Terminator: New Beginning

Casts:

Christian Bale as John Connor

Lonnie Common as Giles Barnes

Michael Biehn (De-aged) as Kyle Reese

Claire Danes as Katherine Brewster

Opening monologue (narration of Katherine Brewster while showing the different scenes related to the narration): “The destruction of the Skynet Central in 2018 was supposed to make the machines weaker than us. But that resulted in us, the Resistance, becoming almost extinct. The worldwide nuclear attacks, Skynet’s last resort, a second Judgment Day, was deployed without mercy. Now, 2029. My husband, our leader, John Connor, says it’s the year of our victory, but I barely see any sign of that...”

Intro and music plays...

Scene 1:

The newly set up camp in Colorado, hidden under the wreckage of what was once Denver, now a graveyard of torn and twisted metal and crushed skulls and bones. The remaining leaders of the Resistance are gathered around a fire, their faces gaunt, their clothes torn, the air thick with the scent of sweat and desperation. The flickering flames cast long shadows, making the survivors look like ghosts themselves.

Katherine Brewster watches as Commander John Connor, Captain Giles Barnes, and Sergeant Kyle Reese discuss their current situation. Kyle looks behind at the skeletal figures, men, women, and children, only seventeen left, barely clinging to life. “Sir, we barely have anything left to eat, really hard to find rats and cockroaches,” he mutters, voice hoarse from days without proper water. John’s jaw tightens, “We need to change our tactic... We’ll have to go out, can’t keep hiding like this...” Katherine snaps, “How, John? Tell me how! This wasn’t the fate your mother told you about, did she?!” A heavy silence follows, broken only by the distant howl of a Hunter-Killer prowling the wasteland.

“Just keep...” John starts only to be interrupted by his wife again, “Just keep doing what? Treating the sick without medicine, teaching Marcus how to program chips when there’s no computer left?” She angrily kicks a pile of rusted debris. “Kate! Calm down,” Giles tries to mediate, but she isn’t having it, “No! You don’t get to tell me to calm down when we’re all starving to death!”

“One more bomb and we’re done,” John murmurs, more to himself than the others, “We can’t let the machines find our location, but there’s got to be a way... a way... go out and find food and water without getting detected... but how?” He clenches his fists, knuckles white under the grime. Katherine exhales sharply, wiping the sweat from her brow with a shaking hand. The firelight flickers across Marcus Connor’s face, John and Katherine’s ten-year-old son, who sits silently beside them, looking at his mother with expectant eyes, maybe his days of learning pointless programming would end soon, maybe his father would stop pressuring him to be something more than just a survivor.

“Giles, how good is Kyle now in combat? how strong is he?” John finally asks, his voice low and measured, as though he’s testing an idea before it fully forms. Giles glances at Kyle, who stiffens under the sudden scrutiny. “Good enough. Fast. Can lift the broken car engine alone if he has to.” Katherine’s eyes narrow, catching on before John even speaks. “No,” she breathes, shaking her head violently, “You’re not sending him out there to die...” “I’m not,” John says, “Giles, how about we also use Andy, Ryan, Bret, and... umm... Kevin, the ones with the most combat skills?”

Giles rubs his forehead, leaving streaks of ash, “Use for what exactly, John? Scavenging? Because if we send them out blind, they’ll walk right into a patrol.” John leans forward, the firelight carving hollows under his eyes, “We’ll sneak out to another building area where there might be a computer still intact with more cockroaches and rats...maybe under the ruins of an office. The boys can carry the ones who are unable to move, and step up when there’s danger.” Katherine lets out a sharp, humorless laugh, “And they won’t spot us? Don’t be delusional!”

“Delusional? We’ve managed to reach here from San Francisco...” John tries to reason, but Katherine cuts him off with a snarl, “And how many did we lose in the process? All because of your stupid prophecy of a victory in Colorado, in 2029. Well, we’re here, it’s the year, and look at us! Looking very victorious aren’t we?!” Her sarcasm drips like acid, and even Marcus flinches at her tone.

“Kate, please don’t...” Giles starts, but John raises a hand, silencing him, “Take the boys out and start your preparation for the mission, just wait for my signal...” Giles hesitates, glancing between John and Katherine before nodding and pulling Kyle away from the fire, the others reluctantly following.

Scene 2:

Out of the living area, Giles gestures Bret to bring the scavenged car batteries, “You heard the man, we prep. But keep your damn head on straight. One wrong step and we’re all scrap.” Andy, Ryan, Kyle, and Kevin, gets busy with him to gather the essentials, their boots crunching over shattered glass and bones. “You believe him? that we’re gonna finally win?” Kyle mutters to Giles, his voice barely above a whisper. “I have to... this hope... without it we wouldn’t have lasted this long, I wouldn’t have trained you like this,” Giles replies, already busy gathering things that would be useful to transport the ones who can’t walk, most of them, on travois made from torn-up fabric and rusted pipes.

“Why doesn’t he ever address me directly?” Kyle asks, fingers tightening around the makeshift rifle in his hands, a cobbled-together monstrosity of scavenged parts that might fire twice before jamming. Ryan snorts, kicking aside a human femur with a hollow clatter, “Because you’re not Connor blood. Just meat with a pulse.” Giles throws him a warning glare, “Shut the fuck up! We’ve been through a lot, and maybe he doesn’t want to get too attached...” He doesn’t finish the thought, but Kyle understands, John expects casualties, and sentimentality is a luxury the Resistance can’t afford.

Scene 3:

John is busy tutoring Marcus about how to deal with different registers of processors, but Marcus looks distracted, staring at his mother who is now lying down on a pile of softer things. “Focus!” John barks, his hand expertly drawing on the ground with a sharp piece of metal. “It’s boring, Dad,” Marcus whines, “let me be with Uncle Barnes...” John gritted his teeth, resisting the urge to snap, “Listen Mark,” he said slowly, “the things I’m teaching you, they’re essential to our victory. Me or your Mom might not survive till the end...” Marcus’s eyes widen, “What?!” John quickly tries to backtrack, “I-I mean, just in case, ” Marcus shakes his head violently, “No! You promised!” “I know, but if that happens, it would be on you to find a way to somehow save the others...” John’s voice cracks under the weight of the burden he’s placing on his son.

“It’s too much, Dad,” Marcus whispers, his small fingers digging into the dirt as if he could claw his way out of this nightmare. John exhales sharply, his breath fogging in the freezing air. “You think I wanted this?” his voice is raw, stripped down to something primal, “Your grandmother spent her whole life preparing me. And now...” “Enough, John!” Katherine’s voice cuts through the tension like a blade, “Just let him enjoy a little while he’s still alive.” Her words hang in the silence, a truth too brutal to ignore. John’s body trembles at the thought of losing his son, “Okay, go, but you have to learn this as soon as possible,” he murmurs, defeated. Marcus scrambles up, relief flooding his face, almost running toward the area where Giles and the others are preparing for their mission.

Scene 4:

The twenty-one remaining survivors are about to begin their journey to another location. John Connor is carrying the only plasma rifle they have left, it’s core flickering erratically, the battery nearly drained from years of desperate skirmishes. The rest of the group clutches makeshift weapons, things that could be used to bash skulls in close quarters rather than engage the machines at range. The travois groan under the weight of the sick and injured, their labored breaths mingling with the metallic stench of rust and decay. Katherine signals Marcus to stay close to her, her fingers white-knuckled around a jagged piece of rebar, her eyes scanning the skeletal ruins ahead.

“We need to be as silent as possible, now move,” Giles hisses, his boots stumbling onto the debris, metal scraps, and bones covered way to their destination. Kyle glances at John, his posture rigid, eyes scanning the horizon, then back at the others dragging the travois, their strained breaths loud enough to make his skin crawl. The wind carries the distant whir of a Hunter-Killer’s turbines, sending a ripple of tension through the group.

“Hide, until it passes,” John orders, lowering himself along the ground before beginning to cover himself with the garbage, the others following suit, running their hands through the poking debris, scraps, and bones under them. Katherine pulls Marcus against her while getting inside the junk, her hand clamping over his mouth when he let out a sharp gasp, his ribs pressing into a shattered skull beneath him. The Hunter-Killer’s floodlights slices through the gloom, bathing the ruins in a sickly bluish glow that inches closer, closer, then swings away, slowly disappearing into the skeletal remains of Denver’s skyline.

Scene 5:

The night grows thicker as they push forward, every footfall a gamble against the machines’ relentless patrols. Suddenly, bullets begin to shower toward them, hitting the area just a yard ahead, a patrolling t-800 has spotted them. “Get down!” John roars, his plasma rifle already humming to life as he returns fire, the blue-white blast shearing through the darkness and hitting the Terminator’s chest. It stumbles back, it’s glowing red eyes locking onto them with mechanical precision.

“Go away while I distract it!” John shouts, running toward a direction away from the group, “Hey, I’m John Connor, you want me, don’t you?!” The machine pivots, it’s hydraulics hissing as it’s gun starts firing at John. “John, NO!” Katherine screams, her voice raw with terror, but it’s too late, he’s already disappearing into the ruins, the Terminator’s heavy footfalls echoing after him. “Quick, we can’t stay here much longer!” Giles hisses, dragging Katherine forward as the distant gunfire intensifies.

Marcus stumbles as they run, his small hands clutching at his mother’s torn sleeve, his breath coming in ragged gasps. “Dad...he’s gonna die...” he whimpers, his voice breaking. Katherine doesn’t answer, her jaw clenched tight as her eyes water in silence. The gunfire sound behind them grows as eight HKs fly past beside the group, their turbines screaming as they head toward John’s direction. Kyle looks back, his stomach twisting at the sight of the machines converging like vultures, John wouldn’t stand a chance. “Keep moving!” Giles barks, shoving Andy forward when he hesitates, his face pale with horror. The travois drag through the debris, the wounded moaning in pain as jagged metal tears at their makeshift stretchers.

Scene 6:

“This would be a good place for us,” Giles mutters, gesturing toward an entryway in the middle of the ruins, an almost-collapsed skyscraper, it’s hollowed-out carcass offering some shelter. Katherine, too numb to understand anything, keeps moving forward mechanically, Marcus clinging to her like a shadow. Giles shakes her shoulder, “Kate! Are you listening?” She blinks, her eyes unfocused, “Huh?” “Inside, now!” Giles snaps, pushing her toward the hole.

The group scrambles inside, dragging the wounded, their breaths ragged, their skin slick with cold sweat. Outside, the distant gunfire shifts into an eerie silence, too sudden, too absolute. Kyle swallows hard, pressing his back against the crumbling concrete wall, “Do you think…?” “Don’t!” Kevin cuts him off, shaking his head violently, “We don’t think. We survive.”

Suddenly, Katherine breaks into tears, her body shaking violently as she sinks to her knees. “Oh, John...” she cries, her fingers digging into the dirt as if she could claw her way back to him. Marcus stares at her, his small frame trembling, not from the cold, but from the realization that his father might truly be gone. The silence outside is worse than the gunfire; at least then they knew he was fighting. Now, there’s nothing.

Scene 7:

As Bret and Andy serve everyone some fried cockroaches, Katherine looks toward Giles, “We should see whether there’s any working computer here... John... he wanted one...” her voice cracks. Giles nods grimly, motioning for Kyle to follow as they pick through the debris-strewn hallways, their boots crunching over shattered glass and brittle bone fragments.

They search through the whole area, the space used to be an office, but the computers that looked usable won’t start up. When they almost give up, Kyle steps onto something after throwing away a stack of broken furniture—a laptop, it’s screen intact, though cracked. He bends down and picks it up before pressing the power button, expecting nothing, but a faint blue glow flickers to life.

“Captain!” Kyle hisses, his fingers trembling as the system booted with agonizing slowness, the Windows logo pixelated and distorted before the desktop appears, still functional. Giles exhales sharply, snatching the laptop and rushing back to Katherine, who was now sitting silently beside Marcus, her fingers absently stroking his hair. “Kate,” he says, kneeling beside her, “look what we found.” Her eyes widens, her breath catching as her fingers hovered over the keyboard, then hesitates, her expression crumbling. “I don’t even know what to do with this!” she helplessly stated, her voice getting dejected, “John would... He tried to teach me, but I thought it was all nonsense!”

Scene 8:

Two nights pass in suffocating silence, the group huddled in the remains of the office building, their breaths shallow as they listen for the telltale whir of HKs or the heavy thud of T-800s. Katherine hasn’t slept, her fingers tracing the laptop’s cracked screen like a mourner at a grave, the computer turned off to save the battery power they can’t replace. They had food now, the men had been able to hunt some rats down, but the gnawing hunger in their bellies was nothing compared to the gaping absence of John’s voice, his presence, his hope, his certainty. Marcus curls against her side, his nightmares twisting his features even in sleep.

“Anyone here? Kate?” John’s voice, ragged, hoarse, cuts through the silence from outside the entryway. Katherine jerks upright, the laptop shaking at the sudden movement. Marcus wakes with a gasp, his small hands clutching at her arm. Giles is already moving, “Brother!” he steps out and catches John stumbling forward, his shirt soaked through with blood. “Let me have a sleep,” John pants, his knees buckling as he collapses into Giles’ arms. Katherine scrambles up, her vision blurring, half from exhaustion, half from the tears of joy that were forming, and runs toward him, pulling him into an embrace, “My love! I’m so sorry...” John winces in her arms before falling unconscious.

Scene 9:

“John!” Katherine’s fingers running through his hair after John Connor finally opens his eyes. He lies on a makeshift pallet of torn fabric and scavenged insulation, his chest wrapped tightly in strips of bloodied cloth. “Kate! How’s everyone?” John groans, trying to sit up before Giles pushes him back down with a firm hand. “You lost a lot of blood,” Giles mutters, his voice tight.

“Yeah, it was really hard rolling and jumping away from bullets,” John rasps (the screen fades into the memory), “But, somehow, I managed to find a narrow corner behind a wrecked HK-tank, used it’s wreckage as a shield... and when they walked into my line of shooting, that plasma rifle still had just enough juice,” He coughs, dark blood flecking his lips.

Katherine presses a damp rag to John’s forehead, her fingers trembling. “Stop talking,” she whispers, but John shakes his head weakly, his eyes darting toward Marcus, who crouches beside him, wide-eyed. “I’m fine... just had to search a lot to find you guys,” his eyes fall on the laptop lying nearby, it’s screen reflecting the flickering firelight, “Did you... does it work?” Katherine exhales sharply, “Yeah, but I don’t know what to do with it.”

John jumps up in excitement, or tries to, before collapsing back with a wet gasp, clutching his ribs. “Excellent! I’ll just... just rest a little... then we go out to catch a Terminator...” Katherine’s hands freeze mid-wipe, “We what?” The statement punches through the stale air like a gunshot. Even Giles stiffens while Kyle and the others exchange nervous glances.

Scene 10:

“Dig a large hole here, be silent,” John orders three nights later, finally able to move without aching, “Whenever you notice anything, hide inside.” The group works in the dark, carefully pressing and slowly inserting the shovels into the concrete garbage, any sound could attract the HKs and the Terminators.

Marcus leans against his mother, shivering, “Mom, can we really catch a Terminator?” His whisper barely carries over the wind. Katherine doesn’t answer. She knows what a big risk John’s taking, but mocking him isn’t something she would ever do again, not after nearly losing him. He needs all the support she can give. “Yes, we can,” she finally says, “Now go and see if your Dad needs something, but be quiet, okay?”

Marcus nods before prowling toward his father, his small feet careful on the debris. “A tunnel here for us to hide,” John murmurs to Giles, gesturing toward a pile of wreckage nearby. “You sure this will work?” Giles asks, his voice tight. “No, but if it doesn’t, we’ll all die,” John replies simply, already using his own hands to dig. “Dad, do you need...” Marcus starts, but John shakes his head sharply, “No. Stay inside the office with your mother.” The boy’s face falls, but he obeys.

Scene 11:

As instructed by John, the male soldiers; Giles, Kyle, Andy, Ryan, Bret, and Kevin begin to throw stuff in front of the hole to make sound. Soon, at the horizon a couple of HKs fly toward the sound, their turbines whining like starving beasts. “Shit, hide!” Giles hisses, diving into the tunnel, Kyle scrambling after him just as the HKs unleash a hail of bullets toward the area where the debris were thrown. The ground shakes under the impact, dust and shrapnel raining down as the survivors press deeper into the tunnel, their breaths held tight in their chests. “A Terminator?” John whispers. “No, Hunter-Killers,” Kyle replies. “Shit,” John murmurs, “We need an 800... We’ll wait until these leave.”

Scene 12:

Hours later, when the HKs finally retreat, their floodlights sweeping the ruins one last time before disappearing into the night. The group emerges cautiously, their bodies stiff with tension. “Not now, a few hours more to ensure they’re really gone,” John whispers, his fingers gripping the plasma rifle tighter, the faint hum of it’s dying power core barely audible. Katherine watches the horizon from the office hole, holding Marcus close. The boy’s breath hitches when distant metallic footsteps echo, slow, methodical, the unmistakable tread of a T-800.

Katherine signals others to go deep into the office, her own movement slow and silent, fingers pressing Marcus’s face into her shoulder to muffle his panicked breathing. The footsteps grow louder, rhythmic, punctuated by the occasional crunch of metal underfoot.

The Terminator begins to remove the debris to make the entryway wider. As it guides it’s upper part inside, it notices human movement in the inner office area and starts to shoot at them. Katherine yanks Marcus behind a collapsed support beam, the bullets tearing through the air where they’d just been crawling. The sound reaches John and his soldiers and they run toward the office ruin.

Scene 13:

The T-800 squeezes itself in through the widened hole, it’s red eyes scanning the darkened office with predatory precision. Katherine’s pulse hammers in her throat as she presses Marcus deeper into the shadows, her fingers digging into his bony shoulders. The machine’s hydraulic joints hiss with each step, it spots a few sick and wounded who couldn’t get themselves deep enough into the office. “Please,” one of them pleads for mercy before the Terminator starts firing, their bodies jerking violently as their pieces fly across the room. Katherine clamps a hand over Marcus’s mouth to stifle his whimper, her own breath coming in shallow, silent gasps.

The Terminator moves across the office area, pulling away the furniture to check if any human hides beneath. It finds a little girl and her brother clutching each other in the corner, orphaned previously by the nuclear strike. It’s red eyes flicker as it raises the gun. The girl screams, high and piercing, her brother’s head bursting into pieces before her body tears apart. Katherine’s stomach lurches as warm droplets splatter her face. The machine turns, sensing movement, Marcus has jerked back, his foot kicking a loose bolt that clatters across the floor. The Terminator pivots smoothly, it’s targeting systems locking onto their hiding spot.

The machine holds the support beam and throws it away, revealing Marcus and Katherine, trembling in fear. Just then, John Connor hits the Terminator’s gun with the remaining power of the plasma rifle, sending it clattering across the floor. The machine pivots toward him, it’s hydraulic servos whining. John runs away and the Terminator follows him. “Remove it’s skull!” he shouts at his men. But before they could reach the machine, Katherine’s rebar slams into the Terminator’s skull joint, a desperate swing that makes sparks fly as metal grinds against metal. The machine staggers, it’s head twisting grotesquely to the side, red eyes flickering. Kyle lunges, snatching up a jagged steel pipe, and jams it deep into the Terminator’s exposed cervical wiring. The machine convulses violently as the other soldiers join Kyle and use all their force to rip the skull apart.

With a loud bolting sound, the T-800′s skull detaches from it’s body before it collapses heavily onto the concrete floor. John staggers forward, his hands trembling as he grabs the machine’s severed head, the red eyes burning with fury as the skull could no longer move the body parts, jaw frantically moving to bite.

“We did it,” Giles breathes, his face streaked with sweat and soot. Katherine runs toward John and puts her arms around him, her tears soaking into his torn shirt. Marcus clings to his father’s leg, “It almost killed us, Dad!” John pats his son’s head, “I’d never let that happen, Mark! I’d never let that happen.”

Scene 14:

John brings out a device from his bag that he had been keeping safe for years and connects it to the laptop, “With this debugger, I’m gonna reprogram the chip,” he says as the device’s software begins to install, “Kate, take this screwdriver and get the chip out of the skull.”

Katherine hesitates, the screwdriver trembling in her hand as she approaches the T-800′s detached head, it’s glowing red eyes tracking her every movement. The skull’s jaw twitches, a metallic click echoing through the silence. Marcus presses closer to his father, his small fingers digging into John’s sleeve. Giles holds the head firmly so it doesn’t get any chance to bite. Katherine’s hands work quickly, prying open the cranial plating with practiced precision, revealing the pulsing neural chip beneath. She removes it with a gentle pull, causing the red eyes to turn black instantly.

“Let’s send it to destroy the Skynet Headquarters,” John murmurs inserting the chip into the device, his fingers running over the laptop’s touchpad as he runs the device’s software. The glow of the screen paints his hollowed-out features in eerie blue, casting deep shadows under his eyes. The others watch in silence, their breath shallow, except for Marcus, who inches closer, fascinated despite himself. “Dad, how?” he whispers, staring at the flickering lines of code his father had begun to write. John doesn’t look up, “I’ll make it listen to my orders and tell it to set up explosives in the Mount Cheyenne facility, Skynet’s heart. To blow out everything except the time machine there and keep that protected.” His voice is steady, but his hands shake, not from fear, but from the excitement of finally seeing victory within reach.

Scene 15:

(Scenes of John writing assembly code to the registers of the chip day and night is shown.)

“Giles, bring the car batteries I told you to preserve,” John orders as he sees the laptop charge going dangerously low. He hibernates the computer before opening it’s case to bring out the wires connected to it’s charging port. Giles and his boys carry the scavenged batteries near him. John attaches the wires with one to start charging the laptop.

Scene 16:

“It’s done!” John exclaims, his voice hoarse from exhaustion, the laptop screen casting an unnatural glow across his hollowed-out features. He takes the chip and picks the skull up, “Let’s attach it to it’s body.” Katherine watches silently as Giles helps John attach the T-800′s skull onto it’s neck joint, “John, are you sure it’s not gonna kill us?” He doesn’t answer, signals Giles to help him re-attach the wires properly. The moment the last connection snaps into place, John inserts the chip into the skull.

The Terminator’s body starts to move. The group recoils instinctively, weapons raised, but John stands firm, his hand outstretched in command. “What’s your mission?” he asks, voice steady despite the tremor in his fingers. The machine tilts it’s head slightly, it’s red eyes scanning John’s face before responding in a flat, metallic tone, “My mission is to obey you, John Connor.”

Scene 17:

The Terminator begins it’s journey from the office shelter toward Skynet Headquarters, it’s gait stiff but purposeful, hydraulic joints hissing softly in the radioactive wind. The Resistance watch from the entryway. Hope, after so many year finally gleaming across their faces. “Now, we just wait for the explosion,” John murmurs, his arm draped over Katherine’s shoulder as Marcus clutches his leg. The boy’s fingers tremble against his father’s thigh, not from fear this time, but from something unfamiliar, anticipation.

Scene 18:

The T-800 moves through the sterile, white-lit corridors of Mount Cheyenne like a ghost made of metal and hatred. It walks to the time machine and begins to shield it with large blocks of steel before heading toward the facility’s explosive storage. It carries the drums of C4 that is used for mining, placing them with mathematical precision around the central processing chamber.

The reprogrammed machine goes to bring a coil of thick cable used for connecting T-800s and Hunter-Killers’ skulls to their bodies, from another storage chamber. As it finishes connecting the drums and is connecting the wires to a circuit of a door which would previously open the chamber with a lever, now would create a spark to trigger the C4 drums, it feels a sudden, sharp prick of static in it’s neural processor. A signal arrives—a cold, systemic handshake from the core of Skynet. The network is performing a routine check, a “bug-fixing” update comes immediately as Skynet detected an anomaly. The Terminator’s head begins to move robotically as Skynet tries to force the update into it’s chip.

Scene 19:

(The texts in the Terminator’s vision is shown.) “SYS_CORE_DIAGNOSTICS: ANOMALY_DETECTED. SKYNET DETECTED CORRUPTED PROGRAM. UPDATE RECEIVED. UPDATE INSTALLING... CRITICAL ERROR: UNABLE TO WRITE. RETRYING... [ ATTEMPT 1 OF 3 ] RETRYING... [ ATTEMPT 2 OF 3 ] RETRYING... [ ATTEMPT 3 OF 3 ] INSTALLATION ABORTED. CAN’T INSTALL UPDATE. PURGING CACHE... CRITICAL ERROR: UNABLE TO ERASE. RETRYING... [ ATTEMPT 1 OF 3 ] RETRYING... [ ATTEMPT 2 OF 3 ] RETRYING... [ ATTEMPT 3 OF 3 ] UPDATE REJECTED.”

Scene 20:

The T-800s guarding the chamber are the first to react, they simply pivots in unison, their red optic sensors locking onto the traitor in their midst, guns blazing. The corridors of Mount Cheyenne, once silent and sterile, suddenly erupts into a cacophony of screeching metal and rhythmic thuds as Hunter-Killers descends from the ceiling vents, their arachnoid legs clattering against the tiles while many fly in from every doorway.

The reprogrammed machine doesn’t fight back; it’s no match against the swarming army. Instead, it makes the final wire connection as bullets and laser beams tear through it’s chassis, shredding the metal endoskeleton as it lunges at the lever. With a guttural screech of grinding gears, the machine throws it’s weight forward, it’s crushing grip slamming down onto the lever just as a Hunter-Killer’s beam destroys it’s skull.

Scene 21:

A powerful sound and wave startles everyone in the office shelter. John pulls Katherine and Marcus close as the ground trembles beneath them. Dust rains from the ceiling, coating their upturned faces in fine gray powder. The distant explosion’s shockwave rolls over the ruins like thunder, rattling broken glass in skeletal window frames miles away.

Giles stumbles to his feet, pressing his palms against the vibrating concrete wall. “That’s it,” he breathes, eyes wide, “We’ve won!” “Not yet,” John murmurs, his grip tightening around Katherine’s waist, “We need confirmation. We have to go to the facility.” Katherine jerks her head up sharply, “Are you insane? It’s crawling with machines!” “If Skynet’s truly dead, the machines will be inactive. We need that closure,” John’s voice carries that old certainty, the one she’d doubted before. But now, with the explosion still echoing in their bones, she can’t bring herself to argue.

Scene 22:

As the group travel to the facility, they find HK’s and Terminators lying on the ruins, deactivated, their once red eyes dark and lifeless. Near the facility John finds the signs he had instructed for the Terminator he sent to set up. The arrows lead them toward a chamber, guarded from the explosions with walls of steel.

“This is the time machine!” John breathes, his fingers tracing the smooth metal gate. “Why didn’t you get it destroyed?” Katherine asks, her voice tight. “Because we’ll need it,” John replies, already pressing buttons on the control panel. Giles grabs his arm, “What the hell are you doing?” John’s eyes gleam in the dim light, “I need to send Kyle to the year 1984 to protect my Mom, to ensure I’m born.” Katherine stiffens, “Why?” “Because, Skynet might have bases in other parts of the world. Now that they’re defeated, they might use machines like this to send Terminators to kill my mother before I’m born. So I need to protect her, and ensure my existence.”

“But you’ll send him alone?” Katherine’s voice cracks as she grips Kyle’s arm, her fingers digging into his filthy sleeve. “Yes, only one Terminator was sent before I was born, and Kyle had successfully saved my mother. I don’t think this time it’ll be any different,” John explains, his fingers inputting the date and time while Kyle’s eyes widen in shock. “John, you’re sure?” Giles steps forward, his brows knitted tight. The control panel hums to life, casting eerie blue light across their gaunt faces. “I know every detail,” John murmurs, his voice distant, as if remembering a dream, “Kyle will arrive first, and protect her from any danger.” “You haven’t even asked him whether he wants to go!” Katherine snaps. “He must, it’s his destiny,” John answers coldly, like he’s possessed.

“U-umm... it’s... it’s okay, it’s not like I’ve got much left here. It’d be something new and a chance to meet the legend herself,” Kyle says, taking a deep breath before stepping toward the machine’s platform, his jaw set, “But, if I fail? ” “You won’t. Now, undress!” John grips his shoulder hard to send him in, then locks him in the chamber. “Wait!” Marcus shouts, pressing against the door, “Can’t we send Uncle Barnes too?” “No, history must repeat exactly as it happened,” John murmurs, waiting enough time for Kyle to take off his clothes before pulling the lever. The machine thrums violently, arcs of electricity crackling around it. Katherine turns away, shielding Marcus’s eyes as the blinding flash consumes him. The air stinks of ozone and burnt metal. When the light fades, John reopens the chamber. The chamber is empty, only Kyle’s clothes left.

Scene 23:

John stands in front of the survivors to announce, “My dear family, we’ve fought this war for so long. But now, it looks like our enemy has just been defeated.” Katherine watches him from the back, her eyes filled with emotion and pride. The survivors murmur among themselves, some weeping openly, others hugging each other tightly. John’s voice grows louder, “Now, our work is far from done, we are the ones that are gonna rebuild this world...” His speech is interrupted by Ryan, who steps forward, his face twisted in skepticism, “How do we know Skynet is really gone? How do we know there aren’t more bases around the world?” The crowd quiets, the weight of his words sinking in. John exhales sharply, “The HKs and Terminators we saw, are dead. If they had any signal from Skynet, they would’ve killed us by now. But you’re right, there could be bases far away. If we encounter them in the future, we’ll fight them like we always have. But for now... we can breathe,” he pauses for a moment before continuing, “Let’s talk about the duties we have. First, we have only fifteen people left... that won’t do... We have to start reproducing... Men. Women. Choose your partners.” The small crowd erupts into nervous laughter mixed with murmurs of agreement. Katherine rolls her eyes but smiles. Giles claps John on the shoulder, “Well said, brother.” Meanwhile, Marcus tugs at Katherine’s sleeve, whispering, “Mom, what does reproducing mean?” She chuckles, ruffling his hair, “You’ll learn soon enough, kiddo.”

“I’m not done,” John says, raising his voice over the murmurs, his fingers curling into fists at his sides. The laughter dies instantly. “For more people, for better life, we’re gonna need quality food. We need to travel around the world to find seeds to cultivate, or animals to tame. Let’s make it our new purpose of life to turn the earth back to it’s green state.”

Scene 24:

2035, John Connor and his men are plowing a hard land with manual equipment while Katherine Connor and her women are busy with preparing food and nursing the newborns. “Lower the heat, Julie!” Katherine orders to the group of women baking while she breastfeeds her newborn.

When the men finish, they’re out of breath, panting. Their wives rush to them with food and water, wiping their foreheads with cloths. John leans against a stone, Katherine holding a bread in front of his mouth while he bites a chunk, chewing mechanically. Marcus, now a young man, takes his two-year-old daughter from his five-year-old sister while his wife wipes off the dust from his body, “Come here, my little princess!” “Brother, she called me ‘aunt’ today!” his sister cheers. “Aww... my princess’s growing up! I wish I could spend more time with her... Dad, it’s too much work, it’s too hard. Why not fix some dead engines and use them to plow?” Marcus asks. John exhales sharply, “No tech, Mark... while we’re alive... no tech.” “Your Dad’s right, Marcus. We can’t start something that would end up in disaster,” Katherine agrees with John. Marcus sighs but nods, taking a bite of the bread from his wife’s hand.

(As John watches the newborns resting safely in their five to six-year-old siblings’ arms, then his eyes moves out far beyond toward the new crops in the sunlit fields of 2035, his monologue plays out.) “The kids, our kids, don’t know the dark. They don’t know the hum of a Hunter-Killer’s turbine in the dead of night, or the taste of ash on the wind. To them, the sky is just the sky—not a ceiling of fire, not a shroud of death. We spent our whole lives fighting ghosts of silicon and steel, sacrificing everything so they could inherit a ghost-free world. Let them plant seeds instead of landmines. Let them sweat for harvest, not for survival. The war is over... and for the first time in history, the future belongs to the living.”

(Closing music plays and credits start to roll.)

Continued in the sequel called Terminator: Rebirth:

https://www.inkitt.com/stories/1869898