Chapter 3

By LongRider

Cameron had found an old beat up Chevrolet Suburban parked next to a Suzuki DRZ400sm and a Yamaha XVS650.

John had looked longingly at the bikes before another dull throb reminded him his shoulder was in no shape for riding on two wheels.

The Chevy had started on the second try and Cameron had swiftly and efficiently transferred the compacted remains of the Terminator into the back.

John had faded in and out on the trip home. At one point he had mumbled that his mother was going to freak out when they told her what happened.

xxXxx

He had been correct. Cameron had helped John settle on the couch and then stood by his side throughout Sarah's tirade.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Sarah yelled again.

"I couldn't let her be crushed." John said defiantly, if not for Cameron's hand on his shoulder he would have stood.

Cameron meanwhile remained silent. She was again entranced by the input she received from her contact with John.

"You cannot risk yourself for anyone John. You're too important!" John shot to his feet at Sarah's words. Cameron's link was broken when he moved into his mother's personal space.

"Too important to risk my own ass to save somebody else! Is that the kind of leader I'm supposed to be?" Sarah stepped back, before she could reply Derek interrupted.

"What's going on?" Derek's eyes swept over mother and son, then stared accusingly at Cameron.

"Get in and shut the door." Sarah yelled, then quickly got back on topic.

"You were supposed to keep him safe!" This was directed to Cameron.

"Don't you blame her for this! This is my fault, my responsibility." John moved back into Sarah's line of sight. Sarah refused to look him in the eye.

"What do you mean?" Sarah gave up staring daggers at Cameron and turned to her son.

"I told her to. She was following orders." Derek's eyebrows flew to his hairline. His gun flew out of concealment to aim unwavering at Cameron.

"Since when does IT follow your orders?" Cameron's HUD flashed in warning of the imminent threat. There was a 91.6% probability that the shot would take off her CPU housing cover. Before she could move to disarm the threat. John got in the way.

"SHE was doing what I told HER to." Derek tensed, adjusting his grip on the gun.

"Get out of the way John!" Derek barked. Cameron could tell he was trying to find a way to shoot around John. Before she could move to protect him, Sarah interceded.

"Drop the gun Derek." Sarah ordered. Derek hesitated for a second and had the decision taken away when Sarah slapped his arm down.

"IT'S a threat John. IT has to go." Derek insisted, repeating the same familiar line since they had met.

"If SHE goes. I go." the finality in that statement had Sarah and Derek staring at John in shock.

Cameron tilted her head. He was placing himself in harms way for her. This was unacceptable.

"Stop treating IT like a person! IT'S a metal John! And IT almost got you killed" Sarah and John could hear the disgust in Derek's voice.

"SHE'S on our side, SHE'S a part of this messed up family and the only real friend I have." John ignored Sarah's flinch.

"I mean it. Everyone risks their lives for me. You risk yourselves for me and it's all okay and normal. SHE risks HERself for me and every single time SHE gets torn up, neither one of you gives a damn. I come back with a few bumps and bruises from doing the right thing and suddenly it's wrong." Sarah exploded at Johns words.

"A dislocated shoulder is more than a bump or bruise!" John flashed her a look of utter irritation.

"I did what any good leader would do, I did it for HER, I'd do it for both of YOU. It'll heal, I'll live." Derek stepped forward into John's personal space, he was disappointed that John didn't react, in a voice as dry as the desert he made his point.

"You can barely move your right arm." To drive his point home he patted John's shoulder with way more force than necessary. Cameron noticed John's sharp intake of breath and his back tensing a fraction of a second before Derek crashed to the floor from the punch.

"Left arm works just fine." John said as Derek blinked in surprise at John before wiping the blood off his lip.

"That's enough! Both of you! Bad enough we have to fight everyone else, the last thing we need is you two getting into a pissing contest. Why did the men in her life have to be such stupid stubborn boys?

"I still want an answer, John." Sarah had finally calmed down enough to listen. Johns answer hit her like a punch in the gut.

"I had to get her out of there." Was the only one he gave. It was the same answer he had given years ago. I had to get you out of there. I'm sorry.

Cameron, who had remained silent throughout the argument, silently followed John out of the living room. As she left she heard Derek utter.

"Damn Sarah, kid hits as hard as you do."

xxXxx

They worked in silence. She taking care of his shoulder and the few scrapes he'd picked up. Then he helped with the gouges in her bare arms, her clothing had protected the rest of her.

Cameron had a question for John. But was still attempting to correctly phrase it. She had learned from extensive contact with humans that if she phrased something incorrectly, then she would be asked to repeat herself multiple times or would be misinterpreted and not get any answers. Before she could ask, John ended the silence.

"Do you think either of us would exist if the war never happens?" John asked as he carefully sutured the wound near her elbow, she would need the full range of movement.

"Temporal mechanics is not part of my programming." Cameron answered, she decided she would ask her question later, from the contact she had with John, she knew he was calm and would not do anything to disturb that. John sighed at her reply.

"Hypothetical question Cam." She turned to look him in the eye, to show he had her full attention.

"If I don't send back Kyle Reese to protect my mother from Skynet's first assassination attempt. Do I cease to exist? Or does something happen to insure my survival. Like Skynet, is my birth just postponed?" Cameron had no answers for John. The idea that he would cease to exist caused nearly all of her subroutines to bombard her functions simultaneously. It was a scenario that had never been examined, like John dying, it was something to be prevented at all costs.

"I think we'd still exist. I think I'm supposed to be the great military leader who fights Skynet no matter what." Cameron noted that her subroutines became more manageable and resumed her repairs.

"Maybe we'd never meet if I don't become THAT MAN." Cameron did not find this scenario to be an improvement, she also noted the disdain John put into those two words, before she could ask he continued his train of thought.

"Maybe I could be something else." Cameron stopped her work to ask a new question.

"What could you be?" John sighed before answering.

"I think about that sometimes. I never get very far." John shrugged and resumed working.

"If you ceased to exist." Cameron carefully phrased, John paused to look at her as she spoke.

"I would not have this mission." John tilted his head in an exact imitation of her.

"Maybe you would be free to do what you like." Cameron noted John focussed intently on her arm as he said this.

"I don't understand." Interpretation was everything. John sighed again.

"You're here because the resistance reprogrammed you to be my protector in this time. You didn't choose this. You can't not protect me. Between Skynet and my future self, you've had no choices at all. If not for the mission programmed into your chip, you could do anything you like."

"Thank you for explaining." John snorted as they worked on the last wound. Sarah appeared in the doorway just as they finished.

"We need to talk, John." John stood up again and Cameron noted how John tried to hide the discomfort he was in.

"No we don't." Sarah flinched again at her sons tone.

"I need to talk." Sarah could literally see the mental wall go up behind John's eyes. Cameron made no noise as she observed them.

"You need to be more careful John. You could have died today." Sarah knew she wouldn't get through to him when he squared his shoulders and straightened to his full height.

"Not this again." John stared in disbelief.

"You need to understand . . ." John interrupted.

"What do you want from me mom? Do you want me to stand by while someone I care about gets killed? Is that who I'm supposed to be? Is that what I'm supposed to become?" Cameron noted John was shaking. He'd only paused to inhale before he continued.

"Isn't it bad enough to know I'm going to become a cold hearted bastard. I have to start being one now?" Sarah looked at her son uncomprehendingly.

"What are you talking about?" John was trembling with anger.

"I'm the one who sends his soldiers on suicide missions. My own father is dead because I didn't send backup. Everybody in the future has been brainwashed into believing I can do anything, that I'm some messiah. People die around me, people die for me and all I'm hearing is I need to save my own skin because I'M TOO IMPORTANT!" John glared at Sarah, who had gone pale from the sheer self-loathing she heard in her son's voice. John fell back into the chair Cameron manoeuvred underneath him. Sarah just walked away, John turned to Cameron.

"Everybody dies for me. And I shouldn't even be here." He then stood and walked to his bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

xxXxx

Cameron felt the wind as she sped down the empty road.

The motorbike roared as she pulled back on the throttle, increasing speed. The lights flew past her in streaks. For a human this was incredibly dangerous, for her this meant she had to adjust her reaction time.

Squeeze the clutch, lift the gear, release the clutch slowly. Listen to the engine rumble louder as the needle on the speedometer moved to triple digits. Lean into the turns.

Cameron could feel the resistance the air offered, could feel the pull that was placed on her clothing, the cold on her exposed skin.

She had been sent on another mission. Following up a possibility that had led to a dead end. Now Cameron was returning home. Returning to her primary mission of protecting John.

There was no other traffic on the road, so Cameron increased the bikes speed to maximum. The probability of attracting the attention of the authorities was minimal.

Finally arriving at her destination. She shut off the engine and climbed off the bike. It would need to be secured. After she had checked on John.

Using her key in the simple lock she could have easily broken, Cameron gained entry to the silent house. Immediately heading for John's room.

Only to find he was not there.

Cameron checked all of the rooms in the house. Nobody was home.

"What are you doing in my house?" Cameron turned to see a man of average height and build in the doorway.

"I live here, why are you in my home?" He ignored her and reached for the phone on the wall. Cameron was up like a shot, she grabbed the man by the throat and lifted him off his feet.

"I asked you a question." She stated, he gurgled something she couldn't hear. Cameron eased her grip on his throat.

"Can." She stared at his face, certain she had never seen him before.

"Can." He repeated, but she had already heard this answer. Cameron looked around at the house, it didn't seem any different.

"Cam." She froze at the sound of John's nickname for her. She couldn't see anyone else in the room.

"Cam!" Cameron's eyes snapped back to the intruder in her home. He was struggling for air and trying to pry her fingers open with his left hand.

"CAM!" John's voice overrode any other priorities she may have had.

Cameron woke up.

And let go of John Connors throat immediately.