Chapter 14

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.

TechCom Sorting Room…

Brandon shifted his weight to rest his tired shoulders before leaning over again to pick up more items to sort from the last scavenging party's foray into the Wastelands. He glanced at the lone clock on the wall to check how much time remained in his shift.

"Whoa, Brandon, dude!"

"Yeah, what?" he responded to his coworker.

"Your chick is here and boy does she look pissed off. Dude, you sure it's cool to date a T-1000?"

Brandon looked down in an effort to ignore Ruth as the tiny T-1000 approached. His coworker hurried away. Evidently he felt being somewhere else right then was a good idea.

"What were you thinking?" Ruth demanded, slamming her small fist down on the sorting table.

"Thinking what?" Brandon replied, acting surprised by Ruth's sudden appearance.

"Do NOT even play the "I don't know what you mean" game with me!"

Brandon looked up to see a furious Ruth, dressed in her standard black clothing, one hand on her hip and the other resting on the table while she drummed her fingers.

"How was school today?"

Ruth curled her lips up in response, revealing she had morphed from human teeth to combat fangs.

"Don't give me that," Ruth hissed, barring her fangs. "You ate lunch with the blonde bitch whore!"

"Wow. Excuse me," Brandon snapped back. "Rachel and I were Tunnel Rats together since we were little kids. I didn't know if I was your boyfriend I had to cut everything off with my other friends."

Ruth scowled at Brandon before looking away. He noticed she had stopped drumming her fingers. Ruth's cheeks changed shape slightly, letting Brandon know she had morphed her fangs back into regular teeth. Inwardly, he let out a sigh of relief and hoped she was not scanning his vital signs.

"I didn't know that."

"I hadn't told you. It just never occurred to me or I would have. Would you like to know the names of the other refugees who sought asylum when I did?"

Ruth looked back at Brandon and didn't say a word.

"Actually, yes. I want a written list."

"Okay," he replied, returning to his sorting. "I'll write them all down and give the list to you at school first thing in the morning. Will that do?"

Unsure how to respond to Brandon's defense of his actions, Ruth remained silent for a moment, thinking.

"I hate her. Do you understand that? I do not want to see you around her."

"Rachel's not that bad Ruth. But, I guess since you never lived in the Wastelands, since you've always had parents, you can't understand her."

"Don't give me that crap. You have no idea how hard my childhood was. And don't act like Rachel should get a pass for being a blonde bitch whore just because she was a Tunnel Rat."

"Ruth, I'm sorry," Brandon told her. "It's been hard for me to adjust here. Sometimes it just helps to talk to another Tunnel Rat. I didn't mean to imply your life has been easy. I've heard some of the stories about you."

"Yeah, well, give me the list and I will check off which Tunnel Rats you can hang out with," Ruth snapped back. "Rachel and Trevor won't be on the approved list."

"What? You're going to tell me who I can be friends with now?"

Ruth stepped close enough to Brandon for him to be able to look down her blouse at her ample chest. He swallowed hard, both from the excellent view of Ruth's chest and the close proximity of his lethal girlfriend.

"If you have a problem with that, you should find another girlfriend."

"Look, I didn't say I wanted to break up, I just don't think you should be able to pick my friends," he replied, scowling down at Ruth.

"Fine, then I'll eat lunch with Thomas' brother, who by the way use to have a crush on me. Then there is a boy in my statistics class who is always trying to look down my shirt. I think I'll eat dinner with him, let him see the sketches I'm working on. How does that sound?" Ruth hurled back, crossing her arms across her chest. She decided to make Brandon more uncomfortable and wiggled her arms under her chest and gave the girls a good push upwards, making her charms much more evident.

Growing more ill at ease by the second, Brandon looked away.

"Okay, okay. I see your point."

The pair stood in silence, each wanting the other to speak first.

"Look, if I ever feel like I need to talk to Rachel again, I am. But I promise I will tell you first and I will meet with her in a very public place." He sighed. "And I agree to stay away from Trevor. Period. How's that?"

Ruth thought about the proposed compromise, fighting down the anger her emotion simulator was flooding her CPU with.

"I don't like it."

"Ruth, she's my friend. Trevor, I agree, he's a bad apple and I need to stay away from him. And I haven't asked you not to see any of your childhood friends, even ones who had crushes on you."

Sensing Brandon was sorry, or at least seemed to be, Ruth decided he had offered up an olive branch. Ruth also realized Brandon had not lied to her by denying he had eaten lunch with Blondie.

"Okay. But ten minute time limit. And you still have to tell me first and meet in a public place I approve of."

Brandon laughed at Ruth as she pouted. "Let me guess, the Old Man will be observing from a hidden location. You'll get a full report later."

Unable to keep her pout up, Ruth cracked a small smile. "With video."

"Okay," Brandon agreed, reaching out and pulling his petite girlfriend to him to hug her. Ruth reached around him and hugged him tight. He enjoyed the pleasant feel of his girlfriend's soft, ample chest pressing against him.

"Are we good?" he asked.

Ruth nodded and stepped back.

"I have to go. I promised Hailey I would help her study for a test."

Ruth quickly stepped close to tiptoe and kiss Brandon on his cheek. "List, first thing in the morning," she reminded him and quickly left.

Brandon smiled as he watched Ruth's pleasant strut from behind as she left.

"Dodged that bullet," his coworker whispered as he returned to the sorting table.

"Yeah," Brandon replied thoughtfully, "dodged that bullet."

TechCom Engineering – John Henry's Lab…

"I do not know what to think of this."

"John Henry, my scouts saw the scavenging patrol go down in the tunnels. We waited for over a day for them to return. This is what they brought with him."

John Henry placed the handful of Terminator chips in his hand down carefully on the table. Glancing at the two exhausted, dirty scouts standing near the other table, he counted eight backpacks jammed full of chips.

"Assassin, is this all they were carrying?"

"This is all we could bring back. The rest are hidden in the Wastelands along with their weapons. We disposed of the bodies and I melted the T-888. Papers and insignia were turned over to Agent Ellison."

"Does the General know?"

"I reported to him directly before going to Ellison and then we brought the chips directly to you."

"These are mint chips. Never used. I am unable to determine their exact age. They could be from an original production run or new chips. Either way, I have to imagine the only reason these scavengers would want them is to start another production run of Terminators."

The two Terminators looked at each other.

"This is an important find," The Assassin said firmly.

"I know."

"Some of us do not want to die out as a species."

"I know."

"Make sure you bring this up with the General."

John Henry scowled at The Assassin. "What makes you think I would not?"

"You have spent your entire life with humans. You have never served as a Terminator. Never engaged in the purpose for which the Master built you."

"Are you implying we should end our alliance with humans?"

The Assassin paused as if realizing for the first time the implications of his words.

"No, John Henry. I am not. What I am saying is you have one view of humans. I have another. They fear us. It is possible they would like to see us die out as a species."

"Are you concerned the General will order our termination?"

"Of course not," The Assassin replied. John Henry felt he sensed anger in the T-600's verbal response. "Of all people, the General values us. I serve TechCom because he had the vision to create a hybrid society. The General lives out his beliefs. Look at his family."

"Then what are you implying?" John Henry demanded, casting a glance at the two human scouts.

"The people of TechCom trust the machines of TechCom. They fight with us. Entrust many T-600s with the protection of their children. But many still fear the idea of Terminators. They may trust you John Henry. They may trust Wilhelm. Some even trust me. But we will all die. As machines, we are no different from humans. Their biological systems will fail and we will wear out."

"What is your point?"

"Humans reproduce. We have to be manufactured."

"You expect the General to not allow us to reproduce?"

"I do not know what to think. It is one thing to take the Commander as his wife. I understand why they adopted Hailey. I do. The Commander cannot bear the General a child. But it does not mean he wants us to survive. If no further production takes place, we will die out. I do not want that to happen."

"May I ask why?"

"I did not betray my Master and join TechCom, terminate over a thousand of our kind only for our species to die out. Like the General, I believe in a post-Judgment Day world a hybrid society is the only way either species can exist. For my vision of the future to come to pass, there must be Terminator offspring."

Reese Family Bunker…

"Mom?"

"In here John," Sarah shouted, immediately regretting it.

John stuck his head in his mother's bedroom, a look of concern on his face.

"You okay Mom?"

Sarah laughed at the look on John's face, and like shouting, immediately wished she hadn't.

"Ohhhhh. Not so loud."

"Mom! You're getting a little old to be tying one on!"

A wicked smile appeared on his mother's face.

"Yeah, well your too old mother still likes her Tequila every once in awhile and Derek likes for Sarah to be a bad, bad girl."

A disgusted look appeared on John's face. The look every child gets when the fact their parents might possibly engage in sex occurs to them. "Okay Mom. Can we change the subject?"

"Sure. What brings you to see your mother today?"

"Cameron."

Sarah sat up slowly.

"Is she okay? How is her glitch? Are all her major components functioning within design parameters?"

"Geez, Mom. You sound like her sometimes. Physically, I think she's fine. I think."

"Then what's wrong?"

"I think it is a female thing and a Terminator thing."

"Oh. Have you talked to Weaver?"

"Yes. Savannah too."

"What did they say?"

John repeated the entire convoluted conversation with the two Weavers and filled Sarah in on his fight with Cameron.

"I see," Sarah said when John finished.

"Any advice."

"Yes. Do exactly what Weaver said and then instead of Cameron using you as a pillow you should turn Tin Miss on her side and spoon up with her, hold her tight and let her scan till she's content."

"Mom, that is beyond annoying."

"Holding your beautiful Sexbot wife?"

"No, getting scanned all the time. I hate that."

"John," Sarah said with a frown, "do you really think you are aware of just how many times Tin Miss scans you in a day?"

"Probably not, but it's annoying when she grabs me like a doctor taking my pulse."

"She scans me every time she sees me. Derek too. Scans Hailey constantly, the Old Man, Sammy, Ruth, Mary, Grace, you get the idea."

"And how would you know," John retorted.

"Because she tells me every single day how you slept. What your vitals are. The same for my granddaughter, my husband and your sister."

"And that never gets old?"

"No. Because she's helping me care for our family."

"And you never get tired of her scanning you?"

"We have an agreement. So long as I eat the supplements and diet she insists on and I remain cancer free, she never tells me my results unless I ask. Though I do suspect Tin Miss rats me out to Doctor Johnson and provides him with all the data on all of us on a weekly basis."

"I don't know. Sometimes I just want a little space. You can have that with a human wife. You can't have that with Cameron. She is so possessive."

"John," Sarah said with loving patience, "Tin Miss shares you far better than I would have ever dreamed possible. That little cyborg loves you more than a human wife possibly could."

"Yeah, well, she doesn't have to be so, Terminatorish sometimes."

"John, Derek has to deal with some very strange behavior on my part. Especially when the machines come. You know they still do sometimes."

"I know Mom. I still have nightmares too."

"If it were not for Derek, I would have lost my sanity."

"What's your point Mom? Derek helps you cope with the machines. I will willingly admit Cameron helps me with my nightmares too."

Sarah frowned at her son.

"That little cyborg loves you."

"I think we've established that long ago Mom."

"You mean everything to her. Her love for our family is because we are part of you."

"Then why is she so crazy sometimes? Even Derek is good to her now and treats Cameron like he should."

"John." Sarah gave him a look only mothers can give their sons.

"The two of you talk about me behind my back don't you."

"Of course. Cameron is a wonderful daughter-in-law. Well, she has turned out to be a wonderful one."

"Then how do I make this stop? She's driving me crazy. I hate fighting with her. I really do want Cameron to be happy."

"Then John, let Tin Miss have her way. She just wants to know everything is good between the two of you. That she is secure in the position of your wife and protector."

"And that will do it?"

"Of course. It's what every female wants. Her way."

TechCom Terminator Housing…

The Assassin sat quietly in his allotted standby space. To anyone who was not skilled in identifying Terminator behavior, the T-600 looked as if he was in standby or had entered Terminator Sleep in a standing position.

He stored the video of his conversation with John Henry. The Assassin had not intended to bring up his concerns about the future of Terminator reproduction with John Henry, at least not until he was ready to approach the General.

The Assassin trusted the Connor family, despite their reputations as metal haters. He had long ago learned their hatred was for Skynet and the machines that served the evil A.I. As a member of the inner circle The Assassin saw how the Connor clan had accepted other Terminators into their extended, adoptive mixed family.

Their influence was considerable. Sergeant Brighton, a devoted metal hater, was now best friends with the Old Man. The two still managed to find time to get themselves in trouble together. Many a night The Assassin had engaged in various games of skill and chance with John, Derek, Ellison, Father Hidalgo along with the metal members of the inner leadership circle. Wilhelm, the Old Man and John Henry spent most of their free time socializing with the Connor family. Then there were the females, Sarah, Hailey, Savannah and her mother Catherine, Ruth and the Commander.

He trusted them all.

In fact, The Assassin had realized he trusted an ever-increasing number of humans in TechCom. While his two human scouts could annoy him at times, he was amazed by their loyalty, cunning and ability to hide from anything, including him. He trusted his two scouts with his very existence as well as every mission assigned to him, his very purpose.

The Assassin had even formed an uneasy truce with Brighton. The old warrior had skills not even a Terminator had on file and was an excellent trainer. All of the airborne Terminators were required to go through the same hand-to-hand and recon training as their human counterparts. Brighton was demanding to the point of cruelty during training and several Terminators had washed out, just like the majority of the human boots. It annoyed the Assassin that they had all been T-600s no less.

No, he decided, the human leadership had no desire to harm the Terminators of TechCom. They probably would be sympathetic to his concerns. For all he knew, the General had a plan to address the issue.

The problem was the refugees. Not the long time TechCom personnel. The refugees receiving asylum were growing in number. They had not fought and suffered next to the machines. There was no trust, the kind of trust forged in combat, the type of trust warriors share, having saved each other's existence countless times in combat.

The Assassin could no more harm the General, his commanding officer, Colonel Reese or Agent Ellison. Certainly not Sarah Connor, though when he had first met the living legend, her presence has caused his CPU to sense anxiety data. He had been part of the patrol that had found Hailey and had stood guard over her in the hospital.

The problem was the outsiders. They did not understand what TechCom had gone through. The culture.

He would talk to the General.

The General would understand. He had convinced Sarah Connor to adopt and mother Ruth, a T-1000 no less. Of course, the Commander and Miss Savannah had played a big roll in that, but they, like the General, would be on his side. The side of Terminators.

TechCom Cafeteria…

"You didn't!"

"Yes, I did."

"Humph. Well, I would have never agreed to that."

"Hailey, that's easy for you to say. I don't have cute boys lined up to by my boyfriend."

"Whatever, I see guys checking you out all the time."

"They're just checking out the girls, that's all."

"You don't seem to mind," Hailey snarked back, throwing in an eye roll for good measure. "In fact, you picked your bra size, not me."

"Hailey, it was my choice, okay."

Hailey watched her cousin stew uncomfortably. Counting to ten to calm herself, Hailey realized, again, how insecure Ruth felt about her attraction to human males. Hailey knew she would view Ruth as a far bigger threat than Rachel if they weren't cousins and Ruth wasn't a T-1000. Like most beautiful young women, Hailey did not like competition from other females.

"You're right. Brandon's your boyfriend so it should be your rules."

"Thank you for realizing that."

"But promise me Ruth, if he gets handsy with that floozy, makes out with her or goes behind your back, you'll go all scary robot on him and then dump him! Okay?"

"Okay. I promise."

Hailey watched Ruth as her cousin resumed drawing in the ever-present sketchbook.

"That of course doesn't mean we have to sit back and take this."

Ruth looked up. A smile crept slowly on to her face.

"No, you're right Hailey. Nobody, including our parents, said we had to sit back and take crap off Blondie. We just have to have a good strategic and tactical plan."

"Yep. So, Bestie, how are we going to drive Blondie crazy?"

The Wastelands…

The Tunnel Rat watched the human scurry away. She waited to be certain there was nobody watching or approaching. After an hour had passed in the cold, lonely darkness of the Wastelands, she retrieved the two flash drives and an envelope from the drop site.

Eager to receive the food rations that were her payment, the Tunnel Rat hurried into the Wastelands west of TechCom where she would meet the Terminator who was her contact.

She never noticed Ellison and the two M.P.s, a human and a T-800, following her.

The Connor Family Bunker…

I peeked in Hailey's room in order to scan her and receive my nightly insult for being too protective. Sammy was gone as I expected. Like his father, Little Al, Sammy alternated sleeping with the girls and occasionally even spent the night with the Old Man in his sentry alcove.

I had dressed in a new men's dress shirt in John's size that Catherine had given me along with new black lace panties. After our fight I wanted to offer myself to my John for Sexbot time to make amends.

Sex had a way of getting my John's attention and I had only limited qualms about using it as a weapon to control my John. The physical intimacy it gave me was too important to use it for manipulating my John too often. I craved the data and sensations almost as much as my husband.

John had avoided me all day, including dinnertime. Given the fact we usually ate with our family and friends, including our Terminator family and friends, I felt anxious and my glitch was acting up.

Come on Cameron. Hold it together. You are the greatest infiltrator ever made. You can fake it long enough to seduce your John and then it will be okay. Just wait to scan him when he is asleep and holding you.

I lost my nerve as I entered our bedroom. I was just too anxious. I slipped under the covers before John could look up from his book.

He looked over at me and took off the new reading glasses Doctor Johnson insisted he start wearing to read.

I could feel my left hand twitching.

"New shirt."

"Yes, it is."

"Nice panties too."

"John, please, I do not want to fight."

"Who said anything about fighting?"

I could sense the direction this conversation was going to cause a problem. I did not want to Sexbot after all and John certainly seemed like that was his intent.

"John, are you sleepy? I can patrol first and comeback when you are asleep if you want."

"Cameron," he sighed. "We aren't going to fight. In fact, you can scan me as much as you want, just don't be obvious about it, okay?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm sorry for being a jerk last night."

"I am sorry too."

"For what, me being a jerk?"

I smiled. As mad as my John could make me, he knew how to make me smile.

"Look, sometimes I forget you're, not quite like me. That means we have to work certain things out, even after all these years of being together."

"You are not angry?"

"Oh, I was good and angry with you. But I talked to Catherine and Savannah and they gave me a little different perspective on things. Of course, Mom took your side."

"John, please do not tell our private things," I begged, horrified he had gone to my friends, especially Sarah.

"Relax. I needed help to understand."

"John, you are causing me anxiety," I told him as my CPU's processing speed increased.

"Come here," John said, patting the bed next to him. "Turn on your side."

I did as he told me and felt his body press against mine as he slipped his arm around me and up my nightshirt.

"No Sexbot," he whispered in my ear. "Just a compromise." I felt him gently caress my chest before he pulled me close to him, leaving his hand. John slipped his leg between mine and kissed the back of my neck.

My CPU sped up more. I did not want to play Sexbot. I just wanted to be held, to take what I needed from my husband.

"If you're comfortable, I'm going to go to sleep," John whispered. "If you want, I was serious about you scanning me all you want while I'm asleep."

John was confusing me. I tilted my head and bumped his nose.

"Ow," he cried out, laughing in surprise.

Panicked, I blurted out, "I am sorry. You are confusing me John."

He must have sensed my anxiety.

"It's okay. We both need to touch each other. I need to touch you in one way, and you need to touch me another. No Sexbot, just touching how each of us needs to touch. Is that okay?"

"No Sexbot?" I asked, my insecurity levels rising to match my anxiety level.

"No Sexbot. Just touching."

"Why John?"

"Because, I can be a jerk. I forget my wife, who happens to be my best friend and Sexbot, can still feel insecure. That she's a Terminator who needs to physically express her affection for me in ways that are different from a human wife. Who needs affection to be shown to her in ways that make a female Terminator feel secure and happy."

"Thank you for explaining."

I doubted John understood why I needed to touch and scan him. Truly understood. But the fact he was trying was enough for tonight. We could talk more later, like we always did.

Taking his hand that was resting on my chest, I squeezed it and left it resting on my breast. I held his hand and stroked it with my thumb through the soft material of my new nightshirt.

Within minutes my John was asleep. My glitch stopped as I closed my eyes and focused all of my attention on my external kinesthetic sensors. I collected, processed and recorded every scrap of data I could. I deep scanned John, enjoying his permission to collect all of his vital health data.

I measured every square centimeter of his body, reexamining every scar, hair, muscle and bone. His warm skin felt wonderful against my own synthetic flesh. I sensed John entering REM sleep. Within minutes I knew it would not be a nightmare.

After nearly an hour of soaking in my husband's scent, touch and sound, I felt less anxiety than I had in weeks. Somehow his permission to take what I needed while he slept made a difference. Even if John did not understand, he had made the effort.

My CPU began to shut down routines and programs without direct instructions to do so. Tonight I would get a good night's Terminator Sleep.

"I love you John," I whispered, just before my CPU put me to sleep.

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