Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Don't own TSCC

Note: As an exercise in trying to improve my storytelling and writing, the portions of this Chapter involving Cameron will be written in first person from her viewpoint.

The Connor Family Bunker…

It is 0300 and I have yet to be able to reduce my CPU activity enough to enter Terminator Sleep. My anxiety level has increased to the point my glitch has once again reared its ugly head.

I hate my glitch. It is a sign of weakness. My John laughs at me now when I complain about it. He says it is proof I am not perfect, that I am a person like everyone else. I know my John is right and that makes me hate my glitch even more.

Tonight my anxiety is worse than normal. I am worried, conflicted. My John is everything to me. I love my daughter Hailey, but my John is the center of everything for me, what I do, what I think, feel, everything. Yet more and more Hailey pulls the focus of my purpose away from my John. And I feel guilty.

Guilty because I am a bad mother. Guilty because I am not as devoted to my purpose as I should be. I so wanted Hailey in order to provide John with a child and to keep my promise to Sarah, to make her a grandmother. The day we adopted Hailey was wonderful.

But I never realized the endless source of internal conflict being Hailey's mother would cause me. How do human mothers do it? How do they love their child and their husband? How can they serve two purposes at once?

Thinking about the fight Hailey got into has confused me in so many ways. I am proud she prevailed. I am concerned Hailey allowed this blonde bitch whore Rachel bait her into a fight in the place of the blonde's choosing. I worry Hailey is too prone to act rashly, a trait she certainly learned as a member of our clan.

My John says we must punish Hailey in a way that teaches her not to make this mistake again. For my existence, I cannot understand how he plans to do this.

Unable to reduce my anxiety and my data processing related to it, I get up and leave the comfort of touching my husband while he sleeps.

Without knowing why, I entered my daughter's room and shut the door. I hear a short, low-pitched growl from Sammy, the girl's little dog, letting me know he is aware I entered the room. Like his father, Little Al, the Italian Greyhound is both a wonderful companion for Hailey and Ruth and a valuable early warning system.

I sat down in the chair at Hailey's small desk to watch my baby sleep. Sammy crawled out from under his blanket, stretched before coming to me and jumping into my lap where he stood up on his hind legs and licked my face.

Hailey sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"Mom?"

"Yes, Hailey."

"What are you doing here?"

"I cannot sleep."

"Mom, seriously, what are you doing here?"

"I am worried. The data has been filed but my CPU constantly reprocesses it. I cannot draw a reasonable conclusion and it is frightening me."

"Mom, I think I learned my lesson. No more fights with Rachel unless I start it, I pick the location, victory is certain and I have sufficient backup should anything go wrong once the engagement starts."

"You need to determine why this Rachel is so determined to engage in conflict with you and Ruth."

"Mom, I get it. Can I go back to sleep now?"

For a reason I do not understand, I lose control over my speech inhibitor.

"Hailey, you know I love you, don't you?"

Like me, when puzzled, Hailey tilts her head to one side and she does so now. "Mom? Are you okay?"

"No."

"Mom, I'm not mad at you and Dad for punishing me. Once I calmed down, I realized you and Dad are right. I have to think these things through more."

"It's not about the fight, though that is troubling me."

A look of concern appears on Hailey's face. She brushes her hair from in front of her eyes and asks me, "Mom, is something wrong with you?"

Nodding my head I surprise myself by answering her question. "Yes."

"Does Dad know?"

"I cannot tell him."

"Mom, you're freaking me out now. Do you have a virus in your network? Are any critical systems going bad?"

"I do not think so, but I cannot be sure."

"Can you describe what is wrong?"

"I am conflicted. And this conflict means I am a bad mother."

Again, I watched Hailey tilt her head. Confused, I tilt my head. How can she not see I am a bad mother?

"Mom, I'm old enough to know every parent screws things up with their kids. But I also know how lucky I am." Hailey paused as she smiled at me, "Lucky to have been adopted by you and Dad. Our family has its issues, but it's a good family. Compared to the orphaned Tunnel Rats I know, I have it great."

"It is more than that Hailey. I know you have been sheltered, protected and provided with the best diet we could provide."

"Mom, in the world we live in, that's a lot."

I shook my head, letting Hailey know it wasn't enough.

"I am so conflicted Hailey." Tears appear from my tear ducts. I hate, truly hate, my emotion simulator when it gets the upper hand over my CPU.

"Over what, Mom?" Hailey moved to the edge of her bed and patted it for me to sit next to her. I moved to her bed and sat down next to my daughter. Sammy, bored, returned to his corner of the bed and slipped under his blanket.

"Mom, I know I have to learn to think first, but it's okay to be proud of the fact I kicked Rachel's blonde butt."

"It is not that."

"Mom, it's late. I have school. I'm sure I'll be on KP for a month."

"Your father is my purpose."

"Mom," Hailey spoke with patience, "everybody in TechCom knows a Terminator has a defined purpose. Everybody in TechCom also knows Dad is your purpose.

"But you are my purpose too. And I do not serve each purpose as well as I must because I am divided between the two. My John, your father, is my reason for being, but I love you so much. Sometimes, I place my concerns about you in front of my John."

To my surprise, Hailey gave me one of her annoying eye rolls.

"Mom, that is what this is all about?"

"Yes."

Hailey laughed at me, startling Sammy who popped up and gave a single questioning bark.

"Mom, I love both of you. Sometimes I like one of you better than the other. Other times I feel intense dislike for both of you. But I have always loved you and Dad. I think what you're feeling is pretty normal."

"I have betrayed both of you and I have betrayed who I am, what I am."

"How Mom? By loving your family? How can that be wrong?"

"Everything is for my John. I love and care for his family so he can be happy."

"Well, you're selling yourself short Mom. Everybody in our family loves you for being you, Terminator quirks and all. Even Derek."

"Yes, but you deserve better. I should love my daughter just because you are my daughter."

Hailey shook her head and gave me another eye roll. To my surprise, Hailey kissed me on my cheek and hugged me before crawling back under her covers.

"Mom, there is one thing I have always been certain of for as long as I can remember."

"What is that Hailey?"

"That you loved me, that I was very important to you. Terminators are a bit overbearing with the whole protection and take care of thing. You know? But it's how your kind shows feelings."

"But your father is my purpose."

"Mom, let it go. Dad knows you love him. I know you love me. Grandma knows you love her. Derek even knows how you feel about him. You love Ruth, you take care of the Old Man, Miss Grace and Miss Mary."

"But…"

"Mom! Clue in! It is possible to love your family and for Dad to be your purpose. Everybody knows that's how your wired, programmed, whatever."

Hailey pulled her blankets up to her chin, lifting them just enough to let Sammy slip under the blankets with her.

"Mom, you know you're going to do it, so get the scan done and go back to bed. Dad will probably wake up if you don't."

I smile. Hailey knows me well. I lean over and touch my hand to her forehead and start my scan of her vital signs.

"Your father does not wake up when I am on patrol or if I get up."

"Mom, you need to rethink that statement. Dad wakes up all the time when you're out patrolling around TechCom. He makes noise stumbling around and wakes Sammy up who wakes me up."

Concern for my John fills me. I finish my scan of Hailey. She is fine but needs to complete her sleep cycle.

"I love you," I tell her as I kiss her forehead and leave.

Hurrying to our room, I slip into bed next to my John. As Hailey has predicted, he is awake, though not fully aware of his surroundings. I kiss him on the cheek and quiet him. John settles back down as I snuggle as close to him as possible. I scan him quickly and stroke his hair. Within minutes John is back in a REM sleep cycle.

I still feel conflicted but my talk with Hailey has helped. My anxiety gone, I am able to shut down the required routines and enter Terminator Sleep.

TechCom Command 0800 Hours…

"And you have no idea of who this girl is?"

"No, General. She is not one of ours," Ellison replied.

The assembled leadership team was all staring at the frozen image of the face of the teenage Tunnel Rat.

"Well, we have something of an idea of how information is getting out. Do we have any better idea of what has been accessed?"

"John Henry spoke up in a confident voice. "To be blunt General, no, other than the one file we know was accessed, I have not been able to discover what, if any, other files have been downloaded."

"Then why the need for several drives?"

"Who ever is obtaining this information could be using a digital camera."

John sat in silence, tired from a poor night's sleep and now this revelation.

"Well, at least we know the drop point now. Hopefully they will use it again."

"I have video surveillance of the location set up as well as all the feasible approach routes," Ellison said.

"Might I suggest switching the drives with ones of our own," Weaver suggested. "It might be to our advantage to provide whoever this is with disinformation."

"We need to know what kind of intel the spy, or spies, are looking for. Otherwise whoever is behind this will know its disinformation if what we plant does not fit the bill," Sarah said firmly. "Other than that, absolutely plant disinformation."

"Very well. We've spent enough time on this. Ellison, let me know as soon as you have any additional intel."

Somewhere in TechCom…

Disgusted at the latest request for information, the spy considers simply refusing by not complying. There is no reason not to. With no family or friends to hold against the spy, there is no hold. Loyalty has its limits. Life here in TechCom is far better than life somewhere else in the post-Judgment Day world.

Still, loyalty meant something.

Deciding to meet this final request, the spy plans to let the masters know there will be no further information forth coming. The debt had been paid. Their other spy could risk life and limb obtaining the information.

Skynet Chicago…

Stepping out of the hatch, the T-888 waited for the dust stirred up by the turbines to settle. Greys and Terminators poured out and formed a perimeter around the landing HKs.

There was nobody to greet them upon arrival.

This was either a trap, or the best possible news.

Selecting a squad from his HK, the T-888 made his way into the tunnel leading from the landing strip down into the underground complex beneath what had once been the city of Chicago.

Halfway to the first junction he had the answer to his question. A lone T-600 stood at parade rest, in standby mode. Continuing further beyond the junction he found a pair of T-800's, also in standby mode.

Relieved to not have to storm the complex and take it by force, a task that would end wit the termination of himself and each member of his taskforce, the T-888 was equally relieved to have unequivocally good news for his master.

Chicago had fallen without a single shot being fired.

Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:

Cameron Grows Up

The Future Cameron

Cameron and the Black Bird

Cameron and John's Wedding

Who's the Boss?

The Storm Before the Calm