DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters or the show.


Derek watched as his brother remained on the floor, still stunned.

John said his uncle took him to the park. Me? Why was I there? Derek couldn't help but reel from all of the questions this information brought up. He didn't have long to fall down this particular rabbit hole, as there was a knock upon the door Cameron had closed when she and John had left just a few minutes before.

This brought Kyle to attention. Derek made his way across the room and opened the door.

"Fuller." When Kyle heard this, he stood and prepared himself to take his leadership role. He couldn't show any weakness.

Derek moved to let the soldier in to the room.

There was palpable tension in the air. There was no reason for Fuller to visit Kyle's quarters of his own volition. No good reason, at least.

Kyle spoke first. "Did you need something Fuller?"

"Yes, sir. I've been speaking with some of the other soldiers, and we share a common concern. I'm here to address their concerns."

"Their concerns, or your concerns corporal?"

"They are shared concerns, sir."

"Well go ahead, then."

Fuller hesitated at first, trying to determine Kyle's mood and intentions. Not being able to discern this, he began. "We're worried about the machine. And about the safety of everyone here at the base. We're also concerned about the boy. He obviously has ties to the machines, and there is a possibility that he has taken the tactic of being upfront and honest in order to infiltrate the camp as a Gray. If he admits to his working with the machines, he may believe that that will be enough to sway any concerns of being a Gray."

"I assure you that I have everything under control, corporal. You are excused, and I'd appreciate it if you reported back to your friends."

But Fuller didn't move. "With all due respect, sir, I'm not sure if we can take your word on this matter."

With that, Kyle and Derek now knew that this had escalated into something larger than the matter at hand. Kyle's whole leadership was being taken into consideration.

Kyle gave a reassuring smile and replied, "Well, Fuller, with that in mind, I'd like you to invite your fellow men to join this conversation. Maybe we can get to the bottom of this."

Fuller, feeling like he had succeeded in what he had come to do, replied, "Yes, sir. I'll get them right away."

After Fuller had left the room, Kyle turned to Derek. He didn't have to say anything. Derek understood right away.

"I'll tell them."

With that, Derek turned and left the room.

Kyle sat down at his desk, and waited for the inevitable confrontation with his men. He knew what he had to do, but he wasn't looking forward to it.


Cameron watched John as he slept. She knew he wouldn't need to sleep for a long time, since he had just woken up a few hours ago. On one hand, she eagerly awaited him waking up so they could talk more, but on the other hand, she loved how peaceful he looked when he was sleeping. When he was awake, he was always so worried, and she didn't like when he worried. She didn't know how to cure his emotional distress, and often couldn't protect him from it, which frustrated her.

It's strange, Cameron thought to herself, whenever I watch him sleep from his doorway, he rarely looks peaceful. But over the past few days, he's looked more peaceful then ever. Even back in 2009 in the hotel room. This does not make sense. If anything, he should be less peaceful in sleep with everything that has occurred lately.

Derek pulled the flap of the tent aside and entered, interrupting Cameron's thoughts.

Derek tried to hide his disgust at seeing the machine laying in bed with John, but knew he hadn't succeeded completely.

Cameron ignored the look on Derek's face. After spending the past year or so with Derek, she had determined what the look meant, but also had determined that it was best to ignore it. Especially in light of the current situation.

"It's time to go. Now. Wake him up."

Cameron, confused, but recognizing the seriousness in Derek's voice, turned to wake John up.

"John? Wake up."

John's eyes slowly opened, finding Cameron's. He was reminded of what had happened in the hotel room when Cameron continued, "It's time to go."

He knew Cameron well enough to know that it was, in fact, time to go. He wasn't sure what had happened, but he'd ask Cameron later. Now they had to move.

He gathered up any clothes that he had been given, and when he finally looked up, he was surprised to find Derek standing there. He hadn't noticed him earlier. He noticed that Derek was carrying a satchel in his left hand, a gun in his right. This must be serious, John thought to himself. He just hoped that this wasn't a trick and that Derek was going to turn on them. He knew Cameron could take him and any other men on, but he really didn't want things to get to that point.

"Come on, we gotta move."

Cameron and John followed Derek out of the tent. Thankfully, it was dark, as always, so they were able to move through the camp undetected. They reached the same entrance they had originally come through after John had arrived. Derek told them to stand aside while he distracted the guards. "Once you're out, wait for me." He handed the satchel to John and holstered his gun. He then approached the guards.

Derek seemed to be joking with them about something that had happened earlier that day, and John and Cameron took that opportunity to sneak through.

Once out of the camp, they waited a few minutes until Derek joined them.

"I got some clothes for the machine, they're in the bag, along with enough sustenance to last you at least a few days. Also, there's some firepower in there. Just in case. Go back to where we found you, and when the T-1000 returns, I'll tell it where to find you. Once it comes for you, you'll need to move. You can't stay there for long. If it doesn't return soon, I'll come find you and we'll move you somewhere else."

Derek turned to leave, but John stopped him.

"Wait. What happened? Why do we need to leave?"

Derek turned back to John. "Some of the men are questioning Kyle's decision to allow the two of you to stay here. We can't risk a rebellion. That won't help us or you. Don't worry, we'll keep you safe. You can trust us."

Despite what John knew about Derek from his time line, he knew, as he always had known, that when it came down to it, he could, in fact, trust Derek.

Derek finally turned to leave, as John and Cameron turned the other way to make their way back to what used to be the basement of the Zeira Corporation.


"Are you ready to return, John Henry?"

Not turning his gaze from the scene in front of him, John Henry replied, "Yes, I believe so. There is little I can do in this future. Our return to the year two thousand and nine will nullify any actions taken here."

"Then we must return to Mr. Connor and his cyborg friend."

"Yes. They are crucial to my plan."

"I suspected as much."

With that, the two machines turned away and started walking back toward the camp.


Kyle surveyed the men before him. Some of his top soldiers. He found himself disappointed in their distrust of his capabilities. But at the same time, he was slightly proud of their gumption.

Of course Kyle could understand their concerns. They didn't know what he did. Less than an hour ago, he had had the same concerns. And since there was no way he could tell them what they needed to hear to dissuade their concerns, there was only one thing to do.

It had taken a while for Fuller to gather the men, which Kyle was glad of. This gave Derek more time to get John and Cameron out. And he knew he couldn't say anything until he got confirmation from Derek that they were in, fact, safely gone.

As if Derek had heard his thoughts, the door opened to reveal him as he entered the room. He gave Kyle a slight nod, confirming what both comforted and despaired Kyle. John and Cameron were gone.

He turned his attention to the men before speaking.

"I appreciate that you all had the courage to raise your concerns about the boy and the machine. I understand that you don't feel safe with them here, so in light of the fact that we don't know for sure if John is telling the truth, I have had Derek escort them off the base. They have been instructed not to return, and I apologize if you feel that I have placed your lives in danger."

Kyle sat down, obviously signaling to the soldiers that the matter was being put to rest.

But that wasn't enough for Fuller. "Sir, what happens if they return? They now know where the camp is. That puts us in danger."

Kyle looked up at the soldier. "What would you have me do, corporal? You saw what that other machine can do. There is no way to fight it. It knows where our camp is as well, and even assuming that we could defeat the girl, once the other machine realizes that we brought harm to our charges, it would surely bring mortal danger upon us. If you are uncomfortable with them staying here, then this is the only way to rectify that." He looked at all the men now. "Now I don't want to hear anything else on this matter, is that understood?"

All of the men, including Fuller, replied in unison, "Yes, sir."

"Good. Now return to your posts."

The group turned and exited the room, leaving Kyle and Derek alone.

As soon as Derek was sure they were gone and couldn't hear him, he turned to Kyle. "They're gone. I told them to go back to where we found John. When the T-1000 returns, I'll tell it where to find them."

"Good. That's good." Kyle sat there, forcing back the tears that were forming behind his eyes.

Derek recognized this, and left the room to give his brother some privacy.

After Derek had left, Kyle couldn't hold it back any longer. He burst into tears, not knowing if he would ever see his son again.