Set ten years after the events of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, John Connor and his mother, Sarah Connor, are off-grid and separated in 2005. While Sarah is at Norfolk, Virginia, for matters too personal to tell her own son, John is surviving on his o...
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Tired. That's how Reyna woke up on one of the most important days of her life.
She finds herself on a bed instead of a couch, where she was supposed to be sleeping. Her legs ache and her eyes were still heavy from sleep. She turns to see John snoring heavily beside her. Reyna grins and softly tousles his hair.
Must be another guest bedroom. Klevens is probably sedated in the other one. Reyna stretches her aching legs and finally rises out of bed, remembering last night's events: going outside, being with John, fighting with John, splashing saltwater on John, rinsing off said saltwater, and-
Reyna gulps, heat rising to her cheeks as a silly grin spread across her face. She quickly but quietly exits the guest bedroom. She walks through the hallway and enters the breakfast nook, where Sarah had already prepared toast, eggs, and sausages.
"Good morning, Ms. Connor." Reyna greets shakily.
"Spare me the manners, Reyna." Sarah sips from a mug of dark roast. "Come, sit with me. And call me Sarah."
Reyna helps herself to a plate of sausages and toast. She eats quietly as Sarah watches her from across.
"Homo novae, huh?" Sarah asks. "How come?"
"One of John's soldiers found me on the battlefield and administered the solution to me." Reyna wipes her mouth with a napkin. "I'd be dead if it weren't for you and John, Sarah."
Sarah gives Reyna a tight lipped smile. "What did the solution do to you? And be specific."
Reyna felt like she was being interrogated rather than greeted. Then again, that soft part of Sarah must have been drilled out of her in 1984. "I can lift weights multiple times my size. I can run faster than a car with 1000 horsepower. I can see in the dark better than any nocturnal animal. I can hear things a bat can't even hear. I can heal faster. I don't get tired as often."
Sarah nods, satisfied. "I apologize for my questions, but I have many."
"I don't blame you."
"So John sent you? I mean, John from the future?"
"Yes."
"How is he?"
Reyna leans back in her chair. "He's older, of course. But other than that, he's dedicated to winning the war. He's a good general. He will do whatever he must to defeat those machines. But he originally was going to send Kyle here instead of me."
Sarah's grip on the mug tightens and her eyes widen desperately. "How is he? Why didn't he come?"
Reyna sighs, unsure of how to word her answer. "I guess that John wanted to protect Kyle. Kyle was supposed to receive the last Homo novae solution, but John didn't allow it. Kyle was supposed to go on this mission, but John refused.
"Sarah, don't be angry at John. He sent me here to protect not just you and John, but also Kyle. If anything were to happen to Kyle, you and John would never forgive yourselves."
"What would we never forgive ourselves for?" John interrupts. Reyna didn't even know he had appeared.
"We'd never forgive ourselves if you didn't eat breakfast." Sarah smirks. "Hurry up, the toast is becoming stale."
The Connors and Reyna finish their breakfast in silence. Sarah leaves to sedate Klevens once more and returns with a sheet of paper and a pencil.
"Reyna, I want you to draw the floor plan and interior of Beischel's Cyberdyne." Sarah says. "We'll plan from there."
Remembering the maps from Intel, Reyna quickly sketches each floor of Beischel's Cyberdyne. When she finishes, she shows the Connors the layout.
"Here," Reyna points to the top floor, "are the offices. We should make sure that we completely destroy all digital and paper documents regardless of its subject and owner.
"The second floor, or the middle floor, is the main entrance. We need to disarm the guards here to ensure safe entry.
"The first floor here is where the Terminators are made. Just like the third floor, this is a crucial section of Beischel's Cyberdyne we need to destroy."
John studies the sketches. "And the chip? Do you think Beischel could have hidden it?"
"Do you think Beischel could have made more chips?" Sarah adds.
Reyna runs her head. "No, Beischel could not have hidden it somewhere safe because when the machines sent the T-1000 with the chip to 1995, they did not have enough time to manufacture it to where it can be replayed. Once it's played, the chip self-destructs. Therefore, we don't have to risk the chip falling into the wrong hands. However, I am sure that the chip came with instructions on how to recreate itself, so that's why we need to find Beischel and terminate him."
John begins to pace. "Has Beischel started selling his creations?"
Reyna shakes her head. "He won't sell it for another week since he has to receive a patent and certification. But I suggest that we don't wait."
"And the JEM-9?" Sarah asks.
"The JEM-9 must be with Beischel now to protect him— and maybe help him with his project. With the JEM-9's infinite replication ability and its programming to obey Beischel's every command, I have no doubt that it's helping Beischel mass produce the machines."
Reyna studies the map once more, calculating how much time they would need to install explosives on all three floors, terminate the guards, terminate Beischel, activate said explosives, and escape.
"I have no doubt that there will be guards around the perimeter." Reyna marks each outside entrance with a star. "So we'll need to disable them first. Since there are three floors, I'd say we'd split, but John is too important of an asset to go by himself."
John opens his mouth to argue, but is interrupted by his mother.
"So how are we going to destroy Cyberdyne? I have explosives, but if we implement them, not only will the building go down, but so will we."
"We can still bring some of the explosives, but there are vats of molten metal; if we lure all the JEM-9s and dispose of any traces of Beischel's Cyberdyne in the vats and use the explosives, we will never have to worry about Judgment Day again."
Sarah and John nod in agreement, though John's nod was more hesitant and slow.
"John, you and Reyna will head to the third floor and transport the documents and files to the first floor with the vats. I can take out the guards on the second floor and patrol the area." Sarah says. "I can take security out on my own."
