Cameron's Expedition

Chapter Three – Things Are Changing

Disclaimer: Don't own TSCC

This story is set in The Future Cameron's Universe after Cameron's Revenge. It contains characters from my version of the TSCC universe starting with Cameron Grows Up.

Somewhere North of TechCom City…

Savannah walked slowly, carefully picking her way through the rubble strewn about the evening's chosen campsite. The dim light flickering from the subdued fire, offered both warmth and company in the grim, dark wastelands.

Spotting Cameron, Savannah made her way over towards the cyborg. Her laugh caught Cameron's attention, causing her head to spin around quickly to locate the source of the offending sound.

"I'm sorry," Savannah apologized, trying in vain not to laugh.

"Hailey and Ruth were experimenting with my hair again. Evidently Ruth found a fictional character named Pippi Longstocking with hair braids that stick out like these do," Cameron explained. "Of course, once they were done, the two promptly announced they have guard duty and disappear leaving me looking like this."

Picking up one of the boxes strewn about to use as a chair, Savannah sat down behind Cameron. "I'll fix it for you. I want to talk to you anyhow and for once we have a little privacy."

"Wilhelm and Catherine are on guard duty," Cameron stated, letting Savannah know she was aware of the reason for the timing of the visit.

"Yes, and so is Dan."

Cameron nodded her understanding as Savannah started work on the first of the awful braids sticking out at odd angles from Cameron's head. The two friends sat in silence as Savannah worked, both on Cameron's hair and the nerve to start the discussion that lay heavily on her heart. Typical of her species, Cameron was content to sit in silence, waiting for Savannah to initiate the discussion.

"How did you know?"

"That John was to become mine?"

"Yes."

Cameron tilted her head and considered the question. Savannah waited patiently, knowing Cameron was accessing countless thousands of data files in an effort to formulate the best possible answer.

"I don't know. I just knew."

"Can you at least tell me when you knew?"

"When Sarah and John pinned me between two vehicles in an effort to terminate me."

"The whole 'I love you and you love me thing?'"

"Yes. When I said it aloud, it was true. At least the statement that I loved him."

Savannah considered for a moment Cameron might not be the best individual to discuss her problem with.

Cameron surprised Savannah by speaking. "It was a horrible day, the explosion, the damage to my chip, torturing Sarah. I tried to terminate my John and he and Sarah tried to terminate me, a perfectly logical reaction to the situation. Even worse was the emotions."

"Your infiltrator program had lost control of your emotion simulator."

"Yes. I try not to think about that day. Reviewing the files is a negative experience for me."

Nodding her understanding, Savannah let the subject drop. She, like most in the Leadership Council knew the details of the horrible incident.

"I'm sorry Cameron, I shouldn't have asked."

"I loved my John before that day though," Cameron replied. "I simply was not able to recognize the fact. I had made my choice though. When I overrode the terminate command I was committed. Even though I was being manipulative when I told John I loved him and he loved me, I meant it and I hoped it was true."

"So loving John was a choice for you?"

"Love is a choice for everyone. Humans have the misfortune of having hormones involved in the process, but there is no doubt you choose."

"How can you say that Cameron? I can't help how I feel sometimes."

"Neither can I," Cameron replied, looking directly into Savannah's eyes. "But I have a choice to continue to love John after he hurts me. I choose not to terminate him when he infuriates me. When I fear he will abandon me, I choose to have faith in the love he feels for me. Everyday I choose to protect John, to care for him and his family, our clan. My clan. Love is a verb." Cameron paused for a moment, looking away from Savannah and into the fire. "You demonstrate it by your actions."

"You never feel love for John? You never feel the emotion?"

"I did not say that," Cameron answered, the light of the fire dancing in her brown eyes. "I feel many things humans do, more so now as I have experienced more and collected data for my files."

Picking up a small piece of broken wood, Cameron surprised Savannah by throwing it into the fire, a strangely human act.

"I feel many things. Some I do not like. When I think of the bitch whore Riley, I still to this second feel hate and jealousy. When I think of the assassination attempt on John at the refugee intake, I sometimes have to enter maintenance mode to reset my operating system. Comfort and security are my two favorite emotions to feel."

"Pardon me for saying so, but that's strange to hear coming from a Terminator of your standing," Savannah said respectfully.

Cameron smiled for a moment and glanced at Savannah. "Not when you are lying in the arms of your husband after intimacy, listening to him sleep peacefully. Not when you know he is safe and pleased with you, that he loves you and wants you as his mate."

"You feel insecure? After everything you and John have been through?"

"I am a machine. John is human. I fear one day the difference may become too much, even for John."

"But you could tire of being with a human, couldn't you?"

"No. Never. It is a challenge I accept. I can never learn enough to be the perfect wife for John. It is something that appeals to my Terminator nature, to have to learn constantly, to be challenged."

"Cameron, I don't think you have anything to worry about. John would be hopelessly lost without you. Not just as the General, but as an individual. You're his best friend. Not even Sarah understands him as well as you do."

Sparks lifted from the fire and drifted into the damp, misty air before being extinguished by the damp. The two sat in silence, watching the sparks and listening to the wood crack and pop in the heat of the fire. Savannah enjoyed the warmth emanating from the flames as it warmed her face and arms.

"Almost done," she told Cameron. "You'll need to wash your hair and brush it out to straighten it from the braids."

"You are undecided about Lt. Dan."

"What?" Savannah exclaimed.

"You are undecided about Lt. Dan. You do not feel you can talk to your mother about this nor can you talk to your stepfather. I doubt John Henry would be able to offer much insight of value."

Savannah's response was a deep sigh.

"He is handsome," Cameron monotoned. "Your offspring would be attractive."

"Cameron, there's more to marriage than that."

"I was teasing," Cameron monotoned. "I am fully aware marriage is complicated."

"I'm attracted to him. He's fun and I look forward to the time I spend with him."

"He treats you well, with respect. Your dignity is important to him. It is obvious to those who watch him interact with you he desires to have you become his wife."

"I've figured out that much, Cameron, it's just…"

"Selecting him would please Catherine and Wilhelm. She finds his manners charming, an essential trait for a spouse, in her mind. The fact Dan is an officer in the Airborne appeals to both of your parents. The prestige of the Airborne appeals to Catherine, and it should, and the status of being an officer is of great importance to Wilhelm."

"Suppose I want to marry a civilian, an artist or a farm worker?"

"It would be your choice," Cameron monotoned in response.

Confused by her friend's response, Savannah grunted in frustration.

"That's not a very helpful comment."

"It is factual."

"Have you anything more helpful to say?"

"You resist committing to Dan because of the suffering you have seen, in both our human and Terminator personnel. The difficult past between you and Catherine makes you desire to not consider her input in regards to a husband. Wilhelm is Wilhelm. He is a male's male. To him, service is why he was built. Military service protects the greatest number of our citizens, making it the most important service in all of TechCom. And so, he cannot comprehend anything less than the greatest commitment to service possible."

"John Henry's service is just as important. So is what I do," Savannah protested.

"I am not saying it isn't. Nor would Wilhelm."

"But you just said…"

"I said for Wilhelm, not you or your brother. Both of you serve others. That pleases him considerably, he simply does not know how to tell you."

"And you know this because?"

"He talks to John all the time about the two of you. You must know, Wilhelm feels considerable anxiety over this issue. He is conflicted."

"The great and mighty Major Wilhelm conflicted over who I pick for a husband? I can't picture that. I'm sorry Cameron, I just can't picture that."

"Catherine is fearful she will relapse. She desperately wants to see you produce a grandchild, so she can show you she can love a small child. That she really did love you when she assumed responsibility for you. As a T-1000 she did not know what to do, how to mother properly. Wilhelm wants this badly for her.

He wants you to be happy, to choose who will make you happy. If you do not choose in a way that pleases Catherine, there will be conflict between the two of you, which makes him feel inadequate. Think for a moment the anxiety that would cause an Uncle Bob model T-800?"

"I suppose," Savannah admitted.

"He cannot understand why you would not select an officer. Wilhelm has tried to be a good parent, even if in a difficult situation. He knows only to lead by example. Not selection an officer is rejecting him and the effort he has made as your stepfather."

"I love Wilhelm. It took awhile for John Henry and me to accept him but he's been wonderful, accept for the entire dating thing. He keeps Catherine in line and she just dotes on him."

"The dating thing," Cameron grinned. "Hailey and Ruth have similar complaints. Fathers are not trusting of the males courting or pursuing their daughters. It is annoying, but it is one of the ways they demonstrate love."

"I suppose. I can do with out it though."

"Do not say that," Cameron monotoned. "I had no father who valued my virtue and was determined to protect me until I was married to a loving husband."

Cameron took a piece of rebar lying by her boots and poked the fire, stirring the embers, bringing the fire back to life. "Only you can make the decision. Fear of what might happen is what you must overcome."

"Fear of what might happen? How do you overcome that? He could be killed in some raid or his HK blown out of the sky? Suppose I get fat? What if I can't bear children?"

"All of those things could happen," Cameron replied, watching the flames dance. "I know exactly how you feel. But doing nothing means a life without the man you love. Sharing everything with him, becoming a single unit."

Cameron stood up and offered the length of rebar to Savannah.

"I would be so much less without my John. I would not be happy, I know that much. It is a choice you have to make Savannah, a choice only you can make. Good night."

Savannah watched her friend vanish into the endless darkness without a sound. Watching the darkness, she saw a brief flash of light as Cameron entered her tent under the Command & Control HK. Glancing down at her watch, Savannah noted she had only twenty minutes until it was time to stand watch. She gave the fire a good stir and added some dry branches. Watching the fire leap up to consume the fresh fuel, Savannah considered all of what Cameron had told her.

Cameron was right. Fear separated Savannah from a life that could be wonderfully fulfilling. Or fear could be a proper warning steering her away from a lifetime of pain and misery.

For Cameron, the choice she had made despite the fear had been the correct one. Cameron and John's marriage was not an easy one. Yet every citizen of TechCom looked up to and admired the two leaders.

John loved his lethal wife and treated her with dignity and respect. Savannah, like many others had witnessed first hand the compassion he demonstrated towards Cameron. Yet he was a great general, commanding fear and respect from those he commanded and ruled.

Cameron had become a beloved leader, despite being a most lethal Terminator. She had come to represent the model of commitment and dedication to others that was needed in TechCom's fledgling society. Women adored how Cameron dotted on John and Hailey, shamelessly displaying love in the manner only Terminators could. With eternal vigilance, Cameron loved, served, cared for and protected John and everyone in his family, and she did it without shame. Something every mother could understand, human or metal.

The Connor Tent…

His study of maps had been broken when Cameron had entered their tent. John had shifted, trying to get comfortable on the air mattress produced for the expedition. Shamelessly, Cameron had undressed, carefully folding her clothes and placing them in a neat stack by a box containing items only Cameron knew of.

Pulling a pair of purple cotton underwear from a pouch in her backpack, Cameron quickly pulled them on. She smiled at John as she retrieved a t-shirt and pulled it over her head.

"It's colder than in our bunker," she monotoned, opening a box and pulling out two worn blankets. As she spread them over their makeshift bed, Cameron frowned. "I hope to obtain some new, unused blankets while on this expedition."

"These are fine," John encouraged, patting Cameron's arm as she adjusted the blankets a final time.

"Do you wish to study your maps still," she inquired politely.

"Yes, but I get the feeling you have something else in mind." John folded up the maps carefully and closed the notebook he had been writing in. He set them on the cold ground next to the small battery operated light and turned it off, filling the tent with a sudden darkness.

Before he could brace himself, Cameron was nestled against him. Carefully, John pulled the blankets up around her face and made a show of tucking her in, knowing full well Cameron did not need the warmth the blankets would provide.

"What's troubling you?"

"Am I good wife?"

Catching himself, John avoided laughing at Cameron's question.

"Yes. In every way that you could be, you are a good wife. You past muster, inspection and meet every requirement."

"You are not just saying that?"

"You're not perfect, but you're perfect for me. I would be dead and we wouldn't be having this conversation were it not for you. No woman could live with me, with what is expected of me. Yet, there you are everyday when I need you, eager to be with me. You're my best friend. You're such an important part of the family."

He watched his wife's face for any sign of expression and found none.

"We've had this exact discussion too many times for me to remember," John gently whispered.

"Sometimes I wonder how things would be different if I was just your protector and not your wife."

"Miserable," John replied quickly. "Of course, you could have done better in the husband picking part. I'm no catch."

"You are perfect John Connor," Cameron snapped back. "You are perfect for me."

"Then this discussion is over," he whispered.

Shifting to get comfortable, John felt the chill in the colder than normal air. "It is cold. Another advantage to being married," he teased.

He smiled at the strange purring sound emanating from Cameron. She was content and at peace. John knew she would enter her version of sleep in seconds. He felt her stiffen and then relax. Drowsiness made itself felt as his eyelids grew heavy. Knowing Cameron would be out and about the camp when he woke up, John decided to enjoy the security and comfort his wife provided him with every time she curled up with him.

In the world they lived in, he never knew what could happen, when things could change.

In the Cold of the Wastelands…

"Don't talk so loud Hailey, I can hear you just fine, you know, Terminator hearing."

"I'm cold. This is worse than standing guard on the perimeter at home," Hailey complained.

"We are at a higher elevation and the wind is blowing in from the mountains, bringing colder air with it."

"Well, this is so not the vacation we were supposed to be on."

"What did you expect? A trip to the place called Disneyland? If I had not seen files about the strange place I would consider it to be a mythic land parents tell kids about to allay their fears."

"For one thing Ruth, I had hoped to have a little more fun. Guard duty stinks."

"I am enjoying the expedition. There have been so many new things to see."

"You're an artist. You draw what you see. That's great for you Ruth. I want something to do!"

"You never change Hailey," Ruth told her niece. "We've flown over Airbase S-14, been fired on by an unknown submarine, skirted the border of the Northerners, flown over the Cannibal's Forest and moved north along the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. We've camped out at night, sat around an actual fire and even better, we're missing most of the last semester of school our senior year."

"You do have a point," Hailey mused. "This is better than school."

The pair sat in silence, listening to the strange sounds in the Wasteland. Hailey would never had admitted it, but if Ruth had not been with her, she would have been frightened more than she was. Somewhere nearby was the Old Man, their T-600 protector, accompanied by the family's Italian Greyhound Sammy.

Few things would be able to sneak up on Hailey in the darkness of the Wastelands. The sensors of the Old Man and Ruth's T-1000 scanning capability accompanied by Sammy's acute hearing and sense of smell made surprise unlikely.

"Do you ever get scared Ruth?"

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's Revenge

Cameron versus the Queen

Cameron versus Derek (short story)

Cameron: Fights Past and Present - A Collection of Short Stories

Cameron's Treasures (short story)

Cameron and the Black Bird

Cameron and John's Wedding

Who's the Boss?

The Storm Before the Calm