So eleven hours later, despite my protests and various attempts at other undercover ideas I somehow found myself a passenger in the SUV. Cameron was driving and I was trying like hell not to think about how we would be spending our time pretending to be lovers for the next four days.
Cameron looked different. I was still not used to her new look. I'd complained to John and anyone who'd listen that I'd look like a pedophile if I showed up at the seminar with a girl who looked half my age. Cameron said she'd take care of it and take care of it she had.
Her chestnut brown hair now had subtle highlights. It was still long, but the cut had layers and her hair was perfectly straight. A wispy bang hung over her right eye and hid the beauty mark I'd grown accustomed to. Her makeup was flawless and made her look in her mid twenties. Instead of a tank top she wore a form fitting button down shirt with one too many buttons undone. The short sleeves of the coral colored shirt showed off her tan.
We'd been driving for close to nine hours. I'd been alternating between reading printouts and watching the surveillance footage John had pulled from the chip. Watching videos and trying to read in a vehicle going about ninety had my head spinning. My stomach was growling and my bladder was screaming for attention. "Do your Google mind tricks and find a fast food place."
Chocolate eyes slid my way for about a second. "There is a McDonalds 22.7 miles ahead. Also, a Taco Bell, a Burger—"
"Just pick the closest one." I cut in. I didn't need a list of every conceivable place to eat over the next 22.7 miles. What I needed was a chance to stretch my legs, a bite to eat, some air, and just a break in general.
Cameron fished in her pocket and came out with some Chaptstick. She expertly removed the lid with one hand. She applied it without once taking her eyes from the road. She rubbed her lips together. Then licked her lips and put the container back in her pocket. "You do realize you will not be able to speak to me like that once we are at the seminar?"
I'd been watching her lips. I couldn't help it. "Wh-wh-what?"
"I said you cannot snap at me as you did three minutes ago. You also cannot order me around and treat me like a servant if I am to be your lover."
My mouth was moving, but no words were coming out. Go figure. "Um, Cameron, you do realize this is an undercover mission?" I emphasized the word, 'mission.' "It's not a vacation. We'll both be playing parts. We're not actually going to be lovers."
She cast her gaze at me long enough to show me the eye roll then focused her attention back on the road. "Yes, Sarah, I am fully aware of the mission parameters however we need to be convincing. Only couples who have been together for a minimum of two years are allowed to attend. If we wish to maintain a believable cover we should at the very least be civil toward one another. Don't you agree?"
Shit. She kind of had a point. For some reason an old episode of the X-Files flashed in my head. I remembered a pissed off Scully looking at Mulder and delivering a line I enjoyed. "Sure, fine, whatever." I tried it out on Cameron.
"You cannot dismiss my concerns with flippant remarks."
She was pouting. From the side, I couldn't tell for sure, but she might have actually had a tear glistening in her eye. This robot, correction, cybernetic organism was that good. Meryl Streep might have even been envious. "Ok, girlie. Don't get bent out of shape. I'm sorry. I'll uh, I'll play nice."
"I am not bent out of shape. My posture is the same as it always is."
I laughed. I couldn't help it. That one had caught me completely off guard. She parked the truck in the side parking lot of McDonalds and I stared to get out. I was stopped by a hand on my jacket. When I turned to ask her what was wrong I met her lips.
Sweet, soft, strawberry flavored lips lightly pressed against mine. Just for an instant. So fast in fact, I could have thought it was just a weird game my affection starved mind was playing but I licked my lips and tasted strawberry.
So many conflicted emotions crashed on me at once I didn't know what to feel. Desire, passion, curiosity, fear, disgust, anger. Yeah, anger. That one I liked. When offered the choice that was the emotion I generally rolled with. I tried to speak but the only sound I made was a weird squeak. I cleared my throat and tried again. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Practicing." She shrugged on her way out of the truck. "Are you coming, Sarah?"
I got out and did a quick jog to catch up with her. I grabbed her arm and spun her to face me. I pushed her until her back was against the SUV. I wasn't strong enough. She didn't have to turn or walk backward. She could have shrugged me off like an annoying gnat. She didn't though. She followed my motion and stayed with her back against the vehicle. She stared at me inquisitively. "Do you wish to practice more?"
"Don't ever do that again." I said through clenched teeth.
"We will not be able to portray a couple if we are unable to kiss."
If I could have slapped her without breaking my hand in the process I think I would have. "Is your chip malfunctioning? We're not there yet, Cameron. We're still about twenty hours from Florida. There's no reason for us to start playing house until we get to the hotel. Do you understand?"
She reached for my hand and I jerked backward so fast I nearly fell. If it weren't for her fast reflexes I would have fallen. With one hand she caught the sleeve of my leather jacket and held on until I managed to steady to myself.
"Let me go."
"I will as soon as I am certain you will not fall."
I was so angry I couldn't see straight. Hot tears stung my eyes. "Let me go!"
She followed the command. I was still pulling away from her so I landed on my ass. She started forward and I just glared at her.
"We are drawing a crowd."
"I don't give a fuck." I grumbled as I got to my feet. She was right though. A handful of people were watching. I was making a fool of myself and being childish. I knew it but couldn't stop. "Get in the car. Make yourself useful and go get us some gas. I'll be back."
I slammed the palm of my hand against the bathroom stall wall until the vibrations and pain racing up and down my arm forced me to stop. I am Sarah Connor. The mother of John Connor, future leader of the Resistance against Skynet. I fight Terminators. I shoot them. I blow them up. I do not kiss them. I do not fantasize about them. I do not wonder how it would feel to make love to one.
The phone in my back pocket jarred me from my thoughts. I heaved a sigh and punched in the code. "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine, Mom. Did you buy any turkey when you went grocery shopping yesterday?"
"I always buy you turkey, John. Just move the stuff in the fridge around and the turkey will reveal itself. We go through this about once a month."
"I know." He laughed. It sounded good so good to me. "Why don't you ever put anything in the same place?"
"Because that would make life easy. Our life is never easy."
"Yeah, oh cool. I found it. Tell Cameron I said, Hey. She likes to be included."
"And since when do I care what the metal likes?"
"That was cold, mom. You shouldn't say stuff like that. She's become very sensitive since the jeep explosion. Since when do you call her metal. I thought you got mad at Derek last time he called her that."
"Relax John. I'm not with her at the moment. She doesn't know what I said. Derek's an asshole. I'm always mad at him."
He laughed again. "Be nice to Cameron. This mission is going to be hard on her too. She thinks she's a master infiltrator. She tries so hard but a little bit of slang can throw her whole world off track. Where is she anyway?"
"She's in the car. We stopped for food."
"Did you order something for her? I wasn't kidding before. She likes to be included. She loves French fries and iced tea."
"Ok, I'll get her a Happy Meal. Behave yourself while I'm away."
"I always do." He hung up before I could tell him he was full of crap.
Five minutes later I slid into the SUV and passed Cameron her Happy Meal and drink. She opened the box and immediately pulled out the toy. "Thank you, Sarah. This completes my collection of fuzzy babies. Why did you buy me food? You know I do not require food."
Something in her voice caught my attention. She sounded shaky. When I tried to look at her face she turned away quickly. "Look at me." I said it softly. An order but not a scolding.
Her eyes were red and puffy and dried tears had wrecked her makeup. "What? Were you crying?"
"I am physically unattractive. You have no feelings for me other than hatred. I have doomed our mission." She finished on a sob.
I suck when it comes to tears. I never know what to do or say. I hadn't even known Cameron had the ability to cry. Even when John and I had her pinned between two trucks and were about to remove her chip for deactivation she'd tried to sound sad and put on an act for John but there had been no actual tears.
"Why do you hate me, Sarah? Am I so ugly you are repulsed by my touch?"
"Hey," I reached my hand under her chin and raised it until she met my gaze. "Cameron, you're about as far from ugly as a girl can get. You're very easy on the eyes. Like you said this morning, anyone with eyes would be attracted to you."
"I said that about you. You are beautiful. I am ugly."
I kept her chin raised and leaned forward enough to brush my lips over hers. Fireworks ignited in my head. The same conflicting emotions crashed into me again, but I didn't choose anger that time. I hoped for patience but settled on compassion. "You're not repulsive. You're a very beautiful girl. Just please, no more practicing without warning me first, ok?
"But Sarah, I will not be able to warn you at the seminar. We will be amongst the very people we hope to infiltrate. Spontaneous gestures of affection will help us maintain our cover. If you flinch or shove me away anytime I touch you our cover will be blown. Dr. Kim will not want to talk with us. We will learn nothing. This mission will fail. We should turn around and go home."
"Cameron?"
"Yes."
"Shut up and kiss me."
Cameron followed orders. Strawberry lips met mine. This time they lingered. My first impulse was to pull away. I mentally squashed the thought. I was not going to start this heated argument again. She was right. We needed to know if we could both kiss convincingly without it looking like two awkward women with no chemistry whatsoever.
Her lips were soft and warm. I detected no metallic taste. I brought my hand to her side and felt only what I'd feel when I touched any athletic girls side. Ribs and muscle. The Coltan she was made of was not detectible through touch alone. If I wanted to see that I'd have to cut her. Cutting her was not even close to the thirty or so suggestions my mind was screaming at me.
The most persistent thought had me wanting to get our bodies even closer. I wondered how far back the SUV seats reclined and whether or not the windows were tinted darkly enough that I could take her in the back find out just how anatomically correct her body really was.
Cameron eased herself away before I could act out any of my dangerous thoughts. "Thank you, Sarah. You have proved your point. I will not question you again. Shall we continue on our way to Florida?"
"Um yeah. That's fine." I lied for the sake of the mission. "I'm sorry your food got cold."
"It's quite all right Sarah. You sufficiently heated me to my core. Thank you again. I could care less about the food.
We eased back into traffic at the same time a dark Lexus eased in behind us. I blame the after effect of Cameron's kiss or I might have paid closer attention to the luxury car.
