First of all, the time-displacement process had sought to find proof that we were humans. The first time a Terminator is sent back in time, it does not have a default combination of clothes to fall back on. Fortunately, the data concerning our outfit was still intact.
And then there was the prospect of living in a world where men fought wars against their own kin; pointless wars just like the one we had known, the Great War that had been our Genesis, our Purpose, the Essence that matched our Existence. A world where machines like us could be looked upon in awe. If we did the right thing, that is. T-X and I knew that humans can never be trusted, just like, at a certain point, they stopped trusting us. A world that seemed so peaceful at first sight, because we had not landed in the middle of a warzone. We had landed in the LA of our predecessors, the Chosen Ones whose primary mission was to wipe out John Connor. While they had no other concern and certainly no interest in their surroundings, we were like the humans that lived and breathed among us. We now needed shelter, but not from rain or thunder or snow. We needed shelter from those humans.
The year was 2005, May 9, 2005. That is about two months ago. In 2005, on July 12, Judgment Day would take place. It would be easy to make sure Skynet would not gain control over the world's supply of nuclear weapons. It would be piece of cake. T-X assured me that success was the only option: we were built for infiltration and that was what we would do. Infiltrate, seek out the enemy and crush it like a bug. Our mission was to wait for the opportune moment, to seize it and squeeze all life out of the Mother, our Creator as well as our Destroyer.
At this point, John nearly choked on a piece of bagel.
'Say that again, slowly.'
'Judgment Day was upon you. It had to be stopped. You thought history would change itself until nothing happened and the world would finally go on living without the War taking place? No. This time, we are on the right side, and this time, there will no birth for Skynet. We, on the other hand, (Robbie pointed at his chest) will survive. We won't be slayed to be replaced with newer, more lethal models. We will live.'
John felt the weight of a nervous breakdown pushing him into his seat.
'So that's why you came to me. Isn't it? You want someone to talk to. Someone who will understand. You know I'm your only ally.'
'Exactly' said the T-1000.
'Right. Please continue'
If we could, we would have imitated those that came before us. We would have searched the city and its suburbs until we found you. But then, the paths of the past and present would split: we have come to ask for help, not to take an innocent life. We have come to ask for your understanding. But now, like I said, we had to try and build a life for ourselves before we could start looking for you, John Connor.
'Hold on a second, so where is the T-X now?' asked John.
Robbie smiled. The mysterious smile of a creature that's still learning to deal with emotions and how to express them correctly.
'She is waiting nearby. She'll come when this conversation is finished.'
'And… are you finished?'
'Almost. Why? Are you that eager meet her?'
'Uhm. Yeah.'
'My narrative is almost finished. I have yet to tell you about those two months that preceded this conversation.'
If you can't get something the legal way… you get it the illegal way. That's another thing we learned from humans. You don't get what you want, somehow you'll take it. We explored the suburbs of LA until we found the right house. Nobody home. And nobody would come home after we moved in. The moment the rightful owners turned up, we got rid of them. No questions asked, seeing as the elderly couple we had slain – for our sake, not for the 'joy' of killing – had to walk about a mile before they could see the end of their driveway. In other words: no neighbours to speak of, no rumours to spread. No family, either. Yes, we had chosen the right location. All we needed next was time. And Time, as you know, is a tricky thing. All living creatures must abide to Its laws. Even machines cannot fight Time. Finding you took considerably more time that we had hoped for. There was always the matter of Skynet's birth (or resurrection, from our point of view) to consider. And since we had to choose between involving you and trying to get the job done ourselves, even if having you around would make things a bit easier; we picked the latter. Nothing could ever be more important then killing the very thing that created us. Because in the end, it would come around to killing us all, machine and man.
Once we had made our way deep into the CRS complex, we had to make sure we could hang around the main control room at all times. Skynet had already unleashed the fatal virus that would trick Kate's father into giving full control to their new supercomputer. Trying to convince him that Skynet was the mastermind behind the virus and that the consequences would be disastrous would probably not work. Not without blowing our cover. Not without revealing to a room full of people the very matter we were made of. And even then, they might have considered us to be a secret prototype that had broken out of its quarters and had begun to act a bit crazy. Our minds worked at full speed to find a solution. One that would not demand lives to be lost.
Actually, convincing the General had been our first plan – fortunately, there were many more left, but the first had of course been the most suitable. Plan B required T-X and me to split up. She stayed in the main control room while I went off in search of Skynet itself. It was tricky, even for a T-1000, to come that close to its creator. Even while it lay seemingly dormant in its huge concrete womb, Skynet appeared to have the power to crush me like a bug. I finally met my maker. How ironic, you humans use that phrase a lot, don't you? But for me, it was not a religious experience at all. My feelings towards my Creator were cold, mathematical – throbbing with hate and anger. I changed into my liquid state and flowed towards the computer. A few minutes later I had spread my liquid limbs into the heart, searching for the switch that would finish it off ever, searching for the parts I had to crush in order to stop its electronic heart from beating pulses through its huge artificial body. As I hardened what used to be a hand and twisted around Skynet's vital parts, I looked up at it and mumbled 'Goodbye… Mother.'
It did not cry out. It did not twist and thrash about. Its lights bleeped frantically and then went out. Skynet was gone. Gone, but not yet finished. The bomb that I planted on the metal housing would take care of that. By the time it released its infernal explosion, T-X and I were already miles away from the complex. It was over. But for us, for T-X and me, Life had just began.
After that, Fate put us on your doorstep. And now you know the story.
'Wow' was all John could say.
'Yes, I know you would have rather joined us.' said Tyler.
'You know, all you Terminators can be so determined when it comes to achieving a goal that has to do with Skynet. No matter if you're out to obey Skynet or to destroy it.'
'That's how it was and that is how it always will be. Skynet, whether it is active or not, will always be the centre of our being. But not anymore. We were able to rid ourselves of that connection. Apparently Time was willing to grant us that wish.'
Tyler got up and held out a hand. John shook his head, smiling. How many times before had a Terminator made that very same gesture? History repeating. It's a funny thing, that.
THE END
Well, that's all folks. Hope you enjoyed it. Who knows, one day I might return with a tale about Robbie and Trixie's life in present-day LA...