"John Connor, redeemer and destroyer, pawn and messiah. Welcome time spanned soul, welcome to your destiny."

–Adapted from the original quote in the Soul Reaver 2 videogame.

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Once inside their hotel room, Cameron goes through all the alcoves, scanning for any threats, quite the standard procedure for her. John goes around just checking the place out. It might not be a suite, but the luxury of the place is nothing to frown at, and there is a tub in the bath. Just perfect.

He returns to Cameron who is sitting on a couch. Her typical posture that used to annoy him slightly, now a sight for sore eyes. Back ramrod straight, hands placed on her lap in a mechanical yet cute and girlish way. The girl he has, unbeknownst to her, courted for three years is now right there within a few paces range, specifically waiting for him to make his move. John covers the distance instantly and sits beside her. Giving slightly of itself, the couch accommodates his weight quite comfortably, and he smiles to himself, acknowledging that when even the furniture is perfect, Lady Fortune favors him.

"Cameron," he beckons at her.

The cyborg simply shifts the position of her body slightly, allowing her face to fall in line with his. Her piercing gaze undiminished in intensity even with only one actual eye to account for it. John cannot help but swallow, even with half her face showing a shiny metal skull, she still looks as beautiful as the first day they met, back there in New Mexico.

"There is something I need to confess Cameron." He starts, and the words flow easier than he thought possible with his mind in such a wreck.

"Go ahead John. You can trust me, it will be our secret." She smiles, the same as in New Mexico when she said almost the same thing. It is a fake smile, born from a sense of property and duty. John does not resent her though, because humans do it all the time, when facing their superiors, or someone from whom they assume something can be gained. Masters of hypocrisy.

"I know you are able to override your programming. That you have been holding termination orders at bay ever since that day you went haywire." He makes a pause, unsure if there will be any response, but still allowing her the space to assimilate and speak if she chooses to.

When she does nothing but turn her sight down for an instant, he decides to continue. "You also need to know, that I no longer am the past John Connor you once knew. Neither will I ever become the future John Connor whom you also once knew. We have a way to defeat Skynet, for sure this time. With the help of Catherine Weaver and her anti-Skynet AI, John Henry, we will thwart its creation and completely avert Judgment day."

This time her response seems a bit more elaborated. At first, Cameron merely tilts her head to one side. After a few seconds pass, she turns her whole body and sits in the same way he found her, staring upfront. And then, the last thing she does is merely to stare down at her hands with the palms turned upwards. This surprises John greatly, there are no questions, no thank you for explaining, nothing. Cameron just sits there, seemingly scrutinizing her hands and if he was not so sure, that it is impossible at least for now, she looks lost. Like a little girl, lost in the park after some bully stole some item her mother entrusted her with.

John does not quite understand what is happening, but the heaviness in his chest compels him to reach for her shoulder with an encouraging hand. As much to encourage her as to do the same for his self. The next thing he will tell her is quite possibly so farfetched that she will refuse.

"I am three years older now Cameron. I fought the war against the machines for most of that time, and I believe that right now it's the closest to becoming future John I will ever be. Will you heed just one direct order from me?"

Seconds tick by, and John knows it is no idle time, not for her. She is putting all the pieces together, calculating outcomes, moves before, within and ahead. Cameron is after all the daughter of the most advanced chess-playing computer that will ever exist in the whole known universe. Certainly, a God in its own field, but that is something he will never admit aloud. The psychotic A.I. is already megalomaniac enough, no need to fuel its deliriums of grandeur.

After the passing of what seems quite the amount of minutes, at least in John's head, Cameron turns to look straight at his face again. "Yes John, I will heed and comply. I have concluded that you have separated me from the main group in order to, as you say, tie loose ends. The usefulness of this chassis has reached its end, it is now unredeemable, and with your assistance, this body will be properly disposed of. I cannot self-terminate."

John's mind is not easily perplexed these days, not as it used to. He has also developed a wit for caustic, bitter humor. A part of his brain makes an inner joke, unfazed by her speech, quite possibly the most she has ever spoken without pause. All the while, his heart and whole gut sink so hard to the floor that he is sure they have landed at the reception. His throat becomes an unbearable knot that makes his eyes moisten. There is nothing he can do about it, or the choked laugh that sounds more like a sob that escapes his mouth.

Why thank you so much for understanding Cameron, let us proceed and burn you right away. Turn you into so much smoke. And while at it, how about we toss in there all my hopes and dreams too, is that ok with you? Or do you prefer to be undone alone?

John Connor cannot comprehend from where Cameron even draws such a conclusion. In an attempt to make sense of it, he reminds himself it is the logical thing. She does not know what he feels, or what his plan is. She does not know what he hid all that time they were together, or all the things he learned about in the future. Cameron lacks any additional information that could lead her to draw any other conclusion. The object of his affection cannot even begin to fathom how absolutely mistaken she is.

Tears flow freely from his eyes, and his face burns with their sting. Then, unexpectedly a tentative hand reaches for his face, trying to wipe away some of the salty liquid with gentle caresses. He bitterly muses how at one time, this simple touch would have made him wince, but now he finds comfort and encouragement in it.

With his resolution renewed, he covers Cameron's hand with his, and their fingers entwine perfectly together. Still, another choked laugh escapes his mouth before he can utter anything. "No Cameron, that's not what I want."

He has to make a pause, resolution apparently does not entail that the sobbing goes automatically away. "I want you to get rid of every single trace of any mission given to you by the resistance, by future John."

"Oh, thank you for explaining." When she says it, with a face of apparent surprise, again he does not resent her. Humans basically program themselves when they learn things, and they do so by copying and imitating. Even more, it is her trademark quote after all, as original as they come, and that does not change even with that studied gesture, wherever she picked it.

Her hand slips away from his, and Cameron turns again to sit perfectly perpendicular to the couch. "It shall be," she deadpans. Then John sees something he has only caught glimpses of in all his time around her. The eyes of the girl, that to him just happens to be a cyborg, become intensely aglow with the most spectacular electric blue he has ever seen. John simply stares, mesmerized by her haunting eyes. It is something unearthly, terrifying, and his mother forgive him but he loves what he sees in front of him. It is fucking awesome.

"It is done," she announces, taking him out of his trance. The glow is gone, and there is something wrong, which he detects immediately. Her demeanor is even more devoid of life than it usually is. If such a thing is even possible. Doubt creeps back into John's mind, perhaps this had not been a very good idea after all.

It is too late to turn back though, and he forces himself to go in the only direction left. Forward.

"Cameron?" he calls.

"Yes John?"

"What is your mission?"

"Acquire target: Homo sapiens designated as John Connor. Upon positive identification, proceed with termination. Separate the head from the corpse's torso. Proceed to impale head in a pike of undetermined material and measures which is to be acquired on site. Place the pike on elevated ground in order to facilitate visibility. Standby for further instructions upon completion of main mission."

John would be lying if he says that hearing her saying it does not make him feel sick. It is quite a different thing to have an idea about something, and then receiving sound confirmation of it.

In spite of the feeling in his gut, he finds himself feeling expectation at her next replies. "Is that your only mission?"

"Yes."

"Why don't you kill me now that nothing compels you otherwise?"

"John Connor will no longer become leader of the human resistance against Skynet, since it will not even be created. There is no purpose in terminating you. I have already failed my mission catastrophically."

"So you believe what I told you? You don't think I might be trying to manipulate you?"

"No. Statistically the chances of you lying to me in a matter such as this are almost zero. Thus, I basically trust you implicitly."

That was something quite enlightening for him. Something he would enjoy knowing more about at some point, but for now, he has granted himself one day out of the loop, and time is pressing. Like always.

He can see that even if Cameron seems to have lost whatever little inflection her voice used to have, at least from a purely logical standpoint he has succeeded in freeing her. A bit further questioning should be able to prove that success without any margin for doubt.

"Do you remember when you told me that you lied to me?"

"Yes."

"Why did you lie to me?"

"In 2027 you ordered me to withhold from you most information pertaining to the future. That at some point you would be ready to learn it, and I would know when the moment was right."

Whatever he did to cause that strange regression in her demeanor, pales in comparison to the fact that Cameron does no longer make a distinction between different versions of himself. To her, he is now one person, there is only him, a unified John Connor. While he marvels at that, he wonders why his own self would behave like such an ass towards itself. Perhaps one day he will understand. For now, there are matters of more importance at hand.

John stands and walks towards the door. He turns the handle and with a gentle pull allows the door to swing wide open.

"Cameron, I want you to kill the lady at the reception." The sound of his voice comes out just as he wants it. There is no hesitation, only command and compulsion. He has barked an order, and expects it to be obeyed. At least that is what he wants her to believe.

"No." There is not even a second of hesitation. She has denied him and he is glad for it, but he has to push more, he has to know for sure.

"She is a threat Cameron, she saw you without your infiltration sheathe." The tone of his voice encouraging her to reconsider the order, but the back of his head urging her not to.

"You made a perfectly valid excuse for my appearance."

"Why won't you comply? You have to kill her Cameron. She is a threat and you're not acting logically about it." He will push her to the breaking point, wanting her to endure.

"You taught me that terminating living beings is to be avoided unless there is no other solution to a particular situation. Besides, my current compulsory behavior due to lack of a mission, is to further my continued functioning in every possible way. Attacking the front desk clerk will detract from that, and furthermore serve to cause a situation that will increase the damage to my chassis. I am unable to comply."

The door makes a loud noise as he enthusiastically closes it. He knows Cameron is no longer chained by exterior rules and has become the captain of her own ship. She is her own person now. Truly free, unlike when the resistance released her from Skynet and then provided another set of rules. John can barely hide his joy when he approaches her, beaming a smile Cameron has probably never seen in his face.

He reaches for her hands, covered in that smooth delicate skin that hides the power to crush a human skull. The warmth in them almost burns like fire in his palms when he strengthens his grip to pull her up. As if her hands were not enough to drive his mind crazy, when Cameron allows him to pull her up, their bodies collide for an instant. John feels the plumpness of her bosom on his chest all too clearly, even though they are both wearing clothes. Now he will not be able to banish that soft feeling from his mind, or stop imagining how it might feel touching the perfect, soft mounds directly.

"W-wanna take a bath? You will look prettier after taking all that blood off yourself." John stutters when the words finally come out, and is not even sure he means them. She looks already dashing, the blood only adding to that special charm of hers.

Again, her head tilts to one side, a clear sign of confusion, lack of understanding. "Pretty?" She asks, as if it is something completely alien to her. Like he has said something outrageous. "You find me physically attractive?"

"Yes. I do." A confession he has never had the guts to make. It is long overdue, and now he can only hope his feelings are at least accepted. Wanting more, for them to ever be reciprocated, might be asking too much.

Cameron's hand travels to her face, to that part that lacks skin and shows what lies inside, and he notices.

"I don't care about that, I like all of you. Ever since the day we first met."

"Why was this information never disclosed?" Her tone of voice has something to it. Wistfulness maybe? Then again, maybe he just wishes it to be so. Cameron can certainly grow into that, into having something akin to feelings, but John acknowledges that expecting her to have them right now is just wishful thinking on his part.

His answer, playful as it may seem, is nothing but complete honesty. "Because I was an idiot for too long."

The cyborg stares at him for a couple heartbeats, and after voicing a thank you for explaining in her perfect, coquettish voice, she makes her way for the bathroom. A moment afterwards, John can hear the sound of running water, and for the love of everything that is good in the world, he cannot stop the flood of images of her naked body from laying siege to his mind. His brain seems intent on driving him crazy by taunting him so.

Just a few minutes pass when Cameron emerges from the bathroom already dressed, the epitome of efficiency. Her wavy brown tresses looking so perfect, as if just a couple hours ago, she had not been the middle of a bullet hailstorm at the county jail. When she walks past him and sets herself back onto the couch in pretty much the same posture as before, he does not fail to notice that the lip-gloss is back. He curses at her in his mind, because logic be damned, why does a Terminator carry such a thing in her pocket all the time, and why do her lips have to look so kissable with it?

Another thought crawls into the back of his head, an unwanted guest at this time, just as a triple-eight would be at any other time. She looks lost, and very likely it is due to the lack of her missions to guide her. This makes him fear that she will accept his offering just as a means to have something to occupy herself with. It is not a comforting thought but there is another point that he almost forgets. The fact that although she may accept him because it is better than doing nothing, she is not immune to sensation and that shall be the other reason she will have for taking him in. It may be safe to assume she derives something positive from sensuous experiences. Just like that day when they rode down to Mexico, how she dangled her limbs outside the truck's window just to get a feeling of the wind caressing her skin.

Before his mind starts bombarding him with thoughts of anything caressing her smooth, creamy skin, John walks towards the bathroom in order to take a shower too. It has been a while since he was able to clean himself of all the grim and detritus of the post Judgment day future.

"Will you be here when I come out?" His voice reflecting the fear that this new Cameron, who is completely free, no longer sees any reason to remain by his side.

"Yes, I will." Her deadpan voice is not reassuring, but she looks at him with eyes that could be looking inside his soul, and he finds it somewhat comforting. Still, John wants to make sure, he wants to know if she will be there for him this time. Because he has failed her, but she is not free of blame. That day after Riley died, he looked for the comfort of her arms, and she refused him. She forsook him, and now he wants to know if saving her has sparked some light inside her mind.

He stands there, unmoving, looking into her eyes. One shows the unexplored expanse of love and care within her, the other shows her undying loyalty and relentless determination. An unknown amount of time goes by, to John it feels like an eternity, and he starts getting a gut wrenching feeling that she is not going to try to reassure him. He knows, to Cameron there is no need to reinforce a statement when one answer perfectly satisfies the query. To Cameron the conversation is over, and he should be already showering.

Defeated and with a sad smile, John turns to walk into the bathroom. When he is about to open the door, the artificially cooled air of the room carries Cameron's voice into his hears. It sounds like the alluring song of a mermaid, somewhat of a musical whisper, still deadpan, still merciless, but so full of meaning that it somewhat changes her intonation. He feels as if struck by lightning, electricity coursing through his body, and his brain runs in overdrive processing all the implications of her words. For just an instant reality becomes meaningless, for all accounts and purposes, to John Connor it has ceased to exist.

The next instant everything is back, he is pushing the door and walking into the bathroom, still smiling, no longer defeated. Not reduced, elevated. She has his back, always had, always will. But this time Cameron also has his heart, and she showed the will to take care of it with those two simple words.

"I promise."