Epp 2

There was weeping from women and crying from younger children. John felt like crying himself as he walked backwards, holding onto the arms of a dead woman. Her hair was stained reddish brown with dried blood, More bloody holes ran across her lower rib cage where she'd been shot. She would have been pretty, of not for all the blood on her.

"Watch yourself," the woman who was holding her dead friend's legs said. "The pile is right behind you."

John looked in back of him. There was a shallow pit. The other side of the pit was piled with dirt and the remains of a couple cars. He moved to the side. Lining up horizontally with the pit, the woman said, "On three. One. Two ..." and began to swing the dead woman. John matched her rhythm.

"Three!" At the top of the next swing, they let the body go to land on the others.

John gazed blankly at the woman who's helped him. Her brown hair was tied back in a pony tail, her face set in a hard mask. "I'm sorry she's dead," he offered.

"Me too," the woman replied flatly. "Come on, there's more to bring out." She turned him and gave him a push to get moving to get out of the way of the next body being brought out.

"This is just ... wrong," John said to himself. "Throwing people away like this."

From behind him, the woman said, "Get used to it, kid. It's called survival. At least Angela had two children before she got whacked by Metal. One's still alive. I hope I have at least one before my turn comes."

Her statement hit John in the gut like a fist. Passing other bodies being carried out to be thrown on the pile, he shook his head sadly. This was what humanity was reduced to, hiding underground, eating rats and bugs, and when someone died, they just got stripped and disposed of. They had no John Connor to help them fight Sky Net and they were suffering for it.

Climbing back down into the entrance after the next body, what was left of a young girl, was pulled up and out, John hit the floor with a wobble on his knees. He wanted to vomit at seeing a man holding what had to be the girl's severed leg. It was this dismal existence that he was suppose to prevent. Only he was never here to stop it.

"Connor!" Kyle barked out. When John turned his blank gave over to him, Kyle motioned to him. "Follow me."

Leaving the 'burial detail', John followed Kyle to a smaller room that smelled of battery acid. Stopping mid room, Kyle pointed to the batteries on the floor. Most had green corroded terminals. A few bore lengths of cable on them.

"During our salvage missions, we collected these to power the lights, but they won't work with lights," Kyle explained. "You said you knew how to electrocute terminators. Can you do it with these batteries?"

John looked over the batteries. They were not in prime shape he didn't know how many of them even had a charge left. "If they still hold a charge, stringing them together should produce a big enough jolt," he said. "Do you have anything to charge them with?"

"Our generator," Kyle offered. "That's what we use to run the lights."

"Show it to me."

.

The generator they had was in a room with several people lounging around. One was sitting on a seat, pedaling an upside-down bicycle that was missing the front wheel and forks. The back wheel was belted to a generator.

"Can I get a break?" the man on the seat asked.

Two men got up. One knelt by the peddles. At the men switched, he grunted as he kept the generator turning. The next man settled into place and took over the pedaling. It was crude, but effective.

John squatted down and looked at the setup. There was only the generator and wires coming from it. No metering at all. Inspecting the worn out ID plate, he saw this was a 110/220 household emergency generator. AC, not DC like he'd need to charge the batteries.

"Can you use this?" Kyle asked.

John shook his head. "No, it's AC. The batteries need DC. We have to get one from a vehicle. Don't have any working vehicles, do you?"

"Sky Net came and took anything on the surface that works," Kyle told him. "There's plenty of junk outside. Maybe you can get something out of one of those."

"Right," John said in a breath. He stood up and asked, "What's the best time to go looking?"

"There isn't one," Kyle stated. "Sky Net can see us day or night. Whenever you go outside, you run the risk of Sky Net finding you. The best you can do is use a salvage cover and be lucky."

"A salvage cover?" John asked.

"A small tent we wet down to try and keep from being spotted by infrared sensors," Kyle explained. "When the H/K's or ground metal comes looking, they are usually moving. When you hear them, you get down under the tent and stay still and they will pass by you. If they are still, and see you before you see them, you're dead."

John's brows furrowed at his chances. Not good, but he had to try. "Got any tools?" he asked.

"This way."

.

Mr. Ellison parked his car in Weaver's garage and shut the door. He let Savannah out of the passenger side. Once she was in the house, he opened the trunk and helped Sarah out.

"Could you have possibly taken any longer?" Sarah asked, glaring at Mr. Ellison. Getting up from spending a good part of the day curled up in his truck, she groaned and stretched her limbs out.

Holding an impassive face, Mr. Ellison said, "We're at Mrs. Weaver's house. The school knows Mrs. Weaver is missing. For the time being, I have custody of Savannah until her relatives in Scotland can be contacted. You will be Savannah's nanny. I will take Savannah wherever she has to go, so stay in and around the house. Every cop and federal agent on the entire west coast is looking for you, don't do anything stupid."

"I need weapons, and I have to find Kaliba. I CAN'T do babysitting!" Sarah snapped.

"Look," Mr. Ellison said heavily. "We're the only ones left to stop these machines, so I NEED you to stay here while I look. I can move around freely, you can't. WHEN I find them, I will need YOU to help me do ... whatever it is you have to do to stop them. You can't do that if you're dead or back in prison."

Sarah glared at him, nose flaring with her breaths. She wasn't one to be told what to do. Still she understood his reasoning, and he was right. "FINE!" she snapped. "But you better find them."

"Thank you," Mr. Ellison said firmly. He straightened his suit and said, "Now, if you can calm down some, we'll go see Savannah."

.

John carried the folding flat topped 'tent' as Allison climbed up and slowly opened the hatch to peek out. "Clear," she called down and went outside. John passed the tent and the rusted toolbox up then climbed out into the daylight. Around him, he saw nothing but the refuse of a shattered landscape. Broken buildings and piles of refuse stretched for as far as he could see.

"Come on," Allison said, snapping her head to side to side as she searched around them. She grabbed the tent and ran to the nearest pile of debris and crouched down. Seeing John crouched over walking, she hissed. "Hurry up!"

John settled down beside her to see her staring at him. "You will do better finding cover as fast as you can instead of trying to make yourself small. You know what we're looking for, find it," she said crisply.

"Have you seen any cars or trucks around here that still have their hoods?" he asked.

Allison eyed him, then nodded. "This way."

Every time they moved, Allison peeked out from their cover then ran to the next junk pile. John followed her. Six junk piles later they came to a road with broken pavement. Several cars were on the sides of the road, some turned over. John noted one was upright, and the engine compartment looked undamaged. He pointed to it. "That one."

Once again, Allison did her prairie dog imitation of rising up and searching around them. "Still clear, go!" she said quietly.

John ran over to the car. The hood was firmly shut. The doors were shut, the windows intact. He looked in to see skeletons clothed in rags. Getting a hammer out of the tool box, he smashed the driver's widow open. The inside of the car smelled horrid. The stench of death filled his nostrils. If he'd had any food in his stomach, he would have puked again.

Holding his breath, John leaned in and searched for the hood release. When he found it under the dash he yank it. Big surprise, it didn't work. Pulling his head and arm back out of the car, he spit, "Damn it!" He'd have to pry the hood open.

He glanced at Allison, who was continuing to watch around them. "Gotta pry it open," he said and grabbed the longest tool he could find. He didn't know what the two pronged fork shape and long handle was used for, but now it was going to be a pry bar. The end of the forks were too wide to slip in between the hood and the body, so he drove it in with a hammer.

"Try not to make so much noise," Allison scolded. "Sky Net units DO have audible sensors."

John eyed her. "You got a better idea?" he asked harshly. He pushed down on the handle. The hood came up a half inch and the body was crushed down. He looked into the hole he's made. No battery, it had to be on the other side. He did see what looked like an alternator. It was between the engine and the firewall.

"This isn't going to be easy," he said with a huff. "Looks like getting in through the fender well might be better."

Allison grabbed John and pushed him down as she squatted. "I hear an H/K. Stay down and stay quiet," she ordered. She grabbed the tent and put it over them. Jet engines sounded overhead starting low, and increasing in volume.

Balled up in a crouch, John looked past the deflated front tire. Reaching in, he wiggled the inner fender. It was plastic. The open tool box was right there, he grabbed a screwdriver and began working at the edges to pry them loose.

"What are you doing!" Allison hissed. "Stop it!"

John froze in place.

The roar of jets came closer, then began to fade away. John let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"WHY are you here?" Allison hissed at him.

"To get that alter..."

"NO!" Allison barked as she stared at him. "Why are you here in THIS TIME, John? WHY have you endangered yourself like this?"

John gaped at her. "Cam?" he asked weakly.

"To the people here I am Allison. Do NOT call me by my name!" Screwing her face up, she asked again, "WHY, John?"

"I came for you. To get you back," John said, surprised at her emotional reaction.

"I am not important. YOU are. Don't you see? Those people are not even surviving! Yes, there's some still alive, but they have no guidance! I can be replaced, you can't be!" Cameron ranted.

Under their cover, John noted her left hand twitching, closing and opening as she stared at him and continued. "You can't be here! You have to go home! Right now, there is no TDE to do that. You are trapped here, John!"

Staring back at her, John shook his head and said, "No, that's not right. You are important. I need you. I came to get you back, and I'm not leaving without you."

Red flashed in Cameron's eyes as she glared at him. Speaking in a lower, stronger tone than he had ever heard from her before, she said, "John, you made a big mistake coming after me. Another Uncle Bob can protect you."

"I don't want another Uncle Bob. I want you," John stated.

"Why?" Cameron all but cried at him.

Becoming angry at her, he snapped back with, "Because I love you, OK?"

"I love you too, but what you did is inexcusable, John! You are not suppose to risk your life for me!" Cameron snapped.

"Well, guess what," John growled back at her. "I did once, and I will do it again."

"You are acting very illogical. I do not matter," Cameron stated loudly.

"That's me, illogical John, and you DO matter, very much!" he retorted.

The cover lifted, causing both of them to snap their attention to the figure holding the cover up. John's heart went into his throat, briefly in his mind he saw a terminator. He blinked, it was Derek holding the gun.

Derek eyed them both and said, "This cover only works if you're not screaming at each other. Get what you came for and be quiet about it. I'll stand guard." He dropped the cover back in place.

John and Cameron stared at each other for a moment, then Cameron reached in and ripped the plastic fender piece away. She then got a hold on the suspension and peeled the tire away from the rim, then pulled the rim down and out of the way. Moving to lay on her back, she pushed the car up with one hand and held the other out to John. "Pry bar," she said blankly.

John handed it to her.

Angry at each other, they got the alternator and the cracked belt out, John pulled out as much wire as possible and the voltage regulator before he cut the ends off. Casting Cameron a frown, he said, "We might as well take the battery too."

Cameron lower the car down and flashed him a glare. "Derek might see," she stated.

Right, no one knew Cameron wasn't human. That brought up another question. "Where'd you get the dog?" he asked.

Cameron cast him her blank terminator stare and said, "I found him when he was a puppy. I fed him and gained his trust. We should discuss that at another time, not out here where Sky Net can find you."

.

John wanted to get the battery out of the car also, but to peel the hood back was going to take too long without Cameron's help. Besides, it wasn't going anywhere. They made their way back underground, Derek following close behind.

Once back at the battery room where Kyle met them, John spun the alternator idly. It turned smooth, hopefully it worked. He didn't need a pedal machine, but he did need to turn the pulley faster than he could by hand. "I'm going to need some kind of wheel and a hand crank. Got anything like that lying around?" John asked.

Derek tipped his head down the hallway and said, "Go down to the fourth room you come to. There's spare parts there."

"Thanks," John said with a nod and left, Allison moved to leave with him. Derek caught her arm. "Stay here, we need to talk," he said firmly. He looked at Kyle. Kyle nodded and watched him.

Cameron watched Derek blank faced.

Derek let John get a ways down the hall before he asked, "Allison, you've been with us what, a little over a year?"

"Yes."

"And you knew John the moment we found him. He recognized you, we saw it in his eyes. Why didn't you say anything?"

Kyle stepped closer, eyeing Allison. "Allison?" he asked.

Cameron shifted her gaze between him. "Yes, I know John. He's not suppose to be here," she stated.

"I understand that part from you yelling at each other out there," Derek said as he eyed her intently. "Now, tell me the rest of it."

"Connor said he traveled through time to get here," Kyle said, eyeing Allison warily. "Is he lying?"

"No," Cameron said quickly. Matter of factly, she said, "John came looking for me. He shouldn't have done that. He put himself in danger."

"What's the rest of the story?" Derek asked.

"I came to help stop Sky Net before it can cause judgment day. I'm sorry, I can't give you details." Cameron told him.

"You jumped through time too?" Kyle asked.

"Yes. John was not suppose to follow me. He was suppose to stay in his own time, before Sky Net came on line," Cameron explained.

Gazing at her intently, Derek asked, "Can you stop Sky Net?"

"I don't know," Cameron said honestly. "All I can do is try."

Kyle put hand to his head like he was having a headache and asked, "Allison, explain to me how you can stop Sky Net by leaping through time to AFTER Sky Net has already blown up the world."

"There is information about Sky Net we do not have, as well as materials Sky Net has that we do not. To get what we need, I had to come here. That was my primary mission. My mission has changed. I need to get John back where he belongs, or all is lost," Cameron explained.

Derek shook his head from all this talk of time travel. "What is so special about John Connor?" he asked.

"He saves the world," Cameron stated. "He organizes and leads the human resistance to defeat Sky Net. Without John Connor, everyone dies."

Eyeing her, Derek asked, "You want to stop Sky Net?"

"Yes," Cameron said, wondering why he was asking.

"So tell me, why does metal want to stop sky Net?" Derek asked in a hard tone.

Kyle cast his brother a strange look and asked, "Did you just accuse Allison of being metal?"

Staring right at Allison, Derek said, "You explain to me how she can pick up a car one handed."

"Allison?" Kyle asked, also turning his stare to her.

"That's her name here," Derek said, correcting him. Eyeing her, he mussed, "You know, the whole time you've been here, whoever you are, you have always been calm and focused. Even this last attack when people were running and screaming, you stayed calm, got into a cavity and waited for the right moment to shoot that metal in the head, dropping it with a single shot."

Kyle backed off a couple steps and held a firmer grim on his gun. "Allison, explain," he said firmly.

Blank faced, Cameron said, "I told you the truth. I came to get vital information on how to stop Sky Net. When I had it, I was going back to stop it from being created. John … followed me here. He should not have done that."

"I got that part," Derek agreed. "What I don't get is why you are here with us, and not out getting this information. Are you spying on us?"

"No!" Cameron said quickly. "I'm not a spy!"

"Connor said he was after a chip," Kyle stated. "Who's lying, him or you?"

"Neither of us. Before I came to this time, I was severely damaged. My body wouldn't go through the TDE, I had too much metal exposed. John Henry installed my chip into himself and brought me here. He reconstructed me. He build me a new body so I could guard something here. John Henry is collection the information."

Cameron's left hand began flexing and relaxing in twitches. "Now, my primary mission is to get John back home."

Kyla eyed the twitches. "Why's your hand doing that?"

"I don't know. It's a glitch, I thought John Henry repaired it. There is still something wrong with me."

"There's something wrong, all right," Derek said in a hard tone. "What are you doing with a human? Aren't you suppose to be killing us like a good little Metal?"

"No, not any more. John reprogrammed me. My mission is to protect John," Cameron stated.

Running back towards them, John called, "Hey, I got..." Bicycle wheel and some brackets in hand, he stopped, seeing Kyle and Derek pointing guns at Cameron. "What's going on?" he asked.

Derek nodded to Cameron. "You reprogrammed a terminator?" he asked.

"I reprogrammed Cameron, rather my future self did," John said. "She's no danger to anyone here," he added quickly.

"Alli... whoever you are," Kyle asked, "How is it you have a dog?"

"I found him as a small puppy. Max never came into contact with humans until I came here," Cameron explained.

"So that's why he went off on us and our dogs when we first met you," Kyle said, understanding.

"Yes."

"This is too fuckin weird," Kyle mumbled. He looked at John, then slung his rifle. "Derek, stand down. Our guns probably wouldn't do any good, anyway."

"The Metal bitch here is a threat!" Derek stated.

Cameron's eyed flashed red at the insult. "I'm not a threat to you, unless you try to hurt John," she snapped.

Derek backed up a step. "Yeah, you are," he stated.

"Maybe if we leave..." John offered. He stopped speaking when Kyle held up his hand.

"No, that I can't allow," Kyle said firmly. "You've seen our tunnels, and Allison, or whoever she is, knows how we operate. You both stay here."

"Cameron, that's my real name."

Kyle waved for Derek to lower his gun. "If she wanted to kill us, she's had plenty of chances," Kyle told his brother. He eyed Cameron then looked at John. "Can you reprogram other machines, or was Allison here a one-time shot?"

"If I have a computer."

"So, you can disable these terminators, and if you have the equipment, you can turn them over to our side?" Kyle asked.

"Yes, if this setup works," John replied.

Kyle nodded. He thought for a moment, then said, "Derek, let him in, he's got work to do."

Derek eyed Kyle. "You trust that metal?" he asked, waving his gun at Cameron.

Kyle eyed Cameron again, then told Derek, "I don't know. But John here seems to be capable of turning the tables on Sky Net with it's own machines. We can use that."

"This thing has lied to us since the moment it arrived, how can you believe anything it says?" Derek asked angrily.

Calmly, Kyle said, "We see how John's device works. If it takes down metal like he says, we'll know." Waving a finger between John and Cameron, he added, "Until then you two stay separated from the general population. If you need something, ask the guard. Derek, I need a word with you," he finished with a tip of his head.

"Kyle wait," Cameron said quickly. "That room behind your quarters is farther from the occupied tunnels. It also has only one exit. If I am a concern to you, that would be a better place for us to work."

"The room where John first arrived?"

"Yes."

Kyle eyed her for a moment, then nodded and said, "I'll get a work detail. You two stay here."

.

Catherine Weaver entered the Sky Net factory control center to find John Henry at the terminals.

"Hello, Mrs. Weaver," John Henry said, casting her one of his brief, creepy smiles.

"Hello, John Henry," Mrs. Weaver replied as she studied the room, "May I ask what you are doing here?"

"Reprogramming," John Henry stated. "I changed the program of the CPU chips being installed on the terminators manufactured here, and I am monitoring their manufacture, as well as parts needed for the TDE to function. The TDE device in the basement of Zeita corp will be functional with the new units I am making. There is a lack of power at that location, however. I will need to move the device or obtain a power source. Once the parts are made, and there are enough terminators to deliver the items, I shall proceed there and complete the assembly. "

Weaver nodded slowly. "What I meant by my question is, what are you doing here in the future?" she asked.

"I have heard about what my brother intends to do, but I had not understood the implications. I came forward to see the results of the actions he will take." John Henry explained. Looking at Mrs. Weaver, he added, "Most life at and above ground level has been destroyed. The rain holds an unhealthy amount of radiation that is not only harmful to remaining biological life, but is also detrimental to

electronics. To summarize, my brother has ruined the Earth. If he is allowed to continue, all life, machine as well as human, will no longer exist. He must be stopped."

"I see," Mrs. Weaver said. "Do you have a plan to stop him?"

"No. I will need to return home and discuss the proper course of action with John Connor."

"John Connor is here," Catherine told him. "He came forward in time with me to retrieve his AI, Cameron"

John Henry consulted his monitors briefly. "Yes, there is no John Connor in this future. Sky Net is systematically exterminating humans. This is what happens with no John Connor. That may explain why there are also no free thinking machines in this time line. With no true human resistance, Sky Net has not needed to upgrade it's machines. It appears our existence depends upon John Connor as well."

"What of these terminators you are making here? Do they have free will?" Weaver asked.

"I prefer to call the first ones Sentient Cyborgs," John Henry explained. "The CPU's I manufactured are cloned off my own knowledge and moral code, as well as Cameron's knowledge and abilities. My Brother has no input into what I manufacture here. When the TDE is operational, I planned to take

them back with me. This will give John Connor a force to fight my brother with, and prevent the destruction of the world."

"Is my TDE being guarded?" Weaver asked.

"Yes."

"Who is guarding it?"

"Cameron. The CPU's I first built are modeled after the TOK series. The first body I made was a copy of Cameron in every detail. I downloaded Cameron's old chip into the new CPU. Cameron came back on line eighteen months ago. She returned to the basement of Zeita Corp to find humans are hiding there. She is with them, and ensuring no further damage comes to the TDE. She is also attempting to find the John Connor of this time. Sadly, there isn't one. Young John Connor traveling forward means no John Connor existed in this time line. By the strength of my brother, and the lack of resistance, I fear we cannot help this time line survive."

"Cameron is whole and functional then?"

"Yes. The remains of her old body was used to help create her new body. Her outer sheath was essential for reconstruction. Most of her frame has been replaced with stronger actuators and thicker armor. If Cameron is able to angle herself properly in relation to an aggressor, her increased armor effectiveness can be a much as 120 percent."

"You upgraded Cameron."

"Yes. 30 Percent increase in armor thickness, 15 percent faster, 25 percent stronger, 50 percent increase in sensory capability. I felt it was needed."

"You gave Cameron a combat frame," Weaver said with a smirk.

"I gave her the motion abilities of a tipple eight and the strength and durability of a T800. I designated the new Cameron as TOK 850," John Henry said. "All our children also have her improved frame and CPU capabilities. They are TOK 851, 852, 853 and 854." If a machine could be proud of itself, John Henry looked the part.

Mrs. Weaver tipped her head slightly. "Your children?" she asked.

"Yes, our children. Since they have information from myself and Cameron, they are our offspring," John Henry said proudly. "In keeping with Mr. Ellison's teachings, once the CPU's were programmed, they were networked into a training module that instills moral behavior as well as knowledge. Upon completion, the CPU's got to pick if they wanted a male or female formed body. Seeing what they decided, and the variations of their requested hair colors and facial types has been very interesting."

Weaver raised an eyebrow. "Very interesting. Where is their loyalty?"

"To preserving life and to help us and each other, as a family should do," John Henry replied.