Chapter 36 – Recognizing the Enemy

Disclaimer: Don't own TSCC

Sarah looked about the tent one final time before drawing the entrance flap shut and making it fast for the night. Old habits die-hard and checking on her family while they slept was a habit Sarah had no intention of breaking even though she no longer checked on John every night.

Now, when Sarah gave in to the need to check John, she also checked Cameron and Hailey, her granddaughter. Tonight, Sarah had gotten up to check Ruth, her own adopted daughter and the girls little dog, Al, as well. It never failed to amaze Sarah how John could sleep with Cameron draped across him. She had learned shortly after the pair had married this was Cameron's habit. It allowed her to shield her husband's body while he slept and enjoy the emotional security Cameron gained by being physically close to John.

Asleep in a single sleeping bag was the two girls, Hailey and Ruth, each clutching a homemade doll to their chest. Their little dog Al could barely be seen, his nose peeking out from under the sleeping bag as he slept between the girls.

Smiling to herself over the fact she and her husband Derek were the only two humans alive who could sneak up on Cameron while she slept, Sarah waived to the T-600 watching the tents in the area from his shelter the two girls had built for him. The Old Man watched over the girls, and truth be told, the adults of the Connor family as well, and engaged in Terminator Sleep only when directly ordered to do so by Cameron.

Entering her own tent, Sarah fastened the flap and dropped her heavy coat on the ground before slipping back into the sleeping bag she shared with her husband. Shivering from the intense cold of the night, Sarah snuggled close to Derek and like Cameron, draped herself over her husband, seeking his warmth more than any effort to shield him.

The day had passed, filled with important events. To everyone's delight in the Connor family, Cameron's two high school friends who shared her love for ballet, Grace and Mary, had been discovered among a group of refugees who had escaped from a Skynet concentration camp. As soon as they were strong enough, Cameron insisted the two would move into a tent in the Connor family's living area.

Even more important, the details of the exact location of Skynet's core in the United States had been provided. In the morning, John would begin planning for the final culminating battle in North America to defeat Skynet.

The Medical Facilities…

"So you always knew Cameron was metal?"

"Mary, when she's got a very limited number of subroutines to run and she's in infiltrator mode, Cameron can mimic human behavior almost perfectly," John said with a sigh. "So don't feel bad. She fooled me but good when we met in New Mexico. I had no clue until this Terminator named Cromartie gunned her down. Cameron stepped right into the line of fire and took three bullets. It was the first time she saved my life. The second time was when she ran Cromartie down with a truck she had stolen. When she stopped and told me if I wanted to live I had to go with her, that's when I knew."

"Cameron wasn't the first Terminator you had ever seen," Grace asked.

"No. Uncle Bob was. He was my first protector. Taught me a lot about what Terminators are capable of, in a good way, if given the chance. What I learned from him was a huge help in dealing with Cameron."

"Still, John, it's creepy. I mean, I feel like she tricked us and, please don't take this the wrong way, you're married to her and you, well, you know, the two of you do married people things."

"I understand. I really do. I freaked out when I realized I had fallen in love with a machine, a Terminator no less. Did Cameron ever tell you two about Riley?"

Mary and Grace looked at each other knowingly and laughed.

"You mean the bitch whore Riley? The source of all things evil and blonde, second only to Skynet in pure evil," Grace said in her rapid-fire speech.

"Yeah, that Riley."

"You could say we heard a few less than nice comments about her," Mary added between giggles.

"Riley was the only girl Cameron hated more than Cindy," Grace informed John. "Of course, I'm not telling you anything you don't already know."

"I pushed Cameron away for Riley because Cameron had tried to kill me and I was freaking out about the fact she was developing emotions and I had feelings for her."

"Better than any soap opera," Grace said, adding, "You can't make this crap up, a love triangle between a human blonde bimbo, a gorgeous female Terminator and a handsome man. They should have made a tv show about this."

"Cut Cameron a little slack would y'all? When she was built, Cameron had no emotions. The explosion that damaged Cameron's chip and caused her to follow the original programing to kill me also broke the control to her emotion simulator. In a very short period of time, days, Cameron went from no emotions to being a teenage girl who was in love with the boy she was built to kill. It was hard on everybody in our family."

"So you really love a machine," Grace asked.

"I really love a person who is named Cameron who happens to be a drop dead gorgeous cyborg as well. Did I mention she can really cook too?"

Mary and Grace laughed giving John hope that in time Cameron would be able to enjoy her friendship again with the two girls who had taught her so much about life and interacting with people.

"I'm going to go. I have a lot that has to get accomplished today. You two need to rest," John said, standing to leave.

"Thank you for stopping. It is hard to believe you're the famous General John Connor. We knew you when you were nobody, just Cameron's sweet boyfriend," Mary said wistfully.

"It's hard to take in, I know. Please though, Cameron still needs the two of you, more than you can imagine. She still struggles with so many things and other than my mother, who is hardly the best role model, Cameron still needs the two of you to guide her when it comes to certain female behaviors."

"I don't know John. She's metal. After what we've been through, I just don't know," Grace said firmly.

"Give her a chance. You did once before. Think of all the times she protected the two of you from being bullied, how neither of you would have passed Calculus or Physics without her help. Think about all the happy times the three of you shared. She's the same Cameron except she has more pressure and responsibilities."

Without another word, John waved and left the tent.

"What do you think, Mary?"

"I don't know. I am so scared and I'm not sure I trust John anymore. All these Terminators, if it was just Cam, like it was before, I would feel better. I just don't know."

Later that day…

Mary stirred, waking up slowly, not wanting to regain consciousness. It felt good to be warm, clean and have had something to eat. Something had awakened her and Mary sensed its presence close to her, in between the cot she slept in and the one Grace snored peacefully from.

"Hello," a soft childlike voice said, startling Mary into full wakefulness. Her eyes wide open, Mary snapped her head in the direction of the sound.

Her sudden movement caused the small child to flinch and take a small step away from Mary.

"I did not mean to startle you," the child said politely.

Mary shook her head vigorously as she tried to control her feelings of sudden panic. Looking at the small child, Mary recalled the fuzzy recollection of being introduced to a pair small children by Cameron, one of whom was her own adopted daughter and the other was Sarah's. Looking at the child standing there, Mary realized it had to be Sarah's little girl. It looked exactly like her.

"You're Sarah's little girl," Mary said with caution.

"Yes, I am Ruth."

"Why are you here?"

"I have to get a check up every week. Hailey has to get one too. I thought I would come look at you while I wait for Hailey."

Fearful, Mary looked at the little raven-haired girl. "Why would you want to look at me?"

"Next to my brother John and my Mom, and maybe my Dad, Aunt Cameron says you and the other lady are her best friends. I only have one human best friend and she doesn't really count."

"Human?"

"Uh-huh. I am a metal. See." By way of explanation, Ruth held up her hand and clinched her fist, morphing it first into a rock and then a ball.

The look of horror on Mary's face caused Ruth to frown. "I am sorry. I thought you would understand since you are friends with Aunt Cameron. She showed me the file of the wedding and I saw you and Miss Grace."

Swallowing as she fought to remain calm and not startle the child sized T-1000, Mary thought of a safe question to ask.

"You said you had only one human best friend. Who is your friend?"

"Hailey. We are cousins and I am her protector so sometimes I feel like she does not count."

"Oh. Do you have any other friends?"

"Yes, but they are not human and I am not sure they count either."

Almost too scared to ask for more details, Mary's curiosity got the better of her.

"Who are your friends? If you don't mind my saying so, if they're your friends, they should count, don't you think?"

"The Old Man," Ruth replied rolling her eyes, "is a dear, but he's a T-600 and his mission objective is to serve as the protector for Hailey and me. He's not even an infiltrator model like I am. Hailey and I love him dearly, but his purpose is to protect us and he's not very good at playing with us."

"I see. Who is your other friend?"

"Little Al. He is a dog. Al is good at hunting rats and he plays with us, but he's a protector too. He warns us when danger is nearby."

"So why did you want to visit us?"

"Aunt Cameron has two human friends. I wanted to see why you are so special."

"I see." Mary watched the little T-1000 intently.

"You get lonely," she observed out loud.

"Sometimes. Hailey and I have fights and then I only have my doll to play with. Mom says its good to play by myself sometimes with just my doll. Terminators have trouble with imagination so she thinks it is good for me."

"What do you think?"

"I would rather have a friend to play with."

"Yeah, friends are good."

"Aunt Cameron was sad last night."

"She was?"

"I spent the night with Hailey. I heard Aunt Cameron talking to John. I know I am not supposed to listen but I am an infiltrator."

Mary's addiction to gossip made her lean forward to listen to Ruth.

"What did Cameron say?"

"She was upset because you hate her now. Aunt Cameron has only has a few human friends and besides my mom, Miss Savannah is her only other girl friend. Aunt Cameron doesn't really trust Mrs. Weaver. I think it is because of something that happened before Judgment Day. Hailey says its because Weaver is a T-1000 like me."

Sensing this saddened Ruth, Mary smiled at the little girl.

"Would you and Miss Grace by my friend?"

Startled by the request, Mary blinked several times before responding.

"I don't know Ruth."

"It is because I am a T-1000. The endoskeleton's don't like me either. Only the Old Man and Lt. Wilhelm will play with me. Not even other Terminators like T-1000s," Ruth said sadly.

"Why is that?"

"It's because Terminators are predators and only Aunt Cameron is a more deadly predator than a T-1000 model Terminator. She is the only model TOK-715 ever built," Ruth added proudly. "I think the T-600s are just jealous because they aren't true cyborgs, though the Old Man is an exception. The T-800s and T-888s are jealous because they don't have my infiltration capability and I can form weapons by morphing."

"I see," Mary said, swallowing. The situation was surreal. Mary began wondering if she was dreaming. How could she be talking to a young girl who was calmly talking with pride about her predatory skills as a killing machine?

Wondering about Cameron and her being a killing machine, a thought entered Mary's mind. "Ruth, may I ask you a question?"

"Yes."

"Do the other Terminators like your Aunt?"

"Yes."

"Do you know why?"

"Many reasons. She is the greatest Terminator ever built. Aunt Cameron was one of the first to truly have free will. She is the commander of the Silver Brigade and a fierce warrior. Even my daddy respects her as a warrior and a leader. Besides, she is my brother's wife and John is the General."

"Did all the Terminators like her?"

"Most. Not all though. Same with the humans in TechCom. Most of them hated her or feared her. But now it's a lot better. John says things have changed for the better."

"How does Aunt Cameron feel about this? Do you know?"

"Her purpose is to protect John with her life. Her secondary mission is protect Hailey and then her family. That's my mom and dad and me. I think the Old Man and Little Al are family but are not as important. Then she worries about the Silver Brigade and finally the rest of TechCom. If the persons in TechCom don't like her, Aunt Cameron does not care."

"I see."

"Purpose is very important for a Terminator. We cannot be fully functional or what humans call happy without meaningful purpose."

"Do you have a purpose Ruth?"

The little girl nodded vigorously.

"I am Hailey's protector. When I grow up, I will be a great warrior like my parents and protect Hailey and TechCom."

Mary nodded. She couldn't help but be impressed with the obvious determination of the little girl standing before her.

"Can I ask you one more question Ruth?"

"Yes."

"Does Cameron really love John?"

Ruth tilted her head to the side, causing Mary to take a sudden breath, recognizing the familiar behavior from Cameron.

"Of course she does. It is why she selected as her primary purpose to serve as John's protector. Why would Aunt Cameron not love my brother?"

"Ruth, this is all very hard for me to take in. I did not know Cameron was a Terminator."

"Oh. How could you not? It is obvious."

Feeling a bit irritated by being talked down to by a child, Mary frowned at Ruth.

"Look, before Judgment Day, humans did not know about Terminators. The only ones that existed were sent back in time like Aunt Cameron was. So how was I supposed to know?"

Ruth nodded as if Mary's excuse made sense. "Aunt Cameron says humans do not learn to be as observant as a Terminator without significant training and practice."

"Ruth, I am tired now. Would you mind going?"

The frown on Ruth's face spoke of a sense of disappointment and to Mary's surprise, she felt bad about disappointing the little girl.

"Look, I tire out really easy right now. Grace and I have been through an awful lot and we have never met, other than Cameron, any Terminators who didn't try to kill us or imprison us. This is all a lot to take in, okay?"

"I think I understand."

"Why don't you come back tomorrow if your parents say it is okay and I will talk to you a little more. How does that sound?"

"You will be my human friend," Ruth responded hopefully.

"I'm not promising anything. But I will talk to you again tomorrow if your parents say it is all right with them."

Ruth nodded and turned to leave. Stopping at the tent's entrance as she held open the flap, Ruth smiled and waved goodbye. Then she was gone.

A Little Later…

Grace felt something poking her in the ribs, waking her up. Sitting up to see what the source of irritation was, Grace was surprised to see the little girl named Hailey standing next to her cot.

"Boy are you hard to wake up."

"What are you doing here," an irritated Grace muttered.

"Ruth's getting her check-up and I do not have anything else to do."

"It's rude to wake someone up when they're asleep."

"How come you don't like my mom anymore?"

"What? Where did you hear that?"

"Mom. She was crying last night. She thinks Ruth and I don't know but we do. Ruth's an infiltrator and her sensors pick up all kinds of sounds humans can't hear."

"So Cameron was crying. Females do that."

"She was crying because her friends don't want to be friends anymore. Mom doesn't have a lot of human friends, especially girl friends. Just Grandma Sarah and Savannah. They're girls like us. Maybe Agent Ellison, he's a male. She fights with Uncle Derek a lot but they like each other. It's like me and Ruth fighting."

"Okay. Hailey, your name is Hailey right? Mary and I were very close friends with your mother before Judgment Day. We never knew she was a metal. Now, after everything we've been through, it is really hard for us to trust a metal."

Hailey frowned as she thought about what Grace had said.

"How could you not know mom is a Terminator? Everybody knows she's a Terminator."

"We didn't know. There were no Terminators before Judgment Day."

"Yes there was. There was Uncle Bob and the first T-1000. Before them there was a T-800. Then there was mom and Cromartie and John Henry. Mrs. Weaver is a T-1000 and she's John Henry's mother. There was lots of Terminators before Judgment Day. Mom and Dad got married and you were there all dressed up in a pretty dress. I've seen the video file."

"Okay, there were a few Terminators. But nobody, or at least not many people, knew about them. They're really scary."

Hailey considered this statement in silence.

"Skynet Terminators are bad," she said matter-of-factly.

"Terminators are bad," Grace muttered.

"My bestie, Ruth, is a T-1000. You met Ruth. She thinks she's my protector, but I don't need a protector. Grandma Sarah says not to argue with Ruth about it so I don't anymore. We're cousins too. How do you like our dog?"

"He's cute. Hailey, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"How do you feel about your mom being a Terminator?"

Hailey's expression changed for a moment as if a dark cloud passed through her mind.

"Bad Terminators killed my real mom and dad. Mom, Cameron, found me in the rubble when she was on patrol with a squad of Silvers. They rescued me. I was a lot smaller then."

"Do you remember being rescued?"

"No. I was too small. But I remember TechCom's old city. I remember the Battle of Los Angeles. I even remember what mom and dad had to go through to adopt me. Well, I remember some. Mom told me about it when I asked her. She let me watch her video files."

"How does it make you feel, knowing your mother is a machine?"

"Mom's not a machine. She's a cyborg."

"It's not natural Hailey."

Tears began to well up in Hailey's eyes as her cheeks began to turn red.

"What am I supposed to do? My real parents are dead. I am a Connor now. There are kids who are older in TechCom who are orphans. They never got adopted. I'm lucky. I have parents and a grandma and Derek. The Old Man, who is a pain, is my real protector and our family even has a dog."

Pressing Hailey further, Grace asked, "What do you think about having a T-1000 for your cousin?"

"Grandma had cancer and the doctors made it go away but then she couldn't have another baby. Somebody had to adopt Ruth when she was found. Grandma knows almost as much as dad about Terminators and she raised mom. The endo's didn't want to raise Ruth so it was decided Derek and mom would adopt her."

"You realize you and Ruth really aren't cousins?"

"Don't say that!"

"You're human and Ruth is metal."

"So! Dad is human and mom is a cyborg. We're a real family! Ruth is my bestie and my cousin. You saying she isn't doesn't change anything!"

Grace watched as Hailey clinched her fists and shook in anger.

"It's not normal."

"Yes it is! Nothing is like it was before Judgment Day! Just because you are mad at mom for some reason doesn't change anything! She loves me and takes care of me, just like she loves dad and takes care of him."

Motion by the tent entrance distracted both Grace and Hailey for a brief second as Ruth entered. In a few quick steps Ruth was by Hailey's side, holding her cousin's hand. Following her was the girl's little dog, Al, who sat down and looked at Grace with a scowl, his ears raised and his teeth barely showing.

"Miss Grace, why are you being mean to Hailey? Aunt Cameron says you are very nice. She wouldn't be friends with a mean person."

"You two have some nerve talking to an adult like that!"

Ruth gave Grace a Terminator Death Glare, making the young woman start, feeling uncomfortable in the little predator's stare.

"Let's go Hailey. They are not nice like Aunt Cameron."

Pausing to leave the tent, Hailey stuck her tongue out. Ruth paused long enough to inform Grace, "you don't deserve a friend as good as my Aunt Cameron."

Stunned, Grace sat in silence. Outside the sound of a little dog barking could be heard, slowly fading into the distance.

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

Cameron Grows Up

Cameron and John's Wedding

Who's the Boss?

The Storm Before the Calm