Chapter Seven: A Life for a Life

"JOHN!! NO!! No, no, no, please, no!"

Cameron couldn't believe it, it couldn't be true. But her logic software told her it was so, and she cried out in utter despair as realisation hit her. Kevin smiled gloatingly and tilted his head to one side.

"The future is ours now, sis. The love of your life is dead. Tell me; how does that feel?"

Suddenly, the door burst open and Jason stormed onto the threshold, a shotgun in hand.

"A little like this."

He blasted Kevin, sending him flying across the room.

"JASON!"

Jason took a short moment to absorb the scene in front of him. Cameron was chained up and John lay unmoving, his head in a bucket of ice water. He decided his next move in a nanosecond and rushed to Cameron's side.

"Hold still."

Jason pulled the trigger, blasting the chains and freeing Cameron, who immediately rushed to John's side and pulled his head out of the bucket. She then began performing CPR, desperately trying to bring her lover back.

"Come on, John, please, come back to me."

Jason began reloading the shotgun when a fist struck him from behind. He staggered back and trained the shotgun on Kevin, but he kicked it away before he could fire. Jason grabbed Kevin and threw him into the kitchen. Kevin landed in a heap next to the back door. Cameron continued to press down on John's chest until he finally coughed up the water and gasped for air. Cameron laughed with joy and hugged him tight.

"I thought I'd lost you."

"Very… nearly."

Kevin got to his feet and charged Jason who performed a spinning kick that sent the Terminator crashing into the sink. He then grabbed Kevin and hurled him into the cupboards, spilling their contents all over the floor. Jason turned back to Cameron and John, a look of desperation on his face.

"Get out of here, now."

Cameron placed John's arm over her shoulder and lifted him to his feet, but did not leave.

"Come with us."

"No, someone has to keep this psycho busy. Just go, don't worry about me."

Kevin charged him again but was quickly knocked aside.

"I'm not leaving you."

Jason turned to her, his desperation replaced with anger.

"I said just GO!"

Cameron gave him one final look before dragging John out of the house. Jason turned to Kevin, who'd gotten back to his feet. He squinted at Jason, a smile forming on his face.

"Don't I know you?"

--

"Hey, mei mei. How're things today?"

Jason picked up the clipboard and gave the diagnostic unit a kick, bringing it into action. He went over John's notes and made a few corrections here and there before putting the clipboard down.

"It's been three days, eleven hours, and sixty-three minutes since John's last visit. Have I done something wrong? Is he mad at me?"

"Of course not, he's just very busy. A bunch of triple-8s ambushed an important shipment and John went to help out. He is a soldier, you know."

Jason smiled at her and could've sworn he received one back. Cameron lay on the examination table, a wire plugged into her skull to monitor her CPU. Jason stared at the data on the diagnostic unit for a moment and laughed at what he'd read.

"Ah, it seems John has been trying out the oldie jokes. I'm guessing you didn't so much as crack a smile, did you?"

"He was annoyed that I could not grasp his 'exhaustible humour'. I thought that was why he hasn't visited me."

She sounded almost regretful. This was a good sign. Like any new-born, Cameron needed someone to imprint upon, and that had been John. She is discovering attachment.

"And how does that make you feel? Do you miss John?"

"I… don't know. I don't understand."

Jason sighed.

"Well, that's to be expected. Do you want John to be here right now?"

"Yes!"

Jason was startled by her forceful response and, judging by the look on her face, so was she.

"You enjoy his company?"

"I… don't know. Do you?"

Jason wasn't expecting the turn-around.

"I like his jokes. But he can be rather broody at times."

Cameron looked up at him, a look of curiosity on her face.

"Would you die for him?"

A curious question, but a valid one nonetheless. Jason gave it careful consideration before answering.

"Yes."

--

He could feel every crack, every fracture. He could feel his collar bone splintering under Kevin's foot. But it didn't hurt, and it wouldn't stop him. Jason kicked up at Kevin's face, knocking him backwards. He then got to his feet and took out Kevin's legs, knocking him to the floor. Kevin glared up at him as Jason tore a fire extinguisher from the nearby cupboard and began cracking it over his head with a desperate ferocity the likes of which he'd never seen.

Kevin caught the extinguisher and tore it from Jason's grip. Jason backed away as the Terminator stood up and discarded the make-shift weapon. Kevin casually brushed the dust from his clothes and started towards Jason, who backed away further.

"Ah, now I remember. Jason Corvain, renegade I-950. Your entire breed disgusts me. You're neither man nor machine; you're a sick perversion of both. Why Skynet would ever create such a thing is beyond me. I am the future, not you."

"Yeah, and what future is that? Look around you, you'd really see all of this destroyed?"

"Absolutely, this world is infested with the filth of humanity. It must be cleansed, and Skynet will see to that."

Jason looked him up and down, disgust lining every feature.

"Trust Skynet to create a fanatic."

"As I recall, so were you once."

"Yeah, but I saw the light."

--

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"It's okay… just give me a moment."

Jason pulled his digit to the left, popping the bone back in place. He'd been teaching Cameron a game called "Thumb War", but was unable to compete with her level of strength. He gave his thumb a couple of flicks to make sure it was okay and then sat back down.

"Alright then, let's try again."

"But… you are not strong enough. I will continue to beat you and hurt your hand."

Jason took her small fingers in his and placed his thumb on hers.

"That's true, but I was never one to admit defeat."

--

With everything that he'd experienced in his lifetime, all the pain, all the anguish, Jason thought it odd that he'd never been smashed through a wall until now. He shook his head, dust and debris flying every which way, and considered getting a haircut, assuming he survives this encounter. He staggered to his feet and pried the ceramic sink from the wall and smashed it over Kevin's head, with little effect. Kevin retaliated by grabbing Jason and ploughing him through another wall and into Cameron's bedroom.

Jason rolled over her soft bed and took a moment to get his breath back. The fight wasn't going at all the way he planned. For all his strength, his resolve; Jason was still fundamentally human. And however increased his endurance may be, he still needed his organic body in order to live, and that wouldn't last much longer under these circumstances. But he'd made his choice when he refused to accompany Cameron. He knew the price for holding her psychotic brother at bay. Kevin stepped through the wall and clenched his fists, ready to crush his skull in one punch.

"Brother versus Brother, it's almost biblical."

"We're not brothers."

"We are to Cameron, and how she perceives us is the only thing that matters."

Jason couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Like you care what she thinks?"

"Oh, I care, more than you could possibly know."

Kevin launched a series of punches, most of which Jason blocked, resulting in the fracture of his left arm. He was beginning to weaken, but he still had a few tricks left.

"Why else do you think I came back to this retched time? I certainly didn't do it to see the sights."

"Well, you won't have to worry about that any more."

Activating Program "Sabotage"…..

Kevin's HUD suddenly went blank. I took him a moment before he realised what had happened; Jason had used his neural implant to disrupt his ocular systems. Curse those infernal I-950s and their signal scramblers. Kevin was blind; he couldn't see anything except hazard warnings that flashed in his peripheral. Before he could engage his systems to conduct repairs, Kevin suffered a heavy impact and stumbled backwards, tripping over Cameron's bed and falling to the floor.

Jason watched with smug satisfaction as Kevin crawled across the floor, blindly trying to get away. Jason knew he had to act soon though, as his little trick wouldn't last for very long. He searched Cameron's room, looking for some kind of penetrative weapon. Aside from a pair of ballet shoes and a bar of coltan, the only weapon he could find was a crow-bar.

This will have to do.

--

Cameron dragged John down an alley, moving as fast as she could without causing John too much discomfort; he'd had enough for one night. John suddenly began to shake and coughed up a mouthful of blood. Cameron did an analysis and discovered that he had a discreet stab wound on his thigh, no doubt caused by Kevin during his torture games. She gently lowered him to the ground and tore John's trousers to find a small, but deep hole.

She placed her hand over the wound to slow the blood loss, John coughed and twitched, his eye lids fluttering: he was going into shock.

"John? John, come on, don't do this to me. You have to stay awake, please, for me."

But it was no good; his head slumped back as he slipped out of consciousness. Cameron tore a piece of her shirt and wrapped it around the wound and, once the bleeding was securely staunched, picked John up onto her shoulder and set off at a fast pace.

--

Sarah kept the gas pedal to the floor, not caring about drawing attention to herself by speeding. Her head gave another painful throb, but she ignored it. Sarah had managed to summon the energy to commandeer a car and was racing back home, hoping to God that Jason had got there in time. She couldn't bear the thought of something happening to her John, or Cameron for that matter. Her concern for the latter gave her pause, but she put it aside. For better or worse, the machine had become the closest thing to a daughter she ever had, and that made her precious.

I'm coming kids, just hold on.

--

Derek drained the last bottle. It all made sense now. He knew what he had to do, and he was going to do it. For John, for Sarah, even for that damn machine. He was going to fix the mistakes of the past.

Derek patted the tombstone and staggered to his feet, swaying under the alcohol's influence.

"Thanks… for our little chat… You did me a favour… See you around… mate."

Despite his vision being blurred and his head feeling like it was made of cotton wool, Derek stumbled onwards, determined to set everything straight.

--

Jason rolled Kevin onto his back and pinned him down with his foot. He then raised the crow-bar above his head and brought it down upon the machine's face, hoping to blind him permanently. Unfortunately, Kevin's sight returned a second before the crow-bar made contact, and he was able to catch it in time. They struggled for a few agonising moments, until Kevin twisted the crow-bar towards Jason and let go. Jason fell forwards onto the crow-bar and let out a gasp of surprise as it penetrated his chest, puncturing his lung.

Jason was incredulous and staggered back. He gripped the crow-bar, and with all his remaining strength, wrenched it out of his chest and let it drop to the floor. Kevin laughed maniacally as he got to his feet, taking real pleasure in his suffering.

"You're in over your head, Jason. Maybe you should go back to 2032."

Jason coughed up a mouthful of blood and stumbled backwards, his face set with hate and rage.

"You… never should have left."

Kevin grabbed him by the throat and pinned him against the wall, slowly crushing his larynx. Jason's mind was racing, so many thoughts passed through him at once, but he pushed them all aside and focused on what he needed to do.

Transfer commencing… Compartmentalization achieved… Broadcasting audio message 9352#XY71: "Cameron…" Interruption: system failure…

A small cracking sound, a lot less dramatic than Kevin expected, and Jason's body went limp, never to move again.

--

"You're upset. Why?"

Jason fought back the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes and forced himself to look at her.

"Because our time here has ended, tomorrow John will send you back to 1999, and I'll never see you again. We'll be forever separated by thirty-three years, and I can't imagine life without my little sister."

Cameron tilted her head to one side and stared at him inquisitively.

"Why do you always call me that? We are not related, I am a Terminator, and you are an Infiltrator. We have no relation what-so-ever."

Jason smiled sardonically.

"We may not be biologically linked, but I was there when you were created. I took you away from Skynet. I helped John rehabilitate you. I have been with you every step of the way. You're the closest thing to family that I could ever ask for, and I care for you more than words can say."

Cameron analysed his words carefully, extrapolating their full meaning.

"I care for you too."

Jason took her hand in his and planted a small kiss on her forehead.

"Remember; you can always find me, in here."

He placed his hand where her heart should be. Cameron looked confused, she didn't understand his meaning.

"I… don't understand."

Jason smiled affectionately and gave her one final hug, whispering in her ear.

"You will… one day."

--

Cameron almost dropped John in surprise. Jason's voice had touched her mind ever so briefly and spoken her name before being suddenly cut off. It took Cameron a moment to realise that she had just heard his dying thoughts.

"Jason?"

Unwittingly, Cameron dropped to her knees as the truth tore into her. She tried to convince herself that she was mistaken, that she misinterpreted his message. But she couldn't fool herself for more than a few seconds, and was forced to embrace the terrifying truth: Jason, the only other man she cared for, was dead. It hit her with the full force of a speeding truck.

Jason had reached out to her in his last moment, a desperate plea for some final comfort, which he never received. Cameron clutched at the place where her heart would be, as she finally accepted the fact that her "brother" was gone forever, never to return.

--

Sarah screeched to a halt outside the house and dived out of the car. She rushed up the path to find the door had been kicked in. Her jaw dropped as she saw the destruction before her; the kitchen was decimated and the living room was no better off. Even worse, she spotted splatters of blood all over the floor and feared the worst. Picking up the shotgun, she cautiously explored the rest of the house, coming to a stop at Cameron's room and felt her heart skip a beat as she took in the scene before her.

Jason lay on his side, a pool of blood steadily seeping from his chest. Sarah slowly approached the body, stepping around the bloody crow-bar and knelt beside him. A quick check of his non-existent pulse confirmed her fears and she closed her eyes, biting back the pain. Slowly, she got to her feet and crept from the house.

John was still out there, and she wasn't going to let Jason's sacrifice be for nothing.

--

It didn't take him long to find them. The knife wound had served its purpose, the trail of blood led Kevin straight to their location. He cut the corner and raced to the other side of the road, cutting them off. Cameron's eyes widened as he blocked her path. She had John slung unceremoniously over her shoulder, and was struggling with the decision to put him down and fight or run for it. Neither left much hope for her injured lover.

Kevin smiled sadistically and took a step towards her, only to find himself flying through the air and crashing on the hard tarmac moments later.

"Derek!"

"Come on, move it, before he gets up."

The sound of a car door opening and closing again, followed by the screech of tyres, was all Kevin needed to confirm that he'd failed, for now at least. He got to his feet and scowled at the vehicle as it sped away.

He turned on his heel and marched back to the Connor residence, hoping to find something that would lead him to them.

This isn't over, dear sister of mine…