**Author's Note** Mkay, as all of us writers do, we often forget facts chapter to chapter… I just so happened to forget that I already gave Alex a different car. So yeah, I find myself to be a complete genius right now… XD

Annnd we get to see Mackenzie's mother! If any of you have questions about how she can be Mackenzie's mother, just send me a message ^_^ I'll be glad to answer your questions and explain how exactly all of it happened, I just don't want to give it all away here. XP

And again, I really apologize to everyone for your wait on Chapter 10. I know this is no excuse, but my life really is hectic right now. O.O And I graduate from high school this Saturday, so writing my speech has cut into my fiction writing time as well.. . As soon as I'm through with that (and after I get back from my trip to California, W00T!) I am going to be a Terminator-writing fiend, I tell you!

But yeah, I hope you all enjoy Chapter 10!

Chapter 10

Alex sighed as he sat in his Toyota MR2 Spyder. He was on his way home from another day at work. He hadn't seen Catherine for several days, since she had been working on her 'secret project,' and yet, the offer Zeira Corp was willing to make hadn't left the back of his mind. He'd have to be an idiot not to accept it. Alex was just having difficulties with his moral decision.

Did he really want to be responsible for hundreds of thousands…of potentially millions of lives lost because of his creation…his virus? Frankly, what human being with an ounce of compassion, morality, and humility would want that on their shoulders?

Alex shook his head slightly and glanced at the radio. Music. Music always helped soothe his mind in times like these. He reached for the dial and rock music started blaring from the stereo. He could feel the bass through his seat and the steering wheel. Okay…it wasn't exactly the most soothing music in the world, but it helped to drown out the doomsday thoughts residing in Alex's brain.

Even that only helped for a few moments. Soon the guitar riffs and drum solos turned into an unintelligible drone as those doomsday thoughts prevailed. Unbelievably, Alex was actually considering the financial side of the deal Zeira Corp was making to him. The job he had now wasn't the highest paying job in the world, and he couldn't even do what he wanted for probably ten more years to really be considered an 'experienced scientist.'

The people weren't all that great there either. Sure, he had a few friendly coworkers, but none of them would invite him to a family barbeque or even engage in small talk as they were waiting for results to come in. At Zeira Corp, there was already the potential to become close friends with one of his coworkers. So not only would it be a much better and more productive work environment for him, but he could do what he want, he could develop anything he wanted and there would be a pretty paycheck sitting in his mailbox for doing exactly what he wanted.

A bigger paycheck was always so enticing, especially in today's world. Alex could help his parents go to Japan like they'd always dreamed of, or he could help his sister and her family move closer to LA. What could he possibly use a bigger paycheck for himself?

Alex shook his head again and heaved another heavy sigh. Looking in his rearview mirror, he noticed a black Dodge Ram following him. That pickup had been following him since he left work. For that matter, it'd been following him for the past two weeks. Alex chewed on his lip nervously. It wasn't too much further home, maybe the pickup wouldn't follow him when he turned, then he could set his paranoia at ease.

After he flicked the turn signal, though, Alex knew that hope was in vain. Sure enough, the black pickup turned the corner along with him. Alex's palms began to sweat on the steering wheel and he could feel his pulse quicken slightly. This had to be a coincidence, right? It has to be. It won't follow me if I make another turn, Alex told himself as he turned the left turn signal on. He gulped. Nope, not a coincidence.

"Stay calm…" he mumbled under his breath. "Lead them on, then try to get rid of them." It was a really good thing Alex knew his neighborhood. It lowered the chances of him getting lost.

He continued down the street he was on for several minutes, retaining a slow speed as to not let whoever was following him catch onto the fact that he knew they were following him. All of a sudden, though, Alex took a sharp right turn and gunned down the street, making another left turn as soon as he could. He turned around fully in his seat and sighed in relief when he didn't see the pickup behind him anymore.

That relief was short lived, however. Since he hadn't been looking where he was going, the car jolted to a stop and the airbags deployed like he'd hit a pole. Alex coughed at the dust that had collected in the airbag in the steering wheel and swatted at it to get it out of his face. When he looked up, he was horrified to see that he'd hit a girl. She looked like she was in her mid to late teens, and somehow there was not a single scratch on her. In fact, the nose of his poor MR2 was crumpled around her legs and she was rooted to where she stood.

Alex was glued to his seat in a mixture of confusion and fear as he watched the girl step out of the indent in his car and walk around to his door, opening it and deadpanned, "If you come with me, I'll let you live."

* * * * *

2023

"This is not funny, Miranda…" said Kyle, glaring daggers at his partner's hunched, laughing shoulders. The little girl they had picked up was now clinging to Kyle's upper torso, nearly strangling him, and she wouldn't let go. He and Miranda figured the child was the only reason they were out looking for refugees, so they packed up their weapons, convinced the girl to let go of Kyle's legs long enough for him to pick her up, and started back toward the base.

Miranda snickered and looked back at him. "From here it's funny. You nearly look like you could be her daddy or something close to that," she teased, making Kyle's rosy complexion even redder.

Kyle grit his teeth and adjusted his hold on the girl to keep her from slipping. He wished she would walk on her own and just follow them, but there was always the risk of her getting separated and captured again. If John Connor had put both soldiers through this much, there was no way Kyle would let go of this little girl…whoever she was.

He frowned slightly, wondering why this girl was so important. Connor always had his reasons. His reasons didn't always make sense, but you can't change his mind once it's made up. One thing that made Connor so valuable to the Resistance was that he knew things. Things about people, or the machines, that he'd only know if he grew up knowing them. Connor had often told stories of running from a metal when he was a teenager and stories of how brave his mother, Sarah, was. He told his fellow soldiers of how Sarah prepared him for Judgment Day…for all the pain and heartache of fighting Skynet. So if John Connor said he knew something, you'd better believe him, even if what he told you had you carting six-year-old girls all over Skynet infested land.

Glancing up, Kyle saw that they were close to where the base was. He quickened his pace, eager to get the living pendant off his neck. Once inside the base, Kyle instantly spotted his brother. "Derek!" he called, causing Derek to lift his head.

Derek walked over to Kyle, trying to smother the smirk on his face. "Found a magnet, huh?" he chided.

Kyle glared slightly at his brother and tried to loosen the girl's grip on his neck…successfully this time. "Where's Connor?"

"Where else would he be? He's shut up in his quarters just like always when something's up, except this time he's allowing three people in," Derek explained. "You, Kate, and Jesse."

Raising an eyebrow, Kyle gave his brother a slightly confused look. "Why just those three? He usually only barely lets Kate in, and that's when he's in a good mood."

Derek huffed sigh and shook his head. "Hey, I don't want to try and get inside Connor's brain. Kate said to tell you to hand the girl off to Jesse so she can take her to Connor," he said with a dissatisfied look on his face.

Kyle sighed as well and shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever. Do you know where she is at least?"

"Yeah, she's over by the barracks," Derek paused. "Who is this girl anyways?" he asked, giving her a once-over glance.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Kyle said, looking over Derek's shoulder to see Jesse striding up.

"There you both are, I've been lookin' for you at least," she said in her thick Australian accent, slapping Derek's right shoulder.

Derek jerked his head in Kyle's direction. "Well, look for him now, because Connor has a job for you and him," he said before walking off.

Exchanging a glance with Kyle, Jesse watched Derek disappear. "What's ruffled his feathers, not being included in Connor's little circle?"

"Probably," Kyle agreed. "Derek told me you're supposed to take this little one to Connor," he added, attempting to break the girl's hold on him. "That is, if she'll let go."

Jesse rolled her eyes and smirked, placing her hands on the girl's hands behind Kyle's neck, prying her fingers apart while murmuring comforting words. "There we go. Now, let's get a look at you." After getting a good look at the girl's face, Jesse's heart stopped. She widened her eyes slightly in disbelief. She can't be…

* * * * *

2009

"Hey, you can't do this!" Alex protested as he was pulled out of his car. The girl who had threatened him had blindfolded him and tied his hands without even waiting to see if he'd comply with her. After she had blindfolded him, she ripped him out of the driver's seat and into another car…he thought, until he heard the familiar sound of the MR2's engine. My poor car… he thought briefly before the girl warned him to be quiet otherwise she'd kill him. But now he didn't really see the point of keeping quiet. She couldn't be more than a 16-year-old girl, at best. What could she possibly do to him?

Almost as if she was reading his mind, the girl shoved him, face down, onto the ground, as if to show him just how strong she was. Alex sat back on his feet and groaned, raising his bound hands to his face, covering his now-throbbing nose. The next thing he knew, he was being picked up by his arms and plopped unceremoniously into a chair before being tied up. His blindfold was pulled off and he squinted at the light, blinking his eyes several times to help his vision adjust to the sudden brightness.

"Where am I? And who do you think you are for grabbing me like that?" Alex demanded to whoever was standing in front of him. A feminine figure stepped into the light, but it wasn't the same girl who had kidnapped him. This woman was older, with dark brown hair and sharp, green eyes.

"I'm Sarah Connor," she stated, nearly glaring at Alex. "And we have to talk about what you're doing with Zeira Corp."

Alex gulped slightly as the teenaged girl stepped into the light beside Sarah. "B-but I'm not doing anything wrong, I'm just doing business like any other person!"

"Wrong," Sarah interjected. "You are going to doom a portion of the population after Skynet, a computer defense system, becomes self-aware and destroys nearly every living organism on the planet."

Alex flashed both women an exasperated glance. "Okay, are you two on meth or something? The technology for that kind of machine doesn't even exist!"

"What makes you so sure?" said the teenager, her eyes flashing blue.

Alex paled a considerable amount and felt like the air had been knocked out of him.

* * *

Mackenzie's POV

"What are you guys doing?" I asked, flipping the light switch on and walking up to Sarah and Cameron. "The goal is to get him to cooperate with us, not put him in a coma out of sheer fear of her," I reprimanded, looking pointedly at Cameron.

"We weren't going to baby him," Sarah scolded. "That's not how we do things."

Sighing, I shook my head and stepped between Sarah and Alex. "Well, I'm the only one here who knows him at least a little better than anyone else."

Alex sunk back in his chair, hanging his head over the back of it. "This is all a dream. I'm being kidnapped by three crazy women, and this isn't real!" he said, trying to convince himself otherwise of his current predicament.

I laughed slightly and shook my head, untying him from the chair and the binds from his hands. "Sorry, Alex. You're not dreaming. We just want to help you."

He snapped his head up and eyed me suspiciously. "How do you know my name? You said you knew me, but how? I have never seen you in my entire life."

"Not yet," I said with a smile. "Well, technically you weren't even supposed to meet me now, but I'll explain everything."

* * * * *

2023

A young Resistance soldier scrambled, nearly tripping over his faithful German shepherd, to get out of Jesse Flores' way. She had a look that could kill even the fiercest of Skynet's Terminators. Now clinging to her neck instead of Kyle Reese's was little Mackenzie, and John Connor had some explaining to do.

Clenching her jaw, Jesse rapped her fist on the door to Connor's quarters. "Connor!" she shouted. The door opened to reveal Kate, John's wife, and Jesse shoved her way past her, muttering a brief apology to her. "Do you think this is some kind of joke, Connor?" she accused the man sitting behind what used to be part of a T-600, now converted into a desk.

John only lifted his eyes away from the computer screen he'd been studying. "What do you mean?" he asked, the corners of his mouth pulled back in a small smile.

"Obviou-" she started a bit too loudly. Jesse lowered her voice into as menacing a growl as she could make it. "Obviously you do, otherwise I wouldn't be holding my…" she trailed off.

John glanced over Jesse's shoulder to Kate and flicked his eyes to Mackenzie. He wasn't really a man of words, so he was lucky his wife could decipher his glances and expressions.

Jesse handed Mackenzie to Kate somewhat reluctantly and turned back to John, placing both her hands on his desk and leaned closer, glaring at him. "What are you thinking, Connor? Did you honestly think I'd want to see my daughter again? You have no clue how hard this is."

John's expression remained impassive. "The only reason you're involved in getting Mackenzie back to her mother is because you have intimate details about her situation."

"You mean her adoptive mother? The one who let this happen to her? Mackenzie could have been killed, Connor, she was under Skynet control."

"You wanted her hidden. It only made sense to involve the one other person who knows who Mackenzie really is." John's eyes had turned steely. "Now, I suggest you get her back to her mother."

Jesse sighed and nodded. Before she walked out, however, she turned back. "Why did you involve Kyle, then?"

John shrugged his shoulders. "He is her uncle after all." He flashed a small smile and shook his head. "Don't worry, I didn't tell him." Jesse heaved a sigh of relief, retrieved Mackenzie from Kate, and walked back out of the Connors quarters.