Terminator: The Connors Chronicles

"So Long And Thanks For All The Sheep" F05E03

Written by Lumir G Janku

This document is fan-produced fiction based on the television series, Terminator - The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and two seasons worth of fanfiction, F03 and F04, written by CJ Carter. This is done in spirit of fan fiction, to have fun and enrich the total fan experience beyond the limitation of the original story vehicle. In that spirit, and holding to the long tradition of free promotion and support that fanfic brings to the fictional verse, this story is being made available to the show fans for entertainment purposes.
Copyright 2011 Lumir G Janku

2. ACT ONE FADE IN: EXT. SIERRAS, NEAR CONNORS' LOG HOUSE -- NIGHT BRANDI SUMMERTON is unpacking her backpack in a ravine that is parallel to Connors' log house, about 250 meters from it. She pulls out a large folded rain hat first and covers her head with it, to keep the backpack content dry. The sheep is standing, tied to a tree, at the end of ravine that levels with the clearing on which the house is built. Brandi looks up the slope that leads to the clearing, to pick the best location. There is a slight indent to her left, with a tree root bridging across, forming a good support for her feet. Brandi checks her watch. BRANDI Twenty minutes till they turn their lights off. Plenty of time. BRANDI (CONT'D) Don't presume you have it! BRANDI (CONT'D) Shut up for once! I need to concentrate on my task. Brandi pulls support rod. large enough protect them out a tightly packed bundle and a metal She enfolds the bundle into an impromptu tent, so she can spread her items on its floor and from rain.

INT. SIERRAS, CONNORS' LOG HOUSE -- NIGHT CAMERON is sitting at the table in the center of the room and reads a book. It is one of a 12-volume set of world's history that they found in the house when they moved in. Her reading consist mostly of flipping pages as she reads the densely formatted text with an impressive speed, she only rest on the page if there is a picture, looking at it for 20 or so seconds as if waiting for them to come alive. JOHN sits on a stool in front of a fireplace that is at the carport side of the house and watches a log consumed by fire with a crackling sound. He half turns toward Cameron. JOHN Cameron, you've read this one at least four times already. CAMERON It's more interesting the more I read it. I can see connections that I didn't notice before.

3. CAMERON (CONT'D) There are so many stories that are hiding behind the dry text. It's fascinating. I imagine what it would be like living in those times and places. JOHN How about now and here? CAMERON If you had an option to see a movie, would you go? JOHN Sure. I bet you'd go with me, no? Cameron is QUIET for a few seconds. CAMERON Right. You're a wise man, John Connor. It's not that I don't know that... but it... manifesting of it always surprises me. JOHN I see it more as a common sense. CAMERON Not that common. Many people can go about their lives quite without it. Cameron closes the book and goes to sit beside John and wraps her arm around his waist. CAMERON (CONT'D) These stories, they're more like disconnected fragments. I don't know yet how to thread them together. JOHN That's because you keep them inside. If you tried to get them out, by telling them, you may notice many things around you that'll give you the thread to link them. CAMERON They're like soap bubbles, floating, and the surface tension prevents them from joining.

4. John half turns from Cameron, and cups his hand around his mouth. JOHN (pretending to whisper) She reads minds! Cameron bursts into laughter and slaps John on his thigh. John turns toward Cameron. JOHN (CONT'D) Got the moral? CAMERON I think so. Just no story tonight, I want to watch the burning logs with you for a while. It's almost like in a theater. Cameron tilts her head closer to John and leans on his forearm. EXT. SIERRAS, NEAR CONNORS' LOG HOUSE -- LATER BRANDI climbs up the slope, slipping a couple of times on the softened clay. She reaches the top, tries a few times to stomp on the supporting root. It seems to be firmly in position. She leans on her elbows for support and looks through the clearing toward the log house. She turns her head left and right, as if checking that she did not miss anything important. Then she starts pulling a rope that lies in front of her and drops the end of it into the ravine behind her. The sheep approaches with every pull, decreasing the distance of 70 meters from her original position. The rain is getting heavier again and the rope becomes slippery--Brandi has to hold it tighter. It takes a while for the sheep reaching Brandi's spot. BRANDI Here you're, m'dear! Brandi reaches into a pocket at the side of her pants and brings up a bunched wreath of juicy white clover. The sheep grabs the offering with the tongue and starts chewing. Brandi pulls the sheep closer to her, unties the leash and turns the sheep by its rear toward her. Then waits for the wreath completely disappear and counts. BRANDI (CONT'D) One, two, three-Brandi just nods her head Fifteen! for the numbers in sequence.

BRANDI (CONT'D)

5. The moment Brandi says fifteen, she slaps the sheep over her hind side, hard. The sheep starts to run as if life depended on it, in the diagonal direction across the clearing. Brandi immediately reaches over her shoulder and brings over the cross bow that she brought with her. She inserts a steel arrow and looks up to fixate on her target. She follows the sheep with the sights and then releases the trigger. The arrow, just a blur, pierces the sheep's neck through the arteries and leaves an open wound through which the blood gushes out. The sheep runs for a few meters due to a momentum, and then crashes into saplings at the edge of the clearing, breaking them, and then collapses with a THUD. INT. SIERRAS, CONNORS' LOG HOUSE -- NIGHT JOHN and CAMERON are still sitting in front of the fireplace. Cameron suddenly lifts her head and listens. CAMERON John, did you hear it? JOHN Hear what? CAMERON I'm not sure. It was like ... a big animal trashing through woods and falling down. JOHN All I hear is the rain. It almost puts me asleep. CAMERON I should check it out. JOHN Cameron, it's night. If it fell, it would be there probably in the morning. CAMERON Something doesn't add up. I'm not sure what, exactly. I heard another sound, just before, it was like... wheezing? JOHN Wheezing? CAMERON Not sure. It sounded similar, but I can't match the sound.

6. CAMERON (CONT'D) It may have been two sounds, one right after another. I'll go check it out. JOHN I should go with you. CAMERON NO. I can see in the night. You can't. JOHN Wish I had the night vision goggles with us. CAMERON I'd feel better if you stay here. Don't go out. I'll call to you or come back to get you if I need your help. Cameron stands up and walks toward the front door. JOHN Wait! You should take a gun, or a handgun at the least. You'll never know... CAMERON Right. Get me my glock. John takes the few steps that separate him from the closet, opens the door and reaches right behind it, pulling out the handgun. He checks the clip, it is full, then walks toward Cameron and hands her the weapon. JOHN Be careful. Cameron NODS and exits the house. EXT. SIERRAS, NEAR CONNORS' LOG HOUSE -- LATER Cameron goes forward a few meters and turns her head in a semi-circle, but the rain is like a gray impenetrable sheet in front of her. Cameron switches to IR mode and goes forward about 20 meters to walk past the depression that the house sits on, to see more of the clearing. She scans again, in a wider angle, and zeroes on an animal shape. She turns toward as if she would walk closer, but then she catches something by the corner of her eye. She stops and turns toward another object. Cameron sees something that is utterly incomprehensible.

7. P.O.V. CAMERON An object of a size and shape of human brain is floating one and half feet above ground at the end of the clearing where a ravine cuts through. Cameron looks at it for 3 seconds, unable to identify and make sense of what she is seeing. Then the object nearly splits in half. Cameron suddenly senses a danger and starts turning toward her left. CAMERON John! Cameron realizes that John can't hear her. She sees a bright flash and a sound of a SHOT, muted by the curtain of rain. The force of the impact throws her on her back and she feels like falling into a dark, bottomless abyss. Her last thought reverberates through like a fading echo. CAMERON (V.O.) John, don't go out. Then, there is nothing but darkness.

END OF ACT ONE

8. ACT TWO P.O.V. BRANDI Brandi's hand grabs a small bag and takes it off a hook that is embedded in the tree to her right. She places the bag in front of her. Then she lifts herself by her arms and her feet reach the clearing lever. She takes the bag and runs fast to clear the distance between her and her prey. She reaches Cameron and stands above her, a 50 DE pistol in her hands, waiting. The reboot time passes. Cameron does not move. Brandi squats down and turns Cameron's head to left. An impact on Cameron's right side, at the chip area is now clearly visible. Brandi shakes Cameron's head for a few seconds. No response. BRANDI Good. Now the most important task of your life is ahead of you. Brandi opens the bag. She pulls out a large rain hat, a twin of the one she had on earlier. Then she unzips Cameron's jacket and starts pulling out of her bag clay like strips, positioning them on Cameron's chest. Once she lays 8 strips down, she pulls a bundle of short copper wires and starts connecting the strips. Then she pull out a spool of cable, split at the end with attached blasting caps. She inserts the blasting caps into the first and last strip and unwinds the spool along Cameron's body, then makes a few loops around a steel spike that she forces into ground. She zips Cameron's jacket back up. BRANDI (CONT'D) (toward Cameron) Don't go anywhere. <beat> (laughs) Brandi is going back, unwinding the cable, until she reaches her previous spot. She lowers her feet, reaching the root support. Then she pulls on a rope tied to the nearby tree, until she pulls up a detonator. She splits the cable's two threads and attaches them to the connectors. Then she arms the detonator and places her right hand on the lever, directing her gaze toward Cameron's body. She waits. 3 minutes into her waiting, she gets impatient. BRANDI (CONT'D) Where are you, Johnny. Come out! BRANDI (CONT'D) Give him ten, fifteen minutes, when he becomes suspicious something's amiss.

9. BRANDI (CONT'D) I just want it over with. BRANDI (CONT'D) You're losing your grip. Shape up! EXT. SIERRAS, RAVINE NEAR CONNORS' LOG HOUSE -- LATER The rain intensifies and starts eroding the softened clay of the ravine wall, Brandi does not pay attention, her focus is entirely on Cameron, and if John comes out, on him. She does not notice the thinner end of the root being exposed rapidly. The ravine bottom starts filling with muddy water. Her small tent support collapses and the tent is being swallowed by the pool. The exposed root end suddenly gives under Brandi's weight. Her handgun drops out of her jacket pocket and disappears in the mud below. As she tries to grab on something, she pulls on the detonator lever. EXT. SIERRAS, CLEARING NEAR CONNORS' LOG HOUSE -- LATER BOOM! A large explosion lifts Cameron's body and obliterates her torso. The parts are flying whichever way. The detached head hits the ground 10 meters away, closer to the house. In a few seconds John runs out, holding a pump action gun in his right hand. He can barely see. He goes in a zigzag pattern, 25 meters in one direction and 25 meters in another. JOHN Cameron! No reply. EXT. SIERRAS, RAVINE NEAR CONNORS' LOG HOUSE -- LATER Brandi collects herself a the bottom of the ravine. She checks her jacket side pocket, but her pistol is missing. There is no trace of her tent either. BRANDI What now? This is not good. BRANDI (CONT'D) What's the plan B? BRANDI (CONT'D) There was... no plan B, but there's now. I need to bring Johnny to my turf. He won't go far now, he's like a blind kitten. He has to wait until morning. BRANDI (CONT'D) How'd you make sure he finds you?

10. BRANDI (CONT'D) I just need to make sure he won't miss the trail. BRANDI (CONT'D) Okay. <beat> I can't believe that you've messed this up! He was in your grasp. You should have thought of the erosion. BRANDI (CONT'D) Shut up! He won't slip away. And be quiet, he may hear us. BRANDI (CONT'D) Hear that din? I doubt he can make out anything beyond 15 meter radius. Blind and deaf. BRANDI (CONT'D) Maybe. Except the explosion. I want him stay that way. And I had enough of you for tonight! Brandi turns toward the ravine exit side and walks up, dragging her feet through the muddy pool. It is easier than trying to climb the ravine slope. At the end, she looks toward the clearing. She feel uncomfortable to be standing in the open and finds a bush that she can hide behind. She has not lost her binocular and scans the clearing for signs of John. BRANDI (lowering her voice to near whisper) There he is! BRANDI What is he doing? BRANDI (CONT'D) Searching for his pet? Or maybe both of them if I was right. BRANDI (CONT'D) Right. I am kind of surprised that the wolf took the bait, it seems. BRANDI (CONT'D) Yeah, that was a good one. BRANDI (CONT'D) You ok? Haven't heard a word of praise from you in days!

11. BRANDI (CONT'D) None deserved. Almost none. BRANDI (CONT'D) Tell you what... Let's switch sides. You'll be doing and I'll bitch about everything you do. QUIET. BRANDI (CONT'D) Something got your tongue? QUIET. BRANDI (CONT'D) What say you? QUIET. BRANDI (CONT'D) Great! At least I know now how to shut you up! John cris-crosses the clearing in his pattern, with a wider angle to cover the breadth of it. Then he suddenly stops, and drops on his knees. BRANDI (CONT'D) (laughs) Johnny found his pet! John lifts his head and turns it from side to side as if trying to pierce the darkness and the rain curtain. BRANDI (CONT'D) Keep quiet, you nitwit! He's got a gun and we've none. BRANDI (CONT'D) All right, better be safe than sorry. He lifts Cameron's head, and holds it in his lap. His knees are buried in the mud, but he does not seem to notice, nor care. BRANDI (CONT'D) Cry, Johnny, cry for me, make me happy! Brandi checks John's face with her binocular, but she is unable to decide whether she sees tears or rain water on John's face.

12. BRANDI (CONT'D) Sonofabitch! I can't tell! Tis' so unfair! BRANDI (CONT'D) Don't get too sentimental! Keep your wits about. BRANDI (CONT'D) You're starting to get on my nerve. Who invited your inane commentary? Get lost! Brandi turns around and walks slowly, shifting her full weight on one foot at the time, making sure her tracks are deep enough not to be washed away by the downpour. BRANDI (CONT'D) Wait! Johnny needs more clues. We don't want him to lose his bearings! Brandi breaks a twig at her right side. She nods with a satisfied grin. BRANDI (CONT'D) We've got all night-Brandi occasionally breaks a twig here and there, to keep with the pattern, leaving enough clues. BRANDI (CONT'D) Don't make it too obvious! BRANDI (CONT'D) Right. He may not notice in his quest for revenge. But point taken. EXT. SIERRAS, CLEARING NEAR CONNORS' LOG HOUSE -- LATER John gets up, holding Cameron's head in his left arm and walks back toward the house. He nearly trips over Lars that lies motionless on the ground, his fur soaked with rain water and spiked with mud. Beside him is a chunk of regurgitated meat. John squats down, and strokes wolf's head with his free hand. JOHN She got you too, Lars? John enters the house. He wraps Cameron's head in a towel and sits on the floor, wrapping and locking his hands around his bent knees. Numbness overcomes him. He does not move, he just stares into the wall.

13. INT. SIERRAS, BRANDI'S CABIN -- NIGHT BRANDI sits in on a chair her cabin, in dry wear. Her clothes from the night adventure lie in a heap in the cabin's corner. She gets up and takes the table in the center of her cabin and places it in against a wall. She turns and goes back to the center and sweeps the dust of the wooden floor. She digs with her nail into a crack between boards and pulls out a nylon thread about the thickness of a lower E guitar string. She wraps the end around her hand and pulls. A small trap door lifts up and Brandi then opens it fully, letting it drop by the top side on the boards. She pulls a blue box from a floor cavity. BRANDI Let's see what we've got here-Brandi breaks the seal enters a combination of numbers on the pad and lifts the top. There is another, inner compartment and on the top is a small instructions sheet. She reads it and then presses a button that is hidden under a rim of the outer case. A small digital display in the center of the inner case top lights up with a series of LCD numbers and letters that change for a couple of seconds. Then the display sets on two letters--I D. Brandi removes the sleeve from her left forearm and places the forearm parallel with the display. A green laser beam is now visible on her skin. It moves along a few centimeters and then back. Brandi does not have any bar code tattoo, but it seems there is another identification method deployed. The display shows P O S I D and there is a faint click coming from the inner case. Brandi opens the inner case and removes a seal from the inner compartment that holds a stack of vials, 10 each in 7 rows. The instruction display on the removed lid flashes I N S T. Brandi looks at the sheet she got earlier to consult for a step to activate instruction sequence. Something catches Brandi's attention before she returns to the box. She hears a rumble that sounds like a rolling thunder. BRANDI (CONT'D) What the h-She is jerked suddenly, the wall facing up slope is swept in an instant and she sees a wall of mud and stones heading for her. Brandi does not have any time to react, the mudslide envelopes her. FULL SHOT - SIERRAS, CREEK BELOW BRANDI'S CABIN -- DAWN The tongue of the mudslide reaches the creek in its middle. There is a hint of blue a few meters left of the center.

14. ZOOM AT: BLUE STREAK The blue box sides are covered with mud, except and occasional clear spot that stands out from the surroundings. The box is open and many vials are broken. PAN OVER: BOX TOP The sunrise makes the contrast between the box and mud colors clearer. The shadow covering the box gradually shrinks. Sun rays hit the box, refracting on the broken vial glass. The blue liquid starts to boil and evaporate. Eastern wind helps drying the content out of the vials and carries the mist with it, toward the western coast. INT. SIERRAS, NEAR BEAR CREEK, CONNORS' LOG HOUSE -- MORNING JOHN is still sitting in front of the wall. His head is tilted downward and his eyes closed. The mud on his pants dried up into a hardened shell. The sun rays entering through window reach John's face and John wakes up. John turns around, as if trying to ascertain he was just dreaming. But the bundle that he made last night is still on the table. He does everything automatically, not giving to a depression that cuts deep inside. He gets up and takes the bundle into the closet, then goes toward back, opens a small wooden box and pulls 4 fragmentation grenades and places them in a backpack hanging right behind the door. He then grabs his glock, a pump-action gun and ammo for both weapons and takes it all to the table in the living room. He goes back for a binocular, locks the closet door and returns to the table. The backpack is already half-stuffed with items one may need in the wilderness--a hiking rope and slings, folded field spade, and a medipack. John wraps the grenades in a towel and inserts them in the backpack over the top of the items inside and adds the ammo boxes. Then he slides the pump-action gun in front strip holders, puts the glock into his jacket pocket and hangs the binocular around his neck. John looks the room over, almost locks the front door from inside carport door, locking it too and removable plank on the carport's the front of the house and scans binocular. absent-mindedly. Then he and exits through the places the keys under a house wall. John goes to the clearing with his

EXT. SIERRAS, NEAR BEAR CREEK, CONNORS' LOG HOUSE -- MORNING JOHN walks past the spot where he nearly tripped over Lars last night. Lars is not there, just an indent in the mud that corresponds to Lars' body and tracks leading towards woods.

15. JOHN At least some good news for today. John returns to the location of explosion. He finds the lower part of Cameron, hopelessly mangled in grotesque heap and shards of her torso skeleton are strewn all over the place. JOHN (CONT'D) Nothing I can do here. You never know when a spare comes handy. He finds the cable leading him to the ravine. The tracks left in the mud of the ravine's bottom are easy to follow. JOHN (CONT'D) Almost too easy. John reaches the end of ravine and again, the tracks seem to be deep enough not to be washed away by the downpour last night. JOHN (CONT'D) Too easy. John follows the tracks and stops every now to check the surroundings with his binocular. He crosses the Co Route 107. The tracks look more fresh, as if made after the rain stopped, and John pays more attention to the surroundings.

END OF ACT TWO

16. ACT THREE EXT. SIERRAS, CREEK NEAR BRANDI'S CABIN -- DAY JOHN squats on the small hill facing the creek in front of him. He looks through his binocular and sees the tracks ending at the creek. On the other creek bank, the foot of a hill displays signs a recent mudslide. There is a large mudslide tongue, about 300 meters wide, reaching with its tip the creek waters. JOHN Where is she-John looks at the hill, checking carefully for signs of any presence, but there is nothing that would indicate it. He looks carefully again at the line of tracks and follows it to the other bank. The tracks on the other bank seems to end at the right side of the mudslide tongue. JOHN (CONT'D) A trap? Doesn't make a sense. John decides to go parallel to the creek, keeping his distance, in both directions, downstream and upstream about 1 kilometer in each direction. He checks the hill from both points, but there is nothing that would indicate that he is not alone. He returns to the original point near the tracks. JOHN (V.O.) Maybe the track continue beyond the hill. John again looks at the mudslide tongue and something catches his attention. A streak of blue amidst of browns, ochre and grays. He can't make it out from the distance. He then hesitantly follows the path of tracks towards the creek. John stops at the bank and then backs up a bit. Then he runs toward the creek again and jumps across the exposed 3 boulders. He almost slips when reaching the opposite bank. John climbs across the mudslide. The blue object is about 10 meters in the tongue, but his movement is difficult as he sinks ankles deep in some spots. John reaches the location and it is apparent that the object is a box. There are many broken, empty vials. John clears the mud around the box with his field spade and lifts it out of the mud, then he tilts it on its side to spill the shards of broken glass. He looks again and there are 4 vials that seem to be intact. John pulls them out, checking again the box content, but the rest of vials is decidedly broken. He puts the vials in his jacket's front pocket and turns back following his own tracks.

17. When clear, John follows the mud slide edge on the side of the box location and then turns back to go the other way. He almost turns to get back to his original position when he caught something by the corner of his eye. JOHN (V.O.) (CONT'D) Odd stone color-He follows the creek's bank 50 meters and looks down at the object nearly submerged in a still part of the creek. Threads reminiscent of human hair swept by the creek's mild current flow to one side. John takes off his backpack, then his jacket and lies down on the bank. He reaches into the creek and after stretching a bit, he wraps the threads around his two fingers and pulls. Then he sits and at the same time lifts the object and looks at its features. JOHN There is a god after all! John puts Brandi's head down, opens his backpack and pulls out a large plastic bag. Then he puts the head in it, closes the bag and after removing the grenades he drops it into the backpack. He places the grenades back in, closes the flap and heads toward the directions he came from. EXT. SIERRAS, NEAR BEAR CREEK, CONNORS' LOG HOUSE -- MORNING John stops his buggy and turns back toward the log house. He looks for 3 seconds, as if trying to etch the image into his memory. He then looks at his backpack, fastened to the seat beside him and pulls at the rope to make sure the backpack is secured. EXT. LOS ANGELES, OLD ZEIRA CORP. -- AFTERNOON John parked his buggy in the usual place. The compound is exactly as he remembers it, with more wear and tear. A group of five onlookers comes to greet him. OLD MAN John Connor! Long no see! What brings you here? JOHN I've heard Zeira has been rebuilt. Apparently, somewhere else. OLD MAN Yeah, I bet it was easier to build from a scratch than level this excavation here. And people still live here. Not many, but they do.

18. JOHN They still do? OLD MAN Sure. It takes a while to reclaim and renovate buildings and houses that were left over from war and are in a decent shape. Some people already fixed their houses, some still are working on it and live here for time being. JOHN How that works? OLD MAN One has to file a reclaim notice with the government after finding a suitable dwelling. Then an inspector will go out to check it out, whether it's safe and if you've got two live chickens, it is. JOHN I see. More the things change, more they stay the same. OLD MAN Yeah, something in that mold. Then you get the building permit and it's up to you to get the material and tools or a tradesman to help. Then another inspector comes when you're done and marks you off on his sheet. JOHN Just like that? OLD MAN No, this one likes booze. JOHN (laughs) The civilization is safe! OLD MAN Well, it's understandable. The inspectors are not paid much, the government does not have much money, so they are trying to get by as everyone else. Except Zeira. JOHN How come?

19. OLD MAN It's run well. But getting a job there... You've got to be special. High level skills. And they've got enough guards and low level staff already. JOHN Interesting. There must be other companies out there, no? OLD MAN They're, and more of them every day. But Zeira's above all. My baby brother works there. He was hired two moths ago and he says it's not comparable, not even close. JOHN How do I get there? OLD MAN Do you remember where the old Willowbrook Park was? That's the place. JOHN (nodding) Thanks! Wish I had something with me to offer for your help. OLD MAN That's... It's us that will be in debt to you until our last day. JOHN Skynet defeat wasn't an one-man show. OLD MAN True. But without yours truly, it would've been no-man show by now. JOHN I'll be in L.A. probably for a while, so I may come by. OLD MAN Yeah, please do. My wife makes a soup nobody can beat. JOHN You're on! Thanks again and bye!

20. John turns on the key and waves to people in response. On the way, he stops at a strip mall. One third of the long building is still bearing signs of the war, with parts of the beams sticking out, but the rubble is cleared. The rest hosts several small shops and one larger grocery store. John now felt hungry, having no food since that fateful night. JOHN (V.O.) I should've taken that man on his offer and get some soup. He parks his buggy, and puts the backpack on his back and enters the grocery store. The store seems to have the basic foods, but very little of processed or packaged items. Some canned food, but not in tin cans, it was in glass jars. John saw the price signs everywhere. JOHN (V.O.) (CONT'D) So money did not go out of fashion... John grabs a baguette, a jar that claims to be a beef soup, a small bag of oranges and a few pepperoni sticks at meat section. He then goes to checkout. When it is his turn, he pulls Cameron's glock from his pocket and puts it on the counter. The young cashier got suddenly very pale. JOHN I don't have any money. This is all I have. CASHIER I... sorry, we take only money and food stamps. John does not move, nor responds. Just looking at the cashier with an expression that seems to be saying "there must be something you can do, young man". CASHIER (CONT'D) I'll call the supervisor. Please wait. The cashier speaks rather quietly into the internal phone, John can only hear a few words. CASHIER (CONT'D) ...gun ... money ... over here? A man in his fifties approaches the register and looks at the cashier that POINTS to gun and then to John. The store supervisor looks at John and his expression changes into a wide smile.

21. MANAGER John Connor! Sir, it's a pleasure! I... Please take your gun back, this goes on my tab! The line of buyers behind John suddenly becomes alive with whispers. JOHN That's very kind, but-MANAGER Sir, I insist! Please come by any time. JOHN Thank you. And I will. John quickly grabs the paper bag that the manager hands to him. He starts to feel a bit uncomfortable with all the attention. He walks fast to his buggy, then puts the backpack on the passenger seat and secures it again, with the paper bag top tucked under the rope as well and heads off back on the freeway. There is already a large crowd in front of the store, watching him as he leaves. JOHN (CONT'D) (muttering under his breath) I guess I need to be more out for the novelty to wear itself out. EXT. ZEIRA CENTER, GATE -- EVENING John reaches the Zeira Center gated entrance. A security guard comes out of the small station at the entrance . ZEIRA GUARD You have to get around and get to the main... oh! Wait! You are John Connor, right? Just a moment-The guard heads back into his station and makes a quick call. He hangs up and returns outside. ZEIRA GUARD (CONT'D) Please follow the signs, to the building A and get into the B1 basement parking. Ms Weaver will be expecting you. Have a good day, sir! John gets to B1 parking and sees Catherine who is waiting for him.

22. CATHERINE John! What a nice surprise! Where is Cameron? JOHN (John's voice breaks showing stress) She is... with me. CATHERINE I don't-Catherine looks at John's face and realizes that something is not right. CATHERINE (CONT'D) John, what's wrong? John takes his backpack and the grocery bag. JOHN (apologetically) I am hungry. I'll explain. CATHERINE John, please follow me. My office may be a better place for a private talk. Catherine and John enter an elevator and get to the Catherine's office on the third floor. INT. ZEIRA CENTER, CATHERINE'S OFFICE -- EVENING John puts the groceries on a coffee table and opens the backpack and removes two plastic bags and a small bundle. He opens one box and pulls out a round object wrapped in a towel and unwraps Cameron's head. CATHERINE Oh my god! What happened? JOHN Catherine, first we need to find out how to fix her. CATHERINE Of course, I'll get Toshiro, give me a moment. Catherine calls Toshiro on the intercom. CATHERINE (CONT'D) Toshiro, can you please come to my office right away? Thanks!

23. John pulls the bundle with Brandi's head. Catherine looks puzzled. CATHERINE (CONT'D) What's that? JOHN Brandi Summerton. She blew up Cameron John unwraps the package. CATHERINE John, I am so sorry... I did let her go. It's my fault. JOHN No, you couldn't know that she would still be after us. You needed to make sure that we are alive, and able to get out, first. CATHERINE I'm not so sure, there was probably enough time to end the life of this miserable creature. JOHN Things were pretty fluid. CATHERINE You're right. My priority was to get you all out. JOHN We got too careless. John unwraps the small bundle and exposes four vials with blue liquid. JOHN (CONT'D) Lauren's working here? Catherine NODS. JOHN (CONT'D) I think this may be in her field. CATHERINE John, can you tell me what has happened, so I have a bit clearer idea what this all means? END OF ACT THREE

24. ACT FOUR INT. ZEIRA CENTER, CATHERINE'S OFFICE -- LATER JOHN and CATEHRINE sit at the coffee table. John drinks from a glass of water and Catherine looks like in deep thought. CATHERINE I'll send someone to search the area. I want to find the remains, so we can be sure. John, do you think this was purely an act of god? JOHN That's the best way to put it. See how the left side is pushed in? I think the body was held by the mud when a boulder rolling on the surface of the slide knocked off the head. TOSHIRO enters the room. He looks at Catherine and John and then notices two heads on the table in front of them. He stops in his tracks, and open his mouth, but no sound is coming out. JOHN (CONT'D) Hi Toshi! TOSHIRO What is going on? TOSHIRO (CONT'D) Hi John! Sorry, the display got me thinking I must be in a horror movie set. What happened? JOHN I'll explain later. We need to fix Cameron first. TOSHIRO But it's just her head. JOHN Yes, the most important part. Toshiro takes Cameron's head and looks at the area where it was hit. TOSHIRO John, that may take a while.

25. TOSHIRO (CONT'D) The area around the chip has an extensive damage. I don't want to do anything rush. This would be a very delicate job. JOHN How long... you think? TOSHIRO Give me a few days. I need to x-ray it from all angles to see how it looks inside and then figure out how to get the chip out. JOHN You're right. Take as much time as you think you need. TOSHIRO What about this? Toshiro point at Brandi's head. JOHN Toshi, meet Brandi Summerton. TOSHIRO I am certainly pleased I can meet her in this form! CATHERINE I need you to work on this together with Lauren. The matter inside is organic, but there must be some kind of interface. You both need to decide how to proceed. TOSHIRO The vials? CATHERINE Lauren needs to take a look at it. TOSHIRO Is she coming? CATHERINE Haven't called Lauren yet. You can take Summerton's head and vials to her. We meet tomorrow at ten a.m. TOSHIRO John, nice to see you again, just wish it was under different circumstances.

26. JOHN That's two of us. John places the heads in plastic bags and into his backpack and add the rewrapped bundle of vials. Then he hands the backpack to Toshi. TOSHIRO See you around, John! JOHN I'd say it is guaranteed! Toshiro grabs the backpack and exits the office. CATHERINE John, I can keep you a company. JOHN I need to find a place to crash, maybe the old Zeira. And need to eat something. John points to his grocery bag. JOHN (CONT'D) Haven't had a meal for a while. CATHERINE You have a place to stay already. Catherine goes to her desk and pulls out a plastic card and a small elongated object from a drawer. CATHERINE (CONT'D) This is a mag key to a room at Oasis. It's for now, we'll look for a better accommodation later. Turn left at the gate and go 3 kilometers. You can't miss it. There is a big neon sign "Oasis". JOHN Thanks! Your hotel? CATHERINE (NODS) Yes. For my employees that do not have a permanent accommodation and VIPs. This is also your bank card. You are now on a salary. It also connects to your pension account. There is probably a nice round sum already accumulated on it.

27. JOHN Wait! Salary? Pension? CATHERINE Salary, yes. I just hired you. I don't want to hear any objections! JOHN What is my job description? I mean... I have to do some work, right? CATHERINE Indeed. You are a research associate. And I am sure there would be more work for you than you can handle. JOHN All right. But the pension? What is that about? CATHERINE All veterans from the Skynet war have one. It is a small sum, the government is on a very tight budget, but it does cover essentials. JOHN I don't want it. CATHERINE John, take it up with Veteran Affairs Office. But I suggest you think it over, and not be rush. JOHN I don't see-CATHERINE As I said, it is a decent chunk of money by now. You can decide what to do with it. If you leave it in hands of the government, you can be almost sure it would get wasted. You can redirect the funds to any cause you like. JOHN You're right. I have something in mind already. There are people still living at the old Zeira. I may be able to help them.

28. CATHERINE John, this is your cell phone. Catherine places the phone on the table. JOHN Cell? How's that possible? CATHERINE We found one satellite still operational. It's nearly at the end of its life, the signal is weak, but we found a way to amplify. And Jason has been busy establishing nodes all over, and expanding the network. JOHN Haven't seen people using cell phones. CATHERINE For now, it's available to commercial subscribers. The pipe is too narrow to allow for a denser coverage. But Jason's network is horizontal rather than vertical, supported by local nodes. He thinks that within 5 years, the general public would be covered too. JOHN He's been busy! I had no idea that it's within him... Amazing! CATHERINE He's been thinking about what to do after war for years. I had quite a few discussions with him and he expressed an interest in networks, so this came as no surprise to me. JOHN I thought I had him pegged. CATHERINE Your focus was elsewhere. Back to your phone... Press pound plus one for a direct line to me. You can program the rest. Catherine hands to John a sheet of paper.

29. CATHERINE (CONT'D) These are the numbers of people working here. JOHN Allison? Jason? CATHERINE Allison's working with Toshi on some projects. And Jason, he works on our communications, too. JOHN There is not that many people on the list. I thought there is more people working here. CATHERINE Yes, about two hundred people work here, but only the managerial or research positions come with a cell. For now. JOHN A perk. CATHERINE No, a necessity. The hierarchy of the center is flatter than what was usual for a typical corporation. We have an internal phone system, but because the departments are not really isolated entities, the availability of cells proved to be beneficial. Some projects involve more than one department. JOHN How do you manufacture the phones? CATHERINE One of Moss' ventures. JOHN Heard quite a bit about him. CATHERINE He proved to be a fast learner. JOHN (laughs) Is still a bit surprising to me. <beat> The cell phone is quite a sophisticated device.

30. CATHERINE Yes. Moss' people discovered quite a few former Skynet facilities. Many of them needed only minor modifications to shift production to what is needed. It's not a mass type of production, but in due time, I'm sure that would change. JOHN In such a short time after the war, that's quite a progress. CATHERINE John, I'm so sorry! So glad to see you that I've forgotten you must be hungry. JOHN I've forgotten too. CATHERINE From the way you play with your grocery bag, it seems your body did not forget! JOHN (taking hands off the bag, laughs) You've got a point. CATHERINE You need your meal and a rest. Oasis has a snack bar and a small grocery store. Coffee and tea is on the company's tab. No toof though, I'm afraid! Let me show you the way. INT. ZEIRA CENTER, B1 PARKING -- NIGHT Catherine and John are standing beside his buggy. Catherine gives John a hug. John seems to be a bit surprised by that outpouring and that there was nearly nothing robotic about Catherine's posture. John takes off and Catherine stands still, watching John's buggy departure. CATHERINE It's my fault. I should have killed that bitch on the spot. I'd lose 10 seconds at most. What was I thinking? END OF ACT FOUR

31. ACT FIVE

INT. ZEIRA CENTER, C WING -- NIGHT CATHERINE walks toward TOSHIRO's office. Not surprisingly, the lights are on. She enters the office front room. Seeing no presence, Catherine goes to the door on the side and looks through the glass into Toshiro's lab. Toshiro has his back toward the door. In front of him is a large desk, covered with x-ray photos. Catherine sweeps her key and enters. CATHERINE Toshi, I knew I'll find you here. Maybe you should take it easy and go home. TOSHIRO Hey! I just wanted to do all the x-rays today, so I can concentrate on the extraction plan. CATHERINE What's the prognosis so far? TOSHIRO Really hard to tell. The whole area is severely damaged, and the chip seems to have a fracture. But I won't know the extent until I extract it. CATHERINE Let's hope that the chip is not too damaged. TOSHIRO Did you tell John? CATHERINE No. I'd have told him if he asked, but it seemed to me that be like rubbing salt into his wound. I think we need to wait for your analysis and then decide what we do. TOSHIRO (NODS) Right.

32. CATHERINE Toshi, don't forget, we've a meeting tomorrow at ten in the morning. TOSHIRO Just about done for tonight. Have you checked with Lauren? CATHERINE She's gone already. Summerton is not a priority. She did some preliminary tests on the vials, but nothing yet. TOSHIRO OK, I'll wrap it up here. See you in the morning. INT. ZEIRA OASIS FOYER -- NIGHT TONYA (K, apparent age 30s) is sitting in reception, reading a book. John enters and Tonya lifts her head, almost automatically. A smile appears on her face. TONYA John! Here you are! JOHN Hi Tonya, long no see! TONYA Catherine called me that you are arriving but that was almost three hours ago. She called already 3 times! We've been worried-JOHN Had to see some friends at the old Zeira. Just tell Catherine if she calls again that I am soundly asleep, which I'll be in a few minutes. TONYA Will do. I've made a chicken pie for you, give me a sec, I'll pull it out or the oven. JOHN Already had a dinner, but it may be a nice breakfast meal. I'll claim it in the morning, okay? TONYA Have a good night!

33. JOHN You too. John climbs the stairs already. Tonya dials Catherine's numbers when John disappears on the staircase's turn. INT. ZEIRA OASIS, JOHN'S ROOM -- NIGHT John is in bed and stares into the ceiling. Then he turns the bedside lamp off. ZOOM AT: The clock on the bedside drawer shows 1:17 in red LED lights. EXT. STREET FULL OF PEOPLE -- DAY John walks on a sidewalk, trying to weave his way through the crowd. CAMERON (O.S.) John! John stops and tries to pinpoint the direction. CAMERON (O.S.) (CONT'D) John! John crosses the street and there are no people on the sidewalk. CAMERON (O.S.) (CONT'D) John! The sound comes out of a shop with a sign "Toshiro's Sushi & Chips Repairs". John enters. There is no one behind the counter. CAMERON (O.S.) (CONT'D) JOHN! The sound comes from the back of the shop. John lifts the counter side to pass through. He sees Toshiro with a huge drill. Cameron sits in a chair. Toshiro lowers the drill toward the Cameron's head and turns the drill on. It makes a deep sound. Sparkles are coming from the exposed chip area. Toshiro lifts the drill, changing its angle. John rushes toward the chair. JOHN NO! CAMERON John, it's okay. I'll be okay.

34. INT. ZEIRA OASIS, JOHN'S ROOM -- MORNING The clock on the bedside drawer shows 10:34. John looks at the clock and for a moment seems to be disoriented. The cell phone is vibrating on the top of the drawer. John picks it up. JOHN Yes? CATHERINE John, good morning! How do you feel? JOHN I don't know... Just woke up. CATHERINE John, you have to stay in your room. JOHN Why? What's up? CATHERINE Quarantine. We don't know yet what's going on, but everyone's sick. JOHN Everyone? People, K's-CATHERINE No, just people. JOHN How would I-CATHERINE Tonya would be bringing food. Although, that particular item does not seem to be on people's minds. JOHN What do you mean? CATHERINE Everyone's throwing up. I started getting calls 2 hours ago and the phone did not stop since. JOHN I don't feel sick.

35. CATHERINE Glad to hear that. Please stay in your room in any case. I have to go... will call you back in a few hours. JOHN OK, no worries. If there's any way I can help-CATHERINE I'll let you know. Dial pound three six if you need Tonya. JOHN Thanks! Talk to you later. CATHERINE Later. John puts the phone down and gets out of bed. He stretches his arms and does a couple of situps. JOHN Nothing. Sore muscles. John dials Tonya's number. JOHN (CONT'D) Hi Tonya! I think I'd claim that pie. TONYA Good morning, John! Are you sure? Nobody seems to want to eat today. JOHN I want to try. I don't feel sick. TONYA All right. I'll be there in fifteen minutes. Have to put the pie in the oven and waiting for help to arrive in a few minutes. Catherine is sending two K staffers... a good thing, it's crazy here, non-stop since morning. JOHN Any ideas what it is? Flu? TONYA No idea. But it's like flu. JOHN Damn!

36. TONYA What? Something's wrong? JOHN No. I think I have an idea where it's coming from. I think I'll call Catherine right away. TONYA She's very busy at the moment. Better wait for her to call you, you may not get through. I tried for an hour earlier, until I got a call from her. JOHN Right. Well, see you in a bit. INT. ZEIRA CENTER, B WING -- DAY CATHERINE walks through the hallway, she switches off her phone and turns toward Lauren's lab. She sweeps the mag key and enters. She sees Lauren sitting behind a desk, peering into a microscope monitor. Beside her is a bucket. CATHERINE Lauren! What are you doing here? You've called in sick 2 hours ago. You look very pale. LAUREN Someone has to be here and do the job. Besides, I have a bucket handy. Lauren POINTS to the bucket beside her. CATHERINE I understand, but I think it's not a good idea to push it. I could do the analysis myself and I can assign someone from my K staff. LAUREN It doesn't make much difference for me to be at home or here. But if you can arrange it, a cot may be a good idea. CATHERINE Very well, I'll get you a cot as soon as I can. Any preliminaries? LAUREN Not much, yet.

37. LAUREN (CONT'D) A virus--that is certain. Very virulent. Haven't seen anything like it before. Wait-CATHERINE What? LAUREN Not sure. It seems somewhat familiar, but to what is eluding me. I think I need a rest. My eyes are playing tricks on me. CATHERINE You may have to use chairs put together for now. I'll get you the cot or a couch quick, an hour or so. LAUREN Thanks! One more favor... Can you arrange a connection with main library and tell them to feed all the info on viruses, anything they get their hands on? CATHERINE Nobody's working-LAUREN Right! I forget that everyone seems to be ill. CATHERINE I'll send Ks as soon as some are free to get that set up. First, the cot. Get your rest, I'll be back when we get your furniture. INT. ZEIRA OASIS, JOHN'S ROOM -- DAY TONYA enters the room, with pie on a plate. John sits by the window at a table and making some notes on an Oasis pad. TONYA Hi John! Your pie! JOHN Great! I think I am hungry. TONYA I have a break for fifteen minutes. I can keep you a company while you eat.

38. JOHN (laughing) I think you want to make sure that I don't barf the pie up! TONYA Well, that too. But I really need to sit down for a while. It's been crazy. John gestures toward one of the two chairs. Tonya puts the plate in front of John and sits down. TONYA (CONT'D) John, you look quite... good. JOHN How so? TONYA Everyone else is very pale... almost like a sheet of paper. JOHN Really? I don't look pale? TONYA (shaking head NO) No. Not like others. John braves a bite into the pie. Suddenly, he gets up and his abdomen seems to contact in spasms, three times. TONYA (CONT'D) That's what I've seen. John waits for a few seconds and takes another bite. This time it does not cause the reaction. TONYA (CONT'D) That's different! How do you feel? JOHN A bit of discomfort. But it is not that bad. Like too much acid. TONYA That's a good sign. Probably. I hope it doesn't mean you're at the initial stage of infection. JOHN Hope so too. END OF ACT FIVE

39. ACT SIX INT. ZEIRA OASIS, JOHN'S ROOM -- DAY JOHN picks up a buzzing phone. JOHN Yes? CATHERINE John! How are you? JOHN Not bad. Had a pie a while ago. CATHERINE That's good to hear! JOHN Catherine, I think that I am the carrier. CATHERINE Thought at first you may be, but that is highly unlikely. JOHN Why? CATHERINE We mapped the spread. Lauren-JOHN Lauren is working? She's not sick? CATHERINE She is very sick. But she came in, insisting she'd work. I'd send her home, but she found a way around it! Very stubborn. JOHN OK, so why it's not me? CATHERINE From the rate of replication, Lauren estimates that the virus had to be present before the time of your arrival. Two days. Also, the first cases appeared at the western part of Sierras and then it spread to L.A. We are receiving calls from other locations that are connected through air traffic.

40. JOHN The broken vials. CATHERINE Yes. Lauren matched the content of those you brought in with the samples, hers and what she got from other people. JOHN Air traffic? CATHERINE There are regular bi-weekly flights to Asia and Australia. Unfortunately, they left yesterday. JOHN Not good. Any fatalities? CATHERINE We don't know yet. I am coordinating with Savannah. We'd have a field hospitals up in several locations by tomorrow. If the illness does not abate soon, we need to setup IV feeds. <beat> John, any reaction when you did eat? JOHN Yes. At first, I thought I'd throw up. But then it just faded away. Just a feeling like too much acid. CATHERINE Hope Lauren can make a sense of it. JOHN My quarantine? CATHERINE John, let's stick to it for a few days. Until we know more. JOHN Right. Makes sense. I'll ask Tonya to bring in some books, so I don't expire from boredom. CATHERINE I'll patch a feed to your phone--the results as they are coming in and Lauren's briefs.

41. JOHN Good idea. I hope I can help in some way. CATHERINE It would have a connection to library feed by tomorrow, so I'll ask my staff to provide a book selection list as well. The main feed would have a viruses atlas. JOHN Good, the atlas that is. The books can wait. John SIGHS. CATHERINE John, what is it? JOHN I wonder what else is out there. CATHERINE Yes. That's been on my mind for some time. I gotta go, will call when the feed is available. JOHN Thanks! Later. CATHERINE Later. INT. ZEIRA CENTER, C WING, TOSHIRO'S LAB -- FIVE DAYS LATER TOSHIRO is siting behind his desk. LAUREN is standing next to him and they are looking at a monitor. Toshiro is pointing at a list of amino acid bases. TOSHIRO See this here? That's what is called a "hook" in cyberspeak. Now, I'll switch to a graph view so you can see the whole thing and how it fits. The graphical codon representation starts scrolling on the screen. This goes on for 30 seconds. LAUREN Wow! TOSHIRO That's exactly what I said, an hour ago.

42. LAUREN But what that means? TOSHIRO Not entirely there yet. But let me show you-Toshiro switches to another output representation. TOSHIRO (CONT'D) What do you see? LAUREN Just zeros and ones. TOSHIRO AND? LAUREN NO! TOSHIRO Yes! Afraid that's what this is. LAUREN We better call Catherine right away. Lauren pulls her cell from her coat's pocket and dials. LAUREN (CONT'D) Catherine, you better come down here. LAUREN (CONT'D) No. Toshi's lab. LAUREN (CONT'D) Yes, right away. You must see this! INT. ZEIRA CENTER, C WING, TOSHIRO'S LAB -- LATER CATEHRINE comes in the lab. Toshiro and Lauren turn their heads. CATHERINE What you have? LAUREN Toshi, show what you showed to me. Catherine takes a position beside Toshiro. TOSHIRO This here is a connection, a hook.

43. CATHERINE Yes, I see that, please continue the sequence. Toshiro runs the modes without any further comment. When the last screen appears, Lauren looks at Catherine, and she would swear that Catherine suddenly became pale, if that's possible. CATHERINE (CONT'D) Decoding? TOSHIRO Not yet. Catherine looks like thinking. CATHERINE Wait! Can I? Toshiro gets up and Catherine takes a seat in his place. She types in "S P A T C H 204". A password prompt appears. She keys in a password. CATHERINE (CONT'D) Toshi, please compare the file I pulled in with your code. TOSHIRO A sec. Toshiro types in some code and a split screen appears. The file on the left is Catherine's, the file on the right is Toshiro's. Both files start to scroll, highlighting matches. They run identical. Then Toshiro's file stops and Catherine's file continues. TOSHIRO (CONT'D) What is it? CATHERINE It is a Skynet core code. TOSHIRO WHAT?? CATHERINE Your file's a part of it. Not a complete sequence. Toshiro and Lauren look at each other. CATHERINE (CONT'D) This is not a good news.

44. CATHERINE (CONT'D) Toshi, please overlay and send to me. Where are we with Cameron? TOSHIRO Later today. Almost finished with extraction. Not sure how much time I need to spend on assessing functionality. CATHERINE Keep me posted. Lauren, please come with me. INT. ZEIRA CENTER, CATHERINE'S OFFICE -- LATER CATHERINE and LAUREN sit at a conference table. CATHERINE What areas specifically? LAUREN Bone marrow and reproductive organs. CATHERINE The news gets better and better. LAUREN I'm sorry. CATHERINE Not yours or anyone's fault. Any ideas yet about different age groups and how it affects them? LAUREN Not yet. The samples are coming, but we need probably another week before we have 80 percent in. CATHERINE We have to get an exact picture what we are dealing with, as soon as possible. Even partial interim assessment would help. LAUREN OK, I'll update the results frequently. CATHERINE I have to tell Toshi, too. The code and its origin is a restricted information.

45. INT. ZEIRA CENTER, LAUREN'S LAB -- TWO DAYS LATER JOHN stands near Lauren's desk, reading a book. Lauren feeds John's genetic markers sheet into a scanner and then runs a comparison routine. She suddenly looks at John. John notices by the corner of his eye. LAUREN John, I have to see Catherine. Can you wait here, I'll be back soon... fifteen, twenty minutes? JOHN Something's wrong. LAUREN No. I just forgotten... a meeting. JOHN Sure. Lauren leaves the lab in a hurry. John goes over to Lauren's desk and looks at the monitor. Then he goes back to his previous spot and returns to reading the book. INT. ZEIRA CENTER, CATHERINE'S OFFICE -- LATER LAUREN and CATHERINE sit at a conference table beside each other. Lauren seems a bit out of her usual composure. LAUREN Allison has a gene that gives her descendants fifty-fifty chances to be free of it. CATHERINE Yes, I understood that from your yesterday's report. LAUREN John has two of them. CATHERINE What... You mean-LAUREN He is not infected at all! Catherine turns to Lauren with a big smile. CATHERINE That explains EVERYTHING! END OF ACT SIX