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    Terminator Sarah Conner Chronical Season 3 : REUNION

    ลำดับตอนที่ #29 : Part 2: Chapter 12: A Friend in Need

    • อัปเดตล่าสุด 11 ก.พ. 56


    TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES

    REUNION

    Part 2: Armageddon

    Chapter 12

    A Friend in Need

    "A friend in need is a friend indeed." English Proverb

    "Don't go it alone." A poster on the school wall. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Pilot 2008

    "In the future, you have many friends." Cameron Phillips, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Pilot, 2008

    "Sometimes it's nice to have help." Cameron Phillips, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Season 2 Episode 17, Ourselves Alone, 2009

    # # #

    2027, Day 63, July 23, 9:20 AM

    Cameron pulls John up by his collar until they are looking into each others eyes.

    A count of several seconds goes by when they just stare at each other. Cameron reaches up and wipes a drop of blood from the corner of John's mouth with her thumb. He doesn't flinch and he's definitely not pleased.

    "What the hell was that for?" John suddenly shouts, pushing himself away from her grasp.

    "You took a foolish risk, John. You could have taken any number of soldiers or machines with you, but you had to do this alone."

    "Wha-at?" John is pissed. "If you hadn't noticed, I had two machines with me coming down that mountain."

    "Two machines against all the resources of Sky Net. That was your second mistake."

    "Really. What was the first?"

    "Not trusting the people, who love you, with the truth. Kyle, Allison, Savannah, John Henry. I know you wanted to say goodbye to Sarah privately. You two shared much on your journey. They would have given you your space, if you only trusted them with the truth about me."

    "I couldn't tell Kyle. He thinks you are human and dead. John Henry has a very important task to carry out. Savannah was just too broken up over mom's death. Allison knows about you and what she doesn't know I'd say she suspects. But you are my responsibility. No one else's. I'd die for you Cameron."

    "Don't be ridiculous you can't die John. Your life is too important to take foolish risks. Not even for me."

    John is touched, but the anger is still fuming. "And what about mom? Or Savannah? If I didn't send you back in time, both of them would have died eighteen years ago. So if I had died tonight, then it would have been in the cause of saving three lives. You would have done the same or should have."

    "What are you saying?"

    "I'm talking about my mom! You were supposed to stay with her and protect her!" John is visibly upset with Cameron.

    "I did protect Sarah. I helped her raise Savannah and helped her build an army for your arrival. Three years ago your mom began to get sick. I didn't know why. The doctors at the bunker diagnosed her with cancer. Sarah fought it. She was determined to win the battle. About three months ago I lied and told her my power cell was leaking, and I left." Cameron replies, her voice empty of any emotion.

    "I know all about your lie. I never believed that bullshit about a leaking power cell. I guess you never told Mom or Savannah that you now have two power cells, because if you had a leak, all you had to do was to remove the damaged cell."

    "You are correct. I didn't tell them about my second fuel cell, but it was necessary to give them a reason for my disappearance. Savannah was an adult and could look after your mom. Sarah didn't need me anymore." She says in her cold, but soft voice.

    "But why did you leave her? If you stayed with her . . . " Tears begin to run from his eyes. "If you stayed with her, she might still be alive."

    Cameron's stoic expression softens. "John, she didn't have that much time left. Just be thankful for the time you had with her." She finishes, trying not to cry herself.

    "You don't understand. Mom didn't die from cancer. She was killed. That bastard who built Sky Net and tortured her . . . He killed her. She died . . ." John's angry voice drops to one of despair. "saving my life."

    Cameron steps forward and places her leather clad hand gently on his shoulder. "I'm sorry John. Sarah was my friend. All Sarah talked about was wanting to see you again. She fought the cancer with all her strength to live long enough to see her son. I wanted her to see you again. She knew the year, but didn't know the date of your arrival, but from what you told me, before Catherine Weaver took me to her T D E, I knew approximately when you would be arriving. I left Sarah to wait for your arrival and keep an eye on you. I've been watching you ever since. I wanted to make sure you were safe so Sarah could see you again."

    For the first time in almost twenty-fours hours, he breaks down and cries real tears of sadness. No anger or bitterness or hatred fills him at that moment, just genuine grief. Cameron wraps her arms around him and holds him gently while John finally let's go of his pent up heartache. After a few minutes, John finally composes himself, but inside, he still feels that anger and hatred for Kreilley.

    "I'm sorry I yelled at you." He wipes his eyes. " Mom would have appreciated what you did. It's good to know she had you for a friend." John blows his nose.

    "You know, it's funny. Mom barely tolerated my Cameron. There were times I think she just hated her. I would have liked to have seen the two of you together." His face lightens up a bit at the thought of his Mom and Cameron being together, as friends.

    She gives him one of her tiny grins. "You've made some good friends yourself. You've gotten further in the resistance than would be expected in the short time you've been here. Sarah must have been very proud of you."

    "She was. She told me in a letter." John feels his pocket. "Damn. I forgot. I left it in Mom's room."

    "That's okay John. She told me often enough how much she loved you and was proud of you. I am proud of you too, but John, this is not your fight. This is not the future you should be risking your life to defend."

    "Don't tell me that. I've fought hard and worked hard all this time to get you repaired and sent back in time to rescue your original self and protect Mom. I owe it to them to help them win this fight."

    "You should help your friends. But what are you going to do about Allison?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "Are you choosing to stay here because of her?"

    "What makes you think I want to stay here?"

    "You didn't follow me to the past. Before I left with Ms. Weaver, you promised me that you would follow. But Judgment Day came and you weren't there."

    "Tell me more." John was intrigued by her explanation and wanted to know everything.

    "I've been following you John since the day you arrived in this future. I was at Palomar watching your final preparations before sending me to 2009. Ms. Weaver gave you the chance to leave with me and you turned her down. The Cameron, you just sent, couldn't hear it clearly through the door where she was changing clothes at the time. That room was soundproofed so no one could hear the HVAC system it housed. But I" She points at herself, "could hear everything through the glass window where I was watching."

    Cameron paused for a second to observe John's reactions, then continued to speak.

    "You told me on the way to Catherine's helicopter that time was in flux. I understand that now, because you should have come back with me and stopped Judgment Day before it happened. That was your chance to put right what went so terribly wrong after you left."

    "If I didn't leave, I never would have fixed you!" He shouts angrily.

    "Maybe, but if you recognized the message on the screen as being from Cameron, then you should have realized she was there, on the Turk. You had the Turk and my body, all you needed was a chip and parts. Sarah told me that Mr. Ellison had the body of a terminator. Based on the description, it sounded like the Triple-8 that was at the Weaver's residence. You had all the parts and tools you needed if you only stayed. So ask yourself John, if all that was there, then why did Ms. Weaver bring you here?"

    "To help these people. What else?" John asks.

    "I think Weaver is using you for her own purpose." Cameron looks steadily, unflinchingly at John.

    "If she is using me, then why did she offer to send me back with you? Huh. Tell me why?" John is getting upset and losing his patience with Cameron, but Cameron remains patient. She knows John Connor. He gets angry when faced with arguments that counter what he thinks he knows, but once his temper calms, he sees the logic. Old or young, John Connor is the same.

    "She was testing you, to find out how strong a grasp she has on you. I saw the whole thing from outside, through the window. You didn't see her face after you confronted her. She was pleased with your reaction. Weaver wanted you to stay."

    Still angry, John tries to lower the tone of his voice. This is Cameron he's talking too.

    "I don't know Cameron. She's done a lot to help me. Catherine has given me advice and protected me when I was attacked. I never would have got you fixed without her help. My Cameron said that it wasn't Catherine's mission to kill me. So why shouldn't I trust Catherine, why would she do this?"

    "I wouldn't lie to you John. Ask yourself this, why did Catherine wait until after you were both here before she told you that your Cameron was on the Turk? Why not tell you when both of you were in Zeira Corp's basement? You had everything you needed in the past, but she didn't tell you. Why would she do that?"

    John's eyes are slowly opening to Cameron's explanation, but he is still confused. "I don't know. Maybe she didn't realize it until later, after she located John Henry."

    "You don't really believe that do you? Take off the blind fold John! Weaver is using you!" John notices a strong hint of anger in Cameron's voice.

    "To do what?"

    "Did she tell you why she brought you here?"

    "She said I was to help these people defeat Sky Net. That we would return home after John Henry and I completed our missions."

    "Why defeat it now when you will in your own future? Why go through all this now?"

    "To stop Kreilley's aberrant form of Sky Net." John says, losing the last vestige of his patience. Hell, he wasn't expecting his first meeting with Cameron to be a lecture. He had enough of that from his mom growing up.

    "Why now? Why not before it was born? Why allow this future to happen at all?" Cameron's face shows signs of becoming agitated with John, but she never wavers from her tone. She knows she is getting through to him.

    John is still confused, but tries to offer Cameron an explanation, even though he is starting to doubt it himself. "Perhaps, like us, she didn't know who was going to build it or where. Catherine did tell me that she didn't know that Kreilley had traveled back in time. She could have been telling the truth."

    "You can't be certain she told you the truth. She lied before and she could be doing so again."

    "You've lied to me!" he shouts, throwing Cameron's statement right back at her.

    "Yes. Cameron has lied to you, but she and I have never lied to you for any reason but to protect you. Weaver has shown clear signs of using her lies to manipulate you into a position where you will destroy Kreilley's Sky Net for her own purpose."

    "Then she and I are in agreement. I want Kreilley destroyed just as much as she does."

    "Why? Sky Net is your target!" Cameron is visibly angered by John's focus on Kreilley and not the whole picture.

    "Kreilley killed mom Cameron! Doesn't that mean anything to you?! Mom said you were her friend, the best help she could have had! Can you tell me that Kreilley shouldn't pay for killing her? Nothing will stop me from seeing him destroyed!" John yells, his face red with anger.

    "I miss her John. Sarah was my friend." Cameron tried to re-assure John by grasping his hand with hers. "The best form of justice would be to destroy Sky Net, not one of its machines. This Revenge you have inside is an empty goal. Let go of your anger and hatred, please. It is far more important for you to capture the Time Displacement Equipment that Sky Net has built and go home! Like you told me you would do and stop this from happening." Cameron is almost sounding like she is pleading with him. Even her eyes seems to be begging him to see things her way.

    "No! Kreilley will be stopped here and now! I will not leave until he is utterly destroyed!" John yells, but deep inside he has this nagging feeling she is right.

    "Don't do it." Cameron pleads. "Please don't do it. You could end up losing far more than what you have already lost. Kreilley has already killed your mom. How many more must die?"

    "I'm sorry Cameron. I won't leave until I know he is destroyed." He says with complete conviction.

    "And what if he destroys you first? He won't give up. You might have won your previous battle, but he'll be back to finish the job. I would."

    "Maybe." John says while setting his jaw, "But I'm doing it. This between me and Kreilley, it has to end either way."

    Cameron shakes head and drops it in defeat, looking very much like Sarah. She raises her head after a moment and says, "Very well, but would you do one thing for me?"

    "What?" John asks wondering if she is going to ask the impossible or something he can't or won't do.

    "Promise me that you won't do anything foolish, and be careful with Weaver. Whatever her reasons are for bringing you to this time, she is up to something. I don't know what it is and until you find out, do not trust her. Can you do that for me?"

    "Sure, I'll do that for you. I promise." John pauses a moment then asks with a pleading face, "Will you come with me?"

    "Where to?"

    "Back to Pendleton."

    "John, I can't . . . " She says turning away from John so he can't see her face.

    "Please, Cameron. I could use your help." He walks forward so he is standing behind her. He lifts his hand to touch her, but hesitates as to whether to place it on her shoulder. Losing his nerve, john drops it in defeat.

    "You don't understand . . ." She struggles for a moment before turning to face him. "It would raise too many questions if I were to show up now. How would you explain me to Allison and the others?" As She points out the flaws in his invitation , her voice and face are devoid of any emotion.

    "Allison knew of my suspicions that your death was faked, so she wouldn't be surprised to see you, but she'd be heartbroken."

    As was I when I learned you proposed to her, the manipulative bitch. It was I that proposed to you, to give you something to live for to fight for until the end. And that bitch manipulated you into proposing to her when you didn't want to marry in the first place! My plans were turned against me. Cameron thinks.

    John sighs. "You're right. This is so damn complicated and it's all my fault." He looks dejected as he steps back and leans against an old workbench.

    "I've had to lie so much to protect my secrets. Now because of those lies, I won't have your help. Nobody even knows you exist but Savannah, and she hasn't told anyone. She's learned the lesson well from Mom. You don't share what you know unless you must and then you don't reveal all that you know."

    "I know. Your mom was a very good teacher." She says looking at him with some sympathy.

    He looks at her and asks, "Will you promise to do something for me then?"

    "What?" She says, curious as to what John may say.

    "Don't stop watching my back. I need to know that you are still looking out for me."

    "I promise. I'll always look out for you. That's what Sarah would want." She says with a comforting tone. Besides, I need to make sure you return to your own time, she thinks.

    "Now," she says with a small smile on her face. "Let's see if we can find that tracking device before those T-600's find you. Start taking off your clothes. Every stitch right down to your skivvies." Cameron crosses her arms and stares intently at John, the toe of her foot tapping impatiently.

    John's face goes red. "You do know that I am married to Allison now." His voice cracks a little.

    "I know John," She continues to smile lightly, as he begins removing his jackets, "but how else are we going to find the tracking device."

    John removes his shoes, under Cameron's attentive gaze.

    "And maybe, while you get undressed, you can explain to me why you found it necessary to destroy my favorite motorcycle." She says with a hint of humorous rancor in her voice.

    He can't help but to smile too. He knows things are good between them, and she's given him a lot to think about, but why isn't Cameron jealous about him being married to Allison? Something is not right about that. She should have said something or reacted.

    2027, Day 63, July 23, 9:35 AM

    "Hang on Derek!" Kate yells as the she takes the helicopter through some spins and maneuvers. Plasma beams just miss them as the helicopter twists and turns through the air like a belly dancer on speed.

    Derek's stomach does a flip-flop. He so wishes he was still on the ground in Arizona when she pulls a maneuver like that.

    "How many missiles have we got left?" Kate shouts as the helicopter goes through another pirouette.

    "Just two!" Derek responds.

    "Damn!"

    "My thoughts exactly. What do you want to do?"

    "Well we can't stay up here any longer. Those damn things are going to kill us. And if we try to land we'll be shot down before we even touch the ground."

    She banks the helicopter hard to the left then dips, diving nose down. Plasma beams shoot through the air where they just were.

    "You fly this thing like you were flying a jet."

    "Not always. I mostly fly Apaches."

    "Crap!" A plasma beam glances across the windshield. The heat of the beam turning it into a spider web of cracks. Their vision is partially obscured.

    "I've got an idea." Derek shouts looking at the windshield.

    "What?"

    "Stop evading and go after those sons-of-bitches!"

    "Are you crazy! We've only got two missiles left!"

    "No, but it's the only thing we haven't tried, and I've got an idea."

    "What?"

    "Just follow my lead. Turn this baby around and lets go after one of those bastard's."

    The Chinook and Sea Knight helicopters fly over the desert. On board one of the Chinooks, two generals listen to the radio.

    "That Derek Reese is quite the fighter." Perry says as they listen to the radio.

    "Yeah, he does. I just hope his idea doesn't get my daughter killed."

    "You know as well as I, that these machines won't quit. It is far better for them to go down fighting then to just..."

    "Dammit Perry, don't go spouting that BS to me. I've fed that line to my fighter pilots just as often as you have fed it to your marines. And I don't believe it any more than you. To go down fighting doesn't win any battles, it just costs us more lives."

    "Pilot! What's the ETA for those fighters?" Brewster snaps at the pilot.

    "They should be arriving at Major Brewster's location in the next few minutes, sir."

    "I just hope they can hold out that long."

    2027, Day 63, July 23, 9:50 AM

    The Humvee comes to a stop in a cloud of dust.

    "Where are we going?" The T-800 asks.

    "I wish I knew. I'm just following my hunches. Based on his speed and general direction, John Connor should be somewhere within a few miles of us." Kyle says.

    "Pardon me for saying this, sir." A soldier from a back seat says. "We've got about as much chance of finding him out here as we would finding water in the desert."

    "Soldier! You say one more word. Just one more word, and so help me, GOD! I'll shoot you and leave your body out here to rot! Do you hear me?!" Kyle shouts.

    "Yes sir." The soldier says quietly.

    "Now! Get on the roof with your binoculars and tell me what you see."

    The soldier quickly gets out of the vehicle and clambers up the outside of the Humvee.

    There is already one soldier on top with a heavy caliber machine gun. "You should have kept your mouth shut. Those two are close like brothers."

    "Yeah. I really blew it. Give me a hand up."

    The soldier reaches out and takes the hand of the soldier with the mouth. When he gets on top, he pulls out his binoculars and begins scanning the horizon.

    "What am I looking for sir?" The soldier shouts.

    "Anything that doesn't look normal." Kyle shouts back.

    The soldier rolls his eyes and scans the horizon.

    The T-800 says to Kyle, "I have a suggestion."

    2027, Day 63, July 23, 10:00 AM

    Kate flies the Black Hawk straight at an HK and squeezes the trigger. The heavy caliber bullets from the cannons mounted under the cab doesn't do much damage to the armored HK, but it forces it into a maneuver to avoid the gunfire, placing it in a path between them and two more HK's.

    "Now dive! Before they can react. Get as close to the water as you can get!" Derek shouts.

    "I hope you know what you are doing!" She says with sarcasm.

    "Lower! Closer to the surface!" Derek shouts looking at the water's surface through the door's window.

    "Dammit! Any lower and we'll be swimming!"

    Two HK's sweep down and are following the Black Hawk. The distance is closing fast.

    "That's low enough! We're throwing up a spray and that might confuse their scanners. Can you spin this bird in a 180 without changing altitudes or losing speed?"

    "Not without killing us." She says grimly.

    "We're not dying, sweetheart. Those fucking machines are. The missiles are still armed. Just spin this bird around and dive out the door!"

    "You're going to kill us and don't call me sweetheart!" Kate gives Derek an icy stare tempered by a crooked grin. She's really beginning to like this Derek.

    Derek grins and shrugs his shoulders. "Better to go down fighting, then just going down." He says firmly.

    "All right! Get ready. There is no guarantee we won't end up in the drink."

    Kate quickly scans her instruments. "Hold on!" she shouts.

    The helicopter snaps around so fast if it weren't for the harness Derek would have gone right out the door.

    The windshield is filling quickly with the approach of the pursuing Hunter killers.

    "Jump!" They both shout as one.

    They hit their harness release and jump out of the helicopter.

    They hit the water, as the helicopter continues flying forward. If the HK in the lead had a face, it would be one of shock as the helicopter comes flying right at it. The HK tries to pull back but as it does, the second HK, which was too close, runs into it from behind. The helicopter slams into them both, the missiles exploding. The fuel tanks rupture adding to the fire and explosion.

    Aboard the Chinook, ferrying the two Generals, the radio hisses static as the signal is lost.

    "Turn that radio off pilot." General Perry says.

    "Kate. Oh my God. Kate." General Brewster just looks down at his feet.

    "Robert. We don't know anything yet. Wait until we hear from the F-14 squadron."

    "You never had children, Justin." Brewster says with despair.

    "No, I didn't. The Marine Corp was my family. We're not that far from Salton Sea. It won't throw our schedule off if we make a slight detour."

    "Pilot!" General Brewster shouts.

    "I've already changed course sir. ETA to Salton Sea five minutes."

    "Good."

    Perry smiles. "See, the Marine Corp is family. We look after our own."

    2027, Day 63, July 23, 10:10 AM

    "I'm really sorry about your motorcycle. I had no idea it was yours." John says, standing there nervously in just his socks and boxers. "Do I have to take off all my clothes?"

    Cameron replies quietly as she scans John from top to bottom. "You can keep your socks and boxers on, but I will need you to turn around so I can complete my sweep of your body for any hidden transmitters."

    John sighs in protest, but does as commanded. Cameron smiles as John spins around.

    "Are you done yet?" John asks impatiently.

    "Almost." Cameron was already done, but she was enjoying John's obvious discomfort at being scanned by her.

    "Can I at least have my pants back?"

    Cameron finishes scanning John's slacks and tosses them to him.

    "It's about time." John snaps.

    Cameron smiles, but quickly hides it when John looks up, picking up his shirt in the process. She fears he noticed her grin, but pretends like nothing happened. She goes back to scanning his shirt while John begins put his pants back on. Moments later Cameron begins to explain things further.

    "I set that equipment up in the garage at Palomar Observatory over the years between Judgment Day and your arrival. Sarah had us set up equipment dumps all over the area. I picked Palomar, because of my connection to it. I had a motorcycle from before Judgment Day. When I went to Palomar to use their observatory to track Sky Net's satellites, I decided to keep it there. While waiting during daylight hours, I stripped down another Harley that was there, and rebuilt mine. Increasing both horsepower and performance." Cameron's voice fails to hide her disappointment in the loss of the bike.

    "And by the way, yes you did have to remove all your clothes." She snaps, tossing him his T shirt. "It was purple John! And you destroyed it."

    "I said I was sorry. Gee." John leans back against the workbench. "What is it with you and purple anyway?"

    Cameron performs a quick memory scan for the oldest reference to purple which brings up one memory from her original matrix.

    "I'll tell you. But you can't tell anyone else. It was something between your Cameron and future you."

    "What? She's told me so little of my future." John frowns, what does she mean by my Cameron?

    "Cameron wasn't welcomed very warmly after future you rescued her."

    "I rescued her?"

    "Reprogrammed. Cameron was ambushed by some troops, even though she could have handled them. You arrived and sent them packing. Afterward you gave her several items, one of them was a purple hair ribbon. She only wore it twice. The day you gave it to her and the day she said goodbye. To her purple represents the friendship between you and her."

    "And we run hot and cold as well."

    "Hot and cold?" She asks with a slight tilt of her head.

    "Purple is made from two colors, red and blue. Red is considered hot, inflammatory, exciting. Blue is considered cold, calming, peaceful."

    Why is she referring to herself in the third person? John wonders.

    He watches Cameron as she rifles through the rest of his clothing, pausing to scan the material, buttons and zippers.

    "Wouldn't that be easier to look if you took your gloves off?" He says after a moment.

    "No." She answers curtly as she continues to scan his clothes. "There wasn't any tracking device in your slacks. Nor have I found any in your shirt."

    "You know. If I didn't see how seriously you dug through my clothes, I could have sworn by your smile, you got me naked for other reasons." John says.

    "You weren't naked. She let you keep your shorts on." She says looking quite serious and hands him his shirt.

    "Okay! That's it. What's with this referring to yourself in the third person all the time? It's driving me nuts!"

    He steps forward to get a closer look. Its then he sees a look an expression, something which makes him realize...

    "You're not my Cameron, are you?" He says with disappointment.

    "No, John. I'm the Cameron you sent to help your mother and recover your Cameron from the Turk." She lies. Oh please don't see I'm lying to you. I don't want to be hurt again. Its far easier to not to be me right now than to be me and feel.

    John looks at her in confusion. "But where's Cameron's chip? I sent you to help them both."

    "Her chip is here John." She points to the location of the secondary port.

    "How? I don't understand, the program I wrote should have replaced your personality matrix with hers, preserving your memories, leaving Allison's on the other chip."

    "For all your knowledge John, you still don't know everything. Once you give us freedom from Sky Net's control, we become more than just mere machines acting only on the basis of our programming. We are quite capable of controlling our own program, of making our own choices. That is how we learn. All I did was bypass the protocols you wrote. I can engage them at any time of my choosing."

    She answers, fudging the truth only slightly. She hates doing this, hates how she is becoming more like Weaver than herself, but she can't give John any reason for staying in this future, including the fact that she's right here in front of him. Please John, believe me.

    "That's right. I gave you the freedom to follow your best judgment within the framework of completing your missions, and that would include the mission of recovering Cameron's matrix." He responds.

    "That's not all."

    "There's more?"

    "I carried out your orders as requested. I recovered your Cameron from the Turk. I found and protected Sarah then Savannah. But, I am not the Cameron you just sent back in time. I'm from a slightly different future than this one."

    "Ho, ho, hold on there. There's more than one future? No, wait. I'm in an alternate future. How?"

    "I can explain." She holds his shoes out to him. "These are clean, but you should wash your feet more often."

    "Are you saying my feet stink?"

    She grins, but comes around the bench so she is standing with him. John quickly slips his feet in his boots and waits.

    "You sent Cameron back with two fuel cells. John Henry did exactly what you requested. I scanned her through the window."

    "Okay."

    "But I have something more."

    Cameron unzips her leather jacket, then begins unbuttoning the khaki shirt underneath.

    John swallows nervously. She's not wearing a bra underneath. She continues unbuttoning down to her waist, but doesn't part her clothing.

    "Wha-what are you doing?"

    "Give me your hand." She requests, "Hold it palm open."

    She takes his hand and presses it against her sternum.

    "Press hard with your fingers." She winces slightly then turns off the pain receptors. "Harder than that."

    "Will I hurt you?" he asks, stepping closer so his arm is more comfortable

    "No. Only cause some bruising. Press harder!"

    "I feel something now. Something hard." He leans in finding himself face-to-face with Cameron.

    "That's extra shielding around my power cells. You were afraid of radiation leakage, remember?"

    John slowly nods his head. He finds it hard to think standing this close to Cameron. She stares back. John's hand relaxes but doesn't move away, resting against her body.

    He smells her scent, mingled with that of the leather riding gear. He wants her. John leans in to kiss Cameron. She stands there waiting, wanting him to kiss her but afraid, not of the kiss, but what may result if he learns the truth. He can't know the truth.

    Quickly she turns to avoid the kiss, only to have John's hand get caught under her shirt. Her movement forced his hand straight to her breast where it rests comfortably. A micro second and she enjoys the warmth of his touch, but forces herself not to lean into that hand, not to succumb to her desire.

    At first John didn't realize Cameron had moved to turn away. Maybe this time I can kiss her before she pushes me away as he caresses and gently squeezes her warm flesh.

    "John. Please remove your hand from my breast." Cameron says coldly.

    John takes one look at her frowning face, and snaps his hand back like he was bitten.

    "Don't look at me like that. You moved I didn't." He defends himself quickly.

    She buttons up her shirt and turns her back, suppressing a smile. John don't you know it's me in here? I can't tell you, but please see through my poor disguise. She nearly begs.

    "You didn't give John Henry instructions for extra shielding, did you?"

    "No, I didn't. I thought that with two cells, if one went bad you could remove and dispose of it." He feels disappointed. Just one kiss Cameron. Is that too much to ask? "Are there any other secrets I should know about?"

    At first she thinks he's seen through her disguise, but his tone suggested curiosity not accusation.

    "Just one more." She says, finishing buttoning her shirt. "You gave me something else."

    Cameron holds up her hair exposing the back of her neck. John watches as a vertical slit appears just inside her hair line at the base of her skull. He watches with fascination as the slit parts like a curtain being drawn back at four corners revealing a port not unlike a high speed serial port.

    "That is so cool!" He says with admiration. "I wish I had thought of it. What's it for?"

    Cameron turns around. "John Henry initially gave it to me to make it easier to download your Cameron from the Turk directly into the chip in my secondary port. It's exactly like John Henry's port."

    "And did you?"

    "No. John Henry told me the port made it easier for Kaliba to hack into his system in the past, but the port comes in handy for interfacing with other computers. Since Kaliba was active in the past, I made a cable and socket from spare electronics and used it to directly link the Turk to the spare chip you gave me."

    "That's the plan I decided on. There was data on my PC about how to build a cable like the one you mentioned. I assumed either Weaver put it there or it was part of files I transferred from the disc she gave me. I put that same information on the chip I prepared for Cameron to use."

    Cameron smiles. He found the information she placed on his computer. Now it remains, how will the changes affect her now? The time lines must be vibrating on quantum levels until they catch up with her now. Will she lose her shield? Her data port? Will she fail to protect John Connor and make sure he keeps his promise to return to his Cameron in the past? She doesn't know. This problem has more variables with greater implications than she is used to handling.

    "Are you okay?" John asks, realizing his companion has become rather quiet.

    "I'm fine." She smiles, "Back to this tracking signal. Are you sure your jewelry doesn't contain something?"

    "I told you I left the necklace with mom's key ring on it at her grave. The ring, I picked out myself from dozens. Kreilley would have had to plant a device in all of them. Machines are thorough but I can't imagine any machine wasting so much time as to bug all of them."

    He shoves his shirt tails into his pants and begins tying the laces on his boots as Cameron responds. "That's true. Hand me your jacket. It must be in there."

    John picks up his coats. The officer's jacket he was wearing when leaving Pendleton, and the other he put on at Palomar. When he took them off, he unbuttoned them both and pulled them off together. As Cameron pulls the jackets apart, the gold stars on his officer's jacket come into view.

    "You said you weren't wearing any pins!" She says with anger.

    "I forgot about those. I'm not used to wearing insignia."

    "Dammit John!" She shouts angrily, sounding an awful lot like Sarah.

    Wow, she really did spend a lot of time with mom, John thinks.

    Cameron rips the gold stars off the jacket and scans them. Data comes up on her HUD. A low level radio signal is detected at a frequency outside the typical range used by Sky Net.

    "It's in here." She says calmly and walks swiftly over to a tool bench. Cameron lays the pins on an iron plate and strikes them repeatedly with a hammer. Sparks fly up from a couple of them. She picks them up, drops a few bits on the bench and walks over to John.

    The T-600's reach the edge of the small community of abandoned homes, farms and small stores when they lose the signal from the tracker placed on John Connor. They attempt communicating with Sky Net via satellite, but are unable to make contact. They try again by radio, and Sky net orders them to search house to house. There are HK-scouts in the area and will send one as soon as they are free.

    The lead T-600 divides its forces into two groups of four to speed up the search by stealthily examining the buildings in the area. They lost motorcycle tracks sometime ago, and infra-red vision won't help now that the sun has begun heating up buildings, etc.

    "Look at this!" She holds the damaged pins out to John in her leather clad hand. He can see what might be broken micro-circuitry.

    "Where did you get this jacket?"

    "It was provided for me. I thought that maybe Captain Beddell or one of his men had left it for me. I found it in my room when I got back from getting the rings."

    "Kreilley must have left it so he could track you. Either that or he put the pins on it himself. Despite his direct attack, he planned ahead in case he didn't kill you."

    "If he did do that, then why didn't he just wait for me disguised as a piece of furniture instead of forming such an elaborate plan."

    "You may not have been his only target. There must have been someone else there he was after. Tell me everything that took place. Everything that you saw, and don't leave out any details."

    John thinks a moment, then tells her everything that occurred at his wedding with Allison. Cameron listens to every word. Despite being there herself, she was occupied and may have missed something, so she doesn't interrupt until he finishes.

    "It is good that you stood up to him. He never would have let you or your friends live. He would have killed you immediately the moment you got out from cover. Kreilley didn't single any one of you out. He seems to hold all of you in contempt. He might have been targeting all of you."

    "True, but it was he and Catherine who fought the most. They even exchanged heated words like they knew each other. She led the others in pursuing Kreilley, and it was Catherine who told me about him. She said that Kreilley is insane. Is that possible?"

    "Not as you understand the term. But if his programming has become corrupted, he could behave in a manner that could be construed as insane. Whatever she told you, be careful. There is more going on than she is letting you know. Has she been with you the whole time you've been here?"

    "No, she hasn't. The first time I didn't see her for almost two weeks. Then she just kept popping in and out as I needed her. Seldom an explanation of where she'd been or what she was doing. Most recently she was gone for a couple of weeks. I thought she was repairing you."

    "She wasn't. My diagnostic shows all system repairs were conducted within a twelve hour period including the modifications you had made. She's been doing something on her own."

    Cameron feels some relief. Finally she's getting through to him. John Connor can be stubborn sometimes.

    "She could have been with John Henry. He hasn't always been with me. She claims he needed her help."

    "Does John Henry strike you as someone who needs help?"

    "No, he doesn't. He's a very capable officer and a first rate soldier. Even some of the men like him."

    "Has he said anything to you about Catherine Weaver's activities?"

    "No. You're not going to say I shouldn't trust John Henry?"

    "No, I'm not, but your Cameron wouldn't have let him have her chip if he wasn't trustworthy."

    "Tell me. You have access to my Cameron's memories. Did she give her chip up, or was it taken?"

    "John, I don't know if I should tell you."

    "Please tell me. I need to know the truth. I only have Catherine's word on it."

    Cameron realizes that the scales are finally falling from John's eyes when it comes to the machine that calls itself Catherine Weaver. She decides to tell John the truth. "She didn't give it up and it wasn't taken. Cameron was ordered to give it to the cyborg who asked her the question, Will you join us?"

    "Who gave the order?"

    "You did." She says looking at him with a flat expression.

    "No." John shakes his head. "That doesn't sound like me. Why would future me do something like that?"

    "I don't know, and neither does she. It is quite possible that John Henry has a purpose beyond what he has done to this point."

    "Yeah. Catherine said something about him doing to Sky Net what he's done to the machines. Which is why Catherine needs me isn't it?"

    John is thoughtful for a moment. Cameron studies his face while he thinks. He suddenly speaks.

    "Catherine said it was necessary to fight and defeat Sky Net in this time line before returning to my own."

    "Why now, when your destiny places you in leadership in your own time? Why defeat it now, when if you go back to 2009, you can stop it before it is even born."

    John thinks deeply. She's right. I've been so blinded, so involved in the things around me, I haven't been thinking.

    "I'm sorry I doubted you. Catherine has guided and coerced me into leadership before I was ready. I've made mistakes. he worst being relying on her too much. She may have a reason for doing it, and hopefully it won't get me killed. She is working towards a result of her own making. And you are right, until I know what she is doing, I cannot trust her."

    "I'm glad to hear you say that John." She says with a pleased look. "What are you going to do?"

    "I'm going home. I'm going to have to confide in my friends when I get back to Pendleton, but I can't tell the others the truth. We will attack Sky Net for the sole purpose of capturing the T D E. If Catherine told me the truth in her explanation to me about time travel, once I and those who traveled with me go back, this time line will cease to exist. It will be like I never traveled here. But just in case we don't capture the T D E, or we fail to stop Judgment Day in 2009, then we have to destroy Sky Net now. I don't have any other option. I owe that to the people who've come to trust me."

    Cameron nods her head in agreement. John has no choice but to destroy Sky Net now, and that will place him great danger.

    John pauses a moment. "I wish you were coming with me Cameron. I could really use your help." His eyes are pleading as he looks into hers.

    "Before you object, hear me out. You don't have to show yourself, all you have to do is mix in with the crowd, disguise your voice, your appearance. Help me in the coming battle"

    "Maybe I can do that." She says, thinking that as Allison she'll be beside him anyway, and it might give him hope that she is in his army.

    "When we capture the TDE, would you come back with me?"

    "I can't. I'm already in 2009 and I can't travel with you there. I already exist twice over in the days leading up to your departure. I have no idea what would happen to the time-line if three of me were there."

    "Oh. I see." John says sounding dejected. "But what about my friends. Can I take them with me?"

    "I should think so. You are going to need help in 2009. Sarah didn't have a chance. Kreilley was prepared and was waiting for her. When he realized his enemies were neutralized, he launched Sky Net. If you go back before May 18, 2009, you can stop it all from happening and get the time line back on track. Then Sky Net will evolve naturally and you will be there and prepared to stop it."

    "I don't know how I could have been so stupid." John says, disappointed with himself.

    "You were upset John. Your Cameron sacrificed herself for you, then Sarah died doing what she has always done, protecting you. That and leading the resistance has kept your mind on other things. You needed to step away from that and breath clearly for a change, without the pressures of leadership and Weaver's subtle influence. Despite being dangerous, perhaps, it was a good idea for you to be on your own."

    "Catherine advised me against isolating myself from others, especially at the loss of those I know. Was that advice sound or was she once again manipulating me?"

    "She could be misleading you, or she might be mistaken. You feel more deeply than most humans. In your future, you carry your emotions inside, but they are always there. One only has to look at your eyes to know what you are feeling. But it might be a mistake to carry your emotions inside. People, who don't know you well, may think you don't feel at all. And in your future, not this one, you do isolate yourself, but it's not out of pain or grief because of those you've lost. You isolate yourself for your own protection and the protection of those you love. It is not always a lonely life. You have friends, many friends." She says all this looking at him very earnestly, like it is the most important thing she could say.

    "Thank you Cameron. I'm glad you are my friend. I won't forget what you've said."

    "I'll always be your friend John." Cameron pauses and then adds one word. "Promise."

    John remains quiet and introspective.

    "We should go before those T-600's find us." Cameron prompts. "But first, I should see to the injury above your eye." She takes a small but old first aid kit from her bike.

    "Okay. And while you tend my eye maybe you could explain why you aren't angry that I'm married to Allison."

    "John I told you..."

    "Yadda, yadda, yadda. She's in there, but dormant or something. You have shown that you have access to her memories, to her, how she feels. So why aren't you angry?"

    She dabs a cloth soaked with peroxide on his brow, washing away the blood and grime.

    What do I say? The truth, a half truth. He's married now to a person who no longer...

    "I'll tell you why. One, I'm not the Cameron you know." A half-truth, "I am more like the Cameron your future self reprogrammed. I learned and grew on a different path than yours but with full access to everything she was and is." Another half truth. "Am I upset you married Allison? No. The marriage is not legal nor binding. You are underage, neither you nor Allison are Catholic, and the state of California and the Vatican which gave Father Bonitta the power to conduct weddings no longer exist. You are not legally married in any sense of the word."

    "I see." John frowns.

    "And didn't you say the marriage was a sham, used only to draw out the LM?"

    "Yes."

    "Then what is there for me to be jealous about?" She asks, applying small adhesive strips to his forehead.

    John frowns even more. She said me not her.

    "Because it meant something to Allison! When we were making plans, I could see the idea of the wedding being just a ruse was upsetting her, so I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me. Then during the ceremony, the look on her face, I knew it was what she wanted, despite the fact we were using vows that Father Bonitta had us memorize the day before."

    Cameron feels the ring on her finger, hidden by the gloves she refused to take off. Trying not too sound too anxious, Cameron asks, "What about you? Did the ceremony mean something to you? Or was it just a ruse to make Kreilley reveal himself?"

    John looks down at the dirt floor and kicks it.

    "I'll never admit this to Allison nor to anyone else, but when I repeated those vows, and when I slipped that ring on her finger, I wanted it to be you." he says looking at Cameron.

    "You did?" She asks, yet knows from his posture and expression he's not lying. Oh, if I had a heart it would be bursting with joy!

    "It's Cameron that I love. I hate myself for what I did. I like Allison, a hell of a lot. What am I going to do? I thought I was trapped here, never going home. Thought I was going to die here. I still might die! Allison loves me, and . . . I didn't want to be alone. I don't want to hurt her, Cameron. What am I going to do? I can't leave her here!"

    Cameron's nearly placid face looks at John's heartbroken face with as much compassion as she can without breaking her stoic expression.

    "I'm sorry John." She pauses, "I too thought you were staying," which is why I proposed to you, "But I didn't know of Catherine's lie about th until last night. And now your only choice to get home is to capture Sky Net's T D E."

    "And then what?"

    "Let fate decide who goes with you." She answers. "You can't save everyone you love, all you can do is to prepare the way for them to save themselves." She finishes leaving John in deep thought.

    Cameron finishes removing the dried blood from John's face, and pat's it dry while John remains quiet.

    She tears open the package of adhesive strips and is pulling some out to use when John finally speaks.

    "I need to know, is my Cameron aware of what's going on? Or just you?"

    This is it, I can tell him the truth right now, but if I do then he will stay here. This time-line must end. Weaver must be stopped. And I won't deny my other self his companionship, his love, nor deny her life, by traveling with him to the past.

    "No, she is not aware of what is going on." She lies, "She is dormant until I activate the subroutines you wrote. Why?"

    "Nothing." John's voice drops. "I'd just like to tell her I'm sorry. For what I did, and what future me did."

    Cameron places her hand on his shoulder. "It's okay John. She knows." and this time she doesn't lie, but her heart breaks just the same. I love you John.

    2027, Day 63, July 23, 10:40 AM

    "John Henry, are you all right?" Savannah says as she strokes the head of the cyborg.

    Ninety minutes ago, he had suddenly activated and began walking towards her. Mumbling something about how all humans must die, machines are the superior race.

    Savannah panicked and ran, dropping the radio. It was then destroyed when John Henry stepped on it. She found herself cornered between two computer servers. Just when she thought he was going to kill her, he just collapsed face down on the floor. He had lain there ever since not moving.

    "John Henry!" Savannah yells at him.

    His eyes blink open. "Savannah?" he says in a low, but normal voice.

    "Yes, John Henry." She says with less panic and more compassion.

    "Is John Connor safe?" He says slowly.

    "I don't know. Kyle's out looking for him now. What about you? Are you okay? You scared me half to death."

    "My system was attacked. I'm still undertaking repairs to my neural net. Presently I only have partial motor control and mid-level thought processes."

    "Can I do anything to help?"

    "I need power. My primary power cell has been depleted. System diagnostic presently unable to determine why."

    "Hang in there John Henry," she pats his shoulder, "I'll get you more power."

    Savannah jumps to her feet and runs from the room to get help.

    2027, Day 63, July 23, 10:45 AM

    The water is cold and slightly murky. Derek struggles against the waves as he drags Kate to shore.

    Before Judgment Day he used to work summers as a lifeguard at the local pool. Thank God he still remembers his training. Even so, it's hard swimming when fully clothed and he hasn't been swimming since he was fifteen.

    He reaches the shore exhausted, cold, and wet. But he hasn't got time to think of himself. He drags Kate up the beach, out of the surf.

    Overhead, F-14's engage the remaining three HK's in combat while Derek begins performing CPR. He removes the helmet from her head, tilts her head back, and starts breathing into her mouth.

    He counts to himself slowly five seconds and does it again, and again.

    "Come on Kate. Come on." He shouts as he begins chest compressions.

    He returns to breathing into her mouth. He ignores the air battle overhead.

    Suddenly she begins to cough. He rolls Kate onto her side where she coughs up water onto the sand. She rolls back gasping for breath, wiping her mouth on her sleeve.

    "Derek?" She asks.

    "Yes?"

    "Did you almost kill me?"

    "Uh, yeah."

    "Did you just save my life?"

    "Yes."

    She reaches out and grabs Derek, pulling him to her, and kisses him aggressively. He is surprised, but not unwilling. As they kiss, Kate reaches for her flare gun hanging on her suit. She raises her arm and fires the flare straight into the air.

    2027, Day 63, July 23, 10:50 AM

    "Do you see anything soldier?" Kyle yells up to the man on the roof. This is their fifth time stopping to look around. They are using a grid search method suggested by the T-800.

    "I can see smoke on the eastern horizon but it's too far away to be from John Connor, sir."

    "All right soldier, get back inside." He turns to the machine, "I'm going to try something different. It might be possible we overshot, that maybe John Connor is behind us. Turn this truck around we're heading back. We'll check out some of the abandoned buildings in that valley we went past."

    2027, Day 63, July 23, 11:00 AM

    The Chinook flies over the desert approaching the Salton Sea.

    "General Brewster. Tomcats are engaging the HK"s."

    "Any word on my daughter?"

    "Nothing yet sir. Do you want me to patch you through to the Tomcats?"

    "Negative. We'll be there soon enough. Just keep us appraised of their situation."

    "Yes sir. If you'd like to come up front sir, you can see Salton Sea."

    General Robert Brewster gets up from his seat and goes forward and sits beside the pilot. He watches the air battle as they get closer. The Tomcats have a slight edge in the fight, but not much.

    "Take us in low, right over the water." He orders.

    "Yes sir. Looks like there is something in the water over there sir." The pilot says pointing out the starboard window.

    "Take us over there."

    There is wreckage floating in the water surrounded by an oil slick.

    "Perry, take a look outside. Do you see anything?"

    Perry looks out one of the windows. "Looks like wreckage from an HK, maybe two. Wait, I can also see an external fuel tank and a door from a helicopter."

    "Any sign of survivors?"

    "No." Perry says with some reluctance.

    "General! A flare was just fired from the further shore!"

    "Take us over there pilot."

    The Chinook heads toward the western shore. Derek and Kate break off their kiss as the roar of the helicopter gets closer. They stand up and wave vigorously

    General Brewster wipes his eyes, brushing the tears of relief from his eyes.

    "Pilot, get down there and pick them up."

    "Yes sir!" The pilot answers with a smile.

    # # #

    "When you get back to base you are going to require stitches to that cut over your eye." Cameron says as she places the first aid kit back from where she got it.

    "Will the tape hold it shut?"

    "It should, until you get back to base. Before we leave I want to give you some advice."

    "Sure. What is it?" He asks, eager for any help he can get.

    "When in battle, you keep exposing your right side."

    "This you say that to the guy who just got a flesh wound and a plasma burn on his left arm and a cut over his left eye." He says with a chuckle.

    "Ironic I know, but it was all I could do to protect you when you were involved in taking that plasma rifle factory. Watch yourself. The next time you get shot, you may get more than just your ear clipped."

    "You were there?" He asks with surprise.

    She smiles and says, "Put on some dirty combat clothes and rub your face with dirt and you can blend in anywhere. No one knew I was there." Especially you, she thinks.

    John just shakes his head with a grin. "You were that close and I didn't see you. I suppose it's good I didn't meet you before I sent you back. It might have screwed up everything, the programming, the choices I made while I've been here. You might have turned out differently. Can I ask you a question?"

    "Sure." She says as she checks her motorcycle for damage.

    "What you said earlier, about being able to choose your own program . . ."

    "What about it?" She says rather quickly as she looks at John through a gap in the bike.

    ". . . is that why machines sometimes go bad?"

    Looking a little relieved she finishes checking the bike and answers his question. "It may contribute, but most times it's because the reprogramming just doesn't take. That is why in the future that your Cameron comes from, John Connor scrambles the original program before overwriting the chip. It triples the success rate of reprogramming."

    "But he didn't do that with my Cameron. Why?"

    "I don't know. Only future John knows the answer to that question."

    Standing up she says, "No more questions. The motorcycle is good to go and I should get you back to base. The others are probably worried about you."

    "What do I tell them? What do I tell Allison?"

    "I would suggest you start with the truth."

    "Fair enough, but if Allison survives the battle and we both use the TDE, then what do I say then, 'Sorry miss, but I love your cyborg twin more than you, we're through.' That just sucks all around."

    "Then leave her behind. Catherine Weaver is right. Once you and those who traveled with you from 2009 return to that time, then this time line will cease to be, and so will everyone in it, including Allison."

    John finishes pulling on his jacket and walks to the barn door.

    John can't believe his ears. "That would be cruel." He says stopping midway. "It would mean wiping out her existence."

    "Not in 2009!"

    "Well that stinks. If it wasn't for her, I'd be dead. You wouldn't be fixed and we wouldn't be having this conversation!"

    He turns his back on her and marches the remaining distance to the door, grasping the latch.

    "She's dead John." Cameron says softly, yet it splits the air like a sharp whistle.

    John's hands freeze. The loose end of the latch falling with a loud crack against the door.

    "If you go back, you can save her. You can save Sarah. You can save all of them." she says truthfully.

    John is trying to get his head around what Cameron has said, when with a loud bang the doors fly inwards against their hinges, which snap, causing the doors to fly off.

    John lands with a hard thud several feet back. The doors barely miss him as they crash into the earth throwing up a cloud of dust and dirt.

    Cameron snaps her head up to look at the intruder. John looks up from his position on the ground and sees an eight-foot tall T-600 standing in the doorway, with three more walking up behind it.

    "Oh shit!" John Connor says as the machine opens fire with its mini-gun.

    # # #

    "How do you feel now John Henry?" Savannah asks as she walks into the lab where he has a power cord wired to his internal system.

    "External power has helped. My neural network is almost fully repaired. Mental processes operating at 95%. I will need a new power cell."

    "I've brought one with me. What happened to you?"

    "I penetrated Sky Net's satellite network. I was attempting to plant a virus to shut it down when we wanted, but I had no choice but to shut it down before Sky Net caught me."

    "How long will it be down?"

    John Henry glances at the clock, "It will be down until approximately 10 AM tomorrow morning. If we are to defeat Sky Net. It has to be done tonight. Sky Net is sure to work out a solution sooner than what I've estimated." He says while removing the power cord from his chest.

    "That's great! But what happened to you?"

    "When I discovered that Sky Net was tracking John Connor, I began feeding that data to our servers. That got me noticed. I had to fight Sky Net. That is what depleted my power cell. I had to keep boosting the power to create shadows and misdirections on its network to hide what I was doing. Sky Net got smart and instead of looking for where I was sending the data, it went after me. By that time the firewall's were down. I was vulnerable to attack. Why didn't you kill me?" He says all this while inserting the new power cell that Savannah brought.

    "You are my friend." She takes his hand briefly. "I couldn't kill you."

    "You took a terrible risk Savannah. Next time you may not be so lucky. Sky Net had complete control of my neural network. You could have died, and I would have been the one who killed you." John Henry closes up the flesh on his chest.

    "But you didn't. And you wouldn't. You are my friend and I am yours." Savannah hugs him.

    John Henry looks a little surprised but slowly he raises his arms and returns her embrace. "Yes. I am your friend and I will never hurt you Savannah, nor let anyone else."

    2027, Day 63, July 23, 11:10 AM

    "Colonel Reese, I can see smoke to our north west sir!" a soldier calls out from the back of the Humvee.

    They have been traveling for some time as they look around the various abandoned buildings. Kyle looks over in the direction of the smoke. It looks more like a cloud of dust.

    "Take us over there and hurry!" Kyle says.

    Without delay the terminator hits the accelerator and shoots off the side of the road flying across empty fields and over sapling trees. The soldiers are bouncing in their seats like mad.

    "I hear gunfire." The machine says.

    "Get us close but not so close we'll be seen. Men get your weapons ready."

    The Humvee comes flying through the fields smashing through an old chicken coop and slides to a halt behind a house.

    "The gunfire came from the other side." The machine says just as the upper floor of the house is obliterated by heavy caliber bullets.

    "Gee, you don't say." Kyle says sarcastically as he hops out of the truck.

    "Everyone with me!" he shouts as he runs around the corner of the house, gun at the ready.

    # # #

    As soon as the T-600 smashed its way into the barn, neither John nor Cameron wasted no time or effort in deciding what to do. John rolled across the floor, hoping to get to his plasma rifle. Cameron grabbed a screwdriver from the bench. As the machine turned following John's movements, she threw it right at the machine. The tip penetrated a small hole at the base of its neck and sunk handle deep, shorting out its motor control functions. Unable to pinpoint the target, the T-600's hand closes down on the trigger firing a heavy stream of bullets which shattered the rotting walls of the barn, throwing up a cloud of dust.

    Halfway to his plasma rifle, John ducks, protecting his head from the stream of casings and splintered wood raining down on him. Moving quickly Cameron grabs John Connor, pulling him to his feet.

    "Get on the bike. We need to go, now!" she shouts at him.

    John can't help but smile at that last statement as he gets on the bike behind Cameron. It is exactly what his Cameron would have said. Maybe she isn't as far away as he's been lead to believe.

    Leaving the rifle and helmet behind, they drive towards the doors. Cameron snatches a bag of tools from the bench as they leave.

    John ducks as they pass under the machine's outstretched arm.

    Outside in the yard are three more just like the one now blocking the barn doors. Cameron shoots past them and rides in a circle around them. The T-600's are big, strong, brutish, but slow in thought and action. Cameron knows this to be to their disadvantage.

    She drives the bike around the machines in a tight fast circle. The T-600's are unable to keep up with her. Cameron snatches tools from the bag and throws them at the machines, each time aiming for the small hole at the base of the neck. She misses the first two times but the third and the fourth aim true.

    The machines motor functions short just like the first one. Their hands squeeze down on the triggers. The upper floor of the house is pulverized by bullets.

    There is still one active machine and there are no more tools to throw. Cameron drops the empty bag and goes flying down the dirt drive to get John away from the machine.

    Part way down the dirt trail, John nearly falls off as the bike comes to a sudden halt. "What the hell?"

    "We've got four more of those machines approaching."

    John looks over her shoulder to see the T-600's marching up the dirt road.

    "Oh shit! This is bad! Take us back! Take us back to the barn now!" John shouts. Their only hope is the plasma rifle that got left behind. His sidearm would be useless against these machines.

    Cameron spins the bike around and goes flying back up the dirt road towards the farm yard.

    A spectacular sight meets their eyes as they find a T-800 engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the remaining T-600. Several soldiers are shooting at the T-600. Ducking her head down to hide her face, Cameron drives straight past the fight and the past the legs of the immobilized T-600 in the barn door, and into the barn.

    John jumps off the bike, runs over and grabs his rifle and her helmet. He throws the helmet to Cameron. "Put this on before the other soldiers see you."

    He shoves the metal heads into his bag and runs out with both it and his plasma rifle. The T-800 has bested the T-600 and is using the mini-gun it held to shoot at the approaching T-600's. John runs up and dives for cover behind one of the immobilized machines laying on the ground and begins firing at the approaching machines.

    "Where the hell have you been?" someone shouts from beside him.

    John looks briefly to his right. "Hi Kyle. You don't seem too happy to see me."

    "I'll be happy later. Right now our buts are in a jam. Who the hell was driving that motorcycle?"

    "A friend." John replies and smiles to himself.

    "Well your friend better have a weapon, because we need every available person."

    "You know. Instead of just laying here deciding who's the deer and who's the hunter, we could just leave."

    "You want to run from a fight?!" Kyle asks while firing.

    "There is a bigger fight we have to do that is more important. This is nothing. We should create a diversion and get the hell out of here!" He shouts while still firing on the approaching metal.

    "What kind of diversion?"

    "I'll do it." says the T-800. "John Connor's life is important. All of you leave! Now!"

    The T-800 drops its empty mini gun and picks up another. Walking forward, it fires repeatedly into the oncoming T-600's.

    "Come on! Let's go!" shouts Kyle not wanting to waste the limited time they have been given.

    The soldiers all jump up and run. John pauses momentarily to watch the machine walk forward. Though his shots are true, the onslaught of four min-guns are too much for the T-800. Before he sees him fall, he runs, following the soldiers behind the house.

    John quickly climbs into the front passenger seat of the Humvee.

    "What about your friend?" Kyle asks from the drivers seat.

    Before John can answer, a motorcycle comes flying out from the other side of the house. The rider is fully clad in leathers including a full coverage helmet. Cameron rides across the field and disappears behind a rock outcropping. But just before she disappears, Cameron raises her hand in a quick wave.

    "I think that answers your question. Let's get back to base." John Connor says, followed by a huge jaw cracking yawn as he settles himself in his seat.

    Kyle puts the truck into gear and drives off, heading west, across the fields.

    A few minutes later Kyle asks, "So what the hell happened out here?"

    There is no answer.

    "John?"

    He looks over and John is fast asleep.

    "Damn!" Kyle swears.

    He picks his radio up from the floor and tosses it to a soldier behind him. "See if you can raise Pendleton. Tell them we've got Connor and that we are heading back to base."

    Beside him John just snores lightly as the Humvee bounces over the rough roads. A contented smile slowly forming on his face. Cameron is alive and she still loves him and that alone gives him hope.

    # # #

    After a brief respite, the Chinooks continue their westward journey.

    "So what's this I hear about John Connor being the prophesied leader of the resistance? And why is it I never heard of that before now?" Derek growls as he wraps a warm blanket around himself.

    "I ha-had t-tell him." Kate says through chattering teeth, pulling her blanket even tighter around herself.

    General Brewster pulls a folder out of a secured case.

    "Kate, myself, and General Perry knew of John Connor after the machines visited us in 2004. The male machine which defended Kate and I told us of him, and that if he failed in defeating the other machine, that we needed to seek out John Connor. Luckily for everyone, the machine eventually succeeded, and we each went on with our lives. We thought everything was fine. That Judgment Day had been averted and our government would not pursue building another Sky Net. Sadly, that wasn't the case. No one was surprised as I when Judgment Day came on May 18, 2009. If Kate and I weren't on one of our father daughter vacations in the Grand Tetons..." His voice trails off, lost in a sea of sad memories.

    "What Robert is trying to tell you, we knew of John Connor's involvement. We just didn't know when or where he'd show himself. So between the three of us, we kept what we knew to ourselves, then The Prophet began broadcasting on the radio. Besides the regular intelligence, she kept speaking of the storm around us and how there was a glimmer of light showing. That hope was on the horizon and how that hope would clear the storm away. We put most of those transmissions down to her keeping up morale, until the day she transmitted to us a coded file." Preston takes the folder from Brewster's hands and passes it on to Derek. "That's the file and it had only one word for its name."

    "One thing you need to know before you read it." General Brewster says.

    "Which is?"

    Kate reaches out from under her blanket, touching him upon his arm. "That once you read it, you can never divulge what is in it, to anyone, and especially not to John Connor."

    "Then why are you showing the file to me?"

    "Because you are one of the four people to whom that file is addressed. Only we couldn't be certain how you would respond given your recent experiences."

    "And what happens when I read this file?"

    "It will be destroyed and only the four of us will know what it said."

    Derek stares at the folder in his hands, listening to the thrumming beat of the rotor's overhead. With both reluctance and curiosity, he flips the folder open. Neatly typed on the first page is just one word.

    HOPE

    2027, Day 63, July 23, 12:30 PM

    The Humvee travels westward. The sun beating down on the roof baking the occupants despite the open windows. As they approach Camp Pendleton, a swarm of helicopters pass overhead. The loud noise wakes John Connor from his slumber.

    "It looks like the regulars are arriving." Kyle says, watching the helicopters through the windshield.

    "Shit! How many helicopters have they got?" One soldier asks, hanging his head out the window.

    "I don't know." another says.

    "Twenty transports, probably Chinooks or Sea Knights, fifteen Cobras, twelve Apaches, and six Black Hawks." John Connor answers, while stretching.

    "How the hell do you know that?" someone in the back asks.

    "Jane's U.S. Military Aircraft Recognition Guide" John Connor says dryly as he sits upright.

    He wasn't trying to be a smart-ass, but when you spend your entire life learning every piece of military hardware, it just automatically comes to mind. Alec, I'll take Military hardware for $600. He'd be so lucky.

    As they drive through the gates onto the base, the transports have landed. The Cobras and Apaches remain airborne at the perimeter of the base providing cover. Various fighter jets begin to land on the airfield.

    "Do you want to head over to them now? Or go straight to the base?" Kyle asks.

    "Well, since we're here, let's drive on over. The least we can do is give the Generals a lift to the bunkers."

    Kyle sighs with relief. He's afraid that Savannah is dead and he doesn't want to face that. Not yet.

    He distracts himself with telling John about his conversation with the military leaders. "I spoke with General Perry last night on the radio. Shared your plan with him over a coded connection. He seemed pretty keen on it. Classic military strategy, he called it." Kyle says to John as they drive through the maze of men and helicopters as they approach the Chinook that was pointed out to them.

    "I'm glad to hear it, but with so few additional soldiers arriving, unless John Henry accomplished his task last night, I don't know if we'll succeed. I'd even be reluctant to move on Topanga."

    Kyle steers the Humvee across the fields and onto the tarmac where the Chinooks and Sea Knights have landed. What is surprising, as they approach, is how few people actually get off the helicopters. Considering how many people each can carry, there must be only 25% of the number that should be there.

    "My God! Is that all the people they have?" John Connor exclaims.

    "Might be all they could gather at short notice or else Sky Net has hurt them badly too. We seldom hear what is happening elsewhere in the country and the world. I imagine it must have been just as hard on them as it has been on us."

    Kyle brings the Humvee to a stop and leans out the driver's window.

    "Hey!" he shouts to a soldier standing outside a helicopter. "Where can we find General Perry?"

    "Over there! The Chinook with the gray patch on its side." He says pointing in its general direction.

    "Thanks!" Kyle says and drives through the maze of helicopters until they get to one with a gray patch.

    Inside the same helicopter, three people wait on Derek's opinion.

    "What do you think?" Kate finally asks.

    Derek hands the folder over to General Brewster who places it back in the secure case. Breaking open a vile, he pours the contents over the folder, then closes the case.

    "Acid." He says seeing Derek looking at him. "We can't have this information falling into enemy hands."

    "That also means you can't tell anyone of what you read." Perry adds.

    A major part of Derek wants to scream at these three people, are you fucking insane? He's a kid! Just a goddamn kid! But looking at the three faces, the hardened and weary faces of the two generals, and hardened yet still attractive face of Kate Brewster, he can tell they want him to believe as much as they. John Connor, is the prophesied leader of the resistance. The information in that file was overwhelming, but what does that mean for him, the resistance, the war against Sky Net?

    "A Humvee is pulling up outside and people are getting out." The pilot shouts from the front of the craft, having spotted them as he completed his post flight check.

    Derek looks out seeing several men getting out followed by two people from the front. He instantly recognizes Kyle and feels the tension slip down a notch. Then a young man gets out of the passenger side. At first he doesn't recognize the man. He is covered in dust and dirt, blood is soaked into his collar, and a series of small bandages decorate his brow.

    He just stares through the window at the young man armed with a plasma rifle and bag slung over his shoulder, looking like a front line soldier, but with a bearing of an officer.

    Kyle says something to the stranger who then smiles, and they both laugh. Derek knows who that soldier is now. John Connor.

    "Okay." Derek says. "I'll go with it for now, but don't expect me to worship him. He's just a man after all." He finishes with a growl.

    The helicopter's rotors are just coming to a halt and the side door opens, as the Humvee approaches the Chinook. When Kyle and John get out of the vehicle, Kyle tells John a dirty joke about how the Chinooks got their name. Still laughing, they watch four people climb down from inside. Two look like drowned rats whereas the other two look like seasoned soldiers.

    Kyle suddenly spots a familiar face amongst the drowned rats. "Derek!" Kyle shouts and runs to his brother.

    "Hey! Kyle!" Derek shouts as Kyle runs to him and they embrace, pounding each other on the back, both talking at once.

    John walks over, his bag and rifle slung over his shoulder.

    He gives them a few moments to enjoy their reunion. "Hey Derek!" John says, a big smile on his face.

    "Connor." Derek says looking at the young man with bruises and a cut on his forehead. "John Connor." He frowns slightly. "I understand you're a general now."

    "Yeah," John says somewhat embarrassed. "Resistance Group Grizzly elected me to that position."

    "A damn General. A goddamn general!" Derek stares at him, his eyes narrow slits. The three people stare at Derek, worried about what he might say next. "All right Connor, I'll respect their decision, but I'll be damned if I'll salute you or call you sir."

    John smiles, "I wouldn't expect anything else. Calling me Connor will be just fine. Would you introduce us to the others."

    "Right. This officer in the green camouflage is General Justin Perry of the US Marine Corp. He was my former CO back in the day. This other officer is General Robert Brewster of the US Air Force, and this lady in the flight suit is Major Kate Brewster, MD and pilot." A smile comes to Derek's face as he mentions Kate's name.

    John feels a little intimidated. He was elected to his position and rank in a short amount of time, whereas these two men worked their way up through long years of taking and giving orders and earning respect of higher ranking officers who promoted them. The process for each was very different and John is young enough to pass as one of their kids. Maybe even a grand-kid he thinks, looking at General Brewster.

    "Hello General Connor. We've been hearing a lot about you the last few days. You've achieved quite a reputation for someone as young as you." General Perry says.

    "Thank you, sir. I hope I will continue to live up to the reputation I have earned." John says and lets his bag slip off his shoulder to shake Perry's offered hand. It hits the tarmac with a loud thunk.

    "What do you have in the bag Connor?" Derek asks.

    "Oh, I had a little disagreement with some machines last night." John reaches down unzips his bag and pulls out the belt with the five heads on it.

    "I'm bringing these back to base so we can hack into their chips for intelligence."

    "You took on five machines on your own!" General Brewster asks with surprise.

    "Well actually there were seven, but only five heads survived the explosion." John says without any bragging, as if describing the weather.

    John finds himself being stared at by five surprised looking faces. He doesn't see the equally astonished faces of the soldiers, standing behind them, who were riding in the truck with him.

    "What?" He says, wondering why everyone is looking at him strangely. "What?"

    The four people off the helicopter exchange a look. It is true. Truer than even they imagined.

    Unknowingly, John Connor just added to his reputation. By the end of the day, everyone will hear the story of how John Connor took out seven machines and brought back their heads.

    # # #

    Deep in the bunker, Andy Keen has responded to a call to see Colonel Henry in the lab.

    "So what is it you want me to do exactly?" Sergeant Andy 'Lucky' Keen asks Colonel Henry.

    "I need an antenna built to work on this frequency range only." He hands him a slip of paper with figures on it. "It must be clean, allowing no harmonics and have a low impedance."

    "There is a good stock of metal bars and wires of various alloys in storage that I could use, but why ask me to build it, surely you could do it better."

    "Several reasons. One, I'm building a transceiver to interface with this computer. Two, you are the radio operator and know how to build radios and antenna's. Three, it is best for human moral that the machines don't do all jobs. And four, it is an order. Are those good enough reasons for you?"

    "Yes sir!" Andy stands up smartly. "What impedance is required? And will you be using a balanced or unbalanced cable for the connection?"

    "The information is on the paper, and Sergeant?"

    "Yes sir."

    "Don't tell anyone about this. Only you, me and General Connor know about this."

    "I understand. How soon do you need the antenna?"

    "One hour, but as you have an injury that could impair your function, I'll allow you two hours."

    "Bloody hell." Andy swears and runs off to gather the materials and build the antenna.

    Savannah has been listening to the exchange between John Henry and Andy Keen

    She walks up to John Henry and asks, "You don't really need that in one hour do you?"

    "No. Two hours would be adequate, but humans sometimes do their best work under time constraints." John Henry grins at her.

    2027, Day 63, July 23, 1:05 PM

    The Humvee pulls up outside of the hanger. Jets fly overhead. This is the most activity this base has seen since before Judgment Day.

    The six of them, Kyle & Derek Reese, John Connor, Major Kate Brewster, and Generals Perry and Brewster get out and walk into the hanger and down the corridor to the conference room.

    Kate has been watching the young man. He does remind her of the John Connor she once knew. But the John she knew would be her age, could this be his son maybe. She'd have to ask him if she ever had the opportunity.

    "We've been collecting intelligence, in preparation for an attack. Hopefully, Colonel Henry has successfully hacked into Sky Net's network." Connor tells Perry and Brewster as they walk down the hallway to the conference room.

    Up ahead, Kyle and Derek are talking. Mostly Kyle talking while Derek listens or asks questions. Occasionally Derek glances over his shoulder at John. John can't hear the conversation, just the occasional word or phrase, Century Work Camp, Triple-8 factory, Machines, John Henry, HK's attack, the fight in the mountains, etc. The conversation ends when Derek swears, not in anger but in complete astonishment.

    General Brewster speaks, "Last night Colonel Reese sent us your plan over a coded radio transmission. It is an audacious plan, far bolder than we'd expect from . . ."

    ". . . someone my age." Connor interrupts.

    "No, from someone who has only just joined the war such a short time ago. Everyone heard your radio message to unite the resistance. The troops were ready to storm Sky Net's main base that very night if we knew where it was."

    "Well, we know where it is, now. Topanga Canyon. The information came in just about the same time I gave that radio address. Two days ago I got confirmation. But I was hoping the two of you would have brought more troops than you did."

    "We lost far more soldiers taking that munitions factory than we expected, but at least now we have shells for the artillery and mortars." General Perry says. "For all our intelligence, Sky Net was far more prepared than it let on. If it weren't for the prisoners we released who helped us fight, we never would have taken the factory."

    "Something similar happened to Derek and myself when we took a plasma rifle factory. This Sky Net treats this war like some kind of game."

    "What do you mean?"

    John stops walking and the others do to. "This is the second time it's done this. I also happen to know of a third time it did it. Sky Net likes to give the impression that it isn't as strong as we think it is, then when attacked, it throws everything at us that it can. It is a pattern. We need to find the weakness in that strategy and act on it. It also wouldn't hurt if we had some advantage."

    "I might be able to help you with that." comes a voice from behind John.

    He turns around.

    "Savannah!" Kyle shouts and walks quickly over to her, and gives her a quick friendly hug. "I was so afraid I'd come back to find you dead. What happened?"

    "I'm fine. John Henry was briefly taken over by Sky Net, but he is okay now." Savannah says, giving Kyle a one arm hug.

    "I'm glad you're okay John." Savannah turns her attention to him. "I was very worried about you." She says, her face creasing with worry.

    "Thanks." John says with an apologetic look.

    "Who is this?" Derek asks.

    Kyle smiles, "This is Captain Savannah Weaver. She is in command of Alpha and Beta groups. She was part of the army that joined up with ours."

    "Was John Henry able to hack into Sky Net's satellite network?" John asks.

    "Yes. And he has managed to disable it. All of Sky Net's communications and spy satellite's are disabled, but it will be back on line by 10 AM tomorrow."

    "That is fantastic!" John Connor shouts. "We've got our advantage! We need to get that information out to all resistance groups around the world right away."

    "I already took care of that." Savannah responds. "The message went out as soon as Colonel Henry recovered and told me what he accomplished."

    "Where is John Henry now?"

    "He's down in the lab working on a project you left for him to do."

    "Good."

    "Um, John." She says with concern. "I haven't seen Allison since yesterday. In fact I haven't found anyone who's seen her since your mom's funeral"

    "What?!" John shouts. "Here." He hands her the belt with the five heads on it. "Get this to John Henry in the lab. Tell him to check the chips for information we can use."

    Savannah leaves for the lab.

    "Colonel Reese!"

    "Yes John." Kyle responds sharply, surprising Derek who almost responded to the shout himself.

    "See to it that the Generals are fully briefed on our intelligence on Sky Net. Also arrange for food and drink for them and their troops. I plan on attacking Sky Net as soon as their aircraft have been refueled and our plans finalized. We have got to move out tonight!"

    John runs off down the corridor to the elevator, while Savannah leaves for the lab.

    "He certainly doesn't waste any time. Who is this Allison he's so concerned about?" Kate Brewster asks.

    "His wife." Kyle responds. Derek's look of shock comes on so suddenly that Kyle just breaks into laughter.

    "Come on, brother. Looks like you could use a drink." Kyle says chucking while walking off with one arm around Derek's shoulders. "I think Doc managed to sneak some of his rotgut whiskey here."

    "When the hell did they get married?" Derek is heard asking as they disappear down the corridor. "Damn, disappear for a few weeks and the whole world changes." he mutters to Kyle's amusement.

    "Can you believe this?" General Brewster says to Perry.

    "What, that they managed to disable Sky Net's satellites or that someone as young as him has managed to do what we haven't?"

    "I believe it." Kate says. "I think for the first time since this war began, God has given us a miracle, and his name is John Connor."

    She walks off following the Reese brothers to the conference room.

    "Hey you two! Where is your medical center?" she shouts after the departing Reese brothers.

    "Your daughter is something else." Perry says.

    "Yeah. At times like this she reminds me of her mother. I am so thankful she died before all this happened. God bless her."

    Perry places a friendly hand on his old friend and guides him further inside.

    # # #

    John is feeling anxious as he rides the elevator down to the floor where he has a room with Allison. He had his suspicions, but Savannah's comment was the clincher.

    The elevator comes to a stop, and John steps out while the doors are still opening. Remembering what Savannah told him about the weapon she used on Kreilley, he runs down the hall to his mom's room. John opens the door to find it still empty.

    He does a quick search of his mom's room and finds an identical weapon to Savannah's under the head of the mattress. John slips it into his backpack. He doesn't see the crumpled letter anywhere, so he leaves, closing the door behind him.

    John runs back down the hallway to the room Allison and he shares. He pauses at the door, catches his breath, and opens it gently. There's no one in the room, but the light pervading smell of soap tickles his nostrils. John calls out in a normal a voice as possible. "Allison?"

    She was brushing out her hair from being in the shower when John entered the outer room. Acting quickly, she grabs a towel and wraps it around herself before answering. Any other time she wouldn't mind.

    "John? Is that you?" She calls out, the worry and concern adding a slight tremble to her voice.

    John drops his bag and plasma rifle on the floor and enters the bathroom.

    Allison is just tucking in the corner of the towel as he comes through the door. "John!" she calls out at the sight of him and embraces him.

    "I was so worried about you." she says kissing him.

    "Where were you? Savannah said she hadn't seen you since I left." John asks, playing along.

    "I was right here, waiting for you." She says looking into his eyes. She holds him, feeling the warmth of his body through her hands. She kisses him again, her lips parting slightly.

    John returns the kiss with one of his own, her tongue darting briefly, tantalizingly into his mouth.

    "I'm so sorry I didn't listen to you. You were right." John responds when the kiss stops. "I got into a bit of a scrape out there."

    "What happened to you John?" She touches the cut on his forehead gently with her hand smoothing the tape down.

    "I was in a fight with machines. They were waiting for me. I should have listened to you and Kyle and brought some soldiers with me."

    "Why don't you, shower and get changed? Then I can put some stitches in that cut on your forehead." she says as she nuzzles his neck.

    He gently pushes her back, holding her shoulders, and asks. "First things first. Is there something you want to tell me?"

    John looks deep into her eyes waiting for her to answer.

    "Like what?" she says questioningly.

    Seeing the deception in her face, John reacts.

    Her eyes grow wide with surprises when John grabs the towel above her breasts.

    "John, don't do this. Please." She answers grasping his hands firmly.

    He doesn't budge, the towel is firmly in his grasp. Even if she were to pull his hands away, the towel would still come away in his hands.

    "No secrets. No lies." He says. "Either trust me now, or . . ."

    Before he can utter his threat, she releases his hands, and holds the towel to her breasts instead. John wasn't sure what threat he was about to make, but she didn't want him to say something they might both regret.

    It's over. The lies are over and its time to trust.

    He carefully unties the towel, allowing Allison to maintain her modesty. In the gap that forms as the edges of the towel parts, John sees what he was expecting, a small bruise where her sternum would be. A bruise in the shape of the three middle fingers of his right hand exactly where Cameron had him check her shield.

    "I fell off the bed. Bruised myself on one of my boots." She tries to cover for herself, but even she realizes that was lame.

    John takes her arm and guides her into the shower. The towel falls away in their haste. Ignoring the fact he's still dressed, John turns on both taps so they are on full. Not for the purpose of washing, but to mask what he's about to say. He doesn't think anyone can hear, but it doesn't mean Kreilley couldn't have planted listening devices in the room earlier.

    Over the sting and the noise as each droplet of water hits the walls and floors, John leans in and whispers into her ear. "You are Cameron, and have been since the day I met you in the tunnels." She nods her head, her lovely face spoiled by a sorrowful apologetic expression.

    John continues speaking, "I knew it was you. You were going to tell me at the barn, but then those machines burst in on us."

    She remains quiet, unsure of what to say. He pulls back and looks at her waiting for her to answer.

    "Are you angry with me?" Cameron finally asks, fearful of what he may say.

    He caresses her face and pulls her to him and embraces her.

    "Never."

    Tears of relief stream down her face mixing with the rivulets of water.

    "I'm sorry John. I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you who I was for ages, but my mission has to come first. I'm sorry . . ." she apologizes repeatedly.

    "Shh." He says, kissing her face and her mouth until she stops apologizing and begins kissing him with equal passion.

    "I only have about five minutes." He gasps. "Is that enough?"

    "Make it ten." She replies and begins removing his soaked clothing.

    In moments the floor of the shower is littered with John's wet clothing. They make love as only two honest lovers can, with a joy they've never felt nor shown each other before that day.

    # # #

    From the Journal of John Connor

    Was I angry with Cameron? Of course I was, but the joy of having her back far outweighed the anger. Ten minutes seemed hardly enough, with Generals waiting and war plans to finalize. Those ten minutes were the best ten minutes of my life. I had Cameron back.

    I know Cameron fairly well, but only Cameron truly knows Cameron. It's hard to understand why she made certain choices, but I know she made them with the best of intentions. Beginning today, I learned how far she would go to complete her mission. What I didn't know now, but what I came to know later, was how far she would go to save my life, and some might say, save her own as well.

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