(Disclaimer: All Chapters of this story are the product of my own creation using the characters from the T.V. show Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles. I am making no money off it and write solely for my own entertainment)
Special thanks to Fortex for betaing the chapter as well as helping me with concepts and ideas for the story.
Chapter 1: Living in the Land of OZ
-BAM-
Fifteen year old John Connor's eyes opened the instant he heard the screen door slam shut. As he lay in bed completely motionless he strained his hearing in hopes of making out what had caused the noise. Slowly his hand inched to the space between the mattress of his bed and the wall. While his right hand moved up he edged closer to the side of the bed farthest from the door of his room. The sound of a car starting and pulling out of the driveway gave him a better guess as to why the door had shut so loudly. The most logical reason would be that Charlie Dixon, his mother's fiancé and one of the few steady male role-models in his life was running late for work.
However, that was just an assumption and in the real world there was a phrase commonly used when assuming 'When you assume, you make an ass out of u and me'. But in the world of John Connor the penalty for assuming was far worse than making a fool of yourself and those around you. In his world the penalty for assuming could result in either your death, the death of those around you, or both. Footsteps could be heard coming down the hall towards his room. As the door opened, John let his body relax so he could move at a moments notice. Whoever had opened the door had yet to say or do anything. A few moments passed before the familiar voice of his mother filled the room. "That won't be necessary, John. It's just me."
His body tensed when she spoke before relaxing; turning his head he looked at his mother, scrutinizing her before he pulled his hand out from the junction between the mattress and the wall. Sitting up he rubbed the dirt from his eyes before letting out a long yawn. Glancing at his alarm clock, he took note that it was set to go off in three minutes. Reaching over and shutting it off he glanced back at his mother, "You beat the alarm clock…what's the occasion?"
Sarah bit her lower lip before walking into the room and answering her son, "We have to go, John. We can't stay here."
"What!?" he questioned, his voice taking a hard edge.
"You heard me. We can't stay here, it's not safe."
"Not safe? From whom?"
Taking a deep breath she replied, "Not from, for. We can't let Charley get caught up in this, in us, and we can't let ourselves get lulled into a false sense of security."
"So that's it?" he questioned, anger creeping into his voice and eyes. "Just pack up and leave? Never minding the pain we leave behind us? This isn't fair, Mom. Not to us and definitely not to Charlie."
Sarah gave her son a pained look, but held firm. "Yes, he'll be hurt, but he'll live. He'll be safe."
"I thought no one was ever safe?" he countered using her own philosophy against her.
Hearing the familiar words that had served as the driving force for her actions, she flinched. "You're right, but if he continues to be a part of our lives he'll be put in unnecessary danger."
"And what about me? Just what kind of life do you want for me exactly? All my life you've told me that I needed to be ready, to be prepared to lead humanity, fight SKYNET. To become a soldier of the future, for the future and yet in these past two years you've done a complete one-eighty and have been pressuring me to act normal, to be a kid!" He growled out. Taking a few deep breaths he asked her in a dark tone, "Which is it?"
Hiding the pain and torment she felt at her son's words Sarah ignored his question and said. "Half an hour…one bag. Plus the guns. I'll make pancakes." Before walking out.
John sat at the edge of his bed, mind running rampant. There was a proverb that read 'If something's too good to be true, it probably is.' And deep inside he understood the peaceful life he had come to know was most likely nothing but a fantasy. But there was a small part of him that held onto the hope that it was real. To have the life he saw everyone else have. That he envied everyone else for having.
'Serves you right, John.' He thought. 'When has life ever given you what you want? Better yet, when has life allowed you a chance at normalcy?'
Standing up he walked to the far wall where his closet was located and pulled out a duffle bag. Going to his dresser he pulled out and removed the bottom drawer. Moving a few of the shirts away revealed a book bag. Grabbing one of the straps of the bag he tossed it over to his bed. Inside the bag was a first aid kit, a change of clothes, and some rations mainly consisting of canned food, beef jerky, and water; food that wouldn't go bad quickly. Despite the argument with his mother, experience had made certain that John always had a bag ready should the need arise. Four years ago, he had his first encounter with the machines from the future that his mother always warned him of. Back then he had felt scared, helpless, and most of all a burden to those trying to protect him.
When his mother was arrested and placed in a mental ward for the criminally insane he had been resentful of her. Everyone around him called her crazy and that everything he learned from her was all for naught. His resentment towards her grew and made him want to get some level of payback for the injustices he felt she committed. His plan? Sever all ties to his past. He stopped researching weapons and battle strategies and he no longer tried to stay in shape or out of the spotlight. However, he considered those acts to be minor compared to the one he invested most of his time into…computers. His mother absolutely hated them. To her they represented the bastard child of mankind that would one day wipe out all life on the planet. What better way for him to get his revenge than to abuse the skills she taught him to access, use, and upgrade the one thing she hated most.
But, he had been wrong. His mother wasn't crazy, his training wasn't for nothing, and most importantly the childhood he was forced to sacrifice hadn't been in vain. During that turbulent time in his life John was forced to acknowledge his destiny. Judgment day was real, the machines were real, and the future his mother told him of was real. The guilt he felt upon realizing this weighed heavily upon him. His mother hadn't betrayed him, he had betrayed her. He took everything she ever gave him and spit it back in her face. Wanting to make amends for his mistakes he vowed to take his training more seriously. To show her that he wouldn't be a burden, that he would live up to her expectations.
But he wasn't the only one who felt guilty, Sarah Connor felt it too. She felt that she had failed her son not only as a teacher, but as a mother. Like all parents, she wanted the best life possible for he son and after much deliberation she chose to give him the future he deserved, not the one fate had chosen for him. The result of that decision had led to the destruction of the Cyberdyne Research Center and the death of Miles Dyson, SKYNET's creator. For all intents and purposes Judgment day had been averted.
But things were never that easy and John had learned to become skeptical. If there was anything he learned from all that had happened back then it was to never take things for granted and to always be ready. In one day his life had undergone a drastic change and he knew there would always be a possibility of it happening again.
In the end, his mother was right. They couldn't afford to be lulled into a false sense of security. Time didn't matter when it came to Judgment day or SKYNET. The eleven year gap between when his mother was targeted for termination and when his own life was targeted was proof of that. With those facts in mind, John reviewed everything he had ever learned growing up and even took the time to ask his mother to teach him the many tricks and skills she had come to learn. In the past four years, he had quickly assimilated a majority of his mother's teachings while also developing some of his own.
Getting on his hands and knees he reached deep into the dresser's cavity. Off in the back hidden from sight he pulled out two boxes of .44 magnum rounds, a black carrying case, and a gun cleaning kit. Opening the duffle bag he tossed the bullets and maintenance kit inside. Standing up and grabbing the black case he headed over to his bed and reached between the gap separating the wall from the mattress and pulled out a Colt Anaconda with the words "Justice for All" engraved into the barrel; the inscription having been apart of the gun when they first bought it. The gun was large by standard handgun definition and the rounds it fired were mostly suitable for game around the size of a brown bear or in John's case robots from the future intent on killing him.
The gun was one of his few prized possessions and as much as he loved it, his mother hated it. To her giving John a gun was the equivalent of telling him to fight on the front lines. Fighting was not what he was trained to do, he was trained to run. She had been adamant about not giving him a weapon, but he argued that he wouldn't get far if he didn't have some means of protection. It was that particular bit of logic that forced her into agreeing, but she made certain to set rules. The primary of which was the gun being a six shooter. Her belief was if he only had six rounds he would be less likely to try and fire them all at once and if he did he would be forced to run as the time spent reloading was longer than with a clip using handgun. John had reluctantly agreed to the rules she set, but only if he could choose the gun. At thirteen, Sarah didn't believe he would have a large knowledge of the many types of handguns available.
She was only partially right. He didn't know much about the different makes or models, but that didn't mean he couldn't learn. Exploiting that loophole, he got to work researching the various models. When he first encountered the Colt Anaconda he appreciated the power it could pack, but didn't feel it would be a suitable choice. Its large size, heavy weight, and powerful recoil made it impractical for his small frame. On top of that it was building up a reputation for having rather poor accuracy. He almost wrote it off, but a passing comment from his mother had given him pause.
They had been on the run when he needed to get some new clothes, having outgrown his old ones. While shopping Sarah spoke of how quickly he was growing and would soon be taller than her. She jokingly blamed it on his father, but her comment sparked something inside of him. While they shopped he began asking more about his father to get a better idea of how tall he would be and how well he'd fill out. Sarah misunderstood his questions and thought he was just interested in knowing more about his father. Not giving it another thought, she answered each and every question he threw at her.
With the knowledge in hand, John reviewed the information he had on the Colt Anaconda and realized based on what his mother had said that he would most likely be able to grow into the gun. But that wasn't all; new barrels were being created and modified to help the gun's poor accuracy. His original sources being outdated he was unaware such improvements existed. Constructing his argument he told his mother the gun he had decided on.
Of course her first reaction was no, but he had expected her response and countered it by listing off why it would be the perfect gun for him. Stating reasons such as his inability to fire it at his current age would encourage him to flee, it was a six shooter; falling under his mother's category, and if the machines ever returned it would be capable of packing a punch harder than any handgun they currently possessed. So with great reluctance she agreed, but after purchasing the gun she refused to give it to him, saying "There's no reason for you to carry something you can't use."
While disheartened, he did agree with her. If there was a time to use it, it would be better off in her hands and not his. While Sarah wouldn't let him carry or use it, she did let him fiddle around with it and taught him how to take it apart, clean it, and reassemble it; Lessons John took to like a fish to water and was completely shocked on his fifteenth birthday when she gave it to him as a present. Then again, that was most likely due to his disappointment upon receiving a flak jacket.
Taking a few seconds to admire his gun, he looked it over before setting it on the bed. Opening the black case he picked it up and gently placed it inside before tossing it into the duffle bag with the .44 caliber rounds. From the kitchen his mother called out, "Hurry and wrap it up. Your breakfast is getting cold."
Sighing he grabbed the duffle bag and his book bag and left his room without so much as a second glance. He had grown attached to the room and to the quiet life he and he knew that looking back would make leaving that much harder. Walking down the hallway past Charlie and his mother's room he apologized. 'I'm sorry, Charlie. But it seems the world can't live without John Connor.'
XxXxXxXxXxX
"So she's not missing? I mean based on the way you explained it?" The officer sitting across from Charlie Dixon asked.
Charlie looked at the man in annoyance. He had already been at the police station for an hour explaining the situation. One hour, making it fourteen since he came home and found his fiancé's wedding ring and a note saying goodbye. One hour, making it ten since he pulled himself together and decided to do all he could to find her and her son. But worst of all, one hour since he attempted to get help but only getting the feeling that the police were jerking his chain. "Right, the way I explained it. She's not missing she left."
"It happens more than you think." The man replied.
"You don't know her." He replied as the door opened up behind him and another person entered the room.
"I could say the same to you, Mr. Dixon." A deep voice spoke as a black man in a nice suit carrying a folder in hand made his way around the table. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a badge and photo I.D. reading, Agent James Ellison FBI.
"FBI?" Charlie questioned as confusion started sinking in.
"Been together long?" Ellison inquired.
Leaning back to get more comfortable, he answered, "Bout six months. Been a bit of a whirlwind to be honest."
Ellison laughed at Charlie's response. As if he was seeing the punch line to a funny joke. Opening up the folder he carried and pulling out a few papers bound together with a paperclip he replied, "You have no idea about this whirlwind. Tell me, does the SKYNET missile defense system mean anything to you?"
Looking up at the ceiling in frustration, he gave a quiet sigh of defeat before answering. "No."
Not hesitating at Charlie's negative response, he asked his next question. "How bout this guy? Recognize him?"
Taking a minute to observe the newspaper clipping attached to the paperwork, Charlie took in the man's name and appearance. "…Miles Dyson. No, never seen him before."
"That's because he's dead," Ellison replied straight-faced. Reaching into the folder he pulled out another set of papers; medical records with a picture of Sarah Connor attached. "Your fiancé freshly escaped from the Pescadero Mental Hospital blew him apart four years ago; leveled a four-story research facility along with him. But, since there's no lethal injection for the destruction of public property let's just stick with the murder of one of our countries brightest computer scientists and dedicated family man."
Charlie ignored his closing statement. Being a paramedic, he knew some of the things law enforcement would say to try and get people to open up; using things like patriotic and familial expressions to create a sense of common ground in hopes of getting more information. He opened his mouth to speak, but didn't know how to respond. "No…it's just not..." Finally he asked, "Why would she do that?"
"You know, Mr. Dixon. It's the robots." Ellison said in a rather upbeat tone. "The ones from the future? The ones SKYNET sent back in time to kill her son. Which makes total sense, cause in the future not only is he her son, but…" Looking at the medical records he read off. "'The leader of the Resistance fighting artificially intelligent machines determined to annihilate the human race.'"
Charley gave him a doubtful look. Glancing up and locking eyes with the paramedic, he added. "Did he strike you that way? Leader of a scrapping band of rebels; Luke Skywalker type?"
Fixing the FBI agent with a glare, he said "He's just a kid! A great kid! He's like a son to me."
"Did you know your 'son' has his own criminal record?" Ellison asked, setting down yet another set of papers. "Hacking police records, federal records, breaking and entry…" He paused for a moment, giving a mocking look to the ceiling as if he was forgetting something. "Oh! And stealing about four thousand dollars from various ATMs. Pretty impressive for a fifteen year old boy, nonetheless they're still very serious offenses."
Slamming his hands on the table and standing up, Charlie's eyes were alight with anger. "He never did any such thing the whole time I've known him. Nor, did Sarah show any signs of being mentally unstable!" Taking a few steps back he continued. "I came here for help and you just barge in with the audacity to say everything I knew about two people I care deeply for was a lie? You can't really be expecting me to believe all this!"
Storming over to the door he reached for the handle, but was stopped when Ellison dropped his mocking tone and returned to the professionalism he displayed upon first entering the room. "No, Mr. Dixon I don't. I don't care about your feelings toward them, nor do I care about how they did or didn't act like the bad guys I accused them of. To be frank I'm here because my boss, the United States has listed your fiancé as the number one most wanted female criminal in America and number three overall. You want the kicker? The people holding the slot for numbers one and two have some kind of connection to her. So let's skip the pleasantries and cut to the chase. We can start by you giving me her last name. I understand it isn't Connor."
Charlie had a pained look on his face before slowly moving back to the table and dropping into the seat. Letting out a sigh he answered Ellison's question. "It's Reese...Sarah and John Reese."
XxXxXxXxXxX
Three weeks…that was how long it had been since Sarah had taken her son and ran. Two weeks since they chose their destination, a small farming town called Red Valley, New Mexico, and one week since they found a house and registered John for school.
'Just in time for the new school year!' John sarcastically thought. Looking around the room he resisted the urge to glare. Glaring was the sign of a challenge and challenges brought attention to the challenger. Something his mother would consider counter-productive to their cause.
He hated these kinds of towns. Everyone knew everyone else and everybody was a cowboy no matter how much they thought they weren't. He listened as the teacher droned on about what to expect in class, what was expected of them, how the course was not something they could blow off, blah, blah, blah. John could tell by the guy's tone that he glorified himself. He was a science teacher! Teaching future generations the complex art of the ever growing, ever changing field.
Sorry pal, no matter what you may think it doesn't change the fact that you're a high school teacher and all your efforts are wasted on your students. No one here will probably amount to anything and will most likely take over the family business. He thought as he doodled in his notebook. It was either that or sleeping and sleeping brought unnecessary attention.
"What's your name?" A soft voice asked from over his shoulder.
Looking behind him to see if the voice was speaking to him or someone else, he locked eyes with a beautiful girl. She had long brown hair that stopped just below her shoulders and two sparkling brown eyes. Her face was unmarred save for a beauty mark along her left eyebrow that seemed to accentuate her looks. She was giving him an expectant look and he felt compelled to respond. "John."
"Cameron." She said with a smile.
"…And no talking when I'm talking." A voice from the front of the room spoke drawing their attention. The teacher stared hard at John for a second as if to say the disturbance was entirely his fault.
'Forgive me your holiness; by all means, continue kissing your own ass.' John debated speaking his thoughts aloud, but resisted. The bell rang not too long after signaling the end of class. As was routine for him, John packed his things quickly and walked out of class keeping his head down, acting unassuming.
"John?" Cameron called out as she walked up beside him.
"…Hey." He replied in greeting.
"Haven't seen you around here before, you just move here?" She asked.
"Yeah."
She gave a sympathetic laugh before replying, "Sucks for you."
John threw a quick glance at her; feeling slightly uncomfortable. He had been the new kid in school an innumerable amount of times, repeated the same inconspicuous actions an innumerable amount of times, and had been utterly ignored by the rest of his peers an innumerable amount of times. Yet here was a girl, a very attractive girl seemingly taking an interest in him. Not wanting to seem rude he gave her a small laugh as if to say he agreed with her.
"My dad sells tractors, what about yours?"
Reaching his locker he started to open it while recalling his cover-story, "Insurance."
"Really, what kind?"
'It's insurance. Who cares what kind?' he thought as his feelings of unease grew. Tilting his head quickly as if trying to recall the answer, he replied. "The boring kind."
Cameron laughed, "That's the kind of tractors my dad sells. What about your mom?"
Switching his books out, he reviewed their conversation quickly in his head. All of his experience with getting to know people, limited as it was taught him that people normally start with learning more about each others likes, dislikes, and hobbies before asking about family. Looking at her from his peripheral, he concluded that she had to have had less experience meeting new people than he did.
"My mom stays home." She supplied, when he failed to respond.
"You know I really got to get to the next class." He quickly said.
"So…I'll see you around?" She asked tentatively.
John felt his body relax. She seemed to realize she was making him uncomfortable, but even so she still exhibited some interest in getting to know him. "…Yeah."
"Well…okay then…bye." She said giving him one last smile before walking off. He took a moment to watch her retreating form with a slight bit of regret. He didn't want to blow her off, but her odd interest in him left him feeling anxious. Maybe it wasn't her that was the odd one, but him. After all, he couldn't really call himself the epitome of a normal teenage boy. Perhaps he was just being paranoid. The bell rang and John swore under his breath. He had spent so much time thinking about Cameron that he forgotten to finish gathering his things and head to the next class.
'Great, this is already shaping up into a fantastic day.' He sarcastically thought as he finished gathering his things for the next class and rushed to the classroom.
XxXxXxXxXxX
It was the start of third hour, English. He failed to understand why an English speaking country had a class in public education called English, when the course work was more along the lines of reading and writing. Wouldn't that mean it was a poor choice of wording to call the class English? Another point for irony. He thought as he opened his notebook. The best thing about writ-, no…English class is that you could write all day about nothing happening in the class and no one would be any wiser.
At the top of the page he wrote "Cameron Phillips" large enough to serve as a label, but small enough to easily conceal should the teacher walk past his desk. He had wanted to start this record keeping in his last class, but after arriving late he felt it best not to bring anymore undue attention. Moving down the page he started listing various categories every few lines using generic words such as, Personality, Actions, Suspicions, and Thoughts.
Starting with the first category he listed things he had learned through his observations and interactions. She had been very forward and inquisitive, but never too pushy, and extremely friendly. Moving down to Thoughts he listed his feelings on her character.
'Considering physical appearance as well as her overall attitude, Cameron causes me unease, as a girl of her stature should rank high on the popularity scale and thus not have interest in any new student who doesn't draw attention to themselves. Maybe I'm developing dad's sex appeal? After all he got mom…'
John stopped that train of thought immediately and did his best to wash his mind of the frightening places they would have taken him. Moving to Suspicions he wrote one short, simple line "Possible popular girl showing interest in weird new kid". Moving onto actions he started his next list. She was quick to walk beside him and while she wasn't too close, she had been close enough to suggest familiarity. He also listed how she forewent all questions relating to him personally and instead started with questions related to his parents. Moving back down to Thoughts he wrote.
Her actions are a total contradiction. Her stance suggests she knows me, but the fact that we've known each other for less than an hour makes that impossible.
He moved his pen towards Suspicions, but stopped and glanced over the sheet of paper. What the hell was he doing? He hardly knew this girl and yet he was trying to psychologically pick her apart. He was viewing her as a possible threat for God's sake! A small part of his mind said she could be trying to get close to him, but he quickly ignored it. If he and his mother had a lot of human enemies that could be true, but he had been John Reese for over two years and had lived a relatively normal life.
The same cautious part of him then suggested the possibility of her being a machine from the future intent on killing him. Again that part of his brain was countered. His experience with the terminators taught him an important lesson, once they've confirmed his identity, visually confirmed it, all pretenses of acting human were dropped. The T-1000 had moved with a one-track mind intent on killing him and the T-800, Uncle Bob never attempted to act human to begin with. Cameron exhibited neither of these traits which reinforced his belief that she wasn't a machine from the future.
The bell rang signaling the end of third hour and John tore out the sheet he had written on before crumpling it up and tossing it into his book bag along with his other supplies. The only way to solve the mystery that was, Cameron Phillips would be to gather more information. His next class was a computer course that he had switched out upon his arrival at school. His mother would skin him alive if she ever learned about that particular skeleton in the closet. They had been forced to run more than once after he was caught hacking, but that had been years ago and John had become much more experienced with computers. He now understood the finer points of covering your tracks and could now dance in and out of firewalls whilst leading anyone tracking him on a wild goose chase or ten.
Not bothering to stop off at his locker, he rushed to the classroom. His moment of opportunity would be small and there was no doubt that the teacher would realize he was screwing around on the computer. They may not realize what he was doing, but they would probably deduce it had nothing to do with class. There was also the risk of another student seeing him. Entering the classroom he checked the seating chart and walked over to his computer as quick as he could without drawing attention.
Sitting down at the desk and placing his hands on the keyboard a small rush of adrenaline coursed through his veins; this was his element, his specialty, his niche in life. He never felt more at home than when he was behind a computer. It didn't matter if it was hacking systems for information, money, or to screw with the lives of people that pissed him off. He could do it all; programming, creating files and systems for his benefit or viruses to use against others. There was just no measurable limit to his abilities. It didn't matter how many times his mother yelled at him, how many times she lectured about how computers would lead to SKYNET and Judgment day, John would always see computers like most boys his age saw cars; dumbfounded at all the cool new features and the possibilities of what would/could come out next.
Tapping away faster than any of his peers and most of the instructors could, John tore through the school's firewall and accessed the student records in seconds. As he navigated through them he absentmindedly sent out bread trails and traps that would cause anyone trying to access the schools database to crash. Considering the setup he saw upon entering the classroom and viewing the office, he knew that the odds of anyone realizing the crashes were a form of sabotage were virtually nonexistent. In a small rural community such as Red Valley, hardly anyone would have any real expertise on computers. The school's teacher would probably be the most knowledgeable and even his understanding wouldn't equal a fourth of John's. Typing in Cameron's name he pulled up her file and started checking it for new information regarding the girl that had been invading his thoughts.
'Schedule…Date of birth…parents' names…'He thought as he read through the file quickly growing impatient. 'Dammit where is the important crap like her address, date of registration, and three sizes!?'
John quickly shook his head in an attempt to banish his hormonal thoughts. While he was certainly interested in that last bit of information, he knew it shouldn't be high on his priorities.
"You're just full of surprises." A familiar voice said from behind him. Three keys later the hacking stopped and the evidence was removed. Turning around he saw Cameron taking a seat behind him. John couldn't help but think how big a bitch karma was being lately. If karma were a woman, he would have no doubt about it being her time of the month and the worst part was his troubles started three weeks ago! She must have been making up for lost time.
"So, you any good with them?" She asked gesturing towards the machine in front of her.
'How to say, 'If you were a computer, I could get you to orgasm in 2.3 sec-' "I have a bit of experience with them." He replied, once again banishing his perverted thoughts.
"They kind of scare me to tell you the truth."
John said nothing as he gave her a curious look; the way she spoke made it sound less like an innocent statement, and more of an invitation for him to agree. As if she was saying "I know about the future and Judgment day". Not knowing what to say, he opted to remain quiet.
"You want to hang out sometime after school, maybe help me learn how to get these things to work?" She asked.
Got to give her points for persistence. He thought as the same uneasy sensations from before returned. Knowing she would be waiting for an answer he replied. "I really can't, my mom's going to want me to come straight home."
Her face became crestfallen and she spoke in a disappointed tone. "…Oh…okay then."
"No, no. I mean I would really like too it's just my mom is really strict." Believe me you're a fucking enigma and its driving me nuts that I can't seem to figure you out. He silently added.
"It's alright." She said trying to reassure him, but he could tell she was still feeling a bit upset. Letting the conversation drop she turned to face her computer. John started to beat himself up inside as he took in her dejected form.
'And the biggest dick in the universe award goes to, John Connor.'
For the rest of the class period, he ignored the world around him and focused on punishing himself. When class ended he had wanted to say something, anything to Cameron, but he couldn't find the words. Was this really the life he wanted? A lonely life dictated by a future that may or may not come true. To follow the orders of his mother and sacrifice his personal life over what could be a possibility? As he contemplated over these thoughts he came to a conclusion. No! He wouldn't let his life be run for him. While he trusted his mother's judgment what was the point of him saving humanity if he had to sacrifice his own in the process? He was a human being, not some tool with a sign reading "Do not use until Judgment Day".
Entering his fifth hour, John made his decision. He would enjoy his life to the fullest, he would get to know Cameron, and make his own choices; live by his own rules. It may cause some grief with his mother, but he wasn't a child anymore. Having made his choice, he vowed to find the girl that sparked his interest and drove him into making his own decisions. He would find her, hang out with her, and if luck was on his side, which it usually was, start a relationship with her.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Whoever said it was easier to find things when you weren't looking for them should be shot. That was John's thought as he exited the school. Part of him wished he had the skill at finding Cameron that she seemed to have for finding him. Letting out a sigh he started to walk home when he spotted a familiar looking figure just entering the corner of his eyesight. Turning to get a better view he saw the subject of his thoughts walking to the student parking lot. Running to catch up to her he called out her name.
As she turned to find the source of the voice, John couldn't help but notice the look she had on. If he hadn't known any better, he would have thought she was getting ready to kill someone. As they locked eyes her face broke out into the familiar smile she always seemed to have when dealing with him before walking up to him. Not wanting to seem rude he jogged up to meet her halfway.
"Hey, John," She greeted. "What's up?"
Scratching the back of his head he said, "I was just thinking…I was being a real ass earlier today. I mean you were just trying to make me feel welcomed and I just kept blowing you off."
Tilting her head, she replied. "I understand. You said your mother was a little strict right? It's okay."
John shook his head. "No, its not. That might serve as a reason to not be able to hang out, but it doesn't give me the right to treat you like I did. So, I was wondering…if it's still alright with you…maybe we could…hang out?"
Her face seemed to light up as she listened to him. She quickly nodded her head in agreement. "Sure, school just started so I doubt there is much you could help me with in keyboarding, but I'm sure we can find something to do. Oh! But won't your parents get upset when you don't come home on time?"
'To be honest, mom'll probably want to murder me. But what's the point of being the future leader of mankind if you can't enjoy the perks that come with it?' He silently thought before responding. "They'll understand, especially if I mention having made a new friend already. What about yours?"
"They might get upset and say it's dangerous for me to hang out with the new boy in school all alone by myself. But then again what life is better than one filled with risk and excitement?"
John didn't hesitate in answering, "One with no regrets."
XxXxXxXxXxX
The two pulled into the parking lot of a mall twenty miles outside of town. A few restaurants decorated the outskirts, but other than that there were open fields littered with only a few highways. John had never felt more alone than he did at that precise moment. The mall parking lot wasn't even half full. But that might have something to do with the fact that it was only an hour or so since school let out on a Monday afternoon. Looking at Cameron, he saw her grab her backpack out of the bed of the pick-up and tossed it into the front, prompting him to grab his own backpack and toss it in. As he shut the door he felt a small smile grow on his face as he recalled all the "farmer's daughter" jokes he had thought about when he first saw the truck.
"Make sure to lock it," She said as she walked around the vehicle.
Giving her a curious look, he complied. Shutting the door for the second time he asked. "Doesn't this thing have automatic locks?"
Holding up her keys, she showed him the electronic key to confirm his suspicions. Seeing the device he gave her a look of confusion as to why they had to manually lock it.
"The button for unlocking works, but the one for locking does not. I could try to get it to work, but I don't want to accidently blow up the truck."
Pulling up beside her he commented, "Aren't you over exaggerating a bit?"
Shrugging and giving him a playful smile she chose not to respond, but to continue walking instead. He watched her walk ahead before smirking and jogging to catch up. As they walked a slight buzzing from his pocket alerted him to an incoming call. Pulling out his cell phone he saw his mother's number pop up, it was the third time she tried calling him since he left her a message consisting of "Going out, be back late, I'm safe.". Cameron tilted her head as she looked at the phone vibrating in his hand.
"She's kind of paranoid, huh?"
"She's just worried about my safety since we're in a new area. I don't know why, seeing as how this town doesn't seem capable of being dangerous."
Walking a few paces ahead she called out over her shoulder, "You'd be surprised."
John gave her a puzzled look before turning his cell phone off and following after her.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Richard Ferguson, Science teacher of Red Valley High School finished packing up his papers in his briefcase. This year would mark his fifty-sixth year of life and truth be told he grew more and more disgruntled. All these young, in-born, white trash, hicks had no appreciation for the fine art of Science! Each year the little brats became more ignorant, more disrespectful, and only contributed to the growing stupidity of the nation!
Many of his colleagues and past students would argue that he didn't really believe these accusations. Instead they would say that his thoughts were a byproduct of his bitterness towards anyone and everyone younger than him after his wife left him for a younger man. Ferguson would tell them to kindly fuck off! Making his way to his car he stuck his key in the door when someone walked up directly behind him and spoke.
"Mr. Ferguson?"
Turning around the aged Science instructor locked eyes with a tall, young man appearing to be in his mid-to-early thirties with short brown hair. Ferguson thought he resembled the guy his wife ran away with, but that was how he saw all men younger than him; having been known to view some of his students the same way.
"What?" He asked impatiently.
"Richard Ferguson?" The man asked for clarification.
"Are you stupid? I asked, what do you want?"
"I need you to call it sick tomorrow so I may have access to your class." The man said keeping eye contact and never once blinking or letting his voice waiver.
Ferguson glared, "Now you listen and listen well there is no way I am giving up my one source of pride in life to some young prick like you! The only way you'll be able to take it from me is if you pry it from my cold dead fingers!"
The brown haired man's arm lashed out like a snake and gripped the Science teacher's neck. A quick amount of pressure was applied and a sickening crack followed. Opening the car door and tossing the corpse of Richard Ferguson into the passenger's seat, he climbed in and looked at the dead body before saying, "Thank you for your understanding."
XxXxXxXxXxX
If there was ever a time in John's life when he realized just where he was exactly, it would have to be when he was walking through the "mall" with Cameron. Being fifteen and a former resident of Los Angelus there had been many a time when he would go to the mall with Charlie to shop or hang out. He knew most people his age would do so with friends, but when your biological name was John Connor, you couldn't group yourself with most people. From what he had gathered, most of the malls in and around the city of Los Angelus generally held the same types of stores. Those stores being high price name-brand clothing stores, electronic based stores, thrift stores, and then a small group of miscellaneous stores made up of jewelry, health goods, or restaurants outside of the food court. The mall located on the outskirts of Red Valley however was something else entirely.
All clothing stores focused less on style and more on practicality; their electronics section was composed of a single Best Buy and what looked like the remnants of a Radioshack that was most likely knocked out of business by its opposing electronics distributor. As far as the thrift stores went, the mall had a single Spencer's which seemed to be the cockroach of malls seeing as practically every mall had one and they always managed to survive no matter how good or bad business got. Finally, all miscellaneous stores could be grouped into a new category, agriculture. The mall had everything from riding lawn mower retailers to floral and gardening supplies. Upon discovering this he realized that the mall was less of a city mall and more of an outlet mall and no matter how you look at it, outlet malls sucked!
Lucky for him he wasn't alone. Cameron had managed to take a lot of his focus off the mall and onto her. As they walked and talked about everything and nothing, John would notice her saying rather odd things and asking bizarre questions. At first her comments would put him off, but as he grew more comfortable around her he found them to be amusing and dare he say…cute? Sure some of her comments would be rather way out there, but John wasn't really a prime candidate for social chairman so why should he begrudge others for their oddities?
The two teens walked in silence having run out of topics to discuss and after a few minutes of quiet, John felt the urge to comment on the lack of entertainment to be found, "There really isn't a whole lot to do around Red Valley is there?"
Cameron gave him an amused smile, "Told you moving here would suck for you."
"I wouldn't say it's all that bad," he replied flirtatiously causing her to laugh. "But, it is a bit hard for me to see how this place could be considered one of the towns 'hot spots'."
"Well, there is a cinema on the other side of town, but it can only play four shows at any given time." She supplied.
"So how does the mall beat out the cinema?"
"That's easy. The mall has an arcade below the food court and the cinema doesn't have an arcade at all. It's usually pretty full on Friday and Saturday, lucky for us today is Monday."
John paused as he pulled out his wallet and grabbed a ten dollar bill. Raising it to eye level he asked, "Want to go check it out?"
Snatching the money from his hand, she smiled and replied. "Sure, let's go."
As the two teens made their way to the food court, John couldn't help but notice how Cameron's posture had changed. She was no longer walking beside him, but in front of him as if getting to the arcade was her main objective at that point in time. Her pace was brisk and direct, her gaze straight ahead. It was like she mapped out the shortest route to the food court and deemed it important to get there quickly.
"Whoa, slow down," He called out as he tried to match her pace.
Stopping suddenly and turning on a dime, she tilted her head to the side and asked "Are we not going to the arcade?"
"Well…yeah, but there's no reason to go so fast. It's like, what? 4:30? I don't think we have to worry about getting there before it closes."
"It's currently 4:27. The arcade is still open for another four hours and thirty-three minutes." She replied without breaking eye-contact. If John didn't know any better, he'd have thought she was seeing some sort of invisible clock.
"…Yeah. See? There isn't a need for us to move so quickly. So, why not slow down?"
She paused for a moment before her eyes lit up like she deciphered the answer to some trick question, "Thank you for explaining."
John shook his head is minor disbelief. Part of him was starting to wonder if Cameron suffered from some kind of mental disorder, but like many things regarding her he quickly ignored it. Reasoning stated if she was really as bad as he thought, then there would be no way in hell she would have the level of freedom she displayed. Walking up beside her, he closed the door on that line of thought. If he started viewing her as some sort of mental patient, then there were a lot of bad things that could be said about him when you considered some of his more hormonal thoughts. Besides, even though she seemed incredibly naive at times there were moments when she would come off being much too smart for her age.
Even after returning to their slower pace it took very little time for them to get to the food court. As far as food courts went this one was pretty standard issue. McDonalds for those who wanted the joys only found in a food that was bad for you, Subway for those who wanted to be healthy and think that just by eating there they would lose weight, and a few less mainstream fast-food joints that couldn't afford to own and operate their own buildings. John had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing. So far, out of everything in the mall the food court offered the best selection. It was kind of pathetic, when he thought about it.
In the center of the food court surrounded by chairs and tables was a small stairwell leading down. John couldn't fathom how he hadn't noticed it before in any of their previous circuits around the mall. His training would usually always kick in when he entered a new environment. Years of practice meant he would always seek exits, cover and ambush spots; and yet he hadn't been doing much of that at all today. He wanted to write it off by saying he was just rusty after not having the need to analyze his surroundings for the past few months, but a small cynical voice in the back of his head said otherwise. Had John been a cartoon he would have no doubt that a little devil John Connor would poof in sitting on his shoulder telling him his focus wasn't rusty, just preoccupied with something else. Namely the very curvy, very female figure standing nearby.
Give him a gun and tell him to shoot a moving target thirty yards away? No problem. Tell him to control his teenage thoughts and retain a high level of focus on the world around him? Not so easy. When he was younger many of his combat trainers lectured about the importance in finding the most practical solution towards solving problems. However, in this case the most practical solution would be to make John a eunuch and he wasn't particularly interested in that life or the requirements it called for.
'Here's hoping no life or death situations pop up in the future, because trying to balance the thoughts between both my heads is a pain in the ass.' He thought.
Walking down the stairs to the sub-level John got his first glimpse of what counted as an arcade in Red Valley. Like the rest of the town, it was unimpressive. The room was very dark with dim lighting as one would come to expect from an arcade. A majority of the room was dominated by pinball machines along the right wall. Odds were them being cheaper than some of the latest arcade releases. Along the back wall were a series of ticket dispensing games ranging from basket ball based games to revolving light timing games. Considering the back wall was only ten feet long, there was very little selection available. The left wall held a small prize booth and coin exchanger. The booth was currently unoccupied, but a nearby door showed light coming from the bottom. Based on the faint smell coming from that particular direction, John figured the attendant was in the back getting high. In the center of the arcade was a large light-gun game. He recognized it as one of the newer games to occupy most arcades and based on how it was set up, it was to be the tour de force of the small game room.
Reaching into her pocket Cameron procured a small wallet and put the ten dollar bill she snatched from John inside. Moving her fingers around as she sorted through the money, she pulled out two five dollar bills and headed over to the change machine. Putting the two bills in, she grabbed the quarters and held them out to John. Reaching over he took only half of the coins. Tilting her head in confusion, she asked. "Don't you want them all?"
Cocking an eyebrow as he regarded her he answered. "It wouldn't be much fun if I was the only one playing the games."
"Oh." She said whilst nodding her head in understanding.
"So where do we start?"
Cameron gazed around the room, her eyes looking at each and every game before finally landing on the one in the center. Pointing at it, she suggested they play it causing him to look at her in surprise. "Really!? I didn't take you for the gun shooting type."
"There's a lot about me you don't know."
As they approached the machine, John gave it a once over. It was rather large piece of equipment that seemed to be in near perfect condition. Looking at where you inserted the coins, he saw a small sign reading $1.25.
'Daylight robbery at it's best.' He thought to himself as he grabbed one of the light guns. Cameron grabbed hers and they both inserted enough quarters to start the first round. As the opening scene started to play, John spaced his feet shoulder-width apart and grabbed the light gun with both hands, treating it like a normal handgun. Throwing a quick glance at his partner he took note of her ramrod appearance. She held the light gun in her right hand with the arm fully extended. John couldn't fathom how she could possible keep her arm up like that long enough to play the game without it getting tired.
The opening ended and the first stage commenced allowing the two players to go to town against their virtual opponents. A few minutes into the first round and they were still going strong. As John took down another of the game's enemies he took a quick glance at Cameron's side of the screen and couldn't help but feel impressed with how well she was holding up. As the first stage came to an end, he looked at his stats and couldn't tell if he was pleased or upset. His accuracy was ranked in the 92 percentile; not bad, but it wasn't by any means his best. Looking at his partner's score his eyes widened as he saw her rank was in the 97 percentile. As he looked at her, she gave him a smug smile. Smirking back he said. "I'm just warming up."
With his declaration made, the second stage commenced. With both players starting it with low life, it wasn't long before they both had to insert another round of quarters to continue. As the game progressed each player tried to out due the other. However, despite the competitive edge that was becoming more and more apparent as time passed, John and Cameron never failed to cover each other. While one would reload the other would cover both sides of the screen; if one was getting overwhelmed, then the other would back them up. The two players were a devastating combination and made the most out of their five quarters. As the second round came to a close the percentiles read John 94 and Cameron 95.
"Still warming up?" She asked.
"Big talk for someone who went down two points. I'll get you this time." He declared.
The stat screen disappeared and the third round began with both players more focused than ever. As John fought against the computer he felt his body instinctively move when shots were fired at him. While his movements weren't as dramatic as they would be should he truly be shot at, the fact that he was moving at all was a sure sign of how engrossed he was becoming. Cameron, for her part never once moved from the position she started at when they began in the first stage.
Three minutes into the third round and both players were forced to once again insert more coins to continue after losing their remaining lives. The $1.25 charge was really starting to take full effect as both players were left with just enough money for one more continue. John couldn't help but hope the game would end soon; he didn't like the idea of getting as far as they had and not being able to finish, his fears only worsened when his lives were systematically taken from him and forced him to put in his last five quarters. As he hit the continue button a feeling of relief washed over him as the last of the virtual opponents fell making the game go to a cut scene that led the two players towards the final boss.
All hell broke loose in the virtual world as John and Cameron began fighting the final boss. Throughout the battle the two teens found themselves constantly switching from offense to defense then back to offense as they gave the game their all. The boss was nearing its end when a lucky shot managed to take Cameron's remaining life. Reaching into her pocket to grab her last five quarters a few of the coins slipped from her hand and fell to the floor. John saw her drop to the floor in his peripheral as she quickly tried to gather the coins. With his attention divided the final boss managed to land a hit on him and took him to his final life. Knowing the end was near he gave the boss everything he could throw at it. Seconds from death, the monster released a large number of projectiles that the players could shoot to destroy. Knowing there were too many for him to take out himself, John did the only thing he could think of; ignore his impending death and hopefully kill the boss first.
Cameron was still on the floor and had just inserted her fourth quarter when a loud roar coming from the game drew her attention. Looking up she saw the final boss fall down dead. Her partner in crime let out a long sigh as his entire body relaxed. Standing back up she congratulated him on his success. John turned to look at her and replied, "Thanks, but in complete honesty you did better than me. How did you get so good?"
"That…" she paused. "…Is a secret."
John gave her an amused look as he turned to look back at the game's screen and saw it prompting them for one more quarter. Bending over he pressed the button to return the four quarters Cameron had inserted; there was no reason to play the game again after beating it. As he released the button his brow furrowed when the machine failed to return the coins. He pushed the button several more times before he stood up in frustration and kicked the machine.
"Piece of crap." He muttered in annoyance.
"Want me to break it open?" She asked in an oddly serious tone.
"Tempting, but somehow I think that would cause more harm than good."
Looking at the final quarter in her hand, Cameron held it out for John to take. Taking the coin he looked at her in askance.
"It was your money to begin with, so I figured I'd give it back. Besides the only game you can play with one quarter is that one." She explained while pointing at the spinning light game. Shrugging he walked over to it and inspected the machine. It was a fairly common attraction in arcades providing kids the chance to win a jackpot of tickets for one quarter. Most of the time however, players would land on the spots just before or just after the jackpot and receive the complimentary prize of three to five tickets. The game was incredibly deceptive as well; making it seem like landing on the jackpot would be easy. However the simple fact of the matter was that the light moved just fast enough to make it near impossible for anyone to accurately stop it at the precise moment necessary. Looking at the digital reader to see where the jackpot was at, John saw the big red numbers 687 staring back at him.
'Remember kids, gambling is good for you.' He mockingly thought as he inserted the last quarter.
Cameron, who had been standing beside him, felt compelled to speak. "You do realize the odds of you hitting the jackpot are incredibly low right?"
John turned his back to the machine as he regarded her. "Oh I have no doubt the odds of me succeeding are low…but when it comes to me and the odds, there is one very important thing to keep in mind." Not taking a second to look at the machine, he raised his hand and hit the button to stop the light. A loud buzzer went off signifying that someone had hit the jackpot. Grinning like the cat that caught the canary he finished his explanation. "I have a tendency to ignore them."
XxXxXxXxXxX
The sun had long since set as Cameron pulled up to his house, parking her truck on the side of the dirt road. Looking at building, John felt a sense of trepidation. While it was too dark to see his mother's figure, he had no doubt that she was watching from the window with a gun in hand should he be in danger. Knowing he was already going to be receiving the riot act from his mother, he chose to ignore her rule about showing others where he lived.
'Best make my last moments of freedom count.' He thought with resignation. Turning to Cameron he tried to think about what he should say to her. A million possibilities ran through his mind and choosing one of them felt like playing Russian roulette, one mistake and you can kiss your ass goodbye. For her part, Cameron remained quiet and patient as she waited for him to speak.
"I'm sorry," he quickly blurted out. Tilting her head to the side like she usually did when confused prompted John to elaborate. "I lied this morning…My dad doesn't sell insurance….He's dead. He was a soldier and died while on a mission."
Cameron looked at him in shock and apologized for his loss. Not wanting her to feel like she opened up some deep emotional scar he tried to quickly reassure her. "No, no. It's okay. You see, my mom was pregnant with me when it happened so I never really got to know him." He paused for a second to collect his thoughts before continuing. "I guess you can say I'm all she's got. She's always trying to be there for me and protect me. That's mainly why I was hesitant when you asked to hang out after school."
"What changed?"
John leaned back in his seat and stared at the roof of the truck while he mused, "I honestly don't know…Maybe I just realized that I'm getting older and can't rely on her for everything anymore. I mean she won't always be there for me and nothing good will come from me depending too much on her."
"…Thank you for explaining," She said giving him a soft smile before adding. "It'll be our little secret."
An awkward silence came over the two and John once again felt the urge to say more, but he didn't know what. As the silence dragged on he started to curse his life and his mother's constant need to run away. Not living in one place for long meant he never had the chance to develop any social skills; no attachment, no friends, no social skills. Even worse though was his lack of experience when it came to girls he found attractive.
Reading the look on his face, Cameron chose to take the initiative this time around. "Thank you…for today."
John gave her a sideways glance before turning to face her and replying, "There's no need to thank me, I didn't really do anything. If anything I should be thanking you. You were the one that got me to open up and have fun, you took your time to show me around, and you've practically been my taxi all over town."
"None of that would have happened had you not changed your mind." She rationalized. "Also it was you who paid for us to play at the arcade and you got me this." She said holding up her right arm to show off a string bracelet with dangling the yin half of a yin-yang made out of some cheap metal. John was wearing the yang half on his left wrist. Out of all the prizes the arcade had available the yin-yang bracelet that mimicked a BFF necklace was, at least mildly cool. Everything else they could have gotten with their winnings was crap.
"Um…well then, you're welcome…I guess." He said feeling unsure. Once again silence filled the air and caused John to start fidgeting. What should he say? What should he do? Say good-bye and leave? See you later? Should he try to take things a little further? She seemed interested in him and he was definitely interested in her. But wouldn't it be too fast? It hadn't even been twenty-four hours since they first met this morning. Looking at her he noticed that she didn't seem impatient, but expectant. Was she waiting for him to make the first move or to say something else? Looking at her lips, one thought dominated his mind, No regrets.
Quickly leaning over he gave Cameron a chaste kiss on the lips. Time slowed down and milliseconds became eternity. An eternity in which John was yelling at himself. 'Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap! What are you doing, John you fucking idiot! You barely know her and your already hoping to suck her face off! God, kill me! If you're too busy then maybe someone can rebuild SKYNET and it can kill me. Then again its 0 for 2 when it comes to killing me, so maybe it would be better if you did it.'
Pulling back with a speed that would leave you thinking he was burned, John quickly looked to the floor in shame. Feeling guilty for his actions, he felt it best to apologize. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."
"Then why did you?" She asked neutrally, but with a tinge of curiosity.
"Like a lot of things I've done today, I don't know. Moving around so often kept me from learning what to do when it comes to pretty girls. I enjoyed hanging out with you so much today and I didn't know how to end it. So, I went with what I felt was the right thing to do…I don't really feel that was such a good idea now though."
"…John?"
Raising his head to look her in the eye he braced himself for the worse. He probably just lost his first real friend in years. The two stared at each other for a moment before Cameron leant over and gave him a chaste kiss of her own. This time the kiss lasted longer and left John feeling confused. While the kiss felt nice and all it also felt like a cheap imitation of their first and he couldn't figure out why. There was nothing passionate about the kiss, no tongue action, no ruffling of clothes, nothing but lip on lip contact; a simple sign of affection. As she pulled back, John felt like he was on cloud nine. Despite the confusion that came from their second kiss he still felt like he was floating on air.
"So I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked brightly.
"Sure." She answered giving him a gentle smile.
Opening the door, he stepped out and grabbed his book bag from the truck's bed before heading towards the front door. As he approached the house he had to try his hardest not to have a skip in his step. He figured he made a fool out of himself enough for one night. Reaching the door he turned the handle before looking back at Cameron and waving good-bye. She returned the gesture before driving off. Stepping into the house he wore a bright smile before a hand lashed out and smacked him across the face.
'And there goes that loving feeling.' He thought as he looked at his mother. The intensity of her stare made him wonder if she was trying to burn a hole through his head.
"Mom," He greeted evenly.
"What the hell were you thinking? Not even a week has passed since we've moved here and you pull this shit!?" She nearly yelled.
"I left you a message."
"'Going out. Be back late.' is not an acceptable explanation!"
"Seemed acceptable to me. Especially since you wouldn't have let me gone in the first place."
"You assumed I wouldn't let you go. Since you never asked, we'll never know what would have happened!" She argued.
"I don't have to assume anything, because I know you." He shot back, doing his best to remain calm. Nothing ever good came from anger. "You're always changing your mind and every time, every time I finally catch up you change your mind again. Sometimes I have to wonder if you even know what it is you want for me."
"I know exactly what I want for you!" She said in a much calmer tone. Yelling wasn't getting them anywhere. "I want you to be safe, to be ready. You know what's out there, John. Do you really want to put all your faith in the belief that we averted Judgment day just because Cyberdyne was destroyed?"
"So, what? I'm to live the rest of my life based on something that may or may not happen?" He countered. If she was going to try using the logic card, then so would he. "How can I enjoy life if I never get the chance to live? If you're right about us not stopping Judgment day, then now is the time for me to treat everyday like it's my last. Because when the bombs fall, this world, this life, it ends!"
Her anger having dissolved, she quietly replied. "No John, I don't want you to lose your one chance at a normal life. But I also don't want you taking any unnecessary risks. You know the rules and you know the reasons for them."
"The rules are outdated!" He snapped. "They may have worked when I was six, but that was almost ten years ago! How can I have a normal life if you're always holding my hand!? Can't you see I'm ready to stand on my own two feet?"
"You're not ready, John!" Sarah said, raising her voice. "Maybe most kids might start trying to stand on their own now, but you're not like most kids!"
"I'm not a kid at all!" He yelled. It may have seemed like a childish statement; a teen declaring their independence, but for him there was much more meaning in those words. "Kids don't grow up in jungles! They're not trained by guerilla fighters and revolutionaries! They don't know how to hack computers! Or handle automatic weapons! Or anything else I can do!" Leveling a harsh glare at her, he finished coldly. "Kids don't have crazy mothers who're only concerned with keeping them alive for a war that may never happen!"
-SMACK-
He barely had enough time to finish his last sentence before Sarah smacked him. Having spent three years in a mental institution, using words like crazy, mad, insane, etc. in reference to her were considered an unforgivable offense. What made the situation worse however, was who spoke those words. Tears welled up in Sarah's eyes as she looked at her son. John's face had been knocked to the side from the force of his mother's blow and his cheek was beginning to turn a brilliant shade of red. Logic and reasoning had fled in place of anger as John turned his head and locked eyes with his mother once again.
"Don't you ever call me crazy again, you hear me!? I don't care how upset you may feel, nor do I care how you feel towards me, you will not disrespect me!" She hissed.
"…I don't believe you care at all." He coldly replied before stormy off.
"Where do you think you're going? Come back here this instant! I'm not finished talking to you yet!" She yelled.
"Well I am!" He yelled back before slamming the door to his room and locking it.
John paced around the room like a caged animal, ready to strike at anything. He was angry and frustrated, but he couldn't tell if it was at himself for storming off like a toddler that didn't get their way or at his mother for acting more like a prison warden than an actual parent. For his entire life all she ever seemed to care about was his role as savior of humanity. Looking back at his childhood he could hardly recall anytime she ever truly acted like a mother to him. In fact the only time he ever felt she acted as a mother should was when she had read the Wizard of Oz in Spanish to him as a child.
He kicked the wall a few times to try and vent, but it only succeeded in making him angrier. Anger truly was a dangerous emotion. It had the power to get its victim to act more rashly and impulsive than any level of alcohol ever could. His pacing brought more anger towards himself.
'Yeah John, you're really ready to stand on your own now,' He fumed while thinking of the conversation he just had with his mother.
Throwing himself on the bed he grabbed his CD player off the nightstand and put the headphones on before cranking the volume. Sleep would not come easily for him tonight. But then again, it never did.
(To be continued)
A/N: Alright this is my third project and will be my longest (obviously) and biggest one to date. This is the first time I've ever written +10k words for a chapter and looking at chapter two this trend will continue. So updates will not be measured in days or weeks, but weeks and possibly month(s) (1-2 depending). As I stated in my profile, John will be more pro-active in this story and you see some of that here. The changes will be more prominent in the next chapter. Jameron fans don't get too excited by this chapter, because their interaction here will have consequences. This will be a Jameron fic, but as Big D on a Diet said in his story, "I'm going to make them work for it."
Next chapter will cover the pilot and this will be the trend I try to set for the story; each episode being two chapters. But that is subject to change and there may be times when I break chapters into three parts instead of two depending on what all happens. Hope you enjoyed.