took my muse by surprise and ran away with it.

[delicatale]

This cut contains almost 600 words of H50 fic!



Danny pushes the torn scarf covering his mouth at the same time as he kicks a T100’s skull away from him, his eyes the color of steel, angry and hurt.

“Whatever you say, Commander,” he spits out, squaring himself up and looking up at Steve, refusing to back down. Steve might be higher up in command due to his past, but Danny has never lowered his eyes to him, and never will, even now. “I still say it’s a stupid fucking idea.”

“John wants us there. Gather up the troops after we free the hostages.”

“John is delusional, thinking he can rally everyone under his Messiah banner. They’re not troops, Steve, they’re savages! They refuse any authority, the robots or the Resistance. They don’t give a fuck, and neither should we. They’ll kill each other soon enough. Let’s get our people and leave.”

“They’re human beings, Danny!”

The words are out in a shout, almost startled out of Steve’s mouth. He’s too close to John, to his ideas - all these ideals in the middle of a war, and Steve believes, sometimes probably forces himself to believe, for the sake of people long gone and the remnants of his shredded sanity. Sometimes Danny revels in it, curls himself against Steve and prays to Gods he knows have abandoned them that they keep him and his beliefs safe. In moments like now, though, Danny just wants to shake Steve back into the real world, the world without John Connor’s words to ward them against the machines and even more cruel.

Danny looks into Steve’s eyes, completely serious. Steve’s skin is not as smooth as it used to be, harsh conditions and and terrible memories webbed in the scars and the wrinkles.

“They inject themselves with mimetic poly-alloy and trade their limbs for Machines’. They killed Rachel. They took Grace! What’s human about that?”

Steve falters, clouds passing over his features - he can remember as well as Danny can seeing Rachel fall. She’d begged Steve to overlook Danny’s protest, she’d wanted to be on this mission so much, because those who once had been slaves now had taken some themselves, and their sweet, sweet 19 year old daughter was trapped somewhere in their camp. And now Grace is without a mother.

Danny sees Steve hesitate, hold up a hand, as if wanting to grab Danny and pull him close, ease his worries and fears. He doesn’t, not with their men assembled around them - the fight is already a bad enough thing for them to witness, not that they’re not used to it. Danny doesn’t have much to hold on in this world, besides his family, mostly Steve and Grace and Rachel, and he’s failing them all, one by one, losing them like Steve lost his family, so long ago it feels like another life for him, he told Danny once, in the dead of night, his voice barely loud enough under the heavy sound of a chopper taking off.

Danny deflates, hands hanging loosely at his sides, his head down, the fight gone from him, replaced by grief of having lost Rachel, a best friend to him where friends were rare and died too easily. This time Steve doesn’t hesitate, he reaches out, curling his hand around Danny’s shoulder, squeezes reassuringly. He’s still here. Still alive, beating and breathing and ready to tear the world apart to keep Danny safe.

“Okay, Danny. Let’s just get Grace back, yeah? I’ll talk to John.”

Danny sags a little, nods.

“Thank you.”


--------
I've always questioned John Connor's status of 'Messiah', the one that will free the world from the Machines and all. As much as I love the character, to me it's always been something that Sarah talked about constantly, without really giving us a reason why, and thus, if I was to write more of this, I think Danny would definitely question it as well. It's in his nature, whereas Steve, being a military man and recognising John's higher rank, would probably follow a little more blindly (not completely, mind you), and hold on to these beliefs because he doesn't have a lot of them, really. I'd like to explore that.

As for the plot part...I've wanted to write something like this for ages. Not make Terminator just about the Machines and the War, but how living in these conditions, living with these burdens can change people. I've had this idea of a tribe of men attaching Machines' parts to themselves and fighting both robots and humans for ages, and always thought it'd be too gruesome, but it seems to fit with H50 and its characters. Idk, this image would just not leave my head but I don't know if I'll expand. I just had the need to write this bit.

Comments

[imaginarycircus.livejournal.com]

Very clever cross over!

[delicatale.livejournal.com]

If I was to expand on it, I'd want it to be like my Moonlight crossover - something anyone can read, even if not familiar with the Terminator universe. Because everyone knows the basics, right? I have other scenes in my head, involving characters from the Terminator Universe, but it's all jumbled up in my head, and I have too much to do to give it much more thought, despite how much my Muse wants to ^^.

[imaginarycircus.livejournal.com]

I <3 your brain.

[delicatale.livejournal.com]

XD ♥

[http://users.livejournal.com/_thelostcity/]

Having not seen any of the Terminator stuff (let's not get started on that because the list is long and people are very disappointed in me for much of it), I <3 your brain as well :)

[wyvernwolf.livejournal.com]

Danny sounds so harsh and hard, and Steve, well, he strikes me as the type that needs a cause to fight and live for and John's is basically tailor made for him.

Good and powerful stuff. I do hope you can find the time to expand it.

[delicatale.livejournal.com]

Living through something like Judgment Day and the war against the Machines would do that to someone, I believe. It's not that he doesn't wish they could help these people, it's just. They have Grace, they killed Rachel. His loyalties lie there, really. Do you think it sounded OOC?

I do believe John and Steve would work so well...

[wyvernwolf.livejournal.com]

No, no, no! I don't think he sounded OOC at all. Sorry, I should've been clearer in my comment! I think it's a good thing that he's like that. Like you said, he's lost Rachel and Grace and the terrible conditions would've made him like that. I can see Danny as the one questioning John's crusade and I think that because it's him doing the questioning Steve would actually listen.

[delicatale.livejournal.com]

I'd have taken the criticism, don't worry =D.

I'd love to develop that part - I've always found it fascinating, maybe it's why I'm such a big fan of the movies and can forgive a lot from them...

[wyvernwolf.livejournal.com]

My only criticism right now is that there's not more! :D

I actually watched Judgement Day a few weeks ago and wasn't particularly fond of John. I can understand he's like he is due to his position and all the responsibility and can admire him, but yeah, too obsessed to really like. :/

[delicatale.livejournal.com]

The portrayal of John in Judgment Day is my favourite of all the portrayals of John ^^. I love that, through what his mother forces him to do, live his life out of a backpack, run all the time, and start thinking he's something else, someone special, he's still so human. His refusal for Terminator to kill people is very compelling, as is his attachment to the robot.

In The Sarah Connor Chronicles, John is portrayed as a whiny, plaintive teenager who cries about his woes all the time - bored me, angered me.
And in Salvation, he's the leader of the Resistance (damn I wrote Rebellion in the story, I knew something was wrong there - edit!) and he's seen the war already and he's hardened by it - I did love that portrayal but I wasn't surprised by it.

[wyvernwolf.livejournal.com]

Argh. I just noticed I typed in Judgement Day in my earlier comment when I meant Terminator Salvation. Bugger. And LJ won't let me edit it.

John in Judgement Day started out annoying but he was anything but by the end of it. I liked him in that one. John in Salvation was the one I found too obsessed.

I haven't watched The Sarah Connor Chronicles yet. Worth it?

[delicatale.livejournal.com]

It won't let you because I replied to it - which is sometimes silly but mostly makes sense ^^.

I did get a little annoyed at John when he was all 'I shall get on my high horse and tell you I am to be the Leader' in Salvation. What I loved most about this movie was his relationship with Marcus, and what it made him realise. It was very intense (which is why I ship them sfm, lol.). Also, Kyle.

As an avid fan, I jumped on T:SCC when it first came out. After five or so episodes, I stopped watching. John is beyond irritating, and I hated Cameron (the Terminator sent to protect him). There was no chemistry between Sarah and John, or John and Cameron, and even less between Sarah and Cameron. It really felt like terrible casting.
When I discovered that Kyle had a spot in the show, much later, and that Brian Austin Green was in it, too, I gave it another go. Gave up before Kyle makes his first appearance (I just. How does that make sense, I still don't know, but I have a feeling I won't like it if I end up finishing to watch). Still not much chemistry, but what bothered me the most was how they used time travel as a plot device. Seriously, almost every episode someone from the future would appear, and that just doesn't work for me. The best thing about it, imo, was Derek Reese (brother of Kyle, played by BAG), and I think it was because he was only canon for that show. I thought he was a nice fresh touch.

So, to me, not worth it. But that's just me ^^.

[lasamy.livejournal.com]

OMG I wish this was a real scene in "Terminator Salvation". With some Guns n' Roses in the background, maybe. OH ♥
Hope you write more of it someday, bb! :P

[delicatale.livejournal.com]

That would add another storyline to a movie that already couldn't deal with the multiple arcs it started ^^.

I do think I will, at some point! If only because my Muse is running wild with ideas of this.

[lasamy.livejournal.com]

But we'd have had pretty and combat gear..and...uhm okay, I want too much. lol

:'D

[delicatale.livejournal.com]

Tbh my Muse just wants a world where Marcus doesn't die and it can play with all Terminator + H50 people being pretty and killing Machines together.

[lasamy.livejournal.com]

OH I want to bake a cake to you Muse. Or cookies? What she likes?

[delicatale.livejournal.com]

Chocolate. *nod nod*

[lunachickk.livejournal.com]

Wow, this works really well. It probably helps that I'm a HUGE Terminator fan. ;)

[delicatale.livejournal.com]

Welcome to the club! So am I!

[sirona-gs.livejournal.com]

WOW. This is such a fantastic idea! It's always so incredible to see someone take the other, unseen side of things, and show what it must be like for ordinary people to live under these conditions. Not The Chosen One, not his close, important cronies -- just the people who have to eke out a living and fight the fight, too, the foot soldiers, so to speak. I think that's why I've always loved Terry Pratchett's Watch books so much.

I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you when you needed me today, bb! D: If you want to, I'll be around all day tomorrow! <3

[delicatale.livejournal.com]

I would love for a movie to explore this side of the war, but yeah, can't really hope for that - John is too big a character not to be prominent in the storylines (although that was part of why Kyle touched me so much in Salvation). In this universe in my head, Danny and Steve are close enough to John that they can talk to him if they need to, but they're still 'just' soldiers in the Resistance. This scene totally happened when I didn't ask for anything, but now I want to write more and shiiiiiiiiittttt so many things I want to write D:.

It's okay! And yeah, I'll be around too =D.

[witchy99.livejournal.com]

This is so amazing. I really like what you've done with this! I adore AU (as you probably have guessed) and I think what you've done with the characters is perfect. It's all situation-based; you can't have Steve McGarrett from Hawaii 5-0 the exact same at the Steve McGarrett in your story - it wouldn't make sense. Same with Danny. They're still so very close though and I immensely enjoyed what you've written, so I do hope your muse continues to run wild!

[gunslingaaahhh.livejournal.com]

*CONFETTI*