side most likely to find Alice.
Feeling the urge to pull Ryan out of the disaster situation building inside the woods more then assessing the danger, Sarah threw caution into the wind and raced inside the twisted maze of vegetation.
***
Sarah quietly stalked through the woods staying close to the trees which wasn't a hard maneuver seeing as she had to avoid them every other step.
As Sarah moved closer and closer to the fighting the sounds of shouting and rifle fire grew louder. Sarah ducked for cover when flares were shot into the air from the far bank. The entire Jungle was illuminated by the rockets of light bathing the dense climate with twisted and eerie shadows. She memorized her surroundings from cover so that when the light died she could move again.
Several minutes later she had reached the bank of the river only to find to her fear that she had made it all the way to a secluded gap in the perimeter. She cursed under her breath as she saw shadows from the far bank running adjacent to the river. Sarah took cover behind a tree so they wouldn't see her. Cautiously she turned her head to the left and chanced a look.
Down the river bolts of plasma were being traded across the banks in a rapid pace, reflecting off the river in a spectacular yet terrifying show of violet and blue flashing. Sarah watched with a small catch in her throat as bodies of clean uniformed Gray foot soldiers were washed down stream, there faces frozen in pain and shock.
Since John was little Sarah had always maintained a toughness and exterior that she would kill someone for just breathing wrong, always keeping her gun close and murder in her eyes. But despite this fact this was the very first full out battle Sarah Connor had ever witnessed and been a part of and like any human there was a pang of fear in her steps as she slinked ever closer to the fighting that was echoing through the jungle.
After several moments of following the river bank Sarah came across a Fox hole still intact. Flicking her eyes from her squat position toward the other bank looking for snipers, the raven haired young woman sucked in some air. With an exhale she ran crouched to the sandbagged defensive structure. Not drawing any fire she slid into the mini bunker.
The Pod was tiny and not very spacious with only enough room for two maybe three people max. There was a window you could fire out of but it gave very poor peripheral sight around you.
Sarah found a lone male soldier inside the bunker. He wasn't more then fifteen and there were visible tears in his eyes as he held a plasma rifle in firing position out the window.
"Keep firing, don't freeze, keep firing, and don't freeze." The boy kept repeating in frightful sobs as he stood alone in the dark trembling. A part of Sarah's heart broke for the frightened kid.
"Hey!" Sarah pushed him slightly to get his attention. The boy looked at her and suddenly felt relieved to see an adult. "Have you seen Lieutenant Phillips?" She asked clearly.
"No … not … not since the fight got started …" he stuttered out. She observed the boy for a second and saw that the way his straight hair was brushed down almost in his eyes somehow reminded Sarah of her little boy which in turn awoke the maternal side in her.
"What are you doing here by yourself?" she asked spotting a second plasma rifle leaning against a wall to which she snatched up.
"My partner … He deserted and … left me here to defend the crossing by myself." He said with a frightened sniffle.
"Have the machines tried to cross yet?" Sarah motioned to the river. The boy shook his head hurriedly. "Well … Major Hayworth is ordering the entire unit to fall back so you need to get back to Mobile Position Two." Sarah ordered with motherly steel in her voice.
"Yes, ma'am …" he nodded his head and was about to leave when a crack of light from across the river illuminating the far bank. The boy immediately got into a firing position.
"What is that?" Sarah asked in a whisper following suit.
"Flares … it alerts us to let us know that Skynet is about to cross …" he whispered back.
Sure enough shadows appeared on the bank and started to move in rank and file. Sarah was impressed when she looked through the scope of the plasma rifle and saw the images in night vision.
After several seconds of sloshing there was a buzz and a thud followed by an explosion that kicked metal and water high in the air.
"So that's what the magnetic mines where for."
The boy began to open fire on the column of bodies in the deep part of the water. Sarah watched for a moment not sure if they were human or not. Closing her eyes she breathed and repeated the teen's mantra.
"Keep firing, don't freeze …"
Sarah aimed and pulled the trigger with recoil and watched her shot knock down an approaching body. She numbed her racing mind and put herself aside and continued to fire not thinking about who her targets where, just that they were on there way to kill John and she need to protect her baby.
After several minutes of careful shooting and barrowing a magazine from the kid the machines stopped trying to cross. Both shared a look and then back at the far bank … there was some shouting from across the bank that Sarah couldn't understand.
A glint caught Sarah's eye and with a squint she saw a chromed endoskeleton load something into a tube.
Sarah reacted immediately. "Get out of the hole, they're gonna blow it!" she said harshly grabbing the young man by his WEB gear strap and hauled him out of the hole and under enemy fire to behind some brush where she threw herself on top of the youth in protection. Moments later a rocket like projectile slammed into the pod sending bagged soil into the air in the explosion.
Both panted harshly trading looks then back at the fox hole. There was fast sloshing before a group of human soldiers with helmets appeared and gathered around the hole in search of bodies.
The teen pushed Sarah off him and with a several deep breaths he picked up his gun and charged out at the soldiers.
"No wait!" Sarah called but it was too late as the teen rushed up and opened fire with a yell, gunning down the group of soldiers and jumping into the now exposed hole in the ground and fired at the far bank.
"Dammit …" Sarah sighed and grabbed her rifle and followed Jumping into the hole next to the teen and opened fire at the shadows in the water.
After several moments of trading bolts she realized that this was unsustainable and that she needed to find Ryan.
"Hey, we need to go!" Sarah yelled snatching the teen by his strap. The boy turned to look at her when a flash of burning light seared her cheek painfully. She dipped a little and touched the second degree burn the bolt's graze gave her. with gritted teeth she looked up to order the teen back when she saw a blank look in his eyes and a cauterized hole in his forehead. Sarah felt him fall back into the hole.
There was shocked pause that froze her chest as for a moment in the dark she saw John leaning back lifelessly instead of the random boy she had slightly bonded with.
A battle cry snapped her out of her haze, turning she saw a human shadow charging at her from the river bank. She reacted quickly by knocking a plasma rifle away from the Gray with a swipe and flipped the man over on his back were she mounted him and knocked him out. She felt arms wrap around her chest and pull her off the unconscious enemy soldier and held her in a restraining manner. In front of her a shadow used Sarah's stomach and face as a punching bag sending wind knocking blows. She keeled a little, however when she saw the model like female gray pull out a knife to gut her with, Sarah pulled back on her restrainer and propelled her feet into the knife wielder's stomach then face. With that enemy taken care of she threw her head back into her restrainer and snatching the arm, she flipped her advisory over her shoulder. Once on the ground she delivered a kick to the face knocking out her attacker.
Suddenly a blinding pain rushed through her leg like a thousand bee stings. She let out a fragile moan and looked down to see a cauterized hole through her thigh. She fell to the ground and saw glowing red eyes of a familiar endoskeleton that murdered her soul mate in a computer factory in 1984 hold up a smoking plasma rifle and advance on her.
Like then Sarah dragged herself away from the monster that haunted her dreams as it menacingly stalked toward her with a limp.
Sarah stopped out of breath and fell to her back and looked into the red mechanical orbs with a sense of closure.
"I hope you saved some room on a cloud for me Kyle?"
Sarah heard the clicking of pistons of a mechanical hand as the T-800 reached for her neck. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to place herself a million miles away.
Flashes of heat passed right in front of her face followed by the sound of metal twisting and a metallic thud. She opened her eyes to see a familiar darkened figure on a knee near her body in a defensive manner as the male shadow carried a familiar sniper rifle that Derek once used and a plasma rifle sung behind him.
The figure fired deliberate shots into the dark that were accompanied by dead weight and pain full groins before he turned and collected Sarah and tossed her over his shoulder. She saw bolts of light wiz by her and the male silhouette as they raced through the woods till they were covered by total darkness.
The male figure pulled Sarah down and close to him as the two slid down a small dip in the ground. Were he rolled them behind a tree.
Sarah examined the face in the dark and for a split second she reached out and touched the distracted soldier's face tracing the familiar soft patchy stubble with a grateful tear.
"Kyle?" she said with a hitch. The soldier looked down at her and chuckled distractedly.
"Sorry to disappoint you." Ryan sighed. Sarah immediately felt embarrassed and withdrew her hand quickly. The young officer ripped her pant leg wider and tried to examine her wound. She let out a groan of pain when she felt a hand touch the burned skin. Sarah watched her descendent lean down inches from her leg. There was a strange feeling that over whelmed her as she felt the air near her wound become vacuumed up.
"Did you just sniff my thigh?" she asked with a weirded out look.
"I can't see shit … I had to think of a way to make sure your wound was cauterized." He said nonchalantly followed by the sound of a utility belt pouch being opened. Sarah understood why he did it, but still shifted uncomfortably with a frown.
"Come here." Ryan grunted and pulled her toward him. With some effort he sat back against a tree then placed her in his lap so that he wouldn't be an easy target while administrating first aid. After a moment he handed her the slightly heavy sniper rifle. "Anyone rushes by from behind us; you get them in the head." He commanded while unfurling a rolled first aid bandage. Sarah nodded in understanding the turned her head.
"I'm supposed to tell you to pull back your platoon to second position … but I think the point is probably moot." Sarah whispered as she felt gauss being placed on the hole in her leg.
"Yeah … when the radio got hacked I gave the order … I was just checking to make sure I got everyone out … lucky you." Ryan chuckled as he worked on her leg while looking over her shoulder. Sarah flinched as he began bandaging her leg.
After several moments he spoke "Well the good news is that you got a flesh wound the bad news … there is going to be a hole on your leg the size of a coin." He grunted tying the knot.
"There are worst things to be troubled with." Sarah winced. Ryan sighed and patted her waist before steadying her as she stood.
"Can you walk?" he asked hugging her close and leaning back into the tree as the sound of footsteps flew by and out of sight.
"I think I can run if the situation calls for It." she nodded.
"It just might …" Ryan said distractedly picking up his plasma rifle and trading Sarah. "Fire only on Metal … I got Grays." He instructed her as she marked the weapon. After a moment the two moved quickly through the twisted Jungle.
"How do you know where you're going?" Sarahhissed as she followed closely. Ryan turned to look at her and whirred his eye with a soft blue hue. "Oh …" was all she replied as he turned back and led the way.
After several tense minutes the two reached the edge of the jungle. Ryan placed a hand on Sarah's stomach in a halting motion and motioned her to take a knee. She complied with a nod as she spotted the earthworks.
"Red leader come in …" Ryan called touching a com link one piece in his ear. Sarah couldn't hear a response but she saw Ryan nod absently. "Be advised, me and Lieutenant Baum are coming out of the brier patch … hold your fire." He spoke with a commanding tone. After a pause he gave one last nod and turned toward Sarah. "You go first and I'll cover you …"
Ryan turned and around and put the sniper rifle in a firing position out into the jungle. After a several beats he tapped Sarah's shoulder to which she took off in a run for the earthworks.
Blood roared in her ears as she dead sprinted from the edge of the undergrowth and brush to the open no mans land. With some effort she ran up the hill and jumped over into waiting arms of Alice who caught her. Sarah nodded in thanks breathing heavily.
"No problem …" Alice sighed and lay back on the soft dirt.
"Son of a bitch!" Ryan cursed as plasma bolts impacted the ground behind him. He rolled over the wall and into Sarah's arms just in time as the last bolt of light grazed the surface of the earthwork.
Ryan breathed harshly sitting up and traded a look with Sarah. The mother in her took over and with out thinking Sarah gripped the soldier's chin and turned his face to look at a small knife gash on his cheekbone. Seeing that it was none lethal she sighed still shaken up from her first exposer to the future war. Breathing heavily she slapped her grandsons thigh.
She became lost in his brown eyes a moment feeling a ton lifted off her heart to find him alive after their brush with death.
After a quiet moment Ryan gave a small scoff like chuckle to which Sarah smiled and shook her head before pulling him into her in a heartfelt relieved embrace.
***
Sarah was given a dose of pain killers to numb the pain in her leg while she waited with the rest of what was left of the entire 132nd for Skynet's next push.
It had came to her knowledge that Ryan and Alice were the only officers present in the entire regiment as only a part of Company C fell back with none of their officers present. Sarah felt a pang of regret when she thought about George, lefty, and Eric who she had played poker with for two days prior.
"Sarah have you seen Momma … I mean Major Hayworth?" Alice asked worriedly.
"Not since she sent me to find Ryan." Sarah answered honestly. Alice gave a sad flash but nodded and with a shaky breath, she crouched down and returned to reorganizing Company C.
"CP this is Ghost Rider come in over …?" Ryan called over a radio backpack taken from a dead soldier.
"We read you Ghost Rider …" an unfamiliar voice answered.
"My whole damn command has been wiped out and I'm holding together less then seventy in Mobile Position Two. I'm requesting a Firestorm on Mobile Position One which has been overrun, come back over." Ryan said looking at a map which once belonged to Major Hayworth. Sarah frowned and turned to see that the bunker that she had spent several hours in was now nothing more then rubble.
Ryan caught her look. "Sapper machines got through the perimeter and detonated there power sources in the assembly area." He explained bitterly. Sarah turned back to the now demolished area.
"Suicide bombers?" she asked aloud in puzzlement.
"Yeah … something like that." Ryan nodded. There was a numb feeling in her chest when she once again thought about Sully, who was looking to impress her so desperately.
"Is this the way it always is here, one moment you're talking to someone … the next they're gone?"
Sarah felt even worst when she thought of Ava, one of the kindest people she had ever met and by far one of the prettiest. Sarah hurt when she thought of Alice losing her mother.
"Ghost Rider … your request has been granted, air raid and borage ETA three minutes."
"Copy that …" he nodded and touched his ear piece. "Squad leaders … Send word down the line that we have a firestorm coming and to keep their heads down." Ryan was about to address Sarah when plasma fire from the jungle raked the defensive line, knocking several fighters down.
"Here they come!" Ryan shouted and grabbed a plasma rifle and opened fire into the blackness of the forest. The line of soldiers returned fire trading bolts once again with unseen enemies that where using the jungle for cover.
Sarah once again numbed her mind as she returned fire aiming carefully for any sort of hint of visible movement.
The sound of wailing mortar shells flew above the 132nd's head and landed in the jungle kicking dirt high in the air.
Soon the shined endoskeletons moved forward into the line of vision. It was like Sarah's worst nightmare as hundreds of glowing eyed metal marched in step toward her.
The situation seemed impossible as the soldiers put down the shined terminators into piles but there was just no stopping them as there numbers became too great to hold back.
Sounds of mechanical booms echoed overhead as Resistance artillery landed all over the area in front of them.
"Ghost Rider … this is Cowgirl we need you to call the shot, over!" a muffled female voice called over the radio.
Ryan ducked down for cover and put the phone to his hear. "Cowgirl this Ghost Rider, I need a weight loss on the entire tree line of Sector E, over!" Ryan yelled as Sarah reached over him and pulled a magazine from his belt and reloaded.
"Glad to be of service!"
Sarah was racking up metal kills when the sound of jet engines grew closer till they buzzed in front of the defense line. Sarah was immediately pulled down by Ryan and placed in a shielding embrace as a large fireball erupted shaking the ground tremendously. After a second of recovery both Connors looked up to see that the line of shined metal was decimated and junked.
The smug feeling Sarah was feeling was short lived when a large host of yells belonging to clean uniformed enemy soldiers came charging through the hazed flames and toward the entrenched Tech-Com soldiers. The firing picked up as the 132nd cut into the wave of perfect flesh, dropping ranks after ranks of them, however the numbers of them were just to great to demolish and several plattons reached the wall. Sarah was suddenly thrown into another first in her life, the vicious occurrence of hand to hand combat.
All around her humans were animalistic fighting each other with what ever they could find, from combat knifes and bare fists, to toss aside shovels and rifle butts. In all Sarah's life she had never seen anything so horrible or brutal as what was going on around her. From afar she watched Ryan duck a knife wielding Gray's swipe and quickly swat him in the head with a one handed shovel knocking teeth and blood to the ground. Sarah jammed a the new magazine into her Plasma Rifle and when a Gray soldier climbed on top of the dirt mount she pulled the trigger knocking him off.
Next to her a female gray soldier punched Ryan to the ground, Sarah turned to shoot her only to have the woman grab the rifle and try to snatch it away from Sarah. The two pulled on it in a life or death tug of war. Then from behind the Gray an arm wrapped around her waist and a glint of metal flicked across the woman's throat. Sarah's face was sprayed with blood as the soldier fell to the ground chocking. Ryan appeared behind her with a bloody knife. Before Sarah could say anything Ryan launched the knife over her shoulder hitting another soldier in between the eyes.
"Rye!" a blood soaked Alice appeared next to the couple with a shotgun in hand. "Rye we can't hold them anymore!" she called over the racket. Just then motor shells began to explode around the line blowing away Gray and Resistance soldiers alike.
"Alice, get them out of here! Fall back!" Ryan yelled to the blue eyed blond. She nodded and moved down the line. "Cover me!" He called over another explosion to Sarah.
"Right!" Sarah responded as Ryan picked up the phone and turned a knob on the radio.
"Fire Mission, Fire Mission! Scatter Shot on Mobile Position Two, Sector E; Hit it with all you've got!" Ryan yelled over a mortar shell explosion.
"Be advised, that you're ordering us to Zero on your position over."
"It won't be our position for long, goddammit!"
"It's your call Ghost Rider!"
"Do it!"
"Roger that!"
Ryan threw down the phone and snatched Sarah by the hand, pulling her with him as they along with the surviving members of the 132nd raced away from the fighting and up the rocky hill as splintered plasma bolts fell on the earthworks, shelling the Gray's firing line as a rear guard for the fleeing Resistance members.
***
The climb up the boulder strewn hill to the mission church was difficult for many as the slopes made it almost impossible for the Resistance members to go up the hill straight up. Also there was the added fact that the Skynet mortar teams now were using the Tech-Com equipment against there owners, raking the hill with mini bombs and rockets.
Sarah's leg was burning in almost intolerable pain as Ryan pushed her up the hill from behind.
After several seconds of gasping pain, Sarah and Ryan reached the top of the hill.
Sarah collapsed on the ground unable to move her leg any further. Ryan didn't hesitate to pull her into his arms and carried her past the large the artillery pieces that were now abandoned. With some huffing Ryan stepped on and over the sandbags in front of the Church and sat with his back to the wall, were he was joined by Alice and only a handful of soldiers.
"What now?" Alice asked as Ryan stared at Sarah who was looking like she was going to pass out.
Ryan stroked Sarah's hair in thought.
"Rye what do we do!?" Alice asked again.
Ryan closed his eyes and breathed for a second before his mocha orbs went hard and turned to the blond with determination.
"Get everyone out and I'll cover you." Ryan said steely.
"What … no … NO!" Alice shook her head. Ryan grabbed the beautiful blond by the shirt.
"I gave you an order, now get!" Ryan grabbed Alice's belt and undid it, taking her ammo. She had Tears in her eyes, but nodded and motioned to the others to move ahead, some looked plagued with indecision while others didn't needed to be told twice, taking off.
Alice went to grab Sarah when she was pushed away by the raven hair young woman. "No … I'm not leaving!" she shook her head.
"Quit being a pain in the ass!" Ryan yelled at her.
"You try to drag me away and I'll knock you out." She said dangerously to Alice. She looked at Ryan who gave an exasperated sigh and motioned Alice to go.
Ryan walked with her several steps and was about to give her some advise when she pulled the young officer into a long drawn out kiss, crushing her lips into his for the first time.
After a moment the two broke the kiss. Ryan smiled and placed a smaller kiss on her neck before giving her a shove to let her know she needed to go.
With one last look she disappeared into the dark.
Ryan gave a sigh and ducked under a sandbagged wall next to Sarah.
"After several days of observation I've come to the conclusion that hanging out with you is just plain bad luck …" Ryan said to Sarah as he loaded a clip into a rifle. Sarah smiled weakly.
Ryan sprang to his knees and opened fire on machines that reached the top of the hill. He ducked under again when he ran low on ammo to which Sarah handed him a remagazined Plasma Rifle.
The system kept the machines at bay for only minutes before there was just too many to cover.
"We need to bottle neck them!" Ryan called pointing to the Church. Sarah nodded in agreement.
In an unspoken plan Sarah got to her feet and hobbled to the large doubledoors and pulled one open, while Ryan covered her backing away laying down suppressing fire. Once he reached inside, both closed the door.
***
The inside of the large church was illuminated by the large Christmas Tree that reflected off the stain glass windows giving the house of worship a colorful appearance that was quite a breathing taking sight to behold.
Ryan grabbed a pew and dragged it in front of the large double doors, bracing them.
"How much ammo do we have left?" Sarah asked checking the rifle in her hand.
Ryan walked up to her and without hesitation and wrapped her in a hug from behind. Sarah leaned her head back and closed her eyes savoring their last embrace, when she felt a pinch to her neck.
She looked up to see Ryan extract a small syringe.
"What … what was that …" Sarah said drowsily. "You son of a …" Sarah collapsed in Ryan's arms.
He quickly swept her up in his arms and carried her to the altar. Laying her on the ground behind the large pulpit, he ripped the tattered and aged drape on a table and knelt next to Sarah's unconscious body.
"I'm sorry I got you into this … I hope you know that I still love you …" Ryan said with one single tear. A force of great power slammed against the door taking his attention a second. With a nervous breath he gave the sleeping beauty one last look.
"I'll see you around Gram …" Ryan bent down and kissed her jaw gently and after a stroke of her cheek he covered her with the drape.
Snatching the rifle Ryan rushed to meet the onslaught.
***
It was snowing outside of the small bed and breakfast in a rural New England town.
In a queen sized bed a young mother in her early twenties sat propped up under the sheets and watched a Christmas themed romantic movie with her five year old little boy sitting in her lap with a pensive look on his chubby face.
Both we're in the middle of a "Sleepover" which to little John Connor who was never allowed to go over to a friends house meant staying in bed all night with his Mommy and watching movies and playing games. Too young to understand loneliness the boy still considered the spaghetti strap tank top clad woman he was laying on to be his best friend.
On the television a man knelt on one knee in the snow in front of a well lit Christmas tree and asked the pretty blond woman that had been his best friend through out the movie to marry him.
John turned to the raven haired beauty that was clearly absorbed in the movie as she stroked his hair. He took his sight off the woman and to the small three foot Christmas tree on the dresser drawer that they had just decorated, then to the window where the night's snow was accumulating on the sill. He turned back to the screen were the couple was now hugging.
John reached down and pulled out a small prize he won in school during a Christmas party out of his pajama pocket from under the covers and looked at it.
With one last look of the screen a light bulb turned on in his little brain. As the credits rolled, John turned to Sarah who was smiling down at him.
"Momma?" John asked with a slight nervous look.
"Hmm?" she brushed some hair out his small eyes.
"Will you marry me?" the little boy offered the beautiful young woman a small metallic ring of brass with a plastic diamond.
Sarah's face contorted in a pang of sadness and her eyes misted over. John was about to cry himself thinking that he had done something wrong, however Sarah smiled brightly despite tears and took the ring from the boys grasp and slipped it on her finger, then nodded with a tearful laugh. The boy gave her a small pirate grin and turned into her arms.
"I love you" John said into her chest.
"I love you too." Sarah buried her head into his hair.
***
Plasma bolts flashed thru out the colorfully lit cathedral, smashing statues and singeing walls.
Behind a row of pews Ryan took cover, bottle necking T-800s in the front entrance of the mission. The machines were unable to effectively aim for the officer without becoming victims to his marksmanship.
To his side a metal tube was sent through a stained glass window. Ryan caught the shadows of Gray foot soldiers trying to sneak in thru the window.
Ryan dropped his plasma rifle and drew his chromed .45 and put down the intruders in rapid secession.
Turning back to the front doors, the machines were starting to clear a path to reach him. Ryan holstered his pistol and picked up his rifle and put down the Terminators.
After another wave of machines Ryan had finally ran out of power clips for the plasma rifle. Ryan looked to the floor for any clips he might have had forgotten when everything went still.
Looking up, Ryan spotted a lone silhouette walk gracefully into the front of the church. He stood and walked into the main aisle facing the shadow.
Through the cornucopia of colors from the still lit tree the beautiful teenage girl looked cold and emotionless as her satiny curled hair curtained over her shoulders. She wore the same tattered wedding dress he thought she had given back to him.
In the light she looked like a tainted Angel.
Ryan said nothing as his eyes bored into matching browns as there was a deep silence that breathed into the house of God.
Her face lightened slightly. "I love you more then you'll ever know." Cameron spoke with an unfazed voice, despite slow tears running down her eyes.
"I know …" Ryan nodded with resignation.
With one last look she walked out of the church as a row of T-800s rushed past the angelic beauty and at her child.
There were sounds of pistol fire and metallic ringing and a small scuffle before it went silent in the church.