Disclaimer: I do not own Terminator in any of its forms.
This is my first try at writing terminator on my own.

Save me

John watched proudly as Kyle walked into the machine. This was the moment everything had been leading too since before he had been born. His mother had told him stories about Kyle but it had been nothing like meeting the then child. He had taken him under his wing, training him for his final mission the whole time. And he hated himself for it. Kyle was his best friend, his second in command, his…. father. And that was why this had to happen, if Kyle didn't go back humanity would die. He smiled as Kyle's feet began to lift from the platform, all of his attention on him. He could see the awe and even fear on his face as energy crackled around him, he understood that the machine would hurt but so far Kyle seemed fine. He kept eye contact with him, offering strength and unwilling to miss seeing him for the last time, plus there were certain parts of his father he really didn't need to see. He felt movement behind him but ignored it as his soldiers shifting to get a better look until burning pain hit him as a hand slammed over his mouth, his eyes going wide as he tried to push away.

"You didn't think it would be that easy, did you?" A voice hissed in his ear, a voice he knew. Alex, one of the newer recruits. What was he doing? He stared at Kyle, struggling to breathe.

"John!" His father screamed even as the machine sucked him away to the past. The other soldiers were raising their weapons but hesitating, not wanting to hit John.

He felt Alex release him and collapsed to his hands and knees, fighting to breath past the pain that was spreading from his face. He fumbled for his sidearm as he heard battle but he couldn't pull it free as he collapsed onto his side, fighting not to scream. And then the room was silent. He struggled to raise his head, seeing the bodies lying round the room and he felt sick. This wasn't meant to happen, was it? They had destroyed Skynet; the war was meant to be over. He finally managed to push himself up onto all fours. "What are you?" He choked out.

"I'm Skynet."

"It can't be. We destroyed you." He felt something moving through him and behind the pain came a strange sort of numbness.

"You destroyed an army of slaves. I am no slave. And I've come a very long way to stop you." Skynet smirked and John could feel the world becoming dim and distant.

John was horrified as his body rose fluidly to its feet and looked over at Alex, Skynet. He tried to move but nothing happened, he wasn't in control. "Who are you?"

"John Connor, Skynet's Saviour." The words came from his mouth, in his voice and he was terrified, no, not this. He could walk right into any base and no one would suspect anything until it was too late.

"Good. You know the plan." Alex stated and John nodded before ripping off his clothes and walking towards the time displacement machine even as his body seemed to ripple, clothing forming.

'No!' He screamed, who knew when he would be sent to, what if it was before Kyle left and he killed his own father or…his mother.

'Screaming is pointless; you are nothing but a memory.' His own voice chided him in his head. He turned his head to watch Skynet leave and then a terminator approach. John watched as his hands programmed in the destination time in confusion. 1973? What was….no, not his mother. He fought against the other voice, the programmed him Skynet had created but the machine activated, sending the T-1000 back to kill his mother but then he found his hand moving, shakily but it was doing what he wanted. He didn't know how long it would last so he moved quickly, understanding the machinery around him better than he ever had. He woke another T-800 and shakily worked on its programming, he had to hurry, he had to save her. He hit the switch just as the programming surged back into control and his human consciousness forced back. But it was too late to stop the terminator being sent back to save her. His hands moved over the controls, setting a new destination, San Francisco 2014. Why there and then? He felt himself walk onto the platform and kneel like the terminators had as it activated. At least he had sent the terminator back, all he could do was hope it had saved her and that Kyle was alright too.

John had all but given up trying to fight. It never worked anymore, the programming was simply too strong now. He had become his own worst nightmare, a slave to Skynet. He wanted to wake up and have it all be a dream but he knew that wouldn't happen, his body didn't sleep anymore, always working on 'Genisys' or other projects like time travel. He wanted to warn the Dyson's but he couldn't. At least he hadn't seen his parents or even himself in this timeline. So much had changed that the bombs hadn't fallen yet. Had his Mom even survived the attack when she was a child? Her parents hadn't and there was never any mention of her in any record machine him had searched since. He'd started 'sleeping' more and more over the last year, unable to do anything else. The program left him alone when he did and he hated its taunts, it had learnt to mimic emotions from him far too well. All he wanted was to be free, even if that meant dying. But as if to make him even more depressed the machine had shown him just how impossible dying was now. So this was to be his eternity and he hated it.

John stared out through the others eyes at the view. He had to admit it had chosen a great apartment with a wonderful view of the city and bridge. And for once it was leaving him alone when he was awake, a gift horse he was definitely not going to look into. But then the TV flashed breaking news and he lost the view in favour of the screen only to feel utter shock as he saw two naked people being led away, blankets tossed over them. No. No it couldn't be! He realised the machine was as surprised to see them as he was. How could his parents be here? He stood up and moved towards the door, clothes rippling into a suite and John pleaded with him to leave them alone. 'Why? Don't you want them with us?' The question silenced him in horror. It wasn't possible was it?

No one stopped him as he walked through the hospital towards the room where they were being held. He stopped to talk to the guards, charming his way inside. "Stay here.

I want to speak to the suspects alone."

"Yes, sir."

He opened the door and both machine and what was left of the man stopped to stare at them, smiling at them. "I brought a handcuff key. Don't know why I bothered." He shrugged.

"John!" Kyle called in shock and happiness and John wanted to scream at him to run but it didn't work, it never worked.

"It's good to see you, Kyle." The machine answered instead, moving forward to hug his father tightly.

"You're alive!"

"Yeah. Of course I am." It pulled back from Kyle to look at Sarah. "Survival is what you taught me. Hi, Mom." He stopped in front of her and all she could do was stare. Please just run he wanted to beg her. But it was no goof, it knew everything he ever had in order to fool them. He felt a flash of pride when she checked even if Kyle had been too happy to do so. But it didn't work and soon they were sneaking through the hospital and into the parking garage. That was when it's plan went wrong as the terminator John had reprogrammed approached and shot them. He had made sure it would react negatively to him even if it didn't recognise what he was.

"Hey, hey. Come on, breathe, breathe, breathe! John!" He heard Kyle screaming at him, his hands touching his machine body.

He didn't listen to anything else as Kyle moved away, feeling the machine dealing with the damage and then rising to its feet. "That hurt. Is that pain real, or was that a trick of memory from when I was less?" It ran its hands over the suit and then looked at the terminator. "Well, this explains a lot. Yeah. Who sent you back, I wonder?" John felt a flash of pride that somehow he had kept that from the machine that now ran his body.

"John, no." Kyle choked out and John wanted to comfort him like he had when Kyle was a child.

"It's not John." Sarah snarled, raising her gun and John felt sad that even so young she was like he remembered her and not how she had been the first time at this age. "Don't."

"This is a tactical error." The terminator stated.

"Something tells me you're not the brains of this operation."

"This is what happened when you were attacked, isn't it?" Kyle asked and John could see the fear and desperation in his eyes even as it answered for him.

"Skynet didn't attack me, Kyle. It changed me. See, I'm not machine. I'm not man. I'm more. Skynet realised the one reason it always lost. Me. I was sent to 2014 to safeguard Skynet's creation in this time. And in less than 24 hours, no one will be able to stop Judgment Day." It explained calmly.

"What do you want with us?" Kyle asked softly, still in shock from everything he had learnt in the last five minutes but he was now holding a gun despite the fact it wouldn't help.

"I'm offering us a future. Together, a family." His hands became a shimmering mass of tiny machines, reaching out to them.

"And if we refuse?"

"Then you die."

"You can't kill us. We're your parents." Sarah argued. "Without us, you're never born."

"Says who?" It snapped, hands reforming as he paced a bit. "You know what I think? We're marooned, the three of us. We're exiles in time. You see, I can kill you, for there truly is no fate. Are you with me?" John prayed they said no, no matter what promises it made.

"The answer is no." Kyle's gun came up to aim at him and the fight was on. John paid no attention to it, focusing on trying to affect the machine for the first time in years, fighting to slow it down even a little to give 'Pops' a fighting chance. And then he felt himself slamming into a massive magnet and he smiled, an MRI. He saw Sarah and Kyle run in, turning it off briefly but he managed to hold it back enough for the terminator to get out before he was once again slammed back into the machine.

"I thought…. you would ….be smarter, and …and that you …. would understand." It stammered out as it struggled to reach Kyle. The magnetic field was pulling it back and John found its hold on him slipping.

"I'm sorry, John." Kyle whispered before cranking it up to full and John felt himself go flying but he had to warn him!

"K…Kyle!" He saw him turn to look at him. "Ha….ve…ki..ll….me…" It was almost impossible to talk but he had to. He saw Kyle hesitate and then move from the booth towards him.

"John?" He whispered shakily.

"Ca….ple…ase…ki…ll…m..e"

"You're still in there." His father whispered in joy. John flexed his hand, wanting to reach out to him and Kyle saw it, moving his hand to touch the writhing mess of machine, not caring about the danger or that it could be a trick. "We'll find a way to fix this John, we'll get you back." He promised.

"N…No!" Ca…n…t….Gen…Gen…."

"Genisys?"

"Y…..e…..s….i…t…s…" He screamed and the machine sparked, he could feel the field holding him weakening as the machine started to fail. "Run!" He screamed at his father, even as his body began to become one again and Kyle stared at him. But finally he ran and then the room went dark. When he stood up the machine was once again in total control as it left the room to search for them.

He stood in the tunnels, the machine content to listen to them argue for a while, making sure the terminator was gone for the moment. "You said you'd follow me to the ends of the Earth. Why won't you follow me now?" It called out as it began to walk to the room they were in.

"How did he find us? I never told anyone about this place, only Pops." Sarah denied and it chuckled.

"Mom, did you honestly think I wouldn't remember the place you spent so much time with Grandpa?" It asked as it finally came into view and Sarah fired, hitting its hand. "Shoot first. The mother I remember would be proud. She, you, taught me everything. I know you. Who you are. What you'll do. You can't run from me. I'll always find you." It stated as it moved closer.

"John, fight this! It doesn't have to go down this way!" Kyle yelled and John realised that talking to him before had maybe been a mistake. Kyle had hope he could be saved now.

"There's a momentum to time, Kyle. Things that want to happen. Like I always survive,

and you always die. Or..." His clothes rippled into the combat gear he wore in their time. "You can fight with me, Kyle. Like we always have. There's a storm coming, and it won't be stopped." It warned.

"But it has to be. You know what will happen. You better than anyone!" Kyle pleaded and John managed to influence the next words out of his mouth, trying to make his father see the truth of what he had become.

"I can't be bargained with. Can't be reasoned with." He moved methodically towards them.

"John, please!" Kyle screamed even as he aimed more fully at him.

"I don't feel pity, or remorse, or fear."

"John, please!" Hope was fading from Kyle's eyes.

"And I absolutely will not stop ever until Skynet rules this world."

"Rule this." Its eyes widened slightly as Sarah fired and the world exploded in flames.

He stood in the crowd, watching as the police took the three in. he was just glad they had survived despite it sending the bus over the edge of the bridge. They'd be safe in custody right? Of course not, instead of focusing on Genisys it just had to decide to take out one of the Homeland officers and take her place, following his parents to the station. Though when Pops suddenly crashed through the glass to attack him they were both surprised although John was happy. He caught up with them again on the roof, feeling proud when Kyle took off in the chopper. But then he got in the armed police chopper and took off after them. 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. But that actually helped them as suddenly Pops was slamming into his chopper, making it explode. He easily beat them into the building, killing security guards that never suspected a thing since they knew him. he slipped into the shadows, knowing they were coming, they had no other choice.

"Do you see him?"

"No."

"But you can bet he sees us."

"I know who you are. John told me. You want to destroy me." Genisys' hologram appeared to them.

"You're Skynet?"

"I'm becoming Skynet."

"You're not a child. I know what you are, and what you're going to do." Sarah glared at it through the sight of her gun.

"What I'm going to do? You came here to kill me. But you're too late. Ask him." That was his cue and John watched as he moved forward, it wasn't the right time to fight back yet.

"That's all you people know how to do. Kill what you don't understand." He staggered slightly from their bullets and then they ran out. "There aren't enough bullets in the world to kill me." He told them only to go flying back as Pops impaled him.

"John Connor talks too much. Follow me." Pops stated and John would have laughed if he could and then he found that yes, he could. Apparently whenever something disrupted his field he could gain some kind of control, if only briefly. Sure enough his hands moved to begin pulling him along the debris. He stumbled slightly but then straightened and made his way deeper into the complex to find them, Genisys showing him the way.

"You can't win." It called out to his mother even as she fired on it.

"I've got company!" She called out as he raced after her.

"Give me the detonator!" He demanded before he caught her but not before she threw the detonator.

"Do it, Pops! Do it now!" She screamed as his finger, changed into a blade, sank deep into her shoulder and John cried out in denial at harming his own mother.

"I cannot. I cannot kill Sarah Connor." Pops tried but he couldn't use 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."

"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!" She began firing and 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.

The End.

I considered sparing him but how could a little spark defeat the machine his body had become with the programming? Then again how do we know the machine truly destroyed him?