in. out. their breathing was labored. (y/n) had sarah tugged towards her, but let her go once she knew everyone was fine. her hands fell from around sarah's shoulders and against the door handle. she watched as john, on the other side, opened the door and crawled out. between john and the others was a metal rod. it was drove right through the middle of the truck, and sure to have killed sarah.

(y/n) tugged at the door. it was blocked. she huffed softly, and crawled under the rod alongside sarah. the wounded woman struggled, gasping and gripping her leg. surprisingly, john was no help, as he stumbled off towards the terminator. (y/n) held sarah against her, barely getting out of the car when john barreled back over to them.

"we gotta go! we gotta get out of here!" he was frantic, quick to take his mom's other side and guide her. the metal girl took one look at the t-1000 rising and decided to not look over there again.

(y/n) took her arm out from around sarah, digging around in the vehicle. she pulled out the shotgun the woman had insisted on having. as soon as she'd tugged it free, the terminator sped to the side of the ruined truck.

he took sarah by her other side as john instructed her to put pressure in some places. (y/n) followed them as they supported the hobbling woman. she sighed as she figured, shotgun in hand, she was their best bet. the terminator was outmatched, sarah was wounded, and john had to protect her. (y/n) was the best fitted to fight.

as they tried their best to get away from the advanced robot, sarah was putting too much pressure on her leg. with a pained yell, she went down. "no!" john tried his best to tug her up again. "come on, we gotta go!"

once they were successfully on the move again, the terminator tugged them around. john had latched his free hand onto (y/n)'s. it was more for comfort than it was for convenience.

she looked down at the shotgun she held, only to see her hand change color the closer it was to the gun. it was turning the same color as the weapon. her other hand blended into a tan tone, one that matched john's. "oh. oh, fuck." her steps are slowed, sticking to the metal below her. her converse, and part of her jeans, turned from their usual color scheme to the metal grate of the floor. she was almost... melting.

"what's- what's wrong?" john breathed out, sparing her a glance in the midst of their slow-paced running. his eyes travel to her legs, noticing the way her shoes melted against the floor. "what's going on?"

"liquid," she started, her words slurring, "metal." she tugged her hand from john's, worried she'd burn him, and shoved the shotgun into his free hand.

john looked ahead again, only to see the terminator leading them towards a molten pit. "wait! wait, wait! it's too hot! we have to go back!"

sarah's exhausted eyes flickered to the struggling girl. her eyes were hooded, seeming tired, and her body melted into anything it touched.

the terminator pulled them away, but he saw the t-1000 making his way towards them. "go," he ordered. "run."

"what?" barked (y/n), her words coming off as sharp as she could make them.

"no!" john shrieked. "we stick together!" he looked up, tears already starting to well in his eyes. he pushed himself towards the terminator, ignoring his mom's firm whisper of his name.

"yeah! we're not gonna-"

"john, (y/n). you have to go. now." the terminator looked between the two sternly.

"guys-" sarah began, only to be interrupted by john struggling against her.

"at least let me stay! come on, i can help!" (y/n) insisted, curling her fingers around the terminator's jacket. "i- i can help." her eyes pled for him to let her go with him. if she hadn't known better, she almost would've said the terminator's features softened.

"yes," the terminator turned towards. "you can." john had no time to process what he was saying. "john, go. now!"

"what?" he screamed. "you want me to leave her, too? you're craz-" he couldn't finish his protest, as sarah had begun to pull him away. "no! no, stop! (y/n)!"

(y/n) smiled, almost sadly, as he shouted. her attachment to both john and the machine clawed at her chest, but she knew she had to help. it had to be her. there was no other option, no other explanation for her being like this in the first place.

"here. take this," the terminator instructed, handing her a handgun. she grinning, flipping it over in her hand. the terminator still raised his launcher for something akin to small grenades.

the girl hadn't had time to raise the handgun, as the t-1000 grabbed the terminators arm. the launcher flung into the distance, and (y/n) quickly raised the gun and fired at the liquid machine. he whipped his head in her direction, hitting the gun away from them both. she cursed under her breath.

in his moment of distraction, the terminator grabbed him by the shoulders. he slammed him into things, one after the other until the t-1000 reversed it. (y/n), seeing no opening, sighed and went after her lost handgun.

once she returned with it, she saw the liquid metal surrounding the terminator's arm. holding her handgun in her left hand, she sharpened her right. swinging her blade towards the blob of reflective liquid. she didn't know what she expected the outcome to be, but she didn't expect what it was.

his metal simply *avoided* her metal. like magnets of the same charge. the liquid metal separated as if she'd cut it, but she felt nothing slip past her blade. the place she'd separated simply rolled to the ground, forming with the mass again. "fuck!"

swiping her blade at the area that encased the terminator, the t-1000 became a solid again. the terminator pulled his hand free and fell into a brawl again. the liquid machine quickly got the better hand, shoving the larger machine into a corner. gears clicked in that corner, smashing the terminator's hand in it.

in a moment of (y/n)'s indecisiveness, the t-1000 began to walk away. she turned towards the terminator, sharpening her hand. she prepared to cut him out from beneath the gear. he waved his free hand in her direction. "go. protect john."

she nodded. turning and running after the t-1000, the guilt of leaving john without any reassurance creeped up on her. the guilt fueled her, made her steps a little quicker, her searching more thorough. she made a promise to herself, then. she would make sure that he, if no one else, makes it through this.

rounding more metal pipes and wires, she saw the t-1000 take slow deliberate steps towards a staircase. on the platform those stairs led to was john and sarah. john noticed (y/n). he saw her, alive, and he had to get to her. impending death or not. before he could take a step, sarah pulled him back by his jacket. "go to the chain, john."

"hey, dick!" (y/n) called towards the faux cop. the machine turned, giving sarah time to usher john away. he was lowered by the chain he held onto, getting put in a cart-like box. alone.

"what?" john's shrieks echoed as the box carried him off. "no! mom! (y/n)!" he repeated the names, even when he was far out of their sight. they could still hear the faint screams bellow out from his throat, but were focused on more pressing matters.

the t-1000 had turned away from the offensive half-machine once he noticed john was on the move. he made it up the steps, remaining unfazed when sarah shot him in the face. his face simply repaired itself, leaving sarah fumbling.

his finger sharpened and went though sarah's shoulder. "call to john."

"no," sarah choked out.

"hey! i was talking to you!" (y/n) was behind him, both her hands sharpened similarly to his finger. she drove it from his shoulder to his opposite side in a harsh diagonal, separating him nearly in half. he bent apart, his threatening hands being pulled away from sarah.

with a sharp glare behind him, his arms matched hers. they clashed them together as one would in a normal sword fight. no matter how one tried to stab the other, it didn't work. it was nearly just as efficient, though, splitting whatever in half involuntarily.

(y/n) returned one of her arms to normal, landing a strong punch on the t-1000's face. he was surprised, as surprised as a machine could be at least, and quickly retaliated. he wrapped his now-human hand around her throat, pushing her against the railing. "what..." he began, his voice more of a growl than a word, "are you?"

(y/n) chuckled, despite her throat being constricted. turns out, it actually caused her pain. "you're bru- bruising." his hand tightened around her throat, causing her to let out a gargled noise. they could hurt each other, she realized.

"what are you?"

she let out a wheeze, one that was meant to be a mocking laugh. before she could croak out any more angering sentences, a pipe was drove down the t-1000's side. his hand loosened, and (y/n) quickly moved herself away from him. the terminator fought against him, the t-1000 hitting the machine with the metal pipe once he removed it from himself.

the terminator was soon thrown from the very railing she'd been pressed against a few minutes prior. the liquid machine jumped after him, and loud banging erupted from a level below them.

(y/n) took this as her chance to check on sarah. the woman was still crumbled on the ground, watching the fight go down. she reached her, trying to pull her up. she knew the machines were still busy, as a chorus of creaks and thuds still filled the air.

"just give me... the gun," sarah ordered her. (y/n) just nodded in response, turning to drag the gun towards them. the older woman loaded the gun, seemingly painfully, and looked at the half-machine again. (y/n) heaved as she helped sarah up, the former pressure on her throat causing her breath to spill out with difficulty.

they went off into a new direction, looking for any sign of john. that's when they heard it. sarah's voice called out helplessly for john. (y/n)'s eyes widened as she looked at the real sarah. they quickened their pace, heading towards the direction of the voice.

they barreled around a corner, seeing the faux sarah connor stand in front of john. his eyes flashed to the two behind her, then to the ground. once he saw fake-sarah's shoes melt into the floor, he moved out of the way. "shoot!" that's what sarah did. she fired her shotgun into the t-1000, blowing a hole in him.

sarah pushed herself off of (y/n), steadying herself. she shot the t-1000 again and again, him stumbling back each time. he was on the verge of toppling over and into the steel pit when the gun clicked. sarah blinked, then tried again with a grunt. it was out.

(y/n) shot a glance behind her, looking for a way out. down below her, familiar, heavy steps sounded. the terminator. she had to suppress her relief and look back, tugging sarah aside as the t-1000 wagged his finger at them.

"get down," she muttered once john ran over to them. sarah looked up, seeing the terminator with his launcher, and tackled the two teenagers to the ground. the machine fired at the other.

the explosive capsule landed in the t-1000s melted metal, leaving a large dent. he knew his fate, in that moment, looking up with that odd expression. the capsule exploded, leaving the liquid metal machine warped and disfigured. unbalanced, as well, as he tumbled off the railing and into the molten pit.

~

word count: 2,058