Cameron versus the Queen
Chapter One
Disclaimer: Don't own TSCC
This story is set in the timeline of my other TSCC stories and takes place in between The Future Cameron and Cameron's Revenge. Characters from the original TSCC story arc and Cameron Grows Up as well as The Future Cameron appear in this story.
The Wastelands Northwest of TechCom…
Wilhelm and the Assassin waited patiently while the patrol brought the group of humans inside the TechCom perimeter defenses. For the most part, the group was clean and reasonably well dressed, looking almost nothing like the normal Tunnel Rat refugee seeking asylum in the safety of TechCom City.
The group had been spotted earlier in the day approaching TechCom. No effort had been made to conceal the groups approach. Led by a man and woman, the group had traveled in as straight a line as possible, moving slowly and with a white banner displayed.
"It must be a peace delegation," Wilhelm muttered.
The Assassin nodded his agreement in silence.
The Connor Family Bunker…
Cameron slipped into bed and kissed John on his cheek. He continued reading while she snuggled close and rested her head on his left shoulder.
"Busy day," Cameron stated bluntly.
"Yes, the arrival of the peace delegates made for an interesting change of pace."
"Do you have a complete grasp of what they desire from the negotiations yet?"
"No," John replied as he set down the folder of papers and cut off his reading light. "They have requested a series of private meetings, starting with me, before the formal talks begin."
Cameron frowned as she and John settled in for the night. John would be asleep soon and Cameron would leave to patrol the growing complex of chambers and tunnels being hollowed out for their future underground city. Until her husband was asleep, Cameron tried to spend time with him as often as possible, enjoying the "pillow talk" time.
Unexpected change was not something Cameron liked and the arrival of the delegation was unsettling. As Cameron had aged and developed more complex emotions, she, like most of the older Terminators, had found it necessary to engage in a regular period of maintenance. Cameron had learned from experience she needed an average of two hours a day of, as she liked to call it, "Terminator Sleep."
Once her John was asleep and Hailey had been inspected again, Cameron had no intention of sleeping that night. In fact, she would not return from watching the delegates until it was time for her to cook breakfast for her family.
The married couple talked about their day, how Hailey was doing and what they had planned for the coming day. John patiently lay still while Cameron scanned him for the third for fourth time that day. Content his vital signs were normal, Cameron finally kissed John one last time and quietly nestled comfortably.
"Be careful while you investigate the delegates," John said softly. "Don't cause any incidents and if you do, please, don't escalate anything to where I can't undo the problem later. No terminating anyone because you perceive them to be a possible threat. Is that clear?"
"If they are actively engaged in sabotage or a crime against TechCom personnel may I terminate the individual then?"
"I would prefer, if possible, you take them prisoner for questioning."
Cameron did not respond, instead wrapping her left arm across John's chest. He sensed her anxiety level increasing as her left hand began to glitch, opening and closing on its own. His wife's silence told John that while Cameron disagreed with his order, she would obey.
"Be sure to make sure Hailey is still tucked in when you go, okay?"
Cameron nodded in response and closed her eyes, soaking up all the data the sensors in her synthetic skin detected from her contact with John. John was soon asleep. Waiting until he entered REM sleep, Cameron waited to see if John would have any of the nightmares that so troubled his sleep.
She left John resting peacefully and made her way to Hailey's room. Their daughter had kicked off the blankets, leaving herself exposed to the always cold night air that found its way into the underground city. Curled up in a tight ball was the family's dog, an Italian Greyhound named Little Al and a puppy from a litter Al had sired. The girls had pestered their parents until they consented, allowing them to select one puppy from the rare pure breed group of dogs. Named Sammy by the girls, the second dog lay shivering next to his father.
Cameron found an old blanket and tore it in half. She carefully covered the two dogs with half of the blanket. The other half she put back in the nearly empty drawer of the lone piece of furniture besides the bed in Hailey's room. Turning back to the bed, Cameron pulled all the blankets back over Hailey, covering the small dogs as well.
Shaking her head over Hailey's habit of kicking off her blankets, Cameron made a note to return home during the middle of her patrol to check on Hailey again. At least the family dogs would not suffer from the cold air now that they had their own small blanket. With a quick kiss on Hailey's forehead, Cameron departed from the family's bunker.
Making her way towards Sarah and Derek's bunker, Cameron stopped at the newly hollowed out alcove between the two bunkers. The Old Man, the T-600 who was the two girls protector, and de facto nanny, sat puzzling over a tablet.
"Ethics again?" Cameron asked.
The T-600 nodded without looking up.
Without another word, Cameron departed, making her way towards the dormitory where the visiting delegates were housed. The battered T-600's lurking presence was a source of comfort to Cameron. She would have preferred to guard her family herself, but an experienced Terminator whose chosen purpose was to protect her family and help provide childcare for the two difficult children was the next best thing.
Hailey was a handful on a good day and Ruth responded well to aging Terminator. The pair often tested the patience of the T-600. Cameron smiled as she viewed the video file from two days ago. The Old Man had entered Command Central with a girl dangling from each hand. He had set them down gently and politely told Cameron he needed a thirty-minute break from the girls.
The Old Man had then proceeded to attach a monitor cable to one of his USB ports and replay the misdeeds of the pair. Both girls wilted as they watched the recording of their crimes. When finished, the T-600 had taken his leave so Cameron and Sarah, who had been summoned, could meet out punishment. The Old Man had become so good at his job of protector and child care provider other families had begun requesting old, damaged T-600s to serve as protectors for their children. T-600s who could no longer function optimally in combat were allowed to transition to serving as Terminator nannies, or "tannies" as some called them.
As Cameron approached the dormitory unit where the delegates were housed, she adopted a stealthy approach, moving silently from the light to the shadows as she settled in for a long night of recording every bit of data she could.
Early A.M. - Interview With John…
John sat down at his battered desk and looked at the latest covering of dust and grit covering the dirty, tattered piece of cloth he had spread over it the evening before to protect the surface of the desk. The efforts of the night crew had once again covered the entire area with dust, dirt, and granite chippings. He would be glad when John Henry's crew was finished with the command area.
He carefully folded up the piece of cloth and sat it underneath his desk. John would get rid of the debris later. Two young orderlies arrived and began cleaning the mess created by the workers the night before. Within half an hour they would be done.
Nearly an hour passed as John read all the reports from the patrols in the past 24 hours. Nothing unusual had happened.
Distinct footsteps distracted John from his reports. The sound of Sarah's steady stride and the impact of her boots reminded him of the first meeting scheduled for the day. His mother entered with a grim expression indicating she was not in a good mood.
Following Sarah was the two lead negotiators from the visiting group of diplomats. John immediately sighed. If his mother's mood was any indicator, his day had just gotten worse.
Sarah stopped directly in front of John's desk and jutted one hip out before placing her hands on her hips.
"John, the delegates have a meeting scheduled with you."
Without another word, Sarah turned and left not giving the pair another glance.
Raising his eyebrows, the dark headed man turned and looked over his shoulder, watching an annoyed Sarah strut back in the direction she had come from. The woman looked down at the floor, embarrassed or unsettled by Sarah's rude introduction.
Examining the pair, John noted both were well dressed. Neither wore the combat style clothing common to nearly all of TechCom's military personnel. In fact, both were much better dressed than the civilians in TechCom who often wore the same clothes they had when joining TechCom. Hand-me-downs and used clothing were the norm.
The man wore dark grey dress pants, a fairly decent white button down business shirt and a navy pullover sweater. His lone concession to the world they lived in were the well-worn work boots he wore. John noted his brown hair was well cut, combed with a part to the side and his clean shaven face revealed a scarred face, from teenage acne or the ravages of life post-Judgment Day, John could not tell. Most striking were the man's intense blue eyes consisting of perfectly round orbs of brilliant blue surrounded by porcelain white.
The female wore identical dark grey pants cut for a woman. She wore a light blue form-fitting blouse, revealing a pleasant figure beneath her clothes. A light tan jacket made up the balance of her ensemble. Like her male partner, work boots comprised her footwear. Lightly made up, the brunette had eyes like Cameron's and fine facial features. She was an attractive woman, making John glad it had been Sarah and not Cameron who had escorted them to his office.
The male delegate broke the silence, extending his hand to John as he spoke, "General, we only met briefly upon our arrival. I am Delegate Comeaux. Allow me to introduce my counterpart, Delegate Racineaux. I hope we have not come at an inopportune time."
John shook the man's hand, replying in a strong voice. "Delegate, my apologies for my mother. She has trouble sleeping and is not a morning person on a good day. My sister is going through growing severe growing pains at the moment and it's not helping my mother's disposition any. I hope you understand."
Delegate Racineaux smiled at John's explanation.
"I am a mother myself. A sick child in the world we live in would make any mother grumpy. We are not offended General. Your mother has more important concerns than introducing us."
"Thank you for being so understanding," John replied with a smile. He moved to obtain two battered chairs that he moved to face his desk. Motioning for his guests to take a seat, John called for one of the orderlies.
"Please forgive the mess. Construction. I hope you understand," he apologized.
The orderly arrived and stood at attention.
"May we offer you some coffee? It's not the best, but we have some," John offered.
"That is fine, but no. We had the largest breakfast we've had in longer than I can care to remember. Delegate Racineaux and I wish to thank you for the hospitality shown to us and the people in our party," Comeaux replied.
"Well, we're both busy so why don't we get down to what it is you wished to see me about this morning."
Delegate Racineaux smiled broadly, setting John's nerves on edge as she began to speak with her silky voice.
"General, as you are aware, we represent a community located in the far northern region of California. Our people welcomed the news of the defeat of Skynet California with great joy as you can imagine."
"We determined as a community, we live in a world where alliances are necessary, not just helpful, for a community to survive," Delegate Comeaux stated. "So here we are, as we said when we arrived, seeking to form an alliance with TechCom."
"Alliances can be good," John replied before adding, "if they work for both parties."
"Of course," Delegate Comeaux replied, nodding in agreement.
"We asked for this meeting General, because, like you, while we might want, even need an alliance with TechCom," Delegate Racineaux said softly, "we will only enter an alliance with an ally we understand and feel comfortable with. This is why we have asked for this meeting with you. To get to know you, John Connor, the man, not the legend."
John looked at the two representatives. Sarah was right to not introduce them in a more gracious manner. It had been her way of warning John to be on guard.
"I have a feeling you know most of what you need, or want, to know about me. You aren't here to discuss me. So just what is it that you want?"
Watching the reaction of the two delegates made John even more wary. Neither showed any surprise at John's words.
"You are indeed as perceptive as the reports we have in regard to you," Delegate Comeaux said, smiling.
"We are a community that is not mixed, a fact we did not share when our delegation was brought into TechCom," Delegate Racineaux said, watching John carefully.
"Mixed? Please explain."
"We have no machines living in our midst."
"I see."
"There are many stories, rumors perhaps, circulating about TechCom."
"Yes, I am sure there are," John replied firmly, staring hard into the eyes of the woman sitting across from his desk.
"We have much to offer TechCom in an alliance," Comeaux said, still smiling. "It will be a mutually beneficial alliance, particularly in terms of trade."
John glared at the two delegates.
"This is about Cameron isn't it?"
For the first time the pair of diplomats looked surprised, casting a quick glance at each other. Delegate Comeaux recovered his composure first.
"General, please, we do not wish to be perceived as disrespectful. One of the precautions we took early in the formation of our community was to have no machines of any kind in our midst. You took a different approach and it has obviously worked well for you and your people. We need to understand, to learn if we can, about how your society functions."
"You have a problem with the fact my wife is a Terminator."
Again the pair looked at each other. John watched carefully, observing the pair communicate without speaking.
Responding in her silky voice, Delegate Racineaux spoke carefully, measuring her words. "The stories about your mother, Sarah Connor, and your wife, Cameron Connor, are eclipsed only by the stories about you General. It is puzzling how the two greatest metal fighters would allow a machine to not only live in your community, but to become a member of the family."
"It's simple," John replied stiffly. "Cameron is my second in command. She commands the Silver Brigade, our elite all Terminator combat force. Cameron is my best friend. She is my protector. I would have died many times over without her. She is the mother of our child and…"
"Excuse me," a horrified Racineaux interrupted. "Mother of your child? How is that possible?"
"We adopted," John explained tersely. "Hailey is nine years old now."
"Are you…" Racineaux could not bring herself to ask the question.
"Yes. I am intimate with my wife, not that it is any of your business. She is my wife. And no, Cameron cannot physically bear a human child."
"Please, General, allow me to apologize," Comeaux interjected. "This is all so," he paused to find just the right word, "alien to us. We do not wish to offend you."
"Then why are you here to interrogate me about my wife?"
The male delegate sighed, indicating he had given much thought to just this question. A quick glance to his female partner indicated to John Comeaux would do most of the talking, and asking, from this point forward in hopes of not offending John further.
"Wives play significant roles in shaping the decisions of a leader. The same is true of a husband if a woman is the leader. We need to understand what, excuse me, whom, we are dealing with in terms of the leadership of TechCom if we are to actually enter into an alliance. We could have sent spies, but felt it would be the wrong approach. Rather, as difficult as this is, it was decided it would be better to be open, and ask you and other key leaders of TechCom about Cameron directly. We'd even like to meet privately with her if that would be possible."
John counted to ten, then twenty, in an effort to control his anger, allowing silence to fill his office in hopes of making the two delegates uncomfortable. Mentally, he began polling his leadership council. Ellison and John Henry would both adamantly push John to consider an alliance. Derek and Sarah would be suspicious but advise investigating the possibility further. Father Hidalgo would eventually speak in favor of at least opening a discussion and learning more. Catherine would be in favor of an alliance, but only on terms beneficial to TechCom. Wilhelm and the Assassin would vote to toss the delegates out immediately. Sgt. Brighton would offer to do the tossing personally. Dr. Johnson, ever cautious about resources would only consider discussion of an alliance after it was learned what the Northerners had to offer TechCom.
Cameron would be suspicious, of that much John was certain. She would also be curious. Her Terminator need to learn would tip her towards having talks, for no other reason than to learn about the Northerners, to collect as much data as possible.
She would also insist on the delegation being followed back to their home base and even more intel collected.
John made his decision.
"I will set up interviews with a few people who know Cameron well and will be honest and forthright with you. In return, I ask you be respectful in how you conduct yourself. This is my wife we are talking about."
"Of course," Comeaux replied eagerly, openly relieved John had agreed with the egregious request.
"Now, what would you like to know about my beloved, beautiful wife?"
The Connor Family Bunker…
"What did these people want with John so early in the morning" a disheveled Derek asked, sipping from a chipped coffee cup.
"I have no idea," Sarah grumbled as she examined Ruth's clothes for the day. "How are you feeling today? Do you feel like you can go to school today?"
Ruth nodded solemnly as she morphed her hair into a ponytail. Hailey frowned at her cousin, causing Ruth to stick her tongue out before morphing her hair back to its normal style. Hailey smiled and jumped up from her chair at the family table and ran to her room. She promptly returned with a brush and several hair bands and began brushing Ruth's hair. Within a minute Hailey had her cousin's hair styled in a perfect ponytail.
"Much better," Hailey declared, satisfied with her handiwork.
Cameron frowned at her daughter who promptly sat down and resumed eating the cooling breakfast Cameron had prepared.
"Your breakfast is getting cold Sarah," Cameron chided.
Sarah looked down at the oatmeal Cameron had cooked and made a face.
"At least it's not burned pancakes," Derek teased, earning him a dirty look from his wife.
"We need to make sure everything these people do is observed and recorded," Sarah mumbled as she put a spoonful of oatmeal in her mouth.
The Old Man entered the bunker and stood at attention, patiently waiting for the girls to be ready to leave for school.
Hailey finished the last of her breakfast and ran to brush her teeth. Within a minute she returned and grabbed her tattered backpack and made for the door with Ruth hot on her heels.
"I see Ruth's feeling much better today," Derek commented, smiling at his wife. Sarah watched in relief as the T-600 hurried out the door in pursuit of the young pair.
"I just hate it when she's hurting like that," Sarah said solemnly.
John's Office at Central Command…
"How did the two of you meet? It is an unlikely union you do have to admit," Delegate Racineaux commented.
"That's easy," John replied smiling. "I sent her back in time to protect me."
"Oh my," Racineaux exclaimed. "That's an unusual way to meet."
"You might say," John smirked. "Future John sent Teenage John a smoking hot, sexy TOK-715 to be his protector from Skynet assassins sent back in time to kill the teenage me. It wasn't hard for Cameron to introduce herself as you can imagine. She's an amazing infiltrator."
"Yes, but you clearly fell in love with a Terminator," a confused Racineaux observed. "How?"
"I fought it. I really did," John laughed. "I could tell you some stories, but they are really none of your business, though I will warn you for your own sake, never send a blonde female emissary if you value her life and any alliance we might form."
"Excuse me?" a confused Racineaux exclaimed.
"I will explain," Comeaux whispered, grinning at the glimpse into Cameron's psyche John had provided. He leaned close, placing his hand next to his partner's ear and whispered, "there is no hell like the fury of a female Terminator whose love interest likes a particular blonde." Racineaux's mouth opened, forming a big O as her eyebrows lifted. Clearly, as a woman she understood now what John was referring to.
John continued his story, "Mom was opposed to our relationship. Derek, that's Colonel Reese, was horrible to Cameron and did what he could to prevent our relationship from starting. He and Cameron still have the occasional tiff about those days."
John paused thoughtfully for a moment before continuing. "I don't know how things would have turned out if Cameron hadn't tried to terminate me."
"Terminate you?" the delegates exclaimed in unison.
John laughed out loud, relaxing at the memory. "Yeah, strange isn't it? Cameron was damaged in an explosion and reverted to her baseline Skynet programming. She tried to terminate me. It was also when she lost control of her emotion simulator, or generator if you will, and began to feel genuine emotions. To this day Cameron has mixed feelings about that. It was also the first time Cameron declared her love for me and let me know I loved her."
"What happened?" an intrigued Racineaux asked, eager to hear more of the story.
"Lots of things. In fact, Cameron had so much trouble dealing with her emotions she ran away from home."
"Home? You let a metal live in your home?" a stunned Comeaux blurted out.
"It was the best way for Cameron to protect me," John replied simply. "She even went to school with me. That was interesting."
John smiled at the memories of his last few years of high school. Despite being such a pain, making a difficult time harder than it already was, John and Cameron both valued that time now. It was when they had forged the bonds of their love for each other.
A few minutes passed as the delegates watched John mentally relive some pleasant memories of his past.
Racineaux finally broke the silence, asking, "Can Cameron feel real love? Does she understand what love is?"
"I've thought a lot about that very question," John replied quickly. "So has Cameron. Truth be told, and Cameron would agree, I'm not completely sure if Terminators feel emotions the same way humans do."
"There are other Terminators who feel emotions," gasped Racineaux.
John frowned. "Of course. Most of them who have been with TechCom for a long time do to one degree or another, though again, not in the same way humans do."
"Can you elaborate" an interested Comeaux asked.
"Cameron chose to love me. Chose. As in a verb. There's no hormones, nothing like that. As Cameron puts it, I am her purpose. She was built to assassinate me. I am at the very center, the very core of her programming. When she developed free will, true free will, Cameron made the decision to override Skynet's base command to kill me. I'll go one further, Cameron has the ability to override the code I wrote reprogramming her to protect me.
Everything my wife does, in one way or another, for the most part, is in some way is related to protecting me, making sure I am thriving. That includes protecting our family, which is an unusual one and somewhat extended. Cameron can be irritating at times, but what spouse can't?"
Comeaux thought for a moment. "Your wife has interests beyond you? If she, as you say, focuses her entire existence on you, what else could she possibly be interested in?"
"Film noir movies, especially with Humphrey Bogart," John promptly replied. "Her real love though is ballet. We hope to have our community theatre finished soon. Cameron danced professionally before Judgment Day. She will be our company's first prima ballerina and not just because she's my wife. Cameron's that good."
Comeaux muttered in astonishment, "a ballet dancer? I would not thought it possible a Terminator would have any interest in art or culture."
"My sister is an accomplished sketch artist but to listen to Ruth you'd think she was hopeless. Cameron constantly tells Ruth it will take years to work imperfection into her sketches so they become true works of art."
"Your sister," Racineaux gasped, catching John's inference to Ruth's true nature.
"Oh, yeah," John smiled, enjoying shocking the pair. "Ruth is a T-1000 Mom and Derek adopted. Beautiful little girl. In fact, Ruth and Hailey, that's my daughter, are inseparable."
Watching the stunned pair, John decided he'd had enough of the two for the day.
"I have a lot to do. I'll arrange interviews for you starting after lunch today. One of the orderlies can show you back to your quarters."
Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:
Cameron Grows Up
The Future Cameron
Cameron and the Black Bird
Cameron and John's Wedding
Who's the Boss?
The Storm Before the Calm