Chapter 8: Terminator Tangle
"How could let yourself get kidnapped and almost killed!? You stupid, ignorant, dumbas…" My mother's livid voice was followed with her aggressive smacks to my father's arms and his pained cries for her to stop.
"Language Sarah Connor. You're offspring are present with us and such language is not wise to pass on such habits." Pops was attending to dad's wounds and patching him up. Pop's stopped his work to sternly glance at mom.
"I would also request that you stop intentionally injuring your spouse." Mom glared at Pops and gave Dad one final slap before huffing and slamming down into her seat next to him. Addy was in my lap again and was laughing at Mom and Dad. She thought it was funny that Mom was expressing her undying love for Dad by kicking his butt. We were all together in a rundown house from one of Grandpa O'Brien's old contacts. Soon he'd be over here with us as well. Dad said we needed to begin planning an offensive once again against Skynet.
Our worst fear had come true. Skynet survived. The life that I always saw in my dreams was going to come true now. My family was slowly going to die out from the machines never ending assault. Only, history had been changed from the actions of my parents and like ripples in a pond their actions have changed the future. In a way I'm glad they changed it, but now I have no way of knowing what's going to happen to us. I have no way of knowing how to save them, if I don't know how they're going to die. The anxiety of their deaths hanging in the air bothers me to no end and worse I have Addy, who wasn't accounted for in our lives at all. I had to do something to save them. I'm going to save my family. I'm not going to be like John, it's the few who matter to me, not the whole. Humanity can find another savior, but I can't find replacements for my family.
"So are you finally going to tell us who sent you back Eve? You helped me get my husband back, but that doesn't mean I trust you, Machine." Mom had finally stopped her tirade on Dad. She was standing in front of Dad blocking him from Eve. After we almost lost Dad earlier today, Mom was hovering over him like a agitated dragon protecting a wounded bear. Pops had stopped working on Dad and was giving Eve a hard stare. He was probably calculating how much of a threat she was to us.
"How hypocritical you are, Sarah Connor. You hate machines and yet the man you see as a surrogate father is a machine. I don't understand your misplaced hatred for me. If anything because of your feelings for your T-800 you should be more considerate towards my kind." Eve was casually sitting on a ragged couch, twisting a strand of her wavy blonde hair. Her words were cold and calculated, but from her posture and actions I got the feeling she was being snide with Mom.
"Look here you cocky bit-" Mom pulled her handgun out at Eve.
"Language Sarah Connor." Mom rolled her eyes at Pops, but she didn't lower her gun.
"Pops has always been by my side and not once has he betrayed me and nor will he ever. I can trust in the fact that his mission is to protect me…You, you're too advanced, you're like John and worse you have my daughter's face. I can't trust you and I'll never trust you. You don't have a singular mission like Pops. You could just be bidding your time, leading us to Skynet for the slaughter. I won't let you take anymore of my family." Mom's grip on the gun got tighter as she spoke.
"No. It's not a matter of missions that scares you. It's the fact that machines like me have the free will to choose. Unlike your T-800, I can think and feel all on my own and that's what scares you." Eve got up from the couch and started walking towards Mom.
"You are full of contradictions. I recall young Adele Connor telling Adam and I stories of you fighting for the chance to choose your own path. And yet you reject the very idea choice. It is simply absurd how complex you humans are." Eve stopped directly in front of Mom's gun, waiting for her to pull the trigger. Mom's shaking hand was pushed down by Dad. Mom looked up at him in shock, but Dad was only looking at Eve.
"Well if you can choose, why are you are choosing to help us. Skynet has always hated humans." My chest tightened at the idea that Pops might actually hate us.
"I choose to help you now because I believe that together we can change the future. The future doesn't have to be machines against humans. Together, we can show the world a better path." Eve turned towards Dad and smiled at him. This smile was hopeful.
"Do you really mean that Eve? Is there a way that all of us can live together without the war." I stood up and put Addy down despite her protests. When I was in front of Eve she leaned down and patted my head. I'm sure of it, she's not an enemy.
"Yes Johnny, I'm sure of it. There's one thing that I've learned from humans and that is their uncompromising ability for hope…But first we must eliminate the one common thread in all the timelines." Eve's eyes had become the brightest shade of blue I've ever seen before. They were so different from the red of the terminators from my dreams.
"You're talking about Skynet." Mom came over and yanked me away from Eve. She really doesn't trust her. Eve turned back to Mom and the calm aura she had before was replaced by annoyance.
"No, Sarah Connor. As I said before it is not Skynet you should be worried about, it is my twin program, Adam." Dad looked mildly uncomfortable when she said that.
"You keep talking like Skynet is a person and now you're referring to yourselves like your siblings. You're not. It is an AI that makes machines and causes Judgement Day. It's not human and you're not human." Mom was getting irritated again.
"Sarah, come on you saw the AI at Cyberdyne and it's not impossible with the technology this time has to make a body for Skynet to upload into. Besides John confirmed what she's saying. He said he was working with someone named Adam. Who, we now have to assume is the same as the man from my time…And that program grew and evolved right before our eyes." Mom just stared at Dad until she turned away from him.
"So what are we dealing with then? An AI or…Some kind of hybrid like John." Mom shoulders slumped in defeat. She didn't want to start another argument with Dad. They used to argue a lot and it would always be about what happened with John.
"You say those two things like they're separate entities when in fact they are effectively the same."
"Oh god, she talks just like Pops. Am I going to have to install an off button on her too." Dad's tired sigh almost made me laugh.
"We do not speak in a complicated manner, you are just too simple minded, Kyle Reese." Pop's comment made me snort to try and cover up my laugh. Addy, however had no problem giggling at Pop's insult. He sure had come a long way in personality for a machine.
"I can't believe Pops just insulted me. What is this world coming to." Dad's face was a mixture of amusement and irritation.
"What I am saying is that the entire goal of infecting you humans with the nano machines is to create the perfect terminator, that can operate like a machine, but think like a human. Eventually the nano machines replaces every part of the body and the CPU from the host is uploaded into the human. Theoretically there is no difference between John Connor and Adam other than the models."
"So John really is lost to us then…He's the enemy, again."
"He isn't the enemy! Didn't you see him push me away from the car Sarah? Why would a machine save it's target?" Dad snapped at Mom's comment.
"Kyle we're not going to start this again! He tried to kill you. He might not have held a gun to your head, but he tried to turn you into a machine. That's just as bad!…If I hadn't gotten there in time…Kyle, I wouldn't…I wouldn't have been able to shoot you…Not you Kyle." Dad reached out to Mom, but she turned away from him and went over to Pops. Dad looked really hurt from that. Why wouldn't Mom just let us in.
"He doesn't have to be the enemy. He can change. I can bring him back." Eve's voice was just a whisper, but Dad heard her.
"What do you mean? Is there some way to save him? Did we save him in the future?"
"You didn't do anything. If you want to save John Connor then he must be saved by himself. Then I can begin the reconfiguration process." Eve was directly looking at me.
"What! How in the world can I save him. I'm just a kid. Shouldn't it be Dad who can help him." I could feel a panic attack coming on. The weight of a great responsibility was falling onto to me again and I didn't like it. I'm just fine with sitting on the sidelines and letting Mom and Dad take care of everything. I don't really want to be involved with any of this, I don't have the skills that John does.
"It's okay Johnny, calm down okay. You're going to be just fine." Dad's large hands were massaging my tense shoulders. I could feel my ears burning in shame. I'm thirteen and I have panic attacks at the first sign of danger. I'm such a coward, there's no way I could ever be the world's savior.
"I know you think you're insignificant right now Johnny, but you will grow and you will become something great. It may not be the way you imagine, but you will achieve great deeds…First you must show John Connor that humanity is still worth fighting for and who better to teach him, then his younger self." Eve looked at me with such conviction. She was absolutely sure that I could do this.
"Are you saying all this because it's happened in the future. Did I…I mean do I really save him?" I pushed my hair out my face so I could clearly see Eve.
"No. No you couldn't save him or anyone else for that matter. In the time I come from you have lost everything. And now, if we do not stop this future from happening..You will lose everything, again and again and again. In every timeline Adam will bring humanity to its knees unless we stop him."
"Olivia, just how many cups of coffee are you going drink? I've already seen you chug two giant cups. Anymore and you're going crash from a caffeine overdose." Skipping ahead a bit so I could catch up with her, I saw her pass off a clipboard to a fellow employee.
She was already showing signs of being jittery. She kept reaching inside the pockets in her lab coat and taking the pens out only to rearrange them back in the pocket. Her bun had come undone as well and her brown hair messily flowed out over her back. I couldn't see her face right now since she was making it a point to keep ahead of me, but I'm sure her eyes are red. When I said she needed to come in to work with me, I didn't expect all these annoying flies to be bussing around her. I already know she gets too overworked and I don't want to add on to that.
"John, I'm going to drink as many cups as it takes to keep me awake and focused to do this work today. I already have Adam rushing me to hurry and complete this project for him and now the military is being adamant about it too." Olivia was forced to a stop when another scientist stopped her.
We were preparing for Adam to upload Skynet into the military, on top of that, Olivia was overseeing the weapon manufacturing that Adam suggested. Well he more or less ordered Olivia to start modifying the missiles he wanted to use, despite her not being a weapons technician. Adam didn't trust anyone else to be in charge since he couldn't take that position. Adam's cover for being apart of Cyberdyne was that he was a fellow scientist that I met back in college who helped me design Genisys. Since he wasn't involved in the beginning there was no way I could get Adam in charge of any of the projects of Genisys. Which meant either Olivia or I had to be his scapegoats.
"John, Adam is asking for us to meet him in the conference room." Olivia tugged on my arm to catch my attention. She really did look as exhausted as I expected. This was bringing up memories of her.
"And how do you know this?" Olivia shoved her phone in my face. I could see a bright screen with black bold little letters telling us to hurry up and get to the conference room.
"He sent me a text message. He's becoming so advanced in hacking into my phone now. Each time I put up firewalls, he breaks them down. I think he likes the challenge." I snorted at the contact name she had for him.
"Really, why would you list him as Baby Adam. I'm sure he doesn't appreciate that. That might be why he also puts viruses into your phone too." We both started walking to the elevator together at getting clearance from the guards.
"Well he really is a baby when you think about it. He may have that man's body, but he observes and questions everything around him just like a newborn does. And like you said those viruses he leaves on my phone are actions of a child." Olivia pulled out a hairband from one of her pockets and made a messy ponytail. Kate used to always do that too.
"Yes, a baby that's going to change the world." I followed her out and held open the conference door for her. Olivia gave me a tired smile and went in. She wasn't supposed to be tired and stressed, that's not what I wanted for her. Olivia, however insists on being involved and not being left in the shadows waiting on me. I could admire that in her, but it also irked me since she can't function on the same level as me. I wanted to give her something else then what Kate experienced with me, but would she let me.
Would Olivia allow me to have those kinds of feelings for her when she's so closed off. The machine was roaring again. Love is a weakness. Weakness can be exploited. The man inside me wanted a second chance. A second chance to find someone on his own to stand by him. The thoughts were too conflicting for me. I ignored anymore thoughts on the matter when Adam ushered us in.
"Doctor Howard, Mr. Connor, please go ahead and take a seat." As we entered, Adam was seated at the head of the conference table. He looked every bit like a king sitting on his throne. Did that make us his petty servants. Both of us took the opposite seats on his side.
"I see you've finally started taking my advice about blending in Adam. While that suit is definitely nice it isn't something you'd see a regular scientist wearing." Olivia leaned over and adjusted the tie on Adam's suit.
"Yes well, if I must blend in then I shall do it in a way that sets me above the common fodder that inhibits this facility." He swatted her hand away and fixed the tie himself.
"Now, Doctor Howard how is our latest project with the military coming along? I assume those mongrels are satisfied with the mechanics of my virus." Adam fixed an indifferent gaze on Olivia. As he waited for her to talk, he started drumming his fingers on the table. He was picking up a lot of habits from Olivia.
"It's going slow as you can imagine. We have to keep going back forth with them since they're not really convinced they need to use biochemical weapons to end wars over in the Middle East. They'd rather waste bullets and lives then shoot a gas at their enemies…But they are agreed on having your AI migrate with their systems." Adam abruptly rose up from his chair and walked over to the window.
"I'm handling the coding so it should be done in a few more days. You only need to wait a little bit longer Adam." Adam nodded at my comment. He was set back but the future he envisioned was going to happen one or another. The war was between the Connors and us was going to start now.
"The future is what we make it, right John." I couldn't see his face but from his voice I could surmise that he was crookedly smiling. The nostalgia hit me like a wave. I used to tell Kyle that whenever he had doubts about seeing another tomorrow.
"Now, John you must tell me what happened with your father."