Disclaimer -- Thanks to all the creators behind the Terminator Saga for letting us play in your world.
A/N -- I appreciate the warm reception on this board.
"Charley what in the world is that kid doing here?" While Cameron had been tring to get me out the front, Charley's gorgeous blonde wife had walked in through the back. Right now she stands in the kitchen pouring herself a drink. "Isn't he that road sign stealing, hacker cretin from your ex-fiancée, the one who walked out on you?" That isn't very charitable of her. "Oh migod, Charley!" Now she's yelling. "You aren't getting back together with her, are you?" Charley's gorgeous blonde wife came home a little early feeling amorous. Now she's upset.
Charley took a step back and held up his hands. He was trying to tell her it wasn't what she thought. She wasn't listening.
"John, come on, this situation is escalating out of control. We have To Go Now." Cameron had me dragged halfway out the front door and Charley's wife had a juice glass in her hand cocked back like she was about to throw it at his head. How do I get into things like this?
At least no one was shooting at us.
Thank Heaven for small favors.
-x-
It all started with the falling girl.
A blond cheerleader named Jordan Cowen climbed up on top of the gym at my high school and jumped off. I watched her fall. I wanted to go up the stairs on the outside of the building and try to save her.
Could I have talked her down? I don't know.
I'm meant be this great leader, this great hero in some vague future that's not so far off anymore. How do I grow up to be that guy, if all I ever do to practice for it is keep my head down, try not to be noticed and run away? Cameron tried to convince me not to go up there, but I never got the chance because Jordan jumped.
Normal kids do not jump off of buildings and become chalk outlines. Something or someone made her jump. I'm going to find out who did and make them pay.
I got Mr. Keller, the school newspaper adviser, to let me and Cameron join the paper staff to write a memorial article about Jordan. I promised him a feel good, heart warming story that left everyone feeling like Tiny Tim at the end of A Christmas Carol by Dickens. So far that has gotten me several interviews, put me on the trail of a possible child abuser, and right now I'm in the middle of a verbal combat zone.
I take my one free arm and stick two fingers in my mouth make that really loud whistle. Then I speak softly. Mr. St. Thomas, my algebra teacher, does that sometimes to get the class to quiet down and pay attention. "Would you all just be quiet and listen to me for two seconds? I have answers to both of your questions that will diffuse this time bomb of a moment. Everyone quieted down and Cameron loosened her grip on my arm.
"First off, Mrs. Dixon, my mom is on a date right now with a guy who sells phones and builds computers, okay. She's not interested in Charley.
"Second, Charley, that guy you were asking about? Combat veteran who lost a leg in Afghanistan, got it rebuilt back here and then went nuts, okay?" I lied about Cromartie. "End of story." I paused and took a breath. "Everybody okay with that?"
I stole a glance at Cameron as she slugged me in the shoulder and winked. A smile is worth a thousand words.
Next thing I know its hugs all around. Charley makes it to work. Miss Sylvia, Charley's wife is giving Cameron tips on make up and we're both invited back any time we want.
Pretty Cool, huh? Except that he knows about the Terminator that came after me in New Mexico; that's going to require some follow up and smoothing over. Charley's a smart guy. If he knows any more than what he told me, he'll put two and two together.
-x-x-
The next morning I have a quick breakfast and Cameron and I catch the early bus to school. I need to figure out what time of day to try to get into those teacher records. Of course we'll need to know whose records to look at. We could start with all the ones with a last initial of K, but I'd rather narrow it down a bit more first.
But for now we're staking out the principal's office and watching to see who else is around and paying attention. "What were you saying about a role model yesterday?" I ask Cameron.
"I am a Machine trying to blend in among humans. I can not simply go around waving my arms, shouting 'Warning Will Robinson.'
I smile and have to choke back a laugh, "Was that a joke?"
"I mean it." Cameron stares at me and I swear she looked serious. "Did I say something funny." She asked in her usual deadpan dry delivery that just made the whole moment even funnier.
"Yes. Absolutely. Can you imagine yourself doing this:" I stand up with my knees touching and take little tiny steps. Then I pin my elbows to my sides, swing my hands around and say, "Danger Will Robinson. Danger Will Robinson." I stop, sit back down next to her and try to stop laughing.
Cameron flashes her own smile and punches me in the shoulder like last night. "I can imagine that if I were to do that, I would look much more graceful."
"You would look hilarious. So, the robot from Lost in Space is out."
"Yes. Absolutely." She says that just like I did a moment ago. "I need a role model to pattern myself after."
"Have you thought about Mr. Data from 'Star Trek'?" I say glancing at my watch and making a note on my pad as the School Secretary walked past the Office to the Ladies' Room.
He face goes absolutely blank for a moment and her eyes go out of focus. I think that's her thinking about something look. Then her eyes go back in focus a moment before she speaks, "I don't think he would work because Data was an android trying to be like a human, but he never had to actually pass for human."
I look at my not pad and think for a moment. "I can't suggest anyone else, but you have to seriously work on your hourglass look."
"Explain hourglass look." Cameron says emotionlessly. I make loose fist with my left hand and put it up to my chin and look at her thoughtfully while I listen to her response.
I extend my left hand away from my face and open it slightly, "You were processing information a moment ago, right?"
"Yes."
"Well, when people do that they sometimes furrow their brows, something like this." I showed her. She looked at me carefully and copied my expression. "Or they fiddle with their glasses, take a drink of water, or look at their note pad or hand computer. There's all kind of little quirks that people have when they're thinking but those seem to be the most common to me. What you did was, well, it wasn't very human."
"Okay." She looks intent just for a moment. "Thank you."
"Sure." I open both my hands in an 'it was nothing' gesture. "I'm just trying to help you fit in. Who were you thinking of for role models?"
She leans in close and speaks conspiratorially, "I was thinking of R. Daneel Olivaw or Andrew Martin."
"Who are they?" I lean forward and ask in equally conspiratorial tone while making a note of the time since an Assistant Principal just came and opened the Office.
"R. Daneel was one of the heroes of Isaac Asimov's Robot novels. The R. in Olivaw's name stood for Robot. He was a robot that looked like a man. Elijah Bailey was a detective on the New York City Police and R. Daneel was assigned as his partner. Only Bailey and a couple of other Earthmen knew that R. Daneel was a robot. So, Daneel had to learn to act like a human and fit in. Andrew Martin was a robot who actually did become a human being in the movie 'Bicentennial Man'" She explained it all with a thoughtful tone. She didn't gesture much but she had a look of sincerity about her.
"Daneel Olivaw sounds like an especially good role model considering that we are doing this whole Private Investigator thing with Jordan's death." I guess that made me Bailey. Hmm, John Bailey.
By the time the bell rang we had noted what time the Office people came in for work and determined that no one was paying attention to the Office before they got in. I probably wouldn't be able to stay after school since Mom was working day shift at the diner all this week and I was pretty sure that janitors came in after school. It wouldn't do to have them see me any more than anyone else. Tomorrow I would slip into the office thru the ceiling tiles and get the teacher file.
As we walked to class I stopped Cameron and said, "Hey, don't take the whole role model thing too far. You need to figure out who you are and learn to be that. Don't try to be someone else or someone else's idea of who you should be. You'll never be happy that way."
"You sound just like some one I remember." She put a hand on my shoulder and smiled like she was welcoming an old friend.
"Who's that?" I ask, genuinely wondering.
"You." She said simply. And on that note we walked to English class.