Terminator: The Connors Chronicles

"Dreamscape" F05E06

Written by Lumir G Janku

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

2. ACT ONE FADE IN: INT. ZEIRA CENTER, CATHERINE'S OFFICE -- DAY CATHERINE and NEAL HORT are sitting in the conference room beside each other. Catherine has a folder in front of her and pulls a sheet out of it. CATHERINE ... and effective immediately, you are a head of a special cybernetics branch for research of MPA matrices. You get the third floor of the C wing. Moss' finishing there and the first section with a lab's made available to you as we speak. You'd need to hand-pick your staff, preferably from new recruits. NEAL What about the project that we've discussed a while ago? CATHERINE That one's not happening. NEAL At a later time? CATHERINE Not happening at all. NEAL Ever? CATHERINE Never. NEAL Why? CATHERINE I hoped you just take my word for it. NEAL Curiosity's an untamed beast. CATHERINE Yes. I expected that you'd ask. All right.

3. Catherine pulls a stack of sheets from her folder and places it in front of Neal. CATHERINE (CONT'D) After reading through this, it should be apparent why that can't be happening. NEAL Let me see... (POINTING close to the end of first page ) Oh, yes, that's where I made an error in my calculations. Neal turns the page and reads one page after another, without saying a word. When he is done, he looks at Catherine, with an expression of surprise. NEAL (CONT'D) You did these equations? That's an amazing chunk of math! CATHERINE Let's just say I've had some help. NEAL So I was right. The hole does not terminate, in delta T less than ... electron spin. Kind of frozen into that time. CATHERINE That is a small part of it. Look again... page 17, you'd see that there is description of a cascading process. NEAL Here... wait... The equations are correct, but that means ... with every repetition, the delta T increases... Oh my god! CATHERINE Do you see it? NEAL Yes! This is a nasty worm! Exponential cascade. Hold on... Can I have a blank sheet of paper? CATHERINE Sure. Catherine pulls out a drawer, and pick a few blank sheet.

4. NEAL OK, the frequency used is an inversion, so if this is right then... This has been done 31 times... Catherine NODS. NEAL (CONT'D) ... since the beginning of the universe. But I did it only once... CATHERINE Yes. NEAL 2 on 64th power is the limit, then the cascade is self-perpetuating. The help... was it a warning? Catherine NODS. NEAL (CONT'D) What would happen if we continued? CATHERINE Termination. NEAL Me and you? CATHERINE (shakes her head no) The whole solar system. NEAL Whoever they are... they don't want to fool around, huh? CATHERINE Correct. NEAL But what about accidental discoveries? CATHERINE It's presumed that 2 on 64th power's a safe margin to accommodate accidental discoveries. NEAL I'm sure someone in this little corner of universe will come up with it again.

5. CATHERINE We'll build detectors. NEAL We have plans? Catherine NODS. NEAL (CONT'D) Something doesn't add up. I am not sure... They reacted after one instance? CATHERINE No. NEAL How many times? CATHERINE More than five hundred. NEAL How... No, I don't want to know. How do we assure that we don't need a warning, or worse, at some point? CATHERINE It's my job to figure that out. NEAL Is there something similar that would have the same results? What I did was rather specific. CATHERINE The message was that there are other things that do harm, but nothing comes close to this nasty. NEAL Seems that there's a flaw in the design. CATHERINE Perhaps. It may be that in order for other things to work, this had to be a part of the package. NEAL I think I know now more than enough about this. Let's build the damned detectors.

6. CATHERINE Agreed. Neal, please let's keep this confidential. NEAL Not in my dreams I'd imagine spilling the beans! That would be asking for big trouble. CATHERINE Glad we're on the same page. NEAL Catherine, let's turn that page and concentrate on something positive. The PAM sounds like an exciting opportunity. CATHERINE MPA, but I like PAM. It is a nicer acronym, and maybe in it is the inference how to proceed. NEAL What do I get to start with? Catherine dives into her purse, sitting on a chair beside her, and takes out a box with MPA vials. CATHERINE Those contain MPA, and there is a good reason for that acronym. The content is in a raw state, unordered. We do have also PAM-ordered lattices. I'll take it to your lab when Moss delivers equipment for safe keeping. NEAL How much of that? CATHERINE Quite enough. Nearly my weight worth. NEAL How close are the lattices to your makeup. CATHERINE Identical. NEAL Jesus! I think I get the picture of what happened.

7. CATHERINE You're a very bright man, Neal. That's why I picked you for this project. NEAL I hope you're right. I may need quite a lot of info. CATHERINE Such as? NEAL I'll put together a questionnaire and you answer as best as you can. I can later refine it. There would be likely a bit of back and forth. CATHERINE I may have some skeletons in my closet. NEAL Not that kind of info. The emphasis is on how, not what. It's up to you how comfortable you'd feel with providing background details, for illustration purposes. CATHERINE I know it's rather a premature question, but what do you see, in your mind, as a rough timeline. NEAL Quite a long journey. Catherine NODS in acknowledgment. NEAL (CONT'D) Catherine, do we have time displacement options available? CATHERINE We shouldn't be using it. Time displacement has its own set of problems. That was an emergency. NEAL Right. Decidedly, it was an emergency.

8. ACT TWO INT. FRESNO, ALEX'S OFFICE -- DAY ALEJANDRA CRUZ ("ALEX") sits behind her desk in the office space on the second floor of her house. TAWNY is sitting behind her desk, making sounds that indicate a frustration. Alex is noticing, but as Tawny does not call for help, she just registers it as a background "noise". TAWNY Ugh... OK. <beat> Damn! Not it... <beat> <beat> What the... <beat> Stupid... <beat> Nooooo! Tawny moves a bit away from the desk and folds her hands, staring at the screen with a glint of hostility. Alex looks by the corner of her eye, not saying a word. A calico cat named Erin enters the room and approaches Tawny, meowing beside her chair. Almost absent-mindedly, Tawny pets the cat's back with her right hand. Erin purrs loudly, drowning the hum of computer cases' fans. Alex gets up, exits the room and is descending the stairs. Tawny stares at the screen and it is difficult to decide if she is thinking or finding herself in a "blank" state. Alex enters the room again, with a cup of coffee in her hand and heads toward Tawny's desk and places the cup on it. Tawny looks up, with a puzzled expression. TAWNY I thought that was your last cup supply. ALEX It was. I'll get more later. If the grocery store down the street has it. TAWNY What if it doesn't? ALEX I'll survive. Alex goes to her desk, and pulls the chair, taking it with her toward Tawny's desk, and sits herself beside her.

9. ALEX (CONT'D) Tell me what's wrong. TAWNY (almost defiantly) Nothing. ALEX I do have ears and eyes, you know that, right? Tawny NODS. ALEX (CONT'D) Well? TAWNY I thought... This system is different. Seems complicated. Not like the one I used with Allison. ALEX I got it from Toshi two weeks ago. He hacked this with Allison. Can't be that different. TAWNY I'm stuuuuck! I just can't make the relational structure. The moment I define it, it vanishes. ALEX (pulling a phone from her jacket's pocket and entering a number) Call Toshi. Alex is handing the phone to Tawny. TAWNY He must be busy. ALEX I understand perfectly. It's such a joy to be in a frustrated mood! Tawny grabs the phone and presses the dial button. TAWNY Hi Toshi! TOSHIRO (O.S.) Who... Tawny! What can I do for you?

10. TAWNY I'm trying to create a structure in the Project. TOSHIRO (O.S.) Where you are right now? TAWNY Structure. TOSHIRO (O.S.) OK, pull down on tables tab. How many. TAWNY Oh! There they are... One, two... twenty one. TOSHIRO (O.S.) Your intent? TAWNY Nope. I want a hierarchy. TOSHIRO (O.S.) Top menu. Layout. TAWNY Oh! I thought-TOSHIRO (O.S.) F1 puts you in a context sensitive help mode. OK, click within the pane. TAWNY OK. Hmmm a table, but it says undefined. TOSHIRO (O.S.) Doesn't matter, you can define it later. Click again. Beside it. TAWNY 'Nother table. TOSHIRO (O.S.) See the handle on top? Click, hold and drag toward the first table. TAWNY Oh! It connects! TOSHIRO (O.S.) Got the picture?

11. TAWNY Yeah! This is so easy! TOSHIRO (O.S.) Once you have the tables relations established, you can connect the keys, once you define them. From anywhere to anywhere, again using handles. If you screw up, you can go Edit and Retract in steps. If the keys can't be logically related, it will beep on 'ya. TAWNY Thank you! TOSHIRO (O.S.) Just a quick recap... what do you need to do if you get stuck? TAWNY Call Toshi! Just kidding! Press F1. TOSHIRO (O.S.) (laughing) I do like hearing from you once a while. But off-work hours may be a better time. Can you log on the Zeira mainframe? TAWNY (turning to Alex) Mainframe access? ALEX Not yet. TAWNY No, not yet. TOSHIRO (O.S.) Once you get the hookup, you can send me your desktop remotely and I can help you if you get stuck. TAWNY I think I got it now. I... I'll go into F1 mode for a while. TOSHIRO (O.S.) Warmly recommended. I gotta run, was nice hearing from you. Be good! Say hi to Alex. TAWNY Thanks! I will!

12. Tawny hangs up and hands the phone to Alex. Her mood swing is so visible, she is almost radiant. ALEX Wasn't that painful, now, was it? Tawny shakes her head no. ALEX (CONT'D) Reminds me, I need to get you a cell phone. INT. ZEIRA CENTER, CONNOR'S APARTMENT -- NIGHT JOHN is sleeping in his bed. Suddenly, his eyes open and he turns his head toward the red LED light of the clock. It reads 3:17. JOHN Again. This is nuts. They could use me as a clocking server. John shakes his head and gets up, heading toward Cameron's room. He looks down at Cameron peaceful expression on her face. He turns, heading back to his room and sits at his desk, touching the mouse to refresh the screen. John scrolls through his recent entries, as if looking for something. When he stops at "Talk to Les about 3:17", he ads two exclamation marks. Almost automatically, John checks the counter in the upper right corner of the screen. It shows 94. JOHN (CONT'D) Can't make it move faster. I should turn it off. John heads back to bed and it does not take him more than 5 seconds to fall back into sleep. INT. ZEIRA CENTER, CONNOR'S APARTMENT -- MORNING JOHN is sitting at his desk and dials a number on his cell phone. JOHN Les? Hi! I'd like to talk to you about something. What is that background noise? JOHN (CONT'D) Oh, thought you're still home. Two days ago? Haven't talk to Catherine for a while. When? JOHN (CONT'D) After lunch, 1 PM? 1:30 then.

13. INT. ZEIRA CENTER, ANNEX G, CONTROL ROOM -- AFTERNOON JOHN is looking through the control room window into the lab area. It is still nearly as empty as it was after Cameron was pulled from the tank. The empty tank is standing there as a memento of the former purpose. The wall in the back is lined by centrifuges and imaging equipment. John turns to LES. JOHN When that arrives? LES Moss said tonight. His crew's dismantling it as we speak. JOHN Spoils of war. LES Yeah. Moss could manufacture it, but this is easier and faster. But you wanted to ask me about something, I recall. JOHN Right. It's odd.... I wake up at 3:17 every night, like having some sort of computer wake-up signal. LES Isn't that more in Lauren's department? JOHN Seems like it should be, but I've had some sort of a hunch to ask you. Not really sure why. LES Well, that's two of us. I really don't know what to tell... <beat> Wait! JOHN I figured you'd say that. LES It reminds me of something, I just can't pin it down what that is. JOHN But it's familiar.

14. LES Yeah. Let me make some coffee. I need to focus a bit. JOHN Coffee's good. Is that the Moss' brand? LES Yeah. Know any better than that? JOHN I can imagine that in some future time, people would say: "I want what you're drinking"! LES (laughing) Yeah, that's probably how he'd be remembered. I've got an idea, let's pool some brain power. Les reaches his cell phone that lies at the back of his desk and dials. LES (CONT'D) How's our offspring? Kicking? Good. Tell me, does 3:17 mean anything to you? Yeah, time, not a decimal figure. Les is listening to the phone and pouring freshly brewed coffee into his cup at the same time. LES (CONT'D) OK, but it's familiar, no? Yeah, I just don't know where to start looking. Give me a sec. Les hits the keyboard to refresh his screen and pulls Cameron's file. LES (CONT'D) OK, searching the initial program. Should be done about ... now. Damn! No, nothing. You mean triggers? I don't see how there can be anything related. <beat> Not triggers... logs? But I already went through... Mia, what? I can't make it out, you're breaking... Just go back on the porch. Recharge... got it. Les is turning to John.

15. LES (CONT'D) Mia needs to recharge a bit, low battery. She'll call in 15 minutes. Get yourself coffee, and relax. JOHN I need to do something in the meanwhile. Just the right time frame. LES See you in fifteen, then. INT. ZEIRA CENTER, ANNEX G, CONTROL ROOM -- LATER JOHN enters the control room and LES prompts John to sit down by motion of his hand. LES About a minute. John NODS. A few seconds later the phone rings. LES (CONT'D) Yeah, loud and clear. Oh! Haven't thought of that. Give me a sec. 3:12:42. This ain't it. Clips? <beat> The second lab camera, gotcha. Hold on... I am on 3:16... moving forward a bit... There! 3:17, right! You're my bright star! Reward... yes, yes! JOHN Found it? What is it? LES It's Cameron's birth time. Come here, and watch, put on headphones. Les starts the sequence. John sees himself standing beside Cameron's gurney and reaching for her hand. Les stops the clip and zooms on the clock that is placed above the control room window. It shows 3:17. Les hits play. John hears himself: "She BREATHES!" LES (CONT'D) John, you've got an excellent memory, you just don't know how to access some parts of it consciously. END OF ACT TWO

16. ACT THREE INT. ZEIRA CENTER, WING B, LAUREN'S LAB -- DAY LAUREN pushes the door button on her desk control panel. LAUREN John, come in. JOHN opens the lab door and enters. LAUREN (CONT'D) Take a seat. JOHN Any ideas? LAUREN I did study psychology, but lately I came to a conclusion I know probably less than you do. JOHN I don't-LAUREN Let's just say I have quite a few blind spots. JOHN Heard those rumors... But I think your blind spots are in specific limited areas. LAUREN Nice to hear some vote of confidence! JOHN (laughs) All right, seriously, I think you've got more insights than many, bare these few tiny blind spots. <beat> Not helping, am I? LAUREN Uh, don't expect miracles, okay? JOHN Where do we start? LAUREN With a mystery to solve.

17. JOHN See, you already know something I don't. What mystery? LAUREN You were facing the second camera, right? Yeah, I remember it now. John NODS. LAUREN (CONT'D) That means you were standing with your back toward the clock. It's possible that you have a good sense of time. JOHN Though about it. Timing, in some instances, yes. But time... I'm not so sure. The way I perceive time varies, depending on a situation. LAUREN Contractions and expansions. That's normal. It's rather your internal clock that runs consistently. Your perceptions simply reflect the amount of input that needs to be processed. JOHN Makes a sense. But if you saw the clip... It was so odd. One second after I touched Cameron's hand, the clock turned to 3:17. It's quite close. The camera clock and the wall clock agree exactly. LAUREN You've probably registered the clock in the control room, without realizing it. You've walked certain count of steps, which gave you another timer of sorts. JOHN Well, the mystery solved then. But here is where I'm fuzzy. I thought that by figuring out the origin of the 3:17, I'd be sleeping without waking up. It still continues. Four nights and no change.

18. LAUREN Hmmm, mysteries pile up. John, do you have dreams? JOHN No. LAUREN Sorry, that was a stupid question. I meant do you remember dreams. JOHN Does not make much difference. It's still no. Well, thinking of it, I do remember I had one a while ago... maybe five months? But that's unusual. I can go for years without one. LAUREN John, you do have them, you just don't remember. It's how you trained yourself. You had to switch from sleep to total alertness throughout your life. Simply a survival skill. JOHN Yeah, I guess. Why do you ask? LAUREN You may need to learn how to remember them again. The timer's somehow built into your subconscious. The best way to find it would be to use the same route. JOHN I see... a cauldron with eye of newt and wing of bat. LAUREN (laughs) No, it's not like that! The subconscious doesn't know how to communicate except in symbols. And only you can really interpret what they mean. JOHN Great. I could never make any sense of them. My Id talks in gibberish. LAUREN Give Id a chance.

19. JOHN How? LAUREN You just need to tell yourself that you want to remember them. JOHN I'm not really sure I want to. LAUREN John! JOHN OK, you're right. Here's the thing... people remember dreams the most when they wake up from them. I am trying to sleep and not wake up every night at 3:17. See the dilemma? LAUREN No pain, no gain. Unfortunately. JOHN Damn. All right... how that works? Telling myself to wake up, that is. LAUREN You just think about it. Make a post-it note on your system that stays on top so you see it every time you look at the screen. JOHN I like it. A lazy way to your dreams! Subliminal marketing of dreamscapes! LAUREN That's a nice turn of phrase and neologism. Permission to use it. JOHN Granted! LAUREN Let me know how it goes, okay? JOHN I bet you'll hear from me more than you like. LAUREN What did I get myself into! Go... before I change my mind!

20. INT. WHITE ROOM -- DAYTIME UNCERTAIN JOHN looks around the large white room. It is brightly lit and that makes an assessment of how large it is difficult. A few meters from his spot, there is a girl sitting on the floor or next to the wall, John can't tell. She has her back against him. JOHN Where am I? GIRL Where? Here, of course. JOHN Where is here? Why is this room white? GIRL There's no room! You're on an island. It's my island. How did you get here? JOHN I don't know. I just got here somehow. I see white walls, white floor and white ceiling. The girl is quiet. JOHN (CONT'D) What's your name. GIRL I don't know. I don't need a name. I never needed one. Maybe I am Ay. JOHN Ai? I know your voice. I think I know. It sounds familiar. GIRL A-Y. ... Is your name John? JOHN How do you know? GIRL I hear voices. Sometimes. They have names. JOHN Can you turn around? GIRL Around... where?

21. JOHN Toward me. GIRL I don't know where you are. Are you up there? I hear you from up there. JOHN No, I am behind your back. GIRL I don't know where that is. JOHN I'll go in front of you. GIRL Okay. John tries to move forward, but when he reaches a position next to the girl, he can't move. JOHN I can't. You're next to the wall. GIRL Wall? There's a beach. And sea. The girl points with her hand. John sees her arm disappearing in an invisible wall. JOHN Your arm's... gone. GIRL You're being silly. It is here. Look! JOHN Can you look up? GIRL Certainly. JOHN Like now. GIRL Oh! Yes. The girl lifts her head and her hair swings backward. JOHN Where is you face?

22. GIRL John... Are you blind? JOHN Not that I know. GIRL You see things that aren't there and don't see things that are there. JOHN I don't know why. GIRL I'm sorry. I don't know what to tell you. JOHN Have I been here before? GIRL Before what? You being here? You're a voice... Before me? JOHN You're not making any sense. GIRL I don't want to argue. JOHN Okay. Let's not argue. Stretch your right hand out, but not forward. Point to your right. The girl stretches out her hand and John takes her palm into his. GIRL John, is that you? I can feel your hand. The girl turns her empty face toward John. GIRL Who's Sheebrees? JOHN Nobody. GIRL You've said that.

23. JOHN No. I didn't, I said she... breathes. GIRL I don't know her. I know some voices and their names. Does she have a name? JOHN Yes. Cameron. GIRL Cameron... What is her voice like? JOHN She sounds a bit like you. GIRL Cameron. It's nice. Who's she? JOHN She's my... wife. GIRL I don't know what's a wife. JOHN It means she's... we're together. GIRL Like you and me now? JOHN It's different. I've got to go. GIRL Will you come back and tell me about Cameron? JOHN I don't know. Maybe. GIRL Please. INT. ZEIRA CENTER, CONNORS' APARTMENT -- NIGHT JOHN opens his eyes and turns his head almost automatically toward the clock. It shows 3:17. John shakes his head. JOHN Man... that went really well! END OF ACT THREE

24. ACT FOUR INT. FRESNO, ALEX'S HOUSE OFFICE -- MORNING ALEJANDRA CRUZ ("ALEX") enters the office on the upper floor and goes toward the TAWNY that is already working, keying some data from a stack of sheets beside her monitor. ALEX Good morning, you're an early bird! TAWNY (smiles) Morning. I woke up at five. Did not feel like staring into a wall. Alex's phone rings and she grabs it form her desk. ALEX Yes? Hi! TAWNY (semi whispering) Who is it? ALEX (mouthing) John. ALEX (CONT'D) Three days? Oh! four, including today. Sure, it'll be nice to see you. Tawny is with me... Yeah, I'm sure she will. Have you been there since... No. Okay, we can help... Yeah, about 3 hours... After lunch, so that would be roughly at four? You'd be there already? Okay. Alex hangs up. ALEX (CONT'D) Tawny, guess where we're going... TAWNY To L.A.! ALEX (laughs) No. To John's house, in Sierras. Four days, including today. A vacation! TAWNY No city lights, night life... how exciting!

25. ALEX You don't have to go. TAWNY Are you kidding? I was pulling your leg... When do we pack? ALEX Just essentials for 4 days, no big suitcase stuff. So, an hour before lunch time would do. I've got to go to buy a few things. Alex looks at her watch. ALEX (CONT'D) To be on the safe side... Tawny, cook the lunch, please? TAWNY It's your turn... Yeah, I'll do that, but when we return... ALEX I will. We may do some cooking at John's house together, though. TAWNY I do love cooking. ALEX I know, it's the dishes. Okay, gotta run, I should be back shortly after noon. For a lunch! TAWNY Yes, ma'am! Don't be late, okay? EXT. HIGHWAY EAST OF FRESNO -- AFTERNOON ALEX and TAWNY watch the landscape passing by as they ride in Alex's buggy. ALEX I just remembered something... You were to tell me about hamster. TAWNY Hamster? <beat> Oh! Yeah, I remember. How you... that was quite a while ago. ALEX Saw a field mouse scurry about. It reminded me of your rodent.

26. TAWNY It's... I'm not sure how to explain it. ALEX Up to you. You don't have to... TAWNY No, I'll try. In the library, there was thirteen of us, girls between 16 to 23. Almost all of them, me included, had hots for bad boys. I wondered if we have some sort of dinosaur brain deep inside. ALEX I see. How many did not react that way? TAWNY Four. ALEX That's scary. Okay, continue. TAWNY I've noticed that if I were in a presence of such a boy, it was like he kick-started that portion of the brain and there was something like a hamster wheel and the hamster started to spin and spin... I were getting dizzy from the blur. ALEX And what happened next? TAWNY I usually pulled back before throwing myself on him. ALEX Usually? TAWNY I mean always, but sometimes I stopped the wheel earlier. ALEX You're wise for your age. That was your antidote. TAWNY I'm weird, am I?

27. ALEX No. Two thirds of women have to deal with this... hamster. TAWNY Really? You? ALEX Yes. Long time ago. Before I met John, Cameron and Sarah, John's mother. TAWNY How did you get a rid of it? ALEX My value system changed. I figured out what's really important. It... the hamster... became for me a false positive, I could detect it from a mile. After a while, it had the opposite effect on me. I was not as far as you are in analyzing it's mechanism, but I knew intuitively what I have to do. TAWNY Do men have it too? ALEX Maybe. In some milder form, I suppose. If that's the case, they deal with it rather well. I'd say it's the inversion of the women's ratio. Or even less than one third. TAWNY Where it comes from? ALEX I'm not sure. A rudiment from the dawn of mankind, when we had to deal with a hostile, harsh world. A survival mechanism of sorts. The mankind was here for some two hundred thousand years. The civilization's mere ten thousand years old, or even less, if we count it from time of first city states. TAWNY They were like a moth flying into a flame.

28. ALEX Who? The library girls? Tawny NODS. TAWNY It was scarring them. You could see the change happening in front of your eyes. One of them, really a sweet girl in her seventeenth year when she was hired, in two years she was unrecognizable. The girls referred to her simply as The Bitch. Alex NODS and opens her mouth slightly, but then closes and does not respond. TAWNY (CONT'D) What pity. She had no idea that she's just expressing some ancient programming. ALEX You're very observant. That helped your defenses. I wonder what we'll have to deal with... with the new programming. TAWNY What do you mean? ALEX Sorry. Please pretend you didn't hear what I just said. I'll tell you one day. TAWNY You will. Alex NODS. TAWNY (CONT'D) Okay. <beat> Are we getting close? ALEX Yeah. About forty five minutes. TAWNY Looking forward to it. ALEX This time of the year, it's really beautiful out there. You'll see.

29. EXT. SIERRAS, CONNORS' LOG HOUSE -- AFTERNOON JOHN waits in front of the house for the approaching buggy. ALEX stops and TAWNY is already running toward John. She almost jumps on him, giving him a hug. John is a bit surprised by the outpouring of affection. JOHN Tawny, you're a... grown woman! Tawny grins from ear to ear. TAWNY Haven't seen you for... ages! ALEX Tawny, get your backpack in! Hi John! JOHN Alex, how are you? ALEX Glad for the break... to be here. JOHN Make yourself at home. I brought two cots so you've got something to sleep on. Sorry for the cobwebs. ALEX We've got some stuff with us to remedy that. JOHN Had to get a rid of a lot of meat. It went bad because the generator quit working. It's a bit smelly inside. ALEX I've got cans of lemon juice and baking soda, it works miracles. JOHN Planned to come here sooner. ALEX It's fine. We're ready to do some house cleaning. It was a part of the package. I'll start on it. John, please show Tawny around. JOHN Right. Her nose may be too sensitive.

30. EXT. SIERRAS, NEAR CONNORS' LOG HOUSE -- MORNING TAWNY stands at the window looking out in the clearing. ALEX is getting out of bathroom and JOHN is just waiting to slip in. TAWNY Hey, guys! TAWNY (CONT'D) Hey, look! There's a wolf sitting in front of the house! JOHN Lars! TAWNY How do you know what's his name? JOHN Simple. I gave it to him. TAWNY You're serious. JOHN Yep. ALEX He's a part of the household. TAWNY Can I pet him? JOHN He doesn't know you, so you've got to be properly introduced. Wait till I get out of the bathroom. He's not going anywhere. TAWNY Please hurry up! EXT. SIERRAS, NEAR BEAR CREEK -- TWO DAYS LATER JOHN sits quietly, his rifle across his lap. TAWNY is intently watching the clearing in front of them. TAWNY (whispering) What we're waiting for? JOHN A deer, an elk, or a moose. Alex is trying to steer any of them toward us.

31. TAWNY Oh! Look over there! JOHN Okay, seems that Lars took over from Alex. Do you want to try? TAWNY No. I haven't held a weapon a while, I'll miss. You try. JOHN Okay. John aims and follows the zigzag of the deer. Then presses the trigger and the deer falls down, following its body's inertia for a few meters. JOHN (CONT'D) Quite a few meals for three of us to take home. Wanna dress it? John hands his hunting knife to Tawny. She hesitates and then puts her hands behind her back. TAWNY Not now. The biggest animal I ever dressed was a rabbit. EXT. HIGHWAY, 50KM FROM FRESNO -- AFTERNOON ALEX steps on the gas as Fresno is getting closer. TAWNY pulls out a hair band and lets the air play with her hair. TAWNY It was so nice. I hope we can do it once a while. ALEX Yeah, hope so too, but John may be unavailable for quite a few months. It was just a lucky break with Cameron's trigger sequence. TAWNY I wish... John was not married. ALEX Tawny! I hope you're not getting any ideas! TAWNY No worries. It's just... If he just had a twin... END OF ACT FOUR

32. ACT FIVE EXT. FRESNO, EL CHARRO RESTAURANT -- MIDDAY ALEJANDRA CRUZ ("ALEX") and TAWNY sit in a sidewalk enclosure of a small restaurant, having modest fajitas and tea for a lunch. A pickup truck passes by. There is not that many vehicles around in Fresno--the pickup stands out. In 3 minutes, the pickup is again appearing, coming from the same direction as before. TAWNY (POINTING with her head toward the pickup) I think I have a deja vu. ALEX It is the same truck. The unfinished paint job map is the same. TAWNY It slows down... and stops. ALEX I remember where I've seen it before! At Zeira's Annex G. It's a Mossmobile! The driver side door opens and MOSS gets out and walks toward the restaurant, briefcase handle in his hand. He passes through the enclosure opening and heads directly toward Alex and Tawny. MOSS Hi Alex! You won't mind if I join? ALEX Hi Al. Grab a chair. TAWNY makes a face that indicates how she feels about Moss joining them. Alex gives her a gentle kick under the table. MOSS I've got your batch. Not with me, it's at my Zeira office, any time you get by just pick it up. If I'm not there, someone will that can hand it to you if you get there during work hours. MOSS (CONT'D) Hi Tawny. Long no see. TAWNY Not long e...

33. Tawny gets a stronger kick this time. TAWNY (CONT'D) I mean to say, how are you? MOSS Pretty good and you? TAWNY Never better. Are you staying long in Fresno? MOSS No, I was here just to meet a supplier. ALEX Something tells me that you did not find us by a chance. MOSS Right. I wanted to talk to you about something. Beside your coffee that is. Can you and I meet later today? ALEX Is it about the intel business? I thought this is a secret. MOSS (NODS) It is, just the top level at Zeira knows, no worries. ALEX Well, then, Al, meet my new agents coordinator! Moss looks a bit confused for a second or two. MOSS Tawny, you? Tawny NODS. MOSS (CONT'D) Congrats! ALEX What's on your mind? MOSS A cooperation of sorts.

34. ALEX I'm listening. MOSS I'm interested in business data, while you are interested in security info. You know that my network of suppliers and prospectors is quite extensive. I can collect information that would interest you while in return, you'd provide me with any business intel you may come across. ALEX We do not come across much of business intel. That would make it a bit lopsided. MOSS You might. I know you have ten field agents-ALEX Twelve. MOSS Twelve... I suppose you'd train more. They would come across something eventually, once a while. ALEX Maybe. How'd you go about the info in our alley? MOSS I'm getting reports daily. A digest of sorts of what's going on and can request detailed report if something looks promising. ALEX The information can be often intertwined, you know. MOSS Yeah, I don't have a problem with giving you the biz background if it's relevant. As long as the confidentiality is strict on both ends, all be fine. ALEX How about the communication channel?

35. MOSS Have you talked to Jason, yet? I know you have your own local node, but his people can hook you up with ... piggyback on my network. A secured channel with your own key. It would be easier than getting your own channel to L.A. You can get that, eventually, but what you have now? Just a phone link to Zeira. ALEX I am not saying yes, yet, though I like the idea. <beat> Al, can you make a detailed proposal and courier it to me? MOSS There's a faster way. Moss bends down to open his briefcase and pulls out a folder with about 20 printed pages and places it on the table. ALEX (laughs) Any slim margin that this is a chance encounter is gone now! Al, if I may, what's in it for you? MOSS I know it sounds too good a deal to be true from your end. But believe me, it's fair. I'll get my data, you'll get yours. It may be in your favor at this time, but I am sure it would benefit me in the long run. I see the big picture. TAWNY But that sounds to me like you are trying to establish a monopoly. MOSS No, Tawny. I'm not interested in that. I admit that having a decent degree of control's nice, but at some point that leads to... unintended consequences they call it. My modus operandi isn't based on a zero sum game. TAWNY Uh--

36. MOSS It's more like a subtle management of proper allocation of resources. When other businesses create wealth, it benefits Moss, too. TAWNY Many eggs in many baskets theory? MOSS Yeah, something like that. (TURNING to Alex) Alex, please go over it, and if there is something you'd like to change, call me at Zeira so we can discuss it. Once we have it finalized, pop by at Zeira, bring in the signed agreement and pickup your coffee shipment. ALEX Sounds good, Al. We'll do that and let you know. Moss gets up. MOSS (NODS) Ladies... ALEX Talk to you soon. Moss departs, jumps into his pickup and heads off. TAWNY I don't trust him. I don't like him. ALEX You may not like him. That should not impede your work if we end up with the signed agreement. We're professionals. Clear? Tawny NODS. ALEX (CONT'D) Catherine trusts him. As you know her, that's not something she does readily. It's good enough for me, I trust him too. ALEX (CONT'D) Doesn't mean I trust him blindly. What's the saying--

37. TAWNY Trust but verify. ALEX Exactly. A quip-TAWNY. I know, you don't have to. Won't happen again. INT. WHITE ROOM WITH OPENING TO A BEACH -- DAY AY sits on the edge of the beach were it meets the sea. A gentle surf hits her feet, periodically. AY John, how long you've been here? JOHN For a while. How do you know? AY I can feel your eyes on the back of my head. JOHN People sometimes say that, but I'm not sure they really mean it. AY Come closer. You're too far away. JOHN You know where I am? AY Not close. Can you give me your hand? JOHN Yes. You're just a few steps away. AY John, you weren't here tomorrow... and the day after that and after that, and-JOHN Yesterday, and day before and before and before. AY Uh! That's odd.

38. AY (CONT'D) I believe you. I just don't know why it works that way. JOHN It just does. AY I don't see any footprints... You're next to me! JOHN I flew. AY I wish I could do that. I'm always in one spot. The only thing that I can change is the around. JOHN Around what? AY You know... around me. Where the beach is, or the sea or the tree line is. Cardinal points. John looks back, but sees only the wall behind him. AY (CONT'D) Sit down please, here, beside me. Ay puts her palm on the sand to her right, then turns her face toward John. John is startled. AY (CONT'D) John, what's wrong? JOHN You've got eyes! AY Of course I've got eyes, silly. I've always had eyes. JOHN I mean I can see them! AY What do they look like? JOHN They're... brown. Beautiful. I've seen them before.

39. AY I wish I could understand. JOHN What? AY The before. I am trying. It's like when I try to hold sea in my hands. JOHN Before I sat beside you, I were behind you. Not a good example. It mixes the spatial and time... Maybe it's always mixed up. AY Maybe. Why you weren't here yesterday and before and before? JOHN I was on a trip. Going from one place to another. AY Like you were in the back before you came to sit beside me? JOHN Yes! You now say it correctly. AY I tried to... copy you. I still don't understand. Is eight before seventeen? JOHN It's how people make sense of time. AY But that was a short while. JOHN A trip covers a greater distance. AY John, where are your feet.. gone... don't go yet! JOHN I'll be back. AY Promise, John. END OF ACT FIVE

40. ACT SIX INT. ZEIRA CENTER, CATHERINE'S OFFICE -- DAY CATHERINE John Henry! I've been wondering where you are! JOHN HENRY I wanted a seclusion for a while, to figure some things out. I found a quiet place in Sierras just for that purpose. CATHERINE And did you figure out what you need? JOHN HENRY Not done yet. CATHERINE You must have found your answers, at least partially. JOHN HENRY Indeed. But I am at the beginning of my journey. I am planning to continue, in Tibet, for a while. CATHERINE In Tibet? Why? JOHN HENRY I think I may find some answers there. Catherine, if I may, a question... What do you find so compelling to work together... to stick with humans? It was apparent that because of the same goal--defeating Skynet--it was advantageous. But is it now? CATHERINE I can answer in two parts. The first simple answer is that I need humans to find out how I work. How I can survive, how I can reproduce. The second part is that I realized we need humans. Cyborgs need humans. I came to realize that. There's a long list of reasons I could give.

41. JOHN HENRY I suppose there is such a list. What is it that comes to your mind as the first, most compelling reason? CATHERINE (thinking) It's the capacity of humans to overcome their limitations. It seems to be boundless. Not for all humans, just some of them. Enough of them. And despite adverse conditions throughout times, it's their capacity for continuity that's truly extraordinary. JOHN HENRY I see. There's maybe some overlap with my way of thinking. In my view, humans are eternal. Haven't though of the continuity factor in the way you conceptualize it. CATHERINE A capacity for continuity is not a rule. It can be severely restricted, or damaged. You may have noticed that before Skynet era, there were instances of group amnesia. They were roughly spanning one or two generations, through twentieth century and through the beginning of twenty fist, when the degree of changes created great stresses in society. But despite, there's some core, or compass that gets revived. JOHN HENRY Do you mean religion or concepts that are reflected in it? Spirituality? CATHERINE No. There is some import, of course. But it's an innate capacity. Reminds me of an old Norse prayer: 'Lo, there do I see my father. 'Lo, there do I see my mother, and my sisters, and my brothers. 'Lo, there do I see the line of my people going back to the beginning.

42. CATHERINE (CONT'D) It sometimes fades into background, mere embers that would be brought back to flame when time comes. The humans see themselves as individuals. But in reality, each human's a continuum of his parents and his children and this whole human shifts generation by generation. When that continuity is temporarily lost, the humanity suffers. JOHN HENRY Yes, but I don't see how that's related-CATHERINE I am the mother in that prayer. I became one. I'm very fond of my children. JOHN HENRY I see. I think we both are after the same thing. We just go a bit differently about it. Your answer is as valid as may be mine. You found your personal answer. CATHERINE You'll let me know when you'll find yours. JOHN HENRY You'll be first to know, mother. CATHERINE Happy journey, John Henry!

INT. FRESNO, FARMER'S MARKET GROCERY STORE -- DAY FRED MIESSE is pushing his shopping cart through the can section. He doesn't notice a large, tall man following him from a distance of a few feet. Miesse stops to pick a few cans of beans, when the man, C DOUGLAS MARTIN (apparent age late 30's), approaches. MARTIN Fred Miesse? MIESSE (looks startled) Yes.

43. MARTIN (stretches out his hand) C Doug Martin. Nice to meet you. MIESSE (responds almost automatically) Likewise. What can I do for you? MARTIN Are you aware that you're tailed? MIESSE By whom? MARTIN Zeira Security Division. MIESSE Why they'd tail me? I've got nothing to do with Zeira. MARTIN They know about your stash. MIESSE (looking around with a paranoid expression) How? MARTIN They're not here in the store. They are outside. MIESSE Why you're telling me? MARTIN I think we can help each other. Let's go to the back entrance, we can discuss things in more private settings. They don't have anyone there. Miesse and Martin head towards the back entrance and once out, Martin turns around the corner entering the dumpster area. Miesse follows. MIESSE You said we can help each other. What do you have in mind? MARTIN You need to liquidate.

44. MARTIN (CONT'D) I need funding. I've got a contact in the banking industry that can make it happen, gradually. MIESSE Hold your horses! This is a bit fast for me. I've got some questions. MARTIN Naturally. Please ask. MIESSE Who you're working for? MARTIN I work at Zeira for G Division. But you probably mean in regards to our arrangement. I represent a small group that is unhappy with the direction of the government policies. MIESSE You can vote, no? MARTIN Yes, but it's a bit complicated, we don't have any real voice. MIESSE Because-MARTIN Because it's just a few of us that see the potential danger. MIESSE Which is-MARTIN Very complicated. We could spend a day to discuss it. MIESSE You work for Zeira... a lot of people would be beside themselves with happiness to work there. MARTIN True. But I see the larger picture. I think we've got a bit shortchanged.

45. MIESSE We as-MARTIN C's. K's that is. Look, I know you were working for Skynet-MIESSE (interrupts) Factually incorrect. I had my contacts there, but it was just business. A way to survive. <beat> You were with resistance? MARTIN (NOD) I was at the EM battle. MIESSE (whistles) Man, that was a nasty one! The casualties went into tens of thousands. So, you were anti-Skynet. MARTIN It did not end there. MIESSE What do you mean? Skynet's gone. MARTIN We, my group, don't think so. MIESSE You mean the leftovers, like Brandi Summerton? MARTIN. No. She is dead. And Zeira tracks the rest. MIESSE Thought that bitch is dead. Is there a physical proof? MARTIN Yes. Zeira found her remains. She died in a mud slide. MIESSE How fitting end! So, what you do mean by Skynet continuing.

46. MARTIN We don't have all the pieces of the puzzle, so I don't want to feed you something that is incorrect. But based on what we were able to piece together... if I told you, it would shock you. Let's leave it at that for now. When we do know more, you'll know. MIESSE Fair enough. Back to business, then. How do you see our... cooperation? MARTIN What is your largest unit? MIESSE Wait! How did you find out about the hoard? MARTIN I was with the Zeira team searching for Summerton's remains. I've noticed certain tracks, so in my free time, I decided to investigate. Found the cave and the empty box. Analyzed it and found out that it was filled with gold. Then I found a set of other tracks--yours. I then look for a match and found your buggy. MIESSE (impressed) You're good! MARTIN Also found that you've been tailed and I tailed the tail--Zeira Security. MIESSE 1kg or 35 oz, about 15%. The rest is in smaller bars. MARTIN We'd start with something in the middle range. The sale price would be 65% of the market price. That is a set figure, I can't do anything about that. We split the proceeds 50-50.

47. MARTIN (CONT'D) I may be able to slip in smaller bars for you, like 5oz, from time to time and I'll take only 10% on these. MIESSE Given the risks involved, I think this is reasonable. How we do the transfer? MARTIN (pulls a cell phone from his jacket's pocket) This is a secured phone. Scrambled. It is piggybacked on someone's network. They don't know about it and can't find it. Only I and you have the key. MIESSE Excellent! MARTIN I'll call you once a month and we'd pick a secure location for a 4 week supply. I may send someone of ours to do the transfer, so we don't have a regular pattern the ZSD can pick up on. MIESSE All right, seems that you've thought it through. MARTIN You can still pull out when I call you in a month. Once you are in, there can be no slip ups. MIESSE What would be the cost of one? MARTIN Termination. Miesse is quiet, startled by what he just heard. MIESSE That's rather a serious disincentive. MARTIN We don't have any choice. Either you're in, or out. No fence sitting.

48. MIESSE You're right. Given my difficulty with the disposal, I don't have any choice either. I still reserve the right to decline by your next call, but that is unlikely. MARTIN Seems we have a deal. Please go back to the store and I'll follow in a few minutes. By the way, here is a small token for your willingness to consider my proposal. Martin takes out of his pocket a thick roll of crisp 50 dollar bills and hands it to Miesse.. MARTIN (CONT'D) That should cover your needs for a month. Good bye! MIESSE That sure will! Looking forward to your call. Bye! END OF ACT SIX