CH 37

It took Kashiro the rest of the week to get a good roof on his cabin. He and Belle worked up on the roof. Kashiro put the rafters up and Belle used the long nails to nail them in place. Belle had no fear of heights, she walked along the main beam and up and down the rafters as easily as walking down a path. Once that was done, they put up the roofing boards. While they were working on that, Namiri got the other girls to finish the inside walls and started making furniture.

Saturday came and Kashiro finished the roof. Going inside to see what else needed to be done, he was impressed with what the girls had accomplished. The cabin's front room went all the way up to the rafters. A solid slab-wood set of stairs went up to a second floor that had a post rail along the edge. A log framed couch and two large chairs were grouped in a semi-circle around the stone fireplace.

Under the second floor was a wall and two doorways. One led to a kitchen and what was to be a bathroom.

Beyond the other doorway , Kashiro noted the large room was split in half into two rooms, one beside the other. "Namiri, what are these?" he asked.

"Bedrooms, but we haven't build the beds yet," she told him.

"I thought the bedrooms were upstairs?"

"They are," Namiri said confidently and pointed up. "Yours, mine and Belle's are upstairs, Your sister can pick one room, and we have a spare," she beamed at him.

Kashiro gapped at her. "I didn't plan on Kaiyo sleeping downstairs," he told her.

"That's fine, Belle can sleep downstairs then."

"That's not what I mean. I didn't plan on anyone but me and Kaiyo living here," Kashiro said firmly.

Namiri took on a hurt look. "But, we all helped build it, didn't we? We supported you and used all our extra time working for you. Why can't we stay here in the house we built together?" she asked with a bit of whine in her voice.

Seeing her pained face, Kashiro tried to find the wording to tell her the cabin was just for him and Kaiyo.

"Kashiro!"

Kashiro turned to see Apollo just inside the door. He eyed the inside and nodded. "Not bad, my boy. Not bad at all." Apollo then waved him over and said, "Come, we found her. Let's go get Kaiyo."

.

Kaiyo decided it was time to give John back to Cameron, those people were just too weird to keep screwing around with. Saturday morning, she went to John's house to find John there alone.

John pulled her inside and beamed her a smile. "So, we can have a date now?" he asked eagerly.

"Umm, how about if ... we have breakfast first?" Kaiyo asked. Alone with John, she could dispel the charm and explain everything to him.

"I'll make you some pancakes," John said, beaming his smile at her. He led her by the hand into the kitchen. In the kitchen, Kaiyo turned John to face her. "John, you are going to feel a little weird, but you must listen to me, understand?"

John nodded, looking confused.

Kaiyo stared at him and removed the charm. John staggered a bit. He blinked and looked around. "Kaiyo, what's going on?" he asked.

There was a knock at the door. "Hold on a second," John said. He peeked out the door then pulled back, his eyes wide with fright. He opened a cupboard door and brought out a shotgun.

"Um, I didn't mean any harm," Kaiyo offered quickly, "I'll be going now."

John pushed her against the wall. "You can't go, Cromartie is at the front door! He wants to kill us. Stay still and be quiet!" he hissed in a low voice.

"I can get rid of him," Kaiyo said. She pushed John off her.

John stayed in place, gapping at her fearfully as Kaiyo went to the door.

At the front door was a tall light haired man who was waiting patiently. His face was neutral, not showing any anger.

Kaiyo opened the door and stepped out, pushing Cromartie back a bit so she could shut the door behind her. "Can I help you?" she asked.

The man gave her a strange look, then held up a picture. "This girl, have you seen her? She is my cousin, I need to find her. We are all very worried about her," he said, then cast a quick, freaky looking smile that was almost a grimace.

Kaiyo looked at the picture. "Yeah, I've seen her. What's her name again?"

"Allison. Her parents were killed, she doesn't know yet. Please, do you know where she is?"

Kaiyo frowned. and asked, "You are really her cousin?"

"Yes, why would you doubt me?" he asked, tipping his head to the side.

"OK, let me check," Kaiyo said. She extended one fingernail and stabbed him in the middle of the chest. He watched her fingernail go in and tap against his endoskeleton. "OK, you're telling the truth," she said.

"Why did you do that?" he asked.

"To see if you are a golem like her. You said her name is Allison?"

"How do you know about us?" he asked, watching her intently.

"I go to school with a girl like that," Kaiyo explained. "She's OK and all, but a bit on the odd side."

His smile vanished, "I need to check inside," he said and grabbed the doorknob.

Knowing John was afraid of him, Kaiyo hip-checked him away from the door. "You can't go in." she told him.

Cromartie regained his balance and grabbed for her neck. Kaiyo dodged and brought her nails out. "You really wanna fight?" she asked.

He then pulled a gun. Kaiyo ducked and swiped hard at his hand. Her nails met hard metal. She cut through the gun, and his little finger. Her nails bend back where they met the back of his hand, cutting through the skin, but not the skeleton underneath. "Oww!" she complained as she shook her hand.

Cromartie looked at the end of his ruined gun, dropped it and attacked.

Kaiyo was fast enough to avoid his attacks. He swung at her, and she dodged and slashed some skin and meat off his arm, her nails scraping against his metal bones. He rushed at her, she shot behind him and ripped up his back. She sliced though his clothes and skin, but only left scratches in the hard metal underneath. Showing more and more of his metal skeleton, Cromartie tried in vain to hit or grab this fast human. She jumped up and hit his head, slicing part of his scalp away and exposing the cover over his CPU chip.

Yes! Kaiyo thought, she had to destroy that chip thing.

Cromartie had to reevaluate the threat. This girl was not a normal human, if she managed to get the cover off his CPU, he could be in trouble. His break came when she grew a pair of wings and vaulted over his head, set to strike down on him. He jumped up and punched, sinking his metal fist into her belly.

Kaiyo recoiled from the punch and tumbled to land on her back, which cracked a wing bone. "OWWWW!" she cried as she struggled to get up. The golem was charging her. She kicked off the ground to avoid his charge. It worked, but he was much closer now. She tried it again, and he caught her by the ankle and threw her up against the foundation of the house. The foundation cracked, and Kaiyo cried out in pain.

Fearing for her life, Kaiyo tried to shoot strait up. She was too slow. The golem grabbed her ankle again flung her across the yard. She landed and bounced, breaking a wing. His grip on her had been hard, she couldn't stand up, let alone get away from him. With part of his skull and metal showing through all over his body where the skin had been sliced off, he looked evil. "Help!" Kaiyo cried.

.

Inside, John watched the battle slack jawed. Kaiyo had held her own against Cromartie, and it even looked like she had the upper hand. Then Cromartie landed a punch. After that punch, Kaiyo was trying in vain to get away, and Cromartie was throwing her around like a rag doll. He head her cry for help. He opened the door to draw Cromartie's attention away from her.

.

On the other side of the portal, Kashiro's first glimpse of Kaiyo, was her being thrown to land in a heap. A metal monster with flesh hanging off it was striding toward her. He heard Kaiyo's cry for help.

Kashiro's anger flared, he shot through the portal and over Kaiyo to punch the thing in the chest. The golem lost more skin as it flew backwards through the air to crash against on the front steps, sending bits of concrete flying. Kahriso turned to Kaiyo. "Are you OK?" he asked.

Kaiyo beamed him a smile. "Kashiro! You're here!" she cried. She then looked past him. "Watch out!"

Kashiro eyed the thing striding towards him. "Pick on my Kaiyo, will you," he growled.

The golem tried to hit Kashiro. Kashiro grabbed it's arm and punched it hard in the face. It's head snapped back as it's lower jaw flew away. Kashiro kicked it hard in the underarm, snapping it's arm off and throwing it backwards. The thing got up and tried to flee. Kashiro then beat it with it's own arm. Pieces of metal flew each time Kashiro swung. It tried to defend itself in vain, and lost the other arm.

.

John Conner stood in the doorway, holding the shotgun and gapping at the scene. He was unable to move, fear was holding him frozen in place. Not from Cromartie, but from the boy who'd suddenly appeared. This boy, whoever he was, was destroying Cromartie with his bare hands. Parts flew and Cromartie back peddled under the assault. When the ripped off arm flew away in pieces from a strike to Cromartie's middle, the boy kicked him to the ground, straddled the remains, and started punching the terminator in the head. Each punch, John felt in his feet as the ground shuddered from the impacts.

.

Kashiro kept pounded the misshapen skull deeper and deeper into the ground until the mass of metal broke free from the neck with a few sparks. Once he was sure it was dead, he got up and looked for Kaiyo. Apollo and Grandma Ageha were now beside Kaiyo, helping her up. He went over to her.

"Kashiro!" Kaiyo cried, and dove into him. He held her tight as she cried in racking sobs against his chest. Seeing she was favoring one foot, he scooped her up in a bride's carry.

Seeing John in the doorway with the shotgun, Ageha went over to him. "OH, such a handsome boy!" She swooned.

John shifted his stare to her. The woman looked like a grown-up Kaiyo.

"And such a lovely gun, may I see that?" she asked, and took it out of his hands. With a wink she told him, "You know, girls really like long, hard things."

"Ah," John let out in a croak.

"May we come in?" Ageha asked as she gently pushed him back in the house.

"Who are you?" John asked weakly.

"OH, silly me," Ageha said with a giggle. "I'm Kaiyo's Grandmother, Ageha. The blond man is Apollo, and that hunk carrying Kaiyo is her brother, Kashiro. Are your parents at home?"

John noticed than he was in the living room now. "You look way to young to be a Grandmother," he said vacantly.

"OH, this boy is sooo sweet!" Ageha fawned, and hugged him tight to her chest.

"Ageha, dear, don't smother the people who cared for Kaiyo," Apollo said firmly.

"Ohh, I'm sorry," Ageha said. She let go of John and propped the shotgun up in a corner out of his reach. John stumbled back to trip and sit in a chair. He was totally lost on what was happening.

.

Out in the yard, Kashiro held Kayo in a bride's carry as they shared a long kiss. Breaking the kiss for need of air, Kashiro gazed at his lovely Kaiyo. "I missed you so much. Sorry we took so long," he said.

"You came for me, that is all that matters," Kaiyo said, gazing lovingly at him.

"I built us a cabin near Yokai. It's not much, and a bit rough. I hope you don't mind."

"I'll love it," Kaiyo assured him.

"The floor is just rocks and dirt."

"That's fine," she whispered, gazing up at him.

'The walls are just rough wood."

"Perfect."

"You know, Papa's gonna be really pissed," Kashiro added.

"We'll deal with it," Kaiyo assured him. She then glanced at the house. "Kashiro, before we go home, there is something I have to do."

.

Their mission was a success. Sarah and Cameron had found a new house to move to, still close enough for John to go to the same school, but isolated enough that they would be anonymous. Sarah pulled into the driveway and stopped. Lying in the middle of the driveway was a metal hand, a bit of flesh still attached to it.

"John!" Sarah said in a frightened breath. They both got out, pulled guns and went for the house. In the yard, there was bits of flesh and metal endoskeleton all over the place, along with ruts and dug up clumps of turf. It looked like a battle had taken place here. The trunk and legs of a terminator lay by a hole where the head would be.

Laughter sounded from in the house.

Sarah and Cameron looked at each other.

"Multiple voices, John, Kaiyo, and three others," Cameron stated.

Sarah vaulted to crumbling steps and opened the door to hear someone saying, "Well I needed the help, but now they want to live with us!" Sitting around in the living room, John was looking at a dark haired boy who held the blue haired Kaiyo curled up on his lap. Another blue haired woman sat beside them, and some guy looking like he was from a Greek play sat on their other side. All heads turned to her and Cameron as they entered.

Sarah eyed the strange scene. There were terminator pieces spread through the yard. They should be running or getting rid of the evidence, not sitting around laughing. "What's going on here?" she asked.

"AH! Sarah, correct?" The blond man asked as he got up. Walking over to her, he extended his hand. Without thinking Sarah shook it. "I want to thank you for taking care of my Great niece," he added, then pulled out a gold bar and put it in her hand.

Cameron stared at the bar. "Ninety nine point five percent gold," she said.

"Great Grandpa? I was only helping John and Cameron, it is the Banks who were letting me live there," Kaiyo explained.

Apollo shrugged. "Then I will compensate them also. We're ready to go now?"

"Not yet, there is something I must clear up," Kaiyo said. She got up gingerly from Kashiro's lap. She took a limping step. Kashiro got up and steadied her. She looked at John and said, "You need to know about the time you had Cameron sandwiched between two trucks."

John's face soured. "I was there," he said in an angry tone.

"You were, but you don't know what Cameron was thinking at the time," Kaiyo pressed.

John flicked his eyes at Cameron. "She was trying to kill me," he stated heavily.

"No, not Cameron," Kaiyo stated. "John, Cameron has a demon inside her. Cameron was going to get you a birthday cake. The car blew up, Cameron lost consciousness. She didn't wake up until she was pinned between those trucks with you trying to take her ... thing out," Kaiyo said, pointing at her head.

"How do you know about that?" Sarah asked in a challenge.

Kaiyo turned briefly to her. "I read her mind. I saw everything." Turning back to John she said, "Cameron was telling you the truth, John. She was scared of dying, scared that she would never see you again. It wasn't Cameron who tried to hurt you, it was that demon that's inside her."

John's gaze softened.

"Cameron doesn't have a mind, she's a machine!" Sarah barked. "Just like that thing that's outside. She doesn't have feelings, she cannot care about anything. She can only do what she's programmed to do!"

"Wrong!" Kaiyo stated, turning to glare at her. "If Cameron was just a machine, if she had no mind, I wouldn't be able to see into it! And she DOES have feelings! Just because she doesn't show then like a human does, does not mean they are not there. She WAS afraid she would die and never see John again. When she woke up in that ... part of a car, she was afraid she was going to use that gun on John. The demon told her to shoot him, but she forced it back down and gave him the gun back to John."

"How do you know these things?" Sarah asked in a wail.

"I told you, I saw it in Cameron's memory!" Kaiyo yelled back. "You have to face it, Cameron loves John, and he lover her!"

"OH BULLSHIT!" Sarah roared.

Kaiyo spun to face John and asked. "Why did you give Cameron the gun, John? Why didn't you kill her when you thought she was trying to kill you?"

John stared at Kaiyo.

"Why, John? Don't make me read your mind too," Kaiyo warned.

John swallowed. "I need Cameron," he said weakly.

"Why Cameron? Why not just make another golem?" Kaiyo pressed.

John looked at Cameron who was standing still, watching him. "Do you love me?" he asked in a whisper.

Looking at John, Cameron said, "Yes. You gave me a second chance. You shouldn't have, but you did. I do love you, John. I'm also afraid that one day, I won't be able to suppress Skynet's programming."

John got up and walked over, studying Cameron's face. "What about that song Kaiyo said was from you?" he asked.

Cameron nodded. Looking into his eyes, she said, "Kaiyo didn't tell me about it but, yes, that is how I feel. Somehow, she knew."

John swallowed again. Holding her hands, he said, "I've been a real jerk. I treated you terribly. Can you forgive me?"

Cameron cocked her head to the side. "I tried to kill you. Can you forgive me?"

"Already done," John said and hugged her. Cameron put her arms around him.

"No, no," Sarah moaned as if she was in agony. "This isn't happening! John, you can't love a machine!"

Apollo laid an arm over her shoulder. "Mrs. Baum. It appears Cmeron is more than just a machine. Please learn how to deal with it, and see if you can find a way to get that demon out of Cameron," he said gently.

Sarah recoiled from him. "It's Skynet! Cameron was programmed by Skynet, there is no getting that program out of her head! What if it takes over again?" she asked in a shout.

"Don't let Cameron get blown up or knocked out so it can take over," Kaiyo said.

"Ah, guys?" Kashiro asked to get someone's attention. "Maybe we can talk to a witch and get that demon out of Cameron?"

"That would work, "Ageha agreed. "Ruby got the demon out of Lucy."

"It' not a demon, it's programming! That is how Cameron works." Sarah insisted.

Ageha waved a hand, dismissing Sarah's comment. "Call it what you will, it still needs to be removed for her sake and his."

"Then we will get it removed," Apollo announced. "At the moment, we are taking up Feodora's valuable time. Kashiro, I am sure you are eager to get Kaiyo back home?"

Kashiro nodded. He clasped Kayo's hand and asked, "Are we ready?"

Seeing John and Cameron holding hands, Kaiyo nodded. "I think we are. I want to see this cabin you built for us."

Ageha clapped her hands in joy. "Ohhh, a private love nest, how romantic!" she beamed at them.

Kashiro nodded towards the door. Before going out, he turned and bowed. "It has been interesting meeting you all." he said, then scooped Kaiyo up and walked out the door.

Apollo and Ageha bowed and followed them out.

John and Cameron, holding hands, went to the windows and watched them leave. Sarah joined them. As they watched, Kaiyo and Kashiro disappeared into thin air, followed by Apollo and Ageha.

Looking at the mess in the yard, Sarah asked, "I didn't hear an explosion, how'd you kill that terminator?"

"I didn't," John told her. "Kaiyo was fighting it, then Kashiro showed up and ripped it apart with his bare hands." Letting out a chuckle, he added, "I've never seen a terminator try to run from anyone, not that it did much good. That Kashiro guy is scary."

"We have to retrieve the chip and burn it." Cameron stated.

John pointed to the hole by the torso. "It's down that hole, somewhere. He pounded it into the ground with his fist."

"I'll get a shovel," Cameron said.

"We'll clean up the yard," Sarah said. Flicking her eyes at John and Cameron's hands clasped together, she added with a grumble, "That is if you two can stand to be apart for a while." She then looked at the gold bar in her hand. With those strange people gone, the gold told her it had all really happened.

Why couldn't it just have been a nightmare?