Thanks so much to those who spent their time to read and review!!!

Dirt Rider 712: Thanks! I did miss you back there in the few chapters and I'm glad you're back!

Pointzip73: John will go crazy if he had to do that…alright, maybe this statement will resolve everything. My mom NEVER watch sci-fi and all she know about terminators are chunks of metal. Thanks for your review!

TK-MR: Thanks! And sorry, that coltan thing was a typo but I didn't think it would be much as I personally never heard of such a material before I watched TSCC. Alright, the sleeping part, I thought I explained John's hesitation on the part where Sarah left the house and only John and Cameron are left (in FITB). Anyway, I just didn't want to rush things and John was afraid it would scare her away. If you read DM carefully, when future John explained the future stuff, he made a point not to mention about the sex parts. And I didn't want Cameron to go up to John and ask for sex, it is too much of a flirt to me and I can't let Cameron be that! And don't worry; I'm glad you read DM as there would be quite a lot of reference to DM later on.
Thanks still! I'm glad you voiced out your opinion and don't mistake me minding even one itty bitty bit.

Jojobevco: Thanks so much!

zahnfan23: Thanks, I'll try to let it meet your expectations at least!

Sigma: Good, curiosity really kills readers to read more! Thanks for reviewing!

Jeremy Shane: Thanks so much for your reviews!!!

Starman800: I love your opening to your review! Yeah and I did it to make you say that! Sorry you didn't get it but when Cameron gave John the device I'm sure she mentioned about it connecting to her CPU right? Maybe I should've mention but it was connected to her CPU as a program as you know how computers work right? To be connected or utilise an outside thing, the computer would have to download a program so Cameron actually opened that program connected to John's device and in case you don't know either, that's the real Cameron frowning in worry for her John. Thanks!

Chapter 10: Struggles Part 3

At that moment, John froze.

John intended to run but he couldn't pull his eyes away from Cameron. She looked so familiar, so much like his Cameron, so beautiful despite all the wounds that covered every inch of her features which was revealed under her slightly tattered clothes.

"Cameron," John breathed, urging himself to run but he seemed rooted. She was smiling so slightly at him but there was a pained look that John couldn't put a word to it. Suddenly, Cameron's smile disappeared, hand reaching out to him, to his neck. John knew it was to finish the work she couldn't back at the house.

She wanted to kill him…

That did it. That thought shot John up from his roots and away from Cameron.

John limped helplessly on his injured knee. But he knew Cameron's leg is damaged which may make her unable to run after him. John hoped.

He glanced behind him, expecting to see Cameron there but she wasn't. Behind him were all people walking along the streets. Some of them cast John a look as if they thought he was crazy, injured so badly yet running on the streets.

John jolted up as he felt someone held on to his jacket. He turned, curling up his fist readily, prepared to throw a punch, even at Cameron. John threw his fist forward with all his might but it froze when he saw Sarah standing in front of him, beaten up. She had the edge of his jacket firmly in her hold.

"Come on!" Sarah hissed, pulling him by his jacket. She whipped out a knife from her pocket and dashed to a middle aged man, resting it swiftly on his neck, "Keys," Sarah said. He gave in without resistance and handed her the keys. Sarah took them, throwing him viciously to the floor, face hitting the curb. She opened the door to the jeep that man was heading to a moment ago.

They hopped in and got the engine going quick and drove off.

"John, are you alright?" Sarah asked, not looking away from the road this time.

"Fine," John looked out of the window.

"Why can't you see the truth, John?" Sarah asked, in a stern tone and yet disappointed tone.

"The truth?" John said mockingly 'Which is what?" He asked bluntly.

"She's reverted or something. It'd be safer for you if we kill her,"

"NO!" John snapped "I can't let you," He leaned forward, agitated at that very thought but still refusing to turn to look at his mom.

"John, she isn't the Cameron you knew anymore,"

"The Cameron who PROTECTED me!"

"But she'll kill you,"

"She's sustained damage. There's physical damage to her chip," John countered, curling up his fists.

"Whatever it is, she's not protecting you anymore John,"

"Yeah," John breathed heavily in frustration, "and why? Because she sustained damage while protecting me!"

Sarah slammed the brakes after driving the jeep to the side of the small road. She turned in her seat, facing John, giving him that hurt look when she's disappointed in him, "you have to kill her, John. In the future-"

"I don't want the future anymore! I don't care about the future, don't you get it?" John interrupted, eyes burning with fury for Sarah "I can't do it anymore!"

John scowled deeply at Sarah before turning away, feeling tears filling his eyes. "Let's go," John said, feeling the sensation in his throat go raw again.

Sarah turned from John, driving away.

"I met her," John said flatly as Sarah drove, avoiding making eye contact with her.

"What?!" Sarah gaped. John could almost imagine her jaw dropping "Where?!"

"Back there. Where you found me," John replied.

"And what happened?" Sarah said, almost mockingly "Did you two have a good talk? Then you brought her to tea and she tried to kill you while you were having a nice chat? Well?"

John pursed his lips, hating every moment of this but he knew he should warn Sarah about meeting Cameron.

John never gave a reply, Sarah never probed anymore. But he felt the increase in speed of the jeep.

Sarah droved hurriedly and hastily.

"Where are we going?" John croaked.

"Away from her,"

"We don't even know where she is!"

"She'll be right behind us,"

"And?"

"We keep moving forward,"

"Where are you going to with this conversation? What are you talking about?"

"We can't stop here,"

"I won't go on forward unless I saved her. She wants that and I know it,"

"What'd you gonna do? She wants to kill you, John!" Sarah snapped.

"I'm going to keep moving backwards and retrace my steps for as long as I live until I save her," He replied bluntly.

Sarah drove the jeep through the alley, ignoring all the shouts of annoyed 'residents' or people 'lodging' in the alley. They threw a bottle of alcohol onto their windshield which only earned a small glance from Sarah and John. They had more important things to think about.

Suddenly John saw a familiar person at the end of the alley, too familiar.

John gasped as he realized Sarah isn't stopping.

"Stop! Mom!" John shouted.

Sarah ignored him, accelerating. John growled in frustration as Cameron got closer and closer. She just stood there. He dove for the steering wheel, turning it just narrowly avoiding hitting into Cameron. John felt he'll die if he saw Cameron's petite form on their windshield thus John would rather not risk it.

However, Cameron returned the favor in a not-all-too-subtle-way by pushing the jeep by the side viciously, pushing it to a sudden acceleration. The front of the jeep hit the small ledge, flipping the jeep over.

John saw Cameron collapse after pushing the jeep. He felt the jeep spin around, finally coming to a stop, the roof smashing into the floor and the top of his head collided with it. His world vibrated for many seconds before he recovered. The glass of windshields shattered instantly when the jeep landed.

John coughed from the dust that filled the inside of the jeep. He got on his elbow, leaning over Sarah; whom he hoped only fainted. John shook her.

"Mom. Mom!"

Sarah stirred, she looked lost and shaken. John sigh relief, looking up to see Cameron getting up slowly and stiffly. Sarah followed his eye line and saw what he did.

"John, you have to go," Sarah whispered, pushing him by his chest. John glanced uncomfortably between Sarah and Cameron before nodding, crawling out of the jeep quickly and limping to the nearest shelter.

He never looked back, never turning back even when he heard Sarah's agonizing scream. John knew Cameron would come for him no matter what. She wouldn't waste time on killing Sarah, John wished, he hoped his Cameron was in there somewhere, coming to him only to beg him to fix her, fix all this.

Leaving Sarah back there bugged John to no end but he knew what he have to do. He entered a deserted warehouse, filled with trucks. John leaned over beside a truck, feeling the glass piercing his stomach but the sound of combat boots walking on the concrete floor made him move.

John turned and opened the door, jumping into the seat, attempting to jumpstart that truck.

"Damn it," John muttered as the truck started but failed. He heard Cameron walking closer and closer to him, tapping the wires together once more, the truck burst into life. John sat up in the seat, faced by Cameron. She was armed a wrench.

Cameron threw the heavy wrench through the window, shattering it and barely missing John as he ducked, the shattered glass showered him. He felt the wrench fell on his hips but not breaking it.

Suddenly, a loud rumbling sounded behind Cameron. A smaller truck collided into the front of John's, restraining Cameron between the two trucks. John flinched a little at the impact but looked up and saw Sarah in the other truck, steeping hard on the throttle with a pained look on her face as her wounds resisted her efforts.

Cameron struggled hopelessly between two trucks.

John knew he needed to act fast. John used the wrench Cameron threw over and wiped the remaining glass of the windshield off and crawl onto both of the truck's hood, lying on his side on Sarah's truck, working on Cameron's chip cover.

He whipped out a knife he always carried on Cameron's request if he got into trouble, the Cameron in the past, his Cameron but not this Cameron.

"John, you don't know what you're about to do, you don't want to do this," Cameron spoke.

"Yes, I do. You were going to kill me," John clenched his teeth together, straining his jaw muscles as he spoke. Cameron's right though, he didn't want to do this. It's killing him but he knew if he didn't do this, Sarah would kill her. If he took out her chip, he could protect her chip. It was easier protecting her chip than an entire Cameron who might possibly try to kill him.

"No, John. You can't do this. You're not doing the right thing. This is not the right thing, John. Things are good now. Things are fine now. I ran a test. Things are good now. I'm fixed now. You can trust me now. Everything's good now," Cameron begged and her tone is killing him. John froze again; he so much wanted to believe Cameron.

"What are you waiting for?!" Sarah shouted, pressing hard on the throttle and feeling her wounds scream in protest at the sudden burst of energy.

"She doesn't know, she doesn't. I'm good now. I'm good, I ran a test. Everything's perfect. I'm perfect. John! I'm sorry for what I did. I'm sorry. It wasn't me. You have to understand. It wasn't me. That wasn't me. You can't let this happen, John. You can't! Please, listen to me. Listen to me. I don't want to go," Cameron begged as John revealed her port cover, "Please, John, please. John, listen to me. I don't want to go. Please, John. Please. I'm good now. Listen to me. I don't want to go. I'm sorry. That wasn't me. I'm fixed now. I ran a test. Everything's perfect. You can trust me,"

"John Connor!" Sarah shouted firmly.

"I love you! I love you please. I love you John and you love me," Cameron shouted in a no less, pleading tone.

John shuddered. There it is. So many months did John hope she'd say it to him and here, now she finally did. It has always been him confessing bravely to her and she; unsure if she could really feel, always reluctant to say anything about it.

All the more, now that's it has been said; he should pull it out, for her sake, for their sake…

His hand flew to her chip, pulling it. He hoped he can protect her by doing this. John held the chip in his hand, bringing it to his lips. His lips touched the cool and smooth chip.

At that moment, he looked into Cameron's blank face, swearing to himself he'd protect her now that she can no longer defend herself.

To be continued…

If some of you may have noticed, I made the effect of the 'I love you' confession heavier by making hints in the story. Like in Double Metal ending, Cameron was about to say this to John but didn't as she hesitated between believing if she can love and really wanting to please John. And in 'Falling in the Black', I made John tell her he loved her but she never replied with 'I love you too'. I wish this helped to increase the enjoyment of this story. Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed it and please REVIEW!