The Connor Wars F0308 – “Ties and Links”

Here is the eighth installment of Terminator – The Sarah Connor Chronicles fanfic that picks up where the second season finale left off. As I mentioned before, I was so enthusiastic about the possibilities presented when the season ended that I just had to keep it going regardless of what happens with the suits at FOX.

The first thing you’ll probably notice is that I changed the name of the series to Terminator: The Connor Wars. I think that more accurately conveys what this project will cover as well as it being a lot easier to say.

As I disclaim on the title page, this is just meant to be a bit of fannish fun in the long spirit of the various fan communities. I’m not intending to step on any toes.

Ties and Links

Continuing with the cliffhanger in F0307 of Allison’s abduction. But wait, there’s more: Sarah and company have to deal with someone mentioned all the way back in season 2 but who we’ve never seen.

As I’ve mentioned, this section of the season has all of us recovering from that really big battle we had. (Not that I’m saving any hypothetical budget money.) While it’s a bit more focused on character that doesn’t mean that I’m just going to have them all sit in a room and just talk. Hopefully I can make things a little more interesting than that.

A lot of threads try people and events together in our Terminator universe. Regardless of how the pasts and futures have changed, the people and events that tie everyone together and link the various storylines tend to crop up. Some people even dress for the occasion: what with their crisp suits, sharp ties, and dazzling cuff-links.

(With the size it is, the PDF seems to read easier if you zoom to 66.7% and then scroll the text horizontally so it’s centered.)

Previous episode: F0307 – “Resfest”

Next episode: F0309 – “Trail Mix”

Oh, and before I get emails about this. The PDF file I generated has the setting to allow people to print out the script turned off. If you are having trouble with the plug-in, click here.

16 Responses to "The Connor Wars F0308 – “Ties and Links”"

itypograf says:

August 10, 2009 at 10:40 pm

Ah, the next episode of official unofficial (or may be vise versa?) season 3 screenplay! That’s a great good morning present for me, but again – will read later – now… I have labels2print :-(

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TheSqonk says:

August 11, 2009 at 8:14 am

Another brilliant episode. If I was to say Ep 1 and 6 were the episodes that have stuck the most in my memory then this episodes is right on par with them. A lot of really good moments.

– Very creepy Alison voice over at the start – reminded me of Newt from Aliens or Ripley’s V.O. from Alien Resurrection in terms of feel.
– Weaver snake in the desert was really cool and really easy to see visually. These two things made for a really strong opening in my opinion.
– Sarah being blunt with Elison in John Henry’s room (and Elison’s reaction); It was only a small scene but this felt very very natural for the characters, almost as if I really was watching it on TV. I don’t know if that sounds strange or not but I hope it makes sense.

A couple of observations:

As the title is “Ties and Links” I didn’t miss the two short pieces about the game “Go”. You may laugh at this but before my brain had a chance to engage my first reaction was “Is he playing Camhenry across time?” I know that sounds ludicrous but I found the thought entertaining none-the-less. I take it the real significance of it is “why has a chess computer evolved or changed it’s preference to another game” and obviously the links to the Japanese father and son from Season 2?

And finally…. You’re first episode that didn’t end with a voice over!

Great effort!

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CJ says:

August 11, 2009 at 3:46 pm

Danke. One of the goals in writing screenplays is to make them so visual that you can’t help seeing the movie/show in your. Too many dismiss this writing medium as nothing more than a blueprint. I’ve never been comfortable giving up that much imaginational control. I’ve always felt that the screenplay can be more than just exchanges of dialog with a few transitions. Might as well be a playwright in that case.

That Sarah/Ellison scene was one of the easiest scenes with either of them I’ve written. They were just them. I enjoy the dance they do.

I had thought: what is it, really, that makes The Turk different from Skynet, especially since this Skynet has a future T-888 CPU as a code base? I think it could possibly be Xander’s introduction to Cameron of Go followed Cameron’s little mind-meld with John Henry. They are both martial games, but with vastly different tactics and measures of success. Head-to-head, which would win?

I was wondering if anyone would notice the lack of a closing voice-over. Actually, there was a voice-over in the outline. Something about it being that people matter. But when I read the scene, seeing it as such a tender moment, I didn’t want to heavy-handedly underscore it. Sometimes you just have to let the story be. So just as Weaver and Alex gave Allison her space, so too did we.

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meanoldmoe says:

August 11, 2009 at 5:54 pm

Hi CJ ,
I just finished Ties and Links , and I must say , I could not stop reading until I made it to the end .
The game John Henry/ Cameron play in the present , is the same in the future , I was wondering if they had some way of playing across time lines, or being such as they are as one , they just picked up on doing the game as a means of passing time ? ! It seemed interesting , especially when referring to the title of this 8th installment .
I like how you showed us how and why Alison is so scared of “metal”, it brought some more of her that I think all of us would like to know about . Also nice to see John concerned about her enough to go out and try to rescue her, and it is interesting how Catherine wanted Alison rescued too.
Funny how Savannah is becoming an important pawn, seems like everyone wants her…why??
Alex is a good choice to help out , she was some one I wanted to see more of and I like how she is around for Sarah in the present , as well as for John in the future.
Keep up the great work , I cannot wait until the next installment !!!!!!

Stef

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CJ says:

August 12, 2009 at 1:36 am

When you can’t stop reading, I know that I’ve done my job well. Higher praise a writer cannot ask.

The introduction of Go in the second season was interesting. Definitely something that needs watching and following up.

I try to make sure that blanks are filled in along the way. If you read my review blogs, you know that I was pretty hard on the creative team for setting things up but not paying them off. My writing philosophy is that if you don’t keep your audience entertained and enticed, they go elsewhere. I abandoned Lost early in its second season–as did many of my screenwriting mob–because it wasn’t paying off the set-ups in a timely manner. This tends to imply either or both of: a lack of a plan; insecurity that you’ll run out of story. Me…I never write anything non-trivial without a plan, and I’m pretty darned confident that I can always come up with something new. Oh…oops. I seemed to have stepped onto a soap box.

Savannah is an interesting variable in our little play, isn’t she?

As is Alex. Clearly Alex is our major bridge. She’s been involved with the Connor cadre since episode 2. Clearly she’s one of the warp yarns in our epic tapestry. I love this character.

I can’t hardly wait for the next installment, either. Hope it’s good.

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hezi says:

August 13, 2009 at 11:57 am

hi CJ, that was another great episode! if the rumor is true and TSCC will be back,
WB should hire you as one of the writers.
alison’s flashbacks reminded me “alison from palmdale”, which is one of my favorite episodes.
at least this alison survived.
john and weaver are becoming a formidable force,
but I wonder if john could have beaten skynet on his own.

cant wait to see derek’s face when john brings alison back…

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CJ says:

August 13, 2009 at 1:22 pm

“One of the writers” Shoot, if they wait another 6 months or so, I could be the ONLY writer! LOL!

There were definitely some AFP homages there, but there were going to be more. Stay tuned.

Could John have done this little rescue alone? I don’t think so. Buttercup would have easily made it to a Skynet base without Weaver’s diversion tactics while John and Alex were trying to catch up. As for John vs Buttercup…John’s a great sniper, but human vs endo tends to favor the endo. I call it a pick’em.

And you’ll just have to imagine it (sorry). Having to pick up the story pace a bit/a lot.

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hezi says:

August 14, 2009 at 3:12 am

“the ONLY writer!” if only… lol.

about john beating skynet on his own, in the first timeline he was there from the start,
survived JD and became the leader. he beat skynet after 30 years of fighting.
this john, skipped JD, he is still young and he is not the leader. so the question is, could he
become the leader and win the war without weaver and cazadora’s help?
if the answer is no, it means his role as leader and savior is not predetermined.
can the timeline be altered that much?

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CJ says:

August 14, 2009 at 4:11 am

But in the first timeline he didn’t beat Skynet…he only almost beat Skynet. If he’d beaten Skynet we wouldn’t be in this temporal mess we’re in.

Could John become a leader without help? If he had the time, quite possibly. Thing is, he jumped into the end-game. He doesn’t have time to go slow and work his way up the ranks…he needs all the help he can get.

But…as you’re seeing from what I’m writing, John’s leadership isn’t so much strategic as it is a combination of people skills and luck–same as it’s always been for leaders through history. Unlike past leaders, he has had the opportunity to learn from past mistakes and may be better able to know who his true friends and enemies are.

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hezi says:

August 15, 2009 at 5:25 am

almost beat Skynet? from what I remember in T1, john did beat skynet and sending arnie to 1984
was an act of dispare at the last moment, because skynet’s defeat was inevitable.

as for john becoming the leader on his own, like you said, he jumped to the endgame so
obviously he needs all the help he can get. and obviously he could beat skynet without skipping JD.
but thats not what I ment. my question is:
is john’s fate predetermined?
is he the only one who can defeat skynet? can the resistance win without him?
thats why I asked ‘can he do it without help’.
if it is his fate he will do it, the help only speeds things up.
if he can’t, then maybe he was’nt destined to do it.
I hope I’m not too convoluting myself here.

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CJ says:

August 15, 2009 at 5:07 pm

But if John had beaten Skynet, good and proper, Skynet couldn’t have sent back the T800-101 to continue the war. If it were our heroes that did that instead of Skynet, we’d have thought it dash clever, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.

The idea I have been running with is that John is the key to victory. Having John doesn’t guarantee a win, but not having John guarantees a loss. (From F0301: Weaver: “Without you, Skynet wins. Skynet always wins.”) Sure, there may be someone somewhere in the world who can win the war just as well, if not better, than John…they just happen to be locationally challenged and thus are unable to actually contribute meaningfully to Skynet’s defeat.

No…not going to explain how Weaver knows that (at least, not right now…it’s a little involved). Let’s just say that she’s speaking from experience.

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ipyuengling says:

August 16, 2009 at 10:04 pm

CJ,
I found your work via Lanie Grace and other T:TSCC forums. You have a gift for telling this story, and I wanted to say THANK YOU! It has taken me only a couple of days to read ep’s 0301-0308 (couldn’t help myself). As a fan of the TV show, it is very easy to visualize (in the mind’s eye) the characters, props and locations that populate your scripts. I think that one of the mistakes made in S2 was using too many different writers, which resulted in a lack of continuity within the various story arcs. If this wonderful program should ever be “re-booted”, the producers would do well to learn from that terrible mistake. Unlike procedural dramas (CSI, L&O, etc..) and sitcoms with recurring characters, Terminator is essentially one story (JC defeats Skynet?), but told from many perspectives and timelines. As the reader/viewer becomes increasingly informed of those various perspectives, the story reveals itself. For example, if you take away Ellison’s POV, then some pieces of several puzzles go missing. (Can’t wait to see what pieces Savannah holds.) Using a single (or head) writer results in a much more focused narrative structure – something which I believe is essential to building and maintaining the interest of the reader/viewer. Even though you have posted a request for ideas and situations to include or explore in future episodes, you should still maintain control of the narrative and the overall story arcs. That is a smart way of moving the story forward and balancing episodic elements with key plot developments. If the show’s producers had done that, S3 would be in production right now.
Once again, thank you for your considerable efforts at keeping the story alive. I hope this isn’t the literary equivalent of the “free sample” from the smack dealer, where the first hit is free to get you hooked, and then you pay for everything else! Keep up the good work, it is most definitely appreciated.

Kind Regards,

Another New Fan

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CJ says:

August 17, 2009 at 11:24 am

@ipyuengling – Thanks so much. I’m happy that you find the story so far to be enjoyable.

That’s a very interesting analysis: one story, multiple points of view. I like that. As my writing has evolved I’ve often utilized the points of view of various characters to round out a story. If nothing else, it keeps the writer from getting bored :-D

It’s an interesting thing with genre shows that follow a complex narrative. Generally speaking they do have a “buck stops here” person/control freak/show runner (po-tay-to/po-tah-to) who ensures that the story gets told the way they want it told. I wouldn’t say that TSCC didn’t have that. I do think that some distracting life stuff intervened (as well as a prolonged strike).

As the details of each of the stories unfold with each script, I’m still entertained by the surprises that occur. There is a lot going on in this universe. It’s a shame that the limitations of making a show a show mean that you can’t have too many characters. Still, even within cast limitations, there are hidden depths that remain to be explored.

The scripts are a gift not only to the fans of TSCC, but also to myself. Some stories just want to be free.

Thanks again for taking the time to read my take on how the story could evolve, and for writing a very interesting analysis.

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kirirur says:

August 22, 2009 at 5:46 am

Hello CJ!

I’ve also found your work thanks to Lanie Grace blog (that I found by chance :) )!
I’ve read your really brilliant story as quick as I can, because it is really “catching”!

I really like it and I’m waiting 3×09 to be out! :D

Btw, I’ve to made a note about one of Allison’s flashback. The whole torture scene doesn’t seems more terminator-like to me. I mean, they are killing machine and it happened that they tortured humans in order to gain useful information to fullfill their mission, but the “kill him so you’ll be free” seems a mind trick not a logic conclusion of a terminator’s CPU..
At least that with “Male voice” you intended “(human) male voice”, maybe a grey?

Btw, keep up the superb work! I’m eager to view the next episode! :D

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CJ says:

August 22, 2009 at 11:42 am

Welcome. So happy that there is another satisfied reader.

That you found it, ultimately, “by chance” has definitely been one of the problems. If I do say so myself, I think a lot of fans who would enjoy this are missing out. I’m hoping you all will spread the word that we’re here (and remember the new, easier link: https://tib.cjcs.com/tcw)

You are exactly right. I meant for it to be HUMAN MALE VOICE. Thanks for the catch. I’ve added one line to the bottom of page 37 that should clear that up.

You’re luckier than most stumble-uponers…you only have a few days to wait for the next ep :-). Me? I find after I’ve read one I have to wait two more long weeks before I can read the next one. LOL

Thanks for your kind words and for taking the time to share your thoughts. I appreciate it a lot.

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The Connor Wars F0308 – “Ties and Links”

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