John and Quin jumped out of a truck to walk through a very large cluster of burned-out buildings that looked in serious need of maintenance. It was an old top-secret military base with several now empty surface-level buildings. In front and behind them marched other members of the Resistance.

Any working vehicles parked inside what buildings they could or away from the base to hide the location of both.

"I'm telling you," Quin said chuckling. "We need to come up with better callsigns. Come on, the ones we got now are corny as hell; Coach, Football?"

John found it somewhat humorous as well. "It works," he replied. "Think of it as our version of the Enigma machine. As long as it confuses the Terminators and they can't figure out what we're saying, it's fine with me. Besides, I'd rather be called Football as opposed to Cupcake."

"Good point," Quin said. "I don't know what an Enigma machine is, but I should get a callsign too."

John raised an eyebrow and looked at Quin. "Sure," he said, expecting Quin to come up with something silly. "Do you have one in mind?"

Both men entered the base through a set of huge, metal doors that lead deeper into the Earth. These doors were automated, blast-resistant, the only way in, and most importantly, hidden. It was large and mostly underground, leaving the desolate surface to appear to have been destroyed.

"I got one," Quin said. "I can be S.E.X.T. Sext. Which stands for sniper exterminator of Terminators."

John burst out laughing. "Don't you know what sexting is?"

Quin was too young before learning what such a thing was. Born after the war started, he never owned a cellphone and thus didn't know what one was. "What?" he asked. "You don't think it's cool?"

John continued laughing. "You don't even know what a cellphone is, do you?"

"Cellphone," Quin wondered out loud. "What's that?"

John, still laughing, said. "Nothing! Keep that name. It's perfect. In fact, as leader of the Resistance, I make it official right here, right now."

Quin suddenly felt self-conscious as John continued further into the base along the way on a different path. "Ok," he said uneasily. "I guess that's what I'll use."

As John walked, he regained his composure and looked around to see survivors huddled against a Resistance member's station, eating the little food they had while the soldier worked. On his other side, between two workstations was a small hall with a group of survivors, a family, getting comfortable. Right next to him as he walked by, was an older man and woman working diligently on repairs for some clothing items. The sad thing was that almost everyone looked homeless except the soldiers wearing the appropriate attire, though even they looked like they could use a good cleaning.

That was the norm throughout the base. Very few areas were now off-limits or designated top-secret. Aside from the few stragglers struggling for survival outside, most were now living in a place that was previously inaccessible to them.

The militaries of the world couldn't say 'No' to desperate survivors. What little was left of the world's armies quickly realized that there was no such thing as an untrustworthy human when they found out it was the machines causing so much chaos.

It would only take months before determining that all humans would have to band together to fight an enemy that made no distinction between race or creed. Suddenly all of the human's differences had disappeared. It didn't matter what your skin color was or if you had socialist beliefs. Racism and political allegiance were among the first ideas to die. The very concept of communism and democracy were no more.

It was a beautiful and sad thing at the same time. Beautiful because it was ideal: man caring deeply for his fellow man. Sad because it took such a horrible event to realize it.

The machines were ruthless. They didn't care about age or gender. Anything with two arms and two legs was fair game, and that included any primate. It wouldn't even allow for the chance of evolution.

The skies could hardly be contested as the machines tirelessly sent up more and more aircraft. Helicopters and some VTOL aircraft were all the Resistance had, in small numbers. They could safely fly short distances and hide away in anything large enough to house them. The water was a little safer. It was the one place the machine had underestimated human influence. Water-based HKs were still rare in the hotly contested oceans of the world.

Skynet found it difficult to set up a port for any ship before it was eventually found and destroyed. It knew this part of the war was an effort of attrition, it would only be a matter of time before the humans could no longer fuel its powerful navies. Already, it was beginning to notice a decline in fleet size during large-scale engagements. However, inland lakes and major rivers swam with HKs. It was a newly developed EMP that protected the hulls of the navy. If it weren't for the size and energy requirements of the system, the Resistance would have a much better weapon.

John rounded the corner to find his wife Kathrine "Kate" Brewster-Connor quickly approaching: a beautiful redhead with light green eyes, and also visibly a few months pregnant.

Both embraced each other upon getting close enough.

"Thank goodness you're ok," Kate said. "I was worried about you."

"It's good to see you," John said. "How are you?" he then asked, caressing the baby bump.

"We're doing fine," Kate smiled and answered. She then joined John walking back to their quarters.

"Did anything exciting happen while I was away?" John asked.

Kate shook her head. "Recon scouts report nothing unusual." She replied.

John stepped ahead of his wife to open a door. "Any word from your father?" he asked.

Kate walked into the room. "Thank you," she said, then sitting down on the couch. "The eastern coast has seen little action. Southern border is being secured. The north is still no man's land, and we're hotly contesting the west. How was your mission?"

John sat down next to Kate and pulled out a USB stick from his pocket. "Got some important info," he answered. "I'll debrief everyone in ten minutes."

"How'd you get back?" Kate then asked. "I know you didn't come alone."

"Quin came with," John answered. "It was easier and quicker that way. Two people are harder to track than an entire squad."

"He's back," Kate asked. "Ryka will be relieved."

John looked at Kate. "Relieved, why?" he asked. "He's one of the best."

"I think she misses him," Kate said. "Always asking if I heard anything. Did he remember to take this? Did he remember to take that?"

John chucked. "He wants the callsign sext. Probably thinks it's cool with the word sex in there."

Kate cocked an eyebrow. "You did tell him about sexting, didn't you?"

John shook his head. "No way," he laughed. "Not yet at least. I got to have fun with him first."

Kate smiled and rolled her eyes.

Minutes later, many Resistance leaders met in the command center, standing around a large map displayed on a table. Kate stood by John in the dim room, with much of the light, little as it was, being projected from the map on the table.

Quin walked in and had a seat with a few others looking on.

"Everyone here," John asked. "Good."

"Let me first say," Shawn interrupted. "It's good to have you back, Sir"

John nodded. "Thank you," he said. "Mission was a success. I brought back some very important intel."

"You got the location of Skynet?" Kate asked.

"No," John answered. "Unfortunately, even though that was what we're after. We got the location of something it's calling TDE, or time displacement equipment, and its plans."

"Time displacement," a female general said curiously before snickering. "What, does Skynet think it'll travel through time?"

"Doesn't matter what it thinks," John said. "What matters is that it'll try and we have the location."

"What's it planning?" Kate asked.

John answered. "Skynet believes that by sending a machine back in time to kill my mother, I will cease to exist."

Shawn scratched his chin. "Just one of those things will be a nightmare to deal with in the past," he said "Skynet's taking a big risk. No one knows how time travel works. It can either change everything or just create a new branch in the timeline. Skynet must know something we don't or is very desperate."

Quin stood up to address everyone. "Who cares," he said. "We don't know what'll happen, but it's a chance we can't take."

"He's right," John added. "We must take action. I would hope that even if I suddenly disappear you all would continue the fight."

"No offense," Shawn said. "We think it's like a hydra. Even if you just vanish, someone else would take your place. It's a change we wouldn't even recognize, you might not even be the first 'head', so to speak."

John shrugged his shoulders. "Well," he began. "It'll be the last. The rest of Tech-Com split up and is relaying what we found to other cells. They and others are expected to join us in a multipronged nighttime attack. Saddle up, we move out right away."