Disclaimer: not mine

Sorry for the long wait.

Chapter 4

John's world exploded in flame and he felt proud of his mother for keeping her head even as the machine moved towards them and she fired again as they moved away. They turned and ran as the entire room went up in flames and he stood there for a few seconds before following them out to see a school bus pulling away even as his appearance changed to the motorcycle leathers. Why had they taken a school bus? It was too slow and cumbersome, they'd never get far enough away! He got onto a bike and started it, taking off after them even as he fought to slow it down. He caught up on the bridge and leapt from the bike onto the buses roof, ignoring the shots they fired up at him before dropping down under the bus and pulling their pet terminator down and off the bus. He then grabbed the brakes and melted them.

"The brakes are gone! Shit! Where is he? Do you see him?" Sarah yelled even as he grabbed a metal bar and yanked it down to the road, causing the bus to flip. He held on for the wild ride as the bus came to rest mostly off the edge of the bridge and he wanted to scream at them to get out. The machine pulled him into the bus and began climbing up towards Kyle who suddenly turned and hit him, making him gasp as he lost the coherence field that kept him together. He met his Father's eyes, mentally begging him to end it but then the bus began falling and Kyle scrambled up. John managed to grab a seat and refuse to let go even as the bus plummeted into the bay, buying them time. At the bottom, he simply stood and began walking back to shore.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"What are these for?"

"I use them to find my keys." Kyle answered as the magnets grabbed onto the table.

"No one likes a smart-ass, son." The detective warned. "Didn't your mother teach you that?"

"My mom was Irish, so she encouraged my smart-assed-ness." He shot back.

"I've never seen him before." Mary Reece shook her head, she didn't know the young man behind the glass, but there was something….

"How about you folks? You know this man?"

"No." Dennis denied. "He does look familiar."

"He kind of looks like you, Dad." Kyle pointed out, the twelve-year-old staring at the man through the glass.

The door opened and a man stuck his head through. "They're here, sir."

"Okay, if you wouldn't mind waiting in the conference room, I'll just be a couple of minutes." Detective O'Brien ushered them into the room and went to see the agents who had arrived.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"So, who's Lurch?"

"No idea. We're not even sure he speaks English."

"Witnesses say you were fighting with a man on the bridge." The cop sitting across from Pop's tried.

The door to the observation room opened. "Agents. Listen to me. My name is O'Brien."

"No. Hell, no!" Detective Harding groaned at his appearance.

"Hey, I've been working this case for 33 years."

"What do you want, a medal?"

"Hey!" the cop yelled as Pops stood and moved towards the glass. "Sit down! Hey! Hey!"

"Shit."

"He's looking right at you." O'Brien pointed out.

"That's impossible. He can't see through..." shots suddenly rang out as Detective Cheung opened fire on the others.

"Wait, wait, wait!" O'Brien scrambled back even as Pops broke through the glass to attack her, staring in shock as her body changed to that of a man. He scrambled up and ran for it as they ignored him.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"You can fly, right?" Sarah asked as they ran across the roof.

"Yeah. John taught me." Kyle jumped in and began starting the engines.

"I'll tell them you took a car, headed south." O'Brien yelled over the sound and Sarah smiled.

"Thank you." Then she had her gun up and firing as John walked through the door onto the roof. "Run away!" she yelled to the older man who cried out as he took a bullet to the leg but then John ignored him, focused on them even as Sarah scrambled aboard and Pops kept firing.

John fought the machine with everything he had, trying to throw off its aim as Pops got into the helicopter and it dropped off the roof. He stopped firing and went to find his own transportation. Soon he was right behind them, firing as he closed but he had taught Kyle well when it came to flying. It didn't take much to figure out where they were heading, Cyberdyne. He followed them closely, doing his best to shoot them down as they shot back at him. He managed to send some of the shots wild but not enough. 'Stop interfering.' The machine snarled at him and he felt agonising pain as it actually attacked him somehow. He was surprised when the terminator jumped from the helicopter but then saw where he was aiming, unfortunately he couldn't do anything about it as he slammed into the blades, sending them down into the bay.

"Call in, call in! Police, fire, everybody. Do it!" one guard yelled and the other turned to call.

"Come on, come on. Pick up the phone, damn it." He looked up at a noise and stared in confusion. "Mr. Connor?" he choked as a blade suddenly pierced his chest.

"Sorry, Doug, but I'm afraid I can't have any witnesses."

"Security Control. State your password and emergency."

"Security code Zulu-Bravo-Foxtrot-0-0-2-8. False alarm. You have a nice night." John said in Doug's voice before dropping the body and slipping into the shadows as his parents approached.

"He's okay. He may be at the bottom of the lake, but he's okay." Kyle tried to reassure her even as his thoughts went to John.

"What about John?"

"I think he's doing just fine." He saw the bodies and grimaced, he knew John had to hate what he was being made to do, he saved people, he didn't kill them like this.

"Do you see him?" Sarah asked as Kyle pulled the door open, scanning the room with her gun.

"No. But you can bet he sees us."

"I know who you are." A young voice called and then an image of a child appeared. "John told me. You want to destroy me."

"You're Skynet?" Sarah asked in surprise.

"I'm becoming Skynet."

"You're not a child. I know what you are, and what you're going to do." Kyle snapped angrily.

"What I'm going to do? You came here to kill me. But you're too late. Ask him." And that was John's clue to walk forward.

"That's all you people know how to do. Kill what you don't understand." He snarled as they opened fire on him. "There aren't enough bullets in the world to kill me." And then he slammed into the screen, impaled on a piece of metal and pinned as electricity ran through him.

"John Connor talks too much." Pops stated as he walked in. "Follow me."

"The timer, it sped up. Why?" Sarah asked as they made their way down into the installation.

"Skynet is evolving. We no longer have hours. It will be able to upload much sooner. Each time it ages, the clock speeds up. This way." He turned into another hallway.

"Wait, you've been here before?" Kyle asked.

"I was able to infiltrate the work crews in this facility."

"You got a job in construction?" Kyle asked in disbelief.

"Until I was laid off."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"I won't allow this." Genisys stated as Sarah worked on planting explosives.

"And what are you gonna do, talk us to death? You don't even have a body." She smarted back.

"And you only have one detonator." It said, looking beyond her and she turned to see John approaching.

"You can't win." He warned her.

"I've got company!" she yelled as she took off running.

"Give me the detonator!" he yelled even as she threw it down to Pops. He grabbed her and slammed a finger turned blade down into her shoulder, making her scream in pain and John mentally screamed with her at having hurt her.

"Do it, Pops! Do it now!" she yelled at the terminator.

"I cannot. I cannot kill Sarah Connor." Pops looked from her to the detonator.

"You have to! I order you!"

"He can't. Neither can I. Because if you die, he definitely hits that button." It held her close and for a second John flexed his other hand, pressing it against her skin, the only apology he could give.

"Sarah!" Kyle screamed as he saw them, gun aiming at John even as he twisted the blade and she screamed. "Sarah!"

It realised they were communicating just in time to destroy the detonator and then Pops was there. He peripherally noticed his parents running away as once again he worked to slow the machine and it worked a bit as Pops managed a good fight but there was no way it could beat him. "You were never strong enough to defeat me." He heard his body state as he held Pops down.

"Not alone." Pops agreed even as the metal shutters nearby blew in, letting Sarah and Kyle back into the room where the fight had migrated to.

"John? Stop. Now." Sarah demanded and his hand shook slightly where he was holding Pops down, he didn't notice but the terminator did. Kyle attacked with Pops missing arm, the one that had the magnets still attached.

"When will you ever learn?" He cried out for it not to hurt them but it didn't listen, the time for chances was gone.

"Now, Sarah!" Kyle yelled and she began firing. He fell back from them and towards Pops, but then he lunged forward and grabbed Kyle by the throat.

"No!" She screamed as Kyle's feat left the ground.

"J…J…n" He choked out, staring down at his friend…his son, eyes begging and then he felt the grip loosen a bit. "Fight John, help me." He choked out and then his feet hit the ground as John backed away, form rippling. "John?"

"S..sta…y….bac..k" John stammered out, crumpling to his knees, one hand out towards him. "Ca…nt hold…it …..lo..ng.

"Yes you can, you're stronger than any machine. We're here John, fight for us." Kyle ignored the others to kneel beside him. He put his hands on rippling shoulders and made John look at him. "Please." He whispered and then Pops was there, a fist through John's chest and John seemed to relax a little.

"I can't. At least he did his job and saved you." He managed a weak chuckle and Sarah's eyes widened.

"You sent Pops."

"It sent the other Mom…had to save you… I love you…" He whispered and she knelt down beside him.

"Isn't there anything?" She asked, finally accepting what Kyle had known all along, their son was still in there, still fighting.

"You have to…kill me. Destroy…everything." He was losing control again. "Don't...want to…. hurt you…." He pressed back closer to Pops.

"Kyle Reese! Activate the field generator."

"No!" Kyle shook his head.

"Do it…order." John managed to touch his father's face.

"John no."

John forced a smile to form. "Only way." His body jerked and his hands came up to try and force Pops away.

"Skynet is almost free. I cannot hold John Connor much longer." Pops warned even as he pulled John up and towards the platform. John began fighting him and Kyle stumbled to his feet even as Sarah yelled for Pops to get away.

They struggled and John looked towards them, no longer human looking. "RUN!" He screamed even as he hit Pops, his body trying to get free as the magnetic field began ripping them apart. He felt Pops go flying and he struggled to stay still and let himself be destroyed. 'No! You will not win. Skynet must survive.' It struggled but his family had to be saved and this was the only way. 'Die you damn machine.' He snarled and then screamed as they were torn apart. John embraced oblivion, welcoming the silence and peace. He died to save his family and the world, he could accept that.

TBC….