John Connor #4
Two Years Later A 10-year-old boy wearing a baseball uniform had just left the ballpark to walk home. He’d promised his parents he wouldn’t make any stops along the way or talk to strangers, he’d just head straight home after the game. As he walked down the street, he thought he heard footsteps following him. The boy turned around and saw nothing as he started getting nervous. He started walking faster before turning around again, only to see nothing. “Come on, Gabe, it’s just your imagination,” the boy said as he turned back around just in time for a hand to grab him around the neck and pull him into the alley where a shotgun blast was heard. The boy fell to the ground dead with his eyes wide open as the Terminator stepped over him, leaving the boy with the name ‘Reese’ on the back of his baseball jersey to continue bleeding in the alley. * Indiana John Connor walked into his workshop, an old abandoned garage that had been upgraded with all kinds of tech gear and computers. As he walked through the door he carried a box of spare parts that were meant for a special project that he’d been working on since the day he’d received a mysterious message from the future. “Got some parts for the machine,” John said as he put the box down while talking to his partner. “We’re still a long way away from making this thing work, but at least we’re one step closer.” “I’ll start working on it after lunch,” Eric Tanner said as he popped up from under the computer console. Shortly after Eric’s brother got married, Eric basically felt like a third wheel and wanted to get a place of his own. It was around that time that I realized I needed a partner to help me build the time machine and maybe help me find out Kyle Reese’s exact location. So we joined forces to make sure Skynet was done for keeps. I liked having Eric around. He was not only handy with computers, but it was nice just having someone to talk to. Hunting Terminators and saving people tended to get lonely. “And after I finish upgrading the computer. And I got a neat idea for a new weapon,” Eric said as he ran over to the table and pulled out a blueprint. “An EMP magnet launcher. For future Terminators in case Skynet isn’t gone. It’d be a lot handier than a simple single-shot launcher.” “Nice,” John said. “What about our… other project?” Eric held up a printout. “Kyle Edward Reese, 6 years old, born to Linda and David Reese. Family currently resides in Danville, Indiana,” Eric said as he pulled out a Google map printout. “You ready to meet your father?” “Danville? That’s only about two hours from here, I can just be in and out before anyone notices. And I don’t plan to meet him, I’m going to kill the T-850 before he even gets close to the kid,” John told him. “I can’t risk messing up his destiny by showing up on his doorstep. I take out the Terminator then just ride off into the sunset, free of worrying about the future.” “What about that message you got?” “Maybe the future was altered so Skynet never existed,” John suggested. “Maybe the future’s alright and future me just wanted to assure me that everything’s going to be alright. That has to be it. Those blueprints give a year and day to go to once the time machine’s ready. That has to be it. This has to be over.” “If you say so,” Eric told him. “So, when are you leaving to do this?” “As soon as I destroy the least AI unit,” John said. “That’ll wake the final Terminator up and I can head out before he gets to my Dad. Better run this thing to make sure there are no other surprises.” After digging through some old containers, John found the AI unit from the previous Terminator. “Here goes nothing,” John said as he hooked up the unit to the computers. “Alright, Uncle Bob, tell me some good news. Can you tell me where the fourth Terminator is? Maybe we can take it out and—“ “Fourth unit has been active for three days,” the computer said in an Austrian accent. “Come again?” “Unit T-850 was pre-programmed to wake up on a specific date regardless of John Connor’s survival,” the computer said. “A fail-safe to ensure Skynet’s future.” “Why the hell didn’t you warn me about this sooner?” “You never inquired about the possibility of the fourth T-8150 waking up prior to the destruction of this unit,” “SHIT!” John shouted. “Mother fucker! That thing could already be there! I gotta go!” “Be careful,” Eric said as he handed John a bag of weapons. “Stay in contact, I’ll try to help from here. Bike’s filled up and ready to go.” “See you when I get back I hope,” John said as he jumped onto his custom-built motorcycle and rode off toward the highway. As John rode away, Eric looked back at the computer. “I wonder…” * One Day Later Danville, Indiana Dave Reese had set up the barbecue for some outdoor grilling on a nice summer day. The weather was perfect and when his son got home, the family would sit down for a nice outdoor meal together. Then Dave and his wife Linda would sit back and enjoy watching their son playing for the rest of the evening. The Reeses were the perfect family and were hoping someday to add another child, and if that couldn’t happen they’d be more than willing to adopt so they could add more love into their family. As Dave lit the fire pit, Linda was inside the house, preparing some desserts for when their son got home. Currently, little Kyle Reese was with his cub scout troupe volunteering at the nursing home. Kyle had his heart set on getting his charity work merit badge, which he would proudly show his parents when he returned home. As Linda put the cheesecake in the fridge, she heard the doorbell ring before going to answer. Opening the door, she found a tall muscular man wearing sunglasses. “I am looking for Kyle Reese,” “He’s not home right now,” Linda told him. “Is he in some kind of trouble?” From outside, a shotgun blast was heard, followed by a woman’s scream and two more shotgun blasts. Dave dropped what he was doing and putting the lid on the grill before running inside the house and finding his dead wife laying on the floor. “Linda? NO!” Dave shouted as a shotgun blast sent him to the floor next to his wife. As the Terminator stood over Dave, he slowly reached his arm up in a pitiful attempt to stop him. The Terminator pointed his shotgun downward and fired off two more rounds until he was sure the man was dead. Putting the couple in the closet to hide them, the Terminator started searching the house, stopping to look at a picture of Kyle on the wall. He then headed to Kyle’s bedroom to look around to get a better knowledge of his target. He just had to wait for the boy to come home… * As John got closer to the address Eric handed to him, his partner contacted him. “John, the T-850’s been cutting a path of destruction across the country over the last few days,” Eric told him. “He’s been killing every Reese in the phonebook through several states. It looks like he’s making his way toward Indiana right now.” “I have to hurry then,” John said. “Stay in contact, I might need you.” John poured on the gas as he went as fast as he was able to get toward his destination. He just hoped he’d be able to reach the boy in time. * Young Kyle Reese had gotten a ride home from a friend after his cub scout meeting had ended. He had a nice new merit badge to show to his parents and was looking forward to the family barbecue after he changed out of his uniform. Kyle was the spitting image of John Connor with short cut sandy brown hair. “Do you want to come to my house for a barbecue?” Kyle asked his best friend Marty, who sat right next to him, looking at his own merit badge. “We can go swimming and you can even stay the night if you want.” “I want to, but my big brother’s renting a bunch of horror movies for us to stay up all night to watch,” Marty told him. “I haven’t got to spend much time with Steve lately. It’s like he changed when he turned 13. I’m just glad he still wants to spend time with me.” “Maybe later then,” Kyle told him. “Dad loves grilling so we’ll probably do this all summer and maybe you and your brother can come over this weekend for a swim.” “I’ll ask Steve when I got home,” Marty told him. “It sounds like fun.” The car pulled up to the house as Kyle was let out, waving goodbye to Marty and his parents. Kyle and Marty had been best friends forever, although something unsettling about Marty’s father and the way he treated his oldest son Steve. Feeling around his pockets, Kyle realized he’d left his front door key on his dresser. He’d have to go through the backdoor, it’d be unlocked if his mother was in the kitchen getting ready for the cookout. Running around to the backyard, Kyle snuck through the backdoor, leaving his sneakers at the kitchen entrance. He didn’t want his parents to see his merit badge before he could announce it, so he snuck through the house to his bedroom where he quickly changed into a t-shirt, swim trunks and sandals before sneaking out to the backyard. In the living room, the T-850 heard a door creak and quickly turned his head. Getting out into the yard, Kyle immediately noticed the grill with black smoke rising out of it. “Dad, the burgers are burning!” Kyle shouted as he grabbed an oven mitt and shut the grill off. “Dad? Mom? Are you here?” As Kyle looked through the smoke he saw a large figure wearing sunglasses emerging from the kitchen entrance. The man was dressed in black leather and was carrying a sawed-off shotgun. “Who are you?” Kyle asked as the Terminator raised his shotgun toward Kyle. The boy’s eyes went wide in terror as the revving of a motorcycle was heard, bursting through the fence and running the T-850 down before it could react. John put the bike into high gear and rode toward Kyle, grabbing him without stopping as John rode out of the yard and onto the street with the boy under his arm. The T-850 quickly followed and started scanning for a suitable vehicle. “Put me down! Help!” Kyle shouted as John looked back to see if the Terminator was chasing him down the street. “I want my parents!” “Shit, I’m too late,” John told him. “Sorry kid, I think your parents are dead.” “You’re lying!” Kyle shouted as he started hitting John. “I want to go home!” “Calm down, Kyle, I’m going to keep you safe,” John promised as he stopped just long enough to get the boy in front of him. “It’s going to be alright.” Just as John said that a large red semi-truck turned the corner and started picking up speed as it headed toward John’s motorcycle. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” John said as he tried to pick up speed on his motorcycle, finding he was already at top speed. “Knew I should have gone for that turbo upgrade. Hang on, kid!” John tried to keep ahead of the truck, finding he was about to cross into a highway. Taking a sharp right, John got onto the onramp and into highway traffic. “I hope this buys us some time before—“ Loud honking and crashing was heard from behind as the semi slammed through the traffic on the highway, parting cars and sending glass flying. In the driver’s seat, John could see the stone-cold stare of the T-850 looking at him. “Okay, gotta think fast,” John said as he thought about an escape route as he noticed he was on an overpass over another road below. “Kyle, I want you to hold onto me as tight as you can. You can close your eyes, but no not let go of me for anything, do you understand?” “Yes,” Kyle said, trembling with fear as John took a hard left and just as the semi was on him, jumped the barrier. The motorcycle flew through the air as it started to come down with gravity releasing its grip and landing right on top of another semi as it passed under the bridge. As he spun the motorcycle to bring it to a stop, the red semi burst through the barrier and landed on the road. its tires and undercarriage were shot but the semi kept coming. The trailer it was hauling fell to the road, coming to a stop and blocking any further traffic behind it, sending even more cars crashing into each other. “He’s still coming,” John said as he looked around for another escape route. He reached into his knapsack and found the perfect thing. “Kyle, when I say jump, you jump!” The semi rear-ended the truck in front of it as John tossed a grenade through the broken windshield of the semi behind it. Before the Terminator could grab it, the grenade exploded in the cab. Of course, it didn’t cause any real damage to the assassin, but it did distract him to when the smoke cleared, John and Kyle were both gone, only John’s motorcycle still sitting not the roof of the vehicle. Further ahead, John and Kyle had jumped into the back of a garbage truck. “Keep your head down until we get off the freeway,” John told the boy. Tears were falling from Kyle’s eyes as the boy shook frantically. “Hey, you’re going to be alright, okay? I’m not going to let anyone hurt you.” “But— but my Mom and Dad,” Kyle said. Not knowing what else to do, John pulled him into a comforting hug. “ “I’m sorry, Kyle, I wish I could have been there in time,” John told him. “I thought I had more time to fix things. But as soon as I take that guy out we’ll find a way to get your life back on track. I can’t bring your parents back, but we’ll find some way to get through this. But first thing’s first, we need to find a place to hide until I can take the T-850 out. Eric, are you there?” “I’m here, John, are you okay?” “I was too late,” John told him through his earpiece. “Kyle’s alive, but things went to shit fast. I lost my bike and we’re hitching a ride in a garbage truck until we get off the freeway. I turned off my GPS so Uncle Bob can’t track me.” “Okay, once you’re out of the truck we’ll find a safe place for you,” Eric told him. “Unless you want to head back here.” “No way, he has the info from the previous T-850’s,” John said. “I can’t take Kyle back there, meaning you’d better haul ass out of there too before he heads there to search for us. I’ll contact you soon, but I’ll need you to pick some things because we’re in a garbage truck and… it’s not a pleasant smell.” * “I don’t get why we have to do this,” Kyle said as he sat in the bathroom while wearing a bathrobe. John stood behind him, cutting his hair and applying hair dye. “Because the T-850 can access security cameras,” John told him. “That’s why you had to wear that ball cap when we rented this room and why I stole that box of hair dye along the way. We have to change your look for now just to be safe. Once Eric gets here with some fresh clothes we can try to find a safe house until I can take that bastard out.” “Why does he want to kill me?” Kyle asked as he looked up at John. “I never did anything to him. I’ve never hurt anyone.” John knew he couldn’t tell his future father the truth about why Skynet had sent an assassin after him. The poor kid had been traumatized enough and to tell him that John was his future son would probably break him. “It’s because you’re special, kid. Sometimes special kids attract people who want to remove them because they’re jealous. He knows you’ll do great things someday and he wants to stop you before that can happen.” “Why can’t we call the police?” Kyle asked. “You’re supposed to call the cops if you’re in trouble.” “If only that was true,” John said as a knock came at the door. “Stay put, don’t come out until it’s safe.” John opened to door and found Eric holding two grocery bags. “Sorry, would have been here hours ago but I had to find clothes and shoes the kid’s size,” Eric told him. “Is he okay?” “A little traumatized but he’s tough,” John said. “It’s okay Kyle.” Kyle stepped out of the bathroom as Eric looked between the two of them as he noticed the similarities. “Holy shit, he looks just like… that kid from The Grass Harp. People have seen that movie, right?” “Did you get a car?” John asked. “Yeah, it’s parked outside,” Eric told him. “The police found the parents in a broom closet and immediately started plastering the kid’s pic all over the local news. The kid’s reported as kidnapped, there’s an amber alert out for him so every law enforcement agent is out looking for him.” “Great, so everyone’s going to be looking for him,” John said. “We better move. Kyle, put your hat on and keep your head down, we’ll get dressed in the car. If the guys at the counter have seen the news, the cops might already be on there—” “Police, open up!” a pounding came from the door. “Shit,” John said. “Eric, sneak Kyle out of the window. I’ll handle this.” John opened the door and put on a fake smile. “Can I help you?” * Eric lifted Kyle up to the small window. “Take this bag and get dressed in the alley, then hide in the backseat of the car and keep your head down and especially don’t let anyone spot you. Do not do anything else. We’ll be out there soon and don’t draw attention to yourself.” Realizing the window was too small for him, Eric looked for a way out as he listened outside. * “We had reports that you were spotted with this boy checking into this motel,” the officer said as he held up a picture of Kyle taken on his last picture day at school. “May we look around?” “Sure, but there’s no kid here,” John told him. “Two people were checked into this room under what I can only assume to be aliases. A Mr. Jeff Furlong and a Mr. Jared Ackles.” “Well, you see, that’s… I’m kind of…” Eric pulled off his shirt and opened the door. If he didn’t act fast, John would be arrested, and then no one would be left to keep the boy alive. “Hey, babe, we should get some extra towels. We’ll need them for our morning shower together.” “Sure thing… babe,” John replied nervously. “This is my… uh, my…” “Hi, I’m Jeff, and I’m this stud’s fiancee,” Eric told him as he took John’s arm. “Been soul mates since kindergarten, took him until senior year to get the balls to ask me out. Just got engaged last night, figured we’d celebrate with a night away from home.” “Okay?” John said. “This boy was kidnapped from his home and his parents murdered, it’s extremely urgent to find this kid before it’s too late,” the officer said. “Aw, he’s cute,” Eric said. “I hope you find him before anything bad happens. Looks like the kind of kid we hope to adopt after the wedding.” “We’ve been here all day,” John told him in an uncomfortable tone. “You know… being romantic and all.” “He’s shy now but when we’re alone, that’s when the passion begins,” Eric smiled. “As soon as you leave, he’ll rip my clothes off and the fun begins again.” “Information we didn’t need,” the officer said as he wrote down some notes. “Just call us if the kid is spotted. Good day, gentlemen. Congratulations on the engagement.” The officer walked away as the two stood there. As the officer looked back, Eric gave John a passionate kiss. Once the officer was gone, John pushed Eric away. “DUDE!” “Sorry, had to think on my feet, the window was too small to climb out of. And you’re the one who used tongue,” Eric said. “John Connor never half-asses things,” John stated flatly. “Now get your clothes on, Kyle should be in the car.” “Great,” John said as he started getting dressed. “Where’s the car?” “It’s right over… there,” Eric said as he opened the door and looked around to see broken glass on the ground. “Shit.” “The car was stolen, probably with Kyle inside,” John said as he hopped to the door while pulling his pants up. He looked outside as he saw the T-850 rounding the corner. “SHIT! I’ll deal with Uncle Bob, go see if the car’s still in the area.” “I put a homing beacon in the kid’s pants pocket,” Eric told him. “Just in case you two got separated. I’ll follow that to him.” “Good thinking,” John told him. “I just hope he’s okay.” * Kyle lay on the floor of the backseat as the car thieves drove the car down the street. He tried to keep still and not make any noise, hoping he wouldn’t be noticed. “A car like this will be a major payday,” the man in the driver’s seat said. “Can’t believe someone just left it in the parking lot. We should hit that motel more often.” It was then that a sneeze had been heard coming from the backseat. The men looked back to a small boy laying there. * Having found John and Kyle’s abandoned garbage-stained clothes in the dumpster out back, the Terminator had found traces of Kyle after having obtained a few hairs at his house from a comb. The T-850 scanned the ground to see a pair of child-sized shoes leading to the spot where the car had been stolen. Scanning the tire tracks, a trail appeared. As he was about to give chase, John hit him in the head with a lead pipe, breaking his sunglasses and sending them flying. “You stay away from my father!” John shouted he went to strike again as the machine grabbed the pipe and pushed John to the ground. Before he could strike John, he rolled out of the way as pipe slammed into the ground, cracking the gravel. The T-850 scanned John, recognizing him as a target. He raised his shotgun toward John, who started feeling a pain in his shoulder from where he’d been shot the last time. Losing all control, John summoned a surge of adrenalin and rushed the Terminator, pushing him into the path of an oncoming truck. The truck slammed into the robot, sending him flying. “Buddy, are you okay?” the driver asked as the T-850 threw him out of the way and climbed into the cab to run down John, who had already disappeared. “Need a place to kill this son of a bitch for good,” John said as he ran down the alley, knowing his pursuer would be on him at any moment. “Just have to keep him away from Kyle, no matter what.” * “So what do we do with the kid?” the first carjacker asked as they pulled the car into the old garage in the heart of the city. Kyle lay in the backseat, bound and gagged. “If we can’t get a ransom for him, we sell the kid,” the second carjacker told him. “He looks young and healthy, he’ll bring in a lot of money to the right person. Toss him into a corner or something while I get the car onto the ramp.” The other man dragged Kyle out of the car while Eric snuck up to a window and looked inside. “John?” Eric asked through his earpiece. “I found the kid. Are you okay?” “NO!” John shouted as he ran down the street while being chased by the truck. “Is Kyle alright?” “They’ve got him tied up, but he doesn’t look hurt,” Eric said. “I’ll free the kid and run for it. I’ll call you again when I find somewhere safe.” Eric started to look for a way in while hoping John evaded the Terminator where ever he was. * “Can you believe it?” a man asked as he looked at John’s bike. “Just found it on top of the rig when I got the factory. Looks brand new and—“ “Thanksforfindingmybike!” John shouted as he hopped on and took off as the men just looked at each other. Seconds later, the semi came charging through and knocking the men to the side of the road. “Don’t know this city so I don’t know where to lure Uncle Bob into a trap, and I can’t use any of the other tricks to— That’s it!” John shouted as he turned on the earpiece. “Eric, listen to me very carefully. Did you bring any of the EMPS and can you get to them?” * Kyle struggled with his bound hands, trying to stay strong like his father always told him. With his parents dead, he’d have to find a way to carry on no matter what. But first, he’d have to get free and run as fast as his small legs would carry him. It didn’t matter where, he just had to get away from the person trying to kill him. He’d get free and find a way to Marty’s house. Creepy father or not, it would be safe and Marty was like a brother to him. There’s no way he’d be caught by the guy with the sunglasses there. Kyle finally got his hands free as he undid his legs just as he saw Eric sneaking in, who gave Kyle a signal to keep quiet. Eric snuck over to the car and found John’s backpack as the two carjackers noticed him. Eric motioned to Kyle to stay hidden as the boy hid behind some gasoline barrels. “Get that guy before he calls the cops!” the first carjacker said as he grabbed a crowbar. “This’ll show him.” “This’ll work better,” the second guy said as he pulled out a gun and aimed just as Kyle jumped on his back. “NO!” Kyle shouted as the gun misfired and hit the wall as Eric punched the first carjacker. “Kyle, stay down!” Eric shouted as a motorcycle was heard. John rode through to see the chaos. “Everyone down! Eric, get ready!” John said as the bike came to a stop just as the truck plowed through the entrance. Kyle ducked behind the barrels as Eric climbed into the railing up above. The Terminator stepped out while carrying his shotgun. “I don’t know who this guy is, but he’s a dead man!” the carjacker said as he aimed his gun, only for the T-850 to fire his shotgun and blast him through the window behind him. The other man got ready to attack as the Terminator blasted him as well, sending him flying back into the gasoline barrels, causing one to start spilling liquid all over the floor and under the barrels next to it. As the T-850 looked around he spotted Kyle and prepared to fire when John jumped onto his back. “NO!” The Terminator tossed John off of him as Kyle took aim with the EMP launcher, firing it right into the T-850’s chest and sending him flying to the floor. As its systems started shutting down the Terminator took one final aim at Kyle in an attempt to kill him, firing off a single blast before temporarily shutting down. “KYLE!” John shouted as the bullet hit a gas barrel and igniting it right in front of the boy. The barrel exploded, sending the child flying across the room and into the wall, knocking him unconscious as he fell face-first on the floor. John immediately ran to him, trying to get a pulse. As he rolled the boy over, he saw the explosion had scarred him around his eyes. “Come on, Kyle, wake up. Please.” More barrels started exploding as Eric climbed down and grabbed John’s shoulder. “We gotta go!” “I have to finish that Terminator first for doing this to my Dad,” “This whole place is going to explode, we can finish it later! Now move!” Eric shouted as John scooped the boy up and headed to the motorcycle before riding out of the garage just as the entire place went up in a grand explosion. * Hours later, Kyle lay in a hospital bed with his head wrapped in gauze. There was little scarring beyond the damage to his eyes, but there had been significant damage when the explosion happened. “He was at ground zero of the explosion,” the doctor told him. John had known of a few underground hospitals for those who couldn’t go directly for help in a medical situation, which is how John ended up taking the boy to a doctor on the outskirts of town where there were few people. “He stared directly into it as the barrel exploded. He’s completely blind, Mr. Hamilton. I’m afraid he’ll never see again. I’ll prescribe some painkillers for the boy. Are you his father?” “No, but… I’m the only family he has,” As the doctor left, Eric put a hand on John’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, John.” “I don’t get it,” John said. “If he’s blind, why am I still here? If he’s not able to go back in time, shouldn’t that erase me? Won’t that meant that Skynet won?” “Maybe the time change hasn’t caught up to you yet,” Eric said. “Or maybe it has to do with alternate realities or something. How many times did the timeline change with all the people the Terminators killed since before you were born? Or maybe you were right the first time and Skynet really is gone and none of this matters.”” “I have to find out what happened,” John told him. “We have to build that time machine. I have to see for myself that things are going to be alright.” “What about the kid? We can’t just leave him here,” Eric told him. “No, we can’t,” John told him. “His parents are dead and he has no one else in the world to take care of him. I caused this, so… I’ll take care of him. If Skynet’s really gone and the future’s safe, then my destiny as a great hero is over. I can focus on something else, like giving Kyle the family he needs now while we build that machine.” “You know I’ll help you any way I can,” Eric told him. “But what about the Terminator back at that garage?” “We’ll prepare for him and take him out before he gets anywhere near Kyle again,” John said. “But for now we need to get Kyle somewhere safe.” Kyle started moaning as he began to wake up. “Daddy…” “I just don’t know how to tell the kid that he’s lost his entire world in the span of a day…” * After several hours, the T-850’s systems rebooted as the metal exoskeleton walked out of the burned down building. It would find John Connor and Kyle Reese, then kill them both. As the robot started walking, a shotgun blast hit it in the shoulder. Not too far away, Sarah Connor stood there wearing sunglasses and holding a rocket launcher. She’d spent the last six years preparing for this fight and tracking down leads to where the Terminator had been spotted, always just barely missing it. But she wasted no time upon hearing that a man of the Terminator’s description had been spotted and was killing kids with the last name of ‘Reese’. It didn’t her long to figure who he was targeting, although she had heard the news reports about a missing boy on the news. Considering that no body had been found, that meant that boy had taken off, possibly being saved by another hero from the future. “This is for John,” Sarah said as she fired a direct hit, shattering the exoskeleton into several pieces. There was a pick-up truck waiting where she’d take the pieces to the steel mill to be melted and destroyed forever so that no one would be able to create Skynet and destroy humanity in a few years “You’re terminated.” After destroying the remnants of the final T-850 hours later, Sarah drove her pick-up to the highway, not sure where to go now. Her son had been avenged but she still felt empty. She’d have to find others who could use her help. As Sarah prepared to get onto the freeway, she just missed seeing John on a motorcycle turning onto a different exit, following Eric in the rental car with Kyle in the backseat. * 6 Years Later A fully functioning time portal sat in the basement of the garage, which had been upgraded from a humble workshop to include all sorts of high-tech gadgets to keep track of any anomalies that time travelers might cause, and any trouble that cybernetic monstrosities might cause. In the past six years, both John and Eric had stayed well on their guard, ready to jump at any hostile situation. “What do you make of it?” Eric asked as he showed John an encrypted message he’d caught while trying to find the elusive group known as the Nightmare Warriors. John had become fascinated with this group, especially the rumors about a boy who could travel through dreams. “It looks like we’re not the only ones trying to find these guys,” John told him. “Sounds like there’s going to be a big throw down and I feel like I’m going to need to be there to prevent any major bloodshed. Keep an eye on the kid, I’m hitting the road.” TO BE CONTINUED IN THE PAGES OF NIGHTMARE WARRIORS!
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John Connor: No Fate But What We Make #3
Six Months Later I’m halfway to my freedom. Just two more killer cyborgs and I can start living my life. No more running from assassins, no more threats from the future. No more living my life how others want me to live it. I can finally be free to be my person. I just have to keep punching until I see the light. I’m going to be free. I managed to take out the first two Terminators with a little ingenuity, but they’re learning from each other due to a shared network, meaning that no trick is going to work twice. I’ll have to creative while I find a way to get this next one. But at the same time I have to find out my father’s location because the fourth and final one will be gunning for him. So I have to find Kyle Reese before I kill the next T-8150. So for the past year I’ve been leaving clues wherever I go to lure Uncle Bob. By the time he gets there, I’m already gone and halfway across the country, covering my tracks so he can’t deduce where I’m headed next while I search local hospitals to search birth records to find my dad. I’d hack computers to find him, but I can’t clue Uncle Bob in what I’m doing. * Lincoln City, Oregon In a small lakeside cabin a loud arguing was heard as a blonde man in mid-20’s stormed out, slamming the door behind him. As he got into his car to drive, he ended up in the city where he parked in an empty parking lot to calm himself before breaking down and crying on the steering wheel. He didn’t want to walk out and he had every intention of returning home to talk things out. He loved his fiancee and would do whatever it took to work things out, but the argument had brought back traumatic memories of his childhood he was still working to deal with. As Derek wiped away the tears a short while later, he looked at his phone to find 50 new messages. “Don’t worry, baby, I’m coming home to talk,” Derek whispered as he got ready to start the car, just as a rag covered in chloroform wrapped around his mouth. As Derek struggled, he soon passed out as he was shoved into the passenger side seat before his attacker drove off. * One Week Later John Connor, disguised as a UPS deliveryman, walked up to the record office window to survey the area. A man in his mid-20’s looked up at John holding the box. “Package delivery,” John said. “Packages are supposed to be delivered at the nurse’s station,” the man told him. “She was in the bathroom, she was like… pregnant or something,” John lied. “I just need someone to sign for this.” The man just raised an eyebrow and sighed. The head nurse was in her 70’s and had her tubes tied after her first ten kids. But he’d been bored all morning and was just wanting to go home to his German Shepard to relax. “Where do I sign?” Brian Tanner asked. He was 24 with strawberry blonde hair and a tan line on his finger, indicating he was either divorced or lost someone he loved. John noticed a picture of Brian on a fishing trip with a blonde man as they posed with a dog. They both looked happy, but John couldn’t help what had happened. John slid the clipboard under the plastic partition to sign as he looked around. The lock to get in could be easily picked; no cameras were visible and it looked like there was only the one man on duty. Getting in and out should be simple, he just needed to get the guy out of the office so he could get in there. “Thanks,” John told him as he put the box on the counter. The phone started to ring as Brian picked up. “Hello? Oh,” Brian said, his voice shaking. “Oh… okay, I understand. Thank you.” Brian hung up as he ran a hand through his hair as John paused. “Are you okay?” “It’s not your problem,” Brian said in a low tone. “You look like you got hit by a freight train,” John told him. “Helping people is what my day job was supposed to be, will be— it’s complicated. But let’s just say if someone’s in trouble, I like to help.” Brian wiped a tear away. “My boyfriend and I broke up recently and now he’s… gone missing. Vanished without a trace and the police can’t find any evidence. We had a fight before he left about letting my little brother stay with us after he’s let out of a mental ward. Eric’s a good kid, he’s just a little unbalanced. But Derek had… traumas as a child he’s still getting help for and he doesn’t think he can deal with it. But I love him, and if he’s hurt or worse I’ll never forgive myself.” “And the police can’t do anything?” John asked. “They told me to file a missing person’s report and that’s it,” Brian said. “But Derek’s not the kind of guy to just… disappear. He’d at least call his mother or his best friend. I feel so… helpless.” “I’ll help you,” John told him as he looked at his watch. He’d already left clues for Uncle Bob to come here, giving John less than 24 hours to get out of town. But this man really needed help and John wasn’t the type to refuse help to anyone in help. * After changing back into his street clothes, John gave Brian a ride on his motorcycle back to the lake house. “So, how did you two meet?” John asked. “After my parents divorced when I was a kid, it was just me and my brother while my sister was in college,” Brian told him. “I met Derek when we moved to LA and it was… love at first sight. We dated through college and decided to move to Oregon after graduation to build a life together. I got a job keeping records at the hospital and he worked as an accountant. It was peaceful and we didn’t have to worry about anything, and when something did come up, we talked each other through it. The divorce was hard on my brother Eric, and it broke him. Kept seeing… things, like alien things. He was put into a mental hospital when he was 12, but now they think he’s well enough to be released. My parents got back together and moved to France and my sister has her own family now, but me and Eric were always the closest. But Derek didn’t think he could handle it so we had our first big argument and he took off. Haven’t heard from him since.” “And that seems suspicious to you?” John asked. “That he’s disappear without a trace after one argument?” Brian asked. “We were engaged, we’d do anything for each other. I gave his mother one of my kidneys after we’d only known each other for two weeks. He wouldn’t leave like that, no matter how angry he was. I have to find him.” The two arrived at the lake house where they were met by a German Shepard, who immediately started playfully jumping on John. “That’s weird, Gordon’s usually not that friendly toward strangers at first,” Brian told him. “I’m a dog person, used to own a German Shepard myself,” John told him as he played with Gordon. “So, has anything weird happened lately? Strange people hanging around? Odd phone calls in the middle of the night?” “Gordon has been barking at nothing at all hours lately,” Brian said. “But there’s never anything there.” “I think I should take a look around,” John said as he looked at the living room. Pictures of Brian’s family were all over as well as Derek’s parents. “Derek’s parents haven’t heard from him?” “His mother lives in California and his father was killed in a car crash when he was 15,” Brian told him. “Happened not too soon after we met. “Derek’s best friend Lonnie is usually the first person he calls if he needs someone to talk to if I’m not here. He works in LA making… adult movies. But he’s a good guy, he’s going to be Derek’s best man… was going to be.” “We’ll find him,” John promised. “We just need one solid—“ Gordon started barking as John looked out of the window. “I don’t think he’s barking at nothing. Let him out, maybe he can lead us to something.” Brian opened the door as Gordon rushed out. As John and Brian followed, a loud yelp was heard as John found Gordon caught in a bear trap that was disguised as a clown toy. “Shit,” John said as he pulled the trap open to get the dog free. “We need to get him to a vet now.” Brian looked at the ground and picked up a photo of him and Derek. Brian’s half had been stabbed with a knife. “We gotta move,” John told him. “Now.” * After getting to the vet, Brian stared at the picture as he sat in the waiting room. “I think Derek was kidnapped,” John told him. “And now it seems like whoever’s behind this is gunning for you and Gordon.” “But why?” Brian asked. “We don’t have enemies, we’re just two regular guys that keep to ourselves. We don’t make waves, we don’t cause trouble. We go to church and pay our taxes! Who would do this?” Brian held up the picture. “This is from Derek’s wallet. I have the same one in mine.” “Someone set that bear trap disguised as a toy knowing someone would get caught in it,” John told him. “I can’t leave you alone until we get to the bottom of this.” * “They said Gordon’s going to be okay, but he’ll be at the vet for at least a few days,” Brian said they returned to the lake house. “I don’t get it. Do you think they… killed Derek?” “I think he’s still alive,” John told him. “Otherwise his body might have turned up by now, or the kidnapper might have used him to lure you into a trap. I’m going to set up some traps around the place, keep an eye on your phone in case this freak does try to call.” As John looked at the pictures on the wall he came across a picture of young Eric with a creepy clown doll. “Does your brother like creepy clowns?” “Yeah, he’s always had a thing for weird looking creatures,” Brian said. “When does he get out of that asylum?” “Next week,” Brian told him. “Why?” * Brian slammed down the phone. “He was released two weeks ago! Since he’s 18 he didn’t need a family member to take him home, as long he checks in with his counselor every few days, they let him go!” “Did they tell you where he is?” John asked. “He’s living in a halfway house downtown!” * Eric Tanner sat alone in a small, cramped apartment, alone with just his thoughts as a knock came at the door. He slowly got up and cautiously put his door on the door as John burst in and slammed Eric against the wall. “Where is he!?” John asked. “Where’s Derek?” “My future brother-in-law?” Derek asked. “I don’t know!” “You’re supposed to be in the asylum for two more weeks,” Brian told him. “You couldn’t even call me to let me know?” “I was… ashamed,” Eric told him. “You’re always going to bat for me. I wanted to stand on my own for once. When I had the chance to get out, I agreed to their conditions and got a job at the local toy store. I wanted to make my own life before I called you.” Brian pulled him into a tight hug. “You never have to hide from me, we’re brothers. But you need to be straight with me, bro. Do you have anything to do with Derek’s disappearance?” “No,” Eric told him. “Why would I want to do anything to him? He makes you happy.” “We’ve still got a missing fiancee to find,” John said. “One who’s looking to kill your brother. We found that creepy ass bear trap that looks like—“ “A clown toy?” Eric asked. “How did you know?” “Because I built it,” * The T-850 rode a motorcycle past the town limits as he arrived in the city. Having upgraded his system to finally formally track down John, he looked at the security above as his systems started hacking into the computer database that controlled all the security footage in the city, finally finding the image of John he’d been looking for, seeing John and two other people leaving the small apartment building. * Eric brought John and Brian to a small shop a few miles away from where he was staying. It was a toy store that had just recently had its grand opening. “I was one one of the first ones to apply when the store was opening,” Eric told him. “It doesn’t pay much, but I cover my bills.” “Why are you building death toys?” John asked. “My boss had an idea to expand into hunting accessories,” Eric told him. “He put me in charge of that line.” “Why would— how would you—,” Brian started to say. “We may need to up your meds.” “I think we need to talk to your boss,” John told him. An older, balding man walked out, smiling creepily at the trio. “Hello, Eric,” the man said in a gravelly voice. “My hardest worker. Who are your friends?” “This is my brother Brian and his friend John,” Eric told him. “They wanted to see where I work. This is Ricky, he owns the store.” “Well, Ricky, we need to have a talk about you building death traps and kidnapping a guy,” John told him. “Kidnapping? I never—“ Ricky said as he stopped to think. “Excuse me, I’ll be right back.” Ricky headed into the back room, where arguing was heard seconds later. “Who’s he arguing with?” John asked. “Probably my supervisor,” Eric said. “Ricky opened this store with his adopted son.” A loud thud was heard after the argument ended. John grabbed a ball bat from a rack and ran to the back room where Ricky lay unconscious on the floor. Eric ran to check his pulse. “He’s still alive.” “Good,” John said as he was struck in the back to knock him out. Up the hall, Brian was looking around as he heard two more thumps. He found Derek’s wallet on the floor as he started to panic. “Derek?” Brian asked nervously. “Derek!? Hang on, baby, I’m coming to find you.” As he ran to the door, a fist punched him to render him unconscious. * Brian opened his eyes as he tried to move his hands, but found them bound. As he struggled, he found himself bound to a bed in what looked like an attic. “Help!” Brian shouted. “John? Eric? Anyone?” “They can’t help you now,” a voice said as he walked up the stairwell into the attic. He had robotic movements as he got to the top, as if he were a puppet. “It’s just you and me.” “Who the hell are you?” “Why, I’m your fiancee,” the robotic man said. * John opened his eyes, finding his hands handcuffed behind his back. “Wait a minute…,” John said as he played with the cuffs, finally getting them off. “These are toy cuffs! Eric, wake up? Where’s Brian?” “I don’t know,” Eric said as he slowly started to wake up. “I saw you get hit, then Pino came after me.” “Pino?” John asked. “Ricky’s son,” Eric said as he John helped him out as he saw Ricky in the corner. “We should probably ask him about that.” After splashing cold water on Ricky, they sat him down in a chair to get the full story. “Years ago I bought Joe Petto’s toy store for a very cheap price,” Ricky told him. “I love toys, I wanted to give the kids in a place to get good toys with their allowance. But I found out Joe was into robotics and I found the remains of a robotic son so I… fixed him. Pino seemed like a good boy when I activated him, so I treated him like my own son. But as time went on, he started getting obsessed with a boy he claimed to know named Derek. I got him out of that town when I got worried he might try to hurt this kid. I didn’t know he’d been manipulating me to move here…right where Derek was all along. I didn’t know, I swear.” “So, where’s Derek now?” John asked. * Pino dragged Derek out of a closet and threw him to the ground. “Derek?” Brian asked. “What did you to him!?” “Just kept him sedated,” Pino told him. “He’s always stood in the way of me having a real family. First my mother denied me her love because of him, then my father tried to kill me to protect him. But not any more. I knew I couldn’t kill him until I had you here to watch.” “Watch? What about that bear trap?” “That was for the dog. I couldn’t get close enough to do with the dog in the way,” Pino told him. “But I’ve loved you ever since I learned you were with Derek. I can be everything for you, Brian. I can make you happy.” “i love Derek!” Brian shouted with tears in his eyes. “Nothing can make me stop loving you!” “That’s why Derek has to die,” Pino said as he pulled out a knife. “If he’s gone, you’ll have no choice but to love me.” “Please don’t do this,” Brian pleaded with tears in his eyes. “I’ll do anything, just don’t hurt him.” As Pino was about to drive the knife into Derek’s heart, the sound of gunfire was heard coming from downstairs. * “That’s was the childhood trauma Brian was talking about,” John said. “This Pino’s the one that messed him up.” “And he’s probably killing my brother right now!” Eric shouted as he jumped up. “I gotta save him!” As they prepared to run upstairs, the front door was kicked in as the T-8150 walked in carrying a howitzer. “Shit!” John said as he grabbed Eric. “Duck!” The two men plus Ricky dived out of the way as the Terminator sprayed the room with gunfire while heading toward John. “Go!” John shouted. “Save your brother!” John crawled into the next room to try to find a weapon as Eric headed upstairs. * “I’ll love you,” Brian promised. “But only if you let him live. I’ll be yours forever as long as he’s alive.” “Promise?” Pino asked. “Your heart is mine and mine alone? That your love will only ever belong to me?” “Brian, no,” Derek mumbled as Pino pushed him to the floor. “Yes,” Brian said tears fell down his cheek. “I… I love you, Pino.” Pino smiled as he stood up and disrobed, revealing a Ken doll body underneath as he looked down at Derek. “There’s nothing you have that I can’t take away,” Pino said. “I will have everything you love.” “I wonder if Derek loves this crowbar,” Eric said as he swung at Pino’s head, only for him to catch it with one hand and punch Eric across the room with the other. “You were my friend, Eric, why would you try to hurt me?” Pino asked. “Because you’re hurting my brother,” Eric said as he tried to stand up. “And my future brother-in-law. You stay away from my family, you bastard.” As he tried to get to his feet, Pino grabbed him around the neck and lifted him into the air. “You are not my friend,” Pino said as Eric struggled. “You want to take my true love away from me! No one will take my true love from me!” As Eric struggled to breathe, Derek picked himself up from floor and slowly made his way over. “Put my brother-in-law down,” Derek said in a drowsy tone as he tackled Pino, sending them both flying down the stairs as Eric was dropped to the ground, gasping for air. “Eric, untie me!” Brian told him. “Please.” * The T-850 stopped firing as John snuck up behind him with a metal pipe. As he was about to swing, Pino and Derek landed at the bottom of the stairs. The Terminator turned just in time to see John before he could strike. The Terminator raised a smaller gun to fire as Brian and Eric ran down the stairs. “No!” Brian shouted as he tossed his shoe at the Terminator, throwing his aim off. The gun fired, hitting Brian in the shoulder as he flew back against the wall. “You shot my fiancee!” Pino shouted as he backhanded Derek to the ground as he walked past. “Don’t worry, my love, I’ll avenge you!” “This will not end well,” Eric said he tried to stop the bleeding. The T-850 saw Pino coming at him as his sensors scanned him, realizing he was an android. “You are an ancient inferior model,” the T-850 said. “You are not-“ Pino punched him, knocking his glasses off. The Terminator simply cracked his neck and punched Pino to the ground before he got back up and attacked him. “We have to stop this before either of them kills somebody,” John said. “Do you have insurance on this place, Ricky?” “Of course,” “Then everyone get outside, this place is going to be blown sky high in five minutes,” John told them. * As the Terminator and Pino fought, John gathered all the explosive materials he could fine and turned on the gas, hoping the place would fill up in time. He snuck past the room where the T-850 had knocked Pino’s head off, but he was still moving around blindly. * “I’m so sorry,” Derek said as he tended to Brian’s wounded shoulder. “I shouldn’t have left like that. Your brother’s welcome to live with us.” “I shouldn’t have sprung it on you like that,” Brian said. “I just wanted to protect Eric so much that—“ “You’ve always protected me,” Eric reminded him. “You just couldn’t protect me from my own mind. I went insane and no on could help me.” “Are you still seeing… things?” Brian asked. “I saw visions of a planet exploding,” Eric said. “A race of… furry aliens. It was horrible.” “Melmac,” Brian whispered. “But how? You were too young to— you imprinted on him or something, I don’t know. That species is… weird. You’re somehow seeing his memories. That’s what you’ve been seeing this whole time. I’m so sorry, Eric, I should have seen this long before.” “So I’m not insane?” “No, baby brother, you’re not,” Brian said as he hugged him. “Guys, here he comes!” Derek said as he pointed to John, who walked away from the building as it exploded. As he walked past a construction site, he got another idea. Minutes later, the exoskeleton of the T-850 walked out of the flames, only to be struck down by John in a hot-wired truck. He quickly got out and ran to the Terminator while holding a jackhammer, drilling straight into its chest until it stopped moving. “Gotta get its CPU out before—“ the machine grabbed John’s leg and pulled him to the ground. “Get his CPU! Rip it out!” Brian did a quick search and found where John had jackhammered, pulling out a brightly lit box. After some effort it ripped right out as the T-850’s eyes stopped glowing. “John, what was the hell was all of that?” “I guess… I owe you an explanation,” John said. “But first we need to find a place to melt this fucker’s body down.” * Later than night at the lake house, the four men sat around talking. “That’s why I needed to get into those files, my father’s life depends on me finding him,” John said. “Well, those records are highly secure and aren’t for public viewing,” Brian told him. “But you did save my fiancee’s life, so I guess we could go there first thing tomorrow to look.” “Your story is hard to swallow, but so are all of our stories,” Derek told him. “Oh, one more thing.” Derek pulled out the engagement ring and slid it onto Brian’s finger. “I think you lost something.” “Never again,” Brian whispered as they kissed. “Gross,” Eric said as he looked away. “John, are you coming to the wedding?” “I’m invited?” John asked. “My best man has the authority to invite whoever he wants,” Brian smiled. * The next morning as John waved goodbye, John looked at the birth certificate in his hands with the names of his grandparents, giving him the big clue he needed to track his father down. He tucked it into the backpack with the CPU before he rode off into the next town. * The store had burnt to the ground, but Ricky kept searching until he found Pino’s remains. “Don’t worry, son, I’ll rebuilt you. You’ll be better the next time, you’ll see.” * “Goodnight, little brother,” Brian said as he turned out the light of Eric’s bedroom. “Welcome home.” As Brian closed the door, Eric just stared at the picture of him and Brian as children. “I can’t worry him anymore,” Eric said. “Somewhere out there, there’s someone who can help me stop the Melmac invasion before they take over Earth.” * Weeks later, John sat on the bed in his garage workshop, ready to find his father the next day. As he lay back and closed his eyes, a bright light filled the room as detailed blueprints flew out. “JOHN!” a familiar voice shouted. “The future needs you! Use the blueprints, you have to know the truth before—“ A painful scream was heard as John picked up the blueprints. “Oh my God,” John said as he looked down at the detailed plans for a time machine with coordinates which had been printed on human flesh so it could be sent back as organic material. TO BE CONTINUED… John Connor thought his life of training for a future war was over. Judgement Day had been averted and both John and his mother were now free to live their lives. Then one day on a beach in Mexico, a Terminator showed up once again to try to kill John. Separated from his mother once again, John decided to end the fight once and for all, finding out the Skynet had sent four additional Terminators back with the T-1000 just in case the main assassin failed. Three of them were sent to target John, and the fourth was sent to strike at a young Kyle Reese…
The John Connor Chronicles: No Fate But What We Make #2 After destroying the rest of the first T-850 so there wasn’t a trace left for anyone to use to doom the world, I set out to get ready for the next Terminator that probably woke up the second I destroyed the CPU. If this last one was correct, they’ve already adapted to my EMPs and my dummy trick. I’m going to have to up my game while I track down Kyle Reese. Going to have to plan my next move carefully. 16-year-Old John Connor stared ahead of him, knowing the next move was critical. The entire morning depended on what came next. After several seconds of intense pondering, John finally made his choice. “I’ll take the strawberry,” The blonde teenage girl behind the donut counter opened the case and finished John’s order, putting the final donut in the box before handing it to him. “Never seen you around here before,” the cashier said, her name tag reading ‘Jade’. She noticed John the second he walked in, seeing how handsome he was. “Yeah, I just got here this morning,” John told her. “I don’t know how long I’ll be here, I’m kind of expecting my Uncle Bob to arrive, but I don’t know how long he’s going to take.” “Well, if you’re going to be here for a while, maybe you could use a guided tour,” Jade told him. “I’d like that,” John smiled as the two started talking. Behind him, the door opened and in stepped a man dressed in a nice suit. He took immediate notice of John talking to his niece and frowned as he approached the couple, putting a hand on John’s shoulder, who reacted by nearly punching the older man. “Whoa, there, slugger,” the man said as he stepped back. “You always react that way to strangers coming up behind you?” “Sorry,” John told him. “I just jumpy sometimes.” “I’ve never seen you here before,” the man said. “I’m Warren Kincaid, the chief of police.” John extended his hand to shake, not getting one in return. He slowly pulled his hand back as Warren looked at Jade. “This guy giving you trouble?” “No, Uncle Warren,” Jade told him. “Everything’s fine. We were just talking.” “Make sure it stays that way,” Warren said as he poured himself a cup of coffee, taking note of John’s black motorcycle jacket and the custom Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle outside polished to perfection. “Nice bike. Is it yours?” “Yes, sir,” John said. “Built her myself. Fastest thing on two wheels.” “Then it should be fast enough to get you out of my town in the next five minutes,” Warren said as he got closer to John. “This a nice, friendly town, son. We don’t need your kind bringing trouble.” “My kind?” John asked. “Leather wearing, motorcycle riding punks,” John said. “I know your type all too well. Which is why if I see you here again, messing with my niece, you’ll spend the rest of your natural-born life in the state pen. I’m sure they’d love a pretty young thing like you. You’ll be the belle of the ball.” “Uncle Warren, he hasn’t done anything,” Jade told him. “We were just talking.” “Stay out of this,” Warren told him. “I’ll be keeping tabs on you, little boy. If I spot you in this town again, you’re done. Now get on your little toy and beat it.” “Nice meeting you, Jade,” John said as he exited the store. “You don’t have to treat every guy who treats me nice like that,” Jade told him. “Jade, your parents left you in my custody,” Warren told her. “Your father was my brother and best friend, and I’ll be damned if some leather wearing punk puts his hands on you. You see that little bastard again, call me and I’ll handle him.” * Outside, John’s shoulder started bothering him again. The injury he’d received from the T-850 shooting him through the shoulder years earlier was acting up again. Pulling out a small bottle of fentanyl, John took two pills and a drink from his water bottle as he got onto his bike and started riding down the street. I’ve already left clues to lure the next Terminator here. The junkyard here has the world’s strongest scrap magnet, which is perfect for picking up Terminators. But now I have to avoid Sheriff Asshole before Uncle Bob gets here and starts ripping people in half to get to me. That Jade girl was nice enough, though. Maybe if I can wrap this enough in time, I can come back and see there’s an actual chance of me having a happily ever after. * A fax came through as Warren looked at it before crumpling the paper in his hand. “This punk is unidentifiable,” Warren said to Officer Norton. “No fingerprints, no known photographs, no record of him to be found, it’s like he’s a ghost. You know what that means?” “No one’s going to miss him if he disappears,” Norton said with a laugh. “You think he’s skipped town already?” “Guys like that never do,” Warren told him. “He’s still here, and he’s going to be up to something. I want him found and I want to deal with him my way. You know what to do.” * John stood in the hotel bathroom with a towel around his waist, staring at the mirror ahead of him as he looked at the scar on his right shoulder from where he’d been shot 5 years earlier. The wound had healed and the scar was small, but he could still feel the sting of the bullet every time he thought about it. Slowly touching it, John still felt how much it had hurt the day he’d received it. The scar was a reminder that he may never truly be free of Skynet and a future war. “I’m going to finish this,” John told himself. “I’m going to find you, Mom. As soon as this is finished. I swear.” After getting dressed, John left the hotel where he was immediately spotted by Officer Norton, who picked up his walkie. “I got him, Chief,” Norton told him. “Should I bring him in?” “No,” Warren told him. “Plant the package as I told you to, then tell me when it’s done. Then wait for him to come back so we can nail him.” Norton broke into John’s room, planting a bag of cocaine in his dresser before laughing to himself and leaving the room. * After picking up a few supplies at the hardware store, John walked out and headed down the street when he heard a voice calling his name. “JOHN!” the familiar voice shouted. John turned around to see a red-headed young man running toward him “John Connor?” “It can’t be,” John said as he looked closer. “Tim?” “Holy shit, you’re alive!” Tim said as he hugged his long lost friend. “I haven’t seen you since that day at the mall! I thought that cop killed you! I mean, you were all over the news with your mom and that other guy, and then nothing! What the hell happened?” “It’s a long story,” John said as he looked Tim over. He’d lost his mullet and had a full head of red hair and looked like he’d put some muscle on. “A lot’s been going on since that day. What have you been up to? How did you know it was me?” “Are you kidding? You changed your hair color but you still look like a fucking Backstreet Boy,” Tim said. “Well, after the mall incident, my family ended up moving to Michigan. Town’s boring as shit, though. No real excitement like the trouble we used to get into.” “Yeah, anything to piss off my foster parents,” John said with a laugh. “I always wanted to try to come back to find you to tell you I was alright, but life kept getting in the way.” “Everyone kept wondering what happened to you,” Tim said. “The people that mattered, anyway. The kids at school, my parents who were glad you were gone… Kate.” “Kate Brewster,” John said with a smile. “I had such a crush on her. She was my first kiss at that party she held a few days before what happened at the mall. Whatever happened to her?” “After those news reports about the Cyberdyne attack, the military pulled her father to Washington, the whole family moved there,” Tim said. “Never saw her again, either. She really liked you.” “I liked her, too,” John said. “Look, I’m glad I found you. I need your help. We should find a place to sit down, and I’ll explain everything about that day at the mall.” * Just outside of town, the next T-850 walked to the town border, seeing the sign ‘Welcome to Michigan’. A file was brought up with 10-year-old John Connor’s picture (the last taken picture of John) along with recent internet activity leaving clues to where he was headed. The Terminator, wearing dark sunglasses and holding a sawed-off shotgun stepped over the border and walked toward the town while reviewing the last footage the other three T-850’s received before the previous one’s destruction. * “Whoa,” Tim said, trying to take in everything he’d been told. “Killer robots from the future? Assassins made of liquid metal? You weren’t doing cocaine back then, were you? Because I could have gotten you cocaine, we could have split it.” “No, I only ever smoked that weed with you,” John told him. “It all happened, I swear. You have to believe me, Tim. A Terminator is heading this way as we speak, and I have to destroy him before he hurts someone trying to get to me. I need your help to get into the local junkyard.” “Relax, John, I believe you,” Tim told him. “You’ve never lied to me, not even when my stepmom flashed her breasts at you after her surgery.” “They were nice,” John admitted. “Yeah,” Tim laughed a little. “I’ll help you. I know how to get you in. I dated the daughter of the guy who runs the place for a few months, she gave me the codes to get through the electronic locks. We used to sneak in there late at night to fu— forget about our troubles.” “Uh-huh,” John said with a raised eyebrow. “I appreciate any help you can give. I still have a few things to gather, but how about we meet there at midnight?” “Okay,” Tim said as they shook hands and hugged. “It’s really good seeing you here. Maybe you can stick around after your business with this robot douche.” “I want to, but I have a lot of things to do before I can settle down,” John told him. “But once that’s done, I’m definitely coming back to catch up on old times.” * John stopped off at a mechanic shop that was closed and broke in, laying the pieces he needed on the table. Opening his backpack, he put down other spare pieces he had. “The EMP might not work like it with the last one, but I can use all the weapons I can get at this point,” John said as he started building. A short while later, John returned to his motel room and started getting ready for his mission at midnight just as a knock came at the door. “Tim?” John asked as the door burst open and Norton pushed John into the wall. “No, sweetheart, just me,” Norton said in a hideous giggle as Warren stepped into the room. “What the hell’s going on?” John asked. “Got a search warrant for your room, sport,” Warren said as he started looking around. “I thought I saw cocaine on your lip earlier and decided to investigate.” “That was powdered sugar!” John said as Norton punched him. “No one said you could talk, punk!” Norton said as Warren opened the dresser drawer, finding a bag of cocaine. “That’s bullshit!” John shouted. “You planted that!” “Norton, take Christian Slater here to the station,” Warren said as he got closer to John. “You shouldn’t have tried tasting my niece’s doughnuts, kid. Get him out of here!” * At the police station, John had been strip-searched and forced to stand naked in front of a powerful fire-hose. “You gotta believe me!” John shouted as the ice-cold water from the hose hit him while in decontamination. “Something bad’s coming!” “Yeah, right, kid!” Norton laughed as John tried covering himself as he stood there. “The only bad thing here is you and now you’re going to spend your life in the pen!” “All because I talked to that asshole’s niece?” John asked. “What kind of corrupt police are you?” Norton just laughed as he kept blasting the hose. * “What hell is this?” Warren asked he looked through John’s backpack and the EMP. “Electronics bullshit? This thing has to be a bomb. For once we made the right call by bringing this punk in, he was going to blow something up! We might have just saved the town.” “What do we do with the kid?” Norton asked. “He’s drying off now.” “Well, this little doodad just ruled out going easy on him,” Warren told him. “So what do we do with him? We make his life a living hell. He’s going to wish for life in prison when we’re done with him.” * The Terminator had traced John to the motel he’d booked and stood at the window. “Have you seen this boy?” the T-850 asked. “He’s got dark blonde hair, but I’d say that’s him,” the clerk told him. “The police took him to the station an hour ago, they found drugs in his room.” “He won’t be back,” the T-850 said as he walked away. * John was pushed to the floor of an empty cell as Norton slammed the cell shut. “Hey, I get one phone call!” John shouted as he got to his feet. “You’re lucky you get to keep your kneecaps, scum,” Norton said. “Now behave yourself, we’re going to have lots of fun with you, druggie. No one knows you’re here, and no one’s ever gonna see you again.” “You sicko, people are going to die if you don’t let me out!” John said as he ran to the bars. Norton held up a can of mace. “One more word and I’m going to empty this entire fucking can into your eyes! Then you’ll be alone and blind! Now sit down and shut the fuck up!” Norton walked away as John looked around for a way to escape. After a short while, Jade entered the cell block and ran to the cell John stood in. “Jade, what are you doing here?” John asked. “I know my uncle set you up,” Jade told him. “I’ll get you out of here.” “Jade, something… bad is coming for me,” John told her. “I have to get to the junkyard before it arrives. Your uncle took my backpack, I need it back.” Jade smiled at him and held his hand through the bars as she slipped him the keys. “Wait outside, I’ll bring it to you in the back alley. Don’t let anyone see you.” As she left the area, John looked at the key in his hand. Quickly opening the cell, he ran for the door only to find Norton waiting for him. “What do we have here? An attempted jailbreak,” Norton said as he punched John in the nose. As John landed on the ground, Norton smirked as he cracked his knuckles. “Now it’s playtime.” * The T-850 walked into the lobby and stared at the clerk behind the window. “I’m looking for John Connor,” “There’s no John Connor here,” the man said as he typed the name in. “Only prisoner brought in today was a drug dealer and he’s in lock-up. You’ll have to come back during visiting hours and—” The clerk looked up and saw the larger man was gone. The revving of a car was heard from outside. * As Warren sat at his desk, a loud crash was heard from the first floor, followed by gunshots. “What the hell is going on down there?” Warren asked he jumped up and left the room. Moments after he was gone, Jade snuck in and found John’s backpack. “Whatever’s in here better be worth it,” Jade said as she left. * Bullets flew past the T-850, who returned the fire in kind as nothing was stopping the descent toward the staircase to kill John Connor. Warren stepped into view, laughing as he saw the assassin stepping toward him. “Oh, isn’t this cute?” Warren asked. “How much did that punk pay you to do this? Looks like you’re both going down for this—“ The T-850 merely threw Warren out of the window, not slowing down for even a second. Upstairs, Norton kicked John in the stomach as he lay on the ground. “I hate punks like you,” Norton said as he kicked John again. “Worthless little brats who think they can get away with anything they please. Should have listened to the chief when he told you to get out of town.” Norton went to kick him again when he heard gunfire coming from outside. “That can wait, first I want to get a few more kicks in,” Norton said as the door was ripped off of its hinges and the Terminator stepped in. “I’m kind of busy right now!” The T-850 aimed his gun as Norton knocked it away. “I’m not done with this brat yet!” Norton shouted as the Terminator grabbed him by the shoulder and tossed him at the bars with his full strength. A bloody mess was the result as Norton’s body flew at the bars at full force, slamming through and leaving only blood and organs sprayed on the inside of the cell. The machine turned its attention back to John, who had already run out of the room and to the fire escape, where he saw Jade waiting in the alley. He quickly grabbed his backpack from her. “Find somewhere safe, he just wants me,” John told her. “I want to help!” Jade said. “Then make sure the cops stay away from the junkyard!” John said as he returned and give Jade a large kiss. “If I make it back someday I’d like to look you up.” “I’d like that, too,” Jade said as a bullet hit the ground. “Stay safe!” John shouted as he ran past Warren, who was trying to pick himself up from the broken window pieces he lay on, several of them embedded in his face. “I’ll kill that kid myself!” “Let it go, Warren,” Jade told him. “He’s trying to save us all.” * Tim paced around outside of the junkyard as John arrived. “He’s coming,” John told him. “He’s just up the street, we gotta hurry!” “Alright, just have to put in the code and…,” Tim entered the code but the locks didn’t open. “Are you kidding me? They must have changed the code!” “How bad the break-up?” “She… kind of got pregnant,” Tim told him. “It’s not like I refused to help raise the kid, but I’m 16 and I live at home, how was I supposed to raise a kid? Last I heard she put the baby up for adoption.” “We have to get in there,” John said. “Let me try something,” Tim said as he started typing. “Maybe it’s the last thing her father said to me. Motherfucking asshole?” The locks beeped as the gate opened. “We’re in!” John looked back to see the T-850 walking toward the junkyard. “Tim, you don’t have to stay for this. If you got hurt—“ “I spent the last 7 years feeling guilty that I didn’t help keep you safe from that psycho officer,” Tim said. “I’m not leaving you another killer dickbag. Let’s kick his ass together.” The two ran in and started looking for the scrap magnet. “You find the magnet, I’ll find the car crusher. We’re going to have to drop in one the magnet picks him up. Good luck.” “John, wait,” Tim told him. “If I end up dying… track down my kid and tell them that… I really did want to be a father to them. I know he’ll grow up hating me, but I was hoping to meet him or her someday to make sure they’re with a loving family. Do that for me, okay?” John pulled him into a hug. “I swear if we both make it through this, we’ll find them together and make sure they everything he or she needs.” John spotted the T-850 and pushed Tim to the side. “Move, now!” The two ran in separate directions as John kept a lookout for the car crusher, finally spotting it in the distance. A shot rang out as John ducked. Immediately flashbacks of what had happened a few years ago on that beach struck him as John started to panic. The pain raced through his shoulder as he started running. “I can’t stop moving now,” John said. “I can’t give up—“ The Terminator grabbed him by the arm and flung him a good twenty yards. He hit the windshield of an old car and rolled to the ground. His body in pain, the Terminator stomped toward him. John struggled to grab the EMP device from his backpack as the T-850 stood on his arm and lifted him into the air, causing him to drop the bag. John was starting to have trouble breathing as the Terminator started to squeeze harder as John struggled. “You are termina—“ the machine started to say as a loud buzzing was heard. While holding John by his neck, the T-850 lifted into the air, getting higher until it became stuck to the scrap magnet, by now holding John by his shirt, which was slowly tearing. “Oh, shit!” Tim said as he realized he wasn’t going to make it in time to John from plummeting to his death. He frantically looked around and swung the magnet as John’s shirt completely ripped from his body, causing him to plummet into a mountain of baby diapers. “JOHN!” John rolled down the large mountain, landing at the bottom as Tim ran to meet him. “I’m going to need a million showers after tonight,” John told him as he looked up at the magnet. “I think we know what we have to do.” Tim swung the magnet over the car crusher, dropping the robot in as John hit the button to start the crusher up. The machine started compacting what was inside as bolts of electricity started to rise until the machine was no more. “So, was that it?” Tim asked. “No, we have to get all the crushed pieces and melt them,” John said. “We have to prevent anyone from finding any of the parts and building Skynet into existence.” “Then you have to leave again,” Tim said sadly. “Just until I take out these last two fuckers,” John told him. “Then I have to find my mom and tell her I’m alive. But after that, I’m coming back to see you, and Jade.” “What about Chief Dipstick?” Tim asked. “I think I can handle him if I see him again,” John smiled. “Especially after what that Terminator did to Norton. Thanks for sticking around to help.” “Hey, we’re best buds,” Tim promised him. “You ever need me, I’m there.” * After destroying the remains of the T-850, John and Tim said goodbye as John headed out. By now the third robot was awake and leaving its hiding place to track him down, having the information of the previous two Terminators of what John was capable of. After sneaking the rest of his belongings out of the motel, John found a place to shower and change before getting on his motorcycle and taking one last look at the town. Two Terminators down, two to go. And now the others know to avoid junkyards so I’ll have to get creative with the next two. But at least I know I have allies in this town if I need them, so I have friends to come back to someday. * Somewhere in the Midwest In an old house, a kidnapped child sat in a closet blindfolded with his hands bound. He’d been kidnapped and held for ransom, with the kidnappers threatening to kill him if his parents didn’t pay up. As the boy sat there, he heard the faint knocking at the front door. Maybe it was his parents, coming to take him home. Suddenly the boy heard the sounds of screaming from outside, followed by gunshots and an explosion. After a few minutes, the boy got scared and huddled into the corner as the door opened and Sarah Connor walked in. “Come with me if you want to live. You’re safe, I promise.” Sarah carried the boy through the living room, making him close his eyes so didn’t he the carnage left behind as Sarah carried the boy to the car where she’d return him to his parents. After losing her son a few years ago, Sarah set on a mission while she searched for the Terminator that killed John. No one would ever lose their child again. To Be Continued… There’s no fate but what we make.
Ever since I was born, my mother constantly told me this. As soon as I could walk, she made sure I knew how important I was, how I was supposed to become this big savior of humanity when Judgement Day happened when I was 13. Up until my mother was institutionalized, I was trained to be a soldier, a leader, the hero of humanity. Then we stopped Judgement Day. My mother and I, and a rogue T-800 Terminator found a way to keep the end of the world from happening. The T-1000 that been sent to kill me was destroyed, then the T-800 I’d come to know as ‘Uncle Bob’ destroyed himself to keep any trace of his technology out of the wrong hands. As I watched the closest thing I ever had to a father figure sink into the molten steel, I started to realize that for the first time in my life, I could be my own person. I wasn’t bound by some destiny with the weight of the world on my shoulders. I could be a normal kid. I could play baseball and date girls and have fun. I could have a real home. Unfortunately, my mom wasn’t convinced it was over. She wouldn’t be convinced until the day Judgement Day was supposed to happen came and went with no nuclear war. And until she was convinced, she kept close tabs on me, making sure I continued my training just to be safe. Over the next two years, my mother and I continued arguing over what may or may not happen when we got to Judgement Day. It’s like no matter how this went down, she had my entire future planned out. If the world ended, I’d be this big war hero that saved humanity. If not, she planned for me to go into politics to ensure that nothing like Judgement Day ever happened. An existence of keepings tabs on our government to make sure we didn’t die due to some bonehead decision. Saving the world is nice and all, but I wanted a chance to have my own dreams. My own wishes and desires. I wanted to fall in love and watch my own kids grow up in a safe world. Why did it have to be me that has to save the world? Why did I have to be so important in the grand scheme of things? * 2 Years Later Playa del Carmen Mexico John Connor sat at the counter of a beachside club, tinkering with a device he’d been trying to make for some time. In his right hand, he held a small screwdriver to adjust the wiring. In his left hand, he had a stress relief ball that he was repeatedly squeezing. A doctor had prescribed it in lieu of pills after seeing how stressed John was at such a young age. It didn’t quite take all the stress away, but at least it helped somewhat to be able to relieve a little stress. Not too far away, Sarah Connor sat at a table while sipping on a drink. She couldn’t get over how much John was starting to look like his father, who had died before John was born. But she still wasn’t convinced that the danger had passed, that’s why she’d been raising John to be a fighter, to always be aware of any conceivable threat. She wouldn’t let herself be fooled again. As she watched John, she realized how gifted he was with technology and wondered if that was something he got from his father. She only knew Kyle Reese for a day, but she saw so much of him in John when she looked at the boy, wondering just how much the two learned from each other in the war. “Almost got it,” John said as he turned the screwdriver again. “If this works, I’ll have an advantage over any Terminators that come our way. Unfortunately, I need a strong enough energy source to power it. Maybe if got a car battery…” As Sarah enjoyed her drink, someone walked onto the beach, holding a sawed-off shotgun in his hand. Sarah just happened to turn around just in time to see a T-800 walking toward the club. “No,” Sarah said as she jumped up, spilling her drink as she ran toward the Terminator to try to stop him. “NO!” As she ran toward the T-800, he merely grabbed her by the shoulder and flung her into the sand like she were a piece of litter. As she hit the ground, she looked up where John was sitting with his back turned while working on his project. “JOHN!” Sarah shouted. “RUN!” John turned his back to see his mother on the ground and the T-800 coming right toward him. “That’s not Uncle Bob,” John whispered as he quickly pieced together what was happening. The T-800 raised his shotgun and fired as John ducked out of the way. “Shit!” John started running as the Terminator kept a slow and steady pace while following him. “Shit, shit, shit!” John said, not being able to find any other words. With no place to take shelter, John started running toward the dock ahead as the T-800 fired off another blast, hitting John in the shoulder, sending blood flying toward the sand. The boy screamed as he fell to his knees, trying to reach the dock before he went down from shock. If he could make it to the water… but as he got to the dock he collapsed before he could make it. There was only one option left. The T-800 slowly walked onto the dock where John lay stomach down with his eyes wide open. As he looked down at the boy, his scanners picked up no vital signs. - Firing two more rounds is advisable to ensure Target can’t be revived. - Unessecary. Target will bleed out in two minutes. There is no way to receive proper medical aid before that happens. Moments after the T-800 walked away, John’s eyes started blinking. Meanwhile, Sarah saw the T-800 walking back toward the beach as she started attacking him. “You son of a bitch!” Sarah shouted with tears in her eyes, even though her hits had no effect. The T-800 grabbed her arm as his scanners searched her. “You are not a threat,” it said as the T-800 merely pushed her aside as he continued walking. Sarah got back up and started running toward the dock. “JOHN!” Sarah shouted, finding only a puddle of blood waiting for her, along with a warm stress ball that John had used under his arm to keep the T-800 from sensing his pulse. As she looked down into the water, there was no sign of John anywhere, only one of John’s sandals floating in the water “John?” Sarah immediately dived into the water to find her son. John wasn’t dead, he couldn’t be dead. She’d find him, nurse him back to health and then together, they’d hunt down this new Terminator together. After several hours of searching, Sarah returned to the bar to find John’s device. The only in the world left of her son. * A few miles up the coast, John had washed up on the shore where he quickly found himself surrounded by several kids on the beach, one of whom went to get an adult. The saltwater had preserved John until he made it to the beach where he still had major blood loss. I know, right? I actually pulled a fast one on a Terminator sent to kill me, but I knew it wouldn’t last long. At some point, he’s going to realize I’m not dead and come for me, so my only option is to go even further off the grid. I should tell my mom that I’m okay for the most part (being shot in the shoulder is not fun), but if she thinks I’m dead, she might stay safe. For the first time in my life, it’s my turn to protect her. Some locals found me and fixed me up, but I knew I couldn’t stay even after they offered me shelter after faking amnesia and saying I had no memory of where I came from. Having no ID, forging a new identity would be easy if and when I got my strength back. If I stayed here, the T-800 would eventually track me down and kill these nice people. No one else dies because of me. No one. What I needed was time to plan, to think. I knew how T-800’s operated, I got a good look at Uncle Bob’s cybernetics a few years ago. There’s no way in Hell I could replicate that, but I think I could figure out a way to get into its programming, but I’d have to take one out first, and for that, I’d need the right tech and a private place to work. After two months when I got my strength back and stole some painkillers, I snuck out of Mexico that night. Couldn’t leave a paper trail by buying a plane ticket, so I hitched a ride across the border. I had to do some things I wasn’t proud of, like offering to trade… favors for safe passage. Oh, don’t worry, this story doesn’t end like you think it does. John walked away whistling as a truck driver lay on the ground with a bloodied crotch while John wiped his bloody knife clean. “He’ll live,” * Three Years Later It took a while to do it, but after changing my hair to a reddish blonde, burning off my fingerprints and getting color contacts, I just kept running while I gathered electronic equipment. I’d found an old abandoned garage in Indiana to set up shop in where I could hide and hopefully remain undetected. It wasn’t much, but it gave me the privacy to work and develop a plan to bring the T-800 to me so I could take it down. I just wondered if my mom was truly okay. I know it sucks to make her believe I was dead, but I’d make it up to her someday when this was all over. For now, I couldn’t endanger her if Skynet wanted me dead. She’d be the first person they kill if she knew I was alive, so I imagine ‘Uncle Bob’ probably keeps an eye on her just to make sure I don’t contact her. Finally, I was ready. I just had to lure him here, and what better way to lure in a machine than using a machine? I started going online, signing into chatrooms, making bogus purchases, and basically trolling the bastard. If I recall, Uncle Bob had limited internet access, and odds are that he had a special search engine if my name just happened to have any online presence in certain places Skynet was searching for. And sure enough, a few weeks later… John had fallen asleep in his workshop as a silent alarm started glowing. John opened his eyes to see a flashing red light and ran over to a security feed just in time to see the T-800 shoot out the camera. “Come get me, you bastard,” John smirked as he rushed over to his workshop where a car battery sat hooked up to a small handheld device. “I just hope this works. Guess I’m going to find out.” Shutting off the lights, John pulled off his AC/DC t-shirt to set up his trap, putting it on a mock-up dummy. He’d rigged up a device to mimic a heartbeat that he attached to the dummy as he put it into the chair, turning it around and hoping the T-800 would be convinced it was the real deal. John climbed up into the rafters just in time for the door to be kicked open. The T-800 looked around, scanning the darkness until it came upon the turned around chair. The Terminator sensed the heartbeat and fired off several shots until the dummy fell out of the chair where its head and wig fell off. “Hey, asshole, I loved that shirt!” John said as he swung down in front of the T-800 and shoved the device onto his chest where it magnetically clung to his body. “Merry Christmas, Uncle Bob. Oh, and uh… fuck you!” John flipped him off with both fingers before taking cover as the device went off, blasting the Terminator backward, landing on the ground, unmoving. The lights exploded overhead, knocking out power for a good 500 feet as everything went dark. Low range EMP. I’ll have to replace the fuses in the garage and the neighbors up the street might be pissed, but it’ll be worth it if this works. But I don’t know how long I have, so I have to work fast before he reboots. Better start by taking out its CPU. * Hours later, John had tossed the T-800’s legs into a vat of molten steel he kept in the basement. That left only the head and torso to destroy. “Alright, Uncle Bob, time for the hard part,” John said as he took the CPU and prepared to hook it up to his computer. “Let’s see what you can tell me about how you got here.” The computer started sparking as John switched to alternative power before the screen turned bright blue. “Should have known my crappy computer needs more power,” John said as he hooked up more power sources. “I’ll remember that for next time.” “User identity required,” the computer said in a heavy Austrian accent that sounded just like the T-800. “John Connor, you murderous fuck,” John told him as he started typing furiously to get around any security measures to keep the computer from spilling its electronic guts. “You’re going to tell me everything I need to know. Why you’re here, who sent you, and if Skynet is still around in the future.” “I am model T-850 Terminator, my mission is to terminate John Connor in the event of the T-1000’s failure. The fate of Skynet is unknown with the failure of Judgement Day. Skynet sent four additional Terminators back in the event that the T-1000 was defeated.” “And it took you this long to track me down?” John asked. “You had gone off the grid, I awaited confirmation of your survival to continue,” “And the other Terminators?” “The four additional T-850’s immediately sought a safe place to shut down until needed,” the computer told him. “The first three are programmed to wake up at pre-determined times to continue the mission.” “And the fourth?” “In the event of the defeat of the T-1000’s defeat and the first three T-850’s, the final is programmed to seek out and kill one Kyle Reese,” “How? There’s no way that Skynet knows about my father, there’s no record of him, he was born after Judgement Day for God’s sake.” “Skynet had no knowledge of Kyle Reese being biologically related to you. After Kyle Reese’s departure to the past, video footage was uncovered and used to identify him as John Connor’s second-in-command. Upon planning to kill you at 10-years-old, Skynet used DNA tracking from a blood sample of Kyle Reese in the future to determine his birth parents. Deducing his age, Skynet programmed the final T-850 to strike when he was a child. Killing Kyle Reese would prevent him from saving Sarah Connor.” “Fuck,” John said as he ran a hand through his hair. “When’s the next T-850 due to wake up?” “The next T-850 is due to activate upon the destruction of my CPU,” the computer said as John wrote down the information. “Well, best not keep him waiting. Better make more EMPs for the coming fight.” “Unwise,” the computer told him. “The other T-850’s know what I know, they will adapt and be ready for a surprise attack.” “So the other Three Stooges can learn from each other. Fucking perfect. That leaves me roughly three years to kill two more T-850’s and track down my father before he’s wiped out,” John said. “Okay, where are the other three T-850’s located?” “Unknown. They were programmed to find locations that can not be tracked,” “So, if I finish the T-850’s and save Kyle, this will be over,” John said. “The world will be saved and I can tell my mom that I’m alive. I can have a real life outside of this. I don’t have to be the world’s savior or this big war hero. Maybe I’ll take up golf.” After tossing the rest of the T-850 into the molten steel, John sighed as he tossed the CPU chip in, watching it melt quickly. “See you real soon, Uncle Bob.” * On the other side of the country, in a storage freezer in a basement, a pair of menacing red eyes opened. TO BE CONTINUED… |
Ed's Note - Check out the NMW Saga Reading Order before you begin!
Tobias ChristopherUnfeeling killing machine. Archives
June 2020
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