“This is how my mother must’ve felt in that nuthouse. She tried warning everyone. She knew the future and no one listened. I hope to God somebody out there is listening to me. Kate, you promise me that you’ll listen and that you’ll evacuate. That you’ll leave here and you’ll get to someplace safe.”
She had already put it all together.
“You’re going to try to save Kyle, aren’t you?”
He didn’t reply.
“John, this doesn’t make sense. It’s
Halting his work, he favored her with a sad smile.
“Maybe it is a trap. But we’ll use their traps against them.”
Reaching to a high shelf he pulled down a 25mm semi-automatic grenade launcher, then a box of thermobaric shells.
“If Kyle dies, Skynet wins.”
Her hands balled into fists at her sides. She moved closer, pleading now.
“John, you can’t go in there alone. Reese gave up his life for you. Throwing away your own like this, in a futile attempt to save him, would be the last thing he would want you to do.”
Connor’s expression was grim.
“That’s exactly why I’m going. Because
“This is suicide, John. I will not stand by and watch you kill yourself.”
Looking away from her, he loaded a shotgun with sabot shells, then began packing grenades and plastic explosive into a waiting pack.
Kate watched him for a long moment. Then she picked up a handgun and very carefully placed it against her temple. Pausing in his work, he slowly turned to face her, his eyes flicking from her face to the handgun and back again.
“Look at me. How does this make you feel? This is what you’re doing to me.”
Connor’s expression softened. “Kate, please....”
Slowly, she lowered the gun. But not her gaze.
“What about our child?”
He took a deep breath. “If I don’t stand up for what I believe in, what kind of father am I going to make?”
She gestured slightly with the muzzle of the weapon.
“We said we would get through this together. That’s the only reason we’ve made it this far. If you die....”
Her voice trailed away, unable to complete the sentence, unable to countenance the thought. Her strength was wavering, as was her conviction. She had been fighting a long time, and she was tired. She knew he was too, but somehow he always managed to bounce back. Always managed to summon strength from depths unknown, find confidence even in the darkest moments. She was strong, but not that strong. Not as strong as John Connor. That was why he had to stay alive. For the Resistance. For everyone. For her.
He saw what she was going through even as he sensed her emotional exhaustion.
“You live—and that’s all that matters to me, Kate. You’re the reason I’ve kept fighting for all these years. You have my whole heart. You always have, and you always will.
Tears were running down her face, streaking her cheeks. Smiling affectionately, he placed his scarred hands gently on her stomach. Reaching up with one hand she touched his face, let her fingers trace the side of his jaw.
“This is not ‘goodbye,’” she whispered to him.
“No.” They kissed.
She pulled away. Someone had to. “See you later—okay?”
“Yeah.”
She managed a smile. “Every time I look into your eyes I know we’re still headed in the right direction,” she murmured softly. “I know that, somehow, we’ll make it. And I’m not the only one.”
She gestured to her right, toward the armory door that stood slightly ajar.
“You have a responsibility to those people out there, John. They believe you’re going to lead them to victory. What am I going to tell them when they find out you’re gone?”
She paused, sniffling and swallowing, trying to keep from breaking down completely.
“What am I going to tell myself?”
Looking into her face, unable to avoid the naked longing and desperation on display, he wondered what he could possibly say in response. Then he smiled anew, reassuringly, and gently wiped at her tears.
“I’ll be back.”
He turned, picked up the pack, shouldered his methodically chosen weapons, kissed her long and deep, and headed purposefully toward the doorway. Silently, she watched him go. Though his words hung in the air, she
