This is my idea of what might have happened after T3. Please be patient if I made any mistakes. This is not canon. I don't know when Skynet invented different weapons, and I am not sure of the Terminator timeline. I do not own any of these characters and I am not making any money off of this. I just did it for fun. Please be kind in your reviews. I have very thin skin. I'm re-posting because I made a few changes and corrected a few mistakes and then I could not figure out how to get the chapters back in order.

T4- Aftermath

"It's been nearly six years since Judgment Day. Kate and I have been preparing for the day when we could come out of our refuge and begin to find other humans. We have listened to the radio so we know that there are other people out there, but we did not broadcast in case Skynet was listening. There was a huge stock of food down here. The government had seen to that. I guess the people that built this shelter actually expected there to be enough time for the President and other officials to get down here. This place is huge. There are a dozen private rooms that could be used for sleeping. There is a large dining area and kitchen, a large conference room and a lot of storage space. We also had plenty of water, medical supplies, power, and an extensive library to keep us from getting too bored. I mostly read books about war strategies and survival techniques. Kate read books about first aid and food storage and safety. Neither of us was too interested in fiction or poetry. We knew that the survival of the human race depended on us. Fortunately, the people who built this place also figured that the people down here might need weapons. A couple days after Judgment Day, Kate found a room that had been stocked with every kind of weapon imaginable, and ammunition enough to supply an army. We spent a lot of time practicing each of the weapons so we could defend ourselves against anything we might run into. There were also two Jeeps, several ¾ ton cargo trucks and a storage tank of gasoline. The people who built this place thought of everything. Everything except Skynet"

John Conner paused, before continuing his journal. He wanted to make sure that there was a record of the events that were taking place. He heard footsteps approaching and turned to see Kate enter the room. She looked different than when they found themselves thrown together by the events leading up to Judgment Day. She had lost weight, and the light was gone from her eyes. She looked serious all of the time now. If he was honest with himself, he knew he looked a lot different too. It's amazing what the end of the world will do to a person. It had taken them both a long time to finally accept the fact that whether they liked it or not, they were the leaders of the resistance against the machines.

Kate moved closer to John, sat down next to him, and took his hand. They looked at each other for a few moments, and then John spoke, "I think it's time to go out and see if we can find anyone."

Kate looked at him for a moment, and then reluctantly agreed. She had gotten used to the safety of their shelter and was afraid to venture out. "When do you want to go?" she asked.

"We will need a few days to get some supplies together. But first I would like to just go out and see how things look. You know, just to be sure it's safe."

"I'll go with you." Kate replied.

"No, I want you to stay down here until I see what is going on out there. We don't know what's out there."

Early the next morning John and Kate approached the elevator that would take him to the entrance to the shelter. John was carrying a Remington 870 model shotgun and a .357 Magnum with three extra clips. He also had a bag containing hand grenades. He knew Skynet hadn't had the time to invent the Terminators, but he didn't want to take any chances on what might be out there. They paused, hugged, and then John stepped on the elevator, pushed the button and watched Kate until the doors closed. He nervously watched the display on the elevator wall as he approached the surface. The doors opened and made his way down the corridor to the opening of the facility. He could see the devastation from the bombs and the battle between the two Terminators. As he made his way through the wreckage to the opening of the shelter, he looked around, ready to defend himself if he were attacked.

He squinted as he stepped through the opening of the cavern. It was the first time he had seen daylight in six years. Because clouds of dust and ash still partially blocked the sun, it was cold Even though he knew that the bombs had destroyed nearly everything, he was still stunned by what he saw. Ash covered everything as far as the eye could see. He stood there for several minutes before venturing out into the open. Nothing was moving, and there were no tracks in the ash. No longer concerned that he was in immediate danger from attack, he walked further from the entrance, his boots crunching on the charred debris. After looking around for a few minutes, he turned to go back to the elevator. He tripped over something. Looking down he saw the head of the Terminator that had saved his life. He picked it up and continued on to the elevator. He took it down to the level where Kate was waiting for him. Kate had hidden when he went to the surface. Neither of them knew what to expect, so they agreed that she would hide and not tell him where she would be. Just in case. He called to her, using the code "Mike Kripke's basement". A few seconds later he heard her footsteps approaching. She entered the room with a look of apprehension mixed with relief. She was glad he was back safely, but worried about what he had seen.

"What's out there?" Kate asked.

"Nothing. No signs of people, no signs of machines. I think it is safe to go." John replied. He showed her the head of the Terminator. She looked at him for a moment. She had hoped that their protector had survived the blasts. She placed the head on a table in the conference room.