DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters or the show.

"Since they haven't left the area, it should be a relatively simple task to locate Mr. Mercer," John Henry stated.

John quickly took command. "Good. So we'll canvass the area, and John Henry, if you could stay here and alert us of any suspicious activity or changes."

"Yes, that is a good plan. May I suggest something, though?"

"Of course."

"I suggest that you bring Mr. Ellison along. You can break into two groups of two, covering two blocks of the area each."

"Thank you, John Henry, Ellison could be of some aid."

"Then I will call Mr. Ellison and ask him to meet the three of you in the lobby."

Once John and Cameron left the room, John Henry called Ellison and asked him to meet them in the lobby. Immediately following, he called Weaver's office and requested that Sarah be sent to the lobby as well.

Then he turned his attention back to the traffic cameras, scanning for anything of interest.

At the safe house, Kyle was searching for something to do. Derek had been watching TV since the others had left. It occurred to Kyle that the Connors might misinterpret his brothers' use of his time. Kyle knew Derek well enough to know that he was using the television as a distraction. He didn't know his place here. There was no mission, no clear position for him. He knew this in part because he felt the same way himself. And if he felt this way, then his brother must be feeling even more out of place than he. His brother had always been the active one, the soldier. It's true, Kyle was the leader, but only because he was more able to inspire those around him. Derek had recognized this, and encouraged and supported Kyle's position as leader. Derek had accepted a long time ago that he was just a soldier, nothing more.

Kyle's search bared little, but he did manage to find a pack of playing cards. He called out from the kitchen, where he had found them, "Hey, Derek, how do you feel about a little poker?"

John and Cameron waited for Ellison and Sarah in the lobby. John noticed that Cameron had a strange look on her face.

"Cameron, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, John." She could tell he wouldn't accept that answer, so she continued. "It's just...I'm worried about what Danny Dyson's role is in this. What if he wasn't kidnapped? At least not in the way we think? What if he's already working with Kaleba, or Skynet? I don't remember him being important in the future, unless he was being hidden. If he was being hidden, then he might have been important to Skynet, not us."

"If that's true, then maybe we can stop him before he does anything."

"Yes, John, I know this is an opportunity to stop him if we need to. But I just wanted you to be prepared for the possibility that he may not want to be saved. We may have to persuade him a bit."

"Like we did with McCarthy?"

"Possibly. But we'll cross that bridge when and if we reach it."

Just then, she turned, and John saw that Sarah was walking towards them, with Ellison not far behind. Sarah had a strange look on her face, but quickly tried to hide it. John noticed, but decided that it was better not to push it right now.

"Let's get to the car, and I'll explain on the way."

"...so when we get back, we may have a new guest with us. We'll see you then." Sarah hung up the phone. She had been updating Kyle on the situation. She and Ellison were walking down the street towards their section of the four block radius. They had parked about a half a mile away, to avoid suspicion and parted ways with John and Cameron almost immediately.

"So Cameron never leaves John's side, does she?" Ellison asked, half trying to make conversation, half wanting to find out as much as he could.

Sarah gave him a glare that he knew meant he should drop the subject. So he did, but he didn't prod any less.

"You never told me what really happened to Miles Dyson."

Sarah hesitated, then decided that Ellison deserved to know if he wanted to. "We convinced him that he needed to destroy his project. So we went to the building to get rid of everything. We needed to blow the whole building, though, to make sure that everything was gone. But then the SWAT team showed up. Miles got caught in the cross-fire. He was injured enough for both of us to know he wasn't going to live." Her voice got more solemn. "The remote detonator had been damaged, and the only way to blow the building was for one of us to stay behind. He offered, as he knew he didn't have much time left anyway." She was silent now, remembering his bravery.

"And all these years, people thought you killed him."

"At least no one found out that he was destroying his own project. At least people got to see his death the way it should have been seen, as heroic."

"Yeah, at least there's that."

After Cameron was sure Sarah and Ellison were out of sight, she tenderly took John's hand. He smiled softly at her.

John still wasn't sure about his relationship with Cameron. At this point, he'd resigned himself to the fact that he loved her, and she loved him, and that that wouldn't change. But he still couldn't see what kind of future they could have. They couldn't sneak around forever, and he knew that Sarah already had her suspicions, but he couldn't see a way where he could be with Cameron and remain close to his mother. He knew at this point, there was no choice for him. If his mother was going to be the stubborn one, there's no way he could change that. He wouldn't give up his happiness just because she was too close-minded.

Cameron gently stroked the arm that was attached to hers. John knew that she had noticed his reverie, but also knew she wouldn't push the matter. It was one of the many things he appreciated about her. One of the many reasons he needed her.

Then, Cameron's head snapped to the left, her attention drawn to an alleyway, at the end of which looked to be a garage or an old loading area. John and Cameron immediately went to investigate.

As they got closer to the door, Cameron motioned for John to stay back a bit. She listened closely. She could hear two men talking.

"We can't stay here for long, they're going to notice that the traffic cams aren't working."

"Are you telling me how to do my job? Because we're waiting for the new car. And if we leave here with the same car, we're more likely to be found, and you know it."

The second voice had a 89.7% match to Mercer's voice. Cameron determined that the missing percentages could be due to the muffled state of the sound wave due to the wall standing between her and the man.

She returned to John. "John, I have to move in now. They're talking about moving Danny soon. I need you to call Sarah and Ellison and have them meet you here. Only then do you enter. Your only mission is to get Danny and get out of here. You run to the car and if you arrive there before I call, you leave, okay?"

John knew the drill, and had finally resigned himself to being the one who always runs. As long as he got to plan missions and actually get out on the field, he would be able to stay sane. For now, at least. "Okay."

With that, Cameron turned and headed toward the door beside the garage.

As usual, Savannah sat quietly in Weaver's office. Today, she was reading a book. Weaver, looking contemplative, got up from her desk and sat down next to Savannah.

Savannah looked up from her book and smiled at Weaver. "Hi mommy."

"Hello, Savannah. Are you enjoying your book?"

"Yes, I am."

"Savannah, I'd like to ask you a few questions."

"Okay." Savannah stuck a bookmark in her book and laid it down on her lap.

Weaver began. "Savannah, what do you think is the most important thing?"

"About what, mommy?"

"About anything. What, to you, is the most important thing?"

"You. And John Henry. And Mr. Ellison, too."

"You're right. People are important. But I want you to always remember that people are flawed as well. They make mistakes and they act on their emotions. But because they strive to be better and to make the world a better place, people as a collective are very important. The world lives and dies by the people that inhabit it, and the actions of these people. Do you understand, Savannah?"

"People are important."

"Yes, they are. I want you to always remember that, okay?"

"Okay mommy." There's a pause, as Savannah examines the book in her hands. "Mommy?"

"Yes, Savannah?"

"Is the tin man a person too?"

John paced nervously outside the garage, waiting for his mother and Ellison. Then he heard a gunshot, and just as he was about to go in without them, they appeared from around the corner. They had been running, and then stopped as they approached John.

John got straight to work. "Mom, Ellison, I want you two to go for the humans, if there are any left. If not, I want you to aid Cameron as much as possible. Cover me, because I'm going in for Danny. We're going to make a run for it. Call me when you're safe." Sarah and Ellison both nodded, approving the plan.

Each of them took out their weapons and ensured they were loaded and ready. Sarah led them to the door, which still remained slightly ajar from Cameron's earlier entry.

They hid behind the town car to assess the situation. Cameron was in combat with the T-888. John looked past her to the office and saw Mercer and Danny being ushered out by two men. John pointed them out while Sarah led them safely towards the back of the garage. Thankfully, the T-888 was too distracted to notice what little noise and movement they made.

The men had been heading towards the front, so Sarah, John, and Ellison reached them quickly. Even with Cameron's presence, they still had the element of surprise. Sarah and Ellison began shooting, Sarah hitting the gut of one of the men, and Ellison hitting the leg of the other. John aimed towards Mercer, but he quickly stepped behind Danny, forcing John to abandon the shot. Mercer started running back towards the office. While Sarah and Ellison went after him, John pulled Danny by the arm and led him back the way he had come in. John snuck a peak at Cameron, and saw that she was struggling. He fired a few shots at the Triple-8, effectively distracting him for a moment, giving Cameron the upper hand. John reluctantly led Danny out the rest of the way, hoping he'd done enough to help Cameron.

In the office, Mercer grabbed a shotgun that was kept there for emergencies such as these, and didn't hesitate to shoot at Sarah and Ellison. As the two ran for cover, Mercer was able to exit the office and head to the back door of the garage. A shot came from behind Sarah and Ellison, drawing their attention away from Mercer and allowing him to get away.

Sarah looked back, seeing the man who had been shot in the leg still aiming his gun. She shot him in the shoulder, effectively disarming him.

She turned to Ellison only to find that he had been shot in the shoulder as well.