Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Grace woke up in an unfamiliar room. She was instantly bombarded by smells she could not identify. The room was uncommonly warm, and the entire front of her shirt and jeans were soaking wet. She took a moment to bring her augments online. She was pretty sure she had crashed. Her first question was why was she alive right now? She hadn’t had time to fix up a med cocktail before collapsing on the floor of the pharmacy. That was the last thing she remembered. She tried to recall the details after the time jump. She remembered hitting her head on something hard and the sensation of falling a long way. She remembered some soldiers? Wait, no, police officers, trying to take her into custody. She remembered taking that kid’s clothes and driving the vehicle. She remembered the car factory and the Rev-9 with Ruiz’s face. She remembered the freeway. Dani. Holy shit, Grace thought. She had found Dani in all of that chaos.

Grace heard the slide of the pistol being pulled back. She opened her eyes to see an older woman with shortish gray hair standing over her, pointing the gun at her.

“Talk. Talk fast.”

Grace didn’t have time for this. Whatever medications she’d been given recently seemed to be working. She sat up and had the woman disarmed and pinned to the wall in seconds. The knock on the door distracted her. She could hear Dani’s voice outside. This bitch had left Dani locked out of the room with a fucking terminator hunting them. Grace pulled back from the older woman and backed up to the door, holding the gun on her the whole time.

She opened the door to see Dani standing there, holding vending machine goodies. She had potato chips and bottled water. The room began to swim a little, as Grace tried to shake off the grogginess of her crash.

“...mommies and daddies need to have grown-up discussions.” The older woman said.

Grace could have killed her on sight for saying such a stupid thing to the Commander of the Resistance. Grace instantly disliked this woman. But as it turned out, Sarah Connor had ties to the whole terminator/time travel problems as well. She wasn’t entirely forthcoming with all her knowledge, like how she knew inherently that they’d be on the freeway. Grace didn’t have time to be pleasant and ask nicely. This was a matter of life and death, for Dani, until Grace was able to stop the machine that was hunting her. While listening to Connor talk, Grace realized she was in a terrible motel room, probably somewhere in Mexico City. The room smelled like some type of cleaner, mold, and sweat. Grace could feel the young woman standing just behind her. Dani. She couldn’t bring herself to look right at her. She hadn’t had time to process everything. And she didn’t have time to do it now either.

Sarah Connor tried to explain that neither of them would make it more than a day without her help. Grace relented, despite her protestations of being Dani’s sole protector, and the trio got back on the road. Grace had issued a warning to Sarah to stay out of her way. The older woman did not seem the least bit fazed by her threat. Grace knew that they would be battling each other the whole way, however long their fates were intertwined.

Sarah convinced Grace to tell her what she knew about the terminator that was chasing them. Dani managed to sooth Sarah long enough to get her to tell them about her foreknowledge of them being on the bridge. She spilled the details about the anonymous texts. Grace accessed the information on Sarah’s phone by cracking the back on the dashboard and pressing her thumb to the hardware inside. She called it “future shit” when Sarah asked what she was doing. The lines of code came up on the boot screen, showing Grace exactly what she needed. She had remembered the coordinates before Dani had ever tattooed them on her skin. But Dani had insisted, as if Grace couldn’t remember shit.

After all was said and done, and the coordinates were applied to a real-life location, the trio decided to get there. They’d have to cross the border. In 2022, illegal immigration had become extremely dangerous. Anyone caught by border patrol was often detained for indefinite periods of time. Sometimes, people were shot right at the border. Grace could not risk any of this with Dani’s life in her hands. She could care less about Sarah Connor. The old woman seemed like she could handle herself anyway.

To get off the grid, as Sarah kept saying, Dani led them to a known, unofficial, train depot outside of the city. The place was crawling with people, which made Grace seriously nervous. The cargo train wasn’t built for passengers. Most of them were just commuting back and forth to work. Hundreds of passengers crawled up on top of the cargo segments, just hitching a ride home. The conductor had been paid off to make stops like these, to help the less fortunate, refugees, and fugitives get where they need to go. Dani purchased some food from some seemingly decent vendors, thanked them in Spanish, and ordered the women to board the train. Grace silently loved the commanding tone of the young brunette. She hefted her duffel back full of weapons up to a man willing to help, and she helped Dani get up on board the already moving train.

Dani was curious about the future. Grace was hesitant to give her too many details. She was as vague as she could be, while simultaneously telling Dani about her father’s death. She tried to relay the story in a way that helped Dani reconcile the loss of her own father earlier in the day. She also wanted to let both women know she was, in fact, human. Grace felt the heat of Dani’s hand on her leg as she relayed the story. Grace tried to shake it off. Of course, Sarah had some things to say about Dani’s role in the future. She just projected her own experience onto Dani, and Grace wanted to bash Sarah’s head in. Grace’s conflicting feelings for Dani now and the one she left behind were almost too much for the augment to deal with. When Sarah started running her mouth, Grace had had enough. She just got up and walked away. She stepped carefully between bodies sleeping in prone positions, just to get away from Sarah. And Dani. The reality of what had happened was starting to set in. Plus, from a standing position on the next box car, Grace could scan the dark landscape, making sure they weren’t being followed.

Grace folded her arms across her chest. She was grateful for the jean jacket Sarah had let her borrow. The chill in the air wasn’t the problem. It was how exposed and naked Grace felt right then. She recalled the last thing Dani had said to her before she stepped onto the TD platform. “I will never forget you.” The last person to touch Grace before she left wasn’t even Dani. It was a light touch on her arm from Stacy Lewis, the augment surgery tech who maybe loved Grace also. Grace shut her eyes, listening to the rumble of the train wheels connect with the miles of steel track beneath her feet. She let the sound reverberate up her legs and into her chest. She stifled the urge to cry. By this time of the evening, she and Dani would be home, getting ready for bed. A soft hand gripped her elbow. She turned to see young Dani standing beside her. Grace allowed herself a moment to finally look at the girl. She looked like Dani. She sounded like Dani. She even smelled like Dani, underneath the perfume and shampoo. Grace had learned Dani’s scent, the mixture of sweat and body oil, her musk. Everything was the same, except this wasn’t HER Dani. Or was it? Grace couldn’t know. She didn’t understand the complexities of time travel. She looked away, staring at something in the distance.

“Sit, Grace. Please. You need to rest.”

“I’m ok, thanks. I don’t really need sleep.” A lie. Grace was desperate to lay down and forget everything. Dani stepped up right beside her, so close Grace felt the wave of heat against her hip.

“Look, I don’t know what you’ve been through, or how you got here. After what I saw today, though, I’m glad you’re here. I saw you fight that fucking thing. I know it took everything you had to do it, and I’m grateful. But you need to rest. Those medications and some rice and beans will not keep you going by themselves.” Dani whispered, her tone hushed so no one else would hear.

Grace glanced down at her. Dani was watching the horizon, looking for whatever Grace was searching for. Grace said nothing in reply.

“Is it out there? Do you see it?” Dani asked. She looked up at the blonde warrior, waiting for any way in. Grace shook her head and looked down at her boots. They weren’t even her boots. She liked these though. The brown leather was soft and comfortable, with a steel toe. She’d do anything to distract herself from the woman standing beside her. She was starting to miss Dani terribly. She tried so hard to keep the reality of knowing she’d never see her again at bay. And yet, Dani was right there. That would be Grace’s undoing, to let that fact take up space in her mind.

“Sit with me.” Young Dani had that same commanding tone. Grace could do little to resist it. She felt the brunette’s hand on her arm, pulling her down as she sat. Grace sat too, letting her long legs dangle over the edge of the car. Dani sighed heavily, feeling the same losses that Grace was. At least they had that much in common. Grace felt the girl lean against her, seeking warmth and comfort. She was sitting on Grace’s left side, which in the future (now her past) was always Dani’s side. Grace closed her eyes tightly, bit her lip, and forced back the bile of the memory. Her mind began to run away to someplace that no longer existed for her. Instinctively, Grace brought her left arm up, allowing Dani to lean in closer and get some body heat. She didn’t wrap her arm around the young woman, even though she really wanted to. She just let it fall, limp behind the girl. Grace soon felt the rhythm of Dani’s breathing begin to settle into more even breaths. Dani grew heavier against Grace’s body, and began to slip backward. Grace reached out and caught her gently, preventing the girl from tipping over. Grace shook her head, not fully knowing if she was doing the right thing or not. She slowly laid Dani back onto the roof of the train car, keeping her arm under the brunette’s head. She might not have a blanket, but at least she’d have a pillow. Grace laid beside her, allowing herself and the girl to rest for a bit. Grace let the sound of the train rock her to sleep.

She was caught in some crazy dream again, where the Revs were hunting her. This dream was different. Grace wasn’t being stabbed or forced to kill her partner or watch her brother being led away by a strange skinner. She was just running away. She could hear the mechanical screams of the machines in the distance. Grace felt a hand on her shoulder, shaking her awake. She brought herself around quickly, opened her eyes, and could still hear the scream. Her HUD detected Dani sitting next to her, touching her. Grace bolted upright, and threw her arms around Dani, protectively cradling her from the machines. As her consciousness began to clear, she realized that the scream was the sound of metal brakes slowing the train down. Grace suddenly realized she had her front pressed against Dani’s back, and her arms were wrapped, rather knowingly around her. Dani twisted in her arms, looking up at Grace. “It’s ok. We’re here. Let’s go.”

Grace immediately dropped her arms away and pulled herself to her feet. She felt the flush of embarrassment creep over her face. It was daylight now, and they still had to get to Dani’s uncle’s place which was still 30 miles away. Sarah stood in the spot where they had originally planted themselves the night before. “Are you going to help me carry all this shit?” She shot Grace a dirty look. “Or are you too busy playing knight in shining armor?” Grace just wanted to punch her off the top of the train. She silently lifted the heavy bag of weapons onto her shoulder and made her way down.

Several old pick-up trucks and cars were lined up at the makeshift depot. People here would buy rides across the border. For just a few pesos, a person could almost get anywhere. Sarah paid a driver handsomely to take them to Dani’s uncle. Everyone on this side of the border knew him and how to get to his place. The driver told them to hop in the back and he’d have them there shortly.

The ride wasn’t unpleasant to Grace. It gave her time to look around. Not only was she on constant guard duty, watching for the Rev and other authorities that might want to stop them; Grace was looking at how beautiful the world was before the war. Nothing was burned out yet. The air was warm and smelled so clean. In the future, everything was covered in ash and smelled like death. Grace got used to it after a while, but this world was stunning. Even in the desert, among the snakes and cacti, there was beauty. There were trees full of leaves and bushes dotting the landscape. She could hear birds chirping, and bugs vibrating out their mating calls. As she sat against the tailgate, she watched Dani’s head droop and roll from side to side. She reached out and put a hand on the girl’s shoulder, pulling her down into her lap. This was mostly for safety for Dani. Having your head exposed while being hunted by a terminator was a good way to get killed. Dani looked up at her as she laid down, silently asking permission to lay her head in Grace’s lap. Grace nodded, bending her knee in toward herself to give Dani more cushion. As the girl slept, Grace regarded her. She was so beautiful. She looked, not like the Commander of the Resistance, but more like Grace’s partner in this moment. Her face was relaxed. In the future, Grace had memorized every feature of her sleeping lover. Though younger by half, this woman in her lap reminded her exactly of who she left behind. At first, she warned herself against it, but Grace could not help herself. She reached up and touched Dani’s shoulder, letting her hand linger there. She glanced up, catching Sarah watching her. She pulled her hand away quickly, but it was too late. The look in Sarah’s eyes spoke of familiarity with a similar situation. Sarah understood right then that Grace knew Dani in the future, and that knowing was deep. Sarah said nothing, looking away, caught in her own memory.

Dani explained everything, honestly, to her uncle. Whether he believed her or not was another matter. He’d heard some crazy things before, but being a coyote, that just came with the territory. Someone was always being chased. He offered the women food and shelter for the night. Dani humbly accepted. He had one room, a bed and a cot, to offer them. After they ate plates of tortillas and rice, Sarah retired to the room immediately. She mumbled something about needing a good, stiff drink. Dani’s uncle offered her one after she had a chance to settle in. Dani led Grace down the hall to the shared room. There was a full-size bed and a single cot. The room was bare otherwise. Sarah had claimed the cot. She said she refused to sleep with anyone. Grace felt the immediate anxiety of being close to Dani again. It was a cross of excitement and a deep-seated betrayal to the memory of her partner.

Grace dropped the duffel bag on the floor and started exploring the rest of the house, searching for weak spots and threats. Once she was satisfied that the perimeter was safe, she went back to the room. Her belly was full, but she needed medications to stabilize herself for the night. She sat on the edge of the bed, acutely aware that Dani was watching her. She unbuttoned her jeans and slid them down just a little, exposing the big scar on her back where a Rev-7 ran her through. She heard Dani gasp quietly, “Dios.” The scar there had ultimately led to Grace’s augmentation. It marked where her spine had been severed. She no longer felt it. Grace injected the cocktail into the fattest part of her. She did it quickly. As she buttoned up her jeans, she looked around the room. This was it. A bed and Dani.

“Umm... I can sleep on the floor if you’d rather have the bed to yourself,” Grace offered, looking out the window. The sun was starting to set, casting shades of pink and orange across the sky. The shadows grew longer.

“Don’t be silly, Grace. We’re both adults.” Dani stood at her side then, standing a little closer than was comfortable for Grace. Every bit of closeness with Dani felt like she was turning her back on her future partner. But what if this WAS her future partner? Grace Harper could not wrap her mind around any of this. She had to stay focused on the mission.

Dani slipped her shoes off and laid down. She grumbled something about wanting clean clothes. Grace looked down at herself, noticing how dirty the white tank top was. She probably didn’t smell that great either. Fighting Rev-s tended to make augments sweat quite a bit. And that scent was not natural. It was a combination of human sweat and leeched augment fluid. Grace probably smelled like a car engine right now.

“Grace, come here.” Again, that commanding tone that Grace could not deny. She could, and sort of really wanted to resist, but she figured if she didn’t listen to Dani now, the Commander’s entire persona was at stake. Dani needed to believe she could lead, even if that meant that Grace did everything she told her to.

Grace moved to sit next to Dani. “You’ve got shit in your hair, Grace.” Dani started to pick out black specks. She held one up to show Grace. It looked like a chunk of asphalt. She probably picked it all up when she rolled out of the truck on the highway the day before. Dani knelt behind her, grooming her. She felt the brunette stop, settling behind Grace on her knees. Grace stared out the window, still trying to separate herself from this Dani. She felt a light sensation on her neck, against the augmentation scar running down over her shoulder. Dani was touching it. Grace shivered from the sensation, more than from the knowledge that Dani was touching her. “What is this?” Dani whispered, slowly running her finger across the skin of Grace’s neck. Grace leaned her head to the side, allowing Dani access.

“It’s from my augmentation.”

“Can you explain that to me?” Dani asked this gently, not wanting to pry, but she’d never seen anything like Grace before. She continued to trail her finger down, over Grace’s shoulder where the scars intersected right above a bicep.

“I was badly injured in a fight against some machines. I would have never walked again. My commander was hurt too. I was trying to save...” Grace didn’t know how to say it without using her name or gender. “The process was brutal. They basically had to carve me open and replace a lot of stuff. But it made me stronger and faster, and better in a lot of ways.”

“What did it cost you?” Dani let her fingers rest on Grace’s arm, not moving, just holding.

“A lot.” Grace didn’t want to give Dani too much information yet wanted to tell her everything. “They replaced my arms, my hands, both legs, and my spine. There’s a lot of wiring inside, a core processor that tells it all how to work with my body.”

“Does it hurt?”

“Yes.” Grace could not lie. She really wished she had procured some high-grade painkillers at the pharmacy. The mesh was grinding under her skin again.

Grace felt Dani’s fingers drop away, suddenly replaced by a splayed hand just over the top of her tank top. “Why are you always so warm?” Dani seemed genuinely interested, if not a little concerned. Grace was touched by her humanity. She felt the flush of something between kindness and desire build inside of her.

“That’s my power source. It’s radioactive. It has to be powerful enough to run all the hardware and my biologics together. It makes me run hotter than a normal person.” Grace shifted her position, wanting to lay down.

“Grace, you seem sad. Did you want to come here?” Dani certainly had a way with words, even in this time. Grace looked down at her feet, realizing she wasn’t wearing socks. Her toenails needed clipped. She curled her toes under, trying not to notice them.

“There was no other choice for us. I had to come.” Us. What did that mean? Grace knew that if she wasn’t careful, she would end up telling this Dani everything.

“For humans?”

Grace took the cover and nodded. It wasn’t a lie. The last thing she wanted to do was lie to Dani, even if it was a lie of omission.

“You must have had friends, family.”

Grace nodded again, afraid to say anything more.

“Were people scared of you this way?”

“No. It was becoming a regular thing for soldiers to do. The process saved a lot of lives, both injured soldiers and civilians. We could fight the machines much better with augments. In the future, no one really cares what you look like or where you’re from. People are people. And yes, I had a family.” Grace remembered her brother, her mother, her father. She remembered Dane and Stacy Lewis. Her Rangers. Dani. The swell of emotion rose up so fast, Grace didn’t have a chance to swallow it back. She was tired and let it all happen. A quiet sob escaped her throat. Tears welled in her eyes and fell. She wiped her face quickly, trying to recover.

“Grace,” the whisper was too familiar. Suddenly, two hands on her shoulders were pulling her down onto the bed. Dani laid down against her, on the left side, holding her against her own small body. Grace closed her eyes, remembering what Dani in the future had told her. “There will be a night.” Was this the night? Gods, if Grace wasn’t conflicted. She didn’t want anything but to be home, in Anaheim, telling her partner about this crazy dream she’d had about time travel. Grace hoped someone would shake her awake right now.

Grace wrapped her arm around Dani’s shoulder, keeping her close. No matter who this woman was or would be, they were both here now. Dani had lost everything the day before and been bounced into this singular, chaotic event which she had no control over. Grace understood that craziness intimately. She offered the young woman comfort as best she could. What she really wanted was that frontal skin contact. She needed her Dani to ground her. Grace felt like she was just floating away, further and further through time.

The bedroom door swung open, and Sarah Connor stepped in. Grace wanted to jump up and face her down, but the weight of Daniella Ramos kept her where she was. All Grace could do was stare at the older woman as she removed her bullet proof vest and sunglasses. She had a half a bottle of tequila in one hand. “Want a drink?” She held the bottle out to the women but neither accepted the offer. “Suit yourselves.” Sarah took a long swig from the bottle and sat down on the cot. “We’re moving first thing in the morning. Your uncle has it all planned.”

“Ok. Thank you, Sarah.” Dani said in a low voice. Grace remained silent and closed her eyes. She felt Dani’s hand rest on her stomach. Her abs quivered under the touch, and Grace knew Dani could feel it. The brunette drew her hand back, but Grace reached out and caught her wrist, replacing the brunette’s hand on her belly. Grace needed the contact as much as Dani did.

She didn’t sleep for more than an hour. Mostly, Grace laid awake listening to Sarah talk in her sleep. The woman had a thing with some man named Kyle, near as Grace could figure. Whatever Sarah was dreaming about, the man’s name escaped her lips every third mumble. Grace let Dani roll away from her sometime in the middle of the night. She sat up and stood by the window, looking out for threats. The machine had Ruiz’s face. How could Legion do that to her? The one person she trusted in the future, other than Commander Ramos, was Amador Ruiz. And now she’d had to fight him and try not to let him kill them all. She tried to remind herself it was just a machine mimicking her friend. It just reminded her of everything she’d left behind. Grace half-wished she was a machine herself right now, cold and unfeeling. She willed her augmentation to the highest setting, but it was no use. Grace Harper was human, with human emotions and memories.

Chapter Text

The border crossing was not entirely a failure. The trio had made it into the United States of America. They were also detained, locked in cages. After Grace’s most recent crash, she was handcuffed to a gurney in a small infirmary, while border agents looked over her x-rays. She’d managed to break free of the handcuffs before seizing. She came around quickly enough to take down the men coming at her. All she could think of was how to find Dani. The female border agent sat behind a computer, trying to look invisible. Grace’s classic head-smash approach to asking questions had frightened the woman into telling her everything about where new detainees were held. As Grace stole another man’s clothing, she looked at the computer screen showing her x-rays. There was something different about it. She had seen the plans for her augmentation many times before. Dani had kept the mock-up in her office, in case Grace ever got curious about what the surgeons actually did. This photograph she was staring at now was different. There was something else inside of her. She couldn’t be one hundred percent certain, but it looked like a second thorium reactor. It was seated, right next to the primary power source, bolted to her pelvis. It wasn’t lit up on the x-ray like the reactor, but the shape and size were the same. As Grace injected herself with another cocktail, she praised her partner for having the foresight to install a second power source. How could she have known, though? She was unconscious when Grace underwent the surgery. Unless she added it to the orders for Grace to assume command during that time, it was anyone’s guess. Grace knew one thing: her power source would kill the monster at the dam soon. Taking the power source out of her would kill her too. Had Dani just given her a second chance? Having two power sources wasn’t unheard of. Stacy Lewis. That’s who did it. Grace should've known that. Highgate had been experimenting with double power sources in the new augments. If one source was destroyed or lost power for any reason, the backup would come online immediately.

The Rev had shown up at the detention center too. How it had found them was anyone’s guess. Grace and Sarah had done their best to stay off the local radar. Grace began to wonder if it was tracking them through her own Legion hardware. It was possible. Her machine parts could still be spitting out bits of signal that the Rev was able to locate. Of course, in the digital age of 2022, the machine was more than likely tracking Dani via facial recognition software. Sarah had been correct. There were cameras everywhere. They’d have to fly to the moon to get off the radar completely.

As Grace rounded the corner, on the floor above the detention pens, she pulled the fire alarm to create a distraction. She hadn’t been able to spot Sarah on her HUD, but that wasn’t her primary concern right now. She needed to get to Dani before the Rev did. She could see them both clearly, and the machine was getting closer. Grace dropped down through a hole between the cages. She hit the floor with a solid thump. She began springing locks and letting people out, further diverting attention from herself. A young woman with brown hair approached her, wearing a border patrol uniform.

Grace flipped the baton open, ready to defend herself. The sight of the woman knocked her back a few steps. It couldn’t be. The woman was 20 years younger than the last time Grace had seen her at Highgate. Anne Morris smiled at her. “Grace Harper, I need you to come with me!” She shouted over the chaos of the room. Grace sidestepped her, only concerned with Dani’s safety. Morris stepped beside her, following her the whole way to the south end. Suddenly, Grace felt the entire room move. It was like a small earthquake that she alone felt. It was almost like space and time just rippled.

The blonde warrior ripped the cage door open, grabbed Dani, and began to run the other way. She located the Rev, and it had spotted them. Grace shoved everyone aside, including Anne Morris, if that was even her. Grace couldn’t be sure. Everything was a blur, and she had one mission in mind: RUN. “Grace, we have to wait for Sarah!” Dani yelled as the blonde shoved her into the helicopter.

“There’s no time! We have to go now!” Grace began prepping the aircraft for takeoff. She was suddenly glad for her tutelage under Major Emery. She’d learned to fly everything with blades and wings as part of his maintenance detail. The strange woman appeared, sprinting from the exit toward them. “Dani!” Grace screamed as the brunette slipped out of the cockpit. The Rev was in hot pursuit of them when Dani saw Sarah come out of another exit. Dani began firing Grace’s stolen pistol at the machine, watching Sarah and a strange woman running toward them. One at a time, without time to question anything, all three women boarded the helicopter, right as Grace lifted them up into the air. The Rev jumped, but Sarah shot it back down.

Grace thought about yelling at Dani about risking her life, but it seemed far more interesting a task to learn about their new addition to the crew. Grace motioned for them to all put on headsets so they could talk over the roar of the blades. “Anne?”

“Yes, Grace. It’s nice to see you. I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure.”

“How do you know me?” Grace needed to make sure it wasn’t another infiltration unit sent by Legion.

“I was born in the ruins. I’m here the same way you are, Grace. We’ve been looking for others. A friend at the border picked you up because of your x-rays. They called me in.”

“You’re going to have to explain this to me later, Anne.”

“We’re going to take down Legion before it even gets started.” Anne explained, noting the confused and frightened look on Dani’s face.

“Commander. It’s nice to see you too.”

Dani checked all three women for confirmation of what she’d just heard. Did this woman just call her “Commander?”

Fuck, Grace thought. It’s all out of the bag now. She punched the coordinates from her tattoo into the GPS system on the dash and followed the directions. She slipped her headset off and dropped it in her lap; and tried to relax for a moment or two, but she was beyond it.

She could hear the muffled voices of the women behind her. Anne Morris was probably filling Dani in on everything Grace had tried to spare her from. Sarah Connor was abnormally quiet. Even without her aural augmentation, Grace would have been able to hear Sarah’s loud mouth. The sky was beginning to open up with the dawn’s light. Future Dani had not told her about Anne Morris. This was a shock. Grace wasn’t sure if this disrupted the timeline or if Dani just forgot to say something. Morris’s presence, however, seemed like a pretty goddamned important detail to just forget about.

“We’re coming up on the coordinates.” Grace said, as calmly as she could manage, into the headset. She just held it against her face, not putting it on this time. Sarah told her to land a bit out so they could see what they were walking into. That was a classic Ranger tactic. Grace thought, if Sarah had been a little younger, she’d have made a class A ranger. Maybe not in Grace’s group, but surely, somewhere.

The terminator that answered the cabin door was a sight to behold. He was huge, first of all. Grace had never seen one as big as he was. Legion streamlined their models for effective maneuvering. This one looked like he had been designed for brute strength. After pulling Sarah off, kicking and screaming, Grace decided to find out what the terminator knew and how he could possibly help them. Grace held on to the notion that she might have to fight him if he tried to hurt Dani. For all his weight and strength, Grace was lighter and much faster. She had mentally mapped out every kill shot she’d need to take the behemoth down. Turns out, though, Carl was a decent guy. At least he was the equivalent of one.

He offered the four women a place to stay for the night. He said his partner and her son were out of town visiting a sick relative. Carl admitted that the most recent shockwave through time had made him decide to stay home. He wasn’t feeling well and never did when terminators traveled back to this time. It wasn’t a sickness that he felt, per se. It was more of a homesickness. He no longer had a mission from Skynet. He was disconnected and alone. He said that loneliness was difficult for machines because they thrived in the collective mind. Grace almost understood that loneliness. But not from a machine perspective.

Carl said he wasn’t a bad cook either. He had a great hand when it came to pasta. Grace had a lot of questions that Anne Morris needed to answer, but first, she needed a shower. Carl directed them to the two rooms they could occupy. Sarah and Anne hit it off almost immediately in the helicopter. They bonded over weapons and destroying terminators. Anne was not a soldier, but rather, she was a scientist. Grace eavesdropped on their conversation, keeping one eye on Dani at all times. Sarah was interested in how she knew what she knew about Legion, and their conversation drifted off as the two women disappeared into the basement. Dani wanted a shower too. Grace took her upstairs so they could clean up.

In the privacy of the room, Grace went to the window first. As soon as she was satisfied that they were not being directly pursued, she started stripping off her filthy clothes. She took her boots off first, carefully laying them by the door. The knock startled her. She raised up and answered the door, shirtless. She hid behind the door, only poking her head out. Carl stood there with a pile of clean towels and clothes for them. She nodded in thanks and shut the door. She turned around to see Dani standing there, mouth wide open, staring at her. That’s when Grace realized she had been taking her clothes off in front of Dani. She’d forgotten where she was for a moment. Grace held the pile of clothes over her exposed breasts and offered a sincere apology. “Dani, I just... umm... sorry. In the future, this sort of thing isn’t a big deal.”

Dani nodded, still staring at the well-muscled soldier in front of her. She’d been staring at the augment’s back when she answered the door. The augmentation scars traversed most of Grace’s back, but she was also covered in war wounds. Her pale skin showed every silver line and mottled scar. Dani was shocked to think of what this woman had actually been through. “Grace, who am I? That woman called me Commander. Who is she?”

Grace sighed heavily and sat on the edge of the bed. “Her name is Anne Morris. She’s a scientist from a secret base in the future. We knew each other before I came here. I don’t know how she found me or what’s going on or why, Dani. I’m just as confused as anyone else.”

“Who am I?” Dani repeated the question, more serious this time.

“Dani, you... are... the Commander of the Human Resistance.” Grace spilled the whole story, beginning with how she saved little Grace one day and their paths diverted for a few years. She told Dani about how her future-self had raised an army big enough to put the fear of the gods into Legion. “What did Morris tell you on the helicopter?”

“That she had come back in time too, a long time ago, to save herself. I don’t know that means.”

“That means that she’s got some explaining to do.” Grace dropped the clothes and the towels on the bed, and headed to the en suite bathroom. She shut the door behind her, and stripped off the filthy, torn jeans. She’d be glad to have a pair of clean boxers soon. Going without was starting to chafe her.

As she started the hot water, she heard the door open behind her. She stood, still as a statue, hoping Dani would see her naked backside and just leave. But no, Dani stepped in, fully naked also. Grace could feel the heat radiating off the young woman. She really wanted to turn around but she couldn’t will herself to move. She was terrified.

“Grace,” Dani whispered, putting a soft hand on Grace’s arm. She pulled the blonde, trying to get her to turn. Grace resisted. Younger Dani did not know she was intersex, and this just felt like the ultimate betrayal to her future partner.

“Dani, please go. I can’t.”

“Get over yourself, chica. Carl said we needed to conserve water. So, get in. I’m right behind you.” The Commander was at her best, Grace realized. She inhaled deeply, steeling herself against the oncoming humiliation. She drew the shower curtain back and stepped in, keeping her back toward Dani. The hot water felt amazing on Grace’s sore muscles. She started to relax and her mind began to wander, despite Dani’s presence. Her partners words echoed in her head: I will have loved you from the moment I saw you, Grace. There will be a night. All you have to do is kiss me.

Grace groaned softly. She felt hands on her lower back and that soft, low voice. “What is it? Are you hurt?” Grace shook her head. Now or never, Harper, she told herself. She turned slowly to face Dani. The brunette was soaking wet. Her body was incredible, tight everywhere, and virtually free of scars. Grace breathed hard. So did Dani. The brunette took in the sight of the tall blonde. Her eyes traveled the woman from her face to her shoulders, down her front to her crotch, where Dani’s gaze stopped. Grace instinctively reached down to cover herself. She felt the rush of heat in her cheeks. She was so scared right now that she’d rather be fighting a terminator.

Dani hummed softly, looking back up into Grace’s eyes. She nodded and grabbed the shampoo. She handed the bottle to Grace. “Wash my hair?” Dani turned her back to Grace. It was a relief. She poured out a generous amount of shampoo into her hands and worked it through Dani’s hair. This was a ritual that they had shared in the future. It was something Grace really enjoyed doing with Dani. The heat from her own hands cupping herself had caused her body to respond. Grace felt shame rising up inside of her. She couldn’t escape this situation fast enough.

“Dani, I have to leave. This is too much for me.”

Dani turned, and held her head back under the water, washing the suds away. Grace stared at her, taking in the sight of this perfect, very young version of her lover. Water cascaded down her body, over the perfect breasts. Dani’s nipples were hard. Grace was going mad. “What am I to you, Grace?” Dani asked, eyes still closed, raking her fingers through her long, black hair.

“You’re my Commander. I’m second. I, uh... shit, Dani.” Grace couldn’t think. She moved to slip beside the young brunette but was met with a steadying hand.

“You haven’t washed yet, and you haven’t answered my question.” Typical Dani, Grace thought. Dani squeezed out some shampoo and directed Grace to lower her head. Grace acquiesced and allowed Dani to care for her. Her touch was soft, every move deliberate and certain.

“We were close.” Grace whispered.

“This close?”

“Yeah.” Grace’s heart was racing.

Dani reached forward with one hand and placed it on Grace’s belly. “This close?”

“Yeah.” Grace was breathless.

“Closer?”

“Yes. Dani, please.” Grace rinsed her hair quickly, using the suds from the shampoo to wash her armpits and crotch. As soon as she was rinsed off, she stepped out, glad to be free. She went to the bed and toweled off quickly before Dani could follow her. She dressed fast. There were black boxer briefs, thank the gods, a pair of black jeans that fit better than the border guard’s uniform. The black tank top was perfect, hugging her body in every way that she liked.

Dani stepped out of the bathroom, wet and naked. Grace’s HUD picked up the heat signature. She could see the steam rising up off the brunette. Grace could smell her body from several feet away. Grace could smell Dani’s sex, and it drove her completely insane. She wanted to hold Dani, to touch her, to fuck her. But she convinced herself she was just missing her own partner. Grace turned her back, giving Dani some privacy. She ached deep in the new jeans. Grace looked out the window and tried to think of anything but where she was right then.

“Grace, it’s ok. I like the way you look. Dani wrapped her hair in a towel. “And I like the way you look at me.”

Grace turned around, trying to find her partner in the young woman’s face. She was there, but it just wasn’t quite her. This Dani looked more like the one she first met in the ruins. That was long before Grace ever knew what sexual desire was.

“You left me behind.” Dani began.

“It wasn’t like that! I didn’t have a choice!” Grace felt suddenly defensive. She’d have never left Dani if there was any other way.

“Settle. Let me finish. You left me behind, to save me now.” Dani started pulling on the clothes from the pile. She donned the panties, bra, white t-shirt, and jeans, probably borrowed from Carl’s human partner. “So that we, humans, could win the war with Legion?” Dani was just trying to understand, and Grace felt bad for snapping at her.

“Yes.”

Dani nodded, making the connections in her own mind. “That’s extremely admirable.”

“You saved me, Dani. I just wanted to save you.” Grace drove her hands down into the pockets of her jeans, looking at her feet.

Dani took the steps forward to bridge the gap between them. “Look at me, Grace.” The blonde kept her eyes trained on the floor. “Grace, mirame.” Grace gasped audibly. Dani’s soft Spanish was the blonde warrior’s weakness. She raised her eyes to meet Dani’s. “Besame.” Grace realized this was the moment. All she had to do was kiss her. Maybe the other Grace didn’t do it. Maybe a kiss could change the outcome of everything. Grace didn’t know, but she felt this woman deep in her soul, and ALL she wanted to do was kiss her. Grace slipped a hand up to caress Dani’s cheek. She looked down into those deep brown eyes, searching the young woman for glimpses of her lost love. “If everything is as you say it is, as Anne says it is, as Sarah says, and Carl too, I’m her.”

That was the only confirmation Grace needed to proceed. The blonde dipped her head, pulled her into a gentle embrace and pressed her lips against Dani’s. She was not disappointed. She closed her eyes and felt her lover’s embrace as Dani wrapped her arms around Grace’s hips, pulling her closer. It was her. Grace broke the kiss momentarily before it could go further. “It’s you.” She whispered; her lips still close enough to feel Dani’s hot breath. She bent to kiss her again, this time inviting the brunette deeper. Grace parted her lips and waited no more than a split second before Dani’s tongue was in her mouth. Grace moaned loudly, and her body responded.

“Hey! Dinner! I don’t want to interrupt or anything, but there’s food and conversation to be had!” Sarah Connor yelled from the other side of the door. Grace peeled back, suddenly aware of her surroundings. She blinked a few times, getting her bearings. She felt her cock throb in her pants.

“Later?” Dani suggested, placing her hand on Grace’s belly. The blonde warrior nodded, trying to bring herself back to center.

Grace Harper took a step toward the door and felt everything shift around her. Again, she was the only one who noticed.

Chapter Text

For dinner, Carl made spaghetti. Everyone loves spaghetti, he said. Grace just wanted more real food. She admitted she could stay in this timeline forever just for the food. She helped herself to a second and third plate, which left Dani’s eyes bugging out of her head.

“Where do you put it all?” Dani asked, sipping her beer.

“I’ll burn it all off by this time tomorrow. My augmentation is a fuel pig. Anne, tell me about yourself. Who are you? Really?” Grace stuffed another forkful of pasta into her mouth.

Anne Morris set her beer on the coffee table and sat up. “Ok, Grace, here it is. I’m originally from Sarah’s timeline. I was born in 1964.” Anne sighed heavily, preparing for a long story. “When the TDC was discovered in L.A; I was 20 years old. I just kind of stumbled on the whole thing by accident. I was working in a college lab studying quantum physics. At that point, it was all just theory, and my college degree didn’t pay very well. When the tech came into the hands of my department, they were looking for volunteers to test the equipment. I didn’t have much else going for me at the time, so I figured, why not? Long story short, I got sent in a virtual slingshot, through time, and ended up in 2023. Cook City, Montana. It was a very random incident. Judgement Day had just happened, and it wasn’t Skynet. It was Legion. I, along with several other likeminded individuals, set up camp and established Highgate. We were just working on the augment tech. We’d left the time travel business behind. It was so complicated that we never thought we could manage it completely. One day, I get a wire from Toronto, that a rival scientist wants my gig. He’s used the device in Canada to go back to now to kill me. He gets here right as I do, and I’m able to stop him. I mean, he’s just a guy, not a terminator. Other me, who was in her late 50s, goes forward to escape him. She heads to 2036, when I jumped back, and takes over Highgate for me.”

“Wait just a second here,” Grace put her plate down. “You’re a time traveler?”

“Yes.”

“Who exists across three separate timelines?”

“No. Just two. Because I went back to save myself. And I did.” Anne seemed a little confused about things herself.

“Isn't’ that like a grandfather paradox?” Sarah asked, sipping her beer. She put her feet on the coffee table right next to Grace’s dinner plate. Grace’s blood began to boil.

“Not really, only if I’d killed myself.” Anne explained. She picked up her beer, waiting for Grace to pounce across the table. The blonde warrior looked like a cornered beast. “Right now, two Grace’s exist in this timeline. One is little, maybe 8 or 10 years old. The other is …" Anne motioned to Grace.

“So, what happens if Grace exists in two timelines?” Dani spoke up next, trying to understand everything.

“I think that’s the wrong question,” Anne decided. “In the future, Grace? Is it ok if I tell this story?”

“Go for it.” Grace was still staring Sarah down from across the table.

“Dani, in the future, the machines get desperate against you. They either find or create, we’re not sure which, a time travel device. They send a terminator back to this time, as you know, to kill you. Future you sends Grace back to protect you. In Dani’s original timeline, Grace dies helping save you. I think it happens tomorrow night, actually.” Anne looked to Grace for confirmation, but the blonde ignored her.

“Anyway, Dani, the problem is that the timeline stops working if you don’t find little Grace in the ruins and save her. If you don’t do that, then there’s no one to send back. It has to be Grace, every time.”

“She might be right.” Grace said, finally dropping her death gaze from Sarah, looking over to Dani. “Right before I came here, another augment was supposed to do this. Future you didn’t want me to go. At the last minute, the soldier was badly hurt. I took her place.”

“See? That’s what I mean. The timeline will either collapse or correct itself.”

“I don’t understand how all this works.” Dani was shaking her head, clearly exasperated.

“No one does, my dear. However, the interesting thing today is that I was called in to help Grace.” Anne settled back on the couch, cradling her beer. “During her augmentation surgery, this time, someone placed a second power source inside of her. I’m going to assume that was on future Dani’s orders. She probably learned about the concept from me at Highgate. Knowing that it would improve your chances of survival in this time.”

“There was a surgical tech working under you. Stacy Lewis. We brought her to you. She came to Anaheim to help us right before I got hurt. It was probably her that actually did it.” Grace looked down at the floor, caught in the memory of Stacy.

“Ok, so these are known things. What is unknown?” Sarah pondered the possibilities. “How is this timeline different now?”

“I’m probably not in any of them,” Anne offered.

“Dani never mentioned you being here.” Grace concurred.

“Little Grace.” Dani added.

“Also,” Carl finally decided to speak, “there have been at least four displacement events recently. I felt the first two when the Rev and Grace came back. The other two have happened today.”

“I felt the ones today.” Grace admitted. “I just didn’t know what it was.”

“The timeline is changing, creating new loops.” Anne looked less than concerned.

“What does that mean for us?” Dani asked.

“Nothing really. See, as far as we can tell, the space time continuum kind of operates like a giant rolodex.” Anne began. Carl stood up and left the room, returning with an outdated rolodex full of empty file cards. “Right. Ok, look.” Anne began to roll the files back and forth. “Say that these are established times, years throughout space and time. They exist in a linear fashion. We found that we can travel back and forth across them. They basically stay the same. They are templates, ghosts, of what already happened. During time travel, as different events are likely to occur, different loops get created, independent of the originals.”

“Parallel universes,” Sarah mumbled.

“Precisely.” Anne finished. “Everything we do differently now causes a new loop to splinter off of this one, becoming its own original timeline.”

“What about Dani in the future?” Grace had finally asked the right question. Anne flipped through the rolodex, picking a random card.

“She’s still there. Nothing has changed for her.”

Grace looked at Anne with pleading blue eyes but said nothing. She just hoped Anne would understand. “Theoretically, if we have the tech and the date, we can travel between all of these static timelines. A person could go back to a specific time and try to change something or just go to live out their life there. The template will always exist, however. And we are just existing on a splinter.”

“She will always be alone.” The sadness in Grace’s eyes was visible to everyone in the room. Silence took hold momentarily.

“It’s just a theory, Grace. We don’t really know.” Anne knew what Grace had asked without words. Her heart broke for the soldier.

“You said something about taking down Legion before they get started. How?” Sarah asked.

Dani excused herself from the table. Grace shifted to watch her go to the kitchen.

“You know, now that I think about it, it probably doesn’t even matter. Judgement Day always happens, and Legion always exists. At least under some name.”

“And we still have the terminator to worry about.” Carl added, finishing his beer.

“My power source is what we used to fry it last time. At least that’s what Dani told me. Which is why I have two now.” Grace watched Dani move out of the kitchen and head up the stairs. “I’ve heard enough. Goodnight.” She stood up, cleared her plate and excused herself. Grace had heard more than she could handle. Future Dani had done several things to change the timeline. She didn’t raise Grace as a child. She ordered the second power source. And she had alerted Anne Morris in the future that Grace would be coming here. There was a slim chance that Grace could go forward in time to be with Dani again. It would correct the timeline, so maybe it was fate. She couldn’t understand it. She tried to shake it off and headed upstairs after the young version of Dani.

“Oh, Grace? I have some other interesting things for you, not time travel related, that you would be very interested in.” Anne yelled toward the blonde, who only stopped to listen. Grace did not turn around or say anything else. She nodded and continued up the stairs.

Grace knocked softly on the bedroom door. “Enter.” The voice was low, but that’s the word the Commander had always used to grant entry into her office or quarters. Grace opened the door and stepped inside. Dani was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking out the window. Grace moved to the opposite side of the bed and sat down. Her back was to Dani.

“You loved her.” Dani began the dance.

“I still do. I only left her yesterday. You. Yesterday.” Dani could tell that Grace was doing her best to process this also. She stood up and walked around the bed, sitting beside Grace. The weight of the augmented soldier pulled her down against the blonde.

“Do you want to go back to her?” It was really an unfair question. “I’m sorry, Grace. Don’t answer that.”

“I can’t. Even if I want to. Even if I could, she’ll always be alone in some version of it.”

Grace leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. She dropped her head into her hands. This was all too much. What was she supposed to do? Her mission was specific: fight the Rev, save Dani. Now it seemed vastly more complicated. Fight the Rev, save Dani, don’t die, change the future again. Grace felt herself getting hot. Her HUD displayed a rise in temperature, anxiety, heart rate, and blood pressure. Grace went to the med bag Sarah had made for her. She grabbed a needle and prepared her solution. Dani watched her and brought her a glass of water from the bathroom. Dani reached out, feeling the augment’s overheating skin. “Here, querida, drink.” She watched Grace inject herself and handed her the glass. She went back to the bathroom and got a hand towel wet under the cold water. “Lay down, Grace.” The Commander ordered. Grace shut her eyes and laid back. Dani sat down beside her and began to pat her feverish skin with the cool, wet rag.

“That feels good.” Grace whispered. “I’m sorry about all of this, Dani. This was not what I intended.”

“How can you blame yourself? You’re not in charge of the time travel department. It sounds like I was a fool for trying to change things.”

“You just didn’t want me to die again.” Grace said, feeling Dani’s gentle touch on her forehead as the brunette’s other hand rested on her belly. Grace closed her eyes and willed her enhancements to power down. As soon as she did, the emotions surged forward. That was the good thing about being augmented in times like these. A soldier could choose to be emotionally protected. It helped immensely during battle when decisions had to be made at impossible speeds. Right now, Grace just wanted to feel human again. She wanted to feel her partner again. And yet, her parnter was right in front of her. “Dani,” Grace exhaled hard. The younger woman stopped patting Grace’s forehead, pulled back and waited for the blonde to speak. Grace had no words for what she needed. Grace opened her eyes, locking her gaze with the brunette’s.

“What do you need, Grace?”

“I need... Dani...” Grace could barely form the words. She felt herself start to hyperventilate.

“Shhh.... calm, querida. Show me, instead.” Dani always had the answer when words failed Grace.

Grace reached down and lifted her shirt, pulling it above her breasts. Dani watched, curious, but not running away. Grace reached forward, holding the hem of Dani’s shirt, slowly lifting, waiting for the brunette to resist. Dani didn’t resist her. Grace pulled the shirt up high, reached around and unsnapped the young woman’s bra. “I get it. Take your shirt off.” Dani ordered softly. Grace tugged her tank top off over her head and laid it beside her. Dani stripped her own shirt and bra off. She just knew what Grace needed. Of course, she did. She’s the one who started this with Grace. The young woman moved, gently straddling Grace’s hips, and lowered herself down against the warrior’s naked torso. The body heat between them made them both breathe harder than normal. Grace whimpered and instinctively wrapped her arms around Dani. “I’m here. Right here. Feel me, Grace.” How could Dani from this time have known to do this? There was only one answer in Grace’s head now. This was, in fact, her Dani. The blonde warrior stared up into deep amber eyes. Slipping a hand around the back of Dani’s neck, Grace pulled her down and kissed her deeply. Dani flicked her tongue out, tasting Grace’s lips. Grace moaned softly, keenly aware of how Dani was affecting her. She opened her mouth to accept Dani’s sweet kiss. Their hands were gentle on each other. No inch of skin was taken without permission. That permission was sought through whispers and tender kisses.

Grace’s skin grew hot all over again, but not because of fear or panic. Her body was responding to the young woman draped over her. Dani was touching her everywhere, their skin burned like fire together, igniting something deeper and more passionate. Grace trailed her fingers up and down Dani’s sides, testing for ticklish ribs. There were none last time, nor were there any now. Grace held Dani at the hips and rolled them both so that she was now on top. “Do you want to continue? Or do you need to stop?” Dani was out of breath. Grace could feel her pulse pounding everywhere.

“Don’t stop, please.”

Grace nodded, dropping her head to kiss Dani’s throat, tracing her tongue over the windpipe, kissing her way back toward Dani’s ear. Grace left a trail of kisses across the brunette’s shoulder, down across her chest. Dani ran her hands through the dirty blonde locks, feeling how soft it was. She loved the way Grace was soft in some places, harder in others. She loved the strength that this woman had, the raw power. Grace looked up, seeking permission to explore lower. Dani nodded, guiding her head down. The blonde cupped her breasts, gently squeezing and playing with the nipples. She dipped her head to take one in her mouth. Dani gasped at the sensation of the augment’s hot lips and tongue on her sensitive flesh. Grace paid the other nipple equal attention before moving back up to rest some of her weight on her new partner.

“Grace, I really really want this. I want you.”

“Ok.” Grace reached down to unbutton Dani’s jeans, when a soft, small hand stopped her.

“I’m scared.”

“Why? I mean, we don’t have to. It’s fine if you don’t want.” Grace straightened up, rolled away and leaned on an elbow beside the brunette.

“It’s not that, Grace. I’ve just never... I’m...”

Grace understood. “I want you to be sure this is what you want.”

Dani stiffened a little bit, staring incredulously at the blonde. “This might be the strangest, most dangerous part of my life. You are the one person left who means anything at all to me. I want this. I want you.”

Grace nodded, excited and a little overwhelmed. Future Dani had told her to do this, that she would want her. Grace wondered if this was the reason. Did future Dani want Grace to be her first time? Dani, Grace thought, you clever, clever minx. Grace smiled, giving Dani her best crooked grin. She began to kiss Dani all over, placing kind and hungry lips everywhere she could. Dani guided Grace’s hand lower, to begin taking her pants down. Grace inched down to kneel between the brunette’s thighs, carefully unbuttoning and unzipping. She slowly pulled the jeans and Dani’s underwear away, discarding them behind her. She sighed heavily, staring at the perfect, nubile body below her. Grace laid down between those perfect thighs, planting kisses to patches of hot skin. She ran her tongue through the patch of black pubic hair before beginning her descent into Dani’s slick folds. Grace moaned loudly as she tasted Dani’s virgin center. She felt fingers in her hair, turning to fists, pressing her harder into the soft mound of delicious flesh. Grace felt Dani’s body jerk and react with every stroke she took against the swollen clit in her mouth. She lowered her mouth next, pressing into the wet entrance, swirling her tongue slowly, opening Dani’s body to her touch.

Grace raised herself back up, propping herself on her elbows on either side of Dani’s head. She searched Dani’s eyes, silently asking if the young woman was ready. Dani reached between them and began unbuttoning Grace’s pants. She slipped her hand inside, rubbing Grace gently. The blonde pressed her hip into that generous hand, feeling both a new lover and the other one. “Dani,” Grace gasped. The brunette withdrew her hand and silently ordered the Lieutenant to take off her pants. Grace kicked them off with expert speed. She positioned herself between the brunette’s thighs. Dani spread her legs wider for Grace, nearly melting the blonde’s heart. Grace was suddenly glad this was not the same woman she met on the water tower that night. She’d have hurt and abused her for certain. It was only under an older Dani’s close teaching that Grace had become the careful and considerate lover she was in that moment. “I don’t want to hurt you, Dani. I’m going to go very slow.” Dani nodded, holding on tightly to Grace’s biceps. Grace held her hard cock, positioning it carefully at Dani’s moist center. She couldn't’ believe she was about to take her partner’s virginity. She felt completely honored.

Grace slowly pushed forward, feeling herself enter Dani’s body. She watched closely, making sure she didn’t hurt the young brunette. She let Dani dictate the pace, only moving when the brunette pushed against her for more. Soon, she was buried. Grace began to pant, feeling everywhere Dani was touching her, holding her deep inside. She was unbelievably tight around Grace’s hard length. The blonde warrior kissed her softly, and began to move. Her strokes were slow, shallow, at first. She would gyrate her hips a little, trying to give Dani every bit of pleasure she could. She knew what Dani liked. She’d known for years. Grace reached between them and found the brunette’s clit with her thumb. She rubbed slowly, in circles, finding a rhythm that suited them both. “Grace, oh my god.... that feels so good. Please don’t stop.” Dani began to moan louder and louder with each stroke Grace took. The blonde could feel her orgasm coming quickly. She held her position, kept her pace, and took Dani into paradise for the first time. The young woman cried out, biting down into Grace’s shoulder, which made Grace come too. Together, they rocked, and shook, they panted and cried. As their pleasure relented, they took moments to wipe tears from each other’s faces, stealing gentle kisses. They shared very private whispers.

The room shifted again, followed by a deep, far-away rumble.

Chapter Text

Grace woke up in the middle of the night with a pounding headache. She sat up in the bed, hyper aware of the young woman lying next to her. Grace suddenly felt a rush of embarrassment and regret over her actions earlier. Why had she chosen to involve herself with this Dani? It didn’t do any of them any good. Grace honestly felt like she had just cheated on the woman she loved. With the woman she loved. It was complicated and Grace couldn’t make sense of it. All she knew was that her head hurt like it did that first morning she woke up after augmentation surgery.

Grace tried to focus on the readout from her HUD. It wasn’t reading properly. The lines of code were broken and her brain was only getting half messages and partial commands. She tried to focus on what was sent to her. Her body temperature was colder than normal, reading out at 98.7F. Her blood pressure was low too, only 114/55. Her power source was only running at about 50%. The normal for waking up after a full night’s rest was still 80%. She looked around the room, noting how dark it was still. She should be able to see in the dark though. She tried to bring up her night-vision. It flickered in front of her eyes, but it wouldn’t stay on. The pounding in her head was just getting worse.

Grace groaned and rolled out of bed. She tried to stand, but her legs failed her. Her knees buckled and she hit the floor with a very loud thump. Dani woke up suddenly. “Grace? Grace?” The blonde heard her sit up and start to move.

“Get help. Something is wrong.” Grace tried to pull herself up on the bed, to find her clothes.

Dani was at her side in an instant. “What is it?” She knelt beside Grace, trying to help her stand. “Jesus, you’re freezing.

“Please, get help. Get Anne.” Grace’s head was starting to swim. The room was moving again. Dani carefully helped Grace back into the bed and threw the blankets over her. She dressed quickly and was out the door. Grace heard Dani’s quick footsteps on the stairs leading down. She heard Dani’s voice yelling for Sarah and Anne both.

Grace closed her eyes, trying to correct her enhancements. She had no idea what was happening. So far, since her augmentation, Grace’s body had always cooperated unless she was crashing. She’d taken meds before sleeping. She’d eaten plenty of food and drank water. This shouldn’t be happening. The readout flashed that her power source was now at 47%. Grace began to shiver beneath the blankets. Her teeth chattered. She felt so cold, and everything was so dark.

Anne Morris appeared beside her suddenly, with Sarah and Dani right behind her. Sarah flipped on the room light, sending a blast of lightning through Grace’s head. “Too much! Turn it off!” Grace yelled, throwing her hands over her eyes.

Dani looked up at Sarah, who kept her eyes trained suspiciously on the augment. Dani reached beside them and turned the light off. Anne knelt beside Grace. “What happened, Lieutenant?”

“Woke up with a bad headache. HUD’s not reading right. No night vision. Can’t stand.” Grace slurred the basics of her vital signs. “Reactor, 44%. Falling.” Grace’s voice was weakening.

“Her power source is failing fast.” Anne looked to Sarah and Dani. “We’ve got to get it out of her now.”

“What about her backup? Won’t that just kick on after the primary goes offline?” Sarah asked, stepping up beside Anne.

“Have you ever seen a tactical nuclear device detonated?” The deep voice behind them was quiet yet strong. Dani turned as Carl entered the room. “If her power source goes offline inside of her, the core could melt down and explode, taking all of us with it.”

“He’s right.” Anne said. She pulled the blankets down, exposing Grace. No one looked away. Grace was barely conscious. Anne began to probe Grace’s belly with careful fingers. “The augment surgeons should have left a gap in the mesh for future access.” Anne’s fingers deftly moved across the augmentation scars, searching quietly. “There it is. We can cut through and get that out. But we have to do it now.”

“With no anesthetic or proper tools? We can’t take her to a hospital.” Dani felt panic start to set in.

“There’s no time for that. Harper, what’s your readout?”

“31.” Grace’s voice was just a whisper of a whisper.

“It’s draining fast. Someone get me a knife!” The room became chaos as Anne barked orders.

“What?? No! You’re not cutting her up like a fucking chicken for dinner!” Dani stepped forward but Carl’s grip on her arm stopped her from moving.

Sarah knelt beside Anne, pulling out a tactical folding knife. “It’s sharp, relatively clean.” Sarah flipped the black blade open and handed it to Anne.

“I need light. I’m sorry, Grace.” Anne motioned for Dani to come sit on the bed next to the ailing soldier. Dani grabbed Grace’s tank top and folded it up, creating a makeshift blindfold.

“I can’t...shut...down my...pain sensors.” Grace’s voice was so weak. Dani was terrified. She held the cloth over Grace’s eyes, adding pressure to hold her head still.

“Carl, help me hold her down. Even with a failing power source, her body could be unpredictable. We don’t need Morris cutting into her and slicing something important open.” Sarah took Grace by the arms and leaned across her chest. She wasn’t even sure if she could hold Grace down. She knew how strong this woman was. Carl moved in and held Grace’s legs.

“I’m sorry, Grace. This is going to hurt.” Anne warned, holding the blade above where the access point would be.

“Do it.” Grace croaked weakly.

Dani whispered incredulously, “oh my god,” and looked away.

Anne laid the edge of the blade down, pressing into the pale skin of Grace’s stomach. The blonde warrior groaned, trying to twist away. Sarah held her firmly. “Relax, soldier. We’ll be at each other’s throats in no time.”

Anne pushed the blade deeper, slicing through all the layers of skin. She made an incision long enough to get her fist into. Grace began to cry. Dani held her head and tried to sooth her. “In Spanish.” Grace directed the brunette to use her native tongue. It had always worked in the past to bring Grace down. Dani began to softly sing the Spanish love song into Grace’s ear. It was always the same song, and Grace was beginning to think it might be the only one she knew. Her mind began to drift somewhere else. She could feel the pressure of Anne’s hand inside of her. Her HUD started to shut down.

Anne was wrist deep in Grace’s abdomen, searching gently for the power source. She knew where it should be, but she found two. She didn’t want to pull out the wrong one. The cradle that held the power sources were easy to access. A quick jerk on the battery and it snapped free of the cradle. The design was created for this reason, easy replacement in emergency situations. But if Anne pulled the wrong one, Grace would die. “If I pull the secondary on accident, the primary will drain to 0%. The CPU will think she’s being killed and it will self-detonate the reactor.” Anne was working blind. She couldn’t see into Grace’s body. “Carl, look at her!” Anne ordered the terminator to help.

Carl turned on his own x-ray vision. “I can’t see the difference between them. They are both the same temperature as her body.”

Anne sighed, her fingertips touching the edges of both power sources. Carl was right. There was no difference in temperature. “I have to guess.”

“11%.” Grace whispered to Dani.

“Hurry!” Dani snapped at Anne.

Anne Morris closed her eyes and wrapped her hand around the expanse of the first reactor. She started to pull it free and stopped short. She couldn’t be sure without looking. She released her grip and took a hold of the other reactor. “Please.” She begged quietly to whatever god might be listening. With a sharp tug, Anne Morris pulled the reactor free of the cradle. She gently worked it through Grace’s internal organs, finally pulling it free of her body. The blue material in the reactor arced weakly.

“Is that it?” Sarah asked, mesmerized by the little piece of machinery.

“I think so. I mean, yes. It’s online. And we’re not dead.” Anne made a point of telling them it should be hotter than it is. She didn’t understand why it was failing. Those reactors were built to last hundreds of years on their own.

From Dani’s vantage point, she could hear the secondary source boot up. It was a high-pitched hum. The sound grew in pitch intensity, making Dani’s ears hurt, until it was fully online, and she couldn’t hear anything anymore. She whispered in the blonde warrior’s ear. “Grace? Are you with us?”

“Yeah. I’m here.” She rolled her head from side to side, trying to pop her ears. “My head feels like it’s underwater.”

“Carl? Needle and thread?” Dani looked at the terminator.

“A man who does drapes definitely has a sewing kit.” Sarah added, finally releasing her hold on Grace. She sat up and gave Carl a dirty look, shooing him off the warrior. Sarah promised herself to take Carl’s reactor one day and shove it up his-

Carl stood up and went on his mission.

Grace pulled the shirt from over her eyes. She blinked a few times, letting her eyes adjust to the light. “Don’t move, Grace, you’ve still got a big hole here that I have to patch up.” Anne said, wiping her hands on a pair of pants she found on the floor. Grace’s HUD came back online, fully operational. However, the codes she was being sent were less than positive news. The secondary power source was little more than a backup. It was only intended to keep her alive until she could have a standard reactor put back in. Her systems were only operating at 65%. She’d need at least 98% to fight a terminator. This was essentially a death sentence. Grace let out a loud breath.

“Fuck. I can’t fight.” Grace said weakly. “Dani, I can’t protect you.”

Dani stroked the side of the augment’s face, noticing that Grace was sweating. She went to the bathroom for a towel. She sat back down and began to wipe Grace’s face. The blonde’s body temperature was coming back up. In a normal person, this wouldn’t be a good sign, but it was hope for the augment. “Don’t worry about that right now, Grace. We’re safe for now.” Dani looked to Sarah and Anne for confirmation.

There was another sudden shift in Grace’s world. She felt the entire world shudder, almost violently. “Did you guys feel that?” She whispered.

“Feel what? I didn’t feel anything.” Sarah stood to look out the bedroom window, conscientious of any oncoming threats.

“Feel what, Grace?” Anne asked, placing a steadying hand on the augment’s hip.

“It felt like the whole world moved.”

“Another displacement. I felt it too.” Carl announced as he stomped into the room. He probably didn’t mean to stomp. He was just a heavy guy. He handed the sewing kit to Anne and stepped back.

“What displacement? What’s going on? Are more terminators coming through?” Sarah spun around to face the T-800. Her eyes were accusing him of ruining everything good the world had to offer.

“I don’t know. It feels different than a time displacement shockwave. The energy used feels the same, but this is different. More subtle. And Grace can feel it too.”

“The timeline is unstable, guys.” Anne finally admitted it. She couldn’t have been certain, but she was now. She readied a needle and thread, kindly warning Grace that this was going to hurt too. Grace gritted her teeth and nodded. She’d been through worse. A few stitches wouldn’t bother her.

“What the fuck does that mean?” Dani was getting pissed off that she didn’t know what anyone was talking about. She felt like a child.

Anne began carefully stitching the incision closed. Without looking up she began. “I’ve only read about it from others’ experiences. The timeline has been changed too much. From the minute Grace got here, with a second power source, everything was different. My appearance changed it again. Whatever is going on between you and Grace is changing things. We believe that a cardinal rule of time travel is that the timeline stays the same.” Anne leaned in and bit the thread of the first finished stitch. “If you go back to a certain time, armed with too much from the future, the timeline becomes unstable and wants to collapse on itself and reset.”

“Dani told me that the first time I went back, she either hadn’t told me anything, or ordered me to keep my mouth shut.” It was all making sense to Grace. Grace had made a mistake with young Dani.

“And her power failure? Is that part of it too?” Dani held Grace’s head in her hands, rubbing her thumbs back and forth across the blonde’s cheeks.

“It could be a coincidence. I don’t know,” Anne bit another completed stitch. “Two more, Grace. I’m almost done. Your power source could have been damaged in the time jump. It’s really hard to say.”

“We need weapons.” Carl announced, out of the blue.

“Do you have weapons?” Sarah asked, knowing full well that a terminator living in rural Texas was bound to have more than just a sewing kit and a pocket knife.

“Come with me if you want to see.” Carl grinned and made a hooking motion with his head.

Sarah sighed heavily, not wanting to trust the machine that killed her son. “You try anything at all, you metal motherfucker, and I’ll kill you where you stand.”

“Got it.” Carl turned and left the room with Sarah reluctantly on his tail.

Anne finished the stitches. She went to Grace’s med bag and readied a cocktail. She pulled the small first aid kit out and sat back down next to Grace. She bandaged up the incision carefully, warning Grace not to move too much or she’d probably rip it open. On the other side of Grace’s belly, Anne injected the meds. “Grace. what’s your readout?”

“BP is 115/75. Heart rate is 64. Temperature is 102.3. Secondary power source....65% and holding.”

“Ok,” Anne huffed. She squeezed Grace’s leg gently. Grace was pretty sure she heard Dani growl in response to someone else touching her. “Dani, you should really go with Sarah and Carl to familiarize yourself with some weapons. If Grace can’t fight, we’ll need all hands on deck with this terminator.”

Dani got the feeling she was just being dismissed. “Right.” She nodded. She leaned down to kiss Grace’s forehead.

“Stop! Don’t.” Anne reached her hand out in protest before Dani’s lips could make contact. “Don’t change anything else.”

Dani felt like a scolded child, but she understood the situation perfectly. She pulled away and stood. Not knowing what else to do, she left the room without a word, shutting the door behind her.

Grace listened to the brunette’s footfalls as they receded down the steps. “Ok, Morris, tell me what’s really going on here.” Grace pulled herself up a bit, propping her back against the headboard. Anne moved in to readjust the pillows behind Grace’s back. She stood and retrieved the tank top from the floor where Dani had dropped it. She carefully helped Grace pull it on over her upper body. She found Grace’s briefs and pants and aided her with those too. She left the buttons undone to spare Grace any discomfort.

Anne sighed heavily. “The timeline is collapsing. I’ve seen it before. The universe likes things neat. And we’ve created a big mess here. It won’t be long before the entire thing resets itself.”

“What does that mean for us?”

“I’ve never stuck around long enough to find out. Theoretically-”

“Jesus, woman! Do you have anything besides theories and hypo-thisisees? Hypothes...ises? Whatever the fucking word is. You know what I’m talking about.” Grace felt like an idiot, stumbling over a word she should have known.

“I think that this timeline will collapse into the original and reset. It’s simple, but we will no longer exist in this version. It’s like I said. You came here with too much information about the future, in order to change this past. It can’t work that way.”

“So, future Dani fucked up.”

“There’s no reason to say that. She just did what she thought was best. I had this plan to send you back to her once the Rev is destroyed. But with your power source operating at a lower level, you wouldn’t survive the jump. We have to correct the timeline.”

“How?” Grace traced her fingers across the bandage beneath her shirt. She really had to use the bathroom soon, and her head was still pounding mildly. She closed her eyes and tried to ignore it.

“I don’t know. I could go back and get you another power source. I could go to 2042 and find myself and …"

“You’re dead in 2042. You were on your way from Highgate to help us. Your transport was shot down over Utah.”

“That’s unfortunate.” Anne Morris sighed, looking away. “I had a great gift for you, Grace. Shit.” Anne lowered her head, watching Grace’s fingers rub her abs.

“What gift?” Grace looked up at her. “Anne?”

“Future me was the first augment. I was given a power source of unbelievable power. That’s all I had though. I wasn’t a fighter. The power source was linked to my brain, giving me access to more than any human had ever had before. I was basically the universe’s gatekeeper. I watched everything, kept track of everything. I had humanity on a path to win the war before everyone got time-travel happy.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I was literally the smartest person in the room. In every room. If you had my power source, you would be too, and the strongest. If you had successfully destroyed the Rev in this timeline, I would have been free to go back to 2042 and bring it back to you.”

“Why?” Grace was not catching on.

“Look, Harper, your power source failure is premature. You should’ve been able to fight the terminator, which would have destroyed your primary reactor, but you would have had the backup. Now, as things are, the timeline is collapsing and you have no primary reactor. Plus, there’s no me to get the power source from.”

“Right. When did you create the power source?”

“I didn’t create it. It was given to me. But there was only one. And it’s gone now.”

“You can’t just jump back to an earlier time and get it?”

Anne Morris considered the idea. “I could. But I think I have a better way.”

“How?” Grace noticed the uptick in the woman’s pulse rate.

“I cannot tell you without further screwing with this timeline. You just have to wait and see.”

Grace laughed, then winced as the sharp pain blew through her belly. She placed her hand on her stomach to steady herself. “You can’t even say it?”

“Honey, fate is evil. And it’s always listening.” Anne looked up, staring at something through the ceiling.

“Stay here. Keep your heads down. Don’t go anywhere. Don’t do anything. Just relax here. Keep this, whatever it is, very simple until I get back. The terminator won’t track Dani if it doesn’t know where she is. It can’t even track you if your power source is weak. Don’t exert yourself. There’s a doctor in town who will fill your meds without a script. Send Sarah. Keep Carl close to Dani for protection. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Trust me.”

Grace took in all the information. Anne Morris had something up her sleeve.

Chapter Text

Anne Morris left Grace resting comfortably in the upstairs bedroom. She headed down to talk to Carl, Sarah, and Dani. The three of them were out in the backyard area, lining up beer bottles for target practice. Carl had a picnic table set up with several different weapons laid out in neat rows. Anne admired the pistols, shotguns, and assault rifles. She picked up a Springfield 1911 .45 pistol. The weight of it felt good in her hand.

“You can have that.” Carl offered.

“Thanks. I like it a lot.” Anne checked the clip. Full. She set the safety and slipped it into the back of her pants. “I have to leave.” She addressed everyone in the group. “Grace needs help. This timeline is becoming unstable. We have to correct it by having Grace save Dani from the Rev. That’s the only way any of us make it out of here alive.”

Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at Anne. She pushed her red hair back behind her head and used the elastic tie around her wrist to pin it back.

“Where are you going?” Sarah asked, setting a rifle down on the table. The older woman approached Anne, waiting for a response.

“I can’t tell you that. But I will tell you that I’ll be gone for maybe a week. I’m going to get help.” Anne tucked in her shirt, acutely aware that her backpack full of clothes had been dropped at the border detention center. “Carl, I could use a change of clothes. Sarah, I need the chopper. Dani, take care of Grace, please. She’s upstairs, resting. But she’ll need food soon. I wager she has a massive headache too.” Dani nodded and headed back to the house. “Don’t do anything!” Anne called after her.

“They’ve already altered the timeline. What’s the harm in letting them have a little fun?” Sarah sneered, watching Dani pick up her pace.

“I can’t know that. Better safe than dead, though.” Anne replied.

“Help yourself to whatever is in Alecia’s closet. I have to call her and tell her and Mateo not to come back. You being here makes it unsafe for them. They’ve prepared for this.” Carl turned away and opened fire with his assault rifle, shattering the entire line of beer bottles.

“Okay. I’m going to pack a bag and head out.” Anne turned to leave, but Sarah reached out and stopped her.

“Should I go with you?” Sarah’s whisper spoke of something that might have happened between the two women the night before.

“Stay here, Sarah. Grace and Dani need you. You, especially. I’ll come back.”

Sarah looked at Anne through the dark aviator sunglasses, nodding. She held Anne’s arm for another moment before letting her go. Anne Morris leaned forward and quickly kissed Sarah. “I’ll be right back.” Carl tried not to notice.

Grace heard the blades of the chopper come to life, somewhere in the distance. It was over a mile away where she had landed, but the roar of the helicopter sounded like it was in the front yard. She shifted in the bed, aware of the new wound on her belly, and looked out the bedroom window. She watched as the tiny white dot ascended into the air and cut off toward the north.

She dropped back onto the bed, looking up at the ceiling. She had no idea what was happening. She just knew she was out for the count. Her readout was the same. The reactor was still at 65%. Grace pulled herself back up and went to the bathroom.

Dani tried to distract herself in the kitchen, making food for everyone. She found some bacon and eggs, coffee and toast. It was still early enough for breakfast. She looked at the clock on the microwave. It said it was already 11:30am. How could that be? It wasn’t even daylight an hour ago. She checked the clock in the living room. 11:31am. Dani wondered if she could have lost that much time. She didn’t think it was possible. Maybe the clocks were wrong. That happened sometimes. She busied herself frying eggs and bacon, trying not to worry about the whole universe exploding.

Grace smelled the food being prepared. She couldn’t resist. She padded, barefoot, down the steps. She was absolutely silent as she moved. She could hear Dani humming a soft tune, different this time. Grace smiled, happy that Dani knew other songs. She stopped short of the kitchen and leaned against the wall to watch the brunette work. Future Dani never cooked. Then again, future Dani never lost herself in moments like this. This Dani was submerged in what she was doing. Grace moved closer to her, listening to the woman’s calm heartbeat and breathing. The smell of bacon was overwhelming.

“Hey.” Grace announced her presence. Dani spun around with a pan of scrambled eggs.

“Hola. You’re up. Should you be?” Her smile was enough to entrap Grace and bring her even closer.

“Probably not, but something smelled delicious.” Grace looked down at the eggs.

“They’re not ready yet, but there’s coffee.” Dani turned back to the stove, continuing to stir eggs and flip bacon. Grace searched the cupboards for a mug. They were right next to the stove. Grace tried not to stand on top of Dani to reach in for a cup, but she ended up brushing the woman’s shoulder with her ribs. The sensation sent a shiver down Grace’s back.

She poured herself a cup and leaned back on the counter, watching Dani. “There’s cream and sugar if you like.”

“Black. Thanks. There’s not a lot of sugar, or cream, in the future. I just got used to not having it.” Grace remembered how every time she got Dani coffee in the future, the Commander would complain about not being able to dress it up.

Dani turned the fire off under the pans. She pulled plates from the dishwasher and served up equal amounts of food, save one plate, which she heaped a double helping onto. She picked that plate up and handed it to Grace. “Eat, querida. You need everything you can get.”

Grace smiled, took the plate and went to the couch. Dani called out the back door for Sarah and Carl to come in. Dani picked up her plate and made her way to sit beside Grace. “I hope it’s good.” She said before digging in.

“It’s wonderful, Dani. Like I said, I'd stay here forever just for the food.” Grace spoke around a mouthful. She barely even breathed before shoveling another bite into her mouth.

“You should really learn to slow down and enjoy things.” Dani teased.

“Yeah. I know.” Grace continued munching on bacon and toast. She stopped only to sip the coffee in front of her.

Carl and Sarah ate together in the kitchen, sharing words about weapons and terminators. They were trying to decide if they should just go out and find the Rev and destroy it.

“No. Don’t. We have to just stay here. If you guys go out and try to take it down, then I won’t have you when I really need you.” Grace objected loudly, holding her incision with one hand and her plate with the other.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sarah yelled. She never liked it when anyone questioned her ideas.

“I have to fight it. You, Dani, have to use my power source to fry it.” Grace set her empty plate on the coffee table. She picked up her cup and rested back, inching closer to Dani.

“How? With a half dead battery?” Dani asked, looking sideways at the blonde warrior.

“This power source is still enough to take out a Rev.”

“But that means, killing you.” Dani shuddered at the thought.

“Hopefully, Anne will be back with whatever help she intends to bring.” Sarah added. They all knew the cost of this fight. It had to end in the destruction of the Rev, and there was only one way that ever worked.

“What about my power source? It’s a nuclear reactor, hydrogen powered. I calculate that it might be powerful enough to take out the other terminator.” It was maybe Carl’s best idea yet, Dani thought. But that would mean killing him too.

“What we need is an EMP.” Sarah countered.

“EMP?” Dani looked to Grace for an answer.

“Electromagnetic Pulse weapon. If we got one close enough, it could fry a Rev-9. But we already tried that last time, according to the Commander.” Grace sipped the remaining coffee, cradling the warm cup against her chest. Her headache was finally beginning to subside. She felt the gentle rumble beneath her feet, suddenly aware of her impact on the timeline. She glanced up at Carl, watching him shake his head.

“I might know a guy.” Sarah looked around. Her secret military contacts were always helping her do something highly illegal.

“No, Sarah. Just stop. We have to stop talking about it.” Grace felt defeated. She knew this was the bottom of a mineshaft that her beloved Dani had told her about. They had to just hide.

“And what if that fucking thing finds us here? We’re all dead anyway, no matter what the stupid timeline decides to do with us.” Sarah lightly dropped her plate into the sink for effect. She turned and went back out to the gun range.

“She’s right.” Carl set his plate down. He hadn’t eaten a thing. He didn’t need to. Carl probably only ate in front of his family to preserve the illusion of humanity. “We can't be unprepared right now.”

Grace sighed. She didn’t want to fight with them. She knew Sarah was stubborn and might not be reasonable right now. Everyone was afraid, including Grace. She stood up carefully, holding the incision with her right hand. Dani stood up to steady her with a gentle hand on her other arm. “What are you going to do?” Dani asked quietly.

“Probably something really stupid,” Grace mumbled as she walked toward the back door. Dani let her go. Grace snagged the rest of Carl’s bacon on the way out.

Carl and Sarah were out back taking turns shooting humanoid targets. “Hey!” Grace yelled. The two turned at the same time to look at her. She walked slowly toward them, still holding her belly. “Listen, this is all fucked up. I don't’ know from one minute to the next what’s going to happen or not. Maybe you two can meet Sarah’s contact and pick up what we need. Just to be safe here, right?”

“That was the plan, Grease.” Sarah smiled, happy with her nickname for the wounded soldier.

“How long have you been waiting to say that?” Grace asked, not smiling at all.

“A little while.” Sarah set the rifle down on the table and moved to stand beside her. Grace was looking pretty weak all of a sudden. “Vitals, soldier.” She ordered Grace to report her status.

“BP 110/60. Heart rate 84. Power source 65%. Temperature 100.2.”

“How do you feel, Grace?” Sarah was serious now. She stepped forward to stand in front of the tall blonde. Sarah pulled off her sunglasses and looked up into the pale blue eyes.

“Not great. Anne said she had a list of meds for you to go pick up for me?” Grace hated to ask Sarah for anything at all, but she wasn’t in any shape to go herself right now.

“Yeah, she gave me the list. Are you out now?”

“I’ve got a couple more doses left.”

“Ok, you’re out. Load up, Carl. We’re going to town.” Sarah turned her head and ordered the terminator to cooperate. “You get back inside. Keep your head down, take a nap. Don’t fuck the new girl.”

Grace laughed, holding her stomach carefully. Sarah felt bad for making her laugh. She placed a gentle hand on top of Grace’s, holding her steady. “You ok?”

“Yeah. Thanks, Sarah.” Grace turned and dragged her heavy body back into the house.

Sarah decided to make the call to Major Dean while they were in town. She also needed liquor. A lot of liquor.

Grace was winded by the time she got back inside. She leaned on the counter in the kitchen for support. She couldn’t see Dani. She scanned the entire house, suddenly scared. Upstairs, in the bedroom, Grace located her via her x-ray mode. She took a few deep breaths and headed upstairs. She didn’t even bother to knock this time. She needed to lay down. Her power source had drained to 59% in just the last few minutes. She had seen this before. It just needed a chance to recharge. Fighting as an augment took a lot out of the reactors, but they could regenerate with rest.

Grace pushed the door open and staggered to the bed. “Whoa! What’s wrong?” Dani stood suddenly to help her to the bed.

“I’m ok. I just need to lay down for a while.” Grace got to the edge of the bed, sat down and laid back with Dani’s help. The brunette propped her up against the pillows into a mostly sitting position.

“Are you cold? Hot? What do you need?”

“Maybe a blanket.” Grace was starting to shiver, despite the fact that it was almost 100F outside. Her temperature had dropped down to 97F. She wasn’t used to being so cold anymore. The metal in her body was cooler because of the weaker power source. Dani pulled the blanket up over her, but Grace still shivered. Dani did the next right thing, and crawled in beside Grace, giving her some much needed body heat. Grace wrapped her arm around Dani, whispered a kind thanks to the woman, and felt herself drift off to sleep.

Chapter Text

Anne Morris radioed her contact once she was in the air. She was directed to a private landing strip outside of Laredo. It wasn’t even much of a landing strip. The area was just a dirt runway, concealed on all sides by tall trees. It was only meant to be detected from the air. She set the chopper down ten minutes after she took off. The aircraft was low on fuel. Anne had a long way to go.

She stepped out as soon as the blades stopped moving. Her contact was a female Army officer named Julia Wheatly. The two shook hands on the landing strip, and the officer led her to a small building in the tree cover.

“What brings you here, Morris? Again.” Wheatly, always suspicious, had seen Anne Morris more than once, and it was never for a pleasure trip.

“I have to get to Toronto. Today.” Anne didn’t have time to mince words with the officer. She regarded the woman silently. Wheatly was about 30 years old, blonde hair, green eyes, 125 lbs., give or a take a bullet-proof vest. Anne always found her very attractive but had never made a move on her. The gold ring on her finger was always a silent deterrent.

“I don’t have any flights leaving today, Morris.” Wheatly rubbed her chin, trying to think of how she could help.

“I can’t just Uber it to Toronto. We have a critical situation, time sensitive, literally.”

“It’s always a rush with you, Anne. Let me make a phone call. I’ve got a rig inbound in an hour. He might be willing to take you as far north as Denver.”

“I’ll take what I can get, J. Thanks.” Anne stepped back outside while Wheatly made her call. She scanned the surrounding area for threats. That was something pretty much everyone got used to doing. She let her mind wander to her night with Sarah Connor.

Anne had a brief relationship with Sarah in 1983 before all of this began. It didn’t last more than a couple of months before Anne went to work for UCLA in Los Angeles. She was actually surprised Sarah had even remembered her. They had shared the bed in Carl’s cabin. Anne had been half asleep when Sarah made an advance. Of course, Sarah had always been a welcome presence in Anne’s bed. She regretted not caring more for Sarah all those years ago. Maybe things would have turned out differently if Sarah never had John. Oh, the complexities of the time space continuum, Anne mused.

“Anne? My guy will be here in 45 minutes. He’ll fuel up and take you to Denver. From there, you’ll make a connection with another officer and he’ll get you over the border without incident.”

Anne turned around to thank Julia Wheatly. The officer handed her a cold can of soda. “It’s all I’ve got right now. We’re out of beer.” Wheatly’s eyes were kind. Anne nodded and held the soda in her hands.

“I’m sorry I can’t tell you anything, but that’s the whole problem right now. Anything I say can be dangerous.” Anne had to try to explain.

“I get it, Morris. You’re a super-secret agent. The fate of the world depends on you.” Wheatly had known a little bit about Anne being a time traveler; but she wasn’t sure she really believed it all. “Come on inside. Sit down. I’m going to go prep your chopper for when you get back.”

“Keep it, J. I won’t need it again.” Anne stared at the soda in her hand. She cracked it open and took a long drink. She hadn’t realized how thirsty she was.

“A freebie from Anne Morris? Unheard of!” Wheatly laughed, looking out at the little white helicopter. “But I’ll take what I can get.”

45 minutes felt like several hours. By the time the plane landed, it was getting dark. Anne noticed the time slippage. Hours ago, it had been early morning. No one around her seemed to notice the dilation. She stepped onto the runway and boarded the double prop airplane. It was only a 6 seater. It was small and perfect. She sat behind the pilot, putting on the headset so she could converse with her.

As the pilot took them into the air, she of course, wanted to make small talk. “My name’s Elizabeth Hammers. Welcome to Hammers Air. Ha!”

“Hi, Elizabeth. I’m Anne. Pleasure to be aboard.” Anne couldn’t say anything more.

“I’ll have you in Denver in no time.” Hammers turned her attention back to the front of the plane. Julia Wheatly had radioed her mid-flight and told her to pick up a single passenger, and not to ask any questions.

No time, Anne thought. That’s one thing that is absolutely true. We have no time. She tried to just look out the window and be calm. She wondered why it was that Grace could feel the time disruptions and no one else could. She admitted to herself that it was all probably because of the Legion CPU. Grace, whether she wanted to admit it or not, was part terminator.

Anne leaned her head back against the seat and willed herself to sleep.

She felt the wheels of the plane touch down later. They had landed at Denver International Airport. It wasn’t exactly private. She didn’t like this. As the little plane powered down, Anne stuck her head up to the pilot. “What’s the plan?”

“The plan is you stay here. We’re refueling. Don’t look out the windows, don’t get off the plane. Don’t make any calls. Just stay where you are. Another pilot will be here shortly. It’s been a pleasure, Anne.” Elizabeth Hammers scribbled something onto a log and stepped out of the plane.

Anne sat back again, trying to be calm. It was dark outside. Looked like it was midnight. It should only be about 3pm. She’d make it to Toronto in the next four hours, but that might take another day if the timeline continued to slip. Anne knew that things would only speed up from here on out. That’s why she told Sarah she’d be back in a week. The trip should have been no more than several hours from the start till she made it back to Laredo. Things were starting to get ridiculous.

About a half hour later, a new pilot came on board. He did not introduce himself. He only nodded at her and said that they’d be in Toronto shortly. Anne recognized the pilot. He worked for her at one point. He was part of the Toronto operation. He probably knew why she was going. She was grateful for his silence, at any rate.

Anne Morris felt the plane begin to taxi to the runway. She always got nervous when aircraft took off. It seemed so unnatural to be flying at all. The pilot brought them up to speed quickly and took off into the night sky. Anne looked at her watch. It had stopped. She shook her wrist, trying to make it kick over again. She felt like she was a passenger in The Langoliers.

The three-hour flight to Toronto afforded her the time she needed to create a plan. She was ready. She knew exactly what to do and how to do it. “Ma’am? The pilot yelled back to her. Anne pulled out the headset and held it to her ear. The pilot adjusted his mic. “We’re almost there. We’ll land in about 10 minutes. Once I touch down, there will be a car waiting for you.”

“Thanks, Eldon.” Anne spoke softly into the mic. The pilot nodded and returned his attention to the cockpit. Eldon. Was that his name? She was horrible with names. Her nerves were beginning to get to her. The anticipation of landing was beginning to scare her. She felt a wave of nausea rise up. Anne reached for an air sickness bag, held it open and waited. The feeling subsided. That was a relief. She really didn’t want to throw up. Anne Morris never got sick. As a child she was the one of three that never stayed home from school.

She watched the city lights grow brighter and brighter as they came into Toronto, Canada. The pilot took them down to the runway of the public airport. As he told her, there was a car waiting. The driver was dressed in black fatigues. A familiar sight. As Anne made her way down the airplane steps, the driver walked forward to meet her. “Ms. Morris? I’m Captain Jonas Krige. I’ll be taking you to the facility. What do you need today?”

Anne looked around, seeing that the sun was almost up.

“I need the TDC. Tell my team to get it ready.” Krige nodded and held the back seat door open for her.

The drive took no more than a few minutes. They entered an underground parking garage, seemingly open to the public. Krige escorted Anne to an elevator. He punched in a series of numbers into a keypad as they stepped in. The elevator doors closed quickly, almost slamming shut. Anne braced herself against the hand rails. This part was always freaky, she remembered.

The elevator felt like it literally dropped out from under them. Krige stood motionless. He probably did this all day every day. Anne, however, felt like her feet left the floor. The descent was so quick. 5 stories were covered in less than five seconds. The stop was equally abrupt. Anne felt like her knees had been jammed into her throat. Krige just bent his knees and absorbed the shock. “Thanks for the ride, fella.” Anne waved as the doors slid open.

The elevator opened right into a control room. Several techs in black fatigues sat around computer screens, monitoring various things. They were monitoring timelines, Anne admitted. This is the secret work that Toronto did. Every timeline they had contact with, they continued monitoring. It was brilliant really. A traveler could punch in a set of known coordinates and arrive in relative safety. Unless it was a war zone, or some natural catastrophe was occurring. Anne laid her bag on the floor at the back of the room. The woman approaching her was beautiful. Anne had to laugh.

“Morris.” The woman greeted her with a handshake.

“Morris. Nice to see you again.” Anne stepped beside a younger version of herself as they walked to the TDC.

“What are your coordinates?” The younger Anne asked.

“Here.” She handed the woman a piece of paper with some numbers written down.

“That might not be entirely safe, Morris. You know that timeline is crawling with machines.

“Have you seen it lately?” Anne addressed herself. She sat down on a bench outside the chamber and began removing her boots. “They’ve almost cleared the way.”

The younger Morris spoke into a headset, alerting a tech to dial the coordinates. “I haven’t. I’ll take your word for it. Are you ready, ma’am?”

“I don’t know why you’re always so formal with me. It makes me nervous.” Anne stepped into the chamber, naked, suddenly very nervous again. She wished she’d kept the sickness bag with her. The nausea this time was so strong that Anne vomited all over the concrete floor. She offered an apology through a single look to her younger self.

“It’s ok. This way.” Anne the younger led her up the steps to the platform. Anne took the bottle of conductive fluid from the command desk and began applying it to every part of her body.

“Hair tie.” The younger held out her hand. Anne pulled her hair down and doused her locks in the fluid.

Anne Morris stood in the center of the device as she heard herself crank up the power. She crouched down, bowed her head low, and waited. The sound began to shake the whole room. She felt the pricks of electricity all over her skin. She closed her eyes, listening to the loud pops and bangs before everything went quiet and dark.

Another loud bang and pricks of electricity. Morris felt mud between her toes. She felt rain on her naked skin. She fell to her knees, reeling with the sensation of being rocked through time faster than the speed of light. She vomited again but had nothing to purge. The air was cold and stank of organic decay. She let her eyes focus. The air burned them. Fuck this time, she thought.

She stood up to look around. She had landed several hundred yards away from a set of huge blast doors. A Dragonfly sat, unmanned, powered down just a few feet away from her. She scanned the area and everything seemed quiet enough. Anne hurried, naked, wet, and cold to the doors. They were not opening. Did she expect them to be waiting for her? As she walked up, she wondered if she should just knock. There should be operators just inside. Anne raised her fist to begin pounding on the thick metal doors. She heard the grinding and whining of some internal mechanism; and the blast doors began to open. As soon as there was enough space, Anne ducked and rolled inside. She was filthy. That was not something she liked, even in this time. Two techs greeted her with an aluminum blanket. She wrapped herself in it and thanked them. She didn’t need an invitation. She knew where she was going.

Chapter Text

The thunder outside was loud. Lightning crashed into a nearby tree, jolting Grace awake. She sat up in the bed. The darkness was heavy. The breeze blew through the open window, making the white curtains billow and wave. It reminded Grace of ghosts from cartoons from when she was a kid. As she regained consciousness, Grace shook off the noise that reminded her of traveling back in time. She carefully stood up, mindful of the hole in her stomach. It should have been healed by now with the aid of her primary power source. This was taking forever. It still hurt quite a bit every time she moved. She took the couple of steps to the open window and inhaled deeply. She could smell the desert rain. She had never smelled the earth like this before. It smelled so pure and clean. Grace imagined the earth drinking up every last bit of moisture the heavens provided. She watched the next flash of lightning travel horizontally across the sky, bright white fingers touching all parts of the darkness. Grace could smell the ionization of the atmosphere. She shut the window a little bit to guard the room against the oncoming rain.

Grace sat down on her side of the bed, feeling Dani’s presence close by. Grace inhaled deeply again, smelling the young woman’s hair and skin. Grace was suddenly lonely in the room. She was so lonely for Dani. She missed their room, their boots by the door, showers, their gentle love. Grace shivered remembering her last night with Dani in 2042. She closed her eyes and remembered her partner’s body beneath her, the way she tasted and felt. Grace bit her bottom lip as her body began to respond to the sweet memory. She could go into the bathroom and take care of herself. It wouldn’t be a betrayal to her partner, but it would take a lot out of her, physically. Grace knew this.

She checked her vitals. BP 115/60. Heart rate 55. Temperature 102.1. Power source 78%. Grace shook her head a little in case the HUD was glitching again. 78% couldn’t be right. She powered it down and back up again. 79%. Why was it rising?

Grace left Dani sleeping and made her way downstairs. Maybe Carl had an answer.

Sarah and Carl sat in the living room, watching a movie. Grace wandered in and sat on the couch beside Sarah. “How you feeling, champ?” Sarah looked over at the blonde warrior. She held a glass of scotch in one hand and a pistol in the other. Grace eyed her possessions. Sarah held up the pistol. “This is just in case he gets out of control.” She waved the gun in Car’s general direction. She held up the booze next. “This is medicinal.” She took a big drink.

“I feel better actually. I don’t know what’s going on. My vitals are almost perfect, and my reactor is now reading 79%. Wait. 80.”

Sarah straightened up to take a good look at Grace. “Why?”

“I was hoping maybe Carl would know.” Both women looked at the terminator.

“There has been a new development. The timeline seems to be increasing in speed. Time is moving faster around us.”

“What? I didn’t notice that.” Sarah looked around, as if to see a change in the world.

“I did. I feel like I’ve been asleep for maybe a half hour. When did you guys get back from town?”

“Four hours ago.” Carl and Sarah said in unison. The three of them looked back and forth at each other.

Grace sank down into the couch.

“Did you two.... you know.... again?” Sarah asked, fully aware of the implications of messing with the timeline.

“No. I don’t think so. No.” Grace had been asleep. Would Dani know about any of this? Grace looked up through the floor with her x-ray mode. Dani had shifted her position and was now laying in Grace’s spot but was still asleep. “Did you get everything you went after?” Grace looked longingly at the bottle of scotch on the coffee table. Sarah leaned forward, poured a bit more into her glass and handed it to Grace. The blonde thanked her and tossed it back.

“Jesus, woman. That stuff is 12 years old. Be easy with it.”

“We drink in the future,” was all Grace said.

“Yeah, we got a special care package for the Rev. And there’s one for you, too. It’s on the kitchen table.” Sarah offered Grace another drink. The blonde warrior was happy to accept. She leaned forward to stand up and go to the kitchen.

“No. Let me.” Sarah started to stand before Carl waved her back down. He retrieved the white paper bag from the kitchen. He handed it to Grace and went into another room.

Grace opened the bag to see a bunch of foreign medications. “What the hell? I don’t take any of this stuff.” Someone must have given her the wrong order. She sat the bag on the coffee table, more than a little disappointed. She had two doses left and she was overdue for one of them.

“Here, goofball.” Sarah picked up the bag and rummaged through it for a slip of paper. She unfolded it and read it aloud. “G, follow the instructions. This will be far better than what you’ve been doing. See you soon, A.”

Grace took the note and read it. And again. “Hmm.” She pulled the bottles of pills out one at a time, examining each. She had no idea what any of them were. The labels weren’t even printed in English, or Spanish for that matter. “Where did these come from?”

“I don’t ask questions like that,” Sarah smiled. “That’s how you keep getting the good stuff, Grease.”

Grace pulled out six bottles. There was another piece of paper at the bottom of the bag. She pulled it out and read the typed instructions. She only had to take one pill from each bottle twice a day, no matter if she ate or not. The instructions were simple. One twice daily. She pulled six pills and lined them up on the coffee table. Sarah poured her another stiff drink. “That’s probably not advisable, Connor.”

“Is there an alcohol interaction there?” Sarah waited while Grace looked over everything one more time. “I didn’t think so.” She set the drink down in front of Grace. The blonde warrior sighed, realizing she’d almost been killed in so many other fucked up ways. Pills were the least of her concern. One by one, Grace popped the pills back in her throat, holding all six of them. She tipped the scotch back, swallowing all of it at once. Her head began to get hot from the booze.

Carl returned with a small wooden box. He opened it and offered both women a cigar. “They’re not Cuban. But they’re good. My guy said they’re primo!” Carl smiled. Grace pulled a cigar out, holding it between long, pale fingers. She remembered trying to smoke with Ruiz. From what he had told her, you don’t have to inhale cigar smoke. It was mostly for the ambience. Sarah took a cigar. “I do love a good stogie.” She unwrapped it. Grace had never had a cigar before. She watched Sarah closely for what to do. She unwrapped the plastic and held it between her thumb and forefinger. She watched Sarah put one end into her mouth and bite the end off. Grace followed suit. Sarah spit her end across the room just to watch Carl go pick it up and throw it away. Grace spit hers into her hand and put it in her pocket.

“Pussy.” Sarah nudged Grace’s arm.

“Fuck you, trash.” Grace laughed, suddenly fueled by the alcohol to argue more with the older woman.

“Now you’re talking, kid.”

Carl offered them a light. Grace watched Sarah puff a few times to get the smoke going. The older woman relaxed back into the couch, lightly puffing, not inhaling. Grace felt safe enough to do the same. She puffed a few times and saw her hands shaking. She was nervous. She didn’t want to look like she didn’t know what she was doing. Carl withdrew the lighter, and Grace leaned back, admiring the lit cigar in her hand. She took a couple of puffs. She wasn’t displeased with it. The taste was strange to her, but it was a bonding opportunity. “We should play cards,” Sarah suggested. “Poker anyone?”

Carl went to a kitchen drawer and retrieved a deck of cards. He tossed them to Sarah.

Grace nodded, looking at her readout. Everything was fine. Her power source was holding steady at 80%. She looked up through the ceiling again, noting no change in Dani. Her vitals were typical of someone in REM sleep. Grace let Sarah deal her in. Sarah asked what they would play for. Carl got up again and brought back a coffee can full of pennies. He sat down and began to divide the change evenly among the three of them. Grace carefully stacked her pennies up in front of her. She could feel something strange taking hold of her. She didn’t think it was the whiskey, but more the medications. Her readout was showing perfect vital signs. It also showed the power source ticking up to 82%. Another blip of information came across the HUD. Her incision was being healed at a faster rate now. Grace was feeling better almost immediately.

She picked up the hand that Sarah dealt her. “Hey, guys. I’ve never played cards before.” Grace lied through her teeth.

“They don’t have cards in your time?”

“We just don’t have time to do stuff like this. Too much fighting and running and shit.”

Sarah sighed and gave Grace the very basic instructions of 5 card stud. Once Grace fully understood the rules, she was certain she was about to wipe the table with both of them.

After a few hands of beginner’s luck, Grace was giddy. Sarah was getting a little annoyed. She’d accused Grace of a hustle, but Grace swore she didn’t mean to do it. She was just playing the cards that were being handed to her. Grace did lose a couple of hands just to make it look good. She heard Dani on the stairs, quietly coming down. The brunette yawned and sat down next to Grace on the arm of the couch. Grace instinctively slipped her arm around the woman’s waist, letting her long fingers lazily rub Dani’s hip. It was Grace’s turn to lose, even though she was holding four aces and a king. Sarah asked how many cards she wanted. Grace hummed rather stupidly and asked for four cards. Sarah gave her the look. “Again?”

“Yeah, I just got nothing over here.”

“You got four aces, querida.” Dani reached down and took Grace’s cigar, puffing it slowly. She looked over at Sarah whose mouth was hanging wide open. Dani winked at Carl.

“I fold.” Grace said, laying her cards down. She looked at the burning in Sarah’s eyes.

“Hey, Metal Man. We’ve just been had.”

“OOOOH!” Grace started laughing and turned to start tickling the stool pigeon next to her. She felt Sarah come up off the couch. Grace scooped all the pennies in front of her, most of the collection, into her shirt. She pushed Dani off the side of the couch and sprinted upstairs, pennies spilling out of her shirt the whole way up.

“Lo siento. Siento.” Dani blew them kisses as she backed up the stairs, still puffing the cigar. “We needed the money for mama’s operation. You understand.”

Sarah watched the sassy brunette disappear up the steps. She turned around and sank back into the couch.

“That was fun.” Carl said, grinning like a total dope. “We should do this more often.”

Sarah listened for a moment as the upstairs bedroom exploded into laughter. She shook her head and poured another drink.

Grace locked the bedroom door and slinked across the room toward Dani Ramos. She let the pennies fall to the floor, getting lost in the carpet. Dani saw that predator stare in the blonde’s eyes. She knew exactly what Grace was after. She tried to pretend escaping, but Grace caught her and picked her up, holding her from behind. Dani squealed loudly as Grace bounced her around a little. Dani laughed, relishing the feeling of playing with this woman. Grace had wonderful play instinct. The blonde let her down and get her feet under her. Dani twisted in her arms, looking up, pausing their game. The two were coming to understand how fast they could switch gears. She reached up and grabbed Grace by the back of the neck, pulling her down for a deep kiss. She heard the warrior growl, low and soft. Grace bit Dani’s lip softly at first, then a little harder to make the younger woman moan. Grace pushed her against the wall, pressing her against the cool wood paneling. Grace leaned in and whispered, “I want to fuck you.”

Dani began breathing hard, feeling the heat of Grace’s body against hers, the stiff bulge pressing against her lower belly. “Then do it,” Dani panted. Grace bent lower and began to kiss the brunette’s neck, gently biting the skin. She reached down and started to unbutton Dani’s pants, kissing the brunette passionately as she tried to get the pants off. Dani helped her and kicked them off out of the way. The brunette pulled Grace back against her, close. She worked the button and fly on the blonde warrior’s jeans. She hooked her thumbs in the waistband and pressed them down around Grace’s lower thighs. Dani looked down between them at the hard monster. She reached down and took Grace in both hands, stroking her softly. “You’re so big, amada. Show me what you can do.” Dani issued the challenge.

Grace grunted softly, trying to hold back a little bit. She didn’t think Dani in this time could take her quite like future Dani ever did. She promised herself to use a little bit of self-control and restraint. Grace reached down and placed her hands behind Dani’s thighs, lifting her up to meet her gaze. Dani wrapped her legs around Grace, pulling her closer. Dani stared defiantly into the deep blue eyes. Grace shook her head slightly, silently telling Dani to hold on. The brunette wrapped her arms tightly around Grace’s shoulders as she felt the large cock begin to fill her. She was being stretched so far and Grace wasn’t waiting. She rolled her head forward, resting her forehead on Grace’s shoulder. Dani whimpered into Grace’s skin, digging her nails into the pale flesh of her lover’s back. Grace buried herself in Dani’s wet core, holding her tightly.

“Ready?” Grace whispered, making sure Dani was on board with what was happening. She felt the brunette nod against her shoulder. She gave Dani another moment to relax and get used to being stretched. Grace pulled her hips back, pulling her cock almost all the way out, leaving only the tip inside. “If I hurt you, tell me.”

“Shut up and fuck me, Grace.” Dani mewled. The blonde warrior slammed her hips back into Dani’s center. The young woman cried out. Grace’s whole body began to shake. She shut down her enhancements, willing herself to only feel right now. “Again.” Dani whispered, biting into Grace’s shoulder.

“Yes, Commander.” Grace pulled back and slammed her cock back inside of Dani again. And again. She took slow, hard strokes, filling Dani every time. She let go of one of Dani’s legs and reached up to wrap her fist in the black locks of hair. She twisted and pulled Dani’s head back, forcing the brunette to look her in the eye. “Just like this.” Grace held her steady, not too hard, and stared her down as she fucked her deep. Dani reached down and touched Grace’s cock as it slid easily in and out of her. She rubbed the base of the shaft with each stroke that Grace made. The blonde moaned loudly. This was entirely new to her. Dani had never done this before. She was on the verge of coming, but not until the Commander did. She clenched her jaw and kept the eye contact, taking time to kiss Dani roughly. Grace was claiming this woman as her own, and she knew it. She fucked Dani harder and faster, bringing the young woman closer to her orgasm. Dani shifted her hand, rubbing her clit with two fingers.

“That’s it, Grace. I’m almost there.”

“Come for me, Daniella. I want to feel you.” Grace shivered and bucked harder against the beautiful Latina wrapped around her.

Dani realized what Grace had just called her. Two more strokes against her swollen clit, and she began to come. “Oh Dios!” Dani moaned as Grace continued to slam herself home. Her orgasm overwhelmed her senses and she couldn’t do anything but moan Grace’s name over and over. Grace continued to pump her hips aggressively, feeling Dani’s body clench and convulse around her cock. Grace began to feel her climax approaching. She knew it wouldn’t be more than a few more strokes. She pulled back all the way and rammed her cock deep and exploded inside the brunette. “Dani, oh, Dani.” Grace groaned out her orgasm, feeling the weight of the woman she was holding this whole time. She felt herself pulsate inside, spilling her seed one shockwave after the next. Their bodies shook and rocked together. Dani was absolutely wrecked. She’d never felt anything like that. Grace was a fucking powerhouse. Except Grace’s legs were about to give out. That was new too. She willed her HUD online. Her power source had drained to 40% in the last few minutes. She still felt pretty good, but she was getting weak.

Grace let Dani slide down and get her feet under her. Grace pulled up her jeans without buttoning them. She pulled Dani by the hand toward the bed. Once Grace felt the backs of her legs contact the mattress, she let herself collapse backward. She breathed out deeply as Dani laid down beside her. Grace held her close. She had no words for what happened. She could feel Dani’s heart pounding, her breaths beginning to slow. Dani laid her head on Grace’s chest, on the left side, listening to the powerful heart beat beneath all the skin and machinery. She wanted to stay like this forever.

Chapter Text

Grace woke up sometime in the middle of the afternoon. She sat up in the strange bed, rubbed her eyes and looked out the window. She struggled for a few moments to remember where she was. Her enhancements were powered down while she slept. How had she been sleeping so long? She’d thought that it was just after midnight when she went to bed.

The HUD sensors came online with no more than a half thought from Grace’s human mind. The readouts flashed on the display. BP 116/68. HR 60. TEMP 102.2. TR 92%. Grace tried to understand what was happening with her body. Yesterday morning, she thought, her readout said it was no more than 65%. The backup thorium reactor should not be measuring this high. Grace grew a little worried that it might be approaching a meltdown. The backup reactors might not be suitable for long-term use. Maybe the power was being generated because she was resting a lot now. Perhaps it was from the new medications, but she’d only started that course last night. She shook her head scanned the back yard for signs of the terminator. Where was that fucking thing anyway? Certainly, after two days, was it two days? After two days in one spot, it should have locked on to Dani’s location.

Dani. Grace looked around the room. She wasn’t in the bed, or the bathroom. Where was she? Grace felt a wave of panic. She turned on the x-ray mode and began scanning the house. Grace tracked Carl making the bed in Mateo’s room, where Sarah was sleeping. She found Sarah in front of the tv, as usual. Dani was not in the house. Grace slipped clothes and her boots on, laced them and headed downstairs.

She was moving so fast on the steps that she slipped and skated down across the last two, nearly toppling over the back of the couch. Sarah jumped when Grace slammed into the sofa. “Slow down there, Tex. What’s the rush?”

“Dani! Where is she?” Grace continued scanning the house to no avail. She turned and went out the front door, looking out across the yard. She wanted to call out, but knew that silence, when a Rev was involved, was golden. Sarah appeared at her side.

“She’s out back, Grace. Calm down.”

“I can’t calm down. How am I supposed to protect her when she won’t stay near me.”

“Aren’t you supposed to stay awake, super soldier?” Sarah turned and went back inside. Grace wanted to slam the woman’s head into the wall. Instead, she made her way around the outside of the house, moving swiftly to the gun range.

The shotgun blast alerted Grace to Dani’s exact location. She turned off the x-ray mode, settling for the normal heads-up display mode. The sensors locked on to Dani, lighting her up in red. Grace swept her gaze across the surrounding trees and landscape, just in case. She walked up behind Dani, who was clearly struggling to hit any targets today. Two melons sat, intact, on posts no more than 25 yards away. Grace could blow them both away with a flat stone if she felt like it. She stopped short, watching the young woman opt for a smaller, more manageable weapon. The Glock 19 looked good in Dani’s hand, Grace realized. She was absolutely the sexiest woman Grace had ever seen before. Alecia’s blue jeans fight perfectly over Dani’s backside, tight in all the right places. The t-shirt hung a little loose on her shoulders, letting an admirer guess what was underneath. This was a younger version of the woman she loved, except the woman Grace loved was a fierce fighter, lethal. This version was seriously lacking in that skillset.

Dani cocked the pistol and took aim at the cantaloupe. She fired of several shots, not hitting the melon once. Grace felt a little sorry for her and decided to help. She knew sneaking up on an armed person, trained or not, was a good way to get shot. “Hey. Want some help?” Grace called from behind her.

Dani lowered the pistol and turned around. She was clearly frustrated and upset. “It doesn’t matter. I’m never going to get this right.” Dani dropped the pistol on the table and started to walk away. Grace jogged to catch her. She caught the younger woman by the arm.

“Hey, what’s going on? What’s wrong?” Grace bent down to meet Dani’s eyes.

“What the fuck is going on? I can’t be a commander of anything. I can’t even command a fucking gun! This is all so stupid. You’ve got the wrong person. It’s not me, Grace. I can’t do this.”

Grace held Dani by the shoulders and looked deep into her troubled brown eyes. “Dani, this is what you were born to do. I know it doesn’t feel like it now, but this is your calling. I hate to use the word fate, because, fuck fate, right? But you can do this. You DO this. Everyone has to start somewhere. Come on, let me help you.”

Grace turned her back to the table, pushing her gently. Grace could feel the resistance in the young woman and found the notion ironic. She instructed Dani to pick any weapon she liked. Grace was familiar with every single one of them already. Rangers always came across caches of old weaponry and learned everything about them. Dani picked up the pistol again, pulled the slide back and took aim. She squeezed off a round and missed the melon entirely. “See? I can't do this.” She let her shoulders fall in defeat.

Grace stepped up right behind her, close enough to feel her heat and disappointment. She slid her arms down over Dani’s, cupping the woman’s hands with her own. “Bring your arms back up,” Grace whispered, leading Dani to raise her arms. Grace brought their hands together, clasped around the pistol. “Feel it. Measure the weight. See the target. You know the gun is going to have a recoil. If you’re anticipating that, flinching before you shoot. Don’t let that bother you. Relax into it. The gun is a part of you, an extension of your hand.” Grace slipped her hands back, letting Dani hold the pistol on her own. She gently ran her fingertips up Dani’s forearms, feeling every bit of tension and anxiety in the brunette. “Relax your elbows.” Grace squeezed her elbows a little, reminding Dani they were tense. “Take a deep breath,” she dropped her arms away from Dani’s body. “Hold it, find your target, breathe out slowly and fire.” Grace stepped back and chewed her thumb. Dani inhaled, held it, took aim, and exhaled softly. She squeezed the trigger. The shot rang out, sending a pulse through Grace’s body. The cantaloupe took a hit square on. The hollow point bullet blew out the entire back side of it. Pieces of fruit flew out.

Dani smiled to herself. She lowered the weapon and turned to Grace. The tall blonde warrior smiled at her. “Perfect.”

Dani turned back and fired off three more shots at the other melon. Each shot landed beautifully, cleaving the fruit to shreds. She was proud of herself, and grateful for the personal tutorial. Grace approached the table and picked up an assault rifle. “Try this.” She helped Dani to hold it correctly, tucking it against her shoulder tightly. Grace whispered instructions into her ear again. She planted a leg behind Dani, knowing that the recoil of the rifle would be far more significant than the pistol. “I’m right here.” Grace said in that low, deep voice that Dani loved. The brunette took aim at a paper target. “Center mass.” Grace reminded her. Dani popped off several rounds from the semiautomatic rifle, mostly hitting the target around the throat and head. The recoil knocked Dani back a bit, but Grace steadied her. The younger woman leaned into the blonde warrior and continued firing until the magazine was empty. Grace leaned down, whispering into Dani’s ear, “kill shots, all.” She took a moment to reward the young brunette with a gentle bite to her neck.

Grace stiffened suddenly and stood straight up. What was she doing? This wasn’t her Dani. She felt like every moment she spent with this younger version she was being disloyal to her partner. Grace had just stepped into this situation and assumed a new relationship. She hadn’t even been here a day when she found herself holding and caring for this woman. Her mind tried to analyze the truth, telling Grace that it was still Dani. Even Dani herself had told Grace that it was ok for them to be together because it was all part of their story. However, Grace had spent years with one particular version of this woman, and that’s who her heart remained true to. Grace questioned her motives. Was she just being close to this Dani because the skin contact kept her sane and the sex was amazing? This Dani was keeping Grace from feeling the loss of her partner that she left behind. It wasn’t fair to Grace and certainly not this Dani. Grace just felt like she was using her.

“Okay. Looks good! Keep practicing.” Grace instructed, suddenly cold and distant. Dani turned to look at Grace, to find out what changed, but the blonde was already walking back to the house. Dani was confused at first. Grace was so gentle with her most of the time and seemed to genuinely want a connection with her. Suddenly, like now, Grace would close up and walk away, leaving Dani to wonder what she’d done wrong. She watched Grace go, hoping the blonde would at least look back. Grace continued on back into the house. Sarah opened the back door and let Grace slip by. The older woman put on her sunglasses and walked out toward the gun range.

“How’s it going out here? Learning anything?” Sarah yelled as she strode forward.

“A lot.” Dani sighed. She was learning a lot more about Grace than she wanted to know. Dani turned around, replaced the empty mag with a full one and continued to obliterate a new target.

“You’re shooting much better, Dani.” Sarah put in some ear plugs and picked up a tactical shotgun. The two women stood side by side, trading shots at imaginary terminators. Grace stood in the kitchen, watching. Always watching.

Carl entered the kitchen. Grace head heard him thundering through the house. He couldn’t sneak up on a person if he wanted to. He was so heavy and clunky, which was pretty typical of all first-generation terminators, no matter who made them. He began to wash the dishes in the sink. Grace tried to ignore him, concentrating on the brunette at the gun range. “It’s none of my business, but,” Carl began.

“You’re right. It’s not.” Grace chewed on her thumb, feeling a slight twinge of pain as she pulled off more skin than she intended. She looked down at the nail, where she had worked it too much. She dropped her fist and pushed her hands into the pockets of the jeans.

“That girl needs your help. She needs to feel like she has a purpose, otherwise there is no point in doing any of this.” Carl didn’t look up from the sink. Grace turned around and leaned against the counter, watching the methodical machine separate the silverware.

“Can I ask you something? Not about Dani?” Grace folded her arms over her chest protectively. She didn’t want to talk about what was going on with Dani.

“Of course.” Carl straightened up and faced her, throwing a dry dish towel over his enormous shoulder.

“My power source is reading out at 94% right now. It just keeps getting higher. It’s not supposed to do that. Thorium reactors are stable. Whatever they start at, they stay at. This backup was 65% on its bootup. So now what?”

“My fuel cell was designed to last 50 years. The last one I had, in the future, became unstable at the end of its life cycle. I had to replace it with a new one before it detonated inside of me. It is a nuclear reactor, much like the one inside you. Your readings of its strength are probably accurate, but I don’t know much about Legion technology.”

“I guess what I’m afraid of is that it’s going to melt down and blow us all up today.”

“I calculate that as being highly unlikely. Your power source appears stable for now. Perhaps your body heat, which is created by Legion CPU and the reactor, is being recycled back into the power source; ultimately sustaining itself. The more you rest, the faster it recharges. It’s only a guess.” Carl turned back to the sink and began running hot water. Grace looked back over her shoulder, watching Sarah school Dani on the finer points of target practice. She sighed heavily, still conflicted on every level. She needed at least 98% on her reactor to fight the terminator. She’d be there by the end of the day. At least if she was fighting something, Grace felt normal for a change.

She stepped beside Carl, rinsing dishes while he washed. She pulled the towel from his shoulder and slung it over her own. “I can fight soon. We should let the Rev find us. At least get that out of the way.”

“Anne told us to wait.”

“Anne isn’t here. That terminator is. And until that thing is blown to hell, Dani’s not safe and this timeline is unstable.” Grace had a point that Carl couldn’t deny. The whole house began to shudder. The windows creaked in their frames, rattling the glass. Grace reached out and steadied herself against the sink. Carl caught her with one arm, holding Alecia’s antique bowl in the other.

Grace looked at Carl when the disruption quit. “What the fuck? I didn’t even change anything. Did I say something wrong?”

“I don’t think it was you.” Carl looked out the window. Sarah and Dani were sitting, cleaning the weapons they’d been firing. He could see them talking, enjoying one another’s company. “Maybe they are suggesting something. It’s hard to know.”

Grace was feeling weak. Her vitals were crashing all of a sudden.. She needed food and her meds. She opened the fridge and took out a leftover plate of spaghetti. She grabbed a clean fork out of the dish pan and sat down at the table, eating the meal cold. She stared down into the pasta, wishing she could be anywhere else. This whole situation was too much to comprehend.

“I’ll go find out what they did.” Carl drained the sink and placed the wet dish towel on the edge. He left Grace alone with her thoughts. She went to the coffee table and retrieved the medications. She lined out six pills and took a beer from the fridge. Grace took them all without hesitation. Her power source was reading at 93%. She sucked down the beer and left her plate at the table. She needed to go lay down. The early afternoon was approaching evening already. She felt time slipping away from her. What was she going to do? They needed to fight the Rev and correct everything. Grace thought about the young woman in the back yard. She had to remind herself of why she had come here. She was here to keep Dani alive, no matter the cost to her. Grace wasn’t here to play house. She had an objective, and the time needed to complete that objective was running out fast.

Grace laid on the bed in the shared room. She closed her eyes and hoped to the gods that Anne Morris came back soon with a plan. Grace decided that if she wasn’t there by nightfall, they were going after that fucking machine, come hell or high water. Carl and Sarah would have to listen to her. If they didn’t, she’d go after the damned thing herself.

Grace’s mind drifted to Dani, her Dani. God, how Grace missed her. She tried to recall every moment they spent together. She remembered how much Dani affected her in Carlsbad. Grace had never gone running back to a woman in her life. She took what she wanted, when she wanted. She fucked whoever she wanted. She had no attachments. It was the way Grace liked things. It made it so much easier to operate. But that woman, Dani Ramos, had completely upended her entire world with a hand in the middle of her chest. Those brown eyes, and that body that she used as a lethal weapon against Grace’s rough exterior. Grace felt herself beginning to respond to the memory of her once and future lover. She gently touched herself through her jeans. She began to swell and harden. Grace unbuttoned her pants and slipped her hand inside, desperate to feel her partner’s touch instead of her own. She shut down her enhancements for a while, to feel instead.

Dani put a knee on the bed and began crawling toward Grace. She held herself on her hands and knees over the blonde warrior, letting her black hair frame Grace’s face. She was only inches from Grace now. "Hi” Dani whispered. Grace hadn’t even heard her come in. She tried to move, but Dani had her pinned.

Grace searched Dani’s eyes, remembering the geode and that birthday party. She’d been so relaxed with Dani that night. They’d both drank too much and been sick the next day. Grace sighed heavily, pulling her hand away from herself.

“That was intense. You’re missing her?”

Grace nodded, ashamed to look this woman in the eye any longer. She’d been so sure of herself moments ago. Dani slipped a leg over Grace and straddled her, not pressing on any particular part of her. “Look at me, Grace.” The Commander’s voice. Dani’s bedroom voice. It was too much. Grace turned her head to look at Dani. The young woman grasped Grace’s chin, holding her gaze. She bit her bottom lip, watching the blonde’s eyes look over every part of her face. Dani lowered her head and kissed Grace softly, just pressing her lips fully to the blonde’s mouth. Grace slipped her tongue out to meet Dani’s. The taste of her mouth was familiar. Grace closed her eyes and allowed herself this moment. It was Dani, after all.

The young brunette pressed her center down over Grace’s groin, feeling the bulge begin to swell. Grace moaned quietly, deep in her chest. Dani slipped a hand up under Grace’s tank top and began to caress a breast. Grace felt fingers pawing at her, squeezing and pulling the nipple, sending waves of pleasure crashing over her. “Dani.”

“I’m right here. I’ll always be here for you.” Dani wasn’t sure if this was true, but she had just promised to always be what Grace needed, when she needed it. She knew damn well Grace missed another version of her. It was one that the Ranger had spent years with. She’d known this version of Dani for less than a few days. Dani understood if Grace pulled away and wanted to stop. She felt a hand come up around her side, pressing into her back between her shoulder blades. The other, Dani realized was protectively covering the incision on Grace’s belly. “Sit up, querida.” Dani moved off of Grace and helped her sit on the edge of the bed.

Dani leaned her head against Grace’s shoulder, unsure of how to proceed. Truthfully, Dani wanted to have sex with Grace badly, in this time and the one after Judgement Day. “For me, Grace, everything is going forward as it should. According to what you told me, I meet you now. Then I meet you later. I wait for you to grow up, and then I have you as my partner for years. Right?”

Grace nodded, looking ahead at the wood paneled wall.

“Well, maybe the timeline is running in a circle. A loop, as Anne said. This is part of our story, Grace. That tells me, that no matter where we are in it, except when you’re too young, everything between us is ok.” Dani actually made the whole situation make sense. Maybe Grace was grasping at straws, trying to justify a way to cheat on her future self. “How else could I wait so long for you to grow up? If I wasn’t deeply connected to you right now? I want this with you, Grace. Don’t you want it with me too?”

It was exactly, almost verbatim, what her future partner had told her about them. Grace wanted to be with Dani badly. She could almost reconcile the differences between the two versions. She nodded, still staring across the room. She felt warm fingers under her chin, pulling her face to the side. Grace leaned into the touch and let Dani lead her into the gentlest, most loving kiss Grace had ever had, bar none. She waited for the disruption to happen but felt nothing at all but Dani’s soft lips prying her own open, slipping that wicked tongue into her mouth, urging her to do something.

Her vitals had been holding steady. If she went slow and easy, it would be ok. Grace moved to push Dani back on the bed, but the brunette stopped her. “This is all for you.” Dani dropped down onto the floor, positioning herself between Grace’s legs. Grace breathed hard. Her pulse began to ramp up quickly. She felt so dirty, but so excited too. “Relax.” Dani looked up at her with hungry brown eyes, tinted with adoration and something deeper. Grace recognized it but wouldn’t name it. She leaned back on her arms, watching every move the young brunette made.

Dani unbuttoned and unzipped Grace’s jeans, dropping kisses over the blonde’s waist. She was careful to avoid the incision. She slipped a hand up Grace’s shirt, gently cupping a breast as she massaged the blonde warrior’s bulge through her pants. Grace moaned softly, not wanting to alert everyone in the house. She let her head fall back and closed her eyes, feeling Dani’s stealthy hands pulling her jeans down. Grace shifted to help her get them off her hips. Dani pulled the pants down and let them rest around Grace’s ankles. Dani had taken her briefs too. Grace looked back down and saw how exposed she was in the light of day. Dani didn’t skip a beat. She gripped Grace’s cock, squeezing and pulling, bringing it to life quickly. “Dani,” Grace moaned. Her eyes rolled back in her head. The sudden sensation of warmth and wet around her cock head made Grace pant. She looked back down, watching Dani take her length slowly into her mouth. “Oh God, Dani.” She ran her hand through the soft dark mane of her lover. She shivered as the brunette seemed to be running her tongue over every part of her shaft. She throbbed in Dani’s hot, wet mouth, wanting to push all the way into her throat. She refrained from doing it and just let Dani decide what to do. The brunette began to bob her head up and down a little faster. Grace thought she would probably come in a few seconds if Dani kept that up.

Grace heard someone coming up the stairs, loud. “Fuck. Dani, I’m sorry.” Grace pulled her away and stood up, bringing her jeans up too. As the bedroom door opened, Grace saw Sarah barge in. Dani lowered her head and looked away, clearly embarrassed by getting caught. Grace stepped in front of her, shielding the young woman from Sarah’s eyes, which were now trained on Grace’s rock-hard member. Grace pulled the jeans up over her hips, stuffing her cock inside. “Fucking knock, maybe?” Grace was pissed, not at the interruption, but at Dani’s vulnerability. It was a compromising position for the young woman to be caught in, and Grace did her damnedest to protect her.

“Uh, we’re going to make dinner, watch a movie.” Sarah’s eyes wandered away from Grace and Dani, around the room. “If you’re interested. Sorry to, whatever.” Sarah turned and walked out of the room, leaving the door wide open. Grace stepped forward and slammed it shut. She sat back down on the bed beside Dani. The young brunette was still on her knees, leaning on the mattress.

“I’m sorry, Grace.”

“What do you have to be sorry for? She’s the one who can’t knock. Come here.” Grace reached for Dani’s hand and pulled her up to sit across her lap. The blonde leaned in and kissed Dani softly. There was no need for an explanation or promises of later. They both seemed to understand it would happen when it happened. Grace kissed her again. Dani felt another flush of embarrassment rise in her cheeks. She sighed heavily and bit it back. She convinced herself there was no shame in what they had done. She tried to pull herself away without looking at Grace, but the blonde caught her and held her still. They searched each other’s eyes, asking questions neither of them had answers to. One thing was sure, though. There was no other disruption. Grace placed a gentle hand in the middle of Dani’s chest. Dani nodded at her, knowing inherently that it was ok to move on. “Do you want to continue?”

Dani’s hot mouth on hers was the answer she secretly hoped for. Grace needed a release. She had been content to masturbate, but her physical needs were telling her this was much better. Dani shifted in her lap, trying to get back down between Grace’s thighs. “No. Don’t do that. Come here.” Grace pulled her back on the bed, letting Dani straddle her again. She felt nimble fingers pulling at her jeans. Grace lifted her hips and pushed them down lower, letting her hard cock free. Dani pulled off of her to take off her own pants. She didn’t stop there. Dani removed her shirt and bra too. Grace panted at the sight of the naked beauty. She wanted her hands all over this woman, to feel her skin. The blonde warrior’s arousal was heightening. She throbbed and ached for Dani. She pulled her down to lay beside her. Grace wrapped gentle, strong arms around her. She rolled on her side to face Dani, pulling the brunette’s leg up over her own. Dani nodded and pressed her hips forward, giving Grace access to her. The fingers that found Dani’s wet center were trembling. Grace’s breathing was uneven. She pressed a finger into the hot entrance below. Dani closed her eyes and moaned, pressing her hips forward harder.

“Yes, Grace. Please.” Grace pushed her index finger deeper inside, pumping gently. She found Dani’s clit with her thumb, rubbing it back and forth as she stroked the brunettes most sensitive parts. She almost couldn’t take it anymore. She wanted to be fully inside her. Dani reached down and began stroking Grace’s length.

“Oh,” Grace moaned. She resisted the urge to flip Dani on her back and tear into her. All of Grace’s grief and rage were building inside her. She inserted another finger and began to fuck Dani harder. She was losing control of herself. The brunette’s hands on her cock felt like absolute fire, stoking the flames of an inferno that threatened to engulf all of Grace’s reasoning. She closed her eyes and willed her enhancements back online. She couldn’t do this again. No. She wouldn’t let herself.

Grace withdrew quickly. She stood up and pulled her pants back up. “I’m sorry, Dani. This can’t happen again.” Grace turned and stormed out of the room, leaving the young woman feeling ripped and torn.

The disruption that occurred then was so strong, it knocked Grace off balance and she fell down the steps, rolling hard against the back of the couch. Sarah and Carl were on their feet instantly, to see what had happened. “Grace?”

The blonde warrior stood up, straightened her shirt and pants and addressed them both. “My power source is 96%. We’re going after that fucking thing. This shit ends tonight!” Grace moved past them to the back door to gather weapons.

Dani came downstairs a few minutes later, tucking her shirt into her pants. “What did you do to her?” Sarah asked.

“Nothing. I, I, I don’t know what I did. Everything was fine until it wasn’t.”

“We have to stick to the timeline,” Carl interjected. “We have to go after the Rev. Dani, you are the bait. We have to get your face on a public camera somewhere.”

Grace poked her head through the backdoor, “am I doing this alone, you assholes?”

Sarah turned and went out to help the blonde warrior load weapons. “What’s up your ass, Harper?”

Grace turned and looked at Sarah with a piercing glare. “I can’t wait anymore. The longer I wait, the more this,” Grace waved toward the house and everyone still inside, “keeps happening.”

“You’d rather die than be with her?”

“Right now, I’ll settle for just rather dying.”

“Whoa.” Sarah exhaled hard. That was a lot of emotion coming from the future soldier. Sarah had never seen her this upset before. “Look, Grace,” she began as she helped the blonde pack rifles and shotguns into the drapery truck, “I can’t know what you’ve been through.”

“No,” Grace cut her off. “You can’t.” She turned her attention to the black bullet-proof vest on the passenger seat. She strapped it on her chest, hoping it would ease some of the vulnerability she was feeling. It was no use; Grace was a train wreck.

Chapter Text

Carl loaded up the black case containing the EMP. Sarah had asked for two, but her contact had only been able to secure a single device. The cost was more than Sarah wanted to think about. It was better than nothing, she admitted, graciously accepting the highly illegal gift.

Dani was feeling completely rejected and lost. Just earlier, Grace had been praising her abilities to become the Commander of the Resistance in just a few short years. She thought that they had a genuine connection. Dani could even admit to herself that she was falling in love with Grace, but the blonde warrior was too shaky to commit. Dani couldn’t understand it. There was no way that Grace would get back to her own time to be with future Dani. However, Dani did understand that they had started things up rather quickly when Grace showed up in her life. A rebound is what it was. Dani had done that before with an ex-boyfriend in high school. He had broken her heart, and she needed comfort. Her best friend, Amy, had been there to help her. Dani had fallen hard for her because she gave her comfort and soft hugs. Those hugs turned to kisses and heated touches before Amy told her no more. Dani forced herself to be honest about Grace’s confusion and feelings to replace what was lost. Even if it was some other version of herself, traded in for a newer model, who looked and acted and smelled exactly like her, Grace was grieving. Dani decided to give the soldier some room to breathe. Grace probably needed that space more now than ever, if they were going to pick a fight with the Rev.

Everyone piled into the van. Grace decided to drive. She needed to feel in control of something right now. On the way into Laredo, Sarah spoke up about picking a place to fight the machine. They’d need somewhere somewhat enclosed so it couldn’t escape, but relatively deserted so that no one else got hurt. They needed a place to detonate the EMP without getting noticed. Sarah said she did not want to go to prison. She’d avoided that her whole life since John’s death and wasn’t about to start being some cellie’s bitch. Grace kindly reminded Sarah that she would never be someone else’s bitch.

Sarah grinned and thought about Anne Morris. Sarah would do almost anything for that woman. She remembered the night they arrived at Carl’s place. Anne was asleep when Sarah rolled over in the middle of the night and touched her back. She had tried hard to ignore what she was feeling, but Anne’s presence in the bed consumed her like fire. Anne responded with a soft moan and Sarah was at her neck, kissing, biting, and pulling Anne toward her. The younger version of Anne turned around and kissed Sarah so hard, she couldn’t even breathe. Sarah blinked the memory from her eyes and stared out the window. She started missing Anne as the sun was setting on another shortened day.

Carl said nothing as they made their drive into the city. He was probably calculating and assessing every angle of their proposed attack, Grace thought. She looked at him several times to see what he was up to; but Carl just sat still. She snapped her fingers in front of his eyes twice to get his attention. “I think we should stop at the bank. There are security cameras and lights there. The Rev will be able to see her.”

“Okay, then what?” Grace asked as she pulled off the freeway at the first downtown exit. She didn’t like being in a crowded city. It was too enclosed, not enough escape routes. Too many people were there. Grace took into account every single life lost during her combat days. One life was far too many. A city populated by thousands was unthinkable. She drove them to the nearest First Interstate Bank drive-thru.

“Then, we let it find us.” Sarah offered from the back.

“Yeah, but where?” Grace was growing impatient again. It wasn’t like her to not have any kind of battle plan. She shook her head and parked the van near the building. She got out and walked around to get Dani. “Come on, let’s get this over with.” She held Dani by the wrist, roughly pulling the young woman toward her.

Dani jerked her hand back. “What the fuck?! Am I just a thing to you? A piece of meat that you can fuck and throw to the wolves whenever something isn’t going YOUR way? Fuck that! And fuck you! I am not your plaything, Grace. I don’t give a shit about what we were in the future or what we may have been today. All that matters is that you treat me like a human fucking being. I deserve that much. I didn’t ask for this,” Dani made a sweeping motion behind her, meaning Carl and Sarah. “I didn’t ask for my brother or my father to die.”

Grace dropped her head, not wanting to meet Dani’s eyes. The brunette was furious. “If you want me to fight, you have to support me. I won’t be a flag to be waved in the enemy’s face. This, here? What we are doing, Grace? It supposed to mean something. You all keep telling me that I’m humanity’s last hope. Well, maybe we all need to start fucking acting like it, ok?”

Grace looked up at her. Dani’s eyes were wild, looking for confirmation in her companions. Her chest was pushed forward, her shoulders back. Dani Ramos was defiant, a powder keg, and Grace had just lit the fuse. She pointed up above them, letting Dani look at the security camera she had just been ranting in front of. Dani turned to face the Rev behind the eye in the sky. “I know you’re watching, puto! Come and get me! I’m not running!” Dani flipped him her middle finger. “Let’s go.” A solid order from the Commander. Dani loaded back into the van and shut the door. Grace smiled to herself. That was the Dani Ramos they needed, even if it was at Grace’s expense. She caught Carl looking at her sideways, and she just grinned.

“Lake Casa Blanca. It’s not far from here, probably deserted.” Carl suggested as Grace pulled back out onto the semi-busy street. He gave her directions, and Grace Harper drove the team out to the kill box. She waited for the inevitable disruption of time and space, but it never came. Maybe, for once, things were back on track.

On the main drag, Grace stopped for a red light. She really didn’t have time for this. She shook her head and sighed impatiently, watching cross traffic fly by. Carl switched on the radio. It was some unfamiliar song, but the lyrics rang true for Grace.

“But don't you come here and say I didn't warn you

About the way your world can alter

And oh how you try to command it all still

Every single time it all shifts one way or the other.”

It just made too much sense to her. Everything right now was Dani. The future Dani and the Dani in the back seat were becoming indistinguishable to Grace. The only thing that would set the world to rights was her own inevitable death. There was no way that future Dani could ever see her again. If she didn’t sacrifice herself for this Dani, here and now, then Dani Ramos wouldn’t move forward to save the world from machines. Grace wondered if Dani now knew too much about the future. That was dangerous, and Grace could only wonder about future timelines being fucked up like this one. With every piece of new knowledge, timelines were threatened. Grace thought about the tearing of the entire universe just because of what they were doing now. She shook her head and tried to think of something else.

The vehicle behind them rammed the van hard, shoving it into the cross traffic. They were hit again on the right, as a little Hyundai plowed into the passenger side. Grace looked in the side view mirror. She saw a weapon being raised up by the driver behind them. It was Ruiz’s face. “Fuck, he’s right behind us!” Grace hit the gas and ran them through the intersection without getting hit again. The car behind them was being driven by a terminator. Bullets began flying through the back window. Sarah pushed Dani down on the floor, covering the girl with her own body. Grace looked back one time to see it, glad of the hardened old woman’s help. She floored the accelerator, following Carl’s directions to the lake.

The traffic for this late at night was terrible. Grace ran two stop signs and weaved in and out of the flow of vehicles for several miles before the red and blue flashing lights appeared in the distance. “Goddammit. Cops.” The words were pushed tightly through gritted teeth, and it took a second for Grace to realize she’d been the one to say them. Cops. Just what they didn’t need.

From the back, Dani yelled, “a hundred dead cops!” Grace nodded in agreement. She had to lose everyone behind her. No small feat in this stupid 4-cylinder drapery van, she thought. In any other situation, it might have been funny. The Rev did most of the destructive work for them, Grace noticed. As she continued to weave and make sharp turns around corners, the Rev was bent on a path of maximum damage. The machine was driving a Jeep Liberty, plowing into street signs and parked cars. The first police car hit something in the distance and stopped. Three other cars were on their tail now, and Grace was almost to the lake.

As she rounded another corner, throwing her two female passengers against the side of the vehicle, Grace heard the explosion behind them. She saw the flash, but that was it. Whatever the Rev had done was effective because now, it was the only thing following them. The road was all but deserted as She took them out to Lake Casa Blanca International State Park.

There were lights and a little kid’s park. She remembered playing on one of those during the last summer before Judgement Day. Grace wondered if they had time after this, and she was still alive, maybe she could go see her brother one time. She packed that away for later. Grace brought the van to a screeching halt. Everyone got out and unpacked weapons. Carl took a shotgun and the EMP case. Sarah had a rifle and a shoulder-mounted anti-tank gun. Dani took a rifle for herself. Grace took the last shotgun and an axe. She slid the axe handle down into the back of her bullet-proof vest, leaving the blade sticking up above her shoulder. She just needed it to be where she could grab it.

Sarah was already in position with Dani, ready to start firing on the machine as it pulled into the little parking lot. The Rev exited the Hyundai slowly, showing its ugly face. Only it was Ruiz, and Grace always thought he was handsome.

“You should let me have the girl.” The Rev even had Ruiz’s voice.

“Fuck yourself.” Grace countered, walking toward the metal demon.

The machine didn’t seem to understand the command. She held the shotgun tight against her body, keenly aware that she was now standing between the Rev and Dani.

The Rev acknowledged Carl. “You and I are of the same purpose. Why don’t you let me have her? Legion is the only future.”

Carl was quick to remind the machine that he came from a future similar to that one, and that it failed. “Humanity always wins,” Carl added.

Something inside the Rev began to gear up. Grace heard that old familiar whine and scream the machines made during their attacks. She cocked her shotgun and sent a round scattering into its face, blowing the exoskeleton away from the inner bones. The red eyes glowed, tracking Grace’s movements as it directed its attack toward her. Carl intervened with a blast from his weapon. The shot knocked the Rev to the side as Sarah and Dani began opening fire on it, taking it further and further away from them. The four heroes used their weapons to direct the thing backward toward the kid park. Carl had set up the EMP there, near the slide. They just had to get the machine into the sand.

The Rev must have grown sick of the abuse. It stopped moving and split into two. Grace remembered the Rev-7s from the future. She recalled the two that almost killed her and Dani both. “Get behind me!” Grace screamed at Dani. She began to fire into the empty socket of the exoskeleton until she had no more ammunition. She swore under her breath and threw her shotgun at the Rev. She told herself it was now or never. She reached up and pulled the axe free of her vest. Dani and Sarah were unloading on the exoskeleton when Grace heard the boom and whoosh of something heavy being fired. She looked back for a second to watch the shell of the anti-tank weapon soar past and blow the liquid metal frame to pieces. It wouldn’t be long before it reformed and was on them again. While Carl was busy pounding the endoskeleton against the concrete, Sarah rigged up the remote to detonate the EMP. She told Dani to get back. The brunette ducked behind the van. Grace waited for the liquid shell to come back together, and it did quickly. She launched herself forward with a fierce cry, axe in hand. It reminded her of wielding the sledgehammer back at the car factory. This time, she had a blade. She sliced through its head with ease, kicking the monster over as she landed.

The Rev rolled and made its way back to its frame. Good, Grace thought. It should be in one piece when they fry it. Grace lured it closer and closer into the park, taking swings at it with her axe. It formed spears and decided it wanted to fight her close up. She dodged several of its thrusts, knocking it across the forehead with the blunted edge of the axe. The last swing was the one she didn’t see coming.

She felt it before she saw it. The spear went right through her lung. Grace felt the mesh beneath her skin tear apart like paper. The pain was dull and made her want to vomit. She couldn’t breathe. The Rev just held her there. She looked to Dani, who was screaming “No!” Sarah held the detonator in her hand, in a strange “thumbs up” position. Grace felt the augment fluid flowing up her throat and out of her mouth.

“Do it,” Grace cried weakly as she clung to the robot holding her in place. The Rev retracted its spear, and it felt like it pulled Grace’s soul out too. She fell face first into the sand. The EMP blast was sufficient to take out all the power in the park, and half of Laredo. They were shrouded in darkness. There was no sound. The Rev9 fell in a dead heap right beside Grace’s motionless form.

Dani appeared by Sarah’s side. “Where’s Grace?”

“I don’t know.” Sarah had her rifle pointed up and was watching for movement. There was a faint groan about 20 feet in front of Sarah. She crept quietly forward. She sensed movement to her side. Carl was rolling over, getting to his feet. She took her gun off his head and kept moving forward. Under the dim light of the stars, Sarah knelt beside Grace, who was still face down in the sand. She was trying to push herself up but couldn’t manage more than bleeding profusely. Sarah rolled her on her back, checking her for injuries. She couldn’t be sure of what she thought she saw, but it wasn’t good.

The mechanical whine of the injured Rev was loud in Sarah’s ear. “It’s not dead!” She jumped to her feet, reluctantly leaving Grace where she lay. She pointed her rifle at the machine. It was weak but not out of the fight yet. Dani appeared by Grace’s side as Sarah led the machine away, shooting at its head. Carl picked up the slack with the axe, slamming it into the Rev’s shoulder, slicing it off clean. He swung around to get more momentum and landed a strong blow in its midsection. The monster fell back.

“My power source!” Carl yelled. He started to strip off his jacket and his shirt. He used the axe blade to cut through his skin. He dropped the axe and reached in with one hand, fishing for the hydrogen cell. He yelled to Sarah and Dani.

“I’m not leaving her!” Dani screamed at Carl. Her eyes were full of tears. She had Grace lying on her back, but the blonde warrior was unconscious. The Rev was after Carl now, since he held the deadliest weapon remaining. Sarah helped Dani lug Grace back to the van. She was so heavy, Dani thought. It felt like they were moving in slow motion and the sun was already coming up.

“Someone needs to detonate Carl’s power source. He can’t do it by himself.” Grace said weakly as the two women pulled her back to the van. “If he takes it out, he’s dead. The Rev will never... go... for it.” Grace coughed up more fluid. Dani was sure Grace was going to die. Her heart was collapsing in on itself with every ragged breath Grace was able to draw.

“What the fuck do we do?” Dani cried, tears streaming down her face.

“One of us has to stay. I’ll do it.” Sarah said, tightening her vest straps.

“No!” Dani was not about to lose anyone else.

“Let me,” Grace whispered. “Dani, this is what you sent me here to do. We both knew I wasn’t coming back.”

“Grace, no.” Dani begged, watching the Rev come closer and closer. “Please, no. Don’t do this.”

“It’s the only way, Dani. I’m dead anyway.”

Dani held Grace by the shoulders, wiping sand and fluid from her mouth. “I can’t let you go.”

“You have to. It’s the only way. Go.” Grace’s eyes were starting to fade out to a paler shade of blue. Sarah peeked out from behind the van to see a hooded, shadowy figure standing between Carl and the Rev.

“What the fuck?” The figure pulled a bright blue glowing orb the size of a baseball from their jacket pocket and held it up in front of the Rev. The machine seemed mesmerized by it. Carl ran back toward the three women, his heavy booted feet thumping as he ran. He picked Grace up, throwing her unceremoniously over his shoulder; and shoved her into the back of the van.

“We have to leave.” Carl said, moving to the driver’s side. Sarah didn’t need any further explanation. Dani stood to look around quickly, watching the blue object begin to glow brighter. She felt Sarah’s hand on her vest, pulling her backward. Dani relented and fell back into the van as Sarah slammed the door shut. Carl spun out on the asphalt and hit the gas hard.

“Carl? What the hell is happening?” Dani poked her head up between the seats, holding Grace’s hand behind her. “Tell me what that thing was!”

“It’s from the future. Farther into the future than Legion or Skynet. Or from a future we don’t understand yet. It was Anne Morris.” Carl, who was still shirtless and bloodied, explained. “She told me to take you three home. That we’d be safe now if the timeline didn’t collapse. Grace’s death and the use of her power source would have corrected things, but it was impossible.”

“Anne? That was Anne?” Sarah asked.

“A version of her, yes.”

“What was that blue thing?” Dani redirected the question back.

“It doesn’t have a name. But it is the equivalent of a hypernova on the head of a needle. It’s far more destructive than anything humans or machines have built yet.”

“Anne’s ...power...source.” Grace whispered, pulling Dani back down to her.

“What?” Dani lowered her head to hear Grace speak. It was just a whisper for no one else but Dani. Grace lost consciousness. Dani kept her finger on the blonde warrior’s pulse. She was still alive. For now.

The sky turned a marvelous shade of light blue just then. The shockwave sent the van careening into a cement wall on the main drag. The blast sent parked cars flying down the avenue behind them. Trees bent and swayed with the blast. The air got ice cold. Dani looked at Sarah, who was pinned to the side of the van by Grace’s body. She could see everyone’s breath as the temperature continued to plummet. Dani’s heart sank as she watched vaporous heat rise up from the hole in Grace’s chest. Dani pressed her hands solidly over the wound, holding it shut. The exposed side of the van began to buckle under the blast.

“Let’s move!” Car yelled, exiting the van. They all followed suit out the driver’s side door. Carl scooped Grace up and threw her over his shoulder again as the group made their way in the opposite direction of the blast. Carl’s skin began to turn white. Grace hung lifelessly against his body as they ran. Dani held Sarah’s hand as they moved as quickly as they could to the nearest building. “Get inside!” Carl yelled. The initial blast was finished, but the cold was too extreme for any of them to survive for more than a minute. The air was so cold, it burned Dani’s lungs to breathe. The convenience store clerk inside was hiding behind the counter when they ran in, taking shelter behind the main snack aisle. Every window in the gas station was shattered into slivers on the floor.

The world began to rock and shake back and forth with a force more savage than Carl had ever felt before. No one else seemed to be aware of it. They were too busy checking on Grace. He closed his eyes and waited for the world to end. He staggered and swayed, taking a few steps to steady himself.

“Hey, guys? You guys back there?” The clerk had stood up from behind the register. He was in a protective bullet-proof case. Carl stood up and acknowledged him. The kid was white as a sheet and his voice shook as he spoke. “You need a shirt to be in here, sir. And if you guys aren’t going to buy anything, I have to ask you to leave.” The poor kid didn’t know what hit them. He kept looking outside as the sky faded back into the dark blue of near dawn.

“Jesus, someone buy me a beer.” Sarah complained as she stood up, looking around. She was amazed any of them had survived.

“We need a car. We need to get Grace somewhere safe.” Carl said, wiping the blood from his chest with a roll of store paper towels.

“Grace needs a doctor,” Sarah said. She knelt beside the blonde and pulled the vest free of her chest. The wound was deep. It hadn’t gone all the way through, near as Sarah could tell. Grace moaned softly as Sarah examined her in the store aisle. “Soldier, report!” She demanded, trying to keep Grace awake.

Weakly, Grace read off her display information. “BP 80/45. HR 110, thready. Power source, 24% and holding.” Grace rocked her head back and forth.

“Let’s get her out of here, Sarah. At least she could die in a comfortable bed and not a fucking 7-11!” Dani reached beside her and threw a jar of pickles. The glass exploded near the pop cooler.

“Hey! I’m calling the police.” The kid picked up the phone and started to dial. Carl stepped up, half naked with an open roll of paper towels, a single can of beer, and two jars of pickles. “How much?” He slipped the kid a hundred-dollar bill. The kid put down the phone and nodded, pocketing the money. Carl picked up the paper towels and handed the beer to Sarah. He went back and hauled Grace up over his shoulder again and led them out of the store. No one took the pickles.

Chapter Text

In 2042, Anne Morris hurried to the quartermaster’s office, in search of clothes. She knocked on the heavy, metal door and heard someone within grant her entry. She pulled the mylar blanket tightly over her body, not wanting to expose herself any more than necessary. Anne stepped inside to see an older man with greying hair, behind a desk. He looked up over a pair of reading glasses sitting on the tip of his nose. He stood up, took the glasses off and sat them down gently. He tried not to stare at the naked woman standing in his office.

“Name and rank?” he asked. It was standard procedure to find out who was being issued clothing and supplies. It helped keep track of the demand for necessary items.

“Morris, Anne J. Specialist. Highgate Augmentations Division, Montana.” Anne recited the title as she had a million times before. The man regarded her thoughtfully for a moment.

“I’ve heard of you. I thought you were dead actually.” He led her down to a room in the back. She followed, feeling the chill of the air suddenly.

“I am.”

The quartermaster turned to look at her, anticipating the punchline of her joke. She stood shivering under the makeshift emergency blanket. “Clothes, please?” She didn’t want to beg, but she was tired of being naked. Her bare feet were numb on the concrete floor. Pins and needles were shooting through pretty much every inch of her body.

“Of course, ma’am.” The man opened the door to the supply room and switched on the overhead light. The large room was stacked with uniforms on one side. Anne hurried to find her sizes for everything. He took her shoe size and located a pair of boots and socks. Anne dropped the blanket from her shoulders, letting it float to the ground like a deflated balloon. The quartermaster averted his eyes and told her to take whatever she needed. He left and waited up front for her. Anne was grateful for warm clothes. She blinked away tears at the sensation of wool and cotton on her skin. The seasons in this time were changing fast. It was getting cold again, and she was nearly hypothermic. She found a pair of thermal pants and a top. Anne pulled them on, loving how tightly they hugged everything. The material was designed to strip away moisture from the body and still remain dry. Wicking material, they called it. It was perfect in the summer too. She pulled on the black fatigues of the Resistance uniform, laced up the boots and called it good.

“Hey, you don’t happen to have a rubber band, do you?” She asked the man as she approached his desk. He opened a drawer without a word and produced a handful of green and yellow elastics. She picked one and tied her hair back. “Now, where can I find the Commander on a day like today?”

“I don’t know, for sure.” The man sat back in his chair, staring at the wall. “She hasn’t been around much lately. Check with Sergeant Fischer. She’d know.”

“And where can I find him?” Anne had never met a Sergeant Fischer.

“She’s probably in the Commander’s office.”

She. Got it. Anne nodded to the quartermaster and thanked him. He scribbled some words and numbers in the ledger without looking up. She turned and headed back down the direction she came.

The common area was quiet for a late afternoon. The smell of lab-produced food was thick in the air. Anne realized she was pretty hungry. She passed the mess hall, walking by a short man wearing an oven mitt. She nodded to him and continued on. The command center was quiet too. There were a couple of techs working the desks. The screen on the wall was lit up with maps, showing known Resistance outposts and what appeared to be Legion locations. It was a standard watch. She went through the station and down three doors to the Commander’s office. She knocked twice, waiting for entry.

A strong female voice inside ordered Anne to come in. She opened the door and saw a tall, thin, blonde-haired woman standing behind the Commander’s desk. If Anne thought about it too long, she’d think Dani Ramos had replaced Grace with a replica.

The blonde looked up from a file she was holding. “Yes? Who are you?”

“My name is Anne Morris. I’m looking for Dani Ramos.” Anne stepped into the office fully, shutting the door behind her.

“Anne Morris? THE Anne Morris? From Highgate?” Maggie Fischer closed the file she was reading moments ago, setting down on the Commander’s desk. She turned to fully face Anne. She wore the Resistance uniform proudly. Anne noticed it had been tailored for her specifically. She was used to seeing people in standard issue uniforms, much like the one she currently had on.

“Yes, Sergeant Fischer. Can you tell me where I can find her, please? I don’t have much time.”

“Yeah, but first explain something to me. You’re dead.” Maggie leaned on the desk, keeping a bit of distance between them. She did not really trust what she was hearing or seeing. Fischer thought that anyone now could be an infiltrating terminator.

“Yes, and no. Obviously, I’m not. Long story short, I was killed in this time. But I also live in 2022. Which is where I came from today. Please, Sergeant.” Anne seriously didn’t have time for this.

“How do I know you’re not a Rev?” Fischer asked her point blank.

“If I was, you’d be dead right now.”

Maggie considered the answer for a moment. She was probably right, and the operators had also detected the time travel signal when she arrived. Not much escaped Maggie. “Ever since Lieutenant Harper jumped, the Commander just hasn’t been the same. She stays in her private quarters most days. You know where that is?”

“No.” Anne had never been to Anaheim.

“Through the common area, first tunnel on your right. Go around the curve to room 83.”

“Thank you.” Anne turned to walk out.

“Can I ask what this is about?” Maggie asked. She deserved that much, to know what was happening under her acting command.

“Someone needs her.” Anne shut the door behind her.

Maggie Fischer had been afraid this day was coming for months. Mostly, she worried about Grace coming back. Maggie had been Dani’s rock during the whole ordeal since Grace left. It was unlikely, but the fear of being replaced always itched in her mind.

Anne sprinted out to the common area, down to the tunnel and into the long, curved hallway of residences. 80, 81, 82, 83. She skidded to a stop outside Dani’s door. She took a moment to catch her breath. Things were about to get really weird, she realized. Anne knocked softly and listened.

“Enter.” The command was barely audible. Anne wasn’t even sure that’s what she heard. She opened the door and pushed. The Commander of the Resistance was propped up in her bed, reading a book. Anne thought that she really looked like shit. Dani hadn’t combed her hair in gods knew how long. She had a dirty black t-shirt on, grey sweatpants and socks. One sock had a big hole in it, and Dani’s big toe was hanging out. A mostly empty bottle of whiskey and a half empty glass laid on the bedside table. The small lamp was the only illumination in the room. Anne took a second to look around. Clothes and papers littered the floor. Empty scotch bottles were neatly arranged on the dresser. The room smelled of old socks and booze.

“Dani, I need your help.”

Dani Ramos sat up and squinted, not believing what she was seeing. This woman was entirely familiar, albeit 20 years her junior. “Anne? Anne Morris?”

“Yes, Dani, it’s me.”

“You’re dead.”

“I’ve been getting that a lot lately. Look, Commander, we don’t have time. I need your help. Grace needs your help.” Anne pressed her, just to get out of bed. The Commander looked like she hadn’t left the room in ages.

Dani moved to stand up. She got her bearings, drank down the last swig of booze from the glass, and wandered over to Anne. “What do you mean, ‘Grace needs my help’?” Dani was slurring her words. “Grace is gone.”

“Are you sober?” Anne needed Dani to be sharp right now. “How about I explain things over some coffee?”

“Where is she?” Dani almost couldn’t believe what she was hearing. This Anne was telling her that Grace was still out there.

“Closer than you think, and she doesn’t have a lot of time. Please, Dani.” Anne begged, again, not liking how it felt coming out of her.

“Let me get dressed. Meet me in the mess hall. I’ll be right there.” Dani started looking around for anything clean to wear. Anne nodded and excused herself, giving Dani some privacy. Anne stopped momentarily, remembering, “Oh, Commander? Where can I find a Stacy Lewis? The augment tech who worked on Grace?”

“She went back to Highgate, months ago. I don’t know if she’s still there. I haven’t heard from her.”

One more piece of the puzzle to figure out. Anne headed to the mess hall. The smell of food was almost too much to bear. She approached the cook with the oven mitt on one hand. She asked him about an early meal, and he was glad to help. Anne helped herself to a cup of coffee from the silver urn on the end of the serving line. She sat down at a table nearby and waited. The gloved man appeared with a tray of gelatinous looking mush. She didn’t even care what it was. It smelled fantastic. She tucked in and began devouring the meal.

Dani Ramos appeared out of nowhere, standing beside Anne while she was finishing the brown colored mush. Dani sat down across from Anne, holding a new glass of brown booze. eyeing her suspiciously. Dani’s uniform was wrinkled but looked mostly clean. She’s at least run a brush through her shaggy black hair. Her face was drawn and sad, but it appeared she’d at least washed it before coming down.

Anne wiped her mouth with the rough paper napkin provided on her tray. She sipped her coffee, washing it all down. “Look, Dani, I’m going to be perfectly honest with you. I’m here from 2022. I don’t have time to explain how I was here too. At some point, during this last year here, in this time, you and I had a conversation about Grace’s future augmentation. You gave me specific details about placing a second power source in her, due to past events with Grace’s battle with the Rev. Any of this ringing a bell?”

Dani nodded. So far, this Anne Morris was correct. Dani remembered the private conversation with Anne a few weeks before the ranger headed back in time to Mexico City. She wanted to be able to give Grace every chance to live that she could. For all that Dani Ramos tried to forget since losing Grace, she kept remembering everything, even through the fog of the liquor.

“Okay, good. Stacy Lewis was probably the one who put the secondary source in. I need her to give me the specifics on what that backup power source can do. You also gave the other me instructions on how to find Grace in 2022 when I told you I was going to jump. Which I have. For now, she’s safe. She’s alive. She, Sarah Connor, Carl, and younger you are all holed up at Carl’s cabin. The Rev is still out there hunting them. Grace’s primary power source fucked up somehow. I had to remove it before it killed all of us. It’s part of the newer augmentation protocol. She can’t fight the Rev on her backup. That’s not even the worst of it, Dani. Everything you told Grace about 2022 this time, the secondary power source, and all? That knowledge has fucked up the 2022 timeline. Everything is on course to collapse and reset.”

Dani sipped her coffee, carefully thinking about what was being said to her. “What about the timeline? What does that mean?”

“Dani, it means that in just a short amount of time, days maybe, the 2022 timeline that you sent Grace to will no longer exist. Everything will start over.” Anne was getting a little irritated. It didn’t seem like Dani was listening to anything she was saying, or at the very least, understanding it all. Anne had to admit, she was throwing a lot of details at an inebriated Commander Ramos.

“Including this timeline?” Dani began to wonder about her own future. Anne stifled a growl. Maybe Dani had a death wish.

“There’s no reason to believe the two are interconnected anymore. Your future was written without Grace here. I don’t think there will be any repercussions.”

“What do you want from me, Anne?” Dani felt herself growing tired of nonsense. There was nothing she could do to help Grace in 2022. What was done was done. Dani had accepted that in spite of the fact that she couldn’t completely move on.

“I need you to go back with me. I need another primary power source for Grace. We have to correct the timeline, for your younger self’s sake. For little Grace. For, forgive me for saying it, humanity, Dani.”

“Go back? To 2022?” Dani scoffed. Anne could smell the booze on her breath from across the table.

“Yes.” She wanted to reach out and shake Dani back to reality.

“How? Both time displacement chambers have been destroyed, here and in Colorado.”

“Think bigger, Dani. Think further north.”

Dani sipped her whiskey again, thinking about what that could mean, what Anne Morris’s work at Highgate was all about. Dani shrugged. She wasn’t in the mood to do any deep thinking.

“Toronto, Dani. Jesus, do I have to spell it out?” Anne was losing her patience.

“What is your plan, then? Get a new reactor, jump back through time and save Grace?”

“Yeah, that’s it exactly. Don’t you want to see her again?”

Dani hung her head, staring down into her cup. “I do, I just, thought she was dead.”

“No, Commander. She’s alive, and she needs you. She can’t jump here without a power source. And I think this is really going to be a one-time thing. According to my team in Toronto, the Resistance has finally got the upper hand here for good. I’m offering you a chance to go back before the war. And stay there, Dani. With Grace.”

Dani straightened up. She’d processed Grace’s death. She had felt that loss so closely that it ripped her heart and soul to shreds. Dani had put that part of her life behind her, for the most part. Aside from sulking in her room day and night, drinking too much, and leaving the command to Maggie, Dani was doing just fine. She even had a little side thing with Maggie when it got really rough in her head. She explained all of this to Anne.

“Well, whatever you told Grace to do,” Anne knew the next part would light a fire under Dani’s ass, “She’s involved with your younger self now. Entangled, for lack of a better word. Grace’s heart is breaking, and she’s all fucked up over you. She doesn’t just need a power source, Dani. She needs YOU. For Grace, it’s only been a couple of days since the jump. The time dilation is strange. Will you come with me?”

Dani felt her blood pumping for the first time since Grace left. She felt the fire of jealousy burning inside of her. Grace, if HER Grace was still alive, Dani could go back to see her again. It all made sense too. The Resistance was in capable hands with Maggie. Dani hadn’t issued a single order in weeks. The gig was basically a mop-up operation, rounding machines up and destroying them. They’d broken Legion’s back.

“No, it can’t be happening.” Dani finally looked up into the green eyes staring back at her. Anne Morris, no matter what age she was in any timeline, Dani thought, was stunningly beautiful. “No, it’s too much chaos on the timeline, Anne.” The conflict between saving the universe now and that she might be able to see Grace tonight was beginning to overwhelm her.

“Ok, Commander. Stay here if you must, but I need to get to Highgate. Now.” Anne decided to call Dani’s bluff.

Dani ordered a pilot to take Anne north to the secret science division in Montana. She allowed Anne some time to get her things in order. Lloyd Lloyd was more than happy to help Anne get a hold of Stacy at Highgate to get everything ready that Anne would need, plus an additional transport to Toronto. Dani decided while she was out and moving around, she’d go talk to Maggie for a minute.

Dani didn’t bother knocking. It was her office, after all. Maggie was seated behind the desk, reading the files on the last of the augmented soldiers. Her long, thin legs were crossed in front of her. She really did look like Grace, Dani realized. She felt bad for involving the seargent in her mess. Maggie looked up and smiled at her. “Hi there. How are you feeling?”

“I’m ok, Mag, thanks. I want to talk to you about something.” Dani sat in the comfortable armchair. She was taken back in a memory of sitting in this chair, usually on Grace’s lap. Her mind was consumed with Grace again, but without the pain associated with the memories. Maggie stood up and walked over, kneeling on the floor beside Dani. She rested her chin on Dani’s knee.

“Grace is alive.” Dani started.

“I know.”

“Anne says I can go back and see her.” Dani reached out and pushed some blonde hair out of Maggie’s face. The young woman leaned her head against Dani’s palm.

“I kinda figured.” Maggie responded, closing her eyes.

“If I go, I have to leave now. The Resistance is doing well in your hands. I was really lucky that you showed up.” Dani tried to lull her into a state of confidence, even though Dani already knew what she was going to do. It was Grace, after all. Maggie looked up at her with sadness in every feature. Dani could see it and feel it.

“Do you want to?” That was unfair. Maggie switched course. “I’m sorry. Of course, you do.” The story of Dani and Grace was legendary. Everyone knew it. The tale had broken hearts all over Anaheim.

“I do.” Dani felt bad for wanting to leave Maggie. She had been so strong for Dani in the last few months. She couldn’t see spending the rest of her life with Maggie, but the woman’s company meant a lot to her.

Maggie bit back her tears. “Then... you better pack, Dani.” She managed a smile and rubbed her chin against Dani’s knee. The look in her eyes told Dani she wanted to be happy for her, but Maggie was hurting. The truth had been feared for quite some time; and Maggie was beginning to acknowledge it.

“I’m not sorry. You mean everything to me, Maggie. I wouldn’t have made it without you.”

“I know. Your office was all fucked up. No one could have led with it looking that way.” Maggie smiled, showing her beautiful teeth. Dani reached for her, to pull her close on last time.

Maggie’s body was nothing like Grace’s. Maggie was not built as strong as Grace. Maggie was softer everywhere. Dani was actually sick of comparing Maggie to Grace in every single way. She didn’t do it out loud, but she thought it all the time. Dani just couldn’t get used to her. But still, Dani held her. Dani really did care about her. She wrapped her arms around Maggie, not as a friend, but as a lover. Maggie Fischer pulled back and looked into Dani’s eyes. “I hope you find her. I hope your heart heals, Dani. You deserve to be happy in this life.” Maggie leaned in and kissed Dani softly, holding the commander’s jaw with her fingers. Dani sobbed against Maggie’s mouth, feeling a combination of guilt and joy. The two emotions were strange bedfellows, how they could run parallel to one another and intersect at odd angles. They could tear a person apart and still make them look forward to a new future. Dani felt release.

“What about you, Mag? What are you going to do?” Dani pulled back, searching the sergeant's eyes for the answers.

“Don’t you worry about me. I know my way home.” Dani knew she was quoting a movie by her use of a fake southern accent, but Dani couldn’t place it. Maggie smiled and helped Dani to her feet. She gave Dani a hug, squeezing her tight. “Take care of her, Dani. I heard she needs you.”

Dani nodded, went to the desk and cut Maggie’s new orders: A promotion to Commander of the Human Resistance. She signed her name legibly, dated it correctly, and looked it over. She’d only done this one other time, but this time it would be for good. Maggie would be just fine. Dani stepped back, snapped to attention and saluted the new Commander. She took off her insignia and pinned them on Maggie’s uniform. “Good luck, and Godspeed, Commander Fischer.”

“Same to you, but more of it, Dani Ramos.”

Dani left and shut the door behind her. She felt drained, but ready to leave.

Dani found Anne in the loading bay. The operators had an inbound Dragonfly to take them north. Dani pulled her field jacket tight over her body. She pulled a knit cap down over her ears and put on her leather gloves. It was going to be a chilly few hours in the air. The blast doors began to open and as soon as there was enough room, Anne Morris and Dani Ramos ducked under. Anne stepped up on the platform first. She extended her hand to Dani, which the brunette accepted. Dani strapped into a seat near the front of the craft. Anne sat beside her, talking into the headset with the pilot. Dani felt Anne’s arm around her shoulder as the ion drive engines roared to life. The Dragonfly lifted them into the air, and Dani Ramos said goodbye to Anaheim forever.

Chapter Text

Sarah rummaged around in a few parked cars, looking for one with keys. After the third failed attempt, Carl laid Grace gently down on the hood of an old SUV. He sat down heavily in the driver’s side and pulled the steering column apart. After just a few seconds, Dani watched the spark light up the cab of the vehicle and the engine came to life. Carl stepped out and picked Grace up again. Sarah snuck into the driver’s seat while Dani slid in the back, receiving Grace into her care. Carl loaded up into the passenger side, and they carefully made their way back out to the cabin. Sarah took great pains to follow all the traffic laws. She didn’t want to draw any attention to them, even though she knew by now that the feds had probably spotted her on the bank security camera. It probably would have gone unnoticed if there hadn’t been an explosion at the lake that alerted everyone on the planet. Plus, the power was out over nearly half of Laredo tonight.

With her head snugly in Dani’s lap, Grace tried to stay aware of her surroundings and status. Her reactor was draining slowly, at a mere 18%. She knew if she shut her enhancements down for a little bit, it would preserve what power remained. Doing that meant that she wouldn’t heal at all without the help of a medical crew. She felt the lung puncture deep in her chest. Every breath she took felt like razor blades being dragged through her insides. She tried not to feel stupid about fighting a Rev with only a backup power source. It was a foolhardy decision, one that she made in anger and emotional tumult. It could cost the ranger her life. Grace could kick herself for not listening to Anne when the Highgate scientist had told her to stay put. She tried not to think about it. Thinking required heat and energy that she didn’t have right now. Instead, Grace focused on what was immediately nearby: Dani’s hands in her hair, the quiet whispers in Spanish, the soft body pressed against her cheek. Grace enjoyed it in a way but knew it wouldn’t last.

Carl tended the self-inflicted wound in his chest. He folded the skin together as best he could. He had told Sarah that it would heal without stitches. She tried to act like she didn’t care, staring ahead at the road instead of making conversation. Carl asked Grace for a readout of her vitals, but all Grace did was mumble incoherently. Dani felt the blonde’s pulse and reported what she could feel, along with how many times Grace breathed during a minute or so. Carl looked at Sarah and asked who she went to when she needed to be patched up. Certainly, Carl said, the great Sarah Connor couldn’t just walk into the emergency room with a bullet wound. Sarah shot him a dirty look and said there was no way any doctor here could work on Grace. Dani countered that Sarah was being cold and heartless. Sarah Connor shut her mouth and continued driving, getting off the freeway. She followed the road to the old dirt access trail leading to Carl’s cabin.

The sun was finally coming up as they reached the house. Sarah swore they were being followed until they pulled off onto the dirt road. She kept her eyes in the rear view of the SUV until they made it home. She had wished they’d done this trip at night. Daylight left them all exposed. She felt the need to run, far away from all of this. It wouldn’t be the first time, or the last. She knew that with the Rev destroyed, her work here was basically done. She forced herself to ignore the impulse to continue caring about anyone in this group. She pulled the vehicle around the back of the house, warning everyone to stay in the car until she had a look around.

Sarah exited the SUV, acutely aware that she no longer had a weapon stronger than a pistol. She pulled the gun from the back of her pants, cocked it, and aimed low at the ground. She did a sweep of the backyard area first. Everything was quiet. The gun range sat, just as they had left it, save the weapons on the table. Sarah and Carl had been conscientious to put everything back behind the locked door of the shed. With the exception of the things they took with them, the shed held quite an impressive arsenal. Sarah just didn’t have a key right now.

The back door did not appear to have been broken or messed with in any way. Sarah could not see that any windows had been broken out. She reached for the doorknob and twisted. She pushed the door open quietly and stepped inside to the mud room. So far so good. She crept through the kitchen, taking note that nothing was out of place. Sarah turned the corner and scanned the living room area with the gun following her eyes. All clear, she told herself. She silently crept upstairs to the bedroom Dani and Grace had been sharing. No boogeymen were to be found. She stopped long enough to look out the window, trying to see if anyone was coming toward them down the dirt road. Nothing. The basement was more of the same eerie quiet. In the room she had shared with Anne, Sarah took a moment to herself. She inhaled softly, trying to smell Anne’s ghost in the air. All she could smell was the dank scent of the basement. No joy. Carl’s bedroom remained untouched, even by Carl. He’d kept watch in the living room from the moment the group had arrived that day. Sarah sighed, lowered the pistol and relaxed her shoulders. She moved her head back and forth, cracking the joints in her neck. She moved through the house like a fox, going to tell the rest of the crew everything was safe. She passed by the coffee table and saw the white envelope. She wasn’t sure how she missed it before. Sarah stopped and picked it up. The handwriting was legible and serious looking, like that of a serial killer:

“Sarah Connor”

Instead of opening it right there, Sarah stuffed the envelope down the back of her pants, hiding it with the hem of her black t-shirt. At the back door, she waved for everyone to come in. She rested herself against the kitchen sink, feeling the weight of the envelope against her back. It felt like a lead brick.

Carl brought Grace inside and laid her carefully down on the couch. He drew the quilt Alecia had made up over the blonde’s shivering body. Dani sat down on the coffee table, watching Grace like a hawk. Dani Ramos had never seen Grace like this before. She knew, somewhere in the pit of her stomach, like the certain wave of nausea passing through her, that she would again. She wrung her hands in her lap, reciting a prayer from Catholic school. Dani hadn’t prayed in years, but this situation called for all the gods to help her.

Carl appeared beside Grace with a glass of water. He was stirring something into it, causing the fluid to become white and cloudy. He placed a big and gentle hand behind Grace’s head, lifting her up. Her only response was a pained moan. Dani closed her eyes against the agony the ranger endured. She couldn’t even imagine how much pain Grace was in right now. Between the metal hardware and the torn human flesh, she was shocked that the blonde warrior was even still alive. Carl told Grace to drink slowly. She tried to resist at first, spitting the water out of her mouth. It fell out of her lips and ran down her neck and throat. She made a muffled gagging noise as Carl tried again. “Drink, soldier,” Carl said in his best fatherly voice. This time, Grace managed a couple of swallows. He held her head and kept pushing the fluid until Grace passed out finally. Carl pressed the glass into Dani’s hand and stood up. All they could do was let Grace rest and wait. The medications from Anne’s contact had helped her in the last couple of days. Carl suggested they might help now. This time, however, Grace needed a miracle.

Sarah shook her head, not able to watch the scene unfold further. “I’m going to walk the perimeter,” she mumbled. “Carl, the keys?” Sarah held out her hand, waiting for the terminator to fish them out of his front pocket. He tossed them to her and said something about finding a new shirt. The two went their separate ways, Carl to his bedroom, and Sarah out the back door.

Dani turned her attention back on the wounded warrior. She knelt on the carpet beside Grace. The ranger was only wearing the black tank top and her jeans now. Sarah had left the torn vest back at the convenience station. Dani gently lifted the cloth of the shirt up to check Grace’s abdomen. A few of the stitches had been torn out. She reached down to unpick the broken threads. She raised the shirt higher to see the wound in Grace’s chest. It was nearly between the blonde’s breasts, just a little higher and to the right. It was a gaping hole. Dani could see the torn mesh that protected Grace’s internal organs. She shook her head, thinking that it wasn’t much protection at all. The augment fluid had flowed freely from the wound. The Rev spear had probably hit an important vein. If Grace had not been enhanced, the blow would have been fatal. Dani knew there was nothing to prove that this wasn’t going to be fatal. She didn’t want to have to watch Grace die slowly.

“Grace, what can I do for you?” Dani asked, not expecting any kind of response. The blonde breathed as hard as she could with only one lung. Dani was sure she’d tried to say something, but no words came out. Grace’s hand fell from under the blanket to touch Dani’s knee. The hot tears in Dani’s eyes fell, burning her cheeks. There was nothing she could do to stop them, and nothing she could do to help this hero. Dani reached down and squeezed Grace’s hand, returning it to the blonde’s side under the blanket. She stood up and moved to Carl’s chair. Dani would keep the vigil as long as Grace was still alive.

Carl returned with a clean t-shirt on, brown this time instead of black. Dani noticed that he looked like a fairly normal person, except for the scrape on the side of his face. The shiny Skynet metal below was the only tell that he wasn’t human. Carl stood in the middle of the room, looking out the front windows, perpetually scanning the area.

“Carl?” Dani spoke softly. The terminator turned to regard her. “Do you miss your family?”

“Yes. They would have been home by now.” He looked back out the window, whether in response to Dani’s question or the need to remain busy was unclear.

“I miss my family too.”

“The Rev killed your family, yes?” Carl asked without looking this time.

“Si. And the worst part is, all I can think is that I wish I'd had more time. Maybe I wouldn’t have been so bossy with my father. Maybe I wouldn’t have been so shitty with my brother all the time.” Dani looked down at the ailing soldier on the couch. “Maybe I would have done a lot of things differently.” She wouldn’t have come on to Grace the way she did. Dani wondered if maybe she hadn’t formed the attachment with Grace, if the warrior would still be upright.

“Did you love them?” Carl asked, staring ahead out the window.

“Yes.” Dani whispered, smoothing the edges of the blanket around Grace’s shoulders.

“Did you tell them?” Carl turned back to her, cocking an eyebrow. “Did they know you loved them?”

Dani thought hard. It was difficult to remember when the last time she told anyone that she loved them. She tried in every way, every day to show her family that she loved them. Her love for those men was labor. She took care of them, cooked, cleaned, made sure they got to appointments and paid the bills. She took care of them when they were sick. She fed the dog. Of course, she loved them, in her way. In her own quiet way. And Dani knew that they knew.

“Yes.”

“Then there’s no need to spend your time regretting what you could have done differently. It’s a waste of your energy.” Carl didn’t mean to sound so callous, but he was, after all, a machine. His decisions were cold and calculated, no matter how human he tried to be. All he could do for Dani was change the inflection of his voice to something more soothing. He could choose his words carefully, but as a machine, he would never understand the true meaning behind certain things.

Once Sarah was out of the view of the house, she leaned against a big evergreen tree in the shade. She wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. Sarah took her sunglasses off and hooked them over the collar of her t-shirt. She pulled the envelope out of the back of her pants and held it carefully. It was light. She pressed her fingers into it, feeling its weight. Whatever was in here, though probably short and sweet, was important.

Sarah pulled out her pocket knife and sliced the envelope open. She pulled the single sheet of paper out and unfolded it. The letter was written in a familiar hand.

“Dear Sarah:

I hope this finds you well and unhurt. I know the last hours have been difficult for all of you. I wanted to be able to say all of this to you in person, but it was just not possible. I have so much work to do in order to keep things running for everyone. I don’t want to blast you with my own self-importance, but these are things only I can do. I plan to rid humanity of the burden of time travel. It should never have existed in the first place. The first time displacement machine was discovered in 1983, when we were in our 20s. Do you remember that time? I remember it like it was yesterday, Sarah. I regret not being better to you, paying more attention to you. I often wonder if I had done things differently back then, would any of this had happened to you? If you’d never had a son, because you were in love with me, maybe some of this could have played out differently. I know that your heart is always going to break for John. I am very sorry. Unfortunately, that is your fate in this timeline, and I cannot spare you from that. I will try to spare you from ever going through it again. I don’t know if I can stop Judgement Day from happening, but my work insists that I try. That is what I have to do, Sarah. My calling is higher than saving one person from heartache. I will always love you, no matter where or when we are.

“Take care of Dani Ramos. She needs your help now more than ever. If, by the time you read this, Grace Harper is dead, take Dani and go. Train her. Prepare her. In order to preserve the timeline, she has to find young Grace after Judgement Day. Dani Ramos must become the Commander of the Human Resistance. Assure her she will see Grace again in the future. She can’t do that if she’s still clinging on to the augment. By the same token, if Grace is still alive, Dani will not leave her. It is imperative that you take her and leave, soon.

“An augment tech by the name of Stacy Lewis from 2042 has provided a list of codes that Grace can accept audibly. The codes will tell her CPU to shut down to the point that her vital signs are undetectable. She will be in a state of suspended animation until she can reboot her system. Tell only Carl. Dani cannot know anything. I have sent someone with a new primary power source for Grace. The codes and directions to meet the contact are on the back of this page.

“I leave the world in your capable hands, my dearest love. Maybe, one day, when all of this is over, I will see you again. I love you all the way through time and back, Sarah.

Anne

P.S. Check the envelope again.”

Sarah wiped away a tear and turned the envelope over in her hand. A small card fell out onto the ground between her boots. She bent to pick it up, feeling the thick photograph paper in her hand. She flipped it over to see a face she had almost forgotten. The boy was no more than 8 years old, smiling, standing in front of a birthday cake. It was the last party she’d had for John. She cradled the photo in her hands, careful not to damage it. She sank down onto the earthen floor, stared at the photo of her son until she couldn’t see through her tears. Sarah sobbed uncontrollably, holding the picture to her heart.

Chapter Text

Dani Ramos forced herself to sleep for most of the flight to Highgate. She knew if she passed out for a bit, the cold would not bother her. She really wanted information from Anne Morris on the way, but Dani was still a little drunk. She gave her body time to process the alcohol. When she woke up over Yellowstone Lake, she was hungry and had a terrible headache. She wrapped her arms around herself, defending her body against the chill in the autumn air. Anne was talking to the pilot over the headset. Dani watched and waited for HKs to lock onto them. None came in the last few minutes before they touched down. She was not used to seeing a world without that many terminators. She was not used to being free to move without weapons or fear.

The base underneath what used to be Cooke City, Montana was virtually the same as it had been the last time she was there in 2036. Dani followed Anne from the transport to the middle of the street in the former downtown area. The last time she was there it was dark. Now, in the broad daylight, she could see the last vestiges of the old tourist trap. Cooke City sat at the north gate to Yellowstone Park. From what she understood, they had wonderful microbrew beers in this town at one time.

Anne pressed the button on the device in her hand, opening the gate below the earth. They loaded onto the elevator with the Dragonfly pilot and headed below ground. Dani felt a little dizzy as the cable car took them lower and lower. She felt a little nauseated. She needed something to eat and a cup of coffee. They traveled in silence until the elevator stopped. Dani knew that everything would be revealed soon.

She followed Anne down the long hallway to the open expanse of the Highgate common area. Jesus, she thought. It had been years. The command center was lit up with maps and coordinated strike plans. She thought it looked a lot like Anaheim’s setup, but more complicated. The aroma of food was in the air. The food smelled better than the stuff she’d been eating. She could have sworn she smelled cheeseburgers and fries. Her mouth watered and she felt her stomach cramp. Anne walked her down to the common area below. “Where would we find her?” Anne asked. Dani wanted to ask who she was talking about before it hit her. They were there to find Stacy.

“Augment surgery tech.” Dani thought that’s what it was called. Anne should know. They took a left turn and headed to the med bay. Sure enough, Stacy Lewis was parked behind a desk in the office. She was playing with a robotic hand. It was hooked up to a power source and a computer beside her. She was teaching it to count its own fingers.

“Don’t they give you enough to do, Stace?” Dani asked, startling the girl.

“Holy!” Stacy did a double take, seeing Dani standing there. “Shit! I thought I’d never see you again!” Stacy stood and ran to Dani, hugging her tightly.

“Easy, girl. I’m not 100%.” Dani relaxed into the hug. It really was good to see her again. “I’m hungover.”

“Want a cocktail? We’ve got some really good stuff here. It’ll cure all your ills.” Stacy moved to the pharmaceutical station, where she opened a cupboard and began pulling out bottles. She fished out three specific pills for Dani to take. “Here,” Stacy pressed them into Dani’s hand and turned to get the brunette something to drink.

“Stacy, we don’t have much time. I need information.” Anne stated boldly. Stacy had barely even seen the woman beside Dani. She didn’t even bother to look at her over her excitement of seeing her old friend. Her jaw nearly dropped to the floor when she recognized the much younger version of Anne Morris.

“What the fuck!? You’re dead!”

Anne laughed and shook her head, looking at Dani. “That’s about the fifth time I’ve heard that today. I don’t have time to explain everything Stacy, but I do need your help.”

“Of course. What can I do?”

“Get me some food, first.” Dani begged. Her stomach wasn’t going to take the pills empty. She needed some fuel in her if she was going to deal with everything Anne had planned.

“Yeah, absolutely. Come on.” Stacy led them to the mess hall. Mike was working. Dani stopped to think. Wasn’t Mike at Anaheim? How was he here too? She scoffed at her own question, considering everything else and decided it wasn’t important. On any other day, it might have seemed unusual. She acknowledged him and his choice of a red oven mitt today. He waved and smiled as the three women gathered food.

The food wasn’t bad, and yes, it was meat. It tasted a lot like the buffalo steaks from Grace’s birthday party. Dani ate without looking up. She felt like her throat had been cut and her stomach hadn’t got the message. She couldn't’ get enough to eat. She had forgotten how much better the food at Highgate was than anywhere else.

“Stacy, first of all, I want to thank you for your work on the augmentation process. Your advancements have been incredible. You took several augments beyond normal capabilities with the dual power sources.” Anne began.

“Yeah, that was a pretty good idea, but it wasn’t mine.” Stacy looked at the former commander, who did not look up from her meal.

“One of those augments is in trouble. Right now, she’s still alive, running on a backup power source. However, if we don’t get her a primary source, it doesn’t look good for her at all.”

“Well, any augment, even with a dual core, doesn’t live long. We all know that. Power sources are few and far between since we stopped the proliferation of the process.” Stacy played with her food, not eating it. Dani reached her fork across at Stacy’s tray, picking at some sort of green vegetable mass. Without a word, Stacy slid her tray toward Dani.

“Right. This isn’t just any augment, Stacy. It’s Grace.” Dani said, still focused on her tray. She didn’t want to make eye contact and lose her control right now. Anne reached behind her and rubbed Dani’s back, offering comfort and hope.

“What? Grace? She’s gone though. I don’t understand.” Stacy sat back and crossed her arms, clearly suspicious of the whole thing. She watched Dani shift closer to Anne. She realized Dani must be feeling extremely vulnerable right now, at the mere mention of Grace’s name.

“Ok, Stacy Lewis, listen up. I am here from 2022. I met Grace. She fought a Rev-9 last night on that back up source and lived, barely. Her power source is draining, and she can’t heal from the wound she sustained.” Anne tried to get through it all quickly. Dani looked up finally, shooting Anne a questioning look.

“How do you know that? You told me they were fine at Carl’s.”

“Who’s Carl?” Stacy added.

“First of all, I’m a known liar. I do it for the good of everyone. I don’t tell every secret that I have. Yesterday, before I jumped to this time, I made a couple other jumps first. I had some things I needed to put in place for all of this,” Anne made a sweeping motion across the table, “to happen correctly. Yes, Dani, Grace is seriously injured. She doesn’t have much time. She could be dead already, which is why we have to fucking hurry up. This meeting right here is her hail Mary pass.”

“What other jumps did you make?” Dani asked, returning her attention to the food in front of her.

“I went back to a different timeline to get something for Sarah, to give her purpose, other than killing terminators. Then I went back and talked to myself a year ago to get something to help the crew in 2022 last night. Or maybe it hasn’t happened yet. I’m not sure.” Anne’s lack of confidence was less than inspiring.

“You’re not sure?” Stacy leaned forward, arms on the table.

“Time travel is a tricky motherfucker. It doesn’t matter. What matters is getting the power source and getting to 2022. I need to be able to shut Grace down for a bit. I know we can make it look like she’s dead.”

“Why would you want to do that? And how do you know? Do you exist in every timeline?” Stacy was in disbelief and was now just poking at Anne.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you the truth.” Anne admitted. It was probably true. The truth of Anne’s existence was stranger than any lie could ever make up.

“Try me.” Stacy issued the challenge.

“With all the time jumps I’ve made, and all the loops I’ve created by myself, I’m less of a human being now and more of an interdimensional being. I can exist on more than one plane, in more than one time simultaneously.”

“So, what do you need me for? Couldn’t you have already done this without me? You already seem to know why you’re here and what you need.” Stacy had a point.

“That’s not important. I mean, yes, probably, I could. But this way, in a linear motion, moving across one time, right now, I am able to take Dani back to 2022 to help Grace.”

“Jesus, fuck. Why didn’t you just say that?”

“Because you wouldn’t have helped me.” Anne decided it was time to get moving. “We need a transport to Toronto tonight. Can you make that happen? Do you have a primary thorium reactor?”

“I’ve got something even better, if it’s for Grace.” Stacy stood up and led the women back to the infirmary. From a closet in the main office, Stacy opened a locked drawer. She pulled out a green, glowing reactor. “This, is the top of the line, ladies.”

“What is it?”

“Cold fusion. That’s all you need to know. Grace is going to love this.” Stacy ogled the reactor. It looked the same as the other ones inside of Grace, save the green glow to it.

“I need a surgery tech.” Anne said.

“What for?” Stacy finally looked away from the beautiful emerald glow.

“Dani can’t do a time jump just holding that in her hand. The only things that will go through the device are living things. Living tissue or poly-mimetic alloys like the Revs. That reactor will get lost or just drop like a dead shit on the platform if Dani just holds it in her hand. It has to be inside her. And we’re not just going to shove it up her ass.” Anne smiled even though the idea was plausible.

Stacy was starting to get the idea. She looked at Dani as all the color drained out of her face. Dani Ramos knew what she had to do. That reactor had to travel through time, inside of her body. Dani turned around and threw up violently into the garbage can. No one even noticed. “Why don’t you do it, Anne?” Stacy was suddenly feeling very protective of Dani.

“Because I’m not going with her. I have to be somewhere else.” Anne looked at Dani, hoping this new information wouldn’t scare her out of doing it.

“Motherfucker.” Stacy marveled at Anne’s brilliance, and was stunned by the brutality of what Dani would have to go through for Grace.

“Yeah. So... we don’t have any time to waste here. Are we going to do this?” Anne looked back and forth between the two shocked and stunned women.

“You mean,” Dani pointed her finger back and forth between herself and Stacy, “are WE going to do this?”

“Whatever.” She wasn’t in a position to mince words. Anne looked at them both, waiting impatiently.

“Ok, I’ll do it. I can lay it just below your skin, Dani. It won’t be terribly invasive.” Stacy seemed sure of herself. “Then, when you get wherever you’re going, you can just unpick the incision and take it out.”

Dani nodded. “Let’s do it.”

Anne smiled, but wished they’d hurry it along. “Time is of the essence, ladies.”

Stacy Lewis prepped a small surgical room. She laid out the tools she would need. Dani sat on the edge of the operating table, feeling more scared than the day Grace left.

“I’m not going to knock you out, Dani. You still have to be able to travel. I’m going to administer a local to numb you. Don’t worry, babe. You won’t feel a thing.” Stacy picked up a long hypodermic needle full of a numbing agent.

Dani nodded. Stacy instructed her to take her shirt off and lay down. Dani did so without asking questions. She’d do whatever needed to be done to get back and save the love of her life.

She laid there as the anesthetic took hold of her torso. When Stacy was sure she was numb, she began cutting a hole for the reactor to fit into. The incision was in her lower abdomen, just over where her appendix used to be. Stacy used the same scar to enter, as not to cause the brunette any unnecessary scarring. The entire procedure took less than a half hour. Stacy had her stitched up, bandaged, and redressed quickly. She told Dani she’d need to get some antibiotics and pain meds in 2022. She shot Dani up with a dose of painkillers before she left.

Anne helped Dani get to the loading bay, as their transport arrived. Dani was feeling dopey and tired. At least she wasn’t feeling hungover anymore. She had one arm over Anne’s shoulders and was slumped into the woman’s side. Anne held her up until the elevator got them to the top.

Stacy had accompanied them to the top of the shaft. She leaned forward, careful not to hug Dani. She kissed her cheek instead. “Good luck, Dani. Tell Grace I said hi.” Stacy managed her best smile at the two women as the elevator took her back down into Highgate.

The Wasp was lowering its on-ramp. At least this leg of the trip, Dani thought, she’d be shielded from the wind. She strapped into one of three passenger seats. She reached down, as the Wasp took off for Toronto, feeling the lump in her belly that would give Grace life. She could feel it doing something inside of her. It was cool to the touch, not like the thorium reactors of the past few years. This one was different. Zero radiation, which meant perhaps Grace wouldn’t burn as hot all the time. It might be the difference between death and a prolonged life for the augment.

The flight took less than two hours. Dani managed to pass out for the entire trip. She never liked flying anyway. She woke up drowsy and achy. Every joint in her body ached, and all she wanted was a drink. Anne was at her side, helping her stand as the Wasp touched down outside of an abandoned parking garage. As soon as the women were clear of the aircraft, it retracted the ramp and departed. The Wasp flew directly up above them and zipped west. Dani watched it go, feeling like she might have been dreaming.

The pull on her shoulders brought her back to the parking garage. Anne led her to an elevator shaft. The mysterious woman punched in a series of numbers on a keypad and the gate opened. Anne helped Dani inside. “Hang on, Commander. It’s almost over.”

“I’m not the Commander anymore.” Dani whispered. She remembered Maggie’s face when she told her she was leaving. The blonde had done her best to be supportive, but Dani couldn’t shake the hurt in Maggie Fischer’s eyes. Dani cradled the spot where the reactor sat inside her as the elevator gate shut.

“Hang on tight, Dani. This is really going to suck for you.” Anne pressed a single button on the wall, and the elevator began to freefall. At least that’s what it felt like to Dani. She reached out suddenly and grabbed Anne’s arm. Anne Morris wasn’t having a much better time. She hated this elevator. The car came to an abrupt stop, rocking Dani to her knees. She wanted to throw up again. The jolt sent a shock of electricity through her core. She knew if she hadn’t been on painkillers, that would probably have made her scream.

Anne helped Dani to her feet as the elevator doors opened up into the TDC control room.

A young tech met them at the front of the room. “Ms. Morris, welcome back. Where to today?” The tech held a tablet, punching the screen with a mechanical finger. Anne spoke the coordinates carefully as the tech punched them in. “Are you sure you want to go there? It’s not very stable.”

“This woman is going there to correct that.”

The tech nodded at them, leading them into the chamber. It looked identical to the one underneath LAX. Dani felt a surge of panic. She didn’t know if she could do this. “Anne. Wait.”

“Dani we can’t wait. The sooner we get you through, the better chance Grace has.”

“Why do you care so much?”

Anne pushed Dani up the steps to the platform and helped her start taking off her clothes. “Because, Dani, I’ve seen enough death and destruction to last a thousand lifetimes. I fucked up in my own timeline. Don’t you get it yet? It’s a love story. Your love story with Grace. And I’m going to help you write the new timeline, where you and Grace get to be together.”

Dani kicked her pants and underwear off as Anne helped her with her shirt. “On who’s authority?”

“It’s not about authority, but if you’re needing an answer, mine. I’m the gatekeeper. I did so much damage to other loops that now I have to fix it all. Don’t worry about that. Everything will be explained. When you jump, you’ll basically land right back here, in 2022. My team is expecting you.”

Anne doused Dani with the conductive fluid from head to toe. She helped the former commander onto the platform. She instructed Dani to kneel and keep her head down. Dani dropped to her knees, feeling her heart race and pound out of her chest. She was absolutely terrified. “Anne, what if I don’t make it?”

“You will. I’m going to make this right, Dani.”

The machine began to power up. The whole structure began to rumble loudly as the three titanium rings began to gyrate around Dani. She lowered her head and closed her eyes, listening to the device gain more power and speed. She didn’t know what to expect, or if it would hurt. She could ignore all of that, her fear, and her anger, the lies Anne told, everything, if she could see Grace again. Electricity began to arc off her body, the rumble of the device became harder to hear over the arcs of lightning and the loud bang.

She heard the device power down. She heard people around her talking, and a hand on her shoulder. Dani heaved and tried throwing up again, but she had nothing in her. She felt for the reactor. It was still there. Someone helped her stand up. Anne Morris steadied her. “It didn’t work, Anne.” Dani felt faint. She knew it was too good to be true.

“Yes it did, Ms. Ramos. Welcome to 2022.” The other version of Anne Morris smiled at her.

“You’re here? You’re here... too?” Dani leaned on the woman who was dressed in black fatigues. If Dani didn’t know any better, she’d swear she was still in 2042.

“She thought a familiar face would help you. I’m just another iteration of Anne Morris.

Dani felt the room sway and she started to lose her footing. “Sit down, Ms. Ramos. We need to get that reactor out of you. No sense in you carrying it like that anymore.” Dani sat down on a bench in a cold hallway. A blanket was draped over her shoulders by some strange person dressed exactly like the other Anne Morris. As soon as she began to feel warm again, Dani fainted into Anne’s arms.

Chapter Text

“Dani, wake up.” The voice was calming, soothing, and familiar. Her eyelids felt heavy as iron. Dani blinked a few times, forcing herself awake again. Her mind began to run all over the place, thinking first of the reactor buried beneath her skin. She reached down to touch it, but all she could feel was a thick bandage beneath her shirt. Her shirt. She was wearing clothes again, meaning someone dressed her. She blinked a few more times, gaining her bearings more now. She was laying on a padded surface. The lights were bright. She recognized the room as a medical room of some sort. It was cleaner and neater than the combat infirmaries she was used to. She suddenly remembered that she had just traveled through time, back to her old stomping grounds. She tried to sit up, but the incision in her belly sang out its protest. She began to fall back on the padded bed as a pair of strong hands caught her and helped her to sit up again. “Easy, Dani. Just go slow for a minute.”

The voice belonged to Anne Morris, or at least one of them. Dani looked at the woman, who was clearly younger than any version of Anne she’d seen. “Where am I?” Dani whispered. Her voice was hoarse. Her throat was dry and scratchy. All she wanted was a drink of water now. Her hangover and the time jump had seriously dehydrated her. “Water?” She asked, looking around for something to drink. Anne stood and produced a small plastic bottle of water from a cooler in the rear of the room. It was one of those little mini-fridges that kids Dani’s age took to college. The room smelled like floral scented air freshener. It was pleasantly warm in the room. Dani looked down at her body. She was wearing a grey t-shirt and a pair of black sweatpants. She pulled the waistband of the pants out a little bit. Someone had put her in a pair of underwear also. She thought it was pretty thoughtful, but she was really getting tired of people seeing her naked. Anne pushed the bottle of water into Dani’s hand as soon as she grounded herself. Dani pulled the cap off the bottle and read the label, Pure Life. She shook her head and tried to come to the grips that she was back in the civilized, pre-war world.

“When you’re ready, Ms. Ramos, Anne left some things for you here. I’ll be just down the hall.” The younger Anne left Dani to finish the water and prepare for what came next. Dani was just hours from Grace. Grace. Oh gods, Dani thought. She was hours away from seeing her love. She had a strange thought that if she was only hours from seeing her, by way of air travel, how close had she been to Grace all these months? Were the dimensions close? Was the veil thin? Dani decided she didn’t need to answer that. All the evidence pointed to her arriving in 2022. Dani slowly stood up and looked around. Someone had placed a pair of tennis shoes, blue Converse, and a pair of white gym socks, next to the bed for her. She pulled them on and bit the bullet.

The command center was lit up, monitoring different areas. None of them were familiar to Dani. This wasn’t a Resistance outpost that was monitoring terminators. This looked like something out of a sci-fi novel. The technology was beyond anything Dani had ever seen besides the brutally intelligent design of Legion machines. Anne Morris urged her forward and handed her a backpack. The bag was light, its contents soft. It was probably more clothes for Dani. Anne led her onto an elevator, which looked like the same one she was just on a few minutes ago. The ride up was a little smoother, not so jarring. Anne handed Dani something wrapped in white cloth.

“The reactor,” Anne smiled, holding Dani’s hands as the brunette accepted it. “Don’t let anyone see it. Don’t let it out of your sight. Do you know how to install it?”

“I’ve taken one out before,” Dani’s voice was low, remembering the time she cut Grace’s power source out.

“Ok, same thing, but just snap it into the cradle inside of her. Her body will do the rest of the work.”

The two women parted ways in the parking garage. Dani looked around and saw several new looking vehicles parked on that level. Anne gave her a warm smile and a hand on her shoulder. Dani felt like she should have hugged the woman but couldn’t bring herself to do it. This wasn’t the Anne she knew. Come to think of it, Dani wasn’t sure if any Anne was one that she knew. Maybe they all were.

There was a man in black fatigues waiting for her. “Ma’am, my name is Captain Jonas Krige. I’m here to take you to the airport.” He held the rear door of a black sedan open for her. Dani crawled inside, feeling the cool leather beneath her hands, the cushion of the seat. This vehicle must have been the height of luxury, or close to it at least. In the future, things were designed for function, not fashion. The Captain turned on the heat in the vehicle as they pulled out of the garage. He asked her if she wanted to listen to some music on the drive. Dani had no idea what to say, or what kind of music she’d want. She told him to pick something. Dani lost herself in a Rolling Stones song about satisfaction.

At the Toronto airport, Jonas Krige pulled around and drove directly onto the runway. There was a private plane waiting. Wow, Dani thought. She still felt like the Commander of the Resistance, only far more important. There was a private plane waiting just for her. Dani gripped the backpack tightly to her front, aware of the incision. It didn’t hurt like she thought it would. She walked across the tarmac, remembering her fear and trepidation at LAX when terminators were still hunting her. Dani’s survival instinct kicked right in and she ran to the plane at top speed. Captain Krige was hot on her tail, trying to get her to slow down. Her mind was on fire with near panic. She couldn’t be out in the open like that. She’d been a target for over 20 years. It was a hard habit to break. She was out of breath by the time she got to the top of the steps leading into the small plane. There were no more than five seats including the cockpit. No one else was on board. Captain Krige caught up to her. “Stay on the plane. Don’t get off, don’t talk to anyone. You have a stop in Denver, Colorado. You might be on the ground there for an hour at most while the plane refuels. A second pilot will fly you to Laredo, Texas. The package in your care cannot, I repeat, cannot be compromised. Do you understand, Commander?”

Dani nodded her head, suddenly feeling like a little child. Krige’s tone was serious and far more commanding than Dani’s best voice had ever been. But, in her defense, he had called her Commander. At least he knew who she was at one time. The reactor was important and top-secret in this time. Technology like that probably didn’t exist. If Dani remembered correctly, most of the world’s nuclear power came from fission, not fusion. This could be invaluable tech to the right people. Or, Dani realized, all the wrong people. She was sure that Anne Morris, somewhere, had a plan for this. At least they trusted Dani with it.

Once in the air, Dani took a few minutes to look out the window. They were so far up in the air. She felt her stomach lurch. Even the Scorpions and Dragonflies had kept close to the ground. They had to stay below the radar to avoid detection. This plane wasn’t avoiding anything but customs, Dani realized. This wasn’t exactly life or death, except Grace’s. This was just so no one got to ask too many questions about the item in Dani’s possession. It was strange not to have to feel like every moment not spent underground was a potential for a deadly attack.

Dani watched the sky grow darker as the hours wore on. She looked out the window and watched towns and cities below her. She wasn’t used to seeing so many lights at night, telling the whole universe where populated areas were. In the future, people hid in the dark. Power was a luxury, afforded to the military and science divisions. It was a completely gratuitous thing, Dani realized. This lifetime was devoted to complete decadence. She recalled everything she ever thought she needed, from her iPhone to her pink hair straightener. Every bit of it was inconsequential after the fall of civilization. If these people had any idea what was coming, maybe they’d learn to appreciate the things they had in this time. No, it seemed to come as a great shock to most people that their toilets no longer flushed, and that Sonic’s drive-thru was no more.

Dani spent an hour in Denver, sitting on the plane, smelling jet fuel and listening to radio chatter. She was familiar enough with it to understand that it was just air traffic control conversation. She held the reactor in the pouch of her borrowed black hoodie, feeling the shape of it, understanding that her partner’s life force was literally, in her hands. Dani decided to go through the backpack prepared for her by Anne Morris. It was mostly just clothes, underpants, extra socks, some snacks, but there was something at the bottom. There was an envelope and a .38 caliber revolver. Dani opened the thick, heavy envelope.

Dani,

I hope you are well. Time travel is a bitch. I’m sorry I couldn’t go with you, but I have some other things to take care of. Tell Grace I said hello. Don’t try to find yourself. Don’t talk to her or let her know you’re even there. It’s better this way. Please trust me on this. It might be tempting to tell yourself some useful tips for the future. I promise you your younger self will figure it all out.

Enclosed are new IDs and some cash to get you started. Be well.

A.M.

Dani looked through the envelope. Sure enough, there were new photo IDs for her and Grace both. Their names were the same, but the addresses were different. She had a new social security card. So did Grace. There was a stack of cash held together by a paper bank sticker. It had to be at least ten thousand dollars in cash. There were two passports. Dani held it all in her hands, shaking her head. Anne Morris had thought of everything, and prepared it all for them.

The plane took off, taking Dani Ramos one step closer to Grace Harper. Dani fell asleep for a while on the last leg of the journey. The new pilot had brought her a bottle of Dr. Pepper and a bag of potato chips for the flight. Dani remembered the afternoon, in the rain, with Grace, kicking the old pop machine to get a soda. She smiled at the memory of how happy Grace seemed. She’d give anything to see that smile one more time. Dani let the memory rock her to sleep for another few hours.

The pilot woke her up when they landed in Laredo. Dani had been sleeping soundly. That never happened. In the future, Dani had learned to sleep with one eye open. Being the Commander of the Human Resistance came with occupational hazards, like being hunted by killing machines 25/8.

Dani stretched out in the small seat and waited for instructions. The pilot invited her to come with him. She followed the guy, who was wearing a white t-shirt and jeans. He certainly did not look the part. She remembered pilots wearing suits and caps, all neatly done up. This guy looked like he hadn’t shaved in several days. He was nice enough and got her to Laredo alive. That was enough of a qualification in her book.

Julia Wheatly met them at the dirt track. It was dark, and Dani couldn’t really see anything except the glowing indicator lights along the landing strip. Julia had a car waiting for Dani, to take her to a motel downtown. Dani had learned by now, that Anne Morris had set this all up for her. She just went along with it and didn’t ask too many questions. She laid all her trust and faith in the time traveler who seemed to be both everywhere and nowhere all at once. A fucking interdimensional being, Dani remembered. She almost laughed.

Julia Wheatly walked Dani down the runway to where the car was waiting. They walked by the little white helicopter. Dani stopped to look at it, remembering how she stepped out of a similar one to shoot the Rev as Sarah came running to them. Grace had wanted to leave Sarah behind, but Dani wasn’t having it. This probably wasn’t the same chopper, but it sure looked like it.

The car ride into Laredo was quick. Dani watched all the neon signs and floodlights pass her by. She was completely and utterly amazed. She wanted to stop somewhere and get food, real food from 2022. The driver had identified himself as Eldon. She didn’t know if it was his first or last name. She suddenly missed Lloyd. He had been her ace in the hole in those last years at Anaheim. He never had good news, but he always worked and had help coming before Dani could order it. He would have loved 2022.

She asked Eldon what the chances were of swinging through a McDonald’s or a Taco Bell. She was starving for pure junk food. She offered to buy him dinner, for driving her to town. He checked his watch and reminded her that it was almost 2 am. Nothing would be open but the local convenience stores if that was ok. Dani didn’t care. She’d murder a frozen burrito right about now. Eldon drove them to the local 7-11. The whole street looked like it had been hit by a hurricane. There was garbage everywhere, broken glass, and a few abandoned cars lined up by the sidewalk. Dani went into the store with Eldon close behind her. She was sure he had a gun on him, just in case. He wasn’t protecting her. He was protecting the reactor.

She picked up a few items she’d been craving: A couple of sodas, some real juice, a microwaved burrito with hot sauce packets, donuts, and a six pack of Bud Light. Her mouth watered for the beer in this time. For years she had missed it. Eldon said he didn’t want anything. Dani approached the counter and pulled out a single hundred dollar bill. The clerk behind the plexi-glass held up his finger for her to wait a minute. He bent down behind the counter and produced two jars of dill pickle chips. Dani looked at him strangely. What was this all about? The clerk told her that the other guy had paid for them earlier in the morning, but never took them. He remembered her as part of the group with the unconscious blonde. Dani played dumb, knowing that Carl, Sarah and Grace had obviously been through here recently. Instead of making a scene, Dani took the pickles with her. She liked pickles, after all. It just seemed like a strange purchase.

The motel looked like any other. The rooms were clean-ish. It was just a cheap motel. It was off the radar, and the entrances were not facing the main street. Eldon made the arrangements with the front desk. He returned to the car and handed Dani a single key for room 4. Eldon bid her farewell and waited long enough for Dani to get inside and lock the door behind her.

The room was almost orange. The shag carpet was a deep hue of something between red and orange. The bedspread on the queen bed was brown. The wallpaper was old and yellow, dingy and tired looking. It was warped and bubbled in spots. Dani threw her pack and the bag of food into a chair and slumped down into the bed. In Toronto, younger Anne Morris had instructed her to wait for someone to contact her at the motel. Dani had no idea how long that would take, or who was coming. She decided to eat her burrito and watch some TV. Gods, she had missed the tube. She laid back in the bed, kicked her shoes off, and cracked open a beer. Dani Ramos felt like she was living the good life all of a sudden.

The knock on the door an hour later scared the shit out of Dani. She had been expecting it, and not expecting it at the same time. She didn’t make a sound but retrieved the revolver from her bag. She made sure it was loaded and pulled the hammer back. She held it in one hand behind the door. She pulled the chain and opened the dead bolt. She should have looked out the peep hole, but realized it too late as she slowly opened the door. The face staring back at her was impossible. It couldn’t be. Dani remembered the last words she ever heard this woman speak to anyone in the world.

“Sarah?”

Sarah Connor smiled and held up a brown paper bag molded to the shape of a bottle. “Want a drink, kid?”

Dani surged forward and caught the older woman in a desperately tight hug. “Oh my god, Sarah!” Dani sobbed, feeling the presence of her friend again. “It’s been so long!” Sarah hugged Dani back, pushing her into the room, shutting the door with a foot. Sarah pulled back to look at Dani. The former commander was at least 20 years older.

“This is so fucking weird, kiddo. I mean, I just left you at Carl’s.” Sarah sat down on the edge of the bed and started going through the plastic bag of food. She helped herself to the box of donuts. Sarah laughed, looking at the two glass jars. “Did you stop at the 7-11?” Sarah laughed to herself.

Chapter Text

Sarah and Dani had a few drinks and some pretty serious conversation in the motel room. Dani showed Sarah the reactor and told her what she knew about the new technology behind it. Sarah wanted to know all about the future war. Dani was reluctant to tell her too much. She didn’t even tell Sarah about her own death before the war began. She did warn Sarah that her drinking would catch up with her. She begged the older woman to slow down soon. The knowing, pleading look in Dani’s eyes had affected Sarah on some level.

The two women tried to plan out what to do about Grace. Dani wanted to be taken to her immediately, but she and Sarah both knew that her younger self couldn’t interact with Dani at all. Sarah showed Dani the letter from Anne, and the codes to shut Grace down. Sarah explained the state of suspended animation that would allow Grace to appear dead until she got the new power source. Dani almost couldn’t handle the idea. She begged Sarah to get her younger self away for a while, just so Dani could go see Grace long enough to implant the reactor. Sarah countered her argument by saying what Dani already knew. As long as Grace was still alive, Dani wouldn’t leave her.

Dani tried her best to goad Sarah into giving up the details about Grace’s relationship with her younger self. Sarah basically lied and said she didn’t know, recalling the intimate details of walking in and interrupting what looked like a good blow job. Sarah’s body pulsed suddenly at the memory of seeing Grace’s stiff cock. She thought to herself that she wouldn’t mind sucking it herself, if the opportunity ever presented itself. Sarah had always found Grace very attractive, though she’d never admit it. The intersex thing was a surprise, but Sarah would have fucked her anyway. She imagined Grace was probably great in the sack. The thoughts Sarah had were filthy and pornographic where Grace was concerned. She tried to shake it off and just told Dani that she didn’t really know the details, but they’d become close in the last week. Dani’s jealousy was all over her face. Even if it was her that Grace had been sleeping with and getting close to, Dani wanted to kick her own ass. She knew she had told Grace it was ok, and what did she expect, really? Their attraction to each other was bound to happen in any timeline. Dani just didn’t expect to see her partner again, so what was the harm in allowing her to love another version of herself until she died? Besides, Dani admitted, she’d shacked up with Maggie Fischer probably too soon after Grace’s departure. She had picked a close duplicate of her partner to satisfy her loneliness and aching for Grace. She thought it was only fair, when this was all over, to tell Grace about Maggie.

The plan came together in the early morning hours. Young Dani, if Grace was alive, would not willingly leave. If Grace was “dead”, Dani would insist on a service for her. Older Dani knew this was true, considering how she never got to have the ritual to honor her father or her brother. She wouldn’t let Grace slip away without some sort of remembrance. Sarah suggested calling a friend of hers to pose as a federal officer who was tracking Sarah down. At least that way, whether Grace was alive or dead, Sarah could make the excuse that they needed to leave immediately. Young Dani knew her purpose for the future and that path aligned with Sarah’s. Older Dani thought about it. Would she have gone for it? She remembered being locked in the cage at the border while the feds came and took Sarah away. She’d been terrified of being alone there. Young Dani, in all likelihood, would go with Sarah. And that was the plan. Sarah would shut Grace down temporarily without young Dani knowing about it. She’d make it look like Grace passed away in the middle of the night. The next morning, when Dani saw Grace, it would be final. Carl could go into terminator mode when the “feds” showed up looking for them. Sarah and Dani could flee back to Mexico City and begin their journey together, after a brief stop to see little Grace. Dani would swear not to let Grace die for her again, and the timeline would be corrected. It was simple and easy to remember. Once Sarah and Dani were on their way, Carl would come and get Dani and bring her to the cabin. The two of them could install the new reactor and hope for the best.

“Thank you, my friend. I’m sorry we don’t get to spend more time together.” Dani hugged Sarah at the door. They both laughed about the concept of time.

“Don’t be too sure. You never know when we’ll see each other again.” Sarah gave Dani the best strong smile she could and headed out.

Back inside, Dani turned off the light in the room, leaving the glow of the television as the only illumination. Each scene in the black and white movie flicked shadows across the wall. The hiss of the hot water heater reminded Dani of a simpler time, at home with her family. She laid back in the bed, propped up on pillows. She muted the TV, and closed her eyes, remembering her lover. There was nothing to stop her tonight. She’d had a few drinks and spent time with someone who was just with Grace. It had taken Dani back 20 years to the time spent running beside Grace. There was no Resistance to worry about. No time travel anymore. No Maggie Fischer. Dani almost felt bad about that, and willed her mind to focus on the blond warrior. One of Dani’s favorite memories of Grace was on the road to Highgate. They’d been huddled together in the back of the supply truck with several other soldiers. They’d driven all night long before getting to Rifle, Colorado. Dani was resting somewhat uncomfortably on a bag of rice or oatmeal. It all felt the same under tired and sore hips. Grace was in front of her, with her legs wrapped around Dani’s waist. The other soldiers were sleeping. Dani had twisted around to lay against Grace’s chest. She recalled immediately feeling Grace’s hands underneath her vest, and soon underneath her clothes.

Dani breathed hard at the memory. She threw caution to the wind and pulled the sweatpants down around her ankles. She kicked them off over the edge of the bed and spread her legs. She really wished Grace could be there, taking up her space between them. She was desperate to feel Grace filling her up, fucking her gently.

She took herself back to the memory, where she was laying on top of Grace, rubbing the woman’s shaft slowly in the dark. She felt the blonde’s chest heave against her as the warrior tried to stifle a moan. Dani had unbuttoned her own pants and guided Grace’s hand inside. She had been so wet and ready for her lover. Grace slipped a finger inside of her immediately and Dani began to clench tightly around it. Grace withdrew suddenly, and Dani almost felt rejected until Grace reached around behind her and pulled her sleeping bag free of the pack. She unrolled it into a blanket that she spread over both of them. Dani’s blonde lover resumed her blind touches, exploratory fingers glided easily through the Commander’s wet folds. Grace stopped momentarily to rub Dani’s swollen clit. Dani was always impressed how easily she reacted to Grace. She unbuttoned the blonde’s pants and took her cock out, rubbing it slowly. Dani was equally moved by how Grace reacted to her. Dani took a quick look around. Not one soldier had moved. The brunette dipped under the blanket and swallowed Grace’s cock. She took it all the way into her throat on the first try. She felt Grace throb and twitch. Dani ran her tongue over the veiny length, enjoying the heat and taste of her lover. She felt Grace push her hips gently up, and Dani swallowed her again. She felt the blonde’s hands in her hair, guiding her head up and down. Dani knew Grace wouldn’t last long like this, and she didn’t intend to let her anyway. She sucked hard at the head of Grace’s cock, feeling the warrior’s orgasm coming on fast. She let Grace push her head back down a little bit hard. Dani opened her throat and gripped the blonde’s hips as Grace shot her load. Dani drank every bit of Grace, careful not to spill any. She would always take everything that her lover had to offer. She felt Grace tremble and shake silently. Dani couldn’t even detect the sound of her partner breathing hard. The warrior had performed admirably. Dani pulled herself away, dragging her tongue along the way. Grace shuddered again, trying to pull away at the intense sensation. Dani crawled back up to kiss the warrior, letting her taste herself. Grace’s tongue was deep in Dani’s mouth, lewdly searching for the back of her throat. At least that’s what it felt like. Dani would have deep-throated Grace’s tongue too if it had been long enough.

Dani let the memory sweep over and through her as she ran her fingers slowly through her own wet folds. She massaged her swollen clit, wishing it was Grace’s hand instead. She felt her hole throb and her wetness began to run out of her, down the crack of her ass. Dani felt so dirty, but so full of longing and desire for her mate. She slipped two fingers inside of her entrance and began to fuck herself hard. She bucked her hips against her own hand, moaning Grace’s name over and over again.

When she’d made Grace come in the back of the truck, she thought that would have been it for the night. She rolled against her lover, feeling Grace press against her back. The blonde had another plan, though. Dani felt nimble fingers begin to push her pants down to her knees. She felt Grace’s erection against her naked ass. The blonde warrior wasn’t done with her yet. Dani stifled a groan at the heat and hardness. Grace spread Dani’s legs open as far as she could within the limitations of the position and clothing. Still, Grace Harper found her way inside Dani’s body. The Commander pushed back hard, helping Grace’s cock slide all the way inside of her aching, dripping center. Yeah, it was dirty to think about, but they could have been caught at any moment. That fear heightened the arousal they both felt. Grace wrapped her arm around Dani, clutching a breast from over top of the brunette’s shoulder. Grace’s other hand found Dani’s clit and rubbed it so sweetly. The blonde had previously discovered how the softest touch against Dani’s clit in a certain position drove the Commander to her orgasm quickly. Grace pumped herself in and out stealthily, so that no one would be able to hear or see her movements. She delivered her large, long shaft into Dani’s wet velvet center with ease. Dani reached an arm back, holding Grace’s hip, pulling her in with every stroke. She pushed back against the blonde harder and harder. Grace’s fingers on her clit made her want to scream. The lightness of the touch felt like its own orgasm every time Grace brushed her fingers against the swollen nub. Dani began to convulse and clench hard against Grace, feeling so full and loved, cared for, even in the back of a moving truck with several other soldiers surrounding them. It didn’t matter where they were. Grace held her protectively, steady against her body as Dani’s orgasm overwhelmed her better judgement. Dani did cry out as the intense pleasure became too much to bear. Grace breathed hard in her ear and bit her neck. Suddenly, Grace didn’t care who saw them or if they sat up and watched. She pushed Dani onto her stomach and began fucking her hard. Dani brought her hand up to her mouth, biting into her fist as her lover pounded her, bringing on another climax for them both. Dani didn’t usually come like this, but the idea of being caught was exciting. She felt Grace stop suddenly, buried deep inside. She felt the familiar way that Grace would arch into her as she came. She loved the feeling of the warrior in her ecstasy. Grace felt so good like this, hard and vulnerable all at once. Dani bowed her back to conform to Grace’s body, letting the blonde feel her everywhere. Dani felt a trusted hand against her belly as Grace held her, unloading deep inside her. If Dani Ramos had been able to become pregnant by her lover, that would have been the exact moment it happened. The encounter was exquisite. Their pleasure was intense and overwhelming. She loved the feeling of Grace collapsing against her. Dani would carry that load every time, and she loved the way they felt together in the aftermath. Dani always knew they belonged together.

Her orgasm was fast. Dani fucked her fingers in and out of herself harder, trying to make it feel like Grace in any way. She called her lover’s name, louder and louder as she let her wetness run all down over the bedspread. In the end, however, Dani Ramos was still alone. Not for long, she thought. She withdrew her fingers and brought them to her lips. She wished it was Grace’s flavor on her skin. She couldn’t wait to smell her and kiss her, hold her and love Grace again. And Dani would. She had to believe it.

Chapter Text

Dani had basically sat with Grace from the moment the team arrived back at Carl’s house. She was hesitant to take her eyes away from the blonde for even a few minutes. Dani had checked Grace’s pulse, her breathing, her temperature every ten minutes, looking for a change. Dani was hoping and praying for an improvement. If anything, Grace’s body was getting colder. Her respirations were getting slower, until she was only breathing about 8 times a minute. Grace’s pulse was slow and weak. Dani couldn’t do anything to help the warrior, either. All she could do was wait and watch. She’d tried several times to get Grace to drink some water with her meds in it, but the blonde was beyond responding. Dani couldn’t watch her choke again. So, Dani sat on the edge of the coffee table, holding Grace’s hand and whispering prayers and bits of love that she knew to offer the dying augment. Dani stayed well into the night before Sarah finally told her to go get some rest.

“You haven’t slept since we’ve been home, kid. You need rest or you’re no good to her.” Sarah had a point. Dani didn’t want to miss anything. She wanted to be there if Grace woke up. She wanted to be there if she didn’t. Dani wanted to be there if and when Grace passed. The blonde deserved to know she was loved and not alone. “Go. I’ll let you know if something changes. But you need some rest, Dani.”

The truth was, Dani was having a hard time keeping her eyes open. She was exhausted. Unwillingly, reluctantly, Dani let go of Grace’s hand and went upstairs to try and get a nap. She made Sarah swear to come and get her if anything at all changed. Even if Grace opened her eyes for a brief second, Dani wanted to be there. Sarah crossed her heart and gave Dani a hug. She told her everything would be alright. The brunette looked over her shoulder several times on her way up the stairs, just in case.

Sarah took Dani’s spot on the coffee table, watching the young woman retreat. Sarah waited a few minutes until she heard the bedroom door shut. “That girl really loves you, Grace. I hope you know that. She won’t let go of you like this. I don't’ know if you can hear me, slick, but I’ve got a plan for you. Anne has a plan. Dani has a plan.” Sarah reached out and squeezed Grace’s hand. “If you can hear me, Meathead, squeeze my fingers. Open your eyes. Fart. Anything.” Grace made no movements or sounds, even at Sarah’s attempt to taunt her and be a little crass. Sarah sighed. “I’m going to put you into a state of hibernation, Grace. We have a new power source for you. Hang in there, soldier.”

Sarah reached into her pocket and pulled out the letter from Anne Morris. She unfolded it carefully and set the photo of John down beside her. She flipped the letter to its back side and looked at the codes. She’d been looking at them since she opened the letter. This was not something Sarah could afford to do off the cuff. She had rehearsed the codes several time, wanting to get it right. She didn’t know what would happen if she got it wrong, but she wasn’t willing to find out by accidentally killing Grace. Sarah began the recitation quietly. Her face was close to Grace’s. To all outward appearances, it would just look as if Sarah were speaking privately to her. She could have sworn she heard something inside of Grace’s body begin to whine and hum softly. Sarah continued verbally entering the codes until she ran out of numbers, letters, and commands. Suddenly, the whine and hum wound down to absolute stillness.

Grace stopped breathing.

Sarah checked for a pulse.

Nothing.

Sarah sighed heavily, wondering if the warrior was in stasis, or if she might actually have just died. There was no way to know for sure. Sarah had to trust that what she had done was not kill Grace. She bowed her head and prayed to all the old gods for help to guide Grace through, no matter where she was going next.

Sarah sat back in Carl’s chair and watched the warrior for over an hour. Carl had come in at some point and stood quietly behind Sarah, keeping the vigil. “Is she still alive, Carl?” Sarah whispered. Surely, the terminator would be able to get a read on Grace’s body.

“Sort of. All of her systems have been shut down. Her CPU is offline. The reactor is weak. I detect that her heart is pumping enough oxygen to keep her organs alive. For how long? I don’t know. I hope you have a plan.” Carl said, moving to cover Grace’s body with the blanket.

“Sit down, metal man. We have to talk.” Sarah opened up about her meeting with future Dani. She told him about the letter and the codes. She told Carl about the power source. And now, she told Carl that she and young Dani needed a way out. She explained how young Dani couldn’t see her older self. She told him that Dani would probably not let Grace’s death happen without some sort of burial or something of the sort. Sarah’s contact fell through, so there were no feds coming for them. They were running out of time.

That’s when Carl, ever the brilliant machine, came up with a plan that would have to work. He explained it very carefully, what Sarah would have to do. “Go get Dani.” Carl’s tone was less human now than any other time that Sarah remembered since their arrival at the cabin. Sarah felt unsure and scared all of a sudden. This could get ugly really quick. Outside of the bedroom door, Sarah put on her game face. She took a few shallow breaths, trying to get her heart rate up. She had to be convincing. Sarah felt her hands beginning to shake. She threw open the bedroom door and ran inside.

Dani had fallen asleep almost immediately after she laid down. She was lost in some blissful dream about Diego and her father when the hand on her shoulder rudely shook her away from them. “Dani, wake up! It’s Grace!” Sarah hissed in her ear. Dani could smell the faint odor of alcohol on the older woman’s breath, the heat against her cheek. Dani threw off the blanket and bolted out of the bed ahead of Sarah. She skipped every other step on her way down to Grace.

She knelt beside the lifeless warrior, as Carl stood behind her looking on. Sarah stood at the top of the stairs, holding a pistol, waiting for the right moment. She heard Dani sob and beg Grace to come back. She listened to the poor girl tell the blonde warrior that she loved her and she needed her. It broke Sarah’s heart to fill Dani with the lie. It was the only way. Sarah watched Carl’s eyes go from pale blue to glowing terminator red. As Dani wept over Grace’s body, Carl shifted into kill mode. Sarah had one shot at this and really couldn’t afford to fuck it up. This must have been what Anne meant when she said that the fate of the world was in Sarah’s capable hands. Sarah walked slowly down the steps with her pistol aimed at Carl’s head.

“Dani! Get out of the way!” Sarah screamed, opening fire on the terminator who had just flipped his own circuits to force them out of the house. She wasn’t sure if Carl was faking it or not. She didn’t trust terminators any further than she could throw them. She watched Dani turn around, as if in slow motion, to face Carl. He was going right for Dani’s throat. Sarah took shot after shot at Carl’s head, redirecting the machine’s attention to her. Sarah moved down the steps, over the couch and Grace, with the dexterity of a paratrooper. She grabbed the young woman by the wrist and pulled her away, leading her out of the house.

Sarah pulled Dani across the front yard. The girl was clearly shocked and bereaved. She forced Dani into the driver’s seat of the SUV and ordered her to drive. Sarah kept her gun on Carl who was now out the front door and running right toward them. Sarah hopped into the rear seat, held the door open and fired her last three bullets into Carl’s face. Dani turned the engine over and hit the gas. She spun out in the grass, throwing bits of turf and rocks into the air as they sped away. There was no time to argue about what had just happened. Sarah needed Dani to drive, to keep her occupied. As long as Dani believed they were running for their lives again, the girl would keep driving away. Sarah told her, on the highway, that Carl’s internal systems must have been damaged when he tried to cut out his power source. She knew that Dani did not understand Skynet tech as well as Sarah did. Sarah could basically tell the girl anything, and it could still be the truth.

Carl stopped in the front yard, watching the women flee. He blinked his eyes and the red faded back into blue. Carl smiled to himself and went back into the house. His mission was now clear. Sarah Connor had ordered him to get Grace to the motel where Dani was waiting with the new reactor.

Carl’s face was a mess. He looked himself over in the bathroom mirror. Sarah’s aim had been good. The bullets had peeled back sections of his face, revealing the terminator skeleton that Carl had almost forgotten was there. There was no way to hide this either. If he got pulled over for any reason on his way into town, it would be very difficult to explain why a machine was dragging a dead augment through the city streets. The last thing Carl could afford to do was draw attention to them.

He went back to the living room and scanned Grace’s systems. He knew they had to hurry. He went out to the old garage behind the arsenal. The lock was a little rusty from disuse. He forced the lock open and pulled open the garage door. He stood looking at the black 1967 Mustang. The white racing stripe up the middle had been his idea. He thought it made the car look faster. Alecia had forbidden him to drive it, not wanting to give Mateo the wrong impression. Sometimes, when she was out of town, Carl would drive it, just for fun. Today, it would be Grace’s salvation. He got in, turned the car on and revved the engine a few times. If there was a sense of joy that a terminator could have, this was it for Carl. He pulled the car around the front of the house, and parked.

Grace Harper lay on the couch, looking very much dead. Her skin was white as a sheet. Carl bent and picked her up into his arms. He noted that her temperature was far below that of a normal human being. He carried her out to the car and gently laid her in the back seat. He retrieved the blanket from the couch and put it over her for the drive into town. Carl looked around, wondering how his existence had made it to this point, and how he was now taking orders from a woman that another version of himself was sent back to kill. It all seemed impossibly stupid to him.

Carl made it to the motel in the dark of night. He left Grace laying in the back seat as he approached the door with the number 4 on it. “Dani.” Carl said almost too loud. He knocked on the door and waited. The barrel of the revolver was the first thing he saw. He knew being shot in the face, even at close range would do little harm to his endoskeleton. All it would really do was screw up his face even more. He stepped back and let Dani, an older Dani step out from behind the door. She looked around and took a step out of the room.

“Where is she?” Dani looked to Carl to the Mustang to Carl and around the parking lot again.

“Come.” Carl turned with mechanical precision and headed back to the vehicle. He pushed the front seat forward and leaned into the back, pulling Grace’s lifeless form into his arms. Carl picked up a small bag and carried it with him. Dani made a noise that was almost a scream. Carl laid Grace over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry. Dani was at his back, holding her lover’s face in her hands.

“Grace! Oh my god, Grace!”

Carl wasted no time. He walked toward the motel room with Dani and Grace in tow. He entered the room and gently laid Grace on her back on the bed.

“Do you know what to do?” Carl asked. He offered his help to put the new reactor in, even though the procedure would be very simple. Dani knelt on the bed beside Grace, holding the warrior’s face in her hands. She nodded at Carl, signaling that she didn’t need help.

“Then, Dani Ramos, this is where I leave you. Good luck. It was nice to meet you.” Carl turned around, emotionless, and left the motel room. Dani watched him go, but had to admit that she was really uninterested in whatever Carl did next. She listened to the Mustang engine disappear down the road. She stood up and locked the motel room and was immediately back with Grace.

Dani lifted the blonde’s shirt, going right to work. The hole in Grace’s chest was large and gaping. Dani could see where the edges of the torn flesh had begun to heal, but not nearly fast enough for an augment. She remembered where Anne told her to cut. The original incision was still fresh and missing a few stitches. Dani took the switchblade out of Grace’s front pocket and quickly cut away the thread. She pulled the new reactor out of her hoodie and unwrapped it, letting it lay beside her. She touched the incision and began to slice through where it had already started fusing together. “Hang on, love, I’m going as quick as I can.” Dani remembered another time when she more unceremoniously sliced through Grace’s abdomen. For once, Dani felt like she might be fixing the damage she had caused over 20 years before. The wound opened up, and Dani took the new reactor in her hand. It felt like watching a film in reverse. She maneuvered the reactor carefully through Grace’s body, careful not to force her way through anything. She closed her eyes and felt the power source come in hard contact with the metal cradle bolted to Grace’s pelvis. Dani suddenly realized she hadn’t washed her hands or anything. She hoped this new reactor was everything they didn’t say it would be. Her hand inside of Grace’s cool body was shaking. She could only hope that this would work. She felt around for the docking pins. Once she got the top in, she was able to snap the bottom of the reactor into place. It was in. That was it. Dani gently withdrew her hand. She sat and waited for a miracle to happen. She could hear nothing. Grace still wasn’t breathing. Dani leaned over and placed her hand on Grace’s chest, feeling no heartbeat.

Dani’s whole world began to fall apart. This couldn’t be happening. Now, Dani was stuck in 2022, still without Grace for the rest of her life. What good had it all done?

“Grace? Baby. Come back to me. I’m here. Grace, please.” Dani cried, begging the warrior to live. She pounded on Grace’s chest, trying to shock the warrior back to her. Nothing worked, nothing helped. Dani caved and lowered her forehead onto Grace’s chest. Her lover was dead, she realized. She wept until she had no more tears to give.

It felt like hours had passed. Dani was about to go to sleep when the high-pitched hum began. It was faint, but Dani was sure it was there. She’d heard other augments come online before. She sat straight up, gripping Grace’s chin in her hand. “That’s it, Grace, come back to me!”

Grace’s waking gasp was enough to send Dani into the next world. She watched her partner suck life back into her body with that one breath. “Yes, Grace, that’s it, come back.” Dani coaxed her lover to life with kind words and gentle touches. “Grace, I’m here. Look at me.” Dani willed the warrior to open her eyes. “Please, amor. Look at me.” Dani sobbed again, not knowing what she was feeling. It was between pure elation and total terror.

Grace’s eyes snapped open, unfocused and unseeing. Her HUD was running its initial diagnotistic. She’d been shut down almost completely. Her vitals were steadily rising. Her reactor was at 100%. Her body temperature was a stable 98.6F. She looked around the room, finally seeing the figure looming over her. It looked like Dani, but with shorter hair, and much older. “What’s going on?” Grace whispered. She felt like she had never spoken before in her life. A gentle hand was on her cheek.

“Grace, I’m here. It’s me, Daniella. Dani.”

“Dani? What’s wrong with my vision?”

Dani laughed. “Nothing, my love. It’s me. I came back. From 2042. I’m here with you.” Dani stroked Grace’s face, easing the warrior to a fuller state of wakefulness. She grasped one of Grace’s hands and guided it up through her hair. “Feel this?” She trailed Grace’s fingers along the long scar in her hair where she’d been viciously torn open by a Rev. “Remember me, amor.”

Holy shit, Grace thought. Dani, HER Dani was here. Grace’s body jerked as she tried to sit up. Dani’s hand was gently pushing her back. “Don’t move, love, you’re hurt. Let your body heal. I’m right here.”

“You’re here. You’re here. Dani, oh my god!” Grace began to cry. The reality of the situation had finally set up its place in Grace’s thoughts. “You’re here....” She reached forward with weak arms to hold her partner again. “Oh my god, Dani.”

The former commander let Grace touch her. She took Grace’s hands in hers, kissing the skin of the blonde’s fingers, one at a time. “I’m here.”

Chapter Text

Sarah and Dani drove southeast toward McAllen, Texas. Sarah always seemed to know people all over the place. This particular contact would get them over the border, hopefully this time without getting caught. Now that there were no terminators on their tails, all Sarah really had to worry about now was being picked up by the authorities. She wished that Anne had provided them with some fake ID’s and passports. It was really no matter to Sarah. She’d been through tighter security. This would just be a little boat ride across the river and they would be home free. At least, Sarah thought, she had the money to get them there.

Dani was another matter. She had to pull over on the highway about an hour outside of Laredo. She was crying so hard that she couldn’t even see. Her heart was breaking. She tried to talk herself out of it by telling herself that she’d only just met Grace a few days ago. How could she already be in love with the soldier? As much as it didn’t make sense, it made all too much sense. She believed, deep down, that she and Grace belonged together. Sarah let her cry herself dry, offering nothing but her presence and her silence. After all, Sarah was partially responsible for Dani’s grief. Dani pounded the steering wheel and cried out about not being able to bury another loved one. She had remembered what Sarah said about finding a way to live with it. It didn’t help at all. Dani could not be consoled. She had no more time to say goodbye to Grace than she did to Diego. She never got to say goodbye to her father. She believed that if this was any indication of how her future was going to be, maybe the fight wasn’t worth it. She told Sarah that what made her human was being able to honor and care for those she loved, even in death. She explained that if those human qualities were stripped away, there was little else to live for. Sarah considered the statement, weighing the truth in her mind. She told Dani that was exactly what the machines wanted to do: to give humans no reason to fight back, taking their humanity one greedy swipe at a time. Humans would have to find a way to hold on to those things most precious, like love, honor, sacrifice, and grief, or they’d be lost forever.

They sat in the hot SUV while the midday sun beat down on them relentlessly. Dani watched clouds of dust rise up off the desert floor, winding and spinning into little tornadoes. She thought of Grace, laying there on the couch. The soldier was dead. Grace was dead. Dani could not wrap her mind around the possibility of seeing Grace again in the future. She hadn’t even learned where to go find Grace after Judgement Day. For Dani Ramos, all hope of a future with the blonde warrior had just been lost. This, she realized, must have been how she felt in the future after Grace left.

Dani had no use for hope or fate now. Grace’s demise was all encompassing. The thoughts of the dead augment clouded Dani’s thinking, crowding out every positive thought. Dani could think of nothing else but having to run away. She had to run away from Carl.

“What the fuck happened to him?” She finally asked Sarah. She didn’t understand why Carl was trying to kill her. For one thing, he was Skynet tech, not legion. Second of all, he no longer had a mission.

“I don’t know.” Sarah was becoming as bad of a liar as Anne Morris ever was. She lied for Dani’s own good. Protecting the girl from the ugly truth was far more important than letting her in on the secrets. She’d have to find a way to make it up to the poor kid. “Maybe his trigger tripped when he tried to take out his power source. Like the day we had to cut Grace’s reactor out before it melted down? Maybe removing Carl’s power cell was kind of the same. His processor might have seen it as a threat or something.”

“But why wait until so late?” Dani didn’t understand. She wanted answers that she could accept, but more than that, Dani wanted Grace again.

“I just don’t know. I’m not a machine. Maybe we will never understand them.” Sarah stared out the windshield of the SUV, wiped sweat from her face even as it ran down her neck and soaked her shirt.

“We should go back for her.” Dani sighed. What would a flipped terminator need with a dead human being? Dani could not stomach the idea of Grace lying, indefinitely, on that couch with no one to care for her or remember her.

Sarah shot her a look of disbelief. She knew what she wanted to say to Dani, but the words seemed too harsh. There was no way they’d go back. Besides, Grace wouldn’t even be there anymore, and how would Sarah begin to explain that? She pulled the bottle of whiskey out from under the front seat. It was the same bottle she had taken to the motel room earlier to share with Dani’s older self. She unscrewed the cap and took a long pull. Then she passed it to Dani. She didn’t expect the girl to want it, but Dani took it and began to drain the bottle. Sarah watched her take down far too much liquor on an empty stomach. “Hey, hey!” Sarah reached across and took the bottle back. “Easy, girl. You’ve got better things to do than become a lush like me.” Sarah continued to drink. “I have an idea. Why don’t we go get a room in town. I’ll drive. We can relax for the night. You should rest.”

“Yeah,” Dani whispered. She just didn’t have any fight left in her. The alcohol was going right to her head, and made her empty stomach burn like fire. The late afternoon was turning to evening. Sarah didn’t like driving at night anyway. She complained of night blindness in her old age. And Dani needed a distraction anyway. Sarah took them into McAllen to find lodgings and food.

The room was nice enough, cleaner than most that Sarah had been staying in these last few years. There was a bed, a dresser, a small table and two chairs and a bathroom. Standard stuff. At least the bathtub in this room was clean. The cool blue tones of the room gave Sarah a false sense of security, like nothing bad could happen here because it was light blue. She thought that more than one maid had found something shady in this very room. Sarah had stayed in a motel similar to this one, not far up the road, where a dead body had been found under the bed weeks after the person checked out. How a body could stay unnoticed for so long was beyond Sarah’s understanding. The first thing she did when she checked into motels was look in the closet, the bathroom, and under the bed. Just in case.

Dani took a shower first thing. She didn’t have clean clothes to change into, so she just put on the same things again. She was past the point of caring what anyone thought about her.

Sarah put her gun on the table next to her bottle. She needed to get a new phone and some more weapons. She didn’t trust anyone or any time now. The best way to move forward was to be prepared. Sarah kicked back at the table, looking Dani over. She knew the girl needed new clothes. Sarah was also trying to think of what to do to ease Dani’s heartache a little bit. “Hey, tell me something.”

Dani sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the blood stains on her shirt. It wasn’t exactly blood though. She still tried to wipe the stains off, even though they were dried into the fabric. “What?” Dani was exhausted, emotionally and physically.

“Tell me one thing. Just one thing, that reminds you of your father. Like, a physical thing. Something he carried or wore, loved, anything at all.”

Dani looked at Sarah strangely. She knew the older woman was trying to help her move through the agony of loss. She played along for the moment, curious to see where this was going. Dani sat still and remembered her father, and all the things he loved. She remembered his scratchy beard on her cheek in the morning before she left for work. He had done the night shift and was only home for a few moments before she and Diego went to work that morning. She remembered his lunchbox. It was a little red Igloo cooler that her mother had bought for him so many years ago. He’d carried it all of Dani’s life, for as long as she could remember. He packed his lunch into it, or she did. He would never carry a paper bag to work. It always had to be that lunchbox. She wasn’t even sure why she thought of that particular item, but it was something that went hand in hand with the memory of her father. She began to remember Diego. He was always so obsessed with his physical appearance. She remembered his routine in the morning, the smell of his aftershave, the goop he put in his hair. She remembered his sweet voice when he sang Spanish love songs to all the ladies in the apartment complex. Diego’s favorite thing that she could remember was his Bruno Mars cd. He would play it so often that everyone in the house knew all the words to the songs, whether they liked it or not. Dani had no memory of what Grace loved. All she knew, really, was that Grace loved a future version of herself. Grace had no possessions in this time. Everything about her was borrowed, from her clothes to the weapons she carried. The way she fought was her own, but did she love that? It finally came to Dani. Grace loved food. She said she would stay here forever just for the food.

As Dani told Sarah all of these things, the older woman smiled and listened to Dani recount everyone’s stories, hoping that she would find some comfort in the makeshift eulogies. She was remembering lives, not things, and Sarah knew that. When Dani was through, Sarah had made enough of a list in her mind. She tried not to be cold and callous, moving Dani along faster than she was ready. “I’m going to go get us some food. Why don’t you stay here and chill out? Watch some tube, fall asleep? I’ll be back. I’ve got to meet a contact for some IDs or something.” This might have been the worst lie Sarah had ever told. “Plus, I’m out of booze.”

Dani just shook her head, understanding that comfort in grief was something probably alien to Sarah Connor. The older woman had lost so many people close to her, that she probably barely felt the sting of death now. Dani waved her off, making it very easy for Sarah to slip out the door.

Sarah hopped into the SUV, pretty proud of her ruse. She did want something else to drink, but she was on a mission now. She needed to get to the nearest department store. She had things to buy.

Her instincts took her to Kohl’s. She needed a prepaid phone, for one thing. Those burners were the only way she could contact her people. They would need snacks for the road. And she had a plan for Dani. She went to the camping section and found a small, red igloo cooler. She went to the music department and found a Bruno Mars CD. She wasn’t sure which one Dani meant, but anything was better than nothing. It would really be the thought that counted. Sarah bought some stuff to make s’mores and even picked up some microwave popcorn. She smiled at herself, thinking she was pretty clever. She bought Dani some new clothes also, a few t-shirts, jeans, shorts, sweats, underwear, bras, though she was entirely unsure of the size. She thought Dani would be a 32 C, at most. She hated to get the wrong size, so she would at least keep the receipt. Sarah purchased a couple of hiker’s backpacks to hold all the gear. She used her cash to pay for it all.

Sarah stopped at a convenience store for beer and gas. She bought a pack of cigarettes too, just because. When Sarah got back to the motel room, Dani was sitting in the same spot as she was when Sarah left. “Kid, I’ve been gone for an hour. Did you sit here this whole time?”

Dani shook her head. “I ordered a pizza. You’ll have to pay for it.” Dani Ramos didn’t even look up at Sarah when she came in.

“Fuck the pizza. I have something so much better for you. Let’s get out of here.” Sarah threw one of the backpacks at Dani. “Get some clean clothes on. You’ll feel better.” Sarah cracked a beer and waited for the young brunette to change. The night air outside the motel room was still warm. The breeze crossed Sarah’s cheek like a lover’s breath. She missed Anne tonight. She missed Kyle too. Sarah pulled the photo out of her pants pocket and looked at little John. She had no idea how Anne got the photo. Sarah had never taken any in order to keep John off the grid. Wherever this came from, Sarah was eternally grateful to the time traveler.

Dani joined Sarah a few minutes later. “Did the bras fit, Dani? I’m sorry, I’m not good at guessing stuff like that.” Dani chuckled and thanked her for the effort. The bras would be just fine, she said. Sarah led her back to the SUV. They drove to a deserted spot out of town. She had gotten directions from the check-out kid at Kohl’s. She told him she was looking for a spot where they could party and have a fire. He told her about a spot where kids dropped off wood and pallets all week so they could have bonfires on the weekends. She thanked him for the overshare and took Dani to the spot. She kept the secret purchases in the back of the vehicle for the time being.

Sarah started a fire of epic proportions. Dani watched the flames light up the darkness, high into the black sky above. Sarah threw every pallet on the blaze, soaking it all down with lighter fluid. She rolled two tree stumps to sit side by side, as close to the blaze as she could get. She excused herself to go to the SUV. She opened the trunk and pulled the supplies out. On the way back, she stuck the Bruno Mars CD in the player of the SUV. She cranked the volume and let that sweet boy wail. She walked back to where Dani was sitting, holding the red cooler. Tears were already in the brunette’s eyes, listening to the first track on the CD. “Is this the one?” Sarah hooked her thumb in the direction of the music. Dani shook her head. Of course, it wasn’t, Sarah thought. She laughed a little and realized it was the thought that counted.

She handed the cooler to Dani and watched her pull it open. Inside was the six pack of beer, the ingredients for s’mores and a few packets of popcorn. Dani looked at Sarah in disbelief. The older woman had brought the tokens of remembrance that Dani had talked about. Sarah Connor really was listening to her. Dani held the cooler in her arms and let herself cry at the touching gesture. This hardass woman beside her really did have a big heart. Sarah snuck one of the beers from between Dani’s arms. She popped the top and threw the cap into the fire. They made s’mores and ate and cried and laughed well into the night. As the fire began to die a little, Sarah told Dani what to do. When the brunette was done processing each person’s passing, and felt comfortable enough, Sarah instructed her to offer each gift to the fire. Sarah brought her the CD and sat in silence beside Dani, rubbing her hand back and forth over the girl’s shoulders. Dani held the little red cooler and let herself weep for her father. She whispered something in Spanish and with maybe too much force, Dani threw the cooler into the flames. It was the same with the Bruno Mars album. Sarah watched Dani pay homage to her brother, Diego. Under Sarah’s careful hand, Dani’s body shook with very private emotions. Dani threw the CD into the fire like a Frisbee. Her aim was true. The only thing remaining were the packets of microwave popcorn. Grace loved food. She would have loved popcorn. Dani unwrapped both packets and remembered her short time with the blonde warrior. Dani shed no tears this time. She just held a sad look on her face, somber reverence for the woman she knew, she believed, because she had to, would enter her life again. She tossed the popcorn into the fire and waited. Dani looked at Sarah, both women waiting, both almost grinning like children who’d been naughty. Seconds passed before they began to hear the random pops coming from the fire pit. Sarah waited with baited breath for Dani to say something. The popping grew more intense, as pieces of charred popcorn began flying out of the fire in every direction. Dani started laughing, letting her joy travel from her mind to deep in her belly. She laughed and cried at the same time, her whole body convulsing. Sarah laughed so hard she nearly fell over. Sarah drew Dani into a tight hug, and the brunette offered her wholehearted thanks for helping her remember her loved ones.

As their elation and emotion began to ebb into a gentler flow, Sarah produced the hand written letter from Anne Morris. She, too, needed to let someone go tonight. She read the letter one more time, remembering the love, the lies, the heartache, and Anne’s promise to make things right. She folded the letter into a paper airplane and flew it into the bonfire.

Chapter Text

Grace clasped Dani’s hands tightly, unable to fully believe she was in the same room. Her vision came back within just a few moments, but it was difficult to process with the HUD in control of everything. Grace wanted to power it down and just be with Dani for the foreseeable future. Dani warned her not to do it. She had to heal. She’d suffered a puncture to her lung that would have killed a normal person. Hell, she thought, it would have killed an augment. It almost did. Dani removed Grace’s shirt and realized she had nothing with which to stitch the incision closed in her abdomen. She began to inspect the hole in Grace’s chest. It was ugly. She could see down into the hole, into Grace’s exposed lung tissue. She could not even imagine how much pain the blonde warrior was in, especially now that she was fully awake.

“Grace, tell me about your pain levels.” Dani ordered, despite her abdicated position. It just came naturally to her. She ran her fingertips lightly around the chest wound, looking for loose shrapnel and signs of infection. So far, none of that was present. An immediate problem was that the wire mesh was ragged and torn. She couldn’t let the hole heal up without taking care of that. She’d need to take the rough edges down, and find a way to tie it all back together. At the very least, she could peel it back and get rid of the burrs on the edges. She had no tools. Dani had no augment surgery experience either. She could use a metal nail file though.

“Actually, I don’t feel much right now. I can sense the holes in me, feel the pressure, but mostly? I’m just hungry.” Grace was always thinking with her stomach. That was nothing new, and it endeared her to Dani. The former commander tried not to smile. The situation was far too serious. The letter to Dani from Anne said that with the new reactor, Grace would not have to take daily medications. The blonde warrior would no longer be tuned to fight terminators, but her life expectancy would increase significantly if she took care of herself. That included regular meals and rest. The fusion reactor would heal her faster than a thorium power source ever would. Dani could already see where the flesh was beginning to pink up around the edges of the chest wound. She had to hurry if she wanted to round out the wire edges.

“Ok, Grace. I’m going to leave you for a little bit. I have to go buy some tools and first aid stuff. I’ll get you something to eat.” She sat beside Grace, holding her hand. She felt Grace squeeze her hand tightly, almost painfully.

“Don’t leave me. Please. I’ll come with you.” Grace’s eyes were begging Dani not to go without her. The tender pleading of the warrior’s blue eyes made Dani’s heart bang like a gong. The last thing she wanted to do was leave Grace Harper ever again.

“Mi amor. You’re hurt, badly. I need to get things to help you. Let me help you.” Dani pleaded right back with Grace. She felt her hand being released. Grace understood the maintenance part of healing. She’d been ripped open. Without a little help, Grace would be subject to pain in that area for an indefinite amount of time.

“You saved me again, Dani.” Grace whispered. She reached up to stroke Dani’s cheek, feeling the brunette lean into the touch. “It’s like a never-ending cycle.”

“It’s the ouroboros, my lover. Rest.” Dani put her hand on Grace’s forehead. She wasn’t used to seeing the blonde scarred up from the augmentation without the signature body heat that accompanied. Grace felt cool for the first time since Dani met her. Grace felt more human. She smiled down at the blonde, and leaned slowly, holding Grace’s gaze. Dani heard the blonde warrior try to take a deep breath, knowing the anticipation was intense. She let Grace hold her face as she let herself get closer. Dani licked her lips, wetting them. She tried to keep this moment from being over too soon. She paused to just stare into the deep blue eyes that she loved. Grace’s mouth was open slightly. Dani could see the edges of her teeth, the pink tongue moving just behind them. Dani studied every line, every scar, every place on Grace’s face that she had come to love so deeply. She regarded the scar on the bridge of her nose where she’d punched Grace one night. She remembered how Grace had come home with each new scar, and Dani loved every single one of them.

Grace slipped a shaky hand behind Dani’s head, pulling her in. It couldn’t be put off any longer. Dani closed her eyes took Grace’s lips with her own. She whimpered as Grace held her tight. Dani had waited so long for this, knowing in her very soul that it would never, ever happen again. She sobbed as tears rolled down her cheeks. She couldn’t believe it. Grace’s touch felt strange, just because she had gone without her partner for so long. But as soon as Grace’s mouth and tongue found hers, Dani Ramos came home. It had only been days for Grace, but it had been half a year at least, for Dani. It had been grief and letting go. Suddenly, they were reunited under completely, absolutely impossible circumstances.

Dani forced herself to pull back. She sighed and tilted her head, feeling the beginnings of desire and the promise of more later edge closer to her surface. “I’ll be right back, my beloved. My Grace. Gods, how I’ve missed you.” Dani wanted to touch Grace everywhere with every part of her body. It was a good thing Grace was injured. They would have to go slow, so slow, getting to know each other all over again. It would be heaven. Dani couldn’t help herself, and she bent down to kiss her partner one more time. The taste of Grace’s mouth was less metallic now, for some reason. She tasted more like the woman Dani knew in the beginning. It excited her and made her itch deep inside. She had to force herself to get up and take a few steps back. Dani had to focus, remembering her grocery list.

“What do you want to eat, baby?” Dani started digging through her backpack for some cash. She thought about taking the revolver with her, but it was probably unnecessary. She thought about it a second time, and stuffed it into her hoodie pocket anyway. The revolver stuck out like a sore thumb. The weight of it gave away its shape. She decided against it and just went without.

“You know what I really want?” Grace asked very seriously. “I haven’t had them in so long. But could you bring me some chicken nuggets?”

Dani felt her entire body tremble. She held her head in her hands, trying to steady herself. She stared at Grace, processing the request for a child’s comfort food. Dani cried, uncontrollably, touched by the sweetness of her partner. It was something she had forgotten about; how delicate and innocent Grace was inside. It moved Dani. She wanted to hold Grace. She needed skin contact with her, but Grace’s entire front side was destroyed right now. “Grace.” Dani covered her face and sobbed. She could hear the augment forcing herself to stand up, and Dani was powerless to stop her. Grace stood in front of her. Dani let herself feel the towering warrior inch closer and closer. She felt Grace’s hands on hers, pulling them away from her face. Dani looked up and then looked up some more. She’d almost forgotten how tall Grace really was. Even Maggie Fischer, at 5’9” didn’t hold a candle to Grace’s height. The love in Grace’s eyes was too much for her. It was all impossibly too much for Dani. Grace put her arms around the brunette, whispering words of comfort. Dani was afraid to touch her, for fear of hurting her. Grace reassured her that she wasn’t in any pain, and Dani realized Grace wasn’t wearing her shirt. Dani pulled the hoodie off, along with the underlying t-shirt. She unsnapped her bra and let Grace pull it off of her. The smile on the blonde warrior’s lips was welcoming, gentle. “Feel me, Daniella.” Grace whispered quietly, offering the grounding contact they both so badly needed.

Dani pressed herself softly to Grace, laying her head over the blonde’s heart, listening to the beat that had sustained and carried her through the worst moments of the future war. Dani’s breathing was uneven and coming in waves. She felt Grace. She let Grace save her. Inside of a minute, however, Dani remembered that her lover was standing there with two gaping holes in her.

“Ok, amor. Seriously. Get back in bed. I’ll be right back with supplies and food for you.”

Grace backed off, smiling. She stared at Dani, finding it not so hard to believe that she was actually there. She went back to bed, relaxing as much as she could in the face of her own excitement. Dani handed her the tv remote, kissed her once more, and made off.

Grace had a strange thought while Dani was gone. Was it actually HER Dani from 2042? Or was it another version? Since realizing how many possibilities there really were with multiple worlds, Grace realized, she had left Dani in every single future. It did not matter if this was specifically HER Dani. It was Dani. It was her partner, her lover, the woman she had shared so much history with. Grace shook off the weird idea and let herself get lost in a rerun of Welcome Back Kotter. Another thought occurred to her as well. Where were Sarah and young Dani? Grace had more questions than answers, but decided that fate had stepped in while she was out cold.

Chapter Text

Sarah Connor started up the SUV. She’d contacted the border guide early in the morning, before the sun was up. He told her that for a specific sum of money, he would be happy to get her and Dani over the border and safely into Mexico. It was a typical party line, but Sarah knew there were no attachments. It was just business. She wasn’t entirely sure she even knew the guy’s first name.

Dani packed her bag and got ready to leave. She was feeling a bit better now, a little lighter. Sarah had given her a great gift at the bonfire. Being able to honor her loved ones was more than she could have hoped for. The ritual itself was unconventional. Dani was used to formal funerals and burials. She had never not honored a physical body before. The memorial would have to do. That’s the way that Dani found to live with it. She decided that whatever the future held for her, she would honor the fallen and her loved ones every time. She recalled how Grace and her Rangers would do something similar. Grace had called it “counting the cost,” every time a Ranger fell in battle. Dani was touched by the simple action of just remembering their names. She told Grace that someone should have built a wall or kept a book of the dead. She remembered that strange little smile on Grace’s face when she said it. Dani guessed there was something about the future that Grace just wasn’t going to tell her.

Sarah was sitting in the driver’s seat, waiting patiently for Dani. She was actually pretty impatient at the moment. She just wanted to get across the border and get on with life. Sarah really wanted to get down to Merida and spend a few weeks. The city was near the Gulf of Mexico. There was a sweet little Mexican lady that worked in a local bar there that Sarah had taken a liking to. Once all the running and hiding was done, Sarah thought, maybe she could buy that woman a drink. She smiled at the memory of Ramona Hernandez and started the car. “Let’s go, chica!” Sarah yelled into the open door of the motel room.

Dani threw the room keys on the bed, took one last look around and headed home with Sarah. She climbed into the passenger side of the SUV and asked Sarah if she’d teach her how to drive for real someday. “What’s there to learn?” Sarah asked. Dani had done some of the best driving, running from Carl the other day. Dani made some incoherent sound and put her seatbelt on. “Of course, I’ll teach you how to drive.” Sarah looked across at the beautiful young woman, and let her mind wander probably too far.

Sarah pulled out the photo of John and inserted the corner of it gently into the crack between the radio and the climate controls. She smiled back at his blissful, eight-year old face, happy to have him with her again in any capacity. Dani looked at the picture, knowing who it was. “I thought you said,” Dani pointed at the photo and looked at Sarah. At Carl’s cabin, Sarah had said she never took any photos and was consequently forgetting what John looked like.

“Anne Morris.” Sarah said, throwing her shoulder over the seat, looking behind them, as she backed out of the motel parking lot.

“Fucking Anne Morris.” Dani shook her head. The time traveler had come through on a bunch of levels. She had helped them correct the timeline. Even Dani knew this, deep down inside. She understood that if Grace had lived, she’d never have left her. That would have jeopardized the entire future. She didn’t want to think about the future, though. Not yet. She tried not to think about where little Grace might be. She searched her memories for any kind of clue or suggestion Grace had given her about where she might have lived before the war. There was just nothing to go on. Dani knew, as much as she really hated it, that she would have to trust fate to find the girl. Dani rolled the window down and let her arm fly in the wind. She always loved the little things. She thought about Grace’s sacrifices throughout the timeline. She had saved Dani in the future and ended up becoming the augment that she knew and loved. Grace had jumped back through time to save Dani again from the Rev. Grace had fought, tooth and nail for Dani Ramos. It wasn’t something that she could ever repay. Her only hope was to find little Grace as soon as she could and keep the girl safe. As if in a dream, Dani spoke softly, not so much to Sarah, but just out loud. “I won’t let her die for me again.”

“Then you have to be ready,” Sarah replied, clearly lost in her own thoughts. She turned her attention back to Dani. “I will teach you everything I know, kid. Just stick with me.”

“I guess I’ll have to. I don’t really have any family left in Mexico City. And everything about this life seems sort of, I don’t know what the word is. Pointless, maybe?” Dani wrung her hands in her lap, feeling the futility of trying to live a normal life, knowing that the end of the world could just be right around the corner.

“I know what you mean. I’ll take you to my home down south. You’ll like it there.”

Dani considered spending her days with Sarah Connor. Things could be worse, she realized. Sarah drank a lot and was cranky 90% of the time. However, Sarah had some really excellent points too. She was a terrific fighter. Sarah was a survivor, and Dani knew she’d teach her everything there was to know about how to get by with the odds stacked against her. Dani Ramos had a great deal to learn.

They crossed the border successfully. There were no border cops or feds waiting for them on either side of the wall. They had taken a tunnel that the guide said was originally used by El Chapo’s people. Sarah laughed at him and said that probably every tunnel was used by El Chapo’s people at one time or another. It wasn’t a sightseeing tour. She was just happy to get across undetected. Mexico had been her home for years since John’s death. It was really the only place in the world that she felt safe. Once they were safely in Reynosa, Mexico, Sarah purchased another vehicle. She paid for it with a plain, black credit card. Dani watched the transaction without being obvious. The card had no name or marks of any kind on it. The dealer did not even question it.

The new SUV was nicer than the one they had stolen. It was a later model Dodge. The air conditioning in it actually worked. Sarah and Dani loaded their packs into the new car and got back on the road. Sarah had one more stop to make on the way, to procure weapons. Dani had so many questions about this mysterious woman with all the connections.

“Sarah, can I ask you something?” She didn’t really expect an answer, but she at least had to try.

“Sure.” Sarah drummed her fingers on the wheel, keeping time with the song playing on the radio.

Dani took off her sunglasses and looked at the woman seriously. “Where do you get all your money?” She knew that since meeting Sarah, the woman never talked about having a job or working at all. Most people that Dani knew would not be able to take any time off for a vacation, let alone hunting terminators.

“I do odd jobs.” Sarah pursed her lips, not wanting to really talk about what she did. She considered how much information to give out before realizing that Dani was her new partner. She sighed heavily and started telling her story. “I work for an American government official, who doesn’t actually exist. It’s hard to explain. I keep an eye on certain traffic from time to time. I escort people back and forth to and from the border. I help people.” She knew it wasn’t much of an explanation, and she waited to see if Dani would accept the answer.

“Okay, Sarah.” Dani didn’t know what any of it meant. Sarah’s odd jobs were probably pretty illegal, like most of the things Sarah did. Dani thought if she stuck around long enough, she’d probably end up working odd jobs too. She wasn’t really in a position to take regular employment right now anyway. The future was too uncertain. Legion could be planning another attack on her right now. The best way for her to stay safe was to stay with Sarah and keep her head down.

Their friendship had been forged out of necessity, for safety and protection of each other. Dani knew that relationships like that didn’t always last once the dust settled, but there was something about Sarah Connor that she really liked. Sarah’s ability to read a room or a situation had proven invaluable in the last week or so. She was hard. That was something Dani never was before, but she wanted to learn.

Sarah Connor was a warrior in Dani’s eyes. The future, whatever it held for Dani Ramos, was dark and unknowable. Sarah’s experience and company were absolutely necessary, come what may.

The drive to Merida was long and hot. The stops were few and far between. Dani learned to keep a pistol between her legs at all times. They had dealt with some shady individuals on the way, as Sarah stopped for weapons and supplies in little villages along the way. Dani’s first lesson from Sarah Connor was to always be ready for anything.

Chapter Text

Dani walked across the highway to the nearest department store. The sign read “Kohl’s.” She vaguely remembered shopping at one once. She kept looking over her shoulder the entire time, waiting for the next attack to come. She hadn’t gone anywhere without a security detail, weapons, and armor in 20 years. This felt like she was completely naked, and she didn’t like being so vulnerable. Dani tried to tell herself that she was safe, that no machines would come to kill her in the pharmacy area. However, Commander Ramos recalled the time before the war, where she was so sure of her own safety. She never even questioned it. She walked home through the streets of Mexico City all by herself at night. There was a time in Dani’s life when being hunted by killing machines never entered her mind. It never occurred to her, back then, that her life would constantly be at risk.

Dani almost laughed at the strange turn of events that had led her to becoming humanity’s last hope. Still, even though the time jump had taken her back to a place where terminators did not exist, Dani did not feel safe. She’d have felt a lot better with Grace by her side, even if they’d been unarmed. She suddenly wanted to feel the weight of the revolver in her hoodie. At least it would have been something to ease her mind.

In the first aid supply aisle, Dani picked up a kit and some antiseptics. She walked down to the home and household goods sections and got a sewing kit to stitch Grace up with. In the tool aisle, Dani got a pair of wire cutters and a roll of thin copper wire. She picked up more snacks for Grace. She wasn’t about to let the augment go hungry again. She avoided the power bars. Even though they were packed with calories and protein, Dani Ramos had seen too many of them in the future. Sometimes, hard and stale protein bars were all one had to eat for days at a time. Dani found Grace some clothes in her size. Pants were always a problem with Grace’s long legs. She had to have uniforms tailored to her specific measurements. Dani got lucky at Kohl’s. Apparently, tall men were plentiful in Laredo, TX.

As she walked to the register, she passed a stand holding different kinds of hats. Dani really wanted a pair of aviator sunglasses for Grace. She knew the warrior’s vision was sharp and bright light affected her ability to see well. As she stared at the rack of hats, Dani saw it. It was perfect. Grace had missed her boonie hat that she lost near Highgate. She was wearing that hat when Dani met her. Come to think of it, Grace pretty much always wore that hat, until it was lost. There was never another to replace it. The one on the rack looked almost just like it, camouflage with a wide brim and adjustable chin strap. It was perfect, and she knew Grace would love it. It might bring on some hard memories for Grace, reminding her of lost Rangers, of being the last one. Dani was willing to risk it to bring her partner something special.

Dani stopped for chicken nuggets. She didn’t know what type of sauce Grace would want, if any, so she just got a few of everything. She bought Grace a soda and some fries to go with it all. She just wanted to see the warrior smile again. There wasn’t much room in the future for smiling. Dani had been given the chance to start all over, with Grace, and she was determined to make some happy memories.

Grace was laying stretched out on the bed, thinking about her brother and her family. They were alive right now in this timeline. They were also only 600 miles, give or take, from Laredo. It wouldn’t be impossible. They didn’t even have to know she was there. She just wanted to see them again. Grace thought it might be weird to see her little self too, but she’d been through so much weird shit lately, that it hardly seemed to have an impact on her. She had loved Dani from 2042 and loved Dani from 2022. She had reconciled the time jump and made herself believe that they were the same person.

Grace wondered if Dani had found someone in the future, to keep her company and counsel. Grace could not blame her if she did. After all, Dani could not have known she’d be coming here. As far as she was concerned, Grace was lost to her forever. That was why Dani gave Grace the go-ahead to sleep with her younger self. Grace bit her lip, thinking of the times with young Dani. It made her heart ache to think that she was falling in love with her. At the end, though, Grace had been really shitty to Dani. She pushed her away and became cold toward her. It was for the brunette’s safety though. Grace had a mission and could not be distracted any more than she was. She thought it also helped the young Commander to let her go at the end.

Grace wondered who or what had shut down her body. Whatever had happened it kept her alive. The last thing she remembered was her thorium reactor reading at 2%. She would have died either way. She looked down at the holes in her body. She didn’t even feel them really. This new reactor was quite interesting. Grace actually felt good. She felt just like she did before she became an augment. She wasn’t running hot or getting all crazy about fighting. She wasn’t feeling aggressive or mean. She was just nice and even. She hadn’t had meds in quite some time, and despite being ravenous, she felt ok. Perhaps, Grace thought, it was better to just understand that this reactor had saved and prolonged her life, rather than asking why all the time.

She heard the key in the lock and pulled the blanket up over her chest. She sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She eyed the revolver sitting next to Dani’s backpack. She could have it in her hand in a second.

Dani swung the door open, carrying an arm load of plastic bags. Grace stood up to help her, but Dani told her to stay down. She kicked the door closed with her foot and dumped everything on the table.

“First things first, Grace. She handed the blonde warrior the paper bag. Grace opened it and took a long inhale. The smile on Grace’s face was enough to make Dani laugh out loud. The blonde dug into the nuggets and did not stop until they were gone. She never opened a single packet of sauce. Dani readied the sewing kit and the wire and cutters. She laid them all on a clean towel beside Grace on the bed.

As Grace chewed the last nugget, she was suddenly overcome with guilt. “Fuck, Dani,” she said with her mouth full. “Were some of these for you?”

Dani laughed and teased her lover. “It’s too late now, isn’t it?” She laid a steadying hand on Grace’s shoulder and told her she had already eaten. She instructed Grace to lay back, as she went to work cutting the damaged wire mesh away. It wasn’t that difficult of a job. Dani just did the best she could to round off some edges, making it look as comfortable as possible. She wired the ends together, twisted the ends and clipped them short. She took the nail file that she purchased and rubbed the burrs down. When she was satisfied, Dani began to stitch the hole in Grace’s chest closed. Grace laid quietly, listening to her partner hum as she worked. That was something that Grace had missed deeply. It wasn’t even something she realized she missed until Dani was there doing it. Whenever Dani was deeply involved doing a task, she would hum softly to herself. Grace looked up at the ceiling as Dani continued to the incision near her access port. The edges of the skin were starting to heal up already. She quickly sewed them back together, hoping it would all stick. She couldn’t just leave the wound open.

Dani marveled at the fact that Grace didn’t flinch even once during any of it. “How are you feeling, Grace?” Dani dabbed antiseptic over both wounds, covering them in sterile bandages.

“Good. I have no complaints. My vitals are perfect. The reactor is 100%. I feel fine. Brand new, actually.”

“You should take it easy anyway. I have no idea what this new reactor can and can’t do. Stacy told me that it was new tech, cold fusion was all she said.”

Grace closed her eyes and felt the Legion tech inside of her. The HUD was spitting out all sorts of information about it. She’d never fight terminators again, but maybe she’d never have to. She understood the new tech intimately. There was no way she could even explain it. Grace opened her eyes to look at Dani again. “It’s going to be ok, Dani. Now. Come here, Commander.”

“Oh yeah, about that.” Dani told Grace about the changing of the guard in the future. Grace pulled Dani against her and they laid in the bed together talking about everything. Dani told Grace about Maggie taking over. She told Grace how she and Maggie formed a deep friendship with some side benefits. Grace didn’t seem particularly bothered by it. She said she understood. How could she not? Dani believed that their life together was over. She was just trying to move on. Grace explained her situation with Dani’s younger self. She told her how she had taken Dani’s virginity one night. She asked Dani if that was all part of her plan. The brunette just smiled, happy that Grace was the one to be there for her. It made young Dani’s future with Grace all the more meaningful. It would have given her hope and a reason to keep looking for Grace after Judgement Day, should it happen again. In the end, Grace and Dani were just fine. All the jealousy and uncertainty were wiped away and the slate was clean again.

Dani laid against Grace’s left side, letting her fingertips caress uninjured patches of skin along the blonde warrior’s torso. She loved the feeling of Grace’s body. She had missed her desperately. Dani sat up and stripped her shirt off, wanting skin contact with her partner. As she sat and threw the shirt over the edge of the bed, Grace noticed something that wasn’t there before.

“Wait. What is that?” Grace sat up and brought her fingers gently to the stitched skin on Dani’s lower abdomen. “That’s new. What happened?”

“I carried your reactor.”

Grace brought her hands up, covering her mouth as she let out a deep sigh. Of course. Nothing but organic material would have gone through. Everything metal would have needed to be protected by skin. Dani had brought the gift to Grace, stashed safely inside of her body. The blonde reached out to touch the skin again, deeply moved by the effort it took to get it inside of Dani.

As Grace laid back on the bed, Dani came down with her this time. Grace held her, running her fingertips along the skin of Dani’s back. The brunette hummed softly, completely content to be back in her partner’s arms. She lifted her head off of Grace’s shoulder and looked at the warrior. Those beautiful blue eyes captured her and held her attention. Grace smiled, and it was familiar again. Dani leaned in and kissed her, feeling Grace’s hand press her closer. Their kisses became deeper and fuller, more exploratory. It was like getting to know each other all over again. Their touches became more intense, more insistent, as if they were grasping at a rope that would save them both from drowning. Dani pulled back from a kiss to moan the word “wait,” but she really didn’t want to wait any longer. Her lover was right there now. The wait was over.

Grace gently flipped them over so that she was laying on top of Dani. She looked down into the soft amber colored eyes of her partner. Grace scanned every bit of Dani’s face, absolutely loving this older version. This, this Dani, was the one she truly loved. This Dani was the one who knew her inside and out, quite literally. Grace felt her tears before she could stop them.

“Make love to me, Grace,” Dani whispered, pulling the warrior down against her body. Grace breathed hard at the gentle command. She began to kiss Dani’s mouth, her chin, her nose, her jaw, down her neck, spreading her love wherever she could across the delicate skin. Her hands roamed Dani’s body, feeling her respond to every touch. She still couldn’t believe completely that Dani was here. She kept pulling back to look at the brunette, waiting for the illusion to explode and leave her completely alone again. But it never happened. Dani was there, flesh and bone beneath Grace’s hands. The blonde warrior slipped her thigh between Dani’s legs, pressing firmly into the brunette’s center. Dani responded by bringing her hips up to meet Grace. Suddenly, both women were overcome by the strong desire to be physically reunited. Grace sat up and struggled with the button on her jeans. Dani offered a steady and gentle hand, allowing Grace to get her pants off and out of the way.

Dani gasped at the sight of her lover’s naked body. It was exactly how she remembered, with the exception of the two new wounds. Dani had fantasized about her almost every night when she wasn’t too depressed to bother. Dani had closed her eyes when Maggie made love to her, wishing it was Grace. The warrior knelt on the bed in front of her, just letting Dani look at her. She was getting hard, just looking at Dani, seeing the want in the brunette’s eyes. Dani’s body was still so beautiful. Grace had seen the younger version, but the mature Dani made Grace’s heart beat faster. She whispered for the former commander to take off her pants. Grace really wanted to watch her lover divest herself of clothing. Dani pulled the sweats and panties down slowly, letting Grace see every inch of skin as it became exposed. She looked up at Grace with deep love and adoration. She opened her arms to welcome Grace down onto her.

The blonde warrior lowered herself carefully, slowly down. She felt Dani open her legs more, to allow her room to move between them. It was still Grace’s favorite thing that Dani did in bed. Grace’s cock stiffened. She wanted to taste Dani, to kiss her all over, but there’d be time for that later. Right now, it was about coming home to one another. She reached a hand between them, gently brushing her fingers over Dani’s slick folds. “Oh, Dani,” Grace moaned as her eyes slammed shut. Dani gasped loudly, bucking her hips into Grace’s hand. She had gone without her for so long, she wasn’t sure she could wait any longer.

“Grace, please. I need you.” She breathed hard, almost panting as Grace continued to rub her wet folds. Yes, she told herself, this was all for Dani. Grace held her hard cock in one hand, lining it up against the hot entrance. That was new. Dani was usually much cooler in temperature than Grace was. For the warrior, it was more about the sensation of skin, rather than the heat, since she was the one who brought it all. “Grace,” Dani pleaded, pulling her closer. Inch by delicious inch, Grace slid inside her partner’s body. She trembled as Dani clenched around her. It was as if Grace had been her only lover, ever. She fit Dani in every way. Every curve of Dani’s body was met by every inch of Grace. She leaned in to kiss her, finding Dani’s tongue with her own. Gods, this woman felt so good. Maybe it was just her imagination, but Grace swore she felt differences between the two Dani’s that wasn’t just age.

Grace held Dani by the hips, laying every bit of her weight down. She paused, enjoying the feeling of being connected again, of being home again. Dani splayed her fingers across Grace’s back, holding her tightly. She wrapped her legs around Grace’s hips, locking the blonde into her. The first thrust Grace took made them both moan together. “Yes, Grace, that’s it.” the blonde looked into Dani’s eyes, seeing her hunger and need. She kissed her again and laid her forehead down against Dani’s forehead.

“Just like this.” Grace whispered. She just wanted to be close to her partner, to feel that she was really there. Dani nodded in response and began to moan softly as Grace loved her tenderly. There was no more doubt, no more time travel, no more worlds between them.

“I’ll never leave you again.”

Dani wasn’t sure who had said it, but it was true no matter who’s mouth it came out of. There would never be a need again. Dani would never let Grace go. The lone Ranger would always be by her side.

Chapter Text

Sarah Connor and young Dani Ramos spent the next few years in Merida, Mexico. Sarah actually had a nice apartment there in the city. Sarah’s odd jobs took her out of town sometimes, for weeks on end. Sarah would sometimes come home bloodied or bruised. Dani always wanted to ask why, but Sarah never told her. Whatever these jobs were, whoever Sarah was protecting, she was always paid extremely well. Dani quietly patched Sarah’s wounds every time and cared for her in every way she could. There could have been something between them, but the age difference kept them both from acting on it. Instead, they had an emotional connection that saw them through some good and bad times. Sarah finally stopped drinking one day. She just told Dani that someone had given her a reason to stop. Dani framed the small photo of John and laid it by Sarah’s bed. She wanted it to remain somewhere safe, since there were no more to be had. The two remained together.

Carl waited until his face and skin had healed completely before he called Alecia. He erased all traces of the women who had occupied his home. He asked Alecia and Mateo to come home whenever they were ready. He had made it safe for them again. After everything that had happened, Carl felt more human and less like a heartless machine. He had helped Grace and future Dani reunite. He had helped Sarah adjust to John’s loss finally, even if she spent most of the time wanting to kill him over it. He had helped young Dani find hope for a future that was yet unwritten, even if he had to force her away from Grace’s body. Carl, for the first time in his mechanical life, felt like everything would be alright.

Grace and Dani stayed in the motel for a few more days, getting to know each other all over again. They made love and they fucked, they laughed and cried, and fell in love over and over. Each new day was an adventure. Their story together had new chapters, and those pages were blank. They could write whatever they wanted now, as long as they did it together.

Grace convinced Dani to take her to Las Cruces, New Mexico, to see her family. Grace promised not to intervene or even let them know she was there. They staked out the Harper family home for an afternoon until they all piled into the minivan and headed for the park. Dani drove her new Jeep at a safe distance behind them. They parked a block away and walked down, careful not to be seen. Grace pulled the boonie hat down over her eyes. She watched, listening for the familiar sound of her brother’s voice. His laughter made her heart ache. Watching her younger self was strange. It was almost like watching someone else’s family. She saw her parents close by, on a park bench, whispering into each other’s ears; words only for each other. Grace smiled, feeling Dani slip her fingers into her own hand.

Anne Morris made good on her promise. She jumped through every single timeline that held a version of herself. She righted wrongs and destroyed time displacement devices. She tried like hell to dismantle Legion before it got started. In one timeline, Anne took out the power grid before Legion could do it, allowing the human race to take a long look at itself. She did everything possible, within her own human limitations to rid the world of the evil produced by time travel. She settled down back in 1983. She frequented the place where Sarah worked until she finally asked her out. Sarah had said yes, winking at Anne with that knowing sparkle in her eye.

In many of the timelines, Judgement Day came regardless of Anne’s interventions. The world fell to machines, and time travel always happened. That was just the fate of the universe. Maybe Anne knew she could never do anything to really stop it, but as she said, “my work insists that I try.” The 2022 timeline never saw Judgement Day. At least, it never happened while Dani and Grace were alive. They lived their lives out together in El Paso, Texas. Grace met Major Winston Emery again and his wife, Penny. She never told him anything about their past or his future.

Older Dani Ramos watched humanity’s reach exceed its grasp on more than one occasion. She was sickened by the corporate world that convinced the population that it needed to have the newest gadgets in order to keep up. Every year, Dani watched the technology develop into smarter and more capable things. She stopped carrying a cell phone. She never had a computer. In a way, Dani and Grace lived off the grid too. Every night, in the recesses of her mind, Dani waited for the bombs to fall, for the power to go out. Grace would hold her while she cried for a future that no longer existed, where her friends were now non-existent. Together they made sense of things as best they could. That was the important thing: no matter what happened or did not happen, whether fighting machines or a plague, they had each other through it all.