Disclaimer: I don't own any form of Terminator.

This is a sequel to Save Me. Hope you enjoy. If anyone wants to take this idea and run with it, of John's personality or 'soul' surviving the transformation, then please do so and tell me.

You Saved Me

Time had no meaning…. There were no thoughts, no memories…. nothing. bit by bit, piece by piece, ever so slowly something came together and began to grow. J…. Jo…. John….it…he was John…. what was John? He was John…. he was Skynet…. Genisys…. Connor…. he was John Connor. He was John Connor… what was John Connor? It was like floating…. there was nothing else just his name. Was it his name?

Blue eyes snapped open and blinked rapidly to clear the dust even as he stared up at the concrete above. He sat up and looked around, finding only devastation around him. He looked down and lifted his hands, flexing them in wonder. He was John Connor…. for the first time in years he was in full control of his body, well what his body had become. How was he alive? He should have been torn apart and utterly destroyed and yet somehow he had been able to reform. It didn't make sense. He closed his eyes, searching his mind and finding there was so much more now. His mind wasn't limited by flesh and blood, he knew so much, he knew how to build terminators, program them, the secret to time travel, military codes, everything Skynet had known in his time and had passed to the machine him. Machine him, the program that had controlled everything for the last three years … was gone. He could access its memories but the sentience behind it was completely gone and so was Skynet, as far as he could tell. For the first time since being infected he was his own man again. He was John Connor, leader of the Resistance and definitely not Skynet's Saviour.

He was also buried under who knew how many tonnes of rubble. He didn't know how long it had been …. okay according to satellite he'd just accidently hooked into it had been two weeks since the explosion. So either no one had begun digging through to find evidence yet or he was a long way down. He was also in a very small space. He knew he could get out, he remembered machine him doing all kinds of things but the idea of losing his human shape kind of scared him. But it was that or lay there and wait to be found with no way to explain how he was uninjured and alive. He took a deep breath, not that there was any air to breath and then he let go, his body changing into its base form to flow out of the space and threw the small gaps in the wreckage until he found a large chamber even further underground. He reformed and looked around warily before freezing in horror. No, it was meant to be over. He searched for any evidence he was wrong but found nothing so he went back to finding a way out until finally he came out into the darkness of night. John stood there and just stared around in awe. He was free! What should he do now? He needed to make sure Genisys was truly gone but…. he wanted to see them, to make sure they made it out. He looked down and the imitation of his old resistance clothes rippled, becoming simply jeans and t-shirt covered by a black leather jacket while his facial scars also vanished again. He didn't want to be connected to the machine him hence the change in cloths from what it usually showed.

John walked away from the destroyed campus until he reached the city where he cautiously made his way to 'his' apartment. He got in and grabbed what he thought he might need, a few alternate id's and money were it. He had no need for food or clothes after all. They were simply props to make him seem human. He left the apartment and checked into a cheap motel, wanting to relax and feel at least semi-safe. He sat cross legged on the bed and closed his eyes, reaching out with his mind. He could feel all the technology around him but he was looking for something specific, he had to find the core of Genisys in order to destroy it before it could repair and then launch. Instead he found something that shocked him and made him hesitate. In the end he stretched out on the bed and tried to do his best to sleep, or the machine equivalent.

John stood in the trees and watched the house. He knew the terminator was in there but was it still with them? It had to be, it's devotion to Sarah was amazing. He made sure it wouldn't detect him, he didn't want a fight after all and he doubted the machine would wait to see if he was John or the machine John. He watched a truck pull into the driveway and then Kyle got out of the drivers' seat and John took an unconscious step forward, wanting to go to him. His father, his best friend, second in command…. But how could he? They'd obviously made a life for themselves, how could he intrude on that? He couldn't drag them back into the war. He saw Kyle pull a bag out of the truck but then hesitate and turn, eyes scanning around. John knew he had to move back into the shadows but he couldn't and he knew when Kyle spotted him. The bag dropped from his hand and he was reaching into the truck only to come out with a shotgun. He aimed it right at John though he could tell Kyle's hands were shaking slightly. He held his hands out and up but didn't move.

"Sarah! Pops!" Kyle yelled and the two ran from the house with weapons which were quickly aimed.

"How is this possible?"

"John Connor should have been destroyed." Pops stated, moving Sarah a little behind his bulk.

"John? Is…. Are you…"

"I'm me." He answered, unable to remain quiet at the pain in Kyle's eyes. He stepped further out of the shadows slowly. He heard the safety come off Pop's gun and stopped but now they could all see him clearly. "I had to see, to make sure you got out."

"How…this isn't possible."

"I don't know. I woke up in the rubble totally in control. And I know you can't believe a word I say." He shrugged slightly, hands going to his pockets.

"You're right, we can't." His Mom finally addressed him and John nodded.

"I know Mom. I also know the fight isn't finished. But it's not yours anymore, you're free to live how you want. I'll finish it."

"What do you mean?" She demanded.

"I found a chamber, deeper down than you knew about. The core was there but it's gone now. I have to find it and destroy it before it's too late."

Kyle put his gun down and took a step forward. John just watched him and Kyle took a deep breath before walking towards him only to stop just out of reach. "John?"

"It's me Dad." He managed a small smile. "I'm sorry, you weren't meant to know I'm here."

"Why not?" Kyle demanded angrily and John made an aborted move to reach out to him.

"Because you can't trust me. The program knew everything I do and it fooled you before. There's nothing I can do to prove you did it, you saved me."

"By trying to kill you!"

"There was no other way Kyle, I couldn't fight it and if you hadn't I would have killed you." He whispered and then was surprised to find Kyle hugging him. He lifted his arms to return the embrace.

"It's you, I know it's you." Kyle whispered shakily and John supported him. "Stay, please."

"I can't. I have to finish it."

"Then I'll come with you."

"No Kyle. Your place is here with Sarah and … Pops."

"You can't do this alone." Kyle finally pulled back from the hug to stare at him. John just grinned and Kyle shook his head, he knew that look. "Come back when its done."

"Kyle…"

"You destroy Skynet and Genisys and then you come home to us." He demanded and John sighed.

"Kyle, getting that close. The programming isn't in control now but if I get that close I don't know what will happen. If it can control me again then if I come back it'll be to kill you. You need to move somewhere I don't know about and can't find you."

"John Connor is correct; we cannot trust he will be in control if he gets close to Genisys. This location is compromised."

"But…." Kyle looked hopelessly between them all.

Sarah stared at the machine that had once been her son. Pops had told her so much about him and this John was more what she had expected. Was it real or all some sort of elaborate ploy? "We leave and in six months we leave a contact method somewhere known only to us. You'll have to convince us through that, that you're still you."

John was surprised by his Mom's suggestion; it wasn't something he had expected. "Alright. Six months." He just hoped it worked. He looked back at Kyle and held out his hand, smiling when his Dad took it and pulled him into a hug.

"You better call." He whispered before walking back to the others. John stared at them, memorising everything about them before he slipped away.

Kyle grabbed the phone and hit answer, putting it to his ear, hands shaking in fear and anticipation. "John?"

"It's done. The core is destroyed." The familiar voice had Kyle sagging in his chair.

"You did it. You're coming home now right?"

"Kyle I can't. I don't belong with you anymore."

"That's not true John. You're my friend, my…. son. You will always belong here."

"How are you?" John stared out the window at the snow capped mountains in the distance. Colorado was cold in winter but he couldn't feel it. He didn't feel much of anything anymore.

"Okay. Sarah and I, we… well. She's pregnant."

John froze. Pregnant? "That's…. congratulations." Another reason for him to stay away.

"Well according to the scans it's a girl. So we really have changed everything."

A girl? He was going to be a big brother in a way. He had never considered that. "I never imagined. You'll be a wonderful father."

"And she'll need her big brother, or Uncle since there's such a big age gap." Kyle tried.

"No Kyle." John closed his eyes, but it didn't stop the constant stream of data. "I'm even less human than Pops. I'm not under the programming's control but I'm not your John either anymore. I'm something in-between but on humanities side."

"I don't care!" Kyle snapped.

"Goodbye Dad."

"John no! Please. You can't do this. Just…just keep the phone. At least keep in touch, let us know you're okay."

John hesitated, tempted to say yes. For the first time in months he really felt something…. longing. "Alright." He whispered. "Tell Mom I'm happy for you. Goodbye."

"Goodbye John." Kyle choked out and John ended the call. He knew where they were now, Kansas would be a good state for his baby sister to be born in. it wasn't too far away if they were ever in danger and he could sneak a peak at them easily if he needed to. All that mattered was his parents were alive and happy together, something they had never had before. A small smile parted his lips as he stared out at the mountains. Even if he didn't have a life or happiness at least his family did.

The End.

Doubt I'll do another of these. Please someone use this idea and let me know.