"Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
A/N: First of all, let's get the bad news out of the way.
For those of you who haven't heard yet, Fox has unfortunately decided not to renew TSCC.
Frakkin' sucks, doesn't it?
Apparently, Fox decided to go with Dollhouse instead of TSCC b/c it's cheaper for them (this is NOT an attack against DH, btw. It's simply a fact that TSCC is a more expensive show than Dollhouse b/c of the license fee).
For my part, I'm officially dedicating this story in memory of both Battlestar Galactica and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - two of the greatest sci-fi shows produced in television history. Both of them will be missed tremendously.
It is up to us as fans and writers to keep these shows alive somehow, even if the TV industry won't.
Anyway on with the fic:
Connor Safehouse, Los Angeles
9:37 PM, Monday, May 11, 2009
Kara Thrace figured she wasn't going to get this job done by herself. She needed help. Plain and simple. She turned to Sarah Connor.
"On three?" said Kara.
Sarah nodded. "On three."
"One."
"Two."
"Three."
The two women lifted the heavy fireproof safe off the ground and slowly placed it inside a cavity within the concrete wall.
That part done, Kara finished the job by hanging an old outdated calendar (from 2003) over the hole, thoroughly concealing the safe from sight.
She wiped the sweat from her forehead and sighed. She and Sarah had spent the entire day installing or upgrading various security systems in and outside the safehouse. Right now they were in the underground fallout shelter, their work nearly done.
" I hope you've memorized the combination, because I'm not writing it down." Sarah warned.
"Don't worry." said Kara, "I've got it."
She looked around the shelter to inspect their handiwork. It was rather impressive. A reinforced lead-steel vault door stood at the base of the flight of stairs connecting the shelter with rest of the house. Several monitors sat in another corner of the room, relaying video feed from security cameras that had been installed around the perimeter of the house, as well as certain places within the house itself. An intercom system had been set up on a table nearby. In the third corner of the room, was a separate table containing a jumble of radio transmitters, jamming equipment, and counter jamming equipment. In the final corner was a hidden passage that led to the surface outside the house.
Their hard day's work was showing its results, though it could have gone a lot faster if John, Cameron, and Derek had been helping. Cameron alone could have probably done the whole job in half the amount of time.
However, John had been spending the day retrofitting Cameron's internal workings with various upgrades she felt were necessary - especially for tomorrow. The Connors had recently made contact with Ronald Stukov, and learned he was willing to share what information he had about his employers with them - for a sizable payment, of course. When Sarah had first spoken with Stukov on the phone, he had sounded like the average Joe just trying to get through life. But she knew from her experience that first impressions were almost never reliable. And as such, Derek had been busy in LA all day keeping tabs on Stukov.
Kara decided to bring up a pressing issue. "May I ask why you want me to stay with John in the car while you and Cam talk with Stukov... With John in the driver's seat as well."
Sarah gave Kara wryly smile. "I want to talk with the man, and he's not going to talk very much if he's a bloody smear on the ground."
"What if it turns out he doesn't really want to talk?"
"As far as we know he's not actually a member of Kaliba," Sarah replied pointedly, "He's just some independent contractor who at one point worked for a company affiliated with them."
"As far as we know." Kara reiterated.
"From what I've learned about Kaliba, they pay their employees very well. If Stukov was truly with Kaliba, I don't think he'd be unemployed and living in a crappy apartment. I don't trust him but I do think that a wad of cash will produce better results than one's fists." Sarah then added, "And besides, should anything go wrong, I want to make sure John is in capable hands."
Kara stared at her. "You trust me enough to leave me with John?"
"Not exactly." Sarah replied, "I don't really trust anyone. But with you... well, at least you're not the type of person who'd go behind my back."
"I'm not?"
"No. You're the type of person who doesn't even pretend to follow the rules. Somehow, I'm more comfortable with that."
Kara snickered. "Ah, well... that's me."
Sarah nodded. "John really likes you, Starbuck. He really does." she said, "I think it's your free spirit that he looks up to. Something I've never let him have."
"Could be that." acknowledged Kara, "But I think there's another reason. And that's Cam."
"What about her?"
"I'm starting to think that I'm the first person John has ever met who treats Cam with any sort of decency."
Sarah sighed. "Yeah... about that." She took a moment to compose herself. "Starbuck," she said, "You and Cameron have been through a lot together, is that right?"
"I'd say that 'a lot' is a gross understatement." Kara replied.
"Okay, I can see that you've obviously grown an... attachment to her. Just like the one I can see John is developing."
"I owe her my life. Who wouldn't get attached to her after all we've been through?"
Sarah held up her hand. "I understand that, Starbuck. But the point is that when it comes down to the core of things, Cameron is just-"
"Yeah, I know." muttered Kara stiffly, "A Terminator, right? Not a human. Just a machine. Right?"
Sarah nodded slowly. "That's right." she said softly, "She fights for us because that's what she was programmed to do. She didn't make any conscious choice to help us. She can't. And she never will. Her whole purpose is to kill whoever she's programmed to kill."
"You're right about that." replied Kara nodding, "And you know what, I sympathize with her."
"Sympathize?"
Kara nodded again. "Yeah, that's right. I sympathize with her." Noticing Sarah's confusion, Kara was suddenly reminded of her conversation with Becka three years before. "The thing is, Sarah," she explained, "in the future, everyone is fighting Skynet to win back what they lost. Everyone but me. I don't have anything to win back. I never have."
"Then what are you fighting for?" Sarah asked.
"I'm fighting because..." Kara sighed, "because that's all I ever known in life."
Sarah was silent. This was the first time Starbuck had actually opened herself up like this. She wanted to hear her out as long as she could.
Kara continued. "The ironic thing is that before the war, I was a nobody. Just some little girl trying to survive in this world. Every day was a fight to survive. But I never understood why I should survive in the first place. I didn't have any ambitions or dreams. There was actually nothing worthy to fight for. The only reason I kept surviving at all was because there was nothing worth dying for either."
"The war at least gave me a purpose." Kara went on, "I wasn't just fighting for my survival. Now I was fighting for everyone's survival. And more importantly, if I died, I would die so that others wouldn't have to."
She shook her head sadly. "What's even more ironic is that when this is all over, I'm going to become a nobody again. I don't know what I'll do when Skynet is defeated and there's no war to fight... I guess I'm just gonna fade away."
"There must be something to look forward to." Sarah insisted, "We're fighting to save the future for everyone, including ourselves. So that we can have a chance to live normal lives."
"What is a normal life?" Kara asked dryly.
"It's not having to always be on the run. Not having to constantly live in fear." Sarah stated, "Not having to fight each day just to see the next."
Kara smirked and shook her head. "You're telling me what normal is not. I'm asking you what it is."
Sarah opened her mouth to respond but then closed it. She didn't know what to say. Sudden realization began to show on her face as Starbuck's words began to sink in.
"You've never really thought about that one, have you?" Kara asked.
"No, no," Sarah replied defensively. "I have thought about it. It's just that-that I...well..." Unable to say anything else coherent, Sarah grew silent, her mouth hanging partly open as if frozen in mid-sentence.
Kara knew she had truly stumped her. "I thought so," she said quietly. Sarah didn't respond. Instead, she just looked down at the floor staring at the small grooves and cracks that ran though it.
"Don't worry," Kara said reassuringly, although her tone carried a hint of sarcasm. "I'm sure we'll think of something." She twitched her head upwards a bit as if in deep thought. "I dunno." she mused, "Maybe we're not meant to lead normal lives. Maybe the true reward is reveling in the knowledge that we made it possible for everyone else to live those lives. Every time we see someone living their life to the fullest, we can pat ourselves on the back... or something."
"You're right, Starbuck. I guess I really haven't thought about it," Sarah admitted. "But first things first. We've got to save the world. Then we can start thinking about ourselves."
"Fair enough." replied Kara.
Sarah stared around the shelter. What would it be like when she and John could live without being surrounded by concrete, steel, guns, cameras and-
"Hey, that's Derek." she said, pointing to one of the monitors.
"Did you tell him about the stairs?" Kara asked.
Sarah shook her head. "No. Did you?"
"No."
Both women widened their eyes in sudden horror and simultaneously dashed to the table with the intercom equipment. Sarah slammed one of the buttons.
"Derek!" she shouted warningly into a speaker, "Watch out for the-"
"AUGH!" Derek's scream reached their ears through the receiving end. It was soon followed by the sounds of tumbling, crashing and cursing. There was final thud accompanied by a muffled, but audible moan from just behind the reinforced door.
"...stairs," uttered Sarah.
When they opened the door, they found Derek lying in a heap at the base of the stairwell clutching his forehead in pain.
"Are you alright?" Sarah asked as she helped him up.
"Yeah. I'm fine," grunted Derek, "What the hell happened back there? I was coming down here when the stairs just threw me off!"
"Sorry about that," Kara said semi-apologetically. "We didn't tell you, but you're supposed to avoid the seventh step from the top."
"You don't say." groaned Derek, still nursing his head which now had a nasty purple bruise on the front.
The three moved inside the shelter. Sarah sealed the room. "Well, what did you find out?" she asked Derek.
Derek gave his report. "I searched the man's apartment again. Still didn't find anything that looked suspicious."
"What about the man himself?"
"I tailed him most of the day. He didn't receive any calls. Didn't meet with anyone for more than a minute. Didn't go anywhere suspicious-looking." Derek then added, "Not that that actually means he's being honest."
Sarah nodded. "He didn't see you following him, did he?"
"Of course not."
"Was anyone else following Stukov. Or you?"
Derek shook his head.
"Then I guess we'll meet with him tomorrow at twelve like we agreed over the phone." Sarah said.
"It would probably save us a hell of lot of trouble if we simply grabbed the guy and made him talk for free." Derek suggested.
Sarah shook her head. "No." she stated firmly, "We're not going to use force unless absolutely necessary."
"Given our track record at negotiations, I think it might be 'absolutely necessary.'"
"Well, what you think doesn't really matter." Sarah said dismissively. "We're going to talk with Stukov, tomorrow. No one lays a finger on the man unless I say so."
Derek sighed. "Starbuck," he whispered, "Help me out here."
Kara just shrugged. "Sorry, Reese." she said, "But Sarah's got a point. The man says he wants to help us. If he's willing to help us, we should help him."
"The question is once he has his money, what's to prevent him from switching sides?" Derek pointed out.
"I think I can convince him not to do that." Sarah said confidently.
"How?" Kara asked.
"Using words and if necessary a gun aimed at his head."
"I'm good at using both."
"No thank you, Starbuck." Sarah replied, "Cameron and Derek will be there to back me up. I need you to be with John."
"Alright then." Kara sighed, "So we should hope for the best?"
Sarah nodded. "Yeah." She then added, "But we should also prepare for the worst."
"Well at least the second part is something we can all agree on." muttered Derek.
Kara and Sarah both nodded silently. "Hey listen, you two," Kara said suddenly, "Why don't you guys turn it for the night. I'll stay here and keep an eye on things."
"That's very kind of you, Starbuck." Sarah said with genuine gratefulness, "Thank you."
Kara grinned. "You're welcome."
Sarah smiled back at her. "See you in the morning then."
"Yeah, you too. Oh, and Reese." Kara turned to Derek. "Watch out for the-"
Derek raised a hand. "I know, Starbuck, I know. The seventh step from the top. Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
Sarah and Derek both left the shelter and closed the door behind them. Kara sat down on a chair in front of the security monitors. She also turned on a small TV nearby and began flipping through the channels. It was going to be a long night. Hopefully there would be something on that would keep her awake. She glanced at the monitors. Awake, but not too distracted.
Having ascended the stairs (and avoiding the seventh step), Sarah and Derek exited through an ordinary wooden door and entered a corridor of the safehouse.
"Nice to see that you and Starbuck are getting along." Derek commented.
"Well, I've discovered she's actually quite nice to have around." Sarah replied, "She still needs to get her head deflated, though." She paused briefly before asking, "What do you think of her, Derek? You obviously know Starbuck pretty well. "
Derek shrugged. "I don't think there's anyone in the Resistance who doesn't know her."
"Popular girl on campus, huh?" Sarah said folding her arms across her chest. "I guess that explains her smartass attitude."
"Starbuck does have a pretty swollen head. I'll give you that." Derek admitted. "But along with that head comes guts. Big guts. And lots of them."
He gave Sarah a rather grim smile, "Nothing scares Starbuck. She never backs down, no matter the odds or the circumstances. If all she has are her teeth, then she'll bite her enemies to death. Or she might gnaw one of her arms off and use it a club."
Sarah raised her eyebrows. "What a lovely, sweet little girl." she muttered dryly.
Derek just smirked at her. "She's the deadliest weapon in the Resistance's arsenal." he said, "When she gets released into battle, she's like a tornado. She's unpredictable and uncontrollable and she'll destroy anything in her path. You saw what she did at Roachville. Believe me, that's mild compared to what she's done before."
Sarah sighed. "I don't need a tornado, Derek." she said sternly, "I need you to be honest with me. Tomorrow I'm sticking her with John. Can we rely on her to protect him?"
"That we can definitely do." Derek assured her, "She may have problems with authority, but she's absolutely loyal to John. She'd follow him into the deepest bowels of Hell without a second thought."
"It's not her loyalty I'm questioning. It's her ability to recognize when John's in danger... particularly from herself."
"She'd never let anything happen to John. I think that's all we can ask for."
Again Sarah sighed loudly. "I suppose you're right." she said. She took a deep breath and exhaled and allowed herself a moment to come to terms with everything. Sarah then looked up again. "I guess I'll see you in the morning." she said quietly.
Derek just nodded. "Goodnight, Sarah."
He left without another word.
Sarah, now completely alone, lay back against the wall and sighed.
"Kyle." she whispered to no one, "I need your help."
The image of Kyle Reese appeared at her side. "I'm here, Sarah." he said softly.
Sarah looked at him with a pleading expression on her face. "What are we going to do, Kyle?" she asked, "Once this is all over, what do we do then?"
"Settle down, I suppose." Kyle replied, "Start a new life. Find a way to continue contributing to the world."
"A new life?" scoffed Sarah, "Like I'm just supposed to forget everything that's happened in the last sixteen years of my life?"
"No one's asking you to forget," said Kyle, "but you have to move on with life."
Sarah shook her head. "Not quite sure if I can do that." she said darkly, "If Cameron is correct, then I should be dead from cancer in a few years."
"You don't know that."
"Doesn't matter. It's not myself I'm worried about, it's John." Sarah looked at Kyle sadly. "All his life I've been preparing him to fight the war against Skynet. But what's he going to do when there is no war to fight? When there's no army to lead? When the world no longer needs him?"
"The world will always need our son." Kyle said firmly, "Maybe he won't become the leader of Mankind, but he'll find a place in this world."
Sarah just shook her head again. "He's a fugitive, thanks to me. A dead fugitive that people have hopefully forgotten about by now, but still an outcast. Without Skynet, at best he'll be..." she trailed off remembering what Starbuck has told her.
"He'll be a nobody." she finally said, pain evident in her voice.
Kyle placed a hand on Sarah's shoulder. "No he won't, Sarah." he whispered, "He's our son. He's destined to lead. He's already begun to take responsibility for himself and for others. You do realize that don't you?"
There was no point in denying this, and Sarah knew it. She silently nodded.
Kyle her cheek. "The day will come, Sarah." he said, "when people will see John for who he is. They'll look up to him, and they'll follow him. Have faith in him, Sarah. Just like he has faith in you."
Through the shroud of doubt and despair that clouded her mind, Sarah could somehow feel the truth emanating from Kyle's words. She closed her eyes and opened her mind to the possible future that lay before her and her son.
When she opened her eyes again, Kyle was still there, waiting for her response. As she gazed at him, the darkness seemed to diminish slightly. She sighed and allowed herself to smile.
"I believe you." she said at last, "All I hope is that I live long enough to see John become that man."
"You will, Sarah, you will." Kyle said softly. "One way or another, you will live to see that day." He kissed Sarah on the cheek.
"Thank you, Kyle." Sarah said. She closed her eyes and allowed her mind and body to relax.
She heard Kyle whisper gently into her ear: "Goodnight, Sarah."
"Goodnight, Kyle." she whispered back.
When she opened her eyes again, Kyle was gone.
"Alright," said John, having just finished his work. "How's that?"
"Good," replied Cameron.
John placed the small screwdriver he had been using on a work table cluttered with various tools, many of them stained in artificial blood. Cameron was lying down on her back on another table, a lamp shining down on her body. The lamp was the only source of good light in the otherwise poorly-lit room. A large section of skin and hair had been removed from the lateral left side of Cameron's head, fully exposing her chip. Another proportion of synthetic flesh had been removed from the same side on her neck where John had just finished working. He had, per Cameron's instructions, removed the coltan plating in that area, and now a complex array of servos, wires, and hydraulics was clearly visible.
John couldn't help but feel like he was in a torture chamber from one of those B-rated horror films - with him being the blade-wielding psychopath who caught and mutilated innocent people.
"Let's try this again." he said. He sat down and took out a cell phone.
"Proceed." said Cameron. The servos aligning the neck region of her endoskeleton moved up and down as she spoke.
John nodded and began dialing a series of numbers. He waited to receive the right signal before texting a message.
CAMERON, ARE YOU GETTING THIS?
He sent the message and waited for a response. A new message then appeared on the cell phone.
YES, JOHN. I AM.
Another message appeared a few seconds later.
TOTAL TIME ELAPSED: 8.5239 SECONDS.
John sighed with satisfaction. "That's our best yet." he said happily, "I think we're good."
Cameron didn't answer. John waited for a response but none came. "Ahem, Cameron." he said, clearing his throat, "I said I think we're good."
Again no response.
"Cameron, can you hear me?" John asked, afraid something had gone wrong.
Still no response.
Worried, John stared down at his phone and saw that he had another message.
YES, JOHN. I CAN HEAR YOU.
John sighed and shook his head. "Um, Cameron, you don't need to text anymore." John said, "We're good."
Another message appeared.
I'M SORRY. I DIDN'T GET THAT. PLEASE TEXT ME.
John frowned. Obviously she could hear him since she was responding to him at all, but why was she pretending not to? Was she playing with him? He shook his head again.
"Alright fine..." he muttered. He began texting again.
CAMERON, YOU CAN STOP TEXTING ME. WE'RE GOOD.
He sent the message. A few moments later, he got a new one.
Y DIDN'T U TEXT SOMETHING B4?
John stared at the phone, then at Cameron, then at the phone again in disbelief. Was she using chat lingo? This was getting plain creepy now.
Wanting to put an end to this little game or whatever, John sent one more message.
JUST START SPEAKING NORMALLY AGAIN, PLEASE.
"Very well." John jumped up at the sound of Cameron's voice. He looked at the table and saw that Cameron was now sitting up and staring at him calmly.
"The new communications upgrade is working sufficiently." Cameron reported.
"Well that's good." said John, still trying to recover his senses. "Where did you learn how to use text lingo?" he asked.
"At the school we attended." Cameron explained, "I observed a number of students using the style."
John stared at her. "You read other people's text messages? Without them knowing?"
"Yes." Cameron confirmed, "Mission protocol dictates that I monitor all electronic communications being used in proximity to you."
John's only response was to look down and shake his head. Cameron was confused.
"Is that wrong?" she asked.
"Never mind," said John,."Just keep whatever you've read to yourself. Unless it's relevant to Skynet or to me, don't mention it at all. Okay?"
"Very well then." Cameron placed the coltan plating back over her neck. It secured itself into position with a click.
John decided to get back to the current matter. "You're sure," he asked, "that this new communications system inside you can't be hacked or monitored?"
"Positive." replied Cameron, "The system is not linked with any satellite or wireless communications network. The only way the system can even be accessed is through one of the four cell phones we reconfigured earlier today. Furthermore, the system itself has a number of advanced security protocols to safeguard it. And in the event that I am compromised, the explosive device planted near my CPU can still be activated."
John stared down at the locket that hung around his neck. Inside was a remote detonator that if pressed would destroy Cameron's chip. Cameron had given to him less than a week before when she was concerned that she might turn against him. He now literally held her life in his hands.
John looked back up, clutching the locket in one hand.
"I hope I never have to use this." he muttered grimly.
"As do I." stated Cameron. "But the future is not set."
"Yeah, exactly. I'm not quite sure it ever will be..." John trailed off. Another pressing issue crept into his mind. "Derek told me that he's pretty sure Starbuck came from the same future that he's from. You're from that future too, right?"
Cameron nodded. "Correct."
"But Starbuck said she was sent back a month after you were sent. Shouldn't the future have been altered by us at that point?"
Cameron shook her head this time. "It doesn't work that way."
"What do you mean it doesn't work that way?" asked John.
Cameron didn't reply for a few seconds. "I'm not sure if I can fully explain it," she said. "Time travel is an extremely complicated branch of science. I don't believe even Skynet itself completely understands it."
"But you've got to know more about it than I do. Could you at least answer a few questions?" asked John.
"Perhaps. What sort of questions did you have?"
What sort of questions? John wasn't sure where to begin. "Well, for starters," he said after a few moments of careful thought, "if Skynet really wants to win the war in the future, why doesn't it just send a machine back to warn its past self about what I'm planning? Wouldn't that be the easiest thing to do?"
"It would be. Fortunately, no temporal fissures in the time line have been found anywhere after Judgment Day," Cameron answered matter-of-factly.
"Temporal fissures?" asked John.
"Areas in the time line that are vulnerable to exploitation," the cyborg girl explained. "Much of planning a trip into the past or the future involves calculating the location of an appropriate temporal fissure."
"You mean you can't just pick and choose any date to send someone or something back?"
"Correct. Furthermore, whenever a temporal fissure is exploited, it hardens much like a callous forming over a wound and becomes inaccessible."
"So, that's why Skynet doesn't just keep sending wave and wave of machines back to 1984 or 1997?"
"Yes. A fissure can only be exploited once from any particular future."
"What do you mean particular future?" asked John.
"As I understand it, an alternate timeline exists in which Judgment Day occurs in 1997 rather than 2011."
"Existed," corrected John. "Mom and I erased that timeline when we blew up CyberDyne."
"That is what your Future Self initially believed as well," stated Cameron. "However, when we analyzed the computer data obtained from Skynet's first Temporal Displacement facility at Topanga Canyon, we discovered that the temporal fissures leading to 1984 and 1997 had been simultaneously exploited by a timeline running parallel to our own. We concluded that it must have been the timeline that you and your mother have always spoken of."
"Wait..." said John, holding up a hand, "if that timeline still exists... and both your future and that future sent the same people back in time to the same place... then there were actually two Kyles running around in 1984? The one Mom met, and the one Derek knows?"
"We're not sure exactly what happened," said Cameron. "However, I would theorize that due to the same temporal fissure being exploited by two futures, the timeline in 1984 briefly split into two parallel timelines in order to accommodate the arrivals from the two futures. In a sense, your mother met both Kyles. Events in the two parallel timelines played out exactly the same way and thus they merged back into a single timeline. ""
A perplexed John blinked. "Merged?"
"Just like alternate timelines can branch out from a single timeline, they can also merge back together if they become exactly the same. In the case of 1984, the only difference between the two briefly existing parallel timelines was Kyle Reese's memories of the future. After he died, the two timelines merged and became a single timeline once more."
"But Derek's Kyle was born before the war. Mom remembers her Kyle as having been born after Judgment Day. She says he told her that himself. Wouldn't Derek's Kyle have told her something different?"
"No, he wouldn't," said Cameron.
"Why not?"
"Because your Future Self ordered Kyle to tell your mother that Judgment Day happened in 1997 and not 2011. Future You also instructed him to make no mention of Derek."
John stared at her. "Future Me told Kyle... Derek's Kyle... to lie to Mom?"
"Yes. In addition, the reprogrammed T-800 unit you sent back to protect your younger self was programmed to believe that Judgment Day occurred in 1997."
John was stunned, somewhat outraged at the behavior of his future self. "So not only did I tell Kyle - Derek's Kyle - to lie to Mom... but I gave Uncle Bob false memories? Why-?"
Cameron just stared at him, indicating that he should already know the answer.
John suddenly realized what this was all about. "Because..." he said slowly, "...because otherwise, Mom wouldn't have blown up Cyberdyne in 1997... And Judgment Day would have happened a few months later...like it was going to..."
"Correct, and because of temporal inertia, events in both timelines played out exactly the same way allowing them to merge."
John frowned. "Temporal inertia?"
"The natural tendency of reality to alter the timeline in order to minimize any change caused by a temporal incursion," Cameron explained. "It is why predestination paradoxes - such as Skynet's attack on your mother in 1984 - exist. In this case, the time line simply absorbed the temporal incursion, thus making it part of itself. Other times, post-incursion events will play out slightly differently in order to reduce the overall effect of the temporal incursion."
"Wait a minute, it can't be that hard to change things," John said, "Mom, Uncle Bob, and I actually changed the future. We destroyed Skynet. We stopped Judgment Day... At least that's what we were supposed to have done."
"According to your mother, the original Skynet was going to be destroyed by the Resistance anyway," Cameron pointed out. "I suspect it was therefore easy to overcome the temporal inertia in order to establish a new future without that particular version of Skynet. Events occurred, however, such that Judgment Day itself was merely postponed, not stopped."
John stared at her. "So that's why Skynet was created again even after Mom and I blew up Cyberdyne? Because the universe pushed events in that direction."
Cameron nodded. "Correct. The timeline adjusted itself such that Cyberdyne's destruction merely delayed the rise of Skynet."
John's face fell and he groaned in frustration. "What the hell does the universe have against us?"
"The universe does not take sides, John," Cameron stated calmly, "It is merely trying to restore balance."
There was no point in asking what "restoring balance" meant. Instead, John asked, "So, how do we overcome temporal inertia? How do we stop Skynet for good?"
"There is no single answer to that question," said Cameron "Temporal inertia is not something that can be measured. There are many variables involved in overcoming it. One of the key factors is the overall magnitude of our actions here."
John sighed loudly. "Ok..." he uttered slowly, "if I destroy Skynet and overcome temporal inertia or whatever, then do I get a future without Skynet?"
"If you are referring to yourself personally, then the answer is yes. Those of us who are here will see a future without Judgment Day or Skynet. If you are referring to your Future Self - the one who sent me back - then the answer is no."
John blinked. "No?"
"One of many assumptions humans commonly make when discussing time travel is that they can alter their personal present by changing the past," stated Cameron. "This is not true, however. What exists now cannot be erased. If someone from the future actually succeeds in making a significant change to the past, the original future they came from does not get erased or changed. At least not immediately. If we were to destroy Skynet here and now, the Skynet in the future - the one I could from - would not suddenly vanish. It will continue to exist - if only in a parallel timeline. Likewise, if Skynet were to kill you here, your Future Self - the one who sent me back - would not suddenly cease to exist."
"But-but..." John began to sputter in frustration. "But then what the hell is the point of time travel if you can't actually change anything? Why is Skynet... why am I - the Future Me doing any of this crap if all we're doing is creating a bunch of alternate realities?"
"You can't change the immediate present by altering the past, but you can shape the future," said Cameron.
"Meaning what?" asked John.
"The long term effects of any major changes in the past will gradually surface in the original future responsible for those changes. Like I said before, if you were to die now in this timeline, the Future You from my future will not cease to exist. However, events in my future might play out such that one day he is killed during a crucial battle. Thus, you will be dead in both my future and the one that we are creating now. More importantly, however, the war in my future will likely shift in favor of Skynet. Eventually, Skynet will win and everything the Future You has done will have been for nothing. It will be as if he - or you - never existed. Because in effect, he will not have."
As John was thinking this over, he remembered something else. "The original Skynet - the Cyberdyne version," he said, "when it sent a machine back to kill Mom, it had already lost its war. So if it couldn't change its own present, what was it trying to do?"
"Not being from that particular timeline, I do not know. Perhaps the Cyberdyne version of Skynet had a poor understanding of the mechanics of time travel," Cameron reasoned. "Its intention was to win in the past when it had already lost in the present. The timeline responded by establishing a causal loop around the temporal incursion point, thus making Skynet's attempt on your mother's life part of itself. The current Skynet knows better, however. When I was sent back, it was not clear which side would win the war. That is why Skynet has not only targeted you, but is also hunting others as well."
"You mean like Martin Bedell? And the Fields? To nullify the significance of what they've already done?"
"Correct. Skynet is trying to establish a new timeline that its own future will gradually merge with. And so is the Future You. He wants us to destroy Skynet here in the past so that he has a better chance of destroying Skynet in his own future."
"So if I understand this," said John, "if we destroy Skynet here and now... for good, then the war in the future... your future... will go in the Resistance's favor?"
"Correct. If we establish a new dominant timeline without Skynet, then temporal inertia will push events in the future that I come from such that the Resistance destroys Skynet and wins the war," answered Cameron. She paused. "Bear in mind of course that all of this is just a theory."
An exasperated John scoffed. "The Future Me is sending his best people back in time based on a theory?"
"A theory supported by much scientific data," stated Cameron matter-of-factly. "But the validity of that particular theory is irrelevant for all intent and purposes. The future that I come from is now my past. What matters is that we succeed here in the present. If we succeed here, we will have established a future for ourselves in which there is no Skynet, no Judgment Day, and no war. That is what truly matters here. Our own future. The one we are creating right now as we speak."
John sighed and nodded. "You're right," he murmured, "At the risk of sounding uncaring about the people in your future, all that matters is our own future."
Cameron nodded. "Just before I left, your Future Self told me that his greatest hope was that when this was all over you would finally be able to live the life any human should live."
"After all the shenanigans he's been pulling off lately, so do I." John paused and looked Cameron in the eyes. "And you?" he asked hesitantly, "What happens to you? What are you supposed to do when this is all over?"
"My mission will still be to protect you, John," Cameron stated softly. "Wherever you go, whatever happens to you, I'll be there at your side protecting you."
John felt a warm glow radiate from her. He stared deep into her eyes.
"Thanks, Cameron," he said gratefully. "That means a lot to me. It really does."
"There's no need to thank me, John," said Cameron. "It's my mission."
John smiled. "I don't care. I'm still thanking you."
Cameron tilted her head. "In that case, you're welcome."
The two stared at each other for a long moment. John could feel an invisible and intangible but nevertheless powerful and undeniable connection between them.
Cameron broke the silence. "I'll clean up here. You should get some rest," she said. "The hour's getting late."
John checked his watch. "Yeah," he nodded. "It is."
He got up out of his chair.
"Goodnight, Cameron," he said.
"Goodnight, John," she replied.
John headed out of the workroom. Cameron continued sitting on the table as she watched him leave. When he was out of sight, she calmly got to her feet and began cleaning up the mess. She figured she could have the room cleaned up in twenty-four minutes. Just in time for her to start her nightly patrol of the perimeter. She would be on patrol until 7:30 AM tomorrow morning. She would then assist Sarah in the final preparations for her rendezvous with Ronald Stukov. At 10:30 she would personally accompany Sarah into the inner city for the meeting.
A lot of work came with not having to sleep.
A/N: Review as always.
A/N2: There's going to be another chapter rather shortly after this one (I'm thinking by this Friday), but it's gonna be a short one. But it'll be an important one too.
A/N3: Here is a list of names and numbers of the Warner Brothers and Halcyon people you should contact (sorry for the format, it's the only way you can put URLs in this place):
Scott(dot)Rowe (at) Warnerbros(dotcom)
info (at) thehalcyoncompany(dotcom)
Bruce(dot)Rosenblum (at) Warnerbros(dotcom)
Peter(dot)Roth (at) Warnerbros(dotcom)
Bruce Rosenblum
President, Warner Bros. Television Group
4000 Warner Blvd
Burbank, CA 91522
Peter Roth
President, Warner Bros. Television Group
4000 Warner Blvd
Burbank, CA 91522
Preston Beckman*
Vice President Scheduling
10201 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
Phone: 310-369-1000
Fax: 310-369-1283