A/N: First off, this story is now my only story, as i wasn't happy with how my other story was going, so i will use this a intro into my revised series later on. Secondly, it will be written in 1st person only, from Raven's POV. Thirdly, I don't own any Terminator characters, they belong to the Terminator Franchise, Fox, and Warner Bros.

I would really, really appreciate comments, and advice, as well as comments regarding spelling errors, and whatnot. So please, take the time to comment on your opinions, and please enjoy

November 28th, 2027, Connor Camp.

"Are you almost ready to go? You have another four hours before you're scheduled to go, but we can send you back early if you want." I shook myself out of my reverie. The strange cyborg, Cameron was standing at my shoulder. I studied her. She had mysteriously appeared about four months ago, and ever since, had barely ever left John Connor's side. No one said anything, but they all wondered, why she was so close to him. Even Allison Young, the girl that had been used as a model for this terminator, was never that close to Connor.

"Not really. I don't think I'll ever be ready." I turned back, and watched the setting sun. This was one of the few days where the sun had actually poked through the seemingly eternal shroud of clouds that had been a product of Judgement Day.

"What do you mean?" Cameron stepped closer, standing next to me, also watching the setting sun. Her head was tipped slightly, her lips barely apart. It was her look of confusion.

"All I've ever known my entire life was either a dirty work camp, surrounded by ruins, or a shit filled tunnel, surrounded by ruins. Now I'm supposed to go back into time, to see a world I've never seen before, where thing are still alive, where people don't have to eat rats to survive. As strange as it may sound, I almost don't want to leave."

"We can arrange to have someone else go, or we can delay your departure. Waiting a day or two won't make a difference." I sighed. Of course she didn't understand. Why would she? She was just a machine. I looked over across the clearing. Derek Reese was standing there, also watching the setting sun. Although right now he was giving me a look of disgust. For whatever the reason, he seemed to absolutely loath Cameron, just her in particular, although he obviously didn't like the other ones as well. I walked over to join him.

"Before you jump down my throat Derek, you already know I'm not fond of machines either." Derek shook his head.

"It's not that Raven. That one," he pointed at her. "She is a fucking bitch. You don't know her. Fucking metal bitch." He spat, just loud enough for her to hear. Cameron turned, giving me a strange look before going back inside.

"Why do you hate her so much?" I was mystified as to why he hated her. You'd at least think he'd be somewhat grateful, having saved his life from a terminator that went bad about a week ago. But strangely, his hatred towards her seemed to have intensified, to the point where Major Perry had to go out of his way to keep them separated.

"You remember when me, and a bunch of the other guys were captured, about six months ago?" I nodded. Connor had put up a pretty big search for them, but had stopped about a week later, after they found his younger brother, Kyle Reese. After that, they had gone to a factory in Topanga Canyon, and no one had ever seen Kyle Reese again. "There were a bunch of us, all being held in a old house. They had us chained to the floor, so we couldn't run." He nodded towards the door, where Cameron had left. "That bitch was in that house. Her and a bunch of other tin cans. They would bring us into the basement, where it would play on a piano, for hours, mentally torturing us until we would give up something about Connor. All the while, one of the trip eights would inject us with some shit, to loosen us up, to get us to talk."

"I don't see why that would make you hate her though. That was before she was scrubbed, when it was her mission to hunt, and kill Connor."

"If the piano didn't get us to break, then it would try other things." Derek shook his head, and stopped. I nodded, waiting for him to continue, but he wouldn't.

"What things?" I asked. He adamantly shook his head. I looked back at the setting sun, sighing. We both turned around, our hands both flying to our guns, startled, as the door groaned open again. We both relaxed our arms. It was just Jesse Flores. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Derek loosen up, and smile slightly. "I'll see you later Reese." I told him, giving Jesse a curt nod as I walked by her.

Inside the base, soldier were moving around, carrying supplies. Apparently the Jimmy Carter had just gotten back, bring another shipment of fresh fruit and vegetables from Australia. Since the Skynet presence was almost nonexistent in Australia, the humans could grow fresh food, and grow animals, such as cattle, without being disturbed.

I walked past the soldier, nodding at some of them when they acknowledged me. I easily maneuvered through the underground labyrinth of tunnels, before is stopped. In one of the empty side tunnels, I could hear a soft sobbing. Mystified, I went to check it out. "Cameron?" I asked in surprise. She whirled around. Apparently she hadn't heard my coming up behind her. What the hell... She is crying?

"What do you want?" She asked, her voice slightly bitter.

"Are you crying?" I had never heard of a terminator that was able to cry, let alone one that would cry.

She sniffled slightly, and turned her head slightly, trying to wipe away her tears. "Not anymore." She turned back to me, her face completely devoid of emotion. "What do you want?" She repeated.

"I heard someone crying, so I went to see who it was. Are you okay?"

"What do you care? I'm just a fucking metal bitch, remember?" Her words stung slightly, as I realized she had seen me talking with Derek, with the both of us watching her as he called her a "fucking metal bitch." She glared at me.

"I never called you a metal bitch. I don't have a problem with you." I pointed out. She turned, not believing me. "I was asking Derek why he hated you so much."

"And what did he say?" She asked me, her voice tinged with contempt. She looked over her shoulder at me.

"He wouldn't tell me. All he said was that you had played a piano, and done things to him. You don't remember?" I sat down, crossing my legs. I patted the ground next to me, inviting her to sit down as well. She got the hint, and slowly sat down rigidly.

"No. When I was scrubbed, all my previous memories were erased," she informed me, almost regretfully.

"Why do you call them memories? Wouldn't they be like... files or something?" I was curious. I was pretty sure any other terminator, if asked about something that had happened previously, would refer to them as files, or something like that, not memories.

"Because that's what they are. They're memories. With me, they would be files, but since they I recall upon them, wouldn't that be a memory? It's the same with humans, despite not being made of metal, and wire, your memories could still be called data, and memories relating towards the same thing could be classified as a 'file', containing all of the similar memories." I frowned. I hadn't thought about that, but she was right. Despite being as different as night and day, at least how our bodies were constructed, we, as humans, weren't really all that different from machines.

"So... are you the only one who thinks this way? Or do other terminators think the same?" She looked away, pondering my question.

"I don't know. As far as me or John can tell, I am the only one of my model, and I can't read other terminators thought processes, so I can't honestly tell you if I am the only one who thinks like this or not." She frowned, and looked away again. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Does this make us friends?"

"What?" Her question caught me off guard. Of all the things she could've asked me, this was one I had not been expecting. A terminator was seriously asking if we were friends? "I don't know. Would you like to be friends?"

She thought about it for several minutes, looking down, before finally answering. "Yes I would like to be friends. Your one of the only people besides John Connor who hasn't shown me any negativity, or open hatred, like in Lieutenant Reese's case." She stood up. "We should see him off, since it's only ten minutes before his team goes back." I stood up as well. She turned to me, and embraced me. "Thank you Raven." She whispered into my ear. I hesitated for a second, before returning the embrace.

John Connor was pacing back and forth, making sure Derek Reese knew his orders. He had a short brown beard, with a weathered face, and piercing green eyes. It was easy to understand why people would follow him, even if somehow he wasn't nearly as brilliant as he was. He gave off a immediate impression of toughness, easily inspiring people to do his commands.

"You've memorized your mission, right?" He looked over at Sumner, Timms and Sayles, who were all standing behind Derek.

"Yes sir, we're to set up a safe house in LA, gather intel on Skynet, gather weapons, money, and the ability to fake papers, and await further orders." Derek gave Cameron a hostile glare. "If we find any leads, we are to investigate, but don't take action unless absolutely necessary."

"Good." He cleared his throat, and led the way to the TDE room. He bent forward, and allowed the scanner next to the door the scan his eyes, permitting access. "Your going to have to strip out of your clothes, since we don't have a lot of them." All four men nodded, and stripped. I averted my eyes, keeping them at face height. Connor looked at me, and gave me the faintest of smiles before turning. "Mark, come on over." He motioned to one of the bubble techs, who came over.

"All right guys, I'm going to have to inject you with amphetamines. It'll wear off quickly, but it will allow the bioelectric field to conduct easier. Also, your going to have to rub the conducting gel on to yourself, which will help prevent burns and stuff like that." He handed them each a small tube of gel. Inside the tubes was a strange blue gel, which gave off a particularly sour smell. Everyone in the room besides Cameron averted their noses from the smell.

"So this will work? We're not going to end up in like, prehistoric earth, are we?" Sayles asked nervously, looking around.

"It should work just fine." Connor told them, studying them. "And also, keep a eye out for any trip eights. Just as I'm sending people back to try and stop J-Day, Skynet will be sending terminators back to ensure it does happen."

"All right. What do we do know?" All of them had finished rubbing the gel onto themselves, and were now standing awkwardly, with hands instinctively covering their privates.

"Just stand in the middle of the room, yeah, right there, inside the blue circle. Now just stand still." Mark hurried over to the controls, and quickly turned the machine on, which started emitting a loud humming noise. They all stood around, looking for the source of the noise. Blue electricity started to crackle around them, creating a semi-solid bubble around them.

Connor walked in front of them, as close as he could safely go. "Good luck, all of you, and remember, there is no fate, but what we make."

"Good luck!" I told them, watching the process with wonder. Cameron stepped closer, her curious eyes betraying her otherwise blank face. We all watched as the noise of lightning got louder, and louder, before there was a flash of white light, and then all the noise, and light ceased.

"Did it work?" I asked Connor tentatively. He nodded.

"Now hopefully they will find something we can use..." He trailed off, mostly talking to himself.

"Sir, you never told me what my mission is." I reminded him. He nodded, still facing the circle where the four of them had left.

"No, I haven't, have I?" It was a rhetorical question, mostly him musing to himself. He turned to face me. "Why don't you go get some food, and then meet me back here in about two hours. I'll tell you then."

I had grabbed some food from the kitchen, and went outside. In the distance, I could see H-K's flying around, patrolling. They didn't come close, since this was heavily guarded resistance territory, but it didn't stop them from patrolling right up to our fortifications. I shivered, and pulled my jacket tighter. Nights were always chilly, but they were also the safest time of the day. I shivered again, then started as I heard the door creak open. Connor was standing in the doorway.

"Mind if I join you?" He asked, already moving to sit down. I shook my head. "So, I take it your not ready to go back?"

I thought about it for several minutes. "No, I don't think I'd ever truly be ready to go back." I rubbed my barcode tattoo nervously.

"Is that why you're sitting out here, all by yourself in the cold, watching H-K's patrol?" He chuckled under his breath. "To be honest, if I could, I would jump back in time, and never look back."

"Why? What is the world like... before Judgement Day?" I was intrigued.

He laughed, then started describing it, almost to himself. "It was beautiful. There were trees, not the shattered tree trunks you see know, but actual trees, covered in green leaves. In the spring, and summer, there were flowers, of all colors. Birds, not just crows, and ravens, ones that are extinct now, they would fly around, filling the air with their song. People would walk around, at any time, not hiding like a mouse from a cat. I don't know, it's hard to explain. You'll be better off seeing it for yourself."

"Sounds good, how you described it." I meant it, although his description seemed a bit vague.

"C'mon, it's about time for you to go." He got up, and offered me his hand. I took it, and allowed him to pull me up.

We were standing in the TDE room, me, Cameron, and Connor. He was walking around, preparing the TDE equipment to send me back, and to my surprise, Cameron. She had already stripped her clothes, and was standing by herself, ignoring me questioning look.

"All right... this should be good." Connor muttered to himself. He looked around, and quickly averted his eyes from Cameron. "Cameron, you already know your mission." She nodded, still ignoring my look. "As for you, Raven, your mission is to stockpile weapons."

"What?"

"I want you to stockpile weapons, for the resistance, in places that will survive Judgement Day. Mostly around the Los Angeles area, since this is where most of our efforts are concentrated. I'll be sending you to the year 2007, in the middle of the summer. You should arrive in Los Angeles... hopefully, and from then, your first priority should be getting some clothes, and setting up a safe house of your own. You can find Derek's team, and by this point, they should be able to provide you with fake papers."

"What are papers?" I had heard him use the term before with other resistance fighters being sent back, but didn't know what it meant.

"Fake identification." Cameron told me. Connor nodded.

"Okay..."

"But anyway, getting back to what I was saying, your going to have to survive until Judgement Day." I nodded, listening intently. "If you have to, you can join up with Cameron, and she'll be able to help you out."

"Why, what is Cameron doing?" I looked at her again. This time she met my gaze, but didn't answer me.

"She'll be protecting my younger self. She's going back to the year 1999, and she'll meet up with my Mom and I, and bring the two of us to the year 2007. From there, we will try and stop Skynet. Like I said, if you need to, meet up with Cameron at some point, and she can help you." I nodded. "I think that's all, so... you should uh, strip down, and put the gel on yourself."

I swallowed. "Okay." I took the tube of the blue gel he was offering me, and started to undress, appreciating him having turned around to give me some personal privacy. I tossed my clothes off to the side of the room, by the doorway, so they wouldn't get sucked into the TDE or something like that. I hastily smeared the gel onto myself, jumping when Cameron came over, and started applying it to my back. "Uh, thanks?"

"Your welcome." She efficiently spread it out, then stepped back.

"Okay sir, I've got it all spread on." I looked at my arm. It was blue now. I giggled quietly, amusing myself.

"All right, stand in the middle of the circle, and stand still. And Raven?"

"Yes?"

"Regarding your abilities... try not to use them unless you have to. Other humans may get violent, but try to talk your way out of something if you can. Oh, and before I forget, avoid the police. And if you have to break into a house, by the doors, there are normally light switches." I nodded, not knowing if he saw me or not. The blue electricity was starting to form around me. I fought down the urge to run out of the circle. Cameron walked in front of me.

"Good luck Raven." She whispered. The blue light got brighter, and started turning white. My skin tingled slightly, and I could feel goosebumps forming all over my body. I shivered slightly.

"Thanks Cam." I saw her confusion at my shortening of her name, but she smiled and nodded. The light got more intense, and the crackle of lightning was deafening. All I could smell was ozone. I blinked. Everything was gone. Was this it? Was this what it felt like to go through time? I felt sharp pains all over my body. There was a sharp burst of white light, then I felt wetness all over my body.

FUCK! Swim Raven, swim! Judging by the water everywhere, the TDE had transported me into the middle of a lake or river. I kicked as hard as could, struggling to the surface, gasping for breath as I breached the surface. Looking around, I could see the shore through the darkness... about a half mile away. I groaned, and spun around. It was the same situation in all directions. Great... I was sent back in time into the middle of a lake. I was very glad Kyle, and the other escaped prisoners had taken the time to show me how to swim. I took a deep breath, and started paddling towards the lights I could see on the shore.

I pulled myself onto the small beach, gasping for breath. Instantly I was swarmed with small bugs, all of the biting me. I ignored them for a minute, my chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath. Looking around, I could see the dark silhouettes of trees lining the shore, with a dark path leading up from the shore. Struggling up, I staggered up the path. There was a small house, made of logs, about 100 feet up the path. There weren't any lights on. I fumbled towards the door, until I found the doorknob. Of course. It's locked. I looked around, then heaved my shoulder into it. It flexed, but didn't open. I slammed my shoulder into the door again, with the door cracking open this time, and me falling in.

I scrambled to my feet, looking around, although it was, for the most part, too dark to see anything, except by the windows, where moonlight faintly filtered in. Remembering what Connor had told me, I groped around by the doorway until I felt the light switch. I flicked it up, then covered my eyes as bright light filled the cabin. I held my hands up for a minute, until the light became bearable. Looking around, there was a small kitchen off the main room. Inside the main room, the was a couch, facing towards some strange box mounted on the wall. I walked into the kitchen, looking around. There was a hallway off the kitchen, leading further into the house. Following the hallway, there were two bedrooms, and a bathroom. Looking in the mirror in the bathroom, I was reminded that I needed clothes. I went into the first bedroom, and looked around. There was a dresser on the wall opposite the bed. Of course it's all men's clothing. I put on a pair of pants, which were about twice as big as what I needed, then put on a shirt, which felt like I was draped in a tent.

I curiously wandered back into the kitchen. I was still hungry, even though I ate a hour ago. Wait, was it a hour ago. I still need to find out what year it is. Ignoring that for a second, I opened the refrigerator, gaping at the amount of fresh food inside. I opened some of the various drawers in the refrigerator, and pulled out a package of some sort of meat. Just barely remembering how to read, I read the Roast Beef on the package. Tentatively I pulled a piece of it out, and then squealed in delight as I ate it. Nothing we had ever had was that good. I greedily ate the rest of the package, then opened a bottle with the label Milk on it, and drank it, ignoring the milk that spilled out onto my shirt. Looking around, I saw a loaf of bread. That was very rare in the future. I smiled in delight, and ripped the package open, and started eating the bread.

A while later, after I had gorged myself on food, and then taken the time to find some weapons, the weapons being a particularly large knife I found in the first bedroom, and several rifles. I had settled in on the couch, my eyes drooping as I tried to stay awake. I got up, and walked over to the box on the wall. Inspecting it, I saw a button labeled as ON, and several more, labeled as Channel + and Channel -, as well as two for Volume+, and Volume -. I clicked the on button, then scrambled backwards in surprise as it images started appearing on it. It must be some sort of computer, I thought to myself. The images flashed, then Channel 6 news flashed across the screen, then the date. May 7th, 2008. Crap. I was year ahead of when I was supposed to be. I needed to start gathering weapons as soon as possible. My head turned back to the TV as I heard him mention the location. Maine. Shit. I had turned out in Maine. Recalling back to the various geography lessons Connor had taught me, I remembered Maine was on the opposite shore of the United States. Great. Just freaking great. I am on the other side of the United States. Dammit. I slowly walked back over to the couch, and sat down, in a daze. I only had three years to gather weapons until Judgement Day. Great.

So, anyway, please review, and i hope you found this enjoyable, and also, i would appreciate feedback on if i should continue this or not