Deception:

Drama
Rated T, minor violence, blood.
Set in the TSCC universe, towards the end of series one.
One chapter. Status Complete.

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"What do you see?" Derek asked Cameron. It was early evening, but still bright daylight. The reflections on the window meant that Derek could not see clearly what was going on inside the restaurant. He was sitting next to Cameron on a park bench, across the main road from the restaurant. The park behind them was still bustling with people. Young families walking around, playing ball games, looking at the flowers. The rhododendrons were in bloom, and were a colourful display, the bright pink flowers against the dark green leaves.

Sarah had tasked the two of them with following a potential Skynet collaborator, whilst she and John checked out his back story. He had gone with an attractive woman to one of the more expensive restaurants in town, and the two of them were inside.

"They are placing an order with a waiter. It is taking some time. It appears to be a more complex procedure than when Sarah and John go to a restaurant." Cameron responded.

"Kevin Wilson! Get here now!" Shouted a woman behind them. Derek glanced round, then quickly turned back to watch the restaurant. Cameron turned around to check what it was. A motherly woman was shouting at a young boy. She wiped strands of mousy hair from her face, then grabbed the boys hand. He struggled, but still clung to the football he was carrying. The boys father was trying to take a snap shot with his phone. The rhododendrons in the background.

Kyle was the same when he was about five. Derek thought. I suppose I was too.

Derek turned to Cameron. "Did you know Kevin Wilson?"

"The resistance fighter from D corps. No. I did not know him." She said. "But I did read about him in reports. He was killed in the raid on HK factory 4 delta."

"He's the one." Derek smiled. "I only knew him for a couple months or so. We fought together for a while." He grimaced. "A good soldier, and one of the best men I've met. He always knew the right thing to say. Always knew how to lift the spirits of the squad. Always ready with a joke or a laugh."

Cameron remained quiet, letting Derek continue.

"He wasn't obedient, not at all. Sometimes you couldn't get him to follow orders. But if you were in a tight spot. He was one of the guys you wanted with you. We hung around for a while. This was a few months before Kyle left. Kyle was working close with John back then, I did not see so much of him, and it was good to have Kevin around. He would chatter a lot, without saying much. If you know what I mean."

"How did he die?" Cameron asked.

"Yes. That raid." Derek paused. "The raid was a success, the factory never produced much after that. And we recovered some useful stuff. But we lost some good men and women." He looked down to the ground for a moment, then back up. "The force was split into two groups, one for a diversion, one for the main raid. John led the main group, Martin the other. Kyle was with John on that raid. Even back then John did not put brothers into the same force. Did not want a mother to lose 'em both. So I was at the back with Kevin. Just us two, but we had to keep open the line of retreat."

"We had picked a good spot by an old building on a low hill. We could see the metal patrol routes, and we could see if any ambushes were being set up. We knew that the main forces might have to make a quick retreat."

"Just after the diversion force hit. A patrol of two T-800s approached us. They had not seen us yet, but they were heading straight for us. I don't know if you remember the T-800, it had a weakness, not like the triple-eights. If you hit it in the hip with a plasma bolt, you could cripple it. Stop it walking. Slow it down."

Derek breathed in deeply. The memory was causing something inside of him to hurt. He swallowed and continued.

"We fired together. Both hit our targets. But as one went down it fired back. It's bolt hit the building just behind us and knocked off a piece of metal, like a spike. It came down and hit Kevin in his leg. It was stuck through, one end buried in the ground. The bleeding was bad, not an artery, but bad enough. I put a bandage round his leg, just up from the wound. Wound it tight. Then put in the hilt of his knife, and twisted it tighter still."

Derek paused, the memories were making it more difficult to breathe than normal. Cameron said. "You took the correct course of action."

"The bleeding slowed down a lot. I thought he was going to make it. I could not shift the spike. It was stuck fast. I was hoping when the main force came back they could help free him. I had a wire saw, but that spike was thick, it was going to take a while to get through."

Derek looked up the road, away from Cameron, and blinked his eyes several times.

"The call came in from the radio. The raid was over, but they were retreating a different route. Kevin and I had to go back the way we came, as best we could." He swallowed again, then continued. "About that time, I heard the T-800s. They were crawling to us through the debris. I could hear the scrape of their metal on the concrete. The grating of their hands. I started sawing the spike, I thought I could release him before they got to us. There was no way I was going to leave him to die alone. But then I felt his hand on my arm. He stopped me. He was holding out a photo to me. Then he took a watch from his pocket. One of those old aviator type ones, I don't know if you've seen them. A man's watch. Tan leather strap, but so old the leather had broken half way round. The leather which remained was stained, like it had been worn a lot. He spoke to me then, his voice was strong, his grip on my arm was like a vice."

" 'Derek', he said, 'my wife and son.' He showed me the photo. 'This watch was my grandfathers. I'm the last one. Get this watch to my son. You have to. Go now. I trust you to do this Derek.' " Again Derek paused, then continued. "I'd never known he was married. He'd never said so before. Never spoke about her or the kid. But there was something in his face. Something in his eyes. Such caring. The way he looked at me, made me think that this mattered more to him than his own life. He must have loved them so much. I took out a pack of C4, connected a dead-man's-switch, and placed it in his hands. I took the watch and photo, and left. I had to keep low down, but as I was about to turn the corner, I took a last look back at him. He had pressed the switch, and pulled the pin. He was smiling at me." Derek thought for a bit, and then said. "I think that if you live your whole life being afraid of something. Then when it's, like, right in front of you. Then you're no longer afraid. I think that's what it was for him. At that moment, he was no longer afraid to die."

"Perhaps." Cameron replied.

"I was nearly back at the main road heading to the RV, when I heard the C4 go off. He must have waited till the T-800's were right on top of him before letting go." A truck thundered past them, drowning out his voice for a few seconds.

"I looked for them when I got back. Could not find them. No one had ever heard of a wife or kid for him, no one recognised the people in the photo. It was chaotic back then, they may have been in one of the other refuges, but I tried my best. I really did. I owed him that. I kept the watch and photo right until I jumped. I gave them to John. Don't know what he did. I like to think he found them. He was always better than me at that sort of thing." Derek smiled ruefully. "Lousy photo if I'm honest. She had brown scruffy hair. Kid was trying to pull away from her to go play a game or kick something. Kid did look like him though, give him that. Photo was faded, but I think there were pink flowers behind them and green bushes."

When he had paused for long enough that Cameron could assume that he had finished, she said. "Thank you. I have learned more about people." She then turned to Derek and said. "Have you?"

They sat for a while in silence. The sky darkening as the sun went below the horizon. The air started to cool, and the park became quieter.

Epilogue:

Derek replaced the phone in his pocket.

"Sarah's calling it off. False alarm." He said, as he rose from the seat.

"They were just starting the coffee and mints." Cameron said as they headed back to the Dodge.

"Derek. I have a question." Cameron said. "It would be more efficient if they had one large course. Containing all the nutrition they require. It would be quicker to eat. Quicker for the cook to prepare. Why did they choose so many courses?"

Derek turned to her in surprise, then replied. "Some meals are just one large portion. But some people like having small dishes. Each with it's own flavours, and textures. Differences that make the meal more interesting. Connoisseur, I think the word is." He paused, then continued. "Maybe the chef also prefers it. They can experiment with different ingredients, various styles. Different challenges." He chuckled, "Of course that restaurant was nearly empty. It doesn't suit everyone."

"I understand. Thank you. It explains more than you might think."

Derek looked at Cameron and added, "This has nothing to do with pancakes by the way. Say nothing to Sarah. Pancakes every day is fine." Then muttered to himself, "Just fine..."

THE END

A/N:
Hope you enjoyed it. All comments welcome. I apologise for mentioning the Dodge in nearly every story. I'm hoping this blatant product placement will get me a free one. (Just kidding!)