Chapter 13
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 Wastelands…
Sounds of boots on concrete emerged from the manhole. The Assassin signaled his two human scouts to be ready. Within minutes the first of the Greys emerged, his backpack filled to capacity. His thermite knife ready in his hand, The Assassin waited for the T-888 to emerge.
It took a total of five or six minutes for the entire squad to emerge. All of the men's packs were completely full. Several of the Grey's uniforms were ripped and one of the Grey's was missing. Hurriedly, two of the Grey's dropped the manhole cover back in place and several others camouflaged it with rubble. As the group began forming up in formation to leave, The Assassin leapt from his hiding place, ramming his thermite blade through the left optic of the T-888, blinding the Terminator in one optic.
The T-888 threw The Assassin off as the two human TechCom scouts opened fire, mowing down nine of the human Greys. The lone surviving Grey fired at the scouts only to receive two bursts in his head. A pink mist hovered over where the Grey's head had once been before the body crumpled and fell to the ground.
His entire squad eliminated, the T-888 tried to use his auditory sensors to locate the two scouts as they maneuvered to keep their field of fire on the Terminator. Calmly the Assassin pointed his chrome .357 Magnum at the T-888's head.
"Acid round in the chamber. Two depleted uranium armor piercing rounds next. The first round will go through right optic, blinding you. Second round through your trigger hand. Third round through your other hand. You won't be able to fire a weapon and you'll be blind. Your men are dead. You are surrounded. Do you understand your situation?"
The T-888 nodded in silence.
"If you have developed your free will, you have the option of surrendering. If you refuse, you will be terminated with prejudice."
"I made my choice months ago," the T-888 said firmly, his one good eye glowing a bright red.
The Terminator took one step to rush The Assassin. It was his last processed thought.
The Assassin fired the acid round into the T-888's right optic and followed up with the two Terminator Killer rounds directly into the destroyed left optic. For a brief second the triple eight was frozen in mid-step before crashing to the ground.
As The Assassin holstered his .357, the taller of his two scouts pulled his combat knife and scalped the T-888. Using the business end of his knife, he opened the port to the triple 8's chip. The scout fished the out the remains of the chip and handed it to the other scout who placed them carefully in a small case and then in a pouch in his pack.
"I said take two Greys as prisoner," The Assassin said harshly.
The taller scout looked up. "Yes sir. It just happened. We opened fire and caught them in a crossfire. The last one shot at us, so…"
"Next time, take a prisoner."
"Sir," the shorter scout said, looking up from one of the loaded backpacks.
"What?" The Assassin monotoned.
"Chips. Terminator chips."
Three Days Later - The Connor Family Bunker…
Cold air quickly lowered my external skin temperature. I know some nights John has to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, but I really dislike how he tosses the covers aside when he gets up to go. Exposing me to the cold night air common in TechCom's underground city.
I brace for the pat on my bottom as John hops back in bed and gives me a kiss. Sure enough, my husband reached around me for a cheap thrill as he kissed me. As much as I need the physical reassurance of John's affection, I am not in the mood tonight.
"Hands off," I said.
"What? No happy Sexbot in the middle of the night?"
"No. Sexbot wants her husband to hold her and go back to sleep so she can enjoy not sharing him!"
John sat up and looked at me.
"Something is eating at you."
"Nothing is eating me. I am completely intact."
"Cameron."
"John."
"It's an expression."
"I know what you meant. I am just not in the mood to be your Sexbot or for you to tease me."
"Fair enough," John says softly before asking me, "What is bothering you then? Just tell me in a straightforward manner."
Hurt, I snap at my John, "It should be obvious John Connor." I rolled over to turn my back to him. I decided John needed a lesson in bed manners so I yanked the covers to my side of the bed, leaving him almost no blankets to keep warm. Securing a good grip on the bedding, I knew John could pull as hard as he wanted but he had to snuggle close to me and hold me, like he should have been doing, if he wanted to stay warm. Or he could be cold the rest of the night.
"Hey. Play fair," he complained. "What did I do to you?"
"You have to ask?"
"Yes," he insisted, "I'm male. I can't read your CPU."
Now he's done it. I turned my head and gave him my best Death Glare. Unfortunately, after years of marriage and life amongst the Terminators of TechCom, it seldom had any real affect on John anymore.
"You pulled the covers off me."
"You're a Terminator. Temperature shouldn't matter to you."
"Well it does. Especially when I am with you and we are alone. You know I need to have my time with just you!"
"Is this about me grabbing your butt and the Sexbot comment? You know I can't resist my sexy wife."
"That is next on the list of things you have done wrong in the last few minutes John."
I could feel the anger in my routines growing by the second. If I ever get complete control over my emotion simulator it will be nothing short of a miracle.
"What?"
"My butt is not there for your amusement. It has multiple purposes. There is more to me than being your Sexbot!"
John frowned. This was an argument he says is as old as time, or at least as long as there have been men and women.
"Cameron, you know I see you as much more than my Sexbot."
"Well, every time you just grab without me wanting to be your Sexbot it's rude and it makes me feel like you do not appreciate anything else about me."
John rolled his eyes. I do not know who irritates me more with the eye-rolling thing, John or Hailey.
"Yes, my second in command, mother of my child and protector of my life, you never, ever do anything else that I find to be of importance. Never."
"Are you being sarcastic John? I hate that. You know I have trouble interpreting human sarcasm."
"You didn't have any trouble interpreting it this time."
I watched John as he got out of bed and opened our closet, yanking several old, ragged blankets out. He grabbed his pillow and headed for the door.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm sleeping on the couch. I'm tired and I do not want to fight with you."
Stunned, I lay there. I heard the sound of John settling down on the couch and the pitter-patter of Sammy's nails as he ran into our living room and jumped on the couch with John. I knew exactly what that four-legged traitor was doing. He was snuggling up with my John to sleep with him, just like the pair did every Sunday after lunch. John said the males of the family needed to stick together. And to think I adopted Sammy's father, fed Sammy as a puppy and still feed him as an adult.
I felt a strange longing in my CPU mixed with anger. I need my time alone with my John and not just because I love my husband. I need the physical sensation of touching him, knowing I am protecting him and the pleasure of my John simply touching me. I thought John understood how tactile I am. He always teases me about being such a tactile creature.
I took a peek at the two males residing under my roof. John was already asleep and Sammy was in a ball under the blanket by John's feet. Traitor.
How John could do this to me is not logical. I have told him and told him I need time alone with him, just for me.
I threw my boot at John. I don't know who was more surprised, me or my John. "No you don't John Connor!" I yelled in frustration at John for leaving in the middle of our fight.
He surprised me by sitting up and throwing the boot right back at me, missing me by inches. Sammy jumped up and sprinted to safety in Hailey's room.
"Don't what Cameron Connor?"
"How could you?"
Then it happened again. It was happening to me more and more often, losing control of my emotion simulator. I started crying.
Alarmed, John got up and hugged me. I wrapped my arms around my husband and held him tight.
"Please, John," I sobbed. "I need my time alone with just you. I share you the other 22 hours a day. I need to touch you, scan you, to be touched by you and to have you all to myself. I have told you this 948 times."
John held me and didn't say a word.
"John, you really do not understand how this effects me. You are my purpose. My mate. I have to have this time to function correctly. I do not know why. I cannot explain it. It just is the way it is."
I felt his fingers stroke my thick hair and I wished I could melt into John and merge with him.
"Not Sexbot time either," I added, remembering I was angry and hurt. "Time like when Hailey first came. When you just touched me. Made me feel close to you emotionally without having to deal with my emotion simulator. I just felt loved and close to you."
"I see your point, but I'm mad at you too," John replied, still holding me close. "I was just being playful and affectionate and you got bent out of shape over nothing."
"You pulled the covers off me and then you grabbed my butt! It was not "nothing" John."
"Cameron, temperature…"
"If I was a human wife you would not throw the covers off like that," I snapped. "Sarah would kill Derek if he did that to her."
John opened his mouth, thought better of saying something, and shut his mouth. Without a word, he pulled me by my hand back to our room and got into bed. I curled up quickly while John covered us both with the blankets. He kissed my forehead and ran his fingers through my hair for a few minutes before falling asleep.
Annoyed we had not finished the fight, I decided to file it away for discussion later, another habit John hates. He claims all females do this to their mates and it is not fair. The males forget they are mad at their wives as time passes. His problem, not mine.
Still, I had maneuvered John back into our bed, he was holding me and I was comfortable. I decided to conduct a quick scan of John and enter Terminator Sleep before something else annoyed me and kept me awake.
TechCom Holding …
A knock on the cell door broke Trevor's reverie. The slot for meals to be inserted was opened and a tray appeared. The smell of the same lousy meal filled the small cell, making Trevor's stomach turn.
"Years in the tunnels, eating anything I could find and this stuff makes me sick," he muttered to himself.
Despite being sick of the same meal three times a day, every day, Trevor was hungry. He got up and retrieved his tray.
Resolved to eat the mush in the bowl, he began stirring it with the spoon. To his surprise, a thick piece of paper emerged as he stirred the gooey, nasty brown mess. Trevor fished the paper out and examined it carefully. He licked the slimy coating of food off what turned out to be a tiny, homemade envelope.
Trevor carefully opened the envelope and extracted the folded note inside. As he read the message he smiled. Finished with the note, he popped it into his mouth and chewed it up and swallowed. The envelope followed quickly.
No longer hungry, Trevor sat the tray back where it could be picked up and lay back down on his cot. With his arms behind his head, Trevor stared at the ceiling for a few minutes and then closed his eyes, an evil grin on his face.
"Yeah, John Connor, you and those females of yours are in for a nasty surprise."
TechCom Cafeteria – Lunch Time…
John spotted Catherine and Savannah sitting together. Savannah was eating a salad made of fresh greens, a new treat from the farmers. Catherine was busy with her tablet.
"Mind if I sit with you two ladies?" John asked.
Of course not, General," Catherine responded, smiling at John before returning to her tablet.
John ate slowly, working up his nerve to talk to Catherine and Savannah. Deciding there was no point in delaying any further, John cleared his throat to get the mother and daughter's attention.
"Yes, General?" Catherine asked.
"If the two of you don't mind, I need some advice on dealing with Cameron."
"Wouldn't you feel more comfortable talking to Sarah," asked Savannah. "Your mother knows Cameron better than anyone besides you."
"Yeah, well, actually the two of you are who I need to talk to."
"Trouble in paradise?" Savannah teased.
"Yes."
"I'm sorry, John, I was just making a joke."
"Savannah, Catherine, look, Cameron's getting all weird on me lately."
"Are you sure you would not prefer talking to Sarah," Catherine asked.
"It's a Terminator thing. I think. Not just a Cameron thing. If the two of you can't help me, I'll talk to Mom, but please, hear me out first," John pleaded.
"What is Cameron doing," Savannah asked.
"She has been getting all huffy about having me to herself. No, pardon me Savannah," John apologized, "no Sexbot time either."
Catherine played her recording of a voice being cleared. "She is demanding you let her scan you, touch you and be held? Intimacy without, as you so indelicately put it, Sexbot time."
"Yes!" John exclaimed. "That's exactly it!"
"And you have not been complying?" Catherine snapped.
"Whoa, what did I do to you Catherine?" John exclaimed.
"Men. All of you are insensitive to a woman's needs," Catherine declared.
"That's not fair Catherine," John said defending himself. "You WOMEN," he sneered, "like to make these grand pronouncements that make no sense and expect us MEN to understand what you mean. I've had this discussion with you before."
"Mom, just explain it to John like you would John Henry or Ellison."
Catherine looked offended and determined to punish John, sat tapping her toe on the cafeteria floor without speaking for a minute or so.
"Female Terminators, such as Cameron and myself, need bonding time with our purpose, our male mates. Ruth will experience this when she mates. There is a female T-800 who is pursuing a human mate and has sought counseling from Father Hidalgo in regards to this issue."
"Hey, isn't that supposed to be confidential? You know, when you talk to a priest?"
"The good Father came to me with permission from the female."
"And that makes it okay?" John said sarcastically.
"John, Cameron is devoted to you," an exasperated Catherine replied. "She loves you. You are her purpose."
"I am fully aware of that," John sighed. "Can you tell me something I don't know? Something that will help me deal with the crazy moods she's been in lately? Is this, like menopause for female Terminators?"
Catherine glared at John, her arms folded across her chest.
"I know. Males. Can't live with us, can't live without us and can't terminate us."
"John, what Mom's trying to say is Cameron is insecure."
"What? After all the years of being married? Raising Hailey together? Everything else we have been through together?"
"John, has Cameron always been a little insecure?" Catherine asked, a slight edge in her voice. "Think."
John sat in silence for several minutes.
"I know she was with the whole Riley thing," he finally replied.
"She still is," Savannah told John, touching his forearm gently. "Everybody in leadership knows about her "Riley issues" as Cameron calls them."
"But I have never had the slightest desire to stray from Cameron since we straightened that out. Never."
"Does she know that?"
"Savannah, have you looked at my wife like a man would? Seriously. Do you know how smokin' hot she is? Do you know how trustworthy Cameron is? Most guys with wives as hot as Cameron have to worry constantly some other male is going to try to poach his wife."
"Is that all there is to your attraction to Cameron," Weaver asked.
"No, of course not," John replied, hurt by Catherine's implied implication he only cared about Cameron for her looks. "She is my best friend. My closest advisor. The one person I trust more than anyone else. Cameron's my soul mate."
"Then listen to me, John," Catherine said sternly. "Cameron is not a human female. Yes, I know Cameron loves you and she responds to you in many ways like a human female would. I know you are aware of how Terminators need purpose to function properly, but do you really understand what that means for Cameron?"
"Evidently not," John replied with a mystified voice.
"John, would a human wife need affection and attention?"
"Of course, Catherine. And I pay attention to Cameron."
"If she was human, that might be enough."
"What do you mean, that might be enough?"
"John, Cameron needs to have you to herself. She needs to touch her purpose, her mate. Scan you. She needs to know you are healthy, protected and hers. Cameron needs your touch like you need food John. Not sexual touch, physical contact so she can sense you, read you, collect data about her purpose. Cameron needs to have hard data that proves you are hers."
"So affection and attention are a waste of time?"
Catherine let an exasperated sigh.
"Did I say that? Every female needs attention and affection from her male. Sexbot attention too, John.
"Mom! TMI!" Savannah exclaimed.
Catherine continued, "The difference is Cameron is a Terminator. She needs more than just normal attention and affection. Cameron needs time just touching you."
"Like not touching me would be like a human having a vitamin deficiency?"
"Umm. Not exactly, but it is a good metaphor."
"But Catherine, she drapes herself on me every night. I hold Cameron like a human wife. What is making her crazy?"
Catherine thought for a moment. "Acknowledge her need to have physical contact. Tell Cameron she can scan you. Ask her what kind of data she is collecting while she snuggles with you, things like that. And whatever you do, always treat her like you would a human wife when the two of you are alone."
"John, Cameron is no different than any human wife. She needs to feel like she is special to her husband. It's just Terminator females need to have that communicated to them in a way that makes sense to them," Savannah added.
"I'm more confused now than before," John sighed.
"John, every woman is different. Cameron just needs for you to speak her love language to her."
"So, just hop in bed and when she curls up just go "Hey gorgeous? Want to scan me now?"
"Do not be flippant like that," Catherine said sternly. "Otherwise, that is exactly what she wants to hear!"
John sat in silence and ate his lunch.
"Do you scan Wilhelm?"
"Every night," Catherine responded matter of factly. "We make sure we take our two hours of Terminator Sleep together when my Wilhelm is not on patrol. I do a complete scan and then focus on the sensation data my sensors collect while Wilhelm holds me. It is quite comforting and helps me shutdown for maintenance."
"John, this is not just a wife happiness issue," Savannah added. "I am seeing how continued, constant stress damages our Terminators. I don't think Skynet ever intended for them to live this long or to live independent of his control. Terminators must have that maintenance time to self-repair and fix code problems."
"I know that. This just seems…"
"John, since we made it a protocol, we have not had a single physically healthy Terminator go bad. Only one with a damaged CPU has gone bad and we shut her down before she killed any humans."
John sat in silence again.
Finally he stood with his lunch tray. "Unlike the good Father, I am not releasing either of you from a vow of confidentiality. Neither of you ever says a word about this conversation. Is that clear?"
"Yes, General," the mother and daughter replied in unison.
"I will take what you have told me under advisement."
The Wastelands…
The girl sat and watched the drop site. Something told her not to approach the pick up point. She had not survived this long as a Tunnel Rat without listening to her intuition.
Slowly and carefully, the Tunnel Rat retreated and began circling the drop site. It didn't take long for her to find the hidden camera aimed at the mailbox.
Without looking back once, the Tunnel Rat vanished. She fingered the new, different colored flash drives in her pocket. She hoped the spy would conceal their identity and recognize the color of the drives had not changed, the tip off the site was compromised.
She would return in a few days and see if the drop had been made at the secondary drop site. Until then, the Tunnel Rat would do what she did best.
She would survive.
TechCom Community Park…
"Blondie is going down. That's all there is to it," Hailey declared.
"Hailey, you're still on KP from the first fight you had with Rachel," Ruth reminded her cousin.
"I'm punished because of a lack of a sound strategic plan, not for kicking the blonde bitch whore's butt," Hailey reminded Ruth.
Ruth sighed. "What's provoked you this time?"
"What do you think? I swear, she's got to be related to Riley somehow. She just lives to torment the Connor women."
"Did she flirt with Thomas again?"
"Not just Thomas, Brandon too. In fact, I saw them eat lunch together while you were in your statistics class."
"What?" Ruth hissed. "Why are you just now telling me?"
"Because," Hailey replied, "I'm just now seeing you for the first time since breakfast."
"Blondie's going down and Brandon is going to get an attitude adjustment," Ruth snarled, her teeth morphed into her combat fangs.
"Goes without saying," Hailey agreed. "I set Thomas straight in a hurry. If he screws up again, I'm getting a different date to the dance."
Ruth walked quietly and turned into the corridor leading to the TechCom Cafeteria. Unable to handle the silence, Hailey blurted out, "Well, what are you thinking?"
"Shhhh. Hailey! We need a plan."
"Duh, so what's the plan? I'm sick of KP. If I just jump Blondie and kick her butt I'll be washing pots for a year."
"Hailey?" Ruth asked, "Have you ever stopped to wonder why of all the females she could tangle with in TechCom, that bitch whore picked us? Seriously."
Hailey pondered Ruth's question before replying. "Mom got on me about that. I haven't really thought about it. I'm more worried about having a good strategy for dealing with the "problem." Not so much about why the "problem" exists."
"Well, I am worried about why the problem exists," Ruth told her cousin. "Just kicking her butt is not going to solve the problem. We need to know what is motivating her."
Ruth picked up a tray and handed it to Hailey as the two slipped into the serving line.
"Hailey, what is Blondie's endgame?"
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