Z Plus Two Years Two Hundred Sixty Nine Days

Eric woke up groggily. Most soldiers knew how to sleep sitting up, standing at attention, sometimes while marching... Falling asleep in a moving vehicle was the easiest thing in the world.

"Morning." Connor said from the driver's seat.

"Is it?"

"No, not really, but your timing is good anyway." Connor quipped. "We're getting close."

"Really? How long have I been asleep?"

"Not to Crystal Peak, to our Rendezvous."

"No, I mean, how long have I been asleep?"

Connor checked his watch. "About five hours."

"And you've been driving the whole time? You should take a break, let someone spell you."

"Your impression of my wife gets better with each passing day."

Tech-Com had split into two groups. One covering the rear of the convoy, one in the lead. The convoy was the most incredible sight anyone had ever seen. It was a caravan that stretched for almost a mile. Trucks and cars and trailers of every kind. What had started as a convoy of military troop carriers in LA had grown to a mass exodus as word spread of Tech-Com and General Connor. The journey to Crystal Peak took weeks, and they had to stop for fuel wherever they could find it.

Both Humans and Skynet had staked out all the supply points, both sides using them as bait or salvage. When faced with Skynet, Tech-Com conquered; and when they met people, Tech-Com saved. With every new community of people, every new holdout of survivors between the coast and their destination; more people chose to follow.

When space ran out in the trucks the humans hooked up trailers. And when room ran out in the trailers, the newcomers found their own transport. They made their way past military bases, and Connor's men salvaged huge fuel takers, helicopters, tanks and armored cars. Civilian cars and trailers joined the exodus; and as the company got bigger, it moved slower. There was time.

The caravan made its way across the map toward Crystal Peak. There were running gunfights along the way; the helicopters making short flights ahead, and then landing until the caravan caught up. With miles of desolated wasteland surrounding them, it was impossible to catch the caravan by surprise. Battles were fought and run, the caravan rolling over torn Machine metal. Skynet had wasted most of it's working H/K's on the failed LA Offensive, and had nothing left that could get close to the convoy before being cut down by Tech-Com.

It was an unstoppable wave of humanity, conquering its way home.

Connor directed his Army to move on toward the Mexico border, taking the long way around to Crystal Peak. He had a stop to make first.

"Team one, move out." Connor directed.

Connor's jeep, plus a small group of military vehicles moved forward. One or two civilian trucks with mounted weapons on the back moved with them; handpicked by Connor over the journey.

The area Connor had directed them to, was a half mile ahead of the caravan. And nobody could figure out why Connor was interested. It looked like most of the journey had. Endless miles of flat dust and dirt; some drooping scrub grass. The only thing that stood out was a few burned out trucks without wheels or windows. Two cars... one school bus.

And three Terminators.

Connor saw that and clicked his radio twice. The trucks all slowed to a quick halt. Coming from the north, the sound of the engines was blown away by the wasteland winds. Connor gestured to Walters, and the two of them pulled down their goggles and yanked up their bandannas covering their faces.

The Humans slipped out on foot; moving their way up.

The Terminators were moving around the vehicles. They seemed to be searching for something. But the dust caked over their skeletal feet and legs suggested that they'd been looking for a while.

Creeping their way up; the Humans paused when four more Terminators came out of the wrecked bus, apparently searching it too.

Walters tapped Connor and gestured up to the school bus. On the rusted empty roof was a row of Terminator skulls lines up, one after the other, over two dozen of them.

Connor smirked, like that was expected. "Let's see if we can add a few shall we?"

His radio clicked once. Then a pause. Then a second click. Connor nodded to Walters. They had handled small groups like this before, but knew better than to be cocky about it. One human casualty was a net victory to Skynet.

They came up shooting. One Terminator was instantly chewed up by their fire.

Every Terminator still standing spun and aimed, when suddenly from their flanks, up came Connor's fellow soldiers, taking advantage of the distraction started gunning down the Machines. It was a quick skirmish; lasting for seconds.

One Terminator survived the initial onslaught, and spun toward Connor...

BOOM!

...when the sound of a cannon going off suddenly echoed off the dust.

Every soldier froze, as the Terminator was suddenly decapitated; its steel skull went rolling as the body fell.

Connor and Walters spun around. The shot had come from behind them. And there, apparently come from nowhere; pointing the biggest most powerful looking handgun either soldier had ever seen, smoke still wafting from the barrel, was a man with ragged white hair waving out in every direction, except for a large bald patch on the top of his head. His body was in its seventies, an age made ancient by the world they were now in, his face was in its nineties, and a pair of feral eyes that were crazed and piercing.

He was dressed in a pair of khaki trousers, combat boots and a cargo vest. He had scars all over his bare visible torso, apparently unconcerned with the cold and the sun. He was missing three teeth and two fingers. He looked like a pirate that aged badly and he somehow seemed to swagger without moving.

Without lowering the gun, his eyes went straight to Connor. "You got big."

Without lowering his rifle, Connor glared back. "You got old."

The grizzled man gave a wolfish laugh that sent a chill through every soldier, and he swaggered up to them. "We heard you were heading this way. Figured it was worth a conversation. Thanks for calling ahead first. I've been talking you up to the others. Preaching the Gospel."

Connor sighed. "I wish you wouldn't call it that."

"Hey, you knew your mom. Introduce me." He still hadn't lowered the gun.

Neither had Connor. "First of all, where are your guys?"

"Everywhere."

Connor lowered his rifle. "Major Walters, this is Enrique Salceda. Green Beret." Connor introduced. "Enrique, this is Major Eric Walters, my second in Command."

"Eric?" Enrique seemed to think for a moment. "My father had a goat named Eric and we ate him."

Eric blinked. "Um... okay. Good to meet you."

Connor grinned. "ALL CLEAR!"

From the dust came five or six soldiers, jumping upright in a neat circle around the two of them. The grizzled man gave Connor a toothless grin and shouted something in rapid fire Spanish. From every wrecked car, every pile of debris, every mound of dust, came a soldier in a camouflage vest, each of them carrying a weapon.

And all of Enrique's men came to attention and saluted Connor.

For a moment, there was a hushed silence. And then Connor raised his voice, shouting in Spanish. "Welcome back to the Human race!"

The Bandits whooped and shrieked and cheered at the top of their lungs. Back at the road, the trucks rolled in, Kate and Carla the first ones out; the civilians followed; happily shaking hands and making introductions. It was always an event meeting new people. But the moment was tempered by the fact that the refugees had all met new people just a few weeks ago; and that was why they were on the road.

Connor saw these thoughts play through everyone that had come with him; most notably in his wife, who was carrying Sarah as usual. Connor waved Kate over. "Kate, I want you to meet an old friend of mine." Shouting that loud enough for some to hear would spread the word that these weren't strangers, but someone Connor had sought out specifically.

"We're friends?" Enrique mumbled, low enough that only Connor and Walters could hear him.

"Today we are." Connor mumbled back.

Walters turned. "So, how do you know Conn-"

Enrique walked straight past Walters and stepped up to Kate. "Hola seniorita, I am Enrique. And you are far too beautiful for this terrible world in which we live."

"Why thank you." Kate said politely. "I'm Kate Connor."

"My wife." Connor added.

Enrique's face froze briefly. "I... was speaking of the baby, she's gorgeous."

"Ha." Connor quipped.

Enrique grinned wolfishly. "So suspicious Connor. Course, if I was you, I would be." He let out a coyote laugh that raised the hairs on Kate's neck.

Connor smirked. "Enrique, what do you say we catch up? Is Yolanda with you?"

Enrique didn't turn. "She's dead."

Connor spun, shocked. "No!"

Enrique grinned wolfishly. "No, not really. But you should see your face." He laughed that coyote laugh again and everyone but Connor traded careful looks. "YOLANDA! BRING TEQUILA!"

Connor grinned. "Ahh, Enrique. I thought for sure you'd be dead by now."

"Last time I saw you, you were a punk ten year old with a leather jacket and in desperate need of a haircut." He gestured at Connor, up and down. "What the hell went wrong?"

Yolanda, ten years younger than Enrique; with generous curves, a big smile, hair down to her waist, and bottle in each arm came out of nowhere, as Enrique had and went to Connor. "Buenos Dias Johan!" She handed him the bottle. "Legal now!"

"Yolanda!" He took the bottle and gave her a warm hug. "Mm. Good to see you."

"Johnny boy, so cute in his uniform. Who is this?"

"My wife, Kate."

The older woman came over and took her hand. "You ever meet his mother?"

"No."

"Good. She was scary. Let me get a look at you." She looked Kate up and down. "Katia, you are far too good for him." She judged instantly. "He tricked you into it didn't he? He kidnapped you? Threw you in the back of a truck and wouldn't let you talk to anyone else till you agreed to marry him?"

"He did actually." Kate agreed, charmed.

Someone from Enrique's gang had pulled a guitar out of nowhere, and someone else had a harmonica. The bottles went from hand to hand and an impromptu party started up in the middle of nowhere.

Enrique snapped something Walters couldn't follow and Connor signaled Walters. A few of each little army split off to cover the outer perimeter, keeping watch.

Carla was pulled into a small group, who were doing some kind of Samba and Kate took the opportunity to slip over to John. "So, there's no reason to worry right? I mean, they're not really that crazy?"

"Well, can't speak for all of them, but Enrique is nuts. But I trust him."

"How much do you know about him?"

"He did two tours in Vietnam; was handed a Section Eight; came back and took up smuggling. My mom got her hooks into him and we stayed here a while."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Great." She said sarcastically. "When did you see him last?"

"When I was a kid during the second Terminator attack. We swung through here on our way to Mexico. And before that, when I was a kid. We left when I was about six." John laughed suddenly. "He was drunk as a skunk and chasing my mom around the compound with a pair of sheep shears."

"Why?" Kate asked, perturbed.

"We were breaking up at the time." Enrique explained, suddenly appearing beside Kate. "I tell ya John, your mom was the one and only time I ever broke rule four."

"What's rule four?" Kate asked.

John flushed. "Never go to bed with someone crazier than you."

Enrique nodded cheerfully. "And Dame Connor was seven of the craziest Section Eight women I ever met."

Kate simply stared as Enrique gave his howling coyote laugh again.

Connor grinned. "Enrique, you're scaring my wife. And me, just a little. Let's talk."

"Lets. We have much to discuss." Enrique nodded, turned to Kate, and waved his hand expansively. "Katia, help yourself to everything you see. Mi casa, is su casa."

Kate nodded, happy to have her daughter a little bit away from the crazy man.

Carla had broken away from her little dance group, with a big smile on her face, and saw Kate break off from her husband's little conference. She left the dancers and sidled up to her friend. "So. We staying?"

"Not for long, but I think the plan is to take them all with us." Kate said. "Crystal Peak may not be big enough for Enrique alone."

Carla chuckled. "How did Connor even find these guys?"

"Grew up here." Kate said absently. "He was about six or seven."

Carla reacted, much stronger than Kate would have expected. "You're kidding!"

Connor walked with Enrique, neither of them speaking loudly, not settling anywhere. "I knew you'd survive the blast; but I wasn't sure what you'd do after that." he shrugged. "And I don't know how much you remember from what mom was saying."

"You mom told me all about the future once when she worked up screaming. I poured half a dozen shots of tequila into her and she told me the whole thing. That was when we broke up."

"Yeah, I had that effect back then." Connor agreed.

Enrique grinned wolfishly. "After you showed up with your 'Uncle Bob', she warned us we had to get out. We did, but we didn't go far. Close enough to watch. The night you left to chase after your mom... a cop showed up on a motorcycle."

Connor tensed.

"He waded his way through all my guards; all my guns. I've killed most things that can kill you Connor, but this guy was... fragging scary."

Connor nodded. "I remember."

"Yeah, I bet you do. Anyway, he caught up to me at the edge of the compound. I was on the water tower; hacking away with a fifty cal, and he just kept coming. He lost limbs, had a hole through his head. No blood, no screams. He just didn't fall down. He came up close, raised the hand he had left, and fragging skewered me to the wall with one metal finger which somehow grew five feet long." He pulled his vest a bit to the side and Connor saw a small square scar under his collar bone, which turned into a jagged line off the edge of his torso. "And then he asked which way you went."

"What did you tell it?"

Enrique grinned hellishly. "Connor, I ain't been that psyched since Khe Sanh. I gave him nothing. Instead, I shoved a grenade into one of the fifty cal bullet holes I made and rolled off the tower. Don't know how I lived. Must have sliced halfway through my torso to get free. To say nothing of a twenty foot drop into a cactus. But I lived. I managed to stay conscious just long enough to see the steel Diablo walk out of the fire. Not a scratch on him." Enrique shrugged. "Yolanda told me that he found one of the kids. He didn't do anything. Just asked which way you went. The kid was four years old. Didn't know what the hell was happening. He pointed to the road. The fragging thing actually thanked the kid for his help and went north. Did it find you?"

"Yeah. We killed it."

Enrique looked at him, stunned. "I... you killed it?"

"That night, in fact."

Enrique threw back his head and let out a long howling laugh. "ALL HAIL THE SKYNET SLAYER!"

Some of Enrique's men were within earshot and raised their omnipresent bottles of booze. "Hail!" A laugh went up at the over the top gesture; and the party continued with a few more smiles.

Kyle heard it and added his own voice to the cheer. "Hail!" He shouted with them, and had no idea what it meant.

One of Enrique's men saw it; and waved Kyle over with a smile. "I'm Hernan. How old are you kid?"

Kyle shrugged. "Eight or nine I think..."

Hernan grinned and handed him a bottle. "Here. Make a man outta your liver at least."

Kyle took the bottle, slugged back a drink, unaware; and he promptly fell straight to his knees, spluttering and hacking.

Hernan cackled heartlessly.

"Madurar Hernan." A young voice snapped in Spanish, and Kyle looked up through watering eyes to see a pretty young girl his age with olive skin and black hair, dressed in a dark red dress, which was somehow clean. She reached down and pushed his messy hair back of his eyes. "You okay down there?"

"You're beautiful." Kyle said suddenly.

The girl smiled wonderfully. "I'm Lupe."

"Lupe." Kyle repeated dumbly, drawing the name over three syllables.

Hernan cackled. "He's either drunk already, or struck by the thunderbolt!"

Lupe ignored the adults. She held out a hand to Kyle. "Nice to meet you."

"Anyway, I figured after that then maybe your mom wasn't crazy. Or at least, she was crazy, but she wasn't wrong. I had some time to think after that. I figured out her whole plan. She was a waitress. Then you come along; and she has to get you ready, so she finds some guy who knows about guns and smuggling and whatever else. And she found me. Then and she wraps her legs around me long enough so that you can learn everything you need, then she moves on; and takes you with her."

"Next guy after you was a Chess Grandmaster. You should see me with a chessboard now."

Enrique smirked darkly and waved over to one of his men, who threw a bottle, over hand, to where Enrique could catch it with practiced ease. "Well, to Skynet, to your mom; and to the future. Fragged if they can't take a joke." He threw back a shot from the bottle and handed it over to Connor; who quickly raised it in returning the toast.

Enrique noticed Kate coming up and quickly wound up the conversation. "Well, for what it's worth, I liked you a lot more than you thought I did."

"Likewise." Connor agreed, as Kate rejoined them. "Kate, I'm gonna stick here with Eric and talk to Enrique, figure out his next move. You take the others and head on to Crystal Peak, make sure the place is free of our metal marines before the civilians arrive."

"Are you sure? If the…"

"Enrique's guys can handle our security."

Kate gave the ex-green beret a jaded look. "Okay, if you're sure."

"Hold on!" Enrique said. "You're taking her along?"

Kate started. The grizzled man was pointing at baby Sarah. "Uh... yes? The road's clear."

"Yeah, but if you're setting up something big it's going to be all hands on deck. You sure you can spare a hand to keep carrying a baby around?"

John nodded. "You can leave Sarah here with me Kate. We'll look after her."

Kate was floored. She was not going to leave her daughter here with this lunatic.

No. A little traitorous voice said in her head. You're leaving your daughter here with her father.

Swallowing the first thought that came to mind, Kate nodded evenly and handed the baby over.

Once she was gone, Enrique leaned over. "You named her Sarah? That's a hell of a name to lay on someone so young."

Connor noticed the way his wife was marching toward the nearest truck, reaching out and dragging Carla by the collar to follow her without breaking stride. "Enrique, maybe you should stay a little bit away from the baby until Kate's outta sight."

Yolanda appeared from nowhere at John's side. "I gave him the same warning about you when your mom was here."

Enrique laughed that hysterical coyote laugh again as Yolanda leaned over John's shoulder and stroked the sleeping baby gently.

"Okay, like this." Lupe said and slowly moved her feet, as the guitar music continued.

Kyle, still a little tongue-tied, tried to mimic the movement. "Sorry. I've never danced before."

"Really?" Lupe beamed. "Well you're not bad." She said, put one hand on his shoulder and did it again. "Now like this."

Kyle swallowed and tried to play out the dance steps again, without treading on her toes.

"Don't be so shy. Everyone treads on toes the first few times." Lupe said softly. "Don't let fear hold you back."

Oldham, Lisa, Sherrin, Carla and Kate had taken the first truck and headed off at full speed for Crystal Peak, the soldiers and the civilians following at a slower pace, pausing for breaks and staying together.

Kate and Sherrin were in the front, the rest of them in the back; waiting out the trip, and passing a bottle of homemade tequila that had been put in their hands during the impromptu party; which was probably still going back the way they came.

Oldham grinned. "He was a child. He actually came from somewhere. He didn't just appear, fully Connor."

"I know!" Carla quipped. "I always thought he was the last survivor of the planet Krypton, landing just after J-Day..."

A general laugh went around the truck.

Kate poked her head through the window from the cab of the truck and came into the conversation on the end of their laughter. "What are we talking about?"

"Your husband." Carla responded.

"And you're all laughing?"

Oldham swallowed. "You had to be there."

"Okay." Kate dismissed it. "In any event, we're almost there."

"Any sign of Connor's Metal Marines?"

"We just passed the outer perimeter. We'll be there soon."

"They were supposed to wave us down if there was trouble right?"

"Right. Looks like the way is clear." Kate agreed, facing forward again.

"Assuming the Machines aren't waiting in ambush for us." Carla commented under her breath.

"Connor's Metal have checked all the rooms right?" Lisa asked.

"You want to take their word for it?"

Lisa shrugged. "Why not? They only work for whoever they're programmed to work for. They work for us now." She shrugged again. "At least, that's what Connor says."

Connor and Walters had followed Enrique back to the burned out school bus. Once inside, Enrique slid one of the seats aside, revealing a panel hidden underneath. He pulled out a lock-box full of papers. He unrolled the largest page. It was a map. It was covered in markings.

"I have guys with CB Radios spread out as far as I dare." Enrique explained. "Near as we can figure, they have the country divided off in blocks. One factory for each block; churning out the Humanoids. Their big machines are guarding the factories; they patrol in rotations."

Connor and Walters nodded. That was the standard tactic.

"I was debating whether or not to start hitting them, but the fact was, I doubt I could have kept them out if they came to complain." Enrique explained. "We're between two factories here. They've been over this area a hundred times, but never really found us. When we heard you were coming, we started clearing out their grunts."

Connor was looking at the maps. "Where are the two factories?"

Enrique pointed to the map. "Here and here."

"Eric, take the 201st, and split it. I want both groups in strike range when I get to Crystal Peak. We've got better communications equipment there. I can keep in communication with both groups."

"Yessir."

"Enrique, do you have working vehicles enough for everyone?"

The older man grinned maniacally and gestured out over the wasteland full of wrecked jeeps. "They're all working Connor. Don't let appearances fool you. And most of my people are always mobile. We're gypsies that don't move. We live out of our car trunks."

"Wait a second." Walters asked. "Maybe with us hitting the factories in the area it's not safe to stay here; but who says you're coming with us?"

"Welcome to Crystal Peak!" Kate said cheerfully.

"A month on the move. Longest road trip I've ever taken." Carla groaned lightly.

"What the heck happened to the door?" Sherrin asked first thing out of the jeep.

Kate smiled secretly. The wreckage from their first entrance to the mountain had been impossible to move by the two of them when they left, but they made sure to collect the Terminator wreckage before they left, in perpetration for this moment. "Nothing that we have to worry about." She went to the control box and twisted a few wires, hoping she remembered how John did it correctly. There was a quick spark, and the huge blast door started to move.

The loud grind of the metal gears seemed ready to vibrate everyone apart; but they all looked in awe at the huge door as it moved, showing them the way in.

Kate took the lead, guiding the first group in the door. "Now, I hate to leave the door open, but the fact is, if we wear out the gears, I doubt we'll ever get anyone in or out again. Oldham, set up a guard schedule, and make sure the guards all know how to get the door open or closed till we can fix that box properly."

"Yes Ma'am."

"Carla, I'm putting you in charge of the Medical staff and supplies till John gets here. I'll show you where to set up."

"Yes Ma'am."

"Gould, I don't think we've got an electronics workshop set up yet, so I'll put in you in the communications room first. There's plenty of storage rooms we can convert, but until we get something permanent, I want your techies giving our radios whatever kind of upgrades you can. The antenna, the equipment, all of it is Cold War Era."

"I'll see what I can do." Gould promised.

"Dex, I want you to-" Kate broke off and winced suddenly. One or two sets of eyes went to Carla, who did not visibly react one bit.

Kate cleared her throat. "Lisa, you and Sherrin will set up a roster for the showers and the dorms. Half go pick a rack, the other half can grab a shower once they get here... There are plenty of them, but I don't know how many people we'll have before this is over."

Lisa raised a hand awkwardly. "Excuse me Ma'am, but I'm KP. Shouldn't I be setting up the kitchens?"

"Well, you will. At least for today. The Dorms wont take long. But bear this in mind: You were KP in the US Army Lisa, you're Tech-Com now. Who knows where you'll end up? You were there in the Main Tunnel of the Underground; and from what I could see; you were pretty good with a plasma-rifle."

Lisa flushed. "Thank you ma'am."

The elevator reached the lower levels and Kate opened the door, leading the way. "Now, straight down here we have the main auditorium; including the Communications Console. Down the left tunnel is the storage rooms and the equipments rooms, we'll get to those later."

Kate felt oddly like a teacher with a class on a field trip as everyone kept pace with her, carefully looking around as she directed their attention to various things. They seemed interested, even excited. It was rare to have excitement in the air, and Kate loved it. Crystal Peak had people in it. Not just two weary refugees, chosen by destiny to fall in love, but people. And soldiers no less.

"Down this corridor here, we have the Dorms, and the showers. Latrines, laundry; if it requires a lot of plumbing, it's in this block here. Now, the Dorms are split up into the Officers Quarters, the VIP rooms, the Presidential suites and the main dorms, which is basically a bunch of-" Kate was suddenly aware that she was alone. "Where'd everyone go?"

Kate's 'Class' was in the shower block, gathered around the nearest shower stall. Oldham had a roll of toilet paper clutched in his hand like a magic talisman. The look on their faces was disturbingly intense as Carla reached out with a trembling hand and turned the knob.

Instantly a stream of hot water rained down from the shower-head, and steam started to build.

A chorus of cheers and laughter rang out. Plumbing was something special to these people after so long. The soldiers had been on manoeuvrers and had to stay in the wilderness for over a year till they could set up the Alamo, and even then, heating water enough to shower was near impossible. All attempts to rig one that worked according to a Pre-J-Day standard had failed miserably. To be in an actual washroom, with dozens of showers lined up, working toilets on the other side of the wall, washing machines lined up on the other side of the showers…

"Does that mean these toilets flush?"

"Yes." Kate called from the door in mock disapproval.

Everyone came to attention quickly, feeling like they'd been caught stealing. Carla turned the shower off quickly.

"Now everybody move." Kate commanded. "We've got half the known population of the country coming for dinner."

Walters turned and glared at the grizzled man. "Look, no offense mister. But who says we want you on board?" He demanded. "Tech-Com has no age limit; and no call to bounce you for... previous discharges. But based on what I'm looking at... We live Underground. You seem like a cave-in risk. And you've got your own setup, so you don't need to join us. You don't strike me as the type to join up any more."

"I was slitting throats in the jungle before you were out of your crib Major." Enrique fired back. "Don't you tell me I don't answer the call to duty."

"But why us? We aren't US Military. Not anymore."

Enrique glanced at Connor. "I knew his mom."

Walters stared. "That's it?"

"If you met my mom, you'd understand." Connor said quietly.

Kyle grinned at that.

Connor let his second list all the arguments. Walters knew that Connor, and by extension Tech-Com, would not turn anybody away. But somebody had to say it; had to make it clear that Enrique could not rest on his personal connections to The General for his place among them. "Okay. So why should we bring you on board?" Walters demanded. "You've got a lot of people. There's only so much to go around. What can you offer that's worth the trouble you're almost certainly going to bring?"

Enrique gave a wily look. "Well, I could offer you US Dollars. We've got millions here; we've been using hundred dollar bills ever since the toilet paper ran out... or if you like there's a gold mine about..."

"Enrique." Connor chided him.

"JOSE!" Enrique shrieked suddenly. "OPEN THE BUNKER!"

Sarah woke up and started screaming.

Enrique's eye widened and his eyebrows rose, completely mortified. "Oh, jeeze, sorry John! Sorry Sarah! I didn't..."

Yolanda took Sarah gently from Connor and smacked Enrique upside the head with her other hand. "Meathead!" She snapped at him, switching straight back to maternal and gentle by the time she had turned to Connor. "I got this Johnny."

Connor nodded gratefully at that. Over toward the burned out looking vehicles, one of Enrique's men waved at them and headed a few feet to his left, before reaching down to the dirt and pulling up a chain, that had gone unnoticed, buried in the dust. Jose, and several others lined up on the chain and pulled at the same time; filling the air with the sound of grinding metal on stone.

Connor, Enrique and their entourage's all went over to take a look, and Connor felt his jaw drop. The underground bunker was full to the top with rich black soil.

"Eh?" Enrique grinned. "Worth something to you?"

"Is it... is it still good?" Connor asked.

Enrique already had a soil test kit in his hand. Walters pulled a Geiger counter at the same time and they all ran their tests. The soil was fine.

"After J-Day, I had all my guys start digging up the soil before the fallout came. We emptied out half my bunkers, poured all the dirt in, and then we went into the other bunkers while the fallout dust came down, and we crossed our fingers and waited for the rains to come wash it all out. We've been growing food in tubs for a while now. And that's not even counting the weapons, explosives, vehicles, spare parts, manpower, salvage from a hundred miles in every direction..."

"I've heard enough." Connor grinned like a shark. "Enrique. Join me. And bring your Bandits with you."

Enrique grinned savagely. He was just waiting for the Call to Duty. "Who am I to deny The Great John Connor?"

Kate stared in horror. The hydroponics bay that she and Connor had set up; was dead. Every row filled with rotting plants and dry soil. The water had gone stagnant. The plants were dead.

Kate stared. "John fixed the water flow and the lights... so that the plants would grow slowly. He picked perennials... plants that had a life cycle so that there wouldn't have to be anyone here to replant them." She licked her lips. "We worked for a year on these bays." She looked at Sherrin. "All of them?"

"No. Not all. But at least half. Maybe a few more."

Kate let out a low moan and turned to head out of the storage rooms. "We checked everything. We put in redundancy for power failures, leakages..."

Sherrin gestured back at the room. "Looks like the timed ones didn't work. Some of the fuses burned out, the heavy lights were on timers..."

"The fuses burn out, the lights go off, the pumps never get switched on..." Kate rubbed her eyes. "Hell."

Carla looked around worriedly. "What does this mean for us?"

Kate quickly schooled her face. "Well, for now it means we're back on tinned rations I'm afraid. It's a shame. John had this big feast planned."

Sherrin shrugged. "Food's food."

Lisa glared at him and turned to Kate. "Permission to go inventory the tinned supplies Ma'am?"

Sherrin back pedalled. "And with our talented KP staff on duty, we'll have a great big feast yet."

"Permission Granted." Kate put in.

Lisa and Sherrin took off.

Carla smirked at Kate. "She trained him pretty quick, didn't she?" The smile dropped. "So when I asked you what the Hydroponics loss meant for us, what was the real answer?"

Kate sighed. "I don't know how many people are coming. What was the headcount after everyone came after LA and San Jose?"

"Thousands, at least. With Enrique's people, probably more."

Kate gestured around the base. "Crystal Peak was supposed to be a Command and Control Center. A place for the President and his staff, plus some essential supplies for the rest of the country. It was never intended to be a refugee center. It was meant to be a few hundred people working communications. This is something different."

"Will we have enough?"

"The tinned supplies were meant to feed hundreds for years. John and I kept to the stuff we grew as best we could. Crystal Peak had plenty of container garden supplies and vacuum sealed seeds."

"Enough that we can regrow?"

"Sure, but that takes time. Time for things to grow; time for fruit and veg to ripen... The real thing is that the seeds need to germinate. We can harvest the seeds to grow again, but do that too early, and the seeds are no good."

Carla grinned at her. "Well listen to you, Ma Nature."

Kate shrugged. "We had a lot of time to learn this stuff."

"And do some other stuff I'm sure." Carla smirked.

Kate knuckled her shoulder. "Actually, not till the night before we left this place."

"Really?"

"I was engaged to someone else when J-day broke out. John was... respectful."

"And you?"

"I figured he had more important things to worry about."

"I wouldn't have let that keep me away for a year." Carla pointed out.

Kate was torn. She trusted Carla, and she'd wanted to confide in someone about the life she found herself in from the first time she met a Terminator...

"John..." Kate started, then changed her mind and started again. "John was on the radio, talking to Eric, making plans, giving orders. I figured that with the world at war, and John being put in charge... I wanted him to keep his eye on the ball. I couldn't distract him. Not even when I fell in love with him. When we got ready to leave… the prospect of being around other people for the first time made us face up to it."

Carla smiled sadly. "It worked out though."

"Turns out we were better together than apart."

Carla smiled sadly again.

Kate flushed. "Oh. Sorry Carla, I didn't even think."

"S'okay."

Kate debated for a moment whether to push it or not. "Y'know, we've been on the road for weeks. We never really got a chance to talk about it. You and Dex."

"I don't know that I have anything to say." Carla rubbed her eyes. "It's... It's what you said. The world came apart. Now is not the time to get your brain in a twist over a guy."

"Why not?" Kate asked. "Can you think of a more important time to feel loved?"

Carla looked down. "Like Lisa and Sherrin?"

"I honestly don't know what to make of them." Kate admitted. "It's more like pure survival instinct than any real affection. Hey, people have lived with worse."

Carla nodded. "I know. And Dex... He was great. So much better than pure survival. But now... now I don't want what you have with Connor."

"You don't?"

"I don't. Because as happy as you two are, I cannot shed the thought that if something happened to you… or god forbid, to him... I've had to get past that with my kids, with my husband, with my parents, with my brother, with my niece, with Dex. God Kate... I want to survive. If something comes along that's better than that, quite frankly, I don't think I could handle it. I want what Lisa and Sherrin have. I can make do. Survivors survive."

Kate's radio buzzed. "Connor here." Kate called back.

"Ma'am, we've got the inventory of supplies. Obviously, it hadn't changed since you and The General left." Sherrin reported. "Lisa wants to know if we're rationing."

"Negative. Not tonight." Kate said. Tonight was meant to be a party.

The trucks rolled into Crystal Peak that night. The civilians came first, and then the soldiers, Tech-Com and Bandit alike.

Connor quickly came to the front of the crowd, and the door opened as he approached. He turned his back on it and smiled winningly at the crowd as they pressed their way through the warehouse-like entrance toward the blast door. "Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to Crystal Peak."

The crowd whooped and applauded as the blast door raised enough to left everyone in. Kate was there too; sidling out of the base toward her husband. "Dinner's up in a few hours. Head toward the elevators." She called to everyone.

Connor took his wife in a tight hug; though they had only been apart twelve hours. They looked at each other warmly, suddenly the only two people in the world, standing at the door to Crystal Peak. Kate said it first. "Home at last."

"Yeah."

"Hey Connor?" Enrique broke in on the tender moment. "Where the hell did the two crashed helicopters come from?"

Connor and Kate traded a small secret smile and Connor's radio clicked. "Connor here."

"This is Gould. We have contact with Strike One and Strike Four. Is there a directive?"

"Swoop." Connor gave the code-word.

"Roger that."

Connor turned to Kate. "I have to get down there."

"No you don't." Enrique directed. "They'll have to travel a bit to get to your targets. Walters isn't a moron. Get some rest." He turned to Kate. "You go with him. Keep him in bed for a while." He burst out with his coyote laugh.

Kate turned to her husband, pointedly facing away from him. "Actually, we do have another problem."

"Only one?"

"The hydroponics bay went bust. Some of the fuses blew."

"No survivors?"

"About three out of ten hydroponics bays made it."

John nodded, unconcerned. "We knew that could happen. Tinned supplies still good?"

"Well… yeah, but how long are they going to last out?"

Connor grinned at Enrique. "Long enough. We have something better than recycled water coming in. We've got actual dirt."

"We'll have to go back for it." Enrique agreed. "Don't worry. the hatches are all camouflaged, the bunkers are lead lined."

"We can rig some of our water tankers to handle dirt for one trip." Connor said. "Enrique, make sure we have somewhere to put it till we can start using it."

Kate just looked at him. "Okay. Dirt. Good. But not enough to regrow-"

"Enough to regrow and then some." Enrique promised.

"It's on the way Kate. We'll be able to start growing quickly. Was it just the fuses or have we lost the lights as well?"

"Just the fuses."

"Great! We can grow faster that they ever would outside."

Kate was relieved. "I was expecting… I don't know."

"You thought this was a big disaster?"

"More mouths to feed and less food to go around."

"Hey lady, we didn't come here with nothing but a begging bowl." Enrique snapped.

"Right." Kate agreed. "You brought dirt too."

Enrique gave Kate an electric glare, which she had no trouble returning. Connor suddenly tensed, realizing that this was not playful banter. "It'll be tight." He said aloud. "But with what Enrique's people brought and their supply lines from down south, plus the extra hands to rebuild it all; we're still a few meals ahead of starvation. That's all we need for now."

"Kate!" Susan yelled. "Help!"

Kate spun toward the convoy, seeing her friend staggering down from the troop carrier, with the help of two soldiers, clutching at her pregnant belly. "My water broke!"

Kate took off toward the convoy, helping Susan down toward the elevator. "Outta the way!"

The crowd let them through, and they headed into the elevators.

"JOSE! HERNAN!" Enrique bellowed.

The two men in question went running over to Susan, and essentially carried her prone to the entrance, pushing their way through the crowds mercilessly.

Kate had taken Susan down to the Medbay. One or two of Enrique's people had medical training. There had been young children at the Bandit's compound, and they had experience at delivering babies.

The rest of the crowd came down into the main auditorium. It was an area that Kate and John did not spend a lot of time in; given that it seemed to exaggerate how lonely the place could get when it was just them.

The kitchen staff worked overtime in a short burst of overjoyed adrenaline. Tin after tin; tray after tray. The first meal in a new home, safe and secure, even a little plush and comfortable.

Kate and her little troop had come in early to get the lights on and the equipment working. When the rest of them arrived, they quickly congregated at the washrooms and then the Dorms, jockeying for position. A good portion of them wanted the first hot water shower; while others wanted the most comfortable beds.

There was a buzz of activity that for once did not have the constant undercurrent of fear. And it was wonderful to hear.

Kate came into the main auditorium; and looked around in disbelief. There was a party going on! Tables and benches were put around, the food stacked high. Trays had been all but abandoned as the center of the room became practically a dance floor. Music being played, people being pulled to their feet. Couples were over out of the way doing everything from sitting together and watching to making out drunkenly. Food was piled high on tables, being passed around along with the bottles of moonshine.

Connor was unobtrusively at the door, watching the whole event with a smile on his face. Kate went over and joined him, leaning into him happily. "Well, first baby born in Crystal Peak. A healthy boy. Susan's asleep. Told us to save her some tequila. She's been pregnant for most of the last two years. Long time without a cocktail." She leaned in a little closer. "I have missed this place."

John smiled. "Me too." He leaned down a little. "Sarah safely squared away?"

"Snoozing as we speak." Kate shivered pleasantly. "Eric checked in yet?"

"Still traveling. We've got a few hours at least." John smirked. "I doubt anyone will come looking for us till then. Who would miss the first party we've had in years?"

"I'll say." Kate gestured out at the party. "How did you get all this done so fast?" She asked in amazement.

"I didn't." John said honestly. "Enrique got his people organized; went through every room pulling out benches, tables. They had the whole place organized in an hour."

"What?" Kate said in shock, the mood shattering in an instant.

"What?" Connor reacted, taken aback.

"Every room?" Kate grated. "You mean they had the run of the base?"

"Kate, they've signed on. One or two of them didn't want to leave their families back near the border, they stayed. Enrique has them all on side. I told him about Dyson, I told him about Whickham. Enrique's not an idiot. He knows he's got some bridges to build, and some jaded people to win over."

"He'll have a lot more on his side if he decides he doesn't want us taking up space. I still can't believe you let them in with the rifles. They may use bullets but slug-throwers can kill John." Her voice had grown as intense as her glare.

Connor glared back at her. "Honey, if we're going to have this fight, can we not do it in front of the kids? It just scares the hell out of them when we fight."

Kate glanced over and noticed a few people watching the two of them from the corner of their eyes. "Fine."

The Presidential Suite was about the same as they remembered it, right down to the plastic flowers on the table that had probably been there for a good sixty years now. Kate was annoyed at the fact that Enrique had run of the base, but was outright angry about the fact that they were coming into this room for the first time since their wedding night to have an argument.

The second the door shut, Connor fired. "You know what Kate, I don't know what got your fur up about Enrique, but-"

"Don't know? He's a freaking Looney Tune!" Kate exclaimed.

"And he's the first friend of mine you've ever met!" John snapped. "In fact, he may be the closest thing to a living in-law you'll ever find."

Kate was caught unawares at that. "I didn't realize you two were so close."

"We aren't. He tried to feed me a baby snake once for fun! But I don't exactly have a long list in that regard, so I take what I can get. Kate, he's my friend. He's one of the few people who know the whole story about me and my life-"

"So was Danny Dyson!" Kate interrupted.

That shut John up, and he leaned forward, keeping his cool. "That was different. Enrique… He's stronger. He may act crazy, and he is, but it's the kind of crazy we need. It's the kind of crazy that keeps you from going nuts. He was like that when I was six years old, and if a nuclear war couldn't change him because of the way he acts, then the way he acts is fine with me." He fixed a subzero glare on her. "And I wouldn't talk about adoptive family being dangerous."

That one caught Kate unawares, though she knew it shouldn't have. "I know." She said, calmer now by force of sheer willpower. "But John, that's my point. You're letting this lunatic into everything we have left, in return for which he's offering you a lot of dirt."

"A lot of good dirt! And he thought to save it! Good dirt Kate!"

Kate stared at him. "Look, obviously that means something to you that it doesn't mean to me. I'm aware how useful it is for growing, but-"

"You want me to spell it out for you?"

"Oh please do."

"After Chernobyl, they estimated that the radiation would last in that area for forty eight thousand years! What do you think will happen after J-Day? I'm frankly amazed that the atmosphere still has enough left to keep us breathing! Crystal Peak has seeds Kate. Seeds and soil nutrients; all of them vacuum sealed. But even oak trees need dirt to grow in, and every scrap of land that we don't run over with tanks and troop carriers is radioactive now! He's got good dirt. Clean dirt. Black, rich, deep, non-radioactive, non-baked, non-blood soaked soil that you can plant a seed in and it will grow. Once this war is over, we're all of us farmers. Because the entire base is being fed by hydroponics that does not grow in dirt, but in recycled water. Our daughter will never see a jungle. Or a forest. If she's very lucky, she may live long enough to see one of those oak seeds grow halfway tall, but the fact is that even after Skynet's gone, there's an awful lot of work to do. And before any of it can be done, before any of it can be started… we're going to need soil. We're starting all over again, starting with trying to create DIRT under our feet before we can start with anything else. And even the dirt under our feet is in short supply now."

Kate was left staring, stunned into silence. She sat down hard on the edge of the desk. It simply had not occurred to her. Every tree had burned, at least in the northern hemisphere. "Y… Your mom taught you all of this?"

"When I was nine years old. She told me that the Earth is breathing, summer to winter. The majority of the forest land is above the equator, but so were the nuclear powers, so those forests would be gone by day one. During the summer months, those trees grew the most. Oxygen levels rose. During the winter, those trees went dormant, temperatures dropped, and carbon dioxide rose. Summer comes again, the oxygen levels start rising. And now those forests are all nuked out of existence. The Earth is out of breath Kate."

"W…" She swallowed. "We could just walk outside one day and there would be no oxygen left?"

"Skynet doesn't need to breathe or eat, so why would it matter to the Machines?"

Kate let out a low moan. "I… How do we fight that? I never even thought…"

John nodded. "I did. And mom did. And Enrique did."

Kate nodded slowly. Both of them were silent a long moment.

"Forty eight thousand years?" Kate repeated numbly.

"You understand that's the majority of the radiation. We may not be able to live there or grow there, but we could start walking around in some of those places for short periods after 900 years or so."

"Oh, well, that's a relief." Kate chuckled sickly.

Numb silence.

"Algae actually processes co2 better than trees do in small spaces. Co2 concentrations in the Underground were getting worrying just before we left, so I showed some of Whickham's guys how to grow Algae in tanks, make scrubbers. If it comes to that, we could probably live completely underground. With Terminator cells for power, hydroponics that don't need soil…"

"Please stop talking now."

John was silent while Kate processed.

Finally he spoke. "We could do it Kate. Survivors survive."

Numb silence.

"I want Sarah to know what trees are John. Promise me. If you promise me, I'll believe you. Promise me we can put it back."

"Not all of it, but we will."

"Not all of it?"

"Maybe some day in half a million years or so, everything will be back to normal. But before that… Until then we're collecting dirt that isn't irradiated; and we're growing food in big jars and we're collecting condensation from the lights to keep them hydrated, and we're harvesting every scrap of garbage and animal dung we can use for compost and we're making soil live again, one block at a time. Enrique has his guys raising fish in big sealed tanks, and we can live off that as long as we let them keep breeding. If the oceans heal, we can try and introduce them back into the wild. And we're getting seeds from the plants we grow hydroponically, and if we can get enough good soil together, we can start growing the plants outside. Another year and the sun will come back. If we can last out the harsh weather, we can make things grow Kate. Including trees."

"And we won't cut them down this time." Kate swore, getting just a little frantic. "Not until they grow big. Lots of them. Lots of branches, lots of leaves, big and green..."

"Until then, we have algae to scrub the air underground, and we have tanks full of stuff to feed our people."

Kate could feel her hands shaking a little, and gripped the edge of the table she was sitting on tightly. "Will it be enough?"

"As long as the war lasts, it will."

"As long as it lasts?" Kate could feel another ghastly layer adding to the problems of the world. Her hands were still shaking, but now there was something cold growing in her stomach at the thoughts her husband was putting into her mind.

"The war is population control. There's not enough to go around; not enough food, or water or medicine, or oxygen. But Skynet's keeping our numbers down. Once this war ends, we'll need strict controls to keep from overpopulating. It was a problem when we still had farms and supermarkets and freezers and preservatives Kate, what do you think it'll be now? Some of the people who came along are talking about places where people are eating each other!"

"Oh god." Kate whispered. Was it even worth surviving? Would it be more merciful to go downstairs and strangle Sarah right now? She hated herself horribly for even having it flit across her mind.

Connor was still talking, laying out the future of times to come. "The world can't handle more than a few million of us any more-"

"Stop talking." Kate whispered, so low that she couldn't hear her own voice. Connor didn't hear.

"-and we're going to be somewhere between salvaged libraries, powered by Terminator heart fusion battery technology based around a medieval society for at least the next few thousand-"

Kate lunged off the desk and kissed him savagely, at first just to stop him talking, and then she just couldn't seem to stop herself. Connor returned it and tasted blood from his own bruised lips as Kate kept it going, digging her fingers into his back; clawing him against her tightly. John hugged her back so hard that it hurt, and Kate was glad to feel the pain. It was an embrace devoid of love, or comfort, or anything positive at all.

When the need for air got desperate, they broke at last and Kate put her face into his neck; out of breath, out of patience, a little bit out of her mind. "I don't want to think about this any more." Kate rasped out. "I... I want... I don't know, but I want."

They stayed like that for a minute, clinging to each other tightly, until Kate slowly drew him back toward their bed.

The crowd had settled from the party and gotten their food; low rations giving them little endurance. There was plenty of food for once, being handed out liberally. Enrique's Bandits had essentially invaded, taking places at every table, shaking hands, telling jokes. Connor's faithful were a little leery after what had happened the last time they welcomed new people into their ranks.

The Bandits had heard about this little detail in minutes, and had an almost natural ability to put people at ease. Unlike any other survivors that anyone had met thus far, these people had an air of playfulness about them. They laughed with each other; they talked more often that absolutely necessary.

And they had music. They had flutes and harmonicas and guitars; and music had sprung up almost naturally around Crystal Peak.

A change was as good as a holiday, and the refugees of the underground allowed themselves to be spirited away from their troubles for one night, carried away by the food laid out, the music played here and there, the laughter between Enrique's people…

Kyle was looking around awkwardly, when he saw her. "Hi."

She turned and saw him. Lupe smiled. "Hi Kyle."

"I was wondering if..." He gestured over his shoulder. "Me and my friends… they call us the Tunnel Rats; and we usually sort of eating together… if you wanted to eat with us…"

"Are you scared of me?" Lupe asked suddenly.

"No?" Kyle said quietly.

"I'm glad." Lupe said happily. "Lots of people are scared of me."

"Why?"

Lupe was silent.

"Come on." Kyle pressed.

Lupe looked around the room full of laughing and talking people as though expecting to be overheard, then leaned in and whispered into Kyle's ear. "Porque mi abuelo muy alarmante."

"I don't speak… whatever." Kyle said, feeling foolish.

"It is Spanish. It is a very beautiful language." Lupe said. "I could teach you."

Kyle felt like he'd won the lottery.

She reached out and grabbed a hand. "I'm looking for a hiding place. Want to help me look?"

Kyle nodded instantly. "Yes."

Carla watched as the kids both headed off with a jaded eye.

"Your son?"

Carla turned. One of Enrique's men had sidled up to her. "No. Not mine. His name's Kyle. One of the Tunnel Rats."

The man smirked. "I'm Paco."

"Carla."

"If he's not yours, you might want to track down his real parents."

"Why?"

"Because the little lady he's slipping off with is Enrique's granddaughter."

Carla burst out laughing. "Well, I don't think he has parents any more. The closest thing is Connor. He's sort of the General's Pet."

Paco burst out laughing too. "I wonder if we shouldn't warn him."

"Think it would matter?"

"Well, there's another option."

"What's that?"

Paco grinned. "We both go get drunk together and see what happens."

Carla seemed to consider that. "I got another idea."

"What's that?"

"We go see what the beds are like, and then come back get drunk afterward and see what happens."

His eyebrows rose significantly. They would hardly be the only couple pairing up. "You married?"

"Nope."

"Planning to be?"

"Not since we left LA." Carla said, not at all offended by the questions.

Paco grinned. "So. Attractive, on the rebound and a nurse. You're exactly my kind of girl."

Kyle and Lupe had made their way through the base, looking over all the small nooks that a small child could slip into, where an adult or a Terminator could not. They had found one in a storage space under a staircase. They slipped into the dark spot and curled up there for a while.

"Why are we hiding?" Kyle asked finally. He knew the reason. Most of his fellow Tunnel Rats had done something similar, but he didn't know what else to say. For the first time in a long time, silence seemed awkward.

"Well, mom said I was safe at my first home. Then the bombs came. Then I was safe if I stayed in the jeep, then the Machines came. Then I was safe as long as I stayed close to my grandfather back at the Compound. But then he said it was safer with your convoy, wherever you were going. There's a whole lot of safe in the world. None of it does any good."

Kyle thought about that. "My mom and brother got sick after the bombs. They told me I had to go find somewhere safe. I lasted two weeks before I got caught." He held out an arm, and showed her his barcode.

Lupe stared at it, having never seen one before. "Does it hurt?"

"Not any more." Kyle said, telling his story, as every seven year old kid knew how to do. "When I was at the camp, there was one man who stood up and told us to be brave, and to be strong. He said that there were no safe places left; so we had to make them happen. Everywhere the Machines reached for us, he just helped us go a little farther. We're safe here. Because he's here with us."

Lupe looked at him, her eyes as big as saucers. "Who is he?"

Kyle grinned. "His name is Connor. John Connor."

Lupe smiled. "They talk about him. The grownups. They say he knew J-Day was coming. They say his mother was the bravest, strongest warrior who ever lived. My Grandfather was talking about him to everyone when we heard his voice on the radio. They say he knows Skynet. They say he was... Blessed. They say he Knows things."

Kyle nodded. "He does."

Lisa had a cup in each hand, and she made her way back to Sherrin, who had his back to the wall, as a number of soldiers preferred to do. "Mighty fine shindig." She called cheerfully. Her southern accent came through only when very happy or very angry.

"Shindig? There's a word that went out of style with 'cotillion' and 'hootenanny'"

Lisa handed him a cup, swatted him with her now free hand and sat down, leaning back against him smoothly, her back to his chest.

Sherrin put an arm around her waist and took a sip of the drink, suddenly spluttering. "...oh my..."

Lisa chuckled and threw back her entire cup without blinking. "Good stuff huh? We use it to clean burned oatmeal off the equipment in the Mess. You want me to go warm up some milk or something? Settle your stomach?"

Sherrin gave her a squeeze and the two of them settled back to listen to the music. "Hey. Where'd Connor go?"

"He and his wife took off about an hour and a half ago." Lisa murmured.

"An hour and a half? Yowza."

"Yowza?" Lisa teased. "There's a word that went out of style with 'Cowabunga' and 'Radical'."

Exhausted, aching, emotional, but somewhat calmer, Kate curled up under her husbands arm. "What time is it?"

Connor didn't look, didn't open his eyes. "I've got some time."

Kate breathed slowly, cooling off. "Went a little bit insane there didn't I?"

"Little bit. I'm not complaining."

Kate chuckled. "Of course you're not."

"I'm glad we're back here with an actual bed. If we'd done that with a cot we'd have smashed it to bits."

"Be fun explaining that to Supply." Kate agreed and she managed to raise a hand enough to rub her eyes. "God Connor, just hearing the future put into words made me lose it. How did you handle all this at nine years old?"

"Is it any wonder I turned into such a delinquent?" Connor quipped. "My mom told me that I had to know, because I was going to put it all back. She told me that-"

Kate moved up higher and kissed him again, this time full of sympathy, desperate to comfort him. It had come to her like a Revelation. The reason Connor hadn't told her any of this was so that she wouldn't have to think about it. And as long as he knew, as long as he was ready for it, nobody else would have to be. He had just laid another three or four ways the world could end on her shoulders. How many more ways were there that he hadn't told her about? How many potential ways to extinction was he carrying alone?

The need to breathe made her pull back, and John looked up at her with eyes filled with love.

"I trust you." Kate whispered softly. "You say we can make it, I believe you. If the world runs out of everything tomorrow, I'm still with you. If the world is left with a half million people and no more, I'll still love you alone. Do what you have to John. Make whatever call you have to make, whatever sacrifices you have to. You're not losing me."

Silence. For a microsecond, Kate thought she saw a tear in his eye, and knew that nobody else had ever made him a promise like that.

The radio buzzed, and Connor sighed. The world was pulling them back.

"I love you Kate." John said finally, with an emotional voice.

Kate smiled and put a gentle kiss on his collarbone. "I love you too."

Their quiet moment over, Connor reached past his wife to get the radio off the bedside table. Kate let her fingers trail over his arm as he did. "Connor here."

"Walters has reported in." Gould responded. "One word: Tailpipe."

Connor took a breath. "Roger that. On my way." He clicked off his radio. "I have to go."

Kate kissed him again quickly and slid out of the bed, taking the sheet with her. "I'm coming with you."

AN: As always, I know little about the tactics, the weapons, and of course the Spanish translations come from Yahoo Babel fish.

The next chapter may take a while, thanks to a USB stick full of future chapters getting corrupted. Nevertheless, you have been patient with me, and I wanted to start the year off right, so I worked round the clock to get this one ready. Those of you looking for a good New Years Resolution may like to consider making reviews of stories you like, as a good tradition to start! #Hint hint#

Here's to the Future!